Towers of Chaos (Philowen Aster)

by Aster's Descendants

What starts out as a simple quest to keep the Thalmor from unearthing an artifact of Molag Bal's uncovers a plot and a danger with world-spanning consequences, and revelations that will shake more than just Mundus. Co-Authored by vanillathunder215. MAJOR SPOILERS for 'Rising from the Ashes' and 'Dungeons and Dragonborn'

18. Boethiah's Boon

Boethiah's Boon

The night passed quietly. The morning...opened with a scream from the upstairs bedroom. Every Dunmer in the house was up with weapons before they were even fully awake. Serana was up the stairs before anyone else. She found Ravenlight sitting up in bed, panting and staring at nothing, while Drizzt held her close.

"It's all right," he soothed, stroking her hair. "We're safe. You're okay. You're okay." He waited until she blinked, her eyes focusing, before letting her go. "Who was it this time?"

"Vaermina. For sure." Ravenlight let out a long sigh and flopped back on the pillow, dragging a hand down her face. "Ugh. Didn't make it any easier."

Hearing the voices not sound like there was a major threat, there was a collapse of Dunmer as they fully started to wake up.

"The nightmares seem to be getting worse," Drizzt noted. "If this continues, I'm going to find Erandur. You don't need to be dreading sleep every night while we're trying to hold this off."

Serana, seeing that it was under control, backed away and went back downstairs.

---

Nevano had found most of his clothes and was waiting for her, though looking a bit groggy still. Nerevar had taken more than a little bit of energy for his speech. "She okay?"

"I think so. Drizzt is with her, and she's not crying this time." Serana sighed. "Just Vaermina again. Like usual."

"She seems so concerned about her impending demise I see..." Nevano said with a frown.

"Maybe some of them don't care." Serana sighed and sat down next to him. "Or maybe they think they can escape the collapse, too."

"Boethiah and Vaermina hate each other, so I wonder if there's anything Veleth can help with. Boethiah adores him as much as he drives her to insanity." Nevano said. "He might be able to ask Boethiah to tell her to buzz off for a bit. At least long enough you can find a more permanent cure."

"Hmm...that's not something I'd considered." Serana leaned against him. "It would certainly be helpful. There are times when Ravenlight can't sleep without nightmares for nearly a week; she usually turns to Mara, but it doesn't always work."

"You know, for all the talk of Daedra and Aedra, I don't really hear much of them crossing paths." Nevano said. "There are a few instances but for the most part, they avoid each other it seems like. Maybe it takes a Daedra to fight a Daedra?"

"Well...according to what I've heard of the end of the Oblivion Crisis, it did take an Aedra to fight off a Daedra. Maybe they normally don't battle each other because it would destabilize the Wheel?" Serana sighed. "But I think it's a good idea, to have Boethiah help. We need Ravenlight at her best, and she can't be there if she's dealing with nightmares every time she tries to sleep."

"True about the Oblivion Crisis but it took a mortal channeling it so I'm not sure how much that counts." Nevano said. "Vaermina's other enemies are Hermaeus Mora, which is out, and Peryite. Peryite, besides being nasty, is...how to put this nicely? The laughing stock of the Daedra Lords. He took the form of a dragon purely to make himself look better, according to Azura. Not a lot of help. Only reason Vaermina can't stand him is because he's more organized than she is."

"Hermaeus Mora is definitely out," Serana agreed with a shudder. "I went with her to Solstheim, while she was dealing with Miraak, and I got to...see what he does to the people he uses. He's worse than Vaermina, in most regards."

"He's one of those I wonder how he has any followers." Nevano said, wrinkling his nose.

"A combination of desire for power and knowledge, I guess." Serana shrugged.

"In other words, no one still in their right mind." Nevano tapped his fingers. "Yeah, Boethiah is the best bet. He might have to pay a price of some sort."

"Shall we go ask him?" She glanced at him. "I somehow doubt anyone is still asleep after that."

"Twins maybe. Veleth, oh no. He barely sleeps as is." Nevano looked up as Veleth walked in. "Speak of the demon..."

"Oh. You're up." Serana hesitated. "Um, there's...something I'd like to ask you. For Ravenlight."

"Sure." Veleth glanced at the stairs. "Have to do with the screaming earlier?"

Serana nodded. "I...don't know all the details, but a few years ago, Ravenlight helped an ex-priest of Vaermina destroy her artifact, the Skull of Corruption. Ever since, Vaermina's...well, held a grudge." She nodded toward the upper room. "It can get really bad. Ravenlight usually turns to Mara, but...it isn't always a sure thing."

"Mara can be overwhelmed by this one." Veleth sighed. "Unlike someone else..."

"So...maybe?" Serana looked both nervous and hopeful. "I know Ravenlight won't ask. But...she really needs to be at her best, especially if things are...as bad as we suspect."

"I will ask." Veleth nodded and started for the door. "Just...keep the kids inside for a bit. And don't worry about what noises you hear."

"I-I will."

Nevano smiled at her. "He'll be okay. I didn't call him Bull only because he's big and stubborn."

Serana nodded. "All right. We'd...better go make sure Blaise and Lucia don't try to go out and investigate; Connlach's probably gone to Ravenlight already. He gets nightmares, too."

Nevano nodded. "If Boethiah gets huffy at that request it might be more than a little noisy."

"In that case, we'd better go warn the others not to go outside until Veleth comes back in. Including Drizzt and Ravenlight, because you know they will." Serana stood. "Come on. I'll handle those I know; you tell your friends and family."

Nevano nodded and trotted off, confident that his side would take it far easier than Ravenlight.

---

True to word, there were noises. It started off quiet enough, shuffling and snorting noises like something was sniffing in the woods. Then it started to grow. The growl started small, as if Guenhwyvar had found a rat in the cellar; but then it got loud enough to nearly rattle the walls. Even the twins woke back up and couldn't go back to sleep.

Ravenlight and Drizzt both started to rise, Connlach clutching wide-eyed at his mother. "What's that?" he quavered.

"I don't know," Ravenlight answered, glancing at Drizzt. "Do you think..."

Nevano looked out a window but couldn't see much. "He's nowhere near the house and we still heard that. Vith."

"This is...bad, isn't it?" Serana asked.

"Did he ever tell you how he got the Ebony Mail?" Nevano asked.

"I never asked." Serana turned to see Drizzt coming down the stairs, still shirtless, but his blades in his hands. "Um-it's Veleth. He's...talking with Boethiah?"

The Drow stopped in his tracks and stared at her. "Veleth. Talking with Boethiah." He gestured with one scimitar as another snarl shook the walls. "That?"

Nevano didn't look away from the window but gestured at a chair. "None of it will come after us. They are after him, not us...and Boethiah loves to fight with him. See, she had been trying to get him to answer her for months. I noticed something was up but he refused to say. It wasn't until we went to Vvardenfell that Boethiah lost all patience. I'm honestly surprised it took her that long but the opportunity to punish him was too perfect. See, we had shipwrecked on the way to Vvardenfell. He had no armor, no weapons and was barefoot. Boethiah thought that the perfect time to drop him into what's called the Tournament of Ten Bloods."

"Tournament of Ten Bloods." Drizzt's voice was still extremely flat. He glanced past Nevano and shrugged slightly, before turning his gaze back on the Dunmer.

"So called because you fight a member of each of the races on Tamriel." Nevano looked back at them. "A fight to the death. All rather rabid followers. Boethiah showed how mad she was at him by letting all of them loose at once and saying that whoever killed him would earn her favor. He was so mad when he told me that bit. That's also where he got his sword. He obviously won but that's not all that happened. Boethiah herself challenged him. Or rather, he got stubborn and mouthy and she decided to prove a point. She not only didn't slice him in half on the first strike but he finally figured out how to use that little 'rage monster', as he calls it, and damn near landed his own strike on her. Normally if someone attacks a Daedra Lord, there's nothing left but a pile of cinders. In this case...it amused her. She didn't give up any boots though and his feet were sliced to ribbons from the volcanic rock, so there was still some malice in there." Nevano looked back out the window. "She likes to challenge him every now and then. Make sure he's still the strongest of her followers, though he's not a typical follower. No slavering or whatever other followers do. Yet it works for her."

"So...whatever it is is hunting him." Drizzt slowly sheathed his blades. "And it's not coming after the house?"

"Less hunting, more sparring?" Nevano shrugged. "No, it won't come here. Boethiah doesn't want that lecture from Azura on my behalf. Besides, I think a good portion of the noise is to test us. Boethiah values strength. If we stay strong, she'll acknowledge that."

"Azura, Meridia, and half the Aedra." Ravenlight stood at the top of the stairs, Connlach still clinging to her. "Though, frankly, that sounds less like Boethiah and more like Hircine. I suppose a more pertinent question should be, how torn up should we expect him to be after that?"

"I honestly don't think he's even on this plane. I think the noises we are hearing is a bunch of daedra sparring with each other just out of sight in the swamp." Nevano said. "I think the roaring is a dremora. As for Veleth...depends. He came back from the tournament slightly cut up but mostly exhausted. His feet were the worst off. If Boethiah thinks this is less amusing and more work, he might come back looking like Odahviing's chew toy."

"Well," an unexpected voice said from behind Nevano, "it's probably a good thing they decided to string me up on those poles, too. I've always found that, no matter how good a Restoration mage is, when someone's been truly torn up, it helps to have a surgeon on hand."

Nevano spun around, one hand to Trueflame, at the unexpected new voice.

Elealda stood there, fully dressed and arms folded, her head cocked as she listened to the noise. Gyrmallion was behind her, holding a sheathed blade in one hand. "Oh, put that away," she said to Nevano. "One scream could have been someone waking up from a nightmare-heaven knows I've heard that often enough. This, on the other hand...we figured it would be wise to come up and see what on earth that was, especially since you can hear it clearly even down in the cellar."

"Coming up behind someone who doesn't really know you might cause a response." He slid Trueflame fully back in its sheath but not before it gave a moody flicker. "It's mostly noise. Boethiah does like a show."

"I'll go tell the others this isn't an attack." Gyrmallion glanced past Nevano and bowed slightly to Drizzt, then turned and went back to the cellar.

"The noise is worse than it should be." Drelasa came in, looking slightly annoyed, though that could be to hide worry. "Though that could be they are vying for a rather recently released artifact of Boethiah's. No one has officially claimed it yet so until someone does, they will squabble with each other like rabid dogs."

Ravenlight sighed. "Another new Daedric artifact? Delightful." She came down the stairs, still carrying Connlach. "Well. This appears to have wakened everyone faster than I wanted...so we might as well get ready. I don't know how soon word will come back that the jarls have mobilized."

"Not a new one, my sweet child." Drelasa said. "No fear of this causing trouble. In fact, it's a boon to whoever wields it. It is rumored to only carry Boethiah's power, not something she made herself. In fact, it is rumored that Goldbrand was made by dragons. It was last known to be wielded by a dremora who served General Naarifin. He met with a...rather unfortunate end, as did the dremora. Goldbrand remains unclaimed since then. But yes, we shall get ready. Breakfast shall be a fast one then."

Serana looked uncomfortable. "I...wonder if that was her...price," she whispered to Nevano. "That Veleth...claim this sword before she would help."

He carefully took her hand and gave it a small comforting squeeze. "If that's the case, he'll do it. And he'll probably throw it at her and call her something not so pleasant. Then she'll get mad and they'll fight for a bit before she laughs and drops his ungrateful hide back into the mortal world."

She smiled a little bit back at him. "I hope so."

"I told you, he likes the lot of you." Nevano smiled. "When it comes to those he likes, he will stubbornly go to the ends of the earth, grumbling and snorting like an angry bull the whole way." Another roar shook the house. Nevano glared out the window. "Just what daedra does Boethiah have in her pens out there?"

Ravenlight suddenly bolted up. "That's not a daedra. Damn it all, I've got to get into my armor now!"

"Hold." Drelasa said.

Nevano raised an eyebrow at her.

"Boethiah keeps many in her arena, to fight at her amusement." Drelasa said. "Remember the titan you fought? Boethiah has her own breed. I dare say she also has ogrims, daedroth and other very loud, very difficult to kill daedra. It is not after you...and if Molag Bal interrupts Boethiah's ritual now, well, her followers now have a real target to prove their worth. Boethiah and Molag Bal do not get along either."

"I'm going to get armored anyway." Ravenlight glared at the door, putting a hand to her breastbone. "That...feels close. Close enough that I'm reacting to it."

The wind picked up suddenly and the sky streaked black and red for a moment before settling down. The horrible roaring suddenly cut off with a loud yelp and the noises quieted down.

Ravenlight stopped on the stairs, listening intently.

"If he slapped a titan across the face, I will use my own drakes to keep the docks silent for a week." Nevano said.

"If he slapped a titan across the face and comes out whole for it, you'll just need to talk about it to keep the docks silent," Drizzt muttered. "Or just tell a bard."

"Pirates stay quieter when they are too drunk to get out the first two letters of their name." Nevano grinned. "Plus all the tavern wenches enjoy the easy night of simply picking a portion of the gold in their pockets without having to really work much. The bard is still a brilliant idea. I can send them to Rootspire! Scare every noble and councilor into not being obnoxious fetchers for a few days!"

"And the best part is, you just have to tell them a few details. They'll mess the rest up entirely on their own." Drizzt sounded...slightly bitter about that.

"Still haven't forgiven Talsgar for that, have you?" Ravenlight was obviously trying not to laugh.

"Oh that'll make him furious." Nevano smiled happily. "I just might do it even if he didn't slap a titan. And apparently I'm going to have to make a trip to a few taverns to hear this story for myself."

"Mikael doesn't sing it," Ravenlight commented idly. "Ever."

"Now I'm really curious." Nevano said and glanced out the window. "Oh, and half chew toy."

Elealda moved forward a little, to be able to see when he came in. Veleth staggered in, boots missing and his shirt shredded and stained with blood. A massive gash went from his shoulder to his hip. He looked mildly irritated and was shaking a hand out.

"Ah. Yes, I do think it's a good thing we've got a surgeon on hand." Ravenlight stared. "Anything you're going to need, Elealda?"

"Needle and thread. And probably something to clean the wound, as well." The Altmer started forward, but glanced over at Drelasa. "If you don't mind. I wasn't truly conscious yesterday, but I do remember a healer being down there to work on us."

Drelasa waved a spoon. "He will behave. If he wants breakfast he will sit still for you."

Ravenlight had dashed upstairs, and now returned with a small box. "Sewing silks, mostly; but they'll work. And the needles are strong. I'll get some hot water and some straight wine to wash that gash with. Any place you'll need to work on it?"

"Thank you, these will be fine. And...the bench will do perfectly." She strode over to him briskly. "All right, sit down. I need to stitch that up."

Veleth backed up a step, instantly wary of the needle. "It's not that deep. It'll be fine." He yelped and ducked as a spoon flashed by his head.

"You managed to duck this but not what caused that?" Drelasa brandished another stirring spoon. "If you are going to regularly challenge a Daedra Lord, then you better learn to move faster. Being stabbed with a needle a hundred times might be a good reminder for next time.

"Sit," Elealda ordered. "Straight healing would make sure you lived, but not as well as getting your bits all stuck back in the right place first. One of the things we all have to learn first. I can't promise there won't be a scar, but I can make sure it doesn't get infected or half-cripple you later."

Veleth glanced down at all the other scars that liberally decorated his torso and raised an eyebrow. He didn't offer up much more resistance but was still a bit reluctant as he sat.

"So...was that a titan out there?" Nevano asked. "You said noises but it was a riot out there."

Ravenlight reappeared with a pot of lightly steaming water and a bottle of alto wine, as well as a clean cloth. Elealda thanked her, then soaked the cloth, wrung it out, and started washing the massive wound. Veleth winced a bit but a lifetime of being scolded by a frightening mother held him still. "Yes but it wasn't making most of the noise. That would be the ogrim beating the snot out of three dremora."

"Oh, and, Ravenlight..." Veleth held out what looked like a shard of raw ebony with a red brand glowing hotly in its center. "Boethiah didn't promise a permanent end but if Vaermina steps in while we're stopping Molag Bal again, call out to Boethiah while holding this."

Ravenlight hesitated, then reached out and took it. "That...will be helpful. My thanks."

Elealda straightened from washing and examining the wound. "It's ragged; but I can get it stitched properly. Hold still while I'm doing this; I promise, twitching away from the needle really only makes it hurt worse." She took the needle Ravenlight handed her and threaded it with a length of thin white silk, before crouching down, pinching the base of the wound together, and sliding the needle through it.

"She made noises that said to me that if Molag Bal was utterly humiliated, she might continue to intervene for you." Veleth winced badly but pride kept him from flinching away.

"Well...I'll see what I can do." Ravenlight's mouth twisted to the side. "I, frankly, am just willing to settle for stopping him...though I suppose knocking him down a peg or five wouldn't be a bad thing, either."

Elealda continued up the wound, making small, careful stitches, and making sure the muscle beneath the torn skin was being joined correctly each time. Veleth twitched every time the needle penetrated his skin.

Nevano watched as the wound slowly closed. "So...what did you manage to not duck? Usually you get flanked. I rarely see you unable to protect your front."

"Do you know how fast a Daedra Lord can move?" Veleth huffed. "Especially in their own home. It's fast."

"For what it's worth," Eleadra said, glancing at his face, "you're doing much better than those I usually mend. Half the time, I need to paralyze them, or else have someone sit on them to hold them still enough to let me stitch them up, especially with a wound as large as this one."

"I can guarantee they didn't grow up with a healer who doubled as a master of destruction spells..." Veleth muttered.

"Hm. That's a route neither one of us thought to take." She straightened. "Don't go anywhere," she warned. "I'm not finished; I just need more thread."

"There's a thought..." Nevano tapped his fingers. "Hey, 'Lasa, which did you learn first? Destruction or healing?"

"Destruction." Drelasa answered. "So I could set the family rose garden on fire when they pushed me too far. I picked up healing the first time my husband limped home and tried to tell me it was nothing. He gave me plenty of practice."

"I never thought of that," Elealda murmured. "It might have helped. I just pestered my parents to let me apprentice under the priests of Arkay after my brother joined the Legion as a surgeon. Of course, by the time I'd graduated from that, well..."

"All you need, my dear, is to learn a lightning or fire spell." Drelasa said. "A swift shock or burn usually sets them straight. Or, if you prefer, a swift knock in the head with a spoon. My husband and son would handle the shocks but ran if I picked up a spoon. This one I've had to shock a few times." She pointed at Nevano. "I once froze his feet to the ground. Worked like a charm."

"Hm." She glanced over her shoulder. "And that won't be all that difficult, either...I'll have to remember that."

"You have a brother in the Legion?" Ravenlight looked at her curiously. "If I may ask...what's his name?"

"Mm? Oh-it's Guirell." She drew out another stitch. "Why?"

Ravenlight smiled. "I met him a few times before. He actually mended my right hand after I put a spike through it, touching a trapped stone in a barrow."

Veleth still winced at the sight of the needle. Fortunately for him, it wasn't too much longer before she tied off the last stitch and straightened. Her hand shimmered golden for a moment, and she ran a finger along the length of the stitched injury. "There. It won't be completely healed for a day or two; but that will make it heal more quickly, keep infection out, and keep you from breaking stitches and opening it again when you decide you're still going to go out and fight despite the advice of everyone around you."

"That last bit is almost assured." Nevano supplied helpfully.

Veleth tried to argue but really couldn't. It was damn near assured. He couldn't help himself. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Elealda said, before glancing at Nevano. "Note I said 'when,' and not 'if' there. And you're probably exactly the same." She turned to Ravenlight. "Could you show me where to wash up afterward?"

"As long as Drelasa is standing right over there, I can't deny that." Nevano said. In response to Nevano being snarky, the spoon that previously narrowly missed Veleth, rose and smacked Nevano in the back of the head.

Ravenlight held back a snicker, beckoning to Elealda. "Over this way."

Veleth, for his part, went to get clothes that weren't covered in blood.

"Oh, wait, Bull!" Nevano stopped him. "That yelp earlier. What was that?"

"Me telling the damned titan to shut up." Veleth shrugged. "It was laughing at the dremora getting destroyed by the ogrim. Didn't want to listen to it so soon."

Nevano grinned in a way that made Veleth wonder if he had just committed a great mistake.

"You actually hit it, then?" Drizzt asked mildly. Ravenlight, listening in, wondered if he was planning on giving Talsgar something to sing that would convince him to finally quit renewing 'The Bard's Beatdown' in every other inn he went to.

"Punched it in the eye..." Veleth said slowly, wondering if he should have tried to lie.

"I'm impressed all you got from that was a sore hand." Drizzt sounded as though he was merely commenting on it. Ravenlight had to hold back another guffaw.

"Eyes are the squishy spots on just about everything." Veleth said quickly. "What are you planning?"

"Not really planning anything," the Drow answered. "It's just...impressive, that's all."

"Not really. None of them were interested in fighting with me just yet. Wouldn't get them the attention they wanted." Veleth hadn't dropped the suspicious look.

Ravenlight doubted that would make the slightest bit of difference, once Talsgar heard that the reluctant champion of Boethiah had punched a corrupted dragon in the eye. Especially if he then heard what a 'titan' was like. And she knew that, even if Drizzt didn't tell the bard about the incident...he'd certainly point him out for Nevano to tell. And Nevano would more than happily supply the bard with enough fodder to keep him happy for a few years.

She considered her intent to bring Catti-Brie though, and couldn't blame him. He would likely do anything to get the bards across Skyrim to quit singing about how he defended a woman's honor and was rewarded with...well, the song ended with an impressive kiss, though there were plenty of implications that suggested there had been more than a kiss!

Veleth, still suspicious enough to remind them of a growling cat, made his escape; but Nevano was still grinning. If Drizzt dropped enough hints, Nevano had enough story material, both real and not, that could possibly make Skyrim forget that song ever existed.

---

Despite the exciting start, the morning was fairly calm. Drelasa had breakfast finished quickly, and Blaise and Lucia, once they were convinced that whatever had caused the noise was no longer outside, went out for their chores. The various boys and men went out to train; Ravenlight was pretty sure that once Drizzt started on his routines, he'd have some sparring partners in short order, but couldn't see that it would be a bad idea. She and Drelasa went into the alchemy tower, needing to make as many healing potions and disease curatives as they could.

The Altmer were, by and large, not yet coming up from the cellar. Gyrmallion wasn't the only one who'd been tortured to admit where they had learned the truth of the ruin. However, the others did not have many visible marks left from their sessions with the Mute, which meant that Ravenlight hadn't known to offer them any healing. Still aching, and in some cases, still weak, they were content to remain below and rest, recovering from their ordeal.

Nevusa had gone outside with the boys, though she was continuing to experiment with her shapeshifting spell, rather than sparring. It was getting easier, especially now that she had an unwilling test subject in Veleth, who was grounded from sparring since how half his torso had just been sewed back together. It was possible, however, that she was being distracted by Drizzt, who, as was his habit, had taken off his shirt to practice. He twisted and spun through his routines, chiseled torso rippling; apparently oblivious to the chilly nip of a Skyrim morning.

Veleth growled at her. If she got distracted and turned him into something that was less than ideal...well, he might kick her into the water anyway, considering the red stain that was creeping up her neck and ears.

"Pretty," Elealda commented, watching idly. The surgeon was the exception to the Altmer staying in the cellar; she'd been hovering by the alchemy tower before something had gone wrong and produced an impressive plume of foul-smelling green smoke. Drelasa and Ravenlight had simply yanked open the windows and moved to the downstairs tower; Elealda had deemed it prudent to wait outside. She was seated on a bench beside the door, enjoying the gentler Skyrim sunlight. She watched, apparently unaffected, as Drizzt began sparring with the twins...who had also shed their tops. "I wonder where he trained," she mused. "That's not a fighting style I'm familiar with."

Nevano, the only one to keep his clothes on purely out of vanity to keep his scarred back hidden, was letting the younger boys take turns shooting Bonebiter at a rock face. Blaise had the strength to get the bow to do a bit of damage but it wasn't answering him as strongly. Connlach, on the other hand...Nevano was glad it was rock they were aiming at. The bow couldn't seem to make up its mind if it wanted to destroy a boulder or barely let the arrow fly.

The windows opened abruptly on the first floor of the alchemy tower, this time letting out a stream of brownish smoke. A few moments later, Ravenlight and Drelasa both came outside, coughing and fanning the air.

"If you get white smoke to come out next, you might start hailing some of those knight lodges in Cyrodiil." Nevano said, taking a step away from the kids in case they decided to lob anything at him, not wanting it to hit them. "How did you get it to turn brown?"

"Certain types of powdered seashell, it turns out," Ravenlight said, pausing for a moment to cough, "do not mix well with nirnroot. Divines, that smells nasty."

She glanced toward the sound of clashing blades, noticed their state of undress, and then glanced over at Nevusa. "Will you boys put your clothes back on, there is a young woman here who is not immune to that."

"What is it with males and the inability to stay dressed..." Drelasa muttered between coughs.

Nevusa yelped at being called out, the spell she had been slowly growing between her fingers releasing. Unfortunately, it shot straight to the closest target. In this case, Veleth.

"Oh vith!"

Everyone turned to stare. "Hey it worked!" Nevusa jumped up excitedly. The rather large dog blinked in utter confusion, very obviously not expecting to find his world suddenly far shorter and colorless.

Connlach stared, his head tipped to the side. "Where did the dog come from?"

Nevano snickered. "It was Veleth a few seconds ago."

The dog whipped his head around and finally looked down, yelping when he saw paws and yelping again at the yelp.

Nevusa beamed. "I think I figured how to work the spell frame to alter the matrix of body size to larger. It's much easier to shrink things but to grow them larger? I was hoping to get him into something bigger but this is a good step."

"Well...I wouldn't try it with a horse," Ravenlight said wryly. "I know someone who was stuck like that for the better part of a day before a more experienced mage stepped in to help him."

The dog glared at Nevusa, a growl bubbling in his throat and his hackles rising.

"Not a full size horse. Not right away. Plenty of smaller beasts of burden to start with." Nevusa said. "Though if he keeps growling at me, it will be a donkey so he can stay an ass for the rest of the day. I know how to muzzle a growling beast."

"Having had to deal with some of those, I can assure you that a donkey can be worse than a wolf when it comes to a bad-tempered creature," Ravenlight said. "Turn him back, please."

She paused suddenly, turning to face further out in the marsh and listening. "Well. It sounds like we're about to get some more guests; I should have known they wouldn't wait for us at Whiterun."

A loud pop sounded and Veleth staggered, nearly falling on his face. "I swear, if you turn me into one more damned animal you are going to wake up with the nastiest creature the twins and I can dig up in your bedroll!"

"You can practice with me when we head to Whiterun," Ravenlight said over her shoulder, walking toward the marsh. "I'd be glad to not have to sit on anything for even a day while traveling."

"I got the perfect one for you!" Nevusa said.

Ravenlight held up a hand. "Not yet. Like I said, we're about to get some new guests, and I don't know how they'll react if they see me just transform into something without prior warning."

By now, the others could hear it, too: thumping and splashing, as if something large-or more than one something-was coming fast through the marsh.

"Incentive to put their clothes back on...maybe." Drelasa said.

"If Aela is with them-which I think she is-then yes."

Drizzt's eyes widened at that name, and he all but flew to yank his shirt back on. Nevusa narrowed her eyes, watching Drizzt. The twins seemed a bit concerned at his reaction too.

"Aela is..." Drizzt stammered, obviously trying to find words that were not...rude.

"Hunting." Ravenlight supplied. "And she can chase a man up a tree faster than anything else I've ever seen. Does it to Drizzt on a fairly regular basis." She looked over at her brother. "Something tells me I should bring Catti-brie, and the baby, through, just to let her know you absolutely mean it that you're not interested."

"One of those." Veleth rumbled, glancing at Nevusa. "Would know nothing about that, would we?"

"I didn't chase you up a tree." Nevusa protested. "Just buried us under rubble."

"Not sure how that's better." Ravenlight glanced at Elealda and Drelasa. "It's going to get pretty noisy here in a few minutes; you might want to go inside until things have calmed down. And I..." She walked around the house and disappeared, though they heard what might have been the clatter of a bucket as she passed the well.

Drelasa raised an eyebrow. "Two women looking for a mate and all the males taken or terrified of strong females." She said. "I think 'noisy' is an understatement. I'm fairly certain that Solitude itself is going to wonder what is going on here."

"Catti-Brie is quite strong," Drizzt assured her. "Aela is...hungry."

"Oh, my dear sweet one, I had absolutely no doubt your other half is a force to be reckoned with. I really would love to meet her." Drelasa said. "But the two here now are...well, we might have to leash them."

A voice called out. "Hello the house! Harbinger! You there?"

A few seconds later, the door banged open, and a blur raced out, shrieking with delight. "Farkas! Vilkas!"

"Ah, I recognize those names." Drelasa said. "Something Ravenlight said. That keeping them fed is much like feeding heavy armor. Bottomless pits. Perhaps it's a good thing we got the bull horker and not the smaller cow..."

Veleth frowned, a familiar...feel coming to him. He shifted his shoulder but his sword wasn't there. It was sitting with his armor inside the house still. The rage monster in his belly was arching and hissing.

With a splashing like a bull mammoth charging, a pair of men burst into view, picking up their own speed at the cry from the house. Both were Nords, and therefore large: but while one was small, in comparison to most, the other was huge even for a Nord, big and burly with dark, shaggy hair. He reached Lucia first and swept her up, whirling her around before hugging her tight. She shrieked happily, then wrapped her arms tight around his neck. "Oh, it's good to see you again!"

The smaller one laughed. "Hey, don't I get a hug, too?"

The big one looked over at him, considered, then shook his head. "Nope!"

Drizzt laughed. "Good to see you two again. Are the...others coming, too?"

The smaller one noticed him then, and walked over to him, grabbing his hand in a friendly fashion. Drizzt was tiny compared to the two warriors; but somehow, he didn't appear...diminished, or lesser in any way.

Nevano slid Bonebiter back on its harness on his back and glanced around for Serana. Though the other Dunmer were relaxing now that the newcomers had been welcomed gladly, there were still quite a few strangers. Enough to make him feel a bit on unstable ground. Serana somehow helped keep his wild emotions from taking off.

"They're on their way. Not as close; Njada's pretty sure there was a troll somewhere in the area last time, and she's wanting to hunt it down." Vilkas clapped Drizzt on the back and turned to the others. "Hello...quite a crowd here today. Where's Ravenlight?"

"We think we know what troll you are talking about." Zeb said, with a swift look at his twin.

"In the swamp, by the rocks that look like a bull netch sitting on a ship." Min supplied.

"It's not there anymore." Zeb finished. "Even the fat was rendered worthless. But more will move in. They always do."

"Eh, she'll find something." Vilkas shrugged. "Always something in the marsh." He cocked his head, considering them. "So...who are you lot? Normally folk on their way up to Windstad have to stop by Whiterun on the way, if just to get directions. But I'd have remembered a pack of Dunmer coming through to visit the Harbinger."

"I brought them," Ravenlight said, reappearing around the house. She had a dripping bucket in both hands, and lifted them up to make sure the newcomers saw them before setting them firmly down beside the animal pens. "Good to see you boys. And I believe you said everyone else is on their way, too?"

The two warriors reacted to the buckets the same way Nevano and Veleth reacted to the slightest hint of a spell in Drelasa's hands. Instantly, the male Dunmer were on alert. They were now very well trained to Ravenlight and knew to listen to any hint to jump to her command. Thoughts of the water being turned to flying icicles had their ears twitching like alert horses.

"Yes," Farkas said, glancing from Ravenlight to Lucia, before apparently deciding that hugging the small girl wasn't going to attract her mother's ire. He then switched her from around his neck to up on his shoulders. "Um...Aela was the closest behind us."

"Somehow I'd guessed," the Bosmer said dryly. Ravenlight turned to the Dunmer. "These are Farkas and Vilkas, two of the Circle of the Companions." She turned back to the Companions just as their third member appeared: a strapping, handsome woman with thick tawny hair, and war paint striped across her face. While Farkas and Vilkas were well-armored, she wore bits and pieces of armor across a short tunic of leather, split down the middle to the belt that held her sword. And where Farkas was bear-like, and Vilkas could be compared to a saber-cat, the newcomer's movements were undoubtedly those of a wolf. "Ah. And this is Aela." Ravenlight leveled a finger at the woman. "Aela? Behave."

Veleth's eyes flared briefly when he looked at her, his face hard. No one really seemed to notice, fully absorbed in the newcomers as they were.

Aela smiled winningly and lifted her hands. "Don't worry, Harbinger. Not here to cause trouble. And I...remember what happened last time."

"Good. I brought out the buckets, just in case." Ravenlight turned to the others, and began introducing them in turn. "This is Nevano; his daughter Nevusa; the twins Min and Zeb, no I can't tell them apart either; Drelasa Veleth; her son Modyn Veleth-" Ravenlight looked hard at Veleth and aimed a stern finger at him. "And you behave too, unless you also want a soaking. And this is the surgeon Elealda."

"Almost!" One twin said. "I'm Min! Zeb got burned, remember?"

The others responded politely, Nevusa a bit frosty but keeping her manners. Veleth didn't take his eyes off Aela, the rage beast barely in his control as it screamed wildly. He knew her stance and her smell. It brought back memories, most of them wild and hazy. Milore screaming in terror, Glover's forge destroyed...he had never really paid Glover back for that accident but seeing as how it was destroyed using his back as the means of destruction and for all that happened after well, he had not been in the position to really help rebuild it.

"Balgruuf sent us out here," Farkas explained. "Said...you needed an honor guard? And there's something going on in High Rock?"

"He actually said he wanted us to find out exactly what was going on from you," Vilkas clarified. "And I think he wanted us to work out some aggression on giants and sabercats and such before the rest of the army gets to Whiterun. Been kind of quiet lately; though he did add he figured there might be some additional trouble from what's left of the Thalmor in the area, too, and wanted to make sure you and the kids were well-protected."

"Army?" Nevusa asked. "You got a full army?"

"We're going to have one," Ravenlight answered. "Remember how I sent out all those hawks? Enough small forces gathered together eventually make one very large one. Elisif's going to order out what she can of the Legion stationed in Skyrim; I've called the Mages from the College of Winterhold; the Dawnguard, and the reformed Blades. Even sent word to the Thieves' Guild; might not be warriors, but I can think of some places where a skilled thief will be a helpful ally."

"He said even the Forsworn might be coming," Farkas added.

"And I asked them all to gather around Whiterun. It's got the best terrain for a gathering army; and it's close enough to the border of Skyrim to mobilize and leave in a short window of time."

"Along with the Buoyant Armigers and what Relas and Garil have mustered...oh, and the Ashlanders." Drelasa smiled. "Very much an army. An impressive one too. Hopefully not one that will make those to the south take notice and react negatively."

"We're going south next," Ravenlight reminded her. "I'm going to have a chat with the Emperor about what's going on in High Rock. We need the rest of the Legion, too. "

Farkas shrugged, the motion making Lucia yelp and clutch at him. "Just point me at what I have to fight. Just because I'm not a werewolf anymore doesn't mean I don't like fighting vampires." He paused. "There were vampires, right?"

"Even better." Drelasa said. "Bit of a weight lifted, knowing that we won't have to worry about someone thinking we are an invading army."

"This needs the world," Ravenlight said firmly. "And not just a few heroes fighting for it."

"Nice change, for once." Nevano agreed.

"Yes," Drizzt said, "Mostly vampires. And probably daedra." He sighed. "More demons. Delightful."

"You have us." Nevano said. "We got your back on that."

"Yes, and I'm grateful." He ran his hand through his hair. "It's just..."

"They recently went through the equivalent of the Oblivion Crisis back in his homeland," Ravenlight explained, her lips twisting sourly.

"I understand. They aren't fun at all when they decide to hate on the world." Nevano said. "But, in this case, we can have some of them be useful."

"There's truth to that. If Molag Bal starts unleashing his creatures wholesale, I can't see the others standing back and just letting it happen. Particularly not the three 'Black Ladies', as Uliamu called them." Ravenlight looked over the twin Companions and Aela. "I'm going to regret asking this, but...did any of you happen to eat this morning at all?"

They looked at her, wide-eyed, and shook their heads. Ravenlight heaved a sigh. "I was afraid of that. All right, come on in. Farkas, put Lucia down before you scrape her off on the door."

"Bottomless pits..." Drelasa sighed. "This means we're pulling the big pot out then."

"And the big spits." Ravenlight sighed. "Last time they ate three deer between them, and they've probably been traveling all night."

Elealda approached. "Is there anything I can help with? My...cooking skills aren't the best, I'm afraid, but I can at least peel and cut vegetables, if necessary."

"It'll be necessary." The Bosmer was staring straight ahead as they walked in. "I should have bought out Jala's stall while I was in Solitude. They'll finish off everything from the garden and then some."

Drelasa whistled. "We might be finishing off that bull horker then. Good thing we got all that deer. Roast the deer and put the horker in a stew. That scrib jelly should have cut the taste from that big male by now."

"I'll take care of the meat. You get that stew going." Ravenlight shook her head. "There are times I regret letting them know how good a cook I am..."

"Because we haven't found it in our hearts to let them starve yet." Drelasa said, heading inside. "And they usually start to, once their favorite source of food quits feeding them."

"Vilkas might. Aela...wouldn't anytime soon." Ravenlight shrugged. "Farkas I suspect would still happily gnaw raw meat off any animal he happened to bring down, but that's just him. It doesn't stop him from sitting down and staring at me like an oversized puppy until I give him something cooked".

Drelasa hummed her amusement.

"Fortunately, we won't have to cook for all the Companions." Ravenlight reached the fire and built it up, then took a longer spit from where it hung beside the fire. "And I won't have to put them all up. They'll put up a camp around the house; hunt and fish to keep themselves going." She paused, looking over at the other two. "They've grown quite a bit in the time since Kodlak died and I was proclaimed Harbinger. Apparently, quite a number in Skyrim decided they wanted to say they serve under the Dragonborn, even if the Harbinger doesn't technically lead."

"Funny how a good name does that." Drelasa heaved the enormous pot over. "Just as well...you'd have no food left even I sent all my boys hunting."

"There are times when the city has trouble keeping up," Ravenlight said. "Certainly been good for the farmers, though. They keep the area well cleared of both predators and game, so fields, gardens, and livestock all grow without difficulty. And only the really stupid bandits try to stake out Whiterun now. They've pretty much been forced to stay in the mountains."

Drelasa hauled out the horker meat and sniffed. "Ah. much better. Reminds me of Balmora, only it wasn't bandits so much. Not so many bandits on that island. The wildlife was worse."

"Can't say either way, myself." Ravenlight set up basting pans beneath the spit bar and began to slide venison onto it. "The one time I've ever been on Vvardenfell was when we visited the Ashlanders, and we didn't stay aboveground long enough to see anything dangerous. Of course, I'd also exhausted myself earlier, so I...passed out shortly after Odahviing left us to go to the hills for food and rest himself, so if anything showed up before, I don't know."

"It's far different now." Drelasa said. "I lived there before the eruption. Balmora now is...well, my son and Nevano saw it and described it as literally living up to its name: Stone Forest. It is a grave now. Vvardenfell was always rather wild but it almost is fully now. Rebuilding efforts are slow, costly and dangerous. It was beautiful there. I don't think I can go back there though."

"Not if you remember how it once had been." Serana appeared from wherever she'd previously vanished to. "I feel the same way around Winterhold. I remember it being a city, bright and vibrant: seeing it now, as a crumbling ruin barely clinging to life, hurts. Do you need my help in here or would you rather I stay outside and glare, if necessary, to keep...tensions steady?"

"The tensions outside, sweet child." Drelasa said. "Lots of new meetings and different backgrounds along with already heightened tension. They don't need to squabble before we get going. And it's...it's more than the place. I was hardly into my majority when I met Jorun. Nearly my entire time on Vvardenfell was with him. We grew there together. Happiness, tragedy, victory and sadness...all the things life's struggle brings, we faced it together. Even when he would be gone for weeks at a time, searching for the last remaining ash vampires. When we left...we left with only what we could carry, to start over in Blacklight. Not two months later, Red Mountain erupted."

"And wiped out your old world." Ravenlight shook her head and shuddered. "I think that's one of the reasons I never went back to Valenwood. My family is still there, but Firefall...isn't. The place would still feel hollow and empty without him. And yes, Serana, if you would go outside and be a calming influence of sorts? Especially if Gen and Sine are out there too?"

Serana inhaled sharply at those names, and was gone before anyone could blink.

"Sounds like trouble..." Drelasa deftly sliced up the horker. "I have no other blood family to speak of. Just Modyn and I and all those I have taken to consider as family. Family does not have to be blood. It is who you choose. I chose Jorun and though I miss him terribly...he opened up a world for me I never would have gotten to see otherwise."

"I understand that perfectly. The family I've gathered around me here..." Ravenlight laughed. "Well, they're pretty obviously not related to me by blood. But...we're incredibly close, all the same."

"Exactly." Drelasa accepted the newly chopped vegetables and put them in with the horker. "Far closer than I ever was with my own family. That is nothing I miss."

"Hm. Sounds like you, Drizzt and Serana could swap stories." Ravenlight shrugged. "Mine was good. Except Sparrowwing, and if we do go to Valenwood to ask for Rangers, do not let him get anywhere within arm's reach of you unless you want to be frantically shaking something slimy, leggy, wriggling, or all of the above out of your collar. Because you could probably hit him with a lightning bolt that cracks the tree under him, and he'd probably still think it was worth it."

"Explains why you called Nevano that once." Drelasa smiled. "Mine weren't nearly that bad. Just...greedy and obnoxious. Living a life I wanted nothing to do with. When they harass me too much, I tell Nevano to go annoy them right back. They are well aware of it too."

"Between Sparrowwing and Jarlaxle, I've certainly got my fill of the greedy and obnoxious." Ravenlight frowned, basting some of the meat. "I'm...conflicted, actually, and could use some advice. Drizzt's father, the only member of his family who was worth anything, has been returned to life through a far too complicated series of events. He's a phenomenal warrior, and I'd honestly love to have him with us facing this. It would probably be good for him, too. The problem is, Jarlaxle was and is one of the few people Zak considered a friend, and I'm not sure I could really impress on him just how badly I don't want that pain in the neck finding out I'm from another world."

"It wouldn't be fair to ask for someone's help with conditions." Drelasa said. "Would his help truly make a difference?"

"It really could. You've seen Drizzt fight? Zak taught him. Probably one of the very few people I know of who could match him." She poured more juice over the meat. "And he was Weapons Master back in his old house; their trainer. Might baffle the living heck out of him to see who he might help whip into shape over here, but..." She pursed her lips. "I don't like asking with conditions, either. Catti-Brie, on the other hand, will understand, and will be an incredible help. I'll talk to Drizzt and go through to get her later today, I think."

"Considering this fight and how much help he will provide...I say it's worth the risk." Drelasa stabbed a potato that floated to the surface. "I...never did tell you what I was doing in Solitude."

Ravenlight glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow.

"My grandfather had moved there. The name attracted him. He headed the family business but I see finally retired...or, rather, was forced to." Drelasa added a handful of spices in. "A hard man. Very hard. But the only one, I think, to begrudgingly accept what I had done. Enough so...he let me keep what I took. A huge thing, if seeming so little. Not enough to ever bless my wedding. In fact...only Jorun's father came..."

Drelasa took a deep breath in. "I found him. I intended to ask him if there was a way I could beg for any spare supplies to be sent to High Rock. To bolster the armies and restock the towns. But he was...half withered away when I saw him. I couldn't do it."

"However...someone else found me. Garvon. He was a servant in my family's employ but he delighted in waiting on me as a child. He was my best and only friend. Did everything a parent should have. I guess he's caring for the old man now. Caring is what he did best. He...told me that while my parents disowned me, my grandfather never struck my name. With his retirement...oh Azura help me I can barely say it."

Ravenlight's eyebrows shot up. "Let me guess, you may not have the wheel, as it were, but you're captain now anyway?"

"Only if I claim it. Which...I did. We might hear the scream of outrage even here." Drelasa sighed. "Going to have to kill a few Morag Tong before this is over. But I took it. The entire trading empire is mine, for now. Supplies will reach High Rock, more than I counted on but that's a good thing. I'll deal with the jackals later. So...if the risk we take on in this turns out to be a bit more than we thought we could chew...well, a good thing both you and I can conjure storms because a few lightning bolts up the backside does a lot of good."

Ravenlight gave her a fierce grin-one that reminded Drelasa of the darker stories of Bosmer. "Don't worry about the Morag Tong. I destroyed the Dark Brotherhood, and won't mind adding a few other assassins to that list. And good for you." She turned back to her cooking, the ferocity fading slightly. "I've been weighing this whole 'destruction of the Wheel' issue, trying to decide if it's worth the risk of Jarlaxle getting wind of Tamriel; but I keep feeling like it'll be like a farmer bringing in a fox to clear his henhouse of rats. The fox will probably get rid of the rats...but it'll demand its payment in chickens."

"Depends on the type of chicken you have." Drelasa said. "The kind that falls down dead when frightened...or the sort that puffs up indignantly and shrieks back?"

"The kind that might fight back, but you'll still only find its feathers in the morning," Ravenlight said grimly. "When I first met him, I could count the number of people he actually considered people in their own right-instead of expendable pawns-on the fingers of one hand. Now?" She gave the spit a turn slightly more ferocious than necessary. "I have to use two hands. It's not really an improvement. He's charming, affable, even friendly-but make no mistake, he is the most cold-blooded, dangerous bastard I have ever met in my life, and that's counting Harkon Volkihar."

"Can his friend be counted on to, if not keep this from him, but contain him?"

"Zak? No." Ravenlight shook her head. "Drizzt could maybe make it clear to him that his ambitions would not be welcome here; but Zak might not see the need." She sighed. "Though...he certainly does understand that Jarlaxle has a way of making a corkscrew look like an arrow, and he does have a strong sense of honor. He'd probably understand why I didn't want the creep around."

"Then perhaps you can word it different." Drelasa said. "Make it seem less of 'I don't want him here because he'll be annoying to the people.' but more that you don't want him here because you are that, hmmm what's a good word. I wouldn't say fearful. Concerned? A good word that you have a young child you are wanting to protect."Make it far more personal and appeal to that honorable side." Drelasa said. "It's not lying, it's just putting it more in terms he can understand so he doesn't get the two sides muddled together."

"That's...possible," Ravenlight mused. "And even more possible if it's phrased that way either by or for Drizzt. Zak's still got a pretty cynical streak in him-but he genuinely loves his son. And keeping his mouth shut about this will be considerably less...drastic than some of the things he's done for him in the past."

"There you have it." Drelasa said. "Keep the pestilence out so Drizzt can spend more time with his child, rather than putting out fires here."

"Be helpful all around." Ravenlight smiled. "All right, then. I'll head over to find Catti-Brie tonight; and if I can safely retrieve Zak as well, I'll ask if he'd like in on this."

"A very sound plan." Drelasa frowned and tipped her head, listening to the increasing noise from outside. "I hope that's sparring."

"Possibly not." Ravenlight put her basting spoon down with a smack. "Just a minute..."

"Can't leave them for half a moment..." Drelasa shook her head.

The door banged open, then closed behind her. A few moments later, the walls shook. "ZUN HAAL VIIK!" A splash of water followed the roar.

---

Nevano started laughing hysterically as both sets of twins hit the deck as water, and buckets, rained down on them.

Veleth shook his head. "Good. All four of them weren't even thinking of foot work there."

Farkas and Vilkas quailed as the Dragonborn stalked toward them, glaring. Min and Zeb looked between each other and started hastily backing away.

"What," she growled, her voice deeper and more resonant than usual, "were you idiots doing? Do I have to clarify what guest rule is again? For either of you?"

Min and Zeb echoed each other perfectly. Only problem was, they said it in Velothi, which only Nevano knew fluently but he was laughing too much to translate.

Ravenlight's shadow seemed to darken and grow, until a dragon was silhouetted clearly on the walls behind her. "What," she said, her voice deadly calm, "happened?"

"As much as I think they all are morons." Veleth said. "They actually were sparring. Just...being young idiots and getting carried away."

The darkened shadow faded, and Ravenlight swept her gaze over the combatants, noticing a cut over Min's (Zeb's?) right eye, and the livid bruises on both Farkas and Vilkas's arms. "You," she said, pointing to the bleeding one, "get Elealda to stitch you up. You two," she pointed at Farkas and Vilkas, "inside and sit down. Now."

"Well, we can tell them apart now." Veleth mused.

Farkas and Vilkas obediently scuttled inside and plunked themselves down on separate benches by the table. The bleeding twin was kept sternly away from the table as Elealda picked up the sewing box and strode toward him with grim purpose. "So what exactly happened?" she asked as she began sponging the worst of the blood off his face so that she could see what she was doing.

Min tried to move out of the way of her ministrations, though he kept his rear seated, seeing as who was in the same house.

"Well, they told us they weren't in the furry way anymore." Zeb answered for his twin. "So we got curious if they were just as strong as if they still were. It was a fun fight."

"I can tell by the way I'm going to have to round up the chickens before the foxes in the marsh get them," Ravenlight growled. "And by the damage to the pen and the shed. Of course they're just as good: being werewolves made them more savage, not more skilled."

"Quit moving," Elealda said sternly to Min, "or I will pin you to make sure you don't."

"Not true!" Zub said. "They survived. Only the smart ones do."

"'Smart' in this case meaning 'not preying on every innocent they happened upon?'" Ravenlight raised an eyebrow at him. "I won't say they had more control than most werewolves; I went almost insane the first time I turned, and it was largely luck that I remembered to keep away from the town when it happened. But they had enough control over their instincts to channel who they were fighting, especially when the enemy was vampires."

Zeb sighed dramatically. "No no. Smart as in, they remember. Less werebeast, more man in fur. We had a pack like that on Solstheim. Kept to themselves, powerful as a dremora, we'd see them turned...but we could say hello, they'd nod to us and go back to their hunt. They had their home, we had ours, we didn't cross the two. No bother there. Then there were the others. Some couldn't control and others...didn't want to. We had a terrible problem with one who was in perfect control of himself but had every evil intention in the world. Old thing. Very old, very big. Very, very nasty."

"Oh." Farkas nodded. "That's what you meant. Yeah, we were...smart like that. Aela still is."

Min let out a shrill yelp as the needle pierced his skin, which was muffled as Elealda wrapped his head in one arm and held him still, continuing to push and pull the needle with her other hand.

Zeb watched his twn flail like a fish out of water without much sympathy. "We've never met one that had turned back before. Must have been a lot to do."

"Had to hunt down the Glenmoril witches," Vilkas said. "Hagravens, one and all. And then make it to the tomb of Ysgramor. But...the old man had wanted that, so...we did it." He shrugged. "Not sorry we did. Not sorry we gave it up, either. I hadn't known I wanted to at first, really, but...well, if the Dragonborn didn't want it...why should we?"

"Quit flailing," Elealda growled, "or I will put you on the floor and have that big strong Nord over there come sit on you. Honestly. It's a cut two inches long, it's not like I'm having to sew up the entire length of your torso!"

"Many do or don't for many reasons." Zeb shrugged, sliding a foot over to kick Min before his flailing got too bad. "We saw lots of werebears, for instance. Some said they changed due to a twisted heart or something. Most we saw were...tortured. In the mind." Zeb looked at his brother. "All our tattoos and markings and you won't sit for this?"

Whether it was the threat of being squashed by Farkas-who had turned to watch with obvious intent to help if the surgeon asked for it-or Zeb's scorn, Min finally subsided, allowing the Altmer woman to finish her work without having to struggle every time she went to poke the needle in. Ravenlight choked back a snort of laughter when she saw that, unlike the simple white thread Elealda had used on Veleth, Min's forehead was decorated with stitches of bright green.

"Speaking of Aela," Ravenlight said suddenly, realizing abruptly that the woman had not been immediately in the vicinity of the fight, "where is she?"

Farkas and Vilkas both shrugged. "She was there when we started fighting. Though...I think Gen and Sine came up; said they'd found something a little further down the coast? Wanted to check it out."

---

Outside, all the chickens had been caught and Nevano was getting the last bit of repairs done. The goat was following Veleth around happily, seeming to beg every time he stopped.

Several more Companions had come up in the meantime; both old-timers who'd been there under Kodlak, and newer ones who'd been drawn to the Dragonborn's reputation. These latter included a pair of dark-eyed Bosmer, a female Khajiit, and the fairly-infamous Gen and Sine: a pair of Forsworn who'd given their oaths to Madanach, and had agreed to join the Companions as a way of bolstering the relations between the old enemies.

Nevano pointedly stayed away from them, his swords hidden and his ring twisted so it faced his palm. He wasn't feeling up to being overly social and preferred to stay by Serana.

Serana, thankfully, was not particularly tense. She was well-known among the Companions, and they knew better than to dare her...or their Harbinger, for that matter, and some of them were muttering-not loudly-about how they'd known how the fight between Farkas and Vilkas and the Dunmer twins would have ended. None of them appeared to be more than curious about the strange Dunmer; others were setting up tents and spits on the rocky areas around the house.

Nevano was thankful for her steadiness. It wasn't the people so much as it was several old memories springing up unbidden from all the recent activities. He couldn't get away so much as face it all now. That was not something he was used to doing.

Serana noticed the way he was moving, and put her lips to his ear. "Imagine how they're all going to react when she tells them about Gyrmallion and the others," she whispered. "And then how they're not going to dare do anything about it with her standing there."

Nevano grinned. It would be worth it to watch them squirm a bit.

---

About thirty minutes later, Farkas and Vilkas staggered outside, carrying a massive cast-iron pot between them. Min and Zeb followed, Min sporting an interesting stripe of green stitches over his right eye, and both of them balancing a spit with what was probably an entire deer and a half roasted on it. Ravenlight followed, and as the warriors set down their respective burdens in front of the house, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.

"You will have to hunt and fish for yourselves after this! But at this moment, lunch is on me!"

Nevano blinked as a literal stampede charged over. "Guess they were hungry?"

Serana tugged him over in the direction of the food. "Come on, or there won't be anything left. They all know Ravenlight's a better cook than almost any of them, they're not going to miss this!"

It was only due to her urging that he went over. Thankfully, while the crowd was initially fierce, they saw Serana and gave way, moving away from the cauldron and spit as they got their stew and meat. A stack of wooden bowls and trenchers stood on a bench beside the pot; she took two, and served them both, before pulling him away to a quieter spot.

He was insanely grateful to be out of the middle of the crowd. "I swear to you, I'm not normally this antisocial."

She handed him his share before biting into the meat herself. "Mmm. I guessed, really; there's a lot of people around, and you don't know any of them. Ravenlight gets that way sometimes, too."

"Heh, it's been an insane several days. Even being dropped into Vvardenfell didn't move this fast." Nevano said, taking a bite of stew. "Amazing how you never realize how hungry you are until you start eating. And those two I swear put magic in whatever they make."

"Almost!" She swallowed. "I mean...look at me."

"That's very easy to do." He winked at her.

"Silly." She grinned at him. "I'm a vampire, remember? I don't have to eat normal food. But blood potions, while they satisfy and keep my hunger at bay...they really don't have much in the way of taste. Actual blood...well, it does, but I don't really like drinking human blood except in dire circumstances. So...I really don't get nourishment from it, but Ravenlight's cooking more than makes up for that."

He grinned wider. "See? Magic. Though if you want nourishing AND pretty tasty, you should ask Drelasa about her blood recipes. She made this...thing. I have no idea what it was but she said it was made with blood and wickwheat and it chewed like smoked meat but it was so good."

"Hm. I might have to try it." She took a bit of the stew. "Mmm. What's wickwheat?"

"Morrowind's version of wheat." Nevano quickly swallowed his bite to answer. "Keeps growing even when the volcano makes our weather change abruptly."

"Ah." She considered. "I'd like to go to Morrowind someday. Morrowind, Cyrodiil, Valenwood...everywhere, really. I've seen...so little of the world."

Nevano chewed slowly, staring out at nothing. "Come back with me," he said suddenly.

She looked at him, half-startled. "You...mean that?"

"I've stayed in Blacklight for a long while, longer than I have in one place in a long time but..." Nevano tapped his foot. "I want to see more. So, yes, I mean it. I want to see the rest of Tamriel without it being exile or someone wanting me to save the world or whatever other excuse. So after we save the world here, come back with me. We'll see Morrowind and then go to other places. I've only seen Morrowind, Cyrodiil and parts of Skyrim and one not exactly pleasant place in High Rock. We've got an enormous life ahead of us and we've seen so little. So yes, come with me and we'll see it."

"I..." She paused, as if to consider it. Then she smiled and reached out, taking his hand. "I will."

Nevano grinning widely and gave her hand a squeeze. "We'll start there and you choose the next place we go."

"Well..." She considered for a moment, then laughed. "We may have to wait until this is over before I know for sure. But...you know, I've always been rather fascinated with Cyrodiil; it was such a backwater place when I was young, and then to wake up and find that it's-it's been the seat of an empire for hundreds-no, thousands-of years!"

"You'll love what they did to the place." Nevano said. "I spent nineteen years there and then back and forth between Cyrodiil and Morrowind. Definitely much warmer there. You'll love Skingrad. Rolling hills and farms. It's gorgeous there. I think Janus Hassildor still rules it. As he has for the past three hundred years. Another vampire who we won't see in High Rock. If he hears that call, he'll be the first to curse it out and go back to confusing his subjects on how he's lived for so long."

"A vampire count? And one who's also-resisting?" Serana's eyes lit up. "Oh-I'd love to talk to him. Find out if it really does get harder the-the longer one lives." She looked down. "My father told me...the last time we spoke, before I-before Ravenlight and Drizzt and I, killed him...he said that this 'stage', of resisting the curse, doesn't last. That Molag Bal wins in the end." Her hands clenched. "He was...he was a monster among monsters, and I don't want it to be true."

"I didn't figure out he was a vampire until well after the Oblivion Crisis." Nevano said. "I sent him a letter saying I must applaud his ability of making friends with Telvanni wizards. He saw what I meant immediately and actually met with me...at night, of course. He tore my hide a new one, but he calmed after I told him that since people weren't mysteriously disappearing from Skingrad, his secret was safe with me. Turns out, he sniffs at other vampires, saying they've given in to their urges. Kinda like werewolves...or some, at least. I think if you don't want it to be, it won't. Nerevar always told me that those that try to force their power through blood and violence always meet their end in the same way...but those who say enough, the ones that go away from that path, will always be rewarded and will always be remembered."

"That's...comforting, actually." Serana leaned against his shoulder. "Drizzt always says it's not easy taking the other path...but that it can be done. And that it's not what you are that defines you, but what you do."

"It's never easy and often lonely." Nevano put an arm around her comfortingly. "But it's rewarding. You met incredible people along the way, do things you'd never think possible and, above all else, you succeed where so many others failed, opening a path that others can follow and not fail themselves."

"Opening a path where others can follow..." Serana's eyes grew distant. "Maybe...maybe I can do what Ravenlight believes Vyrthur was supposed to do: find the...the way back. Not just a cure, but...a path of hope for any who fall to it." She glanced back at some noise Nevano missed. "That's...odd. I wonder what that gesture meant."

"Whatever you decide to do, I'll help." He looked up. "What?"

"Ravenlight and Drelasa just...smacked their hands together."

"Oh!" Nevano smiled. "Think of it as...a congratulations. They pulled off feeding everyone and I think we're the only ones talking because everyone is still busy shoveling it in their mouth as fast as they can."

"Oh. That makes sense." Serana did not say she was pretty sure both women had looked away from them when she turned her head to see what she'd heard. It probably didn't mean anything, anyway.

"Considering how they made this stinky bull horker taste delicious and not like an old, stinky horker and this deer you don't need a knife for, they can be smug all they want." Nevano never noticed anything otherwise.

"They really can." Serana dismissed the odd gesture from her mind and went back to eating. After a few more minutes, she glanced over at Nevano. "We shouldn't go...as far as we did yesterday...but after we're finished, would you like to...at least walk along the beach a little ways? It'll be quieter than up here."

"Would love to." He said, halfway considering tossing his bowl over his shoulder to go with her that much faster.

About half a minute later, they heard footsteps pattering up behind them. "'Scuse me," Lucia said. "Mama's sending me around to gather up plates and bowls. Are you finished?"

Nevano had just swallowed his last bite. "Yes. juohn, hla muhrjul."

"Ummm...okay, then!" Lucia took their dishes and trotted off. As they stood to slip off toward the sea, they heard her asking the next group if they were finished yet.

"I should probably hold off the Dunmeri." Nevano grinned. "I think I confused her."

"Probably," Serana said wryly. "Not all that many folk speak it around her." She slid her hand into his. "Including me. But...I'd like to learn it." She darted him a coy glance. "Care to start teaching me?"

Nevano gave her hand a small squeeze. "Ku'ayneiris ohn ural."

---

Ravenlight bit back on the yell of triumph as the pair slipped away from the others, heading down to the beach. It was still early; she knew that. But all the same...seeing them together like that was...was just as satisfying as watching Drizzt and Catti-Brie together, and she was darn well going to make sure that happened in the very near future. In the meantime... She took stock of what food there was left. Somehow, impossibly, there actually was still food left over: enough meat and stew for...five light meals.

Well. Looks like we won't have to make anything else for the Altmer. And by now, they may be wanting something a little heartier.

Drelasa was humming to herself, smirking and looking far too pleased. "Did you see how they were leaning against each other?" She couldn't help the tiny squeal that made its way into her voice.

"I did." She was on the verge of purring herself over that. "And they were heading down to the beach, too." She giggled. "I'm tempted to ask Serana if she wants to have my amulet of Mara...see if he'd know what that meant."

Drelasa snorted. "His mind might break in half over that once it sets in!"

"You both are horrible." Veleth was leaning against the wall behind them. "Yet, at the same time, brilliant."

"I just wanted them to get to know each other, especially after finding him ready to...bolt into the night, I guess, rather than stay and get close to people." Ravenlight shrugged. "I didn't really anticipate the...happy end result of this. But it makes sense. They're both going to be around far longer than the rest of us. And while I know she's not...overly fond of temples, we know a priest of Mara who'd be happy to do it elsewhere. In fact, he'd probably be willing to do it here."

"Though he's not a follower of Mara, it is tradition that the member of a lesser clan follow the bindings and traditions of the greater one they are going into." Veleth rubbed at his jaw. "Though Azura might have a thing or two to say about that...if you are eager to see those two get bound. Why the hell am I even thinking about this...?"

"But...if you want to marry them off, you better do it quick." Veleth carefully pushed off the wall, mindful of his stitches holding his torso together. "They are talking about exploring all of Tamriel together once everything is finished here."

"We'll drop a few hints about it before we head to High Rock," said Ravenlight, a little smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "And I may know which ones to use."

"Should I warn Nevusa?"

"No...I don't think that is necessary." Drelasa said. "Nevano made his peace with Sorosi. He and Nevusa will work on their relationship on their own accord, as it won't ever be a traditional one but, as is fitting to them, what they want it to be."

"Might see if we can't find someone for Nevusa, too," Ravenlight added slyly. "Might cause more scandal than running off with a bodyguard...but there's quite a few nice catches here, and heaven knows she'll be able to look them over."

"Just because I've been watching all day and not because I want to know any of this..." Veleth actually sounded annoyed with himself. "She's shown quite a bit of interest in humans too. She's spent her whole life in Morrowind. She's interested in branching out a bit."

"Well, if she likes humans..." Ravenlight snickered. "Farkas is not subtle. Shy, kind of innocent...but not at all subtle. He's not the brains of the brothers by any stretch of the imagination, but he's a good provider, very loyal...and he definitely thinks she's attractive."

"She's noticed." Veleth sighed. "She has noticed." He gave his mother and Ravenlight a hard look. "You two aren't planning on taking this further, are you?"

Ravenlight shrugged a little. "Would it be such a bad thing if we were? We can't focus on battle and death and the destruction of the world all the time; there's got to be a reason you want it to keep turning."

"I...suppose you are right." Veleth admitted reluctantly.

"If we can get this to go right," Ravenlight mused, tapping her fingers, "Nevano will have someone who cares about him by his side for the rest of his life, however long that may be...and Nevusa will not have to worry about her arranged marriage down in Necrom." She nodded toward Farkas, who'd stood up to 'help' her with something. He was larger than most of the other Nords. "I mean...sure, they're going to object. And loudly. But once they see him?"

"Messing with nobles and politics is a pastime for me, so I can get behind that one real fast." Veleth admitted easily. "Plus, I know Nevusa will jump at it. For all the reasons. She might be the one on board with all this the fastest."

"Very likely."

"The only reason she hasn't erupted with jealousy over Aela yet is because Aela took off after a bit." Veleth didn't sound the least bit upset over that. "And because you said behave."

"Eh," Ravenlight shrugged, "Aela isn't interested in the twins, and vice versa. It's like me with Drizzt: they're closer to her kid brothers than anything else. Though it will likely help if she can tell that..." She watched the pair. Farkas did not have the quickest tongue in the Companions at the best of times, and while his eyes were focused on Nevusa like she was a magnet and he a piece of steel, she doubted he'd been able to put three unrelated words together the whole time. "And he might need a little help, too."

"Not...quite the reason she's jealous but we'll go with that." Veleth watched as well. "Though if you are going to play matchmaker with Dunmer, this is excluding Nevano, by the way, you should know what we usually go for. That way you can decide if this will work or go down in a flaming mess."

"So what advice should I give him?" Ravenlight was smirking by now. "Besides, 'If you're going to give her flowers, don't gather them out of the marsh'?"

Veleth squirmed a bit. "He's got the first part down. He's caught her eye. No matter what our reputation is to the rest of the world, and I'm well aware it's not the most positive, we do like things that look good."

"After having dealt with Drow for a few years, Dunmer don't look so bad," Ravenlight said dryly. "And I don't think there's a race in this world that doesn't like things that look good. So, he's got the first part down...what would next parts be?"

She shot a grin at Drelasa. In truth, she would have normally turned to the woman for advice on this anyway; but it was fun watching Veleth stammer and squirm.

Drelasa smirked. "For one who ran absolutely wild when he was younger and then sired a child out of wedlock, you do get shy, my son."

Veleth hissed through his teeth. "It was not that bad!"

"Sweet child, your father ran a spy organization as well as the city watch." Drelasa said. "We are very well aware of the trouble you got into."

Veleth's ears instantly turned a shade of red so brilliant it could have directed travelers through the swamp.

Ravenlight giggled wickedly. "Soooo...should I tell Farkas to ask you for advice, then? I am blatantly aware that if he tries to ask Drizzt, he will get nowhere."

The red started to creep from Veleth's ears to his cheeks.

"What he is undoubtedly going to try to say..." Drelasa said. "The man better perform well enough to make every woman in that half of the province instantly sit up straight with jealousy. The more another woman rages with jealousy the better." Drelasa smiled suddenly. "My cousins may have delighted in my downfall but you should have seen the looks on their faces when they saw Jorun. And I made sure to let them all know that he was-"

"ENOUGH! Vith!" Veleth all but bolted out. "Don't want to know!"

Ravenlight laughed so hard she had to lean against Drelasa to stay upright. "Something tells me," she managed to gasp out, "that Farkas will probably have that part covered, too!"

"What is it about these big males?" Drelasa winked at her. "The bigger they are, the more shy they become? Boy is just like his father. And I beat women off his oblivious hide. Men...can't live with them, can't live without them. Farkas I believe will do just fine. Might not be a werewolf anymore but as long as he has that same ferocity behind closed doors...we might want to make sure any beloved furniture is removed first."

"Certainly anything delicate." Ravenlight grinned. "By the way, I was not joking about Drizzt. He's sweet, he's charming, he's chivalrous, he's protective, he is a demon in battle, and I should hardly have to mention how attractive he is...and he is utterly clueless when it comes to women and to romance. From what Catti-Brie told me, she was in love with him for years before he finally realized he needed to do something about that!" She straightened. "We'll have to make sure it doesn't go that far for either Serana and Nevano, or for Nevusa and Farkas. But...I somehow don't think we'll have too much trouble with that."

Drelasa sighed. "I...do not doubt that about him for a moment. The good news about Nevano and Serana is that Nevano isn't new at this. He's letting it happen how it will, which I am insanely happy about. Nevusa and Farkas might dive in headfirst. Such how it is with some of the young ones."

"So. We temper the enthusiasm of the young ones a little, to make sure the flame doesn't burn too high and then go out...and we make sure that when the flame between the older two burns white-hot, it binds them together." Ravenlight smiled. "Oh, this will be fun."

"Oh with Nevusa it will be easy...and fun." Drelasa smirked. "Keep them running errands opposite each other, only letting them be together for short periods of time."

"Not hard to do, either." Ravenlight could already think of a few dozen potential errands to keep them apart.

"Nevano and Serana...there's a tricky one." Drelasa tapped her fingers. "They seem to know what they want, but Nevano, as you've noticed, seems to like to hide the personal things."

"Serana's bad about that, too." Ravenlight sighed. "Not that I can blame her...she's one of the few people I know who can make Drizzt say his early life wasn't that bad. We might need to take some fairly...drastic measures with them."

"No kidding. It was Jorun who even knew Nevusa existed but that was because he heard about a child with sunburst eyes. We had no idea he had gone to see Sorosi." Drelasa sighed. "What do you have planned?"

"I don't think I have anything concrete just yet..." Ravenlight said slowly. "But it might be best to get them married...quickly. I don't think Nevano would have any real intention to run away from Serana, but he has a little issue with despair that could really complicate things-and I suspect it's more than just occasional gloom."

"It hangs over him constantly like a storm cloud." Drelasa agreed. "To the point where he doesn't think he deserves the things others get, like a life in general. He will be okay until he realizes he truly loves her and then he will spook himself into something very stupid. You saw how he can get. If he's not headed off before he bolts...it's very difficult to find him again. Once convinced its truly real and no one will take it from him, he will lock onto it like a barnacle and never leave it."

"So...best to tie the knot before we leave for Cyrodiil, perhaps?" Ravenlight considered. "Hmmm...Serana really isn't one for temples, considering what happened to her in her family's...but..." She sat up suddenly. "The portico. Meridia has an old temple outside of Solitude, and while the temple itself has never really been cleansed from what the necromancer Malkoran did inside, the portico is still pure. It's large enough for a wedding party, too. And I don't think anyone would object to having the wedding there. I know a priest of Mara who'd be happy to officiate, too." She grinned. "And he's a Dunmer, too. Being able to officiate at the wedding of the Nerevarine? He'd be thrilled."

"We might need to find a priest of Azura too." Drelasa said. "Like Modyn said, she might have a thing or two to say if her favorite champion...pardon, champions, did not have her represented. How many Azura worshippers are there in Skyrim?"

"I know a priestess of Azura, too: Aranea Ienith. She keeps the Shrine of Azura, up near Winterhold." Ravenlight grinned. "And I can get in touch with the College quickly enough to have them bring her down."

"Perfect!"

Ravenlight's eyes sparked. "Do you think they'd object to us dressing Serana in that outfit Nevano found for me to impress the Dunmer? I don't think there's a prettier outfit in Skyrim-and she's almost my size. It'll fit her."

"My dear, it was a gift to you." Drelasa smiled broadly. "You can put anyone you wish in it. And I think Nevano's eyes might pop out of his skull if he saw Serana in that."

Ravenlight giggled. "Oh, this is too much fun. What stones to Dunmer wedding rings have? I'm good with jewelry-making, and I've got...more than enough precious metals and stones for them."

"Usually ones that represent something they belong to. Yellow or blue for Azura, purple or black for Mephala and red for Boethiah." She held up the black band with the cracked purple stone. "I had this made for Jorun. Nevano likes silver though. Usually he has silver earrings...when they aren't getting ripped out in fights."

"Silver...and blue. I have sapphires. And for Serana...well, she can't wear silver, fairly obviously, but I have plenty of gold...what would it be for Meridia, do you know?"

"Hmmm...have you heard of the Ring of Kahjiiti?" Drelasa asked.

Ravenlight shook her head.

"It is Meridia's other artifact. In addition to the sword." Drelasa said. "It has red and yellow stones on it, last it was known. Meridia does like colors though. Her realm is known as the Colored Rooms."

"Hmm...well, in that case. Gold and rubies." Ravenlight smiled. "I can manage those fairly quickly. In fact, I can probably get them made here, and tonight."

Drelasa didn't quite squeal but the noise she made was close enough. "And what will we shove Nevano in to wear? His armor won't work." She tapped her lo. "I can't feasibly get it off him to clean it properly without raising suspicion..."

"I don't look it, but I'm a more than passing good smith." Ravenlight leaned against the wall, closing her eyes as she remembered what his armor looked like. "I can make him something new...and something practical as well, a suit he can wear into battle as well."

"Might fight him on that but..." Drelasa tapped her lip. "I have an idea. That armor of his isn't just leather. There's glass armor in it. Glass platelets. However that leather is...old and falling apart. If I can get it away from him, maybe you can remake his old armor."

"Oh, that would work, too!" Ravenlight grinned. "And I have a ready-made excuse. Most of the Companions don't have armor that would be suitable for fighting vampires; I'll be wanting to head up to Solitude and work with the smith there to get them outfitted. I can insist on repairing his armor at the same time."

"I was going to up and steal it." Drelasa laughed. "I will if he gets stubborn."

"If you have to, do it." Ravenlight straightened with a laugh. "All right; I've got five Altmer down below who might be wanting something to eat, too, and a rather large number of warriors to get situated without an explosion. We'll talk about this again later this afternoon...see what else we can figure out to get done without their realizing it!"

"Oh please, Nevano won't notice a thing." Drelasa laughed. "See if they'll come sit at the table inside and I'll bring the food in to them."

Ravenlight nodded and headed off.

---

(So...another feisty Altmer surgeon, romantic plotting...things are starting to pick up steam. As always, let me know what you think. Love hearing from you guys!)