Chapter 29: Tali's Journey in Nirn

As hours passed by, after the families, friends, children, and lovers thought lost were reunited, they thought about the one who made all of this possible and the burden that was now on his soul. Those who did not believe in an afterlife or God(s) truly exist were now faced with a sobering dilemma about the choices they have made in life as the existence of souls and gods are now made known to them. Some in the galaxy started to pray to those who could hear them or the one(s) they believed in already. The citizens, who prayed, faced their god(s) and those who could hear them in a new light that they are truly there and that there were no excuses to dismiss their presence anymore. Some were afraid, but most were thankful to their deity(s) since they could finally live in peace, even after the trials they had faced in their lives, especially in recent months. Those who were the most emotionally impacted by Malen's courageous actions in admitting the truth and taking responsibility prayed that he would wake.

Tali didn't want to let Malen go, but Vaermina convinced her that he needed to rest and that her tears would only further burden his soul. Vaermina used her powers of reality warping to create a mansion/ modern house in the side of a strong mountain side that overlooks the sea. After Vaermina made sure that the house she thought of and made for Tali and Malen was to at least Tali's loving, Vaermina took Malen from Tali's reluctant arms and carried him up a set of glass steps into the master bedroom that has marble flooring, a columned patio overlooking the ocean, and satin sheets of white and gold.

Tali sat in a chair, next to the bed, and watched as Vaermina took off Malen's magic satchel and cloths. She placed the satchel on the ground and dressed Malen in purple silk robes with gold string tied gently around the waste. Vaermina picked the satchel back up and went to the armory room downstairs in the basement of the mansion like house. She placed the unique armors on mannequins, the unique weapons in glass displays, and placed all of the other weapons and armor that can easily be made at a forge in a chest. While she put away all of the weapons and armor, Vaermina spoke softly to herself.

Vaermina:" You have carried these for far too long my dearest brother."

Vaermina went back upstairs into the living room and bedrooms (there are at least 6 bedrooms in the house) and placed the books in the satchel on to bookshelves, the random objects in another chest in a closet, hung his cloths in the master bedroom closet, and placed the edible ingredients and food in the kitchen.

The Quarian admirals, Legion, and Tali's parents arrived a few hours after Vaermina had put away all of Malen's belongings. Tali didn't pay much attention when they entered the bedroom where the greatest paragon they have ever known lay dormant, his soul suffocating under the weight of his responsibility and dread. As the small crowd gathered around Malen and Tali, Raan contacted the Normandy on her Omni tool.

Raan:" Shepard. I think you should come to Rannoch, bring the crew with you. I think they will want to be here." She said solemnly

Shepard:" *holding back his tears* That would be the best thing to do right now. A lot of us, if not all of us, here are… "contemplating" things." He said as he ended the call.

Due to the troubles of the relays now being defunct, Shepard was about to resort to giving Sheogorath some cheese, but he offered his assistance before Shepard could make the offer. When asked why he, the Mad God, would do something charitable, he replied:

:" Just because I'm crazy does not mean I have no sense of decency, respect, and compassion. I'd rather have this end on a happier note instead of a sad one. Simple sadness brings out a certain sanity that I just can't stand, and I don't like sad endings to good stories. This one is on the house. Call me when things are a little more pleasant." He said as he teleported the Normandy and its crew to Rannoch.

Some of the present company surrounding Malen and Tali wanted to say a few words to Malen, but Raan insisted that they wait for the Normandy crew to arrive before they gave their respects.

After half an hour had passed, the Normandy crew had arrived and also surrounded the bed as best they could. Tali's father was the first to speak as he knelt by the bed.

Rael:" You have fought for and protected me, my race, my home, and my daughter… more than I ever have as my time as an admiral. On behave of the Quarian people… please wake up Malen. Tali needs you… you, who have been a better man to my daughter than I ever have. You… who I don't deserve the privilege of calling….Son."

Rael breaks down in front of everyone as he cries profusely on the back of Malen's left hand. Kana raps her arms around Rael and gently cries with him as the embrace each other. Tali tries to hold back her tears, but Vaermina can tell that she can't hold them much longer and decides to pull Tali away from the bedroom. As Tali was led away, some of the others in the bedroom had their own words to say to Malen.

Shepard:" I only saw you as an unbreakable warrior as I tried to know you over the months, but now I have been shown who you really are underneath your armor. We are not so different you and I. We both have fought for so long and we are both tired of fighting, but it was not the fighting that broke you. No, it was knowing how the citizens of the galaxy could react to the truth that you had to tell them and the fear that all that you tried so hard to strive for on the behalf of others would fall apart into nothing. I'm so very sorry Malen, that you had to carry so much of this galaxy's burdens, and the worst part of all for me is that I don't know how to help left them for you."

Miranda:" You told me a lesson about humanity on the Normandy months ago. I didn't really heed much of it when you left, but now I feel a sense of true, painful irony as I look at you lying there and as I reflect upon myself and my past. Malen, even though you are not human, you have more humanity in you than any of us here."

They said as each knelt to Malen's bedside.

With Vaermina and Tali:

Vaermina:" Tali. I know you want to be with your husband, but you can't burden yourself and him."

Tali:" I know but…."

Vaermina places a hand on her right shoulder.

Vaermina:" I know Tali. No one is asking you to leave him. Malen needs his rest now Tali."

Vaermina contemplates a way to get Tali's mind off of staying at the house, and soon figures one out.

Vaermina:" Perhaps while Malen is sleeping, you could visit the places he has been on Nirn. You know, walk in his footsteps so to speak." She said with a smile.

Tali:" You mean follow the path of his life on his home world?"

Vaermina:" You might find a little bit of closure and things of sentimental value there."

Tali:" That sounds good, but I don't know where Nirn is."

Vaermina opens a portal behind her that shows a dense rain forest/swamp area on the other side.

Vaermina:" I cannot go with you due to the barrier between Mundus and Oblivion, but you can since you are not Daedra."

Tali steps towards the portal but is a little hesitant. Vaermina hugs Tali.

Vaermina:" Don't worry. I'll watch over him. That's a promise from a god, a friend, and a sister." She says with a warm smile.

Tali ponders this and realizes that they really are sisters, in-laws maybe, but sisters none the less. Tali returns the embrace and thanks Vaermina

Tali:" How will I get back?"

Vaermina:" Just ask me and I will be able to hear you and I'll open the way back."

Tali nods her head and enters the portal into Nirn.

Nirn: Black Marsh:

Tali lands on muddy ground with her feet. Insects buzz all around her out of their curiosity to this strange figure. Wild and unusual birds squawked and chirped in the distance. Tali could smell that the ocean was close by even with all the other smells in the swamp. Tali got a feel for her surroundings as she looked all around herself and spotted a wooden hut just behind her. Tali felt intuition telling her that this was where Malen was born. Using her aura sense, Tali glimpsed the remnants of a dragon's soul in the hut even after almost 37 years of the soul not being present there.

Tali:" This is where he was born, humble beginnings I think." She said as she entered the small hut.

There was only a leather and moss rug that acted as a door into the hut. There were two old looking mats on the ground that acted as beds. The house looked abandoned for years if not decades.

Tali:" Perhaps giving up their son was too much for them to stay here, though he did say that it was bitter sweet for them."

Tali couldn't find any signs of where Malen's parents could have gone. Tali decided to leave the hut and pursue the path that Malen was taken when he just hatched. The muddy path was not a long one as she soon arrived to a small, wooden, docking area. At the end of the wooden platform was a broken egg that looked too large to be a bird egg. Tali knew that this was Malen's birth egg and decided to take it with her even though it has rotted away a good deal over the years. Tali took a small paddle boat that was on the right side of the dock and made her way through the swamp to the rock face that held the desecrated dark brotherhood sanctuary.

Tali got off the boat when she got to the small island in the middle of a small lake that had a large rock face in the center of it. The dark skull door was still intact even after almost everyone inside was killed decades ago.

Skull Door:" What is the greatest gift of life?" the door asked in a cold whisper.

Tali didn't feel comfortable giving the answer the door required, but she answered anyway.

Tali:" Death my brother."

The door swung slowly inward.

Skull Door:" Welcome home." It said in a cold whisper.

The inside of sanctuary was dark and had the unmistakable smell of rotting corpses. Tali grunted from the awful smell, but made her way inside. Tali cast a ball of light spell so that she could see inside the corridors of the sanctuary. Tali did not find anything of interest in Malen's quarters, or in most of the rooms of the sanctuary. Tali entered the sparring arena where Malen made his defiant act of rebellion on the sanctuary that held him for 14 years. The smell was the worst in this area of the sanctuary since it is where most of the corpses were. Tali searched for one body in particular and found it.

Tali was slightly surprised that the body of Malen's teacher was decayed to the bone in only a few decades of time. She lifted his skull off the ground and held it in her right hand and began speaking to it.

Tali:" A part of me truly despises you for what you did to my husband, but without the training you gave him, he might not have survived in the wild for so long. I neither love nor hate you, but I guess the closest feeling that I have for you is a small respect for you."

Tali places the skull into a satchel around her waist that had the same limitless capacity as Malen's.

Tali leaves the sanctuary and heads on the road out of Black Marsh and to the boarders of Cyrodiil. Tali made her way stealthy as to avoid alarming the locals. Tali takes her time as she relives the paths that her husband has taken on Nirn. The sky was filled with so many stars during the night and two planets in close proximity to Nirn, and the sky was clear and calm in the mornings as she made her way.

After a week or two of traveling light footed, Tali made it to the boarders of Cyrodiil and soon found an abandoned hut on the edges of a small river. Tali knew this to be the hut that Malen lived in for 20 years of his life. The hut was surprisingly stable and in shape considering its location. Tali entered the hut and found a small bed, one wooden shelf, and a pit for a fire. Tali took the pillow and blanket on the bed and placed them into the magic satchel on her waist. Before Tali left the abandoned hut she took a small bow and made a respectful prayer on the hut.

On her way to the imperial city, Tali was met with beasts and men of all sorts and natures. The animals that attacked her were simple burnt to a crisp in seconds, and the people that tried to steal from her got their arms and legs broken and almost torn off and left to their fate afterwards. Tali did not want to enter the city, but see the entrance that Malen tried to enter and was ejected from. The entrance was guarded by too well armored imperial guards that gave the feel of a military control city, which a lot of it became after the oblivion crisis since no true air was ever crowned. Before Tali turned around and walked away after envisioning Malen's ejection, she felt as if someone was watching her from a close distance. Tali turned around and saw and man with brown hair wearing gold colored robes. The man looked a bit old, but still had a sense of youth about him. The man approached Tali with a look of curiosity and concern on his face.

Robed man:" I wanted to talk with you sooner when I could tell something both familiar and unknown about you, but it took me some time to be able to speak with you here." He said with compassion and concern.

Tali:" umm… can you explain what you mean?" She asked confusedly.

Robed man:" My mannerisms are odd to most people even if they do not know them, but I should explain myself with better clarity. It is hard for me to be able to interact with those who don't live where I live, but when I "saw" you, I knew that I must speak with you, you.. who feel both similar yet different from myself. The reason why I wish to speak with you is that I sense a lingering aura on you that is of someone I thought lost to me not so long ago."

Tali pondered what the man was saying. With the aid of her unlocked, unlimited potential, mind, she deduced that he must mean Malen.

Tali:" He is not here… not on this world anyway. He is…. Resting…. He is so very tired."

The man could instantly tell what Tali meant by that and his face became solemn.

Robed man:" Thank you for telling me mam."

The man bowed and walked away as he slowly vanished into nothing.

Tali was confused as to who the man could be and decided to drop it for now as she made her way to Skyrim.

Can any of you guess as to who the robed man is? Tell me your guesses in the reviews. Give all of the guesses that you can think of! I will make the mentions in the next chapter as to who got it right!

Tali took longer to get to Skyrim since she started having the early stages of pregnancy, but she didn't let that stop her from following in her husband's footsteps. After a month of traveling on foot and site seeing on the way, she finally made it to the ruined town of Helgan. Much of the town was burnt to the ground, but the stone structures that were not toppled over were still standing, though not pristinely. Tali envisioned the ensuing chaos as Alduin burnt the town to ashes. Tali soon stumbled upon the head stone where Malen was to be wrongfully executed by beheading by axe. A small pile of ash was in front of the stone where heads would probably roll to when the deed was done.

Tali placed herself in her Husband's shoes as she stood in front of the stone and slowly knelt down to the stone. She places her head on the stone and looks to her left and she envisions the executioner raising his axe over his head, but gets stopped by Alduin's shout. Tali gets up and leaves the ruined town as she makes her way to the other parts of Skyrim that Malen went to. Tali decides to visit the mages guild, companions, and thieves guild before heading to high Hrothgar. She had to kill wolves, trolls, bears, vampires, dumb ass thieves and bandits that can't take the hint that they are unimaginably outclassed, and the occasional dragon that was stupid enough to attack her or get in her way. Her visits to the guilds were pleasant and mournful, but were otherwise not that eventful. Tali made her way up to high Hrothgar and killed wolves and frost trolls on the way up.

When she made it inside High Hrothgar, she was greeted by the Greybeards who could tell that she was no ordinary woman by any means. Tali asked them if she could see Paarthurnax, but was told no. Tali shouted:

"Paar Thur Nax"

The response was almost immediate

Paarthurnax:" It has been a long time since I have heard from a Fron of Kaan. Meet me on Monahven."

The Greybeards were bewildered to hear that their guest is of the divines and immediately permitted her to go to the throat of the world. Tali ascended the mountain and reached the throat of the world. Paarthurnax soon landed on the word wall on the mountain top.

Paarthurnax:" Unslaad Krosis. They did not mean to be rude when they prevented audience with me. I am their In after all. Why do you wish to speak with me?"

Tali:" I wanted your advice on something since you are kindred to my husband, the Dovahkiin."

Paarthurnax:" The Argonian Dovahkiin is your Ahmul?"

Tali:" Yes."

Paarthurnax:" What do you wish to ask?"

Tali explains to Paarthunax what happened to Malen as he currently slumbers under the weight of his burdens.

Paarthurnax:" hmmm Aal Siiv Drem. I am not sure how to help you. But there is always hope. Be his Aak and he will find his way. Koggan Fron of Kaan."

Paarthurnax took to the skies after that.

Tali:" Vaermina. I'm ready to head back now."

A portal opened beside her that led back to the house where Malen was resting and Tali entered through it.

Author's notes:" I'm very sorry that took me so long to get to. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and I hope you will continue to enjoy the story!"