Sounds of laughter, an aroma of stale ale, and an ambiance of debauchery filled the tavern that evening. The room was full of opportunities for the charismatic Bosmer.
Peabody looked up from his tankard and saw that Elendar had found himself a fair Ashlander girl. He chuckled and thought, “well I see he’s occupied.”
Growing bored of keeping to himself the wood elf began to make his rounds throughout the tavern. A pungent odor of fish roused his attention as he neared a group of men and mer discussing their day's catch. “Ahhh, fishermen,” he muttered under his breath, a mischievous glimmer in his eye.
“They enjoy games.” His hand molested a Ta rune in his side pouch that he’d found earlier that afternoon.
“Good evening my finely polished men and mer!” Peabody announced approaching the malodorous group. “Would you like to try your luck in a game of wits?” The Bosmer asked, wearing a seductive grin. The conversations about fish and provisions died down as the table all looked up at this curious Bosmer. After a moment, a drunk Nord stood up to challenge the wood elf but was stumbling and slurring his words so badly he nearly fell sideways over his chair. A grizzly high elf who was sitting next to him reached out and guided the man back into his seat.
“Sit down, Nord, you've had quite enough,” the high elf said with a notable tone of condescension. “Altmer can handle their drink better than any other race in Tamriel” he said arrogantly, directing his speech now toward the Bosmer who approached them.
“Ohhhh good!” said the wood elf pulling up a chair. “Well, repeat after me, tilt the Ta in the flagon ‘till the ale ‘as been dranken, then start drinking.” The Altmer seemed to be confused by this. He stared at the Bosmer who simply smiled and slowly pointed at the high elves’ tankard. In his ale he finally noticed a Ta rune. At this the high elf’s lip twitched slightly. “So I owe you a drink now?” The Altmer asked gruffly. “That,” replied the Bosmer, “and you have to turn out your pockets,” he said with a feigned coyness masking his otherwise curling smile. “What?!” shouted the Altmer, exasperated and suspicious, his tone close to anger.
“Oi, wher‘ar yer stars na- burp -noow... Uulnath? HAH, bested by that tiny little muurr.. I would’a.. won..” hiccuped the Altmer’s companion, just before slouching down in his chair for an abrupt and involuntary slumber. At this several of the other fisher folk started laughing and pointing between the high elf and the now completely unconscious Nord.
“Uulnath, huh?” asked the wood elf. That's a silly name for an orc, let alone a high and mighty elf such as yerself!”
Peabody’s chest was postured and imitative, clearly mocking the grizzly Altmer. The high elf was not phased by this at first. In fact, he seemed amused by the wood elf’s eccentricities. Peabody noticed that he wasn’t making a dent in his prey’s stoic demeanor, and decided that he kind of liked the Altmer, though he certainly wasn’t about to abandon a challenge - especially not when his candidate was of the Altmer, who are fiercely proud and self important.
”Uulnath, hmmm?” The Bosmer questioned again. “By his stars he has a name,” he continued with some quip in his tone.
The Altmer began to introduce himself: “That’s right, I am Uulnath Drank of the Summer Isle, in servitude of her majest-” suddenly Peabody’s ears perked up and he blurtingly interrupted the Altmer. “Drank?! What a splendid surname! Uulnath though, we could do without, we’ll go with Ta, as you my friend drank the Ta.”
The Bosmer’s insults finally began to annoy the Altmer; however, it was simply in Peabody’s nature to bestow those he liked with a name that amused him, whether or not the receiving party was fond. “Well alright, Ta’Drank, how about you hedge your bets? Double or nothing?” proposed the wood elf, delighted by the impatience growing in his tall, new friend.
Across the tavern Elendar refilled a pair of flagons for himself and his companion.
“How did you find me?” Elendar asked. He said this somewhat brusquely, and the girl was taken off guard. “I didn’t, exactly… I tracked the Ordinators as far as the border of Skyrim, and from there...” The look on the girl’s face was grim. “... I didn’t know if I would ever see you again.” At this Elendar was staring forward, and if not for the occasional sip of his ale seemed to take on the rigidity of stone. He seemed to be intensely deep in thought. “I made my way through Skyrim and thought it likely that you wouldn’t stop until you were near Daggerfall territory. It was mere chance that brought me into this stinking tavern.” Her disdain for the Nords and their tavern was notably present in her tone of voice.
A loud applause came from the table where Peabody was with the fisherfolk. The dark elf glanced over his shoulder, and back to the wall in front of him. The fireplace was alight and shadows undulated across his gray face. The fishermen seemed to be having a good time with the Bosmer. Elendar converted back into a deep, quiet stream of thought - moving only to drink from his ale.
Finally, Elendar faced the girl and asked, “you’re sure nobody followed you?” He was clearly concerned that the Ordinators may simply have let her go so that she would inadvertently lead them to him. This concern registered deeply in his facial expression. If he were brought into custody now, he was sure that his previous sentence to slavery would be upgraded to execution.
“Of course I am,” she responded.
The girl’s face gave away that she was slightly hurt by the question, though Elendar didn't seem to acknowledge this. She, after all, was just as good at tracking and evading as he was, but he would never openly admit that to her.
“Where, and how, did you come across those ridiculous clothes?” He said brazenly, referring to the Ashlander garb that the girl was wearing.
“I found a Velothi exile the night before I departed Vvardenfell,” she replied, not masking the slight agitation in her voice at being questioned like someone who was oblivious or untrustworthy. “You know it would have been reckless, dangerous even, for me to travel in my own clothes. So, I caught a poor soul in the middle of the night with the stave of my bow…” Elendar slowly gave her a look, he seemed to pity the innocent Ashlander whom she knocked unconscious and robbed blind in the wild. Recognizing this, the girl rushed an explanation. “They’re nomads, outsiders! No one cares about their movements around the outskirts of Morrowind. I might as well have had a bushy tail and been addicted to skooma!” His recognition of her defense and frustration was noticeable as he smiled slightly. He knew she was right, and that she simply wanted him to acknowledge her wisdom for a change. He laughed to himself thinking of the poor Velothi waking up in the middle of nowhere with a bruised head and no clothes.
After awhile he turned to her. “If you want to help me, I’d like you to wait for my instructions at Windhelm, in the Gray Quarter, you can blend in there with the rest of the Dunmeri. Once I have a plan to return to Morrowind and clear my name of the charges against me, I’ll reach you there. I don't expect this of you, but if you insist on coming to my aid then this is what must happen.”
She stared at him silently, waiting, though without protest. Elendar continued in a very hushed tone. “I’ll contact you via courier by the name of Australia Jackson-” She moved to ask about this ridiculous new name of his, but he ignored her and continued speaking, “seeking you by the name, Liliah T’rizen. That is to be your identity there, and you are to blend in, however you can. Get a job working the forge, or the common market if you must. But listen to me very carefully, you aren't to trust anyone! Dunmer or not, let no one know of your Redoran heritage, or of your relation to our parents-”
“Our parents are dead, Elendar.”
She said this very matter-of-factly. Her features were grave, but stern.
Elendar only had a moment to register this before the table where Peabody was exploded into a cacophony of flying tankards and flurries of fists. Elendar looked at his younger sister who, understanding this commotion meant she needed to leave, gave him a curt bow before he was to hurry and see what was going on with Peabody. Internally the dark elf was unhinged by what his sister just disclosed to him. What could have happened? His confusion and shock was nearly debilitating. He was overcome by such a heavy feeling of guilt that he felt it was difficult to breath. His guilt quickly transformed into a consuming rage as he realized what was going on across the room.
A large, grizzly looking high elf was grappling with Peabody and managed to get a few hard pummels to the wood elf’s face. The Altmer’s patience had finally broken, and his drinking game had devolved into an effluent display of pugilism. Elendar rushed across the tavern to stop the brawl, leaping on and knocking over tables and drinks as he moved, and quickly knocked out the high elf using the hilt of his blade. He snapped his field of vision back towards his sister, but she had already slipped from the tavern unnoticed. His shock and anger had not yet simmered. To Elendar, it felt as though his entire insides were burning - his viscera felt to him like molten rocks heated by pure rage. He spun his sword around so that the blade and not the hilt was facing forward and moved it toward the neck of the now incapacitated high elf.
Noticing that the dark elf was about to commit murder in the middle of the tavern floor, the wood elf sprang quickly to his feet and set an arrow to his bow so immediately that the drunken patrons of the bar didn’t observe the intermediate steps between Peabody grabbing the arrow, and it being pointed directly at Elendar’s head.
“Now, now, Aussi,” said the Bosmer breathlessly, but calmly. “There’s no need to be killin’ar new friend.”
Elendar was instantly unsure of his predicament. His trust in the wood elf was strong, though he was so unhinged that his mental faculties were haywire, rapidly firing and misfiring. Time was moving much more slowly for Elendar. After what felt like 10 minutes, though was actually only a moment, he began to notice the quiet stares from around the tavern. The entire business was dead silent, and everyone’s full attention was centered on the three elves. It was a wonder that the city guards had not been filing into the bar at that very moment.
He let go of the high elf, who’s body fell to the floor with a thud, and the Bosmer slackened his grip on the bow and sheathed the arrow back into its quiver.
Uulnath awoke less than an hour later, propped in a chair in the corner of the tavern with both Elendar and Peabody seated across from him - the tavern had resumed its usual volume of conversation, music and drinking.There were three flagons on the table filled with ale. Each of them sat silent for a moment. The wood elf broke the long quiet with a chuckle and looked around the table to his companions.
“By Y’ffre’s hairy feet what a marvelous evening this has been! Ta, my good mer, you’ve got’a hell-uvah swing! Should be good in a fray!” He continued as he rubbed his eye that now matched the color of Elendar’s gray skin. “HAH, wud’ya look at that, I’m turning grey, Aussi, just like you! I hope dull, stern looks aren’t a side-effect.” Attempting to break the silence of the group, Peabody continued ranting as Elendar rolled his eyes and attempted not to break his concentration on the high elf.
Eventually interrupting Peabody’s nonsense, Elendar grabbed his flagon and raised it facing the high elf. Peabody seemed to understand this gesture, as he grew silent and waited for Uulnath's reaction. “Friendship through adversity,” said the Dunmer. Uulnath looked from him to the wood elf, his memory and coherency returning to him. He stared at the wood elf intensely, almost menacingly, as the Bosmer looked at his mirrored reflection in the dagger he was using to poke at his own swollen eye, imitating Elendar’s cautions, “Don’t touch that you silly Bosmer”.
Noticing Uulnath's fixation on Peabody, the dark elf exhaled a sigh and put his flagon down.
“You know I could just as easily have killed you as knocked you out, high elf.” As the Dunmer said this, the wood elf relieved Elendar of his helmet and stood up, mocking the Dunmeri fashion of dancing. The dark elf glanced sideways at Peabody dancing and couldn’t contain a small laugh.
The high elf, looking at these two with a raised eyebrow, thought to himself, “... by Julianos’ little teapot, these two are completely mad.”
Elendar, ignoring Peabody for a moment, continued speaking at the high elf, “it was actually Peabody here who decided he liked you." As the Dunmer said these words Peabody concluded his dance with a twirl and landed in a chair with his chin resting in his hands. His eyes now fully on Uulnath.
"In other words," Elendar continued "he’s why you’re alive right now... So,” Elendar raised his flagon again and repeated, “friendship through adversity.”
The high elf, looking at these two with a raised eyebrow, thought to himself, “... by Julianos’ little teapot, these two are completely mad.”
Elendar, ignoring Peabody for a moment, continued speaking at the high elf, “it was actually Peabody here who decided he liked you." As the Dunmer said these words Peabody concluded his dance with a twirl and landed in a chair with his chin resting in his hands. His eyes now fully on Uulnath.
"In other words," Elendar continued "he’s why you’re alive right now... So,” Elendar raised his flagon again and repeated, “friendship through adversity.”
The high elf reached out slowly for the handle of his flagon, and inevitably mustering a smile, he repeated, “friendship through adversity.” At this they all repeated the phrase simultaneously while clanking their flagons, drinking the whole of their cups right then and there. Once they slammed their empty flagons down, Uulnath said in a low, raspy voice, “drinks are on me tonight, and I’ve got a few homemade ales in my pack for ya that’ll make ya forget yer names.”
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“You see and this is exactly the gesture we were hoping for,” Peabody explained to Elendar as they hiked through the thick forests of Orsinium, making their way to a nearby river. Despite Peabody being pleased with the outcome of the previous evening, Elendar’s grim encounter was fresh in his mind. “What happened to my parents?” He thought.
As they approached the lake, Uulnath could be seen in the distance casting for his day’s catch. “TA!” the wood elf exclaimed in excitement to see the Altmer again. The high elf looking up to greet the two travelers noticed that Peabody was tossing a stone up and down with a mischievous look about him. “Star’s above, Bosmer!” Exclaimed the Altmer. “DON’T YOU DARE TOSS THAT ROCK INTO THIS WAT-” The rock fell into the river with a plop, and Elendar smacked his palm to his forehead as Uulnath dropped his rod and sprinted towards the wood elf. “You’re on your own this time my friend,” the Dunmer said looking at his small companion. Peabody took off into the forest shouting, “Jus’ leave the other eye be!” Elendar laughed and watched as Uulnath and Peabody took off into the woods shouting at each other.
