Victory or Sovngarde

Chapter Thirty-Five

"Good morning, Ylva!"

I turned and smiled at Carlotta as I walked past her stall. "I'll come back to speak with you in a moment! I have to fetch something from Arcadia!"

Carlotta waved her hand. "Don't worry! I'll be here, with a fresh batch of pumpernickel bread!"

I nodded. "Thank you!"

It was a beautiful day in Whiterun, the first beautiful day in almost a week. Dreary rain clouds had kept the sun from reaching us, warming the cobbles and feeding the plants, but not on this day. I relished in the bright sunshine and fresh air. The free air. At long last, the mass of pilgrims on a journey to praise me, the Dragonborn, had left. I had the freedom to walk the streets once more, holding my children's hands and taking my time to say hello to my neighbors. Life in Whiterun had returned to normal.

Mostly.

I stepped onto Arcadia's shop and pulled Jergen and Embla along with me. Even though they had been inside with me before, they still gawked at the plethora of alchemical ingredients spread across the shelves. The shiny bottles of various potions always caught their attention, and I had to grab their hands a little tighter to keep them from running straight to the display full of expensive healing potions. I quietly reminded them that we weren't in the shop to look and touch, but to get a potion for their Auntie Tyra.

"But can't we look at them?" whined Jergen as he pulled towards the stand again. "Please?"

"No, Jergen. You have to learn that you can't just touch everything."

From behind her counter, Arcadia chuckled as I reined in my twins. "Have your hands full today, Ylva? Where's your husband?"

I gave the children a sharp word before turning to Arcadia. "He's inside Jorrvaskr. The children wanted to come along. I can handle them—"

Just as I said that, Embla broke free of my grasp and made a mad dash towards a small display case of various ingredients. Jergen took advantage of my distraction and took off in the opposite direction. I ground my teeth in frustration and went after Embla first. Thankfully, she had not done anything but get some fingerprints on the glass. She whined as I pulled her away, but I said not a word while I yanked up her brother before he could damage any of the displays. Together, they grumbled and talked back, their complaints falling on deaf ears. I gave Arcadia an apologetic look before taking the children outside.

They protested the entire way around Arcadia's shop. When I was out of sight from the others in the market, I let go of the children and got to my knees. "That was absolutely shameful. You both disobeyed me."

"We just wanted to look—" said Embla, but I put my finger over her lips.

"I know you did, but you have to listen to what I say. Those bottles are fragile. If they broke, the work that Miss Arcadia's put into that potion would be lost. The ingredients are fragile, too. Sometimes, even breathing on them can weaken their effects. Alchemy and brewing is a very delicate process, all right?"

Neither of the children said anything. They stared at their feet and clasped their hands behind their backs. Jergen shuffled a little, and Embla nibbled on her lip.

I stood up, grimacing a little at the popping in my knees. Maybe I had a little more recovering to do. Or maybe I was just getting older.

Gods forbid that to be the case.

"Run along home, all right?" I stroked my hands over their curly heads and gave them each a pat. "I'll return shortly."

I walked with them until we reached the marketplace. From there, they raced one another back to Jorrvaskr. I didn't turn until I watched them disappear behind the old hall's doors.