![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/4-1-14-1.png\")
<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, will you tell me what that was all about?\u201d<\/p>\n
It had been one of the most awkward things he\u2019d ever witnessed. The young woman, Frina, was so excited to see Roggi. It was obvious that she had once had a bit of hero-worship going on with respect to him.\u00a0 It was also clear that she had absolutely no understanding of, no connection with the reality of the man sitting here beside him.\u00a0 Roggi had stood there, looking uncomfortable, and sorrowful, and had listened to her gushing about Ulfric Stormcloak and the war, and how glorious it was going to be to get the Imperials out of Skyrim and send the elves back to where they came from.\u00a0 Every time she\u2019d said something like that Roggi had winced. He\u2019d managed a few quiet comments, telling her that she looked wonderful, and that he was glad she was doing well. When she\u2019d told Roggi, with her eyes sparking fire the likes of which he\u2019d seldom seen, that she could hardly wait to see Ulfric crowned High King of Skyrim at last, it had seemed as though a knife had entered Roggi\u2019s side.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, you saw it, Brynjolf. She still thinks of me as the brave Stormcloak \u2018hero\u2019 who married her sister. She doesn\u2019t know why I left. She doesn\u2019t know about\u2026 him, or what I used to do for him. She doesn\u2019t know about Dar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo why didn\u2019t you tell her?\u201d He paused for a moment, then, thinking of the way the young woman had exploded in a flood of words.\u00a0 Roggi had barely been able to get one in edgewise, and that was really saying something. Roggi could talk more at a stretch than almost anyone he\u2019d ever known. \u201cNever mind. I know why.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roggi chuckled. \u201cWell it never was easy, around her. And she was not much more than a child back when Briinda and I were married. It was hard. You had to wait for an opening and then you had to choose your words carefully. You did well to break in when you did, Bryn.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had to do something. It was getting out of hand.<\/em><\/p>\n He\u2019d cleared his throat and pointed at Ulfric\u2019s war axe, and smiled at the girl.<\/p>\n \u201cSo are ye an axe maiden, lass? I see ye got an axe an\u2019 a pick both. Are ye off to the wars now yerself, then?\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019d turned to him and nodded vigorously.\u00a0 \u201cBrunulvr, was it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, these aren\u2019t both mine. I use the pick. But this!\u201d She had practically bounced with excitement. \u201cThis is Ulfric\u2019s war axe. Ulfric\u2019s!<\/em> Can you imagine? He\u2019s asked me to\u2026 well, I can\u2019t really say, can I.\u201d\u00a0 She had the good grace to look embarrassed at her near-slip, not realizing that the two of them had heard the whole exchange. \u201cI\u2019m doing an errand for him.\u201d\u00a0 She looked back at Roggi. \u201cIsn\u2019t it exciting, Roggi? I\u2019m doing Talos\u2019 work, finally. I\u2019m going to get to show what I can do. I think Briinda would be proud, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi had looked down at the snow, then, and nodded. \u201cYes, I\u2019m sure she would be, Frina. She was at least as good a soldier as I,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n Frina had studied his face, and, it seemed, finally realized that Roggi was in some discomfort. Then she\u2019d looked down, following his gaze, and had focused on his hands.<\/p>\n She had reached out and taken his hand and held it up, then looked him in the face.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you\u2026 get married again?\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019d nodded, almost sadly. \u201cYes. Not all that long ago. I\u2019m very happy.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled, then. \u201cI never expected to find anyone again, and didn\u2019t, for a long while. It\u2019s a good match.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll vouch fer that,\u201d Brynjolf had said in his father\u2019s voice, and then stopped cold as he realized Frina was staring at his hand, on which still rested his own Bond of Matrimony.\u00a0 She\u2019d stared at him, eyes wide, with an expression of exquisite horror. It had finally dawned on him what she was thinking, and he\u2019d burst out laughing in spite of Roggi\u2019s obvious distress.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no, it\u2019s not what yer thinkin\u2019. I\u2019m married to a wee Redguard lass.\u00a0 Roggi\u2019s \u2026\u201d he looked at Roggi and smiled, realizing that what he was about to say was the truth, \u201cone of my very best friends. We\u2019re just out doin\u2019 some errands together, for the spouses. Got te keep \u2018em happy, don\u2019t ye know.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina had been so obviously relieved that he\u2019d laughed more. Frina had changed directions almost instantly, gotten Roggi to tell her that he lived in Falkreath now, and dashed away.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to go, Roggi. I can\u2019t keep this errand hanging.\u201d\u00a0 She\u2019d grabbed him for another hug and kissed him on the cheek. \u201cI\u2019ll come find you when I can!\u201d\u00a0 And she\u2019d dashed away toward the gates of Windhelm, leaving Roggi a shuddering wreck.<\/p>\n Brynjolf watched Roggi carefully, hoping that the smile and the chuckle meant good things; but his face fell almost immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright. So it\u2019s obvious she might not be thrilled at the idea of you being married to a man. Some people can\u2019t deal with that, and \u2026 imagine how horrified she would have been with me a while ago.\u201d He chuckled. \u201cIt\u2019s not just that, though. I can tell. What\u2019s got you so rattled?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi sighed heavily.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t imagine, Bryn.\u00a0 She looks almost exactly like Briinda. Exactly. I thought I was seeing a ghost. Oh, the color of her hair is a bit different, for certain, but it was just like looking at\u2026 my wife.\u201d<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know that I\u2019ve ever seen a person look so sad.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like seeing it all, all over again. All of the things I thought maybe I had put behind.\u201d<\/p>\n I know. I know what that\u2019s like. The first time I saw Andante I thought I was going to drop, right there. It was like looking at Dynny. It was wonderful, and it hurt like Oblivion all at the same time.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, my friend. You didn\u2019t need all of that to happen at the same time you were looking at Ulfric.\u201d He said it quietly, making certain that nobody else heard him use the name. It wouldn\u2019t do to attract too much attention.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I didn\u2019t,\u201d Roggi said, sitting up straighter and shaking his head.\u00a0 Then he groaned, and rubbed his forehead. \u201cOh I am such a fool. I shouldn\u2019t have done this to myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf laughed. \u201cWell as long as you have no more now. You seem to be holding up fairly well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. I\u2019ve done worse. Well you know running into Frina isn\u2019t even the worst of it, Bryn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi frowned. \u201cNo. Frina\u2019s a sweet girl, even if she\u2019s a bit fanatic about her religion. She\u2019s not the problem. It\u2019s what we heard inside that really has me worried. I need to get back to Dar with that, but I\u2019m really worried about how he\u2019ll react.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou think there will really be war?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course there will be,\u201d Roggi hissed. \u201cYou don\u2019t understand. Balgruuf and Ulfric have hated each other since they were boys. Maybe \u201chated\u201d is too strong, I don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t know Balgruuf very well. They surely don\u2019t like each other, though. Ulfric holds Balgruuf in a fair amount of, oh, how to put it. Disdain. They were just barely civil to each other when Dar was arranging the truce.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were there too. I\u2019d forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust about the moment she presents him with that axe, it\u2019s all over, Bryn. Balgruuf will side with the Imperials because of Ulfric. And it\u2019s going to be terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI told you. Dar will come here. To the Stormcloaks. To defend the worship of Talos. He feels very strongly about it even though he hates Ulfric. And he can\u2019t side with the Empire, because of that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDamn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExactly. And if he does that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n It slowly dawned on Brynjolf what Roggi was getting at.\u00a0 It was an inevitable conclusion. It was an awful conclusion. It was every bit as horrible as the realization that had come to him as he\u2019d fought the disorientation of his body suddenly being human again, and had seen Andante facing down the posse of bounty hunters.<\/p>\n That was one of the worst moments of my life.\u00a0 I could see the sun rising and I thought I knew what he meant to do, and there was not a single thing I could do about it. I knew he was going to die, and I couldn\u2019t bring myself to believe it until it was too late to act.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t come back here as well, would you, Roggi?\u201d he asked, as quietly as he could. \u201cTell me you wouldn\u2019t do that to yourself.\u00a0 Not after what he did to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi looked him in the eyes, his gaze switching back and forth from one side to the other.\u00a0 He had his answer before any words were said, and his heart sank.<\/p>\n \u201cI would have to, Bryn,\u201d Roggi murmured. \u201cI can\u2019t leave Dardeh.\u00a0 I won\u2019t leave him. Not ever again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut Roggi.\u201d He looked around to make sure nobody else was near. \u201cThat would be as bad as me going out looking to get turned again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBryn. He\u2019s my whole life. It almost ended me to watch him go to Solstheim without me. It was worse when he went to Sovngarde. I can\u2019t bear to let him fight dragons alone, because it would kill me if something happened to him and I wasn\u2019t there. I won\u2019t let him go off to war without me. I couldn\u2019t keep Briinda safe. I won\u2019t let that happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n His voice dropped even lower. \u201cBesides. I\u2019ve told you. It wasn\u2019t all Ulfric. Part of it was me. I still hate him for what he tried to do to Briinda. But if I have to follow Dardeh back here, that\u2019s what I have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi closed his eyes and shuddered.<\/p>\n My premonition was closer to the truth than I imagined. This could tear everything apart. Gods damn it all to Oblivion.<\/em><\/p>\n There\u2019s more to this, too. I need to think it through, because there\u2019s something else, important, and I can\u2019t put my finger on it.\u00a0 But we can\u2019t sit here and wait for everything to happen without us.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s get out of here, Roggi,\u201d he said, sliding off the barstool. \u201cI say we take a carriage to Falkreath, right now.\u201d A thought occurred to him, and he chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d Roggi asked, rising from his seat.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, I was just thinking that it will be a good thing if the carriage driver doesn\u2019t remember the man in red vampire armor who asked him to do the same thing not that long ago.\u201d<\/p>\n They left the inn, and exited Windhelm\u2019s gates.\u00a0 They were halfway down the long, cold bridge toward the stables when Roggi started chuckling.<\/p>\n \u201cMy turn to ask,\u201d Brynjolf said. \u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019I\u2019m married to a wee Redguard lass,\u2019\u201d Roggi said in a startlingly good imitation of Brynjolf\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n Brynjolf grinned. \u201cThat was well done, lad. Well, I had to deflect her somehow, and it\u2019s true, isn\u2019t it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is. And it was good to hear you say it.\u201d<\/p>\n It felt good to say it, too.<\/em><\/p>\n Huh.<\/em><\/p>\n They were quiet during the long carriage ride, each of them buried in his thoughts. Roggi dozed, off and on, but Brynjolf couldn\u2019t quite fall asleep. He kept thinking about the girl, Frina, and how at this very moment she was likely halfway to Whiterun, about to deliver the axe that would break the truce and send them all down a path nobody wanted to travel.<\/p>\n Will Balgruuf really return the axe? I don\u2019t know much about him but Roggi seems convinced that he will. I know enough men like him, though, and like Ulfric.\u00a0 Too much pride to yield a pace and not enough humility to back down when they\u2019re wrong. Mercer was like that, to a degree, and that\u2019s part of why we ended up in such a mess. He wasn\u2019t like me, or Delvin. Or Andante, for that matter. You wrap around a situation. Ease into the gaps. Hide in the shadows. Adjust to the circumstances. You get nowhere by standing up like some kind of wall, because walls can be brought down by nothing more than a well-placed rock.<\/em><\/p>\n So, let\u2019s say this happens the way Roggi thinks it will and war breaks out. What am I missing in this? Roggi and Dardeh go to Windhelm, and stand at Ulfric\u2019s side. I go back to Riften and try hard to stay out of Maven\u2019s politics if I can, and keep the Guild out of harm\u2019s way. War is usually good for business but we\u2019ll have to be careful.\u00a0 And I\u2019m still missing something.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n __<\/p>\n It was busy at Mammoth Manor, when they arrived.\u00a0 Lydia was standing at the doorway to the children\u2019s room talking to the three of them. Brynjolf saw the bulky form of Dardeh bending over the oven, and smiled at the sparkle in his eyes when he looked up and saw Roggi coming toward him.<\/p>\n Dardeh stepped out from behind the oven to greet Roggi.<\/p>\n \u201cMissed you,\u201d he said, pulling Roggi to him for a quick kiss. \u201cI\u2019ll get some more food started.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I you,\u201d Roggi murmured.<\/p>\n Brynjolf watched Dardeh\u2019s eyes change.\u00a0 I guess old Roggi isn\u2019t quite as good at hiding his emotions as he thinks he is.\u00a0 Dardeh\u2019s picked right up on the fact that things aren\u2019t quite as we\u2019d hoped.\u00a0 <\/em>He turned to place his daggers in one of the empty chests near the door, to be out of notice of curious children.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Roggi.\u00a0 I hope everything\u2019s well?\u201d\u00a0 The sultry voice had Brynjolf whirling to look.<\/p>\n Sayma. What is she doing here? <\/em><\/p>\n He approached them and nodded, not trusting himself to say anything. Sayma looked at him with the barest hint of a smile and inclined her head.<\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d Roggi began, \u201cit was an interesting trip to be certain. Everything is nice and boring in Riften right now\u2026\u201d he trailed off and wandered toward one of the chairs near the fireplace.<\/p>\n \u201cBut?\u201d Dardeh wasn\u2019t fooled for a moment. \u201cWhat\u2019s the rest?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi pointed at Brynjolf. \u201cHe\u2019s fine, for one thing.\u201d\u00a0 He grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I am,\u201d Brynjolf said, nodding. \u201cI\u2019m adjusting. He was worried about me doing something stupid. The stupidest thing I did was not getting out of the Cistern for some fresh air before this. He dragged me back with him so that I could see the young one.\u201d<\/p>\n Lydia turned to smile at him, and then called into the bedroom. \u201cBryn, come out here, there\u2019s someone who wants to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n The younger Brynjolf pattered his way out into the main living space.\u00a0 When he saw Brynjolf, he started to run \u2013 or the nearest thing to a run such small legs could manage \u2013 and reached up to his father.<\/p>\n \u201cDa!\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf couldn\u2019t help but break into a smile.\u00a0 He scooped the youngster up onto one hip and gave him a hug.<\/p>\n My son. I still can\u2019t get over it. I have a son. And there is nobody in the world who could doubt that he is mine.<\/em><\/p>\n For a few minutes he was completely unaware of what the others in the room might be doing, or saying.\u00a0 He simply talked to his son, laughing at him, marveling once more at the fact that he existed.\u00a0 He was a clever boy, that much was clear. He had a sense of humor even at his young age. And he was endlessly fascinated by the scar on his father\u2019s cheek and the beard on his chin.<\/p>\n \u201cNo lello?\u201d he asked, patting the skin next to his father\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n Brynjolf laughed. \u201cNo lello. I won\u2019t be having yellow eyes ever again, lad. They\u2019re green, like yours. We like it this way, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye,\u201d the little one said, proudly.<\/p>\n Finally, Brynjolf set his son down on the floor and watched him run back to where the two older girls and the fox were playing. He felt himself being observed, and looked behind him to see Sayma smiling at him.\u00a0 He approached her, not quite certain what to say.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, Bryn,\u201d she said, saving him the embarrassment of being wordless. \u201cYou\u2019re looking well.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad to hear Roggi\u2019s opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d he said, wondering how much to add. \u201cI was<\/em> feeling pretty restless. You know I never wanted to run the Guild. I\u2019m glad he brought me along.\u201d<\/p>\n She stepped closer, and lowered her voice. \u201cYou\u2019re still the best choice for the job, Brynjolf, but I understand. But\u2026 I\u2019m getting the feeling that not everything went smoothly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it didn\u2019t. But it\u2019s not really for me to say. It\u2019s Roggi.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright. I\u2019ll wait for him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you happen to be here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s also a very long tale, and I\u2019ll share it when we\u2019re all ready. I don\u2019t want to have to relive it more than once.\u201d<\/p>\n She surprised him by reaching out and giving his hand a quick squeeze.\u00a0 Before he could respond in any way she had moved away, to continue helping with food, to speak to Dardeh, and to talk to the children.<\/p>\n It\u2019s something to do with her. That\u2019s what I was missing, before. I don\u2019t know what it is, still.<\/em><\/p>\n Mealtime came and went, noisily and happily, and Brynjolf smiled often watching Roggi and Dardeh together. Their eyes followed each other whenever one of them moved. They touched, briefly but often, and it seemed as though the touches lingered long past the moments they ended. It\u2019s true, he thought. He wasn\u2019t exaggerating. This man, Sayma\u2019s brother; he\u2019s Roggi\u2019s life. I can\u2019t imagine how it happened, but it\u2019s obvious that it did. They are as bound together as any two people I\u2019ve ever known. That\u2019s why Roggi will follow him to war if it comes to that.<\/p>\n He would slip a glance at Sayma when she wasn\u2019t looking. He watched her speaking to Lydia, the two of them poking fun at Roggi while Dardeh looked on with a mischievous grin and sometimes a deep, hearty laugh and while Roggi pretended to bluster but grinned like a fool.\u00a0 He found his gaze lingering on her, trying to memorize the lines of her new face, finding her familiar and yet strange at the same time. He remembered doing the same sort of thing when he\u2019d first brought her into the Guild, watching her make her way around the Cistern, and had to smile at himself.<\/p>\n How can she be Dagnell? She seems so different to me. I wonder what is going on, that she is here.<\/em><\/p>\n He watched the three children, playing together as if they had been born a family, the two older girls watching out for the young boy. He thought of Sayma\u2019s harsh childhood, and what little he knew of Dardeh\u2019s.\u00a0 He thought about Roggi, losing all that was left of his birth clan and having only this group before him, this gathered family, and he nodded across the table at his friend\u2019s smile and chuckled at his jokes.<\/p>\n He\u2019s right. Roggi\u2019s right. We can\u2019t let Sayma take wee Bryn back to Dawnstar. The torture chamber almost broke Roggi. My father almost broke me. And from what little I know, Dardeh and Sayma\u2019s father is still trying to break them.\u00a0 We have to give these children a chance for something better.<\/em><\/p>\n He glanced at Lydia, over the top of a tankard, and noticed that she was quiet, perhaps thoughtful.\u00a0 What part does she play in all of this? She\u2019s Dardeh\u2019s housecarl. She cares for the children. They all trust her implicitly.\u00a0 But there\u2019s something I\u2019m not connecting, here, and I am beginning to think it involves her.<\/em><\/p>\n Finally they sat around the fire and began sharing their stories.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been to Hammerfell and back,\u201d Sayma began. \u201cAnd more than that, on the way, but it\u2019s too strange to describe. I have to return. I didn\u2019t find what I was going there to retrieve. You were right, though, Dardeh,\u201d she added, smiling at him. \u201cThat strange couple in the Reach. They were the ones who sent me on my way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat were you going to retrieve?\u201d Brynjolf asked her.<\/p>\n She looked across the floor at him, chewing on her lip as if she wasn\u2019t sure whether or not to continue. Dardeh and Roggi looked at each other, but neither would look at him.<\/p>\n So they know, but they won\u2019t say. Fair enough.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cTell me, Sayma. You can\u2019t bring up a thing like that and expect me to back down. You know me better than that.\u201d<\/p>\n She chuckled. \u201cYes I do, Bryn. Alright. I went to see Nocturnal, after I left you in Riften. I\u2019m on my way to find the Gray Cowl.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? The Cowl? If you find that then\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen Dynjyl will be freed, Bryn,\u201d Roggi said. \u201cWe\u2019ve heard the details and yes, that\u2019s what she\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s a chance? There\u2019s truly a chance that we can bring him out of the Soul Cairn?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSo I have to go back,\u201d Sayma said softly. \u201cI made it as far as a little town, near the place the Cowl is kept. I know what things I need to do to find it. But it\u2019s going to be some time yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m coming with you.\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cBryn, you can\u2019t really be thinking about\u2026\u201d she started to object.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m coming with you.\u201d\u00a0 He stared at her, daring her to contradict him. \u201cDynjyl is dead because of me. I\u2019m coming with you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBrynjolf,\u201d Dardeh said quietly. \u201cWe heard the stories. You told us what happened. You hold no blame for that death.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t care, Dardeh. It doesn\u2019t matter what anyone says to me.\u201d\u00a0 He caught Roggi\u2019s gaze and held it. \u201cYou know what I\u2019m talking about, my friend. I know you do. Tell them.\u201d\u00a0 You know what I\u2019m talking about because you still blame yourself for losing Briinda all those years ago. Tell them.<\/em><\/p>\n Roggi said nothing for a moment, trying to look defiant; but his posture crumbled by bits and he finally sighed. \u201cYes. Yes I do.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at Sayma, and Lydia, and finally at Dardeh. \u201cWe went to Windhelm, just as you asked. We saw Frina.\u201d<\/p>\n Lydia spoke up first. \u201cWho\u2019s Frina?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi laughed, one burst of bitter laughter. \u201cFrina,\u201d he said slowly, \u201cis the sister of my late wife.\u201d He shot a look across the room at Dardeh.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t know she was anywhere near Skyrim. I hadn\u2019t heard anything of her in more than ten years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh but that\u2019s wonderful, Roggi!\u201d Lydia cried. \u201cPart of your family is still here?\u201d<\/p>\n He shook his head. \u201cFormer family. It was good to see her, of course, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh frowned. \u201cDid you see Ulfric?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi nodded. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn\u2019t, and looked at Brynjolf, silently begging for help.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lass was there talking to him when we got there. She\u2019s on her way to do an errand for him, right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd?\u201d Sayma asked.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s delivering Ulfric\u2019s war axe to Jarl Balgruuf in Whiterun.\u201d<\/p>\n Lydia gasped. She turned from them and took a few steps away.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure of this?\u201d Dardeh had risen and was standing, looming over the room in spite of being nearly the shortest one there.<\/p>\n \u201cAye, lad,\u201d Brynjolf told him softly. \u201cWe heard him say it twice. \u2018Give the man my axe.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s bad, Dar,\u201d Roggi finally managed.<\/p>\n \u201cBy the Nine I\u2019ll say it\u2019s bad!\u201d Dardeh boomed. \u201cYou know what this will mean, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe Balgruuf will be reasonable,\u201d Roggi murmured.<\/p>\n It was silent for a moment.\u00a0 Then Lydia spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d she said. \u201cHe won\u2019t be. He\u2019ll never step back on Ulfric\u2019s account. And especially not because of an ultimatum.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDamn it!\u201d Dardeh exploded. \u201cDamn it.\u00a0 If it\u2019s to be war, then I can\u2019t just sit back and let it happen around us, Roggi.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll have to go to Windhelm, you know that.\u201d Dardeh stared at Roggi as if he was the only person in the room.<\/p>\n \u201cI know. And I\u2019ll have to go with you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Roggi, you can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t stop me, Dar.\u201d His voice was quiet, in that tone that carried threat, and it was clear to Brynjolf that Dardeh recognized it as well.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s my decision to make, not yours.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone turned to stare at Lydia.<\/p>\n \u201cI will have to return to Balgruuf.\u00a0 If war breaks out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLydia?\u201d That was Sayma asking.<\/p>\n She smiled, sadly. \u201cI would be very sad to leave you, Dar. I think you know how much. But I am sworn to Balgruuf, first. I can barely remember a time when he wasn\u2019t in my life. I am a part of his household. I am one of his soldiers. I would have to return to him.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh looked as though he\u2019d been slapped across the face. \u201cLydia, no.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi sighed. \u201cAnd we might then face each other in battle.\u201d<\/p>\n This was it.\u00a0 This is what I was missing. I wasn\u2019t considering Lydia.\u00a0 If there\u2019s war, Roggi\u2019s household falls apart. <\/em><\/p>\n And what happens to the children?<\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf snorted.\u00a0 \u201cShor\u2019s arse.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma looked at him and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cIndeed.\u201d<\/p>\n __<\/p>\n They stood in the kitchen area, trying to speak quietly while Dardeh, Roggi, and Lydia huddled together, mourning what might happen to the family they\u2019d put together over the past years. Sayma nearly hissed at him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t come with me, Brynjolf. It\u2019s going to be too dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n He laughed. \u201cYou are playing with me, yes? After everything I\u2019ve done in my lifetime, you\u2019re going to tell me that it\u2019s too dangerous?\u00a0 <\/em>By the Eight, do you really think I care about that?\u201d<\/p>\n She tried to turn away, and he grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her back toward him.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t do that, Bryn,\u201d she growled, shaking free of his grasp.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry. But tell me you don\u2019t still blame yourself for what happened to your friends. Coyle. And Daron. Just try to tell me that.\u201d<\/p>\n Her eyes widened for a moment, and he could see that his words had stung. \u201cThat\u2019s low, Bryn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye. It is. I know it is. And it\u2019s how I feel about Dynny, and Andante. I can\u2019t do anything about Andante but I can at least do this for Dynjyl. I can at least help<\/em> you with it.\u201d He could see that he was getting nowhere fast, so he tried another tack. \u201cListen. She gave you the task because she didn\u2019t know I was cured.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma snorted. \u201cYes she did, Brynjolf. You should know better than that. Of course she knew.\u00a0 But I\u2019m the one left, the one who isn\u2019t \u2018whole\u2019 as far as she\u2019s concerned. And I\u2019ll tell you this, Guildmaster,\u201d she added, poking him in the chest, \u201cit took every single one of my skills and some last-minute invention to get to Ben Erai from where I started out. I\u2019ll tell you about it sometime but the point is that I have something to prove, too. I am good enough, and I\u2019m going to prove it. Besides, it\u2019s a desert<\/em>, Bryn. It\u2019s been a long time since I was a girl but I know how to deal with a desert. You don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you\u2019ll teach me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBrynjolf\u2026.\u201d She tossed her hands up in frustration.<\/p>\n \u201cSayma. I want you to think about something. If war breaks out, well you know I\u2019m neutral.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. So am I.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut Roggi and Dardeh aren\u2019t, and neither is Lydia.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n He sighed. \u201cWhat about the children?\u201d<\/p>\n She stared at him as though he\u2019d suddenly taken on Vampire Lord form before her eyes, and he nearly reached up to touch his own face.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. If Lydia leaves\u2026 We can\u2019t just leave the children here on their own. Let\u2019s go and get this done, Sayma. If there are two of us it might go faster. And then we\u2019ll come back and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe it won\u2019t be war.\u201d<\/p>\n Right. Just like maybe I\u2019ll see Andante again.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cMaybe. But I think we need to prepare for the worst.\u00a0 We\u2019ll figure something out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright. Alright. We\u2019ll leave in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf watched her return to the living area, give each of them a hug in turn.\u00a0 He could hear them talking quietly, all these people who loved each other in spite of what the world might do to them. And he fought the urge to break something.<\/p>\n Well. No sense in letting it get to me quite yet. I need to write to Delvin. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou might think about easing up a bit, lad,\u201d Brynjolf said, watching Roggi slam back the third tankard of mead in a row while he took small sips of his own. Roggi had been staring at the bar, silent, ever since they\u2019d come into Candlehearth Hall, and he\u2019d been ordering one mead after another.\u00a0 He … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/4-1-14-2.png\")
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