The Real Barenziah , Book II Summary . This book is part of a five - volume series on Barenziah : Content . Barenziah and Straw settled into Rifton for the winter , taking a cheap room in the slummier section of town . Barenziah wanted to join the Thieves Guild , knowing there would be trouble if she were caught freelancing . One day in a barroom she caught the eye of a known member of the Guild , a bold young Khajiit named Therris . She offered to bed him if he would sponsor her membership . He looked her over , grinning , and agreed , but said she ' d still have to pass an initiation . " What sort of initiation ? " " Ah , " Therris said . " Pay up first , sweetness . " < nowiki > [ < / nowiki > This passage has been censored by order of the Temple . < nowiki > ] < / nowiki > Straw was going to kill her , and maybe Therris too . What in Tamriel had possessed her to do such a thing ? She cast an apprehensive look around the room , but the other patrons had lost interest and gone back to their own business . She did not recognize any of them ; this wasn ' t the inn where she and Straw were staying . With luck it ' d be a while , or never , before Straw found out . Therris was by far the most exciting and attractive man she had yet met . He not only told her about the skills she needed to become a member of the Thieves Guild , but also trained her in them himself or else introduced her to people who could . Among these was a woman who knew something about magic . Katisha was a plump and matronly Nord . She was married to a smith , had two teenage children , and was perfectly ordinary and respectable - - except that she was very fond of cats ( and by logical inference , their humanoid counterparts the Khajiit ) , had a talent for certain kinds of magic , and cultivated rather odd friends . She taught Barenziah an invisibility spell and schooled her in other forms of stealth and disguise . Katisha mingled magical and non - magical talents freely , using one set to enhance the other . She was not a member of the Thieves Guild but was fond of Therris in a motherly sort of way . Barenziah warmed to her as she never had toward any woman , and over the next few weeks she told Katisha all about herself . She brought Straw there too sometimes . Straw approved of Katisha . But not of Therris . Therris found Straw " interesting " and suggested to Barenziah that they arrange what he called a " threesome . " " Absolutely not , " Barenziah said firmly , grateful that Therris had broached the subject in private for once . " He wouldn ' t like it . I wouldn ' t like it ! " Therris smiled his charming , triangular feline smile and sprawled lazily on his chair , stretching his limbs and curling his tail . " You might be surprised . Both of you . Pairing is so boring . " Barenziah answered him with a glare . " Or maybe you wouldn ' t like it with that country bumpkin of yours , sweetness . Would you mind if I brought along another friend ? " " Yes , I would . If you ' re bored with me , you and your friend can find someone else . " She was a member of the Thieves Guild now . She had passed their initiation . She found Therris useful but not essential . Maybe she was a bit bored with him too . She talked to Katisha about her problems with men . Or what she thought of as her problems with men . Katisha shook her head and told her she was looking for love , not sex , that she ' d know the right man when she found him , that neither Straw nor Therris was the right one for her . Barenziah cocked her head to one side quizzically . " They say Dark Elven women are pro - - pro - - something . Prostitutes ? " she said , although she was dubious . " You mean promiscuous . Although some do become prostitutes , I suppose , " Katisha said as an afterthought . " Elves are promiscuous when they ' re young . But you ' ll outgrow it . Perhaps you ' re beginning to already , " she added hopefully . She liked Barenziah , had grown to be quite fond of her . " You ought to meet some nice Elven boys , though . If you go on keeping company with Khajiits and humans and what have you , you ' ll find yourself pregnant in next to no time . " Barenziah smiled involuntarily at the thought . " I ' d like that . I think . But it would be inconvenient , wouldn ' t it ? Babies are a lot of trouble , and I don ' t even have my own house yet . " " How old are you , Berry ? Seventeen ? Well , you ' ve a year or two yet before you ' re fertile , unless you ' re very unlucky . Elves don ' t have children readily with other Elves after that , even , so you ' ll be all right if you stick with them . " Barenziah remembered something else . " Straw wants to buy a farm and marry me . " " Is that what you want ? " " No . Not yet . Maybe someday . Yes , someday . But not if I can ' t be queen . And not just any queen . The Queen of Mournhold . " She said this determinedly , almost stubbornly , as if to drown out any doubt . Katisha chose to ignore this last comment . She was amused at the girl ' s hyperactive imagination , took it as a sign of a well - functioning mind . " I think Straw will be a very old man before ' someday ' comes , Berry . Elves live for a very long time . " Katisha ' s face briefly wore the envious , wistful look humans got when contemplating the thousand - year lifespan Elves had been granted by the gods . True , few ever actually lived that long as disease and violence took their respective tolls . But they could . And one or two of them actually did . " I like old men too , " Berry said . Katisha laughed . Barenziah fidgeted impatiently while Therris sorted through the papers on the desk . He was being meticulous and methodical , carefully replacing everything just as he ' d found it . They ' d broken into a nobleman ' s household , leaving Straw to hover outside as lookout . Therris had said it was a simple job but very hush - hush . He hadn ' t even wanted to bring any other Guild members along . He said he knew he could trust Berry and Straw , but no one else . " Tell me what you ' re looking for and I ' ll find it , " Berry whispered urgently . Therris ' night sight wasn ' t as good as hers and he didn ' t want her to magick up even a small orb of light . She had never been in such a luxurious place . Not even the Darkmoor castle of Count Sven and Lady Inga where she had spent her childhood compared to it . She ' d gazed around in wonder as they made their way through the ornately decorated and hugely echoing downstairs rooms . But Therris didn ' t seem interested in anything but the desk in the small book - lined study on the upper floor . " Sssst , " he hissed angrily . " Someone ' s coming ! " Berry said , a moment before the door opened and two dark figures stepped into the room . Therris gave her a violent shove toward them and sprang to the window . Barenziah ' s muscles went rigid ; she couldn ' t move or even speak . She watched helplessly as one of the figures , the smaller one , leaped after Therris . There were two quick , silent stabs of blue light , then Therris folded over into a still heap . Outside the study the house had come alive with hastening footsteps and voices calling out in alarm and the clank of armor hurriedly put on . The bigger man , a Dark Elf by the looks of him , half - lifted , half - dragged Therris to the door and thrust him into the waiting arms of another Elf . A jerk of the first Elf ' s head sent his smaller blue - robed companion after them . Then he sauntered over to inspect Barenziah , who was once again able to move although her head throbbed maddeningly when she tried to . " Open your shirt , Barenziah , " the Elf said . Barenziah gawked at him and clutched it closed . " You ' re a girl , aren ' t you , Berry ? " he said softly . " You should have stopped dressing as a boy months ago , you know . You were only drawing attention to yourself . And calling yourself Berry ! Is your friend Straw too stupid to remember anything else ? " " It ' s a common Elven name , " Barenziah defended . The man shook his head sadly . " Not among Dark Elves it isn ' t , my dear . But you wouldn ' t know much about Dark Elves , would you ? I regret that , but it couldn ' t be helped . No matter . I shall try to remedy it . " " Who are you ? " Barenziah demanded . " Ai . So much for fame , " the man shrugged , smiling wryly . " I am Symmachus , Milady Barenziah . General Symmachus of His Awesome and Terrible Majesty Tiber Septim I ' s Imperial Army . And I must say it ' s a merry chase you ' ve led me throughout Tamriel . Or this part of it , anyway . Although I guessed , and guessed correctly , that you ' d head for Morrowind eventually . You had a bit of luck . A body was found in Whiterun that was thought to be Straw ' s . So we stopped looking for the pair of you . That was careless of me . Yet I ' d not have thought you ' d have stayed together this long . " " Where is he ? Is he all right ? " she asked in genuine trepidation . " Oh , he ' s fine . For now . In custody , of course . " He turned away . " You . . . care for him , then ? " he said , and then suddenly stared at her with fierce curiosity . Out of red eyes that seemed strange to her , except in her own seldom - seen reflection . " He ' s my friend , " Barenziah said . The words came out in a tone that sounded dull and hopeless to her own ears . Symmachus ! A general in the Imperial Army , no less - - said to have the friendship and ears of Tiber Septim himself . " Ai . You seem to have several unsuitable friends - - if you ' ll forgive my saying so , Milady . " " Stop calling me that . " She was irritated at the general ' s seeming sarcasm . But he only smiled . As they talked the bustle and flurry in the house died away . Although she could still hear people , presumably the residents , whispering together not far off . The tall Elf perched himself on a corner of the desk . He seemed quite relaxed and prepared to stay awhile . Then it occurred to her . Several unsuitable friends , had he said ? This man knew all about her ! Or seemed to know enough , anyway . Which amounted to the same thing . " W - what ' s going to happen to them ? To m - me ? " " Ah . As you know , this house belongs to the commander of the Imperial troops in this area . Which means to say that it belongs to me . " Barenziah gasped and Symmachus looked up sharply . " What , you didn ' t know ? Tsk , tsk . Why , you are rash , Milady , even for seventeen . You must always know what it is you do , or get yourself into . " " B - but the G - guild w - wouldn ' t . . . wouldn ' t h - have - - " Barenziah was trembling . The Thieves Guild would never have attempted a mission that crossed Imperial policy . No one dared oppose Tiber Septim , at least no one she knew of . Someone at the Guild had bungled . Badly . And now she was going to pay for it . " I daresay . It ' s unlikely that Therris had Guild approval for this . In fact , I wonder - - " Symmachus examined the desk carefully , pulling out drawers . He selected one , placed it on top of the desk , and removed a false bottom . There was a folded sheet of parchment inside . It seemed to be a map of some sort . Barenziah edged closer . Symmachus held it away from her , laughing . " Rash indeed ! " He glanced it over , then folded and replaced it . " You advised me a moment ago to seek after knowledge . " " So I did , so I did . " Suddenly he seemed to be in high good humor . " We must be going , my dear Lady . " He shepherded her to the door , down the stairs , and out into the night air . No one was about . Barenziah ' s eyes darted toward the shadows . She wondered if she could outrun him , or elude him somehow . " You ' re not thinking of attempting to escape , are you ? Ai . Don ' t you want to hear first what my plans for you are ? " She thought that he sounded a bit hurt . " Now that you mention it - - yes . " " Perhaps you ' d rather hear about your friends first . " " No . " He looked gratified at this . It was evidently the answer he wanted , thought Barenziah , but it was also the truth . While she was concerned for her friends , especially Straw , she was far more concerned for herself . " You will take your place as the rightful Queen of Mournhold . " Symmachus explained that this had been his , and Tiber Septim ' s , plan for her all along . That Mournhold , which had been under military rule for the dozen or so years since she had been away , was gradually to be returned to civilian government - - under the Empire ' s guidance , of course , and as part of the Imperial Province of Morrowind . " But why was I sent to Darkmoor ? " Barenziah asked , hardly believing anything she had just been told . " For safekeeping , naturally . Why did you run away ? " Barenziah shrugged . " I saw no reason to stay . I should have been told . " " You would have been by now . I had in fact sent for you to be removed to the Imperial City to spend some time as part of the Emperor ' s household . But of course you had , shall we say , absconded by then . As for your destiny , it should be , and should have been , quite obvious to you . Tiber Septim does not keep those he has no use for - - and what else could you be that would be of use to him ? " " I know nothing of him . Nor , for that matter , of you . " " Then know this : Tiber Septim rewards friends and foes alike according to their deserts . " Barenziah chewed on that for a few moments . " Straw has deserved well of me and has never done anyone any harm . He is not a member of the Thieves Guild . He came along to protect me . He earns our keep by running errands , and he . . . he . . . " Symmachus waved her impatiently to silence . " Ai . I know all about Straw , " he said , " and about Therris . " He stared at her intently . " So ? What would you ? " She took a deep breath . " Straw wants a little farm . If I ' m to be rich , then I would like for one to be given to him . " " Very well . " He seemed astonished at this , and then pleased . " Done . He shall have it . And Therris ? " " He betrayed me , " Barenziah said coldly . Therris should have told her what risks the job entailed . Besides , he ' d pushed her right into their enemies ' arms in an attempt to save himself . Not a man to be rewarded . Not , in fact , a man to be trusted . " Yes . And ? " " Well , he should be made to suffer for it . . . shouldn ' t he ? " " That seems reasonable . What form should said suffering take ? " Barenziah balled her hands into fists . She would ' ve liked to beat and claw at the Khajiit herself . But considering the turn events had taken , that didn ' t seem very queenly . " A whipping . Er . . . would twenty stripes be too many , do you think ? I don ' t want to do him any permanent injury , you understand . Just teach him a lesson . " " Ai . Of course . " Symmachus grinned at this . Then his features suddenly set , and became serious . " It shall be done , Your Highness , Milady Queen Barenziah of Mournhold . " Then he bowed to her , a sweeping , courtly , ridiculously wonderful bow . Barenziah ' s heart leapt . She spent two days at Symmachus ' apartment , during which she was kept very busy . There was a Dark Elven woman named Drelliane who saw to her needs , although she did not exactly seem a servant since she took her meals with them . Nor did she seem to be Symmachus ' wife , or lover . Drelliane looked amused when Barenziah asked her about it . She simply said she was in the general ' s employ and did whatever was asked of her . With Drelliane ' s assistance , several fine gowns and pairs of shoes were ordered for her , plus a riding habit and boots , along with other small necessities . Barenziah was given a room to herself . Symmachus was out a great deal . She saw him at most mealtimes , but he said little about himself or what he had been doing . He was cordial and polite , quite willing to converse on most subjects , and seemed interested in anything she had to say . Drelliane was much the same . Barenziah found them pleasant enough , but " hard to get to know , " as Katisha would have put it . She felt an odd twinge of disappointment . These were the first Dark Elves with whom she ' d associated closely . She had expected to feel comfortable with them , to feel at last that she belonged somewhere , with somebody , as part of something . Instead she found herself yearning for her Nordic friends , Katisha and Straw . When Symmachus told her they were to set out for the Imperial City on the morrow , she asked if she could say good - bye to them . " Katisha ? " he asked . " Ai . But then . . . I suppose I owe her something . She it was who led me to you by telling me of a lonely Dark Elven girl named Berry who needed Elven friends - - and who sometimes dressed as a boy . She has no association with the Thieves Guild , apparently . And no one associated with the Thieves Guild seems to know your true identity , save Therris . That is well . I prefer that your former Guild membership not be made public knowledge . Please speak of it to no one , Your Highness . Such a past does not . . . become an Imperial Queen . " " No one knows but Straw and Therris . And they won ' t tell anyone . " " No . " He smiled a curious little smile . " No , they won ' t . " He didn ' t know that Katisha knew , then . But still , there was something about the way he said it . . . Straw came to their apartment on the morning of their departure . They were left alone in the salon , although Barenziah knew that other Elves were within earshot . He looked drawn and pale . They hugged one another silently for a few minutes . Straw ' s shoulders were shaking and tears were rolling down his cheeks , but he said nothing . Barenziah tried a smile . " So we both get what we want , eh ? I ' m to be Queen of Mournhold and you ' ll be lord of your own farmstead . " She took his hand , smiled at him warmly , genuinely . " I ' ll write you , Straw . I promise . You must find a scribe so you can write me too . " Straw shook his head sadly . When Barenziah persisted , he opened his mouth and pointed at it , making inarticulate noises . Then she realized what it was . His tongue was gone , had been cut off . Barenziah collapsed onto a chair and wept noisily . " But why ? " she demanded of Symmachus when Straw had been ushered away . " Why ? " Symmachus shrugged . " He knows too much . He could be dangerous . At least he ' s alive , and he won ' t need his tongue to . . . raise pigs or whatever . " " I hate you ! " Barenziah screamed at him , then abruptly doubled over and vomited on the floor . She continued to revile him between intermittent bouts of nausea . He listened stolidly for some time while Drelliane cleaned up after her . Finally , he told her to cease or he would gag her for her journey to the Emperor . They stopped at Katisha ' s house on their way out of the city . Symmachus and Drelliane didn ' t dismount . All seemed normal but Barenziah was frightened as she knocked on the door . Katisha answered the knock . Barenziah thanked the gods silently that at least she was all right . But she ' d also obviously been weeping . In any case , she embraced Barenziah warmly . " Why are you crying ? " Barenziah asked . " For Therris , of course . You haven ' t heard ? Oh dear . Poor Therris . He ' s dead . " Barenziah felt icy fingers creeping round her heart . " He was caught stealing from the Commandant ' s house . Poor fellow , but that was so foolish of him . Oh , Berry , he was drawn and quartered this very dawn by the Commandant ' s order ! " She started to sob . " I went . He asked for me . It was terrible . He suffered so before he died . I ' ll never forget it . I looked for you and Straw , but no one knew where you ' d both gone to . " She glanced behind Barenziah . " That ' s the Commandant , isn ' t it ? Symmachus . " Then Katisha did a strange thing . She stopped crying and grinned . " You know , the moment I saw him , I thought , This is the one for Barenziah ! " Katisha took a fold of her apron and wiped it across her eyes . " I told him about you , you know . " " Yes , " Barenziah said , " I know . " She took Katisha ' s hands in each of hers and looked at her earnestly . " Katisha , I love you . I ' m going to miss you . But please don ' t ever tell anyone else anything about me . Ever . Swear you won ' t . Especially not to Symmachus . And look after Straw for me . Promise me that . " Katisha promised , puzzled though willing . " Berry , it wasn ' t somehow because of me that Therris was caught , was it ? I never said anything about Therris to . . . to . . . him . " She glanced over at the general . Barenziah assured her that it wasn ' t , that an informant had told the Imperial Guard of Therris ' plans . Which was probably a lie , but she could see that Katisha plainly needed some kind of comfort . " Oh , I ' m glad of that , if I can be glad of anything just now . I ' d hate to think - - But how could I have known ? " She leaned over and whispered in Barenziah ' s ear , " Symmachus is very handsome , don ' t you think ? And so charming . " " I wouldn ' t know about that , " Barenziah said dryly . " I haven ' t really thought about it . There ' ve been other things to think about . " She explained hurriedly about being Queen of Mournhold and going to live in the Imperial City for a while . " He was looking for me , that ' s all . On orders from the Emperor . I was the object of a quest , nothing more than some sort of . . . of a . . . goal . I don ' t think he thinks of me as a woman at all . He said I didn ' t look like a boy , though , " she added in the face of Katisha ' s incredulity . Katisha knew that Barenziah evaluated every male she met in terms of sexual desirability , and availability . " I suppose it ' s the shock of finding out that I really am a queen , " she added , and Katisha agreed that yes , that ' s true , that must ' ve been something of a shock , although one there was no likelihood of her experiencing firsthand . She smiled . Barenziah smiled with her . Then they hugged again , tearfully , for the last time . She never saw Katisha again . Or Straw . The royal party left Rifton by the great southern gate . Once through , Symmachus tapped her shoulder and pointed back at the portals . " I thought you might want to say good - bye to Therris too , Your Highness , " he said . Barenziah stared briefly but steadily at the head impaled on a spike above the gate . The birds had been at it , but the face was still recognizable . " I don ' t think he ' ll hear me , although I ' m quite sure he ' ll be pleased to know I ' m fine , " she said , seeming to sound light . " Let ' s be on our way , General , shall we ? " Symmachus was clearly disappointed by her lack of reaction . " Ai . You heard of this from your friend Katisha , I suppose ? " " You suppose correctly . She attended the execution , " Barenziah said casually . If he didn ' t know already , he ' d find out soon enough , she was sure of that . " Did she know Therris belonged to the Guild ? " She shrugged . " Everyone knew that . It ' s only lower - ranking members like me who are supposed to keep their membership secret . The ones higher up are well known . " She turned to smile archly at him . " But you must know all that , shouldn ' t you , General ? " she said sweetly . He seemed unaffected by this . " So you told her who you were and whence you came , but not about the Guild . " " The Guild membership was not my secret to tell . The other was . There ' s a difference . Besides , Katisha is a very honest woman . Had I told her , it would have lessened me in her eyes . She was always after Therris to take up a more honest line of work . I value her good opinion . " She afforded him a glacial stare . " Not that it ' s any concern of yours , but do you know what else she thought ? She also thought I ' d be happier if I settled down with just one man . One of my own race . One of my own race with all the right qualities . One of my own race with all the right qualities , who knows to say all the right things . You , in fact . " She grabbed the reins preparatory to assuming a brisker pace - - but not without sinking one final irresistible barb . " Isn ' t it odd how wishes come true sometimes - - but not in the way you want them to ? Or maybe I should say , not in the way you would ever want them to ? " His answer so took her by surprise that she quite forgot about cantering off . " Yes . Very odd , " he replied , and his tone matched his words exactly . Then he excused himself and fell behind . She held her head high and urged her mount onward , trying to look unimpressed . Now what was it about his response that bothered her ? Not what he said . No , that wasn ' t it . But something about the way he said it . Something about it made her think that she , Barenziah , was one of his wishes that had come true . Unlikely as this seemed , she gave it due deliberation . He had found her at last , after months of searching , it seemed , under pressure from the Emperor , no doubt . So his wish had come true . Yes , that must be it . But in a way , apparently , not altogether to his liking .