Hey guys!

Wow. We're at Chapter 20. Honestly, I'm a bit in shock right now because to tell you guys the truth, I've never stuck with a project anywhere near this long in the past, and I'm getting obnoxiously sentimental over this. I apologize for being sappy about this, but thank you all so much for your support over the years this fanfic has been in progress, and thank all of you who have stuck with me despite my ridiculously long hiatuses. I look forward to what the future has in store for us, and hope that this story will continue to at least keep your interest. 

Well, that's enough from me. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! 

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Cold.

Despite how numb and dull my senses felt, I could sense the biting chill of the area I was in; it was an unnatural chilliness as well, one that unnerved me for reasons I found myself unable to put into words. Suddenly, a low chanting could be heard, the voices feminine sounding and near, though it felt as if they were coming from miles away. I couldn't hear what they were saying at first, but then my hearing sharpened dramatically, and I listened.

Heart of thorn... bones of the wild...

That's odd... I thought to myself sluggishly, still loath to open my eyes, I'm pretty sure that there weren't any other women up on High Hrothgar. And those are some pretty strange words-

In life, Forsworn...

Wait, what?! Just then, I felt my consciousness and free will start to fade, and, panicked, I attempted to move, or at least open my eyes, but my body refused to respond to my mind's commands. It was as if every bone in my body had locked irrrvocably in place, like some nightmarish case of Rockjoint, and I couldn't even manage to lift do much as a finger. What happened? Have I been captured? Where are my friends?! What's happening to me!?

Rise from death, Blood of our Blood!

As the chant rose to a crescendo, my consciousness was abruptly shut off from the rest of my mind, and, very much like what had happened with Mél's memories, I found myself unable to do anything but spectate as my eyes snapped open at the command, and I pushed myself up in a mechanical, mindless manner; I was now aware I'd been lying on some kind of stone altar, and, as whatever was now in control of me got to its feet, I caught a glimpse of something that, if I'd been in control of myself, would've caused me to be violently sick.

There was a gaping hole in my chest where my heart used to be, and, crudely sewn into its place was a spiky-leaved red and green plant, shimmering with an unnatural, dangerous energy. In an instant, I knew exactly what it was, and exactly what I'd become.

Suddenly, an imperious, feminine-sounding voice flooded my head, their tone harsh and commanding as they stated, This is my warning to you, mortal. Your ancestor does not wish to see you succeed, and she is trying to divert you from the glorious purpose I have created for you. You will serve me, or this will be your fate.

~~~~~

I jolted awake in cold sweat, something between a gasp and a shriek escaping from my lips as I came back into consciousness. Breathing heavily, I instinctively put a hand to my chest, relieved and reassured when I found nothing out of the ordinary, now thoroughly convinced that I'd just had a very vivid nightmare. However, I wasn't ready to just write it off as something that simple; I hadn't had a nightmare in ages, and never had I experienced one quite that specific, which unnerved me, and rightfully so. As I continued the slightly difficult process of calming down, the receding amount of fear I felt was replaced with an out of control tide of doubt and questions. Who was my ancestor, really, and was the shade that was claiming to help me even her at all? And, for that matter, did she, or it, have my best interests in mind at all? Above all, who had spoken to me in that dream and given me that warning?

Then it hit me like a bucket of frigid water to the face.

Vaermina.

They moved rather quickly, didn't they? I thought to myself, though my attempt at making myself feel better fell flat as I continued, And I'm guessing they want me to be doubtful of Mélisande's intentions so I play right into their grasp. But still, I can't help but question what either of them have planned... Gods, I really should've just left that journal alone...

I dragged a hand down my face in an act of exhaustion and stress, and, after taking a deep breath, I decided to drop that particular unpleasant train of thought, now turning my attention to my current surroundings.

Judging by the vaulted stone ceiling above me and the intricately carved walls, I was still very much at High Hrothgar, though I was in a room I didn't recognize at all. It seemed to be a part of the living quarters of the monastery, and, although it was rather plain and not particularly impressionable, it seemed comfortable and pleasant enough - considering that I was practically at the summit of the tallest mountain in Skyrim, perhaps even in all of Tamriel. There were four beds in total, their frames constructed from plain, unadorned pine wood and their mattresses consisting only of straw and animal skins, yet there were a few bookshelves in the small room, every inch of them crammed with books, a small table with a porcelain blue and white bowl filled with colorful dried flowers, and two chairs was located on one side of the room; these things managed to brighten up and add life to the space considerably, and it overall seemed like a pleasant space to rest in.

Now that I was awake, I noticed that I'd been laying on my bedroll, which someone had been kind enough to put out for me. However, I noticed with some distaste how disheveled my garments - and I assumed that I myself - looked. Just how long was I out? I wondered exhaustedly, and, despite clearly having been unconscious for awhile, I was incredibly tired - probably thanks to that last "dream". I should probably go look for the others... I decided, pushing myself to my feet and straightening my robes as best I could. This will have to do, I thought as I headed towards the only doorway in the room, eager to try and make sense out of my life after all of the things I'd just witnessed.

As I walked out into one of the mostly barren hallways of the monastery, I nearly ran straight into someone, but managed to stumble back before it could happen. I looked up, my eyes meeting a pair of surprised-looking ice blue ones. Of all the people that I could've run into, it just had to be the one who I'd been hoping to avoid for a bit. I stood there awkwardly for a moment, resisting the urge to dart back into the room I'd just left and expecting the worst - or, at the very least, I assumed he was still going to be angry with me for my rude assumptions in our last conversation.

However, what actually happened was another thing entirely.

"Helvia! You're all right!"

Before I could even think about how to react, Helgír moved towards me, concern and relief clear on his face as I suddenly found myself enveloped in a crushing hug. I stiffened in bewilderment at this, and spent a few painfully tense seconds just standing there before he realized that I was uncomfortable, and he pulled away, looking guilty and slightly embarrassed.

"I... I'm sorry about that-" Helgír started sheepishly, breaking eye contact with me, but I cut him off before he could continue with whatever he was going to say, too perplexed by his previous actions to consider anything else.

"Wait... You're not still mad at me?"

That question seemed to startle him, as he blinked uncomprehendingly at me before replying in a confused voice, "Why would I be? After all, everything I said to you in our last conversation was entirely uncalled-for and harsh, especially considering you were just telling me the truth of how things were-"

"What? No, that's not right at all! I said some pretty insensitive stuff and I wish I could take back what I said," I cut in quickly, surprised by his words, "I didn't understand the circumstances then-"

"Please, let me finish," Helgír interrupted my interruption, though he didn't even sound remotely irritated as he continued, "I was wrong to keep the truth about myself from you, and, worse than that, lie about it. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking back then; it was possibly some kind of an attempt to make a new identity for myself, but I should've known that was a stupid idea and gods, I'm sorry. Both for lying and for taking out my own cowardice and fear on you for calling me out on it. I have been acting like a dishonorable, irresponsible, no-good fool, and it's nigh time that I changed that. I hope that you can forgive me for how I treated you, at the very least, though my actions have been inexcusable."

"You know, you're being way too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes, and, honestly, lying about your past isn't all that bad, all things considered. Sure, I was angry at the time, but it never actually hurt anyone, and I can understand why you did. The possibility of having an army of angry, loyalty-blinded rebels at your throat would be enough to get me to ditch royalty and lay low too," I replied, trying to be reassuring yet utterly failing as the self-loathing evident in his eyes only increased at my words.

"It may be 'justifiable', but it was hardly an honorable action. But, enough about this," Helgír said quickly, noticing that I was clearly going to refute him again regardless of how he put himself down, "I'd rather not start another argument when I'm trying to apologize. But the things I said to you were inexcusable and untrue. You're not a nonentity, and I'm disgusted with myself for ever implying that you were. By the Nine, I'm sorry."

"Honestly, it's fine. We were both angry at the time. It's probably best we just put that in the past and keep it that way," I said, attempting to offer him a friendly smile but not really quite sure what kind of expression I ended up making.

There was a slightly awkward silence between us for a few seconds - though it felt considerably longer -, finally broken when Helgír spoke up again, asking, "So... Care to explain what happened after we spoke? Apparently I missed quite a bit after you left the building, especially considering the manner in which you returned. The thief told me frustratingly little about whatever incident you two had experienced when he returned with you-"

"Wait. Is Nightbrook all right?" I asked, partly wondering if he'd been unaffected by Mélisande's meddling and partly out of my worry about their moderately volatile relation with one another.

"I think so," Helgír merely shrugged, "He seemed shaken up by whatever you two witnessed out there, though. And before you ask, no, there was no actual fighting between us, though I will say that neither of us were in particularly present moods about your... situation."

"Right, that. Honestly, I don't think you'd believe me even if I told you, but... Turns out I ended up having a chat with the shade of my great-grandmother, who was apparently the Hero of Kvatch and the Archmage of the Cyrodillic Mages' Guild. Who then promptly decided it'd be a fantastic idea to more or less force me to witness her whole life's story in one enormously confusing dream."

"... You're right. That's absolutely ridiculous. And yet, making light of something like this isn't something you'd do, so that leads me to believe that you're actually telling the truth about this, " the Dragonborn looked perplexed beyond belief as he tried to decide whether to believe what I'd told him or not.

"If this makes more sense, apparently she managed to Soul Trap a fragment of herself into her journal, which was how we ended up interacting at all. And apparently the ring you gave me awhile back opened it? I'd kind of like to know how you got ahold of that."

"Wait, it did?" Helgír managed to look even more confused than he had before at this, before suddenly some kind of theory about the issue seemed to hit him, "Well, that's certainly interesting. Come to think of it, that actually might make sense. It was a family heirloom of sorts, to tell you the truth of its origins, and I remember being told once that it'd been a gift from someone of importance in the Cyrodilic Empire in the Third Era. I took it with me when I... left home, along with a few other valuables that would not be missed in case of dire situations that might arise in the future. It very well might have belonged to her, though that's an incredibly convenient coincidence... almost too convenient."

"Trust me, this is just as odd-sounding to me as it is to you," I replied slowly, wondering to myself, Did my ancestor plan out all of this? And has she been controlling everything this whole time? I can't make any sense out of this.

"Well... Did anything particularly interesting happen during your... conversation?"

"I would say so, for many reasons. Aside from the fact my great-grandmother was crazy enough, or brilliant enough to soul-trap herself into her own journal for the purpose of speaking to her descendants, she's warned me about a few things we'd do well to be wary about. You know a bit about my Forsworn issues - as much as I did until I spoke with her, anyway - , but it's a lot worse than I thought. Apparently my brother has, somehow, risen to the position of their leader and, with some supposed daedric intervention, poses a great threat not only to our well-being, but to that of Tamriel. Which seems kind of outlandish at first, but... With everything that's been happening to me lately, it makes sense, albeit in a strange way."

Helgír was silent for a moment, an unreadable look on his face as he was clearly trying to make sense of the information I'd just told him. Finally, after a few moments, he spoke up again, starting with, "That's certainly not something I ever expected to hear. Were you aware your brother was even a member of the Forsworn?"

"No, not at all. My family and I lost contact with him years ago, when he first crossed the High Rock - Skyrim border. But it honestly shouldn't surprise me that he fell in with bad people, though no one in my family would've been able to predict it'd lead to something like this. And there was no reason for him to even join the Reachmen, from what I know of them! Not to mention when he left, I'm pretty sure he knew just as much about fighting as I do - which is to say, not much."

"So that's probably where the daedra fit into this, I'm guessing. I don't know much about them, aside from the fact that they seem to greatly enjoy manipulating people for their own personal gain," Helgír responded, his brows furrowed, trying to make sense of something he hadn't been around to hear from its source himself.

"If it helps to know, the daedra that Mélisande mentioned in particular were the Princes of Destruction and Nightmares. And I can see why a Prince of Destruction could be interested in this, but-"

"Nightmares?" Helgír echoed, seeming not to believe what I'd just said.

"I know, it doesn't make much sense to me either, but they're clearly invested in this, for one reason or another..." I cut myself off as I realized I wasn't quite eager to recount the nightmare I'd just experienced. Better to just keep that to myself, especially seeing how things were going now.

"No, no, it's not that I don't believe you. I just find that... interesting," the fair-haired Nord replied, a thoughtful yet slightly troubled expression appearing on his countenance as he spoke.

There was another lull in our conversation, though this one felt more unnerving than anything else. Helgír had an odd, uncharacteristically faraway look in his eyes, though other than that, his expression was unreadable. I was just about to say something to him - probably to ask him if he was all right - when he announced in a deceptively emotionless tone, "It seems that the world is in for a dark turn, doesn't it. Dragons, civil war, guerrilla warfare and even gods set on playing their piece in the history of this era. Not much to look forward to, for anyone.

"You know, I was actually at Helgen. That much wasn't a lie. It was a bloodbath, you know... To my knowledge, few of the men who stood against the dragon, if any, survived that day, and, as it is, I was lucky - or perhaps unlucky - to leave there alive. I've seen the devastation these creatures can cause, and knowing that there's something out there bigger, stronger, and infinitely more powerful than anyone else in this world, out for blood and unwilling and unable to stop until it achieves its goal, it's terrifying. And that's just one of the issues we now face..." He trailed off at this, his features seeming to relax as he continued in a quieter tone of voice, "I don't know what the future holds for either of us - or for the thief - , but I think that there will be change, for all of us. And I understand that we probably will walk very different paths soon, as I never meant to keep you from reaching Winterhold, yet it seems that that's what I have done. I will not hold it against you if we part ways in the near future, for I understand that you have a set path of your own to follow, and it is not one even remotely similar to my own. But please, know that no matter where this life takes either of us, I wish you all the luck in the world wherever you go and with whatever challenges you face. Just... please, keep yourself safe, all right?"

Somewhat stunned by this display of concern, I found myself unable to respond for a moment, unused to hearing someone speak to me in such a way. It was unlike the brotherly concern I'd received from Varnand when first leaving home; there was another, deeper emotion I couldn't quite place lying under his words, which was confusing to me - but not unpleasant. After what felt like a small eternity, I managed to find my voice, replying rather dumbly with, "I-I'll try. I hope the same for you, too. And I think we're both going to do fine. I mean, I can understand why you're apprehensive about the future, but I don't doubt that you can face whatever comes your way. As I said earlier, you're way too hard on yourself. Have a little faith in your own abilities, because I know I sure do. And it's not like we're parting company right now; we've still got a while to go before that will happen - at least, to the best of my knowledge we're leaving High Hrothgar as a group. Right?"

A flicker of surprise passed over Helgír's features, but it disappeared quickly as the blond Nord smiled slightly, the action warm and sincere, "Of course we're leaving together, if that is what you'd like. And thank you, Helvia. I certainly hope I will be able to meet the high standards you seem to have for me. Perhaps when all of this is over, we might be able to travel together once again, gods willing."

"I would like that," I responded truthfully, the corners of my lips curving upwards as I spoke.

"Then we should do our best to make sure that will be able to happen, won't we?"

Listening to his words, I felt a slight but indescribable warmth kindle in my core. It was a pleasant one, for certain, and I knew that its cause was probably the fact that Helgír was an incredibly good, albeit problematic, friend that I could count on, much like the ones I'd seen Mélisande interact with.

"It would be unthinkable to plan anything otherwise."

Something between us seemed to change in that instant, something that both of us clearly felt, as if some sort of invisible barrier that had been between us before had retracted as we merely met each others' gaze, both of us clearly a bit at a loss. Suddenly, I realized that I had moved closer to him, and he to me, and the blond Nord seemed somewhat conflicted as he leaned towards me slightly, his ice blue eyes filled with a strong emotion that seemed all at once caring yet intense -but the intent of his actions remained unknown to me, seeing as he suddenly seemed to snap out of the daze we'd both been in and jerked away as if he'd been stung, a guilty look flashing across his features.

"I should go. The Greybeards are expecting me, and I have been rude to keep them waiting. But I am very relieved to know that you are well."

And with that, the Dragonborn moved past me, averting his gaze and turning his face away so I couldn't see his expression. I was too stunned to even try and stop him as he walked away, merely wondering what kind of a mess our whole company had gotten themselves into - especially me.

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That certainly went well, didn't it? I shouldn't joke about that; please don't be mad at me for this. But hey, the ship's setting sail. Kind of. Also, I would like to apologize for the fact this chapter was a borderline filler; I can promise that there's gonna be a lot more action in Chapters 21 and 22! I'm really looking forward to writing those, and they should (hopefully) be out very soon!

Well, I've got nothing more to say now, so onto the questions!

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QUESTIONS:

Question: (From hunja69 to Ealdwine) to the mighty leader of the forsworn, does news of your sister raise any interest to you ?

Answer: (By Ealdwine) Firstly, I'd like to let you know that your respect for my title has been noted and that you would be a welcome addition to our forces, if you are a true son or daughter of the Reach. And, to answer your question, yes, I do care greatly about my sister. I do not know why she is so eager to evade me, but do not doubt that I will do everything in my power to make sure she'll join the right side in these confusing, dark times.

Question: (From XoLryn to Nightbrook) Do you miss Mélisande? How did you two get separated?

Answer: (By Nightbrook) Yes, I do. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss her. She was an incredible woman... But I only have myself to blame. I let my duty to my superiors override my duty to friends, and I have not seen her in the flesh since we defeated Dagon.

Question: (From Korra12 to Nightbrook) What was your relationship with Mèl like (Romance or just friends?)?

Answer: (By Nightbrook) *embarrassedly* I hate to spoil the fun of these Q&As, but I am not entirely comfortable with disclosing such information at this time.

(In other words he was totally smitten, haha.)

Question: (From HaleyAlmengor to Helgír) do you feel any fondness towards Helvia *wink wink*

Answer: (By Helgír) *gets slightly red-faced* Perhaps. If it's all the same to you, can we speak of something else?

Question: (From bagofplastic to Mélisande) Opinion on Helvia's relationship w/ Nightbrook?

Answer: (By Mélisande) As far as I could tell, there was nothing particularly romantic going on between the two of them. Anyways, it certainly seems that Nighty's been doing his best to fend off my descendant's inquisitiveness and tendency to be attracted by the 'unknown' or whatever that flare for mysterious stuff is that thieves and assassins tend to exude so much of. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. That means she takes after me a bit! *laughs*

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If anyone has any more questions for anyone in Mage, feel free to ask them! If they've appeared in Mage at all, regardless of how long they were a part of the story, they're open to ask questions! ^^

Well, as always, please do leave a vote and/or comment if you enjoyed the chapter, and see you next time! Good adventuring, dear readers!

-AA