The Dragonborn’s Tale 23 – Cleansing the Stones

Selene and Brynjolf spent the night in the Greathall as guests of Fanari Strong-Voice. A few of the villagers came in to introduce themselves, thank Selene and Brynjolf, and hear their story. They were fascinated with the Dragonborn and her defeat of Alduin, as well as the quest she and Brynjolf were currently on. The Skaal were unlike any Nords Selene had ever met. Frea had talked about how they lived with the land instead of from it, and talking with the others, Selene finally began to understand what she had meant. They took only what they needed from the land and gave back whenever they could. They were as likely to plant a tree as to cut one down, and they made a point of thanking the All-Maker for everything they consumed, even water.

The Dragonborn’s Tale 22 – Back on the Job

When they returned to Raven Rock the next afternoon, the town was all but deserted. One lonely guard patrolled the town square, and he didn’t have much to say; he didn’t know what was going on, but he was determined not to let it keep him from his duty. Selene and Brynjolf went into the Retching Netch, but it was also empty. They made themselves at home anyway, settling into the room with the big bed and grabbing drinks—wine for Brynjolf, tea for Selene—from the bar. They relaxed for a couple of hours, making a point not to sleep, at least until they had visited the shrine of Kynareth, and had some cheese and dried meat (and a very large sweetroll for Selene) before heading out again. Sure enough, they found pretty much the entire town at the Earth Stone, working on the temple.

My First Fan Art!

This is STORMBLADE by PallyGecko on deviantART. I’ve never had fan art done for me before, and I’m very excited! Check out the original deviation here: http://pallygecko.deviantart.com/art/STORMBLADE-376248106 and his main dA page here: http://pallygecko.deviantart.com/

The Dragonborn’s Tale 21 – A Good Fight

Selene awoke with a small bouquet of wildflowers in her hand, and she smiled and held them close to her heart. If not for the occasional gifties from Kynareth’s world, she might have thought the visits were only dreams. But as she placed the flowers on the nightstand and felt the light fluttering in her belly, she realized it was no dream. It was real, and so were the baby’s movements.

The Dragonborn’s Tale 20 – Miscarriage

The torture seemed to last forever, and Selene finally blacked out. She woke up lying on the floor in Miraak’s temple with her head in Brynjolf’s lap. The pain in her abdomen wasn’t as bad, but there was definite cramping, and her back hurt. It also felt like she was lying in water.

But it wasn’t water, and she knew it without even having to look down. It was blood. She reached up, wrapped her arms around Brynjolf’s neck, and began to cry. “Bryn, I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have gone.”

The Dragonborn’s Tale 19 – Miraak

Selene lay very still, silent so as not to wake Brynjolf, with her hand on her stomach, waiting. She had awakened to a fluttering in her belly that hadn’t felt like a normal hunger pang, and she was convinced she had felt the baby moving. Brynjolf stirred an hour later, sat up in his bedroll and rubbed his eyes.

“Morning,” he said sleepily.

“Morning.”

The Dragonborn’s Tale 18 – Into Darkness (Updated)

A/N: A friend on deviantART mentioned that my Lurker died a bit too easily, so I did some research, and boy was he right! I’ve redone the fight scene with the Lurker to make it a bit more realistic.

Selene and Brynjolf spent the morning in Raven Rock, getting to know the vendors and some of the other townspeople, most of them Dunmer. Although getting to Miraak’s temple was urgent, they weren’t ready to rush right in, either. They wanted to ask some more questions and basically get a feel for the island before venturing off into uncharted territory. As expected, everyone they spoke to had the same reaction as Glover and Adril when asked about Miraak, although some did mention the temple at the center of the island.