Dardeh looked out over the plains east of Rorikstead and sighed. He’d seen the carrion birds circling as they’d continued down the road south from the town, but it wasn’t until the low fog had burned off and they’d reached a good vantage point that he’d been able to see the smoldering remnants of the camp. Whether it had been an Imperial or Stormcloak camp he couldn’t tell, and it really didn’t matter; it had been largely destroyed.
“Do we go look?” he asked. He wanted to go, but it felt more important to listen to Roggi’s judgment right then. The man put his pride behind him to follow me into battle on Ulfric’s behalf. He had to watch him claim the throne, even though it was unofficial. He had to do things for Ulfric that make me squeamish. But he did it anyway.
“No,” Roggi said. “We can’t do anything for them, and it’s probably loaded with scavengers by now. We did what we needed to do, Dardeh. It’s time to go home now and try to put it behind us.”
“I’m not certain I can do that,” Dardeh said. “This I can do, though.” He knelt and raised his arms to the sky. Talos be with the souls of those who died out there. We all were doing what we thought had to be done. Give them peace.
“You’re getting to be downright religious, Dar.”
Dardeh stood and grinned at his husband. “Well, maybe.” He grabbed Roggi’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze, then started down the road toward Falkreath Hold once more. “I don’t really know how to explain it, but I’ve talked to spirits, Roggi. Here, and on Solstheim, and in Hammerfell, and in Sovngarde. There’s more to the world than we can see, even on a gorgeous day like this. I feel like I need to put my trust in something. For me that’s always been Talos; I just didn’t feel it all quite as strongly until the past few years.”
He shared a quick glance with Roggi. “I hope that’s not a problem.”
Roggi smiled at him. “No. As long as you don’t mind that I’m not quite as devout as you are, it’s fine with me. I’m not as …” he paused for a moment, rubbing his chin. “Neutral, I guess, is the word I’d use for Brynjolf. But I do prefer to trust the things I can see, and feel, and use my hands to change.”
He shrugged. “Dar, you’ve had experiences nobody else in the world has had. Even when I was near you I didn’t see some of the things you did. I can’t imagine what that’s like. But you put all of it behind you and did what was best for Skyrim even though we were fighting for Ulfric. I think that gives you the right to worship Talos right here on the road if that’s what you want to do.”
“Thanks, Roggi,” Dardeh said. “So does that mean you won’t be upset with me if I head directly to Falkreath? I want to talk to the new Jarl and see if there’s anything we can do to help.”
Roggi tossed back his head and laughed. “Can we at least, I don’t know – take a nap first? I’m not as young as you are and I want to rest in my own bed.”
Dardeh started snickering. Roggi, actually rest in that bed? That would be something new. No matter what else might be said about Roggi, he was nothing if not enthusiastic about loving his husband often and well.
“Yeah, sure Roggi. Let’s go home and have a nap.”
Roggi poked him in the arm. Dardeh laughed and started jogging down the road toward the slope up to Falkreath.
__
Dengeir of Stuhn had been Jarl before his unsavory and Imperial-supporting nephew, Siddgeir, forced him out. Now he was Jarl again; and in spite of being old and a bit paranoid, he was determined to do his job well as long as he could.
“For one thing,” he said, “I won’t empty Falkreath’s coffers to buy myself fine clothes and expensive mead! For another, I won’t get mixed up with criminals and other sorts who take advantage of the honest folk for profit.”
Dardeh nodded. “You mean like the Thieves Guild?” he asked, earning himself a poke in the ribs from Roggi.
“Well, I agree with Riften’s Jarl on that. The real one, I mean, not that Black-Briar woman,” he harrumphed. “I know Ulfric is selfish and power-hungry. But at least he knows us better than some Emperor so far away he might as well be on one of the moons. And since he has to live here, I’m sure Ulfric’s going to do the best he can for us.”
Roggi was seized by a bout of coughing just then and had to leave the room. Dardeh grinned at his retreating back, and then turned back to Dengeir.
“Is there anything I can do for you, or for Falkreath?”
The old man peered at him for a moment and then sighed.
“Yes. There is. You may have seen the open grave in our graveyard. Most folk here in town think it’s the work of a corpse thief. The truth is – less pleasant. It is, or was, the grave of Vighar, my own ancestor. Dead for centuries now. He’s also a vampire. My family was entrusted with keeping him buried, but recently someone stole the wardstone, and Vighar escaped.”
“Ok, so you want me to retrieve the wardstone? Is that it?”
“No. It’s too late for that. Vighar must be destroyed. I’m sure he’s gathering others of his kind somewhere in Falkreath, most likely at Bloodlet Throne. Place got cleared out some time ago but the damned vampires keep coming back. He’s a danger to the people and to my family’s reputation.”
Dardeh frowned. A vampire is not exactly what I was expecting to deal with. But I did offer, and I can’t very well go back on my word.
“Alright. I’ll do it.”
__
Roggi hissed as they approached the entry to Bloodlet Throne’s old fortress. “Be careful, Dar,” he said. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
“Yeah, well I’m not exactly looking forward to it myself. I had kind of hoped I was done with vampires once Bryn was cured and Andante was gone.” He pushed open the door, looked around the entryway and, finding it empty, crept forward. He heard Roggi’s greatsword slide out of its sheath. At the far side of the entryway was a lighted hall in which air currents were pulling a banner in and out of its position. He heard voices to his left, and found a barred opening overlooking a large room below.
“She said I’d forget, and usually I do – but sometimes I still remember their faces. Pleading,” a woman whispered. Dardeh watched her turn, saw the glowing yellow eyes in her face, and fired an arrow that struck her a solid blow.
“There’s something out there!” she shouted; and from all sides of the room poured more vampires, and people that he assumed were thralls. He stepped back into the shadows, only then noticing the firepot, suspended from the ceiling over the vampires’ heads.
Damn it, I was too fast on the draw. I should have dropped the firepot on them.
“I’ll feed again!” the woman hissed, making her way into the hallway. She spotted Dardeh and her already overly-bright eyes grew large and, at least to his mind, even brighter. “Oh, yes!” she cried, rushing toward him.
“Damn you!” Roggi shouted, running forward to take a swing at the vampire. He staggered her, sending her backward into the hallway; but she got her balance back almost instantly and started casting a sickly-looking spell at Roggi that seemed to be drawing the life from him.
In the space of a single breath Dardeh went from a state of battle-readiness to blinding, overwhelming rage.
“YOL- TOOR SHUL!”
The flames leapt from Dardeh without his having thought consciously about Shouting. They enveloped the vampire as well as catching the patches of organic material in and around the ancient stones of the old keep. She cried out and staggered backward once more. Roggi pressed the attack, lifting his massive sword high and slamming it down into the vampire.
“Roggi! Are you alright?” He turned Roggi to face him, checking for signs of bite marks, or other injuries.
Roggi nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. How are you? She was coming for you, Dar, no question about it. I’ve never seen someone look so hungry for something before.”
“For me?” Dardeh frowned, puzzled. “She was draining you, not me. Are you sure she wasn’t just after you?”
“That’s what you’d think but I was closer to her, Dar. Those eyes were right on you.” Roggi shuddered. “Don’t worry, I didn’t get scratched, just tired out a little bit.”
“Ok. Let’s keep going.”
Dardeh led the way down a short flight of stairs. Then he nearly jumped out of his skin. What he had thought was a statue of a gargoyle roared into life, rushing toward them. He fired one arrow into it and then drew his swords; he and Roggi both laid into it with their blades and made short work of it.
“Damn,” he said. “Almost scared the hair off my head.”
The passage through the old keep led down, past a bedroom where they dispatched a vampire in Redguard armor, into an area where the elements had made their way in, coating the floors with ice and snow. Around a stone outcropping and up a wooden ramp they crept, to a platform overlooking a large cave. There were more wooden structures in the cave, including ramps leading up to scaffolding and an opening beyond. Figures moved about below.
Dardeh took aim on a seated person – whether a vampire or a human thrall, he couldn’t tell – and fired two arrows in quick succession. The woman cried out and slumped over onto the floor, dead. The woman standing beside her body looked up and locked gazes with Dardeh. He saw her smile, and saw her large, glistening fangs.
“You’re mine,” she called out, rushing forward and up the ramp toward Dardeh, reaching him before he could do more than draw his swords. She cast a spell at him, something he didn’t recognize that had a blue tint and burned. He felt, and heard, the words of Flame Breath erupt from himself once again; and the vampire dropped to one knee only to meet the point of Roggi’s sword.
“That’s how it happens,” he muttered.
“That’s how what happens, Dar?” Roggi panted, bent slightly as he fought to get his wind back.
“That’s how people end up burned and dead at my feet. At least I was aware that I was Shouting, that time, but it’s almost like someone else is controlling me when that happens. The first time, I didn’t even know where it came from. Just… fire,” he finished, careful not to use the Dovahzul word for fear of setting himself or Roggi alight.
“Well, as long as it works, Dar. I can’t think of a better way to get at these vampires than that.”
“True. It’s still … weird, though.” Dardeh shook his head. I can’t describe it to him well enough. How terrifying it is to have all that power just happen and not quite know how.
They descended into the main cavern just as yet another vampire hurtled toward Dardeh. This time there was no denying it; she was after him.
“I’ll drink you dry, mortal!” she said, beginning to cast the sickly red life-draining spell Dardeh recognized. He was ready this time, though, with both swords; and he had her down in just a moment.
“Come on!” Roggi shouted from behind Dardeh. Dardeh swung around trying to find what Roggi was after and finally spotted the vampire up along the scaffolding, once again aiming her life-draining magic at him.
“Leave him alone!” Dardeh shrieked, barreling up the ramp and laying into the woman as if he were not the Dragonborn, was nobody other than the descendant of Redguard warriors from Hammerfell. She dropped after only two sword strikes.
Roggi chuckled. “Well there. I guess I shouldn’t have worried.”
And then an arrow caught Dardeh in the shoulder, and he found himself crying out in pain. It wasn’t a horrible wound, but he needed to attend to it right then and there. Roggi snarled and moved up the next ramp.
“I’m going to enjoy killing you,” the woman replied, firing an ice spike at Roggi.
“Damn it!” Dardeh cast several healing spells at his own shoulder and then grabbed his swords once more. He darted up the ramp and reached the vampire just as Roggi was sinking down onto one knee. As if from some place other than his own body he heard himself howling in rage, the deep-throated roar he’d used as a young man to intimidate enemies. He sliced upward into the vampire with one sword and brought the other down across her neck, ending her.
“Roggi…”
“Yes,” he panted. “I’m… fine…” He gestured with his sword. “Behind you.”
Dardeh whirled to find yet another female vampire rushing toward him. Beside her, a gargoyle roared to life and followed her into the battle. He lost track of what was happening, then, his existence reduced to one sword blow after another, just as fast as he could deliver them. At some point Roggi joined him. Finally, he found himself bent over his own knees, pulling for breath as hard as he could. He looked up at Roggi and held up one finger – just a second. Roggi nodded, being fully involved in his own attempt to get air.
Eventually they moved forward. The scaffolding led to a dogleg passage into a warren of rooms seemingly cut out of solid ice. There were crafting stations and bookcases, beds and cages, some rooms locked and others open. They explored all of them. It was likely a waste of time, Dardeh thought, but they needed that time to get themselves settled in the event that they found Vighar.
They finally emerged from the ice onto a platform that overlooked the scaffolding they’d come up. Another opening in the ice, at the far side of this platform, led down an icy ramp to a barred gate, its mechanism close at hand on the right side of the tunnel wall. Just beyond the gate was a large chamber; and seated above it, in a throne, was a male vampire.
“Gotta be him,” Roggi whispered. “One male in an entire coven of females. He must be good.”
Dardeh would have laughed if he hadn’t been carefully drawing his bow and taking aim. “You’d know better than I, Roggi,” he whispered. “Pull the chain, would you?”
The bars dropped down into the floor and Dardeh loosed the arrow, followed quickly by a second. They sunk into the vampire’s chitin armor but did not stop him; he and a female companion leapt down onto the floor of the cavern and ran toward Dardeh, Vighar casting his vampiric drain spell. Dardeh ignored that, going for his swords; then a frost spell caught him full in the face and blinded him. He was vaguely aware of Roggi rushing past him.
“YOL- TOOR SHUL!”
Dardeh heard, rather than saw, the flames capture the female vampire. He heard Vighar grunt. He cast healing on himself until he was finally able to see again, just in time for two death hounds to rush up the slope toward him. Roggi was attacking Vighar, but the vampire suddenly disappeared.
“Watch out for him, Roggi!” Dardeh yelled, making his way slowly through the death hounds.
“You can’t hide from me!” Roggi growled, moving into an alcove just beneath the throne. He took a massive swing with his greatsword and connected with Vighar’s gaudy chitin armor, breaking his invisibility. Vighar went down; Dardeh joined Roggi in finishing him off.
Dardeh put an arm around Roggi’s shoulder.
“You all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m gonna take advantage of the shrine when we get back to Falkreath, just to be sure, but I’m pretty sure I’m just fine.”
Dardeh leaned close and kissed Roggi’s cheek. “I love you.”
Roggi turned and grinned at him. “I love you too, Dar. And I think all these women did, too.”
Dardeh laughed. “Yeah. I don’t know why. But it’s like I told you. I’m not a stranger to having them try.” Another barred passage led to a ramp, up to the throne, and to a hallway with a door at its end, light and wind streaming in around the edges.
“I wonder why he had all females here. It’s not like they can have children.”
“Oh?” Dardeh said, wrestling with the lock on a chest near the door. “Why’s that?”
“They’re … dead, Dar. Or undead, anyway. Dead things can’t reproduce.”
__
Jarl Dengeir was delighted – in his gruff way – to learn that the vampires had been taken down with no stain on his family’s honor.
“Is there anything else you need, Jarl?” Dardeh asked. I can’t say ‘my’ Jarl to him. Balgruuf will always be my Jarl, no matter whether he hates me or not. But this is a good man and he will take good care of this city.
“Well, there is room in my court for a Thane,” Dengeir said. “It’s an honorary position, mostly, but…”
“DRAGON!” a man Dardeh didn’t recognize roared as he threw open the door to the longhouse. “HELP!” he shrieked, waving at Dardeh.
“Let’s go,” Dardeh said, waving Roggi out the door alongside him.
And sure enough, there was a dragon making passes over the length of Falkreath, breathing some sort of poison attack at them – Dardeh wasn’t familiar with the words of it but he could see well enough the sickly green matter spewing from the creature’s mouth. The dragon seemed not to want to stay airborne. Every few minutes it would land atop one of the nearby rooftops and attack again.
Dardeh stepped out into the open and looked up at the creature as it swooped in for another run.
“JOOR- ZAH FRUL!”
Even if it already wants to be on the rooftops, it will be so distressed by Dragonrend that we’ll have an opening.
The dragon glowed with blue energies and sank to the roadway in the center of town, screaming in fear and rage. Everyone with a weapon at hand attacked it; Roggi, as usual, ran for the beast’s snout and once more Dardeh fought down the fear that always rose up into his chest at that. He pulled out his swords and attacked with all his considerable might. It seemed to him that the dragon was well in hand when it turned, and snapped at him, and fought its way back into the air.
Dardeh tsk’d. Get down here, you damn fool, and tell me that to my face. He Shouted at it once more; this time when it landed they were ready for it, and took it down in only a few moments’ time.
Dardeh stood with his eyes closed, breathing deeply, as the dragon’s soul rushed in to mingle with his. He had to stifle the urge to scream in triumph; it had been a long time since he’d taken a dragon, and the exhilaration of it was almost overwhelming.
“Dar,” he heard Roggi murmur next to his ear. “Are you alright?”
“Mmmm,” he said, nodding. “One second.”
“Come back to me, Dar,” Roggi said, more urgently; then Dardeh felt Roggi’s hand take his and squeeze hard.
My gods, Roggi, that grip.
He opened his eyes and squinted at Roggi’s anxious face. “Ow, damn it.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Roggi dropped his hand. “I thought you’d gotten lost somehow.”
Dardeh smiled at him. “Nah, I’m ok. It’s just … exciting. And it’s been a long time since we’ve gotten one.”
Roggi shook his head and snorted. “I swear you’re an addict, Dar. I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”
Dardeh laughed. Just love me, Roggi. That’s the only thing I need in the world.
He would have said that aloud, but there was a small crowd of people clustered about the dragon’s skeleton, exclaiming about it being dead, wondering where it had come from, and making awestruck noises about Dardeh being Dragonborn.
One of the city guards stepped up to him and said, “We all owe you a debt. We couldn’t have taken this city without you, sir.” Dardeh tilted his head to one side, looking at the man in confusion, and then it dawned on him: the guard was in Stormcloak blues.
“Thanks, but I didn’t do anything here, not really.”
The guard snorted. “You took out that damned Imperial general. The story’s everywhere. That’s enough for me. If there’s ever anything you need, well…” he pointed out several others of the guards who were watching them, “you need only ask.”
A skinny man in laborer’s clothing ran up and tapped Dardeh on the shoulder. “Sorry to bother you but there’s been a guy wandering around looking for you. He said he was going to Whiterun, in case you want to go find him. I don’t know what he wants, but he was bothering everyone in town looking for the Dragonborn and I figure you must be the guy he wants.”
“Ok,” Dardeh said, nodding. “Thanks for letting me know.”
The man nodded and turned to leave, but shuddered. “Dragons. In town. What next?”
Dardeh heard a woman clearing her throat just behind him. “Excuse me,” she said.
He turned to find himself gazing at one of the most amazing faces he’d ever seen. It was a Redguard woman. She was tiny – shorter even than Sayma, and a good bit shorter than he was himself – dressed in steel armor but with a traditional Redguard headdress, and bearing a scimitar. Her skin was much darker than his; she had deep black eye makeup and wore war paint of pale blue, or maybe grey – the day was waning enough that he couldn’t tell, in that light. She was stunning; and he found himself exhaling in awe.
“Hello?” he said, smiling at her.
“Yes, my Thane,” she said. “Or should I call you Dragonborn? I am Rayya, and Jarl Dengeir has assigned me to be your housecarl. I shall be your sword and…”
“My shield,” Dardeh said, smiling at her. “Yes, I’m familiar. So I’m a Thane now?”
“Yes,” Rayya said. “He was just about to tell you that when the…” she turned and pointed at the huge skeleton behind them. She shuddered, and then turned back to face Dardeh.
He had never had anyone look at him the way Rayya did, her eyes wide, and deep, and endlessly fascinating. Not even Roggi, when he’d first watched him consume a dragon’s soul, had looked at him this way, as though he was some sort of godlike being. They stood in the street, just gazing at each other for what seemed like an eternity.
Is this what Miraak felt like, with people worshipping him?
“Well, Dar? Are we ready to go home now, or…?” Roggi’s voice broke Dardeh’s reverie and he almost jumped. He felt his cheeks flush, almost as though he’d been caught doing something very wrong.
“Roggi. Uh, this is Rayya. It seems that we have a new housecarl. Rayya,” he continued, turning back to her and breaking out into another hopeless smile, “this is Roggi Knot-Beard, my husband.”
He watched the light in Rayya’s eyes change; and when he glanced back at Roggi he could see Roggi relax. Yes. Once again this has been taken care of. It’s always a difficult moment.
“Good to meet you, Rayya,” Roggi said, taking Rayya’s extended hand and shaking it. “As it happens we have a really nice room in our house that you might enjoy. And …” he looked at Dardeh and grinned, his eyes twinkling, “a couple of daughters that you may or may not feel the same way about.”
“Oh I am sure that I will enjoy being around them, my lord,” Rayya said.
Roggi’s mouth fell open for just a moment; then he burst into peals of laughter. “My lord!” he snickered. “I don’t believe I’ve ever been called that before, and I’ve been called a great many things. Some of them were even flattering. No lord here, Rayya. I’m just a miner. My name’s Roggi.”
Dardeh started snickering as well, and motioned to Rayya to follow. “Let’s go,” he said. “It’s a good long way to the house still and it’s getting dark. Roggi Knot-Beard, ‘just a miner,’” he snickered. “I’ll have you know, Rayya, that among his many other talents Roggi is one of the best dragon fighters in Tamriel.”
“Well it’s not like there are that many of us, Dar,” he answered.
Rayya looked back and forth between the two of them, seeming confused for just a moment, and then grinned. “Well perhaps I’ll come help you slay a dragon some day. I’m pretty good with my swords as well.”
“I’ve no doubt of it,” Dardeh said, smiling over her head at Roggi. “My sister is pretty good with hers as well. You full-blooded Redguard women are fierce.”
That started the inevitable chatter as they all got to know each other on the way back to Mammoth Manor. They showed Rayya the large downstairs room where Lydia had once stayed, and she smiled and agreed to stay there. They explained that their daughters were currently in Riften, but that they’d be fetching them back home now that the war was over; and would she be willing to stay with them? Yes, she told them. Of course.
And finally it was the end of the day. Roggi went upstairs first, and Dardeh found himself standing at the foot of the stairs, with Rayya gazing at him again. He wasn’t certain what he saw in her eyes this time. He was afraid that he knew, and hoped he wouldn’t have to have the Talk with her; but regardless, whatever emotion she was feeling was clearly intense.
“Dar. Come on,” Roggi called from the top of the stairs. Dardeh looked up at him and nodded, then smiled at Rayya.
“Good night, Rayya. I hope you sleep well.”
“I will, my Thane,” she said.
“Now look. We have to get this straight right away. I was Thane in Whiterun before the war and my housecarl there got told the same thing. My name is Dardeh. That’s all. No Thane-ing, no Dragonborn-ing. OK?”
“Yes, my lord,” Rayya said, nodding.
Dardeh threw up his hands and laughed. “I can’t win. Goodnight.”
Roggi had disappeared into the bedroom by the time Dardeh reached the top of the stairs. Dardeh was well on the way to unfastening his armor when he reached the doorway; and then he stopped short.
Roggi was sitting on the side of the bed, his head buried in his hands.
“Roggi? You ok?”
“No, Dar, I’m not.”
Dardeh dropped his armor on the floor and heard Roggi hiss. He couldn’t help but grin; Roggi hated messes in the house and particularly in the bedroom. He kicked off his boots and went to sit down beside Roggi.
“What’s wrong?”
Roggi heaved a great, shuddering sigh.
“You’re going to leave me. For a woman. I suppose there’s a certain irony to it, especially having just fought in Ulfric’s war, but I’m not finding it very amusing.”
Oh. So that’s what this is.
“She is stunning, that’s for sure.”
Roggi nodded. “I saw the way she looked at you.”
“Yeah, so did I. It was really something, wasn’t it.”
Roggi hissed again. “Do you really have to rub it in, Dar? Wasn’t it bad enough that you had an entire keep full of women after you earlier today?” He turned to look at Dardeh; and Dardeh immediately regretted having tried to tease his husband. Roggi’s eyes were as forlorn as they’d been the day he’d returned from Sovngarde to find Roggi ready to give up.
Dardeh took Roggi’s hands in his and turned him to make certain he had Roggi’s full attention.
“Roggi. There’s nothing in this world that can take me from you. Not a thing. Especially not a woman, or a vampire. You’re my husband. I love you. Now and forever, Roggi. Now, and forever. Listen. It was a little overwhelming to have her looking at me like that. Not even Lydia was so…”
Roggi smiled, just a little bit. “Obvious?”
“Yeah. I really didn’t know what to do aside from stare back at her. She’s gorgeous. But when are you ever going to believe me? You’re the only one for me. I don’t want anyone else. No man, no woman. Just you. Since the moment I first laid eyes on you.”
“Are you sure, Dar?” He shook his head. “I don’t know why I’m always asking you this. You’ve told me so many times. But I never feel like I’m good enough for you, Dardeh. Are you sure?”
“As sure as I am that the moons rise over the lake at night, Roggi. I’d fight the High King of Skyrim for you if I had to. It always amazes me that you’re with me, to be honest. You could have anyone in the world.” He rolled across the bed and made a show of stretching out on his back, with his hands crossed under his head. He watched Roggi’s eyes scan him and begin to sparkle, and chuckled. “Now get out of that armor and let’s get some rest. Tomorrow we can figure out what’s next, including getting the children.”
Roggi grinned at him and snickered as he shrugged out of his armor. “Sure, Dar. Rest sounds good.”