Questions

If I had to write a journal entry right now, it'd probably be something along the lines of us both being in high spirits. The work that the healers had done had made a tremendous improvement upon Seren's health. Indeed, the wound in her chest was now barely noticeable and her fever was all but gone. A few days of fresh air and she'd be as right as rain.

"Drink a small amount of this once a morning after breakfast until the bottle is finished" Mura said, handing Seren a small cork stoppered vial just before we left town.
"Thank you" Seren said, accepting the vial graciously. "And what happens when I finish the liquid?"
"If your not better by then, your going to die and there's nothing I can do"
The statement caught Seren by surprise, but the truth in it was fairly logical.

We parted ways with the friendly side of the townsfolk, right before they went right back to fighting and killing each other. We were heading North. There was something I needed to know.
"I still don't get the point as to why we are going there" Seren said, leaning against a tree while I checked my map.
"Because I want answers." I said for the upteenth time. "To questions that nobody else in Tamriel can answer.
"Ha. Not even the Dunmer pantheon can help you?" Seren asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'd hardly call those three 'gods'. They gained their power through deception, and their power can be taken away just as easily"
"Wh-"
"And before you say anything else, yes. I did ask. Before I met you. But the answer I translated from them was effectively stating 'We don't know, so go away'..."
"And these people we are going to meet can help?"
"I honestly don't know. But they have a habit of knowing many things"

Seren sighed, resigned to following me whereever I went again.
"Alright. Lets go then" Seren said, resting her hand on her hilt and walking down the road.
"Wrong way" I said, point east. Seren turned around and gave me a withering look. I smiled brightly and started to walk.

"On the plus side, I'm fairly certain there will be plenty of interesting texts to read there" I said happily.
"How long are we planning on spending here?" Seren asked.
"As long as it takes"

Splint

"The wound is considerably bad. I'm doing what I can, but I'm not convinced that this will entirely work" Mura said, moving her hand over Seren's chest. A bright yellow glow eminated from her hand as she worked.
"Is there anything I can get to assist you?" I asked, leaning against the wall on the other side of the room.

It's a bad situation. Seren is lying on a bed in a ruined house in Cheydinhal. One half of the city is occupied by Imperial Army deserters, the other half by rebels. Arguably, the rebels are in the right, attmepting to maintain control of the city and all, but I'd rather just not be here at all. After our brief stint in the Pact Army, we headed east back out into the wilderness. It was just our luck that Seren came down with an extremely bad fever leaving her almost completely unable to walk.

My immediate plan was to get her to Cheydinhal which was the nearest settlement. What I didn't know was how the town was divided. A bad ambush cut through the left side of Seren's chest badly. After carrying her into this house, the best I could do was just lean against the wall twiddling my thumbs waiting for the healer to work.

I hated that. I couldnt do anything to help. It was out of my realm of capabilities. I hate not being able to save my friends.

"Talk to Leonia downstairs and see if she still has any poultices. I've stopped the worst of the bleeding but only time will tell how well she will heal" Mura said.
Slowly, I walk down the stairs, taking care to not accidentally fall through them. The house was half destroyed but just as ironically, still the most stable structure on this side of the river. Leonia, an orange haired girl, was mixing something in a bowl and I dared not ask what. It smelt terrible.
"Any spare poultices?" I asked. "Mura needs more"
"Here, it's my last batch." Leonia said, picking up a tightly knit bundle and handing them to me without looking up. "After these, any more I make go to our own people" She finished.

Moving back upstairs, I hand the poltices to Mura. She unravells them and begins to work on Seren's wound. Ten agonizing minutes later, she finishes.
"It's all up to time now" Mura said, putting her hand on my shoulder before leaving. Now it's just Seren and I in the room. She's still unconscious.

I sit down on a chair and stare out into empty space, thinking only the gods know what. It could have been a minute or an hour later, but Seren's chest suddenly rises alot and then lowers. She's awoken.
"Not dead yet" She says, turning her head to look at me.
"How are you feeling?" I ask, standing up and walking over to her.
"Like I've been hit by a mammoth"
"Might as well be that. How's your head?"
"Still pretty bad. Where are we?"
"On the safe side of Cheydinhal. I'm going to make sure your okay before we move again."
"Pfft... Don't worry about me..." Seren says quietly.
"Your all I worry about" I say, raising an eyebrow. Seren looks at me, not entirely sure what to make of the statement.

Before I can say anything else, she's slipped back into the realm of unconsciousness.

Leadership

"Wulfharts team will move to the south, cut off access of the lumbermill and then prevent reinforcements from moving in to counter siege us along the road. Imirin's group will head north west, around the top of the keep and hit the mine. After that, she can move down to reinforce Wulfhart." Commander Hawthorn pointed to two areas on the small map we were all studying. The four of us in the tent seemed satisfied with his plan so far.

"Seren can lead her team against the farm on the eastern side. Just ahead of the main assault te-" Hawthorn continued
"I'm sorry, what?" I interjected"
"Is there a problem?" He asked, turning up to look at me.
"Yes. Since when did Seren lead teams?"
"Since I said that she was and since I promoted her to the rank of Captain as of two minutes ago. Do you have a problem with that?"
"Are you telling me that you just went and conscripted my friend?" I asked, putting my hands to my hips.
"Yes" Hawthorn said, getting impatient. The two others in the room, Wulfhart and Imirin remained silent but eyed me carefully. One didn't usually contradict the commanders plan.
"Did you ask her?" I asked.
"I'm the commander. I don't need to ask" He said.
"Try telling her that then"

Hawthorn's rage bubbled over. I'd rather not put into writing what he then said, as Imirin tried to keep him calm and Wulfhart tried not to laugh at the commander's short temper. I left the tent with his yelling behind my back and walked down the hill to where Seren's tent was, a short distance from my own.

"What's on the lunch menu today?" I asked, eyeing the pot slowly bubbling over the fire"
"Goat stew" She said, tasting her broth. I was tempted to make a sarcastic quip about her cooking skills to lighten the mood but I also didn't think that now was a good time. I sat down by the fire, overlooking the flat plain a few meters off the side of the hill where a number of soldiers were training.

"Tell me" I started. "If you were to lead a group... Any particular soldiers you'd like to lead?"
Seren stopped cooking for a moment and looked up at me with a confused look on her face. I'd never asked such a thing before.
"Well, I don't think I could ever lead you" She said.
"Eh?" I asked.
"I said I don't think I could ever lead you... You've always been the one mentoring me so it'd be too werid"
"Fair enough. What about them?" I asked, pointing to the recruits behind me.
"Torvoal is pretty good with his sword arm... though admittedly he can get a little bloodthirsty at times... and drunk" Seren said, raising an eyebrow. "How big a group are we talking here?"
"Dunno. Your choice"
"The Circine sisters from Morrowind are decent healers. I'd definately bring them along. Though as we both know, defending people is always a bit hard"
"Eh. They can take care of themselves" I said.
"That archer as well... Sinmild I think his name is? He's a fairly good shot" Seren said, returning to cooking.

"Sounds like you have a good team then" I said,
"Any particular reason why you asked?"
"Hawthorn conscripted you into the Pact Army and made you a Captain"

Seren suddenly stopped cooking and looked at me.
"Well... I suppose I'm honoured and all that... It's rea-"
"You want to punch him in the face for not asking you personally, don't you"
"Yea" Seren said flatly. "I'm not a token to be bought and sold"
"Well go on ahead. I'll finish making lunch"

Seren stood up and walked back to the command tent where I came from. Almost a minute after she entered, I heard a crash as a table was overturned. Seren came back out, a slight redness to her right hand. She sat down and I passed her a wooden bowl with her food in.

"Feel better?" I asked.
"Much better."