I only own my character and this story idea; Skyrim belongs to Bethesda.
"I do not see why we could not travel by wagon, my Thane."
Eris stopped, turning her head to shoot a withering glare at her housecarl. Lydia blinked and took a step back. She could swear that the corner of Eris' eye was twitching, which she had learned meant that her Thane was intensely annoyed. Eris turned the rest of herself around to face her startled housecarl, and took a deep breath.
"Lydia, I like you and consider you a friend. Something you do not know about me, though, is that my earliest memory of Skyrim is of being bound and tossed bodily into a cart to be hauled off to Helgen to be executed. No idea why they were going to, but they were going to. Then suddenly, Alduin. So, can you see why I am not all that fond of carts?"
Lydia swallowed and held a hand to her neck. She may be a seasoned warrior, but no one likes the thought of their head being lopped off. With her head tilted and an eyebrow quirked, Eris gave the faintest of smiles, then whirled and began walking down the path.
"No worries, Lydia m'dear. We should be reasonably near Falkreath sometime soon. In fact, I think I see their lake!...but it looks so much smaller than people have lead me to believe. Oh look, buildings! Told you we would get there."
Lydia sighed and followed, muttering under her breath as Eris continued to skip and hum towards the town's entrance. As they neared it, a guard rushed forward, halting them.
"Halt! You need to pay a visitor's fee before you can have the honor of entering Riften."
"Oh for fuck's sake, you mean I went the wrong direction again?! Lydia, why did you not tell meee?!" Eris whined. Lydia in response rolled her eyes, shaking her head slightly.
"As if you would have listened to me, my Thane." Lydia replied in a snarky manner, at which Eris blinked in surprise, then smiled a coquettish grin.
"Glad to see I have been rubbing off on you, hon. Now!" She twirled and pointed dramatically at the bewildered gate guard. "Are you going to quit bullshitting us and let us in already, or are you really going to let two sweet, innocent little girls huddle outside the big, safe walls of the city all night?" she simpered, fluttering her eyelashes.
The guard swallowed audibly, then shuffled off to unlock the gates. "Just...just do not tell anyone, alright?" he muttered as Lydia and Eris dashed through. As they began to walk towards what was obviously the market, they were accosted by a large, grungy looking man.
"Better not cause any trouble around here, if you know what is good for you."
Lydia put her hand on the hilt of her blade, whereas Eris just grinned up at him. "Okie-dokie, no worries there! Now come on Lyds, we need to find a tavern and get some real food, because honestly, you are a terrible cook and I am starving. Later, Mister!" With that, she grabbed Lydia's hand and dragged her away, Lydia laughing to herself at the look of outrage on the man's face.
Soon enough they were in the Bee & Barb, seated at a table and enjoying venison stew, bread, goat cheese and as many bottles of Black Briar mead as the barkeep would allow them. Once they had their fill, they gradually stumbled up the stairs in one another's arms, giggling madly and trying not to fall. The stumbled into their rented room, managing only to close the door and discard their weapons before pulling the blanket over themselves and falling into a heavy sleep.
The next morning Eris disentangled herself from Lydia and the bedding, and in the process managed to fall out of bed. She let out a whoosh of air as she landed hard on her side. Her legs were still hooked over the edge of the bed and she kicked frantically to try to remove them from the blanket they were wrapped in. Her flailing awakened Lydia, who groggily leaned over to look at her.
"Having some difficulty functioning this morning, my Thane?"
"Fuck you, Lydia. Unwrap my damn legs already," was the cranky reply.
Finally free and considerably more sober than the night before, Eris gathered up her gear. Pausing to scrub her face with cold water from the basin in the room, she turned to speak to Lydia only to find the housecarl had fallen back asleep. Pulling paper out from a pocket, she quickly scribbled a note stating she was going to the smithy. Her weapons and armor needed some minor repairs. Leaving it in a spot where it could not be missed, Eris then left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. After clomping down the stairs, she walked past the bartender carrying a plate of sweetrolls. Without a second thought, she deftly snagged one without being noticed, then snatched an unopened bottle of mead from a table. Breakfast procured, Eris shouldered open the door into the bright light of Riften's marketplace in the early morning.
So...who thought what about it, folks? Lemme know, eh?