Serene of Cyrodiil, chapter 3 "Gathering Forces" Options

[minque]

Always be smarter than the people who hire you.
Lena Horne


Chapter 3 Gathering Forces

I decided to take a walk through the beautiful City of Balmora before finding my quarters. It was a rather big city, sturdy houses made of some kind of yellowish stone were scattered on each side of a river. I did meet quite a lot of people strolling on the riverbank, and in the streets. Most of them were very friendly, with few exceptions, who were clad in a strange type of armor and called themselves “guards”.

There seemed to be a lot of service available here, armorer, outfitters, various shops and to my greatest satisfaction I found a book-store. Now I can´t resist visiting a book-store whenever I find one and this time was no exception.

“Balmora Bookstore – owner; Dorisa Darvel” the sign by the door said and I stepped inside, meeting a young Dunmer girl, looking up from a book she was reading, friendly smiling at me.

“Good evening to you” she said, “what can I do for you?”

She was beautiful and the kind tone in her greeting touched me, so I smiled back to her;

“ I love books” I said, not the most intelligent answer, but I was somewhat stunned by the open friendliness with which she addressed me. “I´d like to look around for a while if that´s Ok with you?”

“By all means Muthsera, you´re welcome, take your time” With those words she got back to her reading.

I turned to the books, there were a lot of them, many unknown to me but also some titles I remembered seeing in Cyrodiil, even in the Library of the prison. When strolling among the bookshelves I suddenly heard someone coughing, naturally I got terrified, I didn´t expect someone else to be there besides the lovely Dorisa, but now I spotted a “guard” in that weird armor I´d seen in the streets. “Well naturally”, I thought when my heart stopped pounding, “she had to have some kind of protection, so young and all alone in her store.”

I found a couple of useful books though; A Guide to Balmora, and then there was another one where the name of it caught my interest, it was a Guide to Ald´ruhn, Ald´ruhn…there it was again…..my fate was somewhat bound to this place I imagined, far too many coincidences lately! Then I had to stop buying books, if I should be able to pay for night-quarters. It was obvious that I must try to get some kind of a job because I´d soon run out of the few septims I had.

With my new books in my satchel I then took a hearty godbye of Dorisa Darvel, certain that I´d visit her store again and made my way down the street. I noticed that the Mage´s and the Fighter´s guilds were situated nearly right across the bookstore, that knowledge could eventually come in handy later on…..

Further down, the street broadened a bit, stairs leading down to the river Odai, that I just learnt from the Guide, and also stairs leading upwards, then again I didn´t bother exploring anymore of the city tonight, all I wanted now was a decent meal and a bed for the night.

From a distance you could hear the whereabouts of the inn “Eight Plates”, laughs and raised voices accompanied by some weird kind of “music”…sounded out from a building to the left of the street. I hesitated for a while but decided it couldn´t be all that bad so I went inside…..

It was an Inn alright, but quite different from those back in The Imperial City….This one was dark, there was a distinct mouldy smell oozing from the very walls, and there were not many guests, just two Dunmeri sitting at a table heavily arguing about someone sleeping with someone else´s wife…..another rather drunk man in an ever weirder armor than the outside guards, was pacing back and forth muttering and hissing at some invisible enemy. Then there was the landlady, a tall elderly Dunmeri woman with an extremely dark voice, shouting at the drunken man to shut up and sit down otherwise he would be expelled from the premises.

I stopped at the counter and asked for night-quarters. The landlady stopped yelling at the drunk and turned to me thoroughly examining me before saying;

“Nah look what we have here guys!, an Outlander….and a woman, now that´s quite extraordinary” She laughed and stared at me, undressing me with her looks and I felt quite bad. It was not a good idea of coming here, but what choice did I have?

“Nightquarters” she laughed….”the little lady wants a bed, right?..and maybe some company to go with it?”

“No, I just want somewhere to sleep and something to eat if it´s possible” I tried to keep calm and be polite, despite the rage I felt inside by this insulting comments.

The men who were arguing before sat silent now and watched me with curiousity, the armored drunk had finally given up, lying beside the wall heavily snoring.

“Women don´t come in here unless they want some company”, the landlady snapped at me, “but nevermind, I´ll let you have the room downstairs to the right”. She then handed me the key and turned away.

The room was very small, a bed, a chair and a little table at the bedside, and it was filled up. Now I didn´t mind that at all, all I needed was a bed, but I checked the lock on the door very thoroughly, didn´t want any visitors….

After putting my gear on the bed, I went upstairs to investigate the possibility of having something to eat. The landlady was not very pleased with the thought of cooking me a meal so she shook her head in a negative answer on my request.

“Now now Dulnea, what about those kwama-eggs I brought you this afternoon, you haven´t finished them already have you?” A soft voice came out of a dark corner of the inn, and a young man stepped forward. He was a Dunmer, tall and slender, of about my age, maybe a few years older, pointed cheekbones, a complexion fairly light grey, and a tribal tattoo on his forehead, his red-brownish hair glowed in the dim lights from the lanterns on the wall, his eyes were red but then very sad and he looked thoughtfully right into my face.

“Oh heck,” Dulnea snapped at him, “Very well I´ll fry some eggs then, you certainly are a strange kind of man, Sedrane Mirpal, always volunteering to aid, being a woman or an outlander, your father would be ashamed of you”…..

“You know perfectly well that I don´t have a father” he said harshly and then turned to me;

“I bid you welcome to Balmora lady, and do forgive Dulnea, she is a hag sometimes but basicly she has a heart of gold, by the way my name is Sedrane Mirpal” .The young Dunmer reached out his hand to me and looked me straight into the eyes.

I felt weak, my legs trembled as I took his hand; strong and warm…..I was all lost in his earnest gaze, my voice was not but a whisper when I told him my name.

I simply had to sit down, having no idea what was happening to me,…….

“Ok Serene, let´s put you to bed before you pass out”, Sedrane took my hand again and led me down the stairs to my room, “I´ll bring you the food in a minute, but I think you have to
lie down for a while”
Lying on my bed I let my thoughts wander…..No doubt I was attracted to Sedrane Mirpal, he was very handsome, and that dark low voice, so soothing so calming and so sexy……and his hands, strong, warm and supporting. I closed my eyes and let it come to me, the feeling of something not yet experienced but still I knew what it was….Love!

[minque]

Neminda looked at me. ”Yes” she said,” please tell me”

I hesitated a bit; how I would tell her this in a good way. Her sister obviously wanted to get things sorted out, and I knew Elone a little bit, but I didn’t know this woman and I had the feeling I would need her, so the last thing I wished was to annoy her in any way.

I handed Neminda the ring Elone had given me and told her that her sister did not have any hard feelings and that she was sorry for the past....

When I said that, Neminda turned her head down and I saw tears emerge from her eyes. I didn’t really know what to do so I just stretched my hand out and the young Redguard grasped it and held tight. Then all of a sudden she raised her head again, wiped the tears away and looked me sternly in the eyes;

“You have brought me much joy, Serene Catraso, and I will forever be grateful to you for doing this, so if there is ever anything I can do for you in return, just let me know...”

I felt good doing this mission, and after taking a hearty farewell of Neminda, I made my way towards the Strider-port in order to finally go to Gnisis. As I rode north, I pondered on what events in the past had parted those two lovable sisters.

Gnisis turned out to be a miserable little village, a few odd-shaped buildings scattered along the shoreline, an Imperial Fortress rising beyond them......and not much more. I took a walk through the village in order to stretch my legs a bit after the tedious Silt-strider-journey. The villagers greeted me politely, but as in Ald´ruhn not very warmly. I asked about where to find General Darius and was told to seek him in the Madach Trade house.

Upon entering the Trade house I was received with suspicion; it was probably not appropriate for a single woman to even be here, but I shrugged my shoulders and asked where to find the General. He dwelt in the lower level of the establishment, I was told.....

“Ayyee, they just can’t be serious!” the General exclaimed as I told him who I was. “This is no task for a woman, these are serious matters, what in the name of Stendarr was he thinking, the old bugger?”

Even though I by now should have been used to being looked down on just for being female, I became furious;

“Look here Ser General! I did not come here voluntarily, I was ordered by the Emperor himself, to enroll in the Legion, so here I am whether you like it or not, you just have to accept it!”

I was shivering, my shirt was soaked with sweat, tears burning behind my eyelids, but I succeeded in staying composed. There would be no sign of weakness from me anymore, from now on I had to be strong, calm and very focused, otherwise I wouldn’t survive. That realization had grown strong during my stay on this godforsaken continent, where I seemed to be a puppet-on-a-string for someone.....yet unknown.

The General was stunned after my outbreak; apparently no woman had ever dared to talk to him the way I just did, but I had no regrets, being utterly tired of the male-chauvinism I had met in the last months.

“Hrrrmpfff, ok so what may be your name Recruit?” he said in a remarkably friendlier tone.

“Serene Catraso, Ser....originally from Cyrodiil,” my voice was clear and very calm despite the rage that still dwelt within me.

“Okay,” he looked at me, then his lips narrowed and he continued; “We’ll have to send you to a training-camp, let’s see......” he scratched himself on his genitals. I shrugged, knowing it must have been deliberate, just to make me feel uncomfortable... “ Ahh now I have it, you’ll go to Fort Buckmoth, that’s the Fortress near Ald´ruhn and report to Imsin –the-Whor....ehh Dreamer it is yes,” he laughed rather unpleasantly, undressing me with his gaze.

By then I really was sick and tired of his behaviour and wished I could tell him who my father was, but instead I took a deep breath to stay calm and said in a razor-sharp voice;

“Aye, ser General”

He then gave me an imperial chain cuirass, and told me to wear it anytime I addressed an officer in the Legion, and 100 septims for expenses.

When I came out from the Madach Trade house, I couldn’t stop the tears from running, I felt so humiliated and lonely, and had no one to turn to. Those very few who at least cared for me I had no more; Thavere I had to leave in Seyda Neen and Sedrane....oh when I thought of him I cried even more....

The man by the Strider gave me a piece of cloth to dry my face with as I embarked....he didn’t ask any questions, just showed me that small kindness. Grateful and deadly tired I fell asleep during the short trip to Ald´ruhn.

It was quite nasty weather in Ald´ruhn on my arrival, the ash-storm whirled the reddish ashes up in the air and I coughed heavily when trudging along the road to Fort Buckmoth. I tried to cover my nose and mouth with a corner of my robe but the ashes made my eyes run, and I could hardly see where I was going. Suddenly I heard a sound like someone in need, but I didn’t pay that much attention to it since no sensible human being would be outside in weather like this.

The whining sound grew louder as I arrived at the slope of the hill west from the Strider-port, and there, walking, or rather swaying in the storm I spotted a woman, far too poorly clad in just a skirt and a torn shirt. She was crying heavily and could be hurt, so I hurried to her side asking her what was the matter.

“Oh where’s my husband?” the woman cried, “We were attacked by nix-hounds, and..and....ohhhhh, where is he? Help me please!” The poor woman, a young Dunmeri with short spiky hair that should have been black, but was now covered with the reddish ashes, was crying so heavily she couldn’t speak.

I looked around; it was impossible to see more than a few inches ahead due to the whirling storm but I could hear some strange roaring and it filled me with fear. I had no idea what a nix-hound was but it sure didn’t sound good.

I decided to place the hysterical woman in a shelter beside a low boulder in order to protect her from the storm. Then I would try to find out what really happened before rushing into something unknown.

When we were sitting together in shelter of the boulder she told me what had happened:

“Aye, my name is Falanu Indaren and me and my husband was heading for Maar Gan to visit my mother who is old and poor, we can’t afford to take the Strider though, so we thought it would be a nice walk.......now we didn’t make it longer than here outside the town then the nix-hounds just attacked us....” Falanu started crying again and I put my arm around her shoulders.

“There now,” I tried to calm her down, but she just clung to me, wetting my robe with her tears. I held her until her crying diminished so she could continue her story.

“I´m used to nix-hounds,” she said, “the trick is to be still, to play dead if needed, then they lose interest and just ignore you, but if you try to fight back, or run away they attack immediately.” Falanu turned her face towards me; the tears had made clean lines in the dust on her cheeks, “He was scared, Drerel,” she said, “ He started to run away, shouting at me to follow, he didn’t hear me, I shouted at him not to run......” Falanu became silent. I rose to my feet, promising her to try and find Drerel.

“He ran away westwards from here,“she said, “He’s probably dead by now.”

I left Falanu Indaren in her shelter and headed west to try find her husband; the reason was obvious, at least to me ~Love! ~