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<\/p>\nDardeh was worried about Roggi.<\/p>\n
He had returned from Riften in a carriage. That at least had been a good idea, in Dardeh\u2019s mind. Roggi, though, was very quiet and subdued, and Dardeh wondered what had happened besides the obvious trappings of a wedding.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re married safely?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Roggi had told him, nodding. \u201cIt was kind of hard to watch, truly, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Dardeh had given him a long hug. \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roggi had smiled down at him. \u201cNo need to be sorry, Dar. You should have seen her. She was gorgeous.\u201d He described the red dress Frina had been married in and how everything had looked. \u201cShe reminded me way too much of Briinda, and that was hard to take. She\u2019s really happy, though.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head. \u201cI hope it\u2019ll be ok. While you were with Sayma in Hammerfell I tried to hint that she shouldn\u2019t get too involved with Ulfric but obviously that didn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. \u00a0It was pretty obvious right from the start that she had eyes for him. When you\u2019re in love with someone you\u2019re in love with him, no matter what anyone else has to say about it.\u201d\u00a0 Dardeh leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. That seemed to bring back the light in Roggi\u2019s eyes a bit.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope they\u2019ll be happy. I did have an interesting little talk with Ulfric, though.\u201d Roggi looked him in the eyes, and as he had done so often Dardeh almost jumped at the darkness in Roggi\u2019s expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n
Roggi smirked, and a cold shiver ran down Dardeh\u2019s back. \u201cYeah. He knows that I\u2019ll be watching and he\u2019d better not do anything to hurt her.\u201d<\/p>\n
The look of satisfaction on Roggi\u2019s face made Dardeh sigh. I wonder if we\u2019ll ever be truly free of our demons, either one of us.\u00a0 At least we have something to do that should take his mind off that.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWell, rest a little bit, love. Then we need to head into town.\u00a0 That Marcus Jannus fellow is waiting for us to come see him at the inn in Falkreath.\u00a0 We might as well go. I need something to do beside chop wood, Roggi, and now that the war is done\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi nodded. \u201cI understand, but I don\u2019t think it really is, Dar. We are just getting a break.\u201d He grabbed Dardeh\u2019s hands and squeezed them. \u201cI don\u2019t need a rest. Let\u2019s go right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n At Dead Man\u2019s Drink, Valga Vinicia directed them to the largest of the rooms when Dardeh asked about a visitor who\u2019d been asking for him. When Dardeh poked his head into the room he turned, raising his eyebrows.\u00a0 He was an older man, mostly gray behind a receding hairline. \u00a0His forehead was heavily lined; his eyes betrayed intelligence and wariness.\u00a0 It looked to Dardeh as though the years had been reasonably good to this man\u2019s purse, at least judging by his clothing.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re Marcus Jannus, yes? I\u2019m Dardeh. You sent a messenger to look for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh bless the Divines you came! Well met, and welcome.\u00a0 We have much to discuss. Will you tell me what happened at Helgen?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh grimaced. \u201cIt\u2019s odd to have someone ask about this after all this time; but I still remember every second of that day. The Imperials captured a Stormcloak patrol led by Ulfric Stormcloak himself, and took me and a horse thief at the border. Slapped all of us into carts and drove us down from Pale Pass to Helgen, and I still don\u2019t understand exactly how that came about. Someone sold Ulfric out. I don\u2019t know who.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head. \u201cAnyway. I actually had my head on the chopping block when Alduin attacked. It was that close. And then the flames.\u201d He shuddered. \u201cIt was ugly. He pretty much destroyed the town.\u201d<\/p>\n Jannus frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you see if anyone else made it out of there? Where are the families, the children?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUlfric made it out, of course, as did General Tullius and Thalmor Ambassador Elenwen, as well as a couple of soldiers that I\u2019m personally aware of. But that was about all, I\u2019m afraid. I slipped back into town the following day to find something they\u2019d taken from me and\u2026 there were a lot of bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n Jannus\u2019 shoulders dropped, as did the hopeful smile he\u2019d had on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cThen it\u2019s as I feared.\u00a0 My brother and his family, lost. Gods damn it all. I had hoped for better news.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh racked his brain for anything that might be remotely positive to say about the dragon attack. There really wasn\u2019t much.<\/p>\n \u201cI did see one couple wandering the road a while after the catastrophe; but frankly, even if your family did survive the dragon attack the bandits probably got them. They\u2019ve been in there every time I\u2019ve passed the place since, and it\u2019s been a long time now. So much has happened since then. I\u2019m really sorry I haven\u2019t anything more hopeful to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I\u2019ve heard the fort is full of them,\u201d Jannus said, nodding. \u201cBut appearances can also be deceiving. If I am right, these are no \u2018bandits\u2019 at all. I have it on good authority there is a man known only as \u2018Val\u2019 inside the keep. He\u2019s the leader of a small group of \u2013 mercenaries, for lack of a better term. Their aim is to kill Thalmor wherever they\u2019re found. That they\u2019ve come out of hiding is beyond mysterious. They\u2019re insurrectionists. A resistance movement, if you will.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi had been quietly standing in the doorway, listening to their conversation.\u00a0 When he spoke up, Dardeh felt a shudder run up his back, for he spoke in the voice of the Inquisitor, one that completely lacked its usual warmth.<\/p>\n \u201cInsurrectionists, eh? And you say that you know this man?\u201d<\/p>\n Jannus apparently also heard the dangerous edge in Roggi\u2019s voice, for he frowned as he turned toward him.<\/p>\n \u201cI do. His name is Valerius Tiberius Artoria. We served together as Captains in the Imperial Legion during the Great War. He was a good man in those days. An honorable man. Then the Aldmeri invaded and murdered his wife, son and daughter in cold blood.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? They murdered his family?\u201d Dardeh was appalled.<\/p>\n Jannus nodded. \u201cThey marched them down the streets of the Imperial City and tortured them until they were dead, right in front of the Imperial Palace itself. They said \u2018Let it be known that any family members of Imperial officers found anywhere else in the province will receive a similar fate.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh watched Roggi shaking his head, staring at the floor. His jaw was visibly tight. Jannus had no way to know Roggi\u2019s background.\u00a0 And of course Roggi knew altogether too well how much most people hated torturers and wasn\u2019t about to reveal his own status as one. Jannus, fortunately, didn\u2019t appear to notice his discomfort.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were many such atrocities committed by those wretched maggots within those walls, and even more unspeakable tragedies in the rest of Cyrodiil. We were under orders to flee the city for Skyrim when they invaded. We left our people and our families defenseless. Most did not survive. The few that did make it out of there were scattered as refugees throughout the rest of the Province. The plan was to regroup here in Skyrim, rest and resupply our forces, and return to the Imperial City to retake it. That took almost a year. Surely you know the history?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly vaguely. What happened to the city?\u201d<\/p>\n Jannus shrugged. \u201cWhen we finally returned to the city there wasn\u2019t much left. We split our forces and I led the charge from the southern Waterfront District, while Valerius attacked from the west. \u2018March right down to the main gate and knock on the door,\u2019 he said! The man had guts, that\u2019s for sure. After we retook the city, though, he started to change.\u00a0 He knew his family was gone, but when he learned they were tortured in the streets\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Jannus slashed his hands through the air in a frustrated gesture. \u201cHe went mad and vowed to avenge their deaths. He started conducting covert operations that were unknown even to me, his closest friend. He took a handful of his most loyal men and began assassinating Aldmeri officers and diplomats wherever he could find them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh,\u201d Roggi muttered. He was frowning, seemingly staring off into the distance.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat, Roggi?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wonder if that\u2019s where Perdeti got that last contract of his.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor Ondolemar?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. I knew there were people desperately dedicated to taking out the Thalmor, both inside the various military groups and outside them. It would make sense that someone would have contacted the Man in the Mask.\u201d\u00a0 His voice was quiet, contemplative. \u201cNot that it matters, but it\u2019s interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t know,\u201d Jannus said. \u201cValerius did some of the killings himself, and got his men to do others. Of course all of this, the attack we did, was without knowledge or consent from our commanders. When they were caught \u2013 and it was almost inevitable that they would be – well, let\u2019s just say justice was swift. But the Aldmeri feared making a martyr out of him, as they knew the people were aware of his family\u2019s torture and murder.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is Valerius you\u2019re talking about, right?\u201d Dardeh said. \u201cWell, they obviously didn\u2019t execute him if he\u2019s holed up in Helgen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, but under pressure from the Thalmor, Titus locked him and his men away in the Imperial Prison intending it to be for the rest of their lives. Soon after, I decided my service had come to its end and retired from the Legion. But you don\u2019t get to be a Captain and not accumulate a few favors.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi spoke up again. \u201cLet me guess, you helped him escape from the prison?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, yes and no. I wasn\u2019t actually involved in the operation. But a young lieutenant who served under me was stationed there after I retired. He found an ancient passage out of the prison that had long been forgotten about. We always heard the stories about it from ages ago, but none of us believed they were true. But Lt. Buckingsly found the passage! Buckingsly slipped a key into Valerius\u2019 cell and created a diversion which bought Val enough time to escape under cover of a storm one night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo what happened to Valerius?\u201d Dardeh asked. \u201cWhat about his men?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey went straight to Hammerfell to join the Redguard rebellion against the Aldmeri Dominion. It was rumored a brotherhood calling itself \u2018The Keepers of Hattu\u2019 was formed after the signing of the Second Treaty of Stros M\u2019Kai. Most people passed these rumors off as baseless gossip. But the name \u2018Hattu\u2019 always intrigued me. Hattu was the mountain where the Redguard hero Frandar Hunding and his Sword-Singers made their final stand against the Armies of Hira. It was a bloody battle in their history, but their victory led them to a new land they named Hammerfell which began the modern day Redguard society.\u201d<\/p>\n Jannus looked at Dardeh and flushed.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m\u2026 sorry, I shouldn\u2019t be telling you about Redguard history.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh grinned. \u201cIt\u2019s fine. I\u2019m only half Redguard, and I don\u2019t know that much of the history because I was raised Nord. I\u2019m used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood, I don\u2019t feel so embarrassed then. The name is a metaphor, meant to imply a final stand, much the same as the one Frandar made at Hattu Mountain. \u00a0This brotherhood was made of all races, all united in a singular cause under the banner of the Hammer and Anvil.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe cause being to defeat the Thalmor, yes?\u201d\u00a0 Dardeh noticed Roggi nodding vigorously off to his side.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I see you\u2019ve been listening. Not only defeat them, though. That would not be enough. But to cleanse<\/em> Tamriel of the Thalmor and their racist Aldmeri Dominion forever.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA fairly extreme position, in other words.\u00a0 Alright. So what makes you think the Valerius you knew is the same person involved with this group?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, interesting isn\u2019t it? I\u2019ve heard the name Valerius Artoria associated with them on more than one occasion.\u00a0 First, who better to lead such an organization than someone as skilled in warfare as he? Second, who better to intimidate your enemy than a legend well known as an assassin of their kind, even if he were dead? And if he is still alive and his men still serve with him it seems logical that they would return to Skyrim along with the Thalmor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm. And who better to enhance a legend than another one, one of the most infamous assassins of our time?\u201d Roggi said quietly.\u00a0 When he noticed Dardeh staring at him, he looked up and grinned. \u201cSorry to interrupt. It\u2019s just one of those things that keeps working at my mind. Who put the contract on Ondolemar? Because after him the next logical target would have been the Embassy and Hers Truly. We might have had a chance of being rid of her.\u201d\u00a0 He waved his hand. \u201cSorry. Don\u2019t pay any attention to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh looked at Jannus\u2019 confused expression and smiled. \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it. We knew someone who\u2026 died recently, and the circumstances surrounding it are still a bit of a mystery. And neither of us is a friend to the Thalmor. We\u2019re both guilty of a little wishful thinking on that front. At any rate, what exactly does all of this have to do with me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI need you to go try and talk to Valerius.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAgain \u2013 why me? Why not you? You\u2019re the one who knows him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause you\u2019re the Dragonborn. You\u2019re someone who commands respect just by virtue of existing, and also because you survived Helgen. I\u2019m someone who, after all this time, he might reasonably be suspicious of because I know too much. Reason with him; tell him Marcus Jannus requests a meeting with him. Tell him I\u2019ll come to the fort alone \u2013 present company excluded, of course. Give this ring to him. It was his wife\u2019s wedding band. If any of his men try to accost you, show it to them and tell them it is a gesture of good will from me. They\u2019ll give you quarter if they know I sent you. Tell them Marcus Jannus sent you to see Valerius Tiberius Artoria on urgent business. Show them this note with my seal, but tell them it is for Valerius \u2013 his eyes only.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh glanced at Roggi, whose eyes were unreadable. Then Dardeh turned back to Jannus.<\/p>\n \u201cGive me just a moment if you would.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh stepped closer to Roggi and whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it could easily turn out to be some kind of trap, Dar. The whole thing smells of Thalmor to me, but I\u2019m not convinced that I understand how, exactly. I don\u2019t know if Elenwen\u2019s goons are going to be waiting for you at Helgen or whether we\u2019re going to end up being the heroes after all.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI want to at least do this much for him. He made a pretty public spectacle of looking for me and that doesn\u2019t feel like something someone would do if he meant to kill me or sell us out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a very good point.\u00a0 OK, Dar. Let\u2019s do it. But we\u2019re leaving if it seems fishy once we get there, understand me?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh squeezed Roggi\u2019s hand and smiled. \u201cThank you. I knew I could count on you being with me.\u201d<\/p>\n He returned to stand before Jannus and nodded. \u201cAlright. Give me the note and the ring. We\u2019ll head up to Helgen and see what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExcellent. Please return to me as soon as you can. I will prepare to leave and be ready to go when you return. Make haste young one, and may fortune favor the foolish.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh laughed. \u201cYoung one, is it? That\u2019s great. Are we foolish?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, here\u2019s hoping that we aren\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n __<\/p>\n They ran up the slope toward the western gate of Helgen which was, much to Dardeh\u2019s surprise, actually a gate once more.\u00a0 What had been just an open gap in the curtain walls for the entire time he\u2019d known the place now sported a massive double door, built in a stockade style and looking very solid indeed.\u00a0 Dardeh pulled on the handle, then pushed the gate, and realized that it must be barred from the inside.<\/p>\n \u201cGuess we\u2019re going around the long way,\u201d Roggi said.<\/p>\n \u201cYes. Whoever is inside this time knows how to build up defenses. Interesting. The last few times we\u2019ve come past there have been bandits in there, but they never bothered to shore up the place at all. Maybe there\u2019s something to what Jannus said.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go find out.\u201d<\/p>\n It was a fairly good run to circle around the base of the hill that held the former town of Helgen and its Imperial keep. Dardeh couldn\u2019t help but shudder a bit as they passed the dark opening of the keep\u2019s underground cavern. He remembered altogether too clearly emerging from that opening alongside Ralof, wearing a borrowed Stormcloak cuirass, trying to duck out of sight as Alduin the World-Eater passed over them on his way to the east. It had been a day much like this one, even: bright, sunny, and deceptively peaceful everywhere except inside Helgen itself.<\/p>\n Never could have imagined on that day that I\u2019d end up killing that big dragon. Or having so many of them become a part of me. I wish I\u2019d had my power then. Maybe I could have saved this town, or some of its people.<\/em><\/p>\n The southern gate of Helgen stood open, as it had from time to time during the intervening period since that fateful day when Alduin had returned.\u00a0 To Dardeh, that felt like a good sign. Always before, the bandits that had squatted in the keep had closed and locked the two remaining gates, here and at the eastern crossroads, leaving only the open western gap to defend.<\/p>\n They slowed to a walk and moved up the slope toward the blackened bones of what once had been the homes of Helgen’s residents. Not more than a few moments had passed when a group of four men, all brandishing weapons, ran toward them from the grounds of the keep proper. The first of them was an older man, balding, but powerfully built and holding a massive warhammer at the ready.<\/p>\n \u201cStop right there!\u201d he shouted, slowing to a stop himself just a few paces away from Dardeh.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t even think about moving.\u00a0 You see my friends coming? They won\u2019t hesitate to kill you if you so much as breathe funny.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh heard Roggi\u2019s sword sliding out of its sheath and shook his head without breaking his gaze with the older man before him.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Roggi. It\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi harrumphed, but Dardeh heard him re-sheathing his sword.<\/p>\n \u201cNow,\u201d the man before them growled, \u201cwho are you and what is the meaning of this intrusion?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh looked the men over.\u00a0 All of them were wearing mismatched armor of the types bandits usually favored; but unlike bandits, who wore whatever they could find, this armor fit them well and was in decent repair.\u00a0 These were seasoned veterans who knew that it was important for armor to fit well even if it was meant as a disguise.<\/p>\n Dardeh grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cThat whole \u2018bandit\u2019 thing works well for you. Great disguises! Or at least they would be if I hadn\u2019t cleaned at least two other groups of bandits out of this place since Alduin trashed it. I know bandits when I see them. You aren\u2019t bandits.\u201d\u00a0 He heard Roggi\u2019s snicker from behind him and grinned more.<\/p>\n The man\u2019s brows nearly met in the middle with his frown.<\/p>\n \u201cA funny guy, eh? How funny would it be if we gut you like a horker?\u201d<\/p>\n The way the man said \u2018horker\u2019 reinforced Dardeh\u2019s opinion. It was a refined accent, not one belonging to an uneducated bandit.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, I meant no offense. Listen, I have an urgent message for Valerius. I know he is here, and I need to see him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNever heard of him. You are mistaken. There is nobody by that name here. Be on your way. We don\u2019t want to hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you\u2019re not a bandit, and neither am I.\u00a0 Marcus Jannus sent me, and I need to get this message to Valerius.\u201d<\/p>\n The man frowned again, but Dardeh was certain he\u2019d seen a flicker of something pass across his face for just a moment.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t know him either. You are mistaken.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome on. This is getting tiresome.\u201d\u00a0 Dardeh\u2019s temper was beginning to fray just a bit, and he felt his temperature rising.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know who you are, stranger, or what you want, but I advise you to choose your words very carefully from here on out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI might say the same to you. You\u2019re at the very least an officer of some degree, and possibly a former noble of some sort. And I\u2019m the Dra\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDar.\u201d \u00a0Roggi\u2019s calm tones made Dardeh stop, and breathe, and settle his internal flames back into their usual place.<\/p>\n \u201cYes. You\u2019re right. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d\u00a0 He held the ring and the note out in the palm of one hand. \u201cLook. I have Valerius\u2019 wife\u2019s wedding ring. A gift from Marcus Jannus.\u00a0 I also have a note here that\u2019s for Valerius\u2019 eyes only; you\u2019ll see that it\u2019s still sealed. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s in it and you won\u2019t either, but you can see that it\u2019s addressed to him and written in Marcus\u2019 hand, and since I\u2019m certain you know both of them I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll recognize it.\u201d<\/p>\n The man took one step closer, without lowering his weapon, and looked at the items in Dardeh\u2019s outstretched hand.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me see that. Hmm.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh spent the next moment or two trying not to laugh as the man tried to cover his own embarrassment.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you say Marcus Jannus? <\/em>From the war, Marcus Jannus? Why didn\u2019t you say so? Very well. I will take you inside, but remember, all of us have our eyes on you. If you try and start trouble, it\u2019ll be the last trouble you ever start.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi barked out one sharp burst of laughter.\u00a0 Really. He has no idea who he\u2019s addressing.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cLead on.\u201d<\/p>\n The older man turned and trotted into the familiar space before Helgen Keep, with Dardeh and Roggi following.\u00a0 The three additional soldiers \u2013 for Dardeh had no illusions that these were anyone but Valerius\u2019 former Imperial troops \u2013 closed in behind them.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t worry him in any way.\u00a0 He could easily turn and clear a path through them with flames should it turn out that he was wrong about their identities.<\/p>\n As they entered the keep, a middle-aged man wearing steel plate rose from his chair next to a small table on the opposite side of the circular space. Dardeh cringed. It had been just there, beside the small table, where he and Ralof had found the body of Ralof\u2019s friend, the man whose armor and axe Dardeh had been forced to use in order to make his escape from this place.<\/p>\n Even after all this time. Even after helping Ulfric to win his war. It still bothers me. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBalfring!\u201d the man snapped in the tones of a commanding officer. \u201cWho is this person and why have you brought them here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe has an urgent message for you from Marcus Jannus. There were only these two men. I thought you would want to talk to him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Marcus Jannus? Balfring, have you gone completely mad? That\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought the same thing, sir, but it\u2019s true. He showed me a letter to you with Marcus\u2019 seal. \u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh smiled to himself. \u2018Sir.\u2019 Balfring, you\u2019re not a very good actor but it seems that you are a very good soldier.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAnd sir,\u201d Balfring continued, \u201csomehow Marcus has found Sabrina\u2019s wedding ring and sent it to you.\u201d<\/p>\n It seemed to Dardeh that the man who could only be Valerius blanched a bit as he turned to face Dardeh.<\/p>\n \u201cVery well,\u201d he said, scanning Dardeh from top to bottom and then looking Roggi over as well. \u201cBalfring, you are dismissed,\u201d he said. \u201cAll of you may return to your patrols.\u201d<\/p>\n Not even going to attempt the bandit bit any more, eh? Good to be done with that.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir,\u201d Balfring said.\u00a0 He left the area, and the three others sheathed their weapons and followed suit.\u00a0 Valerius stepped closer to Dardeh and narrowed his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know who you are or why you\u2019re here, so you\u2019d better have some good answers to my questions.\u00a0 May I see that ring?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh nodded. \u201cOf course. It does belong to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Valerius took the ring and turned it over and over in his hand, and the expression on his face was unmistakable.\u00a0 Dardeh glanced at Roggi, whose gaze was riveted on Valerius; and his heart broke a little bit. Only someone who had lost a spouse could ever share in the exquisite pain of that loss. Dardeh could see it on both their faces.\u00a0 If he\u2019d had even the tiniest doubt that this was Valerius Artoria, it was gone in that moment.<\/p>\n Valerius sighed and looked up at Dardeh. \u201cYou say you were sent by Marcus Jannus? Where is he now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s in Falkreath, waiting for us to return and hoping you\u2019ll allow us to bring him here to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know how he came to have this ring?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I don\u2019t. But I am very sorry for the loss of your family.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd so am I,\u201d Roggi murmured.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you. I loved them very deeply. I \u2026 nearly went mad after they were murdered by those Aldmeri dogs. I wanted nothing but vengeance. Every day of my life has burned with nothing but the desire to make them pay for those murders.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI understand,\u201d Roggi said, so quietly that Dardeh wasn\u2019t completely sure Valerius had heard him.\u00a0 Dardeh looked at him, seated next to the wall, staring at the floor, his arms wound about himself. He had to fight the urge to gather up his husband and hold him near; but this was neither the time nor the place for that.<\/p>\n \u201cBut enough of that,\u201d Valerius continued after clearing his throat. \u201cLet\u2019s see this letter you brought.\u201d\u00a0 He broke the seal and started reading, a smile slowly taking his mouth. At last he chuckled. \u201cYes. Ha ha! Marcus Jannus, it\u2019s certainly you alright. But what do you want with me?\u201d\u00a0 He looked up at Dardeh. \u201cTell me, how has he found me here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe heard a bandit named Val had taken over the fort and it seemed to him the sort of thing you might have done, especially since the Thalmor moved north into Skyrim as the civil war heated up.\u201d<\/p>\n Valerius grinned. \u201cVery clever, that one; always was. Bandits! Ha. Well, that\u2019s not far from what we\u2019ve become, to speak the truth. It made for an easy ruse. Living our lives in the shadows like caged skeevers.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi rose and approached them. \u201cJannus told us that you are an honorable man, having served with distinction in the Great War. I served myself, although much later \u2013 and I am sure he wouldn\u2019t say such a thing lightly.\u201d<\/p>\n Valerius swapped a quick glance with Roggi and grimaced. \u201cHonor? Bah. Any honor I had died with the first Aldmeri diplomat I assassinated. I\u2019m not the same man he knew.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi looked him over for a moment, and then slowly shook his head. \u201cI\u2019ve served under men your age who were also in the Great War. There are\u2026 many ways that a man may demonstrate service, or honor. Not all of them are immediately obvious to outsiders, and yet they are no less honorable.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh felt as though someone had driven a knife into him.\u00a0 I\u2019m so sorry, my love. I\u2019m so sorry that he made you do those things, that he thought it was necessary for you to do those things. I\u2019m sorry that you need to keep convincing yourself, after all this time, that you are a good person. You are. You were and are a good and kind and honorable man and you did what you thought your king required.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d Valerius said with a smirk, \u201cno doubt he\u2019s filled your heads with tales of glory from the war and stories of the Keepers of Hattu. Sadly, that man no longer exists.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd neither does the miner from Markarth who escaped from this place the day Alduin fired it, Valerius,\u201d Dardeh said quietly. \u201cTime and events change all of us, but they do not change what we once were.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis hatred has consumed me. Taken my life,\u201d he answered quietly. \u201cIt\u2019s true that I\u2019d still be rotting in that damned prison in the Imperial City if not for Marcus but\u2026 now I\u2019m just rotting here, instead. And rot is, nonetheless, still rot. The only difference, really, is where and how the rotting happens.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat doesn\u2019t have to be the case,\u201d Roggi said, his voice soft and heavy with emotion that Dardeh recognized, but Valerius probably wouldn\u2019t. \u201cPeople can continue to change even when it seems they\u2019ve nowhere else to go in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh\u2019s eyes were threatening to tear up, as they so often did to his dismay. He shook his head and tried to make his voice as matter-of-fact as he could manage.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that is precisely why you should let us bring Jannus to see you. Perhaps he can help. I don\u2019t know what he has in mind, or why he thought he needed the Dragonborn to deliver the message, but I\u2019m sure there\u2019s a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you are in fact the Dragonborn?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Dardeh said, grinning. \u201cI\u2019d show you but I can see that you\u2019ve already put a lot of work into this place and, well, one dragon burning it nearly to the ground is probably enough, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe would, too, the showoff,\u201d Roggi muttered, drawing a laugh from Valerius.<\/p>\n \u201cWell alright. I\u2019m sure that once he sees what I\u2019ve become he\u2019ll be off again soon enough but go tell him I\u2019ll meet with him. If nothing else we\u2019ll get to say our proper goodbyes to one another. We never got to do that before.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh found himself giving the man a little half-bow as a salute. Not so many years ago they would have been on opposite sides of a field of battle, but there was something about the man that spoke to him. If nothing else he recognized his own weaknesses.<\/p>\n He gestured for Roggi to follow him, and they left the keep and made their way back out the gate of Helgen.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s never going to go away, you know?\u201d he said after they\u2019d been walking for a few minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Roggi answered quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cI was talking about having Alduin attack here. I\u2019ve never been so terrified, not even in Skuldafn when I thought I would never see you again. It\u2019ll never go away, not completely.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t thinking about that,\u201d Roggi murmured.<\/p>\n Dardeh glanced at him. He was staring straight ahead, his gaze sweeping the road for hazards; but Dardeh knew he wasn\u2019t really thinking about the road, either.<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Dardeh was worried about Roggi. He had returned from Riften in a carriage. That at least had been a good idea, in Dardeh\u2019s mind. Roggi, though, was very quiet and subdued, and Dardeh wondered what had happened besides the obvious trappings of a wedding. \u201cThey\u2019re married safely?\u201d \u201cYeah,\u201d Roggi had told him, nodding. \u201cIt was … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/5-1-2-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart I: Modulation<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"