Daughter to Dragons- a Skyrim inspired fantasy

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

"You cannot be serious!" Vulfa barked. "Not even the Thalmor are crazy enough to do that."

Denial, I thought, would fade eventually as the Thalmor grew in power and influence. But we did not have that sort of time. "They are and they would," I told her, maintaining my even voice. "You need not accept that this is their course now, but accept the fact that they are our enemy and they must be destroyed, lest they destroy us first."

Mikald thrummed his fingers on the wooden war table. "Do you have proof of this, Amelsa?"

I winced at the question. To bring this matter forth to the realm of man, we would need undeniable proof. Proof that I did not possess. And with the Aldmeri Dominion growing ever more powerful, few would dare stand against them on a charge they cannot prove. "No, I said. Nothing save from what I have seen."

"So only your word," he said with a frown. "What about this book? The one they were so desperate to find?"

I shook my head. "I gave it to my father who hid it shortly before we had to flee. Whether he destroyed it or actually hid it, I cannot say."

"Unfortunate," he murmured. He glanced up at my from his thoughtful gaze. "When did your father die then? You haven't told us what happened yet?"

I sighed and shook my head, steeling myself for what was to come. "It was soon discovered that I had the book and subsequently its knowledge, which was meant for no human eyes. After a nearly successful attempt on my life, my father and I took off to return to Skyrim with this news. We were barely out of the city when the Penitus Oculatus was upon on us. Seeing no other option, my father told me to carry the message to you and your father. And he would hold them off for as long as possible."

"Did you actually see him die?" Serana asked, her tone scantly hiding her desperation. "He might have been captured. He might still be alive!"

I shook my head. "He would never allow himself to be captured," I assured her. "Under the circumstances of our eminent capture by the Thalmor, we would spend our last free moment to slit our throats and ensure we never fall to them. He's dead, Serana. I'm sorry."

The room fell silent for a few moments, as if the very walls were holding their breath. To my right, I heard Vulfa's ragged breaths as she tried to gulp through the tight sadness that gripped her throat. Everyone in this room loved my father. Even Rhythe who had barely knew him had risked everything to save his daughter. My father was a harsh man. But he was a man that inspired true loyalty. He was one that could inspire hope in his friends and fear in his enemies. He was the one the world needed. Not me.

Mikald called my attention, breaking my trance. "Whatever happened, Amelsa," he said, "we are all glad that you made it back, alive and in one piece. I don't know what would have happened had you not. Remember that." It was as if he could read my mind. Still, even after all these years, he was the one who always knew me best. "What happened next? After you separated from Owain?"

I took a breath, stealing a glance at Rhythe, who had stiffened at the question. "I was travelling through the Jerall Mountains with bounty hunters and Thalmor agents stuck to my behind lack a bad rash. I eventually lost many of them in the mountains, but was found by a group of bandits operating in the north of Cyrodiil. The bandit leader was carting me back to the Imperial City when we were attacked by a band of Thalmor hunting me. In the end, only the leader and I survived when he made his true identity known as the same man seated next to me."

Hard gazes snapped their attention to Rhythe, seated to my left, and I saw him slink slightly into his chair under the pressure of their scrutiny. Even Vulfa, who had travelled with us for days, shot a surprised glare at the pair of us.