A Letter from Calcelmo
"You're looking to buy arrows?" Serana asked quizzically, as she watched Aeros go through Proudspire Manor's armory. "Why? You almost never use a bow; in fact you rarely even use that enhanced crossbow that Sorine gave you."
Aeros shrugged. "I was planning on doing a bit of hunting," he explained. "Things have been pretty quiet at Castle Dour recently, and there's not much else going on around here besides the planning for the wedding, so I thought I would see if I could bag a deer or two."
"In other words, you're bored," Serana accused, smirking knowingly at him. Aeros chuckled ruefully.
"All right, you've got me there," he admitted. "Yes, I'm bored. But beyond my own inability to sit still, it's been far too long since I last went hunting. I want to make sure my skills don't get rusty. Otherwise, the next time we see her, Aela might just beat me over the head with my own bow."
Serana laughed at the image of the fiery huntress finding out that Aeros had allowed his skill with the bow to slip. Aeros wasn't too far off when he said Aela would hit him with his own bow. While it was unlikely that she would actually do such a thing, she would certainly give him a severe lecture on the matter if she ever found out.
"So why do you need to buy arrows?" Serana asked as Aeros pulled a Nordic bow off of one of the weapon racks. "Don't you already have some?"
Aeros didn't answer immediately, deftly stringing the bow and pulling back on the string experimentally, testing its tautness. With a satisfied nod, he slowly returned it to its starting position, before glancing at Serana.
"I still have a few left," he said, "but I lost most of them when I stumbled upon a cave of necromancers during my last hunt. That's why I was hoping to stop by the Fletcher and at least refill my quiver before I head out."
"Do you mind if I come with you, at least to purchase the arrows?" Serana asked. "I wanted to stop by the market and pick up a few things myself."
Aeros smiled. "No, I don't mind," he said. "What were you planning on buying?"
"A few ingredients for supper tonight," she replied. "I was hoping to cook something, but we're out of a number of items that I need."
Aeros's eyes widened. "Wait, you're cooking?" he asked in mock horror. "Please, no! I don't want to be poisoned!"
His laughter was cut off as Serana elbowed him sharply in the side. "Hey!" she growled. "I'll admit my idea of cooking was a bit...off in the beginning, but that was a year ago. I've gotten much better."
"True," Aeros admitted. "You haven't tried to add Falmer ears or giant toes to anything recently-" He grunted again as Serana drove a fist into his gut. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" he gasped as he doubled over. He and Serana glanced at each other, and despite themselves, they broke out into laughter at the absurdity of the situation, and the strange turn that their conversation had taken.
When they were done laughing, Aeros grabbed a heavy pouch of gold and slung his bow over his shoulder while Serana informed Jordis of where they were going. Choosing to leave through the ground-floor door, the two of them left Proudspire Manor and emerged on the streets of Solitude. Together, they made their way towards Castle Dour, walking side by side down the busy streets of Skyrim's capital. As they walked, Serana glanced over at him curiously.
"What is it?" he asked, noticing her gaze. "Do I have fur growing out of my ears or something?"
Serana's lips quirked at his joke. "No," she said. "I was just wondering if you're going hunting like that?" she questioned. "You're not going to wear your armor?"
Aeros laughed as he glanced down at himself. He was wearing a simple tunic and pants, as well as a pair of soft, leather boots. The muted green and brown colors were perfect for blending in amongst the trees of a forest. "I'm going hunting, Serana, not battling giants and dragons," he said in amusement. "Besides, this is much better suited for moving silently than a bunch of heavy dragonbone plates."
"You have a point," Serana admitted. "Although I'm still not entirely convinced you know the meaning of stealth, given your habit of charging headfirst into battle."
"Hey!" Aeros protested. "You can laugh all you like at my tactics in battle, but I'm still alive, aren't I?"
"Yes, although the gods only know how you've managed to do so for so long."
Their banter was interrupted as they walked through the doors of the Fletcher, and were greeted by the shop owner, Fihada. Aeros explained what he was looking for, and the Redguard showed him the array of arrows that he had available. After several minutes of looking Fihada's wares over and a bit of haggling, Aeros and Serana left the store, a new quiver full of dwarven arrows slung over Aeros's back with his bow, as well as an empty sack for meat. Now that Aeros's errand was complete, they headed towards Solitude's market to pick up the food and ingredients that Serana was looking for, as well as to see what was available. The markets were more crowded than usual, due to it being a Fredas and the recent arrival of local farmers bringing in some of their crops. But eventually, they managed to purchase everything that they were looking for. Aeros helped Serana carry it all back to Proudspire Manor, before he bid Jordis and Serana farewell and made his way out of the city. The city gates had only just fallen out of sight before he left the road, following a hidden game trail. He had noticed a herd of deer grazing in a nearby meadow the other day, and he was hoping that they had not wandered off far. With any luck, he might be able to bag a nice sized buck.
- Several hours later -
Aeros walked back through the gates of Solitude just after midday, a heavy bag of meat slung over his shoulder, and a satisfied grin on his face. He had been extremely lucky; the herd of deer that he had spotted a couple of days earlier was still there, and he had been able to actually take down two of them before the rest fled, including the lead stag of the herd. While he had skinned and field dressed the deer, he had called Durnehviir from the Soul Cairn to allow the dragon to do a bit of hunting of his own. The great dovah was still flying in the skies overhead by the time that Aeros had finished gathering the hide and meat and decided to return to Solitude.
There were still a few hours before sunset, and the streets of Solitude were bustling with activity. As he made his way back towards Proudspire Manor, he had to pass through the city markets and its crowds of people. Luckily, most of the shoppers were too busy gawking over various trinkets and baubles, and the stall owners were too busy hawking their wares to pay him much mind, and he was able to make his way through without attracting too much attention. It helped that he wasn't wearing his tell-tale dragonplate armor with his swords strapped over his back.
He nodded in greeting to both Illdi and Vittoria Vici as he passed them on the streets. Climbing the steps to the front patio, he walked through the door. He stopped as he picked up a delicious smell coming from the kitchen area.
"Welcome home, my Thane," Jordis said when she saw him. "Were you successful in your hunt?"
Aeros nodded. "I was. I managed to get two deer before the rest ran off. I think Durnehviir got- Er, never mind. Anyways, it seems like I haven't gotten too rusty with the bow. At the very least, my aim hasn't gotten any worse," He glanced towards the kitchen. "What is that I'm smelling?" he asked.
"That would be the meal that Lady Serana is preparing," Jordis answered. "There are a number of different courses."
"And she's actually cooking it?" Aeros asked in disbelief. "By herself?"
"I swear, I will throw a knife at you, Aeros, see if I don't," threatened Serana's voice from the kitchen. Aeros laughed, but decided that it would be in his best interest to stop poking fun at the vampire, especially given this particular vampiress' penchant for mischief and pranks.
Deciding that he would take the meat to the butcher tomorrow, Aeros stored the bag of venison in the larder downstairs, before taking a seat at the table with Jordis. He had just sat down when there was a knock at the door. He and Jordis glanced curiously at each other, before with a shrug, he got to his feet and went to answer the door.
"Yes?" he asked as he opened the door. Standing outside his doorway was a Nord dressed in a courier's outfit, similar to those worn by other couriers that Aeros had encountered in the past.
"Excuse me, are you Aeros Dragons-Bane?" the man inquired politely.
"Yes," Aeros answered. "That's me."
"I've been looking for you," the courier said. "Got something I'm supposed to deliver, your hands only. Let's see hereā¦" He paused as he rifled through a pouch filled with a number of letters and documents. "Ah, here we are. A note from someone named Calcelmo, in Markarth." He pulled out a rumpled looking piece of parchment and handed it to Aeros. Aeros thanked the man and tipped him a few gold pieces. Stowing the gold in his pouch, the courier bid him good day before turning around and hurrying away, already off to deliver another letter.
Aeros closed the door and returned to his seat at the table, staring at the letter. He had a feeling he already knew what the contents would be, if it was from Calcelmo.
"What is it?" Serana asked as she emerged from the kitchen, staring curiously at the letter in Aeros's hand.
"A letter," he answered wearily. "From Calcelmo." He broke the seal and read the ink-stained letter aloud.
"Aeros Dragons-Bane," he read. "It has come to my attention that you have recently acquired a number of dwarven arrows in Solitude. I am not certain how such objects came to find themselves resting in such a location...but I have been trying to obtain such a thing for my research. If you still possess one of these arrows, or happen to find another, I would be most appreciative if you were to bring it to me here in Markarth. I will pay you for it handsomely.
Sincerely,
Calcelmo."
When he was finished reading, he tossed the letter on the table in annoyance. "I swear I get one of these letters every single time I purchase a lousy dwarven arrow or something even remotely related to the Dwemer!" he complained.
"Speaking of which, how did he manage to send you a letter so quickly?" Jordis questioned. "You only left to go hunting a few hours ago. I do not think it's even possible to send a letter from Markarth to Solitude that quickly, not even by courier or messenger bird."
Aeros shook his head. "I have no idea," he said. "In fact, I don't even know how he found out that I purchased them in the first place. I swear, that old elf must have eyes and ears everywhere. Either that, or he has a spell or something similar that tells him whenever someone purchases something Dwemer related."
Serana laughed. "If he had something like that, why wouldn't he just go and buy the objects himself, instead of sending letters to random adventurers?"
Aeros simply shook his head, not having an explanation himself. He doubted that it was something that he would ever be able to find the answer to.
Author's Notes: And here's the first chapter of my little Skyrim side-story! As the title suggests, this isn't so much a story as it is a collection of one-shots and misadventures of Aeros and his friends that are too small or insignificant to make up a complete arc. As a result, expect all kinds of misadventures and (attempted) jokes, as well as a fair amount of leaning on the fourth wall and poking fun at various pieces of the game. So feel free to send me requests on something you might like to see, and I'll try my best. Enjoy!
