{"id":2579,"date":"2018-12-22T07:13:16","date_gmt":"2018-12-22T13:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2579"},"modified":"2019-01-05T07:25:10","modified_gmt":"2019-01-05T13:25:10","slug":"dovahkins-flight-part-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=2579","title":{"rendered":"Dovahkin’s Flight – Part 11"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dovahkin’s Flight<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 11<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Zoe stretched as the meeting was finally adjourned.\u00a0 The Thalmor wanted to head back to their embassy for the night.\u00a0 She stood and made her way to the small balcony which overlooked the entrance to the palace and felt someone else approach.<\/p>\n

Turning she found herself looking at the one person she didn\u2019t want to see at the moment, Valis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said it before, that armor doesn\u2019t look good on you,\u201d Valis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s your opinion, which is wrong\u201d Zoe replied back taking a look at the elf.\u00a0 He obviously was doing well for himself by the look of his clothes.\u00a0 He had moved up if he was the ambassador for the Thalmor in this discussion.\u00a0 He also was as arrogant as ever, thinking he was always right and could never be wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, you could have had wealth and power with me,\u201d he said to her.\u00a0 She still couldn\u2019t figure out what his obsession with her way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, I have that now, and without you,\u201d Zoe replied back to him watching as he seemed to falter a bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs this power to you, I can command legions of soldiers at a whim,\u201d he said to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd yet you\u2019re still the same ego filled jerk,\u201d Zoe replied back to him, watching as he flinched at the word.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I always thought of you that way.\u00a0 Now, I have the confidence in my abilities to tell you that.\u00a0 And I know you\u2019re power isn\u2019t what you claim it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve destroyed humans for saying less,\u201d Valis growled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d be careful, you are not invincible, even if you are the Dragonborn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou realize the statement also applies to you as well, even with all your contacts and positions within the Thalmor, you are venerable.\u201d<\/p>\n

She watched as he almost shook from rage.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you threatening me?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly if you were threatening me,\u201d Zoe replied back calmly, waiting to see what he\u2019d do next.\u00a0 If he did anything physical she had no doubt she could handle him.<\/p>\n

Instead of doing anything he fumed slightly and stormed off, quickly speaking to someone else as they walked out of the palace.\u00a0 Zoe flexed her hand trying to relax from the effort of not backhanding him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that went about as well as I expected,\u201d Falk said, as he walked over to where she stood.\u00a0 \u201cI know the Jarl appreciated your being here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m honored she thought my presence would help so much,\u201d Zoe replied.\u00a0 \u201cThough, I want to just toss them all out more than anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou and everyone else,\u201d Rikke said walking up to join them.\u00a0 \u201cThough, I really get the feeling you and that Valis know each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do,\u201d Zoe said.\u00a0 \u201cFrom before I came here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe does seem unpleasant,\u201d Falk said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBig ego, thinks everyone is there for his pleasure,\u201d Zoe replied back to him.\u00a0 \u201cAll he knows is his position of power, thinks he\u2019s the most important person around but doesn\u2019t like to get dirty himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, the type which would be eaten alive up here,\u201d Falk said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Zoe said, watching as Jordis walked over.\u00a0 \u201cReady to head back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever you are my thane,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n

They left the palace heading to her house.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you know him before coming here?\u201d Jordis asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cValis, yeah,\u201d Zoe replied back to her.\u00a0 \u201cWe had the displeasure of knowing each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, something from the Dragonborn\u2019s past?\u201d Jordis asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething like that,\u201d Zoe replied, as they reached the house and entered.\u00a0 She quickly found Leah working in the kitchen with Brandis.<\/p>\n

Leah gave her a hug as Zoe looked on to see what they were making.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrandis is teaching me a new recipe for the Suite,\u201d Leah said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019ll be good,\u201d Zoe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo get changed, and we can talk,\u201d Leah said, shooing her out of the kitchen and upstairs.\u00a0 Zoe obliged and headed up to change.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Zoe listened as Jordis and Leah talked politics about the situation.\u00a0 They were a bit better at such things than she was.\u00a0 Perhaps Leah should be there instead of Zoe?<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what\u2019s up between you and that Thalmor, Valis?\u201d Jordis asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, you don\u2019t talk much of your past,\u201d Leah replied.<\/p>\n

Zoe looked at them both before sighing, a part of her hoped they would have forgotten but no such luck.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he has some sort of obsession with me,\u201d Zoe finally said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not sure what it is, but he tried for years to make me his personal slave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA Thalmor interested in a human?\u201d Jordis replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really their style,\u201d Brandis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well, he tried for years, from the moment I arrived in the Imperial City,\u201d Zoe said, having never understood his obsession of her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he can\u2019t have you,\u201d Leah said, \u201cyou\u2019re already mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

That caused Zoe to smile a bit.\u00a0 Her journey north had brought her a lot of things, including a lover.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it all blew up on my last day there,\u201d Zoe recalled.\u00a0 \u201cI lost almost all my coin betting on a fight, which I lost.\u00a0 Rumor was someone set it up as the champion didn\u2019t fight like he normally did.\u00a0 A lot of people complained.\u00a0 Now that I think about it Valis seemed to know about what was going on, he bet against the champion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened next?\u201d Leah asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIronically it was while leaving that I was handed the note about the Suite, at the time I thought it was some trick so I ignored it,\u201d Zoe said, then pausing as she thought about that day.\u00a0 \u201cI also ran into a seer, she mentioned that the World Eater had returned.\u00a0 Seemed like some strange woman at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like something else happened as well,\u201d Jordis asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I went back to my shack, only to have a couple of thugs appear and burn it down.\u00a0 While they were talking they mentioned they were doing it for someone else, that someone else was probably Valis,\u201d Zoe said.\u00a0 \u201cIts strange, now, I\u2019d have just confronted them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd won,\u201d Jordis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo doubt,\u201d Leah agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t much of a fighter back then, had to learn quickly after arriving here,\u201d Zoe said recalling that the first person she ever killed was a Stormcloak soldier in Helgan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey burned down your shack?\u00a0 What about the authorities?\u201d Brandis asked<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, they were ruled over by the Thalmor, and Valis was one of them, not much they would have done,\u201d Zoe replied.\u00a0 \u201cI got mad, and headed out and ended up at a bar, spent my last coin there.\u00a0 While there a couple of others entered who had also bet on the fight earlier in the day.\u00a0 Drunk they started talking all types of things, what they would do and such.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, drink which makes one seem bolder than one is,\u201d Jordis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well, filled with this I went and confronted Valis,\u201d Zoe said.\u00a0 \u201cActually attacked him, which wasn\u2019t the smartest thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe arrested you,\u201d Brandis said, a logical conclusion for what happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cNope, I managed to break free and got into the Underground,\u201d Zoe replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderground?\u201d Jordis asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Imperial City has a large underground network,\u201d Leah said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but the law doesn\u2019t go down there, too dangerous, and the Thalmor ignore it, its beneath them to have any dealings with those down there,\u201d Zoe replied.\u00a0 \u201cIt was the only place I was safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long did you stay there?\u201d Leah asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout a day, while I was sitting there, in the dimly lit areas trying not to be noticed I came across the note again,\u201d Zoe said.\u00a0 \u201cI realized scam or not it really was the only option left to me.\u00a0 So I stole a knife from a passed out person nearby, under the cover of darkness snuck out and headed towards Skyrim.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the rest, as they say, is history,\u201d Leah said with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cI can still recall you\u2019re first visit.\u00a0 You were gorgeous and I wanted to make sure you came back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t know I\u2019d be the owner yet,\u201d Zoe replied, giving her a grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cNope, but glad you are,\u201d Leah replied, as Zoe recalled how Leah mentioned she wasn\u2019t who they expected as the new owner.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo Valis had your home burned down?\u201d Jordis asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I figure, guess he thought if I had no place to go I come to him,\u201d Zoe said giving it some thought.\u00a0 \u201cHe even mentioned that I could have had wealth and power if I had come to him instead of coming up here.\u201d<\/p>\n

That statement made both Leah and Jordis laugh a bit.\u00a0 However, Brandis looked a bit confused.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Thane in most of the major cities, the Dragonborn, head of the Companions, and Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, just to name a few titles I\u2019ve picked up on my journey,\u201d Zoe told him explaining the laugh that they had.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot to mention the number of people she\u2019s helped out,\u201d Leah said.\u00a0 \u201cProbably can\u2019t go anywhere in Skyrim without hearing some story about the Dragonborn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, so, what could he offer?\u201d Brandis asked causing Zoe to chuckle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just it, he doesn\u2019t think anyone outside the Thalmor is worth anything.\u00a0 He thinks it means everything, the ultimate power in his mind, the superior group,\u201d Zoe said to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, aren\u2019t the Thalmor the stronger side?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts relative,\u201d Jordis replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are strong, they did defeat the Empire, but they exhausted themselves against the Redguards, and coming up here isn\u2019t close to their power base.\u00a0 It would only further weaken them,\u201d Zoe explained.\u00a0 \u201cThey rule only due to a treaty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd their rule isn\u2019t popular,\u201d Leah said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue, everywhere I\u2019ve been people are unhappy with what they\u2019ve done,\u201d Brandis replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s only a matter of time before a rebellion occurs in Cyrodiil, but whoever does that, it won\u2019t be me,\u201d Zoe said to them.\u00a0 \u201cI have no interest in leading an army, fighting dragons was enough for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you really met a seer?\u201d Leah asked, after a few minutes of silence of everything thinking about what they had heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat, oh, yeah, said something which I didn\u2019t understand at that time,\u201d Zoe said.\u00a0 \u201cSomehow she knew of my ability, that I was Dragonborn.\u00a0 She said I had great power within me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She gave that moment a bit of thought, then realized something else.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe also gave another prediction,\u201d Zoe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, what?\u201d Leah asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat if Valis went to Skyrim, he\u2019d die,\u201d Zoe said to them, recalling that Valis had shrugged the Seer off as crazy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he\u2019s here,\u201d Jordis said.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps someone should remind him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe might go running back to where he came from,\u201d Brandis stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe might, but he wasn\u2019t impressed with the seer, and dismissed her as crazy,\u201d Zoe said, recalling it.\u00a0 Was there anything else, something she had missed?\u00a0 No, all she recalled was that part, if she said anything else it was before or after she was with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cStill, we might want to be careful, we don\u2019t want him dying while in talks with the Jarl,\u201d Jordis said.<\/p>\n

Zoe had to agree, as much as she disliked the elf having him die at the palace wouldn\u2019t help relations.<\/p>\n

\u201cShould you tell the others?\u201d Leah asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey might dismiss a seer\u2019s prophesy,\u201d Jordis replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what she said to me ended up to be true,\u201d Zoe said, Alduin had returned and she did have a power hidden within.\u00a0 Had she been guessing, or were her predictions usually accurate.\u00a0 She had no idea who the seer had been.<\/p>\n

They looked at each other before Zoe finally spoke up again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho would\u2019ve thought, I\u2019d be giving a warning to an elf I hate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly shows how much better you are than he is,\u201d Leah stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like he only thinks of himself,\u201d Brandis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was sure full of himself in the meeting,\u201d Jordis said.<\/p>\n

Zoe had to agree, he seemed to think he was the only one worth talking, an insult to just about everyone else.\u00a0 In that nothing had changed at all with him.\u00a0 He had been that way for as long as she had known him.\u00a0 What concerned her was the fact he had yet to move on from her for some reason.<\/p>\n

Now she only hoped he wouldn\u2019t do something stupid.\u00a0 Then again, perhaps he would and she could finally be rid of him once and for all.\u00a0 Then there was the problem with the fact he was now a high ranking Thalmor.\u00a0 She had to be careful when doing anything with him, not because of his abilities, but his position.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t untouchable, she just had to be careful.<\/p>\n

End part 11<\/p>\n

Continued in part 12<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dovahkin’s Flight by AJ Marks Part 11 Zoe stretched as the meeting was finally adjourned.\u00a0 The Thalmor wanted to head back to their embassy for the night.\u00a0 She stood and made her way to the small balcony which overlooked the entrance to the palace and felt someone else approach. Turning she found herself looking at […]
Continue reading…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[3,10,6,85,12],"class_list":["post-2579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fanfiction","tag-aj-marks","tag-fanfiction","tag-fantasy","tag-skyrim","tag-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2579"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2586,"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579\/revisions\/2586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}