———————————————
SPOILER INFO
This fanfic novel is largely based on the events that occurred in an actual game of Skyrim I played. Therefore, it's inevitably a spoiler.
———————————————
previous day
4-201-09-03 03:48
Northwatch Keep, Haafingar, Skyrim
The sun is not up yet, but it's no big deal. As you might know, snow usually reflects enough light to see where you're going, as long as you don't get too careless.
We travel east along the ocean shore. Sooner or later we'll have to end up on the road that leads to the city of Solitud.
I feel very bad about what we did yesterday. Last night when we were talking outside the fortress, Thorald hit the nail on the head: "Why would you risk your life for me, a stranger?" I see now how reckless I was. I decided to attack more than a dozen enemies who had superior armor and weapons, just to save one prisoner because I took pity on his old mother. But there are surely tens if not hundreds of people like Thorald imprisoned and maltreated by the thalmor organization. It was so stupid to endanger the lives of myself, Jenassa, Lydia and Rayya just to rescue one of them. And don't try to tell me there's nothing to worry about, because everything went well. I acted irresponsibly, taking a stupid risk. I just can't put the thought out of my mind that we all could have easily ended up dead.
Well, don't mind my depressed mood. I just needed to let it out. I'll feel better tomorrow, I'm sure.
During our journey along the ocean shore, we get attacked by an occasional animal, discover the entrance of a cave I won't bother to explore right now, and see a curious small citadel ruin with something humanoid inside. I can't tell if it's a human or a spriggan. My intuition tells me it's a human, but I can't be certain, so I leave it alone.
Soon after that, we reach a road. It goes east and then turns south, following the coastline.
Solitud is magnificent. One can truly see it's the capital of Skyrim. The number of buildings and people is just overwhelming. I doubt I've ever seen anything like this, even in the first part of my life which I can't remember.
It's early morning. Near the city's main gate, they seem to be about to execute a traitor, but I don't pay attention. I find a smithy where there is nobody there, the blacksmith possibly having gone to watch the execution. I improve our gear as much as I can. (Unfortunately, I have very few raw materials.) Then I equip myself and the girls with the best gear and go to sell the rest.
I have now reached the point where not only do I have more than 10,000 septims of money, but the merchants in this city don't have enough money between them to buy everything I want to sell. Clearly the time has come for me to start buying stuff from merchants. For starters, I purchase some metal ingots and leather and animal skins, so I can do better smithing in the future. Thanks to the money I pay for those wares, the vendors can now afford all that awesome thalmor armor I've looted. There's a large spread between the traders' buy and sell prices, but when I have no use for all that gear anyway, I'd better exchange it for something useful, even though in terms of market prices I end up making a loss. Let the traders have their profit. They deserve it for providing a useful service to the community.
Naturally I chat a little bit with every trader – with the exception of an incredibly grumpy elf Endarie; she sells fancy expensive clothes. On the marketplace, the alcohol vendor Evette complains that a shipment of hers is being held at the harbor.
I promise her I'll go and try to find out what's wrong.
I stroll in the direction of the harbor. While I'm looking at the sea and thinking, my legs carry me to a woman named Vittoria Vici who is actually the person responsible for holding Evette's shipment. So I ask her what it's all about. She demands 2000 septims kickback... oops, I mean tariff.
I tell her it's absurd to demand "tariff" in the amount that is almost as much as the merchandise itself is worth. Ms. Vici gives me some argument which doesn't sound too convincing to me, so I tell her I'll go to the palace and find out if she even has any authority to demand any tariff from anyone, and if this is some kind of a criminal racket, I'll get her into a hell of a lot of trouble.
I actually feel frightened, realizing what I just said. As you know, I have absolutely no influence in this city while she might have a lot. I'm seeing Vittoria Vici for the first time in my life, and for all I know, she could be the daughter of the jarl.
But I've already said what I said, so I just try to look like I'm sure of myself.
After a brief tense silence that feels to last awfully long, Ms. Vici agrees to release the shipment without the "tariff". I'm astonished it went so easily. I thank her, hoping my voice doesn't quiver, and leave.
Solitud harbor is full of ships, bigger and smaller. It feels like a gateway to many thrilling and unpredictable adventures.
WHAT is that? A flying ship??
There seems to be enough for an entire lifetime to explore, but my mood is still kind of gloomy. More importantly, I notice all of a sudden I need a bath real quick. Now, I could go a little way northwards, away from the houses, and wash myself in the sea, but I'd rather do it in a proper bathroom. So I hurry to the southwestern suburb where I stop briefly to check out a street vendor. Then I enter the city proper through the main gate and go to the inn. The Winking Skeever is the most expensive guesthouse I've seen so far, a whopping 100 septims a night; that means 33 septims if you just want to have a bath. Most incredibly, this luxurious inn doesn't have a bathroom as such. It's just big barrels in the basement next to all kinds of rubbish. But it's private enough, as understandably no one goes to that dump unless they have to. I've been told there are also two bathhouses in Solitud, but they're actually brothels.
Clean and joyful, I return to the taproom where I'm surprised to see my followers have arrived in the meantime. Maybe they can somehow sense where I am. Or maybe they saw me entering the city. Or maybe someone told them that someone who looked like me went to the inn. Or maybe I really should stop pondering over such utterly unimportant details.
I sit down and tell the girls about my recent negotiations at the harbor and they look almost as astonished as myself.
"Now that I think back to it, I'm having the impression she looked like she was sensing something unusual about me, and it made her uneasy and so she decided to play it safe and give in for the time being," I conclude my report.
"She's not the only one, if I may say so," opines Rayya.
She's right. I remember what Mandyn Hlaalu told me in Riverwood. For that matter, I recall that Farengar mentioned something to that effect as well, but I thought it was a clumsy attempt to flirt with me.
Lydia shakes her head slightly. "Still, it's quite astonishing that Victoria Vici let herself be intimidated by you."
"Maybe she is doing something she doesn't want to come out?" says Rayya. "Could be something completely unrelated to business, but she's still scared of any potential scandal?"
"Wait," I cut in, "you two talk like you know her."
Lydia looks at me. "Vittoria Vici is the emperor's cousin."
I burst out laughing. "Get out of here."
"No, really," confirms Rayya. "She's getting married soon. It's the talk of the town."
I'm glad I'm sitting, because my legs go all wobbly. I managed to pick a quarrel with possibly the most powerful person in all of Skyrim. And that in the city where I wield no power whatsoever! For a moment, I wonder if we have enough time to escape before the guards come to drag me to the scaffold which is conveniently across the street.
Wait, how come the emperor's cousin is here in this remote cold and snowy place dealing with market traders?
Jenassa seems to either read my thoughts or see my shocked expression. "For your information, Laura, the emperor's father had children with more than twenty women, so the emperor has many cousins."
"Twenty?" Lydia is astonished.
"I said 'more than'. The point is, they are well-placed, that's for sure, but that Vici woman isn't even important enough for the emperor to attend her wedding."
A boy comes running in, telling something excitedly to the innkeeper. We go to find out if it's anything interesting. Turns out a certain man who is evidently someone important in Dragonbridge arrived a moment ago, highly worried, and hurried to the jarl's palace.
"I want to check it out," I inform the girls. "You can come along, but stay inconspicuous."
"What do you mean?" asks Lydia. "Can't we even dance in front of the throne?"
I give her a playful slap and we hurry to the palace. It's easy to find – just along the main road for as long as it would go. In the throne room is a well-dressed man reporting about a cave apparently somewhere near Dragonbridge where something weird and evil seems to be taking place. He begs to have it investigated. Jarl Elisif, a young beautiful woman, agrees to send out a legion. However, the nobles standing around her throne advise against it.
From left: Thane Erikur, Varnius from Dragonbridge, jarl's bodyguard Bolgeir, Jarl Elisif, court mage Sybille, steward Falk.
And so she settles for sending a few soldiers to Dragonbridge.
I talk to Sybille the court wizard and Falk the steward. Sybille is most haughty, yet deigns to offer me an opportunity to prove my worth by clearing out a vampire den at a certain location she marks on my map. Falk tells me I can go and find out what's going on in the aforementioned weird cave if I want to. I make a note of it.
In addition to those two, there are two thanes present, a man named Erikur and a woman named Bryling. The two seem to be bickering about everything. Jarl Elisif, the ruler of this hold known as Haafingar, is clearly unable to rule anything. She looks lost like a cat on a float. All her four advisers seem to be competing to get their voices into her ear while retaining the appearance of civility. I feel sorry for Elisif, but there's nothing I can do for her.
The word on the street is that Falk is the one who's really in charge here, but due to Skyrim tradition, one can only become a jarl if one is blood-related to past rulers, or, well, married to such a person. Ability or, for that matter, willingness is of secondary importance. A rather stupid system if you ask me, but I don't think they'd be interested in my opinion.
Having left the palace, I take a quick peek at the oh-so-famous Bards' College that is in the same neighborhood. They seem to be happy to have me as a student, but becoming a bard is just about the last thing I want to do with my life. I return to the street, do some final shopping and pay a visit to the big temple they have here:
Good to know. Thanks.
Then I chat the evening away at the inn. No one tells me anything really interesting.
I'm inclined to not hang around in this area. I have the feeling that the new quests we were given today have the potential of keeping us occupied for a considerable time. I don't want that. I want to go and wrap things up in the Hviterun area. We'll return here sometime in the future. However, I'm not really sure of anything at this moment. I'd better postpone thinking until tomorrow.
At least my room upstairs is magnificent. Life's not so bad after all.
We get two double rooms. I'm sharing this one with Lydia.
next awakening
return to the table of contents
