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Chapter 37 - Flying Lessons I

01 Heartfire, 5E 3

Yssha asked Odahviing to take her and her usual team to Monahven, then asked Paarthurnax to Call Durnehviir to bring Andreius and Sorcalin for a brief conference.

When everyone was there, she looked around at them. "You are all aware of my, ah, new ability to shift into dovah form. But I have not yet mentioned a recent ... I am not quite sure what to call it. I wished a private place to practice, and both my brother Dragonborn the Divine Talos and Prince Sanguine replied."

That got exclamations of disbelief, and a heated discussion, going until Paarthurnax roared. "Let her speak!" When they quieted, he asked, "And what happened?"

"It was odd," Yssha said slowly. "My zeymah reminded me of Stormhaven, and Sanguine pointed out that it was already becoming less private. He offered me a sub-universe in his Myriad Realms of Revelry, with absolute privacy, even from him, and Talos recommended that I accept. So I did. And I plan to be spending time there, learning to handle my dovah body."

She paused, taking a deep breath. "Sanguine told me time is malleable in that realm. I do not yet know if I will take advantage of that, because I must be cautious of my child, and do not wish to miss my weekly check-ups with Priestess Danica, nor do I wish to distort the timing ... but if I vanish for hours at a time, I wish you not to worry, since I will simply be practicing."

"And if you're asked to do anything here in Nirn?" Marcurio asked.

"I will let you determine that, beloved." Yssha smiled at her husband. "I enjoyed our errands for Mara, so if the Divines ask anything, and it is at all possible, I would interrupt my training to help. But mortal requests are probably better handled by the Skyguard, or one of you, at least for now."

"Okay. So just try to be away during the times we'd normally be 'at work', and we'll cover for you." Marcurio grinned. "Learn quickly, dearling. I don't know how long we'll be able to make excuses for our leader being away."

"I know, beloved. I will be as quick as I can. I do have six weeks of flying by proxy, in my soul-guests' memories, so I already have an excellent theoretical background. I am hoping that it translates into the practical realm without too much difficulty, though I am certain there will be some."

"Home, then - we don't have anything planned for the day, so there won't be any excuses necessary. Mostly, I suppose, you can be 'working on your crafting at Windstad Manor', unless there's an emergency."

"If there is, - hmm. A moment, spoke, apparently to the air. "Prince Sanguine? A question, if I may."

Sanguine appeared, in his Sam Guevenne form. "Certainly. What is it, Dovahkiin?"

"I wish my teams to be able to contact me in case of emergency. Is it possible for them to use a spell like Join Person to contact me in Sanctuary?"

Sanguine shrugged, then chuckled. "There are no barriers to mortals - what you call vodov - entering Oblivion. If you want such a spell to reach you in Sanctuary, it will be so. As I said, it's your mini-realm, and if you want them to have access, they will."

"Thank you. I do. And ... you may also enter, if and when you wish, so long as you do not interfere with my training." She paused, and chuckle-purred. "You said I entertain you, Prince - I daresay, you might find my initial attempts at true flight rather amusing, and I feel I owe you that much for your kindness."

"Not necessary, but I do appreciate it, and yes, I'll watch. I may not be able to keep from laughing, though."

Yssha's ears twitched at that. "It would hardly be the first time I have been laughed at, attempting a new physical or magical skill. I will take no offense."

Sanguine chuckled. "With your permission, I'll bring Malacath as well. After your mission on his behalf, he's developed a certain respect for you."

Yssha nodded. "And he is a canny warrior. Although he is ground-bound, once I begin combat training as a dov, he may be able to help me with tactics." She turned to her team. "I would like you for that as well, Nevan. As I recall from our early conversations, you have had much experience with airborne combat."

The Sandeman grinned, his eyes bright. "I'd like that, thuri. Sure, I'll be there."

Yssha's first "workday" in Sanctuary was the kind of boring practice she remembered from her initial combat training. Instead of hacking at pells with a wooden sword, having her stance and strikes corrected after every blow, she glided repeatedly from the top of Sanctuary's version of Monahven, trying to land at various points her internal instructor, Mirmulnir, pointed out to her.

After maybe a dozen failed tries, Lokmoroyol nudged him aside. You are egg-heavy, thuru, she sent. You must compensate for that in a way no male can understand. Try again, feeling the way I guide you.

Yssha agreed, then launched herself toward her first target, this time adjusting as Lokmoroyol guided her. So this time she landed on target, if a little clumsily, and let out a happy gout of fire. "Can we try again? That felt so much better!"

Of course. Teleport back to the top, and this time I will show you how to make a claws-first landing despite the extra bulk in your abdomen.

Yssha did as she was told, launching herself when Lokmoroyol said to. Good. Practice banking left and right on the way down, keeping your nose slightly higher than usual. When she was about a hundred feet above the ground, Lokmoroyol gave more detailed instructions. Now arch your back - a bit more - and cup your wings like so - a quick mental picture - so you slow down and descend without going into a stall.

About five or six feet up, Lokmoroyol sent final instructions. Flap your wings once, while pushing your talons forward past the egg-bulge. ... Excellent!

Yssha wouldn't have gone that far, because it wasn't the gentle touch-down she'd seen - and shared - so often. It was harder, and she stumbled forward, having to catch herself with her wing-joints, but it was her first semi-successful upright landing, and she was pleased with it. "Again, please?"

Certainly. You are eager for a real flight, but wise enough to know you must be able to land well, first. Lokmoroyol paused. Is it difficult, learning this after so much time in a vodov body? We are born or hatched with the ability, but your body has been so different for so many years ...

Yssha had to think about that. "It is nowhere near as easy as 'remembering' Dovahzul, but thanks to sharing memories with those of you within me for six weeks, it is more like ... trying to get back into fighting trim after my captivity. I know what has to be done, but actually trying to do it is ... awkward, rather than as smooth as it should be. Practice is the only way to cure that, so I would like to continue."

Yssha was almost ready to quit when she felt a spell focused on her, and Marcurio joined her atop Sanctuary's Monahven, along with Sanguine and Malacath. "What is it, beloved?"

"You said time was malleable here, so we decided one of us should remind you when our regular workday was over. It's about an hour till suppertime. How did it go?"

"Well indeed," Malacath replied. "She is a warrior worthy of emulation. She has trained hard all day, and her improvement is visible. A worthy Blood-Kin, even by the harshest standards I might apply."

Sanguine chuckled. "My colleague has rather different standards from mine, of course. But I agree, she worked hard. So now she should relax. I hope you'll see to that, Mage."

Marcurio was a bit nonplussed, but he bowed. "I intend to, Lord Prince."

Yssha smiled at Sanguine. "Did I entertain you, Prince Sanguine? I was certainly clumsy enough!"

Sanguine studied her. "Clumsy at points, yes, Dovahkiin. And I did get a few chuckles. But you are far too concentrated on your studies for much entertainment here." He grinned. "Let me feed you a couple of tankards of mead before you practice, and it'd be different. But I promised not to interfere, so I won't slip you anything."

Yssha returned the grin. "And I was told you are personally honest, so I believe you. My greats-grandmother warned me against dealings with any of you Princes, but I begin to think she was overly cautious."

Sanguine looked unnaturally serious. "She was not. Dovahkiin, you must be cautious about most Princes. Azura, Meridia, and Hircine have your friends as Champions, so they are safe. Malacath and I are on your side out of respect. The rest ... be cautious. And fear Mehrunes Dagon, Mephala, Molag Bal, and Vaermina. Herma-mora is ... mostly neutral at the moment, I believe."

"What of the others?" Yssha asked.

Sanguine shrugged. "Neutral, for whatever reason any of them has. Sheo is crazy, of course. Boethiah, Namira, and Peryite don't care about you one way or the other. Clavicus thinks you might be amusing, and Nocturnal's mildly grateful to you for returning the Skeleton Key, but otherwise disinterested."

"Thank you. It could be far worse, then." She bowed politely. "I will return tomorrow. For now, I must eat and rest."

The next day was more landing practice, but now not simple gliding to land on flat ground. Lokmoroyol had her create obstacles around where she was to land, and things she had to land on - perches, imitation Word Walls, irregular hilltops, rocky areas, even a dragon tower and a mock-up of Dragonsreach's Great Porch.

"What're you doing?" Sanguine asked curiously.

"My instructor - Lokmoroyol, one of the dragon souls I have absorbed - wishes me to practice more difficult landings today, so I am shaping different things, with and without obstacles."

"Obstacles you know, since you're creating them." Sanguine grinned, looking suddenly mischievous. "How about if I take care of that, and your instructor teaches you how to cope with things you don't know in advance?"

Yssha was a bit apprehensive when Lokmoroyol agreed enthusiastically, but she passed it along to Sanguine. "She thinks that an excellent idea, but asks that you not make the first obstacles too difficult for a novice flyer."

Sanguine nodded. "Believe it or not, I've done quite a bit of training in my time, and I'm pretty good at evaluating a student's readiness."

"Very well." Yssha closed her eyes. "She says to go ahead." While she waited for the magical energies he emitted to subside, she couldn't help wondering. Who would a Daedric Prince train, why, and in what? That didn't seem to fit anything she knew about them.

04-Sep-16

"You can open your eyes now," Sanguine said, sounding amused. "I think you'll find this a challenge, but not an excessive one."

He was ouite right, Yssha discovered quickly. There was a trick to landing on anything other than flat ground, starting with a perch like the ones at Skuldafn. First, you had to plan an approach to your intended landing spot, which turned out not to always be as easy as it looked. The dragon towers were easiest, since they were deliberatealy situated above anything close enough to be an obstacle.

Even there, though, and with the previous day's practice at talon-first landings, it was tricky to judge altitude accurately enough to settle gently and seize hold with her talons. Once that was accomplished, she could relax, since her talons would remain closed even if she fell asleep.

Once she was able to land reliably on dragon towers and planned perches, it became more difficult, as she was sent to irregular terrain, including areas she had to approach through obstacles that would have caught her wings if she approached directly.

By the time Marcurio appeared to call her for supper, she was both physically and mentally exhausted, but before she left, she landed near Sanguine. "Something you said earlier intrigued me, Prince Sanguine. You said you have done a lot of training. May I ask who, and what subject or subjects?"

The Daedra studied the dovah for a long moment, then shook his head. "Other than the obvious whores and brewers, I don't think so, at least not just yet. I am the Lord of Debauchery, and despite what you've been through, I don't think you really want to know exactly what that means. Especially since your brother Talos cautioned me against involving you in my relatively harmless drinking game. Maybe in a few millennia, if you're still curious."

Marcurio surprised himself with a grateful smile at the Daedric Prince. "Thank you for that, Lord Sanguine."

Sanguine nodded to him. "I have absolutely no desire to harm your wife in any way, Battlemage, physically or mentally, and I'm convinced that telling her anything about my ... less savory ... inclinations and instructions would at the very least upset her quite badly."

Yssha's breath caught. Lord Sanguine was helpful and friendly to her, but yes, his reputation wasn't exactly the best. "Then perhaps I should be grateful as well," she said. "Will I see you for tomorrow's lesson?"

"Certainly," he said with a smile. "Unless Lokmoroyol has some surprises, I'm guessing your landings are up to her standards, so she may let you start learning true flight, and I wouldn't miss that willingly."

You may tell him he is correct, Lokmoroyol sent. And you will want to bring Nevan and a physical dragon along.

Yssha passed the message along, then she and Marcurio left for home.