Author's Note: Pure, indulgent filler. Skip if you aren't okay with lack of plot, animals, Lydia being a bit of a mother hen, or getting married. Thanks you, that 1 lady, for reviewing! It's always great to hear back from a reader! Yes, I do indeed like Lydia. She's not my follower, so she doesn't bother me, and the only thing against her is that she creepily sits in my room at night. The Dog, on the other hand, is WAY worse, so I guess I'll have to write something about him now. But how to complain without breaking the fourth wall...
Also for my readers who don't understand Nordic pronunciation, or who don't play with the volume up (I confess to that) the "J" in words like "Jarl" and "Jorrvaskr" is always pronounced like a "Y". So instead of Jarl, you say it like Yarl. It's very fun. So there's your lovely lesson for today!
ANYway.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Lydia, after weeks of assimilating to the changes around the house, has finally conceded. She's used to the kids. She tolerates the elf. She likes the fox (though she will never tell Aranel that). She even likes the dog! The. Dog. That is incredibly hard to do. But then. Of course, Aranel has to go and get herself the one thing that she doesn't have already.
A wife.
So, naturally, rather than living single, Aranel decides to get married. Lydia doesn't even know what to say to that. Except… It seems to be in Aranel's nature to defy all expectations, and she's doing a remarkably good job of that. Lydia had pinned her as someone who would stay free, and not become tied down by the bonds of matrimony. Honestly, though, Lydia thinks she should have seen it coming when she got the kids.
In fact, Lydia really shouldn't be surprised. She knows that Aranel likes to flirt with people. Lydia has even been on the receiving end of it once or twice, though Aranel has never tried that again. She's watched Aranel flirt with the Battle-Borns, Aranel has flirted with the Companions, and she's even flirted with the Court Wizard of Whiterun. However, Lydia always saw it as that, and never anything more. Maybe that's why she never expected Aranel to up and marry.
The girl isn't even someone that Lydia has ever met before, though she did know that Aranel was visiting someone more often than normal. They've been on a break of sorts, and Aranel had been staying around the house. Lydia eventually kicked her out to go drink or something when she had been moping around for too long. After that, however, she only saw Aranel a couple times that week. She was always flushed and smiling, and Lydia distinctly remembers wondering if she had found gotten paid for clearing out another Forsworn camp or something. (Lydia wasn't entirely wrong there, when Aranel wasn't visiting that girl it turns out that she actually doing all sorts of errands for the Jarl of Markarth).
She can't really disapprove though, because if the girl brings Aranel that much happiness, then by all means, make her stay. It's only one more set of footprints to clean, after all.
As it turns out, Aranel's fiance is a lovely lass from a mining camp. She has a very Nordic name, Sylgja, and no kids. She's sweet and young, and walks with a limp from a mining accident. Lydia can see exactly why Aranel is so in love with her. A couple weeks before the ceremony, Aranel decides to drop by Breezehome with her fiance so that Lydia and the kids can meet her. Of course, everyone in the house is immediately taken in by the young woman's good looks and pleasant manner. She isn't tough like Aranel, but Lydia gets the distinct impression that she can give anyone a good tongue-thrashing if she has the mind.
Their ceremony is short, but sweet, and more people than Lydia expected show up. In fact, there are so many people, that some of them are forced to stand. Both women are incredibly happy to receive their vows, and afterwards they head to Honeyside afterwards for some much needed rest. Lydia finds herself chatting it up with the Housecarl, Iona, and in all, it's a pleasant trip. Lydia is surprised that she actually likes Riften (aside from the Thieves Guild, they can all rot), and even more so to discover that she actually like the Housecarl there. She leaves with a good feeling about the young couple, and is secure in the fact that Aranel will finally settle down, relax, and maybe go visit The Greybeards so she can end the war and get some peace.
So, of course, Aranel does the exact opposite of every one of those things.
Naturally.