The end of the Road Chapter 30

    We flew at the level of the clouds, the Thalmor may have not given a second thought to another dragon flying around, but a Skeletal horse would have caught their attention. Two ships were anchored off shore, but many small boats dotted the shore line. They were partly hidden behind a bluff, but as the area was a known pirate layover, they wouldn't get much attention. We had been here before, so the area wasn't a complete surprise. Flying out to sea and then coming in low and from behind the bluff, we landed not to far from some of the men dotting the beach.
     It didn't take long to catch up and make quick plans. I knew Zyne was worried about her Aunt, so I hurried  to the other group that was on the other side of the fort hiding in the boulders and tree's. I would project  to let Zyne know when we were ready also.
     As I went over our plan with my group, I could feel how edgy Zyne was becoming and I hurried though last minute instructions. I made sure the two muscular young men knew that their whole job was to get Zyne's Family to the ships. Once we were in place I let Zyne know, Durnehviir took of and as he blasted those Thalmor on the wall, the rest of us rushed in to attack.
      It didn't take long to finish off those Thalmor on the outside and we headed in. A couple of the healers stayed outside to tend those who were wounded and those that would go out when they were. A few of the farmers that volunteered to help us, but had no fighting skills, would carry stretchers with the wounded out to the ships once they had been tended to.
      Zyne and her group had already cleared the main floor by the time my group entered, so their wasn't much to do here. I split my group up and we headed out to clear the upper floors. Room after room, was cleared, but we didn't run into as many Thalmor as I thought we should have, which didn't bode well for Zynes group headed into the dungeons.
     The upper floors were barren of people, but we went room to room anyway. I sent several of my men back down, telling them to be careful but to catch up to Zyne and her people. When I ran into the man leading the other party, outside what had to be the fort commanders office. I asked him to also go down to the dungeons and help Zynes group while I rifled the commanders room for any information they might have on Zyne and her family. The Pirate Captain grinned and he and his men took off at a fast jog.
     I looked around the office and went strait to the lock box on a side table. After picking the lock I looked at the journal and went to the desk. Sitting down I adjusted the light and opened the book at the back. I skimmed though the last entries, which for us looked grimmer and grimmer. They knew who we were, both Zyne and I, well Zyne did tell Gelador we would be back. She and I just hadn't planned on staying.
     I tucked the journal in my pouch and then grabbed all the dispatched that had not yet went out. I would look at them later, I had all the bad news I needed right now. I could feel Zynes excitement, so I knew she must be getting closer to the dungeons. Two men followed me when I left the Commanders office, "Zynes orders Marcurio, she didn't want you left alone, just in case". one of the men said as they fell in behind me. I nodded at the men and took off at a fast jog.
     As we neared the bottom of the steps leading into the dungeon, I could hear the clash of weapons.  As we neared the last step and I could see over the heads of those just standing around, looking at the two people fighting in the center of the room. Several Thalmor were being lead into cell's as the two in the center fought viciously.
    I pushed through people that pushed back until they noticed who I was. When I got to the front, I opened myself to Zynes thoughts and I was not at all surprised to feel the cold fury that was her entire being. It wasn't a rage that left one unthinking, but the fury of a person with no remorse about what they are about to do.
    "Meet my Uncle Farinwale, Aunt Irrillia's brother, the Thalmor Commander of this fort." Zyne p projected into my head, then her mind slammed shut. It wouldn't matter, that is one man that would not leave this dungeon alive.
     As they circled each other, they spoke in a language I didn't understand, but really didn't need to. The venom was understandable either way. I felt a slight stir as Elendale, the Pirate Captain walked up behind me.
    As he place his hand on my shoulder he leaned closer. "Their is a full regiment of Thalmor soldiers on the way. That dragon friend of yours landed and told us. He said he can't attack them as they haven't harmed anyone here yet. I'm going to start getting all the people out of here. There is a cave through the last cell, that leads outside."
    "Please just make sure that Zyne's Aunt and Uncle are taken care of. Get everyone out, I hope you got all the loot?" at his nod, I figured his people looted as they went. " Good, send someone outside and let them know they need to leave, if you haven't already." As I watched Zyne and her Uncle fight, all the others in the room left, til just she and I remained, along with the dozen or so Thalmor soldiers that had been captured.
    "Sweetie please quit playing with the man and just kill him. Theirs a regiment of soldiers on the way here and I really don't want to end up in one of these cell's", I thought those words at her and at first I thought she hadn't heard me. Then I felt a shifting in her emotions, the words she spoke to him had a tinge of regret in them. I might not be a master swordsman, but I've fought with her enough to see what she was doing, a minute later his head was rolling on the floor.
       Watching Marcurio leave was the hardest thing I have ever done, but we each had a role to play. Time seemed at a standstill and I couldn't help but get wire up. When I felt Marcurio's go ahead, I let Durnevhiir know we were ready. I threw out a fire ball and got one back inreturn, exactly what Durnevhiir was waiting for... His curse said he couldn't attack at random, but as soon as his summoner was attacked it became a free for all. All the mages lite up the sky, fire, ice and lightning flung around, a couple of well placed arrows also went flying. We didn't even make it to the gates before all spells stopped, no one not in our group remained alive. The main hall in the fort had many soldiers waiting for us, but we out numbered them by far, I felt Marcurio heading in and I took my group down toward the cell's on the lower level. We fought for every inch we took, the Thalmor we ready for us here. I was only worried that we wouldn't be able to break through to my Aunt and Uncle before the mages holding wards around them gave out. I didn't want them held has hostage for us to give up, so with the blood tie, they were safe as long as I lived and the mages strength held.
      I tried not to look at the individual faces of those I fought, I knew I would know some of them and it hurt that we were now on different sides. We were mostly fighting with magic and bows, the space in the hallways being to narrow to really swing a sword. I used wards and mirror spells more than anything, with those behind me actually using weapons and offensive spells. We broke through to the cell area that my Aunt and Uncle were being held in. This was a very large area with cells along the outer walls and various torture devices placed here and there. The others boiled out of the hall behind me and moved to either side. I looked at all the soldiers gather between my Aunt and Uncle and us.
       I noticed that the Commander stiffened when he saw me, he knew who I was then, personally. His face under the helmet looked familiar, but I couldn't really place him. He walked between two of the soldiers and took his helmet off when he was half way across the room. Their was no mistaking the family resemblance.          "So which family member are you?" I asked as I took a couple step's forward, while signaling the men and women to stay back. I could feel the rage building, but it was cold and still, not the hot burning rage that makes one do stupid things. He gave a feral smile and pulled his sword.
        "Farinwale, she was my sister, until she married into your pedestrian family." He looked over his shoulder at my Uncle. " looks like she did no better the second time around". He looked down at his sword and grimaced. " Prepare to die, for my orders are to not allow any of you to leave here." I held up my hand and stopped him before he took one step.
         " I have no intention of allowing you to live, your men however may if they surrender now. Before you even start spouting drivel, I really don't care less about an honorable fight between the lot of us. My people have orders, Myself and the other mages all have paralysis spells at the ready. You will all be pin cushions  before we can even walk across the room. Every man and woman you see is a battlemage or spellsword, with a grudge against Thalmor." He paled and looked at his men, He told them to drop there weapons and while a few looked like they might bulk, they all did. As a couple of my team walked to lock the doors to cell's that the soldiers went into. He attacked. As our blades crashed into each other and we sized up the others skill's, I decided to clue him in on the family secret. I spoke in an ancient form of Aldemeri that I knew his whole family was fluent in.
        "Had your family not condemned Irrillia on her marriage, you would know exactly how old a linage she had married into. Do you know where our farmstead was located? How long the land had been in our family?" He sneered when I mentioned the farm, Aristocrats, very few remembered the land they came from.
        "Your family have always been dirt farmers" The sneer was even in his voice, something that few could manage. I shook my head at him and again our swords met, but as I pulled mine back, I sliced his forearm.
        "Yes, you are correct in that. There have always been farmers in our bloodline, as their are in yours." The contempt in his eyes changed briefly to surprise that I had known that. "What your family has forgotten is that once upon a time, your families hunting lodge and my families hunting lodge we adjoining. Something that has been forgotten over time, unless one really looks into there history." From behind him I saw Elendale and the two hulking farmers that would help my Aunt and Uncle get to the ships. I wondered for a brief second how he had gotten all the way around the room, but then I felt it, a cool breeze with a hint of salt. Trust a pirate to know about hidden passages. At the same time I felt Marcurio getting closer, so, he was done with his task as well. we circled each other and I saw him standing on the edge of the crowd that was watching us fight.  I swung my sword and again hit his away from him, slicing his left leg this time.
      " You see a poor dirt farmers daughter found my great grandfather in the burning down wreck of the hunting lodge. The only one left alive. She knew who he was and pulled him out", I sliced him across his stomach, not enough to gut him, just enough to bleed. Marcurio's voice intruded in my head, telling me to quit playing with him and kill him. "Your family are dupes, someone else figured out that our line wasn't gone and you are the dog's sent to attack their masters."
     I saw the comprehension in his eyes and the shame, I nodded at him and then sent his head rolling across the floor.
   **
     As she turned back to me, she looked at the soldiers in the cell, a brief pause and she gathered power I could feel and all the soldiers hit the ground. "I didn't kill them, they will just sleep for 5 or 6 hours, that way they can't give us away." I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her and felt her head hit my shoulder.
      " Elendale got your Aunt and Uncle out, I didn't see them, they were gone by the time I got here" She opened her mind and I saw a picture of them they way that she had found them. There conditions were horrible, no one should have to suffer so much. "They will heal Zyne, it may take awhile, but they will heal and they will be safe. I found the commanders journal upstairs, we are going to have to lay low for awhile as well. I sent a short note with one of the farmers to Rayya, she will know what to do with anyone that comes looking." She nodded and then backed out of my arms, without a word she headed to the exit.

****

         Two days later, Zyne stood next to Elendale on the bridge of his ship as we headed into a secluded bay. This was the closest the ship's could get us to the Forgotten Vale, we would have to walk from here. I watched the two of them talk, Zyne was much more relaxed today and seemed to have gotten over the sea-sickness that had plagued her the first day on board.
          I handed Elendale the letters with instruction's that would go to various different people. Other people would need the sanctuary that we would offer, but we didn't want to make it to easy to find us, after all, we were all wanted by the Thalmor.
          Elendale left us to work with his men to get us close to the boulder that we would tie off on, it was a slip of sorts, but bumpers had to be placed along the ships sides so that they wouldn't rub against the rocks. Zyne and I walked over to the rail and looked out. Holding her in my arms, with my chin resting on her shoulder, I asked. " Well sweetie are you going to miss all the action and excitement of vampire slaying and Thalmor intrigue?" I felt the laugh and shake of her head. She moved her hand's over mine then place them on her stomach.
        "No Love, I think I can do without to much excitement, at least for 9 months or so". I turned her in my arms and gave her a kiss.
        "That sweetie is all the excitement I need for the next few years. I love you, Zyne".

        The valley would be our haven for the quite a while, though I know it will not hold Zynes interest forever. We will be back to fight the good fight...vampires, werewolves, rouge dragons. She was Dragonborn after all, the Gods were not done with her. What ever it may be I know my Zyne will want to be there and I will be her shadow.



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This is the end of Zynes story. Like my very favorite stories, I do not want a definitive ending, more a place that this adventure ends and the next one can begin. I will be going over the story again and edit out some things. Others while they may be wrong, will end up staying as they are, because that might end up changing the story. I know their are a couple places that the story contradicts itself and I may see if I can rewrite those areas with out having to rewrite the whole of the story.  Thank you and I hope you have enjoyed reading.


 

   

Having a wedding and planning a funeral Chapter 29

       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.

Life, love and happiness chapter 28

     I woke the next morning in the same position as in the middle of the night, on my side, with Marcurio's arm draped over me. The only difference is neither of us were wearing clothing. By his soft snoring I  could tell he was still asleep. I tried to keep my body as relaxed as if I was still asleep, as I wanted to think a little.
     Marcurio was right, I had been having erotic dream's with both him and Bjorn, the emotion's I had felt never changed, I should have noticed that. Bjorn had been shield brother and lover then friend and finally husband, Marcurio was student, shield brother then friend now lover and I would have no issues with calling him husband.
      Physically they were nothing alike, personality wise really not much in common but a kind heart and firey spirit. I would never compare the two, because it would be like comparing a mountain lake to a river flowing through the tundra. Both could be placid or dangerous to the unwary if taken for granted.
      That settled in my mind, I tried to move on to different things, but the first thing that hit my mind was that my Aunt and Uncle would be at the Falkreath house in a month if not sooner. I tensed and groaned.
      The arm around me tightened and a husky voice asked against my neck, "Have you changed your mind about marrying me off to some cute little Nord woman?" I relaxed and chuckled, rolling over on my back and looking up into his silver grey eyes.
      "Well if you think she would share, I might be talked into letting you have one for awhile," I said teasingly, grabbing a handful of his hair and pulling him down for a morning kiss. " Good morning, seriously, we need to get out of this bed, before I decide that the Master vampire can wait a couple days... or a week..... or maybe he can just turn us both and we can stay in this bed forever." My hands had wondered down his spine, taking playful nip's from his shoulder to his neck, then bit harder as my hand's reached the base of his spine and pushed... I smiled against his neck as I knew we wouldn't be getting out of bed for at least an hour.
        I was laying in the crook of his arm with my head on his chest playing with his fingers when the Inn Keeper knocked on the door and said it was the dawn. I said thank you and rolled to my knee's, looking down at his handsome face. I shook my head and kissed him softly.
        "Ok, it really is time to get out of bed." I climbed off the bed and stretched my arm's to the ceiling, bending backwards first then left and right and finally forward, my hand's touching the floor. I heard a groan from the bed and looked in that direction after standing up strait. I noticed the look in his eyes and walked over to put my underclothing on, then the rest. If he was going to stare, I was going to give a good show, I'm pretty sure I never put on my boot liners before my pant's before, by bending down. It was a lot less practical than by sitting down and pulling them up while tucking my pant's into them. I was almost completely in my armor, with only my boot's left when I noticed he was still watching me dress, so I threw one of my boot's at him. He caught it and tossed it back, I put it on this time and watched him get dressed.
        "I have a question for you and if it bothers you to talk to me about Bjorn, I will understand." I told him to go ahead, I would answer if I could. " Why on Nirn did that man call you "Little Elf"?" I could really hear the puzzled tone in his voice, but the answer was a simple one.
         " You did notice the height difference between us, yes?," At his nod I continued, " To him I was "little," he dwarfed most Nords and a lot of Altmer. I am an Elf, so Little Elf. I know now it's an insult, but to him it was an endearment." He stomped into his boot's then grabbed the shirt and pulled it over his head.
       
             Walking back out of the cave, I looked at Marcurio and raised my eyebrow's at him in inquiry.
            "Did that seem a bit to easy to you? I mean, a master vampire and we walked through them all like they were a bunch of drones." I thought about it for a minute and then answered him.
             " It did seem a easy but, I think he was a lot younger than I first gave him credit for being, just as strong and not as smart. Dead thrall's are a cheap way to go, energy wise, for them. At the same time, if it was me, I would get my people to spend the energy to have live thrall's. Live thrall's may or may not keep doing their last command, but dead thrall's just turn to dust. Well plus one can keep feeding off of live thralls." He grimaced as he took it all in, but nodded.
             "So are we headed back to Morthal?"
             "No I think we can head to Ustengrav and camp out their for the night. With the right warding spell I doubt we'll have to worry about animals and will get a nice warning for people. I want to get this horn and figure out exactly what it is that I'm supposed to be doing."
               Which is exactly what we did, fighting a couple of the swamps creatures and a Necromage at the door to Ustengrav. Their's something about Nordic tomb's and Necromages. After fighting them I debated on weather we needed to see if their were more of them inside the tomb, because I really didn't want to be surprised in the middle of the night. Deciding it was probably the best idea, we went down into the tomb and found a good number of necromages. It wasn't a fair fight at all, we wiped them out very quickly. The last of them running deeper into the tomb, from the sounds of it, he had found a friend and a couple enemies. I walked over to the nearest and felt a pang of regret at how young she was, so I walked over to the next one and it was the same thing, no more than mid twenties. Children, they were nothing but children just learning their craft. Because mage schools wouldn't teach necromancy, those interested had to learn on their own, often in groups like these.
              We walked back out of the tomb, I wasn't in the mood to argue with the dragon I heard in the distance getting closer, so I called Durnehviir and asked him to make sure the dragon didn't come this way, weather he had to fight  it or just warned it away. He dropped his head and looked  me in the eyes, I could see he understood the sadness in my heart. He touched the tip of his nose to the side of my face and huffed, then turned and took off.
              Marcurio slid his arm's around my waist and put his chin on my shoulder and we watched Durnehviir fly off and head in the direction of the other dragon. We could see gout's of flame and frost as the two dragon's talked to each other. The other dragon sounded young and through the bravado, scared... but he answered all of Durnehvirr's question's about what was happening. When Durnehviir went back into the Soul Cairn, the younger dragon took off towards the ocean, he probably had a lair on an island far enough out to not be a complete menace to people.
               "Well it seem's as if a dragon named Alduin is waking up other dragon's, but Durnehviir seem's to think that's mostly to divert attention from himself." I heard the sharp intake of breath and felt the Marcurio tense up. "I'm going to take it you know the name?"
                "Yes and I'm very, very surprised that Bjorn never told you about Alduin. They call him the World Eater, he's supposed to be the harbringer of the end of time or the begining of a new era, which ever way you look at it." I thought about that for a minute and realized what his name meant.... well crap. " So it actually makes sense for a Dragonborn to be here now. Why an Altmer and why you, well that I really can't explain. You've read the stories, epic hero fight's epic evil  guy, someone win's someone dies."
                "Well I guess all I can do is try to not be a dead hero. So first thing in the morning, we go and get that horn, get it back to the Greybeards and I train to fight The World Eater."
                I turned and gave him a quick kiss and we set about to clean up the camp that was already their, I gathered some more wood, while Marcurio cooked dinner. I threw out the bedding that was in there and then sent out a wave of frost, that would kill any vermin that hadn't left with the bedding. Replacing it with our bedding, then I went and walked the perimeter of the camp, placing a ward around the area. I then walked down to the door of the tomb and placed a frost rune right in front of it.
                Dinner was ready when I came up the step's and Marcurio and I sat on the stone step's leading up to the tomb and ate our dinner watching the creatures in the swamp do what they did. Neither one of us was in a chatty mood, both lost in our own thought's. I hoped his were better than mine, the Fates were playing a nasty trick on me and it wasn't fair to Marcurio either. I put my bowl down and leaned back to look up at the star's.
                " I need you with me Marcurio, this is going to be a really nasty fight and I don't know if we will come out the winner's or not. I hate the idea of your dyeing but as it's an everyday threat hunting vampires, not much has really changed their." I looked over where he sat quietly just a darker shadow in the night, " I may have given an instant's thought to your not coming with me and staying safely with the Dawnguard or at Lakeside manor." I saw him tense up and turn towards me, but kept talking before he had a chance, " But I need you with me, not just as a fighting partner, but as the man I love. Yes, I do love you, I've just been fighting it and myself. As much as I don't wish to see you die in battle, I need you by my side. I need your sarcastic remark's when I get staid and boring." He moved closer and I could see his eyes, he wouldn't have let me leave him behind. I smiled at him and he leaned down and gave me a passionate kiss.
                " I wish this was the time and place to do more than give you a kiss. We are going to take a day off, at home and send Rayya to town or something." his eye's were burning with desire and his voice raw with need. " I need you and I want time with you, we've been together for years and I want one day, maybe two to love you the way I have dreamed of." I shuddered, with the images that I was catching from him, one of these day's I was going to have to let him know that I was something of an empath and if we are touching, I get images as well as feelings.
                  "You'll have that time, but for now I think we both need to get some sleep." I had other thought's, ones that would at least give him some ease, I chuckled and gave him a wicked grin. I leaned over and gave him a kiss, projecting exactly what I planned to do to him in the next few minutes, my hand already reaching down to unlace his pant's. I could feel  his desire and need, I could feel my touch on him and suddenly, I knew he could feel all that and what I was feeling also. I summoned a frost Atronach and we were out of our clothing faster than I thought possible. Their was no him or me, we just were.. each of us feeling the physical touch of the other and the emotions that went along with making love.
                 The moon's were up high in the sky by the time that we crawled into our bedding, I lay content with Marcurio's arm around me. I could still feel some of his thoughts, but he was half asleep. I stared out into the swamp, wondering exactly what had just happened between us, I had never heard of such a thing. Marcurio wiggled until their wasn't an inch between us anywhere and then said.
                 "I'm slightly Empathic as well, we fed off of each other. I had heard about that happening between two empaths, but never really talked to anyone it had happened to." He sighed and pulled me a little closer and then fell into a deep sleep. I had never thought about having sex or an emotional bond to someone else with any empathy, it just hadn't occurred to me, we would have to test it to see just how far it went. A girl likes to have some thought's to herself. I sent my prayer to Kyne and allowed myself to fall into a light sleep.
               
         

       
   

Midnight Interlude chapter 27

  **** there is an erotic scene towards the middle/bottom, I did try not to let it get to graphic though***            





     I woke up to the sound of the door closing, as Marcurio was snoring softly behind me his arm draped over my waist, I knew it hadn't been him. I tapped his hand in a sequence that we had pre-arranged, he woke up and tensed, but tapped his hand on my rib's to let me know he was wide awake and ready for a fight.
     We both sat up at the same time, Marcurio caste a light spell and then readied another, while I caste Stendarr's Aura and looked around. Marcurio found it before me and caste a Paralysis spell, the Mist Walker's eyes went wide at being caught, but she wasn't panicking. I kept looking around and found the second one heading towards Marcurio's side of the bed. I caste a spell that probably hadn't seen the light of day outside a Thalmor prison in two hundred years.
    I needed to keep line of sight on the second Mist Walker, so I stood up on the bed and walked over Marcurio, careful not to step on him. This ones eye's were wide, but with fear, good she should be afraid.
    "Marcurio, tie that one up to the chair, with the silver belt rope you will find in my pack, side pocket. Don't worry, thin as it is, she won't be able to move, their's also a drain magic spell on it." I looked at the one I held and smiled at her, not the happy smile my friends knew, but the grim smile that I had been told could scare grown men. With Marcurio busy tying up our guest, I caste another spell and a bottle came flying over to me. " This my friend is a cure disease potion, I'll probably drink it, when I'm done with you and your partner." I paused and bounced the bottle off my hand a couple times. " An Herbalist friend of mine had a question and I haven't yet had a chance to test it out. He wanted to know what would happen to a couple hundred year old vampire if they drank one or two or more of these." She made a choking noise in her throat. " I mean, would it literally cure you in a second, like it will do to me, when I catch it.  Then the question is... I mean since you are of one of the human races... would you return to the age you were when you were turned or would you simply turn to ash? Of course my herbalist friend think's that just one potion would act more like a slow poison, not like a healing potion. You know, their is a physical change to your body over time and well that would kind of suck, die from a healing potion." I tightened my grip on her thoughts and sent a chaos spell through the link.
       "Marcurio, this could get very very messy, if you want you can leave." I never turned to look at him, but I heard him walk up beside me.
        "Well you might need my help to clean up the mess then. Exactly what spell's are you using on this one, by the way, I re-caste the paralysis spell on the other one." I slapped a sound spell on both, It was a funny spell that one of my very rich and politically influential friends had made up for their steward to let them know a meal was ready. This one had a twist though, it gonged enough you couldn't even hear one whole word.
        "It's a couple spell's, one of which was banned from use over two hundred year's ago, but the Thalmor use it and the law was written or rather rewritten so that it wasn't illegal for them to do so. Odd as it is, Thalmor law says that any member who was an officer can be recalled at any time and can and should be able to use any spell that was learned. The fact that I learned the spell while a prisoner is beside the point, I was a Thalmor officer, albeit for a short time. So Legally, you can't use them, I will teach them to you just be very very careful to not leave the subject's alive or in one piece. " I saw the look in his eyes, " I told you to leave, it would get messy." He sighed and looked down, then nodded.
        " Marcurio, I would never ever use these spell's on a living person, " His head jerked up, " No not even on my deepest enemy. These two however aren't alive and they are assassins, sent to kill us both. But to answer your question, the first is a type of paralysis spell, but unlike the one you used, this one affects the brain, the more you struggle the more you fight it, the more pain you are in. The second is one that allow's the caster to, hear thought's, they have to be strong and tied to an emotion. Which is why this paralysis spell causes pain, though you can caste it in such a way as to cause pain and pleasure, but  that is just to cruel for me to do. You ask a question, if they think about it and are in pain, you hear the thoughts."
          "Ok, so you ask questions and then your going to kill the both? I can live with that, I don't really like it."  I sighed and shook my head.
         " It work's this way, anyone that has ever caste these spell's will be able to "read" the spell's on them and also have a, umm sent of the person that caste them. You don't want answers this way, then we can go through their pockets and I'll send them to Oblivion. I will leave that up to you, your my friend and partner, I would not like to loose your friendship over a couple vampires."
         He turned and walked to a corner of the room, standing their for a minute or so, I saw his shoulders tense as he made his decision. He walked back over to the vampire in front of me and used a telekinesis spell to rip her clothing off, he didn't get it perfect as all her cloths came off. I was impressed though, I had never taught him that spell, he had seem me use it once. I saw him gather up his energy and place his palm close to the vampire. One lightning spell and two seconds later she was a pile of ashes. He then walked to the other, who was wide eyed and frantically trying to get away. He removed the gag and said.
       " I will only ask once, who sent you and why?" He tapped his foot and when she stubbornly set her chin, he caste the same telekinesis spell, this time however he wouldn't have to caste the lightning spell, as the silver chain tore strait through her. He picked up the clothing and found a letter, but set it on the night stand. I had sat down on the bed and was watching him. He placed both set's of clothing on the chair and then walked back over to me.
         Putting his hand's on my shoulders, he shook me once very hard and I looked up at him. His face showed warring emotions, his eye's a light silver that practically glowed. I couldn't read either. His hand's were tight enough on my shoulders, that I was surprised I hadn't heard bones grinding together, I knew i'd have bruises. He shook me once more, then bent down til our noses touched.
         "You are my friend, my partner and sometimes a mentor, but I want more. That hulk of a Nord is no more a telepath than Isran and crazy as he is, he hasn't an once of magic. That isn't the first time, I have gotten thought's from you in the way of a picture. That one however let's me know how you feel." He tipped his head slightly til our lip's just met. His hand traveled up my shoulders and his hand's cupped my jaw. " I want to be your Lover, as well as your friend and partner. If you can't handle the idea of another husband dying of old age on you, just remember, I am a wizard, I may not live six or seven hundred year's, but we could both die tomorrow. I'm not leaving though." I took pity on him and put my arm's around him and pulled him even closer as we fell back on to the bed.
          " I can live with that.", I moved just a little bit closer, so that our lip's were once again touching, "All that flirting with bar maid's not to mention the..." I never finished the sentence as he kissed me passionately, I gave as good and then pulled back just enough, "Seriously, you never let me know how you felt. Why not?"
          "Because until the other night, you never looked at me as anything other than a friend. I've seen your nightmares, the worst of them, I never needed you to tell me about them, because I lived through them with you." I stiffened to think of everything that had happened during those nightmares. " Don't" He said softly, " Don't pull away, all those terrible thing's that happened were done to you, not something you choose to happen." He kissed me softly and then leaned back looking me in the eyes, while running his finger back and forth over my lips. His eye's crinkled at the corners, showing an inner laughter, " About a year ago, I shared the first nightmare, we talked it out and you fell asleep in my arms. Later that night you had a dream that was anything but a nightmare, it was erotic but it didn't start out with me in it." His mouth pulled into a tight line and then  shifted to his quirky sideways grin. "I will take it however that the huge muscle bound blonde with blue eyes and triple scar's running down the right side of his face is your Bjorn?" I barely whispered the yes, but he hadn't really needed to hear it anyway.
          "That's fine, I may have to share you with a ghost, but at least I know who my competition is. By the end of that dream, it was me you were holding in your arm's. Lately, I seem to be the only one you are having those dream's about. Til the other night that is, but that wasn't really a dream, was it?"
          " No, it wasn't. You where there? I didn't feel your presence, the way I generally do when Meridia pull's us into the other realm's." His finger dipped into my mouth and I held it between my teeth and licked the tip in a circular motion, watching his eye's turn the color of molten silver. He pulled his hand back, but then ran it up inside my shirt til he was cupping my breast. I felt an electric shock from head to toe.
           " Not there in the same way, like I was beside you both. I could feel your emotion's as strongly as if they were my own, I could feel his also. I may not entirely like the idea, but I hope he's willing to share, because I'd hate to have to fight him for you, but I would." I smiled at the thought, that would be an amusing battle, but not one I would really like to see.
           While kissing me again and doing very distracting things with his hand on my breast, he said, "I won't mince words, I love you, I want you as my wife, I will not however push you. I will take what you can give." He rolled us over til he was looking down at me, I could feel his whole body along mine. " Just remember, I will always be a friend, who loves you for who you are."
              I don't think I had another coherent  thought til morning, as he started doing some very distracting things. I didn't mind at all, I only hoped I was as giving as he was.  Midnight might just become my favorite part of the day.

Divine interest Chapter 26

   I awoke in a dream, to find myself elsewhere, again. This time however I knew exactly where I was, the balcony of my home in Solitude. I growled my annoyance at finding myself somewhere I really didn't want to be. A low chuckle from behind me had me stiffening.
   "So, your not even going to turn around and say hello?" I did turn, tear's already in my eyes, I knew the voice. Arm's opened up and I ran into them and feeling a familiar warmth surrounding me for the first time in what seemed like forever. "Well that's a fine welcome, tear's and a sad face. I thought you would be happy to see me." My head tucked under his chin, I could feel him tugging at the braid hanging down my back, so I looked up at him.
   " I don't have forever love, I told Tsun that you were to dense to understand a message that subtle. They didn't want to influence your decisions though." I sighed and let loose my hold really looking at him, the expression was one of tender care, but I could see concern and worry their also. " You were always good at somethings, but ancient Nordic Lore wasn't one of them. I know you found out about your being Dragonborn and know what it mean's, but do you know why?" I furrowed my brow in thought then shook my head.
   " Honestly Bjorn I have no clue on why an Altmer would be born with the soul of a dragon." I narrowed my eye's at him and asked, "What do you mean too dense?" He rolled his eye's and choose to ignore the question.
   " I can't say why you were born an Altmer instead of a Nord, that's beyond what I'm allowed to know. You were born with the soul of a dragon, because of your spirit and heart. Who you are allows you to be what you are, if that make's sense to you? It sure didn't to me when they explained it." Bjorn was never a really deep thinker, but he was smart enough. I nodded, I kind of understood, but not fully. He shrugged and continued," This is a pivotal point in history, the end of an age or beginning of another and you have a part in it, a very large part."  Again he sighed and seemed to have problems with the words he wanted to choose. " You have to have free will, you have a destiny, but it's your's to choose. I'm not allowed to say to much, I can't push you down one path over another. You are on the right path, but it's only one of several that you can take. Just always remember you aren't immortal, your soul can and will be reborn, but this body can die." He pushed me to arm's length, but grabbed my hands, looking me in the eyes. " You know I have never been big on words and political maneuvering isn't something that I ever was good at, I always left that to you."  He ran the back of his hand down my face and I turned my head enough to kiss it. His blue eye's lit up with the same desire I had seem many a night and morning. But he shook his head and thumped  my nose with one finger.
   " My time is getting shorter and I have much more to say. You have seen yourself in Sovngarde and you can be there. You just need to think of what it is and how one get's their. That is probably as much as I can say on that subject. Just remember those words and if you can't figure it out....ask a Nord, he will know." I heard the emphasis on certain words and I would remember. He pulled me back into his arms and gave me a very passionate kiss. It didn't last long enough to suit me, but eternity wouldn't be long enough.
  "Zyne, have yourself the family you always wanted, don't regret that."  I could see the sadness dim his beautiful blue eyes. " If you can't find an Altmer man to love, you could always adopt war orphans. Just don't forget your self in helping others." I made to protest and he put his finger over my lip's, " You may be fooling yourself into thinking you no longer want a family, but I know you. You don't want to hurt my feelings and I understand that. I would never think less of you for opening your heart to someone else."
   "Bjorn, it isn't that. I have felt desire or lust for other men, but nothing stronger, nothing more. I have friends that I love dearly, but just as friends. You are right though, I want that closeness that I see in families. I would like to hold a child of my own, I would prefer it to be your's also, but I know that it was a long shot while you were alive." I looked up into his eye's hoping he could see the emotion's I was feeling, " You are that one man that is perfect for me, perhaps their is a man out there I could be happy with. I will open myself to another relationship, but I don't think I could deal with seeing another person I loved with all my heart die of old age, when I know I would live on."  My throat closed on a lump and I couldn't go on for a minute, but he just watched me. "That is the main reason I have not gotten into another relationship, I have mostly lived among the human races and I know that it's my choice to do so. I haven't met another Altmer that I could love, it's not just physically, it's emotionally also and you know that I really don't care for the politics of my people."
   He stiffened and I felt a presence all the sudden, without him saying a word I knew it was time and he had to go. He pulled me close and we kissed again. I soaked in the feeling of him, the warmth, the smell and the essence that was Bjorn. He pulled back and looked down at me, even though I could see what he was going to say, I knew the word's would be a cherished memory.
    " I Love you, little elf", I smiled and said the word's he knew I would say, " I Love you, you stubborn ass, Nord." With that he stepped back and we were at arm's length our hands the only connection, then he turned and walked away. I saw him pause then quicken his pace til he disappeared back into the grey nothingness that took the place of the balcony.
      I woke up as the sun was rising, with a feeling peace and contentment. I didn't wish to move, I could almost feel the warmth of Bjorn's arm's still around me. I sighed and sat up stretching my back and crawled out of the tent, pulling my bedding with me and rolling it up. I walked over and poked at the ashes and found a couple red embers. I grabbed a small hand full of dried grass and twiggs and then bent over and blew on the embers softly til they were red hot and started slowly adding grass and twiggs til a flame flared up.
   Once the fire was getting hot, I walked down to the small pond and washed my face. I felt a strong presence behind me and turned to face an Elk, their was no old woman on it's back, but it was one of Her avatar's. It stretched out it's neck, nose almost touching my face, then dipped it's head to push softly at my chest. Turning it's head slightly so I could look fully into one eye, I saw the Old Priestess and could feel the blessing that She gave. The Elk backed up and the presence disappeared and the animal bound off.
    Just beyond where the Elk had been standing, Marcurio stood with a spell ready to caste. I laughed and he shrugged his shoulders and let the spell dissolve. "I...uhhh  those were some dangerous looking antlers. I had no clue what it was doing." He walked over and then tipped his head one way then the other and grunted. Lifting his hand, he tipped my head from one side to the other, " Did the elk lick you or something? Actually it look's more like you were kissing someone with a rough stubble."
    I shrugged my shoulders and told him I was kissing Bjorn in my dream's. He laughed again and said I should tell the man to shave or get a softer beard. We ate breakfast in silence each of us deep in our own thought's.
   So Kyne wasn't exactly comfortable with Shor messing around with my life. I had known she wouldn't be happy with Meridia as a patron, but that was a relationship with mutual benefit's, I did not consider myself her servant or devotee. I touched the necklace and sent a small prayer to Kyne, not asking for anything just sending a reassuring warmth  to Her, letting Her  know that I would always be Her devoted servant first.
   We looked around our camp and made sure that the fire was out completely and we had left nothing. Then started on our way to Morthal. The pass was as usual cold and at the top had snow on the ground, we wove our way through the tree's towards the road that we would follow for a very short way to the even shorter road into Morthal. Morthal was never one of my favorite towns, at the edge of a swamp and  colder than the tundra. The Jarl's family ran to a strange form of magic, that I think, allowed their mind's, if not their bodies, to travel back and forth through time and to see the past and the many possible futures. I think this made them seem strange to most people that didn't understand.
     When we hit the road, we both noticed that their were some soldier's up ahead fighting some giant frost spiders, so we ran to them and helped them out. I had pulled my bow and started shooting at them, long before Marcurio caste his first spell. It was easier for me though as I knew from alot of experience exactly how long it would take for my arrow's to get where I was aiming them, verses soldiers fighting. Something that Marcurio really didn't have. Once the spiders were dead, the soldiers thanked us for our help and we were back on our way to town.
     "You aren't at all interested in getting involved with this umm civil war, are you?" Marcurio asked as the soldiers walked out of ear shot.
     "No, I'm not. While I think Ulfric is right in one way, I think he is going about it in a completely wrong way. He know's that the Thalmor aren't going to stop at just "banning the worship of Talos", that they will push and push and cause more unrest in other countries. It's nothing but an excuse to cause former alias to become either enemies or to distance themselves from the problem, because they don't wish to become involved. It's a ploy win or loose, The Empire looses, win or loose Skyrim has lost. All the countries are weaker. The focus of those who normally would notice what the Thalmor are doing is elsewhere. My people don't plan for tomorrow, but for the tomorrow five or six hundred years from now. The Empire used to plan that way, but also for the day after tomorrow, because that it the nature of a short lived people. Ulfric is thinking of the people of Skyrim, but not those five hundred years from now. "  I really hated trying to explain things that I really hadn't thought out to the end.
       " Marcurio, I haven't even given the subject the thought that I would use trying to figure out a new spell. It's mostly that I know how The Thalmor think, so I know their is something behind what they are doing. I personally don't wish to fight any more war's and won't get involved in one I think is wrong from both ends."  Marcurio looked thoughtful, then said, " Wouldn't getting involved help end the war sooner?"
        "Well I do have the experience to help, but one or two people are not going to make a really big difference. On the Empires side, it would take some time to work up in rank to actually influence anyone. Ulfric is going to make which ever choices he decides to make. I could just see me walking in now, he wouldn't trust me not at first and maybe not ever, so again it would take to long to influence him."
        We walked down the short pass into Morthal and the hair's on the back of my neck stood on end. Something was definitely not right with the small town. I just about growled at Marcurio telling him to watch everyone. We walked to the Inn and I asked for a room with two beds, the Inn keeper said she didn't have a room with two beds, but did have a room with an extra large bed. I said that would be fine and paid for a week in advance. She showed us to our room and after she left I closed the door and I went to sit next to Marcurio.
       "Did you see the burnt down house?" Marcurio asked. " It seemed to be still smoldering".
       " I had noticed and beyond that their is a ghost residing in it," Marcurio stiffened and I kept on talking. " I will go investigate the ghost if you take the pouch of herbs and sell them and ask questions." He agreed and we both left the room, I figured we could talk again over dinner or our bath's, which ever seemed more private.
       Watching Marcurio take a left out of the Inn and head toward the house that herbs and potions were sold from, I sent a small prayer for his safety.  I turned right and walked up to and then in the burnt house. Casting a quick spell, I went in the direction it pointed me and soon the ghost of a small girl child appeared.
        To say I was shocked is an understatement, children do not often become ghosts. As she seemed to see me I walked over to her and then squatted down so that I would be at eye level to her.
        "Sweetie, what are you doing here?"
        "This is my home, but I died here."  I nodded and smiled reassuringly at her.
        " Do you know who started the fire?"
        " No, I just remember waking up to see the flames, but I don't want to talk about that."
        "That's alright sweetie, Do you know where your Mommy and Daddy are?" A dark cloud passed over her face and she looked very sad.
         "My Mommy died in the fire also, I don't know where my daddy is now, he comes here and cries, but never see's me."
         "Oh sweetie I am so sorry to hear that," I thought a bout that quickly, as the sadness didn't all seem to be about her mommy. " Did you know that not all adult's can see ghosts?"  she shook her head, " It's true, not every adult can see a ghost, because they don't believe that their are ghost's. Your daddy comes here because it's the last place he was happy with you and your mommy, but he's sad because you and your mommy aren't here to hug anymore." I will not say she looked happy at that explanation, but she did look a little less sad.
         "What's your name?"
         " Zyne, what's your's?"
          "Angi, would you play with me? The other one want's to find be, but I stay hidden, if you could find me I would talk to you more."
         " Alright Angi, I will play with you. What is it you wish to play?"
         " Hide and seek, come find me after dark. Ok?"
         " I can do that Angi, I'll have a friend with me though, because night-time is a very dangerous time."
         She nodded as she faded away. I walked out of the house and past the Inn as I really didn't wish to be inside. Looking both way's, I decided to walk to the mill. Maybe he had wood to chop or something. I did my best thinking while walking or doing something I didn't have to think about. I asked one of the men and he said grab and ax and start chopping, so I did.
        I listened to the men talking with half an ear. So, Angi hadn't followed her mother to their afterlife, why? Children, even murdered ones, generally were sent to Shor or another Divine until it was time for their soul to be reborn. A thought formed at the back of my head, well that would explain why Meridia had been so angry. A vampire had tried to make the child either into a thrall or a vampire, which most of them were smart enough not to do. Why thrall a child....why? Oh dear Kyne, the father, the vampire wanted to get to the father, have a really good hold on him. Even a child vampire would have done in that case, but the father wasn't really all that prominent a citizen. Well really their weren't all that many citizen's in Morthal, I think their were as many guards as citizens.
        The Jarl and her family wouldn't be easy to subdue, not for anything other than a powerful Master vampire but if they were the last.... The whole town, impossible or was it? The guards would simply follow the Jarl's orders, unless they made no sense what so ever. I keep saying town, really this is a village fifteen twenty people top's, other than the guards. Hmmm Angi's father, female vampire, I hadn't really seen to many female master vampires, well no, she  didn't have to be the master. Made more sense, father a thrall, child a vampire, she could have the family no vampire really could. I shuddered, a child as a vampire.
       I stopped chopping wood and put the ax blade into the wood block. I turned around to walk back to the Inn to find Marcurio leaning against the mill, with a mug of ale in one hand and apiece of bread with some meat ad cheese in it in the other. He pointed to the stump and I saw a bottle sitting on it along with a towel. I picked up the towel first and found it to be damp, so I wiped my face on it. I put it down and picked up the bottle, knowing it was water, Marcurio knew me well enough to know what I would want.
      We walked back towards the Inn, but I stopped in the middle of the bridge, where we could see anyone coming and anyone on either side wouldn't be able to hear what we said. I started off telling Marcurio what I had learned and what I thought about it. I included the thought's about a Master vampire in the area positioning to maybe take over the town.
     When Marurio nodded and told me what he had learned, it actually fell into place. The child's father had moved in with another woman, the whole town thinking that he had killed his wife so that he could, but that killing Angi, was a mistake or accident. He told me the thing's that the Alchemist was most happy to see: Hawk feathers, mudcrab chitin, vampire dust and charred skeever hide. While their were a couple more thing's that would also work, those were the easiest ingredients to find to make a cure disease potion.
    One of the main reason's I collected herbal ingredients was to be able to talk to the local alchemist or herbalist, as they often were the only healer in a small village. They knew everyone and everyone would tell them their secrets without a second thought. Plus the state of a village or town could be told with the types of potions that were sold most often, which would also be the ingredients that were most needed and probably harder to find in that area.
     Marcurio said that he would watch from a distance, using an invisibility spell that he knew. The child ghost might be able to see him, but unless they ran into him, no one else would. I said that was fine, because as soon as he caste another spell he would be visible anyway. I just reminded him that I might not know where he was so he should be careful to keep out of my line of fire, so to speak.
     "It isn't your fire that I worry about, it's those damn crossbow bolt's, " He said laughing, " I'd end up looking like some odd kind of pincushion and you would probably laugh at me while taking them out." I agreed with him and said that, with a couple hours til dusk, I wanted a bath, some food and a short nap, in that order. It might end up being a long night, one could never tell when dealing with vampires.
      As it happened, the Inn keeper had just taken a roast out of the oven, so we ate first and then went down to take a bath. Neither one of us was much on modesty and quite frankly, had seen enough of each others naked bodies from patching each other up, that their wasn't much point in it anyway. I pulled out a bucket of water and put my under-clothing in it to soak, sponged out my gambeson, leaving the armor inside out, so that it would air out some. I would wear a light leather outfit I kept tonight, Marcurio just wadded up his clothing having taken off his armor earlier in the day. He shrugged when I raised an eyebrow at him and said that the Inn Keeper would wash out his clothing, leaving it in front of the fire to dry. So he had already washed up and rinsed in the falling water shower that was beside the soaking tub, buy the time I was finished with my things.
    I sat down in the tub closed my eye's and relaxed, next thing I knew a cloth was hitting me in the face and Marcurio was laughing at me from beside the tub, fully dressed.
   " I would leave you there to drown, but then I would have to deal with the Master vampire on my own. Get dressed, it's just about dusk." His slightly husky voice told me that he had fallen asleep in the tub and slipped down enough to breath in some water and cough it out. I hadn't heard it, which meant I was truly asleep.
    I put on the light leather armor that I had confiscated, off of a thief that no longer needed it. While I had really liked the pockets, great place to put small objects and potion bottles. I had hated the sleeves, so took them off. What had once been a shirt type armor, was now more of a vest, as I left toggles undone and wore a shirt underneath. Marcurio whistled when I came up the step's and commented that the outfit was very figure flattering. I had never worn it before, much preferring my heavy armor.
    I got another appreciative look and a wink from a large man wearing Iron armor. Now that was one fine looking man. Marcurio punched me on the arm and told me not to stop in the doorway. I sighed and he laughed and said he wasn't going to share the bed with me and that rather large looking Nord. I burst out laughing and said he snored enough I didn't need to men snoring, one on either side, I would never get any sleep. I turned around and snorted, as a mental picture of another way not to get much sleep occurred to me, yeah like that was going to happen. I hung up my armor, gambeson and underclothing so that they would dry.
      As we exited the porch of the Inn, Marcurio said, " You know I got the oddest mental picture right as we went through the bedroom door," I turned around and looked at him and tilted my head in inquity. " You me and that large Nord, sharing more than just the bed to sleep in." I choked and then coughed, then thought really quickly.
    "Dirty minded men, he probably has some form of telepathy and doesn't even know it. Projecting his thoughts to any one that might be receptive. I guess that's kind of flattering though, in an odd sort of way."
     Marcurio looked at me oddly but didn't say a word. We walked around the buildings and found the cemetery, Marcurio said he would wait right there and pointed to a large cluster of boulders. I walked slowly, weaving in and out of the headstones. Near a grave that was half dug up, Angi's ghost appeared, looked behind me and then disappeared again. I turned quickly with a spell on my lip's and ready to caste as I saw the vampire that was coming at me, I caste the vampires bane spell which it, her dead center of her chest, she staggered back enough I pulled out my sword and took a couple step's forward, right as Dawnbreaker came out of her chest from the back side. Marcurio had stalked her while invisible and I hadn't noticed him drawing the sword because of the bright flash of light from my spell. A gush of black colored blood came out of her mouth from the lung hit and she collapsed to the ground when Marcurio withdrew the sword. I didn't recognize the woman, but that wasn't abnormal as I didn't know most of the townsfolk.
    I walked back over to the grave and Angi appeared again and thanked me for taking care of the vampire that had been looking for her. She disappeared and Marcurio and I started back to town. Before we could get past the vampires body, Thonnir appeared from town and looked down at her. He looked back up at Marcurio and I and said that Alva had told him his wife had left town to go join the Stormcloak's and while that seemed odd he had at least hoped it was true so that she might one day come back to him. He bent over and picked up the body of his wife and asked us to confront Alva and find out why she had lied. I told him we would, but it would have to wait til morning as we looked a mess. That wasn't exactly the truth, I just didn't want to confront a  strong vampire at night if I had any choice in the matter.
    Marcurio and I went back the Inn and this time he ordered dinner while I went down and washed up, he hadn't a speck of blood on him, I was covered in it. What I get I suppose for standing in front of a vampire as it's being squared from behind.
   This time I put on a cloth dress and sponged down the leather, then rubbing a bit of troll fat mixed with juniper berry to keep the leather soft and supple. As far as I knew the Juniper berry just gave it a slightly green tint and gave off a pleasantly astringent smell, which was much better than troll fat smell.
    I sat across from Marcurio at the table and we ate a stew with bread and he had ordered me a couple honey nut treat's. After I finished eating, I told Marcurio that I was going to go to bed, he said that didn't sound like a bad idea and would join me. I looked at him sharply and then around the room. I laughed inwardly when I saw the Nord from earlier in the day. Marcurio had thrown his arm around my waist and then thought twice about leaning his head over to rest...mostly because that would have been on my chest. I pinched him on the rib's where no one else would notice,as I put my arm around him.
   I went through the door first and he shut it behind us. Knowing I was probably treading on thin ice, I asked Marcurio what if I had planned on taking that hunk of muscle up on his ever so kind mental offer. With his cheek's slightly flushed, he told me that I should have warned him and he would have found another room before it was all booked up, but I was more than welcome to go out and share his room with him. I laughed and said I had no such interest.
   I walked around and put out most of the  candles and then changed into my sleeping cloths. I climbed into one side of the bed, while Marcurio climbed into the other. Once he was settled, I concentrated for a brief moment and put out the rest of the candles. From the dark I head a husky whisper, "I wish you would teach me that spell, it's at the very least useful". I chuckled and said I would.
    With a few deep breaths and a prayer to Kyne, I was asleep in a matter of seconds.
       
 
     

 
 

Before we got to Morthal Chapter 25

  On the way down the mountain the next day, Marcurio and I talked about the "test" that the Greybeards had decided would be my final admittance into their group. I wasn't exactly thrilled at that, I either was a dragonborn they could instruct or I wasn't. If they wanted the horn and couldn't or didn't want to go get it themselves, they could have just asked. Marcurio suggested it could be a test to see how committed I was, well their might be other reason's also.
    "Marcurio, I wanted to explain about the spell's I used to make the ice cave. While they are almost the exact same spell's that you know, "flame" & "frost", they are also just slightly different. "Flames" require less power and "Frost" requires more power, both require so much more in control. That is the main reason I haven't showed or told you how to do that in the past. Chances are if you hadn't been their, I wouldn't have done that. I was about exhausted had I crossed the line, I knew I could rely on you to take care of me. That is the problem with this particular spell ,once you start, the spell will keep drawing power until it is completed and that could mean death if your not very very careful."
   Marcurio nodded and said he would think about that and I said that was good because after he mastered the ice cave spell I only had one more that He needed to know and I wouldn't teach it until I knew he had control and experience to know when to and when not to use the spell, it could be the difference between winning over and enemy and loosing, but you could win and still die, that was why it needed experience.
   He let me know he understood that and would practice the spell's. When she thought he was ready for the last spell then he would be ready, until then what did she have in mind. Where they going after the Horn or was their something else she wanted to do?
  For now we would just get down the mountain and see, I just didn't like secret's or being sent on task's that could either wait or should have been done a long time ago. Their's no way that reclusive as they are in all the time the Horn as been in the tomb, they could not have went after it themselves.
   We got back down to Iverstead mid-day, I wasn't sure we should leave, but I really wanted time to think before we just up and left. So we went to the Inn and ordered lunch, with our lunch the Inn Keeper brought a note that he said was brought by a member of the Dawnguard. She had given a description of the person he was to give it to, well descriptions as he had gotten one for her partner also, but not names.
   So I took the note and opened it,
                             "Zyne,
                                      If in your travel's you pass by Morthal, please check out the area for a Master Vampire. From a couple of account's their is one feeding in the area, but either their is a cover up or he is a very smart vampire. ( From Isran)
                                       I thought you would like to know that some Thalmor agent's came to the Fort and wanted to look for you. Isran told them they should come back in force because they were not coming in an disturbing his people. So now they know you are part of the Dawnguard, if they were only speculating before. Everyone that is out has taken to wearing a hood, the same as you do. Where it me, I would find a different kind of armor to wear and loose the hood's.
                                                                                   Your Friend,
                                                                                                    Sorine Jurard"

      I cursed under my breath and handed the note to Marcurio, who cursed out loud but in a couple different languages that he probably figured the people here didn't know.
     "So you were right about changing armor's, but somehow I don't think you gave me the whole story. So spit it out and tell me."
      " You know that Thalmor patrol that we passed several months ago? The one that helped up with the bandit's in the reach?" Marcurio nodded, " I recognized the Justicular and he only leave's the Imperial City when he is after someone that they have placed a death warrant on, that is important and dangerous. I know he looked right at me, but this isn't how he would remember me, so I think it took a bit for him to realize exactly who I am."
    "Well then, he may not recognize you in that outfit, it's very Nordic and you are about the height of a tall man." Marcurio said.
     "Yeah well, I probably should have said something earlier, but I ran into him when I went into Falkreath. He won't be a problem, either him or his patrol. He recognized me as I went to walk by and told me about the death warrant and that he was sent to track me down. Wasn't like I had much of a choice, him or me and I prefer to be alive."
     Marcurio stared at me for a minute and said, " Fine, he's dead, someone else will take his place. You should have told me so I knew to watch your back, don't do that again please, let me know what is going on."
    I told him that I would and we decided that we would be better off out in the forrests rather than in a town. So when we finished we headed out towards Morthal, the Nordic barrow that held the Horn was in that area anyway. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.
     We traveled the rest of the afternoon, heading in a direct fashion for Morthal. We stopped for the night in a small clearing right down the road from Helgen. Even though we had cleared out some bandit's before didn't mean that more hadn't moved in. Camp was set up before night had completely closed in. I cooked our meal that night, Marcurio usually relying on stew packet's that I made up anyway. I was in the mood for a good meal, so we had rabbit roasted over the fire with a snowberry sauce, potatoes roasted on either end of the spit. along with a gourd that I threw in the fire and rolled over a couple times, once split open I put some cheese on it and along with a bottle of mead it was a fairly good meal for the road.
     I could see Meridia's unsmiling face in front of me, beckoning me to follow, Marcurio was beside me, as we walked across a verdant land, the color's bright enough to blind. She turned and beckoned us closer and she walked through a rift or door, the two of us following. She had stopped and marcurio and I walked up to either side of her. We were looking at a small girl child she was very obviously dead. I looked around and realized we were in Morthal. "The vampires here have gotten out of control, killing children. You will rid the town of them. You will go their quickly", with that she disappeared and I was back in my bed roll. I sat up and looked at Marcurio, who gave me a sideways grin and said it was a good thing we had already planned on going to Morthal.
    "It is, you know in all my time hunting vampires, I have never run across one that would kill a child. Usually they are smarter than that. I don't understand why the whole town isn't in an up-roar, you can do alot of things, assassin's get away with their murder's, because they don't take mark's on children. So it's not just the run of the mill ,find vampire layer kill vampires. We will have to look into the child's death, find out who and why." Marcurio nodded and we both laid back down and wen't to sleep. If Meridia wanted us to get their faster than our feet, leaving in the morning, she could have put us down right inside the town, camp and all. After all, she had done that to Marcurio and I before, nothing like waking up right in the middle of a vampire layer.
     We got to Whiterun early the next day, I traded in some of the herb's I gathered along the way for some healing and cure disease potions. I also asked a friend to do me a favor and go to my home and give a note to Rayya. She said that was fine and I wrote out the note telling Rayya to watch out for the Thalmor and let them search the place without any issues, but once my Aunt got their let her and my Uncle deal with the Thalmor patrols. They should be arriving soon.
     We left Whiterun and headed across the tundra, skirting giant camp's and their herds of mammoths. We of course ran into alot more wild life, sabre cat's and wolf pack's, but it was a good trade off to not run into bandit's or Thalmor patrol's. We skirted the mountains and basically had a leisurely walk. Marcurio and I used calming spell's whenever possible, as I really hate killing animal's for no reason.
    About an hour before sunset we were in the area I had wanted to camp at, plenty of water close by, for a bath and a rocky outcropping that we could put our back's to to keep anything from sneaking up on us. So we set up camp, Marcurio decided to cook us another stew for dinner, with some fresh beef he had gotten from Whiterun. I went to take my bath.
    I had no sooner stripped off my cloths when I heard the roar of a dragon and felt the air of his wing's blowing dust across the ground. I heard Marcurio curse in the near distance and then saw the lightning bolt he sent at the dragon. I caste a mage armor spell first thing and then a flame atronach spell, hoping for a little distraction. As the dragon shot flames at me I dove into the pond, it wasn't all that deep, but it would help.
   I was on the other side of the pond and climbing out when the dragon again decided to shoot flames, but this time at Marcurio. I caste a Fost Atronach at the dragon's feet, as the flame atronach disappeared, I dove back across the pond and grabbed the clothing I had planned to change into, shirt first. I'd forgotten how long the shirt was so I just stuffed my feet into my boots and grabbed my sword.
  The dragon snapped one more time at the frost atronach and it disappeared, but Marcurio hit it with another round of lighting bolts and I hit it with a snow storm spell, it decided to take off and fly in circle around us for a bit. Someone in the distance was shooting arrow's at it, I could see them flying at the beast. I could only hope it wasn't a group of bandit's.
   I leaned back against the rock as the dragon concentrated it's efforts at the other group of people. Marcurio looked at my long legs and asked if now was a good time to put some pant's on, or was I just going to show my ass to everything. I told him that if they didn't like what it looked like, they didn't have to look at it. I wasn't going to put more clothing on, just to take it back off when we were done, cause I knew I would want to jump back in the pond.
   I thought about it and summoned Durnehviir, when he appeared he was facing the other dragon, so he didn't even have to ask what the danger was. He took off with a rush of wind that smelled like rotten flesh. Marcurio made a comment about that and asked how long I thought it would be before my pet turned on me.
    I watched the two dragon circling each other, Durnehviir telling the smaller dragon to flee like a rat from a sinking ship, but no matter how fast it flew he would catch it and it would have to wait for it's soul to be reborn again. I knew the other dragon was saying something back to him, but I didn't understand a word it said, it was almost like the babble you would get from a toddler.
    I heard another dragon from a distance tell them that they were disturbing his sleep and Durnehviir should just send the other dragon to Oblivion and be done with it, no sense taunting the young fool. Durnehviir was toying with the other dragon, like a cat toy's with a mouse, I knew it was so that he could stay and breath the fresh air, so it didn't bother me. They had quit the conversation, some of it about me, well at least I think it was about me anyway. The other dragon was asking Durnehviir if he owed allegiance to Alduin, whoever that was. He replied that he owed no one, he might have peeked in my direction when he said that, but I never felt that he owed me anyway. The other dragon stopped talking to him, I had to wonder at that, I would have to ask who Alduin was, another dragon to be sure.
    His wing beat's were starting to slow, he was getting tired, so I threw out a firebolt at the other dragon, which cause it to pause in midair. Durnehviir caught it in a blast that sent it falling strait to the ground, which shuddered as it skidded along leaving a furrow. As it regained it's feet Marcurio and I both caught it in a blast of fire that killed it before it even knew. Durnehviir circled once more and roared in defiance, then said farewell as he disappeared back into the Soul Cairn.
    I shrugged  and told Marcurio I was going to take my bath and he might want to go see if he could salvage anything for dinner. He started as if stung and hurried back to our camp, cursing as he went. I slipped back out of the shirt and went into the pond, my cloth and soap at hand.
     I had much to think about, why is it that I didn't understand a word of what that frost dragon had said. I understood the dragon that talked to Durnehviir, I understood Durnehviir and some other dragons. Some dragon's though, like that frost dragon, I didn't understand anything and the sound's that they made really didn't sound like words in any language. Who was this Alduin, I broke his name down and it didn't really sit well, because I knew I knew the name, but I could not remember where from. I would remember when I wasn't really thinking about it, I did that all the time.
    Finished washing I got out of the pond again and dried off with the cloth I brought for that reason and put my clothing on, this time shirt and pant's. I carried my armor and gauntlets along with the sword, wearing the boots across the rocky ground. Marcurio said he added fresh vegatables to our stew, but it tasted fine.
   After eating I laid out the cloth to dry and my armor to air out, I stretched, loosening muscles and then laid down and went strait to sleep, not waking til morning.