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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
4-202-04-29 06:16
Jerall View Inn, Bruma, Bruma County, Cyrodiil
After a bath and such, I go to the palace. I want to talk to Count Desilus. He owes me one.
Well, the count is still sleeping. I ask the servants about Afanna and the viscount, and am told they are away from the city for a couple of days.
That's unfortunate, but I don't want to put off getting rid of Razzada any longer.
I go out and give the beggar Serulius some money for showing me the place where Razzada sleeps. I wake him up and demand to know what is his deal with Afanna. He acts surprised and insists he has only seen Afanna from afar a few times and isn't most certainly associating with her.
On my way back to the palace, I step in to the Synod building to find out of Cadius is already up and if has gotten over the tragic news about her sister.
He has. I ask him to do me a return favor and let Galarynn join the Synod. She's a Breton and I'm a Breton and I can feel she's all right. I don't know about her magical abilities, but I'm sure she's honest and diligent person.
Cadius is not too convinced about the Bretons' ability to assess each other's characters, but he agrees to give Galarynn a chance. I thank him and leave with my mood greatly improved.
The count has woken up by now as well.
I ask to talk to him in private.
I tell him we really ought to expel Razzada from the city. I tell him about the harmful products he sold to Ila and Stantus. "But I suppose you'll have to consult with your brother first," I add.
Just as I had hoped, Desilus replies indignantly that he doesn't have to consult anyone in a matter such as this. Razzada is a shameless fraudster and can't be tolerated in this city. He is certain Marcius can not be involved in a disgraceful affair such as this. Afanna, sure. She has been causing some embarrassment in the past, but Viscount Marcius will keep her in reins from now on.
I ask him not to be too harsh on her, but he says this matter is out of his hands. Afanna having entered into an intimate relationship with Marcius, it'll be now his sole judgment how harsh Afanna needs to be with. I grin and thank the count for his time. Back in the throne room, Desilus tells the steward to let a couple of city guards accompany me and I take my leave.
We go to Razzada whom I inform that all his wares apart from food and non-alcoholic drink are confiscated and he is ordered to leave the city and never return. I slap him when he tries to protest. Then we escort him to the nearest city gate.
This has taken less time I had thought it would. I round up my followers now and we head for the Serpent's Trail to kill the smugglers the count wanted to get rid of.
Somehow the dungeon doesn't look as grim as the previous times. We discover some very roomy caverns
I'm astonished to find out that they're all women. Correction: one is male. I wish he had chosen to pimp them instead. Some of them were quite beautiful. I wouldn't have even come here, had I known I'd end up slaughtering a bunch of pretty chicks.
After this, I'm not even too keen to return to Bruma for our reward, but I don't want to leave without talking to Eddvia. Besides, I don't fancy looking for the exit to Skyrim in this crazy maze, but we believe to remember the way back to the Bruma main road. Oh, and I almost forgot that I wanted to pay a visit to Simund's Manor southeast from here to see if Atul is all right – as I have promised I would do from time to time. So let's find the exit to the Bruma highway!
It's insanely difficult. Even the Clairvoyance spell is useless. It was the right decision to not start looking for the exit to Skyrim.
Finally we're back in the open air.
The guards at the Gautierre Mansion tell us Simund is with Atul right now. I decide to believe it and not disturb them. We return to the city.
First I visit the palace to get my reward from the steward. The girls choose to tag along, but when we leave the palace, they go to their boyfriends, and I head for the blacksmith's shop. I catch Eddvia alone this time and we have a long talk.
I learn that, firstly, Imperial City is in the state of agitation with everybody anticipating a new Great War. Eddvia's official fiancé has written that some people are panicking and some are angry at the government for (supposedly) not taking decisive action aginst the arch-enemy, the Aldmeri Dominion. He is eager to be done with the wedding as quickly as possible, but his family is somewhat hesitant as to how the proper ceremonies can be conducted at a time like this and if it would be even appropriate.
Secondly, Eddvia has noticed her father has gotten softer – not having second thoughts about her wedding but kind of lost his edge. Eddvia is greatly puzzled. It looks to her like he's suddenly realized he's gotten old and so it's no longer proper for him to be headstrong and ambitious. Maybe he feels guilty seeing how unhappy Banus is, Eddvia suggests. Or maybe he has lost his ability to perform with his wife (Eddvia expresses it more vaguely and delicately) and therefore no longer feels like a man whom his family members have to obey? At any rate, Eddvia's mother is clearly sensing it and has become sympathetic to her daughter's pleas, especially because she fears that if Banus lost his sister too in such a short time, he might get the feeling that everybody is abandoning him and develop lifelong psychological problems. (There is, however, no way to bring this argument up with Albecius who would dismiss such "girlish nonsense" out of hand.)
Thirdly, it's clear to Eddvia that her betrothed is eager to take possession of her body and couldn't care less about ceremonies. She, in turn, decided to thicken the plot by making bold to tell Hulgard about her feelings. He was, to cut the long story short, surprised, but pleasantly so, and very much responsive. He had never dared to hope a woman as beautiful and elegant, as well as a dozen years younger, could possibly like someone like him. (Not very smart of him to admit his insecurity, of course, but Eddvia doesn't mind.) Together they confronted her family. Banus thinks Hulgard is one of the greatest men in the world, for what it's worth with Albecius and Ruccia in the habit of not considering their daughter much more than a household item. But, as mentioned, Ruccia is visibly softening, what with the threat of war in the south, and Albecius has become uncharacteristically tame.
All in all, Eddvia's prospects are looking very good. She is seriously contemplating the possibility of forcing the issue by letting Hulgard have her cherry. (Of course a girl from a family as traditional as hers would keep her virginity for her husband.) She agrees with me that it's wiser to get to know him more intimately first, as well as keep him dangling a little, but she seems determined to do it the moment she's being forced to travel to her rich and noble fiancé. Even if her parents should chase her out and disown her, Hulgard can take care of her and she is actually certain they wouldn't.
With these happy news I return to the inn and spend the rest of the evening with my boyfriend Dar'taqto.
Quite frankly, I'm getting kind of fed up with him. I can't explain why. No matter, I'll be leaving Bruma tomorrow anyway.
When we have withdrawn to my room, I tell him (after sex, because he refuses to talk before sex; funny, the men, aren't they?) that I have arranged for Cedus to drop charges against him and Quatrius to forgive him his past crimes, but in the future there will be no mercy.
"This time it's serious," I tell him. "If you go on stealing, I will help you no more and I won't be your girlfriend."
Dar'taqto assures me he's been honest for quite some time now and is not going to steal anymore, but he's very sleepy, so I can't tell if he really means it. I hope he does, and if not, he has only himself to blame. I can't be his nanny.
next awakening
