{"id":1593,"date":"2018-05-15T17:57:23","date_gmt":"2018-05-15T17:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/?page_id=1593"},"modified":"2020-02-22T19:41:30","modified_gmt":"2020-02-22T19:41:30","slug":"chapter-13","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/volume-ii\/part-ii\/chapter-13\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 13"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cI\u2019ll never get used to seeing that,\u201d Roggi murmured.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s terrifying. But there\u2019s no doubt that you truly are Dragonborn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1595\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-1.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-1-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>They\u2019d finally, reluctantly, pulled themselves out of the tent and readied themselves to leave, the next morning.\u00a0 They\u2019d gone no further than a few hundred paces west when there was a familiar roar, and a dragon had dropped from the sky to land in front of them.\u00a0 This one breathed fire.\u00a0 Dardeh had Shouted \u2013 \u201cMUL \u2013 QAH DIIV!\u201d and wrapped himself in the aspect and power of a dragon himself, then attacked.\u00a0 He Shouted, and slashed, and thanked Dragon Aspect for keeping him in his skin. Between the two of them, it hadn\u2019t taken that long to dispatch the beast; now Dardeh stood beside its skeleton, the effects of the Shout still shimmering around him.<\/p>\n<p>He turned to smile at Roggi.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re no slouch yourself.\u201d\u00a0 Roggi had been as athletic as Dardeh had ever seen him, rolling and sprinting to dodge the flames and deliver multitudes of heavy blows on the dragon like a man possessed, and had done a substantial amount of the damage that brought it down.<\/p>\n<p>Roggi chuckled. \u201cWell when you\u2019re protecting something important I guess it\u2019s easier to dig deep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh felt a tingle run up his spine.\u00a0 <em>He was protecting\u2026 me.\u00a0 I\u2019m important to him.\u00a0 I can\u2019t get over it.<\/em>\u00a0 He smiled again.\u00a0 \u201cGood thing, too, since I\u2019m still pretty sleepy.\u201d\u00a0 <em>Because you hardly let me sleep last night, Roggi.<\/em> When he hadn\u2019t been busy in other ways Roggi had been talking, a great flood of words that Dardeh could barely remember for his tiredness but which he\u2019d been happy to hear anyway. He\u2019d just listened, holding Roggi close, smiling. Roggi had talked about Briinda, and what happened afterward, and his time as a soldier, and what it had been like growing up in Kynesgrove, all of it punctuated with periods of pure physical delight of the kind Dardeh had rarely experienced in his lifetime.\u00a0 Roggi had finally exhausted himself enough to sleep, curled up in Dardeh\u2019s arms, and they\u2019d had a few hours of rest like that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHeh,\u201d Roggi said.\u00a0 \u201cUm, sorry about that, Dar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh stretched.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t be. I wasn\u2019t complaining. But I think it\u2019s pretty obvious that we\u2019d better get going.\u00a0 They\u2019re coming closer together, these dragons, and they seem to be getting more powerful.\u00a0 It\u2019s time.\u00a0 We \u2013 I \u2013 really have to deal with this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe,\u201d Roggi muttered.\u00a0 \u201cBecause I\u2019m not letting you do this all on your own.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThanks,\u201d Dardeh said, smiling.\u00a0 <em>Thanks, because there\u2019s nothing else I can say that\u2019s adequate to describe what this last day has meant to me.<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>It was a happy reunion at Breezehome.\u00a0 Lucia ran to give both Dardeh and Roggi hugs, then dragged Roggi into her room to the practice dummy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve been practicing, have you?\u201d Dardeh heard Roggi ask her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes! Let me show you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She demonstrated her technique with a wooden sword; he made appropriately impressed sounds and offered suggestions, then showed her how to do two-handed sword practice with it as well.\u00a0 Dardeh stood back, and watched for a time, and smiled.<\/p>\n<p>He went up the stairs to drop his pack in his bedroom, and Roggi followed suit, smiling at him all the way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, Roggi,\u201d Dardeh said hesitantly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill you\u2026 stay with me?\u00a0 Consider this your home, at least when you\u2019re here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t think I\u2019m going to be anywhere else, do you? Of course I will. If you\u2019ll have me, that is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1596\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-2.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-2-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-2-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-2-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>He wasn\u2019t thinking about where they were or who else was in the house.\u00a0 He pulled Roggi closer and kissed him, then smiled.\u00a0 And then grinned, and whispered in Roggi\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs often as I can get away with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi tossed back his head and laughed, then went to the bedroom to put away his things.<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh went back downstairs to rummage about in one of his storage chests.\u00a0 He had an idea that was going to require some time at the smithy.\u00a0 He felt eyes on his back; when he turned around Lydia beckoned him over.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo,\u201d she said quietly, her eyes twinkling, \u201cI see that Roggi will still be sharing your bedroom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh blushed.\u00a0 They\u2019d shared the room before, and she knew that; but there was a quality to her tone and eyes that said she had something else on her mind.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t fool me, Dardeh.\u00a0 I can see something when it\u2019s right in front of my nose. It finally happened, didn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>By the Nine. Either I have the most obvious face in the entire world or Lydia is just that good. <\/em>Then he stopped to think about all the other people who had looked at him and made correct, snap judgments.\u00a0 Ulfric, for one.\u00a0 Andante, for another.\u00a0 <em>I must have the most obvious face in the world.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, uh\u2026\u201d\u00a0 <em>Gosh I must look like a ripe tomato right now.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Lydia cocked her head to one side.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t lie to me, Dardeh.\u00a0 It\u2019s my job to look after you so I\u2019ve paid attention to your ways.\u00a0 When you\u2019re here, that is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He laughed.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, yes, you\u2019re right.\u00a0 You usually are.\u00a0 I hope this won\u2019t bother you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lydia wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him into a hug.\u00a0 \u201cAs long as you\u2019re happy.\u00a0 That\u2019s what I want. And I think that you are. Roggi looks happy, too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He found himself grinning widely.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t remember ever being happier, Lydia.\u00a0 Thank you.\u201d\u00a0 Then he frowned.\u00a0 \u201cTomorrow it might be different.\u00a0 We\u2019ll talk about it when Lucia isn\u2019t around to hear, if that\u2019s ok.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She gave him a worried look, but nodded.\u00a0 \u201cVery well.\u00a0 Let me go make us something to eat. Unless you\u2019d rather go to the tavern\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve been eating in the taverns or on the road all this time.\u00a0 Something else would be nice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He let her go, then turned to find Roggi descending the stairs, his eyebrows raised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHmm, so was all that just air, what you told me about Lydia?\u201d he whispered. \u201cArt work, a hundred years, all that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh laughed.\u00a0 \u201cNo, foolish.\u00a0 She was saying\u2026\u00a0 congratulations.\u00a0 Go talk to her.\u00a0 She\u2019s got good eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi grinned. \u201cAnd you wear everything you\u2019re feeling right on your face.\u00a0 Which is why you\u2019d have never been good at what I used to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi moved to the far side of the room, where Lydia was stirring the cooking pot.\u00a0 Dardeh felt a tug on his arm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPapa?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He turned to Lucia, who was grinning at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs Mr. Roggi going to live with us now? Because I \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Oh seriously? Lucia, too?\u00a0 <\/em>\u201cBecause you what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I saw you kissing him, upstairs, and I wondered if that meant he was going to be my papa too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1597\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-3.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-3-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-3-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-3-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Dardeh was stunned. Flummoxed. Embarrassed beyond repair.<\/p>\n<p><em>What on earth do I say now?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, uh\u2026\u00a0 do you like Roggi?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course I do,\u201d she said with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s nice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Nice.\u00a0 He\u2019s complicated, and half broken, and he can do things that I hope you never have reason to know even exist but yes.\u00a0 He is nice, too. He\u2019s a lovely man who should have had a very different life than he\u2019s had.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell he has his own house, sweetheart. In Kynesgrove.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know whether he\u2019ll stay here all the time but I hope he will stay here with us when he\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked up at him and shook her head with a mischievous grin.\u00a0 \u201cWell I remember my first papa kissing my ma like that.\u00a0 I think he likes you back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh stared at her for another few moments, dumbfounded, not knowing what to say and appalled that he hadn\u2019t thought about the child in the house when he\u2019d grabbed Roggi like that, right in plain view.\u00a0 Then he laughed.\u00a0 Lucia wasn\u2019t just a child, she was half grown and had been out in the world.\u00a0 He knelt down and gave her a hug.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re a pretty smart girl.\u00a0 Will it be ok with you if he lives with us sometimes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course, Papa.\u00a0 Are you going to get married?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh felt as though he\u2019d been struck by lightning.<\/p>\n<p><em>Marry Roggi? <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Could we?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Would he ever agree to it? Would he have me?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI, uh\u2026 We haven\u2019t talked about it, Lucia.\u00a0 I\u2019ll have to give it some thought.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.\u00a0 \u201cOk. I\u2019m going to go practice with my sword now. Mr. Roggi showed me a couple of new swings I can learn how to do.\u201d\u00a0 She and her ever-present fox went into her room, and she started taking two-handed swings at the child-sized practice dummy.<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh turned and headed for the door, glancing at Roggi and Lydia.\u00a0 \u201cI need to visit the smithy for a little bit.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be back soon.\u201d\u00a0 Lydia nodded;\u00a0 Roggi gave him a curious look but said nothing.<\/p>\n<p><em>Marry Roggi?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh hadn\u2019t told Roggi about the dream he\u2019d had while trying to rest in their tent.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019d fallen asleep, finally, and then had found himself once again in a dream, in the Bannered Mare, this time on the upper level balcony.\u00a0 He heard a noise to his left and turned his head just slightly, to see a man all in black out of the corner of his eye.\u00a0 It was a familiar face, one that might easily have been the one he saw in the glass himself if he had been born with black hair.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1598\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-4.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-4-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-4-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-4-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Both of us all in black this time. Interesting.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe is still alive,\u201d Dadarh said quietly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMiraak? No, he is quite dead.\u00a0 I did what you wanted. I went to Solstheim and he\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. The other one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich other one, Dadarh? You didn\u2019t tell me who you meant.\u00a0 You might easily mean me, for all I know. Or Alduin, and you know he isn\u2019t dead yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dadarh rose and paced back and forth in front of Dardeh.\u00a0 \u201cYou know who I mean. He has no business ruling Skyrim. I cannot complete my contract. I thought perhaps my son would do it for me.\u00a0 But now I will have to use the girl instead. She at least has the backbone you so obviously lack.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Ulfric? He had a contract to kill Ulfric Stormcloak? <\/em><\/p>\n<p>Dardeh sneered at him.\u00a0 \u201cDark Brotherhood.\u00a0 Well, your kind has been trying to kill me.\u00a0 And as much as I\u2019d love to remove Ulfric from the face of the world I have larger issues to deal with. And so does he.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dadarh smirked. \u201cHere you sit, wearing the black and yet not strong enough to truly follow in our footsteps.\u00a0 There is too much of your mother in you, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh laughed. \u201cMy mother was the strongest woman I ever met. \u00a0I don\u2019t know what she saw in you. \u00a0I certainly never had the opportunity to see anything of you, aside from the fact that you left her on her own, with child. She knows what part of you I carry in me, and she has warned me against it.\u00a0 For that, I am grateful.\u00a0 That part, I have seen in myself.\u00a0 It makes me ill.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1599\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-5.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-5-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-5-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-5-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Dadarh growled. \u201cYou are not worthy to carry my swords.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh sneered.\u00a0 \u201cVery well, then. So be it.\u00a0 Go fight your enemy from the afterlife; I\u2019ll have nothing to do with it. Ulfric Stormcloak will meet his end but it will not be by my hand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And Dadarh had faded away, and Dardeh had slowly risen through the mists of his dream to the slightest, rosey hint of a sunrise.\u00a0 And he had held Roggi a bit tighter.<\/p>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>After all of them had eaten, Dardeh had sent Lucia outside to play and sat down with Roggi and Lydia to talk about what was coming next.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have to trap a dragon up in Dragonsreach tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lydia\u2019s face went pale.\u00a0 \u201cA dragon?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHis name is Odahviing.\u00a0 I\u2019m led to believe that he may be our only way to reach Alduin and stop him.\u00a0 Balgruuf is going to help us catch him and then\u2026 I really don\u2019t know what happens after that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lydia looked between them, her face creased in a worried frown.\u00a0 \u201cAre you going too, Roggi?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi gave Dardeh a long, sad stare, then turned to meet Lydia\u2019s gaze.\u00a0 \u201cI want to, Lydia, but I don\u2019t know whether I can. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen, whether it\u2019s even a possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know either.\u201d\u00a0 He reached out and took Lydia\u2019s hands in his.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know whether I\u2019ll make it back or not.\u00a0 I intend to, but I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen.\u00a0 So promise me something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, Dardeh,\u201d she said softly, her eyes beginning to mist over.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re going to be back.\u00a0 You don\u2019t need me to promise anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut you will, yes?\u00a0 Do I have to Thane all over the house?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi chuckled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is it, then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>This will make her cry. But she needs to understand.\u00a0 <\/em>He looked at her hands, away from her face, and spoke quietly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I don\u2019t make it back, be happy.\u00a0 Be \u2026 with your friend at Jorrvaskr.\u00a0 Be with Roggi, if that will make you happy.\u201d\u00a0 He felt Roggi stiffen beside him; he hadn\u2019t expected that.\u00a0 \u201cBut be happy, and take care of Lucia.\u00a0 As long as you can.\u00a0 As long as Alduin gives the world to be, if I can\u2019t kill him, and forever if I can.\u00a0 Be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDar,\u201d Roggi said quietly.<\/p>\n<p>He heard a sniffle, and looked up to see fat tears plopping from Lydia\u2019s eyes onto her arms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll promise that, my Thane, but you\u2019d better come back to us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will.\u00a0 I intend to.\u00a0 I survived Miraak and I\u2019m going to survive this too.\u00a0 I still have more things to do.\u201d\u00a0 He stood and pulled Lydia up to him, then wrapped her in a hug. \u201cI have to do this, Lydia, but I have so many reasons to come back home and you\u2019re one of them,\u201d he whispered against her ear.\u00a0 \u201cOk?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh dropped his arms, looked at Roggi, and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cWell then.\u00a0 I have something to do upstairs and then I need to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lydia sniffled, then laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll just bet you do.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go get Lucia then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh poked her in the arm.\u00a0 \u201cNot <em>that<\/em>, Lydia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She grinned at him.\u00a0 And Roggi chuckled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot!\u00a0 I swear!\u00a0 That\u2019s\u2026 not what I had in mind\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi took his hand and led him toward the stairs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll see you boys later,\u201d Lydia said with a wave, heading for the door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHonestly,\u201d Dardeh grumbled at Roggi once they got up to the bedroom.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCome on, Dar,\u201d Roggi said, nuzzling Dardeh\u2019s neck.\u00a0 \u201cYou know you want to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Yes, yes I do, but first I have to put something to rest.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cGive me just a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh pulled his father\u2019s swords from his belt, laying the first one on the bed and staring at it.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1600\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-6.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-6.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-6-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-6-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-6-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve had these swords all my life, Roggi,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re all I\u2019ve ever known of my father, until the dreams started coming.\u00a0 I always felt as though somehow I needed to keep them with me, keep them in use, because I\u2019m\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHalf Redguard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYeah. Something like that. It\u2019s like Jine told me. We\u2019re a long line of men with great power.\u00a0 And some of that power came to me in these swords.\u00a0 But I decided something.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been thinking about it for awhile and now it\u2019s time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He rose, took both of the carefully-tended Alik&#8217;r scimitars and placed them carefully in a long chest at the foot of his bed, closing the lid gently once they were stored.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDar, your swords? You can\u2019t fight a dragon with just Shouts and I don\u2019t know whether I\u2019ll be with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh smiled and reached under the bed, then pulled out a blade and placed in on the bed where the scimitar had been.\u00a0 It was a long, straight blade, double-edged and wickedly sharp.\u00a0 He turned and smiled at Roggi.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1601\" src=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-7.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-7.png 1920w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-7-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-7-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/2-2-13-7-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201c<em>My <\/em>sword, Roggi.\u00a0 I just made it. I\u2019ll carry this one in my right hand and the dragon-killer in the left.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt looks pretty deadly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh picked it up and slid it into its sheath.\u00a0 \u201cYes, well I\u2019d been thinking about it for awhile, but that Andante fellow said something that convinced me. \u2018Interesting can be a double-edged sword.\u00a0 But a double-edged sword can be interesting.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 He turned to Roggi and took his hands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going to go kill Alduin on my own terms.\u00a0 With my own sword.\u00a0 For whatever it\u2019s worth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi smiled at him and then leaned down to wrap him in a kiss.<\/p>\n<p>_____<\/p>\n<p>A long time later, Dardeh lay awake in the dark, listening to Roggi\u2019s quiet breathing, his eyes closed but sleep eluding him.\u00a0 His mind was replaying every moment of the past days, wondering at what strange twists his life had taken but happy that they had led him here, resting beside the man he loved in a house that was his own, full of people who were family to him now, in a city that respected and looked up to him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDar?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He didn\u2019t open his eyes, but he smiled at the sound of Roggi\u2019s whisper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re awake too, eh?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah. \u201c<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell first of all, why did you say that to Lydia? About being happy, with me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh sighed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2026 don\u2019t want you to end up alone, Roggi. I want you to be happy. Both of you. And if I\u2019m not here, well, maybe you can help each other with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was a moment of quiet, but Dardeh could almost feel Roggi\u2019s thoughts racing.\u00a0 Roggi breathed deeply and then exhaled.<\/p>\n<p><em>He wants to speak but is hesitating.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat, Roggi?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to tell you something. And I\u2019m not sure what you\u2019ll say, but\u2026 I want to tell you. \u00a0First of all, whether I can come with you or not you\u2019re coming back.\u00a0 Got that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh smiled.\u00a0 <em>I can\u2019t control what\u2019s coming next but I\u2019ll try.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll right.\u00a0 What else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was a long silence.<\/p>\n<p><em>Oh no. What now? Every time he\u2019s acted like this it\u2019s been yet another horrible thing.\u00a0 What can it be now?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Roggi sighed and then spoke, very quietly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDardeh. I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh caught his breath, stunned.\u00a0 In spite of himself he started to cry, quietly, trying hard not to shake or give away the fact that tears were running down his face<em>.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>How long have I waited to hear someone say that to me. Not just to be wanted physically, enjoyed, but to be truly loved.\u00a0 Almost thirty years. I never thought it would ever happen. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDar?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes?\u201d\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t bring himself to say more.\u00a0 If he did, he knew he would start sobbing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs that ok? It\u2019s not too soon, or too much, is it?\u00a0 Is it ok?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dardeh spoke, but his voice was trembling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh yes, Roggi. It surely is.\u201d\u00a0 He took a deep breath.\u00a0 \u201cI love you too. Don\u2019t ever forget that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roggi raised himself up on one elbow, leaned over, and kissed Dardeh again, this time very gently. \u00a0He ran one hand down Dardeh\u2019s cheek.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m crying, you idiot.\u00a0 I\u2019m happy.\u00a0 I never wanted to hear something so badly before.\u00a0 Come here. I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He pulled Roggi back into another long kiss.<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: left; float: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/volume-ii\/part-ii\/\">Part II: Duality<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: right; float: right;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/volume-ii\/part-ii\/chapter-12-sayma-sendu\/\">Previous<\/a> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/volume-ii\/part-ii\/chapter-14\/\">Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cI\u2019ll never get used to seeing that,\u201d Roggi murmured.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s terrifying. But there\u2019s no doubt that you truly are Dragonborn.\u201d They\u2019d finally, reluctantly, pulled themselves out of the tent and readied themselves to leave, the next morning.\u00a0 They\u2019d gone no further than a few hundred paces west when there was a familiar roar, and a &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/volume-ii\/part-ii\/chapter-13\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Chapter 13&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":1400,"menu_order":13,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1593","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1593"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3450,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1593\/revisions\/3450"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}