Chapter XXXIX: Reunions

A/n: Started posting the story over on ffnet under the same username, do give your man a boost if you feel like it! (Currently refuses to load like the annoyance it is so you may have to give it a minute for ffnet to fix its geriatric ass)

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(General POV, back in the orphanage)

The divines chosen hero prophesized to save the world from its devourer found herself rather incapable of saying anything as one of her adoptive siblings stared at her demandingly and refused to speak, as if expecting her to say or do something so obvious it needed no explanation.

The matron of the orphanage was the one to break the silence "You two obviously have a lot to talk about so I will leave you to it." She forced a motherly smile at the child "Be good now Bella." And extricated herself from what she thought was not her business, and definitely not what she was paid for.

As the older woman left, Minthara gave a look after her and smirked slightly, attempting to diffuse the situation with a jape "Not a very responsible caretaker, is she?"

The only answer she got was Bella's cute angry noises and a harder pouty glare.

Sighing at the silence, Minthara leaned closer to her adoptive sister, her expression that of a familiar patience "Come on Bella I can't read minds" The 'yet' went unsaid "At least tell me why you are angry."

The child's facade broke quickly as she sniffed and seemed to curl up on herself "You left me."

Without a thought Minthara immediately enveloped her sister in a tight embrace, earning only slight resistance before the child gave in to the familiar comfort "I am sorry" She spoke in a worried tone "I am here now."

"B-but" Bella's voice quivered "You just will just disappear again."

Minthara was rather thankful her sister could not see the painful wince on her face as she failed to refute it, feeling a tiny part of herself cracking at the fact. She regained her composure rather quickly though, squatting down and gently grabbing Bella's chin making her look her in the eyes "I am really sorry I did that to you, but there is something that I have to do that no one else can."

The child's mind was filled with a million questions but in the end all she could ask was a slow and quiet "Why?"

"Because a lot of people will suffer if I don't." Minthara spoke with a hint of resignation.

Bella pushed her back slightly and looked up at her "Is it because of that annoying wizard?"

"Bella." Minthara's lips thinned, hiding her amusement "The annoying wizard is the one who healed you."

"So it is." Bella nodded smugly, all of her previous unease gone in an instant "I knew it."

Indulging her little sister, the redhead smiled wryly "I guess you did."

"Is he making you do bad stuff for healing me?" Bella immediately fired off the seemingly innocent question.

Minthara immediately deadpanned, thinking about all the things she went through in the past years as her life seemed to flash before her eyes, before nodding firmly "Yes, yes he is."

Her sister just gave her an odd look at that, a mix of confusion and disgust.

Quickly understanding what was going on, Minthara's eyebrow started to twitch violently. She grabbed her sister and brought them to the small bed in the room's corner before setting her on her lap and grabbing a small wooden comb from the nearby table.

Starting to slowly comb through Bella's hair with an old yet practiced familiarity she asked "Where is everyone?" Referring to the rest of their little family.

Bella seemed to deflate again "They left too."

The older sister's hand halted for a moment before she continued with the combing, a bit slower this time "And where did they go?"

"Rollo got apprenticed to master Beirand in the castle." Bella spoke after a moment "Then Circe and Joanna left to learn weaving." Her voice lowered "And then Nik and Jof were taken to Dragon's Bridge to raise horses." A deep sadness enveloped her as she finished speaking and this feeling seeped into her older sister as well as she realized just how much she had missed.

"All of them went to live with their masters" Bella muttered "Something about apprenticeships or something, I wasn't really listening."

"Do they visit you?" Minthara asks.

"Sometimes." Bella huffs.

Tapping her little sister's head Minthara spoke softly "These things just mean they are growing up and earning their independence. You should be happy for them."

"But I don't want them to grow up!" Bella cried petulantly.

Already ravaged by guilt, Minthara sighed "Look, Bella, I know this is a very hard thing to accept but you must learn to let them go" She offered the platitude before smiling "Now why don't you tell me what you want to do?"

"Why does that matter?" Bella huffed "Are you trying to distract me Minnie?"

The redhead rolled her eyes at being seen through so easily "No, I am not trying to distract you, I am just wondering if anything interests you. It would sure beat staying here, right?"

"Maybe." Bella's tiny brow scrunched briefly before her face brightened "I know! I want to be a healer!" She declared with certainty only possible in a child.

"A healer, eh?" Minthara smiled.

"Yes!" Bella perked up "The best one ever!"

Mentally pondering on her little sister's talent, and immediately deciding she did not care in the slightest, Minthara shrugged to herself "I will se what I can do about that."

"Really?" Her sister turned to her with a surprised expression.

"Yes, really." She pat her head again "Now why don't I tell you what I have been doing all this time?"

Bella almost seemed to vibrate in excitement "Story time!"

With an amused shake of her head, Minthara started regaling her sister with heavily edited tales of her adventures and travels, earning many 'oohs' and 'aahs' as she described different places the child could only ever imagine, half of which she outright refused to believe even existed.

They spent hours talking to each other, Minthara reminiscing and Bella just enjoying the fact her big sister was back, that when the time came for the Dragonborn to depart she had to deal with another instance of bawling from the girl, but after promising to be back soon she was graciously permitted to leave, not before donating a good chunk of septims to the orphanage and not so subtly threatening to blow the matron's head off if she decided to pocket it.

She left for the upper city and toward Castle Dour with mixed feelings welling in her heart. On the one hand she was happy to have met with one of her siblings again, but on the other it was only now sinking in just how much she had changed, and the small but ever growing part of her who disdained these people as unimportant was definitely not helping.

Her inner turmoil only grew as she managed to meet Rollo, now a young lad instead of a child, in Beirand's smithy. The smith apprentice completely refused to act in any way familiar and refer to her as 'Lady Dragonbane.' the entire time, no matter how much she prodded or tried she failed to get to him utterly. Rollo's master just stood there feeling awkward the entire time as well which made her feel that much worse.

She left the smithy feeling defeated, and all that much more distraught, that part of her she attempted to suppress only growing as it declared its hatred for those who had forgotten her protection so easily.

It was hours later that she found herself once more strolling through what was once the old sprawl, the streets feeling much emptier after the sun had started slowly setting and the people began retreating into their homes or to one of the numerous taverns to spend their hard earned septims.

'They really should find a new name for it.' Minthara thought, the fact that the name was still sticking annoying her a fair bit.

"Minthy, is that you?" A familiar voice called out as she passed by an even more familiar building.

She rounded in the direction of its owner, her eyes widening briefly "Uncle Sheo... Hi." She waved at him lamely, her mind far too busy to keep up the act of not knowing exactly who and what she was looking at.

At least the mad one was on the pleasant side of unhinged at the moment so he simply kept talking as if she wasn't gawking at him "Ah, it has been so long since you've visited your old uncle! Why, I almost thought you decided to start your own cheese rolling franchise, but you wouldn't do that to old Sheo now would you?"

'Franchise? What the fu-' She stopped herself and decided to follow a certain asshole's advice and just roll with it "But wouldn't that mean there was more cheese to go around uncle?" She asked in her best cheery voice, which at the moment was close to that of a Draugr.

For a moment it seemed the grey haired man was about to lunge at her with how his teeth bared, but the suddenly he threw his head back and laughed "Ha! I knew I raise you right. Otherwise it would be to the fishstick with you!"

'Don't get caught up in his rhythm Minthara, that way leads to literal madness.' She reminded herself, still keeping up her obviously fake smile "Of course uncle, I wouldn't dare forget your... generous teachings."

"As you shouldn't." He nods 'sagely' "Now what's this all I've been hearing about you doing some heroics? Are you trying to emulate your uncle again? I was a hero once too you know!"

"A hero?" She can't help but raise an incredulous eyebrow at that.

"Ex-actly!" Sheogorath punctuates with his index finger "I was there for that whole portal kerfuffle in Cyrodiil you know, a marvelous time it was! Butterflies, blood, a Fox, a severed head... Oh, and the cheese! To die for." He declares grandly as if everything made perfect sense.

Minthara's mind starts to wonder at that, memories of a certain diary welling up and before she could halt herself she asked "If you were there for all that... could you tell me what you know about Ulrika the Champion?"

All sound seems to disappear as the words leave her, where there once was an old grey haired man, now there were two different people, two images superimposing upon each other in an indescribably mix of colors and movements, part god and part mortal woman stood there as one before Minthara felt herself get launched back and onto the street, the distorted half female half male voice of Sheogorath ringing out "Away with you child, away with you and do not return!"

She gets up to ask more, desperate to learn about what she had just witnessed, only to be thrown back once again "Away!" The cacophonous voice slammed against her ears, almost knocking her out on the spot. Instinctually she reached for her blade which was not there, and by the time she looked up the old man, or the old Daedra more accurately, was gone, and so were her answers.

Still, it wasn't as if she had not learned anything from the meeting and her mind, already having suspected it, drifted to an obscure text on the theorized process of mantling, the obvious conclusion of which quickly made her sick to her stomach.

She remained splayed out on that dirt road for a good ten minutes, quietly cursing her luck and the world's seeming hate for her. By the time she had gotten up it was already too late because the world decided it wasn't quite done with her for the day.

(Reyvin's POV)

My meeting with Ingvar, Erikur and Bryling was interrupted as I felt a sudden surge of Magicka in the ex-sprawl, I gave a few quick excuses before disappearing from the palace. Following the completely uncontrolled surge quickly led me to the rather amusing scene of Minthara attempting to dust herself off with consternation clear on her face.

I naturally, was unable to resist "Well, well, well." I call out, startling her "Decided to have a tumble with the road, did you?"

To my surprise she just turned to me slowly without reacting to my little prod "Oh, hey Reyvin."

I blink "Hey yourself, meeting not go how you planned it?"

She sighs and waves for me to follow as she heads for the upper city "I had hoped that meeting my siblings would help calm me down but it only reminded me of what a shit sister I am for leaving them here."

"I did warn you." I shrug.

"Yeah, yeah." She doesn't even protest as her shoulders slump "I just didn't take it seriously, what with all that 'divine guidance'" She airquotes "Slamming itself into my head at the time." She pauses before offering me a slight smile "Thanks for keeping your word and looking out for them."

"Yeah." I snort "Pretty hard to resist when the big dragon upstairs makes a demand." I make a 'so-so' gesture "Too bad the kids won't see it that way."

"True." She half nods half grumbles.

"Though it was mostly Ingvar looking out for them if I am being perfectly honest." I add "Not like I had the time to personally visit them so that was the best I could do."

She nods in understanding "It is still appreciated."

"That wasn't all that happened though, was it?" I ask after a few silent moments.

"I really wish it was." She sighs and then recounts the whole meeting with Sheo-mutherfuckign-gorath in the middle of gods damned Solitude I swear to fucking god why?!

There is no humor on my face as she finishes with her explanation "I do hope his... turbulent state won't last for too long, dealing with that isn't something I want added to my list." I pause, cupping my chin "Or maybe I will just send someone else to deal with it." My tension disappears immediately as I remember a certain Lizard Wizard.

"Well, that was quick." Minthara deadpans, obviously disappointed with how short my panic didn't last nearly as long as she wanted it "Anyway, what do you think about my theory?"

"Oh, that is not a theory, that is a certainty." I answer immediately, much to her distress I quickly realized "The Champion of Cyrodiil disappeared into a portal to the Shivering Isles a few weeks before it was declared that Jyggalag was freed from his imprisonment, and that could only have been done if someone mantled his maddened aspect." I tilt my head "I am also pretty damn certain it is the truth so unless something is really out of whack ole' Sheo should also be Ulrika."

Instead of demanding an explanation like I expected her to she just descends deeper into whatever hole she had dug herself into before I arrived.

Well now, we can't be having any of that "Still" I speak up, amusement evident in my voice "To think you were descended from the god of madness... honestly it shows."

Her mild depression is quickly replaced by rage as she rounds on me, immediately catching herself as she notices the playfulness on my face. She rolls her eyes "Are you not sure you are the one with a blood connection to him?"

"Or was it her?" I ask teasingly.

"Ugh." She winces "Please don't remind me of that."

'Terribly unprogressive of her.' Scorch tsks jokingly.

We descend into a somewhat pleasant silence as we leave the walls of the ex-sprawl. A minute or so later, Minthara speaks "Hey Reyvin" hearing my 'hm?' she continues "I have been wondering about something for a very long time now..." She pauses "Why is it that you sometimes behave like a complete child and sometimes like someone who has experienced things he reasonably never should have?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I immediately fire off with a wink.

"Reyvin" She growls.

"Yes, Reyvin here, how can I help you?"

She barely contains an incoherent shriek of rage "Answer please." She asks tightly.

"Who knows?" I spread my arms with a cheeky grin "Maybe I really am one of Sheo's lads? Maybe I am an interdimensional traveler with an inordinate amount of suspiciously specific knowledge? Maybe I am as blessed as Saint Nerevar? Maybe the clairvoyance has fried my brain? Or maybe, just maybe I am just that big of a dick." I finish with a satisfied pat to my chest and a flourish with my other hand.

She deadpans at me before turning back to the road and snorting "Gods you are such an ass."

"And you look very lovely today" I smirk.

She blushes at the sudden shift and blinks "What?"

My cheeky smirk remains "What, I thought we were giving out compliments?"

She just shakes her head and keeps walking, a light smile on her face.

A few minutes later she seems to consider something, attempting to hide a few considering looks she was giving me before seemingly finding determination to say whatever it is she wanted to say "So Reyvin, how about we visit that street meat stand you are addicted to?"

'Well at least she tried' Scorch chuckles.

I look at her wryly, earning a fidget, before mentally shrugging 'Fuck it, why not?' "Sure."

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!lasrever fo keew eht htenruter reay eht fo nrut eht ta suht dnA

!eromreverof esrever ni kcuts eb ro senots ruoy em eviG

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