Let No Man, nor Beasts, nor Gods

Chapter Fourteen: Connected

Kor, Dahni, and Tephelle arrived in Morthal, only to be halted by a guard who demanded to know their business. As they explained their situation, it became clear that they were the only survivors from their village to reach Morthal, the guard was unaware of the bandit attack.

Before Kor could process that this meant Aphid was not here, they were ushered into the presence of Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone.

The Jarl listened sympathetically to Dahni's tale, but they all detected a hint of foreknowledge in her demeanor, as if she had expected the village to meet a tragic fate.

Despite this, she generously offered the refugees shelter at the city's inn for a few days, at her own expense.

Kor's anxiety got the better of him, and he interrupted the Jarl, desperate for any news of Aphid. He described his brother in detail, but the woman's solemn shake of her head confirmed it: Dahni, Tephelle, and Kor were the only survivors to reach Morthal.

As they walked out of the Jarl's residence, a crow taking flight from Highmoon Hall's steps startled them.

Dahni stared at its flight sorrowfully, remembering his beloved pet, but Tephelle's voice up ahead snapped him back.

She was rushing to catch up to Kor who appeared to be quickly marching away to leave back into the marsh.

"Kor!" Tephelle called again, catching him by the wrist. Dahni quickly dashed in front of the boy and knelt down.

"Kor, little one," Dahni said, "What are you doing?"

"I got to find Aphid!" he stated as if it was obvious, "He's still out there!"

"Sweetie," Tephelle tried to say carefully and softly, "We need rest-"

"NO!" Kor spun on her and yanked his wrist out of her grip, "I NEED APHID!"

"Kor," Dahni tried a firmer approach. Taking the boy's shoulders in his hands, he spun him to face him eye to eye. "Night has befallen us again. You have not had a scrap to eat in a day. You've barely drank anything. And you've not rested since you've been injured. You can't keep going at this rate, none of us can-"

"I can!" Kor insisted, "And I will! I have to find Aphid!"

"Aphid wouldn't want you killing yourself to find him!" Dahni stated sternly, "Not from exhaustion and certainly not from rushing off into the dark dangers of the marsh, and all by yourself!"

Kor's quietness for the moment spoke that he knew this was true, but he shook his head.

"I said I didn't care if I got in trouble!" he stomped, "I have to find him!"

"No!" Dahni said firmly, "Aphid would not let you do this, and neither are we!"

Kor seemed shocked, not knowing how to proceed through this blockade. Dahni's unwavering sternness threw him and tears began spilling from his eyes.

"Mister Dahni!" he cried, "Please!"

"You need to recuperate, Kor," Dahni insisted, "You need to drink something, eat something, and rest...For at least a couple hours, alright? Then, we can go again. I will even implore a guard or two to go with us."

Kor shook his head, his desperation evident. "You don't know what this feels like!" he exclaimed.

Dahni and Tephelle's expressions turned somber, their faces clouding over. Dahni's voice was barely above a whisper. "Yes, Kor, I do."

Kor's anger flared up again, misinterpreting Dahni's words. "A stupid bird is not a brother!" he snapped, thinking Dahni was referencing his lost pet.

Dahni shook his head, realizing Kor's misunderstanding.

"No, Kor, not my bird..." he began, his voice tinged in sadness. "My boy... Tephelle's and my son."

Kor's anger dissipated, the words sinking in.
Dahni's words hung in the air, filled with a deep longing. "He'd be about your age..." Dahni added, his voice cracking with emotion.

Kor stared, an apology or condolence etched on his face, though neither left his lips.

Dahni's firm grip on Kor's shoulders released, but instead he gripped Kor's hands in his.

"I can not let another child slip from this world," Dahni said, "Not if I can help it in any way. So Kor, I'm sorry, but I can not let you back out there, and I do not trust myself or Tephelle to be recuperated enough to watch over you. Please, let us rest, and then we will resume. I know you think every second counts, and it does, but so does rest. Without it, what good would we besides providing more corpses for Aphid to stumble upon?"

Kor absorbed Dahni's words, as well as regarding the sheer exhaustion on the Dunmer's face, as well as the injury still ever present. Kor hadn't even asked if Dahni still had an eye under that bandage...

The boy lowered his head and tearfully conceded.
"Okay...," he nodded, "...We'll rest."

Rest was anything but what Aphid was doing.

His exhausted body screamed for it, but his mind refused to surrender. He dragged himself to the marsh waters, knowing he at least had to quench his thirst before he could continue.

The risk of contaminated water was just a risk he'd have to take, as he had no other choice.

He plopped on the water's edge and cupped his hand in the murk. He held it to his mouth, hesitating for only a moment before gulping it down.

The cool liquid revived him slightly, and he repeated the process until he felt somewhat rehydrated.

But standing up proved too much for his depleted body still. He crumpled to the ground, his determination to find Kor warring with his physical limitations. Why couldn't his body understand the urgency his brain and heart felt?

Aphid tried again, but his arms couldn't even support his weight. He fell flat, defeated.

He had only the strength to reach into his shirt, searching for the source of the lump he felt there. That is when he pulled out Kor's teddy bear, and his gaze locked onto it.

Tears began to fall, his jaw trembled, and sobs overtook him. Aphid curled into a ball, clutching the teddy bear, and wept uncontrollably.

At that very same time, Kor was simultaneously holding onto Aphid's treasured blanket, overcome with the same anguish.

Though separated by distance, the brothers clung to the tangible connections they had and surrendered to their overwhelming sorrow, eventually succumbing to the darkness of exhaustion that consumed them both.