![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/3-2-12-1.png\")
<\/p>\nAfter he had listened to enough obsequious congratulations from the nobility, Andante led Brynjolf up to the space that had been Harkon\u2019s private quarters and lowered himself into the throne before the fireplace. Once again he had the strange sensation of being outside himself, watching his body seated like a piece of castle statuary, his mind replaying the battle with Harkon and everything that had happened afterward.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We did it.\u00a0 We killed Harkon. The castle, the court, and the Bow \u2013 they\u2019re all ours now. <\/em><\/p>\n He was dimly aware of Brynjolf, who was anything but motionless. He paced the rooms, checking out all the cabinets and fixtures, opening and shutting the sleeping coffin. Every so often Andante heard him make a disgusted noise. He saw, in his peripheral vision, Brynjolf righting an overturned bucket and then heard an occasional clunk as he dropped something into it; but he himself felt incapable of moving from the throne to get a better sense of what was going on. \u00a0He simply stared into the fireplace, watching the flames caress a log, a part of his mind recalling flames that had not caressed, but had angrily threatened to destroy.<\/p>\n Finally, a shudder rippled out from his core and he was able to shake himself out of his reverie. He breathed deeply for a few moments and glanced around the room. Brynjolf was holding up a gnawed, bloodied shin bone by one end, with an expression of revulsion on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Andante said, in spite of the fact that Brynjolf hadn\u2019t addressed him. \u201cIt\u2019s revolting.\u00a0 I know we live on blood but this place is filthy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye,\u201d Brynjolf agreed.\u00a0 \u201cI guess I got used to noticing details like this after\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He trailed off with another disgusted noise.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter what?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante was beginning to feel a bit more like himself again.\u00a0 The overwhelming, cold, detached sensation of imperious triumph that had flooded him when Harkon had disintegrated before his eyes was fading. Instead, the excitement and anticipation he\u2019d felt when he\u2019d first seen the castle and thought of himself sharing it with Brynjolf was starting to return.\u00a0 But he still frowned at the fire, wondering what had happened for that short time and fearing that he really knew the answer.<\/p>\n I\u2019m afraid that it was just me. It was Vitus. I know it was. I remember him. Me. But that\u2019s not who I am now. Is it?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBah,\u201d Brynjolf said, walking back down the steps toward Andante. \u201cThe Guildmaster. She didn\u2019t like how dirty the Cistern was.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante glanced at Brynjolf again and chuckled. \u201cAnd it\u2019s so lovely now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell you never saw it before she took over, lad. It was\u2026 like this,\u201d he said, pointing at the cobwebs and piles of rubble. \u201cWithout the blood. None of us really ever thought about it, or even noticed, truly. She put her foot down. Hard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I guess it\u2019s my turn to be the wife, then. This place is going to be put back to rights and we\u2019re starting here.\u201d He rose and turned to find Brynjolf staring at him, frowning.<\/p>\n \u201cThat wasn\u2019t funny.\u201d<\/p>\n Gods. No, it wasn\u2019t. What is wrong with me?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m\u2026 really sorry, Bryn. That was cheap of me.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf stared at him a moment longer.\u00a0 Then his expression softened, and he shrugged. \u201cI should grow a thicker skin. No, my wife isn\u2019t with me any longer. It\u2019s just the way it is. I should stop making such a fuss about it, because I have excellent company regardless.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante smiled, but had a hard time keeping it from being a sad smile. Yes, I know. Excellent company, and that\u2019s all I am.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAnd I should think once in awhile before I open my mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf moved toward the bucket he\u2019d set in the corner and dropped the bone into it. It was beginning to fill up with bones and other debris, Brynjolf having automatically begun the process of cleaning up the area.<\/p>\n Andante heard a small chuckle.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI told her about you, you know, just before she left.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante blinked in surprise, and turned to stare at him.<\/p>\n \u201cYour wife? You told her\u2026 what, about me?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf gave him a sideways glance and a small smile. \u201cI told her that I might have found someone to help with all the new work we were getting. The Guild was in pretty tough shape before she joined us, lad. She managed to put us back on track. You came along just as things were getting really good again.\u201d\u00a0 He closed his eyes and smiled for just a moment, then chuckled again. \u201cI told her I\u2019d found someone with nimble fingers.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned to face Andante and grinned.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I told her she would enjoy looking at you, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Really?\u00a0 He took notice of me way back then?<\/em><\/p>\n His heart rose into his throat for just a moment with the unexpected sweetness of that revelation, particularly sweet coming as it did right after having inadvertently rubbed salt in the wound for Brynjolf.\u00a0 He found himself confused, flustered, an unusual situation for him, and he tried to cover it.<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t know how nimble my fingers were at that point, Brynjolf.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019m glad to know you found me pleasing even that long ago.\u201d He chuckled. \u201cI told you that you did, and you kept denying it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I did. To both.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, there. You\u2019ve admitted I was right. I shall die happy.\u201d I shall die happy because you\u2019ve just paid me the most wonderful compliment, my dear. I didn\u2019t deserve it.<\/em><\/p>\n Part of him had known they\u2019d end up together from the moment he had met Brynjolf.\u00a0 Even though he now knew that Brynjolf had just been drawn to him because he resembled Dynjyl, it was satisfying to know that he\u2019d been right.<\/p>\n It was always going to happen, right from the beginning.<\/em><\/p>\n He stood and stretched out his shoulders. \u201cWe do need to get started on this, though.\u00a0 I want to enjoy this room without the stench of old blood behind us.\u00a0 It\u2019s a nice torture rack and all, but I\u2019d just as soon leave that kind of work to the other folks at the Sanctuary. Or to Roggi.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf shot him a sharp look.<\/p>\n \u201cSo he\u2019s spoken to you about that, has he?\u00a0 Well. Roggi doesn\u2019t do that kind of thing anymore and we shouldn\u2019t encourage it.\u00a0 He has a family now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMmm,\u201d Andante said carefully, starting to collect his own pile of rubble that needed to be disposed of.\u00a0 He\u2019s not as retired as you think he is.<\/em><\/p>\n Some good amount of time later, Andante smiled and dropped down to sit, cross-legged, on the floor before the fire.\u00a0 They\u2019d cleaned the congealed blood, knocked down the spider webs and wiped all the dusty surfaces clean; and most importantly they\u2019d chipped away at the piles of stone rubble Harkon had never bothered to remove.\u00a0 With the help of some of the lesser vampires in the castle, all of it had been carted away and the floor had been swept and washed.<\/p>\n He now looked up at something he\u2019d been imagining in his mind, since the first time he\u2019d seen the place. Brynjolf sat in the throne, perched at the edge of the seat.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been waiting for this, Bryn,\u201d he said, beaming.\u00a0 \u201cYou look perfect in that throne.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo I?\u201d Brynjolf smiled, briefly. \u201cWell it\u2019s your throne, Andante. You\u2019ve made that very clear.\u201d His smile faded, and he crossed his arms. He looked decidedly uncomfortable.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course I made that clear to everyone else, loverboy.\u00a0 I had to. How are we supposed to truly take control if I don\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf frowned. \u201cThe same way I took over the Guild when Mercer died. And then after Dag left.\u00a0 By agreement. By actions.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head. \u201cI understand, don\u2019t get me wrong. These are vampires, and ancient ones at that, and you and I are not.\u00a0 But there\u2019s something that bothers me about all that. You were not acting like yourself, earlier.\u00a0 Was there really any need to be so cruel to Serana?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante dropped his gaze to the floor before him. Ah. That. It had to come up sometime. No, I was acting exactly like myself. Or my old self. Something.\u00a0 I don\u2019t much like it. I\u2019m glad I still don\u2019t remember everything. I have a feeling that I\u2019d like it even less.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n He chewed on the inside of his mouth, considering what he might say.<\/p>\n \u201cWell I suppose I need to tell you the truth, because you\u2019ll see right through me even if I don\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0 He looked back up at Brynjolf.\u00a0 \u201cI want that power, Bryn, the power of the Bow. I don\u2019t know whether it will work but I have to try. I don\u2019t want to be slow and sluggish and weak in the daylight any more.\u00a0 I want to be able to \u2013 I don\u2019t know, run.\u00a0 And leap. And feed when I\u2019m hungry.\u00a0 And rid the world of the\u2026\u201d He trailed off.<\/p>\n Brynjolf raised an eyebrow. \u201cRid the world of which?\u201d<\/p>\n I still can\u2019t tell you those details. We\u2019re already in enough danger as it is.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe people who caused me to lose my memories. I want revenge on them.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s true enough.<\/em>\u00a0 Brynjolf\u2019s expression was still wary.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Bryn. You know that\u2019s what it is.\u00a0 It\u2019s the same thing that you felt when you asked me to turn you into a Lord.\u00a0 Do you remember that, you greedy, greedy man?\u201d He smiled at the memory. \u201cYou wanted my blood, and you were going to take it one way or another.\u00a0 And so you had it. And you\u2019re stronger as a result.\u201d<\/p>\n He got up on his knees and scooted close enough to the throne to slip his arms around Brynjolf\u2019s waist.\u00a0 Then he leaned forward, smiling, and ran his lips down Brynjolf\u2019s neck, nipping here and there, teasing that he, too, might bare his fangs.<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s heartbeat sped up, and his breathing increased; but he placed his hands on Andante\u2019s shoulders and pushed him back.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know I am, lad. And you\u2019re right, I wanted it, just the way I wanted you to turn me in the first place.\u00a0 But you still didn\u2019t need to be so cruel to Serana after all the help she gave us.\u201d He examined Andante\u2019s face; and Andante felt as though he had no place to hide from those eyes that were so good at reading others.<\/p>\n \u201cThe past little while, you\u2019ve seemed different.\u201d<\/p>\n Damn.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI know I was cruel to Serana. I was excited, and I don\u2019t really much like Serana in the first place.\u00a0 I guess it kind of bled over. I\u2019ll apologize to her later.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter everything we went through so that she didn\u2019t have to give her blood to her own father, I don\u2019t know how much good an apology will do at this point.\u00a0 You can try. But what else is going on? You can\u2019t fool me, you know. I can tell.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante sighed. It didn\u2019t matter how evasive he was, Brynjolf could read him.\u00a0 Better to tell him something, now, to control how much information he gave out. Perhaps he could figure out a way to break the truth gently once he was absolutely certain that he remembered it all.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been having, well, little bits of things coming back to me, Bryn.\u00a0 It\u2019s distressing. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve seen it. Sometimes I get dizzy when it happens. I think, maybe, that turning human again and then back did something to, I don\u2019t know, wake me up.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf studied him, his brow furrowed.<\/p>\n \u201cBut that\u2019s good, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNot really.\u00a0 Nothing I\u2019ve remembered was complete.\u201d So now I must resort to lying to you. I hate this. <\/em>\u201cI am reasonably certain that I\u2019m from Bravil, originally.\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019m completely certain, but at least that\u2019s not a total falsehood.<\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded. \u201cAlright. That doesn\u2019t surprise me, given your voice. Anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n Well, I can give you this much, my love.\u00a0 <\/em>\u201cWhat happened to me involved flames. That I\u2019m certain of.\u00a0 It\u2019s why I was so angry when you took chances with those dragons.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf studied him for several long, quiet moments.\u00a0 He surprised him, then, by pulling him close into a warm embrace.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, lad. If I\u2019d known, I\u2019d have been more careful.\u201d\u00a0 He released him and smiled, one of the small, one-sided smiles Andante had grown so fond of.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I think I\u2019m glad that you\u2019re starting to remember things.\u00a0 But let me know, yes? I want to help, if I can, but I can\u2019t help if I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on. I don\u2019t know who you were before, any more than you do, but it\u2019s like I told you before; I\u2019m here because I want to be. If I didn\u2019t, I\u2019d have headed home to Riften by now.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante smirked. \u201cEven if you\u2019re running with some kind of demon?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye.\u201d\u00a0 His eyes glinted with mischief.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t forget, I\u2019m one of those myself.\u00a0 And I wonder.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou wonder what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhether two of us really will fit on this throne at once?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante laughed.\u00a0 \u201cI think we should investigate that possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n __<\/p>\n It began simply enough, in the cathedral where they had defeated Harkon. Bits of fallen masonry, piles of ancient rotting bones, rotting wood from broken pews and the remnants of the creatures Harkon had summoned to fight them littered the area.\u00a0 Andante and Brynjolf broke down the rubble and gathered it into piles. He brought Vingalmo and Orthjolf into the cathedral to task them with directing the removal of the rubble.<\/p>\n \u201cDump it into the sea,\u201d he told them.\u00a0 \u201cNot at the docks. We will be repairing those.\u00a0 I don\u2019t care where, but into the sea with it. Have some of the thralls dust and sweep once you\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n There was one thing, though, that Andante forbade them from removing.<\/p>\n \u201cLeave him,\u201d he said, pointing to the glittering pile of crimson ash in front of the blood altar.\u00a0 \u201cI want Harkon to serve as a reminder to anyone who decides it might be a good idea to try to take the throne back from me.\u00a0 It would not<\/em> be a good idea. There lies the evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n The two nobles exchanged a glance, and then nodded and left to round up workers.<\/p>\n \u201cA bit excessive, perhaps?\u201d Andante asked Brynjolf once they\u2019d gone.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Those two are trouble. I\u2019m not certain we can trust Garan Marethi either but he seems fairly neutral. You\u2019ve done well to be sure they know who is in charge now.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante grinned. \u201cWe are. I am \u2013 and you, Bryn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m your Second. Let\u2019s look at it that way. I\u2019m good at that.\u201d<\/p>\n The entire court was involved in the cleanup, as Andante had insisted they would be, although he and Brynjolf took point and did many of the heaviest tasks first. The clan started its work in the main keep; cleaning up the dining hall, the sleeping areas and the forge, removing piles of bone and spider webs from the thralls\u2019 quarters, and wiping down and polishing up the fine old furnishings in the place. Andante overheard a fair amount of grumbling by vampires who had been forced to change their usual behaviors or clear out of their pet corners while cleaning happened; but everyone pitched in, and as strong as they all were, the work went quickly.<\/p>\n Once they finished, all of them were smiling, either openly or via quiet looks of satisfaction. The carpet runners were still threadbare, but they were clean, and so was the rest of the place. It looked like a court, now, and not a ruin in which monsters skulked, ashamed of their own existence. It smelled old, and damp, as an ancient castle on the sea would, but it no longer smelled like an offal heap. All of the trips in and out the doors to remove debris had changed the stagnant air. The entire area felt lighter, if not brighter.<\/p>\n \u201cThey didn\u2019t much like the work, but they like the results,\u201d Andante said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cJust like we did in the Cistern,\u201d Brynjolf agreed. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing what you can get used to until it\u2019s suddenly better and you realize what you were missing.\u201d<\/p>\n Beginning with the next day, work became more complex. They would have to travel farther into the depths of the castle to prepare areas. Rubble would need to be carted through stairways and away from enclosed areas with few exits, almost none of which led directly to the outside.\u00a0 They left the details of that to Vingalmo and Orthjolf, though, because they had enough to deal with themselves.<\/p>\n In the courtyard, they worked for hour after hour chipping away at fallen pillars and piles of ruined furnishings, gathering dead boughs from the garden and broken pottery that had once held Valerica\u2019s alchemical plants.\u00a0 They finished cleaning up the largest portion of the yard, near the doors to the main keep; but when Andante moved toward the garden itself Brynjolf stopped him.<\/p>\n \u201cLeave this part to Valerica. She\u2019s the one who knows about growing all these plants. You heard Serana talk about how she was a master.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut she\u2019s in\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf raised an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you promised her we\u2019d go back for her if we could.\u00a0 Well now we can. Maybe it will smooth things over with Serana a bit if you bring her mother home. It will give both of them something to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, I promised we\u2019d get Valerica, and you want to see Dynjyl again, don\u2019t you, Andante thought sourly even while realizing that Brynjolf had it right. \u00a0I really was hoping to avoid that, but I suppose there\u2019s no help for it.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIndeed. Once we get the rest of this place cleaned out.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t do for her to have to pick her way down through rubble and gods know what else just to get to her garden, would it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Not at all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll right.\u201d He looked around and smiled. \u201cYou know, once she has these plants growing again this is going to be beautiful, and maybe we can all enjoy it. Let\u2019s get back to it then.\u201d<\/p>\n Across the courtyard from the main keep, on the north side of the space, was a door Andante couldn\u2019t remember having opened on their first trip through the area. They pushed the door open, tentatively creeping into its entryway, to find that the tower on the other side of it looked usable, even though at least one passage was completely blocked by a partially-fallen wall.\u00a0 There was a sizeable dining hall, a smaller echo of the one in the main keep; and although its furnishings were broken, its existence was exciting to Andante.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we could turn this into our own private area, Bryn,\u201d he said, pulling out his pickaxe to begin the process of breaking up the rubble, looking back over his shoulder at Brynjolf.<\/p>\n \u201cLook out!\u201d Brynjolf shouted.<\/p>\n Against the wall, what had looked like a simple sculpture of a gargoyle roared to life and leapt forward, claws slashing.\u00a0 Andante dropped the pick, grabbed his axe and began slashing at it while Brynjolf circled around behind it and began smashing at it with the edge of his shield. \u00a0It wasn\u2019t a terribly strong gargoyle compared with others they\u2019d fought, but the adrenaline of being surprised gave his final axe blow a little extra strength even though it was a little wide of its mark. The beast fell backwards and to the side, down but not out.<\/p>\n Andante gritted his teeth and followed up with a vicious kick to its head, his pointed, reinforced boots crushing its skull.<\/p>\n \u201cWell then,\u201d he said, picking his pickaxe back up from the floor where he\u2019d dropped it, trying to catch his breath.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting anything to be alive still down here.\u00a0 I guess we\u2019d better be careful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye. All those bones, in the rest of the castle? Who knows what else we might run across.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hadn\u2019t thought about that but you\u2019re right.\u00a0 We found things before. There may have been more of them that we just didn\u2019t run into.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to the pile of fallen stone he\u2019d been about to attack before the gargoyle moved, and began chipping away at it.<\/p>\n Once the north tower had been restored it was surprisingly lovely.\u00a0 Some of the old furniture was in good shape, needing only to be cleaned and polished. A new dining table filled the main space, and two bench seats flanked a roaring fire. They found things in storage and moved others across from the main keep, and now the north tower held mannequins for armor display, weapons racks mounted on the walls, and some old but colorful banners that had been aired out and shaken free of dust.\u00a0 There was a small but private space at the top of a short stair, which they turned into a bedroom that was nearly identical to the one in Honeyside.<\/p>\n The doorway that had been blocked led to a long, narrow room that they filled with single beds brought across from the main keep.<\/p>\n \u201cPlanning on having children?\u201d Brynjolf asked, looking around the room.<\/p>\n \u201cChildren? \u00a0Me? No. I\u2019m not a fan of children.\u201d He shuddered. \u201cBut who knows, Bryn. Maybe you?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf frowned and turned away. \u201cNo, I can\u2019t picture that ever happening, lad.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be a wet blanket,\u201d Andante said, pulling him back around. \u201cMaybe Roggi and Dardeh will come to visit.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s eyebrow rose. \u201cAnd bring their family. Into a castle full of vampires. Somehow I don\u2019t think so, but it is a nice thought. I\u2019m sure there will be some use for this. At least it\u2019s not ruined anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight. And I intend this castle to be full of a new clan. \u00a0Our clan.\u00a0 There may be lots of people who need to be housed. We have spaces for them now.\u201d<\/p>\n Those were the first few days.\u00a0 Each of them was challenging, and tiring; and they fell into the big bed in the north tower and slept like stones at the end of them. Andante was certain the rest of the vampires must be doing the same, given that they were the ones moving all the debris out of the castle. He was too tired to go check on them. They finished with the courtyard, and the north tower, and even the tiny eastern tower that might serve as a storage area or a study at some point but which had no real purpose now.\u00a0 It was clean and accessible now, though, and that was all he wanted.<\/p>\n And then they moved to the undercroft, and the ruins beneath the main keep.<\/p>\n The undercroft was where they had snuck into the castle with Serana, trying to avoid Harkon\u2019s notice.\u00a0 It was where they had found the feral vampire, and the piles of stinking, rotting bones, and the gigantic spider on their way to locate Valerica\u2019s study. The vampire and spider they had killed were gone, likely through the efforts of skeevers or rats, but the bones remained and smelled just as bad as ever. Andante assumed that they would be looking at some back-breaking work, but that they\u2019d removed the adversaries from their path on their earlier trek through.<\/p>\n He was wrong.<\/p>\n They stepped through the door leading into the undercroft from the courtyard, and were greeted by no fewer than four death hounds.\u00a0 Andante attacked immediately, but slipped as he turned to strike at the second hound, his momentum carrying him off the narrow walkway he was on, down into the water of the former cistern room. As he scrambled to his feet, he heard the unmistakable sound of a conjuration spell being cast; and when he made it back up to the walkway he found that Brynjolf had revived a skeleton from the bone pile to fight alongside him.<\/p>\n Andante pushed past the skeleton to take on the hound farthest away from Brynjolf. They finished the hounds and Andante turned to him in surprise.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never seen you do that before.\u00a0 Well done.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf shrugged. \u201cNever needed to, before. Serana kept us in more than enough assistants while she was with us.\u00a0 I figured I could use some practice.\u201d\u00a0 He grinned. \u201cI\u2019m a man of many talents, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed. I should remember to do that myself, more often.\u201d<\/p>\n And so it went, for days on end. Not only were there piles of dirt to loosen, bones to collect and thick, sticky webs to knock down, but as they had feared there were spiders, skeletons, death hounds and gargoyles to kill before they could even get to some of the spaces. They fought on and on, clearing an area to be followed by the crew of clan members with shovels and wheelbarrows and thralls.\u00a0 Some rooms were simple, merely needing broken wood and dirt to be scraped into compact piles and then removed. Other rooms required hours of effort to clear massive piles of fallen stone from passageways that had been long blocked, taking care to shore up precarious-looking walls and leaning pillars as they went.\u00a0 They spent several days clearing debris from the docks that had been their point of entry to the castle, and Andante set a number of skilled people to work on the damaged ship that languished there.<\/p>\n The worst was the large dining room where Andante, Brynjolf and Serana had faced multiple strong skeletons on their first time through.\u00a0 Somehow, from the depths of the ruins, more skeletons had come to take the places of those they had killed before, and this time only Andante and Brynjolf were there to dispose of them. \u00a0Not only did they have no time to pause between skeletons, but the ruin of this room was extreme; they needed to avoid tripping over debris and had to watch their feet even while dodging blows.\u00a0 By the time the area was secure, both of them were exhausted and could not do much more than lean against the wall watching as their crew began carting out the rubble.\u00a0 Days later, though, when all was finished, there was an elegant, warm room to rival that in the main keep.<\/p>\n On and on they went, upward toward Valerica\u2019s workroom in the same seemingly endless spiral they had followed once before.\u00a0 Andante marveled at the size of the castle which, even though he\u2019d known it was large, had seemed closed in and somehow much more limited in scope than the vastness of what they found once the rooms were put to rights. Perhaps the most beautiful of the spaces they reclaimed was the small chapel, which, when they were done, had an altar to Molag Bal that was the equal of that in the cathedral.<\/p>\n \u201cBryn,\u201d Andante breathed, standing in the loft, \u201cthis is amazing. This whole thing is amazing.\u00a0 We could have an entire city of people here and never run out of space for them all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye. You could be the Jarl of Volkihar Island.\u201d<\/p>\n He laughed. \u201cCount, please.\u00a0 I am Imperial, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHa. Of course, Count.\u201d Brynjolf looked around and smiled. \u201cIt is pretty impressive, though.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante slipped one arm around Brynjolf\u2019s waist and gave him a quick squeeze. \u201cJoint rule. You can be Jarl. You\u2019re the Nord.\u201d<\/p>\n He started to pull away, but Brynjolf stopped him. He tipped Andante\u2019s chin up and gave him a kiss, brief but sweet, and then let go of him, smiling, and turned to walk away himself.<\/p>\n \u201cMy,\u201d Andante murmured.\u00a0 \u201cRemind me to call you Jarl Brynjolf again sometime soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s laugh echoed down the hallway as he walked into the next rubble-filled area.<\/p>\n __<\/p>\n At last, one evening, they sat before the fire in their North Tower quarters.\u00a0 Andante was sore, and tired, but smiled at Brynjolf happily.<\/p>\n \u201cWe did it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, lad.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante peered across the space at him.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t look very happy about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you know what\u2019s coming next.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I know. We have to go get Valerica.\u00a0 And we\u2019ll undoubtedly see Dynjyl again, and that will make you all upset again.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf shook his head. \u201cIt\u2019s not just that, Andante.\u00a0 It\u2019s afterward. You know I can\u2019t just stay here indefinitely.\u00a0 I\u2019m certain that Maven must be wondering whether I\u2019m alive at this point, and it\u2019s not fair to leave everything to Delvin and Vex.\u00a0 The new recruits need to see their, well, their\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGuildmaster?\u00a0 Yes, they do. I don\u2019t know what to say about Maven, though. She ought to be busy enough now with being Jarl to keep her mind off the Guild so long as things are going smoothly.\u00a0 I don\u2019t like how much control she has over things, Bryn.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf gave him an odd look.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not the first one who\u2019s told me that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, whoever else said so was wise indeed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMmm.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante looked at him.\u00a0 Brynjolf was staring into the flames, looking not quite sad, not quite angry, but a bit of both.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me guess.\u00a0 It was your wife.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n Andante sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWell I should have known.\u00a0 Listen.\u00a0 Tomorrow we\u2019ll go find Valerica and bring her back.\u00a0 And then, well, we do have a job to do for Garan Marethi, down near Riften.\u00a0 We\u2019ll go take care of things there and spend a few days at Honeyside, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded, and muttered something that Andante couldn\u2019t quite make out.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd say hello to Dynny.\u201d<\/p>\n Ah. Of course. I keep forgetting that I\u2019m third on the list, at best. Give him a castle, and I\u2019m still not good enough. <\/em>He shrugged. I guess I knew that anyway, didn\u2019t I.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYes, of course. We\u2019ll make sure to spend a bit of time with him.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled to himself, sadly, and then looked up at Brynjolf and winked at him.\u00a0 \u201cI like him. It really is too bad that he\u2019s not flesh and blood anymore, because you know, we could bring him back here with us and\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He wiggled his eyebrows.<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s mouth dropped open.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you suggesting what I think you\u2019re suggesting?\u201d<\/p>\n Andante rose from his seat and started retreating toward the bedchamber.\u00a0 \u201cOf course I am, loverboy.\u00a0 It can\u2019t actually happen, of course, but it\u2019s fun to imagine, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n He walked up the stairs, snickering to himself as he heard Brynjolf\u2019s armor rustling behind him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a terrible influence, lad.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n After he had listened to enough obsequious congratulations from the nobility, Andante led Brynjolf up to the space that had been Harkon\u2019s private quarters and lowered himself into the throne before the fireplace. Once again he had the strange sensation of being outside himself, watching his body seated like a piece of castle statuary, his … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/3-2-12-2.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/3-2-12-3.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/3-2-12-4.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/3-2-12-5.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/3-2-12-6.png\")
<\/p>\nPart II: Counterpoint<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"