Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The dinner table isn't as full as it used to be at Riverwood Keep. Inigo is off on a short solo mission, Alesan and Sofie are working, and Runa has begun training at the College of Winterhold. Even the pets are absent: Meeko succumbed to old age last year as well as Biter the year before that, and Sofie took Kit with her. Almithara can see her family dwindling, and although she is happy for them and the accomplishments they have made, she misses them being younger and depending on her. She sighs and drums her fingers along the table, lost in maudlin thoughts. "Why the long face, love?" her husband whispers in her ear.

Just as it did the first day that she met him about five years ago, his voice sends shivers down her spine. "Just missing people," she says with a shrug. She picks up her spoon and begins to pick through her vegetable soup with an air of melancholy.

"I do as well, but they are growing up. Aren't you proud of them for following their dreams?" Ondolemar asks her.

"Of course," Almithara huffs in offense. "But Sofie could have learned from Sarah instead of Arcadia, and I could have taught Runa anything she needed to know about magic. I also could have instructed Alesan in blacksmithing. I am a master smith after all."

"Almithara, Alesan is literally down the street at Alvor's house. He will be back this evening."

"Yes, but he misses dinner every night. I miss my little boy," she pouts.

"Seventeen—nearly eighteen—is hardly a little boy. And we both know why he chose to go work for Alvor and why he has dinner with them every evening," Ondolemar points out. Alesan is quite taken with Alvor's daughter, Dorthe, and hopes to marry her as soon as he is able to support himself. Luckily for him, she returns his feelings and is perfectly content to wait for him to properly learn his craft and be more stable. She has also been learning from her father alongside Alesan. "Sofie is only in Whiterun; she also comes home often enough. And while you and I are both very powerful mages, Runa is interested in Illusion magic. Neither of us is particularly skilled in that area. At least not enough to provide decent instruction to one who hopes to master it one day."

Almithara heaves a resigned sigh. "I know," she admits. "I just miss them so much."

"We could always have another," he purrs in her ear. Her gold eyes meet his green ones, and she sees sincerity in them. She can't help but smile at him.

"Maybe we should." She looks up at the rest of the table. Hroar and Samuel are now thirteen and fourteen, respectively. They're discussing the next fishing trip they'll be taking a few days from now. Blaise is fifteen and still undecided about his future. For now, he is busying himself with entertaining the three-and-a-half-year-old twins. Nelaeryn and Theodemar are both the spitting image of their father. With the exception of their nose and chin—and their mischievous nature—Almithara might not have been able to see any of herself in her sons. Their baby-fine blond hair is kept shaggy-short by their own preference, and they prefer to wear what the rest of the family likes to call "snobby clothes." Ondolemar just calls them clothes. All three of them favor robes of some sort in the finest fabrics; they are highly particular. "The boys are still small, though. Should we really have another child when they are so little? I don't want them to feel like I've abandoned them for another sibling."

"Love, you had six other children when the boys were born. None of them ever felt like they were forsaken. Besides, as long as Nelaeryn and Theodemar feel like they are helping out, they will not be concerned with the presence of another. What do you say?" His pupils dilate slightly when he looks at her, and she feels her resolve crumbling.

"I think that I would like a girl this time," she whispers before planting a lingering kiss on his full lips.

"Ew!" Twin shrieks break them out of their little bubble, and the two parents laugh at the horrified reaction of the little boys down the table.

"There's no need for that," Almithara laughs at them. She turns to her husband. "We'll continue this later." He nods at the promise in her eyes.

The last few years have been kind to Ondolemar and Almithara. She healed well after the birth of their twins with a few changes to her physical body. She now has fuller hips, fuller breasts, and a moderate number of stretch marks across her stomach. Almithara was rather self-conscious of them after the birth, but Ondolemar assured her that they made no difference. In fact, he adores them, even to this day. It reminds him of what she went through to bring their children into the world; it reminds him that he has people who are his own.

They fell into the role of parents of newborns easily. Ondolemar learned what it really meant to have a loving family. Having been alone and independent for the majority of his life, it was certainly a welcome and humbling change. The two small beings, born of the love he and his wife shared, depended on them for absolutely everything. From the moment he held them, he was overwhelmed with love, and that only increased in intensity as they grew. He could see the people that they would become with each passing day. The role of father was an adjustment, but it was one he was happy to make. Almithara made sure that the babies—and, much of the time, Ondolemar himself as well—were cared for and well-nourished. The twins played with their older siblings, and they were never more than a few feet away from each other from the second they were born onward.

As the older children grew, it became apparent that they would need their own rooms. The family wing of the Keep went through some renovations to accommodate all the growing children. Alesan, Sofie, and Runa were given rooms in the guest quarters since they were coming and going often; Inigo was given the loft where Serana and Marcurio had stayed before, finally having been persuaded that he didn't need to go back to his cell in Riften; the bar upstairs and part of the library was removed and converted into bedrooms for Hroar and Samuel. Blaise decided to stay in the kids' old room with the twins to keep an eye on them. Alesan may have been their protector, but Blaise was their true playmate. All of that saw them up to now, and they are still one happy family, even if some members are not always present.

Dinner is nearly finished when there is a commotion at the front door of the Keep. "Am I late for dinner?" comes an accented voice.

"Uncle Inigo!" the twins cry, jumping up from the table and rushing to the front door. A muffled "oof!" is heard from the dining room, and Ondolemar chuckles at the twins' tackle of the Khajiit. A few moments later, the man in question comes sauntering into the dining room with a child hanging off each of his legs.

"Look, mother! It's Uncle Inigo!" they exclaim simultaneously.

"I see that," Almithara says with a smile. She stands up to greet her best friend, and he envelops her in a bone-crushing embrace. "How was your trip?"

"It was very productive, I think," he replies after a beat of hesitation. "Has Ondy been taking care of you all?" Ondolemar growls at the nickname. He's never been able to shake it.

"Of course, he has," she replies brightly. "I would never allow anything less." Inigo chuckles in response and sits down to have some of the dinner laid out on the table. "Did you run into any trouble?"

"There was a small skirmish between the Imperials and the Stormcloaks outside of Morthal. Other than that, it was a smooth trip." He looks like he wants to say more but decides against it at the last minute. Almithara and Ondolemar exchange a confused look, but they choose not to push him until he is ready. Inigo fills them in on the rest of his trip to take care of the bandit leader holed up in the Dainty Sload. "So, how about Ryn and Theo come with me next time?" he asks cheekily.

"I think not," Ondolemar states decisively. "They're a little young to follow in their mother's footsteps." Almithara is an adventurer at heart, and the boys have certainly inherited that trait, but they are just far too young.

"You can't go with Uncle Inigo just yet," Almithara concedes after seeing their heartbroken little faces. Their green eyes are shining with unshed tears, and she doesn't want them to cry before bed. "If you'd like, you can come with me tomorrow when I go to see Jarl Laila and Serana. It'll take a couple of days. Would you like to go with me or stay here with your father?"

They look at each other and have a hushed conversation before turning back. Nelaeryn answers, "We want to go with you."

"Is that okay?" Almithara asks her husband.

"Of course," he responds. "I have some business that needs taking care of with the running of the town. I also have a meeting with Jarl Balgruuf tomorrow. I thought I would invite Bronwyn and Nendaris to dinner after you get back. Is that acceptable?"

"Oh, yes!" she gushes. "I would love to have them over. I bet the baby is getting so big by now." Bronwyn and Nendaris had welcomed their first child, a daughter, less than a year after they got married. A few months ago, another baby was born. A boy. Celaena and Elwin are beautiful and well-behaved children—a perfect combination of both of their sweet parents.

Once Inigo finishes eating, the family decides to retire for the evening. Hroar and Samuel slink off to their rooms, and Blaise takes the twins into their room after they hug both of their parents tightly. Inigo once again looks like he wants to say something, but he just says a quick goodnight and climbs up into his loft instead. "I wonder what Inigo wants to tell us," Almithara voices as she and Ondolemar head into their room.

"I am unsure," Ondolemar replies. "He'll tell us when the time is right. I hope nothing untoward happened on his trip."

"Me too." Almithara sheds her casual robes. When she's not out and about on various missions, which have declined significantly since the dragon business was concluded, she chooses to wear more comfortable and casual robes or dresses rather than her full battle mage clothing. Much more practical.

She folds the garment and moves to put it away in the wardrobe. Before she can turn away from her task, she feels a warm body come up behind her. Strong arms wrap around her waist and warm breath cascades over her neck. "Now, I believe we discussed something over dinner," a husky voice whispers in her ear.

"I believe we did," she replies with a smile. "Do you really want another child?"

"I do," he answers automatically. "Did you take your potion this month?"

"Actually, I think I forgot to take it three days ago, so we should be all set," she reveals.

"Maybe this one will actually look somewhat like you," he teases with a smirk.

Almithara huffs. "Not likely. It would seem that your genes are rather dominant."

"I can be dominant if you'd like." The dark promise in his words cause her to shudder.

"I would." With those words, Ondolemar spins her around in his arms and plants his warm mouth over hers. She melts into him immediately, and they begin their practiced dance of pleasuring the other's body. It isn't long before they collapse on their bed in a tangle of limbs. He grasps her wrists in one large hand and holds them above her head. The other hand moves over the beautiful curves of her body. He pays special attention to her breasts before moving his hand lower.

She fights to keep her moans and whimpers to a minimum, but it is very difficult especially when his talented fingers find her bundle of nerves. He swallows her cry of ecstasy with his lips. He will never tire of her or her reactions to him. She proved to be his perfect match in every way. Even after all the time they've been together, the sex is never boring. "I will never get tired of hearing you," he whispers in her ear as he pulls away from her lips.

"Ondolemar," she moans quietly. "Please."

"Please what, love?" he asks with a smirk.

She gives him a small glare. "I want you in me. Now."

"Your wish is my command," he purrs. He lines himself up at her entrance and quickly pushes in. They release simultaneous groans at the sensation. His strong thrusts are practiced, and little time passes before they are coming apart together. Ondolemar collapses on top of Almithara, and she wraps her arms tightly around him. After a few minutes, he rolls to the side and pulls her with him so that they are face-to-face. He smiles at her, and her insides melt just a little bit.

"How long do you think it will take us to get pregnant again?" she breathes.

"I'm not sure. It's not like we were actively trying last time, and that only took a couple of weeks," Ondolemar points out.

Almithara blushes in embarrassment. "As concerned as I was with taking the potion before, I can't believe I forgot. I mean, I'm glad I did because I love Nelaeryn and Theodemar, but I was just not thinking straight."

"I am immensely grateful that you did not take it." He pulls her forward and presses a kiss to her forehead. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

"I think I can guess," Almithara sighs with a bright smile, her gold eyes glittering with joy. It's the smile that helped him fall in love with her—his favorite expression.

"You're beautiful."

"I'm glad you still think so," she laughs with a bit of disbelief in her tone.

"You know very well that I never say what I do not mean," he declares haughtily, and she has to concede that he is right. He would never do such a thing.

"Okay, I believe you. Are you sure you're okay with me taking the boys to Riften? They've never been away from you that long."

"That is true, but they will have you. You'll only be gone a few days at the most; I think I can handle things here until then."

"I wonder if they'll like travelling back via teleportation. It can be a little dizzying the first few times," Almithara muses.

Ondolemar chuckles. "They'll love it, adventurous little things that they are. They may look like me, but they act just like you. And a bit like Inigo." He pauses and a look of despair falls over his proud face. "I will never be able to stop him from calling me Ondy, will I?"

Almithara bursts into laughter. "I don't think so. Once Inigo gets a nickname in his head, it sticks. I should know."

He heaves a resigned sigh. "We should sleep now. You have a long journey ahead of you." Almithara nods in agreement and leans up to give him one last loving kiss before settling down in his arms, curled against his broad chest. They drift off to sleep, warm and content, with thoughts of the morrow far from their minds.

Chapter Text

Standing in the courtyard of the Keep next to their mother, Nelaeryn and Theodemar have donned traveling robes and strapped little backpacks to their backs. Their light hair glows in the morning sunlight, and their green eyes are bright and happy, anticipation for the journey shining within them. Even at three and a half, it is clear that they will be nearly as tall as their father when they are fully grown. Ondolemar is currently standing in front of them with a stern expression on his handsome face. "Now, what did we talk about?"

"We stay with mother. Always," Nelaeryn answers in his small voice.

"We listen to mother too!" Theodemar chirps, bouncing up and down in excitement. "We promise!"

"Good," Ondolemar declares. Almithara is standing in between the boys, and she smiles at their enthusiasm. "Make sure you take care of her," he directs. It's important to direct their attention to a specific task as they are easily distracted much of the time. Ondolemar's green eyes look up at his wife. They are rarely separated anymore, and even though it will only be a few days, it's strange not to see each other every day. "Be safe, love. Come back to me unharmed." He pulls her into an embrace and captures her lips with his own. This time, the boys refrain from making any comments. They can feel in the atmosphere that it's important for their parents to have a proper goodbye.

Almithara leans out of the kiss after a short while. "Do you have the crystal?"

"Elsie has it," Ondolemar confirms.

"I'll let you know if anything goes wrong," she promises. With that, she grabs Nelaeryn's right hand with her left and Theodemar's left hand with her right. "We'll be back before you know it!" she calls as they proceed to skip down the road. Before they head off to Riften, she's going to take the twins to see Sofie in Whiterun. Sofie is set to come back to the Keep tomorrow, but they'll be gone. They already saw Alesan that morning. Runa is too far away to visit, but they can at least see their other sister.

They skip and run and jump and laugh the whole way to Whiterun. Almithara feels simultaneously young and old whenever she is with the twins. Their energy is infectious, but they also tend to wear one out rather quickly.

The guards at the gate greet them all by name and allow them entrance into the city. They go straight to Arcadia's Cauldron. Upon entry, they see Sofie grinding up some herbs to make standard healing potions. "Sissy!" the boys scream and plow into her.

"I didn't know I'd be seeing you guys today!" she exclaims before kneeling down and squeeze-hugging her little brothers. Kit is napping in the corner on a fluffy pillow and pays them all no mind.

"We're off to Riften," Almithara interjects. "I knew you were coming back to the Keep tomorrow, but we won't be there, so I thought we'd come see you." Sofie releases the boys and gives Almithara a hug.

"I'm glad you did, Mama. I would've been sad had I not seen these little monsters. Papa will be home, right?" she asks. Right after Ondolemar and Almithara married, the children began referring to him as their father. It touched her heart every time she heard it then, and it still does now.

"Yeah, he'll be there. I think he'll be up here later today, actually. He'll probably stop in and see you. Inigo is back in town too, and I know Ondolemar is going to invite Bronwyn and Nendaris over for dinner next week. It'll be nice to see them again."

"How is Alesan doing with Dorthe?"

Almithara rolls her eyes. "They're both lovesick," she chuckles. "But they're doing fine otherwise."

"I also wanted you to know that I saw Francois the other day," Sofie reveals.

"Is he doing okay?" Almithara asks. Francois and Lucia may have chosen to go with Vilkas when she divorced him, but she still cares about their well-being. Although…she hasn't seen either of them in a very long time.

"Yeah. They're training him and Lucia to be in the Companions. That's all I know," Sofie shrugs. They exchange a bit more small talk before Almithara and the twins have to take their leave. Sofie orders them to be safe, and they exit the shop.

Almithara grabs their hands again, and they move to walk back through town, trying to be careful of the numerous people around the marketplace. Unfortunately, Theodemar runs into somebody during his attempt to make it through the crowd and not lose his mother. "Sorry, sir!" he apologizes loudly and sweetly.

"That's quite all right," a familiar voice speaks. Almithara looks up into the face of her ex-husband. "They've gotten rather big," he observes after a moment's perusal.

"They have," she agrees cautiously. "How are you doing?"

"Well," he answers cordially. This is the first time she's spoken to him since she punched Njada when she was still pregnant with the twins. She's successfully managed to avoid him since then. "How is the elf?"

She fights rolling her eyes at his inability to use Ondolemar's name even after all this time. "My husband is doing very well. He'll be up here at some point today, I think. How's Njada? And Francois and Lucia?"

"Francois and Lucia are training in weapons to be full members of the Companions. Njada is fine. We got married two and a half years ago."

"Congratulations," Almithara says and means it. "Do you have any children of your own?"

"Njada can't have any," he admits quietly.

"Oh, I am sorry," Almithara laments. She knows how important children were to Vilkas in the past.

"It's okay. It's no less than I deserve," he mumbles. "Either way, we have Francois and Lucia, and they are enough."

Even though Almithara feels bad for him, she is happy to hear that he has finally learned to accept the adopted children as his own. She always argued that they were just as much her children as the ones that came from her own body, but he disagreed with that sentiment. It seems that the tables have turned. "I'm glad that you have found some solace," she says with a bright smile. "Nelaeryn and Theodemar are coming with me to Riften. We're going to have a great trip, aren't we, boys?"

"Yes!" they both declare cheerfully. Vilkas sees their enthusiasm and joy and how closely it matches that of their mother. He's never seen her looking so happy, and he's ever so glad that she found happiness. Even if it isn't with him. He regrets how much he hurt her, but it's far too late now for that to change—no matter how much he may wish it.

"I won't keep you anymore," he states. "Have a safe trip." With that, he turns and walks back in the direction of Jorrvaskr.

"Mother, who was that?" Nelaeryn asks.

"That was Vilkas. I knew him before I met your father."

"I like father better," Theodemar proclaims.

"Well, I should hope so," Almithara laughs at him. "Come on, let's go."

They leave the city and set out on the road to Riften. The walk itself wouldn't take Almithara all that long (about eight hours or so), but traveling with small children requires numerous stops for rest and snacking, so it will take most of the day. She even summons Arvak and lets them ride the spectral horse while she walks next to them to save their little feet. The boys are very good for their mother: they listen to any instructions she gives, never stray more than ten feet away from her, and don't try to touch anything dangerous or poisonous. When they go through the marshy area between Windhelm and Riften, she makes sure to stop at the area with a natural hot spring. "Okay, boys! We're going to rest here for a little bit. It's a hot spring!" They squeal in delight before throwing off their clothes and hopping in. She joins them and observes the game they play in the water.

With their health in mind, she doesn't let them stay in the water for too long. Using the towels they packed in their backpacks, she dries them off before helping them get redressed in their green travel robes. She redresses herself quickly, and they set off for the last leg of their trip. "We'll go through Shor's Stone next."

"What's that?" Theodemar questions.

"It's a small town outside of Riften. Do you remember Grelka?" At their nods and displeased expressions, she has to fight a laugh. Grelka can be rather rude and blunt. "She lives there."

"Are we staying there?" Nelaeryn asks with a grimace.

"No," she chuckles. "Just passing through."

Soon enough, the town comes into view. The small houses are scattered on either side of the road, and the trio quickly passes through. "We're almost there, kids. Just a little bit more." About halfway between the town and Riften, something goes wrong. It starts out as a feeling. Almithara feels like something is watching her. She shakes it off and continues to walk but at a brisker pace than before, pulling her babies along with her.

"Mother, why are we going fast?" Nelaeryn questions confusedly.

"Boys, if I tell you to run, I need you to hold onto each other and run as fast as you can to the gates of Riften and get Serana and Marcurio. Can you do that for me?" Almithara speaks quickly. The boys nod solemnly in a manner reminiscent of their father, but unlike him, they look frightened. She continuously looks at each side of the road until she hears a bow being drawn. Instinctively, she throws up her strongest ward, and the arrow bounces off. "Go! Now!" she screams at the children. They run as fast as their feet can carry them while holding the other's hand in a death grip. There's less than a quarter of a mile between them and the city, so she's confident they can make it.

Multiple assassins come out of the brush. Two are mages, one has a bow, one has an axe, and the last has dual swords. "Are you the Dragonborn?" one of the mages asks from behind a mask.

"Who wants to know?" Almithara demands defiantly. She'll try to give her children as much time as possible to get to the safety of the city.

"Someone who wants revenge. Someone who wants you out of the way," the archer hisses.

Now, there are a lot of people who have wanted Almithara dead, but she can't think of anyone who would at this particular point in time. Why now? "And who would that be?"

"They're paying a very high price for us to take out you and your two children. I just saw them run off…maybe I should follow them?" the one with the swords threatens with an evil gleam in his eye, taking a step in the direction of the boys.

"You won't get within a hundred feet of my children!" Almithara screams. At the end of her declaration, she whips out a fireball and flings it at her attackers. The axe wielder is unprepared for her blow, and he falls in a charred heap. The others mobilize quickly. The swords come flying for her, and she dodges rapidly. She's still quite dexterous in her movements, regardless of her less dangerous lifestyle. The archer and the two mages also send volleys at her. While she can usually fight off assailants well, she's attempting to stop the sword user from getting around her and going after her babies. In that, she makes a fatal error. When she turns to stop his advance, she fails to see the arrow coming for her. It lodges itself in her left shoulder, and she cries out in pain. Because of the distraction, a sword finds its way through her stomach. She sucks in a surprised gasp and looks down in horror at the wound.

"Those brats are next," the man growls.

"You'll never touch them!" Almithara shrieks. The intensity of her reaction after suffering such an injury shocks the man, and she is able to blast him with flames directly in his face. It's enough of a distraction to perform a firestorm.

As she surveys the destruction around her, she is reminded of the last time that assassins came after her just before she left for Solstheim years ago. Her head starts to get cloudy, her vision spinning out of focus. Maybe she should go back to Solstheim. See Frea. See Master Neloth. Visit the beach where she and Ondolemar first spent the night together. A break would be nice. Yes, a break would be oh so nice. She smiles at the memories before everything fades. Just before the blackness takes over, she thinks she hears someone call her name, but it sounds so far away that she can't be sure.

Serana and Marcurio make it to the scene as Almithara delivers the final blow. They can see the tip of the sword sticking out of her back and how she sways before falling in a heap onto her side. "Almithara!" Serana screams in fear. She sprints straight for her friend and immediately begins using healing magic on the more serious stomach wound once Marcurio removes the sword and the arrow. "Check them for anything important," she orders.

"Of course," Marcurio nods. He rifles through the pockets of each assassin before he finds a folded note in the protected leather pocket of the archer. "I found something!" he calls to his wife.

"What is it?" Serana barks. She's frantically trying to heal enough of the wound to be able to move Almithara, but it's slow going as Restoration is not her forte.

"It says, 'Do not let anyone know where your orders have come from. We will pay you the agreed upon amount to rid the world of the half-breed dragon spawn and her two brats. Get her alone on the road and execute her. She should be going to Riften soon, and the children may or may not be with her. If they are, you know what to do.' It's signed with just the letter E," he relays.

"The only person who has ever called her half-breed dragon spawn is Elenwen," Serana gasps. "She promised she wouldn't come for them."

"Looks like she broke that promise," Marcurio observes. He places the note in the pocket of his mage robes before he moves to Almithara's side. The wound is nearly closed. "I think we can move her now."

"Let's move quickly. Maramal or Dinya should be able to help us. Almithara owns that palace in the mountains, so maybe we can move her there. Ondolemar needs to be alerted. Where's the little crystal she always carries?" Serana begins frantically rifling through her friend's pockets until she finds the fragment. "She taught me how to use it last time. I just have to remember the spell. Let's do it as we walk."

Marcurio heaves Almithara's unconscious body into his arms, and they rush back to town. Serana performs the spell on her third try and tells Elsie the horrible news. Elsie promises to inform Ondolemar as soon as she is able to get in touch with him. They bring their friend into Honeyside where Elena is trying to comfort her two best friends. The twins are both in tears, which only increase when they see their mother covered in blood and carried in their friend's father's arms. "Shhhh," Serana comforts. They both run into her waiting arms and collapse into harsh sobs. "It's okay, sweeties. I fixed her up, and a guard went to get someone from the Temple of Mara, so they should be here soon. Your mom has made it through worse. Did I ever tell you the story?" She quickly decides that distracting them would be the best course of action.

"No," they whisper in unison.

"I'll have to tell you boys now. Well, you both know your mom is the Dragonborn. Marcurio and I were staying with her to help her through some things, and your dad and Bronwyn had just moved into the house. She and your Uncle Inigo went off to fight Alduin, the World Eater." Their eyes both go wide, and their tears stop at the story. They know that their mom fought a big, bad dragon before they were born, but they haven't heard about how their dad was involved. Behind Serana, Dinya comes into the house and rushes into the bedroom to attend to Almithara. "Your mom is so incredible. We all knew that Alduin wouldn't stand a chance against her. Anyway, before she left, she told your dad how much she liked him. He was actually speechless. I remember him rushing out of the Keep to try to tell her something, but he just missed her. I've never seen him look so frantic. He was in a bad mood all week."

"Father is never in a bad mood!" Theodemar defends proudly, sniffing back his tears.

"Oh, he was before your mom married him," she laughs. "Your mom has that effect on people." Both boys nod sagely. "Anyway, we had to wait a whole week before she came back. When she got back, Inigo was dragging her into the house. She was covered in so much blood. She had been stabbed in the back by some assassins near Whiterun, and Inigo had to carry her back when he was injured himself. Your dad rushed into action and carried her to get treatment. Sarah fixed her up, and your mom pulled through. She always pulls through, boys. She's Almithara; it's what she does. This time won't be any different."

Their tiny hopeful expressions break her heart, and Serana pulls the boys back into another hug. Elena joins in on the hug, and they're just all holding each other. "What did father do after that?" Nelaeryn asks quietly.

"He told her how much he loved her, and they had you guys a bit later."

"Mother is small," Theodemar laments. "Will she be okay?"

"I promise you two that she'll be all right. I think we're going to move her to Ayleid Palace. Have you boys been there?" They shake their heads. "You will love it!" Serana declares with a motherly smile.

She manages to distract them long enough for Dinya to complete her work. When she comes out of the room, she breathes a sigh of relief. "She'll be okay. She hasn't woken up yet, but the damage has been taken care of. It took out her spleen, but she'll be fine without it."

Serana can't help the tears of happiness that flow down her face. "Thank you so much. When can we move her?" she asks.

"I would wait at least until she wakes up, but tomorrow would be best."

"Thank you again," Serana repeats. She turns to the boys. "You can go in and see your mom, but don't jostle her, okay? She has to get better."

They look like miniature Ondolemars when they nod with worried eyes and scurry to Almithara. Serana wonders when he will receive the message.

~~~~~~~~~~

Halfway across Skyrim, Ondolemar is still in the dinner meeting with Jarl Balgruuf and Bronwyn. They're becoming increasingly worried because the civil war is still going on, and it's getting closer to home. "I don't know what to do," Jarl Balgruuf admits. "I don't want to go to war, but the province cannot continue like this. Skirmishes abound, and everyone is expected to take a side. If only the White-Gold Concordat didn't exist." His brings up one large hand to rub his face tiredly. "I wonder if they would be interested in any kind of facilitation or peace talks? I know that Almithara has managed to stay out of things, but the world may need the Dragonborn one more time."

Ondolemar frowns. Just as they were wanting to add to their family, the world rears its ugly head to disrupt their lives. "As long as the Thalmor maintain a position in Skyrim, negotiation will not be possible. And I don't think that we are at the point of expelling the Thalmor."

"Lady Almithara could do it," Bronwyn argues. "If anybody could fix this, it's her."

"I, of course, agree," Ondolemar allows. "But I would hate for her to become embroiled in another difficult situation. We were thinking about having another child."

"The twins aren't enough for you?" Jarl Balgruuf chuckles.

"They are quite a handful. They inherited her adventurous side," Ondolemar says with a fond smile.

"Maybe the next one will take more after you in temperament," Bronwyn muses.

"Perhaps we should wait to make any decisions until we can speak with Almithara. Much of this hinges on whether or not she is willing to use her position as Dragonborn to help the war effort," Jarl Balgruuf decides.

"That is probably the best course of action," Ondolemar replies.

Suddenly, someone bursts into Dragonsreach. "Ondolemar, sir!" the runner exclaims, bending over and clutching his side while trying to catch his breath. Ondolemar recognizes him as one of the messengers from the Keep.

"Has something happened?" Ondolemar inquires hurriedly, a sick feeling settling in his stomach.

"It's Lady Almithara, sir. She's been severely injured. You must get to Riften immediately."

His heart drops in his chest. No, no, no. He can't lose her. She's his life, his everything. He doesn't even bid his friends goodbye before he grabs the runner and teleports back to the Keep. He grabs a handful of things from the house and teleports to the palace in the Rift, not bothering to tell anyone where he's headed.

It takes him a quarter of an hour to run to the town, but he finally makes it after the most frantic sprint of his life. He bursts through the gates of the town without even stopping to catch his breath. His feet take him to Honeyside, and he knocks impatiently. A tired-looking Serana opens the door. "Thank goodness you're here," she whispers. "Almithara hasn't woken up yet, but the boys could really use you."

Ondolemar nods and enters the house when she moves aside. He is immediately accosted by two blurs of light hair and tanned, Elven skin that are sobbing loudly. He leans down and picks up one in each arm before cradling them closely. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm here," he comforts.

"She told us to run," Theodemar cries. "We ran, but they hurt her!"

"We thought she wouldn't be okay," Nelaeryn adds, tears bubbling down his face.

"What has happened? I only heard she was injured," Ondolemar directs to Serana and Marcurio, who are now seated around the fire.

"They were almost here when five assassins attacked her. She got an arrow to the shoulder and a sword through her abdomen. This was on one of the bodies," Marcurio says as he hands him the note.

Ondolemar puts the boys down and reaches for the note. Each boy grabs one leg, and they cling on for dear life. As he reads, he's filled with fury the likes of which he hasn't felt in a long time. He's visibly shaking, and his hands begin to spark. "Elenwen?" he snarls.

"Most likely," Serana states. "Who else has ever called her half-breed dragon spawn?"

"May I see my wife, please?"

"She's just through there," Marcurio points toward the door on the other side of the room.

Ondolemar walks through the door and sees his wife sleeping. She's deathly pale, but she looks better than he thought she would. He sits in the chair by her bedside and grasps her small hand in his larger ones. "Why must you always scare me like this?" he whispers to her unconscious form. He leans forward to place a kiss on her forehead. When he pulls back, he notices that her face is screwed up in pain. "Almithara? Can you hear me?"

She's trying to walk through the fog that is her brain. It feels familiar—like something like this has happened before. She remembers…someone trying to hurt her babies. Arrow. Sword. Fire. Darkness. Calling her name. Now she hears her name again. Who is calling her this time? Blond hair, green eyes…Ondolemar.

Her eyes peel open to just barely-there slits. "Ondolemar, you're here?"

"Of course, love. I came as soon as I heard."

"What happened?" she asks in confusion, her voice hoarse.

He helps her drink some water from the cup on the side table. Even that action seems to tire her out, but it takes away the dry feeling in her throat. "We were hoping that you would be able to tell us how this happened. We're trying to piece together what occurred."

"I think so," Almithara states carefully and tries to remember what had happened. "I remember that we were just past Shor's Stone when I felt like someone was watching us. I told the boys that if I told them to run that they needed to go as fast as they could. I heard a bow string being pulled and made them run away. There were five assassins. I managed to kill one, but I wasn't entirely focused on the fight because I wanted to make sure that I gave the boys enough time to get away, and I didn't want anyone to get around me. They took advantage of that. Arrow to the shoulder, sword to the stomach. The man that stabbed me told me that Nelaeryn and Theodemar were next, and I just lost it. I used firestorm, and then I blacked out." She looks around the room. "Did Serana come get me?"

"Yes. She and Marcurio got you back here, and Dinya patched you up. I'm going to take you up to the palace tomorrow to rest there. We can call for everyone to come see you if you'd like."

"Only if they want to. Is Inigo watching over the town?" Almithara asks. As the fog in her brain is fading, more concerns are surfacing.

"I suppose he is. I didn't talk to anyone when I found out what had happened to you. I grabbed my things and left immediately."

"You didn't have to do that," Almithara says in a small voice.

"You're my wife, and I love you. There was no question to my actions," Ondolemar states emphatically. He leans forward and places another kiss on her forehead. "It looks like you're going to be okay." His body visibly sags in relief. He can't lose his wife; she means everything to him. His life would be void without her bright and loving energy to light it.

"I'm awfully resilient, apparently," she laughs. "Where are the boys?"

"They are with Serana. Would you like to see them?" Almithara nods, and Ondolemar leaves to fetch the boys. She takes the time to lift the blanket and peel her gown away from her stomach. There's a raised pink scar where the sword went in, but it doesn't look as bad as she thought it would. Small blessings. She breathes out a calming breath and sinks back down into the blankets.

"Mother!" Twin cries ring out, and the boys jump onto her bed and embrace any part of her they can reach.

"It's okay," she murmurs. "I'm okay. You boys did so well. You ran so fast."

"We did what you told us," Theodemar sobs quietly. Nelaeryn just buries his little head in her neck and refuses to let go. Ondolemar, Serana, and Marcurio come back into the room, and the adults wait for the children to fall asleep. Once they are snoring softly—with hands still clenched into Almithara's nightgown—the adults address the note that they found on one of the assassins.

"Almithara," Serana begins, "we found this on one of the men who attacked you." She hands over the note, and Almithara reads it. Her brow furrows at first, but her expression quickly morphs into one of intense anger.

"Elenwen?" she questions.

"It is likely," Ondolemar informs quietly.

"What are we going to do, Ondolemar? If she sent one group, she'll send another. She'll keep sending them until we're gone."

He sighs heavily. "It may be time for us to address the civil war."

Almithara's face crumbles. Another conflict she's being sucked into. "What about another baby?"

Ondolemar smiles sadly. "We might need to wait on that for a bit. It could make you an easier target for Elenwen since you have to limit your magic usage after the first trimester." Tears slip silently down Almithara's face, and Ondolemar grips her hand tightly. "I'm so sorry, love. As soon as this is over, we'll have another one."

Almithara sucks in a deep breath and nods vigorously. "So, what do we need to do?"

"I think we should let Jarl Balgruuf know," Ondolemar suggests. "We were just discussing the civil war at our meeting. He will need to know this."

"They've violated the agreement," Serana points out. "We can expel them from Skyrim. This might be just the thing needed to create a truce between the Stormcloaks and the Imperials."

"And if the Thalmor are gone, the Imperials won't be as obligated to listen to them," Marcurio muses. "We may even be able to amend the White-Gold Concordat for Skyrim. This incident could prove to be very helpful, but can we actually remove the Thalmor?"

"Hammerfell did," Almithara reminds. "If they can do it, I'm sure that we can too. Hopefully without the same level of lives lost."

"We can think about that tomorrow," Ondolemar says authoritatively. "You need to rest. When would you like to move to the palace?"

"As soon as possible," Almithara decides. "I don't want to impose on Serana and Marcurio any more than I already have."

"Almithara, it's no imposition," Serana asserts. "We've been through so much together. I thought we were too late when we found you on the road. It's worth any imposition to have you with us again."

"I guess we can make any decisions in the morning," Almithara concedes. She suddenly feels heavy and tired. The others see her eyelids droop, and Ondolemar persuades her to fall asleep like the boys have. It doesn't take much for her to fall into a deep slumber, the boys still tightly ensconced in her protective embrace.

"Thank you for saving my wife," Ondolemar directs to their friends in a strained voice.

"We would help her in any way she needed," Serana declares, placing a hand on the elf's shoulder. "Why don't you get some sleep too?"

"I need to send some missives off before I retire. I will only be a few minutes."

Serana and Marcurio know a losing battle when they see one, and they leave the elf to complete his tasks. Ondolemar leans over his wife and brushes her hair out of her face. "Don't scare me like that again," he whispers. She hums in her sleep and readjusts herself, and he smiles down at her. He pulls the crystal she always carries out of her pack and sends some messages to the Keep. Everyone deserves to know what's happened and what it will mean for the future.

Chapter Text

The next day finds Almithara at Ayleid Palace. Ondolemar carried her the short distance, and the boys followed dutifully behind, holding each other's hands and walking as close to their parents as possible without melding with them. It was thought by all that teleporting her could be potentially dangerous or cause further harm to the healing injuries, so the little family walked. Since her husband carried her, she was able to relax the entire journey and has a bit more energy. Now that she's at the palace, she's upset about being confined to bed again. Being stuck in bed is so boring. "Almithara, you nearly died. Just sit here and recover."

"How can I sit here and recover when that horrible woman is trying to kill me and my babies?" she growls in frustration, fire dancing in her eyes.

"Because if you don't recover, you won't be able to teach her a proper lesson," Ondolemar argues with a smirk.

She considers his words and reluctantly realizes he's right. She won't be able to hurt the woman nearly enough to her liking if she doesn't regain her full strength quickly. "You bring up a good point, dear husband. Did you send any word to the Jarl?"

"I sent word to Inigo to go speak with him, which he should be doing today. I expect that we'll know more after that. You may even get some visitors."

"Can't we just hide up here forever?" Almithara pouts while giving him her best puppy eyes. "You can take care of me, and we can have more babies. The rest of the world can just not exist."

Ondolemar levels an amused stare at her. "You and I both know that you don't really mean that. You offer your help to anyone who asks for it."

She huffs and crosses her arms while mumbling something that sounds suspiciously like "everyone else can shove it," and Ondolemar can't help but laugh heartily at the grumpy, put out picture she makes. "I had the chef get some venison for you. Would you like me to bring you some stew?"

Almithara's gold eyes light up at the prospect of one of her favorite foods, and she nods enthusiastically. Ondolemar takes his leave, and Almithara is left with her thoughts. As often happens in these kind of situations, she begins reflecting on the differences in her and her husband since she defeated Alduin and Miraak. Ondolemar has definitely become much more relaxed in the years since they married. Fatherhood suits him, and it softened many of his reactions and tempered his arrogance. Now, he can still be arrogant—and Almithara secretly likes it when he is—but he is more personable now. He is friends with many political officials throughout the nine holds, and he helps Almithara watch over Riverwood. Under their leadership, the city has expanded greatly. He's also a much more caring individual in general.

Motherhood has done similar things to Almithara. She's significantly more cautious than she used to be. When she adopted her other children, they were already old enough to know when not to do certain things; this was not the case when Nelaeryn and Theodemar were growing up. Those little terrors got into everything, and it made Almithara much more careful and watchful. She's still adventurous and helpful, but those qualities take a backseat to making sure that her family is safe and taken care of. She takes it in stride; after all, it's just a part of growing up and getting older. And she wouldn't trade her husband or her children for anything in the world. Besides, she already fulfilled her destiny as the Dragonborn. She killed Alduin, and she prevented Miraak from coming back. As far as Almithara is concerned, she deserves to think of herself and her family after that nightmare. She deserves to do what she wants to do, what will make her happy.

Two bouncing children come flying into her room and interrupt her musings. They hop up into bed with her and one snuggles into each side. "Are you feeling okay, Mother?" Nelaeryn asks.

"I'm feeling wonderful. Just a little tired. Your father went to go get me some food." She smiles down at both of them and runs her fingers through their baby-fine blond hair. They sink into her affection.

"We thought you'd die," Theodemar says uncharacteristically quietly.

Almithara is filled with rage. She wants to protect her babies from the life that she used to lead. She used to get injured all the time. Ondolemar always reminds her of how many times she collapsed from an injury in his presence. She isn't like that anymore. She doesn't go on horrifically dangerous missions, preferring to choose less risky ones with low chances of fatal injury, but Elenwen has dragged her right back into the thick of things. That woman will pay for this if it is the last thing Almithara does. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise that I'll never leave you. Your father would never let me anyway," she tells them with a fond smile.

"You are correct, Almithara. I will never allow you to leave us," Ondolemar says from the door. He's carrying a steaming bowl, and her stomach growls.

"Thank you," she says when she accepts the bowl. Ondolemar sinks down on the edge of the bed, and Nelaeryn moves to sit by him. "Do you boys like it here?"

"It's huge!" Theodemar exclaims. "Can we swim?"

"Of course, you can," she shrugs. "Just make sure that someone is watching you, and don't go into the deep end."

"Yay!" they yell and scramble off the bed. She chuckles and eats her stew. It's delicious.

As Almithara is eating, a knock comes on the doorframe, and they look up to find a servant. "There are a few people here to see you."

Ondolemar looks at Almithara for confirmation. At her nod, he asks for them to be sent in. Alesan, Sofie, Hroar, Samuel, and Blaise come walking in, and Almithara's face lights up. "You didn't all have to come see me!" she scolds, but everyone can tell that she is incredibly happy that they came to check on her as they each embrace her tightly.

"Of course, we would come, Ma. Don't be silly," Alesan points out with a roll of his eyes.

"We came as soon as we heard," Sofie says. "We sent a message to Runa, but it might take her a while to get it up in the frozen north. Inigo is still watching over the town, but I saw him in Whiterun before we left. He was heading to see the Jarl and Bronwyn." She pauses for a moment. "I also saw Vilkas. I think he heard what happened to you somehow. He said to tell you to get better."

Ondolemar's face contorts in a scowl at the information. They haven't heard from Vilkas in years, and now he's sending her a message. "That was kind of him," Almithara says. "I saw him in town yesterday. Theodemar ran right into him. Why don't you kids go get some lunch and go swimming with the twins? I'm just going to be sitting here for the foreseeable future."

"Sounds great," Blaise says with a wide smile. "Come on guys. Let's leave the old lady to her rest." Before Almithara can yell at them, they all retreat, leaving her fuming in her bed.

"So, you saw Vilkas," Ondolemar remarks.

"Only for a moment. Theodemar bumped into him outside of Belethor's, and I said hello. He and Njada got married, but she can't have any children," Almithara informs.

Ondolemar's anger at the man deflates, but he is also filled with a little satisfaction. Serves him right for treating Almithara so badly in the past. Still, it is sad for them to never know the delight of having a child of their own. "That is sad to hear."

"I didn't plan on seeing him ever again. It was just happenstance that we crossed paths again. I suppose it's inevitable when we live so close to Jorrvaskr. I only ever meet with Aela regarding anything they might need, but she does such a good job leading it that I don't really feel like I need to meddle all that much."

"She does have a knack for it," Ondolemar allows.

"After Skjor died, I really thought that she'd have trouble adjusting. It seems like she threw herself into leading instead. I'm glad; I was worried about her for a while," Almithara expresses.

"Will they help with the Thalmor?"

"They signed the declaration years ago. I would imagine that they would help. There is no love for the Thalmor in the Companions," Almithara reasons.

Ondolemar nods and takes her finished bowl to set it down on the side table. "Let's not worry about this just now. You should rest."

By this time, Almithara is begrudgingly getting tired. "Will you lay down with me?"

"Of course," Ondolemar says with a smile. He slips off his shoes and changes into something more suited to relaxing before joining his wife in bed. He wraps his arms around her and pulls her close to his chest. "Sleep now," he commands quietly. She is happy to oblige.

~~~~~~~~~~

Back in Whiterun, Inigo is meeting with Jarl Balgruuf and Bronwyn. "It looks like it was Elenwen that ordered the attack. Ara was really hurt this time, and from what Ondy said, she's eager to get Elenwen back for it. I think this could prove to be really helpful to solving the civil war," Inigo states.

"I think you're right," Jarl Balgruuf muses. "Are you going to go see her?"

"I thought I'd head over there after we have this meeting. I know Ondy is taking good care of her, but the boys are probably pretty shaken up. They could use their Uncle Inigo."

"Let me know if Nendaris and I can help at all," Bronwyn tells him.

"I will. I'll ask her what she thinks of our plans. How are we going to find out if it's Elenwen?"

"Let's send out some letters to see if anyone has heard anything. If no one has, we can try to contact Elenwen directly," Jarl Balgruuf suggests.

"I seem to remember that Delphine had a contact in the Thalmor rankings. We should also see if he can help us," Inigo remembers.

"See if you can contact her before you head over to Almithara. We need to move carefully and quickly on this one," Jarl Balgruuf instructs. "And tell Almithara that we are all hoping for her speedy recovery and that we are very glad that she is okay."

"I will. I only wish that the world would allow her some reprieve."

"I agree," Bronwyn speaks up. "Ondolemar mentioned that they were wanting another child. They'll have to put that on hold now. I've never seen my former superior as happy as he is with her. They deserve so much more than getting sucked into all of this."

"Unfortunately, I think we'll need her spirit, courage, and charm if we have any hope of solving this relatively peacefully," Jarl Balgruuf sighs. Inigo and Bronwyn can't help but agree.

Inigo takes his leave and heads back to the Keep, but he gets stopped in town by an unwelcome pair. "Hello," he says, deciding to break the ice first.

Vilkas and Njada stare at him. The atmosphere is a little tense but more on the side of cordial. "I overheard Sofie telling Arcadia that Almithara was hurt," Vilkas states.

"She was. I'm on my way to see her now."

"Make sure she knows that we will help her if she needs it," Vilkas offers. Njada scoffs and mutters "speak for yourself" under her breath.

"That is kind of you, but I think Ondy and the kids are taking pretty good care of her. It's not like it's the first time she's been injured."

"What do you mean?" Vilkas asks with a furrowed brow.

"Back when we were still working on the Alduin issue, she got hurt a few times. Actually, Ondolemar helped her those times too. There was the poisoned arrow in Markarth and another assassin attack on the way back from Skuldafn. She's tough, though. She'll be fine, just like she was then," Inigo explains.

"I never heard of these incidents."

"Were you supposed to have?" Njada interjects venomously.

"I guess not," Vilkas mumbles. "Still, pass along my offer. Have a safe trip."

Inigo bids them goodbye and returns to the Keep. He sends a messenger out to Delphine to ask about her spy before he contacts Ondolemar through the crystal; Almithara is well enough to summon him to the palace. After he follows the pull of the spell and opens his eyes, he sees Almithara tucked into bed with Ondolemar seated next to her. She's a little pale, but she looks pretty good. "So, you took another tumble, my friend?"

"It would seem so," she laughs.

Inigo pulls a chair from the corner and sits next to her bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, actually. I lost my spleen, but they said I don't need it. More than anything, I'm just angry that stupid woman tried to kill my children," Almithara grumps.

"I told you that you could exact your revenge after you get an adequate amount of rest," Ondolemar scolds. Almithara just huffs. Inigo laughs at the pair of them.

"Ondolemar? Can you get me some dinner? And some for Inigo as well?"

"Of course," he says and heads off to the main hall of the palace to find some food.

Almithara turns and levels a piercing stare at her best friend, and he suddenly feels nervous. "We can catch up with the war stuff when Ondolemar gets back. For now, I want you to tell me what you're hiding from me."

"Hiding? Why would I be hiding something?" Inigo asks without making eye contact.

"You're being suspicious. You looked like you wanted to tell me something when we last had dinner, but you stopped yourself. Spill."

Inigo sighs resignedly. "Fine. I met someone."

Almithara's eyes brighten, and she begins clapping enthusiastically. "Tell me everything!" she commands, eager to hear his exciting news and pleased at a distraction from her current predicament.

"Her name is Shunara. I met her in Dragon Bridge. She just moved there, and the town is very accepting. She's working as a seamstress to get by, but she wants to go back to adventuring as soon as she can. But I'm not sure that she'd want to be with me. I kind of have a messy past," Inigo voices.

"Who doesn't?" Almithara points out. "I was married before Ondolemar. I'm a Breton, and he was a Thalmor officer. As long as you love each other, nothing else matters."

"I wouldn't go that far yet," Inigo chuckles. "Speaking of married, I ran into Vilkas today."

"I did yesterday, and Sofie did today too. It's a little weird, but don't mention that to Ondolemar. I'm sure I'm just overreacting. I don't want to worry him more than I already have." She brushes off any concern she may have. "What did he say?"

"He was with Njada. He wanted me to tell you that they'd help you if you needed anything, but she didn't seem too keen on the idea."

"Odd," Almithara mutters.

"Bronwyn also said that he and Nendaris would help out with anything you needed."

"They are so kind," she says with a fond smile. "We'll have them over for dinner when I'm better."

They exchange meaningless small talk until Ondolemar comes back in with a tray full of enough food for three people. "I figured we could discuss things over dinner."

"Then we have the same way of thinking," Almithara says with a bright, cheery grin. She's eagerly spooning bits of stew that he handed her into her mouth. "Did you bring me a garlic braid?"

Ondolemar rolls his eyes and relinquishes one of the pieces of bread. "Of course. I know how much you love them."

"Thank you," she gushes. "Now, what did you guys decide at the meetings?" She may be healing, but she's still tired, and she wants to get everything out in the open quickly.

"I sent a messenger to find Delphine before I left. I remembered that she had a contact in the Thalmor. On the off chance that he is still employed, we thought that we could get confirmation without anything being too obvious. If that doesn't work, we'll send out letters to other Jarls to see if they have heard anything. As a last resort, we'll contact Elenwen directly," Inigo relays. He takes a large gulp of his stew before he speaks again. "After we get that information, we'll probably call in everyone that signed the war declaration from years ago, and we'll try to set up a peace negotiation with the Stormcloaks and the Imperials. At the end of the day, the Thalmor are at the heart of the conflict between them. I highly doubt General Tulius actually cares about Talos worship."

"I think you are correct," Ondolemar adds. "And I highly doubt that Ulfric Stormcloak really cares either. At the top, I believe that this is more of a power struggle regarding those who will be able to influence policies and laws across Skyrim. The Stormcloaks dislike being told what to do, and the Empire wants to ensure that their influence is expanded into this province."

"I concur," Almithara states. "Although, I think that allowing Talos worship would be in the best interest of everyone. More people will care if it is outlawed, and I honestly don't see how it affects us to allow it."

"I still think that Talos was a man who doesn't deserve a place in the pantheon, but I don't think it's worth continuing this war," Ondolemar interjects. He may have renounced the Thalmor views on racial superiority, but he doesn't believe in the divinity of Talos. Still, it's not worth a war, and it certainly isn't worth the safety of his wife and children. If brokering peace and allowing Talos worship will keep his family safe and by his side, that's what he'll be working toward. He reaches over and grasps his wife's hand. "Nothing is worth sacrificing your safety."

She gives him a loving smile. "I'm glad you feel that way." She sighs sadly. "I really wanted to avoid getting involved in this, but it seems Elenwen took my choice away from me."

"Jarl Balgruuf thinks that you might be the only one who can effectively unite the province, Ara. You just have a way with people," Inigo observes.

"I know," she says listlessly. "Sometimes I wish I weren't so effective at persuasion; it's just instinctive. I think I would have a lot more peace if I were as ornery as Ondolemar."

"Yes, but the rest of everyone may not have as much peace without you working toward it for them," Ondolemar points out, ignoring the barb. "The Jarl and Bronwyn both agree that this will probably not be successful without your efforts."

"We both knew that we couldn't run from this forever. Even though I very much wanted to," Almithara states with a wistful glance at her husband. She turns to her best friend. "How long before we know about Delphine's contact?"

"Probably a couple of days at least. The runner should be able to find her relatively quickly, but then she'll have to covertly contact the man if he's still there. You should just focus on resting. The world wouldn't function half as well without you in it, Ara. Make sure you get better."

Almithara nods in a loose agreement. "We'll need to get ready to summon the groups together."

"Which groups should we summon?" Ondolemar asks. He pulls out a roll of parchment and a quill and ink from the cabinet of the bedside table and prepares to take down the names.

"Let's see…it'll be everyone that signed the declaration. Every Jarl ended up signing it—even Ulfric Stormcloak. After I helped find that serial killer in Windhelm, Jorleif made sure that everyone knew it was me that found him. The Blades have already been contacted, but they'll still need summoned. We'll need to talk to the Companions, the College of Winterhold, and even the Bards' College."

"I highly doubt the Bards' College will be able to help," Ondolemar scoffs.

"They may not be able to actually fight, but it will still be good to contact them. We don't want them to feel left out and retaliate at some later point," Inigo reasons.

"There's no harm in contacting them, even if I think they won't be of much help. We also should contact the Dawnguard. I wasn't a member of the Thieves' Guild, but we should call on them too. I've helped them on a handful of things before. Let's try to get Penitus Oculatus as well. They didn't sign the original declaration, but I did rid the country of the Dark Brotherhood for them. It may be enough." Her face screws up in thought. "I think that we should talk to Ulfric and General Tulius separately. Still invite Ulfric to the regular meeting as Jarl of Windhelm, but then we'll need another meeting with him as the leader of the Stormcloaks. What do we think about that?"

"I think it is a good plan," Ondolemar states as he finishes making all of his notes with a little flourish of his quill. His handwriting is beautiful as always. "When we receive word from Delphine, we will move forward with our plans." With the tentative plan set, everyone settles down into making sure that Almithara heals properly.

~~~~~~~~~~

It's a full week before they hear any news from Delphine. Her contact still worked for the Thalmor, but he was not in a position to gain sensitive information. That being said, he was able to obtain the information. However, it undermined his position in the kitchens, and he had to flee. He has a copy of the assassination orders from Elenwen in his hands, and Delphine is on her way to Riverwood with him in tow.

Almithara is well enough to travel, and the whole family packs up and teleports back to their permanent home. Runa sent word that she would be visiting as soon as possible, but it is difficult to find passage out of the town, and she doesn't know the teleportation spell without having a copy of it to study. Almithara will teach her when she finally arrives. Teleportation spells are not for novice mages.

"Home, sweet home," Almithara breathes when they land in the courtyard. The boys have already run at top speed into the Keep with their little backpacks bouncing on their shoulders. Blaise follows after them. The other children move inside at a more sedate pace. Ondolemar refuses to relinquish his wife's arm from its place in the crook of his elbow. Inigo stands at her other side in case she should faint from any effort. It is unlikely considering how well she has healed, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

"It's good to be back," Inigo sighs happily. "Delphine and Malborn should be here tonight or tomorrow morning."

~~~~~~~~~~

"We'll be ready for them," Ondolemar assures.

Delphine and Malborn show up the next morning, looking rather exhausted and stressed. Almithara ensures that they are fed before they move the meeting to one of the display rooms on the top floor of the Keep. "These are the plans I was able to find in Elenwen's office. They were under lock and key, but I got them."

"Thank you," Almithara says as she takes them from Malborn's outstretched hand. She, Inigo, and Ondolemar lean together to read the plans. They are rather extensive. As extensive as the ones that Ondolemar found the last time. This time, though, it seems like they have a person funneling them some information, but there isn't a clear answer as to who that person could be. Only that they must remain a secret.

"These are similar to the ones she had years ago. It seems that she has multiple contingency plans," Ondolemar observes.

"I just don't understand why she is doing this now. We've been here for years with her maintaining her silence," Almithara considers.

"You did break your engagement to her niece. She could have been humiliated by you, Ondy."

Ondolemar glares at the Khajiit over the use of the nickname, but before he can retaliate, Malborn speaks up. "Noranae is here currently. I have heard her complain relentlessly during dinner that she was embarrassed by your treatment of her and wishes to have you back."

Ondolemar snorts inelegantly. "A forced arranged marriage to keep me away from the woman I loved is hardly what I would call 'having me.'"

"Yes, but you did leave her for the half-breed dragon spawn," Almithara argues.

"You're worth a hundred of her, I'm sure," Ondolemar placates. Almithara grants him a loving smile.

Delphine looks highly uncomfortable. Almithara hasn't really had a need to speak to her about anything important regarding Ondolemar since the start of their acquaintance, and while Delphine still doesn't really trust him all that much, she can't deny the love on display in front of her. It's odd coming from someone who was once associated with the Thalmor. "So, when we all accused you of being a Thalmor puppet at the war summit all those years ago, that wasn't the case? It was just that you loved the Justiciar?" Delphine asks incredulously. Apparently, Almithara marrying him hadn't convinced Delphine of their love for each other.

"Yes," Almithara answers automatically. "There was no way I was going to let him die then, and there's no way anyone is going to separate us now." She turns to Inigo. "Inigo, send out all of the missives we have prepared. We'll need to act quickly and quietly. These plans are extensive, but they are also simple to carry out. Ondolemar and I will go see Jarl Balgruuf personally this afternoon."

They offer to put Delphine and Malborn up in the Keep; Malborn takes their offer, but Delphine decides to go to the Sleeping Giant Inn to check on things. Ondolemar and Almithara leave Inigo to sort out the correspondence and assign them to the messengers and guards for delivery. They dress in comfortable clothing and take the missives for Jarl Balgruuf and Aela with them. The walk to Whiterun is refreshing after Almithara has had to be confined to bed for so long, and soon they are walking through the city. It reminds her of the first time she brought him here. "Do you remember the first time I brought you to Whiterun?"

Ondolemar cocks his head in thought. "You mean the time when you were so jealous of the other women ogling me?"

Her face flushes a light pink, but she nods her head with a slight grin anyway. "I didn't stand a chance against your charming arrogance."

"On the contrary, I think it was I who was roped in by your charm. I had never met anyone like you, and I know that I never will again." Almithara leans her head against his arm while they walk. They decide to stop in at the Companions first since the meeting with the Jarl will probably take a while.

Jorrvaskr looks much the same as it always has, except for the two young people fighting with swords and shields in the middle of the dining room. Almithara recognizes them as Francois and Lucia, but she doesn't stop to say hello. They made their decision years ago.

Down in the living quarters, they find Aela sitting at the small table outside of her room. "Almithara, are you fully recovered?" she asks as she gives her friend a fond embrace.

"Right as rain," Almithara declares brightly. "Like a sword to the stomach could keep me down!"

"It should have known better," Aela chuckles. "What can I do for you both today?"

"Unfortunately," Ondolemar begins, "we have some bad news. Elenwen is the one who ordered the hit on Almithara. We were hoping that the Companions would honor their agreement to expel the Thalmor from this province."

"You don't need to ask," Aela insists. "We will absolutely help when the call comes. It's time that Skyrim governed itself without Thalmor interference. But what will you do about the civil war?"

"We're on our way to talk to Jarl Balgruuf now. We're hoping that with the Thalmor gone, we can negotiate peace between the Stormcloaks and the Imperials," Almithara reveals.

Aela's eyes widen in surprise and disbelief. "An end to the civil war," she breathes wistfully. "Well, if anyone can do it, it's you two. I'll look forward to hearing from you." After catching up for another few minutes, Ondolemar and Almithara excuse themselves to go see the Jarl. On the way out, they run into Njada.

"What are you doing here?" she sneers.

"Not that it's any of your business, but we were meeting with Aela," Almithara responds calmly.

"Excuse us. We need to go see the Jarl," Ondolemar says with barely concealed annoyance. Ondolemar and Almithara walk around the glaring woman and make their way to the exit.

"Stay away from my husband!" she shouts at their retreating backs.

Almithara doesn't even dignify her with a response as she and Ondolemar leave Jorrvaskr, but she keeps up a steady stream of grumbling under her breath all the way up to the doors of the Keep and Ondolemar laughs at her. She shoots him an angry glare. "You look like a very small, angry fox, love."

"You'll think small, angry fox when I bite you," she grumbles.

"I think I'll hold you to that," he purrs in her ear and delights in the shiver that runs through her body. The meeting with the Jarl soon takes precedence, and they fill him in on everything he missed.

"The missives are being sent out?" Jarl Balgruuf clarifies.

"Inigo should be sending them as we speak," Almithara assures. "We just need to have a meeting when everyone arrives. We can then meet with General Tulius and Ulfric separately on the topic of the war. If we had both of their armies at our back, this whole conflict would be much easier. Not that I couldn't handle it without them, but it will take some of the strain off of me."

"Do we know why this has occurred now?"

"It would seem that the woman I was supposed to marry is rather offended that I did not marry her. She's Elenwen's niece. I am uncertain if she wants revenge for the slight or if she thinks that she can still marry me if Almithara and my sons are out of the way," Ondolemar explains.

"I had no idea you were such a catch," Jarl Balgruuf jokes.

"Ondolemar was highly sought after by many within the Dominion and in the Isles," Bronwyn reveals. "He's attractive, intelligent, and hard-working."

Ondolemar's face slightly blushes. "I don't know about all that," he mumbles.

"Well, I think you're quite a catch," Almithara declares proudly. Ondolemar's blush intensifies. "It's the eyes," she tells the others with a serious nod. They all chuckle at the older elf's expense. "And the beautiful babies that he makes." Ondolemar's crimson face finally starts to die down, and he shoots a charming smile at his wife.

"The meeting can be held in Dragonsreach when it is time. We will probably have to put people up in the town, but we lack enough space," Jarl Balgruuf brings up.

"The Keep has extra beds in the guest and employee quarters. We can take the overflow people without any issue," Almithara decides. "Hopefully they'll begin arriving soon."

"Once they are all here, we will commence with the meeting. You can discuss some preliminaries with them if you would like, but it would probably be easier to talk to them all at once."

"I think the Jarl is right," Bronwyn adds. "This would be easier if everything was out in the open for everyone at once rather than telling everyone separately. Then we can quickly tally who will be fighting with us and who will not."

"Then it is decided. Everything else will be figured out when the others arrive," Ondolemar says decisively.

"Well, I think it's time we get back home," Almithara suggests to her husband who swiftly agrees with her. "We'll contact you guys again when people start to show up." She stands, and Ondolemar grasps her hand to perform the teleportation spell. Her next conscious thought is landing in the courtyard of the Keep and being accosted by her twin boys.

"Mother! We missed you!" they chorus. They've been playing outside with Blaise all morning and afternoon, and their smiles are bright and beautiful.

"I missed both of you," she gushes while giving them both tight hugs. "Now, be good for your brother. Mother needs to rest for a bit." Theodemar returns to his playing, but Nelaeryn stays behind.

"Are you okay?" Nelaeryn asks with concern in his eyes.

"Yes, baby. I just need to rest a bit to get better. Like how I made you rest when you had a fever. Remember?" The little boy nods in understanding and lets his mother go into the house with his father.

The first thing they see upon entering is Inigo, who has just finished sending the rest of the missives out to the groups and has a medium-sized pack slung over his shoulder. "Ara, would you mind if I went out of town for a few days? You can summon me when it is time for the meeting."

Almithara gives him a knowing smile. "Go visit your girlfriend, Inigo." Had he been able to blush visibly, he would've been the color of a tomato.

He clears his throat in an attempt to regain his composure. "Thank you, Ara. Let me know when you need me." With that, he exits the Keep.

When Ondolemar and Almithara make it up to their room, she lets out a sigh of relief to finally be comfortable. "It seems I can't recover as fast as I used to."

"It comes with age," her husband says with a smirk. She smacks him on the arm for the slight. "Would you like to lay down?"

She gives him a sexy smile. "Only if you come with me."

"Love, you just said that you are recovering more slowly. Do you really think it is the best idea to exert yourself?" Ondolemar asks with a raised brow.

"Please?" she asks with her best pout and puppy dog eyes combined. "I may be tired, but I'm always up for time with you."

Ondolemar knows it's a losing battle. He just can't resist his wife. He lets out a pleased growl and picks her up and puts her on their bed. She squeals with gleeful laughter and joins their lips in a passionate kiss. Clothing is shredded and thrown to the side, hands explore fevered skin. When it finally comes time for them to be joined, Almithara is begging for him to grant her release. He slides into her slick passage, and they both let out moans of pleasure. He moves within her slowly and languidly as to not hurt her, but she soon decides that isn't enough. "Please, Ondolemar," she cries. "Faster."

"I don't want to hurt you," he breathes in her ear.

"It won't. I promise." She has to bite her lip to prevent herself from screaming when he picks up the pace. His skillful hands stroke across her body relentlessly, and her nails scratch at his back deliciously. A few more minutes of the increased pace finds her inner walls clenching around him, and her body shivering in delight. He follows directly after her and collapses off to the side of her smaller form. As their breathing regulates, he leans his head up to ask her if she wants lunch only to find her fast asleep. He chuckles to himself before he pulls the blankets over them and settles down next to his wife.

Thoughts of Elenwen's attempt on her life filter through his mind before sleep overtakes him. She will pay for endangering the only precious things he's ever had in his entire existence. Her presumption will come at the cost of her life.

Chapter Text

It takes almost two weeks for everyone to show up in either Whiterun or the Keep. The meeting is set to take place in the main hall of Dragonsreach. Ondolemar, Almithara, and Inigo spend the morning setting up plenty of refreshments for the guests. "Do you remember the war summit?" Almithara asks Ondolemar.

"Of course. I had to fight myself not to carry you off and have my wicked way with you," Ondolemar admits with a fond smile. "I'm not sure it was wise of you to pull that dress back out for today." That sinful red dress on his wife's body is bringing back memories of his learning that she was no longer attached and the thrill that had gone through him at the news. "You know, you have never told me what the First Emissary told you that day."

Almithara pauses in her motions for a moment. The plate of boiled crème treats she is moving hovers a bit before she sets it down. "I thought it wouldn't matter at this point, so I never mentioned it, but I guess she hasn't let it go." She brushes her hands together to rid them of any dirt or food bits before turning to her husband. She notices that although she has his attention, his eyes keep glancing down at her breasts. Almithara can't help but smile at him. "She told me that she knew of our feelings for each other and that I should put them out of my mind since you would be marrying someone more suitable than I. Someone who could give you pure children. She said I was only hurting you by showing you what you couldn't have. I told her that I was aware that someone of your status would never look twice at me and that she had nothing to worry about."

Ondolemar's heart clenches. "That's why you looked so upset."

"Yes. You said something similar that day anyway," Almithara points out.

"I didn't mean it. I was trying to convince myself I couldn't have you, but then I found out you weren't married anymore, and all of the arguments seemed to not matter so much." His eyes bore into his wife's. "You were so gorgeous that day. You defended me to the others there. And when you used the Thu'um to settle the crowd…if I hadn't been taken with you already, I would've been."

"I knew that I loved you the moment I laid eyes on you," Almithara admits. "I know that isn't really possible, but it was like everything stopped the moment I saw you in that Keep."

"The feeling was entirely mutual, love." Ondolemar walks to Almithara's side and pulls her into a passionate kiss.

"All right, lovebirds, break it up. We have people coming," Inigo announces with an eye roll the moment he walks into the room.

"Sorry, Inigo," Almithara laughs. "I think we have everything set up here. When will people start arriving?" As if on cue, the doors open and Aela and Vilkas march through with Tolfdir and Runa close behind.

"Mama!" Runa screams and breaks into a run, swiftly surpassing the rest of the group. Almithara meets her partway through the hall and embraces her tightly. "I heard what happened. Did Papa take good care of you?" Vilkas' eyes flash in surprise and anger, but neither Ondolemar nor Almithara take notice. Inigo, however, does, and a worried look graces his feline face.

"He took wonderful care of me, and so did Serana and Marcurio. They're the ones that found me."

"The boys must've been so scared," Runa laments.

"They were very scared, but they ran so fast. I was proud of them for getting out of there quickly," Almithara states with a slight smile.

"Do we know what happened?"

"I'll be telling everyone at the meeting. Are you here officially?"

Runa smiles proudly. "I am. I've been working under Drevis, of course, but Tolfdir wanted someone to come with him to the summit, and since I would get to see you, I said I would accompany him. I'm his official assistant for the meeting. Take that Brelyna," she snarls.

"Is she still there causing trouble?" Almithara laughs. "She hated me too."

"Yeah, she still hates you, and that means she hates me. It's no big deal; she's completely harmless," Runa says with a shrug. While they've been speaking, many other people have arrived and are being greeted by Ondolemar and Inigo. "You had better go help Papa. You know he's not the friendliest. Even if he has gotten better."

"You're right," Almithara chuckles. "Come to dinner tonight at the Keep. Everyone would love to see you." Joining her husband and best friend, she helps them greet the remaining delegates. Isran is particularly annoyed to be called on, but he came all the same. Brynjolf shows up with Vex in tow; Almithara is not a member of the Thieves Guild, but she did help them depose Mercer Frey when he threatened the guild. Back then, she thought it would be a smart thing to have them onside, and she will hopefully turn out to be correct. Shockingly enough, Commander Maro of Penitus Oculatus arrives as well. "Commander Maro," Almithara greets with a bright smile. "I wasn't sure that you would come."

"You did us an incredible service when you got rid of the Dark Brotherhood. It would be remiss of me to not come when you require assistance," he explains succinctly.

"Thank you," Almithara states, highly touched at his words.

"Your connections have not been in vain," Ondolemar whispers in her ear as Commander Maro takes his seat. "I think we can actually do this."

"Let's not celebrate just yet," Almithara warns, but her face is lit up with a hopeful expression. Ondolemar glances behind her at the tables and notices Vilkas looking at his wife with a lustful gleam in his eyes. Ondolemar scowls and places his arm around her to pull her close. "Is something wrong?" Almithara asks curiously with one dark eyebrow raised.

"I just want everyone in the room to know to whom you belong," he says with a flash of his eyes.

"I love it when you get all possessive," Almithara purrs.

"When we get back home, I will be ripping this dress from you. Unlike last time, I can have my wicked way with you now," Ondolemar growls back.

"Guys, you have got to stop doing this when I'm in ear shot," Inigo groans.

"Sorry," they simultaneously reply with sheepish expressions. After about thirty seconds of guilt, Almithara looks thoughtful. "Speaking of love, how are things with Shunara?"

"Fine," Inigo says cautiously. "She may be coming to visit soon."

"I look forward to meeting her!" Almithara declares jovially. The last guest comes sauntering through the doorway. "Delphine, I'm glad you could make it." Almithara is a little annoyed that Delphine is the last to arrive since she's only in Riverwood, but she bites her tongue for the sake of the meeting.

Delphine just nods and takes the remaining seat at the table with Malborn. Almithara looks at Ondolemar and Inigo. "Let's get this started." They all turn and walk to the front of the room where Jarl Balgruuf is seated and stand centrally to be able to speak to everyone. "Greetings, everyone," Almithara welcomes clearly. "You may be wondering why I called all of you here today, and I will get to that in a moment. First of all, I want to thank all of you for standing by me in the past when things got dicey. Your support is noted and appreciated."

"It is all of us who should be thanking you, Dragonborn," Jarl Laila announces kindly.

"Thank you," Almithara says with a blush gracing her face. "Regardless, I have called you all here today to discuss a matter of great importance. A few years ago, you all placed your names on a declaration of war on my and my family's behalf. Unfortunately, the terms of the peace agreement have been breached. Several weeks ago, I was attacked by five assassins and nearly killed. The assassins were sent by Elenwen, the First Emissary for the Thalmor. It nearly cost me my life, and they were after my twin boys as well." A collective murmur of concern goes through the audience. "Malborn was a spy within the Thalmor, and he obtained documents that prove that they were indeed behind the attempt. Additionally, he found highly detailed plans for numerous other attempts should that particular attempt be unsuccessful. I have called you here today because I believe it is time that the Dragonborn expelled the Thalmor from Skyrim." The whispering increases significantly.

"Basically," Ondolemar interjects, "we are looking to know who will be willing to stand with us in this endeavor. We will be meeting with Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak and General Tulius separately of this meeting to discuss what can be done." He nods toward Jarl Ulfric, who surprises everyone and nods back. "Are there any questions?"

"What exactly do you need?" Tolfdir asks Almithara.

"I will need everyone's help. Expelling the Thalmor will be no easy task. I will need people who are willing to help me make that happen. If you cannot do that, I will not be offended. I understand that this is an incredibly large-scale quest, but you all signed the agreement years ago that you would help me should I ever need it. I was hoping that you would all make good on your promise," Almithara states succinctly. She hates to use subtle blackmail, but they did all sign the agreement.

"The Companions will stand with you," Aela announces proudly.

"As will the College," Tolfdir says in his ancient voice.

"The Guild will also help," Brynjolf declares.

"The Blades will serve the Dragonborn," Delphine concedes, but she sounds as if she'd rather die.

"The Dawnguard have not forgotten what you have done," Isran adds.

Every Jarl except Jarl Elisif agrees to stand at her back; Elisif says that she will only agree after Almithara has spoken to General Tulius. The Bards' College declines helping in any fighting, but they are open to offering any other services that Almithara thinks would be suitable for them. Commander Maro asks to speak to Almithara in private. Almithara leaves Ondolemar and Inigo in charge of refreshments while she takes Commander Maro into Farengar's study. Notes about her twins are sprawled across Farengar's desk, and she has to suppress a chuckle at his delight in them. He'll be very happy to hear that they will be having another baby soon; he'll get a new subject. "What did you want to tell me, Commander?"

"As you know, Penitus Oculatus is the personal security for the Emperor. I cannot technically support you. However," he trails off and looks around nervously, as if something could be listening to him and dropping his voice to a quiet murmur, "I detest the Thalmor as much as the next person. The only thing I can offer you is to keep the Emperor's attention off of this incident. Is that acceptable?"

"That is more than enough, Commander," Almithara says with a pleased smile. Commander Maro flushes slightly and stutters a bit. "I knew that you wouldn't be able to directly help our cause, but I didn't want you to be left out of the loop. You didn't sign the original declaration, but I still respect you greatly. This will be happening, and I wanted you to be aware of what was going on. I will not tolerate an attempt on my children's lives."

"What caused this? It seems out of character for the Emissary to care so much about one person."

"This isn't the first time she's tried to kill me. I married Ondolemar and bore his children, and he defected from the Thalmor. If you recall, he was Head of the Justiciars in Skyrim. Elenwen knew that Ondolemar was interested in me, and she arranged him to be married to her niece while we were away in Solstheim. He chose to leave the Thalmor instead of marrying her, and I guess Elenwen has never forgiven me for it. Although, I am surprised that she would cross me over something like this. She must've been more offended than I thought," Almithara posits.

"That is odd indeed," Commander Maro mumbles. "Anyway, I had better be leaving. If you would keep me informed, I would be most appreciative."

"Of course, Commander. Have a safe trip back to Dragon Bridge," Almithara calls as he leaves.

"Dragonborn," a deep voice calls behind her. Almithara turns to see the tall form of Jarl Ulfric standing next to her. She once again feels her diminished height, but she smiles kindly up at him nonetheless.

"What can I do for you, Jarl Ulfric?"

Ulfric glances over at Ondolemar who is in deep conversation with Aela and Isran. "You were never interested in the goals of the Thalmor, were you?"

Almithara follows his gaze and smiles lovingly at her husband. "I was not. They made it clear from the beginning that they thought I was beneath them, but Ondolemar cared for me. I could tell that he was unhappy and that he was starting to doubt the Thalmor teachings. I couldn't let anyone execute the man I loved. It really had nothing to do with the civil war. And for the record, I think that if you choose to worship Talos, it's really nobody's business. On that point, Ondolemar agrees with me. I was hoping to meet with you separately from this meeting, but I will speak with you now if you would like."

Ulfric mulls it over. "Let's speak now. I'm already here. Then you may speak with me again after talking to Tulius."

"Would you like Ondolemar to join us? He's not a bad strategist."

"If you wish," he waves off. He takes a seat at the small table in Farengar's office and waits for Almithara to retrieve her husband. When she returns, he speaks to the elf. "I apologize for my rudeness on any occasion where we have met," he states.

"It is of no consequence," Ondolemar returns. "I was a member of a group causing you trouble. It is not odd that you would be hostile toward me."

Ulfric nods in acceptance. "Now, Elenwen has attacked you and your children?"

"She has. I lost an organ and nearly lost my life, but my boys are safe. I managed to hold off the assassins long enough for them to get to safety."

"You have my respect for protecting your children above your own life," Ulfric tells her. "Elenwen is a terrible person, and I think that the Thalmor have no business being in Skyrim. May I be frank for a moment?"

"Of course," Almithara replies immediately. "There should be no secrets here."

"I am tired of this war. It goes on indefinitely, and neither of us is in any position to definitively end it."

"The Thalmor were hoping to keep the civil war going as long as possible to allow their position to be maintained with less effort," Ondolemar reveals. "Elenwen was very worried that Almithara would join one side and sway the civil war toward victory for either side."

Ulfric scowls. "That woman." He sighs heavily, weary present in every aspect of his being. "I think that if Tulius and I could speak, we may be able to come to an understanding."

"I think you are correct," Almithara agrees. "I am sure that General Tulius is just as tired of this war as you are. Skyrim is not Cyrodiil. I mean, I infinitely prefer it, but I'm sure he misses his home."

"Just how far are you planning on taking this?" Ulfric asks curiously.

"We have been in talks with Jarl Balgruuf for some time," Ondolemar admits. "He has been hopeful that we may even be able to overturn the White-Gold Concordat as it relates to Skyrim."

"And you would be okay with that?" Ulfric asks Ondolemar.

"I care not either way. I may not personally believe that Talos is a member of the Divines, but it doesn't matter to me who you choose to worship. The only reason we are becoming involved is because it is now a threat against our family, and it is disrupting our lives. We had plans that must be put on hold," Ondolemar grumbles.

"We'll have another child after the war," Almithara rolls her eyes at her husband's grumbling. "I have always primarily worshiped Auriel, or Akatosh, but I have no problem with Talos. He was Dragonborn too. It's none of the Thalmor's business what happens in Skyrim. They hate most of us, so why are they here?"

Ulfric nods sharply. "Then we are in agreement. Please let me know what Tulius says. If we are to expel the Thalmor, the Stormcloaks will stand with you."

Almithara has to stop herself from doing a ridiculously embarrassing happy dance in the middle of Dragonsreach. One army down, one to go. The Imperials either need to stand with her, or stay out of the way. Ulfric stands and takes his leave of the conference with the remaining Jarls and leaders. "So, how do you think we did?" she asks the tall elf beside her.

"I think we did incredibly well. Even if the Imperials choose to fight against us, we will be able to vanquish them with the forces we have," Ondolemar assures her. "I just hope that we won't have to. I'd prefer to minimize the casualties and decrease the amount of time that must be spent on this. What's our next move?"

"We need to go see General Tulius. Would you like to come with me to Solitude?"

"I would love to," Ondolemar replies with a small smile. They turn to leave, but they find Vilkas in their path. "May we help you?"

Vilkas turns his gaze to Almithara. "Are you recovered?"

"Yes," she answers. "All better now."

"And your sons are okay?"

"They were shaken up, but they're no worse for wear." Almithara is surprised that Vilkas is speaking rather kindly to her in the presence of Ondolemar, but she'll take the turn of events happily. It beats the angry conversations they used to share.

He addresses Ondolemar. "The boys look very much like you. You should be proud."

"I am. Thank you," Ondolemar responds, but he's very confused by the actions of the man.

"I hope everything works out with this situation," Vilkas says with a nod of his head. Almithara looks up at Ondolemar with a smile, so she misses the interested once over that Vilkas gives her. Ondolemar does not miss it, and he narrows his eyes. Just what is this man playing at? Vilkas turns and follows Aela out of the room.

"That was odd," Almithara murmurs.

"Indeed," Ondolemar retorts. "When would you like to go to Solitude? And should we bring everybody or just us?"

"Let's see if Blaise, Hroar, and Samuel want to stay. If they do, let's make it just us. Otherwise, we can pack up everybody," Almithara decides.

"Very well," Ondolemar says.

They finish cleaning up Dragonsreach with the other servants and Runa, and they head home to see the rest of the family. Everyone is happy to see their sister, and the boys spend hours telling her all about what she has missed in her absence. She gets to tell them about the College and everything she is learning. For at least this moment, the family of the Dragonborn enjoys some quality time and calm before the storm comes for them.

Blaise, Hroar, and Samuel don't want to make the trip to Solitude, and they agree to watch the twins while Ondolemar and Almithara go to speak to General Tulius. While the couple loves their sons, having their energetic little selves underfoot on a diplomatic mission is not ideal. When dinner is finally over, and everyone is tucked into bed, Ondolemar and Almithara finally have some time together. "May I bring up a concern?" Ondolemar begins.

Almithara is still wearing her beautiful red dress, and she has refrained from removing it until her husband has that pleasure. "Of course, you can. What's on your mind?"

"I am worried that your ex-husband is coming around for nefarious reasons."

"I agree that it's odd, but I'm not sure that I would go so far as to say nefarious. Regardless, I'm not the same person that I was years ago. I can stand up to him now," Almithara insists. "And you'll never let anything happen to me, right?" She walks over to her husband and places her hands on his chest.

"Of course not," he vehemently replies. "But please be careful, love. I have a bad feeling about it."

"So does Inigo," she admits. "And so do I to a certain extent. I promise I'll be careful. Now, didn't you want to do something about this dress?"

"So I did," Ondolemar recalls with a growl and proceeds to divest his wife of the sexy red dress.

Chapter Text

Ondolemar and Almithara are having a light breakfast at Proudspire Manor before meeting with General Tulius. "Is there anything we should go over before we get there?" Almithara asks.

"I don't think so," Ondolemar replies as he places another bite of toasted bread in his mouth. "We just need to see if we can persuade them to back us or to refrain from fighting. I hope you are prepared for the worst."

"I am," Almithara sighs. "I honestly don't think this is going to go well. I think they are going to fight us. The Thalmor are too ingrained in the Empire for them to get behind our cause. They never signed the original declaration anyway."

Ondolemar looks around the dining room of Proudspire Manor. He remembers when he came here after giving Elenwen the declaration and had dinner with Serana and Alesan. "I was so afraid you were going to reject me."

"Wot?" Almithara says through a large mouthful of sweet roll.

"The day that I gave the declaration to Elenwen, I came back here to accompany Serana and Alesan back to the Keep. I thought that you would tell me to leave when I got back. Even after I found out you were pregnant, I thought you would be so angry that you wouldn't take me back."

"As if that was going to happen," Almithara scoffs. "There's no way I was going to tell you to leave."

"Thank you, love," Ondolemar says with a smile. "I can't imagine what my life would be like now if Bronwyn wouldn't have stepped in. I owe him so much."

"We both do, but I think we've done a good job of paying him back throughout the years. We got him a great job; we brought Nendaris over; we gave him a house; we spoiled his babies when they were born," Almithara lists.

"I suppose you are right," Ondolemar concedes. He picks up his napkin and wipes at his face. "We should go now if we don't want to be late."

"Oh goodness, you're right!" Almithara exclaims as she swiftly stands up from the table and smooths down her hair. "Are you ready to charm, dear husband?"

"I'm not sure that I can be charming. Arrogant, yes; sarcastic, yes; grumpy, yes; charming? I don't think so," Ondolemar argues with a smirk.

"Okay, I'll be charming, and you be less ornery than usual," Almithara laughs as they walk out the front door.

"What do I get in return?"

"I'll let you do whatever you want to me this evening," Almithara offers.

"Deal," he declares in his deep, velvet voice. She throws her head back and laughs at him, and they walk arm in arm through town to Castle Dour. Once they enter the dark and intimidating building, they are greeted by Legate Rikke. "We have a meeting with General Tulius," Ondolemar informs.

"Follow me," she says sharply. She turns on her heel and marches the guests into the war room. General Tulius is standing at a table with a map of Skyrim laid out in front of him. His short gray hair is impeccable, but the new age lines on his face suggest that he's being overworked.

"Hello, General," Almithara begins brightly. "How are you doing today?"

"Fine," General Tulius grumbles. "Can we get to the point? I'm rather busy."

Almithara scowls, but she isn't one to give up that easily. "We have something very important to discuss with you regarding the civil war."

"Yes. Your note was vague. Are you here to join the Imperials? If not, I really see no reason for us to speak."

Almithara takes a calming breath before speaking. No good biting his head off before she gets to the point. "I'm not here to join. I'm here to ask you to help me expel the Thalmor from Skyrim."

General Tulius freezes and slowly brings his head up to look into Almithara's gold eyes. "I beg your pardon?"

"I am going to expel the Thalmor from Skyrim, and I would like your and your army's help in doing so."

General Tulius actually laughs. "That's funny. Really funny. Now, what are you really here for?"

"We are serious," Ondolemar reveals when it is obvious that Tulius does not believe them. The laughter dies down immediately.

"There is no way that I will help you with that."

"Eight of the Jarls and numerous guilds have backed me. The Stormcloak army is also backing me. We will succeed," Almithara insists.

"You have joined the Stormcloak rebellion?" Tulius growls.

"That's not what I said. I said the Stormcloaks have joined me," Almithara states darkly. "Elenwen sent assassins after me and my three-and-a-half-year-old twins. Years ago, she tried to separate my husband from me, and a group of individuals signed a declaration of war against the Thalmor. If she came after my family, I would remove her and the rest of the Thalmor from this province."

"She sent assassins after small children?" Tulius gasps.

"Yes," Ondolemar confirms. "She tried to kill my wife and sons. Whether you back us or not, she will be thrown out of Skyrim. So, what do you decide?"

General Tulius sighs. "How extensively have you spoken to Ulfric?"

"Enough to know that he is tired of this war and is willing to discuss terms of a peace agreement after the Thalmor are gone," Almithara reveals.

"It seems that you are well and truly disconnected from the Thalmor?" Tulius directs at Ondolemar.

"Undoubtedly. She nearly destroyed my life, and it is impossible to meet Almithara without questioning the thought that Altmer are at the height of everything."

Tulius nods absentmindedly. "I cannot make any decisions myself as I am not authorized to simply go against those who would be considered our allies. The only thing I can say at this time is that I will not interfere in what is obviously a personal vendetta. After the situation is under control, I would be very interested in discussing a peace agreement with Ulfric. This war has gone on long enough, and I would very much like to go home before I die."

Almithara nods happily. It's not exactly what she wanted, but it's more than she expected. "Thank you, General. I hope very much that we can come to some sort of peaceful agreement. I don't want this to come to more bloodshed than is necessary."

"If anyone can make sure it doesn't, it's you, Dragonborn," he replies reverently—a nice switch from his demeanor when she first arrived.

Almithara blushes slightly but takes the compliment for what it is. She and Ondolemar leave the castle, and they walk back down the road the Blue Palace. They have to tell Elisif what Tulius said. Walking into the Jarl's home, they greet the guards and walk up the stairs to the throne. "Ah, Almithara! How wonderful to see you," Elisif greets with a friendly smile.

Almithara has never really been overly friendly with the Jarl of Solitude. It's not that she doesn't like her; it's just that they've never really had a reason to be overly close. While Almithara doesn't overly care about the reasoning behind the civil war—even though she thinks that Skyrim should be able to govern itself as it sees fit—she has always thought that the duel between Torygg and Ulfric was fair. Torygg accepted the duel, and that's that. Of course, Elisif has a right to be upset about the death of her husband, and Almithara would be a mess if something happened to Ondolemar. But to claim that Ulfric murdered him and to then execute the man that let him out of the city…Almithara could never get behind that.

"We just came from Castle Dour," Almithara informs, getting right to the point. "General Tulius does not wish to help us in the fight against the Thalmor, but he will also not fight against us as he considers it a personal matter. After the conflict is finished, he is interested in peace talks with the Stormcloaks."

"I wouldn't have believed it unless I heard it with my own ears. You have done what no one else has been able to do, Almithara. Solitude will stand with you against the Thalmor. Just notify us when you are ready to mobilize."

Almithara cannot prevent the brilliant smile that overtakes her face. "I am so happy to hear that!" she gushes. "I'm not sure exactly when we will mobilize. We would like to speak with Elenwen first to see if we can get them to leave without having to fight."

"We are, of course, sure that it will not work, but it would be unfortunate to not try to solve things without any additional violence," Ondolemar adds.

"I understand. All avenues must be explored," Elisif agrees. They speak another few minutes on trivial matters before Ondolemar and Almithara teleport back to Riverwood Keep.

~~~~~~~~~~

The twins are ecstatic that their parents are back, and Theodemar sits on his father's knee and babbles nonstop about what he and Nelaeryn have been up to since Almithara and Ondolemar left the day before. Nelaeryn just sits next to his mother and lets Almithara run her hands through his baby-fine hair. Although still full of cunning and mischief, he's always been the quieter and calmer of the two, which could potentially be more of an advantage to successfully getting into and out of trouble than Theodemar's more direct attitude. "And then I went fishing!" Theodemar screams.

"Amazing," Ondolemar breathes. "Did you catch any for me? Fish is my favorite."

"I did!" the little boy screeches. "Uncle Inigo said we can cook it today!"

"I got you this, Mother," Nelaeryn says quietly as he holds up a red mountain flower.

"This is beautiful, sweetie. Thank you." She pulls the little boy into a tight hug and plants a kiss on his forehead.

"Mother," Theodemar begins with a curious look on his face, "how did you name us?"

"I picked out Nelaeryn's name, and Father picked out your name," she answers.

"But why?" the little boy presses, exasperated with her abridged explanation.

"I named you after my grandfather," Ondolemar supplies. "He was a kind man, and he always took me on adventures when I was little."

"What adventures?" Nelaeryn asks, completely enraptured by the tale.

"Well, he took me fishing. We went exploring for rare artifacts or evidence of ancient folktales. We chased chickens." Almithara bursts out laughing at the thought of a small Ondolemar chasing a chicken. "He took me rock climbing a couple of times. Whatever he could think of that we could do together."

"And I came up with Nelaeryn. It was my father's name. He and my mother died from an illness before I left home and traveled and then came here. He used to be nobility in the Summerset Isles, but he met my mother by chance, and he ran away to be with her. He taught me a lot of things and told many stories, and he was always so kind. I miss him a lot," Almithara says with a wistful sigh.

"But you have us now. Don't be sad, Mother," Theodemar announces in that happy-go-lucky way only small children can manage.

"I suppose you're right," Almithara says with a bright smile. She pulls Nelaeryn closer and leans against Ondolemar's shoulder. "I have all of you, so I don't need to be sad."

~~~~~~~~~~

Later that evening, they have the fish that Theodemar caught for dinner. He's so very proud of himself, and his parents can't help but smile. For the first time in a long time, all of the children are at home for dinner. Runa has to go back to the college the next day, so everyone wanted to get together to see their sister who is rarely around anymore. "I'm doing great in all of my studies. Even though I'm not specializing in Alteration, I really love learning from Tolfdir. He's been around so long, and he has so many stories and instructions. And…" she trails off.

"And what, sis?" Alesan presses.

Her face heats up in a pink blush. "Well, I've kind of been spending some time with a guy named Onmund."

Almithara remembers Onmund. Not a bad fellow but a bit boring for her. However, she can see her relatively quiet, studious, and genuine daughter being a fan of his. "I remember him. He's a good person," Almithara states.

"I'm not sure that he's thinking anything like that," Runa says quietly. "Anyway, we all know about Alesan and Dorthe. What about you, Sofie?" She steers the conversation to someone else to take heat off of herself.

"Nope, nobody has caught my eye. I think that guy at Belethor's shop likes me, but he's not my type at all. Maybe I'll travel around and find somebody," Sofie says with a shrug. "Besides, I'm doing really well with my alchemy training, and I'd like to focus on that for a while. It's really intricate work, and it requires all of my attention."

"That is excellent, Sofie," Ondolemar declares. "I didn't get married until I was a hundred and forty-five. You have plenty of time."

"Thanks, Papa," she chuckles. "But I don't think I'll live quite as long as you. I hope I find someone before then."

"I'm sure you will," Ondolemar says kindly.

"Oh, no!" Almithara suddenly bursts out.

"What?" everyone asks.

"I forgot to send Ulfric a note about General Tulius!" she stands from the table and frantically rushes into the enchanting room to grab some paper and ink, hair flying behind her and feet tripping on the carpet. After quickly scribbling what she needs to tell him, she loudly calls for a messenger and sends him to deliver the note immediately. She breathes a sigh of relief as she sinks back down into her seat at the dining room table. Everyone is looking at her with amused expressions. "What?"

"Mother is silly!" Theodemar exclaims with a hearty laugh. The rest of the family joins in.

"You all stink," Almithara remarks petulantly, but her expression quickly turns into a smile when Ondolemar presses a kiss to her cheek. "Truly, I'm happy that everyone is able to be here tonight. I've missed you all so much."

"It is nice to have all of us here," Blaise agrees.

After some more talking, the children all retire for the night. Inigo heads up to his loft, and Almithara and Ondolemar head to their own quarters. Ondolemar pulls her close to him and nuzzles his face in her neck. "I think we should take a bath," Almithara suggests.

"That sounds wonderful," Ondolemar rumbles against her. They quickly divest themselves of their clothing and sink into the heated water of the private bath in their quarters. They both let out sighs and just relax in the water.

"I think this is going to be the last time we get to relax until this whole thing is over. We have to speak with Elenwen soon. How quickly do you think she'll respond to the letter?" Almithara asks. Earlier in the day, Almithara and Ondolemar had written letters to Elenwen. She put the letters in an envelope with Jarl Balgruuf's letter and sent them off after dinner.

"I think she will want to answer it swiftly, which works in our favor. We shouldn't just walk into the sabre cat's den. We need to be in control of the situation," Ondolemar points out. He picks up the bar of lavender soap—the scent that his wife has always used—and begins running it over her wet skin.

Almithara hums in agreement and leans back against his chest. "I suppose you're right. She would have both of us at her mercy. And while she probably wouldn't kill you, she'd probably have no issue with ridding the world of me."

"I won't allow it," Ondolemar promises with venom coating every word.

"You know, I really like it when you get all growly," Almithara whispers against his throat.

"Oh, really?" he asks with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"Uh huh. Why don't we take advantage of our last calm before the storm hits? I did promise that you could do whatever you wanted to me."

"I think that is an excellent idea," her husband purrs before they join together in a passionate embrace. The night passes with them never moving more than a few inches away from each other. They keep their impassioned cries to a minimum, but they manage to fully explore the other multiple times before the sun rises. The morning finds them draped over their bed with smiles on their faces.

"I don't want to get up and face the world," Almithara whispers.

"I know, love," Ondolemar sighs. He lifts up one large hand and runs it through her long black hair. "But us staying in bed isn't going to stop the day from coming."

"You're right, of course. I really hate it when you're right," Almithara remarks petulantly.

"It's a curse." Ondolemar lets out a low chuckle. "You already sent the letter to Elenwen, right?"

"Yep, right after dinner last night. Jarl Balgruuf wrote a note to her as well. It should get our message across. She should be receiving it about now, actually."

"Then I suppose we will simply wait and see what happens," Ondolemar posits. His wife agrees and curls further into his warm side.

~~~~~~~~~~

In another part of Skyrim, Elenwen and her niece are having breakfast. "I can't believe she survived the attack and managed to kill all five of the assassins," Noranae complains in disbelief.

"The Dragonborn is incredibly strong. I thought that either going out on fewer missions after the birth of her children or having the children with her would make her more vulnerable, but I was obviously mistaken," Elenwen grumbles. "Worry not, niece. We will get our revenge on her."

"I was the laughing stock of the whole town when they found out he left me for a Breton," Noranae whines. "And it's not fair. I wanted to marry him so badly."

"We can still get him to marry you," Elenwen assures. "We just have to get that woman and the two brats out of the way. Then whatever spell she has him under will be broken, and he'll realize the error of his ways."

"Do you really think so?" Noranae asks hopefully. Her yellow eyes are alight with thoughts and imaginings of what it would be like to be married to the Head of the Justiciars in Skyrim. She knows that she's gorgeous—she's been told many times by many different suitors. Her blonde hair is long, soft, and flowing. Her skin is golden and lightly sun-kissed with high cheekbones and defined features. She is the picture of Altmer beauty.

"Of course," Elenwen answers automatically. "No one would refuse you."

"Except that he already has," Noranae hisses. "What does this Breton look like anyway?"

Elenwen stands and moves to a table in the corner of the room. She pulls open a drawer in the front and rifles through the paper before finding the one she is looking for. "After the defeat of Alduin, these were sold in droves. Everyone wanted a picture of the Dragonborn. I purchased one just because." She holds the drawing out to her niece who takes it.

The picture in Noranae's hand is almost a perfect likeness of Almithara. It shows her winning smile, revealing a set of perfect teeth. Her dark hair is pulled back from her face and held in place with a ruby circlet. Her gold eyes are bright and open, and her facial features are soft and feminine. Overall, the picture captures her charm and general demeanor perfectly, in addition to being absolutely accurate on her physical aspects. It's clear in the picture that she is wearing mage robes. "She's not much to look at," Noranae says spitefully. "Is she a mage?"

"Yes, she is. A rather powerful one at that," Elenwen admits grudgingly. "Her father was of a noble house in the Isles, but he left to follow some Nord woman to Cyrodiil where they both died of some illness."

"So, it seems her family has a history of taking away good Altmer men from where they should be," Noranae observes bitterly. She throws the picture on the table and glares at it.

A servant walks through the door to the dining room. "First Emissary, you have a letter." The man holds out the letter to Elenwen, who takes it with barely a nod of acknowledgement. She tears through the envelope and pulls the papers out to read. As her eyes scan the pages, her face twists into a mask of fury.

"Something the matter, Aunt?" Noranae asks. Elenwen growls and throws the letters at her. Noranae picks them up, and begins to read the first out loud:

Dear First Emissary,

Imagine my shock when I was given a note found on one of the assassins sent after me and saw your initial at the bottom of the page. Perhaps using the phrase "half-breed dragon spawn" was not the smartest move you could make. You are the only person who has ever called me that.

Anyway, remember that lovely little scroll that Ondolemar handed you four years ago? The declaration of war? Well, you've just broken the treaty, and we have proof that you did. I have an army standing at my back, and I am offering you this chance to leave Skyrim peacefully. Otherwise, we are coming for you, and you will be thrown out of this province. It's your choice. Please send back a response.

I will make sure you regret the day you tried to harm my children.

Sincerely,

Almithara, The Half-Breed Dragon Spawn

"She's awfully presumptuous," Noranae remarks. She flips to the next page and sees a letter from Jarl Balgruuf encouraging Elenwen to take the opportunity to leave peacefully. He assures her that if given the chance, Almithara will kill her for the provocation. Noranae flips to the final page, and envy and rage fill her. The last page is written in a beautiful hand, and it is signed by Ondolemar himself. She reads that portion silently.

Elenwen,

I thought that you would not be so foolish as to cross Almithara. I recall how panicked you were when I told you of the existence of the Dragonborn. I am also aware that you are the one that tried to have her assassinated on the way back from Skuldafn years ago. You were unsuccessful then, and you will be unsuccessful now. She has lived through much worse, and she is stronger than you give her credit for.

We have an army, Elenwen. I am unsure of what your motivation is, but there is no way that I will ever marry your niece. I only agreed in the first place because you were going to kill Almithara. If you somehow manage to kill her and my sons this time, I will not stop until you are put down. The cost of your scheming will be your life.

Consider this carefully. You have harmed my wife and frightened my sons, and I cannot let that slide. Almithara and I will recompense the slight.

For once, do the smart thing.

Ondolemar

Noranae brings her hand up and sweeps it over his elaborate signature. "He's so protective of them," she says with a wistful sigh. "Do you think he'll be as protective of me when this is all settled?"

Elenwen is still reeling from the knowledge that the Thalmor position in Skyrim is no longer safe. She keeps herself from snapping at her niece. Why did she let herself be swayed by this girl? But Noranae is her niece, and she wants her to be happy. She also wants to erase the humiliation that her family suffered at Ondolemar's rebuff. This is quickly becoming serious. "I am sure that he will be protective of his family," Elenwen answers. It's enough to please Noranae. "I suppose I should work on composing a response."

"Perhaps he will agree to leave her if he saw me in person. You should ask for a meeting with him, Aunt," Noranae suggests.

Elenwen is more or less certain that will never happen since he already knows what Noranae looks like from a painting, but she agrees that asking for a meeting would be best. Figuring that they will not agree to come to the Embassy, she pens a note offering to meet them at a location of their choosing. She'll have to make sure that there are plenty of her soldiers around so that she can potentially get rid of Almithara there. The chances that she would bring the children are small, but one never knows. She can target them at their home during the meeting. After finishing the letter, she hands it to one of the messengers and sends it off.

"One step closer," Noranae declares with a smile. "He'll be mine soon."

Chapter Text

Ondolemar and Almithara are enjoying a lovely lunch with Inigo, Blaise, and the twins when the letter arrives. A messenger comes into the dining room and hands Ondolemar the letter. "Thank you," he replies and immediately tears into it. Almithara leans over and reads the letter with him. "She is willing to meet with us at a location of our choosing. Does that seem odd to you?"

"It does," Almithara agrees. "What should we do?"

"We need to see if the Jarl would allow us to meet in Dragonsreach. We should also ensure that Nelaeryn and Theodemar are either with us or heavily guarded."

"I think we should bring them with us. We can have some of the Companions as guards and make sure the older boys keep them under control. I won't feel safe if I don't know exactly where they are. I think the other children will be fine—I doubt Elenwen cares about the others."

Ondolemar nods. "Would you like to speak with him? Or should I?"

"I'll go. I'll pop in on Sofie. Besides, I'd like to have a nice walk today. Do you mind?" Almithara asks.

"Just be careful," he says. "Would you like to take someone with you?"

"It's only to Whiterun. I should be fine. It's not like anyone would know my location and pass it along," she says with a shrug.

"Very well," Ondolemar replies.

~~~~~~~~~~

After lunch, Almithara heads off to Whiterun. The walk is short, but she takes the time to breathe in the quiet. The city gates come into view too quickly, but she is glad that nothing untoward has happened on her walk. Through the city, many people greet and wave at her. The town is so beautiful. For whatever reason, even though things are about to get horribly difficult, she feels like dancing in the streets. She refrains, of course, but the feeling is still there.

Her happiness finds a bump in the road when she sees Vilkas standing near the Gildergreen. She tries to sneak by him, but it is to no avail. "Almithara," he greets.

She plasters a smile on her face, the warning from her husband and best friend and her own discomfort still fresh in her mind. "Vilkas," she nods.

There is an awkward pause. "How are you?" he asks.

"I'm much better now," she replies. "And you?"

"Fine," he answers. He looks directly into her eyes. "Inigo mentioned something a few weeks back about you being hurt before and the elf helping you. What was he talking about?"

Almithara stands confused for a moment. That's what he wanted to ask her about? "Yeah, I was hurt a few times, and Ondolemar helped me. Why do you ask?"

"You never told me about it," he grumbles.

"Well, some of the times that I was badly hurt occurred after our divorce. The first time was before. Would you like to hear about them?" she asks. She isn't really keen on telling him, but it seems to be bothering him for some reason. It might be easier to just get it out of the way. He nods in answer, and they both sit down on one of the benches in front of the Gildergreen. "Okay, well, when Inigo and I accompanied Delphine and Esbern to Sky Haven Temple, we had to go through Karthspire to get there. Karthspire was completely overrun with Forsworn, and Inigo and I took them all out. To get into the Temple, I had to activate a Dragonborn blood seal.

"I had to bleed a decent amount to get in. When we got to the end, Inigo and I decided to go into Markarth to tell the Jarl that the place was cleared out. I knew that they had been trying to get it under control for a while without success. Ondolemar found me as I was leaving the Jarl, and I told him what we had done. Bronwyn was particularly impressed by it. I can't remember exactly what happened, but I know that I mentioned that I needed to get this injury looked at." She pulls the collar of her casual robes over about an inch and half on the right side to show the slightly raised pink scar on her pale shoulder. "I got hit with an arrow, and it was coated in poison. I collapsed right in the middle of Understone Keep. Inigo told me that Ondolemar rushed forward and caught me before I hit the ground. They called an apothecary, and he set me up in his own private quarters. He and Inigo sat with me all night until I woke up."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asks quietly.

"Because you didn't care, Vilkas. It was right after you grabbed me so hard that I had bruises on my arms, which Ondolemar saw by the way. You wanted a child from me that I wasn't ready to give you, and you wouldn't talk to me about anything else, so I just dealt with it on my own. Do you want to know about the other times, or is that story enough?"

"Tell me about the others," he orders blankly.

"Okay," she states a little unsteadily. "Well, after you left, I took about a month break before I called up a war summit to hold off the civil war so that I could trap Odahviing in Dragonsreach. Ondolemar was there with Elenwen. Of course, the Stormcloaks and Imperials wanted to switch some cities; I traded Riften for Markarth, and they were going to execute Ondolemar. I told them that they would absolutely not be doing that, and I managed to get the guys transferred to Whiterun. I went and grabbed Bronwyn and Quinnaral from Markarth and brought them all back to the Keep. They stayed there while I was fighting Alduin. On the way back, Inigo and I were attacked by one group of Cultists and one group of assassins. The assassins sneaked up on me and stabbed me in the back. I collapsed on the battlefield, and Inigo had to drag me back to the Keep. I was told Ondolemar panicked and once again picked me up and took me upstairs to be treated. He didn't leave my side. It was after that we started seeing each other.

"The next time was when we were over in Solstheim. I had to go into these icky books that led to Apocrypha, the realm of Hermaeus Mora. It was horrible. The whole place and even the books smelled like rotten fish. I had to fight Miraak, and when I came out of the final book after the fight, I was pretty hurt. I collapsed again, but I was fine in a day. I guess the next time that I would have been in trouble was when I had the twins. I almost broke Ondolemar's hand," Almithara chuckles.

"He was in with you?" Vilkas asks.

"Not for Nelaeryn," she clarifies. "I had them get him for Theodemar. It was too much, and I thought I wasn't going to make it. I lost a lot of blood, but I survived." She thought it was weird talking to him at first, but reliving her time with Ondolemar is making it easier. Besides, she and Vilkas never really got any closure.

"Were you in love with him before we divorced?"

She considers how much to tell him. It's not like telling him the full truth will hurt at this point. It's been about five years since their marriage ended. "I was, but I was fully prepared to stick by you. I just kept hoping that you would turn back into the man I married. After I realized you had been with Njada the entire time, I knew that you would have never reverted and that there was nothing I could have done to fix things. You weren't who I thought you were." There's no bitterness in her voice but simply resigned matter-of-factness. Vilkas feels a stab of regret.

"I am sorry for that, you know," he says with true repentance in his tone. "I should never have married you when I didn't truly love you."

"It's okay," she tells him with a smile. "I found love with Ondolemar, and you found love with Njada."

"Yeah," he says noncommittally.

Almithara glances at the sun and sees that she should be getting up to Dragonsreach. "Well, it's been great catching up, but I really need to go see the Jarl about some things. We may need the Companions to provide security for the boys during a meeting with Elenwen, and we're hoping the Jarl will agree to host the meeting in Dragonsreach."

"We will be happy to provide it," Vilkas replies. She waves her goodbye and bounces up to the Keep. She doesn't notice the look of longing on his face. Unfortunately, Njada has been hiding around the corner and sees the glance.

She marches up to him. "And just what do you think you're doing?" she snaps.

"Hello, dear. I was just talking to Almithara about the elf."

Njada scoffs. "Don't think I'm fooled by you. I know you want to try to win her back, but I won't let you go so easily."

"I'm not planning anything, Njada." He stands from the bench and turns his back to her. "Let's go back to Jorrvaskr. We need to help Lucia with her shield bashing." Njada shoots him a scowl, but she follows him nonetheless.

~~~~~~~~~~

Almithara bursts into Dragonsreach with a bright smile. As she makes it up the stairs, Farengar stops her to say hello. "Hello, Lady Almithara. How are the boys?"

"They are doing great," Almithara replies. "After this whole thing is over, you may be getting a new subject to study."

His eyes light up with excitement. "Another child?"

"We'll be looking to add to the family as long as we both survive this," she informs happily. "Maybe this time it will be a girl. I really have to talk to the Jarl, so I'll catch up with you later." She leaves him mumbling in anticipation.

"Almithara," Jarl Balgruuf greets. Bronwyn is standing at his side and shoots her a friendly smile. "Have you heard anything?"

"We received this letter from Elenwen this morning," she states as she hands over the letter. "We were hoping that we could tell her to meet us here. I also want the twins to be able to be here and for the Companions to help with security. We won't be taking any chances."

The Jarl finishes reading the letter and hands it back to her. "Of course. When are you wanting to have this meeting?"

"As soon as possible. Maybe three days from now?"

"That is fine," Jarl Balgruuf declares. "Bronwyn, could you gather together the guard and inform them of the situation? And then go to the Companions and confirm the details?"

"Of course," Bronwyn answers automatically and goes to complete his tasks.

"Is it wise to have the twins here?" Jarl Balgruuf asks.

"I can't have them out of my sight. I figure if I have them here under guard and have Blaise, Samuel, and Hroar stay with them to keep them occupied, they'll be safer than they would at the Keep. I don't trust Elenwen, and I won't be able to concentrate if I don't know where my babies are," Almithara explains.

"I understand," he empathizes. "We will keep them as safe as possible."

~~~~~~~~~~

Three days later, Ondolemar and Almithara are setting up their boys upstairs. "Now, you two need to stay here with your brothers, okay?" Almithara says to them. She's kneeling down in front of them and has handed each of them a toy sword to keep them occupied.

"We will," they say in unison. Almithara hugs them tightly before standing up.

She looks at the older children. "Watch them carefully. Don't come downstairs," she orders. They all nod, and she and Ondolemar go downstairs to join Inigo. Most of the Companions are in attendance, and they are dispersed throughout the hall. Jarl Balgruuf sits with Irileth and Proventus Avenicci. Bronwyn stands at his shoulder. Numerous Whiterun guards are also situated throughout the crowd. "What time is it?" she asks her best friend.

"Around two in the afternoon. They should be here any moment," he replies.

Just then, the doors open, and Elenwen comes marching through. She looks highly put out to be summoned, but it can't be helped. She started this. Shockingly, another woman walks behind and slightly to the right of her. Ondolemar recognizes her from the painting. "That's her niece," he whispers to Almithara.

Almithara's eyes flash with anger, but she steps forward to greet the guests anyway. "Greetings, Elenwen. We're very glad that you have come here today." A few Thalmor guards have also entered and stand at attention behind the First Emissary.

"Let's not pretend that either of us is happy the other is here. What do you want?" Elenwen snaps.

Almithara gives her a cruel smile. Elenwen seems to have forgotten who she's dealing with. "Fine by me. Four years ago, you were handed a declaration by Ondolemar. If you, or anyone in the Thalmor, tried to lay a hand on me or my family, we would retaliate. You have broken that agreement, Elenwen. Leave Skyrim peacefully, and I won't have to kill you."

Noranae scoffs. "You can't talk to her like that, half-breed."

"I can talk to her any way I please. I have the ability to back up my threats, as the First Emissary is fully aware." Almithara levels a glare at Elenwen. "Isn't that right, Elenwen?"

"I will not compromise the Thalmor position in Skyrim," she hisses.

"You already have," Almithara declares darkly. "Since it is clear that you will not back down, I will prepare my armies to deal with you, but I have one question first: why did you do it?"

"I have my reasons," Elenwen retorts.

"I imagine they have something to do with this thing here," Almithara posits while gesturing to Noranae.

Noranae bristles at the insult. "I was humiliated when Ondolemar broke our engagement to run off with you. If that were not enough of an insult, you were pregnant too. It was disgraceful. He should have married me. He should be with me! I can give him what you cannot," she screeches.

Ondolemar steps forward to stand next to his wife. "I will tell you what I told the First Emissary when I left: I love Almithara, and that is all that matters to me. We have a wonderful family, and I will not give that up."

Noranae smiles evilly. "You won't have a family for much longer. There are people at your home right now to kill those two bastards. Then you won't want her anymore."

Almithara snarls at the insult against her children, and Inigo has to physically hold her back from strangling the girl, trying to keep hold of her as she tries to wiggle free. At that moment, though, a commotion can be heard on the stairs, and Almithara stops her struggling. "No, Theo! Mother said to stay!" Nelaeryn's voice scolds.

"I have to show her!" Theodemar's stubborn voice rings out. Almithara turns to see her youngest son come flying down the stairs with a piece of parchment in his hands. "Mother! I drew a picture of us!"

Ondolemar and Inigo immediately take a protective stance in front of Almithara, who gracefully spins to stop the boy from walking too far ahead. Not that he could get past the human shields of his father and uncle. "Theodemar, I told you to stay upstairs."

Theodemar looks around the room for the first time and sees how many people and guards are around. "What's going on?" he asks fearfully, his lower lip beginning to tremble.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Let me see this picture," she says calmly and reaches for the drawing. She makes sure to open it in view of Elenwen and Noranae. In the time that has passed, Nelaeryn has also made his way over to his mother. The picture shows the two boys standing with what she assumes is supposed to be herself, her husband, the rest of their siblings, and Inigo. The picture shows a beautiful, childlike innocence, and she smiles despite her upset at the boys. "This is beautiful, you two. We'll hang it up at the Keep when you get home." Theodemar smiles brightly at his mother and takes the picture back.

More thundering can be heard on the stairs as the three older boys try to find Theodemar and Nelaeryn. "I'm so sorry, Ma!" Blaise explains frantically. "We were supposed to be playing hide and seek, but Theo used it to run off to you."

"It's fine," Almithara says kindly but firmly. "Take them back up, and make sure they don't come back." Blaise carts them off, and Almithara turns back to her guests. Elenwen and Noranae are practically seething. "As you can see, my children are not at the Keep, but I will consider this another strike against you." Almithara pulls herself up to her full height and stands in the space between Ondolemar and Inigo. "I will give you three days to think about leaving peacefully. If you do not agree, I will come for you, and I will kill you."

"I have an alternate proposition," Noranae speaks up.

"Hold your tongue," Elenwen snarls.

"No!" Noranae yells petulantly. "He will hear me out." She turns to Ondolemar and puts on a simpering smile. "I will allow you to keep her alive with your two sons if you will agree to marry me."

"No," Ondolemar answers automatically.

"What do you mean, 'no?'" she demands. "I am from a high family in the Isles. The Council itself wanted us to be married. I could bear you full-blooded children. I could love you, and you could love me. Why do you refuse me?"

"Because I love my wife and my sons, and I would never disgrace her by leaving her for someone like you, who would scheme to kill children to get your own way."

She flinches at the insults. "You will pay for slandering me!"

"It's not slander if it's true," Almithara quips. "You just admitted that you sent assassins to our home to kill our children."

"I wanted him! Why did you have to come along and ruin everything?"

"I would not have been engaged to you if Almithara were not in the picture," Ondolemar reveals. "I only agreed because her life was threatened, and you were only offered to me because of my relationship with Almithara. In fact, she was already pregnant by the time you were in the picture."

"You picked me over her once!" she protests. "Why can't you do it again?"

"Are you not listening?" Almithara shouts. "He only agreed because my life was threatened. It never had anything to do with you! And he would have never agreed to be with you if he knew about the babies. I didn't tell him because I love him, and I didn't want to make his life hard. You know nothing of love."

"So, you stole him away by using your children as bait?"

"No," Ondolemar growls. "I was going to go back before I knew about the children. I would have never been able to marry you. I love Almithara. Even if you were to somehow succeed in killing her now, which you won't, I wouldn't touch you. Do you really think I would marry the woman who killed my wife?"

"Had things gone according to plan, you wouldn't have known it was me," Noranae argues.

Almithara rolls her eyes. "You are delusional, and Elenwen is a fool for letting you sway any of her plans. Three days, Elenwen. Think about what you want and get back to me. If we do not hear from you in three days, we will come for you. Please leave."

Elenwen snarls one last time before turning with a flourish and stomping out of Dragonsreach. Noranae steps up closer to Ondolemar. "Think about what I said," she purrs. "I may even let you keep her as a mistress." She gives him a seductive look and sways her hips on the way out.

Ondolemar raises an eyebrow and looks at his wife. "What do you think, my dear? Fancy being my mistress?"

Almithara turns around and angrily stomps up the stairs, muttering to herself the whole way about "presumptuous hussies" trying to "poach her man." Ondolemar chuckles at her fuming anger before following her to retrieve their children. Inigo and Jarl Balgruuf follow them to discuss what happened. They find Almithara sitting on a bench with the boys, who are chatting animatedly about their afternoon. "Mother, who was that mean lady?" Nelaeryn asks.

"She's someone your father used to work with," she says quietly. "She doesn't like us."

"Why not?" Theodemar questions.

"Because I took your father away from her."

"But we want father here," Nelaeryn insists.

"We do, and he's staying here," Almithara assures.

"Indeed, I am," Ondolemar interjects. "Almithara, we need to discuss what happened."

She nods and stands from the bench to move over to the map table. "I gave her three days, but I know she'll fight. Let's mobilize our troops and plan an assault on the Embassy."

Everyone agrees with the plan, and they take the time to draw up a battle strategy and send out requests and orders. They pencil in an attack for one week hence, and then Almithara and Ondolemar take the boys home. Arriving at the Keep, they find several dead Thalmor officers. Her guards aren't the best in the region for no reason. "I'm so glad I insisted on taking the boys with us today. Not that I have no faith in our guards, but I would rather have them with me."

"I agree," Ondolemar states. "It was much better to have them with us."

"And Elenwen and Noranae got to see how adorable they are," she adds with a satisfied smile.

"There is that," Ondolemar agrees, returning her pleased glance. "I hope all of this goes quickly. I would like to get back to our lives."

"You and me both, Ondolemar."

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, Ondolemar and Almithara go into town with the twins to see Bronwyn and Nendaris. While the boys are playing with Celaena and fawning over Elwin, Almithara volunteers to go into town to get some supplies to make dinner. Ondolemar stays in the house to catch up with his former subordinate, and Nendaris doesn't feel like getting out of the house. Elwin kept her up most of the night. Almithara loves Nendaris very much, and she is a perfect match for Bronwyn, but she lacks that adventurous spirit that Almithara possesses. Because of this, it can be hard for them to find common topics, but they bond over their children. Regardless of commonalities, Almithara considers her a close friend, and the feeling is mutual.

Almithara walks into the circle by the inn and begins examining various vegetables and meats, thinking about what they could make. The beef selection is relatively good, so she decides on making a beef stew and grabs all of the necessary ingredients. "Can I talk to you?" she hears from behind her.

She turns to see Vilkas and fights a frustrated sigh. Her luck has just been awful lately. She's avoided him for years, and now she can't seem to shake him off. "I suppose so. I'm picking up dinner, so I'll need to be going soon. What can I do for you?"

Vilkas looks at her hard, and she begins to feel a little self-conscious and nervous. The look in his eye is reminiscent of the ones that made her feel so uncomfortable when they were first married: angry and lustful. "I think you should leave the elf and give me another chance."

Almithara is sure she's standing there with the stupidest expression on her face, but she can't seem to break herself out of it. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"You should leave the elf and come back to me."

She actually laughs. "Oh, this is funny. You're really funny," she chuckles, trying to convince herself this is all a joke. Even with her efforts, a sick feeling settles in her stomach. Deep down, she knows he isn't joking, even though she can't quite figure out why he would be proposing such a thing.

"I'm not kidding," Vilkas says blandly. "You should be with me. I know that I made some mistakes while we were together, but I can be a good husband. I think you should let the elf go marry that other lady and come back to me. I'll even treat the boys like they're mine. Then we can have a child of our own."

She just stares at him. "No," she denies. "I'm not going to leave my husband for you. You were horrible to me, Vilkas. You never supported anything I needed to do, and you were unfaithful to me almost from the beginning. Why would I agree to come back to you?"

"Because I love you!" he growls.

"You don't love me," Almithara protests. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have looked elsewhere. You would have waited for me to be ready. You would have cared about my needs instead of pushing your own agenda. What we had wasn't love."

"And you think the elf loves you? I've seen the way he looks at you. He sees you as a piece of property. He's always keeping you close like you aren't allowed to go anywhere without him."

"That's moot because I'm here now and he isn't. And it's not possession; it's protectiveness. He wants me near him because we've been separated before, and we don't want to be separated ever again. I love him, and he loves me."

"He only wants you for your body," Vilkas spits. "I saw the way he looked at you in that dress at the meeting of the Jarls and guilds."

Almithara actually rolls her eyes. "I wore that dress as a present for him. That was the dress I was wearing the day of the war summit five years ago, so him liking it was kind of the point. And I'm glad my husband likes my body. I like his too," she defends.

Vilkas finally has had enough of her arguing with his proposition, and he reaches out and grabs her by the hair. She cries out in pain and then freezes in surprise when she feels his hot mouth descend on hers. It's like her body won't even move, won't respond to her desire to get away as fast as she can. The feeling brings back horrible memories of a time when she felt like an unwanted visitor in her own home, when she had so much pressure coming from every side that she no longer knew what to do with herself.

She hears a cry of fury, and Vilkas is suddenly gone from her. Ondolemar flings him away from Almithara and then throws a punch into his face that knocks him to the ground. "How dare you touch my wife!" Bronwyn rushes to Almithara's side and checks her over for any possible injuries. She's visibly shaking, but she appears to be physically fine.

It takes a moment for her to come back to her senses. She steps forward and holds Ondolemar's hand back from delivering another punch. "Ondolemar, it isn't worth it. Let's just go," she whispers. Tears are pooling in her eyes, and his heart breaks at the expression. He turns his back to the man on the ground and picks up his wife in his arms. "Vilkas, stay away from me," she calls blankly as they walk the short distance back to Breezehome.

Sofie had been alerted to something happening by the sounds of shouting in the square. She walks over to Vilkas as he's standing from his place on the ground. "You need to leave her alone," Sofie warns. "My Papa will kill you if you pull something like that again."

"He's not as good for her as I would be," Vilkas argues.

"I have no idea how you can possibly think that," Sofie says with anger in her eyes. "They are perfect for each other. You had your chance, and you blew it. Papa isn't that stupid." With that, she turns on her heel and walks back into the shop. She'll head home to check on her mother tonight, but she feels it's best to give her some time to calm down.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ondolemar became worried when Almithara didn't come back after a few minutes. Now that he's seen what happened, he's glad he asked Bronwyn to accompany him to town to check on her. He carries his wife back to Breezehome, but he doesn't go in. "Bronwyn?"

"Yes?"

"Can you watch the boys for a little bit for me?" He's looking down at his wife, who hasn't moved since he picked up her.

"Of course. When will you be back?"

"No later than this evening. Take this bag of food," he says as he hands Bronwyn the sack that Almithara was clutching when they found her.

"Take care of her," Bronwyn instructs, his eyes softening when they look down at Almithara.

"I always do," Ondolemar replies, and he teleports them to Ayleid Palace. They land in their bedroom, and he gently sets her down on the bed. "Almithara?" She's completely still and looking off into the distance.

Almithara is in shock. She can't believe what just happened, and she's angry at herself for not throwing him off. Ondolemar must be so angry with her. She can't even bring herself to look at him. Silent tears slip down her face, and she feels his thumb brush them away from her cheeks. She finally looks up at him and bursts into harsh sobs at the tenderness in his face. She throws herself into his arms, and he grips her as tightly as he possibly can. "How can you even stand to look at me?" she cries.

"What are you talking about?" Ondolemar asks, genuinely confused.

"I thought you'd be angry that he kissed me."

"Oh, I am angry," he promises. "But why would I ever be angry with you? I saw everything; you didn't kiss him back, love. I heard what he said and what you said, and I'm not angry with you in the slightest. I love you."

She breaks into fresh sobs and just lets herself be held by him. "I'm sorry," she whispers.

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I still spoke to him. I told him about all the times you helped me when I was hurt when I was in Whiterun a few days ago. I thought he was finally coming to terms with things and that he really wanted to know about you and I, but I was wrong. I should have listened to you and Inigo. I should have followed my instincts that something wasn't right. I just thought that he was happy with Njada and that I was being too paranoid. I never imagined he would try to proposition me," she explains.

He pulls back from the embrace to be able to look into her eyes. "We can't change it now. We'll all just avoid him from now on. It's obvious he can't let go of the past."

"He actually said that he could love me better than you could," Almithara relays while wiping the tears from her eyes. Now that the initial shock has worn off, she's getting angry.

"I highly doubt that," her husband laughs. He leans forward and places a kiss on her lips. His lips are smooth and warm, but above all, they are loving. Almithara sinks into it and allows herself to feel loved.

"Where are they boys?" she asks when they pull apart.

"Bronwyn and Nendaris are watching them. I wanted to make sure you were okay before going back to them," Ondolemar reveals.

"Thank you," she replies. She looks over at the huge bathing pool in the room. "Can we get in the bath for a little bit, or do we need to get back now?"

"We can rest for a while," Ondolemar tells her with a smile. "That is why I brought you here."

Almithara smiles at him, but her face quickly grows serious. "You know that I would never go back to him, right?"

"Of course," Ondolemar answers immediately, looking offended. "As I would never leave you for Noranae. We will be together for the rest of our lives. I can promise you that."

Almithara grants him one of her brilliant smiles. "We're stuck with each other," she confirms, and he's glad to see his wife is back to normal. They strip off their clothing and hop into the warm, inviting water for some relaxation. Of course, them being them leads to a bit more fun in the water, and Almithara is properly relaxed and happy again by the time they have to pick up their children.

Chapter Text

As expected, Elenwen did not answer their offer of peaceful resolution. It's two days before the battle, and everyone is preparing for the attack on the Embassy. Serana and Marcurio have also arrived with Elena. "Almithara, may I speak with you?" Serana asks.

"What's going on?" Almithara asks her friend.

"I'm not going to be able to fight," she says quietly with one hand resting on her stomach.

"You're pregnant!" Almithara exclaims happily.

"I am," she says with a smile. "I was hoping I would be able to stay with the kids at Proudspire Manor. I know Nendaris will be there too, but one more person might be helpful with five kids." Nendaris is just not a fighter, so she prefers to stay behind and watch her two children, the twins, and Elena.

"I'm sure she'll be glad for the company, and we should be fine for the fight. You protect that baby. How far along are you?"

"I think about ten weeks. I didn't notice anything was off until I started vomiting everywhere a week ago. I never had morning sickness with Elena." They talk for another few minutes before Ondolemar enters the room to speak with his wife. Serana excuses herself to give them some time to speak in private.

"I need to head into Whiterun to check with the Jarl and make sure that everything is set to go with the rest of our allies. Do you need anything from town?" he asks.

"I don't think so," Almithara says after a moment of pondering. "When will you be back?"

"It should only take me an hour or two. I'll be back quickly."

"Sounds great." She stands up on her tiptoes and kisses him. He turns and walks out of the Keep.

He's almost to Whiterun when he hears the bowstring being pulled. He turns and throws up a ward in time to stop the arrow. Assassins again. Four of them step out of the tree line. "Come quietly, and we won't have to hurt you," the closest one declares.

"As if you could take me down," Ondolemar shouts arrogantly. As he's speaking, another assassin comes out of the tree and fires a blow dart at his target. The dart hits Ondolemar in the neck. He attempts to cast a teleportation spell, but he collapses before he can fully cast it. As he falls into unconsciousness, all he can think about is his wife and hope that she can save him from whatever predicament will befall him.

"Let's move him," the leader says. "Elenwen will be pleased." Two of the other members pick him up, and they teleport him away.

~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours later, Almithara is beginning to worry. She grabs Inigo, and they run to Whiterun to check on Ondolemar. What could possibly be taking so long? When they reach Dragonsreach, they burst in through the doors looking for any sign of him. Finding none, they dash up to the throne. "Have you seen Ondolemar?" Almithara asks frantically.

"No, I haven't. I expected him earlier, but he never showed up," Jarl Balgruuf reveals. "What's going on?"

Almithara begins to panic in earnest. Her breath comes in harsh pants, and her vision begins to cloud over with dark spots. Her hands reach up and grasp at her hair, holding on for dear life. Inigo grabs her by the shoulders and makes her look at him. "Ara, you have to calm down. We'll find him."

"But where is he?" she screams and bursts into tears. "She took him! I'm sure she took him!" Inigo pulls his best friend into his arms and lets her soak the front of his shirt with her tears.

A messenger walks into the hall and goes straight to the Jarl. The man hands the note over without so much as a word before leaving. Jarl Balgruuf opens the letter and reads it. "Elenwen has him," he says gravely. "She's planning on keeping him for her niece, and she warns you to refrain from coming after him."

"The hell I'm not!" Almithara shouts. "We're still going to attack them. This time, though, Inigo and I are going to sneak in a back way. I need to talk to Malborn." Almithara grabs Inigo's arm and casts her teleport spell. She marches into Riverwood and goes into the Sleeping Giant Inn, all the while dragging her friend with her. "Malborn!" she yells as she throws the door open.

The wood elf looks up at her in fear. Her hair is wild, and her eyes are red with tear tracks running down her face. "Yes?" he asks cautiously, his voice a little squeaky.

"Is there a back way into the Thalmor Embassy? And do you know how to get in?"

"There's a cave that leads into the dungeons. I can take you there. There's a key to get in, but I have a copy of it. As long as they didn't change the locks, we can get in. You could also pick the lock if it came down to it."

"We're leaving in one hour. Meet me at the Keep, and bring the key." She turns with a flourish and dashes out of the inn. When she gets back to the Keep, Serana is waiting for her outside. "He's been taken," she says with a sob.

"Oh, Almithara," her friend whispers. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to get him now. I need you to watch the boys. I'm going to sneak in, so I shouldn't need any of the armies, but I'm going to go find one of the Thieves Guild members to take with me. It might help to have another sneak specialist with me."

"Of course," Serana answers. "A few of the members are inside right now."

Almithara walks in and hugs her boys before telling them that she has to go get their father. She doesn't tell them that he's been taken, but she makes it clear that Serana is in charge in her absence and that they should stay with her should anything go wrong. They don't understand why it's so serious, but they agree nonetheless and run off to play with Elena.

Of the Thieves Guild members that are in attendance, Sapphire is the one who agrees to go with her. When the hour is up, Almithara is dressed in her full battle mage getup, and she is practically flaming with rage. Inigo has all of his supplies packed, weapons sharpened, and dragonscale armor in place. Sapphire is also there in her official Thieves Guild armor. Malborn is waiting for them by the front.

"Okay, we're going to use one of my teleport spells. I will not risk being too late to get my husband back. We'll head to Solitude and go from there." They all nod, and she instructs everyone to link arms. She casts the spell, and they all land at the gates of Solitude. "Okay, Malborn. Lead us to this shortcut."

He takes the lead and walks them up by the Shrine of Meridia. Almithara pauses to say a quick prayer for help from the Daedra before they continue on the road. She still has her Amulet of Auriel around her neck, and she clasps it in her hand to make herself calm down. "It's here," Malborn says after another little stretch of walking. They walk through the entrance into a small cave. There is a ladder on the other side that must lead into the Embassy, but a Frost Troll blocks their way. Before anyone can even suggest how to take it down, Almithara screams and runs at it, blasting flames the entire way. It's dead before it even realizes someone is in the cave.

Sapphire looks at her in shock. Almithara's hands are still glowing and sputtering with flames. "Elenwen really picked the wrong person to mess with," Sapphire murmurs in her permanently annoyed voice.

Almithara walks over to the ladder and opens the door with the key Malborn gave her. "Hold on, Ondolemar," she whispers, "I'm coming."

~~~~~~~~~~

When Ondolemar wakes up, he's at the Embassy. He has no recollection of how he came to be here, but he is chained up in one of the upper rooms. If he is not mistaken, this is the room that he customarily stayed in when he still worked for the Thalmor. His arms are chained to the wall, but he's at least in a seated position where his legs won't get tired. He tries to summon his magic, but he feels nothing. The cuffs around his wrists are slightly glowing with some sort of runes printed on them. They must be in place to prevent him from accessing his magic and being able to escape. The door opens, and Elenwen walks through. "Justiciar," she says curtly.

"I am no longer a Justiciar," Ondolemar spits back.

"You had so much potential too," she sighs. "No matter. You will soon have it back. Your wife will surely die in the coming conflict, and you will be free to marry Noranae. Those brats will either be abandoned or dealt with. You can either come quietly, or we can break you."

"Almithara will come for me," he says clearly. He doesn't doubt for one moment that his wife will come to get him. They take care of each other; it's just the way things work.

"And if she decides to, she will be taken care of. For now, I will leave you in the capable hands of your future wife." She turns and gestures toward the door where Noranae stands. She's wearing rather revealing clothing, and her hair is done up in one of the popular styles of the Summerset Isles. Ondolemar glares at her. As if he would be so easily swayed.

Elenwen leaves the room, and Noranae steps in. "It's so great that we get to spend this time getting to know each other," she purrs. "Now that you can't run away, you'll be forced to see that I am better for you than the half-breed."

"Don't speak about my wife that way," Ondolemar roars. He is satisfied when the girl flinches in fear. "I will never marry you."

"Why are you resisting so much?" she whines with a pout. "I'm a wonderful candidate. I was highly sought after in the Isles until you cast me aside. Why would you turn me down?"

"Why can't you get it through your thick head?" he growls. "I love my wife. I loved her before you and I were engaged, I loved her while we were engaged, and I love her now. Nothing will ever change that."

Noranae crosses her arms angrily and lets out a huff. Suddenly, it seems like she gets an idea. Her eyes brighten, and a smile stretches across her mouth. "If I can't get you to abandon her, maybe I can get her to leave you. After all, if she knows that you slept with another woman, she'll surely leave you, yes?"

"I wouldn't lower myself to sleep with you," he hisses.

"I'll just have to see what I can do," she says seductively. She pulls out a knife and begins cutting away his clothing. He tries to resist, but he can barely move with the restraints. His skin crawls at the feeling, and he begins to panic a little at the realization that he physically cannot escape her. "Impressive," she breathes and begins running her hands over his chest.

"Unhand me!" he yells.

"I don't think so," she says, and she leans forward to kiss him. He spits in her face.

"You're going to regret that!" she screeches. Noranae pushes him back against the wall and straddles his lap. She begins moving back and forth trying to get a response out of him, but he's far too angry to have any kind of positive reaction. "What?" she mocks. "Are you so deprived of sex that you can't get it up? Or are you just too old?"

"I just can't be aroused by disgusting whores," he tells her. Her eyes flash with rage, and she picks up the intensity of her movements. He's gritting his teeth to keep from responding to her. He's honestly disgusted, but it's so much direct stimulation that it's becoming difficult to suppress the natural physical reaction. Please hurry, Almithara, he thinks desperately.

He hears something through Noranae's angry moaning and huffing and looks up to see the door silently open. Crouched in the doorway is Almithara. He mouths "help me" to her, and she nods. She pulls the Dagger of Shalidor out of her belt and continues to sneak up behind Noranae. When she sees what the girl is doing, her face contorts in pure fury. She abruptly stands, abandoning her desire for a stealthy approach, and reaches around the girl, holding the knife to her throat. "And just what do you think you're doing to my husband?" she asks calmly.

"He's not yours, he's mine," Noranae argues.

"He will never be yours," Almithara snarls. She yanks the woman off of her husband. Noranae may be taller, but Almithara is infinitely stronger. Honestly, the fight Noranae puts up is pitiful. "What should I do with her, dear husband?"

"Kill her," he states coldly.

"Gladly," Almithara replies, and she slits Noranae's throat. Noranae gasps in shock, but the light fades from her eyes quickly as she bleeds out. Almithara runs over to Ondolemar and embraces him tightly. "Let's get you out of here." She examines the cuffs on his wrists before noticing a keyhole. She rifles through the pockets of the skimpy robe that Noranae is wearing and finds a small key hidden there. She promptly unlocks the cuffs and releases him. "Inigo," she calls quietly. Inigo, Malborn, and Sapphire come into the room. "Let's use the teleport spell. I don't want to go back through the cave. We don't know how easy it will be to get back past all the guards."

Inigo looks down at the body strewn across the floor. "She really shouldn't have come after you. You gave them plenty of warnings."

"I did, but they didn't listen," Almithara states icily as she grasps everyone's arms and performs the teleport spell. They land in the courtyard of the Keep. By this time, it's dark outside. The children are already asleep. Sapphire and Inigo go inside and head to their own rooms, and Malborn goes back to the Inn. Almithara grabs her husband's hand and leads him quickly through the halls of the Keep to their bedroom. She slams the door behind them and turns to look at him. "Are you okay?"

"I am now," he answers softly. "I knew you would come for me." He smiles lovingly at her. She returns his smile before breaking down into sobs. "Almithara?" he asks worriedly as he catches her from falling.

"I thought I lost you," she whispers. "I was so afraid I'd be too late. The note said that they were going to keep you for Noranae and that I shouldn't come."

"Yes, they made her my jailer," he grumbles. "She had an odd idea that if she could just keep me in front of her without the ability to escape that she would be able to persuade me to love her. She had only been in there for about ten minutes when you found me."

"To walk in there and see her like that," Almithara growls. "How dare she touch you."

"She said that you would leave me if she could somehow get me to be intimate with her. I told her that I didn't go for whores."

Almithara actually laughs and wipes the tears off of her face. "Let's get you cleaned up. She kind of chopped through your shirt, and I'm sure you'd love to take a hot bath."

"Yes, I would," Ondolemar admits. "I want to wash that woman off of me."

"Don't worry. By the time I'm done with you, you won't even remember her," Almithara promises. She removes his ruined clothing before tossing it to the side to be disposed of later. After removing her own clothing as well, she leads him over to the bath in the corner. He gratefully sinks down into the warm water and releases a sigh at the sensation. She picks up a bar of soap and a cloth and begins to gently wash him free of the experience. "Will you tell me what happened?"

He leans his head back against the wall as she drags the cloth across the planes of his chest. "I was walking to Whiterun when I was attacked similar to the way you were. I was confident I could take them out since there were only four, and they all looked like archers, but there must have been another one hiding. They shot a dart into my neck. I tried to teleport back, but I couldn't make it. They must've carried me back to the Embassy. The cuffs on my hands were magic suppressing. I think they thought you would give up if I weren't around."

Almithara scowls. "Elenwen obviously doesn't know me very well if she thought I would leave you there with some woman who wants you for herself."

"Indeed," Ondolemar says with a smile. "Thank you for saving me, love."

"Of course," she scoffs. She finishes scrubbing him and helps him dry off. "I moved up the assault to tomorrow rather than the day after tomorrow. She has crossed us one too many times. I'm going to take her down."

"She won't know what hit her," Ondolemar says with a conspiratorial smirk.

"No, she won't," Almithara replies before she tackles her husband to the bed. "Now, let's not think of any of that, and I will make you forget all about being held captive by a madwoman."

"I seem to be held captive by a madwoman at this moment," he jokes.

"I'm not mad. I'm wild. There's a difference." With that remark, she seals her lips to his in a searing kiss. She immediately feels him harden against her thigh and moves her hips against him. Unlike when Noranae was gyrating on him, he welcomes the attention of his wife. She moves to trail kisses down his throat and scrapes her nails across his broad chest. He lets out a quiet groan at the delightful feeling. She continues her attentions down his toned body until she sits herself in front of his throbbing erection. "To whom do you belong?" she breathes over him.

"You," he gasps as she trails a finger around the swollen head. She hums and takes him into her mouth. He chokes out a muffled groan in the interest of keeping somewhat quiet. She slides her tongue all around it before taking in as much as she can and bobbing up and down. After years of being together, she knows exactly what to do to drive him over the edge. She grips his shaft with her fist and concentrates her tongue on the underside of him before swirling it around the top. With one final curl of her tongue, he comes apart underneath her.

She moves back up his body and places kisses on his jawline, waiting for him to recover. "You are mine, and I am yours," she murmurs. His eyes meet hers, and they are filled with so much love and lust that her breath catches in her throat. Before she can even think, he's flipped her underneath him and sheathed himself inside her. She can't help the moan that escapes her, even though she's trying to keep as silent as possible. He begins moving in earnest, and she has to bite his shoulder to keep herself from screaming. Her nails dig grooves into his back, and his fingers leave bruises on her hips. After being forcibly separated, they are both desperate to leave their marks on the other. "I love you," she whispers in his ear.

"And I love you," he whispers back. He drives into her willing body faster than before, and he feels her muscles contract around him. It only takes a few more thrusts for them to reach their climaxes, and Ondolemar rolls to the side and pulls Almithara with him.

"Let's never be apart again," she says after a few minutes of recovering. "Let's just go everywhere together all the time."

Ondolemar smiles at her. He knows that she's not quite serious, but he also knows that she needs to hear him agree to it. And quite honestly, he feels that he needs to hear himself agree to it too. "I think that sounds like a splendid idea," he replies. He places one last kiss on her forehead before they fall into a deep sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day dawns early for everyone involved. They all agreed to meet at Solitude when the call went out a week previously, so everyone is ready when Ondolemar and Almithara arrive with their entourage from Riverwood. Nendaris and Serana take the small children into the city to hole up in Proudspire Manor. Blaise, Hroar, and Samuel are also accompanying them, but Alesan and Sofie stayed behind to work. Runa is in attendance with the rest of the people from the College, but as a novice, she will only be providing back up at the edges of the battlefield, which settles Almithara's mind only a little bit.

Ondolemar and Almithara take their place at the front of the group. She can see the Dawnguard, the Blades, the Thieves Guild, the Companions—even Vilkas showed up—with Francois and Lucia in their midst, and the College. The Stormcloak army stands behind them. All of the Jarls and a selection of their guard are in the crowd as well. She's touched that so many people came out to help her. "We are about to embark on a very important quest," she begins. "The results of today will help to decide the future of Skyrim. We must be vigilant and brave, and we must ensure that the Thalmor leave this place. We will fight honorably, and we will take our revenge!" A cheer rings out at the end of her speech. Almithara starts walking down the road in the direction of the Embassy with her husband on her right side and Inigo on her left.

~~~~~~~~~~

Elenwen is standing in her office with a blank expression on her face. In her hands is a letter from the Council in the Summerset Isles. Someone at the Embassy must've secretly contacted them after the first assassination attempt on Almithara near Riften all those weeks ago. They are disgusted by Elenwen's lack of intelligence on the handling of the Dragonborn situation, and she is summoned to meet with them as soon as possible. And they aren't even aware of how bad the situation is currently. All because she listened to the schemes of her niece, she is about to lose everything. What is the point in going on anyway? It's not like their position in Skyrim is going to be able to continue. Almithara will never allow it after what has been done to her.

She can't even really be upset at the death of her niece. She feels almost nothing in regard to the situation. Her niece was a fool, and Elenwen was a fool for listening to her in the first place. No, this has gone too far for anything to be able to be resolved peacefully. She will fight Almithara, and maybe if she wins, the Council will not be so ready to remove her from her post. Once she talks herself into the idea that she could actually beat Almithara, she clenches her hands into fists and nods to herself. She can do this. She will do this.

A knock comes to her door, and she calls for them to enter. "First Emissary, there appears to be a large body of people marching on the Embassy," the female soldier reveals.

"So, she has come," Elenwen says quietly. She turns from her place at the window and walks to the front of the Embassy before stepping out into the courtyard. It's rather barren at the moment, but it makes no difference for a battle. Elenwen can see Almithara marching at the front with fire in her eyes and vengeance in her heart. "You will not succeed here."

Almithara just laughs. "Yes, I will. You threatened my family, nearly killed me, and kidnapped my husband. You will pay for this." Before anything else can be said, Almithara charges up a fireball and hurls it past Elenwen's head where it hits the side of the Embassy, which promptly erupts into flames. After that, all hell breaks loose, and Elenwen takes the opportunity to step back several paces.

Thalmor soldiers seem to come out of the woodwork—Elenwen is indeed prepared for an attack. Unfortunately for her, Almithara is better prepared. All of the allies she has collected are highly skilled warriors, and they battle the Thalmor soldiers fiercely. Almithara has encouraged her allies to only incapacitate the soldiers rather than kill them so that she can offer them a chance to leave the country and get back to their lives elsewhere. For the most part, they are listening to her instructions.

Almithara herself walks straight to Elenwen, who stands her ground defiantly. Ondolemar follows at his wife's side. The battle rages on around them, but they barely notice it in light of their anger toward this horrible woman who turned their lives upside down. When they get within hearing distance, Almithara begins to speak. "Can you comprehend what you have done?" Almithara shouts with a gesture at the surroundings. "The Embassy is burning, and the Thalmor are falling. This is all because you couldn't learn to just leave me in peace."

"You insulted my family," Elenwen declares. "I couldn't let that slide."

"Then you are a fool. The Thalmor will now lose their position in this province. Your influence will no longer affect this place."

Elenwen turns to Ondolemar. "How can you turn your back on all of this? How can you support these people when you are far superior to them?"

"I am not superior," Ondolemar informs her. It took him a while to understand that, but spending time with Almithara ensured that he accepted that lesson. "You should've stayed in the shadows where we were concerned."

Almithara decides there has been enough talking. "Elenwen, you have broken the terms of the peace agreement that we offered. You have attacked my family and frightened my children. For this, we will end you now." At the end of her declaration, Almithara and Ondolemar fly into action. Their movements are fluid and coordinated—the type that only come from working together for an extended period of time. Elenwen, though, is not some shrinking violet. She puts up a fight.

Elenwen uses a ward to block the magical attacks from the Dragonborn and the former Justiciar. She throws back spells of her own, and it swiftly becomes more of a magical light show than an actual battle. Around them, people pause in their fighting to watch the match unfold. Even the Thalmor soldiers are curious to see what will happen; truth be told, they don't believe that Elenwen can win against the man and woman that are throwing nonstop flame and lightning attacks in her direction.

Elenwen is beginning to panic. She is outmatched. She may be older and have more experience, but Almithara fights often and still has considerable agility and dexterity. The Justiciar may be older than his wife, but he has also had the privilege of fighting more often since his relationship with Almithara began. Elenwen really has no hope of succeeding against them. Ever since she found the dead body of her niece and opened the letter from the Council, she hasn't really felt all that concerned about her fate. She's disgraced anyway; dying to protect the Embassy might make her remembered fondly rather than seen as a failure. The Council will probably spin it in a more flattering light.

Almithara notices when Elenwen's attacks become more sluggish, and she takes the opportunity to slink closer to her. Once she is within reach, Almithara reaches out and physically restrains her. Elenwen struggles against her, but it is a half-hearted struggle. "You should have left me alone," Almithara whispers in her ear before pulling out her dagger and executing her on the spot. Elenwen's eyes widen, but she doesn't fight back any longer. After a few seconds, Almithara lets her go, and the body slumps to the ground.

As if it were a beacon, the rest of the soldiers that are still standing drop their weapons and stop fighting. They come into custody quietly, and Almithara asks to speak to them as a group. "Did any of you want to fight here today?"

The one with the most seniority steps up to answer her questions. He's a tall elf with bright golden eyes and dressed in impeccable Glass armor. "No, ma'am. We urged Elenwen to leave you alone, but Noranae was adamant that you should be punished for taking Ondolemar away from her. Elenwen should never have let herself be swayed."

Almithara nods. "Was the Council aware of her actions? Were they supportive?"

"It is my understanding that she received a summons this morning regarding her actions. It was not positive," the man reveals. He meets Almithara's eyes. "I informed them Council of what had happened after she tried to kill you and your children. I knew it was going to escalate if she weren't stopped, but it took them some time to hear of it. Too long, I'm afraid."

Almithara seems pleased with the answer but also shocked at his revelation. "Thank you," she says with an incline of her head. "I am taking control of this Embassy. You all may either oppose me and die, or I can arrange for all of you to be sent back to the Isles. It is your choice." Ondolemar is satisfied when all of them agree to take the offer for passage, and they agree to tell the Council exactly what Elenwen had done and the number of outs Almithara offered her before taking action. He hates to see life wasted, and perhaps this encounter with Almithara will make these soldiers reconsider their superiority. He can hope.

Almithara takes Ondolemar into the Embassy. They grab some of the Stormcloak soldiers and task them with gathering up all of the important documents contained within the walls for transport back to Riverwood Keep. She and Ondolemar walk up the stairs and go into Elenwen's office. She collapses into the desk chair. "We actually did it," she whispers. "They're gone."

"They are," her husband confirms. "I never doubted you for a moment."

"I don't feel guilty about killing them. Is that a bad thing? Am I some kind of monster?" Almithara asks quietly.

"No," her husband declares emphatically. "You did what you had to do to protect our family. They wouldn't have stopped until you and Nelaeryn and Theodemar were dead and I was forcibly tied to that woman."

"I know," she says softly. "Will you hold me? For just a minute?" Tears are gathering in her eyes, and she just wants some comfort.

Ondolemar gathers his wife's small body into his arms and holds onto her for dear life. "For what it's worth, I'm proud of you."

"Thank you," she sobs into his chest.

"The Thalmor are gone from here. We'll send troops to gather up any others that are out in Skyrim, and we'll send them all back. All you have to do is broker a peace agreement between the Stormcloaks and the Empire, and we can get on with our lives."

"I want another baby," Almithara tells him.

"We'll have one," Ondolemar promises.

"I want to start trying right away. I won't need to fight anymore since both factions are tired of fighting."

Ondolemar smiles fondly at her eagerness. "Of course, love."

Inigo knocks on the door frame. "Ara? Are you okay, my friend?"

"Yeah," she answers, using her sleeve to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Can I leave you in charge here? I'd like to go home."

"Of course," her friend agrees immediately.

"It's also near Dragon Bridge," she says with a sly smile.

"Yes, well," Inigo stutters while rubbing the back of his neck. "Are you guys going to go see the boys?"

"Yes," Almithara answers. "I want to hold my babies. Let's go, Ondolemar."

He helps his wife stand to her feet and places her hand in the crook of his elbow. They walk sedately out of the Embassy to see the slightly ordered chaos occurring outside. Jarl Balgruuf walks up to her as soon as he sees her. "Almithara, I knew that you could do it," he says with a congratulatory smile.

"I am happy to be able to help Skyrim," she says with a small smile of her own. Now that the initial shock has worn off, she understands that she did what she must to protect her family. Furthermore, peace is possible for the entire province thanks to her actions. It'll save many lives in the end.

"When will you be convening the peace conference?" he asks.

"I think I'll take a few days and maybe have it in a week or two. I need to talk to Ulfric and allow Tulius enough time to find out what negotiations he is authorized to agree to. If necessary, Skyrim may be able to secede from the Empire completely. We'll just have to see. I would like some time to rest with my family."

"Of course," the Jarl answers. "I hope you can get back to your plans now."

Ondolemar smiles at the idea. "Indeed. If you will excuse us," he says with a bow of his head. He and his wife continue to make their way through the crowd, but they are once again stopped. This time, Ulfric Stormcloak stands in front of them. "Did you enjoy the battle?" Ondolemar asks.

"As much as one can enjoy battle. I lost a few good men, but the casualties were less than I had anticipated," he rumbles in his deep voice. He glances toward Almithara and then bows deeply to her. "I must thank you, Dragonborn. You have done what no one else could. I believe that there will now be peace and that we may see a High King or Queen crowned once more."

"I was only doing what was needed," Almithara writes off. "I am happy to help restore peace to this realm if it means that my family can live the way we wish to."

"When will we be meeting?"

"In about two weeks, I should think. Do you have a preference of meeting place?"

"I think Dragonsreach should be sufficient. Whiterun has always managed to stay neutral, and it is near your home," Ulfric answers.

"I will send you a missive," she offers. "I would like to go visit my children now. I hope that everything will work out smoothly."

"Good day, Dragonborn," he replies and walks off to check in with his men.

"I never thought I'd see the day when that man would want to stop fighting," Ondolemar remarks.

"Same here," Almithara breathes. "War changes people."

~~~~~~~~~~

The walk back to Solitude is quiet for the couple. They are both immensely pleased that the conflict is over, but the day has been tiring. The week has been tiring. A peace negotiation will still be a headache, but with both parties willing, Almithara is confident that she can fix it easily. As the city comes into view, she picks up the pace slightly. She misses her children. "Eager to see them?" Ondolemar asks.

"Of course," she responds with a bright smile. "They're safe now."

"We all are," Ondolemar adds. He didn't enjoy being held captive. He can't imagine what they would have done had they captured Almithara instead of him. The thought makes him shudder in anger and his stomach churn with upset.

As soon as the door to Proudspire Manor opens, two little boys come flying at their parents, hugging and chattering away. Almithara walks into the living room before kneeling down to hug them both. They hug her back fiercely, and she bursts into tears. Ondolemar quickly joins them as the boys look rather panicked. He pulls them all to him and allows his wife to cry. "Why is mother sad?" Nelaeryn asks. His voice comes out muffled where his face is smashed against Almithara's shoulder.

"She's not sad," Ondolemar answers. "She's happy that a problem has been solved and that we're all safe."

"People won't hurt us now?" Theodemar questions. His face is similarly squashed against his mother. His father's hand runs through his honey blonde hair in a comforting gesture.

"Nobody will hurt us now. Your mother and I won't allow it," Ondolemar assures.

"It's okay," Almithara sobs. "We're going to be okay." She pulls them tighter.

"Mother, you're squishing us!" Theodemar exclaims.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she laughs and loosens her grip. "Why don't we all have some dinner?" They eagerly agree, and the whole house sits down to dinner. Bronwyn and Marcurio show up partway through the meal; the only person missing is Inigo. Since he's probably with Shunara, Almithara decides to let it slide. He deserves to be happy. "I'm so glad that's all over," she sighs.

"So am I, love," her husband answers. "Let's just hope everything stays calm from now on."

"I hope so."

Chapter Text

A week after the fight, Almithara is going over the papers acquired from the Embassy with Inigo and Ondolemar. "I can't believe how many people they have tortured," Almithara whispers.

"It was a favorite among many. Rulindil was rather creative with his methods. I believe he enjoyed it a little too much most of the time," Ondolemar informs.

"What about you, Ondy?" Inigo asks.

Ondolemar glares at him before answering. "I was not above imprisonment, but I found persuasion and connections to be a more fortuitous route. Sometimes, an indirect approach is better."

Almithara nods. That had been her tactic in times past…would have been in this situation had Elenwen not pushed her luck so. "What should we do with all of this information?"

"We could let the Jarls take a look at it. Some of it is rather incriminating, especially regarding Maven Black-Briar. The Thalmor seem to have had their hands in a lot of things," Inigo mumbles.

"Let's take it up to Jarl Balgruuf next time we go up there," Almithara decides as she moves to take another stack of papers to examine. She pauses; her name is on the top of the page. "This is about me," she gasps.

"The Thalmor were aware of you for some time," Ondolemar admits. "The day we first met I examined your dossier. We had a collection of dossiers in Markarth of potential threats when I was stationed there. I was tasked with going over them, but I didn't see anyone of interest other than you. Elenwen must have compiled more once she saw you as a great threat."

Almithara flips through the papers until she finds information related to more recent matters. She finds a list of places that she frequents, places that Ondolemar frequents, and places where the twins have been seen in their company. Her brow furrows. How would they have obtained this information? The only plausible way is if they had a spy on the inside. "Ondolemar, do you know of any Thalmor spies in this area?"

"I cannot recall any that are still in this area, but I have not been a member for a long time. I'm sure that some have been added in the last four years. Why?"

"It seems that someone has been reporting back our routines. I wonder if there's a name in here." She furiously flips through the remaining pages until she finds a letter in the mix. It's a note relaying the trip to Riften that she was planning to take all those weeks ago and the possibility—but no guarantee—of the boys going with her. How would anyone know this? She only told her family. Glancing down at the signature, she gasps in horror. It's signed by Francois and Lucia. Sofie said she saw him…she must've mentioned it in passing.

"What is it, Ara?" Inigo asks. She robotically passes the note down the table to her best friend and her husband. Inigo's mouth drops open in shock, and Ondolemar's face registers confusion. "Why would they do this?" the Khajiit yells.

"I don't know, but I think we should pay them a visit," Almithara states blandly. "Let's go see them tomorrow. I…I think I need to go lie down."

"I'll come with you," Ondolemar offers. She nods absently. It will be nice to have him with her, but right now, she's just too numb to verbally answer. "Inigo, if you would continue gathering anything important about our family or friends, I would most appreciate it."

"Of course," Inigo answers and begins shuffling through the rest of the pile. Everything is to be sorted based on what hold needs the information.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ondolemar follows his wife down to their room where she walks in and mechanically sits down on the edge of the bed. Her eyes are far away, and he is saddened by her intense reaction to the horrible situation. "Why, Ondolemar? Why would they do this?" she cries. Tears begin to flow freely down her face. She's been overly emotional lately.

"I don't know, Almithara. We can get our answers tomorrow." He takes his place next to her and folds her tiny body into a comforting embrace.

"Of all the things I thought, I never would have guessed that they were behind this. I haven't even spoken to them since they left. They chose to go with him. Why would they hate me so much as to send me and Nelaeryn and Theodemar to our deaths?"

His arms tighten around her, and his jaw clenches. "It doesn't make any sense."

They sit together a while longer before she pulls back from him. "We need to make preparations for the peace conference in one week."

Ondolemar looks confused at the change of topic, but he pursues it for her sake. "We will have everything taken care of. We're only having it in Dragonsreach, and there won't be very many people. We should be fine."

She looks up into his eyes, those impossibly green eyes that she loves so much. She could so easily lose herself in them. "I think I'm pregnant," she blurts out after a moment.

He blinks stupidly at her. "What?"

"I think I might be pregnant," she repeats.

"But you wanted to wait," he argues.

"I didn't want to wait," she protests. "We needed to wait because of the battle and the threat and such. But we were still intimate a couple of times without me taking the potion. Remember?"

He remembers now. They didn't change their minds until after she got hurt, and he can't remember her taking her potion again for at least a week after they got back. She had persuaded him to make love to her one afternoon. "Will the potion hurt the baby?" he asks worriedly. He doesn't know much about the ingredients.

"No," she denies.

"Have you checked with the spell?"

"No. I wanted to check with you this time. I thought it would be something we could share."

Even though he is surprised that she has been pregnant this whole time—well, really only about five or six weeks—he is so very happy and gives her a loving smile. This will also be a good distraction from the devastating news that her previous children sold her out to an organization that wanted to kill her. "I think that is wonderful."

She smiles brightly back at him and brings her hands up. She charges a glowing, white spell in her hands before casting it over her abdomen. They wait about half a minute before the light glows a bright gold. She turns an awestruck glance at him. "I'm pregnant!" she exclaims.

He lets out a triumphant laugh and pulls her to him. She grips him tightly. This is how she imagined telling him would be when she found out about the twins. All happiness and anticipation. Even though it didn't happen then, they can still share this now. "You were fighting while you were pregnant. Will the baby be okay?"

Almithara leans back to look into her husband's concerned eyes. "Well, I fought over in Solstheim while I was pregnant with the twins for the first two months, and they were fine. I think it's more dangerous to use magic in later months. I'll have to ask Sarah. I hope everything is okay," she whispers in fear.

Ondolemar places his large hand over her still flat stomach. "Why don't we go see her now?" Almithara nods eagerly, and they rush downstairs to see the apothecary.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sarah is pleased with the news that there will be another addition to the family. She checks over Almithara and performs numerous diagnostic spells before giving any news. "The baby is fine, but I do have to caution you against stressing yourself or using any more magicka. It will react to your stress. Since you have had a rather stressful time lately, it is of the utmost importance that you keep yourself calm," she instructs.

"I have that peace conference coming up, but I don't think it will be that stressful," Almithara remarks. "And I can make Ondolemar and Inigo come and help me with some of the work."

"We'll be there," Ondolemar assures.

"How far along am I?" Almithara asks.

"About six weeks if I had to guess," Sarah replies. "With your last pregnancy, you weren't overly sick, but I would like you to be careful. I'll have cook adjust your diet, and I want to check in with you at least once a month for the first several months and then once every other week toward the end. Hopefully, it will be a single birth this time," she says with a soft smile.

"I hope so too," Almithara laughs. "Birthing two babies was one of the hardest things I've ever done." Almithara stands from her seat. "Are you finished with me?"

"Yes." Sarah leaves the room to go and talk to the chef, and Almithara and Ondolemar retreat to their room.

"Who should we tell first?" she asks.

"Why don't we just tell everyone at dinner tonight?" Ondolemar suggests.

"That sounds great. I also need to send a letter to Serana. Looks like we'll be pregnant at the same time again," she says with a smile. Ondolemar grabs his wife's hand and leads her to the bed where he suggests she take a short nap. She's had a trying day, and she deserves some rest. As she is uncharacteristically tired, she takes his advice—on the condition that he joins her—and they fall into a soft slumber.

~~~~~~~~~~

A couple of hours later, two little boys open the door and sneak into the room. "Mother said not to come in here," Nelaeryn whispers.

"But we picked her flowers," Theodemar protests and holds up the bundle of different colored mountain flower mixed with some thistle and Dragon's Tongue. They both move to the bed and see their parents sleeping curled around each other.

"Mother looks tiny next to father," Nelaeryn remarks. Theodemar nods and proceeds to hop into the bed. Nelaeryn follows him, and they begin to lightly poke their mother.

Almithara has been having such a nice nap. Her husband's body and arms are warm and protective, and she could lay here forever…but it seems that someone else has different plans as she feels tiny pokes on her arm and leg. She rolls a little bit and opens her eyes to find two tiny boys sitting in her bed. "And just what do you two think you're doing?" she asks with a smile.

"We brought you flowers," Theodemar declares. He holds out the bouquet in his little hands. "You looked sad, Mother."

Almithara's eyes fill with tears. Now that she knows she's pregnant, all of the tears make more sense. She's never been an overly emotional person, but this pregnancy is apparently going to throw a wrench in that generalization. "Thank you, boys." She extricates herself from Ondolemar's grip and hugs both of the boys tightly. Her movement wakes Ondolemar, and he sits up to see what all the fuss is about. "Look, Ondolemar. The boys brought me flowers because I looked sad," she says as the tears finally spill over.

Ondolemar grins down at his sons. "How thoughtful," he says. He looks up at the window to see the amount of light left. "It's almost dinner time. Why don't you boys go wash up, and we'll put these flowers in something to set on the dinner table?" Their little faces light up in excitement, and they bound out of the room.

"I can't believe I took a nap. I really am an old lady," Almithara laments, and she hides her face in one hand. The bouquet is clenched tightly in her other fist.

"You're not old, love. You're carrying another child. You will probably be a bit more tired than normal. What was normal when you were carrying the twins?"

Almithara always forgets that Ondolemar either wasn't around or in the know for a section of her first pregnancy. "Well, we came back to Skyrim because I was feeling really tired. I didn't really get sick very much, but I was sick a few times. I was mainly just really tired. Serana had a lot of pain in her body, but she's horribly sick for this pregnancy. Maybe they're all different, or maybe it depends on the person…I don't really know what to expect," she relays.

"This time, we'll face it together," he assures and pulls her close to place a kiss on her forehead. "Let's go."

Almithara and Ondolemar walk down the stairs and find a small container for the flowers before setting them before Almithara's place at the table. The thoughtfulness of the boys warms her heart. "When should we tell everyone?" she asks.

"Let's do it partway through dinner. Bronwyn and Nendaris should be here soon with the children as well."

~~~~~~~~~~

It takes another fifteen minutes for their guests to arrive. By this time, most of the family are already in attendance. Sofie came in from out of town as per her custom of coming home at least a couple of times a week, and Ondolemar had sent a note to Alesan asking him to be present. Poor Runa would have to be informed in a letter since she was so far away. She didn't quite master the teleportation technique when Almithara tried to teach her, and they would hate for something to happen to her should the spell go awry.

Everyone sits down to dinner and piles food on their plates. The conversation is happily flowing. "So, Pa, why did you want me to come to dinner?" Alesan asks.

Ondolemar looks down at his wife who smiles excitedly up at him. "We have some news," he says.

"We're going to have another baby!" Almithara exclaims. She just couldn't hold it in anymore.

Everyone around the table offers their congratulations, and there is an air of genuine elation. However, two little boys look confused. "What do you mean?" Theodemar asks.

Almithara calls the boys up to the front of the table. Nelaeryn sits on her lap while Theodemar joins Ondolemar. "Remember when Nendaris had baby Elwin? Her tummy got all big?" The boys nod. "That's what I'll look like soon. Then you'll either have a little brother or sister."

"Will you have to send us away?" Theodemar asks, sticking his bottom lip out in a pout.

"No," Almithara denies with a furrowed brow, poking his lip back where it's supposed to be. "Why would I have to do that?"

"The other kids left after us," Nelaeryn points out.

"That's because they're older now, and they have to learn things that I can't teach them. You're both still little, so I have to keep you with me," she explains, tickling Nelaeryn's tummy and eliciting a little giggle. "And you'll help me with the new baby, right? I'm sure I'll need lots of help." The boys' faces light up in excitement at the news that they won't have to leave and that they'll get to be helpers. "You can stay with me forever if you want," she says and holds Nelaeryn as close as possible.

"Mother…too tight…" he chokes out.

"Oops!" she laughs. She pulls away from him and places a kiss on his and Theodemar's foreheads.

After dinner, Almithara and Ondolemar tell Bronwyn to let the Jarl know that they will be up at Dragonsreach the next afternoon to discuss some things they found. Almithara knows she'll also have to go to Jorrvaskr to speak to Aela. She's not looking forward to that conversation. "Are you alright, love?"

Almithara smiles at her husband. She loves him so much. "I'm so happy that we found out about the baby today, but I still can't help but be upset at the knowledge that Francois and Lucia sold me out. It hurts."

"I know, Almithara. We'll just have to see what their reasoning was tomorrow." He gives her a loving kiss, before letting a smirk settle on his proud face. "How about we celebrate tonight instead of thinking about tomorrow?"

"I think that's a lovely idea," she agrees with an identical look on her face.

Ondolemar successfully distracts his wife for the rest of the evening and into the night. He's currently laying on his back, and Almithara is draped across his chest making little patterns in his skin with her fingers. "Septim for your thoughts?" he whispers.

"Do you think the world will ever let us relax?" She pauses a moment and lets her gold eyes gaze into his green. "I thought that after Alduin, I'd be free, but then the Cultists came with Miraak. Then Elenwen tried to take you away. We had quiet for a while, but then she came back, and this whole civil war thing still needs attention. Vilkas tried to get me back. Maybe we just aren't meant to have calm lives."

Ondolemar considers her words before trying to answer. He remembers when she was injured and making the remark to the Khajiit that people expect so much of Almithara because she is just capable of so much. It's not fair that the world expects so much out of her, but they wouldn't if she weren't so successful in what she does. "I'm not certain, love. You are simply too capable and too charming; everyone wants you to solve their problems. However, if you weren't like that, I don't think people would love you as much. And anything that comes for us, we will face together." He looks at his wife, who has started to cry once more. "Love, how do you have any tears left?"

"I don't know," she sobs and flings herself at her husband. She buries her face in his neck, and her arms hold him tightly. He just chuckles at her and embraces her.

"It seems that this pregnancy will be full of tumultuous emotions," he remarks. She just nods as she continues to cry. Eventually, the crying begins to fade. He looks down to find that his wife has fallen asleep. He laughs once again before maneuvering her into a more comfortable position and falling to sleep himself.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day comes whether Almithara wants it to or not. Ondolemar goes down to bring her up some breakfast since she doesn't feel well—she assures everyone that it's not morning sickness. She's just so upset about the documents from the Embassy. While she's waiting for her husband to return, Inigo knocks on the door. "Come in, Inigo," she calls softly.

"It's going to be okay, my friend. We'll all get to the bottom of this," he soothes while grabbing her hand and sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"I just wish this were all over now," she sighs. "The baby is unexpected, and I've already fought with it inside me, but I don't want to stress myself too much. I wanted this baby so badly, and I don't want anything to happen to it." She cradles her flat stomach in her free hand.

"You'll be just fine, Ara. You fought in Solstheim when you were pregnant with the twins, and they turned out just fine. Just let Ondy and me help you out when you need it, and nothing bad will happen. Did Sarah say that anything was wrong with the baby when she checked you over?" Inigo inquires.

"She said everything was fine," Almithara answers, not looking entirely convinced even with that assurance. "And I'm only about six weeks along. She says I have to be careful not to be under too much stress."

"We'll help you, Ara." Ondolemar walks into the room with some fresh fruit for his wife. "Ondy and I will make sure everything is smooth."

Ondolemar can't even bring himself to care about the nickname anymore. He's never going to shake it, so he might as well accept it. He's also quite pleased with the news that his wife is pregnant, and the nickname is not enough to dampen that feeling. "We will do everything we can for you, love. Today will be difficult, but I will be there with you. Inigo and I will both be at the peace conference, but with two willing parties, I don't expect much trouble. Your only job will be to stay happy, healthy, and calm. You deserve to rest now. We will do everything we can to ensure that," he promises while handing over the plate to her. She takes it gratefully before bursting into tears once more. Inigo looks frightened, but Ondolemar just sighs and hands her a glass of water. "Love, if you keep crying this much, you'll become dehydrated."

"I can't help it," she sobs. "I just feel so emotional. I'm never like this!" She wipes the tears from her face and attempts to calm herself, annoyed at her own body's reactions.

"Ara, are you okay?"

"Yes, Inigo," she sniffles. "It seems like this baby is making me extra weepy. I'll be fine." She takes a bite of her apple and offers him a watery smile. He returns it before excusing himself to find the twins to get them into some mischief. "When do we need to leave?"

"We should get going within the next couple of hours. Take your time," Ondolemar instructs. After she finishes eating, she takes a long bath and then gets dressed in a comfortable robe and the softest boots she owns. This pregnancy is going to be comfort-focused; she can already tell. Ondolemar has been ready for about an hour by the time Almithara is ready. They bid their children goodbye—who are suspiciously holding something behind their backs while trying to hide behind their Uncle Inigo…she doesn't want to know—and head into Whiterun.

~~~~~~~~~~

Almithara is taking slow, deep breaths. She's carrying a satchel full of documents that need to go to the Jarl, and Ondolemar has a smaller satchel with the ones relating to Almithara. They'll be stopping by the Companions first, and Almithara is already feeling sick. Jorrvaskr comes into view much quicker than she wishes. Ondolemar leads her up the stairs, and they walk through the door. Without pausing to see anyone, they meander down the stairs and go straight to Aela's quarters. Almithara feels like she's walking into some terrible pit.

Aela is sitting outside of her room at the small table having an early lunch. "Almithara," she greets. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"This isn't a visit just because," Ondolemar speaks up. "As you know, we all defeated the Thalmor a little over a week ago. We had Inigo in charge of gathering up all of the documents, and we have spent the last week sorting them. Unfortunately, we found something horrible." He reaches into the bag and pulls out the information on Almithara. He hands it to Aela, who looks at it with a furrowed brow.

Aela is not surprised that they had a significant amount of information on Almithara—she's a person that one would want to keep tabs on if she weren't on their side. She flips through the papers until she comes across the letter. A horrified gasp escapes her lips when she sees the signature. "No," she whispers. She looks up at Almithara, who already has tears streaming down her face.

"I would like to speak to them, please," Almithara chokes out. Her grip on her husband's arm tightens, her knuckles turning white from the effort.

"Love, you have to stay calm," he says as he turns to speak to her directly. "We'll get to the bottom of this."

"I'll go get them immediately," Aela declares as she stands from her table. "I'll grab their parents too."

Ondolemar leads Almithara to a chair at the table and guides her into a seated position. The tears are flowing freely, and she can't seem to stop them. "Please don't leave my side," she pleads after a few minutes of trying to calm down.

"I wouldn't dream of it," her husband replies and leans forward to give her a comforting kiss. At that moment, Vilkas, Njada, Francois, and Lucia walk in. Vilkas' face twists in anger at the display, but the others maintain impassive expressions. Aela comes in behind them and closes the doors that separate her quarters from the rest of Jorrvaskr.

"I have called you in here on serious allegations," Aela states ominously. She walks over to the table and grabs the letter from the stack. "This was found at the Thalmor Embassy. Care to explain?" She thrusts the letter in front of the young people, who have the decency to look panicked.

Njada plucks the letter out of Aela's hands. Now, she doesn't like the Dragonborn and wants Almithara to stay away from her husband, but there is a difference between wanting her out of their lives and wanting her and her twins dead. She looks at the letter with surprise and disgust on her face. "What is the meaning of this?" she hisses.

"What is it?" Vilkas asks. His wife holds the letter out to him. His eyes quickly scan the page before his face screws in a mask of rage. "How could you?" he roars at the young people next to him. "What could have possibly made you think it was okay to do this?"

Francois and Lucia have the wherewithal to look a little chastised, but there is no regret in their eyes. "We did it for you," Lucia whispers.

"Me?" Vilkas questions breathlessly.

"We know how much you miss her and want her back. We don't really like Njada that much," Francois explains. "We thought that if Almithara could be attacked, then she would think she wasn't safe with the elf. Then she would have left him, and you could have stepped in. Elenwen promised us that the other elf lady would take Ondolemar back. We weren't really concerned about what would happen to the kids. We figured you two could raise them together when the time came."

"You did all of this to get me to remarry Vilkas?" Almithara asks incredulously.

"If you would have just done what he wanted from the beginning, you guys would still be happy," Lucia insists. "Instead, you had to meet him." She points her finger accusingly at Ondolemar.

"You sent assassins after me and my young children," Almithara growls, anger and sorrow warring for dominance within her. "What were you thinking? What could have possibly defended those actions?"

"We wanted Pa to be happy," Francois defends.

"He cheated on me a week after we got back from our wedding trip," Almithara protests. "I obviously didn't make him happy."

"Only because you were too focused on yourself," Lucia argues. "You should've put your time into him and having children. You got pregnant not even a year after you guys divorced, so you obviously could've done what he wanted you to."

Almithara is trying to control her breathing. Ondolemar notices her struggle and decides to take over. "First of all, she did not become pregnant with our children until after the dragon business was concluded. Secondly, she should not have been expected to stay with a man who was unfaithful to her. That isn't fair. Thirdly, you had no right to drag two small children into this conflict." His voice is cold, and his eyes are narrowed in contempt.

"You should have just stayed out of this," Francois snarls. "Pa always said that he could've kept her if you hadn't been in the picture."

Ondolemar snorts. "That's rich. She found out he was cheating on her before she and I started anything between us."

"Why can't she speak for herself? Is she too afraid to hear the truth?" Lucia spits.

"My wife is pregnant, and she has been instructed to keep her stress to a minimum. You are not helping."

Vilkas grimaces, but Njada looks surprisingly happy. With this revelation, she seems to have finally understood that Almithara doesn't want Vilkas back; Almithara is perfectly happy—more than happy—with her own husband. The two young people match their father's anger. "This is wrong; she isn't supposed to be with you!" Francois yells.

"According to whom?" Almithara screams, jumping to her feet to confront them. Her anger has finally gotten the best of her, causing her usual fiery spirit to overcome the hormone/betrayal-induced sadness. "Marrying Vilkas was a mistake! He even told me that some weeks ago. He said he shouldn't have married me when he didn't really love me. What gave you two the right to try to meddle in my life? I love Ondolemar, and I'm happy with him! And you tried to hurt my babies! I slit Elenwen's throat for trying to kill them and Noranae's for trying to take my husband! What gave you the right?!" By the end of her speech, she's screaming and shaking. Ondolemar is trying his hardest to get her to calm down, but she's too angry. Flames are flickering in and out in her hands.

The two kids look afraid—like they have just realized what they have done. "We thought we were helping. We didn't really think about anything else," Lucia whispers.

Ondolemar manages to get his wife to sit down, and he turns a glare on the others. "You had no right to interfere with our lives. And what about this woman here?" He gestures toward Njada. "What would have happened to her?" They just shrug. "You are unbelievable."

Aela steps up to speak. "We'll be informing the Jarl of what happened here. He'll decide what will happen to you two. Get out of my sight."

Vilkas lingers for a moment, but his demeanor has obviously deflated in light of all of the news he's been given in a short amount of time. "I'm sorry. I had no idea that they were in contact with the Thalmor. We'll be leaving you alone from now on." He turns and walks away, but Njada hangs back.

Almithara looks up at her. "Are you going to threaten me again?"

Njada looks down in shame. "No. I also wanted to apologize. I can see now that you don't want Vilkas—I was afraid because I knew that even though he cheated on you with me and then married me, he doesn't really love me. But…how could you ever want him when you have this man standing with you?" She smiles up at Ondolemar. "I see how much you love each other. I only wish I could have had that. I should've told Vilkas before he met you that I loved him, or I could have told you that he didn't really love you. I'm sorry for the part I played, but I also had no idea that the kids were planning anything like this. I would have stopped them. Targeting children is taking things too far." She nods and walks out of the double doors.

Aela glares at their retreating backs. "Are you going to see the Jarl now?"

Almithara is breathing in and out slowly to try to regain her composure. Ondolemar is rubbing small circles in her back to attempt to facilitate a calm atmosphere. "Yes, we'll go there now. Please make sure they don't try to leave. We need to decide what to do with them."

"Let's go, love," Ondolemar urges. He places her arm in the crook of his own and pulls her into a standing position. "Take care, Aela," he calls.

"Keep me informed," Aela calls to them. After they are gone from her sight, she goes to see Vilkas and Njada on her own. She stomps into the area of Jorrvaskr containing Vilkas' quarters and bursts through the door. "How did your kids get those ideas in their heads, hm?" she shouts. "They didn't come up with those reasons on their own."

Njada glares at her husband. "I'm sure he's complained to them before. They wouldn't have just said all of that out of the blue."

Vilkas looks uncomfortable. "I may have said that I wished she would have stayed with me and that I wanted the elf to marry that other lady, but I said that years ago. I haven't said anything recently."

"No," Njada denies. "But you have certainly been trying to get her back. I've seen you talking to her, and I've seen you looking at her. I also heard around town that you kissed her about a week ago, and her husband flattened you. You didn't get that bruise on your jaw from a training accident like you said."

"You did what?" Aela hisses. Her light eyes flare with anger, and her fists clench with the suppressed desire to punch him.

Vilkas at least has the grace to blush. "I didn't know you knew about that."

"Of course, I knew about it!" Njada shouts. "You did it right out front of the inn in perfect view of everyone."

He releases a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping under the weight of it. "I'm sorry, dear," he whispers and actually seems to mean it. "I have been so foolish. I do love you, but when I saw her with those small children, it brought up everything again. I shouldn't have done it."

Njada's face falls in renewed disappointment. "I'm sorry that I can't give you what you want."

"You don't need to apologize. I need to apologize," he says softly as he reaches out and clasps her hands. "If you will forgive me, I swear I will spend every day of the rest of our lives making it up to you. I finally can see that she and I would have never worked—you're the one I love. We can always adopt more children."

Njada considers his offer before slowly nodding. Even though he's an idiot, she still loves him, which probably makes her an idiot too. But she just doesn't care. She wants to work things out with him. "I will forgive you, but I doubt this will be easy. We're going to have to spend some time working things out, and you're definitely going to have to leave her in the past. It's what she and I both want from you."

"I will," he agrees with obvious relief.

"Not that this isn't touching," Aela grits out through clenched teeth, "but what about Francois and Lucia? What should we do with them? I'm sure the Jarl will have something to say, but they passed information about the Harbinger to an organization that wanted to kill her and two little boys. Regardless of what the Jarl decides, we can also offer punishment."

"I don't know," Vilkas whispers. "I'll leave it up to you to decide."

"Very well," Aela states and turns and walks out of the room.

~~~~~~~~~~

Up at Dragonsreach, Ondolemar and Farengar are in his study area trying to calm Almithara down. She's been sobbing uncontrollably since she walked through the doors. "What happened?" Farengar asks with fear in his eyes.

"Francois and Lucia were sending information on her whereabouts to the Thalmor," Ondolemar reveals. "She or the boys could have died thanks to the information provided."

Almithara is trying to catch her breath. Her sobs are actually beginning to choke her, and she quickly tries to calm herself before she passes out from hyperventilation. She starts to take deeper, slower breaths. Ondolemar and Farengar move closer to her, not having wanted to crowd her before. "That's right, love. Just breathe. It'll be okay. The boys are fine, the baby is fine, and we're fine," he soothes.

"Baby?" Farengar's eyes light up in pure glee.

"Baby," Ondolemar confirms. "Are you okay?" he directs to Almithara.

She exhales a long breath. "I think I'm okay now." She brings up a hand to her stomach. "I'm sorry, baby. It seems your mother is extra emotional," she explains with a shaky, self-deprecating chuckle. She takes one final steadying breath. "Let's go see the Jarl."

Ondolemar walks with her up to the Jarl's throne, and Farengar follows behind them. "Almithara, are you all right?" Jarl Balgruuf asks in concern, his smile faltering when he sees her. Almithara's usually vibrant gold eyes are dull and clouded. She is flushed red, and fading tear tracks can be seen on her beautiful face.

"I'm fine, thank you," she says quietly, successfully keeping her voice level. "We have some information for you." She reaches into the satchel at her waist and takes out all of the pertinent documents from the Thalmor Embassy. "These are all documents from the Embassy. We separated them by hold and thought it would be good to send them to every Jarl."

Jarl Balgruuf takes the papers and is surprised by how much information they had compiled on all the goings on in Skyrim. "We'll make sure that everything is sent to the proper place." He passes the stack off to Proventus to take care of later. "What else do you need to run by me?" He can tell that they have more business that needs discussed.

"Almithara, I can handle this. Why don't you and Farengar go talk about the new baby?" Almithara smiles gratefully at her husband. She really doesn't want to have to rehash this all so many times in one day. She hates feeling like she is weak, but the betrayal by the children she adopted is just too much on top of everything else. She can't be expected to be perfectly strong all the time; it's too exhausting. Especially with how emotional she has been with this pregnancy…and it's only the beginning of it. She takes Farengar's arm and walks over to his study with him. Ondolemar can already hear the man spouting off multiple questions, and he lets a small grin stretch across his face.

"She's pregnant already? You work fast," Jarl Balgruuf remarks.

"Indeed," Ondolemar replies with a slightly smug smile. "Unfortunately, we have had a rather trying morning." Ondolemar produces the other documents that were related to Almithara. "It turns out that the Thalmor had some spies passing information on Almithara's location and habits. Francois and Lucia of the Companions were sending letters to Elenwen in hopes that we would be separated and she could then remarry Vilkas."

Jarl Balgruuf freezes, sure that what he thinks he heard cannot be what he actually heard. Bronwyn's face also betrays his horror and surprise. "But the children would have been killed!" Bronwyn exclaims.

"They say that they did not care about the fate of the children," Ondolemar relays with a snarl. "They thought that Almithara would realize that she wasn't safe with me and would go back to Vilkas. This, in turn, would free me up to marry Noranae. Almithara is heartbroken. Those two may have chosen to follow the Nord, but she still adopted them and took care of them for a time."

"I can't even imagine," Jarl Balgruuf murmurs. "What will be done with them?"

"We were hoping that you would handle the punishment. Almithara has been told to avoid stress at all costs for the baby. We don't want her to lose it, and birthing the twins was rather traumatic on her body when it happened."

"I will take care of this for you. It's the least I can do after everything she's done recently. I'm sorry she has to go through this," the Jarl says sympathetically.

"Thank you. We were also wanting to schedule the peace conference for one week from today. Would you allow us to have it here?" Ondolemar asks.

"Of course," Jarl Balgruuf replies. "It's about time this whole mess were over. Make sure you take care of her."

"I always do," Ondolemar declares with an incline of his head. He leaves the throne room and goes to join his wife with Farengar.

"How does this pregnancy differ from the twins?" Ondolemar hears as he walks through the door.

"I can't stop crying," Almithara relays. "I'm also a little more tired than I was with them, and it's still early on, which is probably a bad sign. I haven't felt sick or anything."

"Interesting," the man mumbles. "And how far along are you?"

"About six weeks, I think."

"Any pain?"

"My muscles are a bit sore…so are my breasts," she adds quietly.

Farengar doesn't even skip a beat in writing down the information. "Expected," he says as he glances up. "Ah, Ondolemar. I'm almost finished here. Just want to run the diagnostic spells."

"Very good. I would like to take her home after this," Ondolemar says as he comes to stand behind his wife.

Farengar charges up the spells and casts them over Almithara. He takes more notes as the colors manifest. The final test ends, and he smiles at Almithara. "There's only one in there."

Almithara sighs in relief. "I'm glad. You may just have to teach me that one."

Farengar chuckles. "I think I have everything I need at this point. Come check in with me when you can."

"I will, Farengar," Almithara promises. She and Ondolemar teleport back to the Keep for much-needed rest before the peace conference.

Then…maybe…they will be able to live a peaceful life.

Chapter Text

On the day of the peace conference, Almithara is cautiously optimistic. Both parties are willing to negotiate, and things should go smoothly as long as that stays the same. Almithara has on a comfortable green casual dress, and Ondolemar is dressed to match in green robes. Inigo came in leather leggings and a linen tunic. There is an air of calm around Dragonsreach. Refreshments have been set up, and the trio is simply waiting for the important people to arrive. "How are you feeling?" Ondolemar asks his wife.

She gives him a bright yet weak smile. "I'm just tired," she answers. "I wasn't this tired with the twins. I must be getting old."

"You're not yet thirty, love. If you are old, what does that make me?"

"Okay, fine," she laughs. "We're both still young. But I am very tired and getting a little nauseous, actually. I hope I can make it through the conference."

"Inigo and I can step in if you need us, but your presence here is necessary. I don't think the day will end well without the Dragonborn at the helm."

"I know," she sighs. "I have to be what I am one more time. As soon as this is over, I can go back to being who I am."

"You will always be you to me, Almithara," Ondolemar whispers. She shivers at his voice and brings his lips down to hers. They are interrupted by the sound of the doors opening. Ulfric Stormcloak and Galmar Stone-Fist have arrived.

"Dragonborn," Ulfric greets in his deep voice.

"I'm so glad you could make it," she says with as cheery an expression as she can manage. "And please, call me Almithara."

"Very well, Almithara. Is Tulius here?"

"Not quite yet. I'm sure he'll be here soon."

Ulfric gazes down at her, and his brow furrows. "Are you quite well, Almithara?"

Almithara is surprised he picked up on anything. She didn't think she looked bad or anything. Just a little pale. "I'm fine," she assures. "I'm pregnant."

"Congratulations," Ulfric rumbles. "Will you be all right for the conference?"

"Yes," she asserts. "I just may need to excuse myself for a moment. Ondolemar and Inigo can handle things during my absence. I'm sure that we can get through everything smoothly." She shoots him a reassuring grin despite her tiredness.

"I'm glad," he states and moves to take his seat the table.

About ten minutes later, General Tulius and Legate Rikke come walking through the doors. "Thank you for coming," Almithara greets.

"Let's get started," General Tulius grumbles. Almithara keeps the smile on her face, but she's irritated on the inside. She's doing this conference when she doesn't even feel well, and this man can't even handle being considerate for a few minutes to give a proper greeting. Taking in a calming breath, she prevents herself from doing anything rash. General Tulius and Legate Rikke march over to the table and take their seats across from Ulfric Stormcloak and Galmar Stone-Fist. Almithara walks over and joins them. Ondolemar sits at her right and Inigo at her left.

"I'm glad you both could make it today," she begins. She turns to General Tulius and Legate Rikke. "Before we get started, I would like you to know that I am pregnant. I may have to excuse myself for a moment or two if I feel sick, but Ondolemar and Inigo are fine to take over for the few minutes it will take me." At their nods, she turns back to the front to get down to business. "As you know, the Thalmor have been expelled from this region. This peace conference has been agreed to by both parties, and I very much hope that we can come to some kind of agreement as to what can be done to improve the conditions in Skyrim. Do either of you have anything to say before we begin?"

Ulfric speaks up first. "The right to worship Talos must be reinstated."

Almithara acknowledges that and turns to look at General Tulius. "If possible, we would like to keep trade open with Skyrim. It is beneficial to all parties."

Ondolemar thinks that their desires are not too extravagant. It should be relatively easy to appease them. Deciding how Skyrim will be governed—who will be High King or Queen—will be much more difficult. He doesn't envy the Moot their decision. "I don't think either of those conditions are hard to meet," he declares.

Almithara starts a conversation about what exactly would need to be done for a cessation of hostilities for all parties. While it is difficult for the Empire to have the Thalmor out of Skyrim, Almithara is fully prepared to also go to war with the Empire. Because of this, General Tulius was able to convince the Emperor that it would be in their best interest to allow the Nords their right to worship Talos. The ensuing bloodbath and the loss of trade is simply not worth the effort, resources, or the lives it would cost.

About fifteen minutes into the shockingly civil discussion, Almithara claps her hand over her mouth, stands from the table, and runs into Farengar's study. "Will she be all right?" Ulfric asks, clearly concerned.

"She will be fine," Inigo assures. He takes it upon himself to take over negotiations. The topic has now moved onto how to maintain trade and keep the peace along with whether or not the Imperial army would stay in Skyrim.

Ondolemar excuses himself to check on his wife. He finds her bent over a bucket in the corner of Farengar's study. He walks over to her and pulls the hair back from her face. She looks up at him through hazy eyes. "Our child hates me," she croaks.

He can't help but laugh at her. "I'm sure that isn't true, love." He kneels down next to her, and she leans heavily against him. He continues to brush her hair away from her face. A small basin of water and a cloth were placed in the room before the meeting started in case she became ill. Ondolemar reaches for it and begins wiping the sweat away from her face. After a couple of minutes, she feels well enough to stand, and they rejoin the meeting.

Almithara takes her seat and takes a long drink of cool water. She pulls the plate of bread closer and slowly nibbles on one of the pieces. The talking continues for another half hour before the two men seem to come to some form of agreement. Almithara is grateful that everyone is being so accommodating. Apparently being at war for years and years takes the fight out of some people. "I'm tired of being here, Ulfric," General Tulius says. "I'm tired of this conflict, and I am very glad that we have been able to come to an agreement. The Thalmor may try to regain their position here, but I think that we will be able to convince them to stay out of things. Especially since the Dragonborn here poached the Head of the Justiciars and personally executed the First Emissary."

"I am glad to hear it," Ulfric responds. "And I am sure that as long as Almithara lives, the Thalmor will desire to stay away from her. She has proven that she is a force to be reckoned with. We will continue to worship Talos, and we will leave open all trade. We have no problem staying in the Empire as long as we can do what we please."

Almithara breathes a sigh of relief. "This is wonderful," she gushes. "I know that there may be some more discussions with the other Jarls as to what will need to be done to better govern Skyrim, but I think that we have really solved the bulk of the problem here. And you are correct, Ulfric. As long as I live, the Thalmor will not regain their position here." A peace agreement is drawn up and signed by Ulfric. General Tulius will take it with him to have it looked over by the Emperor before bringing it back in a few weeks.

With the meeting over, Almithara provides lunch for those in attendance. General Tulius and Legate Rikke depart amicably enough, but they are still aloof and cold. That will probably never change. Ulfric and Galmar stay a little bit longer to be able to talk with Jarl Balgruuf. They need to decide when there will be a convening of the other Jarls to discuss changes that need to be made to the ruling structure. "We should meet soon," Ulfric urges.

"I agree," Jarl Balgruuf admits. "We have been without a central ruling body for far too long. Now that this civil war is done, we can move forward. After the peace agreement comes back, we can call a meeting together. Almithara, will you be able to be here for that?"

"I'm sure we can be here," she says with a smile. "As long as I don't throw up my guts first." Everyone laughs at her disgusting description. Once lunch is finished, Ulfric and Galmar leave.

"Almithara," Jarl Balgruuf calls. She looks up at him. "You are truly amazing. I never thought I would see the day when this civil war would end with almost no conflict."

"I think they were both tired of fighting," Almithara says dismissively.

"Yes, but they would have never agreed to anything had you and your husband not taken care of the Thalmor."

"You have to admit he's right there, Ara," Inigo interjects. "Take the praise for what it's worth."

Her face reddens lightly. "I'm glad to have been of help."

Jarl Balgruuf laughs at her and Bronwyn smiles. "Go home, Lady Almithara. I'm sure you want to rest," Bronwyn urges.

"I do," she sighs. "Ondolemar, will you teleport us?" He nods, grabs onto Inigo and Almithara, and teleports them to the Keep. The boys are playing in the courtyard with their older brothers. As soon as they see their parents and their Uncle Inigo, the twins come flying in a fury of chatter and affection. Almithara bends down to hug them before Inigo scoops them both up and starts running around and playing some game. Almithara and Ondolemar excuse themselves to go inside. Once inside the doors of the Keep, Almithara leans heavily against her husband who scoops her up without having to be asked. "I feel like such an invalid," she laments sadly.

"I'm sure the pregnancy is just making you tired. You'll be back to your formidable self in no time," her husband assures. He carries her up the stairs to their room, carefully strips off her robes, and gently lowers her into the heated bath. She sighs audibly, and it feels like all of the exhaustion leaking out of her body. He quickly prepares to join her. She gazes at him lovingly. "What is it?" he asks.

"I just love you. When I first laid eyes on you, I never thought we'd get to this point. I'm so happy this is how everything turned out."

He smiles down at her. Her gold eyes are warm and full of love. Love for him. "As am I, love." He reaches his hand down and covers her flat stomach. "When do you think you will start showing?"

"I was showing with the twins the week before you left, but I was much larger than I was supposed to be. Maybe somewhere in the third or fourth month?"

"I am glad I will be here for all of this," he says quietly.

"Me too," she replies. Her breath releases in a heavy whoosh. "Did you expect today to be as easy as it was?"

"Yes and no. I think everyone is tired of this war. It has gone on for several years. The Stormcloak demands were not that extravagant, and the Empire may have an understanding with the Thalmor, but they do not share their ideals. It is a shaky connection at best."

His wife hums in response before letting her weight fall against him. "I hope that it will be the last thing that will come against us. I want to be calm. I want to live my life with you."

"And I with you." Her husband pauses in thought and rubs Almithara's shoulders. "What if they ask you to be involved in the governing of Skyrim? You are the Dragonborn."

Almithara looks up into his calming green eyes. "I don't want to lead any more than this town. I just want to stay here with the people that love me. I finished my work as the Dragonborn. I expelled the Thalmor. I want to live life for us now. I know that they will always ask us for counsel, but I just want to be around people who love me for who I am. That's all I've ever wanted."

"We're almost there. If you just wait a little bit longer, we can have that."

"That's what we thought last time," she whispers with tears in her eyes. "They just keep coming back to take more from me."

He gathers her small body up in his arms and allows her to silently sob into his chest. Ondolemar doesn't know what to say because she's right. Everybody always needs something from her.

"This time, it won't happen. I will make sure of it. You and I will stay here with our children. Inigo will help us run the town until he decides to move on, or he will bring Shunara here. We will make sure Riverwood continues to thrive, and we won't allow anyone to take from us what we do not wish to give. I promise you."

Almithara takes a shuddering breath. "Okay," she replies shakily.

~~~~~~~~~~

Weeks later, the Moot is called and all the Jarls are to meet at Dragonsreach. Because of its central location, it is becoming the go-to place for meetings rather than Solitude. Since the death of the High King, Solitude as a meeting place does not seem as necessary, regardless of its status as the capital. Almithara and Ondolemar are, of course, present and helping to set up the tables and refreshments and placing parchment and ink at each place for note-taking. Bronwyn and Inigo are helping them while Jarl Balgruuf goes over some last-minute ideas. Almithara is about three months along now, but she doesn't have a bump yet, which is very upsetting to her. She's much paler than she was at the peace conference as her nausea has rapidly increased in the last month. Sarah is hopeful that it will subside soon, and Almithara wishes for her to be correct. She's tired of throwing up constantly. "Are you okay, Ara?" Inigo whispers.

"I think I'll be okay," she answers with a bright half-smile...as bright as she can manage anyway. "It's getting better every day. The twins were so much easier. This baby hates me."

"I'm sure that's not true," Inigo chuckles. "The boys love you both equally."

"This one is going to be Ondolemar's child. Mark my words," she declares.

"Did I hear my name?" comes the velvet voice of her husband.

"We were just talking about how this baby is making me so sick that it must hate me," Almithara relays. "We're figuring this one will be your child through and through."

Ondolemar laughs out loud. "I would not be opposed to this one taking after me, but I highly doubt this baby will hate you, love."

"We'll see," Almithara sighs. "When will everyone be here?"

"Any minute now," Inigo answers.

Over the next half hour, each of the Jarls appear. They sit around the tables that Almithara and her entourage set up, and the group allows Jarl Elisif to begin proceedings. She is the widow of the last High King after all. "We are all here to decide who will be the next High King or Queen. Everyone in attendance is eligible, but we have decided to offer it to a specific person." She turns to Almithara. "Dragonborn, we would like to offer you the position of High Queen of Skyrim."

Almithara looks over at her husband. They both knew that she would be offered the position, but they had hoped that it wouldn't come down to that. Unfortunately, it has. And right away too. "I thank you for the honor, but I cannot accept. I am happy being over Riverwood and focusing on my family. I will help when necessary, but I don't want to be in the spotlight any longer," she admits in a clear voice.

"Very well," Elisif says with a soft smile. It is an expected answer, but the group felt that they should at least offer the option to the woman who has helped them so much over the years. "Then we can move on. Anyone who wishes to be considered for High King or Queen can put their name forth now." Every Jarl raises their hand—this is going to be a long meeting.

"Almithara," a velvet whisper cascades over Almithara's neck, and she shivers, "will you be all right for this meeting?"

"Yes," she whispers back to her husband. "I feel a little sick right now, but I think I'll be okay. Can you pass me a piece of bread?" Ondolemar reaches over and retrieves a roll from the platter before handing it to his wife. Bread helps to settle her stomach, and she munches on it while the talking continues. Everyone is making their case as to why they should be in charge, and Almithara is getting quickly annoyed.

"You killed my husband!" Elisif suddenly screams. Almithara had been completely enamored with her roll, and the outburst actually makes her jump.

"He agreed to the duel!" Ulfric yells back. Jarl Balgruuf has his head in his hand, harshly rubbing at the temples.

"You didn't have to kill him! We wouldn't be having this trouble if you didn't!"

"It was always a possibility! He knew that when he participated!"

"That's enough!" Almithara screams, putting a touch of the Thu'um behind her voice. She slams her hands on the table and stands abruptly. "Inigo, hand me that bucket," she barks. The Khajiit retrieves the bucket from his feet and passes it to his friend. She leans over it and vomits before handing it back to him. He screws up his face in disgust and gingerly places it back on the ground. Almithara rubs the back of her left hand over her mouth. "Now, we are going to talk about this like adults." She sends everyone a small glare. "Elisif, you have the right to be upset about the death of your husband, but he agreed to the duel, and death was always a possibility. Ulfric, of course she's going to be upset with you. Fair or not, you still killed her husband. This display has assured me that neither of you are fit for the position."

Ondolemar reaches over and clasps his wife's small hand—the one without vomit on it—in his own large one. She looks down at him, and he nods at her with a small smile. He knows that she has been considering throwing her support behind one of the Jarls, and it seems that it is time to do that. "Go ahead, love," he directs quietly.

She steels her face and glowers back at the group. "As the Dragonborn, I am offering my support for Jarl Balgruuf."

Jarl Balgruuf's eyes widen as Almithara finishes speaking. They are close friends, and she and Ondolemar have worked beside him for years. He may have a bit of a temper on occasion, but he is the only Jarl that Almithara trusts wholeheartedly. She is confident that he could keep a handle on the other Jarls and enforce the peace treaty. He also knows when to ask for advice and how to listen to counsel. "Are you sure, Almithara?" he asks in disbelief.

"Undoubtedly," she declares and retakes her seat. The rest of the meeting passes in some arguments, but many of them were quashed after Almithara spoke. The final argument on the table is regarding the location of the High King. Almithara is rubbing little circles on her temples with both hands at the sheer stupidity.

"The High King has stayed in Solitude for years now," Elisif proclaims. "Jarl Balgruuf would have to relocate, or I should be High Queen."

"I don't see why I should have to when the capital has moved around before," Jarl Balgruuf answers. "Windhelm was once the capital, and so was Winterhold for a time. In more recent times, Solitude has been the seat due to the ease of conversing with the Empire. However, the Empire will be taking a more relaxed role in the governing of this province. The argument is invalid."

Almithara growls audibly. "All of you are being completely ridiculous." The baby may be having an effect on her emotions, but she would have been angry with them regardless. She's just a bit more vocal about it. "There is no reason to insist that the seat should remain in Solitude. It was in Solitude for the reasons that Jarl Balgruuf stated, but it has changed before, and it could change again. The High Kings should be elected, and the position should not pass down one bloodline anymore. It should be decided based on who is most qualified. Of the people here, the only person qualified is Jarl Balgruuf. I propose that Elisif stops talking, and we vote."

Elisif gives Almithara a small glare, but the others agree. At a vote of seven to two—with Elisif and Siddgeir voting against—Jarl Balgruuf is declared High King. A council of the rest of the Jarls and Almithara and Ondolemar is created to meet once a quarter to discuss any matters of importance. Talos worship is reinstated throughout all nine holds. On the whole, the Moot could not have gone better.

As soon as the proceedings are closed, Almithara stands quickly and darts into Farengar's study. She reaches for the basin of water and saturates a cloth in the cool liquid. Her shaking hands move the cloth up to her graying face. The sensation helps her calm her nerves. "Lady Almithara, is everything okay?" Farengar's voice calls out, but it sounds muffled in her ears.

"Ondolemar," she breathes as she collapses to the floor. Luckily, just like always, her husband rushes forward to catch her before she can painfully hit the ground. Ondolemar is very glad that he followed her a few seconds after she left.

"Bring her in here," Farengar urges as he opens the door to his room. Ondolemar follows him and lowers her gently to the small bed. The court wizard fires up a few diagnostic spells. "She is fine," he says after several minutes of checking. "I think she overexerted herself."

"Sarah told her not to stress herself. The birthing of the twins was very traumatic, and she needs to keep calm to have a smooth pregnancy," Ondolemar relays. "This meeting was hardly promoting tranquility. The in-fighting was ridiculous."

"I heard from in here. I also peeked out when Lady Almithara used the Thu'um." Farengar lets out a small chuckle. "I did laugh when she threw up and then kept talking."

Even Ondolemar cracks a smile. "That was rather amusing. Nothing keeps her down for long. Not even vomit."

"Poor Inigo looked like he was going to follow her when she handed him back the bucket."

At the remark, Inigo appears in the doorway. "When Ara handed me that, I very nearly did." He looks down at her. "Did the day catch up with her?"

"Yes," Ondolemar answers. "She was hoping that she would not have to interfere, but we both knew it was a strong possibility. Were she not so ill, I don't think it would have taken as much of a toll on her."

After another quarter of an hour, Almithara stirs. "Ugh, my head," she complains, covering her face with her hands.

"Are you okay, my friend?" Inigo asks.

"Did everyone finally shut up?" One golden eye glares through a break in her fingers.

"Yes, love," Ondolemar laughs. "Balgruuf is High King, and everyone is eating dinner now. You've only been out for about twenty minutes."

"Then I'm fine," she says with a sigh. "Sorry to steal your bed, Farengar."

"Don't worry about it, Lady Almithara. I was able to run some more diagnostics for my research." Almithara rolls her eyes good-naturedly and moves to sit up. Ondolemar reaches out and helps her stand.

The group rejoins the rest of the delegates in the main hall. Almithara manages to eat some soup and keep it down under the watchful eyes of her husband and best friend. "Honestly, you'd think I was terminally ill or mentally incompetent with the way you two are hovering."

"We have to make sure you're healthy, Ara. Everything would fall apart without you around," Inigo points out.

Almithara can't help but giggle. "I suppose you're right. Who would ever keep you in check if I weren't around?"

"I guess Ondy, but I don't think he would be in much of a position to help me. He'd be too heartbroken."

Almithara looks over at her husband, who has a pained look on his proud face. "I wouldn't be able to go on without you," he says definitively.

"Then I'll just have to make sure to hang around," she replies with a smile. Feeling that he needs distracting, she leans over to kiss him. Breaking apart, she gazes up into his forest green eyes, and her breath catches at the love in them. "I promise we'll never be apart again."

"I will hold you to that," he purrs.

~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours later, everyone is gone except those that live nearby. Jarl Balgruuf looks at Almithara and smiles. "You didn't have to support me," he chides quietly.

"I didn't even have to think about it," she retorts. "I love Jarl Laila, but she doesn't have the ferocity to lead the province. Siddgeir is a narcissistic psycho. Elisif is too emotional, and so is Ulfric. The other Jarls are okay, but none of them have the leadership skills that you do. You were the only one that Ondolemar and I cared to throw our support behind."

"I'm flattered and humbled you two. And of course, we'll want your input on many issues. You can take time for the baby, of course, but the world still needs the Dragonborn. Albeit in a different capacity than it used to," Jarl Balgruuf explains.

"I understand," Almithara replies. "I would prefer not to fight anymore, but I don't necessarily mind being in a more administrative role. I don't want my children to know the conflict that I have. The older ones have already been exposed enough, and even the twins had to see me almost die in front of them. It's time for a new leaf."

"I would also prefer my children to know peace," Bronwyn remarks. "I thank you, Lady Almithara. Without you, none of this would have been possible. Thank you for catching the eye of my superior and setting all of this in motion." He ends his speech with a deep bow in Almithara's direction.

She blushes profusely. "It's nothing," she mumbles self-consciously.

"Ara, we all know that isn't true," Inigo chuckles.

"The first meeting will be in one month. Rest, Almithara. You have certainly earned it," Jarl Balgruuf relays with a smile.

"We'll be there," Ondolemar promises as he leads his wife and their friend out of Dragonsreach and through town. They want to stop in and see Sofie since she is supposed to have some sort of tonic for Almithara's sickness.

The town is lovely like always. The Gildergreen is blooming with beautiful flowers, Heimskr is still shouting about Talos, and all of the merchants are bustling around the town. It's so lively, and Almithara loves it here. "No matter where we went in Skyrim, this region was always my favorite, always the one I wanted to come back to."

"It is the most beautiful," Ondolemar replies. "Much better than Markarth."

"It's a sight better than Riften too," Inigo adds. "I wonder if Shunara would like to live here."

"Why don't you invite her to visit?" Almithara suggests. "Hopefully this tonic will work, and I won't be a fountain of various fluids much longer. I'll be able to entertain guests. Although not as well as you could entertain her, I'm sure." She shoots a sly, suggestive glance at her best friend, who laughs nervously and scratches the back of his head.

As they reach the town circle, they see Vilkas and Njada arm-in-arm looking at the jewelry stand. They are actually smiling at each other. Once they look up and see Almithara with her husband and best friend, they look a little uncomfortable, but they wave at the trio. When they are within hearing range, Njada calls out to them. "Could we please speak with you?"

Ondolemar looks down at his wife. Her expression is uncharacteristically blank, and she nods her head slowly. "Speak quickly," Ondolemar orders coldly.

"We are so sorry for everything we have done," Njada begins sincerely. "Truly sorry. Francois and Lucia are going to be incarcerated for one year, and after that, they will be serving the community. They'll also only be able to go somewhere when in the company of one of the adults of the Companions. Vilkas and I are going to invest some time in each other. We won't bother you anymore."

"What she says is true," Vilkas affirms. "I am so sorry for all of the pain that I have caused you. I understand now that the elf can give you things that I couldn't, and I really do love Njada. We've been seeing some healers, and they think that we might be able to have children soon. I hope you all have a very happy life together."

A smile slowly breaks out on Almithara's face. She steps away from her husband and approaches Njada and Vilkas before enveloping them both in a hug. "I wish you both a happy life," she murmurs. When she pulls back from them, they both offer her an accepting smile and turn back to the jewelry stand. Almithara resumes her place at Ondolemar's side, and the trio walks to Arcadia's Cauldron.

"Do you feel better, Ara?" Inigo asks once they enter the shop.

"I do, actually. I'm so glad that they are finally happy with each other, and I'm extremely relieved that they won't be bothering us anymore. We have enough to worry about," she states with a stroke to her stomach.

"Mama!" Sofie calls excitedly. She hugs her mother and father and rushes behind the counter to find the tonic. "I'm so glad you came in. This took me a long time to figure out, but I finally got one that would take away most of your sickness and refrain from harming the baby. I hope this works. I would hate for you to throw up while you're doing something important." Sofie hands the bottle over to Almithara, who pops off the cap and downs it in a few gulps. She shudders and lets out a "blech" at the taste but feels the effects almost immediately.

"Speaking of vomiting during something important…" Inigo tells Sofie the story of Almithara throwing up after yelling at the delegates. He has Sofie laughing so hard that tears are rolling down her face.

"Oh my gosh, Mama! I can just see that happening!" she howls as she wipes away the tears.

"If they weren't so stupid, I wouldn't have to yell so much," Almithara quips with a shrug. "This is fantastic by the way." She gestures to the empty bottle in her hand.

"I'll make up some more for you. Take it every other day in the morning," Sofie instructs after composing herself. "Are you guys off home now?"

"We are," Ondolemar answers. "I'm sure the twins will have plenty of stories to tell us. The older boys took them fishing this morning."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be little chatterboxes. I'll come by tomorrow for dinner and bring you more of the potion. I can also give the recipe to Sarah, so she can make it for you."

"Thanks, Sofie," Almithara gushes with a tight hug. When she pulls back, she turns to her husband. "Let's walk back rather than teleport. This is the first time I haven't felt like throwing up in weeks."

The trio exits the Cauldron and leisurely walks back to Riverwood Keep. The air is crisp and clean, and Almithara looks out at the countryside with pure joy. "I love Skyrim."

"I never thought I would love this place, but I do," Ondolemar admits. "I missed the Isles so very much when I first came here, but now I can't imagine life without Skyrim."

"I don't think it's Skyrim," Inigo muses. "I think it's Ara. She makes this place home."

"I don't know about that, but I have tried my hardest to make this place a home for all of you," she says with a light blush. "I'm happy that I've made a home where you two feel so at peace. Inigo, why don't you invite Shunara over now rather than later? We have some time before the next meeting is supposed to happen, and I'm not erupting like Red Mountain anymore."

"That's a great idea, Ara. I'll go visit her and bring her back here. Let me just say hi to the boys, and I'll head right out."

Ondolemar and Almithara share a smile. Almithara is so excited for her friend. After everything that happened in his past, she was worried that he would never want to love anyone again, but it seems that is no longer the case. Shunara must be special. As they reach the town, they see a small group of boys walking toward the Keep. Hearing little screeches, they prepare themselves to be mobbed by two blurs of pure energy. The babbling is constant, and they have to physically calm the boys down to be able to understand what they're saying. "Calm down, boys, and speak slowly!" Almithara chides with a hand on each child.

Theodemar takes an exaggerated deep breath. "We caught more fish!" he squeals with a lopsided grin.

"Lots this time!" Nelaeryn declares with a bright smile, perfectly matching his mother's. It's moments like these when she can see herself in them.

"I bet they'll be delicious!" she praises as she pulls them both into a huge hug.

"Why aren't you sick?" Theodemar asks when he can breathe again.

"Your sister made me something that took the sickness away. Hopefully, I won't be sick again for a while."

"I hope not," Nelaeryn whispers. "I don't like you sick."

"You boys are so precious," she coos before letting a wicked smile overtake her features. "Why don't you go try to tackle your father?" They both shriek and run as fast as they can straight into Ondolemar's legs. Since he is talking with the other children and isn't expecting an assault, they manage to knock him to the ground. He hits the grass with a grunt, and the boys proceed to crawl all over him while filling him in on their fishing trip.

Almithara laughs heartily at the picture they make. Inigo comes out of the Keep with a small pack on his back and joins her in laughing. "You okay, Ondy?"

"I'm too old for this," he laments from his place in the grass.

"Father's old!" Theodemar shouts. Ondolemar just sighs, extracts the boys from his person, and stands up. Brushing the dirt off his robe, he continues to listen to the boys describe their trip. He'd be lying if he says he isn't looking forward to eating fish, so he listens to all of their description in detail.

"Are you heading out, Inigo?" Almithara asks.

"Yep. I'll be back in a couple of days. I hope she agrees to come."

"I'm sure she will. Will she need a room prepared, or will she stay with you?"

"Um," Inigo hums nervously. "She'll probably stay with me."

Almithara smirks at him. "I'll make sure your room is presentable."

"Thanks, Ara," Inigo adds. He shoulders his pack and jogs away from the Keep after saying his goodbyes.

~~~~~~~~~~

After a lovely dinner of grilled fish and some celebration at the news that Jarl Balgruuf is High King, Ondolemar and Almithara tuck the boys into their beds and retire for the evening. "So, I'm not sick anymore…" she trails off suggestively.

"While I am never one to turn down an invitation, are you sure you're okay?" her husband inquires. "You fainted today."

"I feel great," she purrs while running her hands up and down his chest. Ondolemar lets out a small growl before drawing her into his embrace and molding his hot mouth over hers. She moans in delight and gently leads him back toward the bed.

Regardless of how she says she is feeling, Ondolemar takes things slowly. He worships every inch of her body and is overwhelmed by his feelings for her. This woman is everything to him. She bore his children and saved his life. She loves him more than anyone else and gives him a reason to live every day. As he moves within her, his green eyes meet her gold ones, and his breath catches. "I love you," he rumbles.

"I love you too," she whispers and draws him in for a kiss. Not long after, he brings them both to completion, and they lay tightly wrapped around each other. His hand goes down to her abdomen and lovingly strokes it. "What are you thinking?"

"We made it through another storm," he says.

"Yes, we did."

"We just have to get this little one here."

"I can't wait," Almithara declares with a smile. "I think just being on a ruling council will be fine for us. I'm tired of fighting. I want to have a happy life with all of you, but I can't abandon Skyrim. If I wouldn't have come here, I wouldn't be with you now. I feel I owe it to this place to make sure that it functions well."

"You have helped more than enough, love, but I agree with you that we should help. I think helping in this capacity is perfect for us and the direction that our life is moving in."

"Yeah," she agrees. "I feel like I can finally breathe again. You?"

"As long as you are here with me, everything will be fine."

She smiles over at her husband. "Yeah."

Chapter Text

It has been a little over a year—thirteen months to be exact—since Jarl Balgruuf was declared High King. Skyrim is thriving under his leadership. A meeting of the council is currently underway in Dragonsreach. Almithara and Ondolemar are, of course, in attendance, but they have also brought along their seven-month-old daughter, Allannia. Her lovely light hair is held back by a small band and her bright golden eyes are set into an angelic face. Her temperament is calm and cautious, just like her father. He's rather glad to have a child who actually takes after him in more than appearance.

"So," Jarl Balgruuf announces, "if that is all the new business to be introduced, we will be able to conclude the meeting." When no one speaks up, he nods and stands. All of the other Jarls file out slowly after a short time of speaking on unimportant matters, and it is soon just those that are native to Whiterun.

"These meetings have been going rather well," Almithara remarks.

"They have," the Jarl acknowledges. "This is far smoother than I ever thought it would go when I was appointed High King."

"I knew you could do it," Almithara assures with a self-satisfied smirk. "Ondolemar and I wouldn't have thrown you to the wolves otherwise."

"I'm glad to hear it," he replies. "How's Allannia?"

Almithara glances over to where her husband is sitting with their baby daughter. Farengar has come over to take some more notes on her, and she's smiling lightly at the man and trying to grab his fingers, giggling happily when he finally lets her grab onto one. Allannia quite likes him and all of the magic that he does. The lights mesmerize her. "She's doing very well. Growing faster than I'd like, of course. She has her brothers wrapped around her little finger. They help me so much with her. I know I'm only thirty, but I feel so much older. The older children help out a lot too, as does Shunara." Shunara had come to visit about a week after Jarl Balgruuf was promoted, and she never left. She and Inigo married quickly, but they decided to wait a little bit on children. Shunara is now contenting herself with helping Almithara with the new baby.

Shunara is a wonderful match for Inigo. She has a quieter disposition than he, but her sense of humor is on par with his. Her fur is a gorgeous shade of silver-gray, and her eyes are between orange and gold. She's rather striking. In addition to that, she has a capacity for love that Almithara hasn't seen in many others. Perfect for her friend who still struggles with himself on occasion. Like Almithara, Shunara is rather adventurous, and she tends to accompany Inigo on missions when she wants to. Almithara and Shunara took an instant liking to each other. Shunara also has no problems with Serana or Nendaris. All in all, she's a wonderful addition to the family.

Inigo had offered to move out, but Almithara told him that he should only move if he wanted to. She was perfectly content to have her best friend stay in Riverwood Keep. After all, if she and Ondolemar are the leaders of the city, then Inigo is undoubtedly the steward. He was touched by their sentiment, and he agreed to stay for the time being. Almithara knows he's been eyeing some land down the road from them, and she's prepared for them both to leave when the time is ready. However, the land is close, and he will still retain his position as her steward. There can't be Almithara without Inigo.

"I am glad he found a companion," Jarl Balgruuf states.

"Now we just have to find you a wife," Almithara says with a sly smile.

His face flushes a little. "I don't know about that."

"Your kids are all grown and out on their own now," Almithara points out. "Do something for yourself, Jarl Balgruuf."

"I will think about it," he concedes with a smile. He honestly wouldn't mind some companionship. It's been so long since his wife died.

"I better get going. The twins will be missing their sister." She turns and collects her husband before exiting Dragonsreach and walking through town. As per the norm, they are going to visit Sofie. Entering the Cauldron, Allannia shrieks at the sight of her sister.

"It's so great to see you!" Sofie exclaims as she divests her father of the baby. She swings her in a circle, eliciting peals of laughter from the little girl. "How was the meeting?"

"Productive," Ondolemar answers. "A team is being sent to the Reach to attempt to curtail the Forsworn and another group will be dispatched to Falkreath to deal with some bandits. And your mother is attempting to find Jarl Balgruuf a wife."

Sofie laughs at her mother, but she knows that Jarl Balgruuf could use somebody by his side. "Are you guys heading home now?"

"Yep," Almithara answers brightly. "Do you have any plans for this evening?"

Sofie's face lights up crimson. "Quintus is coming into town. Would I be able to bring him to dinner?"

Almithara readily agrees. Sofie met Quintus Navale when she ran an errand to Windhelm for Arcadia. With their shared love for alchemy, they hit it off immediately. With the death of Nurelion last year, Quintus inherited his shop. As soon as Sofie is done with her apprenticeship, she'll be joining him. Almithara is sad that she won't be able to see her as often, but she is glad that her first daughter has found happiness.

They exit the shop after peeling their daughters apart. "Looks like we'll have a full house tonight," Ondolemar remarks.

"You're right. Everyone is in town, and Alesan is bringing Dorthe with him. Runa is even coming down and dragging Onmund with her. I'm glad that worked out. I was worried for a while." When Brelyna had realized that Runa and Onmund were developing a relationship, she had attempted to interfere. Luckily, Runa wasn't so easily fooled and she managed to beat her at her own game. Fortunately, Onmund was a little too naïve to figure out that Brelyna had been trying to flirt with him and stayed with Runa.

"Serana and Marcurio will also be there with Elena and Elizabeth." Poor Marcurio is outnumbered at his house. Serana gave birth to another girl a little over a month before Almithara. Elena is enjoying being a big sister, and she helps her parents with anything and everything, proud to be able to assist in whatever capacity she can. "And Bronwyn and Nendaris are coming."

"It's going to be so great," Almithara exclaims in joy. As they are almost to the city gate, they see Vilkas and Njada walking through and into the town. They are smiling at each other. Vilkas has his left arm wrapped around her shoulder and his right hand is settled over her stomach. When he looks forward, he catches sight of Almithara and Ondolemar and waves excitedly.

"I know I said we wouldn't bother you," he begins when they get close enough, "but I wanted you to know that we're expecting our first baby." He looks down at his wife in obvious adoration, and neither Ondolemar nor Almithara can manage to dig up any animosity.

"Congratulations," they both say with broad smiles.

"Is this your baby?" Njada asks, smiling at the little girl.

"Yes, this is Allannia," Almithara introduces. Allannia is currently falling asleep on her father's shoulder. Although she doesn't hate her mother like Almithara feared while she was pregnant, Allannia certainly favors her father's presence. Until it is time to eat, of course. "She's seven months."

"She gorgeous," Njada remarks. "We won't keep you any longer. Have a wonderful day."

Ondolemar and Almithara watch the couple walk through the town until they are out of sight. Almithara looks up at her husband with a pleased expression. "I'm so glad they were able to work things out," she says.

"As am I," her husband concurs. More because that means they won't bother Almithara anymore than for a genuine like of either party.

Since it is a nice day out, they continue to walk back to the Keep. Like usual, Nelaeryn and Theodemar are waiting for them when they arrive. "Sissy!" they scream. Their sister wakes from her nap. She looks annoyed at first until she sees who has awakened her. Her little face breaks into a goofy grin, and she reaches for them.

"Let's go inside first," Almithara suggests. She prefers the excitable twins to hold their sister where they can be sitting down, which means going up to their room where the play area and Allannia's bassinet are located. Once they get to their destination, Ondolemar hands over their daughter to her brothers. The two parents sit with their children as they play. "Where are your brothers?" she asks the boys.

"Hroar and Samuel went hunting," Nelaeryn informs.

"Blaise is meeting with that vigil-something guy," Theodemar finishes.

It had come as a shock to Ondolemar and Almithara when Blaise had expressed an interest in becoming a Vigilant of Stendarr, but they supported him wholeheartedly. "I forgot that was today," she remarks. Hroar and Samuel have decided to stay around Riverwood for the time being, and they wish to make a living hunting and fishing. They are rather good at it, and their parents have no problem with them wanting to live a simple, quiet life of prosperity. They both plan to marry at some point in the future, but they are still too young to think of finding suitable brides now. They have plenty of time.

The boys play happily with their sister until dinner time. After washing up, everyone makes their way to the dining room where most of the guests have already gathered. They're only waiting on Bronwyn and Nendaris. The duo in question, accompanied by their children, show up about fifteen minutes later, and everyone sits down to dinner. The conversation is easy and energetic. Quintus, Onmund, and Dorthe fit in well with the rest of the family. Blaise shares his good news about being accepted into the ranks of the Vigilants. Allannia is held by Shunara. Everyone is here, and they are all happy and healthy.

After dinner, Almithara allows all of the children to use the pool in the guest quarters. They shriek and laugh and play. It warms their parents' hearts.

"I'm so happy, Ondolemar," Almithara whispers from her place leaning against her husband's shoulder. "I think we'll actually have peace this time."

Ondolemar smiles down at his wife and kisses her deeply. "I think so too, love. And even if we don't, we'll face it together."

"I love you, Ondolemar," she whispers, gazing deeply into beautiful forest green eyes.

"And I love you, Almithara," he replies, getting lost in her golden orbs. He leans down to kiss her once more.

No matter what comes their way, they and their family will always be there to support each other. While some members may not be related by blood, their bond is as strong as it can be. If they could handle everything that life has already thrown at them, they can handle anything.