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| As she stepped out of the Jarl's bedroom, she met Irileth.

"Oh my god, Irileth. Have you been here all night?"

"The Jarl's well being is my job, Muz-Ra. But don't worry, his chamber is quite sound proof."

"Now is the part where you tell me I should stop seeing him I suppose?"

"On the contrary! Such... exertion... is very, very welcome. The Jarl hasn't pursued physical pleasures in years. I only needed to ascertain your own motivation." | | | Irileth motioned for Muz-Ra to continue walking.

"And... what do you suppose my motivation is?"

"Oh, I don't suppose. I'm quite certain. Your motivation is twofold. Your own physical gratification, and genuine affection towards the Jarl. You are quite transparent, Muz-Ra, and it is very refreshing to meet someone as honest as you." | | | "And you're not jealous?"

"Jealous? Me? Oh! You think I have that sort of feeling towards Balgruuf. I see. No, though I sometimes wish I did. It would make things easier in some ways. But no, my physical needs are met by other means. But I love him in other ways. We have a long history, Balgruuf and I. Such a long standing relationship between members of the opposite sex is unlikely to last so long if sex is involved I find." | | | "Wait... where are you taking me? This isn't the way out!" Muz-Ra realized with alarm.

"I'm taking you to the dungeon. Oh relax. This is a secret way out of the city so that you can leave unobserved. In fact, I'll give you the password and notify the guards that you may come and go as you wish this way. Believe me, I sincerely wish you and the Jarl a long and... enjoyable relationship."

Muz-Ra stopped and looked long and hard at the Dunmer. "Why is that?"

"Why? Isn't it obvious?" | | | Muz-Ra thought, but couldn't come up with the answer. Sincerely she told Irileth, "I'm sorry, I really don't understand. Remember, this whole world of politics and power is not my environment. I just don't think like you do."

Irileth nodded. "You're right. You don't. And I envy you that. It's simply this - the Jarl is a man, and a man has needs. Since his wife died, he's not had those needs filled in any proper way. Last night proved that you can fill them - not to mention the exercise that provides! But more than that, you can cause no heredity issue. You cannot bear him children that might endanger the heredity line. And finally, you are without guile. You have no lust for power, just for penis. No, don't be offended. That is a very good thing indeed. It makes you welcome here." | | | "I wasn't joking when I said I'd give you the password. Knock in this pattern and the guards will admit you. Come back whenever the Jarl calls you. But do, please, use this entrance. The citizens would not appreciate the Jarl having an Argonian lover. He is well loved by his subjects, but that might disturb them."

"Why? What difference does it make if he's taken on me as his lover? They mostly think you are his lover already, and you're a Dunmer." | | | "There is a difference. As foreign as I may be as a Dunmer, my body still elicits sexual desire in most Nords. I am still similar enough in physical form for them to identify me to them as of the same type. But scales, those teeth, that tail. Don't blame them, they're rubes and peasants. They call you Lizards without batting an eye. What's worse is that you_let_ them. You have more in common with dragons than lizards. They should fear you, but instead they denigrate you and talk of you with contempt. And then you're surprised that they don't see you as equals? I'm sorry, Muz-Ra, but there is a difference." | | | That hit home with Muz-Ra as she stepped towards the secret door that led directly out of Dragonsreach to the plain beyond the city.

"You can be sure I'll be back. He is awesome! And... I'll think about what you said, Irileth." | | | All the way back to Castle Kitty, Muz-Ra was lost in thought. It wasn't often she thought this hard about things outside her immediate life, but now she was. It was as if her entire life revolved around the pursuit of pleasure, friends and herself. Now, as the plains passed under her feet, a new recognition was dawning. A recognition that there was another side to the world that she hadn't considered until Irileth's words struck her like a hammer. | | | And a new thought came to her. Formless and fuzzy at first... Could it be that Irileth was right? That the Argonians and the Khajiit were unwittingly complicit in accepting their status as outcasts here? That their quiet and relative docility amounted to a willingness to accept their status?

That thought would grow, slowly,from a vague concept into a foggy plan, and finally into concrete action. But all that would come much later. | |