As it turned out, Fish's house was incredibly difficult to find.
Solitude was not laid out like Whiterun or Winterhold. It didn't have a singular road through the middle, but instead was situated like a series of separate rooms all jumbled together. The high walls made it difficult to see anything around any corner. Kiir and Driem ended up at the docks at least four times, the latter two earning them wary glances from the guards.
They even ended up at what turned out to be the Blue Palace, where the High Queen lived. The guards there gave them more than just wary glances.
The sun had started to set and Kiir was standing amid what she figured was a market center. Most of the shops had closed and owners were locking up their stores.
"The man said it was just passed the armory," Kiir huffed. "We passed the armory and I still don't see anything that looks like a red roof or an iron balcony."
"Maybe it was left at the bakery?" Driem turned around. "Shit, where was the bakery again?"
In the dark the city looked entirely different. The only thing lighting the streets now were lamps, shadows making all of the buildings look more foreign than they had an hour earlier.
"I swear we've been here already."
Kiir shook her head. "No, this is new. I doubt it's the residential district, but I don't think we've been here."
"No, we definitely have." Driem pointed to the side of one of the buildings. "See that rock? I kicked it over there the first time we passed through. Though, I think we were walking the other way."
"I don't even see a rock." Kiir strained her eyes to see whatever Driem was pointing at but all she saw was black. "We should see if we can find a tavern."
Driem chuckled. "'Find' being the issue."
Kiir turned in a circle - once, twice. Driem might have found where they were familiar, but Kiir did not. Truth be told, they'd been standing there so long that Kiir had forgotten which direction they'd come from.
"Excuse me?"
Kiir startled at the sudden deep voice. She turned, seeing an Imperial guard making his way over.
He had a full face mask, so the light from the torch he carried only glinted off the metal surface. His other hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
"Yes?" Kiir was suddenly nervous.
"It's nearly curfew," the guard said as he drew close. "You all should be heading home."
Kiir looked to Driem. Curfew?
Driem caught Kiir's eye before looking back at the guard. "There's a curfew in order?"
The guard nodded. "Streets need to be cleared by eleven."
"Is that a normal thing here?" Kiir had never heard of a city as large as Solitude, one large enough to get lost in, ever imparting a curfew.
"Lately it is. Vampires," the guard said matter-of-factly. "There's been an outbreak of Sanguine Vampiris. Started about a month ago. Anyone out this late is either a vampire or about to become one."
"Vampires?" Kiir asked slowly. That had been the last thing she'd expected to hear. Dragons, werewolves, and now vampires?
Driem looked equally as confused. "An... outbreak? Like, a coven moved in?"
"Coven?" The guard shook his head. "No, the disease came in on some ships from Gods know where. To make things worse, the cure has to be imported and we don't have enough for everyone." He glanced over his shoulder a moment. "It's getting late. The inn is just up that way. Do you all need an escort, or?"
Kiir nodded. "That'd be lovely."
"Actually," Driem held up a hand, "you wouldn't happen to know where Fish-In-The-Water's house is, would you?"
The guard paused a moment. He gestured in front of him. "It's just two blocks up that way."
"Two blocks...?" Kiir turned to look down the darkened street. What blocks?
"I can still escort you, if you'd like."
Kiir turned and nodded quickly. "Yes, please."
Fish's house did turn out to be just two blocks up the road. But when the guard pointed to the particular door that was his, Kiir realized why they had missed it so many times. It was built into the stone, underneath a balcony Kiir hasn't even realized was part of the same house.
I loathe this city's architecture, Kiir thought as she thanked the guard and wished him a good night.
Fish's house was ornate in every way, a marked change from the more 'village-esque' homes that Kiir had seen in Skyrim so far. The door knocker shaped like a crab was a touch Kiir hadn't expected. She took ahold of it and knocked twice.
A series of footsteps echoed from inside and stopped in front of the door. "Who is it?"
"Uh, I'd like to speak to Fish?" Kiir offered.
"Not what I asked. Who is this?"
"Kiir'Dun," Kiir replied.
"Last name?"
Kiir froze. She hadn't thought of a last name. How could she forget to think of a last name! She looked upwards for anything to spur her imagination. "Kiir'Dun... Storm...ir."
"Stormir?"
"Yes," Kiir answered quickly. She looked to the side at Driem, who wore a wry smile on her face.
The door in front of them swung open and a stout Bosmer women stood with one hand on her hip and the other on the door. She eyed Kiir and looked about to speak when she then saw Driem.
Then, the door was slammed shut.
Kiir stumbled back a little. She looked to Driem, whose face had turned gaunt. What was that about?
Again, there were footsteps on the other side of the door, but this time when it opened it was an Argonian. His face was partially bandaged, but he smiled when he saw her. "My apologies," he said, opening the door further. "Come in."
Kiir hesitated, looking to Driem, before crossing the threshold into the house. She ducked to keep from bumping her head on the low hanging lights.
The Argonian, who Kiir was assuming had to be Fish, closed the door behind Driem. "I'm sorry about that. Tukara is spirited."
Tukara! Kiir remembered that name now. She had been at the dragon fight in Whiterun and again at Jorrvaskr afterwards. She had thought the Bosmer looked familiar. "I'm sorry if I did anything to upset her."
"Nonsense," Fish replied. He waved over to a table nestled in his kitchen. "Come, sit. I know we have a lot to discuss."
Did they? Kiir didn't remember having spoken to Fish, outside their small conversation during the celebration at Jorrvaskr. She followed him into the kitchen and nearly ran into a massive Nord who'd been coming around the corner. Kiir skittered back and out of his way.
The Nord grunted and continued out of the room.
Fish chuckled. "Don't worry, Chief's always like that."
Kiir took his word for it, settling into a chair.
Fish sat across from her. "So, Kiir'Dun, yes?"
"Just Kiir."
"Well it's nice to meet you, Just Kiir." Fish smiled. "If I'm remembering correctly, the last time we met I was quite inebriated."
"Quite," Kiir replied.
Fish laughed. "Suffice to say, I wasn't able to properly introduce myself. Though I'm sure you already know my name so that time has likely passed."
Kiir nodded, unsure how to answer.
"But, now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I'm sure you didn't come here for a house call. How can I help you, Kiir?"
"Romanda sent me your way," Kiir started. "We had gone to Ustengrav, this old, Nordic tomb, to find a Horn. The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller. But by the time we got there, someone had already taken it."
Fish nodded along, placing a hand under his head to rest it on. "I don't know how much help I'll be in a manhunt."
Kiir shook her head. "It's not a man hunt. Not... exactly. The Horn can only be used by someone who can shout. You know, like a Thu'um?"
Fish hummed in agreement.
"I came here because Romanda said you might know, or know someone who might know, about any other people who can use shouts," Kiir continued. "There can't be that many right? People seem pretty freaked out when I do it."
"No, no, you're absolutely right. It's not a common skill." Fish paused. "There are certainly some people I can ask. I'm not sure how much help they'll be, but I can ask."
Kiir fidgeted in her seat. "How much would that cost?"
Fish looked surprised. His eyes opened wide, and then he laughed. "For the friend of a friend? Nothing. I think I would catch Romanda's wrath if I were to ask for coin."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, absolutely. But I won't be able to do anything until morning. I'm sure you heard about the curfew?"
Kiir nodded. "Vampires?"
"Vampires." Fish leaned back in his chair. Now that business had been dealt with, he relaxed. "And people are saying it came from a ship that arrived in my docks. That I didn't vet them properly."
Driem, who'd been silently leaning against the kitchen's entryway, spoke up. "I hadn't realized vampirism was a disease."
"Yeah, and a nasty one at that. It doesn't show any symptoms until it's too late. When people are fully changed, they've completely lost their minds and attack anyone and anything." Fish sighed. "I know some families are locking each other in separate rooms, in case one got sick."
"I'd think someone would know if they'd been bitten," Driem said. "That's kind of hard to miss."
Fish turned to her. "It's not just bites anymore. Any bodily fluid exchange can pass it on."
"Gods," Kiir murmured. She tried to think back to anything she might have touched. When was the last time she washed her hands?
"Just keep to yourself in the city and you should be fine. The guards have been doing a good job keeping the streets clear and the curfew, however annoying, has been working so far. It's just sad to know that even though there is a cure, there isn't enough to fix this." Fish stood from the table, brushing himself off. "But, enough of that. I have a few extra rooms you each can stay in. I don't want to send you out after curfew."
Kiir followed suit, standing and walking behind Fish to a bedroom. He opened the door and Kiir felt her eyebrows raise. She wasn't even sure this was a guest bedroom. Even with the multiple beds, it looked closer to what she'd imagine the master room would look like.
Long, draping curtains hung from each of the four windows in the room. The ceiling was high, something Kiir hadn't yet seen outside of the Isles save for a few temples and religious buildings. The room was well decorated with plants and paintings, and the room was lit with delicate light fixtures.
It was almost a perfect mix of simple, rugged Nordic architecture, with the ornate, detailed style of the Altmer.
"Make yourselves at home," Fish said. He waited by the door until both Driem and Kiir had made it inside. "I hope this is fitting for you both."
"Absolutely," Kiir replied. She turned and offered Fish a smile. "This is greatly appreciated."
Fish returned the smile and closed the door. "Sleep well!"
Kiir sat atop one of the beds, the one Driem hadn't yet taken, and pulled her bag off her back. She nearly forgotten she was carrying it. There were only a few things she had to her person now, something she'd only come to realize after packing up twice.
Driem had sprawled out on her own bed and was silent, staring at the ceiling.
"You alright?" Kiir asked, turning to face Driem's bed.
"Not really, no."
Kiir raised an eyebrow. "Care if I ask why?"
Driem then sat up, but she didn't look at Kiir. She kept her eyes trained on the floor. "Tukara is my sister."
Kiir choked on air, coughing until the moment passed. That had not been what she was expecting at all. "What?"
"She's my sister," Driem repeated. She seemed to have missed Kiir's choking fit or was ignoring it all together. "I haven't seen her in years, Kiir, and she slammed the door in my face."
"Maybe she had a bad day?" Kiir offered. "Or maybe it was me."
"It wasn't you. She didn't even say hello. Somehow, after all this time, I didn't expect she'd still be angry with me."
Kiir looked down at her hands. The break in Driem's voice made her hesitant to ask what had happened. She was an only child, she didn't really know a lot about how siblings worked. "You said you were from Valenwood, right?"
Driem finally looked up. "Yeah?"
"What is your sister doing in Skyrim?" Kiir asked. "Why are you in Skyrim?"
"Your guess is as good mine," Driem replied. "I have no idea when or why or how she's here. Me, I've been here for a long time now, but it's not like I came here with a purpose. I wandered around and just kind of ended up here. I probably would have moved on too if I hadn't met my wife, and now I have my kids."
Kids? Kiir scrunched her face up. "You have kids? Then what are you doing here, with me? Why aren't you home?"
Driem shook her head. "It's not like that. That just isn't me. My wife knows that. The kids we took in… they had nowhere else to go, and Moira takes care of them back home. I visit a lot. It's just how our family works."
"I see," Kiir said. Still, it was odd to think a mother leaving her children behind. But it would seem families in Skyrim were just different than families in the Isles. And if Kiir ever planned on living here, she'd have to get used to it. "Sorry if that came off harsh. I was just... surprised."
Driem waved her off. "It's fine. I know what works for me and my family, but I know how it sounds."
"I'd love to meet them," Kiir replied.
"Maybe someday." Driem smiled in a way that didn't quite touch her eyes. "For now you should get some rest."
"Right." Kiir got up and pulled back her blankets, settling into the sheets. She laid her head back and stared at the ceiling. These beds made the ones at Jorrvaskr feel like stone tablets. Kiir made a small, silent prayer to Auri-El before she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
