Another day, another fight. Menippus stared casually at his empty tankard. He sighed. This was his fourth drink,yet his mind remained perfectly clear. Not the plan he had in mind when he stepped inside the Snowberry Inn.
"Another one for you, tough guy?"He turned his glance towards the direction of the steady. high-pitched voice just to see the petite breton barmaiden that had served him the previous rounds staring him intently. She had long brown hair that fell over her shoulders and covered a part of her left eye. The right one though was fixed on Menippus' ones, brown into brown. Her complexion revealed that she was young, around her mid twenties, same as he.
"Yeah", he answered nonchalantly.
"Wow wow stop talking now, you're boring me", she mocked before turning around to grab a half-empty bottle of fine,cyrodilic brandy.
"Good,keep it that way then." Why the fuck are all barmaidens so annoying? he pondered as he placed his elbow against the counter. Maybe it is just me,this lifestyle is making me obnoxious. That wasn't the first time the thought had crossed his mind, but then again a man needs to make a living, so between begging in the streets of Whiterun and joining the thieves guild,Menippus had decided to live by hunting in the wilds and trading with the local merchants. He would offer them good quality pelts,claws,antlers and maybe, if he was lucky, some sabre cat teeth in exchange for gold. Some might say it was a dangerous job, but not for this man.
"Here you are. Enjoy!" The same annoying voice interrupted his thoughts and another tankard now laid in front of the Imperial, eager to be consumed.
"Thanks."
"Oh and just a tiny piece of advice big guy",Menippus never really had the chance to start drinking as the Breton demanded his attention once more."Cheer up!This is a tavern for Mara's sake, people come here to forget their problems, not enlarge them." Her initially mocking tone had transformed into a serious one, to Menippus' surprise.
"Technically it's an inn", he mused, "but I get the idea, you might be right"
"Of course I'm right! You get to know a lot of things about taverns-well..inns by working in one of them." After seeing the man in front of her chuckling, she continued with greater confidence:"I'm Mathilde, by the way", extending her right hand.
"Menippus", he answered shaking it with his.
Mathilde's eyes instantly widened."Wait..I..I have heard of you. You are the one they call the Dragonborn?The Dovahkiin?"
"Word spreads quickly I see",the imperial answered raising an eyebrow.
"Shit, just don't tell me that a dragon is about to attack this place".
"How would I know? I'm the Dragonborn, not Akatosh himself" he answered abruptly.
"Then what are you doing here, in the middle of nowhere?I swear this inn is not even marked on the Skyrim map.' She had a point there. The place was almost empty but for Menippus and a strange traveller who had already fallen asleep on his chair in the company of an empty tankard which now rested on the wooden table . Menippus had also noted the absence of a bard, something extremely rare for a Skyrim inn.
"Hunting. I value the fat, lazy bears on these mounains pretty high".
"But, you are the Dragonborn right? I'm pretty sure you should be highly demanded all across Skyrim. People believe you are the one who is gonna save thei-"
"Look,Mathilde",he interrupted, "I'm not the one who they think I am. I just happened to be at the right place, at the right time",Menippus' voice was now so low, that the breton could hardly hear him.
"And that dragon you killed in Whiterun?"
"I didn't kill him alone. I was fighting along half of Whiterun's army!",he retorted angrily. Silence spread in the room, only to make the tension between them thicker. Mathilde had now plenty of time to scrutinize the imperial's face. Most of it was covered by a thick beard that even the manliest nord would be jealous of. From the top edge of it, on the left side, she noticed a deep vertical scar, which would almost reach his eye. The beard's colour was matched with his short,messy hair:blonde. What impressed her most though were his eyes. She didn't really know why, they were a pair of brown dots after all -nothing unusual- ,but his glance was piercing, like an arrow cutting its way through unarmed flesh. Mathilde admitted to herself that the man in front of her was quite attractive.
"So, can I get a room for the night?",the man's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Of course!. I'll show you to your room,right this way please". She pointed to the right and gestured him to follow. Menippus obeyed with a nod.
The room was not any better than the rest of the place. The squeaky door made way to reveal an old,wooden bed at the corner of the the room. To the right, there was a single chair with a book on it: 'Immortal Blood', Menippus read silently. I have seen it before somewhere but I cant remember where.
"Well, enjoy your stay Dragonb..I mean Menippus. Would you like something specific for breakfast so I can prepare it?" She asked casually.
Menippus raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
"Why, don't look at me like might be a small inn but I am trying to make a name for it. Just don't ask for something unrealistic. A vampire visitor once asked for a blood pie and I had to kill one of my hens for that. Poor Cenepia!"
"No,I don't like blood pies anyway", he snorted,"although,how about... CHEESE?". Menippus made sure he emphasised the last word so that the Breton in front of him almost jumped before bursting into laughter.
"And here I was, thinking you were a serious person and all."
It was now Menippus' turn to chuckle,"I am,I just have my little outbursts now and then."
"Good! So, is cheese for real or are you completely trolling me, o mighty Dragonborn?", she immediately regretted that last part,as she noticed the smile in the imperial's face turn into a frown.
"Cheese for breakfast is perfect", he answered in a serious tone.
"Okay then. I think I shall take my leave now. Goodnight Menippus". And with that she started walking towards the door, with a disappointed look on her face.
"Goodnight Mathilde."
As the door closed, Menippus laboriously began removing his heavy,steel armor, then placed it on the floor near the chair. Unlike most steel vests, his was dyed in blue -his favourite colour- and although in certain spots it had begun to fade due to the hits it had received,it still pleased his eyes. Next, Menippus untied his sword belt and carefully placed it next to his armor before covering it with his large, round shield. Now that the boring procedure was completed, he finally threw himself on the bed, only to be welcomed by a loud crank and the sound of a wooden plank falling on the floor. Oh fuck it, i'll, fix it tomorrow, he said to himself annoyed. He put his hands in his pockets, in an effort to counter the shivering cold that dominated the room when his right hand touched a piece of paper. Once again, like he had done so many times these last days, he pulled the note out and unfolded it. The writing was all pretty curves and through the blood stains,Menippus could read:
Name: Rowan
Race: Redguard
Sex: Male
Location: Windward Shack,Winterhold,Skyrim
Objective: Elimination
Further Information: Former instructor in the Arena. Legion trained swordsman. Connected with the Dragonborn, the only one who can jeopardize the plan. Failure is not an option. This one comes straight from the top.
R.
Menippus gritted his teeth. No matter how many times he read it, the bitter taste it left him was the same. Who the fuck are you mr.R? Cause when i find you and your buddies,I'm gonna gut you like a fish. His thoughts kept spinning,from Solitude to Riften,trying to build a list of every possible R name he could remember that could be a part of this. Soon enough he found himself unable to focus anymore and darkness took him...
The sun was up and heavy snowflakes caressed his cheeks as he was looking at Windward Shack. The door was broken and the once-sturdy wooden walls were destroyed. The ominous scent of burnt flesh reached his nostrils. He ran. The shivering cold that was gnawing him to the bone didn't exist anymore. Now it was just the adrenaline pumping through his veins that warmed him more than anything else he had tried. But what if I am too late? He smashed the remaining piece of the door and entered the ruined building. All he could see was a pile of 6-7 bodies, their hearts beat no more and their eyes reflected the horror that possessed them during their final seconds. All but one of them. Menippus did recognize a brown,old face amidst them and the familiar black ponytail hair style accompanying it. Rowan! But the man's eyes were closed and he was not sleeping,yet he seemed awfully peaceful. No!Rowan,no. Shit! You'll be fine old man, I'll get you help, I promise. He tried to poke him as if to wake him up but it was in vain. He knew his promise was a hollow one, too little too late. And as soon as he finally realised, he roared, not like an angry wolf,not even like a lion, but like a dragon and the sound echoed through the mountains of Winterhold. The man had been the father he never met and now he was gone. They didn't kill him,no,they couldn't have killed him. No,he decided to give in to his wounds. He dragged the body from the pile and carried it outside along with his iron sword painted in crimson with the blood of his attackers, 'The Gladiator' as Rowan called it. Menippus searched in the backyard for a shovel and as soon as he spotted one, he started digging his old man's grave. His face was a mess now,tears running down his cheeks but he had to go on, he had to give him a proper burial. It was the least he could do for the old man. And when his task was finally done, he said his final words towards him, the ones he once told him and taught him to live by them: Strength and honor.
It was almost noon as Menippus finally woke up,welcomed by a volley of sunlight rays and the refreshing feeling of a good night's rest. But that always came at a price. He had overslept. He sprang up and bolted out of the room and straight to the service counter, where a familiar figure was arranging the bottles of liquor.
"Morning Mathilde",he muttered."Is my breakfast ready?"
The breton smiled at him."Good morning Menippus. I see you are not the early bird type".
"Its your beds! They are just so comfy" he said joked back.
"I know right! Especially if you make sure to break certain planks before you lie down", she answered with a sly grin.
Menippus was now laughing "Well, that was unfortunate.I'm gonna fix it anyways before I leave,I promise."
"You'd better, big guy. So..cheese for everyone?", she shrugged.
"Oh,yeah!"
It was while eating his cheesy breakfast that he noticed he was not the only visitor in the room. To his right,at the corner he saw a shady figure dressed in a strange kind of armor that Menippus had never seen before. The chest plate was painted in dark brown and was covered by many straps, but there were no pauldrons and the sleeves were long. He also noticed that the man's belt was not made of leather,but iron. However he didn't manage to scrutinize his face as it was covered by the large iron war axe the man was inspecting. Or so Menippus thought he was doing. As he went on to take another bite of his cheese, the mysterious man stood up and walked towards him,his eyes pinned on the imperial. Menippus could now see his face. He was an orsimer,no more than 45 -although its not easy to estimate the age of an orc- and by the numerous scars he bared, he could tell he was a warrior. Menippus slowly reached for his sword but missed a heartbeat when he remembered he had never taken it with him after he left his room in a hurry.
"You there",the orc spoke in a commanding tone, his finger pointing at Menippus."Do you wanna make some coin,son?"
"Does a bear shit in the woods?"Menippus scoffed.
The orc seemed rather pleased by this answer. "I don't know about bears,but vampires do. And we must put a stop to that", he shouted punching his left hand with his right then took a seat next to Menippus and unwrapped a piece of paper in front of him. It was a map. Menippus noticed an x mark on the bottom-left corner.
"This is Castle Dawnguard,our headquarters",the orc pointed right on the mark.'"When you get there,speak to a man named Isran. He will fill you in with the rest of the details."
"What about the payment you mentioned earlier? I need evidence, its gonna take days for me to reach that castle and I don't intend to leave empty-handed afterwards"
"Let's make something clear now lad,shall we?", he said putting his hand on Menippus shoulder as he pulled his face in front of him and gave him a cold stare. "When I'm talking about vampires,I am always deadly serious. There will be money,glory and justice."
And with that,the mysterious orc buried the map back in his pocket and stood up. "My name is Durak, by the way. Make sure to put in a good word to Isran about my recruitment skills when you meet him. Farewell."
Well that was weird, Menippus thought as he watched Durak walking out of the inn. Though he could admit that the orc was quite persuasive. Something in his tone had actually convinced him that he was telling the truth,this whole vampire-hunting thing was not a ruse. And after all Menippus never really liked vampires, not that he knew many things about them, but the scenario of turning innocent people into their kind unwillingly during their sleep gave him the chills. So, is this gonna be work or pleasure? he shrugged at his thought. I might as well join. The payment cant be worse than the one I'm getting now.
"Mathilde?"
"Just a second!",a voice echoed from the room behind the bar followed by the appearance of a young breton girl. "Yes, Menippus?"
"How much do i owe you?. I gotta go."
"Let me see..hmm, room plus breakfast plus the drinks from last night..its 25 septims in total."
Menippus opened his pouch and shook it until the septims inside dropped onto his palm. "There you are",he exclaimed extending his full hand and emptying it in hers,"Thanks for everything! Goodbye." He started walking towards his room to gather his equipment when the barmaiden's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Umm, Menippus?". There was that sly grin again on her face and Menippus knew it was not for good.
"Yes?"
"Did you forget something maybe?"
After a brief moment of silence,Menippus reluctantly remembered his promise to fix the broken plank and with a sigh and a lot of cursing under his breath he went on to complete his task. When he was finally good and ready to go, he waved the barmaiden goodbye and stepped outside the inn and into a surprisingly warm Skyrim noon.
Hmm..so which way to castle Dawnguard?
A/N: So this story is gonna follow the Dawnguard DLC, which is my favorite in the game. Sadly, Bethesda never really let us romance Serana(imo the most interesting NPC in vanilla Skyrim), although they DO hint it here and there. I'm pretty sure there will be grammatical errors and i apologize for that, but English is not my native language. If you liked it please review! I'm looking forward to reading both positive and negative comments from you.
fruitseller out! o7
Legend:
Menippus: Our story's hero, the last dragonborn. His background will be revealed gradually.
Snowberry inn: Don't bother trying to remember where it is because you won't. I placed it somewhere to the south of Winterhold.
Mathilde: OC. A young, hot breton inn keeper, trying not to run out of business.
Akatosh: Chief deity of the Nine Divines and father of dragons.
Whiterun: Capital of the homonymous hold, the first city you visit in the game(and my personal favorite,too).
Cenepia: OC? Nah,just a hen.
Windward shack: Not in the actual game,too. Let's say its located somewhere to the south-east of Winterhold.
Winterhold: What if i told you Winterhold is the capital (city?) of the homonymous hold? Yeah, I didn't believe it either at first.
Solitude: Capital of Haafingar and Skyrim. Bethesda did a really nice job with this city.
Riften: Capital of the Rift.
Rowan: OC. Menippus' mentor. Formerly working in the Arena, he is a descendant of Owyn(the guy who prepared you for the fights in the Arena, in Oblivion, and who was a total douche at the beginning but eventually came to respect your skills).
Durak: A member of Dawnguard, the guy who gives you the quest to begin the DLC, if you are not busy talking to guards.