Song of the Dragon and the Bear

Chapter 42

A/N Can you ever forgive me? I am so incredibly sorry for being absent for so long. School has once again begun, and it seems that I have never had such a workload dropped on my shoulders before. I'm hoping that I will be able to adjust to the amount of work soon and be able to establish a schedule that allows me to write every week, but it may take some time. I can only ask you to be patient with me. Please enjoy this (incredibly late) chapter!

Vara stayed at the Cornerclub for another hour or so, talking to Ambarys and the other patrons and generally just enjoying the feeling of being back home where she belonged. The calming atmosphere was a greatly appreciated change of pace from the chaos of the past several weeks.

Eventually, she stood up from the stool and said goodbye to Ambarys. She still had a few hours before the council meeting, but she wanted to visit Wuunferth before then. It seemed like it had been ages since she had seen the old wizard. She smiled to herself and pushed open the door of the Cornerclub, stepping into the crisp Skyrim air.

Vara wound her way through the cobblestone streets, nodding to a few people as she passed. It was a little after two in the afternoon, and the city was alive with people and sounds. People gathered on street corners and exchanged gossip and news, hundreds of words floating through the cool air. Vara lingered at one such spot, listening to the conversations around her.

Most people spoke of the war. Some believed that Ulfric had been too cautious thus far, that they needed to strike and remind the Empire of the strength of the Stormcloak army. Force was the only thing those Talos-forsaken dogs understood, they said. Others disagreed, saying that they needed to stockpile resources and recruit more heavily. Patience would win the war, they argued. But there was one thing everyone seemed to agree on; this war hadn't truly begun, not yet. And so the people argued tactics with voices that were tinged with worry and anticipation. If the war hadn't begun, how many more would die before it ended? Vara shook her head, knowing that that was a question no one really wanted to know the answer to.

A few minutes later, Vara found herself standing in front of the door to Wuunferth's room. She knocked on the wood, pushing the thoughts of war away for now. Right now, she just wanted to spend some time with the old wizard, without the worries of the world hounding her. She faintly heard Wuunferth tell her to come in, and so she pushed open the door, a smile already forming on her lips.

The mage was bent over his alchemy table when Vara walked in, obviously brewing some kind of potion. She stepped up behind him, peering over his shoulder at the brew, which was an otherworldly purple color. As she watched, he dropped in a few dried flower petals, and the potion changed to a glowing red.

"What kind of potion is that?" she asked. Wuunferth started at the sound of her voice, nearly dropping the potion. He whirled around angrily, but the expression quickly faded to one of surprise before shifting to one of happiness and finally changing back to one of anger, all in the space of a few seconds.

"Varaduilwe Oaken-Song," the wizard said, his voice cold and disapproving. "I see you've finally decided to visit."

Vara frowned in confusion. "I only got back to the city yesterday, Wuunferth," she explained.

"And yet you found time to meet with Ulfric not once, but twice," the mage grumbled. "He wasn't the only person who thought you might have been dead, you know."

Vara laughed as the wizard's words registered. "Were you worried for me?" she asked, smiling.

Wuunferth snorted. "Nonsense. I simply didn't want to have to go through the trouble of finding someone else to gather ingredients for me."