#tescheer

Another round of laughter interrupted her thoughts. The Guild Master's gaze tracked around the tavern and felt something tugging in her chest - thieves gathered around the bar, drinks half finished and heads thrown back in laughter. It felt like a lifetime ago that she'd been part of their group, free from the constant weight of responsibility she now bore.

When she'd been awarded with the position of Guild Master it had felt like such an honor, a reward for what she'd endured. As the months dragged by she'd begun to realize why no one else was eager for the job. Mercer had enough thieving to last them a lifetime, which left her with little more than a never ending pile of paperwork and a persistent headache. 

"C'mon, lass." Brynjolf placed a mug of ale atop her list and the Guild Master grit her teeth. "Celebrate with us." 

"I have tasks to finish." She attempted to wave him off, though a hand around her wrist stopped whatever protest came next. Brynjolf's cheeks were slightly pink and his armor was unbuckled to reveal a dark shirt. Despite her best efforts she hadn't been able to stomp out that damned crush on him. It had stuck around since that first fateful encounter. The smile on his lips seemed to melt away all her worries when he guided her out of the chair. 

"It's almost the new year." He countered and she knew her resolve wouldn't last. She tried to remain wary but the excited chatter only grew as an ancient clock ticked down the seconds. The Guild Master's head felt fuzzy when Brynjolf's hand rested on her lower back, guiding her deeper into the crowd. Surrounded by old friends and new recruits, she allowed herself a moment of relaxation. 

"Been one hell of a year." Delvin's gruff voice cut through the rest, all conversations quieting. The Guild Master's cheeks burned when he raised his mug and nodded in her direction. "But with the help of Brynjolf and his favorite little recruit, we've finally righted the ship." 

Brynjolf's rich laugh warmed her heart. He remained close and bore an easy smile she'd seen less often during the past few weeks. He looked comfortable, like he could finally relax. A large hand patted her on the shoulder the Guild Master's stomach sank as all eyes turned to her. She prayed that they wouldn't expect a motivational speech.

"Choosin’ you is still the best decision I’ve ever made." His voice dripped with sentimentality and breathing became difficult. His gaze always knocked her off balance, heart skittering out of control and hands clumsy when he looked at her. She tended to ignore the childish crush, stuffing feelings down until they became easy to avoid. But as the last minute of their tumultuous year slipped away it was dangerously easy to grow closer to him, those old feelings bubbling to the surface. 

"Ten! Nine! Eight!" 

"I should get back to work." She breathed, enticed by the way Brynjolf had drifted closer. Bodies jostled as thieves joined in on a chant, counting down until the beginning of a new year. 

"Seven! Six!" 

"Is that what you want?" His words were heavy with another meaning she couldn't hope to discern. The Guild Master's throat ran dry when she recalled the old tradition - the myth that kissing your partner as the clock struck midnight heralded a prosperous new year. Brynjolf's deep green eyes took in every move she made and she knew she could reject him now, could flee to her desk and hide behind her work. 

"Five!" 

"No." She answered finally, hands trembling at her sides. Someone's elbow jabbed into her back as they hurried past, sending her stumbling closer to Brynjolf.

"Four!" 

"What do you want then, lass?" Deep and sultry, his words broke the last of her resolve. 

"Three! Two!"

Her eyes fluttered closed and her heart sang when she swallowed against the cowardly urge to back out. She'd sold her soul to a Daedric Prince and faced off against unbeatable foes, she could be brave for this one moment.

"One!" 

Kissing him was messy, arms flung around his shoulders and noses bumping together. He tasted like ale but the Guild Master paid it no mind. Brynjolf's hands steadied her, chuckling into the kiss. One strong arm wrapped around her waist and she was in heaven, Brynjolf's lips moving so easily against hers. It was better than all those little fantasies that had floated around in her mind over the years, clumsy yet perfect. Somewhere off in the distance she heard someone hollering her name but nothing mattered other than his kiss.

She didn't open her eyes when he pulled away, forehead pressed to hers. A soft kiss landed on her overheated cheek but she couldn't look quite yet. Her cheeks burned when she heard one of the thieves wolf whistling and fought to stay in this blissful little moment with Brynjolf.

SORINE AUTOMATIC SNOWBALL LAUNCHER!!!!

Her special holiday project!

Happy Holidays from Fort Dawnguard! Happy TES Cheer!

Caylene looked out over the great basin below, pulling her cloak tighter around her armored frame. The nights in Hammerfell were deathly cold, particularly as it neared Saturalia - even without snow, frostbite had claimed extremities of some of the less well traveled men who hadn’t expected it.

Footfalls trampled up the wooden steps to the ramparts, and the Breton felt Senti’s soft palm resting on her arm through the cloak. “Homesick?” The Redguard asked in a low tone, leaning in for warmth.

“In a way. I think I miss the snow. Da could trudge through it up to his waist as if he were walking on an Imperial road. He went out late to find strong wood, and stayed up all night to carve me figurines.” Caylene rummaged in her side pack for a moment before producing a small, wooden knight on horseback. He had painted it in the heraldry of Daggerfall. “He used to tell me, ‘I can only hope you learn the craft; Clan Luzgarz made half of its wealth from sculpting’ and I would only nod. He told that story so many times I could repeat it in my sleep.”

Senti’s lips curled at the corners. “Dear, you already have. You mumble for hours.” 

Caylene cleared her throat, slipping the item back into her bag. “Yes, well. There’s much on my mind.”

~

She climbs down from the Silt Strider and takes a moment to take the view in. Blacklight, in all its beauty. Now even more beautiful, decorated with countless colorful lamps and with snowberry everywhere. The sailors must have brought it from Skyrim, as they do every Saturalia. She can’t believe she’s finally here. It’s been a few months since she came home. But these months have been busy at the Mages Guild in Vivec. She didn’t like being away from home for too long, but Vivec has the best guild of mages, and it shows: her magical skills have improved so much, it even amazes her. Sometimes she just can’t believe that she can accomplish so much with her magika. And she has learnt the most fascinating spells and the best party tricks. She simply cannot wait to show it to everyone back home! So she starts running towards the city entrance, smiling all the way down there.

Her cheeks start to hurt from smiling so much, being greeted by townsfolk and passing through the market. The market area is so beautifully decorated and cheerful, with lots of food and drink stalls and people singing songs and greeting other travelers, adventurers or scholars coming back home, just like her, and joy. Pure joy everywhere. This is her favorite celebration, and it always will be.

She opens the door to the tavern and is immediately greeted by the smell of snowberry pie and mulled wine. Hjaldir is playing a Saturalia song, singing and playing the lute. When he spots her, he immediately strums the lute more lively, sing-shouting:

“Weeeell look who just came back hoooome!” he finishes with a few ending chords. “Our favourite girl is back! Ladies and gentlemen, do excuse me, but this demands a break! But worry not! We still have some sweet, sweet instrumental music from our guys!” He looks at the rest of the bards, as if looking for approval. They just smile fondly and nod, and it’s all he needs to run to her and squeeze her in a tight hug, lifting her off the ground.

“Hi!” she manages to say between chuckles.

“My, my, how I’ve missed you, girl! How was the trip home?” he breaks the hug to look at her.

“Good. A bit windy, but it didn’t bother me. I travelled with a few merchants and mages. Lovely people. They made the time pass so fast.”

“Glad to hear it.”  He smiles down at her. Gods, how glad he is to see her home and safe. It’s weird how close they got. Maybe it’s the strong bond between two poetic souls, two bards, or maybe it’s something more, but he never expected to have this in his life.

***

He remembers first meeting her like it was yesterday. He was a lost soul, with nothing left to lose when he came to this tavern one faithful night, right after leaving the pirate crew for good. He came with the intention to drown himself in alcohol and sorrow, but was greeted by a little girl, squinting her eyes at him.

“Are you a bard?”

“Something like that. This gave it away?” he pointed at his lute strapped to his back.

She nodded.

“Ravonna, leave the man be!” the bartender said softly from behind the counter. “Sorry about her, she tends to be quite talkative. Can I get you anything else?”

“No, thank you. And don’t apologize. She didn’t bother me at all.” He turned to her. “Ravonna, eh? That’s quite the unusual name for a nord girl like you.”

“Well, Endryn gave me this name. Named me after his aunt. She was a mercenary who got to meet the Nerevarine!”

“Now that’s something!”

“What’s your name?”

“Hjaldir. At your service!” He bows to her politely.

“Well, that’s quite the usual name for a nord like you, isn’t it?”

“Ha! I suppose you’re right.”

“You don’t have to be so stiff. Relax, I’m not going to ask you to sing a song.” She sits down next to him and sighs. “I can sense when a person is tired… Sleepy-tired, but also tired of life.”

“How do you know that?” he asks, eyes now getting wider. The kid had more emotional intelligence than he’d have thought.

“You see a lot of shit when you live in a tavern, believe me.” She says, looking truly like a tired adult. “See that guy over there? At first you would think he’s doing fine, but he’s wearing a mask, you know? He’s nervous. He’s got that feeling after eating spicy meat wraps. But not because he actually did that and his tummy hurts. He’s like that because he’s in love with the blacksmith, a bosmer who has lots of tales from Valenwood.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Absolutely nothing! Except that he’s married.”

“Oh. Oh.”

“But don’t worry, I won’t pressure you into telling me your life story, although it seems like an interesting one. I hope you’ll stay with us for a bit longer.”

***

“By the Gods, Ravonna, I’m only now seeing the amount of baggage! Let me help you with that!” Hjaldir says, coming back to reality.

“Look, I can explain. I need this stuff for an… experiment.”

“Sounds magical…” he says, and they both burst into laughter. “Well, it’s Endryn’s place. I am but a humble guest and resident bard. He gets to decide if the – the… what is this exactly?”

“It’s… complicated. Essentially, it is a spellmaking enchanter. I get to create my own spells. Finally!”

“Oh, really? And you can make everything you want?”

“I think so. I haven’t tested it yet, but you know what they say at the guild of mages? Magic goes as far as your imagination.”

“So you could… conjure up a lute?”

“I’ve never thought of it, but that is a fantastic idea! I think it’ll be my first project!”

“Glad to be of help. If you need me for anything else, I’m here for you. And Gods am I proud! Look at you! A full, respectable mage!”

“Ah, let’s not get ahead of ourselves…” she says, as they start to head towards her chamber.

“Nonsense! I’ve yet to see anyone match your passion regarding magic!”

“Well, you haven’t been to Vivec then…”

“Aye, but I’ve been! We used to do business in the cisterns. That’s where you buy and sell illegal stuff. So many trinkets I’ve traded there… but, of course, you already know that.”

“Yes, and your bad skooma trip! You haven’t been to the guild of mages in Vivec is what I meant.” she laughs, setting the luggage on the floor of her room.

“Don’t remind me of that! I still get chills when I think about it!” he says, shuddering.

“I would love to know how you ended up on top of the Foreign Quarter.”

“That, I wish to know as well.” He sighs with a smile.

“There she is!” Endryn’s voice can be heard by the door.

“And there he is! Blacklight’s busiest innkeeper!” she laughs, hugging him tightly.

“Oh, don’t even get me started! You know how it is this time of year. But no matter! You’re here now and that’s the most important thing.”

“It’s good to be home.”

“Oh, but you must be starving! The cheese scones are almost ready. Teldryn should be here any minute with the wine supply. And I made you cabbage stew. It’s still your favourite, right? Or did the fancy city of Vivec change your tastes?” he says, without even breathing.

“Endryn! Relax. Everything’s perfect!” she says, taking this all in. Oh, how she missed this place and the people in it!

~

It had been... a rough year, to say the least. Between her father having to go back to help out the Legion, and her being sent far, far away to Skyrim to live with her uncle Aryuen, to finding out she was Dragonborn and doing her best to keep sane while dealing with a destiny she could still barely wrap her mind around, Leona had had enough.

All the young Imperial wanted to do was rest, now. It was Evening Star, the last month of the year. Soon people would begin their preparations for Saturalia, and the New Life Festival. Both events that she would have looked forward to, even just a year ago, but now things were... different. Sitting at the museums upper floor apartment that her uncle had graciously allowed her and her friends to live in, mysterious note in hand telling her to rent the attic room of the Sleeping Giant Inn, the young redhead sighed loudly.

“What has you so troubled, my friend?” Leona glanced up to see Inigo walking downstairs, the first one awake out of the small band of adventurers who’d joined her over the past year. His unusual blue fur glinted in the dim light of the single candle she had lit when she tiptoed downstairs herself. The younger woman knew that out of all of her friends, not a single one didn’t deal with the nightmares of their past (or in her own case, future.) She’d done her best to be quiet so everyone could get some good rest now that they were finally back home.

“Forgive me, Inigo. I didn’t mean to wake you. Please, go back to sleep.”

“You did not wake me, young friend. The strange dreams and biting of fleas did that. You should also not dodge my questions.”

The redhead bit her lip and then sighed again, softer this time, as the blue khajiit came to sit by her in the soft warm light. She knew he meant well, of course, but it was still something she had trouble talking about with anyone besides Khash or Lucien, the two friends who had become much more like siblings to her than anyone else.

“It’s just... this. Dragonborn stuff.” Leona waved the unsigned note for emphasis, before tossing it down onto the coffee table and slumping back into the chair, defeated.

The older man grabbed up the note with a yawn to scan over, his eyes widening just a bit before going back to normal. He gently placed it down and looked over at the redheaded Imperial. He’d try his best not to make things worse for the teen by being shocked.

“I see... This was waiting for you when we arrived home yesterday, yes?”

“Yeah. I asked Farengar if he could have his associate from before contact me to teach me more about dragons, but this note isn’t signed or anything, so I have no idea if it’s really her. It could be those crazy cultists from before, or any other number of enemies. I just--” The girl sighed heavily, reaching up to rub her eyes. It was apparent she hadn’t slept a wink, by the dark circles and gritty sound of her usually smooth voice, “--I just want to NOT have to worry about this stuff for once. I miss my dad. I miss how we used to decorate the house for the whole month, even though New Life Festival is right at the end. I miss the time before I knew I was supposed to be this great hero.”

Leona wouldn’t cry, it was something she promised herself after that fateful day in Helgen, when she’d discovered her fathers bloodied body. She’d hardened her heart after that so she could get through things, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t hard. Now, in the hour before dawn, sitting in the candle light with the crazy khajiit she’d discovered in Riften’s jail who swore he knew her (he didn’t) it was harder than ever.

“Leona... I am sorry. You are still so young to be dealing with all of this. Not to mention how you’ve agreed to help Khash, Lucien, Kaidan, myself and the others, too.”

Inigo looked at the younger woman fondly. Even though they hadn’t had a formal discussion about it yet, he’d already realized that this young woman and the one he’d betrayed weren’t the same person. He hadn’t left yet, though, wanting to stay with this group and help them all in any way he can. They accepted him, even as he was still crazed, coming off of the skooma. He wanted to do anything he could to repay them, especially Leona.

“Come. Let me escort you to bed, surely you will feel better if you sleep. Allow your mind to rest and not worry for a bit, hm?”

He stood, and took her hand, leading her up the stairs to her bedroom and insisting she get some rest. Even if the redhead had wanted to put up a fight, there wasn’t much fight left in her. They’d been out on the roads for weeks, fighting dragons and helping the people of Skyrim. She was dead tired.

After softly shutting the young woman’s bedroom door, Inigo grinned as an idea came to him. With him and everyone else working together, they could surely come up with something to give their Dragonborn friend a bit of respite.

“Inigo, are you sure this is a good idea? I hate to be a Debbie downer, but this isn’t exactly what I would call a “New Life Tree.” Back in the Imperial city, they’re MUCH bigger--”

“Lucien. Shut up. It’s not going to be the same as some rich boys home would look, but it’s still nice. Don’t you want to cheer Leona up?”

Inigo sighed, shaking his head at Lucien and Kaidan arguing, as usual. He’d told them his plans earlier this morning, and everyone had agreed that decorating the safehouse while Leona slept sounded wonderful. However, with all of them being different races, and coming from different parts of Tamriel, they hadn’t been able to agree on how exactly to decorate, what foods to make, or what would make the youngling happiest. Finally, they’d decided to do a little bit of everything, that way, they could enjoy it too.

Sure, the dragons were a huge threat, but there wasn’t a ton they could do at the moment, anyway. Why not relax and make themselves a bit cozy in the interim?

Finally, another voice spoke some reason, though. Thank the Gods for Khash, honestly.

“Do not mind them, Inigo. They will probably argue no matter what. We are all used to it at this point, probably. I think the tree you picked looks nice. It is not very big, but it does not need to be.” The young Argonian chuckled softly, helping him line it up with the tree base they had bought in the Solitude marketplace just a bit ago, making sure the tree stood steady on its own before both of them backed away to admire it.

“This will be the first time I am able to really celebrate the New Life Festival, so I am pleased with it. I am sure Leona will like it as well.”

“I am happy you think so, my young friend. I hope she will stay asleep until we are done, although...”

Inigo turned to glare at the other two boys still arguing. Inigo didn’t get angry easily, and so even one sharp look from the blue catlike man was enough to silence them for now.

“She will not if you two do not stop making so much noise. Help Khash and I finish setting things up in here. Quietly.”

It was already midday by the time Leona was able to open her eyes again. Honestly, she could barely remember this morning. She knew she had talked to Inigo a bit about some of the stress she’d been having lately, and he insisted she would probably feel better if she actually got some real sleep for once. She’d been too tired to argue about it, so she took his advice. She hadn’t meant to sleep half the day away, though. Quickly, she got up and went around her room, following her usual routine. Wash off, get dressed in the warm clothes her uncle had bought for her, tie hair back. She nearly put her armor on out of habit, but her and the rest of her crew had agreed to take a few days in town before heading back out, so she left it off.

The cold of Skyrim was something she’d still not gotten used to, but she sweaters Uncle Aryuen had bought for her were thick and warm, very cozy. She yawned before pushing open the door to her bedroom and heading downstairs. Every motion was muscle memory at this point, and she was halfway downstairs before she truly opened her eyes and saw all the changes.

The apartment, which had previously been plain, bland, and dusty, was now decked out in what she could only call a smorgasbord of decorations from nearly every culture on the face of Nirn. From snowberry wreaths of the Nords, to garland made of pieces of clay shaped into the phases of the moon and strung along fine silver embroidery thread, something common in Elsweyr. There wasn’t a surface in the whole of the apartments first level that wasn’t decorated to be festive in some way or another.

In the far corner, where she’d originally pushed a chair and table near the window to act as a sort of reading nook, stood a short but stout pine tree, decorated beautifully with wooden ornaments and torchbugs placed into small glass jars. It was a sight to behold, to be sure, more beautiful than even the humble tree Leona and her father had put up back in the empires heartland.

Everyone was either sitting to rest, or standing to adjust a decoration here or there. They were all dressed in their casual clothes, even Nebarra (save for his iconic helmet, of course.) The first person to notice the young woman finally up and moving about was Remiel, who smiled wide and shouted “Surprise!”

All of the others soon turned to smile at the Imperial as well, following suit in their greetings and declarations of surprise. For Leona’s own part, she stood stock still on the middle of the stairs, unable to process her own thoughts. For as much as she had wanted something like this, she didn’t think Inigo would go and get everyone else into it, as well. They’d been saving all of their septims to buy a larger base where everyone could stay much more comfortably, but even still, even if it set them back a bit... Leona was overjoyed. It made her chest feel warm in a way it hadn’t in much longer than a year, and it made warm tears drip from her pale face.

Inigo noticed the tears and immediately frowned. He’d gotten carried away, just like he did in the old days. He hadn’t thought it would make her this upset, though.

“Oh, Leona you... you do not like it...?”

Around the khajiit, the others faces began to fall as well. Xelzaz, who’d been arranging food on the table in the dining room, walked out and looked up at their unofficial leader.

But, thankfully, the redhead shook her head. Fiercely. She was still wordless, but she reached up quickly to swipe away the tears that betrayed her heart. Finally after another moment, she spoke.

“N-no.. No, everyone... I love it. Thank you all so much. I-I promised myself I wouldn’t cry anymore, that I’d become the kind of person that didn’t worry you all, but... I guess these tears don’t count. I’m so happy right now...”

The collective sigh of relief didn’t escape her, and she ran the rest of the way down the stairs to start giving out the hugs they all deserved.