Searching for Memories 21

Sorscha's Men

It was all a dream. Just a vivid, terrible, wonderful dream, and none of it happened. When I open my eyes, I'm going to be on my bedroll in a cave somewhere on the Aalto, but alone—no dragons, no talking word walls, no stolen memories, no vampires, no—

No Farkas.

Maybe I'll just stay asleep.

As Sorscha became more aware, she realized that her face stung. Wherever she was, it was definitely not on a bedroll in a cave. She was in a comfortable bed, surrounded by the scent of woodsmoke, and someone was holding her hand.

Sweet Lady Mara, please let it be him, she prayed.

"Wolf," she mumbled.

Farkas squeezed her hand. "I'm right here, love."

She opened her eyes to find herself in a big, soft bed in the center of a plush suite. Even before she looked across the room and saw Ulfric dozing in a chair by the roaring fireplace, she knew she was in the Palace of the Kings. Farkas sat on the bed next to her, feet bandaged.

"What happened?" she asked, pointing to his feet.

"You were always better at seeing traps than I was," he said sheepishly. "They're actually a lot better. Ulfric's healer is good."

"How long was I out?"

"Couple of days."

"And Bryn? Where's he?"

Farkas hooked a thumb over his shoulder, and Sorscha looked past him to see Brynjolf sprawled in a chaise, fast asleep. He was still so thin, with dark circles under his eyes, but the bruises and swelling on his face had faded and he seemed to have some of his color back.

"Lying here warm and comfy, surrounded by my men. I've never felt safer. Looks like everybody is sleeping but you."

"I slept for about a day, but I'm rested now." He caressed her cheek, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw and brushing her lips gently. "I was so scared. I thought I'd lost you."

Sorscha reached up and kissed him, then rested her forehead against his, relishing the closeness. "I promised I wouldn't leave you again," she whispered.

"How do you feel?"

She laid her head back down on the pillow. "My face hurts. I guess I have some pretty bad scarring."

"Hodlin—he's the priest of Talos who's been caring for us—healed the worst of it, but you will have some scars."

"Maybe I'll visit that face sculptor in the Ragged Flagon. Guess what?" she said with a smile. "I remembered."

Farkas's face lit up. "Everything?"

"Everything. I saw you once before, you know."

He nodded. "In Warmaiden's."

"You remember that?"

"Of course, I do. Yours was the most beautiful face I'd ever seen. You don't forget something like that."

Ulfric raised his head and opened his eyes.

"I did know you were my father," she told him. "I figured it out when I was in my teens."

Ulfric smiled in response.

"Do you know who they were?" Farkas asked her.

"They were worshipers of Alduin."

"What?" Ulfric yelped, sitting up straight in his chair. "Why would anyone do that?"

"I asked Forraderi that very question. He didn't give me an answer."

"Did they bring him back?"

"No, he was sent forward in time by the Nords who defeated him. This is just where he showed back up. Onde and Forraderi read the signs and waited for his return. They've been serving him ever since."

"They're the ones who took your memories?"

"Aye, Onde did it. I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and they caught me and discovered I was Dragonborn. Destiny, I guess."

"You knew you were the Dragonborn before they took your memories, then?"

"Only that night. I didn't even know what it meant yet."

"What about the vampires?" said Farkas.

"I don't know."

"I can help with that," Brynjolf said sleepily. He got up from the chaise and came over to the bed, sitting on the end. "Forraderi wanted to learn their spell to drain life, and it just so happened that the cave next door was a vampire lair. Plus, with all the vampiric activity in Skyrim lately, he was able to abduct plenty more subjects for his experiments. Hodlin figures the spell, plus using your energy for your Shout, pretty much did you in."

Sorscha nodded. "That's exactly it."

Bryn shook her foot affectionately. "So what now?"

"Now she heals," Farkas declared.

"I'm healed. Now you two heal. Then we go back to get our gear."

"Already done. Annekke and Verner helped us get you here, and then she went back to the lair."

"Annekke? You're joking."

"Oh, no. She was quite adamant. I think she misses adventuring."

"Did she get the scroll?"

"Aye."

"Then that's what we do next. Afraid or not, I need to finish this. When the two of you are well enough to travel, we'll take Bryn back to Riften and head for the Throat of the World. It's time to read the Elder Scroll."

Characters and settings c. 2011 Bethesda Softworks LLC

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