Skyrim IV: The Ghost of Hamvir's Rest

Chapter Four: Aela's Return

     Aela laid on her bed, her breathing labored.  Dried blood had coated her forehead from an open wound. She was sweating profusely as Vilkas turned away from her. "I don't know what she is afflicted with, but I believe it has something to do with this head wound." 
   Lydia stood at the edge of the room, with her back to the wall as Farkas, Sinding, Njada and I stood around Aela's bed. Vilkas sat beside her, trying to wake her up.  "Lydia, where did you find her?" He asks. 
   "I was scouting around Whiterun and found her laid passed out near Hamvir's Rest." Lydia said, looking towards me instead of Vilkas. "She kept muttering the words....The Headless Horseman, the ghost who rides at night." 
  "The ghost who rides at night? That's nothing more than a folktale." Njada said, crossing her arms, but her face was confused, not angry.  
   "I don't know, some people say he is Ragnar the Red."  Farkas says, "Like the Tavern Song." 
 "I remember hearing that when I was a child when we would go to the Bannered Mare." I say, "I always thought it was just silly, but now.....I don't know."   
   "Has anyone else seen this ghost?" Sinding asks, "From other than what Aela has just said, it seems that it's just a legend." 
    "Ysolda might know a little more about it, especially since she is friends with Ri'saad and his Caravan. Khajit seem to get around alot more then we do, so maybe they seem to know." I say.  
  Aela started to cough violently and Vilkas leaned forward, "Aela, are you alright? It's us, your safe now." 
  Her eyes open and she looks around as she sees us all surround her. "The Circle is all back together again, hmm? Give or take a few add ones." She quips towards Njada. 
   "What happened, why do you look like death?" I ask, crossing my arms as I give her a stern look. 
   Aela looks at me briefly before closing her eyes again. "There is something about you Taniiaae, that I can't put my finger on, but you seem different."  I stand back a little, of course it would be Aela to find out that something have changed about me. She figured it out the first time that I was pregnant almost a year ago. I didn't want her to find out that Sinding and I were expecting another child, at least not now. I push that thought out of my head as I say, "Aela, you didn't answer my question. What happened?" 
   Farkas nodded, "Yeah, Aela. What happened, out of all of us, you have always been the one to 'walk it off' first." 
  Aela opened her eyes again. She coughs heavily. "I was trying to find a Totem of Hircine. Trying to find a way to commune to talk to Skjor in the Hunting Grounds of the Daedric Prince." I swallow and feel Sinding's fingers entwined into mine. We were lucky, we had prevented that same fate from ourselves only a few months ago.  "I was told that there was something worth while in Hamvir's Rest. The old Nordic Tomb.....but when I got there, a band of Thalmor had been waiting on me."  She sits up and takes a sip of water that Njada held for her to take. She looked at the other woman in surprise, but quickly downed the water in a few gulps.  "They said that they were searching for the headless ghost who wanders Skyrim at night, that he knew the secrets that would help end this war.....I told him that the legend was false, that there was no ghost. Just as I was about to turn away, I heard the sounds of a phantom horse riding towards me. It's rider was a specter that I have never seen before. He was transparent, but he was the biggest man I had ever seen, and in his hand was a giant war axe. The battleaxe was a purple color, and it was tainted with old blood. But unlike the ghost, it was as lifelike as it looked.  The Thalmor called it the 'god-cleaver' and said they needed to bring it back to Aldermari Dominion. When I heard that, I knew it was bad. And I ended up turning into the beast to fight against the elves while the phantom rode away. I was injured in the process, but I gravely hurt their ranks. I had turned into back into a woman when Lydia found me." She sighs, "But we need to find that phantom before the Thalmor find him first."  
    "God-Cleaver?" Farkas says, scratching his chin. "What kind of name is that supposed to be?"  
"What do you think it sounds like, ice-brain." Aela snaps. "Something strong enough to wipe out a nation. Or a god."  
   "Well, other than the Daedric Princes, the god's don't involve themselves with our kind." I say, "So I doubt they plan to overthrow The Divines or Daedra....but a country or nation? I can believe that." 
   Vilkas nods, "I mean, come on now, you and Sinding were just attacked outside of the city gates by a Thalmor agent." 
  Aela looks over at me in shock, "You were attacked?" 
I shrug, "It's Skyrim, alot of people get attacked, Aela." 
   Aela sits up, and groans in pain. "Taniiaae, this is Whiterun hold, the Thalmor don't just attack anyone. And if you say a Thalmor Agent attacked you here in Whiterun, then it must be related." Her eyes drifted over to Sinding's hand, which was wrapped up in the linen. She furrows her brow. "You have been wounded, Sinding.....I take it the Thalmor had something to help with that?"  
   I see Lydia peer over Sinding's shoulder and her face is clouded with guilt. Sinding shrugs, "It's only a scratch." 
  "I hope you killed the damn elf." Aela sneers. 
  "No, he's currently sitting in a cell in Dragonsreach Dungeon." I say, "and-" I add before Aela could butt in, "He's to be spared, for now anyways." I say. Regardless of who he was, Arodil and I shared the same father, and I needed to know more of the man who brought me so much pain. 
  "Why would you spare a Thalmor spy?" Aela says, "I would think after the whole Vulono incident, you'd kill any Altmer you would see." 
   I glare at her, "Vulono was one man. Fennorian is an Altmer and he is one of my friends." I look at Sinding and then at Lydia, "Our friend."  
  Aela grabbed a rag that was near her bed post. "Fenn was one example of a good high elf. But why would you be so keen to protect this prisoner?" 
   "Because, Vulono was his father too, and I need to know about who this man was, and my heritage." I snap, putting my hands on my hips.   
   I feel the gazes of The Circle and Lydia stare at me, and my face grows hot.  My emotions feel like a complete wreck right now and it might be bad if I stay. I clear my voice. "If you will excuse me, I'm going to step out."  
   I move past my Shield-Siblings and leave the room. I head upstairs and leave Jorrvasker. I needed to think. 
   The cool night air felt good on my skin, and I realized I was sweating back inside Jorrvasker.  It had been too much of an eventful night. It wasn't something I really needed right now.  Sometimes I really felt like Aela was too hard on me. 
    I take a deep breath and walk towards the Bannered Mare. What I really wanted to do was go home, but Sinding was still talking to the Circle. I thought about Arodil, and how I needed to ask more questions. Right now, no one was going to be in there other than maybe a prison guard. I look back at Jorrvasker and decide to go back to the Dragonsreach Dungeon. I needed to ask questions.  
   
      The guard on duty sat near by in the other room after he let me into the dungeon. He said if I needed anything, to just call. I nod as I walk over to the cell that Arodil was locked in. I move a stool to the bars and sit down. The elf's gold eyes open as he watches me. His right hand is resting on his stomach and I notice that one of his was maimed. He was ring and index fingers were shorter than his other fingers on his other hand.  
   "Are you so curious with me that you keep coming back?" he says. 
"Well, wouldn't you be, since we share the same blood?" I ask, folding my hands unto my lap. Arodil smirks but looks away. "How old are you?" He asks.  
   "Me? I've been alive for twenty-five winters. Almost twenty-six this year." I say,  "What about you?" 
    "Twenty-eight." 
 "So, you technically are my older brother...."
  "Do NOT call me that. We are not family." Arodil snaps. 
   "I wasn't the one who asked to be, your father-our father raped my mother and that's how I am here, so you can either except that nor don't, but it's what we are." I shout, my fingers digging into my palms.   
   The Mer shuts up and looks away. I look down at his maimed hand. "What happened to your hand? You are missing fingers...." 
   Arodil doesn't say anything. "Alright." I say, "Sorry to bother you." I get up and scoot the stool away from the bars of the cell and turn to walk out of the dungeon when he speaks. 
  "Vulono had did it as a reminder." 
 I stop in my tracks and turn to face him. "What did you say?" 
"I said," Arodil hesitates. "That Vulono had cut off my fingers as a reminder....that I needed to be strong or that the Companions would rip us apart." 
  "Was it a punishment?" I ask, horrified.
 "Not punishment, discipline." Arodil says, "If I was being punished by Vulono, I would be dead." 
I feel a shiver go down my spine.  "I was only six when that happened...." he says.  "My mother, often would console me, but one day, she disappeared and never returned. My father said that she was killed by The Harbinger of the Companions and his people. He trained me to one day meet these men and women, and avenge mother's death." 
   "You do know that's a lie, don't you?" I whisper.  "Kodlak Whitemane lived and breathed peace, he would of never killed your  mother." Arodil looks away, and I could almost see tears glint in his eyes. Almost. 
   He turns back to me and slowly stands up and walks towards the bars. Even with the metal separating us, I can feel bare before him. His gold eyes stare at me and he grips the bars, turning his knuckles white. I look up at him and say. "Maybe Vulono killed your mother, has he had done mine." I say, in a soft voice. 
   I gasp as Arodil's left hand lunges and tightens around my throat, my hands gripping his arm to pull away. "Do not ever say that again." Arodil snaps, his voice lethally low. 
  I struggle for breath and muster enough of what I can before I use The Voice to shout him off of me. "Fus-Ro-Dah!" I croak. Arodil flies back against the cell and hits the back of wall with a thud. I suck in deep breaths of air and reach my hand over my throat. I feel deep gouges in my skin from Arodil trying to latch on to me when I shouted him back. Looking down from my hand, I see small smears of blood when Arodil says, his voice trembling, "Damned Witch."  Before I can remark back, the door to the dungeon from inside the Dragonsreach Hall bursts open and one of the jailers rushes in.  "Thane Dragonborn, are you alright?" He asks. His eyes look glassy and I can tell that he was having one too many drinks while waiting outside of the jail. I nod, "Perfectly fine. I'll be leaving now." I can see the drunk guard stare at the marks on my throat but too baffled to say anything as I brush past him. Turning back one more time, I looked at the stunned Altmer in his cell and say, "Try that again, Elf, and I'll use a different Shout next time. One less pleasant."