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After her ship sinks in the far, frozen north, Aithne is forced into servitude.

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Aithne's story

Aithne's story part 83 - Imagine This

Aithne had stopped counting the days. Not that she had needed to count them in the first place – Merks did that for her.   Eleven. She knew it was eleven because Merks knew it was eleven. His thoughts ran on a loop of self-congratulation, ticking off the days like notches on a belt of his own making: eleven days and she's still here. Still mine. I'm so good at this.   He was not.   It had been a mistake to compare him, even in the smallest of ways, to Sutfu. Merks
Aithne's story

Aithne's story part 82 - The Unwelcome Return of Merks

Merks’ thoughts reached Aithne before true waking did, slipping into her chaotic dreams like a serpent.   He had learned -- whether by instinct or by the simple fact that cruelty makes quick study of anything useful -- that silence could be sharpened into a weapon if one held it just right. He always let it settle first, long enough for hope to stir against all reason; long enough for her to begin wondering whether he had gone, or was asleep, or had merely grown bored of the spectacle
Aithne's story

Aithne's story part 81 - Twisted Memories

The teleportation incantation was wrong.   Aithne felt it the moment Merks began the teleportation incantation -- not in the magic itself, but in its density. The spell folded inward on itself, syllables stacking where there should have been release. Teleportation was a bridge, not a knot; a direction, a destination, a letting‑go.   This one closed like a fist.   Her attention snapped fully into focus. “Merks…” she began, already turning toward him, already reaching
Aithne's story

Aithne's story part 80 - Settled In

“This place is rotting my tusks.”   Nyatt said it from the doorway, arms folded, broad shoulders nearly scraping stone on either side. Snow clung stubbornly to his boots despite the heat of the suite, leaving wet crescents on the floor.   Aithne did not look up from the table. “It’s stone. Your tusks will survive.”   Nyatt snorted. “Stone that thinks it’s smarter than me. I don’t like it.”   Chyehye, sprawled sideways across one of the couches with a book
Aithne's story

Aithne's story part 79 - Return to Winterhold

The cold bit differently when it was chosen.   Aithne always noticed that first -- the distinction between weather endured and weather arrived at by will. The College of Winterhold shimmered into being around them in a rush of magic and sea wind, the familiar stone arches snapping into place as if they had merely been waiting for her to remember them. Snow scurried across the courtyard in thin, whispering sheets. The sea roared below the cliffs, patient and eternal.   Aithne
Aithne's story

Aithne's story part 78 - Ashes to Ashes

The teleport home ended wrong.   Aithne knew it before her feet even found the ground. Before the pressure in her skull faded, before the world finished stitching itself back together.   There was a smell where there should not have been one -- smoke, thick and oily, carrying the bitter tang of burned hair and blood. Heat licked her cheeks as if the air itself were alive and angry.   She staggered one step forward and stopped.   The Kwåim was gone.  
Aithne's story

Aithne's story part 77 - Dragon on the Flats

Aithne had attempted to piece together her timeline with Borkul during her time at the College in her previous life. She has calculated she had spent a year and three months, give or take some few days, under his “care”. She had looked over maps of Skyrim, trying to piece together the route they had taken and the amount of time between stops. It was difficult because those months were a big blur in her mind, and none of those blurs was bigger than that of her time in the cave being trained as a
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Aithne's Story part 76 - Korvanjund

“Did you hear something?”   Merks’ voice sounded hollow and muffled from behind his mask, which annoyed Aithne to no end but, of course, she could not ask him to take it off – it had been her idea for him to wear it in the first place, after all. And at least she didn’t have to see his face when he wore it. She shook her head. “Nothing but the echoes of our footsteps. It is as we suspected – there isn't much of value here, in information or resources. Looks like the Imperials did a goo
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Aithne's story part 75 - Rite of Honor

Whenever Aithne had chanced to picture in her head what an orgy might look like, she envisioned music and multitudes of naked gyrating bodies piled on top of one another in one writhing mass of limbs and bodily secretions.   The pubhimej was nothing at all like that. It was, instead, a sort of flirty game.   It started with the six chosen women (“One for each of the commanders of the two sides of the war”), each wearing three layers of sheer material, standing in a circle ar
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Aithne's story part 74 - The Hero

Aithne folded the last of Nyatt’s clothes and pushed the entire bundle to one side, then glanced at Chyehye and said in Orcish, “I think that everything is?”   “’Is everything.’ And yes, until it is time for us to actually move, we are done.”   “It is strange to be moving so soon.”   Chyehye shrugged. “The greater the honor, the larger the house. Although the meyge was not prepared for a new family in ṭi nyi!” She laughed, still delighted, and Aithne gave her a smi
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Aithne's story part 73 - Enter the Makṭu

Chyehye sighed as the dejected trio slumped into their ngot after a long day of fruitless travel. “I did not realize hunting dragons would prove so difficult.”   Aithne shook her head as she collapsed onto a chair and started to pull off her boots. “They are quite something to fight, but I don’t know what you mean - we haven’t even found one yet.”   “This is what I am saying. Hunting and killing are two different things, and of the two, killing is far easier – that is just st
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Aithne's story part 72 - Punishment

Aithne’s spouses were already dressed and waiting for her, much in the same way her parents sometimes had when she stayed out too late. She suppressed a giggle at the comparison and stepped toward them. “I’m sorry, that took longer than I expected.”   Nyatt looked troubled, which was better than the rage Aithne had feared (yet somehow also secretly hoped for). He opened his mouth, seemed to think better of what he had been about to say, closed his mouth again, then, finally, “I would h
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Aithne's story part 71 - Home

Aithne had been married to two orcs for two weeks but she still was not used to the idea. There was something so foreign about it all. She lay in the furs of their large bed in their very large ngot – nearly three times the size of Nyatt’s previous home - next to her snoring husband while her snoring wife lay on his other side.   Seven times, she had had sex with her husband while Chyehye was in the vicinity, and seven times the reverse had been true. Aithne had, of course, had sex (or
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Aithne's story part 70 - Labyrinthian Part 4

[Note: If you haven't already, you will probably want to read this chapter of Sloan's story before you read this  ]     Aithne made sure she had the door knocker/handle/key/whatever it was to Labyrinthian ready in her hand before she transported the lot of them to the front door of the place. The moment they arrived, she inserted it and yanked at the door.   “Quickly, inside. I don’t want to deal with the trolls.”   “Trolls?” Nyatt paused and looked behind him.
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Aithne's story part 69 - Now We Are Three

Aithne tried to put Merks out of her mind (an impossibility - his constant presence beside her was like a hovering gnat) as she turned to Sloan.   “Have you found either of the others? I assume not the Dragonborn or she would be with you, but…”   Sloan shook her head. “I just came from Windhelm but there is no sign of Trendil. She may be on some Stormcloak mission – I was unable to tell for certain. I did happen to run into Delphine, of all people, so if we go to her, we will
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Aithne's story part 68 - Second Reunion

Four hours later, after the new couple had made their grand egress from the bridal ngot and Nyatt had publicly commanded his wife to fetch his clothes (much to the overwhelming approval of the meyge), and after the massive feast for which Aithne’s human stomach only lasted five of the twelve courses, a very animated Chyehye led Aithne through the crowd toward a table at the very back, saying only there was someone Aithne “would want to meet” – and although bursting with curiosity, Aithne fought
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Aithne's story part 67 - A Wedding of Necessity?

By Aithne’s own personal timeline, it had been less than a year since her previous marriage. Barely half that, in fact – just over seven months ago, she had been standing at the top of the College of Winterhold gripping Urag’s hands and listening to what sounded like bells pealing in celebration of the apex of her long journey, the moment the universe finally aligned to give her happiness after years of torture and pain.   It had all been an illusion, of course; the universe was the cr
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Aithne's story part 66 - Pick a Husband, Any Husband

Aithne blinked and set down her book (trying not to think about what Urag would say if he knew she had taken some of his books on her journey) as Chyehye entered the bridal hut with a large bundle of clothing draped over her arms.  “Oh, you’re back! How did the hunt go?”   “It took longer than expected. My apologies – we found traces of the ba-ṭːa-tswas while hunting for your feast, so we tracked them down.” Chyehye set the clothes on the large bed – the only piece of furniture in the
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Aithne's story part 65 - Trial by Blade

It was a lovely morning, with crisp blue skies and a lingering fog that was slowly being eaten by the ever-lifting sun. Aithne stood in the central area of Narzulbur and did some calculations - it had been awhile since she had consulted a calendar -  as she swung the orcish sword, trying to get a feel for it. It seemed well made, to her untrained eyes, and had nice balance, but the peculiar shape, with its bend halfway down the blade followed by a graceful arc back up at the end, changed the swi
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Aithne's story part 64 - Narzulbur

“Who in the hells are you?”   Aithne snapped back from the abyss when the orc spoke; his pale green skin and incongruously high-pitched voice shattered the Borkul illusion and left her struggling to hold back a giggle. It took her a couple attempts to be able to say, “My name is Aithne.”   “She just saved your life, Nyatt,” the orc woman interjected. “Show some respect.” The woman knelt beside Aithne and bowed her head. “I am Chyehye, by the way.”   “Aithne,” Aithne
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Aithne's story part 63 - Back on the Road

It was strange to be on the road again. In some ways, it was the same as it had been with Borkul - no sound but wind and animals and their own footsteps, fresh air tinged with the brine of the sea. The hours of travel had been the only peaceful part of those times; she had cherished every step, dreading the next stop. Or, at least, the tiny part of her that had watched from a distance had.   The other similarity was less encouraging - she found she was, exactly as before, completely de
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Aithne's Story part 62 - The Steadfast Servant

Aithne came to her senses some unknown time later to the smell of tea. Jazbay, her favorite. She peeked up to find Merks sitting in silence across from her, a teapot and cups placed neatly on the table between them. As she sniffed and lifted her head, Merks picked up the teapot and poured some into the cup nearest her. His mind was a maze of emotions but Aithne blocked them out – she did not want to know what he was thinking.   He had already proven to be the only one in this new reali
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Aithne's story part 61 - A Small Taste of Home

Aithne heard his voice before she saw him - there was no mistaking that gravelly baritone. Her feet hurried as if of their own volition, until she was nearly skipping when she came upon the classroom.   Urag was doing the spriggan demonstration, one of his favorites. The leafy creature stood in its glass enclosure, a slight buzz the only indication it was anything but a gnarled tree. Aithne leaned against the doorway and watched, her mouth lifted into a small smile. She had heard this
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Aithne's story part 60 - The Orc, Revisited

Urag looked annoyed. Of course, that was how he usually looked anyway. Except when he had looked at her.   “What do you mean, what am I doing here?” Urag gestured around the room with those long arms and Aithne just resisted jumping on him to try to get him to wrap them around her. “This is my suite! How did you get in here?”   “What?” Aithne looked around as light panic raced through her. She recognized their…his suite in an instant and flushed red. “Ah! Um. I’m sorry, I mus
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Aithne's story part 59 - Negotiations

The Archmage’s tower room looked exactly how Aithne remembered it, down to the table bearing his notes on Labyrinthian. The door-knocker-thing that unlocked the door was not, at this point, anyway, being used as a doorstop.   Also, she noted with annoyance, the books that rightly belonged in the Arcaneum were still there. Maybe taking some of those back would give her an opening to talk to Urag.   The thought pushed a wave of lonely sorrow through her strong enough that she m
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