I decided to delete all the other skyrim stories and settle on one I know for a fact I will make a decent story like some of the my others, I promise this one will be here to stay, and let buddha strike me down if a type a lie…..

As Sweet As Her Mead

Chapter 1 - Riften's Hospitality

I climbed and hurried farther up the hill and through all the bushes and shrubbery in order to get away from the mountain sabre cats that decided to name me lunch, I was very annoyed one sabre cat I could've taken on easily but two? Id be eaten alive, luckily I had climbed high enough to be safe as they circled around the hillside and took off snarling and growling at the loss of their fast food, I waited several minutes before I slid back down the hill and continued down the path to Riften.

I saw in the distance the rooftops of houses as Riften became less of a blur in the distance, it wasn't normal weather it was way too foggy to see in front of me, It oddly cleared up as I reached the gates and saw two guards stood in front of it, Ah the skyrim guards, headstrong, lazy, lecherous and drunken arm of what the nords called law in this land, I was shaken by my thoughts as the guard on the left began to speak.

"200 gold to enter our fair city elf!" He demanded rather angrily, I looked around the gates, I doubt fair would be an honest way of putting it but I daren't state the painfully obvious. "Why do I need to pay in order to enter?" I asked calmly.

"Visitors pay the tax by order of the jarl, pay now!" He very nearly barked, I rolled my eyes I decided to put my speech skills to very good use. "This quite clearly is a shakedown." I said the last word rather loudly as the guard looked around worriedly and raised his hands. "Alright keep it down, you want everyone to hear, alright I will let you in." I smiled as the door was opened for me, and I nonchalantly strolled into the city, the first impression as I was often told by my mother was very important, so in that sense Riften failed almost immediately, I saw two guards chasing what appeared to be a thief down the wooden laid streets, the thief was panicking at his lack of escape options and started running in my direction towards the gate.

I nearly considered letting him pass, but an onrush of social conscience caused me to stick out my foot tripping him up and sending him crashing to the ground, he must have fallen quite hard because he didn't get up, the two guards came running up and dragged the thief to his feet, the third guard then threw a small coin purse towards me, I caught it in my left hand. "Well done elf, you just saved this guard a lot of paperwork." I nodded as I counted out the coin in the back, there was about 140 gold inside, well this had turned out to be a good day, I didn't have to pay 200 gold and then without effort I am rewarded with 140 gold, I smiled happily as I walked across the small pathways towards the city centre where the stalls and smith were located, I walked up first to the smith.

The large nord smith seemed oblivious of me until he looked up and stopped hammering the piece of iron armour he was working on. "Ah come to see Balimund perform miracles with steel eh?" He said happily, I nodded and shook his hand. "Actually I came here to see if you could give my armour a little tempering." I indicated my leather armour as I said it, he looked the armour I was wearing all over before saying. "Of course, just leave it with me and I will have it finished for you tomorrow." I quickly took off the armour, boots, greaves and helmet and handed them to the smith, I felt a rush of cool air over my normal clothes, it was nice to sheathe the armour every now and then I felt as light as a feather as I walked over to one of the stores, I noticed an Argonian stood at one and walked up. "Greetings valued customer, come to see what I have in store?" I shook my head and rummaged around in my pocket before taking out several rubies. "What do you think I could get for these friend?" The argonians eyes went wide as he scooped them up. "Where did you find these?" He asked in shock. "An old nordic ruin north of whiterun, would you like to buy them?".

The argonian examined them just to be sure they weren't fake before nodding and grabbing a medium sized coin purse. "Theres 600 septims in this bag, will that be enough?" I nodded as I was handed the bag of septims, the argonian then took the rubies and locked them away.

"So, what is your name friend?" The argonian asked as he leaned forward on the counter. "My name is Melendil, and yours?" He shot out his scaly hand. "Madesi, pleasure to meet you." We shook hands as I looked around just to make sure no one noticed the bag of gold I had on me, the thief I stopped made a sudden rush of paranoia go through my body, usually there were more thieves around, I was shaken from my thoughts as I noticed I had just been deep in thought for too long. "Sorry Madesi, just thinking about that thief from earlier." Madesi nodded and smirked. "It was rather entertaining, in less than a minute you have done more than any guard could by stopping that thief without killing him, thats quite remarkable for Riften." I laughed as I checked my coins again. "Well all thief get caught eventually, it had to happen, plus I got some gold out of it so I guess I like Riften a little bit more now."

"Did you pay to get in the city like all the other travellers?" Madesi sighed as the rearranged his merchandise. "No I called out shakedown and they let me in without having to pay." Madesi laughed so hard he nearly dropped an emerald. "Very clever, my friend that would put any guard in their place, so what have you come to Riften for?".

I had to remember my task at hand, I did have other jobs to do, but this one was the most important then I remembered it. "Im searching for an elderly gentlemen who may be hiding out her, any ideas of where a fugitive might hide?" Madesi stopped polishing a golden ingot and thought to himself. "Try the ratty, but you better bring some armour and a weapon its riddled with lowlifes and skeevers, makes up her look like paradise." I then decided that I would have to go the following day when my armour was finished if I would need it, this Esbern fellow could wait a day or two.

(-)

I had said my goodbyes to Madesi as I walked to the bee and barb inn nearby, I stepped in cautiously and walked up to the bar, I felt at unease that I was being watched by everyone as another argonian leaning the bar cleared her throat breaking my thought pattern. "You want a drink or a room? If not then get out!" I rolled my eyes, customer satisfaction obviously was put to rest. "Yes I would like to rent a room, heres the money you need." The barmaid took the coin and stored it away before handing me a bottle of mead, I swigged it and put it down again quickly. "Er miss what am I drinking?" She looked up from the glass she was polishing. "Its black-briar mead, whats the matter don't like it?" I shook my head slowly as I drank some more of it. "Quite the opposite actually, this is better than any mead I have drank anywhere else, Its not even watered down, its flawless!"

I then heard a rather sultry voice behind me. "Very kind of you to say so." I looked behind me as a middle aged woman with posh clothes and long black hair sat down on the bar stool next to me. "Im sorry have we met?" I asked confused, the woman shook her head. "No, but Im Maven Black-Briar Im the reason you're enjoying that mead." I looked to my bottle as I drank more of it down. "Well thanks Maven, for actually providing a decent drink, I think I've heard of you before but I might be wrong." Maven laughed quietly, this woman had a deadly look and feel to her, I decided to best watch what I say. "I in a sentence run things around Riften, I keep peace and order." I was very confused now. "Isn't that the jarls job?" Maven laughed again as she stood up. "She's too busy dealing with the war to tend to Riften so I…..help out, so simply behave and we wont have a problem fair?" I nodded as I drank the last bit of mead from my bottle. "You have my word as a gentlemen elf." I however didn't have time to finish for she had disappeared, the barmaid then leaned in and whispered. "Be cautious around maven, she seems nice at first but all she has to do is give the order and she will ruin your life, she's done it plenty of times before." I frowned, she did seem nice, but as my father said 'when it comes to evil its always the one you least suspect'. "I will be sure to watch what I say in future, I will be back later for my room, theres still some more errands I need to run. And with that I left the bee and barb…

(-)

I looked around Riften for quite some time before I gave up and asked a nearby guard for assistance. "Excuse me but do you know where I can get ingredients and potions?" The guard pointed to a wooden stairway that led to a black door that I hadnt noticed before, I could've slapped myself. I thanked him before I rushed down the steps and slowly opened the seemingly rusty door to the shop.

I walked in and found a happy looking elderly woman standing at the counter. "Welcome to Elgrims Elixers, may I help you?" She seemed nice enough to not be deadly like Maven, so I smiled and asked. "Do you have any Daedra hearts?" I prayed to the divines that this alchemy shops would actually have any I needed some for an experiment and they were difficult and dangerous to find, thankfully luck was on my side today. "Yes dear we have two in stock." I jumped in the air and celebrated, then realised that I just openly celebrated, I noticed an elderly man looking at me like I was insane, I cleared my throat. "Pardon me madam, I would like the two hearts please heres the gold." The old man then asked me a loud question. "You ok boy?" He asked gruffly, I hadn't had time to answer as the sound of breaking glass resonated from behind a corner behind the shop, followed by the man going behind there and barking a someone. "Ingun! That was my last nirnroot potion, they were rare girl, very rare!" I shared an awkward look with Hafjorg, the womans name, as her husband, she told me his name was Elgrim as per the name of the shop. "Who's he talking to?" I asked Hafjorg. "Oh he's talking to his student Ingun Black-briar, she's very taken with alchemy." I sighed another black-briar, was this one dangerous like maven as well, my question was answered as she came around from the wall with Elgrim. "Im sorry Elgrim I promise I will replace it, I….." She trailed off as she noticed me, I stopped myself, by the gods she was truly a marvel, slim figure, coal black hair that ran down her shoulders, a gorgeous smile and a set of eyes that reminded me of the rubies I sold to Madesi, valuable, her eyes were just beautiful. Eventually I was snapped out of my trance when she started to speak. "Hello. I've not seen you around before?" I smiled as I was given the Daedra hearts. "Oh how rude of me, my name is Melendil and you must be Ingun." She looked at me with curiosity. "How did you know my name?" I pointed to Hafjorg. "She told me, also I was introduced to Maven not too long ago."

Ingun sighed tiredly."Did my mother threaten you, Im sorry if she did." Mother? Well it did seems justified Maven was middle aged and Ingun looked around my age, barely into her twenties. "She didn't give me any threats, what was all of that back there about?" She blushed as she pointed to the stain around the corner. "I dropped of Elgrims rare nirnroot potions, along with other things I've used for my experiments." She then showed me a list of things she had needed to get. "Elgrim wants me to get all of these things but Maven doesn't let me go outside the city walls." Then I got a small idea, that was to get on the black-briars good side and also to impress this beautiful, alchemy obsessed girl. "I could get them for you, if you want?" Her eyes lit up as she smiled and jumped up and down. "Would you really? That would be so nice of you! Thank you so much!" She gave me a small peck on the cheek before we said our goodbyes and I left the shop, I smiled and looked up, I didn't know if this was love or not, but it felt good until I looked at the list, Nirnroot, Nightshade and Deathbell! I could've hit myself these were rare ingredients, I prioritised myself, Esbern first Ingun second.

(-)

"I met a really cute high elf today." Ingun chatted happily to Hafjorg as they sat and ate once the shop was closed. "Oh you mean that charming young man who bought the hearts? He does seem nice, have you taken a shine to him?" She asked with a wink. Ingun blushed as she finished her meal, before whispering. "Yeeess! And even better he's fetching my ingredients for me!" Hafjorg smiled as she got up for a drink. "Make sure you reward him with something he will want." Ingun smiled to herself, she knew what he would want when he came back…

This should do for the first chapter a little first meet between Melendil and Ingun, they will be good together I know it, so read, review tell me what you think bye bye :)