#faryn

"Faryn, how nice to see you!" she said once her own projection was established. Despite her still-growing fear, she tried to put on a casual happy face. After all, it was indeed nice to see her former student again.

"Kena Tal," Faryn greeted her. "I wanted to check in; I thought you might like to hear how Ildari is doing."

The fear lifted somewhat, as Talvini did not hear anything in her tone that would worry her. "I would love that."

"Would you like to talk to her?" Faryn asked. "I could go get her."

Talvini's heart sank. "I...I can't. I would love to, but—"

"You can't," Faryn finished for her. She looked disappointed, but moved on. "Right. Well, she's four years old now, as I'm sure you know. She'll be enrolled in the primary school attached to the Arcane University starting next year, but in the meantime, I have her in a toddlers' program. She knows how to read Cyrodilic, and I'll be teaching her to read Daedric as soon as she's a little more comfortable. She speaks some Dunmeris, but I think she prefers Cyrodilic, since that's what all her friends speak."

Despite the moment of shame at Faryn's disappointment, Talvini felt herself beaming as Faryn spoke of Ildari, and from across the room, Milia looked up from her book with a smile of her own. Even having lost Irvyna and Maldus, and even though she and Milia could not be there, she was glad that Faryn had taken up the mantle of mother to Ildari with aplomb.

"Is she showing promise with magic yet?"

"Oh, yes!" Faryn said with a sense of pride in her eyes. "She's already levitating—indoors, of course—and she can handle some other basic spell effects. And from what I understand, the University has a very strong magic program, even for kids. She'll come out of there with a great education."

She seemed to notice the joy in Talvini's eyes and tilted her head in contemplation. "Would you at least tell me what's stopping you from seeing her? You seem so interested in her well-being. Are you worried she'll remind you too much of Irvyna?"

"No, no, nothing of the sort!" She shook her head adamantly. "If anything, seeing her would remind my heart that part of Irvyna lives on."

"Than what's the problem?"

Talvini folded her hands in front of her face while she thought about what to say—what she could safely say.

"I know this answer won't satisfy you, but it is something beyond any of us, far outside of our control. Interacting with Ildari would have catastrophic consequences for Morrowind, and likely all of Tamriel."

"You're right, Kena," Faryn said with a gently teasing smile. "That doesn't satisfy me."

Talvini laughed, but it was a laugh weighed down by sadness and longing. She thought for another moment. "What if I said it was a matter of prophecy and the flow of time?"

"Prophecy?" Faryn raised her eyebrows and continued in a whisper, "Ildari is an agent of prophecy?"

"Don't make me say more."

Faryn looked as if she had a number of questions, but she knew Talvini well enough to know when not to press. "Fine. But what does that have to do with you?"

"I can't get into detail—even my own sense of detail is fuzzy—but she can't know me or Milia. She can't even know of us. Please, Faryn, promise me you won't speak of us."

"That's a lot to ask. Sooner or later, she's going to start asking questions."

"I know."

Faryn folded her arms across her chest and studied Talvini for a long moment.

"All right."

Talvini breathed a sigh of relief.

Faryn looked pensive for another moment, and then asked, "What if you were to step out of the rune? Would you be able to see her then?"

Talvini considered that for a few seconds. "That...should be fine, as long as we're careful." Despite her hesitation, her stomach began leaping with excitement. "I'll cast some sort of illusion to give you a pretense for bringing her over."

She created a swirling knot of light with wisps dancing around, disappearing and reappearing, always changing. It was the sort of thing that would have mesmerized Irvyna when she was Ildari's age. When it was set, she stepped out of the rune and waved Milia over.

Faryn returned a few moments later, leading a young girl with braided pigtails and ears much too big for her head. She clutched a stuffed guar to her chest, and around her neck she wore a pendant depicting the hand of ALMSIVI. Even in this translucent purple form, Talvini could see the resemblance to her daughter.

"Oh, wow! What is that?" Ildari asked in Cyrodilic.

"It's a very fancy magelight," Faryn said.

"I can do a magelight!" Ildari excitedly flicked out her own hand a few times until she managed to make a light appear. She focused on it for a few seconds longer, brow furrowed, and then asked, "How do I make it swirl like that?"

"It takes some practice. Why don't you study the one in front of you for now?"

Ildari nodded and sat down, holding her guar in both arms now, her eyes following the wisps of the illusory light. "Can I touch it?"

"You can try, but your hand will go right through it."

That seemed like an intriguing concept in itself to Ildari. She passed her hand through it once, and a second time, and then began to trace the wisps with her fingers.

Outside of the rune, Talvini gripped Milia's hand tightly, tears flowing silently as she looked upon her granddaughter for the first time in centuries. She wanted nothing more than to hug her, talk to her, be there with her and for her, but this would have to do for the next few decades, until the prophecies were fulfilled and Ildari had gone to the Second Era and returned. She prayed that she and Milia would live to see that day.

After a few minutes, Faryn led Ildari away and indicated that it was safe for Talvini—and now Milia—to return to the rune. Talvini tried to wipe her eyes as she stepped back in, but it was of little use; she was still crying, with no end in sight. Milia pried her hand out of Talvini's grip and wrapped her arm around her waist, while she wiped her own eyes with her free hand.

"Thank you, Faryn," Talvini whispered. She took a breath. "She was wearing Irvyna's necklace. I thought you weren't religious."

"I'm not," Faryn said. "But you are, and Irvyna was. I thought it was appropriate for her to have it, even if I'm not exactly raising her to be Tribunal-faithful."

"Understandable. Are you raising her with the Imperial pantheon?"

"By Vivec, no!" she laughed. "We're still Dunmer."

Talvini also laughed through her tears. Despite her own religious inclinations, which had become more complicated over the years, it was probably for the best that Ildari remain distant from the Tribunal as gods, knowing what was in her future. As long as she didn't turn to the Eight instead, of course. That would complicate things even further.

There was a moment of pause, and then Faryn said, "I should apologize for the assumptions I made. It's obvious now that you care a great deal. I should not have thought otherwise."

Talvini shook her head. "There's no need to apologize. I can understand why you thought what you did."

"Still. I know both of you better than that. Especially you, Kena Tal."

Talvini smiled softly. "Thank you again for letting us see her, Faryn. This is a...complicated and difficult scenario, to be sure. Ildari has a lot in her future; I think that's safe to say. Just...protect her."