Season Unending, The Children of Kyne, Vol. III Options

[Kane]

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Content warning: this story should be considered 18+. Sexual content is present, but never described, and I don't shy away from foul language (though it seems to be censored). There is also darker content further in regarding sexual assault.

Prologue
It could be said that Skyrim was a cold, harsh land, unforgiving to outsiders and barely tolerant of anyone but a true Nord. Fortunately, those times have passed, and the sun shines brightly upon a healing landscape. The scars of civil war and dragon crises fading to memory as a new High King and his court sought to pull the land up from the depths of a crumbling Empire. An Empire in name only, its once powerful alliance spanning the entirety of Tamriel, now relegated to Cyrodiil (or the Heartland, as the Nibenese and Colovian nobles preferred to call it), High Rock, and, of course, Skyrim.

But now Skyrim stood to rise above the rest, and usher in a new era for a floundering society that still scurried from the inevitable boot of the Aldmeri Dominion. Hope began to inflame the hearts of men, for the Dragonborn King was rumored to be setting his sights upon the Ruby Throne, and the weak Mede Dynasty that occupied it. From his palace in Solitude, forces were directed and diplomats dispatched as the pawns of war moved slowly but surely. The Dominion was forced out of Skyrim with an ultimatum, and the land was finally back under the full rule of the Nords, as it ought to be.

The year is Two Hundred Twenty-nine of the Fourth Era, and the gears of war have started to turn, as the land braces itself for the Second Great War that was always to come. It was also the year that a mid-level member of the Anvil chapter of the Fighter’s Guild was loaned to the storied Companions of Jorrvaskr, in the city of Whiterun. This talented young warrior of Redguard descent suddenly found himself sailing to a strange land and leaving behind the only home he ever knew. Little remained for him in Anvil after the passing of his mother, so he looked forward to a new chapter of his life, far from the painful memories of home.

The first mate, a stout Imperial named Janius, approached the young Redguard with a roll of parchment and a quill. “Name?”

“Cain. No surname.”

“No surname?” inquired the First Mate. “How can that be, young man? I have it here that you were born and raised in Anvil, and joined the Fighter’s Guild when you came of age. Your mother is listed as Ariessa Janeel, also of Anvil. Do you not share her name?”

“In the absence of my father, she did not bestow it upon me.”

“Bastard then, eh? Unfortunate, but I see it all the time. What is your business in Skyrim?”

“On loan to The Companions. For what reason I do not yet know, but I will follow my orders from the guild and my future employers.”

“An honorable attitude for a young warrior, mister Cain. It’s a long voyage to the port of Solitude, so all we ask is that you remain civil and pitch in a helping hand when required.”

Cain nodded and the first mate moved on to speak with a different passenger. It was indeed a long voyage, filled with many sleepless nights while the ship bobbed and rocked on the choppy waters of the sea. The occasional storm would blow in and everyone from the captain to the lowest deckhands were grim-faced and determined as they struggled to keep the passengers safe from the onslaught of high waves and powerful winds. Nearly a full month passed before they sailed beneath the great arch of Solitude and nestled the ship into the port. All hands helped to moor the ship before the passengers eagerly disembarked in a new land.

A tall Dunmer man of middle years stood in wait on the pier, clad in worn hide armors with a longsword slung across his back. Years of experience lined his weathered face, eyes deep set and wary as he scanned the faces off all those who set foot off of the ship. When Cain approached the man, he flagged the Redguard down and directed him off to the side.

“You must be Cain,” he said. “Fresh from Anvil, yes? My name is Athis and I’ve been sent by our Harbinger to retrieve you. The Companions welcome your aid, but we have a long journey to Whiterun yet. Ordinarily I would accompany you south on foot, but we are already short-handed and will be taking a carriage.”

“Nice to meet you, Athis. Lead the way �" this is a strange land for me and I defer to your judgement.”

They shook hands and departed the port at a quick trot. A carriage sat in wait along the road to the capital city, and soon after Athis handed the driver a bag of Septims, the were trundling along the road to Dragon Bridge, headed for the southern road to Whiterun Hold and Jorrvaskr �" the legendary mead hall of The Companions. Despite being in an unfamiliar land, Cain found himself excited at the prospect of these new horizons and the change of pace from the last few months of misery that followed the death of his mother. He bowed his in prayer for her before striking up a conversation with Athis.

“So, what’s it like being in The Companions?” he asked. “Are things much different from the Fighter’s Guild?”

“Oh yes, quite different. Every man or woman in The Companions is their own. We have no leaders, just a Harbinger who is wise in counsel and offers a guiding hand. There are no ranks to elevate to and no coveted positions to fight for. We take the jobs we must and your shield-siblings will be ready to stand with you. Honor is valued above all else.”

“Interesting. I must admit, the lack of politics seems hard to believe. Everything is so much about rank and station in the guild that often times our true purpose is forgotten when the infighting picks up. Jobs go unanswered in the chaos and brawls turn deadly over simple differences of opinion. I might end up staying here for a long time if life is to be more peaceful in that regard.”

Athis chuckled. “While we do strive to rise above such petty squabbles, you’ll soon find that Jorrvaskr is anything but peaceful. However, our brawls usually end with hearty pats on the back and consuming copious amounts of mead, rather than misery and death!”

“Sounds like a dream come true, Athis.”

“That’s a very Nordic attitude, young one. Are you sure you’re a Redguard?”

“The color of my skin betrays that,” laughed Cain. “But who knows, maybe my father was a Nord, whoever he may be.”

The Dunmer smiled and their conversation moved onto other topics. Athis went over the finer points of The Companions with him and eventually moved onto the current political climate and powers that be in Skyrim. Cain listened with rapt attention, absorbing all the he could to avoid any run-ins with local laws and to avoid misunderstandings, no matter how small they could be. Just as the sun began to set, the carriage pulled into a small village and ground to a halt. Orthar, the driver, dismounted and told them they would continue on in the morning. Cain and Athis hopped down from the wagon and followed him into the local tavern, the Frostfruit Inn.

“This is the village of Rorikstead,” said Athis. “A fine place to spend the night. Grab us some mead and I’ll see about getting a meal. No sense in sleeping on an empty stomach.”

He left the inn as Cain was ordering a few pints of mead and a loaf of bread to munch on. Experience had taught the young man never to consume spirits on an empty stomach, and so he found a table off to the side and chewed on the crusty loaf while he awaited Athis’ return. Ten minutes later, his fellow Companion reentered the tavern with a basket of fruit in one hand and a bundle of skewered meats in the other. They ate and drank their fill while continuing to discuss the ins and outs of Jorrvaskr well into the night.

Dawn brought forth cloudy skies and the smell of rain upon the air as the carriage rumbled off onto the road, resuming their journey to Whiterun. By late afternoon, the two men were approaching the gates of the tundra city, and making their way through the bustling marketplace. They passed the local tavern and ascended a flight of stairs whereupon Cain was greeted with a breathtaking sight �" the Gildegreen was in full bloom before his eyes and the immense beauty of the towering tree froze him in his tracks as the wind gently whistled through its branches.

“Aye, a sight to see, eh?” remarked Athis. “Little matches the serene beauty of our mighty tree, blessed by the Goddess Kyne herself. That’s her temple there and the priestess' maintain the tree and those who seek her guidance within.”

“It’s amazing,” sighed Cain. “There is nothing quite as lovely in all of Cyrodiil.”

“Yeah, well, the Imperials already think too highly of themselves. Divines know they don’t deserve such a wonderful symbol as our Gildegreen. Let’s move on now �" Jorrvaskr is just over there.”

Continuing on, Cain and Athis soon stepped through the solid wood doors of the legendary mead hall and were met with the raucous din of the main dining area where shield siblings dined heartily and drank merrily, roaring with laughter and swapping exaggerated stories of their noble deeds. Athis steered him through the hall and down a small flight of stairs to a much quieter living area, with bedrooms lining the underground corridor. The walls were adorned with centuries of decorations ranging from trophy kills to impressive weapons to woven tapestries and ancient, tattered flags. At the far end of the hall two men sat around a small table and were deep in conversation, only noticing their approach at the last minute.

The smaller of the two large men rose to greet them. “Athis, I see you’ve returned with our new shield-brother!” He turned to the Redguard and offered a hand for Cain to shake. “Cain, yes? Welcome to Jorrvaskr! I’m Vilkas, Harbinger of The Companions, and the silent one here is my brother Farkas. He may look intimidating but I promise he is more bark than bite!” Vilkas roared with laughter and sat back down as Farkas greeted Cain.

“Pleasure to meet you, brother,” rumbled the towering Nord. He sat back down and resumed his stony silence while Vilkas spoke again.

“No trouble, then, Athis?”

“None at all. The land seems quiet for a change.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that. But it’s getting late now �" you two head upstairs and eat. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow!”

Athis and Cain took their leave of the Harbinger, and his silent brother, and headed back to the dining hall for a good meal and plenty of mead. All in all, Cain was looking forward to being counted among the ranks of such proud, jovial warriors. Jorrvaskr was everything the Fighters Guild was not, and his mind was made up in short order �" tomorrow he would pen a letter to his chapter leader and tender his resignation. But the night was still relatively young, and after stowing what little gear he had under a vacant bed, Cain met Athis upstairs in the great hall.

They ate, drank, and sang well into the night as Cain made the rounds and was introduced to his shield-siblings. More than a few were young like him, and he could not help but eye up some of the female warriors among the ranks, especially Thea, a tall blonde Nord that shared the same birthyear as Cain. He lingered next to her the longest and was in awe at how much mead she could knock back with the rest of the burly men seated around Jorrvaskr. By midnight the two of them had slid out the back door and were getting to know each other better in the moonlit gardens.

The next day came earlier than Cain, still sleeping off the merriment and escapades from the night before, had expected it to. Farkas strode into his room just after sunrise and threw a dossier at him before barking out the Redguard’s first orders.

“Read that and then come find me in the mead hall. You’re heading to Falkreath today and we need to find you a shield-sibling to watch your back, and see what you can do. Don’t tarry, it’s a long walk to Falkreath and the sun is already up.”

Cain sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before leaving his warm bed and heading for the bathroom. He checked himself in the mirror before leaving and sighed at the long scratches Thea had left on the side of his face. Farkas had likely noticed them, too, but it was probably nothing new to the seasoned Companion. He splashed some water on his faced, headed back to general quarters, got dressed, and went upstairs for his first assignment.

This post has been edited by Kane: May 6 2025, 01:14 PM

[Kane]

Chapter X - Moving Forward

For the first time in many months, Cain slept peacefully. He wasn’t sure if being tucked deep within what was likely the safest place in Skyrim (or all of Tamriel for that matter) had something to do with it, but the moment his head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep, dreamless slumber. It was almost midday when he finally woke up, and even that was only due to a small knock at the door to his quarters. Sitting up in bed, he rubbed his eyes, got up and went to see who it was. The door creaked slightly while opening, and Cain found himself looking into the warm brown eyes of Anska.

“Hey,” she began, blushing at the shirtless Redguard, “I-I, uh, wanted to see if you’d join me for lunch? I didn’t sleep very well last night, but I still managed to miss breakfast somehow, and now I’m starving. Join me in finding a bite to eat?”

“Love to,” Cain smiled. “Let me grab a shirt and see if there is something other than my boots in one of these wardrobes. Come on in, should only take a minute.” He began to rummage through the furniture in the room while Anska entered and took a seat on the edge of his bed. Digging through a small chest of drawers, he finally happened upon a pair of soft loafers that were about the right size. He turned to sit down in a chair and caught Anska staring at him. “Everything alright, miss?”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” she said. “Sorry. It’s just that you never did put on a shirt and it was... very distracting.”

“Gimme a sec and I’ll throw my tunic on.” Grabbing the crumpled shirt from the floor, Cain pulled it over his head and then sat down next to her on the bed. “How are you holding up, Anska? I overheard Serana last night and she was talking about you being found in the snow outside of Stonehills...”

Anska looked away for few seconds. Cain could tell she was unwilling to speak any more about it, but he also knew from his own experiences that it couldn’t be kept bottled up. With a heavy sigh, she dried her eyes and turned to look at him again, this time with a different look on her face. He recognized the smallest glimmer of hope that rested there, amid the anguish over her lost home.

“I wanted to die,” said Anska, bluntly. “Everything I knew was gone. I had no one left, and before even that I had turned down the only person I’d met in many years who was kind to me, all because I was too scared to leave my home. I laid down in front of the smoldering remains of the tavern and wept until the tears froze to my face. If I wasn’t a Nord, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here right now. And then the wizard showed up. I didn’t even see her coming �" it was as if she simply appeared out of thin air and then she started looking around. Nearly tripped over me, half buried in the cold snow.”

Neither of them said anything for a few minutes. Cain could tell last night that Anska had been hurting, but he didn’t realize how badly it truly was for her. She was lucky Sybille had found her out there, and Cain was immensely grateful she hadn’t perished, and that they were together again; even if the circumstances were terrible. And overwhelming.

“I’m glad she found you, Anska, and I’m glad you’re here with us. At least we got our revenge on that dragon, even if we didn’t know it at the time...”

“It’s a small consolation,” nodded Anska. “But, I’ll take it.” Taking a moment to wipe her eyes again, she stopped speaking and took several deep breaths to collect herself. “Look, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about...”

“Us?” asked Cain. Anska nodded and opened her mouth to continue, but he soldiered on, not ignorant to how somethings just weren’t that important after recent events. “Anska, don’t worry about rejecting me. I was disappointed, but your reasoning was sound, and with all that’s happened to the both of us, it’s understandable if you want to just be friends. I think we’ll both need someone to lean on in the coming days.”

Anska looked at him with a curious smile, and her brown eyes rolled so far back that he couldn’t help but laugh himself. “Cain...just shut up and kiss me.”

He didn’t hesitate to do so, his mind racing at how much his fortunes had turned. And how glad he was to have misread where Anska was going with all of that. They kissed for several seconds, lost in each other’s comfort, and for that little bit of time, the cares of the world seemed small and unimportant. When their lips parted, Anska leaned back and smiled at him again.

“I appreciate that you were trying to be the good person I know you are, but don’t be so thick next time,” grinned Anska. “Something tells me you didn’t realize how hard it was to turn you down before.”

“Well, no, but -”

“The circumstances that brought me here are terrible, I agree. But I’m not going to ignore the opportunity. And I’m going to need your comfort to get through this �" my home was just destroyed and I have no family left in this world.” Anska paused to dab at her eyes again. “Just ask yourself something first...are you sure you want me right now? I have nothing left, besides your unexpected presence, and it will take me a long time to get over all of this. I’ve never felt as low as I do right now...”

“Of course I do, Anska,” said Cain immediately. “We’ll get through it together and I will help you any way that I can. Even if you do feel that low, you will never be that to me.”

She put a hand on his face and smiled gratefully before kissing him again. This time their lips remained locked together for much longer and they were just about to lean back onto the bed when a small, polite cough came from the door that Anska had left open. They separated and looked towards the doorway, each of them blushing.

“When you lovebirds are ready,” said Linneá, a sly smile on her lips. “Lunch is about to be served upstairs. Unless, you’d rather snack on each other first, that is.”

Cain sighed. “Never thought I’d get walked in on by my sister so soon.”

“Serana says I have a knack for being exactly where I’m not supposed to be at any given time. She may be right, but it certainly does liven things up. Now, come on you two �" My wife and I are departing for Morrowind soon, and mum said you’d be talking to me about something, Cain? Let’s get a move on it.”

A few minutes later they were heading down the hall outside of Cain’s room, Linneá leading them upstairs to a private dining room near the study they had all been in the night before. They stepped into the room and sat down at a large wooden table where everyone save for the High King was already seated and helping themselves to the bountiful food and drink. Cain found himself seated between Anska and Lydia, speaking politely to the latter about his accommodations.

“The room was excellent, ma’am,” said Cain. “Much more posh than I am used to and I slept like a baby. I’d probably still be sleeping if Anska here hadn’t come to find me.” He paused to take a drink, and was about to ask Lydia about the walk she had mentioned when his new sister addressed him instead.

“What did you want to ask me today, brother? We really do have to leave soon, so I want to make sure I can help you if you need it. I know I come off as a goof sometimes, but you have no idea how excited I am about all of this �" just ask Serana. She’s been complaining about me bouncing off of the walls since yesterday!”

“That’s an understatement, Elle,” replied Serana. “I haven’t seen you this wound up since that time we visited Roscrea for what was certainly not a relaxing honeymoon.”

“Can you blame me?! Now, spit it out, Cain!”

“Um. We can wait if you’re too busy �" it’s not exactly a small matter...”

Lydia placed a calming hand on his shoulder and answered for him. “He wants to speak about what it means to be Dragonborn, Linn. It didn’t come up last night during our little get-together. As you can imagine, it’s probably a little overwhelming for Cain right now.”

“Oh,” said Linneá in surprise. “Yeah, I can see why you said it’s not a small matter.” She bit her lip thoughtfully, unsure of when or how they could unpack that particularly large bag. She was supposed to be part of the treaty delegation in Morrowind, but it was also unfair to make him wait for such a large facet of what he’d become. “Tell you what...meet me at Elysium tomorrow night. I’ll make some time to get away, and we can talk privately there, in the peace and quiet.”

“Elysium?” asked Cain. “Where the hell is that?”

“Our ancestral estate outside of Whiterun,” said Lydia. “It’s been empty for a few years, but your sister is right. You’ll be uninterrupted there, which is much less likely to be the case here in the palace.”

“I think I saw that house on my second day in Skyrim,” said Cain. “Anska and I will head there at dawn tomorrow.”

An odd silence fell between them after he spoke, and Cain was unsure why. Even Linneá seemed to have frozen up, which was a strange departure from her normally outgoing demeanor. Anska noticed it, too, and was just about to interject when Lydia cleared her throat.
“It may be best if you go alone, Cain. Elysium is a very...special place. You’ll be safe there but I can’t guarantee that you’ll be...alone.”

“Anska goes where I go,” he said, firmly.

Serana chuckled, drawing the attention to her instead. “You’re more like your sister than you realize, Cain. Stubborn to a fault and fiercely loyal to those you care about. I rather think it’s a familial trait, and one that binds us all more closely together than most outsiders realize.” She set down her glass and peered over the table at Lydia. “It’ll be better to get it over with quickly, mum �" I know that, er, she can be a lot to take in all at once, but it has to happen eventually.”

“I’m confused,” said Anska. “What �" or who �" are you all talking about?”

“Serana is right,” said Linneá. “I regretted not telling her sooner when it came to us. Oh, and I’m sorry, Anska, I didn’t mean to ignore you there. You will just have to wait and see.”

“Well...alright then,” replied Lydia. “I guess you two have a point.”

With the matter settled for the moment, everyone returned to their plates of food. Cain and Anska, starving from not having eaten for many hours, dug in eagerly and filled their plates three times before kicking back in their chairs and sighing wistfully. Linneá and Serana bade them goodbye and headed for their room to freshen up, leaving just Lydia in the company of the new arrivals. Something was nagging at Cain, and when he thought about meeting his sister outside of Whiterun tomorrow, it occurred to him what that something was.

“Can I ask you something, Lydia?”

“Certainly. What’s on your mind?”

“So, earlier today Anska and I were talking about Stonehills, and she mentioned your court wizard showing up there mysteriously...and just before, Linneá agreed to leave Morrowind tomorrow night and meet us at Elysium? How can you all possibly move around so quickly? I gather her and Serana are going to Blacklight? I get that that’s right over the border, but that would still take days or even weeks by carriage, right?”

“Ah,” she said. “That. It’s something we try to keep under wraps, so please don’t share it with anyone else, okay?” Lydia waited for both of them to agree, and continued on after they nodded in assent. “Linneá �" with some help �" mastered a lost magical art back when she was on her own. Mark and Recall.”

“Mark and Recall?” asked Cain. “Some kind of alteration spell?”

“I think it actually falls under mysticism. You’d have to ask her, I’m not at all magically inclined. Anyway, the gist of it is that you imbue an object to ‘mark’ it and with the recall aspect, you can teleport back from anywhere.”

Both Cain and Anska’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “And it’s instantaneous?”

“Mhmm,” said Lydia. “Very handy, as you can imagine. It’s how my daughters were able to be here at all last night. Their delegation was nearly to Blacklight already when everything happened yesterday.”

“Wow,” said Anska, a look of wonder on her face. “I never imagined magic could so such a thing. I wish now that I had looked into it more in my childhood.” She looked sideways at Cain. “You have some skill with restoration �" are you curious about learning the spell?”

“You do?” asked Lydia. “I didn’t know that about you, Cain. Linneá is very gifted and I can’t help but wonder if you could be, too. It must run on Kirin’s side...”

“Turn spells and healing are useful tools with all of the Ayleid ruins in Cyrodiil,” shrugged Cain. “However, I never had much interest beyond that. I have a natural talent with blades that outshines everything else.”

“Don’t be so modest,” Anska said. “I watched him slay a dragon priest, and then an actual dragon in short order, miss. Athis and I helped, but the way Cain’s sword moved through the air like a silver blur was...mesmerizing.”

“Interesting,” pondered Lydia. “I’d love to see you and Linn spar sometime. She’s no slouch with a sword herself.” She trailed off in thought for a moment before shaking her head and summoning the staff to clear the lunch table. “Now then, have you thought about what I said last night, Cain? Fancy a walk?” He nodded in agreement and she continued with a pleased smile. “I was hoping you’d say that. But I must insist it just be the two of us this time. Anska, please make yourself at home �" we will be back in a little while.”

This post has been edited by Kane: Jan 8 2025, 06:14 PM