Tome of the Dragon

Chapter One: Old Faces

The stables outside Solitude were peaceful. The soft, early morning light painted the world with pink and orange hues. The sound of the horses rustling through the hay, the waves lapping at the docks below. The subtle scent of the lavender that grew nearby mixed elegantly with petrichor, one of the few signs that the seasons were changing. The bite of the cold wind was the other, causing Ayani to draw her cloak closer to her body. In her hand, a crumpled letter resides, her fingers clenching it tightly. The sender, a rather wealthy man from the quality of the stationery, had claimed that she'd meet his associate here. No details on who they were, just that she'd know them when she saw them.
It wasn't helpful, since she'd been in the city for three years now. Three years after the civil war, three years after the dragons had been killed.
"Ayani. Lady of Storms."
She turned on her heel, the edge of her cloak causing dust to rise up behind her. She knew that voice. Velvet soft, deep as an Orc's growl. That voice had gotten him into many beds. Seryan, a cocky Dunmer with light fingers and a sharp blade. He'd been an assassin for the Dark Brotherhood last time they'd spoken, not a mercenary. He still used his old alias; Lord of Shadows. They'd been young when they gave themselves the titles, but they had a certain ring to them when whispered in taverns and stuttered out by frightened nobles.
"I don't use that name anymore. It's Ayani, Thane of Solitude."
She remembered when they'd first given her the title, the right to own a house within their walls. Though, Jarl Elisif had been rather insistent that she use the available quarters in the Blue Palace.
It had been a month or so after the end of the war, after she'd negotiated a peace treaty between the two sides. Ayani had been living there ever since, to ensure her safety.
"You're still Lady Storm-Wielder, one of the most powerful mages in Skyrim. You do not just leave the life behind, Ayani."
He appeared from behind the horse and cart, pushing his hood back from handsomely slender features. His dark hair was pulled back by a strip of leather, leaving a few strands to hang down in front of his scarlet eyes. Ayani imagined they contrasted quite a fair bit, her being almost as pale as the snow that covered the tundra, with eyes like a stormy sea, and fire-red hair that hung loosely around her face.
"I have, Seryan. You did...or so I thought. You said that you'd never work for another noble, ever. No matter how much they were offering."
She tossed the letter at his feet, her arms crossing over her emerald clad chest. She pursed blush-coloured lips, eyes glinting with a thinly veiled irritation.
"Julian isn't a nobleman, my dear. He's a mage at the College of Winterhold, and he's asking for us to retrieve an artefact."
He swooped the parchment up from the dirt, looking over it with a learned eye.
"He asked for all of us, Ayani. I need your help with convincing them."
Ayani didn't stop frowning, her lips still pursed in anger.
"I have duties! They can't simply be dropped and left for another to pick up. It would take weeks for them to be reallocated to another of Jarl Elisif's council. And that's even if I managed to convince her to let me go traversing across Skyrim!"
She scoffed, running her fingers through her hair.
"Julian is willing to wait, so long as he gets the item he requests. One last job, for old time's sake?"
Ayani sighed, snatching the letter from Seryan's outstretched hand. She knew how much gold this faceless mage was offering, and how much difference it would make. Her life was growing stagnant within the gilded luxury that was given to her, the monotony rarely broken. Her sense of responsibility and her need for change conflicted, and she was not sure which she wanted to win.
"I'll try, but I can't promise anything. The first person we go after is Kadia. She's able to lend us extra swords if we need it."
Seryan nodded, going to pull up his hood. Before he did, he spoke softly.
"Yllian would be proud of you, my dear."
He returned to the shadows, leaving Ayani with her thoughts.

The sound of hammer striking metal echoed through the stone alcove, the flickering golden light reflecting off the walls. Kadia brought her strong, muscle-bound arm back and struck again. The glowing blade was forming under her blows, becoming the sword she envisioned.
"Somehow, I knew we'd find you working the forge."
Ayani walked up the stairs, clad in a dark cloak and pale blue mage robes. Seryan followed behind, his hands resting on the hilts of his swords. Both were ebony, crafted by Kadia herself.
"I didn't expect it to be in a mining town, though. Do they treat you well?"
The tall Redgaurd moved into the sunlight, her mahogany brow raising.
"Of course they do. Why wouldn't they?"
She walked past them, picking up her tunic from the chair as she did. As she slipped it over her head, Ayani could not help but watch the sinuous flesh as she flexed under the afternoon light. Seryan rolled his eyes and stepped forward, bored with the small talk.
"We need you for an expedition, Kadia."
She scoffed, before turning to face the Dummer.
"I thought we were retired."
Ayani stepped in, one hand resting against Seryan's forearm.
"We are. It's this one final thing for a lot of gold. We can all settle down comfortably, enjoy our lives."
The Redgaurd shifted, jaw working as she thought for a second. The wolf within flashed behind her molten gold eyes, and Kadia moved closer to Ayani, towering over the delicately built Breton. Their gazes were locked in a silent battle of wills, with Seryan watching on with a concerned frown.
"I'll be ready within the week. Perhaps you two should stay at the tavern, I'm sure they have rooms to spare."
She left, presumably to discuss the matter with the head of the nameless settlement, and the Breton and Dunmer stood in silence. Finally, Seryan spoke up and Ayani turned to him.
"I half expected her take a bite out of you. Not in the way you'd like her to, either."
That earned him a slap in the shoulder, as Ayani shook her head. She chuckled and walked down the steps.
"I don't...I don't see our friend that way."
He raised a dark brow, biting back the cheeky comment that automatically rose at her quick dismissal. He had a bad habit of trying to wheedle Ayani into taking a lover, or even having someone to warm her bed for the night, claiming that it would relieve her of the stick up her ass. She'd nearly thrown a cast iron mug at his head, and he'd learned quickly to avoid mentions of her love life.
They were headed to the tavern, making plans for the retrieval. They'd already decided to spend a portion of the first payment to buy horses and supplies, maybe even a sellsword or two if they needed the help.

Inside the tavern it was warm, smelling faintly of fresh bread and mead. The innkeeper was a ruddy faced man, happy to have new faces in the village. Even if they were only passersby.
He was willing to provide rooms, and offered a decent price for staying the full week.
They were sitting across from Kadia, who was picking at the meat on her plate. It looked raw, and Ayani wrinkled her nose at the metallic stink that rose from it.
"So..."
Seryan sipped at his spiced wine, fingers tapping the rim of the goblet with elegant rhythm.
"What did your...leader have to say?"
The werewolf paused in her picking, fingers tipped with blood. She licked them clean, before leaning back and grinning.
"He was okay with me leaving...after a few threats and bribes were made."
Ayani bit back a chuckle, trying not to draw anymore attention from the other patrons, but her lips still quirked up into a smile at the idea of Kadia intimidating someone. The Redguard had a talent for it. Ayani spoke, her voice low and only for her companion's ears.
"I'm sure he was very compliant. I do miss your talents for forceful coercion."
The three of them laughed behind their hands, eyes glinting with humour. At that moment, Ayani realised exactly how much she had missed her friends and their laughter.