When Tala turned around in her chair to get a look at who tapped her on the shoulder, she was startled to discover that it was the young black-haired Nord in the tan vest and light-brown linen pants. Standing up, he looked to be five-foot-eight in height and he appeared to be in his twenties. His skin tone was fair, like he spent most of his time indoors. His face was clean-shaven and jaw was squared, and his eyes were a light navy blue. His overall muscle build was leaner compared to the average big, burly Nord; he looked as if he were built for lightweight work rather than heavy work. His raven-black hair was barely brushing his shoulders and he kept some of it in a partial ponytail behind his head. He also kept a strand of hair around four-centimeters-in-width on each side of his face bound separately by two small silver beads with Nordic markings etched into them.

"I don't mean to intrude." The man said with an incredibly thick Nordic accent. "But I hope I have a moment to say how honored I am to meet you. You are the Champion of Cyrodiil, correct?"

Oh Divines. He knows her by that title. "Yes, I am the Champion of Cyrodiil." Tala tightly replied. "But I'd prefer it if you called me Tala."

The Nord smiled and stuck out his hand in greeting. "Tala it is. The name's Wulfmare."

Now that was a very Nordic name to go with the Nordic way he pronounced it. Wool-f-may-r. Tala decided to offer her hand to accept the greeting. When he took her palm to shake it, his grip was firm, but not crushing.

"Nice to meet you." She reciprocated with a gentle smile. "This is my son, Marten." She then gestured to Marten- who waved back. "And this here is Arkaedii. She's the daughter of my guest who's coming back shortly."

Wulfmare waved to both of the children upon introduction before sliding an empty chair from a vacant table. After he straddled the seat, he folded his arms on the top of the chair's back and rested his chin on them. "I won't take up all of your time." He said with some enthusiasm. "I just wanted to come meet the living legend herself. I've heard many stories back home."

"You've heard about me back in Skyrim?" Tala inquired with disbelief in her voice.

"Aye. Word of how the end of the Oblivion Crisis traveled pretty quickly. People even said that High King Liev got to personally speak with you when he was summoned by the Elder Council after the Crisis."

"Well, that rumor is true. He and I chatted briefly. He's a very wise and kind man. Hopefully he's been a wise and kind king for Skyrim."

"Most feel that way. Not many people have complained about Liev's rule. I see the rumor of you having blue hair is true as well."

While Tala raised a curious eyebrow, Marten looked away from his stew to throw a cautious stare at the stranger. "There's nothing wrong with that, you know." He defensively said.

Tala flashed him a look that told him to settle down. She knew he was still being protective of her after the whole Quinton ordeal, but no one in the inn knew what happened and there was no need for any hostility. Though Wulfmare didn't seem to take offense.

"Nah. There isn't." The Nord replied. "It might not be a typical color, but your mother wears it very well."

That seemed to lower Marten's guard... though it raised Tala's. She just got a compliment from a stranger. It was flattering... and almost flirty. She wanted to tell him to back off because she was married, but she wasn't sure if she would come off as rude and accusing... especially if he didn't mean to be flirty.

"My sister will be so jealous of me when I write back home to tell her about this!" Wulfmare started up again. "She's a huge admirer of yours. She wanted to be you growing up as a child."

Tala couldn't help but slightly blush and bashfully smile. "R-really?"

"Aye." He chirped. "She'll be very jealous when I tell her I've met you and got the chance to pay for your dinner."

Her smile quickly faded. "Wait... you paid for our dinner?"

"Aye" He admitted.

'So he's the admirer?' "That was very kind of you to do, but you didn't have to." Tala started. "I should pay you back-"

"Nah!" He interjected with a big grin. "It's the least I could do! Though if you want to pay me back, just getting the chance to speak with you is payment enough for me."

While she seemed hesitant to accept the kind gesture, Tala decided not to appear rude and give Wulfmare his chance to talk. After all, they were waiting on Saewin to come back anyway. Might as well pass the time. Just... hopefully Wulfmare doesn't ask too many questions regarding the Oblivion Crisis.

"Well... thank you for your generosity. Since you have me for a moment, is there anything you wanted to know?"

"Well, meeting you has satisfied my thoughts on any rumors." Wulfmare started. "But I have to ask: How did you help the Emperor defeat Mehrunes Dagon?"

And there it was: the question Tala was hoping he wouldn't ask. Her eyes held her sadness as she dejectedly answered his question. "I didn't. Emperor Martin was the one to vanquish Mehrunes Dagon. I just helplessly stood by and watched. It... it was all I could do."

Wulfmare's lively smile faded. "Oh... I... uh... I heard the Imperial City was under siege when Dagon appeared. You didn't fight any daedra while it happened?"

"Well, yes." Tala gently began. "When Dagon came through the Great Gate, we hadn't made it in time for Martin to relight the Dragonfires. There were daedra and cultists blocking the way to the Temple of the One, so I had helped him get through along with the Imperial Legion and the Blades that accompanied us. It wasn't easy for me since I was already recovering from an injury from my fight with the Mythic Dawn's leader a few days before... but I managed to get him there."

The Nord's smile returned, though it was much softer than before. "So you did then."

She raised a curious eyebrow again. "Did what?"

"Help the Emperor defeat Dagon. You said you fought the daedra and cultists blocking the way. I'd say that was a big help, yes?"

Tala hadn't thought of it that way. She always believed the end of the Crisis was all on Martin, but she hadn't thought of the fact that if she hadn't helped get him there, then he never would've been able to shatter the Amulet of Kings and gain the power of Akatosh. Though she didn't really want to elaborate on all the details... on how Martin told her to stay behind because he didn't want her hurt or witnessing him sacrificing himself and she fought him on it anyway. How if it wasn't for her, he probably would've already been crowned Emperor and relit the Dragonfires sooner. The more she thought about it, the more her little spark of confidence faded.

Wulfmare noticed the quick switch of emotions in her eyes and his smile dissipated again. "You're harsh on yourself a lot, aren't ya?"

Tala looked at him with surprise. "What makes you say that?"

"Oh... you didn't like it when I called you the Champion of Cyrodiil... you didn't give yourself any credit for the Oblivion Crisis... when I point it out, you go from happy to sad again... Those are usually tell-tale signs of lack of confidence in yourself."

Her shock faded from her face as she morosely furrowed her brow. "I just feel like you might be feeding me courage that I don't deserve."

"See? You're hard on yourself."

Tala didn't respond. Deep down she knew that. After getting out of her jail cell and gaining a second chance at life from Emperor Uriel, she had started developing a level of confidence that almost bordered cocky at times. It faded after losing Martin. Guilbert would periodically point out how condescending she was to herself, and even Marten tried to boost her confidence about it just this morning. She tried her best to be as positive with herself as she was with others, but it seemed like anytime someone mentioned her time in the Oblivion Crisis, she'd fall back into that depressing pattern again. It was a difficult habit for her to break.

"So what do you do now that you're not slaying daedra and helping the Empire?" Wulfmare said in order to change the subject.

"Well... I take contracts with the Fighters Guild to keep my blade skills sharp." Tala replied with an awkward smile. "And when I don't take contracts, I'm home with my family on a farm in the Colovian Highlands."

"Really? I thought you'd be more of a city dweller."

"Quiet life on a farm suits me fine." Tala said with a soft laugh at the end. "It could be quieter if our farm wasn't so close to Hackdirt, but otherwise I enjoy where I live."

Wulfmare's eyebrows raised. "You're close to Hackdirt? Yeesh." He then faked a shiver in disgust.

Once again, Tala expressed intrigue at his comment. "You've been to Hackdirt?"

"Once. Stumbled upon it by accident a few months ago on my way to Chorrol. The town itself is very nice. Nice little well in the center of town. Pretty homes and a beautiful chapel. The people that live there however are somewhat of a nasty brood."

Tala nodded. "You have no idea. They've been a real problem lately. They've tried kidnapping a few of Chorrol's citizens and any travelers to the area, yet the Countess of Chorrol won't do anything about it because she feels Hackdirt is out of the guard's jurisdiction. I find that maddening. I worry about my family living so close, but we live in my husband's family homestead that his father built, and he's happy to have it back in family hands. So we do our best to stay far away from them."

Wulfmare held his discontented frown. "It's a shame the townsfolk haven't left, or been taken out by the Dark Brotherhood, or something. Nice people like you and your family would do better in a nice little settlement like that."

Tala couldn't help but smile. "Thanks. That's nice of you to say... also a bit morbid in your approach..." She glanced at the kids and then leaned in closer to him so she could whisper her next comment, "but honestly I've been upset enough that I've had similar thoughts."

Wulfmare cracked a smirk and a short chuckle. "So... that's it? Just a sword-for-hire with the Fighters Guild and a homemaker? I thought I heard something about you becoming Arch-Mage."

Tala let out a breathy laugh. "Well yes, but I wasn't in that position for very long. I relinquished the title to a senior Master Wizard and returned to Chorrol's Mages Guild. I studied at the University because I wanted to learn how to be an Enchanter, not the Arch-Mage. But when the Guild chapter there dissolved, I went looking for something else to do in between staying home with my family. My brother-in-law grows and sells rare and exotic herbs, so I do my best to help him there by tending to the herbs, making delivery orders, or going out into the field to find samples."

When Tala had said the word "enchanter", Wulfmare's eyes grew wide and he sat up straighter in his seat. "Y-you're an Enchanter?" He excitedly whispered.

"Yes... well, I was until the Guild closed-"

"Do you still enchant items?" He quickly asked as he unfolded his arms and anxiously tapped his fingers together.

"I... well, no. No one's wanted to enchant items since the Guild closed."

"W-would you be able to enchant something if someone wanted?"

Tala quickly figured out where he was going with this. "Oh, gee... I don't have an enchanter's table at home and the one at the Chorrol Mages Guild was sent back to the University. I would have to go there to enchant items."

"Oh please, if you could? I wouldn't ask you for free. I'd pay for whatever price you wanted! I-I've been looking for someone to enchant my rings." He then pulled two rings from his pants pocket and showed them to her. One was a gold ring around sixteen millimeters in diameter with an emerald gem in the middle, and the other was an unremarkable-looking silver ring around eighteen or nineteen millimeters. "Where my family lives in Skyrim, we are always worried about bandits and mercenaries raiding our homes. My mother and sister are always afraid if the home was raided and something were to happen to my father or I, that'd they'd be killed or kidnapped. My sister is very sickly, so she could never defend herself should something happen. I've always wanted to find an enchanter who was willing to place some sort of invisibility spell on these rings so that if the home was raided, they could put on a ring and sneak out undetected. The gold ring is my mother's wedding ring, and I bought this silver ring for my sister. Could you... would you... be willing to enchant these for me? It would mean the world to me knowing my family could be safe with these, and my sister would be thrilled to Sovngarde and back if she had a ring enchanted by her idol! Please, would you consider it?"

Tala hesitated to say anything. She wasn't sure if she'd be anywhere near the Imperial City anytime soon, and she really didn't want to come home just to leave again for another couple of days. But Wulfmare so far has been kind and generous to her, so she didn't want to refuse his pleas... especially when he was looking to protect his family. Doing this for him would definitely be the good deed of all good deeds. Her mother would be smiling down from Aetherius at her for an act such as this. But she promised Guilbert she'd come home after this trip to Kvatch and take it easy for a while. She had no idea how to respond.

"I... I am very honored at you'd ask me to do this and not someone from the University. But I'm not taking a trip to the Imperial City for a while. I have some prior commitments keeping me from visiting there."

The hopeful look in Wulfmare's eyes started to dwindle. "I... I understand..." He woefully murmured.

The doleful puppy-dog look on his face was like a punch to the gut. She looked to Marten, who wore an equally guilty frown on his face. Now multiple people were sad that she rejected his request. She couldn't turn him down now. "But I'm not saying no." She quickly added. "I'm just saying that I need to take care of my prior commitments first. Can you wait for me to fulfill my promises to others first before I say yes to yours?"

His eyes quickly lit up again and a gleeful smile slowly grew on his lips. "Of course! Whatever you say! But as soon as you can, I'd love to get these rings enchanted and sent to my family at once. Thank you, thank you! A drink to your generosity! ...Oh, that reminds me, I need to grab my mead from the barkeep. I shall return in a moment!"

As Wulfmare leaped out of his seat and lightly trotted over to the counter, Tala and Marten exchanged amused looks.

"Looks like you've made a new friend." Marten giggled.

"I think so." Tala chuckled back.

"Hey, Mama? What's the Dark Brotherhood?"

Tala froze and uttered sounds of uncertainty. 'Okay, we might have just had a conversation about bad people doing bad things... but do I really have to explain the Dark Brotherhood so soon afterwards?!'

While Marten waited patiently for his mother to decide on how to answer, Arkaedii watched them for a moment before growing bored and turning to look around the room just in time to see her father walking through the door along with a Redguard couple. She excitedly gasped and quickly started waving at him to get his attention. Tala noticed the girl's enthusiasm and looked to see Saewin waving back at his daughter as he made his way to the table.

'Oh good. A distraction to avoid answering the question.' Tala thought with a sigh of relief.

"Hope I didn't miss anything." Saewin said as he took the empty seat against the wall next to Arkaedii. Tala noticed he didn't pull his hood down, despite being in a casual setting.

"Not too much." Tala replied. "The kids have pretty much finished their food, but I'm still on mine. The innkeeper said he'd bring your meal when you arrived."

Saewin nodded as he pulled the cork off of his mead bottle. "Kind of him to do."

"And my mom's got an admirer." Marten pipped up. "He paid for our dinner tonight."

The mer's interested mildly peaked. "Really? Anything we know about this mysterious admirer?"

"He's from Skyrim." Tala responded. "He just wanted to meet me, since I apparently have a reputation up there. Seems like a nice guy. Young and eager... which I remember those days fondly."

Right as she ended her sentence, Wulfmare returned to the table with a bottle of mead and the pumpkin fritter that Marten had asked for. "The barkeep said this was something you paid for."

"Oh! Thanks! Marten, here you go." Tala then slid the plate over to her son, who graciously thanked them both and used his stew spoon to break the fritter open.

"I thank you again for your time and your willingness to help. And I almost forgot- here..." Wulfmare then set the rings down on the table next to Tala along with a coin-purse of septims. "Two-hundred septims. For enchanting the rings. I actually live in the Imperial City. I have a little shack on the Waterfront. When you're able to get these enchanted, come see me there! If this isn't enough payment, say so and I'll pay you the rest when it's done. I thank Talos for your generosity."

Tala was surprised that he just plunked down two hundred gold without even thinking. How did he have this much money to pay for things without thinking twice about it? "I will make sure I get this taken care of when I can. Thank you... for putting your faith in me."

"Aye! I'm happy you're willing to do this!" The Nord replied with a smile.

He then noticed Saewin sitting in the corner and he flashed him a smirking smile with a casual nod. Saewin simply bore him an enigmatic stare for a long moment- appearing as if he was unsure how to react- before eventually donning a polite smile and nodding in return. The sound of a lute began to play, catching Wulfmare's attention. A Redguard woman was playing it by the stairs while the other patrons watched and listened. The Nord then waved at the quartet at the table before walking over to the lute player to be a part of the audience.

"Wow, that was pretty neat." Marten commented as he stared at the coin-purse full of gold. "He seems really excited that you're doing this for him, Mama."

"Yeah, it would seem so." Tala said as she took the rings and tucked them into her pocket.

"What is it he wants you to do?" Saewin asked.

"He wants me to enchant these rings for his mother and sister." Tala replied. "To protect them from bandits back home."

"Enchant them with what?"

"Invisibility. So that if bandits ever raid their home, they could sneak out undetected. Like a failsafe if something were to happen to him and his father."

"Hmm." Saewin pensively hummed. "What part of Skyrim did he say he was from, exactly?"

Tala stopped to think about that. "You know... he didn't say."

"Did he say why he is here in Cyrodiil?"

"He... didn't say that either. He didn't want to take up my time. He just wanted to meet me. W-why?"

Saewin lightly hummed again before replying. "There's something about him that doesn't sit well with me. Not sure what, but if I were you, I'd best be cautious around him."

Tala slightly titled her head to the side. "Do you think he's lying?"

"I'm not sure if he's lying, or just not being completely honest about his intensions. But as you know, I've lived a long time. After a while, you learn to pick up on people's behaviors. His seems... strange... and that's coming from me, the strange mer with a guarded past." He then light-heartedly chuckled at the end.

Tala frowned as her hand went back into her pocket to retrieve the coin-purse. "Should I return these to him and refuse his request?"

"That is for you to decide. There's a chance I could be wrong and he's as completely harmless as an adoring fan at the Arena. But I urge you not to let your guard down until you know more about him." Saewin's ivory eyes then darted downwards to look at Tala's amulet and added, "That looks too dense to be glass, but too bright to be sapphire. What is your gem?"

Tala looked down at it for a second before looking back at him and answering, "Aetherium."

His eyes widened. "I don't know what to be more surprised about: the fact that you know what aetherium is, or that you have an aetherium gem of that size and precise cut."

"Yeah, well to be honest, I didn't know what it was either until the previous Arch-Mage told me a few years ago while I was studying at the University." Tala sheepishly admitted. "It's a long story as to how I got it. So... you know what aetherium is?"

"I knew a scholar with some Dwemer artifacts that had aetherium imbedded into them, but they were rather small gems." Saewin replied. "Most archeologists and treasure hunters would trade their souls to a Daedric Prince for a chance to see an aetherium specimen of that size. You have quite the rare and valuable item around your neck."

Tala's eyes dropped to the table as she placed a hand around the amulet. As her thumb ran along the back of the base, she softly smiled. 'Not as valuable as what's hiding behind it.' She thought to herself. "I know." She said out loud. "I make sure to keep it close at all times."

The music then changed from soft and ambient to fast-paced and lively and there was commotion about moving the tables. The four of them looked to see Wulfmare boisterously getting the patrons to help shove the center tables closer to the walls and then openly trying to sing along to the tune the woman was playing on her lute. Tala didn't know the song, but apparently Kvatch's citizens did since they started to join in with Wulfmare. She looked to see that Marten was smiling and waving his head a little to the rhythm and excitement happening in front of them, and she couldn't help but smile.

"You want to join in on the fun?" Tala asked him.

When her son's face lit up and he quickly nodded, they both got up from their seats. As Tala walked into the middle of the room, she turned to see that Marten walked over to Arkaedii at her seat and held out his hand.

"Want to come with us?" Marten asked her.

When the girl gave him a cautious look, her father smiled and spoke up. "He's asking you if you want to go dance along to the music with him and Tala. Do you want to join them?"

Arkaedii thought about it for a long moment before she slowly took Marten's hand and slid out of her seat. "I don't really dance." She softly said. "When I dance with my daddy, he just lets me spin in circles."

"That's okay." Marten replied. "Just do whatever feels right!"

Arkaedii smiled and did a couple of spins before Marten took her hands and did a spin with her. Tala thought it was adorable seeing them get along so well, and it was nice to see Marten having fun and making a new friend. She decided if the kids were going to enjoy the music, she would sit back down at the table. But before she could take a step towards her seat, she felt someone take a hold of her left hand.

"Might I have a dance?" Wulfmare asked her.

Once again, he was being flirtatious. Now it was time to make things clearer. "Oh... That's kind of you to offer, but I must decline. I'm married, remember? Dancing with another man is not something I feel comfortable doing."

He flashed her a brief smile before his face returned to a polite resting expression. "I understand. I couldn't help but try. Not every day you have the chance to ask your hero to dance."

He then turned her hand as he bowed to her before placing a quick kiss on her knuckles. As he let go of her hand and straightened himself out, Tala noticed his eyes were focused on her amulet for a couple of seconds before he eventually brought his gaze back to her face and bore her a playful smile before walking back to his table to grab his mead and returning to the other men singing and acting foolhardy. As she sat back down at her table, she looked at Saewin with a troubled frown.

"I think you're right." Tala said to him. "I think he's got other ideas in mind. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's trying to charm me."

Saewin raised a curious eyebrow. "You're a married woman."

"And I've mentioned it to him. He says he understands, yet he keeps being coquet with me. I want to help out his family, but if he continues his advances, that deal will be broken."

"A wise line to draw." He remarked. He then made a passing glance towards the children before he looked back at Tala and added, "That older Imperial's been staring at Marten a little too intensely since you both stood up from your seats. Do you know who he is?"

Tala looked over towards the children spinning around the open dance floor before noticing the balding Imperial in the ragged white tunic with his drink. He was indeed watching the kids a little too closely for comfort, but the stone-faced frown and widened eyes suggested the man was not staring for malevolent reasons. It was as if seeing Marten surprised him. His eyes eventually flicked over to Tala, and she concerningly stared back.

"No..." She lowly replied. "Yet he acts as if he recognizes us."

The man then suddenly got up, dropped a handful of coins on the table next to his mug of ale, and abruptly left the inn. Saewin and Tala then exchanged befuddled looks.

What in Oblivion was that about?

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A/N 9/6/22 - Hello all! First off, I want to make some announcements. After this last chapter, the following one will not be posted until January of 2023. Yes, you read that correctly. The story is on hiatus for the rest of the year. Why am I taking 4-month hiatus? Well, there's multiple reasons:

One. Creativity. It is no secret that I struggle with Writer's Block. Have for years. While in the last six months I have finally found my rhythm in life that has brought back my creativity, the problem now is I have hit a plateau in regards to The Blessing of Talos. I am officially caught up on chapters and cannot start a new one. I know where the story is going and what to do next, but the ability to hash out the details is not coming to me. And I know if I force myself to write something my brain refuses to focus on, it will have negative results. I will start writing in circles, screwing up sentences, create physical repercussions (I can get crippling migraines if I force myself to focus too hard), and possibly even bring back my Writer's Block and just stop writing altogether. Rather than force it, I should just let go and let my brain take whatever creative path it chooses to drive down. This does not mean I am losing interest in writing The Blessing of Talos. Far from that! This hiatus just means I am taking a step back and pausing my thoughts of tBoT. I will most likely get inspiration to focus on new chapters when the moment is right and work on getting a bulk of chapters ready to go by next year. I just wanted to let everyone know this little piece of information so when no chapters come rolling in, people won't worry that I've abandoned the story.

So... if my Writer's Block is not necessarily back... then where is my creative muse actually going? That brings us to reason 2.

Two. Other Story. Lately, my brain has been thinking about "Records of the Dragon-Hearted" and I have been writing chapters for it. So I will allow my brain to go in this creative direction and therefore be posting more chapters of that story while this one is on a break.

Three. Reading. Due to my mind being focused on story building and writing, I have also fallen behind on some of my favorite stories here on FanFiction. Apparently my brain cannot think about and write my own stories and read other people's at the same time. I've had to sacrifice one side to appease the other. So at some point, I would like to just turn off my Writing Mode and binge read the stuffings out of some good stories!

In case anyone else is looking for a good read, here are the stories I'll be catching up on:
Balu in Skyrim - awakening and antagonizing (by DrWandel)
Lokir, Thieving Bastard (by trugamer71)
Beyond the Vault (by Praelias)

Alright, that's where I'll be for the next couple of months! I apologize to anyone who was looking forward to seeing more of The Blessing of Talos, but I hope you'll still ride with me as I take it easy on myself and just let my brain do its thing. I hope everyone will enjoy where my creative journey takes me! Hope you enjoyed this chapter at least! (I promise Wulfmare is the last OC you guys will have to keep track of for this story!) Also, I hope you guys liked that little mention of the Adoring Fan (I couldn't resist after a reader mentioned him in the last chapter, lol). Take care, everyone!