Chapter XLVII – The Day

Nobody came for him.

People were trying to get inside the private cell, but they couldn't.

Bishop had been here all day, locked up, barricaded, and just… at a loss. He found some waterskins by the bed at least and he found some bread on the desk, but that was it. He had no idea how long he was going to be stuck here and he had no idea how to get out. Or how long it would take them to figure out a way to get to him.

He couldn't even peek outside. He was worried they were waiting with arrows drawn.

He constantly heard screaming and people yelling at him from behind the bars, cursing him, or some of them even congratulating him on killing the Forsworn menace. But none of it was helpful.

His only hope was that other gate, even though he had no idea where it led.

He only had one usable shiv now and he was really trying to unlock the gate with it. He had been trying the entire time he was here.

Eventually, he had to content himself with trying to dislodge the bolt instead of moving it through the keyhole. That was just impossible.

But the bolt was stubborn too.

His nerves were a fucking wreck. He had no idea what would happen to him now and what would happen to Aeyrin. He just had to make the best out of this crappy situation his panicked move had gotten him in. But it was all that asshole guard's fault! He was too brash taking Borgul away! And he had the gall telling Bishop that he was sloppy.

Well… maybe he was. The constant threat of Aeyrin being left without food or water made him act too fast.

But he couldn't really regret that, could he? As long as she was fine.

Ha! Finally!

The bolt snapped back and he managed to open the gate at last.

Now to see where this led.

He followed a corridor quietly for quite some time before he reached another part of this complex.

It was… a Dwemer chamber. A pretty big one. His mouth gaped ajar as he slowly stepped forward, across the stone. There was nothing in it, but he could see another passage further in. Would it be possible that this led outside? Could he be so lucky?

But as he made another few steps, suddenly, a very unpleasantly familiar sound caught him off guard.

Fuck!

He forgot to check. There was a metallic circular hole next to him and the cover opened, letting one of the Dwemer spheres roll out.

Shit!

The thing composed itself instantly and it slashed its sword against Bishop. He barely managed to jump out of the way. It slashed against his torso and left a shallow gash behind.

Fuck, that stung.

How was he supposed to fight this thing with only a shiv?

He needed to bolt.

Bishop ran back instead of proceeding. The sphere was blocking his path after all. There was a big platform in the chamber and he couldn't climb it to get to the top level. No. He had to go back to the cell.

He could hear the sphere following, but despite the pain he was in, he was faster.

He promptly got into the cell and closed the gate shut behind him again. Hopefully that thing couldn't get in.

Fucking great.

Now he was trapped.

…

Aeyrin had been wrecked with nerves ever since that strange conversation with Anu.

Was he really serious? Were the Forsworn really going to attack Markarth?

She was going through the motions in the prison, just working, wishing for someone to come and give her food and water and surviving on the small pool and gulping whatever she could through her mask. Nobody came for her again for two days. She just tried to concentrate on what she could through her dizziness and nausea. She was glad to see that they let them bathe every three days, though it was disturbing with how much sweat and grime there was to deal with every single second. It was a relief to wash, but it still didn't help with how thirsty and hungry she was. And so weak.

And yet, through all that, her biggest concern was still Anu. He kept talking to people, exchanging secret notes and giving everyone subtle nods. It made her so nervous. He was right. The day was clearly coming. One night, he gave her a weapon – a small sharpened piece of silver.

She didn't want to use it.

But she had to keep it, just in case.

He kept updating her, though only vaguely, telling her not to worry, that the day was coming soon. Didn't he get that this was what she was worried about?! They were going to wage war in the middle of a very populated city!

But one night, he brought 'dire' news.

Apparently, Markarth was in a stage of emergency. There were curfews and restrictions now. The leadership was expecting an attack. There seemed to be turncoats on all sides – everyone seemed to know everyone else's plans after all. This was a horrible war. She suspected that nobody knew who to trust.

And it made her feel a little guilty that Anu confided in her when she was not in favor of these plans.

She would have told him outright if she could though. But maybe it was for the best that she couldn't speak. Who knows what would have happened to her then?

And then, the day actually came.

During one breakfast, Anu was walking around, whispering to everyone. He told her that the assault would happen after lunch.

This was it. There was going to be a bloodbath. She was weak and disoriented and her mind didn't work right. She had no idea what to do to stop this. She could do nothing to stop this. She was tense the whole day and if she wasn't constantly wavering on her feet from the state she was in, she was pretty sure she wouldn't have been able to move at all.

And despite the trepidations, she still clung close to Anu whatever chance she got.

What else could she do? She would have probably died here without him a long time ago. Collapsed under the strain and thirst and beaten to death by suspicious Forsworn. After days spent in close proximity to him, nobody even looked at her funny anymore.

So this was it. She was in it now. There was no way out. And lunchtime was swiftly approaching.

And then the guards called for a lunch break.

In a matter of seconds, all of Oblivion came down upon them. Aeyrin only barely registered that some of the prisoners lunged at the guards, using their chains to choke them or their shivs to pierce their necks.

It was so hard to make sense of it all. She saw some Forsworn fall under the guards' swords, but she saw some guards battle others. But the Forsworn held terrifyingly united.

She was worried about what they would find outside.

Anu grabbed her by the hand soon.

The fighting was over so quickly. It was terrifying. There was a whole swarm of Forsworn, along with a few guards, ready to get out of this place for once and for all. Ready to take back the city they claimed to be their own.

Anu didn't lead the crowd, thank the Gods. Maybe it was for her benefit. He often seemed to be one of those in charge here, but he stayed in the back, only leading her along as gates were opened and corridors passed in front of her eyes.

Everything was so confusing, the surroundings swirling around her, blurring. But her mind was still too aware of what was happening, no matter how much it seemed like a dream. She kind of wished she'd pass out so that she didn't have to see this.

And then there was a strange sight in front of her.

Suddenly, a large chamber opened up to them. Not a mine chamber. It was a Dwemer ruin. It was only one chamber, but there was a sphere there. And as some Forsworn jumped down from a platform they emerged on, more made their way from their hidey-holes.

Another battle. And this time one that the Forsworn were not entirely ready for. The guards could battle the spheres better, but several Forsworn lost their lives in the skirmish. It still all happened so fast. Or at least it felt like that to Aeyrin. She just stood there on that platform with Anu for a little while, where it was safe from the spheres below, before the sounds of battle quieted and he ushered her to come down from the elevated spot with him.

She wasn't sure how many spheres were there and how many Fosworn fell, but there were still many of them in the crowd as they gathered below the platform. Nobody seemed to care about the fallen. Nobody seemed distraught at the loss. They were all so terrifyingly focused on their mission.

"They'll bring us weapons and armor when we're outside. But we have to make it out of here first," Anu whispered to Aeyrin. The two of them, along with a large crowd, shuffled towards one particular corner of the large chamber, below the platform and with the remnants of the dismantled spheres and corpses of other Forsworn behind.

She didn't want weapons! She didn't want armor. She didn't want to be a part of this at all!

But what could she do?

Soon, one of the Forsworn started to call them forth, from near another corridor that seemed to lead further in. Or… out. Anu nodded at her meaningfully.

Was this it?

Gods, she didn't want to go outside.

…

It'd been more than two days.

Bishop was exhausted, just sitting on Madanach's bed with the man's corpse still in the room. He had no more food, only water, but that was enough for now. But more importantly, he had no plan whatsoever.

There was noise constantly at the end of the winding corridor. They were trying to lure him out, bargaining with food, threatening him, or trying to barge through the barricade or get the door's lock working. They couldn't.

And Bishop could do nothing but wait here.

He never thought he would die like this, holed up in a cell.

He knew by now – nobody was coming for him. He didn't know what happened to Aeyrin, but the Silver-Bloods left him completely in a lurch. He should have seen this coming. He kind of did, but he chose not to believe it.

This was just fucked up. He knew the Cidhna Mine was a fucked up place, but he had no idea it was gonna go all tits up to this extent.

Well… he was still alive at least. Maybe he should just wait for his cleric in shining armor to rescue him now somehow.

But he didn't even know if she was let out like the Silver-Bloods promised. He really fucking hoped that the Jarl was insistent on not having the Dragonborn here for long, but he had no idea. And sometimes, the Jarl just looked so powerless against those noble fucktards.

Time was getting funny. He barely slept. He couldn't afford to doze off too much and the voices from the other side still disturbed him all the time.

At least the sphere was silent. It didn't come near the cell the entire time.

Though… did it? Hmm… Bishop kind of felt right now like he could hear its metallic clanking in the distance. Fuck, he hoped that thing couldn't open gates. It had no arms, right? Just… swords.

He got up from the bed with a pained grunt. His chest hurt from the sphere's slash, his flank hurt from Madanach's shiv and his back hurt from the guard's whip. He was really fucking lucky that none of these injuries were too serious. None of the wounds were deep, but he was worried about them getting infected in this filthy shithole.

And they fucking hurt.

But despite that, he snuck towards the gate leading into the Dwemer ruins and listened.

Hmm… there was a lot of clanking. And… were those voices?

What the fuck was going on?

Fuck. Should he risk it? There were voices! Maybe someone killed the sphere!

What else was he gonna do? Rot here?

He lodged his shiv into the bolt again and tried to steady his hands in order to dislodge it. Fortunately, this time it went somewhat quickly.

He snuck forth carefully, wary of what would await him there. He saw the sphere soon, there on the ground below the platform he had no chance to climb before. Destroyed. And another a bit away. He had no idea there were more spheres, but he had his suspicions. Dwemer chambers usually didn't have only one of those sphere-spewing mechanisms.

They were dead though. Disabled.

But there were corpses too.

Fuck. Forsworn!

Forsworn prisoners somehow got out and killed these automatons. What the fuck? And he could hear voices further ahead. He couldn't help his curiosity. And his path was clear! Maybe he should wait for them to leave, but he needed to see what the fuck was going on.

He snuck through the close quarters and peeked around the corner of the platform.

Shit. Forsworn. Again. And so fucking many of them. There was one in the front, talking to everyone, and the rest were listening in a big crowd. They were all prisoners. All in chains, but they were all here. What happened? Did they revolt? The Silver-Bloods were worried about this. Was this a coincidence?

Or did they find out their king was dead and was this a response?

He may have caused this.

But considering that the Silver-Bloods left him here, maybe it was a good thing.

He should just wait for them to leave and then escape and find…

Aeyrin!

How did he not spot her immediately? He could tell apart that hair of hers anywhere. She was standing in that crowd, a little distance away from most. What was she doing here? Was she a part of this?

He fucking hoped it wasn't voluntary on her part and that she didn't get it into her head that the Forsworn had some noble cause or shit like that. She was really prone to romanticizing these barbarians.

He needed to get her away. This was not looking good. These fuckers would surely try to get out of the city and that could only mean violence and danger. Aeyrin was unarmed and without her Shouts. It was best to stay away from whatever shit this was.

The Forsworn in the front was still talking, some shit about where their weapons were and some signal they were waiting on. All eyes were on him.

It was a good opportunity.

Bishop covertly snuck behind the crowd. It was fortunate that there were so many of them – the guy in the front would likely not notice him. He was in the same prison rags after all, just a bit taller than everyone else. And decidedly less Breton. But he just needed to sneak a bit and make sure he wasn't sticking out too much. At least his chains rattling wasn't a concern for him now. Everyone's chains were rattling, making constant noise. It would cover him nicely. He just needed to get to Aeyrin.

When he was near enough, he grabbed her by the arm and yanked her away. He could hear a faint gasp, but he promptly spun her around to show her that it was him.

Fuck, she had some weird leather mask on her face. Her eyes were looking weird, glazed, and he was sure he noticed a whip-lash on her back before. Just like the one he had.

Aeyrin's eyes widened when she saw him, but she stumbled, for some reason. He had to grab her shoulders to steady her. She looked really strange. Like she only barely registered his presence there. Her eyes were really concerning to look into. So unusually unfocused.

"Hey! What the fuck? Hands off! Didn't you get the message?" An angry voice interrupted the moment and Bishop promptly noticed a… disturbingly large Breton, hulking with muscles, stomping towards them. What the fuck? "Hey! You're not one of us!" He snarled and a few of the Forsworn around turned towards the scene.

Aeyrin quickly spun around to leave her back to Bishop, but she made a calming gesture at the large Breton with her hands. He was pretty sure her eyes were desperately pleading just then.

"What is it?" The man scowled. "Who is this?"

Aeyrin turned around again and wrapped her arms around Bishop carefully, over his head to leave the chain behind his back as she pressed herself into his embrace. Though she clearly was wary of aggravating his wounds. With how unfocused she seemed, she still obviously noticed a lot.

"I'm her fiancé. We got arrested together," Bishop explained. That was probably gonna be better than gestures.

"Huh? Where did you just come from?" The Breton raised his brow at Bishop.

Don't fucking tell him!

They would likely figure it out if he said he came from there. They might have known about the private cell in the back. He needed to improvise.

"I was trying to find her. I managed to open some gates with this," he showed him the shiv in his hand. "I just… followed the corpses then." He made an assumption. Of course there would be corpses.

"Hmmm..." the man nodded. Clearly he bought it, but he still looked at Aeyrin in suspicion. "You trust him?"

Aeyrin nodded hurriedly. She seemed reluctant to let go of Bishop. He had the same urge, but she actually seemed like she needed to hold onto someone. Her grip was so unnaturally weak and now he wasn't sure if she was really just being careful about his wounds.

"Just… fine, you're both coming with," the man sighed.

Coming where? What the fuck was happening? They were escaping the mine, right?

Aeyrin only looked at Bishop with a somewhat frightened expression in response, but she never let go of him.

What the fuck did they both get themselves into?

…

It was pure chaos.

The Forsworn were everywhere. They were really inside the city. Markarth guards were not even fighting on the battlements to keep them out. There was no keeping them out. It seemed like the attack was still unexpected. Or maybe it was too quick. Madanach died two days ago and there was already an attack. Nobody could have seen this coming together so fast. There was no Legion to come help them in time.

The clans were actually ready to strike at any moment. To unite for this.

Who knew that Madanach would become a martyr and rallying cry instead of the end of the revolt plans?

Bishop and Aeyrin stayed behind as much as they could. Bishop tried to drag Aeyrin away several times. They needed to leave. They needed to hide and get away from this shitstorm. But Anu was always in sight. And he was always quick to force them back in with suspicious stares. It was no use. It was clear. He was intent on having Aeyrin on their side and it was obvious why.

He told them the current plan while the entire crowd of prisoners rushed towards the warrens where, apparently, they had gear stashed by some secret Forsworn infiltrators.

"Cael is one of the chieftains leading the charge," he explained as they entered the dismal place they called 'the warrens'. It was now already filled with Forsworn prisoners. Everyone was working on using the keys they 'liberated' from the killed guards back at the mines, on ridding themselves of their chains. Those that were free, went right over to another chamber, one filled with armors, furs and weapons, and they all equipped themselves in the usual Forsworn getups. The barbarians who entered the city from the outside were fighting the remaining forces of Markarth, but soon, all the prisoners would join them.

And it did not look good for the city.

It was only fortunate that the civilians were all hidden inside, but would that last? What would happen after those capable of fighting were dead? Would the Forsworn just let the citizens leave? Or even stay and live here peacefully? Did they even talk about this or plan any of this? It all just seemed like… mindless slaughter with not much forethought. Many of them kept yelling out Madanach's name with revenge in their eyes.

Aeyrin only shook her head at Anu's words. It didn't sound like Cael. He never seemed bloodthirsty, but then again… she barely knew him. And this was all… an eye opener. It was horrifying to see the Forsworn charge so carelessly into this assault. Though… to free all those people from the prison, caught in skirmishes in this horrible war, maybe it was a bit understandable.

But she still wanted no part in this! What could she and Bishop do? They worried that they would be killed if they started to protest. It was very likely. The only reason the Forsworn tolerated their presence there was because of Anu's 'protection'. They would have already been slaughtered otherwise, it was very clear from the suspicious stares some of them were throwing them. They were somewhat used to Aeyrin by Anu's side, but most reserved especially nasty glares for Bishop. Possibly not just because he was suddenly there with nobody knowing why or how, but he was also a Nord.

Yet, Anu insisted on keeping them around.

So they had to play along and go through the same motions that the other prisoners were – unchaining and equipment alike.

Once her cuffs were finally gone, Aeyrin promptly concentrated on healing Bishop's wounds. Well, she tried. She really tried to light up her hands in magic, but nothing happened. Was it any wonder? She was lucky to be actually standing.

"Fuck, how long has it been since you drank something?" Bishop scowled. He hoped the Silver-Bloods would at least fucking feed her when Madanach died! They should have released her entirely!

But he couldn't talk about any of this in front of all these madmen. If they found out he was the one to kill their king, they'd be fucked.

Aeyrin only shook her head at him. She had no idea how to answer and she didn't even have the strength to do it.

"We're heading to the treasury next. We should be able to find the key to that thing there, I think," Anu nodded at them sympathetically. He still seemed so kind, but… Aeyrin couldn't get over all this slaughter he was openly encouraging.

"Treasury? Why the fuck is anyone bothering with a treasury right now? And why would you think the key would be there?" Bishop scoffed.

"It's not about treasures. It's where the Silver-Bloods are," Anu explained. "There's a three-pronged assault for now. The ramparts and gates, the streets and the treasury. Cael's taking his warriors to the treasury. We need to go join them. Then… then we all meet at the signal to assault the Keep."

The signal. Right. They had been waiting in the Dwemer chamber of the mine until there were sounds of war-horns from the outside. Many of them at once. Then it was just chaos. Some of the prisoners got cut down during their rush to the warrens, but there were too many Forsworn around to give the guards any real chance. And now they were here.

"Hurry up, get geared up already," Anu rushed the two of them. He was clearly intent on dragging Aeyrin there and ridding her of that thing on her face. She wanted that. But she was dreading what would happen after.

Anu was already in his fur armor, though it hardly covered his bulging muscles. It was pretty revealing. Bishop and Aeyrin did manage to find some more covered pieces, but it was still uncomfortable to dress themselves as Forsworn and go pillaging with them. But what else could they do now? They were just trying to survive this insanity.

Aeyrin didn't want to, but Anu kept nagging her to grab a weapon, so she picked up a disturbingly thorny club. Bishop took a bow, just in case, but he was really not eager to participate unless he had to in order to protect himself and Aeyrin.

They just had to get through this and then get out of this city for once and for all. It was such a fucking mess.

When they were done, Anu ushered them, along with seven other people, likely also from his clan, outside and up the streets. They mostly ignored the fighting around. Anu merely cut down the occasional guard who was already on the ground, finishing them off. But he led them all steadily, without any fear of being attacked now. He seemed so confident that the other clans would protect them.

And his confidence seemed earned. Would it last after the Keep was taken though?

And what was more disturbing, was the Keep actually going to be taken? Seeing this… who could even imagine this turning any other way? The clans wouldn't have stood a chance if they weren't united, but this way… it was practically a swarm descending on the most secure city in Skyrim. And that city did not stand a chance.

It was a strange feeling. Like the chaotic streets were all open to them. People were dying around them and they just marched on. Marched through across the city, past the buildings with boarded-up windows and doors, towards where Anu led them.

Until they reached the place at last.

Funny. It was so near Nepos's house. If only they could turn back time and never enter that place. Never walk into the Silver-Bloods' trap.

"Are we ready, ravager?" One of the Forsworn addressed Anu. 'Ravager'? Was that a rank or something? That sounded awful.

"Ready?" Anu chuckled. "Your chieftain's probably already there with everything under control."

It wasn't unlikely, given the state of the streets.

Anu didn't hesitate anymore. He opened the heavy Dwemer door and marched in first, closely followed by the rest. He was still keeping an eye on Aeyrin though. She could always feel his gaze on her, and now it was far from comforting and protective.

"Anu!"

A head of long pale-blond hair suddenly ended up in Anu's large arms. There was a bit of friendly chuckling and patting each other on the back before the chieftain disentangled himself.

Cael looked different from what Aeyrin remembered. He let his hair grow long, but it was still falling over his eyes in the front. The back of it was carefully braided though. Robin would likely skin him alive if it wasn't. She always chastised Aeyrin when her hair was only in loose braids. Well… 'always' was still only twice. It was hard to believe that these people who had barely known her now dragged her into an all-out war.

It wasn't the only thing different about him. He also wore a feathered crown of sorts, clearly signaling his important status to everyone.

And he was also almost entirely covered in blood.

So were his comrades. There were at least fifteen more Forsworn walking around the large chamber, all covered in blood.

And then there were the corpses. Guards, nobles, servants, Thonar, Thongvor. They were all there on the floor. Dead. There was no final speech, not for Bishop and Aeyrin, no explanations or excuses or threats. It was over. The Silver-Bloods were completely and utterly gone. And it should have felt right, but it didn't.

"I missed you, Anu," Cael beamed happily at his 'ravager'. In the meantime, they got promptly approached by another familiar figure.

"Took you long enough," Robin smirked at him smugly, but she approached Anu with a friendly squeeze to his shoulder as well.

"We missed all of you!" Cael called out to the others of his clan. "We are so happy to have you all back. And to have you all here on this historic day."

The whole room erupted in cheers and the prisoners started to run around, towards the others, to greet them, to finally reunite after their incarceration. If it wasn't for the blood, it would have been a touching scene.

"My sparrow," Cael's voice tore Aeyrin from the scene promptly. The man approached her with a wistful sigh and he quickly grabbed one of her hands and squeezed it. "Anu promised me he'd get you to me in one piece."

What? What did he mean by that? Aeyrin only squirmed. She used to really feel oddly comfortable with all the dubious things about the Forsworn in his presence. But now it seemed to be the opposite.

"The fuck does that mean? Just let us stay here and go finish your assault," Bishop growled at the man. What did he want with Aeyrin? They were doing just fine without her Shouts. Which she couldn't do now anyway.

"Ha! I remember you, Nord," Cael chuckled at him. He wiped his hand on his face, as if trying to get some of the blood out, but he only managed to smudge it more. "We need her. And we need every help we can get."

Aeyrin shook her head at Cael desperately, but he seemed to completely ignore that. They were all like they were entranced. Just in their battle haze, eager to take this city.

"She won't be much help like this. We need the key to that thing on her," Anu nodded somberly.

"Robin, could you?" Cael inclined his head to his sister. She only let out an annoyed grunt, but she headed over to the corpses and began to search them. For keys, likely. Aeyrin wasn't even sure if the Silver-Bloods had the key, but then she spotted someone familiar on the ground.

It was the mage! The one that fed her that one time… two days ago. Gods, she'd been starving and dehydrated for so long.

She quickly pointed to his corpse and Cael directed Robin there. Thank the Gods it didn't last long. Soon, Robin returned with a key in her hand and she handed it to Cael. The chieftain didn't hesitate before he walked behind Aeyrin and started to tinker with the lock on her mask.

Thank the Divines!

She was finally free. It only took a second before the mask fell off onto the ground. And nothing else mattered just then.

She rushed forth, towards one of the tables there. It didn't matter that it had blood sprayed all over it or that there was a corpse slumped in one of the chairs near it. Aeyrin instantly attacked a bottle of mead there. She practically drank the whole thing in one, though there wasn't a full bottle left, then she began to grab any food from the table that didn't have blood on it. That included a piece of venison and some baked potatoes.

Finally. Food.

"How long was she…" Cael looked at her with some measure of concern before Anu interrupted him with the answer.

"Over two whole days. It's shitty on its own, but in that place and that heat… ugh," he shook his head in disgust.

Cael moved towards the table and sat down beside her. Aeyrin was so absorbed in the food, but when he turned up by her side, she tensed up again.

"Are you feeling better, my sparrow?" He smiled at her gently. It felt so disturbing with all that blood on him.

"Not really," she spoke, but her voice barely made it out. It was so hoarse. How long has it been since she'd spoken out loud? "Cael, what do you want from me?"

"What? I want your help and to help you in turn. This is happening. What do you think will happen when a Nord and an elf walk out of there without being accompanied by us? In our equipment?" Cael shook his head at her incredulously. "I know this all happened fast, but we were ready for a long time. And when king Madanach died, no doubt at the hands of the Silver-Bloods again, we needed to act."

Aeyrin still had no idea what all this about that king was. Who was he? Where was he that the Silver-Bloods got to him? But right now it didn't feel like the time for explanations. She just needed to get away from this.

"So, you don't need me. You had your plans without me. And… I don't want to do any of this Cael. Just let us stay here until it's over," she sighed. By that time, both Bishop and Anu approached the table as well, each with their own concerned look on their face for opposite reasons.

"There will be looting and pillaging after the battle is over. I don't want you to get tangled up in this, my sparrow. Besides, how can you not see that this needs to be done? Anu wrote to me often. You were in their clutches for a few days and look how much you suffered. They are the enemy. The enemy of my enemy… did you forget?" Cael gave her a kind and persuasive smile. He always knew how to do that.

"They're dead," she gestured to the floor desperately, where the bodies of Thogvor and another man in fancy clothes lay. "The people at the Keep aren't them. The citizens of this city aren't them."

"They are the people that keep our home from us. That slaughter us and imprison us because we fight for our homes. They took the Reach from us and now we get punished for wanting it back," Cael shook his head. "The Jarl and his men are no better than the Silver-Bloods. They allowed all this to happen. They allowed them to take our mines and our land for their profits. They allowed them to wage war on us with their mercenaries and hired armies."

Well… he had a point. Kind of. But war was always like this. All sides had their reasons, their noble causes. And then innocent people suffered. The people of Markarth didn't know any better than to hate the aggressive barbarians. Were they deserving of death for this?

She averted her eyes from him. She wasn't even sure how to answer this.

"You don't need her. You don't need us. Look at this, for fuck's sake," Bishop growled, gesturing to the bloodbath in the treasury. "Just let us go and have your little war."

"I just explained it!" Cael threw up his hands in exasperation. "The only way I can guarantee your safety is to keep you close," he looked at Aeyrin sincerely. "The dragons may become an even bigger threat than the Nords. We can't risk more war. Not with those beasts. And, you have done so much for my clan already, in Karthwasten, at that estate. I can't repay you by getting you killed in the assault." He let out a somber sigh before he turned towards Bishop. "You can go to the streets on your own if you want. I won't stop you. But I'm not letting her go anywhere."

Bishop narrowed his eyes at Cael, but… the guy had a point, as much as Bishop hated it. They were safest with him.

"Most of the Reachfolk don't know who you are, my sparrow," he turned back to Aeyrin with another kind smile. "If we don't need your help, I promise you, you don't have to do anything. Just stay close to me. I can't let anything happen to you."

"So fucking attached to someone you saw once in your life," Bishop scoffed at the man. It was pissing him off. Even in the brief time Bishop had seen him before, Cael was just… like this with her. It pissed him off back then and it pissed him off now.

"I'm attached to the safety of my people, Nord. The Dragonborn represents that safety. Do you have any idea how many scouts we lost to those beasts lately?" Cael snarled hatefully.

Well… that kind of made Bishop less mad about the attention Cael was giving her. Or maybe more mad but because of another reason. Aeyrin hated when people just considered her to be some symbol. He could already see her face scrunching up in a grimace.

"Just stop," Aeyrin sighed. "We get it, we'll stay by your side to be safe. Let's just… not talk about this anymore."

Cael looked at her with an oddly regretful expression, but she chose to ignore that. She instead got up from the chair and moved towards Bishop. This time, her hand did light up in magic and she promptly pressed it against the parts of his wounds visible beneath the fur armor.

"This is for the best. We are the rightful owners of this land and…" Cael began to speak again, but she quickly interrupted him.

"Stop, please." She really didn't want to hear it anymore. She understood their reasons, but she couldn't accept this slaughter. Not even when it meant the Silver-Bloods' death. Not even that felt right suddenly.

"I… promise I'll try to keep you away from having to fight," he sighed at last. At least he could accept that. Though was it any better to be just watching all of this go down, thinking their hands were clean?

"I hope you can keep that promise," Robin's voice suddenly rang near them. She was apparently satisfied with her looting and walked over to her brother again. "Chieftain Kaie says that the court wizard has some nasty tricks up his sleeves. There's words of him being quite powerful."

Aeyrin quickly threw a sharp look at Bishop at those words.

Calcelmo.

She almost forgot about him in all this mess. They were actually going to try to kill him. That realization was more painful than the whole situation.

Bishop only closed his eyes and let out a sigh of frustration. Fuck, he actually liked that old crazy mage. These fuckers were ruining so much, just because of that insane king of theirs.

And it wasn't just their fault either. Those fucking Silver-Bloods caused all of this with their schemes.

But at least they were dead.

Now there was nothing to do but wait for the horns and watch these barbarians butcher decent people.