"Hey, Django! Get your furry little ass out from there" Leiah was leaning over the small water canal flowing under Whiteruns main gate and trying to wake up her friend.
"Hrmph, what is it now" he asked, sleepily looking at Leiah.
"Are you ready to leave? Aela will be here any second to send us off" Django dragged himself out from the small tunnel and looked at the setting sun. "It's already evening, maybe we should wait for morning" he said.
Aela had told her the same thing and she knew that traveling around Skyrim in dark is dangerous but she couldn't help it, she was too eager to see her home after five years.
"Django please, you know how important it is for..."
"Yea yea, I know. I was just screwing with you"
"Hey". Both of them turned around when they heard Aelas voice behind them. She was wearing a dress with diagonal cut, which left her right leg bare. Her hair was in a ponytail and she had her golden elven bow with her.
"What's with the fancy getup" Leiah asked her.
"Oh I just thought that it's a nice evening and I should wear something more comfortable" she said and adjusted the belt on the dress.
"I used to wear lot's of dresses in Imperial City and I can't call none of them comfortable"
"Depends, but let's get two of you on your way. I remember how you handled a bow when we were fighting that giant outside Whiterun and thought that I should give you a decent bow" she looked at her bow as she handed it over to Leiah. Even when it was made out from light materials, it was much heavier than Leiahs current wooden bow.
"You shouldn't have, I'm no marksman and my my current bow works great" Leiah said, she looked delighted from the gesture.
"Of course I had, you have talent, just make sure to stay alive... I'd like to have it back one day"
"Yeah, I just hope that I will be eaten by a bear along with this bow" she laughed and gave Aela a strong hug. As a companion Aela was remarkably strong and Leiah felt as if she wants to break her back. After Django had shook hands with Aela they exited the city gates. Aela stayed back and simply stood in the middle of the road, looking the gates close. Something was bothering her, ever sence they spoke with Leiah about the night they had spent, her words 'just friends' echoed her thoughts. She didn't want those feeling to be true because they would make things much harder for both of them. "Maybe that was the reason I agreed with you" Aela thought, she turned around and started walking back to Jorrvaskr.
Leiah and Django were walking up the hill, there wasn't much left to go. Sun had already set and it was dark but the trip had been uneventful so far. When they got up the hill, Leiah saw a weak light shining through the trees. "There it is, lets go" she cheered and started jogging towards the light.
The house looked just like when Leiah left, there was a lantern burning net to the main door. While Leiah searched for the key from her knapsack, Django noticed something. There was a small pool of blood, trailing off. He followed the trail around the corner and stumbled on two dead Whiterun guards. He whispered to Leiah and waved her over.
"What is... ooh"
"Don't touch the door, we'll try the windows" Django said.
They went to the other side of the house, where the kitchen was and broke the window. Once they were inside Leiah took Aelas bow from her back and Django pulled out his steel katana.
"Wait, you have no use of this in here" He whispered and handed Leiah his elven dagger. Leiah looked unsure when she accepted his weapon. The dagger would be useless for her once they get into a fight. Django moved towards the door and slowly pushed it open. The room was dark when Leiah entered the main hallway after Django.
Suddenly someone dropped from the second floors balcony and landed right on top of Django. The attacker pushed him of against the wall and burst art Leiah, who reacted quickly and pushed a random night stand in the attackers way. The mysterious figure tripped over the furniture and fell right on top of Leiah who had frozen from the contact. "This is it" she thought.
The strangers hood dropped as she tripped over to Leiah and the clouds moved away from the moon, which light shined through the window now. Without the hood, moonlight revealed their attackers face. It was her mothers housecarl.
"Lydia" Leiah gasped.
"Leiah! I'm so sorry, were you hurt" Lydia said as she quickly got off from her.
"Yeah, I uhh... think so" Leiah slowly stood up and throbbed the back of her head.
"So it's true, you're really back in Skyrim"
"I arrived few days ago. It's a long story but I will tell you everything latter"
"By the way, who is your friend" Lydia pointed at the body laying in the corner.
"Oh damn it, Django" she swore and rushed to him. "Looks like you knocked him unconscious" Leiah said after examining him.
"Wow, I didn't know that you two are still hanging around" Lyda brought few chairs and placed them at the table in the middle of the room. She lit the candle and they both sat down.
"He followed me to Cyrodil and said that you had helped him to find me"
"Yes, I remember that. He seemed to be quite angry at me for sending you there" Lydia looked troubled as she looked down to her feet. "Look... I hope you're not angry at me either. Sending you to Cyrodil was the only proper choice, after they blamed me in your mothers disappearance and placing a bounty on my head I've been hiding around the forests and living in caves" she raised her gaze to meet Leiahs "You were not supposed to live such a life with me" Lydias eyes started to fill with tears and Leiah wrapped her arms around her into a tight embrace.
"It's not your fault, I fully understand why you chose to do so. And I'm relieved to see you in one piece" After a long hug Leiah let Lydia go. Lydia took a letter from her pocket and handed it over to Leiah.
"There's an old alchemist living in the woods, we get along well and this morning when he came back from his ingredient gathering he told me that there were two shady persons talking with the guards near our manor" Leiah opened the letter but put it on the table and continued listening to Lydia. "When I came here to investigate I was discovered by the guards and only chance was to kill them. When I came inside there was this letter nailed on the door. I decided to stay a little longer and search for useful items when I heard you two coming, I thought you are renforcments for the guards, so I attacked you" She explained. "Go ahead, read it"
Leiah picked up the letter again, crossed her legs and moved the candle closer.
Sweetest miss Galaviel,
We are well informed of your arrival to Skyrim and the most logical step for you is to come here. By now you have probably met a Nord male, named Ralof one way or another. We would like you to meet up with him and he will give you further instructions. Of course it's optional for you but the prize will be great.
If you decide to pick up this quest, you'd also like to see the secret chamber in the basement of your manor.
Sincerely, your new fan.
P.S. Travel alone.
Leiah put down the letter and looked at Lydia, who was waiting for her response. "How did they know I'm coming to Skyrim and how is Ralof connected to this" Leiah looked bothered of the information about her leaking fast.
"I don't know dear, even I didn't know of your arrival before I saw this letter. Which is even more interesting is that the letter mentions the secret room downstairs" Lydia said.
"Yes, isn't it about the time to tell me what's in there, it's driving me crazy. At someplace I was even having nightmares about that room"
"I'm sorry for your suffering but a month before your mother disappeared, she gave me the key to this room and told me to give it to you, once you're eighteen"
"Well I'm almost twenty, so I think I'm ready for it now" Leiah eagerly stood up and was waiting for Lydia to do the same. "Yes, I will show you what's inside but let's leave that for tomorrow. For now we should carry Django upstairs and get some rest ourselves"
"Argh... you're impossible, even the letter says that I should see what's inside and yet you want to put it on hold"
"The letter say that you should see what's inside if you decide to accept their quest. And patient sure isn't your virtue, you whine just like that small girl ten years ago" Lyda laughed and stood up from her chair.
"Oh shut up, I've grown" Leiah muttered as they were trying to pick up Django, who has been lying there at least for twenty minutes.
"Yeah, that's not what you chests says" Lydia smirked
"Oh fuck you Lydia, one more joke about my breast size and I'm going to cut someone" she said half jokingly.
"Language..."
Leiah sighted as they were walking up the stairs. Once Django was in quest room, Lydia went back to guard downstairs and Leiah went to her old room. She sat down to her bed and a small tear of happiness fell on her cheek, she was finally at home. She lay down onto the bed and looked at the dust, flying in the moonlight, which was coming from the window. She slowly fell a sleep after kicking off her boots.
I really enjoyed writing the first part of this chapter. I find Aela giving Leiah her bow rather ironical, sence i always stole it as a first thing, when i reach Whiterun.
