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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.
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previous day
4-201-11-03 04:38
Canal House, Bitchen, The Rift, Skyrim
I figure this is a good opportunity to search the Black-Briar Mansion. If I won't waste time, I'll be out again before the people wake up.
On my way there, I see a good-looking man named Maoron. I hesitate only for a moment and then decide spying on the Black-Briars is more important. Apart from which, I'm still profoundly happy from my encounter with that Khajiit yesterday.
I find Maven, Hemming (her brother, I suppose) and her daughter Ingun peacefully sleeping in their beds. It'll be a child's play to kill them all when I decide the time is right.
I find a letter from someone called Christopher, but I don't really understand what it's about. Another letter is from Sabjorn, the owner of the Honningbrew Meadery in Hviterun:
The most interesting discovery is a locked room in the basement. In it, I see the setting for a Dark Brotherhood ritual similar to the one that was in Aventus's house, and an unfinished draft of a letter to be sent to Astrid, in which Maven insists that she fulfill the contract she has been paid for. The name of the target is unfortunately not indicated, but it's now proven that Maven is hiring assassins to kill people. I take the letter.
Pleased with my success, I go to the inn to relax and chat. I pick up a task to kill a dragon in a place called Northwind Summit further north. I say hello to my friend (sort of) Sapphire and then strike up a conversation with that old man Jalamar whom I have been seeing address (to not say pester) people.
Jalamar tells me about a place nearby called Echo Deep Mine where something weird has been happening. He has worked up a real frenzy and beseeches me to go and check the place out since the guards just refuse to heed his plea.
I really don't understand why it's such a big deal to him. Probably he's just one of those old people who take something into their heads and can't let go. I promise him I'll check it out. I refrain from saying when.
Next, I end up in a conversation with a balding man Louis Letrush. He tells me that he has entered a business deal with Sibbi Black-Briar, Maven's son. Louis wanted to buy a horse and paid a half of the price in advance. Then Sibbi was imprisoned, which prevented him from delivering the horse as agreed. Even worse (from Louis's point of view), it prevents him from returning the money Louis has paid. Now Louis is looking for someone to steal the horse along with its lineage papers for him.
I promise to think about it, but I doubt I can be bothered with stealing a horse. I might do it to damage the Black-Briars, though. And I might pay a visit to the jail and see if I can have a chat with Sibbi. Maybe I'll find out something interesting.
Right now, however, the time has come for the shops to open, so I walk from trader to trader. On the marketplace, I end up in a lengthy conversation with Brand-Shei, a nice Dark Elf man. He has an Argonian-sounding name, because he was an orphan raised by Argonians. Eager to find out about his ancestors, he has spent many frustrated years asking all the travelers. Some time ago he found the most promising lead yet. I won't bother you with the whole story, but there's a possibility that some documents pertinent to a child lost many years ago by the Telvannis, one of the prominent clans of Morrowind, were on the ship called The Pride of Tel Vos that run aground in northeastern Skyrim more than 20 years ago. And Brand-Shei knows that his Argonian stepfather found him wrapped in a blanket bearing the emblem of the House Telvanni! He's very unhappy he can't go looking for the shipwreck, because it's in an area with very hard terrain and harsh climate.
I promise Brand-Shei I'll try to find that shipwreck one of these days. Then I meet up with the girls and we stroll to the palace together where we learn something most amazing – Unmid, the jarl's bodyguard, is a lover of that sneaky steward Anuriel. More precisely, as I'm convinced, she is keeping his dick up in order to keep his guard down and to prevent him from interfering with her criminal schemes.
The jarl's residence – Mistveil Keep
On our way back to the marketplace, Lydia notices Maul and looks at me questioningly. I give her the key and she walks towards him, trying to not look excited.
I step up to the booth of Grelka the armor seller, one of the most hateful and belligerent women I've ever seen. Bolli, the fish trader I recently helped, is there and is complaining that the armor he bought from Grelka is defective. Grelka even tries to evade her duty to repair it for free, but when she sees that the people nearby are starting to pay attention to their altercation, she finally gives in.
That is not the only thing Bolli is unhappy with. He approaches Madesi the Argonian jeweller next and asks him why he has sent him a bill for 300 septims. Madesi explains that Bolli's wife Nivenor bought some trinkets on account. Bolli is upset, but Madesi convinces him that Nivenor was probably just trying to be more beautiful for him. That calms Bolli down. I just love it how Madesi saved the situation.
I am less amused to hear from the food vendor Marise that Maven Black-Briar herself is very curious about the dragon incident in Helgen.
After above-the-ground (as well as above-the board) trading, I go to Ratway with Jenassa and Jordis to get some training in Sneaking and Lockpicking, as well as check out the general mood. Evidently the bandits have no idea who it was who killed Brynjolf. I'm very pleased with my success. Without Brynjolf, the Bitchen market is a really pleasant place.
Lydia is still nowhere to be seen. "Must have found herself a really unusual man," says Jenassa. Jordis and I laugh like crazy. "Is she at least alive, Laura?" asks Jordis. (I can sense it when any of my followers is losing health.) I assure her Lydia is alive and well, but I couldn't tell how exhausted she may be – which unleashes another explosion of hysterical laughter from all three of us.
It's a little past noon when we observe with extreme amusement how Lydia comes running up the wooden stairs from the canal district. She's very reluctant to talk, so we just hit the road. We're going to Shor now where I have a delivery to make to Sylgja. After that, we'll take care of Rudelphine in Riverwood. (I decided to call her Rudelphine. I feel it's more creative and to the point than Delphinebitch.) Maybe we'll briefly visit Windhelm first. I wouldn't mind meeting Yrsarald before my period starts. As for checking out that Deep Echo Mine, we'll postpone it for some other time.
Thy sky is cloudy and joyless, but the weather improves as we get closer to Shor.
I find Sylgja at work in the mine. She is happy with the delivery from her parents and urges me to be careful out there.
Now I take my followers to the abandoned watchtower somewhat away from the houses. There we interrogate Lydia about every detail of her this morning's encounter with Maul. It would appear that it happened very quickly, and Lydia was so disappointed she outright demanded a second time and wouldn't let him leave, and eventually he gave in and told her to suck it so it would get hard again.
As you can imagine, it was not easy, Maul being very much a Nord man in this respect. He moaned in pleasure all right, but he wouldn't get hard. Getting increasingly desperate, Lydia then had a brilliant idea. She asked Maul to tell her about stubborn co-citizens he's had to discipline on Maven's behalf. Only then did the thing begin to rise under her caressing tongue, even though Lydia found all those cruelties rather disgusting.
Imagine Lydia's shock when she had achieved the seemingly impossible, but then Maul said he wanted her ass. Lydia begged him on her knees, but Maul just held her down with force. Luckily, Lydia was able to squeeze her anus so tight he couldn't get in, and finally he put it into her vagina with obsene curses. Lydia thinks he noticed he was getting soft, so in order to avoid the shame, he decided to give up trying to force her backdoor and fuck at least her pussy while he still could.
"So you don't want to see him again?" I ask innocently.
She looks at me, mildly astonished. "What makes you think so?" That gets a burst of laughter from Jordis and Jenassa.
"Nothing makes me think so," I explain to Lydia. Then I too begin laughing.
Lydia can't help smiling shyly when he casts her eyes down.
"Is he better than Bjarne?" asks Jordis.
Lydia seems genuinely offended now. "Shut up!" she snaps. "Don't compare that... with Bjarne."
"Sorry," says Jordis, stroking Lydia's arm, but Lydia pushes her away.
I go sit right next to Lydia and hug her. "It's all right. You'll need some time to process this. We won't tease you anymore." I look gravely at Jenassa and Jordis who make serious faces and nod.
"...for the next 24 hours," I add gently while I kiss Lydia on the cheek. Then I jump up, but not fast enough. I get a furious slap on my butt and then run for my life down the stairs. When I'm outside and turn around, I see Lydia isn't chasing me after all. The girls come down the stairs unhurriedly and we all hug and make up.
It has started to rain again. We head north, then northwest. Much as I may hate dragons, Northwind Summit is so conveniently on our route that we'll go and take care of that quest now.
I'm most curious to see how Lydia and Maul's turbulent romance will develop. Naturally, there's no actual danger. He knows that if he really hurts her, we'll cut him in little pieces. But as concerns possible... er... pain without permanent injury, she'll be on her own as far as I'm concerned.
The place where we have to turn away from the main road is more than halfway to Vernim Wood. There's a very long uphill staircase. It leads to a Northwind Mine, behind which is Northwind Summit. It looks like a common dragon "nest", along with a word wall, on top of which a dragon is peacefully sitting. We begin shooting and he rises up annoyedly.
Eventually we kill him. Then I get a dragon shout from the word wall.
This location is at incredible elevation and the view would surely be magnificent if it wasn't for the heavy rain that covers the world with a barely-see-through gray curtain.
With no further business up here, we head for the (hopefully) warm and dry Vernim Wood inn.
At the familiar crossing where the road from south meets the east-west road, there's another massive battle going on between the imps and the storks. I want the loot, so we sit it out. In spite of the immense quantities of water pouring from the sky, part of which goes down my neck and back and whatnot, I feel my eyes falling shut from the boredom of this more than familiar sight. The next moment, I feel a pang of conscience for being so uncaring about all those men and women fighting literally for their lives.
Happy as the fallen soldiers' souls may be in Sovngarde, I can never put up with such tragedies happening. I must do everything in my power to try and bring about peace as soon as I can. That would mean, as I told you, visiting Rudelphine in Riverwood, hoping she's able to help me further. She'd better be, considering how secretive and mysterious she has been until now.
The battle seems to be taking an eternity, but in fact it's not even 7 in the evening when my dog-tired feet drag my dog-tired body in through the door of the Vernim Wood Inn. I rent a room for us and go to sleep right away.
next awakening
