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<\/p>\nSayma had just finished feeding Qaralana and was rocking her back to sleep when Roggi walked into the house blinking and yawning.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you seen Dar? He left before I woke up.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled up at him. \u201cHe had some breakfast and went outside to play with \u2026Chip.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roggi laughed. \u201cChip. I take it you don\u2019t approve of the nickname?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not that, it\u2019s just that of all people to give it to him \u2013 Delvin, and not his own father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roggi reached down and ran one finger down Qaralana\u2019s cheek.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s such a beautiful little thing. You\u2019re really lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI agree,\u201d Sayma said.\u00a0 Then she looked up at Roggi\u2019s face and frowned. He was troubled. That was clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoggi, are you ok?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course!\u201d He chuckled and moved toward the kitchen. \u201cI\u2019m just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t lie to me. I know you better than that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned from pouring himself some tea and stared for a moment. \u201cYeah you do,\u201d he said with a grin.<\/p>\n
He walked back into the room where she sat and took a seat next to her. \u201cIt just makes me kind of sad to know that I\u2019ll never have a child. Of my own, you know? I love our girls, but really we\u2019re just looking out for them for a few years while they finish growing up. And now there\u2019s all this business of babies going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd things happening with Ulfric.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
They\u2019d talked privately the night before. Finally, for the first time since the day she\u2019d met him in Steamscorch Mine, Sayma felt as though she actually understood why Roggi was the way he was.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve thought about it a lot,\u201d he had told her, smiling. \u201cIf I were a superstitious man I might believe that Talos put you in my path so that I could remember how to feel things. So that I would be ready for Dar when he came along.\u201d<\/p>\n
She had nodded, and had thought about it for a moment before agreeing that, just maybe, there was something to that. Even without the Talos part it made sense, perhaps. She felt closer to understanding why they\u2019d been so drawn to each other, both of them looking for something solid in their lives and mistaking their shared loneliness for something more than simply friendship. Right now, though, it was easy to see what he was feeling.<\/p>\n
He nodded, with a lopsided grin. \u201cRight. Things happening with Ulfric.\u201d\u00a0 He sipped his tea. \u201cIt\u2019ll be fine, now that it\u2019s all out in the open at last. But it just makes me sad. Some of my decisions have made differences in my life that I can\u2019t change.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFUS!\u201d<\/p>\n
The booming sound from outside was followed instantly by peals of small-person laughter and deep adult giggles. Roggi\u2019s face lit up with a genuine smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cShowoff.\u00a0 Knocking over piles of rock again, I\u2019ll bet. He<\/em> is why it\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s good to hear him having fun and not worrying about everyone else, for once.\u201d<\/p>\n She looked down at the tiny girl in her arms and began murmuring nonsense to her, just repeating her name, describing where they were, and the like. I hope it is all well, little one.\u00a0 I hope that the world will be good to you. I hope that our experience with the dragon didn\u2019t harm you in any way.<\/em><\/p>\n Qaralana squirmed. Suddenly the child opened her eyes and gazed at her, solemnly, with a gaze very unlike what she would have expected from an infant.<\/p>\n Sayma blinked.<\/p>\n Could it be?<\/em><\/p>\n It had occurred to her, to the very quietest part of her mind, that there must be a reason that even after she\u2019d killed that dragon and absorbed its power she still couldn\u2019t speak the words she could now understand. There were<\/em> differences among people with respect to Dovahzul. Roggi and Brynjolf couldn\u2019t do anything with the words at all. Andante had been able to read the words, and use some of them in Shouts, and of course Ulfric Stormcloak could do that as well, to a greater extent; but neither one of them could absorb a dragon\u2019s soul, killing it permanently.\u00a0 Dardeh could do all of it. In fact, as far as anyone knew, he was the only person alive who could.<\/p>\n Yet she had<\/em> watched the dragon\u2019s soul curling around her in tendrils of flame, and she had <\/em>felt its heat enter her. And she still could do no more than understand the meaning of the words Dardeh made when he Shouted.<\/p>\n So where\u2026 had that energy gone?<\/p>\n She looked down again at the tiny form before her. She thought of Jine, telling her that yes, of course she was Dragonborn, or she would never have been able to reach him in Hammerfell.\u00a0 And yet she wasn\u2019t Dragonborn. She could not Shout. That much was clear.<\/p>\n But the power moves with the bloodline, he said. And perhaps, like my father, the power was in me, but sleeping. Dormant. Not fully awakened because – it didn\u2019t need to be. Because Dardeh existed already, and for whatever reason he <\/em>did need to be the Dragonborn. <\/em><\/p>\n Her head hurt thinking about the possibilities. But if she was right, this small being, this tiny girl falling back asleep in her arms, might have inherited the ability to destroy dragons.<\/p>\n Why? Is something wrong with Dardeh?\u00a0 Does she need to be here because he won\u2019t be? <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cRoggi\u2026 is Dardeh OK?\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019d wandered over to the door to look out, but turned back to her in surprise. \u201cWhy do you ask? Is there something I don\u2019t know about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She frowned, trying to figure out how she could explain it. \u201cI just am worried. I told you about the dragon, right? The one in Dragon Bridge?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you did.\u201d\u00a0 He returned to her side, giving her a piercing stare that a part of her mind recognized was his particular power speaking. \u00a0She tried not to shudder. \u201cI was just thinking\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n She told him all the things that had just gone through her mind, quietly so as not to wake the baby who had begun to doze again.\u00a0 Roggi\u2019s frown deepened as she went.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s something going on, for certain,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a problem with vampires lately, too. For some reason it seems like they\u2019re all trying to get hold of him<\/em> \u2013 even when there are other people in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n She was about to ask more, to give voice to the concerns that were pressing on her, when voices outside caught her attention. Iona came through the door just then.<\/p>\n \u201cBrynjolf is home, my Thane. And he\u2019s brought some guests. I \u2026 think you\u2019ll be interested to see who it is with him.\u00a0 Give me the babe. I\u2019ll watch her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI already know who it is just by the sound of his voice,\u201d Roggi murmured. \u201cI wonder what\u2019s gotten into Bryn to bring him here, of all things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Iona,\u201d Sayma said, handing over the infant. \u201cShe was almost asleep for awhile there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fine. I enjoy rocking her.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma and Roggi swapped a smile and rose to leave. They stepped outside to find Brynjolf at the fore.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re home safely, Bryn,\u201d she said, stepping forward to gather him up into an embrace.\u00a0 After a quick kiss she pulled back. \u201cAnd it must be hot in the sun. You\u2019re warm.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled and caressed her cheek. \u201cYou\u2019ve forgotten you married a Nord, lass? \u00a0Glad to be home. It was an\u2026 interesting trip.\u00a0 I\u2019ve brought some guests.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi had nodded at Brynjolf and stepped down off the porch to sweep the tall blonde woman into a hug.\u00a0 Sayma watched his face break into a warm smile.<\/p>\n \u201cFrina. I\u2019m glad you\u2019re here. Is everything alright?\u201d<\/p>\n So this is Frina. Briinda\u2019s sister.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYes, we\u2019re fine. We might not have been if not for Brynjolf,\u201d she said, frowning. \u201cThings are becoming very strange.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd strange times make for strange bedfellows,\u201d the man in Orcish armor behind them said.<\/p>\n The hair on Sayma\u2019s neck rose. I know this voice. Ulfric Stormcloak.<\/em> She would never forget encountering the sound of that power, then turning and running from the Palace of the Kings with her heart pounding. \u00a0It wasn\u2019t as terrifying now, having met and listened to her half-brother for so long; but Ulfric\u2019s voice still had the same undercurrents it had then. She stared at him as he removed his helmet, and recognized the weathered, blonde man she\u2019d seen in Windhelm.<\/p>\n \u201cInteresting choice of metaphors, Ulfric,\u201d Roggi snorted.<\/p>\n She looked between the two of them, marveling at Roggi\u2019s nonchalance in addressing this man who would soon be High King, and tried to picture them as a couple, years in the past. She could see the pull between them, even now, even with Ulfric\u2019s wife and Roggi\u2019s husband standing next to them, and yet she could see the antagonism as well. No. It would never have worked. Their personalities are both too strong.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s good to see you again, too, Roggi,\u201d Ulfric said, smirking.<\/p>\n \u201cJarl Ulfric, Frina,\u201d Brynjolf said, taking Sayma by the hand and leading her forward, \u201cthis is my wife, Sayma Sendu.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 and his son Chip,\u201d a deep voice added from around the end of the house. Dardeh emerged from around the side of the house leading the child by the hand.<\/p>\n \u201cBrynjolf, son of Brynjolf,\u201d Sayma said, making a face at Dardeh. \u201cBut I think I\u2019m fighting a losing battle in trying to get people to call him by his actual name.\u201d<\/p>\n To Sayma\u2019s astonishment, Ulfric squatted down to be closer to Chip\u2019s eye-level and held out one hand.<\/p>\n \u201cCome here, son,\u201d Ulfric said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Chip said, trotting over to look him over. \u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am Ulfric Stormcloak,\u201d he said, calmly, as if he were addressing one of his advisors and not a boy of only three winters. \u201cI live in Windhelm.\u00a0 I\u2019m very pleased to meet you, Chip. My wife and I are expecting a son soon. Perhaps the two of you will be friends some day.\u201d<\/p>\n Chip took the measure of the future High King in the brutally honest way young children tended to do. Then he took Ulfric\u2019s hand and pumped it vigorously.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Ulfwic,\u201d he said, nodding solemnly. \u201cYou\u2019re old.\u201d<\/p>\n Ulfric broke into laughter, a hearty sound that not only had no anger in it but which sounded much closer to joy than anything else. \u201cYes, I am old. You\u2019re a very observant young man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUlf-ric<\/em>,\u201d Sayma said slowly, correcting Chip\u2019s pronunciation. \u201cAnd you should call him Jarl <\/em>Ulfric.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOk, Ma,\u201d Chip said. \u201cCan I go play with sister?\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone chuckled, Ulfric in particular. He rose to his feet once more and ruffled Chip\u2019s hair, earning a giggle from the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cI think she\u2019s sleeping, love, but you can go see,\u201d Sayma told him. \u201cAnd maybe you can help Iona.\u201d<\/p>\n Chip dashed for the door and disappeared inside.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a fine boy, isn\u2019t he?\u201d Ulfric said. \u201cI am very pleased to meet you as well, Sayma. I hope that Harald will live up to such an example.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh chuckled. \u201cBe careful what you hope for, Ulfric,\u201d he said with a twinkle in his eye. \u201cBut\u2026 what\u2019s this? I\u2019ve never seen you in Orcish armor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNor has anyone else, and that was exactly the point.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to Brynjolf. \u201cPerhaps you should tell everyone else what you told Frina and me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d Brynjolf said, waving them all toward the door of the house. \u201cLet\u2019s go in. You two, make yourselves comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina stepped up to Sayma and smiled. \u201cI understand you have a new daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes! We do indeed. Would you like to meet her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely.\u201d Frina leaned closer to Sayma and whispered. \u201cAnd I wonder whether you might have a robe I could borrow? Something\u2026 looser than what I\u2019m wearing?\u201d\u00a0 She ran her hands down her front and sighed. \u201cIt still fits, but only barely, and by Talos it\u2019s uncomfortable.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s not going to be long now before I\u2019ll be more or less confined at home.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma grinned.\u00a0 I like this one. From everything Dar and Roggi have told me she\u2019s as fierce in battle as I am and yet here we are, both being mothers.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI do indeed,\u201d she said. \u201cLet\u2019s go get you out of your armor.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Brynjolf spent a goodly amount of time with his guests and extended family, describing his trip to Dawnstar, what he\u2019d heard from the Jarl there and, more importantly, what he\u2019d observed and heard from the Archmage Edwyn Wickham.\u00a0 He\u2019d also told them what he knew to be true from observation: the man was a vampire, and was also in charge of the Volkihar clan.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of you knew parts of this already,\u201d he told them. \u201cBut this is the whole story, at least as much of it as I know. Some of it he\u2019s told me himself, in visits to Riften. That\u2019s one of the reasons I thought it was important to move all of us here, in a place that few know about and that we can defend.\u201d\u00a0 His guests, primarily Frina and Ulfric, had exchanged nervous looks. \u201cI know that\u2019s a lot to take in. But trust me when I tell you that I have eyes on this place, and anyone trying to get in is going to have a lot more to contend with than they expect.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi snorted, and then chuckled. \u201cIf by eyes you mean who I think, then yes. I wouldn\u2019t want to cross him, either.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re right. Now as it happens I need to check in with that very person. I\u2019ll be gone for a few hours, less than that if I can manage it. Make yourselves comfortable, enjoy the peace and quiet, and swap notes. I\u2019ll be back and we can talk more about it. But let me just say I\u2019m glad you came with me, Jarl Ulfric and Frina. I dare say our friend from the far north is not a happy person this evening.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI suspect you\u2019re right about that,\u201d Ulfric rumbled. \u201cWe\u2019ll talk more when you return.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf made his way out of the valley and around the far side of Riften, entering the city through the north gate to let himself into Honeyside.\u00a0 Thankfully, the water keg was still full from the last time he\u2019d been there, and he drank two tankards quickly, sighing once he finished the second.<\/p>\n \u201cBetter. Now then.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019d stopped here for one specific purpose. He\u2019d left a fair amount of alchemy supplies here when they\u2019d moved, including moon sugar and some other items that he\u2019d thought would not be good to have near youngsters. He loaded that material into his pack before leaving the back way, onto the deck and down, and circling back around the city to enter through the southeastern gate.<\/p>\n I hope anyone who\u2019s watching me is good and confused. They should be.<\/em><\/p>\n It was easy to slip across the quiet and deserted graveyard and down into the Cistern from outside. Anyone who knew about that back entrance knew better than to so much as open the sarcophagus unless they had standing to do so. Far too many \u201cbags of trash\u201d had been removed over the years for anyone to even chance it any more.<\/p>\n People spoke to him as he made his way through the Cistern, filling him in on how things were going; checking their understanding of what he might want or need them to do next. As usual he had no complaints. The Guild had grown enough, and was well-run enough, that there really wasn\u2019t need for him to do much more than serve as a figurehead these days, and that he did willingly enough.\u00a0 He made a bit of a show of kneeling quietly before the statue of Nocturnal for a few moments, just to serve a reminder that yes, they owed their good fortune to her. He finally found Delvin in the corridor leading to the private bedchamber the senior members shared.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, boss,\u201d Delvin said. \u201cHow was your trip?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTroubling, if I\u2019m being honest. But none of it has anything to do with the Guild, at least not directly. Not yet, anyway. I wanted to check in with you on that other matter.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin cracked one of his crooked smiles and nodded. \u201cRight. And I think you\u2019ll find that everything is set up to your specifications. It\u2019s enough to get us started, and you\u2019ll find the supplies you need in a chest there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood. I\u2019ll head over now and practice a bit before I have to go back home. We\u2019ve got company, so I don\u2019t want to be gone too long.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell before you go, Bryn, you might want to check around in the Ratway. The room with that old chopping block in it, to be exact.\u00a0 I, uh, may have invited an old friend to set up shop in there. Her name\u2019s Zarashi, and if anyone can get our enterprise off the ground it\u2019s her. Stop by and introduce yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Well, well. This may turn out to be better than I had hoped.\u00a0 I\u2019m kind of glad Sayma is busy with the children, though.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAlright. I\u2019ll do that right now. Thanks, Delvin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAny time, boss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll leave what I make in the chest for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin nodded and headed back toward the bedroom. Brynjolf walked back out through the Flagon; but before he could get all the way past the bar, Vekel stopped him.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to tell you something, Brynjolf,\u201d he said in a low whisper.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026 you know that wizard who has come to see you a couple of times? Short hair, black robes?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf simply nodded, not wanting to give away how alarming those words actually were.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was here one night, a while back now, but one night when you weren\u2019t here.\u00a0 He came in with a woman and a really scruffy-looking Breton guy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally. Lord Wickham doesn\u2019t strike me as the type to associate with \u2018scruffy guys.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what made it stand out, Bryn. I was just cleaning around the bar as usual, not eavesdropping or anything\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course not,\u201d Brynjolf grinned at him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou laugh now \u2013 but they visited Galathil. And when they left, there was the woman, the wizard, and a man who looked exactly <\/em>like him except for the clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s gaze shot over toward Galathil, who was seated as usual in the outer area of the Flagon, reading her book.\u00a0 Then he looked back at Vekel.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re sure about this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, and I didn\u2019t want to say anything about it to her. Privacy and all. You know how particular she is. But I swear to you that man looked identical to the wizard.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why it\u2019s important, Bryn, but I figured you would.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded. \u201cOh yes indeed I do, my friend. Thank you.\u201d He started to leave, but then turned back to Vekel. \u201cBy the way, if anyone should come in here looking for the Thane of Solitude, put them in touch with Delvin. Discreetly.\u201d<\/p>\n Vekel looked confused for a moment, but then nodded in agreement. He knew better than to ask too many questions, which is one of the reasons he\u2019d been around so long. \u201cAlright then.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf waved and headed for the exit.<\/p>\n So Lord Wickham made himself a human copy, did he?\u00a0 Now I know why he was so interested in my having a new child. He was trying to figure out how to do it himself.<\/em><\/p>\n This is not good.<\/em><\/p>\n He entered the Ratway, turning left at the top of the stairs. At first he didn\u2019t see anything different, as dark as the space was; then he noticed a door that he hadn\u2019t remembered ever seeing before.\u00a0 As soon as he pushed it open a crack, though, he knew what was on the other side by the smell.<\/p>\n Leave it to Delvin to rub Maven\u2019s nose in it by setting up our own skooma den practically under her mansion. I love it.<\/em><\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, the place was heavy with smoke. What did surprise him was the number of customers here already. He hadn\u2019t been gone all that long. It wasn\u2019t much \u2013 not the fairly elaborate setup he remembered seeing at Redwater Den \u2013 but given the hurried nature of the establishment he was impressed.\u00a0 There were pipes, and tables, and bedrolls and rugs to sit on, bottles of wine lined up along the stone ledges of the circular space; and, sitting in front of what was undoubtedly a very carefully-locked chest, a Khajiit woman whose eyes clearly missed nothing at all.\u00a0 Brynjolf approached her and sat down on the floor near her rug.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re Zarashi?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know this one\u2019s name. Therefore you must be Brynjolf.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye. That I am. It\u2019s good to meet you, Zarashi. Is there anything you need here that I might help you with?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis one understands that there may be supplies arriving soon that are at least as good as Balmora Blue. That will be the only thing this one needs. We will be a profitable partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, then. As it happens, that material you\u2019re thinking of should start arriving soon. A small batch to begin with, but it\u2019ll be enough to start the wheels turning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVery good. Zarashi hopes you walk on warm sands.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf left the Ratway grinning and humming to himself and slid through the shadows to the back of Riftweald Manor.\u00a0 Making certain not to be seen, he let himself into the gated yard and lowered the second-floor ramp, walking up it into the house and then down through the false-back wardrobe, down past a host of traps to what had once been Mercer Frey\u2019s \u201csafe room.\u201d<\/p>\n It was perfect. Delvin had removed the old display case that had been in the room and replaced it with two alchemy stations. There was an extra alembic on the long table, as well as a pipe and a number of bottles, both empty and full, of various blends of skooma.\u00a0 In the chest just inside the entryway Brynjolf found everything he might have needed to start working on the product that Andante had taught him to make.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, time to see if I remember what you showed me, lad,\u201d he said to the air.\u00a0 He turned to the chest to take out what he needed, and bent over the table, getting to work.<\/p>\n He wasn\u2019t aware of the time passing. It felt good to engross himself entirely in a task and not worry, for once, about anything but creating something with his own hands.\u00a0 After a time he\u2019d bottled a few doses of what his taste buds and his improved state of being told him was as close as he\u2019d ever come to what Vitus could have made.<\/p>\n Best not to have much of that. The lass would know right away, I fear.<\/em><\/p>\n He did feel better, though. He packed the supplies he\u2019d brought from Honeyside and his completed wares away in the chests. It was time to get back to his family. But he couldn\u2019t stop the curl of excitement in his gut at the idea that he was finally going to have something with which to establish the Guild\u2019s independence from Maven Black-Briar.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n \u201cSo you see,\u201d Brynjolf told them, \u201che\u2019s been trying to beat the two of you to having a family, on top of everything else. It\u2019s pretty clear that he wants the throne.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe has to be stopped.\u201d Ulfric said. \u201cWe talked about it while you were gone, Brynjolf.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo that you <\/em>can be High King, Ulfric?\u201d came a sarcastic snort from the side of the room. \u201cIs that it?\u201d<\/p>\n Ulfric glared at Roggi. \u201cThat is the first part of it, of course. You know that. We\u2019ve spoken of this many times. But that\u2019s not the most important reason.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGods. You\u2019re right. No, it isn\u2019t,\u201d Sayma spoke up. Her words came slowly at first, and then more rapidly, and she frowned in obvious discomfort. \u201cThe most important reason is that Edwyn wants to take the place of the man who \u2026 died on his ship, docked outside of Solitude. The Emperor.\u201d\u00a0 She looked across the room and locked gazes with Brynjolf, sitting quietly in the corner. \u201cAnd if he does that, Skyrim will never truly be free. Never again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd neither will the rest of Tamriel,\u201d Dardeh added. \u201cHe\u2019ll be Emperor forever, because he can live forever. And who knows what plans he will put in place with the Thalmor. Or the Psijics. Or the College of Whispers. Or maybe he wants to take all of them over as well, the same way he took over the College of Winterhold. He\u2019ll renew the attack on Skyrim and he\u2019ll win, if he\u2019s Emperor, in spite of everything we\u2019ve done, because he\u2019ll have all the time there is to do what he wants.\u00a0 And time won\u2019t end, because Alduin is dead. Because of me.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a long, quiet pause broken only by the snapping of wood burning in the fireplace.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t let him get to Dardeh,\u201d Sayma said, quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd why is that?\u201d Frina murmured.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause, my dear,\u201d Ulfric rumbled, smiling at her, \u201cDardeh is the Dragonborn.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina frowned. \u201cYes, I know, but what\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Ulfric sighed. \u201cLegend holds that only one of the dragon blood can be the true Emperor of Tamriel.\u00a0 Only one who could wear the Amulet of Kings, imbued with the blood and souls of all the past true Emperors; who could light the Dragonfires, it was said. The Amulet of Kings is long ago lost. The best that can be done is to ensure that the Emperor is as good as can be found, and that is what we have been doing since Martin Septim; but there have been no true Dragonborn emperors since his time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd of course,\u201d Roggi said sourly, \u201cby becoming High King of Skyrim you are that much closer to that other throne.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi!\u201d Dardeh snapped. \u201cCut it out! That\u2019s not it. Listen to what he\u2019s saying.\u201d He frowned, concentrating. \u201cI could do it. I could light the Dragonfires. I don\u2019t have the Amulet of Kings. But you know that if any one mortal human can light a dragon fire, it\u2019s me.\u00a0 Right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah? And?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019m not going to be Emperor. Not now, not ever. Can you even imagine it? I can\u2019t.\u201d He frowned, his brow furrowed in concentration. \u201cWhen we were helping to clear out threats to Helgen, Roggi and I worked with a soldier who stumbled onto something important, I thought. Our father \u2013 Sayma\u2019s and mine \u2013 kept saying I must kill \u2018the other one.\u2019 We knew the first one was Alduin. Everyone assumed the second was you, Ulfric, but that wasn\u2019t right. Roggi and I thought maybe \u2018the other one\u2019 was the strongest vampire, since vampires keep attacking me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut Andante \u2013 Vitus \u2013 killed Harkon, the strongest vampire. And then he died himself. So our friend asked us \u2018who\u2019s the strongest vampire now?\u2019\u201d Roggi continued. \u201cAnd it looks like that\u2019s Edwyn Wickham.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d Dardeh said. \u201cBut if Edwyn Wickham gets to me first, what is it that he can get from me that he can\u2019t get from anyone else in the world?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi stared at him.\u00a0 Slowly, his eyes widened.<\/p>\n \u201cDar.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. Dragonborn blood.\u00a0 Where else would he get such a thing except from me? I\u2019m all there is. Sayma is of the same bloodline but she\u2019s not truly Dragonborn.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina looked confused for a moment. \u201cHe wouldn\u2019t become Dragonborn by drinking your blood, Dardeh. Would he? I mean\u2026 dragon-born<\/em>. He\u2019s a Breton.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy Ysmir,\u201d Roggi said quietly, his face ashen. \u201cI just remembered that one night when\u00a0 Bryn and Andante joked about Dragonborn blood probably being mighty tasty. I wonder if there\u2019s something to it. I wonder if Andante knew. What if he would<\/em> take on some of that power that way, the same way Dar takes on the power of the dragons when we kill them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr the way a Nightlord can take some of the power of another vampire he has killed, if he feeds.\u201d Brynjolf said quietly.\u00a0 They all turned and stared at him. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the things the most powerful vampires can do that weaker ones can\u2019t. It makes sense that Edwyn would believe such a thing could happen with respect to Dragonborn blood.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to consider that possibility from a man who has been working toward this goal for so very long, and who is so versed in all types of magic. If nothing else, it is likely that he believes <\/em>that he would take on the power. So you all see why we must stop him,\u201d Ulfric rumbled. \u201cHe is a danger to our friend the Dragonborn. He is a danger to Skyrim. And he is a danger to all of Tamriel.\u00a0 If we do not remove him, my being named High King of Skyrim will be meaningless, and any single person being crowned Emperor will also be meaningless.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, so I\u2019m your friend now?\u201d Dardeh mumbled.<\/p>\n Ulfric turned to look at Dardeh. He gave the Dragonborn the smallest of smiles.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Dardeh,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cI consider you my friend. You know that Roggi is important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi stared at Ulfric from across the room and sighed.\u00a0 Ulfric glanced at him, nodded, and smiled, then turned back to Dardeh.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd because you are the most important thing in the world to him, yes. Because you were instrumental in securing my victory, yes. I consider you a friend. I understand if you do not feel the same toward me.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh said nothing, but bowed his head slowly in acknowledgment.<\/p>\n \u201cPoor Elisif,\u201d Sayma said. \u201cYou\u2019re going to widow her twice in the same lifetime, Ulfric.\u201d<\/p>\n Ulfric shook his head. \u201cNo, I won\u2019t. That\u2019s just it. I can\u2019t. I have the Voice, but it is a weak imitation of the Dragonborn\u2019s Voice. I cannot imagine myself capable of defeating the Archmage. I am getting old. I am no longer the warrior I once was.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi turned back to face him and snorted.\u00a0 \u201cCould have fooled me in Solitude, Ulfric,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n Ulfric\u2019s eyebrows rose, and then the corner of his mouth. \u201cThank you for what I think was a compliment, Roggi, but the fact remains that I am no Dragonborn. General Tullius was a formidable adversary, but he was just a man. How can this be done? How can we beat Edwyn Wickham?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about the Greybeards?\u201d Sayma offered. \u201cTheir Voices are strong, and there are four of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh looked at Ulfric, and both of them started laughing.\u00a0 Dardeh spoke up first.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no more chance that I could rouse those old codgers off their stone chairs again than there is that I could sprout dragon wings and fly myself back to Skuldafn,\u201d Dardeh said. \u201cThe only reason they budged at all for the truce was that I shamed them into it by reminding them that Paarthurnax was directing me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Dragonborn is correct,\u201d Ulfric rumbled. \u201cThe Greybeards live a life of contemplation, not action. Or so they say. They have mastery of the Voice but only rarely use it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd they\u2019re stubborn,\u201d Dardeh added.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, they are,\u201d Ulfric agreed, grinning at him.<\/p>\n They all fell into silence again.<\/p>\n Then a low, rich brogue arose from the floor next to the fireplace.<\/p>\n \u201cI know a way.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma\u2019s head shot up. \u201cBrynjolf?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou won\u2019t like it.\u201d<\/p>\n As was so often the case, Roggi caught on first.\u00a0 \u201cBryn, you can\u2019t mean what I think you mean.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf sighed and slowly rose to his feet.<\/p>\n \u201cLike it or not, lads and lasses, if not for our friend Vitus casting a single spell on me I would still be a Nightlord vampire.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma gasped.<\/p>\n \u201cListen,\u201d he said. \u201cListen, and think about it. There is a real possibility that Edwyn might well take on Dragonborn powers from Dardeh\u2019s blood. The reason I know this to be true is that when I was \u2018born\u2019 as a vampire I had powers almost as strong as Vitus\u2019. It\u2019s in the blood. It travels with it. That\u2019s why Harkon could create him as a Vampire Lord, and why he could share that gift with me.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina squeaked. \u201cYou were a\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded. \u201cYes I was,\u201d he said, matter-of-factly. \u201cAnd I was just short of being as strong as he was. As Roggi told you, Vitus was the man who took down Lord Harkon of Volkihar Castle, the most powerful vampire in Skyrim at the time and one of the most powerful in all of Tamriel.\u00a0 Edwyn is another of those. Ancient, deadly, and incredibly strong.\u00a0 I was not that strong, but I was close. I took part in that battle against Harkon. I believe that I know how Edwyn can be killed. But it requires access to Castle Volkihar and the people I know there.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina objected. \u201cBut you\u2019re not a vampire now, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf shook his head. \u201cNo. I\u2019m not. But neither was Vitus, when we first met Harkon. He had been, before, but was then cured of the condition and was fully human again.\u00a0 Harkon re-created him as a vampire lord, with a single bite. Vitus regained every bit of strength he had originally, plus those of a Vampire Lord. And he then shared that with me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you were cured, Brynjolf, yes?\u201d Frina pressed the issue.<\/p>\n He paused for a moment and took a deep breath.\u00a0 Then he nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAye. That I was. Right now I\u2019m just a regular man.\u201d<\/p>\n Ulfric stroked his chin and nodded. \u201cIf I understand correctly, were you to be turned again you would regain all of your powers and \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo! Brynjolf, you can\u2019t do that!\u201d Roggi growled.<\/p>\n Brynjolf gave Roggi a sad smile, then turned his attention to Ulfric. \u201cYou understand correctly, Jarl Ulfric. That is my belief.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, if I am following,\u201d Ulfric said, \u201cyou believe that you would be strong enough to kill Lord Wickham if you were to be a vampire once more.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps,\u201d Brynjolf said. \u201cPerhaps not. But I\u2019m the only one of us who has that option.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then once it was over,\u201d Frina said, \u201cyou would be cured again, and we would be free of that problem once and for all.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf cleared his throat. \u201cWell. About that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, he couldn\u2019t,\u201d Roggi said quietly. \u201cVitus killed the only mage in the world aside from himself who knew how to do the spell to cure vampirism. If Bryn is turned again he stays that way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy Talos,\u201d Frina breathed.<\/p>\n Sayma rose and fled to their bedroom without saying another word.<\/p>\n Sayma had just finished feeding Qaralana and was rocking her back to sleep when Roggi walked into the house blinking and yawning. \u201cHave you seen Dar? He left before I woke up.\u201d She smiled up at him. \u201cHe had some breakfast and went outside to play with \u2026Chip.\u201d Roggi laughed. \u201cChip. I take it you … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/5-2-9-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart II: Resolution<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"