"I see, it's like that." said Eldaline. "That is how it is, is it?"
"Storming off will not make your gryphon come back. You were supposed to get on before he took off." said the Welkynar.
"Who do you think you are speaking to? How dare you speak to me in that manner? I am not accustomed to being spoken to like that."
"Come back." said Norqamerel. "I have worked with even older subjects."
"What did you say?"
"I mean both you and the gryphon. Both of you are set in your comfortable ways. Neither of you will change, but only one of you knows this, so it falls to you to compromise your dignity."
Eldaline said, "Dignity is an illusion. But do not tell anybody I said so."
"Perhaps it is. Call him again."
"I feel silly." said Eldaline.
"Of course you feel silly." said Norqamerel. "You are silly. When is the last time you learned something new?"
Eldaline said, "I am a master of the arcane with no time to scour the planes of Oblivion in search of anybody better than me. I am a senior officer of the Thalmor and my librarians, soldiers and agents rely on me to already know everything, where possible, and where not, to invent a rational-sounding explanation and pretend that I know everything."
"And how often do you think, Eldaline? I saw how angry it made you to consider why the gryphon should listen to you. If you considered why anybody should listen to you each time you gave an order, would it make you angry enough to question your own orders?"
"You think I should question my orders, do you, Norqamerel? You rule a great deal of land near Cloudrest, with a great many serfs, don't you? I suppose your orders to them are too noble to be questioned. You must spend a good ten hours every day just thinking about them before they're issued."
"The families who rely on my administrative competence are not relevant to your lack of gryphon-control." said Norqamerel.
"Saril likes me. That is why he sleeps on the roof of my office."
"He likes you, and does not wish to leave your side. He must grow to trust that your decisions are better than his. If he is to believe this, your own heart must believe it first."
"Yes, well. You can change things you don't believe in, and believe in things you'll never change. One has nothing to do with the other."
"It does for the gryphon." said Norqamerel. "Your heart is not at ease. Meditate with me, and share in the serenity that communion with Auri-El bestows upon me."
"I don't want serenity." Eldaline said. "I don't have time and my soul can't afford it."
"Why do your hands shake? Saril would wonder the same. Gryphons enjoy the steadiness of a peaceful mind." said the Welkynar.
"It has been a long time since anybody asked to hold my hand."
"Ahem."
"Well, that is enough of that. I feel much better." said Eldaline. "I shall continue with my lesson."
"I knew you would. Now call your companion with the words of the old Aldmer chant, and be free of the cares of Nirn."
"Yes, yes."
"GET BACK OVER HERE, BEFORE I LET GO OF THIS LARGE FIREBALL, YOU TRUCULENT SEAGULL."
"I do not speak old Aldmeri. I was born a fishmonger. And do not assume that you are the first Altmer ever to encourage me to think, or that I hold my position as a result of woolly-minded ignorance. Do you understand, Noble Welkynar and Shire Reeve?"
"You have made many things clear, but have not listened to everything. But I should have spoken more plainly." said Norqamerel.
"You are calling me an idiot again." said Eldaline. "I have tolerated it eleven times, but I will not overlook it a twelfth."
"But surprisingly, your gryphon seems to be returning as instructed." said the Welkynar.
"I told you he liked me."
"Can you persuade him to go to Morthal?" Norqamerel shouted, over the noisy flapping of Saril's wings. "I will ride after you and meet you there."
"If he has been before, probably not. But I will try my best to sell the idea to him."
"Gods, Saril, don't throw me off here." she cried, as the gryphon lunged upwards from the marsh towards the Blue Palace. "The arch of Solitude is crowded and they can all watch me fall off and die."
Eldaline did not fall off or die that day, but instead wrangled with the gryphon not to go home, and instead fly over the estuary to Morthal, the capital of neighbouring Hjaalmarch, where Skavild said folk married their sisters and had eight thumbs.
Speaking of Skavild, he had promised to watch and wave at her during her lesson. But he did not seem to be about.
Evidently, he thought that a gryphon flying lesson was quite normal for an Altmer and not worthy of attention.
Saril circled the city of Solitude slowly.
And at last, as his great head grew aware of Eldaline's gentle tugging at his feathers, he shrieked, alarming many harmless shopkeepers and passers-by below, and turned to the south.
"Are you all right, Eldaline?" said Norqamerel, later, in Morthal. "Where is Saril?"
"Over there somewhere, digging up somebody's garden." said Eldaline. "Yes, thank you, I'm fine."
"If I can make a suggestion, you should get out of that cold swamp water. It is not the season for swimming."
"Thank you. Can we go home now?"
Agent Aralina said, "Good evening, Second Archivist Eldaline. Your hair looks very nice. I wondered if you had done something with it."
"Thank you. It is swamp water." said Eldaline. "How can I help you, Flopsy?"
"I am afraid I must report that Aranwen keeps leaving carrots on my desk, Second Archivist."
"No she doesn't."
"Oh." said Aralina. "Then, that is all satisfactory. Thank you, Second Archivist."
"Was there anything else, Flopsy?"
"No, thank you Madam."
"Nothing about an Escapology course you were grovelling to go on?"
"Oh! Now that you bring it up again, I feel that my training in this field would be of immense benefit to the Bureau of Advanced Communications, Second Archivist."
Eldaline said, "I will tell you why I disagree, but only once. You are attempting to use my training budget surplus, carefully stockpiled by irresponsibly ignoring its existence for twenty years, to overcome your embarrassment at being locked in a chest for two days by Aranwen, when you both attended Felballin School for Gentle Girls. Also, I rather suspect you enjoy being tied up by Commander Sarendil."
"This office is a vital arm of the Thalmor, and this excess of funds will be spent on learning useful things, such as advances in interrogation techniques, withstanding torture, the immediate concentration of magicka reserves in emergencies, or even in Ondolemar's case, basic literacy. Experts of all these fields are available, and you want to go to Northwatch Keep and be tied up by Commander Sarendil."
"But..." said Aralina.
"Escapology is a stupid course, it will never be of any help to this office, and you will not take it. I will not sign anything that will release you for two days of this nonsense. Go and choose something sensible."
"Yes, Second Archivist Eldaline." said Aralina.
Aralina turned and made for the upstairs library.
Good. Thought Eldaline. This is the last we will hear of that.
continues