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 XIX – Lifting the Veil


Cain and Anska sat in two new chairs that had been placed next to the very same ones Linneá and Serana had sat in not so long ago. All four of them now faced an empty desk while they waited for Archmaster Ulvon’s assistant to return with him. The minutes ticked on until Linneá started to grow bored of the wait, and flitted a brief thought towards her wife.

Serana shook her head once and slapped her on the leg. “Inappropriate, Elle. He would definitely notice if we did that on his desk, and I doubt Cain and Anska want to watch that anyway.”

Looking at the ornate desk, Anska knew exactly what had just transpired. She couldn’t help but feel a little envious of the link Cain’s sisters had, and she sometimes found herself wondering if she would want such a thing with him. It seemed so personal and intimate. Her thoughts dwelled on her last conversation with the goddess a few nights ago on the balcony of Kirin’s study - Kyne had pulled her aside an offered that very thing, if Anska and Cain desired it.

“Kyne mentioned you two had a very…active…relationship,” said Cain, interrupting Anska’s train of thought. “Never thought I’d see a Divine blush like she did that night at Elysium.”

“I’m surprised all she did was blush,” said Linneá, grinning deviously. “She popped into my head when it was buried in – “

“That’s enough, Linneá!” Serana half shouted.

Ulvon entered the room seconds later and saved Serana from any further embarrassment at the hands of Linneá. Cain had lowered his head into his hands and groaned while the Archmaster took a seat at his desk, and Anska was trying her best to contain a fit of laughter.

“Did I interrupt something important?” Ulvon asked.

“Not at all,” said Linneá. “Just talking to the family. Speaking of which: allow me to introduce my brother and his future wife.”

Cain stood up and offered a hand to the elderly dunmer. “Please to meet you, Ulvon. This is Anska of Stonehills – she was kind enough to travel all this way with me.” He sat back down as the Archmaster bowed his head to them. Then Cain turned to look at his sister: “And, really, Linn? Future wife? We’ve been together for less than two weeks.”

“The writing is already on the wall, even if you refuse to see it,” she said, simply. “Now then, do you have anything new for us, Ulvon?”

His eyes darted back and forth between them curiously. “You know, I’ve never met people quite like you and your family, Mrs. Linneá. You preached honesty during your opening statements for these treaty talks, but you’ll forgive me if I didn’t take your regard for blunt candor seriously. And now, I see that even your brother, heir to the throne of Skyrim, isn’t afraid to speak plainly either, no matter the company.”

“Well, you do have to admit that it’s sped things along with our working relationship,” Serana smiled. “I’d like to think that we’ve already made an ally in you, Archmaster.”

“Quite so. If only the rest of us could get on so well with the other Houses, these would be short treaty talks. Uh, where were we? Oh, new information…” Ulvon started sifting through a stack of parchment on his desk, hunting down the memo that had been delivered that very morning. “Ah, here it is! I do indeed have something new for you. My contact in the local Morag Tong chapter sent this to me.” He handed it to Linneá and let her scan through it in silence for a moment.

“You have a contact with a guild of assassins?” inquired Anska.

“We all do, Ms… Anska was it? A very pretty name – does it have a significant meaning in your culture?”

“My mother claimed it was old Atmoran for ‘Angel’, but I’ve never looked into it.”

“Pleasure to meet you, nonetheless. But to your question: The Tong are a state sanctioned group and one would be foolish to not take advantage of it for their own protection.”

They all fell silent briefly while Linneá finished reading the note, and then handed it to her brother. Cain read through it himself and felt his brow furrowing. It seemed to offer more questions than answers, but it did give them a starting point. They would be meeting the contact just after dusk, in the same alleyway the attack happened in.

“I suppose it’s something,” he said.

“It’s [censored],” replied Linneá. “Nothing else could be turned up, Ulvon?”

“Afraid not, Mrs. Linneá. You were very thorough in repelling the assassins, so we had no way to identify them. Ash piles offer little clues.”

“You’ll have to forgive me. I was rather upset that someone would dare harm my wife.”

“Yes, well, remind me to stay on your good side,” Ulvon chuckled. “The Tong assassins are well trained and it would you seem you effortlessly made an example of them. And I am glad to see there was no lasting harm done to you, Mrs. Serana. I’m afraid that’s all the time we have though – would you four mind leaving me to my duties? House Telvanni is finally expected tonight and I must prepare for that…headache.”

One by one they all stood up and bade there goodbye before heading out into the empty embassy corridor. There were no staff around, so Linneá led them back to the living quarters, and they all piled into her and Serana’s assigned bedroom. A single large bed stood in the middle, the blankets in a state of disarray. The bright afternoon sunlight shone through thin white sheers that were draped over the lone window, illuminating the room without the need for candles or sconces. Cain and Anska took a seat on a wooden bench near the window while Serana bustled about the room in a bid to straighten it up.

“Sorry,” she muttered. “I overslept this morning and didn’t have time to clean up after myself.”

“Let it be, sis,” said Cain. “I never saw much point in making the bed every morning when you’re just going to muss it up again later. You’ve got some free time until tonight, no? Relax for a while - Linn mentioned you were still recovering.”

She stopped what she was doing and flopped down onto the bed. “Okay, you’ve convinced me. Feel like I could take a nap anyway.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Anska asked her. “You don’t really seem yourself.”

“I’m fine, I promise. I get less and less tired each day. Today just happened to be a busy one.”

“Oh? I thought you slept pretty late though?”

“I did. But Elle woke me up before dawn. I won’t tell you the reason why, but I’m sure you can figure it out.”

Cain let out a heavy sigh. “Could you two tone that down in front of me? I really do think of you as my sisters and I love you deeply. I don’t need to hear about your sex lives all the time.”

“Aw, that’s sweet of you to say, Cain,” Serana said. “You’re right though, I’ll try not to do that. And you will to, Elle, if you know what’s good for you.”

“Promises, promises,” replied Linneá. “To be honest, I could use a nap myself. Why don’t you two go out and get a feel for the city? There’s a place just down the road that offers a passable mead, if you’re feeling thirsty.”

“Maybe,” said Cain. “Wait, do we get out own room here or are we supposed to find an inn?”

“Ulvon’s working on getting a room ready. Probably by nightfall.”

“Good, I was hoping we’d be close while we’re here,” he said. Getting up from the bench, he offered Anska a hand. “Shall we get lunch?”

“It’s a date,” Anska smiled.

They waved to Linneá and Serana before leaving, and the moment the door closed, Linneá flopped down on the bed next to her wife, and rolled up tightly against her. Ten minutes later, they were both snoring away while the day ticked on.

Walking through the streets of Blacklight was an odd experience for Cain. He had never been someplace like Morrowind, where the people who called it home disliked outlanders so much. Not a single person met his or Anska’s eyes, and most pretended they didn’t exist at all. There was a smattering of beings other than the Dunmer, but they were definitely in the minority.

Those that did acknowledge them were of the practical sort. The woman with the raspy voice who served them at the café Linneá mentioned was more than happy to take their gold for something that could barely be called mead. Cain settled for a glass of water when the tankard ran dry.

“At least the food is decent,” said Anska.

“Hard to mess up a venison steak, but I agree. The spice blend is nice too, must be a local herb.” He took the last bite of his lunch and then pushed the plate aside. “We’ve got some time to kill – anything you want to check out while we’re here?”

“It’s a nice thought, Cain, but I have no idea what there even is to see in the city. Not like any of the natives will tell us if we ask. I suppose we should have asked about that before we left the consulate.”

“That’s true,” said Cain. Leaning back in his chair, he glanced up just in time to see a large brown hawk land on the roof of the café. Its amber eyes stared down impassively, and it flicked its head to the left a single time, the movement barely perceptible. He looked in that direction and saw a wooded park just down the road from them.

“New plan, hon. Let’s go take a stroll through those trees.”

Anska looked at him questioningly, her eyebrow raised. Cain pointed up towards the roof and the waiting hawk. “Oh. I guess that’s not surprising. She did say she can’t help but stay away for long. A walk sounds lovely.”

Ten minutes came and went until they found a secluded clearing deep within the park. They sat on the ground and waited patiently for Kyne to arrive, which did not take long at all. A robed figure emerged from the trees, her skin ashen, hey eyes a deep red. But the smile was the same and the goddess greeted them warmly, embracing each in turn.

“So, what brings you to Blacklight?” Cain asked her.

“I try to help whenever I can,” said Kyne. “And Linn let me read that note from Ulvon through her eyes, so I decided to start keeping tabs on his contact.”

“You’re too good to us,” said Anska. “Here we are, treating ourselves to a nice lunch and taking in the city, and you’re already investigating!”

“Think nothing of it, dear. By the way…have you considered my offer from the other night?”

Cain had been fiddling with a loose strap on his scabbard, but that last part caught his attention and his eyes moved back and forth between Anska and Kyne. Thinking back to their impromptu party on the balcony, he did remember seeing the two of them in a quiet discussion, and now he found himself wondering what it was about.

“Offer?” he asked Kyne. “What offer?”

“That’s only for Anska to know until she is ready, Cain,” she tutted.

“Nobody likes secrets, mum.”

“I’m sure you’ll get over it.”

He shook his head and went back to fixing the loose strap of leather. Whatever they spoke of didn’t really bother him all that much and he was glad to see Anska adapting so well to that side of his family. He still wouldn’t have minded knowing, but he could tell it was something that would come about in due time.

“I’ll talk to him about it over dinner, Kyne,” Anska continued. “I promise.”

“Good enough,” said Kyne. “Now, about this contact…do not trust him. In the couple of hours since I started following him, he’s met a surprising number of shady looking characters around town. Mostly other dunmer criminals from what I could tell, but there was one hooded figure he met with that I couldn’t discern. Something is afoot with him. Be wary.”

“We’ll be safe,” Cain assured her. “I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve to make sure we’re alone when we meet him later. And if he knows who we are, then he’ll think twice about attacking a Dragonborn.”

“Then I’ll leave it in your hands, children,” said Kyne. “I must go for now, but I’ll find you again tomorrow.” She hugged them both again and took flight in her usual hawk form, leaving Cain and Anska alone in the wooded area.

With nothing else to do, they decided to head back to the embassy and see what Linneá and Serana were up to. The return trip didn’t take long, so they weren’t overly disappointed to find out that Cain’s sisters were tied up with some other councilors and were unavailable. Back out on the streets, they milled about with no real idea of where to go or what to do next.

“Maybe we could just zip back to the palace for a while...” said Anska.

“Tempting, but I’d rather not unless we really needed to. How about this instead.” Cain reached into his pocket and pulled out a leaflet he’d picked up on the way out of the embassy and showed it to her. The drawing on the front of it showed a large marketplace on the west side of Blacklight, teeming with tents, yurts, the odd structures that were so prevalent around them, and wood stalls. “Fancy a bit of shopping?”

“Ooh, that could be fun! I want to see if I can find some of the vibrant wrap clothes that some of the dunmer women wear. The dyes they use are so pretty.”

“I think it’s over that way,” said Cain, pointing to the far side of town. He propped his elbow out and offered Anska to loop her arm through it. “Shall we?”

They set off arm-in-arm for the marketplace, talking all the while. And behind them, a hooded figure kept its distance, but never lost sight of the outlanders.