Chapter Text
The family waited at the overland coach station for the carriage to arrive from Falkreath on its way to Whiterun. The young bosmer girl bounced up and down sending her braids flying and the dark green ribbons tied on the ends flowing out behind her.
Aju-Lei stared down at her for a second and she grinned at her father and shrugged.
Katel turned to Endoy and Chana, “We should be back by summer. At the latest the first week of fall if we encounter traveling issues. We’ve locked the store and all the products are being taken care of by the traders. Gunmyr put a sign on the post saying we were closed. There’s plenty of food and everything is stocked.”
Chana laughed and hugged her friend, “We know how to take care of ourselves, Katel so stop worrying. If we need help the entire town will pitch in.”
Kahl-Lei climbed into the travel carriage and hung over the side waving at her friends. As the carriage started its journey toward Whiterun, she saw several bosmer standing just outside the tree line and waved at them before they melted back into the trees. Her parents never hid the fact of the circumstances of her birth, they listened to her and answered her questions no matter how tough or emotional for them. They were her parents, and she loved them both dearly. It didn’t matter they differed from her; she told and show them in as many ways as she could.
While they waited at the Whiterun stables for the carriage to Windhelm, Aju-Lei approached the stable master and asked about horses. The stable master remembered him and assured him he could have a good, solid two-year-old waiting for them when they returned if they trusted him to choose it. They agreed on a price range and Septims changed hands along with a firm handshake just as the carriage rolled up.
They paused as they crossed the wide stone bridge into Windhelm and looked toward the busy docks.
“Looks like the argonians still work most of the dock area,” Aju-Lei said and frowned before they continued on their way.
The war left the city damaged, but the new Jarl rebuilt in earnest over the past few years. When they stepped through the opened gates, they noticed many more dunmer wandering around than there had been years ago.
Their first stop was to the large Candlehearth Hall Inn in front of them to secure a room. The Innkeeper was not openly hostile toward Aju-Lei but didn’t exactly give him a warm welcome either. Her attitude changed when Aju-Lei requested the largest suite of rooms they had and paid for a month upfront in gold Septims.
After resting the day and eating a good meal, they looked around the city. The market place was just as crowded, noisy, and sold every kind of ware imaginable as it had so many years ago. They walked away with several small decorative items for the house while Kahl-Lei asked to purchase a few sweets to eat.
The next morning the group walked down the small steps toward the docks and noticed the large, faded closed sign painted on a dilapidated Calixto’s House of Curiosities. They stopped one of the young lads carrying wood from the chopping block and asked about it.
“The fetcher murdered a bunch of women years ago before I was even born. They say the man was insane and tried to bring his dead sister back to life using necromancy. Bad place it is mister,” the boy said then hurried away.
They stopped at the small market stalls outside the docks area, which were new to both of them. Kahl-Lei purchased items for her friends and Katel helped to get them into the girl’s pack as Aju-Lei asked the dunmer storekeeper if things were changing for the better in town.
“It’s getting better, it won’t be a quick fix, but it is heading in a good direction. The new Jarl wants to work with the other races and is doing his best to get the other nords to see things his way.”
Aju-Lei pushed opened the dock door, and they followed the stone steps down the alleyway and around the corner which opened onto the dock itself. It was bustling with activity with argonians in a wide range of colors everywhere. Aju-Lei did a double take as he saw several nords unloading boats and being directed on where to stack the cargo by an argonian with a large tome in his hands.
A different argonian approached them after a few minutes, “Afternoon, folks. This is the Windhelm docks, are you expecting a shipment? Or perhaps needing to make arrangements to ship goods out?”
Aju-Lei turned to the youngster. “We were looking for two people, Scouts-Many-Marshes and Shahvee, do you know them?”
The dark blue argonian smiled and nodded, “Sure do, they’re my parents. Come with me they’re at the office.”
It was Shahvee who recognized them first, “By the Hist, Katel and Aju-Lei? We thought you were dead or had left Skyrim when we hadn’t heard from you. What happened?”
While the adults caught up, Kahl-Lei looked around the office closely followed by Chail, Shahvee and Scouts’ son. The sound of a clearing throat brought the younger one’s attention back to the adults. Scouts-Many-Marshes reminded his son he had work to do. Katel grinned at Shahvee as Kahl-Lei returned to their side and listened quietly to the conversation.
In one of the far corners of the office, Aju-Lei and Scouts-Many-Marshes had a hushed conversation of the many changes which took place on the docks after the war. “They still don’t want us up in the town, but the Jarl comes down here with updates on what he’s doing to change the situation. Now, it’s more of a protection for us than just to keep us separate. There are still too many nords unwilling to accept the other races among them.”
“What happened to the others? I didn’t see Neetrenaza, Stands-In-Shallows, or a few others.”
Scouts-Many-Marshes leaned against a large barrel and sighed, “Neetrenaza left a few years ago to return to Black Marsh. Stands-In-Shallows overdosed on skooma shortly after you and Katel left. As far as the others? Well, I’m assuming you’re speaking about the one which threatened your life… a guard caught him stealing from one of the merchant’s ships a year after you left. The merchant had enough pull with the old Jarl to have him hung instead of jailed, and his cronies scattered like leaves in the wind when the dock manager hired a different bookkeeper to audit the ship manifests and found more than a few missing baubles from one or two which were assigned to them.”
The month seemed to fly by. The group stood outside the stables as the laborers loaded Aju-Lei and Katel’s purchases into the back of the carriage. A last round of well wishes and the driver clicked to the horses to start the long journey back to Whiterun, then to home to Oakwood.
The group tiredly trudged up the path toward their house as the sun set. Gunmyr’s son assured them their belongings would be safe in the warehouse overnight and they could pick them up any time the following day.
All three of them heaved a sigh of relief when they saw the lanterns burning next to the doorway of their home and along the path toward the stable. Aju-Lei led the bay gelding toward the stable to settle him into his new home while Katel and Kahl-Lei went into the house.
Katel smiled at the thoughtfulness of Chana and her husband. Not only was the house clean, but the bedding had a freshly washed scent. There was a hearty stew simmering on the stove while several loaves of fresh-baked bread sat on the table. All three of them felt good to be home even though the fall planting season would start in less than a week and it would be a busy time.
“Are you sure about this, Kahl-Lei? You’re young to be moving out on your own,” Katel said.
“Mama… I’m moving to the house behind the shop, not clear across Skyrim,” Kahl-Lei said to her mother as she lifted a box of clothing and carried it to the door. “Besides, I don’t have a kitchen there so I’ll be here all the time eating your cooking.”
“Still, you’re only sixteen years old,” Katel said as she picked up a smaller box and limped after her daughter, her leg pained her the last year like it used to before meeting Aju-Lei.
“I’ll be nearby, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be working in the shop and helping with the garden and herb patches still. Not to mention we’ll be dyeing the batches of yarn we spun.”
“But, you’ll be all alone out here at night. It’s dangerous.”
“I’ll be all right, the door has a sturdy lock on it. Papa repaired any damage, and they finished thatching the roof a few days ago, and I cleaned it all up on the inside. Chana brought me a new mattress ticking and Senta helped me stuff it yesterday. Both Gunmyr’s and the blacksmith’s sons brought me a new water barrel and filled up the woodshed for me. It will be fine.”
“I still don’t like it,” Katel argued.
When they approached the small hut Katel stopped and stared. “What is all this?”
Kahl-Lei blushed, “Well, after everyone left yesterday several of the bosmer stopped by and planted things around the house. They sort of just started growing and well by the time it finished it looked like that.”
Katel stared at the clay biscuit cottage now covered in flowering vines. Thick branches hung out over the hut bearing enormous leaves which shaded the home from the noon sun. Several lush berry bushes and vines, heavy with grape clusters, lined the path and grew on the thick poles of the wood fence. A new lantern hung above the door with the symbol of the bosmer on one side, the argonian, and nord on the other two sides, and the back had reflective metal to increase the output of the light.
“Looks like I’m outnumbered here,” Katel murmured and waited while Kahl-Lei unlocked the thick wood door and swung it open. The interior of the cottage was almost the same, except for the vine and leaf floor. “Does your papa know the floor isn’t a clay biscuit one anymore?”
Kahl-Lei shrugged, “It’s still the clay foundation, just with a few inches of thin oak branches and leaves to cushion it now.”
Woven reed and branch baskets lined one wall and sat on a wood shelving system of branches secured with rope and vines.
“You’ve been busy,” Katel said and helped to unpack the boxes they carried.
Kahl-Lei nodded, “The bosmer taught me how to make the baskets and things last winter. I stockpiled them so I would have storage containers ready for my things.”
“Been planning on leaving for so long?” Katel sounded heartbroken, and Kahl-Lei turned and hugged her mama tightly.
“I’m not going anywhere, Mama. I’m staying right here. I love the farm, I love the shop, and I love helping you create potions and unrivaled variety of cloth.”
Katel heaved a heavy sigh when she realized nothing would change her daughter’s mind about living alone in the cottage.
Kahl-Lei hitched the spring wagon to the horse then helped her parents load their goods into the back for their market day. She added a huge mound of woven baskets and thick mats she made from the river reeds to it then climbed into the back as Aju-Lei clicked at the horse.
Oakwood had grown so much they expanded the town’s borders to across the lake. As they set up their market stalls, one newcomer to the town ferried people across the lake on a flat-bottomed raft.
Several wagons arrived from Riverwood, Whiterun, and Falkreath along with the transport carriages throughout the day and many people on horseback filled the streets. Festive banners hung on the lamp posts while their newest resident, an old mage who took a liking to the Innkeeper’s widow when he passed through town, strung multiple colored magical lights around the trees and along the storefront support beams.
Hawkers of treats, pies, cakes, and candies pulled small wagons along the main road calling out their wares, while visitors stopped at the stalls. You could find everything from argonian crafts, to khajiit style armors, and giant round cushions to sit on, to bosmer baskets, and magical potions. There was even an orc who traveled clear from Whiterun to set up a stall just to sell books.
Aju-Lei was too busy hawking his painted gourd products to notice what Kahl-Lei was up to. Katel, however, noticed rather quickly the same male khajiit strutted past her daughter’s stall four times in the last half hour stopping briefly to preen in his finery in front of her.
Katel elbowed Aju-Lei in mid-sentence and nodded to the goings on at the stall across from theirs. Aju-Lei watched the scene and his tail swung to the side hard enough to knock over a crate of birdhouse gourds with a clatter. He gave a loud whistle when he saw Kahl-Lei lean toward the khajiit then smile as she flirted with him.
She jerked back and threw up her hands when Aju-Lei pointed at his eyes then at her before crossing his arms over his still broad chest.
Chana snorted when she saw what was happening. “She’s twenty years old you two, she’s not a child anymore.”
“She’s still our child and barely more than a teen by bosmer standards.”
Chana shook her head at her friends and wrapped a wheel of herb goat cheese in a sheet of brown parchment before handing it to the customer.
They watched as the same khajiit kept walking past the stalls, not stopping to buy anything from anyone, only to stand and run a hand over the tan fur on his head or straighten his tunic when he reached Kahl-Lei’s.
The same khajiit showed up at the next five market days and did the exact same thing. Aju-Lei had enough and went to confront the khajiit.
“What do you think you’re up to, khajiit?”
He turned toward Aju-Lei and brushed a hand over his tunic. “This one wishes to court the woman and is trying to show her I can provide for her. I am gainfully employed and would like to get to know her. If you don’t mind, you’re blocking her line of sight.”
“The woman is my daughter, and you better damn sight ask for her parent’s permission before you start this courting nonsense. She’s only twenty and doesn’t need someone who only knows how to strut about and wear fancy clothes.”
Kahl-Lei hissed, “Papa, you’re embarrassing me, stop it.”
“What my daughter needs is someone dependable, hardworking, and down to earth who won’t run off at the first sign of trouble. She needs someone who isn’t hooked on skooma, doesn’t waste Septims on unnecessary items, and will take care of her.”
Senta leaned close to Kahl-Lei in the stall next to her, “Your papa is worse than mine for chasing off men.”
Kahl-Lei covered her face and slowly sank down behind the stack of baskets sitting on the counter.
“She needs someone who knows farming, animal care, and shopkeeping. Someone who’s not afraid to get their hands… or paws, dirty with tending gardens, and one who won’t get angry because their skin, scales, or fur gets dyed a strange color from helping with the dye vats. Someone who doesn’t make promises they can’t or won’t keep.”
Aju-Lei crossed his arms over his chest and blocked the khajiit’s view of Kahl-Lei’s stall.
“This khajiit will do all of that and can protect her too. This one worked his way from Elsweyr to Skyrim, from mining out ore near Markarth and across Skyrim to find his way to Whiterun. He now works for the Battle-Borns as a laborer in their fields. This one has never used skooma and never will.
J’ari admits he doesn’t know how to take care of animals other than his horse, but he will learn, and dye eventually fades. This one will help with every aspect of her business but will leave the shopkeeping and finances to her. This one will not spend their hard-earned Septims unwisely.”
Aju-Lei stared into the khajiit’s blue eyes and waited, and waited, and waited. He didn’t see the man flinch or back down. He snorted and said, “If you want to get to know her stop strutting around like a barnyard rooster. Come to the house and introduce yourself then ask for our permission and hers. We’ll go from there.”
Kahl-Lei peeked around the corner of her stall when she heard the last part of the argument. She stood up as she blinked at her parents and the tan colored male standing in front of her stall with his mouth open staring at her papa as he went back to selling gourd bowls.
Aju-Lei and Katel sat on a bench outside of the small cottage they moved into after J’ari and Kahl-Lei married. The sun was high, and they heard children’s laughter as they watched Kahl-Lei picking pea pods from the trellises while her khajiit daughter, Sahaba chased a butterfly around the yard.
Katel and Aju-Lei were surprised several years ago by a loud, rapid knocking on their door late one evening and opened it to find the two of them standing on their porch holding a crying baby.
Kahl-Lei quickly told them the Innkeeper’s stable boy heard something in the stable and went to investigate. He found the baby laying in a stall. He didn’t notice any khajiits other than J’ari anywhere near the Inn let alone a female hanging around the stable.
They hurried to the main house and J’ari followed Aju-Lei up the steps to the loft where they moved several dusty crates until they found the worn black leather pack which contained their old camping equipment.
Aju-Lei tossed the chest on the floor of the living room and took out the crates of linens they used for Kahl-Lei as a baby along with the swinging basket, toys, and the goat’s horn nurser.
While Katel washed everything, Aju-Lei sent J’ari to the blacksmith for clean leather and made sure J’ari knew to explain what it was for then to hurry back as fast as he could.
“We will need fresh milkers, Kahl-Lei, the baby will drink more milk than our old goats can provide.”
Once J’ari returned, Aju-Lei and Katel went over everything they could remember on how they raised Kahl-Lei, and J’ari haltingly explained the changes which the baby’s appearance will undergo over the next few days.
The three of them looked at each other and down at the baby who resembled a large kitten then to J’ari before they told him it wouldn’t matter what she looked like, she was now part of their family.
Then just a year ago J’ari, Kahl-Lei, and Sahaba returned with a young boy following behind them. They explained while in Riften doing business with the local wool merchant at his stall in the town square, J’ari turned his back for a second to look at some fresh-baked pies and Sahaba disappeared.
They searched the area in a panic. After alerting a guard and asking around at the other stalls, the argonian who sold jewelry told them he saw a khajiit girl heading for the orphanage.
After finding their daughter safe, they gave her a stern lecture about the dangers of leaving their side and wandering off. They listened as through her tears and sniffles; she explained she only wanted to play with the boy who sat by himself in the yard’s corner.
J’ari wiped his daughter’s amber-colored eyes and smoothed down her cream and tan fur before hugging her. They found the boy she told them of and noticed none of the other children paid any attention to him.
Sahaba sat near him and pushed a wooden ball toward him and giggled when he used his foot to push it back toward her after a minute. By the end of the day, the orphanage administrator had the adoption papers signed, and they were shopping for clothing for the quiet breton boy.
It took many months for Thierry to realize they were keeping him and not just getting his hopes up only to return him to the orphanage. He slowly came out of his shell and spoke to them and telling them of how he came to be in the orphanage.
Now, as the sun shone down on the fields, they saw him grab something out of the stream flowing on their property and run toward J’ari, who stopped what he was doing to kneel and listen intently to his son as he showed his papa the frog he caught.
Katel sighed happily and leaned against her aging husband who nuzzled her graying hair.
“We’ve had a wonderful life, husband, and to think it all started because an idiot argonian threw my worn and tattered basket into the river and broke my fishing pole.”
Aju-Lei chuckled as he hugged his beloved wife closer to him and watched his family laugh and play under the noonday sun.