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The Forsworn Retribution	By : Samson Category: +A through F > Elder Scrolls - Skyrim Views: 60892 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
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To Have and to Hold

The Forsworn Retribution
Part VIII - "Legends in the Making"
By: Jesse Racine AKA Samson
Original Date Written: June 20, 2015

Svetlana loudly guzzled down the remaining mead in her bottle, slamming it down to the counter top not a second after the last of it had trickled between her lips. A young Bosmer man sitting just a few stools down looked over at the noise, raising an eyebrow at the sizeable collection of empties sitting in front of the priestess. By this point, the bottles formed a thick row, now numbering twelve with the Nord’s latest addition. That figure, alone, was alarming enough, but the depressingly obvious stupor surrounding the priestess made her an all the more pitiful sight. Everyone in the Silver-Blood inn could tell at just a glance that this was a woman drowning her sorrows in drink, trying to forget for even a few precious minutes.

Svetlana’s tolerance for alcohol was quite high, but even she couldn’t wade through a dozen bottles unscathed. Sluggishly sliding her latest empty off to the side, she, as carefully as she could, pushed it against the end of the row, almost tipping over the nearest two bottles in the process. Eyes foggy, eyelids drooping, she lazily shifted her head around, looking for the innkeeper. When she spotted him off to the side, pouring a refill of ale into the Bosmer man’s tankard, she raised a hand, clumsily snapping her fingers. Kleppr immediately gave a silent, yet visible, sigh. He finished pouring the man’s refill, enduring the sound of the priestess signalling away for his attention.

Eventually, the Bosmer man looked over, again. Raising an eyebrow once more, he narrowed an eye at the sight of her, hoping she’d notice and display a little bit more class. Meanwhile, her rude display attracted the attention of a few more from the sparse collection in the inn, the varying expressions on their faces ranging from sympathy to incredulity and annoyance. Kleppr set his flagon of ale under the bar counter, started walking over, and calmly asked “Yes? Something else I can help you, with?” For a brief moment, Svetlana’s brow sank, overwhelmed with anger at what she perceived to be a rather moronic question.

Almost as quickly as it came, the anger fizzled out, leaving her eyes as cold and unhappy as before. She stopped snapping her fingers and dropped her hand to the counter with a thud, then took a couple seconds to compose herself before she replied. Drawing in a slow, sleepy breath, she cleared her throat as she exhaled, ending up coughing in the process. She stopped hunching over like a lush and gave a little stretch, trying not to groan in the process. Lightly rapping her knuckles against the bar as her stretch subsided, she said, quite simply, “Another one.” Perhaps out of disbelief, Kleppr looked off to the side, giving his wife a glance. Standing off to the side, looking rather rigid, she simply stared back at him, observing the situation with a disapproving frown.

Kleppr looked back at Svetlana and, surprisingly gently, said “Look...Your name’s Svetlana, right?...You’re already pretty deep in. Haven’t you had enough? I mean, you’ve drank enough to put a lot of men I know under the table. Take it from me, whatever’s bothering you, this isn’t the answer. This kind of thing will ruin you.” Svetlana slowly looked up into Kleppr’s eyes. For a moment, her teeth ground together in drunken rage. She reached down to her lap, pulled up a small cloth satchel, and dropped it down on the counter with a jingling thud. Kleppr sighed, again, as she swatted her hand across the satchel’s top, opening it up to expose the remaining pile of her finances...A rather brash move, even a dangerous one.

Rather calmly, she said “No, you look...I have the Septims. You have your job. I say when I’m done. You’re not a monk, you pour drinks. What do you care how much I have? Just means more gold in your pockets.” The anger began to fade from her face as she rubbed the back of a finger across her lips, wiping away some residue from her last drink. “...Just get me another, please.” She added, her tone turning considerably more humble. Kleppr kept up his supplicating approach, thinking her change in tone meant he could get through to her. “What’s got you so down and out, anyway? Shouldn’t you be up at the temple? You sisters almost never leave that place. Hey...Yeah, I’ve seen you around, a couple times...Usually with the same bunch of people. The mercenary boy, right? Get into a spat with your comrades, or something?”

Svetlana kept her chin down, hanging her head over as her eyes aimlessly drifted around the bar. “Usually...I can’t tell you, and even if I did, you wouldn’t believe me. Just, get me another bottle, already...I’ll leave after one more, alright?...This’ll be the last one...Do I sound down and out? I’m not even slurring...” Kleppr raised his eyebrows, leaned closer to her, and lowered his voice. “Listen, you’re already at the point where the guards are just going to take you in for public drunkenness. Why don’t you play it safe? Rent a room for the night, sleep this off. You’ll feel better in the morning. We’re all a little upset.” Svetlana dropped her hands flat against the counter and started staring Kleppr in the eyes, slowly leaning closer to him until she was positively bug-eyed.

“Because I have somewhere to go, I don’t need your hard beds!” She unexpectedly hissed, blowing into his face the sickly sweet smell of her honeyed, alcohol-tainted breath. Kleppr momentarily shut his eyes, but otherwise offered no reaction. Svetlana pushed herself up, very nearly collapsing in the process. She stumbled over her feet as she turned to the side, banging her hip into the counter and sending her stool clattering to the floor, behind her. She heard the Bosmer man mutter something, and although she found it likely to be some rude remark, she didn’t find herself growing angry...She just didn’t have the energy, anymore. Feeling positively exhausted, Svetlana held on to the edge of the counter, squatted down, and set the stool back upright before grabbing her satchel of coins.

Kleppr briefly gestured at her and the stool, offering a curt “Thank you” before beginning to collect her empty bottles. Svetlana sealed up her satchel, ensuring that none of it’s payload would spill free before fastening it to her wrist. That, she hoped, would deter any thieves from trying to take advantage of her torpidity. She made for the inn exit, but wobbled to a stop and broke out into a massive yawn. She didn’t need this nonsense, these people weren’t friendly enough for her liking. Nobody had come to cheer her up, nobody had challenged her to a jovial drinking game, nobody had asked her what was bothering her...Nobody but Kleppr, that is, but as the innkeeper, his attention was far from flattering. He was running a business, after all - smooth-talking the customers was practically an obligation.

No, tonight’s crowd had been particularly dull, without a doubt. They were nothing like her friends. By Oblivion, everyone had been so quiet, you’d think the river through Markarth was literally running red with blood. Whatever, she knew she had best be moving on, anyway. She pushed open the doors to the inn, feeling the cool night air blast past her warm face and around her body, chilling her through her robe. She had already been gone for hours, and it’d probably take her another one or two to get back to Sabrina’s den...Provided she could even spot the cave mouth, by then. It was already evening, and by the time she got out that far, it could’ve been sunset.

She slowly looked left and right, making sure there were no guards loitering around, waiting to ambush her for stepping outside with too much mead in her system. With the coast clear, she made a beeline for the city exit, slipping out through the gate with a stumble. She slowed down once she was home free, dragging her feet across the ground. With a miserable sigh, she let her eyes fall to the grass at her toes. By that point, she had already accepted that the murder had been necessary to a certain extent, but it still shook her to think that Gabriella could do that so easily to someone so non-threatening. She could still see the look on the trader’s face, the shock in his eyes...The mead had done nothing to blur that image.

Svetlana felt her nose begin to run, her eyes stinging shortly after. She took a sniffle, bit her lip, and brought a hand to her forehead, trying to sooth the throbbing headache already starting up. Had she failed in her duty as a priestess of the Divines? Had she failed Mara? It was one thing to kill someone like a bandit, someone whose heart was already blocked off by greed and bloodlust, but it was quite another to kill an innocent, someone who meant no harm. It had been so unexpected, Svetlana had had no chance to stop it...Going to Markarth and getting some sex toys for Sabrina had just been a convenient excuse, nothing more. Her main goal had been the bottle, and a chance to mourn. Now, it was time to head home...

“...Where in Oblivion is she, already? She should’ve been back, by now.” Gabriella gave a little sigh, briefly hanging her head down as she gave a kick against the stone floor. Maximus stood across from her, his back to the passageway wall, his arms crossed over his chest. The two of them stood not far from the cave mouth, having kept out of sight for the hour they had so far waited. It hadn’t taken long for Sabrina to spill the beans about Svetlana’s real reason for leaving. To Maximus’ rather intense, if short-lived, annoyance, the bathing story she had told him upon passing by him had been a fabrication.

Of course, that was of little import to him, now. Now, he was angry at her for taking such a risk for such a trivial reason, and undeniably concerned over her continued absence. Provided she had kept a brisk pace to and from the city and hadn’t allowed herself to be distracted, within or without the city walls, the whole excursion could’ve taken, at most, four hours. Instead, it was now closing in on the seventh hour, and Max had seen neither hide nor hair of the wayward priestess. He could only assume Sabrina, down in the den proper, still felt guilty about not thinking things through, at the time. If she had, she could’ve talked Svetlana out of it and prevented this whole mess.

As Gabriella raised her head, she sighed out “I don’t know, but...It isn’t like her to do something so stupid. Don’t you think?” Maximus turned his head away from the cave mouth, brow furrowed as he stared into her eyes. She began arching an eyebrow as she explained herself. “I’m just saying. She’s a complete nymphomaniac, I’m not arguing that, but...I want to believe she isn’t so stupid that she’d walk right back into Markarth just for some marital aids. Besides, she’s always talking about how she isn’t even sure if her future with the temple is assured. If her very status as a priestess is in jeopardy, why would the other sisters give up some of their supplies, to her? That sounds more like a service they’d only extend to a genuine sister. Maybe there’s more to it, than that.”

Maximus let his eyes fall half-closed. “...You think she was lying to Sabrina, too?” He asked, prompting Gabriella to give a little shrug. Matter-of-factly, she stated “I don’t know. I just think she’d have more sense than to risk so much for something so insignificant.” Maximus turned his head back towards the mouth of the cave. “...Yeah, me too.” A brief silence passed between the two of them before Maximus eventually said “...Stay put, I’m gonna take a step outside, see if I can’t spot her, anywhere. Maybe she’s having trouble finding the cave mouth, now that the sun’s setting.” Gabriella kept her silence as he stepped off to the side, walked out into the open, and gave a quick look left and right.

At first, he didn’t see anything besides a wild hare near the cave mouth, which promptly scurried away upon noticing him. He waited a few more moments before turning back, however, and eventually spotted a figure towards his left, hastening over the crest of a nearby hill. He stood his ground, staring, questioning whether his hesitation was a lucky or unfortunate move. It wasn’t easy to make out the figure in the fading light, but Maximus eventually noticed that it was a man in simple cloth clothing, jogging along at a brisk pace. Maximus didn’t see a weapon at the man’s hip or strapped to his back, so he refrained from unsheathing his sword. Nevertheless, he did nothing to alert Gabriella, leaving her out of sight to remain an ace in the hole.

When the man noticed Maximus, he slowed his jog to a brisk walk, but after cautiously appraising him for a few moments, he started jogging once again. Raising a hand, he hailed to the Imperial, calling out “Hey, is your name Maximus?” The unfamiliar voice made Gabriella go tense, her eyes widening as she switched sides in the cave passageway, putting herself in Max’s old spot to help keep out of sight. Dropping down in a crouch, she slipped one of her daggers free from it’s sheath, keeping it ready behind herself. Maximus’ hand drifted to the handle of his steel blade. Barely raising his voice, he answered “Depends on who’s asking, and why!”

The man reached into a pocket in his pants, pulled out a folded-up piece of parchment, held it up, and said “I’ve got a letter, signed to a dark elf by the name of Gabriella?” Maximus and the Dunmer were both overtaken by curiosity, which they wore quite plainly on their faces. The courier continued as he reached Maximus, breathing a little hard as he slowed to a stop. “I was told that she might be in Falkreath, that’s where I was headed, just now. On top of that, I was told that she should be wearing leather armour, and that I might find her with an Imperial in scale armour, name of Maximus. Is that you?” Maximus wasn’t obvious with his distrust. In a flat voice, he asked “Where did the letter come from? You coming by way of Markarth?”

The Nord courier shook his head. Raising his eyebrows, he briefly pouted out his bottom lip, answering “No, sir. I was on the road to Solitude, ready to deliver another letter, when a woman came up to me. Imagine my surprise when she said she’d pay me triple my normal fee if I put the other delivery on hold, and took this letter straight to a “Gabriella.” A smart man doesn’t say no to coin like that.” Gabriella, brow furrowed in thought, let her eyes roam across the cave floor, for a couple seconds. Eventually, she stood up and slipped her dagger back into it’s sheath. Stepping out into the light, she asked “What did this woman look like?” The courier gave a start, glancing over in surprise. Instead of answering her question, he simply asked “Are you Gabriella, then?”

Impatiently, Gabby shifted her weight to one foot, cocking out a hip. “Yes, I am. Give the letter here. What did the woman look like? Did she tell you her name?” As the courier held out the parchment, he regained his composure, shrugging and shaking his head, once again. “Nope, nothing. In fact, I kind of get the feeling she wouldn’t have wanted me telling you anything about her. I don’t know, just an impression I got.” “What did she look like?” Maximus asked, his tone turning firm. It may have just been paranoia, but he had the rather annoying suspicion that the courier was evading that particular question. It was one thing to not want to divulge personal information about an anonymous sender, but it was another to foster distrust by playing obtuse.

Gabriella reached out and grabbed the parchment. The courier’s reaction was genuine enough. Arching his eyebrows, he momentarily dropped his eyes to the ground, shrugging. A little worriedly, he said “I have no idea, alright? She had a hood on, I couldn’t see her face. She was nice enough, but...” Gabriella kept her eyes on him as she unfolded the parchment. When she looked down, she simply stared. Maximus glanced sidelong at her as the courier continued. “...Did I just deliver some bad news? Uh...I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can be of any more help. The woman didn’t even tell me her name. If it helps, I’m almost positive that she was a human, but I don’t know if she was a Nord or-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Gabriella cut in. She refolded the parchment, eyes alert as she raised her chin. Max, watching her close, prodded “What does it say?” She didn’t seem to hear him, for a moment. When she finally reacted, she quickly looked over at him, eyes briefly on his chest before she could make eye contact. Her lips flat, she offered a curt “Nothing.” Without warning, she grabbed the letter with both hands and began methodically tearing it apart, ripping it into increasingly tinier sections. Maximus’ eyes widened with surprise. Angrily, he shot out a hand, grabbing one of her wrists with a loud “Hey! What does it say?”

Visible panic began to crack through her otherwise dead expression. She continued, but he pulled her arm to the side, sending the torn pieces fluttering free in a cloud. With a grunt of annoyance, Maximus let go of her wrist and snatched free a narrow strip she still held in her hand. She reached out and tried to pluck it back, pleading “Max, please-!” A warning glare from the Imperial persuaded her into dropping her arms back to her side. The courier shifted uncomfortably, watching as Max unfolded and examined the strip. What he saw made him narrow his eyes. His eyes drifted to the side as a breeze began scattering the rest of the scraps.

He shot out his foot, stomping on one particular scrap that had caught his eye. Leaning over, he grabbed it from the grass, leaving the rest to flutter and roll away. The courier chuckled nervously. Obviously trying to defuse the brewing tension, he asked “So, um...I’m sure word has already reached you guys, but have you heard the big news from Solitude?” Maximus ignored him, as did Gabriella. Bringing the two scraps together finished the ominous sentence. At what used to be the bottom of the parchment, written in big, bold letters, was simply “We know.”

Maximus’ brow furrowed in confusion. After a moment of consideration, he glanced up, his eyes darting back and forth between Gabriella and the courier. To her dread, Maximus seemed to simply drop the subject, which meant only one thing: he wanted to deal with her in private. He let the two scraps of parchment fly free from his fingers, the two pieces fluttering off on the breeze. Giving the courier a solemn nod, he flatly asked “What news?” The man raised his eyebrows. A bit slowly, as if he couldn’t imagine that the news hadn’t already reached the two of them, he answered “The news from Solitude? About the High King’s murder?”

“Wait, what?” Maximus blurted out, his head recoiling backwards as his eyes widened. Gabriella’s mouth began to hang open, her eyes locked on the courier in a vacant stare. The courier nodded, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. “Yeah, he was murdered! Everyone’s saying it was Jarl Stormcloak, too! You never heard? People are saying he Shouted High King Torygg to pieces, then started riding back to Windhelm!” Maximus’ face began to turn a little pale. That couldn’t be true, could it? Stormcloak wasn’t that crazy, was he? If this was true, then it’d have startling consequences in the very near future. Gabriella slowly regained her composure. Narrowing an eye, she mumbled “How in Azura’s name did he shout someone to death?...”

Maximus barely glanced at her, muttering “I’ve heard of it, in a few old stories. The real name is Thu’um, and it’s about somehow using your voice as a weapon: ancient Nord warriors using their voices to blast down walls, set armies on fire, that kind of thing...I’ve heard that the Greybeards, these monks up on the Throat of the World, are the only people alive today who can do it. Apparently, Ulfric must’ve learned how to do it from them, because this isn’t the first time I’ve heard about him Shouting. You never heard the stories, in Windhelm?” Gabriella raised an eyebrow, regarding him with open incredulity. “You actually believe this? That Ulfric marched into Solitude and shouted at the High King so hard that he just dropped dead? Max, c’mon-”

“I’m not saying I believe anything, I’m just saying that I know what Shouting is, and that this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of Ulfric doing it.” Maximus snapped, giving her an annoyed look. There was a tense moment of silence, with Gabby merely offering a silent sigh as she met the Imperial’s eyes. Eventually, the silence became too much for the courier, and he started distancing himself by walking backwards. Trying to be as polite as possible, he gave them a wave, then said “Look, ah...I really should be going, I still have to get to Solitude, and the woman who gave me your letter said I could find my gold by the road where we met, if I got the job was done. So...Sorry if the letter had bad news, I’m just the messenger.”

Maximus and Gabriella simply watched the man turn and leave, jogging back off the way he came. After a few moments of silence, Maximus quietly uttered “...This is bad. There’s gonna be war for sure, now. The Legions are probably already on their way.” Gabriella didn’t know what to say. She knew he was right, or at least had the right idea. Ulfric had been fanning the flame of unrest ever since the signing of the White-Gold Concordat, but the Empire’s presence in Skyrim had always been relatively mild. There were never entire Legions sitting around inside the country’s borders, in any event.

Presumably, the Emperor had trusted that Skyrim could handle it’s own problems, that the High King could bring his people in line. Presumably, he had been hoping that things wouldn’t need to be messier or more complicated than they already were. If a Jarl was going to assassinate the High King, however, then the Empire was undoubtedly going to come in and try to resolve the situation...Which would, of course, involve bringing Ulfric to justice, something his Stormcloaks would never allow. It’d all present a perfect opponent and rallying cry for Ulfric’s growing army, and the entire land of Skyrim would pay the resulting price. The Nords would fight for their way of life; the Empire would fight to prevent another Great War. Meanwhile, the Aldmeri Dominion would watch and smile. Nobody could win, in the end.

“If this is true, and not some cruel joke...How much time do you think we have?” She asked, throat tensing with a swallow as she looked over at him. Maximus closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair, briefly grabbing at the back of his head before breathing out a deep sigh. Dropping his arm back to his side, he barely looked at her, mumbling out “I don’t know...Weeks, maybe...A couple months would be too optimistic. It all depends on how long it takes for the news to reach the Emperor, and news like this will fly. Organizing and mobilizing the Legions could take a little while, the numbers for supplies and weaponry will be high. It won’t take long for the vanguard to hit the road, though.”

“Should we just get out? I don’t know about you, but nothing’s keeping me here, Max. If full-on war is coming to Skyrim, then maybe we should just...” Gabriella suggested, losing the will to finish her thought mid-way through her sentence. Maximus looked over at her, finally meeting her eyes. The uncertainty she saw in him was unsettling. She couldn’t ever remember seeing Max like this, looking lost, unsure of what his next move would be. After a moment of apparent contemplation, he muttered “I...I don’t know. I need a minute to think. I’m gonna...Go down into the cave, sit and figure this out by the fire.”

“Max?” She asked, taking a couple steps towards him. He briefly held out a hand, stopping her. Determination working back into his eyes, he added “Stay here, keep an eye out for Lana. I trust you can keep out of sight. If you don’t see her by nightfall, you might as well come down. We’re not going to give ourselves away by shouting her name.” “Alright, fine, but...Are you okay? You look like you’re taking this pretty hard.” Gabriella asked, stepping even closer to him. She reached out for his shoulder, but he promptly stepped out of arm’s length. Making for the cave mouth, he quietly reiterated “I’m fine, just give me a few minutes to think...”

As soon as he stepped down into Sabrina’s den, he noticed Anya, seated at Sabrina’s table. By this point, everyone more or less trusted that Anya’s allegiances had truly left the Thalmor, and so were allowing her to continue wearing her armour during rest. She remained unarmed, however, and nobody was in any particular rush to give her a weapon, regardless of the dangers the group faced. She was already looking up from the grimoire she had been reading for lack of a better thing to do, and swiftly noticed the troubled air about him. Watching him walk around the table, she slowly asked “Maximus, is something wrong? You seem tr-”

He casually cut her off without even looking at her, utterly dismissing her concern. “Everything’s fine, don’t worry about it. I just need a minute to think.” Anya’s expression turned a little dejected as she finished her thought, under her breath. She slowly turned in Sabrina’s posh chair, watching him turn into a silhouette as he eclipsed the fireplace. Sabrina and Bunny both poked their heads out from inside a row of bookshelves, watching him walk over before looking at Anya for an answer. Anya merely shrugged, offering a dismissive wave in Max’s direction before turning back to her book. Bunny gave Sabrina a resigned look, admitted helplessness with a shrug, then resumed her search for any alchemy-related books hiding in the vampire’s small library.

Sabrina pursed her lips and looked back in Maximus’ direction. Study could wait, for now. Clearly, something was amiss, and if nobody else wanted to talk to him, well...She could kill two birds with one stone. Sliding the tome she had taken back into it’s spot on the bookshelf, she quietly stepped out from the row and made for the fireplace. Her eyes on the back of his head during her approach, she came up by his side, prompting him to glance over when she slid into his peripheral vision. He immediately noticed that she had slipped back into her new dress at some point during his watch for Svetlana, but in his disarrayed state of mind, he tossed barely a glance at her prominently displayed bust before looking back into the fire...Hardly the impressed stare he first put butterflies in her stomach, with.

She didn’t dwell on it. If anything, that just made her even more worried. Surely he wasn’t already bored of her new, revealing clothing, so whatever was on his mind must’ve been particularly substantial. Slowly, she cooed “Hey, Max, is everything alr-” “You heard me tell Anya that I needed a minute. It applied to you, too.” He interrupted, with an uncharacteristic stillness. Sabrina briefly pouted her lips in a grimace. She watched the way the light from the fire danced across his face, waving shadows in and out of his features. After a moment, he turned his head a little, looking sidelong at her. She hadn’t left, annoyingly enough.

Sabrina lightly arched her eyebrows and asked “Worried about Lana? The sun’s almost set, you know, and I won’t have to sleep for a few more hours. I could go out and look for her.” She blinked a couple times, mouth hanging open as her eyes dropped from his. “...It’s the least I could do. I feel responsible, I should’ve kept my wits about me. I shouldn’t have let her talk me into anything so foolish.” He gave a weary sigh and looked away, remarking “I believed you when you said that she was really pushing the whole idea, on you. I don’t know, as long as you turn invisible, I guess it’d be fine.”

There was a moment of silence before Sabrina murmured out “...Somehow, I get the feeling that Lana’s not the only thing on your mind. What’s wrong, Max? It isn’t like you to want to be alone...” Maximus furrowed his brow, raising an eyebrow as he gave her a glance. His lips barely moving, he drew in a slow, faint breath, looked back to the fire, and muttered out “The High King’s been killed.” Sabrina seemed to hold her breath, for a second. Eventually, she mumbled out a subdued “...Dear Julianos...” She looked over her shoulder. Judging by how quiet the others were, they must not have heard Max from across the cave. Looking back over at him, she whispered “Who did it? Please don’t tell me it has something to do with this Stormcloak man, you’ve mentioned.”

Maximus gave a little nod. “That’s what I heard,” he muttered. “Killed Torygg with a Shout, just like he did to the Forsworn when he took back Markarth. Managed to get away after, too, apparently.” Sabrina started looking into the fire, alongside him. An uncomfortable silence lingered between them for close to a full minute before, finally, Sabrina mumbled out “...Well...Wanting to be alone makes a fair bit more sense, now...” He shrugged with his eyebrows, offering a simple nod of commiseration. She was silent for a few more moments, a miserable look growing on her face, all the while. She could see the writing on the wall, just as well as he could: a storm was brewing. Things had been simmering for a while, but this would be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Not wanting the two of them to linger in another uncomfortable silence, she eventually mumbled out “Well...In any event, there was-” Maximus sighed and interrupted her, remarking “Sabrina, how do you think I’m supposed to figure this out if I have people pestering me about this, that, and the other thing? I wanted some peace and quiet.” Unknown to them both, Bunny slowly leaned her head out from inside the rows of bookshelves, while Anya subtly turned her head and began watching the two of them. Sabrina raised her eyebrows pleadingly, recklessly ignoring what was likely to be her final warning before arousing his ire. “I know, but please, Max, it’s important...I wanted a minute alone with you, to talk.” Her brow gently furrowed with thought as he looked over. Her voice slowing down, she added “...Hearing about this latest incident only makes me feel like it’s all the more urgent.”

He looked away, rolled his eyes and, after a moment of internal debate, impatiently commented “Alright, fine, but it better be important. What is it?” Sabrina turned her head, looking behind them both. Bunny popped her head back, but not so quickly that Sabrina couldn’t notice her. Even if she had managed to pull the wool over the vampire’s eyes, it wouldn’t have changed what she had to call out. Raising her voice so that the two of them could hear her clearly, Sabrina made a simple, polite request: “Anya, Bunny, could the two of you give us some privacy, for a minute? Stay by the mouth of the cave, with Gabby. I want to be alone with Max, for a bit.” Bunny eased her head back out, giving the two of them a curious look. “Max?” She asked, openly wondering if he supported the move.

“Do it,” he said, bluntly advancing the request into a command. Bunny and Anya both raised their eyebrows and did as he bade without further questioning, quietly dropping what they were doing and leaving the den. Sabrina watched them leave, waiting until their footsteps had receded up the cave tunnel before looking back at Maximus. A sweet smile started to grow on her face as she, for a moment, let her eyes drink in the sight of his face. He more or less ignored her, trying to come to grips with the idea that full-on civil war would soon be plaguing his homeland.

Hanse, Gertrude, and Joric would all have to be warned, in case they hadn’t already heard the news. How would the Imperial Legion’s presence in Skyrim affect his campaign against the Forsworn? Perhaps this was the gods’ way of telling him that his quest for vengeance had gone on for long enough. The Thalmor already wanted both him and Anya dead, and it wouldn’t take much investigative work for their sights to land on the others, as well. The Legion would do nothing to aid in that, in fact, the average soldier would likely turn him in out of a sense of necessity. Was it a pipe dream that the Legion might actually do something about the Forsworn, or would they actually be capable of dividing their attention between the natives and the Stormcloaks?

Maximus’ train of thought was derailed when a distinct whooshing sound filled his ears, an accompanying flash of purple-black light flooding the left side of his vision. Raising an eyebrow, he looked over, his eyes quickly falling to Sabrina’s hands. Giving him a tender gaze, she smiled and eased her cupped hands closer to him, letting him examine her work. Standing perfectly upright between her hands was an ethereal flower, the phantasmal blue flames traditional of Bound weapons wafting off of it. Maximus simply looked up to her eyes, down to the flower, and back up to her eyes. Rather callously, he commented “Okay, so...What am I looking at, here? What’s this all about?”

Sabrina gently pushed her hands closer to him, looking down at her flower with affection. In a tiny voice, she merely cooed “It’s for you...To show you how much I love you.” For a split second, Maximus narrowed his eyes with confusion, but he refrained from blurting anything out. Sabrina looked up to his eyes, her delicate little smile growing just a touch bigger. “I invented the summoning spell, earlier today...I can’t actually give it to you, but then...I don’t think I’d want to.” Maximus blinked, all emotion draining from his face as he listened. Sabrina’s eyes slowly started to glisten. “This flower is a lot of things, to me...It’s you. It’s the way you’ve shaped me. It’s all the things you’ve brought into my life...I’m not exaggerating when I say that, before you, my life was nothing but books and blood. If I give you the flower...”

Sabrina slowly parted her hands, breaking the cup they formed. In an instant, the flower vanished. Still looking into his eyes, she mumbled “...It all goes away. I don’t want it to go away. I love you, Max...I’d do anything, for you. I don’t want to lose you, or push you away...I just want to make you happy.” Sabrina stopped herself, once her voice tightened. She dropped her eyes to his chest as a couple tears ran down her cheeks, streaking her mascara in the process. She pressed her lips tight together, biting down behind them as she lowered her arms to her sides. Maximus blinked, again, as his mouth eased open, a crack. For once, he was at a loss for words. He didn’t even know what to think, let alone how to answer this. What could he possibly say?

Neither of them spoke for what felt like hours. Eventually, Sabrina calmed herself down with a deep, silent sigh through her mouth. At first, she was hesitant to meet his eyes, thinking his silence meant he had taken her gesture poorly. When she saw the very obvious reaction he was giving to her heartfelt declaration, however, hope kindled in her breast. Maximus eventually raised a hand to his face. Closing his eyes, he rubbed at his forehead and slowly said “Sabrina, listen...I’m sure you put a lot of thought into that speech, but-” Sabrina swiftly interjected. “If that’s not enough to prove to you how I feel, then I can offer something more substantial! I get the feeling it won’t interest you, however...”

Sabrina slowly hung her head down, a little. Staring down at his stomach, she faintly added “...It isn’t right of me to ask this of you, but I hope the offer doesn’t offend you. It would’ve been impossible for me not to consider it, at least once. If it gets across how much you’ve come to mean to me, however...” He opened his eyes with curiosity, finding her already meeting his gaze. He lowered his hand from his face, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyebrows arching, he remarked “It isn’t about what you can give me, Sabrina-”

“Immortality, Maximus.” She blurted out. He trailed off, leaning his head back a little incredulously. Sabrina’s chin started to quake. Her eyes started to flood with tears as she dropped her chin. Reaching out, she grabbed his waist, holding on to him for an anchor. Her voice was already tightening up, forcing her to warble. “Think about it. There’s n-no reason to dance around it, Max...I’m immortal. You’re not. I can’t stand the idea of losing you, but it’s an inevitability. If you were like me, we could be together for so much longer! I...I want to have as much time with you as I puh...Possibly can...”

Tears were trickling down her cheeks, by then. Now, her throat had choked up to the point where her words were nearly incomprehensible. Raising her chin, she looked deep into his eyes, torment twisting her face up. “I-I know that vampirism can be seen as a c-curse, but I’ve come to appreciate the benefits! I...I...!” Maximus uncrossed his arms. His eyes half-closed, he raised his eyebrows and, in an unusually quiet tone of voice, hushed her. “Alright, that’s enough, fang-face.” Sabrina slowly hung her head down and fell silent. Sniffling, she tried her best to blink the tears out of her eyes, doing her best to keep her breathing under control before the quaking in her body turned into sobbing.

Maximus simply watched her, for a few moments. Eventually, he reached out and held her shoulders. In turn, she let go of his waist, opting instead to hold his elbows. Looking at her face through the hanging curtain of her bangs, he confidently said “I don’t think for one minute that you enjoy being what you are. I know you feel like a monster. I mean, you’ve told me so, yourself.” She raised her chin and opened her mouth, but before she could whimper out a refutation, he continued. Raising his eyebrows, he slowly said “But, I understand what you’re trying to say...And, I appreciate the thought. Really. But, being a vampire just isn’t what I had in mind.”

Sabrina brought a hand to her face, wiping away the tears and streaked mascara from her left cheek with the back of her index finger. She quickly mumbled “E-Even that part, I’ve...I’ve learned to live with it, Max. You can, too. I only feel like a monster when I gorge myself, or use an innocent person...There are plenty of bandits, in Skyrim. Plenty more Forsworn in the Reach. In a way, I’ve been making Skyrim safer...I’ve turned it into something good.” Maximus lowered his chin at her, shifting one of his hands so he could hold the side of her head.

He reassured her as best he could, saying “Sabrina, you’ve made your point...Relax. Yes, I’m gonna head off to Sovngarde, some day. I might wander Oblivion instead, you never know. It’s a natural part of life. Yes, if you’re careful, you could live for a lot longer than that. But, to be perfectly honest, I’m just not interested in what it’s like to be a vampire. Alright? I’m sorry, but my answer is no. I appreciate the thought, I appreciate that you want to spend as much time as possible with me...And, I appreciate how you feel. You’ve made your point.” Sabrina sniffled, again. Her eyes drying, she reached out and touched his chest. “S-So...You believe me, then?...I really do love you, you’re always on my mind...”

Maximus gave a faint sigh. Smiling, he simply said “Yes, Sabrina. I believe you...Now, stop crying, already. Come on, you’ve ruined your makeup.” Sabrina gave a breathless chuckle, bringing a hand over to wipe at her other cheek. Her lips barely moving, she murmured “...Well, that’s a weight off my shoulders...My heart’s beating so fast...” Maximus gave another deep exhale through his nose. He rubbed his thumb at her temple, waited a few moments, and remarked “...You know, you’ve got impeccable timing, with all this. After hearing about this business with Ulfric and Torygg, I’m ready to believe just about anything...I’m in a weird frame of mind. No offense.”

Sabrina tilted her head to the side, confusion growing on her face at the unexpected statement. Maximus gave her a smirk and a single upwards nod. “Listen, go do whatever it was you were gonna do. You can call Anya and Bunny back, if you want. I want some time to think, alone, in peace and quiet...We’ll talk more about this, later tonight.” Sabrina gave a faint sigh, of her own. She stepped closer to him, slipped her arms under his own, and squeezed herself against him in a tight hug. He held her around her shoulders, one hand sinking into her soft locks to hold the back of her head, the other giving her some light pats over a shoulder blade.

They held each other for several moments before he started to release her, prompting her to do the same in kind, albeit considerably more slowly. Running their hands across each other as they separated, Sabrina gazed into his eyes, murmuring a tender “I love you.” He simply looked at her, no clearly discernable emotion on his face. “I know you do. We’ll talk more, later. I have too many things on my mind right now, as it is...Actually, scratch what I said, earlier. You should go out and find Svetlana, the sun’s probably set, by now.” Sabrina nodded. Without another word, she slipped her hands away from him, quietly crossing her den until she was departing up the cave tunnel. Maximus turned back to the fire, letting out a weary sigh before rubbing at his forehead.

Sabrina’s search took a couple hours before it turned up anything. Fresh from feeding on a Forsworn scout unlucky enough to cross her path, Sabrina walked across mountainside and valley, little more than a spectre. Her body invisible, her footsteps silenced, her eyes piercing the darkness to guide her way, she was utterly undetectable to all but those nocturnal creatures with the keenest senses of smell. Eventually, she crossed a hollow underneath a cliff edge, tossed a glance over, and paused. She came to a quick stop, turned, and put her hands to her hips. As her Invisibility spell subsided, Sabrina nonchalantly remarked “There you are. What’re you hiding out here, for? Too dark to find my cave?”

Huddled up in a dark corner, nestled against a rocky wall in the hollow, was the form of Svetlana, her familiar robes giving her away. She stayed still and didn’t respond, prompting Sabrina to give a little sigh. Dropping her arms to her sides, she started walking into the hollow, teasingly adding “You can cast Candlelight, can’t you? You could’ve found us, then...Or, were you afraid of being seen? Hm...In that case...Smart.” Svetlana still didn’t respond. Sabrina raised an eyebrow and came to a stop by the priestess’ feet. She gently motioned a hand by her head, creating a faint pop as a bright white light came into life, just above her. Crossing her arms beneath her tremendous bust, she stuck a foot out, giving Svetlana a rather rude nudge to the leg with her boot.

Svetlana gave a harsh groan, her entire body quaking as she broke out into shivers. “Wake up,” Sabrina ordered. Svetlana had barely turned her head her head from her knees before she was yanking away, croaking out “By the Divines, kill that damn light! You’re gonna blind me!” Sabrina sighed through her nose. A quick flick of her wrist had pink mist fluttering around her for a moment, and when it disappeared, so too did her Candlelight spell. Svetlana slowly turned her head back, shivering to the point of her jaw falling into a brief fit of shaking. Throat quite clearly bone-dry, she groaned out “I didn’t think any of you’d come looking for me...I was just going to get some sleep, then find the cave in the morning...”

Sabrina hastily said “Yes, well...” but trailed off when she noticed Sabrina’s eyes. Even in the gloom, she could see how bloodshot they were, and the lethargic way she moved her body spoke volumes. Sabrina, watching Svetlana struggle to uncurl herself and stand up, curiously asked “...Why couldn’t you get back before sunset? You should’ve gotten back to us hours ago, Max has been worried sick, about you. We all have.” Svetlana gave an uneasy sigh as she got to her feet, keeping a hand against the stone wall for support. She didn’t even have to say a single word - that sigh was all Sabrina needed to smell the honey on her breath. Crinkling her nose, she narrowed her eyes and muttered “Have you been drinking mead? Is that why you were gone, for so long?”

Svetlana, knowing full well she had been caught, found it difficult to look at Sabrina. In spite of that, she was quick to admit the truth, albeit in a mumble. “You wouldn’t understand...I was upset. You want to know why I was so firm about getting you some gifts back in Markarth?...Well, it was the first excuse I could think of to head off.” Sabrina watched as she leaned over, grabbing her satchel from the stone floor. Lifting it up, her personal stash of coins jingling inside, she weakly added “Your marital aids are in here, by the way...I couldn’t get everything, but I hope you enjoy what I was able to get my hands on. My visit to the temple was...I don’t feel like talking about it, and I don’t want to talk about why I was upset, either. I just wanted to forget...”

Sabrina’s posture visibly turned less confrontational. Her voice was quieter, now. “I see...Well...It’s alright, Lana. If you don’t want to talk about it, then...And, I suppose I appreciate the gifts...Come on, the others are expecting us. There’s still some dinner left, if you’re hungry.” Svetlana took a few stumbling steps, dragging her sandals across the rough floor. “That’d be wonderful...I haven’t eaten anything since this morning, I’m...” She trailed off as she missed her footing and stumbled, nearly collapsing before Sabrina reached out and steadied her. Bringing the other woman’s arm around her shoulders, Sabrina compassionately murmured “Alright, come on, hold on to me. Steady, there we go...” Svetlana offered an exhausted thank you, staying close by the vampire’s side as they set off into the darkness...

The moment Bunny heard two sets of footsteps scrape into the cave mouth, she looked over with a smile and said “I think they’re back, Max!” The Imperial looked over, while Gabriella did the same. He and the Dunmer had been speaking in hushed tones for several minutes by then, while Anya was still busy freshly heating the dinner everyone had made, earlier on. Bunny jumped up from Sabrina’s chair, hurrying over to the entrance to the den. Peering up the cave passageway, she winced when a bright light popped into life just up ahead, revealing Sabrina and her wayward charge. Upon seeing Bunny, Svetlana gave a smile, but all she could say was a thoroughly weary “Something smells good...Hope there’s still enough for me.”

When Maximus heard her voice, the look on his face hardened. He promptly walked away from Gabriella, made his way around Sabrina’s reading table, and stopped by the den entrance, waiting for the two of them to get inside. When Sabrina and Svetlana walked into the den, Sabrina stopped supporting the other woman, letting the groggy priestess stand on her own two feet before dispelling her Candlelight. They barely had a second to notice him before Max was snapping “Not only did you lie to me about where you were going, but you lied to go to Markarth, a place you already know damn well we can’t set foot in anymore, to get some unmentionables. Are you out of your damn mind? Have you taken a complete leave of your senses? Do you have any idea how much danger you put us all in, with that move? One of Anya’s old friends could’ve remembered seeing you with me, taken you in, and tortured you for answers. You could’ve gotten us all killed!”

Gabriella, Bunny, and Anya all went still and silent. Hearing Maximus get angry was a common enough occurrence, but hearing him get indignant was quite another. Sabrina waited a moment, then slowly distanced herself from Svetlana. As sympathetic as she was to Svetlana’s apparently genuine distress, she, too, believed that Svetlana had made a rather egregious error in judgement, and she didn’t want Maximus to channel his outrage at her, as well. Svetlana briefly held her arms up her sides, letting them helplessly flop back down against her, a second later. She tried to put on a brave face at first, but the guilt she already felt prevented her from fooling herself into believing she could talk her way out of it.

In a hoarse voice, Svetlana mumbled “...I don’t know what to tell you, Max...I’m sorry, I know I made a mistake...I was upset, and I couldn’t handle it...” The firelight blowing out behind Max made the glisten in Svetlana’s eyes all the more prominent. Her voice started to tighten as she added “It was stupid, I already know that. I’m sorry. I just thought that if I had a few drinks-” “You went out drinking, too?!” Maximus interrupted, raising his voice in anger. Svetlana swallowed to steady herself, admitting “Going to the temple for Sabrina was just an excuse, Max! I mean, I did, but just to keep up my story...That’s not really why I wanted to go. I just wanted to be alone for a bit, have a few bottles of mead, and come back refreshed.”

Maximus’ brow sank deep. Giving a disbelieving shake with his head, he snapped “Assuming you’re not lying again, what in Oblivion had you so upset? It’s not like you to get blue over anything. Ysmir’s beard, if anyone else feels down, they go to you for cheering up. You’re always smiling, and now you tell me you were so crushed by something that you had to go run off and drown your sorrows in booze?” Gabriella started to look a little uneasy. She nervously swallowed some excess saliva and began to watch Svetlana rather intensely, eyes a little wide as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Svetlana didn’t think twice about gushing the truth, with the pressure she was under.

Unable to meet Maximus’ eyes anymore, she looked down to the floor, then back up to his stomach. Shoulders slumping, a few tears trickling from the corners of her eyes, she sounded utterly defeated as she croaked “Look...Max, you need to understand...Killing bandits and Forsworn is fine, with me. Killing animals is okay, if they come after us or if we need food. But, killing innocent people...I can’t stomach it. That trader didn’t deserve what Gabby did to him, I would’ve stopped it, if I could.”

Maximus slowly turned his head, giving Gabriella a glance from over his shoulder. She looked back, keeping her silence, unsure of what to say. Maximus looked back at Svetlana as she continued. Her bottom lip trembling, she briefly threw a hand up as she looked back into his eyes. “Gabby and Anya said that he needed to die, or else he might talk about how he saw a High Elf soldier. H-He was headed to Markarth, and...Even if there was a risk that he might’ve told someone...I mean...Th-That’s not what I joined on with you to do. Cold-blooded murder pushes away all the Divines, I...I’m not saying that what I did was smart, but I’m asking you to at l-least understand why I did it.”

Maximus stared at her, for a few moments. Eventually, he crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. Anya, too, started to look a little uncomfortable, now that she had also been implicated in Svetlana’s actions. Bunny merely watched and waited, yet again reduced to a spectator in yet another dilemma. “...Do you have any idea how many people we’ve killed, Lana? I lost count a couple dozen back. This one man troubled you that much?” Svetlana widened her eyes, loudly answering “Did you hear anything I just said?! He was innocent! Bandits and Forsworn have it coming, the trader didn’t! You’re okay with him dying?!”

“I never said that. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t be. In fact, this is the first I’m hearing of murder, but some of you must think I’m stupid if you believe I’ll buy some story about finding a pack full of supplies, sitting around in the Reach.” At this, he gave another glance over his shoulder, giving Gabriella an uncomfortably intense stare. Looking back at the priestess, he continued with “But, this was a gray area, Lana - if he did talk about Anya to someone, it could’ve pointed the Thalmor in our direction. Gabriella made a choice, and in the end, I agree with it, even if it was an ugly one...Although, if I were there, I would’ve paid him for his silence, rather than leave a body.”

Giving Anya a glance, then turning towards Gabriella, his anger began shifting to new participants in the blame. His face a mask of anger, he coldly snapped “It didn’t even have to be an obvious bribe. All you would’ve had to do was buy some of his stuff, then comment that if anyone asks him about a High Elf on the road, that it’d be nice if he didn’t say anything. Only a simpleton would fail to get the message. He was a problem, and the solution could’ve been a whole lot cleaner, simpler. It’s amazing that there’s only one person here, right now, who isn’t pissing me off.”

His anger was already cooling by the time he looked back at Svetlana, but when he saw the way she was holding herself, crossing an arm over her stomach with one arm and covering her eyes with the other hand, his demeanor was quick to change. After a few seconds of silence, he slowly began to walk towards her. “Lana, listen...Right now, our number one concern is our own safety. That trader, whoever he was, was a potential risk, and while Gabby could’ve handled it better, she still did the right thing by trying to keep us safe. That includes you, too, you know. I get that you’re upset, and I’m not saying that you have no reason to be, but c’mon...You know where you stand, in this group. You’re our healer, you’re the emotional rock. Everyone needs you strong, especially with the stuff we’re dealing with, now. Without you, we’re eating twigs and berries. Shor knows you’re the best cook, here.”

Svetlana let out a breathless chortle, a smile finally growing on her face. She dropped her hand from her eyes and wiped at her cheeks with a sniffle. “Okay...Y-Yeah, I guess so...Thank you.” She merely mumbled. He gave her a half-smile, patting one of her shoulders when he reached her. She slowly looked around at the other girls, gauging their reactions. None of them were even looking at her, to her initial confusion. When they realized they were all staring at Maximus with varying degrees of shock, however, she understood with a smile. They were stunned to hear something so reassuring come from their normally harsh leader, but Svetlana, not so much. She had understood long ago what the others had always had difficulty accepting: Max may be barbarous, but his heart is in the right place.

He nodded over his shoulder, gesturing towards Sabrina’s fireplace. Calmly, he said “There’s still some stew left, it’s freshly heated up. I might be having a bowl, myself...Eat something and calm back down. You should’ve just come to me instead of taking off, you know. We all need to have a serious talk about Bunny’s family, and what we’re going to do next...Among other things. Gabriella and I heard something, today, that you should all know. But, one thing at a time.” Svetlana nodded, sniffling one last time before she offered a soft “Alright, sounds good. Some hot stew would be amazing, right now.” She wandered deeper into the cave, setting her satchel down on Sabrina’s table before making for the fireplace.

Maximus finally looked around, noticing the way everyone was staring at him. Raising an eyebrow, he remarked “Oblivion’s gotten into you people? Quit looking at me like that, you’d think I just pissed on the floor, or something. Go about your business.” He turned and walked off for the fireplace, leaving the girls to pass their bewildered looks back and forth between themselves.

(Author's Note - I’m really sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out, guysD:. Writer’s block while working on other stories kept me from getting around to FR for quite a while. I tried my best to come up with something good for you guys, though...Some drama and character development in this chapter which should hint at how close we’re coming to the end of the story, and how close we’re getting to the events of Skyrim:D. I hope you enjoyed it^_^.

The next chapter could have a sex scene, if you guys were interested in seeing people bump uglies. It might be the last one in the story, unless I do extra chapters after the plot ends just to write up interesting sex scenes that never fit into the plot progression. Although I said I’d do bolondteri’s suggestion from way back that Max and Sabrina give Anya a rough double penetration, there was all that support for Gabby a couple chapters back, so I was going to swap everyone’s favourite transgendered bombshell for our tsundere dark elf, instead. I was hoping to give Anya at least one decent sex scene before the story ended, especially since she had a surprising amount of support ever since she was first introduced, but...As usual, I leave it up to you guys:). What do you want to see in the next chapter? Whatever it is, leave a comment and I’ll see if I can’t work it in:D.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope to see you in the next one, whenever it comes out:).)
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The Forsworn Retribution