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Posted by: minque Dec 29 2006, 11:50 PM

“There is sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief...and unspeakable love.”
Washington Irving


Chapter 6 Sidetracks and Sorrow

“You can’t run away from your destiny, Serene, you will have to face the fact that you now belong to a House, to a family, and with it the responsibility it takes!” Sinnamu Mirpal´s words dug deeply into my heart as we sat by the fireplace in the Inner Shrine of Ald Daedroth that rainy evening.

I had arrived at the ancient Shrine of Ald Daedroth earlier in the afternoon, because the Ahemmusa Tribe now was safely settled there instead of the harsh lands on north-eastern Vvardenfell. Trey of High Rock had done a thorough job, making the Shrine a safe place for the Tribe. The Wise Woman had her own private chambers in the Inner Shrine, and she had decorated the thick stone walls with beautifully woven fabric in various deep earth-colors, with thick carpets on the floor to keep the damp cold away and a huge fireplace built in the center.

I felt safe here amongst my friends, far away from the evil schemes of Bolvyn Venim, the intrigues and disagreements among the Redoran Councillors…and the struggle to both be deeply in love with Athyn Sarethi and yet try to be an honourable Redoran.

Panic brought me here, panic from being aware of the hatred of Bolvyn Venim; knowing he would probably try to kill me in the cruelest way, panic from the passion that tore me apart. Here I hoped to find peace, to rest my tormented soul and finally to find myself and be a whole woman again.

I hadn’t thought of Sedrane though….

When Anja Swift-Sailer put me ashore on the island of Ald Daedroth I was astonished at first; I didn’t think the Tribe had moved out there already, but they actually had.

The first one to greet me was Sallit; he was remarkably glad to see me and grabbed my hand and literally dragged me up to the Shrine yelling out loud I was here.

Sinnamu was waiting in her chambers as he brought me there. She said nothing, just put her hand on my cheek, smiling. I got an odd feeling she had somehow known I was coming.

After arranging night quarters for me and also giving me a chance to freshen up after the jour-ney she asked me to join her in her chambers. And therefore we now were sitting in front of the fireplace and she made the remark about my destiny.

I told her about the things that had happened, including my feelings for Athyn, about Domesea, and about the panic that struck me at the funeral. She listened without interrupting me, just nodded at some points.

“You will always have a home with the Ahemmusa, you know that, so go get some rest now. I’ll give you a potion that will help you through the night.” Sinnamu gave me a purple vial which I should down before going to bed.

It was good to be back with the Ahemmusa again. Life had improved a lot for them since they moved to Ald Daedroth. Here they were safe from blight storms, outlaw Ashlanders and other pirates. They had an entire island for themselves and had begun to grow saltrice, ash yam and even hackle-lo! They were proud of themselves and couldn’t wait to show me all the im-provements they had made.

My first weeks at the Shrine I just “was.” I didn’t really do anything, just strolled about, talking to my old friends, helping out with cooking and the Guars of course. It was balm for my soul, except for that itch deep in my heart.

I felt guilty….guilty for abandoning Athyn in his grief, guilty of not standing up for my family, for my house. I ran away like a coward, and I was ashamed of myself!

It was at this time Sedrane Mirpal entered my life again…

He was the first man who had held me in his arms with love, and his dark red eyes still showed affection. I didn’t know what to say; in fact I was unable to speak because of the lump in my throat. Seeing Sedrane brought up so many memories from a happy time in my life, an uncomplicated time, compared to life with the Redorans.

“Serene, my precious, it’s so good to see you!” Sedrane embraced me and I felt a flash of the old passion, it had been so long…so very long…

We went outside for a walk; it felt somewhat easier to talk to him away from the others; besides I didn’t want to show my chaotic feelings in public. I knew I had to tell him all, as I had told his mother, including my relations with Athyn. He didn’t show much emotion during my story; as an Ashkan he had been taught to not show too many feelings.

“Enough about me now,” I finally said, drying my cheeks from the inevitable but annoying tears that always seemed to run down my face. ”Tell me about how life’s been with you and your folks.”

“Trey really did a good job clearing this place from the cultists,” Sedrane smiled “Then he escorted us here, the whole Tribe, you know! That was a journey, I tell you!”

They had actually built a couple of nice boats to take them across the waters, Trey had super-vised the construction and the manufacturing, and then he also led the armada safely to Ald Daedroth. The tribe had cleaned the old shrine from all dirt and grime, and then they made it into a real home. Every family got their own “apartment” consisting of one or two chambers according to the size of the family. The women made beautifully woven fabric to cover walls and floors to make the chambers more comfortable and unique.

“We have also managed to develop greater cooperation between other Tribes.” Sedrane said, “There have actually been a couple of cross-marriages between members of different Tribes, you know.”

I understood the island of Ald Daedroth was a good land to live on. Secure from attack, with good weather and fertile land, which provided them with good crops and good pastures for the Guars. Also the well-built shrine gave additional security and provided a good defence to almost any kind of attack.

As we walked along the waterfront I saw a young woman with a bow up a hillside. I was about to ask Sedrane who she was when I noticed a weird look on his face, like guilt or bad conscience. Then the woman spotted us and came running towards us.

“Sedrane!” she shouted from a distance, “You’re home! Who is our visitor?” As she ap-proached I noticed she was a young beautiful girl in a leather shirt with embroideries different from the normal Ahemmusa style. Her long silken jet-black hair danced around her face and shoulders as she came running, and her long slender legs hardly allowed her feet to touch the ground. Her dark red eyes looked into Sedrane´s with an unmistakable air of love.

“Shara!” He exclaimed with a faint grimace, “Ahem….this is Serene Catraso, who used to live with the Ahemmusa. I’ve told you about her, remember?”

“Serene….this is Shara, hunter from the Urshilaku-Tribe, ehh …she is to be….my wife!” The last word came out sounding rather strangled.

I felt an immediate sting of jealousy; somehow I’d expected Sedrane to …sort of wait for me, but I smiled at the young Ashlander-girl and greeted her as heartily as I could.

Shara flung herself on Sedrane, embracing him hard, and the kiss she gave him was indeed passionate so that I had to turn away from them. It was really ridiculous, but I felt a sharp pain inside and I didn’t trust my face not to reveal it.

Has he told her about us? I asked myself…

Then I decided to return to the Shrine to look up some of the women to see if I could make myself somewhat useful; besides I needed to be alone for a moment….

As I stumbled away from Sedrane and his soon-to-be bride, I almost bumped into someone, my sight blurry and faded, and would have fallen if he hadn’t caught my arm at the last second

“Hey, Serene! What’s the matter, sweetie?” Mabarrabael embraced me, just like that, like I was still a member of the clan, like I had never left. “It’s Sedrane, right?” he sighed. “It was you who once told me not to shed tears over a lost love, remember? And what are you doing right now, huh?”

I couldn’t resist smiling. Mabarrabael used to confide in me when I lived with the Ahemmusa. Once he had a bad crush for Lanabi, the Ahemmusa trader who didn’t exactly return his hot feelings and I, of course, had to tell him not to be sad about that.

Mabarrabael´s company did me good; he made me laugh, as always…We sat down on a flat rock overlooking the sea and talked for a good hour before hunger drove us back to the Shrine.
That evening, as I sat by the campfire, sharing the evening-meal with the Ahemmusa I wondered what would come out of this. I had returned to the people I loved but the reason for it could be questioned, and I honestly didn’t know what would become of me….

Posted by: The Metal Mallet Dec 30 2006, 06:18 AM

Wow, what a wonderful start to this chapter minque. It's good to see the Ahemmusa again. Honestly, to tell you the truth, I kinda forgot about Serene's relationship with Sedrane. Now I could certainly see how things could even become awkward around the Tribe. I don't even know right now if I should be happy or disappointed that he has moved on. Though it does seem quite logical for Sedrane to have moved on. I liked that you added it.

I would like to see what happens next please!

Posted by: Black Hand Dec 30 2006, 09:47 AM

I'm a short commenter...so S.G.M.

Posted by: treydog Dec 31 2006, 05:27 PM

This is a promising start to the new chapter. I, too, am glad to see Serene return to the Ahemmusa. The wise woman will likely have some good, if difficult to follow, advice.

Posted by: minque Jan 8 2007, 10:02 PM

I woke up, drenched in cold sweat and totally disoriented. At first I had no idea where I was, or why my heart was beating so heavily. Then the dream came back to me and with it an unspeakable pain, as vivid as the dream. I remembered it clearly. In fact I still remember that dream, maybe because it triggered the events that formed my life- and the lives of others.

I stood in an open space, the ground covered with pale gravel that crunched under my feet. It was a circular space, surrounded by walls or buildings- I could not tell. I was tensed as if expecting an attack and had my katana unsheathed and in a guard position. As I scanned the misty distance, looking for the threat that I could feel but not see, I saw a dark spot forming in the fog opposite from where I waited. It came closer at a great speed and appeared to be some sort of black cloud, formlessly swirling. The sight of it caused my heart to beat faster, and I knew that this was the danger I had sensed.

As the cloud came near, it coalesced into a human figure, twelve feet tall and armed with a sword. Everything about the figure was black, except for the sword, which pulsed with the dull red of dried blood. The cloud seemed to swirl again, and the sword was raised high overhead, then plunged downward, straight toward my heart.

I jumped aside without conscious thought, simply letting instinct and reflex take over. The cloudy shape roared and swung a side cut at me, and I ducked beneath the blade. Still moving from training and instinct, I responded with a scything cut of my own. But when my katana struck the figure, there was nothing there- no resistance, no sensation of steel cleaving flesh, just a parting of the cloud. And a sudden flash of that dull red blade as it struck my chest. The pain was unspeakable, as if a fire had been kindled in my flesh. I sank to the ground, waiting for death or unconsciousness, but instead found myself bathed in a bluish light cast by a familiar figure which formed in front of me- Azura, Goddess of Dawn and Dusk. She reached out a hand that instantly quenched the fire in my chest and spoke, saying:

“Serene, follow your destiny, return to your heart…only then will you find peace.”
Then the pain struck again and I woke up…

With trembling hands I pulled back my hair and got up. The dream had been so real that I looked down to see if my chest bore a wound or a scar, but it was unmarked. My clothes were damp and I felt dirty, so I went down to the shore to take a bath, bringing a clean robe to wrap around me afterwards. There were nobody out at this hour; it was still night even though I could see the sun color the eastern sky. I undressed and let the chilly wind dry my naked body. With a deep breath I then jumped head-first into the sea, hoping that the Tribe had in fact cleared a part of the waters from all kind of beasts in order to provide a place for swimming and washing.

The cold water woke me up and refreshed me completely. I stayed in the water till my limbs were numb and I couldn’t sense my feet anymore. Up on the shore I stretched out, lifted my arms over my head and turned to the rising sun. The reddish-orange light painted my pale body and the water drops glistened….I looked into the calm dark waters and saw a thin, tall woman, painted in red, with black sleek hair and eyes that were too big for the face. I had obviously lost weight again, this time far too much. I looked skinny and weak and I didn’t like the sight of myself at all.

Suddenly I heard a noise, like someone stepping on a small branch of a tree. I held my breath listening, but no other sound came to me. It was probably just a scrib or something. The wind had become chillier and I put the soft woven robe around me and returned to the Shrine.

Inside I saw a flickering light from the corridor leading to the inner shrine and I headed towards it. It was Sinnamu, who was returning to her chambers, from where I didn’t know. She greeted me warmly, saying

“Serene! Have you been outside? Taking a swim? Well come my child, I think we have to talk.”

There was a nice log fire in Sinnamu´s chambers and I felt its warmth ooze right through me. She offered me some warm comberry wine and we sat silent for some time before she began to talk.

“I think you had a dream, Serene, and I would like you to tell me about it,” Sinnamu looked straight into my eyes. I wasn’t even astonished that she obviously already knew I had a dream; somehow deep inside I knew that she already knew about it. Nothing about Sinnamu Mirpal astonished me anymore, since I knew she was, and still is, my Guardian Angel amongst the living.

I told her in detail of my strange dream, also asking her why it had caused the incredible pain right in my chest.

“It’s a sign, a sign from the Divines, telling you what lies afore you,” Sinnamu stated calmly.

“You are a healer, my child, and you know that sometimes, when you perform a healing, you must cut away a diseased part so that the body as a whole can heal and become strong again. If the diseased limb or organ is not removed, the corruption will spread and kill the patient.”
She looked at me closely to see if I was following her. Seeing my frown of concentration, she continued,

“You will have to perform- a healing, an amputation…so that the body can become strong again.”

I looked at Sinnamu, not really understanding the true meaning of her words…at first. But then I started to see beyond them, to see what she actually meant for me to do, and it scared me to death. The body that must be healed was my House….and the diseased part, the corruption…was the Archmaster. I sat silent with my head down, and despite the warm fire I was shivering with cold, and maybe fear- fear for what I had to do and fear for how I felt about it. I, who loathed any form of killing, was actually looking forward to taking the life of a human being. For I could not deny that I hated the Archmaster and took a fierce pleasure in the idea of his death. I wasn’t aware of the tears running down my face until Sinnamu gently wiped them away, and then took my hand and made me rise to my feet.

“Serene, do not be afraid of your own feelings. You are stronger than you know and you are now the real ’Hope of the Redoran’…. I will give you the strength you will need and as a token of that, I will mark you with a sacred Ahemmusa-tattoo.”

She took off my robe and I felt the heat from the fire and the tension of the moment increased as she took out a small silver dagger and dipped it into a shallow bowl which was standing beside her on a red small boulder.

“Be absolutely still now, Serene,” she said, then she put the tip of the dagger onto my left breast and slowly cut an intricate pattern stretching over to the right breast, a pattern similar to the one that Sedrane had on his forehead. As she was doing that she chanted in a low voice, words I did not understand, but somehow the chant took away the pain. Dark red blood emerged from the cuts she made and ran down my body, but I felt like I was watching myself from above; I was completely relaxed, and it did absolutely not hurt. After the cutting of the pattern, she took the bowl and with a thin stick she put black dye into the cuts, and that did hurt quite a bit, but I didn’t move a muscle.

The whole procedure took about an hour, and after it was finished I was glad to sit down again. My legs were shivering and the tattoo was burning like fire. Sinnamu put her arm around my shoulders in a comforting embrace. She then took both my hands and put them directly onto the raw tattoo, and I felt a tingling sensation throughout my body.

“Now you will have the strength and courage of an Ahemmusa wise woman,” she said slowly,
“Use it well.”

She led me to a bedroll beside the fire and bade me to lie down on it. It was soft and warm and I felt a drowsy heat spread inside me, and so I drifted away…

When I woke up I felt refreshed and invigorated, strong and eager. It was a wonderful feeling and I knew that I had to return to Ald´Ruhn as soon as possible. I had an important task to fulfill and above all I longed to see Athyn again. When thinking of him my heart started beating and my entire body ached for him to hold me tight.

The tattoo did not hurt at all; it had healed during my sleep. Sinnamu was still sitting by the fire, reading an ancient book. She smiled at me, knowing how I felt without asking.

As I made to leave for my chambers to prepare for my return home, she made a sign for me to hold on for a moment. She searched in one of the chests standing at the wall and came out with a thin white vest, almost transparent and with some runes embroidered with white silk along the front.

“Wear this under your normal clothes; it will protect you…, my dear child.”

I slipped into the garment and immediately it made me feel even warmer than before…it had to have some magic woven into that soft fabric.

Later that afternoon I was almost ready to leave for Ald´Ruhn. After some pondering I decided to ask for an intervention-scroll to take me directly to the Temple. I didn’t like the mechanics of interventions, but it was by far the fastest way to get home.

But fate had something else in mind for me….

Posted by: The Metal Mallet Jan 8 2007, 10:33 PM

Ahh, the cliffhanger, a writer's best friend! How I love to write them, but I do find it taxing when I have to wait for what happens next on the edge of a cliffhanger!

So it seems that Serene's goal has been decided on. She has to rid House Redoran of Venim. I could make a snake analogy but I wont

Excellent update as usual minque. I liked how the dream was used to discover Serene's task and the tribal tattoo part as well. I also look forward to what this cliffhanger is foreshadowing...

Posted by: treydog Jan 11 2007, 02:25 PM

Now that official registration at the college is (mostly) over, I again have a chance to read and comment. This will likely be one of the greatest trials Serene has faced- not just because of Venim's combat ability. Serene will also have to overcome her desire to "do no harm."

I also liked the tribal tattoo and the continued strengthening of the bond with the Ashlanders. Hope to see more very soon.

Posted by: mplantinga Jan 12 2007, 12:50 AM

I have particularly enjoyed revisiting the Ahemmusa with Serene. I find it to be an attractive idea to have the a great house and an ashlander tribe so clearly interwoven. Serene's tattoo is only the most obvious and physical sign of this connectedness. I look forward to Serene's return to Ald'Ruhn and her reunification with Athyn.

Posted by: Soulseeker3.0 Jan 22 2007, 02:17 AM

OH come on Minky, you know i despise cliffhangers j/k I loved the update, the dream was cool and I feel bad for her and Sedrane, to bad it can't work out for them.

At the moment? Do the fates say other wise? Will pigs fly? All this and more, later *shrug* i dunno

great story Minque, can't wait to see what the Divine's have in store for Serene

Posted by: minque Jan 24 2007, 07:52 PM

I wanted to tell my friends I was leaving and say goodbye to them before I left. I didn’t think I’ll come back for quite some time, if ever, so it was the decent thing to do, even if I hated good-byes.

As I walked along the waterfront I enjoyed the warm afternoon sun, the calm of this place, the giant mushrooms and the blooming Willow Anther which filled the air with its fragrance. I picked a flower and put it behind my left ear; it made me feel a bit exotic…

He literally materialized in front of me- there he was- Sedrane, the first man I ever loved, looking into my eyes as he took my hand and kissed it. The time ceased to exist; I drowned in his dark red eyes and couldn’t say a word.

“So Serene, you are leaving me again?” His voice was low and utterly sad. He still held my hand and sighed deeply.

“I have to. You know we are not meant for each other, so please do not make this harder for me than it already is.”

I was shivering; my body remembered how it felt to be near him, to be in his arms, to feel him inside me, but I had to be strong. I just couldn’t surrender to him- it would be so wrong, and I knew I couldn’t live with it.

“Please Serene, I want to have you just one more time, one last time, I still love you, I’ve loved you ever since…” He stopped and unbuttoned my blouse. The thin vest underneath did not cover that much, and when he noticed my tattoo he smiled at me and then gave a rueful laugh.

“A wise woman! That is a wonderful honor, and one that you certainly deserve! But I could wish that you had received that honor from the Urshilaku, or Erabenimsun, or even the Za-inab."

He began to lace my shirt back up and continued,”You see, it is against all custom for a an Ashlander to make love with a wise woman from his own tribe.”

We looked at each other and I then knew that, even as some doors open, others close. Sedrane would always be my first love, but I was no longer the same girl I was when I first arrived in Vvardenfell. Life is a journey…

Yes, life is a journey, and travelling with an intervention-spell is also quite a journey, yet not a pleasant one, as I’ve told before.

“Damn it, woman, watch your step!” The dark, slightly annoyed voice that greeted me as I slumped down in front of the door of the Temple of Ald´Ruhn after my intervention from Ald Daedroth turned out to belong to no less than Salyn Sarethi, who I had pushed aside rather hard when I appeared. I didn’t really grasp who he was or even where I was the first ten sec-onds, and he obviously didn’t expect me to materialize almost on top of him while crossing the Temple courtyard, carrying some small bottles in a basket.

“Serene! What the….? Where did you come from?” He stared at me as if I was some weird creature from Akavir...
“I...I just came back,” I responded faintly, still dizzy from the travel, brushing off the dust from my robe, at least trying to look decent. Salyn stared at me with a peculiar look on his face, not exactly friendly, honestly speaking. I didn’t blame him; the last he saw of me was me sneaking out of his mother’s funeral…

“Do you realise what you’ve done to Father?” He sounded angry and my heart sank. “You almost killed him, you know, by running away like that. What did you THINK of woman???” Salyn was so angry, he grabbed my upper arms and shook me violently, and it seemed as if it was just a matter of time until he’d hit me. I was sure of that, and I was right, for he slapped my face, and slapped it hard. I didn’t move; my left cheek burned, and the pain went right up in my head, as tears of shame and repentance ran down my face, but I didn’t move…and I didn’t utter a word.

“Argh, damn it. I’m sorry Serene, I shouldn’t have hurt you, don’t cry for god’s sake!” He let go of me and turned around, feeling awkward.

“I’m so sorry…and I do not intend to try to explain to you why I did what I did, because I’m not sure of it myself,” I said quietly as I sank down on the ground again, starting to realise how selfish I’d been, that I should have stood by the Sarethi family in their time of despair. Instead I fled, because I couldn’t stand the evil looks of the man that caused their grief. How pathetic I was! Salyn had all the right in the world to slap my face; in fact he had the right to punish me even more if he chose to…

He didn’t …instead he sat down beside me, put his arm around my shoulders and wiped my face with a fairly clean handkerchief. Men feel awkward about women crying and Salyn Sare-thi was definitely no exception to that.

“There! No more tears now Serene, please, I am just so worried about Father…come, let’s go for a drink, you look like you’ll need it and I’ll tell you what has happened.”

I followed Salyn to the Rat-in-the-Pot, and this is what he told me;

We didn’t discover your absence until we began to embark on the ship back to Khuul. Sethyas and Varvur escorted Father, for he was very weak and could hardly walk. The funeral induced too much emotion in him, and he couldn’t handle it. On board he asked for you… Sethyas said you had probably gone somewhere to grieve in peace, then Father said we should wait for you, that he didn’t want to return to Ald´Ruhn unless you were with him. We waited for two days before we could persuade him to let us go home. When we left the Island, he retreated into himself. He just sat there, not talking to anyone, and it was the same until we came home. He locked himself in his chambers and stopped living…Not eating or drinking, not wanting to talk to anyone.

This catatonic state lasted for two whole weeks. We didn’t see him and he let no one into his chambers. At last we had to send for a mage from the guild. We feared he’d starve himself to death! Edwinna came by and Sethyas and I had to literally break into his room. What we saw in there was not….pleasant. Imagine a body that hasn’t had any food or drink at all for two weeks! He was more dead than alive…Edwinna did all she could- she had to force liquid into him with the help of a funnel, drip by drip. If she did it too fast, it came up again.

We fought for his life for almost a week before we could see any results from our efforts, until one day last week he opened his eyes and said one word…the only word he had said since the day of the funeral…´Serene´ he said…

Salyn stopped talking and took a deep breath. I could see how hard this was on him, and that did not ease my own pain. I hadn’t felt like this ever; the unspeakable pain in my heart was so overwhelming, I could hardly breathe. Tears were gushing down my face but Salyn didn’t seem to notice it- he just looked sadly at me and continued;

The bad thing is that Trey isn’t around, he’d have known what to do, and how to help Father, but he’s in Mournhold, god knows why! Sethyas immediately went to try to locate you, he was and, I gather still is, extremely angry with you. In fact he said he’d kill you with his bare hands for doing this to Father. That is, if he could find you of course!

At the moment there’s nothing changed from last week. He’s just sitting in his chambers, and I have no idea what he’s doing. He won’t let me in- it’s just Sethyas who occasionally is al-lowed to see him. He’s dissociated himself from his family, and I don’t know if he’s even ac-tually talking to Sethyas, but I think he maybe does, because he usually leaves the room swearing about you!

If I were you, Serene, I’d stay away from Seth…He will show you no mercy!

I pondered Salyn´s story. What I’d done was unforgivable: I had dishonoured my House, I had abandoned my family and, worst of all, and I had deeply hurt the only man that I really loved. Yes I knew that now, knew that I loved Athyn Sarethi, loved him more than my own life and I was prepared to give even that away at the hand of Sethyas Velas to restore the honor of Great House Redoran and the life of Athyn….

I slowly touched the Tattoo-of-the-Ahemmusa on my chest, felt its strength ooze through me, wiped my face and looked Salyn straight in the eyes and said;

“Take me home, Salyn…take me home!”

Posted by: jack cloudy Jan 24 2007, 10:27 PM

Wow, old Athyn sure took it bad. Must've been the constant piling of bad events onto him. If he isn't stressed out by now, I want to know how he can fight the stress.

And it looks as if Serene has some real problems now. A master assassin who has sworn to kill her? Normally I would take it as some empty words spoken by an angry man but this is an assassin and more importantly, Sethyas. He is the type who tries to keep his word. Serene had better prepare a quick speech to explain when he finds her. The first few words could be vital.

Posted by: The Metal Mallet Jan 25 2007, 12:13 AM

Indeed, it certainly does seem that Athyn has taken Serene's disappearance quite heavily. Hopefully with her return, Athyn can make a quick recovery. That is, if Sethyas doesn't get in Serene's way. I like how the relationship between Serene and Sethyas always seems to be rocky. Makes for some interesting scenarios.

Continue as soon as possible minque!

Posted by: Soulseeker3.0 Jan 25 2007, 02:47 AM

wow... i'd have to agree with Jack, Athyn sure did take it hard. and now Serene has Sethyas after her... all does not seem well for Serene. Well can't wait to see what happens. Please update soon Minque

Posted by: Lord Revan Jan 25 2007, 04:30 AM

That is what you get for turning your back (at least by their stand-point) on someone who really needs you to help them in an emotional wreck right now. Great update Minque!

Posted by: Black Hand Jan 25 2007, 05:34 AM

Conflict is always more interesting then cordiality.

Sethyas: Hello. How are you?

Serene: I am fine, thank you.

Somehow, i don't see five "Great Update!" Comments after that! Besides, Serene can read Sethyas' mind. Thats going to unnerve pretty much anyone.

But, Great Update! And don't keep us in the dark to long Minque!

Posted by: mplantinga Jan 25 2007, 06:04 PM

An amazing, emotion-filled update. I was wondering when the consequences of Serene's absence were going to hit home. I do hope she can bring Athyn out of his state, and that Sethyas doesn't hurt her too badly.

Posted by: minque Feb 2 2007, 11:56 PM

Ok....a short one, but anyway....here it is!
********************************************************************************


The city of Ald´ruhn was covered in a raging ash-storm as Salyn and I left The-Rat-in-the-Pot; maybe Azura wanted to punish me for my deceit, I didn’t know. The short distance to Under Skar felt twice as long as usual due to the terrible weather and we were both covered in the red ash when we entered. As usual Redoran Guards were patrolling the hanging gangplanks, but they nodded at me in a quite friendly way; at least they didn’t seem to judge me.

There was a scent of sadness in Sarethi Manor; I could feel it as soon as I entered together with Salyn. The lanterns were dimmed and nobody came to greet us. I heard voices coming from the room further down the hallway, but I couldn’t recognize them. There was a humming sound in my head, and I felt as if I was outside my body and watching myself slowly walking forwards.

“Now this is a surprise!” Brara Morvayn exclaimed as she suddenly turned up from somewhere in the shadows of the living room, arms outstretched to embrace me. “Or really not- I knew you’d turn up sooner or later, my child!, But by all means, you look terrible, come, come, let me take that filthy robe of yours.” I wasn’t really surprised to find Brara here, she was that kind of person, always eager to help out. Naturally she’d been here for Athyn….whilst I hadn’t!

I didn’t want her to let go of me; I felt secure and comfortable in her arms, but then she held me a bit away to be able to look at me properly. I got the feeling she actually didn’t like what she saw, for her face was stern and her eyes dark and sad. I felt bad; I could barely look her in the eyes, and my bad conscience made me feel physically ill.

“So, where have you been these last weeks?” she asked quietly. “I hope you have a good explanation for not being here, especially considering how it has affected Athyn.”

I shook my head- I couldn’t speak, and I did not trust my voice to keep from breaking. I swayed and the room started spinning around, faster and faster…

The next thing I remember was that I was lying on the couch, looking up into the almost black eyes of Sethyas Velas and with the tip of his famous dagger pressed directly on my throat. I could feel a warm trickle of blood emerging. I didn’t dare to swallow and I practically held my breath. He did not speak, just looked at me with those scary eyes. I gave up, and sank back on the coach closing my eyes…

Is this how it ends? It could have been worse; at least my life will be taken honourably…

Then…all of a sudden a voice filled my mind, a voice I recognised as Sethyas´, but when I opened my eyes I couldn’t see his lips move…

“I can’t do this, damn it! I can’t kill you, not like this, in cold blood, because of that dream or premonition he had! He said you’d come back and he was so happy about it, damn it…just damn it. For what you’ve done, you deserve nothing but death!”

I was stunned! Then it was possible…it was possible to read minds, and I had the ability to do it, because the voice in my head was the thought of Sethyas Velas, of that I was certain. I tried not to reveal anything, I just looked at him, and now I was able to look him in the eyes. He turned away from me and removed the dagger. I sat up, shivering from the strange experience, and noticed that there was quite a crowd standing by the coach. An audience for the murder of Serene Catraso, the event of the day!

As Sethyas turned away from me, the strain eased and Brara immediately went to my side, wiping off the blood that was running down my throat. She didn’t look at me, in fact nobody did, they just turned away and that hurt me the most. Had they all wanted to see me dead?

Then Sethyas turned to me again with a deep sigh, grabbed my arm and dragged me up on my feet.

“Argh, I’m sorry I hurt you, Serene, but you’ll soon find out why, so come on, let’s not drag this out any longer than necessary.” He sounded weary and tired as he led me towards Athyn´s chambers.

The room was warmer than the rest of the house and lit only by a few candles. A fire was burning in the fireplace and the flames cast eerie shadows on the wall. A tall, extremely thin figure rose from the narrow bed and headed towards us…

With his arms outstretched, he approached me, then took me in his arms and held me tight to his chest, whispering into my hair;

“Serene, my precious love, at last…I’ve been longing for you so much, but I knew you’d come home…I knew it.”

Then…I also knew I was home…for once in my life I was truly home and I knew I’d never ever leave him again.

Posted by: Lord Revan Feb 3 2007, 01:06 AM

Minque, your definition of short is obviously different than mine! Great update, Athyn certainly sounds liek he's the worse for wear in Serene's absence. Hopefully everything will return to normal soon......... of course that would not be the normal definition!

Posted by: mplantinga Feb 3 2007, 05:54 PM

An excellent, emotion-filled update, as usual. I do hope that Athyn will be okay now that Serene has returned; it would be very sad if he was not able to recover.

I am especially intrigued the interplay between the stories here in the forums. Sometimes, I have trouble distinguishing between the stories because many of them have cameos of other stories' protagonists. Nonetheless, it has been really fun, but I'm sure it makes for extra work for the authors, trying to keep track of everything that other authors have said. Well, perhaps I'm just rambling. To all the authors here: just keep doing what you are doing.

Posted by: The Metal Mallet Feb 3 2007, 05:58 PM

So Serene has discovered her mind reading capabilities... I guess it takes a near death experience to bring it about. At least good ole Sethyas made the right decision.

Excellent display of emotion Minque; you were always great at making your characters act very human-like. Keep it up!

Posted by: treydog Feb 3 2007, 09:22 PM

Glad she is back where she belongs- and a bonus! Guest appearance by everyone's favorite honorable assassin! Excellent characterization, as always, and wonderful story-telling.

Edited to fix typo.

Posted by: jack cloudy Feb 3 2007, 10:26 PM

Now that's a way to say 'welcome home'. Dagger on the throat.

Heh, nice update as always. Now let's hope Athyn gets a chance to relax for once.

Posted by: canis216 Feb 3 2007, 10:53 PM

Well, I don't know about you but I always greet visitors with a dagger. What could be more friendly and intimidating intimate?

Posted by: Soulseeker3.0 Feb 3 2007, 10:53 PM

Wow, its good to see that Athyn still welcomes back Serene. Everyone else's reactions are nerv-racking though.. please keep up the good work.

Posted by: minque Feb 5 2007, 10:10 PM

”I had this dream, but I’ll tell you about it…some other time,” Athyn said as we sat down on his bed, still holding on to each other. It was as if we didn’t want to let go; we both had the urge to just feel the closeness. I stroked his hair, kissed him repeatedly and then I cuddled up in his arms, my face tight to his chest. I was happy but yet also remorseful…

How could I even have thought of running away like that?

“Serene, don’t think about it…it was a sign from the Divines, I promise you! It was meant to happen, it had a purpose! I…I know that now.” Athyn held me tight and his words were comforting but I still had this nagging in my heart. Then I realised I hadn’t said a word and he knew what I was thinking anyway…

I wanted to ask him about the dream he had, but as his kissing became more intense, I understood he had other things in mind. This scared me at first; my experiences of men and their more physical wishes was not entirely pleasant, but the act I experienced that evening, together with Athyn wiped all the bad memories away and showed me the real power of love.

The first thing Athyn asked me next morning was if I now was ready to move in with him, and this time I said yes. There was really no other option… I got a chamber of my own, to keep my things and perform my coming tasks; as it now was clear that I would obtain a position within the House. This pleased me a great deal, for I was eager to serve and honor the Family that had adopted me, but most of all I was pleased about living close to Athyn.

Sarethi Manor was a crowded place at the time of my return, but as Athyn, merely from the sheer joy of having me back (At least that’s what he said!) was on his feet again really soon, things went back to normal rather quickly. Salyn went back to Ghostgate with his Buoyant Armigers, and one day we got a message from Varvur that he was coming home. His message was rather cryptic and neither Athyn nor I could figure out what caused this sudden visit.

Sethyas and I got back on speaking terms again; he was visiting rather often and I sometimes got the feeling he was keeping an eye on me, seeing that I was still there. It didn’t bother me that much; I was rather touched by his obvious care for Athyn…

One thing was not going back to normal, as I could see, and that was the eating-habits of the household. Athyn couldn’t get enough food; he was constantly hungry and spent a great deal of his time in the kitchen, preparing food, which he was really good at! Now I had to restrain myself, for I did not need that amount of food, but I usually kept him company and had a glass of comberry-juice or a cup of tea. Athyn was especially happy if there were visitors coming, and then he really enjoyed cooking. He used his mother’s cooking-book, and tried out almost all the recipes.

“I so enjoy cooking! Unfortunately Domi wouldn’t hear of me cooking; she said it was a sign of weakness and not appropriate for a Redoran Councillor,” Athyn pleaded as he took out a casserole from the oven, and proudly presented it for me. It was one month since my return and Athyn wanted to celebrate the occasion. I felt a bit awkward but I didn’t want to spoil it for him so I smiled at him and told him it looked delicious. It was! We had a wonderful meal together, just the two of us, sitting at the minor table by the fireplace in my chamber, in the light of just a few lanterns, enjoying the food and quite a lot of wine. His face was glowing, from the wine, or from just happiness and he looked younger than ever.

After we finished eating, we sat down amongst a bunch of pillows outspread in front of the fire. Suddenly he put his hands gently around my face and chanted to me, a hymn with the most touching words, a melody, strange but yet beautiful in its simplicity, with a voice hoarse and dark but filled with utmost emotion;

What a wondrous love it is
To bind two souls in faith,
Chained completely together
With never a false word,
Weal and woe, wish and real,
Woven each together
From first kiss to last breath,
First and last whispered in love.

He wiped the tears from my face and kissed me….over and over again, and we sank down amongst the pillows and completed what had to be completed…At some point during the act he touched my tattoo and his fingers sent a burning sensation to my skin, and I felt he knew I had it.

“I’ll tell you of my dream,” Athyn said afterwards as we lay beside each other. He gently stroked my chin and gave me a devoted smile. “You know, Serene, Azura came to me…in my dream. I know it was her, I recognised her ice-blue dress, she was standing beside my bed, just like that, and she stretched out her hand towards me…and in her palm…” Athyn stopped and planted a kiss on my lips. “In her palm was a figure of a man…and it was Trey! Trey in full armor. I didn’t understand at first, but when I looked upon Azura´s face…when I looked at her, everything fell together….it was your face Serene, and I then understood the role you are playing in the future of our people!!”

I must have looked confused, because he then told me this story, from long ago:

“In ancient days, the Deep Elves and a great host of outlanders from the West came to steal the land of the Dunmer. In that time, Nerevar was the great khan and war leader of the House People, but he honored the Ancient Spirits and the Tribal law, and became as one of us.
So, when Nerevar pledged upon his great Ring of the Ancestors, One-Clan-Under-Moon-and-Star, to honor the ways of the Spirits and rights of the Land, all the Tribes joined the House People to fight a great battle at Red Mountain.
Though many Dunmer, Tribesman and Houseman, died at Red Mountain, the outlanders were driven from the land. But after this great victory, the power-hungry khans of the Great Houses slew Nerevar in secret, and, setting themselves up as gods, neglected Nerevar's promises to the Tribes.”

“But…” Athyn continued with a smile,” it is said that Nerevar will come again with his ring, and cast down the false gods, and by the power of his ring will make good his promises to the Tribes. And it is also believed that Nerevar has come back, that he is reborn in the shape of a man you know, my love, the man called Trey!”

I nodded; I had heard that from the Ahemmusa and I had also actually seen Trey, so I did believe him, but I still couldn’t grasp what he was coming to, why this dream explained everything to him.

“Trey is guarded by Azura, like you are. He is now completing the Fourth Trial of the prophecy called Seven Visions of Seven Trials of the Incarnate:

A stranger's voice unites the Houses.
Three Halls call him Hortator”.

I sat silent; the ancient tale made sense to me. There was an Incarnate, and I remembered clearly the words of Nibani Maesa at the Meeting amongst the Ashlander Tribes;

“.......The Third Trial........Urshilaku Nerevarine, and before the grass of the Ashlands turns brown again for the winter-season, he will appear in front of you, Sinnamu Mirpal, and ask you to name him the Ahemmusa Nerevarine. You may ask a favor of him; just make sure it will be of benefit for your people.”

It was Trey she was referring to, referring to his sojourn among the Ashlanders, to complete the Third Trial. Now he had proceeded to the Fourth Trial, and I subconsciously understood that I. somehow, was involved in his quest to complete it...

But…I did not know in what way…just yet.

Posted by: lord_wanhoop Feb 5 2007, 10:24 PM

Interesting. You make a good connection to a(nother) masterpiece here. But curiousity is pouring out of my every orifice... If she aten't not no Nerevaress at all, how does she figure into the Grand Scheme?

Posted by: The Metal Mallet Feb 5 2007, 10:31 PM

Serene's future seems to run somewhat parallel to Trey's quest. I wonder what she'll have to do to assist dear Trey.

I love the rapidly developing relationship that's being built between Serene and Athyn. Just like McDonalds (which I don't really like), "I'm Lovin' It!".

Posted by: jack cloudy Feb 5 2007, 11:04 PM

Wow, never knew that Athyn was a cook. Hmm, I wonder how Serene fits into his dream. He might understand everything, I certainly don't.

Posted by: Black Hand Feb 5 2007, 11:37 PM

Niiice...I'm enjoying the masterful touches of three parallels here. Soon the three of us will have to cowrite a short story of dialogue between the three heroes...

Posted by: minque Feb 5 2007, 11:39 PM

Ehh, no I didn´t know he was a cook either....but it fits in somehow, and personally I´m used to live together with a cooking-maniac!

Now the dream is...strange, I admit it, but it will be more clear later, and you know how it is with dreams....they are peculiar!

Posted by: treydog Feb 6 2007, 02:36 PM

A wonderful depiction of Azura and the cryptic messages she sends. And a guest appearance by someone familiar to me... . It will be interesting to see the role Serene is to play in Trey's quest to become Hortator.

Posted by: mplantinga Feb 7 2007, 01:30 AM

I am overjoyed at Athyn's recovery, and surprised at his great culinary skills. But, I guess, you have to love a man who cooks.

I enjoyed the mix of poetry, prophecy, and history/legend in this installment. It added a wonderful depth both of emotion and significance to the events that are unfolding. I look forward to seeing how Serene fits into the Sarethi household and what role she is to play in Trey's destiny.

Posted by: minque Mar 14 2007, 07:05 PM

”All you have to do is to be there, listen to their talk, and make your own judgements about it.”

Athyn tried to convince me that my presence at the forthcoming Council-meeting was very much needed, not for me, but for him. He said he needed me there to stand by his side, giving my silent support. I hesitated; I wasn’t sure the other Councillors would be very happy having me there.

We were having our regular morning-talk in bed, before facing the daily life. This habit was established since the second I moved in as it seemed, and we both enjoyed it. It was one of the few moments we had on our own.

“The others would ridicule you, my dear, for bringing me,” I tried to talk myself out of it; I wasn’t at all interested in taking part in the Redoran Council Meetings…not at all!

I knew the best way to end this discussion, in fact to end any discussions with Athyn, was to kiss him, which distracted him and made him want something entirely different…

Afterwards I sat up in bed looking at the man beside me. Even though he was old enough to be my father, I didn’t see him that way. His strong wiry body, his dark glittering eyes, so filled with emotion, the dark grey-streaked hair, dishevelled as always at this time, all this made him so attractive to me, and I loved him more than ever. And he also had an infuriating habit of being able to pick up the thread of a conversation without missing a beat.

“No, Serene, they wouldn’t! Maybe the Archmaster…but not the others! Deep inside, they loathe him as much as I …or you, my love!”

But of course my first Council-meeting turned out to be disastrous. I attended, due to Athyn´s wishes, and the Archmaster did his best to insult me and spit out his hate towards me. I suffered, not for my sake, but for the pain in Athyn´s eyes when he had to listen to the evil words of Bolvyn Venim. Needless to say, the other Councillors remained quite silent, save Brara Morvayn. I noticed some shame in the eyes of Hlaren Ramoran, but Garisa Llethri was absent, due to personal reasons it was said.

I had a pretty good idea what those reasons were…

That meeting was my first and my last for quite some time. I decided not to attend any kind of gathering with Bolvyn Venim present.

I pondered my life and future during the following weeks. While doing that I decorated my study, a minor room in the basement of Sarethi Manor. Athyn had given it to me shortly after I moved in, a room I could do what I wanted with, but there had been no time for me to really make it mine…until now. I needed this to keep my mind off Bolvyn Venim, and to decide what I had to do to fulfil Sinnamu Mirpal´s prophecy. Deep inside I knew what it meant, but I wasn’t ready to really grasp it…yet.

Instead I gave much thinking about how to be of any use to Trey’s struggle to be named Hortator. As far as I knew he was in the Telvanni-districts now to try to convince those crazy wizards to give him the title. The only Telvanni I knew was Baladas Demnevanni….and that brave young girl Telina…something.

Since I was planning to go to Gnisis Marketplace anyway, I decided to pay a visit to Baladas at the same time. Gnisis Market was known to be the right place to go if you wanted to buy woven carpets and ceramic pottery, and I had a room to decorate! Apart from that it would be nice to meet Baladas again…

A faint sun was rising over Red Mountain that cold Loredas-morning in mid First Seed, as I set out for Gnisis. At least there was no ash-storm and I wore a dark violet cloak, made of finest Kagouti-hides dyed with heather, so I could stand a bit of harsh weather. Athyn didn’t really want me to go; he was always worried that something would happen to me, so he wanted Sethyas Velas to accompany me. I refused; this was my trip, and I did not want any man to interfere with my shopping, or my eventual meeting with Baladas Demnevanni for that matter.

I enjoyed the trip with the Strider to Gnisis. The sky was blue and the colors of the rising sun were magnificent. Navam Veran, the driver, was cheerful as always, and fed me with the latest gossip about the inhabitants of Ald´ruhn.

“´eard them Mages got´emselves some really fancy books, fer teachin´them scholars te read! Reeeally fine books…from Vivec they came.oh aye! And given by that noble Duchess who is the very fiancée of our Seth, so nice a lady she is that Lady Duchess…And Ienas Sarandas´ done it again, made a complete fool of ´imself! Now he has it comin´to ´im, mark my word…Oh and Counc´ler Ramoran is still sulkin´o´er that woman…tsk.tsk, when he’s got that fiiine lass jest under ´is very eyes.”

“Excuse me!” I just had to interrupt him, or he would have never stopped talking, “That Duchess you’re talking about, could it by any chance be Lady Ilmeni Dren you’re referring to?” That was the only Duchess I had heard of and I knew Sethyas had something going on with her.

“Aye Sera Catraso…´tis, now long time since she’s been in Ald´ruhn….I wonder?”

I didn’t find out what Navam was wondering, because we went down for landing at Gnisis Strider port. The weather had gotten much worse, as Gnisis was situated near the coast, the humidity from the sea easily gets in over the land and clouds are formed. So a drizzling rain met me in Gnisis as I hurried towards the Market.

***************

I put down my quill for a short moment, to stretch my numb legs and actually look at the room I was sitting in. The room hasn’t changed since then; this was the room I decorated back then, before it all happened, when I still was young and naïve, when I still had all those things undone, which would affect my life to such extent. This was my place of remembrance, my place of peace…The woven tapestries in dark red and brown were those I purchased in Gnisis that day in First Seed, so many years ago, the pots filled with fresh Heather and Gold Kanet were the pots I brought home back then…If the walls in this room could talk….

****************

Tulsi, Baladas Demnevanni´s tame Daedroth, greeted me by hissing and displaying her teeth…waving her big head from one side to the other, as I reached the inner chambers of Arvs Drelen.

“Who’s there?” The sharp voice made some memories awake in me, and I stepped rapidly forward. He looked exactly as I remembered him, and without any further comments he just embraced me.

“Let me have a look at you my child.” He held me at an arm’s length in front of him and appraised me thoroughly. A couple of tears ran down my cheeks as I remembered the last time I met this old wizard.

“Master Demnevanni,” I said, “I…I’m so glad to see you.”

“Then stop crying, for Stendarr’s sake,” he grunted, “You are beautiful as always but you have lost weight…are you really happy?” I nodded and wiped my face with the sleeve of my cloak.

Baladas bade me sit down and offered me some herbal tea, ingredients unknown to me but it surely had an effect on me, and I felt all of a sudden very calm and relaxed.

I told Baladas most of the things that had happened to me since I last met him. He listened without saying much; he just gave me a handkerchief when I spoke about the terrible death of Domesea Sarethi and my cowardly escape to Ald Daedroth after the funeral. His red eyes darkened as I mentioned Bolvyn Venim and he just nodded as I told about Sinnamu Mirpal´s dream.

“You do know what actions need to be taken? And that you have to actually do it- don’t you?” He asked me sternly. I nodded, but I didn’t want to think about that right now. My primary concern was Trey, to make sure he’d be Hortator.

Posted by: The Metal Mallet Mar 14 2007, 08:28 PM

Hmmm... It looks like Serene has some important decisions to make in not so distant future... Let's hope she makes the right one.

Always glad to see a Serene update! Definitely a good one at that. I look forward to the next one!

Posted by: treydog Mar 16 2007, 11:42 AM

The interactions of the Council are interesting- shows how a strong but corrupt person can poison the whole thing.... I wonder if Serene will try to work with the Telvanni or instead follow the destiny that Nibani and Baladas have both pointed out.

Posted by: mplantinga Mar 18 2007, 05:45 AM

While I can understand the need to make sure things turn out well for Trey, I am concerned about Serene's apparent apathy toward her own destiny. Her experience in Ald Daedroth should have taught her the important of doing what she needed to do, both for herself and others, and not to ignore things that seem currently inconvenient. Perhaps we'll get to see yet again what kind of woman Serene really is.

Thanks for another great update. I am looking forward to seeing where Serene takes things from here.

Posted by: minque Mar 21 2007, 07:58 PM

”Trey of High Rock...oh yes he’s been to see me,” Baladas nodded and poured himself an-other cup of herbal tea. “He’s a good man and I’d gladly see him as Telvanni Hortator, but there might be some who would not…”

I remained silent, waiting for him to continue. I did hope he had put a word for Trey among the other members of the Telvanni council, but I doubted it.

“I’m almost sure Mistress Therana voted for him,” he chuckled with a grin on his face, “It would surprise me if she didn’t.”

I gasped; how could he be sure of that? Mistress Therana was mad as a hatter and totally un-predictable from what I’d heard. The explanation was more fantastic then I’d imagined…

“Mad? Therana? Oh my dear child, you have been misled, just like everybody else, but that is purely intentional!” Baladas obviously found this extremely amusing; he laughed and started walking back and forth in front of me.

“I like you, Serene, and for some reason I completely trust you, therefore I’ll tell you the best preserved Telvanni-secret there is! Nobody except Master Aryon and me actually know about it…well that young woman who probably will be our next Archmagister probably knows by now, but no one else, and I’d like to keep it that way, you understand?”

I nodded; the woman he was referring to, could it be…Telina?

“I’ve known Therana since we were children in Sadrith Mora,” Baladas began. “ She was smart, incredibly smart, maybe that was her misfortune, I’m not sure! Anyway we both stud-ied the noble arts of Magic; she was particularly interested in the school of Destruction, whilst I concentrated on alchemy and illusion. Therana was quite good-looking in those days, and I think she still is, but I’ll come back to that later! She turned out to be the best mage and wizard among us all; unfortunately she was aware of that and did not hide her superiority. I don’t think she had a single friend in those days, except for me. I was about the only one who could stand her, maybe because I was fairly skilled myself; if I may say so, and she respected me in her own weird way.

We both made our ways to the high ranks of the Great House Telvanni, through intelligence and skill and were promoted for the Council. I soon found out that this life was not for me. This made Therana furious; she and I had…a relationship at that time and she thought that I let her down. When I look back now, I regret that I didn’t persist in trying to talk her out of it, but she was…and still is, one stubborn woman! I probably wouldn’t have succeeded anyway.

So Therana became a Telvanni-.councillor…At first she seemed to do ok but her intelligence and her shrewdness for that matter, didn’t make her very popular among her fellow Council-lors, and certainly not with Councillor Gothren! He began to hate her and did everything he could to get rid of her; he even made a serious attempt to kill her, which did not succeed, but she was badly wounded and lay in coma for over three months. We thought she’d never wake up again.”

During his speech, Baladas had paced back and forth and now he stopped in front of me, watching me thoughtfully before he finally sat down on his big throne-like chair and so con-tinued:

“She woke up one day, and started to behave strangely, speaking all sorts of nonsense and was somewhat obsessed with spiders…Naturally everybody was convinced she’d gone mad due to brain-damage, since the injury Councillor Gothren caused her was a severe blow to her head. I was a bit suspicious though; I thought she overdid her madness. You must remem-ber I know Therana well, and her behaviour wasn’t very trustworthy…to me that was. About a month after her awakening she finally confided in me. She told me she pulled this act of madness to save herself and be an “observer” of the Telvanni-council. Fact was the others, except Gothren, pitied her and let her stay as a Councillor, believing she could do no real harm…”

Baladas smiled at the consternation that was shown all over my face, and said.

“So you see, Serene, Therana is as normal as you and me, and she’s a wonderful asset to have in the Council. That way I get all the titbits’ of information I need to keep me up to date with their schemes; besides Therana and I are able to spend time together, because I visit her rather often.”

I now understood why he was so sure about Therana voting for Trey as Hortator…But one secure vote wouldn’t be enough, so I had to think of something else as well. Maybe Telina could help? That is if I could find her and if she would consider helping me.

“Telina? Yes, yes, she might be able to help out in this matter; I’ll have a word with her, don’t worry.”Baladas said, “But I think the main problem is Councillor Gothren. Trey will most certainly have to kill him.”

I nodded; glad it wasn’t me who had to take another life.

As much as I enjoyed spending time with Baladas, it was now time for me to leave. I was convinced he would do what he could to make it possible for Trey to actually be Telvanni Hortator.

Now I had to get on with my shopping; after all, that was one of the reasons for going to Gnisis.

I went to see Shulki Ashunbabi, my old friend, who I hadn’t seen for so long. She greeted me with pleasure and we had supper at her house, or rather cave, and talked for hours. I spent the night, or what was left of it, at her home. The next day was sunny and bright, an excellent day for visiting Gnisis Market. I bought some nice woven carpets and a couple of pots to have in my chamber at home, but of course I couldn’t carry them with me so I asked at the Strider port to have my stuff sent home.

I slept during most of the journey back, and arrived quite late in Ald´ruhn. The sky was clear and the light of Masser and Secunda lit the streets with a silvery shine. I was eager to get home and tell Athyn about my successful trip to Gnisis, and I sang to myself while walking past the Mage’s and Fighter’s Guilds.

I didn’t notice the shadow behind me until it was too late…I whirled around, and then I felt as if my head had exploded and everything turned dark.

I was walking in a dark tunnel; a light was visible at the end of it…far ahead. The light caused my head to ache and I didn’t want to approach it, but something pulled me towards it, a voice, persistently urging me to head on; “Serene, Serene, wake up, talk to me!” I couldn’t resist, although my head hurt terribly, and then I broke through into the painful white.

“Ah…at last, she’s waking up,!” The voice was familiar but I couldn’t see anything, just blurry shadows moving in front of me. After a while the shadows formed into a face; Sethyas Velas! And another face as well but I gave up trying to identify it. I felt bruised and nauseous and when I tried to move my head , a knife-sharp pain shot right through my entire body.

“Lie still, mind you, you’ve got a nasty blow to your head, don’t try to move,” Sethyas took my hand and squeezed it. “Stupid woman, walking alone in the streets after dark!” He mut-tered. I was completely disoriented; I had no idea where I was and why I was injured. The last thing I remembered was that faint sound behind me…and the shadow, after that…nothing.

“I was heading home after a…meeting at The Pot, when I literally stumbled over you, lying on the stairs. Gah, I thought you were dead drunk, until I saw the blood!” Sethyas shrugged.

My head stopped spinning around and I was able to focus on his face now. He looked angry as always, but also a bit worried. Behind him I noticed Lloros Sarano; obviously I was at the Temple, but I still couldn’t figure out what had happened, save that someone had hurt me.

Sethyas told me he had found me unconscious on the stairs leading to the open space in front of Under Skar, bleeding from a severe wound to my head. He had taken me to the Temple, where Lloros Sarano took care of me. The reason he’d stayed behind, he told me, was some-thing he found in my hand, which worried him a lot.

It was an amulet, a very unique amulet, which I, apparently when falling to the ground after the blow, had managed to strip off the person who attacked me.

“You know, the one who attacked you must have been very unskilled…or maybe you are ex-tremely thick-headed, else you would have been dead by now…” Sethyas said sternly.

I looked at him and when he showed me the amulet I recognised it, and everything that it meant. This was it, the stakes had just gotten much higher- the attack was a serious attempt to take my life. Someone very much wanted me dead, and I knew who it was. Now there was no turning back; I had to do what I perhaps should have done long before; there was no time for cowardice now, no time to hesitate before doing what I loathed most…

I looked Sethyas right in the eyes and said:

“Go home, tell Athyn I’ll be alright and that I have to do what is prophesied…for the sake of House Redoran…and for my own sake, as well.


Here ends chapter 6

Posted by: The Metal Mallet Mar 21 2007, 11:12 PM

Oh boy, oh boy! What does she have to do!?!??!? The suspence until the next update shall kill me!!!

Great update as always Minque!

Posted by: Lord Revan Mar 21 2007, 11:35 PM

Ah, the end of chapter six of a great series. Can't wait 'til sven comes out, Minky.

Posted by: Black Hand Mar 22 2007, 07:15 AM

Hmmm the plot thickens.....

I sit by ready to read!

Posted by: mplantinga Mar 27 2007, 04:38 AM

An excellent end to a wonderful chapter. I must say I'm really anxious to discover to whom the amulet belongs and what that means for dear Serene. Given her reaction, I can only assume that it has Morrowind-shaking repercussions, but I guess I'll have to wait to find out.

Posted by: blockhead Mar 27 2007, 04:56 AM

Wow. Intense. I'll just bite my nails until chapter 7. I hope we get to see Serene finally start some serious kicking of spotted owl.

Posted by: jack cloudy Mar 27 2007, 09:55 PM

Nothing I can add that hasn't been said already. Except perhaps for a reply to Blockhead. Of course you have the right on your own opinion, so don't take it badly.

Personally, I find that the relative lack of violence is one of the high points in this story. Most other fanfics I've read (mine included.) have a fight in nearly every update. It's a nice departure from the usual. Still, a Vomica Cruor from time to time wouldn't be bad at all.

Posted by: minque Mar 27 2007, 10:16 PM

Thanks Jackie! I was afraid you guys were getting bored with Serene..! Hmm now the Vomica Cruor is only used by Serene in the RP. That Serene is somewhat more violent than the one in the story....dual personalities perhaps!

I try to keep excess magica away from the story, some intervention-spells and different kind of potions and some good old healing will be suffice for now!

Now Blockie has a point...Renie just has to kick some bad guys....and so she will!




edited by minque, non-intentional censor-break-through

Posted by: jack cloudy Mar 27 2007, 10:23 PM

What the frick?! Minque, you just managed to break trough the censor!

And the Vomica Cruor. My mistake, I should've realized that such a violent spell would not fit the 'story' Serene.

Posted by: minque Mar 27 2007, 10:31 PM

Uhhh.....I guess I did? Oh my that´s bad, I think I have to edit my post...the rules should apply to me as well, my only excuse is that I didn´t think about it.....my bad!

Posted by: blockhead Mar 27 2007, 11:17 PM

I'm sorry. I don't want to annoy anyone ... it's just that ... From reading Treydog's already finished story we know that Serene will become Archmaster of Redoran. From my in-game experiences I already know that there is only one way to become Archmaster. Therefore some violence will occur. All I am saying is that it will nice that (for a change) said violence will be done by Serene instead of to her.

I will admit to a bias though: I like women who kick spotted owl.

Posted by: Lord Revan Mar 27 2007, 11:21 PM

Black Hand's Tale of sethyas Velas also confirms Serene becoming the Redoran Archmaster. She's becoming a VIP.

Posted by: minque Mar 27 2007, 11:25 PM

Ok...fact number one:

You my darling readers know by now that I tend to alter the in-game plots pretty much..that means that I could let Renie be Archmaster without spilling one drop of blood

fact number two:

She has done some fighting....f ex with a couple of mudcrabs!

fact number three:

Nah....you´ll have to wait and see....

Posted by: mplantinga Mar 28 2007, 04:19 AM

I was under the impression that the marvelous cameos of various characters in other stories were not binding on other authors. Perhaps my assumption is incorrect?

Posted by: The Metal Mallet Mar 28 2007, 04:24 AM

I wouldn't think so. I'm pretty sure we take creative liberties when we're dealing with cameos in our stories. Otherwise, big plots holes between the two stories would be plain to see.

Though, I guess I kinda took that into consideration when I wanted Sethyas Velas to cameo in my story. I made sure I placed the time of my story after all the possible events Black Hand had/will be written about in his series on the character.

So yea, don't worry about the inconsistances between the stories. A wizard did it

Posted by: jack cloudy Mar 28 2007, 06:33 AM

Don't worry, Blockhead. You don't annoy me. Different opinions are the spice of life. And I agree with you there, Serene has taken more than her fair share of abuse. She deserves to dish out some payback. And not just for herself, for Athyn as well.



Dang, plotholes? Bethesda already showed the way out for us. It's a Dragonbreak, from Akulakhan's destruction!