Rise of House Sigeweald Book One (Skyrim Fanfiction)

Chapter Thirty Two: There is a deeper wave than this tugging at your hand

At Breezehome, Lydia was sitting at the table reading and drinking tea when Elspeth limped through the door. She yelped and leaped up, almost stumbling into the fire as she scrambled across the room. "I was so worried," she said as she wrapped her arms around Elspeth. She held her out at arm's length, "Is Thorald alive?" Her eyes sparkled as Elspeth nodded slowly. "I want to show you something!" she exclaimed. She reached for the door. "It's a bit of a walk, but you can tell me about how you saved Thorald!"

"No," she replied, a little harsher than was probably necessary. Lydia was practically bouncing on her heels. Elspeth was happy to see her but her unbridled enthusiasm was too much. "I'm exhausted. I killed a lot of Thalmor. I lost a friend. And I'm not even entirely certain how I got back here. I'm going to bed."

Lydia looked dejected and nodded as she whispered, "okay." Her disappointment was evident. Elspeth gave her hand a quick squeeze and walked upstairs. She was so drained that simply lifting her arms to don a nightshirt was painful. Her cloak and armor dropped to the ground and she left them there in a messy pile as she collapsed into bed.

When she woke up it was still dark. Lydia was sitting at the table in her room, drinking a tankard of mead. Elspeth rubbed her eyes and laughed. "How long have you been there?"

"Not long. I figured you were nearing your 20th hour of sleep and would be up soon."

Elspeth propped up on her elbows and stretched. "I'm sorry if I was harsh."

Lydia shook her head. "I should have known you would be tired. But you need to get up and get dressed because I want to show you something."

"All right." Elspeth couldn't imagine what she was so exited about. She just smiled inwardly and put her armor on. And after a quick dinner, they left Whiterun and headed northwest along the tundra. The night was clear and their route was lit by the moons of Masser and Secunda.

Elspeth relayed her tale of violence and grief on their trek. Although her eyes continued to betray her excitement, Lydia's mood was a bit dampened by the story and she quickened their pace now, even more eager for their destination. Elspeth didn't mind this. She was still somewhat weary and sore, but the brisk walk along the flat, grassy tundra felt light and invigorating compared to her recent hikes along the frozen paths of Haafingar hold.

They approached a large rock formation and as they made their way around, came upon a campsite with a tall stone stairway leading up to another formation lit by a dull glow. It resembled a ruin somewhat, but the steepness of the stair made it difficult to get a clear look

"What is this?" she asked.

"This," explained Lydia as they approached, "is Silent Moons camp. Several years ago we raided a group of bandits that settled in here. Now Jon Battle Born keeps it maintained. I think he likes to have someplace to go when he can't deal with his family. But we've all camped out here at one time or another."

Elspeth nodded. "Yes, but why are we here?" she asked as they made their way up the stairs.

"I wanted to show you the lunar forge." Lydia grinned as she trotted ahead. "Come on!"

Elspeth was still a little perplexed, but decided to humor her. When they arrived at the top of the stairs, Lydia stepped behind and nudged her forward. She could hear clang of hammer against metal and felt the warmth of the fire as she rounded the narrow entrance and walked into the lunar forge, where Onmund was working.

Onmund was working the forge?

Elspeth gasped, not quite sure if what she was seeing was real or some juniper berry induced hallucination. When he saw her standing there, mouth gaping, Onmund tossed the glowing metal slab he'd been hammering back into the fire and before she could say anything, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up for a kiss. A long, sweet kiss, borne of yearning and relief. "I missed you," he whispered as he drew his lips to her ear and down along her jaw and her neck.