{"id":585,"date":"2021-03-07T21:17:40","date_gmt":"2021-03-08T04:17:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/?page_id=585"},"modified":"2021-03-17T10:24:52","modified_gmt":"2021-03-17T16:24:52","slug":"chapter-22-chip-and-dardeh","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/volume-1\/part-1-moonlight\/chapter-22-chip-and-dardeh\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 22 – Chip and Dardeh"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/p>\n

Chip strolled across the footbridge into Riften\u2019s center, deep in thought. It was a misty morning in the Rift, as was so often the case next to the lake; and as usual in foggy conditions, sounds carried. He could hear his father in the marketplace, his sales pitch easy to pick out over all the others because he had such a distinctive voice.<\/p>\n

You\u2019d think all the people would have learned to ignore him by now, but he still manages to make a little bit of money every day he spends out here. People are stupid. And where is Ma?<\/em><\/p>\n

He had things to sell, and needed to pick up a few ingredients while he was in town. He hadn\u2019t seen his mother in weeks, though; so he\u2019d gone there first, poking his head into the house and then checking Iona\u2019s house in the back, and even walking up to the top of the alchemy tower to see whether Sayma was there. It had been odd to find the place completely empty after so many years of it being loud, and full of children and Guild members, family, and even sometimes the nobility from Windhelm. Not even Qaralana was here now. She hadn\u2019t been at her own cabin, either, when he\u2019d checked on his way by. It was a relief, therefore, to hear his Da trying to swindle people. At least something<\/em> was normal.<\/p>\n

He crossed the marketplace, toward the stall where Brynjolf was encouraging people to waste money on useless elixirs. His father glanced at him \u2013 no surprise there; Brynjolf noticed everything \u2013 but never missed a beat in his spiel. Once he was done, the older woman standing near the front of his stall reached for her coin purse. A moment later, a shudder ran up Chip\u2019s spine as he watched his father flash her a toothy grin and hand over one of the large flasks he kept nearby.<\/p>\n

I still can\u2019t get over imagining him with fangs. He must have been completely terrifying.<\/em><\/p>\n

Chip stopped in mid-stride for a moment, shook his head, and chuckled.<\/p>\n

And what would Da think of me with claws and fangs \u2013 and a tail, to boot? I need to stop worrying the idea over. He\u2019s not a vampire now, and that\u2019s what matters.<\/em><\/p>\n

But I\u2019ll bet he would have made for a fearsome leader of that vampire clan he talked about.<\/em><\/p>\n

He approached the stall and nodded to the woman as she turned to leave, grinning at the flask as if she\u2019d just bought liquid gold. His father watched her leave, as well, a smirk raising one corner of his mouth.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, lad,\u201d he said finally, turning his gaze to Chip. \u201cHow are you doing this morning?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m good, Da,\u201d Chip said. I\u2019m Hircine\u2019s new champion, how about that? I guess you\u2019d understand, maybe; after all Nocturnal is a Daedric prince too. <\/em>\u201cI just got back from a trip out of town. A very successful one, at that! But Qara wasn\u2019t home, and neither was Ma. Where is everyone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad you succeeded, whatever it was; and no, I won\u2019t pry, but I\u2019m not surprised.\u201d He smiled before continuing. \u201cAs to it being a bit quiet around here, your mother had a business trip, out of town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip sighed. \u201cAnd I know better than to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right. And I\u2019m glad you\u2019re here, speaking of being out of town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d Chip crossed his arms and felt himself frowning slightly. It was always odd when Brynjolf treated him warmly, in spite of their being father and son. \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf\u2019s voice lowered, enough that it wouldn\u2019t carry across the open space, even in the fog. \u201cThere\u2019s something amiss with Dardeh, and we\u2019re all pretty concerned about it. Your Ma sent Qara to check on him; and just as well, since my connections tell me that Roggi is in Windhelm. Or at least he was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf sighed. \u201cI don\u2019t necessarily trust Roggi to be a good judge of the situation. He\u2019s a great caretaker \u2013 took care of me once when I was in a bad way \u2013 but he\u2019s too close to this one. And I don\u2019t trust Dardeh to listen to either him or Qara. But there is one person who could whip both of them into shape, and I\u2019d like to ask you to go get her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip raised an eyebrow. \u201cHer? You trying to set me up again?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf laughed. \u201cNo. It\u2019s nothing like that, lad. It\u2019s Lydia. She used to be their housecarl, she\u2019s old enough to be your mother, and now she lives in Whiterun, in a little place called Breezehome. She\u2019s also one of the toughest women you\u2019d ever care to meet. You haven\u2019t seen her since you were tiny but she\u2019ll know who you are if you give her your name. Will you go tell her what\u2019s going on and see if she\u2019ll go give them a visit? I have to stay put to take care of some business dealings myself, or I\u2019d go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip considered for a moment. I didn\u2019t have anything else planned for the immediate future aside from kicking around the garden. And the moons are still close enough to full that it\u2019s probably a good idea if I\u2019m away from family and friends for the next couple of nights. <\/em>He nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Da. I\u2019ll head out right away. I just need to sell off a few things and I\u2019ll be off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf smiled at him again. It felt odd, after all the years he\u2019d spent under what felt like a disapproving glare, to feel as though his father finally accepted him as an adult, even if not an equal. But he\u2019d take it, willingly.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, son,\u201d he said. \u201cI know she doesn\u2019t show it much, and neither do I; but Dardeh\u2019s the only family your mother\u2019s got besides us and I\u2019m not sure what it\u2019ll do to her if something happens to him. Or to Roggi.\u201d\u00a0 He paused for a moment, his brows drawn together. \u201cIf Lydia isn\u2019t at home, try the mead hall. Jorrvaskr. She used to spend some time there when we all were a lot younger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip thought he saw something in his father\u2019s expression when he mentioned Roggi, something Chip didn\u2019t understand at all. It was only there for a moment, though, and in the next moment Brynjolf somehow stepped effortlessly back into his salesman guise, starting up his call for customers as though nothing had ever interrupted it.<\/p>\n

It was still foggy and damp an hour or so later, when Chip stopped to catch his breath for a moment. He looked out over Lake Honrich toward Faldar\u2019s Tooth.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWonder what\u2019s going on over there, today?\u201d he said quietly. \u201cI\u2019m going to guess that it won\u2019t be long before Riften gets a warning to be on the lookout for wild animals. Terrible thing what happened to them all, even if they were bandits.\u201d He chuckled, before resuming his trip toward Whiterun.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dardeh sat on the chair at the edge of the dock, trying to suppress the horrid cough that hadn\u2019t left him alone for months on end. It wasn\u2019t working. He could swallow the cough a few times, but then the extreme need to expel the air from his lungs would get the better of him. It was a deep, wracking cough, and it hurt.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Another of the spasms seized him, and he doubled over with the pain of it. It felt like claws in his chest, trying hard to pull his lungs out through his mouth, and raking their edges along his throat on their way.<\/p>\n

Dardeh moaned as the spasm passed, and let his head dangle down between the arms propping him up on his legs. He was a bit light-headed from the effort, and tired. It was good that Roggi wasn\u2019t home just then. As much as it irked him that Roggi had insisted on going to see Ulfric with news he probably could have sent in a letter, it was just as well. Roggi would have only worried about him, and fussed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

They\u2019d both seen plenty of other people develop that deep, continual cough from years of working in a mine. The dust would get into a person\u2019s lungs and never come back out, no matter how hard they coughed. Roggi had mentioned that possibility to Dardeh when it had first become clear that the cough was more than just a transient illness. Roggi himself had a tendency to clear his throat, frequently, and he\u2019d often worried aloud that he\u2019d managed to get the miner\u2019s disease himself. Dardeh had shaken his head, the day Roggi brought it up in relation to his cough.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m sure that\u2019s not what it is,\u201d Dardeh had said, not elaborating on why he knew that to be the case. He\u2019d always been careful to judge the condition of the area he was in, and to cover his face if he was in a particularly dusty mine. So had Roggi; and because Roggi hadn\u2019t mined his entire life, the way Dardeh had before his mother died, that made it even less likely that his throat clearing was anything other than a simple, normal habit.<\/p>\n

\u201cBesides, my ma had this cough, and she never mined. Not a single day.\u201d<\/p>\n

He remembered when his mother Ellte had sounded like this. Oh, she didn\u2019t have a great, resonant voice, of course \u2013 and because of that her coughing hadn\u2019t carried halfway across the Karth River basin the way his was flying across Lake Ilinalta. But she\u2019d coughed, on and on, every day for months on end. Sometimes the tea would help, for a few hours. Mostly it didn\u2019t. He\u2019d watched her dwindle away from a robust, strong-willed woman to one who, in spite of her strong will, hadn\u2019t the body to go along with it. He\u2019d needed to burn a fire day and night, and bundle her up in layers of blankets and furs. He remembered that last day, nearly two decades earlier now, when he\u2019d needed to lift her up to a sitting position just to adjust the cushions behind her.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It still made him weepy to think about those last few days and how hard he\u2019d tried to find something to make her feel better. Of course, everything made him feel weepy. He was an emotional person, in spite of being physically massive and having a Voice that could knock a dragon out of the sky or a frost troll down the side of a mountain. Not that he\u2019d used that Voice in a long while. He wasn\u2019t certain that he could, any longer. Not without some very negative consequences, anyway.<\/p>\n

Just thinking about it sent Dardeh into another coughing fit. He struggled to suppress it; fought hard against it. But finally his body overcame his mind, and he spent the next several minutes frightening away the birds with the deep, hacking sounds. This time it was particularly painful. He groaned when it finally subsided, his entire body aching.<\/p>\n

Damn it. It\u2019s got to stop sometime. I don\u2019t know how much longer I can keep this up. I wish Roggi was here.<\/em><\/p>\n

He closed his eyes and remembered the touch of Roggi\u2019s exceptionally strong hands, running up and down his neck and back, and out across his shoulders, as he tried to massage Dardeh\u2019s pain away. That had become almost a ritual, now, as Roggi calmly took on more and more of the necessary functions of owning a home without so much as a word of resentment. They\u2019d talked about it one evening, on one of the days when Roggi\u2019s concoctions in his tea had given him a bit of respite. He\u2019d started to apologize for being so little help and Roggi had cut him off.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you whine when your ma was sick? Complain that you had to make her meals?\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d shaken his head. \u201cWell, no. Of course not. That was Ma, and I loved her dearly. It didn\u2019t seem like work to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roggi grinned at him, before moving around behind Dardeh. \u201cAnd this,\u201d he\u2019d said, beginning to massage Dardeh\u2019s neck, \u201cis my husband, and I love him dearly. It doesn\u2019t seem like work to me.\u201d He\u2019d paused for a few moments until Dardeh, his eyes closed, had heard a familiar, mischievous chuckle. \u201cBesides,\u201d Roggi continued, \u201cI\u2019ll take any excuse I can to get my hands all over this body of yours, Dar. You may not be feeling your best but you\u2019re still something special.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d both laughed, and Dardeh had relaxed into the massage, trying as usual not to think about the other kinds of things Roggi could do with those hands of his. It made sense, of course: hands that knew just the spots to relieve pain knew how to create it, as well. He was grateful that he\u2019d never had occasion to find out just how good Roggi was at that. The hints had been frightening enough.<\/p>\n

Roggi had been concerned that if it wasn\u2019t the miner\u2019s lung making Dardeh cough, maybe it was the same disease that had taken his mother. That thought had occurred to him as well, of course, especially given how similar their coughs were. Some kinds of illnesses ran in families, the same way that a tendency to be musical, or physically strong, or small and quiet ran in families. Perhaps there was something in his blood that had been waiting to attack, the same way Vitus\u2019 abilities as a vampire had been passed to Brynjolf for those few years. The thought had been terrifying; he didn\u2019t want to waste away to nothing and leave Roggi with all the work. He wasn\u2019t wasting away, though.\u00a0 He was exhausted, and sometimes a bit feverish; but he was still just as heavy and solid as ever.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the disease that took Ma, is it? I know better. You know better. You want me to break down and serve you. I\u2019ll fight it until the bitter end, and you know that half of me is stubborn Nord. If I die fighting you, so be it.<\/em><\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t want to Shout. That was the crux of it. He didn\u2019t dare.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d done what he needed to do with the great power he carried in his body. He\u2019d been to Sovngarde and had slain Alduin, later rebuilding the town of Helgen that Alduin had burned on the day they\u2019d met. He\u2019d helped bring the civil war to a conclusion, using his Voice to help put Ulfric on the throne. He\u2019d Shouted fire and watched Archmage Edwyn Wickham die when he had lost his grip on reality and threatened not only Dardeh, but Roggi and Brynjolf and everyone else Dardeh knew and loved as well, in an attempt to drink Dragonborn blood and become the Emperor of Tamriel. The thought made Dardeh\u2019s usually-pleasant features draw up into a snarl.<\/p>\n

That man, of all the people I\u2019ve had a part in killing over the years, was the one who most genuinely earned and deserved his death. I\u2019d do it again in a heartbeat, if I had to, and I wouldn\u2019t regret it for a single moment<\/em>.<\/p>\n

And his power had been instrumental in removing Miraak from the island of Solstheim.<\/p>\n

That, of course, was where Dardeh\u2019s great inner turmoil had begun so long ago. First, he\u2019d realized that all the things he\u2019d been warned against by Master Arngeir of the Greybeards and also by their leader, the dragon Paarthurnax, were in fact real dangers. He\u2019d learned that he was indeed arrogant in his power, and in his desire to dominate, just as Miraak had been; the idea seeded by the wizard Neloth that he might only be the second-strongest Dragonborn ever to live had driven him nearly to the brink. It was only after the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora had snatched the satisfaction of killing Miraak from him that he\u2019d realized that the most powerful Dragonborn had not been Miraak. It had been Talos.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d met Hermaeus Mora before, in Skyrim. Hermaeus Mora had declared him, Dardeh, to be his new champion. Dardeh had refused, vehemently, over and over. It was on Solstheim, though, that he\u2019d travelled to Mora\u2019s realm of Apocrypha and seen first-hand what became of the seekers of knowledge who weren\u2019t strong enough to resist the Daedric Prince\u2019s whispers, and who had gone mad. He\u2019d met a crazy man, on the beach, who\u2019d warned him about the black fingers, from the black book, squirming about in his mind, trying to implant secrets there. He\u2019d had to kill that man, in self-defense; but he knew altogether too well what the man\u2019s ravings had been all about.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour free will is an illusion,\u201d the horrid mass of writhing tentacles had told him when he\u2019d refused to serve Hermaeus Mora. \u201cWhether you acknowledge me or not is your own business. But I will be in your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he\u2019s there, alright, trying to get me to use what I am, to take this power that I have and the power that his Black Books added to it, and grasp control of the whole of Tamriel with it. He wants me to do that so that he will have the power to gain all of the knowledge that people have stored away, in every part of the continent. I won\u2019t do it.<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019m far too dangerous. I have far too little control over this power.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Long ago, Master Arngeir had told him why the Greybeards hadn\u2019t known the Dragonrend Shout. The Nords who had invented it, Arngeir had told him, did so because the world was suffering under what he\u2019d called the \u201cunimaginable cruelty\u201d of Alduin and his lieutenants. They\u2019d hated Alduin; and they\u2019d poured all that hatred and pain and suffering into the power of the Shout that would bring him down. But to master a Shout, Arngeir had told him, was to take it into yourself and have it become a part of your being.<\/p>\n

I finally figured out that he was right about that. I took all that hatred into myself, even as I became stronger and stronger over the years. It added to the anger I already had before I knew I was Dragonborn. I feel it there, all the time, waiting to explode the way it did when the Archmage ended. It\u2019s why Roggi thought he saw a dragon when I Shouted at Edwyn. It\u2019s why people die when I get angry. That\u2019s why I wear Miraak\u2019s mask on my belt \u2013 so that I never forget. There\u2019s nothing that can stand up to it, if I truly let it loose. And who knows what would happen to the world if Hermaeus Mora got hold of that kind of power in this plane of existence?<\/em><\/p>\n

I will not use my Voice to further his ends. Or my own. I won\u2019t give in.<\/em><\/p>\n

Once he\u2019d decided that \u2013 decided that he would no longer Shout, that he would throttle his Voice no matter what it took \u2013 the coughing had begun. He knew why. Hermaeus Mora was trying to force him to Shout, whether he wished it or not. It had started slowly, and built up to the point at which now he found himself: weakened, shivering or sweating intermittently.<\/p>\n

But something\u2019s got to give, pretty soon. I\u2019m afraid it\u2019s going to be me. And how can I do that to Roggi?<\/em><\/p>\n

It had been during a period of relative calm that they\u2019d had the visit from Chip, and Roggi had decided that he needed to deliver the news to Ulfric in person. Dardeh had grimaced, internally \u2013 the strength of the bond between Roggi and Ulfric was still a source of irritation, no matter how many years passed \u2013 but he\u2019d swallowed that irritation the same way he tried to swallow the coughing. Roggi needed a break, and sometimes talking to Ulfric and Frina, or Kjeld and Iddra, was the best thing for him.<\/p>\n

The problem was that as soon as both Chip and Roggi had left Mammoth Manor, the coughing had returned. Dardeh knew why. He had nothing to distract him from his great internal battle, and thus he coughed.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a good thing Lydia isn\u2019t here. She\u2019d be slapping me into shape, criticizing my hair, filling me full of chicken soup, and probably telling me to let go of this fight after all these years. Never could put too much past her.<\/em><\/p>\n

Dardeh smiled, thinking about it, even as he panted and struggled to catch his breath. Lydia hadn\u2019t married, in all this time; but she\u2019d been as much a mother to his adopted daughters Sofie and Lucia as either of their late biological mothers were. And she\u2019d never, ever stopped letting him know that, as much as she loved and respected Roggi, if he ever changed his mind about things she\u2019d be there for him. Not in so many words; Lydia had far too much integrity and was far too loyal to offer to insert herself into their marriage. But he\u2019d always been aware of the unspoken offer, anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot that I ever would,\u201d he murmured in the general direction of the dragonflies.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot that you would ever what?\u201d came a light voice from behind him. He had to force himself not to jump, but he had been completely surprised by her approach and didn\u2019t want to look foolish.<\/p>\n

Instead, he allowed himself to chuckle.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cChange my mind about being married to your uncle Roggi,\u201d he said, turning his head to smile at the red-haired girl walking down the dock toward him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho in the world would be enough of a fool to even imagine such a thing?\u201d she laughed. \u201cI may not be very old, Uncle Dar, but I\u2019m pretty observant. I\u2019ve always been able to see how it is with you, ever since I was old enough to think about such stuff for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh grinned back at her. \u201cYou are definitely your mother\u2019s daughter. She says she knew I had eyes for Roggi from the first time we met. How are you doing, Qara? I wasn\u2019t expecting visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qaralana grinned at him. \u201cI know. Mama sent me. She\u2019s worried about you, Uncle Dar.\u201d She plopped down onto the deck beside him and shook her head. \u201cAnd so am I, I guess. I heard you coughing when I was still way down on the other side of the mill. You\u2019ve got a big voice, but even that doesn\u2019t account for that cough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh sighed. \u201cYeah, it\u2019s been pretty bad. I don\u2019t want to worry everyone, but it\u2019s\u2026\u201d He cut himself short as the tickle in his chest seized him again, and the deep, ripping cough started up once more.<\/p>\n

Qaralana started to rise; but he shook his head at her and waved a hand. There wasn\u2019t anything she could do about it; the cough was just going to have to work itself out.<\/p>\n

This time, it went on and on until he was concerned he wouldn\u2019t be able to catch his breath again.<\/p>\n

Leave me alone! Leave me alone! Go away! Get out of my head!<\/em><\/p>\n

Haven\u2019t I suffered long enough?<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally, he felt the spasms ease. He lowered his head again, closed his eyes, and gasped for air; and this time he heard Qaralana stand up. He felt her hand on his forehead, almost icy cold to the touch; and the sensation made him jump.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cUncle Dar, you\u2019re burning up. Come on. We\u2019re getting you inside and I\u2019m making you some tea. With something in it that\u2019ll relax you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He started to speak, but his voice was raspy. \u201cNo, it\u2019ll pass, I just need to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t argue with me!\u201d she snapped at him, tugging him up off the chair. \u201cGet up and move. You can lean on me, but you have to move yourself. I\u2019m pretty strong but I don\u2019t think I can carry you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dardeh felt the hair on his neck rise, and a tingle ran up his spine. His eyelids snapped open, and he turned to stare at her. There had been a power in that order, a vibration in the air around her words, that was as unmistakable to Dardeh as anything could be.<\/p>\n

By Talos. Roggi was right.<\/em><\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t remember when it had happened, the conversation they\u2019d had when they\u2019d both had a bit too much mead one night and had started reminiscing about the fight against Edwyn Wickham. They\u2019d been busily trying to convince Edwyn to leave him alone, that drinking his blood wasn\u2019t suddenly going to turn him into the true, Dragonborn Emperor. Nope, Roggi had said, laughing, if anyone was the true Dragonborn Emperor, it was Dardeh.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut remember what Urag said? \u2018The old tomes say there are always two Dragonborn in the world \u2013 the current one and his successor.\u2019 Just like you were Miraak\u2019s \u2013 and you came into your power at a time of great need, to deal with him and with Alduin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo who\u2019s my successor, then, smart guy? And where\u2019s the great need for this person to come into the world?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cQaralana,\u201d Roggi had said quietly. \u201cThat\u2019s what I think, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh had felt his mouth sag open, as he remembered Sayma\u2019s tale of her encounter with a dragon near Solitude while she\u2019d been carrying Qaralana. She\u2019d killed a dragon \u2013 truly killed it. It had been destroyed, as if the Dragonborn killed it. And yet she could not, herself, Shout.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d argued the various angles of the problem for the better part of an hour, before coming to the conclusion that there was no great world-threatening crisis. There was no need for a new Dragonborn in the world, because the world already had one. They\u2019d laughed over it, had another mead, and gone to bed.<\/p>\n

It had been fifteen years. Dardeh had never felt even the slightest glimmer of energy from either Sayma or Qara that could be a hint of Dragonborn power, and he was certain that he would have. He\u2019d long since stopped worrying about the issue, particularly since the mental pressure to \u201ckill the other one\u201d had stopped.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But here they stood, Dardeh face-to-face with his now-grown niece. He\u2019d just felt the power in her voice as clearly as if he\u2019d been handed a missive reading \u201cbehold the next Dragonborn.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m supposed to be the Last Dragonborn. That\u2019s what Miraak said, anyway.<\/em><\/p>\n

What if he was wrong?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cUncle Dar. Move. You look like you\u2019ve either seen a ghost or swallowed one of these dragonflies, and you need to go inside and rest. If I don\u2019t take care of you, Mama and Uncle Roggi will never let me hear the end of it. Let\u2019s go.\u201d Qaralana\u2019s tone was harsh, but she was smiling as she faced him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright,\u201d he said around another shallow cough. \u201cI know when I\u2019ve been bested.\u201d He clumped slowly down the dock and then lifted himself up the steps, painfully, one by one, hoping that he wouldn\u2019t start coughing again. All the while he felt the power quietly humming in the young girl at his side, who reached out intermittently to steady him as he inched along like an old, old man.<\/p>\n

When they finally made it into the house, he plopped down into one of the chairs near the fireplace and groaned. Qaralana put water on for tea and then sat next to him, quietly, as he labored to catch his breath and fought against the coughing that wanted to burst from him.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

No. It\u2019s not a cough that wants to come out. It\u2019s a Shout. Hermaeus Mora wants me to Shout so that he can work through me to take the power he thought he was going to get. And I won\u2019t do it. Not even if it kills me.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou ok, Uncle Dar?\u201d Qara asked from the kitchen area. He was surprised to realize he hadn\u2019t heard her leave her chair, even though he was sitting with his head hanging and his eyes closed, focusing all of his strength of will on calming himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. More or less,\u201d he said. \u201cOk, I\u2019ve been better. I\u2019m really glad Roggi isn\u2019t home right now to see this. He\u2019ll probably be back soon, and I\u2019ll be in trouble if I\u2019m still coughing my lungs out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYup,\u201d she said, and he heard rustling followed by a couple of thumps as Qaralana returned. He peeled open one eye to find a tankard of steaming liquid sitting on the table beside him, and reached for it, gratefully sipping its soothing warmth.<\/p>\n

\u201cMmm! That\u2019s good. Feels good going down, too,\u201d he said, feeling his muscles relaxing almost immediately. \u201cWhat the heck did you put in this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Qaralana sat down again and took a sip of her own tea. \u201cSomething that\u2019s not in mine,\u201d she said, grinning at him. \u201cMama sent some herbs for Uncle Roggi to work with, but as it happens, I looked at them and realized what she was going for. You may get kind of sleepy, but hopefully you will get a little relief from the coughing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, well, niece,\u201d he said, grinning back at her. \u201cWhatever it is, I\u2019m grateful for it. I needed a break. Maybe I\u2019ll manage to get a little sleep before Roggi gets home. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qaralana smiled. \u201cOf course. It\u2019s always good to feel useful. Now let that tea do its work. I\u2019ll see about making us something to eat for later on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh found himself seized by an enormous yawn that concluded with both of them laughing.\u00a0 He shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t really slept since Roggi left, and whatever you used to spice up that tea is hitting me hard.\u00a0 There\u2019s no really good way to say this but\u2026 help an old man to bed?\u00a0 You can make whatever you want to eat but I suspect I won\u2019t be awake for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Qaralana laughed. \u201cOf course. That was kind of the idea. I might have gotten a little enthusiastic with the dosage, but if it\u2019ll help you rest without coughing\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She rose, and helped Dardeh out of his chair and, slowly but steadily, up the stairs.\u00a0 Dardeh shook his head at himself, wondering how he\u2019d managed to get so old and feeble, but thanking Talos that his niece and his sister had been smart enough to come to his rescue.\u00a0 Once he was safely in his bedroom, Qara left; and Dardeh had only enough time to wrestle his boots off his feet before the herbs took full effect and he fell into one of the deepest sleeps he\u2019d had in weeks.<\/p>\n

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Home Previous \/ Next   Chip strolled across the footbridge into Riften\u2019s center, deep in thought. It was a misty morning in the Rift, as was so often the case next to the lake; and as usual in foggy conditions, sounds carried. He could hear his father in the marketplace, his sales pitch easy to … <\/p>\n

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