p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Zezot arrived at Lakeview Manor, her family's choice of homestead, dread building in her stomach. There was nothing particularly awful about her arrival home, but it seemed almost useless to her. She knew what was coming, and it was a lot of /strong/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"After dismounting her horse, her housecarl Lydia close behind, she entered her house./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""Mama!" Lucia ran to her, clutching her leg. "You're home! Did you get me anything?"br /Zezot opened her mouth to reply, but was inevitably cut off by Sofie, "Mama!" she also cried, hugging her mother's previously free leg. "Could I have some gold to spend at the market?"/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"A bit overwhelmed, Zezot gently pulled the children off of herself. "Relax. I can't speak to you both at once, now, can I?" She turned to Sofie, dropping ten gold into her tiny hands./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""Wow, thanks!"/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"She then turned to Lucia and took a small dagger out of her bag. "Here you go."br /"You're the best!"/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"With that out of the way, Zezot stopped by a chest in the main hall of the house, unloading some of her heaviest items from her journey. With her pack lighter, and more manageable, she sat at the long dining table, munching on the bread that was already there staring at her from within a basket. She had barely started her second piece when she heard a sound that grated against her ears in the worst way possible, worse than the dragons that roared from above as they descended upon her, worse than being shouted at by Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, worse than anything she'd encountered in her journeys./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""At least something good came out of that trip to Saarthal," Brelyna spoke from behind Zezot. "I didn't find anything but dust."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Zezot tried not to make it too obvious that she was grinding her teeth. "I know."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""You feeling all right? You look a little sick."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""I'm fine," Zezot sighed, standing from the table. "I need to rest."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Brelyna bit her lip, but allowed her wife to move past her and into their room, deciding to bring it up later./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"—-/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Once lying down, Zezot knew she couldn't sleep. She had too much on her mind to even think about resting. Hell, it was even hard to stay still while lying on the bed, but she knew that if she got up or made it apparent that she was awake, she'd just be talked to nonstop. She stayed still and waited for everyone else to sleep, trying to ignore that Lydia was standing at the foot of the bed./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Zezot was still awake by the time she heard the children settle down, but she dared not move. She knew it wouldn't be long until Brelyna lied down beside her. She knew that Brelyna would lie down, careful not to disturb Zezot and she would turn on her side, facing away from her wife, and in five short minutes she would be asleep./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Those five minutes felt longer than they had in a long time, but eventually Zezot rolled out of bed as gracefully as she could, still wearing her Nightingale armor. Lydia was now sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Zezot didn't need to give Lydia directions, she knew to follow as her thane snuck out of the room and past Sceolang, who lied on the floor in a furry heap, and out the front door./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"She breathed a sigh of relief once out in the open. "Thank Nocturnal," she chuckled. "If Brelyna had woken up, I would have had an earful."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""My thane, are you sure you're… happy?" Lydia asked, looking a bit uncomfortable./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""What?"/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""Well, it's just that you don't stay home long, and when you do the two of you argue rather fiercely."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Zezot stared at Lydia for a long moment, her eyebrows pulling together. "I guess I'm not happy. I'm the Dragonborn, I don't need to be happy. I need to defeat Alduin."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Lydia frowned, but dared not question her thane at the moment./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""Alduin?" Brelyna's voice snapped from behind them, causing them both to jump. "That's what you care about? What about our family?"/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""I never wanted to raise children, Brelyna. You know that." Zezot kept her tone even./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""You haven't raised them," Brelyna almost growled, striding up to Zezot to glare up at her. "You're always out on your silly adventures, exploring meaningless caves, and fighting horrible monsters! You don't help out around her at all and you don't even care if you don't come home."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""I'm the Dragonborn," Zezot shouted. "I am not on 'silly adventures'. I'm trying to stop the entire world from ending! From being eaten by Alduin. Unless you've completely forgotten about who I am entirely." Zezot put her finger to her chin, and then threw her arms up in the air theatrically. "Oh wait! I forgot! You don't know anything about me, Brelyna. We didn't even get to know each other before we started dating, and we were too young to decide what we wanted, but you wanted to get married and have kids. And I was stupid doing what you wanted."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Brelyna looked less angry now, still angry, but more sad. "I thought we were in love," she spat. "I cared for you."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Zezot's expression was cruel and angry. "You cared for the sex and who you wanted me to be."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"With that, Zezot turned, mounted her horse, and left. Lydia followed behind loyally, but awkwardly./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Lydia didn't know where they were going, but Zezot did. She was hunting a caravan./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"After dismounting her horse, her housecarl Lydia close behind, she entered her house./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""Mama!" Lucia ran to her, clutching her leg. "You're home! Did you get me anything?"br /Zezot opened her mouth to reply, but was inevitably cut off by Sofie, "Mama!" she also cried, hugging her mother's previously free leg. "Could I have some gold to spend at the market?"/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"A bit overwhelmed, Zezot gently pulled the children off of herself. "Relax. I can't speak to you both at once, now, can I?" She turned to Sofie, dropping ten gold into her tiny hands./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""Wow, thanks!"/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"She then turned to Lucia and took a small dagger out of her bag. "Here you go."br /"You're the best!"/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"With that out of the way, Zezot stopped by a chest in the main hall of the house, unloading some of her heaviest items from her journey. With her pack lighter, and more manageable, she sat at the long dining table, munching on the bread that was already there staring at her from within a basket. She had barely started her second piece when she heard a sound that grated against her ears in the worst way possible, worse than the dragons that roared from above as they descended upon her, worse than being shouted at by Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, worse than anything she'd encountered in her journeys./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""At least something good came out of that trip to Saarthal," Brelyna spoke from behind Zezot. "I didn't find anything but dust."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Zezot tried not to make it too obvious that she was grinding her teeth. "I know."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""You feeling all right? You look a little sick."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""I'm fine," Zezot sighed, standing from the table. "I need to rest."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Brelyna bit her lip, but allowed her wife to move past her and into their room, deciding to bring it up later./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"—-/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Once lying down, Zezot knew she couldn't sleep. She had too much on her mind to even think about resting. Hell, it was even hard to stay still while lying on the bed, but she knew that if she got up or made it apparent that she was awake, she'd just be talked to nonstop. She stayed still and waited for everyone else to sleep, trying to ignore that Lydia was standing at the foot of the bed./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Zezot was still awake by the time she heard the children settle down, but she dared not move. She knew it wouldn't be long until Brelyna lied down beside her. She knew that Brelyna would lie down, careful not to disturb Zezot and she would turn on her side, facing away from her wife, and in five short minutes she would be asleep./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Those five minutes felt longer than they had in a long time, but eventually Zezot rolled out of bed as gracefully as she could, still wearing her Nightingale armor. Lydia was now sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Zezot didn't need to give Lydia directions, she knew to follow as her thane snuck out of the room and past Sceolang, who lied on the floor in a furry heap, and out the front door./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"She breathed a sigh of relief once out in the open. "Thank Nocturnal," she chuckled. "If Brelyna had woken up, I would have had an earful."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""My thane, are you sure you're… happy?" Lydia asked, looking a bit uncomfortable./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""What?"/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""Well, it's just that you don't stay home long, and when you do the two of you argue rather fiercely."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Zezot stared at Lydia for a long moment, her eyebrows pulling together. "I guess I'm not happy. I'm the Dragonborn, I don't need to be happy. I need to defeat Alduin."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Lydia frowned, but dared not question her thane at the moment./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""Alduin?" Brelyna's voice snapped from behind them, causing them both to jump. "That's what you care about? What about our family?"/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""I never wanted to raise children, Brelyna. You know that." Zezot kept her tone even./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""You haven't raised them," Brelyna almost growled, striding up to Zezot to glare up at her. "You're always out on your silly adventures, exploring meaningless caves, and fighting horrible monsters! You don't help out around her at all and you don't even care if you don't come home."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;""I'm the Dragonborn," Zezot shouted. "I am not on 'silly adventures'. I'm trying to stop the entire world from ending! From being eaten by Alduin. Unless you've completely forgotten about who I am entirely." Zezot put her finger to her chin, and then threw her arms up in the air theatrically. "Oh wait! I forgot! You don't know anything about me, Brelyna. We didn't even get to know each other before we started dating, and we were too young to decide what we wanted, but you wanted to get married and have kids. And I was stupid doing what you wanted."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Brelyna looked less angry now, still angry, but more sad. "I thought we were in love," she spat. "I cared for you."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Zezot's expression was cruel and angry. "You cared for the sex and who you wanted me to be."/p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"With that, Zezot turned, mounted her horse, and left. Lydia followed behind loyally, but awkwardly./p
p style="color: #7eb0d4; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px;"Lydia didn't know where they were going, but Zezot did. She was hunting a caravan./p
