Flame-Child (Epilogue)
“Ah… I think now would be as good a time as any to rest up,” Niyleen said as she did a light stretch. “Don’t want a repeat of what happened the last time I didn’t rest between kills.”
Niyleen thought back to her fight with Endoen and laughed. Arrogance made her travel without end on the days leading up to that encounter, and if there was anything she wasn’t going to repeat was her allowing hubris to be her downfall.
Without flinching, Niyleen sat down next two one of her two victims and sighed. “Man… but to think six months would pass before I knew it. So much has happened…”
*
Three months to the day after leaving Lucari, I fulfilled my my duties to Mehrunes Dagon. At which time I didn’t waste a second before going back to Vlindrel Hall only to see a certain someone fast asleep. In hindsight, I feel like I should have let her sleep more seeing how puffy her eyes looked. However, that smile she gave me when she realized it was me that was on top of her (along with what we did afterwards) more than made up for her lack of sleep and our time apart.
*
Niyleen finished burying the bodies and cleaning up the area. After the gruesome, meticulous, and destructive ways she was made to kill at Dagon’s command, it was the least she could do to clean up after herself when it came to her kills.
“It was amazing though to hear what everyone had been up to…”
*
No one knows how, but Teresa and Sevetia’s body had gone missing. It wasn’t a major thing for most, but some of us would have liked to exact a more thorough vengeance on the undead Nord…
Not a day after I left Lucari six months ago, a package from Dagger arrived to my house addressed to Lucari. Within it was a letter and a pouch that contained forty five hundred gold. Apparently the gold was for me. It was my share of the gold with interest from that heist that had occurred last year.
As for the contents of the letter, Lucari was reluctant to share everything with me, but assured me that Dagger was doing well. Apparently she had gone back to being a full time bandit, and last I saw her bounty was almost ten thousand gold. A whiles away from MY bounty, but there’s no shame in that. I WAS the Raging Inferno of the Reach afterall.
Then there was Duraza. I thought that after all we’d been through that she’d at least come to my… nevermind. Anyway, she’s quit the mercenary business and has become a freelance theif. I thought that this would have put her at odds with the Thieves Guild, but apparently she does jobs for them and it’s at a lower rate than she makes others pay for her services. Go figure.
Next is my sister, Nyleine. After defeating Aeron, I thought that Dagon had severed the spiritual bond that we had that made it so we knew when the other was near so I wasn’t immediately outed when I went to visit Lucari (something I told him I was going to do). However, when I still couldn’t sense her after my servitude, I realized that the end of the Cycles reverted our bot from a spiritual one back to a blood one.
I’ve seen her around a lot. Morndas through Turdas Nyleine works with Lisbet at Arnleif and Sons Trading Company. Then Fredas and Loredas, she goes to Riften and works with Elgrim and Ingun Black-Briar at Elgrim’s Elixirs. At first I was worried about her working with any Black-Briars, but she says that Ingun is nice, and from the looks of things, there’s finally someone else that has my sister’s eye…
Then there’s the Syliel sisters… I didn’t fully understand the weight of Dagger’s words until I saw Carciel. ‘I’ve got a feeling that no matter the outcome between you two, some people may not make it out of the Cycles alive.’ Although she had said that, it never occurred to me what those words truly meant. The moment I saw her, she told me this… ‘Eolri is dead.’
I asked her how. There was no way that Eolri, of all people, could be killed… again. However, her explaination of what happened was such an Eolri thing to do that I couldn’t even be mad at it. See… the day I completed my service to Dagon, the two sisters fell under a curse… or what seemed to be a curse. Having died before, Eolri knew that whatever was afflicting them was fatal. They tried everything magical and medicinal to rid themselves of the curse, but nothing was working. Then, as if driven by something, Eolri committed suicide at which point she turned into light and enveloped Carciel which removed the affliction.
After explaining everything to me, she then followed it up with ‘Carciel doesn’t exist.’ I didn’t understand what she meant until I thought back to what the Second had said. Eolri and Carciel were initially one person, Ceolrianna the White Witch, and Eolri’s death made that a fact once again. However, even though she said this, and even though she retains the memories of Ceolrianna throughout the Cycles, she still prefers to be called Carciel.
After that, I haven’t seen her around much, but there has been talk that a woman clad in white and carrying a two handed blade has been sighted around Winterhold.
And then there’s Lucari. As was painfully obvious, she’s been cured of vampirism. In fact, although she’d like everyone to believe that she stayed and waited at Vlindrel Hall all this time for me, after making sure I hadn’t just snuck off back there, she went to find a cure for the disease and found one in Morthal.
Ever since I’ve been back, she’s been happier than ever! Although she’s indeed quit her quest to become a hero, she still strives to make Skyrim great again, and has since joined up with Markarth’s guard. I told her it was going to be a fruitless venture, but as she proved me wrong as she’s done time and time again.
Since she’s joined the guard, crime has gone down, the citizen’s morale is at an all time high, and the guards have been a tad bit friendlier than they used to be. Looks like that brightness of hers is indeed infectious. Also, seems like she’s made some friends within the upper echelons of Markarth’s society.
Then there’s Nega and the Second…
I know that they’re still a part of me, but I haven’t heard a word from either of them since defeating Aeron. Perhaps they’re still being assimilated with me, which would explain these dreams I have about them from time to time. Either way, I can’t deny that I do miss them. They made sure that I was never truly alone, and they taught me so much… Even if they’re essentially me, I could never repay them for all that they’ve done for me…
And finally that leaves me. As much as I like to flaunt that I’ve had the largest bounty on my head, with Heilda declaring me dead, the ‘Raging Inferno of the Reach’ is no more. I still do mercenary work, but I’ve also been taking any high end jobs from any contractor. So… I may or may not have accrued another ludicrous bounty. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t working so hard, but being able to go back to Mrs. Flame-Child at the end of the day… Oh, right… Lucari and I got married! It happened just two months ago, and to be honest it was a fluke that it even happened.
The two of us were visiting one of my friends in Riften and by chance Haelga of all people asked if she could borrow Lucari for a few hours. Seeing as it couldn’t hurt, Lucari agreed, and later on when I went looking for the pair I found them in the Temple of Mara trying on wedding dresses! Me seeing her dressed like that… it was a sign from the Divines. As illogical as it may have seen to anyone else, I rushed from the temple, found that annoying priest that was bothering everyone with his talk of Mara, bought an amulet from him and rushed back to the temple. Then I put the amulet on and asked for her hand in marriage then and there. To say that her face lit up would be an understatement. . She said yes, and instead of waiting we had the ceremony then and there. I even paid Haelga double what she paid for the dress that Lucari was wearing.
The ceremony was abbreviated, and the attendance wasn’t nearly to either of our standards, but to be honest looking back on it we could not have been happier.
*
Niyleen stuck her hand out to get a better look at her ring and smiled. “I still owe you a crostata don’t I, Love?” She then placed her dagger on top of a pile of rocks and crossed her arms. “Alright then, enough with the hiding!”
“Well well well, look at what we’ve got here? Didn’t take us long at all to find you.” Suddenly four Dark Brotherhood members surrounded Niyleen.
Rather than afraid, Niyleen seemed a bit annoyed by them. (They send four no name assassins after me? Seems like my bounty may just be a BIT inflated. Then again, they are with the Brotherhood… It’d be foolish of me to discredit them…) Niyleen painlessly conjured her flame sword.
“What are you all waiting for? Attack her!!”
As she thought, these nameless assassins were no match for her, and with ease Niyleen dispatched of her would be assassins. She then retrieved the Mehrunes Razor and began heading back to Markarth.
“Ha… and now here comes the fun part, being yelled at by Lucari for having blood spilled over me,” Niyleen smiled as she remembered all the times she’s been yelled at before for this exact same thing. With an exaggerated sigh, Niyleen said, “Julianos, give me strength.”