Summary: twenty years after the events of Skyrim, the daughter of the Archmage of Winterhold and the son of the Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild find their world turned upside down. When a mysterious mage by the name of Bimal threatens to send the balance of the Aurbis into chaos, it's up to them and their friends and family to stop him and save their world.
Tanya placed a bag of septims into the khajiit woman's hand, gratefully smiling at her. "Thank you again, Zara. I know it's such short notice, but Onmund and I had nowhere else to go. Our poor housecarl Jordis is sick." The woman's hair was a dark brown, was pulled back into a bun, tan skin covered in gray mage robes- the robes of an Arch Mage.
Zara was young, in her early twenties. Her fur was a very dark gray, practically black, though detailed with white swirls over her face and arms. A highly unusual fur pattern, and most who saw her assumed she was a khajiit who merely spent a very long time on dying her fur in such intricate patterns. Her tail was tipped white, and it casually waved back and forth slowly. Her left eye was blue, and her right one green, both feline eyes looking to the noble woman, and she happily smiled back, ears perked up.
"It's no trouble at all, Lady Strong-Steel. Your wee ones will be safe with me. Where are you and your hubby off to tonight?"
"The College of Winterhold," Tanya answered tiredly, "there's a...bit of a situation going on there, and my husband and I need to deal with it. Let's just say someone decided it would be an excellent idea to smash a number of soul gems on the campus."
"Eek, I hope all will be well." Zara bowed her head. "That's the problem with soul gems, I say. Rather messy business, and souls are such stubborn things, aye? Especially when they get in your strawberry tarts." She shuddered. "I should hope no one's food gets possessed."
Tanya was completely unfazed by her words. "Agreed. Now, my husband and I are master mages. Together, we can use our magic to teleport to Winterhold. Gods willing, we should be back by midnight. Will you be alright until then?"
"Right as rain, milady," Zara said with a nod, "I'll fix them and your housecarl dinner and have them off to bed by nine. 'S there anything I need to know? Allergies, disgusts, anything utterly despised by the kids that should be annihilated before even being served?"
Tanya shrugged. "Mirabelle hates cheddar and Keldan claims to be allergic to broccoli. That's it, otherwise."
"Alright, no cheddar or broccoli. Might as well send them to Oblivion. You know, my dad loves cheddar, I should get some for him..."
Up on the top of the stairs in Proudspire Manor, two children listened in on the conversation. The girl was a Nord, pale-skinned with rosy cheeks and brown hair pulled into pigtails, scraped knees covered in bandages, silver eyes alight with curiosity.
The other child, who was a friend of the Nord girl, was an Argonian boy. While his brownish red face showed hardly any emotion, his dark lime green eyes was filled with nervousness and his tail gave an occasional twitch.
"Do you think she'll really send us to Oblivion, Mira?" He asked, silently wondering if he should have asked his mom if they could postpone the sleepover for a later date. Wait, that would mean leaving his friend alone with the strange new babysitter. Keldan decided he didn't like that thought and pushed it away.
Mira snorted and swung her feet back and forth over the banister. "Don't be ridiculous, Kel. Of course not." Her eyes narrowed and she brought a hand to her chin and tapped it pensively. "Though, it would be interesting. Imagine the stuff you could find in Oblivion! Maybe more magic-y stuff, like what I'm doing right now." Her hands lit up with a few bright sparks, and began to bounce a small light ball between her palms carelessly. She grinned at him and held it up to him. "You wanna try bouncing it?"
Keldan looked at the strange magic ball curiously before nodding and took it from her hand. It was slightly warm to the touch and was very light, almost like he was holding onto air. He passed it between his hands a few times before he began bouncing it on the ground. His eyes lit up in enjoyment and his tail began to wag. It was a welcome distraction.
Mirabelle smiled slightly, watching as he absent-mindedly played with it. Her hands still glowed ever so slightly, and a few beads of sweat dripped on down her forehead as her growing magic was tested. She looked down the stairs at the sound of feet hitting the stairs, echoing through the house. Zara and her mother approached.
Zara and Tanya appeared at the top of the stairs, both smiling at the kids. "This is Mirabelle and Keldan," Tanya said. The children muttered out awkward hellos. Keldan had stopped playing with the ball to gawk at the babysitter, and Mirabelle released the spell with a breath of relief.
"That's my girl. Your magic's coming along fine." Tanya beamed and turned to Zara. "Mirabelle's having a bit of a growth spurt, and her magic's been flaring up now and then. Just like me at my age."
"I can handle any magic, don't you worry none. I deal with flying wads of sparkles all the time. Usually doesn't hurt, rather pretty, but scares the life out of people." Her eyes turned to Keldan. "And this is Keldan? How do you do, lad?"
"Okay," Keldan muttered as he looked to the side shyly, though his face didn't show any nervousness. He was never good when it came to talking to strangers, especially adults. The tip of his tail twitched a few times and he didn't say anything else.
Zara shrugged and turned her attention back to Tanya, who began to call for her husband. "Onmund!" she yelled, "Are you almost done? The sooner we leave, the sooner we can come home!"
"I just finished packing our supplies, Dear!" Footsteps followed as a tall Nord, hair as dark as his daughter, came out of the master bedroom, toting a large bag brimming with books, staves, with the sounds of clinking and clacking as smaller items jostled together. His eyes met Zara's and he extended a hand to her. "I take it you're Zara, the young babysitter from the Bard College?"
"Aye. Pleasure to meet you, Lord Onmund." The khajiit shook his hand eagerly, firmly. Onmund was taken aback by her grip, but he smiled nonetheless.
"The pleasure is mine. We really appreciate your help on such short notice." He pulled his hand away and put his bag down for a moment to pick up his little girl, swinging her through the air as she squealed with delight. He kissed her cheek. "You're going to behave, I trust?"
Mirabelle giggled. "Yes, Daddy!"
"Thatta girl." He put his daughter down gently, running a hand over her hair. He turned to Keldan and ran a hand over his head as well, smiling at him.
"It's good to see you, Kel. I've left a storybook for Zara to read to you two on the table in the living room. It's The Cake and The Diamond. Is that alright?"
"Thank you, Mister Onmund! It's one of my favorites," Keldan said excitedly, "I still wonder happened to the old woman Abelle and the diamond." He always liked it when one of the adults he knew read him a story before bed. Even though he could read most of it on his own, it still made him feel at home when they read the story out loud.
"A mystery for the eras," Onmund laughed, "one day, you could solve that mystery of the old woman and the diamond."
Mirabelle cocked her head to the side. "What if she is the diamond?"
Keldan had not considered that possibility. What if the diamond was cursed and the spirit of the old woman was inside it? What if she was turned into the diamond by an evil mage? So many questions that would never be answered.
"I...well, anything's possible in literature." Onmund chuckled. "You two be good. Now, if you don't mind, Zara, I'm going to have a few words with my wife, and then we'll be off."
"Take your time, Lord Onmund," Zara said cheerfully, "right then, kiddos, go wash your hands and come back down for dinner. I'll be starting soon."
Onmund slipped away, gesturing for his wife to come with him. Tanya raised an eyebrow and followed. Once out of earshot, he whispered to his wife. "Dear, are you sure it's wise to leave the kids with her? I mean, considering who she's the daughter of."
Tanya nodded firmly. "I'm certain. I've known her for awhile now. Zara's a few sandwiches short of a picnic, but she won't let any harm come to those kids. She's not malicious, just a bit crazy." She smirked. "Just like everyone who works at the college."
Her husband nodded. "If you trust her, Tanya. Let's say goodbye and then be off. I hope the situation isn't too dire at the college." The two returned to Zara, who was waiting patiently for the kids to come back from washing their hands. "We'll be off now, Zara. If anything goes wrong...well, if you need us-"
"I know," Zara said, "use that scroll in the master bedroom to summon you. I'll be damned if anything happens to your kids that isn't fun and nurturing. You two have fun dealing with the souls. Tell 'em I said hi!"
Tanya and Onmund held each others' hands, focusing their magic. Within a minute, there was a pop and a flash, and the mages were gone. The kids' footsteps echoed downstairs, and the two appeared, having tried to race each other down the stairs. Keldan's feet hit the ground first, and he grinned as well as an argonian could as Mirabelle caught up, panting.
"I win!" Mirabelle claimed. She looked at Keldan, who crossed his arms. "Or maybe I didn't."
"Alright, laddie and lass," Zara said, hands on her hips. The kids stood at attention. "Who wants to help make some chicken noodle soup?"
"Me!" Mirabelle yelled, raising her hand eagerly. She looked to her friend Keldan and nudged him. She looked back to Zara. "Can I start the fire for the pot? I'm real good at starting magic fires!" She nudged Keldan again eagerly, beaming. Her fingertips flickered briefly with magic, which no doubt did not escape the notice of the other two.
"Uh, maybe I should try to light the fire this time? I mean, I'm not very good at magic like you but I wanna at least try," Keldan said, a bit unsure. While that was partially the reason, he also remembered the last time Mira casted a fire spell on the stove. It didn't end well for the stove and the mansion would've burned down too if it wasn't for Mira's mom. Not to mention Keldan was still worried if they got in trouble with the new babysitter, she really would send the two kids to Oblivion.
"You can both try," Zara responded happily, "we'll be making soup and cookies tonight. One of you can light the fire under the stove, and the other can under the pot." She grinned. "Have no worry about a great big fire starting. I have enough magic to put down any flames that get too big for their breeches."
Mirabelle cheered while Keldan worriedly looked at his friend. Zara waved a hand forward. "Now, come now, kids. Let's get the ingredients going and then we can start. Last one to the kitchen is a baliwog!" They scurried to the kitchen ahead of Zara, who followed just slow enough to get inside last.
The kitchen in Proudspire was located just across from Jordis's room. It was large, with several shelves stocked with a great many ingredients of fruits, vegetables, meat, bags of flour and sugar, as well as various labeled cans. Between the ingredients were small bowls of frost salts, keeping them cold. In the middle of the kitchen was a fire pit with a kettle hanging over it. In the back against the wall was an oven made just for baking, sided by countertop and a sink.
The kids were accustomed to the kitchen, having waited in there before to help with dinner or wait for it. Zara walked in last behind the kids, and let out a melodramatic sigh. "Well, fuddle and duddle, looks like I'm a baliwog!" She shook her head and smiled while the kids giggled. Mirabelle cocked her head to the side.
"What's a baliwog?" she asked. Zara shrugged.
"They're these amphibious things with razor sharp teeth and tasteless brownish skin. They've got white eyes and fins on their backs. Some say they turn into grummites, some say they turn into scalons. Truth is, they turn into either depending on their taste. Don't know why they'd choose to do either, when they could be dragonflies. Now, dragonflies, those are pretty things." She shook her head. "Mighty slimy things. Be grateful they don't live in your neck of the woods."
Neither child was sure if she was joking or not, and were left more baffled than anything. They shared a look of confusion while Zara browsed the shelves, humming to herself. She pulled several ingredients from the shelves and placed them on the counter. Chicken stock, vegetable stock, chicken meat, egg noodles, carrots, celery, onion, salt, pepper, and miscellaneous seasonings. She continued humming while she pulled a knife from a cupboard and sliced the ingredients.
The children watched in fascination. She turned to them, pointing to a stick of butter on one of the shelves. "One of you be a dear and fetch that for me?"
Keldan scurried forth and grabbed it, quickly handing it to the khajiit. She smiled. "Much obliged, little one. Now, Mira," the Nord girl jumped to attention, "go ahead and get that fire going under the pot. Keldan, I'll have you start the fire for the cookies later."
Mirabelle ignored the worried look in Keldan's eyes as she approached the pot. Rubbing her hands together eagerly, she focused her magic. Straining ever-so-slightly, her fingers flickered, and a roaring fire erupted and surrounded the pot. She screamed and jumped back, falling on her rear.
"Ah! Not again!" Keldan yelped and backed away from the dangerous inferno surrounding the pot. The young argonian quivered in fear as he saw Zara quickly cast a spell that caused the flames to recede and go to a safe level. Keldan briefly wondered if she was going to scold Mira or not and grew worried.
Mirabelle grinned sheepishly and blushed. "Um...well, I did start the fire."
Zara let out a hearty laugh. "That you did, little pumpkin. Have no worries, I expected that to happen. Your mum told me your magic is prone to flares. Rather nice job, really," she said casually as Mira looked greatly relieved, "but you put too much oomph in your magic when you need more umph instead. Oomph and umph are very important in magic."
"How do you know magic?" The girl asked, "I thought you were a bard."
"Bards can know magic," the khajiit said calmly as she melted butter at the bottom of the pot, "my pa taught me some. Mostly illusion magic, but enough of the other stuff to put your flames down. Magic comes from within, lass, and it's a waste to not hone it."
"I thought it came from Aetherius." Mirabelle pointed out. Zara handed each child a cup of stock and bid them to pour it into the pot, and the two began to help her by pouring in ingredients while she stirred. Zara shrugged.
"Within and without, lass. Within and without." She allowed the kids to take turns stirring, until finally she took the spoon and sampled it. The bard smacked her lips and nodded. "Now all we need is grummite slime."
She grinned at the kids' mutual cries of disgust. "No? Suit yourselves, then. The soup is ready. Can you two go set the table while I take some to Jordis?" The two obeyed and scurried off to the dining room while Zara found a bowl and filled it with the soup. Setting it on a plate with some crackers and a glass of water, she carried it to the room of the housecarl.
The housecarl's room was simple, as revealed by the candles flickering to light with magic. A few shelves full of books and knick-knacks were against the wall. A striking red carpet was laid beside the bed of the warrior. She was sleeping noisily, through a stuffed nose. A bag full of used rags was beside the bed, as well as a bag full of clean ones.
Zara called her name several times, but the housecarl did not wake. Jordis was sleeping like a log. The babysitter sighed; this simply wouldn't do. She set the soup on a nearby table and began to hum a song beside the bed. Jordis began to stir and awoke with the song. Blinking dazedly, she coughed. "Was I asleep?"
"Aye, out like a brain in a duke's head. I'm the babysitter. Brought you some soup from dinner." She gave it to the housecarl, who gratefully smiled at her.
"Divines bless you. I trust all has been well with the kids?"
"Fine. They're little sweet rolls, both of them." Zara reassured. "Now, eat up. Leave your plate on the floor by the bed and I'll get it later."
"Bless you." Jordis repeated, eagerly taking the food.
Meanwhile, the kids set the table, hurrying to eat as soon as possible. Mirabelle grinned at her friend when she set the last plate. "She's not so bad, is she, Keldan? Didn't even send me to Oblivion for causing a fire."
"Yeah, she actually seems kind of nice." Keldan said as he glanced over the table to see that everything was in place. Once he was satisfied everything looked to be in order, he turned to his friend with an argonian grin. "Maybe she really won't send us to Oblivion after all."
"A little crazy, but nice." Mirabelle took a seat at the table next to Keldan, who hopped up on a chair. "Mama says sometimes crazy is what leads to brilliance."
Zara appeared in the doorway, carrying the pot to the table. "Aye, and truer words have never been spoken, lass."
Mirabelle blushed. "Did you hear me say the first part?"
"What? That I'm a little crazy?"
"...Yes."
Zara let out a loud, hearty laugh. "Oh, my girl," she cheerfully said as she poured soup into her bowl, "I'm not just a little crazy. I'm a maniac. Without it, all thought would be linear and fleeting. My music wouldn't be music, and that's hardly sporting. Feh!Sanity. Who needs it? Well, Pelagius, maybe, but he's an exception."
Finally the khajiit settled and began to eat the soup, and silence fell as all stomachs filled. After the soup was mostly gone (though enough was left for a second helping for Jordis), Zara stood up.
"Right, kids. You help clean up, and we'll make cookies."
The two stood up and quickly began to tidy the table while Zara brought the last of the soup to Jordis. When all was clean, they made for the kitchen. Chocolate chip cookie dough was made, and raw samples tasted by the kids with delight.
The time came to ignite the fire under the oven. Zara turned to Keldan, flicking her tail back. "Keldan, your turn."
Keldan looked nervously at where the fire needed to be lit. He carefully lifted one hand and faced his palm towards the opening. He looked away and closed his eyes. He concentrated, focusing on the roaring fire in his mind. He gathered up the energy in his palm and released it. With that release, a tiny wave of fire lit the underbelly of the oven. Keldan squeaked when he heard the fire and moved his hand away. He opened one eye just to be sure it was lit safely and then he opened the other, and he sighed relief. He had succeeded in making fire.
Mirabelle cheered and clapped for Keldan, hugging him tight. The argonian grunted but grinned at her embrace. "You did it! Yay!"
Zara cracked a smile at the kids as she put the cookie dough in. Over the next forty-five minutes, all the dough was spent, and several plates of cookies littered the countertop. The kids had their fill and brought extras to Jordis, who was already fast asleep again. They giggled and left the plate by the bed.
The kids were allowed another hour and a half to play before being summoned to bed. Zara supervised them brushing their teeth, making sure Keldan got all of his clean; an Argonian mouth held more teeth than a human one. They settled into their beds as Zara popped The Cake and the Diamond open. Both kids listened quietly, delighted as the bard did voices and sound effects.
"...Abelle and all the bags she was carrying—POP! vanished from sight almost instantly. Nothing happened to Oediad. 'Why did it work for the witch and not for ME?! Raaaargh, n'wah!'" Zara emulated a stereotypical Dunmer voice for the sentences and changed her voice for different ones. She continued. "'Because the diamond was only on the left-hand side of the blade,' said the old alchemist through me." Her voice had changed to a mimicked elderly woman for the alchemist. "I felt her control lessening as the distance grew and she hurried invisibly down a dark Ald'ruhn street away from the Rat and the Pot.
"We never found Abelle Chridette or the diamond. Whether she completed her pilgrimage to Ald Redaynia is anyone's guess. The cakes had no effect, except to give Oedidad a bad case of the droops that lasted for nearly a week." The khajiit closed the book, beaming at the kids. "The end. Well, how was that for storytime, kiddies?"
"It was great! I really liked the voices." Keldan sat up in the bed and looked at the khajiit pleadingly, "Can we have another story? Like maybe..." Keldan paused to think for a moment, "The Gold Ribbon of Merit? No wait, maybe Hallgerd's Tale?"
Zara hesitated briefly and looked at the kids. They were grinning, with wide, hopeful eyes. She nodded. "Well, alright. I'll see what I can find from the shelf. This is the last one tonight, mind you two, then I'll sing you a lullaby to sleep."
Both kids cheered while she got up and put the book back in a large bookshelf in Mirabelle's room. Her fingers trailed along the books, until she pulled out a copy of The Gold Ribbon of Merit. "The Rainbow Ribbon it is, kids."
"Gold."
Zara turned to Mira, who had piped up. "What's that, lass?"
"It's a gold ribbon of merit. Not a rainbow one." the Nord girl corrected. Zara scoffed.
"Why have gold when you can have a rainbow? Never did understand the appeal. Why one shiny color when you can have six?" She settled back in her seat by the bed, popping open the book. Zara cleared her throat and began to read. Both were quickly entranced by her story-telling again, the voices and sound effects enthralling Keldan most of all.
"...The two shot a few more practice bolts before parting ways. Templer began the long trek east to his unit's camp, and Stryngpool wound his way down through the woods to the valley and his family's mansion. He hummed a little tune-" Zara hummed for a few seconds. "-he learned at the academy as he passed the great lawn and walked up to the front door, pleased with himself for helping his old friend. It entirely escaped his attention that the large picture window was broken.
"But he noticed right away when he came into the Great Hall, and saw Templer's wild-shot bolt sticking in his gold ribbon of merit. And then he promptly found Templer and shot him in the arse with a rainbow ribbon of vengeance."
"Nooo!" Both kids cried, though they giggled and squealed. Mira shook her head.
"Miss Zara," she cried, "that's not what happened!"
Zara smirked. "No? Of course it happened. They just didn't include it in the story that he got mad about him breaking the window and not even bothering to replace it with stained glass. Classless, I say. It's a shame they didn't include that part, because it's really my favorite."
The children laughed and cried out noes again while clapping their hands. Zara beamed.
"Alright, kids. I've read the second tale. It's time for you two to go to sleep."
The laughs were replaced by groans. "I'm not even tired!" Mirabelle protested. Zara gave her a cocky wink as she got up to put the book back.
"Just listen to my lullaby, and see then." The khajiit cleared her throat.
"Sleep, my child, and peace attend thee,
All through the night
Divines will send thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping
I my loved ones' watch am keeping,
All through the night."
Her voice radiated a sense of soothing and fatigue. Mirabelle began to fight her eyelids, yawning. Keldan merely listened to her in silence, unaffected. Zara paid him no heed; he would fall to slumber soon. She closed her eyes and let the music flow.
"Divines watching, e'er around thee,
All through the night
Midnight slumber close surround thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping
I my loved ones' watch am keeping,
All through the night."
She opened her eyes to find Mirabelle fast asleep in bed, quietly snoring. She smiled at her handiwork, but froze when she realized Keldan was still wide awake, giving her and his friend a befuddled look. Zara blinked rapidly, ears up straight. She cleared her throat.
"Aren't you sleepy, little one? Even a little?"
"Um, no?" Keldan said uncertainly as he looked at his sleeping friend again. Normally, his feisty friend wouldn't have fallen asleep so soon after going to bed, but there she was, fast asleep. The argonian child looked back at his babysitter, completely confused and unsure what to say. "It was, uh, a nice lullaby."
Zara stared at him for a few seconds, trying not to look alarmed. "Well, er, sacksplat!" she exclaimed, just as confused as the boy. "Why won't you go to sleep? Your friend's out like a log already, and dreamland's a mighty boring place without your friends. She's probably waiting for you. With strawberry tarts. Dreamy strawberry tarts." Her tail twitched and stood on end.
The khajiit was keenly aware of the suspicious look the child was giving her before he nodded reluctantly.
"Um, okay. Good night, Miss Zara." Keldan said as he pulled the covers over his head and turned over so he was facing the wall. The fact that his strange babysitter was acting stranger than normal bothered Keldan a bit. Though, maybe it was his imagination. He thought that she was going to send both kids to Oblivion most of the night, and it turned out she wasn't. Maybe Mira was just very tired and the lullaby just pushed her over the edge. The argonian decided to not over think it and eventually went to sleep.
Zara quietly stood up and blew out the candles. "Good night," she said to the darkness, "sleep tight, don't let the grummites bite." She exited the room and closed the door gently, thudding almost inaudibly as it closed. Somewhat dazed, she went downstairs and took the empty plate and glass from Jordis's room to clean it. She finished quickly and brought a glass of water to the housecarl's room.
Having nothing left to do, she settled on doing homework on the dining table. She just finished with it when there was a distinctive popping noise, and she looked up to see Lady and Lord Strong-Steel enter the room. They both looked exhausted, robes singed or torn in a few places, hair mussed. Zara stood up from the table.
"There you are. How did the souls cooperate?"
"They didn't," Onmund huffed, "took us much longer than anticipated. There were at least twice as many shattered soul gems than we thought. We're sorry we took so long."
"No problem, milord. Problematic as a cheese in a pie." Her ears twitched. "I must speak with you, Archmage."
Onmund gave both the women a weary look. "Honey, can you tell me about this later? I'm quite tired."
"Yes," Tanya affirmed, "go ahead and go to bed. I'll explain later."
The master wizard bowed and left the room. Zara approached the lady, wringing her hands. "It's—it's the boy!"
"Keldan?" Tanya gasped. "Oh, by the Nine, is he alright?"
"Yes! Well, no, well...maybe?" Zara paused and sighed. "You know I can use my music to sway people. Daedra or aedra. Well, I sang the kids a lullaby, a right perfect, shiny one! Mirabelle went right to sleep, but not Keldan!"
Tanya's eyes widened. "He...he didn't react? Not at all?"
"Not even a little!" Zara exclaimed, dismayed, "Only my pa and people like him, or Azura's babe, resist my song! The boy didn't yawn even once! Who's his parents? Is he-"
"-not that I know of." Tanya paused, thinking. "His mother is a Nightingale, Guild Master of the Thieves Guild."
"That's not bloody good enough! I could sway a Nightingale with five hands behind my back!" Zara whined. "Who's the father?"
Tanya shrugged. "We don't know. Miirasha—his mother—got pregnant after a night of drinking. She woke up with nothing but a flute and her undergarments on the roof of the Bee and the Barb. Remembered nothing. A month later, she summoned me. I confirmed she was pregnant."
"So his father could be-"
"-that's unlikely, but I suppose nothing's impossible." Tanya sighed. "What's your thoughts on this? Can we avoid dragging your father into this to confirm or deny this?"
Zara pursed her lips. "Archmage," she spoke eagerly, "allow Jordis a night off or two. Let you and your hubby go out on the town. I'd like to babysit these kids a few more times before I graduate from the college."
Tanya nodded. "If it's alright with his mother. I'll have to inform her about this. I'll let Jordis off the hook some Sundas nights; that's usually when Miirasha lets her son come here to play with Mirabelle. Tell me any observations you have about him."
"Aye." Zara gave a silent look up the stairs before turning to the other woman. "That I will. There's something odd about that boy, and we'll see what it is."
The lullaby in this is called All Through the Night, an old Welsh lullaby.
JuneLuxray's footnote:
This is a tale that AquaticSmores and I spent over a year messaging, headcanoning, and plotting to even get to this point. It started out with us shipping our Dovahkiin's kids, and slowly evolved into much, much more than just shipping. We've spent a long time debating, writing, and discussing every detail, and we hope you enjoy our labor of love. Together, we wrote this fic, and credits go to both of us equally. Aqua, thank you for putting the time in to write with me. You're awesome!
AquaticSmores' Ramblings:
Yo, thanks for checking out this story me and JuneLuxray made. It's been... I wouldn't say a wild ride since it's not even over, but it's been crazy. Like she said, it all started when we shipped our Dragonborn's kids and it just sort of escalated from there. One moment we were joking about stuff and then the next minute we had like 20 OCs to work with. Anyway, the point is this mess happened because of shipping. So, JuneLuxray pretty much wrote most of the beginning parts and I just went with it. But I get to play the villain and craft traps for our heroes! Mwahaha! Anyway, thank you Sarah for putting up with my laziness and being patient with that and stuff.