A.N: Hello everyone! I've found a waterfall of creativity, and was finally able to brain enough to make the words go.
Please enjoy this update, and as always, read and review! I'm genuinely curious if everyone is enjoying this story as much as I am.
It's certainly nice to be able to write for it again.
Anyways, thank you all for continuing to stick with me as I deal with my own real world problems and writer's block. It is greatly appreciated!
Enjoy!
The suns were high in the sky over the Nordic city of Bruma when Arnbjorn finished reading his father's journal, and the small one his mother kept in the end table next to her side of their old bed. Arnbjorn felt a pang of guilt as he thought of his mother, and he whispered a small prayer to whichever of the Divines to keep her soul safe before he tucked the two journals safely into the small pack he'd brought with him from the Falkreath Sanctuary. His mind wandered to his wife, wondering where she was and what she was doing, and then wandered over to Faith with the same questions. Was she walking yet? Talking? He'd been away for damn near ten months with traveling, and was expecting her to have grown almost considerably with her lineage. He thought of Markus and Aela, and how they were raising Faith. He smiled though, knowing that they were taking only the best care of a werewolf's daughter, and he could trust Markus with any task he threw at him. He decided it would be best to hide out for a while until the suns finally set and he could sneak out of the city through the tunnel that his father had carved out of the city wall behind their house.
As he waited for the suns to set, he walked though his old home, finding various items he'd forgotten about over the years. The sword his father had gifted to him when he was barely in his thirteenth season, a small pendent that his mother had given to him when he'd passed through his fifteenth season into his sixteenth, various crafts that he had exchanged from Markus and a few other village boys in his youth. He smiled as he gathered each little trinket and placed them safely in his pack, barely taking up a single pocket. He made his way back upstairs to wait out the early evening, and made himself comfortable once more in his abandoned bedroom.
Three years later
Markus stood against the door frame that led out to the patio and small training area behind the house, his eyes watching Dengen, now seven, knock arrow after arrow, focusing his breath and taking aim at the targets less than twenty yards in front of him. A smile was plastered on his lips as he watched his son pelt arrows closer and closer to the center target, and once he'd hit it, Markus was more than overjoyed with his son's quick progress with his mother's weapon of choice, and decided that he'd have Dengen try handling a real blade, starting off with a simple steel dagger.
It had been two years since he'd returned home from Sovngarde, and he made every attempt possible to spend his time evenly between home and work. Though, admittedly, he did spend quite a bit more time home than adventuring out and doing mercenary work. But his title as Thane in a few of the Holds did garner him some decent living money, and as the Thane of Windhelm, he'd already been granted living expenses by Ulfric, which was carried over by Brunwulf Free-Winter after Ulfric's death.
Markus coached Dengen through several incapacitating hits that would down an enemy should it be necessary. He showed him where to stab his dagger if it was the only weapon that could be used, and he showed him how to twist his dagger to sever veins or arteries in the torso and neck. Dengen caught on quickly, practicing the moves with gusto on the practice dummy before him, hacking and slashing against the torso and extremities, while shoving the blade up into the base of the dummy's head, and twisting the blade before ripping it from the hay-filled sack.
Aela stood by, with a now five-year-old Faith at her side, and watched father and son bond over a mutual love of swordsmanship. She let her gaze travel over the discarded bow, and then to the target positioned not fifteen yards away, where Dengen had shot nearly twenty arrows, gradually making their way to the bulls-eye. She smiled at the progress that her pup was making, then felt a tug at her fur armor. She pulled her eyes from the target and down to Faith's gaze. She smiled and knelt down to her level.
"What is it pup?" she asked, gently tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"Will I be able to do that?" She asked, her voice mumbled and soft, but clear as day to Aela.
"Of course you will. Momma and Papa will teach you how." Aela replied, her voice soft and comforting to the young girl.
Faith gave Aela a toothy grin before looking back to her brother and father; her face positively glowing in the afternoon sun. Aela sat in her crouched position for a few moments more, enjoying the peaceful serenity of having her family whole again, if only until Markus would need to leave once more to preform some duty for some Jarl in another Hold. She brought herself back into a standing position, gently ruffled Faith's hair, and made her way towards Markus and Dengen.
"Teaching him some fancy new sword tricks, my love?" She asked as she made her way to his side, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his chest.
"Only the ones to keep him safe, She-Wolf." He breathed as he pulled her closer to him. Not a moment later, he felt Faith latch onto his left leg, and with a smile, he bent down to hoist her up onto his hip.
"Papa, I wanna learn too." She begged as she looked down at the discarded weapons.
"Sorry pup, you're too young yet. When you get a little bigger, Papa will teach you." Markus replied, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.
A pout found it's way to Faith's lips, and she dejectedly turned her head from Markus and Aela, who merely smiled at the display. Markus released his hold on Aela in order to begin to tickle Faith back into a smile, which worked out much better than he had hoped it would. She began to giggle with each second, and before long, the whole family was laughing boisterously. The moment was disturbed when Vilkas emerged from the doorway with a letter in his hand. Markus looked at him with a questioning expression, to which Vilkas replied that a courier had come by with a letter for Markus, sighed by his father, requesting immediate response.
Markus gently handed Faith over to Aela before making his way towards Vilkas. His posture screamed aggression, but Vilkas knew that it was not directed towards him as he extended the letter towards his Shield-Brother. Markus gently pulled the letter from Vilkas' hand and peeled the wax seal open, eyes skimming over every line of the two pages that were sent.
His posture eventually went back to normal as he finished reading the letter, and he let out a breath that he was not aware he was holding, before looking back up to Aela with relief in his eyes. She gave him a puzzled look as he walked back over to her.
"When I heard it was from my father, I thought it was about my mother." Markus spoke as he looked deeply into Aela's eyes.
"Everything is alright though, right?" Aela asked, shifting Faith from one hip to the other, in order to read over the letter herself.
"Yes. They actually want us to visit them to celebrate Raxas' newest promotion in the Fighter's Guild." Markus summarized, "As well as to fill us in on the happenings back in Bruma." He concluded as he folded the letter back up and made he way towards the house.
"Are we going to see grandma and grandpa?" Dengen asked as he followed his father into the house.
"Well, it would be rude to turn down their invitation, wouldn't it?" Markus asked with a grin as he looked over his shoulder at Dengen, who nodded in return.
"When should we leave dear?" Aela asked as she came following behind Dengen, hand wrapped in Faith's.
"Tomorrow evening would be the easiest. The Jerall Mountain's are fairly treacherous this time of year." Markus conceded as he closed the door behind the girls.
"That's such short notice love." Aela hummed as she sent both children towards their room to back bags.
"Yes, but it will be easier for us to pack and go, rather than waiting for a courier to deliver a message and then leave. It could take us at least a week to get through the entirety of the Jerall to Bruma." Markus spoke as he took Aela's hand and lead her up the stairwell.
"Then how shall we spend tonight?" She asked, a low growl in her throat as her eyes locked onto her mate.
"Well... Why don't you show me, She-Wolf?" Markus prodded as he took her lead.
She, of course, led him to their bed. Vilkas, sensing the change in atmosphere, gathered the children up and brought them out for a few hours to the small village of Kynesgrove not even a half hour walk away from Windhelm, keeping them at the Inn for the night.
The following afternoon, the family was packed for the trip, weapons were sharpened and triple checked, arrows were tucked tightly in their quivers, potions and food were packed in a second knapsack that Markus carried with him, and the children confirmed that they were prepared for a few weeks away from home. Aela, naturally, rechecked her children's bags before giving the okay that they could leave. Markus had managed to find a carriage that would take them to Bruma, for a price, and immediately acquired his services.
Aela and the children climbed into the back of the carriage with their knapsacks, while Markus took to riding Blackthorn once again, projecting their original journey into the stallion's thoughts. A whinny and a few kicks into the ground were his response, and before long, the family was well on their way to Bruma.
Astrid had somehow managed to get herself back to the Sanctuary, even with the gaping would in her leg spilling blood behind her. She had managed to lose her followers, and made her way towards the alchemy area, her mind hazy with the dizziness that threatened to throw her to the floor beneath her. From the many times that Babette had shown her a strong healing potion and salve, Astrid began the process of creating to recuperate. Elia, having returned from her own assassination, made her way into the area of the alchemy lab, and gasped at the sight of Astrid, incredibly pale from blood loss, and continuing to lose blood every moment that she was standing. She rushed over to the elder woman's side, and immediately ushered her towards a nearby chair. Astrid, of course, fought against the younger teen, but was easily outmatched in strength as she felt her's ebbing away.
Eila made her way back over to finish the salve in Astrid's place, and when it was complete, she gently applied it to the open wound. Astrid gasped unintentionally at both the immediate sting of the salve, and the contact of Eila's cold fingers. Eila, worried that she had done something wrong in the application of the salve, immediately began to apologize to Astrid, saying she had never been good with anything other than killing. With a weak smile, Astrid looked down at Eila, who had tears prickling in her eyes, and told her not to worry, that it was just the sudden contact that caused an unintentional response. Astrid settled back into the chair as Eila continued to apply the salve.
"What happened? How did you get this way?" Eila questioned as she went back to the alchemy table to prepare the healing potion.
"You wouldn't believe it... A second band of assassins were after the same dignitary. So, of course I was involved in a scuffle, killed the would-be assassin, killed the dignitary, and took a blade to the thigh." Astrid recounted as she gingerly adjusted her leg into a more comfortable position.
"By the Nine Astrid... You could have died!" Eila reprimanded harshly as she turned around once again, this time with the potion in her hands. Astrid saw the tears slowly falling down her cheeks, and beckoned her to come to her.
Eila did as she was asked, and as she got to Astrid, she fell into the older woman's embrace, letting the tears fall freely as she discarded the potion onto the table in order to wrap her arms around Astrid's shoulders.
"You've been through so much, and lost so many... I'm sorry I put you in this position." Astrid whispered as she gently rubbed soothing circles over Eila's back.
"I've already... Lost my father... And my mother... Has abandoned what I've worked for... I can't lose you too..." Eila choked out between ragged breaths, wrapping her arms tighter around Astrid.
"Shhh... Shhh now, it's okay." Astrid soothed as Eila continued to cry onto her shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere little one." She continued, gently pulling Eila from her embrace, and tucking a strand of her ebony hair behind her ear before wiping the tears away from her cheeks.
Eila forced a small smile at Astrid's affectionate gesture before standing fully again, turning to go to the small kitchen that was adjacent to the main room where the alchemy table was, to prepare something for them to eat. Astrid slowly drank the potion in her hands, cringing as she felt the salve begin to sew muscle and tendons back together, before making its way closer to the skin on the surface, pulling tissue back together as the potion worked directly with the salve. Astrid bit her lip to prevent the grunt that made its way up her throat, and swallowed the last of the potion before placing the vial back on the table.
Eila came back out not ten minutes later with two bowls of stew in her hands. Astrid looked up from her leg and greeted Eila with a small smile of her own, taking one of the bowls as it was offered to her. Eila took the chair that sat at the end of the table, glancing between her bowl and Astrid's leg, seeing how the salve actually worked with the potion, as she had never had the chance to see before. She had no use for these things, as she often only ever got scrapes and bruises that healed naturally on their own. The types of wound that Astrid had was something that was so foreign to her, and Eila was scared. She was afraid of receiving the same kind of wound anywhere on her body. She shook with the realization of how close she was to losing someone else who she had grown so close to. Astrid was able to pick up on her worry, and gently cleared her throat, bring Eila out of her thoughts.
"Eila... Are you sure that this is the life that you want?" Astrid asked her with the same gentleness that she'd had moments earlier.
"I... I don't know..." Eila mumbled in response, hanging her head sadly. "It's all I've ever know, but now... After seeing how close... I don't know anymore.." She continued to whisper, absentmindedly stirring her stew.
Astrid could feel her heart breaking at the sight before her. Here was the girl that had once put a dagger to her throat to protect the one constant home she'd ever had, and now she was fighting the urge to cry over Astrid's injury, and doubting whether she could continue this line of work. And to be honest, Astrid was wondering the same thing. This wound, had she not gotten back to the Wayrest Sanctuary in time, could have taken her from Arnbjorn and Faith, and then she would never have seen her daughter or husband again. And she would be damned if she would miss out on any more of her daughter's life than she already had in the last five years. She reached out and gently took Eila's hand in her own, bringing the girl out of her thoughts and grabbing her gaze.
"Eila... If I'm being truthfully honest, I don't think I can continue this life anymore." Astrid spoke, her voice low and soft, as though she forgot she had a voice.
"What do you mean? You've been an assassin your whole life! You're going to give it up just like that?" Eila questioned, her brows knitted together in confusion as she looked into Astrid's eyes.
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean." Astrid breathed, "I have a daughter of my own that I haven't seen since she was a baby five years ago, barely able to remember what I looked like. And my husband, who is also on the run. We've been separated since Arnbjorn's friend Markus found us saying our last goodbye's to each other." Astrid spoke, recounting the memory in her head.
Eila watched Astrid sadly, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. The ruthless killer before her was a woman who had her entire world shattered before her eyes, just like Eila had. But her world included a child and a husband, people that Eila did not have in her life, and yet, her heart broke watching Astrid recount these terrible memories. Eila cleared her throat.
"Astrid... Where is your daughter?" She asked, eyes locked onto the blonde woman before her.
"She's with Arnbjorn's friend, Markus. He and his wife have been raising her alongside their son as a sister." Astrid mumbled in response, eyes clouding over for a moment as she pictured her daughter as an infant in her arms being passed over to Aela that final night.
"And where are they?" Eila prodded, willing Astrid to continue speaking.
"They live in Skyrim. Though, I'm unsure of where they are now. All I know is that Markus swore to us to protect and train Faith as only Arnbjorn trusted him to." Astrid replied as she took another bite of her cooling stew.
Eila saw the moment of pain that flashed through Astrid's eyes, and she knew that the woman before her would leave everything behind in order to have her family whole again. She missed that. She missed having her mother with her, and she wished that her father's death had been faked in order for him to find someplace safer for them, but she knew there was no falsification of his death. She had seen the wounds, had watched the blood pool beneath him, and had watched her mother shed tears for days following his death. She had shed them with her. But then her mother found a new husband, forged a new life, had given birth to three children in the last seven years since her father's death. She knew all too well what it meant to have your world ripped out from underneath you.
"Astrid..." Eila began, clearing her throat, "Will you allow me to come with you? To leave the Sanctuary behind and find your family?" She asked, eyes gauging for any kind of reaction.
"But what about your mother?" Astrid asked, concern lacing her voice.
"She has three other children. She won't miss the one from her past." Eila stated, her voice now holding an edge that it didn't have before.
"Eila... I would never ask you to abandon the life that you have." Astrid spoke, reaching out and gently lifting Eila's head so that she would look at her. "It is your choice to give up the life that you have built. If that is what you would like, then I would gladly take you with me to find my husband and daughter. I would allow you to stay with us as our own, if that is what you wish to do." Astrid spoke, eyes focused on Eila's expression.
Eila released Astrid's hand and mulled over the idea. She could just leave the Sanctuary and start over with a new life and a new family. Or she could stay here and be miserable, and at the same time, close to her mother. Though, when Eila thought about it, Wayrest and Aldcroft were leagues apart from each other, and her mother never made any attempt to regain the closeness that they lost. Eila shut her eyes and took a deep breath, breaking herself free from her rampant thoughts. She opened her eyes and looked back up into Astrid's own.
"I don't have anything left here... I would rather take my chances elsewhere." Eila spoke, her voice now down to the tender tone of a child.
"It will probably be a long journey... Are you sure you're up to it?" Astrid asked, her voice colored with concern.
"I'm sure I could manage." Eila replied confidently, a smile stretching across her lips.
"Then we'll leave first thing tomorrow morning. It's quite a walk." Astrid replied, standing from the chair with only a little difficulty.
"Are you sure? With your leg still healing, shouldn't we wait?" Eila asked as she stood to help Astrid down to her room.
"Yes. There is always the possibility that someone will find us. Leaving tomorrow would be our safest bet." Astrid spoke, her voice think with impending sleep.
Eila helped Astrid down onto her bed and then quietly excused herself to go to her own room. Astrid watched her go before she lay back onto the furs of her bed and fell asleep. Eila brought her old knapsack out from under her bed and began to pack it with necessary essentials for the journey to Skyrim, or wherever Astrid would lead them. She was right, it would just be safer for the two of them to leave as quickly as possible. Eila didn't want to be caught in a Sanctuary purge like Astrid had been, especially when she was less skilled in escaping danger. As soon as she had packed up her meager belongings, she tucked her pack back under her bed and climbed into the furs on it, nestling deep into their warmth, reminding herself to take them tomorrow when they left. Within a few minutes, Eila fell into a peaceful sleep. The first restful sleep she'd had in quite some time.
The gates of Bruma could be seen along the horizon, and Markus took a deep breath of the mountain air that he had grown up with. If the large smile on his face was any indication, Aela could tell that he was more than happy, and relieved, to be home again. She couldn't recall any stories about him having gone home prior to their engagement or marriage, and certainly not after Dengen had been born, so it was a wonderful treat to her to see her husband's face light up like a child's. Dengen and Faith, having finally adjusted to the altitude change of their surroundings, popped up on either side of the carriage driver's head and stared at the landscape before them; both developed smiles to match their father's. Aela chuckled at the image and tucked this moment deep into her heart as she, too, looked out at the city walls on the horizon.
The trip lasted no longer than possibly a half hour on horseback, as neither rider was content to gallop the rest of the way to Bruma, but the anticipation had definitely bubbled inside of the family as the walls grew taller with each mile that they grew closer to the city. As soon as the horses were stopped at the small ranch outside the gates, and everything had been unloaded from the carriage, the family made their way into the old city. Markus led the way down the street, passing in front of a castle like Aela and the children had never seen before, before coming to a stop at a rather large house at the very end of the walkway. Markus knocked three times, and before long the door was pulled open, revealing a tall woman with the same blue eyes and dark hair, though it was peppered with gray. Aela could smell the familiar scent of her husband all over this woman, and she relaxed at the sight of Markus and the woman hugging.
"My dear son, surely you're going to introduce me to your family." Lielle commented, her voice was as smooth as silk as she spoke.
"This is Aela, my wife, and our two children Dengen and Faith." Markus introduced his family with nothing but pride on his face, "Children, this is your grandmother Lielle." He introduced his mother to his family in the same way.
"Hello children. I can't wait to get to know you both." Lielle spoke as a smile splayed across her lips.
Dengen made the first move and stood before his grandmother, who had knelt before them, and wrapped his arms around her neck. She returned his embrace and held him close. Markus and Aela both felt their hearts melting at the sight of their son meeting his grandmother for the first time, and very slowly, Faith also made her way to hug her grandmother. Markus and Aela shared a glance, both knowing that Lielle would comment on their vast appearance differences later, but for now, she was content to hold them both close to her.
The five of them made their way into the house, sharing introductions with Raddin, who had very much the same reaction to the children that Lielle had. The family had dinner together, Raddin and Lielle shared stories with the children of the Great War, and when the time came, everyone made their way upstairs to tuck the children into their beds. As soon as the adults were back in the living room, Lielle and Raddin looked at Aela and Markus with questioning glances. Lielle spoke first.
"Faith looks nothing like either of you... Is she adopted?" She asked, taking a seat across from Markus and Aela on one of the chairs that occupied the living space.
"Yes." Markus began, "I believe you both remember Arnbjorn? Faith is his daughter. I promised that we would raise her for him, until he and his wife could bring her home." Markus concluded, hand wrapped tightly in Aela's.
"Arnbjorn... A name we haven't heard in years, but surely you didn't keep contact with him." Raddin spoke, his voice low and challenging. Aela felt the hairs on her neck rise, and felt Markus' grip tighten just slightly.
"Not at first. We reconnected after I'd been in Skyrim for the first three years. Dengen had already been born. Faith is two years younger than him. He wrote a letter to me, I responded, and we reconnected in Helgen. Everything was fine until Alduin destroyed the town. That was the day that I realized that I was the Dragonborn, and I had to leave my family behind me in order to save the world. Arnbjorn and his wife begged us to take Faith, to keep her safe and to train her as a warrior. Of course I would do that for him." Markus ranted, his voice deep and intimidating.
"Then I have no doubts that you remember well that he is a werewolf? And that you are keeping your son within proximity of a potential killer?" Radding challenged back, his expression hardening into a deeper set frown with each word out of his mouth.
"She is no such thing!" Markus growled back, "And I would know." He concluded, standing from his seat and staring his father down.
Raddin stood as well, eyes locked with Markus' in a challenge of wills. Aela could feel the tension in the air rising with each passing second, and it did nothing but call her wolf spirit towards the surface. She only suppressed it with sheer willpower and the years of training that she'd had with her own father. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and before things could get any worse, she politely excused herself and went upstairs to the children's room, climbing into Faith's bed and holding her close to her chest. Faith stirred for only a moment before falling back into restful slumber.
Several minutes later, Aela heard the door opening, and her eyes shifted just slightly to accommodate to the darkness that surrounded her. She could clearly make out Lielle's figure moving into the bedroom, and Aela made her presence known.
"What do you seek Lielle?" She asked, her voice tinted just slightly with her concern for the safety of her pups.
Lielle obviously was not expecting Aela to be in the bedroom with the children, and her head swung in the general direction of Aela's voice.
"I came to check on them. To make sure that Markus and Raddin hadn't woken them with their arguing." Lielle spoke, her voice a soft whisper against the darkness.
"The children are fine. I've been in here with them. Nothing will disturb them if they know that I am with them." Aela replied, her arm wrapping slightly tighter around Faith's body.
"Aela... What happened to him?" Lielle asked, her voice breaking just slightly at the question.
"What do you mean? He hasn't changed in the time that I've known him, or during the time that we've been married with two rambunctious children." Aela commented, her eyes locked on Lielle's every movement.
"He's changed. I can feel it. There is something that is completely different about him. Like he's becoming an animal." Lielle whispered as she bowed her head towards the floor. "Please Aela... I want to know what happened to my son." She pleaded with the She-Wolf, tears brimming in her eyes. Aela could smell the difference the minute her mood changed, and she sighed.
"This isn't the conversation that I should have with you. Perhaps you should question him yourself." Aela spoke, her voice fading into the darkness.
"But you're his wife. You've known him these last few years that he's been in Skyrim. You knew him before he changed, and you knew him during. I can't ask him these questions." Lielle conceded, her voice breaking slightly at the confession.
"Why not?" Aela prodded just slightly, "You're his mother. I'm sure he would tell you if you just asked him."
When Lielle didn't reply, Aela sighed and maneuvered herself out from behind Faith, and made her way towards Lielle, taking the woman by the arm and leading her back out into the hallway. When Lielle's eyes adjusted, she was gazing into Aela's. Deep, forest green eyes stared into ocean blue, and Lielle was suddenly all too aware of Aela's commanding presence. She realized that her son had married a woman not unlike herself, who carried herself with pride and strength, and needed no commander.
"Markus has not changed. He joined the ranks of the Companions. He's the Harbinger, and has many things that plague him, including deaths within our ranks. He had to help me overcome the loss of the one I thought I would end up with. He helped me overcome my fear of finding love again. He helped me overcome my fear of childbirth when I found out that we were expecting a child. He protected me when a dragon attacked Whiterun while I had gone into labor. I don't know what change you are referring to, because he is the same man that I met outside of Whiterun. He is a father to two wonderful children, my husband, and the Thane of several Holds back in Skyrim." Aela spoke with a passion that Lielle hadn't witnessed before.
"There is just something that has become different. His posture screams authority like I've never seen before, and I was a Legionnaire for several years in command of foot soldiers." Lielle continued, eyes locked with Aela's.
Aela sighed in frustration. She knew that this conversation was brewing, but she had hoped that Markus would be there with her to share this information. His mother didn't seem to share the same malice towards werewolves that his father did, but still, this was a conversation that would affect whatever relationship that her children would have with their grandparents from this point forward. She sighed again before looking back into Lielle's eyes.
"Markus and I are the same. We share the same blood." She began, eyes gauging Lielle's reaction with each word. "We are both werewolves." She finished, eyes locked with Lielle's.
Lielle took a step back and looked closely at Aela. She could see the scars that flashed on her arms and legs, the muscles that contracted beneath pale skin, and her eyes which seemed to flick between green and gold. Lielle saw her daughter-in-law quite differently now. She could see the same posture that Markus now held, and the same authority flashing across her features.
"You're both werewolves?" She whispered, confusion lining her voice.
"Yes. And Dengen will be as well. Faith was never any danger to him, nor was he a danger to her. They are the same in the regard of birthright. They have both inherited the blood of Hircine." Aela spoke softly, calming Lielle's nerves.
"How will you tell Raddin? How will Markus tell him?" Lielle questioned as she looked at Aela. "What if the children are never allowed to come here again?"
"I doubt that he would be so cruel as the put his own grandchildren out. He just needs to see that we are different, and pose him no threat." Aela spoke, her voice showing the confidence that she hoped would still be there when that conversation was bound to happen.
"I do hope that you're right Aela. I really, really do." Lielle mumbled as she glanced back at the door to the children's room.
"I should get back to them. They will know soon enough that I am not in there with them. Goodnight Lielle." Aela whispered as she turned back towards the bedroom door.
Lielle, having nothing more to say, slowly made her way back downstairs to the argument that was still going between her husband and son. Raxas and Eira would be home tomorrow to celebrate Raxas' promotion, and she couldn't stand the thought of her husband and eldest not talking to each other, and she wanted her children to see their niece and nephew without the revelation that they were werewolves. She sighed as she reached the bottom of the stairs and made her way into the living area, seeing Markus and Raddin no longer staring each other down.
Instead, Raddin was looking out into the empty street, and Markus was reading a book on the couch, both of them lost in their own worlds. She went over and gently nudged her son, who broke his focus on the book to look up at her. She leaned down and told him that Aela had told her their secret, and that it would be best to let Raddin know, sooner rather than later. Markus sighed but agreed, and before long the three of them were downstairs in the celler.
Markus explained everything to his parents in great detail, beginning with the day that he left Bruma to pursue his desire to travel Tamriel. He spoke of the Companions, and how he had been initiated into the Circle, and how Aela had offered him the gift of Lycanthropy as an initiation present. How Skjor was murdered by the Silver Hand, and how they all had found Ysgramor's tomb to put Kodlak's spirit to rest in Sovngarde. He told them of his finding out he was the Dragonborn, and how terrified he was to leave his wife and newborn in order to protect them. He told them of the Greybeards, and how he had befriended their leader, the dragon Paarthurnax. He told them stories well into the morning, and when he was finished, he waited for his father's reaction. Raddin had listened to every word, watching his son with a fairly emotionless face, but when Markus had finished speaking, he allowed himself to show a small smile. Markus was initially confused, until his father gently punched his shoulder.
"So that's why you've changed. Your mother was worried sick that you had some disease." Raddin joked as the family made their way back up onto the main level of the house.
"You've certainly changed your mind, my love." Lielle observed as she looked between Markus and Raddin.
"I can't disown my son. There's no way I could ever do it. And to be so cruel to the grandchildren that I've just met? I would never be able to live with myself for throwing them out like that." Raddin conceded as they made their way into the living area.
"Just a few hours ago, you were furious over Arnbjorn's daughter being here in my care, and now you're okay with this because Aela and I are both werewolves?" Markus asked, his voice clearly giving away his confusion.
"Now that I have information about the whole situation, I can see the full picture. She is with you and Aela, and that is all that matters. One day, her parents will come for her, but until then, she's my granddaughter." Raddin concluded as he plopped down onto his favorite chair.
"We should all get as much rest as we can. Raxas and Eira will be here soon." Lielle commented, stifling a yawn as she spoke.
"You're right dear. Let's go. Markus, you should join your wife." Raddin said as he joined Lielle at the base of the stairs.
Markus nodded in response, following behind his parents as they all made their way upstairs. Markus caught Aela's scent in the children's room, and gently made his way in to the room, closing the door behind him. He caught Aela's eyes on him as he made his way to the chair in the corner of the room closest to Dengen's bed, where he sat to rest. Before Aela could even say anything to Markus, he was asleep, and all she could do was smile. Her poor husband was so exhausted from their trip, and when he finally had the time to sleep, he took it. She shook her head before lying back down next to Faith, pulling the girl once more against her body. Within moments, she was also back to sleep as the moons slowly fell away to reveal the new spring day.