Author's note:

First things first, a huge thank you to all my readers, followers and favoriters, old and new alike :) Also, I thank KSausage, MeanE and Elspeth for their lovely reviews. In the previous chapter I tried to create a realistic argument where no one is completely right, so I was very pleased when I found out that you had different opinions about it. Also, I wanted to say that I'm sorry for upsetting many of you, but as Elspeth pointed out, Skyrim (and real life) sadly aren't very happy places. Yet, I suggest you saved your tears: this story still has a looooong way to go, so we'll have many other chances to see Agda and Steinarius interact with each other.

This new instalment shows us a huge turning point in our little innkeeper's life. Hopefully, it will also provide you with a nice surprise.

Two quick notes before the chapter begins: Wayrest is in High Rock; also, Kareti's figure is obviously ironical.

Enjoy!


26th of Sun's Height, 4E 202

As she looked at the cloudless sky, Agda sighed. The country around Wayrest was as beautiful as ever and over the previous weeks the young Nord had learned to appreciate the green slopes of the nearby hills and the ever-present smell of the sea. Nonetheless, the beauty of the landscape could do nothing to lift her spirits.

It had been almost two months since Agda left Skyrim to visit her brother. Rhygo had always been a healthy boy with huge brown eyes and a booming personality, he had always been fun and arty and joyful, he had always adored riding and laughing and living life at the fullest; as a consequence, his injury in a banal hunting incident had felt like a true mockery from the Divines.

When Agda'd first reached High Rock, she'd firmly believed that her brother was about to die. Luckily enough, the healers' appalling predictions didn't come true and after two long weeks Rhygo eventually came to. After his horse had broken his spine by throwing him off the saddle, however, the young Nord was now paralyzed from the hips down. Therefore, the heir to the Seafarer's family had lost part of the enthusiasm he had once nourished towards life.

Rhygo's injury had been a huge tragedy for Agda and her family. The boy spent the first month after his incident begging his parents to kill him, thus causing Leifur the Seafarer to undergo a mental breakdown. Kareti the Wise, instead, reacted to her son's disability by changing the plans related to the future of her family.

Of the three children of Leifur and Kareti Seafarer, Rhygo had always been the only one willing to inherit the family business. Yet, his usual merry mood had now been replaced by a fierce hatred towards all those who pitied him for his new condition – and his parents' customers all fitted into that category. As a consequence, the boy had seemingly lost his once fierce passion for trading. Given the circumstances, Kareti had been forced to rely on her two daughters to safeguard the future of her business.

Your sister Liara is too unreliable, whereas Rhygo is still too shaken to return working, the little Nord woman had sighed a few days earlier, as she was busy mending one of Agda's best cloaks. Since you've been raised to become a trader, I think it's only fair for you to take care of our shop, Agda. Also, as our eldest daughter, your father and I have decided that you'll be the one to inherit the business once we retire.

Agda had been shocked by that unexpected news, and she had been even more shocked when her mother had added that, given her new position as the heiress to a very wealthy family of traders, Agda was now supposed to be looking for a husband.

After all, your trip to Skyrim has showed us that Nords don't care for pretty girls who love alchemy and magic, Kareti had said with a shrug and a tiny smile. Given that fact, I believe you should definitely try your luck with a Breton. They're much more sensitive than the fighters from our land.

Agda had been annoyed by the way her mother had brushed off the qualities of the many Nord warriors she knew; nonetheless, the girl had soon agreed to resume the life she'd left behind after reaching Riverwood for the first time. After all, Kareti was completely right - Agda wasn't fit to handle the difficult life of the North, just like she wasn't fit to deal with the hateful personality of his prophesized savior.

There was a low cracking sound and the door to the terrace was opened by a short, plump woman with black curls and sweet brown eyes. As her mother approached her, Agda turned to look at her.

"Agda, you should stop wearing these sad colors", Kareti frowned while pulling a disgusted face at the black dress her daughter was sporting. "How will you find a husband if you keep on picking clothes that make you look even sicker than you actually are?"

Think of the devil, the girl snorted. Although Rhygo had been the one to hit his head after falling off a horse, it looked as though Kareti had gone mad in his stead. By now that plump woman was determined to force Agda to settle down.

"Mum, I'm not sick!", the girl protested as her mother got closer and tried to fix a golden pin on her dress. "And then, black underlines my pale complexion. Noble people are supposed to look pale, and I thought you'd always wanted your daughter to look like a noble".

"I might have changed my mind about that", Kareti chuckled. "By the way, you should go to work, dear. Perhaps today you'll finally find a good man who will fall in love with you and decide to become your husband".

Agda sighed. Kareti had once been a very wise and tactful woman, but Rhygo's injury had taken a hard toll on her mind and her principles.

"Mum, I'm only twenty-four", the girl wearily protested. "I still have plenty of time to find a husband and…"

"You're twenty-five, my dear – there's no use in lying about your age to your own mother. And by the way, Rhygo's fate has shown us that life is quick. I know that you're still young, but your father and I would like to leave this world after seeing our family line continue to the next generation. Liara prefers the company of cats to that of men, whereas Rhygo claims that he'll never get married. In these circumstances, you're our only safe chance at becoming grandparents. Therefore, you should try and get to it as soon as you can. The future of the family lies in your hands, my love!"

Agda looked at her mother with an astonished look on her face. A second later, she decided to follow her advice and head towards the city. At least, no one there would bother her about her life as an unmarried woman.


Agda looked around the cozy shop on the main street of Wayrest. Her parents had set up their business immediately after fleeing Anvil and had quickly managed to create a vast network of customers and suppliers. Moreover, Kareti the Wise had cunningly obtained the protection of the local ruler, who had solemnly vowed to protect the family from further Thalmor investigations. Thanks to those facts, the Seafarer's had already become one of the most fashionable and reliable shops in Stormhaven.

"You must be Kareti and Leifur's eldest daughter, right?"

The question forced Agda to abandon the book she was absent-mindedly reading. As the girl neared the counter of her shop, she was confronted with a short Breton with large green eyes and short greying hair.

"The name's Guillaume", the man smiled. "It's a pleasure to know the famous Agda of Anvil: your parents have told me a lot about you. Apropos, I'm sorry for what happened to Rhygo. That news really broke my heart".

Agda murmured a thank you, but couldn't bring herself to show the usual kindness she displayed with her other customers. There was something creepy about Guillaume, something that suggested she built a tall wall between her and that man.

"You do look like your mother", the Breton continued despite Agda's confused expression. "But you have your father's eyes".

In an attempt to be kind, Agda nodded and asked Guillaume what he needed. Her question was greeted by an unsettling grin.

"I'm simply in the mood for some small talks, my dear", the Breton said. "Kareti and Leifur adore it when I reach their shop and chat with them for a while".

Agda highly doubted those words, but decided to hide her skepticism. When Guillaume asked her for more information about her family, however, the girl frowned.

"I thought you were friends with them", she pointed out.

Guillaume chuckled, then told Agda that his memory had taken the unpleasant habit of erasing even the most important conversations from his mind. While fighting the urge to roll her eyes, the young girl decided to answer the man's questions. Her shop was usually crowded, but right then it looked as though the Divines wanted her to spend some time alone with that weird customer. Agda sincerely hoped someone would save her from that unpleasant situation.

"My father comes from a family of sailors", she said with a bored tone. "He is from Dawnstar and in his youth he often sailed back and forth between the Pale and Haafingar in order to sell mercury ingots. My mother instead was born in Morthal, but found her first job at the East Empire Company Warehouse, right outside Solitude. That's where she met my father".

"And then they somehow ended up in Anvil", Guillaume chimed in. "The destiny of men can be really unpredictable".

"My father fought in the Great War", Agda explained while fighting the urge to frown. Guillaume's excessive friendliness somehow made her unease. "He got injured near Anvil, so my mother went there to nurse him back to health. My parents soon fell in love with the city and started their business there".

Guillaume nodded.

"I see. You mainly trade in clothes, books and weapons, don't you?", he asked after a brief pause.

"We actually trade in everything", Agda replied. "Name a thing that can be legally sold, and we'll have it".

Guillaume stopped his questioning when another person entered the shop. When she recognized her mother, Agda sighed in relief. Thanks to her kindness, Kareti was a master at taking care of creepy customers.

A simple look from her daughter was enough to let the woman understand what Agda thought of Guillaume. Stifling a chuckle, Kareti greeted the Breton with an affectionate smile, then asked Agda to take care of the magic books that were waiting in the back of the shop for someone to examine them. The girl was happy to oblige.

"It's good to have you back, Kareti", Agda heard Guillaume tell her mother as soon as she took her leave. "And it was even better to meet your eldest daughter. Perhaps she'll need some help with those magic books, won't she?"

"Agda knows how to read, Guillaume, therefore she won't have any problem with her task", Kareti replied with a chuckle. "Also, she's quite good at magic. In addition, my daughter is an expert at brewing potions and can prepare the most delicious Horker Stew of Tamriel".

Agda frowned when she heard her mother describe her skills in such a blatant way. It almost looked as though Kareti was trying to underline the qualities of a product to a potential buyer.

"I take it that you precious jewel doesn't have a husband", Guillaume replied after a brief pause.

As predictable, those words caused Agda to deadpan. The Breton was too old for her, wasn't he?

"My beloved Agda still hasn't been taken", Kareti confirmed. "She's turned down all the proposals she's received so far".

Once again, Agda frowned. The only time a man had knelt in front of her, the poor fellow had been struck by an arrow in the knee. What proposals was her mother talking about?

Sadly enough, the girl couldn't make out Guillaume's reply. Nonetheless, Kareti's following laugh let her understand that the man had said something that her mother had greatly enjoyed.

A few minutes later, when the Breton finally left the shop, Agda eventually dared return to the counter. Kareti smiled, then walked up to her and carefully examined her attire.

"My love, you should wear your best clothes while you're at work", the older woman frowned. "Also, you should put some skin on display. How will you find a husband if you keep on hiding your assets?"

"I don't think I need any other pretender", the girl sarcastically replied. "After all, I've already received thousands of proposals, haven't I?"

Amused by Agda's offended expression, Kareti chuckled.

"I needed to praise your talents, my love", she told her daughter. "After all, no one wants to buy things that have been ignored by everyone else".

"Mum, I'm not a thing!", Agda cried in disbelief. "Also, I don't need a creepy guy like Guillaume to be interested in me. I can do better than that!"

Kareti's eyes lit up with an amused sparkle.

"Oh, really? I've been waiting for you to find a suitable partner for many years, Agda. Sadly enough, it looks like you do need some help on my part if we want you to settle down. Apropos, I'm glad that you met Guillaume. He's the owner of a very important inn in Wayrest and he has a son about your age. Father and I thought he could be a good match for you".

As she heard those words, Agda was petrified by horror.

"Mum, I don't want to marry a man I don't…"

"Shush", Kareti said while raising a finger in admonition. "Like it or not, you'll meet Guillaume' son before the end of the week".

Agda looked at her mother with an astonished look on her face – she probably needed to talk to a priest and get the demon of Forced Marriages out of her body before it could do any more damage.

When the girl tried to protest, Kareti hushed her with a smile - after all, she was sure that Agda and Didier Brigette would become the most admired couple of High Rock.


Later that week, as Agda took off her dancing gown and slumped down on her huge bed in the family villa right outside Wayrest, she snorted. The girl loved her parents, she really did, but she wasn't ready to sacrifice her happiness just because they wanted to see a new generation of Seafarers. She was ready to set her dreams of adventures aside and spend the rest of her life in their cozy shop in Wayrest, fine, but she had no intention of marrying the man Kareti had chosen for her.

As Agda tossed and turned in her bed, she sighed. She'd always dreamed of settling down and creating her own family, but she had never thought that her whole life would depend on that. She was a woman, sure, but she was also a decent mage, a good alchemist, a talented healer. There was much more to her than the simple physical ability to bear a child, but ever since her mother had announced that she was to inherit the family business, the girl felt as though everyone now regarded her only as the oldest heiress to Wayrest's richest family of traders.

Agda's unpleasant impression had intensified over the course of that evening. Her parents had organized a party to celebrate Rhygo's partial recovery, and Guillaume's family had been among the guests. His son, Didier, was a short red-haired boy who had seemed bored by the whole situation.

I love weapons and horses and beautiful women, he'd told Agda over dinner. Thanks to Kareti's evil mind, the two of them had been forced to sit next to each other. Actually, correct that: I love beautiful women, but I'm ready to marry an ugly one if that means that I can improve my wealth. If you're rich, you can buy beauty, can't you?

Too bad that, even if you're rich, you can't buy a brain, Agda had been about to reply. Nonetheless, a look from her mother had suggested she shut up and kept on smiling like a dumb girl.

Later, as Agda'd danced with Didier, her unpleasant feelings about him had got even worse. As she thought about the way the Breton had let his hands wander over her back and had pulled her closer so that he could feel her chest against his, the girl had to stifle the urge to puke.

In an attempt to erase those horrible memories, Agda thought of the sensation of another man's hands on her body. Before Didier, one of the last boys to hug her had been Erik the Slayer. Handsome and chatty and funny, the young warrior had quickly become one of Agda's best friends, just like the many letters he still sent her from Skyrim testified. Before leaving for Sky Haven Temple together with Faendal and Steinarius, Erik had given the girl a rib-breaking hug and had held her close to his chest for what had felt like a lifetime. As he'd finally let go of her, the girl had almost felt sorry for that loss of contact.

While thinking of the men of her past, Agda couldn't prevent Steinarius' face from haunting her mind like an unpleasant ghost. The man had said horrible things to her, thus convincing her that true love was nothing but an illusion; nonetheless, Agda still couldn't forget the way his arms used to embrace her at night, thus providing her with warmth and comfort and protection.

With a strangled sigh, Agda forced herself to steer those memories away from her mind. Her life in Skyrim had been nothing but a quick parenthesis in her existence, a parenthesis that had left her with a broken heart and some unsolved trust issues. The girl missed Riverwood, she missed her friends, she even missed Orgnar, but she couldn't go back – after all Steinarius had shouted at her, her reputation in the small village was completely ruined; moreover, that lovely place was now riddled with painful memories.

Surprisingly enough, thinking of her argument with the Imperial set everything into the right perspective for Agda: with a sigh, the girl realized that, all in all, marrying the heir to a wealthy family and living a life full of boredom and riches was much better than getting involved with someone as heartless and cruel as the Dragonborn.


The morning later, Agda received a letter from Didier. The Breton told her that he'd had fun with her and that he wanted to meet her again.

The girl's family welcomed the news enthusiastically: Kareti clapped her hands in bliss, Liara grinned evilly, Leifur produced a tiny, satisfied smirk. Only Rhygo seemed unhappy about that situation, a fact that Kareti dismissed as another consequence of his incident. Yet, as Agda was getting dressed, her brother unexpectedly reached her room and revealed her the reasons for his detached demeanor.

"Are you meeting Didier any time soon?", Rhygo asked her without any further greeting.

As Agda helped her brother by driving his wheelchair inside her room, she nodded. Rhygo was a handsome tall boy with long black curls and deep blue eyes. Agda was sure that, despite his incident, he would soon become one of the most courted men in Wayrest.

"Mom wants me to see him tomorrow evening", she revealed him. "We'll attend a party at his inn".

Those words caused Rhygo to frown.

"Think well about your decisions, Agdy", he told her while taking her hand in his. "Dad and mom think that Didier is a good guy, but I know better than that. Also, I have something that could help you make up your mind about him".

Furrowing her brow, Agda grabbed the letter Rhygo had just taken out of a pocket.

"It ended up in my mail", the boy explained. "The sender probably didn't want mum to pry. She checks your letters, but neatly avoids mine".

Agda made to reply, but a quick glimpse of the letter had her jaw drop open and her hand cover her mouth.

Delphine had written her a message, thus offering her an escape from the dull life that was being prepared for her.


It was very late in the evening as Agda snuck out of her family's villa to reach the southern shore of Wayrest. Thanks to her cloak and to her brother's help, no one noticed her as she cast an invisibility spell and quickly made her way to the city. A light rain was falling, causing Agda to frown at Delphine's decision to meet her in the open. At the same time, however, the girl couldn't help feeling excited.

Her former employer had come all the way from Sky Haven Temple to visit her, therefore she probably wanted Agda to get involved in something important. Unfortunately, her letter had left the girl no clue about the reasons behind that sudden trip to Wayrest.

By the time she reached her destination, Agda had already found thousands of possible explanations for that unexpected summoning. Perhaps Delphine wanted her to join the Blades as a healer; perhaps the Breton had been informed of the way Agda and the Dragonborn had split up and had come to Wayrest to offer the girl some solace; perhaps, instead, Delphine just wanted the young Nord to move to Sky Haven Temple and work there as an housekeeper – the head of the Blades had always hated Steinarius, therefore it was entirely possible that she wanted to anger him by forcing him to live with his former partner.

Despite the many ideas that were roaming her mind, Agda was taken aback when Delphine revealed her the true reason of her visit.

"Orgnar has told me about you and Steinarius", the warrior said after leading the girl to an abandoned shack on the western shore of Wayrest. Always stern, Delphine didn't even bother asking Agda how she was doing "A friend of mine has visited your shop a few weeks ago and has heard your mother talk about the need to find you a husband. As you can imagine, I have come to save you".

Agda raised one of her eyebrows.

"Does Steinarius know you're here?"

Delphine shook her head. When she pulled a disgusted face, Agda felt sorry for mentioning the Imperial.

"Crepusculus has left Skyrim a few days after he broke up with you", the leader of the Blades informed her. "He's been spotted in Solstheim".

Agda frowned.

"What…"

"I don't know what he's doing there, and I don't even care", Delphine hastily interrupted her. "By the way, I'm here to talk about you, not about Steinarius".

There was a short pause, then Delphine spoke again.

"The Thalmor have sent one of their men to one of the biggest institutions of Skyrim", she explained. "Orgnar has told me about your improvements with magic and about your forced journey to Wayrest. I know that your brother is doing better, and I know that you don't want to be trapped here for the rest of your life. That's why I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse".

As she found about the task Delphine had prepared for her, Agda was overcome by a hurricane of feelings. Enthusiasm, fear, memories of the past, hopes for a better future, everything formed a confused blur that made it impossible for the young Nord to think. Unfortunately, the leader of the Blades needed an answer as soon as possible.

"You're young, Agda, and you only have one life", Delphine told her when the girl confessed she had no idea what to do. "You should live it at the fullest, shouldn't you?"

Those words finally did the trick. Agda had no intention of spending the rest of her life in a dusty shop, to marry a man she didn't love, to grow old while surrounded by money, memories and the painful regret of having wasted away her existence; as a consequence, she eagerly accepted the mage robes Delphine was handing her. On the following morning, despite her mother's outraged protests and her father's confused screams, Agda kissed Rhygo goodbye and immediately headed for Skyrim.

She was about to fulfill her dream of becoming a Restoration student at the College of Winterhold.