Chapter 32

By the end of the second week, everyone was feeling anxious to leave High Hrothgar and continue on their journey. Bo had been assigned the task of retrieving the horn of Jurgen Windcaller, and Jane resisted revealing her knowledge of where the horn would actually be, as she knew she wouldn't be able to get away with knowing that. They traveled quickly back down the mountain, and each had been presented with a beautiful black horse, from where Jane did not know. The greybeards didn't look like they had a stable, but Jane hadn't explored the whole place thoroughly, and she was grateful; the trip was much faster.

"I think I would like to see my parents before Windhelm," Bo told Jane one night while they lay together by the fire. Lynne and Nazgurat had taken first watch, and sat with each other on the other side of their camp, enjoying each others company. "I am anxious to see Ahmon, but I…really need to see my ma and da."

"I understand," Jane replied soothingly, stroking his cheek. "We shall go there first then, it is on our way, and it would be silly to back track, now that I think about it."

"My parents will be happy to meet you," Bo murmured, tightening his hold around the girl.

"I sure hope so. How come your parents were able to have a child? I thought only the chief was allowed to marry and have children.

"Grandfather's wives died, and he was very depressed. Ma went and got pregnant and at first he was very angry with her, but in the end I was the best thing to happen for him, he became so happy."

"And when you left?"

"I am sure he is back to his normal self, especially if he tried to have another wife since I have been gone."

"That is unfortunate, but I am glad your mother went against the rules, or we wouldn't have you." Jane kissed his nose, earning a soft chuckle from Bo, and they swiftly fell asleep.

Narzulbur was located in the snowy region of Eastmarch; nestled by a sheer rock wall of a grand mountain. The longhouse dominated the center of the stronghold, backed against the mountain in the typical design; a long and narrow rounded building. When Bo was within hearing range he called out to the Orsimer pacing on a wooden outlook just outside the walls of Narzulbur, a hood pulled up so they could not see her face; but Bo knew her.

"Yatul!" He called out, and letting go of Jane's hand he ran forward, scrambling up the stairs to crush the woman in his arms.

"Bo Gro Graul!" Yatul replied, looking happily surprised to see him. She followed Bo down the stairs and Bo motioned for the others to follow him. The moment he entered into the Stronghold the older woman who came out from her little shelter rushed over to Bo, hugging him tightly with her small frame.

"You have come back Bo Gro Graul, your ma will be overjoyed!"

"Where is she, nana?" He asked, using Bolar's nickname.

"Your Ma is in the longhouse and Da should be back from the mine soon, it is almost time to eat."

"Thank you Nana, I'd like to introduce you to my friends when I have gathered everyone."

"I'll go round everyone up," Yatul replied, slapping Bo's back before jogging off towards the longhouse.

Bo and his companions waited anxiously for everyone to come over. Bo rocked back and forth on the heels of his feet, a huge grin on his face that Jane thought was absolutely adorable. His eyes sparkled with a happiness Jane had not seen before, and she wondered with a small jolt if she had ever made him as happy as he was now.

"Bo!"

A slim woman was running towards them, and Bo swept her up into his arms, a sob escaped his lips. But when he finally pulled back to look at his Ma; whom he towered over, but his cheeks was dry.

"Bo," Urog murmured, her voice deep and gravely, but very pleasant. "You have come back."

"I missed you Ma, and da… and papa."

"We all missed you Bo," and the Orsimer turned to see his father walking towards the group. "Son," Mul Gro Largash growled, and he pulled Bo until a crushing hug.

Jane felt tears forming, and she hastily wiped at her eyes, noticing everyone were teary eyed as well.

"You have been gone for too long," Urog growled, wagging a finger at her son. "And who are these friends, Nords?"

"Ma, this is Jane…she…" Bo turned to Jane, looking down at her, and Jane smiled timidly at him, but gently took his hand.

"She is very special to me."

Urog studied Jane, she could see the love Bo had for the woman in his eyes, and it practically spilled out from him.

"You have captured my son's heart," she replied kindly, "we welcome you to Narzulbur."

"Thank you Urog, I am honored to meet you both."

"And who are your other friends Bo?"

"Lynne is a skilled healer and mage, she saved my life many weeks ago."

"You helped my son, for that I am grateful, we welcome you to Narzulbur," Mul Gro Largash spoke, and then he noticed Nazgurat.

"Nazgurat?" He asked, shocked.

"It is good to see you Mul, it has been a long time."

"Indeed it has been old friend." The two men grasped each other's forearms in greeting, smiling at each other.

"You know each other?" Lynne asked Mul Gro Largash.

"Yes, he was much younger than I, but we served in the Legion for the same three years; we were a good team."

"You never told me that," Bo commented, narrowing his eyes at Nazgurat though he was still smiling. He had one arm around his mother's shoulders. She smiled lovingly up at her only son, and his free hand gripped Jane's waist.

"I did not know your father was the Mul I served with."

"And where is papa?" Bo glanced around. His grandfather had not appeared.

"Papa has been feeling down even more as of late, seeing you again will surely lift his spirits."

"Let us go to him."

They met a few more Orsimer along the way, Mul's brother Gadba Gro Largash was also a miner, and Urug's brother Dushnamub joined them as well, fiercely hugging his only nephew.

Everyone entered the longhouse and was presented with an aging Orsimer dressed in a set of scale armor. When he recognized Bo he dropped his mug on the table and stood up, embracing his grandson.

"Bo Gro Graul," he whispered hoarsely, his voice deep and rough.

"Papa, they say you have not been happy, I am glad I came here before going to Windhelm."

"All is good now that we know you are alive and well, I bet you have much to tell."

"Papa this is Jane, I care about her very much." Bo stepped back at Jane smiled meekly at chief Mauhulakh, running her hand nervously through her hair.

"I am very happy to meet you Chief Mauhulakh, it is an honor."

"You treat Bo well?" Mauhulakh grunted, fixing a cold stare with bright blue eyes. Bo got his eyes from his grandfather she thought wryly, but certainly not his personality!

"Of course chieftain, he means everything to me."

"Good." Mauhulakh turned back to Bo and clapped him on the back; he stood a good head taller than his family except his father.

"Come, you must be hungry." Urog lead Bo and his friends to a set of tables and told them to sit, and then went to retrieve the food.

Jane studied Bo and his father Mul, noticing the little similarities. Bo's father was still a handsome Orsimer, despite that he was getting older in age. He still had a strong body, and he had darker skin than Bo, with more brown tones than green. His head was shaven close to his skin, and his small tusks were bright and white. His strong jaw line and well-defined features also bore on Bo's face, but Jane also noticed some things that were similar to his mother. He had the same eyes as his ma and the chief, and his skin tone was closer to hers, although a little more saturated green. Urog looked like a strong hunter, she wore fur armor and she had been practicing with a training dummy and a bow before Bo had arrived. She was slim but muscular, and Jane admitted, very beautiful. She could see why Bo loved his parents so much, they were kind and probably wonderful parents, as well as wise.

The evening was spent updating Bo's family about all that had transpired in the last several weeks, and after a while Bo wished to speak with his father alone, and Urog asked to speak with Jane. The girl followed the older Orsimer, as Urog led her outside and to the stairs leading up to an outlook. They sat down on a stair and Jane pulled her cloak tighter around her, shivering slightly from the cold, while Urog looked unaffected, still dressed in nothing more than her small furs.

"I cannot tell you enough how happy it makes me to see Bo in love."

"In love?" Jane croaked, looking at Urog.

"I have never seen him like that, I know that he is…different."

"He is very different, but it is endearing, Bo is so special."

"You know then?"

"That I am the first woman he has ever been with?"

"Yes, that too, but I did not think he would tell about… well I don't think he remembers, or it's a blocked memory." Urog sighed.

"What happened?" Jane was very curious to know what had contributed to Bo's state of mind and difference of perspective.

"Well… he was only a boy, six years old, and a stranger came to the Stronghold, an Orsimer. He was… very odd, but we welcomed him anyways, and he stayed for several days, offering to mine for us as payment for he had no coin."

Urog watched her breath come out in white puffs, and took a deep breath, while Jane had a cold sense of dread that what she was going to hear next was not good.

"After a couple days…he had been…showing interest in me. I thought nothing of it, until he cornered me one day. I was alone in the longhouse; everyone was outside as it was a beautiful day. He…"

Jane reached over and took Urog's rough hand, squeezing it tightly.

"You don't have to explain…"

"No," Urog growled, bowing her head. "It is okay, I do not let it get the best of me. He forced himself upon me, and I thought I could fight him but he was much stronger than I. He… raped me… and that is not the worse part."

"What…" Jane whispered, barely able to conceive what she was hearing. Urog, kind and strong Urog, rapped in her own home…

"Bo walked in. He had been searching for me, for he had been itching to go hunting. He was such a bright boy, he wanted to learn it right away…. he was so confused by what he saw…" Urog covered her face in her hands and sobbed, but quickly got a hold of her self, feeling the girl rub her back.

"He saw everything, and I was being choked so I did not scream, but he startled him, and I managed to call out for Bo to get help, and he ran."

"What happened to that bastard?" Jane was furious! How dare an Orsimer, kin, come into a stronghold and defile such a wonderful woman as Urog? And Bo…Jane's heart ached and she mourned his innocence, which had been lost that day. He was never the same; she knew he wasn't.

"He was smart, as soon as Bo ran off he got off of me and was gone before Mul arrived. I was…hysterical. Bo didn't understand how his Ma could be hurt like that, I feared it would have ever lasting effects."

"He… does have issues, but mother Urog Bo is an amazing man… I wouldn't change him for the world."

"I am overjoyed to hear you say that," Urog reached up and cupped Jane's cheek, studying the beautiful girl. "You have a big heart, and I can see already that you are good for him. He needs you. Other women would reject him for being so complicated, would think him broken, unfixable. You have the biggest heart."

"Thank you Urog," Jane whispered.

"Now," Urog wiped her eyes and brightened considerably, turning to face Jane and leaning again the railing. "Tell me, what has it been like being with my Bo?"

"I must tell you, I have never been with a man… in any way, so this has been a new experience for the both of us. Bo is so caring, and I feel so appreciated."

"That is good to hear, and have their been many difficulties?"

"Not too many, but he was very reluctant to kiss me. We have known each other for a couple months now and he has just recently let go of that insecurity, and he recognizes that he is holding back."

"And did he like kissing? I bet he felt rather foolish that he did not kiss you sooner."

Jane laughed softly, feeling her self blush. "Yes, he felt very foolish. It is very enjoyable, much to his delight."

"That is good," Urog laughed. "I don't...wish to ask…" Urog became serious, and looked a little uncomfortable. "But I have to… as I'm sure you understand. Have you and Bo…?"

"Oh!" Jane looked down, and he face became very warm. "No, no. That…I have not pushed him."

"Thank you for being so gentle with him, I think because of you he will be just fine."

"I think he just needs time to learn these things, right now he sees me as something pure, and…. coupling will ruin me. I think I can see where it is from. Seeing your mother… like that… it can change his perspective."

"I think you're right. I am his Ma and that never happens to his Ma. It shattered him. I do not doubt he associates that…trauma…with you, he has nothing else to compare it with."

"Yes," Jane sighed. "I think that is exactly it."

"You will change him, for the better. I do not worry anymore, you are sensitive to his… differences, thank you so much."

"I… I do love your son; he brings me so much happiness. It is terrible to learn what happened to him at such a young age, it affected him completely." Jane knew it clear as day, she loved Bo; and she needed to tell him soon, so she could know if he felt the same way.

"You have my blessings Jane, all of it."

Urog pulled Jane into a hug, holding her for a while, and Jane felt that she needed to see Bo's parents as much as he did, for she felt a tug of homesickness, she did miss her own parents very much. She hoped that time was indeed slower, and they were not missing her, for they would surely think she were dead if time passed by the same on Earth.

The women returned to the Longhouse, and it was Mul's turn to speak with Jane while Urog spoke to her son. Jane was happy to speak with Bo's parents, she learned a lot from them.

"I admit I did not see my Bo finding a woman, he is just so different from everyone."

"Well I am glad he found me that day, I do not think it was coincidence." Jane smiled at Mul, and he nodded.

"Neither do I, the Gods brought him to you, and I am very grateful."

"The Gods brought us together, I could not ask for a better man than Bo."

"He speaks about you with such affection, he adores you." Mul could not suppress a grin; he was elated to see his son so happy.

"I adore him, there is no kinder person than your son."

"He loves you, you know." Mul stared warmly at Jane, smiling when she blushed. "He has not told you yet, but he does not have to."

"I…love him too, very much."

"I have never stopped loving Urog, I fell in the love with her the moment I laid eyes on her. He has his mother's passion, he will love you forever."

Jane bit her lip, trying not to cry. "I feel the same way," she whispered tearfully.

"Come here dear," Mul murmured, and he hugged the girl. "I am eternally thankful."

Bo held Jane in his arms while they lay in bed, and the love her felt for her was overwhelming, but he felt much more at ease; his father had helped him realize some things.

"I see the way she looks at you," he had told Bo. "And the way you look at her, it is okay to feel everything you do."

"I know…I just can't…" Bo was taken back to that day when he was six and had walked in on his mother being raped. "Ma…" he whispered.

"Jane is not Ma, and that is not what it will be like for you and Jane. For starters," Mul reached over and squeezed his arm, "She loves you. Rape is not love, Bo. But if you love someone, then it will not be like that. Do you love her?"

"Yes," Bo replied wistfully, and he surprised him self by how easily he knew the answer. It was true, he loved Jane.

"Then it will not be like what happened to Ma, can you realize that?"

"Yes da, I can see that."

"It is okay to be afraid son, but do not let your fears prevent you from being with Jane; you'll only hurt each other."

"Okay da, I will try."

"You're strong Bo," Mul pulled his son into a tight hug, so relieved to have him back home, if only for a while. "You can love Jane, and you are a great Dragonborn..."

Bo kissed Jane's head, hearing her sigh quietly.

"Jane?" He asked, swallowing back nausea as he prepared him self.

"Yes Bo?" She looked up, staring at him in the darkness, and Bo was glad for the lack of light so she could not see his face in sharp detail.

"I…" Bo's heartbeat pounded so hard against his ribcage he thought surely Jane could hear it clear as a bell. "I love you Jane." He whispered.

She was quiet for a moment, and dread filled his mind, until she spoke.

"I love you, Bo."

"Oh Jane." Bo pulled her close and buried his face in her hair, feeling tears run down his cheek. Jane gently rubbed his back, the motion soothed him, and he quieted down. Jane looked back up and kissed him, brushing away his tears.

"Why are you crying?" She whispered.

"I'm happy, you make me happy."

"You make me happy too Bo, always."