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SPOILER INFO
This fanfic novel is largely based on the events that occurred in an actual game of Skyrim I played. Therefore, it's inevitably a spoiler.
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previous day
4-201-12-01 21:41
Proudspire Manor, Solitud, Haafingar, Skyrim
I have a bath and then hurry to the stables which are south of the city, just outside the city wall. I'm late and I can see that Rudelphine is annoyed, but prefers to hide it, fearing my temper. Good.
She essentially repeats what Malborn already said – I can't bring anything to the reception that might look suspicious. More precisely – nothing at all apart from the fine clothes Rudelphine is going to give me.
Therefore, I give everything that's left in my inventory to my followers. Having put on those fine clothes, I climb into the horse-cart that is to take me to the Thalmor Embassy. My girls ride with me most of the way and jump off well before our destination to wait for me in the forest.
I arrive a little after 11. I don't think that'll be suspiciously late, especially as there's another late arrival – a very hairy man Razelan who acts like everyone's his friend and nothing in the world is to be taken seriously. His attitude may have something to do with his visible drunkenness. At any rate, his jovial greeting instantly banishes my anxiety. Razelan motions me courteously to go first and follows closely behind me.
A Thalmor Wizard at the door checks our invitations. He is very polite and looks extremely cool in his mage uniform. He doesn't frisk me physically. I suppose he can see magically what I'm carrying (which is nothing). I wonder if his magic enables him to see what my intimate body parts look like. I hope not. Unlike Razelan, I don't make any conversation with him, just thank him with a modest smile when he tells me my invitation is in order and I may enter.
Inside, Razelan and I are greeted by none other than the ambassador Elenwen, a tall and surprisingly young-looking woman who invites us to enjoy ourselves. I can see Malborn, but I prefer to ignore him for the time being. He's so nervous and generally unpleasant that I feel reluctant to approach him, and besides, I want to look around a bit first, to get at least a vague idea what I'm up against. Apart from which, this is simply interesting. This might well be my last chance ever to visit the Thalmor Embassy and actually mingle with the people in here.
I can see the jarls of Hjaalmarch and The Reach, as well as Thane Erikur of Solitud and, amazingly, Maven Black-Briar. I keep away from her and make some polite conversation with Jarl Igmund.
I find this female guard really cute, but the guards aren't allowed to talk to the guests
and I know I shouldn't talk to her even if they were.
and I know I shouldn't talk to her even if they were.
I grab a drink from a waitress. Then I run into my new friend Razelan again. He's itching for a drink, but he's too drunk to find a waitress. So I offer him mine. Razelan can't thank me enough and says if I ever need his help, he'll do anything for me.
That's great. It's always good to have friends. But now I really must go and talk to Malborn or he'll get a heart attack from worrying.
Malborn is standing behind a stylish stone bar counter offering drinks. He says I'm to go through the door behind him, but I mustn't be seen doing it. Meaning, I'll have to somehow distract everyone's attention.
I think I know what to do. I go to my bosom-pal Razelan and ask him if he would do me a favor. Sure enough, he would. Create a distraction? "Leave it to me," he says. I walk casually back to Malborn, watching Razelan getting onto his feet and stepping decisively into the middle of the hall.
When all the guests' and guards' eyes are glued to Razelan, he proposes a toast to Elenwen while Malborn and I quickly leave the hall.
Malborn takes me through the kitchen. A Khajiit woman, apparently a cook, snaps at Malborn, reminding him he isn't supposed to bring strangers in, but she yields when Malborn threatens to expose her drug habit. (Just moon sugar , a precursor of skooma, but still against the house rules.)
We rush into another room. Malborn shows me the chest with the weapons and armor I had left with him. Then he hurries back to the party and I'm on my own.
Having changed quickly, I sneak into a corridor. There's an open door to my left which seems to lead to a big room. I can hear guards talking. Contrary to Rudelphine's hypothesis, they don't know why the dragons have been reappearing and are in fact worried about getting attacked by one.
One of the soldiers says that should a dragon attack, he hopes it'll kill those arrogant mages first.
My instinct tells me there's no talking to those guards. I'll have to kill them. I'm not sure how many there are overall. I wait until the conversation ends and one of the two guards begins to walk – away, as I hope. Then I sneak around the open door until I can see the guard that stayed behind. I shoot him dead, as well as three other guards who come running with intervals just barely sufficient for me to kill the previous one before the next one arrives.
Sigh. This went pretty much as smoothly as could be expected. Next moment, I realize I haven't any health potions on me. What was I thinking? I should have gone to the inn to meet Malborn after sleeping, not before. But it can't be helped now.
I search everything and then I exit the building through the back door. It's the only way to go.
I'm in the peaceful winter night now. There are three visible guards in various parts of the courtyard. I get the first one quickly and the other two are confused long enough for me to kill them without real difficulty.
The next building is called Elenwen's Solar . Inside, I overhear what appears to be an argument between a thalmor and an informer (or a snitch if you prefer). Clearly the former despises the latter and the latter fears the former. It would appear that the informer has led the thalmors to an "old man" who knows something very important and is currently imprisoned downstairs. When the thalmor leaves, the informer walks towards the exit, which means the very doorway where I'm hiding. I can't avoid being seen. The informer shouts for help, and I kill him as well as a guard who rushes down from upstairs.
I search the building and find some documents suggesting that the thalmors are trying hard to find out why the dragons have returned.
Thalmors have been giving aid to Stormcloaks??
I also learn that Ulfric Stormcloak himself used to be a captive of the thalmors during the Great War, but you must excuse me now – we can chat some more later, but I really need to get to the basement before they kill that prisoner or someone notices all those dead guards and comes chasing after me while I'm admiring Elenwen's bedroom with a locked chest in it and cursing myself for having forgotten to bring lockpicks.
Having entered the basement, I can't help listening in with terrified fascination to the thalmors' blood-chillingly calm and systematic interrogation tactic. With great effort, I come out of my trance and shoot the two interrogators.
I see a not exactly old man Etienne Rarnis chained topless to the wall. He's not looking up to me when I enter the cell. Evidently, he's so confused from the torture that he hasn't even realized the thalmors have been killed. He says he doesn't know anything apart from what he's already told me. For some reason that I can't really explain, I say I'd like to hear it all from the beginning. He tells me he has seen an old man in Bitchen whose description matches a certain Esbern the thalmors are apparently looking for.
Enough of cruel games now, really, Laura, I tell myself. This is not a joking matter. I must get myself and this man out of here before a horde of thalmors descends upon me, and I don't know if Etienne can even walk. Yeah, I don't even know if I can get the chains open, do I?
Well, I can open the chains all right, but by the time I've done that, several people hurry down the stairs. Fortunately, one of them is Malborn and fortunately I have enough presence of mind to notice that and not to kill him. I'm mighty scared all the same. So are Etienne and Malborn.
They're eager to get away from here, but I'm not leaving before I've searched the place. After all, I came here for information, not just to get in and get out again.
All I can find is a thalmor dossier on someone named Esbern, evidently the same man Etienne was talking about. All right, I have learned at least something. Hope Rudelphine will be able to use it somehow.
We go down through a trapdoor, descending into an ice cave where we kill a snowtroll. Soon we're in the open air. Malborn runs off downhill before Etienne has finished thanking me. I look at him, half naked, and I think he'll be very handsome when those terrible wounds will have healed. Too bad I can't stick around and wait that long.
We meet up with my followers and run towards Dragonbridge. Well, walk mostly, because Etienne is really in a bad shape.
I can't be bothered to make a detour via Solitud. I'm eager to get moving towards Winterhold.
In Dragonbridge, I trust Etienne to the care of my friend Eydis while my followers are waiting at the inn. Casting a last longing glance at him, I leave Eydis's house. In a pensive mood, I stroll towards the marketplace. The recent frightful events flash by my minds's eye. I realize only now how defenseless, how... naked I felt approaching the embassy entrance without any weapons whatsoever. I really should practice magic and learn some more spells. But really powerful spells are hard to come by. To say nothing of all the work getting used to using them. Isn't there a simpler way of making myself less vulnerable? Whom to ask for advice?
It's awful, the risk I took back there. Without Razelan's unexpected help, I might have ended up chained to the wall and tortured until I was the kind of bloody mess Etienne had been. Will he be all right? Is Eydis going to make love to him? How long might it take until he recovers? How long would it have taken for someone to rescue me from the Thalmor captivity? Was it right to let Rudelphine talk me into this crazy undertaking? Am I becoming too cocksure?
Embarrassed by the word I just thought, I look left and right and notice I'm standing next to the sign of Athragar's alchemy shop. For some reason I find it irritating. Was it really so difficult to hang it a little higher? Someone might hit his head against it.
With utter confusion in my brain, I turn my head and look at the shop door. Don't ask me what makes me open it.
"Hi, Laura," Athragar says with a friendly smile. "Shall we do it today?" He nods with his eyes, as if encouraging me to say yes.
I can't believe the cheek of that man! It's not often that I'm speechless, but I am now. I look at him silently. He just stands there, waiting for my reply.
I feel utterly lost. How do you get rid of someone so patient and confident? It's hopeless.
"Do you swear you'll never tell anyone?" I hear myself ask.
Looking at me solemnly, he replies: "I swear I'll never tell anyone."
I sigh with resignation. "Where then?" I look at the bed behind me and back to Athragar.
"Yes," he nods. "Make yourself comfortable."
I shrug and walk to the bed while he goes to lock the door. I lie down in my armor and boots.
He approaches and asks: "Do you always keep your clothes on in bed?"
"No," I reply without moving a muscle.
Athragar bends down to give me a casual kiss, then takes my hand: "Come on, let me help you with that armor."
I stand up and let him undress me.
I'm somewhat reassured when I see the look on his face after baring my breasts. At least this isn't some kind of a game. He genuinely desires me. Indeed, his erection is visible before he even takes his pants off. My heart starts pounding as I lie down, spread my legs, lift them up and close my eyes. I'm a little embarrassed to notice I'm wet. I'm even more embarrassed to admit I end up thoroughly enjoying our sex. What I didn't count with is that I don't dare scream, because they might hear me on the marketplace. Well, yes, I know, I didn't really count with anything. I meant to say my satisfaction leaves something to be desired because I don't know how thick the walls of this house are.
After Athragar has stopped panting, I ask him: "Are you happy now?"
"Are you?"
I shrug. Then I laugh in spite of myself and he laughs, and suddenly I'm indeed happy.
Athragar kisses me and says: "You are every bit as gorgeous as I imagined looking at you all these months."
I have to smile. At least she knows how to make a woman feel special. I reply: "I'd better leave before someone notices that your shop is closed."
Instead of climbing off me, Athragar kisses me one more time, and I hug him with my arms and legs. Then we get dressed and he unlocks the door for me.
I walk away as casually as I can without looking towards the marketplace.
I set to work on our gear and reequip my followers. Then I sell as much unnecessary baggage as I can. Not going to the alchemy shop the second time, though.
It's early enough so that I'll be able to do some shopping in Morthal today as well. Still full of energy, I more fly than run, even though I feel a little confused and weird after all that's happened today.
Just short of Morthal, we're attacked by a Wood Elf man. I'm not sure what it was he wanted, although I can imagine a thing or two. We arrive in Morthal in a bad snowstorm, but then the weather turns really fine in a matter of minutes. It was quite incredible. I've never seen anything like that. The bad news is we've arrived so late that a couple of shops have already closed.
It's not even dark yet, but I realize I'm too exhausted to travel to Dånstar tonight. We'll get some sleep now and move on at night. The road is surely going to be visible in spite of the darkness.
The inn doesn't have a room with four beds, so we're getting two double ones. I'm with Lydia. When I tell her about Athragar, she states the obvious:
"If he swore you he won't tell anyone, he probably did the same with all the other women."
"Yes, but he has obviously kept his mouth shot, which means he'll probably keep quiet about me too. And that's what matters."
Lydia agrees with that and I'm really too tired to discuss this any further right now.
next awakening
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