The rain had picked up even more when Niyleen came upon the lair’s entrance. She prepared to go into its depths when she froze. “The… the hatch…” she said out of breath as she had just run all the way from Falkreath to Whiterun essentially. She hadn’t even stopped to catch her breath or to handle all the thoughts rushing through her head. The only thing that mattered was Teresa’s words: It’s not a game, just a challenge. Unlike Boethiah and Meridia…’

 

 

Everything made sense. With the hatch forcibly broken and no sign of Carciel or Nyleine, it was clear to Niyleen that Meridia’s Champion had been here and Niyleen could figure out why. “The Daedric Prince of Life, Enemy of the Dead… damn it all Nyleine…” Steeling herself for the worst, the Halfing took a deep breath and entered the lair.

Aanwo los het. Someone’s here…

 

Disregarding the ladder, Niyleen fell to the ground. Upon landing she rolled and sunk into a crouched defensive position. “Alright Daedric scum, time to—” She fell silent as she saw Carciel and Nyleine sitting in the center of the lair, seemingly chatting happily. That is, until Niyleen had interrupted.

 

What are they doing?

 

 

 

 

Their surprised eyes fell upon her and immediately Niyleen felt embarrassed. Straightening herself, Niyleen sheathed her weapon and raised an eyebrow. (What in Oblivion!? I thought these two were at odds…)

The silence encased the lair for quite some time as Niyleen looked at the pair and the pair her. It wasn’t until Nyleine got up and walked over to her alchemy station that everyone finally escaped their stasis.

 

“Umm… I’m back guys.”

 

“Welcome back,” Nyleine said without looking at her.

 

What’s up her ass?

 

(Watch your mouth!) Niyleen gave Carciel a look, but the Breton simply shrugged. “I see…” Niyleen sat on the bed and sighed. “This was rather lackluster. I thought another Champion had showed up.”

 

“One did,” Nyleine and Carciel said simultaneously.

“W-what!?!” Niyleen jumped up and looked at the two of them. “What happened? Where is it? Are you okay?”

 

“Do you even care?” Nyleine said coolly.

 

“I care! I care a lot—”

Stop it.

 

(But I do care what happens to—)

 

Stiildus! Just shut up and listen to your sister’s words.

 

“… much, then why weren’t you here!” Nyleine looked at her sister with tear stained eyes. “I needed you! I felt so alone, so vulnerable! I never wanted to feel like that again, but you! You just up and left! How dare you act like you care about what happens to me! Or either of us for that matter!”

Heh, she didn’t…

 

Niyleen looked at Carciel who nodded. “Yes, I did tell her what happened between us,” the Breton said getting redder by the second. “If we’re going to be working together, I wish to have everyone’s trust. Which is why I was open about my feelings towards you to her.”

Pruzah Zu'u fen kos… By Dagon, SHE TOLD! HAhahaahahahHAahaha! This ‘kiss and tell’ bitch!

 

“She also told me that you didn’t go after her, after that moment you both shared,” Nyleine chimed in. “So you didn’t go back to your sister who begged you not to go, and you didn’t follow the woman who shared how she felt about you. So again sister, how dare you say you care about us when you weren’t with us at our most—”

“I found Lucari…”

“What!?” Carciel said getting to her feet. “That’s wonderful news! W-wait, where is she? Is she okay? Why isn’t she with you?”

 

“I… She’s not…” Niyleen took a deep breath. “…She’s with the enemy now.”

 

“The… enemy?”

 

Niyleen sighed. “Did you ever find a cure? You know, to vampirism?”

 

Carciel blanched. “S-s-so she did turn… By the gods…”

 

“I-I’m sorry!” Nyleine said immediately with a bow. “I didn’t know… I had no way of knowing, and yet I assumed—”

 

“No, you were right.” Niyleen smiled weakly at her. “I was… I’ve been a terrible sister towards you, and an unfair friend to you Carciel. If either of you wanted me out of your lives, I would be more than happy to oblige.”

 

Carciel wiped her eyes. “You know how I feel about you,” she said blushing.

Niyleen smiled. “And you, sis?”

 

“What about me?”

 

“Do you want me gone?”

 

Nyleine sighed. She went over to Niyleen and punched her in the face, causing her to fall on her rear. “That’s for suggesting that we ever separate! Shor’s bones… I told you how desperately I’d been looking for you, how much I felt at home with you, and this is the solution you come up with when you mess up? If anything, you’re going to have to pay me more attention than before to make up to me.”

 

Haa… so much melodrama bullshit between you all.

 

Niyleen rubbed her cheek and laughed. “Haa… you’re right. You’re right,” she repeated towards Nega. Jumping to her feet, she stretched and let out a deep sigh.

 

 

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

(I… I don’t know how to answer that…)

 

Fon nii lost bo wah daar… Might as well tell them.

 

(W-what!? )

 

Naal Dagon’s reym! Look, you’ve already screwed our plans up. Might as well let them in on the secret. Bo nau nu, just use your head, which is more than I can say you’ve done up until now.

 

Niyleen closed her eyes and said the words she knew she could never take back. “Well… in a month, this is all coming to an end.”

 

“What!?!”

 

“Explain!”

 

And so Niyleen did. She didn’t tell Carciel that she technically didn’t exist or Nyleine that they were in fact actual sisters, but everything else… Nothing was spared. Not the cycles or the truth about where she’d gotten her previous information regarding their predicament. The Second, the Daedric Prince’s, her power, Nega, Niyleen laid it all bare and once she was finished she finally opened her eyes and looked stared at them silently. The shock was far much greater than when she had last told them, but then again truth has always been stranger than tales.

“W-wait,” Carciel said gripping her head in pain. “You’re telling me that this… all of this has happened before?”

 

Niyleen hesitated. “It’s weird—”

“I’ll say!” Carciel shouted. Blushing at how rough she had sounded, she quickly followed up with, “I-I’m sorry. It’s just… this is all too much.”

 

“How do you think I felt when I heard it all? I still haven’t completely wrapped my head around it.”

“So… were we always like this,” Nyleine said softly. “I-I mean, our family, were we always so… messed up?”

 

“I… I don’t—”

 

Haa… tell her this. That…

 

Niyleen nodded. “Our family,” she said rather grimly. “Was never normal. Our father died in the first cycle about two years ago causing our mother to go into shock and you to run off to the College.”

 

“We’ve… we’ve been doing this for two years?”

 

“N-n-n-n-n-n-no! Uh, shoot, how do I explain?” Now that she thought about it… (Hey, are we reliving all of this over and over again?)

 

I can’t believe you are me. Use your head! Do you honestly think the Daedric Princes would wait all that time to try and use you for their own goals? A cycle is a CYCLE. Think about it idiot…

 

Niyleen frowned. She never understood why Nega had to be so unpleasant, but it wasn’t as if she wasn’t giving found advice. Piecing everything together she eventually reached a conclusion. “Uh, well, from what I’ve gathered all that’s happened is that we’re living the same couple of months over and over again.”

“So…” Nyleine said coolly. “Father had his way with us in the other cycles as well?”

 

Ausul nid! Nid nid nid NO!

 

“No, he didn’t,” Niyleen said with a smile. “I think… The Daedric Princes have been manipulating our pasts each cycle so the world we currently live in is drastically different, but oh so familiar at the same time. I think only the major players involved around these events have been affected as we have, where as everyone else probably just has a nasty case déjà vu.”

“Oh, okay.” Nyleine let out a sigh of relief. “So,” she said with longing eyes. “What happened to you?”

 

“I uh… I think it would be best to let me talk about that.” Niyleen said closing her eyes.

 

“Huh?” The pair said in unison.