When Tala stepped into the little inn, she was instantly greeted by the sight of a Bosmer behind a counter with ashy-black hair in a brown quilted doublet doting a polite grin. Mounted to the wall of the counter were pieces of soot covered stone with hardened lava on them. To her left was a stairway followed by a dining hall with a fireplace in the back. There were only three men sitting at their own tables: an older Imperial with a balding head of grey hair wearing common clothing, an Altmer with a receding brown hairline wearing a white shirt and a brown vest, and a young Nord with rich black hair and also wearing a similar shirt as the Altmer. She recognized the Altmer as the one who first told her that Kvatch was under attack before running away from the city, but the other two she didn't know. A large red stone in the shape of a talon practically took up the entirety of the wall beside the fireplace. Clearly when they destroyed the Great Gate, the owner took some of the pieces and incorporated them into the construction of the inn. But how in the Nine did he get that large piece in here? Did he build the whole place around it?! She quickly decided she didn't want to know and closed the door behind her. She then removed her helmet before proceeding to approach him.
"Welcome to The Siege Engine!" He chirped in his best professional voice. He opened his mouth to say more, but when he got a better look at her as she got closer, his hazel eyes suddenly went wide as he loudly gasped. "By Y'ffre! T-the Hero of Kvatch! Welcome, welcome, great Hero of Tamriel! I'm Athrelor, owner and proprietor of this inn! It is an honor to be graced with your presence once more!"
Tala instantly froze. Her eyes quickly darted towards the dining hall to see if anyone else was watching; to her embarrassment, she noticed that the other patrons were watching the whole spectacle. Considering Tala didn't have a big ego, Athrelor's loud praising didn't really feel flattering. As much as she wanted to take pride in being Kvatch's savior, it was this kind of unnecessary attention just made her abhorration for being canonized in public suddenly come bubbling back to the surface.
"I would just like a room, please." She softly said, hoping maybe if she kept a calm and quiet demeanor, he would settle down a little. "Do you happen to have one with an extra bed?"
"Our deluxe suite has two beds pressed together, but I can separate them if you need!" Athrelor anxiously replied. "It normally goes for twenty septims a night, but for you, I will provide it for a discounted rate of just ten septims!"
"That's very generous of you." She bashfully said. "But I have no qualms with paying full price." She then fished out the twenty coins needed for the room and set them on the counter.
"I am touched by your benevolent gesture! Here, let me get you the key to your room." After he found the key, he handed it to Tala and added, "Just head upstairs, make a left, and it will be the last room down the hall. I can move the beds now if you wish."
"It's no rush. I'll be back in a minute anyway, so I can separate the beds myself if that makes things easier."
"Nonsense! Happy to oblige! I shall have your room ready before you return! Thank you for your stay with us, brave and valiant Hero!"
'Oh for the love of Talos.' She groaned in her head. Aloud, she politely replied, "Please, you can call me Tala. And thank you for your hospitality."
She glanced over to see that the spectators resumed either drinking or eating their meals, so Tala felt less awkward after that. A part of her wanted to put her helmet back on, but realized that would be pointless since word will eventually get out that she was in town. No sense in hiding now... and so much for feeling proud about her Hero of Kvatch title. Guess she needed to work on that a little more while she was staying here. Tala then tucked her helmet into her bag and turned to leave.
When she returned to Sigrid's, she noticed that Angalmo was hard at work at an alchemy table, Contumeliorus was at another table with a book and a beverage, and Sigrid was nowhere to be found. When she called for her son, he happily came downstairs with Fenja trailing behind.
"Mama! You should see all the plants Fenja and her mom have up there!" Marten happily announced. "It's almost like being in the greenhouse back home!"
"How exciting!" Tala chirped. "I'm glad you two had fun! Ready to head to the inn now?"
Marten's smile instantly disappeared. "This early?" He responded in a disappointed tone.
She then raised a curious eyebrow. "Yes...? Don't you want to get out of your armor and in to something more comfortable and relax for the afternoon?"
Marten looked down at his armor for a second before he glanced at Fenja as she stood there just as equally anxious. He then answered, "Can I go play with Fenja and her friends? She invited me to play tag with them. I don't mind being in my armor for a little while. I can get changed later... if that's ok?"
Tala's eyes lit up. Given that they lived outside of a town with very little children, Marten only had Amal to play with on a regular basis. So she was always delighted when he tried to make new friends in any city they visited. And the fact that he seemed more interested in playing with other kids than visiting the Chapel made her even happier. She still wasn't sure if she wanted to visit there yet and she didn't have an excuse for Marten if he had still wanted to go.
"Absolutely!" Tala elatedly responded. "When were you wanting to go?"
"She was going there now... so can I go with her?" Marten replied.
"Sure! Let me walk with you so I know where you're going to be."
Fenja lightly squealed with joy before she spun around and shouted, "Ma! I'm going to go play with my friends!"
"Be back before sunset!" Sigrid shouted back from the second floor.
'Really? Sigrid's not going with her?' Tala confoundedly thought, but when Fenja headed out the door, she followed her anyway.
Fenja led them around the Chapel of Akatosh to head to the other side of the city. As they passed, Tala marveled at how the chapel looked; it was as if the roof of the building never collapsed and pieces had never been lying around the ground. Clearly the citizens took great care in repairing this sacred site more than their own homes. Just passed the chapel, she could see that the rest of the town was fairly open. Most of the homes seemed to remain on the south eastern side of the city and wrapping around the back of the chapel, blacksmith's shop included. Upon initial entry of the city, Tala thought that only the inn and Sigrid's place were the only buildings with shingled roofing, but when she saw a large house sitting on it's own over by the north gates, she now added a third building to that list. And oddly enough, the outside design of this building reminded her of Rimalus Bruiant's house back in Chorrol. Just beyond the homes sat the remnants of the stadium that used to host gladiator matches. Kvatch had one of the oldest Arenas just second to the Imperial City; clearly after the Crisis, they never chose to rebuild it. She found herself saddened to see the debris of the colosseum standing there like a haunted tomb... a constant reminder to the survivors of what they had endured.
As they got closer to the large home, Tala saw an older Imperial woman in a tattered forester's shirt and a green felt linen skirt tending to a young Imperial boy who looked around ten. As she wrapped a bandage around his hand, three other children were gathered around them: a Breton boy in his early teens, and two young girls- one Redguard and one Bosmer- that looked to be around Marten's age. While the Imperial boy was whimpering, the other kids merely watched with curious expressions. Fenja eagerly waved and called out to them, diverting their attention away from the scene. All the kids except the teen quickly broke away and ran over to her, but suddenly stopped and hesitantly stared at Tala and Marten.
"Hello there." Tala gently said. "I hope you don't mind us visiting."
While the two girls didn't say anything, the Imperial boy suddenly blurted out, "Whoa, you have blue hair!"
Tala resisted the urge to outwardly express her discomfort. "Y-yes. I was born with it, actually."
"You were born with it?" He said as his mouth twisted into a confused frown. "You're not weird, are you?"
"Quinton!" Fenja quickly scolded. "Don't be mean! She's the Hero of Kvatch!"
As they were talking, the Imperial woman had approached just in time to hear Fenja's retort, causing her to quickly look at Tala and let out a soft gasp. "By Akatosh... what an honor to have you here, brave Hero of Kvatch." She politely said. "Welcome to Heaven's Arms. I'm Olana, and these are my wards: Quinton, Dalia, Faela, and Faustin." She then gestured to the teenage boy standing politely behind her at the end.
Tala politely nodded to each of the children. "I'm Tala. This is my son, Marten. It's nice to meet you all."
As Marten waved to everyone, only the Redgaurd and the Bosmer- Dalia and Faela, respectively- smiled and shyly waved back.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." Olana replied. "To what do we owe this pleasant visit?"
"Fenja invited Marten to play with her friends. Since we're strangers in this town, I just wanted to introduce myself and make sure it's a good time to play."
"Of course. You are certainly not a stranger to us. You're a hero to this town, you know."
Tala nervously smiled. "I know. But I also want to practice my manners. And I'm also a mother just looking out for my son and playing it safe."
Olana smiled and nodded. "Of course. Rest assured, your son will be safe with Faustin and I keeping a close eye on them. But you're more than welcome to supervise if it makes you feel better. Would you like a cup of tea?"
"I need to check on our room at the inn and get out of my armor. But I will be back shortly to take you up on that tea."
"Certainly." Olana then looked to the group of kids and firmly stated, "Now make sure you're within view of us. And no wandering in to the abandoned Arena. Understand?"
"We know, miss Olana." Quinton sweetly said, speaking up for the group.
Olana then looked to Faustin and added, "I will be inside if you need me. And when you find her, please bring her to me, understand?"
"Yes, miss Olana." Faustin replied.
The Imperial woman softly bowed in respect to Tala and then headed back to the orphanage hall. Tala then turned around and headed for the inn, but not before looking over her shoulder and adding, "Have fun, Marten!"
"Thanks!" He replied.
Once the adults were out of view, the kids all gathered around Marten and simply studied him for a moment.
"You have weird blue eyes." Quinton blurted out again.
Marten rapidly blinked at the boy's comment. "Why are they weird?" He cautiously asked.
"They don't look like normal blue eyes." He replied.
"I think they're pretty." Dalia commented.
"T-thanks." Marten nervously responded.
Quinton then asked another question, "Why are you wearing armor?"
"We traveled from Chorrol." Marten answered. "It keeps me protected from bandits and wild animals."
"Huh." Was all Quinton said as he continued to stare with an unimpressed frown.
"So you gonna play tag with us?" Faela suddenly asked with a soft and squeaky voice.
"Yeah!" Marten chirped. "Who's going to start?"
"I am!" Quinton spoke up. "I'll go to the house and count to five and you all have to hide. If I find you and I tag you, you're it. If I catch you and tag you, then you gotta give me a chance to hide while you go find and tag one of them, ok? That's the rules. Oh, and another rule is if you see Arkaedii, don't tag her. She can't play."
"Why not?" Fenja suddenly asked.
"She bit me! Look." He then gestured to his bandaged hand.
"You started it." Dalia started to argue.
"Yeah, well she's weird!" Quinton whined. "You know how weird she is! And she bit me!"
"She's not weird." Faustin retorted. "And even if she was, it doesn't matter. You need to stop bullying her."
Quinton groaned with dismissal before he turned back to the group. "Whatever! I'm starting the game and I say she can't play, ok? Now, one! Two!"
While Faustin rolled his eyes and walked back to the orphanage, the younger kids scattered to begin their game. The other girls decided to run out to the courtyard towards the inn, and Fenja pushed Marten towards the houses... all while wearing big happy smiles on their faces.
Tala couldn't help but chuckle as the little girls ran straight past her and into the heavily populated area of town. She really liked that Marten was out playing with other kids, and hoped maybe he'd gain a new friend from this endeavor. As she walked up the steps to the inn, she stopped for a moment to stare at the chapel once more. The thought of the Nine Divines and holy places of worship brought her back to the pilgrimage again.
'I wonder if anyone here knows if there's a wayshrine nearby.' She thought to herself. 'Maybe I could ask Merandil and see if he'd know anything.'
She decided she would go ask him first before she headed to her room- mostly because she didn't really want to hear more of Athrelor and his excited praising just yet- and turned to head down the stairs and towards the gate. As she did, one of the doors opened just enough to let someone through. As the stranger headed in her direction, Tala found herself staring too hard as she started to study him.
He was dressed in a unique set of rich dark brown leather armor with matching boots and fingerless gauntlets. The armor itself had silver trim around the pauldrons and boots, ivory elbow and knee guards, and two ivory diamond-shaped rhombuses on the cuirass. He carried a full bag of unknown goods over his right shoulder, and had an ebony longsword clipped to his right side. He had a black hood with a silver trim up over his head and concealed some of his face, but she could still see long strands of silvery-white hair showing through. Upon initial glance of his skin tone, he could pass for Dunmer... yet the skin tone was a lot lighter than most Dunmer she'd seen before. He also didn't look like a young mer either. Even though elves retained their youth for many decades, Tala could see a little weathering of time stamped across the visible features on his face. And despite the shade from the hood, his eyes stood out like white diamonds. Either that had to be the palest blue eyes she'd ever seen, or his iris color really was white. She had never seen that before either.
'Wow, that's a mer... of sorts. Wait... could he be Saewin?'
In the time she took to study the stranger coming her way, he continued to walk with a slight smile and a calm demeanor. Eventually, he stopped a few feet in front of Tala and decided to address her.
"A Breton with blue hair?" He said in a smooth tone with a Cyrodiilic accent. "You must be the Hero of Kvatch."
Instantly, Tala snapped out of her train of thought to respond. "A friendly gentlemer who appears handy with a blade. You must be Saewin?"
"Ah. You got me." He said with a light chuckle. "It appears my reputation proceeds me. I feel as if I'm at a bit of a disadvantage. You know my name, but yet I only know you by your title."
"Yeah, that's a pretty common occurrence with me. Yes, I am the Hero of Kvatch, but I prefer Tala. Tala Jemane."
"Tala." He said. The way he said it sounded foreign, as if his accent shifted a little. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Forgive me for a moment, as I'm taken aback by your appearance. I really didn't think you had blue hair and that the rumors were nothing but was a myth."
"Y-yeah. After thirty years I've learned to appreciate my hair for what it is. But it seems the majority of Tamriel still has a hard time with it." Tala cautiously replied.
His friendly smile faltered and he gave her an enigmatic stare. White. The iris color was definitely white. "I sense discomfort. You need not worry about me, I hold no judgment. Believe it or not, I understand very well what it's like to look and feel different than the 'rest of Tamriel'."
Her awkwardness subsided as quickly as it arose. 'He speaks so sensibly and friendly. Reminds me a little of Guilbert... and a little of Martin.'
"Tell me Tala, it's been eight years since you first came to Kvatch and closed the Great Oblivion Gate. What brings you back after all this time?" Saewin suddenly asked.
"I brought a delivery order to Sigrid." Tala replied.
"Ah." He softly responded as he subtly glanced over at the alchemy shop. "So you brought the herbs from the botanical shop out near Chorrol? Sigrid and Angalmo have been eager to receive that order."
"Yeah. I'm glad I was able to make the run to Kvatch. I've been so busy these last few years that I haven't been able to return and check on the city to see how they've been recovering. So this worked out perfectly."
"I'm glad to hear!" Saewin said with a bright smile. "Tell me, what is keeping the Hero of Tamriel busy these days?"
"That's a long story, actually. But the short of it is, studying at the Arcane University and raising a family."
Saewin's head titled ever-so-slightly. "You have children?"
"One son. He's seven. My husband and I welcomed him shortly after the end of the Oblivion Crisis. Sigrid told me you have a daughter as well?"
He remained silent for a few heartbeats before he spoke a little more gently. "My wife and I welcomed a daughter shortly after the Crisis, though not as quickly as you and your husband. She's only five." He then gestured his head upwards as he added, "I'm actually on my way to pick her up from the orphanage just past here. Olana- the headmistress- she looks out for her while I'm away on business."
Tala's eyes lit up. "I was just there. Sigrid's daughter invited my son to play with them for the afternoon. Last I saw, they all just scattered to play tag together."
Now it was Saewin's turn for his eyes to light up. "Is that so? That's good news. She's been getting into trouble lately, so it's a relief to know she's having a little fun. Perhaps I'll leave them be for a little while longer. Would you like a drink at the inn? Athrelor keeps a nice supply of wine and brandy in supply."
"That's very thoughtful of you, but I was actually planning to have tea with Olana. I was going to change out of my armor before I do... but first I want to chat with Merandil. I was going to see if he knew of any wayshrines in the area."
Saewin's friendly expression shifted to curiosity. "Which wayshrine are you looking for?"
"None in particular, really. Just curious to see if there are any nearby."
"There's a wayshrine to Zen just down the valley near Kvatch." He started as he jutted his thumb over his shoulder. "There is also a wayshrine to Akatosh a few miles southwest of here. Plus, there's a wayshrine to Talos to the east near an old Ayleid ruin known as Miz-carcand..."
Tala was absolutely floored. She didn't need to ask Merandil. Saewin knew every wayshrine within a hundred-mile radius. But what also surprised her was that he referred to Zenithar as "Zen". She had only ever heard it from a Bosmeri priest back in High Rock when she was a teenager, and learned that the Bosmer referred to Zenithar by that name. Then there was the way he pronounced Miscarcand; he made the "s" sound so heavy that- to Tala's ears- it sounded like a "z"... almost like a Khajiit would pronounce it. Either that was a misunderstanding and he said the ruin's name wrong, or that was a slip of a foreign accent. Tala had a gut instinct that told her it was the latter. He may have a good Cyrodiilic accent, but he was definitely not a native of Cyrodiil.
'Sigrid said he dodged any question about his past. So... who is he, exactly?'
"...If you'd like, I could show you to the wayshrines." He offered at the end.
Tala then snapped back to attention. "I already visited the wayshrine to Talos," She started. "But I wouldn't mind the wayshrine to Zenithar."
Saewin smiled and gave her one nod. "Splendid. Come, let me show you." He then turned around and walked towards the gate.
Suddenly Tala got nervous. While she did want to go find the wayshrine, her motherly instincts didn't want to leave her son alone in a strange city. "I-I don't want to leave the city and leave my son unattended."
"He won't be, I assure you." Saewin said. "Kvatch is a small city. Olana does keep an eye on the children, and the guards keep close watch on their patrols. Besides, it would be an unspeakable crime for anyone in this town to let your son come to harm while their beloved Hero of Kvatch is in town. He will be fine while you inspect the wayshrine. So let's give the kids their time to play while we have a little fun of our own, shall we?"
Tala relaxed a little. Even though she was a worried mother, her gut instincts told her that he was right and she had nothing to worry about. She then followed behind him out of the gates to head to the next wayshrine on her list.
.
.
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A/N 6-9-2022: Today is the 10-year anniversary of the first chapter of To Light The Dragonfires! Since then I've met so many amazing and supportive readers, and the story became a source of catharsis and passion in my life. I cannot thank you all enough for the support and feedback you've provided over the years! I'm now in sequel territory, with the 1st anniversary of The Blessing of Talos coming up this fall. All because you enjoyed my silly little romantic-drama story and encouraged me through my years of on/off Writer's Blocks and twists-n-turns as I learned to improve on my story writing!
I am holding a little Anniversary Art Raffle to commemorate the occasion on my DeviantArt account (also under the username KashiPup). My raffle extends to my FanFiction readers if anyone wishes to attend. If you have a DeviantArt account, feel free to watch and join! If you don't have an account but still want to participate, just send me all your entries through the Private Message here! And thank you all again for making this possible!
Apologies for the shameless plug-in, but I am really reeling with wonderment at the concept that To Light The Dragonfires is turning ten, and that thanks to all of you I was able to complete my first story and expand on more of my little Elder Scrolls universe. Thank you all again! I know I thank you guys every time, but I feel like words can't always express how much your following and support means to me! So a "thank you" is all I feel I can provide!