Sonata's Crazy and Wacky Adventure in Skyrim

by Sonata Blaze

19: Shock at the Party

"Did... did that vampire say that Lord Harkon has betrayed us?" Lorthan asked, staring at the ashes that had once been a vampire, while trying to understand what he had heard before the enemy had died.

"He did," Sonata replied, sighing as she tried to calm herself down, but she was finding it increasingly hard to do so after discovering that a supposed ally to the Council of Three had betrayed all of them, "Now I'm going to have to kill him as well... if only so I can have some peace before the next foe comes knocking at my door."

"Maybe we can talk with General Tullius and Captain Pelena while we're in Solitude." Kree commented, eying the gate that would lead them into the city, as if she was expecting it to open and reveal the two Imperial soldiers she had named, "We might be able to acquire their help in tracking down Lord Grul, and his annoying lieutenants for that matter, so was can properly devise a plan to remove them all from play. Who knows, maybe they have a clue that we haven't discovered yet and that, in turn, might actually lead us to the destruction of one of Grul's subordinates."

Sonata hadn't thought about Captain Pelena since they went their separate ways after the destruction of Helgen, though she had been busy after she discovered that she was Dragonborn. She would have thought it was strange that there weren't more Imperial or Stormcloak patrols around Skyrim, but considering that Grul had his forces moving everywhere she knew that it had to be hard keep soldiers alive with how many orcs there were. She actually had to wonder if Ulfric had sided with Grul as well, but after a few seconds into that thought she immediately discarded it from her mind. Ulfric hated anyone that wasn't a nord, that much she could tell from a single glance, so it made sense that he would turn down the orcs and fight against them.

As she turned to the gate, however, she found that a large group of Imperial soldiers were now standing around them with their swords and shields pointed at them, intending to keep them in one spot. She seriously hoped that they hadn't been corrupted by their enemy and were tasked with bringing her to Grul, though she did keep Lydia from attacking them before she got them into trouble.

"Do all of you have a death wish?" a familiar voice called out from behind the soldiers, one that Kree smiled at hearing once again, "That's the Archmage of the College of Winterhold that you're pointing your weapons at. She'd kill you all in a heartbeat and leave the ground littered with your corpses. Lower your weapons before she takes offense."

The soldiers looked at each other for a few seconds before they lowered their weapons and parted for whoever had spoken, though Sonata smiled when she spotted Captain Pelena, dressed in her proper armor once more, walking their way. Walking behind the Captain was someone that Sonata had never seen before, though judging by the expression on Kree's face she knew that someone in her group knew who was coming towards them. Pelena and the newcomer stopped before the five of them, though it was a few seconds before she actually looked at them after making sure none of the soldiers tried to attack anyone.

When Pelena was sure that everything was fine, and that her soldiers were going back to what they were doing, she approached Kree and threw her arms over her, embracing her like the old friend that she was.

"I was wondering when you were finally going to show up Kree," Pelena commented, a hint of relief in her voice, "I thought that you were going to warn Jarl Balgruuf about the dragon and then come straight here, but the days slowly passed and you never showed up. Legate Rikke told me that you might have died on the trek to Solitude, but I kept telling her that you would eventually show up... though I never imagined that you would bring the Archmage of Winterhold to our fair city."

"What about bringing the Dragonborn?" Kree asked, beckoning to Sonata as Pelena let go of her.

"Your joking..." Pelena said, looking at Sonata for a moment, but then she chuckled to herself for a moment, "No, you would never joke about something as serious as the Dragonborn of legend... and considering the rumors of a young warrior fighting against both Lord Grul and the dragons, traveling with a nord and an argonian, its not that hard to believe. You know, let's take this inside... where there are less enemies that might be waiting to snatch a piece of information to take back to their masters."

The seven of them ventured into the city, where they noticed a various amount of soldiers walking around and taking down defenses that Sonata assumed had been because of the vampires. Some of the soldiers seemed annoyed that they had been robbed of an opportunity to protect their city and kill some of the invaders, though Sonata noticed that many of the others were pleased that they didn't have to fight them at all. Several of the guards saluted them as they passed, though as they entered the main castle that the Imperials used as their base of operations Sonata noticed that General Tullius was standing over a map of Skyrim and had barely noticed them enter the building.

When the General did finally look up and notice them standing there he seemed surprised to see that Pelena and Rikke had brought some company with them, though he smiled as he noticed who was there.

"Kree, Sonata Dusk, its good to see the both of you again," the General said, beckoning everyone inside the room where he planed out his attacks across the whole of Skyrim, while the guards exited the building to give them so space, "I see that you brought along the Archmage... we may have some need of her power in the future."

"Is something wrong?" Kree asked, worried that the General might have found something about Lord Grul that would change everything that the five of them had been doing up until this point.

"We're not entirely sure yet," Tullius replied, sighing as he picked up one of the latest reports and handed it to Kree, knowing that her opinion on what the parchment revealed was always good to have, "Several of my scouts have searched the entirety of the Reach, searching for Ulfric's forces, but all they were able to find were charred campgrounds that had burned corpses scattered everywhere. At first they assumed that the Forsworn had gotten to the Stormcloaks first, but they also noted the strange green fire that was still burning when they arrived at the various camps. Its almost as if our latest enemy, the orc called Lord Grul, is resting in that area and silenced anyone he felt was a threat before they could report where he was located."

Sonata doubted that, if that was the case, that the orc would have let the scouts live with the information that they had, so she had to wonder what was actually going on in the Reach.

"That being said, there was one other thing several of my scouts noticed," Tullius continued, sighing for a moment, as if he couldn't believe what he was about to tell them all, "I've gotten reports of a eerie dark green dragon, darker than the flames that I mentioned, flying around the Reach and the immediate areas around it, burning whatever it chooses before disappearing. We're not sure if the dragon is associated with Grul, but if that orc does have a dragon in his army we might not be able to survive when it comes time for the eventual clash between us and them."

"Well, we've got someone who can deal with that dragon," Kree commented, beckoning to Sonata for a moment, to which Tullius raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Sonata's the Dragonborn, and its her destiny to stop the dragons before they do whatever they're trying to do."

Sonata knew that Kree wouldn't spill the beans about what she actually was, though that didn't stop her from breathing a sigh of relief all the same. She trusted General Tullius and Captain Pelena, but the fewer people that knew about the Siren Queen the better off she would be in the end. She still had no idea how her enemy, Lord Grul, had managed to figure out what she truly was, when the only people who had known the truth had been her sisters.

"The Dragonborn?!" Tullius remarked, looking over Sonata for a moment, as if he was trying to decide something, "You know, when Kree told us that she saw something special inside you I was assuming that she saw some sort of warrior that would change the tide of this war with the Stormcloaks. I never would have guessed that what she had seen inside you was actually the potential to become the nord's Dragonborn of legend, though this means we have a chance at stopping the dragons before they can join our enemies."

"Look, I hate to kill the mood, but there's something we need to do before more enemies show up at the gates," Sonata said, causing the three Imperial soldiers to turn to her for a moment, "I'm supposed to be meeting someone at the inn soon, while the person's partner secures an invitation for me to attend Elenwen's next party. I just need to figure out what the Thalmor know about the dragons returning, though I have the feeling that they're in the dark like the rest of us are."

"And then you'll put a stop to the dragons?" Tullius asked, as if he had ignored the part where she was going to basically steal information from the Thalmor.

"Yes... and then I'll figure out how to stop the dragons from destroying Nirn," Sonata replied, heading to the door of the building before another thought entered her mind, "...provided Lord Grul doesn't wage full on war with us before then. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go prepare for what I assume is going to be a long night."

---

Finding the elf that Delphine had mentioned had been quite easy, as he had been sitting in a corner at the local inn the entire time, though getting him to believe that she was actually who Delphine was talking about was another matter. He remained unconvinced that Sonata would be able to make it through the Thalmor Embassy without being discovered, though she honestly didn't care if he had so little faith in her abilities. In the end Malborn decided it wasn't worth risking his neck out for someone he had so little faith in, even though it was Delphine asking him to do it, so Sonata merely sighed and left the inn.

"I told her this was a stupid idea," Sonata sighed, walking out of the inn with her friends, two of which looked like they were ready to charge into the building and butcher the elf if she even uttered the command to do so, "and even Malborn agrees with me... so now I guess its time to do things my way."

"And what way would that be, my Thane?" Lydia asked, her hand moving to the battleaxe for a moment, as if she believed that there would be a fight between them and the Thalmor, "Are we going to rush in and fight?"

"No... I'm going to ask nicely and see if I can't get Elenwen to open up to me," Sonata replied, pausing as she noticed the silence around her, to which she discovered that her friends were staring at her as if she had lost her mind, "What? Its better than being invited to a party and gaining the ire of the Thalmor, all for information that they might not even have at the moment."

"Delphine's not going to like this," Kree commented, knowing that they were literally out of options at the moment, but she truly didn't want Sonata to resort to using her Siren powers to get them what they needed.

"I don't like it either, but we really don't have a choice in the matter," Sonata said, stepping outside the city once more as they headed to the stables, where she suspected that they would find Delphine waiting for them, "Personally, I would rather have this one woman mad at me than the entirety of the Thalmor, because with Lord Grul running around its better to have more allies than enemies."

They found Delphine standing near the stables, at the base of a windmill, though it was pretty clear that she was, once again, annoyed about something.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd show up," Delphine commented, as the five of them gathered around her, "I've sent out requests to my various assistants to see if they have any information about this Lord Grul you mentioned, so I should be hearing from them in a day or two. However, something was delivered to the inn shortly after you left and I've been wondering how you managed to get one of them."

Delphine reached into her bag and pulled out a letter, which she handed to Sonata, who discovered that it was an invitation to the party that was supposed to be happening soon.

"How'd you do it?" Delphine asked, glaring at Sonata for a moment, "How did you manage to get Elenwen to provide you with an invitation to her party?"

"I... I don't know," Sonata admitted, though a smile appeared on her face as she answered, "but this does make things easier. She's expecting me to show up, so it'll be easier to simply ask her a few questions, enjoy the party for a few minutes, and then exit when an opportunity presents itself. Then, once I'm back, we can discuss what our next step is."

Delphine merely sighed as Sonata handed her gear over to her friends, knowing that she couldn't go to a party armed to the teeth, before going behind the windmill and slipping into the party outfit that Delphine had handed her. Once she looked the part of a party guest, and everyone nodded in satisfaction, she climbed onto the carriage that was waiting nearby and began the journey up to the Embassy. She remained silent as she slowly rode up the side of the mountain, following a path that had been put into the ground, as there wasn't much to say to the driver on the way up.

When she finally arrived at the Embassy she leapt out of the carriage and approached the building's entrance, ignoring the man that was clearly a drunk and handing her invitation to the guard, before she was beckoned to move inside. She barely looked at the other guard as she entered the building, where she noticed an elven lady that had an air of authority around her, to which Sonata assumed that it was none other than the host.

"Welcome. I don't believe we've met." the lady said, bowing her head ever so slightly as Sonata approached her, which she respectfully returned, "I am Elenwen, the Thalmor Ambassador to Skyrim. And you are?"

"Sonata Dusk," Sonata replied, a smile appearing on her face for a brief moment, "I'm the latest Dragonborn. I believe you sent an invitation inviting me to the party."

"Ah yes, your the one that a certain enemy of mine is dead set on capturing alive," Elenwen commented, beckoning Sonata to follow her for a moment, "Come, let us retire to my office so we can speak freely... where we won't be bothered by people who might sell whatever we talk about to the highest bidder."

Sonata nodded and followed Elenwen through the Embassy, ignoring the guards the entire time as she looked for something that was out of place... something that might tell her if she was walking into a trap of some kind. She was being careful this time, as someone she had thought was an ally turned out to be an enemy that wanted to bring about the end of Nirn. When they exited the main building they came into a courtyard area that connected to another building, but as they left the first structure Sonata noticed that there was something wrong; all the guards that were supposed to be outside were all dead.

Sonata also noticed a patch or two of the green flames that she had seen in her dreams, the same ones that were associated with Lord Grul and whoever his foul master was... which meant that the Thalmor had a traitor in their mist.

"I don't understand what's going on," Elenwen said, staring at the bodies of her dead soldiers, not understanding that one of her own had betrayed her, "the other guards should have noticed that something was wrong the moment they came out to do their rounds. Why haven't I been told about this until now?"

"I don't know, but whoever betrayed you is still here," Sonata replied, beckoning to the building that they originally were heading towards, where she had spotted a shadow moving passed the windows, "Though judging from the flames it seems that whoever it is has to be allied with Lord Grul... which means I'm going to kill them, regardless of who they are."

Elenwen seemed taken aback by the fact that Sonata would kill anyone who was allied with the orc that threatened the safety of the world, though she also appeared to understand that Grul had to be stopped at all costs. As they entered the second building Sonata noticed three more corpses laying on the ground, more guards judging by the armor they wore, as well as a nord that had been cut open. She spotted an open door and made a motion for Elenwen to be quiet, so she could ambush whoever was in the room, though she could tell that the altmer was switching from being offended by the command to wanting to see who had betrayed her.

"You have done well in leading groups of your own order to be killed, Rulindil, a voice said, one that made Sonata pause for a moment, because she could have sworn that it sounded like Lord Grul, "and you have performed your duties in keeping an eye on our... target. Aggronak has informed me that she is currently somewhere in the vicinity of Solitude, as she and her group of troublesome friends have put a stop to Harkon's attack on the city. You wouldn't happen to know where she is, would you?"

"As we speak she is walking through the streets of Solitude, unaware that someone is watching her every step," a second voice said, one that Sonata assumed was Rulindil's, "I assume that your plan is on schedule?"

"Yesss," Lord Grul said, stretching the word for a moment, as if to make a point that only he knew about, "My present is heading to Solitude as we speak... where it will rain death and destruction upon the Imperials that have sided with the Dragonbo... wait a second, there is someone else in the building with you!"

"Impossible! I killed everyone before making contact..." Rulindil said, though he appeared to cut himself off as he opened the door and spotted Sonata and Elenwen standing there, "Oh... well this sucks..."

Sonata roared and extended her hand towards the elf, magic pulsing around her as she summoned a powerful charge of lightning that struck the elf in the middle of his chest. Rulindil went sailing into the room he had been standing in, crashing into the wall and knocking several of the items off the shelves that they were resting on, though Sonata could tell that he had survived the strike and was going to die in a matter of minutes. She turned towards where she assumed Lord Grul had been standing, only to find that Rulindil had been speaking to a dark green orb the entire time, one that showed Lord Grul's face before he disappeared completely.

She extended her hand again, though this time the shadows gathered around the orb and formed a case around it, before she collapsed her hand into a fist and crushed the orb like it was made of glass.

"Hehe... run while you can... Dragonborn..." Rulindil coughed up, causing Sonata to look at him once more, just as he coughed blood up, "Lord Grul's present... the Felblood... Dragon... comes for you... and for... Solitude..."

Sonata growled and extended her hand towards the elf once more, using the power of lightning to forever silence another one of Grul's underlings before she burned the body like all the others. She had no idea what this 'Felblood Dragon' that Rulindil had mentioned was, but she had the feeling that she was going to have to fight it before she left the city behind. She sighed, because her life was apparently going to get much worse before it got better.

Comments

[Crazy the Clone]

Well...that ain't good. I swear if that dark green dragon is the undead one, I'm going to get a bit more upset towards Grul.

[Aria Blitz]

7428271 I assume that your speaking of a modded in dragon, and not one of the actual ones from the original game?

Either way, Grul isn't messing around.

[Crazy the Clone]

7428487

I was actually talking about Durnehviir. With how much of a threat Grul's proving to be, I wouldn't be surprised if he found a way to break him out of the Ideal Masters' grasp, and into his own.

[Nova Blaze]

Sonata fixin to mess someone up.

[Aria Blitz]

7428565 Oh, that dragon. Yeah, Durnehviir siding with Grul would be a very bad thing... though at this point I wouldn't put it passed that orc to at least try to break the dragon out.
Though I do believe that the dragon that's heading towards Solitude was a random one that was perched at one of the Word Walls, but I might be wrong.

7428580 And she's likely going to show a fraction of how powerful she actually is... which might actually help her restore the necklace and her true power.

[Blackdrag-rose]

Good, now Sonata can kill the dragon that Grul captured and how her enemy that she isn't to be messed with.

[Vigilant of Stendarr]

So... even the Thalmor have been betrayed from the inside.

[Adagio Shimmer]

Oh next chapter is going to be so interesting... I can feel it.

[Pinkie Glimmer]

This chapter proves that anyone can be corrupted, no matter who they are.