As the evening's festivities began to wind down, the kids had grown tired enough that the adults decided it was time to call it a night. After Arkaedii fell asleep, Saewin gathered her up in his arms and bid Tala and Marten farewell before heading out of the inn. Both mother and son took that as their cue to also retire for the day, leaving the rest of the patrons to continue their spirits for a little while longer. Tala had looked for Wulfmare to bid him goodnight and farewell for now, but he seemed to have disappeared as fast as he appeared. She found that odd, but shrugged it off as nothing worth remembering.
Marten fell asleep before Tala did; before she crawled off into her bed, she decided to pull out the map that the Prophet had given her and marked down the wayshrines they found that weren't noted. Afterwards, she had observed that a marked wayshrine to Mara was close to the same location as the wayshrine to Talos that they had found. If they went to this one on their way home, it would mean that she had paid respects to seven out of the Nine on this trip. That would be a very productive journey for her, and she knew it would make Marten happy to visit another wayshrine.
In the morning, they packed up their belongings and headed downstairs to check out with Athrelor. Upon approaching the counter, the innkeeper was under his counter and scouring the shelves underneath while anxiously muttering to himself. When Tala eventually knocked on the wooden surface to get his attention, he quickly straightened himself and put on a friendly smile.
"Greetings great He... er, milady. Checking out?"
Tala nodded in response. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"Of course! Thank you for choosing to stay at the Siege Engine!"
Tala politely smiled and nodded again. Honestly, she didn't have a choice; this was the only inn in the city. But she knew that would have been rude to point out, so she decided to change the subject. "You seem distracted. Is everything alright?"
"Oh, yes, yes! I just... misplaced something." The Bosmer vaguely answered. "But I'm sure I'll find it eventually. Anyway, it was an honor to have you as a guest. Take care now! May Akatosh guide you."
Initially, Tala opened her mouth to see if she could be of help finding his missing item, but quickly closed it. Her altruistic nature made her feel the need to help everyone in distress, but she wanted nothing more than to return home and rest for a while. So she decided to keep to herself. She kindly smiled to Athrelor and then gestured her son to follow her out the door.
As they headed down the stairs, Marten tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey Mom? Could we visit the chapel before we leave? I wanted to check it out while we were here, remember?"
Tala briefly shut her eyes tight before opening them again. She had hoped that with the drama of yesterday that he had forgotten about her promise to visit the Chapel of Akatosh. Apparently, he didn't. But there was still that part of her that wanted to see the inside as well. So she reluctantly agreed.
"I suppose we can take a peek." Was her answer.
Marten smiled brightly before spinning on his heels and briskly walking towards the chapel doors. Tala promptly- and nervously- followed behind.
When they opened the doors and walked inside, Marten looked around in curiosity, but noticed that it felt no different than the Chapel of Stendarr back in Chorrol. Tala, however, looked around in awe at how well the townsfolk restored their chapel to pristine order. The ceiling was a beautiful white, the old broken pews were replaced with fresh ones, and the windows had new glass panes depicting each of the Nine with Akatosh's displayed in full view behind the altar. In looking around to see who else was here, she recognized Ilav- the head priest of the chapel- praying at the altar. He was already an old man the first time she met him at the refugee camp all those years ago, but he most definitely looked old and feeble now. Oleta, the chapel healer, was nearby while an Argonian with green and maroon scales was in the background tending to the smaller altars dedicated to the other eight Divines. They didn't seem to notice or mind Tala or Marten walking around and inspecting the place.
"So this is where you found Emperor Martin?" Marten asked in a low tone, doing his best to keep an 'inside voice' as a sign of respect.
Tala sadly nodded. "Yeah... this is the place." She said, trying her best not to sound melancholy.
"Didn't that guard say he was a priest here?"
"Yes." Tala replied. "He was for many years. He was keeping watch over the civilians still trapped in the city when the Oblivion Gate had opened here in Kvatch. I remember speaking to him for the first time at the altar right here."
She then stood in front of the altar, right in the same place where she had after closing the Great Gate. Even though eight years have passed since she stood in this exact spot, the memories of that day came back to her as if it were only yesterday. One moment she was here, looking for the man that would save Tamriel from Mehrunes Dagon. Now she was here with their son, briefly explaining how it all began. It all came back to her full circle and it felt so strange.
"I heard someone in Chorrol say that Emperor Martin ascended as a god through Akatosh's blessing." Marten commented.
Tala couldn't help but softly chuckle. "I don't know about a god, but I do feel like He has allowed Martin to act as a guardian spirit to protect the ones he cared for most."
While she was standing there, she closed her eyes and clasped her hands together to say a prayer to Akatosh, figuring it was the respectful thing to do. Marten quickly followed his mother's example.
"Does this count as a prayer to Akatosh for your pilgrimage?" He softly asked.
"Afraid not." Tala gently replied as she kept her eyes closed. "The point of the pilgrimage is journeying to the wayshrines, which were the original altars before man created the chapels. But good thinking."
"You're taking a pilgrimage?"
Tala opened her eyes to look to the elderly voice that spoke, seeing Father Ilav with his head up and looking directly at her. "I am." She said.
"To seek forgiveness from the Gods?" He asked.
"To look for their guidance." Tala answered.
Ilav tried to stand, but struggled to do so. When Tala started walking his way to come to his aid, Oleta beat her to him. Once he was stable on his feet, he slowly approached her as he held onto the healer's arm.
"Akatosh teaches us to remain patient." He sagely began. "It is not always easy to do in times of strife. But the Nine always have a plan. I once believed they didn't, you know. When the daedra overran Kvatch, I had believed all hope was gone and the enemy had won. But then Akatosh brought us a hero, and we were saved. They see you take your pilgrimage and hear your prayers. Once you've paid your penance, the Nine will give you that answer you seek. And do not forget Akatosh's fourth commandment-"
"'Do your duty.'" Tala said.
Ilav smiled and nodded. "Yes... Yes, you know them well?"
Tala nodded. Of course she knew the commandments of Akatosh. Her mother taught them to her as a child. A part of her wondered why Ilav felt the need to approach her and say that. It was an odd, nagging feeling she couldn't quite place. 'No, just coincidental.' She thought to herself. 'He's a priest of Akatosh just giving me advice. Nothing more.'
While Tala was ruminating on her thoughts, Ilav noticed Marten watching the spectacle from behind his mother. As the two locked eyes, the boy continued to calmly stare for a moment before ever-so-slightly smiling in order to appear polite and respectful. It didn't take long before Ilav's smile faded.
"Brother Martin?" He whispered under his breath.
While Marten gave the priest a puzzled look, Tala instantly snapped out of her thoughts and her heart started to race. This right here was what she was worried about. She knew if none of the other civilians noticed a resemblance, then the members of the chapel with whom Martin served with would surely see something. Now what does she do?
"You'll have to forgive Father Ilav." Oleta suddenly spoke. "His health has not been well these last couple of years. He's been... seeing faces of those we've lost within certain people coming to the chapel. But he is doing his best to serve Akatosh for the remainder of his days."
Tala slowly let go of the breath she was holding. The healer didn't take Ilav's interest in Marten to heart and played it off as an old man with a failing mind. Thank the Nine. But even though she was relieved that no one else was paying attention, she felt bad that she couldn't ease the elder man's mind and tell him that he was right to see Martin within her boy. She then gave a sympathetic smile and decided to make small talk instead.
"You've both done a remarkable job restoring the chapel to its former glory. I haven't been back since the day I came to help the guards close the Oblivion Gate. I must say, it looks beautiful in here."
Oleta nodded once. "I remember seeing you walk into the chapel that day, all cladded in Elven Armor. You had your hair up in your helmet back then, but I heard rumors of its color sometime after, which is how I recognized you right away. It's a pleasure to see your return to the Chapel of Akatosh... and brought a friend with you."
When Oleta looked at Marten, he nervously waved, but his eyes were still focused on the chapel's Primate as the old man continued to stare. Tala realized that if she didn't quickly wrap this up, it was only a matter of time before Ilav would bring up Marten's resemblance to Martin again.
"My son and I just wanted to see the chapel while we were visiting." Tala concluded. "Thank you for letting us come and pay our respects. We need to head out now. Thank you for your wisdom, Father Ilav."
She then went to gently place her hands against Marten's shoulders and guide him towards the doors, making a point of using her body to come between him and the old priest's line of sight. She turned her head to glance at them as she held the door open for Marten to go first. She watched as Oleta guided Ilav over to a pew, though his attention seemed distant. She then said a prayer to the Nine- and her guardian spirit- for protection; she hoped that coming here wasn't the mistake she had been worried about this whole time, and walked out of the chapel.
As they headed for the main gate out of Kvatch, Marten made a point to stop in front of Exceptional Elixirs and turn to Tala again. "Hey, Mom? Can I say goodbye to Fenja really quick?"
Even though the chapel visit made her anxious to leave, she couldn't bring herself to say no to seeing him bid farewell to new friends. "Sure! I'm going to head to the stables to get the horses saddled. Just meet me out there when you're done, okay? Don't be too long though. If we want to be able to find another wayshrine before the sun sets, we need to leave shortly."
Marten rapidly nodded before rushing to the door and heading in. She had a quick contemplation to head inside behind him, but she did her best to trust that everything would be fine. Despite the close call just moments ago, she had optimism that there wouldn't be another kerfuffle now that they were leaving.
By the time she had grabbed the mares and got them saddled up, Marten finally dashed out of one of the city gates. He said a brief goodbye with a wave to Merandil- to which the guard smiled and waved back- and ran towards her with a happy expression on his face.
"Did everything go well?" Tala asked as she handed him Lily's reins.
"Yep!" He replied as he climbed up into the saddle. "Fenja said Arkaedii lives outside of the city so I probably wouldn't see her before we leave. But she said I could write to both of them and she'd make sure Arkaedii would get her letters."
"That sounds nice." Tala sweetly said before mounting up on Lavender. "Hopefully we'll come back again soon so you can visit them."
As he held his elated grin, Marten nodded in agreement before gently tapping his heels and asking Lily to walk off. Tala then followed beside him down the winding trail and onto the Gold Road once more. As soon as Kvatch was a view off in the distance behind them, she breathed a sigh of relief. She was happy that this errand run was finally over and done with.
It wasn't until mid-afternoon that they were approaching Skingrad's vineyards again. Upon stopping in the road where the wayshrine to Arkay was in view atop of the hill to their right, Tala pulled out her map and studied it before signaling Marten to follow her off the road and to the left. The wayshrine to Mara would be a bit of a search; she just hoped that there weren't more bandits or any beasts lurking in the tall grass.
Not too far off of the road was an Ayleid well; upon seeing it, Marten made a point to steer Lily in its direction so that he could closely inspect the structure. "This isn't a wayshrine, is it?" He asked.
Tala halted her horse and turned in the saddle to look at him. "No, sweetheart. They are very similar to wayshrines in appearance, but if you look closer, there's a reservoir in the middle that holds magicka reserves."
He then looked away from the well to his mother with pleading eyes. "Is it okay if I check it out?"
She couldn't help but smile at his curiosity. "Sure. Go ahead."
Marten then dismounted and wandered up to the well. She watched as he held his hands over the well's center like it was a warm flame before slowly lowering them further into the iron cage that held the magic within. Suddenly, he quickly shuffled backwards as if something shocked him; his eyes grew as wide as dinner plates and he took large deep breaths for a solid minute before an exhilarant smile formed on his lips. He then practically bounced back to Lily and leaped up onto the saddle and excitingly had her trot back to Tala.
"Whoa! Mama! Mama! I felt a huge rush of energy come out of the well!" He chirped. "It tingled up my arms and into my chest and now I feel all jittery and I don't know what to do with it! Is that the extra magicka?"
Tala giggled as she nodded. Ayleid wells were known for giving up their magicka freely and that it didn't take a skilled mage to draw power from them. She knew he would be fine drawing from its reserves, but Tala found Marten's reaction to the sensation rather adorable.
A few more minutes of wandering north and they finally found what they were searching for. They dismounted and tied their reins to a tree not ten feet away from the wayshrine and approached the pillars. Sure enough, the etching of a circular knotted rope was carved into the obelisks. This was Mara's wayshrine.
Tala then took her knee at the altar to meditate. 'Mara, may your grace always be upon me, and guide me towards my intended path.'
Marten had also knelt down with her, but while she calmly said her prayer, he kept gently swaying back and forth and tapping his heels together while he said his. He was full of energy from that extra magicka he siphoned from the well, and Tala couldn't help but warmly smile as she took her moment of reflection. In the midst of it all, her mind wandered back to Father Ilav quoting her Akatosh's commandment of 'Do your duty'. It could've just been the fact that she was at a holy site, but that had felt too much like a sign to her. And if so, what would that mean to her if she were to do her duty? What answer will the Nine give her that she was to obey?
'They really wouldn't choose me as their Champion against Umaril, would they? Would I really be that worthy?'
After the prayers were finished, they saddled back up and decided to travel the road along Skingrad's walls again- making a point to put the horses into a steady trot to pick up the pace. Tala was overly optimistic and hoped that they could be home by dark, and with Marten's newfound energy, he was all for burning it off by riding at a faster speed. Though upon crossing the long bridge that connected the Gold Road with the Black Road, Tala noticed the clouds were growing dark the further north they went. By the time they reached the Wawnet Inn, rain started coming down. Their rain gear was tucked away in their saddle bags, but not easily accessible. Which meant they were stopping someplace for a while, ideally a place with shelter for the horses as well as them. And she knew where: The Imperial City's stables.
"Follow me this way!" Tala called out through the start of the rain before tapping her heels and sending Lavender into a canter, to which Marten did the same.
The rain grew heavier as they crossed the stone bridge leading to the Imperial City. And by the time they reached the Chestnut Handy Stables and roped their horses inside the run-in shed, the rain was a full-on downpour, forcing Tala and Marten to hang out inside with the stable's ostlers- Restita and Snak- while they waited for the storm to pass. By then, it was seven o'clock in the evening, which made Tala debate on pursuing further and risk facing nocturnal hunters like mountain lions and wolves, or finding the key to her old shack on the Waterfront and bunking there for the night.
"Hey Mama?" Marten asked as he sat cross-legged near the fireplace. "While we're in the City, does this mean we'll visit the University and enchant those rings for Wulfmare?"
Tala's eyes blinked hard as she remembered her obligation she made to the adoring Nord. 'Oh, that's right. The rings.'
She still had them tucked away safely in a pocket in her robes and she did say she would enchant them the next time she was in the Imperial City. Well, here they were. But she needed grand soul gems with a grand soul in them in order to achieve the best success at a powerful enchantment. She had some empty grand gems back home, but she knew she could always purchase some from Calindil over at the Mystic Emporium, assuming he had any. There was no guarantee that he'd have a grand soul gem that was already filled with a grand soul. It was easier to take empty ones and fill them with the souls she needed. Usually she'd carry some with her whenever she was out on a Fighters Guild contract just in case she came across a beast that would fill the appropriate gem. So even though she was here and it was ideal, she wanted to make sure she had the best tools she needed. These rings were supposed to protect Wulfmare's mother and sister. She'd feel terrible if she couldn't place a good enchantment on them and the rings would fail to keep them safe from harm.
"I don't think so, sweetheart." Tala finally said. "I need to gather more items before I go to the University and enchant the rings."
"Oh. Would... um... wouldn't someone at the University be able to help you find what you need?"
"Yes, but it's not always a guarantee that they'll have what I need. Don't worry, I won't wait too long to get the rings to Wulfmare. Right now, let's just focus on going home. How are you feeling? Are you tired?"
Marten remained silent for a moment as he rubbed his hands together in front of the fire. "I'm not tired yet. We can keep riding if the rain goes away soon."
Tala couldn't help but amusingly smile. He still looked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and he could probably stand to burn off some of that excess energy. She suddenly had an idea as to how to do that.
"Well, while we pass the time, how about I teach you a little magic?"
Marten's eyes lit up and he turned his body away from the warm hearth so that he was facing her. "Really?!"
"Yes, really." She warmly chuckled. "You are a Breton, after all. We already have a natural affinity for magic, and you're old enough now to at least learn a spell or two. Let me teach you how to heal minor wounds. It's a good idea to know this in case you ever get a scrape or a bruise, and I can teach you how to use it to help someone else. But first, let's start by learning how to tap into your magicka reserves."
The boy quickly nodded in agreement. Tala held her smile as she slightly shimmied her shoulders and shook her wrists in an effort to feel relaxed and centered before she continued.
"For starters, just close your eyes and focus on yourself. Pay attention to your heart beating, your breathing as you draw air in and let air out... focus on the weight of your arms resting on your knees... the weight of your shoulders... The more aware of yourself you are, the more in touch you become with your magicka."
She watched as Marten did as she instructed. He also shook his wrists- copying his mother as if it'd help him as well- and then sat perfectly still in his meditative state, eyes closed, breathing slowly, face void of emotion. She waited for a few minutes before she slowly slid off of the chair she was sitting in to kneel down on the ground in front of him as she spoke up again.
"Now let's start with the minor convalescing spell. Keep your eyes closed. I'm going to teach you the incantation to summon the spell. In the beginning, it's easier to say the words slowly and clearly, but as you get more experience, mages only need to quickly utter it under their breath to cast the spell. I'm going to give you my hand and I'll guide you on how to channel your magicka."
For the next couple of hours, Tala helped Marten understand how to learn the restoration spell. He was quick to remember the spell's incantation, though it took him some time to concentrate the magic in his hands correctly. But pretty soon she started to feel his magicka working into her muscles and some tightness that she had originally felt in her hand had lightened up. After that, she taught him the incantation for the minor healing spell and had him use it on the back of his head, as it was the only thing he recently injured.
Tala couldn't help but feel pride at how well Marten was doing. She wasn't sure if it was just his level of intelligence that made him so observant, or if it was his Breton blood giving him the upper hand, or if his parentage had anything to do with it. Or maybe it was all three. But regardless of the reason, she certainly didn't deny that Marten was very smart for a boy of his age. She just hoped she was doing well in raising him and helping him live up to his potential.
Around nine o'clock was when the rain storm eventually blew over. Marten continued to insist that he wasn't tired, and Tala wasn't ready to call it quits either. So with that, she paid the ostlers for letting them board their horses for a few hours, then they saddled up and headed out again. Tala managed to convince an Imperial Legionnaire to escort them up the road towards Chorrol, which she was thankful for. Fort Ash was notorious for harboring bandits, and it wouldn't be hard for one to get the drop on two unsuspecting people at this time of night. A highwayman was already waiting for them at the fort when they tried to cross, but he quickly turned tail and ran when Tala and the soldier called his bluff and drew their weapons. Smart.
Once they reached the Odiil farm, Tala thanked the soldier for accompanying them and wandered further up the hill until she reached the beaten path that would take them back home. They eventually reached Weatherleah before midnight, and the horses in the paddock were the first to greet them as they headed around to the back of the house to unequip all the tack. Tala couldn't help but feel bad for them: Jena's red gelding and Mandrake- Guilbert's bay gelding- were soaking wet from the storm and huddled tightly together under the tree with the largest branches in an attempt to try and be dry and warm. She decided that her next goal was buying building materials for a shelter. She made a mental note to bring this up to Guilbert at breakfast in the morning.
Once the horses were fed extra hay for the night, Tala and Marten went up to the house, unlocked the door, and headed inside. From there, they tip-toed up the staircase. While the stairs held old joints that squeaked and moaned, the second floor hallway contained new framework when they extended it a couple of years ago. Weatherleah's second story had originally been built with only a partial hallway and one doorway that led to the room under the stairs. That room had a door on the right to head into the easement leading to the third floor. When Eyja moved in, they extended the partial floor and opened up a new doorway so that it created a private room. Granted, Tala and Guilbert still had to sneak by Marten when the easement became his bedroom, but at least Eyja got her privacy. So all they had to do was softly climb the stairs so as to not create loud creaking noises; once they reached the hallway, Tala and Marten could walk to their doorway without fear of making a sound.
Marten fell into his bed beside the stairs and Tala patted his head and reminded him not to sleep in his armor. He mumbled an "Ok" through his pillow and Tala kissed him on the head and bade him goodnight. She then climbed the final flight of stairs and carefully opened the door to her room.
Upon hearing the door opening, Guilbert quickly stirred awake and sat up to get a better look at who came in. "Tala?" He groggily remarked. "I didn't think you would be home this late."
"I know, but we wanted to come home." She whispered as she wandered over to the other side of the room to start undoing her armor. "I'm sorry that I woke you."
She heard him sleepily sigh and turned around to watch him settle back down in the bed. "It's alright." He softly replied. "Just glad it was you... and not someone else waking me for any ruinous reasons."
"Hackdirt giving us any trouble?" She asked.
"No." He replied. "But that is a thought that comes to mind when something or someone abruptly wakes you up this late at night."
She finished stripping off her armor and tucked her bag of traveling necessities by her dresser before coming around to her side of the bed. She unclasped her amulet and tucked it under her pillow for safe keeping before she crawled into bed. Once she was settled in, Guilbert turned over and wrapped his arms around her. She couldn't help but nestle closer to him and happily sigh.
"Glad to have you home." He murmured.
"Glad to be home." She quietly affirmed.
"The journey went well?"
"Mhm. There was the occasional hiccup, but we're alright. I'm sure Marten is going to tell you all about it in the morning."
.
.
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A/N 1-7-2023: Hello all! I am back from the hiatus (a bit late due to lack of time to finish proofreading), and while not an action-packed chapter, it certainly concludes the end of the Kvatch arc! But I hope you enjoyed the read. :)
Thank you all who were waiting patiently for the new chapter. Sadly my hiatus was not as productive as I had hoped it would be due to personal life, but I at least got some of my reading done and currently working on catching up to one more story on my "binge-read" list I had mentioned in my last Author's Note. Sadly I could not work on my other Elder Scrolls story like I had hoped due to my mental road block called "life", but hopefully I will get another chapter of that one up at some point in between working on this story.
Hope everyone had a good end to their 2022 and may 2023 be filled with good fortune for all!