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It was a narrow, icy tunnel beyond the entrance to the cavern. It was easy to see that they were in the right place; there were carts and crates that spoke of moving supplies for people in and out. Dardeh crouched and moved slowly down the icy, sloping passageway, pulling out his bow; but before he\u2019d gone more than a few paces a bandit mage stepped out from around the corner and fired an ice spike at him.<\/p>\n
Roggi growled and hurtled down the slope to attack. The mage turned to find Roggi\u2019s sword coming down at him, and yet somehow managed to evade the worst of its damage. Dardeh quickly swapped his bow for his blades and darted up onto Roggi\u2019s left to help finish the mage. He was drawing breath to tell Roggi to wait when Roggi sprinted around a sharp curve to their left and disappeared.<\/p>\n
I was afraid of this. He\u2019s so blinded by anger. He\u2019s going to get himself hurt!<\/em><\/p>\n The winding tunnel opened up into an icy cave. A group of people wearing nothing more than rags, possibly a family, sat bound and shivering on the frigid floor. Roggi was already engaged with a burly Orc wielding a war pick and a full body shield; and as Dardeh dashed forward that shield sent Roggi staggering backward a step or two.\u00a0 Worse, there was a second bandit just behind the Orc, moving into position to take a swing with her own weapon.<\/p>\n Dardeh laid into the Orc and stopped his attacks just as a third bandit \u2013 a bare-chested man with a battleaxe – ran into the area from a passage beyond them. Out of the corner of his eye Dardeh could see Roggi regaining his feet and raising his sword; but Dardeh himself was suddenly surrounded.\u00a0 He once again did what had become instinctive for him.<\/p>\n \u201cYOL \u2013 TOOR SHUL!\u201d<\/p>\n The fireball narrowly missed Roggi, who had taken a massive swing at the Orc and was carried forward by his own momentum. Miss it did, however; instead, it struck the woman and sent her screaming backward. Dardeh pivoted on his right foot to the outside of the knot of fighters, coming back around to slice the man with the battleaxe nearly in half.<\/p>\n Wear some decent armor next time, idiot. <\/em><\/p>\n After that it was just a couple of steps forward and three or four attacks to slay the woman bandit. Roggi, meanwhile, was still engaged with the Orc, whose shield was proving hard for Roggi to get around. It was splintering, and wouldn\u2019t take more than one or two more of Roggi\u2019s massive blows to break, but Dardeh decided to help bring this battle to an end and swung around behind the Orc, finishing him off with just a few efficient strikes.<\/p>\n It was eerily silent for a moment.\u00a0 Dardeh looked at Roggi and nodded toward the far passage, and then crept down it, blades at the ready. There was a second large cavern with a central pool and many barrels and crates stacked around its perimeter. Dardeh started toward them to investigate but his attention was caught by movement in another passage that branched off to the left. He couldn\u2019t see much; but he could see a cage door.<\/p>\n When they reached the room they discovered that there were actually two bandits. While the first man fell almost instantly to a quick flurry of Dardeh\u2019s strikes, the second had an elven battleaxe and was dead set on cleaving Roggi in two with it. Roggi made a graceful pirouette to avoid the axe, and Dardeh spent a moment nearly in awe of the move; but then he found himself gasping as the ghastly blade sliced across his ribs instead. Roggi roared and turned back to the bandit with one of the most massive strikes Dardeh had ever seen.<\/p>\n For his part, Dardeh did the only thing he could do: he Shouted once more. The man fell to his knees; and as Dardeh started healing himself, a howling Roggi brought the dragonbone greatsword down across the bandit\u2019s neck. His head struck the floor of the cavern and rebounded, sailing across the space and disappearing into a woodpile.<\/p>\n \u201cDar! Are you alright?\u201d Roggi cried, moving to him and starting to rifle through his pack for potions.<\/p>\n Dardeh held up one hand to stop him. \u201cYeah, I\u2019ll be good in just a second. Bastard caught me snoozing. I was admiring your form a little too closely and not watching where that damn axe was headed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright then. I\u2019m going to go check the bodies. I\u2019ll bet one of them has the key to that cage in there.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh was casting one final round of healing on himself when he heard voices from down the passage. As he reached Roggi, the man inside the cage was shaking his head no<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s on the guys by the ships. Outside. It\u2019s always one of them who has the key.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOk, thanks,\u201d he said. \u201cDon\u2019t worry. We\u2019ll be back soon.\u201d<\/p>\n The brilliant sunlight as they emerged from the cave set Dardeh\u2019s eyes watering.\u00a0 After a moment or two of blinking, he noted movements near the old shipwreck at the shoreline. \u00a0After looking back at Roggi and getting a nod from him, Dardeh drew his bow and fired a shot toward the wreckage. He didn\u2019t expect to hit anything, and in fact did not; but the arrow alerted all of the bandits in the area and brought them running up toward the cavern.<\/p>\n They weren\u2019t especially difficult to take care of.\u00a0 One of them came after Roggi, calling him a \u201cpuny weakling.\u201d Roggi sneered.<\/p>\n \u201cYou think you can take me?\u201d he growled. \u201cTry this.\u201d The next moment, the bandit found himself screaming, dangling on the business end of Roggi\u2019s dragonbone greatsword.\u00a0 Dardeh shuddered, remembering the shuddering Khajiit assassin he\u2019d dispatched in a similar way. Roggi waited for a moment or two, his arms visibly shaking from the weight of the Orc but his face wreathed in a ghastly smile. Then he slammed the bandit back to the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Dar,\u201d he said, wiping his blade clean on the bandit\u2019s clothing.<\/p>\n Dardeh sighed. \u201cIt\u2019s ok, love.\u00a0 I understand.\u201d\u00a0 I really do. This situation has to change and we\u2019re the ones to change it. These people deserve anything they get.<\/em><\/p>\n They returned to unlock the cage and release the prisoner. He rose to his feet and released a huge sigh.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know who you are, friend, but thank you! Will you go outside and make sure it\u2019s safe for us to leave?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it is, but yes, we\u2019ll double-check.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI heard one of the bandits say there are some others on the way to ship us out of here. Please, help us! That\u2019s my wife and son in there. I\u2019ve got to help them. He\u2019s not going to make it if we don\u2019t hurry. I\u2019ll go see what I can do to get my family and the other man ready to get out of here. Please make sure the coast is clear. And please, hurry!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn my way,\u201d Dardeh said. \u201cRoggi, can you help get everyone ready?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d Roggi said. \u201cGlad to be of help.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh ran back to the doorway into the light.<\/p>\n There was an explosive sound, and everything went black.\u00a0 He lost all control over his limbs, and felt himself falling. Then he heard an exceptionally deep voice \u2013 an Altmer voice, judging from the accent. \u201cYou are starting to become a nuisance.\u201d The direction of the Altmer\u2019s voice changed. \u201cBind him, and take him back to the ship.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh lost consciousness.<\/p>\n Sometime later \u2013 how much later he didn\u2019t know \u2013 he found himself scrambling to his feet. The very slight swaying of the room he was in, and the strong salt water smell, told him that they were in the cabin of a ship. The fact that it wasn\u2019t at an odd angle told him they were not in the shipwreck, but in a fully-operable vessel.<\/p>\n Across the space from him were two Altmer. One wore the glass armor that identified him as a Thalmor soldier and the other was clearly a Justiciar.<\/p>\n \u201cAerandil, I assume?\u201d he said quietly, rubbing his forehead.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, good to see you\u2019re finally coming back around,\u201d Aerandil said in his supremely condescending voice. \u201cOh don\u2019t worry, the paralysis isn\u2019t permanent. But you may have a headache for awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026 had noticed,\u201d Dardeh said quietly. I just stood up. That pretty much required me not to be paralyzed. <\/em>\u201cSo what sort of spell was that? What have you done with me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose there\u2019s no harm in you knowing. It\u2019s a spell from a very arcane and ancient school of magic. I am one of only a few who can wield it these days. For a lesser-skilled being, its effects are more harmful to the caster than to the victim. In recent times many died simply trying to learn it. But I have mastered it, even if it does leave me a little tired.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh could feel his ire rising.<\/p>\n \u201cAren\u2019t you special,\u201d he said, in the calmest and deepest tones he could muster, knowing that it would likely irk the Altmer. The slightly raised eyebrow he got in response told him that he\u2019d been right.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I don\u2019t think you really want to talk shop, do you. Of course not. You\u2019ve caused me quite a bit of trouble, you know. Be that as it may, I\u2019m glad to finally meet you face to face.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t say the feeling\u2019s mutual.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCharming to the last, I\u2019m sure,\u201d Aerandil said with a sneer. \u201cBut you do understand that it\u2019s simply a matter of my good graces that you\u2019re still alive, do you not? Do you think that slaughtering an entire dispatch of Aldmeri soldiers, including two Justiciars, would go unnoticed by the Dominion?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh laughed. \u201cDid you think that setting up a slavery ring in a newly-independent province would go unnoticed by the Stormcloaks? Come now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWere it not for me, that fetid little town you\u2019re trying to rebuild would have been razed to the ground by now! And the Thalmor would have once and for all put an end to your pitiful little band of miscreants.\u201d He paused for a moment, waiting for a reaction that Dardeh refused to give him. \u201cOh, you look surprised. But don\u2019t worry. I know everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh sneered. \u201cThen you know that if it were not for me, you, your lackey here, the Thalmor as a whole and all of the rest of the Aldmeri Dominion would no longer exist. Along with everyone else in the world. So be careful how large you allow your ego to become. Your magic would not have stood up to Alduin the World-Eater. But I destroyed him.\u201d<\/p>\n The Altmer laughed. \u201cNow who has the ego? But I digress. The town, this Marcus Jannus, and most of all Valerius Tiberius Artoria and his pathetic remnants of the Keepers of Hattu; they were also once a great thorn in my side and like you, caused me not a little bit of trouble in the past. But their time, his time, and yours has come to an end.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh shook his head. \u201cReally, what did<\/em> you expect?\u00a0 You butchered his wife and children.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExpect? I expect him to die, like all men will die \u2013 or serve the Dominion. The era of men has come and gone. It is now the time of the Altmer. You know, we were once a very patient people, but that patience has worn thin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you were also once a people who thrived in your own homeland instead of trying to overrun all the others. Interesting that you haven\u2019t been able to maintain that level of dignity and integrity throughout your history.\u201d Dardeh knew he was pressing his luck, but he could also feel his fire burning brighter with every moment and couldn\u2019t help but speak his mind to this insufferable mer. He watched the frown deepen on the elf\u2019s face, and knew he was having an effect. \u201cBut tell me. You haven\u2019t killed me; therefore you must need me for something. What is it that you want from the Dragonborn?\u201d<\/p>\n I really am pushing it. It\u2019s a good thing Roggi isn\u2019t here too.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYes, good! You see, we\u2019re not so different, you and I. I killed his family, and others. You killed my men at the prison. We\u2019re both murderers. It\u2019s all just a matter of perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am nothing like you!\u201d Dardeh exploded. \u201cYour men at the prison attacked us! We were there to rescue slaves.\u00a0 I\u2019m not a\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He froze in mid-sentence as a horrible thing crossed his mind.<\/p>\n Murderer. I killed Rayya. She did nothing to deserve her death; she was being used by others for some end I don\u2019t understand and I killed her.<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019m a murderer.<\/em><\/p>\n Then he thought of the quiet talk he and Roggi had shared when they were supposed to be sleeping. Roggi had kept stressing the fact that if she\u2019d been made a vampire\u2019s thrall, it wasn\u2019t really Rayya anymore and nothing could have swayed her from whatever purpose her master had set her to.<\/p>\n I know he never liked Rayya. But he was right about that. I didn\u2019t set out to kill her. It wasn\u2019t my fault that she stepped into my Thu\u2019um.<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019m not a murderer.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAh, but yes, you are,\u201d Aerandil said with a sneer, clearly having spotted Dardeh\u2019s moment of doubt. \u201cYou will come to see that in time, if you live. You will go get Valerius Tiberius Artoria and hand him over to me at the prison where you murdered my soldiers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot likely.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, but there is where you\u2019re wrong. You will, or your friend Marcus Jannus will die. As I said, I know everything about you and your friends. I know that yesterday he decided to take a little stroll down to Riverwood.\u201d<\/p>\n No! I thought we\u2019d agreed to get lumber from Falkreath! What was he thinking?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou know, you just can\u2019t be too careful these days,\u201d the Altmer continued. \u201cYou never know when you might be kidnapped and brought to\u2026 me. So as you can see, you have little choice. Bring Valerius to me and I might let Jannus live. Don\u2019t bring him to me and he will surely die, as will Valerius and you. Valerius is going to die one way or another.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe all die eventually, bastard,\u201d Dardeh mumbled under his breath.<\/p>\n \u201cThis way, you at least get to spare the life of your friend. It\u2019s your choice. Now you must sleep for a bit. When you wake, you\u2019ll be back on the shore. You know what you must do.\u201d<\/p>\n Before Dardeh could react or speak, Aerandil collected a brilliant green mass of energy in his right hand and cast it at him. Once again he found himself falling, unable to move, and unable to retain his consciousness.<\/p>\n \u201cNow sleep. Guards, take him back to shore.\u201d<\/p>\n He woke to Roggi shaking his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cDar! Dar, wake up. Are you with me? Come on, wake up!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Yeah, I\u2019m ok. Well, sort of. Physically I am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n He struggled to his feet with Roggi\u2019s help. \u201cAerandil. The Altmer who killed Valerius\u2019 family. He cast a spell on me when I stepped outside the cave and they took me to the slave ship. They have Jannus held in that prison where we freed Korst and they\u2019ll kill him if we don\u2019t take Valerius to him.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi went from concern to rage in a moment. \u201cThe bastard! If only I\u2019d stepped out with you instead of staying behind.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh shook his head. \u201cNo. You saved four lives in there, Roggi. But we need to get back to Helgen. We have to get reinforcements and go rescue Janus.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight. Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Dardeh gasped as they entered Helgen Keep.\u00a0 Valerius and Korst were standing on either side of the main foyer, looming over a bound prisoner kneeling on the rug between them.\u00a0 Dardeh frowned; he knew the man they had imprisoned, but he couldn\u2019t quite place his memory.<\/p>\n \u201cFalco?\u201d Roggi asked from behind him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Dardeh turned to look at Roggi, who nodded; he then turned back and peered at the prisoner again. It was, in fact, Falco, the soldier who had gone with them and Cienna to rescue Korst.<\/p>\n He approached Valerius. \u201cValerius, uh\u2026 Marcus has been captured by Aerandil and his men. He\u2019s at the prison, where they had Korst earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n Valerius eyes opened wide. \u201cHow do you know this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe used a paralysis spell on me and took me aboard his slave ship to threaten me. He told me. And he told me to bring you to the prison if we wanted Marcus alive.\u201d<\/p>\n He watched as Valerius\u2019 expression reverted to the closed, angry expression he had worn when they\u2019d first met.<\/p>\n \u201cGods damn it! This is what I was afraid of. Wait right there.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned to the prisoner.<\/p>\n \u201cFalco! Do you have anything you want to say about this?\u201d<\/p>\n Falco shuddered as Roggi passed behind him, close enough that he likely brushed him with his sword. \u00a0He looked up at Dardeh, and then turned to Valerius.<\/p>\n \u201cValerius, I\u2026 I don\u2019t know anything about any of this. I\u2026 I swear to the gods!\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh frowned.\u00a0 Careful what you swear to, Falco.<\/em><\/p>\n Valerius\u2019 voice rose. \u201cYou and I are the only ones who knew Marcus was going to Riverwood. I made sure of it. You are a traitor, and a liar! If you didn\u2019t have anything to do with this, then how was Marcus captured?\u00a0 How did they know what our friends here were up to?\u00a0 How did they know where Korst was hiding, before? It\u2019s all rather convenient, is it not?\u201d<\/p>\n Falco stammered. \u201cI\u2026 I don\u2019t know, Valerius. I swear I don\u2019t know anything you\u2019re talking about!\u201d\u00a0 His head drooped, and he looked away.<\/p>\n Valerius bellowed.<\/p>\n \u201cLiar!<\/em> Except for rescuing Korst, Aerandil has known what we were doing at every turn!<\/em> You didn\u2019t have time to warn anyone about that, now did you? I saw you, Falco. Two nights ago when you thought I was asleep. I followed you, and saw the messenger you met with.\u201d His voice dropped to a growl so harsh it barely made its way through his clenched teeth. \u201cI should kill you right now! How could you betray me like this? How could you betray Marcus, and all your brothers?\u201d<\/p>\n Falco was trembling in the face of Valerius\u2019 fury.<\/p>\n \u201cValerius, I\u2019m sorry! They \u2026 you see, they have my sister and her children!\u201d<\/p>\n Behind Falco, Roggi hissed. Dardeh looked up to spot him seated at the small table, the one beside which he and Ralof had found the first of many dead Stormcloak soldiers, what seemed like another lifetime before. Roggi looked like a thundercloud, or worse.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re still young. They\u2019re all I have left!\u201d Falco pleaded. \u201cThey said they\u2019d kill them if I didn\u2019t tell them what they wanted to know. I didn\u2019t want to \u2013 but I had no choice!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFalco,\u201d Roggi said, rising to stand behind the man again.<\/p>\n \u201cFalco, you\u2019re a fool,\u201d Valerius said, more gently this time. \u201cYour sister and her children are already dead, or slaves by now. You\u2019ll never see them again. That much is certain.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head impatiently. \u201cWe don\u2019t have time<\/em> for this. Korst, lock him in a cell downstairs. I\u2019ll deal with him later.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir,\u201d Korst said. He pulled Falco to his feet and grabbed his bound arms.<\/p>\n Valerius turned to Dardeh. \u201cFill me in on what you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to come with us to the prison if Marcus is to live.\u201d<\/p>\n Valerius nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s come to this at last.\u00a0 Perhaps today is a good day to die after all.\u00a0 Well, I\u2019m ready whenever you two are.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNobody\u2019s going to die if I have anything to say about it, Valerius,\u201d Dardeh said.<\/p>\n \u201cExcept for that Elf,\u201d Roggi snarled. \u201cHe and all his men. In the most painful way I can devise.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Dar. They can\u2019t be allowed to live. Too many of us have suffered too many losses because of them.\u201d He looked at Falco. \u201cAnd what of you? What is a fitting punishment for a man who betrayed his leader\u2019s trust and friendship?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh crossed the space between them and took Roggi\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Roggi. That isn\u2019t for you and me to decide. We\u2019ll have our revenge on the Thalmor now, and in the future with Ulfric\u2019s help. You know that.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi shuddered. His eyes looked nearly black, rather than their usual cheerful blue. \u201cWith Ulfric\u2019s help?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know that\u2019s how it has to be. What\u2019s to become of Falco, that\u2019s up to Valerius. And Marcus. And Korst.\u201d He heaved a great sigh of his own. \u201cYou and I are here to help, not to dictate. We\u2019re here to rebuild, not tear down. We\u2019ve done enough of that already.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi stared at him, defiantly at first.\u00a0 Then after a long moment he drew in a deep breath, blew it out, and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re right. But I\u2019m still killing every one of those damned Thalmor that I can reach.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight beside you on that. Are we ready?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cOk. Valerius, let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLead the way.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n It was a beautiful day as they ran south from Helgen toward the old Thalmor prison, but none of them was in a mood to enjoy it. Once or twice Dardeh attempted to talk to Valerius, to see how he was doing; but Valerius either shook his head or said that he\u00a0 just wanted to get to the prison as quickly as possible. Roggi snarled once or twice and muttered imprecations about elves, a situation that had Dardeh feeling grim by the time they approached the prison.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t blame them. Either one of them. But I have a really bad feeling about this and I don\u2019t like what it\u2019s doing to Roggi.\u00a0 He just barely made it through the war, having to deal with Ulfric and all the things that stirred up in him. I\u2019ve seen his dark side getting closer and closer to the surface as time has progressed. And now this? Now we\u2019re going to kill Thalmor \u2013 again?<\/em><\/p>\n And who knows what Valerius will do. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any controlling him.<\/em><\/p>\n Seemingly out of nowhere, he was reminded of the great white dragon peering at him from the top of the world, teaching him how to fully appreciate the word YOL.<\/p>\n \u2018What will you burn?\u2019 he asked me. \u2018What will you spare?\u2019 My father would have spared nothing, nothing at all. But he didn\u2019t have the ability to burn a man to a cinder the way I do. What will I burn?<\/em><\/p>\n I will burn every damned Thalmor I can reach, for what they did to Valerius and for what they did to Roggi and Briinda. I will spare none of them. <\/em><\/p>\n He pushed the door to the prison open and stepped through, with Roggi behind. Before he had a chance to look around Valerius had pushed past them.<\/p>\n \u201cAerandil! We\u2019ve come as you wished. Now let Marcus go. Now!\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh scanned the area. There was one Thalmor foot soldier in green armor in the alcove he remembered from their first visit here, but no masses of troops. Faintly, from a room off to the side, he heard Marcus Jannus\u2019 voice as Valerius ran to meet him.<\/p>\n \u201cValerius, what do you think you\u2019re doing? You can\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the only way, Marcus. You must know that by now. It has to end. Here and now.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh followed him into the side room and growled. Aerandil stood before a cage that held Marcus, who was bound but looked reasonably well. The elf had clearly known he would not get what he wanted unless Marcus survived at least this long. He towered over Valerius, looking him up and down and smirking. Valerius looked ready to explode.<\/p>\n \u201cSo,\u201d Aerandil said in his smooth voice, \u201cwe finally meet at last after all these years. Unfortunately, I\u2019m sorry to say, you fall well short of the legends that precede you.\u201d He laughed. \u201cKeepers of Hattu, indeed.\u201d<\/p>\n Valerius almost screamed. \u201cLet! Marcus! Go!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll in due time, Imperial,\u201d Aerandil sneered. \u201cYou know, I still remember the look on your son\u2019s face from all those years ago. It is the look of fear and death, and it\u2019s the same look that is on your face right now.\u201d He smiled nastily. \u201cI remember my men saying he squealed like a little girl when they beat him, and that your wife and young daughter both moaned like whores as my men ravaged them again, and again, and again!\u201d<\/p>\n Everything happened at once then.<\/p>\n Valerius screamed. \u201cI\u2019ll kill you!\u201d He drew his sword and struck at Aerandil.<\/p>\n \u201cValerius, NO!\u201d Marcus shouted from inside his cage.<\/p>\n Aerandil fired a spell at Valerius. Dardeh thought he recognized it as the spell he\u2019d been struck with earlier. Valerius fell to the floor beside Dardeh and he, reacting with the rage that had been building in him all the way from Helgen to this moment, Shouted.\u00a0 An enormous fireball enveloped Aerandil.<\/p>\n I will burn YOU.<\/em><\/p>\n Roggi, who had been seated behind Aerandil, roared a howl of hatred and pulled his sword, stepping forward to deliver an enormous blow to the Thalmor. \u201cIs this what you want?\u201d he screamed, even as Aerandil rose and began casting shock spells at them in spite of his uniform being in flames.<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi, look out!\u201d Dardeh yelled, sprinting into Aerandil with both scimitars flying.\u00a0 As the elf fell backward, bleeding, Dardeh suddenly saw himself in the desert, fighting beside his ancestor Jine, screaming at the dune rippers that spat fireballs at them over and over, and somehow he became for that moment a true Redguard man, killing all that stood before him. He heard Roggi turn and engage another Thalmor behind them even as he flipped his right-hand scimitar and sank it like a dagger into Aerandil\u2019s chest, bringing him to an end.<\/p>\n Somehow, then, there were three Thalmor foot soldiers where there had been one; and Dardeh and Roggi fought shoulder-to-shoulder as they had done so often. It was too urgent and chaotic for Dardeh to know how wounded Roggi might be, but his screams seemed to be from rage, not pain. From across the room, a mage began casting sparks at them; Roggi moaned, and Dardeh sprinted across the room to attack. His arms were burning, though, and felt like dead weight; he didn\u2019t know whether he could lift his swords fast enough to save them both from the mage.<\/p>\n What will you burn?<\/em><\/p>\n I will burn this godsforsaken Thalmor.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYOL \u2013 TOOR SHUL!\u201d<\/p>\n The elf fell, baking inside her glass armor shell. From the corner where Aerandil had fallen, Roggi howled, and Dardeh watched as the dragonbone greatsword claimed another victory.\u00a0 Two more soldiers rushed into the room and attacked; and in a blur of massive concussions and slicing and pain that seemed to go on forever, the two of them screamed and fought and persevered until, at long last, the motion stopped.<\/p>\n Roggi dropped the tip of his sword to the floor and stood with his head down, heaving great gasps of air.\u00a0 Dardeh put his hands on his knees and doubled over for a moment, doing the same.<\/p>\n \u201cAre we done?\u201d Roggi whispered harshly between gasps.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. I think so.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh raised his head and looked across the space. Valerius was on the floor, writhing, breathing hard.\u00a0 Dardeh found Aerandil\u2019s corpse and rifled through his clothing, finding the key to Marcus\u2019 cage and releasing him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat has Aerandil done to him?\u201d Marcus said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s some kind of paralysis spell, I think. He cast it on me \u2013 but I think this is worse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is far, far worse than any paralysis spell I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d Marcus said, shaking his head. \u201cI think it\u2019s draining the life out of him! We have to help him!\u201d\u00a0 Marcus stood and Dardeh released his hands.<\/p>\n \u201cVal! Val, can you hear me?\u201d Marcus said, running to the center of the room and kneeling down beside Valerius.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, barely,\u201d Valerius whispered, his eyes shut hard against the pain. \u201cI\u2019m so glad I got to be with you, old friend. I\u2019m glad you\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to find a way to get you out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n Valerius groaned. \u201cNo, old friend. My journey \u2026 has come to an end.\u201d The words were hesitant, wobbly, forced out of his mouth in obvious pain. He coughed. \u201cPlease. Let me go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVal, I\u2026\u201d Marcus said softly.<\/p>\n Dardeh felt numb.\u00a0 He did the only thing he knew to do; he sank to his knees, closed his eyes, and prayed to Talos.<\/p>\n Please, let this man\u2019s suffering end. If he can\u2019t be made whole again, let him pass from this world into the next without any further pain. Let him be at peace. He deserves that.<\/em><\/p>\n The sound of armored feet running into the space made him open his eyes. Korst, Balfring, and one of the others rushed in, ready for battle; but they lowered their weapons when they saw Valerius twitching on the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, old friend,\u201d Marcus murmured. \u201cGo to them. Go be with your family.\u201d<\/p>\n Valerius\u2019 eyes were closed, and he drew one more long, shuddering breath. \u201cOh\u2026 oh my,\u201d he said.\u00a0 Then he relaxed, and breathed no more.<\/p>\n \u201cValerius! He is gone!\u201d Korst wailed. \u201cOh Talos, no!\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh had always cried easily, and this was no exception; as he rose to his feet tears were dropping onto his armor, and onto the floor.\u00a0 He looked up at Korst and nodded, silently, unable to force any words through his throat and not knowing what they would be in the first place if he could.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Korst. It\u2019s over,\u201d Marcus said quietly. \u201cWhat are you doing here, though? Why aren\u2019t you at the keep?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Marcus,\u201d Korst said. \u201cWe just couldn\u2019t let him come here to die like this. But it appears we are too late.\u201d<\/p>\n When Dardeh looked back at it, later, he was truly impressed by how well Marcus handled the situation. As distressed as he had been \u2013 as close to his own demise as he had been \u2013 he still radiated an aura of calm that spread to everyone else in the room. His voice was soft, and level, and somehow managed to tell them all that he understood their grief, but that they would survive it.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Korst,\u201d he said. \u201cI understand. You men stand at ease for a moment.\u201d\u00a0 Then he turned to Dardeh. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but these men and I would like some time alone if you don\u2019t mind. We\u2019ll bring his body back to Helgen and prepare for a service tomorrow. Please join us in honoring our friend. We will wait to begin the service until you arrive. Go easy, my friend.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh nodded. \u201cOf course. I understand. And we will of course join you tomorrow. Take all the time you need. We\u2019ll\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n It was then that he realized that he hadn\u2019t seen Roggi since he\u2019d freed Marcus from the cage.\u00a0 He turned to look around the room.<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi?\u201d<\/p>\n He almost gasped.<\/p>\n Roggi was seated at a chair, beside the table next to which Aerandil had stood while taunting Valerius.\u00a0 At his feet was a dead Thalmor.\u00a0 At the far end of the table from him were another Thalmor foot soldier and the corpse of Aerandil himself.\u00a0 On the table, opened and on full display, was a set of torture tools; not gleaming and lovingly cared for the way Roggi\u2019s were but bloody, gore-covered instruments that spoke not of skill but only of the pain and suffering they caused.<\/p>\n Roggi was staring, blankly, at a spot on the floor somewhere beyond the dead Thalmor\u2019s feet. He didn\u2019t seem to be focused on anything in particular.\u00a0 But the look on his face sent chills down Dardeh\u2019s spine. It was the darkest expression he\u2019d ever seen \u2013 and there had been so many that had been so dark, from this man who he\u2019d always thought of as the light in the room. Dardeh wanted to weep again; but he pulled himself together as best he could.<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi, are you ready to go now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Sure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you\u2026 alright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n He took Roggi\u2019s arm and lifted him slowly up from the chair. \u201cOK, come on. Marcus and his men want some time alone. We\u2019ll see them again sometime tomorrow. Let\u2019s\u2026 at least go back as far as Helgen. We can stay in the tower.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. OK.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi didn\u2019t meet his gaze, but quietly followed him outside. They started down the slope, back down the road Dardeh remembered so vividly from his cart ride so long before, and he wondered what had become of the miner who had left Markarth full of hope, looking for a sister he had never met.<\/p>\n It was a narrow, icy tunnel beyond the entrance to the cavern. It was easy to see that they were in the right place; there were carts and crates that spoke of moving supplies for people in and out. Dardeh crouched and moved slowly down the icy, sloping passageway, pulling out his bow; but before … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/5-1-24-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart I: Modulation<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"