#Lyri answers

[life-winners-liveblog]

If you insist {Throws the cake at Joel}

- Lyris

(Also author is it okay if we like get inspired by this and create similar blogs? Cause I’ve been wanting to do one since the when I found you focusing on the losers)

LimL!Jimmy: ... Grian Is going to go insane.

(oh yeah! That would be so cool!)

[falmerbrook]

Ok so one of the things in ESO that completely decanonized On the racial phylogeny for me is an NPC from Dragonhold DLC, Aeliah Renmus. She is half redguard, half imperial, with dad being imperial and mom being redguard, and while you could argue that she looks standard for a redguard, she really doesn't. She has some features that *scream* "imperial", at least they do to me. So maybe that book is somewhat correct as *most* of mother's racial features express themselves over the father's and that's why it came to the conclusion that it did. Or maybe it's just wrong completely. We all know why there haven't been another book on hybrids since (it's because todd howard is deathly afraid of sex)

(I was trying to find a close up shot of her face but google let me down).

oh cool! that's interesting (and it matches my own personal headcanon (which I should probably make a post about some time lol) so that's nice)

After I reblogged that one post I also realized that ESO also has Lyris too

[the-tharns-speak]

Have you ever not been snarky?

In theory, yes, in my very early childhood. But my caretaker used to claim that I was extremely sarcastic for a toddler that hadn't grasped speech yet, so perhaps I had never been not-snarky.

Actually no, wait. There had been approximately a week or so when I made the conscious effort not to be. It was the week I had arrived into the Harborage. Titanborn was very much in her element and made it explicitly clear that I could either speak my mind or keep my bones intact, but not both at the same time.

[somethingsgottasaveyou]

i just realised i keep telling people i have had all my tattoos planned out neatly, but in reality i got a frank turner tattoo done not even 6 months of knowing him and even worse i let seb write me a tattoo and got it tattooed not even a week later on my fucking wrist 🥲😅

[equescaeli]

gods i really should use my ffxiv haldrath muse as someones personal bodyguard in his xvi universe.

[courtesan-of-spring]

What's your favorite thing about MC? :3c

Hello, dear anon!

My favourite thing? I'd have to pick just one? and I suppose "everything" doesn't count...

Hmmmm...then I'd have to say her voice, it's beautiful and enchanting to listen to ���️

Thank you for the question and I hope to hear from you again! 🦚

[evilwriter37]

Ao3 Wrapped 2024 - Writer's Edition

Questions taken from this list. I decided to go through and answer all of them rather than playing it as an ask game.

Putting them under a read more.

How many words have you written this year?

312,359. A little bit more than last year, and the year isn’t over yet!

How many works did you publish this year?

If my math is correct, 169.

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

You know, I’m not actually sure. 169 stories is a lot of stories to remember! I know I really like the two that I did outside of normal prose, like the sonnet about Hiccup from Dagur, and Heather’s list of revenge rules. The titles are “Winter’s wind will never chill your fire”, and “How to Seduce and Kill a Berserker”.

What work of yours has the most hits?

For this year? Our Time Together. But I started that one last year. If we go by fics that I started/wrote this year, that would be “Dragon Tamer”.

What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

Maybe Dead of Night or Seeds of Deceit. Those are some really dark fics, but they were received so well.

Favorite title you used

Seeds of Deceit because of all the symbolism in it. 

If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most?

I don’t think I used any song lyrics to title my fics this year.

Pairing you wrote the most for this year?

Viggo/Hiccup. Again. Not a surprise.

Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?

I wrote a lot more Heather/Dagur than I usually do this year. They’re both so complex and fucked up, so it was a lot of fun. Definitely up there as one of my favorites now. (Viggo/Hiccup, is obviously still my gluten free bread and butter.)

What work was the quickest to write?

No idea. Sometimes I bang things out in half an hour.

What work took you the longest to write?

Our Time Together is definitely taking a long time to write. The muse is not consistent with that one, sadly.

How many WIPs do you have in your docs for next year?

Well, I want to work on my multichapter fics, so Our Time Together, Dead of Night, and Getting a Scar Out of It. I also definitely want to work on more bingo card fills! There are some Teen Wolf fics on the brain because February is Scott Appreciation Month and there’s a bingo card for that. My weakness. 

What’s your longest work of the year?

Dead of Night, if we’re just counting works I started this year. 22,083 words. So far.

What’s your shortest work of the year?

“Winter’s wind will never chill your fire” with 108 words.

What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

All the multichapter fics I stated above.

What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag?

Whump. Not surprised. In the slightest.

Your favorite character to write this year?

Well, you all know I like writing Hiccup, so let’s mix it up a little. I think either Astrid or Heather. Both women are so awesome and multifaceted. (And Heather deserves more love from the fandom, in my opinion.)

The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

Tuffnut, probably. He’s a weird one.

What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

Fennorian/Lyris from The Elder Scrolls Online. I need more with them.

Which work of yours have you reread the most?

Our Time Together, for a variety of reasons. A) It’s fun, and B) I need to reread to get the tone right for further chapters. (Because I usually have long pauses between writing chapters for that one.) I’ve also read a lot of the Any Fandom Goes Kink Bingo stories a few times. Kink is fun, folks!

How many kudos in total did you get this year?

9,868

Which work has the most comments?

Once again stuck with Our Time Together being the answer, but not having started it this year. Seeds of Deceit has the most comments out of the ones I started this year.

Did you do any collaborative works this year?

Yes! With @mdoodlerfandomart. I do believe the story was called Stubble. It was a lot of fun.

Did you write any gifts this year?

Yep!

Did you receive any gifts this year?

Also yes.

What’s your most common category?

Surprised to say that it was Gen rather than M/M, which is right below it.

What do you listen to while writing?

Playlists I’ve specifically made for the fics, usually. Or playlists that  have the same tone/mood I’m going for.

Favorite work you wrote this year?

Dead of Night

Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

No way in hell am I going to find one.

Biggest surprise while writing this year?

I’m not sure, really. Maybe the fact that writing actually took a lot more spoons than it usually does? I’m not writing as  much or as fast as I usually do. Which, I’m trying not to be a perfectionist about.

But oh! A good one! The Augusnippets challenge showed me that I can still be very impactful with very few words. That was a lot of fun.

[fangsandsoftgrass]

Brambles : (Fennwedh fic :))

A follow-up piece I wrote forever ago that ties in with Bats :)))

A wolf's howl woke Fennorian from his sleep-like trance, and a thin sliver of moonlight peeking through the opening of his tent forced him to raise a hand against his eyes so they could properly adjust. He jumped when a shadow moved across the canvas and quietly called out into the night,

“Lyris?” he only whispered, not sure if the distorted shadow he saw pass was actually the half-giant or not, but he would have known if the Host or Icereach witches had found them again. At least, he liked to think he would. When he got no response, he stood from his cot and grabbed his staff on the way to the entrance of the small tent; stepping carefully over the scattered notes and alchemical tools left out from earlier that night.

Once he was close enough he pulled the flap back and peered into the night. Twin moons lit the sky above and standing draped in mist and moonlight was not Lyris, but an elf weaving wisps of blue and green into the ground beneath her feet; coaxing flowers as white as her hair from the frozen earth. They had moved around a lot since Solitude, but right now the land they stood on was cold and frosted, almost nothing but sharp grass and dry brush could grow here. Flowers, he thought, were the last thing expected.

The canvas dropped from his hand and it was all Fennorian could do to stand breathless and stare at the way the torchbugs danced around her- blinking between petals and drifting lazily around her outstretched fingers.

“Fenn?”

His name was enough to shake him from his trance, and he quickly became aware of the Bosmer smiling at him with wide eyes and a leaf-covered hand outstretched.

“I- My apologies, I um- I thought I saw something slip through the camp,” He ducked his head, shoving his staff behind the doorframe before she could see it “I was just investigating. I didn’t mean to interrupt.

His gut twisted when her smile faltered, and without thinking, he stepped forward and took her hand.

“Did I frighten you? I certainly didn’t mean to.” her voice was like warm honey, and with the way she looked at him Fenn swore he could almost taste it. He let out a shaky breath before smiling back. Never had he thought he’d be here, hand-in-hand stumbling after her like a lovesick hound. For all intents and purposes he sure felt like one.

Every night he'd lay awake and wonder what this feeling was and why he was left crippled from even the smallest smile. Was he ill? He found himself asking that question a lot. But he found the answer now in her eyes as she pulled him down to sit in the grass beside her, and the ‌foliage‌ around them seemed greener than before.

He simply smiled and let the thundering of his heart speak for him, afraid that any words he might think of would only ruin the moment.

“I couldn’t sleep again. I was hoping you’d still be up, too.” Cirwedh hummed as she looked down to their hands, where they rested against the soft grass and smiled.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a while now. Just sit under the stars. No responsibilities, just us. But between the Host and everything else…” she trailed off, her smile faltering once more.

“Do we have to stop them?” her voice was a low whisper now, “What if we just stayed here? What if we just stayed like this? If just this once I don't have to save the world." This time, the look in her eyes as Fennorian sat enraptured was one of tired pleading. One he understood to his core.

“Cirwedh, I-”

He was cut off when she laid her head against his shoulder and squeezed his hand in hers.

“I know we can’t.” she finally admits.

Her voice is almost melancholy as she says it. So different from the wild spirit he knows, and he can't have that he thinks. Here, where only the myriad stars were watching, Fennorian turned and brought his hand to softly touch her cheek. If only they could see how his hungry eyes drank her in. Her leaf-point ears, her snowy lashes, and finally her lips. He smiled and stroked his thumb across the soft foliage blooming across her skin.

“You have no idea how often I've dreamt of moments like this. No idea of the.. effect you have on me.” he could hear himself speak the words, but he needed to know she could too.

“Cirwedh,” with all the carefulness in the world he brought himself closer, and closer, until she opened her eyes and met his gaze “I want to know -I need to know- if you feel the same.” he could feel a familiar tightness in his chest, and dropped his hand away as a wave of uncertainty washed over him.

Now it was her turn to hold him and pull him close. Around them all of Tamriel stood still, and he felt as if his heart would stop beating again when her lips met his. Her tongue caught on a fang and there was that honey, dripping down his throat and soaking his lungs until she was all he could breathe.

Fennorian felt the heat of her body against his, and allowed himself to be pulled in by her arms, melting into her embrace and praying to whatever gods would listen for this sanctuary in her touch to last forever.

But a dead man's prayers meant nothing to gods of the living, and he was ripped awake when the screaming began.

[meadowlade]

Can't believe I never really made an intro post for this blog, but I finally had the energy to do it! Anyways...

Hey! I'm Kisaa (aka. crystalinerose) and this is my Stardew Valley sideblog. I draw, have brainrot of my farmers, and... oh, I'm a mod author now too! I specialize in mapmaking, particularly farm maps, and PIF mods because one could never have enough PIF rooms.

If you access the desktop version, you can use the triple dot button on the top right corner to navigate my blog. Otherwise, here's some handy links! (P.S. Please read the mod masterpost before asking me what mods I use in my pics):

🍊 Stardew Commissions status: Closed! (3/3) 🍊

🍊 Nexus Mods | Socials | Main Blog | Buy Me a Coffee? 🍊

🍊 Intro for My Farmers | Meadowlade's Mod Masterpost 🍊

🍊 Gameplay Tags 🍊

🍊: eury | 🌹: alba | 🌊: lyris | 🌌: vega

More tags under the cut!

General navigation tags:

#meadowlade.zip - My mod release/update posts :) #meadowlade art - My Stardew Valley art! #meadowlade.txt - General text/ramble post tag #meadowthoughts - Stardew Valley headcanons (OC and canon characters alike) #meadowasks - Answered asks

#starving artists club - Anything related to Elliott and Leah (my beloveds...) #stardew fanart - Other people's SDV art! #stardewposting - SDV shitpost tag (lol)

[thefringespod]

We're gonna do something a little different this #AudioDramaSunday! This week was one where music was my go-to rather than podcasts so instead of episode reviews, I'm gonna do a track-by-track breakdown of all of the music released so far for The Grotto as I had it on repeat

Starting off with Hush which is the first song on the album and also the show's theme. It's got a brilliant beat to it accompanied by these bursts of vocals that crescendo into a harshness that's excellent. The HUSH gives me chill every time. I'm fully obsessed with this song

The next track is the first instrumental. Dejected feels like the music you would find in a cave. It's creeping and wet and a little haunting before the softness of the piano and the beat hit. This song has a heartbeat to it that feels tangible in the best way

Buried Alive has some of my favorite lyrics Athan has written. There's just something about the way he sings "Maybe I would be happier buried alive" that chills me to the core. Also something you'll notice is Athan likes vocal modulation a lot and it always works so well

Matt's (Usually) Confused is very aptly titled. It starts soft and slowly builds to become more all encompassing, feeling like Matt's racing thoughts as it does so

I Will Follow You Into the Dark fucks me up (positive) "Love of mine, you will die, and I'll be close behind" like Athan how am I meant to recover from that? This song as a depth to it that can be felt, like it's carving its way into a deep cave and submerging itself in the dark

I absolutely adore Emily's Theme! There's something about it that brings the word "fleeting" to mind, like Emily is running through the music and making her way out through the song itself

Which leads us to Stumble Into You and holy fuck yall Lyssa Jay has a lovely voice. Yes I'm biased because I love Lyssa but I'm also RIGHT! This song makes me a little feral, especially where Lyssa and Athan meet in the song its beautifully done

We're at the first cover on the album! This is literally the only version of Ghost of You I will listen to, Athan brings a life to this song that punches to the lyrics way more effectively than the original version does

It's Cryptic in the Grotto is another very well named song because it sure can be cryptic in this godsdamned Grotto. The whispering of it all leaves me unsettled in the best way before opening into this plucky instrumental I'm obsessed with

Looking for Answers is so Orpheus and Eurydice coded that it drives me insane. "I still feel you behind me. Your breath is slow. I'm terrified I'll end up alone." Athan you can't do this to me. There's also a lovely fast bit in this with lyrics ricocheting through the verse

Athan's cover of Hurt might actually be my favorite version of this song I'm sorry except I'm not. It suits Athan's range so well and has this almost gravely texture to it that makes me feel like I'm going feral. Everything about it is deep and dark and wonderful

Coping is NOT aptly named. You know what Matt ISNT doing? Coping. He's not coping AT ALL. It's a beautiful song and it also has some of my favorite Athan lyrics but it's from an episode called Coping and let me tell yall Matt is not making good choices in this show

If You Could See Me Now breaks my heart in the best way. The idea of trying to make someone proud while knowing that you're disappointing yourself so you're not making them proud kills me. The instrumental/electronic portions of this song are incredible

Hush (Acoustic) is wonderful and light and I cannot hear it without thinking of the episode 4 credits which make me want to shake Athan (affectionate)

There is a cover of Chasing Cars (one of my favorite songs of all time) performed by the Fringes' very own @taytayheyhey (one of my favorite people) and it became my most played song of the year *so fast* Its a wonderful and almost haunting cover of one of the songs of all time

Last song! Waiting Room also breaks my heart open in my chest because Athan did lyrics too good. "If you were a waiting room, I'd never see a doctor I'd just sit there with my first aid kit and bleed" circles through my brain at all times and I'll never forgive Athan for it

Everyone should listen to The Grotto because it kicks ass And you can check out the whole album on bandcamp https://thegrottopod.bandcamp.com/album/the-grotto-season-1-part-1. Athan said it should be on Spotify soon as well

In terms of shows I actually listened to this week, I listened to the new eps of @tellnotalespod , @woebegonepod , and @camlannpod which were all incredible as always

Here on the Fringes you can access episode 21 right now by visiting patreon.com/PineTreePods! This episode is very dear to my heart and I can't wait to share it with y'all

Thats all for this week! Please check out The Grotto if you haven't already (and not just because my friends are there it really does kick ass) Should be back in the swing of podcasts this week so expect a regular ADS post next week :)

[life-winners-liveblog]

I admittedly don’t interact with this blog much anymore, but I keep notifications on because just getting the first couple out of context words of asks that you’re responding to is so funny to me /pos

- Lyris

Fair enough.

[itsadmiralactually]

Lyri looked up at the Admiral with sad eyes, the sea water mixing with the salty tears that streamed down her face.

"Admiral, now?" She asked, her voice small.

"...I miss you"

@lyri-the-mermaid

Cloudy green eyes, translucent in the silvery haze of the moon creeping higher and higher into a star-filled sky, fixed upon that familiar figure bobbing along in the glittering wake of the HMS Endeavor. His gaze fell to the rail in front of him, clenching his fists tighter behind his back. His lips pursed into a thin line at the weakness in her voice.

“Yes…” he answered, his tone scarcely above a whisper. “I’ve been… promoted.”

He looked up to behold her sea wrap’t tears, remorse pressing on his chest. The warm glow from the lanterns in his cabin poured onto his face. His mouth moved to say more… he had so much he wanted to tell her… but his secretary requesting his presence silenced him. He turned to leave but paused, casting one last glimpse her direction.

My dear Lyri… forgive me…

Then he stepped into his cabin.

@lyri-the-mermaid

[nightingaletrash]

TELL US MORE ABOUT THE BABY

Okie, so her name is Tala. She was conceived on the trip to the Arbor Wilds, but was only 'discovered' after Lyris returned from the Frostback Basin. So there was the fun realisation that she'd been pregnant while venturing through the Deep Roads and fighting a possessed dragon lmao

She was born in Wycome and was delivered by Keeper Deshanna, who performed the typical rites and rituals to induct the newborn into the clan as one of the Dalish. Lyris also made a point to bring her to the Vhenadahl in the Alienage and receive blessings from the Hahren because if there was one thing Lyris learned, it was that too many elves - Dalish and City - felt like they were entirely different peoples, and she wanted to try to promote some kind of unity, to remind them all that they are of the same people regardless of circumstance. There ended up being a celebration amongst the elves over the new arrival, and the party lasted for hours before mother and baby were exhausted and needed to retire.

During the time before Trespasser, Tala grew up primarily in Skyhold. As she became more mobile, she made a habit of hiding and jumping out at staff, soldiers and visiting dignitaries before running away laughing and she loves to spend time in the garden hunting for bugs and worms, and eating dirt as tiny children often do.

Krem stitches her new toys from time to time. So far she has a nug with wings, a golden halla, a griffon with a crooked tail, and a dragon that breathes fire (aka Dagna figured out a way to make the dragon spit out illusionary sparkles when it's squeezed and Tala still isn't sick of it).

She learns to speak Elvhen, Qunlat, Antivan, and a little Orlesian, and everyone anticipates that she's definitely going to be a mage, given that her mother and father are both mages and powerful ones at that, so there's plenty of discussion about her training. Lyris intends to stick to Dalish tradition on that front. Once the basics are covered, the others can give their own input, but Tala needs a solid base without any mixed messages.

And when it comes to Solas, no one is allowed to openly detract him in front of Tala. They don't need to sing his praises, but Tala deserves to form her own opinion of her father and not be spoonfed criticism. And if anyone's ever asked about where he went and why he never came back, the official answer is 'I don't know, but we assume it's very important'.

After Trespasser plays out and Skyhold is carefully defanged, Lyris takes Tala to live in Kirkwall where she takes up her role as Comtesse, though they make plenty of trips to Wycome over the years. Lyris tells Tala the truth about Solas being Fen'Harel and that he left for an important mission, but certain details are withheld on account of her age and Lyris' hope that Solas' mind can be changed and he can still come back to be Tala's father. She'll be told more as she gets older, but it's very piecemeal.

By the time Dreadwolf comes around, she'll be nearly eight years old and probably have just come into her magic within the last year or so with Lyris and Merrill as her primary teachers. When she tells her mother about the strange wolf watching her in her dreams, she learns that her mother has the same dreams, and that its Solas watching over them from the Fade, never drawing close because they could tempt him to abandon his path.

Solas has known about Tala the whole time, having learned about Lyris' pregnancy from dreams and his spies, and he tries his best to maintain an emotional distance from the child. He doesn't always succeed though, and he watches over her, protecting her in her dreams. On one occasion, he might let her reach him so that he might get the chance to speak to her just once, to let her know him because this is his daughter and he wants to love her even though he can't and if he just allows this one meeting, maybe it will satisfy this terrible yearning in him so that he can focus solely on his path. But he knows that if he meets her once, it might be unbearable to return to that path and he might fail to let go.

Essentially he's torturing himself even more because he loves Lyris so much and he wants to love their child so much, but he loves his people and can he really put his love and their child over the countless souls that he betrayed?

Smash cut to Tala eating dirt and trying to climb into the stable with a drasolisk, which definitely gave poor Master Dennet a heart attack.

[itsfennix]

Which canon character respects your OC most? What gained that respect? For Eilíse!! :D

Omg I’m so sorry this took forever! This is actually a really interesting/difficult question!

Aside from Fenn obviously lol and aside from any of the companions, I’d say Lyris or Ithelia. I know Lyris may seem like an easy answer, but I stand by it!

For Lyris, she and Eilíse are rather similar in their attitudes towards life and interpersonal relationships. They both don’t do well with expressing how they feel; they tend to soldier through it all. They’re both so. fucking. tired. of all the shit they’ve been through. And yet, Lyris respects Eilíse for their determination in keeping everyone tf alive. When Lyris offered to sacrifice herself in the ritual for the Planemeld, Eilíse straight up smacked her. To her “I feel like I’ve already lived multiple lifetimes” shit, Eilíse was like “FUCKIN SAME??? LITERALLY????” She had a big heart-to-heart with her after, talking about how significant Lyris is and how death wouldn’t give her a break, surviving this would.

Lyris respects Eilíse so much for their similarities, but also their differences. They understand each other a lot, and they both know they’re not as standoffish as they seem. Another moment that solidified this for Lyris was rescuing Fenn from Tzinghalis. Lyris overheard what she said to Fenn about not bottling things up, and while she didn’t agree with how blunt Eilíse was, she agreed with what she said. Not everything can be soldiered through.

[madamefluffnstuff]

An Unusual Request

Fandom: Elder Scrolls Online

Pairing: Prince Irnskar x Princess/Jarl Svana. Helpful friend Fem!Vestige.

Rating: T

Warning(s): Mentions of Pregnancy, Young Pregnancy (they are over 18 years of age and thus legal adults, but they're still Young Adults. And still a lil' foolish), unplanned/surprise pregnancy, thoughts of adoption, etc. Slight Spoilers for the Greymoor DLC if you squint.

Words: 1,512

AN: Delving a little deeper into my Brenda Steel-heart's lore and lemme tell you there's enough drama sometimes to rival a soap opera XD Special thanks to my friend @hircines-hunter for being my proof-reader and putting up with my silly ideas <3

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lyris, my dear friend! Good to see you!"

Lyris Titanborn wrapped her arms around her dear companion and comrade, Brenda Steel-Heart. The Nord warmaidens shared a brief but amicable hug, showing just how long it had been since they last saw each other.

"It's good to see you too, Vestige," Lyris said, equally happy to see her old battle friend.

"I came as fast as I could. You said there was a "situation"", Brenda's voice had genuine concern as she questioned her friend. "Has something happened?"

The taller Nord made a face and rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, that's... putting it plainly. Probably shouldn't discuss it here, though."

Brenda raised an eyebrow. "Lyris", she lowered her voice, "What's going on?"

"...maybe you should see for yourself."

~*~

"Arrow," Prince Irnskar greeted Brenda with her old nickname. "I'm pleased to see you arrived safely."

Immediately she knew something was off: the Prince's speech was overly formal and stiff, which wouldn't be unusual if they weren't already long past proper formalities. On top of that, Jarl Svana, normally loud and boisterous and barking orders, was hanging behind near the throne. And she was unusually quiet. Brenda saw the slightest bit of a worry crease on the young Jarl's forehead.

Her gaze went back and forth between the two royals, blinking each time she changed focus points. The silence was deafening. And painfully awkward.

"...I'd like to think I know you two well enough to know this-" Brenda made a small gesture in their direction, "-is not normal."

Irnskar and Svana quickly glanced at each other. The Princess shifted her feet. The Prince cleared his throat. The growing tension was becoming more and more apparent.

"And where is your Thane, Svana? I haven't seen- Wait, where is your Court!?" Brenda was appalled. Lyris' eyes widened and her palm struck her forehead as she groaned. How could the Jarl be so foolish? Both she and Brenda knew Svana was young and somewhat inexperienced, but this was reckless even for her.

"I gave them the afternoon off," Svana quickly answered. "They're coming back this evening."

"Svana I don't care what your reasoning is, you cannot just dismiss your entire Court! What were you thinking!?"

"Stendar preserve us," Lyris pinched the bridge of her nose.

Irnskar hastily interrupted, "We thought it would be better to tell you privately!"

"Tell me what? No- wait-" Brenda threw her hands up in exasperation. "You wanted to see me, you said it was urgent, and I'm here now. What in Oblivion is going on!?"

Just as Irnskar opened his mouth, Svana blurted out-

"W-We're pregnant!"

~*~

Jarl Svana took a deep breath as she drank the tea Brenda made. A battle-hardened warrior she may be, but the Nord lady knew very intimately the benefits of a hot cup of tea. And she knew the young Jarl needed one now.

"Now, Svana," Brenda's voice was much more patient from before. "You and Irnskar are... expecting?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"Are you certain?"

Lyris spoke up from her position guarding the bedroom door, "She's showing some classic signs. Sounded like a sick horker the other morning."

Against his better judgment, Prince Irnskar snickered at Lyris' choice of words, which prompted Svana to elbow him in the ribs.

Brenda, choosing not to dignify that remark with a response, slowly breathed through her nose and cleared her throat.

"Yes. Well. Have you spoken to Joruun yet? Either of you?"

The two younger Nords looked at each other, then turned to face their friend and shook their heads. Brenda leaned forward in her chair and folded her hands.

"I'm going to be... tactfully blunt with you. You will not be able to keep this from your father for very long."

"I know. We know," Irnskar sighed. The slightest hint of defeat tinted his voice.

Svana was looking more and more anxious as the conversation went on. Her fingers wrapped around her cup, constantly fidgeting, turning it in her hands and looking down. This did not go unnoticed by Brenda.

The more experienced Nord sighed. "All right. What do you want me to do? No- ...what do you need me to do? That I can do right now."

Inrkskar answered first, "For starters, we need you to not tell my father for now."

Svana nodded. "We will worry about telling him. We just... need to figure out how. But we'll take care of that."

Brenda slowly nodded back at them. "All right. That makes sense. It would be better if Jorunn heard it from you two, anyway." She was impressed with how much planning they put into this.

"Now, what we want you to do," Prince Irnskar reached over and gently held Svana's hand. "We want you to adopt our child."

Both Brenda and Lyris' heads snapped up at the request. "What?"

"Svana and I have talked it over. We know my father wouldn't approve since our child was conceived out of wedlock. And there's no one else we'd trust with something like this, Arrow."

"I'm pretty sure the Skald King would have little to no room to talk," Brenda interjected bluntly. "I know he had you young, and he never talks about your mother. I'm inclined to believe it's entirely possible you were also conceived out of wedlock, Prince."

Lyris managed to turn her laugh into a cough at the last possible moment, while Svana’s face went back and forth between looking absolutely stunned and highly amused.

Irnskar shrugged. "The possibility has crossed my mind, I must admit. But- that's for another day."

Svana added, "I know we're asking a lot of you. You're the hero of Solitude, after all. But..." Her fingers tightened their grip on the Prince's hand. "I still have to help rebuild the city. And Irnskar hasn't been formally crowned yet- I have. It would be improper for us to get married right now."

Brenda hummed as she let Svana's words sink in. Old traditions die hard, and she probably picked that idea up from Svargrim and Gerhyld. Even though they were technically adults- she in her nineteenth winter and Irnskar in his twenty-first - they were still young. Inexperienced.

It was incredibly mature and responsible for them to reach out to her, Brenda realized.

But in all honesty, could she do any better at raising a child? Or worse? She was a battle-hardened soldier; a Hero to some, a savior to others. An absolute nightmare to those who crossed her. She had seen some horrors she hoped these two would never even imagine, let alone experience.

"I... I would have to think on it. Not that I'm not flattered, I'm- very honored you asked me!" Brenda quickly tried to soften the blow. "Just... did not see that coming."

Svana laughed at Brenda's flustered response. "It's quite alright, Hero. Irnskar and I understand. And like I said, it's a lot to ask of you. If you need some time to think it over, feel free."

~*~

"So... Are you going to do it? Take in the kid, I mean?"

Brenda sighed. "Naryu it hasn't even been twenty minutes since I got back." She loudly guzzled a swig of her stout.

The dainty Dunmer woman, currently lolling on the inn room couch, rested her chin on her arms. Her cheek pushed up a bit when she fully relaxed. "Yes, and you've been staring into your mug ever since. One might think it's a tragic love letter."

"Shor's Bones, woman! I just... I'm still trying to sort out what happened. People ask me for favors all the time... I never thought someone would ask me a favor like this."

"Why not? You're already a role model, being the Hero of the Pact and all," Naryu pointed out.

Brenda gave her a bemused, level look. "The Hero of the Pact who happens to be spoken for by a Dark Elf. A Dark Elf assassin, might I add."

"Never said you were a great role model, love."

A tired, heavy sigh took nearly all the air out of Brenda's chest. "In all honesty... Divines grant me patience," she muttered as she rubbed her eyes, "I probably will. Kid didn't ask for this... I couldn't be any worse than Svana and Irnskar. Maybe this is a sign I should take a break from adventuring." As if on cue, an old sword wound on her hip started to ache.

Her Darling wordlessly shifted positions, giving Brenda a chance to speak her thoughts. Another sip of stout.

"I assure you I'm not drunk. Yet. I'm simply trying to..."

"In a bit of shock?"

"...Yes. Very much. Does it still count as a bastard child when one parent is about to be crowned? Like will be soon?"

"Yes. Yes it does," Naryu stifled a chuckle. "Though, I have a question for you now, dear; there's a Temple to the Divines in Solitude, right?"

Brenda thought for a moment. "Aye, I believe so. Why?"

"Couldn't Svana and Irnskar just go to the Temple with Mara's shrine to get hitched? Deal with a royal wedding later?"

[madam-whim]

Here’s a little thing for @craftygamerkm1714 that I promised to write ages ago but only managed to finish now so it kind of ended up as a christmas gift! I hope you like it!!

***

It’s late when the Vestige returns from their latest trip to Dragon Bridge. Fennorian looks up from where he’s sitting, still trying to write a letter to his sisters that includes all the relevant information about their … exarch situation. He has to word it very carefully, he knows – it needs to explain to them the urgency of the matter without pushing them toward an immediate and most likely poorly planned-out reaction. His sisters can be like that, especially Gwendis and especially if it is a matter possibly involving Verandis.

Not that the Vestige is any better, Fennorian thinks. He doesn’t believe they’ve really slept since they found Rada’s journal, the one listing all of the Ashen Lord’s companions. It might have been a lucky find, had it not been for the thirteenth exarch. He remains unnamed, but both the Vestige and Fennorian immediately thought of Verandis, who rarely spoke of his past, and if he did, he seemed sad and distant, as if missing someone. With Verandis having been just as old and most likely nearly as powerful as Rada, it cannot be a coincidence. And now Rada wants revenge for some perceived betrayal.

Whatever it is that Verandis has or perhaps hasn’t done to him, they can’t let the Ashen Lord get his hands on him. They all love him dearly, and so the last few days have been filled with research and attempts to contact anyone who might know more about the Gray Host, or how one might locate someone lost in Coldharbour.

Gabrielle, the Vestige’s mage friend, has offered them a room in the Antiquarian Circle’s guild hall and access to its library and the Mages Guild’s both, and is helping them search for clues. She’s all too familiar with their situation, she’s told him when they’d been introduced, and she knows how it feels, grasping at straws, hoping to find a way of freeing a loved one from a Daedric realm. The Vestige’s eyes had turned just as sad as Gabrielle’s when she’d said it. There’s a story there, Fennorian knows, but he doesn’t ask, only thanks the mage for her help. It’s a difficult topic to discuss at best, and he does not want to reopen wounds that have never really healed.

“Learned anything?” asks Lyris, who, despite claiming to have important business to take care of, is still here, helping them search for answers.

“Nothing useful, but maybe next time,” the Vestige replies, clearly tired from their journey, though they do their best to appear as cheerful as usual. Their perpetual optimism is one of the things that Fennorian loves most about them, but he would never want them to feel obligated to keep it up for someone else’s sake.

“When did you last sleep?” Gabrielle inquires, apparently concerned as well. Lyris, standing beside her holding an old, heavy tome, seems ready to hit the Vestige over the head with said volume if she doesn’t like their answer, if only so they’ll finally rest.

“Oh, I got a few hours in earlier,” the Vestige replies, though their friends don’t look convinced. “What? I don’t need to sleep that much anyway, Daedric body and all that!”

“You still need to give yourself time to process all of this,” Fennorian cuts in, as gently as possible, “Believe me, I know.”

He’s still not fully worked through everything that happened with Tzinghalis himself. There will be time for that later, he supposes. He doesn’t voice that thought, though – he’d only be contradicting himself, and besides, the Vestige would likely tell him to rest if they had any hope of him actually doing it. It’s always easier, he thinks, to disregard one’s own needs than those of the people one holds dear. This is why he knows the Vestige won’t rest, after all – not until Verandis is found and they’ve done everything they can to protect him from Rada’s wrath.

They’ve already grabbed another book and are skimming through it, one about Empress Hestr. At this point, they pick up anything even remotely related to the Gray Host in hopes of finding more information about them – possible hideouts, strategies, anything that might be of use. It’s becoming apparent though that there’s not much to be learned, not from that book at least, and the Vestige’s face falls again like it always does when they hit a dead end, in that small way they never want anyone to notice.

It’s not like Fennorian doesn’t understand. Feeling useless is horrible, and they are all running out of ideas. He wracks his brain, trying to come up with something for his dear friend to occupy themselves with while they start pacing restlessly, and after what feels like ages, something finally occurs to him – something they really should have thought of already.

“Has anyone gone through Svargrim’s correspondence yet?” he asks. “We know Rada al-Saran likes to communicate via letter. Perhaps he or one of the others have written to the High King, and if so, perhaps we can use that.”

It should have been obvious, really, but with Svargrim dead, none of them had paid to the king any longer, except for Svana, and she’s too busy working out a deal with Jorunn to do much else at present. From the way Gabrielle, Lyris and the Vestige stare at him, he deduces that they hadn’t thought of it either.

“I’ll get right on that!” the Vestige announces then, the grin returning to their face. Even if it is still a bit tired, it’s a much better look on them than before.

Lyris puts down her tome as well. “I’ll tag along,” she decides, “I’m not good with all those historical texts anyway. No idea why we didn’t start with going through Svargrims things in the first place.”

Gabrielle merely shrugs. The Vestige steps closer to Fennorian.

“You’re a genius, you know that?” they say softly, still smiling.

And then they bend down and kiss him.

Fennorian doesn’t jump at the contact, brief – and entirely unexpected, but not at all unwanted – as it is, but it’s a close call. Instead, his body decides to simply freeze in place as the Vestige skips through the door and disappears from view before he has the chance to react, Lyris following right behind.

He’s … not completely sure what prompted the Vestige to do this, really. They’ve certainly grown close over the last weeks, yes, and Fennorian can’t deny that, well, he wouldn’t mind being kissed by the Vestige on a regular basis. It’s just that he had no idea they even considered that a possibility, but here they are …

“So, I’m assuming that is a new development, then?” Gabrielle asks, startling him out of his thoughts. “You’re ruining your letter, by the way.”

She’s right, he notices, because of course he managed to freeze with his hand – the one still holding the quill – above the parchment. Some of the ink has already stained the letter. He’ll have to start over, but then again, it wasn’t any good to begin with. “Right. Thank you,” he chokes out. “Gabrielle? Do you think they … meant to do that?”

Because if they didn’t, Fennorian needs to know now, before he does something monumentally stupid, like falling irrevocably in love with someone who didn’t even really mean to kiss him in the first place. He’s half in love already as it is, probably has been since they stepped between him and Shelaria without a second thought, and that would be bad enough on its own.

Gabrielle considers his question for a moment, but just as she starts to reply, there’s a rather undignified squeak coming from outside the door, followed immediately by the sound of Lyris trying not to suffocate from laughing too hard. Gabrielle chuckles at that. “Probably not, judging from that,” she says, “but I wouldn’t worry. They definitely wanted to.”

“That’s … good. Yes. Good,” Fennorian says, unable to keep himself from smiling.

“Promise to talk to them about it, yes?” Gabrielle asks. “Preferably before they run off and disappear for weeks out of embarrassment.”

Fennorian nods, “Of course I will!”

Once he wraps his mind around the fact that for some unfathomable reason, the Vestige seems to care for him, maybe even as much as he cares for them.

“I promise.”