{"id":3834,"date":"2019-07-26T19:45:30","date_gmt":"2019-07-26T19:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/?page_id=3834"},"modified":"2019-08-09T16:17:39","modified_gmt":"2019-08-09T16:17:39","slug":"chapter-16","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/volume-iv\/part-ii-the-storm\/chapter-16\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 16 – Dardeh"},"content":{"rendered":"

At least I don\u2019t have people chasing me, this time.<\/em><\/p>\n

Nobody had been home at Honeyside when Dardeh knocked; at least, nobody answered the door.\u00a0 He remembered the last time he\u2019d been inside, with Roggi and Delvin Mallory, when they were closing in on certainty that Sayma was really his sister Dagnell.\u00a0 It seemed like another lifetime ago with all that had happened since. It seemed even longer ago that he\u2019d first come to Riften alone, while looking for Esbern. But here he was, once again making his way through the dim and dingy passages of the Ratway, heading for the Ragged Flagon.\u00a0 If nobody was at Honeyside there was at least a decent chance that someone in the Flagon could tell him where she was.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He squinted into the lighting in the Flagon, looking for people he knew. A man with a clean-shaven pate sat at the round table nearest Vekel\u2019s bar. Delvin Mallory. Good. He usually knows where everyone is.\u00a0 <\/em>It was hard to tell whether he saw a shape at the small table behind the stone pillar or was just seeing shadows; but once he rounded the corner past the tavern sign a familiar face looked up at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood to see you, lad. How are things?\u201d<\/p>\n

The quiet voice made Dardeh heave a mental sigh of relief. Brynjolf had been with Sayma the last time he\u2019d seen her, even if things had been fairly tense. If nothing else, Bryn would know where she had gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, things have been better, Brynjolf,\u201d he said as quietly as he could manage and still be heard. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m here. I was hoping someone could point me to where my sister is.\u00a0 Nobody answered the door at Honeyside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf pushed back his chair and rose, nodding his head back toward the door Dardeh had just come in.\u00a0 Dardeh raised one eyebrow, but followed Brynjolf anyway.\u00a0 As they reached the door Brynjolf leaned a bit closer to Dardeh and whispered \u201cwe need not to look interesting. I don\u2019t want to be followed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh. So there\u2019s something up? Alright.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

They left the Ratway and walked up the wooden stairs to the marketplace level of Riften; then Brynjolf made for the north gate. Dardeh followed, mystified.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been an exciting few days around here,\u201d Brynjolf said quietly as they passed through the gate and turned right. \u201cMaven left the keep rather suddenly, and it seems that Laila is back in it. I\u2019m guessing you and Roggi had something to do with that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, yes,\u201d Dardeh said, \u201cbut I\u2019m confused. Where are we going?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne moment,\u201d Brynjolf murmured, leading Dardeh along the perimeter of the city walls.\u00a0 Once they were out of sight of anyone else he stopped and turned to face Dardeh.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry for all the secrecy, lad,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re not at Honeyside anymore. It was getting to be a bit too obvious that the Guild had connections with the place, and with the war going on I wanted us all to be in a safer spot. Sayma and the children are there. She\u2019s\u2026 staying with me, now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He paused; and when Dardeh glanced at him he saw the smile on Brynjolf\u2019s face.\u00a0 I know that look. That\u2019s the look Roggi gives me when he\u2019s happy. By the Nine. Seeing that is the best thing to happen in the past long while.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to go all the way to the south gate again but I don\u2019t want anyone getting used to me coming and going through that gate every time I leave so I vary my route,\u201d Brynjolf said.\u00a0 He continued around the city toward the south, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. Dardeh followed, sighing as his armor clanked, knowing that if they were seen he would be the reason.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I see. Good idea, Bryn. And yes, we were part of why things changed fast. Fort Greenwall. Ulfric wanted the Rift back, so we took it for him. I hope there was no bloodshed here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. There was plenty of yelling, though. Maven\u2019s not happy at all, as you might imagine, but she\u2019s spent a lot of years posing as Laila\u2019s friend and ally. She made it sound as though she\u2019d known all along that she was just safeguarding the city until Laila returned.\u00a0 Honestly? This will be better for business in the long run, I think; people are used to this arrangement. She doesn\u2019t agree with me at the moment. Now that I\u2019m Guildmaster she\u2019s learning there are quite a few things we don\u2019t see precisely the same way.\u201d He grinned, and then paused, waiting until the guard at the south gate was looking the other way.\u00a0 He waved Dardeh forward and slipped out of sight to the left; Dardeh followed only to find that Brynjolf had disappeared into a narrow cleft in the rock.<\/p>\n

It was a short tunnel, and very dark. He lost track of Brynjolf but pushed slowly forward toward the thin ribbon of light he could see near its end.<\/p>\n

He reached the end of the tunnel and gasped. It opened onto a beautiful hidden canyon flooded with sunshine, with a large one-story house dominating the area. A warm, gentle breeze moved the aspens and wafted the scent of mountain flowers past him. He couldn\u2019t see where Brynjolf had gone, but he could hear the laughter of children and the lower rumble of adult voices coming from the other side of the house.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t believe all of this was back here! Smart of Brynjolf to move the family.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He circled around the end of the house and smiled at the scene that greeted him. Brynjolf had taken a seat on the stoop and was talking with his son, who seemed to have grown a full head taller since the last time Dardeh had seen him.\u00a0 Sayma stood nearby, watching Lucia and a woman Dardeh didn\u2019t recognize. It seemed so peaceful, and pleasant, and normal<\/em> \u2013 so far removed from the horrors and desperation of battle, and from having powers from beyond the living realm insert themselves forcefully into his life.\u00a0 He just watched for a moment, smiling, and breathing the crisp air; and he felt a semblance of peace wash over him.<\/p>\n

Then he called out.<\/p>\n

\u201cLucia!\u201d<\/p>\n

The small form turned.\u00a0 Her eyes widened, and so did her smile; and she hurled herself at him, running as fast as she could.<\/p>\n

\u201cPapa!!\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh scooped her up and held her close, while she hugged his neck so fiercely that he thought he might choke. He didn\u2019t care.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so good to see you, sweetheart,\u201d he murmured next to her ear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so happy, Papa. You\u2019re here!\u201d<\/p>\n

The door banged open and Sofie flew out, nearly colliding with Brynjolf in her hurry to get down the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u201d she shouted as she barreled into him.\u00a0 Dardeh could feel her shuddering as she clung to him, and gently pushed her back, squatting down to be at her level.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not crying are you, my big girl?\u201d he said, grinning.<\/p>\n

Sofie shook her head no<\/em> even as tears streamed down her cheeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI missed you,\u201d she sniffled. \u201cI was worried.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh wrapped one arm around each of his girls and held them close again.\u00a0 \u201cI missed you, too,\u201d he whispered to them.<\/p>\n

Sofie wiped her face with her hand and gave him an intensely serious stare.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs Papa Roggi here too?\u201d<\/p>\n

He tried to keep his face from falling as he shook his head. \u201cNo, sweetheart.\u00a0 He\u2019s with Jarl Ulfric up in Windhelm, and I\u2019ll have to go back there soon, myself. The war\u2019s not over yet, but we both are trying to end it.\u201d He smiled.\u00a0 \u201cDid you know that your Papa Roggi is a really good fighter?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucia grinned. \u201cI knew it! He was teaching me how to use the sword. I knew he was good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh nodded, smiling. \u201cAnd there\u2019s something else, too. Do you remember that we told you how he was married once before, a long time ago?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sofie nodded. \u201cTo a lady in the Stormcloaks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then she died,\u201d Lucia added sadly. Dardeh ruffled her hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Well, her little sister is all grown up now, and she\u2019s joined the Stormcloaks and is fighting with Roggi. Her name is Frina. And she\u2019s a pretty amazing fighter, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucia frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPapa Roggi isn\u2019t going away with Frina, is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment, Dardeh was stunned. An icy tendril of doubt slipped around his heart for a moment. Oh gods, please don\u2019t let it happen. He says I\u2019m the love of his life and I know he\u2019s mine, but\u2026 It\u2019s not Frina I\u2019m concerned about. It\u2019s Ulfric. He and Roggi are still so bound up with each other\u2026<\/em> Then he shook his head and laughed. It was a forced laugh, but the children wouldn\u2019t notice. At least he hoped they wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, don\u2019t you worry about that. We\u2019re going to be your papas forever. We promised, remember?\u00a0 Besides, Frina is only a few years older than you are. She\u2019s probably got her eye on one of the young soldiers.\u201d He waggled his eyebrows dramatically and grinned.<\/p>\n

Lucia giggled.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to go help Iona tend the gardens now, Papa. OK?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that Iona in the armor?\u201d\u00a0 He looked up and smiled as the woman on the other side of the clearing waved at them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Sofie said. \u201cShe takes care of us, like Lydia used to take care of us.\u201d\u00a0 Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. \u201cShe\u2019s not really as nice as Lydia but it\u2019s ok because Mr. Brynjolf and Sayma have to be gone a lot.\u00a0 She lets us swim in the pond, too. It\u2019s not as nice as Lake Ilinalta but it will do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then both of the girls ran toward Iona.\u00a0 Dardeh laughed. They\u2019re in good hands. I knew they would be.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t picture Roggi with anyone else besides you, anymore,\u201d came a husky voice from behind Dardeh, and he turned to smile at Sayma. She looked different, he thought; calmer, maybe. The last time he\u2019d seen her she had been tense, even uncomfortable around Brynjolf. There was something else, too, but he couldn\u2019t put his finger on it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSayma,\u201d he said, reaching forward to give her a quick hug. \u201cIt\u2019s good to see you. I hear that you and Brynjolf are\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn better terms than we were the last time you saw us, yes,\u201d she said, grinning.\u00a0 \u201cMuch better.\u201d She waved her left hand in the air, and Dardeh grinned as he recognized the Bond of Matrimony that matched Brynjolf\u2019s.\u00a0 She reached out with that hand and grabbed Dardeh\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there\u2019s more than just that. Dar, we did it. We got the Cowl and took it to Nocturnal.\u00a0 Dynjyl\u2019s in the Evergloam now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh smiled. \u201cWonderful. That must have made Brynjolf really happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded. \u201cYes, it did; but there was something that made him even happier. She took Andante, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh was stunned for a moment, utterly confused. \u00a0Did I hear that right? <\/em>He peered more closely at her face, trying to determine what he\u2019d missed in the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait, what? Andante? I thought he was \u2026 gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded. \u201cSo did we. But what he said is that the ring he made for Bryn anchored him somehow. He ended up in the Soul Cairn \u2013 a spirit, like Dynjyl – and Nocturnal brought him out to the Evergloam because of Bryn. It\u2019s all rather confusing but the important thing is that they got to say goodbye, Dar. It was really something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh stared at her for a long moment. He suddenly remembered Roggi turning to him in Kynesgrove on the day he\u2019d returned from Sovngarde, saying \u201cI thought you were dead.\u201d He remembered the look of utter sorrow on Roggi\u2019s face, and found himself swallowing a huge lump in his throat. Imagine never getting to say goodbye. That\u2019s how Brynjolf must have felt, all this time. What a gift for him that he got one more moment with Andante.<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally he cleared his throat and forced himself to smile. \u201cThat\u2019s really good. It must have been difficult, but it\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded, and looked over at the two Brynjolfs laughing at each other.\u00a0 She smiled.\u00a0 \u201cIt was a bit of an adventure getting to that point. I thought I\u2019d lost Bryn at one point, but I hadn\u2019t. There\u2019s nothing like being in a life or death situation with someone to remind you of what\u2019s really important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh remembered that awful moment when the Miraak cultist\u2019s sword had pushed through Roggi\u2019s chest, and he nodded. It wouldn\u2019t have mattered if we\u2019d never shared a hug, much less anything else. I already knew he was the one for me, but that was when I knew I\u2019d shift the world, if I had to, to keep him safe. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something else, too,\u201d Sayma said, a tiny smile playing about the corners of her mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh watched in astonishment as Sayma ran a hand down over her stomach.\u00a0 It finally dawned on him what it was that looked different about her. The last time he\u2019d seen her, she\u2019d been in the form-fitting uniform of the Dark Brotherhood. Now she stood before him in a loose, almost shapeless robe much like those worn by the mages.\u00a0 It was belted, true; but as her hand passed down over the belt he could see the curve that said it wouldn\u2019t be long before the belt would need to go away.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you\u2026?\u201d he said, smiling as her eyes met his.<\/p>\n

She nodded. \u201cYes. Young Bryn is going to have a sister. Don\u2019t even ask me how I know, I just do.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t even know I was pregnant with wee Bryn until my mother told me but this time I knew right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

The elder Brynjolf rose and went inside, motioning for Sayma and Dardeh to follow.\u00a0 They started toward the house; but Dardeh\u2019s mind was whirling, and he reached for Sayma\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour\u2026 mother? I thought she was dead, long ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma nodded. \u201cYes. It was a dream. Or something like a dream. She appeared to me and talked to me for a good long while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike our father did, with me,\u201d Dardeh murmured.<\/p>\n

Sayma stopped, and gave him an odd glance. \u201cHe did? Actually appear, not just speak to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeveral times.\u00a0 The last time,\u201d and he grimaced, remembering the sound of their father telling him he was not worthy to carry the scimitars he\u2019d been so attached to that he\u2019d rescued them from the smoking rubble of Helgen, \u201che was in Dark Brotherhood armor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma\u2019s brow furrowed.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s only ever talked to me. Since he died, I mean. Just a voice in my head. Maybe it\u2019s because I already knew what he looked like.\u201d\u00a0 She sighed. \u201cI miss him, Dardeh. I miss both of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh felt a twinge of anger and disappointment mixed with a bit of jealousy, as he always did when he thought of their father.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure you do miss him. But he left my Ma and never bothered to even come meet me when he was alive. All I know of him is someone who looks like me who disapproves of me.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMmm-hmm,\u201d he murmured. \u201cI miss my Ma, too. On the other hand, I\u2019d have never met you if she hadn\u2019t decided to tell me you exist at the very last moment. It would have been nice to know earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cI guess he wasn\u2019t a very good father, not really.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh was rolling a sarcastic remark around in his mouth, trying to decide how to say that he agreed with that assessment but not able to simply say it.\u00a0 He was spared the need to do so by Brynjolf, who had seated himself before the fireplace and looked up as they moved toward him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what is going on, lad?\u201d he asked without preamble. \u201cI know something\u2019s wrong if it brought you to us without Roggi alongside, to say nothing of pulling you away from the action. You look like you\u2019re about to kill someone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have such an eye, Brynjolf,\u201d he said grimly. \u201cThat\u2019s exactly what it is.\u00a0 It\u2019s kind of a long story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not in any rush, Dar,\u201d Sayma told him. \u201cIona will care for the children if we\u2019re busy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh nodded, and sank onto a bench. \u201cDon\u2019t say I didn\u2019t warn you. In order for it to make any sense I have to start back before I even met you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He started talking; and once the words began they flooded out from him in a torrent. There they sat, while the day waned, with Dardeh spilling the entirety of his experience with his father.\u00a0 While Iona fed the children, and herded them into the bath, and then shuffled them off to bed, he found himself reliving his mother\u2019s death and the trip he\u2019d made through Hammerfell.\u00a0 He described the matched scimitars, and how even though they\u2019d not meant much to him as a boy he found himself growing into a greater affinity for them, to the point at which they\u2019d felt like an extension of himself as he killed those who tried to kill him first on his journey through Hammerfell.\u00a0 How he\u2019d been desperate to get them back after the catastrophe at Helgen.<\/p>\n

Brynjolf brought them all tankards of mead at some point while he was talking, and Dardeh drank without being truly aware of it.\u00a0 Iona appeared with plates of food and disappeared, silently, and Dardeh nibbled on bread and cheese without thinking about what he was doing because the words kept coming.<\/p>\n

He told them about the horrid things he\u2019d done in Riften while trying to get Esbern, the Blades\u2019 archivist, back to Sky Haven Temple. He found himself with his head in his hands, eyes closed, remembering aloud what he\u2019d needed to do on Solstheim, telling them how he could kill without even realizing it, particularly if he thought Roggi was endangered in any way. And he described each of the times Dadarh had appeared to him in a dream, and how he\u2019d been dressed, and what he had said.<\/p>\n

He found his throat tightening when he got to the final time he\u2019d spoken with his father.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019You\u2019re not worthy to carry my swords.\u2019 That\u2019s what he told me,\u201d he choked out. \u201cJust before I went to Sovngarde to kill Alduin. So I made my own\u2026\u201d he trailed off, remembering how bitter he\u2019d felt, stowing the scimitars away in the chest at the foot of his bed in Breezehome. Sayma had been walking about the room; and as he paused she came up beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, lad,\u201d Brynjolf\u2019s low rumble interrupted him. \u201cI know what it\u2019s like to have a father who doesn\u2019t respect you. It\u2019s hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh blinked, and looked at Brynjolf in surprise. \u00a0How<\/em> little I really know about him. <\/em>\u201cYou too?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf nodded. \u201cThe man was a true bastard. He treated my mother like royalty but nearly beat me to death. He didn\u2019t care for the idea of having a thief in the family. Haven\u2019t seen him since I was just a boy and I can\u2019t say that I miss him. But this isn\u2019t about me, lad. All of this has been hard to hear but it\u2019s all in the past. What\u2019s happening now?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gods, I don\u2019t know how to say this.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Ulfric. I want to kill him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma made a surprised noise.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we all talked about this, in Dawnstar. And you and Roggi are fighting for the Stormcloaks.\u00a0 Yes?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded, miserable. \u201cYes. I think that of all the current Jarls Ulfric has the experience and the best temperament to be High King. Maybe he won\u2019t have that role long, I can\u2019t tell; but the alternative is a weak king or queen who bows to the Thalmor and that just can\u2019t happen. It just can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you want to kill him?\u201d Sayma asked again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, it sounds crazy. I\u2019ve never liked him but I want him to win. But it\u2019s the voice, Sayma. The voice in my head. Dadarh. All the time. \u2018Kill him. Kill Ulfric. You have to finish it.\u2019 He told me once that he was going to use you, Sayma, and not me, but\u2026 I can\u2019t stand it anymore.\u00a0 If I go back there\u2026 I\u2019m so afraid of what I might do.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019re going to run away screaming any second now. I do sound crazy.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you think he\u2019s able to protect himself, lad?\u201d Brynjolf suggested quietly. \u201cI\u2019ve seen the size of the man; even at his age I\u2019d hate to go up against him and he has the Voice, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh grimaced, feeling the mounting heat of the arrogant dragon blood within him at Brynjolf\u2019s words and trying to damp it down. Don\u2019t be angry at him. He doesn\u2019t know. He hasn\u2019t seen. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, he does. But he can\u2019t disintegrate men with his Voice. I can. That\u2019s why I\u2019m afraid.\u201d He closed his eyes again and shook as he described the battle at Whiterun and what had happened in Dragonsreach.\u00a0 \u201cThey were there, and then they were just \u2013 gone. Ashes on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n

He opened his eyes then, and looked at Brynjolf, knowing that the visual image must have cut deep; but it also was a picture of finality that would mean more to Brynjolf than almost anyone else. \u201cUlfric can\u2019t do that. I know it sounds arrogant but I\u2019m much stronger than Ulfric.\u00a0 And the worst of it is that I don\u2019t know how it happens, or when it\u2019s going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He stood and paced. \u201cI\u2019m afraid. I\u2019m afraid he\u2019ll make me angry and I\u2019ll kill him by mistake because Dadarh keeps telling me I must.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019You have to end it?\u2019 That\u2019s what he\u2019s been telling you?\u201d Sayma asked. \u201cHe says that to me but I\u2019ve been ignoring him. He was Dark Brotherhood. He knows where targets come from.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, that\u2019s what he says,\u201d Dardeh said.\u00a0 He stopped and made sure that he had their attention. \u201cIt\u2019s even worse than that. You know what passed between Roggi and Ulfric before we knew him. Ulfric\u2019s made Roggi take up his tools again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Brynjolf\u2019s question was sharp, and his gaze piercing.<\/p>\n

Dardeh nodded. \u201cUlfric made it clear that he needed Roggi\u2019s \u2018expertise\u2019 as an interrogator. We heard it, Frina and I, coming back into the castle one day not long ago.\u00a0 It was\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He paused, wracking his brain for a word that would encompass the horrible sounds of that man screaming and Roggi laughing at him. He couldn\u2019t find such a word. \u201cIt was awful. He\u2019s so good at it, and it\u2019s terrible. It\u2019s why I left him at Fort Greenwall, to come here. I can\u2019t face Ulfric with my father in my head all the time. I\u2019m really afraid I\u2019ll kill Ulfric for making Roggi do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sat back down and gazed up at Sayma, miserable. \u201cThat would be the end of me and Roggi.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure of it.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why, but I\u2019m sure of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a moment of silence. Then Brynjolf cleared his throat and spoke quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it safe to have left Roggi alone with Ulfric?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRed!\u201d Sayma gasped.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it has to be said. They do have this past, and Roggi is\u2026\u201d He trailed off, lifting his hands in a frustrated gesture as he also failed to find the word he wanted.<\/p>\n

Dardeh felt tears welling up in his eyes and blinked them away, angrily. I\u2019ve imagined it more times than you know. Roggi needs to be touched. He responds to being wanted. And Ulfric was important enough to him for him to keep going back even when he was going to be married to Briinda. <\/em><\/p>\n

He tried to speak but found his voice cracking.\u00a0 \u201cI hope so, Bryn. He tells me there\u2019s no need to worry but I see the way Ulfric looks at him when we\u2019re there. If I were to hurt Ulfric by mistake I don\u2019t know what would happen. I\u2026\u00a0 I\u2019m losing my mind.\u00a0 I\u2019m losing my mind.\u00a0 I\u2019m even imagining things that nobody else can see.\u201d<\/p>\n

He told them about Fort Greenwall and the ethereal figure in Dragon Aspect that he alone had seen.\u00a0 \u201cRoggi didn\u2019t even pretend to have seen it.\u00a0 He acted worried about me. I\u2019m losing my mind. Help me?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a long silence in the room as Dardeh looked back and forth between Brynjolf and Sayma.\u00a0 He watched them look at each other, having a silent conversation. But he could not tell what they spoke of in that long glance, not even when Brynjolf nodded.<\/p>\n

Sayma shook her head. \u201cRoggi is not<\/em> going to leave you, Dardeh. And you\u2019re not going to kill Ulfric. But there is something you\u2019re going to do, and you\u2019re going to do it just as soon as I can get myself ready to travel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re taking him to Ben Erai, yes?\u201d Brynjolf asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 She turned to Dardeh and gave him a small smile. \u201cWe knew that eventually you\u2019d end up here. He said you would.\u00a0 We talked to him, Bryn and I, while we were getting the Gray Cowl and he said\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026you must end it,\u201d Brynjolf finished.<\/p>\n

Dardeh felt his scalp tingle, felt the hair on his neck and arms rise.\u00a0 He could almost hear his father\u2019s voice urging him on.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou saw\u2026 our father?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 We saw Jine af-Avik.\u00a0 He told me that I needed to bring you to him. \u2018Son of my son,\u2019 he called you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUetonga do Ueetonga,\u201d <\/em>Dardeh murmured. \u201cJine is alive? He must be ancient.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head. \u201cNo, he\u2019s not. He\u2019s a ghost. He\u2019s tied to the place where his bones lie. Listen, Dar, I don\u2019t know why it\u2019s important to him that he sees you but it is. I have a feeling that he\u2019ll be able to help. I\u2019ll take you to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure? Will it be safe for you to travel?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf laughed. \u201cI can tell you haven\u2019t seen this woman fight recently, lad, or you wouldn\u2019t be worried about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

They smiled at each other, Brynjolf and Sayma, and Dardeh\u2019s heart warmed at the sight. Look at that.<\/em> They truly do love each other. Bryn seems so much more secure than he did, so much happier.\u00a0 I want\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI want that, too,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n

Both Sayma and Brynjolf turned to stare at him, and he felt himself blushing. \u201cI\u2026 I want Roggi and I to be as happy as you two look right now. If going to see Jine will help at all, I think we need to do it. Soon. I don\u2019t want to be the cause of a catastrophe and I\u2019m afraid that I will be if something doesn\u2019t change.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It took Sayma only a few minutes to gather her weapons, and waterskins, and a small amount of food.\u00a0 Dardeh stood by the door as she kissed her husband goodbye, smiling at the sight and wishing that he could be doing the same.\u00a0 Whatever possessed me to leave him?\u00a0 It felt important; it still does, in a way, but I\u2019m worried about what\u2019s happening right now.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cTake care, lad,\u201d Brynjolf told him. \u201cI hope Jine is able to help you.\u201d<\/p>\n

They hired the carriage to Falkreath; and on the way Sayma described the place they would be visiting and how they would get there. Even so, when Sayma cast the spell revealing the portal to Ben Erai, Dardeh felt a bit numb. Even after having stepped through a portal nobody else would ever see \u2013 the portal to Sovngarde \u2013 the idea that his sister could create a link to another place was unsettling.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dardeh followed silently as Sayma led him through the streets of Ben Erai and out onto the first of many dunes they would need to cross.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, here we are,\u201d she said. \u201cHammerfell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh stared out over the empty expanses of sand and stone, and crossed his arms.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s my second trip to the desert,\u201d he murmured. \u201cThe first was when I was looking for you. Never thought I\u2019d see it again.\u201d He chuckled. \u201cAlmost makes me feel like a Redguard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma grinned at him and pointed across the landscape. \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

She broke into the trot that covered ground while conserving stamina. Dardeh followed suit, and laughed.\u00a0 I hope I can keep up with her. I\u2019m only half Redguard.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Part II: The Storm<\/a><\/div>\n
Previous<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At least I don\u2019t have people chasing me, this time. Nobody had been home at Honeyside when Dardeh knocked; at least, nobody answered the door.\u00a0 He remembered the last time he\u2019d been inside, with Roggi and Delvin Mallory, when they were closing in on certainty that Sayma was really his sister Dagnell.\u00a0 It seemed like … <\/p>\n

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