“Good to see you around town” – Garrus was saying to Lucien at dinner. “Don’t think people don’t know who you are.”

“I suppose I should have expected it, after all this time” – Lucien nodded. “And with most people have been here as long as I have.”

When Lena and Hauk returned to Cheydinhal from the Imperial City earlier that day, they ran into Garrus making rounds in the streets, looking even more bored than usual. Lena immediately asked him to come to the Wolf Sanctuary for dinner, then picked up Lucien from the Sanctuary downstairs, and now the four of them were enjoying the roast kindly supplied by the cook of the Newlands Lodge.

“And those of us who are not blessed with your longevity still mostly know what’s going on” – Garrus grinned. “And look – nobody is blowing your cover. This is Cheydinhal, Lucien.”

Indeed, when Rayenna tried to fish for information here, she only got what was commonly known already. This was in everyone’s interests – the Dark Brotherhood being one of several covert organisations in Cheydinhal. Everyone knew who everyone was, but what happened in Cheydinhal, stayed in Cheydinhal, or something like that.

“What does the Count think of it?” – asked Lucien. “Me walking around town, that is.”

“He’s glad, if anything” – Garrus smiled. “Makes it less likely for Morag Tong to show up.”

They chuckled, and focussed on eating for a while.

“You look like you could use a holiday” – Lena turned to Garrus. “You looked particularly bored when we ran into you in the street.”

“Does it show that much?” – Garrus grimaced. “It’s been quiet – not even a drunken brawl to break up, and anyhow this isn’t my job any more, my second handles that sort of matters. I suppose I did get bored. Why, do you have an adventure in mind?” – he looked at Lena with hope in his eyes.

“Hauk and I were going North and possibly into Skyrim for a while” – Lena replied, watching Garrus’ face light up with excitement. “It could be two or three weeks. Want to come?”

“I’m sure I could persuade the Count that our Northern border needs a survey” – Garrus beamed. “I’ll be ready by lunchtime.”

“Bring a good blade – I hear they have problems with werewolves” – Hauk said matter-of-factly. “Silver or daedric.”

“Or one of Rohssan’s” – Lucien looked at Lena. “Like Hauk’s – carbon steel with an ebony core and silver coating. Ask Borba.”

The conversation turned to weapons, everyone at the table preferring blades. Lena was showing off her new throwing knives, but Hauk commented that they were not handy for someone wearing heavy armour – anything above iron reduced dexterity.

“That’s the price you pay for having a full suit rather than just a breastplate like what you wear” – he said referring to Lena’s iron armour. “While with a full cuirass on you can still shoot from a bow, although only just, you can forget about throwing knives – you won’t even hit an ogre with it” – was his verdict. “Trust me, I tried. What you need instead is a crossbow.”

A trip to Tertia’s smithy was clearly on the cards.

…

“Back to Skyrim, eh?” – Lucien looked at Lena when Hauk and Garrus had left. “Do you plan to go all the way to Falkreath? It is about your father, isn’t it?”

Lena nodded. “Yes, I can’t quite put it out of my mind. I don’t know if we’ll get to Falkreath, but somehow I feel we need to look around along the border. For no logical reason” – she smiled at Lucien apologetically.

“Then do it – if only just to bring you peace.”

Lena went about collecting her things for the trip. She noticed changes upstairs in the newly refurbished study – more books and scrolls, another chest, gems, daggers… “Lucien has finally taken possession of this space” – she thought with satisfaction. She heard him come up behind her.

“Will I find you here when we are back from Skyrim? Or should I fetch you from Fort Farragut?” – she asked, laying her hands on his shoulders.

“I have all but moved out of Fort Farragut” – he smiled at her. “We’ve opened up old Speaker’s chamber in the Sanctuary – it is mine now. Ocheeva thought that after the incident with Rayenna, my main office should not be in an isolated fort, and I agreed with her. Rayenna was only interested in my private life – which was bad enough already – but what if the next intruder is after our professional secrets? We should not be risking that. And Garrus is right – Cheydinhal is safe for us.”

Lucien was not intruding on Lena’s house, and Lena was grateful for that. He was close, yet he didn’t move in. She smiled and kissed him. Of course once the baby was born, things would have to change again, but she wasn’t ready to think about it yet – she still had time.