{"id":563,"date":"2021-02-28T10:21:55","date_gmt":"2021-02-28T17:21:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/?page_id=563"},"modified":"2021-03-07T21:33:07","modified_gmt":"2021-03-08T04:33:07","slug":"chapter-21-qaralana","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/volume-1\/part-1-moonlight\/chapter-21-qaralana\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 21 – Qaralana"},"content":{"rendered":"
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 <\/p>\n

Qaralana pushed open the door of the house she\u2019d grown up in and smiled, if somewhat wistfully.\u00a0 It seemed very large and very empty now, even though it hadn\u2019t been that long since the days when she and Chip, and sometimes Harald, had made a racecourse out of the ground floor, running around and around and sometimes knocking furniture over.<\/p>\n

She grinned, remembering the times when her father \u2013 or one of her uncles, or even High King Ulfric \u2013 would scoop one or the other of them up into the air, as the target being scooped giggled in glee and mock terror.\u00a0 She could remember her father\u2019s voice pretending to scold, in an exaggerated version of his own accent: \u201cSlow down, ye wee reprobate!\u201d<\/p>\n

It was past now, the delightful childhood.\u00a0 She\u2019d moved out just recently; not very far as the bird flew, but emotionally it was a huge distance.\u00a0 The other side of Riften sometimes felt a million leagues away.<\/p>\n

Even Harald\u2019s left home now, and he\u2019s the youngest.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She heard a noise to her left, and peeked around the corner to find a petite Redguard woman, humming to herself as she worked at something on the kitchen counter. She remembered when her mother\u2019s hair had been black. Now it was a faded brown, as the gray crept in more and more each year. It didn\u2019t matter. She was still beautiful. Qaralana often wished she resembled her mother more; but while she had many of her mother\u2019s features she was tall and red-haired like her father, and had his stocky frame.<\/p>\n

\u201cMama!\u201d<\/p>\n

Her mother, Sayma Sendu, turned her head and smiled, her eyes lighting up.\u00a0 \u201cHello, sweetie! I\u2019m happy to see you.\u201d\u00a0 She looked down at her hands and grimaced. \u201cGive me a second to clean up. I\u2019ve been kneading some bread dough and I\u2019m all covered with oil.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKeeping Daddy well fed, I guess?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma grabbed a nearby cloth and wiped her hands on it. \u201cHim and those men of his. He ends up dragging at least one of them back here pretty much every day. He says it\u2019s to talk business but I think he\u2019s just showing off the fact that I\u2019m a better cook than I used to be.\u201d\u00a0 She grinned at Qaralana and tossed the cloth down on the counter.\u00a0 \u201cI have more time to practice, these days. So what\u2019s up today?\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara shrugged. \u201cOh, um, well, I guess I was looking for some advice.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s one way to ease into it, I suppose.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, good. I\u2019d hate to think I was beyond being useful for advice now and then.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go outside to talk. It\u2019s so nice today.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two women made their way out into the sunny afternoon, and into the gazebo that had been the site of many a fine picnic for Qara and her brother when they were small.\u00a0 She smiled at her mother and started talking about the garden outside her new cabin. Pretty much everything was where she wanted it to be inside, but she wasn\u2019t much of a landscaper; and she knew her mother was an expert with herbs and flowers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Her father Brynjolf had objected, long and loud, to the idea that they would demolish the old fishing shack on the shores of Lake Honrich.\u00a0 She remembered eavesdropping one night when she couldn\u2019t sleep, and her parents had been arguing \u2013 as quietly as they could manage \u2013 before the fireplace.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s falling apart, Bryn,\u201d Sayma had said. \u201cPretty soon it\u2019s going to be downright dangerous. What if one of the kids is in there when those rotten timbers give way? How will you feel if someone gets hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

Qaralana remembered the long pause and the resigned harumph<\/em> from her father.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know. I know you\u2019re right. It\u2019s just that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma had tsk\u2019d, a sound of frustration.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just that Vitus used to live there and you still can\u2019t quite give up on him, even after all these years.\u201d\u00a0 She sighed loudly. \u201cI get it, Red. I really do. It\u2019s hard to give up on something that\u2019s so much a part of you. But it\u2019s just a cabin. An old, nasty cabin that\u2019s turning into a hazard. It isn\u2019t him<\/em>. You won\u2019t be throwing him<\/em> away if you tear it down and put something better in its place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how you still put up with me, lass,\u201d he murmured. \u201cI must be quite the trial to live with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot as much of a trial as living without you was,\u201d Sayma responded without so much as a heartbeat of hesitation.<\/p>\n

Qaralana remembered a long silence, then, and had always wondered what her parents had been doing during it. Sometimes she giggled to herself, imagining a long, romantic kiss. Sometimes she imagined them just ignoring each other, or possibly exchanging dramatic, soul-baring gazes instead.\u00a0 Whatever it had been, the silence was broken by Brynjolf\u2019s exclamation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know! Let\u2019s take it down, and build a cabin for Qara. She\u2019s getting to be grown, now, and she probably wants a place of her own just like Chip did, and it\u2019ll take us a few months to get it done right. By the time we\u2019re finished she\u2019ll be past fifteen and it\u2019ll be time. If she\u2019s right there on the lake she\u2019ll be close, but it\u2019ll still be something that\u2019s hers\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He trailed off.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. That\u2019s a great idea. It\u2019ll be hers, and not a leftover of days gone by like Honeyside is.\u00a0 Let\u2019s do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qaralana had drifted back to sleep after that, so she\u2019d never known what her parents might have talked about after that. She didn\u2019t know who \u201cVitus\u201d was, or what connection he\u2019d had to her father; but it didn\u2019t matter. She was going to get her own house. A house, all to herself!<\/p>\n

Qara smiled, listening to her mother talk about what crops would be the most valuable in the long run to plant in that garden.\u00a0 A house of my own, and I don\u2019t even know what to do with it. Ah well. I have plenty of time to figure it out.<\/em><\/p>\n

After a few more minutes of discussion, Sayma carefully folded her hands onto her lap and smiled. She had several smiles, and this was the knowing one.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that we have that sorted, are you going to tell me what\u2019s really bothering you?\u201d she asked quietly.<\/p>\n

Qaralana winced.\u00a0 \u201cThat obvious, am I?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma nodded. \u201cWell, I\u2019ve known you since before you were born. \u2018What should I plant\u2019 is a question that didn\u2019t require a special trip home while you knew your father was already occupied.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara winced again. It was true; she\u2019d heard her father\u2019s distinctive voice from the marketplace, and had decided it was the perfect time to go get her mother\u2019s advice. Sayma was sharp-eyed and wise; but Brynjolf was a master at reading people\u2019s intentions and situations, and she\u2019d known better than to approach him with this concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cOk, you\u2019ve got me. Mama, I\u2019m\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She rose, and started pacing back and forth. \u201cI\u2019m not cut out to be in the Guild. I\u2019m just not. It\u2019s not\u2026 right<\/em> for me. And I don\u2019t want to tell Daddy. I\u2019m afraid I\u2019ll be such a disappointment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qaralana loved her parents, and she\u2019d done her very best to follow in their footsteps. She\u2019d joined the Thieves\u2019 Guild after her first decade and done small jobs for her father for some time now; and everyone involved seemed pleased with her work. But it felt\u2026 wrong<\/em>. It wasn\u2019t the thefts that bothered her. She was always sent to take things from people who had too much, and she\u2019d been reassured that the money made it to those who had too little.<\/p>\n

It just felt as though she was meant to be more than a common footpad.<\/p>\n

Sayma nodded slowly. \u201cYou\u2019ve never worn your uniform. I always wondered why.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qaralana\u2019s nose wrinkled. \u201cIt\u2019s because it\u2019s ugly as sin, mother.\u201d Her own chosen armor was dark, almost a scaled pattern with a few deep red accents and a scattering of lighter pieces that helped her blend into the foliage like light sparkling through the leaves and their shadows.<\/p>\n

Sayma chuckled. \u201cThere is that. I hope you realize that you couldn\u2019t be a disappointment to your father if you worked at it for the rest of his life. He\u2019s just that proud of you. So tell me; what do you want to be?\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara stopped short and turned to stare at her mother.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, Mama. That\u2019s just it. It\u2019s a feeling, and it\u2019s been getting stronger by the day. Especially the last few weeks. It feels like something\u2019s about to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Sayma\u2019s eyebrows rose. \u201cYou and Harald aren\u2019t running away together, are you? His mother would never forgive me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara paused for a second, her mouth open. She couldn\u2019t believe her mother was even saying such a thing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cMe and\u2026 Harald<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma grinned. \u201cStranger things have happened than people in their teens getting together, you know.\u201d The look on her face told Qara that Sayma had stories tucked away in her mind that might not be truly appropriate for a daughter to hear.<\/p>\n

\u201cHarald\u2019s my buddy<\/em>, Mama. We enjoy each other\u2019s company, but\u2026 eww. I can\u2019t even picture it.\u201d\u00a0 For a moment, the vision of the blonde Nord prince with the thick beard kissing her flitted through her mind, and she giggled at it. They had<\/em> kissed, once; more because everyone expected them to be a couple than for any other reason. It had been like snuggling up to a pet dog. They\u2019d tried it, and ended up laughing at each other. Harald was her playmate and friend, not a romantic interest.<\/p>\n

Sayma nodded. \u201cWell, don\u2019t worry too much about it, Qara. I started out with the Guild, too. I\u2019m technically still a member, but my primary responsibilities are elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that would be\u2026?\u201d Qaralana asked, knowing that she would have no answer from her mother. Sayma tended to disappear for several days at a time, every so often; and neither she nor Brynjolf would divulge where she went.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething that is not for me to share,\u201d Sayma said in a tone that allowed for no further argument. \u201cListen, sweetheart. It takes time for us to find our place in life. We\u2019ve always suspected that there were bigger things in store for you, but nobody knows what, exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was new, to Qaralana.\u00a0 She\u2019d never heard any of the older generation talking about her future before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2026 as in you and who else?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma frowned. \u201cYour uncle Roggi, for one. Speaking of that,\u201d she said, \u201cI wonder if you\u2019d be willing to do something for me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course. Change the subject, don\u2019t tell me what you know, and distract me with a job.<\/em><\/p>\n

In spite of her momentary annoyance, Qara nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSure. Shoot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma\u2019s face and voice turned very serious. \u201cI need to know that my brother is alright.\u00a0 Roggi\u2019s very worried about him. He\u2019s got a cough that won\u2019t quit.\u201d\u00a0 She frowned. \u201cRoggi tries to put a brave face on things but I know him.\u00a0 And I\u2019m afraid of what might he might do if something bad happens to Dardeh. Will you take a couple of days and go to check on him? Maybe take some of my herbs along. Roggi will know what to do with them. He\u2019s a better alchemist than I am. And make Dardeh pay attention and take his medicine! The man\u2019s only half-Nord but he\u2019s as stubborn as two of them put together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qaralana wondered for a moment why, if her mother was so concerned, she didn\u2019t go herself.\u00a0 Sayma stared at her with the penetrating pale green eyes that unsettled so many others, and shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what you\u2019re thinking, and the answer is that I have to make a business trip in a completely different direction.\u00a0 Please do this for me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara sighed. Then she smiled, and nodded. \u201cOf course. Maybe being on the road for a couple of days will clear the cobwebs out of my head.\u201d<\/p>\n

They spent another hour or so together, while Sayma gathered some ingredients to send west.\u00a0 They had a bite to eat, and talked about inconsequential things. Sayma was a serious woman, and sometimes it felt to Qara as though she had a dark cloud following her. It had always felt like an accomplishment to make her mother laugh; and so it did on this day, as well.\u00a0 Finally, she gave Sayma a hug and headed out.\u00a0 She\u2019d stop at her own house first, and then double back through Riften to take the road on the southern side of Lake Honrich.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It was a beautiful day for a trip: warm, with a soft breeze.\u00a0 She made good time; for once there were no aggressive animals interrupting her progress.\u00a0 The lone set of wolves she passed, across the lake from the old Faldar\u2019s Tooth ruins, was well on its way to being dispatched by a Stormcloak patrol; and she felt no need to join in the fight.\u00a0 She picked a few ingredients along the side of the road, wandering down to the shoreline to scrape a few barnacles off the rocks and scoop some slimy but valuable slaughterfish eggs out of their beds.<\/p>\n

But as she meandered westward, her sense of unease grew.\u00a0 It was just a gnawing feeling that something wasn\u2019t quite right.\u00a0 It had been bothering her for several weeks now; and she was annoyed that her pleasant walk along the lakeshore was being interrupted by it yet again.\u00a0 She was almost to the turn-off to Ivarstead when the feeling went from just an annoying nagging sensation in the back of her mind to something more insistent, more immediate.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Something\u2019s about to change. I don\u2019t know what it is.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, maybe it\u2019ll be a good change. Maybe I\u2019ll finally figure out what I\u2019m supposed to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara stopped, frozen in place, as shouts \u2013 sounds of anger and of fear – drifted up the hill from the town.\u00a0 She started to trot down the slope toward the sawmill, drawing her daggers in case she might be of some use.<\/p>\n

It was then that she heard it:\u00a0 the rushing of enormous wings and the piercing shriek of a roar, followed almost instantly by great gouts of fire strafing the center of Ivarstead.<\/p>\n

A dragon!<\/em><\/p>\n

Qaralana had grown up hearing about dragons. Uncle Dar had, it was said, killed the greatest dragon of them all and saved the world \u2013 a notion that was romantic and exciting but unrealistic. \u201cDragonborn,\u201d they called him; she\u2019d never paid much attention to the stories because, after all, old people liked to exaggerate the tales of their youthful glories. Still, she knew the dragons existed; rumor had it that someone had killed a forest dragon just outside the gates of Riften not long ago, while she\u2019d been in Windhelm visiting Harald.\u00a0 But in spite of more stories from her uncles than a child could tactfully sit still through, she\u2019d never seen one close up.<\/p>\n

And if we don\u2019t kill it, this whole town\u2019s going to go up like a torch!<\/em><\/p>\n

She sprinted toward the town, swapping her blades for her bow.\u00a0 The dragon was far too fast, and too high up in the air, for her daggers to be of any use whatsoever. The great creature banked and took aim at Ivarstead again. Saplings bowed before the rush of the huge wings, and a horrible, ear-splitting keening erupted just ahead of a wall of fire. \u00a0A shudder ran up Qaralana\u2019s spine. There was something odd about that roar; but she was too busy trying to get a shot at the creature to figure it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll die this day, dragon!\u201d one of the guards bellowed, only to be rolling on the ground screaming, trying to douse the flames on his clothing the next moment.<\/p>\n

Qara shot at the dragon, but missed horribly.\u00a0 Chip\u2019s the archer, not me; how am I supposed to help?<\/em><\/p>\n

Get DOWN here!<\/em><\/p>\n

She shrieked at the dragon, mentally.\u00a0 She needed it to be on the ground so that she could go at it with her daggers.\u00a0 Qaralana was very good at fighting with daggers; she\u2019d had the best instruction that her father and his people could provide, and that type of battle seemed to come naturally to her.\u00a0 But it was of no use to her when the adversary was above her and out of reach.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet DOWN here!\u201d<\/p>\n

This time she yelled aloud.\u00a0 The dragon, though, howled its fire breath at them all again. Between Qara, the guards, and a couple of hunters and citizens that had bows at hand, there was an absolute storm of arrows arching up through the sky \u2013 and then, for the most part, falling back to ground.\u00a0 She fired as quickly as she could, fuming at the lack of power in her draw and wishing she had something else she could use.<\/p>\n

The guards were also shouting at it, and several people were screaming because they\u2019d been burned.\u00a0 Qara stepped under the overhang of the inn\u2019s porch as the dragon strafed them once more, just barely out of reach of its flames; even so she felt her exposed skin heating up and was afraid she\u2019d singed some hair. Her ears rang from the noise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to kill you, you bastard!\u201d she shrieked, stepping back out into the street with her bow drawn all the way back, hoping she could hold the shot long enough to get a solid hit on the dragon; wishing she had biceps like her strong brother or her big Nord father. Her mouth opened in shock.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The dragon was flying away, up toward the top of the great mountain known as the Throat of the World.\u00a0 One man with a bow dashed for the base of the Seven-Thousand Steps, screaming that they should follow him; but Qara couldn\u2019t imagine how they could possibly catch it, or have enough energy to fight it after the climb even if they did. Instead, the rest of them milled about in the street outside the inn, shouting at the dragon to come back and fight; but it slowly rose and circled until it eventually vanished into the cloud of mist that forever obscured the top of the mountain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe it,\u201d one guard said, shaking his head as he walked down the street. \u201cI can\u2019t believe it just flew away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qaralana stood staring up at the mountaintop for a long time, holding her bow in one hand. Perhaps the beast would come back. She wanted<\/em> it to come back. In fact, she needed<\/em> it to come back; as the moments ticked by she realized that she\u2019d never been so angry at anything, ever, as she was at that dragon for burning innocent people just trying to make ends meet and then fleeing like a coward.<\/p>\n

Finally, shaking her head, she stowed her bow and looked around.\u00a0 The street had been emptying, slowly, as people took the injured home to recover, or resumed grinding wheat; or, in many cases, meandered toward the inn.\u00a0 She looked at the sky and realized the light was fading rapidly. Just about the last thing she wanted to do was head into the pass in the dark. There always seemed to be something there waiting to waylay unsuspecting travelers.<\/p>\n

Or even travelers that do suspect, of which I am one. I guess I stay here for the night. Daddy would be proud that I\u2019m not taking chances.<\/em><\/p>\n

She pushed down her hood and knocked the dust off her boots and leggings before entering the Vilemyr Inn.\u00a0 It was very busy inside, and very noisy. Not only were the regular customers settling in for an evening of food and drinking; but most of them, along with the few travelers who\u2019d been in the area, were completely abuzz talking about the dragon attack.\u00a0 Qaralana pushed slowly and quietly through the crowd, moving as best she could toward the bar, but keeping her ears open as Delvin and Vipir had taught her to do. Some people were anxious about the souls who had been burned.\u00a0 Others were concerned about the damage to town buildings.\u00a0 She heard one man ask an older, bent fisherman whether the monks would be alright up at High Hrothgar if a dragon was flying up there; she heard his low rumble \u2013 a reassuring tone \u2013 but couldn\u2019t make out what he was saying.<\/p>\n

Behind her somewhere she heard a woman\u2019s sharp, angry voice, complaining. \u201cAs if those damned bears aren\u2019t enough for us to deal with, now we have dragons burning the roof of the mill? How are we supposed to make ends meet?\u201d\u00a0 Qara turned her head to see a sour-looking, middle-aged woman shaking her finger at an elf. She wasn\u2019t sure whether it was an old elf or a young elf; he looked like a Bosmer to her by his slight build and fairly short stature, but it was sometimes hard to tell.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Qaralana was turning to continue toward the bar, but ran headlong into the Bosmer and nearly lost her footing.\u00a0 He put out a hand to steady her, and then took it away almost immediately.\u00a0 The man was obviously very quick; and he\u2019d moved away from the sour woman just as Qara had turned.<\/p>\n

He laughed. \u201cExcuse me for being so clumsy! I\u2019m very sorry. I should have learned long ago to watch my step, but\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He cast his gaze around them and dropped his voice. \u201cMiss Temba is always so very angry. I do what I can to cheer her up, but first it\u2019s the bears and now a dragon, of all things. It\u2019s been years and years since we\u2019ve seen a dragon. Had you ever seen one? We used to get a lot of them but it\u2019s been a long time\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara found herself just gazing in awe at the elf as he nattered away, his words flowing so quickly that she couldn\u2019t find a place between them wide enough to interject her own.\u00a0 All she could do was smile and shake her head, until a man cleared his throat behind them.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me,\u201d she heard a distinctively Imperial voice say, \u201cI don\u2019t mean to pry, but is this man bothering you, miss?\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned to look at him and had to fight down the urge to smile broadly.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s gorgeous. Wow.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Imperial standing behind her \u2013 or, rather, beside her now \u2013 wore dark robes with a heavy, light grey fur collar and matching fur peeking out from his dark leather bracers. His hair was either dark brown or black \u2013 hard to tell in this dim light \u2013 and was impeccably styled; and while he had a narrow mustache the rest of his face was clean shaven.\u00a0 He was so very different<\/em> from big, fuzzy, blonde Harald, or the scruffy and sometimes grubby men she\u2019d grown up around in Riften that her mind started cataloging his every feature so that she could think about it later.<\/p>\n

Then she realized that she needed to answer him, and felt herself blushing furiously.<\/p>\n

By the Eight, he\u2019ll think I\u2019m an idiot. And so will this very nice Bosmer.<\/em><\/p>\n

She smiled at the Bosmer and then at the Imperial.\u00a0 \u201cNo, no not at all. We just were trying to get to the same place at the same time. Not a problem. It\u2019s more crowded in here than I would have expected.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sorry,\u201d the Bosmer said. \u201cMy name\u2019s Gwilin and, well, I guess I just get excited. I hope I didn\u2019t bore you to death.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled at him again, quietly hoping that he\u2019d go away so that she could talk to the Imperial man and figure out whether they were even remotely close to the same age. \u201cNot at all,\u201d she repeated. \u201cNice to meet you, Gwilin. I\u2019m Qaralana.\u201d\u00a0 She frowned then, knowing that what she was about to say was completely true. \u201cAnd I\u2019m sorry we couldn\u2019t get that dragon out of your town. I don\u2019t know why it makes me so angry, but it does. I\u2019m sorry I\u2019m not a better archer.\u201d<\/p>\n

She heard the Imperial man chuckle, and turned to find him smiling at her. \u201cNone of us was especially good today. It was rather a surprise though. One doesn\u2019t usually expect a dragon to drop out of the skies like that.\u00a0 I\u2019ve heard they do, but I have to admit it\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve had the pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n

She found herself grinning at him, and was just barely aware of Gwilin excusing himself and moving away.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cUm,\u201d she said, and then mentally kicked herself.<\/p>\n

Um?\u00a0 UM? What a stupid way to start a conversation!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d the man said, a tiny smirk playing about his mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh. Um,\u201d she said, then made an exasperated snort and stomped her foot on the floor. \u201cGood grief. It\u2019s like this. I\u2019m hungry; I\u2019m going to get something to eat and a room for the night. Would you care to join me?\u201d<\/p>\n

She watched the man\u2019s eyes widen a bit; then he tossed his head back and laughed. \u201cI\u2019m going to assume you were inviting me to join you for a meal. I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve known each other long enough to share a room quite yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara wanted to die, or to sink into the floor, or to use the ability she\u2019d learned from the standing stone outside their home and turn invisible. Again she was grateful for the dim light.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, yes,\u201d she finally managed. \u201cThat\u2019s what I meant, of course. That came out not at all the way I\u2019d intended it to but I\u2019m glad you got the idea anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d he said, smiling. \u201cLet\u2019s have a seat.\u201d<\/p>\n

They each ordered a mug of ale, and Qaralana got some stew and bread.\u00a0 He started talking to her, asking her about herself, just the kind of conversation to set her at ease; and so it did. She learned that he was from the southern end of County Bruma in Cyrodiil and had just arrived in Skyrim a few weeks previously. She nodded, and made impressed noises at appropriate times, telling him all about how she\u2019d had a feeling that something big was about to happen just before the dragon attack. She\u2019d been eating and talking for some time when she realized that he was sipping at his ale, but that was all.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not eating?\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled and shook his head. \u201cNo, I\u2019ll get something later. I like to travel at night. It\u2019s easier for me. Quieter, fewer things out and about waiting to attack.\u201d He grinned. \u201cMy name is Ondale, by the way. It\u2019s a family name, and kind of awkward on the tongue, to my taste. My mother called me Dale.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPleased to meet you, Dale. Speaking of names that are a mouthful, I\u2019m Qaralana. Don\u2019t even ask. My family calls me Qara, unless I\u2019m in trouble for something.\u201d Both of them laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you\u2026 often in trouble for something?\u201d Dale asked her with a smirk. Something about the tone of his voice made her stomach start dancing in a most unsettling way, but she couldn\u2019t help grinning back at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot often enough to suit me. I haven\u2019t been out of my parents\u2019 home for all that long.\u201d\u00a0 Then she sighed. \u201cAnd I suppose I won\u2019t be in any for the next few days, either. I\u2019m heading out to the west end of Lake Ilinalta to see my uncles. I have to behave around them.\u201d<\/p>\n

To her surprise, Dale\u2019s brow furrowed. \u201cReally. How odd; I\u2019m just coming from that area. There\u2019s not much out there except for the mill, and the big manor house.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shouldn\u2019t have been so excited that this man she didn\u2019t even know knew her uncles\u2019 place, but she was. \u201cYes! Mammoth Manor, they call it. That\u2019s where Uncle Dar and Uncle Roggi live. I\u2019m supposed to go deliver some stuff to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

He chuckled. \u201cWhat a small world. And I\u2019m heading in the other direction. I have some friends in the Riften area who have invited me to stay with them for a time.\u00a0 I fear I\u2019m quite the old man compared with you, so it\u2019s good that someone will take me in. I\u2019d hate to end up wandering the streets on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara wasn\u2019t sure whether it was the warmth of the ale, or the warmth of the knowledge that she was walking a slightly dangerous line, but she felt herself flushing again, with excitement. \u201cThat\u2019s where I\u2019m from! Riften, I mean. I live just outside the city. Maybe we\u2019ll see each other again soon. I expect I\u2019ll be back there in a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps we will, Miss Qara,\u201d he said, taking a last sip of ale and putting it down with a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I am sorry to say so but I think the sun is down, and that means it\u2019s time for me to be on the road.\u201d He pushed himself off his stool and she followed in spite of herself, walking down the length of the inn with him as he started for the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve really enjoyed meeting you,\u201d he told her.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Then he did something that startled her completely, as it was unlike any gesture any man or boy had ever used in her presence.\u00a0 He reached for her hand and took it by the tips of her fingers, then raised them to his lips and gave them the briefest kiss, keeping his gaze on hers the entire time.\u00a0 She felt completely unsettled; the butterflies in her stomach began dancing again, and she could do nothing but smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cLikewise,\u201d she said, trying to keep the smile on her face from becoming an utterly stupid wall-to-wall grin. \u201cI hope we\u2019ll run into each other again soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe not literally,\u201d he said, his eyes twinkling. \u201cI\u2019ll leave that to the Bosmer.\u201d\u00a0 Then he turned and left the inn, waving briefly before the door closed behind him.<\/p>\n

Qara went back to her barstool and reached for the last bite of her bread.\u00a0 The innkeeper chuckled and stepped nearer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there anything else I can get for you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026\u201d She grimaced. By all the gods, I have got to stop doing that!<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cNo, I think I\u2019m good; but I do need to rent a room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing. It\u2019s yours for a day.\u201d The innkeeper took her coin and snickered. \u201cI was wondering if there might be two of you in it, for awhile there. That one certainly had eyes for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh! Um\u2026oh, no. We just met,\u201d she found herself stammering.\u00a0 And yet, as he showed her where her room for the night would be, Qaralana couldn\u2019t quite wipe the smile off her face.<\/p>\n

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Home Previous \/ Next   Qaralana pushed open the door of the house she\u2019d grown up in and smiled, if somewhat wistfully.\u00a0 It seemed very large and very empty now, even though it hadn\u2019t been that long since the days when she and Chip, and sometimes Harald, had made a racecourse out of the ground … <\/p>\n

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