Chapter Text
The dank, dark caverns smelled of rust and rot as Sylvi led the way deeper into the Thalmor base of operations. Old pieces of Dwemer ruins blocked the way but gave them cover. Sylvi turned to see Vilkas and Farkas keeping close to her. Vilkas gave her an uneasy look at the ruins. Unfortunately, ghosts were the least of their worries.
The Thalmor had been working with the Silver Hand to clear out the Dwemer ruins. Likely the Thalmor had agreed that the werewolves needed to be eradicated. After all, they believed that the Altmer were the superior race. No doubt the thought of giant humanoid wolves made them uneasy, and they didn’t want the Imperials to have an edge. War with the Thalmor had started to become inevitable after the defeat of the Stormcloaks, and Alduin’s defeat had made them grow wary of the Dragonborn. No doubt they were experimenting to unlock another source of power like the Eye of Magnus.
The Altmer were chanting in front of a glowing orb deep in the cavern. As Sylvi and Vilkas looked down, Sylvi looked for the best way to the Altmer. The stairs would be risky. Sylvi was hoping to bash in a few Thalmor skulls before the Altmer mages could fire at them with spells. Movement in a lower alcove caught her attention. Marcurio, Onmund, and Serana were just slightly in view.
Creeping down the side after Vilkas and Farkas, Sylvi ducked behind a rock as one of the Thalmor looked around the cavern. After a quick, nervous chat with his fellow mages, the uneasy mage went back to his chanting.
The sound of a door opening made Sylvi freeze. The Thalmor were discussing something heatedly amongst themselves. A familiar voice made Sylvi briefly peek around the boulder. Ondolemar argued with one of the other Altmer as the group approached the odd magical sphere. Heaviness settled in Sylvi’s chest as she hid behind the rock. A hand on her arm made her look at Farkas, who watched her with worry. She took a deep breath and gave them a nod. Ondolemar was her friend… but also a Thalmor. He may not like what they are doing in this cave, but ultimately, he had no real power to change it.
Peeking over the rock, she met Serana’s gaze and gave her the signal. If Sylvi was by herself, then she could probably sneak down before the Altmer had any idea she was here, but Vilkas and Farkas’ heavy armor would give them away. Sylvi drew her mace and watched as Serana, Onmund, and Marcurio snuck closer. Preparing to summon an atronach to assist them, Sylvi closed her eyes and gathered her magicka. The sound of a dog barking made her open her eyes in fear. Barbas ran down from the other side of the cavern, barking at the Altmer before sinking his teeth into one of their necks.
“Damn you, Barbas!” Sylvi hissed before sliding down the side of the cavern.
Surprise was no longer an option. Sylvi’s mace came down on one of the Altmer mages, and, unfortunately for him, robes weren’t armor. A couple of hits made the Altmer crumple to the ground. Sylvi casted a ward to protect Vilkas from another mage. A hand grabbed onto her shoulder, and she turned to see Ondolemar’s look of pain at her “betrayal”. Sylvi threw his hand off of her and took a step back. More mages were coming out of the door behind Ondolemar.
“Fus Ro Dah!” Sylvi shouted, and Ondolemar’s eyes widened as he was thrown backwards.
At her words, the odd orb in the middle started to glow. Sylvi felt a strange burning in her throat as she fell to the ground. The Altmer who had been arguing with Ondolemar approached with a look of glee.
“The Thalmor know how to deal with Talos worshippers! How does it feel, ‘Dragonborn’?! No longer able to use your shouts?”
Sylvi looked at the Thalmor agent with rage and rasped, “Rii Vaaz Zol!”
The burning in her throat made her gasp for air, but it was enough to rip the soul out of the Altmer. After the body fell to the floor, the orb started to glow blood red. Before the Altmer could rise as an undead soldier, a stream of magicka pulled the body into the orb’s center. As the body was absorbed, the orb began to grow in size.
Unable to speak, Sylvi used her magicka to summon a storm atronach. As it sent lightning at the orb, Sylvi began to fire arrows at the orb. It flashed with each hit, but Sylvi couldn’t tell if it was even hurting the thing. A hand on her shoulder made her swing around and raise her mace. Ondolemar’s face made her hesitate. He no longer even looked angry… if anything, he looked afraid.
“We need to leave! They have created a force too dangerous for mortal men… and perhaps even the Altmer.”
A scream brought Sylvi’s attention back to her friends, and she looked to them to see Vilkas and Farkas grabbing onto Serana’s arms as the orb tried to drag her to it. The orb began to descend as Sylvi tore herself away from Ondolemar and ran to her friends. She summoned a Frost atronach to draw away its attention. With a jump, Sylvi swung her mace at the orb. An unearthly hiss came from it as odd writing appeared on it, but Sylvi was far too enraged to be scared. Bringing down the mace over and over, Sylvi held her ground as it tried to use magic to force her away. Fireballs came from Marcurio as he yelled for everyone to run. Sylvi noticed that the orb was more focused on pushing her back than defending itself.
Digging in her heels, she pushed forward as the orb’s symbols turned blood red. Another swing of the mace cracked the orb, but a blast of wind sent the mace flying. Unable to reach into her bag, Sylvi punched the orb with her bare hand. There was a screech as the orb’s surface started to crack. The orb was using all of its magicka to try to push her away, but she held her ground. Feeling hands on both of her shoulders made her glance beside her to see Vilkas and Farkas helping to keep her in place. With a grin of encouragement, Sylvi started wailing on the orb. Each impact caused the orb to crack more and more. Onmund, Serana, and Marcurio peppered it with spells to distract it. There was a loud crack, and the orb let out a scream as it shattered. A blast of energy spread out in the room, enveloping everyone in the room before the room started to shift around them. Farkas and Vilkas gripped onto her before they were suddenly blown back.
The world around Sylvi twisted as she felt someone’s arms wrap around her. Everything went black. As she landed on the ground, she gasped and struggled to catch her breath. Sylvi turned and expected to see Vilkas or Farkas but instead saw Ondolemar. As he gasped for air on his side, Sylvi noticed something sticking out of his back. Arrows… Sylvi reached out her hand to heal him, but the magicka leaked out of him before the wounds could close. Blood seeped through his robes to the ground around him, and Sylvi quickly took off her bag to look for a healing potion. Maybe with both the potion and healing magic…
“Dragonborn…” Ondolemar gasped out.
Sylvi continued to frantically comb through her bag in a panic.
“Sylvi!”
Sylvi looked up from her bag to see him reach out a hand. His eyes pleaded with her, and she set down her bag and held his hand in hers. With a small smile and sigh, Ondolemar closed his eyes, and his hand went limp in hers. Tears streamed down Sylvi’s face. A part of her couldn’t believe it. She wanted to shout him awake, but she couldn’t make a sound. So many people had been lost in the war… She couldn’t take another one.
As his hand relaxed, Sylvi realized that he had been holding something. Sylvi gently turned his hand to see, and more tears fell down her face. An amulet of Talos… Why? Why did he have this? Didn’t the Thalmor want to wipe out all worship of Talos? Sylvi had always assumed that they had melted the amulets of Talos. What did he mean by giving it to her? Was he trying to tell her something? What did it mean?
Looking at Ondolemar’s dead body, she received no answer. As she clutched the amulet to her chest, she sat in the darkness… alone. Sylvie got off the ground and looked around. They were underneath a starry sky. Had the orb sent them somewhere? Despite the cold feeling in her heart, she felt… warm. Too warm for Skyrim. Sylvie looked around her to see that they had landed near the ocean, but the plants… they looked nothing like the ones in Skyrim… Had she somehow ended up in the Khajit’s land?
Screams caught her attention, and she put on the amulet and picked herself up off the ground. The sound of metal clashing soon followed. After taking an enchanted ebony sword from her bag, she approached the fighting and kept a free hand to use spells. In the distance she could see fire and light reflecting off of armor. There was a woman surrounded by guards fighting off a group of men in leather armor, and the guards were losing. After a moment to catch her breath, Sylvi flung herself into the fray.
After catching the attention of what she assumed to be bandits, Sylvi quickly ran back, leading the men away from the woman and her guards. Turning around, she sent out a fireball. The men screamed in terror as the fireball exploded, encasing most of them in flames. Only one of the men survived the blast. Screaming at her in a language that she couldn’t understand, he ran at her with a sword in hand, but Sylvi was much faster. She dodged the blade with ease. The man swung at her again and again in a fury, but she simply stepped out of the way each time. Deciding to end this quickly, she dodged once more before thrusting her blade straight through his torso. The man fell to the ground.
As Sylvi retrieved her blade from the man’s corpse, the guards approached her with their weapons still drawn. The woman spoke to them in a foreign language before stepping closer to Sylvi. Noticing that Sylvi still looked confused and wary of the guards that she had just helped, the woman tried a different language. After looking Sylvi up and down, the woman asked, “Do you understand Common Tongue?”
Sylvi nodded in return. Her throat still burned too much to speak. The woman looked relieved as she had found common ground.
“I thank you for your assistance. Is there anything we can do in return?” the woman asked, and Sylvi turned toward the direction that she had come from.
Sylvi slowly led them to Ondolemar as the sun peeked over the horizon. Kneeling on the ground beside him, she wrote on the sand: “Friend. Protected me.”
The woman’s face softened, and she asked, “You would like to bury him?”
Sylvi shook her head and wrote, “Altmer burn dead. Take ashes home.”
“And are you… an ‘Altmer’?”
“No. Nord. From Skyrim.”
The woman looked thoughtful and said in a low voice, “Skyrim… I have never heard of such a place… I can help you with your friend. There is a city near us, and we will help you take him there.”
Sylvi bowed her head in gratitude before looking at Ondolemar. The sunlight revealed just how many arrows had been aimed at her. If not for him, she would be dead. The least she could do is bring him home. Sylvi carefully picked up her fallen friend, surprising the guards. After carrying around dragon bones and giant axes, an elf was barely an inconvenience.
The woman led her to a cart where Sylvi gently set him down. After a moment of silence from the strangers, the woman said, “I will also make sure you are paid… so long as we make it there safe.”
Sylvi nodded. The guards that were with the woman were limping, and Sylvi could see blood seeping through their armor. It would most likely be Sylvi protecting the caravan. The woman jumped into the wagon and came back with a book and a piece of charcoal with a cloth wrapped around it.
The woman looked at Sylvi apologetically as she said, “This is all I have. It will be easier to see than the sand.”
Sylvi took the book and charcoal and wrote, “Thank you.”
The woman smiled and introduced herself, “I am Myrra… And your name?”
Sylvi considered using an alias. If any of the Thalmor had been sent with her, then they would most certainly be looking for her. Without her Voice, she was at a disadvantage. However… if any of her companions had been brought along, she would want them to find her. As she looked at Ondolemar’s body, she found her answer.
“Sylvi.”
Chapter Text
Stretching out her back, Sylvi tried to work out the stiffness and set the ax down. A clairvoyance spell had led her to a land across the sea, Westeros. Myrra had sent Sylvi with a letter, and a woman named Mysaria had found her a job working at the castle for Queen Helaena. Apparently, the young king had a habit of harassing the young women of the castle, and due to Sylvi’s height and brawn, the king’s mother had happily hired Sylvi. No doubt that she carried the opinion that the king would not find her attractive. Sylvi certainly hoped so.
“Are you feeling well?” Queen Helaena asked worriedly, and Sylvi quickly stopped stretching.
“I am well,” Sylvi wrote in her book and gave the princess a smile. “A little stiff.”
The Queen gave her a small, hesitant smile in return, and Sylvi followed her back to the Queen’s room. In the short time Sylvi had been in the castle, Queen Helaena had become more comfortable with her. The Queen was very sweet. Often, Sylvi found herself worrying about the young queen. There was a war brewing. Sylvi knew much about war and worried that it would be too much for such a kind, quiet girl, but… war didn’t care about the casualties left in its wake. Sylvi had heard about the death of Lucerys, a grandson of the deceased King Viserys and son of Viserys’ first born daughter. All of this nonsense had started over the title of king. These people had such an odd fascination with men having the titles; in fact, these people were strange altogether. The King and his Queen were siblings. Sylvi tried not to think about that nauseating fact too often. She needed to focus on finding her companions and her way home.
A giggle caught her attention. Jaehaerys and Jaehaera ran to Sylvi after she had followed their mother into the room. They giggled again as Sylvi lifted them into the air, one child in each arm. Queen Helaena smiled and took Jaehaerys from her arms. Sylvi helped Jaehaera get dressed as Queen Helaena dressed Jaehaerys. Jaehaera gave Sylvi a kiss on the cheek in thanks. Sylvi couldn’t contain a smile and pretended to take the child’s nose. The girl grabbed Sylvi’s nose in return and ran to her mother.
After the queen left with her children, Sylvi waited for a moment before she left the Red Keep. Sylvi made her way out of the castle walls. Although people here couldn’t see her magic, she still thought it was best to do it somewhere out of sight. She didn’t want to be accused of being a witch. Finally certain that she was alone, she focused her magic on finding her friends. Once again a stream of magicka could be seen only to end up going in a circle. With a huff of frustration, Sylvi stopped the spell.
The sound of twigs breaking alerted her that she wasn’t alone. Sylvi ducked low and hid behind a tree as she saw a young man with long, white hair stumble out of the woods. Slipping on an incline, he toppled to the ground and stayed there for a moment. Sylvi wondered if the young prince had passed out. Feeling worried as he didn’t even try to move, Sylvi slowly stood and hesitantly walked toward him. As she knelt down beside him and outstretched her hand, his body suddenly stiffened, and he grabbed her arm with fear in his eye. Prince Aemond paused with a wariness on his face.
“Who are you?” the prince demanded haughtily.
Sylvi didn’t want to alarm him by reaching for her book and wrote her name in the dirt. As he looked at the name in confusion, she wrote, “Queen Helaena’s maid.”
His grip loosened, and soon he let go of her. After watching him for a moment, she wrote, “Help?”
That caused Prince Aemond to laugh hollowly, and he replied, “No one can help me… Not after Lucerys…”
Sylvi took out her book and charcoal. Prince Aemond watched her as she wrote, “Help you to castle?”
Prince Aemond pursed his lips in frustration before trying to stand on his own. Unfortunately, he was too lost in his cups. With another stumble, he was back on the ground. Sylvi watched him try to stand a few more times in complete silence, fighting the urge to clap as he finally got up… only to slip back down. Fully embarrassed and frustrated, the prince asked angrily, “I suppose you think this is what I deserve? Is this amusing to you?”
A little, Sylvi thought but simply tapped on the page that she had written.
The prince let out a groan of frustration before he closed his eye and muttered to himself, “No… I don’t deserve this. I deserve much worse… I didn’t mean to… but it is my fault. I shouldn’t have chased him. Vhagar… I couldn’t control her.”
Sylvi remembered that Vhagar was the name of the large, old dragon and wrote, “No such thing. Dragons cannot be controlled by mere mortals.”
Prince Aemond scoffed as he read her note and asked, “And what do you know of dragons?”
“Hunted them. Killed them. Understand them.”
The prince raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her. With a sigh, he said, “I don’t believe that you can help me… I can barely stand… I cannot stand.”
“Permission to help Prince?”
“Yes… but I don’t see what you can do.”
Sylvi put an arm around his back and the other under his legs. Using her legs, she lifted him up despite his protests. The prince’s face went red with embarrassment as he flailed and ordered her to put him down. Setting him back on his legs, Sylvi watched as he fell once again into the dirt. There was silence as Sylvi waited for the prince to make a decision. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Clearly, he wasn’t the bloodthirsty Kinslayer that the people accused him of being. Just a young man who’d made mistakes… not much different from the people she had met in Skyrim. Not so different from herself.
The young man had seemed humbled by her strength as he asked in wonder, “How are you so strong?”
Sylvi pointed to her book page. “Hunted them.”
With a laugh, he replied, “You would need to be quite strong to hunt dragons… You’re much too strong to be a mere maid.”
Prince Aemond gave her a shrewd look as she wrote, “Need money. Not bad job. Easy work.”
Prince Aemond chuckled and said, “I suppose any job would be easier than hunting dragons… I think… I can stand now… with help.”
Sylvi grabbed onto his arm and helped him to stand. Supporting him with her arm around him and his arm around her shoulder, she gestured her hand to tell him that they were going around the back. The back of the Red Keep had steep cliffs that led to the ocean. However, there was a walkway that led to a back entrance. Prince Aemond agreed and followed her lead as she led the way to the Red Keep. While Sylvi knew that they would already be there by now if he would just allow her to carry him, she recognized that his pride would be even more injured than it was now if he let her do so. They slowly made it to the keep.
Guards called out for Prince Aemond as they approached, asking what was wrong, but he held up a hand to silence them. A man in glistening armor strode up to them. The knight must have smelled the alcohol as he ordered the other guards to go back to work. Grabbing onto the Prince’s other side, he helped maneuver the prince up the stairs and to the prince’s bedroom. After leaving the prince in his bed, the knight gestured for Sylvi to follow him.
The knight ordered in a hushed voice, “This will stay between us.”
Sylvi nodded. She didn’t want any trouble. Finding her companions and getting back home was the most important thing to her.
The knight looked at her in confusion for a moment before he suddenly said, “Ah! Helaena’s maid. The one who cannot speak.”
Sylvi nodded again.
The knight breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Very well… I will remember your assistance today. Should you need help in the future, ask one of the Knights for Ser Cristen Cole… or just point at me if you see me.”
Sylvi nodded once more. The knight seemed pleased with this and excused himself as another knight called for him. Using his inattention to escape, Sylvi ducked into the kitchen. The chef was busy ordering the other kitchen staff around as they prepared for a feast in ‘King Aegon’s honor’. Sylvi grabbed a piece of bread and snuck out.
Sylvi ate her bread in a barely used hallway that led to storage. Hearing people coming her way, she hastily stuffed the bread down and coughed. She drank water out of her canteen to clear her throat; the sound of people walking toward her put her on edge. A few of the servants whispered amongst each other as they quickly walked past her. One of the girls seemed to have something to say to her, but the others quickly pulled the girl with them. Sylvi heard them call her ‘safe’ as they quickly walked away.
Wondering what that was about, Sylvi walked around the corner and found the answer. King Aegon was passed out in the hallway. An empty bottle of wine rolled down the hallway, and Sylvi picked it up and placed it on a side table. She briefly wondered if these Targaryens were lightweights or if they simply drank too much. King Aegon groaned as he woke up. With a slight jump, he noticed her and looked around him, clearly surprised by where he was.
Wondering if she should turn around and follow the other maids, she watched as Aegon tried to stand on his own. His efforts ended the same as his brother’s. Sylvi leaned down and helped him onto his feet. Leading him to his room, she held in her frustration as he complained the entire way about the feast. Thanking Talos as she made it to the king’s chambers, she kept in her sigh of relief.
“You are Halaena’s new maid,” King Aegon said thoughtfully as she walked him inside the room. He leaned in closer than she liked and said in a low, husky voice, “You know… You’re quite pretty for a big woman. I wouldn’t mind showing you a good time.”
Fully fed up with the young king, Sylvi leaned closer, and as the king half-closed his eyes with an excited smile, she picked him up off of the ground as she had his brother. The king panicked and demanded to be put down. She acquiesced… and dropped him on his bed.
Sylvi took out her book and wrote, “I hope Your Highness will have a clear mind upon awakening.”
With a smile at his look of angry confusion, Sylvi quickly ducked out of the room and closed the door behind her. She quickly ran down the staircase. Perhaps she should stay clear of the Red Keep for a while. Due to the King’s feast, it was likely that she wouldn’t be missed. Sylvi heard the sound of an upstairs door opening and darted outside; she kept low as she snuck out of the keep, making sure that none of the guards even noticed her escape.
Whistling a merry tune as she disappeared into the crowd, Sylvi wandered around the castle grounds before hearing a familiar sound. She walked into the blacksmith’s shop, and he gave her an odd look before saying, “This isn’t a place for women.”
Sylvi smiled and got out her coin purse. After tossing a couple of coins on the counter, she wrote, “Is that enough to use your forge?”
The blacksmith chuckled and took the money. “All yours. What are you planning on making? A necklace?” he asked mockingly.
Sylvi rolled up her shirt, revealing her muscles from fighting and forging. Ignoring his jabs, she picked out her tools.
The blacksmith watched with interest as she got to work. It seemed like iron and steel were the best metals this blacksmith had available, but Sylvi could make due. She had figured out how to make armor with dragon bones. A small, iron blade would be easy. After all… her skills were legendary.
Chapter Text
The darkness hid Sylvi as she quickly made her way to the fighting pits. After returning to the castle from the blacksmith’s shop, she had gotten dressed in the armor of a fallen member of the Dark Brotherhood. Stealth would be more important than protection as she needed to locate the children first. While making her blade, she had overheard the townsfolk whispering of children being held in cages. Due to the royal family banning the fighting of children in the arena, the townsfolk were worried that the children would be sold as slaves to Essos. Luckily for Sylvi, a couple of the women seemed eager to help once they read Sylvi’s plan.
The sound of a slamming door made Sylvi step back into the shadows. A man had stepped out of the very door where Sylvi needed to go. He sat down on a bucket and crossed his arms in frustration. Sylvi briefly wondered if she should take him out from the shadows but decided that a dead body outside the building would lead to more trouble than it was worth. She took out her bow and aimed down the alley. The arrow knocked a bucket off of a window sill.
The man quickly sprung up and around the corner of the alley while Sylvi crept to the door. As Sylvi closed the door behind her, she could hear men chatting from one of the rooms. She crept to the doorway and peeked inside. They were playing cards and drinking. Creeping past the door, she made her way further down the hall until she found a dimly lit room. The sound of a man’s voice getting closer made her take cover behind a barrel.
A man with a torch stumbled into the room. Sylvi watched as he moved toward the back of the room. Light reflected off of the cages’ bars, and soon Sylvi could barely see small shapes in the back of the cages. The man threw scraps at the kids and laughed as they tried to scrape up as much food as they could. Small arms reached out toward the man. With a yell, the man kicked the cages, and Sylvi took aim. As soon as the man was out of the children’s sight, Sylvi let an arrow fly.
The only sound the man made was a small wheeze as he hit the ground. Sylvi quickly dragged the body behind the barrel. With a sigh, she noticed that the torch’s fire had gone out. After casting a candlelight spell, she ran over to the cages. The children seemed both terrified and fascinated by the glowing light above her head as she tried to pick the locks. Her lockpick broke, and Sylvi sighed. Unfortunately, most of her lockpicks were in a chest in Falkreath. She had only brought about a dozen to the Dwemer ruins, and those locks had broken all except two. Sylvi didn’t want to chance it breaking just yet. To free the children, she would need a key. To get the key, she would need to find the person in charge.
Sylvi quickly looked through the pockets of the dead man but found no keys. A shout from down the hall made her cancel her candlelight spell. Sylvi ran and slid underneath a table as footsteps crept closer. Waiting for the man to come into view, Sylvi made sure her mask was still secure.
“Kris!” the man called out as Sylvi notched an arrow. “What–?!”
That was the man’s last word as an arrow pierced his neck. The man stumbled down as though trying to create as much noise as possible before he died. Once again notching an arrow, Sylvi waited as she heard the clatter of chairs from the room down the hall. She was outnumbered, and her armor was made for stealth, not combat. However, perhaps she could use the doorway to her advantage. Only one person could enter at once. That meant that if she could shoot fast enough, they might not even know where the arrows were coming from before they hit the floor.
As soon as she saw a man walking through the doorway, Sylvi let go of the string. The arrow hit the man in the eye. As he fell to the ground with a cry of pain, Sylvi quickly fired another arrow at the man behind him. The second man was hit in the chest, and he fell on top of the first man. The third man threw a knife towards Sylvi. It hit the leg of the table with a thud. Sylvi let another arrow fly, but the man ducked and began using the other men as shields. Sylvi grabbed the knife from the table and left her hiding place. The third man stepped on the backs of his friends as he rushed Sylvi with a sword. Sylvi dropped the bow and rushed toward the men. The man with a sword swung at her, but she ducked before jumping on the back on the dying man to propel herself through the door. The two men chased after her. She had created enough distance from the children before she used the unbounded storms spell. The guard from outside rushed inside to join his crew only to meet the same fate as his companions.
Sylvi waited for a few moments to see if she could hear anyone else coming to fight. Luckily, the halls were silent. After checking each body, she dragged them over to the first body to hide them from view. With a huff of irritation, she slammed the last body on the ground. There was no key. Thinking back, she remembered that she had seen a staircase on the way inside. She walked back into the hallway and checked the room where they had been playing cards before she crept up the stairs. The stairs led to a hallway where most of the doors were open except the one at the very end. Checking each room as she went, she found no one until she reached the room at the end of the hall. A whimper from behind the door caught her attention.
The door was locked. With a steadying breath, Sylvi took out her last lockpick. If this didn’t work, she would take whatever weapon she could find and bash the damn door down. She’d even use destruction magic if she had to. Luckily, the door unlocked. Sylvi smirked in triumph before entering the room. What she saw took the smile right off her face.
A man and a child laid in the bed together. The child’s red, tear-stained face looked at her with wide eyes filled with terror. Sylvi held up a finger as she took a robe from a chair. The child froze before slowly turning to make sure the man was still asleep. Carefully, the child got out of the bed before Sylvi threw the robe around him. Naked, bruised, and afraid, the boy seemed to be more terrified of the sleeping man than a stranger dressed in the attire of an assassin. Sylvi led the boy out of the room and signaled for him to wait. The boy sat on the ground as Sylvi closed the door.
Twirling the knife in her hand, Sylvi approached the sleeping man. No, not a man, Sylvi thought to herself as she watched the monster sleep peacefully. Just trash that needed to be taken care of.
Sylvi woke the man and pressed the knife into his throat. The man sputtered before he froze in fear.
He whispered pleadingly, “The key to the cages is in the drawer. Please… take them. Take all of them. Just let me–”
The coward tried to grab the knife, but Sylvi quickly plunged it deep into the monster’s throat and pulled it back out. Red covered the bed as the man wheezed out a final plea. Certain that the man was now dead, Sylvi walked to the dresser and pulled out the key. The building was now as silent as death itself. After wiping the knife on the bed, Sylvi walked to the door.
The boy was waiting where she had left him. His large eyes stared at her in amazement and fear as she offered him a hand. The boy hesitantly took it, and she gently lifted him up. Sylvi led him down the stairs and back to the room where the rest of the children were being held in cages. Sylvi let go of his hand to open the cage doors. As the cage doors clicked open, the children huddled as far away from the door as they could.
“Safe,” the child beside Sylvi whispered. “Safe.”
The other children slowly looked to Sylvi. Realizing that her height was scaring them, Sylvi got onto her knees and closed her eyes while pulling down her mask. Soon, a hand touched her face, and Sylvi slowly opened her eyes. The children had their nails filed to a point, but the child was taking care not to scratch Sylvi’s face. Sylvi gently rested one of her hands on his and gave the child a gentle smile.
The other children reached out to her one by one, and Sylvi allowed each of them to touch her briefly before she pointed to the door.
After adjusting her mask, Sylvi stood and led the way outside, breathing a sigh of relief as the townsfolk that she had spoken to earlier opened the door. The children were quickly herded into a nearby house. Sylvi watched them leave before she felt a tug on her sleeve. One of the women had stayed back. She looked at Sylvi with tears in her eyes.
“Thank you… thank you so much. We’ll take care of them. If only we had done something sooner…” the woman said as the tears fell.
Sylvi gently squeezed the woman’s shoulder before giving her a nod. The woman left to take care of the children. Sylvi quickly crept back to the shadows before she made her way back to the keep. Avoiding the guards’ sight, she made her way along the castle walls to the window of her room. Slipping back inside the room, she quickly changed into a servant’s dress and hid her Brotherhood armor in her backpack.
The sounds of revelry greeted her as she walked down the hall. A woman with long, white hair paced while holding her hands over her ears. Queen Helaena stopped as she caught sight of Sylvi. Her face suddenly brightened as she closed the distance between them.
“I… It was too much. I needed a moment. I couldn’t find you…”
Sylvi felt bad for lying as she wrote, “I wasn’t feeling well. Took a walk. My apologies.”
“No… that is… quite alright,” Queen Helaena said as she glanced back towards the dining hall. “I suppose they will be looking for me now… I’ll have to go back.”
The Queen’s voice shook a little as she tried to prepare herself. Sylvi shook her head in response.
“If the queen is not feeling well, then the queen should rest. You can dine another day.”
Queen Helaena read her words with a sad smile. She looked as though she wanted to say something more but froze as Ser Cole appeared. He glanced at the two of them in confusion before Sylvi pointedly tapped on the page. Ser Cole read it with an amused look as Sylvi met his gaze with a look of stubbornness.
“Helaena… Your Majesty,” Ser Cole corrected himself. “If you are not feeling well, I can inform your mother. The festivities are almost over anyway.”
The queen thanked him and gave Sylvi a grateful smile. Sylvi excused herself from Ser Cole to escort Queen Helaena to her room. Before leaving, Sylvi took out one of the knives that she had made earlier and presented it to the queen.
As the queen took it with hesitation, Sylvi wrote, “I hope you will never need to use it, but I want you to have it.”
The queen’s fingers traced the butterfly carved into the handle as she looked at it thoughtfully. Queen Helaena smiled and thanked Sylvi before walking into her bedroom. Sylvi felt a little better as she walked back to her room. Now that the children were safe and Helaena had some reliable steel, Sylvi could focus on finding her friends. After Sylvi closed her door behind her, she flopped onto the bed. A large stretch helped her relax into the bed, and soon her eyes closed to embrace slumber.
Chapter Text
Sylvi felt the former Queen’s eyes looking at her judgingly as she stood in front of the queen dowager. The silence in the room was palpable. It had been a couple days since she’d seen the king, and she’d hoped that he had been too drunk to remember her slight. Clearly not. With a frustrated sigh, Queen Alicent spoke, “My daughter speaks very highly of you, but I am hoping that you will accept a different position.”
Sylvi bowed her head in acceptance. She had expected as much; no doubt they were kicking her out to allow Aegon to save face. Still… she would miss Helaena and the little ones.
“We have a need for someone who can guard my son… while not looking like a standard guard,” Queen Alicent continued, and Sylvi looked at her in confusion. “Lady Rhaenyra. After her son Lucerys’ unfortunate accident… she will lash out in vengeance and likely when our guard is down. They would not suspect a maid. Aemond told me that you have combat experience. Would you be willing to accept this responsibility? You will not be alone. The Kingsguard is always in service to the king.”
Sylvi thought about it for a moment before writing in her book. A steward read her writing, “I am honored, but I am looking for my friends. I lost them before I arrived in Westeros. I hope to find them here.”
“Give me a list and I will have them found,” Queen Alicent quickly countered. “Helaena showed us the knife you gave her. Even Lord Lannister and Ser Cole were impressed by the craftsmanship. When I sent a servant to the blacksmith to request a second one, I was told that the blacksmith could not make one of this caliber… That a servant from the castle had made the knife. You know much about weapons, do you?”
“I do,” the steward read. “I can defend your king, but after I find my companions, I will be leaving Westeros. How long will you require me?”
“Until I can find another to replace you. So do you accept the position? To the public, you will be merely Aegon’s maid, but I will pay you as a guard.”
Sylvi considered it for a moment longer. Help finding the others would be much appreciated, and she would leave when she needed to do so, regardless of whether they had found a replacement. Her only worry was King Aegon.
Queen Alicent seemed to notice her reluctance and said, “Of course, I am not blind and deaf to my son’s actions. You are perfectly within your rights to defend yourself… within reason.”
Sylvi tilted her head as she considered asking for the guidelines on what was ‘within reason.’
Queen Alicent continued, “I heard that you gently reprimanded him… I just ask that you continue to have the same amount of restraint.”
Sylvi wrote down that she accepted, and Queen Alicent smiled at her in relief. Ser Cristen Cole would be in a downstairs room, so that he could test her abilities. As Sylvi descended the stairs, she saw King Aegon and Prince Aemond entering the room where she had been told to meet Ser Cristen Cole. With a look inside, Sylvi waited at the door. Ser Cristen Cole gestured for her to come into the room. After closing the door behind her, she looked at the king and prince before looking back to Ser Cole.
With a sigh, he explained, “The king wants to make sure that you are skilled enough to protect him, and Aemond will be here to help you practice.”
Sylvi walked over to the wall and looked over the swords. Finding a decent quality one, she grabbed it and turned to Ser Cole.
“Are you sure? It might be best if we use wooden swords," Ser Cole recommended and chuckled at Sylvi's look of annoyance. "Very well. Let’s begin." Without a moment of hesitation, Ser Cole swung toward her.
Sylvi quickly dodged out of the way and circled around him. She waited for him to attack her again and slammed her hilt down on his hand, knocking the mace to the floor. Ser Cole moved back as she put the tip of the blade to his throat.
“Impressive. Your form isn’t exactly… standard. Where did you train?”
Sylvi put down the sword and wrote, “From anyone who would teach.”
Ser Cole nodded and said, “Well, we aren’t looking for perfection. Just utility, which you have. Hopefully, you will never need to defend him, but this is just a precaution.”
After a few more sessions, Ser Cole seemed confident enough in her abilities. Prince Aemond watched with interest as King Aegon looked more and more frustrated. Was he hoping that she would fail miserably? After Ser Cole excused himself to report to Queen Alicent, Sylvi put down the sword and walked to Aegon with a smile.
“What? If you have something to say, then do it,” Aegon said with a scowl.
Sylvi raised her head and looked down at him to emphasize their height difference, and Aegon visibly bristled with indignation at the slight.
“Queen Alicent gave me the right to defend myself,” she wrote, and Aegon gave her a confused look. “To defend myself from everyone, even the King… ‘within reason,’ of course.”
“So are you telling me that you intend to throw me around again?!”
“Not without reason.”
Anger flared in Aegon’s eyes, and he quickly followed Ser Cole to see his mother. A chuckle caught her attention. She turned to see Aemond trying, and failing, to hold back laughter. As he noticed her eyes on him, he composed himself.
“My apologies,” Aemond said cheerfully. “My brother is quite good at… annoying others. It’s rare to see someone able to frustrate him.”
Sylvi nodded and turned to leave the room when Aemond spoke up again, “Helaena showed me the blade you gave her. It was well made. Even Ser Cristen said so.”
“Thank you. Not my best work but it will do.”
Aemond tilted his head and asked, “You made the knife?”
Sylvi nodded, and Aemond looked impressed. Exiting the room, she saw Aegon storm out of Queen Alicent’s room and into his room. Sylvi exchanged a quick look with Aemond before she followed Aegon up the stairs. Aegon had flung himself on the bed but left the door wide open. Sylvi knocked on the door to get his attention. Aegon quickly got up. The hopeful look on his face quickly soured as he saw her standing at the door, and she realized that he’d been hoping that his mother would follow him to check on him.
“I understood you… and my mother. I will be on my best behavior,” he mumbled while looking away from her.
With a sigh, Sylvi stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Aegon jumped up and looked on edge. Taking out her book, she wrote, “I will only be here until I find my companions. After that, I will leave. I told you that I will defend myself if given reason. Do not give me a reason and I will protect you with my life.”
Aegon slowly relaxed as he stood. She was slightly taller than him, and he had to look up to her eyes. With a sigh, he sat back down and put his head in his hands.
“I did not ask for this… to be King. Now Lucerys is dead… and Rhaenyra wants my head mounted on her mantle. I should have ran away… then none of this would be happening.”
“Or something worse could have happened,” Sylvi wrote, and Aegon read it with a sigh.
“Well, aren’t you a breath of fresh air…” Aegon mumbled. “Where are you from… and are all of your people’s women as tall as you?”
“My height is normal for a Nord. Skyrim is my home.”
“Skyrim? I’ve never heard of it. Is it across the Sunset Sea?”
Sylvi shrugged, and Aegon narrowed his eyes. She explained, “I was forcibly brought to Essos. From there, I came here. My companions are here.”
“Your ‘companions’,” he repeated with a slight mocking tone. “Well… I hope you find them soon.”
Sylvi nodded and left the room as Aegon laid on the bed with his back turned to her. Ser Cole was waiting outside for her with a look of amusement. After closing the door behind her, she followed Ser Cole to look at weapons. She chose a couple that would be easy to hide but sturdy enough to do damage. While she’d rather use her own ebony sword, it was made out of material that would make the others suspicious. Sylvi wasn’t exactly trying to hide her homeland, but it would make things easier if she didn’t have to explain magic. Myrra had warned her. Magic had once been a part of this world, but since the ‘Doom’, it had slowly waned. Her magical power would draw a lot of attention. Not all of it good.
Ser Cole had excused himself to attend the council meeting, and Sylvi was unsure if she should go back to watching over Aegon. The sun had set over the horizon. It would be dark soon, so she would at least check on Aegon one last time before bed. Heading back up the stairs, she saw Queen Helaena walking with the children towards Queen Alicent’s room.
Queen Helaena gave Sylvi a sad smile before continuing to Queen Alicent’s chambers. Sylvi ran to catch her and hastile wrote, “Even though I am Aegon’s maid, do not hesitate to call for me. Whenever you need me. Or even just want me there.”
Queen Helaena was speechless for a moment before she hesitantly touched one of Sylvi’s hands.
“I had thought… that you’d grown tired of me,” Queen Helaena said, and Sylvi shook her head. “The other maids… they never last very long. I’m not quite sure why they don’t stick around, so I thought…”
“It is NOT YOUR FAULT,” Sylvi wrote and gently squeezed Queen Helaena’s hand in reassurance before she continued writing. “Your mother requested my assistance, but as long as I am here, you may call for me.”
Queen Helaena looked at Sylvi’s hand for a moment before gently squeezing Sylvi’s hand in return. With an embarrassed laugh, Queen Helaena excused herself to walk toward her mother’s room. An odd chill went up Sylvi’s spine as she watched Helaena walk away, and she used a ‘Detect Life’ spell. In horror, she saw two red glowing figures and one blue in the Queen’s room.
Running in front of Queen Helaena, she stopped her in front of the door and wrote a single word: “Kingsguard.”
Queen Helaena hesitated, but upon seeing the serious look in Sylvi’s eyes, Helaena gave her a quick nod and took the children down the stairs. After taking a deep breath, Sylvi opened the door. As soon as she stepped into the room, she felt a knife to her throat. Sylvi grabbed onto the hand holding the knife. With a quick twist, she disarmed him before punching the little weasel in the throat. A much larger man came at her with a large knife. The room was too small for her to use magic without hurting Queen Alicent, who was gagged and bound in the corner of the room. Quickly avoiding the blade, she took out her knife and threw it into the ruffian’s neck. The man stumbled. Using his surprise and panic, Sylvi disarmed him before grabbing onto the knife still in him and pulling it out to stab him two more times. The man was down for good.
Sylvi quickly ran to Queen Alicent and untied her. Queen Alicent sobbed and grabbed onto Sylvi, thanking her profusely. Sylvi didn’t bother to write anything and gave the poor woman a reassuring hug until the Kingsguard arrived. Quickly checking on the other miscreant, she realized that he was no longer moving. She used the detect life spell again, but there was no glow. He was dead.
Sylvi gently pulled the Queen’s head to Sylvi’s shoulder to block the image from her view. The sound of armored footsteps came closer, and the Kingsguard ran into the room. Ser Cole got down onto his knee and asked if Queen Alicent was hurt.
“No…” the queen said as she gathered herself. “I am not hurt. Thanks to Sylvi.”
Ser Cole gave Sylvi a thankful look before checking the bodies. Sylvi helped the queen to stand and led her out of the room. Queen Helaena, King Aegon, and Prince Aemond were there to comfort their mother as she held them and cried. Sylvi quickly checked Queen Helaena’s room before gesturing for them to go inside. It was safe… for the moment. Sylvi waited inside the room with them as the Kingsguard tore the Queen’s room apart to find where the assailants had come from.
“How did you know?” Queen Helaena asked quietly, but everyone in the room turned to Sylvi for her answer.
“Bad feeling,” Sylvi wrote. “If I was wrong, only my ego would be hurt.”
Queen Helaena grabbed onto Sylvi’s hand and whispered, “Thank you.”
In response, Sylvi turned back a couple of pages in her book and pointed to “Whenever you need me.”
Queen Helaena gave Sylvi an awkward but warm hug, which Sylvi returned. The clatter of broken furniture was the only sound as they waited in silence.
Chapter Text
The ‘Iron Throne’ seemed like a whole lot of trouble, Sylvi decided as she stood in the throne room and watched King Aegon as he addressed the court’s concerns and demanded justice. Unfortunately, Sylvi had killed both of the intruders. While this had made the room decidedly safer, it had also ruined any chance of them confessing the identity of their employer.
Sylvi waited patiently for Aegon to finish his orders. Luckily his speech was in front of people who knew him well… He wasn’t very charismatic. Clearly, his father and mother hadn’t shown him how to lead. They just expected the people to follow. Sylvi wished that she had her voice back just so she could teach him how to give orders. As the people in the room dispersed, Sylvi walked to the throne and showed him her book.
“Why do you want to look at the room? The Kingsguard already tore it apart. If there was something to find, then they would have found it,” Aegon said tiredly.
Sylvi’s response was to point at the page a second time with a serious look. With a sigh, Aegon got up from the chair and led the way to Queen Alicent’s old bedroom. At the moment, Alicent, Helaena, and the children were sleeping in a room with a Kingsguard on duty. They didn’t know how the intruders had gotten inside, but Sylvi was hoping to find out. Upon entering the room, Sylvi cast a clairvoyance spell. The mist led directly to a wall. Sylvi looked under the remaining furniture to find a switch of some kind. There had to be some kind of secret passageway.
As Aegon drawled on about the futility of her endeavor, Sylvi ran her hands along the wall. One of the stones moved inwards just slightly. Sylvi pushed it in and held a click. A section of the wall moved in, revealing a passageway. Sylvi started to go inside when she felt a hand on her arm. Aegon pulled her away from the passageway as he stared into the depths.
“How… How did you know?”
“Guessed,” Sylvi wrote. “I once fought a group of bandits that had taken over a keep. I used a secret passageway to get inside the walls.”
Aegon called for the Kingsguard as Sylvi realized with disappointment that Aegon was not going to let her explore what she had discovered. Ser Cole gave her a pat on her shoulder and looked at the passageway with relief. Now they just needed to follow the tunnel and see which rooms it went to before sealing it. With a frustrated sigh, Sylvi watched the Kingsguard go into the tunnel with torches.
“How many people did you sneak into the bandits’ keep?” Aegon asked as he led her out of the room.
Sylvi thought about it for a moment and wrote, “It was just Barbas and me.”
“Barbas? A friend?”
“Yes. A dog,” Sylvi wrote, leaving out the fact that Barbas was a shapeshifting Daedra. No doubt that would lead to even more questions. Plus Barbas always acted like a dog, so maybe that was his true form. Thinking about Barbas brought back her worries. Had he also been brought along? If so, why hadn’t he found her?
“I could get you a new dog,” Aegon said awkwardly. “After all, you saved my mother and sister; it would be the least I could do.”
“It is not so easy to replace a friend, Your Highness,” Sylvi wrote with a sad smile.
Aegon went silent. Sylvi watched him struggle to find something reassuring to say and softly gave his shoulder a pat. Lord Hightower strode up the stairs, and Sylvi bowed before getting out of the way.
Lord Hightower walked inside the room. His entire body went stiff as he saw the secret entrance. He turned and focused on Sylvi.
“Let me guess… you also found the secret entrance.”
Sylvi nodded, not knowing why he was suddenly so angry.
“What’s wrong?” Aegon asked defensively.
“It’s just interesting… how many developments happen near our new friend,” Lord Hightower said as he looked at Sylvi with suspicion. “It almost makes one think that she was a part of the plan from the beginning. Sent here to ‘guide’ us and earn our trust before stabbing us in the back. I know Mysaria recommended you. She was a former… ‘lover’ of Prince Daemon. Strange how shortly after you appear all of these plots start to unfold.”
Sylvi tried to remember who Mysaria was before she wrote, “Mysaria is a friend of someone I saved from bandits in Essos. She got me a job, so I can search for my friends. Why would I stop a plot if she was the one who planned both? Why wouldn’t I ‘save’ Queen Alicent after they got what they came for? I doubt Mysaria would send people just to die.”
Lord Hightower let out a hollow laugh after he read her words and said, “Then you truly don’t know Mysaria… Just know that I will be keeping an eye on you.”
“That does not bother me as I have nothing to hide,” Sylvi wrote and showed him the book while keeping eye contact.
Lord Hightower gave her a calculating look before he said, “Perhaps there is a way for you to prove your innocence. Mysaria will try to escape soon to Dragonstone. Find out when and how, and your allegiance will be proven.”
Lord Hightower didn’t wait for a reply as he strode away. Sylvi wondered how beneficial that would be for her, but the thought of this Mysaria trying to harm Helaena and the children made it hard for Sylvi to say no. Sylvi turned to see Aegon looking conflicted. With a small pat on his shoulder, she gave him a smile before walking down the hall to her room. She would need to put on some light armor before looking for Mysaria; something told her that Mysaria’s group wouldn’t be happy to see her after she had foiled their plans.
Footsteps stopped just outside of her room as she picked up her backpack. Aegon leaned on the doorframe. He looked at her like he had something to say but had difficulty saying it. After looking around her room, he said, “I could get you a better room… a better bed.”
“Room and bed are good,” she wrote before picking up the urn from the table. It was unfortunate that she needed to sell out Myrra’s friend, but… The one rule that Sylvi had always adhered to was to never harm a child, and she wouldn’t allow one to be harmed when she could prevent it. Helaena’s children were likely still in danger. Rhaenyra had seemingly decided the price to pay for killing her child was the child of her enemy… which Sylvi found despicable.
“What is that? A vase?” Aegon asked, and Sylvi placed it back on the table.
“An old friend. His ashes are within the vase. I will carry him with me until I can take him home.”
Sylvi set the urn onto the side table closest to the bed. Aegon had looked a little uncomfortable about the ashes. She briefly wondered how they handled their dead in Westeros before deciding that she needed to get moving. She opened her bag and pulled out her leather scout armor. It was simple enough to not stand out but still sturdy. Pointing to the door, she looked at Aegon meaningfully.
With a smirk, he leaned against the door and said, “Trying on some clothes? I could help.”
Sylvi stood up to her full height which made the king’s smile falter for a moment. Closing the door, she heard him nearly fall as the door pushed him back. She couldn’t help but smile as she continued looking through the backpack. With a wistful sigh, she moved the dragonscale armor to the side. Too eye-catching. After putting on a cowl, she moved the facemask and hood down so that it looked like a dark scarf.
The sun was slowly setting over the horizon. After one last look toward the door to her room, she slipped out of the window onto a lower part of the wall. Quickly and quietly working her way down, she reached the ground. She looked back to the castle window before quickly hiding in the shadows. Sylvi decided that she would give Ser Criston Cole some advice on security… Although that would need to wait until after she had gotten what she needed.
Using a clairvoyance spell, Sylvi saw a stream of light leading her further away from the keep. As she left the inner castle walls, she looked back toward her room. No doubt the young king was growing impatient. Sylvi felt a small twinge of guilt at leaving him without an explanation, but if Mysaria was trying to escape soon, then there wasn’t a lot of time. The Kingsguard would keep Aegon safe.
Sylvi walked around the castle grounds and kept to the shadows as she periodically performed a detect life spell. There were no signs of red. Sylvi used a clairvoyance spell and followed the blue mist outside the castle walls. A carriage being searched by guards caught her attention. It was approved by the guards and started to head out.
Using her detect life spell, she immediately took to the shadows. Hidden in the seats of the caravan were at least three red figures. Using the shadows to stay hidden, she followed the caravan out of the castle's view and put on her mask and cowl. As the caravan slowed to turn, Sylvi ran to the front and slammed the driver's head onto the wooden seat. She turned the carriage around and started heading back to the castle when she heard a man shout from inside the carriage."What are you doing, you brainless fool?!"
The sound of footsteps hitting the ground made Sylvi speed up the horses. She turned to see a man in fancy clothes running after the carriage. The guards looked at her with confusion as she approached the gates; one of the guards drew his blade.
"What have you found?" A breathless Ser Cole asked from the landing above them. "I thought there were no carriages allowed to leave without an order from Lord Hightower."
The guards defensively said that this carriage had an order as Sylvi grabbed the oil lantern from the driver's seat. The horses were freed from the carriage before she poured the lantern’s oil on the inside of the carriage. Sylvi then dropped the flame and jumped back. The guards yelled at her as the carriage went up in flames. There was panic from inside the carriage as the people hidden inside sensed the danger.
Sylvi watched Ser Cole disappear as he hurried to get down to them. Sylvi jumped back as a dark haired woman and two Altmer jumped out of the carriage while trying to put out the flames on their robes. Upon seeing Sylvi, the Altmer mages cast freezing spells in her direction. In the warm Westerosi climate, it felt almost comforting to the Nord woman. Charging at them as they tried to take out their knives, Sylvi quickly jumped and stabbed the closest Altmer in the neck before using his body to deflect the other Altmer's spells. Ser Cole had taken Mysaria inside the walls as the Thalmor focused on Sylvi. Suddenly, the mage disappeared.
Sylvi dropped the Altmer's body and looked into the darkness while using the detecting spell. Seeing the Altmer running away, Sylvi took a guard's bow and arrow from his hands before firing the arrow into the distance. The arrow flew true.The Altmer fell to the ground, no longer moving.
Sylvi gave the bow back to the guard before following Ser Cole to the keep. As she approached, the Kingsguard drew their swords. Ser Cole waved them down. Sylvi waited patiently as Ser Cole gave them orders.
After making sure everything was going smoothly, Ser Cole waved for Sylvi to follow him. Sylvi followed while wondering if she should take off her mask. Ser Cole had made no mention of it. Perhaps it was best to keep it on for the moment. Lord Hightower, King Aegon, and Queen Alicent watched them curiously as they entered. Sylvi pulled down her mask as Ser Cole gave her an amused look.
“Mysaria has been found and captured!” Ser Cole announced, and Aegon gave Sylvi a look of disbelief. Even Lord Hightower let out a laugh of surprise. “However… I believe our friend here has more to tell us.”
Sylvi let out a tired sigh as she grabbed the paper and charcoal from a servant. After stretching her hand, she quickly jotted down as much as she knew about magic, the Thalmor, and their plans.
Chapter Text
Knocking made Sylvi jump and clutch her book to her chest. She opened the door to see Aegon waiting as he leaned against a wall with a look of impatience.
“I’ve never heard of a king waiting for a maid,” Aegon snarked as Sylvi closed the door behind her.
In reply Sylvi wrote, “And I’ve never met a king shorter than me.” It wasn’t exactly true… The Emperor was about the same height as Aegon, but it didn’t have to be true to make him mad.
Sylvi watched Aegon’s face redden as he read her writing. He tried to snatch the book out of her hand, but she held it up just out of his reach. Aegon grasped at her arm to try to pull it down. With a smirk, she easily held the book aloft despite his best efforts. A chuckle made them freeze. They turned to see Ser Cole raising an eyebrow at their antics.
“This… maid has insulted the king!” Aegon whined and took a step back.
“Merely stated a fact,” Sylvi wrote before lifting her note for Ser Cole to read.
Ser Cole rested his head in his hands for a moment as Aegon moved a couple steps to read what she had written. Before Aegon could make another fuss, Ser Cole spun the two of them around and sternly pushed them to the small council room. Lord Hightower watched them enter with a look of amusement. Since Sylvi had fought off the Thalmor and helped find Mysaria, the King’s grandfather had been much more tolerant.
As Aegon took his seat, Sylvi stood next to his chair. Lord Hightower went back to speaking with the other members. Sylvi watched Aegon sink further down into his seat as they waited for the meeting to officially begin. When the Queen Dowager entered with Prince Aemond, the room went quiet. Prince Aemond watched Sylvi with curiosity as Lord Hightower started to tell the room what Sylvi had told him. Everyone’s eyes were soon on Sylvi.
“Ser Cole testified that these ‘Thalmor’ used magic. In fact, only magic could explain how one of the city guards had his hand frozen down to the bone. However, that does leave me with a different question… How did you fare so well from the sudden blizzard?” Lord Hightower asked as he focused on Sylvi.
“The blood of the Nords runs hot,” Sylvi wrote, and a servant ran over to her to read her words aloud to the room.
Lord Hightower raised a brow and asked skeptically, “Are you sure that it has nothing to do with you being the ‘Dragonborn’?”
The room went eerily silent as they waited for her reply.
Lord Hightower continued, “Mysaria revealed that the Thalmor refer to you by that name. Is she correct?”
After thinking a moment more, Sylvi wrote, “Yes. That is one of my names. I have many names and titles in my homeland.”
“And those are?” one of the council members asked.
Sylvi gave the servant an apologetic look before listing, “The Last Dragonborn, Stormcrown, Ysmir the Dragon of the North, Thane of Whiterun, Thane of Eastmarch, Thane of Hjaalmarch, Thane of The Reach, Thane of Haafingar, Thane of Falkreath, Thane of The Rift, Thane of The Pale, Thane of Winterhold, Archmage of the College of Winterhold, Harbinger of the Companions, member of the Dawnguard, Legate of the Imperial Legion, Member of House Telvanni, and Qahnaarin.”
“Qahnaarin?” Aegon asked in confusion.
“A name given to me by a dragon.”
Lord Hightower smirked in amusement and said, “I didn’t know that we had such an illustrious person with us. You said that you are an ‘arch mage’ as well… Could you show us proof?”
Sylvi focused her magicka for a moment before summoning a Storm Atronach. Queen Alicent let out a scream as Aemond gripped the table. The Atronach looked to Sylvi for direction, and she gestured for it to move across the room.
The council members watched in silence as it slowly floated to where she had pointed. Sylvi noted with satisfaction that Lord Hightower’s smirk had been wiped clean off of his face. The room remained silent until after the Atronach disappeared with a loud crack. The council members talked loudly to each other. Each one trying to advise Aegon of something different.
“Why didn’t you use magic on the Thalmor?” Ser Criston asked, and the room fell silent.
“Too many people. If I miss, then I kill one of your soldiers. My blade won’t miss,” Sylvi held up her book with a shrug. “And the Altmer are naturally inclined to magic and quicker at casting spells.”
“What is an ‘Altmer’?” The Queen Dowager asked as she looked from her father to Sylvi.
“A race of Tamriel. My homeland. Skyrim is a kingdom of an empire… Our Queen, or King, answers to an Emperor… The Emperor of Tamriel. The Thalmor are a group of Altmer that believe the Altmer are superior to the other races and should rule us all.”
“And so you believe ‘Nords’ are superior?” one of the council members asked.
“No. No one is ‘superior.’ Every person has their own gifts. I fought for the Imperial Empire in the war against my fellow Nords, who believed that Skyrim only belongs to the Nords. We are all stronger together. The Altmer seek to divide and conquer us, and they may seek to do the same to you and your people.”
Aegon stood up suddenly and walked away from the group as the council members began to once again argue. A strange coldness went up Sylvi’s spine as she watched. Using the detection spell, she noticed a red figure behind the wall creeping toward the door to the room. Sylvi ran for Aegon. As she grabbed him and pulled him to the ground on top of her, she saw an arrow narrowly miss them.
Loud screams and yells echoed through the room as Ser Cole beat the attacker into submission. The attacker’s limp body was soon dragged out of the room. Sylvi gently pushed Aegon to the side, so she could stand. After checking to make sure there was no one else, she offered Aegon a hand. Aegon looked at her hand and then her face with wild eyes. Suddenly, he got up off the floor and ran out of the room. The other council members continued to argue amongst themselves and hadn’t even noticed that he’d left.
Sylvi quickly followed the king out of the room and to a small storage room. Aegon paced back and forth. After checking for threats, Sylvi waited for him outside of the room. Every couple of minutes she checked for threats and soon saw the blue glow of an ally approaching the room. A hand grabbed her wrist, and she turned to see Aegon holding onto her.
“How did you know?” Aegon asked, wild-eyed and confused. “You… You knew… but how?”
“Enemy detection spell,” Sylvi wrote after she gently removed Aegon’s hand from her arm and led him inside the room. “Someone is coming now. A friend.”
Footsteps echoed from just outside the room, and Aemond soon appeared inside the doorway. Aegon suddenly grabbed his brother by the shoulders and pleaded, “Take it! Take the throne. I don’t want this! Please.”
When Aemond said nothing in reply, Aegon let go of him and turned to Sylvi with desperation in his eyes.
“I don’t want to live in fear… I’m not good enough for this… Father never wanted for me to be king. Please… help me leave here.”
Sylvi looked into his pleading eyes for a moment before turning to her book. Hesitating slightly, she considered his circumstances before she wrote, “Safety may not be an option. If your enemy is willing to have your child killed, then they may kill you even if you give up the throne… to make sure that you are no longer a threat.”
Aegon’s face fell, and his shoulders slumped in resignation. Aemond and Sylvi shared a look as Aegon took a seat on a chair with his head in his hands.
“If you hadn’t killed Luke…” Aegon muttered, and Aemond winced as though he’d been struck.
“You did not seem to mind at the time!” Aemond snapped back with an edge to his voice. “You are only concerned now that it affects you!”
Sylvi backed away from the brothers. As they glared at each other in silence, Sylvi busied herself with another detection spell. The sight of a blue figure approaching made her sigh in relief. Ser Cole peeked into the room. Sylvi watched as he separated the brothers and led Aemond out of the room. Judging by the nod Ser Cole gave Sylvi on the way out of the room, he clearly expected Sylvi to look after Aegon.
Sylvi held in a frustrated sigh as she listened to Aegon mutter from his chair. She briefly wondered if he’d notice her waiting outside.
“What would you do?” Aegon asked quietly. He still had his head in his hands, but she knew that he knew that it was just the two of them in the room.
Sylvi took a seat and looked at her book for a moment before she found the answer, “If someone tried to hurt my children, I’d kill them.”
Aegon laughed but stopped as soon as he saw that she wasn’t joking.
“You have children?” Aegon asked nervously. “How many? You look like you’re my age.”
“I am 20 years old. 8 children,” Sylvi wrote and smiled with amusement at his shocked expression. “Skyrim had a war. Many parents died. They are not my blood, but they are my children.”
“And you would kill a man to protect them?”
“I fought Alduin, the dragon son of the god of time who was prophesied to end the world, to protect my family. A mere mortal queen does not scare me.”
“So… are you really a ‘Dragonborn’?”
“The last, yes.”
“What does that mean? To be ‘Dragonborn’? Is one of your parents a dragon?”
“No. Voice and Soul of a dragon.”
“Voice?” Aegon asked with a raised brow.
“Injured during a fight with Thalmor. Not sure how to fix it. Must be a seal.”
“So you can roar like a dragon?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes.”
Aegon chuckled before he let out a sigh and sank further into his chair. “Maybe I should just leave to your world with you.”
“No thank you,” Sylvi wrote with a playful smile, hoping humor would cheer him up.
Aegon once again tried to grab her book, but she gently held him back with a firm hand on his shoulder. After letting out a sigh of frustration, Aegon went back to lounging in his chair.
“Your mother would miss you,” Sylvi wrote, and Aegon scoffed.
“Mother only wants me here so I can be king. She didn’t even come to see if I’m injured,” Aegon said before looking away. Seemingly wanting to change the subject, he asked, “What about your parents? Are they proud to have a Dragonborn child?”
“I don’t know… they died before I discovered that I am the Dragonborn. The Thalmor… they raided the town we were in, saying that they were looking for worshippers of Talos. My mother was a Nord, but my father was an Altmer. They did not approve. While they were arguing with my parents, a group of Nords took the opportunity to attack the Thalmor. My mother died protecting me, and my father was only able to grab onto me and run away.”
Aegon read her words as guilt started to show in his eyes. Unable to stop himself, he asked, “What happened to your father?”
“One of the Nords found us. I guess he believed that my father was one of the Thalmor… he seemed to believe that I was a kidnapped Nord child. My father was killed, and I killed the Nord man.”
Sylvi looked away as Aegon read her words. She had only shared this with Serana… Part of her wondered if she had made a mistake in telling Aegon, but she knew how it felt to be alone.
“You did nothing wrong," Aegon replied, trying to reassure her. “He killed your father. You were only trying to protect your family.”
“I stabbed him in the back,” Sylvi wrote after a moment. “After my father was murdered, the Nord bent down to hug me. To reassure me. And I stabbed him in the back with his own knife. I don’t know if what I did was wrong. I can only tell you that it felt wrong.”
“You were scared… and young,” Aegon said, grabbing onto her charcoal stained hand.
“Mistakes happen,” Sylvi wrote and paused to make sure he’d read her words. “And those mistakes can be terrible ones. We can’t live in the past, but we need to remember them for our future. To learn from them. To use them so we can prevent them from happening in the future. Your brother made a mistake. He was overconfident, and now he will live with that. Blaming him will help neither of you.”
Aegon slowly nodded before he stood up with a groan. “Well, come on then. If I’m going to talk to my brother, then I want my guard. After all… he does have a temper.”
Chapter Text
Sylvi brought her backpack to Queen Helaena’s room and set it down on the floor. As she went through the bag, she could hear Aegon and Aemond bickering as they approached the room. Finally finding the book she wanted, Sylvi brought it over to Helaena and the children. Sylvi turned to the page about Nords, and one of her drawings fell out. Helaena quickly caught it and stared at it in wonder. The page she had in her hand was a drawing of Selena and Onmund.
“Are they your friends?” Helaena asked, and Sylvi nodded.
Sylvi had already given Queen Alicent some of her drawings to help find her friends, but so far they had yet to be found. The fact that none of them had appeared yet made Sylvi quite nervous. Helaena read the chapter on Nords as Sylvi braided Jaehaera’s hair. Aegon and Aemond soon entered the room. Jaehaerys ran to his uncle and threw his arms around his uncle’s legs. A small smile grew on Aemond’s face as he picked the boy up and carried him to the bed.
“Wow… so you are a Nord. What else is there?”
Sylvi encouraged her to read through it as she worked on the little girl’s hair. Helaena excitedly looked at each of Sylvi’s drawings before reading their descriptions as Aegon pulled up a chair beside Sylvi.
“What are you reading?” Aemond asked as he set Jaehaerys down next to Helaena.
“A book from Sylvi’s world about the people there. Wow! Argonians are so beautiful! Like dragons.”
Aegon peered over at the picture and said, “That… is a word for it.”
“Are these Argonians your friends as well?”
Sylvi nodded as Aemond and Aegon looked at the pictures. After finishing Jaehaera’s braids, Sylvi took out her book and wrote their names while pointing to each.
“Derkeethus, Scouts-Many-Marshes, and From-Deepest-Fathoms.”
“Unique names,” Aegon said as he looked at the photos. “How do you know which is which?”
“They are my friends. I know their faces.”
Helaena gasped as she turned the page to see the pictures of the Khajit. The kids gasped as well, copying their mother before looking at the drawings.
As Sylvi wrote down the names of her friends in her book, Aegon watched her with a curious look.
“Why not just put their names on the drawings?”
“To protect them. If my bag ever fell into the hands of the Thalmor, those names could lead them to my friends. Especially the Khajit and Argonians. The Thalmor can’t tell the difference between them, so a name would help the Thalmor track down my friends.”
Queen Helaena gently put the pictures back into the book before returning it to Sylvi. Aemond asked to take a look, so she handed it to him. Sylvi turned to see Aegon looking at her thoughtfully.
“You have quite a lot of friends, don’t you?”
“Yes. I am quite likeable.”
“Are you saying that I am not?!”
“No, but you might be proving your own words.”
Aegon pouted as Aemond and Helaena laughed. A page fell out of the book, and Sylvi and Aemond both moved forward to grab it, nearly knocking into each other. Aemond looked at the pictures of the Altmer.
“More of your friends?” Aemond asked, looking at the picture of the two Altmer men.
“My father and a friend.”
Aegon got up from his seat and walked over to take a look at the page. A dark haired Altmer with a kind smile looked back at them from the page… and a frowning Odolemar was in the bottom right corner.
“You have his smile,” Helaena said cheerfully, and Sylvi gave her a gentle smile in return.
“And who’s the other one?” Aegon asked. “He looks like a real joy.”
“Ondolemar. In the urn. The one I need to bring home.”
Aegon looked at her with regret for his words, and she wrote, “There is nothing wrong with asking a question.”
“Do you have any books on magic?” Helaena asked, and Sylvi shook her head.
“All in the library of one of my houses.”
“Houses? How many do you have?” Aemond asked, and Sylvi started to count.
“Thirteen. I built three. To be a Thane, you must have property in the Hold, so I bought homes in the cities. Safer for the children.”
Aegon looked at her with amusement as he said, “Almost enough houses for each child to have two houses.”
“The houses outside the city are not safe for children. Giants, draugr, and dragons.”
“Draugr?”
“Corpse brought back to life with magic.”
Aegon shivered a little, but Aemond looked intrigued.
“Ah, there you are,” Ser Criston said from the doorway. “You are free to leave. I will watch over the king.”
Sylvi ran to her bag to grab a coin purse. Aegon immediately started arguing with the knight when he was told that he needed to stay indoors. While Aegon was distracted, Sylvi quickly slipped out of the room. After running down to her room and shutting her door, she quickly threw on her armor. The sound of angry knocking at her door made her grab her cowl and escape out of the window. A few of the city guards greeted her as she left the keep. No doubt her size gave her away regardless of whether they could see her face. Pulling her cowl down into a scarf of sorts, she made her way to the town.
As she turned a corner, a child ran into her before falling in the dirt. The other children’s faces turned from joyful laughing to frozen fear. Without hesitation, Sylvi picked up the child and set him down gently on his feet. With a poke on his nose and a smile, she gestured for the kids to follow her. The kids reluctantly followed and waited outside a shop as Sylvi bought as much food as she could carry and set it on a table outside.
The children were from poorer families. Sylvi could tell from the state of their clothes as mending could only do so much to hide the signs of constant use. The kids looked from her to the food with wariness. The sound of their stomachs told her that they wanted it; they just weren’t sure what she wanted for the food.
“Why?” the kid who had run into her asked with a sad look at the food. “Do you feel sorry for us?”
Sylvi pointed at herself and then to the boy. The boy looked confused for a moment before he asked, “Are you saying that you were like us?”
Sylvi nodded and gently pat him on the head. The boy flinched for a moment, but then his face softened.
“So you’re saying we can have this? Free?” one of the girls asked. “We don’t owe you for it?”
Sylvi nodded again. The children slowly crept closer, but before long, they were going through the food and grabbing as much as their arms could carry. Sylvi took a seat to make herself less threatening. The boy gave Sylvi a nod of thanks before he disappeared into one of the alleys.
The sun was starting to set, and Sylvi planned on being back not long after nightfall. Stiffly getting up, Sylvi stretched before taking a walk in search of a tavern. While she wasn’t exactly looking for a drink, taverns were a good place to hear gossip. Perhaps that gossip might lead to one of her friends. She finally found a good place close to the pier. Sylvi put on her cowl and walked inside. After ordering a drink, she found a table. The sound of a group of sailors celebrating almost made it impossible to hear anything, but Sylvi closed her eyes and focused on her hearing. Ignoring the drunken rabble, she tried to focus on the bits of gossip going around the tavern. The sound of a woman panicking caught Sylvi’s attention.
Opening her eyes, she saw a woman being dragged out of the tavern as the sailors cheered. Sylvi quickly followed them outside to see the man grabbing onto the woman’s arm. Coming up from behind him, Sylvi grabbed onto his shoulder. The man let go of the woman, and Sylvi used her eyes to tell the woman to run. The woman muttered a thank you before running away.
The man cursed at Sylvi and threw a punch. Catching his fist, Sylvi lost her patience. She squeezed his hand. His knuckles cracked under hers, and he let out a scream and crumpled to the ground.
“Hey! What are you doing to Jorge?!” one of the sailors called out as the others trickled out behind him.
When Sylvi simply stared at them, they puffed up like birds and strutted toward her as their friend ran into the tavern.
“Oh… you’re that woman that thinks she’s a knight. I heard about you, fighting warlocks at the city gate. You think you can take us?! How about you let us take turns with you to make up–”
The man never finished his sentence as Sylvi punched him square in the jaw. The man crumpled to the ground. Sylvi was happy about her decision to wear the bracers that J'zargo had given to her. They packed a punch.
The other men threw themselves at her in a drunken rage. Barely a fight. At times, they hit each other by mistake as Sylvi dodged around their messy punches. One of the men drew a knife, and Sylvi stopped playing games. Quickly kicking the man in the chest, Sylvi grabbed the knife from the air and stabbed it into the pier as the man fell into the water. Some of the men frantically tried to help their drunken friend as he dipped below the waves. The largest of the men took off his shirt before screaming in a rage and throwing himself at Sylvi. She simply stepped out of the way. The large man screamed at her as he fell off the pier. The men panicked at the sight of another one of their friends thrashing in the water.
A loud clapping caught Sylvi’s attention, and she turned to see a young man clapping enthusiastically as he laughed. The sailors’ faces turned white in fear at the sight of him. As they dragged their men out of the water, they apologized to the man before running to their ship. Sylvi didn’t like the look of this stranger. Something about the young man gave her the creeps, and it wasn’t the outright joy at the sight of violence. No… there was a darkness in his eyes that reminded Sylvi of the Daedric Princes. Violence and mayhem with no care for the lives of others.
Sylvi gave him a bow before starting to walk away. The sound of footsteps coming closer made her stop and hold her ground. The man couldn’t help but smile with glee at her challenge. He held up his hands and said, “I have no intention of fighting you. I only want to know your name. I’ll go first; my name is Dalton. And yours?”
Sylvi took out her book and thought for a moment before writing, “Ysmir.”
“IS-mir?” Dalton asked as he walked a little closer as though to get a better look, and Sylvi shrugged. His pronunciation was close enough. “Are you unable to talk?”
Sylvi nodded, and Dalton looked too excited for her comfort.
“You have my name. Farewell, Dalton.”
“Do you come here often?” Dalton asked, ignoring what she had written.
Sylvi shook her head. Every now and then Dalton would take a step forward to counter her backward step. He was trying to lead her somewhere. Sylvi used her detection spell and glanced behind her. A red glow told her that there were at least two people waiting behind the corner. With a glance back to Dalton, she measured her options. She could jump into the water, but she had no idea what kind of creatures lurked in the waters of this land. Running past the men would be her best option. As she took another step back, she pivoted and ran. The men jumped out at her, but they hadn’t been ready for her to suddenly flee. She used the first man’s momentum to throw him into the dirt before kicking the second in his nether regions. As the man screamed, Sylvi quickly ran away from Dalton and out of his sight.
Chapter Text
Sylvi had learned that the young man that had tried to chase her down was in fact ‘Lord Dalton Greyjoy,’ and he had a status similar to a Jarl. According to Prince Aemond, the Greyjoys were essentially royal bandits. They sailed from place to place and took what they wanted, be it gold, furs, or women. Sylvi had told him a little about what had happened that night, and Aemond had done what he could to make sure that they didn’t meet. A different maid had been assigned to Aegon for the meeting with Lord Greyjoy. When Sylvi left her room, she used city guard armor to hide her appearance. Even though Dalton hadn’t seen her face, her height as a woman would give her away.
In her city guard armor, Sylvi made her way to Queen Helaena’s room after checking the rest of the castle for possible threats. She had thankfully found none. Helaena looked up at her with joy as Sylvi took off her helmet and entered the room. Sylvi looked at her worriedly in return. It looked like she’d barely gotten any sleep.
Helaena grabbed onto Sylvi’s hand and said in a hushed voice, “The crimson kraken wants to take a dragon as its mate.”
Sylvi didn’t quite understand what Helaena was saying but held onto Helaena’s hand. Kraken… Wasn’t that what they called Dalton Greyjoy? The Red Kraken. Sylvi gave Helaena a nod in understanding. Helaena let out a sob of relief and hugged Sylvi. The Queen clearly had the gift of visions, and Sylvi wondered if she’d ever been taken seriously. So it would appear that the price of Dalton’s ships would be marriage to a Targaryen. Sylvi briefly wondered which one. Queen Helaena was married… to her brother, but it was still considered marriage in this country. Were there others that Sylvi didn’t know about? Maybe Aemond? But that would be a husband not a wife although… Aemond was certainly very pretty.
The opening of the door made Sylvi pull Helaena close and pull out her weapon. It was just Aegon. With a sigh of relief, she sheathed her weapon, but Aegon still looked furious.
“How do you know Lord Dalton Greyjoy?!”
Sylvi gave him an irritated look before she wrote, “Sailor hurt woman. I saved her. Lord Greyjoy saw and tried to catch me. Don’t know why.”
Aegon let out a sigh of frustration but seemed to calm himself. Helaena muttered what she had told Sylvi earlier as she left Sylvi’s arms to sit on her bed. Sylvi waited as Aegon collected himself.
“Lord Dalton Greyjoy agreed to help me fight my sister with a couple of stipulations. I expected a few: he wants to kill without penalty, more ships… the basics. But then he says that he’s looking for another ‘salt wife’ and he has one in mind. Ysmir. That was one of your names, wasn’t it?”
Sylvi stood there, stunned for a moment. Aegon seemed to finally believe her and asked, “So you really just met him and ran away?”
“Yes. Is that what he said?”
Aegon looked a little embarrassed as he said, “He said that he had fallen in love with a woman and had only gotten her first name.”
“What is a salt wife?” Sylvi wrote, and Aegon froze.
“Well… it’s an Ironborn tradition. They can have as many salt wives as they want… and the wives aren’t always… willing.”
“So he wants for you to sell me?”
“I won’t let that happen!” Aegon insisted, and Helaena nodded in agreement. “You saved the lives of my mother and sister… as well as mine. I would not do that to you.”
“Don’t be hasty, Aegon,” Lord Hightower interrupted as he walked into the room. “We need those ships. We can promise her to him with the actual marriage taking place after the war.”
“Absolutely not!” Aegon shouted. “I am so sick of you using me as a puppet! She saved my life! And even if you don’t care about my life, she saved mother and Helaena as well!”
Aegon glared at his grandfather as Lord Hightower eyed his grandson.
“The sheep thief comes… no rider to its name… a soul to bring back the dragon’s voice.”
Aegon and Lord Hightower were too busy glaring at each other to care about Helaena’s words, but Sylvi thought them over. Helaena had a different way of thinking, which made her visions hard to decipher and therefore went unnoticed by those around her. The roar of a dragon brought everything quickly into focus for Sylvi. Before Aegon or Lord Hightower could react, she put on the helmet and sprinted down the hall to her room. After closing the door, she quickly put on her dragonscale armor. If it was a rogue dragon, then she needed for the dragon to pick her out of the crowd. Taking out her ebony sword, she once again went out the window. This time she hugged the wall to make it onto the lower section of the wall. A dragon circled the castle from above. As it flew closer, Sylvi could see something gleaming on its neck.
Unfortunately without her ability to shout, she couldn’t force it to land. Maybe the bow would be better. At least then she could hit it from afar. Sylvi doubted that the beast would get in firing range when it could just breathe fire at them from the safety of the sky. The dragon noticed her and swooped down to prove her dead wrong. Sylvi leapt onto a lower ledge as the dragon collided with the wall that she had been on. Bits of brick sprayed her, but she was unhurt. As the dragon fell onto the ground, Sylvi jumped onto its back. Wrapping her legs around its sides, she tried to use the blade to get off the orange-gold band around its neck. It appeared to be some type of dwarven machinery mixed with magic. No doubt that the Thalmor were trying to control the dragon and driving it mad in the process.
The dragon tried to toss her off, but she wrapped her legs around the base of its neck to get a good grip. The dragon tried to bite her legs, but like the metal collar around its neck she was just out of reach. The dragon let out a screech and flew back into the sky. Sylvi wrapped her arms around its neck as they flew higher and higher above the ground.
The dragon tried to fly away from the castle, but the collar lit up. Even Sylvi felt the shock as the beast roared in pain and anger. Soon the dragon and Sylvi headed back to the ground. The impact with the ground made Sylvi lose her grip, and she fell to the ground. Movement in the bushes caught her attention. The children from the castle hid while looking at the dragon with fearful eyes. Sylvi had wanted to try to free it, but she couldn’t risk the children getting hurt. Running away from the children, she hit the beast with a lightning spell to make sure its attention was on her and not the children. A blast of fire came at her. Fortunately, she had a ward ready. Unfortunately, she had lost hold of her sword in the crash.
“Ysmir! Take my blade!”
Sylvi groaned at the sound of Lord Greyjoy’s voice but caught the sword. It felt light and looked strong. The brown dragon prepared another burst of flame, but Sylvi used her ward with one hand to block the flames while charging forward. The dragon screeched in pain as she buried the blade in its chest. Moving dangerously side to side, it wobbled away in pain and fear. Sylvi needed to get this over with quickly.
She backed away from the dragon to lure it into trying to bite her. As its head came closer, Sylvi charged forward and jumped onto its head. The dragon tried to shake her off in confusion, but she kept her balance before quickly bringing the sword down through its skull. The dragon went limp and fell to the ground. Sylvi stayed on the head as it crashed into the dirt, using the sword to keep herself steady. Flames soon flickered within the dragon as its inner fire burned through its outer flesh. Sylvi felt familiar whispers as she was surrounded by the ethereal light before breathing it in. The soreness in her throat disappeared as she felt the dragon’s soul settle within her.
“Shor’s bones! ‘A soul to bring the dragon’s voice’…” Sylvi muttered in disbelief with a laugh.
“So you can speak?” Lord Greyjoy asked as he stared at her in wonder. She turned to him and noticed that he was closer to her than she liked.
“I can now, Lord Greyjoy,” Sylvi said with a bow and returned his sword to him. “That is a fine blade… Almost as good as Dragonbane.”
Lord Greyjoy raised a brow and said, “I remember asking you to call me Dalton, and did you just… eat a dragon?”
“Just its soul, Lord Greyjoy. Excuse me… I believe the King has something to tell me,” Sylvi said with another bow before quickly walking back into the castle.
“WHO DOES THAT?!” Aegon yelled at her as she walked inside. “Are you insane?!”
“Probably a little. I did spend a little time with the Daedric Prince of Madness,” Sylvi quickly replied, and Aegon’s eyes went wide. “Killed a dragon. Took its soul. Now I can speak. Although… I don’t think I have my Thu’um back just yet. I still feel… off.”
Helaena quickly ran past her brother and threw her arms around Sylvi’s shoulders. Sylvi quietly reassured Helaena as Sylvi led her to her room. Lord Hightower was more concerned with the dragon corpse outside. That was just fine with Sylvi. Prince Aemond came running from the staircase behind them as Sylvi opened the door to the room. Sylvi gestured for him to follow them inside. Aemond started to close the door behind them when Aegon burst through the door. As Aegon paced back and forth, Aemond pointedly ignored him and said, “That was… breathtaking! What happened? I saw a bright light.”
“That was the dragon’s soul. I ‘ate’ it. Part of being the Dragonborn. Natural born predator of Dragons.”
“You didn’t say ‘predator of dragons’ before!” Aegon said, and Aemond gave him a frustrated look.
“What else can prey on a dragon other than a dragon?”
“A valid point,” Aemond said, and Aegon threw him a dirty look.
“And I saw you outside with Lord Greyjoy! Are you friends now?”
“Hardly… but he did let me borrow his sword.”
Aegon and Aemond exchanged a look, and Sylvi glanced outside the window to the dragon’s bones below. The collar still glittered in the sunlight.
“Whose dragon was that?” Sylvi asked and looked to the brothers for answers. “Your people ride dragons. Is that one you recognize?”
“Sheep-stealer,” Helaena mumbled before taking a seat on her bed.
Aemond’s eye went wide, and he explained, “There are unclaimed, wild dragons that nest near Dragonstone. I have heard tales of a brown dragon with a taste for mutton. Although… the wild dragons would not attack a castle. Even the one known as Cannibal avoids humans.”
“Then that collar is likely to blame,” Sylvi mused to herself. “It seems that the Thalmor were not content with only controlling the men and mer of Tamriel… Where is Dragonstone?”
Aegon’s face went red with rage, but Aemond quickly interjected, “Going alone is not a good idea. Rhaenyra and Daemon are looking for blood.”
Sylvi bit the inside of her cheek to keep her thoughts from leaking out. Aemond was right. Trying to defeat dragonriders and the Thalmor at the same time would be reckless even for the Dragonborn with her voice at full power. Luckily, it seemed that the dragons of this world were not much smarter than wild beasts. A coordinated attack seemed unlikely… at least until the Thalmor learned how to fully control the beasts. The idea of the Thalmor riding dragons made her grip onto the window ledge.
A hand on her shoulder made her jump. The anger had faded from Aegon’s face and was replaced by worry. Sylvi sighed before she rested a hand on top of Aegon’s to reassure him.
“The Thalmor are using an ancient technology to control the dragons. It seems that they are still experimenting. However… We need to stop their progress before they perfect it.”
“You believe that it was told to come here?” Aemond asked, and Sylvi pointed to the collar.
“I may not understand how Dwemer artifacts work, but I know one when I see one. Imagine every ‘unclaimed’ with a collar and told to come to this town… They probably drugged it using a sheep. This was likely the easiest dragon to catch, but I worry that as your enemies grow more desperate they may decide to use any dragon without a rider.”
Aemond excused himself to speak to Lord Hightower as Aegon sank into a chair. Helaena left to check on the children and Queen Alicent, leaving Aegon and Sylvi to stew in their thoughts.
Finally, curiosity got the best of Sylvi, and she asked, “Lord Greyjoy’s sword is a special blade, is it not?”
Aegon looked at her in amusement and answered, “Extremely. Valyrian steel is unlike any other metal… and the blades are rare.” Sylvi gave him a questioning look, and he continued, “The blades we have were made when we still had knowledge of magic. There was… a catastrophe, and now knowledge of how to make the blades has been lost.”
Sylvi nodded before she focused on Aegon and asked in a pleading tone, “Are there any blades that I could study?”
Aegon laughed and drew his sword. “Blackfyre,” he said as he handed her the blade.
The blade was lighter than steel despite its name. Sylvi noted that the edge was incredibly sharp as though it had just been taken to a whetstone… no, this was even sharper. Only blades made using a Daedra’s heart could compare.
“Is the material also lost?” she asked as she handed Aegon Blackfyre.
“Yes… but there are books about it in the library… if you were interested in such a thing.”
Sylvi jumped to her feet and pulled Aegon out of his chair. Aegon let out a surprised laugh at her excitement before taking the lead.
Chapter Text
Sylvi collapsed onto her bed with a sigh. Lord Hightower had interrogated her after Aemond had spoken with him, which had been followed the next day with a lengthy discussion with the council. After being dismissed, Sylvi had started to weigh her options. Going to Dragonstone alone was too risky, even if she used stealth. She needed to find her friends.
Sylvi got up from the bed and changed into her leather armor, once again keeping the cowl as a scarf. The urn went into the bag, cushioned by the dragonscale armor. With one last look around the room, she put on her backpack. Guilt made her hesitate. She at least wanted to tell Helaena, but it would be hard to find another time when the council, and Ser Cole, would be as distracted as they were at this moment. Sylvi quickly jotted down a note before putting on the backpack. After using an invisibility spell, Sylvi escaped out of the window. She kept to the outside walls as she crept around the city. Finally finding the exit, she quickly made for the shadows before the spell wore off.
Sylvi tried using a clairvoyance spell again. This time it led up the path towards a nearby small town. With a laugh of joy, Sylvi followed the stream of magicka to search for her friends. It led to a tavern, and Sylvi knew which friend it was before she had even entered. Sure enough, Marcurio sat at a table and sang “The Dragonborn Comes.” Waiting to greet him after his admiring friends had left, Sylvi watched the crowd’s reaction. They mostly seemed to think it was just a fun song. When Marcurio was alone, Sylvi walked to his table and took a seat next to him.
“If I were a Thalmor… I’d kill you right now,” Sylvi said as she pulled down her mask.
Marcurio let out a joyous laugh and put an arm around her shoulder. “As if they could! I heard a tale of a crazy woman who leapt on top of a wild dragon, and I thought… well, I know only one crazy woman who would do such a thing.”
“And I know of only one man crazy enough to sing the Dragonborn’s song to any who might listen.”
Marcurio smirked and said, “You can just admit that you were lost without me.”
“I believe it might be the other way around,” Sylvi countered with a smirk of her own. “Now come with me. We need to find the others”
“Very well! Once more into danger!" Marcurio said as he stood and followed Sylvi out of the tavern.
Sylvi used her clairvoyance spell once more and bit her lip in frustration. It had started to branch out in two directions.
“Let me guess… one way leads north and the other south, correct?”
“Correct… So I guess they are split up.”
“That was my conclusion. It might be better to go south. A lot less land to cover, and hopefully the others will be headed to King’s Landing in search of our fearless leader.”
“Unless they can’t pass the border,” Sylvi said, remembering the tension between this country and the one below it. “We’ll head south and come back to King’s Landing.”
Marcurio nodded in agreement with her plan. Sylvi had some of this country’s money on her. They could at least get a wagon if they could find one. As they walked in search of a ride south, Marcurio told his tale of woe after awaking to find no one with him. He had tried a clairvoyance spell, but it had led to a dead end. After he finished with the tale of his journey, Sylvi told him hers. How her Voice had been damaged, how she had sailed to Westeros to find them… and how Ondolemar had died. With arrows in his back.
Marcurio nodded in understanding and said, “I saw… before we were separated. I saw the Thalmor archers, and then I saw your Altmer friend running for you. I was never fond of the pointy bastard, but… we shared one thing in common. A friend to the end.”
Sylvi nodded as she looked away. This was not the time for tears. Finding the others and stopping the Thalmor needed to come first, and then she could grieve. The feel of Marcurio’s arm on her shoulder steadied her as she calmed herself.
“Am I hallucinating?” Marcurio asked in a horrified whisper.
A sudden darkness enveloped them, and Sylvi looked to the sky to see a giant dragon soaring above them.
“It’s okay… I think,” Sylvi said, trying and failing to reassure Marcurio.
“You think?”
“I know the rider. Let’s see what he wants,” Sylvi said as Vhagar landed a small distance from them. “Be respectful; he’s a prince.”
Marcurio mocked her words under his breath but followed Sylvi as she approached the beast. Aemond leapt down from the saddle. Sylvi noted with relief that he didn’t look angry.
“My apologies, Prince Aemond. Time is of the essence. I need to find my friends and prepare to fight the Thalmor. I don’t have time for your grandfather or his council to fight on what should be done next.”
“I agree,” Aemond said, surprising her. “Rhaenyra has many unclaimed dragons at her disposal. The only thing that stops her is a lack of riders. Should these Thalmor find a way to send the dragons to battle without a rider… we will lose. Our home and our lives. Please allow me to join you. I can at least promise a faster steed.” Aemond’s face carried a hint of a smile as he gestured to Vhagar.
“No. Absolutely not!” Marcurio said, looking at the giant dragon. “I remember the last time I rode a dragon with you–!”
“That was your own fault,” Sylvi retorted irritably. “The dragon only circled because you couldn’t decide where you wanted to go. And look. At least he has a saddle. That should make it easier.”
Marcurio gave her a look that all but said “you are insane” as he looked from Vhagar to Sylvi.
“You could stay here,” Aemond offered at Marcurio’s discomfort. “There are taverns with rooms nearby.”
Marcurio took a deep breath and reluctantly said, “And leave the Dragonborn to cause havoc? I cannot do so in good conscience. Lead the way.”
Sylvi followed Aemond to Vhagar, who lifted her head at the sight of the unfamiliar people. As Aemond helped Marcurio into the saddle, Sylvi greeted the old dragon, who watched Sylvi with curiosity. Vhagar slowly lowered her head until she was eye level with Sylvi’s head. Reaching out a hand, Sylvi waited for Vhagar’s reaction. The old dragon merely snorted before lifting her head. Sylvi let out a bark of laughter before letting Aemond help her into the saddle. As Marcurio muttered something about Sylvi’s sanity, Vhagar flew into the air.
Marcurio gripped onto Sylvi as they soared into the sky. Sylvi held onto Aemond’s waist and let out a whoop of joy. Aemond couldn’t help but laugh as Marcurio launched into a lecture at Sylvi’s ‘carelessness’ and Sylvi fought back.
By the time they made it to the border, the sun had sunk below the horizon, and night was beginning to fall. Leaving Vhagar in the nearby hills, Aemond, Marcurio, and Sylvi walked into town to find an inn. Aemond kept his hood over his white-blond hair. A wise decision, Sylvi thought as she looked around the tavern where they had found rooms. A couple of the men looked far too interested in them for Sylvi’s comfort. Sylvi found herself alone in a room. Sitting on the bed, Sylvi put her backpack on the floor. After a moment of hesitation, she opened the bag and pulled out a book. When Ondolemar’s body had been burned in Essos, one of the attendants had brought her his journal.
Sylvi stared at the plain, leather book with trepidation. It was possible that at least part of the Thalmor’s plans were in this book… but she couldn’t read it. Ondolemar was a Thalmor agent stationed in Markarth, and the only reason that she had reached out to him at first was to get into the Thalmor Embassy. However… he had grown on her during her visits to the stone city. While his presence at the Dwemer city had meant that he had known something about the Thalmor’s plans, Sylvi wasn’t sure if she could handle how much he knew.
A knock on her door made her flinch, and she heard Marcurio say something about food. Gripping the book, she stayed on the bed for a moment more to collect her thoughts. If she couldn’t bring herself to read it, then perhaps Marcurio would. Sylvi shoved her bag under the bed and left her room to join Marcurio. A hooded figure caught her attention. Sylvi joined Aemond at the table and set the journal down.
“Where’s Marcurio?”
“Your friend said that he would be back in a moment,” Aemond explained before noticing the journal. “Some light reading?”
“Not quite,” Syvi replied solemnly. “It belonged to my friend... I was going to try to get Marcurio to read it for me.”
“Is it in a different language?”
“No… I just… I couldn’t get past the first sentence… My friend was a member of the Thalmor.”
Aemond raised a brow in confusion and asked, “Do you normally try to befriend your enemies?”
“No… Well, if an enemy becomes my friend, then have I not vanquished an enemy?”
Aemond nodded thoughtfully, but he wore an amused grin. “I can read it for you if you would like. If it is from the Thalmor, then it may contain their next move.”
Sylvi hesitated for a moment, but she slid the book over to Aemond. They were allies. The Thalmor were a threat to both of them, and she saw no reason to hide it from him. Aemond focused on the journal with an irritated expression. No doubt he didn’t care for Ondolemar’s way of speaking. Arrogant was the nicest way to refer to him.
Sylvi looked to the fire as Aemond read. The fire danced back and forth. Crackling warmth emanated from the hearth as Sylvi focused on watching the flames. The sound of the book closing caught her attention, and she turned back to Aemond. His expression had changed. He seemed… remorseful. Aemond slid the book back to her.
“There is nothing in there that we do not already know… but I would recommend not reading it here.”
Sylvi gave him a worried glance, and Aemond said, “I didn’t mean anything strange. It is just… very personal. I believe that you would want to be alone when reading it.”
“So it’s just a record of his thoughts… Perhaps I shouldn’t read it then.”
“No. I believe that he would want you to read it.”
“Was it written so well that you completely understand him now?” Sylvi joked, trying to cut the tension.
“I do not agree with everything… but we have a shared interest,” Aemond said and tilted his cloak over his face as more people came into the tavern. “And I would want you to read it… were I him.”
Sylvi gripped onto the journal tightly, taking in Aemond’s words. She reached out and touched his hand while saying in almost a whisper, “Thank you, Prince Aemond.”
“Just Aemond. You never know who is listening…”
“Then thank you… Aemond. I really appreciate it.”
“It was… no problem at all. I’m going to take a walk outside. A bit too warm in here,” Aemond said as Marcurio stumbled in through the front door.
“How are you already drunk?” Sylvi asked Marcurio as he took a seat in front of her. “I just saw you.”
“I’m not drunk… just a bit actually,” he admitted playfully before spotting the book. “What are you reading?”
“It was Ondolemar’s journal. I got Aemond to read it for me. It doesn’t have any useful information.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
Marcurio held out his hand for the book, and Sylvi handed it to him. Marcurio wore a look of indignation as he began to read Ondolemar’s journal. The food was brought out. Sylvi thanked the worker, and Marcurio took bites in between pages. As he finished, he no longer had a look of indignant anger.
“Nothing we can use against the Thalmor?” Sylvi asked.
“No… not useful for anything.”
Sylvi held her hand out for the journal’s return, and Marcurio hesitated.
“Aemond recommended that I read it. He said he thought that Ondolemar would have wanted me to do so. Do you have a different opinion?”
“No…” Marcurio replied, but he still didn’t offer it back. “I think he would have wanted you to read it… Just not now. After we get home.”
“Do you think it will upset me?”
Marcurio sighed and held out the journal for her to take. “I don’t know what to think quite frankly… Other than that he really didn’t like me.”
“I can’t imagine why not,” Sylvi said playfully. “You’re practically a human sweetroll.”
Marcurio playfully punched her arm before focusing back on the food, and Sylvi let the warmth of the fire and sounds of the tavern distract her from her worried thoughts.
Chapter Text
Sylvi helped the traders unload the ship as Marcurio waited on the docks, trying to regain what little pride he had left. The waters had been rough. The ship had been tossed around on the journey, and Marcurio had spent most of the voyage clutching a bucket for dear life. Sylvi felt a twinge of guilt, but it was the quickest way to Dorne… aside from riding a dragon. However, Sylvi suspected that the Dornish wouldn’t be thrilled to see a Targaryen flying into their country.
Prince Aemond had looked like he’d wanted to throw a fit when she told him that he should stay behind. Eventually, he had listened to reason. Sylvi had also requested that he tell Queen Helaena what she was doing. While Sylvi didn’t regret leaving when she had, she did feel sorry for leaving without telling Helaena her plans. That poor girl didn’t need any more heartbreak. Aemond’s face had softened after that, and he had stopped arguing with her. Lord Hightower and Aegon should also know that she hadn’t abandoned her position for no reason, but Sylvi didn’t bother mentioning them to Aemond. They would find out upon Aemond’s return. Aemond had given her one last look before climbing onto Vhagar. Reluctance… then resignation…
After that, she had explained what they were doing to a less than happy Marcurio. Had he known how rough the ocean would be, then she may have had to go on the journey alone. Grabbing onto her bag, she jumped down from the ship onto the dock. Marcurio turned around to face her as she approached.
“Are you feeling any better?” she asked and gave him his bag.
With a sigh, he replied, “Only my pride is still in tatters.”
Sylvi laughed and gently patted him on his back before looking at the city. The two towers she had seen from the ship gleamed golden as the morning sun beamed down on them. Using a clairvoyance spell, she noticed the trail heading into the city. Marcurio looked to her for confirmation, and she gave him a nod. With a sigh, he led the way through the sand. As they approached the castle walls, Sylvi took a look around with curiosity. The city was unlike anything she had seen in Skyrim. The color of the castle walls matched the sand, and part of the castle resembled the front of a ship. Sylvi turned to Marcurio with a look of wonder. He laughed good-naturedly at her amazement.
“Sometimes I forget how little of the world that you have seen… After we get back home and have a good long rest, we should take a tour of Tamriel.”
“Oh? And how many places have you seen?”
“Well, while I was studying in Cyrodil, we had a group excursion to Riverhold in Elsweyr. I have also been to Elinhir in Hammerfell… I am actually quite well-traveled.”
“And quite a charmer…” Sylvi muttered.
“I knew that you couldn’t resist me,” Marcurio replied with a smirk.
Sylvi resisted the urge to punch him as they approached the main gate. A guard looked at them warily before he asked, “And what is your purpose in Sunspear?”
“We are looking for our friends. We believe that they may be here,” Marcurio replied with a smile.
The guard hesitated and told them to wait as he ran to fetch a superior. A man in a colorful robe approached them with curiosity in his eyes.
“Are you from Westeros or somewhere… much further?”
Sylvi and Marcurio exchanged a look before Sylvi answered, “I come from a place called Skyrim.”
The man clapped his hands in excitement as two guards approached them. The man turned to them and said, “They will be coming in with me.”
The guards stared at the man in confusion for a moment before the superior seemed to recognize the man. Quickly, the guard gave them his approval to enter the city and motioned for the other guards to allow them entry. Sylvi and Marcurio exchanged another look before following the man into the city. He was likely some kind of Jarl or Thane… or as they called them here, Lords. Marcurio kept his eyes on the man which gave Sylvi the opportunity to look around the city and take a mental note of the possible escape routes.
The man suddenly stopped and turned around to face them. Sylvi tensed for a moment before he suddenly let out a laugh.
“My apologies. I have been very rude. My name is Doryan Nymeros Martell, and might I ask for your names?”
“We are thankful for the guidance, Lord Doryan. I am Marcurio.”
“Sylvi,” she said and watched the man’s eyes light up in recognition.
Doryan gestured for them to walk beside him and said, “Well, Marcurio, Sylvi…I hope you will enjoy your stay in Dorne. My brother will be very excited to meet you. Your friends have told us much about you.”
Sylvi nearly jumped in joy before calming herself to ask, “And how many are there? Four of our friends are missing.”
“Two. They have introduced themselves as Onmund and Serana,” Doryan replied as they entered the keep. “I have heard that Serana has fallen ill. Your friends attempted to sail for King’s Landing when they heard tales of a dragon slayer.” Doryan paused to look at Sylvi with curiosity before he continued, “On their journey, they were attacked by the ones called ‘Thalmor’ and had to return to Dorne. I am sure that they will be reassured by your arrival.”
“Serana’s ill?” Sylvi asked before looking at Marcurio. If it was a Westerosi disease, Sylvi didn’t know if her potions would work.
“Sylvi! Marcurio!” Onmund shouted from the stairwell.
“I will leave you now,” Doryan said as Onmund rushed toward them. “Please attend to your friend. I hope to speak with you before you leave for Westeros.”
Sylvi gave him a nod before rushing to meet Onmund on the stairs. He talked quickly as he led them to Serana. The Thalmor had attacked their ship with a dragon, which had been wearing a strange Dwemer collar like the one that had attacked King’s Landing. From what Onmund said, it had been much bigger than the one Sylvi had killed. Serana and Onmund had used wards to defend the ship, but Serana had gotten injured in the struggle. They had made it back to Sunspear to find that neither of them had any potions other than a couple to restore magicka. Onmund had done his best to keep her in stable condition, but she hadn’t gotten any better.
As soon as Onmund opened Serana’s door, Sylvi rushed inside. Taking off her backpack, she opened the latch and reached in for her potions. She found a cure disease potion and a couple of restore health potions. Serana called for her in a weak, tired voice. Sylvi gently helped Serana sit up before helping her take the potions. With a sigh of relief, Serana settled back down into the bed. Color had already started to return to Serana’s face.
Sylvi felt a small twinge of guilt at Serana’s pain. If she was still a vampire, would she have been so easily hurt? Onmund and Marcurio excused themselves from the room to discuss their next move as Sylvi kept Serana’s hand in hers. Once Serana’s breathing fully returned to normal, Sylvi set down Serana’s hand on the bed as the door opened. A man dressed in clothes resembling Doryan’s looked at her in confusion before noticing Serana on the bed. The man looked at Serana in relief as he gestured for Sylvi to follow him outside the room. Sylvi followed and shut the door gently behind her.
“And you are Serana’s friend… Sylvi?”
“The one and the same. Unfortunately, I don’t know your name.”
The man let out a surprised laugh and answered, “Ah, how rude of me. My name is Qoren Nymeros Martell. I am the Prince of Sunspear. Your friend Serana saved my life… so you are free to do as you like within this city… within reason.”
Sylvi once again wondered what the limits of ‘within reason’ contained but decided that it could wait.
“Hopefully, we will not cause you any trouble for much longer. After Serana recovers, we will leave for King’s Landing.”
Prince Qoren’s brow furrowed as he asked, “Were you unaware of the dragon?”
“I am aware… and a dragon is not a threat to the Dragonborn. I will deal with it the same as any that attack me.”
Prince Qoren’s eyes widened in surprise. “So the story of the dragon attack on King’s Landing… that was true?”
“Yes. I believe these dragons are being controlled by the Thalmor. If you give me passage on a ship to take me to King’s Landing, then I will kill the dragon… should I find it.”
“How are you so sure that you will not end up as a dragon’s meal?”
“Because I have fought and killed many dragons… and yet I stand here before you. Onmund and Serana were likely taken by surprise. The dragon will not be so lucky this time.”
Prince Qoren let out a hearty laugh before he led her further from the door. He said, “You are exactly as Serana described. Speaking words of madness that sound like mere facts.”
“Because for the Dragonborn it is just a fact. My purpose is to hunt dragons. This is no different from a lion eating a lamb.”
Prince Qoren hid a chuckle behind his hand before he agreed, “A ship is yours. A dragon patrolling the seas is dangerous to my men as well… All I ask is that you keep Serana safe.”
Sylvi looked to the Prince to see him looking at Serana’s door wistfully. Upon noticing her stare, he gave Sylvi a sheepish grin followed by a serious look.
“Serana… she’s a lovely lady. I hope that you will take care of her.”
“As always,” Sylvi replied. “Do you know why they call me the Dragonborn?”
“Serana said that it meant that you have the soul of a dragon.”
“Yes… And as such, I often have more in common with dragons than my fellow men. Many dragons like to guard something they find precious. Some jewels… others knowledge. As for me… I also guard what I find most precious: my friends. They are the only family I have. I will not allow them to be hurt… and they are warriors as well. The last dragon attack was unexpected. This time we will know what is coming.”
The Prince gave her a look of approval before he gave her a nod. “She quite adores you. Serana… it is good to know that you care for her as well. Feel free to rest as long as you need. The journey to Sunspear from King’s Landing is a difficult one, especially in the autumn when the waves are rough. A ship will be provided to you for your return. A small price to pay for killing a dragon… and Serana saving my life.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Sylvi replied with a small bow.
Prince Qoren smiled in amusement before he started to walk away. Stopping in place, he turned as Sylvi gave him a curious look.
“Should you require something, you need only ask,” the Prince said as though deciding against asking her his original question.
As he walked away, Sylvi turned to walk in the opposite direction. Hopefully, she would find Onmund and Marcurio not too far away. Marcurio wasn’t going to like the news of another boat ride.
Chapter Text
The wind picked up, thrusting the ship forward, as Sylvi sat on the ledge of the ship’s bow. With a small laugh of excitement, she kept her balance and grasped onto her amulet. The sound of the crew working hard made her glance behind her. Onmund had his eyes on the sky. Marcurio had a death grip on a bucket but seemed to be doing better with this trip. Serana was most likely still below deck. While she had been changed back into a human, her eyes were still sensitive to heavy sunlight. Likely the result of hundreds of years prowling in the dark.
Sylvi watched the waves as she fidgeted with her Talos amulet. There had been no signs of a dragon so far, but that could, and probably would, quickly change.
“Have you seen anything out of the ordinary?” Doryan asked from her other side, making her jump.
“No more than usual,” Sylvi replied as she turned to see him chuckle. “It is strange that the Prince allowed his brother to travel so far from home.”
Doryan shrugged and said, “He has sons and daughters. My role as a spare to the throne has diminished greatly in recent years, and… I was inspired by your friends’ stories. It seems to be an enchanting experience to travel with the Dragonborn.”
“Well, it’s never boring,” Sylvi said tiredly. “Things tend to happen around me, and all I can do is react accordingly.”
“Have you ever thought that things happen around you because the gods know that you will ‘react accordingly’?”
Sylvi took a moment to look into the distance and clutched her amulet. She replied, “At times…”
“Is that a token of one of your gods?” Doryan asked, looking at the amulet.
“Yes… Talos. The god who was once a man… a Dragonborn like me. The reason why the Thalmor are trying to outlaw his worship… and why my people went to war.”
“So I am talking to a living legend?” Doryan asked with a smile.
Sylvi laughed and replied, “In some circles… my people don’t think so.”
“And why not? You said that Talos was like you.”
“Yes and no. We are both Dragonborn, but Talos fought the Thalmor. Talos united all of Tamriel under the Empire…”
“So far I am having trouble seeing the difference.”
“The war in Skyrim happened because the Thalmor wanted to ban Talos worship, and the Empire made a deal with them. I sided with the Empire against my own people… In order to defeat the Thalmor we must remain united… The Thalmor were the ones who created that division because they know we are stronger together.”
“And yet you wear the amulet.”
“Yes… my friend Ondolemar was one of the Thalmor. He protected me with his life, and his very last act was to give me this amulet… I still cannot understand why.”
“It seems the world you live in is very complicated… but if I may offer my opinion,” Doryan said and paused. After she gave him a nod, he continued, “I believe that your friend also had a complicated view, but the reason he gave you the amulet may be quite simple. He gave the amulet of a Dragonborn to a Dragonborn… He may have wanted you to know that he accepted you exactly as you are. Perhaps he had faith that you could unite people like your god.”
“I don’t believe so… I have no intention of ruling like Talos did. Power like that comes with the price of freedom… and of the people around you. What if I simply just want to be Sylvi?”
Doryan looked thoughtfully into the distance before turning back to her and asking, “Is that what you truly want? Would it be enough for you if your Empire bends the knee to the Thalmor?”
Sylvi sat in silence, reflecting on Doryan’s words, as a large shadow sailed over the horizon in the distance. Sylvi whispered with anticipation, “I believe that I have found our dragon.”
Doryan leaned forward, looking to where Sylvi was pointing. A dark figure rose into the clouds. Doryan shouted orders to his men, and Onmund ran into the cabin to fetch Serana. Sylvi kept her eyes on the dragon as they sailed closer. Two black shapes on the horizon became ships, and sounds of men screaming made Sylvi turn to Doryan. He seemed to weigh his options before continuing forward. The dragon needed to be dealt with. Doryan told the men to sail straight ahead as Sylvi stood on the boat’s railing.
Sylvi kept her eyes on the dragon as it soared overhead. Either it or the Altmer on its back had noticed their approach. A flash of lightning soared upwards, catching the dragon’s side. Serana had made it onto the ship’s deck and gave Sylvi a nod. They had agreed that Serana, Marcurio, and Onmund would hit it with spells, while Sylvi took a more hands on approach. Sylvi watched as they aimed for the dragon’s collar. The dragon tried to retreat into the clouds when Marcurio hit the collar directly with a lightning spell. It was hard for Sylvi to celebrate as part of the spell had bounced and struck Sylvi as well. Marcurio shrugged as Sylvi threw him a dirty look. Luckily, the spell worked, causing the dragon to land on a nearby island.
Sylvi jumped from the boat into the water. She swam for the island and ran up the shore line as the Altmer rider struggled to keep the dragon under control. As the Altmer hit the dragon with a lightning spell of his own, the dragon roared in anger. Suddenly, the large, black dragon rolled onto its back, squashing the rider under its sheer massive size. Sylvi ran toward the beast as spells whizzed past her to distract it from noticing her approach.
The dragon rolled back onto its feet, and the Altmer’s body fell to the ground with a sickening thud. Sylvi grabbed onto the ropes on the saddle and climbed onto its back. The beast snarled in anger as it tried to kill her with flames, but it couldn’t quite reach her. Sylvi could almost see the wheels turning behind the dragon’s forest green eyes. Suddenly, it moved. As the dragon rolled, Sylvi used the rope on the saddle to keep her steady as she ran. The dragon paused on its back, and she stood on its stomach while catching her breath. There was a moment of silent hesitation. The dragon seemingly couldn’t believe that she was still alive. Sylvi noticed it preparing to blast her with fire and pointed her sword at its unprotected belly. The dragon swallowed the flame before quickly rolling again.
“Skeever-scat,” Sylvi murmured before she once again ran along with the beast’s rolling. As she climbed onto its back, she watched as the beast eyed her with fury.
Suddenly, the dark dragon looked up at the sky and flexed its wings. Sylvi barely had time to get a good grip on the saddle before it launched into the air. Adrenaline surged through her body as they soared into the clouds. Unable to stop herself, Sylvi let out a whoop of excitement. The dragon suddenly dropped from the sky before soaring back into the clouds. Sylvi laughed and let out another whoop as it flew down toward the island.
A jewel embedded in the collar glittered in the sunlight and caught Sylvi’s attention. She grabbed for the soul gem and recoiled in shock as electricity surged through her. The dragon roared and abruptly landed on the ground. It seemed that she wasn’t the only one who’d felt that. Sylvi tightened her grip before she grabbed the gem again. This time she was able to firmly clasp it and tear it out of its holder. The collar slumped to the ground.
The dragon looked at the fallen collar in rage before blasting it with fire. As the dragon refocused its attention on Sylvi, she prepared herself, but the dragon didn’t try to attack her. Its bright eyes watched her every move as though unsure of what it wanted. Blood trickled down its neck from where the collar had been. Sylvi reached toward it, and the beast let out a deep growl.
Sylvi spoke in a calm, reassuring tone, “I will not hurt you. It will be okay.”
The dragon stopped growling but watched her closely as she focused on the wound. Unsure of whether it would work, Sylvi cast a healing spell on the animal. The beast’s body relaxed as the wounds faded away. With a sigh, the beast slowly closed its eyes and, ever so slightly, bowed its head. Sylvi felt a small surge of magic exchange between her and the dragon. Somehow, she knew it was no longer a threat. The dragon laid down on the ground as Sylvi got off of its back.
Sylvi could see Marcurio looking exasperated in the distance. He was angry but safe. Serana was running on the beach toward her with Onmund not too far behind her. Sylvi waved to let them know that she was okay.
Laughter from behind her made her swiftly turn to see Lord Greyjoy approaching in a small boat. His crew seemed more afraid of Dalton than the dragon as they rowed closer.
“I suppose I owe you my gratitude,” Lord Greyjoy said as he stepped onto the shore. “Those ‘Thalmer’ bastards took offense and had decided to kill me before I became a nuisance. Are you injured, Ysmir?”
“I am not,” Sylvi replied icily, but Lord Greyjoy leapt out of the boat and onto the shore. “You shouldn’t stay here too long. The Thalmor may have reinforcements.”
Lord Greyjoy smirked and looked at the midnight dragon waiting lazily on the shore. “You seem to have made a new friend… and I trust that you will deal with any Thalmor who attack me,” Lord Greyjoy replied with a cheeky grin. “Now… I believe it would be best to return to King’s Landing. I’m sure King Aegon could use this information. My crew and I would be more than happy to escort you.”
Lord Greyjoy wore a smile on his face, but he had a strange hunger in his eyes. Sylvi instinctively stood in front of Serana and stared him down. His smile did not falter.
“It may be quicker for you to ride the dragon,” Ogmund said thoughtfully, and Sylvi looked at him quizzically. “If the Thalmor are looking to create chaos, then they may try to send another dragon or their justicars to King’s Landing. They seem to have an already established base. I doubt that these experiments are something they completed while we’ve been here, and I doubt those collars would work on the dragons from our world. The dragons in this world are no different than wild beasts… no offense.”
The black dragon had glared at Onmund at the mention of “wild beasts.” Sylvi nodded reluctantly in agreement. Getting back to King’s Landing quickly could help prevent an attack. Sylvi wondered how many people would fit on the dragon’s saddle. Maybe four if they squeezed tight. However, the paleness of Serana’s face made Sylvi hesitate. She had just recovered, and the ship had been rough on her. Besides, the look on Marcurio’s face told her outright that he would not be riding a wild dragon. If she couldn’t take all of them, then that meant leaving them with Lord Greyjoy.
The memory of the “salt wives'' filled her with worry as she glanced at Serana. No way was Sylvi going to leave this… Lord with Serana. And Sylvi doubted that he would go away if she asked. His ships were likely going to follow Doryan’s even if she refused. With a sigh, Sylvi said, “Unfortunately, time is of the essence… Lord Greyjoy, would you like to accompany me? I understand if you are hesitant… riding a dragon takes quite a bit of courage.”
Lord Greyjoy’s eyes lit up at the challenge in her words, but he said sorrowfully, “I would like to join you… but I have some reservations about trusting someone who refers to me so coldly.”
“Very well, Dalton. Shall we call a truce? I will get you to King’s Landing safely, and your people will get mine there safely.”
Sylvi held out a hand, and Dalton shook it with a grin. He excused himself to speak with his crew. Sylvi turned to her friends to see Serana and Marcurio giving her a dissatisfied look. Marcurio had made sure to trudge through the sand just so that he could make certain that she knew he was upset.
“His crew is going to follow our ship no matter what. This way I have a hostage, and besides… you could very well take over his ship in a matter of minutes.”
Marcurio looked like he wanted to argue but couldn’t… He liked the praise too much. Serana looked hesitant but agreed to the plan. As her friends walked to Doryan’s ship to explain, Sylvi felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you ready, Ysmir?” Dalton said as his hand lingered on her.
“Yes. Are you?”
Dalton turned to look at the giant black dragon sunbathing on the sand and said, “Perhaps I should allow you to approach your friend first. I wouldn’t want to scare him.”
Sylvi rolled her eyes but approached the dragon. The dragon watched them approach with a lazy stare. After Sylvi climbed onto its back, the dragon merely waited as Sylvi helped Dalton climb onto the saddle. The beast gave a little shake as it stood to dislodge the sand. Waiting for her order, the dragon watched Sylvi as she tried to figure out what the Thalmor had used to control it. Most likely it had been the common tongue. It wouldn’t be good for the rider if the rider suddenly forgot what word to use… but Sylvi wanted to try something else.
“Bo!” she called out, feeling a small surge of power at the dragon’s tongue. The dragon’s eyes widened in surprise at the word as though she had awakened something within the beast.
After tensing for a moment, the dragon’s powerful wings carried them into the sky. Dalton let out a whoop of laughter as they soared into the clouds.
Chapter 12
Notes:
Author's note: My days off have changed, and it's hard for me to post on Fridays. So I'll now be posting on Wednesday until further notice. Thank you to everyone who's read this far!
Chapter Text
The familiar sight of the Red Keep made Sylvi relax as she commanded the dragon to land on a nearby shore. The landing was rough. The smug look in the dragon’s eyes told Sylvi that the rough landing had been on purpose. Sylvi stared back at the dragon until it looked away. Submission and defeat were two very different things.
“You can remove your hands from my waist,” Sylvi said pointedly, and Dalton complied with a laugh.
Sylvi leapt from the saddle and began walking up the hill to the castle after putting on her backpack. The sun had begun to set, and she didn’t want to be alone with Dalton in the dark. It would be awkward for his crew to show up in time for his funeral. The guard called out for them to stop as they approached the gate. Luckily, one of the guards recognized Sylvi, and they were allowed inside without resistance.
Ser Cristen met them at the castle entrance. He gave Sylvi a judging look, and she gave him a tired look in return.
“I would like an audience with Lord Hightower… I may be willing to work out a deal,” Dalton said, taking the attention away from Sylvi.
“Sylvi!” Queen Helaena called out as she ran down the steps.
Sylvi quickly ran to reunite with her friend. As Helaena touched Sylvi’s arm, Sylvi apologized for leaving without saying anything, but Helaena interrupted her quietly, “I know… I know why you did what you did. I understand…”
Sylvi gave her a relieved smile as Aemond soon appeared. He looked at Dalton with malice before steering the women to Helaena’s room. As the door closed, Sylvi found herself pelted with questions.
“Okay… okay… one at a time please,” Sylvi said with amusement.
“Were you able to find your friends?” Helaena asked.
“Yes, they are on a ship and should arrive in a few days.”
“Why were you with Greyjoy?” Aemond asked with a judging look not unlike Ser Cole’s.
“He just so happened to be fighting the Thalmor at the Stepstones. I was able to free the dragon under their control, and it flew us here. I didn’t want to leave him with my people… Do you happen to know a giant black dragon?”
Aemond and Helaena looked at her in shock before sharing a look.
“I don’t want to alarm you, but… I do know of one dragon fitting that description,” Aemond said with hesitation. “They call him Cannibal because he seems to prefer eating younger dragons.”
Sylvi let out a laugh. Aemond and Helaena looked at her with concern before she explained, “My apologies… it’s just… quite an appropriate dragon for me.”
The door suddenly opened, and Aemond and Sylvi quickly pushed Helaena behind them. Aegon burst into the room and glared at Sylvi. Aemond and Sylvi relaxed, which only seemed to further anger Aegon.
“YOU!! You really–!” Aegon shouted as he approached Sylvi, so angry that he couldn’t even form complete sentences for a few moments.
Sylvi quickly spoke up before he could recover his thoughts, “I left to find my friends, and I feel no guilt for what I did. Serana was ill. Luckily, I still had a potion to cure her.”
Aegon shut his mouth, but she could tell he had more to say by the look in his eyes.
She continued in a calming tone, “Your Highness… If I had stayed here, how long would it have been before your mother or grandfather would allow me to leave? And if soldiers had been sent in my place, then they wouldn’t have had the means to save her. I apologize for leaving without saying anything, but I had waited long enough for your mother to help me find my friends. That was our deal. I had already risked my life twice for your family, and I was not receiving my end of the bargain.”
Aegon had slowly relaxed over the course of her explanation. With only a slight edge to his voice, he retorted, “You could have told me… or left me a letter.”
“I did… for Helaena. And I sent back your brother.”
“Yes,” Aegon said with renewed petulance. “You spoke with Aemond before you told me… or Helaena.”
“Because he suddenly came flying on Vhagar. What would you have done? Besides… I wasn’t going to say no to a quick ride south. Saved me quite a bit of time.”
Aegon seemed to have been appeased by her words. Even though he wasn’t looking at her, his eyes had lost the indignant rage.
“Where are they?” Aegon asked as he let out a sigh. “Your friends.”
“They are coming here by ship. It may take them a few more days. Cannibal brought me to King’s Landing… and also Lord Greyjoy is here.”
Aegon finally looked at her and blinked in confusion. “Cannibal? Isn’t that the Dragonstone wild dragon?! And why would you bring Lord Greyjoy?!”
“Because I didn’t want to leave the pirate lord with my friends. And riding Cannibal made the journey a quick one.”
Aemond spoke up, “I am curious as to what Lord Greyjoy had to say to our grandfather.” Sylvi glanced at the prince to see him giving her a curious look. “Did he discuss his intentions with you?”
Sylvi’s eyes went wide as she remembered what Dalton had asked for previously. Aegon cleared his throat to get their attention.
“Well, all things discussed in the Red Keep are the King’s business. Will my maid and my brother accompany me?”
Sylvi smiled at him in relief and said with a playful bow, “It would be my pleasure, Your Majesty.”
Aegon pretended to get the shivers at her compliance, and Sylvi laughed again before following him out of Helaena’s room. By the time they reached the Council Room, Lord Hightower and Lord Greyjoy seemed to reach some kind of agreement.
King Aegon bristled with fury as he asked, “And what brings you to my castle, Lord Greyjoy? Strange that you would seek council with a Lord before a King.”
Dalton glared at Aegon for a brief moment before lowering his gaze. As Dalton noticed Sylvi and Aemond entering the room, his eyes narrowed, but he hid his displeasure with a bow. He replied with obvious sarcasm, “I apologize, my ‘king’. After all, I know how… instrumental you were to your family’s ‘rightful’ ascension to the Iron Throne. I was merely reporting my information to your advisor. You were not fond of my request last time, so I have decided to change it accordingly.”
“And those changes are?” Aegon asked as he tried to block Dalton’s view of Sylvi.
Dalton’s face twitched, but he calmly replied, “Lord Hightower seems to appreciate the value of my fleet, so he has agreed to most of my requests. Your maid as my salt wife was discussed… and I have decided to withdraw that request after spending time with Ysmir. Life as a salt wife would not suit her.”
Dalton’s words sounded true, but as his eyes landed on Sylvi, she saw a strange glint in them. She may not be wife-material, but he seemed to have other plans brewing. Sylvi would need to be careful. Aemond’s hand on her arm gave her reassurance as she glared at Dalton with suspicion.
Aegon was silently brewing as he looked from Sylvi to Dalton.
“Lord Hightower, I have news from the Stepstones,” Sylvi spoke up quickly, hoping to cut off whatever Aegon was planning on retorting.
Lord Hightower glanced at her with amusement and said dismissively, “Lord Greyjoy has informed me of much of it. The Thalmor had taken control of a dragon, and you won control of that dragon.”
“I suspect that the Thalmor have made a base on the islands. After my friends arrive, I will need to search for the rest of my companions, and then we will leave for the Stepstones.”
“We can find the rest of your… companions. You are needed here. Let Rhaenyra and Daemon deal with the Thalmor. No doubt that they had made a deal with them… and it appears to be going poorly.”
“And when they fall, what will you do?” Sylvi asked in nearly a growl. “After the Thalmor have destroyed your enemies and taken their dragons, do you believe that your people can fight against mages on dragons? The Thalmor have no love for your people. They seek to eradicate, not rule, and they will burn you in your keeps before walking over your ashes to claim your crowns. And even if leaving the Thalmor alone is your plan, it is not mine. You seem to believe that my titles are merely hereditary… or lies. They are neither. I am Thane of every Hold in Skyrim, which means that I gained the title of protector of each Hold. I am the one who vanquished Alduin, the great destroyer of the world and the son of the God of Time. I led armies as a Legate in the Imperial Army. Not from safety… from the front lines. And I won every fort… and every battle. I may only be a ‘maid’ in your world, but you have no authority in mine. I am willing to work with you, but do not expect me to bow to your whims. I will leave some of my companions when I leave to find the others. Each and every one of them is more than qualified to guard the King while I am away.”
Lord Hightower looked down on her and said icily, “And yet… you are in our world… under my authority.”
“Actually,” Aegon spoke up, causing Lord Hightower to look at him with anger. “I am the King, and she is my maid. That would make her under my authority… or does Lord Hightower seek to diminish the King’s authority?”
King Aegon and Lord Hightower stared each other down for a few minutes, but Aegon, surprisingly, did not waver. Lord Hightower seemed impressed with his grandson for a moment before he sighed, “The King is free to do as he wishes. I was merely concerned for your safety.”
“If Sylvi says that her friends will protect me, I believe her,” Aegon said resolutely. “But I appreciate your ‘concern’, grandfather.”
Lord Hightower looked once more at Aegon as though seeing him for the first time. With a bow, Lord Hightower excused himself from the room. Dalton had watched the entire exchange with amusement. Seeing Sylvi’s eyes were now on him, Dalton gave her a wink before excusing himself from the room.
As soon as Dalton disappeared from sight, Aegon’s shoulders relaxed. He gave Aemond and Sylvi an embarrassed smile and said, “Was I kingly enough?”
Sylvi laughed and gently clasped his shoulder. “That… was the kingly-est thing I’ve ever seen you do.”
Aegon laughed in return as his hand clasped on top of hers. Aemond watched them with an amused grin, but he didn’t refute it.
“So your friends… are any of them mages?” Aegon asked a little nervously as he took his hand off of hers.
“All three of the ones sailing for King’s Landing are excellent mages. I met Onmund at the College of Winterhold. Serana has a gift with conjuration, and Macurio…”
“What?”
“Well, if you took him at his word, you would believe that he’s skilled at every school of magic, but destruction is his specialty. Just stay out of his way.”
“And why is that?”
“Because he uses particularly strong spells and has a particular love of lightning. There’s a reason that I always use at least one piece of equipment enchanted with lightning resistance.”
Aemond asked, “Marcurio is the one I met, correct?”
“Yes. He’ll probably be the one to stay behind… You’ll be more than safe under his watch.”
“So long as we stay out of the way,” Aemond said with a smirk.
“Exactly.”
“And Aegon…”
“Yes?” Aegon asked with his full attention.
“Serana will also be staying here. She just recovered, so she should rest… Don’t try anything with her. Serana is my family. If you so much as touch her…”
“I won’t!” Aegon quickly protested and put his hands in front of him. “You have my word. I will treat your friends with respect… Is she that pretty?”
Sylvi glared at him while Aemond shook his head in frustration.
“I was just wondering… you said that she’s your family, so she must be pretty… for a tall woman.”
Sylvi rolled her eyes at his attempt to placate her before leaving the throne room. The sound of footsteps behind her told her that the brothers had followed her out. She turned to them and smiled to reassure them that she wasn’t angry.
“I want to tell Helaena the plans,” Sylvi explained.
Aegon smiled in relief, and Aemond gave her a nod. Sylvi ascended the staircase with the sound of two pairs of footsteps behind her.
Chapter Text
The dark night sky stretched out above Sylvi as she dragged the dead deer to Cannibal. Onmund and Dalton had gone into the town to get supplies and rooms while Sylvi had caught a snack for the large dragon. As she dropped it in front of the dragon, Cannibal stuck up his snout.
“You lout! You CANNOT eat the dragons in King’s Landing! Now… I went out and found this for you, so you might as well take it.”
The dark beast snorted, blowing smoke in her face, but he took the offering. Sylvi let out a sigh and started walking toward the town. Stars glittered above her in the darkness, the only source of light other than the moon. She stopped for a moment to look at the stars. In her world, there were always glimmers of light in the sky, sometimes green, sometimes pink or even purple… In this world, the darkness seemed to accentuate the stars.
Suddenly, she noticed a patch of the sky free of stars. Goosebumps formed up her arms as a strange, shifting darkness grew in front of her. With a quick glance toward the town, she realized what, or rather who, it was.
“Greetings, champion,” Hermaeus Mora spoke in his slow, deep voice as his tendrils forced their ways out of the darkness. “I see that you and your friends have stumbled into another world. An exciting predicament.”
His voice hummed with amusement, and Sylvi found herself frozen in place as he spoke. An eye emerged from the darkness to study her as the Daedric Prince waited for her response.
“A ‘predicament’, huh? It would be… if you hadn’t planned it.”
His voice practically dripped with smug satisfaction as he replied, “Ah… you have finally learned my ways, Dragonborn. As I studied you, it seems that you were studying me. Yes… I am responsible for the Thalmor’s… advancements. Perhaps… if you were willing to serve me, I could help you and your friends defeat your Altmer foes and return to Tamriel.”
Sylvi’s rage overrode her fear, and she growled, “No. As I told you before, you wretched demon… I am not your toy.”
“Are you not?” Hermaeus Mora asked with an amused chuckle as a tendril firmly encircled her arm. “Poor deluded child. You were mine from the moment I laid my eyes upon you, Dragonborn… What makes you think that you can run from me forever? I know that you have felt the call of Apocrypha… I can feel the yearning in your bones to return. Do you deny it, champion?”
Sylvi’s body was frozen in place under the Prince’s influence, but it was now her turn to speak. She grinned maliciously and retorted, “You must have found out that my soul belongs to Akatosh. Is that why you want to ensnare me? Because you know that I can only go to you if I choose to do so. That any attempt to force me will bring Akatosh’s wrath upon you.”
There was a low grumble, and the tendril gripped onto her arm. “What makes you think that I am afraid of Akatosh?”
“Because otherwise you would have taken me already,” Sylvi replied as the Talos amulet surged with a strange warmth. “And you will not kill me either. As doing so, you will lose all chance of the Last Dragonborn choosing to be your champion.”
“You have already said that you will not be my champion.”
“And you told me that you thought otherwise,” Sylvi said and held her ground as the tendril loosened its grip. “I do have something that I am willing to trade you in return for our safe return to Skyrim. Something that I know you crave.”
“And what would that be, Dragonborn? Tell me what I crave.”
“Knowledge that cannot be found elsewhere. Knowledge of another world… You wondered how I could maneuver through Skyrim so easily… I can tell you how, and I can tell you stories of a world even stranger than this one.”
“And what makes you believe that would hold my interest?” Hermaeus Mora retorted, but she could hear the curiosity in his voice.
“Because… Why else would you help the Thalmor come to this world? You seek knowledge from other worlds as you are no longer content with the one we come from. ‘Forbidden knowledge’ of other worlds that even the gods do not know.”
Tendrils reached out, holding her in place as Hermaeus Mora hissed, “And why should I not rip that knowledge from you now, Dragonborn?!”
“Because it must be given willingly… As with Storn and the Skaal secrets. I have seen what you do to your followers. Miraak… Septimus.”
“You had a hand in both of their ends.”
“I did not kill either of them. You decided that Septimus was of no further use despite his service to you. I merely gave him the materials he needed to help you.”
“And Miraak? You believe that I should have spared him?”
“He likely would have betrayed you at the next opportunity. And I don’t blame him. You trapped him in your world… and I’ve been there. It isn’t fun.”
Hermaeus Mora’s voice almost sounded hurt as he said defensively, “It is not a realm of ‘fun.’ It is a realm of knowledge and power. Even as you speak so negatively of it, I can feel your yearning for its dark halls.”
“It’s true that a part of me wants to explore Apocrypha… but not enough to truly go back. ‘Forbidden knowledge’ is often forbidden for a good reason.”
“And yet you accepted my assistance.”
“To save the world. Not for my own power… That’s the difference between you and I… and Miraak. You and Miraak want knowledge for the sake of having power. Having control.”
“And you do not?!” Doubt had crept into the Prince’s voice.
“Not for the pursuit of having power. I took it to protect my people… my family. And intention matters. You and Miraak are hollow,” Sylvi hissed back at the Prince as the tendrils held her in place. “You care about nothing but yourselves, and nothing in the world will make you happy. Not every bit of knowledge or power that there is… You will never be satisfied.”
“And you are ‘satisfied’? Is that why you have chosen to allow the Empire to bow to the Aldmeri Dominion? Because you are satisfied? Clearly not… otherwise you would not be here.”
“Yes, but I have an end goal! After that, I will be.”
“And pray tell what is your ‘end goal’?”
“When all races are treated fairly, when the Thalmor no longer attack or enslave the other races, when we are all able to live without the threat of war–”
Hermaeus Mora laughed and retorted, “Then you will die unsatisfied as well. Do you believe that you are Tiberius Septim? Talos the Second?”
“No… I am not,” Sylvi said somberly, and the tendrils loosened.
“But… should you submit to me, I can help you. You can turn the tide of those Altmer and wipe them out. I can protect your friends… your family. Together we can put the Altmer in their place.”
“No,” Sylvi replied, and the tendrils tightened once more. “Perhaps… I will die before things get better, but… if I can look back on my life and see that I was able to make some small difference for someone… then I am satisfied with that.”
“Such a disappointment,” Hermaeus Mora muttered and let go of her. “Contact me when you get your fire back, Dragonborn. I do not wish to own such a broken thing. I will leave you with this… The seal on your Thu’um has been broken since you absorbed that dragon. If you cannot use your shout… perhaps it is because you lack the drive. Call for me when you find it.”
Hermaeus Mora’s eyes and tendrils disappeared into the darkness, and Sylvi collapsed onto her knees. She heard someone calling her name and looked up to see Aemond running towards her. She could barely comprehend what she was seeing as he helped lift her back onto her feet.
“Aemond? Why are you here?”
Aemond kept an arm around her to steady her and replied, “Helaena… All of a sudden after you left, she started screaming… I couldn’t understand most of what she was saying but I heard ‘Sylvi’ and ‘demon’, and I ran off to find you. Was that what she was speaking of? The darkness that had you in its grasp.”
Sylvi nodded and asked in a weak voice, “Can you help me sit down? I… I need a minute.”
Aemond led her to a tree, so she could lean on it when he helped her sit down. As soon as Sylvi got on the ground, she rested her head on her knees. Aemond slowly pulled his arm away from her and grimaced at the dark slime that Hermaeus Mora had left behind.
“Sorry,” Sylvi murmured. “If you wash it off right away, you might be able to save that shirt. It does stain though.
“How… unpleasant,” Aemond said as he noticed how much of the slime was on her. “Uh… I have an extra shirt.”
“Could you grab my bag?” Sylvi asked and pointed to it on the ground. “I have a change of clothes.”
Aemond quickly retrieved the bag before he ran into the night to find Vhagar and change his own clothes. Sylvi quickly took off the shirt and threw on one of her dresses. It would help her blend in more with the people here anyway, Sylvi told herself before using her magic to set her old shirt on fire. A laugh of disbelief caught her attention, and she looked up to see that Aemond had returned with a bag. He sat down beside her. They watched the blaze for a moment before Aemond tossed his shirt into the fire. As they sat in silence, Sylvi could tell that Aemond had a myriad of questions, but he was holding them back to avoid making her upset.
“Hermaeus Mora,” Sylvi said, and Aemond jolted up. “He’s the Daedric Prince of Knowledge… specifically forbidden knowledge. He wants a Dragonborn for his collection, and I’m the last.”
Aemond nodded and asked, “Is he so dangerous that even you can’t kill him?”
“Yes… you can’t kill a Daedra, only return it to its plane of existence… Oblivion is its name. Hermaeus Mora’s realm is called Apocrypha. When I die… he wants to keep me there.”
“And it’s not a good place,” Aemond said, and Sylvi nodded.
“Nords have our own place for when we die. Sovngarde. I’ve been there. I fought the God of Time’s dragon child there to stop him from ending the world.”
Aemond laughed a little at the absurdity, and Sylvi laughed with him. After getting the nervousness out, they sat in silence and looked at the stars. Aemond was looking at the sky thoughtfully. Sylvi doubted that he was truly thinking about the stars.
“Any more questions, Aemond?”
Aemond looked at her with a sheepish grin and said, “I was just wondering what he could have said to make you look so… sad. Did he threaten you?”
“A bit. But honestly it wasn’t much for a Daedric Prince… he just asked me a question that stung.”
“What did he ask? …You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to,” Aemond said quickly as though worried that he had upset her.
Sylvi gave him a sad but reassuring smile and answered, “It wasn’t exactly the question itself. Ever since I found out that I was the Dragonborn… I felt like there was a certain expectation of me. I was told by the Greybeards of my destiny. That I would fight Alduin for the fate of the world… I was asked to pick a side for the war… It just felt like once I became the Dragonborn… I lost a part of myself. It didn’t matter what Sylvi wanted because being the Dragonborn was more important. I fought Alduin and won. I fought in the war and won. I fought Vampire Lords and the first Dragonborn… and I won. But it always felt like no matter what I did, it didn’t matter. I was no longer a person… but a tool. I think… I’ve slowly started to resent being the Dragonborn. Maybe that’s why I don’t have my voice back yet.”
Sylvi and Aemond sat in silence again before Aemond spoke up, “Some people… are more suited for leadership. You said that you lead an army to battle. That each time you won. You must be an inspiration to your soldiers at least. I’m sure that they admire Sylvi.”
Sylvi smiled sadly and said, “No… they remember my armor, made of dragonscale and fire. They remember my shouts as I blasted away the Stormcloaks. They remember my magic as I cast spells to blast through the barricades. None of them know Sylvi… Just the Dragonborn.”
“I do,” Aemond said before looking up at the sky. “And your friends do… You are Serana’s family, Marcurio’s best friend, and Onmund’s teacher.”
Sylvi looked at him in surprise, and Aemond laughed while rubbing his neck in embarrassment.
“While you were in meetings with my grandfather, Aegon and I took the opportunity to speak with your friends. I was a little jealous to be honest. I don’t know many people outside of my family and the Kingsguard. And they aren’t exactly my friends…”
“But we’re friends, aren’t we?”
Aemond looked at her with his eye wide open in shock.
“You came all this way to make sure that I am safe,” Sylvi continued with a gentle smile. “You’re a friend to me.”
The darkness hid some of his face, but Sylvi could see a slight blush as he answered, “Yes… Thank you for being my friend.”
Chapter Text
Wind whipped the trees below as Sylvi rode Cannibal toward the smaller dragon flying in circles. The hands around her waist tightened with nervousness. Sylvi glanced behind her to see Onmund’s face had turned white with fear; however, his eyes told her that he was ready for the fight. Sylvi forced Cannibal to land. Shouting at the dark dragon to stay put, she got off of him and helped Onmund and Dalton. Cannibal growled but laid down on the grass.
With a sigh of relief, Sylvi turned her attention back to the smaller dragon circling a keep. Thalmor hurled spells at the dragon, but it stayed far enough away to avoid the blasts. Sylvi ran for the keep and took cover behind one of the walls as the dragon swooped down to attack the Thalmor with fire. Turning to Onmund and Dalton, she told them to wait while she sneaked inside. The dragon was clearly after something… possibly its rider was inside. Onmund agreed, while Dalton skeptically raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve sneaked around one of their embassies before. I can do it again.”
Dalton shrugged, and Sylvi quickly and quietly skirted around the keep before finding a small side door on a balcony. Sylvi gripped onto the stones as she slowly worked her way to the balcony. Her fingers were sore by the time she’d gotten to the door. It was locked. Luckily, Marcurio had given her quite a few lockpicks before she’d left. The lock clicked open, and Sylvi quietly opened the door. No one was here. Most of their men were likely focused on the angry dragon outside.
Keeping low, Sylvi carefully explored the keep. If it was anything like Skyrim, then the dungeons would be located at the very bottom. A stairway down the hall beckoned her, and she slowly crept toward it. The sounds of men below made her quickly hide behind a barrel. Two Altmer with bows in hand ran up the stairs and to the balcony that she’d just been on. Taking out her knife, Sylvi followed behind them. They were so focused on the dragon that neither saw her follow them onto the balcony. The first man went down without a fight. The second panicked and tried to hit her with his bow, but Sylvi grasped onto the wooden instrument and took him down as well. Sylvi waited a moment to see if anyone had heard them, but the dragon’s roars drowned out all other sounds. Before leaving the balcony, she quickly took their arrows and one of the bows before checking their pockets. No keys.
Heading back to the stairs, Sylvi readied her bow. There were no more sounds from below. Sylvi slowly crept down the stairs and looked around. The ground floor had a mess hall, but no one was using it. Sounds of footsteps made Sylvi jump underneath a table. More Altmer had readied themselves for the fight with the dragon and climbed the stairs. As soon as the last one was out of sight, Sylvi ran for the corridor. It was only a matter of time before they found the bodies.
Finding another set of stairs, Sylvi thanked Talos before descending into the dungeon. There was one Thalmor man in the dungeon. The rest of them were likely outside. Sylvi crept to the door and opened it slightly. Her hand tightened on the bow in rage as she saw Farkas and Vilkas being held to the wall in chains.
Creeping inside, Sylvi took aim and fired the arrow. The Thalmor dropped to the ground as a knife clattered beside him. Farkas and Vilkas looked at her with surprise and joy as she went through the Thalmor’s pockets. Finally, a key. Quickly freeing her friends, she took a moment to hug them before turning to the cages in the corner. Two young boys sat in different cages. One young boy wore clothes like the Targaryen royalty, and the other wore rags.
“I’m assuming that the dragon out there is yours,” Sylvi said as she unlocked his cage. “Are you a Targaryen?”
The boy said nothing as he stared at Sylvi with wary eyes.
“His name is Jace,” Vilkas said as Farkas picked out a longsword. “Sylvi is a good person, Jace. She’s the Harbinger that we were seeking. You are safe now.”
“I wouldn’t say that… There are quite a few Thalmor outside,” Sylvi said as she unlocked the second cage. “Hey there. What’s your name?”
The boy kept his gaze to the floor. Wild, unkempt hair told her that he hadn’t been cared for in quite some time. After a more careful inspection, Sylvi hid a small gasp. The boy was an Altmer… One born with black hair. The boy’s body was covered in dark green bruises. Sylvi slowly showed the boy her hand.
“You will be okay now, child. I promise you that. Come on out. We need to leave quickly.” Her tone was firm but gentle, and the boy turned his gaze to her face to look at her with his piercing dark green eyes. He hesitantly took her hand. Sylvi helped the boy to stand before glancing at the table in the middle of the room. Dark crimson splashes adorned the table. On its edge sat a familiar object: an extractor. Sylvi pulled the boy close before looking at Vilkas and Farkas.
Vilkas seemed to have put it together as well, and a steely rage now hid behind his eyes. The companions were not fans of the Altmer, but not a single one of them would stand by and let a child of any race be tortured or experimented on.
Farkas led the way, and Sylvi held the boy steady as they ascended the stairs. Suddenly, Farkas and Vilkas rushed forward. Sylvi had Jace hold onto the boy before pulling an arrow out of her quiver. The group of Thalmor had discovered the bodies and came looking for trouble, and Sylvi would make sure that they found it. Sylvi aimed for the gaps in their helmets as the twins used brute force to bash through the enemies’ armor.
Checking on the boys, Sylvi saw Jace’s face turn white as the other boy watched with indifference. No doubt that the young Altmer was no stranger to violence. Sylvi gestured for them to wait as Sylvi led the twins out of the front door. The Thalmor were too busy to notice them arrive. With a nod, they took off in separate directions. Sylvi used her spells to electrocute the nearby Thalmor. The sound of explosions from the walls above made her turn to see that Onmund and Dalton had joined the fight.
A roar came from above her, and she quickly threw up a ward as the dragon breathed fire at the Thalmor and her. A young man’s voice came from the balcony, and the dragon flew toward the keep. Sylvi dropped her bow and drew her sword as one of the Thalmor charged her. Sylvi blocked the blow, but the force of it pushed her backwards. As the Thalmor soldier attempted to swing at her again, Sylvi dodged and struck him in the side. There were screams from the walls as dragon fire rained down. Jace and the young boy were on the younger dragon.
Now the dragon had Jace’s brain to its brawn, and the Thalmor archers on the wall were soon wiped out. Sylvi, Vilkas, and Farkas fought with renewed vigor as Jace targeted the Thalmor from above.
As the smoke cleared, the young dragon landed. Sylvi ran to the dragon as Jace limply sat on its back with the other boy desperately holding him up. An arrow pierced the boy’s side. Sylvi gently removed him from the dragon and set him on the ground.
“This is going to hurt, but I can heal you,” Sylvi reassured the young man.
Jace nodded, and Sylvi quickly pulled out the arrow. The young man and his dragon screamed out in pain before relaxing as Sylvi healed the wound. As Jace’s head cleared, he felt where the arrow had hit him only to find perfectly healed skin. Sylvi smiled at his look of amazement.
“You’re very brave,” Sylvi told him before standing to go retrieve the other boy from the dragon.
The boy watched her as she tried to heal him. The dark green bruises stayed. Sylvi had only used the extractor on dead bandits, so she wasn’t sure how it affected a living person. The boy rested his head in her hands, and Sylvi held him for a moment.
“Ah… Jacaerys Velaryon,” Dalton said with a smirk. “You wouldn’t mind coming with us to King’s Landing, would you?”
Vilkas and Farkas immediately put themselves in between Dalton and the young man. Jace looked up at Sylvi with fear in his eyes.
“No,” Sylvi answered for Jace. “He needs to go to his mother and tell her what happened here today. Jace… the mer who captured you are called the Thalmor. They were likely working with your mother when negotiations fell apart… I don’t know what their goal is, but I do know that they need to be stopped. You were their bargaining chip, but their real target was probably your dragon. So fly home, and tell your mother that I would like to broker a truce if I can. If we continue to be at each other’s throats, then the Thalmor will have no problem tearing us apart.”
Jace seemed lost in thought before he suddenly turned his attention back to her. Determination shone from his eyes as he agreed and walked to his dragon. The other boy remained with Sylvi. As Sylvi held the boy close, the young dragon rose into the air with a powerful gust.
Sylvi turned back to the others to see Dalton giving her an amused look. He explained, “Your King’s dear grandfather will not be pleased that you have let his enemy’s son escape.”
“I have no king… And if Lord Hightower doesn’t like my decisions, then he can lead the charge himself next time.”
Dalton chuckled at that but let it go. Honestly, Sylvi knew that Lord Hightower would be upset, but surely he would see that the Thalmor posed a greater threat.
“What’s wrong with the boy?” Farkas asked, surprising the group. “You tried to heal him earlier. Did it not work?”
The boy looked at them with curiosity as they looked at his bruises. With a sigh, Sylvi asked for Onmund to try to heal the boy. Onmund walked forward and outstretched his hands. A glowing light radiated outward to the boy. After a few moments, Onmund stopped, but the injuries remained. Sylvi comforted the boy with a gentle pat on the head but gave Onmund a worried look.
“Who knows what they did to the boy,” Vilkas said, taking a closer look at the boy. “What’s your name?”
The boy stared at Vilkas with wide eyes. Shaking his head, he pointed to his throat.
“Do you even have a name?”
The boy shook his head again. Vilkas sighed, and the boy grasped Sylvi’s arm in fear. Sylvi comforted him as Vilkas explained, “I’m not angry at you, child. As for a name…”
“Kodlak,” Farkas said quietly, and Vilkas and Sylvi turned to him. “It is a good strong name. And the boy may need that strength.”
Sylvi turned to the boy and asked, “Do you like the name Kodlak? It was the name of my predecessor, the Harbinger before me. He was a brave and good man.”
The boy gripped onto her shirt and nodded. Sylvi smiled as she touched Kodlak’s head.
“That’s good, Kodlak. Now come on. Let’s get to the nearest inn. You desperately need a good rest… and a bath.”
Kodlak looked at her in confusion as she took his hand. He slowly relaxed his hand in hers. Sylvi watched Vilkas and Farkas as they saw the dark dragon in the distance. Farkas began to draw his sword.
“No, Farkas. He’s friendly. We rode him here.”
Farkas and Vilkas gave her a frustrated look before turning back to the dragon. Cannibal blew smoke toward them in spite. Vilkas and Farkas once again looked at Sylvi.
“I didn’t say that he’s very nice… His name is Cannibal.”
Vilkas let out a bark of laughter, and even Farkas smiled. Sylvi pointed toward the town that she had seen earlier, and everyone followed her lead. Kodlak looked at the dragon with more curiosity than fear. With a smile and a gentle tug, Sylvi led him to the path.
Chapter Text
The council room was eerily quiet as Sylvi entered. The feeling of all eyes on her was unsettling, but she drew herself up to full height before challenging the council members with her gaze. Lord Hightower met her gaze with a cold fury. The energy of the room made her feel relieved that she had left Kodlak with Farkas and Vilkas at the inn and sent Onmund to meet up with Serana and Marcurio. If things didn’t go well, then they may need to leave in a hurry.
“So… Do you have something that you would like to share with the council?” Lord Hightower asked with disappointment and contempt clearly in his tone.
Aegon and Aemond watched her with curiosity. Lord Hightower had clearly not shared his information with his grandsons. Sylvi’s eyes landed onto Lord Greyjoy. As he met her eyes, he tried to hide his smirk.
“I believe that Lord Greyjoy has already shared his report with you. I have no intention of playing this game. If you have an accusation against me, then speak up,” Sylvi answered with a glare at the lords.
“A ‘game’?! You allowed the son of our enemy to escape!”
“So that he could share news of the Thalmor with his mother,” Sylvi replied in an even tone.
“Have you forgotten about their plot to harm… to kill the King’s children?!”
“That would be difficult to forget… as I was the one who saved them.”
Lord Hightower glared at her wordlessly for a moment before he retorted, “I could have you jailed for conspiring with the enemy.”
“You could certainly try,” Sylvi warned him. “As I have done nothing wrong if you try to jail me or my companions, then I will consider that as severance of my service… And I will act accordingly.”
“Is that a threat?!”
“Only if you make it so.”
Aegon quickly stood from his chair and said, “That is enough, Lord Hightower. If Sylvi believes that this was the right decision, then I will stand by her. The Thalmor have attacked my castle with dragons! We cannot fight two armies at once. Especially not one armed with dragons and magic.”
The rest of the council murmured amongst themselves, but most seemed to be in agreement with Aegon. Lord Hightower threw Sylvi a scathing look before bowing his head to Aegon. As the mood of the room became lighter, Sylvi turned to check on Aemond. He was staring off into the distance, trapped deep in thought. After clearing her throat, Sylvi shared her story from the time they left Kings Landing to when she had returned. Lord Hightower’s eyes narrowed as she spoke of sending Jaecaerys to his mother in the hope of gaining a momentary truce. As she finished, Aegon once again rose from his seat.
“Well done. We have much to consider. The council will meet again tomorrow to discuss our next steps,” Aegon ordered with a calm air of confidence that surprised Sylvi.
The council members slowly trickled out of the room as Aegon gestured for her to come closer. Sylvi passed Lord Hightower, who gave her a look of scathing fury before leaving the room. Aegon put a hand on her shoulder.
“I did well, did I not?” Aegon asked with eyes clearly begging for praise.
Sylvi put a hand on his and replied, “Truly a sight to behold. Has Marcurio been giving you speaking lessons?”
“Yes and Serana. Speaking of…” Aegon checked the room to make sure that it was only them and Aemond left in the room. “She’s quite…”
“Pretty?”
“Scary actually,” Aegon whispered, giving Sylvi a look. “Even Ser Cristen’s lessons were more gentle, and his lessons were taught with a sword.”
Sylvi laughed and said, “But you learned well. Well done, Your Highness.”
Aegon looked quite pleased with himself, and Sylvi turned to Aemond to see him watching her thoughtfully.
“My sister may only settle for peace if my head is the offering,” Aemond said quietly from his seat.
“No,” Sylvi said firmly. “That will not be a part of the deal. I will meet with her to discuss her terms, but that will not be on the table. And I will go alone.”
Aegon and Aemond immediately started to argue with her about her going alone, and Sylvi waited for them to calm down.
“I am her son’s rescuer. Hopefully, Jaecaerys put in a good word for me… Who else would you send? Ser Cole? Lord Hightower? No. I have ties to both parties, and Cannibal can take me to Dragonstone quickly. Marcurio, Onmund, and Serana can protect you and Helaena until I return. As for Vilkas, Farkas, and Kodlak… they can wait at the inn until I return.”
“Who?” Aegon asked with a raised brow.
“Vilkas and Farkas are my shield-brothers. Kodlak…” Sylvi dropped her voice to a whisper and continued, “Kodlak is a boy I found with Jaecaerys. The Thalmor were using him for experimentation. I left him with the twins as I doubt that he would be comfortable here.”
“Why would you think that?” Aegon asked defensively.
“Because your grandfather wouldn’t take kindly to an Altmer boy in the castle. He would probably accuse the poor boy of being a Thalmor spy.”
Neither Aegon nor Aemond had a retort for her words. The door opened, causing the three of them to flinch. Serana led Onmund and Helaena into the room. Sylvi ran to embrace Serana, overjoyed at the sight of color being back in her friend’s face.
Helaena caught the end of Sylvi’s sleeve. She welcomed Sylvi back as Serana pulled away from the hug. Feeling a judgemental look being thrown her way, Sylvi looked to the door to see Marcurio leaned against the now closed door. Now that they were alone, Sylvi quickly explained what had happened and her plan.
“I will go with you,” Serana quickly said, less as an option and more as a statement of fact.
“I need you to stay here and protect Helaena. Assassins have already been sent for her once… and we look similar enough that the sight of you may give an attacker pause.”
“It certainly should… then will you be taking Onmund or the twins?”
“The twins should stay with Kodlak… and Onmund, you have the best restoration magic. That would be more useful here if something happened.”
“So it’s up to me, is it?” Marcurio asked with an air of confidence. “Well, I can’t say that I didn’t expect you to come crawling ba–”
“Marcurio, you will stay with King Aegon. I will be traveling alone,” Sylvi said and watched as the group tried to argue with her, and Marcurio looked put out. “I have the best sneaking skills out of all of us. If things don’t go well, I can escape and hide. Aside from that, I will have Cannibal the dragon with me. I should be fine. Hopefully, there will be a message sent for me soon–”
“Quite the ego,” Marcurio muttered. “To think a ‘Queen’ will send a letter for you specifically.”
“I did save her son. And as for ego… you have me beat on that.”
Marcurio rolled his eyes but couldn’t hold back a smile. Helaena excused herself to check on her mother and the children, and Serana followed behind her. Onmund and Marcurio excused themselves to go talk with Farkas and Vilkas and share the information. As they left, Sylvi turned back to Aegon and Aemond.
“Could I speak with you… alone?” Aemond asked, and Aegon gave him an angry look.
“About what?!” Aegon asked.
“Yes, of course. We’ll be back in a moment, Your Highness.”
Aegon bristled as Sylvi led Aemond out of the room and into a storage room. Aemond followed her with a glance behind him to check to make sure no one had followed before he closed the door. Looking down at the floor, Aemond seemed to struggle with finding the words he wanted to say. Sylvi took a seat on a stool and waited patiently.
“I… It was an accident… what happened to Lucerys, but I’m still responsible. So if…”
“Come here, Aemond,” Sylvi said, patting a nearby box. After Aemond awkwardly took a seat, Sylvi said with a sigh, “People aren’t perfect. We all make mistakes. Some bigger than others. You let your emotions get to you, and someone died as a result… But did you learn from it? If you could go back and change your actions, would you?”
“Yes,” Aemond whispered quietly. “I would.”
“Regret is a powerful thing… It can either make you a better person or a worse one. I… Did you wonder why they accepted the fact that I could sneak in and out of a highly guarded castle so easily?”
“No… they are your companions. They would know your strengths.”
“Yes… And they would know that I have a title that I left unmentioned to your council. Among many things, I am the Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild.” Sylvi paused to look at Aemond’s shocked face. “Yes, I was, and still am, a common thief. It’s how I survived after my parents were killed, so I feel no shame for it. The world is cruel and cares for no one. People you trust can betray you, and people you love could die in front of you. However… I don’t believe that people are simply good or bad based on a single deed. Everyone has their motivations, and sometimes our wants and emotions get the better of us. You did a bad thing, but you are not a bad person.”
“And how do you know that?” Aemond asked with his head in his hands.
“Because you regret your actions. Because you wish to be atone and protect your family. My advice to you is remember your past, retain hope for the future, but remain in the present. There’s nothing to be gained from staying stuck in your mistakes.”
Aemond looked at her with a reluctant smile and said, “That’s a lot of wisdom from ‘a common thief.’”
“Well, one of the things I tend to steal are books,” Sylvi admitted with a smile. “I even built myself a library for my horde of knowledge.”
Aemond chuckled and hesitated for a moment. “Do you… Do you have any plans for after you defeat the Thalmor?”
“Go home to Skyrim,” Sylvi said with a smile. “I have quite a lot to do. I was rebuilding the houses in Winterhold. Most of the town had been destroyed in an incident years back… It was blamed on the College, so as Archmage I felt a duty to rebuild the town… Plus they don’t have a forge which is very inconvenient for me… Also restoring the Thieves Guild to its earlier glory. If I see Brynjolf peddling that stupid Falmer elixir ever again…”
“Who?”
“Brynjolf takes care of the Thieves Guild while I’m away. He’s my right-hand man. Couldn’t do it without him. Although… he needs to stop promising to teach Samuel ‘tricks of the trade’ ot I’m going to fight him in the middle of the Ratways.”
Aemond was quiet and then asked, “Is Samuel one of your children?”
“Yes,” Sylvi said with a proud smile. “He was the ringleader of the children in the Honorhall Orphanage, which is why I let him and Hroar stay in the Riften house. They already knew the town, and they can still visit the orphanage.”
Aemond nodded and looked at her with a smile of his own. “What about the others? I believe Aegon said you have eight children.”
“Yes. Samuel might grow up to be a troublemaker… He seems a little too interested in the thieves guild. Hroar… He’s a very straight-forward boy. It’s always fun to watch him try to help the court wizard keep track of her things. There’s also Alesan. He’s going to be quite the fighter when he grows up. His eyes lit up when I got him and Blaise wooden swords to play with, but Blaise seems more interested in making swords than using them. Everytime I visit I always catch him watching Beirand at the forge. Runa also loves learning how to fight, but she is a Nord after all. Sissel is going to be an excellent mage. When she gets a little older, I’ll see if she wants to learn at the College. And my dear Sofie knows all about flowers. I’m thinking about seeing if Arcadia will teach her alchemy. And Lucia… I’ll probably give her the farm when she gets older. I took her there once, and she’s been asking to go back ever since… Sometimes though, I feel like I’m not doing enough for them. I adventure a lot, and most of the time my housecarls are doing the work of raising them. And even when I’m visiting one group, I know that there are six other children that I’m not with.”
“My father didn’t bother to learn anything about me… or Aegon or Helaena. He was so obsessed with Old Valyria and where we came from… He couldn’t have told as much about three of his children that you told me about eight. I think that you’re probably doing just fine. Better than an orphanage at least.”
Sylvi sighed and said, “Constance has quite a lot to deal with at the orphanage. There were even more children left without parents after the war. That was probably the reason that they allowed me to adopt so many children… Well, me being a war hero and the Dragonborn probably didn’t hurt. Thank you, Aemond.”
“For what?”
“For listening,” Sylvi replied with a chuckle. “I don’t often get to talk about my kids like this.”
“Then thank you as well. For listening.”
“No problem at all… We should probably go check on Aegon. Who knows what trouble he’s already gotten into.”
Aemond smirked at that and stood up. He offered Sylvi a hand, which she took, and they left to find the King.
Author’s note: Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. My landlord is selling the house I’m living in, so I’m looking for a new place to rent. So unfortunately, new chapters are going to be a bit sparse until I get a new place. Thanks for reading!
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