They spent all day making preparations. Kitty and Iron-Tail had combined their pyrotechnic expertise to create some explosives, and then Kitty had helped Mayhem to change her hair to a more Thalmor-acceptable color. Lucy wasn't sure how the Knight intended to get into the city- ebony armor was very rare, he wasn't likely to slip by unnoticed. But he seemed to have a plan, so she decided not to ask.
The sun was setting as they approached the city. They split up at the outer gate, Mayhem confidently striding her way into the city as the other four made to climb the rocks around its high walls. The guards only strolled the streets inside; they would never know the rebels were there. Lucy got into position and waited for the Black Knight's signal. She scowled, catching sight of the General making his way down the street, apparently heading for the Blue Palace. Much as she would have loved to shoot him down in that moment, she kept herself in check. Wouldn't do to give herself away like that.
There was no telling how long it would take to receive the signal. She passed the time by trying to guess which of the passers-by might possibly be the Knight, though without much luck. No one she saw came close to his height. Except for the General, possibly, but there was no mistaking that scowling face as being her friend's. She shuddered, then quietly laughed at herself for even entertaining the notion. Divines, that was all sorts of wrong.
A commotion near the gate caught her attention, and she carefully leaned out to try to catch a glimpse of what was going on. Her blood ran cold. It was a group of Thalmor, led by the First Emissary himself. He looked pretty pissed off- still searching for her, perhaps? If only she could hear what he was saying to the guards...!
And then she saw Emmet come out of the inn with his escort, and wondered where he was heading. She never would have guessed him the sort to be wandering about after nightfall. Maybe he was just feeling too cooped up and needed to stretch his legs? The way he paused to take a deep breath and reached up toward the sky confirmed that thought. She felt her heart melt a little at the bright smile on his face as he cupped his hands to catch a torchbug hovering about in the center of the market square. Another Imperial soldier made his way down from the Castle, at first heading toward the inn, but correcting his trajectory when he realized the Dragonborn was standing outside. The other soldier's relief for the night, she realized, when he approached the pair and spoke to them, and Emmet waved goodnight to the first before he left them.
Two more figures came through the gate then, oddly dressed and wearing the creepiest masks Lucy had ever seen. They shoved past the Thalmor, raising indignant protests, but seemed to ignore them as they made a beeline for Emmet and his guard. Their stances were aggressive, and Lucy was glad Emmet's guard seemed to pick up on that as well, hand resting on the hilt of his sword. One of them grabbed for Emmet and the guard reacted, drawing his sword and fending them off- until one threw a fireball at him. "HEY!" she heard the Ambassador shout, and the Thalmor joined the fight. Whoever the two masked figures were, though, they were good.
And then, if that wasn't bad enough, a familiar roar rang over the city. And then the Black Knight's signal went up.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," Lucy hissed. "Worst timing ever!" But she set off her explosives anyway. Other explosions rang across the city from her friends' locations, and as Imperial soldiers poured out of Castle Dour, the dragon swooped down to attack. Well, they got their chaos alright, and it was bad enough it was likely to attract someone else's attention. Lucy placed her remaining explosives and lit them, sprinting away from her hiding spot just before the soldiers arrived. They split up as predicted, scattering around the city to attend to the damage, some remaining behind to fight the dragon, some trying to fight the spooky strangers. Shouts went up from somewhere close-ish by- the Black Knight had been spotted.
YOU ARE READING
Murphy's Law
Fanfiction[Skyrim Crossover] As if Skyrim wasn't already hectic enough, with its inhabitants fighting both the Aldmeri Dominion and the Empire. Now there's dragons, too, and Emmet finds himself unwittingly roped into the whole mess. What else could go wrong?
