I woke up to find myself lying half-naked on a cold stone floor with a skull leering down at me. In the few seconds it took me to realise that it was just a decoration, I'd already lunged for my sword and dealt the grinning face a whack that nearly split it in two.

That is a touch both realistic and humourous.

And speaking of humour...why is it that ALL my Red Riters are turning into minxes all of a sudden??

VERY WELL!!! IT is TIME for MALES TO RESPOND!!

I shall from the middle of the TWIN LAMPS that shine forth from the TEA BAGS summon up a GHOST SNAKE That, with its VITAL ESSENCE, provoke...umm...two male writers, er...Acadian and Peleus...to ALSO WRITE HUMOUR!!!!

No male can write humor like you can Foxy, better just conjure up yourself !!!

:read: Thank you Helena. WONDERFUL as always! Another light, quick-paced romp - laced with wonderful Ada humor and insights.

:ahhh: I missed it.
Good mix of humor and Morrowind, as always :goodjob:

Too many good moments to quote them all- not that that is a surprise.



And you again nail one of the "why" moments of the game- the name of your Redoran stronghold. The dialogue can "insert name here"- so why couldn't the stronghold?

Wonderful work, as always.

Oh...what the hell, i've been reading this a long while and may as well comment on how great it is, but if it hasn't been asked or mentioned already, do you plan to do the tribunal and bloodmoon expansions?

Pretty clear that Tribunal, at least, isn't in the picture. Ada would have been awakened by at least one Dark Brotherhood assassin by now.

WITH ABJECT APOLOGIES TO THE GREAT AND LONG LOST BAND CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL, WHOSE HIT "MOLINA" HAS BEEN HIJACKED BY THE LOW AND DESPICALBLE D.FOXY AND TURNED INTO...

Note: Imagine the most godawful, screeching, cat-claws-scraping-on-a-glass-windowpane voice and throw in vibrators er er er vibratoes and tremoloes in the must unlikely and unnecessary places, and you will have my voice.


HELENA

CHORUS:
HE-LEEEEE-EEEE-NA where you a-goin' to ?
HE-LEEEEE-EEEE-NA, where you a-goin' to ?

She's a devil with the wordplay
Messin' with our minds!
Drivin' us all nuts waiting,
For her next installment.

CHORUS

She's comin' once a blue moon'
Makin' us all dream,
With her deadpan humour,
Ticklin' us to SCREAM.

CHORUS
Oh!

This gal's gonna go far
Drivin' us insane,
If she makes a million,
She'll be our budget bane....

CHORUS
CHORUS

She may have...though at least ingame, they SHOULD attack after the main quest because it's about you being the neravrine, but then if you want to visit mournhold...well that has to be overlooked. So i guess after Ada kick's Dargoth Ur up and down the volcano we'll see.

Oops, sorry I didn't reply before - even though I visit the forums pretty much every day, I somehow managed to miss the new comments. The answer is that yes, I will be doing Tribunal in a sequel. The reason I haven't had Ada attacked by DB assassins yet is simply that, IMO, it makes no sense for them to attack her before she becomes the Nerevarine. I've actually installed a mod in-game that prevents the Dark Brotherhood attacks from happening until you've finished the main quest.

As for Bloodmoon... probably not. This is partly because I haven't actually played much of it myself yet, but also because, try as I might, I just can't think of a reason why Ada would decide to head off to Solstheim. It's not like the game itself gives you anything resembling a good excuse to travel there - quite the opposite, in fact. I can just imagine the conversation:

RANDOM PERSON: Did you hear about Solstheim, the island to the north? People say it's a ghastly, horrible, frozen wasteland that no one in their right mind would choose to visit.

ADA: Ooh, thanks for warning me. Better stay away from it, then.

RANDOM PERSON: I hear there's some kind of trouble up at Fort Frostmoth.

ADA: svcks to be them, I guess.

RANDOM PERSON: There's a boat from Khuul if you're interested.

ADA: .....?

D. Foxy, many thanks for the tribute song! But 'once in a blue moon' is a bit unfair, don't you think? I'll admit that I've been struggling for inspiration with the last few chapters, but I'm hoping things will pick up a bit once Ada starts the Hortator/Nerevarine quests. I still haven't finished the latest installment, but I'll try to get it posted before the end of this week, because I'm going off to a convention for the weekend.

What kind of Convention is dear Heleeeeeena going to....


...I hope, the unconventional kind, for the unconventional girl!

Or to keep along the main storyline of it from the human POV, most would just say "%^@$ it, captains dead, i'm done here!"

I loved the "madrigash" quest. You've made it even better!
You could make up Varvur gets bitten by a stray werewolf... That would be reason enough for Ada, no?

Actually, there is a quest which sends you to Solstheim: Louis Beauchamp, outside the Ald'ruhn Mages Guild, asks you to recover his airship. Of course, there's no reason for the character to agree other than out of the goodness of his heart, but then a lot of quests in the game are like that.

Chapter 30: Where It All Began

I didn't want to take any more Fighters' Guild contracts from Lorbumol gro-Aglakh, but since none of the others had any work for me, I didn't have much choice. His next contract was for a woman called Adraria Vandacia, who was hiding out in Seyda Neen ? the village where I'd been dropped off by the prison ship. I probably should have gone to Percius Mercius first to ask him about the contract, but there wasn't time before catching the overnight silt strider from Vivec.

It seemed strange to be back in Seyda Neen, the place where I'd caught my first glimpse of Morrowind. How much simpler things had seemed back then ? before I'd got caught up with ancient conspiracies, warring religious cults, a fanatical theocratic government, a political tussle between Great House councillors, and a Guild with a deep dark secret. If only I'd just followed my instincts and jumped on board the first ship headed back West.

Problems started to crop up very quickly. Unfortunately, the warehouse where Adraria Vandacia was holed up belonged to the Census and Excise ? and was locked, with the only door in plain view of the rest of the village. I had to skulk around the back for the better part of an hour before I got the chance to use an unlocking scroll. Once I got in, I immediately realised that the place wasn't 'shut up' at all ? there were people working there, including at least one guard. I'm actually surprised that no one stopped me as I walked through the building; presumably my Imperial uniform gave them the impression I was supposed to be there.

At the top of the stairs I found myself in a well-lit chamber. A middle-aged Imperial woman was sitting at a desk, studying some accounts. She was so obviously not an outlaw that I was completely at a loss for anything to say to her.

At that moment she looked up and saw me. "Yes?" she said rather sharply. "Can I help you?"

"Are you Adraria Vandacia?"

"I am. What do you want?"

Well, what was I supposed to say? "The Fighters' Guild sent me to kill you; don't suppose you have any idea why?" All at once I was struck by the ridiculousness of the situation. What the heck was I even doing here?

"I? nothing," I said. "It doesn't matter. I'm sorry to have bothered you, sera."

Leaving a bewildered-looking Adraria behind me, I turned and walked straight out of the building. As soon as I was safely out of Seyda Neen, I cast Almsivi Intervention. It was time I had a long talk with Percius Mercius.

"Hello, Ada," he said in surprise, when I marched into the Ald'ruhn Fighters' Guild. "Have you made Guardian yet?"

"No, I haven't," I said. "Because the only person who'll give me duties is Lorbumol gro-Aglakh, and the things he's asking me to do are completely insane. He just sent me to Seyda Neen to kill a woman named Adraria Vandacia, and when I got there I found she was a bloody Census and Excise employee!"

Percius frowned. "Adraria Vandacia is an Imperial tax agent. I don't know why Lorbumol would give you a bounty on her."

"Exactly," I said. "Percius, I'm going to be frank with you. Either you're going to have to promote me to Guardian yourself, or you'll just have to tell me what's going on anyway. I'm not doing any more missions for Lorbumol."

"Oh, very well," he said with a sigh. "You're a Guardian. Now, come to my room so that we can talk in private."

He led me into a small bedroom at the back of the Guild. "Sjoring Hard-Heart is trying to make deals with the Camonna Tong," he said bluntly, as soon as the door closed behind him. "He thinks he's using them, but I think it's the other way around. These Camonna Tong bosses have been working here in Morrowind since before the Empire came, and I don't think we can fool them. When I was the Master of the Fighters Guild here, I stayed out of local politics."

I sank down onto the bed. Obviously I'd known something very shady was going on, but I hadn't realised it was quite as bad as this. "So all this time, I've basically been working for the Camonna Tong?"

Percius nodded grimly. "The only way to save the Fighters Guild is to get rid of Sjoring Hard-Heart and those loyal to him. You'll need to kill his chief supporters, Lorbumol and Eydis Fire-Eye? and after that, you'll have to deal with Hard-Heart himself."

I didn't know what to say. I'd no love for Lorbumol gro-Aglakh, but Eydis? I remembered how friendly she'd been when I'd first arrived in Vvardenfell, and how she'd helped me when I'd had nowhere else to go.

"Do I really have to kill them?" I asked. "You don't think there's any way I get them to change their minds? He just looked sad.

"You'll need good armour if you're going to have a chance," he said at last. "Let me show you something." He opened up one of the storage chests standing against the wall, and I saw that it was full of Orcish armour. "This was a gift from an Imperial Legionnaire stationed here several years ago. He was unjustly accused of murder, and I was able to find out the truth and free him. And this" ? he showed me another chest, containing glass armour ? "was another gift, from Athyn Sarethi of House Redoran. He had the armour made for me after I enlisted the Fighters Guild to help clean up the last outbreak of Blighted creatures back in '24 that nearly destroyed Maar Gan."

"Really?" I asked. "Is Athyn the lord of Maar Gan, then?" I could have sworn he'd told me his lands were in the South Gash, the area south of Ald'ruhn.

"No," he said, with a wry smile. "That would be Lady Brara Morvayn ? the widow of Remas Morvayn. He was in charge of Maar Gan at the time."

"Then? I don't understand."

"You will, once you've been in Ald'ruhn a bit longer. 'On behalf of the Council' was what Sarethi said, but I could read between the lines well enough." He shook his head. "Anyway, take any of this, if you want it. It might help you fight Sjoring Hard-Heart."

I suspected I did understand what he meant about the Council, and it made me very angry. That was just like Athyn, I thought. I could only imagine how much it had cost him to have a full set of glass armour forged for Percius. No wonder the Sarethi family had 'fallen on hard times', as he put it, if he kept doing things like that.

"I don't know," I said at last. "I'll have to think about it, Percius. I mean, killing outlaws or bandits is one thing, but our own people?"

"I understand. Well, think it over." He clapped a hand on my shoulder, and patted it a couple of times before leaving the room.

I left the Fighters' Guild, deep in thought. I was still pretty reluctant to get involved in this any further, and I decided to mull it over for a while before taking any action. With a week left before the first stage of my Redoran stronghold was completed, I decided to see if the Legion had anything else for me to do.

Frald the White in Ebonheart was willing to oblige. "Not a pleasant business, though, I'm afraid," he told me. "An Ordinator named Suryn Athones has been spreading lies about the Order of Ebonheart. Someone needs to stop his slanders."

By now I was coming to understand how these things worked. "Stop his slanders 'with extreme prejudice', you mean?"

"Right you are," he said, baring his teeth in a rather unpleasant grin. "Find him and silence his lying mouth with blood."

Talos, this was just as bad as the Fighters' Guild business. Why did people have to act like this when they knew it could only lead to bloodshed? I only hoped I could knock some sense into the guy's head before I ended up having to kill him.

I found Athones with a couple of other Ordinators in a small, cramped office of Vivec's Temple canton. None of them seemed exactly pleased to see a Legion soldier there, but that was hardly surprising. "I've been sent here by Frald the White," I told Suryn, getting straight to the point. "He tells me you've been spreading lies about our Order."

"I spoke nothing but the truth," he said, with a snort. "The Legion is just a mob of blunt-eared apes playing at being soldiers. Is it just your cowardice? Or the incompetence of your so-called Knights? Or is it just the way you smell?"

"Nice to see the mature tone of the debate being preserved here," I said sarcastically, resisting the urge to knee him hard in his heavily-protected groin area. "Since we're so cowardly and incompetent, I take it you won't mind duelling me to prove your unquestionable superiority?" He said nothing. "Or could it be that you're the coward, perhaps?"

Behind the golden mask, I saw his eyes flash. "So be it, n'wah. You've chosen your own death."

We drew our swords. I'd never fought an Ordinator before, but I wasn't foolish enough to imagine this would be an easy fight. Just finding a place to hit him was difficult enough, as he was almost completely covered in armour. Those flashy uniforms might look like overkill, but they served a purpose.

My practice against Hrundi had paid off, however. I fought defensively rather than aggressively, waiting for him to tire himself out, and then devoted my efforts to knocking his weapon from his hand. At last I succeeded, and within seconds I had him pinned up against the wall, the tip of my blade to his exposed throat.

"Care to take back those slanders now?" I asked him.

He glowered at me from under his mask. "I would rather die!"

"I hope you mean that, Suryn," I said wearily, "because this is your last chance. Is that your final answer?" He was silent. "Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

In answer, he spat in my face. I was beginning to realise this guy probably wasn't entirely sane, but I could hardly back down after the threat I'd just made.

I couldn't see the other Ordinators' expressions as I left the room, but then I didn't need to. I'd killed one of their own, and I knew that from that moment onwards they'd be out for my blood. Unbelievably, my chances of being recognised as the Nerevarine had just got even slimmer.

By the time I'd cleaned myself up, eaten and got back to Ebonheart, I was feeling even more depressed than before. It was all so pointless, I thought. A man had just died because he couldn't bring himself to acknowledge that a foreigner could be equal to him ? not even 'better', just 'equal'. He'd seen with his own eyes that I was neither a coward, nor incompetent, and yet he couldn't accept it. What was wrong with these people?

So when I ran into Varvur on the plaza near the docks, I was surprised by how quickly my black mood vanished. My heart leapt, and I felt a buzz of happiness and excitement that was almost enough to drive the thought of Suryn Athones out of my head. I hadn't felt like this since my days of teenage crushes.

Varvur's eyes lit up when he saw me. "Ada," he said, hurrying over to greet me. "We seem to meet everywhere, no? What are you doing in Ebonheart?"

"Just some Legion business. How about you?"

"I have been to deliver a message to Llerar Mandas at the Council chambers." He hesitated. "I was about to leave, but? well, you helped me with my Redoran business. Perhaps I could help you with your tasks for the Legion?"

I didn't have any idea what Frald might ask me to do next, but I didn't see how it could hurt. "Sure! Why not?" I said blithely.

Unfortunately my good mood didn't last long. As it turned out, Frald's next task for me was even more unpleasant than the last. It seemed that a fellow Knight, Saprius Entius, had been accused of murder and was hiding out from the Ordinators in Vivec.

"The Ordinators are too prejudiced to give him a fair trial," Frald said bluntly. After what I'd just been through, I found that hard to argue. "I know a way to get him to the mainland where he will be tried with Imperial justice. Find him before the Ordinators do, and bring him back to me."

As he spoke, I felt my heart sink. The Ordinators would already be out to get me after the business with Suryn Athones; the last thing I needed was another job that would put me directly in conflict with them. If I got caught trying to help Saprius, I'd be arrested or even killed. I agreed to take on the job, but only reluctantly.

I didn't think Varvur would be happy to hear what I'd been asked to do, but I hadn't expected him to object quite so violently. By the time I'd finished explaining he was looking distinctly grim. "So the Legion wants you to help a murderer escape justice?"

"No, of course not! Frald said he'll be tried once they get him back to Cyrodiil."

"And you believe this?" He didn't bother to hide the flash of scorn in his eyes.

"Yes, I do, actually," I said. "I know Frald, and I don't think he's a liar. Besides, why else would they be trying to get him out of the country?"

Varvur threw up his hands in disgust. "So that he can avoid being tried for murder, of course! Everyone knows the Empire prefers to cover up the crimes of their own people where it might embarrass them. Even you cannot deny this!"

I felt a growing knot of anger in my stomach. "Are you saying my people aren't capable of giving him a fair trial?"

"It seems to me that you are saying my people cannot. If the crime was committed in Morrowind, why should he not be tried here?"

"He won't get a trial here! Varvur, this is the Ordinators we're talking about. They'll stick you in the Ministry of Truth just for looking at them funny, and you expect me to believe they won't just kill him on sight?"

"I don't believe they will. And in truth, I don't even care so much. If he is a murderer, he deserves to die that way."

"Because no one was ever falsely accused of murder, I suppose," I snapped. Varvur stiffened, and his lips turned slightly white. I'd been thinking of myself, of course, but at that moment I realised it could just as easily apply to him. Oops.

We spent the rest of the journey back to Vivec in silence. "I take it you're not coming with me?" I asked Varvur, as we were stepping off the quay. He shook his head. "Well, see you around, Varvur."

"Goodbye," he said stiffly, and turned away without another word. My throat ached, and I felt a sudden wild urge to run after him and apologise ? at least explain what I'd meant by that last comment. But, being the stiff-necked idiot I was, I didn't.

Instead I went to the Fighters' Guild and removed my armour. If I started asking about Saprius Entius while dressed in full Legion armour, people were bound to get suspicious. Rather than ask at the Guild, where people knew me, I went outside the canton and asked a few of the more shady-looking types if they'd heard the name. "I did see one of your kind over by the Arena," one of them offered at last.

I took a gondola to the Arena and made some more enquiries. Finally I discovered that Saprius was hiding out in a storeroom somewhere in the canolworks. I made my way there, doing my best to avoid the Ordinators as I went, and finally found Saprius ? still dressed in his Imperial uniform ? inside one of the small, dusty storage cellars. He must have had an ally, because there was a bedroll set up there and someone had obviously been bringing him food.

When I entered the room, he nearly jumped out of his skin. He was on his feet in an instant, his fingers closing around the handle of a large warhammer. "Who are you? Are you in the Imperial Legion?"

I nodded. "The Ordinators have been looking for me," he whispered. "I've done a terrible thing. Can you..." Suddenly his eyes filled with horror. "Look out! Behind you!"

Before I even had the chance to respond, a blast of magicka sent me sprawling forward onto the bedroll. I rolled over to see two heavily-armed Ordinators bearing down on us. Saprius was trying desperately to hold them back, but he could only handle one of them at once. As I lay there, still stunned by the effects of the magicka, the other one advanced on me with sword drawn.

I grasped wildly for my own sword and just managed to parry the blow, but I knew I couldn't hold out for long. My hands and arms were weak, I had no armour, and I couldn't get up from a sitting position while still defending myself. Just as I was beginning to think it was hopeless, the impossible happened: the man stumbled suddenly, and dropped his sword. He sank to his knees, clutching at the back of his neck.

As Saprius finished off the other Ordinator with a heavy blow from his hammer, a young man stepped through the doorway, blood dripping from his sword. It was Varvur.

"Varvur?" I gasped, thinking I must be dreaming. "What are you doing here?"

"I changed my mind. When I saw you going towards the Arena, I decided to come after you and apologise." He shook his head. "But then I realised some Ordinators were following you, so I stayed behind them, and saw what happened. And? well, I could not let them kill you."

I closed my eyes, trying to sort out my jumbled thoughts. "Okay? right now, we just need to get out of here. Saprius, take this amulet." I handed him my Divine Intervention amulet. "Varvur, how are you going to get out of here? The Ordinators ?"

"It's all right. I think I can get out of the canton without being seen by them." He gave my arm a quick squeeze. "I will see you at the Ebonheart docks."

He hurried off before I had the chance to object. Saprius wasted no time in casting the enchantment, so all I could do was follow him to Ebonheart, leaving Varvur to face the wrath of the Ordinators.

The next few minutes were some of the worst of my entire life. All I could think was that Saprius and I had basically murdered two Ordinators ? and what was worse, I'd got Varvur mixed up in it as well. I could only imagine what it would do to his family, and to the House, if it was discovered that Athyn Sarethi's son had been involved in those deaths. And if he was caught by the guards at the Arena? I didn't want to think about it.

"If my friend dies because of you, I'll kill you myself," I snarled at Saprius. He looked genuinely scared.

Frald thanked me warmly when we both reached Fort Hawkmoth. "This helm was my father's when he served in the Legions," he said, handing me an old Legion helmet with a spell reflection enchantment. "He had it enchanted and gave it to me ? now I'm giving it to you. And while we're about it, I think this merits a promotion to Knight Protector."

I tried to look happy about the promotion, and the extra pieces of Templar armour that came with it, but my heart wasn't in it. All I could think about was Varvur. When I finally reached the docks, and found him standing near the boat that had just arrived from Vivec, I nearly cried with relief.

"You were right about the Ordinators," he said quietly.

I flung my arms around him and squeezed him tightly. "Sorry," I choked. He didn't say anything more, just hugged me back. It was dark already, and there weren't many other people around to see us, but at that moment I wouldn't have cared if they did.

We boarded the ship just before it departed for Vivec. "Why did you come after me?" I asked softly, as we sat alone in the hold, leaning against some packing crates. "You must have known the risk you were running."

"How could I not? You saved my life and my honour. I always wished there was something I could do for you in return." He stretched out a hand and, when I didn't react, cautiously laid it on mine. "Now we are a little more equal."

Once again I felt my eyes smart. "Thanks," I mumbled. "Well, you've certainly more than repaid me for it. You're a good friend, Varvur."

If he'd wanted to kiss me, that would have been the perfect moment. And for a moment, I honestly thought he was going to ? but for some reason he seemed to hesitate. "Ada?"

"Yes?"

Our eyes met. For a second we just looked at each other, and then suddenly his gaze fell away. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."

I looked away, trying not to show how disappointed I was. Normally I'd have had no problem making the first move in a relationship, but this was different. This was Athyn Sarethi's son, a Redoran noble. If he wasn't prepared to take the initiative, there was no way I could do it for him.

We ended up going to the Flowers of Gold to share a meal and drown our sorrows. As we ate and drank, we discussed the day's events. "I was very stupid," he said, referring to my comment about people being falsely accused of murder. "I thought you said it to be hurtful. But of course, later I realised you were thinking of yourself, not of me. I am sorry."

"Forget it. None of it matters."

He shook his head. "I cannot understand why the Ordinators would do this. I know that they sometimes can be? over-zealous, but they have always treated me with respect."

"You're a Redoran Councillor's son," I said with a sigh. "Of course they're going to treat you well. If you're a commoner ? or, gods forbid, an outlander ? they think they can insult you as much as they like. The one I met this morning told me that Imperials were 'blunt-eared apes."

"Apes? He really said this?"

"Yup. Also that our soldiers are cowardly and incompetent? oh, and we smell, apparently."

Varvur drew in breath sharply. "He will regret it. Only tell me his name, and ?"

"It's OK," I interrupted. "I already fought him myself. He refused to surrender even when I had my sword at his throat." I slumped back in my chair, shaking my head.

Varvur stared down moodily into his tankard of ale. He didn't say anything more, but I could see that he was still angry. "Why do they hate us so much?" I asked eventually. "The Ordinators, I mean?"

He shrugged. "They are Indoril."

"Like Nerevar?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Yes." He looked up in surprise. "You know of Nerevar, then?"

"Not much," I said hastily. "Just what I've read in books here and there. Anyway, what's that got to do with hating the Legions?"

"Well, House Indoril is very close to the Temple? and the Temple does not at all like the Empire. Did you know that many Indorils committed suicide after the Armistice?"

I stared. "You're kidding."

"Not at all. They are known for being? I can't think of the word in your language. Very, very deeply religious?"

"Fanatical?" He nodded.

I took a long draught from my glass of shein. "So in that case, why does the Temple dislike us so much? Okay, we worship different gods, but?"

"There are many reasons, I think. The Empire is a threat to their power, of course, but also?" Varvur paused, looking a bit uncomfortable. "If I tried to explain, I'm afraid that it would offend you."

"Go on," I told him. "It can't be worse than anything I've heard already."

"Well? they believe that Imperials are greedy and unscrupulous." He cringed slightly, avoiding my eyes. "They? they say that you worship Fortune."

"Worship Fortune?" I had a sudden vision of chapelgoers kneeling in prayer before a huge pile of gold coins. (Actually, in a few cases that wouldn't be too far off the mark.) "What do you mean?"

"One of the Nine Divines? the god Zenithar?"

I frowned. "Zenithar's the god of commerce. It's not the same thing."

"No?"

"He sets down the rules for honest trading. It's not just about making as much money as possible." I explained about the oath I'd once sworn to Zenithar, and how no one would trade with me until I'd fulfilled it.

"I see," Varvur said eventually. "I did not know this. But?" He looked as if he were choosing his words very carefully. "Zenithar may teach these rules, but not all Imperials follow them. Wouldn't you agree?"

"And do all Dunmer follow the Tribunal's teachings?" I asked, a little defensively.

"Of course not, but the difference is that you are strangers here. Many Dunmer wish that the Empire had never come to Morrowind. And when people see Imperials who lie, and cheat, and abuse their power?" He exhaled wearily. "It is much easier to believe these stories, that say they care for nothing but gold."

There was a long, awkward silence. "I'm sorry," he said at last. "I knew it would offend you."

"Nah, it's OK," I said, shrugging. "I'm not offended." I could see his point, to be honest. But the fact was, that brief conversation had brought back all those nagging doubts I'd been trying desperately to ignore. Once again I could hear that treacherous little voice in my head: You don't belong here. They'll never accept you as Nerevarine.

To take my mind off it, I ended up drinking rather more than I should. A lot more, in fact. Somewhere towards midnight I got the bright idea of teaching Varvur some Cyrodiilic drinking songs ? and I'm reliably informed that what my voice lacks in tunefulness, it makes up for in loudness. By the time I'd finished 'Oh, Cyrodiil' and 'Green and Gracious Land', I think the entire tavern was staring at us.

Someone at a nearby table shook his head. "What is it with you outlanders? You come here to Morrowind, and then spend all your time singing about how much better it is back home. Why don't you just go back there?"

"Can't," I mumbled, slurping at my glass. " 'm the Neverevereveragaine."

The man groaned. "Almsivi preserve us. Not another one."

"What is it?" asked a second voice.

"Another outlander who thinks she's the Nerevarine." He sighed. "Must be Tirdas again."

By this time Varvur was looking distinctly worried. "Ada, it is getting late. I think we should leave." He slid his arms around me and tugged me gently to my feet, guiding me towards the exit. When I stood up, it felt like the whole room was slowly spinning.

"Don' believe me, huh?" I slurred, as we passed the first man's table. "Well, I'll show you. Got a, uh, magic ring thingy? Moon-'n-Star." I pulled off my glove to show him, but unfortunately I'd forgotten that I wasn't wearing it right now. "Well? 'shere somewhere."

"Come, Ada." Varvur practically dragged me towards the door of the tavern. As he bundled me out, I heard somebody say, "If she's the Nerevarine, Almsivi help us all."

Outside, he propped me up against a wall just around the corner from the tavern. I vaguely hoped that he might try to make out with me ? though I was starting to feel a bit sick, to be honest ? but he didn't seem to be in the mood. "I must go to an alchemist," he told me. "Wait for me here? and please, try not to do anything foolish."

I have no idea how he managed to find an alchemist's shop that was still open at that time of night, but a few minutes later he was back, clutching a potion in his hand. "Drink this," he told me. I gulped down the contents of the small vial, and immediately sobered up.

"Ugh. Thanks," I said. "Went a bit overboard there, I think."

Varvur was shaking his head. "Ada, are you insane? Why did you tell those people that you are the Nerevarine?"

"Oh [censored]. I did, didn't I?" He nodded. "Well, thank Talos none of them actually believed me."

"Ada, please. I know you love to joke, but try to be serious just this once." He looked genuinely distressed. "You must understand how dangerous it is to say things like that, even in jest. I know it must seem strange to you, as your culture is so different, but ? "

I held up a hand. "I already know these things, Varvur. Look? I think perhaps you should speak to your father."

"My father? Why?" Suddenly his face turned several shades paler. "You? surely you are not serious?"

"Let me show you something." I glanced around to check that no one else was nearby, then opened up my pouch. Carefully I took out the Moon-and-Star, holding it between my thumb and forefinger, and held it out to Varvur.

For a moment he just stared at it blankly. Then, as I turned it slightly so that the moon and star decoration was uppermost, realisation dawned. He jumped back as if it had scorched him, and uttered a word in Dunmeris that I'd never even heard before. "Ada? is that??"

I nodded. "But how ? but where did you??" Suddenly his furrowed brow cleared a little. "That was why you were visiting the Ashlanders!"

He caught on quickly, I had to give him that. I nodded again. "Then? you truly believe that you are the Nerevarine? But ? but you are ?"

"An outlander, yeah. It's in the prophecy."

Varvur seemed to be struggling to take this in. "But? Ada, why didn't you tell me this?"

"Why do you think? I haven't told anyone yet apart from your father ? and I only told him because I was at my wits' end." I leaned back against the wall, closing my eyes briefly. "Varvur? I really think you should speak to him about it. It's just that it's getting very late, and it's a long story, and I really, really don't feel up to explaining the whole thing right now."

"I understand. I will speak to him." He hesitated, shaking his head. "I'm sorry? this is just so hard to believe. Almost like a dream."

"I'm really sorry I didn't tell you before," I said. "But? you can see why, right? After what you were just telling me?"

"Yes, I can. Well? I will see you in Ald'ruhn, perhaps." There was a new light in his eyes when he looked at me, something between awe and fear, with perhaps just a touch of hurt. I got the feeling I'd just scotched any remaining chance of a relationship between us. Not that I could really blame him ? I think I'd have got cold feet if a potential boyfriend revealed himself as a reincarnated Indoril warlord.

"Bye, Varvur." I slipped the ring back into my pouch, and held out my arms to him. He hugged me, very tentatively this time, and then we went our separate ways. I don't think anyone could have guessed how hard I was trying not to cry.

This one is powerful and sad and evocative. I loved Ada's angry puzzlement as to why no one ever seems to surrender, no matter how obvious it is that they are overmatched....

And her bittersweet relationship with Varvur is so wonderfully described- I felt a tear or two come to my eyes, as well.

Beautifully written again, Helena.

Cute
and witty of course. :goodjob:

Do you know, Helena, I like Ada drunk better than I like her sober?

Favorite Line:





ARGH !!!! When is he going to kiss her? ARGH !! Darned AI !!! - ROFL !!

"Shere somewhere..." I liked that! I admire how you manage to make every single mission interesting. Every time I start a chapter I find myself thinking: "How can I make this interesting enough to write about it." Well done Helena!

Fun, action, drunkeness, emotional... and above all, Ada.

Wonderful as always!

I love Ada's spunk
I love her when she's drunk
And who does not love her
I shall call...a skunk.

Bye all for 10 days!!! Keep up da good work, girl!!!

Chapter 31: Dead Men's Shoes

When I went to see Athyn Sarethi the next morning, Varvur wasn't at home. Athyn confirmed that Varvur had been to see him and that he'd told him my story. I got the impression he hadn't taken it very well.

"He was? perhaps a little overwhelmed," Athyn said carefully, and it was pretty obvious that this was an understatement. "You must remember that most Dunmer believe these prophecies to be nothing more than ancient legend. I'm afraid you will face shock and disbelief from many people once you reveal yourself openly."

I felt a dull ache somewhere deep in my chest, but I forced myself to ignore it. The last thing I needed was for Athyn to know that I had some stupid crush on his son. "I expect he'll come around soon enough," I said, as lightly as possible.

"I'm sure he will. But tell me, have you had any success in persuading Hlaren Ramoran to support our cause?"

I explained what I'd done for Hlaren (tactfully leaving out the part where I set him up with his servant Nalvyna). "He asked you to find Nalvilie Saren?" Athyn asked with interest. "I often wondered what happened to Nalvilie myself. I already had a daughter her age when she was on the arms of more men than was proper..."

"I take it they were engaged at some point?" I asked, unable to suppress my curiosity.

He nodded. "Poor Hlaren. We all tried to warn him that she and he would not suit, but he would persist in falling in love with the most unsuitable ? " He broke off. "Well. It was many years ago, and perhaps best forgotten."

I couldn't help wondering what Athyn would think if he knew Ramoran was contemplating marriage to his much-younger female bodyguard. Ah well, I'd leave him to break that bit of news to his fellow Councillors.

After leaving the manor I turned to the matter of the Fighters' Guild, and spent a long time thinking over what Percius Mercius had said. The rest of the day, in fact, and by nightfall I was still no closer to knowing what I should do. Of course I understood that things couldn't go on like this, but at the same time I was really unhappy about being asked to do Percius' dirty work. If he'd decided that all these people had to die, why couldn't he be the one to act as executioner?

The answer came to me soon enough: he wanted to take over as Guildmaster again when Sjoring Hard-Heart was dead. And that would be pretty difficult for him when he'd just slaughtered half of the Guild's most senior officers, wouldn't it? Far better to have a lackey like me carry out the 'purge', and keep his own hands relatively clean. I understood, but I still didn't like it.

Finally, just before I drifted off to sleep, I decided to go and discuss the whole business with Eydis Fire-Eye. She'd seemed like a reasonable person for the little time I knew her, and who knew, perhaps my magical Nerevapersuasion powers would help me to talk her around. Perhaps.

Unfortunately things didn't quite work out like that. The delay turned out to have been a bad idea: somehow, over that couple of days, both Eydis and Lorbumol had got word of what I was up to. And when I arrived in Balmora the next morning, she was waiting for me.

"I see you've risen to Guardian, Ada," she said, her eyes filled with malice. "Word on the street is that you've become Mercius' lapdog, and he's sent you to kill me."

"Eydis ? "

But she wasn't about to listen. "I'm afraid I can't let that happen," she said sweetly, patting the heavy Dwarven mace she carried. "You were always a disappointment."

Ouch. I wouldn't have minded so much, but that really stung. Naturally she didn't give me any chance to explain (though it probably didn't help when I roared, "I don't WANT to kill you, you stupid [censored]!"). She just swung at me, and didn't stop swinging until she was dead.

I ran straight out of the Guild, knowing I had to get to Lorbumol gro-Aglakh before anyone could warn him. Masalinie Merian at the Mages' Guild looked shocked to see Eydis' blood on my armour, but she knew better than to ask me any questions at a time like that. From the Vivec Mages' Guild I ran to the Fighters, and down to the training area in the basemant ? where Lorbumol looked up from mending some armour, saw me, and leapt to his feet with a truly ugly expression on his face. He was completely unarmoured, dressed only in pants and boots.

"I see you've risen to Guardian, Ventura," he spat. "I also heard you've been sent to kill me. I'm the only one who'll be taking over as Guildmaster, and I won't let you take my rank in the Guild!"

Do I even need to say that he didn't give me a chance to protest? He just grabbed the nearest thing to hand, a dreugh-bone club, and attacked me. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't Athyn Sarethi, and taking on a heavily-armoured opponent without a proper weapon did not work to his advantage. Even a magically-induced berserk rage ? a natural talent of the Orcs ? wasn't enough to give him the edge.

When Lorbumol finally fell beneath my blade, I barely had time to mop my brow and swallow a stamina potion before a heavily-armed Nord man ran out of a nearby room. "What the hell is going on here?" he roared, barging past several other Guild members who'd come to see what was causing all the rumpus. I guessed that this was the Guildmaster Sjoring Hard-Heart.

"I might as well ask you the same thing," I said coldly. "Why the hell are you making deals with the Camonna Tong?"

"What do you know about that?" he snarled. "Been talking to Mercius, have you? So that's why you're killing my best men. Well, you'll not get any more of them!"

He ended that last sentence by swinging his heavy steel warhammer at my face. It was a good thing I'd anticipated it and jumped back in time to avoid it.

Hard-Heart was a much tougher opponent than Lorbumol. He was well-armed, for one thing, and a pretty formidable warrior on top of that. What was more, as a Nord he was completely immune to frost magicka, so the hits I managed to land on his armour didn't do much good.

If I hadn't been wearing my strength-enhancing gauntlets, I think he'd have defeated me easily. In fact, his over-confidence was what did for him in the end ? he was relying on his strength, and wasn't expecting an Imperial woman a foot shorter than he was to be a match for him. A few clumsy swings, a misstep ? and the fight finally ended when he stumbled, leaving his head and neck exposed for a crucial second.

I swung round, my heart still pounding, as Hard-Heart's body clattered to the ground. The other Guild members were standing there open-mouthed, staring from me to the bodies on the blood-spattered floor. I wanted to say something ? anything ? but there was absolutely nothing adequate to what had just happened. I turned, without a word, and walked out of the room.

The 'purge' was complete, but it would take me a long, long time to get the vile taste of that day's events out of my mouth. I decided not to go back to Percius for now; he'd find out what had happened soon enough. Instead I returned to the Hawkmoth Legion fort, and went to bed that night in the knowledge that my career in the Fighters' Guild was pretty much over. Who'd want to work with me now, even if I had acted for the best?

The next day I asked Frald the White for Legion duties, hoping it would take my mind off everything else. "Have you forgotten?" he said, his eyes twinkling. "You're the same rank as me now. I can't give you duties any more."

"Oh? yeah." I had forgotten, to tell the truth. Promotions in the Legion had come so thick and fast that I was having trouble keeping up.

"If you want more duties, you'll have to speak to Varus Vantinius," he continued. "He's the head of the Legions here in Morrowind, and Knight of the Imperial Dragon. You can find him with Duke Dren over in the Grand Council chambers."

Varus Vantinius was an Imperial man of around forty, tall and solidly built, with a piercing gaze. His impressive silver cuirass marked him out as a member of the Duke's personal guard ? the one I'd be joining if I managed to impress him enough. Unfortunately he seemed just a bit skeptical when I tried to explain how I'd become a Knight Protector in just over two months.

"Yes, Frald has told me about you," he said, interrupting me. "I'm not sure what to make of it all, to be honest. You're very young, aren't you?"

Something in his tone and expression rubbed me up the wrong way. I got the impression he thought I'd bribed my way up the ranks by shagging Frald or something. "Twenty-three," I answered shortly.

"Hmph. And you really think you're ready for the Duke's Guard?"

Once again I felt a twinge of irritation at his cynical stare. "Is there anything I can do to prove myself to you, sir?"

"Well, now that you mention it? perhaps." He thought for a moment. "Have you heard of the Lord's Mail?"

I vaguely remembered reading the story of the Mail as a kid. It was a very powerful enchanted cuirass, said to have been created by the goddess Kynareth for her champion Morihaus. I said as much to Vantinius, who nodded.

"It has been kept in a Shrine on the lower level of the Imperial Commission here, but was recently stolen. I want you to investigate. Take this key" ? he handed me a large door key ? "and use it to enter the Shrine. If you manage to find the Mail, there may be a place for you in our Order."

Detective work, eh? I ignored his emphasis on the 'if', glad to have a task that hopefully wouldn't involve any deaths. I had to have killed more people since arriving in Morrowind than in my entire life up to then.

I went to the Imperial Commission, in a building just off the Council chambers, and made my way down to the Imperial Cult shrine. At first I couldn't see anything unusual, but after looking around for a few minutes I noticed some traces of mud on the ground. After careful anolysis of the colour, texture and consistency, I determined that it was? mud. Of some sort.

The trail led from the altar to one of the walls and then vanished. I spoke to the two guards outside the door, but they assured me that no one had been in or out while they were there, and muttered darkly about 'foul magicka'. Either they were lying, and the theft was an inside job ? or there was another way into the shrine.

Back inside the small room, I took another look at the stone walls. Now that I looked more closely I could see loose mortar around some of the stones, and a small, perfectly round hole in one of them that looked man-made. I pushed and prodded at the wall for a while, even trying an unlocking spell, but nothing happened. Finally I called in the guards to show them what I'd found, but they couldn't shift the stones either.

"This isn't getting us anywhere," I said at last. "Do you know of anyone who had a reason to steal the Mail?"

Both men thought for a minute. "Talk to Rufinus Alleius, the magistrate," one of them said at last. "He's upstairs in the Commission. He keeps his ears open."

Rufinius did have a hunch, as it turned out. "Furius Acilius," he said at once. "He was banished from the Legion some time ago, but he spoke of the armour before his leave, and of secret caves below the castle. Ask about him at the Imperial Guard Garrison."

Talos. The Legion knew all this, and yet no one had bothered to investigate it before now? No wonder I'd managed to rise to Knight Protector so quickly ? I was the only one who ever seemed to do any work around here.

Down in the Guard garrison, I asked around a bit and found out which room had belonged to Furius (heh) before he was kicked out. It seemed Rufinus had guessed correctly: a quick search of the room revealed a small key, expertly hidden? under Furius' pillow. Yes, his pillow. This was starting to remind me of the 'treasure hunt' my parents had organised as a treat for my sixth birthday.

I went back to the shrine and tried the key in that small round hole I'd noticed earlier. After wiggling it around a bit, I heard a sudden 'click'. I pushed gently on the wall ? and an entire section slid backwards and sideways, leaving a large gap which revealed a cramped, dark passageway.

I crept through the hole as noiselessly as possible, letting the stone 'door' slide shut behind me. A short way ahead was a normal wooden door, this one unlocked. It led into a damp-looking cave lit only by glowing mushrooms ? presumably the 'secret caves' Acilius had described.

For a moment I considered going straight back to tell the guards what I'd found, but I decided to scout out the place first. It did seem Alleius' theory about Furius Acilius was correct, but I couldn't be sure if he had allies. I slipped my trusty Chameleon amulet around my neck and cast the enchantment, then hurried down the gloomy passageway.

Further into the caves I came across a clearing of sorts, where a bald-headed Imperial man was sitting by a fire. Could this be Furius? Acting on instinct, I crouched down behind him and cast my Star of the West power. As he slumped back against me, unconscious, I caught him and I laid his body down beside me on the floor.

The enchanted cuirass he wore glowed faintly in the firelight. Was this really the Lord's Mail, I wondered? It certainly wasn't like any other armour I'd seen, but it didn't look like the gift of a Goddess either ? the metal was strong but dull and tarnished, and the carvings on the front were faded. It looked? ancient.

I rolled Acilius onto his side to unbuckle the cuirass from his limp body ? then nearly dropped the armour when it literally changed shape in my hands, to something more suited to my size and figure. Maybe it was something special after all.

Before returning to the Commission I had a quick look around the cave, and was soon glad I'd taken the time. Amongst Furius' other possessions I found a beautiful glass longsword, with a frost enchantment like the one on my current weapon. Glass weapons are slightly more brittle than silver or steel, but very good quality, with an edge that can cut through even some of the heavier armours. I decided I deserved a reward for all my hard work (cough) in exposing the thief's fiendishly sneaky plot (cough).

I took the glass sword for myself and left my own weapon in its place. Leaving the unconscious Acilius for the guards to pick up, I returned to the Commission to explain what had happened, and then to the Council chambers. I was quite pleased with how that had gone: the Mystery of the Missing Mail solved in under an hour, and not a drop of blood spilled.

Varus Vantinius didn't look quite so pleased, unfortunately. For some reason he seemed to have taken a dislike to me, and my success in finding the Mail only seemed to make things worse. To do him justice, though, he kept to his word.

"Well done, Knight Protector," he said grudgingly. "Very well: as reward, you are welcome in our Order as a Knight of the Garland. I will have a cuirass made for you, but first I have another task: I want you to find Chrysamere."

"Chrysamere?"

"A sword of legend, sometimes called the Paladin's Blade. It was in the possession of the Legion for many years, but was stolen by a treacherous Knight. Our spies have heard rumours that it is now in the possession of Draramu Hloran, a powerful sorceress near Sadrith Mora."

Why did I get the feeling he didn't much care if I survived the encounter with this 'powerful sorceress'? Well, I'd show him.

After my midday meal I set off for Sadrith Mora. It took a while to find any of the none-too-friendly townsfolk who were willing to speak about Draramu Hloran, but it turned out she was living in a cave on one of the nearby islands. By this point I'd learned to cast Water Walking, a pretty simple spell, fairly consistently ? it was still a bit touch and go, but I managed to reach the cave of Abanabi without getting wet.

The cave itself turned out to be full of Daedra. A month or two ago this would have had me in a serious panic, but now, with enchanted armour for protection and a powerful weapon, I felt much better able to take them on. My main worry was that the sounds of battle would alert Hloran and any friends she had with her, but when I finally found her, she was alone in a remote part of the cavern.

I concealed myself behind a large crystal formation and wondered what to do. Draramu was standing on a wooden platform high above an underground lake, and the only way to reach her was over a narrow rock bridge. I could have snuck up on her using my Amulet of Shadows, but I couldn't cast the Star of the West spell a second time in one day. I could have used arrows, but if she wasn't killed outright she'd probably just start flinging spells at me. Besides, I really didn't want to kill her ? not because I imagined she didn't deserve it, but because I was just so sick of killing people.

After a minute's thought, I put on my Chameleon and Divine Intervention amulets and cast the Chameleon enchantment, then walked across to Draramu. She was carrying a magnificent claymore which had to be Chrysamere ? though frankly I was surprised she even had the strength to lift it. Crouching down behind her, I picked up a small pebble from the ground and threw it across the room as hard as I could. She muttered something under her breath, looked around sharply for a few seconds, and then set off in the direction of the sound.

Just as she stepped onto the narrow bridge, I grabbed her arms ? easily wrenching the sword out of her hands ? and gave her a hard shove. With an outraged shriek she toppled over into the water below. Instantly I cast the Divine Intervention enchantment, and within minutes I was back in Ebonheart presenting Chrysamere to Varus Vantinius ? who was now wearing the Lord's Mail himself, I noticed.

"So you have found Chrysamere." He was smiling thinly, but his eyes glittered with anger. "And a fine blade it is! Come on, hand it over."

Gods, what was his problem? After all I'd done for the Legion, chasing after artifacts they'd been stupid enough to lose, you'd think a little politeness wouldn't kill him. "Do I get another promotion for this?" I asked, unable to resist the chance to rub it in.

He gave a short laugh. "Looking to go even further, are you? I might have known."

"Is there any reason why not?" I asked coldly. "With all due respect, sir, I think I've earned it."

Varus just? stared at me, a strange expression on his face. "There can only be one Knight of the Imperial Dragon on Vvardenfell," he said at last. "But so be it. To take my place, you must defeat me in an honourable duel in the Arena."

It took a second or two for the full meaning of his words to sink in. Only then did I realise what a hideous mistake I'd made. Why hadn't I realised that his rank was the next one up from mine? "A? a duel?" I murmured, trying to hide my shock.

"Yes." A look of scorn flickered across Vantinius' face. "Or did you imagine I would simply stand aside and let you take my rank?"

My mind was working frantically. Okay, so I'd screwed up here. There was no way I could realistically beat Vantinius in a duel ? especially when he had two of the most powerful artifacts in Tamriel to help him! ? but however stupid I would look trying to fight him, I'd look even more stupid if I tried to back down now. Best to just go along with the duel, and surrender gracefully when things got too much for me.

"No, sir." I straightened up. "I accept your challenge."

He raised his eyebrows. "You are the challenger, are you not? Very well. I'll tell you now that I'd rather die than lose my position as Knight of the Imperial Dragon. Meet me in the Arena in Vivec, tomorrow morning, for a duel to the death."

Before I could say anything, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room ? leaving me staring after him, aghast. A duel to the death? Surely he couldn't be serious?

I wheeled round to look at the other people in the room. All of them, the Duke included, were looking at me as if I were completely and utterly mad. I couldn't entirely blame them.

Suddenly I felt a rush of anger. Vantinius knew I had no chance against him, and yet he'd all but tricked me into a fight I couldn't possibly win. I could see how arrogant and obnoxious I must have looked, with my demands for promotion to his rank ? but on top of challenging me to an unwinnable duel just to humiliate me, he had to try to kill me as well? It made no sense until I suddenly realised that was why he'd disliked me to start with ? he thought I was a threat to his position, and in his mind I'd just proved it.

I walked slowly back to the Hawkmoth garrison, my mind in a whirl. What was I going to do? Maybe if I used the money from the ring I'd sold to buy some really good armour, Daedric or ebony or something like that? but I didn't have a clue where to get that kind of stuff. Besides, those armours were hideously expensive ? a cuirass alone would probably cost more than the 25,000 gold I had left.

It took me ages to get to sleep that night. I lay awake for hours, mentally beating myself up for being so incredibly stupid. As if I didn't have enough to worry about without turning the head of my own Order into an enemy! I didn't even want his rank, for crying out loud!

By the time I woke up, early the next morning, I still hadn't thought of anything. I couldn't back out now even if I wanted to ? not only would the Redorans crucify me, but I'd certainly lose any chance of ever becoming Nerevarine. It seemed my only hope was for Azura to step in and strike Vantinius down with a heart attack or something.

And then, just when everything seemed hopeless, an idea came to me. A truly evil, sneaky, underhanded, blasphemous idea.

I bathed, and dressed, and then walked down to the basemant where the Legion smith was setting up for the day. "Excuse me," I said to him. "Do you know anything about the Arena, by any chance?"

He hesitated for a couple of seconds before answering. "What do you want to know?"

"Am I right in thinking you can use any type of magic you like for a duel? There aren't any restrictions?"

"None that I know of, no."

"Okay. Thanks," I said. As he turned away, I cast Divine Intervention and landed in front of the High Fane on Vivec's Temple canton. There was no one around; the priestess who usually sold Rising Force potions hadn't turned up yet.

I walked over to Vivec's Shrine to Stop the Moon and removed one of my own potions from my bag. Nervously I glanced over at the Palace of Vivec, where the god himself was said to live, watching over the city and its people. What would he think of this, I wondered?

"Sorry," I murmured, and placed the potion on the shrine. With a flash of light it cast the usual 24-hour Levitation spell.

I didn't fly off immediately. Instead I walked to the Arena, ate some breakfast, and then spent my time practising in one of the training rooms until the duel was due to begin. As I walked to the pit area, I felt a bit sick ? but not with fear.

As soon as I walked through the door and saw Vantinius, I knew there wasn't much chance of him showing mercy. He wore the Lord's Mail and carried Chrysamere, and his mouth was set in a hard line. Almost no one was there to see us ? apparently he hadn't thought this rather pathetic fight worth mentioning to anyone.

The announcer called for the duel to begin, and Vantinius ran at me brandishing Chrysamere. I stood my ground, waiting until he was almost within reach ? and then I leapt upwards, rising high above his head.

I'll never forget the look of fury and disbelief on Vantinius' face. To be fair, he still put up a pretty good fight ? but what could he do against an opponent with that kind of advantage? He defended himself quite well, but he never managed to land a blow on me. All I had to do was jab him with my sword a few times and let the frost magicka do its work.

I didn't feel any triumph when he lay dead ? only a crushing sense of guilt and sadness. I knew perfectly well that this hadn't been a fair fight, even if there was technically nothing in the rulebook about not using constant-effect Levitation spells in a fight. I'd cheated, and I'd killed a good man. But what else could I have done?

Carefully I unbuckled the Lord's Mail from his body and picked up Chrysamere, then cast Divine Intervention to take me back to Ebonheart. I honestly think Duke Dren was pretty near to fainting when he saw me. Clearly he hadn't ever expected to see me again, let alone carrying Vantinius' weapon and armour.

"You? have defeated Varus?" he said hoarsely. "You took those from him?"

I nodded, laying the artifacts down on one of the chairs. "I see." He swallowed visibly. "Then you are the new Knight of the Imperial Dragon. Congratulations, sera."

Dear Talos? I was, wasn't I? That was why we were fighting in the first place ? because he thought I wanted his rank. I, Ada Ventura, was now the head of the Imperial Legion in Vvardenfell.

Suppressing a choke of slightly hysterical laughter, I thanked the Duke and left as quickly as possible. I knew one thing: I had to tell Athyn about this as quickly as possible. Better to tell him myself than have him hear about it third-hand and think I'd kept it from him.

In Sarethi Manor, I went to Athyn's study and told him the whole sorry story. As always, he listened patiently, but this time I could sense that he really wasn't happy.

"I will answer you plainly," he said at last. "Yes, it was wrong of him to challenge you knowing that you had little chance against him. But what you did was very far from honourable."

I felt the blood rush to my face. I knew he was right, of course, and that made me all the more defensive. "Are you saying I should just have walked in there like a lamb to the slaughter?" I demanded. "When he had the Paladin's Blade and the Armour of Morihaus to help him?"

"I don't blame you for wishing to even the odds, but surely you must see that your actions went far beyond this? Besides, the duel should never have taken place."

I blinked. "Are you saying I should have refused to fight him?"

"No, you could hardly have refused the duel. But?" Athyn shook his head. "Ada, I must speak very seriously to you. I know that you are young, and not so familiar with our culture? but you've been here long enough to understand how careless words can lead you into trouble. It was you who first issued a challenge to Vantinius, even if you did not mean to."

"But ? "

"No, no more excuses. Ada, you claim to be the Nerevarine ? yet a good man is dead because you spoke without thinking." He spoke gently, but his expression was very grave. "Is this what makes you a worthy successor to Nerevar? I cannot say this strongly enough: If you wish to rise high in House Redoran, and become our Hortator, you must learn to control your tongue and your temper."

I felt about eight inches tall. Having him lose his temper and yell at me would be far and away preferable to this; at least it wouldn't make me feel quite so guilty and ashamed. "I do not say this to be cruel," he went on, "or because I'm angry with you. I say it as advice, and as a warning. If you were to defeat a Redoran in such a duel, the House would not easily forgive you."

For a long time I just stared at the floor. "You're not going to punish me?" I said at last, in a small voice.

"No. What purpose would it serve? You already know you have done wrong, else you would not be here. It is as I have always told my own children: If you are a true Redoran, and you know you have acted dishonourably, your own conscience will be your worst punishment."

I forced myself to look up at him. "Surely you're not still willing to declare me Hortator after this?"

"Not yet." Athyn began to gather together the papers on his desk. "I will, but first I wish you to become Hortator of Houses Hlaalu and Telvanni. Prove to me that you can be cunning and diplomatic, and use persuasion as well as weapons. Being a good fighter is not enough."

I froze in horror. Athyn shrugged, a rueful smile on his lips. "A difficult task, I know," he said. "But if you truly are Nerevar reborn, you must succeed."

Somehow I managed to pull myself together. "All right," I said, trying to sound rather more confident than I felt. "I'll try. Do you have any idea who I should speak with to become Hortator?"

"Be careful when dealing with the Telvanni," he warned. "They are all powerful, and the power drives some of them mad. Of the ones I have dealt with, Master Aryon of Tel Vos seems the most honest. As for the Hlaalu, I do not know of any who would treat you honourably and fairly? but I do know that Crassius Curio in Vivec holds some degree of power." Again he smiled faintly, seeing the horrified expression on my face. "Yes, my friend. Perhaps this will teach you to be more careful of throwing vases in future."

"Anyone else?" I asked desperately. "Anyone?"

"Well? Orvas Dren is not officially a member of House Hlaalu, but he holds at least as much sway over the Hlaalu Council."

Oh, great. So my choice was between the head of the Camonna Tong, and the guy whose face I'd smashed in with a vase? Yet more proof that someone up there really hated me.

I thanked Athyn for his kindness, but left the manor in a lower mood than I'd felt for weeks. I'd hoped to smooth my way with the Hlaalu and Telvanni by getting Redoran to declare me Hortator first, but now that was impossible. And I had the satisfaction of knowing it was entirely my own fault. It wasn't a good start to my efforts to fulfil the Fourth Trial.

I could really relate to this chapter. I felt the exact same way with the final battle for the Imperial Legion and also contemplated on using levitation but considered it dishonourable, just like Athyn. :goodjob:

Whew Helena! AWESOME Write !!!!!! There won't be a faction with a standing member when you get through cleaning house! ROFL !!!