EpicVakarian
Calibration-Master General
Rianele Ashsmith sighed as she followed the path down from the College towards the Frozen Hearth. She had been told of a letter waiting there for her, with the seal of the Council on it. Why the Council wanted her, she had no idea. But she was positive it wouldn't be good.
She entered the inn, and crossed to the barkeep, Dagur, and said,
"Hey, Dagur. I heard you got a letter for me?"
"That's right, little dove. Seal of the Council, and all. Don't rightly know what its about but if the Council's involved, it's something big and important, if you ask me."
Ria took the letter from Dagur, thanked him, and sat down at a table alone. She noticed Eirid and Nelacar sat on the other side of the inn, but she paid them no mind. She tore the seal, and opened the parchment.
She entered the inn, and crossed to the barkeep, Dagur, and said,
"Hey, Dagur. I heard you got a letter for me?"
"That's right, little dove. Seal of the Council, and all. Don't rightly know what its about but if the Council's involved, it's something big and important, if you ask me."
Ria took the letter from Dagur, thanked him, and sat down at a table alone. She noticed Eirid and Nelacar sat on the other side of the inn, but she paid them no mind. She tore the seal, and opened the parchment.
Rianele Ashsmith.
The Council knows who you are. We are in need of help.
Bandits, thugs and criminals of all makes are now in control of Elsweyr, after a shocking attack.
We need to drive them out. We cannot let them get away with such an act.
The Council is told that of all the people in Tamriel, you are the one to help.
They heard of your experience with such criminals, and your resulting hatred.
So the Council asks of you;
Come to the White-Gold Tower in Cyrodiil.
Come to the Council.
We need your help.
The Ruling Council of Tamriel
Ria stared down at the letter, reading it over and over again. She could not believe that the Council, the Ruling Council of Tamriel, would need the help of a 19-year-old girl. She didn't want to help; it would involve causing immense amounts of pain, which she had hated to do ever since that traumatic event three years ago. But who was she, to refuse the Council? She certainly wouldn't be 19 by the time she was let out of their dungeons if she did.
"Looks like I'll be gone a while, Dagur." Dagur sighed sadly. He had always been kind to her, like a second father. "I'll miss you too." Ria stood up suddenly, and decided that if she didn't go now, she would never be able to bring herself to go. She ran to the door, and stopped. "Goodbye for now, Dagur." And with that, she sprinted off back up to her quarters in the College. She gathered up her things, including Dragonfire and her travelling gear. She got changed and looked at Sand, who was asleep in the corner, curled up yet still taking up most of the room. She laughed. Sand had grown quickly. Since the pair had come to Skyrim two years ago, he'd grown from barely being a pup to an enormous monster of a tiger. He scared most of the students away from her quarters, as well as most of the people in Winterhold. She knelt down beside him and scratched his ears. Sand stretched and yawned, then got up. He always knew exactly what Ria was thinking. He followed her up into the Arch-mage's quarters.
"Arch-mage Aren!" she called, "I need to go." Savos Aren looked shocked and unsure what was happening. Ria handed him the letter, and watched as his face got even more shocked.
"Of course, Rianele. You must go. I hope, for your sake, that it is not as bad as it sounds."
Ria nodded, hugged the wizened old mage, and set off, down to Cyrodiil.
She took the road past Riften, heading south through the Rift and into the far north of Cyrodiil. After a few hours of travelling, Ria and Sand were a few leagues into Cyrodiil, and much closer to the Tower. Ria gasped; even from here, the White-Gold Tower could be seen in the distance. But she was exhausted, and she set up camp here for the night.
Ria woke in the morning, and found Sand had brought her a rabbit for breakfast. She skinned it with a short hunting knife and put it in a stew. She hurriedly wolfed down the liquid and set off again. By the end of the second day, they had reached the Heartlands, and halfway through the third day, they finally reached the Imperial City. She had had to catch a boat ride from a kind old man who had offered her a lift, but she was there.
She put a collar around Sand to show everyone in the city he was tame, and then hired a room in a nearby inn to sleep.
They slept for nearly twenty hours, exhausted by their unbelievably fast journey. The two of them woke, and then tried to find their way through the mess of streets to the Tower, which was even taller close up. She finally reached the tower at about one hour past midday, and came across an incredibly tall Nord wearing a chain cuirass with pieces of leather and plate armour over it. He wore a sword at his belt; it looked thin but very strong. The bow and arrows on his back were quite large; the bow looked taller than Ria was herself. He seemed troubled. Not stopping to think that perhaps the man could have less-than-honourable intentions, she quickly strolled over to him.
"Umm... excuse me?" The man turned towards her. For the first time she got a view of his face. He had thin brown eyes, a prominent but not overly large nose, and a thin mouth. Covering his chin was a thick black goatee, that stretched up beyond his ears, connecting up with his hair, which was just as black as his beard, shoulder-length and slightly tangled. Just underneath his left eye was a large scar. Ria had a scar in the exact same place, but it was much less conspicuous than this man's scar, which was deep, long and easily noticed. Drinking in all of his appearance at once, his enormous height, his thin but strong body, his handsome but worn face, she could still see that he was just a couple of years older than Ria, and her heart fluttered slightly, as it had when she had been with Uthyn back in Daggerfall. But he still looked as though he had troubles to deal with at the Tower.
"Is something wrong? You look worried."