Prologue
Jory walked around the large circular stream blocking the path to his house with anticipation. He removed his gloves and placed them in a pouch on his belt, then wiped his sweaty hands on his trousers. He had had a long journey from The Reach all the way to the Manor here in Falkreath Hold. This was also the first time a new companion of his, the daughter of the evil vampire lord, Harkon, had come to the Manor and met his closest family and friends. Her name was Serana, and she was mesmerizingly beautiful. Jory was happily wed with two adopted children, as your about to meet them, but he could not help to stop and stare at her every now and then while she wasn't looking. Her attitude, her face, her body, everything was wonderful. He often hated himself for thinking about her, but he couldn't help it. Barely knowing the lady at all added even more interest to her profile , but his loyalties lied with his faithful wife Brelyna.
Serana shielded her eyes as a huge ray of sun revealed its face once they turned a corner around a large, green and rocky hill. She almost decided to sprint for cover, but there were so many people around the Manor with weapons that she was afraid she might startle them and cause an accident. Altogether, there were six. Four of them could hurt her, and another one could in time. Standing outside picking flowers with her daughter Lucia was Brelyna, a dunmer mage who had become an amazing mother over the past few years of her life. Lucia was an excited little girl who loved her mother and father especially, and wanted to be a housewife just like her mother. She also wanted to adopt needy children, like her father had done with her off the streets of Whiterun. There was another child, battling with swords against a large man dressed in light armor and a gray cloak. The boy was Jory's son, also adopted, but this time from Honor-Hall Orphanage in Riften. Samuel was an aspiring young lad whose dreams were to fight in the Imperial army and make a fortune, like most boys from Skyrim. His skills with a wooden stick were apparently quite good according to his best friend's letters. The man he was battling with was just that man, Stenvar. He was a hired mercenary from Windhelm that Jory had hired the moment he met him. He was large, talkative, friendly and an absolutely hellacious warrior. From Jory's perspective, Serana still had a lot to prove to him. She had started following him due to their paths crossing in a fight against her father, but the only reason Stenvar (Otherwise known as "Sten" or "Stenny Boy" to Jory) had agreed to leave his friend's was the fact he had been wounded and he was getting quite old. He now lived with Jory's family and helped protect them along with Rayya, Jory's housecarl, and his steward Illia. Brelyna also would fight if she was required to; she enjoyed exercising her magical abilities. The two women I mentioned before, Rayya and Illia were also outside. Rayya was doing her usual rounds all around the land near the Manor, and Illia was mining some ore for building purposes, or writing orders for this and that. Inside the Manor was Llewyn the Nightingale, who sadly was not an actual Nightingale like our beloved Jory, but just a simple Bard.
The Manor seemed so amazingly cozy on the outside. The smell of sweet pine tree sap, a river flowing nearby, beautiful flowers, and the smell of freshly baked pies sitting on the porch on the left side of the house were all attributing to it. Everyone had a smile on their faces whilst doing their daily activities, they truly were at home. Serana had never felt like this, surrounded by friends and family in a beautiful and homey environment. She grew up in the dark freezing cold Castle of Volhikar. While the dark was great for vampires, it didn't make the castle seem like home. It was eerily quiet, and most resident vampires treated her terribly because of her and her mother's resentment toward her father's ways. No feeling like that was here. Everything was so nice, she liked it and she hadn't stepped onto the land more than thirty seconds beforehand.
Jory walked toward the house, while Serana brought the horses over to the stables and leaned under a tree for a few minutes, attempting to hide from the sun.
"Lucia, look!" said Samuel as he ran towards his father. Lucia turned around with a smile plastered across her tan face and sprinted alongside of Samuel. Jory brought his coin purse out, sat it down and crouched to one knee. Both of his children ran into his arms and he embraced them with all his love. "Well haven't you two grown since I left!" Jory said in a playful tone towards the young children. "We're almost ten now pa, we've grown a whole bunch!" said Lucia in an excited tone. "And I suppose growing a whole bunch also assumes you need a whole bunch more coin!" Both children bounced up and down excitedly as their father reached into the coin purse and pulled out a total of four-hundred gold pieces. He split it evenly between the two of them, allowing them both two-hundred septims. "Now you better go show Mama and hide it in your strongboxes before some crazy thieves come by to steal it!" He said as he messed with both of their heads of hair. "Yes Papa!" They yelled as they ran into the Manor.
Jory walked over to Stenvar and Illia, now both conversing over something. Sten gave Jory a pat on the back and a welcome back. "Seems you've managed a couple weeks without me, Mr. Magician," said Sten as Jory joined the conversation. "And it seems my household has survived a few weeks with you here," Jory wittily replied. Illia pulled something out of her sleeve and handed it to Jory. She never was one for personal talk. "It seems we have some college business to attend to," she angrily said. Jory could easily tell she was not pleased. The document read, "By the order of Jarl Korir of the noble town of Winterhold, the Arch-mage of the College of Winterhold is hereby commanded to give reconciliation for the deaths of two citizens of Winterhold. The two individuals, Birna and Ranmir were proud citizens and their deaths were tragic. But nearly a year has passed, and the College has yet to apologize for the event that caused the deaths and the property damage to Birna's shop. If this matter is not dealt with within the next two months, official action will be taken against the College." Jory handed the document back to Illia with a sigh. "Damn Korir, I never cared for him. I don't believe he even knows I'm the arch-mage, he tries to stay away from anything regarding the college." "With your rank of Thane, will you be able to do something different as reconciliation rather than a public apology and a payment to the city?" said Illia as she crossed her arms. "Who in Oblivion said anything about a damned public apology? I can understand a donation for damages, but I refuse to stand in front of a whole town and apologize for something I had no control over." Stenvar interjected into the heat of conversation with a straight statement. "Knowing Korir, he won't give a skeever's tail that you're the Thane of his town. He'll make you publicly apologize just for something to do." Jory wiped a bead of sweat running down his face with his left hand as he contemplated. "Well then, if sitting on that spiky helm of his isn't keeping him entertained, it looks as if I have an apology to write." The sudden change in attitude left a contorted look on Illia's shrouded face. "Didn't you just say you weren't apologizing?" Jory scrunched his eyebrows, obviously annoyed. "What are you-""Don't move I said!" Serana stumbled out from a group of trees with a scimitar at her neck.
"My Thane, this vampire was attempting to feed off of your horses. Which way would you like her to be dealt with?" Jory spotted Rayya's dark skin against the trunk of one of the pine trees. "Rayya, this is Serana. She is with me, do not harm her. Drop your weapons and apologize." Rayya instantly dropped her scimitar to the ground and did as she was commanded. "Lady Serana, I apologize for the intrusion. I owe anyone who is a friend of my Thane my life." She dropped to one knee and removed her other scimitar and also placed it on the ground. "I am your sworn sword and shield, I pledge my life to yours until the day I perish." Serana was still wiping off dirt from her cloak when Rayya stared up at her. Confused as to why she was doing this; Serana simply stared back at her. After a short moment of awkward silence and staring, Serana said, "I...I thank you Rayya. I don't really think the pledge is necessary though." Rayya fired back immediately. "But it is, my lady. I give my life for my Thane, and that means I give my life to his friends as well." The warrior from Hammerfell rose and walked past Jory towards the back yard. "Honor to you, my Thane. May the gods bless your sword and grant you good health." The practiced and repeated phrase never sounded fake coming from Rayya. She really meant it, being a housecarl was her life. Jory turned back around to see Illia gone, counting out how many logs of wood were around the property. He looked over to Stenvar and received a stiff shrug, answering his un-asked question.
Jory decided that he had nothing left to do outside, and walked towards the front doors of his family home. The smell of hearty stews, fresh breads, and fruity pies filled his nostrils as he walked through the entrance wing. Going purposefully slow, he took a look at all the decorations covering the walls and floors. Swords, armors, chests, masks, clothes, and many more things made for a very proud walk into his home. The herbs on a small table reminded Jory that about three years ago this one room had been his whole house. That added a certain confidence to his step.
The main hall was as simple and homely as always. In the very middle was the long table where everyone sat and ate, and in front of that sat the brick oven, as well cooking pots and pans where foods were prepared. Sitting with one leg tucked under the other atop a barrel, Llewyn the Nightingale played a cheery tune on his lute. The song fit Jory's mood perfectly as he walked up the steps, trying to find his wife.
Upstairs he found the case holding Brelyna's old Dwarven Bow of Shock opened, as usual. Inside the bow looked as if it had recently been used. Jory closed the case and turned to his left to find Stenvar's old armor of The Blades covering a mannequin. On top of its head sat a steel plated helmet, nearly every inch of it dented or burnt. Jory grabbed an apple from a plate, walked across the balcony and took a bite. He looked down on his house, proud at the walls he had built himself. Reaching for the bottle of fine wine that always sat behind the head of a deer shadowing the main hall, Jory felt warm hands wrap around his waist and soft hair burrow over his shoulder. "Love, it's been so long, welcome home," said Brelyna as she kissed his cheek. Jory turned around and embraced his wife, a deed that had been longing to be done for months on end. The long journey's he spent away from home were always hard, but this last journey was one of the longest and most difficult. The smell of juniper berries off of Brelyna's hair crawled up his nostrils and a slight hint of arousal jumped inside of him. "Oh how me and the children have missed you! Samuel has learned to string a bow, and Lucia baked me a pie for my name day!" Jory's eyes were still closed when a sense of disappointment donned on him. He had missed his wife's name day, as well as both of his children's. He leaned out from the embrace and he gave his wife a long kiss. "I…I didn't realize that I missed it. There were so many things on my plate at the time, I'm still getting used to the feeling of just sitting down." Brelyna rubbed the Nordic tattoo that ran alongside his left eye. It was the first time she had seen it, but he had told her about in a letter he sent what seemed like an eternity ago. Jory had changed so much since she met him, and most of the change occurred since the last time she had even seen him. His dirty brown hair was long and uncut, a leather band held parts of it together with a decent sized ponytail running down the entirety of his neck and the top of his back. He didn't even really look like the Breton she remembered. This man looked like a Nord, but she still loved him. "I understand why, it's the children who don't. You are the Dragonborn! When you leave, it is not because you want too. You leave us because you're keeping us safe, as well as all of Skyrim, and even the whole land of Tamriel! If it wasn't for you, the end times would be now, but you my love, are destined to keep the dragons away!" Brelyna's always proper speech and whimsical tones were like soothing music to Jory's ears. He had found her a lonely dark elf who was a peer of his at the College of Winterhold. Now she was his wife, and she adored living away from her family in Morrowind. He grabbed a lock of her hair and twisted it around his finger. "But the fact the children don't understand hurts me. They simply know me as papa. They hear of my adventures and triumphs, but the fact I'm some legend doesn't matter to them. What matters is that I'm their father, and they miss me constantly. I don't like that, but I know that it has to be that way." Brelyna put her hands into his and raised them up to chest level. "Don't worry love; they are turning into fantastic children. Lucia is soon to be a wonderful little lady, and one day a great mother. Her brother is looking to be a strong young man, and according to Stenvar; Samuel has a greater skill with a wooden sword than he ever did!" She looked him in the eyes and squeezed his hands. "And they love you, no matter how often they see you or how many name days you must miss. They don't understand, but they still love you. I still love you to, Jory Snow." Once again the dunmer had cheered him up, and once again a stirring came from his trousers. He placed his arm around her hips and kissed her deeply. "It seems that I still love you to, Brelyna Snow." The emphasis on their family name made her blush. Brelyna wrapped her arms around his neck and let out a deep breath. Jory went to work on her neck, lightly kissing up and down with a slow rhythm. The loving motion made his wife giggle, and she pushed him away. Jory walked backwards into their bedroom after being caught off guard by her gesture. He grinned as she walked over towards the room, realizing what she was doing. He sat down on the bed and removed his dirt caked boots, but jumped when Brelyna shut the door. Confused, he sat with one boot on, one boot off, staring at a plain door. Well, this is certainly a new concept.
As he waited for Brelyna to do whatever it was she was doing, he took a pouch off of his chest and reached inside. Within, he felt pure dragon bones; his collection had received a large mass of them over these many months away from home. He removed a handful, tossed them around in his hand, and then proceeded to place all the remaining bones in a strongbox on his bedside table. After checking his clothing for any further trinkets, Jory took his shirt off and let out a sigh of relaxation as the warm air flushed against his skin.
Moments later, he heard the door from the far side of the chamber leading to Lucia's room close; he grabbed a bed sheet and threw it around his shoulders, not wanting to "disgust" his daughter as he had before. He tried to tie a knot around it in the middle of his chest, but stopped when he heard a platter clink down on a chest. "..Lucia sweetling, is that you?" said Jory to the soothing warm air in his bed chambers. The air replied with a soft "No," and a wine cup to his lips. The smell of his favorite fruity wine sat in front of him, and he drank. The alcoholic liquid was sweet, but not too sweet. It was just perfect for that moment. Jory felt Brelyna's warm naked body press against his back, and felt her breath on his neck. Dropping his cloak of creamy sheets, he turned around and kissed his wife, tongue's battling like whirlwinds in a lustful storm. He took another sip of wine as Brelyna unbuttoned his shirt and trousers.
After the two had done their business, the wine was finished peacefully and sleep overtook both of them. Jory had been waiting to come home for a long time, and he had just had a fine welcome home present.