Skyrim: Secrets of the Moon

by themonkeyknight

Memory Lost, Companionship Gained

Luna awoke with a gasp, her eyes flying open. Her surroundings were unfamiliar; the iron bars did not comfort her, and she could feel the cold of the stone floor and wall against bare skin.

Luna looked down at herself to better evaluate her situation. Midnight blue hair flowed down past her shoulders, the hair shimmering as though it contained some ethereal power. Her body was covered in a ragged dress, which stopped halfway down her upper legs. Ragged footwraps covered her two feet. She reached out to feel the material, and stopped, staring at her hand in a bewildered fashion. Luna raised her other hand up to the first. For some reason, it felt as though she was not supposed to have these. Shaking herself mentally, she examined her skin. It had a tanned tone, and was smooth, with no freckles or hair. She also took notice of the sizeable mounds hiding beneath the dress. This all felt very strange to Luna, who could not get rid of the feeling that something was wrong. She looked around the cell, and saw a little girl sleeping on a pile of hay. Luna considered waking the girl when a door at the end of the room swung open. A heavily built man wearing armor walked in, a sword strapped to his side, and a sneer on his face.

“So, you’re the one my men found outside the redoubt.” Luna didn’t respond, for a distortion in the air behind the man had caught her attention, and even if it hadn’t, she felt nothing compelling her to answer him. “None of us know who you are, which means you’re only useful in one way.” He leered at Luna, a lecherous look spreading across his face. Luna’s lip curled, her disgust evident.

“Oh, come now. Don’t look like that. One night with me and you’ll be begging-”

The man was cut off as the distortion disappeared, revealing a bipedal lizard in hooded, black leather armor. The lizard forced the man’s head to the side, and then sunk his fangs into the man’s neck. After a moment, the lizard released the man, and before the man could turn around, the lizard drew a saber and thrust it through the man’s chest. The lizard removed the saber, multicolored energies flowing from the man into the lizard. Luna turned her head, sickened, but at the same time, grateful that the lizard had killed the man before he had done what he had been suggesting. The lizard searched the corpse, coming up with some lockpicks, a few pieces of gold, and the key to Luna and the girl’s cell. He moved quickly, unlocking the cell door. By this point, the girl had woken.

“Who...who are you?” she asked. “Why are you here?”

“Your father sent me. He didn’t mention that the Forsworn had captured another woman, though.” The lizard looked at Luna, tilting his head like a curious dog. His voice was raspy, and yet smooth at the same time. “What is your name, Breton?”

Luna blinked at the strange word, and couldn’t help but feel like she should know it. She contemplated answering the lizard. He killed a man - possibly many others as well; “Forsworn” sounded plural - but at the same time, he was here to rescue this girl. Besides, he seemed nice enough.

“My name is Luna. I-” She stopped. It was then that a realization hit her. Her name was all she knew. Her eyes began to tear up, and a sob escaped her lips. “I-I don’t remember anything!” Luna’s sobs grew, and the tears began to flow freely.

The lizard raised his right hand, which became infused with a green light. He clenched his fist, and the light pulsated. The lizard then thrust his hand forward, palm out, and a ball of energy the same color as the light lanced out, surging towards Luna. It struck her, and her sobs quieted. Her tears stopped, though she still had to wipe her eyes.

“Better?” the lizard asked. Luna nodded. It was a peculiar feeling, she decided, as she was still upset, but some unknown bravery overpowered the negative emotions, allowing her to focus on the situation at hand.

“Good. My name is Mikal. I am here to help, nothing more.” Mikal stood aside, permitting the girl to leave the cell. Luna rose shakily, her legs weak. She managed to stand, but when Luna attempted a step, she pitched forwards. Mikal caught her, his scales surprisingly smooth. The black clad lizard helped her stand again, and then handed Luna a green bottle.

“Drink that. Your stamina will return quickly.” She did so, gagging a bit at the taste, and strength immediately flooded her body. She tried walking again, and succeeded. Mikal had gone back to the corpse, and was again searching it. This time, he took an ornamentally carved knife, pale gold in color. He tossed it into the air, causing it to flip, and caught it by the blade so that the hilt was facing Luna.

“Take it. You’ll need a weapon until we can restore your knowledge of magicks.” Luna tentatively took the knife, hoping she wouldn’t have to use it. Satisfied, Mikal turned to the girl.

“Stay with Luna. Do not, under any circumstances, leave her side unless I tell you to. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good. Now then,” Mikal said. “Let’s get out of here. Your father is anxious to see you again, and he’s not the only one wishing you to return safely.” At that, the girl’s eyes lit up, joyous at the thought of seeing her papa again. Mikal led the two out of the room, his saber drawn and ready. Electricity crackled in his left hand, and he walked in a crouch. Luna and the girl mimicked him. As they went, they encountered more corpses, some of them female. At one of the female corpses, Mikal stopped and sized up the body, comparing it to Luna’s. He then stripped the armor off the corpse.

“What are you doing?” Luna asked. Wordlessly, the lizard turned to her, the dead Forsworn’s armor in his arms. He extended the armor to Luna. She stared, mollified at what he was suggesting.

“I know you don’t like it, but I have no other armor on me, especially nothing that would fit you. I can and will make you a better, proper set of armor, but until then...please. I’ve seen too many good friends die because they weren’t properly protected.” Luna hesitated, but conceded defeat, and took the armor from him. Mikal turned around, averting his gaze, and Luna removed the rags she was wearing. She slowly put the Forsworn Armor on, grimacing all the while. When she struggled with a piece, the girl helped her. Finally the armor was on, and Luna said so to Mikal. He turned back to the two, gave Luna a once over, and nodded in approval.

“Perfect. Now come,” he said, crouching again. “We need to leave before more Forsworn arrive.” And so they went, lightning dancing in Mikal’s palm, and the saber glowing a deep blood-red. Eventually, the trio arrived at the main entrance. Mikal slowly opened the door, peering out, then swung the door open, standing up and walking out. Luna and the girl both followed suit, both ecstatic at being free again. Once they were all outside, Mikal took one last look around, taking in the cool night air. Satisfied that he could see no enemies, the lizard grinned at his companions, opened his mouth, and-

-let loose a cry of pain as a Forsworn arrow pierced his armor and sprouted from his shoulder. He cursed, fumbling for the arrow. He had been careless, he should have looked up, he should have been more observant, he should have - the arrow! Grasping the arrow, he wrenched it out of his shoulder, grunting at the slight pain.

“Do you know where Karthwasten is from here?” The girl nodded, fear in her eyes. “Then run! Take Luna with you. I’ll deal with these bastards.” The girl grabbed Luna’s hand and started running for her home. Luna stumbled at first; running was new. She quickly found her balance and kept pace with the girl, hoping that Mikal would be alright.

---

Mikal watched the girls run off, then faced the Forsworn, who were standing at the top of a cliff in front of Broken Tower Redoubt, shouting curses at him. He would’ve scaled the cliffside, or shot at them with a bow, but they would have scattered by then, and he had neglected to bring a bow or crossbow. Besides, he had seen enough of the Forsworn for today.

“You fools!” he shouted, letting the Thu’um carry his voice without any power...yet. “You do not know whom you challenge. Leave now, or suffer the consequences!”

The Forsworn laughed and jeered at Mikal, believing themselves out of his reach. The Argonian smirked, and let the power of the Thu’um flow through him. He Shouted, and raw, elemental fury erupted from his maw in three words:

“Strun Bah Qo!”

Above them, the clouds swirled and thickened, growing dark. Lightning crackled and jumped from cloud to cloud. The Forsworn watched the skies nervously, and began to back away from the edge of the cliff. Mikal began sprinting in the direction Luna and Fjotra had gone. Storm Call was one of his more powerful Shouts, and while he had never been directly harmed by it, the debris sent flying from the destruction could certainly do damage to him. Behind him, the group of Forsworn began to flee to no avail, as nothing short of Armageddon rained down on them in the form of a lightning storm. Each pillar of lightning that struck the ground was thicker than the trunk of the Eldergreen and hotter than the surface of the sun. The Forsworn never made it back to their camping grounds.

Once he was a good distance away, Mikal turned back to watch the carnage. Brilliant white bolts of sheer power continued to drop from the sky, and would continue to do so for awhile. The Argonian chuckled; even after exercising his Thu’um many times, he was still amazed by what it could do. He shook his head in amusement, and then placed two fingers to his mouth. Mikal let out a sharp, piercing whistle, and Shadowmere, faithful as ever, answered instantly, galloping out of the shadows.

“Good boy,” he crooned, stroking Shadowmere’s muzzle. Shadowmere blinked and shook his mane, accepting the praise.

“I met someone new today, Shadowmere. You’d like her.” Shadowmere snorted, causing the Argonian to sigh.

“Yes, yes, I know. You make your own judgements.” Mikal climbed on top of Shadowmere, settling into the saddle.

“Let’s go, boy. I do not want to return to Markarth empty-handed. He flicked the reins, and Shadowmere took off, adopting a steady gait. Mikal leaned forwards and whispered their destination in Shadowmere’s ear. Shadowmere snorted and shook his head, acknowledging the command. Exhausted, Mikal slumped in the saddle. He dozed off, knowing that Shadowmere wouldn’t let him fall. The dark horse trotted on, never tiring, eyes and ears alert for any sign of danger. Far, far above them, a serpentine figure flew on mismatched wings.

“So this is where that thing sent Lulu. An interesting world, to be sure. So much chaos! Perhaps I’ll stay and watch a while longer…” The figure flew on, following the horse and rider to the woman who knew nothing but her name.

---

Murky black water swirled around islands of books, the occasional Lurker surfacing to try and nab a Seeker. Above them, a grotesque mass of tentacles with a single eye stared at nothing in that world, and at the Argonian rider in his own.

“Soon...the secrets of the moon will be mine!”

Author's Note:

An idea that sprung into existence after realizing both Luna and Nocturnal had a connections to the moon.

Enjoy!

Comments

[HB_DS2013]

Doesn't Luna and Vaermina have connections because of their power in the dream world?

[themonkeyknight]

8176054
Yes, but I don't know that much about Vaermina. Suffice to say, Vaermina won't really be included in this story.