The Cure For Curie (Complete!)

Answers For A Price

It had been almost two weeks that they had been holed up in that cabin. Nelacar had been busy translating the pages of the mysterious red book. Lilelle had secured an abandoned shack outside of Solitude for the task. She had used her connections with the Dark Brotherhood to gain access. They had told her she could stay as long as she needed. Cosnach had arrived before them to clean up any, messes.

The Altmer had barely said a word during his stay. He had been completely absorbed by his work. Lilelle had had to force the elf to eat and sleep, lest he perish atop his pile of notes. He had been muttering for a day and a half that he was close to cracking it's secrets.

Cosnach had kept busy hunting and drinking in turn, he had gone out early in the morning when Nelacar had finally had his big breakthrough.

"Lilelle! I did it! It's finished!" He shouted over his shoulder as he scrawled more notes on pieces of parchment. She had been dozing in an easy chair of skins, uncurling herself to join him at the large table.

"You've finished? That is fantastic! What does it say?" She asked, the excitement filling her voice.

"Oh, this is bigger than we could have ever imagined. The book appears to be a companion book for young initiates." He said, handing her part of the translation.

"Initiates for what exactly?" She asked skimming the hastily scribbled words.

"A religion, so to speak. It appears that the Draugr, or at least a large subset, revered this Matron as a goddess. The implications are staggering."

"So the Matron is an aedra or daedra?"

"Not even close." Nelacar answered shaking his head. "No, this is older. Older than the aedra, older than the dragons even. They claim that she was the first."

"The first what, Nelacar?"

"Everything." He whispered.

"You're no longer making sense. Does the book tell us what the necromancers were looking for?"

"Indeed it does." He pulled up the book and pointed frantically at one of the passages. "The son. The Eternal Son."

The elf showed Lilelle the passages in the book that referred to the boy. He had read the translated text for her aloud. It told a startling tale of a boy who lived forever, lived before the creation of Tamriel underground. A son who had slept through eons within the loving embrace of his mother, the Draugr Matron.

He went on to say that when their bodies had been unearthed, they were believed to be intricate statues. Once cleaned and displayed, the boy came to life. They hailed him and his mother as gods. Lilelle's mind was swimming with all the new information.

"Nelacar, if even some of this book holds truth..." She trailed off.

"I know. It could very well mean that everything we know about our world is false."

She shook her head, and the encroaching thoughts away. No. None of this made sense right now. Tamriel had more than enough proof of gods. She had dealt with daedra, personally. This couldn't be right.

"Just because the necromancers were looking for a boy that could live forever, it doesn't mean that they found him or that he ever existed in the first place. You of all people know how stories can get out of hand."

That much was true. Nelacar knew the follies all too well of grand ideas and how wrong they could be. His mentor and colleague, Malyn Varen, had been a victim of such things. Hearing tales of Azura's Star, he had sought eternal life within its walls. He had succumbed to the madness, and Lilelle had been forced to kill him. Nelacar had repaired the soul gem as thanks for putting his friend's spirit to rest. He knew that what he had read in this small red book couldn't be true, but something strong in its words pulled him from his belief.

"Lilelle, I understand your apprehension but if it is true.."

"No, Nelacar." She said, cutting him off. She pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. "Let's not speak of this any more right now. If we find real proof, I will be open to discussing it further. What I am more concerned about is the one referred to as the Undead King. He is a real person, somewhere in Skyrim, leading these mages. Does the book give any indication of where he might be or where he might be headed?"

"It does, miss." He said reaching to pick up the book. He flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. "If the necromancers were looking for the boy in his last resting place, they would move on to the next step. The book speaks of a way to wake the sleeping goddess so that she may rule her kingdom."

"I'm listening."

"Well, whether they find the boy or not, they would next start looking for her husband."

"Wait. Her husband? Why? Is he a god as well?"

"The book doesn't say. It states only that when the immortal family is reunited the Matron will awake from her slumber. They would need the son and the father to bring the statue to life."

"Ugh." Lilelle huffed, irritated. "All of this immortal business is starting to sound an awful lot like vampires. I hate vampires."

"The theory is sound, I suppose." Nelacar said. He slipped the book into a sack looped onto his belt.

"You're leaving?" She asked as she watched him pile up his papers.

"Yes. With the book translated, I am no longer needed. I've marked on the map where the Undead King is headed. I'm anxious to return to Winterhold."

He seemed anxious, that was true, she thought. Something more seemed to be bothering him though. The more Nelacar spoke of going home, the more nervous he had become. Lilelle also thought it strange that he was expecting to leave this hut with his notes and her book.

"Alright old friend, safe travels." She said as she moved to stand in front of the door. He nodded silently, but kept his eyes on the exit. "I'll need that book, Nelacar."

He placed his hand on the bag protectively, as he began backing away from her. She didn't know where he thought he could go, this place only had one exit. She asked him again to give her the book.

"I can't. They'll be looking for it. Looking for me. They need it."

"Whoa now, calm down. You're starting to scare me, Nelacar. Just put the book down and I'll let you leave."

"No. You're not a believer. You don't deserve to look upon her face." He was shouting now, madness danced across his eyes. He pulled a glass dagger from his belt, charging Lilelle.

She was without her bow, she could see it propped against the wall on the other side of the room. She wouldn't make it in time. As he came towards her, she rolled foward, sweeping her leg out to trip him. The Altmer flew forward but regained his balance quickly. They had now switched places in the small building, realizing this he tried the door.

Lilelle pulled a key from her pocket, flashing it before him. He growled in frustration and lunged once more. She took in a deep breath and shouted toward him. She was the Dragonborn, capable of controlling incredible power. She spoke one of those ancient words at the man trying to kill her now.

"Fus!" She bellowed as the house shook with the power of her voice.

Nelacar's body was lifted into the air, splayed like a toy doll. He tumbled and twirled for a moment, finally slamming into the door. He crashed through the wood, shards exploding out into the swamp. Lilelle flipped back, scooping up her bow. In one quick motion she picked an ebony arrow from her quiver, nocked and shot it toward her flying assailant.

The loud thunk into the man's chest told her the arrow had found its home. Nelacar, now dead, finally laid still on the ground a few yards from the remains of the cabin door. The wind rippled out around her, the strength of the word fulfilling its purpose. She exhaled in the now silent wilderness, the creatures of the swamp quiet from fear. Slipping her bow over her shoulder, she moved to collect her book.

"Well damn." Cosnach whistled out behind her, taking stock of the hole ripped through the front of the shack. "What happened?"

"Nelacar tried to kill me and run off with the book." She answered as Cosnach slipped an arm around her waist.

"Huh. Glad to see you won. Now let's go find some ale and you can tell me all about it."