Chapter 20: Fiona and Ysolda

[7th/8th of Second Seed 4E 202]

Fiona, the Dragonborn, was back in Whiterun, and during the last few days she had told me what she had done and achieved since our last time together. She had been in High Hrothgar again, then in Riften, found Esbern, and located the Skyhaven Temple together with him and Delphine, which was largely like in the game. All of that had taken quite some time, weeks and even months instead of mere days, like it might be if one was pushing events while playing.

Esbern, the elderly Nord conjurer who had been hiding in the Ratway Warrens in Riften, had apparently not been able to decipher and interpret the huge relief in Skyhaven Temple right away, but needed time for that. This was a significant deviation from the chain of events in the game, but plausible and realistic. Thus, based on Fiona's story, she had a break now, and consequently she had left the place and was with me in Whiterun now; maybe she got some time off to train, but also to rest and recuperate.

I had also told the Bosmer about some of my own adventures and thoughts; after all, we had both been transported to Nirn from Earth, and she was one of only two people I could openly talk about that. Fiona usually tried to keep some distance from me, as she was more of a dog/wolf person where I, obviously as a Khajiit, was a cat person; above and beyond that, Fiona had, as she had told me earlier, had had some scary experience with a predator cat in a zoo, and I could understand that. This did not keep us from talking and having many topics we shared, specifically as I had some previous knowledge on what was going on here from playing the 'Skyrim' game, where the petite Bosmer had been plunged into this new life without any preparation.

The other person I could talk to quite openly was Antonius, my Nord housecarl. While he did not share my past, he had proven to be surprisingly understanding, and I could at least be sure that he wouldn't talk to others about that. Naturally, while I could in general be quite frank with Fiona, I skipped a few details I considered quite personal when I talked to him.

Now, I was showing the Dragonborn my house construction site right outside of the city, opposite of the city's stables. The basement was already completed and the walls around the main floor were currently worked on, and one could already see that the house was not going to be a small one. She had asked a few questions, and now I introduced the two Altmer from Markarth who were experts in Dwemer technology and thus had at least a basic understanding on plumbing and heating, Aicantar and his wife Cinwiril. When Fiona showed interest in that, Cinwiril explained:

"We have ruins of a Dwemer base right under our city in The Reach, and some of us have wondered for some time if there was an option to take advantage of the Dwemer technology. Some of the ancient machinery is still operational, and a few decades ago my husband and I have started our investigations, guided by some hints from Calcelmo."

"Wait a second – a few decades ago? You both look rather young to me!"

Both Altmer smiled, and I provided the response:

"Fiona, Cinwiril and Aicantar are both Altmer, high elves, and their life span is much higher than that of most other races."

"Indeed" the male Altmer nodded. "I celebrated my 65th birthday recently, for instance, and I might be looking forward to another couple of centuries of life or even more; that's one of the advantages of our race."

"Oh." Fiona replied.

"But, Lady Dragonborn, with yourself being a Bosmer, your own lifespan will also be significantly longer than that of non mer races, although not quite up to ours."

"Yes, that was mentioned before, too."

"But sure you have been educated on all of that?"

"Well, no, actually not, but I don't want to talk about it. Please, let's get back to the topic about the Dwemer?"

Aicantar raised a brow when he heard that, and he was clearly getting curious about the Dragonborn's past, but he understood and respected her denial and thus continued to explain:

"Sure, fine with me. So, we have been able to work out some basic concepts of Dwemer technology, but the Nords in Markarth are kind of traditional, and most of them do not want any Dwemer machinery in their homes. Here we finally get a chance to show what we think we can do, in a real home rather than just a lab. That's an opportunity we cannot just pass, and we're glad to work here."

"Dwemer technology and machinery? What is this?"

Fiona looked at us, and I realized that she had likely not been in a Dwemer ruin yet; maybe she didn't really know anything about Dwemer. Cinwiril realized that and gave her a quick summary, and then we looked at the house again. The future bedrooms were going to be almost all on the upper floor, and the ground floor was intended to have mostly a very large living and dining area, a library, a kitchen and a lab with, hopefully, at least an alchemy table and storage for ingredients. Close to the entrance I had planned a few smaller bedrooms for housecarls, too. While the two Altmer were going to install some rudimentary central heating, I was going to have a large fireplace in the living room as well, and I could already envision me and some good friends sitting there in winter and enjoying the warmth and comfort provided by the fire. At some later time, I dearly hoped that I could cuddle there with a nice girlfriend or so.

Fiona looked at all of that, both the construction site itself and the plans I had prepared, and then she asked:

"Is everything upstairs already fully planned?"

"Mostly, yes."

"Is there an option for some changes?"

"What kind of changes are you thinking about?"

"See, since I was a small child and had been shown to some of the castle ruins in Kärnten, I have had this dream about living in a tower. It's probably stupid, but I keep thinking about it, and I wonder if this might be possible."

"Well, I did not have plans for a tower, but I don't see why that could not be arranged. What size did you have in mind?"

"I'd fancy having a bedroom with windows all around, so that I can look into all directions from there."

"You do realize that we don't really have many glass windows here, right?"

"Oh yes, true. But there are some, and I might be able to pay extra for that. Even without glass it might be doable, I guess?"

"Yes, in summer that might be nice. In winter, you'd need to either have many blankets or move out. Or wait, maybe we could block the window openings with wooden boards and have a pipe go up from central heating, too. Aicantar, do you think that we could have a pipe go up to a tower, one or two levels high than the upper floor?"

"Not sure if the pressure is good enough for that; I don't think that I'll be able to rebuild done of those huge Dwemer pumps in there. I suspect that the difference in altitude between basement and upper floor is what we can reliably achieve, but not much more. But, if you plan a tower with two levels, the Dragonborn could be on the very top and her housecarls one level lower. There could be a fireplace or something like a stove on the housecarl level and some heat pipes going up from there; that should work."

"Yes, this sounds great. Can we do that?"

Aicantar was not a carpenter or bricklayer, but he had enough background to know:

"Sure, let's talk to the foreman who is in charge, if B'lushona agrees?"

We did talk, and yes, building such a tower was easily doable, though not exactly cheap. We compromised on planing a tower with octagonal walls rather than round ones, which was easier to build. It was obvious that the young Dragonborn liked the idea very much, but building would still take time, even with magic to help. The bricklayers did their work the old fashioned way, but Aicantar and Cinwiril used their magic frequently, not only for bending and forming their pipes in the way needed, but also to get more bricks moved to places where they were needed and such, using telekinesis. Seeing magic as part of daily life, not just for fighting, but also for other tasks, like helping to build a house, was something I already considered kind of normal, after spending more than half a year in Skyrim. If some divine forces decided to transport me back to Earth, where I had spent my earlier life, I would likely miss that a lot, and I knew that I did not want to go back, even if I could. This – Skyrim and in particular Whiterun – was my home now.

A little bit later Fiona also asked me:

"Say, Balu, you mentioned that you might consider adopting children at some time. Can't you do this only if you are married, and not as a single person?"

"On Earth, this is likely a condition in many countries. Here, at least based on what one could do in the game, not necessarily. Of course I would not even consider this if I were fully alone, but I do have two housecarls to help."

"Why do you have this idea at all?"

"Well, have you seen Lucia? The poor girl has found a home, with the priest Andurs, but he's not the youngest any longer. In the game, they also have kids in even worse condition, like an orphan girl in Windhelm who has to sell cheap flowers outside in the cold. When playing, I always tried to give some of those poor kids a proper home, where some of my housecarls and followers could take care of them, while others went with me on my adventures. I feel for those kids, and even I don't get a chance to find a proper wife, I would not mind to have children around."

"Oh, I see. But you don't plan to open up your own orphanage, or do you?"

"No", I laughed, "this isn't my plan."

"And you mentioned housecarls and followers; so, when you played the game, did you have something like a harem?"

I hesitated to admit that, and I tried to evade a little bit, although I realized that Fiona was just teasing me:

"Well, kind of, maybe. It did turn out that most of my followers were female, but I needed support for exploring and fighting, and, you know, they were nice to look at."

Now Fiona laughed, but did not pursue this topic further.

Later on Fiona and I walked back into the city, and in the market area we met Ysolda, a female Nord. I had met her a few times before, but had not really had a longer conversation with her. Fiona, though, seems to be on friendly terms with her, and she decided to stop for a chat:

"Ysolda, how are you doing today?"

"Not bad at all, Fiona. As usual, I spend a lot of time at the market stalls so I can learn the merchant's trade. I need more experience if I'm going to run an inn someday."

"Right, you mentioned that you'd want to work in an inn."

"Not quite that, but once I've made enough money trading with the Khajiit caravans, I'm going to buy the Bannered Mare from Hulda."

That was interesting, and I chimed in:

"So, you spend sometime with the caravans?"

"Yeah, these Khajiit, as you surely know, make a living traveling the roads and selling their wares. It's got to be tough. Skyrim's a hard enough land when you've got a roof over your head. Worst thing is, nobody wants them in the cities. Nobody trusts them."

"But you do?"

"Matter of fact, I do. They've been fair enough with me, far as I can tell. And a Nord knows a liar when she sees one."

It was refreshing to hear her talk about the caravans like she did. Thinking back about an earlier conversation I had had with Hulda, the proprietor of the Bannered Mare, I seemed to recall that Hulda might appreciate getting some help and maybe a junior partner. I asked Ysolda:

"Is there anything specific which might help you to become a better trader and learn the business?"

"Well, as a matter of fact, there is. You see, before my ma and da passed, I told them that one day, I'd become the best trader in Skyrim. I met another one of the caravan leaders, Ma'dran; he usually travels between Windhelm and Solitude and thus usually does not show up in Whiterun, but I have met him a couple of times nonetheless. He said he'd help to teach me more about the business if I could bring him a mammoth's tusk. Easier said than done, though."

"Maybe we could go mammoth hunting together tomorrow?" I suggested.

"Are you serious?"

"Well, we can try to find a mammoth which has separated from the group and the giants herding them, or maybe a dead or sick one. Fiona, would you also like to do this?"

"If we can manage to not get too close to giants, yes, sure; that might even be fun!"

We decided to meet Ysolda in the next morning, and when nobody was in listening distance, I asked the Dragonborn:

"Fiona, I'd like to get your assistance with something else, too. A few days ago Jarl Balgruuf mentioned that Nelkir, his youngest son, does not behave well, and he asked me to look into that, potentially together with you. I already talked to Nelkir, and he mentioned a Whispering Lady and a strange door in the basement of Dragonsreach. I have a bad feeling about that, and I wonder if we could have a closer look together?"

"But of course! Let's check this out, and we can still talk again later today."

We headed up to Dragonsreach together, and as we were both Thanes of the city and the hold, nobody questioned or stopped us when we started to explore the lower levels of the castle. Naturally, the door which had been mentioned was not quite in plain sight, and we needed to search through various store rooms first. After at least an hour of searching with no success, we got a hint from Gerda, one of the Dragonsreach maids:

"You know, there is this dusty area behind the back shelf in the rarely used room over there, and I have heard that people prefer not to enter this room at all, but I have seen Nelkir sneaking around once or twice; you might want to have a look there."

We thanked her and stepped into the room she pointed out, and indeed, behind a shelf at the back wall and not directly visible from the entrance there was an old looking door which appeared to be partially covered in blood. Slowly and cautiously I approached and touched the handle, trying to move it. The door refused to open and the handle was stuck, but some odd voice started to talk to us from behind the door:

"At last. I've been waiting for someone more fit to carry out my will. The child is spirited, but lacks... agency."

Fiona and I looked at each other, and she took the initiative:

"Is there someone behind the door?"

"Regrettably, I cannot reach your plane so directly. But I forgive you for not knowing who I am. Few hear my whispers anymore those days. I am, of course, Mephala, the Lady of Whispers. I tug at the web of connections between mortals. Love, hatred, loyalty, betrayal. The boy was good at sussing out secrets. You, I expect to take a more active role."

Mephala! One of the Daedric princesses! I needed to find out more about her, but for now Fiona asked:

"What could the boy not do?"

"The corruptibility of children is ultimately too limited for my purposes. You, though, I expect will prove far more malleable."

Corruptibility? Malleable? I was not really familiar with the latter term, but I could deduct from context that it wasn't something I'd want to be. Though, asking could not hurt:

"What do you want us to do?"

"First, you must open this door. A piece of my power has been locked away behind it, and even my eyes cannot see past the seals. I'd much rather it be in the hands of an ambitious and talented person such as yourself."

Fiona also seemed to have her doubts:

"I am not sure if I want to help you!"

"Suit yourself. But those who listen at doors always wonder what is beyond them. Eventually your curiosity will drive you back to me."

"If I am going to help, how could I open the door?

"The whole of Whiterun is ripe with paranoia and tensions. The Jarl's court is right to fear the power I hold behind this door. The Jarl trusts few, and they will be his undoing. The dark child knows of what I speak. Let him guide your path."

For now, we had heard enough, and we slowly stepped back and found our way back to the main levels. Right now, we were unsure to proceed, and thus we decided to sleep over it and pursue the issue further soon.

[Author's Notes: For my last few game runs I have used the house mod 'Skyfall Estate'; it is one of the few perfectly suitable for a player with many followers, and I love the auto-sorting support.]