{"id":5038,"date":"2020-07-06T00:04:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T00:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/?page_id=5038"},"modified":"2020-11-24T18:50:20","modified_gmt":"2020-11-24T18:50:20","slug":"chapter-13-edwyn-and-brynjolf","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/volume-v\/part-ii-resolution\/chapter-13-edwyn-and-brynjolf\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 13 – Edwyn and Brynjolf"},"content":{"rendered":"

Edwyn Wickham stared at the bookshelves, wondering what he possibly could have missed in his research. He\u2019d read Book of the Dragonborn <\/em>so many times he could recite it from memory, and yet he still could not say definitively that yes, Dardeh at-Dadarh must be the next true, divinely-appointed Emperor. Yes, he had the blood. He was Dragonborn. That much was clear. But was that blood truly the divinely-given key, or was it all an elaborate metaphor?<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know. I must know. Surely Harkon would have wanted me to secure the position of Emperor in his stead by the best, most legitimate claim I could obtain and I believe \u2013 it must be so! \u2013 that the Dragonborn blood is the way to do that. <\/em><\/p>\n

He turned to Urag Gro-Shub yet again, approaching him behind his desk as he\u2019d done so many times recently.\u00a0 The old Orc looked up to see who was nearing him.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Archmage? What can I do for you today?\u201d\u00a0 His voice was polite enough, but he didn\u2019t quite manage to hide a \u201cnot you again\u201d look from his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat else might you have on the history of the Empire? The position of Emperor, specifically?\u201d<\/p>\n

Urag sighed heavily. Edwyn had learned early on that the archivist applied his no-frills approach to interpersonal exchanges to everyone, equally. You were to respect his materials and his knowledge, and if you didn\u2019t, he\u2019d be certain you were appropriately punished, regardless of who you were.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis again? You\u2019ve seen everything we have, Archmage, down to the most obscure treatises I can find.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there must be something. I need to know how it works.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow what works, exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dragonborn.\u201d\u00a0 Edwyn paced back and forth. \u201cHow does one become Dragonborn?\u201d<\/p>\n

Urag snorted. \u201cAt the risk of sounding absurd, one is born that way. Sir. And why don\u2019t you just ask him, if that\u2019s something you\u2019re so interested in?\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwyn stopped and stared at the old Orc.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsk<\/em> him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. The Dragonborn. Dardeh. He seems to be a nice enough guy, as far as I\u2019m able to tell such things. Don\u2019t know much more about him than that. He can Shout, and he didn\u2019t have to be taught how. That makes him different. But he\u2019s just a man, like you or me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh, no my dear Orc, there are no other men like me in the wide world. Harkon chose me of all his followers because I am different. I am especially gifted among mages and vampires. And I will be Emperor, one way or another.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, well I had planned to seek him out eventually; but you have reinforced my determination to do so sooner rather than later. Thank you, Urag. And keep looking, if you would. Should there be some obscure reference to dragon blood I would be most interested in reading it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, Archmage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwyn turned to leave the Arcanaeum. Tolfdir had alerted him to another outbreak of magical anomalies, this one near Winterhold.\u00a0 He\u2019d asked Edwyn to take care of them and check with the Jarl of Winterhold \u2013 something he should have done long since \u2013 and now was as good a time as any to do that, before heading back to Solitude.<\/p>\n

If he\u2019d had eyes in the back of his head he would have seen Urag Gro-Shub rolling his.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Brynjolf stood beside the bed, staring down at his sleeping wife. Sayma looked particularly peaceful; no surprise, really, given that she was getting rest for once, while Qaralana slept.<\/p>\n

I hate to wake the lass up but I have to tell her that I\u2019m off<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It was bad enough that he\u2019d spent the past several nights apart from her because she\u2019d been angry. It had been a necessity, for the last couple of those nights; for he\u2019d needed to hunt, to make certain he had a supply of blood potions, and to work in the lab in Riftweald Manor to create enough supply to meet the demand.\u00a0 If he left for Castle Volkihar without speaking to her, he was concerned that their relationship might be put under too much strain to survive.<\/p>\n

He leaned over and shook her gently by the shoulder. \u201cLass, I need to talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma\u2019s eyes fluttered open. After a moment of apparent confusion, she slipped off the side of the bed and stood to face him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs everything alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing horrible going on, if that\u2019s what you mean,\u201d he said. \u201cAt least not yet. I came to a decision about Maven, and I\u2019m afraid she\u2019s going to be a very angry woman for some time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma blinked. \u201cWhat? What\u2019s happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, let\u2019s just say that I reached the end of my patience with her. I\u2019m tired of being treated like nothing more than hired muscle. We needed to put a crimp in her plans to take over the EEC, anyway, and what better way to do that than to partially interrupt the flow of her income, wouldn\u2019t you say?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma looked truly confused. \u201cYes, of course, but\u2026 what have you done?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf snickered.\u00a0 \u201cI finished what you started, out at Goldenglow. She\u2019s not going to be getting honey from a cheap and nearby source for some time. No honey, no mead. No mead\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my gosh, Red, did you really?\u201d\u00a0 Her mouth hung open a bit before her expression turned to a grin. \u201cThat\u2019s fantastic!\u00a0 And so much more direct than taking on the pirates again\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I think they\u2019ll be looking for bluer seas once they find out she\u2019s going to have some trouble paying them off.\u00a0 They\u2019ll also think twice about working for her when they hear about the poor mercenaries who used to guard Goldenglow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma raised one eyebrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I took care of them, too. It was delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma took a moment or two to look him over. Brynjolf cracked a small smile at the familiar, hungry look flickering in her gaze as she took in his new armor. He knew how well it suited him, and he knew what her reaction would be. She was not so very different from either Dynjyl or Andante in that respect.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve missed you. I\u2019m sorry I was so awful the other day.\u201d She gestured toward him and grinned. \u201cNew clothes, Red?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAye. I had left these over at Honeyside from a long time ago and decided to change things up a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell speaking of things that are delicious, you look good enough to eat,\u201d she said, slipping her arms around his waist and pressing herself up against him.<\/p>\n

\u201cGlad you approve,\u201d he said, grinning, feeling himself respond to her nearness.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This is a bad idea, he thought; but the one, infallible constant in his relationship with Sayma had been their desire for each other, no matter what else might be going on around them.\u00a0 He pushed his concerns out of his mind and leaned forward to kiss her. It was an eager kiss, after several days apart, and he lost himself in it for a moment, savoring the taste of her and knowing that she was doing the same.<\/p>\n

Then Sayma squeaked, and pushed away from him.\u00a0 Her eyes were huge, and he could see her trembling.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour\u2026 teeth,\u201d she said, waving a hand toward her own face.<\/p>\n

Damn it all. Of course she found my fangs. I\u2019m an idiot.<\/em><\/p>\n

He sighed. \u201cUm\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you\u2019re \u2013 cold<\/em>, Brynjolf.\u201d<\/p>\n

He crossed his arms and stared at her.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose I am.\u201d He paused for several long heartbeats before continuing. \u00a0\u201cIt sort of goes with the territory. I\u2019m sorry if I startled you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re\u2026 you\u2019re a\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a vampire again, yes. I\u2019m sorry you had to find out this way. I wasn\u2019t thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tears started slipping down Sayma\u2019s cheeks, even though when she spoke, her voice was totally controlled.\u00a0 \u201cWhen we were all talking about it the other day \u2013 were you already\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head. \u201cNo, lass. Of course not. I wouldn\u2019t have lied to you all, and especially not to you. I never have lied to you. But the process was<\/em> already underway. \u00a0I couldn\u2019t tell you that part because you would have forced me to stop it. And I have to be this strong, Sayma. That was my reasoning, at least. I thought it was the best chance we have to stop Edwyn Wickham.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Bryn,\u201d she said, her voice cracking. \u201cNo, no\u2026 how could you? What about us, your family?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re why I did this,\u201d he said, as calmly as he could manage, but with a hint of panic rising up into his chest.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t going well at all.<\/em> \u201cI need to protect you. I\u2026 need.<\/em> To protect you.\u201d By the Eight it\u2019s the only thing I can do.<\/em><\/p>\n

There was a long, silent moment while the two of them stared at each other and Brynjolf waited for his world to fall apart again. To his utter surprise, Sayma took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand, Brynjolf. That\u2019s what\u2019s always made you go \u2018round. You want to keep us all safe: us, and the Guild, and all the people you care about. You even wanted to help the ghosts of those ancient Redguards in Hammerfell. \u00a0But this\u2026 I feel like I\u2019ve lost you forever.\u201d\u00a0 She reached up to scrub the moisture away from her eyes and frowned as though she was annoyed at her own reaction.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, lass,\u201d he said. \u201cYou haven\u2019t lost me. Not at all. I\u2019m still me. I\u2019m just a wee bit different. And a lot stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

She stared at him for a long moment, and then spoke quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cShow me.\u201d<\/p>\n

A shock ran through him, as her words transported him back to the moment when he had leaned toward Andante and said the same thing.\u00a0 \u201cShow me,\u201d I told him. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen such a thing before, up close, and I want to.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure that\u2019s a good idea?\u201d he murmured, trying to grapple with the bittersweet memory and walk the tightrope that was the current moment.\u00a0 One wrong move and he could destroy their lives\u2026 again.<\/p>\n

Sayma nodded. \u201cI want to see. You. What you really look like now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if you\u2019re sure about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mostly against his better judgment, Brynjolf drew energy into his left hand and released his illusion spell.\u00a0 He watched Sayma\u2019s eyes grow round again.\u00a0 He knew what she was seeing:\u00a0 his eyes were a vivid, glowing copper; his face was more angular and his mouth held differently as it accommodated the large fangs.\u00a0 And as if that weren\u2019t enough, the sun had risen outside. Even the dim light coming in through the window was enough to have him steaming.\u00a0 Her eyes said a great many things in rapid succession: shock, fear, sadness; but also curiosity, wonder, and strangely enough, desire.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, by all the gods,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n

He took a step toward her and then winced as her hands flew up in front of her body as if to protect herself.\u00a0 He closed his eyes for a moment, as disappointment flooded through him.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She can\u2019t do it. Not even Sayma, the strongest woman I know. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too much for you?\u201d he asked quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m\u2026 I just\u2026\u201d she stammered.\u00a0 Then she nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI want it to be ok. I really do, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you love me?\u201d<\/p>\n

He knew, as soon as he said it, that he shouldn\u2019t have. If her saying that to him had hurt as badly as it had, it was inevitable that his saying it to her would do the same. But it was the same thing he\u2019d wanted to say to his mother and his father, in his dream; a cry of anguish that came straight from the heart of him.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t you love me? Am I not good enough for you? <\/em><\/p>\n

She stared back at him, the look on her face telling him that she was also thinking about their previous exchange, and feeling guilty about it. She nodded again, slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I do. I always have and I always will, Brynjolf. But now you\u2019re – different. I know you wouldn\u2019t ever hurt me, or the children, but you\u2019re different.\u201d\u00a0 She gestured toward him again and her mouth opened a couple of times, as though she was struggling for words. \u201cYou\u2019re\u2026 you\u2019re a beautiful thing. I don\u2019t know whether you realize how much. \u00a0It\u2019s a little overwhelming, actually.\u00a0 And yet all I can think of right now is that our children are going to grow up, and I\u2019m going to get old, and you\u2019re going to look like this forever, never changing. You\u2019ll leave me, eventually, when I\u2019m not appealing anymore.\u00a0 It feels like you\u2019re abandoning me for something I don\u2019t even understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wanted to be angry at that moment. He was<\/em> angry. A small part of his mind \u2013 the part that had led him to sit in front of the fire and do nothing but drink for weeks on end, before Roggi had come and forced him to get healthy again \u2013 was angry, was screaming at him to say something or do something.\u00a0 But the rest of him was simply sad. She\u2019s right. I\u2019ll never be the same again, and I\u2019ll never be different again. She\u2019s going to live out her life and once she\u2019s gone, I\u2019ll still be here, looking just the way I do right now.<\/em> He turned away from her and was almost to the door before he was able to say anything.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m\u2026 disappointed, Sayma,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m disappointed, because the way you look is not why I\u2019m with you. You\u2019re beautiful; but even if you weren\u2019t you would still be the one who completes me.\u00a0 That won\u2019t change just because you get older. I thought you knew that.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed heavily, wishing he didn\u2019t have to add the rest, but feeling compelled to do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut even more than that: of all the people in the world to accuse me of abandonment, you probably have the least right to do so.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head, gathering magic and casting his illusion spell again. \u201cI came to tell you that I will be gone for awhile. I have some business to take care of in the Solitude area. I didn\u2019t want to just leave without telling you so in person.\u00a0 Maybe I should have.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be back in a few days, and don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ll come check in with you but I\u2019ll stay over at Honeyside.\u00a0 It\u2019s just as well, anyway. If Edwyn comes looking for me I\u2019d rather draw him away from all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He heard Qaralana beginning to stir and fuss.\u00a0 Sayma wouldn\u2019t have heard it yet, he realized, as she didn\u2019t share his keen hearing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe baby\u2019s waking up,\u201d he murmured. \u201cTake care of her, and Chip.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to go try to get rid of our biggest problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t look back at her as he opened the door to slip out of the bedroom, but he heard her sobbing behind him even as he left the house and headed for the hidden opening to the vale.<\/p>\n

She has no right. After what she did to me, and to Roggi, and to the Guild, she has no right to judge me for trying to do what I thought was the only way to fix things. Even if I was wrong.<\/em><\/p>\n

As he moved through the dark passage back into the Rift, he heard his father\u2019s voice in his mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cYe\u2019ve made a right mess of yer life yet again\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He stepped out into the light of the day, blinking, and sighed.<\/p>\n

You were right, Da. I have. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I\u2019ve made a mess instead. And now I have to live with it for the rest of time. I think I understand what Andante felt like.<\/em><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Edwyn felt, rather than saw, the pulsing of magical energies just beyond the crest of the ice-bound hilltop.\u00a0 He\u2019d made his way out of Winterhold and to the southwest, up onto the hillside beneath the watchful gaze of the Shrine of Azura. The magical outbreak was not far beyond the excavation of Saarthal, the ancient capital of Skyrim supposed to have been built by none other than Ysgramor himself.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t too surprising, he thought, that such magical anomalies would persist near Saarthal.\u00a0 It was, after all, the place in which he and Tolfdir had discovered the so-called \u201cEye of Magnus,\u201d hidden in the deepest part of the ancient barrows beneath the city.\u00a0 The object had been the source of so much energy that when they had removed it to the College, its presence had attracted no less than the Psijic Order \u2013 and had driven the Thalmor\u2019s representative, Ancano, crazy.\u00a0 At least that was Edwyn\u2019s opinion. He\u2019d had to kill Ancano in order to preserve the College \u2013 for the mer had been dead set on opening the Eye and releasing its power.<\/p>\n

Even I couldn\u2019t have contained that artifact on my own. I don\u2019t know where the Psijics took it, but so long as it is not here I\u2019m not concerned.\u00a0 Still, there was so much power in it that it\u2019s likely still bleeding out of the very stones beneath our feet.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He grimaced as he rounded the end of the icy stone outcropping and saw the transparent, greenish area of pulsing energies just above his position. Those had been better times, he thought.\u00a0 He\u2019d only barely returned to Skyrim, then, at Harkon\u2019s behest.\u00a0 He\u2019d had nothing to worry about aside from taking control of the College.\u00a0 He and Agryn and Vyctyna had busied themselves with the pursuit of that one specific goal \u2013 that, and creating more Volkihar vampires when and where they could.<\/p>\n

And then Harkon was killed, at a time when I couldn\u2019t even think of leaving the College. <\/em><\/p>\n

He frowned again, remembering. \u00a0It had been all too exciting, chasing down the Staff of Magnus, learning its location, retrieving it from deep within Labrynthian and then battling the insane Altmer and the power of the Eye itself.\u00a0 He\u2019d had Agryn with him for part of the process; but most of it had been done alone.\u00a0 He\u2019d felt entirely deserving of taking over Savos Aren\u2019s position as Archmage after that.<\/p>\n

Savos Aren, grasping wretch that he was, leaving his companions either dead or enthralled, bound for all time to hold the Dragon Priest Morokei captive. Convincing himself that he had no choice, the weakling. He wasn\u2019t worthy of the title of Archmage, and if I hadn\u2019t needed to clean up his messes I might have been able to help Harkon. All Aren needed to do was defeat Morokei. I was able to do that by myself. Imagine how simple it would have been for me had Agryn been with me? And where is Agryn now that I need him?\u00a0 Again I am left to my own devices, forced to rely on my own strength! <\/em><\/p>\n

Edwyn howled in anger and conjured a wraith, followed by a bound sword for each hand.\u00a0 He dashed forward and attacked the nebulous energy source.\u00a0 As it had when he had fought the anomalies near Dawnstar, the area surrounding the source exploded into three more solid \u2013 and most definitely more aggressive \u2013 spheres of magic.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The sun had been just about to set when he had reached his target.\u00a0 As he fought the first of the three anomalies the wraith fought another; and as the sun set his power increased with the darkness.\u00a0 The fight was intense.<\/p>\n

While Edwyn was fully capable of destroying a wisp or an ice wraith, these anomalies were stronger.\u00a0 Each blow, even with his formidable vampiric power behind it, did only a small amount of damage to the creatures with their tough, solid shells \u2013 whether matter or energy he wasn\u2019t sure; all he knew for a certainty was that they did not fall to a few simple sword strikes.\u00a0 He needed to re-cast his wraith at intervals, followed immediately by his own swords; and he did so over, and over, shrieking at the anomalies to obey him and die, until at last his swords and the wraith\u2019s energy blast struck the final wisp at the same time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There was a massive explosion of light and power as both the final wisp and the central anomaly itself disintegrated.\u00a0 Edwyn dismissed his swords, grabbing for his own kneecaps to balance and prevent himself from toppling backwards down the slope.\u00a0 The sounds of the explosion reverberated across the ice fields and down through the nearby crevasses, and then dissipated.\u00a0 He straightened and grinned at the wraith, which ran up to peer at him before she also disintegrated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, then,\u201d he said to the air. \u201cI was about to thank you for your efforts, but I see that my company was no longer required.\u201d\u00a0 He looked around the area and then shouted at the top of his lungs.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you see that, Agryn Gernic? I no longer require your assistance!\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head and started laughing loudly at his own cleverness.\u00a0 Then he frowned, and shrugged, and began trotting back toward Winterhold.\u00a0 It was time to speak to the Jarl.<\/p>\n

Edwyn wasn\u2019t entirely convinced that he understood why Winterhold needed a Jarl at all, truthfully.\u00a0 The formerly thriving city had fallen into the Sea of Ghosts well over eighty years previous, in an event known as the Great Collapse.\u00a0 The sea continued to undermine the coast beneath the College and the settlement, and more of it crumpled downward each time there was a bad storm.\u00a0 Nowadays, Winterhold was not much more than a collection of a few buildings. The bones of a few more, destroyed when shifting land had shifted heating fires enough to set their encompassing homes alight, still clung to the cliffside.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t as though the city couldn\u2019t be expanded onto safer terrain; but for whatever reason, the tiny population of Winterhold as it existed declined to move.<\/p>\n

He approached the Jarl\u2019s longhouse reluctantly.\u00a0 He had never introduced himself to Jarl Korir, had never thought it necessary to do so. He\u2019d been preoccupied with other matters.\u00a0 This was a delicate time, however; and if he was to stand any sort of chance to persuade the various and sundry Jarls to support Elisif\u2019s claim to the high throne, he needed to take full advantage of his status and this opportunity.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When Edwyn entered the longhouse he found a large, auburn-haired Nord standing on the lower step of the throne\u2019s dais, speaking to a sour-faced woman.<\/p>\n

This must be the Jarl. Unimpressive. Just look at the underbite; he must be another of those deeply inbred sorts that seem to dot the landscape around here. Nords. They\u2019re a backward lot. I hope he\u2019s more intelligent than he appears.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2026 wizard is still at the inn,\u201d the woman said. \u201cI can\u2019t believe Dagur allows him to stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what it\u2019s come to,\u201d the Jarl grumbled. \u201cNo one seems to care what they\u2019ve done to our home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s clear that memories are far too short,\u201d the woman said.\u00a0 It occurred to Edwyn that this unpleasant creature must be the esteemed Jarl\u2019s wife and housecarl, Thaena.\u00a0 No wonder he\u2019s as sour as he is. The two of them probably deserve each other.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it\u2019s clear money matters more to Dagur than honor,\u201d the Jarl said, turning to the throne and lowering himself into it.<\/p>\n

No doubt this Dagur finds it convenient when he is able to afford to feed himself.\u00a0 Honor is a fine thing, but it does very little to fill one\u2019s stomach, in my experience.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Nord finally seemed to notice Edwyn standing quietly in front of the throne, and gestured toward him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd just who are you? What\u2019s your business here in Winterhold?\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwyn gritted his teeth.\u00a0 This is going to be difficult, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 How unfortunate. <\/em>\u201cI\u2019m here in several capacities, Jarl Korir,\u201d he said smoothly. \u201cFirst and foremost, I\u2019m here on behalf of the College.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI should have known by the robes,\u201d Korir said, frowning.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Well I wish to inform you that the magic anomalies to the west of us have been dealt with. You\u2019ll have no further difficulties with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood. Not that it matters,\u201d Korir growled. \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t have been an issue if not for your College.\u00a0 In fact, if you count yourself among their numbers then you\u2019ve blood on your hands as well.\u00a0 Look around. There\u2019s nothing left of Winterhold. Nothing! Everyone knows that it\u2019s the College\u2019s fault the sea swallowed our city. Still they deny it, but we all know the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwyn fought to contain the anger welling up in him.\u00a0 I could end you and your wife before you even knew enough to blink. Count yourself fortunate that I require your cooperation. <\/em>He took a deep breath and expelled it before speaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs it happens, my dear Jarl Korir, you are addressing Lord Edwyn Wickham, Archmage of the College of Winterhold and husband to Elisif of Solitude, our future High Queen.\u00a0 I was pleased to rid your town of its problem personally, and I can assure you that the most likely cause of those anomalies has been dealt with.\u201d\u00a0 He leaned closer, smiling his most unpleasant smile. \u201cI can also assure you that the College was not, in fact, the cause of the Great Collapse. I don\u2019t believe that there was anyone there at the time powerful \u2013 or competent \u2013 enough to create such a disaster, regardless of what you may have been told.\u201d<\/p>\n

Korir blinked in obvious surprise.\u00a0 Then he practically growled at Edwyn.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou, the Archmage? You do have a lot of guts showing up on my doorstep, I\u2019ll give you that.\u00a0 And while I am glad to hear that the problem has been resolved it doesn\u2019t change the fact that you caused it in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Actually, my dear idiot, if anyone caused it, it was that Thalmor bastard Ancano fiddling about with the Eye of Magnus.\u00a0 But I wouldn\u2019t expect you to comprehend such a thing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Edwyn opened his mouth to say something else, but Korir interrupted him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs to your being Elisif\u2019s husband\u2026 I pity the poor woman for losing Torygg, but you will have to forgive me if I do not recognize your union as a legitimate one. True Nords in Skyrim marry once, and once only. It\u2019s a shame that the girl has forgotten that simple fact.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat girl<\/em>,\u201d Edwyn said, forcing the words out from between tightly-clamped jaws, \u201cwill be named High Queen at the Moot.\u00a0 As I understand it, this will happen soon. I am quite certain that you will be supporting her in this. It would be so unfortunate if something like those magic anomalies attacked the town again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Korir stared at him for a moment and then laughed, a single loud blat of laughter without humor.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not only a Breton, and a mage, but an idiot as well, is that it?\u201d he snorted. \u201cThere\u2019s only one true High King in Skyrim and that\u2019s Ulfric Stormcloak. The Moot should have had him crowned months and months ago. Years, even, at this point. \u00a0If you think I\u2019ll support anyone else you\u2019re sorely mistaken. There may not be much left of Winterhold these days but it used to be the seat of power in Skyrim and I am still its Jarl.\u00a0 I won\u2019t be intimidated by you, or anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Edwyn felt his control slipping away, and continued to fight himself anyway.\u00a0 He watched Korir\u2019s eyes widen just a bit and wondered whether his illusion spell was fading.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you quite certain that you haven\u2019t misspoken, Korir?\u201d he said, quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite.\u201d\u00a0 Korir said curtly, frowning at him. \u201cNow you should go. There isn\u2019t anything else you can do to Winterhold that will put it in any worse a position than it already occupies. You can level it with your magic, but you cannot change its people. Or its Jarl. Or the laws and customs of Skyrim herself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwyn saw himself flying forward to tear the man\u2019s throat from his body, as he had done with the late Vingalmo.\u00a0 It would be the greatest of all possible pleasures to do so.\u00a0 But he forced his face into a slight smile and nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed. I am sorry to have disturbed you, Jarl Korir. Rest assured that the Archmage of the College has your best interests at heart, and those of the, um, city<\/em> of Winterhold. Perhaps we shall see each other again soon, at the coronation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGet lost,\u201d the Jarl growled, waving him toward the door.<\/p>\n

Edwyn turned and strode from the longhouse, quickly, before he utterly lost control.\u00a0 He\u2019d taken only a few steps out into the darkness, across the roadway and into the relative shelter of one of Winterhold\u2019s broken buildings before he howled his anger, a loud, inarticulate sound without words.\u00a0 He walked down the hillside beneath the bridge to the College and then transformed to his Vampire Lord form.<\/p>\n

Time to get back to Solitude.\u00a0 Time to prepare Elisif.\u00a0 We\u2019re calling for the Moot and we\u2019re doing it now, before things get any more out of hand.<\/em><\/p>\n

He flew down the slope to the shoreline and headed west, across the water. Things were not going well.\u00a0 But he would make certain that they did, and soon.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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

Edwyn Wickham stared at the bookshelves, wondering what he possibly could have missed in his research. He\u2019d read Book of the Dragonborn so many times he could recite it from memory, and yet he still could not say definitively that yes, Dardeh at-Dadarh must be the next true, divinely-appointed Emperor. Yes, he had the blood. … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Chapter 13 – Edwyn and Brynjolf”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":4750,"menu_order":13,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5038","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5038","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=5038"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5038\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5319,"href":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5038\/revisions\/5319"}],"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=5038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}