Hunter Chapter 13: A Night of Many Stars

This is a Skyrim/Alan Wake 2 fic. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

This chapter has been edited due to content. If you want to see the unedited version GO HERE.

JASH

Rayya leaned down and kissed Brelyna gently on the lips as she refilled the Dark Elf’s goblet. The act was as coy as it was swift. My Housecarl and steward continued to smile as Rayya took her seat.

J’zargo, who now wore clothing fitting of a commoner instead of his usual mage’s robes, winked at me. Most of the time he couldn’t take anything seriously. It was only during the most serious situations that his jokes disappeared. But currently there was no life endangering situation and so he joked.

To the untrained ear only a mere sigh left my lips. Only those that understood Jel, like my Khajiit companion, knew the sounds that left my lips were equivalent to a dryskin rolling their eyes.

I looked up at the stars and how they shone with a beautiful light over Lakeview Manor. Myself, J’zargo, Rayya, and Brelyna were eating dinner on the patio. My lungs took in the cold air as I breathed deeply. As someone who had spent awhile hold up in Winterhold, the air felt as warm as any desert must.

“I thought the threat of Thalmor spies gone.” Rayya said and took a sip of her wine. “But they’re just like insects. There are always more than you expected.”

“J’zargo hopes that you aren’t the one in charge of cleaning, Rayya.” J’zargo teased.

“I’m just glad that the Reforged have not slacked on their duties.”

“Really? J’zargo is worried that the Reforged have done their duties better than their leader.”

Rayya looked like she was having trouble holding back a laugh. She must not want to give my companion the satisfaction. With how widely J’zargo’s smile had grown it was clear he saw right through the Redguard’s façade.

“J’zargo, the Reforged has only one task.” I retorted after I took a bite from my potato bread. “I, on the other hand, manage all the major factions of this province. So if they do their one task better than I it doesn’t reflect poorly on me at all.”

“And how dare J’zargo criticizes you, Jash.” Brelyna said in a tone just as teasing as the Khajiit’s. “I remember at the College how J’zargo could barely focus on one task at a time. Didn’t he have you nearly blow yourself up due to testing one of his spells?”

I remembered that day clearly. Derkeethus had been with me then and hadn’t been happy when caught in the explosion. It had taken me a good hour to both heal his injuries and calm him down. If there hadn’t been a storm, we might have had to camp in the thick snow.

“Brelyna, this one thinks you need to come back to the College.” J’zargo’s voice said and brought me back to the present. “You’ll see how wrong you are about Khajiit.”

“If my wife goes to the College of Winterhold than I’ll have to follow.” Rayya said in a voice that barely hid her teasing tone. “And I highly doubt my thane would leave this property unguarded.”

“Rayya is right.” I said and my lips curled into a smile. “I’m terribly sorry, J’zargo.”

“If this one had accepted your marriage proposal then you would agree with J’zargo.”

“Perhaps you are right, Ma’zargo.”

Everyone, including J’zargo, burst out with laughter. Tolfdir had been right in his choice for me to leave the College for a time. I had forgotten anything outside of Alex Casey’s passing. And when being reminded of such simple things like friendship I found the hole in my soul not hurting as painfully.

Each of us had a warm meal in front of us that suited our various tastes. While the other three had large bowls of beef stew, I had a large piece of venison. Everyone at the table had potato bread.

“I wish that I had the time to take each and every Thalmor spy to the Dawnstar Sanctuary.” I said as I took a large bite of my venison. “There I would torture them for years. They would lose any senses of sanity before I killed them.”

We all turned our heads towards the familiar sounds of bandits. The house just off my property held a secret underground area to hide the criminals. While it sometimes took months for them to regroup enough to stage an attack on Lakeview Manor, the bandits always came back.

“Excuse me, my thane.” Rayya said as she stood up and the rest of us continued to eat our dinner.

My housecarl picked up the ebony battleaxe that she had leaned against the house. With her weapon held tightly in her hands, she rushed to the fight. Alduin should be thankful that it was me and not her who had been destined to end his reign of terror. It had come to my mind more than once that she didn’t need the blood of a dragon to kill Akatosh’s first child.

As myself, Brelyna, and J’zargo continued to eat our dinner the sounds of bandits began to swiftly fade from the night. Maybe I should join her? No. She would finish them off before I could even stand up most likely.

Brelyna grinned and began to open her mouth but stopped. Though I didn’t know why I stood up quickly and held my dragonbone dagger tight in my claw. My grip was so tight that my knuckles had taken on a whitish hue.

Why had Brelyna not spoken? Why had I stood up so quickly? Why were my knuckles turning white?

As if remembering a distant memory, I recalled the sound of a gunshot. But it wasn’t a distant memory as it had just happened.

No one on Tamriel used guns. The only reason I recalled the sound so vividly was due to having been on Earth nine years ago.

Had my husband returned to me? Was my search over?