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<\/p>\nThe royals and Roggi took the carriage.\u00a0 Roggi had complained bitterly about being asked to ride like an old man, even when the newly-minted High King tried to give him an order \u2013 an attempt at which Roggi had merely laughed. Finally Dardeh had stood and stared at Roggi with fire burning in his gaze until finally he had relented.<\/p>\n
\u201cEver since I\u2019ve known you, Roggi, you\u2019ve been getting injured because of me. You just survived getting most of your blood pulled from you. It\u2019s not being weak or old to ride, just this once. Do it for me, if you won\u2019t do it for your King,\u201d he\u2019d said, looming over his husband as much as he could without being threatening.\u00a0 Roggi had stood with his chin up, looking defiant; but finally he\u2019d relented, admitting that the walk from Mammoth Manor to Whiterun had nearly been more than he could handle.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Brynjolf and Dardeh walked and trotted alongside the slow-moving cart as it moved south and up over the escarpment, serving as guards as well as party members. The inevitable numbers of wolves and bears came out of the woods to attack; but between them there was little for anyone to worry about. In fact, Dardeh managed to impress Ulfric by turning one bear into a neat pile of ash.<\/p>\n
Brynjolf stepped discreetly into the undergrowth at one point to down a blood potion.\u00a0 He\u2019d begun to feel the pangs of hunger, and the sunlight had felt sharper and deadlier.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t afford either to put himself in danger of burning or to start looking at his companions\u2019 necks with anything other than disinterest.<\/p>\n
He thought about what he was going to say to Sayma.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t think of words that would do at all.\u00a0 Nothing seemed adequate, no matter how he thought about it. Even the ideas that would have served to support his choices seemed to fold back on themselves in an endless game of \u201cyes, but\u2026\u201d until it felt as though he was having an argument with some shadow version of himself that he couldn\u2019t defeat.<\/p>\n
She changed herself, too. She took away her scar, altered her voice, changed her whole look.<\/em><\/p>\n Yes, but if that were really important she could visit Galathil and change her face back again. You\u2019ve changed your entire body. Again. Even when you knew you couldn\u2019t change it back.<\/em><\/p>\n True. But she left while she was supposed to be running the Thieves Guild and took up with the Dark Brotherhood.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n Yes, but you started a skooma operation in the Ratway, even though you know how much she hates it. There surely were other ways to get out from under Maven Black-Briar.<\/em><\/p>\n True. But Sayma slept with Roggi. Even after she\u2019d promised me forever.<\/em><\/p>\n Yes, but you slept with Vitus. And before you start, you didn\u2019t know whether she was alive but you didn\u2019t know she was dead, either. You just did what you wanted because you wanted him and you wanted his power. Admit it.<\/em><\/p>\n True. I\u2026 I have no answer to that. So what can I say to her?<\/em><\/p>\n Tell her what is in your heart.<\/em><\/p>\n He frowned at himself, walking down the old Imperial road with his eyes scanning the sides of it for enemies.\u00a0 What was in his heart was a raw, regretful open wound that could only be summed in a few words: I made a mistake.<\/em><\/p>\n And then he remembered what it was like when he\u2019d first met Dagnell, and how she\u2019d so often laughed at him for assuming that he was always right.<\/p>\n Well I wasn\u2019t right this time, lass. And it\u2019s looking like I\u2019m going to regret it until the end of time.<\/em><\/p>\n He glanced across the horse\u2019s back to see Dardeh\u2019s blonde hair over brown skin, swiveling back and forth as he, too, kept watch for threats.\u00a0 It was hard to imagine a more effective guard than the Dragonborn himself.<\/p>\n And thanks to you, the end of time won\u2019t be any time soon.<\/em><\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n He watched her go from relaxed to anxious the moment he stepped into the fading sunlight of their estate, leading the most unlikely party through the crevice out into the open.\u00a0 She\u2019d been rocking Qaralana and watching Chip and Iona, but she looked up and saw him and her face went stiff.\u00a0 Still, he breathed deeply and approached her with as close a thing to a smile as he could force onto his own expression.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, lass,\u201d he murmured as he neared. \u201cI\u2019ve brought us some visitors. The Queen wants to talk to you about her impending condition.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma\u2019s eyes went wide.\u00a0 She turned and eased the soundly-sleeping baby into her cradle and then, to Brynjolf\u2019s utter shock, threw her arms around him and buried her face against his chest.\u00a0 It was so much like the moment in Hammerfell when he\u2019d finally found her in the ancient crypt that his heart nearly broke; all he could do was fold his own arms around her and hold her in return, stroking her hair.<\/p>\n \u201cBryn. You were gone so long. I was afraid you were dead when I heard about the Archmage.\u201d<\/p>\n Oh. It never occurred to me that she would hear that. Or think that.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry. If I hadn\u2019t been so stubborn I might well have been in some danger, but as it happened the one who was in a real predicament was Roggi.\u201d<\/p>\n She pushed herself back from him, then, looking up at him.\u00a0 He saw the simultaneous, curious mix of revulsion and desire in her eyes and his heart broke a little more.\u00a0 But she at least was here, and had touched him without flinching, and had been concerned about him.<\/p>\n Maybe there\u2019s hope after all.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOh no. Is Roggi\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just fine,\u201d the familiar voice boomed. \u201cI\u2019d be even better if I could get Dragonboy to stop fussing about me.\u201d\u00a0 Roggi approached them; Sayma peeled herself away from Brynjolf to give Roggi a hug nearly as tight as the one she\u2019d given him.\u00a0 Brynjolf saw the momentary look of dismay in Roggi\u2019s eyes as their gazes met and he grinned, chuckled, and shook his head.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t worry about it, lad. You\u2019re fine.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s more than fine, Sis,\u201d the deepest voice rumbled. \u201cAnd it\u2019s Thane Roggi, now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh don\u2019t give me that, Dar,\u201d Roggi snorted. \u201cHow many times over are you a thane now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEnough that I will not expect his attendance at my court very often,\u201d Ulfric said, stepping into the light.<\/p>\n Sayma released Roggi and stepped back in surprise.\u00a0 \u201cUlfric!\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi grinned. \u201cHigh King Ulfric, at the moment. And his Queen, the lady Frina.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy Talos, Roggi, that\u2019s the most ridiculous thing you\u2019ve ever called me,\u201d Frina said, coming forward to collect Sayma into yet another hug.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry we just invaded like this, Sayma. I really need some advice before, well,\u201d she paused to rub the mound that was taking up increasing amounts of space in her clothing. \u201cHarald is growing fast and I don\u2019t have any female relatives except you. Kind of. Well, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma chuckled. \u201cYes, I do.\u00a0 And I\u2019m really honored that you\u2019d come to speak to me.\u201d\u00a0 Her face fell for a moment. \u201cI didn\u2019t have anyone to talk to before Chip was born. Not really. So I know what it\u2019s like. Come on inside, your various and sundry Majesties.\u00a0 Let\u2019s relax.\u201d<\/p>\n She turned to scoop the baby out of her cradle yet again as the others filed into the house.\u00a0 Dardeh fussed over Roggi; Ulfric fussed over Frina.\u00a0 Brynjolf watched, with a lump in his throat, and caught Sayma by the shoulder before she could disappear inside.<\/p>\n \u201cLass?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked up at him; bravely, he thought, because he could see her fear in spite of her clear desire not to be afraid.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it, Brynjolf?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf, then. Not Bryn; not Red. I see.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026 I need to tell you what I was doing while I was gone. But mostly I just want to tell you that, well\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n He sighed. \u201cI love you, lass. If I didn\u2019t, I wouldn\u2019t be here. I\u2026\u201d\u00a0 I had the power to command one of the greatest clans of vampires in the world; but I came home. <\/em>\u201cI\u2019ve been trying to find a cure.\u201d<\/p>\n Her eyes widened.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there such a thing, Bryn?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded. \u201cYes. But there\u2019s a problem. I\u2019ll tell you about it once we\u2019re inside. The others deserve to know this, too.\u201d<\/p>\n So they sat, and they ate, and laughed, and told stories. There were plenty of moments that had gasps, or tears standing ready to fall.\u00a0 Brynjolf watched in awe as Dardeh did cry, describing how close Roggi had come to death.<\/p>\n He cries so easily. And for me it\u2019s like moving a mountain, no matter how sad I am.<\/em><\/p>\n Roggi, in fact, laughed; not at Dardeh\u2019s tears \u2013 Dardeh did that himself \u2013 but at the idea that anyone should have been worried about him.\u00a0 \u201cI was pretty hurt,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I had a dragon watching over me.\u201d\u00a0 And he had gone on to describe what he\u2019d seen.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know whether I saw what I saw or not,\u201d he told them. \u201cThe more time that passes, the more I wonder whether I just hit my thinker a little harder than I should have when I fell.\u00a0 But I\u2019ll tell you this. If Dardeh isn\u2019t a real dragon it doesn\u2019t matter. He protected me like a dragon. I had no doubt at that moment that I was going to be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n And Ulfric had them all mesmerized as he described what it had been like watching the Jarls and their retinues climbing the highest mountain in Tamriel to meet with him in the monastery.\u00a0 It was nearly silent, save for the cooing of the infant Qaralana, as he told them what he had said and done, and how Elisif had behaved, and how she was expecting a child of her own.<\/p>\n \u201cSo he succeeded after all,\u201d Brynjolf said at last.<\/p>\n \u201cWho succeeded?\u201d Ulfric said, clearly surprised.<\/p>\n Brynjolf smirked. \u201cEdwyn. What he wanted \u2013 besides all the power he could grab, I mean \u2013 was for Elisif to have a child. He may not have meant her to have a child born of love, like ours have been,\u201d and he paused to smile at both Sayma and Frina, \u201cbut his wish was granted in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n Ulfric nodded. \u201cYes. And I wish her well. She seemed happier than I have known her to be since Torygg\u2019s death. I don\u2019t know whether she\u2019ll ever find it in her heart to forgive me, and she has ample reason not to; but perhaps the day will come.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, it will, Ulfric,\u201d Sayma said. \u201cIt\u2019s surprising what a person can forgive in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf stared at her in surprise and then smiled as he saw her face.\u00a0 She was struggling with what he was, that was obvious; but she was trying. And he\u2019d forgiven her, too, for many things.\u00a0 Maybe it would be alright after all.<\/p>\n \u201cSo tell us all about your adventures, Bryn,\u201d Roggi said. \u201cWe\u2019ve gotten bits and pieces of it but bring us all up to date.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He took a deep breath and began.\u00a0 He started with the last time all of them had been together, for neither Ulfric nor Frina had known that he turned again.\u00a0 He dispelled his illusion to show them all his current appearance, and then quickly cast it again when Frina gasped in horror.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, lass,\u201d he said. \u201cOr should I say I\u2019m sorry, my Queen.\u201d He grinned at her. \u201cBut now you can see why my friend Vitus always, always kept his illusion spell going.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExcept for the day he nearly gave me heart failure,\u201d Roggi muttered.<\/p>\n Brynjolf couldn\u2019t help but laugh. \u201cYes. It was the same with Edwyn Wickham. We\u2019re not all animals; I won\u2019t randomly attack one of you for blood. There are,\u201d he said, a bit uncomfortable but feeling as though he should spell it out, \u201cways of making sure not to kill people who provide meals. But I\u2019d rather not frighten you if I don\u2019t have to.\u201d He shrugged his shoulders and sighed. \u201cStill; when I realized that Dardeh had taken care of the problem of Edwyn I realized that I\u2026 made a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at Sayma and his voice dropped. \u201cA terrible, stupid mistake; and I am so very sorry. You can\u2019t imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n She looked at him with tears standing in her eyes and nodded. \u201cYes I can imagine, Red. I\u2019ve made mistakes too.\u201d<\/p>\n It was as though they were the only two people in the room, right then.\u00a0 It was as though time had frozen. That was, until Dardeh cleared his throat and Brynjolf looked at him to realize that yes, once again Dardeh was wiping his eyes. He grinned. Such a strong, resilient man and yet he cries so easily.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSo, Bryn,\u201d Roggi prompted. \u201cAbout the rest of it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh. Yes. The rest of it.\u201d<\/p>\n He found that he had them mesmerized, too, as he told them of his travels back and forth across Skyrim and into Oblivion, searching for what he thought would be the hardest-to-find ingredient to the potion that was his last chance for a permanent cure. Sayma, in particular, shuddered as he described the narrow bridge across the flames and the Daedra coming across it at him.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you found the bloodgrass, right?\u201d That was Frina.<\/p>\n He nodded. \u201cYes and I was very excited. I thought I had everything I needed.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a long moment of silence.\u00a0 Then Ulfric spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cI take it there is still something missing.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded. \u201cYes. I need the dust of a vampire who is stronger than myself. I thought Edwyn\u2019s ashes would be easy to get and that the chances were fairly good that he was the stronger of us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut the wind scattered him to the corners of Nirn before we even left the tower,\u201d Dardeh rumbled.<\/p>\n Sayma gasped. \u201cNo,\u201d she moaned.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid so, lass,\u201d he told her quietly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u00a0 Perhaps Vingalmo\u2019s ashes might have done it but Edwyn had him dumped into the Sea of Ghosts.\u00a0 I wish I\u2019d known, while I was there on the rooftop with Dardeh and Roggi. I\u2019d have taken the ashes right then. But we were too\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDisoriented,\u201d Roggi said. \u201cYou can\u2019t blame yourself for that, Bryn. Nobody knew.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut we were so close,\u201d Brynjolf murmured.\u00a0 I need to stop thinking about that. Every time I picture running my hand through that pile of ash, realizing it was Edwyn\u2026 it was right there and I had it in my hand. And now it\u2019s gone.<\/em><\/p>\n It was silent for a time, each of them lost in his or her own thoughts.\u00a0 Everyone wore a somber expression.\u00a0 Roggi, perhaps, looked the saddest, and Brynjolf understood why; if they hadn\u2019t been so concerned with whether or not he was going to survive they might have thought to collect those ashes.\u00a0 It would be his way to somehow blame himself for what, truly, was nobody\u2019s fault.<\/p>\n \u201cWait a minute,\u201d Frina said, startling him as she rose to her feet and crossed her arms.<\/p>\n Everyone peered at her.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it, Stormblade?\u201d Ulfric said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about Andante?\u201d<\/p>\n What?<\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf felt as though he\u2019d been struck by lightning.\u00a0 He opened his mouth to speak but could barely breathe, much less form a word.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you talking about, Frina?\u201d Dardeh said.<\/p>\n \u201cAm I missing something? Haven\u2019t you always talked about this Andante fellow who was the one who turned Brynjolf in the first place? Didn\u2019t you tell us that\u2019s why you\u2019re so strong, Brynjolf \u2013 because he was so strong and he was your sire? Where are his ashes?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf couldn\u2019t speak, still.\u00a0 He looked at each of them in turn: Frina, Ulfric, Dardeh; then Roggi, and his eyes started to sting because of all of them, Roggi best understood what Andante had been in his life; and finally Sayma. He could read nothing in her eyes; and he didn\u2019t know whether he saw desperation, or hope, or hatred reflected in them.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s in our bedroom,\u201d she said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cWhen Brynjolf and I were in Hammerfell I found a vase that I thought suited him. When we got back home, we transferred his ashes from that ugly jar I had in Dawnstar. It\u2019s on the shelf, in our bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n And he\u2019s there. It didn\u2019t even cross my mind. He\u2019s there in that vase and he speaks to us \u2013 to me \u2013 with his heat, from within that vase.\u00a0 That\u2019s all I have left of him.<\/em><\/p>\n If we use his ashes to make a potion he\u2019ll be gone forever. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBrynjolf?\u201d Roggi asked quietly. \u201cIs he really there? Is that where you have kept him?\u201d<\/p>\n He opened his mouth to speak but once more no words would come out. He nodded.<\/p>\n Yes, he\u2019s there. And he was so much stronger than I am. He always was. He held back, all the time, right up until those last few days; but he truly could have ended me without breaking a sweat, if he\u2019d wanted to. Edwyn would never have known what hit him, if he\u2019d fought Vitus.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOh he\u2019s there, alright,\u201d Sayma said. \u201cI don\u2019t even know what to say. Would it work?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not much of an alchemist,\u201d Frina said, \u201cbut I\u2019ve spent a lot of time learning. I don\u2019t know why it wouldn\u2019t work, if that\u2019s the formula and it worked two hundred years ago. But it would need someone really skilled to make it. Brynjolf, you know how to do alchemy, right?\u201d<\/p>\n He closed his eyes, feeling frozen in time, his heart pounding. Yes, I can do alchemy, but only the basics, really. Things a thief would use. That\u2019s the extent of my skill. I don\u2019t think I have it in me to do something that advanced.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBryn?\u201d That was Dardeh.<\/p>\n \u201cYes and no,\u201d he finally managed to force out from between his teeth. \u201cMostly no. Not alchemy like that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi can,\u201d Ulfric said.<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s eyes flew open.\u00a0 They, like all the rest of the eyes in the room, focused first on Ulfric, then on Roggi, and then back again.<\/p>\n \u201cUlfric,\u201d Roggi said quietly, shaking his head.<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi, I\u2019ve seen you create some of the vilest poisons I\u2019ve ever seen. Potions that do other things, as well; substances that are so far beyond my simple \u2018mix wheat and imp stool\u2019 attempts that they\u2019re \u2013 like the difference between my Shouts and the Dragonborn\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he\u2019s been practicing,\u201d Dardeh said, nodding slowly. \u201cEvery day. Hours and hours every day. It helps settle his mind, he says. I\u2019ve seen things come off that table that I\u2019ve never imagined before.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma nodded. \u201cWay back when, Roggi, you would be making things when I visited you in Kynesgrove. And you were so excited when you saw all the ingredients growing at Honeyside. I know you have skill.\u00a0Would you do it, Roggi? Could you try? It might be our only chance.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf clenched his teeth and closed his eyes once more.\u00a0 Don\u2019t do this to him, lass. Don\u2019t make him be the one to shoulder this. It\u2019s too much. Because\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n He heard Roggi clear his throat and knew he needed to address this issue with his friend.\u00a0 He opened his eyes and found the blue set he trusted almost more than any other eyes in the world staring at him.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know whether I\u2019m good enough to make something this complex,\u201d Roggi said. \u201cI can try. That\u2019s all I can do.\u00a0 But it\u2019s not up to me.\u201d\u00a0 He looked around the room at the others and shrugged. \u201cIt\u2019s up to Brynjolf,\u201d he said quietly, looking back at him with an expression that was as full of pain, and sympathy, and understanding \u2013 and fear \u2013 as Brynjolf had ever seen on another man. \u201cThere\u2019s more to this than just a simple potion.\u201d<\/p>\n Oh my friend, yes there is, and you\u2019re probably the only one who knows just how much more there is. <\/em><\/p>\n He could still remember how it felt to have Roggi\u2019s arms holding him, comforting him when he\u2019d finally allowed himself to grieve the loss of Dagnell. How Roggi had helped wash him, and feed him, and coax him back to life when he\u2019d thought there was no life left to live.\u00a0 He remembered leaning on this man again when Vitus had given himself up to the sun, taking the joyful portion of himself that had been Andante along with him, and when the world had once more felt like the bleakest possible place to be.\u00a0 He knew exactly why so many people \u2013 Ulfric, and Dagnell, and Dardeh, and the woman he\u2019d never known, Briinda \u2013 had been drawn to this strong, sensible, kind and loving man and why Frina loved him as fiercely as a brother as he himself did.<\/p>\n He\u2019s given more of himself to me than almost anyone else in the world, and what have I done to deserve it? Nothing. I don\u2019t know whether I can ask anything more of him.\u00a0 Because he knows. He knows how much it will hurt if Vitus is gone and I have nothing left to show for it.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll try, Bryn,\u201d Roggi said softly. \u201cI will try, for you. But only if that\u2019s what you truly want.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded again, his throat so constricted that he wasn\u2019t certain he could ever speak. Somehow, though, he managed to whisper to them.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to think. Give me the night. I have to think. I\u2019ll be back in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n And he turned and fled, out the door into the night.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n He ran, and ran; down the southern shore of Lake Honrich, up into the mountains and back down again.\u00a0 There were several vampire attacks along the way \u2013 weak, feral vampires whom he killed easily, draining them of their blood and their power even while his heart bled, telling him not to do any more killing.\u00a0 Then he turned back, and ran to where he knew Agryn and Vyctyna had made their home.\u00a0 There were coffins there; he could sleep soundly before he had to make a decision. They wouldn\u2019t mind, he was sure.<\/p>\n He fought past a pair of cave bears that had decided the entrance to the old crypt looked like it might make a good home.\u00a0 They hadn\u2019t made much headway on establishing it as a den, and it didn\u2019t take Brynjolf much effort to kill the pair of them and move their carcasses out of the way.\u00a0 What their presence meant, however, was that neither Agryn Gernic nor Vyctyna Tardif were there in the Crypt; and that meant that he could definitely use the place for the night.<\/p>\n It was an intriguing old construction, the entrance of which was a capped-off well opening with a ladder leading down into a crypt.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know what was in the many coffins lining the walls of this place.\u00a0 Skeletons, likely; and the old tales had it that they were the skeletons of the original Dawnguard, buried here in times gone by, back before the destruction by fire of the original city of Riften. Their resting place had gone undisturbed for a very, very long time.<\/p>\n But at some point in the many years since then, a tunnel had been dug beneath the crypt and a series of caverns hollowed out in the depths below it.\u00a0 The entrance to this tunnel was behind a portion of the stone brick wall that opened with a mechanism activated by one of the unlit wall sconces.\u00a0 Agryn had described the place in minute detail, inviting Brynjolf to use it whenever he needed to do so; and thus Brynjolf was able to make his way through the crypt to the sconce and turn it without more than a moment of thought.\u00a0 He slipped down into the tunnel and pulled the wall-mounted chain that closed the false section of wall behind him.<\/p>\n The cavern would have made him smile had he been in any condition to do so. There was a smithing room, complete with a forge that emitted very little light and was therefore perfect for a vampire\u2019s home.\u00a0 There were shelves, and storage containers, and both an alchemy station and enchanting table.\u00a0 There was also an odd cook pot of some sort that he approached, curious, and discovered that it was used to distill blood from human hearts, meat, and other body parts.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the perfect home for a vampire,\u201d he muttered, walking listlessly around the place, poking into the corners.\u00a0 There was a stair down, at the far end of the cavern; below he found two thralls caged in the dark, much as the thralls in Castle Volkihar lived there to serve as food for the court.\u00a0 But he had just fed, and was not hungry; so he left the moaning cattle to their own devices and returned to the main cavern.<\/p>\n He spied the small chamber that held both a coffin and a bed.\u00a0 By its scent he could tell that this was where Agryn and Vyctyna spent their time when they were at home, and he grinned in spite of himself.\u00a0 Finally, he found stairs to a dais on which a single upright coffin stood open.<\/p>\n \u201cThe master bedroom, eh?\u00a0 Well, in theory I\u2019m the master. And I\u2019m dead tired.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure they won\u2019t mind.\u201d He stepped into the coffin, closed the lid, and was instantly asleep.<\/p>\n \u201cBrynjolf.\u201d<\/p>\n His eyes flew open at the sound, though his head was far too muzzy to identify it.\u00a0 He was in the coffin, however, and it was pitch dark. Even his night vision couldn\u2019t make out a single thing.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d he said aloud.\u00a0 Then he realized that no sound had come from him.<\/p>\n Oh. I\u2019m dreaming again.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cCome out of the box, loverboy. I can\u2019t talk to you when you\u2019re sealed away like some kind of vampire.\u201d There was a chuckle, and Brynjolf couldn\u2019t help but smile.<\/p>\n Always was amused by his own cleverness, wasn\u2019t he?<\/em><\/p>\n He pushed the lid open and stepped out into the cavern, laughing soundlessly.<\/p>\n \u201cVitus.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, here I am. And we need to talk.\u201d\u00a0 He crossed the room to take a seat in the work area. Brynjolf followed him and dropped, cross-legged onto the floor just in front of him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy to see you again, lad. Even if it is just a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, my love. It\u2019s good to see you, too. I don\u2019t have much time to talk to you, though; morning is coming and you need to make a decision.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf sighed. He wanted to weep at that fact, in his dream, but no tears would come just as no actual sounds would come.<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u00a0 And I can\u2019t bear making the choice.\u201d<\/p>\n Vitus smiled at him. \u201cWhat is so difficult about it, my dear?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf we make the potion \u2013 it means using you. Your ashes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you\u2019ll be gone.\u201d<\/p>\n Vitus laughed, his eyes sparkling in the way Brynjolf remembered.\u00a0 \u201cYou are a foolish, foolish man, Brynjolf of Riften. Both one of the most brilliant people I ever met and one of the densest at the same time. It never ceases to amaze me as long as I live \u2013 or don\u2019t live, as the case currently stands.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s mind filtered those words sluggishly, if at all. He frowned and stared at Vitus.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Vitus reached out to touch Brynjolf\u2019s hand and stopped just before any contact would have been made. \u201cForgot for a second. Oh well. Look at that hand, Bryn. What do you see on it?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf stared at his hand. \u201cMy rings.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. And one of them says what on the inside?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLoverboy. You made it for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Vitus grinned. \u201cGood job. I\u2019m glad to see your mind still functions. Now tell me, have you not felt me with you, every moment of every day since the day I left?\u00a0 Maybe you weren\u2019t always thinking of me\u2026\u201d He paused and wiggled his eyebrows. \u201cIn fact I know for certain of any number of occasions when you weren\u2019t thinking about me at all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLad!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, lad. But I was still there, and you always knew it, didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf sighed, in his dream. He knew he was dreaming; and he was unbearably sad that eventually he would have to wake up.\u00a0 But he nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess I did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo the ashes really aren\u2019t all there is of me, and you\u2019ve known that for a long time. Now listen to me, Bryn.\u00a0 You went to Oblivion. You found the bloodgrass. You have the formula. \u00a0All you need is vampire ashes and you know where you can find some. Prime vampire dust, grade A, guaranteed to please. Tell me you\u2019ve ever met another vampire that was clearly, undisputedly stronger than I was.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I haven\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen pay attention.\u00a0 Make the potion, Bryn.\u00a0 Cure yourself. Give yourself a normal, beautiful life with the woman who loves you more than anything else and the children who worship the very ground you walk on.\u00a0 Do it for her. Do it for yourself.\u201d He sighed, and smiled. \u201cAnd do it for me, Bryn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you\u2019ll be\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Vitus stood and paced back and forth in the room. \u201cOk, you\u2019re right about one thing.\u201d He grinned. \u201cAs you usually are.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that, lad?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnce I\u2019m\u2026 part of that potion, I probably won\u2019t be able to talk to you anymore. I don\u2019t know exactly how it works but those ashes are how I\u2019m able to communicate with you.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf felt his heart crumbling. \u201cNo, lad.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Bryn.\u201d He turned to face Brynjolf once more and, as he had in the Twilight Sepulcher, he had an expression of utter seriousness and genuineness that was wholly unlike his usual face. He stepped close, and raised his hands to rest on Brynjolf\u2019s shoulders. \u00a0This shouldn\u2019t be happening, Brynjolf thought. This is a dream, and he is a ghost, and he shouldn\u2019t be able to touch me. And yet there they were, standing face to face once more; and even though Brynjolf knew it was a dream he simply gazed into Vitus\u2019 eyes and listened.<\/p>\n \u201cBut that is just the point. I will be a part of you, Brynjolf.\u00a0 Really and truly a part of you.\u00a0 Inside of you, outside of you, with you forever.\u00a0 It is all I ever wanted, from the moment I met you.\u00a0 It\u2019s still all I want.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVitus.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you will be happy. And therefore, I will be happy.\u00a0 Please, Bryn. Do this for all of those people who are waiting for you. And do it for me.\u00a0 Roggi will make it right. And then you will make it right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLad\u2026 I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo back to sleep, Brynjolf.\u00a0 Go back to sleep, and then go do the right thing.\u00a0 I love you. Now and forever.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf found himself back in the coffin, his eyes closed, murmuring \u201cnow and forever\u201d as he fell asleep once again.<\/p>\n The royals and Roggi took the carriage.\u00a0 Roggi had complained bitterly about being asked to ride like an old man, even when the newly-minted High King tried to give him an order \u2013 an attempt at which Roggi had merely laughed. Finally Dardeh had stood and stared at Roggi with fire burning in his gaze … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/5-2-23-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart II: Resolution<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"