Jerald sat upon the barstool; an utter mess. His once slicked back jet hair was now matted and spiked for he had ran from Kvatch all the way to the Imperial city to find the Hero that he had heard so much about. His wife and sons had left for Anvil where family members would be waiting for them. Jerald's guilty conscious had gotten the better of him and he would not stop until he saw his daughter's face again. Half his gold went to bandits as they robbed him on the paths. He told them of his situation and some bandits were civil enough to make him pay his price for passing through their territory.
The Hero was a strong man, an intelligent man, a great man... he could still hear the deal that they had made between each other.
One of the Hero's lips had twisted up into a half smile as he told his price, "I will save your bonny daughter... if you promise me her hand in marriage."
Jerald had nearly choked upon his own words. He coughed and his eyebrows rose causing wrinkles to form over his forehead, "P-Pardon?" He sputtered.
The Hero sighed deeply and leaned back upon the barstool, "I have accomplished my main goals in life, friend, and even though I have fulfilled my wildest dreams it seems that I'm not really happy. So... I've decided I'm going to try and settle down and the first step is to find a wife. I already have a wonderful home in Cheydinhal with a lovely family who are more or less... servants to me." He couldn't help but to brandish a grin for the thought of his brotherhood. "I can provide your daughter with the loveliest of gifts and riches. I'm not too young or too old for her, and I believe that once she has met me she will be glad we came to this agreement. What say you?"
Jerald's bothered eyes fell to the table and he held up his hand and called to the bartender, "Ale, please."
An old worn out tan cup slid across the table, ale spilling over the brim and staining the counter. Jerald picked it up and guzzled the liquid down. He quickly lost his rich and mighty façade and instead he turned to his barbaric beggar side. A droplet of ale rolled down the corner of his lips as he considered the following; would Elizabeth like him? Is he truly the best for her? Is he a good candidate for her husband? Would he treat her right? All sorts of questions came to his head as he worried about his little girl. His heart ached within him as he thought of leaving her. How foolish were his actions!
The Hero bowed his head slightly with narrowed eyes, "Well, friend?"
Jerald raised his stern eyes and softly he said—
I'm going to die. Elizabeth screamed within the confinements of her mind. Her feet padded across the cobblestone courtyard of the castle. The rain beat down upon her as if it was upon Broga's side. It held her back and tossed her about like a wave in the ocean. She ran through the gates and the Kynmarchers looked down upon her with wary glances. Where was she running to, they questioned themselves.
Suddenly, Broga burst through the castle doors and the Kynmarchers saw the blood running down his face and mixing with the water. They also saw the sword that trembled within his insufferable grasp. The Kynmarchers all removed the bows from their backs and quickly put an arrow onto the string. Their strong fingers pulled back the arrow and they aimed at Elizabeth with merciless eyes.
Broga saw them and he bellowed up through the raging storm, "Do not hurt her! Do not hurt her! She belongs to me so her punishment shall be by my hand!"
The Kynmarchers lowered their bows with confused eyes. Broga sprinted through the gate with such agility and strength. His legs moved as pistons, one came up and the other one quickly fell soon propelling him through the air. His muscles contracted and bulged through his dark skin. His sleek black figure seemed like a shadow gliding across a wall.
Elizabeth pulled the freezing robe even tighter to her body as she attempted to block out the artic rain that pierced her like needles falling from the sky. Her skin turned to ice and she could hardly see through a grey mist. The chapel came nearer and Elizabeth quickly ran and climbed onto the broken steeple. Her soft padded feet slipped across wet slabs and she nearly fell. Her fingertips dug into nooks and crannies as she pulled herself up with a strength she did not know she had possessed.
Broga watched her climb and as he neared her crouched down lowly and steadied himself. All his muscles contracted and he soon leapt through the air and landed upon the climax of the mountain of chapel rubble. He landed gracefully with the sword clenched tightly in hand. His wicked black hair came loose from its bound and whipped through the air. Droplets of water rolled down his cheeks and licked away the blood that by now had vanished. His eyes pierced through the darkness and as Elizabeth rose to his level he lifted his heavy sword into the air to strike her down.
The maiden lifted her eyes in time to see the sword coming down to break apart her skull like firewood. She lunged to the left side of Broga and as the sword fell it dug through the stone and got caught. Broga snarled as he pulled and pulled attempting to free the blade. His eyes tossed behind him as Elizabeth stumbled down the wreckage. Finally, he had freed the rapier and leapt off the ruins and bellowed to the Fire Atronachs and Daedroth, "Don't let her escape Kvatch! Kill her and it shall be your head mounted upon my wall!"
A few Fire Atronachs watched her run, their bodies soon thrusting through the air after her. The Daedroth shook their giant heads, sending a spray of water flying as they readied themselves to confront her. Elizabeth gasped as she ducked and an Atronach flew over her, attempting to tackle her down. A Daedroth swung at her and its jagged ebon claws pierced her face. She nearly fell at the collision. Stinging tears came to her eyes as droplets of blood formed and quickly rolled down her face.
How foolish it was of her to run. She should have abided to Broga's demand and let him have her. It would be so much better then having to run for her life. Her heart raced within her chest with the power of an army marching into battle. If not for her mind attempting to calm her, her heart would rip her chest apart. As she ran to the Kvatch gate she knew that glancing back would completely petrify her. She was certain that Broga would send all of Oblivion after her. As she ran from the main gate she saw a horde of Daedra standing outside the gate. Immediately, they had turned to her. Swords were quickly drawn and she knew there was no where else to run... except...
Her eyes fell upon the Oblivion gate. Her options was to charge through the Daedra and possibly die, hold up her white flag and let Broga have her, or run even farther into Oblivion praying that there would be a way out of this mess. All of her options seemed absolutely futile; nonetheless, she could not easily give up.
"I said, 'Get her', you fools!" Broga boomed from within Kvatch.
Elizabeth clutched her robes and dashed through the Oblivion portal, soon disappearing from Tamerial for the second time.
The planes of Oblivion held silence for the first time in a long time. Xilivicus walked down the great tower steps as he raved on within his mind. His head was throbbing and his heart seemed colder than it had ever been before. The necklace was still grasped within his clutches as he walked further down the lonely path. That incompetent foolish Elf. He had snarled in his head. Who does she think she is? A High and Mighty god? She may be human but that does not mean her race is greater than my own. In the back of his mind he could hear Dibella whispering to him. Her soothing voice calmed his nerves slightly as she said, "Love to be loved. Give something to receive something in return. Sometimes you must be the first one to make a move."
Xilivicus rolled his tangerine eyes and looked up into the sky. Through rolling crimson clouds he saw the stars and somewhere in his sky he knew his Goddesses were looking over him. "What do you want me to do? I'm a Daedra! Lord Dagon regards love as a forbidden law! Just because one day you decided to get even with my Lord and you claimed me as your own child does not mean I have to obey you! You have no idea what life I live! Do you understand me?!" He bellowed into the sky with firm jaw and stressed eyes which held all the torment he has gone through and will be going through. "Leave me alone, I refuse to be a part of your twisted pious plans."
The voices in his mind slowly died away and he came to a peace. Yet, in his body, his heart began to ache in pain. He felt numb and cold like he had throughout all the days of his life. He bowed his head and as he was about to turn to journey back to his tower, a figure caught his eyes. He slowly looked up to see Elizabeth sprinting at him. Her once silver beautiful hair was now a mangled mess dangling from her pale head. Blood still ran down her cheek and stained the frigid robe she wore. Her breathing was rushed like the winds outside Oblivion and as she saw Xilivicus she nearly collapsed despite of her desire to live.
As the Dremora laid his eyes upon this beautiful disaster he felt his heart explode into a raging fire. The bloodshot eyes of the girl captured him and he saw painful and frightened tears roll down her pinked cheeks. Xilivicus had forgotten himself and all that he had said in the moments before. All he could see was Elizabeth running at him with a wounded and burdened body. "Elizabeth...?" His voice seemed questionable.
As she neared him she leapt into his arms, her eyes clenched tightly as she sobbed. The Dremora gasped as she hugged him tightly, her head buried within his tunic. Her arms entwined around him and grasped the back of his shirt. Her blood and tears absorbed into his shirt as he looked at her in amazement. Her grasp was so tough upon him and her body pressed so tight against him causing him to feel the coldness from the raindrops.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. He leaned his head down and rested his chin against the top of her head. His hands rose and fell as her back heaved with each broken breathe. He closed his eyes and held tightly onto her. He wasn't going to let go so easily. "Elizabeth... what happened?"
The girl sobbed and shook her head, "Broga... I-I.... n-n-n-n-n..." she sobbed harder and couldn't even conjure a voice to herself to explain.
The Dremora pulled his head away slightly and tilted her head up looking into her watery crystal eyes. He furrowed his brow and as his lips opened to speak, a voice before him coldly demanded, "Hand her over, Churl."
Xilivicus glanced up to see the beaten face of Broga. He held even tighter onto Elizabeth and quickly asked, "What did you do to her, Broga?" He lost all memory of Broga being a superior for seeing the Elven maiden in such a wreck distorted his mind.
"I'm sure that's none of your business," Broga hissed. His crimson eyes narrowed with vexation. "Now hand her over to me before I kill the both of you."
Elizabeth grasped even tighter into Xilivicus's tunic praying that her guard would finally put his heart upon his sleeve and show her sympathy. The Churl bowed his head and softly grasped the girl's arms and pulled them from his body. The girl's eyes grew wide and slowly Xilivicus pushed her behind him, standing between Broga and the maiden.
The Prince's eyes widened and his face distorted as he snapped, "The penalty for insubordination is death, Churl."
"My name is Xilivicus," snapped the Churl. "Once upon a time it was I who was the Prince and you who were the Churl. No longer shall I obey orders from you that I do not agree with, Broga."
The Prince grasped the sword tightly his anger overflowing his body and pulsing out. His body grew tense and he then snarled, "I suppose Lord Dagon's intentions for putting you in this realm did not pay off. Even though you were as far away from the court as possible you still managed to fall under Dibella's and Mara's damned spell."
Xilivicus narrowed his eyes to slits as those names were mentioned to him. Elizabeth furrowed her brow in perplexity. Mara... Dibella? What did they have to do with Xilivicus? Broga sneered and shook his head, "You're just as filthy and pathetic as all those humans in Tamerial. Lord Dagon should have maimed you when you returned to the court looking more human than Daedra."
"Shut your mouth," snapped the angered Churl.
Broga clenched his jagged teeth together and spat, "I'll shut my mouth when I want to!" He rose his sword and just as he was about to strike down upon both man and woman, a silver rope entangled his hand and pulled the sword back from his grasp. The Dremora snarled and flipped around to see the Spider Daedra holding the sword.
Her plain silver eyes narrowed and a few Kynmarchers and Kynval rushed forward and seized Broga from attacking anyone. The Prince tried ripping away from their grasps but he did not prevail. The Spider Daedra tossed the sword aside and scolded, "Your actions are foolish, Broga! You store this maiden for yourself instead of turning her knowledge and herself over to Dagon. You also act out upon those protected by the hand of Lord Dagon." The Spider Daedra turned to Xilivicus and frowned, "Go back to your tower with the scholar. A new Prince shall be transferred here and Broga will be taken away to another plane. Obtain any information she has for the new Prince...that is all."
Xilivicus bowed before the Spider Daedra. She was a lower class than he was; however, any other Daedra would have given him practically the same orders. The Churl turned and led Elizabeth off, wrapping an arm around her and placing his hand upon her frozen shoulder. Elizabeth furrowed her brow and rubbed away irritating tears as she glanced back and saw Broga's hateful eyes glued upon her sending curses her way. She quickly turned forward and followed Xilivicus.
The Churl wrapped a blanket around the rain drenched girl. His face serious, bothered, and even a little depressed. He leaned down and looked into her eyes, "... what did he try to do, Elizabeth?"
The girl glanced up from the spot she sat upon. She had removed the robe which now hung upon a spike to dry; instead, she wore his long washed brown tunic. He had removed it and given it to her hoping his body warmth which still swirled around through the weaved fabric would help her gain her body heat back. The Elf bowed her head as she pulled the blanket tighter and sniffled, "He... told me that he desired my body. P-Practically he was letting lust consume him and he tried forcing himself on me, but I picked up a bottle of poison and struck him across the face."
Xilivicus clenched his jaw as he heard this. Broga attempting to rape a human maiden was despicable, especially for him to make fun of them for so many years then turn around and attempt to sleep with one. "...I'm sorry," he whispered lightly while lighting a few candles by holding them up to the flame of a raging torch nearby the ramps. He placed them near her mat and as his hand withdrew from the candle; her hand reached up and grabbed his wrist. He froze and glanced over to her.
She furrowed her brow and looked up at him, "... w-why did you... step in between Broga and I?"
Xilivicus glanced away and coughed, "... I..." what point was there in lying anymore? "I didn't want him to hurt you."
The Elf pouted and then questioned, "But... earlier you had said you didn't really care for me at all." The Dremora stood up fully with a deep sigh. His chest expanding then falling as he let out his frustrations. He turned around and walked over to his bag and quickly shuffled through it. Elizabeth became impatient and called out, "Xilivicus..."
He hardly gave a glance over his shoulder and then he answered truthfully in a deep defeated tone, "...I had lied back then."
The Elf pulled the blanket closer to herself and she pressed further into the subject, "... why?"
The Dremora froze in his footsteps as his mind completely consumed his energy. He bowed his head and narrowed his eyes as if he didn't truly know the answer himself. His tangerine bangs fell into his face and he lifted a hand and slid them back from his face. As he turned fully around he leaned upon the wall and said, "... you've had a tough morning. You've been challenged and abused by many a Daedra here. Lie down and take a nap. I want you fully refreshed by the time the new Prince arrives."
Elizabeth puckered her brow and looked down at her hands. Her drying silver hair coiled down and fell around her face, blocking out or absorbing most of the light. Was he ever truly going to answer her questions? The coldness in the tower began to consume her and she looked up and asked, "Is there another blanket that I can use?"
Xilivicus shook his head softly and replied, "I had only taken one from Kvatch. I did not even ponder the thought of you needing more. If you wish I shall return to Kvatch and—"
"No," she interrupted, "that won't be needed. It's a raining mess and even if you could find a blanket in all the rubble, by the time you get it here it shall be just as drenched as I was."
The Dremora nodded in acknowledgement. "Lay down then and huddle beneath the blanket. I'm sure from the time you fall asleep and the time you awake you will feel far warmer."
Elizabeth obeyed and laid down soon pulling the blanket over her. She curled her legs under and huddled in a small ball. Her frozen toes pressed into one another and she nuzzle the pillow hoping friction would warm her. Right as her head had hit the pillow she suddenly realized how drowsy she truly was. Her mouth opened wide as a yawn was given off. The light turned to darkness and she slowly slipped into her own dreams.
An hour or two had passed as Xilivicus leaned upon the wall reading a book that he had taken from Tamerial. He was an educated Daedra and knew of the human language. At least, knew enough to decipher what was happening in these stories. He heard a soft steady breathing and his eyes elevated from the crinkled golden pages of the book and he saw the sleeping figure of the girl. He slowly closed the book and walked over; trying his hardest to be completely silent. He seemed like a ghost as he neared her. He slowly crouched and then sat next to her.
She was slumbering deeply, not even a loud clamor could possibly awake her. The Dremora laid by her side soon wrapping his warmth filled arm around her. He pulled her closer to his body and let her fully absorb his heat. He slowly closed his eyes and sighed deeply feeling at peace with his body and mind.
Elizabeth's warm breath rushed down upon his firm broad chest and he wondered to himself just how long he could continue to push away the thought of...
No.
He could hardly think it.
He waved the question away as he held her even tighter. The blanket was the only thing separating them from being completely next to each other. Her hair smelled of sweet forest flowers and fresh mountain air. He drifted into his senses and gently he cascaded down into a dark world himself, soon falling asleep with Elizabeth cuddling onto his bare chest for warmth.