Chapter 7. Ascension.
The funeral had just ended; it was something Helseth would likely never forget. He had enjoyed giving that speech; no one had expected him to free the slaves, but he was two steps ahead of everyone. Not even his allies had known about it, but Helseth knew that keeping them in the dark was the only way for them to look surprised. They were terrible actors. What Helseth liked best though, was when before the funeral even started, he had been able to sneak into the Imperial cult shrine just before they had put lord Nerevar into his coffin. He had been composed, and even managed to look sad and wipe away a tear, but all the while he had wanted to laugh right into lord Nerevar’s dead face, laughing, pointing and gloating over how he had won, how he had outsmarted lord Nerevar after all. Yes, that truly was a happy day for Helseth. He had stayed there even when the priests put Nerevar into the coffin, he could tell the priests didn’t think it proper for him to be around during that, but he wasn’t worried about upsetting a few Imperial priests.
Now though, the funeral had just ended, and Helseth saw Crassius Curio walking away with Dram Bero. His guard Drusus had told him Crassius had refused to relinquish command of house Hlaalu to Helseth. Apparently after hearing how four Councillors already supported Helseth, Curio had been very close to agreeing, so very close, but then Dram Bero had walked in, and after hearing the entire story he had been able to talk Curio out of it. There had always been a dislike between Helseth and Bero, but never like this. Helseth knew he would make Bero pay for this with his life.
Helseth strolled along to catch up with Curio and Bero, and was able to catch them before they were at the docks.
“Councillor Curio, my guard tells me you’ve been most hospitable to him. My thanks for that.”
Curio inclined his head, “It is but my duty as host, my king; it was no trouble.”
Helseth smiled, “And Drusus tells me we’re very close to coming to an agreement about my proposal- isn’t that so, Councillor? I’m sure you’ve found my offer more then fair.”
Curio snorted at that, “’Fair’? You would call that ‘fair’? You’re trying to get me to retire, virtually hand you house Hlaalu and spend the rest of my days on some deserted farm where no doubt my death will somehow come much faster than in my fortified mansion. Probably stress related, but still.”
Helseth smiled his innocent smile, “My dear Councillor Curio, all I wish is for you to be able to live the rest of your life out in wealth and comfort, as is befitting a noble of your stature.”
“Sure,” Dram Bero interrupted him, “you mean it from the kindness of your heart, right Helseth?” Subtlety had never been his strong side.
Helseth sighed. There was just no talking to these men; for nobles of the house of thieves, they were surely honourable.
“As you wish, councillors. I see my good wishes are wasted on you, but I will wish you good evening, and a long and prosperous life anyway.” And with that Helseth walked away. When he was away, his sad look turned into a smile. After tonight, Dram Bero at least would no longer be a problem. While the two councillors had been looking at Helseth’s face, his hand had signalled to Garding, the Nord guardian of Dram Bero, that tonight it should happen.
Bero really was a fool, taking a Nord for a guardian; everyone knew they would sell themselves to the highest bidder, not to mention run around half naked to please one or another witch. Nah, Nords were fools. Helseth saw his own guard Drusus approach, and gave him his orders:
“Drusus. Go back to Vivec, and wait for Curio there. Give him one more chance to do the right thing. If he refuses, you know what to do.” Drusus bowed and left. Helseth smiled. Everything was going according to plan. After tonight, house Hlaalu would be his, as it should be.
When he got back to Mournhold, Gavas Drin, the local head of the temple, was waiting for him.
“My king, I’ve done as you asked, I’ve upped the medicine dosage for her highness the queen mother.”
“Good,” Helseth smiled, “and can you make sure she won’t be able to fight the medicine like last time?”
Gavas shook his head, “Her highness is very resilient; the medicine is effective right now, but I can’t estimate how it develops.”
“Well, I guess it will have to do. A few months should be all it takes. Once I’m really in control of Morrowind, I can send her to prison and won’t have to worry about someone objecting.”
Gavas looked shocked, “But- my king, why do that to your own mother? Surely there are other ways.”
“Gavas, let me tell you something. Not too long ago my dear mother found out I was behind the death of the old king. I begged and pleaded with her not to tell, but in the end, if I hadn’t given her your medicine in the first place, she would have gone off and told lord Nerevar. Do you realise that Gavas? My own mother would have betrayed me. No. After the coming war is won, she will have to go.”
Helseth looked into Gavas’s eyes, “Don’t worry, Gavas, you will get your just reward. After everything is set and done, you will become head of the entire Tribunal Temple.”
Any objections Gavas may have had vanished when Helseth said that, and he turned and left.
Helseth stared after him as he left, and wondered how much Gavas would enjoy sharing that cell with Barenziah when the time came. A cruel smile crossed Helseth’s lips.
The next day, as Helseth was reading through a few petitions, a knock on the door preceded his guard Drusus. “My king, I‘ve just come back from Vivec.”
“Ah, Drusus, welcome, and how fares our good friend Crassius Curio?”
“My king, he would not listen to reason, so I made sure he will not bother you again. As promised, I went to Master Yngling and told him to testify and say he saw Master Bero leaving Curio manor late last night. I expect before the end of the day, there will be a massive hunt on for Bero.”
“Good, you’ve done well, Drusus. But now I have another job for you. In a moment a very rude Nord will come in, so please stand in the corner beside the door and wait there for a moment.” Helseth saw Drusus smile; it was so nice to have men in his employ who were not bothered by simple things like guilt or honesty.
Right on time, another knock came at the door and Garding strolled in carrying a dark sack. “King, it is done. Dram Bero will bother you no more.”
“Thank you Garding, and did you take care of the body like I asked you to?”
“Aye, I did. I buried the body, but thought you might wish to look one more time on the face of him, so I kept that.” Helseth saw him put a hand into the sack, and pull out the remains of the man he’d hated so much. The face was barely recognisable, blood and wounds covering it’s every piece. Garding had obviously gone into a frenzy when he did it. Helseth looked at him again,
“So, even though I asked you explicitly to get rid of the body, the entire body, you choose to walk in here in broad daylight, carrying evidence that could destroy me?”
Helseth felt himself flush as Garding argued, “King, I will get rid of the head shortly if it bothers you so much. I just thought to show you it was done, and done well.”
“You idiot,” Helseth screamed, “what if someone had seen you come in carrying that; you could have ruined everything.”
He nodded to the corner where Drusus was waiting. “King, none of that now. I gave you what you wanted, Bero is dead, now I want my reward. Where..”
Garding stopped in mid=sentence, a small line of blood trickling from his mouth down his chin, and he looked down to see the end of a sword protruding from his stomach. He gurgled and it seemed for a moment as if he was going to say something more, but Drusus turned the blade and Garding fell down dead.
“Imbecile,” Helseth said as he kicked the lifeless corpse. “Drusus, get rid of this, and of the head. Make sure no one ever finds them.”
“As my king commands,” came the reply.
Helseth received a message later that day. A message he’d been expecting. It was from the Hlaalu council asking him to come to the Council house in Balmora and officially take the responsibility of the house as Grandmaster. He wasted no time in assembling a guard to go along with him and travelled to Balmora.
The trip was a short one, using magical means to travel to Vivec, and then on with a Silt Strider to Balmora. Helseth loved Balmora; it was a busy city, always booming with life and people coming and going constantly. A path was cleared through the masses by his guard, and he walked to the Hlaalu council house. Once inside, he saw all of the councillors had been awaiting him. Only four remained now, but they didn’t seem to mind. Like Helseth, most of them had always believed in the credo: “The fewer Mer, the more land and slaves for those who remain”. Yngling especially looked ready to burst with pride; an opportunist to the bone, he likely saw the potential of Helseth running the house.
“Thank you, councillors, for this honor you’ve seen fit to bestow upon my person. I promise you all to do my best to lead this house to greatness once again. Where Hlaalu will stand as the paramount house, alone above the others. And I promise you, stick with me, and you’ll become rich beyond your wildest dreams.” The councillors cheered at that, and Helseth looked pleased. “This is how easy things can be,” he whispered to himself.
On to the next chapter
The funeral had just ended; it was something Helseth would likely never forget. He had enjoyed giving that speech; no one had expected him to free the slaves, but he was two steps ahead of everyone. Not even his allies had known about it, but Helseth knew that keeping them in the dark was the only way for them to look surprised. They were terrible actors. What Helseth liked best though, was when before the funeral even started, he had been able to sneak into the Imperial cult shrine just before they had put lord Nerevar into his coffin. He had been composed, and even managed to look sad and wipe away a tear, but all the while he had wanted to laugh right into lord Nerevar’s dead face, laughing, pointing and gloating over how he had won, how he had outsmarted lord Nerevar after all. Yes, that truly was a happy day for Helseth. He had stayed there even when the priests put Nerevar into the coffin, he could tell the priests didn’t think it proper for him to be around during that, but he wasn’t worried about upsetting a few Imperial priests.
Now though, the funeral had just ended, and Helseth saw Crassius Curio walking away with Dram Bero. His guard Drusus had told him Crassius had refused to relinquish command of house Hlaalu to Helseth. Apparently after hearing how four Councillors already supported Helseth, Curio had been very close to agreeing, so very close, but then Dram Bero had walked in, and after hearing the entire story he had been able to talk Curio out of it. There had always been a dislike between Helseth and Bero, but never like this. Helseth knew he would make Bero pay for this with his life.
Helseth strolled along to catch up with Curio and Bero, and was able to catch them before they were at the docks.
“Councillor Curio, my guard tells me you’ve been most hospitable to him. My thanks for that.”
Curio inclined his head, “It is but my duty as host, my king; it was no trouble.”
Helseth smiled, “And Drusus tells me we’re very close to coming to an agreement about my proposal- isn’t that so, Councillor? I’m sure you’ve found my offer more then fair.”
Curio snorted at that, “’Fair’? You would call that ‘fair’? You’re trying to get me to retire, virtually hand you house Hlaalu and spend the rest of my days on some deserted farm where no doubt my death will somehow come much faster than in my fortified mansion. Probably stress related, but still.”
Helseth smiled his innocent smile, “My dear Councillor Curio, all I wish is for you to be able to live the rest of your life out in wealth and comfort, as is befitting a noble of your stature.”
“Sure,” Dram Bero interrupted him, “you mean it from the kindness of your heart, right Helseth?” Subtlety had never been his strong side.
Helseth sighed. There was just no talking to these men; for nobles of the house of thieves, they were surely honourable.
“As you wish, councillors. I see my good wishes are wasted on you, but I will wish you good evening, and a long and prosperous life anyway.” And with that Helseth walked away. When he was away, his sad look turned into a smile. After tonight, Dram Bero at least would no longer be a problem. While the two councillors had been looking at Helseth’s face, his hand had signalled to Garding, the Nord guardian of Dram Bero, that tonight it should happen.
Bero really was a fool, taking a Nord for a guardian; everyone knew they would sell themselves to the highest bidder, not to mention run around half naked to please one or another witch. Nah, Nords were fools. Helseth saw his own guard Drusus approach, and gave him his orders:
“Drusus. Go back to Vivec, and wait for Curio there. Give him one more chance to do the right thing. If he refuses, you know what to do.” Drusus bowed and left. Helseth smiled. Everything was going according to plan. After tonight, house Hlaalu would be his, as it should be.
When he got back to Mournhold, Gavas Drin, the local head of the temple, was waiting for him.
“My king, I’ve done as you asked, I’ve upped the medicine dosage for her highness the queen mother.”
“Good,” Helseth smiled, “and can you make sure she won’t be able to fight the medicine like last time?”
Gavas shook his head, “Her highness is very resilient; the medicine is effective right now, but I can’t estimate how it develops.”
“Well, I guess it will have to do. A few months should be all it takes. Once I’m really in control of Morrowind, I can send her to prison and won’t have to worry about someone objecting.”
Gavas looked shocked, “But- my king, why do that to your own mother? Surely there are other ways.”
“Gavas, let me tell you something. Not too long ago my dear mother found out I was behind the death of the old king. I begged and pleaded with her not to tell, but in the end, if I hadn’t given her your medicine in the first place, she would have gone off and told lord Nerevar. Do you realise that Gavas? My own mother would have betrayed me. No. After the coming war is won, she will have to go.”
Helseth looked into Gavas’s eyes, “Don’t worry, Gavas, you will get your just reward. After everything is set and done, you will become head of the entire Tribunal Temple.”
Any objections Gavas may have had vanished when Helseth said that, and he turned and left.
Helseth stared after him as he left, and wondered how much Gavas would enjoy sharing that cell with Barenziah when the time came. A cruel smile crossed Helseth’s lips.
The next day, as Helseth was reading through a few petitions, a knock on the door preceded his guard Drusus. “My king, I‘ve just come back from Vivec.”
“Ah, Drusus, welcome, and how fares our good friend Crassius Curio?”
“My king, he would not listen to reason, so I made sure he will not bother you again. As promised, I went to Master Yngling and told him to testify and say he saw Master Bero leaving Curio manor late last night. I expect before the end of the day, there will be a massive hunt on for Bero.”
“Good, you’ve done well, Drusus. But now I have another job for you. In a moment a very rude Nord will come in, so please stand in the corner beside the door and wait there for a moment.” Helseth saw Drusus smile; it was so nice to have men in his employ who were not bothered by simple things like guilt or honesty.
Right on time, another knock came at the door and Garding strolled in carrying a dark sack. “King, it is done. Dram Bero will bother you no more.”
“Thank you Garding, and did you take care of the body like I asked you to?”
“Aye, I did. I buried the body, but thought you might wish to look one more time on the face of him, so I kept that.” Helseth saw him put a hand into the sack, and pull out the remains of the man he’d hated so much. The face was barely recognisable, blood and wounds covering it’s every piece. Garding had obviously gone into a frenzy when he did it. Helseth looked at him again,
“So, even though I asked you explicitly to get rid of the body, the entire body, you choose to walk in here in broad daylight, carrying evidence that could destroy me?”
Helseth felt himself flush as Garding argued, “King, I will get rid of the head shortly if it bothers you so much. I just thought to show you it was done, and done well.”
“You idiot,” Helseth screamed, “what if someone had seen you come in carrying that; you could have ruined everything.”
He nodded to the corner where Drusus was waiting. “King, none of that now. I gave you what you wanted, Bero is dead, now I want my reward. Where..”
Garding stopped in mid=sentence, a small line of blood trickling from his mouth down his chin, and he looked down to see the end of a sword protruding from his stomach. He gurgled and it seemed for a moment as if he was going to say something more, but Drusus turned the blade and Garding fell down dead.
“Imbecile,” Helseth said as he kicked the lifeless corpse. “Drusus, get rid of this, and of the head. Make sure no one ever finds them.”
“As my king commands,” came the reply.
Helseth received a message later that day. A message he’d been expecting. It was from the Hlaalu council asking him to come to the Council house in Balmora and officially take the responsibility of the house as Grandmaster. He wasted no time in assembling a guard to go along with him and travelled to Balmora.
The trip was a short one, using magical means to travel to Vivec, and then on with a Silt Strider to Balmora. Helseth loved Balmora; it was a busy city, always booming with life and people coming and going constantly. A path was cleared through the masses by his guard, and he walked to the Hlaalu council house. Once inside, he saw all of the councillors had been awaiting him. Only four remained now, but they didn’t seem to mind. Like Helseth, most of them had always believed in the credo: “The fewer Mer, the more land and slaves for those who remain”. Yngling especially looked ready to burst with pride; an opportunist to the bone, he likely saw the potential of Helseth running the house.
“Thank you, councillors, for this honor you’ve seen fit to bestow upon my person. I promise you all to do my best to lead this house to greatness once again. Where Hlaalu will stand as the paramount house, alone above the others. And I promise you, stick with me, and you’ll become rich beyond your wildest dreams.” The councillors cheered at that, and Helseth looked pleased. “This is how easy things can be,” he whispered to himself.
On to the next chapter