Tales of Skyrim
Below Skyreach Barrow
Episode Two
“Once I have you in my grasp, there is no escape for you worm. In your waking hours you will serve me, or when you sleep, I will corrupt your very sanity.”
My eyes remained locked on the fiery hazel orbs of the Redguard, and after a moment or two, I felt the dagger in my ribs no more.
“Fine, get off me then. I will let you live this one time, for no one touches me without my consent” she hissed as I drew back my own blade and slid away from her.
We moved together, slowly disengaging and walked out of the cell and into the staging area at the foot of the stairs. I noticed the conjured daedric dagger she held dematerialise as she made the motion to sheathe it with her right hand.
“The chest for prisoners is in the corner, I will open it for you.” I offered in armistice, hoping she would not stab me in the back as I knelt down to unlock it.
“So, you are a thief as well as a pervert?” was the reply I got as I extracted a pick from a small pouch attached to my crossed weapon belts and began to pick the lock with my favourite dagger, “Thieves Charm”.
“I should have known by the cuirass, you were Thieves Guild scum, how is it that one of your kind is here to rescue me?” she continued, standing to my side, with her exposed pelvis pointing towards my ear, surely expecting to detract my concentration as I managed to pick the lock in less than the time it took her to curse out my profession.
“Presto!” I complimented myself, as the chest sprang open to reveal, much to my surprise black and red shrouded robes of the Dark Brotherhood, along with matching handwraps, boots, and a shrouded cowl. Nestled on top were a pair of gold rings, one adorned with a sapphire, the other with a ruby.
“Give me those” she said her words again hissed, reaching past me to get her clothes and jewellery.
“Hurry up, we don’t have much more time, or we will be caught at the change of the guard”, I said quietly, averting my gaze as she pulled on her robes and sat down to put her boots on.
Fully dressed and standing I then noticed something familiar about her. As she adjusted her cowl to leave only the barest of a gap for her eyes, I recognised her from my subconscious torment back in Elinhir.
As if by a striking coincidence I got the strangest impression, that she had the same feeling of Déjà vu. Our eyes met.
“Of course, it’s me you idiot, do you think she hasn’t manipulated every aspect of this event, and those to happen next? Lets get outside, quickly follow me, and keep up” she said, before vanishing in a flash of silver and purple.
My mind raced to grasp what she had just said. Was this the woman of my dreams, mother to my children, the love of my life? How could this be real I thought to myself?
I followed the open door, and the other one up the stairs, quickly checking as I went that no guards had come out in the time, I had been down in the cells freeing the Dark Brotherhood Assassin. I slipped out through the entrance of the Guard Barracks , the chirping of the early morning birds, greeting me as Magnus the Sun unveiled its morning glory of orange and red across Falkreath Hold.
I had no idea which way she would have chosen to go, so I followed my initial route into the city, retracing my steps out of the city gates and found her a short sprint down by the river, drinking handfuls of water, crouching on one knee.
“Good, you are not entirely without some skill, we need to cross the river, and move down away from the Hold, they will send a search party out when they notice I’m gone,” was how she greeted me when I caught up to her.
Without a further word she was away again, dashing down the river embankment and with a series of well timed jumps and pirouettes had made it across the river to the other side without a drop of water touching her black and red boots.
I followed with a less than dry attempt and ran quickly to catch up with her again further up the embankment and past the second of the rapids and waterfalls west of Falkreath. We ran together now until we reached Lake Ilinalta and the silhouette of what appeared to be a sunken Keep was visible in the distance. We were far enough away from Falkreath now to stop and take a breath, the fabled early morning Falkreath Hold mist concealing us well enough as we sat down on a fallen log back from the water.
“Do you have anything to eat?” she asked, not rudely, just a direct request, her eyes opening a touch, her head leaning forward to emphasize for me to answer quickly, and to give her something to eat.
I reached into another pouch attached to my left belt and offered her some bread and some fruit. She took my outstretched arm instead, pulled back the sleave of my tunic to expose my wrist and bit into it, causing me to almost scream out in agony, and yet her bite did the exact opposite.
I was lost in the rapture of desire and seduction and for a moment lost all control of my breathing, and years of training to be alert to such attacks from the undead.
As quick as she had my arm in her grasp, she released it, and said “Thank you, I have not fed in many moons, and my resistance to the sun would be surely tested if I did not feed.”
“Fuck you very much,” I replied back, and checked for the marks on my arm, and could see two small puncture marks, that began to heal as I stared at them in disbelief.
“What in the Divines! Do not ever do that again. Will I turn because of this?” I said to her, anger beginning to rise up inside of me, as my mind said get up and move, but something else made me stay exactly where I was.
“No, you will not contact Porphyric Haemophilia from me, I have been cursed just as you, by that bitch Vaermina. While you may not understand this right now, what appears to be the living realm, is far from it. Right now, how do you know you are actually sitting on a log, after being bitten by a Vampire, and not still asleep in some cell, being manipulated further by the Daedric Prince of Quagmire?”
“Well, I’m awake, and you best not try any of this shit again, or I will end your life, bargain with Vaermina or not.” I said this slowly, pausing while staring deep into those hazelnut eyes, not blinking, or breaking contact until she nodded.
“So, you are awake, are you? Good, let us keep it that way”, was her reply. She took a moment to readjust her cowl to cover her face again and said the following as an introduction.
“My name is Jayaia of the Forebears. I am Al-Danobia of Taneth. I have survived for centuries in my current form, and I will survive for many more, with or without your help.”
