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Chapter 40 - A Funeral and a Birth
01 Frostfall, 5e 2
A few days after she'd revealed her shape-shifting abilities to the Emperor, Yssha was standing honor guard with her team/family and the Knights of the Nine in the Temple of the One. Grams' body lay beside the Dragonfires on a golden bier, while first the High Council and nobles passed by to pay their respects, followed by the wealthy, and finally, on the second day of the lying-in, ordinary citizens. It was those Yssha smiled at, and let her own tears echo their own.
By the end of that day, she was relieved to go to the White Gold Tower with her family and settle into the apartment she'd been given as Stormcrown. It was more elaborate than she really cared for, but she supposed she'd get used to it in time. She'd have millennia, after all, and maybe during that time, she'd be able to get the architects to tone things down a bit. Or her own tastes might change, she conceded, if her draconic nature took over more fully.
The next morning, Yssha took her place beside the coffin, dreading what was to come. As with weddings, formal Imperial funerals took hours of ceremony, as opposed to the brief but heartfelt ritual of a Nord cremation. Priests or Priestesses of all the Divines gave eulogies, then she was expected to give one herself.
"I am Yssha of Family Marcurio within Clan Ysshaya, a direct descendant of our revered ancestress and Clan Founder, Ysshaya," she introduced herself. "As all of you know, Ysshaya was Emperor Martin's friend, and assisted him in many ways during the Oblivion Crisis, even to the last moment where he became the Avatar of Akatosh and ... lost his own identity in the merger.
"But our Revered Ancestress had to continue, and she did. Her life was full and busy, from her duties at Arcane University to founding her clan and raising a family." She went on to describe the major events of her greats-grandmother's life, with an emphasis on the personal, since the rest had already been more than adequately covered.
When she finished, she was emotionally exhausted, and could only hope she'd gotten Grams' personality across as well as others had her heroic deeds. But the day wasn't over yet; the burial was next.
There had been considerable debate as to where that should be, since every location in Cyrodiil had some sort of connection with their Champion. It had taken her intervention, along with the Emperor's, to settle the matter: the Divine Crusader would be buried in the small cemetery that had been established behind the chapel. Yssha had argued for the Undercroft, where Grams had stored the Crusader's armor, but had finally agreed that the stone floor shouldn't be torn up, nor the remains of the original Knights be disturbed.
And she would be buried in her Imperial Dragon armor, so the Crusader's Armor could remain on its stand where it could be seen, protected by the Knights. It wouldn't take a long ground trip to get her there, either; to Yssha's surprise, Lokbiidaan had offered to be fitted with a harness so he could carry the coffin to its destination.
Yssha had accepted gratefully, of course, helping fit him with it, then helping load the coffin. Just before he lifted off, she murmured softly, "Thank you, zeymahi [my brother]. You do my Family's clan-mother great honor."
"It is my pleasure," he replied, as softly as he could. "I carried her in life; it is only fitting that I carry her on her final journey." Then he took off.
Yssha shifted, crouching so her team could mount, then she took off as well, heading for the Priory where she'd trained for her then-unknown destiny.
When she landed and her team dismounted, she shifted back. It was strange, carrying them instead of riding with them, but since it meant flying on her own wings, she didn't mind at all.
Lokbiidaan was already there, the harness loose and the coffin resting on the ground. Durnehviir landed while she and the Knights were freeing the blue dovah the rest of the way, and his two riders approached. "Want a hand?" Andreius asked.
"Yes, please," Yssha replied. "I thought you knew - she wanted you, me, Marcurio, Sorcalin, Sir Stildyne, and His Majesty, when he arrives."
That was only a few more minutes, and His Majesty bowed to the other pallbearers before taking up his own handle. Solemnly, the six moved to the graveyard, where the Knights had prepared the grave. The pallbearers placed the coffin into the sling that would lower it into the earth, and stepped back.
The Knights lowered the casket, then they and the pallbearers bowed their heads in silent prayer. It was Yssha who threw the first dirt into the grave, then the Knights took up shovels to finish the job. The simple headstone would be installed later, as soon as the maker was satisfied with his work. In the meantime, the Knights had placed a Shrine of Talos to mark the spot.
08 Frostfall, 5E 2
Yssha woke feeling odd. Not bad, but distinctly odd, as if something was about to happen, and she was certain she wouldn't be getting back to sleep, whatever it was, so she got up and used the bathroom, then went through the rest of her morning routine. She had just finished dressing when she heard Marcurio moving around, and went back into the bedroom. To her astonishment, he was out of bed.
"Are you all right, beloved?" she asked with a frown.
"I'm fine, dearling - I was worried about you. You've been restless all night, and you're up early, even for you. Are you feeling okay?"
"Odd, but not bad ... um." She felt wetness between her legs, and knew it wasn't urine. "Uh, I think Dirsha is planning to make his appearance today. Could you ask Ahkrinbo to get Danica?"
"Don't bother," Grams' familiar voice said, as she shimmered into existence. "She'll be on the way as soon as she gets dressed. Got a waterproof mattress cover yet?"
"Of course, and we have been using it for the last week just in case - Danica did say she could not be sure of the date, especially with an interspecies birth, so we chose to err on the side of caution. But ... what now?"
"Danica didn't brief you? You need to stay hydrated and try to relax. Any contractions yet?"
Yssha frowned uncertainly. "I am not sure, but I think perhaps while I was cleaning my teeth. And she did brief me, but ... while she is an excellent healer, she is not my greats-grandmother!"
"Calm down, youngster," Grams said with a grin. "You're in good shape and you've been active, which is helpful. If it weren't still dark, I'd suggest a leisurely walk down to the lake and back."
"A walk to the lake?" Marcurio grinned. "We're all three mages, so I don't think providing a bit of light should be a problem. Uh, you can still cast spells, can't you?"
"Yep, but I shouldn't need to. When your wife's soul-brother is a Divine, I think he'll take care of that, and keeping any potential threats away from his unborn nephew."
Marcurio chuckled. "He does seem to enjoy helping her, so that wouldn't surprise me. Let's go, then - I need to alert Rayya to get some tisane steeping for when we get back."
When the three left Lakeview Manor, everyone left inside was awake and aware of what was going on. Even though it was barely 3 AM, the light was as if the sun was just rising behind the trees, and Ahkrinbo grinned at Yssha. "Bormahu doing you a favor, briinah?"
"Nid - our brother Talos."
"I should have guessed. May we fly cover?"
"If you wish, and your team does not object to being wakened so early."
"Object?" Ralof said, emerging from the team quarters near the stables. "Try to keep us away! Oblivion, you'll probably have a full canopy while the kit's being born."
Yssha simply sighed, but didn't bother objecting; it would do no good anyway. She simply tried to concentrate on the pleasant walk down to Lake Ilinalta and back, paying no attention to the growing noise of dragon wings.
When they got back to Lakeview and went inside, she was met with Rayya offering her some tisane, and Freyr looking a bit worried. She sipped at the tisane, then asked Freyr, "What is wrong, son?"
"I'm s'posed to inherit Skyhold, right? Or was, till you got a real son?"
Yssha embraced him. "You are my real son, Freyr - never think otherwise! But yes, the Imperial laws of inheritance do say a child of my body takes precedence for rule over an adopted child."
To her surprise, he grinned. "Good! I've watched you being Jarl, an' just watching it is awful." he made a face. "I don't wanna be a Jarl. Does that mean I can maybe have Windstad, and stick Dirsha with Skyhold?"
Yssha controlled her face very carefully. "Are you sure that's what you want, son?"
"Yes, Mama! I've watched you Jarl, an' it's boring!"
Yssha chuckle-purred. "Then you get your wish, dear. Once he is born, Dirsha will become heir to Skyhold. You may have Windstad, or any of my other dwellings, with my blessings."
"Windstad," Freyr said insistently. "I'm gonna be a crafter."
Yssha chuckle-purred. "Last time we spoke of this, you wanted to be an adventurer, like me." Freyr looked abashed for a moment, but then said, "Still like you, Mama. You smith, make potions, enchant, everything!"
"If you have any preference, then, let me know, and I will start stocking materials, and finding you books on that skill. And apprentice you to a skilled practitioner."
"Really, Mama?" Freyr was clearly elated. "I need to think ... smith, probably, but alchemy looks like fun, too."
Yssha hid a sigh, but smiled. All right, she'd start gathering supplies for both, and speak to the smiths and alchemists she knew to see if any were looking for an apprentice ... but then she felt another twinge, and caught her breath, wincing.
Freyr looked suddenly worried. "You okay, mama?"
"I am fine, son. It is just your brother, making his arrival known. Why not go to Pinewatch, and play with your friends until this is over, and you can meet him?"
"Uh, they may not be awake yet ... but once I get breakfast, I'll go." Yssha heard him mutter something under his breath as he left, something about ... "yucky anyway" ...
Danica grinned. "Typical youngster," she commented. "And I'm told your parents are on their way, but I must be firm: no more than you, me, your husband, and your midwife in your labor and delivery room. Once you go into real labor, I'll cast a cleanliness spell, and more than that make it less effective."
"Well, you could allow her mother," Grams said, grinning. "I'm a ghost, after all, so I don't bring along any of those infection things."
"I would rather not," Danica replied. "That would set a bad precedent for others. So we four, and no others. They can meet their grandchild later."
"All right." Yssha smiled. "You, Grams, and the Divines are in charge, right now."
Over the next hour or two, her contractions grew stronger and closer together. When they hit less than five minutes apart, Danica took her to the bedroom, and she grabbed Marcurio's hands, hard.
The labor was tiring and uncomfortable, but she followed Grams and Danica's promptings about when to push and when to relax, then there was a final hard push, and she heard a squall as Dirsha met relatively cool air. Grams soothed him, then Yssha felt a weight on her chest, and her son clamped on to her breast and began enthusiastically nursing.
Yssha smiled softly, and began stroking her newborn's damp, furry back. "Welcome to Nirn, Dirsha," she murmured, following Danica's instructions to push, yet again.
"That's it, child," Grams said, bending over her. "How do you feel?"
Yssha purred. "Tired, but very, very happy. Is he ... normal?"
"Five fingers on each of two hands with tiny claws, five toes on each foot the same, only one head ... yes, he's normal," Grams assured her. "Your Suthay build, with Marcurio's dark brown hair color for his fur. All in all, a beautiful child."
"Good." Yssha sighed. "I think ... I need to sleep. Thank you, Grams."
"My pleasure, youngling. See you in Stormhaven whenever you visit."
As Yssha and Dirsha drowsed off, Grams winked at Marcurio and Danica, then faded away.
When Yssha woke, Dirsha was curled up between her and Marcurio, and she smiled, gently licking her son's forehead before she eased herself carefully out of bed to clean up and dress before the day's events. Primary among those would be his Introduction to his family, their closest friends, and the Divines, of course, and she'd insist he not be bothered unnecessarily, but she herself might be kept busy.
Most such Introductions took place in a Chapel or Temple, but considering the size of some of Dirsha's relatives, this one would take place outside, at mid-morning, though the immediate family and Rayya were introduced as soon as he was awake and she'd fed him.
Marcurio was present for that part, and grinned as he watched his son. "He's so tiny," he said quietly. "But he's perfect."
Yssha purred. "He is actually on the large size for a kitten, but then being half-human, that might be normal. But yes, he is. Just like his father."
"You flatter me, dearling," Marcurio said, with a soft smile. "And I wouldn't call him a kitten; I've seen Khajiit newborns before, and he looks pure Suthay, not like he's going to shift to Alfiq, or at the other end of the size scale, Senche-raht."
"Though he may grow into Suthay-raht size," Yssha said. "He could well be more your stature than mine, as he shares your coloring rather than mine."
When they emerged from Lakeview Manor, there were more people than Yssha had expected, from everywhere in the Empire, to the point where the clearing was so full she doubted even one more person could be packed in. Titus was there, and Balgruuf, and Brynjolf and Vex from the Guild. Nevan and Serana had met him inside, along with Andreius and Sorcalin, where each had greeted him in their own way, but Gelebor was here from Blackreach, Erandur and Kiraya from wherever they'd been - everywhere she looked, there were friends.
And for the Divines, Talos in his form after the assassination attempt had robbed his mortal body of Voice, and Bormahu in the form of his Martin avatar. To her surprise, there were even a few Princes ... Azura, Meridia, and Hircine, in human or mer form, with perhaps Sanguine as an Imperial scholar and ... could that Orsimer be Malacath?
Yssha didn't hold Dirsha up, just spoke a full formal introduction of herself, then continued. "As his mother, I introduce my son and heir, Dirsha of Family Marcurio within Clan Ysshaya. I invite you to see him and introduce yourselves."
It began then, and turned out to be the least objectionable ceremony she'd been through. First to approach was the young monk, who wasn't opposed by those of supposedly higher rank. He touched the baby's forehead, murmuring, "My blessings, grandson. You will have a more peaceful life than your mother's."
Yssha gave him a grateful smile at that, then the rest began coming up, briefly blessing the baby. She didn't remember all of them, but a few stuck in her mind.
Malacath: "Born of a Blood-Kin, so Blood-Kin by birth. The Strongholds will always welcome you."
Brynjolf: "You and yours are under Guild protection, lad. Some day, you'll know what that means."
Hircine: "None of my children will harm you or yours. And you'll be welcome in the Hunting Grounds, should you ever want that alternative."
Balgruuf: "Given your mother, lad, you'll be a fine ruler. I'll help, if she wishes."
Then the humans dispersed, so the dovah could take part, and Odahviing landed. He didn't get too close, and his murmur of a blessing was more of a loud rumble. "Hi ni dovahkiin, kiir, nuz hin monah los. Do zu'u ofan dii foraan : Odahviing. For ivaan hi praag zey." [You are not dragonborn, child, but your mother is. So I give my name: Odahviing. Call if you need me.]
Yssha sensed the shift of power as he gave her son what he would need to use that Shout, and blinked. Only one Shout, but probably the most important one he could have!
"Kogaani, vahriini [my thanks, my sworn one]," she said softly. "That means much to me."
"You no longer need me for transportation, thuri," Odahviing pointed out. "And he will need me only for a few scant years, as dov count time. It is a tiny gift I give him, but one I thought you would approve." He snorted softly enough not to alarm the baby. "It will be no small thing, to be known in our teyye [tales] as the steed of both our thur and her firstborn."
Yssha chuckle-purred. "And father of the largest clutch in dov history," she added.