"Alright, you can explore the place while we talk to Dinya Balu," Blaise said calmly, as he and Hroar made their way toward the priestess of the Temple of Mara.
The others dispersed, curiosity and intrigue drawing them through the sacred grounds. It wasn't common for them to go off without Einar; they usually accompanied or followed him, but they knew he had his own adventures. Still, he never made them feel like a burden. He always found time for them.
They clearly remembered the time he got trapped in a Dwemer ruin. When he finally escaped, he spent an entire month by their side, playing with them and training them. Showing, not with words but with actions, that he was a present father.
At first, he didn't even want to venture too far, afraid that something might happen to them. But the children, seeing him like that, decided to grow stronger. Not just for themselves… but so their father could follow his adventurous call without worry.
Sometimes, Einar would sneak away to avoid Sofie when she tried to pair him with a woman. But he never strayed too far. He was always nearby, hidden or watching from the skies with the help of his draconic mount.
Once, Avento had asked him why he tried so hard. That he could just go off on adventures and come back from time to time. But Einar, with a firm gaze, answered:
"Because I want to be a better father than the one I had."
Meanwhile, Sofie approached one of the temple's statues with a smile. She closed her eyes and began to pray softly"for her father to find a good partner… at least two.
That's when a figure caught her attention.
A silver-haired woman was cleaning the temple. There was something about her… something that instantly drew Sofie's gaze.
The woman turned suddenly, as if she had felt the intensity of Sofie's stare. Her eyes, a deep green like freshly carved emeralds, locked directly onto the girl.
Her beauty was so ethereal it seemed to belong to another plane. She wasn't just a beautiful elf"she was a divine vision wrapped in unsettling serenity.
"Hello, little one. Are you praying to the goddess?" the woman asked, approaching with a warm, motherly smile.
"Yes. I'm praying for my dad to get a wife already… at least two," Sofie replied innocently, with a childlike grin.
"Oh really? Only two?"
"I think that's enough. Dad always runs away from women," she said without thinking much of it.
"I see…" the woman murmured with a soft chuckle. "Then… I might have overdone it with the gifts."
"What?" Sofie asked, confused.
"Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself," the woman replied quickly, her tone light.
"Are you a priestess?" Sofie asked with growing interest.
"Oh, no. I'm just fulfilling a penance," she said, still smiling sweetly.
"Penance?"
"Yes… I must clean every Temple of Mara in Skyrim. But don't worry about that," she answered, as if it were nothing important.
"Okay. Then I won't bother you anymore," said Sofie with a charming smile.
"Hmm… How about I give you a gift for being such a good girl?" said the woman, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out an amulet that Sofie recognized immediately.
"An amulet of Akatosh? But we're in Mara's temple…"
"Haha… Don't worry. Mara won't mind if her husband's amulet is here. I'll give it to you, but it's not just any amulet… It's special. Take good care of it."
"Thank you!" Sofie said happily, then suddenly remembered something. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small wooden doll that looked a lot like her.
"Dad made this for me. I have lots, so you can keep it."
"Oh… how beautiful," the woman said, accepting it with a genuine smile.
"I'm going to find my brothers now. Bye!" Sofie said cheerfully before running off.
The woman watched her go, her expression soft. She gently stroked the small wooden doll between her fingers, which glowed with a golden light… and then vanished.
Her smile slowly faded. She walked toward the bucket she had been using to clean and, as she leaned over it, caught sight of her reflection in the water.
What she saw made her grit her teeth. Her face began to change.
The soft features hardened. Dark circles and deep wrinkles quickly formed on her face, aging her abnormally for an elf. Her emerald eyes dimmed, turning into a dull gray, full of weariness and pain.
She looked around, disoriented for a moment. As if she had briefly awoken from a dream. But then she returned to her task, as if something"or someone"compelled her.
As if cleaning that temple wasn't a task… but a sentence.
A penance imposed by a goddess who, through her, punished and watched.
A mother… within a mother.
A goddess… who does not forget.
....
Meanwhile, Lucia, the youngest of the group, stepped out of the temple with curiosity shining in her eyes. Riften stretched out before her like a brand new world, though she knew well she shouldn't stray too far from her siblings.
She stood at the entrance, attentively watching the people passing by… until a figure caught her eye.
A Nordic man, broad and imposing, even while seated in an old wooden wheelchair. His presence was so overwhelming that many instinctively stepped aside as they walked past him, as if the very air grew dense in his proximity. But Lucia wasn't afraid.
It was his gaze that mesmerized her.
Golden eyes. As bright as the sun over snow, with vertical, slitted pupils"like a dragon's.
Without hesitation, she walked up to him, her innocence overflowing.
"Hi, mister! Why do you have eyes like that? "she asked with curiosity.
The man observed her in silence for a moment before smiling patiently.
"Well… I don't know. Maybe I'm descended from an Argonian "he said with a playful tone.
"Really? Then do you have scales? "she asked, excited.
"Haha. No, I don't… although, if I wanted to, I could have them "he replied with a knowing smile.
"That's awesome! "Lucia said quickly, delighted. Then, she stared more intently into his eyes, and a spark of memory lit up.
"I remember now! "she exclaimed". When Dad got mad because they tried to kidnap Sofie… his eyes looked just like yours! Does that mean he's part Argonian too? "she asked, worried". Oh no! People already pick on him for being half-elf… if he's Argonian too, they'll be even meaner.
The man let out a brief chuckle before replying:
"Don't worry, little one. These days… no one would dare pick on your father.
"You're right! "said Lucia firmly". Dad is super strong! He can kick butts without even trying. Only cowards whisper behind his back"and my siblings deal with them "she said, lifting her little arms in a show of strength.
"I see your siblings love him very much.
"So do I! We all love Dad. Even though the older ones get embarrassed and call him "Master" instead. They say Sofie and Aventus are his children legally, but I call him "Dad," and that makes him happy "she said proudly.
"That's wonderful "the man replied, genuinely pleased.
"Right now we're on a journey to find Dad. He always gets lost… he's kind of clumsy. But he always comes home. Though this time, the others said maybe he won't be able to come back on his own. That's why we came "Lucia explained, a touch of sadness in her voice.
The man looked at her in silence, then smiled warmly.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll find him.
"Yes! And if we don't, Blaise said we'll fight dragons and Argonians if we have to… just to make Grandpa Akatosh give Dad back!
At that moment, the man fell completely silent. His smile froze for an instant… before he burst into a joyous laugh.
""Grandpa Akatosh"? "he repeated between laughs.
"Yes! In the legends, they say the Dragonborn is Akatosh's son. And Dad is the Dragonborn!
The man nodded slowly.
"Then… you'll have to give Akatosh a serious scolding for taking his son without permission.
"Of course! "Lucia confirmed confidently.
"Lucia! We're leaving! "shouted Blaise from the temple stairs, frowning. It seemed they hadn't found any useful leads.
"Coming! "the girl shouted. She turned to the man with a smile". Goodbye! "she said politely before running off to her siblings.
The man watched her go. His golden eyes shimmered for an instant. One by one, the children's bodies glowed subtly with a warm golden light, barely perceptible… a silent blessing that none of them noticed.
The man smiled softly… but then his expression changed.
His gaze turned cold. Empty. Infinite.
And when he spoke, his voice seemed to echo from time itself…
"I asked you… to take care of our son.
His tone was freezing, so sharp it felt like it could stop the world.
"Your punishment is to feel what he felt as a child. The abandonment. The pain. The loneliness.
His eyes burned with divine fury.
"Be grateful I still feel compassion for you… or I would've sent you to the worst of all realms.
Then, the golden glow in his eyes faded, turning into a dull brown. His face aged all at once, and his hair turned completely gray. His body shrank into itself"thin, weak… with old wounds still open, as if time had caught up to him in an instant.
The man breathed with difficulty, trembling, murmuring again and again:
"I'm sorry… Lord… I'm sorry… It's my fault. I failed the mission… Forgive me…
As if the weight of his guilt crushed him.
And the others… only glanced at him briefly as they passed by. Just another old man among many.
No one saw the god who had just been there.
No one knew what had just manifested.