Tears of the Present - Chapter 3 - The End?

If you missed chapter 2, read that first, it’s over here: http://www.loverslab.com/blog/148/entry-709-tears-of-the-present-chapter-2-cont-from-the-blackreach-experiments/

 

 

“Time to settle up!” Arissa yelled. "Celes charged up a massive shock blast.

 

 

“Oh this should be fun,” Kiva snickered.

 

Magic and fire suddenly roared around Kiva! It absorbed the power of Celes shock attack. The sudden waves of heat caused Arissa to stumble backward.

 

 

Kiva combined her power along with what she absorbed from Celes and sent the full force of it at Arissa.

 

 

Arissa was caught completely off guard. The spell was so strong it lifted her off of her feet and threw her across the marsh.

 

 

She landed in the distance. Her body was singed and smoking. She could feel the magic affect the dragonskin curse. It was if she could feel the scales snaking their way across her body.

 

 

Kiva turned her attention to Celes but she was no longer there. “Oh no, you’re not running away now!” Kiva unleashed a blast of dark energy. It was a trick she learned while in the Soul Cairn.

 

 

Celes screamed out as she was hit with a blast of near invisible force. It sent her flying through the air. She landed hard and felt something break.

 

 

When she looked up, Kiva was standing over her with an ethereal sword. “No, please! Mercy” Celes screamed. Kiva smiled at her and raised the sword into the air. “Please! I’ll do anything you want! Hurgh!” Kiva stabbed her in the chest with the blade. A puddle of green fluid formed under Celes.

 

 

Kiva ran back to solitude and brought a carriage back to transport Celes body to her lab.

 

 

She loaded Celes into the back and stabbed her through her joints to prevent her from moving. With each stab, she could hear Celes groaning.

 

 

Arissa woke up next to the water. She knew before she glanced at her refelction in the water that she was now completely a dragon. The curse had taken hold fully. She let out a scream of rage and sadness.

 

 

It was late when Kiva arrived back at the Palace. A couple of guards took Celes body to the lab then went back to their duties. Kiva sat down in the High King’s throne. “Whew, busy day. Wouldn’t you say so?”

 

 

Falk Firebeard, Elisif’s steward, crawled over to Kiva. “Yes My Lady, it is has been very busy.”

“Faulk dear, did you do what I told you?”

“Yes My Lady. I poured the barrels into the cities water like you said and I sent a courier to the dragonborn.”

“Good job. Now go. Get out of my sight.”

 

 

Kiva smiled and reflected on events earlier in the day. “It really required so little magic to bend him. The city was about as easy to sway. Several massive spell laced potions to make everyone adore her and the dragonborn was all it took.”

 

 

Earlier in the month, she used her magic to manipulate the cook. Now he was dropping a special ingredient into the Jarl’s food with every meal. “She’s far too trusting,” Kiva thought.

 

 

And the guards only required a small amount of magical prodding to start spreading rumors about Elisif being unfit to rule.

 

 

Kiva headed home. As she left the palace, she could hear the Jarl screaming from the night terrors and waking nightmares she had planted in her mind.

 

 

The next morning, she began her work on Celes. The first thing she did was remove the ornamental coverings from her body. Then she started taking her apart. Her body was completely inactive but she realized her mind was still there.

 

 

She used a weak shock spell and Celes started begging weakly. “Please, put me back together… I beg you.”

 

 

“Oh,” Kiva said, “Do you really want me to put you back together?”

“Yes, please.”

“Hmm, no I think not. Let’s see how much of you I can take apart before I found out how you work.”

 

 

Celes ran out of power before she could say anything else.

 

 

It didn’t take her long to find the soul gem containing Celes’s soul and figure out how the suit was enchanted to move. It gave her a great idea. She summoned the tailor and the blacksmith.

 

 

They used parts of Celes’s body to make an outfit. As far as they knew, it was just a dwemer automaton.

 

 

Kiva was admiring her new outfit with a look of disappointment. “It’s nice but not as formal as I’d hoped. Endarie, do you have something a bit more formal?

 

 

Endaire went behind the counter and pulled out a beautiful orange and blue dress. “Here, try this on. I think you’ll like it.” Kiva made a few mock poses before responding. “I love it! Just what I need for tonight.” She paid Endarie and started to leave for the palace.

 

 

“Kiva, what do you want me to to do with the left over parts?”

“Just toss them out. They’re junk.”

 

 

When she arrived, the dragonborn was already speaking to Faulk.

“I had a crowd of people demand that I marry Elisif and become High King. They crowded me as I entered the city. Faulk, what is going on?

 

 

“Elisif lost her mind awhile ago. Kiva and I have been running things for the last month. Elisif claims Lord Sheogorath comes into her bedroom at night but most of what she says in unintelligible, something about fishsticks and cheese. She’s also having night terrors. The screams have caused most of us to sleep away from the palace.

 

 

“Dragonborn, no, forget titles. Asmund, will you marry Elisif? The people will stand behind you and you’ll be keeping the realm together.”

 

 

“Please consider it. It’ll be good to have you around.” Asmund caught the look that Kiva gave him.

 

 

After some thought, the he agreed. The wedding was thrown together. Normally it would be a regal affair, guests would be invited, preparations made but this was a special situation.

 

 

That night, Kiva helped Asmund get settled in. “It’s strange,” he said. Kiva looked at him quizzically. “For years people just called me dragonborn. Now everyone is actually using my name again. It’s kind of refreshing.”

 

 

Kiva stepped behind a curtain and came back out in lingerie. Asmund was shocked “Are you serious? Right here? In front of Elisif?”

He pointed to his now wife who was sitting on the floor babbling.

 

 

“Sure, you can have her every night or you can have me. Either way, you’re still High King and I don’t think she minds.”

 

 

It was not a hard decision. He had no real love for Elisif and Kiva seemed to want him badly.

 

 

Later the next day, a snow dragon flew in close to Solitude, scooped up Celes’s parts, and flew away before the guards could respond.

 

 

The dragon was headed away from Skyrim as she spoke. “Celes, it’s Arissa, I don’t know if you can hear me but we’re leaving this place.” She swore she heard a sound come from Celes and it sounded happy.

 

 

Several months later, the Jarls held the Moot and confirmed Asmund as High King.

 

 

Shortly after the moot, Elisif was found dead. She had apparently died in her sleep. A service was held but very few people attended. She had lost the respect of the people due to her mad ramblings.

 

 

As far as people were concerned, the real rulers were High King Asmund, formerly the Dragonborn and Kiva.