Tallis lay on her cot in the prison women's barracks, staring up at the grate along the western edge of the room's roof. The slice of darkness slowly paled to grey, but didn't get any lighter. That and the damp chill of the air warned her that a storm must be rolling off of Lake Rumere. She waited, anxious but lying still.

After what felt like years, the sounds of metal-shod footsteps in unison heralded the changing of the guard. All around her she heard the sounds of people waking at the familiar noises. Grumbles at poor sleep, grunting, cracking knuckles and greeted the day just like always.

But it was not just like always. Her Emperor wanted her to do something. She would find out more this morning.

Once up, she made her cot, and then opened the small chest at the foot of her bed. There were a few tiny seed pods in it that she'd gathered from her garden. She gathered them and put them in a pocket. She might not be coming back. She wasn't sure where she was going, but maybe she could find somewhere to plant them.

Just like always, she got in line for breakfast. There was a bowl of something. She took her bowl, and the issued spoon, and made her way to where the other two ward-apprentices were sitting.

Vidkun had already finished his bowl of whatever-it-was, and as she approached, he sat up a little taller. Despite the plain prison garb, his postured showed off his muscular shoulders nicely. He tilted his head, letting his pale braids swing back, and showing off the beads he'd woven into them. He gave her a smile that was half hopeful, half rueful. "Fair Tallis," His usual greeting always started that way. "If you aren't hungry."

She had enough butterflies in her stomach that eating was probably not the wisest idea anyway. Silently she handed him the bowl.

His eyebrows rose in surprise, but that didn't stop him from grabbing it. "Thanks." He managed between rapid spoonfuls.

Beside him a merry-faced dark haired young imperial lad was frowning over a section of parchment with something written on it in a script that Tallis didn't recognize. The frown looked out of place, and his bowl was closer to Vidkun than it was to him. Tallis wondered if he had even noted that Vidkun had eaten it.

At the head table, one of the guards stood and read out the rules and the penalties and reminded everyone to do their best. Then the sergeant read out work assignments.

Vidkun stacked up the bowls and put all three spoons into the top one. Then he nudged the Imperial beside him. "Another day with your new mentor?"

Startled out of his concentration, Denel looked up and glanced around, first to where his bowl had been. Then to his companion. "Hungry, I take it?" His tone was a rebuke.

Vidkun shrugged and made a show of clenching the muscles of his right arm. "It's in my nature to need more sustenance."

Denel rolled his eyes, and then looked across the table to Tallis. "Um, good morning." His tone was a little abashed, and he quickly rolled up the paper he'd been staring at so intently.

"New mentor?" She asked.

Color came to his cheeks. "I've been assigned to work with Mage Skaleel." He admitted. "Mage Fithrager said that I was better at puzzles than at thinking on my feet, and now Mage Skaleel seems to think I'm capable of learning to translate some of the Ayleid materials."

"Quickness of learning is indeed yours." Tallis spoke in Breton, knowing that Denel had picked up at least that much of her parents' tongue.

His eyes sparkled at that. "Kindness is yours, sister-in-spirit."

Vidkun rolled his eyes. "Shall we go then?"

They stood, and Tallis said. "Um. Actually I have to report to the bastion."

Two pairs of raised eyebrows greeted this news.

Behind her the sergeant snapped. "Ward Tallis."

She turned as quickly as she could, but her hopes of showing a military alertness were quashed when she got one foot tangled in the bench and nearly fell over. Hastily she replied. "I'm to report to the bastion office."

He looked surprised, but she wasn't sure if that was because she'd known what he was going to tell her, or if he had actually expected her to fall. He didn't exactly smile, but his frown eased very slightly. "Excellent, Ward Tallis." He turned on his heel, and walked away.

Tallis sighed inwardly. Even when he wasn’t saying anything, the sergeant's very walk said that he knew what he was doing. She wanted to be able to do that someday.

Vidkun muttered something under his breath about someone's promotion being abused a little quicker than most.

Delen shook his head. "No, Vid, Captain Montrose isn't like that."

Vidkun's dark look didn't relax. "He'd better not be." To Tallis he added. "If he tries anything, you just let me know. I have friends."

Tallis smiled. "I think it will be okay."

She made her way to the bastion, and up to the Captain's office. She was a little surprised to see that the Captain was a Breton like herself. The last two had both been Imperial, and she had kind of thought that the head of the prison was probably always going to be an Imperial. At each entrance stood a guard, in full armor. She didn't know either of them. They looked to be Imperials.

Standing along the wall across from the desk were several other people. She only knew one of them personally, though barely. She was an orange and tan patterned Khajiit named Dahleena who was occasionally either a visitor or an apprentice to J'banna. There was speculation that she might actually be his daughter, but she was also really fast with a claw to the face when asked personal questions. Tallis realized for the first time that the young Khajiit had the feel, slight but present, of someone who worked with magic.

Tallis was on the verge of opening her mouth to ask a question, when she met Kahleena's gaze. The Kajiit looked irritated. Tallis swallowed her curiosity and just said. "Hi."

Kaleena's expression cleared and she gave a response that sounded a little like a momentary purr.

Leaning against the farthest wall was the largest Argonian Tallis had ever seen. He had a crest along the top of his head, and it was standing up, almost brushing against the ceiling. He had to be at least seven feet tall, possibly more. His tail coiled around his feet, with just the very tip of it twitching. His inner eyelids were closed, giving his eyes a milky look. Tallis knew he could probably see pretty well anyway. She nodded to him in greeting, and he gave her a very slight movement from the waist, just a hint of a bow of greeting. He looked friendly.

Standing near the window was a swarthy-skinned Nord. After a moment she placed him. He was some kind of personal servant or assistant to Audens Avidius, one of the watch Captains. Apparently both his parents had been in the prison, but they weren't there any longer. She didn't know the details.

Belatedly she noted that Captain Montrose was looking curiously at her. Oops.

"Ward Tallis." She introduced herself.

He nodded. "Then we are just one person shy." He glanced to the doorway with a slightly irritated look. Then he turned back to reading or perhaps re-reading a parchment on his desk.

Tallis slowly made her way over to stand next to Dahleena. The Kajiit gave her a small smile, but said nothing.

After what seemed like a long time, but by the movement of the sun couldn't have been more than a quarter of an hour, footsteps approached. Tallis straightened up, curious. All eyes turned toward the doorway.

The lady who walked in was tall and pale and graceful. At first Tallis thought she must be some kind of noble. Then Tallis registered that she was wearing the same prison garb as the rest of them. Her manner was such that it took a moment to realize that. Her skin was pale, but had a slightly grey cast to it. Her hair was like silver and her eyes were reddish. It was the fiery feel of magic that she brought with her that made Tallis register the sharpness of her cheekbones; she was a Dunmer. Like the Argonian, she seemed friendly. That was encouraging.

Tallis wondered where the Dunmer and the Argonian were from. Their garb implied the prison, and granted it was big, but she thought she would have remembered either of them.

Captain Montrose stood, rolling the parchment in his hand. Slowly he turned to briefly meet each of the young people's gaze. "Dahleena. Tallis. Gold Heart." That was the Argonian, who nodded ever so briefly at his name. "Ursine." The Nord responded with a winning and charismatic smile that the Captain seemed oblivious to. "Talmsa." That was the Dunmer. Tallis found herself wishing that he'd said family or clan names, but considering that Argonians or Kajiit rarely used them, it was probably a way of putting everyone on an equal footing. The Dunmer looked slightly surprised, but only for a moment, and then her serene expression was back. The Captain continued. "Our Emperor has decided that you will be sent to Morrowind."

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Tallis' eyes widened. She knew it was the youngest of the Imperial Provinces. She had studied it only briefly, and off the top of her head, she wasn't really sure about anything else. Um, Dunmer were from there. She glanced around and noted that everyone seemed to be looking at the latest arrival, who stood with gracious unconcern, her gentle gaze focused on the Captain.

"Officer Glenroy will make sure that you are brought to the ship which will transport you. Once you arrive, you shall report to the Census Office, where you will be instructed further." He gestured to one of the officers who had waited by the door.

Glenroy gestured to the door he stood next to, and said. "This way."

No one else was asking any questions, or even looking surprised. Tallis walked along with the rest of them. Morrowind? Why?

Once outside the prison, the combination of rain and mist served to give the Imperial city a lovely look, outlining the leaves and the occasional spider web in tiny jewels. The fact that it was also really cold was too bad, but Tallis thought the prettiness was worth it.

She tried to remember anything she had ever heard about Morrowind. Other than it being the home of Dunmer, nothing came to mind. Well, maybe someone at one of the mages' guides there would have some books or something she could read. She wondered if Talmsa was from there. Then she wondered if they spoke Imperial. Well of course they did, being an Imperial province.

Tallis frowned. She did remember something about that. Some negotiations. Most of the Imperial provinces; well all of them; had adopted Imperial customs and ways, but she had a vague memory about Morrowind being different. Well probably they spoke Imperial. It wasn't too likely they spoke any Breton. Maybe if Talma spoke Dunmeri, she would teach some of it to Tallis in return for lessons in the Breton tongue.

Tallis' planning was interrupted by a rock underfoot, and her ignominious almost-fall was interrupted by the swift grab of Gold Heart's tail, which not only curled around her, preventing her from landing on her nose, but actually scooped her right up off the ground.

Tallis gave a small yelp, and her hands went out by reflex.

A large taloned hand caught her right arm, and as he set her down again, Gold Heart said in a hissing accent. "This hatchling thinkss and doess not look."

Tallis felt heat rise to her cheeks, but answered. "This one has so many questions she is looking inside too much to see outside." Then she added. "Thank you."

Gold Heart blinked his inner eyelids. As they kept walking he spoke in a much softer voice. "Caution hatchling. If this one ussess the wrong eyess too often sshe will become prey. Morrowind hass many predatorss."

He moved a little faster then, and Tallis wondered if he was sort of telling her that he was not going to answer the questions his comment raised. Or at least not yet.

A ship was waiting for them at the docks. As they got close it seemed to loom bigger and bigger. There were nimble figures visible in the rigging and she could see the gleam of armor shining off of people moving with military precision on the decks. As they got closer, Tallis could see a name painted along the side: "Prelude". She smiled. Her first trip on a ship was going to be a prelude to her first trip to Morrowind. It was a terrific name for a ship.

She wondered if they would see mermaids.

They met one more passenger at the ship; an older dunmer with an awful scar across his right eye. Tallis wasn't completely sure that he could still see out of it. She hoped so. Once on board they were brought to a cramped space at the bottom front of the ship. Or as the sailors called it, the bilge of the bow. The floor was kind of damp and smelly. Well more wet than just damp, as there were puddles. Fairly large ones. The only things to use as bedding were old sacks. It was probably going to be uncomfortable, but Tallis made up her mind that this was okay. After all, it was sort of an adventure.

Dahleena, on the other hand, stared at the puddles. Her fur was visibly fluffed and her tail lashed back and forth. "Dahleena is no fish, to be sleeping in pools of water."

Eventually they worked out a sleeping arrangement. Gold Heart, who not only had no objection to sleeping in puddles, but could even breathe through his gills if he shifted in his sleep, shared sleep time with Dahleena. She curled against him as she slept, using him as a prop to brace her high enough to be out of the water. Tallis and the rest had the alternate shift, and just arranged themselves as best they could. The water was always cold to start with, but so many bodies tended to warm it up. So really, Tallis told herself, it could have been a lot worse.

Tallis was very curious about how the ship worked. Unfortunately the sailors didn't like answering questions, and the military officers tended to respond to most anything by just telling Tallis to move along. The only person who seemed to get along with all of them was Ursine. After Tallis opened the mess door without knocking first, she made a special point of choosing to be somewhere other than where the excessively congenial Nord and his seemingly endless stream of companions might be talking. Or doing ... whatever.

For two days it stayed cold and dreary, and Tallis got used to goosebumps and wet hair. She started using one of the scratchy sacks as a sort of cloak. Dahleena refused to come to the deck until the sun shone. Gold Heart didn't appear to notice the weather at all. Juib, who apparently had been a sailor at one time, was quickly pressed into service by Captain Aundae when he made some derogatory comments about the knots in the rigging. The scarred dunmer protested loudly and often, but Tallis thought he looked pleased to be doing something other than just watching and waiting.

As the trip went on, the food got, well, kind of icky. There were worms in most of the bread, which was hard and stale and moldy to begin with, and the water barrels had slimy things growing in them.

Tallis found herself looking hard for something to do, and spent a lot of time looking over the side of the ship, wishing that she could swim. Occasionally she saw patches of things that looked like strings of leaves with large pods here and there. She found herself wondering if they were edible. Quiet laughter came from nearby, and she turned to see Juib smiling at her.

"No, Sera, don't try it. Bitter and most folks who try it won't keep it down."

She smiled back at him. "Well, I was just hoping." She glanced back down. "Maybe there are fish that eat it?"

He shook his head. "Unlikely. Though I suspect that our Captain will order nets down in the next few days, just to make the attempt."

As he climbed back up, Tallis heard footsteps approaching. She turned, and was surprised to see Talmsa.

The dunmer nodded to the nearest group of floating plants. "Bitter, he said." Her voice had a musing tone. "Often bitter substances are astringent. I wonder if it might be some use alchemically?"

Tallis hadn't thought of that. "If Jiub is right, and the Captain tries to catch some fish, maybe some of that will get caught in the nets."

The corner of Talmsa's mouth twitched in a thoughtful smile. "Perhaps you are right, sera."

Tallis considered. "Is sera a dunmer word?"

That was when the language lessons began. Dunmeri was very different than Imperial, and though there were some similarities to Breton, that kind of made it worse because it seemed like any time Tallis thought she understood something, it seemed that she was pronouncing it all wrong. The rolls of the r's were hardest because they weren't all the same. The pronouns were even worse because there were just too many of them. It wasn't just 'Hello'; it was "Hello to a higher ranking person from a lower ranking person" and it wasn't just "stranger" it was "stranger who by their very nature is ill-favored" or "stranger I'm pleased to meet" or even "stranger being introduced to me by someone high ranking and therefore to be accorded guest-right". And all of those different versions of "stranger" were one word apiece and they all sort of sounded alike.

Juib was cheerfully mocking at mispronunciations. Talmsa was very patient, but Tallis learned to note a certain tightness to her polite smile that said she was cringing inside listening to Tallis mangle things.

Juib turned out to be right. Before a week had passed Captain Aundae ordered the nets dropped. A few fish were caught, not very many, but enough so that the stew improved vastly in flavor. It was the third time, and they were being hauled back up when Tallis heard an urgent call from the crow's nest and cries of alarm. Knowing better than to get in the way of the sailors, she ran to the bow of the ship, hoping for a better look. As she ran, the sailors holding the net called out for help. There was yelling in at least three different languages.

At first what she saw thrashing in the nets was some large silvery fish and a lot of red-brown snakes. No, it was tentacles, but some of them had claws like crab claws on the ends of them. Then in among the fish and the plants and the tentacles she saw a face.

"There's somebody in there!" She cried. Even as she spoke, she realized that the skin tone of the face was the same as the color of the snakes, no tentacles. More fish and weeds fell out of the net and she blinked and suddenly she was looking at a mermaid. Sort of. Well anyway someone with arms that had claw tips and then lots of tentacles for legs, maybe six or eight of them. He had the same sort of gills along the side of his neck that Gold Heart did. They were working now, rapidly.

He must be a water-breather. He was going to drown in air. But he was tangled up in the nets. "Oh you have to help him." She cried, not even sure who she was talking to.

And then two very long thin spears with long jagged heads hit him in the chest with two loud icky sounds. He bled dark blood that she couldn't tell the exact color of. Then he went limp.

Tallis felt like she couldn't breathe.

Now the yelling of the sailors and the legionnaires on board turned jubilant. More of them ran to the nets and they pulled, heaving a load of floating plants, a few big toothed silvery fishes and the dead mermaid-octopus-man onto the deck. One of the fish, a big one, almost the size of Gold Heart's leg, thrashed and sank it's teeth into the greaves of a legionnaire who stood too close. He only laughed, and cut it's head off with his sword.

As she stood there numbly, Talmsa skirted the edges of the harvest and approached the captain, gesturing urgently.

"Did I hear you right, Breton?" A hand to her shoulder turned her away from the dead body, and she was looking at Juib. "You wanted to save a Dreugh?" He said it with the same disdain that an unkind noble might say to a beggar "You wanted to eat a bug?"

"He was alive." Tallis managed to answer.

"Yes. The wax is better if you can get it fresh, and the hide can be sold to a skilled armorer."

Tallis stared at him. She couldn't have heard that right. They couldn't just take ... parts off of a person, no matter if he was sort of different.

He patted her on a shoulder. "You look a bit ill."

Behind her, she heard the Captain answering Talmsa's requests. Imperial was the only language those two shared, so she could understand it clearly. "Very well, if you help with the harvesting, and if there is at least a pint of good wax, I will return you a tenth part."

At that point Tallis ran to the side of the ship. She barely made it before she threw up.

She was wiping her mouth when Gold Heart came up to stand beside her. He kindly positioned himself to block her view of what they were doing to the poor mermaid-monster. In a quiet voice he said. "This one needss to hide her heart with more sskill, lesst she become prey. Morrowind iss a land of predatorss."