The children were moved to the college. Word was spreading, the Dragonborn was touched by madness and her fortune was defenceless. Many opportunists saw a chance at a dragon's hoard. So for their safety, Jordis and Eliza moved the children to the college where they could be protected in a fortified castle.

Thieves of the guild kept other thieves in check. Companions kept bandits off the prowl. Natalia's reach in Skyrim was extensive and just as many people wished to help as they did harm the Dragonborn and her family.

The children worried for their mother. In a moment of quiet reflection Bella saw herself in them. Scared and abandoned by the one who swore to love and protect them. She was snapped out of that train of thought by reality. Natalia was forcefully taken from her children, and many friends have stepped up in her absence not to fill the void, but to soothe the ache. Bella wondered about her role in this new world she found herself in. Did she inherit the responsibilities that Natalia had, now that she wore her face and walked in her body.

Gorr seemed to think so as far as hunting together was concerned. Unlike Charlie, he hovered constantly. He took her on an endless parade of hunting trips. The roads of Skyrim were the safest they'd ever been and it was thanks to them. He never let her rest for long enough to get a good moping; there was always a den, cave, or hideout to clear and he was going to clear it with her.

She vomited and fainted a lot. She brought her squeamishness with her into this body and the sight of blood made her heave. It left Gorr very confused, according to Tolfdir she had all Natalia's memories and experiences. Why was she acting like a milkdrinker on their first bandit bounty hunt? Gorr wasn't sure, but he was sure whatever was wrong with her could be fixed with more hunting, so on he went dragging a very reluctant Bella with him.

She never had time to wallow in her grief when trying to stay alive. Her body fought to stay alive while her soul felt dead. The war between the two bubbled up to the surface until Bella couldn't take it anymore. She wailed on Gorr, screaming bloody murder and swinging hard and dirty. She cursed him for his incessant hunting. Cursed him for not letting her rot how she wanted. She cursed the Cullens for leaving her like this. She cursed Edward for being the son of a bitch he is to play on anything he could to salt the wound of him leaving. And finally, when all the screams had run out, Bella put down her weapon and sank to the ground.

Gorr sat down beside her and allowed her a moment of silence. He was rather glad his plan had worked, he had been warned that emotions are a delicate thing but what did they know, hunting cures everything; it had only taken him a month to prove that. And whatever hunting can't cure, a laugh will. So when he felt she had enough silence, he turned to her and asked for a magic lesson. Just a small one. Just a simple destruction spell. He had shocked her out of her sadness. Gorr wants to learn magic? Seriously? He notoriously hates academia of any kind and acts like any amount of time he spends in the college is killing him slowly simply by proxy. When she could get over the initial shock, she declined.

They returned to the college in silence. Bella went straight to her quarters and curled up in her bed like a child throwing a silent tantrum. Valgus berated Gorr as he usually does and Bella tuned them out.

Gorr was pondering his next course of action while ignoring Valgus. He observed his surroundings as he thought. If he was touched by madness, what would make him snap out of it? The answer was obvious for him, more bandit hunting. But that didn't seem to work for Bella and Gorr couldn't figure out why.

Hjoromir had joined their merry band at the college as soon as he heard Natalia needed help. He was currently being shooed away by college students as they tried to study their magic in peace. He was incessant in his plight to help anyone in the hopes of learning to be an adventurer. Gorr took note of how people would eventually find a task for him to get him off their backs and it gave him an idea.

Bella was startled out of her numb haze by a wooden chair scraping against the stone floor. She refused to move to see who it was. She didn't have to guess though, as her mystery guest plopped into the chair with a grunt and began reading a flame spellbook to her.

Hjoromir was giddy inside at the prospect of getting to help the dragonborn. He read to her every day diligently, although he didn't always understand what he was reading. In the afternoons Gorr would take her out for a break to go hunt game for dinner. In the evenings the children would try to talk to her about her life and get her to tell them about her world.

Weeks go by like this. Bella never has a moment of peace. There was always someone to hover or hound her for something. They're all used to Natalia and Bella feels less lost in sadness and closer to anger every day.

Gorr's plan wasn't working. He thought he could annoy Bella out of her funk but apparently not. Out of ideas Gorr went to the scholars to ask for help. Maybe she was bookish and needed to be around more bookish people.

The next morning Bella lay in her bed dreading Hjoromir's routine. She wondered what book he might drone on about today. She never listened to the books, they were all academic drawl that she could pull from Natalia's memories. She had no interest in learning magic. No interest in making friends with Natalia's friends. No interest in anything. All she wanted was time to mourn what she had lost.

She thought about how he just left her to this madness. Would he care that she's gone? Would any of them? No. Of course not. What was she to immortals who could compare to Greek gods? Even stuck in a demigod's body she was pathetic and useless.

Valgus worried about Bella's mental state. Nothing seemed to shake her out of her depressed stupor much to Gorr's annoyance. Perhaps what was best was some space, Valgus thought.

Valgus placed a gentle hand on Bella's shoulder. She jumped.

"I have asked everyone to respect your space my lady. It seems to me that you would much prefer it to the chaos of the family that Natalia would be used to." Valgus said.

Bella could only stare blankly at him. On one hand it's what she had desperately wanted. On the other, did this mean they were getting sick of her too?

"Breakfast is ready in the Hall of the Elements if you wish to join us. What you do is entirely your choice, my lady, and we were wrong to take that from you."

Bella pondered his words as he left. Were they platitudes? Did he really mean them? Looking at Natalia's memories, Valgus was not a cruel man. He was possibly the kindest man Natalia had ever met. He wasn't one to lie or say anything lightly.

Bella mulled over this one sentence for hours, the longest she had gone without wanting to mope since she got here. It made her get out of bed. She washed her face, brushed her hair, and went down to the Hall of the Elements. She stood outside the door unsure of herself.

"Ah Bella, good to see you up." Mirabelle called from behind her.

She went over and held the door open for Bella, so there was no backing out now. Inside the hall laughter could be heard from the mezzanine, Gorr being the loudest of course.

Classes were over for the day and most of the college, along with Natalia's family, were up in the mezzanine having dinner and a good laugh. Shyly Bella makes her way up the stairs to join them, her stomach guiding the way as she follows the smell of food.

Hjoromir was regaleing the children with one of his infamous adventuring fantasies and they were politely enraptured. The adults were all rolling their eyes at his antics.

"A direct attack is foolish. Numinex knows this. That's why I do it. My aim is to shock him just long enough to run up his nose and behind his eyes, where the tender spot in his neck awaits my blade."

Natalia's memories supply what she knows of Numinex to Bella. The dragon that was captured by Olaf One-Eyed in Dragonsreach and died long before Hjoromir's time. Why he picked Numinex as his fantasy battle opponent is unknown to Bella. Perhaps since there is a history of Numinex being catchable in some capacity it makes him a more approachable target to Hjoromir. Either way it pulls a chuckle from Bella at his antics much to her surprise.

"Bella!" Gorr calls as he looks up from his stew.

Everyone shuffles quickly to make room, not needing to pause their chatter or their meal to do so. It brings Bella some comfort that they didn't all stop and stare at her like the people of Forks had on her first day at school. Wrapping her arms around her middle at the memory she hurries over to the empty space and sits down. Desperately clinging to that momentary feeling of lightness at Hjoromir's story she swallows down her sadness and her meal.

The meal is pleasant for Bella, and she feels lighter than she had since she got to Skyrim. Mirabelle and Tolfdir politely engage her in conversation about the research effort to get Natalia back. They felt there was little headway to be made in swapping their souls back but were going to try a few more avenues before switching to opening a portal to Bella's home and getting Natalia back home. They felt more confident that with both of them in a room together they could find a way to swap their souls back into their own bodies easier than from such a great distance.

Gorr and Hjoromir engage Bella in adventuring stories, having her pull from Natalia's memories to regale the children in lighthearted tales of bloodshed and bandits for the children. Well, lighthearted for Skyrim.

"It started as a normal bandit sweep. Natalia and Eliza approached Mistwatch and made quick work of the bandits outside the fort. Inside was a relatively normal sight. There was a farmer cowering in the corner out of sight of the bandits within. He was looking for his wife Fjola. She left the farm on errands and never came back. It had been months, and he had been searching for her since. He heard a rumour that these bandits were ransoming captives, so he thought she may be here. He begged Natalia to help him. Not that he needed to, Natalia had made her mind up to help him when she saw him." Bella explained. The children were captivated, they always loved to hear their mother's adventuring stories. Bella kept pulling from her memories.

Eliza and Natalia swiftly and skillfully take down the droves of bandits in the Northern tower before moving to the West of the Fort. They find a dead woman and a note on the table explaining one of the bandits was too rough with her. Natalia moves forward, hopefully that wasn't the farmer's wife and she could still bring him good news.

At the far end of Mistwatch there was a Nord Bandit Chief. She didn't seem to want to fight which suited Natalia just fine. She always preferred if she could be diplomatic, she just rarely got a chance in a climate like Skyrim.

Stand aside, woman. I'm here for Fjola! "Fjola? How do you know that name?"

Her husband sent me. Where is she? "Christer? He's here?"

Wait. You know him? "The fool's my husband. I'm Fjola - or was, once. Don't you see? I left that old scab. Came home to Skyrim, and found this rabble of bandits. Didn't take much to prove myself and knock them into shape. Now every free blade from here to Windhelm wants to sign on for a piece."

That's quite a story. "And it won't end here. I'd die before I went back."

There's no way you'll come peacefully? "None. Not back to him."

What am I supposed to tell Christer? "I don't know. I never expected the old bag to follow me so far. Just get rid of him. But don't kill him. I don't hate the man. I just want him to go back to his farm and forget about me."

I'll try getting him to leave. "Take my wedding band. Stuhn only knows why I've kept it this long. He'll recognize it. Tell him whatever you think will convince him to leave. The ring itself is worth a few bits. Keep it as thanks for cutting off the last vestige of an unwanted fate."

Natalia takes the band back to Christer and shows it to him.

She's dead, but I found this. "That... I gave it to her on our wedding day. Help me, Divines... it's true isn't it? I'm sorry. Keep the ring. I cannot bear the weight of them in my heart, and I must make the journey alone now. Thank you for... thank you."

Natalia then brings the news of Christer leaving back to Fjola. She is elated.

"Oh, it's you. I didn't think you could handle this on your own. Did you get rid of Christer?"
He won't bother you again. "How did... no, forget it. I don't care to know. I'm free of the little man, and that's what matters. I owe you a debt, and I aim to repay it. We'll see each other again someday. For now, goodbye, and thanks."

"Poor Christer," Shalina, Natalia's little High Elf, said.

Poor Christer indeed, thought Bella. Was that how Edward had viewed her? Beneath him as Fjola saw Christer beneath her. Bella began to withdraw into herself once again and shortly excused herself for bed.

Valgus watched, proud. It was a small victory but progress had been made at last. All Bella had needed was the freedom to choose and the knowledge that they wanted her to choose them, to choose happiness. Making a mental note of his findings Valgus tucked into the rest of his dinner.