Trey in Mournhold, Chapter 5 Options

[treydog]

Chapter 5

Dedicated to the memory of Jonajosa. Be at peace, my friend.

Rather than walk back to the Palace, I used an amulet to cast Divine Intervention. Mainly, I chose that means of transport because I was terribly weary. But I admit that it was also a calculated insult to the Tribunal Temple. After all, the spell carried me to the entrance of the Imperial Cult, their religious rival. Once I had been deposited in the Palace courtyard, I mentally prepared myself for my meeting with Tienius Delitian. If possible, I hoped to keep Galsa Andrano’s name to myself- betrayal did not come easily to me. Though she was a member of Almalexia’s Temple, she was not responsible for its misguided choices. Before heading for the throne room, I nipped down the stairs to the basement and exchanged my armor for a robe. While the Dark Brotherhood armor might have served as a pointed reminder of Helseth’s murderous intent toward me, I did not think it wise to appear before his guards dressed as an assassin. While the King’s paranoia might be the product of a guilty conscience, theirs was a professional reflex- one that I preferred not to test. A measure of their caution was the fact that I had yet to lay eyes on Helseth, even in his own throne room. Confronting him with my…righteous indignation was going to be difficult if all he ever did was cower in his private chambers. Of course, he would also have a hard time governing from that position, a prospect that did not make me particularly unhappy. On the other hand, my disagreement with Helseth was personal rather than political, so I rather hoped he would show his sorry face sometime soon.

If Captain Delitian was happy to see me, he disguised it quite well. Stony-faced, he stared at me and queried,

“Have you anything to report? Or have you just been wandering around Mournhold gawking at the sights?”

I was becoming used to his irritating manner, having realized that his baiting was as much an attempt to surprise me into blurting something revealing as because he genuinely disliked me. Besides that, I didn’t really care- I didn’t much like him, either. So I simply smiled blandly at his sneer and described what I had discovered regarding the Temple’s view of his precious monarch. At the end of my recital, he grunted and said,

“Of course, I had someone follow you, so I know that you spent some time with the healer, Galsa Andrano. She certainly speaks her mind, and, from what you say, sounds sincere. You handled her well. The Temple seems to recognize that King Helseth will not be content to be a puppet like King Llethan, and plans to act against us. Very good work, Trey. The king will hear of your loyal service.”

So much for keeping Galsa out of it. Well, I had tried. And perhaps there would not be a confrontation between Temple and king. Better still, maybe someday I would get over the feeling that I was a particularly low form of life that betrayed confidences.

Meanwhile, Delitian had other things on his mind. Motioning for me to follow him out into the hallway, he dropped his voice and said,

“Now you can help us with another matter. King Helseth is concerned about possible disloyalty among the Guards. I've replaced many of the former king's guards with more reliable men. But I had to keep some experienced guards, and I can't be certain of their loyalties. I will pretend you wish to join the Royal Guards. That's your excuse for talking to the guards, sounding them out, and looking for evidence of disloyalty. If you find any hint of treason or evidence of disloyalty, report it to me. Take no action. Report to me, and I will judge what action is appropriate.”

The cover story struck me as being awfully thin, although it would have the advantage of explaining my repeated visits to the captain. Hoping for a bit of guidance, I inquired as to which guards I should investigate. Delitian’s familiar scowl reappeared and he replied,

“It's your judgment I'm testing, not mine. Talk to them yourself. Form your own conclusions.”

The assignment revealed still more of Helseth’s problems- and his errors. I was practically certain now that he was responsible for King Llethan’s death. And it seemed that a number of others had reached the same conclusion- including some of the palace guards. Regardless of whether they had personally liked the old king or not, his safety had been their responsibility…and they had failed to protect him. I had no way of knowing whether Helseth was any good as a ruler, but he had a positive genius for making enemies. So far, he had alienated the Temple, the conservative Dunmer (probably including House Redoran), and some of his own guards. And, oh yes, one insignificant but highly motivated Breton. He was beginning to discover that a major problem with ascending to the throne through assassination was the ideas it put into other people’s heads. Ideas like- if one king can be killed, why not two? Actual justice is often fickle or uncertain, but watching a guilty man squirm in fear of justice can sometimes be an acceptable substitute.

None of these ruminations were getting me any closer to finding out which guards, if any, were contemplating a change in management. The only thing for it was to visit the guard quarters and spread some charm and cash. I briefly entertained the notion of trying to implicate some of the loyal guards, thus weakening Helseth, but realized that Delitian wanted evidence- not just my accusations. I again had to play it straight if I was to have any hope of gaining the king’s confidence.

The guard quarters were functional and little else- each guard had a bed and a locked chest for personal items. The room itself was open and offered no possibility of concealment. A quick glance at the chests showed that the locks were of reasonable quality. I could get past them with sufficient time or with a spell, but the idea of getting caught rummaging through a Royal Guard’s possessions did not appeal to me. My fears were given additional emphasis when a guard wandered through the room, and turned his helmeted head to stare at me. Sighing with disgust, I sat down on a storage chest to consider my options. As I idly traced the badly carved name on the chest, Ivulen Irano, my eyes fell upon a scrap of parchment that had fallen between the chest and the foot of the bed. Thinking it was probably a note inviting the guard out for drinks after work, I picked it up. After some effort to decipher the tiny and nearly illegible handwriting, I understood that it was a copy of guard duty rosters for the past several weeks. Three names were always correctly spelled -- Milvela Dralen, Ivulen Irano, and Aleri Aren -- and those watches when all three were the only guards in the Throne Room were underlined twice. My finely-honed investigative senses told me that this might be what was known in the trade as a “clue.” More to the point, I thought it might be a good idea to talk to Guardsman Ivulen Irano.

[treydog]

The door was opened by a Bosmer wearing a partial set of Hlaalu bonemold armor. She was rather less than welcoming, as her greeting consisted of:

“I really don’t have time for this, so make it quick.”

When I mumbled some excuse about being there to offer my sympathies for Llethan’s death, she became friendlier, telling me that I should pay my compliments to the widow, Ravani Llethan. With that, she gestured toward an interior door and went back to her guard post. The room off of the entry foyer was obviously the library and it was an impressive one. I spent some minutes studying titles and bindings, a delaying tactic that resulted from my discomfort over my mission as much as from my obsession with books. Still, the time was not wasted, for the titles gave me some clue as to the owners of the library. Along with the more common religious works and histories there were some real rarities, including Book V of The Biography of the Wolf Queen and a well-preserved copy of The Blue Book of Riddles. Perhaps most revealing was the book that lay open on the table- The Alchemists Formulary. Considering all the talk of Helseth-as-poisoner that I had heard, that choice of reading material struck me quite forcibly. Perhaps someone in Llethan Manor had sought the recipe for an antidote or even a preventative against poisoning. Or perhaps it reflected a desperate need to do something long after it was too late. What it was not, though, was the sort of evidence Delitian wanted. With a sigh, I left the books where they were. Although I had sunk quite low, even so low as to doing the bidding of a king I despised, I had not yet reached the place where I would rob a widow.

The second door leading off of the library gave onto a small office that also doubled as a dining room, and it was there that I found Ravani Llethan seated at a small table. Even in her grief, she was an elegant Dunmer lady and I found myself in sympathy with her. Without looking up, she said quietly,

“We must endure our sorrows.”

The sadness in her voice and on her face almost caused me to turn and leave. But I steeled myself to the task at hand. If I was going to win Helseth’s trust, I would probably have to do a number of distasteful things. But if I could ever manage a few moments alone with the murderous king, all would be repaid. Therefore I bowed and told Ravani that I had come to pay my respects to her and the memory of her late husband. She brightened somewhat and thanked me, saying,

“Bless your honorable soul. Few enough have come to pay their respects. People forget their friends when the wind changes.”

How it burned in my belly that she called me “honorable”. I wondered what right I had to come and pick over the bones of her grief, no matter my reasons. Bile rising in my throat, I nevertheless asked her how Llethan had come to die. Eyes flashing, she spoke with quiet fury, replying,

“They murdered him. Helseth and his spiders. Everyone knows, and no one lifts a finger. Imperial justice! Hah! I SPIT on Imperial justice! They killed my husband, and now that wicked man is king. I curse Helseth, and all his kin! May they die tomorrow, weeping, watching their children die today!”

Although I did not doubt that she believed it, I needed to know why she thought Helseth was responsible. And so I probed further, asking,

“How do you know?”

She responded fiercely,

“Everyone knows. It's there in print, for everyone to see, in the broadside sheet called ‘The Common Tongue’. It says Helseth poisoned hundreds of people when he was in the West. If Helseth was a wicked murderer before, why not now?”

Speaking at last from the heart, I told her,

“I promise you, your loss will be avenged.”

With a smile, she grasped my sleeve and told me,

“Bless you. May fortune smile on your blade. There are those among my husband's friends who will not rest until justice is done. I shall mention your name to them.”

With that, she excused herself and stepped out into the library.

What I did next brings me no joy to relate, but I will not compound my sins by lying about them. I had my reasons- let others judge whether they were sufficient to explain my actions. Seizing on Ravani’s momentary absence, I quickly scanned the desk in one corner of the small office and soon espied a hastily scrawled letter, addressed on the outside as follows:

CODE

To my honorable cousin Forven Berano, be this delivered in haste

The contents of the letter proved beyond doubt that House Hlaalu intended some move against Helseth. The text stated,

CODE

Forven,

I cannot agree. I am a merchant, and have no skill at arms. You are a noble, and in your prime were proven on practice and tournament grounds -- though, in truth, you have never fought a duel, and have few gifts as a liar. No one can doubt Hloggar the Bloody's aptitude and enthusiasm for mayhem, but he is not a subtle man, more suited for a brawl or battlefield than an assassin's role.

And we cannot trust the Dark Brotherhood. Helseth owns them. They promise discretion, but their promises are worthless.

I am afraid we must approach the Morag Tong. I agree with you. They will probably refuse. But at least they can be trusted to be discreet.

If, in the end, we are forced to choose among ourselves, I fear it must be you. And we will have to wrack our brains for some plausible pretext that will get you into Helseth's presence.

I am disappointed, though not surprised, at lack of public outcry over Athyn's murder. The popular sentiment seems to be to avoid personal risk and accept Helseth. It's short-sighted, but understandable. I have noted, however, that the writer of THE COMMON TONGUE is sympathetic to our cause, clever and eloquent. He may be able to sway opinion. We should try to identify this fellow and try to bring him into our counsels.

your faithful servant,

Bedal Alen

Here then was all the evidence Tienius Delitian could hope for, complete with names and a plan of action. And, like the thief that I was, I took it.

Perhaps that is an unfair characterization, as a thief steals for gain or at least for the thrill of the game. When I took the incriminating letter, I had no hope of either. It was simply one more piece of the trap I was building in hopes of catching a king. Now, years later, I feel remorse for my actions; then, I was beyond morality. The reason was simple- Helseth had tried to have me murdered in my sleep. While it was true that a great many people had attacked me since the first day I came to Morrowind, this was different. When the bandits or smugglers or even Cammona Tong thugs tried to kill me, they did it face-to-face. They did not hide behind others, nor hire some shadowy group to do the deed. They may have lacked honor, but at least they had the courage to face me directly. The king, though, crouched in his chambers and sent out an order- “Kill me this man, this Trey of High Rock.” By all that I held dear, he would regret that order. He would face me one day soon.

With the letter hidden in my sleeve, I entered the library and took my leave of Ravani Llethan. Once I was back outside, I used my Divine Intervention amulet to transport me to the Palace. When I entered the Reception Area, I did not go straight to Tienius Delitian, however. Instead, I went to my temporary lair in the basement. When I arrived, I examined the Hlaalu letter again. And then I took out another letter, the letter that authorized my murder by the Dark Brotherhood. I placed the two papers side by side and then I simply stared at them for a very long time. At last, decision made, I stood up.