{"id":918,"date":"2021-07-26T12:05:14","date_gmt":"2021-07-26T18:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/?page_id=918"},"modified":"2023-10-03T11:10:35","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T17:10:35","slug":"chapter-12-dale","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/volume-1\/part-ii-starlight\/chapter-12-dale\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 12 – Dale"},"content":{"rendered":"
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 <\/p>\n

Dale picked up the pace heading east as the night deepened. It had taken him longer to leave Ivarstead than he\u2019d intended, and he\u2019d started dashing through the undergrowth as soon as he could make use of his vampiric speed without being noticed. He\u2019d stopped once, along the way, to refresh himself at the expense of a bandit, someone who\u2019d been threatening a group of merchants making their way west. It was easy enough for him to join the merchants in taking the bandit down, his condition well-disguised by his illusion spell, and then to drain the bandit after the merchants had moved on. The whole affair, though, had taken time he hadn\u2019t intended to spend.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Agryn would have wanted me to feed, though. And so would Vyctyna. They made it clear that they wanted me as strong as I could be, as quickly as I could get that way. And I\u2019ve certainly been doing my best to sample all of the necks between Bruma and Whiterun Hold. <\/em><\/p>\n

He remembered that first night in Bruma, vividly. He\u2019d been so thirsty he could hardly bear it, and burning up with fever. He had intended to head out for Skyrim that night, until his illness made it clear that he needed to find a quiet room. He\u2019d decided on taking one at the Restful Watchman because it \u2013 therefore, he \u2013 was unlikely to attract any attention. But he\u2019d been refreshing himself at the Jerall View because he liked Stantus, because the place reminded him of his mother, and because the company there was generally higher-brow than the blind drunk, smelly folk who frequented the Watchman. He\u2019d enjoyed one more round at the far end of the bar from a red-haired Nord who seemed to know Stantus very well. The drink had done absolutely nothing to slake his thirst, and he had stumbled his febrile way across town to flop down onto the narrow, dubious cot in the narrow, dubious room. And there he\u2019d died, and had come to himself later bearing fangs and a powerful thirst of a different kind.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been grateful to Agryn and his partner for their preparations, beforehand. \u201cI can\u2019t come with you, Ondale,\u201d Agryn had told him. \u201cThings here in Chorrol are at a delicate state and we need to see them through before we can follow you to Skyrim. But I don\u2019t want to leave you to fend for yourself, either. Here\u2019s everything you\u2019ll need to know.\u201d And he\u2019d taught Dale the illusion spell he would need, the special vampiric calming spell that would allow him to feed on targets without killing them, and all of the basics. \u201cFeed as much as you can, as often as you can, but be discreet and careful,\u201d he\u2019d added.<\/p>\n

Vyctyna was much younger than Agryn, and tended to put things more bluntly. \u201cGorge yourself, Dale. Till you can barely breathe. The more you feed the stronger you\u2019ll get, and we need you to be really strong. You\u2019ll meet the head of the Volkihar one of these days and, trust me, you\u2019ll want to be able to look her square in the eye and not flinch.\u201d<\/p>\n

He remembered arching one brow. \u201cHer?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Vyctyna had told him, grinning. \u201cSerana. She\u2019s really something. You\u2019ll like her, I\u2019m sure. And\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTyna!\u201d Agryn had tsk\u2019d, even as he shot her a sly grin. \u201cIt\u2019s true; all the former heads of the clan were male. It hasn\u2019t been the case here for, oh, sixteen years or so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what, Mistress?\u201d Dale had said while grinning at Vyctyna, knowing that his formality would be understood as the joke it was meant to be.<\/p>\n

Vyctyna laughed. \u201cAnd you\u2019ll need all of your strength if she likes you, too. That\u2019s all I\u2019m saying.\u201d Then she\u2019d swapped a knowing glance with Agryn that actually had Dale feeling a bit flushed and completely without doubt what she\u2019d meant.<\/p>\n

So he\u2019d done as they asked, and had gone to Skyrim, working out of the convenient but vulnerable cellar hideaway in Falkreath. Every chance he\u2019d gotten, he\u2019d fed. He\u2019d been directed to turn a few select folk in the area, and he\u2019d done so, dutifully, never stepping out of the traces to choose his own course. They had some sort of plan; and given how very ancient Agryn was compared to him, and how long that plan must have been in place, it had felt right to him to simply follow his sire\u2019s instructions. In fact, the only deviation from orders that he\u2019d made in all these months was to take a couple of extra hours for himself in Ivarstead. And therefore, he hurried now.<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t gotten an impression of urgency from Agryn\u2019s message, but neither did he want to take too long reporting to his master. He laughed to himself, thinking of the face Agryn would make if he heard himself referred to as \u201cmaster.\u201d Agryn Gernic had always impressed him as a level-headed, generally unflappable, and utterly unpretentious man who would never flaunt his position over others.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s what he is, really, at least for now. All these years I never met anyone I felt was worthy of my loyalty aside from my dear departed mother. These two are. And now that I\u2019ve gotten stronger, I sense that I am ready to find out why they chose to bring me into their inner circle.<\/em><\/p>\n

As he approached his destination he veered off the road to the south, trying to keep well out of the sight of any hold guards that might be in the area or, even worse, Stormcloak law enforcement patrols. The High King of Skyrim had managed to keep things fairly calm in the years since taking his throne \u2013 at least to the extent that Dale had been paying attention as a child in Cyrodiil \u2013 but he was fairly sure that he didn\u2019t want to test the royal troops\u2019 comfort level with vampires, regardless. So far he\u2019d run across more wolves and bear than anything else, but he was sure that was about to change. Ahead of him he could see the rooftops of Riften against the sky, so he knew he was nearing the place.<\/p>\n

He smiled at the sight. Riften. The conversation with the young woman he\u2019d met in Ivarstead, Qaralana, had kept replaying in his head as he\u2019d run east through the night. She\u2019d been bright, witty, and friendly, and certainly attractive to look at.<\/p>\n

Those were the most entertaining couple of hours I\u2019ve spent in awhile. I\u2019ll certainly keep my eyes open whenever I have cause to be in Riften. It would be amusing to run across her again<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He stopped and ducked into cover behind a large tree as torchlight flickered ahead of him. There were two guards patrolling around what seemed to be a large mill building and \u2013 once the guard walked back toward it and illuminated it \u2013 a farmhouse beyond. His instructions had told him of that farm; he needed now to turn to his right, toward the front line of foothills, and find the cavern entrance to Agryn\u2019s home. He pushed through the tall grasses and around the trees, keeping an eye out for the overhang that he\u2019d been told concealed the entrance. \u201cIt looks like a capped-off well,\u201d the note had told him. Once the solid walls of the mountain opened up into a cave, he saw that Agryn\u2019s description had been exactly correct. The old well cover was not only inconspicuous, but far enough inside the cave that a person had to be specifically looking for it to find it.<\/p>\n

He dropped down through the opening and made his way through the old crypt toward its far side. He was looking around when a sudden grinding noise made him jump. A section of the far back wall was swiveling inward as if on a hinge. Once it stopped moving, a familiar form emerged from the darkness beyond.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYou made it,\u201d Agryn Gernic said with the slight smile that seemed to be his natural expression. \u201cI hope the travel wasn\u2019t difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dale shook his head. \u201cNo, not at all. Besides, as it happens it was a good time for me to pick up and move.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agryn turned and began descending stairs into the darkness beyond the door, waving for Dale to follow. \u201cWhy do you say that?\u201d he asked, stopping for a moment once they had both cleared the door to tug on a chain pulley that activated the false stone wall to close once more.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been some fair amount of activity in that corner of the hold in the past few weeks,\u201d Dale told him. \u201cDragons, lots of people on the roads, and one night not long ago I smelled a werewolf in human form sniffing around at the entrance to the hideaway. I\u2019m fairly certain he knew I was there, but for whatever reason he didn\u2019t investigate. It just seemed prudent to get out at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cGood call,\u201d Agryn told him, leading the way down the stairs and across the main opening to a pair of chairs. \u201cIt\u2019s been some time since we had an influx of dragons. But here we are,\u201d he said, his hand sweeping across the space. \u201cOur palace.\u201d He chuckled. \u201cHave a seat, and let me talk to you for a bit about our plans. Tyna will be joining us later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright,\u201d Dale agreed, sinking gratefully onto one of the chairs and watching as Agryn did the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow then,\u201d Agryn began. \u201cHow much do you know about the recent history of the Volkihar?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dale shook his head. \u201cOnly what you and Vyctyna have told me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright then. I\u2019ve told you a bit about myself, how I was turned by Lord Edwyn Wickham of High Rock, so long ago now that I barely remember it\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

And for the next long while Dale listened in astonishment as Agryn wove the tale of his own \u201cupbringing\u201d as a vampire and how he and Edwyn Wickham had been serving the larger purposes of Lord Harkon, the head of the Volkihar clan. It had been an audacious idea that Harkon had, to take control of all the vampire clans on Tamriel, and to hear Agryn tell the story they\u2019d been right on the cusp of making the push to solidify power when it had all gone wrong. Harkon had become obsessed with the idea of being able to blot out the sun, and had begun putting every iota of energy into finding the artifact that would allow him to do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait,\u201d Dale said at one point. \u201cI don\u2019t mean to interrupt, my lord, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Agryn chuckled. \u201cYou don\u2019t need to \u2018my Lord\u2019 me, Ondale. I may be old, but I\u2019ve had enough of such courtesies for twice as many lifetimes as I\u2019ve already lived. Being with someone as young as Tyna tends to rid you of unnecessary pretense, as well. Go on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dale chuckled. \u201cWell, alright. It\u2019s just that I vaguely remember it, from when I was a kid. The sky got dark and the sun went all blood-red. It stopped happening after awhile \u2013 it wasn\u2019t for very long a time \u2013 and somehow over the years I decided I must have been having some kind of vivid dream. You\u2019re saying it was real?\u201d<\/p>\n

Agryn nodded. \u201cOh yes, it was very real. And that\u2019s when things got intense. You see, as Vyctyna and I were making our way to Skyrim from High Rock, the vampire who found the artifact \u2013 Auriel\u2019s Bow \u2013 managed to kill Harkon and take charge of the Volkihar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dale\u2019s brow furrowed. \u201cI thought Serana was\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is now. But she wasn\u2019t always. Harkon was her father. I\u2019m not entirely certain of all the details, but the vampire who killed Harkon \u2013 he was called Andante – died not long after they\u2019d rehabilitated the castle. Edwyn Wickham and Tyna and I had come here at Harkon\u2019s instructions, with Edwyn engaged in taking over the College. Edwyn Wickham and Tyna and I had come here at Harkon\u2019s instructions, with Edwyn engaged in taking over the College. That turned out to be a much more difficult goal to accomplish than he\u2019d thought. Between Edwyn being in battle there, and Tyna and I arriving later, we couldn\u2019t prevent Harkon from perishing. Tyna and I didn\u2019t attempt to contact the new Lord Volkihar for fear of being killed ourselves. When Andante perished, Edwyn took over for a time and, sadly\u2026\u201d and here he stopped to heave a weighty sigh and shake his head. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter any longer. Edwyn also lost his mind. The fact is that I spent many a decade working toward the original plan, and Tyna and I want to continue moving in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo\u2026 rule all the vampires?\u201d Dale was secretly astonished at the audacity of the idea.<\/p>\n

Agryn nodded. \u201cYes, in a manner of speaking, but for a different reason. It does us no good to be continually at each others\u2019 throats, hunted as we are by the mortals already. All these power struggles are counterproductive; and yet the only way to stop them is to exert power. I want to unite the clans under one leader and try to keep mongrel groups from springing up. To that end, I am hoping you will help us. But in order to have any sort of chance at rebuilding that possibility we must, in many ways, start over. I have contacts throughout Tamriel, of course, but their loyalties are wildly divided between Lady Serana and others. It\u2019s going to take a long time; but we\u2019ve exercised patience before and we will again.\u201d<\/p>\n

He rose from his chair to face Dale and then, with a quick motion for which Dale was completely unprepared, transformed from an unremarkable Breton to a huge, gray creature who commanded the entire space. Dale knew about vampire lords, of course, but hadn\u2019t seen one close up and couldn\u2019t help but shiver a bit in his chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is time for you to accept the full measure of your own potential, if you are willing, Ondale,\u201d the oddly distorted and yet familiar voice said. \u201cAccept the gift, the same gift passed down through the Volkihar line since the beginning. Become a vampire lord, and then help us take the reins of power and put our people back on track.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dale rose unsteadily, but nodded. He trusted this being before him, and understood his goals as being best for the continuation of their kind. \u201cI will. Gladly,\u201d he said quietly, and then stood with his eyes closed as Agryn Gernic, the vampire lord, bestowed on him the final gift he had to give.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Everything went black for a moment; but when Dale opened his eyes, he realized that there were two vampire lords standing there in the close confines of Agryn\u2019s library, not simply one. For the next few minutes, he underwent the same training that Agryn had received from Edwyn Wickham centuries before, on how to use this new and more powerful form. He flexed his wings, considered the magic that he could command in either hand, and admired the enormous claws on the ends of his fingers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell aren\u2019t you two pretty!\u201d came an amused voice from the stairwell. \u201cI\u2019d join you, but it would get awfully cramped in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agryn laughed, and reverted to his much smaller human shape. \u201cYou should do so as well, Dale,\u201d he said. \u201cIt should come naturally to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dale thought for a bit and focused on his shape. A moment later he found himself standing in the middle of the space, looking down at both Agryn and Vyctyna seated before him. He smiled at both of them, and took a deep breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell that certainly is different,\u201d he said, grinning.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re pretty cute as a Lord,\u201d Vyctyna said, giggling when Agryn shot her a sharp look. \u201cOh, don\u2019t worry, hun. So are you.\u201d She turned back to look up at Dale and smiled. \u201cYou\u2019re probably wondering what\u2019s next. Aggy and I are working on some angles out here,\u201d she said. \u201cWe also have a fairly influential friend in town who has the ear of the High King through some intermediate channels, and we help him out in exchange for, well, protection. What we don\u2019t have, though, is a toehold on the other end of Skyrim.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dale frowned. \u201cNot even with the castle being out there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Agryn shook his head. \u201cThat\u2019s the thing, you see. Some of those people have been there for centuries, since long before we came to Skyrim. We don\u2019t know which of them is truly loyal to the clan and which might be a spy. We\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t even really trust Serana, Dale,\u201d Vyctyna said sourly. \u201cI mean, she is<\/em> the head of the clan and all, and I\u2019m sure she\u2019s with us \u2013 I think – but we can\u2019t be there to watch her. There are too many walls with too many ears. And for all we know, her mum might be plotting against her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d It was quickly becoming too convoluted and too confusing.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry about it, Ondale,\u201d Agryn said. \u201cWhat\u2019s important at this moment is that we need you to infiltrate Solitude. We had<\/em> a place there once. Briefly. But the Jarl took it over and it\u2019s just not available to us any longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vyctyna reached up and squeezed Dale\u2019s hand. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, though. I found you the perfect place. It\u2019s right out on the end of the peninsula. Just off the road, but in an area nobody goes. Really. The road is half-buried by snow almost all the time. But you\u2019ll be able to fly across to Morthal in moments, and it\u2019s an easy trip to the castle, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright,\u201d Dale said, trying to be agreeable. Internally, though, he was a bit annoyed. They\u2019ve had me come all the way east and are now sending me in the opposite direction again. What a pain.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI set it all up for you,\u201d Vyctyna continued. \u201cAnd I left you a new set of armor too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dale snorted. \u201cWhy do I need new armor, exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n

Agryn grinned. \u201cI know it\u2019s a lot to take in but try not to get too distressed by all the changes, Dale. You\u2019ve done a stellar job so far, on everything we\u2019ve asked of you. The fact of the matter is that what you\u2019re wearing is really distinctive. You\u2019re going to need to be able to blend in, and that armor is not the best for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d Dale said, feeling stupid. \u201cOf course. I\u2019m a fool.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, not a fool. Uninformed. That\u2019s why we wanted you to come here first,\u201d Agryn told him. \u201cNow then, here\u2019s what you\u2019ll need to do\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The night passed with the three vampires deep in conversation and planning. Dale emerged into the mercifully overcast daylight feeling more than a bit dazed by all he\u2019d learned since arriving in the Riften area, and by the changes he\u2019d undergone personally. He made his way slowly north toward the lake, intending to look around Riften proper before taking the carriage west to Solitude.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s too soon for me to see her again. She\u2019ll not have left Mammoth Manor, yet, I would imagine. But now that I can fly, it won\u2019t be difficult for me to visit this fine city from time to time. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMy family calls me Qara, unless I\u2019m in trouble for something,\u201d she told me. Then she blushed so prettily when I asked whether she was often in trouble. I believe it would be a delightful pastime to discover whether we might create some trouble together.<\/em><\/p>\n

He pushed open the gate to the city, smiling at the guards but really amused by his own thoughts. Yes, they would undoubtedly remember seeing a young man in this distinctive armor, if they were ever asked about it. He would make sure that particular young man never appeared in Riften again. The voluminous hood he wore with this armor had, over time, had another purpose besides protection \u2013 it concealed the equally-distinctive scar on his face that was the souvenir of an encounter he\u2019d had with one of Cyrodiil\u2019s fierce timber wolves. He didn\u2019t regret the scar. He\u2019d been on an herb-gathering trek into the woods with his mother when the beast had attacked, and a scratch on the cheek had been far preferable to losing his mother. He thought of her, fondly, whenever he saw his own reflection or felt the ridges of the scar. But it would serve him well, he thought, that the guards wouldn\u2019t recall that particular face as time went on.<\/p>\n

He could both see and hear the marketplace, across a gap that must be Riften\u2019s famous canal. Rather than head directly there, though, he turned right and wandered past a shrine to Talos and through the city\u2019s graveyard, heading for the alley behind what looked to be the hold\u2019s seat of government and a row of stately wooden mansions. Someone had gone to great expense to create a beautiful public garden from the space behind the graveyard; and Dale stopped to pick a blossom of dragon\u2019s tooth before continuing down the way. He was still daydreaming about setting the vivid yellow flower in a head of short and curly red hair when he came back onto the main street just inside the north gate.<\/p>\n

He strolled quietly down the street, turning right toward what turned out to be a not-so-carefully-disguised brothel, beyond which was a small home perched at the edge of the water. He noticed the markings low on the doorframe. A Shadowmark, that he knew; but he couldn\u2019t recall which one this was. It had been there for a long while, though, judging by the weathered look of it. He crossed the footbridge over the canal and meandered past a general store and the meadery. He stopped to admire the blacksmith\u2019s wares, and then made the full circuit around the outside of the central market. There were the usual suspects: an Argonian jeweler, a Dunmer selling suspiciously ordinary wares as exotic items from Morrowind, and a sour-sounding, middle-aged woman trying to sell armor. He found that particularly amusing given her proximity to the blacksmith, but people did what they needed to do.<\/p>\n

He had just about decided to investigate the tavern when a voice from behind him stopped him in his tracks.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cA little light in the pockets, lad? Care to make a little coin?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dale froze. It was a deep, gentle brogue, and he\u2019d heard it before, or something very like it.<\/p>\n

Why is this such a familiar voice?<\/em><\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t turn around, merely chuckled at the obvious con. It was a forced chuckle and it sounded false to him; but the man behind him would have no way to know the sound of his genuine laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what would give you that impression, sir, but I assure you that you\u2019re wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

To his great surprise, he heard a deep, exasperated sigh from in back of him. It had been quiet enough that nobody else would likely have heard, but Dale\u2019s keen hearing picked up the frustration in the man\u2019s breathing and his voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s wrong with me lately. I\u2019m losing my touch. Sorry to have bothered you, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

He heard the soft padding of dress boots across paving stones, and the clink of glassware as the man cleared his throat and started calling out to passerby to purchase a bottle of his genuine Falmerblood Elixir. Only twenty septims, each. Dale couldn\u2019t help but snicker quietly. He had intended to simply go inside, out of the daylight; but hearing the silly sales pitch set the question in his mind poking at him again.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard this man before. I\u2019m going to talk to him and see if I can figure out where, or it will bother me for the rest of the day.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He pushed his hood down off his head and turned around, stepping inside the circular marketplace.<\/p>\n

The tall man with the greying red hair and the faded, jagged scar down his left cheek had been looking over his shoulder to his right, peering at the activity near the blacksmith\u2019s forge. He turned back when Dale cleared his throat, and then stopped, frozen in mid-sentence. He was a pale man to begin with, but it seemed to Dale that any color he\u2019d had drained out of his face.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, now I remember!\u201d Dale said as the memory came to him. He\u2019d been wearing a handsome set of dark armor, not quilted green finery, but this was the man who had unknowingly shared a part of the night he\u2019d turned. \u201cThe Jerall View. But you\u2019ve, um\u2026 smoothed out that accent a bit since the last time I saw you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t expecting what happened next.<\/p>\n

The redhead cleared his throat, and turned to carefully, gingerly place the oversized red flask back on the stall\u2019s ledge with the others as if he wasn\u2019t certain of his grip on it, his hand visibly trembling. Dale watched him, perplexed; he wondered for a moment whether the man was well, or whether they\u2019d be calling for a healer shortly. But the distress the redhead was in didn\u2019t seem to be physical. Once the flask was down safely he slowly turned back to face Dale, frowning slightly, his lips parted just slightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cLad,\u201d he breathed, clearly more to himself than to anyone else. \u201cIt\u2019s not possible. How\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I suppose I am a lad to you,\u201d Dale said, slightly annoyed, \u201cbut I\u2019m hardly a child.\u201d Then he decided it would serve no purpose to be angry about an unintentional slight. \u201cYou don\u2019t remember me, I take it? We met \u2013 or rather, we shared opposite ends of the bar one night in Bruma, a number of months ago. Stantus spotted you a mead because I\u2019d been drinking him out of house and home that night.\u201d He shook his head and chuckled. \u201cNever did quite quench that thirst.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a few moments he watched the man\u2019s eyes as he took in every detail of Dale\u2019s appearance with a hungry, almost desperate gleam. He could hear the man\u2019s heart hammering in his chest. This was absolutely the last thing Dale had expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me see if I can remember,\u201d he said, more to break the tension than anything else. \u201cStantus called you \u2026 something beginning with B, it seems to me. Brand? No, that wasn\u2019t it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBrunulvr,\u201d the man whispered, shaking his head slightly. \u201cHe called me Brunulvr because that\u2019s the name I use in Cyrodiil. But\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Dale smiled. \u201cBut that\u2019s not your real name. Fair enough, I\u2019ll keep it under my hood, so to speak. And your name is actually\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

The redhead shook his head and stared down at his feet for a moment, drawing several deep breaths as if to calm himself down. His heartbeat quieted.<\/p>\n

Not-Brunulvr looks like he\u2019s seen a ghost. What in the name of all the gods have I done?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cListen, you seem really distressed. What can I do to help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2026\u201d The redhead paused and looked back up at Dale. \u201cI\u2019m Brynjolf. And I\u2019m sorry to be so strange, lad. It\u2019s not like me at all. It\u2019s just that you look exactly like someone I used to know, very well. I do remember seeing you, now. Or at least your armor. I didn\u2019t see your face, or we\u2019d have spoken before this. I noticed you that night in Bruma because you sound just like\u2026 well, the person you resemble. What is your name?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dale relaxed. He hadn\u2019t done something horrid, and the man wasn\u2019t going to expire right here in front of him. That was a huge relief. He chuckled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Dale. Ondale Perdeti, on my first visit to Riften. I\u2019m pleased to meet you, Brynjolf.\u201d<\/p>\n

To his horror, Brynjolf\u2019s heart started racing again, and his eyes opened wide.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerdeti? Is that what you said?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026 uh\u2026\u201d Brynjolf took another deep breath and expelled it. \u201cHe. The man you look like. He was a Perdeti as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dale laughed. \u201cOh, I see. Well, there have been a few of us over the years. Let me guess. You knew my father. I never met him, but everyone tells me I look just like he did when he was alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what was his name, lad?\u201d the older man whispered hoarsely.<\/p>\n

\u201cVitus. His name was Vitus Perdeti. At least that\u2019s what I\u2019m told.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf stared at him with a completely unfathomable expression on his face. \u201cYes. That was his name.\u201d He looked utterly unfocused for a moment. \u201cI\u2026 I didn\u2019t realize that he had a son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dale pondered his reaction for a moment longer. There was definitely something more going on here than he understood. But he needed to get going. He had to make it to Solitude and set up shop in his new home before undertaking the tasks Agryn had set for him. Still, he didn\u2019t like the idea that he\u2019d inflicted what was clearly some sort of emotional shock on this man. He plastered a smile on his face and spread his arms wide, bowing slightly from the waist.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if it\u2019s of any consolation to you, I don\u2019t think he realized it, either. Never met the man. What you see before you is to the credit of my mother and my mentor, and not much else. Listen, let me buy you an ale before I have to leave town. Maybe you can tell me something I\u2019ve not heard about him. Come on. Inn\u2019s right there, although I suppose you already know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf nodded, slowly, and stowed the flasks in the storage under his market stall. \u201cSure, lad. Let\u2019s go get a drink.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf led the way out of the marketplace and toward the door of the Bee & Barb. Just before he followed, Dale felt they were being watched and looked around. The old blacksmith was staring at them, his brow furrowed in the same sort of confusion that Brynjolf had exhibited earlier.<\/p>\n

Yes. Vyctyna is wise. It\u2019s going to be a good thing for me to change my look. I don\u2019t know what sort of fellow my father was, but it seems he made an impression here. <\/em><\/p>\n

He would buy this Nord a drink and talk for awhile. Then he would scurry out of time and see what he could do about allowing the good folk of Riften to forget the man in the black armor with grey fur.<\/p>\n

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Home Previous \/ Next   Dale picked up the pace heading east as the night deepened. It had taken him longer to leave Ivarstead than he\u2019d intended, and he\u2019d started dashing through the undergrowth as soon as he could make use of his vampiric speed without being noticed. He\u2019d stopped once, along the way, to … <\/p>\n

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