Pulling up the bottom of my shirt, I gazed down at the slight pouch of my stomach. In the weeks that passed since our return from High Hrothgar, the waists on all of my pants started getting tighter. No one outside the family seemed to have noticed that yet, however, thank the Divines.
"I'm getting a little snug," I murmured, mostly to myself.
Still, Martin seemed to have heard, because he chuckled softly a moment later and walked over to stand behind me. He wound an arm around my waist to caress the bump and kissed my cheek. I closed my eyes.
"You know," he said quietly, "that can be easily remedied."
"Yes, but I already told you these clothes still fit well enough and I don't want to deal with that just yet."
"Oh, you're stubborn."
I snorted. "Look who's talking."
He laughed a bit at that.
After a long stretch of silence, I pointed out, "We should probably get going while there's still daylight." As late in Sun's Dusk as it was, that seemed like it was getting harder and harder to do.
"Of course," he said as he let me go. I let the hem of my shirt fall back into place. Turning to face him, I gave Martin a quick kiss before we headed out of our room and down the stairs.
Ma was alone downstairs, sitting by the fire and mending someone's shirt. I couldn't tell whose. Upon hearing us, she looked up and asked, "Are you two going out to the market?"
"Yes. We shouldn't be long."
"All right." She looked back down at her work before adding, "We need to get supper started if we're going to feed everyone."
I rolled my eyes. "I know, Ma."
Martin and I grabbed our cloaks from the rack near the front of the house. The moment we stepped outside and shut the door behind us, cutting off the heat of the fire, I shivered. The late autumn breeze felt cold, even through the heavier layers I wore. Martin put an arm around my shoulders and rubbed my arm.
"Let's just get this done quickly," I said. "Maybe we should split up and meet back at the well."
"Divide and conquer, eh?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow. I laughed in response.
"I'll bring the vegetables Ma wanted from Carlotta."
"I suppose I'll bring the meat, then."
"You've never had a problem with that in the past," I commented, giving him a mischievous grin. He hastily cleared his throat, his eyes fixed straight ahead. I saw a slight flush color his cheeks. My grin widened and I briefly rested my head against his shoulder. He relaxed a little at the gesture and let out a soft chuckle.
"I'll meet you back here soon," he said when we reached the market, letting me go. I gave his hand a brief squeeze before turning away and heading for Carlotta Valentia's stall.
As I walked over toward it, I saw the grocer was talking with Ysolda. The latter woman held a woven basket in her absent grip and I heard her comment, "Those green apples you sold me the other day were delicious."
"Aren't they?" Carlotta asked with a smile. "I always set some aside for myself when the traders bring them up from the south."
"I'm sure you could charge double for those and still sell them all within a week."
"You're right. I'll have to remember that the next time I get a shipment in. Afternoon, Mara," she said, catching sight of me.
"Afternoon. Just here to pick up some things for Ma."
Ysolda said her farewells and moved on as I looked over the produce for sale at the stall and tried to remember exactly what Ma wanted.
"How far along are you?"
I quickly looked up at Carlotta. "What?"
Resting her chin against her hand, she gave me a knowing smile and said, "The baby. You are expecting, aren't you?"
I hadn't thought I was really showing yet, especially not through the thicker clothes I wore to ward off the typical Skyrim cold.
"I… About three months," I said. "How did you know?"
"You've got that look about you. I know it well enough."
I laughed quietly and shook my head. "So I've been found out."
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," she said with a wink. "Congratulations to you both."
I glanced back over my shoulder toward Anoriath's stand. Martin wasn't there. My gaze flicked toward the well some way away, but he wasn't there either. I fully turned around then. An icy feeling of foreboding slipped into my stomach, one that I just couldn't shake. Something was wrong.
"Mara?" I heard Carlotta ask behind me. "Is something the matter?"
I was already hurrying away, searching for any sign of him. Nothing. Where was he? Whiterun always seemed so much safer than anywhere else. Still, the memory of Miraak's cultists came back to me, making me walk even faster.
Several minutes later, and still with no sign of him, I stopped in one of the small sidestreets to take a moment to clear my head. Panicking wasn't going to do anyone any good. He was probably fine. Maybe he went back to Breezehome for something. Surely I was just getting worked up over nothing.
Before I could head back to the house to check, I heard a heavily accented voice say from behind me, "Any sudden moves and you die."
My hands clenched into fists at my side as a Khajiit quickly stepped into my field of vision. She held a short sword in her grip. When she stopped, she pointed it at my throat.
"Let me guess," I said slowly, my eyes narrowing. "Dominion?"
She smiled. "Very good. This one has an order from her superiors for your execution. You understand, yes? It is too dangerous to let you keep wandering around. However…"
I froze.
"… This one thinks there is more to the Dragonborn woman than meets the eye."
My eyes followed the blade's progress as she lowered it to point at my stomach. My heart hammered in my chest. I couldn't move. I didn't dare.
"It is good that she found you when she did. Tracking down your brat would have been a nuisance. Now, where is the Septim?"
So she didn't know where Martin was either? Thank the gods for that.
I kept very still as I tried to make a plan. If I was fast enough, I could take her out. Still, I could feel the tip of her blade pressing against my middle. Not hard enough to cut, not yet, but that could easily change. It would change soon enough. I could see she was thinking it through as well. When we both struck, which one of us would be faster?
The sound of hurried footsteps on the cobblestones cut through my thoughts. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Martin stop some way away, staring at us with wide eyes. Just like that, the last thing keeping the assassin from killing me was gone. Damn it.
"Make one more move, and this one will cut your child from her belly," the assassin hissed.
I fought to not move a single muscle. That was not an idle threat. It also wasn't one that I was going to let happen. I felt power building up in my chest, but I had to wait. She'd be faster if I struck at that moment. She was still too focused on me, despite her threats directed at Martin. I needed her distracted.
"Mara." Martin's voice shook with fear as he called my name.
"Don't do anything, Martin."
An anxious silence followed my sharp response. I cringed internally, but I knew it was necessary. If he just raced in, all three of us would probably die. I prayed he understood. He seemed to, because he didn't make another move toward me after that. Thank the Divines.
"I do not know how this Septim came back to life," the assassin said to me, "but he will die, as well as you. This one will end your threat to the Dominion here and now."
Before she could shove the blade into my stomach, I heard Martin say suddenly, "Your Dominion will never prevail."
Bless him.
The Khajiit scoffed at his words. "This one does not care for your petty warnings." I saw her focus waver, ever so slightly, as she spoke. "The Aldmeri Dominion is more powerful than you two pathetic humans, and soon you shall see that–"
"Fus ro dah!"
The Khajiit flew back at the force of my Shout, slamming into the wall of the building behind her. I staggered away, breathing hard. Martin caught my arms and looked me over frantically.
"Were you hurt?" He asked.
"I'm fine. I–"
Looking back, I saw the assassin get to her feet and hurry away. Pulling myself from Martin's hold, I chased after her to the end of the street. Once I reached the end, however, she'd already vanished. I stopped and looked around, wild-eyed. She was gone. The Thalmor assassin, one who knew about the baby, had escaped.
"No," I gasped.
"How in Oblivion did she get into the city?" I snapped.
Balgruuf sighed and rubbed his temples as if to stave off a headache. "Have you taken this up with Commander Caius?"
I had, but that hadn't gone anywhere either. The guards searched and found no trace of the assassin.
"Balgruuf, a Dominion assassin tried to have my husband and I killed today!"
"I understand, Dragonborn, but what would you have me do?" He asked me, clearly frustrated. "Have everyone entering the city searched? Bar the front gates? It would throw this city into chaos. Even if they showed up overtly, we couldn't keep them out. Not with the concordat in place."
"I just want my family safe."
"As I said, I underst–"
"What if it were your children who were being threatened?" I demanded of him. "You'd do something about it then!"
"Hold your tongue," the Jarl ordered.
My jaw clenched and I felt Martin's hand on my arm, warning me. I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm my anger.
"As you wish, my Lord," I said flatly, giving him a short bow. Turning on my heel, I walked back toward Dragonreach's entrance. The sound of footsteps behind me told me that Martin was following close behind.
It was dark when we stepped out of the palace. As high up on the hill as we were, a cold wind rushed past, blowing my hair in my face. I brushed it back and descended the stairs, making my way back down through the city toward Breezehome. My mind was racing with what happened. An assassin from the Aldmeri Dominion had just tried to kill us in our home, the one place left that was safe… and there wasn't a damn thing anyone would or could do to stop it from happening again.
The moment we stepped over the threshold, I slumped heavily against Martin and closed my eyes to hold back my tears. He put an arm around me to support me. From further in the house I heard hurried footsteps and several people asking me what happened. Martin ignored them for the time being, instead silently leading me over to the chairs by the fire. I sat down in one of them and put my face in my hands.
I felt him put a hand on my shoulder as he said, "It's going to be all right."
"They're everywhere, Martin," I whispered. "We can't escape them."
"Can't we?" He was trying to suppress it, but his voice had a desperate edge to it. "Surely there's somewhere that's safe."
I shook my head. People knew me everywhere in the province, so just heading to a new city wouldn't help. They'd still find us eventually no matter where we went. Then it hit me. My eyes snapped open.
"Sky Haven."
"What was that?" He asked.
"Sky Haven Temple," I repeated, lifting my head from my hands to look at him. "It's an old Blade fortress in the Reach. Like Cloud Ruler, only better hidden. The Thalmor have never found it. It's secure… it's isolated…" I knew it would take some work to convince Delphine to let us in, but, given the circumstances, we had no choice.
"Then we'll go there."
I looked back at Lydia, Lucia, Ma, and Da. My parents gave each other a meaningful glance. Martin seemed to have noticed it as well.
"What is it?" He asked.
Ma looked down. "If we were all to leave the city at once, and any of the Dominion agents are still waiting…"
"No," I said, cutting her off and shaking my head emphatically. "I'm not splitting us all up. Not again."
"None of us like it, lass," Da told me. "But it's the safest way. Besides, it wouldn't be for long. We can all meet at a rendezvous point away from the city and continue on from there."
They were right and, damn it, I knew they were. So I nodded slowly and said, "Fine. Lydia, you know that abandoned farm a day or so west of here?"
"I do."
"Good. We can meet up there. That seems as good a place as any. How are we doing this?"
From her place sitting on the stairs, Lucia piped up, "I'll go first. I can watch for any sign of spies and make sure you all get out safe."
I looked over at her. She rubbed at some dirt on the bridge of her nose, which only smudged it further. The girl was barely sixteen, and already willing to throw herself into such danger. Really, though, what had I done when I was her age? The idea scared me more than a little. At least the Guild wasn't a part of her life as it had been mine.
"And everyone else?" I asked.
Silence.
After a few moments, Martin said quietly, "We can't go together."
All eyes turned on him at that. I was the first to respond as I got to my feet. "It's bad enough that we have to split up at all. I will not leave you." Not again.
"You think I want this either, Mara?" He asked me. Anxiously running a hand through his hair, he went on, "I don't, but we also don't have a choice. It's the two of us that the Dominion is after. If we both go out there together, we're doing half their work for them. At least one of us might make it this way."
I looked away. No, we didn't have a choice. The Thalmor saw to that when they had their assassin try to kill us earlier that day. I knew he could handle himself. I'd seen that he could for myself on many occasions. I just didn't like the thought of us being parted after everything we'd done to stop it from happening again.
Taking a deep breath, I said, "I'll go with Da to the site first and wait for the rest of you. Lydia, bring Martin and Ma after a reasonable wait. Keep them safe. Lucia, follow them and meet us at the farm. Is everybody all right with this?"
The rest of the family nodded and hurried off to prepare. Soon, Martin and I stood alone in the main room. I closed my eyes and let out a weary sigh. Why did we always seem to run headlong from one disaster to another?
"I hate that it's come to this," I whispered.
"I know." He came over to stand beside me and said solemnly, "I came so close to losing you this afternoon. I don't want that again."
I turned and leaned my forehead against his shoulder. He instantly put his arms around me and rested his cheek on the top of my head.
"Neither do I."
When Da and I left Whiterun early the next morning, there was no sign of Lucia anywhere. Hopefully that meant she was hidden well enough and hadn't been caught by the Thalmor… if they were even looking for us. I prayed they weren't. I just wanted my family safe and in one piece.
We reached the house a little over a day later. It could have taken less time, but I didn't want to push it with the baby. We were already risking enough as it was.
The old farm was just off the road leading west from Whiterun toward the Reach. The wooden fence surrounding what might once have been the field was collapsed in places. Beyond it, the house itself wasn't in any better condition. The roof was completely gone, along with a good portion of the walls. Weeds grew between the planks of the front porch. One of the only things still standing was the stone chimney at the back of the small structure. I was grateful for the clear sky, as that meant there would probably be no rain. The nights would be much colder, though, and that was something I wasn't exactly looking forward to.
Two days passed with Da and I staying in the ruined house, and there was still no sign of the others. I sat with my back to the front wall, gazing up at the night sky above me. Blue-green lights shimmered overhead, rippling like ocean waves. The light from below came from the fire I built in the hearth using wood scavenged from the broken fence. The flames cast an amber glow on the deteriorated walls around us. I anxiously twisted my amulet between my fingers. Da caught on quickly.
"I'm sure they're all fine," he told me from his place on the other side of the room. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
"I know," I said softly, silently praying that he was right and the Divines were keeping the four of them safe. They had to be safe. I couldn't even contemplate the alternative. It hurt too much.
After a while, I heard Da ask, "Of all the people in this world, lass… why him?"
I glanced over at him with a questioning look.
"Martin?" When Da nodded, I said, "Because, Martin and I, we're the same in a way. It's not just because we're both Dragonborn, no. We understand each other, what we've been through." I looked back up at the sky before adding, "And, when everyone else talked about fate or destiny, he told me he believed that I had a choice in everything I did. I chose him because he believed in me."
Da laughed quietly at that. "He's right, you know. We all make choices. Fides. "Loyalty." I took the name when I chose my loyalty to the Empire over my kin. Your mother chose to leave everything she knew behind rather than follow the life set out for her. You made your choices as well, lass. I'm just glad they were good ones."
I smiled a little. Good ones. Despite everything that happened, Da thought I'd made the right choices in the end. There was some comfort in that.
"You should sleep," he said. "I'll wake you if anything happens."
I got up and headed over to my bedroll. I'd laid it out by the fire to ward off the Sun's Dusk chill. Curling up on my side, I closed my eyes and quickly nodded off.
It seemed like only a few moments had passed when I felt something cold touch my shoulder and heard Da whisper in my ear, "Mara, lass. Someone's coming."
I opened my eyes and sat up. Overhead, the sky had grown dark save for the silvery twinkle of the stars and the glow of the setting moons. Shifting to face the doorway, I could see several shadowy forms walking from the road toward the house. I instinctively reached for my bow as I squinted, trying to make them out. Once I finally got a glimpse of their faces, I scrambled to my feet.
"Thank the Divines!" I cried.
Ma entered the house first, going over to embrace Da. Lucia came in second, looking tired and covered with even more dirt than usual. It was Martin who really caught my attention, however, and I hurried over to him.
"What in Talos's holy name happened to you?" I asked, tracing the edge of the bruise around his left eye with my fingers.
He let out a rueful chuckle. "We were right; they were waiting for us."
I stiffened, feeling horrified. From over by the fire, I heard Lydia explain, "They were, but we made it out more or less in one piece. The assassins weren't quite as lucky."
"No one should be able to find them for a while," Lucia added darkly.
Then they'd be off our trail for some time. Hopefully enough time for us to get out of the open.
Summoning a healing spell to my fingertips, I cleaned up Martin's black eye. As I did, I asked, "How do you manage to get into such trouble without me?"
"I seem to remember that it usually goes the other way around," he replied. I rolled my eyes. Still, he wasn't exactly wrong.
When the bruise had finally disappeared, he pressed his lips against my forehead. I smiled and closed my eyes.
"Get some sleep, everyone," Lydia said. "We're back on the road in the morning. We can't let the Thalmor have time to catch up with us again."
The six of us made it to the Karthspire a few weeks later. Once inside the caverns, we had to avoid the traps, which had all been reset. Delphine and Esbern clearly wanted to keep out any unwanted visitors. Judging by the state of everything, they seemed to have been successful. Finally we reached it to the still-unlocked blood seal and the entrance of Sky Haven Temple.
"Is this it?" Martin asked me in a hushed voice.
"Yes."
I led everyone through the doorway and into the temple proper. I glanced around the main chamber and quickly saw that very little had actually changed since the last time I'd been there, except for the lit candles placed around the room to try to give the gloomy place some light. Clearly Delphine and Esbern were still in residence.
As the others examined the temple with varying degrees of interest, I heard Martin whisper, "It's much darker than Cloud Ruler Temple."
"Cloud Ruler Temple wasn't abandoned for centuries," I pointed out. With a pang, I realized that it had now.
"True."
There were footsteps from one of the hallways leading off the main chamber. Turning sharply, I saw Delphine hurry out. Her gaze swung between each person before finally settling on me. Her blue eyes suddenly narrowed.
"What are you doing here?" She snapped.
I snorted. "Nice to see you, too, Delphine."
She made an irritated sound and crossed her arms. "If you're back here, then I hope it's to tell me that Paarthurnax is dead."
"I can assure you that he's still very much alive."
Voice dangerously cold, she said, "Allowing you in here while that beast's still lurking about would be a violation of my vows as a Blade."
"That's funny. I don't remember making that particular vow," I retorted.
"And what would you know about that? You're a traitor–"
"Don't you dare speak to her like that," Martin cut in, putting an arm around my waist. I almost smiled.
Delphine stared at him, looking almost as if she hadn't noticed him until that moment. "Who in Oblivion are you?"
"He's Martin Septim, rightful heir to the Ruby Throne," I said. "Technically you owe him your allegiance. I'd treat him with some respect if I were you."
The Breton's face flushed with anger.
"I swear undying loyalty to those of the Dragon Blood, to protect and serve them to my final breath," I recited."Wasn't that the oath you took when you joined the Blades, Delphine? Nothing about needing to kill all dragons in there, you notice." When her only response was to continue to glare at me, I went on, "When it was just me, you got away with it. Now there are three Dragonborn that you owe your loyalty to. You can't conveniently ignore your vows anymore."
"I only see two Dragonborn here," she pointed out.
I stared at her. Hard. "Three."
She seemed about to say something else. Then she stopped. Her eyes flicked down to my stomach and back up again to my face. "You're not."
"I am."
"Delphine, I heard voices and I… Oh." Esbern stopped some way away, looking between Delphine and me with no small amount of shock. "Dragonborn, I… I did not expect you to return here."
"Oh, for pity's sake!" Martin cried. "She's pregnant and the Thalmor have finally decided she's enough of a threat that they're trying to kill her. Are you just going to stand here all night arguing with us, or are you going to let us in?"
Both of the Blades stared, speechless, at Martin. The corner of my mouth finally turned up and I leaned against him a little. A muscle in Delphine's jaw twitched.
"Fine," she grumbled after a very long pause. "You can stay."
I let out a sigh of relief and heard Martin do the same beside me.
Once we'd sorted out where everyone would sleep, we dispersed throughout the temple. It was far bigger inside than it appeared the first time I'd been there, and it was quickly apparent that there was more than enough room for all of us. The dark stone walls of Martin and my room were rough, like they were throughout most of the rest of the temple. Still, it seemed like it would probably be comfortable enough.
"So, here we are again," Martin said in a lighthearted tone. "Hiding in a Blades' fortress for our own protection."
"Don't worry, there's a library," I told him.
I caught sight of his smile before turning to pull off my cloak and hang it over the back of a chair resting in the corner. Once it was gone, my swollen middle became visible. I'd started to actually show while we were on the road.
"You want to check on the little one?" I asked Martin. When he nodded, I lay down on the bed.
I took a deep breath and told myself to relax. Nothing would be wrong. Still, my fingers curled tight around the covers and my lips pursed as I stared up at the stone ceiling above me. I felt Martin's hand brush gently over my stomach and the light tingle of his spell.
"How is it?"
"Well…" he said, slowly enough that his words made my heart pound with sudden fear. I lifted my head a bit to look at him. A slight smile played on his mouth as he gazed back at me. His blue eyes sparkled. "The baby's fine, Mara."
I let my head sink back onto the bed with a sigh of relief. My fears were unfounded, then. But the child shouldn't have even existed at all. Not with my past, and not with Martin's. If anything were to happen to it…
Martin pressed a soft kiss on my belly and I had to cover my mouth with a hand to stifle a sob. Tears leaked from my eyes. His face suddenly appeared above mine and I felt him brush the tears away. He was looking at me with such tenderness, such love. My lips turned up in a trembling smile at the sight and I laughed when he leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. I brushed my fingers through his hair, holding him there so that his forehead rested against mine.
"We're safe now," he whispered.
Yes, we were. For the time being, at least.
