Pretend it's home

Her words didn’t seem all too convincing, but he would trust her to know what she was doing. After all, she knew best. He had no idea what a Grand Duchess was supposed to take care of. It seemed like she had it under control though. If she would just be smart and go to bed from time to time, he would actually believe her when she told him she would be fine. ”If I can do anything, you know..”, He offered. He was here now, and he was more than prepared to help out from time to time, if she wanted him to. Same for Kaz. Though he doubted the both of them would turn to him if they needed help. They both seemed to have this strong belief they had to fix things on their own.

Her apology surprised him, as it seemed to come out of nowhere. He hadn’t quite expected one anyway. She had treated him badly, yes. But he was convinced he had deserved it, on the contrary. If someone had to apologise, it was him for sure. ”I don’t really agree. I did something horrible and I deserved to hear every word. I hurt you both a lot and I am so sorry about that”, He protested softly. Accepting her words would be hard, perhaps even impossible. But he appreciated it nonetheless. It would strengthen their bond, and he felt like they would need each other in the future, especially when it came to supporting Kaz.

They would take some time off soon. The vampire nodded in agreement. For him it had helped, a lot. Perhaps it would have the same effect on them too. Especially if they both went together. He had noticed how their relationship wasn’t always the greatest, though that could be related to Kaz being a newborn. The struggles in communication that he had seen back at his brother’s house, had worried him slightly. Her words kind of convinced him that it didn’t really matter though. She got her support by just being near him, and that was great. ”If I had had other options, I would have tried to save him in a different way”, He told her. Unfortunately, he was no doctor. He had no magic. The only thing he could do, was curse him. And so he had.

“But, let’s leave that behind us. A lot has happened in the meantime!” She then said, changing the subject. “Have you had the chance to explore our home yet?” She asked. Mort started laughing. ”I sure had the chance to get lost in it”, He confessed with a grin. An enhanced sense of navigation was not one of the supernatural abilities he was blessed with, sadly.

This castle should come with a map, honestly. There were so many rooms, hallways and doors connecting all those together that it was almost impossible to find the exit. Mort knew that the lay-out of the interior might be like that for that exact reason. His sire had told him stories about sieges, where an invading force would get confused by the many passages, which would give the defenders the upper hand. If he had been an invader, it would sure have been effective. Allison shared some more facts about her past, and he learned that she had grown up in a mansion as well. ”My sire used to live in a villa too, away from the city. It was huge, but at least it had a more logical organisation. All the rooms were eventually connected to the great hall, so you couldn’t really get lost”, He shared on his turn. It was only fair, he thought, as it would help them understand each other better.

“Kaz hasn’t told you much, has he?” Allison asked, and he chuckled. ”No, he didn’t. I think he was enjoying the look on my face too much”, He grinned. So was she, as far as he had seen. They both had been very busy though. Which was normal, considering the fact they were now in a position of power. He dared to guess they had a lot of people trying to be their friends now. ”You said you had planned this out though. Why Rhoynar?” He asked, the first of many questions he had, to be honest. This would be a long conversation, and he hoped to be a bit wiser when their ways would part again.

They had come a long way. The difference between how she had treated him before and now, was as night and day. Which was understandable, they had met under hard circumstances. That day in the library, he had learned her opinion on vampires. Not immediately a very positive one. And he had turned her lover into one. Great first impression. Though that was all behind them now, she had said. He sure hoped so. She seemed to act on her words, and it meant a lot to him. She was important to his brother, so naturally she was important to him too. If they could work together to keep Kaz happy, all would work out alright.

But he needed updates. It felt like he had been gone for a month rather than a week. A lot had changed and he needed to know in order to be the best support for the both of them. He started off with a simple question, a logical one as well. He didn’t know a lot about the different kingdoms here in Fallen Skies, so she could explain to him why Rhoynar, of all places. He nodded a couple of times while she answered. Alchemy. Of course. ”I assume you didn’t ask him nicely to surrender his very fancy chair throne?” He continued when she spoke about the opportunity to take over the castle. He had seen the destruction down in Brightwater Keep, though he was unsure as to how that was related to Kaz and Allison taking over as rulers here.

His follow-up question clearly annoyed her. He already felt bad for asking. It was just hard not to worry about the both of them if they were running around starting fights with people as powerful as the Duke. This time, it had turned out well for them. Though he didn’t quite expect the previous ruler to just give up his position without fighting for it first. The thought of Allison and Kaz taking this castle and involving themselves in violence, kind of scared him. His question had its roots in those feelings of worry, as he had no other intention with it. He didn’t want to accuse her of murder, he just wanted her to be safe. Because if she was in danger, then so was his brother, and Mort couldn’t let that happen.

Eventually he got a warning to keep those assumptions to himself from now on. The vampire nodded. ”I will, I’m sorry”, He reacted softly. Again he naturally fell back into those submissive patterns, as she was clearly in a position of power now. Not even as Grand Duchess, but as the strong woman she was. The way she spoke and carried herself almost automatically made him listen to her. Therefore he was almost nervous to ask her another question. ”I’m sorry, but, what? Vikings? W-what’s that?” He said, swallowing when he heard himself stutter again. If she hadn’t been watching him, this would be the moment where he would slap himself in the face.

What a joke. Someone should have taught him how to deal with people like this. Because he sure couldn’t handle being talked to like this. He was easily pushed around, without even realising it. It was more of a reflex than him deciding to react like this. She immediately noticed too, apologising right after. He shrugged lightly. He wasn’t even aware of his own actions so it was no big deal. He could understand her reasoning as well. ”I won’t ask any questions regarding that topic anymore then. I’m glad you’re both safe”, He said with a soft smile around his lips. That would have to be enough to ease his curiosity.

Vikings though. That was an interesting topic. He carefully asked more information about it, and she seemed more willingly to talk about it. What she was telling him though, made him feel nervous. Those men had raided Brightwater Keep? The vampire couldn’t help but look around for a second, even though he was pretty sure there was no one else in the garden than her. ”They’re gone now though, aren’t they?” He decided to ask, just to be sure. He didn’t quite feel like getting ripped to pieces today, honestly.

It surprised him Edmund hadn’t warned him about these Viking types. He had given him a whole list of areas to avoid, out of precaution. Because the elder knew well enough he wasn’t really capable of defending himself, aside from the dodge and run tactics he had been teaching him. Of course he could probably outrun a Viking, but if they were truly that dangerous, his sire would have been smart enough to add the North to that list. Right? Now he added it to it himself, mentally, as a reminder not to go up there. Was he entirely safe now though? Or were those Vikings still lurking around the city, ready to strike again?

According to Allison, they were. They wanted to live here too, as it was warmer than Falkreath itself. For as long as she was talking, he believed every single word she spoke. Up until the second she made a joke about it, grinning right after. A deep sigh sounded as he let go of the air in his lungs he had been holding all along. ”Why Allison, why”, He said, a defeated tone in his voice. ”Don’t joke about those things”, He continued, though an amused chuckle escaped soon after. He was, indeed, too naive.

By now, the vampire was used to being the target of pranks. He still couldn’t figure out when people were joking around and when they were serious. Resulting in situations like this one, where the brunette was clearly amused by how she had tricked him into believing these Vikings were still out here to rip innocent people in two. With their bare hands, even. Looking back on it now, he could have known. It was just too wild to be true, right? The woman laughed, the grin on her face still firmly in place. Oh, she wouldn’t let him live after this, would she? Great.

Of course she had to rub it in a bit more as well. Fair, he could see the entertainment value of it. He wasn’t the type to get angry over things like this either. ”I saw what they did down at the harbour when I met with Kaz earlier. Do they always leave such a mess?” He asked when she finally calmed down a bit. His interest in these pirates of the North had been sparked, and Mort wouldn’t be Mort if he didn’t want to know every little detail that could be shared with him.