-Be quiet, we don’t know who are the Thalmor informers in the city, we must remain hidden until we get to Brennan –
Julia was paranoid, I don’t know how much of her caution will pay of in this situation but, she is the leader, best to shut up and follow orders.
We had just witnessed the most incredible sight, Ruby, like a legend, faced a dragon and killed it. That was the truth. Her voice… her voice sounded like a god’s roar, it shook the very earth and even brought down the dragon!
Now we hid, I could see Brennan, he was calmly making his way to Ruby. She had just given a speech pledging to protect the city, promising to be the hero the people needed, I wonder, how much truth was in those words.
The dragon’s body was a sorry sight, most of the scales had vanished, turning into raw energy and flowing into Ruby. Some scales remained along with the full skeleton; as soon as Brennan began talking to her they both pondered what to do with the deceased dragon. We moved closer, hoping to be noticed by one of them, but overhearing their conversation as a result.
-Great job, I must say… hmm, what should we do about this now? – He asked her.
-I thought that it belonged to Lucius, was that not part of the contract? – She asked, certain greed in her voice, she wanted that skeleton.
-Well, Lucius will certainly want to have a few bones and a couple of scales. Hmm, if I had to divide this, I guess… He will probably want just a minor part, exclusively for research, since you slew it you can do what you want with the rest – He said in a monotone voice
-He-he, I can certainly find some use for this, for now though, where should we take it? –
-Eorlund Grey-Mane’s forge, if there is one smith in Tamriel capable of doing anything with these bones it will be him – Said Brennan, throwing a small wink in our direction, shit… There is no sneaking up on that guy…
-Who said anything about forging it? – Asked Ruby, like it was not obvious enough.
-Seriously, what else would you do with it, hang in your wall? – Brennan said with a slight chuckle.
-I mean… It’s not like I can afford that stuff… - Said Ruby, pointing out her lack of cash.
-Don’t worry – He said while pushing her in the direction of Jorrvaskr – That can be resolved with a simple loan, our organization never spared any expenses to outfit their soldiers, and Lucius is not a poor man himself, aside from the financial support the Empire provides us, we still benefit from a steady flow of income due to our activities and contacts. He is also quite wealthy, I mean, his family is, and if you did not guess it yourself he is the patriarch of the Capran clan –
-I’m still puzzled by all this – Ruby said as she signaled some people to help her bring the dragon’s remains to the forge – I suppose you will keep your dammed secrets so why the fuck do I even bother asking –
-Exactly, you can ask Capran all you want when he arrives, till then, lets just finish this up – Said Brennan, while doing his own part to help move the skeleton
It took some time for them to get it up to Jorrvaskr, I really wanted to help out, but Julia told me to be quiet… just saying, this would be much faster if I were to help carry it. Luckily when they reached the town square the companions had arrived; they were expecting a fight, so I guess they got disappointed when they were tasked with carrying a dragon to the sky-forge.
We stayed hidden, mingled with the crowd while they all decided to eavesdrop on Ruby’s conversation with Eorlund.
-By the Gods! After hearing the crash I wanted to go help with the fight, but these damm cubs stopped me, saying I’m too damm old to fight. Idiots, I can swing a sword better than most of them – Said the smith
Kodlak Whiteman appeared from the crowd, gently pushing the curious people out of the way.
-I’m sure you would be delighted to get into a fight again old friend, but I can’t very well lose you to some dragon that decides to attack our city, let’s just leave those to a younger crowd – He said with a sympathetic smile, turning to Ruby when he was done addressing Eorlund – So you are the one who slew the beast is it? We could use one like you in our ranks, what say you warrior? Will you join us? –
Before she could open her mouth Brennan stepped forward and gently placed right hand on her shoulder, what the rest of the crowd did not see was his left hand, concealed by his body, yet I knew, was placed on his sword’s pommel. From under his hat we could see his eye, as he traded a look of mutual understanding with the Harbinger, a look filled with a certain promise, a threat.
-I’m sorry friend, but she is taken, we are only here to employ the services of your smith – Said Brennan while letting out a small smile – She serves under the banner of the Grey Wolf, I’m sure you will understand… -
Kodlak let out a sigh, along with a look of disappointment, and to the trained eye, even a bit of despise. Eorlund could not give less of a shit for the conversation, the tension between the two warriors behind him; he could only stand there and admire the skeleton, deciding the best way to cut it.
-Hmm… I doubt steel will suffice to cut this, the best bet here would be to forge a specialty saw, one made of ebony. The only problem we could have with this is the price, ebony is very rare and expensive, I can forge it, but it will cost you – Said the smith
-How much are we talking about here master Grey-Mane? – Asked Brennan, now relaxed, averting his gaze from the Harbinger.
-The saw alone will probably cost as much as a sword, given the metal quantity is roughly the same. I don’t usually work with bone, as metal is usually a superior material. Of course this is a special case, and before I do anything with the bones I need to know, what would you like done? – He asked, directing his question to Ruby.
-Armor – She said, looking at the curious crowd gathered around the place – A plated armor, with mail made from the beast’s scales, plates made from its bones, and fused together with your purest ebony! I want the armor of a juggernaut, shaped after an unstoppable dragon, fit to trample my enemies, make them cower in fear and be sorry of the day they crossed paths with me. I want an armor fit for the hero of Skyrim, fit for the Dragonborn! –
Eorlund listened to her with undivided attention, and then spoke his mind.
-Sure… lets see… - He said as he picked a small piece of charcoal and a roll of paper, he began scribbling some calculations, and when he was done he spoke again – Oh… this is going to be quite the undertaking. If you don’t mind me asking, what would you be willing to pay me for all of this? –
This time Brennan answered him, stepping away from Kodlak.
-Master Lucius spares no expenses to outfit his soldiers, simply name the price for the service rendered and the materials you will need to forge the armor –
Eorlund got a bit embarrassed with the question, he realized that the price he was about to announce was more than what most of the people gathered around got in a lifetime, so he moved close to Brennan and whispered the number in his ear. The swordsman let out a small chuckle, and nodded.
-You will have your gold smith, I suppose its best to leave you now, a job like this generally takes what, two, three days to finish? I’m sure your capable hands will work wonders with this new material, and I’m also sure that you will show us why you are the best smith in Skyrim – Said Brennan, handing Eorlund a bag of coin and a piece of paper, probably signed by himself, that piece would allow the smith to take the amount written on the paper from any bank in the Empire – We will be in Dragonsreach, the jarl was kind enough to house us there, when the armor is done send for us –
With that they finished their business and left for the keep. We merged into the crowd after that, it was too risky to simply follow them up the steps to the Jarl’s keep. We made our way to the Bannered Mare, once we got inside Julia quickly walked up to the bar and exchanged a few words with the innkeeper. After paying her a few septims she signaled the stairs, whispered a greeting and gave Julia a package.
We went up the stairs into the room Julia had rented. Once we were all in I closed the door behind me. We were four in total, Julia, Zoe, Deestan and myself. Ralthos had left for Solitude to warn the general and Lucius hurried to the estate to get Ricard and Ganlon. Julia quickly opened the package in her hands and revealed its contents to us. Four uniforms, bearing the colors of the Whiterun guard. Without a word we all striped down and put on our disguises.
Of course, as a Nord only I looked the part. But Julia was ever ready; she picked a few scrolls from her pouch and handed them to Zoe and Deestan. Those were Glamour scrolls, created by Lucius himself using his illusory abilities. The scrolls were able to create a powerful illusion around the caster, allowing him to look like another person for an hour. They read the scrolls and started to change before my eyes.
Julia and Zoe started to grow, standing now at least a foot taller then what they originally were. Julia’s hair became of a lighter color and so did her skin, her features were now similar to mine and her eyes took a light green color, as opposed to her original dark grey. Zoe still was a few inches shorter than Julia, and now her red ponytail turned into a blond color, cut much shorter. Her lovely green eyes turned into a dark shade of blue.
Deestan’s transformation was the more intense of those. His scales slowly started to sink into his new skin, a skinny, pale complexion. His horns reseeded into his now bald scalp, and his tail disappeared completely. His deep yellow eyes now turned into a pair of common almond orbs.
Julia decided it was best to hurry, as the Glamour would only last for an hour at best. We quickly made our way into the castle’s barracks, luckily no guards noticed us, and with still some time before the spell wore off we were already inside the keep, hidden in the shadows. Making our way into Brennan’s room was no difficult; Deestan scouted ahead and managed to find a record book telling us where they were staying.
Avoiding the guards was very easy, they were already completely drunk from the celebration, slaying a dragon is no mere feat, and Ruby had gotten a feast in her honor for that.
The Glamour was about to wear off when we walked into their room; it was a big space, a room for guests of import such as other Jarls and the like. The ceiling was very high, with a chandelier hanging down from it; there was one big bed in the far end of the room and a few chairs and tables scattered around. There was also a balcony, from which we could see Brennan, sitting with his back faced to us, and sipping a glass of wine, fancy, he was celebrating.
Right after that I heard a small shriek; looking in its direction I saw a figure dive into the bed and cover herself with a blanket. Not before I blushed from the sight though, shit… Ruby was very attractive… I just… humm…
Before I could stare for any longer Julia slapped both Zoe and I from our trance, seems like it wasn’t just me…
-WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU PEOPLE? – She said with a semblance of anger – BY THE GODS, SOPHIA? WHAT THE FUCK? –
As she screamed our glamour started to fade, and she started to realize what was going on. She started to calm down a bit, but then we started to hear footsteps in the hall. They stopped at the door and shouted from behind it.
-Are you ok my lady? What is happening? – They shouted as they started to open the door
-DON’T FUCKING COME IN HERE! – She shouted – IF YOU STEP ONE FOOT IN HERE I WILL TEAR YOU APPART! –
The door was immediately shut again, and the guards quickly scoured away, probably wanted to avoid her womanly bullshit and wanting to get drunk again.
Once the footsteps faded into the distance Ruby started to rub her forehead with frustration. She stood up while using the blanket to cover her nudity. We heard laughter coming from the other side of room, it was Brennan, holding his straw hat in his hands and laughing at Ruby’s misery.
-Is everyone is this company a god damm idiot? Both of you girls, stop starring, it’s not like you’ve never seen a naked lady before. You, Brennan, fuck you– said Ruby while she walked to a pile of clothes then back to the bathroom.
After changing back into her uniform she returned and sat down in a chair next to us. She looked at Julia with impatience.
-Well?! What in oblivion are you people doing here? Better yet, why do you have to be secretive about all of this? What’s with all the glamour usage and why are you guys disguised as guards? – Asked Ruby
Julia seemed genuinely worried when Ruby asked those questions, and quickly weaved the pattern of a detect life spell, searching the room with her eyes to see if any of those Thalmor spy bugs were around. As she breathed a sign of relief I knew we were safe.
-Looking for spies? Don’t bother, Brennan already made sure we were safe here – Said Ruby while reaching for a bottle of wine in the table.
-But how? Did you already know about the Thalmor spy bugs? – I asked, worried that he missed something and we had been compromised.
-Ha, the spy bugs? That is old technology Sophia, as a matter of fact; Ganlon invented it almost two centuries ago, it is interesting that the Thalmor suddenly decided to use it again, but nevertheless I’m always prepared to deal with those – He said.
I calmed down, this was a relief, but if Ganlon did create these things then why have I never heard of them, besides the fact that Ganlon is not well in the head. Matter of fact, I forget the last time I even saw him speaking straight, to even imagine him creating something as complex as a spell pattern that captures sound is, strange. And even stranger is how does the Thalmor have these?
Ruby sighed and got into bed, saying that she had a long day ahead of her tomorrow and telling us to go find a corner to rest. Julia started to say something, but Brennan touched her shoulder to signal that it was not worth the effort. Was he not in the other side of the room a second ago?
Zoe and myself picked a spot on the floor because Julia took the divan for herself. Deestan said he would stay awake to take watch and Brennan collapsed in a cushioned chair. My little red headed lover lay on top of my chest and I put a pillow behind my back to get comfortable. Feeling safe because of Deestan’s watch I was fast to sleep.
In the next mourning I woke up when Zoe began to stir. I waited until she awoke completely, since I did not want disturb her. Eventually she did get up, so I had a chance to look around. I figured it was very early, since I could see the first golden rays of the mourning sun coming from the balcony window. I stood up and walked over to it, only to see Brennan sitting down in a chair, looking hypnotized into the sunrise.
I approached slowly, and he was almost startled when I came to close, instinctively reaching for his scimitar’s handle. He calmed down after seeing who it was, and wished me a good mourning before leaving in a hurry. Deestan did not sleep, and Julia was already up and about, trying to wake up the snoring dragonborn.
I had little to do today, we had to lay low for a while, since Thalmor spies could be everywhere. We didn’t do much, Julia picked a quiet spot to read a book, and from the cover I could read “Sithis”. She was always one prone to skepticism, very different from Lucius’s unwavering faith, but always tried to understand his beliefs. Brennan and Deestan were sitting on a table across each other playing a game of chess; the argonian seemed to be giving Brennan some trouble. Finally there was Zoe, she did not like to be disturbed while she made adjustments to her metallic arm, so we usually left her be while she did that.
Ruby had been previously introduced to her new housecarl, Lydia. They bonded quite well, and started talking about many things right of the bat. Being a vampire and all she did not enjoy walking around in the sunlight, but surprisingly enough she went for a walk with Lydia because Julia didn’t let her bring Lydia inside her room. Because, well, Thalmor spies and all that gobshite.
I took the free time we had to take care of my sword. I remember when I first got it; Lucius said it was from my mother, that she got it from her father before that, and his father before that. The blade is enormous, almost as tall as myself, a massive piece of red metal. The blade itself isn’t very sharp, but it is three times thicker and heavier than a normal sword. Bottom line is, getting struck by that thing hurts, a lot. Its also holds a special enchantment, its name and origin lost in time, but its ability to release sudden bursts of raw energy was something that the mages that looked into it always tried to copy, but they all failed. The handle has amble room for both my hands to hold it comfortably, and ends with a heavy iron pommel, a bit smaller than a mace head, but still strong enough to crush a man’s skull.
The leather strips covering the handle were starting to show their age, so I decided to start there. After I was done with that I checked the blade for any imperfections. This sword is very old, Lucius told me that it had already been broken, apparently my great grandfather dueled the noble that commanded his unit, something about an insult or a dispute. Bottom line is, the noble was a very efficient warrior, and noticed a minute crack in the red blade. The noble wielded his black sword in a precise slash, hitting the blade’s flaw and breaking it. As Lucius’s story goes, the noble decided to forgive my ancestor, and that settled the dispute, he also offered to pay for the blade’s repairs, restoring it to its former glory. Thinking back on it, I do believe that the noble in the story was part of the Capran clan, how close a relative he was to Lucius however, I have no idea.
Eventually someone came knocking on the door I froze. Julia turned her head like she was about to murder whoever was knocking. Brennan got up to answer the door as soon as the argonian announced, “Checkmate”. He signaled us to calm down, and opened the door a crack.
He seemed slightly surprised, and opened the door fully to let them in. Standing there were four people, Ruby, Lydia, Ricard and Ganlon.
Julia seemed surprised, not only because Ruby disobeyed a direct command and let Lydia see our faces but also because she expected Lucius to arrive with them. She immediately reached for one of her short swords and readied a lighting spell on her other hand, quickly closing the gap between her and Lydia, only to have her path blocked by Ricard.
-You have five seconds to explain this or else I’m going through you – she said while intensifying the energy in her hands, Lydia looked absolutely pale, she knew that she would not be able to stop Julia if it came to that.
Brennan gently put his hand on Julia’s shoulder, pushing a pressure point that caused her to release the energy in her hand.
-Settle down Julia – Said Brennan, calm as always – I’m sure they have a perfectly reasonable explanation for this –
-Lydia is an old acquaintance, we can trust her, and she has been a friend of mine ever since we were kids– Said Ricard
-And honestly it’s refreshing to talk to someone who isn’t under His direct command – Said Ruby, not calling him by Shade in front of Lydia, but still not wanting to acknowledge his other tittles.
There was more to this I’m sure, Ruby seems to want someone to watch her back, smart, especially when she is surrounded by assassins, or maybe it’s something else, maybe she is preparing for something…
Ganlon, the elf, quickly went to a corner, mumbling something along the way. He was leaning against a staff that seemed like it was made from black steel and used a black soul gem as a focusing crystal. His cloak was tattered as usual, but it seems like Ricard forced him to take a bath before he came.
-Where is Lucius? – Asked Julia as she sheathed her sword
-Away – answered Ricard – He said he needed to pick something up, in the face of current events –
-You mean the Stormcloaks? – I asked, getting of my chair and coming closer.
-Yes – Ricard answered - which is part of the reason why we brought Lydia here, her close connection with the Jarl will guaranty that he listens to our warnings. Tulius informed us that he wouldn’t be able to spare as many soldiers as he would like, but Ralthos will be here in a day’s time with troops. Lucius suspects that there will be something else to this though, his final words were: This battle will be more than just a territorial conflict, I suspect we will encounter some old foes. Wait for me in the dusk of the thirteenth day, I ride to claim my birthright…
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