"Welcome to the Bannered Mare!!", Ysolda shouted as Lala, Momo, Nana, and I entered the tavern. "Please sit wherever you like. Would you like the usual, Thane Stark?"
"You know it, Ysolda.", I chuckled, taking in the marvelous scent of roasting meat. "Three cold mugs of Honningbrew mead for the ladies as well, please."
Nodding her head, Ysolda sauntered behind the bar to fetch us our drinks. Guiding the trio over to my usual table, they enthusiastically began taking in the sights and smells. Fixating on the boar roasting over the firepit, Lala gulped as she vigorously sniffed the air.
"Oh my… It smells even better than the food we eat back home…", Lala remarked, her stomach growling in agreement.
"Just wait until you try the alcohol.", I said as Ysolda arrived with our drinks. "This is the best mead I have ever had, bar none."
Hesitantly sampling their beverages, their eyes flew open as the refreshing taste of citrus and honey hit their tongues. Chugging the drinks down, they immediately asked for another round without hesitation. Acknowledging their requests, Ysolda inquired if we wanted something to eat.
"We will have four dinner specials and some of your fresh-baked bread with butter and cheese.", I requested.
"Of course, I will go ahead and put your order in now.", Ysolda remarked, giving the trio a nod. "Along with another three tall mugs of mead too."
"Thank you!", Nana said, wiping the foam from her lips.
As she headed for the kitchen, the four of us settled in for a relaxing night. Using this time to get to know each other better, they readily told me all about themselves. Rattling off a list of goals they had for their lives, things slowly shifted toward their field of study. Sharing their most recent breakthroughs with me, I could see just how dedicated they were to their crafts. Just as I was about to start sharing a bit about me, a group of familiar faces strode into the tavern.
"You were right, Julianos. The Otherworlder has returned to Nirn.", Akatosh remarked, locking eyes with me. "It is a pleasure to meet you in person. May we join you?"
Gesturing for the group of nine to join us, they began pulling over an additional table and chairs. While they were moving things around, Momo leaned over to ask me something.
"Victor, do you know these people?", Momo inquired, staring at the three very well-endowed women. 'Damn… I should have listened to mother and padded my bra a bit!'
"We have not met before, but I do know who they are. These people are the deities that guide and protect the people of this world.", I answered, as Dibella and Mara sat beside me. "Since I liberated your unwelcome neighbors, it was a given that we would eventually speak. I just never expected it to happen in the flesh…"
"Normally, we would speak to you via telepathy, but this was an exceptional case. By freeing those foul beasts, you have given Nirn a second lease on life. In a few decades, all traces of their influence here will vanish.", Kynareth spoke. "For that, we owe you a substantial debt of gratitude. Is there anything we can do to repay you?"
Unsure if there was anything I really needed, I pondered her question for a moment. Unable to think of anything, Dibella put forth a rather bold suggestion.
"Strong, powerful men such as yourself are in short supply. If you are interested, several of my followers and I would be more than happy to bear children for you.", Dibella offered, placing her hand over mine. "You have wooed the hearts of many maidens across Skyrim, and they would readily take up the duty in my name. What say you?"
Gritting their teeth in rage, the sisters glared daggers at Dibella. Not only had the deities crashed our date night, but now one of them was trying to get into my pants. Opening their mouths to rebuke her, I raised a hand to silence them.
"While such an offer might tempt the hearts of many men, I am not one of them. Sleeping around behind my wives' backs is something I would never do. My responsibilities as a husband and father supersede any carnal desires I may have.", I stated, politely rejecting her offer. "I find it quite rude of you to make such an offer in front of my dates. Please apologize to them immediately."
"And if I do not?", Dibella inquired, hardening her expression.
Summoning Stormbreaker to me, lightning began to crackle all around us. Making it very clear there would be harsh consequences if she did not, a beaming smile formed on Dibella's face. Lowering her head to the three women, she gave them a heartfelt apology.
"Forgive my rude behavior; I simply wished to gauge the sort of man he was. We are unable to read his heart or mind, so drastic measures were the only option.", Dibella elaborated. "I am sorry for any distress I caused you."
"Your family and these three lovely ladies are lucky to have you, Victor.", Mara spoke, giving the trio a smile. "Make sure you lock him down, ladies. Very few men reach his level of strength while holding onto their belief and morals."
Grinning ear to ear, the sisters readily agreed I was quite the catch. Thanking them for the compliment, I acknowledged they were quite the catch too. Nearly choking on their mead in response, they wiped their faces and warily turned toward me.
"What does that mean for us?", Lala nervously questioned.
"It means I want the three of you to become my wives.", I replied, having come to this conclusion tonight. "While you can be overzealous and reckless, each of you has a pure heart of gold. I want you to join me on this crazy journey called life so I can show you all the splendor our universe has to offer. What do you say?"
Setting their mugs down, the three women leapt onto me, radiating unbridled joy. Showering me with affection, they eagerly accepted my proposal. Cheering for them, Akatosh and his peers congratulated us on our engagement. As the trio began to settle down, Ysolda approached the tables with our food.
"Is something important going on?", Ysolda questioned.
"We just got engaged!", Momo answered as the sisters returned to their seats.
"Congratulations!!", Ysolda replied, giving me a side-eyed glance. 'Lord Stark must be incredibly well-off to support such a large family. If only I were a few years younger, I would try my hand at winning his affections.'
Asking her for refills, Ysolda snapped out of her funk and immediately went off to fetch more mead.
---Thirty Minutes Later---
Nearly licking their plates clean, Lala, Momo, and Nana sank back into their seats with a peaceful sigh. Admitting it was the best meal they had ever eaten, they were adamant nothing could top it. Cracking a grin, I called Ysolda over to place one last order.
"Haha, looks like you three enjoyed yourselves.", Ysolda giggled, taking their empty plates. "I assume you want a sweet roll, right?"
"Can we get four of them, please?", I requested.
"Make it fourteen, if you could.", Akatosh interjected as he and the other deities finished their meals.
Nodding her head, Ysolda strolled into the kitchen as the trio forced themselves to sit up again. Asking me what a sweet roll was, Dibella and Mara looked at them in shock.
"Is dessert not a thing out amongst the stars?", Mara questioned, with a confused look. "A sweet roll is one of Nirn's greatest creations. It is a delicious confectionary dessert of the highest mouthwatering order!"
"They are regularly offered up to us by our followers across Tamriel.", Dibella said, wiping the drool from her mouth. "We eat them sparingly, though. None of us want to end up as fat pigs, like Dionysus and many other deities."
Surprised they knew other pantheons, a sudden realization came to the forefront of my mind.
"Come to think of it, where exactly is your divine realm located?", I questioned, pausing the conversation as Ysolda brought our desserts. "Thank you for your diligent service tonight, Ysolda. Here is our payment for the food and drink plus a hefty tip."
Handing her a sack of coins and small gold bars, Ysolda opened it, turning pale as she saw the amount inside.
"My lord… This is far too much for your meals and drinks!", Ysolda asserted, trying to give me the excess back.
"If you will not accept it as a tip, consider it to be an investment in your future. Purchasing the Bannered Mare from Hulda will not be cheap.", I chuckled. "All I ask is that you keep the cold drinks and delicious food around when you take over."
"Of… Of course, Thane Stark!", Ysolda replied, beaming with happiness.
Skipping over to Hulda, Ysolda cleared our tab with her before scurrying off to safely secure her tip. Watching the young woman run out the front door, Dibella turned to me with a smirk.
"You are so cruel, Victor. Making a purehearted maiden's heart swoon with no intention of reciprocating her affection.", Dibella playfully scolded me. "Have you no shame?"
"The type of woman who swoons over a bag of coin is not someone I would ever pursue to begin with.", I remarked, getting back to my initial question. "Now then, about your divine realm. Where is it exactly?"
"In an alternate dimension dubbed the Realm of the Gods.", Julianos answered, before taking a bite of his sweet roll. "Each pantheon, no matter how small, has a residence in this space. You should be aware of this fact, especially since you are carrying an Asgardian weapon."
"So, you reside in the same region as them… interesting.", I said, listening to my dates' moan with delight as they sampled their dessert. "If that is the case, how exactly are you able to traverse the space between dimensions. According to my findings, the dimension is out of sync with the Mortal Plane. A being called Nemesis caused it to keep them from interfering with her work."
Choking on their food, the deities looked at one another in shock. Having been blissfully unaware as to the cause of their neighbors' increased hostilities, now it all made sense. Urging me to share all I knew about the situation, I divulged everything I had learned so far.
"At Akatosh's behest, we established a temporal bridge between Nirn and our domain. It is one of many safeguards we established to keep the Daedric Princes in check.", Stendarr explained. "To think, had we not heeded your word, we would have been sealed in there like everyone else. Who knows what would have become of Nirn in our absence…"
"Could you do me a favor?", I requested. "Please let Odin know that the matter should be resolved within a week's time. We are heading out tomorrow in search of The Doctor."
"Of course, we will pass along the message.", Mara agreed.
Finishing their dessert in a hurry, the nine deities quickly got up to leave. Thanking me once again for liberating Nirn, they exited the tavern, returning to their realm once again. Digging into my warm dessert, Lala leaned over the table with a big grin on her face.
"Can we tag along with you on this expedition?", Lala requested. "Since we are engaged now, there should not be any problems, right?"
"If your parents allow it, you can come with us.", I agreed, getting serious. "The region we are heading to is crawling with humanoid Tyranids. You will need to listen to what I say, and absolutely no shenanigans. We may get into a skirmish as soon as we arrive there."
Accepting my condition, we finished our dessert and then headed to the Breezehome to continue our earlier discussion.