Malyn was pleased he had taken the time to visit one historically important place before he returned to Skyrim and continue his hunt for the elusive Dragonborn. He glanced up at the sky, which was rapidly changing from a clear blue to a murky grey, as yet more snow clouds formed over the mountains. Pulling his hood a little further over his head, he continued up the battered path, until he reached an open doorway at the top.

Cloud Ruler Temple had been a fortress for many years, a safe haven for one of the most influential factions on the Empire's history. The Blades.

He glanced at the massive entrance and shook his head as he noted the tell-tale signs of magical enchantments which had come from the arrows of the Elves. The stonework was impressive and was more than capable of stopping anything less than what the Synod had classified as Class V ballista weaponry. Yet the Thalmor had been clever and had targeted the hinges that had held the gigantic doors in place.

It had cost them several thousand lives, but once they had breached the gates, the Blades had been wiped out by the mass of archers and Justiciars within a few horrifying short minutes.

And all that remained was an open gateway with two stoic Bruma guards standing at the entrance, their eyes always fixed on him and the outlying area.

Not that there is anything left to scavenge. The Thalmor wouldn't have left anything important behind after they were done wiping out the last remnants of an elite group such as the Blades.

"Papers," a female guard grunted as he approached.

Malyn did as requested, and calmly waited as the guard perused his official papers from the Countess of Bruma. A few minutes passed before she handed them back, and she gave him a stern warning.

"Be careful in there. The stonework survived the burning, but who knows how many layers of rotten supports are under that floor. Don't want to tell the Synod one of their researchers got flattened."

"My thanks," he replied softly, passing the two guards with no further issues and walking up the stone steps that led to the open courtyard.

He was impressed with the defensive layout, he had to admit. Even when the Thalmor had breached the main gate, the courtyard was laid out to be the ultimate deathtrap. He could easily make out the supports that had once held the small ballista launchers, which were capable of spearing four people at once, and all three of them had been pointed at the steps.

And from all angles, there were low walls, which would have provided cover for the archers of the Blades as they laid out volleys of projectiles at the exposed attackers.

Not to mention that the Blades had front line combatants as well.

It had been well documented that one of the senior generals of the Thalmor, a Justiciar Thendril, had once described the Blades as 'walking steel brutes', and Malyn had to agree with that statement after perusing dozens of Blade armour sets over the years.

Even the magical arrows would have taken repeated hits before breaking through that half inch steel plate, not to mention that each Blade was a master of the Akaviri fighting styles: something the Thalmor had not been familiar with.

He was beginning to see why the Dragonborn was seen to be an unstoppable force. Even after all those years of knowing about her, the Thalmor hadn't been ready for her. As was proved when she returned to Skyrim after her harrowing defeat of Miraak, only to decimate the ranks of the finest fighting divisions that the Thalmor had had at the time.

Malyn wasn't certain, but if he strained his hearing a little, he swore he could hear grunts and the sound of clashing steel echoing throughout the courtyard...

Entering what was left of the Main Hall, he once again stopped and looked carefully at his surroundings. The devastation was immense, the walls pockmarked with more arrow strikes, the stone support beams slashed with wayward sword strikes.

The Blades had fallen to the last, in this very room. And all around him were the bents and broken swords of the Blades, a final insult from the Thalmor. Malyn didn't dare touch them, as he knew that the theft of one of these broken relics was taken extremely seriously.

Well, at least one survived but the final resting place of Acilius Bolar were already determined years ago.

The noise of a sword being unsheathed broke the silence, followed by a quiet yet cold feminine voice.

"Try to scream and I will rip your throat out."

"I am unarmed," he replied as he raised his hands, trying to ignore the gentle prod in his lower back.

"Then you are either well trained in unarmed combat, or you are extremely dumb. Turn around slowly and keep your hands raised."

He complied, turning around and facing the person who was threatening him.

She was shorter than he and she wore a long black cloak that hugged a sensual figure, a dark red hood covering her head and hiding her face. The blade she had held at his chest was unidentifiable, but it seemed to be a shimmering violet and held in a steady hand.

"Malyn Dravis. Synod scholar, liar and an idiot. Not a great combination."

It took a few seconds before his mind processed the insults and he could only glare at her in response.

"Who are you?"

The woman was definitely amused, by the way she chuckled and lowered her blade, holding it loosely at her side.

"I believe you should be asking 'How do I know who you are' and 'Why am I here'? Well, I know who you are because not only did I read that awful bore that your book represented, but the very same person you have been chasing asked me to keep an eye on you. As for why I am here, well..."

She trailed off and removed her hood, exposing a pale face, long black hair that fell gracefully over her shoulders and...

A pair of deep red eyes and a set of fangs that peeked out of a set of soft lips.

"Not the first time you met a vampire, but you forgot about these meetings. That blank part in your memory? All gone. And don't look at me like that, I wasn't the one who altered your tiny little mortal mind."

Malyn was itching to blast her with a magical spell, but that blade was once again pressing against his chest, her smile widening.

"I can see what she meant. You really are stubborn. And dumb."

It took him all of three seconds before his brain caught her meaning.

"You know of the Dragonborn."

His mystery vampire chuckled.

"Of course, I do. Morgan and I are related after all. We have been in communication for many years now. One benefit of being what we are."

Malyn narrowed his eyes.

"There are only a few records of her lineage. Her father vanished when she was young. Her mother was Lilith Aurelius, dead for ten years now. Her adopted daughters, Runa and Lucia. No news of their fates. Which leaves...no, that isn't possible."

She grinned at him and she sheathed that wicked looking blade.

"Lucinda Aurelius. Champion of Cyrodiil," he muttered.

Lucinda snorted.

"Been some time since I was called that. But that is all in the past now. Besides, I didn't follow you to give me your life story."

He crossed his arms and glared at the vampire.

"Morgan asked me to pass on a message. And a warning."

Malyn frowned. He wasn't sure why the Dragonborn was so defensive but he was willing to hear what this vampire had to say. He wasn't sure she was truly the ancestor of the Dragonborn. She didn't seem concerned about her for one.

"Morgan said you are free to try and pursue her, she mentioned that she was rather amused at how blindly you put yourself into danger."

Malyn bit his lip to prevent a retort, and simply nodded before speaking.

"And her warning?"

Lucinda Aurelius grinned.

"If you do manage to find me, your life is forfeit."

There were a few moments of silence, where he felt a cold chill slither up his spine and the air of the ruined hall seemed to press down on him. And then it was gone, and he was standing there with a grinning vampire before him.

"She wishes me to find her at the cost of my life?! The woman must have lost her mind in the last few decades," he muttered.

Lucinda chuckled again.

"She is wondering just how far you are willing to go. How far the Synod is willing to push their influence into Skyrim in particular. I believe that High Queen Elisif is not happy with the frequent incursions. Perhaps you should stick with the Ayleid ruins, they are within your own borders after all."

He ignored the sarcasm and gave her the most withering glare he could muster.

"As if the barbarians have managed to delve into the Dwemer ruins as successfully as..."

"Raldbthar, Deep Folk Crossing, Mzulft, Arkngthamz, Mzinchaleft, the long lost Aetherium Forge and of course, the biggest of them all, Blackreach. I could give more details of who cleared out every single one of these ruins and gave Skyrim a boost of materials and knowledge that rivals anything from the other provinces, but I think you will know already."

He did indeed. Morgan Aurelius had been very busy over the decades it seemed, and now he had the answer as to how Skyrim and Morrowind were trading so successfully over the last six years.

"I am not going to give up my mission."

Lucinda gave him a long stare before sighing.

"Then heed my warning. Morgan gave you the chance to leave, yet you seem Void-bent on casting yourself into the pits of dragon fire."

She stalked closer and he was suddenly pressed against the wall with the smaller yet infinitely more dangerous vampire leaning against him, one hand caressing his face, her other arm wrapping around his waist. He could feel her sensuous body against his and he squirmed as his body started to betray him, a shiver running through every muscle.

"You go back there and best case? You fail to find her. She will probably leave you be after that. But if you do find her after all your searching and questions?"

He groaned slightly as she pressed herself on him even further, one slender leg hooking around his waist, her lips grazing his ear as his body started shaking.

"Then pray that she ends you quicker than Julius Marvius. I heard she had him wrapped around her finger in less time than I did with you..."

A soft graze of her fangs trailed along his throat before the pressure vanished. Malyn Dravis sank to his knees and shivered for what felt like hours before mustering enough courage to get to his feet and focus on his goal. He would pay his respects to the others and to that of the Countess before departing for Skyrim once more. He had never disobeyed direct orders before and he felt no such need to do that now. And he vowed to get the truth about that young man that the High Queen had lied to him about. He swore it.

A few minutes later, he reached the gateway, yet he knew something was amiss. For one there were no extra footprints which meant that Lucinda Aurelius had bypassed the two guards. The other was far more concerning.

There were no guards at the gateway, and no indication that they had been there at all.

He shivered again before making his way down the hill towards Bruma.

"I thank you for your hospitality my Lady, but my mission is unchanged."

Countess Selene gave him a small smile and nod, and he made to depart before turning back to face her.

"My Lady, I thought it best I report this, but...there were two guards stationed at the main entrance of the ruins. And when I returned, there was no sign of either of them."

Countess Selene frowned.

"My dear boy, those ruins have never been guarded for years now. None of the artifacts within the vaults undamaged by the Thalmor were removed decade ago."

He blinked a few times.

"But...there were two guards there, I swear it. A male and female, they asked for my papers that you signed..."

Countess Selene gave her son a look before nodding.

"It seems we have an investigation to prepare of our own it seems. I thank you for this information, the Synod will receive payment for such an act within a week. I am sorry to see you leave, yet I wish you luck on your mission. I hope you find what you are looking for," she said with a small nod, indicating the end of the conversation.

Malyn Dravis gave a small bow before departing. Mother and son exchanged a look before giving identical smiles.

"I doubt we will see him again, mother. A genius plan of fooling one of their best investigators, I must say."

Selene patted her son's hand.

"Misdirection is the best form of attack. Morgan taught me that years ago. Besides, she did mention she had found a suitable woman for you to marry next year so our arrangement benefitted all, wouldn't you say?"

She grinned at how her son blushed fiercely before allowing him to leave, laughing as the doors closed, leaving her alone in the expansive hallway.

Were it not for the two women and one man that walked from out of the darkest corner of the hall and stand at her side.

"He bought it. The fool," Lucinda Aurelius uttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Right back into the jaws of the dragon. I am still wondering why Morgan plays with this man so much," Selene replied.

Lucinda gave her a gentle smile.

"A test. If he were smart, he would leave Skyrim altogether. But the idiots that run that organization are always craving power and fools like Dravis are all too eager to impress, even at the expense of their own lives. Still, Morgan will be pleased."

"She gets the information from Dravis when he's finished with his questions and then..." Selene trailed off with an inquisitive smile of her own.

Lucinda grinned wickedly.

"The Synod lose their best researcher, Morgan gains the information she needs to wipe out that redundant and power mad organization, and the shift of power in the Elder Council moves back to one of peace with all the neighboring provinces instead of the war monger that we have currently."

Selene nodded. The Council was as corrupt as ever, but finally, with the whispers of these mages soon to be silenced, the people would listen to reason instead of false rumours and slander.

And who knows? Perhaps Morgan may be interested in using her own valid claim to becoming Empress?

A cold wind blew through the hallway and Selene smiled.

Becoming members of the Dark Brotherhood had been the best decision she had made in decades.

"Hail Sithis," the four members whispered as the torches extinguished at once, leaving nothing but the darkness within the Great Hall of Castle Bruma.

AN: ooooh, so Morgan gave him one last chance and of course, our idiot decided to carry on...hehehe, I am evil :D