I'm awoken by Irileth shaking me awake, a scowl on her face. I instantly stand up and ask, "Yes?". The Dunmer calmly turns around and says, "Follow me, I'll show you to the kitchen.". I quickly follow the elf, desperate to keep up with her long strides. When we reach the kitchen the place is bustling, the room jammed full of cooks and their apprentices. The elf grabs me and yanks me over to a separate area, ducks and geese in cages on the table. She hands me a butcher's knife and commands, "Cook them into a stew of your choosing, but make it delicious. I'll be watching, just in case you try to slip something in it while you work. Don't think you're special, every other cook had to go through me looking over their shoulder as they prepared their first few dishes.".

I nod and grab a goose from its cage. I solidly knock the bird across the skull, then hang it from the wall using a pre-prepared tie. The Dumner instantly questions, "Why didn't you kill it?". I begin preparing everything I'll need to cook it. "It's fresher if the bird's alive.". I grab salt, water, olive oil, pepper, flour, onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, wine, bay leaves, garlic, potatoes, and thyme. Then, I grab a large pot and a spoon. Finally, I hang the rest of the ducks upside down. The first one is dead, the blood all going to his head and killing him. I take the duck down and grab a wastebasket, grabbing my butcher's knife.

I decapitate the duck and roll his head into the basket, then begin quickly plucking and deboning the bird. Once that's done I season the bird with salt and pepper. After that, I cut the meat into small chunks. I throw all the ingredients into the pot. The Dunmer carefully watches me as I do the same process with all of the birds, then heave the pot over to an open fire. The elf has been carefully watching me all the while, but now she seems to press right up against my back as she watches me stir. I awkwardly adjust my shoulder in the hopes the woman gets the idea and backs away. She doesn't.

I sigh and allow the Dark Elf to practically climb on top of me to make sure I'm not adding poison to the Jarl's stew. When the liquid is up to a boil I grab the pot, inwardly screaming as the metal burns into my flesh. As quickly as I can, I heave the stew back to my table. I turn to the Dunmer and ask, "What next?". The Jarl's bodyguard grabs my arm and yanks me over to a table piled high with meats, bowls of pepper and salt line the entire length of the wood. I don't even need to be told, I quickly begin seasoning the meat and passing it down to the cooking station. The Dunmer has a ton of other people she could be watching, but she never leaves my side. Suddenly, she grabs me and yanks me away from the meat. The Dunmer takes me to an abandoned table, wet vegetables forming a small mountain on this one.

She sits me down in a chair and I begin chopping up the carrots and leeks in front of me. However, the elf clears her throat as I work. "I usually ask new workers questions when they come to Dragonsreach, so I can make sure they aren't insane. Now, care to answer a few questions?". When I nod she asks, "Where do you come from? Do you have any family if we need to return your remains to them?". I nearly nick my finger at the question, but catch myself and answer, "I come from a nowhere farm in Hammerfell, and all of my family is dead. Just throw me in a mass grave with the rest of the poor, it doesn't matter to me.". I can see the Dunmer's shocked expression out of the corner of my eye. She nods and mumbles, "My apologies, I didn't realize your kin were dead.".

I wave her apology off with a flick of my hand and assure her, "I've done my mourning. Now, any more questions?". The elf nods. "What were your previous jobs before Hulda?". I shrug and absentmindedly tell her, "I worked at any inn that would take me. There are far too many to name, but I never stayed in one place for long.". The elf leans back in her chair and questions, "Do you have any plans for staying in Dragonsreach long? Remember, answer honestly.". I rip up a piece of lettuce as I answer, "No. I want a job back in Hammerfell, far away from the problems of Skyrim.".

The mountain of vegetables is done, but the Dunmer looks around and tells me, "Looks like there's nothing else for you to do.". The Dunmer shrugs and commands, "Follow me. I can't let the newest worker wander around unattended. That's how assassins could get in and end up killing the Jarl.". I don't bother arguing as the woman begins walking away. I follow her to the best of my abilities, but her longer legs give her a gigantic lead on me. When the woman stops she's outside her room. I expect her to stop, but instead she pushes on through. When I awkwardly stand outside the woman calls, "Come in, I want to keep my eye on you.".

I sigh and go inside, taking a seat across from the woman's desk. When we're both seated the elf pulls out some files from her drawer. She flips through and suddenly says my name, looking up at me with a questioning look. When I nod the woman continues, "Twenty winters of age. Previously married to a Mrs. Anjaajma. No children. Currently not a member of any major religious associations. And, no more kin to speak of. That sound like you?". I nod, and a sudden realization comes over me. "You had someone look me up?". The Dunmer nods and assures me, "We don't know everything, and you've lived a rather unremarkable life up to this point. I'm still going to be watching you, but at least I know a little more about you.".

I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this woman prying into my personal business, but I allow it to drop for now. The Dunmer leans back, clears her throat, and explains to me, "I want to tell you a little about what I expect from you. You'll clean and cook without complaint. That's all in your job description. Literally nothing else. If you manage to fuck this up, then I don't think you even deserve to call yourself an intelligent being. Any questions?". I suddenly realize how filthy the elf's room is. Beer bottles are everywhere, dirty plates litter the floor, and her bed is a mess of tied up blankets on a broken frame.

I'm not sure what compels me to ask the Dunmer the next question out of my mouth. "Do you need a personal maid for your room?". Anger flares on the woman's face, but she seems to calm down when she realizes my offer is genuine. She eyes her filthy room and asks, "Are you being serious?". I nod and the Dunmer shifts in her seat. "I always asked the other maids to clean my room, but all of them complained it wasn't their duty and that it was too dirty.". I shrug and admit, "It's dirty, but I could do it in a day or two.". The woman warily asks, "How much extra do you want for cleaning my pigsty of a place?". I consider it for a minute, then answer, "Nothing. It's my duty as a maid to clean any room my superior asks of me. Besides, you're teaching me to read and write. I think that's payment enough.".

The Dunmer smirks and chuckles, then tells me, "I think you and I are going to get along fine. When can you clean my room?". I shrug and say, "After the feast if you wish.". The woman nods, but a loud knocking on her door stops the conversation. A guard burst in and announces, "The guests are here, and the feast has started!". The woman gets up and instantly commands me, "Come on, no time to waist.". I follow the Dunmer to the main hall, the great fire burning brightly. Twenty royals are laughing and feasting, bards dancing and singing around all of them. The people seem to be eating everything that's on the table.

Stews, sandwiches, and meats all go down their gullets. The Dunmer makes her way over to Jarl Balgruuf, standing beside him. I awkwardly get beside her, trying to make myself as unseen as I can. Irileth doesn't give me any further instructions, both of us standing still for the entire feast. The celebration seems to wear off when the royals find the drinks, downing every single bottle they can. Near the end of the evening a man gulps down a bowl of stew, only to have it reappear instantly when he vomits his guts out. Everyone moves away from him, the man's illness signaling the end of the feast. I'm not sure what to do now, but Irileth decides for me when she grabs my arm and yanks me back to her room.

When we've returned to her desk the elf hisses, "What was that?". I nervously swallow and go, "What?". The elf's red eyes snap up to meet mine and she explains, "That man threw up once he sampled your soup.". I shrug and tell her, "He had too much to drink.". The Dunmer rubs her head and snarls, "I can't know that for sure!". Her head snaps up and she continues, "You might be an assassin in disguise. I have to make sure.". I groan and question, "What are you going to do to me?". The Dunmer scratches her face as she speaks. "I'm the one sworn to die for the Jarl, and I'm the one sworn to make sure you aren't insane.

After my room is clean, I'll have another bed brought up. Congratulations, you're bunking with me. And, I sleep with one eye open. You'll never get the jump on me. It'll have to be like this until you've proven yourself to be a friend of Whiterun. Understand?". I nod and the elf rises, telling me, "Good. Now, start cleaning. I'm going to go find some guards and command them to bring an extra bed up.". I nod and hear the woman leave. The click tells me she locked the door behind me. Damned, you'd think the people of Whiterun would have a little more trust. I sigh and get up, starting to clean the filthy place the Dunmer calls a room. The work is brutal, but I hum as I clean. It helps me pass the time. Kind of.

Irileth POV:

I can't believe I trusted that woman! Her perfect profile should have made me aware that there was something wrong with her. Nobody slips under detection for that long without being up to something. I'm not sure how, but she must have slipped something into the food while I wasn't looking. The queen's bodyguard threw up right after he ate the stew. It's true he had too much to drink, but it wasn't enough to make him void his stomach. I mean, I've seen younger people handle more beer. It must have had something to do with the stew. Now I have to watch the Khajiit every hour of every day until she's proven she can be trusted. It might take a while, but it must be done. If the woman ends up being an assassin and manages to kill Jarl Balgruuf, then it's my fault because I allowed her into our hall in the first place. I find a guard and quickly command him to have another bed up in my room before everyone has turned in for the night. When he nods I turn and head back to my room. Back to the Khajiit.