Serene of Cyrodiil, chapter 7, Comfort is given, Justice is taken... Options

[minque]

My dera loyal readers!
I do owe you an apology for not having updated this story for quite some time. No there's really no excuse save the fact that my mind has been filled with other things lately, and the words have just not come to me.

Now have patience with me, I will continue, it's just a kind of "mountain" I have to claim, literally speaking, then there'll be flow again!

See you soon here, if you still are interested in the faith of Serene!

[mplantinga]

I will always look forward to new installments, even if they are months apart. I'm certain that many of us understand how busy real life can get, and that certainly takes priority over satisfying update-starved fans

[treydog]

Seconded. I am more than willing to wait patiently for the next installment, knowing that I will be rewarded with an insightful, compelling story. Good writing is like good wine- it improves with time.

[Colonel Mustard]

I finally got round to reading this. Yays!

Ahem.

Excellent work here Minque, some of the best I've seen on the forum, no less! Serene is an exceptionally well made character, as is just about every other one you include, and the story so far has been excellent.

But Serene seems to cry all the time! I've yet to see a character as tearful as her, and by the end I couldn't help but think 'Oh god, here she goes again.' It's nothing major but it does seem melodramatic and really gets on my nerves.

[minque]

I finally got round to reading this. Yays!

Ahem.

Excellent work here Minque, some of the best I've seen on the forum, no less! Serene is an exceptionally well made character, as is just about every other one you include, and the story so far has been excellent.

But Serene seems to cry all the time! I've yet to see a character as tearful as her, and by the end I couldn't help but think 'Oh god, here she goes again.' It's nothing major but it does seem melodramatic and really gets on my nerves.

Hah..yeah, you see I'm aware of that....so I'm currently rewriting the whole thing, so just try to omit those passages and pretend she's not crying, m'kay?

Then again....she's a freakin' woman, and guys are hurting her all the time.....so really, are you surprised?

[redsrock]

You better update at TESFU as well! Or....or.......or else!

[minque]

You better update at TESFU as well! Or....or.......or else!

Okay my friend...I will post the whole thing at TESFU....I promise, and as a bonus you guys will get the revamped version!

[redsrock]

Good. Because we need good writing over there. Not many people write anymore, or at least not how it used to be prior to D-Day.

[Burnt Sierra]

My dera loyal readers!
I do owe you an apology for not having updated this story for quite some time. No there's really no excuse save the fact that my mind has been filled with other things lately, and the words have just not come to me.

Now have patience with me, I will continue, it's just a kind of "mountain" I have to claim, literally speaking, then there'll be flow again!

See you soon here, if you still are interested in the faith of Serene!

Oh, don't worry. Your readers will still be here, waiting patiently (ish).

Just take your time and I look forward to seeing her future adventures

[minque]

At last! I'm apologizing for my very long delay, there's really no good explanation apart from that weird thing you may call RL!!

Anyway here's an update for you...Enjoy!

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Time was crucial here; the shack was almost filled with smoke, and the wall beside the door was totally on fire; even the door was engulfed in raging flames. From the corner of my eye I saw Foryn heading for the window. If he managed to get it opened the fire would get even more furious, and it would be fatal.

I just had to stop him!

Now fishing nets are flammable, so I yelled “Igneus Manus” and the fire that appeared in my palms quickly burnt through the net and my hands were free. Unfortunately robes are also flammable so I almost succeeded in setting myself on fire as well.

Anyway I literally jumped at Foryn and landed heavily on his back, immediately clutching my arms around his waist. We fell to the floor, both of us. Down there the smoke wasn’t that thick, so I could actually see him. His face distorted from anger and fear, he tried to escape from me, but I did not let go of him.

“Cooperate now, Foryn,” I yelled. “We have to get out, NOW!”

I didn’t wait for him to agree or even reply, I managed to drag us both on our feet and then I headed for the door.

“NOOOO!” He bellowed. “Crazy woman, you’ll kill us both”

Foryn Gilnith and I crashed through the burning door, tightly clinging to each other, continuing right into the Inner Sea. The cold water put out the fire on our clothes and certainly calmed him down. The fire had attracted the Guards of Seyda Neen, so there were a lot of hands to help us out of the water.

“Ahh, Sera, let me take care of this scum.” One of the Guards grabbed Foryn by his arm. The poor Dunmer was shivering with cold and did not make any resistance.

“Oh no you won’t,” I snapped. “He’s mine, and he’s no scum, just a Fisherman who lost his home and income. I need to talk to him so if you please take us to Arrille’s so we can get some dry clothing.”

I understood there could be some difficulties explaining to the guards that I was the Archmaster of House Redoran, apart from my urge to travel here incognito, which per se was a success, I really looked like a mess; clothes burnt to rags, my hair partly burnt off and I was soaking wet from the encounter with the Inner Sea. So I didn’t actually want to commence a discussion with them, I just wanted Foryn and me to get somewhere we could talk.

Kausha raised her eyebrows as we entered Arrille’s, but the girl was clever enough not to ask any questions; she just showed us to an empty room, and put various clothes on the bed.

Foryn smirked at me, as I ripped off my rags and eventually ended up naked in front of him. I didn’t care; I just slipped into a shirt, far too big, and a pair of worn trousers. A thick green robe concluded my dressing.

“Come on, Foryn, get yourself into some dry clothing, or else you’ll catch a cold,” I said to the shivering Dunmer. He stared at me with a grumpy look on his face.

“Turn around, woman! Even if you’re shameless enough to undress in front of me, I’m not keen on letting you have a peek at me!” Foryn spat. I smiled and placed myself facing the window, overlooking the sun setting in the sea. I felt remorse; I had been too harsh confronting Foryn Gilnith, and as a result, I had deprived him of his home, his belongings and probably his ability to have a life.

A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts; it was Kausha, bringing two mugs with hot comberry wine.

“To warm you up, Sera; you both look as though you need it.”

I thanked the young Ashlander and then closed the door firmly after her.

“So, Foryn, I suggest we do as follows: First we drink this hot wine; it will make us feel better, then we head over to the Census-office and speak with Socucius Ergalla. He’s really a fair man and I’m sure we can sort this out for the best.” I sounded more confident than I was; for all I knew Foryn could just attack me and try to kill me on the spot. I wasn’t sure I would blame him for it.

“Ergalla? You must be kidding me!” Foryn yelled. “The man hates the sight of me; he will put me into prison immediately. No way I’m going near him!”

“No he won’t,” I replied. “I have more power than you think; he will listen to me when I tell him what to do.”

Foryn looked suspiciously at me, and a smirk on his face revealed he did not believe a word I was saying.

I must admit I had a hard job convincing Socucius Ergalla I was the Archmaster of Redoran, but I couldn’t blame him, considering the way I looked. Finally he believed me and listened to me. He was pleased the murder was solved at last, but he insisted that Foryn should have proper punishment for his deed. He was very clear on that and told me that no Archmaster of whatever Great House could stop the justice of the Empire.

“I told you, damn woman,” Foryn Gilnith spat, looking at me with murder in his eyes. He was trembling with rage and fear and it made me feel more and more sorry for him.

I by then had had about enough of stubborn men; I took out my Amulet of the Knight, which showed I had the rank of Knight Protector in the Legion. This made Socucius Ergalla silent. He bowed and reassured me that my wishes were his orders. I smiled…

“First, the tax-money will be returned to the Census and Excise Office; I will see to that as soon I’m back in Ald’ruhn. Second, Foryn here shall have a punishment, but not a useless one like going to jail, which would only mean he will be a cost for the good people of Seyda Neen. No, I suggest that he will perform some good labor to pay off his guilt….” I stopped to let my speech sink in.

Foryn looked at me with disbelief, and then just shook his head.

Socucius Ergalla nodded; he understood what I meant and it did please him in a way, I could tell from the expression in his face. The important thing now was that he came up with a suggestion of what kind of work Foryn should do. I waited with a faint smile on my face.

“Ahhh, how about working for Thavere Vedrano, in the Lighthouse? She could certainly do with some help nowadays,” Socucius Ergalla smiled, somewhat evilly, actually.

Foryn went pale, then jumped to his feet, gasping for breath.

“Are you insane? That woman was almost engaged to that Tax-man! She would never have his murderer work for her!!! No way I’ll do that; I’d rather go to jail, but then again…” He stopped, covering his face with his hands, shoulders shivering.

“Foryn? “ I put my hand on his shoulder, waiting for him to continue. I suspected there was more to come; he had said something about his mother back in the burning shack….

“My mother…she lives outside of town, in a small farmhouse growing saltrice and stuff,” Foryn mumbled, still covering his face. Then suddenly he burst out;

“She’s old and sick! I give her all money I can spare from the fishing. She needs help, and if I don’t support her, she’ll just die! That’s why I took that money…to get her medicine!”

“Ok, I’ll go and see her,” I said. “She’ll be ok, I promise.”

Foryn was a beaten man; he needed no more punishment, so I took him by the arm, said goodbye to Socucius Ergalla and followed him to the Seyda Neen Lighthouse. I figured I had to explain some things to Thavere, or she would most certainly not just accept the murderer of her former fiancée showing up on her doorstep.

First, however, I had to see to that Foryn looked decent, so I turned to a legionnaire I used to know, Vodunicus Nuccius, who still hadn’t managed to get home to Cyrodiil. I asked him if he possibly could guard Foryn for me while I went to talk to Thavere, and also see to it that the Dunmer got some more clothes…

Thavere wasn’t overwhelmingly happy about having Foryn Gilnith working for her at first, but after a great deal of persuasion from my side she agreed to the arrangement, providing there would be a guard present for security’s sake.

Vodunicus Nuccius agreed to take care of that; he knew Thavere and was happy to be able to be of service, if for no other reason having something useful to do.

For my sake I decided my task in Seyda Neen was finished and took the strider to Balmora to see Milie Hastien about my terribly destroyed hair before returning to Ald’ruhn and Athyn.

Milie succeeded in making me at least look decent again; of course my hair had to be cut pretty short and then colored with heather to look ok, but I was feeling confident when I finally met with my family again, hoping for some peaceful time to come.

That, as it turned out wasn’t going to happen!

[Black Hand]

Excellent update! Nice to see you're back on track.

[mplantinga]

After the previous installment, I wrote that Serene needed a crash course in diplomacy. Well, now that she has had a house nearly crash down on her, it seems she is better at diplomacy than I had previously thought. Her solution to the problem of Foryn and the Tax Man was genius, not least because it seems to have satisfied pretty much everybody involved, and manages to provide true justice of a sort, not just empty punishment. It's too bad that she won't get much time to relax; I hope that in her next situation she can avoid becoming a firey red-head yet again!

[minque]

Thank you very much, Blackie and Dr Planty, I really appreciate your comments, obviously you still have patience with me and my veeeeery long delays, for that I'm so grateful.

Anyway here's another one for ya! And behold, Sethyas is back...(thanks Blackie for letting me use him)

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“Serene, my love, we will have to go to Ebonheart as soon as possible; there are things there that need to be taken care of, serious things!” Athyn sounded worried as he entered my office that early morning. I looked up, somewhat distraught; I was checking up on the progress of the new Library I started some weeks ago.

“What might be the problem?” I asked. Athyn told me that the EEC had problems with the Legion in Ebonheart; it seemed that the High Commander acted way out of his jurisdiction and had put some extra fees and dues on the company, which didn’t exactly improve business. The presence of the Archmaster was urgently needed, it seemed.

“I guess I’ll have to talk to him, then.” I sighed. Athyn declared he was going with me, no matter what. I’d rather have him stay in Ald’ruhn as acting Archmaster while I was gone but he said he’d already spoken to Hlaren Ramoran about that. He also suggested we pay Ilmeni and Sethyas a visit prior to going to Ebonheart; they were currently staying in Ilmeni’s apartment in St Delyn.

“But why, Athyn? They probably are too busy preparing for their wedding.”

“I’d like him to come with us, for safety’s sake,” Athyn answered, avoiding the heart of my question. Now I was really puzzled; what risk could it be to go and talk to the Legion commander of Ebonheart?

“Is there something you are not telling me?” I asked suspiciously.

He didn’t answer.

Sethyas opened the door to our knocking equipped with a broomstick! I had to hide my face behind Athyn’s back. I just couldn’t resist laughing. That was almost the last thing I’d expected of him, to be that domesticated.

“Ah, Sethyas! Are we interrupting something?” Athyn smiled heartily at him. Seth gave me a dark gaze and shook his head.

“No, no, please come in, I was just…ehh cleaning up a little bit, Ilmeni asked me to.” He put away the broomstick, with a great deal of pleasure as I understood.

Don’t you dare laugh at me, you confounded woman; I’m pretty good at this, and there you go!

I nodded; I didn’t trust myself to not burst out in laughter if I spoke. Ilmeni wasn’t at home; she was visiting her father, but Sethyas agreed to company us to Ebonheart at Athyn’s request.

Sethyas proved to be even more domesticated by offering us lunch, which he prepared himself. Athyn, who is an excellent cook, was impressed by his efforts.

“Quite good kwama-omelet, my boy. The addition of scuttle really makes it tasty”

I said nothing; I just concentrated on eating even though my appetite was poor. But the omelet was quite good, I must admit.

“Are you two making a fool of me?” Sethyas burst out, looking pretty offended.

“By all means, no!” Athyn looked at him, shaking his head. “I’m truly impressed; it’s very kind of you to offer us lunch, really it is!”

I couldn’t hold back anymore, with a big laugh I went over to him, giving him a kiss on his cheek;

“Oh, Seth! It’s just that I couldn’t imagine you cleaning the house and making lunch! It’s so far from my experience of Morag Tong Assassins.” Then giving his arm a friendly hug I continued;

“But it’s sweet of you anyway, dear brother, and I think I’m beginning to like the ‘new’ Sethyas.”

After finishing our lunch we were off. I noticed that Athyn became more and more uneasy as we approached Ebonheart. I couldn’t figure out why, so I hurried them a bit, wanting this task to be done as quickly as possible. I had no idea how I should approach the Commander, but I was sure the words would come to me when needed, as usual.

The Commander’s office was on the second floor and I didn’t bother to knock on his door, as I wanted to take him by surprise.

And a surprise it was, but not the way I thought!

The sight of the man behind the desk made all my nightmares come true! It was HE! Varus Vantinius, my uncle, my sworn enemy, the man that deprived me of my life once, in a past that I had fought so hard to overcome and that I had thought long forgotten!

I gasped for breath; the world went dim, then with a hoarse roar he flung himself towards me, unsheathed his sword and thrust at me.

“YOU, you wretched whore, you shall die!”

I was paralyzed.

Then I was abruptly pushed aside, Varus’ sword shimmered in the air, someone let out a cry of pain, and it was not I, because I had slumped to the floor.

“By Zenithar! Are you her damn lackey? Are you willing to shed blood for her? You must be insane, Dunmer,” Varus smirked. He had stepped back a few steps, looking at the tip of his sword, now covered in blood.

Athyn grabbed me at the waist, holding me behind him; Sethyas was facing Varus, blood dripping from his left arm.

“I am merely defending my Archmaster; it’s my duty as a Redoran Councilor.” Seth said calmly.

“Archmaster? Or rather Archmistress… oh my! Who could imagine that slut would end up as that!” Varus laughed evilly. “Besides, you folks show no respect, bursting in on me like this, I am after all the Knight of the Imperial Dragon.”

“Respect? You know nothing of the word. You have some foul business going on with the EEC and you just now tried to attack the Archmaster, and above that you offended her, calling her names!” Sethyas spat

“Ha! I’ve done far more than calling her names…. in the past that is! She’s a witch and murderess, and a dirty whore! I do not recognize her as Archmaster!”

“Very well, that settles it. Before the Duke, and the Imperial Guard, as a Noble of House Redoran, I challenge your Honor! Only a duel in the Arena shall allow you to defend it!” Sethyas retorted.

I had watched this without even breathing; it all happened so fast. I noticed several Imperial guards approaching, attracted by the commotion I guessed. They were standing there gripping their hilts with increased nervousness.

“Seth,” I whispered. “Please, don’t.”

“You have at least some kind of honor. I respect that. And I will grant your request for a duel. Meet me in the Arena at Vivec tomorrow” Varus said with a wicked grin. Then turning to me he added;

“How does it feel to have another man’s blood on your hands?”

I remained silent, looking at Athyn for comfort, and then I understood; he had known we were to meet with Varus. That’s why he was so uneasy and that’s why he wanted Sethyas to accompany us. I noticed Athyn and Sethyas nod at each other in perfect understanding, so I wondered if they had both known.

Seth wouldn’t let me have a look at his arm until we were back at the apartment; he merely sat at the stern of the gondola staring out at the sky. I was still shaken by the meeting with Varus Vantinius; I couldn’t stop trembling, even though Athyn held me in his arms the whole trip.

The wound was deep; in fact Varus’ sword had gone right through Sethyas’ shoulder and he had lost a fair amount of blood. He looked grayish pale as he sat by the fireplace and finally allowed me to heal him. It was not so easy; the depth of the wound and the enchantment of Chrysamere, Varus’ sword, combined with my shakiness made the healing process take longer then I wished. Afterwards I was totally worn out, drenched in cold sweat. I examined my work and was not totally satisfied with it. He would get a nasty scar as a reminiscence of saving my life, because that was what he had done…again.

That night I did not get much sleep. Athyn and I spent the night in St Delyn; Seth had hired the neighboring apartment for us, and in fact it was the one he himself had stayed in when he arrived in Vvardenfell. I tossed and turned in the narrow bed, and finally decided to get up so as not to disturb Athyn too much; he needed his sleep. I sat by the small window all night thinking about the fact that I once again had met the man I hated more than anyone, and that Sethyas, my brother and soul mate, had challenged him to a duel of life and death. He did it, not me, he did it to save my honor and give me my life back

It scared me, not that I for a split second thought that Sethyas would lose the battle, but I was just worried he would get hurt, get hurt because of me!

Sethyas had declared he would fight the duel alone; he didn’t want us to watch; it would distract him, he said. I had no intention of obeying him in this matter though.

The next morning, I followed Seth to the Arena, without his knowing. The last time I was here I had dueled Bolvyn Venim for the benefit of my House, and now my brother was going to restore my personal honor by fighting Varus Vantinius, my kin, my enemy.

As I mentioned, this match was to be a private one; this time there were no throngs of onlookers. I found a spot behind the lowest barrier, where I could watch the fight without being seen by the combatants.

Sethyas exited his gladiator’s pen, and the legionnaire exited his, already wearing full Imperial Armor.

“Ha! No armor? You come unprepared to duel, Dunmer!” Varus laughed, seeing Sethyas still wearing his ritual red robes.

“No, I am quite prepared…after all. You never specified what the rules of the duel were! I am not a Legion lackey, Varus! I am a Morag Tong Assassin! And the rules are these: Do whatever it takes to kill your opponent! Come, let us begin,” Sethyas yelled from across the field, already running toward him.

I smiled as, for the first time, I saw a look of fear in Varus’ eyes.

Varus brought Chrysamere back for an overhand swing, as Seth sailed through the air, both hands with ancient silver daggers ready for a downward thrust. He landed on my hated uncle before he could follow through, and in the small openings of the Lords Mail, underneath the arms, Sethyas stabbed him with the daggers. But before he could send the blades home, Varus sent Seth flying with an upward kick, and with a yell brought the claymore in a wide overhand arc, the tip of the blade landing where Seth’s head might have been, had he not dodged. But his awkward landing forced him to let go of the silver daggers, which fell to the sand of the Arena.

Spinning to his feet, Seth cursed Varus’ luck, and brought out his Black Hand’s dagger. With a quick lunge, he slashed the rogue Legionnaire’s forearm, forcing him to give ground. Knowing that a dagger could not match Chrysamere, he used the moment to switch to a Daedric katana.

For several seconds, Sethyas kept up footwork to avoid the blows from Varus, preferring to dodge, and parrying when he could. Then, finally, with his breath running out, Varus fell to his knees. When Seth’s blade entered his chest, it was almost gentle, despite the power that had to be behind the thrust.

Varus breathed heavily, feeling the life leave him. He looked up, spotting me where I was standing with a look in his eyes that spoke of evil intent;

“Treacherous whore! I should have killed you back then…” he said as he slumped over to die.

Sethyas picked up the bloodied Chrysamere and sheathed it with a grim smile.

I found I hadn’t been breathing during the last minutes and now my body craved oxygen so I gasped heavily, as tears slowly ran down my face.

Sethyas walked over to me, shaking his head;

“You weren’t supposed to watch this, silly woman,” he said, as I fell into his arms.

[Colonel Mustard]

An update. FINALLY!

So Varus is dealt with, and by Sethyas' hand too, which isn't exactly what I expected. Nice twist there Minque.

[mplantinga]

Another problem dealt with. I'm glad to see that Serene doesn't have to fight all the battles, but it seems to me she wasn't even given a choice this time. It seemed unlike Athyn to keep her completely in the dark as to what they would encounter in Ebonheart. You've so often painted their relationship as almost idyllic; this sort of deception had better not become commonplace or Serene is going to become quite upset with Athyn. In the end, I suppose I understand why he did it, but he did put Serene in danger by not allowing her to be more prepared.

The relationship between Serene and Sethyas continues to be quite intriguing. I'm glad they've remained friends.

[Black Hand]

Awesome. Killed that guy twice! Oh and yes, very well written as well.

[minque]

Ok my loyal readers, it's time to wrap up chapter 7...
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Two hours later we were sitting in Ilmeni’s apartment in St Delyn again, licking our wounds, or rather I tried my best to heal the cuts and bruises on Seth, while Athyn offered him a mug of Cyrodiilic Brandy, which he seemed to appreciate more than my doings.

Ilmeni returned from her trip and was quite upset when she found out about the duel.

“Sethyas, you did the right thing, of course, but…but you could have gotten yourself killed. And that would have been …” She burst into tears.

I felt bad. Sethyas had fought for me; if he had been killed it would have been my fault. Then again this was his profession; he was the most skilled assassin of House Redoran; if anyone could stay alive it was Sethyas Velas!

Seth took her on his lap to comfort her, and after a while she composed herself and put out some bread and cheese on the table.

“You’ll get beastly drunk if you drink that stuff without eating,” she said dryly.

Then there was a knock at the door. Ilmeni, who anyway was up on her feet, opened it and in strode two Imperial guards, flanking a familiar person.

“Son… ehh, Imsin! What brings you here?” I asked in astonishment but also joy; it had been a long time since I’d seen her.

“Serene, Athyn…and Sethyas, we have a problem,” Imsin the Dreamer said in a tired voice. "After this duel, I was scheduled to fight Vantinius," she continued

"Why?" I wondered aloud.

"To become Knight of the Imperial Dragon, to command the entire Legion in Vvardenfell. Higher-level ranks in the Legion are often determined by duels. You know this, as you are in the Legion."

I nodded, starting to understand what she was getting at and it made my blood chill.

"The problem here is that you, Sethyas, are now the Knight of the Dragon. We must duel."

Imsin turned to Seth, who didn’t move a muscle, and just stared straight at her.

"No! I, I ... Sonya, you're my friend, Seth is my brother, you can’t!"

“Shush, Renie, she’s right, you know that; let her finish!” Seth muttered. I was stunned; Athyn took my hand and squeezed it;

“Have faith my love, it will be OK.” His words were comforting but the look on his face wasn’t. Ilmeni had grown quite pale; she didn’t say anything, and she was far more composed and calm than I was, but her whole posture showed worry. Athyn rose and put his arm around her back, urging her to sit down beside him.

"I do not want to fight you, Sethyas Velas," Imsin said in a low voice, "but our plans are not served by you as the head of the Legion. It must be me: you have other, more important, matters to attend to."

Sethyas nodded, not taking his eyes off her face. Then she turned to me;

"Serene, listen to me. These duels are not always fought to the death. Only stupid people with foolish pride insist on that. Remember your knowledge of Legion procedure?"

Comprehension dawned on me and I nodded. She stepped away from me, turning to Seth again;

“What about you, Dunmer? Are you prepared to meet me at the Arena in an hour?”

I knew the procedure, but did Sethyas? He wasn’t a member of the Legion…

“Yes, Sera, I am ready.”

Ilmeni looked at me in horror and disbelief. I didn’t know if she could read me but I tried to tell her it would be ok, that is if her beloved assassin would listen to me.

We all went back to the Arena. During the trip I tried to talk to Seth, to tell him what the procedure was all about, but he was unwilling to speak to me; he just held Ilmeni close to him, embracing her and kissing her hard.

Silly Dunmer, you need to know how to do this!

For Azura’s sake, leave me be woman. Get out of my head. I want to have this moment with Ilmeni in peace!

I closed my mind, feeling a bit hurt that he shoved me away, but I did as he wished and sat silent close to Athyn the rest of the trip.

By now the Arena was crowded, for this was to be the ultimate fight, the duel for the title Knight of the Imperial Dragon. The crowd rumbled. They wanted their fight.

Imsin and Sethyas were now alone in the pit. I glanced at Imsin, and despite her calm I could see tears slowly run down her face. That was it. Fear, but mostly anger rose in me and I gathered all my willpower to penetrate the mind of the stubborn Dunmer down in the Pit.

NOW you listen carefully, reckless, silly, stubborn assassin! I will tell you exactly how you will act, and you just DO IT! Without hesitation, without questions. Imsin believes you know this procedure, but I doubt it!

I could see Seth put his hand to his head. Good. I was in. He gave me a quick glance and a grimace. My heart pounded, and I prepared to lead him through this.

"SILENCE" bellowed the Nord who normally leads the duels. It was the same one who led my duel with Bolvyn Venim.

Silence actually descended.

The Nord called to Seth, "Sethyas Velas, are you prepared to duel Imsin the Dreamer right now?"

"I am."

"Imsin, are you ready?"

"I am"

"Begin!"

Seth drew Chrysamere and Imsin drew her weapon.

He shifted the grip on his sword and began the maneuver. It was difficult to do in this armor: it was as if the armor did not want to do it. Nonetheless, he completed the maneuver and was now kneeling on the bloody sand. He was holding Chrysamere by the blade. The hilt faced Imsin.

"I yield," he said. Imsin could not hear him over the roar of the crowd, but the gesture was clear.

I let out my breath; he got it right! I took Ilmeni’s hand, whispering to her that it was going to be OK. She looked at me, wiped her face and kissed me.

Imsin approached him and gently took the offered sword from his hands, sheathed her blade and held his up high. The crowd's roaring grew even louder. The weapon came down ... and its tip rested on the sand.

"SILENCE," shouted the Nord.

The crowd was immediately silent.

"By an honorable duel," he announced, "Imsin the Dreamer has defeated Sethyas Velas and is now Knight of the Imperial Dragon, head of all of the Legion in Vvardenfell!" The crowd went wild. The noise was deafening.

Imsin offered her hand. Seth clasped it and she pulled him to a standing position. She returned Chrysamere to him and smiled.

It was not until late in the night I felt at ease. It was a warm humid night, and we sat outside Ilmeni’s apartment overlooking the sea, sipping warm comberry wine.

“I…I don’t think I’ve had a chance to thank you, Seth, for restoring my honor and giving me my past back,” I said, smiling at him over my mug. He just blinked at me raising his mug in a toast.

Anytime, sis, anytime!

He then turned to Ilmeni, kissing her gently and pleaded;

“So friends, it is high time to prepare yourselves for the event of the year in Vvardenfell; Ilmeni and I are going to get married in about six weeks and you are all invited! Oh, and we would very much appreciate if you, dear Sister, would volunteer to be in charge of the arrangements!”

“Sethyas! Really, Serene is the Archmaster; she surely has better things to do,” Ilmeni hissed.

“Has she now? “Seth laughed. “But our dear Archmistress owes me one, right?”

I smiled, and leaned my head against Athyn’s shoulder.

Anytime, dear brother, anytime!

So at last;

Justice is taken – I had done what was prophesied for my House; I had also regained my honor and my past, without having to take another life…

Comfort is given – At last there would be peace: I could go on with my life, together with my beloved Athyn, with my dear friends and kinsmen. I could be truly happy again.

I should have known there are no such things as happy endings!

Here ends chapter 7

Have patience with me, chapter 8 is already in progress!

[mplantinga]

An exciting conclusion to chapter 7. It was an interesting twist to have Imsin need to duel Sethyas, and the manner in which he yielded was quite intriguing. I feel there is something more to that yield that remains unclear to me, but it was clearly quite significant to Serene. I'm glad to see the chapter end on such a good note; Serene has certainly had her share of trouble in the last while.

[Colonel Mustard]

An interesting conclusion, Minque. I'll be looking forward to reading the next chapter.

Job's a good 'un.

[Black Hand]

Oh, snickerdoodles! Sorry, I hadn't seen this update! Yes, very well written. I like that not everyhting is about martial prowess and can also be about honor and civilized procedure.