Frina made her way to the marketplace and found the enchanting table tucked against a wall behind the vendors\u2019 stands. As she placed the sword Ulfric had given her on it she hesitated. Did she really want to destroy the thing? It had been a gift, after all, and from\u2026 him.\u00a0 She stared at it, chewing the inside of her lip, listening to the chatter about fresh fruits and vegetables and hearing the clang of hammer on metal.\u00a0 It was primarily moonstone, this sword, in the distinctive elven style; and in the end that was what made up her mind.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll carry no tools of the filthy Thalmor on my person, no matter how Ulfric came by them.\u00a0 I will, however, learn this enchantment.<\/em><\/p>\n She mustered what small magical ability she had and studied the thing intently as it dissolved before her, noting the intricate pattern of energies. Eventually she would be able to add this ability to her own weapon. She nodded to herself; there was nothing quite like cold to slow an enemy down, whether it be magical cold or a robust Skyrim blizzard.<\/p>\n \u201cOengul, got any ebony for sale today?\u201d<\/p>\n She turned in the direction of the distinctive, deep rumble and saw Dardeh hand the blacksmith some gold in exchange for a gleaming black ingot.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks. I just don\u2019t think this cuirass will be solid enough anymore without adding material to it.\u201d<\/p>\n The old blacksmith peered at the work Dardeh had done on the armor thus far and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got a good eye, lad. See how thin that is there? That\u2019s going to be brittle if it\u2019s just hammered out flat. Add the ingot to it and it\u2019ll be right as rain.\u201d\u00a0 He chuckled. \u201cYou, eh, took quite the beating from the looks of it. Good thing it was solid.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh ran his hand up over his braids and chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I had to get between Roggi and a really angry Jarl. You know what? Those Jarls don\u2019t just sit around on their thrones all the time no matter what it looks like, that\u2019s what I\u2019d say. He laid me right out flat.\u201d<\/p>\n Oengul chuckled and turned back toward his forge. \u201cOld Balgruuf may not be thinking straight about the Empire but he comes from good stock. Well it\u2019s a good thing you did, then. We don\u2019t need to be losing men like Roggi.\u201d He inclined his head toward the armor once more. \u201cLet me know if you need it hammered. I\u2019d be happy to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Dardeh said; but he was already at work heating the materials and working them together by the time Frina approached and asked Oengul for permission to use his grindstone. She\u2019d put some significant nicks in her weapons chopping through barricades \u2013 and soldiers \u2013 and she wanted to smooth the edges out and sharpen them up before they all went south into battle again.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you\u2019re a smith, too?\u201d Dardeh asked her, grinning, without missing a beat as he hammered.<\/p>\n Frina couldn\u2019t help but chuckle. When he was relaxed, not in a life-or-death situation, Dardeh had a friendly, pleasant manner about him. Standing in the bright sun, the most noticeable things about him were his very blonde hair and beard rather than his dark skin. His eyes \u2013 one gold, one green – crinkled at the corners and glimmered with good humor. She could almost see why Roggi was drawn to him.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, my sister and I were both taught once we were old enough. I\u2019m not an expert by any stretch, but I\u2019m good enough to keep my weapons in decent repair.\u201d She worked the foot pedal for a few minutes, her eyes on the pick\u2019s spiked edges, the rhythm of it letting her mind wander until something she was dying to ask bubbled to the surface.\u00a0 She waited until she heard Dardeh grunt and stop hammering for a moment, then turned to him just as he wiped an arm across his brow.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I ask you something, Dardeh?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded before he spoke. \u201cFire away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell I was wondering.\u00a0 When I was in Solitude, I overheard some things, particularly things about Jarl Ulfric and High King Torygg.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah?\u201d He crossed his arms and leaned toward her.<\/p>\n \u201cYes. Everyone who talks about it \u2013 about what happened \u2013 says things like Torygg was \u2018shouted apart,\u2019 or that he \u2018ceased to be.\u2019\u00a0 But Ulfric \u2013 Jarl Ulfric, I mean,\u201d she added quickly, feeling herself blushing, \u201ctold me that he killed Torygg with his sword. And I just wondered\u2026 because of what you did\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n The sunny look on Dardeh\u2019s face vanished. He leaned closer and gave her a harsh whisper, his face knotted up into an intense frown. \u201cDon\u2019t talk about that in public. It\u2019s not safe. Understand?\u201d<\/p>\n Frina shrank back from the nearness of him. She gulped, and nodded. \u201cRight. Sorry. But, um, what do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n He relaxed a bit and turned back to his cuirass, holding it up at different angles to check its surface in different lighting. Then he started hammering on it again, and Frina resumed pumping the grindstone\u2019s foot pedal.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, didn\u2019t mean to come across so heavy-handed. It\u2019s just not a thing I like to think about and I don\u2019t want to frighten everyone,\u201d he murmured. \u201cBut in answer to your question, no. He couldn\u2019t have done to Torygg what I did to those guards. I don\u2019t even know how I did it, to be honest, and the only other person besides me who might have had that particular ability is dead now.\u201d\u00a0 He took a particularly fierce swing at the metal and missed, his hammer glancing off it with a clang and jumping out of his hand to skitter across the stones.\u00a0 He laughed at the stunned look on Oengul\u2019s face from beside the forge.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has a mind of its own,\u201d he called out, getting a chuckle from Oengul. Then he bent over, frowning, and retrieved the hammer. Once he had a rhythm going once more he spoke again.<\/p>\n \u201cUlfric is a powerful warrior, according to Roggi. I\u2019ve heard him Shout once; he\u2019s strong, but not strong enough to destroy a man. It seems to me that tales grow bigger with each telling, and it\u2019s quite possible that he\u2019s let that one grow on its own.\u00a0 It would be to his advantage to let it do so. If I were going to bet on it, though, I\u2019d bet that he told you the truth of the matter, Frina.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina nodded, and swapped out her war pick for the steel axe she\u2019d been carrying in her left hand. It was in reasonable condition, but she did want to put a fresh edge on its blade.<\/p>\n Once more the rhythm of the work let her mind wander. Somehow it was comforting to think that Ulfric might have been completely honest with her on this matter. She didn\u2019t like thinking of him as a cold-blooded murderer. It was bad enough that Dardeh could do it.<\/p>\n But I was right. He doesn\u2019t even know how it happened. That\u2019s terrifying. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHe likes you, I think.\u201d\u00a0 Dardeh\u2019s voice made her jump.<\/p>\n \u201cHe? Who?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUlfric. He smiled at you. Several times, even. He\u2019s only ever sneered or growled at me,\u201d Dardeh laughed. \u201cWell, I suppose I haven\u2019t exactly given him any reason to smile at me. He doesn\u2019t like me much. But still.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina blushed furiously. The heat in her face was so intense that she could feel it radiating away from her.<\/p>\n I wish I wasn\u2019t so pale! I must look ridiculous with my face this red! <\/em><\/p>\n She turned her head and found Dardeh grinning at her as he put away the hammer and cleaned up the work bench.<\/p>\n \u201cDoes that bother you?\u201d he said, his eyes dancing.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re teasing me.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded vigorously. \u201cI am indeed.\u201d He chuckled. \u201cOne of the few advantages to being half Redguard is that people usually don\u2019t notice it when I\u2019m<\/em> blushing. It\u2019s a good thing, too. If Roggi had seen how red I was the day I met him he\u2019d have run away screaming.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina blushed again, but this time for a different reason.\u00a0 She still couldn\u2019t get used to the idea of Roggi being with another man. For that matter, she couldn\u2019t get used to the idea of any two men being together. It just wasn\u2019t\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cFrina,\u201d Dardeh said gently, kneeling down beside the grindstone so that their heads were level with each other, \u201clisten. I know this whole thing makes you uncomfortable. It\u2019s\u2026 really obvious that it does.\u201d<\/p>\n She looked down, embarrassed. \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n He put a hand under her chin and tipped her face back up. She cringed at his touch, in spite of herself, but forced herself to meet his gaze. He shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s ok. I\u2019m used to it. I don\u2019t like<\/em> it, but I\u2019m used to it. I\u2019m more than thirty winters old and it\u2019s always been like this for me. But I want to tell you something. The fact that Roggi and I are married doesn\u2019t change what he felt for your sister. Not at all. He loved her first. He was married to her first. He\u2019d be married to her still, if she was still here. I\u2019m certain of it. I\u2019m just really lucky that he had enough love left in his heart to share after what happened to them, because he\u2019s the only one in the world for me. I\u2019m willing to be second best because of that. So, I guess\u2026\u201d he frowned, and it seemed to Frina that he was searching for the right words. \u201cI guess I don\u2019t want you to be angry at me for taking her place. I didn\u2019t. Nobody can ever replace your sister. Ok?\u201d<\/p>\n Frina suddenly found herself unable to speak. Her throat tightened and her eyes unaccountably filled with unshed tears.\u00a0 She tried, several times, to get something out but couldn\u2019t; so she resorted to a nod. To her astonishment, she saw that Dardeh\u2019s eyes looked moist as well.<\/p>\n Maybe he really does understand. I miss her so much, even after all these years. <\/em><\/p>\n He really isn\u2019t a demon, is he.<\/em><\/p>\n Of course he isn\u2019t. How could Roggi love a man who was a demon?<\/em><\/p>\n He nodded back at her and slid into his armor.\u00a0 \u201cWell,\u201d he said, moving his arms about and twisting side to side to check its fit, \u201cthis is better. I feel a little less exposed. Speaking of Roggi, let\u2019s go find him. It\u2019s a long hike to the part of Falkreath Hold where they want us next.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina walked quietly through the city, following the broad man who led the way. Her mind was running in a million directions at once.\u00a0 First she was sad, thinking about Briinda; then she was angry at herself for making Dardeh feel bad; then she was angry at him because he probably didn\u2019t really feel bad at all. Then she thought about Ulfric again, and the fact that he had<\/em> actually smiled at her, and not just with his mouth but with his eyes. They reached the Palace of the Kings; Dardeh pushed open the big doors and let her slip inside ahead of him.<\/p>\n She heard him take a deep breath, and turned to find him frowning in an almost anxious way.\u00a0 He inclined his head toward a doorway to their right and headed in that direction, just in front of her.<\/p>\n It seemed to Frina that there was an atmosphere of tension in the palace that grew as they neared the doorway of what became clear to her was the castle barracks. The guards looked at them, but said nothing, and few of them revealed their thoughts; their faces were set in stony, neutral masks. Some of them, though, mostly the ones who were closer to her own age, looked pale, subdued.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t imagine why the Jarl\u2019s own city guard would be looking shaken here in their barracks.<\/p>\n Then, as they neared a door at the far end of the room, one that led to a descending staircase, she found out.<\/p>\n Or, rather, she imagined. She didn\u2019t get to see what was happening, for two of the guards stepped in front of them to stop her and Dardeh from descending the last flight of stairs into what had to be the dungeon. She couldn\u2019t see past Dardeh, anyway, particularly not in the black armor that blocked any light. But she didn\u2019t need to see what was going on. There was a series of sounds unlike anything she\u2019d ever heard before, all slightly muffled because they were coming from the floor beneath them but all vivid and impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n There was a meaty smack accompanied by a shriek – a cry of pure fear – followed by a moment of exquisite silence. Then there was a longer shout, this one a sound of disbelief and shock, and pain.\u00a0 And finally there was a long, blood-curdling scream of agony. It rose and intensified, paused for a breath and continued, in waves of horror and suffering.<\/p>\n Frina flinched, stopped moving, a shudder running up her back as the screaming continued, but Dardeh still moved forward, crowding toward the doorway. The young guards nearest the door looked at her, their eyes round, wincing with each undulation of sound from below, and shook their heads. The hair rose on her neck. She\u2019d made men utter their pain before, herself, in Whiterun and elsewhere. She\u2019d heard men dying in battles, and crying out in fear, but she\u2019d never heard anything like this. \u00a0And then came the worst sound of all.<\/p>\n It was not a terrible sound, not in and of itself. It was a familiar sound, a sound that, under normal circumstances, would have warmed her heart and made her smile.\u00a0 But these were not normal circumstances.<\/p>\n A man was laughing.<\/p>\n Frina took two steps forward to where Dardeh stood, blocking the doorway. \u00a0He was making some half-hearted movements toward the stairwell but the guards on either side of him were shaking their heads, telling him no, the Inquisitor does not want to be disturbed, the Jarl gave specific orders. The laughing continued; and as if from a far distant shore a part of her mind told Frina that she knew that laugh. It was a familiar laugh, a laugh that she loved. She reached out, tentatively, and laid a hand on Dardeh\u2019s arm.\u00a0 He turned to look at her, and that was the most shocking thing of all.<\/p>\n Dardeh, the Dragonborn, the man she\u2019d seen battle his way through a city and Shout three guards to ash, was crying. He made no sound, but tears were streaming down his cheeks.<\/p>\n Frina turned and fled, back through the barracks and into the keep.\u00a0 She found an empty spot at the table and sat, shivering, waiting for something to happen.<\/p>\n The first thing to happen was that Dardeh joined her. He was walking very slowly, almost dazed. He slid onto the bench next to her and stared blankly at the table for a long time. Then he gasped, almost as though he\u2019d just jerked awake from a bad dream, and scrubbed roughly at his eyes with the back of his hands.<\/p>\n He muttered something she didn\u2019t understand, three times in quick succession.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat, Dardeh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDahmaan hin hahnu<\/em>,\u201d he whispered for a fourth time.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that\u2026\u201d What do they call Redguard language?<\/em> \u201cYoku?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Dardeh said, vaguely, as if he was speaking from a million leagues away. \u201cNo, no, it\u2019s not Yoku. I only know one phrase in Yoku. \u2018Uetonga do Ueetonga<\/em>.\u2019 It means \u2018Son of my son.\u2019\u00a0 The other, it\u2019s Dovahzuul, it\u2019s\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026so tell the Jarl that it was a success and his suspicions were correct, yes? Uh, there\u2019s a bit of a mess to clean up down there. Sorry about that.\u00a0 I\u2019ll see you all again soon, I would expect.\u201d\u00a0 The familiar voice floated out from the barracks room, followed by a warm chuckle.\u00a0 Dardeh\u2019s head sagged down toward his chest, and as she looked at him Frina saw several more fat tears escape from eyes scrunched tightly shut, run down the sides of his nose, and drop onto the table.<\/p>\n \u201cVery good, sir,\u201d she heard one of the guards say. \u201cUm, sir, there were some people looking for you? They\u2019re over there at the table.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina looked behind them just in time to see Roggi peel off a set of bloody gloves and drop them next to the door.\u00a0 He nodded at the guard and crossed the room toward them.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t believe what I just heard. And what I just saw. How is this even possible?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDar? I didn\u2019t think you\u2019d be back quite so soon,\u201d Roggi said as he approached, as calmly as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He reached out to lay a hand on Dardeh\u2019s shoulder and Dardeh flinched, visibly, shaking the hand off.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously not,\u201d Dardeh said, his voice very quiet and even and, Frina thought, utterly terrifying.<\/p>\n I\u2019d rather he was shouting again.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d Roggi looked puzzled. \u201cAre you ready to leave for Falkreath?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh still didn\u2019t turn toward him, nor did he make eye contact.<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi\u2026\u201d Frina said, hesitantly. \u201cWhat \u2026 did we just hear?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi\u2019s eyes got very wide for a moment, and he flushed. Then his eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing that you need to be concerned about. I was just doing my job.\u201d\u00a0 He moved around the end of the table so that Dardeh would have no alternative but to see him.\u00a0 \u201cDardeh?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh raised his head and looked Roggi in the eyes. Frina didn\u2019t think she\u2019d ever seen a man look so sad; and after what he\u2019d just told her earlier his expression hit her like a knife to the heart. She slid closer to him and quietly slipped her nearer arm up around his.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought you were finished, Roggi,\u201d he said very quietly. \u201cWhen you gave Sayma the tools.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi frowned. \u201cYou weren\u2019t supposed to hear all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cClearly.\u201d The sarcasm and anger came through clearly.<\/p>\n Roggi brought his hands up in a frustrated gesture.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t be done<\/em> with it, Dar, not if we\u2019re in this war. It\u2019s what I do<\/em>. It\u2019s\u2026\u201d\u00a0 His jaw muscles clenched and released.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho you are,\u201d Dardeh said after a moment, nodding. \u00a0He sighed, a sound of resignation to Frina\u2019s ear, and then reached out to take one of Roggi\u2019s hands in his. There was a long pause while the two men had an entire conversation with their eyes, a conversation Frina didn\u2019t understand and knew she never would.\u00a0 Finally, Dardeh nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand, Roggi. At least I think I do. But I still need you to hold me together. Can you do that, too?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi reached out to stroke Dardeh\u2019s cheek with the back of his fingers, and Frina saw Dardeh flinch, much the same way she had flinched when Dardeh had touched her earlier. Roggi\u2019s eyes changed for just a moment; he\u2019d felt the flinch and it hurt him.\u00a0 But he nodded, and smiled sadly. \u201cI think so, Dar,\u201d he said. \u201cI go where you go. Nothing has changed that.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh looked up at him again. \u201cBut this has changed you.\u201d It was part statement, part question, part a desperate plea.<\/p>\n Roggi shook his head sadly. He hesitated a long moment before speaking.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. No, it hasn\u2019t changed me at all. This is who I\u2019ve always been. You knew that, if you think about it. What has changed is that I have you. And I won\u2019t lose myself again, because of that. That\u2019s what I think.\u201d<\/p>\n Then it seemed as though he finally realized that Frina was sitting there beside Dardeh.<\/p>\n \u201cFrina.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina tried to meet his eyes but simply couldn\u2019t hold his gaze. Every time she looked at him she heard that bloodcurdling scream from the dungeon and wanted to run away. How can it be? How can this possibly be the man I\u2019ve loved as my brother for so many years?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I know you any more, Roggi,\u201d she whispered, staring at the table.\u00a0 It suddenly dawned on her that she was still clinging to Dardeh\u2019s arm, and she slowly disengaged herself from him and folded both hands on the table in front of her.<\/p>\n \u201cYou never really did, Frina,\u201d Roggi said, quietly. \u201cI was very careful to be sure that you didn\u2019t. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey called you Inquisitor,\u201d she mumbled.\u00a0 Well there\u2019s a stupid thing to say, isn\u2019t it. He\u2019s quite aware of that.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d he said, shrugging. \u201cIt is<\/em> my job title, more or less.\u201d<\/p>\n He walked around the table and sat down on its far side, looking at them both.<\/p>\n \u201cListen, I know this was really hard for both of you. I\u2019d have preferred you not to have heard what went on. But we have a job to do. You made your choice to join in this thing, Dardeh, and it would be beyond dishonorable if we broke our word.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh sneered, his face wrapped in layers of emotion that Frina couldn\u2019t even start to comprehend. \u201cEven to Ulfric?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi simply nodded. His eyes were sad, but his expression remained calm. \u201cEspecially to Ulfric. Either we believe in what we told him or we\u2019re no better than he was.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina frowned. There are so many other things going on here that I don\u2019t know about. And I don\u2019t think I dare ask.<\/em><\/p>\n Dardeh shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Roggi. That was uncalled for.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fine. I deserved it. Now I think we should go.\u201d He waved toward the doorway. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll ever be called on to do such a thing again but for some reason it was important to him that I prove I still can.\u201d He grinned, but it was a grin that made Frina\u2019s skin crawl. \u201cAnd of course I still can. But I\u2019m a lot more useful to him fighting beside you, Dar. He just doesn\u2019t know it yet.\u201d\u00a0 He rose from the table and started for the door.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on,\u201d he called back to them. \u201cI think we should take a cart and stop in at home for a couple of hours before we meet up with Galmar. A good night\u2019s sleep would do us all some good.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh pushed himself back from the table, slowly, and Frina followed suit.\u00a0 They\u2019d almost made it to the door when Dardeh\u2019s low rumble surprised her.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d he said, not looking at her.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor holding onto me back there. I needed the support. Just\u2026 thanks a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina smiled at him. \u201cYou\u2019re welcome, Dardeh. I guess I did, too. I have a lot of thinking to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh nodded. \u201cAnd Ulfric has a lot to answer for.\u201d<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know what he means by that. I may never know.<\/em><\/p>\n She turned to look back toward the throne, just in time to see the familiar figure in blue-draped armor emerge from the map room. He was deep in conversation with Captain Lonely-Gale, and she decided not to try to get his attention.<\/p>\n Maybe I don\u2019t want to know.<\/em><\/p>\n Outside it had turned to that kind of cold that would freeze the moisture in a person\u2019s nostrils.\u00a0 The scent of smoke from the city\u2019s chimneys and from the warming fires hung heavy in the air in spite of the sharp clearness of the sky. Frina and Dardeh followed Roggi\u2019s receding form out through the gates and toward the stables, each of them wrapped in their own thoughts, their footsteps crunching on snow that had gone to near ice in the space of a few hours.\u00a0 They were just about to descend the last approach to Windhelm\u2019s long bridge when Dardeh suddenly spoke up.<\/p>\n \u201cRemember your dream.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDahmaan hin hahnu<\/em>. You asked me about it back there and I never answered your question. It means \u2018Remember your dream\u2019 in the dragon tongue.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi, still well ahead of them, turned and smiled, waving them toward the cart.\u00a0 The driver was already climbing up into the front. \u00a0Dardeh sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on. We\u2019d best hurry it up. He doesn\u2019t look it but he\u2019s not the most patient man in the world,\u201d Dardeh said, picking up his pace.<\/p>\n Frina shuddered. She wondered if she\u2019d ever be able to look at that beautiful smile in the same way again.<\/p>\n Frina made her way to the marketplace and found the enchanting table tucked against a wall behind the vendors\u2019 stands. As she placed the sword Ulfric had given her on it she hesitated. Did she really want to destroy the thing? It had been a gift, after all, and from\u2026 him.\u00a0 She stared at it, … <\/p>\n