"You have to admit," she said, embers falling from her fingertips. The sun was red, casting pink across the sky as it began its slow dip behind the mountains. "This can be a truly beautiful country."

"Of course," one of her assistants answered in rote. He was pulling the corpse of a young Nord girl to a pile in front of the statue of the Pretender. She didn't look back, though she didn't like the practised manner he spoke in; as if he were humouring her.

A dragon spread its wings on a peak in the distance. She frowned. The dragon roared, and leapt into the sky.

"Someone approaches."

"We've finished, ma'am," her assistant called as she walked down past the blood stained benches and strewn arrows.

"Light them," she called back, stopping at the top of the path leading up to the shrine of Talos.

"From the Ambassador herself," the messenger panted, handing her a sealed letter. She nodded.

"Your horse is being stolen," she said as she started reading. The messenger turned with a squawk and staggered back down the path.

"New orders?" her assistant asked as she folded up the letter and turned back to the plume of black smoke that rose into the sky.

A half smile played on her lips as she watched the flames cast a pale light on the stone features of Talos Stormcrown in the fading light of day.

"Pack up. We have someone to meet."

Her assistant blanched.

"Not the Khajiit?"

"Oh yes," she paused, and then her smile widened. "But there's someone else we're going to talk to first. Maur."

Her assistant gave a small sigh of relief. She laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

"Come, we must be off..."

She paused again.

"You forgot my name again," the assistant sighed. She shrugged.

"I go through so many," she said without remorse. He blanched again, and turned to issue marching orders to the milling soldiers and archers.

She turned back to the peak, the dragon roaring as it circled its perch.

"So many mysteries," she murmured to herself before making her way to the road.