The black and red leather-clad Argonian swore as he threw the fur to the floor, pulling his dagger clear and moving in for another strike. Unfortunately for him, Elisif wasn't the helpless little girl of a few weeks previously. Elisif was Dragonborn now, she'd seen combat, fought for her life for real, and these days when she saw reptilian features, she saw dragon and reacted accordingly.
“FUS RO DAH!” she Shouted at him, sending the Argonian flying. Dawnbreaker was gleaming away on its weapon plaque above her bed and Elisif grabbed it, casting the one mage armour spell she knew and moving in for the kill. The Argonian barely had the chance to move before Dawnbreaker stabbed down and skewered him. Then the doors burst open and Falk was there with Bolgeir and half a dozen guards at his back.
“Elisif!” he gasped, seeing the dead man on the floor in a pool of blood, and Elisif standing there with a sword in her hands looking like she was about to faint.
“Falk,” Elisif whispered, feeling like she was going to be sick any second now – her room, oh gods, her own bedroom and someone had tried to – tried to... She sank on to the bed before she actually did collapse.
“Elisif,” and Falk was there, sitting next to her, arms around her while Bolgeir started going over the rest of the room to make sure no one else was hiding anywhere, and the guards picked the body up and carried it away. “My gods, Elisif, what happened, are you all right?”
Elisif shook her head, shaking all over. Someone tried to kill me. They tried to kill me in my own palace!
“I was going to go to bed, but it was dark,” she whispered. “The lamps were out, so I cast a magelight, and then I saw him in the mirror and he went for me with a sword and... and I Shouted and grabbed Dawnbreaker and killed him...”
“We heard the Shout and came running,” Falk said grimly. “Gods, Elisif, if he'd killed you...”
Elisif didn't reply. She couldn't say anything, she was too choked to speak. An assassin, here, in Solitude. Dressed in red and black. She knew which group of assassins were said to wear that.
Dark Brotherhood. Someone took out a contract with the Dark Brotherhood. Oh gods. Everyone knew of the Dark Brotherhood, the feared guild of assassins who struck without warning and always killed the target eventually. Who never gave up, who could always find you, who didn't stop until you were dead. And now someone was paying them to kill her. She didn't know who, had no idea. Someone with money, that was for sure. Someone who might profit from it. Quite possibly someone in her own court, in fact the more she thought about it, the more she thought it had to be someone in Solitude. She'd come back from High Hrothgar different, Falk had said. Different? Not afraid any more, was how she'd come back. Less willing to be bossed around, told what to do, treated like a child. Could be someone thought this new Elisif was a liability. An inconvenience. An obstacle. Especially since the whole Meridia situation when she'd been swept into the sky in front of Captain Aldis and half the guard, deposited back outside and had to explain the situation away quickly. She'd just said it was a sign the gods were pleased with her and they'd given her the sword to help wipe out all Skyrim's foes and make Skyrim a freer, happier, better place. They'd all responded with cheers and the story had started going around that she'd been given a divine mission to heal Skyrim and purge it of corruption. She'd not minded that at all at the time... only it was beginning to occur to her not all the corruption was on Ulfric's side.
“Falk,” she whispered. “Falk, when Bolgeir's finished checking the room, could I have a bit of time alone in here? I – I need to think, need to gather my wits. Suppose I need to get my things together too, I can hardly sleep in here now.”
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timeasmymeasure
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 8.8
Date: 2013-10-18 09:46 pm (UTC)“FUS RO DAH!” she Shouted at him, sending the Argonian flying. Dawnbreaker was gleaming away on its weapon plaque above her bed and Elisif grabbed it, casting the one mage armour spell she knew and moving in for the kill. The Argonian barely had the chance to move before Dawnbreaker stabbed down and skewered him. Then the doors burst open and Falk was there with Bolgeir and half a dozen guards at his back.
“Elisif!” he gasped, seeing the dead man on the floor in a pool of blood, and Elisif standing there with a sword in her hands looking like she was about to faint.
“Falk,” Elisif whispered, feeling like she was going to be sick any second now – her room, oh gods, her own bedroom and someone had tried to – tried to... She sank on to the bed before she actually did collapse.
“Elisif,” and Falk was there, sitting next to her, arms around her while Bolgeir started going over the rest of the room to make sure no one else was hiding anywhere, and the guards picked the body up and carried it away. “My gods, Elisif, what happened, are you all right?”
Elisif shook her head, shaking all over. Someone tried to kill me. They tried to kill me in my own palace!
“I was going to go to bed, but it was dark,” she whispered. “The lamps were out, so I cast a magelight, and then I saw him in the mirror and he went for me with a sword and... and I Shouted and grabbed Dawnbreaker and killed him...”
“We heard the Shout and came running,” Falk said grimly. “Gods, Elisif, if he'd killed you...”
Elisif didn't reply. She couldn't say anything, she was too choked to speak. An assassin, here, in Solitude. Dressed in red and black. She knew which group of assassins were said to wear that.
Dark Brotherhood. Someone took out a contract with the Dark Brotherhood. Oh gods. Everyone knew of the Dark Brotherhood, the feared guild of assassins who struck without warning and always killed the target eventually. Who never gave up, who could always find you, who didn't stop until you were dead. And now someone was paying them to kill her. She didn't know who, had no idea. Someone with money, that was for sure. Someone who might profit from it. Quite possibly someone in her own court, in fact the more she thought about it, the more she thought it had to be someone in Solitude. She'd come back from High Hrothgar different, Falk had said. Different? Not afraid any more, was how she'd come back. Less willing to be bossed around, told what to do, treated like a child. Could be someone thought this new Elisif was a liability. An inconvenience. An obstacle. Especially since the whole Meridia situation when she'd been swept into the sky in front of Captain Aldis and half the guard, deposited back outside and had to explain the situation away quickly. She'd just said it was a sign the gods were pleased with her and they'd given her the sword to help wipe out all Skyrim's foes and make Skyrim a freer, happier, better place. They'd all responded with cheers and the story had started going around that she'd been given a divine mission to heal Skyrim and purge it of corruption. She'd not minded that at all at the time... only it was beginning to occur to her not all the corruption was on Ulfric's side.
“Falk,” she whispered. “Falk, when Bolgeir's finished checking the room, could I have a bit of time alone in here? I – I need to think, need to gather my wits. Suppose I need to get my things together too, I can hardly sleep in here now.”