His thoughts stopped short as he saw Dardeh\u2019s face from across the room.\u00a0 Dardeh looked up at Roggi\u2019s entrance and pushed himself up out of the chair, slowly and painfully.<\/p>\n
Uh-oh. Something\u2019s wrong.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDar?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you get the lumber situation taken care of?\u201d\u00a0 Dardeh\u2019s voice was flat, and somewhat weak to Roggi\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah I did,\u201d he said, slipping out of his armor and tossing it onto the chest beside him. He sat down and waited as Dardeh approached. \u201cThey\u2019ll start getting lumber tomorrow. At a discount. And, uh\u2026 I\u2019m the new grand champion or something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh smiled wanly. \u201cThat\u2019s great. I knew you could do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi took Dardeh\u2019s hands. He could feel the tension running through him just by that slight touch.\u00a0 He looked into Dardeh\u2019s eyes and saw a mix of emotions \u2013 confusion, anger, regret\u2026 but mostly pain.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s happened, Dar? Was it the dragon?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh\u2019s eyes filled with moisture. He shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was no dragon, Roggi. Rayya\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?<\/em> No dragon? Then why\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi\u2019s emotions ran wild: first he was shocked. Then he was excited.<\/p>\n Gone? She\u2019s gone? I never have to worry about her again?<\/em><\/p>\n Then he felt himself flushing with guilt.<\/p>\n How can I possibly be thinking such a thing? That\u2019s awful.<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2026 can be thinking such a thing because I just don\u2019t want to lose Dar. It took me so long to realize that I needed him to be mine. She was threatening that. I know she was. I\u2019ve never trusted her, not for an instant.<\/em><\/p>\n He took just a moment to compose himself. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh told him the whole story.\u00a0 Roggi was angry, and concerned once more about the fact that vampires were after Dardeh. But looking at the agony on Dardeh\u2019s face was the worst of all.<\/p>\n \u201cYou couldn\u2019t help what happened, Dar. It wasn\u2019t your fault. You were trying to help with a dragon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I killed her, Roggi. I did. Myself.\u00a0 If I hadn\u2019t Shouted so fast\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, love.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled at Dardeh. \u201cYou were up against vampires. Fire is the thing they\u2019re the most vulnerable to. You did the right thing.\u201d Another thought occurred to him. \u201cYou know, if she was a thrall as you say, nothing would ever have changed that. You would have been in danger from now until\u2026 the end. And what if something had happened to one of the girls, or Lydia? You\u2019d feel\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d feel like dying,\u201d Dardeh rumbled, staring at the floor. \u201cJust like I do now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Dar. You can\u2019t do that. You can\u2019t leave me alone.\u201d He did his best to smile. \u201cBecause there\u2019s nobody alive out there who wants the Inquisitor coming for them with nobody to hold him back.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh almost managed a smirk \u2013 almost, but not quite. \u201cThe Inquisitor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d he said, feeling that little curl of excitement in his gut once more, \u201cthey needed a name to call me. You know, to get people to wager on me. It seemed like the obvious choice.\u201d<\/p>\n It was Dardeh\u2019s turn to look concerned. \u201cRoggi, no. Really?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. You should have seen me, Dar. I was really good. And don\u2019t worry, it didn\u2019t involve any kind of torture. Just battles.\u201d Except for that one moment. I could have put him out of his misery right then, ended it quickly. But those screams\u2026 they were so \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n Dardeh pulled him up off the chest and gathered him close. \u201cI think we need each other, Roggi.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi inhaled Dardeh\u2019s scent, and the curl of excitement grew stronger. \u201cMmm. You know it. Always.\u201d He kissed Dardeh\u2019s neck, and got the satisfaction of hearing the low rumble of a moan.<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi. Be serious.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I am.\u201d\u00a0 He pulled himself back, though, sensing that Dardeh needed time. \u201cBut what I\u2019m concerned about most is who or what is behind all these vampire attacks on you, Dar.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh nodded. \u201cI agree. I didn\u2019t want to believe it, but someone enthralled Rayya because she was close to me. I don\u2019t know why, but I\u2019m beginning to believe that we need to figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n Not nearly as close as she would have liked. I know you believe I\u2019m the only one for you, love of my life. And it may be that life treats us that way after all. But if she hadn\u2019t died, you might have been tempted to give Rayya a go, the way things happened with me and Ulfric. And you would have been so confused, just like I was. That\u2019s what I think. I\u2019m glad she\u2019s dead. I guess that makes me a lousy person.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDid you get a good look at the vampire?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. I think he was a Breton. Close-shaved hair. There was someone else there, too, back in the shadows. I\u2019d know the voice if I heard it again, I think.\u201d He shook his head. \u201cWhy do people keep dying because of me, Roggi?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi shook his head. \u201cIt\u2019s not because of you, Dardeh. It\u2019s because of what people think <\/em>you are. What they think you can give them. It\u2019s not your fault that people are greedy.\u201d\u00a0 He took Dardeh\u2019s hand and pulled him toward the stairs. \u201cCome on. We need to get back up to Helgen, but I think we need some rest first. You look like death warmed over right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh still looked miserable, but he nodded. \u201cYeah. And if I keep worrying about it I won\u2019t be of any use to anyone else. But it\u2019s just like it was when I came back from Solstheim and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi stopped him with a kiss, and could feel Dardeh responding to him.<\/p>\n That\u2019s my boy.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s not revisit all of that,\u201d he said when they were done. \u201cWe have enough else to take care of. Let\u2019s go get some rest.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n By the time they made it to Helgen, piles of freshly-sawn lumber were already dotting various spots in the keep\u2019s yard.\u00a0 There were workers hammering away at the standing buildings, tearing out wood that was beyond salvaging while checking to see which pieces might still be useful with just a bit of planing or sanding. Dardeh grinned at Roggi.<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like all your fighting paid off. Finally, some real progress!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTold you, nobody wants the Inquisitor after them,\u201d Roggi chuckled. \u201cI\u2019m glad to see it all worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh smiled at him again. Roggi had managed to distract him from letting his grief get the better of him.\u00a0 Now he felt primarily irritation at the situation and a burning desire to find out who had been behind putting them into it, and why.<\/p>\n They found Marcus Jannus down in the kitchen.\u00a0 Roggi pulled the papers he\u2019d collected out of his pack and handed them over.<\/p>\n \u201cThe business with Reinhardt has been settled. He\u2019s sent new discounted contracts. Here you go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Discounted contracts? What happened?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi cleared his throat. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit of a long story, but the first lumber shipments have already arrived, judging from the work happening outside.\u201d<\/p>\n Marcus laughed. \u201cLong, maybe so, but I\u2019ll bet it will make for quite a tale to tell your grandchildren around the campfire some day.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh smiled at the twinkle that appeared in Roggi\u2019s eyes at that remark. He marveled once more that his life had turned out the way it had; that instead of being alone in the world as he had thought he would be just a couple of years before, he had a family brought together by choice and by love, if not by blood.<\/p>\n Yes. Maybe we will have grandchildren someday.\u00a0 That really would be something, wouldn\u2019t it?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWell done,\u201d Marcus said. \u201cNow we can get that old inn finished and start on the rest of the town! You\u2019ve worked yourself out of a job with me, and you have my thanks. But\u2026 I believe Valerius has information for both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh swapped glances with Roggi yet again. Roggi was, this time, the one whose brow was drawn down into a deep frown. They returned up the spiral staircase and were crossing the main hall of the keep when Valerius himself appeared from the other doorway.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wanted to see us?\u201d Dardeh said.<\/p>\n \u201cYes. I wanted to be absolutely certain before I spoke with you, but it\u2019s been confirmed by my sources. There is indeed a slavery network in operation here in Skyrim, and all clues point to my old nemesis Aerandil as its chief operator.\u201d<\/p>\n Behind him, Dardeh heard Roggi make a sound that reminded him of a wolf growling. He himself felt the embers that were always smoldering inside him begin to grow hotter.\u00a0 Slavery.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThey are capturing citizens, whole families and even their children and selling them as slaves. I\u2019m afraid only the gods know what is happening to those poor souls after that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat can we do to help?\u201d Dardeh said, not bothering to check with Roggi. He knew they would do whatever they were asked to do, particularly having heard the story of what had happened to Valerius\u2019 own family.<\/p>\n \u201cAerandil has certainly covered his tracks well, so we have little if anything to go on. All we know is that he specifically requested a transfer here, to be assigned overseer of all prison operations in Skyrim. Fortunately for us, one of their guards had loose lips at precisely the right moment. And you may remember Korst saying he spoke of his relationship with some whore at the Tall Mast Tavern? I know it\u2019s not much, but perhaps she can provide us with something else to investigate. Could you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSee what we can get out of her? Sure. Where is this place?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot too far west of Fort Snowhawk. I assume you know the place?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi snorted. \u201cThe fort? Altogether too well. That was a night I\u2019d just as soon forget.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWant to sit this one out, Roggi?\u201d Dardeh asked. After all, Roggi had just been involved in several substantial physical battles, and he hadn\u2019t. He could surely take a break if the task simply involved talking to people in a tavern.<\/p>\n \u201cNot on your life,\u201d Roggi laughed. \u201cLetting you into a whorehouse without supervision? Not happening.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh felt himself flushing. \u201cRoggi. Good grief!\u201d <\/em>he hissed.<\/p>\n Roggi grinned at him. \u201cCome on. Let\u2019s get going.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n It was dark when they approached the Tall Mast Tavern. It was, as Valerius had said, not too terribly far west down the road from Fort Snowhawk. It was a fairly good-sized building, and when they stepped inside Dardeh noted that it was reasonably well-kept and the size of the Jarl\u2019s longhouse in Falkreath.\u00a0 Dardeh greeted one or two men seated in nicely-appointed alcoves, but knew he was looking for a woman, so didn\u2019t spend time in conversation.\u00a0 As he reached the far end of the room a woman wearing a very revealing robe stepped out of a side room, looked him over carefully, and made her way toward the fireplace.<\/p>\n Great. This must be the one.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cUm, excuse me,\u201d he said, walking up behind her.\u00a0 When she turned to face him, his mouth dropped open; her robe was barely fastened in the front, open all the way to her navel.\u00a0 She wore no shoes, and her legs were bare as well. She was very pretty, to be sure, if one could manage to focus his attention on her face, and he fought to do just that.<\/p>\n All she needs to do is move suddenly, and\u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n He looked around for Roggi, for morale support, but couldn\u2019t see him anywhere.<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cUm\u2026 oh. I\u2019m looking for a high elf named Aerandil. I was told he might have, uh\u2026 spent some time here. Do you know where I might find him?\u201d<\/p>\n The woman crossed her arms and looked him up and down, very carefully. There wasn\u2019t a single question in his mind as to what she was thinking, and he swallowed hard.<\/p>\n Gods help me, I hope I\u2019m in the shadows. I must be the color of a Mythic Dawn banner.<\/em><\/p>\n She smirked. \u201cWell, handsome, my name is Dianna, and I only provide one kind of service here. And information? Ain\u2019t it. Besides, I never kiss and tell. What you see is what you get with me, sugar.\u201d<\/p>\n Well I certainly can see what I\u2019d be getting if I was interested in that kind of thing. By Talos, where did Roggi go?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSo,\u201d Dianna continued, \u201cif you\u2019re not interested in my \u2013 company \u2013 I suggest you go to the bar and leave me be.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh wasn\u2019t one to panic, generally speaking, but he\u2019d never really sought out the company of street women before and he had no idea how to approach the problem.\u00a0 He could feel his pulse racing, and not in a pleasant way.<\/p>\n \u201cUh, I have to\u2026 um\u2026 one moment.\u00a0 I\u2019ll\u2026 uh\u2026 come see you in a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSuit yourself, honey,\u201d she said with a smirk, clearly amused by his state of discomfiture.<\/p>\n Dardeh looked around the room, frantically, and breathed a sigh of relief as Roggi came striding down the stairs from the second floor.\u00a0 He practically bolted in Roggi\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere were<\/em> you?\u201d he hissed. \u201cI need help!\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi looked past his shoulder. Dardeh saw the moment when Roggi spotted Dianna, and recognized the appreciation in his gaze. He looked at her for what Dardeh considered maybe a moment or two too long and then turned back to face him.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, uh, what help do you need, exactly?\u201d Roggi said, grinning. \u201cShe took a liking to you, did she?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi! It\u2019s not funny! By the Nine, she\u2019s the one we need information from and she says that\u2026 uh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi crossed his arms and grinned, his eyes twinkling. \u201cLet me guess. She\u2019d rather have your company? Girl\u2019s got good taste, I\u2019d say. After all, Dar, you are a pretty fine specimen. I can\u2019t imagine why anyone would turn down a chance to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi.\u201d\u00a0 Dardeh grabbed his husband by the upper arms. \u201cFocus for just a second, would you? I mean, I know how much you enjoy\u2026 this,\u201d he said, waving at himself and lowering his voice to a harsh whisper. \u201cBut I\u2019ve never been with a woman who works at a brothel. Or any other woman, for that matter. Not happening. I need help<\/em>. How can I get her to talk?\u201d<\/p>\n The grin still didn\u2019t leave Roggi\u2019s face. \u201cAnd you think I\u2019m the experienced one, do you? Well, all right, Dar, if that\u2019s what it takes\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He made as if to move toward Dianna, and Dardeh froze for just a moment. Then he gripped Roggi even harder.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi laughed. He reached up and caressed Dardeh\u2019s face for just a moment. \u201cNo, I wouldn\u2019t. I wouldn\u2019t do that to you, Dar. But what I can tell you is I\u2019ve never known a woman in her line of work who didn\u2019t like the looks of a nice, fat\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cROGGI<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCoin purse, Dar. A nice, fat, coin purse full of septims.\u201d\u00a0 Roggi reached into his pack and pulled out just such a coin purse. \u201cHere. Compliments of the Inquisitor. I, uh\u2026 made back the payment for the lumber and then some. See if this might not loosen her lips a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh took the coin purse and glowered at his husband. \u201cLoosen her lips. I\u2019m going to have things to say to you with mine, later on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne can only hope,\u201d Roggi said, waggling his eyebrows.<\/p>\n \u201cBy the Nine. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s gotten into you but\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Dardeh stopped and grinned at Roggi. \u201cI think I like it.\u201d<\/p>\n He was still blushing as he turned to find Dianna ogling him from across the room.\u00a0 He took a long, deep breath to steady himself and started in her direction.<\/p>\n By the gods, what is my problem? It\u2019s not as though I\u2019ve never had a woman come on to me before.\u00a0 I can handle this.\u00a0 <\/em>Then he chuckled. And then Roggi\u2019s making it up to me later on.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDianna,\u201d he said as he got near enough to be heard.<\/p>\n \u201cHandsome,\u201d she smiled, taking a particularly provocative pose.<\/p>\n \u201cWould approximately,\u201d he paused and opened up the coin purse, peering inside it and jiggling it a bit to generate a nice sound, \u201coh about fifteen hundred septims make it easier for you to share some information?\u201d<\/p>\n He glanced back up to see a decided glint in the woman\u2019s eyes, and smiled again.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, baby,\u201d she said, \u201cif you\u2019re feeling that generous \u2013 maybe I know a little. But I was hoping to get to know a handsome man like you a little better. That lean body, and those muscles\u2026 such a pity. I\u2019d even spend some time with you<\/em> for free some day.\u201d<\/p>\n Movement caught Dardeh\u2019s eye. Roggi had slipped into the bar behind them, apparently while Dar had been looking at the coin purse; he stepped out into the area and grinned again just as Dianna offered her assessment of Dardeh\u2019s form.\u00a0 Dardeh looked at him and grinned back.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m flattered. Thank you. But you see that<\/em> handsome man over there?\u201d He nodded his head toward Roggi. \u201cThat\u2019s my husband. I\u2019ll hand you this coin purse and it\u2019ll be easier on your back than working for it would be. Just tell me what you know about Aerandil.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I know about him? Nothing much. He\u2019s been here to see me a time or two. Not very \u2013 uh \u2013 impressive, if you ask me. But that\u2019s another story. All I really know is that another one of the girls said that someone else came in here looking for him, yesterday. She said he sure did his share of talking \u2013 he was more a limp sail than a tall mast, if you get my drift. He said his name was Maenen.\u00a0 Anyway, he said he\u2019d be taking a ship out of Solitude back home soon. For all I know, he might still be there.\u201d\u00a0 She gave Dardeh one more sultry look, and then sighed in apparent disappointment. \u201cNow, if you don\u2019t need me for anything else, I have customers to take care of.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s\u2026 all I needed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMmmm,\u201d she said, winking at him and turning for the doorway to the bar. \u201cThat\u2019s a pity, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks for the information. And the compliment. I appreciate it,\u201d he said, watching for a moment as she swayed across the room.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll never understand the attraction. Not at all.<\/em><\/p>\n He turned to Roggi and grabbed him by the arm. \u201cOut. Now<\/em>.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to Solitude.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, dear,\u201d Roggi chuckled.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n They didn\u2019t bother asking around when they got to Solitude. Dardeh simply headed for the Winking Skeever.\u00a0 There were only a couple of places in Solitude where Altmer would normally be found: one was the Thalmor offices in Castle Dour and the other was \u2013 as could be said for any traveler of any race \u2013 the inn.\u00a0 Dardeh looked around as he entered.\u00a0 There were a couple of Argonians, several Bretons, and lots of Nords in the common room, but no Altmer.\u00a0 He headed directly for the stairwell to the second floor.<\/p>\n On the upstairs landing, seated at a small dining table, was a single, sour-looking Altmer who looked none too pleased when Dardeh approached him. He shrank back a bit, looked up at Dardeh and said \u201cyes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. I\u2019m assuming that you\u2019re Maenen. I\u2019m looking for a High Elf named Aerandil and was told you know him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d the mer said. \u201cWho? You must be mistaking me for someone else. I know no one by that name.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm. That\u2019s interesting, because the word is that you\u2019re involved in the slave trade.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow dare you! That\u2019s absolutely preposterous!\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi, standing behind Dardeh, cleared his throat.\u00a0 Dardeh didn\u2019t turn to see what he was doing, but whatever it was must have been somewhat intimidating based on the reaction on Maenen\u2019s face. Dardeh sneered.<\/p>\n \u201cTalk, or I can have Ulfric throw you in jail for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr you could come visit me in Ulfric\u2019s dungeon,\u201d Roggi said in the low voice that made the hair on Dardeh\u2019s neck stand up.\u00a0 Maenan swallowed hard.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, yes, I know who you are. I mean who doesn\u2019t know about the Hero of Skyrim?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHeroes. There are two of us here. And this is your last warning. Talk.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery well, I will talk; but only if you guarantee that you\u2019ll let me sail back home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine. Where<\/em> is Aerandil?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Maenan said.\u00a0 Roggi hissed; and Maenan held his hands up before his face defensively. \u201cI don\u2019t! I never met him, actually! I\u2019ve only met with one of his associates, a Nord bandit named Guunlaug. Some say his last name is Fork-tongue, but I wouldn\u2019t know that for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh leaned forward a bit closer to the mer\u2019s face. He felt certain that his internal fires must be showing in his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat exactly do you know for sure?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUm\u2026 Aerandil sends the, um, \u2018product\u2019 to Guunlaug and he takes care of getting them smuggled out of Skyrim.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cProduct,\u201d Roggi growled. \u201cThose are people you\u2019re talking about, Elf.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh turned to Roggi and laid a hand on his arm. \u201cEasy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Dar, it\u2019s just that\u2026 there are some things you don\u2019t know. I could kill him where he sits.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then we\u2019d know nothing.\u201d Dardeh turned back to the elf. \u201cContinue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026 I don\u2019t know exactly where he is, but I know they smuggle the product out of Skyrim from an old shipwreck on the coast northwest of here. I heard they use an old frozen cave to hold the product and then use boats to transfer them out to one of their ships at\u00a0 night. My shipment is supposed to be on its way to there now.\u00a0 I swear to you, that\u2019s all I know.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi leaned over the table. \u201cYour product <\/em>will not be shipped as you hoped it would, if I can help it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I suppose it won\u2019t be.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh smiled grimly. \u201cYou will leave Skyrim on the first possible ship. Or things will become rather\u2026 heated\u2026 for you. Do we understand each other?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, yes, of course,\u201d the elf stammered. \u201cAs I said, I\u2019ve already made the arrangements to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you won\u2019t return. Otherwise you\u2019re dead,\u201d Roggi added.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2026 needn\u2019t worry about that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s very good,\u201d Dardeh said. He nodded to Roggi, and turned to stride heavily across the landing and down the stairs, then out the door of the inn.\u00a0 Once they were outside, he turned to Roggi.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, do we head there right now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what is it that I don\u2019t know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome on. Let\u2019s go. I\u2019ll tell you while we\u2019re walking.\u201d\u00a0 Roggi didn\u2019t meet his gaze; rather, he stared straight ahead with his mouth in a grim line until they were outside Solitude\u2019s gates and well down the road.\u00a0 Then he started talking.<\/p>\n Dardeh had always had the utmost respect, and a painful spot in his heart, for all the things he knew Roggi had been through. And as with all other things, Roggi had revealed them to him one layer at a time, never giving him the entire sordid story of what had transpired during those last years with Ulfric. He\u2019d learned to accept that about Roggi, because he loved the man and what he\u2019d done before they\u2019d met wasn\u2019t really any of his concern.<\/p>\n And now, once more, the details were filled in a bit further. The bandits who had waylaid them \u2013 Roggi, and Briinda, and the rest of Roggi\u2019s family \u2013 had been after their modest wealth, but once they saw her they\u2019d also been hoping to take Briinda as a slave. He\u2019d been injured to the point that he couldn\u2019t rise, couldn\u2019t fight back, and he pretended to be dead. That part, Dardeh already knew. What he hadn\u2019t known was that Roggi had watched Briinda scream and struggle against a man far larger than herself while he beat her, pinned her to the ground, and raped her. Then, even worse, the leader \u2013 a haughty Altmer – had looked down his nose at her, looked at the bandit, and said that he\u2019d ruined the goods now, and they wouldn\u2019t be able to sell her. They\u2019d killed her there on the spot and Roggi hadn\u2019t been able to do anything but memorize the bandits\u2019 faces and plan the awful things he would do to them once he had recovered.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t ever want to hear anyone referred to as \u2018merchandise\u2019 or \u2018product\u2019 ever again, Dar,\u201d he muttered.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll kill the next person I hear say that.\u201d He still didn\u2019t stop walking, didn\u2019t stop his angry striding toward the path over Haafingar\u2019s central ridge.<\/p>\n Dardeh had to stop him with a strong grip on his arm.\u00a0 He said nothing, but simply pulled Roggi close and held him, firmly, until finally he felt Roggi shudder.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Roggi,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cNobody should ever have to go through something like that. Not her, not you, and\u2026\u201d he trailed off.<\/p>\n \u201cNot Valerius,\u201d Roggi finished.\u00a0 Slowly, his arms came up to surround Dardeh, and he hugged him for a moment.\u00a0 Then he pulled back.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Dar,\u201d he said simply. \u201cI\u2019m ok now. It\u2019s just one of those things. It doesn\u2019t matter how much time goes by.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Dardeh said, smiling and reaching for Roggi\u2019s hand. \u201cIt\u2019s like me and Solstheim.\u201d He found himself shuddering involuntarily. \u201cSome of the things that happened there will never leave me.\u201d<\/p>\n They walked for a few minutes in silence. Then, out of nowhere, something that Dardeh had thought about for all of the intervening time popped out of him almost on its own.<\/p>\n \u201cI still have the letters I wrote to you when I was there, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi looked at him, his eyebrows arched in surprise. \u201cLetters?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Lydia got a couple of letters but I never sent the ones I wrote to you because, well\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause why? I would have been so relieved to get them.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh smiled, and sighed. \u201cBecause I kept telling you that I loved you. And I figured, back then, that if I said that to you, you\u2019d run away as fast and far as you could.\u201d<\/p>\n They walked in silence a bit longer, dropping down over the crest of the hill and approaching Fort Hraggstad.\u00a0 Roggi chuckled.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks for telling me that, Dar. You had no way to know how much I wouldn\u2019t <\/em>have run away. I might have tried to, but\u2026\u201d he trailed off.<\/p>\n \u201cBut what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I already knew way back then how much I wanted you. I just didn\u2019t want to admit it to myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh grinned. \u201cSo why were you pushing me at that street girl in the tavern, eh?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi laughed. \u201cJust testing. You never know when some beautiful girl might come and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019d have to be a lot better at making tea than you are,\u201d Dardeh said. His heart swelled in his chest. I don\u2019t know how I was so lucky. He\u2019s everything I ever wanted. He was worth waiting for. It doesn\u2019t matter how damaged he is. I love him and that\u2019s all there is to it.<\/em><\/p>\n The fort perched at the top of the escarpment, and there was a steep, fairly precarious way down to the seashore just around to its side.\u00a0 Dardeh was picking his way carefully down the path, watching for loose rocks or anything else that might trip him up, when Roggi suddenly snatched his sword from his back and sprinted toward a stand of trees.<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi, wait\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n But Roggi wasn\u2019t about to wait, that was clear. He was already swinging at a figure Dardeh couldn\u2019t see, deep in the shadows thrown by the forest on this bright morning.\u00a0 He drew his own swords and, as he neared them, heard a harsh voice yelling at Roggi.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what you want? Huh?\u201d Then there was the sound of swords clashing.\u00a0 Roggi was silent. That was almost as unsettling to Dardeh as it would have been if he\u2019d been screaming in rage; for the gods only knew what would happen to his opponent when Roggi finally erupted.<\/p>\n He was just about to where he could flank the bandit when a second one stepped out of the trees and attacked him. The man took a wild swing at him with an iron blade; it bounced harmlessly off Dardeh\u2019s ebony armor and back at him.\u00a0 Dardeh caught the look of momentary panic on the bandit\u2019s face, panic that he tried to cover by shouting \u201cGive up while you still can!\u201d\u00a0 But Dardeh snorted, stepped up to him, and took a single quick swipe with his scimitars. The bandit fell to his feet.<\/p>\n Dardeh stepped over the man\u2019s body and around the trees, to see Roggi block a massive swing by an Orc wielding a warhammer. It was easy to get under the Orc\u2019s reach and take care of him.\u00a0 He started to open his mouth to ask Roggi if he was alright, but heard Roggi growling again and the voices of two more bandits.<\/p>\n As they ran back up the slope toward the voices it became clear that there was some sort of encampment set up there. Barrels and a brazier marked what looked like an old mine entrance just beyond. This had to be the place Maenan had mentioned; but before they could enter they needed to get past an angry Redguard bandit at the entrance. It didn\u2019t take long, though, with both of them hacking away at him.<\/p>\n Dardeh pushed his hood back off his head and sheathed his swords.<\/p>\n \u201cYou ok?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi nodded. \u201cYeah, I\u2019m fine. I think this is the place, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh nodded. \u201cI do.\u201d\u00a0 He turned around and looked through the trees at the Sea of Ghosts, and pointed. \u201cThe wreck\u2019s just off-shore down there.\u00a0 This must be where they\u2019re keeping the captives.\u00a0 Ready?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know I am,\u201d Roggi said.<\/p>\n Dardeh nodded at him. He was ready. He wasn\u2019t certain about Roggi, though. He\u2019d never seen such a grim look on the man\u2019s face, not even when he\u2019d faced Ulfric for the first time.<\/p>\n I hope nobody gets killed who isn\u2019t supposed to.<\/em><\/p>\n Like Rayya.<\/em><\/p>\n Roggi couldn\u2019t help himself; he was smiling as he walked up the pathway to Mammoth Manor\u2019s front door. It had been a long while since he\u2019d accomplished something as significant as the wins in the Fight Cave on his own. As much as he loved Dardeh, and loved fighting alongside Dardeh, it felt so very … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/5-1-23-1.png\")
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