Fendros nodded. He had taken a step too far. "Understood. My apologies," he said, "Until next time then. Thank you again for the lilies." With that, Fendros turned and lead the children out of the store.

"We're heading back to the ship. I need to talk with Ahnasha," Fendros said to Newt and Rhazii. While both the children felt withdrawn due to the incident out of nowhere, Fendros had to keep a stern face to hide just how stupid he felt. He should have just left it as saying it was coincidence. He never should have pushed it to the point of imposing. Still, he wanted to let Ahnasha know the situation. Whatever they wanted of Ahnasha before she ran off, they still loved her and missed her. That much was evident in their tributes to her memory. There were no more words from Fendros, save for 'no' whenever Rhazii or Newt asked to stop to look at something.

It wasn't long before Fendros boarded the ship again and went straight below deck, letting the children roam as usual. He knocked lightly on the cabin door that Ahnasha was in and carefully made his way inside, flowers first. "Ahna?" He said softly, "I met Gwindir."

Ahnasha had remained in their room for the entire duration of Fendros' absence. Indeed, she had not even left the bed. It was something about the stress of being so close to her family that seemed to sap all of the energy out of her. The same had occurred the last time they passed by Leyawiin. She had thought she would be able to do something differently this time, but it was not looking like that would be so. In her mind, there was just too much that could go wrong by trying.

As Fendros stepped into the room, Ahnasha remained laying on the bed with her eyes closed. They only opened once he started to speak up. Slowly, she started to bring herself into a sitting position. "I see, and did you see what I mean...about..." She began, but she cut herself off once she saw what he was holding. "Are those...tiger lilies?" She asked in disbelief. Her mind raced in confusion, trying to make sense of why he would have a bouquet of that specific flower, of all things. In the surprise of the moment, she could bring herself to say nothing, and instead just waited for him to respond.

Fendros approached and sat down on the bed next to Ahnasha. He placed the bouquet between them and exhaled while trying to find a place to start. After scratching at the back of his head, Fendros opted to just recount the situation. "The shop was still there, but it had a different name," Fendros wove his hands together and looked at the wall in front of him. He was solemn, "I walked in asked where the shop moved to, they said that it was the same shop. They changed the name to Tiger Lily Trader in honour of their lost daughter. They keep a tiger lily and a candle on the mantlepiece in her memory. It was her favourite colour. It has been a long time and they have since healed from their loss, but they still cherish her." Fendros blinked and looked at Ahnasha, "His son is opening a store of his own in a month. They still miss their Ahnasha, though." Fendros smiled, "Rhazii almost called you out, said you weren't dead. I had to explain that it was not the same person. I was informed that I was crossing the line when I asked how he would react if his daughter were still alive. I left after that, knowing that if she were still alive, it would be her choice whether to come back in the end."

Trying to be lighthearted, Fendros gestured to Ahnasha's arrowhead pendant from Vos. "And here I thought your favourite colour was amethyst." Fendros smiled at the wall, "Must be a different person after all. Regardless, Gwindir seems a kind and gentle person. I only wish I could have met his wife and son."

"I...I." Ahnasha stuttered, being at a complete loss for words. She grabbed the flowers in her hands, but for a while, just stared at them with her mouth agape. She did not want to believe what Fendros was saying; she wanted to think that her family had gotten past her loss with little issue. After a short period of grief, she expected them to move on and forget about her. She did not expect that her memory would linger with them for so long; she did not expect that they would care.

Ahnasha gripped the flowers tightly and pulled them close to her chest. She hung her head low and closed her eyes. For a while, she gave Fendros nothing but silence, until eventually, her sobs started to become audible. "I don't...that wasn't what was supposed to happen. They didn't care about me. If they did, they would've listened to me. They would've...paid attention to me. Why...why are they doing this? Why are they holding on to me? Why can't they let go? This is..."

Ahnasha's words trailed off as her light sobs turned to full cries. She wished that Fendros was lying, but the tiger lilies she was holding were all the proof she needed of the unfortunate truth. "What have I done?"

Fendros reached his hand over to Ahnasha's shoulder as her emotions rose. He held off on repeating what he had said before going to meet them; it appeared that it was becoming apparent to Ahnasha anyway. For a while, he just stayed silently with her for her comfort.

After about a minute, Rhazii's eye and hand peeked around the doorframe of the cabin. His small voice asked, "Mama, are you okay?"

Looking around to him, Fendros smiled and beckoned for Rhazii to approach. "Come here," Fendros said in a low voice, "Give your mother a hug."

Rhazii complied, climbing up onto the bed and crawling over to Ahnasha to embrace her.

Ahnasha readily accepted her son's embrace. Her family's compassion was always comforting, but it could not do anything to answer the many questions racing through her mind. Her normal confidence was shattered in the face of the harsh reality of her own actions. Her parents and her brother, she had hurt them. Of that, there was no question. At the time that she decided to fake her death, she could not have even understood how much pain she put them through. But now, holding Rhazii in her arms, the extent of the torment she must have put them through was readily apparent.

"I am...I am a monster. I hurt them. I hurt my family, my own parents. What...what do I do, Fendros? You said they had managed to move on from it. Should they know the truth, or would that just hurt them even more? I just don't know, everything about this is just so...confusing." She asked, not even attempting to hide her desperation.

It was not an easy question to answer immediately, but Fendros wanted to help Ahnasha. It hurt to see her in such a state.

It took a few moments again for Fendros to put the words together. "Ahna, you're not a monster. What you did was years ago. As for whether it would hurt them, well...that depends." Fendros shifted to that he was sitting next to Ahnasha rather than at an angle, then put his arm around her shoulders, "You know your family better than I do. All I can tell you for a fact is that they miss you. It will be a shock for them to see you again - they might not even believe it at first." Fendros leaned his head against Ahnasha's shoulder, "I heard your reasons, though. You do have regret. If you apologise and explain why you left all those years ago and how things are now, then I can see them understanding. It might help you as well, if only for the closure. I know it helped me with Llarasa and Monderyn, even if that didn't work out completely."

"You're not a monster, mama," Rhazii chimed in, even if he didn't understand the situation completely.

Ahnasha tightened her grip on Rhazii. Although he did not understand what was happening, it was him that inspired her ultimate decision. She knew that her parents had been hurt by her actions. If they learned what she did, they were likely to be angry with her over it, and rightfully so. They had been given almost a decade to come to terms with her loss, and it was tempting for her just to leave them in ignorance of the truth. However, through Rhazii, she now had the ability to see their perspective. She could understand the gravity of what her loss meant to them, and she knew that, if Rhazii were in the same position, she would want to know that he was safe above all else. No matter how badly she was hurt from it, she would want to know that he was alive. Her parents might hate her for it, but they needed to know the truth.

"If...this is going to happen, then it should wait until late evening, close to when they close up shop. That would give us all the best chance to talk. And I don't think I can do this alone. I want you to come with me, both of you. No matter how badly they hate me for this, they'll probably want to see their grandson, at least." Ahnasha finally answered.

Fendros was glad. He didn't know exactly how it would go, but he was happy that this long and painful incident could be worked out in some capacity.

"I would be more than happy to join you, Ahna," Fendros said, rubbing her arm with the hand he had wrapped around her. After another moment, he shuffled to the edge of the bed again and looked to her with a reassured smile, "Would you like to get up now? It'll feel nice to stretch your legs."

Rhazii pulled away from Ahnasha slightly, turned his head away, and then sneezed. He was holding his head too close to the lilies that Ahnasha held.

Fendros added, "I might take the children to some other places in the city as well. We didn't get much time before."

Ahnasha agreed and finally brought herself to stand up out of the bed. She did not go far, and mostly just left the room at one point to grab her lunch, but it helped her mood to move around. She did not join Fendros to take the children back into the city, though Newt had plenty of enthusiasm for the both of them.

As the day turned to dusk, Ahnasha did her best to prepare herself for the meeting that was drawing ever closer. She dressed herself in a simple, unassuming green dress, though, despite the heat, she also wore a cloth hood. In the event that she had last minute regrets about this choice, she wanted to have the option of hiding her face to avoid being identified. Hopefully, however, she would have the confidence to go through with it. Mentally, she just tried to reassure herself that she would have Fendros there to support her. Not to mention, Rhazii's presence could temper any angered reactions they might have.

The three walked through the city as it was starting to wind down for the evening. The streets were crowded with people who were walking back to their homes after their day's work, and the guards were changing over to the night patrol shift. All of the outdoor market stalls had closed by this point, though the merchants who owned their own buildings usually stayed open for a little while longer.

Despite how long it had been since she had been in the city, Ahnasha had no trouble finding her way around. The chapel was a landmark that could be seen from nearly anywhere in the city, and across from it, there was the shop in which she had spent much of her early life. The sign out front bore a different name, but there was no question that it was her former home.

As they stood just outside the door, Ahnasha's heart pounded. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, but could not bring herself close to calming down. "This is...terrifying. Could you lead the way, please?"

Inside, all three of Ahnasha's family had returned home for the evening, plus her brother's fiance. Though, only her mother was in the main room of the store, tending the counter.

The rest of the day went on without incident. Fendros, Rhazii, and Newt even caught a street performance from a fire breather in the marketplace. Due to the scarcity of gold, there were no sweetrolls for them this time. The sights and sounds did suffice in the end for them, however, as the ship was not the most entertaining of places to play after a while.

As the sun set, Fendros' own anticipation was rising for the reunion between Ahnasha and her parents. He wasn't quite as fearful as Ahnasha, but he was beginning to get nervous. As courtesy to keep Ahnasha calm, he hid this nervousness as best as he could as they walked to the Tiger Lily Trader again.

By the time they reached the door, Ahnasha was understandably distraught. He took her hands and squeezed them reassuringly. "There's no danger, I promise," Fendros said, giving a smile and letting go of one of her hands. He lead her by the other hand as he pushed open the door.

The inside was virtually the same as Fendros and Rhazii had left it, except for the person at the counter. She looked to be a middle aged Khajiit woman with familiar features. "Good evening," Fendros said at the door with a serious look, "You are S'Nashi? I spoke with your husband earlier today. There is someone here I need you to meet." Fendros looked to Ahnasha and slowly stepped inside, leading her in. Rhazii stepped in behind them both.

At first, S'Nashi intended to greet Fendros as a customer, but he spoke first, and his words confused her. She remained polite, but she certainly found it strange to be greeted in such a way by a customer. "I...apologize, but I don't really know what you are talking about. I haven't had much of a chance to speak to my husband today. Is it about a trade deal? We are closing soon, but you can stay for dinner if you like." She offered, assuming their presence to be business related.

While her mother was answering Fendros, Ahnasha walked over to the mantle to look at the candle burning atop it. Just as Fendros had said, there was a single candle with a tiger lily at its base. Just looking at it caused tears to swell up in her eyes. Ahnasha glanced over to her mother for a brief moment, then took a deep breath. Reaching out slowly, she grabbed the flower off of the mantle and blew out the candle.

Naturally, S'Nashi took notice of what appeared to be an affront to her daughter's memory. She Looked to Ahnasha with a cross expression. "Please, do not tough that. It is not for sale; it is a display in memory of..."

As S'Nashi started to scold her, Ahnasha stepped forward and let down her hood. She held the tiger lily close to her chest as she stared into her mother's eyes, failing to hold back her tears. All words escaped her, but she did not need to speak. No matter how long it had been, her mother would not forget her face.

"M'Ahnasha." S'Nashi's eyes widened with the realization of who she was speaking to. Although, she was having a difficult time believing her own senses at the moment. She had never had any reason to doubt that her daughter had died, so for her to suddenly appear before her nine years later was a surprise beyond the ability for words to describe. "W-what is happening? I don't understand." S'Nashi asked, to which Ahnasha could not find the words to answer.

After Fendros closed the door behind them all, he opted to hold Rhazii's hand and stay back. As was expected, Ahnasha's mother was shocked and confused. Luckily, it appeared as though there was some recognition in her eyes. A silence lingered between S'Nashi and Ahnasha for long enough after S'Nashi's protests that Fendros decided to follow up. "A lot more happened nine years ago than you may have thought, S'Nashi."

Not eager to be too imposing, Fendros left his words there and hoped that the two could reconcile after the initial shock wore off. Rhazii was nervous at the situation and chewed on his thumbnail while keeping close to his father.

Even Fendros' comment could not halt the silence between the two. Ahnasha had hoped the words would come to her, but she had no such luck. How would one even begin to explain to her parents why she put them through such pain willingly? Eventually, however, the silence had hung in the air long enough that her mother realized she needed to do something.

"I need...I need to get my husband, and Vasiq. This is...they should just be here." S'nashi quickly turned and rushed through the door to the back room. There was only a minute or so of a wait, the entire duration of which Ahnasha spent looking at the floor, trying to collect herself. When S'nashi returned with the rest of the family, it was clear by their reactions that she had not had time to explain what was happening. Vasiq, Ahnasha's brother, was just as speechless as S'nashi had been, but due to their conversation earlier that day, the initial shock was shorter lived for Gwindir. He was the first to speak as he ran his hands down his face and tried to reign in control of his emotions.

"I should have put it together; I should have entertained the thought. I just...couldn't believe. All those years, all the pain, just...what happened?" Gwindir asked. Ahnasha felt like she could speak up, but she did not know how much detail to give. It was possible that telling them about her lycanthropy would be too much.

Even with the appearance of Gwindir and Vasiq, evidently Ahnasha's brother, Ahnasha still couldn't put anything into words. Fendros wished he could help more, to do some explaining, to at least help Ahnasha start, but he was reserved. This was Ahnasha's moment to act. She looked more indecisive than he had ever seen her before.

In an effort to encourage her, Fendros stepped up to Ahnasha. "Ahna," He placed his hand on her shoulder. He thought that she should at least embrace her family them after all these years. He looked to her, then nodded to her family. "Go on," he mouthed silently.

Ahnasha certainly needed the encouragement from Fendros. She knew she needed to do something, and was about to step forward when Vasiq finaly spoke up. "You were dead, Ahnasha. I saw it: all the blood, and the rest of the scene...how is this possible?"

Closing her eyes, Ahnasha failed to hold back her tears. Seeing her family now had only made her regret stronger. "It was a fake, brother, all of it. It was a terrible mistake, but it was all fake."

There was a mix of emotions from Ahnasha's family upon the revelation of her deception. All of them, especially Vasiq, looked to be surprised. For her father, the surprised was mixed with confusion and a feeling of betrayal. Her mother experienced all of these things, but all of those emotions were overshadowed by the immense relief of seeing her daughter alive. She ran forward and embraced Ahnasha tightly. It was unlikely that the whole situation would be resolved so simply, but for the moment, she just wanted to be close to the daughter with which she had just been reunited.

Gwindir held his hands up to his face, pressing his fingers against his temple as he tried to come to terms with what he had just learned. "You...faked your death? Why would you do that, I don't understand? What was important enough that you would make us go through all of the pain of losing you?" Gwindir asked, still having difficultly coming to terms with this new situation. After a moment, however, his attention turned to Fendros. "And you, who are you really? Were you involved in all of this?"

It was heartening to see at least S'Nashi react with positivity. Vasiq and Gwindir's reactions were not quite as singular. Fendros hoped that this would not turn out wrong. He and Ahnasha were risking much by opening up their old wounds. Understandably, Gwindir was dubious about Fendros himself.

"I met Ahnasha long after she feigned death," Fendros answered neutrally, trying to keep composed with the mix of emotions. "I have not lied to you at all, except to not reveal Ahnasha's fate before she wanted to." Fendros directed himself to S'Nashi and Vasiq, "My name is Fendros, I am her husband."

The last thing Fendros wanted was Gwindir to react angrily to the situation, at least not without hearing Ahnasha out. Fendros extended a hand from his forearm and spoke in an effort to slow the confusion. He tried not to be forceful in the sensitivity of the situation, "Much has happened over this past decade, I suggest that we sit down so that Ahnasha can explain."

"Her husband?" Gwindir exclaimed. Although, given their conversation earlier that day, it did not come as too much of a surprise for him. However, when he looked down to Rhazii beside him, another realization came to mind. "That means that your son is..."

Gwindir took in a deep breath, having just learned not only that his daughter was alive, but that he had a grandson. He glanced back towards the back room, then placed his hand on his wife's shoulder. "We should all head into the back and...talk."

Reluctantly, S'nashi released her grip on her daughter and nodded, looking at nothing in particular. Wordlessly, they headed into the back room, then into the hall on the left and up the stairs to the second floor. Despite all the time that had passed, Ahnasha recognized that the layout of their home had not changed at all. The first room after heading upstairs acted as both their dining and living room. Although it was a two-story building, the shop and its storage room took up most of the first floor, so their actual living space was rather limited. The furniture and many of the decorations in the home had changed since Ahnasha had last seen it, but it was still all arranged in much the same way.

In the dining room, they were met by a confused-looking Argonian woman in a blue dress, with bright pink scales. Immediately, Vasiq walked up and took both of her hands in his. "Dear, do you think you could head downstairs and close up the shop for the evening?"

"Yes, of course." She answered, and honestly, she looked rather relieved. Evidently, she had overheard enough of the conversation downstairs to know that she did not want to be anywhere near it.

The dinner table was large enough for them all, so they were each able to have their own seats. Again, Vasiq was the first to speak up once they were settled in. "So...what happened, sister? You said you faked your death, but why?"

Ahnasha had made the decision that she did not want to tell her family about her lycanthropy, but she would try to at least say something close to the truth. "I just wanted a new life. You have to understand that I never wanted to be a merchant. I did not like that life, and I wouldn't be happy in it. I just though that...it would be the best way to give you closure. It was a terrible mistake, I know. I should have just told you I was leaving, but I was afraid and confused. I thought that letting you move past my loss would be better than making you worry about me."

Gwindir did not seem to be entirely satisfied or dissatisfied with her answer, but S'nashi did not actually seem to care at all. Her gaze shifted over to Rhazii instead. "The little cub, is he really the son of you and my daughter?" She asked Fendros.

Fendros lead Rhazii upstairs behind Ahnasha and her family. He was glad that they could find a moment to process it all. Their living space was modest, but not austere so as to suggest poverty. Fendros' eyes wandered, looking over where Ahnasha must have grown up.

In response to her question, Fendros gave a small smile to S'nashi, but he did not want to be inappropriately upbeat given the situation. "Yes. His name is Rhazii. He is nearing four years old now." Fendros looked down to Rhazii, who was hiding behind Fendros with an unsure demeanour. He was normally fine with strangers, but the heavy emotions and the chiding he got earlier that day kept him silent for now. His ear was still slightly sore. Fendros lightened his tone, "Rhazii, say hello."

"Hello," Rhazii mumbled from behind his fist, where he still chewed on his thumb claw, "Are you my grandma?"

While Rhazii answered, Fendros noted Ahnasha's response. She hadn't specified before whether she was going to mention the lycanthropy, but Fendros understood her evasion. He would not give away any further details that she did not give first.

"Yes. Yes I am, little one." S'nashi answered to Rhazii in a particularly calm and compassionate voice. Regardless of the actions of Ahnasha, nothing she had done was the fault of Rhazii. No matter what else happened, she would accept him just as any other member of the family. Once she turned her attention back to Ahnasha, however, her disappointment in her daughter started to show through in her expression. She had been overjoyed to see her alive, but the pain her actions had caused her family could not be forgotten.

"M'ahnasha...when you died, it was like a part of me died with you. A part of all of us. In the month after, we nearly lost the shop because we could hardly find the will to work. We thought you had died because we gave in to your desire to explore the wilds around the city. It was our fault we lost you. I had failed as a mother and you had paid the price." S'nashi explained, pausing as she deliberated in her mind whether she truly wanted to admit what had happened next. "After it happened...I almost took my own life."

Upon those words, both Gwindir and Vasiq looked to her in surprise. Evidently, it was not something that had been known to either of them. With her head lowered in shame, S'nashi sobbed as she spoke. "I couldn't bear the thought of how I had failed you. If anything, I was the one who deserved to die instead of you. I was sitting on the bed, staring out the window up at the twin moons. I got as far as bringing the knife to my throat and...started to press down when Vasiq knocked at the door. I knew afterwards that I could not leave the family I still had, but..." S'nashi raised up her head to look at Ahnasha with her tear-clouded eyes. "I would rather spend every day worrying about you, my daughter, than to know that I had killed you."

The revelation of what had happened, and the potential for what she could have caused, was utterly devastating to Ahnasha. She cried uncontrollably at the thought of her mother taking her own life because of what she had done. Ahnasha realized that it had only been by chance that her family was spared an even greater tragedy, and it had all been her fault.