Serene of Cyrodiil, chapter 5, Home is where your Heart is... Options

[mplantinga]

Oh dear; it sounds like Serene has just walked into a nightmare. Perhaps this will be the moment she discovers just how powerful her healing magic can be?

[minque]

So my dear readers, since I´m going away for a few days I won´t let you sit around wondering about Serene´s nightmare, here is a new update for you!
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Athyn was sitting on the floor, with Domesea´s head in his lap. Her beautiful red hair was soaked with blood…she was severely wounded as far as I could see, her face pale grey and a trickle of blood running from her mouth. I was terrified; I had no idea what had happened here but obviously there had been another attack!

“She saved my life,” Athyn whispered, “And now she’s going to die!”

“Athyn…I am so sorry,” she whispered “I’ve been unfaithful to you and I sincerely regret it, but now it’s too late; I’ll pay for my sins with my life, but I do hope you will find happiness elsewhere, so please forgive me! I did not appreciate what I had, I wanted more and now comes the reckoning…oh my love, you deserve better.” Her voice faded as another stream of her heart’s-blood emerged from her pale lips.

I took a deep breath and prepared to perform a healing…

Then Domesea opened her eyes and gave me a sign to get closer. Her lips close to my ear, she whispered the strangest words…

“Serene, listen, take care of him will you? I know you love him and he loves you, even if he doesn’t know yet…he’s not been the same since he met you…please will you do that for me?”

I nodded, tears streaming down my face, and put my hands on her bloodied chest but her heart beat weaker and weaker as the spark of life slowly faded from her. I couldn’t believe it; the power of healing did not work and I knew she was doomed. I looked at Athyn, but he just shook his head, holding his dying wife in his arms, his tears wetting her hair.

Domesea Sarethi died in her husband’s arms, and when her heart stopped beating, she seemed to transform into the young beautiful Dunmer maiden she once was….

Instinctively I embraced Athyn and he clung to me tightly, just holding me close to him. We sat like that for ever, at least it seemed that way…

When I examined Domesea´s body I found that she’d been stabbed right in the heart by a poisoned dagger. The venom had gotten into her bloodstream extremely fast, disrupting the red blood-vessels and caused her death within minutes from severe internal bleeding. That indicated that the attack had taken place just before I arrived, but then how could the murderer have gotten away that quick? Something weird was going on and I felt I owed it to Domesea to investigate her murder.

“Athyn…what happened here? Are you ok, can tell me?“ I asked, still holding on to him.

“It was meant for me, that dagger,” Athyn said, his voice was hoarse and guttural. “I am the one who should be dead, not her! I let her down; she wanted more of life than I was able to
give her, I was never as ambitious as she wanted me to be, satisfied to be a simple councillor. I never wanted to be anything more! She was so disappointed with me! No wonder she looked for someone better…”

I didn’t answer, I just held him closer, stroking his hair. I didn’t know what to do, and I couldn’t really do anything to ease his pain, except just be there for him. With a visible effort, he pulled himself together and began to speak in an ashen voice:

I came home from the weekly council-meeting….the house seemed empty, then I heard voices and suddenly Domesea came from her chambers, accompanied by two men dressed in black. I unsheathed my sword, but they were too fast for me; one of them cast his hammer at me and my sword fell to the ground. The other one charged and flung himself at me, when suddenly Domesea screamed and threw herself in front of me…to protect me! The dagger went right into her back and she fell…severely bleeding. The two men obviously got scared when they hit the wrong target and simply ran away…Then you came…

I shrugged, for it was clear that those men were sent out by Bolvyn Venim to finally dispose of Athyn, but when they happened to give a deadly wound to the mistress of their employer they got cold feet and disappeared as fast as possible.

Now it wasn’t yet the time to put all my cards on the table- Athyn was too shocked and sad at the moment, but sooner or later he had to be told the whole story. In my mind I planned for revenge. This had gone too far- someone had to stop Bolvyn Venim one way or another.

As I mentioned before, word spread fast in Ald´Ruhn, and as we were still sitting on the floor, Athyn and me, holding on to Domesea´s corpse, the door was flung open and two men entered. It was two of the other councillors, Hlaren Ramoran and Miner Arobar. Both seemed very upset and told us they’d met two men dressed in black running from Sarethi Manor. Naturally they had tried to stop them but it was futile, those men were too fast for the two councillors. So they hurried here instead.

“It was The Dark Brotherhood who did this!” Miner Arobar said. He had a sharp voice, and sounded a bit too self-confident, as he nodded vigorously. “I just know it’s that black gang…I can tell you!”

“Not so sure,” Hlaren Ramoran added. “They usually don’t attack women. Besides, why kill ´Domi´? She hasn’t done any harm.”

I could have said he was wrong, since I’d encountered several attacks from The Brotherhood, but I didn’t. In my opinion they were both right; no doubt the actual murder was an accident, but someone had hired them to perform an assassination, for they usually don’t act on their own. No, they must have been hired by someone, and I had a pretty good idea who!

“Please!” Athyn said quietly, “Don’t argue my friends, I…we…must take care of this…” His voice broke and he bowed his head. His shoulders were shaking and my heart bled for him. Oddly enough I had stayed rather composed during all this, maybe that was an instinct telling me I had to be the strong one now…

My memory fails me a bit about what happened next, but there was suddenly quite a crowd in the hallway of Sarethi Manor. I guess one of the councillors had arranged for some people to come and help take care of things. I was mostly concerned about Athyn, but Councillor Ramoran helped him to his feet and led him towards his chambers. I felt somewhat left out and thought of leaving; my skirt was once more bloodied, this time with the blood of Athyn´s dead wife and I wanted to get it off as soon as possible.

I was already halfway to the door when I heard Athyn´s voice;

“Serene! Please don’t leave, stay with me…please!”

“But Athyn really!” Miner Arobar sounded doubtful “You surely don’t want her to stay around? An outlander, you hardly know her, she might even be the one behind this!”

I froze…Miner Arobar was obviously no member of my fan-club, but I didn’t blame him! I was an outlander, an Imperial as well, and generally Dunmers were suspicious about folks of my race. And…I was found with my hands and clothes smeared with blood, sitting beside the victim.

“Miner, Hlaren! I beg you both, leave me with Serene, I have confidence in her, and she’s done nothing but good to me and my family. I...I need her right now,” Athyn´s voice broke again, as he wiped his face with his sleeve and took a few steps towards me. I stretched out my hand but he put his arm around my shoulders instead, and leaning against me he headed for his room.

I did not take any notice of the two councillors but I could feel their looks behind my back, and that didn’t feel pleasant at all.

Athyn sank down on his bed and just closed his eyes. His clothes were a complete mess, soaked with blood and his robe was torn at the front. I unbuttoned the robe to check if he was hurt somewhere but he wasn’t, Domesea´s body had shielded him thoroughly.

“I guess it is true then,” he said in a muted voice, “ She really did have an affair with the Archmaster…well I can’t blame her, Venim is much more the sort of man she believed she wanted.”

“You knew?” I took his hand and held it.

“Not for sure, but she told me just before you came in…she said she was sorry!” Athyn laughed a bitter sad laugh. “But the price she had to pay! She saved my life, yet I wish she hadn’t; now I’ll have to live with it for the rest of my life.”

Knowing that House Redoran still observed the tradition of the honourable duel, I glanced at a display of weaponry on the wall, wondering if Athyn would now challenge the Archmaster. He seemed to interpret my look and shook his head wearily.

“No, Serene. I cannot. House Redoran’s Council must be strong and united in these troubled times. With Dagoth Ur stirring once more and the increasing unrest on the mainland, we must maintain a united front. We are beset from all sides- the Nords, Telvanni, and Hlaalu all seek to rip at the flesh of our House. I cannot weaken my House, not without sacrificing my honour!”

That last was spoken so forcefully that it set off a spasm of coughing and I feared that he had taken some unseen wound after all. But it was just exhaustion and emotional overload- he had suffered so much in these last few weeks….

I said nothing- there wasn’t much to say. His wife had betrayed him but somehow she managed to make amends…by saving his life whilst losing her own. I could understand that would be hard to live with but then again, he was a Redoran Councillor He had to get back on his feet despite his great loss, and I felt I had to help him with that. I have to admit that I felt a guilty joy that he wanted me to be with him- that he trusted me.

But with that guilt I saw a faint light at the end of the tunnel.

[jack cloudy]

Wow, dramatic. Very emotional, with values being upheld even at this dark moment. Catching (If this is a good way to describe it).


And have a good time, wherever you are.

[The Metal Mallet]

Wow, I definitely agree with Jack on the amount of emotion in this update. So many different emotions are weaved so beautifully together, it's fantastic! It's really great work, I have to say.

Hope you enjoy your trip; I'm sure I can wait until your next update, whenever that may be.

[Black Hand]

Once again, Mallet and jack have taken the words out of my mouth...fantastic story minky hurry back from your trip!

[Soulseeker3.0]

Very nice update Minque, I can't wait for more. I felt bad for Athyn more in this post then the others. Atleast he has Serene to help him through though

[mplantinga]

That was unexpected. I'm glad that Athyn is uninjured (at least physically), but it was still quite a blow to him. I'm glad that Serene can be there to help him recover.

[minque]

And now aftermath.....life goes on, right?


The following days, I lived through as though I was in a mist. Neither Athyn nor I got any sleep; he was in a frantic mood, mad from grief. He talked, almost without ceasing. He told of their first meeting, their courtship, the early years of their marriage, when it seemed as if anything was possible. He almost seemed to believe that if he painted a vivid enough picture with his words, she would come back to life as the girl he had first known. Then too, it was as if he wanted to unburden himself of the guilt he felt when Domesea died, and in doing so, saved his life.

Then he had concerns about how to tell his sons their mother was dead. I said I’d talk to them, if he would allow me to. I noticed he didn’t mention his daughter at all…

“Telling Varvur would be acceptable; he knows you, but Salyn! He’s a hot-headed young man, and also he’s in Ghostgate, I wouldn’t want you to go there; it’s too dangerous.” Athyn didn’t want me out of his sight it seemed, but I persisted; I knew I could do it and honestly I wanted to meet Salyn!

“Before you set out on this mission, Serene, please move in here, at the Manor! I’ll organise a bedroom and a study for you, you’ll be most comfortable and…and I do want you here.” He took my hand in a firm grip and looked into my eyes. I trembled, for the emotion I saw in those dark brownish-red eyes was almost more than I could bear.

“I…I…is that really appropriate?” I stuttered. “What will the other councillors think about it and…and the rest…” I wanted to be with him more than anything, but I couldn’t ruin his reputation within the House, his honor amongst his kinsmen…that would be fatal.

His answer was very clear, he just took me in his arms, holding me tight, and then he turned my face towards his and kissed me. I have been kissed before, but this felt different, oh so different…

“Now did I make myself clear?” he whispered, as I swayed in his arms. I just nodded; I could not speak, for the rush of emotions had made me dizzy.

I still insisted on going to tell Varvur and Salyn of the grim fate of their mother before making any other arrangements. The rather short walk to Fort Buckmoth was refreshing; the sky was clear and the sun was shining for a change. What might have caused the lull in the ash storms, I did not know, but I took it as a hopeful sign. I didn’t encounter even a single cliffracer during my trip, which pleased me. I knew now how to handle those beasts, but nevertheless, I didn’t like them.

Imsin was happy to see me, and I spent an hour with her first, telling her about the ghastly thing that happened. I didn’t particularly speak about my developing relations with Athyn but she suspected something, I’m sure.

“So...ye want te see our new employee, Ralen Andrano?” she smiled “Aye ´tis a guud boy, clever an nice…don’t say much, that´un.”

I nodded; Ralen Andrano was the pseudonym Varvur had chosen to stay clear of Bolvyn Venim´s notice. I focused on the terrible thing I had to tell Varvur and wondered how he’d take it…

He took it better then I expected. He just sat silent for a while, then sighed, and turned towards me slowly shaking his head.

“I was afraid something like that was going to happen, though naturally I didn’t want my mother to die. But she died honourably, saving my father’s life. She has paid for her sins, even if the price was too high. I only wish the Archmaster would be at least sorry, but he won’t be, for him she was just a toy, like all other women he had.”

I didn’t really know what to say. His words were wise, and only too true. He had known of his mother’s deceit and he had resented it, but he believed that she had redeemed herself in the manner of her death. He was a true Redoran indeed.

“Are you staying at Sarethi Manor now, Serene?” he asked me. “I know Father wants you to; he’s so very fond of you.”

“No…it wouldn’t be appropriate,” I answered, “Not yet anyway, but as you may have understood I’m very fond of your father, so I will try to help him out at the moment, to ease his grief so to say, to try to make life a little bit more bearable to him.”

“I bet you do!” Varvur smiled. “Why, he has spoken about you all the time since he first met you- not in front of mother, bless her soul, but when we were on our own. You certainly have made an impression on my old father!”

“He is not old…not to me anyway!” I blushed at my outburst; it didn’t feel right to discuss these matters at a time like this. He should be sad about his mother’s death and not try to fix me up with his father! In fact I was more than capable of doing that myself…

I changed the subject by asking Varvur what his immediate plans were. He told me he’d learned a lot in those few weeks he’d been at Fort Buckmoth. They had some skilled teachers, so he planned to stay for at least six months, then he would apply for a job at the EEC, he said.

The EEC, East Empire Company, was headquartered in Ebonheart. It was a prosperous enterprise and a skilled accountant could make a nice career …I wished him luck, and we had supper together before I headed back to Ald´Ruhn again.

I was convinced Athyn would be pleased with Varvur´s progress. I could hardly wait to tell him. What bothered me was the relative coldness Varvur showed when I told him his mother was killed. It really disturbed me; didn’t Varvur have any feelings towards Domesea? What had she done to make her son hate her, or at least dislike her like that?

In fact Athyn did approve of Varvur´s plans for his future. To get a job at the EEC would improve the influence of Great House Redoran in the company, the only question was how the Hlaalu owners would react or if they’d even let Varvur have the job.

Again Athyn tried to persuade me to move to Sarethi Manor and again I refused, referring to his good name and the honour of the House. Inside I was bleeding; my feelings for him had grown, and I didn’t want anything else but spend the rest of my life with this man, but of course I couldn’t admit that…..not now, when the planning for Domesea´s funeral was going on.
Courtesy and custom bid a year of mourning, at least, and I had a hard time thinking about how I’d cope with a whole year without being allowed to fully express my feelings.

I didn’t have to go to Ghostgate to tell Salyn Sarethi about his mother’s death as it turned out. Salyn eventually came home, having heard some rumours about a terrible thing that had happened to his family, and so he was granted leave to come home.

One chilly morning, I sat in the big room beside the hallway trying to learn more about the Caldera ebony-mine, and how Great House Hlaalu ripped it out of the hands of the Redorans. The documentation was incomplete and I felt that the mine was badly run, and that I might have to look into these affairs some more.

Suddenly I heard the front door open and down the hallway came a young Dunmer, his long black hair wind-blown, he was wearing dusty glass armor and a sword was hanging at his side. His features were sharply outlined, his dark brownish-red eyes glowing with anger or worry, I couldn’t tell. He was a younger image of his father though and I nearly jumped off the chair as he approached me.

“And who might you be, Sera?” he asked, in a stern voice, “And could you by any chance tell me the whereabouts of my father?”

“I...I´m Serene Catraso, then you must be Salyn?” I stuttered.

“Yes, yes, I’m Salyn Sarethi, now tell me where my father is, or my mother!” he sounded impatient and my heart sank. This wouldn’t be easy…

“Please, Salyn, take a seat, I have to tell you something.”

“There’s nothing you can tell me that I can’t hear standing up, besides…” his face broke into a faint smile, “This armour is damn uncomfortable and not meant to wear sitting.”

“Salyn” I started, “There’s been an attack…Two assassins broke into the Manor, they… they attempted to kill your father, but…” my voice broke; I had to pause for breath.

“WHAT!? “ He shouted, “Is my father DEAD??”

“NO…no , your mother interrupted the attack, she…she saved him but….she was killed instead.” I covered my face with my hands to hide the tears that gushed from my eyes.

Salyn Sarethi sank down on a chair, armour and all. He said nothing, just stared out into the air. Then he turned to me and handed me a napkin from the table to wipe my face.

“There, there, …Serene, was it?” He said, patting my hand, obviously feeling awkward seeing me cry.

I dried my face and told him I’d take him to his father at once. We walked down the corridor to Athyn´s bedroom. I stayed behind as father and son reunited.

I felt I was not needed; in that belief, it turned out I was, in fact, totally wrong….

[jack cloudy]

For a moment, I was worried that Salyn would turn out to be the rascist black sheep of the family. Guess I was wrong.

I'm happy for Varvur. It appears that he's regained hope for the future. That is a good thing.

[mplantinga]

I always thought that glass armor looked a bit awkward; thanks for putting that into words so eloquently. It is good to see the relationship between Athyn and Serene progressing, but I am glad that Serene is taking care to preserve his honor. I am looking forward to hearing more about the reunion between Salyn and Athyn.

On a side note, I'm really excited that you've found more time lately to work on this story. I've missed having frequent updates, and I'm ecstatic now that we've had a few again.

[The Metal Mallet]

Your characters just become more and more real with each update, minque! It's fantastic!

Though I am curious as to what is happening with the reunion of Athyn and Salyn that would require the presense of Serene direly.

[Soulseeker3.0]

Great story Minque and i'd have to agree with Jack, I thought Salyn was going to be racist or something. please keep up the good work!

S.G.M


please of course...

[Lord Revan]

Great work, Minque. I had something to say......... BUT MM ALREADY SAID IT!!! ANyway, keep it up we all enjoy reading your story.

EDIT: What in Oblivion is "SMG" supposed to mean?

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Dec 19 2006, 12:45 AM

[mplantinga]

Someone may correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that S.G.M. was started by treydog as a shorthanded comment for great writing: Story. Good. More. I do not remember who was the first author to recieve this now coveted accolade.

[Soulseeker3.0]

well... mplantinga, i'd have to say your correct. and i also don't know who first got it given to them

[minque]

So, wishing you all a joyful Christmas, I hereby submit the ending of chapter 5!

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I had to stop writing for a moment; the unborn child in my womb was tossing and turning and I walked about the room to ease the discomfort.

How do you describe a funeral? And to a child….not wanting to upset it, but yet still depict the odd feelings I had regarding the funeral of Domesea, the legal wife of the man I was deeply in love with. I had no idea how to continue the story. Nevertheless I made myself remember the event and how I felt about it because I regarded it as essential for her to fully understand why things turned out as they did. And then I suddenly knew how to go on…

I put my hands on my belly and stroked it gently;

“Hey little one, you’re with me, and soon you’ll meet your father and the rest of your family, and everything will be alright.”


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I was halfway out the door of Sarethi Manor when Salyn called for me, wanting me to come at once. I didn’t understand why until I saw Athyn lying on his bed, apparently not feeling well. He was pale and his face covered with cold sweat, and he was panting heavily.

I sat down beside him, and the healer in me took over, for which I indeed was grateful, and put my hand on his forehead. He’d had a shock; apparently seeing his younger son again, combined with the stress of Domesea´s death had been enough to cause this near-collapse.

“What’s the matter with Father?” Salyn asked, sounding really worried, “He just went pale and fell back on the bed.”

“Shock,” I said “It’s just been too much for him lately, but be calm. I’ll help him.”

I looked at the man I loved, seeing grief, fear and…something else… in his eyes, so I gently stroked his chin, and focussed…

After a few minutes the color slowly returned to his face and he fell into a normal invigorating sleep. That was good, just what he needed. I put a woven blanket over him and went into the living room together with Salyn.

“He’ll sleep it through,” I said, “We need to make arrangements for your mother’s funeral now; her body is in the Temple, being properly prepared, so….”

“The tradition says she should be buried in Sarethi Ancestral Tomb,” Salyn sighed, “I don’t really like my mother being put there- it’s haunted!”

I understood him, ancestral Tombs are spooky, somehow the inhabitants don’t sleep in peace, they kind of float around in there….I also didn’t really like the idea, but who was I to go against Redoran traditions and rules? Then too, I hoped that the spirits would recognize that we were not intruders, but family…. That thought sent a sharp pang through me- after all, Athyn and his sons were family, but what about me? Was I not an intruder- in more ways than one?
That evening there were quite a lot of people gathered in Sarethi Manor. Athyn felt a lot better after a couple of hour’s sleep, and Salyn managed to get the other Councillors to come over as well. We decided not to tell about Domesea´s last words, and so preserve her honor…

Brara Morvayn was really an asset in this, having recently buried her husband. Her suggestions about the ceremony and above all the feast afterwards were invaluable.

“I’ve got some bottles of the finest Cyrodiilic Brandy left…”she said, “I’ll be glad to share them.”

“Amazing that is, considering your habits,” Miner Arobar smirked, but Brara just gave him a hearty smile back. That woman was one of a kind, but as I later understood she regarded herself as above the smug remarks from any of the other councillors.

The Tomb was situated on the island of Dagon Fel, far north-east of Vvardenfell. I roughly knew the place; it wasn’t that far from the Ahemmusa Camp where I’d spent over a year before coming to Ald´Ruhn. The easiest way to get there was to take the Siltstrider to Khuul, then go by ship to Dagon Fel. From there you had to walk…The Siltstrider driver, Navam Veran, was indeed honoured to transport a funeral procession, something he never had done before. For the occasion he decorated the Strider with dark purple fabric on the sides., It looked amazing and I was really touched.

A big procession followed Domesea Sarethi on her last journey, including Athyn, Salyn, Varvur and myself plus all the Councillors, their wives and children, and even the Archmaster…I found it outrageous that he had the nerve but then realised it would have seemed odd if he hadn’t, due to Redoran honor.

Six Redoran nobles carried the coffin, Salyn, Varvur, Hlaren Ramoran, Miner Arobar, Garisa Llethri…and Sethyas Velas. I hadn’t meet him at the time he escorted Varvur to Fort Buckmoth and I didn’t actually meet him now either, but I could see Athyn was pleased to have him around, and that was all that mattered to me.

I sat beside Athyn in the Strider. We didn’t talk, there was simply nothing to say; I just took his hand now and then and he rewarded me with a smile or a quick glance.

The boat to take us to the island of Dagon Fel was specially ordered just for us. It, too, was decorated with dark purple fabric, which made it rather spectacular, but not as spectacular as the arrival of Lloros Sarano, the official from Ald´Ruhn Temple, who would lead the ceremony at the Tomb…

We were standing outside the door when a sharp light suddenly was visible and out of it he just materialized. I didn’t ask which kind of intervention-spell he used, but I suspected it was custom-made.

The ceremony itself was breath-taking, speeches by every one of the Councillors, telling about Domesea´s virtues, blessings from Lloros Sarano…and a touching, sad speech from Athyn. He stayed calm and composed; not a tear fell from his eyes, which was more than could be said about me. Through a flood of tears I saw Bolvyn Venim smirk at Athyn, and it filled me with a burning rage. I’d had about enough of his evil schemes; he’d done nothing but hurt the Sarethi family and now he had the guts to look at Athyn as if it was his fault that Domesea died.

When he turned his hooded glance to me, I could see the hatred in his eyes, and I then knew I’d made a very powerful enemy, who I, by no means, was prepared to stand up to…yet.
It was then I decided it was time for me to leave the Sarethi family, hopefully not for ever but at least for the time being.

After the ceremony, when the coffin was to be put inside the tomb, I made my move. I slipped out quietly as I could and ran down the path leading to the narrow bay that separated the peninsula on which the Tomb was situated from the main island. I ran into the water and swam across the bay, not considering the possibility of any kind of water-living beasts...

Two hours later I knocked on Anja Swift-Sailer´s door in the village of Dagon Fel, wet through, and desperately sobbing-

“Please, Anja, will you take me to the Ahemmusa Camp?”


Here ends chapter 5

[The Metal Mallet]

A very touching and emotional end to this chapter, minque. This chapter was quite amazing if you ask me. You can tell Serene is very troubled by her emotions and she's only trying to do what's best for her House. Hopefully things will begin to get sorted out in the next chapter. I'm certainly looking forward to it.

[jack cloudy]

Wow, just wow. Hmm, so let's see if I can do that as well. S.G.M.

[Lord Revan]

A great, well-written, ending to chapter 5. We're all looking forward to chpater six of Serene.

Keep it up Minque!

[Soulseeker3.0]

Brilliant end to the chapter Minque. You even gave us on of the annoying cliff hangers (of sorts). You did a great job on the funeral too. can't wait for the next chapter.