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 XXXIV – Homecoming


The silence in the antechamber was deafening, but Cain found that he was still confidently relaxed for such a dire situation. He noted the two agents and assumed that many more would be waiting for them to try and escape back down the grand staircase. That suited him just fine as they had no intention of leaving that way. Then he felt Anska gently loop a hand through the strap on his bag and hoped that Anilay would remember to do something similar.

What are you waiting for? asked Anska, silently. Get us the hell out of here now!

We can’t leave Anilay behind; Mede will never let him leave this room alive. And I don’t think the pompous old fool knows that we can teleport away at the drop of a hat. I’m going to stall for time… see if you can subtly get Anilay’s attention and make sure he is ready.

Just then, Mede decided to break the ice. “So, have you nothing to say for yourself, Anilay? Years of loyal service and it all ends with treason against your Emperor? The council respects you very highly, but they will not take kindly to these actions.”

“What makes you think he is here of his own volition?” countered Cain. “Perhaps I’ve coerced him into helping us track down your little toy here? He certainly doesn’t have the physical might to stand against a Dragonborn.”

“Be silent, dog,” Mede spat. “Your kind aren’t clever enough to pull of such a stunt without inside help. I can’t believe you were foolish enough to think you’d walk out of here with my orb, let alone with your lives.”

“Ah, but there’s the rub,” said Cain. “You’re smart enough to recognize that no amount of Penitus Occulatus grunts can withstand the Voice. If we wanted to leave, we would tear right through you three and all those that I’m sure are waiting for us beyond your study. Fortunately for you, I have no intention of taking any lives today – I’m not ignorant enough to think killing you won’t turn the entire continent on its head.”

Anilay is ready. He’s tethered to me now.

Good. Be at the ready. This won’t take much longer.

“Then you must surrender,” said Mede. “The game is up and if you truly wish to avoid bloodshed, then I command you to lay down your weapons.”

‘You misunderstand me,” replied Cain. “We have no desire to submit to whatever false promises of fair treatment you will no doubt offer us. I have the orb now, and we hold all the cards. You and your grunts here are the only ones that know of our presence, and I seriously doubt the Elder Council will care about what your indoctrinated soldiers have to say on the matter, which only leaves your account of this event. And when you leave this room empty handed, I doubt any of them will believe the ravings of a paranoid old man.”

“There is no way out, you damn fool!” shouted Mede, angrily. “Only through us can you go, and you’ve already admitted you will not attack me. Lay down your weapons and submit and I will make sure you get a fair trial.”

It’s time to go, love, thought Cain.

“That’s an enticing offer,” said Cain, “But I think we’ll take a different option.”

He casted the recall spell with a destination in mind and tried his best not cackle aloud at the look of shock on the Emperor’s tired face. The familiar vortex of purplish magickal energies enveloped all three of them and within seconds they stood in the basement room of Luther Broad’s Boarding House. Cain felt Anska loosen her grip on his bag and was pleased to see that Anilay looked no worse for the wear.

“That wasn’t nearly as unpleasant as I expected it to be,” said the High Chancellor. He took a seat and poured a large glass of wine from the bottle Cain and Anska had left on the table the night before.

“You should come with us, Anilay,” said Cain. “My family can protect you.”

“I appreciate the offer, my friend, but it’s not necessary. You handled that situation masterfully and painted Mede into a corner. He doesn’t know I had the Council’s backing, nor did he expect to leave empty-handed. No one will believe him that we were ever there and I can stroll back into the Tower tomorrow morning as if nothing happened. I’ll rent a room here tonight and if anyone asks, I’ll just say I had a few too many drinks!”

“Then this is where we part ways,” said Cain. “Please keep in touch – I’m sure we can help each other in the future.”

“Without a doubt,” answered Anilay. “You can expect a frequent correspondence from myself and the council. I’ve no doubt they will seek a direct line of communication with your father, too.”

Cain offered him a hand and Anilay gladly shook it. And then, to the Imperial’s surprise, Anska guided him to his feet and gave him a tight hug. “Thank you for helping us. I’m sorry if I came off as ungrateful at any time.”

“Think nothing of it, miss. Now please, get out of here before a stranger happens along!”

Anska laced her fingers through Cain’s and they disappeared once again.

-----

This time, they materialized hundreds of miles to the north, in a familiar room deep within the Blue Palace. Little had changed from when they’d left long ago, and the ancient scroll of Ysgramor’s lineage still laid unfurled on the table at the center of the room. But unlike last time, the room was empty and all seemed quiet at the late hour it was. Cain felt the adrenaline from their completed quest begin to wear off, and the exhaustion of a long, tense day finally set in.

Anska read his mind and together they decided that news of their return could wait until the morning. They set off through the empty stone corridors for the bedroom they’d shared during a happier time, and were grateful to make it there un-accosted by family, palatial staff, or guards. Their boots still smelling of rank sewer water, Cain and Anska kicked them off outside the bedroom door and left them in the hallway to keep their bedroom from smelling terribly while they tried to sleep.

Cain shut the door and locked it, and after a hasty undressing of their armors, they crashed into the waiting bed and fell asleep almost immediately, the cask containing Vaermina’s Orb shoved into a wardrobe near the window.

Only four hours had passed until a loud commotion outside the bedroom door could be heard, followed by heavy thumps on the stout wooden door. Grumbling and cursing from lack of sleep, Cain got out of bed and pulled on a clean shirt, and fresh trousers before shuffling over to the door and unlocking it.

Linneá bustled into the room right away and nearly tackled him to the ground with a ferocious embrace. “When the hell did you two get back here?!” she half shouted, pounding him on the back in delight. “And why didn’t you wake us up!”

“It was very late, Linn, and we were exhausted,” mumbled Cain. “What time is it anyway? Feels like I was only out for a couple of hours.”

Serana joined them in the bedroom next and offered a gentler hug of her own. “It’s about six o’clock, Cain. And it’s good to see you two back here.” She glanced over at Anska who was still buried deeply in the soft down blanket, refusing to be disturbed. “Don’t we get a hug from you, dear?” Serana called to her.

“[censored] off,” said Anska. “It’s too early for this. I love you both, but if you want a hug then you are going to have to climb in here with me.”

Laughing uproariously, Linneá and Serana took her up on the offer and clambered gracefully into the bed with Anska, lying on either side of her. Shaking his head, Cain gave up sleeping any longer as a lost cause and settled for pouring himself a glass of water. Then he fished the cask out of the wardrobe he’d unceremoniously shoved it into earlier and set it on top for all to see.

The odd markings caught Serana’s eye and she quickly joined him to find out what it was. “What did you bring us, brother? Are there letters, or orders, or something like that in there?”

“I wish it were that simple,” sighed Cain. “But you’ll be pleased to know that there isn’t anyone here who betrayed us.” He unlatched the small clasp holding the cask shut and lifted it open for Serana to see. “The bastard’s been scrying with what Anilay confirmed to be the Orb of Vaermina. Mede was able to spy on us from afar, at any given time.”

Linneá jumped out of the bed to see it for herself and gasped in wonder. “Son of a bitch! It’s no wonder we couldn’t find anyone to blame! This is an incredible discovery you two – dad will be floored when he finds out that you wrestled this from the Emperor’s grasp.”

“I hope so,” said Cain. “Mede certainly wasn’t happy to see us vanish with it.”

“HE FOUND YOU TWO BREAKING INTO HIS PRIVATE QUARTERS?!” yelled Linneá. “That’s… this is… holy [censored]... what are we going to – “

“Relax, Elle,” soothed Serana. “We have our answers and we’ll deal with the fallout later, yeah? Dad’ll know what to do next.”

“Nothing will come of this anyway,” Cain assured them. “Well, except for that attack he still has planned I’m sure. But he can’t do anything about us stealing this out from under his nose. Anilay had the Elder Council’s approval for our little intrusion and the only credible witness to our presence in the White-Gold Tower was Mede himself. He’s boxed in and we took away his last toy.”

“That just makes him all the more dangerous,” frowned Serana. “C’mon Elle, we should go see mum and dad about this. We’ll need to put the guards on higher alert.”

“Anska and I will join you as soon as we can,” said Cain. “As I’m sure you already noticed, we need to get cleaned up first.”

“Come join us in dad’s study when you’re ready,” nodded Linneá. “And grab a bite to eat, too. I have a feeling we’ll be there for a while.”

With their departure, Cain shut the door and climbed back into bed. He laid himself against his fiancé’s prone form and kissed her on the cheek. Anska smiled and rolled over to face him, finally content now that they were back home safe and sound.

“Do we really have to get up already?” she asked him. “I forgot how soft these beds were and we’ve slept on the ground for so many long weeks. Can’t we just stay here the rest of the day and relax?”

“I wish we could,” said Cain. “But Linn’s right; we need to go and see everyone. Let’s go find that bath before we doze off again.”

“Ugh, fine. Toss me a shirt at least, would you? I don’t want the next person to barge in here staring at my chest.”

Cain got up from the bed once again and fished her out a clean blouse from the tall wardrobe near the door, and then set about getting fully dressed himself. A few moments later, they were headed for the nearest washroom, towels and fragrant soaps in hand. They found the nearest to be empty, and Cain locked the door so that they could enjoy the steaming waters alone.

Half of an hour later Cain and Anska donned their clean clothes once again and headed for the kitchens fully clean and smelling much more pleasant than they had for weeks. The enticing aroma of fresh baked bread wafted down the hallway leading to the kitchens and they were just about to see what they could pinch from the larders when a voice called out for them once again.

“Cain! Anska! There you two are!” Lydia bounded towards them at a speed that defied her age and embraced them each in turn. “Linn mentioned you came home last night like it wasn’t a big deal! I’m so happy you’re back and I’m sorry for what you had to go through. I can’t imagine what it was like being so far from home without being able to return! Especially you, Anska! And I heard you’re engaged now! Oh, I’m so happy I could kiss you both – to stay strong and true to each other after everything that was thrown at you. Your father and I couldn’t be prouder!”

“Geez, take a breath, mum,” laughed Cain. “The past is the past, and the girls apologized profusely for their mistake. And I’m glad to see you again, too.”

“It’s lovely to be home again, Lydia, thank you” said Anska. “It’s funny, I don’t even know when I started thinking of this place as home, but now I can’t imagine it being anywhere else.”

“Will you be heading to dad’s study with us?” Cain asked Lydia. “We’ve something important to show everyone from our trip south. And we have some other, um, unrelated news to share…”

“Of course! But you two go ahead and grab something to eat. I need to find Linn and ask her something, so we’ll meet you there later.”

Lydia took her leave and trotted off in search of her daughters while Cain and Anska stepped into the kitchen and loaded up some plates with a few ham steaks, and filled a basket with fresh fruit and two loaves of warm rye bread. Their bedroom wasn’t too far away, so they retreated back to it and ate their breakfast hastily at the small table tucked away in the corner. It was a blissfully quiet meal and the first one they had eaten in comfort since leaving Blacklight in what felt like another lifetime.

And it ended much too fast for their liking. Cain left the room to return their dishes and Anska took the opportunity to braid her hair in its normal fashion, admiring its length in the large mirror bolted to the back of the bedroom door. In the time they’d been abroad, it had grown down past her hips and now dangled just below the seat of her pants. Shaking free from her reverie, she eyed her dirty armor strewn about the floor and debated scrubbing it off and donning it while in the palace.

Cain returned empty-handed while she was debating and settled it for her by starting to wipe down his own armor. “Might as well, eh? I wish we could have it properly cleaned first, but I don’t want to be caught off-guard if Mede is foolish enough to attack us here.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” sighed Anska. “I just wish we could move on from all of this. Feels like it will never end.”

“I know what you mean,” said Cain. “Maybe Anilay and the Elder Council will be able to step in and put a stop to his madness.”

“One can only hope,” agreed Anska. She helped Cain buckle his armor on and then returned the favor. Cain sheathed his silver longsword into the scabbard on his back and handed Anska her waraxe for her to hang off the steel loop in her belt. Armed and ready, they headed for Kirin’s private study for a much-anticipated family reunion.