The Bound - A Tale Of Tamriel

15

15

i. Tilly's dream.

She remembered this. The eclectic mix of 'furniture' that they had found, and stolen, seeming dropped where they could find space. The bed raised higher at one corner because it didn't quite fit anywhere else. The three different styles of chair that they rarely ever sat upon, but they had got because 'every home needs chairs'. The board of wood with the name of their home, "High-Haven", carved by crude hands, upon its surface.

There was something different, too. Something that she couldn't put her finger on. A feeling. No, a presence that was not part of this memory. Something 'other'.

She remembered the day, though. The clamour from below as the city guards ran around trying to find the culprit, or culprits, that had stolen the House Hlaalu treasures and murdered the young, destined-for-great-things, Gavun, the third and most loved of the Hlaalu sons.

Any second now, she would clamber through the secret entrance at the back of the room at the top of the tower. Breathless, ecstatic at their audacious plan almost going ahead without a hitch. Her hair would seem distressed after being almost caught, a great chunk pulled out of it, but that would do little to spoil her discreet beauty.

Here she was. That smile brightening the room.

"You made it!" She scrambled from the tight entrance to the secret route out of the room and launched herself into the dark elf's arms, kissing her with passion. "I thought they had surely caught you and I was just about ready to tear the cells apart to rescue you."

"I found a way out." She found herself locked within this memory, repeating the words that had echoed in her mind for so many years. "I've been waiting for you. Do you still have it?"

The Breton girl with the wondrous curly brown hair smiled and dipped her hand back into the secret route entrance, pulling out a heavy bag that rattled and tinkled as it moved.

No! Thought the Dunmer. Run! Get away! It's not safe here! I'm not safe!

But no words came. The story continued to play out exactly as it had before. Like an avalanche of memories that would carry her along in its destruction. And still, in the back of her mind, the feeling persisted, the presence remained, observing in silence.

"Right here!" The Breton opened the bag to show the dark elf the contents and looked up, as if for approval. "Shame about the Hlaalu boy, but what could you do?"

"Is that enough?" The dark elf shouted over her shoulder towards the main door of the room.

The replay began to slow, then, to falter, as if the memory was fighting to have the scene play out as it should. Two strapping Dunmer city guards forcing their way through the door way, pushing her out of the way and grabbing the Breton. The girl's eyes showing incomprehension, not knowing how or why this was happening. The guard captain entering and dropping the bag of gold into her hand.

"Tilly of Daggerfall, we are arresting you for the murder of Gavun, of House Hlaalu, and for the theft of House Hlaalu belongings." The guard captain smashed the back of his hand into the Breton girl's face. "And that's the least of what you'll get, murderer."

"I didn't do it! I just stole the things!" The Breton, Tilly, the real Tilly, flashed her tear filled eyes towards the dark elf, her nose broken and bleeding. "Tell them, Hlaina, please! I didn't kill him!"

As before, the dark elf, Hlaina who would later call herself Tilly High-Haven, did nothing. Said nothing. She wanted to, now. Now, she wanted to cut the throats of the guards. To shove the bag of gold down the throat of the guard captain until he choked, but she couldn't. The memory replayed as it had always done.