Fennorian slowly nodded, the stone scraping on stone stilling into silence. He knew where this was going, and he didn't like it.

"Friydis was the only survivor. By some stroke of luck, or the Divines' grace, I don't know." The Vestige sighed again, "She is incredibly lucky. I truly don't know how she survived."

"I see..." he mused. Over the course of the previous night and current day, they learned the little girl's name was Friydis. The Vestige's hunch had indeed been correct: her parents were part of a traveling merchant caravan on their way to the city. She recalled they had just left Dragonbridge when it was attacked. How long it was before the Vestige found her, Friydis couldn't say, only knowing when the cart was toppled by a "really really big wolf on two legs", and that she hid behind some rocks until the assailants left. The overturned cart was her shelter to hide from the worst of the tumultuous rains.

He set his tools down and turned to give her his undivided attention. "How is her condition? Has she improved at all?"

The Vestige shrugged. "It's hard to say right now. She's definitely still in shock. Scared out of her mind, she kept trying to look over my shoulder as I carried her here, asking if anyone was following us."

Fennorian nodded again and crossed his arms. A million thoughts ran through his head, one idea popping up after another. Several useful and beneficial, others, not so much. He held a finger up, wordlessly asking permission to think. A brief pause passed before he spoke again.

"I could make her an elixir if you want. A small dose could quite easily be modified to fit the needs of a child -"

"I- I'm not sure that would be a good idea. I do very much appreciate you offering, Fennorian, but. At least not right now. If she finds out about your... affliction. It might make things worse. Considering who attacked her family's caravan..."

"...You have a very fair point, my friend."

The Vestige was equally quiet, guilt creeping in and pulling against her heart at her words. She trusted Fennorian with her life. With Lyris', Sai's, Svana's. Even Mogh's, should he ask. Of course she trusted him with Frydis. But she also knew the child was still on edge. Literal undead, from the stories parents told their children to ward off bad behavior, attacked her family and left her for the elements. If she knew Fennorian was a vampire like the Gray Host...

She was so caught up in her musings she didn't notice Fenn had walked over to her.

"Well, I do not wish to rush you in your decision, my friend; You are her guardian now. Whatever you decide to do," he said, placing his hand on the Vestige's shoulder, causing her to startle a little, "Just know I am here to support you and more than happy to assist, however you may need it." The words came with the most sincere and genuine warmth and clarity, words that showed he truly cared for the Vestige and her new charge.

A sigh of relief and gratitude released, and she smiled. "Thank you, Fennorian."

~*~

"Uncle Fennorian?" A small but excited voice manifested behind a busy alchemist.

"Yes, little one?" He responded, not looking up immediately; he was busy fixing a test tube rack, nimble fingers deftly moving corroded pieces back into place.

"Lookit what I found!"

Fenn's head quickly turned when he heard a very faint but very distinct high-pitched humming. As he realized what she was holding, his eyes widened;

In her tiny hands was a near pristine sprig of Crimson Nirnroot. Since it was no longer planted in the ground, the telltale "shrieking" the plant was known for was starting to fade. But it was still very fresh and quite potent.

He blinked. "Where did you get that?"

"I found it."

"Yes, I can see that, Friydis. But where did you acquire it?"

"From the market."

Fenn blinked again. Just where did little Friy find a Crimson Nirnroot specimen? He had seen more pictures sketched in the corners of book pages than he had held actual subjects with his own two hands.

He put the test tube rack back on the desk and slowly knelt down so he was at eye level with the child. "May I see that?"

"Aye. I got it for you, anyway."

"You got this for me?" He asked as he gently took the root from her hands. The humming had all but faded at this point, though the bright red color remained strong. A testament to how hardy this plant was.

Friydis nodded. "I saw it in the market. One of the traders had it. It looked like an.. an... all-chim-cul re-junt you talked 'bout before."

He couldn't help but chuckle at her valiant attempt at the pronunciation, "Yes, you are indeed correct, little one. This is a very powerful alchemical reagent and will be undoubtedly helpful in my research."

"D'you like it?" The little girl asked, eyes widening with excitement.

"Yes, very much," Fennorian smiled and started to stand up, "And I thank you very much for acquiring this for me, Friydis." He ruffled her hair, eliciting a giggle from her. He then turned back to his desk to place the Nirnroot in a small jar, where it would be safe until he could properly preserve it until he needed it. Friydis' feet could be heard padding over so she could watch him.

He continued as she stood on her toes to look at his work station, "You appear to have a natural talent for recognizing useful plants, Friydis. You could make a very skilled alchemist one day."

"Elk-mist?" She tilted her head.

Fenn pulled out a label from a drawer and smiled again, "Indeed you could. Perhaps if this is something you continue to enjoy, I would be happy to share with you some of my knowledge." He glanced over his shoulder at her, "If your mother gives me permission, of course."

"You mean I could make poshuns with you one day?" Her face lit up at the prospect.

"That is something your mother and I could discuss. Some potions can be quite dangerous, you know. But, we can ask."

"Yay! Thank you, Uncle Fennorian! I'll go ask her now!" Friydis turned and sprinted toward the door.

"Ah- Wait- I-!" He sighed and shook his head as her shoe disappeared behind the doorframe. "Oh, well."

He couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. She was such a sweet child, considering the tragic loss she suffered those few short months ago. As he put the Nirnroot sample on a high shelf, a fond memory resurfaced;

He had stopped by the Vestige's room to bring another dose of healing potion. When no one answered, he leaned in to ask permission, only to find his dear friend standing in the room, holding little Friydis in her arms, slowly rocking back and forth. The girl had comfortably draped herself over The Vestige, and her head slightly lolled to the side, making use of her guardian's shoulder as a pillow. The Vestige had made eye contact with him and mouthed wordlessly "Shhh, she's asleep."

Fenn slowly and cautiously approached, taking care not to make sudden movements and wake her. That was somewhat unnecessary, however, as he quickly saw Friydis was out cold, soft snoring emanating from a tousled mess of bed head hair. The Vestige smiled and continued her swaying. She looked back up at Fennorian and whispered "I want to keep her... I want her to stay with me - with us, here at the Palace..."

There was no immediate answer. Only him reaching to tentatively brush some stray hairs from Friydis' forehead. A sudden sniffle made him retreat his hand momentarily, he had feared he'd woke her up. Once the snoring commenced, Fennorian and the Vestige let out a simultaneous sigh of relief. He then finishing smoothing Friydis' hair out of her face.

"I don't care if anyone gives us grief or says I'm not her mum. That doesn't matter to me."

"You did save her from the brink of certain death, my friend," Fennorian had responded gently. "Truthfully, I cannot think of anyone else who would be best to take her in."

"She's grown rather attached to you as well. I thought I heard her use the term "uncle" earlier," a small chuckle through her nose emphasized her point.

"Uncle Fennorian?" he chuckled in kind, "Not one I've heard before, I must confess..."

The Vestige smiled. "Truthfully? I think it suits you."

Fennorian smiled at Vestige as his eyes drifted back to the sleeping child in her arms, still snoring without a care in the world.

It was there he realized he quite liked that idea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*chef kiss* So incredibly happy with this one. My first two-parter and nothing but fluff, ugh. Pretty sure this healed a part of me I didn't know needed healed.~