I refused to go up the stairs to Dragonsreach. I didn't want the Jarl to realize that Daro'Shamasi wasn't who he thought. I sat in the round plaza at the base of the stairs, looking at the Gildergreen. Pale pink petals drifted through the air in the small amount of wind. Someone cleared their throat behind me.

I turned around and saw Shay standing on one of the last steps next to my bench. "Mind if I sit down?" he asked hesitantly.

I turned away from him, dreading the conversation that we were most likely going to have. After several minutes and he still hadn't left, I sighed and slapped my tail against the bench next to me. "Go ahead..."

Shay sat down like the bench was going to explode under him. We were silent for a moment. Shay finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry," his voice was soft and full of sadness.

I felt him looking at me but I didn't meet his eyes. "I know."

He'd been trying to apologize for years. I'd always run away before we could even get this far. I usually wouldn't notice he was around until our eyes met and I would run. This time I couldn't run, not with Kharjo up in Dragonsreach. Much as I didn't want to, I needed to face this straight on.

"If I'd known what I was doing I wouldn't have. I want to be friends, Ra- Daro'Shamasi. I don't like this tension between us. It gets in the way."

I was glad he'd used my alias. I sighed. "I wish I could forgive you so easily. I want to, really, but I can't." I finally met his eyes.

He looked pained. "I understand."

I looked back toward the Gildergreen and curled my tail in my lap, pulling my legs underneath me. One entire flower broke loose from a branch and floated down to rest in Shay's extended hand. He cupped his hands around it gently and murmured something. I forced myself to look away, up toward Dragonsreach. I was a little curious about what Archer was telling the Jarl.

When I brought my focus back I realized that Shay wasn't next to me anymore. I looked around, he was nowhere to be seen. I looked at the bench and noticed that he'd left the Gildergreen blossom where he had been sitting. I picked it up, cupping my hands around the delicate flower. There was something scratchy on the bottom, a piece of paper.

It's enchanted now. It won't break or wilt and you won't ever lose it unless you give it as a gift.

I'm sorry,

Shay

I looked around again and thought I saw a tall figure in the shadows, but I blinked and it was gone. The little flower begged to be looked at, to be set on a table, to be put on display somewhere. Someday,I thought. Someday you'll be sitting in the perfect spot. I'd never received a gift before, unless I counted the gold that Kharjo had given me in return for retrieving his Moon Amulet, and I wasn't entirely sure how to react to it. It was kind of sweet I guess, giving a woman a flower, even if that woman was a cat, but that didn't answer my wonders.

I gently tucked the flower into one of my pockets. I'd stare at Shay's handiwork later. A familiar gray figure sat down beside me.

"Are you alright Shamasi?" Kharjo asked, wrapping his tail around me.

I smiled at him."Shamasi is fine. Where is Archer?"

"Burying Irileth. He seemed very distraught about her death. He said we would leave as soon as he was finished. We go to High Hrothgar."

"High Hrothgar? Why?"

Kharjo shrugged. "Jarl said that the thunder was the Graybeards calling 'Dovahkiin'. He said that meant you and Archer."

I shivered. Dovahkiin, Dragonborn. I didn't want to be Dragonborn, I didn't want to save Skyrim, all I wanted was to make Skyrim the best place I could.

Kharjo stood up. "There is Archer, come."

I stood up and looked up the stairs. Archer was running down two at a time, he thumped down next to use and smiled weakly. "Where's Shay?"

I frowned. "Um..."

"Right here," Shay dropped out of the Gildergreen. He looked at me once before turning back to Archer. "Are we going?"

Archer nodded. "Yes. The Jarl said we need to go to Ivarstead and from there up the Seven Thousand Steps."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Shay bounced on his toes. "Let's go!"