Author's Note:

Dear all,

Apologies for the bigger delay in posting. Things are a bit hectic right now and I'm very susceptible to distractions on top of that :D

Hope you'll enjoy the chapter :3


Chapter CIII – Never Again

"There they are," Ambarys smiled warmly as they entered the cornerclub.

It was almost time and everything was set. In the morning, the two of them would pick up Llarni and lead her to the docks where Jack and his crew would set off towards Blacklight. Bishop and Aeyrin would stay at the cornerclub tonight, just so they'd have the shortest way possible to the temple with as few people watching them as possible. They knew they were being watched, at least a little, whenever they were in Windhelm. Ulfric would surely not like them running around scheming and causing problems for him. But that was exactly what they needed to do.

The main problem was that they knew the Dunmer temple was being watched too. That Llarni herself was being watched, in case she came out on the streets. Alec said as much at least and they had no trouble believing him. The patrols in the Grey Quarter were more numerous during their visit this time around, but even if they avoided those, they knew there was at least one watchtower with a view into the quarter.

But they had a plan for that too. They only needed Llarni to trust them and comply, which was hopefully arranged by Idesa. She herself didn't know when they'd be executing the mission. It was safer that way for everyone. But she did inform Llarni of them taking her to her father at some point. It was hopefully going to go smoothly.

Alec had been informed of the timing too. He and Jack and his crew were the only people who knew they'd bring Llarni to the docks at the break of dawn. The Dumner might talk amongst each other after all and they could be overheard. The fewer people knew, the better.

So tonight, they'd pretend like nothing was going on just yet and they'd spend another night at the cornerclub. There was only one problem with that. They could not spend their night there in the usual manner in which they often did. If they got so plastered they'd oversleep or be too hungover to be vigilant, everything would be jeopardized.

"Sujamma?" Ambarys asked promptly. Yeah… this sounded about right for the greeting. And exactly what they needed to avoid. They were ready for that ,of course, but all the excuses they came up with were rather flimsy and prone to peer pressure. But they really had nothing better.

"Not tonight," Bishop sighed, feigning disappointment. Although honestly, it was a little disappointing. He would have much preferred the usual night of revelry to this. "We spent last night drinking with an old friend. I don't think we can handle that today." It wasn't entirely a lie, though they didn't spend their night with Jack last night, but it was an easy cover to hide behind.

"F'lah, everyone knows that the best cure for a hangover is to drink more," Ambarys smirked at him.

"Yeah… wha… wha kind o'an 'scuse is that?" Malthyr, who had been obviously drinking heavily before already and now was barely holding himself up on the barstool, slurred. "Why'd ya come'ere then?"

"We came to spend time with you," Aeyrin smiled at him wryly. "Do we need to get plastered to do that?" She chuckled a little. Yes, it was what they usually did when they were here, but it wasn't a requirement, was it?

"No, but you could draw some business my way. At least you have the money, unlike half the n'wahs here," Ambarys grinned. That… was a good point, but it was still not something they could do.

"I promise we will before we leave again," Bishop tried to reassure him. He hoped as much at least. If things went well, they'd be able to stay another night at least. But… he couldn't really know right now how things would develop. "Just not tonight. We need a break."

"Boo!" Malthyr's voice rose in volume a bit more than anyone expected.

"Yeah, come on," Aval urged them. "A few drinks and you'll feel better."

They did expect the peer pressure, but this was really uncomfortable. And concerning. The elves really had a problem. Though who could blame them in these conditions and environment?

"No, really… we can do something else… I can play something for you for once," Aeyrin offered hopefully. "You could teach me some Dunmeri songs." She would actually love that. And it would be a great way to distract themselves right now. Maybe they'd even teach her some nice song she could sing to Llarni if she got scared to ease her mind a little.

"Wow… they protest a lot," Revyn smirked as he sipped his own drink in the corner of the room.

"Yeah! Maybe they're actually broke," Aval snorted in amusement. That would have been a good excuse, if only they didn't know full well that Amba would give them drinks on the house anyway.

"You know I kid, right? You two don't need to pay," Ambarys smiled at them sympathetically. Yeah, they knew it. "I'm grateful if you do, but if you don't have any money, I'm not gonna let you go dry here."

"It's not that," Bishop sighed in frustration. Why was it so difficult to just not drink around them? It really shouldn't be this fucking hard. Maybe they should just order some drinks and pretend to drink them, just to shut them up.

"No, I know what it is," Revyn chuckled.

What? He knew?!

Did Idesat tell him? She promised not to tell anyone. Aeyrin promptly shot her a look, but Idesa was not even looking at her. Not even a brief guilty glance. She was observing Revyn curiously as if she was waiting for an explanation too. Maybe she didn't tell him. Or maybe she was drunk when she did and didn't remember. But everyone was peering at Revyn now with palpable intrigue.

Dammit, he wasn't gonna tell on them, was he? They were trying to keep this a secret. And one of these drunks would surely not be able to keep it to themselves, even until tomorrow morning. This silly refusal of alcohol could ruin this whole endeavor.

"Hla-aka's got a little scrib waiting to hatch. And f'lah's pretending to not wanna drink too so that it's not obvious," Revyn smiled at them victoriously, like he had it all figured out.

What? No! Not that!

Aeyrin got instantly assaulted by a queasy feeling at the unpleasant memories springing in her mind. She was trying so hard not to think of all the past tragedies they'd gone through lately, she really didn't expect to be reminded of this. Gods, she didn't want to think about that. She didn't want to think about anything else than what they had to do tomorrow or any pleasant distractions they could find tonight. Alec's whole predicament, as horrible as it was to think that, did make things a little better for her. It directed her mind to other things – away from all her dark thoughts and the memories plaguing her all the time. It reminded her of important things, of helping people, of all that she could do to make life better for someone if she wasn't drowning in her despair.

But now she felt it again. As if the room suddenly felt a little dimmer, as if her mind could only see her memories and not reality – waking up in Sondas's cabin, Bishop's heartbroken expression, all the guilt, all the horrible feelings of relief that she shouldn't have been having then, it all came crashing back again. Perhaps more than it usually would. The state she'd been in ever since she thought Bishop was gone was not helping her distance herself from any soul-crushing feelings.

"No," Bishop growled at him angrily. Fuck, did he really have to remind them of that right now?! Sure, it wasn't Revyn's fault, exactly. He didn't know. Nobody knew. But it fucking stung to hear it. And what was even worse was that expression on Aeyrin's face right then. She looked all guilty and somber all over again. They did not need this right now.

"Oh no, are you?!" Idesa gasped in shock. Well… at least she didn't connect the dots and figure out they weren't drinking because of Llarni. That was a little comforting. But it was not comforting that she was now piling on. "That's… that's not good, is it? With… that prophecy thing and everything."

Exactly, it would not be good, but they had been through this already, they'd already discussed this countless times and examined the problems from every possible angle. They did not need to rehash this right now. It was definitely not a good excuse to go with.

"Aah, stow it, Ides. I'm sure they're happy. Congratulations!" Ambarys beamed at them. 'I'm sure they're happy'. That just drove the nail deeper.

"She's not pregnant!" Bishop barked at him angrily. Fuck, they just kept making it worse. And the pained expression Aeyrin made when Amba said that really pissed him off. "Stop that shit. We're just hungover, for fuck's sake."

Some of the elves even gave him a very worried look at his angry outburst. He may have overdone it, but he couldn't help it. This was not a topic he was willing to let them hash out. And he couldn't pretend like it didn't bring up some complicated feelings for him too. But the worst part by far was how it was obviously making Aeyrin feel.

"Here," he grabbed one bottle of sujamma from the bar and practically shoved it in Aeyrin's hand. One sip would not kill them or endanger their efforts here. They just couldn't let it get as far as it usually did here. But if it shut them up about the pregnancy, it was worth it.

Aeyrin wasn't talking or defending the truth herself, but she did quickly take a swig from the bottle, eager to put that talk to rest too.

"See? Not pregnant. Now shut up about it!" Bishop scoffed, still a bit more brashly than the elves were capable of processing.

"Nchow, alright," Revyn shook his head a little. "Sorry… didn't think it would piss you off. Didn't know it's a sensitive topic."

"May-maybe he's got… maybe his stalagmite's more of a stalactite," Malthyr snickered. What? What the fuck did that mean? But when Bishop shot him a confused frown, he quickly clarified by pointing his finger up and then curling it down limply.

"Really?" Bishop growled. He kinda hoped that would fucking end the discussion, but this was really not the direction it needed to go. "I assure you, that's not a fucking problem." Maybe it was for him with how drunk he always was.

"Then may-be his Sload's too old… ya know… cause… Sload go old and then they got no baby Sload," Malthyr doubled down, still snickering while he tried to explain his joke. That was a weird fucking thing to know about Sload at all, especially for someone like Malthyr. Bishop was pretty sure those weren't even actual expressions, he was just making this shit up on the go.

"Seriously? I have… thirteen siblings, for fuck's sake!" He really had no problem with that. Aeyrin got pregnant like instantly in that brief time when her contraceptives were not working. His whole fucking family was excessively fertile. Though he didn't have that many siblings anymore… "Had. Dammit," he growled. He did not need to be reminded of this shitstorm either. And why the fuck was he getting so defensive about this anyway? They could think whatever they wanted.

"Alright, shut up, Malthyr," Ambarys gave Bishop a sympathetic look before he frowned sternly at Malthyr. It seemed that Bishop correcting himself at least made it obvious to him that these topics were not a fun discussion for him. "Just go, grab a seat. And he's not getting served anymore," he scowled at Malthyr.

Malthyr let out a series of annoyed grumbles while Bishop and Aeyrin finally moved to one of the empty tables. Ambarys managed to put a stop to the discussion, but now it was kind of uncomfortably quiet. Still, better than continuing that line of talk.

Aeryin was really regretting them coming here tonight now. Not only with the pregnancy talk, but somehow they even managed to remind Bishop of his family. Well… he reminded himself, but still. This was not going well. Hopefully they'd move to other topics promptly. She really hated this feeling. And she desperately looked around the room to think of something else to talk about, even though it would likely come naturally soon. She felt like she could not stand it any longer.

Her eyes fell on Faryl eventually, sitting by the table next to them. He'd been quiet the whole time and she wouldn't have even noticed he was there. He was just sitting there quietly, sipping his drink with a somber expression on his face. And she couldn't help but note the dark spots on his neck, much darker than his skin. Like some very prominent bruises.

She knew. She knew she'd been told time and time again to leave it be. Every time she'd seen the elves, there was something concerning – new bruises and injuries, more heavy drinking to cope with the obvious situation that she couldn't really grasp the full scope of no matter what. They'd seen it already, what happened to Revyn when he tried to get his supplies, and so many other things. She knew she shouldn't ask. She knew she'd just be rebuffed again, but… her desperation to fill the silence was almost overwhelming now. And as selfish as that was to basically get back at them and bring up a topic painful to them, she couldn't help herself. Worrying about them, worrying about Llarni, worrying about anything but herself, helped.

"Faryl, what happened?" She asked in concern as she inclined her head to the bruises on his neck.

She knew what would come anyway.

"Hla-aka…" Idesa scowled at her promptly with a warning tone in her voice. Yeah, she was always the most vocal one about her leaving them to their misery. She couldn't really help them anyway. She instantly felt guilty for asking.

But Faryl didn't seem as upset as Idesa. Surprisingly enough, his somber stare actually twisted into a strange smile.

"Not important," he shrugged, though he winced a little at the motion, clearly in pain. "Only important thing… it will never happen again."

What did he mean by that?

The elves in the room all nodded in agreement and a wave of soft murmurs of accord spread through the room, like they all knew he was right. A chill went down Aeyrin's spine at their reaction. It was a good thing if he was right. But why would he think that? Their situation was not getting any better. She felt like the tense atmosphere they'd been feeling in Windhelm this whole time became almost… stifling. She could have thought that maybe Brunwulf had a plan to get them out of here entirely. Maybe he had some ways to ease their situation. But then why did it all feel so ominous? Why did it feel like this was not him dreaming of a happier tomorrow. Maybe it was that for him, but for her, it just kept ringing in her head unpleasantly as if it meant to spell disaster.

'Never again.'

Fortunately the rest of the night wasn't as stressful and depressing.

But as the morning hours came close, Bishop and Aeyrin had to excuse themselves to catch at least some sleep to be able to wake before the crack of dawn.

Years of travels and adjusting their sleep schedules to all kinds of circumstances made it easy to wake up in time, since they weren't drinking. Maybe not easy, but they managed. And soon, it was time to head to the temple and get Llarni.

They woke up to a familiar place. And sounds. It wouldn't be a morning at the cornerclub without a full night of Malthyr's snoring. Or at least since Malthyr got up here. They didn't even know when the elves packed it in – they were all still drinking when Bishop and Aeyrin went to bed.

It seemed that only Malthyr was upstairs in the communal bedroom though. Usually the elves who lived on the outskirts stayed up here too when they drank late into the morning hours. And sometimes even some from the Grey Quarter when they had too much to be even able to walk home.

Bishop worried a little that they'd all still be downstairs celebrating and that they might question why the two of them were leaving when it wasn't even light out yet. They could make up an excuse about not being able to get proper rest on the hard bed here though.

But regardless, it didn't sound like the tavern was still bustling with life. In fact, aside from Malthyr's snoring, it was almost eerily quiet.

And not just in the bedroom upstairs.

"Does this feel strange to you?" Aeyrin asked a little nervously as they passed the main room of the cornerclub. Not even Ambarys was there. Nor anyone asleep at their table. It was safe to say they'd never seen the cornerclub this empty and quiet.

"Maybe we're just awake too early. Only times we'd been awake here at this hour was when we were still drinking," Bishop shrugged a bit, trying to reassure himself as well. It was a little unsettling, he had to admit that. But it must have been the anticipation of their mission and the late, or early, hour.

"Yeah… you're probably right. And Ambarys has to sleep some time too, right?" She chuckled, still a bit uncertain about the strange silence. She still felt like there was this weird… tension about it, but it could all just be in her head. Gods knew the things in her head were hardly rational lately.

"Come on, we gotta go get the girl," Bishop urged her. No matter how strange this was, they couldn't dally much. They had to get the timing right and get Llarni to the docks right at sunrise.

They were trying to be inconspicuous. It was a little unusual that they were going to the Dunmer temple at all, but they hoped it wouldn't raise too much suspicion, if someone was watching them from the tower, or somewhere else they couldn't see. They didn't even put their armors on – they wouldn't, for just walking around the city, so why would they now? But both of them took their melee weapons, just in case. Those were normal enough to carry at their belts at least, especially in cities this… tense.

Not that it seemed like they were watched though. Even the streets outside were so… empty. Quiet. Yes, it was early. Very early. But it was still… too quiet.

They tried to ignore the unease and walked towards the temple near the cornerclub. But after only a few steps, the silence was suddenly interrupted by a disturbing sound.

The clanking of armored feet.

Aeyrin and Bishop froze when it became clear that the sound was headed towards them. They weren't even in the temple yet and they were not gonna make it obvious that they were headed there. But what was going on?

The two of them turned to the source of the sound sharply. Three soldiers were running through the street of the Grey Quarter, right towards them. Why? They haven't done anything yet. And they could be here. Those damn orders were not in effect anymore. Aeyrin could be outside in the night hours. What was this, then?

Did Ulfric suspect something? Did someone catch Alec in the docks?

But as the two of them stood there in tense anticipation, the three soldiers just… ran past them. They didn't even spare them a glance. They just ran in the direction of the Palace.

Strange.

"You think something's going on?" Aeyrin asked uncertainly. It was a relief that the guards weren't running at them, but… everything just felt so odd.

"I don't know. And we don't have time to find out," Bishop sighed. Whatever the Stormcloaks were up to now, it didn't matter. Maybe they were finally getting ready to march on the Reach and they'd all get slaughtered by Calcelmo's automaton army soon. One could always dream.

The important part was that with them distracted, it only created a better opportunity for them to smuggle Llarni out of here.

They didn't want to get delayed more. They finally headed towards the temple again, and this time, there were no interruptions in the silence.

It was almost strange to hear the temple door creak as they entered. Like it was the first sound they'd heard in ages. Everything felt like it was shrouded in quiet anticipation.

Well… the temple was empty and quiet too. But they could have expected it. Soon, however, they did hear footsteps from a hallway leading from the back of the main room with the ashpit.

They waited, until a clearly sleepy Suvaris shuffled out of the hallway to look at the, perhaps unexpected, commotion.

"Oh… I… was worried someone got so drunk they got the wrong door," she shook her head a little. "They always think it would be comfortable to lay in the ashes, for some reason. As if the ancestors need that to disturb them," she grumbled. She probably had to chase off drunks from here a lot of times before, judging by her expression.

"No, sorry we woke you," Aeyrin gave her a sympathetic smile. "But… did Idesa talk to you?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Suvaris nodded. "I didn't know when but… she knows. I'll go get her for you. She's been ready the whole time. Just… be careful. Make sure she really gets out of here."

That was the plan. And hopefully the quiet morning streets would play to their advantage.

Suvaris disappeared into the hallway again and Bishop and Aeyrin waited some more time. After a while, they could hear some soft murmurs coming from that direction – a sleepy conversation, filled with both worries and hopeful excitement.

"So it's really true? He's waiting for me?" A young girl's hopeful and slightly groggy voice rang through the temple. They couldn't see them yet, but they could hear.

"Yes, dear. You just have to be careful, alright? And listen to the nice people. They'll take you to him," Suvaris responded encouragingly.

A moment later, the two of them stepped out of the hallway. A little Dunmer girl looked at Bishop and Aeyrin instantly in strange awe and she ran straight towards them, leaving Suvaris behind. Her red eyes shone brightly as she stopped right in front of them and looked up at them curiously. Her silky chestnut hair kind of looked like Alec's. And she even wore a brightly colored feather in it, more likely dyed than from a real bird. Something like that looked like a gift from Alec. Like a mini version of his ridiculous hat. It was rather cute that she had that though.

"Are you really taking me to papa? Is he really here? Did you really talk to him?" Llarni quickly hurled her questions at them, without even taking a pause to breathe. "I got all my toys with me. I'm ready. Are we really going on a ship? On the water? Papa told me stories about ships and pirates. Are there gonna be pirates?"

That… was a lot of questions. And technically, Jack used to be a pirate, so…

"Why's your skin like that?" She briskly turned to observe Aeyrin curiously without giving them a chance to answer. "Suva has some po… polices if you're sick. I was so sick once that mama said I turned all white. Are your eyes like that because you're sick too?"

"Llarni," Suvaris caught up with the energetic girl and shot Aeyrin an apologetic look. Aeyrin didn't really mind, it was just a bit of a strange realization. Llarni has never left the Grey Quarter in her life. Maybe she rarely left Luaffyn's home and now she definitely rarely left the temple. The girl had no clue about the outside world, likely aside from her parents' stories.

"It's… 'poultices', not 'polices'. And she's not sick, she's a Bosmer. A Wood Elf," Suvaris explained. "Her skin is not like ours," Suvaris spoke calmly, though she did still look a bit nervous about Llarni's rambling.

"Ooh! Papa told me stories about them. Do you eat people too?" The girl asked in palpable fascination.

Of course Alec would tell stories of the Valenwood elves eating people.

Bishop tried to suppress a chuckle. It was pretty funny. The girl was just curious after hearing fantastical stories. He was pretty sure Alec didn't feed her constant prejudice, given his attitude towards Ulfric's propaganda and bullshit, but any kid would only remember the strangest bits from the tales.

"I'm sorry, I only warned her about… a Nord she should follow, for once," Suvaris gave Bishop a wry smile before she turned to Aeryrin again. "I didn't stop to think she'd never seen your kind before."

"It's alright," Aeyrin nodded before she turned her attention to Llarni. "No, I don't eat people," she smiled at her, a little amused about her question. It definitely felt different to be asked by her than when she had it spat at her by racist dimwits. "I'm not from the forests. I'm from Cyrodiil. Where the Imperial City is."

"Papa's from the Imperial City!" Llarni beamed at her excitedly. Aeyrin had a suspicion that would ring a bell. "I wanna see it someday."

"I'm sure you will. Once you and your dad get to Morrowind, you might be able to travel and go anywhere you want," Aeyrin smiled at her warmly. As long as they'd lose Ulfric's men, they'd be free.

"I can't wait!" Llarni beamed excitedly before she turned to Suvaris again. "You should come visit, Suva."

"I'll do my best, little one," Suvaris gave her a sad smile. If only she meant it. If only there was a way she could mean it. There was little hope for the elves to travel. They fled Morrowind, and now… going back was hardly even an option. And their situation just got worse in their Windhelm 'sanctuary'. It was likely Suvaris and Llarni would never see each other again.

But at least there was hope for Llarni's future.

Suvaris knelt down and wrapped her arms around the little girl tightly. The girl reciprocated the embrace, but the somberness of the situation did elude her, which was probably a good thing.

"Brought all the toys you ever gave me, Suva," she adjusted the little backpack on her back. "I'll have you with me on the ship too. And then you're gonna visit me and papa."

"Of course, Llarni," Suvaris sniffled a little as she squeezed the Dunmer girl once more before pulling away. "You take care of yourself, you hear? You're… you're gonna be alright. Everything's gonna be better for you." It was clear she was on the verge of tears, but Llarni was still just excited. It was kind of nice that she was so happy about leaving. It only reassured them that this really was a good thing they were doing.

"I know, Suva. No more soldiers!" Llarni beamed happily. That was the hope. Well… there were soldiers in Morrowind, but not Stormcloaks. That was what was important.

"No more soldiers," Suva smiled. "Take care, my dear. And listen to the nice people. Do what they say." Llarni nodded obediently, though her giddiness didn't diminish with the seriousness of the situation. Hopefully she realized how important it was though.

"What's Blacklight like?" Llarni promptly turned towards Aeyrin and Bishop to ask another question, like she expected the two of them to have been there. Though now that Aeyrin thought about it, Bishop probably…

"Hot," he huffed, though he smirked at the girl knowingly. Aeyrin already knew that his idea of 'hot' was hardly comparable to anyone else's, aside from other Nords and, for some reason, Saadia, whose ability to adapt to a different environment was on a disturbing level. But Blacklight was surely gonna be much less freezing than Windhelm, that was for certain.

"Really?!" Llarni gaped at Bishop with excited astonishment. Hah. He knew that would get her pumped. This was not the environment for Dunmer to thrive in for many reasons. She needed to experience some smothering volcanic heat and lots of ash to find out if that was her home. Maybe it would deter her, but he suspected that anything but 'blistering cold' would sound exciting to her right now.

"Really. And beautiful. The Dunmer rule the city. It looks completely different, and it's beautiful," Bishop smiled. Blacklight was a sight to behold for certain, but he wasn't even sure how to explain the appeal of jagged black mountains enveloping the whole city like a protective cage, or the strange Redoran buildings littering the streets in rows and levels like there was no end to them. He wasn't sure if it would sound exciting for the girl – it might be overwhelming, but he was pretty sure she'd be excited when she saw it. Everyone was. Blacklight drew everyone into the embrace of the dark mountains instantly.

Maybe he'd get to show Aeyrin one day. He'd suffer the heat again for her.

"But first, we need to get you there," Bishop knelt down to lower himself to the girl. He promptly reached into his large belt pouch to take out the white phial.

"Llarni, it's important that the soldiers don't see you. You know this, right?" Aeyrin asked, trying to sound reassuring and not at all nervous.

"I know," Llarni nodded briskly.

"This is an invisibility potion. Do you know what it does?" Bishop asked as he uncorked the bottle.

"Wow! Really?!" Llarni gaped at him. "I'm gonna be invisible?!" Alright. She clearly knew.

"Yeah. But we have to have rules, alright? To keep you safe from the soldiers," Bishop nodded. "So, the whole time, you gotta hold onto one of us so we know where you are. You can pick which one of us, but you can't let go, understood?" If she alternated, they would have to communicate about her and that wouldn't work in case there were people around. They needed one of them to know where she was exactly at all times.

"Alright. I get it," Llarni nodded before she started to look at Bishop critically, then at Aeyrin, then again at Bishop. "Uuhm…" she looked a little conflicted before she looked back at Suvaris. "He's a Nord. But he's bigger."

Aeyrin had to chuckle at her reasoning. It was valid. He was bigger and looked like a more reliable protector. Though the poor thing had to be really conflicted, growing up amongst these Nords.

"I told you, dear, he's not like them. You can trust him. He's bringing you to your dad," Suvaris smiled encouragingly.

"Alright," Llarni nodded slowly, clearly still a little on edge, but she did try to smile at Bishop. "I pick you."

"Good. So you're gonna hold onto to me all the time, understood?" He reiterated again and Llarni promptly nodded. "And one other rule. You cannot talk. You can't ask us any more questions, can't laugh or shout or anything. Then people would know you're there. Makes sense?"

"Makes sense," Llarni nodded again. She did seem determined.

"So… what are you gonna do?" Bishop prodded her.

"Uhm… hold onto you all the time and not make a sound," Llarni repeated diligently.

"Alright. When you're ready, you can drink this. All of it. Don't worry, it doesn't taste bad," Bishop handed her the white phial. It should hopefully last them enough time to get to the docks. They might be able to give her another past the gate too. He did have a regular invisibility potion with him as well, since the phial would get depleted for a time again.

"I'm gonna be invisible, Suva! None of the soldiers will see me!" Llarni took the bottle from him and beamed at Suvaris.

"Amazing, little one," Suvaris smiled, clearly reassured by the plan. "And once you're in Morrowind, you won't see the soldiers either. Never again."

The girl grinned brightly before she put the bottle to her lips, clearly excited. She started to gulp down the potion, and soon, she was done. Only a second after she handed Bishop the phial back, her entire form disappeared in front of their eyes.

Bishop straightened up again and stashed his bottle back. And a second later, he felt Llarni's small hand wrap around two of his fingers, holding onto them tightly. She was silent too, already following the rules.

"Right. We'll go. We gotta hurry while the potion lasts," Bishop nodded in determination.

"Thank you for everything, Suvaris," Aeyrin smiled at her. This all went smoothly. If only they could take the priestess with them too. And the whole Grey Quarter, for that matter. But at least one person was getting help. Llarni could escape this horrible place for good.

"Thank you for taking her," Suvaris's eyes glistened a little with fresh tears as she smiled back. "She needs a chance at a better life."

Hopefully she was getting just that.

Now they only needed to ensure the rest of the way went smoothly too.

"Fuck," Bishop hissed under his breath as the small hand squeezed his fingers and a little body nudged itself closer to his leg, as if to hide. This was not good.

The second they left the temple, a commotion drew their attention. The streets were no longer empty. Not by far.

There was shouting, yelling, and a large group of people near Revyn's shop. Dunmer and Stormcloaks both. Some kind of altercation, which was not an unusual sight, but always worrying. It… looked like the soldiers were dragging some Dunmer around, maybe out of their house. They couldn't even see who it was from afar, but… it looked concerning. In the middle of the night, or early morning hours, when the streets had been so silent before. What was happening?

"This doesn't look good," Aeyrin scowled. They should… help. But… how? And now? Why was this happening now? Wasn't everyone asleep? What were the Stormcloaks doing?

"I know. But we have to go. We can't get involved right now," Bishop sighed. It was a painful truth. They helped the elves whenever they could, but this was not a unique scene. It was unfortunately, probably, a daily occurrence. And right now, if they got involved, they'd either expose Llarni or get arrested without being able to take her to the docks on time. They could split up, but… what if there was trouble at the docks? Or on the way? They both needed to be there in case of emergency. They needed one to distract whoever would accost them and the other to grab Llarni and run.

"I know, but…" Aeyrin sighed. She knew. They'd been over this. But this was still such a painful sight. She wished they could help, but… that didn't accomplish much. Things were just getting worse.

"We have to go around. If we pass them, they're gonna involve us," Bishop shook his head. Or the soldiers would see Llarni's footsteps in the snow – that was one thing they couldn't hide. Either way, they needed to avoid the situation as best as they could.

"Around? By the Palace?" Aeyrin's eyes widened at him. Wasn't that even more dangerous? There were so many soldiers around there.

"What other choice do we have? Let's just go quickly. It's almost dawn," Bishop scowled and he yanked his hand a little bit to urge Llarni to follow. She seemed a bit hesitant, but she did what was indicated. They needed to get out of here. They were losing precious time, both of the night and of Llarni's potion.

They walked briskly, away from the scene and the Grey Quarter altogether, but as they neared the pass towards the Palace, it seemed like they would not find that eerie silence anywhere anymore. That was perhaps even more disturbing.

There was more shouting coming from the Palace. Soldiers barking at each other, then someone's scream. This was… blood-churning. That really didn't sound good. What was going on everywhere?

"Fuck. Shit," Bishop hissed again. "Alright. The underpass. We'll squeeze between the buildings," he sighed. That was their last option to avoid whatever this was. It was very suspicious to be weaving through the alleys of the Grey Quarter with barely enough room to squeeze one person in, but there was a way to get to the underpass by Candlehearth that way. They had to do that.

Bishop yanked Llarni again, who did not make a sound throughout, but she must have been terrified just then. It was unfortunate, but there was nothing they could do but try to get her out of there. The timing was infuriating. He had no idea what was happening, but couldn't it have happened an hour later? That would be enough!

He tugged Llarni along while Aeyrin followed the both of them. He overheard her whisper some reassuring words as he dragged the girl behind him through the narrow alleys. He hoped it eased her mind, whatever Aeyrin was saying. And he hoped she heard, because he didn't.

But they were almost at the docks.

They emerged in the underpass and rushed through it, past the place where Susanna got murdered. Bishop and Aeyrin avoided that place instinctively since, but right now, they lacked their usual options.

They could already hear people by the front gates, but there was no turning back. Bishop tried to crane his head to see, and when he finally moved enough to spot anything, he only saw three soldiers by the front gates, discussing something heatedly.

Alright. No big deal. They'd just… walk past.

He tugged Llarni again and walked as fast as he could with Aeyrin on his tow. The soldiers continued, half-whispering, half growling at each other. Bishop had no time to discern what they were saying. He just made sure Llarni was still holding onto him and he dragged her onward.

And for once, the docks gate was unguarded. That was such a relief, especially since it may have been still technically night and the docks could be closed. But Jack promised the gate would be open. They weren't sure how he'd do it, but that was on him.

"Almost there," Bishop whispered, trying to ignore the shouting from the streets in the Grey Quarter only a few buildings away. Soon they'd help. Soon they'd see what was going on, even if it got them into Ulfric's cells again. But not yet.

Bishop pushed on the gate to the docks and it mercifully opened. He didn't open it fully. He urged Llarni to go first, then he followed, slipping inside, and he held the gate slightly open until Aeyrin could follow.

Once they were all there, he closed the gate again and let out a relieved sigh. There were voices down by the docks, but nothing too unusual. It sounded like a normal workday, although clearly still an early one. It sounded safe.

They made it.

"Gods… that was… what's happening?" Aeyrin shook her head. It was a strange feeling that enveloped her after the gate closed. Like they were out of the woods but with some wild animal still on their trail. What was happening in the city?

"Doesn't matter. Let's get her to Alec," Bishop shook his head. "We'll find out after."

But before he could take a step forth, there was more. Another sound, disturbing the short-lived familiarity. And this time, an even more unsettling one.

A war horn coming from the Palace.

What was that? Why would they sound that? Was there war? There was nothing happening outside by the stables, was there? But then… the screams and shouts came, distant and muffled, but inside the city, not at its gates. The horn wasn't warning of an unexpected Imperial army. It signaled something that was probably much worse. Something really bad happening inside.

A little frightened yelp rang in Bishop's ears before suddenly, the small hand slipped from his and the presence by his side was gone. She ran.

"Llarni!" Bishop hissed. No! Fuck! He knew this was terrifying, whatever the fuck was happening. But they needed to keep her safe. Only a few more minutes.

Little footsteps rapidly formed in the snow in front of him and he didn't hesitate to follow. He wasn't sure if Aeyrin was following, but he figured as much. Right now, he was only concentrating on the footsteps, rushing down the stairs and towards the docks. He needed to catch her before she did something stupid.

"Aaah!" Llarni's scream echoed through the narrow walls lining the steps. There was a crash, and before Bishop could realize what happened, the footsteps turned into a big blotch of disturbed snow where they ended. Llarni fell, crashed into… someone.

They all stopped cold, both Bishop and Aeyrin and the ones standing there now, facing them.

Two Stormcloaks, clearly rushing towards a different scene of the terrifying mysterious things happening inside the city. Now they were not.

Now they were staring in shock at the disturbed snow beneath their feet.

And at Llarni's form materializing in front of them.