Ok my dear readers.....here starts chapter 4....hope you will enjoy it!

Chapter 3

It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required

Sir Winston Churchill


I stayed another week at Arvs Drelen, being a devoted scholar of Baladas Demnevanni, who in fact was more of a father to me than Rufus Vantinius back in Cyrodiil ever had been. I learned a horde of spells suitable for, if nothing else, keeping me alive in the harsh country I was to encounter.

It was with mixed feelings I took leave of Baladas and Shulki an early Turdas-morning as I was bound eastwards to the Ahemmusa Camp. Master Demnevanni had given me a nice set of potions and scrolls; Shulki gave me a wonderful cloak made of softened netch-leather, dyed in dark green with complicated embroideries along the edges. She had spent over a year making this robe and it was originally meant for her wedding. I first refused to accept it but Shulki urged me to it, since she was convinced that I saved her life by revealing the Talos Cult plot, and she was now to move in with Master Demnevanni and devote herself to follow in his footsteps; therefore she was not going to marry anyway. I then embraced her, tears running down my face, and accepted the wonderful gift and wished her all luck. I was really sorry to leave Gnisis; Shulki and Baladas Demnevanni were the only family I had....so far.

I went by Silt Strider to Khuul, a small fishing-village on the north-west coast of Vvardenfell. The rain was pouring down as I arrived and I hurried along the road leading from the Strider port to the village itself. Luckily my cloak was impregnated with Shalk-resin so it resisted the rain very well. Nevertheless I arrived at the actual village dripping from rainwater and extremely hungry. I asked around for some services and was shown to Thongar´s trade house, a rather simple place but where I at least could buy some bread and Scrib-jelly.

I also found out that in order to get to Ahemmusa Camp the best thing to do was to take a ship to Dagon Fel and then walk from there. I wasn’t all that happy about going by boat, since the weather still showed no improvement; in addition to the pouring rain a rather hard wind had started whirling around and the sea did not look friendly at all. I can’t stand the sea and I did not fancy losing my lunch to the sea-creatures, so I decided to ask Thongar, the Nordic proprietor, if I could wait a couple of hours in his house. I was allowed to sit down in a corner and so I did.

I must have fallen asleep sitting there because suddenly I was aware of some movement just beside me and when I opened my eyes I spotted Thongar´s hands deep down my in backpack, I immediately grabbed his wrist muttering:”'M feinedd balf fferrir”, and watched him grow pale as my grip turned his arm to a frozen piece of meat. Master Demnevanni´s spells were indeed very efficient and this one, “Icy Grip” was no exception…

“So, what are you looking for?” I asked coldly and relieved my grip so the blood could circulate freely in his arm again. The incredible pain as the frozen limb started to gain normal temperature was clear in his face; sweat was dripping from his forehead and he moaned as he desperately rubbed his arm.

“N-N-nothing, nothing at all” he gasped, looking hatefully at me, “Get out of here immediately. You cursed Witch”.

I saw no reason to disobey him, so after checking that nothing was actually stolen from me I went out of the Trade house and down to the docks. The wind had eased a bit and I bought a one-way ticket to Dagon Fel. I must have been rather exhausted, because I slept most of the trip, and arrived the following morning in Dagon Fel, the biggest Nordic settlement on Vvardenfell. It was a rather nice town, a mixture between grey wooden shacks and some patchwork stone houses surrounded by a wall….partially torn down though.

A tall blonde woman greeted me as I stepped off the ship, wondering if I needed some accommodation during my stay. She told me her name was Mette and that she could recommend “The End of The World Renter Rooms” where she currently was employed, as a scout. I found the name of the accommodation rather amusing considering that I actually was at the End of Vvardenfell at the moment, so I followed her there. I was offered a rather large room, with a bed, a small table and a large drawer in it. On the table I found a book that caught my interest, not so much the title, but the author: “The True Noble’s Code” written by Serjo Athyn Sarethi. I remembered Neminda mentioning him back in Ald´Ruhn as I joined the Great House Redoran…..

I laid down on the bed and started reading the book…..getting more and more doubtful the more I read; How could I possibly fit into The Great House Redoran? A house filled with noble warriors, worshipping the Tribunal, a thing I had not even the faintest clue what it really meant…..I shrugged and put the book aside…….closing my eyes for a bit.

Until this day I can’t tell what exactly woke me up, I only know that if something had not wakened me that bright morning at The End of The World, it really would had been The End of Serene Catraso, that’s for sure!

I don’t know what happened besides that I was sound asleep one minute and standing beside the bed, sword in hand, the next. I saw nothing, but a distinct prickling of my neck told me there was something there waiting for me. I turned around once more when a dark figure seemed to materialize out of the shadows, with a shiny sword in its hand. I realized that his armour was made of a light-absorbing material. I had no time to notice anything more, as he attacked with a ferocity I had never before encountered. I was able to use the greater reach of my long sword to advantage, keeping away from many of his attacks. Still, a significant number got through, and I felt something warm and wet run down the left side of my body. I fought without thinking, the instinct of survival made me launch a series of strokes that finally pressed my opponent into a corner of the room where I could finish him off with a lethal stroke to his stomach. As he sank to the floor, severely bleeding and his intestines visible through the deep cut I had given him I myself fell to my knees, panting from exhaustion, sobbing hysterically from grief of having to kill someone.....again!

I eventually calmed down and started to investigate my own wounds. Luckily I had taken off Shulki´s beautiful cloak or it would have been completely ruined. My shirt, soaked with sweat, had a long bloody rift in the left side, showing where the attacker had hurt me the worst. The cut was about 6 inches long and rather deep, since blood still was emerging from it in a rather heavy flow. I felt dizzy for a moment but managed to put my hand on the cut and concentrate. It was hard this time; my heart was still beating heavily and the sweat made my skin slippery so I wasn’t able to heal myself as swiftly as I used to. Finally I just tied a bandage made from the sleeves of my ruined shirt around me and hoped that would be sufficient.

Then I remembered the potions I got from Master Demnevanni, and I indulged myself with a small healing-mixture. Feeling much better and invigorated I started examining the body of my attacker. He was a young skinny Dunmer with a strange tattoo on his forehead. His armour was of very high quality; in addition to its light-absorbing properties, it also was designed to dampen sound. That would explain why nobody came to my aid in this fight. The sword was made from a material I never encountered before, strong yet very light and shiny. I decided to take custody of that sword and somehow find out what it was made of. I reckoned some Armourer would have the answer to that. I thoroughly wiped the sword clean from my own blood and put it on top of the chest of drawers.

Now the problem remained; what was I supposed to do with the corpse? I had no intention whatsoever to stay at The End of The World; if there had been one attack there could very much likely be another, especially since this attacker was unable to get back to whoever employed him and report me as being dead.....I was almost certain there had to be an employer of some kind- too many strange unexplainable things had happened to me since I got to this Island; an attempted murder did not really surprise me, just made me feel very sad, mostly because I had to kill another human being, something that I had already done a couple of times even though I resented it deep in my heart.

I took the sheets from my bed and wrapped the corpse in them and shoved him in under my bed. Then I unwrapped my bandage, seeing that the wound was almost healed, just a red scar remained stretching from under my left breast to the hipbone, the scar was sore and prevented me from bending and moving freely, but didn’t really bother me that much. Obviously the sword that made that wound was extremely sharp, otherwise it wouldn’t have cut that deep.

I also realised I’d have a problem finding something to wear, that ruined shirt was my last one, as were the trousers I was wearing, dirty, stained with blood and sweat, they were at least not torn but I did not fancy wearing then anyway. It seemed as I had nothing left except a dancing dress that Shulki had given me because it was anyway too small for her. It was an extremely short black one with shoulder straps, not much to wear during a journey and definitely not anything I would think of wearing when walking around in Dagon Fel.......

Wooo! New Chapter!
Great as always Minque

A great start to chapter 4. Serene's instincts are good; I wonder how often they will come to her rescue. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how she helps the Ahemmusa (once she gets there).

wow, nice Mique a very interesting perdicament(sp?) good thing she made a friend of sorts with the scout

I just saw this update, very good writing, I'm looking forward to another update.

Wonderful Minque, nice to see that your story keeps on going and the writing is as great as always!

Great work, more please!

Just for my loyal readers I´ll submit these:


Ok...I hear what you say

I´m going to summon something ....

Shall we dance?

very nice Minque please more

What?! I haven't commented on this yet? I am a bad person. This is a promising start to the new chapter- she will soon be with the Ahemmusa.... I liked the "Serene-like" way she dealt with the thief- no undue violence, just a spell that suited the attempted crime.

And now the D.B. is after her, too! What evil person could have sent them after our favorite character? I will simply have to read and find out....

i cant believe i havent checked back to see if you started the next chapter. Well as always great addition

Hehe, really nice screenshots there...

Awsom update minque! That is a confounding conumdrum...

It turned out I had no other choice than put that dress on, together with my leather cloak and step down the stairs to the bar at the ground floor of The End of The World. I was freezing in my odd outfit and could hardly prevent my hands from shaking when I approached the counter. Standing there, calmly sipping from a large goblet, was a tall well-built Nordic woman with a shiny red-blonde hair floating down her back. She was dressed in a brown and blue woollen shirt with a fur-collar, over a brown long skirt and gave me a curious look as I came closer.

“Ye look as if yer freezin´ Miss” she gave me a friendly smile, “C’mon `ave a Mead, it’ll warm ya up.” The woman nodded at the barkeep and gave me her hand.

“Anja Swift-Sailer, at yer service. Drink’s on me tonight; me longboat’s all ready by now, time te celebrate!”

I felt at ease hearing that Nordic tongue again, it reminded me of Sonya and thus my eyes filled with tears; the recent events rushed back upon me and my legs felt weak so I had to lean on the counter for support.

“Aye, lassie, wassup?” Anja grabbed my shoulders and led me to a chair and sat me down; really, she carried me to the seat, for my legs just bent under me and all went black for a minute. Anja pressed my head down between my knees in order to prevent me from fainting...and the blood slowly went back to my head again. I then tried the drink that was put in front of me and it really did warm me up a bit, but not as much as the friendly confident Nordic woman beside me.

Anja was very cheerful this afternoon; she was the proud owner of a small freight-company inherited from her father. This very day her new longboat had been delivered and now she could take passengers as well as freight. Unlike the open boats of the type, this one had a deck covering the hold and was powered by sails instead of oars. That made it easy for one person to operate in the islands off the north coast of Vvardenfell. We had a couple of drinks in the bar and I told her I was going to the Ahemmusa Camp. She offered to take me there by boat, which I welcomed. I just had to get myself some clothes first so she followed me to Heifnir the Trader. I bought some plain warm clothes that were also suitable to wear at the Camp. I had a feeling that it would be a mistake to appear at an Ashlander camp in Imperial finery; the Ashlander’s antipathy toward the Empire was well known. If I were to have a chance with the nomadic Dunmer, the first impression would be critical.

Anja and I got on very well together; she was well liked throughout Dagon Fel and being with her granted me the same friendliness among the mostly Nordic population. We went to her house and she cooked me a hearty dinner as well as letting me use her washing-facility. I felt very good sitting in the large wooden barrel that she used as bathtub, deep down in hot water seasoned with Heather.

“Ye like ´aving a bath, lassie?” Anja smiled as she washed my back with a piece of sload-soap, “My, my ye´ve ´ad a good beatin´up I reckon, lots a bruises ´ere, them must be botherin´ya!”

I was still rather sore from the fight with that assassin in black armour, but the hot bath and Anja´s gentle rubbing of my back relaxed my tense muscles and eased the pain of the bruises.

Since Anja was kind enough to let me sleep on her couch that night I was rather refreshed when I woke up the following morning. No assassination-attempts disturbed my sleep. Just as the edge of the sun peeked over the horizon, we set sail on Anja´s new ship.

The sea was calm and clear this morning as we went south-east through the Dagon-Fel archipelago, small islands and pointy rocks were scattered along our route. I who could not take the sea did not get sea-sick at all; I enjoyed very much sitting on deck in the bright sunshine watching the surroundings. I did see a couple of cliff-racers though, which made me feel a bit uneasy!

We reached the location of the Ahemmusa Camp at sunset. The boat drew too much water to go near the shore so Anja took me there in a small dinghy. We parted on good terms and I had to promise to let her know next time I went to Dagon-Fel....so we could meet.

There I was now, all alone on a strange shore. According to a map Anja had made, the Ahemmusa Camp was right behind the hills in front of me. I enjoyed the beautiful landscape as I headed up the small hill, but was abruptly interrupted by a hoarse voice;

“Stay exactly where you are woman, or you may greet your ancestors on the other side.”

I froze and held my breath, I berated myself for not being attentive; this was the wilderness and such behaviour could easily be fatal. I heard footsteps behind me and soon enough I was grabbed by the shoulder and briskly turned around, facing a young Dunmer with fiery red hair in two braids embracing an emotionless face. He aimed at me with an impressively big crossbow, circling around me, smirking;

“What are you doing here Imperial? You are not wanted in this area; its Ahemmusa land here, we want no interference.....Get out of here!”

I swallowed, cleared my throat and told him I had to speak to the Ahemmusa Wise Woman. Apparently he did not believe me, for he grumbled something, and spat on the ground deliberately near my feet. Still, he couldn’t be sure, so he scowled and pushed me forward.

“Move it, outlander, let’s see what our Gulakhan will say about this!”

I entered the Ahemmusa Camp as a prisoner, and was lead directly to a huge yurt surrounded by other huge yurts situated in a half-circle around a fireplace. There were not many people strolling around in the camp, and those who were did not pay any attention to me and my guard.

“Dutadalk, it’s me Sallit, may I speak with you on a matter of great importance?” My guard announced before we could enter. A dark voice answered from inside; apparently granting the audience, for Sallit pushed me inside and followed tight behind.

The interior of the tent was simple but completely functional, a fireplace in the middle, a bedroll, some urns and sacks, even a small table and two chairs were standing on one side. Since the tent was circular all things were placed along the sides in circumference to the fireplace. It was rather dark inside; the tent was only lit by two minor lamps, one at the table and one hanging on the wall beside the bedroll.

The man who appeared out of the darker area was tall and skinny, but seemed rather friendly; he pushed his long black hair out of his eyes and looked curiously at us asking;

“What is it this time Sallit? Weren’t you supposed to try and find those missing guars? What you have brought doesn’t look like a guar to me.....”

“Gulakhan Dutadalk, I found this Imperial walking on the shore. What shall we do with her?”

“I ....” That was as far as I got before Sallit hit me hard in the face and I tasted blood. Fury at the blow rose up in me, but I did not say anything. My mission was too important, and I knew that I had to succeed.

“No need for that!” the Gulakhan snapped at Sallit, “Let her talk!”

“I would like to speak with the Ahemmusa Wise Woman,” I said, “I have this letter of introduction.”

I took out the piece of parchment Imsin had given me and showed the Gulakhan. He turned away from me grumbling, trying to pretend not to see it. Instead he told Sallit to take me to the Wise Woman’s yurt. Sallit started to protest but was immediately given a sign to be quiet.

The Wise Woman’s yurt was considerably bigger than the others, and was situated outside the main circle of yurts in splendid solitude to mark the importance of its inhabitant.

Sallit just pushed me forwards and told me to enter, and then he disappeared. I hesitated for a moment, and then went inside. When my eyes got used to the darkness I noticed that this yurt was like and yet not like the Gulakhan´s yurt. It was bigger; the walls were covered with beautiful pieces of tapestry, woven in intricate patterns in dark earthy colours, and the floor had lots of carpets, lying almost on top of each other, in order to entirely cover the ground. Behind a screen I noticed a bedroll, a lamp and some books. Big urns were standing around the walls and there were also a chest of drawers, with some alchemical equipment on top.

But most conspicuous was the woman who came towards me, a tall slender woman with a noticeably fair complexion for being a Dunmeri, dark red eyes and silver hair, clad in a shirt that was like a piece of art, made from softest leather, embroidered throughout its front, with pearls, precious stones and cliff racer plumes put together in an intricate pattern. I was stunned and it took a second or two before I noticed the woman was talking to me, in a melodious voice.

“You wish to speak with me?” I then looked at her face; there was something familiar about that face, as if I actually knew her.....

“I greet you, Wise Woman of the Ahemmusa,” I said bowing my head out of courtesy, “I have been sent to you, and I have this letter, issued by Imsin The Dreamer of Fort Buckmoth.”

I handed her the letter, still not knowing what was so familiar about her. She took it but did not open it; instead she looked straight into my eyes, took my hand and said;

“The Ahemmusa welcome you, Serene.”

Her hand touching mine sent a whirling sensation right through me and then I knew where I’d met her before......

Astounding. It sounds like Serene may be headed to some happier times. I'm glad to see that the Ahemmusa wise woman was so welcoming of Serene; I am curious to find out where they have previously met (a dream perhaps?).

You haven't had one of these in a while; I think you're long overdue: S.G.M.

I look forward to your next update.

Great Minque. As always your discriptions of what Serene feel and thin Serene and whats happening around her is wonderful written, and you really go into the character and the conversations are very well written and seem so normal

So I have to give you a; Woohoo Minque another great and wonderful written update!

YAY! very nice introdution into the camp. I also wonder were she met the wise woman before.. S.G.M.

Most excellent update! Now Serene is meeting with the Ashlanders and the Wise Woman has been expecting her... No wonder they call her a Wise Woman

Your wonderful skill with character description and development is again shown here; you breathe life into all of the people who populate the story. So yes, I think S.G.M. is in order.

Exxxcelent update.

Have a Z.G.M (dutch equivalent of S.G.M)

Exactly!

Except I would give her a

Introducing another guest-writer....the one and only: Lonewolfie!!!!..Thank you for your contribution.....

Enjoy!!

“I watched the faces of the people around me- there was Tamara and four more of Ranya´s sisters, and their mother, all six with the beautiful red hair that obviously ran in the family, and another elderly woman who I didn’t recognize.”

Cyrodiil, the day after I ran away from home, the Dunmer settlement....the elderly woman I did not recognise then, that was who stood in front of me now.

“Serene, my child, Azura sent you to us, to help the Ahemmusa.” With those words, the Wise Woman bade me sit down by the fireplace.

I did not understand how I could be of any use to these people, who did not even like me, as far as I understood, but the Wise Woman’s next words made a chill run down my spine;

“I have followed your ways, ever since that day back in Cyrodiil, I’ve been with you, been watching over you.”

The universe started spinning, faster and faster.......the atmosphere became chilly, a cloud engulfed me and there she was, Azura, my Guardian-Angel, clad in lightest blue as she swayed in front of me, touching my forehead;

“Serene, fear not! I am still with you, guiding you on your path......You shall help my people; use your skills and your intelligence for the good of all and you will be greatly rewarded.”

The world stopped spinning around me and I came back to my senses found myself lying on the floor beside the fire, the Wise Woman sitting next to me, offering me a cup of tea, not the usual hackle-lo, from the smell. I did not ask, just downed it.

“I hope you are feeling well, Serene,” she said, “I will introduce myself to you, I´m Sinnamu Mirpal, the Wise Woman of the Ahemmusa and also their leader.”

“She´s old Serene,” he then said. “It´s too much for her leading the tribe in combat as well as being their spiritual leader and healer, and she can´t prepare the potions we need! The tribe is falling apart, the young ones are leaving for greener pastures, the older ones are too weak to hunt for the support of women and…and there have been no children born in several years, due to some unknown curse. Azura knows we need a new generation…..oh what will become of my people?”

I heard that voice in my head now as clearly as if he was sitting right beside me.

“Sedrane....” my voice was but a whisper.

“Yes, my son met you,” Sinnamu said, “I sent him to Balmora to seek you, since I had a vision of you being in Vvardenfell. You see, Azura is the link between you and me, therefore I knew you had arrived.”

“But why me?” This question had haunted my mind since the day I stepped off the boat in Seyda Neen, more than eight months ago, and now I hoped to finally get an answer, since this woman seemed to be able to look into the future.

“That is a long story, Serene, and I will not give you an answer yet; it is best for you if you do not know everything.”

Sinnamu Mirpal arranged for me to move in with her. A second screen was placed in a way that rendered me a spot of my own, complete with a bedroll, a small chest, a lantern and a bedside table. That first night at the Ahemmusa camp I had a very deep and undisturbed sleep, which did wonders for my state of mind. The assassination attempts had really got to me, but hopefully those men-in-black now had lost track of me, out here in the middle of nowhere.

It would later turn out that it is not wise to take anything like that for granted.

My first week at the camp was rather uneventful. I took part in the daily life of the Ahemmusa tribe. Everything was made by hand; even functional items were works of art.. The tribe was mainly guar-herders but they also grew some wickwheat, saltrice and ash-yam. That made their diet rather monotonous and not especially nutritious, and I pondered about how this could be changed. The area in which the camp was situated, the Grazelands, was a rather good farming-land so there should be an opportunity to enhance their farming.

Sedrane, Sinnamu´s son, was out on a scouting mission, trying to find some better pastureland for the herds. As it was now, the guar could hardly find anything to eat close to the camp. That was another problem the Ahemmusa faced- with so few able-bodied members, their grazing range was restricted. The guar had to be protected from predators or even theft from outcast Ashlanders.. I waited eagerly for Sedrane’s return, curious about how I would feel seeing him again, since I had a very clear memory of our last meeting.

He came back on the afternoon of my 10th day at the Ahemmusa Camp. It was a chilly time of the year, and the wind that blew over the plains was hard and made me wish that I had some warmer clothes to wear. I had received a large guar-skin from Sinnamu and was working on a pair of trousers and a tunic suitable for the harsh autumn weather, but the outfit was far from being completed as I had to learn every step of the process from Nummu, a kind young woman who besides being a herder also was very skilled in making clothes from guar-hides. I had cut out the different parts and now I had to perform the onerous work of making holes along the sides to be able to stitch the parts together.

This particular day I had been working with my trousers for three hours and felt that I needed a bit of fresh air, so I went for a small walk around the camp. I spotted a tall man approaching from the west, so I stopped, waiting for him to come closer. Strangely enough I was not afraid, maybe I knew subconsciously that there was no danger ......

When he recognized me his face was all smiles.

“Serene.....at last you´re here,” he sounded happy to see me, and he took my hand, held it and looked at me.

“Welcome to the Ahemmusa,“ he said, and the sound of his voice made my legs get weak. It was as if we had parted just the day before. A heat rushed through my body, and I could not utter a word. There was something stuck in my throat.....I swallowed to prevent the tears from running when he gently kissed my forehead.

Sedrane was greeted by his clan who were eager to find out if he´d found some new grazing for the herd. Unfortunately he couldn´t provide the answer that they wished for.

That night when we sat around the fireplace in Sinnamu´s yurt, Sedrane told me a bit about the hard reality the tribe was encountering at the moment, and also the constant misfortune that seemed to haunt the Ahemmusa. This is the story he told me that chilly Frost Fall-evening, so long ago....

“We had been hunting for several hours. Usually the game was good in this area, but lately there had been less and less. We had found nothing, and we were beginning to feel we should give up and go home. Suddenly a cry rose in front of us, and several bandits, outcast Ashlanders by the looks of them, rose from their places of concealment and began to run toward us, brandishing daggers and shortswords.” Sedrane looked into the fire, his dark red eyes sad with the memory.

“We quickly began to fire arrows at the bandits, realizing that this was an encounter that would end in the annihilation of one group or the other. As we fired, we sent Mabarrabael, the fastest runner among us, back to the camp to inform the Wise Woman of what had happened. The rest of us continued to fire arrows. Many simply bounced off the chitin armour the bandits were wearing, but one bandit pitched backwards off his feet with a shriek, an arrow protruding from his eye. Another fell with an arrow embedded in his stomach.”

Sedrane paused, took a sip from a pitcher with herbal tea and continued:

“The bandits had now gotten too close for archery, so we drew our daggers and prepared for close combat. As the outcasts reached us, the melee quickly broke up into several small fights. The bandits were outnumbered, but they had tough chitin armour, whilst we only had Netch Leather armour.”

I listened to this tale with rising horror, Not knowing what to say, I just took Sedrane´s hand in a futile attempt to comfort him.

“Uradras swiftly fell beneath a brutal shower of blows from a bandit wielding a shortsword, blood gushing from several wounds to his torso and head. Addarnat and one of the outcasts were grappling on the ground, but this ended when Addarnat broke the grip of his attacker and quickly slashed his dagger across the bandit’s throat. Bright red blood gushed forth from the terrible wound, and the bandit fell choking on his own blood.”

Sedrane looked at me, and seeing me shiver, he put his cloak around my shoulders, asking if I’d like him to stop. I noticed Sinnamu sitting quiet, eyes closed, but her lips moved silently as if she was praying…..

“The bandit with the shortsword still remained, and his longer reach had taken its toll on us. Two more of us were down, and Mansillamat was bleeding from several wounds to his arms and face and would not survive the next hour. Assama-Ilen rushed to his fellow’s aid, but was not quick enough. Just before he came within striking distance, the bandit beheaded Assama-Ilen with a brutal backhanded swipe of his sword.”

I felt physically ill now; I never had liked violence and bloodshed, so this tale of an event that happened less than a month ago really got to me. I shivered and could not stop the tears from coming.

“How did it end?” I whispered as Sedrane sat silent

“With a scream, I threw myself at the bandit, plunging my dagger into him over and over, each strike drawing forth a gout of blood. Eventually the dagger broke, but the bandit was now a red stain that was unrecognizable as ever having been a Dunmer. Wearily, I stood up and slowly began to walk back to the camp with a heavy heart.”

Sedrane bowed his head in anguish, and I embraced him saying nothing. No words can describe how I felt at that moment; I just held him close to me.

“We didn’t have a healer with us, Serene,“ he said, “otherwise the loss would have been minor….but our healer is dead.”

Thanks for a great update. The Ahemmusa are certainly in dire straits; I'm looking forward to seeing how Serene's unique skills will help improve their plight.

Yay! My battlescene finally made it in lol. It must be about 4 months since i wrote that lol lol.

Nice work (by both of you). It is fascinating to watch Serene as she finds out more about Azura's plans for her. The time with the Ashlanders should be quite interesting.

Great writing.

I have read this last chapter too, Minque. I like it.


Ashlanders and silt striders... now where have I heard that before?

wow, that was excelent.. I really want more...

another two entries that i missed, im ashamed, i really need to check more often. But great chapters, really good description and very interesting

Very nice update to this story, I can't wait to see how her time with the ashlanders treats her.

Yeah yeah....I know I´m a slow writer....

Thanks all for the nice comments......I´ll really try to update soon..

Wow outstanding is all I can say. My mind spins while trying to catch up to all I have missed, but what great reading there is to explore here in the world of the fan fiction forums. Great Work Minque.. Keep up the great work.

I vaguely remember (the old memory is starting to fail me now) posting a comment way back, when Jona had been the guest writer, and mentioning how impressed I'd been at your ability to integrate another perspective into your tale, without losing the style and flavour of your own. It would appear to me that it wasnt a one off. Again, the way that the battle scene is presented to us is very inventive, and seamlessly slips into the story. Perhaps the greatest compliment I could pay, is that if you hadn't mentioned that there was a guest writer in this update, I'm not sure I would have noticed. It just fits so well.

As for the rest of the update, and several of the one's before that I never managed to reply to, the plot is starting to tick along nicely now, and the reappearance of Sedrane suggests another twist in the near future. Could we see romance? I certainly hope so, as thats a genre that is all too infrequently touched upon when writing about the Morrowind universe.

Most of all though, you bring the characters not only to life, (a rare skill in itself), but make us care about them. They're fallible, scarred, hurt and emotional. Through a combination of description of the world, the foods, the aroma's, the tastes (note to writers - yes, there are more senses to play with than just sight), the believable dialogue, I worry what will happen to Serene and her companions. I read to feel connected to the story, and this is something that you never fail to awaken within me.

Kudos to burntsierra for so eloquently putting into words what I'm sure many of us have been thinking about this story. I also feel a certain emotional connection to the characters in the story, and I'm grateful that you continue to provide us with such emotionally rich characters.

where is chapter 3?

See the link in the first post.

Thought I´d show you how her new dress looks like....

*smiles* Serene does the Ashlander look extremely well

Definitely a good look for her. Is this picture from the Ahemmusa camp? My instincts tell me that it is the Zainab camp; of course, I've been wrong before.

Well ......It is taken just outside the Ahemmusa Camp, on a bright morning..and Serene is on her way to tend to the guars....

I´m working on the next installment now..but it will probably take some time before it´ll be posted......terribly busy right now...

Well, I guess I was wrong after all. Take your time with the next installment; personally, I'd rather wait for a really good one than have you try to rush.

that looks... nice I guess.

Good update. Can't wait for the next one.

First I´m very sorry for taken so long to update! But I´ve had one of the most severe writer´s block you can think of! And if that wasn´t enough real life has interferred a lot the last month, too much fuss at work, sending my daughter to US....then my old parents are about to move from a house to a flat..so you maybe understand the situation!

But....now I´ll give you an update finally I succeeded in finishing the part I started writing so long ago.....

Enjoy!

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”But isn´t the Wise Woman a healer as well?” I looked at Sinnamu Mirpal, confused. She smiled faintly, put her arms around her knees and said:

“Some Wise Women are healers, true healers, but not all. It´s a gift from the Divine Azura, and not every Wise Woman is blessed with it. In my case I was given the ability to lead my people in combat but my ability of healing their wounds is rather poor nowadays.” Sinnamu sighed and then continued:

“We had a true healer, Marena Reladren, but she disappeared half a year ago and we assume she´s dead because nobody has seen her since.”

That night I could not sleep; I was tossing and turning on my bedroll without getting any rest, thinking about the future for this people and how my presence here could possibly affect it.

It took me another week to finish my outfit. By then the really cold weather had begun; the wind was cold and hard and we hardly had any sunshine at all, so I was very glad I had something warm to wear.

The daily life continued at the Ahemmusa camp; usually I awakened by the sun rising, then had some tea and a piece of bread before I had to go out and tend to the guars. It´s amazing how social those big clumsy animals are, they come running when they spot you, making all kind of funny noises....

One day Sinnamu told me we had to prepare for the annual shaman-meeting, which was to take place at our camp this year. It was a very important event; the Wise Women of the four Ashlander-tribes met and discussed various things...exactly what Sinnamu did not tell me; instead she said I could attend and see for myself.

I was under the impression that the four Ashlander-tribes were not always on talking terms with each other, but that was not the fact among the Wise Women apparently.

There was much to prepare for the meeting. First we had to arrange quarters for the visiting Wise Women, then there had to be a lot of food, and that could be a problem, as the Ahemmusa hadn´t had a very good hunt lately,

Sinnamu prepared three more bedrolls in our tent; it made it look really filled up, and I went to see Lanabi, the trader, to see what goods she might have. It was a miserable amount of things she had in her yurt, nothing really of use. She was indeed sad about that but explained to me that no travelling merchants were coming to Ahemmusa during the last months so there had been no chance of bartering.

Ulabael and Addamus, two of the most experienced hunters of the Ahemmusa, were preparing for a hunting-party. There had to be some meat at the table at the meeting, or the honour of the Tribe would be lost. The other three Wise-women would arrive escorted by their apprentices and at least two warriors each, so we expected about a dozen guests.

I met Sedrane outside Lanabi´s yurt, and as always when I saw him my heart started beating faster, my legs started to get shivery and I felt the heat come to my cheeks....

“Serene! There you are!” Sedrane took my hands and looked me in the eyes. I couldn’t say a word, there was this lump in my throat so I just nodded at him.

“Could I ask a favour of you?” he continued. I nodded once again, feeling almost angry with myself, this was ridiculous, he was just a young ashlander with whom I once spent one night ....that´s all, but the tension between us was very obvious....at least to me it was.

“Y..yes...of course,” I finally croaked, desperately swallowing whatever it was that was stuck in my throat. Sedrane smiled and squeezed my hands a bit harder;

“So Serene, I´d like you to accompany us on our hunting-party tomorrow morning; the men have bad feelings about going hunting due to the last time.....” he went silent and bowed his head.

***********************

When I came to this part in my story I had to stop for a while and ponder how to continue. I was about to describe an event that was the first in a chain of events that led to the conception of the little girl who at this moment was sitting in her room, probably reading a book of history, which was her favourite subject.

I was about to write down the story of her real father, my first love, but not my last, as it would come out. The story was also about the curse that lay upon the Ashlander Tribes, and my first and very brief meeting with the man who would lift that curse and who initiated a way for me to aid the Ahemmusa people, and give them a future.

But I was also about to begin writing the story of the rest of my life and how my past caught up with me- for better and worse.... This was a difficult part; the very thought of it made me shiver in pain.

As I sat there in my library, I had a divine visit of a lady in an icy-blue dress; Azura!

“Serene, Serene, you must continue your story, for the sake of your daughter and the unborn child you are bearing, but most of all for the sake of yourself, to finally put your heart at ease...”

I sat quite still, hearing the words of Azura still in my head, when the door opened and my husband entered, arms outstretched, giving me a look of love and devotion. He took me in his arms, gently rubbing my back and took me with him into our private chambers.

Then I knew how to continue my story......

So very happy to see an update to my favorite MW story! And even happier to return to commenting more actively (I hope) by responding to this installment. I stand in awe of the way you have managed to weave romance, practicality, intrigue, and mystery into this short piece. The shift to the "present time" reminds us of why Serene is writing and assures us that, no matter the perils she faces, she will survive.

The looming shadow of the hunt hints at pain to come- and we have the mystery of her daughter's father to ponder, as well.

Welcome back, Serene, we have missed you.

Very well done update as always, serene is so full of thought i somtimes forget im reading a fictional story, it seems like she's real. She is so realistic, good job once again minque

Visits from Azura come almost at random int his story. Always give you more encouragement to continue on.

I'm glad you found the time to continue this wonderful story and hope you find time to update again soon. Best of luck you your daughter and parents as well Minque.

wow very nice

at first I was like what is that last part. I'm pretty sure I got it now. Serene's present while she's writing the story?

Yeah! I jumped to "present time".......And I think it worked out....it got me past the terrible writer´s block anyway!

okay thats what I thought, and will you update again? soon?

That hunting-party was the beginning of a change in my life, since my relationship with Sedrane developed into a real relationship, that of a man and woman in all ways.

We left the camp on a chilly morning before sunrise. The party consisted of six hunters plus Sedrane and me. My task was not to perform any actual hunting, merely to be there in case something happened that required my healing-skills. We walked for nearly four hours before we even spotted some signs of the presence of any kind of prey. It was Mabarrabael who noticed fresh droppings from a Nix hound. Now that was a good sign, even though Nix hound was not the best source of meat we could think of. Their meat is hard and tough and not very tasty, but nevertheless it was better than nothing.

During the next hour we managed to hunt down two rather large Nix hounds, and a couple of small scribs, which pleased Sedrane because the jelly put on home-made bread was one of his favourite meals.

The hunters were very skilled in preparing the carcasses so we could carry the meat with us. The remains were then sacrificed to the ancestors in order to bring us some luck. When the sun had set, darkness came very quickly so we set up a temporary camp in the shelter of some trees at the foot of the great mountain ridge that separated the Grazelands from the Ashlands.

The evening was a bit chilly and as we sat around the camp fire, Sedrane put his arm around my shoulders, asking if I was cold. I wasn’t really but it sent a thrill down my spine so I nodded and smiled at him. An iron cook-pot was hanging over the fire containing a stew from saltrice and some small chunks from one of the Nix-hounds we got earlier. Sedrane had some bread in his backpack and we ate it with Scrib-jelly. It was delicious, or perhaps it was the atmosphere that made me feel good all over. I don’t know but I still remember that moment by the fire.

We had to keep the fire going throughout the night, so we decided to take turns on watching it. Sedrane said he’d take the first watch, and since nobody asked me to watch at all I decided to keep him company. Mabarrabael smiled when he heard that; I felt slightly embarrassed and went a bit away to find a secluded spot to relieve myself.

I had to admit that I was very much attracted to Sedrane and had been since the first time I met him at the Eight Plates in Balmora, even though I had never suspected I’d see him again and so surrendered to him totally. Now it was a bit different; he was the son of the spiritual leader of the tribe, and it might not be appropriate for me, an outlander, to have an affair with him, the potential Ashkan of the Ahemmusa Tribe. And that was his destiny- it was common talk in the Camp that Sedrane was under training to be Ashkan. Although I was not well-versed in Ashlander traditions, that seemed a sensible choice as he was the son of the Wise Woman and familiar with the history and ceremonies of the Tribe, and also a skilled warrior and hunter. The only problem would be that he was such an emotional person, and that could be a drawback for an Ashkan......

Sedrane handed me a cup of hot tea as I sat down beside him by the fire. I smiled and folded my hands around the mug to warm them up. It was a clear chilly night and both Masser and Secunda were full, sailing majestically in the pinkish-black sky above us.

I stared into the flames of the camp-fire, feeling the warmth from it but also from the man beside me. We did not talk, there was no need for that; somehow I knew what he was thinking, and it made me feel excited, yet a tad scared; he was, after all, a man and I never had had any good experiences of men, so far.

“Serene! Serene! Wake up; we....have got kind of a problem here!”

I sat up, confused. I must have fallen asleep.....and now Sedrane was shaking me awake, looking worried.

The “problem” was that Mabarrabael and Zallit, the red-haired man that brought me as a prisoner to the Ahemmusa camp the day I arrived in these lands, had wandered off to follow the tracks of some Kagouti just before sunrise. Kagouti are huge ugly animals with a bad temper, (the female of the species that is), but it’s the flesh that is really very tasty, at least that was what I’d learned during my stay with this Tribe. So it would be an honour for the hunter that managed to put down prey like that.

In this case the young hunters not only managed to track down a small herd of Kagouti, they also managed to anger the alpha-female to the extent that she attacked. She got hold of Zallit´s right leg and didn’t let go of it until Mabarrabael buried his longsword in her neck. This angered the rest of the pack so the men had to climb a small tree to avoid ending up as breakfast for the Kagouti-family which were resting watchfully under it.

Sedrane had wondered why Mabarrabael did not show up for his watch so he woke up Ulabael and asked him to go and see what was going on. It didn’t take long until he came back telling about the weird sight he encountered: Two men sitting in a small tree, and three Kagouti sitting under it solemnly waiting, maybe for one of the men to fall down. Apparently the Kagouti were attracted to the smell of blood from Zallit´s wound and besides that their leader was badly hurt and lying down on the ground, and they would not leave her.

So Sedrane sent out Addammus and Yennamu along with Ulabael to finish off the Kagouti and also bring back the two adventurers from the tree. It was a hard job to deal with the carcasses from the animals along with the injured Zallit who couldn’t use his leg at all. Now they were back and Zallit´s injured leg was not a nice sight; the Kagouti had almost crushed his leg below the knee, the muscle was torn to pieces and the bone was visible. The young man was terribly pale and barely conscious from the blood loss and the night chill.

I took a deep breath and rubbed my hands to get them a little bit warmer. It was rather a long time since I had practised my healing-powers and I could only hope it would come out alright. I put my hands directly on the wound, feeling the raw bloody human flesh under my fingers. As always it made me shiver for a second, before I started to concentrate.......I closed my eyes, felt a trickle of sweat running down my spine, then the heat started to build up in my hands and into the wound, which very slowly started to close itself up. When it was almost closed I removed my hands and reached for my backpack to get a small healing-potion that would serve as pain-killer as well as closing up the wound completely and give Zallit some vigour again. I looked at my hands afterwards......and realised that I had performed this healing with remarkably less effort than ever before. This pleased me indeed.

It was a rather satisfied hunting-party that returned to the Ahemmusa-Camp late that afternoon, three Kagouti, two Nix-hounds and some 5 Scribs were not bad at all. But what pleased me most was that Zallit looked at me with completely different eyes after this day....

Later that night Sedrane invited me to his yurt for the first time; before that day it would have been inappropriate according to Ahemmusa rules, but since I’d proved myself as a healer, the Ashkan could take such an action. Although I did not know it, I was close to being named a “Clan-friend,” the Ashlanders’ title for someone who was “adopted” by the tribe. My legs were a bit shivery when he led me into the yurt and bade me sit down on the thick red carpet beside the fireplace.

He took my hands in his, and looked right into my eyes saying:

“Serene.....these hands of yours, the divine power they have......well, the divine power you have! You have the incarnation of Azura inside you and we bless Her for sending you to us....to me!”

Then he bowed his head forward and kissed me, gently at first but then his desire increased , and he laid me down on the carpet, his hands let go of mine and started to caress me. He seemed to know exactly which parts of me were most susceptible and all the time he continued kissing me. At first I didn’t move; unsure whether I liked it or not, but as he continued I found myself accepting and then enjoying his attentions.

Sedrane suddenly let go and folded his hands around my face and looked at me solemnly.

“You are a wonderful woman, Serene, you have gone right into my heart, but now you must go back to the Wise Woman’s yurt.” With those words he helped me to my feet, and kissed me goodbye.

That night, I cried myself to sleep, and I did not really know why............

Very intense when it come to getting an insight into the life of Serene. The hunting trip in my opinion could have used a bit more detail but it seems your main focus was on the problem that was brewing between Serene and Sedrane. Well writen.

Can't wait for the next one.

yes very well written. I liked the part that hinted at Serene's healing skill growing. A very nice touch