![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-21-1.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Dardeh yawned and stretched luxuriously before it dawned on him that he was, in fact, alone in the bed.\u00a0 He pouted.\u00a0 He\u2019d intended to roll over and make himself indispensable to a certain blonde Nord; but that very Nord had gotten up before him, it seemed.\u00a0\u00a0 He maneuvered himself to the side of the bed and sat up, looking around the room and wondering what on earth had happened that he was able to have slept so very well.<\/p>\n
It seemed as though it had been years, now, since he\u2019d slept so soundly.\u00a0 The only other times he could remember anything like it had been a few of the first nights with Roggi, after they\u2019d finally realized that they were meant to be together. Those had been special moments, when the warmth of knowing he had found his place in the world had soothed away any other care he might have had.<\/p>\n
The sounds of a light baritone humming and the clinks of stone against stone had him smiling while he pulled on his clothing.\u00a0 Roggi had spent hour after hour at his alchemy table in the several days since they\u2019d gotten home from their trial in Winterhold and their report to Ulfric about the Jarls \u2013 and about Edwyn Wickham.\u00a0 He\u2019d rested, too; he\u2019d soaked in the lake, steamed in the sauna, and spent many an hour just sitting quietly while the girls ran around in glee to have their two Papas back home again.\u00a0 But he\u2019d spent more time than that making potions.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-21-2.png\")
<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s what I used to do to calm my nerves, Dar,\u201d he\u2019d said the first day home, when Dardeh had nagged him to rest.\u00a0 \u201cBefore I took up drinking too much. Busy my hands with something constructive and all of the bad thoughts just float away.\u00a0 And we end up with products at the end of it that\u2026\u201d He\u2019d paused, and frowned a bit. \u201cWell, given how many of them you had to use on me to get me rolling again, it seems the least I can do is replace them. And maybe we can sell the ones we don\u2019t need.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you having bad thoughts, love?\u201d Dardeh had asked, coming up behind him to give him a hug.<\/p>\n
Roggi had paused, and turned to face him with a thoughtful look.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s like this, Dar,\u201d he said slowly. \u201cI don\u2019t really know what I saw up there on that rooftop.\u00a0 What I thought<\/em> I saw was a dragon, flying over Edwyn Wickham\u2019s head.\u00a0 I thought you had called Odahviing.\u00a0 But it looked like a black dragon, not a red one, and I don\u2019t remember hearing you Shout.\u00a0 I hit my head pretty hard when I fell down, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t Shout for a dragon, no.\u00a0 In fact, the only two Shouts I used were Dragon Aspect and fire \u2013 the one that took him out. I wouldn\u2019t worry about it, Roggi. It wouldn\u2019t be the first time someone\u2019s had a concussion and seen things that weren\u2019t really there.\u201d\u00a0 He chuckled and pointed to himself, remembering the battle at Fort Greenwall when he\u2019d had his bell rung by the flat of a sword and then saw an ethereal Dragonborn.<\/p>\n Still don\u2019t know what that\u2019s all about, and I\u2019m positive I never want to worry about it again.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBut I swear to you, Dardeh; just before you killed Edwyn I looked up and saw you in Dragon Aspect. That part I\u2019m used to now. But you also had wings. And horns. And a tail.\u00a0 I saw a dragon, Dar, and that dragon was you.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh had watched Roggi\u2019s eyes flicker with hurt when he\u2019d been unable to keep himself from chuckling. Roggi was so very earnest about what he\u2019d seen; just as he himself had been completely certain he\u2019d seen a ghostly Dragonborn helping him.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s ok, Roggi. Maybe you saw what\u2019s supposed to be. It doesn\u2019t matter. If it\u2019s a bad thought, just let go of it. Do whatever you need to do.\u00a0 All I care about is that we\u2019re both here.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi had smiled at him then, and turned back toward his mortar and pestle, glancing over his shoulder once more to say, \u201coh, it wasn\u2019t a bad<\/em> thought, Dar. I like having a dragon look out for me.\u00a0 You make a good one,\u201d in a voice that had put every fiber of Dardeh\u2019s being into a responsive mood.<\/p>\n And here Roggi was again, toiling away at his potions, humming a mindless tune, when Dardeh approached him from behind and kissed him on the neck.<\/p>\n \u201cGood morning, husband!\u201d he said, surprised at how very light his very deep voice sounded.<\/p>\n Roggi didn\u2019t look up from his work, but one eyebrow lifted. \u201cGood morning to you, Dar. You seem awfully chipper today.\u00a0 What\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh stopped to consider.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t actually know. But you\u2019re right. I\u2019ve felt \u2026 easier, somehow. Since before we got home, even. I wonder what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019d feel better, too, if all of a sudden I didn\u2019t have someone actively looking to part me from my blood.\u201d\u00a0 Roggi shuddered. \u201cOnce was enough for that, truly. And they were after you for a long time, Dar.\u201d<\/p>\n Something about this whole line of conversation had him thinking harder about it. \u201cWhen was the last time I didn\u2019t<\/em> feel weighed down, I wonder?\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore you went to Solstheim?\u201d Roggi answered, equally quietly.<\/p>\n Dardeh stared at him. \u201cThere\u2019s something to that.\u00a0 Let me think.\u201d\u00a0 His mind raced back through everything that had happened to him since Alduin had simultaneously saved his life and altered it forever.\u00a0 \u201cJust before I went to Solstheim. You were hurt, and I stayed at the Bannered Mare and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd?\u201d Roggi straightened for a moment and turned to face him.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I had a dream about my father.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi\u2019s eyes widened. \u201cHe told you that you had to kill them both, or something like that, didn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, it was obvious that Miraak was the first one. That was clear from the moment it was done. But ever since then I\u2019ve either had him telling me I needed to finish it \u2013 in words \u2013 or that horrible feeling that something remained to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n He shook his head as it became clear to him that things had changed.\u00a0 He felt a smile emerging, and watched an echoing smile appear on Roggi\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t feel that any more, Roggi.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t felt it since we talked to Ulfric.\u00a0 In fact, I was actually pleased to see Ulfric and I can\u2019t remember that ever happening before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMiraak was the strongest one, then,\u201d Roggi said, returning to the alchemy table. \u201cEdwyn was the other one. And he\u2019s gone now.\u00a0 Now you can have some peace.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh felt himself tearing up, as he so often did, and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI think you\u2019re right, Roggi.\u00a0 It feels like the worst is over.\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s all over.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi grinned. \u201cWell we can only hope.\u00a0 Once we\u2019ve got that crown on Ulfric\u2019s head I\u2019ll rest easier. Maybe it\u2019ll mean I never have to use my other talents again.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh sighed, his smile fading a bit. \u201cI hope so, Roggi. But here\u2019s what I hope even more \u2013 I want you not to feel bad about it any longer. People do hard things in wars, always have. We had to do hard things to win Solitude. I had to do hard things to get rid of Alduin, and I\u2019ll never be rid of what I saw in Sovngarde.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed; but then his smile returned as he realized that even after thinking about that, one of the most desperately sad moments of his life, he felt\u2026 free.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to get some food,\u201d he told Roggi. \u201cDon\u2019t spend too much time bent over like that. You need your back to be good and limber.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi\u2019s head turned to the side, he winked at Dardeh, and he grinned. \u201cOho! Feeling feisty, Dragonboy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvery day, love. Every day.\u201d<\/p>\n It had been like that for the two of them ever since they\u2019d gotten home: a little light banter, a few moments contemplating their lives \u2013 and then Roggi was back at it, making potions or planning how to plant or harvest or otherwise procure more ingredients.\u00a0 Dardeh hoped that he was doing so out of interest and not because he continually felt the need to banish dark thoughts, but he wasn\u2019t convinced that was the case.<\/p>\n If he thought about it, he had to admit to himself that it was more likely than not that Roggi was still struggling a bit. He\u2019d begun retreating to the alchemy table almost immediately.\u00a0 They\u2019d been sitting around the fire on that first night home, catching Lydia up with everything that had happened and then listening to her reports on matters around the home.<\/p>\n The girls were growing up fast, she had told them.\u00a0 In fact, they\u2019d started agitating to make trips to Falkreath or Whiterun when their fathers were away.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d Dardeh wondered aloud. \u201cI mean, it is safer than it used to be, but there still isn\u2019t all that much going on anywhere.\u00a0 What\u2019s the attraction?\u201d<\/p>\n Lydia looked at Roggi and grinned.\u00a0 He looked puzzled for a moment, and then his eyes widened.<\/p>\n \u201cOh! Really? Already?\u201d<\/p>\n Lydia nodded. \u201cReally. Already.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you two on about?\u201d Dardeh asked, looking from one to the other, utterly confused.<\/p>\n \u201cBoys, Dar,\u201d Lydia said. \u201cThey\u2019re beginning to notice boys. And you may not have noticed, but you two are the only boys here.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh found himself flushing furiously.\u00a0 The idea of their girls wanting to explore that part of their lives was something he hadn\u2019t pondered before.\u00a0 Lucia had been just a little girl when he\u2019d met her, after all, and Sofie not much older.\u00a0 The fact that it had been a couple of years meant that they were, yes, approaching the stage where they would be beginning to be restless and looking to select mates and\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cBy the Nine,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t expect them to stay children forever, did you, Dar?\u201d Roggi said quietly, patting Dardeh\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, no, but that means that they\u2019ll want to\u2026 you know\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi laughed. \u201cIt does go with the territory, love. They\u2019re going to want families of their own eventually. And apparently \u2018eventually\u2019 is going to come sooner than we\u2019d expected.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh wanted to be annoyed with Roggi for laughing at him, but couldn\u2019t manage it; instead, a mischievous thought occurred to him.\u00a0 He tried to keep his face in a neutral expression.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you\u2019re looking forward to being Grandpa Roggi while Ulfric has a toddler, is that it?\u201d<\/p>\n The color drained out of Roggi\u2019s face. \u201cGrandpa\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt does go with the territory, love,\u201d Dardeh had told him, grinning.\u00a0 They\u2019d shared a good laugh, the three of them.\u00a0 Lydia had tried to be comforting, reminding Dardeh that they\u2019d all found their places in life at a wide range of ages.<\/p>\n \u201cLike you said, Dardeh. Ulfric\u2019s what, in his fifties, like Balgruuf? That doesn\u2019t seem to have stopped him from finding a mate.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh had shot Roggi a quick glance, to make sure he wasn\u2019t going to be distressed by that comment, but he was smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Bryn and I are both in our forties,\u201d Roggi said. \u201cIf either of our girls finds someone earlier than we did, well, that\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMore years together,\u201d Dardeh had told him, squeezing his hand.<\/p>\n Roggi had held that hand tighter than he would have expected, smiling and gazing at him in a way that told him once again how happy he was to be with Dardeh. Dardeh was working hard to accept that and to bury the lingering disquiet he had about Roggi\u2019s past.<\/p>\n \u201cYou do realize you\u2019re at very least going to be \u2018Uncle Roggi\u2019 to a whole crop of youngsters, right?\u201d he said, grinning.<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh that\u2019s right,\u201d Lydia said. \u201cChip, and Qaralana, and Harald\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi frowned. \u201cI\u2019m not uncle to Ulfric\u2019s child,\u201d he said flatly.<\/p>\n \u201cSure you are, love,\u201d Dardeh said, patting Roggi\u2019s hand. \u201cNot technically, of course but in spirit? Briinda\u2019s sister is having a child.\u201d The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. \u201cBe an uncle to him, Roggi. You\u2019re the closest thing he\u2019ll ever have to family besides his parents, and you know Ulfric won\u2019t be here forever.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi sighed, and frowned again, and then nodded. \u201cI suppose you\u2019re right. I was as close to an uncle to that thick-headed child of Kjeld\u2019s as he ever had, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you\u2019re much closer to a real relative to the future heir apparent than that, Roggi,\u201d Lydia said, stepping up beside them and surprising both Roggi and Dardeh by leaning over and planting a kiss on Roggi\u2019s cheek. \u201cFace it, you\u2019ve got family you never expected to have, and it\u2019s no less real for not being related to you by blood. I consider you as much of a brother as Brynjolf does.\u201d<\/p>\n To Dardeh\u2019s surprise, Roggi looked up at Lydia and seemed unable to form a word.\u00a0 He merely nodded, his eyes glistening.\u00a0 He looked down at the floor for a moment, closing his eyes, and finally cleared his throat.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, if you\u2019ll excuse me, \u2018Uncle Roggi\u2019 needs to go practice some alchemy.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be upstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n And Dardeh had watched him go up, still trying to sort things out in his own mind.\u00a0 He was still sorting them on this morning as he got breakfast and went to eat it on his back porch, looking out over the lake in this place that he loved.<\/p>\n I\u2019m right about one thing: the voice telling me to kill \u2018the other one\u2019 is gone now.\u00a0 I was happy to see Ulfric and tell him about the Jarls when we were there. That much is true. I still have a moment of doubt whenever I think about him. Maybe I\u2019ll never get over that. But at least I\u2019m not thinking about killing him anymore.<\/em><\/p>\n __<\/p>\n The sun was up by the time Brynjolf was approaching Half-Moon Mill again.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t hurrying; he\u2019d had enough frantic activity for awhile.\u00a0 Killing five Dremora in the space of fifteen minutes or so had been quite enough. It felt good to just enjoy the day, even if he did need to keep his illusion spell up or risk alerting the whole world that he was a vampire by steaming and crackling in the sun.\u00a0 He was well-fed, and feeling as positive as he had in some time.<\/p>\n Then he heard them.<\/p>\n \u201cDie, foul blood drinker!\u201d He heard the clicking of a crossbow\u2019s mechanism and dodged, the whizzing of a bolt past his ear telling him that he had barely missed coming to a quick but painful end.<\/p>\n He whirled to see three of them: Dawnguard vampire hunters in full regalia, all of them with the glint in their eyes that told him somehow, even with his illusion spell on, they knew who he was. Each one had a crossbow and all were loading them with the horrid silver-tipped bolts he and Vitus had hated so very much.<\/p>\n \u201cYour time has come,\u201d one of them called out, raising his crossbow and firing.<\/p>\n Brynjolf had seen that particular shot coming; therefore it was no trouble for him to simply step to the side.\u00a0 Even in the daylight his advanced skills as a Nightlord gave him movement speed far beyond that of the mortal Dawnguard.\u00a0 But he was more concerned when that same hunter put away his crossbow and raised his hands, gathering flames in them.<\/p>\n \u201cBurn it!\u201d the third hunter cried out. \u201cBurn the vampire!\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf hissed, and readied his daggers, circling around out of the flames\u2019 range but close to the first of the three.\u00a0 He waited until the mage interrupted his spell to replenish his magicka a moment later and then attacked, leaping in to unleash a flurry of blows on the poor, unprepared man who fired his crossbow wildly, up into the air.\u00a0 He stood no chance at all.\u00a0 Brynjolf then rolled forward, beneath the angle of the mage\u2019s hands, and popped up beside the second crossbow-wielder, slicing her to ribbons before she had a chance to attack.\u00a0 He turned to face the mage, who was shooting small bursts of flame at him.<\/p>\n \u201cJust you and me, now,\u201d he said, grinning.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I don\u2019t like fire much. But I\u2019ve made sure to protect myself from it as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDie, fiend!\u201d the Dawnguard shouted, stepping forward as if he\u2019d not heard a single word Brynjolf had said.\u00a0 Brynjolf laughed and pivoted on one foot, circling with that movement behind the man just enough to be able to grab his arms and, baring his fangs, drain the foolish creature dry right there on the road.\u00a0 He dropped the corpse and wiped his mouth clean, shaking his head at them.<\/p>\n \u201cDawnguard idiots,\u201d he muttered, admiring his own handiwork.\u00a0 \u201cThey just don\u2019t listen.\u201d<\/p>\n He left them there and continued on down the road, smirking. The hold\u2019s guard would run across the bodies soon enough, but he wasn\u2019t concerned about being associated with their deaths.\u00a0 There once had been a pair of vampires \u2013 a husband and wife \u2013 living in the mill, a fact that had been well-known, and a pair that had been carefully avoided because they also served the purpose of operating the sawmill.\u00a0 What most people did not know was that Sayma had rid the world of them, quite some time ago.\u00a0 Still, they had served as an excellent cover for him and Vitus; and they would so yet again.<\/p>\n Brynjolf approached Mammoth Manor from the side, hearing the sounds of the two children laughing at each other down near the lake.\u00a0 When he rounded the corner of the house he found Dardeh at the table, looking as relaxed as he\u2019d ever seen him.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, lad,\u201d he called out.<\/p>\n Dardeh turned to smile at him. \u201cBrynjolf! It\u2019s good to see you.\u00a0 What brings you here? I would have thought you\u2019d be busy in Riften.\u00a0 Unless\u2026\u201d His smile faded. \u201cUnless you decided to settle at the castle after all.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf laughed. \u201cNo, that\u2019s not it; but I\u2019m not surprised to hear you say so. It\u2019s kind of a long story, what I\u2019ve been up to; and I\u2019d like to tell both of you, together, if I can.\u00a0 But first I\u2019m going to borrow your lake.\u00a0 I need to remove a bit of \u2013 well, it\u2019ll make more sense when you hear the whole story.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh grinned. \u201cI know that kind of story.\u00a0 Go. Borrow the lake. Borrow the sauna if you like. For once, we don\u2019t have anything pulling at us or calling to us and we\u2019re just enjoying being at home.\u00a0 We can talk when you\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf did just that, first warming himself in the sauna until he had sweat every particle of dust from Oblivion out of his pores and then leaping into the much-colder waters of Lake Ilinalta.\u00a0 He dragged most of his armor into the water after him; it would be wet and stiff for a little while, but at least he wouldn\u2019t smell of sulphur and blood when he finally saw Sayma again.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t wait to see her again. I hope I really will see her again.<\/em><\/p>\n At last he was feeling refreshed, and nearly human.\u00a0 He made certain his illusion spell was in place and then, still wringing the water out of his hair, returned to the deck where Roggi and Dardeh were waiting for him. Lydia stepped out of the house and offered him a tankard of water, which he accepted gratefully.\u00a0 She left them, then, to oversee some baking.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s usually my job, Lydia,\u201d Roggi said. \u201cYou don\u2019t need to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou are still recovering, my friend,\u201d she told him with a smile. \u201cDon\u2019t worry. I need things to keep me busy and it\u2019s no problem at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf waited until she had disappeared inside the house and then turned to the other two.\u00a0 \u201cSo, would you like to hear quite the story? I don\u2019t know whether you\u2019ll believe it. On the other hand, I guess we\u2019ve all had some strange things happen to us in recent times.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi laughed. \u201cThat\u2019s the truth. I spent ten years with nothing happening at all, and then the last few have been one thing after another.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you\u2019ll appreciate this, then. I\u2019ve just been to Oblivion.\u201d<\/p>\n They both stared at him, mouths open.\u00a0 He grinned, knowing that he would have reacted the same way \u2013 had, in fact, reacted the same way when Sayma told him about going to Coldharbour.<\/p>\n \u201cWell it\u2019s quite the story. It started a few days after I left you in Windhelm.\u201d<\/p>\n He told them the whole story: how Agryn had put him on the track to Melka the hagraven; how Melka had set him on the hunt for an archaeologist searching for relics from the Oblivion crisis; his side trip to Dawnstar and then back to Falkreath.\u00a0 Finally he described his trip through the portal-book, the trip that had ended with killing five Dremora on a narrow stone bridge, with lava lapping up at him on either side.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t mind telling you, lads, that I have never been quite as scared as I was right then.\u00a0 I don\u2019t like fire under most circumstances \u2013 nobody wants to be burned.\u00a0 But in my current condition?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh nodded. \u201cI can only imagine you\u2019d end up like Andante did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr worse,\u201d Brynjolf said, nodding.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s why I wanted to freshen up a bit. There\u2019s nothing like being truly afraid to make you feel a bit foul.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi had been sitting quietly, nodding from time to time as Brynjolf spoke.\u00a0 He raised his head to meet Brynjolf\u2019s gaze, now, and spoke quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cSo this Melka gave you the formula,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAye. That\u2019s really the only reason I needed to go to Oblivion. That\u2019s where the bloodgrass was.\u00a0 The rest of it is all easy enough to get\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cEven if you did have everything, that\u2019s going to be a miracle to put together, Bryn.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf frowned. \u201cI do have everything, lad.\u00a0 Everything except the dust of a vampire, that is.\u00a0 She said it needed to be someone stronger than me.\u00a0 The closest thing I can think of to that is Edwyn.\u00a0 Agryn Gernic said I was stronger than him but I suspect he was just trying to intimidate the man.\u00a0 So I\u2019ll go get his dust, assuming that you two know what they did with him\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He trailed off as he saw their faces fall, and watched them turn to each other and exchange a long, quiet look that held an entire conversation.\u00a0 Finally Roggi nodded at Dardeh, who turned back to face Brynjolf.<\/p>\n \u201cBryn. The wind was really strong up there.\u00a0 After you left it got worse \u2013 it was howling. Anything that wasn\u2019t tied down went flying.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf felt as though he should understand what was being said, but he didn\u2019t, quite.\u00a0 He looked back and forth between Dardeh and Roggi; and when he tried to make eye contact with Roggi, the man lowered his head to stare at the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you saying, lad?\u201d he asked Dardeh.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s saying, Bryn, that whatever was left of Edwyn Wickham is long gone. Scattered by the wind.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf felt as though he\u2019d been shot by one of the Dawnguard\u2019s silver bolts.\u00a0 The realization blossomed in his mind like one of the poison blooms he\u2019d encountered in the forgotten vale, threatening to make him ill.<\/p>\n There wasn\u2019t any vampire ash for him to use in making the potion.<\/p>\n He really didn\u2019t have all of the ingredients.<\/p>\n He stared at the deck for a few minutes, unable to formulate a word, or make a sound.\u00a0 Dardeh cleared his throat.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you alright, Brynjolf?\u201d<\/p>\n He closed his eyes and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo. I\u2019m not. Not at all.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n They came from all parts of Skyrim.\u00a0 Small delegations, one from each of the Holds, made their way across the marshes and the plains and the tundra and up into the plateau, into the tiny town of Ivarstead, before turning up the long staircase known as the Seven Thousand Steps.\u00a0 Each delegation had at its center one person of supreme importance to the future of their shared province; and each of these Jarls had with them his housecarl and at least two other stout soldiers, to ensure their safe conduct across the territories that were, after all, still recovering from a long and bitter civil war.<\/p>\n Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak of Eastmarch had arrived first, and served as the host.\u00a0 Having once been a student here at High Hrothgar himself, he was able to speak to the monastery\u2019s owners, the Greybeards; and at their request he took the reins of this most political of all meetings, allowing them to withdraw to the privacy and contemplation of their own quarters.<\/p>\n One by one, the Jarls filtered into the great room where other meetings of heavy import had taken place in days not so very far removed from the present.\u00a0 They left their housecarls and their soldiers in the vast entry hall, each of them with admonishments of dire consequences should any disagreements break out.\u00a0 They needn\u2019t have worried, though.\u00a0 All of these men and women were in agreement.\u00a0 All of them ached with the memories of those who had died in order to allow them this chance to meet.\u00a0 And all but one delegation was firmly of the same mind.<\/p>\n That was, at least, what they all thought.<\/p>\n Finally, all of the nine Jarls were assembled.\u00a0 They had their refreshments, and shared their pleasantries; and finally, with the room hushed of its own accord, they turned to face Ulfric Stormcloak.<\/p>\n He cleared his throat.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you for coming, my fellow Jarls.\u00a0 You know why we are here.\u00a0 The time has long since passed when we have needed to unite under a single leader, to begin preparing for what we all know will be coming one day \u2013 the return of the Thalmor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you mean the return of the Legion, coming in from Cyrodiil?\u201d a raspy voice answered.\u00a0 That was Jarl Skald of the Pale, who turned and stared pointedly at Elisif of Solitude, sitting quietly at the opposite end of the table from Ulfric.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Skald,\u201d Ulfric said in as even a tone as he was able. \u201cIt is not the Legion that will be our next great adversary. They have been wounded and diminished, just as we have.\u00a0 I fear that they will be as vulnerable to Thalmor anger for having lost the conflict as we are for having won it.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked around the table, and raised his voice in the stirring way he, better than almost any man alive, could do.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will need each and every one among us, able-bodied and able-minded; man, woman and child alike. We must repair, and rebuild; and we must restore not only our cities and our homes, but our hearts and our allegiances to one another.\u201d\u00a0 He looked at each of them in turn as he spoke.\u00a0 \u201cYou know that I am ready and willing to shoulder the responsibility of being your High King. It is a role I have trained to undertake from the time I was a very young man and a burden I am well-equipped to carry.\u00a0 I now have at my side a young and vigorous wife who is not only an accomplished warrior in her own right and capable of both advising my actions and taking on the mantle of leadership should I falter, but who also carries within her a son, whom we shall call Harald after the great founder of Windhelm. He will be raised to be ready to lead if called upon to do so, and to understand this: we are one people in Skyrim, and we will stand, or fall, as one people.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked down the length of the long, gray room to meet the gaze of Elisif of Solitude. He breathed a heavy sigh.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we also have here another who has claims \u2013 rightful claims \u2013 to the throne of Skyrim.\u00a0 Her late husband Torygg was High King, as you all know.\u00a0 And while I challenged him according to the old customs, and defeated him with my Voice and my sword; and while she agreed at the Battle of Solitude to bow to my victory and accept my rule, it would not be right for me to simply ignore the righteous claim she has.\u201d<\/p>\n Korir snorted. \u201cShe\u2019s not Torygg\u2019s widow any longer, Ulfric. She\u2019s remarried.\u201d<\/p>\n Elisif sat silently, gazing at Ulfric with an expression that gave away nothing at all. At last she nodded, just slightly; and Ulfric smiled at her sadly.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Korir,\u201d he said. \u201cYou are wrong in this. The lady Elisif will always be Torygg\u2019s widow, as she is now also the widow of the late Archmage, Lord Edwyn Wickham of High Rock.\u201d<\/p>\n A gasp went up around the table.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Ulfric,\u201d Elisif said finally.\u00a0 \u201cYou are the one who is wrong in this, although you had no way to know otherwise.\u00a0 Edwyn Wickham is dead, this much is true.\u00a0 But my marriage to him should be annulled on the basis of his falseness.\u201d\u00a0 Slowly and painfully, Elisif gave her peers an accounting of what had transpired; how Edwyn Wickham had lied to her about his love, his motives, and even his ability to create a child.\u00a0 She described, haltingly, how the unassuming man named Geor Mandel had been forced against his will to assume Edwyn Wickham\u2019s face, and stay with her in the hopes that he would beget the child Edwyn was unable to father himself.<\/p>\n \u201cI am sorry, Elisif,\u201d Ulfric said softly once she was finished.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be,\u201d she said, lifting her head proudly and defiantly. \u201cI am not. I am not proud that I was lonely enough to be fooled by that monster.\u00a0 But I was fortunate to have met Geor Mandel. He is a simple man, but he is as devoted to me as dear Torygg ever was.\u00a0 He will be no threat to you, Ulfric, nor to any one of the rest of you. All he wants is to be by my side.\u00a0 I will have him be there, with your blessings if you will give them; or without them if you will not.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what have you to say to the matter at hand?\u201d Vignar Gray-Mane asked. \u201cWhat of Ulfric\u2019s becoming High King?\u201d<\/p>\n Elisif smiled.\u00a0 \u201cMy fellow Jarls, I have only this to say.\u201d\u00a0 She paused for a moment and smiled at Ulfric. \u201cI willingly support the nomination of Ulfric Stormcloak as High King of Skyrim.\u00a0 I will continue to rule as Jarl in Haafingar, as I have been, but\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cBut?\u201d Ulfric asked gently.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I will be very busy with a personal matter of my own in the months to come, Ulfric,\u201d she said, smiling, and placing a hand on her stomach.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps someday in the future, if all goes well, our children will play together in the Blue Palace or the Palace of the Kings.\u201d\u00a0 She looked around at the astonished faces and nodded. \u201cI am very happy. I hope you all will be happy for me as well. I find that the responsibilities of ruling all of Skyrim are burdens I would rather not bear.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn that case,\u201d Jarl Dengeir of Falkreath cried, \u201cI move that the Moot declare Ulfric Stormcloak of Windhelm, Jarl of Eastmarch, the true and worthy High King, and place the Jagged Crown on his head!\u201d<\/p>\n Cries went up.\u00a0 \u201cAye!\u201d \u201cHear, hear!\u201d \u201cAbout damn time!\u201d<\/p>\n And so it was that on a cold day at the great table of High Hrothgar, Ulfric son of Hoag, known as Ulfric Stormcloak, the Bear of Markarth and Jarl of Windhelm, was at last crowned High King of Skyrim.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dardeh yawned and stretched luxuriously before it dawned on him that he was, in fact, alone in the bed.\u00a0 He pouted.\u00a0 He\u2019d intended to roll over and make himself indispensable to a certain blonde Nord; but that very Nord had gotten up before him, it seemed.\u00a0\u00a0 He maneuvered himself to the side of the bed … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-21-3.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-21-4.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-21-5.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-21-6.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-21-7.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-21-8.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-21-9.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-21-10.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-21-11.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-21-12.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-21-13.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-21-14.png\")
<\/p>\nPart II: Resolution<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"