Chapter 5:
The Forest Clearing

Once back in Falkreath Serana and Emily headed for the nearest tavern. It was a short, squat building close to the Eastern gate. Like many places of business in the city its name played on the themes of death and the grave.

"In a way it seems almost made for us," Emily observed with a chuckle as she pushed the door open. This time she did win a laugh from her companion as the events from earlier had been smoothed over.

The interior was a good deal livelier than the name suggested. Close to the bar a black robed man looked to be cajoling another, a Nord in a horned helm, into a drinking game of sorts. Emily, for a moment, had the curious notion she had laid eyes on him before in another of Skyrim's taverns. A moment later this feeling passed and she and her companion took a seat in a corner near the large fire pit. Tibius and Finn, who had largely kept out of the way during the battles in Pinwatch now hunted for scraps of food on the tabletop dropped by the table's previous occupants. They found, simultaneously, a chunk of cooked fish and, after fighting over it for a time, split it in two and each sat back to nibble at their prize. Serana watched the two animals.

"Reminds me of us, when we first met," she said with a slight laugh. Her hand lingered on Emily's for a moment and once again Emily felt something stir in her chest even though her heart was long still.

Emily laughed along with her companion.

They ordered a tankard of mead each and spent much of the morning sipping it slowly. At around noon they booked a room in which to rest, read and talk.

At last night came and they left the tavern in favour of the Jarl's longhouse. He lounged in his throne expectantly, watching them with the lazy air that a lion might give after gorging himself on the kill of the lioness' hunt. It was all Emily could do to keep a civil tongue in her head and left Serana to do most of the talking.

"The bandits have been cleared out of Pinewatch," she said, "Their leader, Rigel, is dead." She held out the candlestick mold, "And here is the mold."

"I remember Rigel," Jarl Siddgeir said with barely concealed contempt, "Surly brute with the face of a Skeever." He drew back and nodded to his steward.

"Very well, you have done as I asked and now I must hold up my end of the bargain," he said as his steward stepped towards them, carrying a sheet of paper. "By my right as Jarl I grant you permission to purchase land in the Hold."

Once again Emily paused, aghast, just as she had done when they accepted the job. It had been her understanding that the land was reward for their work, not merely the right to purchase it. She managed to choke out a response past her consternation.

"How much?" she asked.

"Five thousand septims and the land is yours," Jarl Siddgeir replied coolly, "And of course once the construction of the property is complete there will be the matter of taxes to discuss. But that can wait until a later date."

Emily said nothing as both she and Serana signed the deed and it was stamped. She did not trust herself to speak. The gold changed hands and with the signed deed they left the Jarl's longhouse.
"I feel as though we have entered into a bargain with the Sheriff of Nottingham or Prince John himself," said Emily wryly.

"Who are they?" asked Serana.

"They were characters from the English folktale of Robin Hood. To cut a long story incredibly short they taxed the people of Nottingham until they had nothing more to give. It was only the actions of a brave and resourceful outlaw named Robin Hood and his band of men that they did not starve to death."

"You'll have to tell me this tale sometime," said Serana. Then she cast a darting glance at the closed door of the longhouse.

"Miserable wretch, wasn't he?" she said with a note of annoyance and Emily smiled with a kind of satisfaction that her vampiric companion was not entirely immune to the Jarl's irritating ways.

The way to the plot of land they had purchased was not far so they elected to leave immediately for it. Their trek took them out of Falkreath's eastern gate and, following a barely discernible path, into the Falkreath forest uplands. The way was steep in places and took them through dark woody glens and over brooks cascading over the bare rocks. Emily spotted, with a measure of gladness, game trails of animals both large and small. It looked like hunting would be far from an issue out here.

For a time the trail took them out of the denser part of the forest. Here the trees grew less closely together and far in the distance they saw, shimmering like the surface of a great looking glass, Lake Illinalta, lit by Nirn's two moons. Here they paused for a moment.

"It would be nice to come out here of an evening," Emily said. She had scaled a low hanging branch and sat with one leg dangling over the edge. Serana climbed up where she sat down next to her.

"We've still got to build the house first," Serana reminded her. Emily gave a sigh of mock exasperation.

"You Nords," she said, "Always so practical." Serana chuckled.

"Come on, or we'll not have time to search out a comfy cave before morning," she said before leaping back down onto the forest floor and continued her way back into the trees. Emily followed her and some time after midnight they reached the plot of land. It lay at the forest's highest point and was marked out from the rest of the forest by a fence made from wooden posts hammered deep into the ground and connected at the top by loose lengths of ropes. What caught Emily's interest was a large oak that grew towards the Southwestern corner of the plot. Up to this point Emily had presumed that either oaks were not present in Tamriel or they were simply too far North for them to thrive. But here in the Falkreath forest it seemed that one had deigned to set down its roots. It was very old judging by how gnarled and thick its trunk was and possessed a great bushy canopy supported by numerous sturdy branches.

"Not a bad size," Emily said as she surveyed the plot, hands on hips. She turned to Serana. "Not that I'd know a good plot from a poke in the eye." She clapped her hands together. "Right," she said, "Let's go through what we need then and we'll see about getting it brought in."

"Lumber," said Serana.

"Easy, Falkreath lumber mill," Emily replied immediately.

"But how are we going to get it up here?" Serana asked, "It's not exactly a leisurely stroll from the city."

"Much the same way the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids I reckon," Emily replied, "Putting the lumber on a sledge and pulling it along. I'm sure we can work something out with Bolund."

"Alright," said Serana, "Tools and iron?"

"Lod," Emily replied, "The Mourning Sun traded with him quite a bit. And I'm sure he's got some tools we could buy."

"Clay?" said Serana, "We'll need it for binding the wall."

"Binding the-," began Emily, "Oh, you mean wattle and daub?" Serana nodded. "Well, if my memory serves clay can often be found along river banks and possibly at the edges of lakes. If that's so, we've got Lake Illinalta close by. We could find what we need there."

"Fair enough," Serana replied, "And stone?" Emily thought. And thought.

"Alright, you've got me there," she admitted, "Know of any quarries hereabouts?" Serana shook her head. "How important is it?" Emily asked.

"Fairly," Serana replied, folding her arms, "We'll need it for the foundations."

"Damn," Emily swore under her breath, "Guess we can get the other materials in the meantime. We'd better see about that cave then." They left the plot and wandered off into the surrounding forest in search of a suitable cave or other fittingly shady space. They found one in the form of a small cave that led back through thick close growing tree roots into the side of a hilly slope.

"So, this is to be our home for the next load of months?" smiled Serana, looking appraisingly around the cave. She looked over at Emily, "I've seen worse."

"Not far from the plot either," Emily replied, "We could easily work late into the early hours and come back here before first light." They settled down against the far wall, spreading their cloaks out on the floor.

"What will we do for a workforce?" Serana asked, leaning up against the wall, "You know there'll be more than just the two of us can handle."

"Who was it said Nord women could do anything they set their minds to?" Emily asked as she folded her arms behind her head, giving Serana a sly sideways glance. Serana replied by tweaking her nose. Emily relented.

"You're right though," she smiled, "Well, I could always see if the Mourning Sun would be willing to lend us a hand. And if not, Tamriel must have some sort of method for hiring workforces. I'm sure the jingle of coin could stir some into action."

"They might grow suspicious if they had to work nights," Serana pointed out.

"Well, why not just leave them to it to work by day?" Emily asked.

"Because we'll need to supervise," Serana replied, "And there'll be times when questions will need to be answered. Is the door alright here? Is this foundation deep enough? How big do you want the cellar?"

"Alright, alright, I get your point," smiled Emily, "We'll go down to the road tonight. How about I go sound out the Mourning Sun and you take care of buying the lumber?" Serana pretended to be deep in thought for a moment.

"Alright," she said at last.

They slept for part of the morning and at around noon Emily fetched some sheets of paper from her bag along with a quill and inkwell. She had never drawn out architectural plans before but she figured now was to be as good a time as any to start learning. Serana soon joined her as she began scratching out the lines that marked the external walls of the main room. They'd decided on a small two storey cottage where half of the ground floor was given over to a large main room with a fireplace at one end of it. An archway led from the main room into the dining room and the kitchen was to be at the back of the house. It had been Emily's idea to include it.

"But why include something we're never going to use?" had been Serana's question.

"Supposing we ever had guests round?" Emily replied.

"Like who?" Serana asked. Emily shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know," she replied.

"I hope you're not planning on inviting Isran round for dinner," she said, a hint of amusement creeping into her eyes. Emily laughed.

"As if," she replied, "No, but maybe Angeline and Vivienne. Or Gunmar and Sorine? Besides, good place to store any good mead we happen to come across. And it's just…" she paused, shrugging her shoulders, "Nice, to have a kitchen."

"One of the remnants of mortality?" said Serana, her voice softer now.

"Yeah, maybe," Emily replied, "So, how about upstairs?"

And so it went on. They elected to share a room. It was what they were used to between all the times they'd shared a bedroll on the road and sharing a room at Angeline's. But in the end they decided to add a spare room. Another small room was to be given over to an alchemy lab and above it would be built a small tower room which would serve as a reading room and have a flat roof with a canopy hanging over it where they could sit by night and watch the skies. Emily was all for hanging a flag at the top of the tower and when Serana asked her why she told her it would be like when she was a child and she and her friends had built a treehouse out in Stockhill wood. It had been their clubhouse, the usual sort, built of discarded wooden planks and pallets left over from the bonfires. A red flag had flown from the wooden mast made from an old broom handle and some see through plastic panels had made do for windows. A ladder made from wooden slats hammered into the stout tree trunk and a trapdoor served as entrance.

Serana decided to put aside a plot of land out the back to grow alchemical flowers and herbs. Already mage's bugloss, blue flowering alkanet, stone flowers and wild bergamot grew in the spaces uncovered by the dense canopy while white caps, blisterwort and bleeding crowns clustered about the bases of most of the trees. Emily decided to set up a few archery targets along the side of the house.

"Well, it's a solid start," said Serana, looking over the plans, "What's this bit here?" She pointed to a symbol under the oak tree.

"Oh, that's one of those hanging swing seats," Emily replied She took up the quill and sketched out a quick drawing. "Y'know, like this." Serana smiled.

"Well, we've still got a few hours before sunset," she said, "I think I'll get some sleep."

The rest of the day passed quietly and when at last the sun had set they left their cave and followed the track down to the road. The way seemed shorter than before now that they knew the way and before long they left the dirt track in favour of the cobblestones. Here they bid each other farewell and while Serana followed the cobblestones down towards Falkreath city, Emily bypassed the city and followed the road until she came to the stone cairn that marked the place where she should leave the road and head up into the mountains towards the Ancestor Glade.

She realised as she walked along that for the first time in months she was truly alone. Aside from the occasional solo hunt which took her into the foothills of the Solitude woods she and Serana had spent little time apart. She mused that sometime ago this might have terrified her, unsuited as she felt to survival in this wild world but now she revelled in the quiet night sounds of the forest around her. She could hear the bats as they flew between the trees. And there was the ghostly sound of feathered wings as the Boreal owl searched with piercing yellow eyes for its prey. On a sudden impulse she took off at a run, not out of fear but exhilaration. As a vampire she could run swiftly, leaping from tree stumps and over fallen logs. The night air rushed past her face, turning colder as she went higher up into the mountains. She slowed as she reached the stream, leaping lightly over it and climbing up over the frost-covered boulders. Clear ground gradually gave way to snow and flurries of snow swirled about her. At last she spied the entrance to the Ancestor Glade, a black hole against the stark white of the mountainside. She stepped out of the rapidly forming snowstorm into the cave. Several torches had been placed at regular intervals, wedged into crevices between the rocks. The fallen log that acted as a bridge between two ledges was still there though it had become overgrown with ivy. Thick roots grew in a lattice, helping to support the tunnels which wound deeper into the mountain.

At last she reached the end of the tunnel where it opened out into a massive cavern bathed in moonlight which spilled in through the hole in the ceiling. A few moths fluttered lazily between the yellow mountain flowers that lined the path which led down to the underground springs. As always the air within the cave was hot and humid, a stark contrast from the snowstorm whirling outside. Emily heard their voices before she saw them, seated around a campfire in an alcove apart from the rest of the cavern. A beef joint turned slowly on a spit, tended by an Orc. In the dim light of the fire Emily could just make out two scars on his neck, a souvenir of his encounter with the Volkihar vampires. Sitting by the fire were Sorine Jurard, the Breton inventor and Florentius, the devout paladin of Arkay. Emily could see the shadows of two great shaggy trolls penned up close by, dark fur almost blending into the shadows. Emily called out to the three members of the Mourning Sun as she approached and one by one they raised their heads, smiling as they recognised their visitor.

"Emily," said Florentius, getting up from his place by the fire, "It's been a while, my fanged friend." Emily grinned back.

"It's been a while, alright, how are you all doing?" she asked.

"Not bad," Sorine replied, "I think our conquest of Castle Volkihar sent a shiver of fear through all of Skyrim's vampires. Aside from a few isolated incidents, we've had little to contend with."

"There were a few holed up in Bloodlet throne a few months back that the former Jarl of Falkreath had us deal with but that was an easy matter," Mogrul added.

"The former Jarl?" said Emily.

"An old Nord noble named Dengeir of Stuhn," Sorine explained, "Bit paranoid, got a bit of a temper. He almost bit Mogrul's head off when we were getting the details we needed concerning the fort's location."

"Well, he can't be worse than the current one," said Emily, shrugging her shoulders.

"You've had royal business yourself?" said Florentius as Emily joined them by the fire. As she sat down Florentius looked briefly over her shoulder into the shadows.

"Is Serana not with you?" he asked.

"She's off buying lumber," Emily replied. And so she filled them in on the events of the past months, the letter from the Jarl, the bandits at Pinewatch and the plot of land up in the forest uplands.

"Well, I don't mind turning my hand to a bit of stonemasonry," said Mogrul, "If things remain as slack as they are around here I'll need something to pass the time." He took up a knife and cut of a cut meat from the joint, setting it on a plate on handing it to Sorine.

"I used to do a little carpentry back in the temple I once belonged to," added Florentius, "I'd be happy to lend a hand."

"And speaking of stonemasonry," said Emily, "None of you would happen to know where we could get good quality stone, would you? It's the only thing we're really missing."

"Not down here," Mogrul said, shaking his head, "Not much anyway. Your best bet would be up North. Or West in the Reach. You'll have to get it brought in."

"Well, I've haven't seen much of the Reach," said Emily, "I passed through part of it once when I was on the run from a group of vampires that captured me from Solitude. Could be a great excuse to see more of it."

"There are plenty of Dwarven ruins in the Reach," commented Sorine between mouthfuls, "If you happen across anything interesting, bring it back here. I might be able to lend a hand in this venture of yours if you bring me the right parts."

"What use is Dwarven tech for building houses?" asked Mogrul.

"You'd be surprised what you can do with a few gyros, levers and a good supply of Dwarven metal," Sorine replied, smiling and Emily saw the familiar spark when her thoughts turned to her inventions.

"Well, we'll be glad of any help we can get," she said.

Emily remained with them another hour during which Gunmar and Beleval returned from their hunting trip accompanied by Bran the husky and a young troll they were training. Following the battle for Castle Volkihar they had grown closer, Gunmar remarking that between his axe and Beleval's arrows they made quite a team. They swapped tales and reminisced over past battles until Emily glanced at her watch and, realising it was almost midnight, bade them farewell.

"I'll send word when we get our hands on that stone," she said as she reached the mouth of the tunnel.

"Good luck," said Florentius, "And watch out for Forsworn."

"We'll do that," Emily replied. Talof had told her about the Forsworn not long after they escaped the Solitude vampires' clutches. Rogue warriors, the untamed spirits of the Reach who claim the land as their ancestral home. Ruthless fighters who will kill all they deem to be trespassing and practitioners of the Old Ways.

Emily left the cave and followed the mountain path back down to the road. In the distance she could see the lights of Falkreath winking from the windows and the occasional open doorway. In the lower reaches of the Hold the night was mild and, Emily noted, Spring had well and truly settled in. Jacob's ladder, wild geraniums and Lily of the Valley grew by the roadside in clusters, moonlight gleaming off the tiny bell-shaped flowers and thick wide leaves. Emily paused a moment to admire the blooms and on a sudden impulse bent to pick some of the Jacob's Ladder and Lily of the Valley. Finn, who had been trotting at her side, spent some time nosing about among the blossoms. He sneezed and leapt back out from among the flowers onto the cobblestones. And so with otter in tow and her bunch of flowers, Emily set out for the cave and the plot of land.

"I'll need to think of a name for our house-to-be," she said to the otter as she walked. Finn chittered in response, keeping pace with her. "Something mysterious and beautiful," she continued, "Like something out of a fairytale." By now she had passed by Falkreath and had followed the road until she came to the dirt track that would take her up towards the plot of land. Finn leapt up onto a fallen tree and scampered along it, leaping from the end onto Emily's arm where he scrambled up onto her shoulder.

"If there'd been a brook near it I might have called it Brookside," she said. She stopped, chuckling a moment later, "No, maybe not. That was the name of one of those boorish old soap operas. Maybe Singing Stones Cottage, after the sound a brook makes as it cascades over stones. I guess we'll wait and see."

At last they reached the plot of land and Emily made for the cave in the mossy glen. Serana had already returned and was in the process of hefting a pile of firewood into the cave. She looked up when she caught sight of her.

"We got the lumber?" Emily asked as she reached her.

"They'll bring it up tomorrow night," she replied, "How about you? Any luck with the Mourning Sun?"

"We've got our workforce," Emily replied, "Sorine reckons she can employ some new ideas using her Dwemer tech, Mogrul will help us with the stone…when we get it and Florentius says he knows a thing or two about carpentry. Gunmar and Beleval also agreed to lend a hand once they got back from their hunting trip. I think you and I could be attending a wedding in the near future."

"Gunmar and Beleval?" said Serana, smiling slightly in her surprise. Emily nodded. She rested a hand on Serana's arm.

"Come on, it'll be morning before long and we've got a long night ahead of us. You and I are going to the Reach."