Cearbhail: I really liked this chapter. I will not spoil it. I will not.

Dear journal,

I cannot believe it's been a year already.

You'd think that marrying Asger would have been a bit of a journey but boy…has it been a journey. I think we've been a part of every major guild with the exclusion of the Dark Brotherhood. Oh wait…yeah we did work for them for a second or two. Nothing major just…helped a few assassins escape from prison. Yeah, it happened.

Cecilie is happily returning to her time, now that Asger and I are married and now that I'm 3 months along. Since she hadn't vanished, she figured her job was done and she could go home. Today is Asger and I are going on a short vacation. We just want to get away from all the drama and people asking for favors. I'm sure one of our so many strong fighting friends can handle Skyrim's safety for one week. I am so excited to get away for a while.

Lydia..

…

I closed my journal. Riding in a carriage felt nice for once. We usually got around by walking. During all those times we'd run into bandits, hundreds of wolves. If you could think of it, we ran into in.

I was looking out one of the windows to the carriage. The mountains looked beautiful this time of year. It was what passed for spring in Skyrim. The ground was only covered in 36 inches of snow, instead of the normal 120 inches.

I felt the nice cold breeze brush across my skin. It was perfect. The sky was clear and yet there was still a small flurry that seemed to just drop from the sky with a light breeze carrying it. It was almost like having a constant mist blow on your face.

Asger was sitting back, taking in the air as well. It had been a long time since the two of us had a chance to just…relax. Our carriage was heading towards Cyrodiil, to Asger's hometown: Anvil. We were going to spend our vacation out next to the beach of Anvil. Maybe take a trip up to the lighthouse. Heck, we were planning on going up to Aldmeri City, to watch the arena. One of our old friends was a real contender and she wanted us to go watch her. Mjoll had a good role as an arena champion. You know, once she was captured by the Thalmor and taken back to Aldmeri City to fight for her life. After 100 wins she was supposed to win her freedom. I bet you can guess what really happens after 100 wins. She dies. That's how she wins her freedom.

I had never been down to Cyrodiil and couldn't believe that I was being able to go down. Just being able to leave Whiterun was something, now I'm leaving my own country. How many native-born Nords the past few years can say that they've been down to Anvil, or Aldmeri City? Probably a lot, but none in my family. Well, except for my husband at least. Oh wait…he's not a native-born. That's right, he's a Cyrodiil breed. Oh well…I'll manage somehow.

As a breeze blew over my dress, I started fussing with it again. I just wasn't used to wearing a dress. This was a special dress too; Altmer silk. It was the finest material, always depicted as colorful flowers patterns. Mine was a light blue design with white flowers that just seemed to flow across the dress. Asger was actually the one who picked it out. So, I got it for him. He couldn't take his eyes off of me since. I also had my hair pulled up in a tight bun, which for some reason made him blush deeply. I think it's because it makes my neck look bigger. I'm not sure.

Asger was still staring out the window, lost in his own world. He finally blinked away any image playing in his eyes. He looked over at me and said, "So, ready for the best vacation in the world?"

I nodded. "Yes. We've worked very hard and I'm glad we can take this time to be together." I said, moving myself to sit right next to him.

He smiled. "True, we have been working hard, although I can barely say that the past few days have been as painful as some of the other things we've done. I don't find it hard to WAKE UP, like I did so much in the past."

I looked up at him. The way he talked, the way he acted…it was like he was suddenly a much more mature Asger. I wonder if I ever noticed him change…or if it just happened. Thinking back to all the times I've noticed his demeanor, I could never tell if he was joking or being serious the whole time. It would seem that he was purposely impatient, and slightly non-cognitive to other people around him. He seemed to exist in his little bubble, playing his instrument, or making playful banter with anyone around him. But even if for one second he saw something he thought was wrong or immoral, he would suddenly become this stronger, more determined person who would punch through a mountain if it meant completing his goal.

It was the combination of these two things that made me fall in love with him. The two sides of Asger: Go-with-the-flow Asger and I-believe-in-this Asger. Staring at the Asger in front of me, his bright emerald eyes glittering with the sunset casting a spell over them, was not at all any of the Asgers I've come to know and love. He was both of them combined. He looked playful but mature and confident. It just made me love him more. So, I leaned in, grabbed him by the back of his head, and pulled him in for a kiss.

A few hours passed by and we found ourselves exhausted. It was time we took a break. The carriage itself felt overheated and I needed to get out for a bit, just to let the cold air cool me off.

I stepped out of the carriage, after making sure my dress was back on properly and my hair was at least looking manageable. We were halfway to Anvil, stopping in Bruma to take a short break and get something to eat. My poor stomach was hurting. We couldn't do anything past kissing because I'm pregnant and we didn't want to endanger anything. I mean, Cecilie was still fresh in our minds and everything she went through just to make sure she was born could not be wasted just because I'm hormonal.

Asger followed right behind me, surprised at how fast he felt like taking he robes off again. "Jeez, it's so hot here."

"Hot?" A guard asked. "Do you not see all the ice? WAKE UP! This is Bruma! Coldest town in all of Cyrodiil."

Asger smiled. "Yeah…we're from Skyrim." He patted the guard on his shoulder. "But it's ok. I'm sure your thin blood makes for better adjustment to warm weather than ours does." He stepped further in the town. "So, where can we go eat?"

The guard pointed down at the tavern just off to our left. "Right there. They serve really good lamb, just so you know. I go there first thing in the morning to get my coffee. Just what I need in the morning when I need to WAKE UP!"

Lamb? What in Oblivion was a lamb?

I pulled Asger's sleeve. "Um…what's lamb?"

He looked surprised, "You know…sheep."

"Sheep?" I asked, just as confused. I never heard of anything called a…sheep before.

The guard crossed his arms. "It's a four-legged animal covered in wool."

"Oh…" I said. "Like a mammoth?"

The guard looked confused. "What's in Oblivion is a mammoth?"

Asger scratched his head. "No…not like a mammoth…like a goat."

"So, we're eating goat?" I asked.

"NO….it's sheep. It's just small like a goat." Asger said, bringing his hands down to his knees. "They only get this big."

I nodded, now having an image of a dog-sized mammoth being brought up to our table. I had no idea what to expect. So, Asger took my hand and we made our way over to the tavern, the guard still at the entrance scratching his head, "What is a mammoth?"

I looked back at him and smiled. "It's a lot like a sheep, only as tall as your buildings."

He rubbed the top of his head. "Sounds lame!" He said, calling out to me before we settled into the tavern.

…

We had finally sat down and started placing our orders. A Breton had come by, with a quill and parchment to take our orders. She looked over the two of us and said, "What will you be having tonight? The house recommends our Goblin Surprise as tonight's specialty combo. It's a stew mixed with potatoes, carrots, and some deer meat. The main dish is a salad of lettuce, carrots, primrose leaves, with small slices of strawberries. To drink we recommend the Foxglove Mead. It's our special WAKE UP drink, for when you need a good SLAP IN THE FACE. It's a special nectar from the foxglove plant that is known to grow only around the parts of south-eastern Cyrodiil, right near the Nibenay/Blackwood territories. It's imported of course; we can't grow our own in these frigid temperatures."

Some of the words that came out her mouth, like wake up, and slap in the face…they seemed stressed, focused. I had been noticing this for a while now. Everyone kept saying wake up, wake up. Why? I wasn't tired, I wasn't falling asleep. But the words felt like they were directed specifically to me. The waitress seemed to wait on me, looking over at me with her wide smile. Asger smiled just as big as she did.

I looked over at Asger, who looked like he understood everything that was just said. He nodded. "Yeah, all those sound fine. I would also like some mutton for the lady. You see…she's never had sheep before."

The Bretton smiled and bowed to me. "Well, I am happy to serve you your first mutton, on the house."

…

Dinner went by surprisingly fast. I thought that it would not, that I was going to be stuck in my head-spinning adventure of getting lost in all the food I was getting myself into. The foxglove nectar was delicious. I had never tasted anything that tasted so sweet and bitter before. The strawberries, a bright red fruit it seemed, was also tasty and sweet. I never expected to find fruits like this before. What was really surprising was the small flat brown slab of meat that was tossed onto my table. The Breton stood by, her face wide with a smile.

I took a bite of my mutton and almost instantly I was lost in a soft, flaky meat that just melted in my mouth. It was tough at first, but once my mouth stopped caring about the chewing, my taste-buds were taking me on a journey where all I wanted to do was go find a mammoth and eat it. First thing on my agenda when I get back home to Skyrim.

Once dinner was done, Asger and I got back into our carriage and proceeded with our journey to Anvil. All the snow quickly seemed to melt away and was replaced with various colorful flowers. I couldn't help but look at all of them. Even the lakes and rivers looked beautiful.

Asger smiled at my shocked face. "Lydia, you need to WAKE UP and smell the roses. Seriously, WAKE UP." He said.

I sighed and looked out the window. Night had suddenly fallen all around us. It was dark, the carriage was no longer moving. I turned to face Asger, a sudden feeling of dread washing over me. "Asger? Do you know what's happening?"

Asger smiled in his relaxed manner. He opened his mouth and started talking but…there were no words coming out. He continued to talk and talk, as if he didn't notice that he wasn't making sound. Then, the cabin started stretching out, pulling Asger back into a far-away shadow place. I reached out to grab him, but he seemed to ignore anything I tried to do. He just kept talking with that big goofy grin on his face.

"WAKE UP!"

A mental image of someone grabbing onto my shoulders and giving me a hard push and pull filled my mind. It wasn't anyone I recognized, this voice high-pitched and somehow penetrating to my soul. I fought to look around. I was sitting alone in an abandoned carriage.

"WAKE UUUPPP!" The high-pitched call came again.

Slowly, I felt the world around me shatter. I felt myself falling into my body, my head spinning. When I opened my eyes, I saw the filthy Khajiit standing over me. She looked slightly worried but did not express any sign of relief that I was now awake.

I rose up, my head spinning so fast that I thought I was going to lose it. When gravity started having a meaning in my dictionary, I looked around. Everyone was passed out on the ground. I looked up at the ceiling, seeing a pink and green mist hovering over our heads. I felt so light-headed that I thought that I wasn't going to be able to hold on. The Khajiit slipped a ring over my finger and said, "Here…this helps."

The world suddenly stopped. She purred at me and said, "It nullifies poison."

I nodded. "Thanks." I looked at the ring. It was a simple amethyst/silver ring. It must have been enchanted.

She smiled and started slipping the rings over everyone else. "You fed me. We're even."

Cearbhail: So, how many people saw that coming? No, it was not a glimpse of the future, but an overdose on the Miasma gas...