I

Castilius sat under the cover of a patio beside the shimmering lake that was behind his estate. At age twenty-one, Castilius had already been leader of the entire Empire for two years, his only experience before that being years as a thief and a mercenary. Tomorrow would be the first summit since Castilius transformed the Cyrodiilian Empire into the Cyrodiilian Republic, a feat which took only seconds to decide to do but many, many hours of meetings and law changing to accomplish. Thankfully, Castilius had his wife, Mensa, his friend Baurus, and his older sister, Viera, to help him become a true leader and change the long running empire into a republic in which every citizen would be able to vote. After two years, Castilius had finally been able to select one-hundred senators and appoint himself and Mogen Wind-Shifter as consuls. The Republican senators consisted of various races but all were Cyrodiilian citizens by birth. Castilius thought of his appointed senators and all of the effort that had gone into choosing the right people for such a task. His musings were interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind him.

"Hello, dear," said Mensa, seating herself beside him on the bench. "How are you feeling? Nervous?"

"I'm okay, just lost in thought," said Castilius, taking her hand in his.

"Compared to the rest of these leaders, I'm just a boy. A boy who is upsetting the balance of the world by ending an empire that has been here nearly as long as history itself." He sighed.

"Sometimes I wonder if Agori Septim is looking down on me in disappointment."

Mensa took his face in her hands, forcing him to look her in the eyes.

"You are the only known member of the Septim dynasty. It was no coincidence that you were locked in that cell when the Mythic Dawn attacked. After that fateful day, you made conscious decisions to help our country, and they all paid off. This is what you were destined to do, Cas. All of your hardships have been for a reason."

Castilius smiled, pressing his forehead against hers.

"Thank you, Mensa. I love you."

"I love you too," Mensa said, standing up and grabbing his hand.

"Let's head home. You have a big day tomorrow."

Castilius and Mensa headed back to their home, wondering what the next day would bring.

Castilius sat down at the head of a large table in a meeting room in the center in the Imperial City beside his friend and co-consul, Mogens Wind-Shifter. In minutes, the room would be filled with the leaders of multiple kingdoms and tribes throughout Hylia. The Queen of Hyrule, the King of Temeria, the Chieftain of the Gerudo, the Gurqan of Morrowind, the High King of Skyrim, and the Shah of Almyra. Though putting some of the most influential people in the known world in one room had many risks, nothing was wasted when providing them security. Each leader would have their most trusted guard with them, and the building would be protected by the best in the Imperial Legion.

"You ready for this, Mogens? I'm not sure if I am," Castilius said with a laugh.

"I'm just hoping the Queen of Hyrule thinks I'm cute. I hear Zelda is the most beautiful Hyrulean of them all," said Mogens dreamily. Castilius hit him on the shoulder lightly and laughed.

"Yeah, I'm sure the beautiful and powerful Queen Zelda is going to find the two thief consuls of Cyrodiil absolute stunners. You'll be lucky if she even treats us as equals."

Mogens sat upright in his seat, hearing footsteps approaching the meeting room.

"Looks like we're about to find out."

The wide doors of the council chamber opened and two by two, leaders of the many countries of Hylia and their guards were escorted in by elite Imperial soldiers. The leaders sat down around the famed marble council table, a spectacle to behold. Castilius and Mogens sat in awe of these leaders, all of which had been alive and in power much longer than they had. Castilius swallowed his anxiety and stood up.

"Welcome to the first continental summit of the Cyrodiilian Republic. I am very grateful to you all for coming all the way to Cyrodiil today, and I hope that together we can make our countries live in harmony once again. I know recovery from the Oblivion Crisis has been tough. I know that there has been tension between some of your countries because of it, but I also know that we have all been doing what we can to repair our own countries, and I hope and pray that we can take that same goal and extend it to all of Hylia, each of our countries and people working to heal and defend themselves, and working together to heal and defend each other. Thank you."

Mogens stood up and patted Castilius on the shoulder.

"Let's get this meeting started."

The meeting was long and arduous, but effective. Treaties between countries were examined and rewritten, trade routes were set up, ambassadors and embassies were established, and much more. After the summit was a banquet, and although Cyrodiil is known for its powerful and disciplined military, it is also known for its festivals and parties. It started off slow at first, but after a few drinks, the leaders and senators were ready to celebrate late into the night. Castilius took this time to formally meet Queen Zelda. He saw her at a table and walked up to her, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Hey." He said in Cyrodiilian, hoping she was versed enough in it for casual conversation. There had been interpreters in the summit, but she and her guard had seemed to understand when Castilius spoke.

"I realized I haven't properly, uh, introduced myself yet. I'm Castilius Loche. I guess most people already know that by now, but I still haven't gotten used to it."

Zelda looked at him in confusion, saying, "Nuguseyo?"

Castilius, knowing absolutely zero Hylian, failed to respond, but then Zelda laughed.

"I'm kidding. Of course I speak Cyrodiilian. Just messing with you."

Castilius was taken aback, but pleased. He didn't expect the legendary Queen of Hyrule to be so casual. Zelda was an interesting character. She was decently tall, though that was typical of Hyruleans, and had long blonde hair that rippled like the waves of the ocean. She was very beautiful, and it was hard for Castilius to believe she was nearly ten years older than him and already had a few kids. She was ruling Hyrule when he was was a child thief living in Bravil and yet she teased him like a friend.

"I've always been intrigued with your country," Castilius said, seating himself at her table.

"I've heard it's a land rich with history and beauty. Some say you can still feel the golden goddesses' touch in the soil and in the people."

Zelda looked at him, her eyes sparkling with interest.

"You can feel the golden goddesses' touch everywhere and in everyone if you know what you're looking for."

Zelda and Castilius spoke and laughed for a long time, talking about affairs of their country, family, and sometimes just about what they liked to do for fun. There was a lull in the conversation after they laughed at a joke Zelda made, and they looked at each other, smiling.

"I want you to meet my wife."

"I want you to meet my brother."

They laughed again at the fact that they spoke in unison.

"Look at us," said Zelda with a sigh.

"We've only known each other for a few hours and we're talking like old friends. I would love to meet your wife by the way. My oppa is my guard, so you could probably meet him tomorrow if you'd like."

"If he's your guard, why isn't he in here? For protecting you and all that," Castilius asked.

"He said he wanted to look for an old dongylo of his. I told him I'd be fine; I mainly brought him along so he could sightsee. He's always loved to travel."

"So would you otherwise have come just...unprotected?"

"Trust me, Castilius...I can take care of myself. Probably more than you can. No offense."

Castilius looked in her eyes and he somehow knew she was telling the truth.

II

Kine let his white hand rest openly on the handle of his blade, strapped to his right hip. He walked through the busy streets of Cyrodiil, hooded and armed, but uncontested due to the winged insignia of the family of Hyrule engraved on his breastplate. His armor showed the native Cyrodiilians that he was one of the many important foreigners in the city for the summit, but his stature, build, and mysterious nature warned them to keep a respectful distance. Kine approached a saleswoman and placed a large hand on her fruit stand.

"Good day. Do you know a man named Gaius Decimus Valentinius? I heard he lives in this district."

The native saleswoman regarded the commanding Hyrulean standing before her. He spoke with a thick Hylian accent, but seemed to have a good grasp of the Cyrodiilian language. His face was mostly obscured by his hood, but the little visible skin on his neck and fingers was unnaturally white, pale and riddled with purple marks. She noticed he had his hand on the hilt of a sword on his hip, but also a sword strapped to his back, partially concealed by his cloak.

"I have heard of his name, yes," said the woman, stepping back slightly. "But I cant say if he lives here. He's a legionary, is he not? Shouldn't be too hard to find."

Kine reached into a pouch hidden beneath the folds of his cloak, grabbing a fistful of septims and placing them on the wooden stand, sliding them towards the saleswoman. He said nothing. Slowly, the woman reached across the stand, carefully selecting half of the coins and moving them closer to her side of the fruit stand.

"The man you're looking for lives on the connection of Castella and Garibaldi, the closest road to the statue of Hjalti Septim. Second door on the right."

Without a word, Kine pushed the rest of the coins towards her, and with a nod, strode in the direction of the Hjalti Septim statue.

Kine observed the small insulae in the dirty street between Castella and Garibaldi. The stone apartment looked cramped and disease ridden, making Kine wonder if he wanted to enter at all. Despite his worries, he walked towards the second door on the right and rapped his fist against it three times. No answer. He knocked again. No answer. After waiting for another ten seconds, Kine could hear a sound similar to moaning inside. Not willing to wait any longer, he broke the lock and kicked in the door in. Kine strode through the filthy living room towards the bedroom and flung open the separation curtain.

"Valentinius!"

Valentinius lay on his bed, tangled up with another legionary under the covers. His head jerked up at the sound of his name, though he had apparently been too engrossed to hear the door when it was slammed open.

Kine grinned at his shocked expression, realizing that his face was obscured and Valentinius did not recognize him. Kine threw back his hood, revealing white skin, purple hair, and matching eyes that lacked pupils. The man with Valentinius put the bedcover over his face with a start, but Valentinius' eyes began to widen, recognition spreading across his countenance.

"Kine? Is that you? What..." he stood up, wrapping the coverlet around his body and walking towards the Hyrulean, leaving the legionary without cover on the bed.

"What happened to your face? Your hair? Is this a new look?"

"This is one of the potential effects of visiting the Dark World."

Valentinius traced the purple lines across Kine's scarred face, entranced. Kine gently but firmly gripped his hand by the wrist and moved it away, backing up to a more comfortable distance.

"I didn't come here for that, Valentinius, though it is nice to see you." I didn't come here to reminisce," Kine said, backing away.

"I was told by an oracle that I would meet someone that I have a connection with. You're the only person I know still living in Cyrodiil."

Valentinius looked at Kine quizzically, taking in his new appearance as well as his words.

"Is seeking me out not...cheating? Don't get me wrong, it's a pleasure to see you but...why exactly are you here?"

He watched as Kine sighed and slowly reached to his back and unsheathed one of his swords. Valentinius observed the beige-pink hilt and hand-guard that led to the wide, silver blade. The hilt was long, clearly of Hylian design. He and the other imperials called them 'hand and a half swords,' but he heard the Hyruleans referred to them as 'bastard swords.' It was about twice as long as the standard issue gladius, and could have easily been used as a claymore by a man his size. Kine, however, held its weight easily in one hand before lifting it up and laying the blade across his right hand, slowly pushing it toward Valentinius.

"Here," said Kine, no hint of emotion showing on his face. "The oracle said I should give this to you."

Without a second glance, Valentinius pushed the sword back towards Kine and turned his back.

"No, the oracle did not. Just because you know someone doesn't mean you have a connection with them."

"Valentinius...you know we...had something..."

"Had. Had is the key word. We did have a connection, but you severed it a long time ago."

Kine stood silently, thinking about the validity of the legionary's words.

"Kine, listen to me," Valentinius said, turning around with a hazy stare in his eyes. "You can have a connection with someone you haven't yet met." His eyes went back to normal and he looked at Kine intently. "Now get out of my house."

"Please, please, just call me Zelda! We're friends now, are we not?"

"Of course, but you must also call me Mensa! I'm not an empress anymore, remember?"

Zelda grinned as Castilius and Mogens laughed at her and Mensa's antics. The four of them reclined under a pavilion drinking wine and eating the midday meal, called prandium by the Cyrodilians. The other three were so young, Zelda thought, and yet they were some of the most powerful people in Cyrodiil. The idea worried her, but she realized she was the same age when she became the queen of Hyrule, despite having been raised modestly on a small farm. No formal training, no parents to lean back on, and an entire kingdom to rule. Even so, she had managed despite the many issues that had plagued Hyrule in the early years of her rule. On the other hand, Castilius, barely a man, had successfully restructured the entire Empire in favor of the people, not of himself. When she looked to the past and to the future, she could see the story of the boy from Bravil, an orphan and a thief who saved Cyrodiil with the son of Emperor Uriel Septim and fought for all people, not the elite. She imagined children in schools memorizing his name and the date of the Oblivion Crisis. She realized that she too would be written about in the annals of history. And yet, she was sitting at a table, eating with new friends who would be immortalized in history in years to come. Just eating. The same way Agori Septim, father if the longest standing empire in all of Arda, likely ate in the ages before Cyrodiil or even Hyrule was founded.

A balled up piece of bread but her in the forehead, shaking her from her thoughts in time to see Castilius and Mogens playfully shoving each other and laughing, Mensa chiding the two young men. The eyes of history saw the world in ways Zelda would never understand.

"Come on, Mensa," Castilius said between laughs, "we're just having some fun!" He saw Zelda smile and knew Mogens' stray piece of bread had not bothered her.

"Zelda, when I do I get to meet your brother? I was hoping he would stop by the manor and we'd get to speak to him before you left."

"Don't worry, he will. I'll make sure he comes by for at least a minute." She hailed her servant and whispered something into the young Hyrulean's ear. The man nodded and raced away.

"He'll be here soon. If he isn't, I'll tan his daesang."

Castilius spit out his drink with a bark of laughter, spraying Mogens. He didn't know the last word she had said, but he understood her meaning.

"This is the same guy who killed Ganon, the demon king, right?"

Zelda smiled at his indignation as well as Mogens' annoyance.

"Correct, he is the same, but you'd be surprised at how shy he is. Everyone always says how stoic and commanding his is, but the truth is he's just painfully socially awkward. He founded a village in the easternmost part of Faron with his wife just so he wouldn't have to talk to as many people. Jokes on him, cause now he's the chieftain and has to take care of all those Lurelinians."

"Wow." Said Mensa, as she lifted a piece of pita bread up to her mouth. "Is there anything he can't do?"

"Yeah, make friends and keep them! My husband, George, is one of Kine's oldest friends and he barely speaks to him." The frustration went out of her face and she took on a more pitying composure.

"I can't be too hard on him, though. He lost most of his friends to the Dark World."

"I know what it's like to lose people close to you. I wouldn't blame him if he never wanted to have a connection with anyone again," said Castilius.

"Well," said Zelda, "let's be glad he hasn't pushed everyone away."

Kine followed Zelda's messenger though the threshold of the new consuls' home. He could hear laughing and glasses clinking inside. He dreaded entering. He could hear his cousin being rowdy and smiled within himself as he imagined her drunken antics. Ever since she was a child, she was always able to capture the complete attention of the room, a skill that was amusing as a farm girl, but became extremely useful after she was crowned queen of Hyrule. Despite his distaste for strong drink and his wishing that others would feel the same, he was glad Zelda was able to spend some time with young people like the consuls. Back in Hyrule, she was surrounded by those twice her age, advisors, councilors, and all those stuffy leaders of noble families.

Kine refocused on the task at hand, steeling himself for social interaction. Young, rich, and intoxicated. Three traits that annoyed him to no end, all in one. Zelda's messenger opened the doors to the dining hall where the group was and Kine put on a tight smile, wishing himself luck as he ducked under the doorframe and entered.

"Ayyyyyyy!" A large young Nord shouted, looking in Kine's direction and throwing his hands in the air. Kine remembered his name being Mogens, and already regretted coming. A Mongoblin woman in regal attire, seemingly the wife of one of the consuls, put her arm around Zelda's neck and giggled, looking in Kine's direction.

"Damn Zelda, you were right, he really is tall," she said as she dramatically demonstrated his height and width with her hands. Out of the corner of his eye, Kine saw another figure run towards him, and before he could react, tackle him with a hug.

Castilius gripped the big Hylian, hugging him tight as Kine quietly endured.

"Your sister has been telling us all about you! I'm so excited to meet you, man!"

Kine watched as the smaller man slurred his speech in Cyrodiilian, making it hard for Kine to understand. The other three in the room were laughing, and Kine realized suddenly that he wasn't angry at Castilius. With most any other stranger, he would have picked him up and thrown him, but with Castilius, he felt a strong kinship, almost an urging telling him not to harm him. The smaller man's touch didn't feel hostile or even foreign, but familiar, like he was a brother or comrade from the Knight's Academy.

Castilius, through his drunken stupor, looked up at the large Hyrulean he was trying to tackle and felt something he could not explain. A connection.

Mensa opened her eyes as a light breeze blew a curtain through a cracked window, allowing the noon sunlight to hit her eyes. She stretched with a yawn and turned to her husband, watching the deep rise and fall of his back, remembering how he was only able to remove his doublet before collapsing on the bed. She slid closer to him and put her hand on his back, contrasting his tanned brown skin with her sky blue. She traced his many scars with her finger, noting the variation. Some small and pale, others long and dark. In a few places, he had burn marks and indentations, all relics of his time on the road and in the realms of Oblivion. Just like him, she was also covered in scars from her years as a bandit. Life had not been easy on either of them in the beginning, but now they were technically the most powerful couple in Cyrodiil. She did not think she was deserving, but she was grateful nonetheless. When she lost her parents as a child, she had assumed her life would end on some dark road by the blade of a brigand, or in a back alley of Kvatch overdosed on bad moon sugar. She reached down to kiss his forehead, brushing his black locks out of the way. Castilius opened his eyes slightly, attempting to construct a sentence in his hungover and half-asleep state.

"Oh baby I am..." Castilius began in a singsong voice, partially muffled by sleep.

Mensa smiled as she watched him try to make sense of his words.

"I am...a wreck when I'm without you..." his eyes closed again, but he kept 'singing.'

"I need you here to stay..."

"You're silly," Mensa said as she looked at Castilius with love evident in her coffee colored eyes. "You know I'll forever be by your side."

"Zelda, he wouldn't even be able to hold it! I can't give this sword to the first drunk kid I see!" Kine spoke to his younger cousin in hushed Hylian within the confines of his guard room. Zelda had come into his room around nine in the morning, waking him up to berate him for avoiding her all of yesterday. He told her his progress with the sword and they began talking about what happened with Castilius the night before. Needless to say, they disagreed.

"If you don't give him that sword I'll do it myself! It's so obvious, I don't get how you don't understand!" She held her hand to her forehead in exasperation. "You are so incredibly dense. All the girls call you thick, but I don't think they know how thick skulled you are."

"Come on, Zelda, now you're just being mean for no reason," Kine said, still not seeming to understand her point.

"Brother, please. Just let him hold the sword. You don't have to tell him anything, just let him wield it."

Kine signed, knowing his cousin was right but not wanting to accept it. He knew that deep inside him, the spirit of the Hero dwelt, the first wielder if the Triforce of Courage. Even so, he felt more and more often that he was hesitant, no, afraid of committing, of taking action. He worried that the Hero's spirit was leaving him, and he wasn't sure who he would be without it.

"Fine. I'll let him try it in the training yard or something."

"Good," Zelda said, "I didn't want to have to steal it from you and get it to him somehow. You saved me a lot of trouble!"

Castilius swung at a training dummy, his body fully committed but his heart and mind preoccupied. He swung his gladius in an a upward diagonal arc, cutting into the dummy's mail in between its shoulder plate and breastplate. As a result of his hit a few chain-links broke, flying away with sparks. He heard footsteps from behind him and turned around, sweating. Kine walked up to the training area dressed in a lose shirt, trousers, and boots, holding a sheathed bastard sword at his side.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Sure, I'm just trying to work the alcohol out of my system," Castilius responded, retrieving a cloth from a nearby rack and wiping the sweat from his face down to his bare chest. He watched as Kine unsheathed his sword and threw its worn leather scabbard to the side. The sword, Castilius noticed, was beautiful and simple. He was not able to get a close look at it, but it seemed to be an old sword, in good shape but noticeably worn.

Suddenly, the older Hylian lifted the sword and took a swing at another armed dummy a couple of feet away. Kine chopped at the armor, breaking chains and cracking rusted plate. Castilius was awed by his raw strength and amazed by his ability to wield such a large sword with one hand, yet still maintain complete control of the blade. Castilius adjusted his grip on his gladius and decided to try to match him.

Some time later, both men were sweating profusely, arms aching as they lay down their swords and tried to catch a breath. Castilius and Kine both reached for a glass of water brought by a servant and drank gratefully. Castilius grinned and looked sideways to where Kine was seated on a bench beside him, wiping his face and and strikingly colored hair.

"How do you think I did? I mean to say, do you think I caught up with you?"

Kine set down his towel and chuckled softly, still not making eye contact.

"I think you tried and failed. Admirably."

"Hey, come on now!" Castilius punched him lightly on the bicep. "You were impressive, old man. I don't think I could catch up with you even if you were using a short sword."

Kine playfully pushed the Imperial back, then reached to where his sword lay and picked it up.

"You wanna try it? I know it's probably taller than you, but you might wanna give it a swing at that dummy."

"I am five foot nine inches," Castilius replied, standing up and retrieving the heavy sword from Kine's hands. He had never wielded a hand and a half sword, but now he felt they should be called two-handed swords.

"And I'll have you know that I was one of the tallest guys in Bravil." Castilius lifted the sword, but struggled to balance it. He gave a great heave and swung it right at the dummy's 'neck.' He did not hit the neck, but instead slammed the sword into its helmet, chopping cleanly through the iron, the wooden post the helmet sat on, and to the other side. He gasped at the now broken helmet, not believing the sword to be that sharp or his arm to have been that strong.

"Was that supposed to happen?"

He turned when Kine did not respond to see the Hyrulean's mouth wide open in surprise. Kine slowly shut his mouth and held his hand to his brow.

"Gae-sae-kki...Zelda was right."

Mensa swayed around the manor kitchen, humming to herself as she moved from counter to counter, grabbing vegetables, breads, and other foods, cheerily throwing together lunch.

Zelda watched from just outside the kitchen, smiling at the young Mongoblin, unbothered in her youthfulness as she rhythmically swung, her silken purple tunic and stola flowing around her legs as she seemingly sang a song in her head. Zelda remembered when she too had been uncomfortable with servants, insisting on maker her own bed and meals. That was far in the past, and she had long come to appreciate their use as she became busier and busier, leading her kingdom and raising her daughter, preparing her for the throne she would one day inherit. Zelda went into the kitchen and approached Mensa with a smile on her face. The younger woman did not hear her, caught up in whatever she was daydreaming.

"Good morning, Mensa," Zelda said, coming closer to where Mensa was washing vegetables in a basin.

Mensa looked at her, startled, but her countenance softened when she recognized the queen.

"Oh, it's you! Good morning, Zelda. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you, it was very comfortable."

Mensa gestured for her to sit down as she carried a platter to the table. The two women sat and ate, their husband and cousin training outside

Mogens lumbered into the room, groggily heading towards the table.

"Ah, Mogens! I forgot you were here. Can you go outside and tell Cas and Kine to come in for breakfast? Go!"

Mogens wordlessly left, holding his hand to his forehead.

"I notice you seem to not use servants, but have no trouble bossing Mogens around," Zelda said with a taste of amusement playing on her lips.

Mensa raised her cup to her mouth, hiding her embarrassment at Zelda's insight.

"It's true, though I am surprised you noticed. I was raised in the streets, I'm not used to having people waiting on me hand and foot. Mogens, however, was with me all through my upbringing, so I'm used to telling him what to do."

"Oh? I didn't realize," Zelda said in surprise. "I just figured he was Castilius' friend; they act like they've been buddies for years."

"I know," Mensa replied, "but the two of us have only know Castilius for two years. Our meeting is not a story we like to tell, though. It highlights our violent pasts and shows Castilius in a way the public does not need to see."

Zelda paused her eating and looked up at Mensa.

"We have all done things we are not proud of, Mensa. Some sins are worse than others, yes, but it is about what you do tomorrow, not what you did yesterday. Keep this in mind, though, covering up your crimes instead of owning up to them will cause nothing but strife."

"Right about what?" Castilius looked at Kine incredulously. "Did she say I could slice through steel with this massive-ass sword?"

Kine stood up and patted Castilius on the back.

"Back in Hyrule, a fortune teller told me to give this sword"-he gestured to the bastard sword in Castilius' hand-"to someone I had a connection with in Cyrodiil. Zelda was sure it was you, but I needed to know one hundred percent. That was a sign." Some of the excitement went out of his voice and he adopted a more somber tone. "I haven't been able to talk to someone as comfortably and candidly as I've talked with you in a very long time." He reached down and removed the sword from Castilius' grip, then knelt, holding the sword up, as if he was a knight bringing the sword of an enemy to his king.

"Castilius Loche, I present to you the Koholint Sword. Wield it with wisdom."

Mogens walked back into the kitchen with Kine and Castilius following close behind. They had dressed for prandium and Zelda noticed with pleasure that Castilius had the Koholint Sword strapped to his back. She met Kine's eyes and smiled, and, to her surprise, he smiled back. A true smile, one she had not seen from him in a long time. The three men joined the two women and they sat together, eating and laughing as they enjoyed their last day together in Cyrodiil.

III

Kine stirred in his sleep, his feet sliding off the cloth into the sand.

Ghanti blew air out of her nose, her head against her husband's chest. The sun shone brightly on them and the waves lapped just a meter from their feet. She smiled at her sleeping husband and put a finger to his face, following the purple lines from his eyes as they paled to a light pink on his cheeks and jaw.

She enjoyed tanning with him above all else, even though they spoke little. She loved simply sharing his presence. The sun was able to tan his ghastly complexion a little, but he could never match her deep brown, darkened further by her many hours spent outdoors. Even their daughter was darker at her palest than Kine was at his tannest.

She sighed, feeling a pang in her chest as she realized how much she missed Petra, studying with Zelda's daughter, Gabrielle, in Castle Town. She wrote often and knew she was safe, of course, but she missed her nonetheless. She heard the crunch of sand under sandals approach and then stop suddenly.

"Yes, Alexander?"

Her youngest son came closer, tiptoeing as he realized his father was sleeping. He handed his mother a letter of papyrus and tried to leave, but she grabbed him into a hug and kissed his forehead. She giggled as he squirmed out of her grip, running off to where some of the village boys waited for him a few dozen yards away.

Kine stirred again, hearing receding footsteps and Ghanti moving at his side. He yawned and looked at his wife, watching as she unclasped the wax seal of Cyrodiil.

"It's for you," Ghanti said as she turned and pressed the papyrus into Kine's hands.

"Dear Kine," Castilius wrote, "I hope you are well. Your"-he crossed out the word-"my Koholint Sword reminds me of you and your sister every day. From one leader to another, I can only hope your village is faring better than the Republic. I will be stepping down in a few years (Akatosh willing), but I still have work to do before I can pass on this seat." Castilius paused, thinking of what to write next. He heard a child's wail coming from the next room.

"Since we have last corresponded, Mensa has given birth to our son, Aleron Kine Loche. His first name comes from my late adoptive father, and the second from the man who gave me the strength I needed to rule with confidence, and, most importantly, wisdom. He paused and dropped down a line.

"I will end this letter with an announcement. Mensa and I are currently planning a trip to Hyrule in the coming months, once Aleron is a bit older. We would like to visit you in Faron as well. I hope you will make time for us. Your friend, Castilius."

He had Mensa proofread his letter, then sealed it with the dragon seal of Cyrodiil.

"...your friend, Castilius." Kine set the papyrus down and looked up to Ghanti's smiling face.

"I'll finally be able to meet them! Oh, and we can hold little Aleron! They can meet our kids! Oh Kine, I'm so excited!"

Kine smiled and pulled her into a hug, but she tumbled on top of him, knocking him from where he sat back into the sand. They looked into each other's eyes as seagulls flew overhead and the waves rose, nearly hitting them. Ghanti planted a kiss on Kine's lips, then pushed up, laying on top of him with her forearms resting on his broad chest.

"I love you," said Kine.

"I love you too," Ghanti replied. She laid her head on his chest and he put his arms around her. They were satisfied.