ShockHelix
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Post by ShockHelix on Aug 29, 2013 8:21:22 GMT -5
Aran was bringing up the rear of the group when the assassin appeared from the corner, swinging an axe at Chloe's head. With the thin alley, he couldn't get past the two guardsmen to help Chloe, and he considering pushing them into the fight, which they took their sweet time in deciding to join. Aran couldn't even wait to help, as another one of the assassins appeared in the alleyway behind them.
Whoever the man was, he was not half the opponent Aran expected him to be, and a charm spell shot forth from Aran's shield arm into the attackers chest. The assailant managed a dazed look for moment until Aran's sword came crashing into his shoulder, cleaving down into his lungs. Death was quick, and Aran ignored his throes, looking for another combatant. Without oene, he was glad to see that Chloe had dispatched her own, even without help from the two guardsmen. The two mages were still unaccounted for, and perhaps a fourth archer, though he couldn't be sure.
The smoke was growing thicker in the alleyway then it had in the street, and the crackling flame of burning buildings was nearing them again. "Keep moving! We need to get to the barracks!" Aran was certain that if they could manage to get inside the keep, the assailants wouldn't be brave enough to follow them in. An arrow clattered against the ground near the sergeants feet, meaning that there was at least one person still tying to kill them.
Pushing forward through the alleyway, it eventually spilled them back onto the main street, with horses rearing at their masters and water teams rushing to put out the flames. Whatever mage had been this side of the wall of fire seemed to have fled, and Aran didn't feel like waiting around for the remaining archer to take another shot.
It seemed the guards shared his sentiment, as the Sergeant began jogging up the road towards the keep, motioning for them to follow. Aran didn't waste any time himself, keeping close to Chloe with his shield at the ready. He couldn't believe how horribele his luck was. It was only the second day of his service, and already things were trying to kill Chloe. He had expected to make it to the mountains at least, and even then perhaps only needing to defend her from a troll. Clearly the cities were not as safe as he had once thought, and he was definitely going to need to reanalyze his assessment of them. The narrow streets were more like deathtraps, now that he thought about.
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ThreeDawg
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Post by ThreeDawg on Aug 29, 2013 11:59:09 GMT -5
Chloe stared momentarilly at the man as he died, he had no reason to attempt to kill her! In broad daylight no less. Her family had few enemies that would hire assassins, simple trade rivalries didn't often extend to this level of response! She glances a look at Aran, who had dispatched his own foe, the Sergeant ordered them to move as an arrow clattered near his feet. She didn't need more reason than that to leave. She ended the man by thrusting her sword into his neck. His brown eyes, flecked gently with a splattering of black and grey, widened as the sword plunged through his flesh. She heard him cough blood beneath his mask as she was being whisked away by Aran and the guards. Better that than slowly bleeding out.
The road leading to the keep was full of panic, horses bolted, women cried, children scream, men rushed towards the scene with whatever water they could carry. A futile effort that would at-best hold it back in these dense streets, no doubt mages would be here in a few minutes to kill the fire with frost manipulation lest a block of the city burn down, or worse. She turned to look at the carnage, noting a number of injured being treated by a priest and several corpses that had already been pulled from the fire. One seemed to be a robed figure, his clothing burnt off around his chest and the skin underneath charred and open. One of the mages that she had hit with an explosive fireball? She didn't have time to inspect further as the sergeant began his job towards the keep. She followed, hopeing that they would remain safe now that they had dodged the original ambush and killed the majority of the assailants.
Even with the apparant safety of the road ahead and the looming presence of the keep, Chloe kept looking back at the rooftops for any signs of the other archer or the mages. They were only a few minutes at this speed from the barracks and soon they encountered guards running in the opposite direction, towards the fire. One man stopped to check on the group but the Sergeant dismissed him, "Go, man! We are all unharmed, we have lost one to the fire and one is missing. You are needed there." to which the soldier ran off to join his group. The barracks were quite intimidating in size, having been built to house much of the Watch for this side of the city right up to the exterior of the Keep itself. Courtyard gates we left swung open, probably by the guards that had just left for the fire. The sergeant slowed as he reached the gates, motioning for Chloe and Aran to enter while the three remaining watch were to station themselves at the courtyard lest anyone foolishly try to assault them here too.
The sergeant opened the door to the barracks, surprisingly empty given that the majority of the off-duty Watch had been called to the emergency down the road. An assistant approached them, punching his fist towards his breast and bowing his head in a salute to the Sergeant. Bedastyr nodded in return, to which the assistant handed him a small sheet of paper. Bedastyr begun to walk towards a door at the far end of the room, waving Chloe and Aran over to some empty chairs. "Take a seat, Lady Labelle. I must relay this recent turn of events to Captain Uthore. I will arrange for you to see him shortly."
Chloe complied, taking a seat at the chairs. Her breathing was short and fast, until she coughed some of the smoke from her lungs. The Assistant brought over a pitcher of water and some cups, "This may help you, Lm'Lady." Chloe gave the man a short smile, pouring some water and drinking the entire cup full.
"Take a drink if you wish, Aran. It's quite refreshing."
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ShockHelix
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Post by ShockHelix on Aug 29, 2013 17:44:33 GMT -5
Aran was relieved when they reached the keep, though he kept a steady eye on the road until they were inside the barracks. He had a mind to begin a shouting match with the sergeant as soon as they were inside, but he kept himself restrained. Chloe was his master, and he had to act as she did. He sat uncomfortably in the chair, wanting answers, but the sergeant left them to go talk to the Captain.
Whoever this captain was, he couldn't be all that great of a leader, sitting in his office while the city was on fire. Most likely mages would be putting the fire out by now, but there were still murderers running through the streets. When the assistant brought over some water, Aran eyed the water thirstily, but he couldn't take any until Chloe offered him some.
"Take a drink if you wish, Aran. It's quite refreshing."
With relief, he poured himself some of the water, the cool liquid wetting his dry throat. He pondered if the smoke inhalation required any healing, and he was about to offer Chloe some when the sergeant returned from the captain's office.
"Captain Uthore will see you know. I'm afraid I must go see to things."
The sergeant left the door open and walked at a brisk pace from the barracks, no doubt going to ensure order was secured. Standing, Aran followed Chloe into the Captain's office, and began sizing up the man. He was a grizzeled veteran, to be sure, with scars marking his face and the start of wrinkles giving them strange depth. No doubt the man had held his position for a long time, though Aran always felt fewer scars meant the better soldier.
"Lady Labelle. Sit." The Captain seemed to ignore Aran, so he simply stood by the door with his arms crossed. He considered removing his helmet, but he didn't expect to stay too long, with the Captain having more pressing matters to attend to.
"I am glad that you reached me in one piece. Clearly whatever knowledge you carry is enough to warrant your death. Knowledge that I need." The Captain stood, walking over to a painting of a battle on the wall, and seemed to study it while he talked. "The man you found on the road, we can only assume to be a messenger. He carried important information. Information people are willing to kill for. The king will appreciate your help. Describe to me everything you noticed about the body. From the start."
Aran noticed, with significant distaste, that Uthore had not mentioned anything about appreciating Chloe's help himself.
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ThreeDawg
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Post by ThreeDawg on Aug 30, 2013 7:45:30 GMT -5
When Chloe approached the Captain's door a sudden sense of dread flushed over her. She had never been in a place like this before, only now did she realise she would be seeing a man that if she displeased could lock her up for a long time. She didn't like that. When the door opened she put on her bravest act, even if she was scared. She had no reason to be, she had done nothing wrong only report a murder.
The man was a veteran of many seasons, that much was clear. She outright assumed he had been present during the Great War, no doubt many of these scars were formed from Elven blades. At least he was a Breton, or at least half, less chance of racial discrimination there then. As per his instructions she sat down on the chair provided to her. The way he got up and moved around as he talked was discomforting, if a slight bit rude too. She had always been taught to speak to a man's face when in formal conversation, something she had taken to heart as a youngster.
The Captain spoke. "I am glad that you reached me in one piece. Clearly whatever knowledge you carry is enough to warrant your death. Knowledge that I need. The man you found on the road, we can only assume to be a messenger. He carried important information. Information people are willing to kill for. The king will appreciate your help. Describe to me everything you noticed about the body. From the start."
She couldn't believe for a start what he was saying, she had no knowledge about any of this, all she had done was find a corpse! Her family had never been the one to insight violence against them from anyone but bandits. She didn't fancy starting a new tradition. He wanted to know all the details and she would tell him. She sat straighter, before talking, "Myself and my bodyguard" she indicated Aran with a slight movement of her arm, "were riding at a trot down the road from Tuless. Roughly halfway I noticed a glint of metal in the corner of my eye, amongst the brambles and bushes at the road side. I stopped my Horse and climbed off, going towards the bushes to inspect what it could have been. In the bushes I found your messenger, his armour was still equipped but seemed highly damaged from a fight, blood had pooled from a cut in his side." The Captain seemed slightly irritated by the lack of information she was presenting, so he cut to the point she thought he would find most interesting, "The man had no sword near him, no belongings other than the armour on his back. No gold, no packages,no horse, nothing. Strange for a 'messenger', as you called him, but at the time I believed he had just been robbed by bandits." She sounded sincere enough, but she added on the end, "I feared for my life in those woods, I believe there could have been an ambush along the road. Thankfully there wasn't."
She thought on after she had finished, "If I may," she continued anyway, "how did these assassins know that I held any information? If the only ones who knew were myself, my bodyguard and your men at the gates? Not to mention they were the only ones who knew where we were arranged to stay."
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ShockHelix
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Deity of Death
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Post by ShockHelix on Aug 30, 2013 8:43:50 GMT -5
"If I may, how did these assassins know that I held any information? If the only ones who knew were myself, my bodyguard and your men at the gates? Not to mention they were the only ones who knew where we were arranged to stay."
Aran wasn't convinced that Chloe needed permission to talk. She was a lady, and Aran already hoped the man might receive some retribution for how rude he was. He was even more uncomfortable with Chloe calling him her bodyguard though. Most bodyguards implied a certain level of both pay and disloyalty, both of which were not factors for him. Either way, Uthore narrowed his eyes at Chloe, and Aran was almost positive that he was scowling.
"I would very much like to know that myself, Miss Laebelle. Perhaps you were not as careful with your words as you might think, or maybe your 'trusted bodyguard' is not so trustworthy." Aran wanted to hit the man, but he maintained his pose, staring needles at the captain through under his helmet. Aran felt it obvious the man had an information leak somewhere in his guard, and he was fairly certain the Captain knew as well.
"Regardless, it seems there is little I can trust this days, so you will forgive me if I do not take you at your word. With matters of this importance, I can take no chances. A Royal Questioner will be brought to verify your story, so for your own sake I hope you have been truthful. . . Until that time, you may both consider yourselves under arrest."
Aran's mouth dropped open beneath his helmet, not that anyone could see it. Under arrest? By the divines, what in Oblivion was that messenger carrying? Aran could not imagine anything that would warrant such behavior, on people who had just been assaulted in the streets. Did the Captain truly think they had anything to do with the man's murder, or the assault in the street? He considered arguing with the man, but it was inappropriate for a servant to speak unless spoken to without some kind of order. He silently cursed his limitations as the Captain continued.
Uthore seemed not to care for any objections Chloe might have offered, and Aran wondered how someone with his manners had stayed in his position for very long. "Sergeant Bedastyr will be waiting outside with a guard to take you to a holding room for an individual of your station. You will surrender your weapons to him. If you resist, I assure you, this will go poorly for you, and you need not think you can escape the city alive."
Aran's fury welled inside him, and it took all his self control not to lash out at the upjumped guardsmen. That line was too close to a death threat, and Aran was tempted to return with one of his own. Clearly the Captain-General had been mad to ever allow someone so rude to be a Captain of the Guard.
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ThreeDawg
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Post by ThreeDawg on Aug 30, 2013 11:08:33 GMT -5
Chloe was completely outraged! The man had questioned the loyalty of her servant and her own honour, verify her story! Her face bore a deep scowl, she hadn't been so insulted for a long time. "Why, sir, would I have had my guard tell you we found a body, if we had been a part of the deed! This is ridiculous and you have no grounds to arrest me on other than a distrust of your own sources!" Her fury was flowering in her body, images of setting fire to the captain and this entire room filled her mind. Clenching her fists was all she could do to control her hands from filling with Magicka and burning her way out of here. Under arrest! Her father would pull enough strings to have this man relinquished of his duty if he found out!
"Sergeant Bedastyr will be waiting outside with a guard to take you to a holding room for an individual of your station. You will surrender your weapons to him. If you resist, I assure you, this will go poorly for you, and you need not think you can escape the city alive."
She had half a mind to show him resistence, with all the available Mages fighting the fire, she could break out of this barracks and flee the city before they managed to recover! Nobody knew where they were headed and Hammerfell was out of their control. . . But they would go after her family instead. They would be disgraced, their future ruined by the loss of their heir. An irritable sigh left her lips, followed by a snarling groan. "Fine! But when your Royal Questioner proves our innocence you'll have a case on your hands!" She rose from the chair quite abruptly, so much that the chair almost fell backwards. "Aran! Let us proceed outside before my temper flares." She turned on her heels, showing the Captain no kindness at all. She allowed Aran to open the door for her, but she chose to slam it herself, putting a period on her declaration if anger.
Bedastyr was awaiting them outside, he had no restraints. Clearly he knew she wouldn't resist and it'd be against her nobility. "This way, Lady Labelle." he said as he motioned towards One of the adjacent doors. She'd love to show him 'this way', a fireball right to his stomach!
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ShockHelix
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Deity of Death
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Post by ShockHelix on Aug 30, 2013 15:19:02 GMT -5
"Fine! But when your Royal Questioner proves our innocence you'll have a case on your hands! Aran! Let us proceed outside before my temper flares."
Aran opened the door quickly, raising an eyebrow beneath his helmet. He was furious, to be certain, but Chloe did not seem to be masking her own anger. He moved out of the way quickly as she took the door and slammed it behind her, and chose to stare at Bedastyr rather then face his masters gaze. He hoped she did not decide to take this out on him later. If she was keeping her temper from flaring, he did not want to see what she was like in a rage.
"This way, Lady Labelle." Aran followed on his masters heels, unhappy with their 'escort.' Even a fool could see that Chloe was the victim here, and Aran wondered what could possibly lead them to believe she could be guilty of anything. Bedastyr was at least much more polite then Uthore, and Aran wished the men's positions had been reversed.
"My lady, I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, and I fully understand that you must be upset." Clearly Bedastyr was accustomed to dealing with unhappy 'prisoners,' likely but into their rage by Uthore each time. Aran took note of his honeyed words, and was surprised it was an actual to effort to hold venom to the sergeant. "I myself am confident of your innocence, though Uthore is not a man to take chances. He tends to see people as guilty until proven innocent. A harsh trait, but it has. . . Forgive me, I should not speak of such things. Surely it will be better if you do not know when the questioner comes, if you do not already."
Aran's attitude changed from infuriated to puzzled almost instantly. What had the sergeant been going to say? He could not even come up with a theory to what the guard had meant to say, and he instead began wondering what exactly what a royal questioner was. He had heard of them to be sure, but he knew nothing of their methods, only that they were nefarious for getting the truth out of anyone, with some doubt as to whether or not it was even the truth.
Bedastyr stopped at a door, heading inside and motioning for Chloe and Aran to enter. The room hardly looked like a prison cell, and was no doubt used for prisoners of importance. It was fully furnished in the style of a sitting room, complete with cushioned chairs, a table with a stones board, a shelf of books, and several tapestries. Off to one side of the room was a raised table with dried food and pitchers of drink, which Aran wondered how often it was changed.
Bedastyr bowed at the entrance, clearly trying to gain some amount of favor. "The questioner will be here shortly, I am certain, and then you can be on your way." The sergeant looked a bit uncertain, but added something to the end. "Beautiful birds are not meant to be caged, I am sure you will fly free soon my lady."
Aran nearly guffawed, at the same time wanting to go over and deck the lout for his insolence. From Aran's view, Chloe was far above the sergeants position, and the man and his honeyed words certainly needed to learn their place. Chloe would fly alright, straight out of Wayrest and the fools that seemed to run the place. For the first time, Aran was glad that Chloe wished to avoid cities. If this was the kind of nonsense he would need to put up with in her service, better they avoided other people before he lost his temper.
The sergeant closed the door behind him, but Aran could see at least two of the guards that accompanied them standing outside the door. A nice room or not, clearly they were indeed meant to be prisoners.
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ThreeDawg
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Post by ThreeDawg on Aug 30, 2013 16:44:00 GMT -5
Chloe followed Bedastyr down the corridor, shuffling along behind him. How could she possibly be in this situation, right before her adventure had even begun. She had done nothing! A pure innocent, she could be anyone with any background and this situation would be exactly the same. But no, she was Chloe Labelle and she was innocent!
"My lady, I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, and I fully understand that you must be upset."
She calmed a little at his words, only marginally. Perhaps he wasn't the enemy, but instead his Captain was. Her arms folded as she continued to allow him to show how much he 'understood'.
"I myself am confident of your innocence, though Uthore is not a man to take chances. He tends to see people as guilty until proven innocent. A harsh trait, but it has. . . Forgive me, I should not speak of such things. Surely it will be better if you do not know when the questioner comes, if you do not already."
Questioner? That didn't sound good. . . Nor did what Bedastyr decided to not tell her. She decided not to pursue it, clearly she'd be finding out when the Questioner came. She hoped she would be visited by someone who would simply ask her questions, rather than an interrogation. She approached the door as Bedastyr opened it, stepping through into the well decorated and comfortable room. It was nice, she had to admit. A better waiting room than she had seen at many establishments let alone a Barracks. Maybe she was being treated better, maybe they didn't believe she had done anything wrong after all. She turned to watch Bedastyr leave, bowing as he did.
"The questioner will be here shortly, I am certain, and then you can be on your way. Beautiful birds are not meant to be caged, I am sure you will fly free soon my lady."
Oh. . . Well. . . Chloe got a little flustered at that, hey lis moving as if trying to talk before she just closed them. It had been a while before she had been complimented by anyone, but she shook it out of her soon afterwards. She straightened her back again, refusing to be lowered by his feeble attempts to garner her respect, probably to be recommended for his place over his Captain should she get her family involved. "As you say, Sergeant. We will remain here in the mean time. Do try to speed this up for me, I would much appreciate being out of this city before those assassins attempt another strike at me."
Bedastyr left the room, allowing Chloe to turn around and collapse backwards over the arm onto the plush-cushioned sofa in the room. Her hands went to her hair and she held it in her grip. "Arrested! I've never been arrested! I've not even done anything!" she sat up a little, her elbows supporting her upper body as she looked over at Aran, "I've not even done anything!" she repeated, a little louder. A sigh left her lips as she turned to straighten herself into a correct sitting position, brushing herself off "Best prepare ourselves for this Royal Questioner. . . I've never heard of those. Do you know what they do?"
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ShockHelix
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Post by ShockHelix on Aug 30, 2013 18:22:53 GMT -5
"Arrested! I've never been arrested! I've not even done anything!
Aran simply nodded, searching for some kind of reassurance. He didn't find any, and cursed himself for it. It was obvious she was innocent, but what could he say?
"I've not even done anything! . . .Best prepare ourselves for this Royal Questioner. . . I've never heard of those. Do you know what they do?"
"I apologize Chloe, I know very little of the Royal Questioners. . . They are some subject of rumor, always finding the answers they want, and sometimes answers they don't. . . I can only assume they are affiliated with the king, though as to why one would be seen as necessary for this, I do not know."
Aran went over to the raised table, and examined the pitchers. One of them held only water, though the other held spiced wine which steamed as though it had been warmed recently. Perhaps the room had been prepared for them ahead of time, which bothered him. If that was the case, it seemed as though the captain had intended to arrest them before they'd even talked with him. And that was truly worrying.
Aran poured Chloe some of the wine and brought it to her, with a slight bow of his head. "Whatever the reason, I am sure they find it important." He certainly didn't like it anymore then she did, but as a servant, he was not supposed to question of others. He was the lowest of the low, after all. "Perhaps the Questioner can shed some light on the situation, if the assassins truly wished you dead. It might be best that we remained at the barracks for a time anyway. Walking around the streets in such a manner with a price on your head would not bode well for your health, Lady Chloe." Aran could only imagine what might've happened if the guards were not there as extra targets, even if the archers did seem poorly trained.
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ThreeDawg
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Post by ThreeDawg on Aug 30, 2013 19:39:13 GMT -5
Chloe listened to Aran, his words were reassuring. She was only going to be questioned, she had nothing I hide. She would get out fine. There's be a formal apology, Chloe would send a letter to her father, the assassins would be hunted down. Then maybe she could get to Mournmoth. It was still early in the day.
She smiled at Aran as he brought her some spiced wine. "Thank you, Aran. Have one yourself, if you want." Her smile continued, although it bore a sadness to it. She was slowly remembering the morning. She had been awake for a few hours, at the most, and already someone had tried to kill her. She had killed him, and likewise the fire caused may have killed many innocents. It was morning, how many would still be in bed in this part of the city? She hoped the fire hadn't spread very far, and she hoped she had killed one of the mags responsible with her fireball.
She took a drink from the spiced wine, it was warm still and fragrant on her tongue. It was nice, although she was unsure why the food and drink had been set up for them before they had even arrived. Clearly they had planned to make use of this 'Royal Questioner' before she had even agreed to leave.
She sighed again, "You know, I just wanted to see the world. See all the things I had read in my books. It's not really started off well, has it. I hope the questioner comes quickly. I would very much like to leave this city. I dislike it. . ." She thought along the lines of, would she rather face a Dragon in the Wrothgarian mountains than spend another hour or two here. Every second pushed her more in favour of the Dragon.
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ShockHelix
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Post by ShockHelix on Aug 31, 2013 7:43:53 GMT -5
Aran gathered himself a drink while Chloe voiced her concerns, but he was not convinced. Things had went poorly, certainly, but a journey with this kind of start, we was certain would never be dull. Even if she hated the city, even she must be able to see the story unfolding. Perhaps it was only because of the stories he knew, but he could see one in the making.
"If it please you lady Chloe, adventure will not be any. . . cleaner then this. Blood will be spilled, attempts on your life will be made, and you will need kill or be killed. Considering what might come to pass, this is relatively inconvenient, at the most, if I may say so." Aran didn't much like it any more then she did, but this was his purpose. Even if his master showed uncertainty or doubt, he was permitted to show known.
"I cannot guess how the rest of your travels will unfold, but the start at least has the makings of a story. Arrested on your first day away from home, assassins forcing you to watch your every step, mistreated by the guards in the city you grew up near. . . If events continue on this path, you may be surprised to find yourself in a song, my lady."
Aran was glad he had mastered himself, his voice threatening to go unsteady. He was not interested in winding up in a song himself, and most likely his involvement would only amount to dying heroically to save his masters life. He wanted adventure, but anything in excess of travel was more then he was hoping for. The door swung open, and Aran turned while taking a drink of wine.
The questioner came in, all silks and an air of arrogance, and Aran silently laughed that the name Royal might have just come from the questioners opinion of themselves. Either way, the man was Aldmeri, and his laughter was short lived as the implications set in. An Aldmeri asking the questions, most likely with magic from the look of the man, would no doubt wind up causing a political incident before too long.
"Hello, Lady Chloe. I am Runoth Azari. I shall be questioning you today."
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ThreeDawg
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Post by ThreeDawg on Aug 31, 2013 16:34:13 GMT -5
Chloe sipped from her drink, as Aran poured himself one. The spiced wine was reasonable, but it was bitter-sweet. Not only in taste, but when viewed in her circumstances. Aran begun to talk about his opinions on their capture, on their future. She listened intently, gently sipping from her spiced wine as he talked. She nodded at him, giving him a sign of agreement as he finished. "I understand what you mean, it won't be easy. But I wasn't expecting to be arrested during my trials, an inconvenience it may be but it is an inconvenience I wish I wasn't going through right now."
She allowed him to continue, taking more sips from her spiced wine. Again she nodded, showing her agreement, before givinghim a response to this latest series of points. "The makings of a story, it may. But how many of these stories actually have a grand ending? I know of the Hero of Cyrodiil, his name lost to time and his apparant death during the Stormcrown Interregnum. What if I want more than that? What if I don't want to settle for dieing in some forgotten battle, or assassinated by a Dark Brotherhood's arrow while I take a morning swim." she let out a sigh, but before she could continue the door swung open.
The man was an Altmer, clad in the blue silk of upper-class Wayrest officials. Clearly he was the questioner that had been sent. Her heart skipped a few beats in fear of the Altmer, not out of having anything to hide but out of his race and occupation. An Altmer was being sent to question her, she had heard many stories of the Thalmor and their interrogation methods. She prayed to the Eight that this man wasn't going to work along those lines.
"Hello, Lady Chloe. I am Runoth Azari. I shall be questioning you today."
Again her heart spirraled at his words. He sounded friendly enough, but the way he pronounced questioning sounded stereotypically menacing of an Altmer. She spoke, fighting hard to stop her voice from shaking, "I will answer all your questions to the best of my abilities." Right at that moment she vowed that if he was to interrogate her, she wouldn't cry or scream. She had done nothing wrong.
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ShockHelix
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Post by ShockHelix on Aug 31, 2013 16:59:04 GMT -5
"I will answer all your questions to the best of my abilities."
"I am sure you will." The questioner moved over to sit next to her, and took her hand gently in his. Aran took a step towards them, but a look from one of the guards that had accompanied the man told him interfering would be a bad idea. He could feel the swirl of magicka in the air, and he was positive the man had cast some kind of spell. Silently, he watched, wishing that he still had his sword.
"Now, Lady Labelle, please describe to me your trip to Wayrest, in detail, and how you found the body." There was really no difference in what she said now, as well there shouldn't be. She had not lied to the captain, and Aran had been with her the entire time anyway. The questioner nodded thoughtfully, seeming to absorb the words that Chloe said, and the guards looked at each other uncertainly. Clearly, they were as uncomfortable with the questioner as Aran was.
The questioner held up his hand, nodding to Chloe. "That is enough, Lady Chloe. Just a few more questions, and if you feel safe enough you can be on your way. The first, I must know if you have any idea why those assassins might have attacked you in the street. Second, I must know if you have any enemies in the city. And finally, I must know if you are involved in any plots against the King."
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ThreeDawg
Administrator
Voice of the Wastes
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Post by ThreeDawg on Aug 31, 2013 17:56:51 GMT -5
Chloe gingerly presented her hand to the Mer, which he took with all the gentleness he could muster. Perhaps her fear was unfounded, perhaps the Altmer were not so bad after all. She felt the Magicka being summoned before it hit her, she knew not what had happened, but something was wrong. Something tugged at her mind, drawing her into the Altmer's every word as he asked her the question. She repeated her answer, just as she did with the Captain, only she found herself including minor details like the revelry of Tuless's guards.
She was relieved to have ended her description once she had reached Wayrest. Again she found herself drawn into his words, to his will. Her lips moved to answer his questions and her mind poured out the information yet she knew little of what she said. Her voice was a little weaker this time around, her eyes firmly locked into his. " "I have no idea why assassins would have attacked me in the street, my only thought being that they would wish me not to relay the story of my finding the body to you." she took a deep breath, continueing on to answer the second and third points. "I have no enemies in the city, although my father has a number of trade rivals but they are largely friendly, greatful for the competition to aid them in raising their prices. I am not in any plots against the King, I wish only to travel Tamriel."
She ended with a long exhale, hopeing that soon the Mer would leave her and she would be free of his spell. It was causing her discomfort, she couldn't help but think that if she had lied about anything that it would have done something horrible to her. She was greatful that wasn't the case, because she didn't wish to see Aran break the questioner's neck and be cut down by the guards.
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ShockHelix
Administrator
Deity of Death
No mercy for the weak. No pity for the dying. No tears for the slain.
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Post by ShockHelix on Sept 1, 2013 12:44:58 GMT -5
Aran was a bit incredulous at the questioner. He had heard some ridiculous things, but accusing the Lady Chloe of plotting against the king was ridiculous. Whatever message the man had been carrying, Aran was uncertain he wanted to know any longer.
The Lady Chloe was looking increasingly uncomfortable, and Aran had taken a single step forward when one of the guards put a hand on his shoulder. The questioner was definitely using some kind of magic, and Aran was bristling with rage. The Altmer should have never touched her without her permission, never influenced her without first saying what he intended.
Worse yet, Aran should never have allowed the Aldmeri to do either. It was foolishness on his part, and no doubt he was in for a strapping later. Chloe's answers were simple and to the point, and Aran wondered just what might have happened if she had not been telling the truth. Another thing he didn't want to find out.
The questioner nodded, seeming content, and raised up. "That shall be all I require. May you have a pleasant day." He departed quickly, without so much as a glance in Aran's direction. As much dislike as he already held for the questioner, he had at least assisted Aran. Now he would no longer need to ask Chloe any questions about enemies, and he was glad to hear she had none.
One of the guards laid their weapons on the table, bowing slightly. "You may depart as soon as you both are ready, though I would recommend staying in the city for a few days. Accommodations can be found for you in the palace, if you so desire, though the choice is yours. At least until your assassins can be located. Captain Uthore's assistant can make the arrangements for you." The guard bowed as he and his companions departed, with Aran staring needles at them the entire time. They closed the door behind them, and Aran was gla they were gone.
Without missing a beat, he had set down his wine goblet and moved to Chloe, dropping to a knee. His head bowed low, deferring to her as superior. He knew he would be punished, but there was no fear in his voice, only impassive apathy. At least he hoped so. "I beg for your forgiveness, my Lady. I should never have allowed the man to put you under spell without your permission. Please, I beg of you to punish me until you are satisfied that I have atoned for my incompetency."
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