The sky above me was a deep midnight blue, littered with stars, more than I'd ever seen in my life. I blinked and sat up slowly. My body felt… familiar. Too familiar. When I looked down at myself, I saw my long none pale legs, bare arms with freckles speckled up the sides, and mauve-dyed hair tumbling down to my shoulders in a messy braid.
I looked down at my hands, turning them over, seeing the chipped nail polish, the tiny scar on my thumb from a hot glue gun. The ground was soft beneath me, covered in that strange grass that shimmered silver under the moons. It felt cool against my skin, like early morning dew. I glanced around, taking in the open field that stretched in every direction until it met the thick forest behind me. Massive redwoods so tall their tops vanished into the stars.
Twenty strides ahead, I spotted the lake. This was the same one she had stood at the girl who warned me about the Wild Hunt. The one who looked like the body I was in now. I rose to my feet and brushed my hands down my sides. My bare feet padded quietly over the silver grass as I walked. The air smelled faintly like pine and something floral, maybe lavender. It was too quiet, though. No bugs. No birds. Just the sound of my own breathing.
As I passed the first redwood, I reached out and touched it. Its bark was rough beneath my fingertips. I pressed my palm to the trunk. Curiosity tugged harder now for me, so I moved forward into the woods. But no matter how far I walked, after what felt like five minutes, I reappeared with the lake in front of me. Had I looped around without noticing? I turned on my heel, walked straight back into the woods, took a left, then another path—and again, I came out at the same lake.
"Okay," I muttered, squinting at the water. "That's… weird." I scratched the back of my neck and let out a slow breath. Maybe the dream didn't want me wandering off. Fine. I could take a hint. I walked to the lake's edge, letting the silver grass brush against my calves. The water was calm, smooth like glass. I crouched near the bank and leaned over.
I looked into the lake and saw Ellehish. But as I moved to check my hair, the reflection did as well. But my hair wasn't the color. She had that long white hair, glowing skin, and those piercing eyes. I stared at her reflection, then lifted a hand. So did she. But not at the same time.
I moved. Then she did, but delayed, and I couldn't help but narrow my eyes. She reached out from the water. Her hand, wet and shimmering, rose up through the surface. I fell back on instinct, scrambling away and landing hard on my butt. As she kept rising, slowly, her shoulders breaking the surface, followed by her soaked hair dripping across her chest. Her eyes stayed on me the whole time.
"What the hell..." I whispered as she stepped onto the grass, her hair hung down like seaweed, hiding most of her face. All I could see was one glowing golden eye peeking through. She walked right toward me, hand extended, finger pointing like she was about to zap me with some ghostly power.
I tried to shift. Call my werewolf form, but nothing happened. I couldn't feel it. Her finger touched my forehead. I winced, bracing for pain, or lightning, or some vision—
And then she laughed. She burst out laughing, full-on, hand-on-her-side, doubled-over, shaking with amusement. I blinked, stunned, still sitting in the grass. "You—oh gods," she gasped, "you should've seen your face!"
I sat there, face flushing with red-hot embarrassment while she rolled in the grass, laughing like she'd just heard the best joke of her life. "You're such a dick," I muttered. From the edge of the trees, a deep sound rumbled, low and amused. I turned toward it and spotted a massive white wolf sitting just beyond the line of trees. Its fur shimmered like snow under the moonlight. One eye glowed red. The other, gold.
"Gods, you're so dramatic," I muttered under my breath, brushing grass off my arms as I sat up straighter. The laughter still echoed around the field, soft and bright and completely unbothered. Ellehish was still wiping tears from her eyes, her entire body shaking with the aftershocks of her prank.
I crossed my arms and huffed, trying to act annoyed. I wasn't. Not really. Then I realized something. She was naked. White hair sticking to her chest. Cute bush betwen her legs. Smooth pale skin with not a single blemish anywhere. She was still laughing, but it was because she didn't realize it yet.
I grinned. Ellehish blinked up at me mid-wipe, and I could practically feel the slow, creeping realization settle in behind her golden eyes. She looked down. Her arms snapped around her chest in a flash. "By the gods!" she yelped, twisting around and falling half onto her side, her voice pitched up in sheer mortified panic. Giving me a nice few of her butt. Its weird seeing it on someone else. "Why in Auri-El's name am I—?!"
I let out a long, low whistle. Real slow and lazy. "Well damn, princess. You didn't tell me you were hiding royal-grade curves under all that attitude." She whipped her head toward me, face blazing. "D-Don't look at me, Riley!" she snapped.
"Oh no, too late for that," I grinned, scooting a little closer. I made a show of turning my head and looking up at the stars, all innocent-like. "I already looked. Can't take that back now. Besides everything you have, i can see when i wake up"
"You could at least offer me clothing—!"
I shrugged, biting back a laugh. "Hey, not my fault. I sleep naked so if i had to guess maybe thats why your naked."
She stopped moving. Her eyes locked on mine. "…What?" I stretched my arms over my head with a wide yawn. "Yeah. Been doing it for years. Helps with circulation or something." I gave her a wink. "Which means, if we're sharing a body, and I fall asleep naked—"
Her mouth dropped open.
"It makes me naked in here too. You insufferable—!"
"I love this."
Ellehish turned around with her back to me, scrambling through the tall silver grass like she was trying to build a dress out of it. Her ears were bright red. "You have no decorum! No shame! This is sacred ground of the—!"
I flopped onto my back, arms behind my head, still grinning. "Mhm. I'm hearing a whole lot of 'blah blah blah' and not a lot of 'thank you for the free air bath.'"
"I will end you." I wiggled my toes. "Already dead once, babe. That's how this whole mess started."
She hissed something in Elvish under her breath that I was very sure wasn't a blessing. I rolled to my side, propping my cheek on my palm as I looked at her again. "You know, you could just embrace it. Own it. Be the confident, cause you are beautiful."
"I am a princess of the Falmer!" she shouted over her shoulder, voice shrill with embarrassment. "Not one of your cheap—cheap stream whores!"
"Ouch," I gasped jokingly cause i wasnt ashamed of what i was. "The shade." I could barely stop myself from laughing. There was something so perfect about this. She was always so proper in the dreams so elegant. And now she was crawling around in the grass trying to cover her butt with leaves.
I sat up again and gave a smug little shrug. "Look, I didn't know it'd affect you. Honest. But now that I do?" I wiggled my eyebrows. "I'm definitely going to keep sleeping naked."
"Riley—!"
"It's not my fault this dream place doesn't give you pajamas." I stood, turning toward the lake again. She stood, now awkwardly hunched with her hair pulled in front of her chest. "…You're enjoying this too much," she muttered darkly.
"I really am."
Her glare could've cut stone. "You are immature."
"I'm me," I said, stepping toward the lake and peering in again. "Besides, you're the one who decided to live inside me. Pretty sure this is what you signed up for."
"We didn't decide anything. The soul was split."
"Details." I grinned. "Still. You, in all your stuck-up noble glory, having to be seen like this? I couldn't have dreamed up a better revenge."
She scoffed, still shielding herself with both arms. "Revenge for what?"
"For the jump scare earlier."
Her lips twitched. Not quite a smile, but not as angry as before. "…That was funny."
"It wasn't at the time!" I threw up my hands. "You rose out of the lake like a horror movie ghost. I nearly pissed myself."
"I don't think we can do that here."
"I said nearly!"
That finally broke her. She snorted once, then covered her mouth, eyes widening. I narrowed my eyes. "Was that a laugh?"
"No."
"Was that a laugh, Ellehish?"
She turned away, stiff again. "Be quiet."
I couldn't resist. I took a few slow, exaggerated steps toward her and leaned in. "Aww, don't worry. You can laugh around me. We're sisters, right?"
She turned back with narrowed eyes. "We are not sisters."
"Soulmates?"
"Hardly."
"Spirit buddies?"
She sighed so hard it practically ruffled the grass. I laughed and plopped back down beside the lake. "Alright, fine. Not sisters. But let's agree on something—if I sleep naked, you're stuck like this. And if you want me to sleep in clothes…"
She shot me a look. I waggled my eyebrows. "Gotta ask nicely, like a good girl."
"You are impossible."
"I get that a lot."
A long silence stretched between us. The stars still shimmered overhead. The lake rippled slightly, even though no wind stirred. Somewhere behind the trees, the white wolf still sat, watching. After a while, Ellehish sat down again.
"…I'll conjure clothing next time," she muttered.
"Oh, so now you admit this is your domain."
"I never said it wasn't." She flicked her hair over one shoulder. "But you don't respect boundaries."
"Only the ones that are fun to break." I leaned back on my hands. "Still, gotta admit, you've got good posture. You could give modeling classes."
"I'm going to kill you when we wake up."
"I dare you."
She rolled her eyes and turned toward the water, her expression finally softening. "You're a menace." "And you're a walking etiquette manual in elf form."
"Better than being a stray cat with no manners."
"Hey! That's offensive to cats." For a moment, we just sat there, me smirking, her trying not to look at me. The white wolf, huge, shoulder-high to Ellehish even when she stood, stepped into the open with soundless confidence, nostrils flaring once at the air before its mismatched eyes settled on us. I let out a low, appreciative whistle that earned me a quick sideways glare from my very naked companion.
"Wonderful," Ellehish muttered, still folded over herself like a flustered swan. "First you, now the embodiment of your feral curse. Is there any part of this dream you didn't turn into an exhibition?"
I shrugged, grinning. "Can't help being thorough." The wolf's tail swished once. Then she stalked closer, head lowered enough that her ears lined up between the moons behind her. When she stopped at my side. I could've ridden her like a horse if she'd crouched shame it was a girl else id really have some fun. Hot wolf-breath puffed across my cheek, carrying a faint resinous scent, pine sap and fresh snow. She nudged my shoulder with the wet tip of her nose. My fingers found soft fur on habit and she rumbled deep in her chest, a satisfied thunder.
Ellehish's posture straightened despite herself, eyes flicking between us. "She mirrors your werewolf powers," she said, voice smoothing into lecture mode even while she kept an arm bracketed over her breasts. "I can feel the link from here. Very Teen Wolf of you."
"Compliment accepted." I scratched under the wolf's jaw; she closed her eyes like a spoiled housecat. "Any idea what you're packing, princess? Because I've got the wolf and the Elder Blood jackpot."
"I have the memory of an empire." She lifted her chin. "Lineage older than the first human campfire, Third gen desendent of the spirirts that made this world."
"Also a serious clothing shortage," I teased.
Her glare could've frozen lakes. "You're remarkably smug for someone whose last mortal act was playing traffic chicken for a pretty girl."
I barked a laugh. "Worth it. Rose's ass is world-class art. Besides, I got reincarnated. Perks."
"Oh yes," she sniffed. "After manipulating her relationship so you could swoop in. Hardly noble."
"Never claimed to be noble." I met her stare without flinching. "Wanted her, and I always get what I want, End of story." The wolf swung her head, watching the volley like she followed the words'. Ellehish caught the motion and actually stepped back, as if remembering the beast could punctuate any argument with fangs. Still, she didn't yield the moral high ground. "I find your shamelessness… astounding."
"Better than lying to myself." I let my palms rest on the wolf's shoulders. Her fur was unbelievably warm, heat pouring through skin like I'd grabbed a radiator. "Anyway, why're you so rattled? You're the royal here, sit straighter, own the view." I made a broad gesture at her bare form. "Moonlight loves you."
She flushed darker. "I was raised with decorum. If you must know, we bathed in private never in front of guests."
"Guess I'm special." I winked.
Before she could retort, the wolf let out a short chuff and lowered herself to the grass, forelegs folded. Her eyes flicked meaningfully toward Ellehish. Ellehish hesitated, gaze darting from me to the massive head resting inches from her knees. Finally, dignity surrendered to practicality: she released the makeshift curtain of hair, straightened her spine, and eased down to sit against the wolf's warm side.
She exhaled, shoulders losing tension. "…Thank you," she whispered, more to the wolf than to me. Warmth pooled in the silver grass, melting the chill silence that had lingered since that first prank. I folded my legs and settled opposite them, forming a loose triangle. The wolf's breathing filled the space.
"Twin souls, huh?" I said after a bit. "Rhea never explained the fine print."
Ellehish stroked tentative fingers through the wolf's ruff. "She said we were born fractured—two sparks. I suspect our destinies were entwined long before either of us drew breath." Her eyes softened as she watched me. "You carry Elder Blood, you collect powers by… unconventional means, and you court danger for pleasure. I was groomed to rule an ancient people and avenge them."
"And the wolf is the lightning in the middle." I tapped my chest. A ghost of a smile touched her mouth. "It is a striking beast. Dire-wolf size was a nice touch."
"I think she got the memo that I like my partners big and toothy." I waggled my eyebrows. Ellehish groaned. "Spare me."
The wolf's head lifted; she huffed a hot breath across Ellehish's cheek, almost amused, then laid back down. "So," I said quietly, "you remember every second of your life, parents and the siege. I remember Earth, Rose, the accident, and a chronology of bad decisions and porn commissions. How do we share?"
She considered. "You dream my memories; I dream flashes of yours. Perhaps, with practice, we can choose what to show each other." Her gaze drifted to the lake's mirror surface. "In time, I may need your shameless grit as much as you'll rely on my restraint."
I snorted. "Teamwork makes the dream work."
Silence folded around us again. Silver grass rustled where the wolf's tail swept lazily. Above, one moon slipped behind a cloud, dimming the field just enough to make the pendant at Ellehish's throat glimmer faint blue, the same sapphire that saved her under the sea. I hadn't noticed it manifest here until now.
She caught me staring. "Yes. The gem follows me. Reminder of duty." Her voice softened. "Of the lives lost."
"Then maybe my job's making sure you laugh once in a while."
"By leering at me?"
"We i can always do more then leer." I flicked a pebble into the lake; ripples sprawled across both our reflections, merging Riley freckles with Ellehish glow. "Next time we wake up, I'm buying real clothes. It will be fun to play dress up with you."
She sighed, half-resigned, half-amused. "If you insist, at least warn me."
"Deal." I extended a pinkie like a kid. She stared, puzzled, then mimicked the gesture. Our pinkies touched, and a tiny spark of red-and-gold light jumped between them. "oh thats cool" Ellehish was quiet now. Not in the haughty, stiff-backed way. Her bare knees were drawn toward her chest, arms wrapped tight, and her gaze flickered not at me or the wolf, but toward the lake.
She didn't speak for a while. The wolf lay beside her again, ears twitching only when I moved. Then Ellehish finally spoke. Voice low, brittle. "You've seen fragments… of my end. But not the beginning. That is what this dream is for."
I leaned forward, elbows on knees, story time."When the Atmorans came," she began, "we greeted them not as enemies, but guests. We had no reason to fear them. Back then, their numbers were small. Curious. Crude, yes, but… not cruel."
She reached for a blade of grass and twisted it between her fingers. "My father was the snow prince. He ruled with reason, when Ysgramor's expedition first arrived, we welcomed them. Shared food. Music. I remember the way their children laughed at our magic. The awe. The clumsy delight."
Her eyes narrowed. "And then one of them saw her. Our mother. She was… beyond beautiful. Hair like molten pearl. Skin that shimmered beneath the moons. And kind. So kind. Not just to us, but to them as well. She smiled at the man who would become her undoing. Invited him to our table. Let him share our wine."
"I remember what she wore. A silver-blue robe stitched with Iceglass thread. But even then, they stared," she said. "And not like men in awe. Not like people who respected royalty. It was hunger. Hunger dressed in skin. I remember the way one of them watched her hands as she poured him wine. Like her fingertips were meat."
I scowled. "Let me guess. Daddy dearest ignored it."
"He didn't notice," she replied. "Not because he was negligent. But because no one imagined such a thing was possible." She turned toward me, and I could see it on her face: rage weathered by age.
"Our wards were etched into the very bones of the palace," she said. "Forged by the high mages of the First Court. Set with soulstones older than the white tower itself. No one could cross them without sounding every alarm from the dining hall to the harbor gates. Not unless…"
Her voice fell into a near whisper. "Not unless a Daedric Prince had a hand in it. There's no other explanation," she said. "None of the guards stirred. The palace dogs did not bark. The wards didn't even flicker. It was as if the intruders were invited."
I muttered. "If they lusted after her that hard, if they wanted her that much, why wait? Why play nice?"
"Because they needed time," Ellehish said. "She vanished from her chambers. The only sign she had ever been there was a single overturned chalice on her desk, and her crown, resting on the pillow, perfectly centered. She was taken. Carried out through the silent halls like a ghost," Ellehish whispered. "And six of her elite guards were found kneeling in the hallway. Not dead. Not harmed. Asleep. Their eyes open. Their mouths slack. A sleep so deep only soul magic could've stirred them."
A gust of wind stirred the silver grass, but Ellehish didn't move. "Our father… shattered," she said. "Not broken, no. Just shattered into a hundred pieces that kept moving. He sent scouts, spies, sorcerers. He flipped entire kingdoms. But nothing."
"Until?"
"Until one of the human villages slipped. They lit a beacon fire on the wrong hill at the wrong time, and one of our night riders saw it from the cliffs."
My lips curled. "And they found her?"
"They found a settlement, one we wouldnt have found if not for that fire" Ellehish said. "Nestled in the pine valleys east. Full of armed men, jagged palisades, and stolen Falmeri crafts repurposed into 'gifts' from the sea."
She was shaking now that looked close to grief. Or fury. "They kept her in the chief's longhouse," Ellehish said. "They boasted among themselves. Her chains were gold-lined, because they thought it made the crime royal. Her clothes were ceremonial, but torn. She was alive."
Ellehish went quiet for a moment, then added, her voice low: "She was also pregnant." I blinked. "What?"
"With one of their children," she said, not looking at me. "A babe. Her belly had already begun to show when Father found her. Ellehish's tone changed after that. Her eyes, already colder than moonlight, seemed to lose even the last flicker of softness. If before she was recounting a wound, now it was a weapon she was drawing.
"The very moment Father saw her, alive, pregnant, still in chains, he gave the order. Just three words," she said.
Her lips curled, not in a smile, but something sharper. "Burn it down."
I let out a low whistle. "Damn."
"The Atmorans deserved far worse," she continued, voice flat. "They thought because they'd taken our queens and lived, that the Falmer would negotiate. They thought wrong."
I leaned back on my hands, watching her. "Flame and frost swept in from both ends, we left the bodies to rot, as warning. Father's decree. Every Atmoran man, woman, and child found on our land from that point forward, would be executed."
I didn't even blink. "Honestly? Good."
She looked at me, gauging. "You agree?"
"Fuck yes, I do," I said, sitting forward. "If I'd had my way? The women would've suffered. Every single one of them would've been tied down and used be it by our men or by beasts. The same way they used her. Over and over. Until they begged for death. But of course I wouldnt give it to them."
The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable. It was shared. Ellehish's expression didn't change so i had to guess she agreed. "Father would never have allowed it," she said after a moment. "He still believed there was a line. A line between justice and cruelty, one the gods would punish if he crossed it."
"He had a line. I sure as shit dont," I said. "Not after that."
She nodded slowly. "He razed the valley to ash. The men were slain where they stood. The women ran into the hills, our rangers hunted them like game. I watched one get pinned to a tree by an ice spear. Another choked on her own hair while a conjured root strangled her."
"Did you help?" I asked, curious.
"I was fourteen," she said. "But yes. I bled a man that day. My first. He tried to crawl away with a broken leg. I remember the way he screamed when I stepped on it. I remember thinking, good."
I smiled. "Bet he thought you were some soft little elf princess."
She met my eyes. "He didn't have time to think anything after I crushed his throat."
"Fucking metal," I muttered, honestly impressed. Ellehish went quiet then, but her gaze never left the fire. The wolf at our side lifted her head and let out a slow breath, almost like she approved.
"Ysgramor wasn't there," Ellehish added, voice bitter. "Nor his two sons. They were off hunting"
"Shame," I said with a dark chuckle. "Would've been a cleaner story if he got gutted like a pig in his own bed."
"Yes," Ellehish said. "But even fate seemed to be on their side."
She stretched her legs out across the silver grass, arms folding under her head.
"I still dream about it," she whispered. "The fire. The screams. The way their buildings collapsed inward." Her eyes glistened. "She loved that child. Called it a gift, even if it came from horror. She sang to it. Protected it. Would not let them take it from her."
I swallowed, heart heavy. "What did the baby look like?"
Ellehish hesitated. "Mother let me see her, once. She had pale skin, but not like ours. A touch of warmth to it. Her ears were slightly pointed, but not elongated. Eyes like riverstone. Hair that shimmered gold. I'd never seen a child like her."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "Sounds a lot like a Breton."
Ellehish frowned. "A what?"
"Never mind," I said quickly. "Doesn't matter. Go on."
She gave me a skeptical look but returned to the story. "Our father..." Her voice thinned. "He made a choice. He loved her, Mother, I mean—but he didnt want to see that thing. So he sent her away."
Ellehish's eyes closed. "He gave her loyal guards, and sent her to the mountains, to one of our temples where she would be safe and away from him. Told her to raise the child in peace. Away from us."
My chest ached. "She didn't want to go, did she?"
Ellehish shook her head. "She wept. Not because she was cast aside, but because she wanted us all to be together. But she went. Because she loved the child. Because she believed, even after everything, it wasnt its fault."
Ellehish's legs were still crossed at the ankle, hands folded in her lap like a queen in mourning. "The truth is," she murmured, "we should have talked ot our kin."
I tilted my head. "What do you mean?"
She didn't look at me. "After the rescue. After Father declared war. We should've followed our kins ways, The Ayleids."
I raised a brow. "The ones from Cyrodiil?" She nodded once, barely. "Yes. They built wonders, Riley. A Spire that pierced clouds—" her voice softened, reverent, "The White City. The Ayleid Jewel. Tower of the Stars."
"You mean White-Gold Tower."
Her gaze snapped to me, brows furrowing. "You… know it?"
I gave a little half-shrug, half-nod. "Yeah. It's still there. The tower. But the people? Not so much."
She blinked once. "Explain."
"They're gone, Ellehish," I said gently, watching her expression. "The Ayleids fell. Their empire shattered." A long silence. She looked away. "No. No, I don't believe that. They were too powerful."
"wasnt enough to protect them," I said.
She frowned. "What happened?"
I stretched my legs and leaned back on my palms, exhaling. "You ever hear of a guy named Pelinal Whitestrake?" "Pelinal?" She echoed it like it was a foreign word. "No."
I gave a low whistle. "Oh, Elle. You're in for a ride." She tilted her head toward me, clearly not amused. "Long story short? The Ayleids, your cousins, really used to rule all of Cyrodiil. But they kept slaves. Humans. A whole empire built on them."
"And this… Pelinal?"
"Demigod, he shows up and starts a one-man genocide. He tore through the Ayleids like they were paper. They say he had a silver hand and a sword that howled."
Ellehish's lips parted, stunned. "One man destroyed the Ayleid Empire?"
"Not alone," I said. "But he lit the spark. The slaves rebelled. The gods helped. And Pelinal? He hated elves. All elves. Thought they were corrupt by birth."
Her mouth twisted into something ugly. "How… quaint."
"Eventually he died. Got ripped apart by eight kings. But by then, the damage was done. The humans won. The White City became the heart of their new Empire."
Ellehish looked back at the dream sky. "So they didn't didnt make it as well."
I nodded. "Yeah..."
She said nothing for a long while. "We should have joined forces."
"Wouldn't have helped," I replied. "The world doesn't want people like you. Like us."
Her eyes flashed. "Then let's teach the world regret."
A grin pulled at my mouth, sharp and satisfied. "Now that is a plan." The wolf beside us stirred again, its golden and red eyes watching us both.