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 XVI – What Lies Ahead


A full day came and went before there was any sign of arousal from either Cain or Serana. They both lay unconscious in the palace infirmary while figures bustled about, periodically checking on them and otherwise waiting patiently for one of them to stir. It was nearly evening-time when Cain woke up to the sound of low voices from somewhere nearby. He was still pretty groggy, but it was easy to parse out his visitors: Anska and Lydia were both recounting the event to someone else whom he hadn’t heard speak yet. Curious as to who it could be, he feigned unconsciousness until he at last recognized the voice of Kyne. Surprised that she was there at all, Cain pushed himself up to a sitting position and looked around for a glass of water that unfortunately wasn’t there.

All three women immediately rushed over to see how he was doing but he held up a hand before they could start peppering him with questions, or chastising his reckless diagnosis. “Water, please,” he begged, his voice hoarse from the damage wrought on his throat by the concentrated poison.
Lydia grabbed a tankard of water from a nearby table and handed it to Cain, who drank deeply. The water soothed the dryness, but he guessed that he might sound a little raspy for a few days.

“That’s better, thank you, mum. How’s Serana?”

“She’s fine, sweetie. Still asleep, but she’s not in any danger. How are you-“

“Cain, what the [censored] possessed you to do something so reckless!?” Anska cut in. “You could have both died for naught! Do you realize how terrified I was when Lydia came to tell me what had happened last night?”

He looked at her in surprise for the barest of a second. The worry in her eyes was plain and he knew at once that she wasn’t chastising him for saving his sister, just that she already cared deeply for him and likely worried frantically. It had been a reckless thing to do, but he couldn’t have stood idly by and watched Serana perish in that horrible of a manner.

“I couldn’t let her die, Anska. Not when there was still a slim chance on the table. I trusted Sybille and my family to save us and they did. What more needs to be said?”

“Yeah, but… No, you’re right,” she sighed. “I’m sorry, that was selfish of me. I understand why you did it and I’m glad you were able to save Serana. For all our sakes and especially Linneá’s. She’s very grateful, you know. Even if she couldn’t be here when you finally woke up.” She leaned over the bed and kissed him while a relieved Kyne and Lydia watched from behind them. After their lips parted, Anska took a step back and apologized to Lydia. “Sorry for cutting you off, ma’am. Sometimes my temper gets the best of me.”

“Don’t worry about it, dear. And please stop calling me ‘ma’am’.” Stepping forward, she approached Cain’s bedside and placed a hand on his shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

“My throat is killing me but I’m fine otherwise. I’m sure it’s scorched and it will probably heal in a couple of days. Nothing to fret over. Did Serana’s knife wound heal over cleanly?”

This time it was Kyne who spoke next: “Serana is fine, Cain, you don’t have to worry about her any longer. That was a very brave thing you did for her and the two of you can talk about it when she wakes up. I’m just glad you’re safe. And about that sore throat…”

The goddess stooped over the bed and waved her hand over his neck, barely contacting Cain’s skin. A warm feeling flooded through him and with a few seconds he felt all the dull, itching pain in his throat dissipate entirely. Smiling gratefully up at her, he couldn’t help but be in awe of having such a powerful being so close to him in life.

“Better?” she asked him.

“Much better,” said Cain. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking though… How are you here? With so many prying eyes about? I never I’d see you in the palace like this.”

“I’ll make an exception when I hear that two of my children almost died,” replied Kyne. “Your parents aren’t terribly excited about my being here, but I’ve arranged things so that we can’t be seen or heard. I’m glad you acted quickly in that situation – even if it was in a very dangerous way. Serana is very dear to me and the thought of her dying so young is too much to bear.”

Kyne backed away from the bed with a nod and allowed Anska to sit down on the edge of it instead. She kissed him again before climbing all the way in with him and laying her head on his broad chest. Cain absentmindedly ran his fingers idly through her hair while his thoughts started to dwell on the attack itself. He knew the Morag Tong wouldn’t do anything like that without being hired, which only left more unanswered questions. Then he remembered where he and Anska were supposed to be today…

“Damn it, we should be in Stonehills right now,” he said.

“Don’t worry about it, lunkhead,” giggled Anska. “You’ll be on your feet again tomorrow. It can wait another day. I’m just happy you are still here with me.”

“She’s right, Cain,” said Lydia. “You’ll have plenty of time for that later. Rest up tonight and I’ll visit you again in the morning.” She turned to the goddess: “Will you be staying much longer? Kirin and I would love to have you around a bit longer.”

“I can’t, dear. It’s too risky. I’ll head back to the Estate for now.”

They hugged each other and said goodbye to Cain and Anska, leaving them alone with a still unconscious Serana in the other bed. And then a small noise startled him, but he was pleased to realize it was just a gentle snore from his sister. Knowing she’d come around eventually, Cain was content to doze back off with Anska in his arms.

He woke up alone later in the night and figured that Anska had gone back to her room where she could sleep more comfortably knowing he was alright. A small flicker of light caught his eye and he looked over at Serana’s bed to see her sitting up and reading a book by candlelight while Linneá slept with her head in her wife’s lap. His sister-in-law smiled at him and raised a finger to her lips. Cain nodded once and then rose from his bed to go be with her, trying his best to be quiet in the still infirmary. He sat down in a chair next to Serana’s bed and spoke to her, his voice barely above a whisper.

“How are you feeling, sis?”

“I’ll be alright, Cain,” answered Serana. “Linneá told me what you did for me… I don’t even know how to begin to thank you…”

“You don’t have to. We’re family and we have to look out for each other, right? Besides, I couldn’t stand to see you or Linn that way.”

“But to ingest that poison after seeing what it was doing to me? Of all the ways to diagnose something like that-“

“Hey, it’s in the past now,” said Cain. “We’re both alive and healthy, so let’s just try to move on, yeah?” She sighed, and then smiled in agreement. “You know, it’s kind of funny,” continued Cain, “Just before it all happened, I was telling myself that I should get to know you better. We haven’t had a chance to really talk a lot with everything that’s been going on. Who knew I’d be drinking your blood only a few minutes later!”

“Gross,” laughed Serana. “And just be glad it’s not vampire blood anymore. It’s nice that you wanted to connect more though, but I doubt we’ll get the time right now. Word is, dad’s furious about the attack and that he might be sending you and Anska to Blacklight with us. My guess is he’s gonna have you two looking into it while we are negotiating the treaty.”

“Morrowind? Might be a tough sell for Anska. Solitude and Whiterun are the furthest she’s ever been from home.”

“I don’t think she’ll say no to a request from the king. And she’ll have you, brother. Just be strong for her.” Linneá wiggled a little bit in her lap before resuming her deep slumber. “We should both go back to sleep. I don’t want to wake her up either.”

Cain agreed with her, and gave Serana quick hug ahead of sneaking back over to his own bed. Once he got back under the warm blankets, sleep overtook him in moments. He slept peacefully for the remainder of the night but still awoke before dawn had truly arrived. Slipping on his shoes, he crept silently from the infirmary and made his way to the kitchens in search of an early meal for his empty stomach. Some of the palace staff were already awake, baking fresh loaves of bread, and stirring large pots of porridges and oatmeal in preparation for the new day and they were happy to set him up with a full plate of food.

He left the kitchen in search of a place to sit and eat and to his surprise the first door Cain opened led to a small study with a table and four chairs. Even more surprising was that Kirin sat there too, reading over a few scrolls of parchment while he ate.

His father glanced up when he saw the door open and smiled broadly. “Cain! I’m glad to see you are up and about already! Hungry, I take it?”

“Very,” said Cain. He took a seat next to his father and peeked at the paperwork. “Anything interesting in there?”

“Nah. Never is. Mornings are for clerical work and all the juicy stuff is brought to my private study later in the day. How’s Serana? Did she wake up yet?”

“Aye, she was up late last night. We chatted for a minute, but Linn was sleeping in her lap and she didn’t want to wake her.”

“Linneá came back again?” asked Kirin. “Guess I should have known. It took some convincing to get her back to Blacklight without Serana. But there was nothing more she could do for her. Was she still there this morning?”

“Yeah, they were both crammed into that tiny bed. Dunno how either of them could sleep like that.”

“Trust me when I say that those two will never think they are close enough,” laughed Kirin. “I think they would blend themselves into one person if they could.”

“Now, there is an odd thing to imagine,” said Cain, smiling at the thought of it. “It is endearing how much they love each other though. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.” He took a few minutes to eat some of his fruit and drink a few sips of coffee before mentioning to his dad about what Serana had said last night. “Can I ask you something, da?”

“Always.”

“Serana said you might be sending Anska and I to Blacklight. Is that true?”

Kirin set down the scroll he was reading and sighed. It never ceased to amaze him how much his daughter seemed to know so much about things that were supposed to be kept quiet. He often wondered if someone in his court was on her good side, but in reality, he chalked it up to her political acumen from several thousand years of being in a vampire court. She just always seemed to have her finger on the right pulse.

“It is true,” said Kirin. “Normally, I would write it off as an occupational hazard for someone in our positions, but I take exception to members of my family nearly being murdered. And the Morag Tong especially are known for taking contracts that target any outsiders, so I’d very much like to know who ordered the attack.” He paused to get up and shut the door. Once he sat back down, Kirin leaned in closer to his son. “Keep this quiet, but it wasn’t the only attempt we learned of. Our own agents also thwarted attacks on you and I before they could be put into action. So, yes, I would very much like you to try and get to the bottom of all this. I had intended to send you back to Cyrodiil for something a bit smaller, but that can be handled by others. This takes priority.”

That was a lot for Cain to take in. To be targeted so soon after his arrival and only within a few days of discovering his new family put him on edge. And he was certain that Anska would take some convincing, even if he wanted her to go at all. He wondered how fair it was to get her involved in something so dangerous when they had only just started courting one another. Granted, she could handle herself, but it still made him feel uneasy.

It must have been written all over his face, too, because his father noticed right away. “What is it, son?”

“I, uh… I don’t know if I can ask Anska to go with me. She’s so new to all of this and we only just started dating. I’m not sure I can bring myself to put her in such peril. It doesn’t feel fair to her.”

“Hm. Can I give you some advice?” asked Kirin. Once Cain nodded in agreement, he went on: “Let her make that decision. Don’t make it for her. I can tell that Anska is tough and I’m sure you know it, too. If you want to be fair about it, just tell her plainly what’s involved. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the answer she gives you.”

They went back to eating their breakfast and moved on to lighter topics of conversation while the sun began to rise outside. After about an hour, Cain excused himself and headed back to the infirmary to check on Serana. Lost in thought about the journey ahead of him, he didn’t hear the voices coming from the infirmary until he set foot inside the door. The next thing he saw was a dark blur throwing itself into him and squeezing him far too tightly.

“There you are brother!” Linneá half shouted, her arms wrapped firmly around his torso. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you for saving her! I don’t what I would have done if you hadn’t been there!” She started crying into his tunic, and he patted her gently on the back.

“Relax, Linn, I would have done it for any of you. I know it’s only been a few days since I got here, but… I love you all so much already. You’ve made it easy to do so.”