Give the boy a chance, already. Roggi only left because you were in the Guild.<\/em><\/p>\n Dag sighed.\u00a0 It truly was tiresome to argue with herself all the time.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I really haven\u2019t, lass.\u00a0 There\u2019s just something that\u2019s in the works at the moment that has to get finished before we can get married. I don\u2019t like the idea that I have to keep things from you but this one thing is an exception. Can you wait just a few more days?\u201d<\/p>\n Dag was thoroughly confused. \u201cYes, I can wait, but \u2026 you\u2019re not leaving me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo lass,\u201d he said, kissing her forehead.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be here.\u00a0 I want to enjoy every moment that we have.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag felt ice running through her veins at that.\u00a0 We\u2019re supposed to have all the moments now, Brynjolf.\u00a0 All of them, from here on out. She couldn\u2019t imagine what was going on, but it didn\u2019t feel right.\u00a0 Something was amiss.<\/p>\n So make him tell you.\u00a0 You\u2019re the new Guildmaster after all.<\/em><\/p>\n No, I\u2019m not.\u00a0 He is, at least for the foreseeable future, and what kind of way would that be to start a life together?\u00a0 No, I will wait.\u00a0 It\u2019ll be killing me from the inside out, but I\u2019ll wait.<\/p>\n For most of the rest of the day, though, Dagnell and Brynjolf spent their hours getting to know each other and Honeyside better. \u00a0They chattered about what they might put in the planters lining the porch, and whether or not to add an apiary to the garden, so that the bees could help pollinate things.\u00a0 He said no. He hated bees. They had lunch on the deck, overlooking Lake Honrich; he leaned against the railing, looking out at the lake, and she thought he looked contented for the first time since she\u2019d met him.<\/p>\n The hot tub turned out to be just as much a pleasure for him as he\u2019d thought. \u00a0\u00a0She joined him in it and they talked about everything and nothing.\u00a0 She realized that it was going to take years before she knew Brynjolf as well as she would like.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe we should go to Falskaar,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell you haven\u2019t been there for years, you said.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never been there.\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t that be a fun trip to make?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt would.\u00a0 I don\u2019t remember it that well, but I do remember it being a very beautiful place.\u00a0 If you think of what the lake and the trees around Riften look like on a sunny clear day, you get a picture of it.\u201d\u00a0 He took a sip of ale and stretched. \u00a0\u201cI remember\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He trailed off, his brow furrowing.\u00a0 \u201cA little town.\u00a0 A fire. I think that\u2019s why we left.\u201d He was quiet for a moment, then shook his head. \u201cOf course I could be mixing things up in my mind.\u00a0 If you hear things long enough or imagine them long enough, they start to sound like the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI told you. That\u2019s what happened to Mercer.\u00a0 I\u2019m certain of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf grabbed her hand and squeezed it.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease promise me something.\u00a0 Let\u2019s not ever talk about Mercer Frey again, not unless it\u2019s absolutely necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSold.\u00a0 But let\u2019s consider going there sometime.\u00a0 I would really love to see it.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf laughed. \u201cPersistent, eh? Alright, lass.\u00a0 But we have to get the Guild back on sound footing first.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrue.\u00a0 But keep it in mind.\u201d Then she laughed. \u201cCan you imagine what it is going to be like with you and Delvin and Vex in charge of the Guild?\u00a0 We are all going to be so rich we won\u2019t know what to do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n He was quiet for a moment.<\/p>\n \u201cYou, lass.\u00a0 You\u2019re going to be in charge of it.\u00a0 Not me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re an idiot, Bryn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u00a0 But I\u2019m a stubborn idiot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell you\u2019re in charge right now, and you have a lot to teach me.\u201d<\/p>\n He grinned. \u201cPromise?\u201d<\/p>\n She splashed him.\u00a0 \u201cFoolish man.\u201d<\/p>\n The next day, Dag was late to awaken.\u00a0 Brynjolf was already gone, and she felt a sense of dread creeping over her again.\u00a0 She rose and dressed, then went to the kitchen to make some food.\u00a0 There was a note on the table.<\/p>\n Oh gods, she thought.\u00a0 What\u2019s happened? \u00a0Dag sat down at the table and opened the note, dreading what she might see.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll be gone for a day or so but I\u2019ll come find you soon. Don\u2019t worry. Red<\/em><\/p>\n What? Well, \u201cdon\u2019t worry\u201d was a good sign, at least, and the fact that he had signed it \u201cRed\u201d made her laugh. Still, she couldn\u2019t help but worry.\u00a0 Not worrying was beyond her at the moment.<\/p>\n Dag put together a stew to simmer, and drew herself a bowl of it once it was hot.\u00a0 Just as she was setting it on the table, there was a knock at the door.\u00a0 She walked over and opened it.<\/p>\n And the world stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, love.\u00a0 It\u2019s good to see you again.\u201d<\/p>\n He stood in the doorway, smiling the same bright smile she remembered from their first meeting.<\/p>\n Dag gasped and threw her arms around his chest, hugging him as tightly as she possibly could, rocking back and forth, not wanting to believe it.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I was never going to see you again.\u201d The words were catching in her throat as she tried to get them out.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n Then she looked up at him, and the tears came.\u00a0 \u201cOh Roggi.\u00a0 I can\u2019t believe it.\u00a0 This is just\u2026 I\u2019m so happy to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n He pushed her back just far enough to look her in the face.\u00a0 His smile was so genuine, so welcoming. \u201cWhy are you crying, then? Come now.\u00a0 Aren\u2019t you going to invite me in to see the Thane\u2019s house?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked up at him and nodded, laughing even with tears rolling down her face, leading him into the kitchen.\u00a0 \u201cOf course I am. Sit down. I was just about to eat. I\u2019ll get some for you,\u201d she said through the sniffles. She put a second bowl of hot stew on the table and then smiled and handed him a bottle of Black-Briar mead to wash things down. \u201cI can\u2019t get over how much crying I\u2019ve done in the past few months.\u00a0 It\u2019s not like me.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi looked around.\u00a0 \u201cThis is a beautiful place,\u201d he said, smiling.\u00a0 \u201cI can picture you here.\u00a0 Ooooh! This is nice,\u201d he exclaimed, spotting the alchemy table and walking over to it. \u201cPretty much everything you need.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag laughed. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize how interested you were in that until, well \u2026\u201d The last day, she thought.\u00a0 The day when everything went sideways.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t understand,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re here. What\u2026how\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi shook his head, smiling.\u00a0 \u201cWell, it\u2019s a bit of a story.\u00a0 Shall we sit down for it?\u201d<\/p>\n She had to laugh.\u00a0 Of course it was a bit of a story.\u00a0 \u201cOk, tell me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n He leaned his greatsword up against the wall, took off his pack and loosened up his shoulders, then sat down at the table. He nibbled on a bite of stew, then waved his hand in front of his mouth and grabbed the mead, swigging some of it.\u00a0 \u201cHot,\u201d he mumbled as he slurped more liquid.\u00a0 \u201cVery hot.\u00a0 But very good.\u00a0 Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag smiled.\u00a0 I just can\u2019t get over this, she thought.\u00a0 Roggi Knot-Beard. My life gets stranger with every day that passes.<\/p>\n He took a deep breath and smiled at her.<\/p>\n \u201cHow have you been, Dag?\u00a0 I\u2019ve missed you.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag had a hard time keeping her voice even.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been \u2013 I don\u2019t even know how to describe it, Roggi.\u00a0 Things have gone from bad to worse and then better again, and all of it has been very, very strange and sometimes dangerous. And I\u2019ve missed you, too. Very much.\u201d\u00a0 You couldn\u2019t imagine how often you were on my mind, she thought.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you met someone special,\u201d he said softly.<\/p>\n She looked down at the table and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYes,\u201d she said. \u201cI met him before you and I went to Whiterun together, actually, but neither one of us seemed to very much like the other until, well\u2026 it\u2019s a long story.\u201d<\/p>\n He chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cLong stories are my specialty.\u00a0 Do you want to hear one?\u201d<\/p>\n Dag smiled and nodded at him.\u00a0 Roggi. I can\u2019t believe he\u2019s here, she thought.<\/p>\n Exactly.\u00a0 He\u2019s here. <\/em><\/p>\n For once Dag wasn\u2019t annoyed with her other voice.<\/p>\n \u201cBut\u2026wait.\u00a0 How did you know that I\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n He grinned. \u201cI\u2019ll tell you,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is where the story comes in. You see, I had a lot of time to think after I left here. Too much time. I thought all the way back to Kynesgrove, I thought while I was digging, I thought while I was at home, and I thought while I was drinking. Dravynea and Iddra tried to keep my spirits up but, well. My tab at the inn could tell you how that went. Old habits.\u201d He grimaced.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked back down at the table. \u201cIt\u2019s not your fault. I still can\u2019t believe what I did to myself. I know better. I\u2019m actually a little surprised I managed to work in the mine but I did.\u00a0 Or at least Kjeld tells me I did.\u201d He smiled, a grim smile at best.<\/p>\n \u201cProbably, oh a week, maybe a little more after you and I saw each other last this man showed up at the inn one night and said he was looking for me. He bought us both a few flagons of mead. More than a few, really.\u201d\u00a0 He grinned, then sighed, twirling his bottle regretfully. \u201cI was more than happy to talk to him.\u00a0 He told me a friend in Riften said good things about me and since he was there anyway, he\u2019d looked me up. \u00a0I wasn\u2019t really in a state to wonder why, and I don\u2019t even know what all I must have said, but after he said your name I probably talked for hours.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi looked down again. \u201cI\u2019m afraid I don\u2019t remember much from the rest of that night, but the next day I started thinking about what you told me, how I was the best friend you\u2019d had in a long time. And I thought, well it goes both ways. It goes both ways.\u00a0 Even with everything else that happened. And I missed you.\u201d<\/p>\n He heaved a great sigh, then met her eyes and smiled. I\u2019ve missed that smile so much, Dag thought.<\/p>\n \u201cDelvin, is it?\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cDelvin came to see me a couple of days ago and told me that you were getting married to his boss.\u00a0 And his boss wanted me to come talk to you, or rather, he insisted<\/em> that I come talk to you.\u201d\u00a0 Roggi grinned. \u201cI\u2019m guessing he\u2019s part of the Guild. I didn\u2019t get the impression that I should say no, all things being equal. He doesn\u2019t seem like the kind of man you say no to, this Delvin. I\u2019m guessing he\u2026 knows people who can make things happen. Besides, I wanted to see you again anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag laughed. \u201cHe does know those people. I don\u2019t even know what to say.\u00a0 It\u2019s all so strange.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d Roggi said, tipping up his mead to take a drink, \u201clet\u2019s have a day of it, shall we? Catch up and talk things over. That\u2019s what his boss said we should do.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure I don\u2019t understand, either, but I wouldn\u2019t pass up the opportunity.\u201d He smiled at her.<\/p>\n \u201cReally.\u00a0 The man is still a mystery to me in some ways, but I know better than to argue with him when he has his mind set on something.\u00a0 He left a note saying he\u2019d be gone for a day or so. So let\u2019s do that,\u201d she said. \u201cLet me go get dressed.\u201d<\/p>\n She started to rise from the table, but Roggi reached out to grab her hand.\u00a0 \u201cWait a moment.\u00a0 I wanted to say something serious. I feel like I ruined everything by being too proud for my own good and not listening to you.\u00a0 And then what I said to you before I left.\u00a0 It just wasn\u2019t right, and, well, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag sat back down and shook her head. I don\u2019t even know how to begin to apologize to you, Roggi, she thought.\u00a0 There aren\u2019t enough words in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cYou<\/em> ruined it, Roggi? No, it wasn\u2019t you. You weren\u2019t the one who didn\u2019t share the whole truth.\u00a0 I should have. Especially after you told me about your family, but\u2026 I just didn\u2019t want you to leave me, and I figured that you would if you knew who I was. And it was stupid of me not to think that Nilheim might have seemed\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He sighed. \u201cLike a promise?\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded again. Those three words were three of the saddest she\u2019d ever heard.<\/p>\n \u201cWell it was foolish of me to think it did.\u00a0 After all.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag leaned across the table and took him by the hands. \u201cRoggi, no.\u201d She sighed. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t foolish, it was what any normal person might have thought. \u00a0The problem is that I\u2026 well, I\u2019m just not normal. I\u2019ve always just done what felt right at the time because I had to. That\u2019s the only way I could stay alive. That night at Nilheim we wanted to be together, and we were, and it was lovely. More than lovely. But I never thought\u2026well that\u2019s just the thing. I never thought. \u201d<\/p>\n He smiled. \u201cAnd I thought too much. No matter. There\u2019s no point to holding that against each other forever.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d she said.\u00a0 You wonderful, dear man. You are right and I do not deserve you.\u00a0 Not at all.\u00a0<\/em> \u201cLet me go get decent and we\u2019ll go see what\u2019s going on in the town.\u201d<\/p>\n She started heading for the stairs, but then turned back and gave Roggi a hug around the shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so glad you\u2019re here,\u201d she told him, smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cI am, too,\u201d he said, his blue eyes sparkling.<\/p>\n Dagnell woke the next morning to find Brynjolf spooned behind her, one arm over her and holding her close.\u00a0 She rolled as carefully as she could toward him, wanting to see his face.\u00a0 He was awake and looking at her, his eyes full of something she couldn\u2019t read. \u201cYou\u2019re awake. Good,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1-2-24-1.png\")
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