Once they'd gotten on the road, Bishop couldn't help himself and callously asked, "Alright banana man, clear something up for me real quick. If you're a vampire, how the fuck are you not roasting in the sun right now?"
"Bishop!" Eroeh chided, half-turning in the saddle to give him a dirty look.
"What? I'm curious. I've never seen one out in the daylight… well… I've never seen one out in the daylight and not on fire…" the Ranger grumbled, rolling his eyes. Eroeh's nostrils flared as she cut her eyes further in his direction, silently screaming for him to stop being such a shithead.
"The answer is quite simple, Ranger; I merely carry a different strain of vampirism from the one you're used to seeing here in Skyrim…" Alexander answered, rolling his shoulders as he kept his eyes forward. "While those of the vampiric variety here typically carry Sanguinare Vampiris, I am afflicted with an older, much more… sunlight-friendly strain." Alexander explained matter-of-factly. Taking his eyes from the road, he noted Bishop's dumbfounded expression and sighed. "Honestly Eroeh… thank the Nine that he's at least pretty."
Shaking his head, Alexander pinched the bridge of his nose and continued. "Allow me to break it down in a manner you might understand, darling. Skyrim's vampires burn in the sun. I do not. As powerful as they may be at night, I can assure you that I am stronger." He explained further, hoping at least part of the information might be absorbed and understood. "My particular strain of vampirism- Noxiphilic Sanguivoria, was originally intended to hunt down and destroy the other strains that find themselves immortally bound to Molag Bal.."
Alexander looked to Bishop as he tried to comprehend the lesson, letting out a heavy sigh of exasperation. "As absolutely thrilling as it would be to explain all the ins and outs of my particular affliction, I do believe there are far more important matters at hand. Namely getting the five of you to Riverwood in one piece." he huffed with a cocked eyebrow and a smile, clicking his tongue to spur his otherworldly mare into a gallop.
"He has a point~" Eroeh chuckled before taking the reins and spurring Faust on to keep pace with Alexander and Shadowmere. Smoke, wanting to stay close to her owner, sped up behind them- despite Esbern's loud objection.
They made it to Riverwood within the hour, the entire party looking rather exhausted from the events of their travels. With a weary sigh, Alexander stretched in the saddle, his face turned towards the sky as the hood of his cloak fell to his shoulders.
Bishop dismounted first and offered a hand to Eroeh as she slid down from the saddle. "Are you sure you can't stay, Alex?" Eroeh asked the half-Altmer almost sadly. "I'm sure you could spare one more day without them making too much of a fuss."
Bishop rolled his eyes and huffed irritably as he pulled Faust forward, securing his reins to a nearby post outside the inn.
Dismounted with a heavy sigh, Alexander closed the distance between them. "Unfortunately my dear I can linger no longer." Alexander answered sadly, brushing a stray lock of snowy hair from Eroeh's face. "Mother Dearest has been whispering in my ear for several days now, so if I would like to have any chance of blissful silence I unfortunately must heed her call."
Taking a moment to study the features of her face, Alexander cradled her jaw in his palm and gently stroked her freckled cheek with the smooth pad of his thumb. "But fear not little Wildflower, I will never stray far from your side, should the time ever come that you need me."
"That… didn't sound foreboding at all," Eroeh chuckled sourly, playfully batting his hand from her face. Her expression faltered slightly as she looked back up to meet his eyes. "I'm glad we're good again, Alex. I've missed you."
"And I, you my love. Now, try and be a good girl while I'm away, won't you?" he chuckled, lightly booping the end of her nose before pulling himself back into Shadowmere's saddle. "Also if you get the chance, do tell your brother Embry he's still a twat for me, would you dear?" he added with a laugh, whipping the reins and taking off northbound out of town.
"The hell is that supposed to mean, Alex? He's all the way back in Valenwood!" Eroeh griped, her face scrunched as she tried to make sense of the Altmer's request.
"C'mon, the sooner we get this over with the better," Bishop huffed, placing his hands on Eroeh's shoulders and guiding her towards the door of the inn. "You've wasted enough brain power thinking about that lanky shithead."
Entering the inn they were met by the usual grunt of acknowledgement from Orgnar, and the sight of Delphine back in her blue innkeepers dress poking her head out from one of the rooms with a broom in hand.
Within moments she'd propped the broom against the nearby bar and made her way over to the group, her eyes locked on Esbern's. "Delphine! I... it's good to see you. It's been... a long time." he greeted her softly, relieved to see the aging woman.
"It's good to see you, too, Esbern. It's been too long, old friend. Too long." Delphine answered in kind, reaching out and giving Esbern a relieved embrace. "You made it safe and sound, I'm glad. Come on, I have a place where we can talk. Orgnar, hold down the bar for a minute, will you?" She asked the surly barman, who simply grunted a "Yeah, sure" in response.
The party followed into her secret basement, the small room becoming quickly cramped as Eroeh continued to add to her entourage. "Now then. I assume you know about…" Delphine began, waving her hands vaguely towards Eroeh.
"Oh yes! Dragonborn! Indeed, yes. This changes everything, of course." he huffed excitedly. "Now, there's no time to lose. We must locate... let me show you. I know I had it here, somewhere…"
"Esbern, what are you…" Delphine questioned as the old man began rummaging around in his hastily packed bag.
"Give me... just a moment... Ah! Here it is. Come, let me show you. You see, right here. Sky Haven Temple, constructed around one of the main Akaviri military camps in the Reach, during their conquest of Skyrim." he rambled on, pointing to a map in one of his dusty old books.
"Do you know what he's talking about?" Delphine asked, turning to Eroeh. The uninterested little half-elf's response was a shrug and a clear 'Fuck if I know' face.
"Shh! This is where they built Alduin's Wall, to set down in stone all their accumulated dragon lore." Esbern continued explaining, flipping through the pages. "A hedge against the forgetfulness of centuries. A wise and foresighted policy, in the event." he said with a knowing chuckle. "Despite the far-reaching fame of Alduin's Wall at the time as one of the wonders of the ancient world- its location was lost."
"Esbern. Just what in the heck are you getting at here?" Delphine griped impatiently.
"You mean... you don't mean to say you haven't heard of Alduin's Wall? Either of you?"
Eroeh shook her head no, mirrored in turn by both Casavir and Bishop behind her.
"Let's just… pretend we haven't." Delphine answered with an impatient chuckle. "What's Alduin's Wall, and what does it have to do with stopping the dragons?"
Esbern let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose and grumbling something irritably. "Alduin's Wall was where the ancient Blades recorded all they knew of Alduin and his return. Part history, part prophecy. Its location has been lost for centuries, but I've found it again. It was not lost, you see- just forgotten. The Blades archives held so many secrets... I was only able to save a few scraps…"
Spread out across the table were the books he'd feverishly gathered before leaving his hideout in the warrens. Each was open to worn out pages filled with hand-scrawled notations and musings, with most of the once-pristine handwriting smudged to near illegibility.
"So you think that Alduin's Wall will tell us how to defeat Alduin?" Delphine questioned, glancing over the faded pages.
Esbern shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, "Well, yes, but... there's no guarantee, of course."
Delphine wasn't paying much attention, but smiled as she knit her brows looking over the old parchment. "Sky Haven Temple it is, then. I knew you'd have something for us, Esbern." she quipped, loudly clapping the book shut in her hand.
Turning towards Eroeh, she leaned on her hands against the table and rolled her shoulders lazily. "Look, I know the area of the Reach that Esbern's talking about. It's over near what's known nowadays as Karthspire, in the Karth River canyon. I'll leave the decision up to you. We can either meet you there, or all travel together, it's your call. But we need to get moving as soon as possible."
Tipping her head back, Eroeh let out an exasperated groan. "Gods above… Karthspire? Really? Eugh, of all the fucking places…" she whined. "Yeah, I know the area. But does it really have to be there? I'd really rather not tangle with that tribe if I don't have to..." she asked rather irritably.
Rubbing the back of her neck, she shook her head and looked to their male companions, who were just as road-weary as she was.
They'd traveled hard and fast to Riften and back, and none of them, especially Esbern, looked keen to head out just yet. "Look Delphine, I know you wanna get a move on this before the Thalmor catch up, but you weren't there for the shitstorm in Riften we just had to claw our way out of. I know I'd for one rather get a solid night's sleep under an actual roof in a real bed if I can before we head out to Forsworn territory of all places." she griped before flippantly gesturing to the oldest person in the room. "I mean shit, no offense or anything but I think ol' Esbern here has gotten even older just from all the excitement in the last few days alone. I say we wait til morning, and head out with everyone well rested rather than exhausted and crabby."
Esbern chuckled a bit and nodded his head quietly as she spoke, the last few days being more physically taxing than anything he'd had to deal with in the last… well… he couldn't even remember how long. The trip from Riften definitely had him feeling every bit of his age. From the soreness of the two days' ride in his back to the migraine he hadn't quite shaken from his overextended magicka use in the Warrens, he knew the Dragonborn had a good point- especially considering their recent encounter back at Helgen. "Delphine, perhaps the Dragonborn here has a point… I for one wouldn't mind a good night's rest, especially with the journey we have ahead of us. What would be the quickest way out there anyhow?"
"The Dragonborn does have a name you know…" Eroeh scoffed irritably before answering the question for him. Pulling out her own personal map from her pack, she began tracing roads and routes with her finger as she explained them aloud. "The road south through Falkreath would be the most direct route- or if you aren't up for the walk you could catch the carriage from Whiterun to Markarth and then approach from the West. Either way, the Reach is mostly Forsworn territory nowadays, so you want to be careful no matter which way you decide to take," Eroeh explained, reaching down to ruffle Karnwyr behind the ears.
"If you really wanna head out now and get caught on Forsworn land in the middle of the night without a guide then by all means- it's your funeral." She scoffed nonchalantly. "I, on the other hand won't be going any-fucking-where until I get a decent night's sleep. I highly doubt these three will either, seeing how they wouldn't even be bothering with this bullshit quest in the first place if not for my unfortunate involvement. Unless of course either of them would like carrying me since our horses are exhausted," she smirked, looking towards Bishop, whose eyebrow was raised and lip curled in a 'you're outta your godsdamned mind' grimace.
Motioning to his face with her hands, she gave Delphine one final and very sarcastic smile before crossing her arms over her chest
"Your call. We'll stay here for the night, but it might be safer to travel separately anyhow- attract less attention that way." Delphine relented, rubbing the back of her neck. "Don't worry about us, I'll be able to get Esbern there in one piece just fine. We'll head out at first light and wait for you near Karthspire. Just try not to take too long catching up."
Without bothering to reply, Eroeh mock saluted and turned out towards the stairs, not really wanting to bother being around Delphine longer than she had to.
It was becoming more apparent every time she saw the old bat that her personal safety meant absolute fuckall to the older woman in comparison to the grand scheme of things- despite Eroeh's supposedly important part in it all.
"If Delphine needs me before tomorrow, I'll be at Faendal's," Eroeh grumbled to Orgnar as they made their way out of the Inn. As usual all she got in response was an irritated grunt in the affirmative, and with that she went out the door with an exhausted sigh.
"Good to know you aren't warming up to the old bitch," Bishop quipped as they stepped out onto the porch of the Sleeping Giant.
"Why would I, other than seeing me as her apocalyptic errand girl she really couldn't give a shit less about me," Eroeh sniped in response, leaning against a support column by the steps. "I mean, I get that I'm sort of our only hope with this whole dragon thing for the time being, but I'm not letting it get to my head." she grumbled irritably, crossing her arms over her chest with a frown.
"All I'm asking for is for her to give a little bit of a shit about the people she's sending out into almost certain death. And really my only issue is with her. Esbern I like, Delphine not so much. She can fall in a hole and break both legs for all I ca-" and just like before she could finish her sentence she was snatched up by an unnoticed assailant who'd been hiding up on the roof of the porch.
"Eroeh!" Bishop shouted, drawing his bow and chasing after the hooded figure from the ground. He cursed under his breath as one after another his arrows were deflected mid-air by another archer hiding amongst the thatching of the nearby rooftops.
"WHAT IN THE? EMBRY DELAIN WILDHEART YOU PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" he could hear Eroeh shrieking angrily from between the houses as she was unceremoniously hauled through the local pathways on her captors shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Oh come off it Eroeh, what're you going to do, tell mum?" the man grunted with a hearty laugh as they made their way to a familiar home at the back of the neighborhood. "Now quit your squirmin an c'mon, you're late for dinner little lady!"
Bishop nocked another arrow, first aiming at the figure on the roof before switching targets at the last second, instead firing at the man running across Faendal's yard with his woman on his shoulder.
Looking up at that moment, the little half-elf panicked. "Bishop no! Don't shoot!" Eroeh squealed, waving one hand frantically towards him, fingers splayed as she continued kicking to get loose. The arrow whipped past the man's hood, clipping the fabric as it flew by and hit the thick wood of the front door's frame, splitting the beam with a loud -crack-.
"And just what in Oblivion is goin' on out here?!" A softer, feminine voice started chiding from within the house, swinging the door open only to be knocked aside by the man barreling past. "Embry what in the hell are y-oof-" the woman grunted as she caught herself against a nearby table. Before Bishop could reach them, the man turned around, flashed a shit eating dimpled grin and quickly shut the door.
"HEY!" Bishop growled, bolting towards the house with an extremely confused paladin at his heels.
"Lady Eroeh!" The tall Breton called out from behind, unsheathing the greatsword at his back, ready to barrel through the door if need be.
The man atop the roof pulled up a section of thatching and slipped inside through the hole, closing it behind him. "EMBRY NO!" he could hear Eroeh shrieking from inside the home, followed by a loud smack and more angry shouting.
Rushing up to the door Bishop was livid. Was someone holding her and Faendal hostage? If so, why in Oblivion would they do it here of all places? Nothing about the situation made any sense, it was just making his head hurt. Banging on the door with his fist with no answer, Bishop hiked a leg, ready to kick the door in if he had to.
Getting into position he reared back his leg; but before his foot could make contact with the door it opened suddenly, and a very confused girl with features so very like Eroeh's was almost caught square in the face with his boot.
Catching the bottom of Bishop's foot casually with the palm of her hand, she held the dark leather boot in place as she processed the person it belonged to, as well as the other person still making his way towards them.
"You know, if taking down the door was your intent, you really should aim near the lock- not the middle of the door itself. Less likely to break your foot that way," she explained irritably as she let his foot drop. Turning back into the house she called out, "Are you just going to stand there with that daft look on your face or are you coming in?"
With an audible huff of disbelief and a scowl, Bishop straightened his jacket and looked back at Casavir, who had finally caught up. His armor was covered in dirt with gravel wedged in between some of the plates, so Bishop only assumed that the Paladin had lost his footing turning into the neighborhood and ate shit.
Rolling his eyes at the snowberry red knight, Bishop shook his head and carefully made his way inside, hand on the hilt of his dagger as he tried to gauge the situation.
Stepping inside he was relieved to find Eroeh safe, albeit furious. She was in the back corner of the house ripping into the man who'd taken her, whapping him repeatedly upside the head with a rolled up stack of papers she'd haphazardly grabbed from a nearby table.
"HE COULD HAVE SHOT YOU!" She shrieked.
-whap-
"I'm fine, he missed! Fucking relax you pissy midget!" Embry laughed as he fought off her attacks.
"YOU COULD HAVE DIED!"
-whap-
"And yet here I am, so come off it already, would you!"
-whap-
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"
-whap-
"Who in the fuck thinks- Oh, I haven't seen my baby sister in a while, guess I could let her know I'm here by fucking KIDNAPPING HER?!" Eroeh mocked, Merish accent and all, whapping him again with the papers several times and knocking his hood off- revealing his matching cascade of messy silver-white locks.
"Oh fuck off, it was funny and you know it!" He defended, catching her by the wrist and spinning her around, tightly bear-hugging her from behind and laughing as she angrily fought against him.
After a moment or so of her struggling, the man from the roof walked into view, whapping Embry on the back of the head and sounding much like an exasperated parent as he told him "I told you it was a bad idea Embry, now let her go."
With a boyish shrug and a sigh, Embry relented. Letting his baby sister loose, he held his hands up, showing he was done harassing her for the time being.
"And YOU!" Eroeh huffed angrily, "What in the hell possessed you to let him do it in the first place?!" she asked incredulously, whapping the back of Loken's shoulder with her hand. His only response was an uninterested shrug. With one last exasperated groan, Eroeh threw up her hands and stomped out of the home, stepping out into the garden to avoid murdering her well-meaning but stupid brothers with her bare hands.
Rubbing the back of his neck in confusion, Embry sighed and made his way for the door, only to be stopped by a hand to the chest from Loken. "I'll go talk to her. You stay here and keep an eye on these three," he said with a heavy sigh, motioning to Bishop, Casavir, and Karnwyr with a wary glance.
"Alright fine, but I'm pretty sure Dahlia could handle these two twats with her eyes closed." Embry griped, rolling his eyes and posting up against a table with his arms folded.
Stepping out into their cousin's garden, Loken found Eroeh pacing, arms crossed and clearly agitated. Thinking better of the situation, he walked over to her as carefully as he could; knowing that something was clearly bothering her, and that whatever it was it had nothing to do with any of them.
In any other circumstance she'd have been laughing at Embry's antics- even if it had been at her expense. Gods knew the four of them had been pranking each other back and forth without fail since they were children, so what was it that made this time so different?
"So what's really going on with you Eroeh? Any other time that little stunt of his would have had you pissing yourself laughing." All she could do to respond was grumble incoherently and flail her arms as she struggled to find words for him. "Alright, now I know something is definitely wrong. Come on then- sit." He ordered with a sigh, seating himself on a nearby bench and patting the spot next to him expectantly.
Stopping dead in the garden for a moment, Eroeh looked right at him- her brows knit tight together as she thought about whether or not she should try to explain.
He's family, but would it put him in danger to know? Was he already in danger? The Thalmor dossier in her bag was full of intel on her comings and goings in Skyrim, her connections, potential allies… but as far as she could tell it didn't have anything on her family.
They need to know. I have to warn them, she thought with a tight-lipped grimace, making her way to the bench and holding her breath as she worked up the courage to spill her guts.
And she did. She burst into tears almost as soon as her ass hit the seat, letting loose the floodgates of everything that'd been happening since she'd seen them last. Embry and Dahlia at one point overheard and attempted to poke their heads out to check on their obviously distraught sister, only to be quietly shooed back inside by Loken.
Eroeh held nothing back. Starting with her return to Skyrim, she told him of the clusterfuck at Helgen, and how she'd met Bishop after her narrow escape, and their joint rescue of Karnwyr. She irritably monologued about finding out she was the Dragonborn and how she'd become involved with the two remaining Blades- all the way to how she'd inadvertently met Casavir and attended a fucking ball. Lastly, she proudly explained their misadventure of dickpunching the Thalmor at the Embassy in honor of their parents, only to break down as she followed it with discovering all too late that she was pregnant with Bishop's child…
That part had hung her up the worst, her breaking down in tears and hyperventilating into Loken's shoulder as she fought to push through it. Once she'd settled down from that, she told him of her trip to see their grandfather, and how she'd been just as emotional when she'd told him, but had put on a brave face so he wouldn't worry about her so much- "because you know how he worries about us" she explained with a roll of her eyes and a sniffle.
She even told him of their grandfather's attempt at matchmaker with the Chieftain Cael and her reunion with Alexander- as well as how they'd traveled into the bowels of Riften and the Thalmor bloodbath they'd just escaped two days prior to their arrival back in Riverwood.
"Gods above Eroeh, no wonder Embry's little stunt had you so wound up. I'm so sorry- had I known anything about all of that, I would never have entertained the thought of it..." Loken then drew her into his shoulder, removing his gloves and weaving the fingers of one hand through her hair as he held her against him. His other hand was behind her back, pulling her into his chest as she cried, and holding her close to him like their father used to do when they were children.
She was so small against his chest, seeming even smaller as she curled into herself. Although Eroeh and Dahlia were only two years younger than he and Embry, they were still both by all means his baby sisters, and it hurt him to the core to see either of them in such a state.
"It's not his fault Loken, he had no way of knowing. I can't be mad at him for that…" she sniffled, trying to force herself to breathe semi-normally again. "He's just so fucking stupid sometimes!"
"I certainly can't argue that." He chuckled, sighing into her hair. "Forgive me Eroeh I ask this with love, but how in the hell are you supposed to be the one that takes down the dragons?" He asked, trying to be delicate about it. "You're my sister and you know I love you dearly, but I know you Eroeh. You've never been the heroic type- not to say that you wouldn't do just about anything for our family... but for a bunch of racist strangers in a cold, backwater province?"
"I can't exactly help it, Loken. According to Delphine and Esbern, I'm the only one that can do it- which feels like utter bullshit if you ask me." Eroeh replied, wiping her eyes and trying to gather herself.
Loken shook his head in disbelief. This sister, a Dragonslayer? Fat chance. Not that little gobshite, not in a million years.
"No way in Oblivion." He argued. "I mean seriously Eroeh, I love you to pieces but you have to admit it sounds insane."
"Well tough shit Loken, believe it or not it's true. I oughta know, I'm the one fucking living it."
"Really? So what, you've got some crazy dragon slaying magic or something?" he quipped, cocking an eyebrow at his teary-eyed baby sister still nestled in his lap.
"Sort of?" she responded sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders.
"Prove it."
"Fine I'll prove it, but if I get in trouble with the guards you get to bail me out of jail..." she answered with a petulant sniffle, standing up and moving to the middle of the yard. Taking a deep, reluctant breath, Eroeh turned her head straight to the sky and let out a YOL, spewing flames from her mouth so bright that it startled him off the back of the bench.
"Son of a fuck!" he shouted as he fell back into the grass, scrambling to right himself. Eroeh stifled a laugh as she coughed up the last few puffs of smoke from her lungs, offering her brother a hand off the ground.
"I'm still getting used to that one." She chuckled, clearing her throat and coughing up a blackened glob of spit into the grass before wiping her chin.
Embry and Dahlia had both been quietly peeping through the windows, mostly to make sure their sister was alright, managing to catch sight of them just in time to witness her shouting.
With slack-jawed awe, they slowly turned back to look at Casavir and Bishop, hoping somebody would explain what the hell they'd just seen.
Bishop shrugged nonchalantly, his arms crossed, "Your sister's the Dragonborn. Surprise." he said, unenthusiastically waving his hands and wiggling his fingers for dramatic effect.
"Wait, hold up, that little gobshite's the what now?" Embry snorted, not having the foggiest clue what the hell Bishop was even going on about. He looked at Dahlia, who just shrugged her shoulders, just as confused as he was.
"Dragonborn. Mortal born with the immortal soul of a dragon. Supposed to save us all from the end times according to some old geezer and his bitchy sidekick. She kills dragons and eats their souls, or some shit." Bishop huffed, shrugging his shoulders and folding his arms across his chest.
"So," he started, sitting back on Eroeh's personal trunk nearby. "I take it you're the siblings she's told us about? You look enough like her to be her sister," he continued, waving a lazy finger at Dahlia, "and you act enough like her, with the 'pranking' bullshit." he assessed, cutting his eyes at Embry.
"Well, to be fair we are twins." Dahlia answered matter-of-factly with her casual Merish lilt. Embry simply gave a nonchalant shrug with a smug smile in Bishop's direction.
Casavir snapped to attention at the sound of Dahlia's voice, finally hearing her for himself after his late arrival into the house. After a moment of studying her features, and how she looked so much like Eroeh had when exiting the cistern, he couldn't help but find himself transfixed at the sight of her.
Embry missed exactly none of this, and upon realizing that Dahlia was being blatantly ogled gave Casavir nothing short of the protective older brother stink eye.
"Alright. Our turn. As much as I love my baby sister, she's nothing if not a creature of habit. We've never known her to travel with people of any sort unless she's found herself particularly sweet on at least one of them." Embry mused aloud, walking around the two men and giving Casavir a critical once over. "Which begs the question, which one of you two has been getting handsy with my baby sister? Doubt it's you," he scoffed at the Paladin before staring daggers at Bishop- who looked back at him like he really couldn't care less. "-too clean-cut and proper lookin. She's notoriously drawn towards the troublemaking types- which leaves us with the smarmy cunt."
"Is that really the best you've got?" Bishop scoffed. "It's none of your business what parts of me touch your sister- that's between her and I. What is my business though is why her shithead brother thinks it's alright to sneak up and scare the fuck out of his little sister and run off with her like a fucking psychopath." Bishop argued, standing back up and getting into Embry's personal space. "You don't have the slightest idea what kind of pressure Eroeh's under right now- the last thing she needed was that fuckin heart attack."
Straightening in front of the Ranger to show his full height, it suddenly dawned on Bishop that Eroeh's elder brother was in fact just as tall as he was- and at 6'4", Bishop was no small man. Apparently the boys had gotten all the height in the family, and hadn't bothered leaving any for their baby sisters.
"And what, you think you have any say in how I act with my sisters?" Embry huffed indignantly. "I didn't hear fuckall about you when she was visiting, so you must be new." Embry sniped back, his golden eyes locked on Bishop's amber gaze. "So she's known you for what, two months? Three months tops, depending on where she found you?"
"Hate to tell you boy, I've known her all her life. We've been pulling shit like this on each other since we were old enough to crawl- you're not gonna be changin that anytime soon." he chuckled, poking Bishop in the chest.
"Oh would you two just get over yourselves and kiss already, gods be damned." Dahlia griped. "It was stupid Embry- either one of you could have gotten hurt with that little stunt and you know it." she pointedly explained. "If she hadn't realized it was you as quick as she did, they just might have struck you down."
"You should listen to your sister, boy. I almost shot through that empty skull of yours." Bishop sneered, his face a thick grimace.
"Well lucky me that you're a shit shot then, eh?" Embry chuckled, flicking Bishop's nose and backing away to stand at Dahlia's side. She responded in kind by giving him a sharp elbow to the hip.
"Quit picking fights with people Embry, you're only making yourself look like more of an idiot." she chided, rolling her eyes. "Anyways, I'm Dahlia, and this giant fuckwit is Embry. The big broody one outside at the moment's name is Loken. What should we call you two then?" she asked, attempting to make an introduction.
"Bishop."
"My name is Casavir Tremaine, my lady. I must say it is an utmost pleasure to meet you, even under the current circumstances." the Paladin answered nervously, extending his hand and kissing the back of hers when it was offered.
"Heh, so prim and proper. Definitely not the one she's sweet on," Embry quipped under his breath with a chuckle, earning another sharp elbow to the hip. "OW!" he exclaimed. "You and those pointy fuckin elbows Dahlia, they're like bloody knives I swear!" He hissed through gritted teeth as he rubbed his side and received another look of warning.
Before the standoff between the boys could re-escalate, Eroeh and Loken made their return from the front yard, the former wiping what tears she had left with a smile as her brother held a reassuring hand across her shoulders.
It only took a moment to register the tension in the room. "O…..kay? Everything alright in here, Dahl?" Eroeh asked her sister nervously, her vivid malachite eyes darting between Embry and Bishop, who were still locked onto each other.
"They're just posturing, you know how men can be. Nothing out of the ordinary." Dahlia responded flippantly, shoving Embry aside to finally embrace her twin. "I know we only just saw you sister, but after you left the boys and I had a talk. We decided to join you up here in Skyrim. For good." she explained, brushing a stray curl from her sister's face. "I hope you don't mind, we were just tired of only seeing you twice a year." she smiled, her fairer, less-freckled face pinkening with warmth. "We miss you something fierce when you aren't around."
Instead of answering right away, Eroeh began crying once again as she buried her face in her sister's neck, wrapping her arms around her and holding her tightly. "No, it's perfectly alright," Eroeh managed between sobs, "I just wish you'd thought to do it sooner!"
All of the men in the room just sort of watched the scene unfold in front of them, each just as uncomfortable and unsure of what to do or say as the next. As a not-so-subtle hint, Dahlia grabbed both of their brothers by the fronts of their armor and yanked them in, encouraging them to just fucking do something you useless gobshites.
After a long silence, Eroeh finally broke the group hug and pulled herself together, her eyes red and full of tears, and her hair disheveled. "I'm sorry, I just… things have been crazy here since I saw all of you last. I'm just glad you're all okay." She sniffled as Bishop quietly passed her his waterskin. "Though as excited as I am to finally have you all here with me, I'm also absolutely terrified for you. You're putting yourselves in danger just by being here." she tried to explain as she wiped her eyes.
"What, you think we can't handle the locals or something?" Embry scoffed, rolling his eyes and trying to lighten the mood as well as he knew how.
"It's a bit more complicated than that, Embry…" Loken responded with a grimace, knowing exactly what their little sister meant. Eroeh simply sighed, trying to gather herself before getting too far into things, and stepped back to get between Bishop and Casavir.
"I should start from the beginning…" she began, before giving her siblings the entire emotional rollercoaster she'd been on, re-explaining everything she had just told Loken outside, and introducing her new companions in time with the tale.
There was no short of overly critical looks from her brothers as she detailed her whirlwind romance with Bishop, which softened into understanding when she got around to the events at the embassy.
Bishop wasn't too happy about their personal issues being put out there like they were, but to be fair, the only people she'd told about any of it so far had been her family. Aside from the one younger brother he'd been so close to, Bishop couldn't think of anyone in all of Tamriel that he could have shared that pain with. All he had left was himself and his wolf.
And her, he thought, a bittersweet realization that hit him harder than he'd expected.
He truly was alone, save for her. He hadn't been thinking much about the future lately, with all the craziness around them and the insane situations they'd found themselves in everywhere they turned. But seeing her like this- surrounded by her family, those that knew and loved her so dearly, Bishop couldn't help but imagine what it might be like if he were to be a part of that someday.
Partway through her explanation everyone had decided to sit down and get comfortable, with Dahlia hopping up onto the edge of Faendal's personal desk flanked by her elder brothers seated in kitchen chairs.
Casavir had settled in nearby and was slowly removing the outer portions of his armor near the hearth as Eroeh spun her tale, eventually stripping down to the leather breeches and tunic he wore beneath his armor.
Eroeh had naturally settled herself in Bishop's lap on the trunk, one arm around his shoulders for support while the other waved about in dramatic gestures. As she carried on he fell deeper into thought, his arms wrapping around her waist as support as he held her comfortably from the side.
He could feel the trembling in her chest as she explained the miscarriage, fighting back the tears as she began curling into herself at the thought of it.
Knowing how much it had affected her as well as himself, he pulled her in closer to him in solidarity, reminding her that he wasn't going anywhere, and that he still loved her regardless of their loss.
Once she'd finished her spiel, she settled in against his chest, breathing easier and glad for the comfort.
"Wait so you're telling us that gramps' ancient arse is still running the Reach?" Embry asked stupidly, surprised that the old man hadn't kicked the bucket yet.
"Yeah he's doing just fine, though now that you three are here for good he might look for one of you to take his place instead... Any of you could take the heat off of me and run things for him instead if you wanted to." Eroeh chuckled, untying and finger-combing her hair.
After about two seconds of complete deafening silence, all four siblings simultaneously burst into laughter, clearly all of the same mind on the matter.
Not long after the conversation had settled down, Faendal came walking through the door, dragging a deer behind him on a makeshift sled. "Oh wow… uh. I hope I have enough for everyone here." he chuckled nervously, brushing his ash-blond locks from his sweat-sheened face.
Standing up Eroeh gave Faendal a tight hug, patting his shoulder. "No worries, I can go to Lucan and make up for the rest of us unplanned guests." she chuckled nervously. "Sorry to add to the party like this, I didn't know you had a full house."
"Oh it's fine, it'll be like when you guys were all kids… just a bit more cramped," Faendal laughed. "Like I've told you all before, you know you're always welcome to crash here. Just let me rearrange some of the furniture to make room." looking at Karnwyr, his face went a bit sour. "Your wolf might have to sleep out in the yard with the others though Bishop, I don't think there'll be enough space for all of us and them."
"The others?" Eroeh asked aloud, looking at Dahlia briefly before running outside and turning to the side. Bishop and Casavir were confused for all of two seconds before seeing her get tackled to the ground by not one, not two, but four massive wolves. "You brought the babies!" She squealed in delight from under the pile of fur and wagging tails.
"Well I couldn't very well leave them behind, now could I?" Dahlia chuckled before putting her index finger and thumb in her mouth and whistling sharply. In a split moment the rambunctious pups were off of Eroeh and neatly lined up alongside one another in the yard, sitting pretty with their tongues lolling about excitedly.
From what Bishop could tell they'd been trained rather extensively, because even when Karnwyr bounded up to them they didn't move. All four of them remained perfectly still until Dahlia shouted something in Aldmeris, then excitedly began sniffing and chasing the newer (and much smaller) Karnwyr around the yard.
"My babiessssssss~" Eroeh cooed excitedly at one of the wolves. Not far off from Karnwy's russet coloring, her coat had shaggy bands of black and grey black and grey mixed in. "You're all so big now!" she gushed, ruffling the she-wolf's shaggy scruff and burying her face into it.
"They're about as ready as I could get them and we were leaving anyway, so I figured we might as well bring them along with us." Dahlia explained. Stepping out onto the porch, a large black male with bright golden eyes padded up, licking her face as he sat down alongside her. "They're still nowhere near as big as their mother, but with any luck they still have a bit more growing to do before they're done."
"Are these that last litter of Nim's you talked about back in Falkreath?" Bishop asked incredulously, stepping outside to anxiously watch Karnwyr rolling around with the other two pups.
"Yep. This is the uh… the litter that did her in." Eroeh remarked sadly. "Honestly like you said, she shouldn't have been having babies at her age, but you try telling her that. Dahlia's been training them back home, but it's good to see them acclimating so well."
Stepping closer to the black wolf at Dahlia's side, Bishop marveled at the sheer size of him. "May I?" he asked, lifting a hand carefully in his direction.
"You may." Dahlia responded proudly, giving a quick command in Aldmeris that had the wolf back up on all fours and at attention. "All clear, he won't budge until I tell him to." she assured him with a smirk.
"And you said they're still growing?" he asked, walking around and admiring the musculature of the wolf's chest and legs.
Dahlia gave a quick hum in the affirmative.
Gods, they were huge. Powerful beasts in their own right, and if Eroeh's stories were anything to go on, they'd probably be large enough to ride within a few years time. "Two years old, right? Two and a half tops?"
Another affirmative.
"Damn. And they're all half Dire right?"
"Yep. Their mother was just a hair shorter than a cave bear."
"Fuck me… What do you feed these guys? As young as they are I'd expect them to be all legs, but this bulk…" Bishop scoffed, thinking back to when Karnwyr had been their age.
"We just let them hunt their own food for the most part." Dahlia explained. "Back when they were still clumsy babies we had to teach them how to hunt, but now that they've got it down they'll just run off and nab themselves an elk or two whenever they're feeling hungry and come prancing back covered in gore when they're done." She smiled proudly. "They even managed themselves an entire bear on our way up. You can stilp see the scratches on Bandit's muzzle over there if you look carefully enough." she chuckled, pointing over at the reddish gray male that Karnwyr was currently wrestling with. "All that bravado of his is Embry's fault, as far as I'm concerned. They play far too much while training, so everything is a game to that one- same as his handler." she chided, cutting her eyes at her elder brother.
"Nymeria though is much more even tempered, and she responds well to commands. She'll be a good fit for Eroeh whenever she's ready to take her." Dahlia explained plainly, pointing back at her sister who was busy smothering the indifferent she-wolf in kisses.
"The black one over there playing with Bandit and Karnwyr is Ripley. Usually she's much more reserved, but it seems she's taken a shine to your old boy- that's mighty rare for her. Magnus here is all business though aren't you boy?" she asked, playfully ruffling his obsidian coat with only the slightest reaction.
"Alright I'm off to the Valerius'. Play nice, I'll only be a minute!" Eroeh chirped happily, calling Nymeria to follow alongside her to the village's general store.
"How much do you wanna bet Lucan shits himself when he sees Nym at her heels?" Embry laughed, halfway through unbuckling his pauldrons.
"Oh, I don't doubt it one bit." Faendal chuckled, rolling his shoulders as he grabbed a knife from a nearby wall and casually set to work on the deer.
When Eroeh returned and dinner was finished, everyone sat around, laughing at old stories from the siblings' childhood in Valenwood, reminiscing about the trouble they'd put their parents through and how terrible they were to one another. Embry and Eroeh were the worst of the lot by far, constantly getting into mischief and trying their best to one-up each other.
As the stories and much needed laughter went on, Bishop and Casavir noticed Eroeh slipping into the same Merish lilt as her siblings. Bishop eventually asked about it, and she explained how hard she'd worked on masking her accent for the sake of her work with the Guild and Brotherhood.
"I've met people from all walks of life, Bishop. It's only natural that I'd try to put it to good use any time I could. Different accents evoke different reactions from people. You have to admit that my 'normal voice' that you're used to sounds a lot more trustworthy and innocent than my natural one." she explained, giving her voice a playful seductive edge to drive her point across.
"Oh c'mon Eroeh not at the bloody table!" Loken groaned, flicking a piece of carrot at his troublemaking sister's display.
"Right in front of ma wee baby carrots!" Embry added in, feigning outrage and fanning himself dramatically. Dahlia simply feigned dry-heaving before giving her sister a shit-eating grin.
Eroeh and Bishop responded in kind by both flipping them double handed birds in perfect sync while making grotesque slurping noises at each other. "Fucking brilliant, now there's two of them!" Embry groaned while laughing at the display.
Once dinner was finished, Casavir immediately shot up from his seat, eagerly offering to help Dahlia with tidying up the table and dishes. A little too eagerly, as everyone painfully noticed, including her.
Now it was Eroeh and Bishop's turn to pantomime vomiting profusely all over the table and each other as Embry and Loken tried their best to stifle their own laughter. "Oh fuck off ye lazy gobshites, at least he's helping." she cracked back at the display, trying not to laugh or blush.
Faendal just sat back enjoying the company, happy to see all four kids in one place and in such good spirits. It wasn't often he got to see any of them aside from Eroeh, let alone under pleasant circumstances.
If only their parents could see them all now, see how they'd grown and flourished after losing them so young. A bittersweet thought.
They'd all been so carefree in their youths, but now the boys were strapping young men, traveling fighters for hire. Dahlia had been keeping herself busy training direwolf pups or training herself as a greenshaper. And Eroeh... Eroeh had always been the rebellious one.
Whatever this Dragonborn situation was, he was certain it was nowhere near what she'd had imagined for her life. Faendal knew she'd figure it all out sooner or later, because as far as he was concerned, she was nothing if not resourceful.
Someday he'd sit them all down and tell them all the things they never knew about their father, about how somehow they'd all managed to turn out so much like him in the end without realizing.
Truth be told, having all four of his half-siblings under his roof had Faendal missing their father dearly. He thought back to the yearly visits he and his mother would make down to Valenwood for his birthday in his youth, and to how their father had shown him how to use his first bow.
Someday he'd tell them all about it, but now was not the time. They had far too much to worry about as it was- and he'd have plenty of time for it later.
Getting the floors cleared and furniture moved around, everyone was made a space to sleep for the night. The boys and Dahlia had only arrived a few hours ahead of Eroeh and her companions, so nothing had even been moved for them yet. Eroeh got to keep her bed, opting to share it with Bishop to give the others more space on the floor.
After copious amounts of exaggerated dry heaving and lewd hand gestures with waggling eyebrows, they realized that between Casavir, who was easily 6'7" when barefooted, and the twins, who were 6'4" each- if Bishop's big ass been put in the floor rather than Dahlia, there would have been no feasible space for them all without running the risk of spooning each other in their sleep. And neither of the boys wanted anything to do with being up that close and personal with their sister's stupid boyfriend or their weird Paladin friend.
Dahlia slept comfortably in-between her older brothers, with Embry holding the line between his baby sister and Casavir- opting to sleep facing towards the Paladin to better make sure he didn't try anything stupid or creepy in the night.
As everyone else was settling into their places for the night, Bishop sat close to the fireplace, watching the flames dance as he thought once again about the future. This journey they were one was insane beyond a shadow of a doubt, and from the beginning he'd realized that if not for himself or Casavir, Eroeh might have had to face it all herself.
But she didn't.
Not only did she have a wide array of friends and professional connections, she also had her own charm and more than enough skill to get by. But as he was learning, she also had one thing to fall back on that he hadn't thought of. The one thing she had that he didn't, not for quite some time.
Her family.
Her grandfather, his people, her siblings. Even without him or the stupid Paladin she would never truly have to go it alone. So why did she keep them around? Surely not because they made things easier for her. He'd been projecting his own paranoia and insecurities on her from the start, but for some fucking reason she still wanted him there beside her.
She certainly didn't need them, not in the slightest. Anything he brought to the table she already had in spades. She exceeded his ability to track and skill with a bow effortlessly, his knowledge of the land she already had and then some; having been to places he'd never think to see in his life.
She could take care of herself, and had, for years before he came along with all his baggage and noise.
It was a hard reality to swallow, that somehow he meant so much to her that she looked past all of his flaws and was still happy to see this insane, life-changing journey she was on til the very end with him.
She didn't need the distraction, and gods knew she didn't have to put up with his bullshit. She'd taken the angry, broken man he was and coaxed him out into the light, and he had no idea what to do with this newfound existence he'd landed in. She deserved better than the damaged man he knew he was, so why bother with him at all?
Part of him wanted to walk away, if all else just because he was certain he didn't deserve her. That he didn't deserve someone so forgiving, so vivacious, so… alive. Sure, she had her own demons, and he knew as much about them all as she'd been willing to disclose, but she didn't let it hold her back like he had done with his own.
Jules would have loved her. Or at least he would have if he were still alive to meet her.
He could see his little brother now, head full of wild black curls, scruffy facial hair on tanned skin with dark almond eyes and that shit-eating dimpled grin of his spread wide across his handsome face. He could see the two of them getting along thick as thieves as they all grew old together with a noisy home full of children laughing- both their own and their children's children as they enjoyed their sunset years in peace.
But that would never happen.
Sooner or later he'd finally push her too far and lose her altogether, just as he did with any other good thing he had in life. Or worse he'd turn out like his old man, angry and violent with a heart filled with hate. He'd tried so hard not to be like Torban- to not continue the cycle of abuse and violence he'd been thrust into as a child, to not treat others as he'd been treated, but he was still so angry.
He realized back at Karthwasten that he'd been taking that anger out on her, and she hadn't deserved it in the least. She didn't deserve the possessiveness or the cruelty he'd thrown her way.
Did it bother him when other men fawned over her or tried to win her favor? Of course it did. But should he have taken their interest in her as fault on her part? No. They had every reason to want her as much as he did, but it wasn't right of him to lash out at her for it and he knew that. He wanted to be better- not just for her sake, but for himself as well.
She'd made it perfectly clear that she was willing to work with him on his issues if it meant he'd stay by her side, that she was more than capable of being patient with him. Somehow she could see the man buried beneath the murk and mire of anger and self-loathing, and stuck her unprotected hand inside, doing her damndest to help him pull himself out of it all.
She believed in him, wholeheartedly and without question.
He just needed to believe in himself.
He was so lost in thought that he hadn't registered she was behind him until she was draping her bearskin pelt over his bare shoulders. Sitting next to him in front of the fire, Eroeh quietly resigned herself to watching the crackling flames with him and enjoying the peace and quiet as everyone bedded down for the night.
Pulling her knees to her chest she leaned into him, pulling the pelt across her own back without a word with a soft smile on her face as the firelight danced in her malachite eyes.
She'd seen that faraway look enough before with him to know his mind was somewhere else. She wouldn't ask, she knew he'd come around when he was ready to talk.
She figured if anything she could offer him what reassurance she could that she was still going to be there for him, no matter what it was he was fighting against within himself. The comfort of her company was all he'd wanted before now, and as always she was happy to oblige.
She loved him, even if it was clear that he didn't love himself.
After a while of just sitting there watching the fire together, Eroeh stood up and dusted off her bare knees, smoothing out the crisp white tunic Bishop had given her. Offering him a hand, Bishop took her hand in his and followed her to bed.
Settling in for the night, she laid with her back against his bare chest, his face buried in her hair as he wrapped himself around her in the small but comfortable bed as they drifted off to sleep.