"And what are you going to do about this, father? You have to punish him!"
Dathus looked up from his dinner plate at his daughter and smiled.
"I'll do no such thing, Berta. You know that if it was Mikal that was victorious in that fight, you wouldn't be calling for retribution for Ansen's sake.""
"Come on, you have the power to exile Ansen. Don't just sit there; do something!" Berta demanded.
"As I said, your brother asked for a fight and got his ass handed to him. I'm not going to punish the victor just because he was victorious. That is not how our family works, Berta, and you know it," said Dathus, continuing to eat his steak.
Berta stared down at him with discontent. Obviously her staring wasn't having much of an effect on her father, so the girl reluctantly gave up and stomped her way out of the dining hall. Dathus watched her leave and shook his head with a chuckle.
"Don't be too hard on the girl, she's only looking out for her brother. Something I know quite a bit about," Warren reminded him.
Dathus turned to his brother, sitting directly beside him at the long dining table. The rectangular table was able to seat thirty members of the Black-Heart clan comfortably. It could seat forty uncomfortably, which was usually the case in the large manor. After the brutal bout between the two cousins, the family had come back inside the manor to eat supper. Many of them, though, idly spoke of the fight as they devoured their meal.
Dathus and Warren both noticed the chatter floating about the room. Talia approached the two brothers and said, "It seems like the Black-Hearts enjoyed the little show they got…"
"You didn't?" Dathus asked.
"Oh, sure, I love watching my son get beaten half to death…"
"He fared far better than mine!" Dathus laughed.
"Yes, well, have either of you two seen Ansen? He disappeared after the fight and I'm beginning to worry."
"No. He must've gone off on his own," Warren said. "You shouldn't baby him, Talia. Ansen is an adult."
"He's still my son."
"Which you've yet to tell him."
"I'm…" Talia paused. "I'm waiting for the right time."
"You need to tell him, Talia. He has a right to know that his mother's been traveling with him for the past two weeks."
"I said I've been waiting for the right time!"
Warren raised his hands defensively. "I'm only saying he needs to know. I realize you didn't leave by choice. You needn't feel guilty about anything."
Talia grew silent, hanging her head low. "I'll tell him soon," Talia said.
The Imperial woman took a seat in the vacant chair beside Warren and laid her head on the table. Warren gently began to rub here back as she said, "I feel like shit…"
"It wasn't your fault, Talia."
"You're damn right it wasn't! This is all because of my blasted mother and her prophecies."
Dathus tapped his index finger to his chin in thought. "So you've been watching this Mara girl for what, eighteen years now?"
"Eighteen and a half." Talia looked to Warren and the expression of sadness she wore made him look away. "None of this would've happened if I could've gotten to in touch with you sooner, told you not to accept the job from Varris…"
"Think nothing more of it, Talia. You still have a duty that's been past down to you from your mother. You should keep your mind on that, not things that occurred in the past," Warren said. "Why don't you go with Dathus and get some ale? It'll cheer you up."
"The old Nordic medicine. I probably could use some right now…"
Dathus took the hint and stood. "Come on, Talia."
He grabbed a hold of her hand and pulled her from the table. She followed behind as Dathus walked toward the dining hall bar. Once the two were gone, she sat down beside Warren. The woman he'd yet to even speak to since arriving in Skyrim; Warren's wife, Felsi
She was tall, the sides of her red-haired head shaven and the rest of her fiery mane tied in a ponytail. Her fair skin was pale and freckled lightly around her thin nose and across her cheeks, appearing as youthful as the day the two first met. Even under her loose-fitting clothing, one could still tell she was still in amazing condition physically. In addition to being quick and powerful, she had one of the sharpest minds in the company.
Felsi crossed her legs. Her eyes followed Talia as she was dragged around by her brother-in-law. "There's always some form of ruckus when the family gathers."
"Put a bunch of drunken Nordic warriors, merchants, blacksmiths and farmers in a room and a few fists are bound to be thrown. It's kinda' what makes these little events fun. The family isn't what you wanted to talk about, though, is it?"
"I just got a request from a man in Winterhold. Ansen's skill-set makes him perfect for it, and I might need his help."
Warren pushed his plate aside and turned to Felsi. "You think he needs another assignment so soon?"
"I think it'll help him, get his mind off of Reli."
Warren shrugged and shut his eyes. "It's up to Ansen to accept."
Felsi inhaled deeply, the exhaustion of the past few days beginning catching up to her. She was already burning the candle at both ends helping Dathus run the Skyrim Sparrows branch, but then Warren arrived, hauling the body of her only daughter. Felsi hadn't had an ounce of sleep in two days, trying to keep busy.
She probably needed this job just as much as Ansen did…
Neither Dathus nor Warren mentioned anything to Felsi about her sleep deprivation or level of stress, though they knew about it. The brothers knew talking to her about it wasn't going to change her hard working ways.
Felsi rose, stretched her back. She left the dining hall, hands in her pocket, in search of Ansen.
Lilly's hammer came down on the sword, bending the steel to her whim. She hammered the blade, carefully shaping it to the specifications of the customer. They'd ordered a blade with a sharply serrated edge and a grooved handle wrapped in leather for a more comfortable grip.
It was one of the most complex orders that she'd received to date, and Lilly had the forge going nonstop just to try and fill it, but she didn't flinch, not at the fact that the man had come back the following day and asked her to make an additional three identical swords and not at the searing heat that radiated from the forge.
Her mentor, Aglaise, had left the Gale forge which lay a mile east of the old Black-Heart graveyard to go and pick up a few ingots from the mine up the road so it was just Lilly, her hammer and her chisel. Lilly actually never wanted to inherit her father's smith, but when the man passed away, she reluctantly began studying under his good friend. It turned out to be an enjoyable experience, bending the usually powerful substances into any shape she wished.
The young woman was so very entranced in her work that she almost didn't notice the knocking at the front door. Hurriedly Lilly ran to the front of the house, tossing off her gloves and her apron. She pulled the handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her brow as she opened the front door.
"May I help you?" she asked breathlessly.
"Yeah. Can Vanity come out to play?"
Lilly furrowed her brow and placed her hand on her hip. "Excuse me?" she asked. Vanity was her old nickname, one she hadn't heard in some time. There were only a select few that used it, which made her wonder of the stranger's identity. "Who're you?"
"You don't recognize me? I'm hurt Lillian…"
"Listen, I'm busy, so-" Lilly stopped in mid-sentence and her jaw fell. "Ansen? Ansen Black-Heart?!"
She quickly wrapped her arms around her old friend and squeezed him tight. The last time Lilly saw Ansen was when he visited Skyrim with his father four years ago. "Miss me, Lil?"
"By the gods, I almost didn't recognize you! You've let your hair grow out, grown a little beard…" Lilly said, running her hand across Ansen's face.
"Yeah, well you don't look the same either," Ansen said.
Lillian still had a gorgeous slim body and a smile that could melt ice. She had brown, chocolate colored skin that was near flawless and silvery eyes. Her short, shoulder length black hair was concealed by a bandana she tied to keep her hair clear of the heat she would be working with.
Lilly noticed the Sparrow sewn into Ansen's armor and said, "I'm guessing since you're wearing the crest, they finally let you in the group?"
"Of course. I'm one of the most talented mercs on Nirn."
Lilly stepped aside, allowing Ansen to step into her home and said, "Alright, don't get an ego, Ansen."
"It's far too late for that, lady Vanity."
"So, what're you doing in the Fatherland?" she asked, walking to the kitchen. "On a job?"
"No."
As Ansen relayed why he was in Skyrim to Lilly, she dropped the two bottles of mead she was carrying in hand. The two glasses came down to the floor with a crash, spilling their contents. She stared at him, tears welling in her eyes, her hand over her mouth.
"Reli…" she whispered. "Tell me you're joking…"
Ansen just held his head down, nodding.
"Talos…" She collapsed onto the bench Ansen occupied.
"Reli, another Sparrow and I were doing a job when we were attacked by assassins. They separated us and…"
"I'm so sorry, Ansen." Lilly hugged Ansen sympathetically. She'd known Reli for many years, probably as long as she'd known Ansen, a lot of people in Solitude knew Reli. She was the "big sister" of most of the kids around Ansen's age living in Solitude.
"They already had the funeral," Ansen told her. "I just thought I'd come over and tell you what happened."
"Just … just let me know if you or your family needs anything, okay?"
"Thanks, Lil." Ansen pat her on the back and said, "Come on, no more tears. We should celebrate not weep. Where's the mead?"
Lilly wiped her eyes and stood. "Yeah. I'll go get some more."
A sudden knocking at the door stopped her from getting their drinks. Lilly strode over and opened the door. "Mrs. Black-Heart? Wha-"
"Felsi is fine, dear," the redhead said, walking her way into the Gale household.
"Uh … come in?"
"Ansen, I received a request and you came to mind," Fesli said.
"But I'm already on a job."
"Sindell can baby-sit Mara on his own for a while. Right now I need you to help me with this," Felsi said.
The woman always intimidated Ansen, even now as an adult. She was demanding, aggressive and just plain frightening at times. He also never felt comfortable around her, considering the circumstances under his birth. Felsi never seemed to care that he was someone else's child just, though.
"What's the job?" Ansen asked.
"A bounty has been placed on the head of a professor that fled from the College of Winterhold. When he left he took with him a book, one that the college wants back very badly."
Ansen's brow furrowed in thought. "So, a normal kill-or-capture but in addition we need to get the book back-"
"In one piece."
"What's the catch?" Ansen asked disbelievingly. "The last time I agreed to a job that was simple on the surface-"
"I wasn't done explaining. One of the other instructors at the school told me that several of the rogue professor's students left with him. All of them are apparently talented spellcasters."
Ansen clapped his hands together. "There's the complexity I was looking for!"
"So you'll help me with this one?"
Ansen looked to Lilly, then back to Felsi. The Redguard touched his shoulder and said, "It's alright. I've got to get back to work anyway."
Ansen stood and nodded to Lilly. "Alright then. Let's go, Felsi. Make sure you stop by the manor sometime this week, alright Lil?"
"Okay. Be careful."
It wasn't easy, but Mara was finally able to lose Sindell. She knew that wandering around the rocky wilderness of Haafingar wasn't a good idea, but Mara needed to get away. From the crowded Black-Heart Manor, the markets of Solitude, and the entirety of the capital in general.
She'd lost her protector in the alleys of Solitude, ducking in and out until he had no idea which way she went and Mara hadn't felt so free in weeks. She brushed the few strands of dark hair that fell before her eyes away and continued her trek through the forest. The pine trees around towered above her, high into the sky, dotted with bright shining stars.
The collective howl of a wolf pack reached Mara's ears and she stopped walking, listening to their song. She didn't stand for long though, since the wolves did sound closer than was comfortable for her.
It wasn't long ago that Mara was wishing for a little adventure in her life. Now she wished things were just as they were before she met the Silver Sparrows. She wanted her boring life back, where she was just sitting at home, scribbling Daedra on parchment in her room. It was easier.
Mara hated herself for not even speaking to Ansen once since Reli died. She felt like she should've said something to him – it was his sister that sacrificed herself just so Mara could live. But Mara had no idea what she could tell him that would offer some comfort and doubted there was anything that would actually comfort him.
So lost in her own thoughts, it was a while before Mara realized just how long she'd been walking. She looked around, hoping to find a landmark or something that would assist her in finding her way back to the road. Before she could, she heard the breaking of twigs at her rear.
Mara spun around on her heels to see a pair of wolves standing behind her, crouched low. They peered at her, baring their fangs. The beasts were large, larger than any dog, with dark grey fur, stained with blood. Mara then noticed the deer they were feasting on and realized she'd interrupted their meal.
She took two tentative steps back, and the duo took two forward, growling through their teeth, breath visible in the cold air. As quickly as she could, Mara turned and ran, not even caring where she was going, as long as it was away from the carnivores. She sped through the forest, the wolves nipping at her heels.
She stopped at the edge of the forest when she saw a frozen lake before her. The ice atop the water didn't look even close to being strong enough to support her weight, and under any normal circumstances she'd go nowhere near the frozen body of water. She really had no choice but to trek across the lake when the wolves emerged from the brush.
Mara took a rather clumsy first step onto the ice, slipping slightly before regaining her balance and continuing. She glanced back to see if the beasts were pursuing, and much to her relief, they weren't. They just stood at the edge of the lake, watching her.
Just when Mara was beginning to get confident in her footing, the ice beneath her broke. She was engulfed in water so cold that it pained and numbed her body at the same time. Mara struggled to get back to the surface, fighting for her life against the water, knowing she had never been a very good swimmer. Making little progress, she shed her heavy fur coat, trying desperately to survive.
She wasn't moving fast enough. Mara's breath was quickly running out and she swam harder. Eventually though, she inhaled, taking in water instead of the air her body craved. Slowly, Mara sank into the blackness of the lake, hoping for someone to come and save her. Just before she lost consciousness she could see her savior diving into the freezing cold water after her.
That was the last thing she saw before everything went dark…
Sindell cursed Mara's name. The girl was becoming more trouble than the gold he was being paid would be worth. There didn't seem to be any lengths she would go to just to rid herself of him. He almost wanted to let her wander around on her own, and would probably let her if it was daylight, but when the nocturnal creatures emerge, the wilderness of Skyrim becomes even more dangerous. He needed to find her.
As he finished his walk around Solitude's parimeter, Sindell saw Ansen and Felsi leaving the gates, both on horseback. They were geared-up, seemingly ready for combat, and began down the road in Sindell's direction.
"Where are you two going?" Sindell asked.
"A job just came in that I needed help with," Felsi responded.
As Felsi spoke Sindell noticed out of the corner of his eye two other horses strutting their way out of Solitude as well. One ferried Dathus' two children, Mikal and Berta, and the other carried another older Sparrow, Victor.
Sindell looked back to Felsi and asked. "It requires five Sparrows? Sounds like fun."
"What're you up to?"
Sindell took one more look at the ridgeline, and sighed. "Just taking a little walk."
"Well, the sun is just begining to rise," Felsi said, looking to the horizon, "so we should get going. Daylight's a terrible thing to waste."
"Good luck, Sparrows," Sindell said.
As the Sparrows went down the road, Sindell decided to follow his gut and search in the forest. He seriously doubted that Mara was dumb enough to wander around in the woodland alone, but figured taking a look wouldn't hurt. As soon as he he stepped off of the main road, he noticed brown fur hanging from the outstretched branches of a tree. It looked to be fox fur, the exact same material Mara's coat was made of.
"Damn that girl..."
Sindell grabbed a tight hold on his mace's handle and ventured further into the woodland. It wasn't long before he discovered the tracts that she left in her wake, along with the two sets of tracts that the wolves that followed her left. Sindell followed them all the way to the icy lake, where they ended. In the middle of the water he could see her coat floating.
He knew this water was much too cold for Slaughterfish, so if she fell in sometime within the last few minutes, Mara could still be alive. Sindell shed the heaviest parts of his gear and dived in. He let himself float beneath the surface, eyes scanning the bottom of the lake for any sign of Mara. He saw none, no body, no pieces of clothing, nothing.
Sindell quickly returned to the surface and swam over to her coat. Wrapped around the fur garment was the belt that carried her small dagger, the one he gave to her once they arrived in the Fatherland. Sindell got himself out of the freezing cold water, coat in hand, and started a fire near the lake. He sat before the burning flame, lit by magic, contemplating his next move.
She could still be alive, he knew, but Sindell had no idea where he could start searching. He also wondered why she wasn't wearing her coat. The only way he'd find her indefinitely is with some help from someone who was a little better at tracking than he was.
The Dark Elf rose and headed back towards Solitude. The only person Sindell knew that owned a capable tracking dog was Talia.