Arc 3—Uncivil War—Chapter 16:

We saw a dragon flying in the distance as we made our way south along the White.

"Do you think we'll ever be rid of them?" asked Serana.

"No, they're here to stay. Paarthurnax will keep most of them in line, making them stick to the high mountains and mostly uninhabited regions where they won't cause much trouble. The Blades—they've gained several new members, last I heard—will take care of most of the rogues, and the jarls have a bounty system set up that insures that bounty hunters will try to take out any that the Blades miss."

"And you're the last resort," she said with a degree of finality, watching as the dragon ended its circle and dived on an unlucky elk.

"Hopefully that will sate him enough that he'll go home. If not..."

We made it as far as the town of Riverwood before deciding to call it a day. I wanted to make it all the way to Angi's, but recent days had taken a toll on me. At the Sleeping Giant Inn, we got a room from Orgnar, who scowled at me when I asked if he'd heard from Delphine, his former employer who was now head of the Blades organization in Skyrim. We were back on speaking terms again after Paarthurnax had kept his word, but we hadn't crossed paths in several months.

"Still out chasing down dragons instead of being here doing her job, she is." The alcohol weighed heavily on his breath as he wiped the mug he was holding with a dirty towel before setting it back under the counter.

"Protecting Skyrim from wayward dragons is considered by most to be a pretty noble pursuit," I replied.

"Yeah, to those it doesn't cause more work. I still say she should just kill all the bloody beasts and then get back here to her real job."

"Well, didn't you get the inn out of the deal?" asked Serana, trying to keep from scowling back at the drunken innkeeper.

"Yeah, but...but...well, let me show you to your room."

"The usual?" When he nodded, I added, "Thanks. We know the way."

I was asleep as soon as I hit the bed.

~ESV~

Early the next morning, the seemingly incessant crowing of the cocks of Riverwood informed us of the coming dawn. When I couldn't get back to sleep, we decided to head out, quietly leaving the inn to avoid awaking the innkeeper or a couple of the locals who'd also imbibed too much and spent the night, willingly or not, asleep on the floor next to the fire pit. Once we were outside, Serana jokingly suggested that they were too used to the infernal roosters to be bothered by them, whereas I thought all three of them were still just too deep in their drunken state to care. In truth, it was probably a combination of both.

It appeared that roosters hadn't awoken anyone else in village, but as we walked toward the south gate, we noticed Alvor, the village blacksmith, out tending his forge, firing up the coals for another long day of work. We waved and quietly said hello as we passed by.

"Good morning," he called softly before he recognized us. When he did, he called out, a bit louder, "Ah, Dragonborn! Could I interest you in some shiny new armor, my friend?"

We both chuckled at his good-natured teasing as we stopped and grasped arms. "Seriously," he added, "if you come across any more dragon bones or scales that you don't need, you be sure to let me know, okay?" He smiled and then asked, "So, what brings you back to our village?"

We spoke for a few minutes, with me telling him about the recent events in the north and east, and him telling me about his family, recent happenings in his village, and rumors from the world beyond. When done, we shook hands and said our goodbyes, and then Serana and I headed off to see our family.

It was a peaceful morning as we hurried on our way down the river road. I saw several butterflies fluttering around and smiled, but resisted the urge to chase after them, leading Serana to laugh.

"I know you want to do it, Aerik. Go get them, if you wish. I see a nice shade tree over here."

I thought for a moment; chasing butterflies with Lucia was one of my favorite activities, but doing so today would only keep me from Idgrod and her a little longer. With a happy sigh, I said, "Oh, some other time, I think. Let's keep going."

She smiled, content to wait to watch my alchemy-ingredient gathering antics another day but she pulled her hood a little further forward, better shielding her face from the sun.

I, too, was in a great mood, thinking of being reunited with Idgrod, Lucia, and the rest. We'd been gone for far too long, but I looked forward to getting everyone home and to having a serious talk with Jarl Idgrod. I silently practiced the little speech I was planning for her, but it continued to change with each attempted repetition in my mind, finally causing me to give up and vow to try again later. It was sometime after we turned off on the Lake Ilinalta Road that a very different thought crossed my mind.

"Serana, there's a shrine just south of the road up here that I'd like to visit. It's to Talos. Lydia and I found it defiled a few years ago, with several worshipers slaughtered around it. I'd like to make a little offering to Talos in their memory now that we won't have to worship in the dark any more."

"Talos came after my time, and I'm not very religious these days, anyway," she replied as we came to a stop at the path up the mountainside. "I think being associated with Molag Bal has a tendency to do that—at least to women, anyway. If you don't mind, I'll just wait here in the shade. I swear, I don't know how you people put up with the sun on days like today."

I hid my grin at her complaint, which she made quite regularly in some form or another, before climbing the path and entering the shrine area. There were no bodies this time, but the smashed and overturned benches littered the seating area in front of the shrine. The rocks where the shrine sat had been defiled with pots of paint and what I suspected were feces; pieces of the broken clay pots were still visible, but I smiled when I saw that the paint and dark streaks and stains were only on the stone pedestal rather than on the shrine and statue. Talos—or perhaps, a dedicated worshiper?—had cleared away the befoulment on them.

I stood looking at it for a few moments before placing an offering on the stones in front of the shrine. When I stepped back, I said, "Talos, protector of Nords and those who would have your blessings, thank you for your bounty and your protection. May your people worship you once more as they choose—"

A loud voice rang out. "Infidel! You are guilty by your own words of worshiping Talos the Imposter—"

I turned back, drawing my weapons as I did, to see four Thalmor justiciars step out of their hiding place in the bushes and spreading out at the back of the seating area.

"—and are under arrest by the order of the Aldmeri Dominion for crimes against—"

Realizing that the loud-mouthed Thalmor was going to run out of words and start fighting before too long, I didn't wait. To the left I went, choosing to attack the Thalmor wizard before he (or she? I couldn't be sure and didnt' care) could use magic to take me out. My swift, decisive move must have surprised them for I was able to take three steps before they really started to react, with Loud-Mouth still speaking.

Four against one is terrible odds. I could call Serana, I knew, but she might not make it in time and she herself, even expecting trouble from my call, might be surprised at what awaited her and could possibly be taken or even killed.

I could shout and call a dragon, but there wasn't enough room and their breath would affect me, too. Better yet, if I could group them, I could hit them with a dragon shout that might affect several of them, evening the odds. There was no time to wait, though, and the chance of them being willing to line up just right for me wasn't worth considering.

The wizard reacted first, with fire growing in his hands as he started to direct it toward me. A hit, I knew, would interrupt the spell, but wouldn't kill him and wouldn't do anything to keep the others off my back. Time was running out.

Time!

Only about three weeks earlier, I'd recovered the Jagged Crown from the ruins of Korvandjund. While there, I'd found the ancient Nord wall where a word of power was recorded. After learning its meaning, I'd practiced once. Now, combining it with another I'd learned some time before in Hag's End, I hoped it would work as I understood it for as long as I needed it.

"Tiid Klo!"

Power rushed through me but it seemed that I was moving somewhat slower than normal as I made my move toward the wizard. He, however, was barely moving in comparison so I stabbed and slashed with sword and dagger. As he realized his spell was fizzling and he was dying, I believe there was a sense of shock in his eyes that he'd underestimated me, but there was no way to be certain. With the shove I gave him as I twisted my sword to maximize damage and remove it from his unworthy carcass, he was starting, ever-so-slowly, to tip over sideways like a tree felled in the forest, but I had no time to watch as I moved on my next opponent.

Or rather, victim. Second in line, the Thalmor warrior already had his sword drawn and he'd had time to raise it and take two steps toward me, but with time acting slower for him, he could not block the stab of my sword at the gap between his armor and helmet. When it hit bone, I ripped the sword to the side to free it and pull it out before he could fall and possibly trap it in his body and armor.

I was starting to move toward Loud Mouth, the third Thalmor when the flow of time returned to normal. Suddenly, the Thalmors' movements seemed incredibly fast in comparison to a moment earlier, but so, too, were my own. Swords clashed and then again as the last Thalmor, the one on the far right, moved around, trying to come at me from a different angle. I kicked a broken bench, sending it spinning into his legs, causing him to lose precious seconds as he tripped and tried to get over or around it. It took him only a moment, but every instant in this fight was vital.

Loud-Mouth, my primary opponent, was quite skilled. He blocked my blows easily and then struck back, but I parried and struck back each time in turn, slowly withdrawing, moving backward, desperate to keep both opponents in front of me. If either could get behind me, the fight and I would both be over.

They'd learned from my trick just a minute earlier, and pieces of two broken benches came flying in at me. Unlike the justiciar, though, I stopped for a moment as the debris hit, allowing each piece to bounce off my armor rather than moving and letting them trip me.

"You'll die for what you've done!" growled Loud-Mouth. "And none of the gods will protect you from my wrath." He was breathing hard, using his words to buy time to prepare a new flurry and to allow his fellow warrior to strengthen his position for the next attack.

"Perhaps," I agreed. "But Talos may decide to prove a point."

I, too, was buying time, but between heaving breaths, it was hard to force myself to say more. I was nearing the edge of the leveled seating area in front of the shrine. A few more steps and it would be a long tumble down toward the Lake Ilinalta Road.

These two had clearly worked together for quite some time. Loud-Mouth made the move toward me with the other warrior shooting forward at the same time. I fell back two more steps and the time I'd bought rewarded me as the power of my Thu'um returned.

"Fus Ro Dah!"

The fourth Thalmor went flying, crashing backward into the rocks at the base of the Shrine. He lay unmoving as Loud Mouth suddenly drew back, reassessing the situation as he suddenly realized who he was facing.

"You! That wasn't a spell you cast and you're not some great wizard! You're the one the Nords call the Dragon...Dragon-something."

"Yeah. I'd tell you it's nice to meet you, but it's really not."

"You're going to die, Dragon-fool. I'm going to kill you and take your head to be displayed at our embassy so all can see what comes of opposing the orders of the Aldmeri Dominion."

"We'll see," I replied, again buying some time as we started circling each other, looking for an opening. I wasn't sure how long the fourth Thalmor would be out, but Loud-Mouth looked to be too good, too experienced, to rush. The smallest mistake might mean my death.

He kicked more debris at me as he moved closer, content, it seemed, to give his unconscious compatriot more time to recover. What he didn't know was that same recovery time also helped me.

When I felt the power of the Thu'um returning a a short time later, I stopped. Giving him a vicious smile, I said, "The day's wasting, jack-ass, so you better get a move on if you're going to do it. Say, looks like a storm's coming."

"You won't trick me, you fool. The sky is clear and you'll be long dead before the first drop of rain falls to wash away your foul, Talos-loving blood."

"Think again, bastard. STRUN BAH!"

Sheathing my dagger, I deliberately blocked and parried for the next few seconds as the sky darkened and the clouds rolled. The first lightning struck moments later, and then another, and another, each striking Loud-Mouth, whose voice was now engaged in screams rather than taunts. He was a smoking mass, struck by at least ten or twelve lightning strikes, by the time the storm ended a couple of minutes later. Seconds after that, the sky was again clear and the sun was shining as brightly as earlier.

"Aerik, is it safe to come closer?" called Serana from somewhere down the trail.

"Clear," I called, looking at the still unconscious Thalmor warrior on the shrine.

"You're not going to believe this but I started running up the path and almost got struck by lightning. It hit just a few feet in front of me so I backed off for a minute. Sounded like you had a real storm—"

Though she'd never seen me use the Storm Call shout, realization struck her then. "Wait a second—it wasn't real was it?" Seeing the Thalmor on the shrine, the smoking pile, and the other bodies, she said, "What happened here?"

"Justice."

Pointing to the unconscious Thalmor on the shrine, I added, "Keep him covered in case he awakens, but it would be better not to kill him if you can avoid it. I need to take care of some things before we wake him."

~ESV~

A nudge, a second, and then a swift, sharp kick convinced the Thalmor justiciar to quit pretending to still be out. He was unarmed, of course, and we'd removed his helmet, so I said, "Get up."

He rolled over on his hands and knees and shook his head as if to clear the cobwebs while trying to get up. As he made it to his feet, I put my sword against his neck and said, "Now stay right there and don't move."

He cursed at me in the Altmer tongue, seemingly accepting his fate that he would die at my hand. While I don't know much of the Altmer language, it was supposedly the original source of the common Imperial tongue and I had learned a little, including a number of prime curse words, from some elven carters in Cyrodiil. As a result, I understood the gist of his curse and returned an equally bad one back at him. Perhaps my inflections were off a bit or maybe I'd used the wrong word, but he looked back at me and laughed.

"I will die today having failed in battle and my mission, but I will at least die knowing that there is little danger of you scum-sucking Nords ever mastering my beautiful tongue."

I laughed out loud at him. "No, elf, you are mistaken...on all counts. Your tongue isn't nearly as beautiful as you believe; it's as disjointed to us as our Nord language is to you. And you will not die today. You will remove the rest of your armor—"

"Never!" he cried, but he had no time to say more since I bashed him with the hilt of my sword. By the time he'd come to again, I'd stripped him to his undergarments and thrown his cloak on top of him.

"We could have done it the easy way, but, no! Like your late friend, you insisted on being an ass. Therefore, messenger and beast of burden you will be. You'll take this bag, unopened, to Emissary Elenwen. You'll also give her this message, so listen close. The war she fomented is over. The people of Skyrim, instead of being divided, now stand united against her. She is to end her raids in Skyrim. If even one more takes place, and if even one more Thalmor soldier shows his face in our land acting against our people, the people of Skyrim will make sure that the soldier, her personally, and the Aldmeri Dominion as a whole will all regret it. Got it?"

Still holding his forehead to stanch the blood, he nodded, so I made him repeat it. Fortunately, he was close enough the first time, so I pulled him to his feet and shoved the bloody bag into his stomach. "I'd advise you not to drop that. And whatever you do, don't look inside. You'll be sorry if you do; it's a private message to Emissary Elenwen."

He nodded again, but I decide to give him one more thing to think about. "By the way, if it's not delivered to her in a timely manner, she'll make you very sorry...if I don't find you first."

Feeling its weight and hearing my warning, he realized the bag was full of the heads of his comrades. Despite being a warrior, he blanched at the thought. I gave him no time to think about it further. With a swift kick to his backside, I sent him stumbling down the path and on his way.

~ESV~

When we were done burying the Thalmor bodies, we resumed our journey, keeping a careful watch for any beasts, bandits, or other Thalmor we might encounter.

Serana finally broke the silence. "Aerik, it was so effective, so why didn't you use your storm shout to take them all out? Being down the trail, I couldn't tell what they were but I'm pretty sure I heard one or two other shouts."

"You're right, I used a couple of others first. I didn't use the storm from the start because I'd have still been fighting four targets, including a wizard—"

"Who might have had resistance to the lightning," she finished for me.

I nodded. "By killing the wizard first, it increased my odds significantly, and I was able to take out another to help even more."

She accepted that but then asked, "Why'd you send Elenwen their heads? I...I thought I knew you pretty well, but I'd have never dreamed you'd do something as, well, barbaric as that."

I laughed. "You know me better than you think. The loud-mouthed one said something about taking my head, so I found some suitable stones, wrapped them in vines and leather strips to feel like heads, and then dipped the bag in some blood."

Serana was laughing, too, looking the most relaxed I'd seen her since her afternoon with Shondar. "You didn't! Why?"

"If the ass thinks they're heads, he'll be sure not to open the bag or read the message I sent to Elenwen."

"What did it say?"

"Basically what I told him, but a little more depth. That her superiors wouldn't be happy with what she's done here. That she allowed proof of Ulfric's deceit to fall into the hands of the Empire, with the files taken from right under her nose. That her execution squads are hated throughout the land. And, most importantly, that Talos is more revered here now than before she came and that we wouldn't continue to put up with her thugs. I also suggested that she continue filing reports with her superiors back home that Talos worship is declining, and that she should do a good job making them believable. If they aren't...well, her end will be even more unpleasant than those she's granted to unrepentant Talos-worshipers in recent years."

"Wait! You're letting her stay?"

"Not my first choice," I answered, "but it's probably for the best. If she leaves, they'll bring in someone new who'll be excited to do the job. With her knowing that someone took the files and can probably get back in whenever they wish, she'll be less likely to cause trouble, at least for a while. Skyrim's still fragile now, but in a few years, with good leadership, we'll be reunited and can deal with her and face her successor. If it comes to that."

She thought about what I said before nodding and we walked on in silence.

~ESV~

Just before noon, we started climbing up through the mountains to Angi's camp, and by late afternoon, Idgrod and Lucia, on spotting us, came running down the trail to greet us, with Lydia, Vilkas, and Angi coming right behind them. Lydia and Vilkas, I noted, were holding hands.

It was a joyful reunion, hugging and kissing my daughter and my beloved and then hugging each of them separately and together again. Then there were handshakes and hugs with the rest. We swapped stories, though there was some I didn't tell them, and celebrated until well into the evening.

Idgrod was beautiful as always and sat close to my side while Lucia, who looked like she grown a hand breadth in my absence (though she assured me she hadn't), alternated between sitting next to me or on my lap. Lydia and Vilkas were quite cozy, too, sitting close to each other and openly holding hands when Vilkas didn't have an arm around her.

Angi was the only one who looked sad, realizing that the company she hadn't wanted but had come to enjoy would be leaving the following morning. Therefore, it was a particularly good moment when I handed one of the parchments signed by General Tullius to her. She read it in the light of the fire and her eyes misted over.

"Miss Angi, what's it say?" asked Lucia.

Angi handed it to Idgrod who read aloud. "By order of General Tullius of Cyrodiil, Military Commander of the Imperial Legion in Skyrim, for invaluable assistance in our victory over the Stormcloaks, Angi of Falkreath Hold is hereby pardoned for any and all crimes committed prior to the end of the war..."

Idgrod trailed off on seeing Angi's happy tears. "Though there's no one there, I can go home again and start over! Oh, thank you, Aerik. I never dreamed you'd really do it..."

She gave me a hug, and then went around hugging each of the others, who shared her joy.

Lucia's yawn a short time later led me to put her to bed after she said her prayers. When she fell asleep, Lydia and Vilkas commented about going out on patrol, leading us all to smile, knowing that the only thing they'd be exploring was each other. Noting the direction they took, Idgrod and I walked a different way, looking first at the stars, and then into each other's eyes as I took her into my arms.

"Sweetheart, I hoped to have your mother's approval before I did this, but a woman told me a little while back that Skyrim's a hard place, and that if you find true love, you need to embrace it before it's too late. Will you marry me?"

Her lips were soft and sweet as she kissed me, and it became quite heated before we finally forced ourselves apart. We were both breathing hard and were more excited than we should have been under the circumstances. After catching her breath for a few moments, I noticed that Idgrod was grinning at me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think I forget to say 'Yes!'"

~ESV~

We were picking up the last of the flowers when Cici came back with a broom, dust pan, and a towel. We stepped back and she started start sweeping up the broken glass and using the towel to soak up the water.

"We're sorry, Grandpa," said Andres. "We didn't mean to break the vase."

"We really are sorry, Daddy," said the twins. "We were just trying to have fun."

With the flowers still in my hand, I reached out and pulled them all in for a big, group hug as I said, "It's okay. I'm just glad no one got cut on the glass."

Holding them close, I looked at the bouquet in my hand and took a deep sniff as I remembered Sofie, a young lady who, through her unintentional sacrifice, helped set off a string of events that was to bring peace and unification to a war-torn land and to bring love and happiness to me.

Idgrod, my wife and queen, came down the curved stair toward us with a surprisingly understanding look on her face as she held out another vase. "Too many snow days trapped in the palace or even the jarl's hall can lead to such events. My mother could tell you tales," she said with a smile. "I suspect the new jarl of Whiterun, who has three children of her own, would probably understand, too...if she ever finds out about it."

She leaned in and kissed me as she, too, put her arms around the kids and gave them all a squeeze. She then put her cheek against mine and playfully whispered in my ear, "I won't tell Jarl Lydia about the vase if you won't."

I grinned and briefly kissed her one more time before we all separated.

"Say, kids, the storm will probably end later this afternoon. When it does, what would you say about going out with me to see Lahzedra, the new sculptor on Craft Street."

The kids cheered in agreement, but Idgrod gave me a questioning look. "I've heard he's really good, my love. What do you have in mind?"

Looking at the flowers in their new vase one last time, I replied, "We have a number of monuments here in Solitude, but I know of an important one that needs to be added. It will be a smiling young lady carrying a basket of flowers and having a heart full of hope."

End of Arc 3

Author's Notes:

Thanks for reading this story. I hope you'll let me know your thoughts on it.

The game starts on 17th of Last Seed in the year 201 of the 4th Era. It took Aerik a while to wander through parts of Cyrodiil on his way to the pass where he was captured on reentering Skyrim, so he would have left Bravil sometime before the end of the month of Suns Height. With Dreanna's son being born on the last day of Second Seed, that would been over ten months after Aerik left.

Finally, as noted previously, I've started the outline for a possible final arc (or possibly two shorter arcs) to wrap up this story. If you'd like to see that occur, please let me know that, too.