{"id":4829,"date":"2020-04-29T02:25:15","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T02:25:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/?page_id=4829"},"modified":"2020-05-18T17:41:32","modified_gmt":"2020-05-18T17:41:32","slug":"chapter-5-ensemble","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/volume-v\/part-ii-resolution\/chapter-5-ensemble\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 5 – Ensemble"},"content":{"rendered":"

Serana walked through the huge, empty expanses of Castle Volkihar, trying to decide what to do. Her anger was such that it was standing in the way of any useful action and had been so for days. Thus, she paced through the castle. She had to do something<\/em>, and soon.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It was a beautiful space now, for the most part, and had been since Andante and Brynjolf had undertaken its restoration following the death of her father.\u00a0 But there was nobody in it, no great new expansion of the Volkihar Clan as Andante had talked about.<\/p>\n

Her mother kept to herself, in her tower, with her alchemical plants and her experiments. She tended the garden in the courtyard, which looked nearly as lovely now as it had before Serana had found herself locked away for who knew how long. It made Serana sad that Valerica didn\u2019t socialize with the rest of them very often, but she certainly understood it. She\u2019d spent far too many years to count a prisoner of the Ideal Masters, looking at nothing more interesting than the grey and purple landscapes of the Soul Cairn, to feel comfortable among her peers any longer, or so it seemed to Serana.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

So Serana wandered the halls, making certain that there were no further eruptions of reanimated skeletons or incursions of untrained death hounds.\u00a0 She watched on the balconies for the inevitable attacks of Dawnguard remnants or Vigilants of Stendarr. The number of attacks had been dwindling, though. It seemed as though the crisis that had come to a head with the recovery of Auriel\u2019s Bow had largely quieted down, and life had become a long series of hunting trips, reading books, and otherwise completely dull activities.<\/p>\n

The problem was that Serana was still very angry.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d been angry as soon as she\u2019d stepped out of her imprisonment and met Andante. She\u2019d immediately been drawn to his charm, his looks, and his brash courage. Then she\u2019d discovered that he was in love with Brynjolf, that he no more than tolerated her, and that he was merely using her to get to her father, to get to the Bow and to get her blood once he had that Bow.\u00a0 She\u2019d been angry at him right up to the day when she\u2019d gotten the courier\u2019s note from the tiny vampire named Babette, and had gone to meet her and take possession of the items Brynjolf had sent to her. Andante had died, Brynjolf\u2019s note said. The castle was hers. That had been Andante\u2019s dying wish, he said.<\/p>\n

For a brief moment she\u2019d been excited for the future, excited by the possibilities of what they might do with the castle if it was hers. She\u2019d been sorry for Brynjolf\u2019s loss; but she had shaken her head, and put the letter away.<\/p>\n

Then she\u2019d become angry again.\u00a0 Because in spite of the letter; in spite of having been told that Andante\u2019s final wishes were that the castle be hers, the senior-most men amongst the Volkihar clan refused to acknowledge her position.\u00a0 Orthjolf and Garan Marethi certainly didn\u2019t intend to step down in favor of a woman, as far as she could tell, and Vingalmo \u2013 well Vingalmo had always been an issue.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She reached the small chapel and stared for a moment at the blood fountain there, wondering whether it would even matter if she showed her respects to the great Molag Bal or not.\u00a0 She sighed, and knelt before the altar for a few moments, contemplating her life and all that had happened since she had emerged from her confinement.<\/p>\n

Such as the matter of Edwyn.<\/p>\n

She rose and continued on her way through the castle.<\/p>\n

Edwyn Wickham. She had fallen head over heels in love with Edwyn, back when her family was still a family and Edwyn was just an up-and-coming, rank-and-file vampire in her father\u2019s service.\u00a0 Back before her father had given him the Gift and created him as a Vampire Lord. \u00a0Back before he\u2019d been sent to Cyrodiil for so many years.\u00a0 Back before she\u2019d been locked away.<\/p>\n

He loved me too. I\u2019m certain that he did. I\u2019ve never known another man who treated me so well, who showed me such respect, who shared with me such overwhelming passion\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It had been easy for her to pretend that it was simply a passing fancy, that while she clearly enjoyed Edwyn it wasn\u2019t anything serious. He had done the same. Somehow, though, without saying a word the two of them had known that they were meant to be together. They\u2019d spent every moment that they could together. The entire court knew of their high esteem for each other and likely suspected that they were having an affair.\u00a0 She was certain that her mother had recognized that, and had quietly kept her counsel, keeping the secret from Harkon. Then things had changed.<\/p>\n

Her father had taken Edwyn under his wing. They\u2019d spent more and more time with their heads together, planning things to which she was not privy.\u00a0 Her father had sent him away, to Cyrodiil.<\/p>\n

For a very long time the letters had come. But the time between them had become greater, the silences longer, and eventually Serana had resigned herself to the notion that Edwyn was no longer a part of her life.<\/p>\n

Then he came back.<\/p>\n

He came back, inserting himself into their lives as though he\u2019d never left, as though he\u2019d been expected<\/em> in some way.<\/p>\n

He was different, from the moment he stepped into the hall. He was my father\u2019s right hand, and he expected to be treated as the heir regardless of whether he was or not. He simply expected it. He was the high, the mighty Archmage of the College of Winterhold. He looked down his nose at Andante and everything he\u2019d done. No matter what I thought of Andante and his motives, he <\/em>was responsible for freeing us from my father\u2019s madness and for restoring this castle, and for Edwyn to treat him like some sort of mongrel\u2026 it isn\u2019t right.<\/em><\/p>\n

And yet, she hadn\u2019t been able to resist Edwyn when he\u2019d approached her.\u00a0 It was like falling back into the best dream she\u2019d ever had. They remembered each other, every touch, every taste, every scent of each other. He\u2019d shown her every bit as much passion as he had when they\u2019d been much younger, and possibly more.<\/p>\n

How much he missed me, he said. How he\u2019d longed for me and for my return, all those many years and decades and centuries in Cyrodiil.\u00a0 And I believed him. I believed every word that he said and I was so overwhelmingly happy to see him again\u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n

And he married Elisif.<\/em><\/p>\n

He married Elisif of Solitude. That weak-minded, weak-willed, pitiful excuse for a Jarl who only sits her throne because she was married to a man who worshipped the very ground she walked on, according to all reports. Edwyn wooed her, even while he was bedding me! He pursued her, gave her gifts\u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n

Arrrgh!!<\/em><\/p>\n

She fired a spell at the wall.\u00a0 It did no damage, but it did make her feel a bit better.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d been ready to kill him that very moment, when he\u2019d hesitantly admitted to her that he\u2019d actually married the woman.\u00a0 Instead, she\u2019d stayed her hand and walked away because in spite of everything she still cared for him.\u00a0 He was still the only vampire she\u2019d ever met whose future she might have considered joining to her own. When the flames of her anger had damped down just a bit she\u2019d been forced to recognize that yes, Edwyn was her father\u2019s creation and he was simply carrying out her father\u2019s wishes.<\/p>\n

Controlling me even from beyond this world, Father. You couldn\u2019t leave me my life, not even after your own death. <\/em><\/p>\n

The final straw, though, had come after Edwyn\u2019s second absence.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She\u2019d been in her quarters, resting and reading.\u00a0 She\u2019d heard voices coming from the great hall, the sounds of voices calling out greetings, and she\u2019d made her way down to the balcony where her father had so often stood to look out over his assembled minions.<\/p>\n

At first, her heart had taken a leap. It was Edwyn. He looked so utterly majestic in the black robes of the Archmage.\u00a0 It had taken her a moment to remember: he wasn\u2019t hers, he would never be hers, at least not during the lifetime of the mortal woman he\u2019d married.\u00a0 As that memory had forced itself into her consciousness she had felt the anger return, burning cold like the blue flames of Coldharbour itself.\u00a0 She\u2019d been ready to go confront him, ask him how he dared present himself in her castle once more \u2013 for he had admitted to her that he recognized the validity of Andante\u2019s wishes. She\u2019d been ready to speak to him again.<\/p>\n

Then she\u2019d seen a thing that had forever changed her mind.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He had lifted Vingalmo by the front of his armor. Lifted him into the air \u2013 no small feat for a short-statured Breton man to do, given the Altmer\u2019s prodigious height.\u00a0 She\u2019d watched as he dropped every civilized pretense he\u2019d ever cultivated in the court and had reached for Vingalmo\u2019s throat with his other hand \u2013 and ripped the venerable vampire\u2019s windpipe out of his body.\u00a0 Then he had knelt, and drunk Vingalmo\u2019s blood, and fired his corpse to a pile of ash.<\/p>\n

Vingalmo had been a pompous, condescending, conniving, ambitious and cunning vampire.\u00a0 He had also been a brilliant scholar, incandescently brilliant, with a view of history longer than almost anyone else\u2019s.\u00a0 His research had been recorded, and treasured, and studied through all of the ages she\u2019d been locked away, and before that, and after that.<\/p>\n

Vingalmo was an annoying, miserable person. But he had been faithful to the Volkihar clan even while he\u2019d hoped to lead it, his loyalties resting with the assemblage even if not with any one particular Lord of the castle.<\/p>\n

He had not deserved to have his life ended like a common piece of prey.<\/p>\n

That had been the day Serana\u2019s love for Edwyn Wickham, Lord of the Volkihar and Archmage of the College of Winterhold, had changed. That was the day that she had come to a decision. She\u2019d taken her time, and paced the corridors of the castle, trying to talk herself out of it; but there was no changing her mind. She knew what she needed \u2013 and wanted \u2013 to do.<\/p>\n

She continued back through the castle to her quarters. She pulled a piece of parchment out of her desk, took a seat, and began to write to the one person in the world she could think of who might possibly be able to help her achieve her goal.
\n___<\/p>\n

Dardeh put his hand on Roggi\u2019s shoulder. \u00a0They had needed to leave hours ago, but Roggi was finding every excuse in the world to procrastinate.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoggi.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi glanced at him and heaved a sigh. \u201cWhat is it, Dardeh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh smiled. \u201cYou only ever call me that when you\u2019re feeling very serious. But we need to get going now, or we\u2019re going to end up stuck out on the tundra at night. Given all the vampires we\u2019ve encountered recently I\u2019d really rather not chance it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I know.\u201d\u00a0 Roggi shook his head. \u201cI don\u2019t suppose we could just send him a letter.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d talked about it the previous night, and had agreed to make a trip to Windhelm. Dardeh had even spoken to Lydia about it, and she had agreed.\u00a0 Ulfric needed to know what was going on with his new outpost in Helgen, since he was supporting it with his troops.\u00a0 He needed to know what had become of Valerius Tiberius Artoria, even if the man hadn\u2019t been directly connected to him. He needed to know who was in charge and who he should consider a contact.\u00a0 What they hadn\u2019t discussed with Roggi, even though they\u2019d talked it over together, was how much Roggi needed to speak to Ulfric in light of his experience in Helgen.<\/p>\n

Ordinarily I wouldn\u2019t have talked about such a personal detail with anyone, but Lydia has seen Roggi through thick and thin. I trusted her to give me an honest opinion. I was glad to know she agrees with me.<\/em><\/p>\n

Dardeh shook his head. His smile fell. \u201cYou have to do it. You have to talk to him. You know you do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi closed his eyes and nodded. \u201cI know I do. But I don\u2019t even know what to say to him. And\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDar. So many things have been stirred up again. I don\u2019t even know whether I can trust myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh took his shoulders and turned him so they were facing each other and stared into his eyes. He didn\u2019t doubt what they needed to do, but he knew that Roggi did.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoggi. Do you love me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi raised his eyebrows, looking almost pained at the question. \u201cYou know I do. More than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh nodded. \u201cWell then there\u2019s no reason to be worried. It\u2019s all right. It will be so much better when you both put this behind you. It\u2019ll be better for you, it\u2019ll be better for us, and it\u2019ll be better for our future High King to have this weight off his shoulders. \u00a0At least as much as it can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi nodded. \u201cDar.\u201d His smile was small, but genuine.<\/p>\n

Dardeh smiled again. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t deserve you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I would put that the other way around. But thank you. Now let\u2019s get going before it\u2019s pitch black outside and we need to play with vampires again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Roggi nodded, heaved himself to his feet and fastened his sword across his back. They hugged the girls goodbye yet again and left, heading down the hill for the long trek to Windhelm.\u00a0 Dardeh kept glancing at Roggi, but it was clear that the man was going to keep his own counsel for the time being.<\/p>\n

I hope it will be alright. I hope I\u2019m not making a mistake, deliberately throwing them together like this. I hope I\u2019m right, and Frina and I won\u2019t end up on the outside looking in. I don\u2019t know how either of us would be able to handle that.<\/em><\/p>\n

His mind started running down alleys he\u2019d rather it didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Then he stopped himself. One way or another, they would see Ulfric in a day or two and it would do him no good to borrow trouble at this point.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Ulfric looked up from his papers to smile at the sound of Frina entering the room from above.\u00a0 He\u2019d been trying to settle some matters, here in the map room, before having to face the court. He was expecting an arrival, shortly; and after that the day would no longer be his own.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, love,\u201d he said as she approached, smiling, to stand before him. \u201cHow are you and my son this day?\u201d He rested his hand on her stomach, which was still flat enough that nobody outside their intimate circle would likely detect that she was pregnant. That was both a blessing and a curse.\u00a0 It was a blessing because he wanted her to be safe, and yet still wasn\u2019t certain about the status of his city following the conclusion of the war. Who knew what sick minds might be willing to harm her if they knew she was with child? \u00a0It was a curse for the same reasons: there was no visibly obvious proof of the fact that there would soon be an heir to Windhelm\u2019s throne.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be long, to be sure, but for now\u2026<\/p>\n

For now we and the chambermaids and Jorlief keep the knowledge close. I have no doubt that the rumors will be spreading well beyond the city gates soon enough, though, for no maid I\u2019ve ever known could keep a lock on her tongue for any amount of time; especially not when it regards such an exciting piece of gossip.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re fine, thank you, Ulfric,\u201d Frina said, leaning over to brush his lips with her own.\u00a0 She started to straighten up again but he held her for a moment, making a proper kiss of the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a shame that court business calls,\u201d he murmured when she pulled away.<\/p>\n

\u201cUlfric! You\u2019re shameless,\u201d she replied, grinning at him, but twining her fingers into his and giving his hand a squeeze.<\/p>\n

It had been a tentative time, at first, after he\u2019d had to admit to her that he\u2019d had more than a business relationship with Roggi. He\u2019d treated her as gently as he knew how. The news of their impending parenthood, though, had overshadowed what was in the end a very old pain. It was the case, after all, that they had married for the usual reasons and not even the rattling of an old skeleton in the wardrobe had been enough to keep them separated for long.<\/p>\n

The woman makes me feel thirty years younger. Even in her delicate condition she manages to tire me out.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what exactly makes you so certain it is a son I\u2019m carrying, my lord?\u201d she asked, her eyes twinkling. \u201cWhat if it\u2019s another fragile beauty like me?\u201d<\/p>\n

He stared at her for a moment and then roared with laughter. \u201cFragile! You? No, my dearest Stormblade. You are the most distant thing from fragile that I could imagine. Beautiful? Yes indeed. But never fragile.\u201d\u00a0 He stood and pulled her near.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t let her go. Nothing must ever come between us again. I don\u2019t know how many winters I may have left but all of them \u2013 every one \u2013 must be spent holding this woman in my arms.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou flatter me, sire,\u201d she said, smiling at him. \u201cBut assuming that it is a son I bear, what shall we name him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulfric caught his breath for a moment. Hoag. I would name him Hoag, after my father, lost while I was imprisoned. But that would be as much an invitation to violence against him as giving him my own name would be.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThat is a very good question, wife. There are many reasons to shun my first instincts. Perhaps we should give him a great name, from the history of Windhelm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frina looked thoughtful for a moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about Harald? It seems somehow fitting for him to carry the name of the founder of Windhelm. Perhaps he will be the founder of a new era, following the life of his father the High King.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulfric\u2019s heart nearly skipped a beat.\u00a0 He reached out and cupped Frina\u2019s cheek.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is why you are so dear to me.\u00a0 You see the sweep of our history. You see the world in large terms, as I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, yes,\u201d she said, with a wry grin as her gaze passed behind his shoulder to something behind him. \u201cAnd I also see Jorlief standing at the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulfric turned his head to see that yes, Jorlief was in fact standing at the door. He had an odd look on his face, Ulfric thought, but it wasn\u2019t clear what he was thinking.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy lord, you have a visitor,\u201d Jorlief said. \u201cHe\u2019s just arrived, and is in the great room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes indeed. Well don\u2019t keep him waiting. Bring him here, Jorlief. I\u2019ll be with him in a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well, sir,\u201d Jorlief murmured, withdrawing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had word from Brynjolf of Riften,\u201d he told Frina, who he was still holding close. \u201cI was expecting his arrival today. Undoubtedly it is he\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He trailed off as Frina\u2019s smiling eyes distracted him yet again. \u201cBy the gods you are beautiful, wife,\u201d he said, leaning forward to kiss her once again.<\/p>\n

The sound of a throat being cleared interrupted him, and his eyes flew open. Even without looking, he knew whose throat it was he had heard. The sound was unmistakable.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s not Brynjolf. It\u2019s me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frina pulled back from him as though she\u2019d been stung, for just a moment. Then her face assumed the neutral calm of someone born to a high office, although she hadn\u2019t been. A tiny portion of his mind said Look at her. Remarkable<\/em>.\u00a0 The rest of him fought for composure as he turned to face his guest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cRoggi. I am surprised to see you here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Surprised. And pleased. And by the gods your timing could not possibly be worse.<\/em><\/p>\n

It took no more than a second for him to scan Roggi\u2019s face and be certain that something bad had happened.\u00a0 He saw the Dragonborn\u2019s dark bulk just behind Roggi; but it was Roggi\u2019s eyes, and his bearing, that made it clear that things were not as they should be.<\/p>\n

He trembles. Only a bit, but he trembles as he did the first time they came to see me after having been absent from my life for so long. What am I seeing in his face? When I was married he was angry, and hurt, and threatening and now\u2026 What is this?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNo more surprised than I am to be here, Ulfric,\u201d Roggi said quietly. He looked past Ulfric and smiled at Frina. \u201cDar insisted. Frina. It is good to see you. I\u2019m sorry we arrived unannounced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh stepped past him into the room. Ulfric watched him touch Roggi on the back as he passed, a touch of reassurance and support.\u00a0 He met Roggi\u2019s gaze again for a moment, only to have the man look away in discomfort.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s afraid. I can\u2019t imagine why but he\u2019s afraid.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe came for several reasons, Jarl Ulfric,\u201d Dardeh said, smiling slightly as he used Ulfric\u2019s title, giving him a tiny nod of respect for once. \u201cThe first and most important is that we wanted to tell you that Helgen is restored. Or at least mostly restored,\u201d he said, grinning and running a hand up over his head and through his sausage-like coils of hair. \u201cI expect that by the time we are there next there will be businesses reopening. The rubble has been cleared, at least, and buildings reconstructed. The unit you sent to serve as guard has done an admirable job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulfric tore his gaze away from Roggi to look at Dardeh. \u201cThat\u2019s very good news. Helgen is vital to defenses along the southern border. Well done. But surely a messenger might have brought me this news.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh nodded. \u201cYou\u2019re correct, of course. We, uh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi cleared his throat again. \u201cValerius is dead, Ulfric. The Thalmor were running a slavery ring right under our noses and we managed to stop it \u2013 but we lost him in the process. We came to tell you that. Your primary contact there at this point is going to be Marcus Jannus. He\u2019s a good man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulfric took one step closer to Roggi.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain. This is good to know. And yet there is a reason you are here personally. What else are you not telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026 need to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps Dardeh and I should step out into the great hall and let the two of you speak privately,\u201d Frina said, moving past her husband to give Roggi a brief hug. \u201cI sense there are things that need to be said.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi\u2019s eyes opened wide and flicked between Frina and Ulfric for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cHe told you, did he?\u201d<\/p>\n

Frina nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Frina. I\u2019m sorry I couldn\u2019t say anything. I was too ashamed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frina reached up to touch his cheek. \u201cIt\u2019s nothing to apologize for. I\u2019m glad now that I understand some of the things you were trying to tell me during the fighting. Things make a great deal more sense than they did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi simply nodded.<\/p>\n

Ulfric watched her touch Roggi, and then take Dardeh by the arm and lead him out of the map room.\u00a0 His heart danced in a way it seldom did.\u00a0 She was so poised, so much moreso than he could ever have imagined when he\u2019d first met the breathless and awestruck girl who\u2019d come to join the Stormcloaks.\u00a0 He smiled at the sight and quietly thanked Talos for his good fortune once again.<\/p>\n

\u201cUlfric,\u201d Roggi murmured.<\/p>\n

I suppose it is time, isn\u2019t it.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He turned to gaze into the blue eyes that had given him such joy for that brief period, and such heartache later.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, Roggi? Why did you come here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi hesitated for a moment, looking from one eye to the other. Then he nodded and took a deep breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came to apologize, Ulfric. It has taken me all this time to realize that I have been making a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat sort of mistake?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi lifted his chin; proudly, in Ulfric\u2019s estimation. Whatever has happened to him has been a long time coming and very difficult to reconcile.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI have blamed you for everything that happened to me. For over a decade I\u2019ve blamed you. And hated you. At least that\u2019s what I told myself. You saw it. You saw it when you followed me to the dungeon. When I came to your wedding. Oh, I hated you, Ulfric.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith good reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Not a good reason. Not a good enough reason.\u201d Roggi looked down at the floor and continued speaking, quietly. \u201cYou weren\u2019t the one who killed my family. You weren\u2019t the one who hid me away for a decade like a common drunk \u2013 that was me. I did that. I blamed you for everything. I\u2019m sorry for that, and for all the years I fooled myself into not taking responsibility for my life. It took watching Valerius on his pyre to realize that, Ulfric. As I told Dardeh, Valerius couldn\u2019t leave his hate behind and in the end it cost him his life. I need to put mine behind us. That\u2019s why I\u2019m here. I needed to tell you that I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

That must have taken everything he had to say. He\u2019s still a remarkable man.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou had ample reason to blame me for coercing you into my bed, Roggi. That was a foul bit of business. I haven\u2019t a good excuse for that. Any excuse, really. I just saw that your woman was the easiest way to get to you, and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi\u2019s head snapped up. \u201cWhat are you saying?\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time. If he can come to me and apologize for something that has, after all, had so little effect on me, I can tell him what he needs to hear.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m saying that I wanted you, Roggi. Not your wife, but you. Tell me that you knew that all along. You must have known it. It wouldn\u2019t have lasted as long as it did otherwise. I would have used you and dismissed you back to your dungeon. It was you<\/em> who caught me. You fascinated me, my friend. You still do. I \u2026 picked the wrong way to show you that. I tried to tell you I was sorry, at my wedding. I didn\u2019t have the words then.\u00a0 Now I do.\u00a0 Now\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked past Roggi, out the door to where Frina stood talking with Dardeh. She seemed relaxed enough, but when she glanced toward the doorway and saw him looking at her she flushed. He smiled at her.<\/p>\n

It is fine, my love. All is well.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Roggi,\u201d he continued, returning his attention to the Nord, \u201cI have Frina. And I have something else to live for. You have the person you were meant to be with, as well. And, if you will still have me, I have you, and you me. As a friend.\u00a0 A much-beloved friend and valued advisor. I don\u2019t deserve it but I do hope that it will be the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi started trembling again, to the point that Ulfric reached out to grasp his shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it? Are you alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi nodded. \u201cI never really hated you, Ulfric,\u201d he murmured, his voice barely audible. \u201cThe opposite, if anything. I realize that now isn\u2019t the best moment to admit such a thing but there it is. But I hated realizing who I was and blamed you for it. Now,\u201d he continued, a smile slowly creeping up on his face, \u201cI find that I\u2019m more than I remembered. I\u2019m pretty proud of what I\u2019ve managed to do recently. And I\u2019m ready to leave the past in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulfric didn\u2019t know what to say.\u00a0 All he could do was pull Roggi forward into an embrace and hold him, hoping that his emotions would be understandable through the touch.<\/p>\n

I am sorry. I wish things had been different between us. We both ended up where we needed to be, in the long run. But you are still precious to me. Let us go forward from here.<\/em><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Dardeh had been sneaking glances in toward Ulfric and Roggi the entire time he and Frina chit-chatted. His heart kept pounding with anxiety. She\u2019d had to clear her throat to get his attention, several times in fact.\u00a0 Finally she patted him on the arm.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, Dardeh? Why are you so nervous?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hesitated for a moment. Frina shook her head and continued speaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me all about it. I\u2019m not happy <\/em>about knowing they were a pair but it was a very long time ago now, Dardeh.\u00a0 A great deal has happened since then.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you think it\u2019s about time they cleared the air between them, after all?\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled at her. In spite of their having had a less than stellar introduction to each other he had grown to admire Frina. She was nothing if not brave.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. That\u2019s why I insisted that we come here. I guess I thought it might take a bit of time for them to work up to the conversation, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

She chuckled. \u201cNo, this has been just under the surface for a long time. They needed to deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what if he leaves me?\u201d How will I go on if somehow Roggi ends up with Ulfric again?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHe won\u2019t leave you, Dardeh. How silly. And Ulfric won\u2019t leave me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh looked back at the two men just as Ulfric pulled Roggi close. He hissed in alarm. He could almost feel that embrace. He wanted to run to them, tear Roggi away from Ulfric. He\u2019s mine, Ulfric. Mine. You can\u2019t have him!<\/em><\/p>\n

Frina\u2019s hand on his arm brought his attention back to her. She shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cUlfric won\u2019t leave me because he loves me. Just as Roggi loves you. Anyone can see that. And he won\u2019t leave me because, well\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She ran her hand down over her stomach.<\/p>\n

What? What are you saying?<\/em>\u00a0 He was panic-stricken, and annoyed, and wanted the people around him to stop giving him metaphors and hints and just speak plainly. \u00a0Then he looked at her again. His mind flashed back to watching Sayma cradle her stomach in much the same way.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you\u2026?\u201d\u00a0 He pointed to her stomach.<\/p>\n

She smiled and nodded.\u00a0 At the same moment, there was an exclamation from the map room; Dardeh looked up to see Roggi clapping Ulfric on the back, a huge smile on both their faces.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the Nine! Congratulations!\u201d\u00a0 He pulled Frina into a quick hug and then released her just as quickly. \u201cI hope I didn\u2019t\u2026 hurt you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Frina laughed. \u201cNo. Not even close. Now, we haven\u2019t told everyone yet but you two are family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s this about family, lass?\u201d a deep voice called as the huge doors to the main hall clanged shut.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cBrynjolf!\u201d Frina said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d heard you were on your way here.\u00a0 It\u2019s good to see you again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh turned and nodded as the big redhead made his way toward them.\u00a0 He heard the sound of steps to his side and felt Roggi approach and take his hand.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fine now, Dar,\u201d he whispered. \u201cWe\u2019re going to be fine. Thank you for making me do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh felt numb.<\/p>\n

Well here we all are. The only one missing is Sayma. Let\u2019s hope there\u2019s no great ambush waiting to happen. We\u2019d be sitting ducks. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cGlad I made it in time for the reunion,\u201d Brynjolf said, gazing at them all with an amused expression. \u201cPleased to make your acquaintance officially, Jarl Ulfric. I\u2019m Brynjolf of Riften.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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

Serana walked through the huge, empty expanses of Castle Volkihar, trying to decide what to do. Her anger was such that it was standing in the way of any useful action and had been so for days. Thus, she paced through the castle. She had to do something, and soon. It was a beautiful space … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Chapter 5 – Ensemble”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":4750,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4829","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4829"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4829\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4896,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4829\/revisions\/4896"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}