Serene of Cyrodiil, Chapter 8, Love and Death Options

[minque]

So at last chapter 8 will be revealed after a very long time. But first I will present an Interlude... Enjoy!

Ald’ruhn, Very late evening of 11th of Sun’s Dusk 3E 451

20 Years after the Events at Red Mountain and the disappearance of the Blight

I shut the door silently behind me. My heart is pounding and I am panting heavily from having run as fast as I could from the Square, I wanted to get home as quick as possible, before anyone noticed I had been out.

This is strange behavior for the Archmaster of a Great House I know, but things happened today that affect me tremendously.

It started this morning at dusk when Kausha, my maid, told me that Athynae currently is in residence at Bal Isra, with Baria and Trey! And she had been there for at least two weeks...without even tell me! Kausha said she heard it from Cai, who she had met at the Mage’s Guild last night. Naturally I was upset; my daughter, being away for quite some time on some sort of mission, then she returned and did not even bother to tell me. That was unacceptable behavior and I was determined to let her answer to me for that. Athyn had been worried all the time and he still is, I know that.

But the real shock came tonight. I went out for a walk an hour ago and reaching the Plaza I overheard a conversation between the two most important men in my life; Athyn and Sethyas.

I now wish I had stayed in tonight, because what I heard is written in fiery letters inside my head; I need to write it down in my current journal, and I will, but not just now, I can’t!

Now I need to do something I should have done years ago really, but there has never been a good time to do it. I must give Athynae my first journal, the one I wrote 15 years ago but never gave to her because…well I don’t really know why, it just never felt right to do it.

But now is the time, so I take the old worn book from the bottom of my personal chest, wrap it in a red piece of cloth and put it in my backpack.

The road to Bal Isra is dark as usual; I know it’s not safe to walk that road during the night, but there is no turning back from this; it has to be done immediately, otherwise I again will find a reason not to give it to her…

I see the flickering lights from Bal Isra as I approach; Hetman Guls is as always guarding the gates.

“Why, archmaster! What brings you here at this unsacred time?”

I put my hand over his mouth “Shhh, please, I just need to leave something here,” I say hesitantly, feeling very awkward. Well trained guard that he is, Hetman just nods at me. What he is thinking I can only guess!

I open the door very slowly; my hands are trembling as I take the book out and silently place it on the small table beside the door and then shut the door behind me.

The way back is even darker; I can barely see my feet in front of me. Of course my sight is clouded by the tears that run down my face.

I close the doors of Sarethi Manor after me for the second time this evening and head straight for my bedroom. My head is empty and numb; I am no better that a scared child, sneaking in and just leaving the journal for Athynae to find! The right thing would of course have been to read it with her and be there to answer her questions…because there will be questions!

And Athynae does not know what I just found out! When I think of it I start tremble again and I just fling myself on the bed and fall into a deep, dark sleep…

[minque]

So at last! The minque is back on track again. It felt good putting words together, not only keeping them in my mind. Then of course without the famous dachshund it wouldn't have even been possible....

THANK YOU treydog, my inspiration, my teacher, MY FRIEND!!

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Life went on. It had to; there was no other option, not for me anyway. I buried myself in work, pure work. Despite the fact that I had many good people taking care of business, I just had to interfere and double check everything. Of course that was my way of dealing with the gruesome death of Ilmeni. Perhaps I hoped that the vision of all those reports and ledgers would block out my last sight of her bleeding form on the steps of the canton in Vivec.

But it couldn’t go on much longer; I was actually causing more problems than I was solving by trying to do everything myself. Varvur Sarethi, for one, was not happy with me interfering in his affairs. He was, after all, responsible for the EEC, and I had appointed him to that position. But now I was checking up on him, quite unnecessarily, in his opinion.

“Please Archmaster, this can’t go on anymore; you just need to give me a break. I know how to run the business; you need not check every transaction I make.” Varvur was sitting in front of me in my study, his normally calm face reflecting his upset.

I was about to answer him when the door was flung open and Mistress Brara Morvayn appeared, just like that, not waiting to be announced. She marched right up to my side of the desk and firmly snapped shut the ledger that lay in front of me.

“My dear Archmistress, this can’t go on any longer. You definitely need a break.”

When I waved a weak hand at all the papers on my desk, she dismissed them with a sniff and a much firmer wave of her own. “I’ve already spoken to Serjo Sarethi and Serjo Mandas; they are taking care of things while YOU, my dear Serene, will just follow me.”

Her tone indicated that there would be no dissuading her from the course she had charted.

Still, I felt as if leaving the certain solidity of my desk would set me adrift on unknown waters. I protested: “But… I can’t ..I need to….”

“Nonsense dear girl! YOU will come with me, NOW!”

I slowly rose from the chair, and out of the corner of my eye I noticed Varvur smiling faintly.

Brara linked her arm through mine and led me to my dressing room. She urged me to dress up a bit, and then she told me what she was up to.

“You need a change of scenery,” she said. “Athyn and Arethan will take care of whatever needs to be taken care of while you and I are off on a shopping trip. Best thing for you- trust me on this.”

I nodded. Maybe she was right. I needed to get out of Sarethi Manor, out of Under Skar, away from rooms and faces that caused me to remember the things I wanted to forget.

“We’re off to Vivec,” Brara smiled when I was ready and dressed up in my red dress and Redoran robe. “There’s an art-fair going on in the Foreign Quarter, and I think it will be very interesting. There’s a new artist from Cyrodiil who is displaying her fine paintings. When I heard, I was sure you would like to see her work.”

We took the strider to Vivec, and walked over the bridge to the Foreign Quarter. Going back to Vivec was hard at first, but it was a bright, sunny Loredas morning, and the air smelled of the sea and of new growth. Life continues, I reminded myself. I do not honor the dead by trying to lock myself away in a tomb of papers. I actually enjoyed walking here with Brara; she didn’t talk much, she merely was there, present without intruding, and it made me feel better and better. Of course my heart was still sore from the passing of Ilmeni Velas and her funeral. I felt bad for Sethyas, who I hadn’t seen since the funeral. I was actually relieved at his absence; I was not ready to see him; the guilt we both felt was still too fresh.

The Vivec Foreign Quarter Plaza was crowded, and a number of merchants and craftspeople had taken advantage of the weather to set up stalls along the walkways. We threaded through the crowd to the upper level, where the art-fair proper was being held. This was the area reserved for the finest artists and artisans- jewelers, weapon-smiths, and painters. The sight of the blades and other implements of death brought a pain to my chest, but Brara just held my hand tighter and kept me moving until we reached a set of folding screens and easels adorned with paintings.

The first thing I noticed was the painting right at the front, a large canvas in a simple wooden frame- it looked like I could walk right into it. And if I had, it would have been a walk I had taken many times before, into the Nibenay valley, about one or two kilometres south from the Imperial City. It was beautiful, very thorough and also frightening for me. It awoke memories from my past. I used to spend quite some time wandering in that region. I recognized almost every tree, every part of the green landscape. I went closer…to see if the painter had included the Dunmer settlement…. I think I might have fallen into the waters of the Niben if a voice had not drawn me back.

“Greetings Archmaster of House Redoran. It’s an honor to have you here visiting my humble showing.” The clear, deep voice made me look up. The accent was as familiar as the landscape that held me enthralled. It sounded like… like the home that had been torn from me so many years ago. But that was then and now I needed to recall my manners. Before me stood an Imperial woman, tall and slender, with her red hair in a simple but ravishing style. Her dark blue eyes looked right into mine and she stretched her hand out to me,

“My name is Baria Doyella, and I hope you like my work.”

I took the woman’s hand and nodded, yes I liked her work, even if it sent chills down my spine…. The Dunmer settlement was there, there in the painting, just as I remembered it from my past.

As I looked back at the painting, at the representation of my previous life, I allowed the old memories to come out… and I realized that I felt at peace with them. I clearly remembered the events at the settlement, but despite how painful they had been, I felt good! Those events were the very reason I was standing there now, the very reason for my current life, for better or for worse. But somehow things had fallen into place and I was thankful for what had happened to me…then, because I wouldn’t have been here- I wouldn’t have met Athyn, Sethyas and all the others that were so important to me. I wouldn’t have been alive at all if those event had not happened.

“Mistress Baria, I love your work. It just triggered so many memories, as I grew up just there in the Niben area,” I whispered. “I’m just overwhelmed with your wonderful paintings.”
The artist smiled and I saw, for a brief moment, a shadow cross behind her eyes. In that instant, I knew she understood far more than my nostalgia for the landscape she had recreated. She gestured toward a cushioned bench inside her little enclosure and said,

“Ladies, please sit down. I’ll get you something refreshing.”

Brara and I sat down, and I must have had a strange look on my face because Brara just took my hand and patted it. “See, Serene, you are going to be fine, just wait and see.”

Baria came back with comberry wine and sweetrolls, and we enjoyed her cheerful way of telling about herself and her work. She was originally from Chorrol but had come to the City to study art, then she started painting and found out she was good, enough to at least try to make a living out of it. This was her first visit to Vvardenfell and she had decided to stay here for some time so she rented a flat in St Delyn.

“The light here is different than back in Cyrodiil, you see. Maybe it is because of Red Mountain, or perhaps because it is an island. But it is so different from home. And,” she paused for a moment and looked away, “I… needed a change.”

It was clear that there was something there, and equally clear that she did not wish to talk about it, at least not yet. I looked at her right hand and saw the ring that would normally have been on her left- if her husband still lived. The shape of the stone was familiar to me- it was of the sort favored by the high-ranked families from which came most of the Imperial Legion’s generals and commanders.

I decided to keep my observations to myself, and instead told her a bit of my past, but it seemed she already knew quite a bit about me, at least since I had become a Councilor and then Archmaster of House Redoran. The three of us talked about Vvardenfell, and Baria asked about locations that might be worthy subjects for new landscapes. She did not seem to mind that we were taking so much of her time, listening avidly as Brara and I told about some of the events in Ald’ruhn.

Talk of the seat of Redoran affairs brought me back to present, and I knew I would have to get back to my work. We looked through all of the paintings Baria had on display and I bought three that showed different views around the City island, among them the big one from the Niben area. I felt I needed that painting. Baria said she would come to Ald’ruhn to deliver the paintings as soon as the fair was over. I looked forward to her visiting; I felt as if we had very much in common actually.

A week later one of the retainers announced a visitor to Sarethi Manor. It was Baria Doyella, ravishing in her emerald green travel robe and shiny dark red hair. She carried a large leather case tied with ribbons and containing my three paintings.

“I don’t know if I will ever get used to riding on those silt-strider things,” she laughed. “I will admit they are much smoother than the carriages back in Cyrodiil, but there is just something odd about be carried around by a giant bug!”

I was happy to see her again not only for bringing my paintings, but also because she made me feel good; her joy and vivid appearance were a light that my wounded spirit felt drawn toward.

“Baria! How good to see you again,” I greeted her heartily. ”Athyn this is Baria Doyella, the painter I told you about! Baria, meet Athyn Sarethi, councilman of House Redoran and my husband to be.”

Baria and Athyn shook hands and it seemed that they both liked what they saw.

As courtesy bade, we had comberry wine in the reception area of Sarethi Manor, where we talked for a while. Then suddenly Baria burst out:

“Oh my new friends I must tell you about something that happened to me a couple of days ago,” she smiled. “You see I was out finding nice scenes to paint. I had gone toward Ebonheart, as you and Brara suggested. And ...well, I had finished for the day and had gathered my supplies, canvas, paintbrushes and all, and was on my way home when I literally BUMPED into a man, or,” she made a vague gesture, “HE bumped into me outside of that Aurane woman’s apothecary shop! Of course I dropped my gear and was rather annoyed about it when I looked up to see what sort of thug dared to go blundering around knocking into women….” Baria went silent for a while, and I got a feeling inside as if I had a premonition of what was to come next.

“His eyes, Serene!” Baria said, “His eyes were such an intense BLUE! And he was tall…definitely a Breton. Oh I can’t get him out of my head; I’ve been a bit shaken since… I so wonder who he is! And anyway, he was wearing a shirt in the same red as your dress the day you came to the art-fair, so I was hoping you might know who he is? Amazing man.”

She blushed then and said, “I’m sure I’m just being foolish. How could you possibly know some fellow who was probably just passing through Vivec on his way from one place to another…”

Athyn and I looked at each other- we were both sure who the man was.

I took Baria’s hand in both of my own as Athyn smiled at her and said, “You have met Trey of High Rock, Miss Doyella, the Hortator of all the great Houses. And,” he added with an even wider smile, “one of my fellow Redoran councilors. You should be very honored, madam.”

I nodded my agreement. She had met Trey and that had obviously had a great impact on her, emotionally at least.

Baria looked at us, slowly nodding her head. “Hmm. I wonder what this Hortator’s whereabouts are and if it would be appropriate to pay him a visit?” Then her expression grew pensive. “Of course, as Hortator and councilor, I imagine he has a wife and family…?”

I smiled. “Bal Isra is his home and he is not married. As to an introduction, I believe Athyn and I had some House business we needed to discuss with Trey? So, since we are going that way we, can provide you an escort.”

That evening after we had supper, Athyn escorted Baria Doyella to Bal Isra to meet the Hortator, Trey of High Rock. I hoped everything would turn out fine. As events transpired, things turned out even better than I had hoped