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The Imperial City, 4E 12
†††
Kaermo arrived in the Imperial city at dusk. The wide streets were still full of people and even with his height and the strength of his glare, he found it difficult to make his way through the city. His fellow elves stepped gracefully aside but the men and beasts of Tamriel weren’t as respectful.
They probably didn’t know who he was and if they knew they probably wouldn’t care, a voice in his head, sounding very much like Atraena, told him, but he ignored it.
Atraena should be at the Tiber Septim Hotel by now with her lover, Faelian. Kaermo had carefully inquired about why they would stoop so low as to live in an establishment named after the false god of the Nords. Faelian had only stared at him, lost in the throes of Skooma, while Atraena laughed. “Have you met with the Thalmor yet, darling? I dare say they would be pleased to have such a strong-willed young man as yourself in their ranks!”
Kaermo would have glared at her, had she not been a noble of Alinor and a friend of his mother as well. Instead he had only smiled, tight-lipped, and bowed. “Your words are kind, my lady. No one would be more pleased than I if the Thalmor let me join them.”
“I was only joking, Kaermo,” Atraena had shaken her head, the cheerful glint in her eyes gone. “Your father-“
“-does not have a say in everything I do. I thank you for your concern, my lady, but I have already expressed my interest in joining and I am meeting a Thalmor justiciar when we get to Cyrodiil.”
Kaermo couldn’t quite keep the glare off his face as he remembered the discussion. Atraena and his father both tried their best to keep him away from the Thalmor. They believed he was made for a finer position at court in Alinor, but Kaermo wasn’t as uncaring about the affairs of the rest of Tamriel as they were.
The Thalmor knew what a great power Altmers could hold if they reestablished the Aldmeri Dominion. They weren’t the only ones to speak of Mer superiority over Man and Beast, but no one else did something to enforce that fact upon Tamriel. The Thalmor were about to create a new dynasty for Mer and Kaermo would do anything he could to be a part of it. No matter what his parents thought of him.
He finally got to the Market District and looked around. There was a square teeming with crates, barrels and people trying to put in a good bid for the wares. Kaermo glanced away from them and saw the wooden sign; The Merchants Inn.
The building was impressive, like the rest of the city, Kaermo had to admit. The Imperials might not know the elegancy of elven architecture but they did construct spectacular mansions and castles.
As he stepped inside however, he had to frown at the quaint furnishing. Thick wooden tables and chairs were scattered over the room and the stone floors were covered with worn out red carpets. At one of the tables sat a blond Altmer clad in a fine, but simple, dark robe.
Kaermo immediately made his way over to the man, bowing his head in greeting. “Are you Ondolemar, sir?”
The man inclined his head and gestured for him to sit down. “And you are Kaermo, I presume?”
“Yes sir.”
Ondolemar shook his head. “There is no need for formality between brethren. You may use my given name.”
Kaermo leaned forward a bit, to make sure that he heard him over the sound of drunken chatter that filled the inn, and nodded regally. He had already behaved as if he was a bit too desperate to join. Altmer mostly enjoyed when people spoke to them with respect, but Ondolemar might not even be as noble as Kaermo. What Kaermo found curious was that Ondolemar hadn’t spoken to him with his proper title at all. The man, or at least the Thalmor, had surely looked him up if they didn’t already know who he was.
Maybe it was the man’s strong presence or his finely cut features, but for some reason, Kaermo didn’t mind that Ondolemar spoke to him as an equal or a friend might, even though they had just met.
“Do you have some sort of interview planned for me?”
Ondolemar made a shushing sound. “Not the time, nor the place to speak of such affairs.”
Of course. Kaermo berated himself in his head. The Thalmor wouldn’t want any information about them to leak out and even though the place was crowded enough, anyone might still be listening. An enhanced hearing-charm would do the trick for a practitioner of the school of Alteration.
A leg suddenly touched his and Kaermo barely kept himself from jumping in his seat. He glanced up at Ondolemar and frowned. Judging by the amused grin he was sent, the movement had not gone unnoticed. He hadn’t dared to think before getting here that an agent of Thalmor would see through his mask easily, which seemed to be the case.
Ondolemar rose from his chair and moved it closer to Kaermo’s. When he sat down again, their legs from thigh to feet were pressed together. Kaermo stared at him, fighting the blush he knew was coming. Ondolemar leaned over the small distance that separated them to whisper directly into Kaermo’s ear.
“Would you mind joining me upstairs, riel? I have rented a private room.”
Kaermo thought he understood what he meant. The discussion concerning him joining the Thalmor was to take place in one of the rooms. But he still couldn’t help blushing furiously at the invitation. “Of course, Ondolemar,” he answered, proud that his voice kept from wavering. He turned his head to look up through his eyelashes and smile. “I would be honored.”
Ondolemar smirked and that was the only warning he got before lips covered his. The kiss was chaste and quick, but Kaermo was so shocked that he let out a small gasp. He felt mortified; he was behaving like an inexperienced boy. But the way Ondolemar’s eyes flared calmed him down. It seemed he wasn’t the only one so easily affected.
They got up from the table, Ondolemar’s hand at the small of his back guiding him towards the stairs. He could feel the heat of the man’s body and there was a faint smell of lavender coming from his robe. As they got into his room and Ondolemar locked the door behind them, Kaermo caught the source of the scent. Two vases filled with the purple herbs stood beside the bed.
Ondolemar waved his hand at the door and a shining ward appeared. “Now we can speak freely. Would you care to sit again?”
Kaermo sat down on the nearest chair with his heart hammering in his chest. This was it.
“I must say your interest in joining us made quite a few surprised. The heir of two noble families, a son who would have a prosperous future even without dirtying his hands for a cause such as ours.”
“My family has nothing to do with my interest, quite the opposite actually. While they are satisfied with their influence on the Summerset Isles, I see the potential we, Altmer, have for greatness. Bring back the Dominion and no Man will laugh in our faces. We are Mer and we are not made to bow to the Empire!”
Ondolemar smiled at him. “You certainly have the passion and the right thoughts in your head. But will you be useful to us?”
“I can fight with both magic and swords.”
His words were waved away. “There are many fighters amongst our ranks already.”
“I have useful contacts.”
“The Thalmor consists of other nobles than yourself.”
“What do you need me for then? I want to fight for the Thalmor, I’ll do anything that’s of use to you.”
Ondolemar’s smile widened. “There is a woman who is training a new group for a special cause. She asked me to look for suitable youngsters. How good are you at sneaking, acting and fooling people?”
“I have my masks. If I slip another one on, you won’t recognize me.”
“You haven’t managed to keep from giving me hints about what you’re feeling tonight. Would you say that this was the result one of your masks or are you not as good as you think you are and showed me your true feelings?”
“I wanted to present myself this way.”
“What way would that be?”
“A bit impressionable but also passionate and noble.”
“Show me one of your so-called masks.”
Kaermo cocked his head. “It wouldn’t work if you were expecting it. You’re already starting off suspicious.”
“Then how would you treat distrustful target?”
“It depends on the target.”
Ondolemar sat down opposite him. “Let’s say I am your target. Try to make me believe that I was wrong in my suspicions.”
Kaermo smiled, making the expression as soft and enticing as possible. “You’re turning this interview into a theatre.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course, I had expected the Thalmor to be cautious about anyone new.”
“Did you have a great deal of expectations for this meeting then?”
Kaermo leaned back on his chair and pouted. When he saw Ondolemar’s eyes fixating upon his face, he discreetly spread his legs a bit, making sure that the man would get a full view when he went back to studying him. “I certainly didn’t expect to be kissed.”
Ondolemar smirked. “Do you like my methods?”
“Is that something you do for everybody or am I special?”
“There were a lot of alternatives in how to bring you up here. I would have used another, had you not been so pretty.”
Riel, he had called him. Beauty.
“Do you have anything planned for later? Or is this just admiration from afar?”
Ondolemar’s gaze flew over him and Kaermo tilted his head slightly to the side, while letting his eyes wander as well, as though he too was checking him out. “We might come to an understanding.”
“Oh, I think we already have,” Kaermo got up from his chair and walked over to Ondolemar. Before he had a chance to react, Kaermo sat down upon his lap with his knees on either side of his hips. Ondolemar drew his eyebrows together and opened his mouth to speak, but Kaermo leaned forward and silenced his words with a kiss. This time it was heated, instead of chaste, open mouths and sharing breaths. Just when Kaermo felt an arm sneak around his back, he pulled out his knife and held it to Ondolemar’s throat.
The man froze. Kaermo smiled disarmingly before leaning back a little. “You lust for me, you are suspicious and nothing I could have done would have changed that. Therefore I got close enough to strike and made sure the target was eliminated.”
He put the knife back into its holder and got up from Ondolemar’s lap in one graceful move. But when he tried to step further away, a hand gripped his arm. “Your target could have been an important asset, more important than you.”
Kaermo shrugged. “Then I would have made sure the target thought I had met an unfortunate demise and I would move to operate from the shadows instead. That wasn’t an option here though, and I had gotten no instructions that said anything about the importance of the target.”
Ondolemar shook his head and pressed a hand to his throat. “You’re lucky I’m your contact. Most of the others would have had you killed for a stunt like that.”
“They weren’t the target this time though.”
“No, they were not,” Ondolemar agreed, sighing. “I believe Elenwen would want you in her team.”
“Elenwen,” Kaermo repeated. He’d heard the name before. She wasn’t of noble birth, but she had made her way to the top of Altmeri society nevertheless.
“I will send you to her and you will swear allegiance to the Thalmor.”
“Of course.”
Ondolemar leaned back on his chair. “Now then. Was all of that an act? Or do we have an understanding, as you said?”
Kaermo smirked. “I dare say we have.”
†††
A few hours later, Kaermo rested his head on Ondolemar’s chest. He couldn’t help but smile into the darkness of the room. Without help from anyone he had managed to join the Thalmor. His parents and Atraena would be furious with him if they knew, but he would tell them that he’d failed his interview. Since the special group was secret no one would know that he was now part of the Thalmor.
“Riel?”
He turned his head to look up at Ondolemar. “Yes?”
“Don’t pull any blades on Elenwen when you meet her, she doesn’t like that.”