Author's Note: Now like always, I am accepting OC's of any kind. Send one to me and I'll find a place in the story. But if the OC is a character from Pokemon or something completely unrelated to Skyrim I am sure you will have no problem understanding why I may find difficulties in finding a place for him/her in the story. Anyways, I am having issues with writing as my time is taken up by various other factors. For example exams are coming up and I am running for student council. I apologise if I may update late like this time. But this one has more words compared to the last.
Four men in dark grey robes sat around a square carved in the stone floor. The engraving began to glow a deep orange and strange symbols started to shine the same colour. The marks burned and warmed the cold air.
"It is time," one of the men said. The others nodded and, in perfect unison, lifted up their heads to face the sky.
"DOV-AH-KIIN!" they shouted.
A thunder could be heard from a fair distance away followed by an echoing sound of the word, 'dovahkiin'.
"Did you hear that?" Irileth asked.
"Yeah," I responded. "Sounds like it came from the mountains."
"Don't get distracted now."
"Sorry." The guards at the gate didn't say anything and pushed open the large doors to let me through. I caught a few stares from the passing townsfolk. None said anything, though. I didn't mind. A man carrying a dark elf, both clad in armour and weapons covered in blood from both allies and enemies. It must be quite a sight.
"Hey, Irileth?" I asked. "Where can I get you healed?"
"The temple beside the fucking tree!"
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Does it fucking look like I'm okay, you little shit!? You better hurry your stupid ass up before I fucking stab you, you dick! Ow. My shoulder hurts."
Okay. I better hurry up, then.
The guards closed the doors behind me as I entered the palace. Dragonsreach, they called it. Originally, it was a cage for a dragon, now a palace for a jarl. I felt two hands on my shoulders which pushed me into the door.
"Where is Irileth?"
"Calm down," I lift his hands off me, "She's at the temple."
"Will she be all right?"
"Yes, she will be."
"Good, good. Now, tell me what happened with the dragon." I walked with him back to his throne. I told him about the victory and the random soul-stealing thing.
"You must be who the greybeards were calling."
"I heard some random shouting on my way back." I replied trying to sound ignorant of the situation.
"Yes, that's the greybeards. You have done a great service to Whiterun and her people. I name you, the thane of Whiterun. It is the least I can do. Come back again tomorrow. I will have prepared for you a personal housecarl and a gift of gratitude."
"Speaking of housecarls," I replied. This was a great opportunity to add something else to the conversation. "You should try to be there when Irileth wakes up. "
"What?"
"Say, you have children, but I've never seen your wife."
"I've never had one, my children are the children of whiterun." That's quite a nice way of putting it
"Hmm, interesting, that's good."
"Why is that good?" Well, perhaps Whiterun having a few street urchins isn't exactly a good thing but still
"You'll figure it out." Before he responded, I turned around and walked away. A person does not truly understand something unless he finds out himself what it is. If you simply tell someone something, either they will either forget it or not believe it. I made my way to the same inn Soling and I went to earlier. I took a seat at the counter and dug around my pocket.
"Hulda, what can I get for five bronze pieces?"
"Two bottles of mead," she replied with her thick Nordic accent.
I tossed the said amount of coins on the counter. She picked them to check the prints and make sure they are real. I'd don't see how that would help, getting a mold isn't too hard.
"Pass me them." She tossed me two bottles of Nordic mead. One of them I caught. The other flew over my head and into the fireplace.
"Oops," she said. "Wait. Weren't you one of the guys who went to fight the dragon?"
"No. That's not me," I lied.
"No, I definitely saw you leave this morning with the guards and the elf."
"Sorry, must have been someone else."
"Mm, alright then." That was when the door got kicked open and a group of muscular and familiar nords barged in.
"WE KILLED A DRAGON!" One of them shouted into the inn. What wonderful luck I have. Maybe if I kept my head down they won't notice.
"HEY, IT'S THE DRAGONBORN!"
Or perhaps that wouldn't help my situation too much
"HI, DRAGONBORN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" One of the men screamed, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Can you not scream?"
"NO! YOU LEFT US AND WE HAD TO CLEAN UP THE REMAINS OF THE DRAGON BY OURSELVES!" They probably took what they can and sold it off somewhere.
"I was busy cleaning up the remains of Irileth," I flatly said soon followed by their silence. Such blissful silence.
"Woah. Irileth's dead?" One of the guards asked.
"No, I just needed this guy to shut up. But Irileth did seem to randomly forget what she was doing during the fight, which is something to worry about."
Around fifty bottles of mead later, five men were off in the corner singing Ragnar the Red. Two women were having kinky lesbian sex in one of the rooms, I didn't plan on looking in but I didn't plan on the door being open either. Two men and one woman were passed out on the floor. Mikael was also passed out. Not because of alcohol but because someone hit him with his own lute, I suppose it was his fault for singing about how sexy a woman was while her husband was standing beside him. And I'm just sitting here eating a slice of cheese. No, I have no idea where it came from.
"Hi," Soling beamed as she sat on my lap.
"Where did you come from?"
"I was here the whole time, silly!"
"So you came here instead of healing Irileth?"
"The blood was really scary!"
"And her dying was less scary?"
"Just don't talk about that."
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry." I wrapped an arm around her waist so she doesn't fall off. I thought she was going to return the gesture. Instead, she slapped me across the face.
"Ow?"
"That was for lying to me. You said we wouldn't fight any dragons."
"Technically we didn't fight any dragons. I fought a dragon, you didn't. But I guess that was still my fault—Ow! What was that for?!"
"You also said you weren't a legendary dragonslayer."
"You can't blame me for that. But I guess that's my fault, too."
I ran the rag up and down my steel sword. It had become a daily routine, cleaning my sword even if I don't use it. I placed the sword on the stand as though it could break any moment. There was a knock on the door, but the door was opened before I could answer.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you, commander Lydia."
The jarl. I didn't hear he was coming.
"My jarl." I quickly dropped to one knee. "I'm sorry. I did not prepare for your arrival."
"Stand, child. It's not your fault. I gave no warnings."
I did as I was told and stood.
"What can i do for you, my jarl?" I asked him.
"Well, our hold has a new thane. You should know that every thane is assigned a housecarl. Many holds have housecarls trained and prepared to be given at any random moment. We do not."
"Would you like me to find someone suitable?"
"No, my child," he said. "You are suitable for the assignment."
"You are assigning me as his housecarl?"
I couldn't suppress the disappointment in my voice. I had finally escaped my life as a slave-servant to a pampered noble and now I am going to become one again? It's not like being in the guard was glorious but at least there are opportunities, may it be full-on bandit attacks or perhaps participation in the war.
"No, my child. Do not think this is a one-sided decision. It is purely optional. I will find someone else if you do not wish to take the position. But you shouldn't make a rash decision. My new thane is not just any thane. He is the dragonborn. The dragonborn will be doing many deeds that will protect the future of the world we live in, I want someone capable to help him." He pushed the door open meaning to take his departure. "I need to go to the temple. Think on it, my child."
The last thing I wanted to be was another servant. But the dragonborn, the only mortal capable of killing a dragon and destined to slay the harbinger of the end of time was an enticing offer. Mother had told me tales and stories about this man. Truly, I am given an opportunity to help save the world and finally become someone. Even if I am only one who helped, I will still be someone others will acknowledge. I untied the strap holding the yellow scarf to the chainmail. Of course, I accept this assignment.
My eyes began to adjust to the light of the room. The memory of the previous day flashed through my mind. Getting too distracted by the rewards of the assignments to do the assignments, how could I have been so stupid? Jarl Balgruuf would be disappointed. Tears threatened to show as I realised the cold truth. He would see how incompetent I was and he would never love me back.
"Irileth?" Balgruuf? Was he here with me? "Irileth, you're awake, how do you feel?"
"My jarl…" I mumbled as I tried to sit up, a strong hand stopped me from making any movements.
"No, you're strong, but you're still injured. Don't try to get up yet, rest for a while longer."
"My jarl," I said, my voice clearing up, "what are you doing here?"
"I can't leave you. I started regretting letting you fight the dragon alone the moment you left the room. I should have gone with you. I should have been there for you. If I was there… than this wouldn't have happened," One of his hands grasped mine and the other covered his face. His eyes sparked through his fingers, was he crying? Was he crying because of me? "Irileth, I'm so sorry. This is my entire fault. You don't have to forgive, you just need to be okay. As long as you're fine, I can live and die in peace."
"My jarl," I said, my eyes were big and my heart was pounding. I could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth. "I don't blame you. It was my fault. I was distracted. I thought if I could kill the dragon, you would love me more." Only truth at this point
"Oh my dear Irileth," he said as he gently hugged me on my bed, "I can't possibly love you anymore than I already love you."
"Do you mean that?"
"Of course I do, here, let me prove it," I closed my eyes as he began to move his lips closer to mine.
I don't remember if I've kissed anyone before. Even if I had it would be nothing compared to this. It felt amazing, it felt like years of working and waiting was over and I finally got my reward. It seems he felt the same.
I woke up to Soling's hair blocking my air inhalation. When my eyes opened, I realised she and I were cuddling together on a bed. Maybe if I moved quietly, she won't notice me leave.
"Mmm, don't leave," she mumbled grabbing my arm. "It's too cold here without you. Warm me up with your love, dragonborn!"
"How can you possibly still be drunk from last night?"
This question led her to laughing psychotically before pulling me back in bed. I guess I'm sleeping in today. I heard a groan and some creaking from across the room. A woman got off the bed. Correction, a woman got off another woman. She scratched her head and studied the room and froze when she saw me.
"Oh, fuck! Did you see anything!?"
"I saw nothing," I lied. Memories of their body fluids making puddles on the ground were still fresh in my mind.
"That's good," she yawned. "I better get home before my wife gets worried."
They call Skyrim the land of the warriors. If I become king, I will call Skyrim the land of the lesbians and terrible bards.
The sun was shining, the clouds were floating, and Heimskr was screaming. What a beautiful day. I moved my hand towards my forehead to wipe off the trickle of blood coming from the fresh cut.
"Look, Soling. I know you wanted to wake me up, but you didn't have to hit me that hard," I said.
"I told you I was sorry already. Just drop it."
"Wait," I said "I didn't hear you say you were sorry."
"Do I have to?"
"Yes."
She sighed before she began. "I apologise for hitting you in the face with a food platter," she said. "Will you forgive me now?"
"Ah, but I've already forgiven you." I put my arm over her shoulder. "I just wanted to make sure you wanted me to."
"I hate you."
"And, yet, you get upset every time another woman talks to me."
"I don't do that."
I raised an eyebrow. "Let's see. I can list a few right now. There was Camilla, Ysolda, that redguard woman from the tavern, and-"
"Okay, fine! I do that!" she cut me off. "But I still hate you."
Soling and I walked up the stairs towards Dragon's Reach. This time the guards each greeted us with a wave or a nod instead of closing the distance between their hand and their weapons. The guards at the door held the doors open for us to enter. I noticed the jarl looked rather tired today as though he didn't get enough sleep last night. Good. Maybe he took my advice.
"Good morning, jarl."
"My thane, ha ha ha! How are you today?" He stood up from his throne with a smile on his face.
"I take it you're in a good mood. Did something happen last night?"
He smiled in response
"You kissed Irileth? What did you do? Molest her in her sleep?"
"I considered it, but I thought I would molest her when she wakes up instead."
"CAN YOU TWO NOT TALK ABOUT MOLESTING PEOPLE!?" Soling shouted, mostly at me.
"Sorry," we say in unison.
"Did the jarl and thane just listen to an order from a commoner?" said a random guard
"It's because she's not a commoner she's Soling the bandit healer girl," I quickly reply. "Anyways, Balgruuf, you told me to come?"
"Yes, I have something for you." He went and reached behind his throne pulling out a sword and a leather bag. "Steel and gold. What else could a nord want?"
"Women?" I suggested to which Soling elbowed me.
The jarl just laughed
"Speaking of women," Balgruuf said. "I have assigned you a housecarl. She's a hardy and strong woman. She's already commander of the-"
"You assigned him a female housecarl?" Soling said in disbelief staring at the jarl. I pretended not to notice as the jarl started sweating.
"Well, she's very serious. I'm sure nothing will happen between them."
"Dragonborn…" she said sweetly. Too sweetly.
"Yes?" I replied
"Don't you dare!" She grabbed my collar, yanked on it, and pushed me back.
"Oh, come on! It's not like you're going to be missing."
"..."
"Riiight?"
"Well…"
I got the feeling that she was having second thoughts about me.
"Are you serious? You don't want to be with me, and you don't want me to be with anyone else. Do you want me to die alone while you go off and forget about me?" I honestly did not mind her leaving but really?
"It's just that, first there were draugrs, and now there's dragons," Soling reasoned. "It's just not my thing. Plus, I want to be on the other side of the law now. I'll go back to Kynesgrove. Do my time in prison and make up for my crimes."
"Well, I'm not going to stop you," I sighed. "But I think you already made up for anything you've done. What's the bounty...I'll pay it."
"Mm," she put a hand to her chin in thought. "Should be around a thousand and three hundred."
"How much did you steal?" the jarl asked her.
"I stole what I needed to survive!" she shot back.
"I'm not even going to question you," I said as I looked through the pouch. "Here's a thousand five hundred."
"Mm, what's with the extra two hundred?"
"I promised I would take care of you, didn't I? Should be enough for until you find a job."
"Thank you! If you don't visit me, I will find and decapitate you without giving a single shit about whether you need to save the world or not. Anyways, BYE!"
"Well, she's an odd one," the jarl whispered to me
"Who's not?"
I stood in place beside a door the jarl assigned me to wait for the thane. The thane was having a conversation with the jarl and another woman. His armour was tattered and already pretty much useless. A small piece of cloth was around his neck like a scarf. He didn't look like the noble man of honour someone would expect the thane and dragonborn to look like. He looked more like an assassin or a thief with the light clothes and dark colours, he certainly did not look like a noble man. I started to doubt my decision of becoming this man's housecarl. A housecarl is named differently than a slave but, with the oath I swore, this man can treat me however he liked and make me do his bidding without complaints, he could order me into suicide battles, he could beat me for fun and he could use me for lustful purposes. What if he was worse than my slavers from times long ago? I wouldn't even be able to escape because it was by my will that I became his housecarl. I am a nord, and I will not back out on my oath. But, will I be able to withstand old revisited pains? No, no I won't, I know that.
"Hi."
I was disturbed from my thoughts by a feminine voice. When I looked up, I saw a woman with light hair and scaled armour. She had a sword attached to her waist and a leather bag hanging on her back. It seemed like my new thane had given her all of the gifts the jarl presented him.
"I'm Soling. Are you the thane's housecarl?" She beamed.
"Yes, that's me," I replied
"Wow! You're really pretty. Let me give you some advice." Her expression changed from happy to murderous in a moment. "He's mine! You got that?"
"Yes?" I squeaked. I'm not sure how, but I think her eyes changed colour
"Good." Her smile returned. "I'm glad we got that settled." She skipped away as though nothing had happened. But I think I may have been traumatised... again
"You look shaken up," another voice said. "Just met Soling?"
When I looked up I saw the thane. A shiver went through my body. I can't appear like this on the first meeting with my thane. I quickly dropped down on one knee like the jarl had advised me.
"My thane," I said with my face down. "It is an honour to serve you." When I looked up, I saw my thane at eye level. He was kneeling down in the same fashion.
"It's an honour for me, too," he said with a light smirk on his face
"Why are you bowing down to me?" I asked. I was too confused, forgetting to show respect in my voice. He didn't seem to mind.
"Why don't you ask that to yourself," he replied. "Come on, get up." He offered me a hand as he stood up. I took it. He acts so differently than I expected.
"I need to go to Riverwood," he said as we walked out the door. "Why don't you take the rest of the money the jarl gave me and find something fun to do in the meantime."
"I am sworn to protect you and all you possess, my thane," I bowed. "Let me accompany you on your travels."
"Don't worry about me. I'll only be gone for the rest of the day." He handed me a bag from the inside of what little armour he had. "Take this gold and spend your day doing whatever you please."
"I don't dare take this, my thane."
I don't know if he was trying to trick me into doing something wrong so he could punish me later. There were too many kinds of people for me to lower my guard.
"No, I'm serious." He forced his pouch into my hand. "It's not like I'm going to use it. Take it."
I was going to push it away, but he left me standing there in the marketplace.
"Remember to have some fun!" he called back in his quick departure. "You look too serious!"