<strong>Rold Ironwing<br/>Trygg's Inn<br/>Meeting Room</strong><br/><br/>Rold let Blind-Eye go.  They'd have some catching up to do, eventually.  He had never gotten a chance to confront the argonian for assaulting the Dovahkin and walking off into Oblivion knows where, forsaking his oaths in the process.  Rold had been furious then.  Only his dedication to the Blades had kept him from hunting Blind-Eye down.  Over 50 years had passed, and that anger had been tempered with wisdom.  Not everyone had the mettle to honor their oaths, and that did not make them worthy of derision.  Blind-Eye had his reason: Paarthunax.  Rold still grieved for the ancient dragon, so wise and strong, betrayed by the Dovahkin, but he understood why it had to be done.  He had acknowledged the pain and put it away, focusing on the crisis at hand, and honoring his eternal oath to the Blades.  Blind-Eye... did not.<br/><br/>The trip to Solitude would take weeks.  Oh yes they would talk at length and, Divines bless, they would be stronger for it.<br/><br/>He had known Jir'lazo was dead, but seeing his son was still a shock.  And Arvess' child; was she dead as well?  How many were even left?  Himself, Shadow, Blind-Eye.  Who else, if any?<br/><br/>Rold had not been close with either Jir'lazo or Arvess -- those two had always been closer to each other than with the other Blades -- but he had known Thaernd very well.  A quiet man who had been pensive yet always alert, the perfect foil to Rold's boisterousness, especially given his ability to consume vast amounts of alcohol without hesitation or impairment.  And this was his niece.  Rold had to say something.  He had to know.<br/><br/>He gently caught Ash's shoulder in a massive hand before she could descend the steps.  "Thaernd is your uncle, lass?" he asked softly, unusual for him.  Well today was an unusual day.  "I knew him well when we were Blades, before you were born.  I'm sure we'll talk on the subject again in the future, but please set my mind at ease in the present: why are you here in his place?"