A/N: The rewrite isn't quite done yet but I might as well post some of what I do have. Here it is, The Age of the Dragon, where Elisif goes to Thedas to be Inquisitor and Madanach chases after her. Except it's not that simple. I should put in trigger warnings for the opening being a bit sad. And for unhappy children. And depictions of physical and mental disability. Because Elisif can only get to Thedas if some serious magic's involved, and she's only going to invoke that sort of serious magic if forced to. Say by a dying husband and a little girl who wishes her dad could play with her like other daddies...

Spoilers for Dragon Age Inquisition, obviously, also for its prequel games and associated novels, although the exact choices I'm going with will be revealed later. Let's just say this is a world where the Warden was an elven mage who romanced Zevran and is still out there somewhere, Anora's Queen of Ferelden, and Hawke was a mage-sympathising rogue who supported her boyfriend Anders to the bitter end.

On the Skyrim side, this is a sequel to Wolf Queen Awakens and Fearless Vampire Hunters, so the Skyrim canon's diverged a bit by this point. To sum up, Elisif was the Dragonborn, the Empire won the Civil War, the Dark Brotherhood got wiped out, but only after Cicero turned on them after Elisif saved him from Arnbjorn, and now he's loyal to her and actually lives in Jorrvaskr now. Meanwhile Madanach's King of the Reach after meeting Elisif in Cidhna Mine and agreeing to ally with her in return for his kingdom back. They later got married, but only after Emperor Titus Mede II himself arrived wanting to find out just what this province was coming to, and decided a real, genuine Dragonborn leader who'd managed to sort out a war and save the world all by herself was worth keeping onside, so he ratified everything and adopted her. Meaning Elisif's not just a High Queen, but heir to the Ruby Throne, much to her chagrin.

The rest should hopefully become apparent in this fic, or wasn't really relevant anyway.

Summary: The High Queen of Skyrim should have the world at her feet, but some things even a Dragonborn can't command, such as the ravages of time, rock dust and Skooma. With her beloved husband dying, and her beloved five year old miserable, Elisif risks everything to petition the gods for a miracle. Except miracles come at a very high price...

Second Seed, 4E 208. A beautiful summer's day in the city of Markarth. The city should be buzzing, should be out enjoying the sunshine. It wasn't.

Markarth was quiet, heads bowed, voices subdued, uncertainty and fear everywhere. The Reach had been free for six years now, an Imperial province under the rule of Madanach Saoirseach, King of the Reach and consort to the High Queen of Skyrim. In that time, the country had prospered and life had been good for most. Cidhna Mine no longer a prison but a working commercial silver mine, along with most of the other mines in the Reach, and governed by rigorous safety and employee protection legislation. Free healthcare for all citizens of the Reach provided by a free clinic operating out of Understone Keep. Regular Reachfolk festivals to keep the citizens happy. The odd Nord complaining of ReachGuard mistreatment but incidents were rare and usually settled quickly. On a wider level, Reach-Princess Eola, second in line to the throne, had taken over as Harbinger of the Companions after Kodlak Whitemane's death – she'd cured him of lycanthropy and he'd declared her the next Harbinger. It had raised a few eyebrows, but so far Eola had proved quite the effective leader, revising the Companions' rates, raising charges for wealthy customers but giving discounts to the less fortunate, and if the occasional traveller or petty criminal sometimes vanished near Whiterun, no one really gave it a lot of thought.

Reach-Princess Eola and her husband Cicero had also been responsible for saving Skyrim as a whole from vampires determined to put out the sun, after a routine job involving investigating rumours of rogue mages in Dimhollow Crypt had led to discovering the Vigilants of Stendarr's Hall a shattered ruin and the blood trail leading towards Dimhollow, and inside vampires looking for something... and a vampire called Serana who'd asked for nothing more than her life and an escort home. The resulting favour resulted in Eola, Cicero, Eola's other partner Athis, and Serana eventually going on a hunt for Elder Scrolls to try and track down Auriel's Bow so they could bring down Serana's father, evil even by vampire standards. High Queen Elisif had been all too pleased to rally the Jarls and put together a joint Skyrim-Reach task force to get rid of the vampires based in her very Hold, and it had been Elisif's sword Dawnbreaker that had eventually finished Harkon off.

Castle Volkihar was now a thriving sea port, and Serana herself now lived in Solitude, having taken over as court mage after her father's vampires had killed her predecessor, enjoying the novel sensation of living among mortals, seeing life, seeing a city up close she'd always been excited about, getting to live in a beautiful palace and with no real responsibilities other than the magical research she loved. Then Nepos the Nose, Madanach's steward and oldest friend, had passed away in the winter of 205... and the rot had set in.

Depression, grief, increasing physical frailty, the fact that Cidhna Mine had savaged Madanach's lungs and twenty years of Skooma had savaged Madanach's mind, and two and a half years after Nepos's death, one thing was becoming clear. Madanach, King of the Reach, was dying.

"Are you sure this will work?" Lydia whispered. She'd served Elisif loyally and well as her housecarl since Elisif had returned in triumph to Solitude after her Dragonborn adventure. She'd smiled at Elisif's wedding, watched indulgently as little Princess Maia took her first steps, watched rather more anxiously as little Maia learnt her first spells... and held Elisif's hands as coughs wracked Madanach's body and Forsworn healers solemnly held up illusion-crafted pictures of a healthy human brain and lungs, and those of her husband and quietly told Elisif to prepare for the worst. Elisif had watched Kaie take over as Regent of the Reach and sobbed her heart out in private later. And Lydia had seen it all.

"No, but what choice do I have?" Elisif said quietly. "He's dying, Lydia. It's this or Keirine replaces his lungs with another man's and I'm not doing that. And that won't fix his mind."

Madanach's mind was succumbing as well as his body, and while he still knew he was married, he didn't always remember who to. Elisif could feel him via the empathy bond that the Forsworn bound married couples with, and it broke her heart. When she wasn't there, she'd feel him wake... and feel him terrified, not knowing who was lurking in his mind... and fearing it might be his ex-wife. It broke her heart. As did coming back to Markarth to visit him, and seeing the wariness in once keen silver eyes as he shrank from her and had to be coaxed each time. But one thing did remain and that was that she could always coax him. That, once she'd whispered to him that Mireen was definitely dead, she would never hurt him again, he was married to her now and she'd look after him, he'd hesitate, whisper "Really?" and lean forward, smiling with the same disbelieving delight every time. And then things would be better... while she was there anyway. But always she'd have to return to Solitude eventually, and then would come the heartbreak as he'd cry when she left... and forget her as soon as she'd gone.

Elisif could live with this. What she could no longer cope with was what it was doing to their daughter. Five years old, Dragonborn, learning magic, fiercely intelligent and brave as any Nord... and little Maia needed to be. Her father was kind to her, always pleased to see her... but he was too frail to play with her, she had to be quiet and gentle around him so as not to hurt him, and while he mostly remembered she was his kin, he didn't always remember who she was. Maia had learnt to answer to the names Eithne and Amaleen as often as her own. And yet she just seemed to accept it. Elisif found her heart breaking every time but Maia was philosophical about it all.

"He can't help it, Mama, he's old and sick," Maia would say sadly. "I know he loves me really."

Elisif held Maia tight and tried not to cry. And Madanach wasn't getting any better, and Elisif didn't know what to do. But she did know her baby deserved better than an elderly father who spent most of his days bed-ridden or being wheeled about the keep in his Dwemer wheeled chair. Then Keirine had uncovered a ritual that might just work. It had to be worth a try.

Lydia and Elisif both heard Madanach coughing again as he sat by the fire in his room. Elisif shivered to hear it.

That fucking mine. Who thought that was an OK thing to do to a man – any man, even Madanach? Elisif thought execution would have been kinder – but then she might not have her throne if they had, and certainly not Maia. The little princess was in with her father now, assisting her teenage half-brother with looking after him.

"Daddy, look, I can do an illusion of a bird now, look!"

More coughing. Then...

"A bird? Hey... that's nice! Good work, Eithne, you'll be better than me soon."

A pause, then a subdued little whisper.

"Thank you, Daddy."

"Ach, that's all..." Madanach broke off to cough some more and then paused. "Wait... you're not Eithne. Duach, who's..."

"Aventus, Da. I'm Aventus. And that's Maia. We're your younger kids. Eithne's... not here."

"Oh." He paused again and then, rather tetchily: "Eithne never comes to see me any more. What's that about, huh? Too busy being Queen of the Forsworn to care about her old da, eh?"

Elisif decided now was a good time to intervene. She nodded to Lydia and walked in, smiling faintly at Madanach as he looked up, startled.

"Mama!" Maia cried, making her illusory parakeet vanish and running to her mother to hug the parent who reliably remembered who she was.

"Hello pixie," Elisif whispered, cuddling her daughter with tears in her eyes. "Came to say goodbye."

"Don't go," Maia whispered, joy immediately vanishing. "Why do you have to go, I miss you!"

"I'm sorry," Elisif murmured back, kissing her daughter's red hair, same colour as hers. Maia could almost be a mini-Elisif, save for the eyes. Those silver eyes were definitely Madanach's, as was Maia's affinity with spellcrafting. Elisif wasn't very good at magic, but Maia was a prodigy. It was heartbreaking to realise the father she inherited this from was too far gone to even acknowledge it.

Madanach had looked up at this point, eyes lighting up as he saw Elisif.

"Well, hello! My day just brightened up! I know you, don't I? Weren't you here earlier? You need to be careful, I think my wife is around. I don't want her to get jealous." He shivered in his chair, real fear in his eyes. "You don't want to be around her when she's jealous."

"Da," Aventus sighed. "Da, that is your wife. You married Elisif."

"I... did?" Madanach was staring at her, amazed, and Elisif smiled and nodded, vainly hoping he'd remember. He looked a bit confused, and then his face almost exploded in a brilliant smile and Elisif nearly gasped as the force of the emotion hit her. She should be used to it by now, but no. It still got her every time.

"I married you?"

Elisif nodded again, kneeling by his chair, eyes closed as arthritic fingers stroked her cheek.

"But you're beautiful," Madanach breathed. "Look at you, gods, why, how did you agree to marry me?"

Elisif bit her lip and smiled up at him, hoping the tears weren't too obvious.

"Because you're a handsome man, Madanach," she whispered. Madanach laughed, and blushed a little.

"Yeah, I remember now. A little anyway – I remember kissing you," Madanach sighed fondly. "And this morning too – that's a nice way to wake up."

"Children, why don't you go wait outside, I need to talk privately with your father," Elisif said primly, and Madanach's eyes did light up at that. Aventus also took the hint, seventeen and well aware of what sex was, and promptly steered Maia away, promising he'd bring her back later. The door closed behind them, and Elisif wheeled Madanach to the nearby pool, perching on the ledge next to it and resting her head on the armrail of his chair. Fingers in her hair and Elisif smiled sadly. He remembered so little some days, and yet he still loved her, even now. They even still had a sex life of sorts. True, it was a very gentle form of loving – nothing rough or even penetrative, but they would kiss, cuddle, get each other off, and afterwards Madanach would be more lucid. He'd remember more. He'd hold her and whisper he was sorry, she deserved better, she'd tell him better this than murdered by Ulfric and he'd hold her and whisper "we killed him, didn't we? You and me! I was Jarl of Windhelm, wasn't I!" And she'd smile and nod and for the next day or so, he'd be better. Still physically weak, but mentally more aware than ever. Until she had to leave, and when she returned, he'd be back to a vague, confused old man not sure where he was or who anyone else was.

"I'm going away for a bit, Madanach," she whispered, heartbroken as his face fell and he shook his head as always. "I came to say goodbye."

"No," Madanach whispered, tears in his eyes. "No, you can't, you..." he broke off for another series of vicious coughs, wheezing a little before continuing. "Don't go," he finally managed. "Don't leave me. I don't remember much but it's better with you around! Elisif, please..."

Elisif shook her head, taking his hand in hers.

"I have to," Elisif whispered. "But I won't be more than a few days. It's... well, it's to make you better. So you remember things and don't cough all the time and can walk again without help or getting tired."

Madanach didn't look convinced, in fact he was looking away, eyes screwed shut and she could feel the agony pouring out of him. Keirine had more than once offered to cut the bond, spare her at least, but Elisif refused. She couldn't do it. He'd think she'd died if she did, think she'd abandoned him. It was hard enough going back to Solitude for two weeks out of every month.

"I will be back, I promise," she whispered. Madanach shook his head, looking and feeling utterly bereft. Elisif didn't say anything else. There wasn't anything she could say, there was nothing that would make him feel better about watching her leave. So she did what she always did. She turned and left, not looking back because it was bad enough feeling his pain. She couldn't bear actually looking.

Whiterun, and all was ready for the ritual. Elisif had gone to a lot of trouble to sort all this out. A large cash donation to the Temple of Kynareth. The fixing of the Gildergreen. Begging Jarl Balgruuf for logistical support. Having to move the Temple's patients to Jorrvaskr – well, the Companions had helped with that. That had been easy, Eola had been happy to help if it meant even a chance of getting her father back. And so here they were in a cleared out Temple, lights dimmed, Whiterun guards on the outer doors, Oculatus on the inside, Lydia at Elisif's back in case something unwanted came through, soul gems everywhere, sigils on the floor and walls, a goat sacrificed, Keirine chanting and opening something, in conjunction with Serana's vampire mother Valerica, Eola and Serana assisting with power raising and Elisif in the middle, adding a few drops of her own blood to the chalice Keirine was holding to seal the deal. An arcane ritual to summon Kynareth, or an avatar of hers, the ritual called her the Dovahsestum or Dragon of the South, whatever that meant, and you could demand a favour from her... for a price. Elisif had Dragonbane on hand to offer up – she didn't think Meridia would approve of her sacrificing Dawnbreaker to Kynareth. She just hoped it was enough.

Elisif lifted the sword and recited the incantation, before pouring out the blood on the ground and Keirine's magic poured in. A portal opened – sort of. It was there anyway, a gate into Aetherius, ready for the goddess to walk through.

"Kyne, Kynareth, Lady of the Skies, Protector of the People, Dragon of the South, Widow of Shor, She Who Brings The Winds of Change, bring the winds to me! Hear my call, answer my prayer, give me your favour, and come to me!" Elisif deepened the wound on her wrist and let more drops of blood fall on the portal... and something sucked the drops in. Nothing... and then it began to open.

"It's working!" Eola called. Elisif's hand went to Dawnbreaker's hilt and she backed away, because not only was it opening, there was a figure silhouetted on the other side. A woman... with horns?

She didn't have a chance to look. A silent explosion of light knocked her back, and Elisif only just managed to keep her footing. No one else had said a word though, which was odd. Elisif looked up to see everyone else frozen in time, her guards reaching for weapons or staggering to their feet, Keirine's claws outstretched, the illusions gone, Lydia unmoving on the floor, both Volkihars frozen in place with shock on Serana's face and fury on Valerica's, and Eola lying back on the floor, half sitting up and staring at the portal in horror.

This was not good. Not good at all. Especially when a shadow fell over Elisif and a woman's voice, old and mocking, rang out, sounding rather like Keirine's.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?"

Elisif slowly looked up to see a woman all right, an old one, with hair styled like a dragon's horns, red leather gear a little like a Volkihar vampire's, a sly smile on her face and golden eyes that bore right through Elisif.

Oh gods. An avatar of Kynareth, and she'd just stepped over the binding circle like it was nothing.

"Kyne," Elisif managed to say, scrabbling to her feet and reaching for Dragonbane. "Are you Kyne? Don't come any closer!"

'Kyne' just rolled her eyes. "Honestly, child, if I was going to kill you, you'd be dead. Do put that thing away. Now then. Do my senses deceive me or am I in the North?"

"You're in Skyrim," Elisif said, wondering what on Nirn was going on. "This is pretty far north. You're in your temple in Whiterun – that's if you are actually Kynareth."

"Kynareth?" the woman laughed. "Well, some call me that. Others call me other names. Flemeth. Asha'bellanar. An old hag who talks too much, ha!"

Elisif didn't disagree there, but she did lower her blade.

"I summoned you," she said warily. "The ritual said you'd do a favour... for a price."

Kynareth-Flemeth-Asha'bellanar grinned at that. "It has been known, child. I've helped an awful lot of people, set many things in motion... but are you willing to pay the price? Let's hear what you want first. Can't be wealth or power, you clearly have those already."

And neither could save Madanach. Elisif thought of her husband crying her name and sobbing as she'd left him behind, of the coughs that just seemed to get worse every winter, and of Maia whispering if her daddy was going to die, not to mention the other children Elisif had desperately wanted but was now unlikely to ever have.

"My husband," Elisif said quietly. "Madanach of the Reach. He's not well. His lungs... and this drug called Skooma... his lungs are rotting from breathing mine dust for twenty years and the Skooma ruined his mind. I've tried everything but there's no cure. We have a little girl, she's five years old, she needs her father but half the time he's not there! Please help – if you can heal him, this sword is yours." Elisif held out Dragonbane, blade of Reman Cyrodiil, valuable indeed... and Kyne-Flemeth actually recoiled from it.

"Keep the blade," she snapped. "It's of more use to you. No, my price is not your sword, but you. I know what you are, you have dragon blood in you. You're the Dragon of the North. I have a use for you. Another land, another people, they're about to be in a lot of trouble. You've dealt with trouble before, haven't you. Deal with this and I'll heal your husband."

Elisif's eyes widened. This wasn't expected at all. She'd hoped the sword would be enough – but she should have realised this wouldn't be so easy. But if she really could heal Madanach...

"All right," Elisif whispered. "I'll do it. If you heal Madanach for me."

"I will," Kyne promised, satisfied smile on her face. "Now, first a couple of spells – one for disease immunity and another purging anything infectious out of you... and this one will teach you the language..."

Elisif cried out as the spells hit, and suddenly a whole lexicon of words appeared in her head, foreign, different, utterly unlike Tamrielic, but she knew them all. She knew a whole second language, how had that happened?

"And now you need to leave," Kyne continued, banishing spell raised. "If I'm right, you should get there just in time."

The spell hit and Elisif shrieked as the world around her vanished, falling away as the void sucked her in.

Back in Understone Keep, and Elisif had been gone nearly a whole day now. Aventus could always tell by his father's moods. Elisif leaving him behind always shattered him mentally. He'd been quiet and withdrawn, occasionally snapping at both his servants, his bodyguard Borkul and even Aventus himself, but more often just staring into space as if stricken. Aventus hated watching him like this, but damned if he was abandoning his heartbroken, lonely father.

"You don't need to stay," Madanach said quietly, and Aventus started up, wondering if Madanach could read his mind.

"I don't mind," Aventus said quickly, and Madanach snorted bitterly.

"Yeah, you do. Why would a healthy boy want to sit in here with an old wreck like me?" Madanach said, his voice soft and barely audible despite the room's empty silence. "You should be outside, chasing girls... or boys... or both... or letting them chase you... or something! I don't mind sitting alone for a bit."

I mind. Madanach wasn't safe to leave alone for long any more, he'd forget he could barely walk and fall over, or try spells he barely remembered how to cast, or wake suddenly and start crying out because this wasn't a camp, where was he, had the Nords got him?

Aventus was not for a moment going to pretend it was easy, but Madanach had rescued him from despair and hardship, gone to find him when no one else would, answered the Black Sacrament despite not actually being a Dark Brotherhood assassin, it later transpired. But King of the Forsworn wasn't a bad substitute.

And now the King of the Forsworn was a shadow of his former self, Kaie was Queen in all but name, and Aventus was slowly losing his father. It was too soon. It was only six years since the adoption. It wasn't fair. But Aventus wasn't leaving him.

"I could take you outside for a bit," Aventus said softly. "We got that portal to the balcony now. Want to sit in the sun for a few hours?"

A wistful little smile on Madanach's face. "Wouldn't mind that. Seems like... seems like I've not been out in a while. Say, is Elisif joining us? I like her!"

"Not today," Aventus had to tell him and cringed as he saw Madanach's face fall. "But she'll be back soon!"

"I miss her," Madanach whispered, and then he just scowled. "Eh. Don't bother, bion. Don't like the sun anyway. Hurts my eyes."

Aventus nodded, quietly resigning himself to another day of sitting quietly with his father, maybe reading to him or just watching while he napped. Madanach slept a lot lately. Aventus didn't know if he should be worried or not. He couldn't have been more wrong.

Madanach seemed on the verge of nodding off when it happened. Suddenly the room was full of light as a portal suddenly opened in front of them both. Aventus leapt to his feet, grabbing his dagger in one hand, casting Stoneflesh with the other, and even Madanach sat up, startled.

For the first time in years, something like sanity flashed into the Reach-King's eyes.

"Bion, run, get Kaie, now!" Madanach snapped, mage armour flashing into his left hand and fire into his right and Aventus realised maybe his father wasn't quite as far gone as they'd all thought.

"I'm not leaving!" Aventus cried, just as she stepped through. White-hair swept back into two horns, red leather despite looking like an old woman, strange gold eyes rather like Serana's, except this was no vampire, and a smile like Keirine's... and Aventus knew damn well this was a witch even Keirine might fear.

"Put the knife down, boy, I'm not here for you," she said calmly, hand reaching for Madanach.

"Get away from him!" Aventus tried to cry but to no avail. The room had gone still, even the fire in the hearth still and he couldn't move, couldn't do anything as his father stared at the witch, fury in his eyes... and she cast.

Golden light struck his chest, and Madanach cried out as her magic lifted him from his chair, the blanket falling from legs that were little more than skin and bone these days, Madanach's entire body looking so horribly fragile and frail and Aventus wanted to scream at her to let him go... but if he fell from that height, he'd die, surely?

She didn't let him fall. Golden fire poured from her fingers like a torrent, pouring into his chest and Madanach was screaming, clearly in agony as the light grew brighter, enveloping him until he was just a silhouette, suspended in midair, and this was killing him, it must be, except the screaming didn't stop, it just kept going on... but it did change slowly, from incoherent wails to terrified pleading... and then shifting into utter profanity as Madanach's screams turned into enraged howls promising Oblivion itself when he got his hands on her.

"Oh, that's good!" the witch laughed. "Go on, Madanach. You tell me what you're going to do. Tell me who you are!"

"I'm King of the Reach, you fucking daedra-bitch, I will rip you open and feed your carcass to Namira!" Madanach roared. "I'll mount your head on my damn wall as a trophy if you don't let me go right no- aarrgghhh!"

"Lungs working fine, muscles restored, joints seem good," the witch observed. "One last thing, who's your wife? That really pretty woman you married?"

"YOU LEAVE MY ELISIF OUT OF THIS, OR I SWEAR I WILL TURN THE BLOOD IN YOUR VEINS INTO POISON!" Madanach raged, starting to struggle, and slowly the magic was fading, Madanach becoming visible again, and he was staring viciously back at the witch, looking almost like his old self, in fact he looked visibly less fragile. There was even magic at his fingers, and he seemed to be sucking her power into himself somehow.

"You're fighting back!" the witch breathed, delighted. "Oh now, that's magnificent. And you remember who your wife is, don't you? You remember it all! You're the Reach-King, aren't you? Father of six living children and two dead ones."

"You leave my kids out of this," Madanach whispered. "I swear you're a dead woman."

The witch had the nerve to smile. "Not yet. Even at your full strength, you wouldn't be able to kill me." Then she released her magic and let him fall, and Madanach fell to the ground, yelping as he crashed into stone... but reflexes saved him and he landed on all fours, wincing.

"But you are back at full strength," the witch said softly. "Do not waste it, Madanach. Few get a second chance. Your wife's paid a heavy price to heal you. Don't fritter it away."

Madanach was kneeling on the floor, gasping for breath and shaking, trying to get up but failing. The witch just smiled and turned away, stepping through the portal... and then she was gone and Aventus was free.

"Da!" Aventus cried, racing to his side and kneeling by him. "Gods, Da, are you all right? What happened?"

"Dunno," Madanach gasped, trying to get up and then collapsing in Aventus's arms, shaking all over and clearly exhausted. "'Ventus, get... get Keirine... need to know... Elisif..." Madanach collapsed again, eyes fluttering closed and Aventus cried out, trying to shake him awake... but by then the door had smashed open and Uraccen, Kaie's steward ever since it became clear Kaie was going to need to take over the Mournful Throne from her ailing father, was striding in, Borkul at his back, Kaie behind him with several ReachGuard and a crash team from the clinic, all taking his father off him and hauling him to bed to perform tests.

"What happened, are you all right?" Uraccen said softly, putting an arm round him. "We heard screaming – who was he shouting at?"

"There was a woman," Aventus whispered. "A – a witch, not a hag or anything, looked human but I don't know. She cast a spell on him... I don't know what it did! Is he – is he all right?"

Uraccen looked up to where healers were surrounding him, doing tests, magic flaring everywhere.

"Kaie? What do we have? Are you still a Brenyeen?"

Kaie was consulting with the lead healer, a dark-skinned Reachwoman with pointed ears called Briala, and looked disbelieving.

"What? How is that possible? Restoration magic doesn't work like that!"

"Well, something did!" Healer Briala was saying. "We need to do more tests but initial signs are that his heartrate's normal – excellent for a man his age. And his breathing's fine."

"His breathing's not been fine for over ten years!" Kaie cried. "What's wrong with him?"

Briala just shrugged. "That's just it, Brenyeen. Nothing seems wrong with him. He looks for all intents and purposes like a healthy adult male who's fast asleep. Oh, and it took four of us to get him to the bed, and it was an effort. Normally two can lift him easily. He's somehow gained weight in the last hour. A lot of weight and it's all muscle, look at him!"

Kaie went to look and Aventus followed, curious now. The witch had hurt him but she'd also said he had a second chance. Aventus peered at his father, now half-naked, lying on his bed, eyes closed and chest slowly rising and falling. No sign he'd ever had trouble breathing. Many of the liver spots on his skin, gone. Wrinkles smoothed out. Muscles – not massive ones like Borkul or Argis or Farkas, but definitely there. Madanach the King in Rags looked healthier than Aventus had ever seen him, and they all knew it.

"He looks better than he's done in years," Uraccen breathed, stunned. "Gods above, did that ritual of Keirine's actually work? Was that Kynareth herself?"

"I don't know, but I'm taking no chances," Kaie said firmly. "Healers, do all the tests you can without waking him, then let him sleep. I want him under observation at all times until he wakes up. Then... then we talk to him, see what he remembers."

"He doesn't remember much these days," Borkul warned. "You'll be lucky he doesn't think you're Amaleen."

Pain flickering across Kaie's face but the acting Reach-Queen was not one to show her grief openly.

"This morning he was a feeble old man who coughed constantly and who had twigs for legs due to barely being able to walk," Kaie said softly. "The man in that bed's got muscle tone. His body got better. I think we might find his mind's come back as well." She turned to Aventus, arm round him as a curious smile rather like her father's crossed her face. "Come on, gwador. I need to ask you a few questions."

Elisif opened her eyes. There'd been light, sound, a sensation of falling and the wind whipping past her ears and screaming... that might have been her actually. She had no idea how long that had been going on for, but she had a feeling she'd been travelling a while. Then she'd come to an abrupt stop, falling out of a portal and hovering just above the floor of a stone corridor. And then the magic had been gone and she'd crashed to the floor, Blades armour clanking with the impact.

It was a good thing she was trained how to let her armour take the impact, really. She was still bruised though. But not harmed and able to walk, and so she slowly hauled herself to her feet, adjusted the Jagged Crown, checked that Dragonbane and Dawnbreaker were still there and the Shield of Solitude on her back. Yep, all present and correct. Wedding ring on left hand, amulet of Kynareth round her neck (ha ha, fucking ha, Kyne was NOT in her good books at the moment), Elisif was good to go.

But go where, that was the problem. She had no idea where she was. A corridor in some vast stone building and she had a feeling this might be underground. Maybe? But she was here to help and so she supposed she'd better find someone. There must be some sort of crisis going on, right? Except everything seemed very very quiet. Too quiet.

Maybe she should try to find the exit, find out where she was. She was sure she'd know the trouble she was meant to sort out when she saw it.

It was at that point the screaming started. It sounded like a woman, an older one at that.

It was good enough for Elisif. Drawing Dragonbane and readying her shield, she ran in the direction of the screams. Someone needed her help.

Meanwhile back in Whiterun, the paralytic spell had lifted as soon as the portal had closed – with no sign of Elisif or the mysterious woman who may or may not have actually been Kyne.

"What… just happened?" Eola whispered, absolutely certain that was not an intended consequence of the ritual. "Who was that? I don't think it was Kynareth!"

"I don't know but she just took Elisif," Serana gasped as she helped Eola up. "I think we may be in trouble."

Trouble was the word. Elisif's guards weren't any ordinary guards, they were the highly trained Penitus Oculatus charged with guarding the heir to an Empire, and they were not best pleased. Especially as Keirine's illusions had left her revealed as the Hagraven she was.

"Stand down, witch!" the captain was raging at her. "What have you done with the High Queen?"

"I?" Keirine hissed. "I did nothing. The ritual was supposed to contain the one it summoned! That it has gone wrong is to be regretted but the situation is not unresolvable."

"You'll regret it all right!" the captain roared, raising his sword to strike Keirine down, and it was only the actions of Elisif's housecarl Lydia that saved her, as Lydia shoved Keirine aside and took the blow meant to fell a Matriarch.

Lydia's armour saved her from immediate death, but the blow went deep, her armour only slowing it down and blood went everywhere.

"No!" Serana cried, magic flaring in her hands, and Eola was quite prepared to do some killing of her own… and then magic flared through the temple and all the Oculatus dropped their weapons, vacant stares in their eyes. But the witches were doing just fine, and Keirine promptly dropped to Lydia's side, healing magic flaring. Serana and Eola turned round to see who'd cast that spell, and Serana winced to see Valerica shaking her hands and looking far too smug for anyone's good.

"A trick of vampire blood," Valerica explained. "And daughter, I am surprised it did not occur to you to use it. Consider it next time rather than panicking."

"Yes Mother," Serana said through gritted teeth. "So now what? We can't stay here and that spell won't last."

"No," Valerica said firmly. "Keirine, can you manage a portal?"

Keirine looked up, surveyed the wrecked temple and shook her head.

"I used most of my magicka and the necessary materials in the ritual. I can get myself to safety but not you three. My advice? Flee the city immediately."

"Then they'll think we did it!" Serana cried. "That won't help!"

Eola stared down at Lydia, who was conscious – just about – but in pain.

"Is she going to be all right?" Eola whispered. She'd always liked Lydia. The housecarl had just taken everything in her stride, from a Dragonborn five year old to a vampire court mage and a dragon on top of the palace, and now she'd just saved the life of a known Hagraven.

"Yes, but she'll need rest and recovery and for that priestess of Kynareth to look at her," Keirine said, getting up. "She's the Jarl's niece, is she not? Then she will be doubtless cared for. There's nothing more I can do now, not without my equipment and assistants. Lydia, girl, tell your uncle what really happened and I promise you a favour in the Reach, whatever you like."

"Matriarch," Lydia whispered, trying to salute and giving up. Then came hammering on the door, with the guards of Whiterun demanding for them to open up in the name of the Jarl.

"Keirine, go, get out of here," Valerica said quickly. "I can use a local illusion shield to hide the rest of us, get us out of the city. We can meet you back in the Reach."

Much as Eola hated asking the Mournful Throne for favours, especially since her father's illness, even she could admit it was their only hope for safety from the Oculatus.

"There's a secret exit from Whiterun in Jorrvaskr, if you can get us there," Eola sighed. "This will not be popular, but Cicero can use Auriel's Bow so you can travel. If we can get to Rorikstead and the Reachman settlement nearby, there's a tunnel there that can get us into the Reach."

"Good plan, I approve," Keirine nodded. "Very well, I'll get back to Hag's End and start researching ways to find Elisif. In particular, I need to examine that grimoire the ritual was in. I'm starting to have doubts about the accuracy of the translation. Alas the translator left my coven some years ago – but no matter. Niece? Take care."

"You too," Eola whispered as Keirine changed into a raven and flew out through a gap in the roof. Then it was Valerica's turn to take charge.

"Are we ready?" Valerica said, holding out her hands. Eola took one arm, Serana the other and Valerica cast the spell as Balgruuf's guards kicked the door in, staring at stupefied Oculatus men and a downed housecarl in the midst of a temple covered in goat's blood and half-melted candles, and collectively deciding they all deserved a pay rise. Leaving them to it, Eola followed the vampires out. This particular mess was far far beyond Eola alone.

A/N: The next few chapters will mainly focus on the mess left behind as Skyrim collectively loses it a bit - this is the problem with getting rid of the High Queen, people notice she's gone! Don't worry. No one dies.

Reach-tongue translations:

Brenyeen = princess

Gwador = brother