We got up in the morning and ate a good, if cold breakfast, cleaned up the camp putting out the fire and then walked down into Ustengrav. We made our way fighting through draugr and some giant spiders, fighting down several levels. We came to a place that appeared to be more natural cavern than carved tomb and saw a window that we looked out, Marcurio remarking on how beautiful the cavern was.
"Yes it is rather beautiful and look's rather deep to, it would be so very nice if their is a staircase right around the corner that leads strait down, insead of more room's of draugr to fight." I was probably being a bit more sarcastic than I should have been, it really wasn't Marcurio's fault.
It wasn't the first time I had been deep underground. Nothing good ever came of it. Trap's, draugr, skeletons and all the other things, they didn't stop us. We paused in the last chamber as stone columns rose out of the water.
I felt the emotions and saw the magic overflow as she read the note that sat on the alter. I had to back up from the heat, she dropped the note, took two step's and disappeared. I had heard the mages of ole had transportation spell's, but that they were very dangerous and their use had been for the most part discontinued. I reached down and picked up the note and read it. Well it took a real ballsy person to do that, Riverwood huh, well my Lady wasn't the only one with a trick up her sleeve. I followed the last cave out into the open. Once their I looked at the two bag's and smiled, I had her bag-of-holding.
I pulled out the skull of the horse that she had gotten in the Soul Cairn and summoned him. The spell I would use was best not placed on a living creature. He stood their looking at me and I felt a slight puzzlement from him and told him that Zyne was in Riverwood and we would be going their to meet her. He pawed at the ground and I caste the spell on him and then controlled the levitation spell and he shot up into the air, with a slight nudge to the rib's the spectral horse started moving.
When he realized he could go forward with no friction from the ground I felt a shake to his whole body as he took off in a dead run, that got us to Riverwood in an hour instead of the whole day. When I motioned him to land, he hesitated and I told him I would help him to fly again another day.
I walked to the Inn and felt her emotions again, she wasn't just mad anymore, she was in a murderous rage. I had to wall off my emotions or I would feed off of her again, I needed a calmness I didn't feel at the moment. I needed to know what was going on. A big hulking blond tried to cut me off when I went to go into what appeared to be a private room, but that was they way they had gone and I needed to follow. I gave him a don't mess with me look along with a metal push and he turned away.
I had to magically pick the lock to get into the hidden room, but I had closed the other door behind me, so no one saw it was their. I entered the room to see Zyne had a blonde woman pinned to the wall, with a ward spell... nice use their, never thought about that one. The woman was trying not to look terrified and almost managed it.
I walked around the table so that I was well within Zynes eye sight, " So sweety, what's up? Well aside from the blonde that is." The blonde kinda gagged, but Zyne narrowed her eyes at me.
"Do you know what this...this idiot want's me to do? First she wanted me to go to some small town where a dragon might be and kill it to prove that I am Dragonborn. Well the dragon that landed on the roof of the Inn put a nix on that Idea, I killed that one instead. Now she wants me to go to some party held at the Embasy, but not the Argonian Embasy, no that would be way to simple. This ninny want's me to walk right into Elenwen's clutches by going to a party at the Thalmor Embasy." I swear I heard the wall's crack as she shoved the woman harder.
"Well, since I don't know everything that has happened in the last couple of hours. Really, another dragon? You can catch me up and let the woman down, I doubt she's going anywhere." I reached out and touched her. "I am seriously mad at you for taking off like that. But no matter what she wants you to do, you don't have to do a thing and you know it." I projected my thoughts along with warmth and a calm reassurance that had the exact effect I had hoped. She let the ward down all at once and the woman dropped to the floor gasping. I walked over to the woman and held out my hand and gave her a smile that tended to charm most Ladies.
"My name is Marcurio and I am Zynes partner. If you would be so good as to explain why you think she should walk into a Thalmor Embasy? I know their has to be a reason." I know my voice dripped with sarcasm but I really could not help it.
So she gave a rambling explanation about the Dragons and that the Thalmor might know where they were coming from. Every time Zyne went to interrupt her I gave Zyne a mental hush. "Dearest this may work to our advantage, you can't walk in their. Elenwen know's your face, but she doesn't know mine" I felt the words that she was going to say. "If she can get an invitation to one of Elenwen's parties, I will go. No don't protest, Elenwen doesn't know my face, I can do some snooping and find out what her orders are about you and your family" I felt her turmoil, but I knew I had hit the right nerve. Dragon's my lady could care less about, the Greybeards would help her with those and we both knew that the Thalmor would know less than we did about them.
When the woman finally wound down her ramble, I again smiled at her and told her that I would be going. I reached out and got her name from Zyne. "Delphine, I will be going to this party, so make sure the invitation is in my name. Zyne can not go, Elenwen knows her, personally and would arrest her on site. We will send our house carl here once a week for supplies, let us know when you get the invitation." Zyne walked out the hidden door, but I paused and looked back at the woman. "Oh and Delphine, if any Thalmor come knocking at our door, you will wish you where in Elenwens dungeons." I hurried up the step's after Zyne and caught up before she made it out the door.
"My Lady, I think a trip to Riften is in order, I happen to know a Priest of Mara that will marry us on the spot." She turned around a took a hard look at me.
" Is that how they propose in the Imperial City now a days?" She was smiling, with some laughter.
"Well no My Lady, but when in Skyrim, do as the Nords do. I do as it happens have an amulet of Mara in my bag. Would you like me to put it on and as if you are interested in me the way I am interested in you?" She reached out and touched my cheek and I felt the love and desire coursing through her. I turned my head and kissed her hand and projected my feelings right back to her.
"We can be in Whiterun in under an hour and ride the carriage to Riften. I know a couple places we can stay on the way back, off the road. When we get back to the manor, we can have Rayya go to Whiterun for supplies and stay a couple days with that friend of her's at the Bannered Mare."
I can't say that I remember all that much of the trip to Riften. Our marriage ceremony was short and sweet. As we place the rings on each other's fingers, I felt an overwhelming sense of love, but it wasn't coming from Zyne and I could see by her widening eyes that she felt the same thing and knew it wasn't from me. We both turned at the same time and saw and old woman come out of the shadow's, I had not seen or felt anyone their before. Then I noticed the Priest and Priestesses were all kneeling. Zyne walked over to the old woman still holding my hand, so I followed and then knelt down when she did. The woman laid her hand's on our heads.
" You honor me daughter, by loving again. The two of you are each half of the other, you need that other half to be whole. Remember love and compassion are stronger than hate and apathy. Be strong, always work together." She removed her hand and stepped back, the look she gave us said something, but I had no clue as to what. As she stepped back again a dim glow started and she walked into it, the smell of flowers and sea wafted out.
The Priest walked up to us and said that we were truely blessed to have the Lady Mara attend our wedding and give us her personal blessing. I felt the warmth and love I expected from Zyne, but also a puzzlement. Perhaps the Lady had said something to her that only she could hear.
We walked out of Riften and headed towards the direction that would lead us to the pass that Helgen was in. I did remember a small cabin that had been abandoned in that direction. We really should check in with the Dawnguard, but I didn't want to and if they really needed us they would have sent word.
She was thinking about something important to her that The Lady had said, so I let her be. I would get her attention soon enough. I remembered a nice pond very close to that cabin and when we got close, I headed to it going off the road. Zyne didn't even protest, just followed along. When we got to the pond she stopped at the edge, but I could see she wasn't really paying attention. In one way that was very flattering, I knew she trusted me enough to watch for dangers and alert her to them, In another way I wanted her attention, this was after all our wedding night.
I just started undressing her and laying her sword on top of her armor, with the boots where she could get them first. She had once told me that fighting naked wasn't much of a problem for a mage, but barefoot on the other had could kill the concentration at the wrong time. I undressed my self and then set wards around the pond, with a flame Atronach as bodyguard. I pulled her into the water and pulled her into my arms.
"Sweety, whatever plane of thought you are on, you need to come back, I want my love in my arm's, not a mannequin." With that I bent forward and kissed her softly on the lips. I felt her attention focus back here on me, with a warmth that melted my insides.
The warm water, his hot body against mine and the love I felt through our bond finally brought my thoughts back to him. Not that my thoughts weren't on him anyway, just in a completely different way. I raised one hand to tangle in his hair and the other I put in the small of his back, so that I could pull him even tighter against me. I opened my mind fully to him and felt his surface thoughts, but it was the emotions that were really blinding. He read the thought before I could form it about the boulder I knew was somewhere in this pond. Two steps back and I felt it, the rough surface of the rock and the smooth hardness of his body.
The sensations and emotions were almost too much, but we held on to each other and made love eathrough most of the night. We did make it to the cabin, the night was quiet except the sounds of night birds calling, wolves howling and our soft moan's inter-spaced with laughter and whispered words. We woke late the next morning, the sun already high in the sky.
We dressed and walked quickly towards home. No words passed our lip's, but I know we frightened some passing farmers when we both broke out laughing for what looked like no reason. Helgen was still in a sorry state and probably would be for some time to come. Neither the Empire or Ulfric would want the cost of repairing the fort town while the war was going on. It had been a beautiful town, with some very nice people in it. I could not help but wonder if anyone I knew had made it out, but I didn't want to think to hard on that, I had lost to many people that I knew.
Marcurio must have sensed how I was feeling because he reached out and held my hand for a minute and I felt the same warmth, love, reassurance and desire that I had come to crave from him. "I love your beautiful body, but it's you kind and loving heart that I want the most." I squeezed his hand and then looked into his eyes and saw that they practically glowed with love.
"My Lady as long as you never tell a soul that you think my body is beautiful and that I'm kind... I won't tell anyone that you have a soft spot for children and down on their luck Nords."
As the Lake house some into view, we paused to make sure all was well. We saw Rayya patrolling and knew by her very walk that all was quiet and normal. She greeted us as we came down the hill and noticed our wedding rings before we even said anything about it. She congratulated us and asked for the news. We brought her up to date, including the fact that we were going to send her to Whiterun as soon as she could pack a bag.
But not just because we wanted some time alone, but also because their were some Redguards snooping around asking questions and while we didn't think they were looking for her, they might be looking for her friend at the Inn. Her eye's went cold and she said she would be packed and out in under a half hour. She first handed Zyne a letter that she said the Smith in Riverwood gave to her, but it just had Zynes name on it.
We went inside, Rayya saying that their was a stew in the pot and some fresh bread on the oven hearth. Zyne went and sat in a chair by the fire and opened the letter, I had intended to give her some space to read her letter, but she reached out a hand to me and I walked over and stood behind her with one hand on her shoulder. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, It was written in a language I could not read.
At first I felt some puzzlement and annoyance, then she snorted and pushed her finger from the bottom right to the left and towards the top left. Who ever had written it had done so in code and then put the code down backwards.
She threw the letter in the fire and poked it til it went up in flames and was all gone. "My Aunt and Uncle ran into a little bit of trouble in the form of some "retired" Thalmor Soldiers that knew him from along time ago, so they have to stop and visit with them. She says it will be another two months before they can get here and it will probably be by boat into Dawnstar." Her shoulders had tensed up, so I massaged them and told her not to worry, her Aunt had been outsmarting the Thalmor longer than she had been alive.
As Rayya left, Zyne asked me to go fix two bowls of stew while she put locks and wards on all the doors. As I had after dinner plans that I didn't want interrupted by hapless bandit's, I had no problems with getting some stew and cutting up some apples and snowberries in a bowl and putting them next to the fire to heat up, with the heavy cream I saw sitting in a bowl of ice, I knew it would be a sweet treat... and I had the perfect plate in mind to eat them off of. By the end of desert, we were both glad that Rayya had managed to get a heated bathing pool put in the basement.
The next two days were a blur of lovemaking and talking, sometimes out loud so we could hear what we were saying to each other. You would think that being able to read each other minds would make talking about some things easier, but really the mind and heart need to hear it said sometimes. Sometimes though, the conversation was silent and often with more emotion than actual words.
I sat behind Zyne combing out her long hair, her mind a haze of relaxation and contentment. I was just forming the idea of leaning over and kissing her neck and cupping her breasts, when we got hit by a jolt of white hot pain or rather she got hit and I felt it through her.
I felt her loose consciousness and I threw up a ward and fought to keep mine. The pain was so intense I could feel it through the ward even though she was no longer conscious. I made the strongest wards I could and followed the bond with Zyne back to the person, no people in pain. The bond went to two people not just the one I had figured. She felt me there and started to push me away as well, but I strengthened her ward from the inside.
Her weak thank you, made me catch my breath, I sent back who? But she didn't answer that one, but just the general Thalmor. Which didn't take a genius to figure out. I asked her if she knew where she was, the answer was yes and she showed me a mental picture of the area. As it happened I knew exactly where she was, the castle on the island in the background was a dead give away. She followed my thoughts right along and gave all the answers I needed.. but I had to ask the last two, cause I didn't want any misunderstanding's. How long can the two of you last, mentally and physically? She said that mentally they could last for another week or so, physically was another story as both of them were weak. I sent that, I have a potion, it was banned by the Empire, it's dangerous because it leaves you weaker than you were before. You must have healing, so either Zyne or I must be well enough to heal you. Lady, what of the children and others that were with you? She sent back a picture of her and her husband being greeted like old friends while the rest of the group traveled on. It took a week for the Thalmor to get to their "friends" house and another to get them to the fort they were at.
Stay strong, we will come up with a plan and get you out of there. I broke the link as I felt Zyne starting to come around. I did not want her to go up the bond the way I had, she needed a clear head. Before she came all the way to, I walked out side and called some of the birds down from the tree's, My Lady was not the only one with trick's up her sleeve or friends in odd places. I gave each bird a command and a message for a specific person. Most would meet us near the Thalmor fort, two would catch up to the rest of Zyne's family and guide them to a place I knew that was safe...or rather, safe enough.
I walked back inside and looked at Zyne, she was still out, but wouldn't be for long. I grabbed some blankets off the bed and tucked one under her head, the other I draped over her. Then I went to the kitchen and brewed her a tea that would help with the raging headache she would have when she did wake up. I sat beside her on the floor sipping on my tea and thinking of the best and fastest way we could get their. \
Her dragon friend would be the fastest way to get their for her and I could ride the spectral horse. Getting out would be even simpler, once the Thalmor were taken care of, boat's would be nearby. My answers would come quicker than the birds that took them, but the spell needed a live animal with some intlligence to find the people it looked for. The Raven's didn't mind being messengers, they loved the spell energy that let them fly faster and further than they could on their own. They tended to follow me around for that very reason.
As Zyne came to I handed her her mug of tea, " I communicated with your Aunt, while they are not fine, they will hold out. I have had time to do some planning and have sent off some notes to people who owe me, they also have no love for the Thalmor and will come and help. All we need to do is get their in a day or so." I held up my hand, as she opened her mouth. "We can't take them on alone and even if we could your Aunt and Uncle would not survive the walk out, so we have to wait to get some boat's with healers in them, in place near the Fort they are being held in."
With the pain killers working, I reached my hand out to her and went through my whole plan in the time it took to think it, no explaining as she could see what I meant and what each person would bring to our plan. She nodded and asked " Can you get more of the Raven's to come and find people with messages? I didn't know you could do that, out side of compulsion that is." I nodded and stood up, reaching down for her hand. We both walked outside and I called more of the Raven's to us. I showed her how to ask them to take the message and how to plant the message in their minds, with out it being a compulsion.
We then went to the wide open space beside the house where a new larger garden was to be placed and she called Durnehviir. He came and seeing no enemy landed before us. Zyne explained to him what she wanted and asked him what he would like in return. He said the only thing he could ask is that she would summon him 10 times when she didn't need him to fight anyone. She agreed to that and said he was free to go or stay and she would call on him tomorrow to get the ride to the Thalmor Fort.
He dropped his head so that his nose rested just infront of her body and their eyes were on level with each other. " I am truely sorry that your family is in so much pain. I will stay and fight along with you for as long as I am able." She thanked him and he lifted off, we returned into the house and undressed for bed.
We both said our Prayers to the Lady Mara and then made love and fell asleep in each others arm's.
