"In all my years of traveling the vast province of Skyrim, I must admit I have never gotten used to the dangers of Falkreath Hold. The lush forests that dot Skyrim's southern territory hide many secrets, most of which will invariably try to kill you if you do not stick to the roads. And even so, there are an abundance of bandits that roam these lands in search of blood and gold. Luckily, when meeting my next subject for my latest book, I did not have to venture far into these dangerous woods to meet with them.
I had initially set out from Solitude to reach Rorikstead, having heard from a credible source that my subject was originally from that region. My source was not mistaken on that part, only on the fact that they hadn't lived in Rorikstead for some time, only stopping by occasionally to visit a childhood friend. Erik was his name, only he would often refer to himself by another title: "The Slayer". It is still unclear to me where this name originated from, since Erik failed to tell me how he had gotten it. What he didn't fail in though was to provide me ample information on my subject."
Aria Silver-Eye was a Nord woman hailing from the town of Rorikstead. She was an only child and had lived the first years of her life in a farmhouse with her parents. Unfortunately, early in her life, she lost them to a bandit raid on a caravan they were taking to Whiterun. She was then adopted by Erik's family, and the both of them became close as kin ever since.
"Erik seemed quite fond of Aria, and when inquiring to others in the town, it became clear to me that he felt something more than friendship towards her. Though it was also made clear to me that Aria did not reciprocate his feelings for her and that it eventually drove them apart. That, and Aria's insatiable lust for adventure…"
As soon as she was of age, the young Aria set out to explore the province with her trusted adopted brother. Together they roamed the vast plains of Whiterun Hold, explored the great canyons of the Reach and even ventured north to Solitude, Skyrim's capital. They had many adventures together, but when it became clear to them that they were no longer children and that Erik's feelings for his adopted sister became more than just friendship, they slowly grew apart until finally, Aria left him to explore Skyrim's secrets on her own.
"When I heard this, I was worried that tracking down my subject would prove to be more complicated than anticipated, but I was reassured by Erik that Aria was living not to far away from Rorikstead. He gave me directions on how to reach a place he had called "Fellburg", but refused to give me any details. After finishing my last interviews with the townsfolk, I immediately set out towards Falkreath Hold."
"As I mentioned earlier, Falkreath can be a very dangerous Hold to navigate. Fortunately, the border most closest to Rorikstead has been secured as of late, but I will get into that in just a moment. As I entered Falkreath's forests from the north-west, I was surprised to find a walled settlement just a few meters from where I had entered the woods. The wooden palissades bore banners I did not recognize. The guards patrolling the area wore armor I had never seen before. Of course, they approached me as soon as they saw me arrive on the road, asking questions and wanting to know where I was going. I told them that I was in search of someone and that I was on my way to Fellburg. You can imagine my surprise when one of the guards told me I had already arrived!
"- You stand at the gates of it, sir. Lady Silver-Eye did not mention she would be receiving a visitor… he said to me."
"Then, another voice came from beyond the gate."
"- It's quite alright. Let the man in."
"To my surprise, a Redguard woman approached the gates of the fiefdom. She had dark chocolate brown skin, grey eyes and warpaint drawn across her face. She wore a full-set of Alik'r armor, hood and all, and was armed with a pair of curved scimitars. And though she seemed to be quite the fiercome warrior, her face did not show any animosity."
"- I am Rayya, Lady Aria's housecarl. I bid you welcome to Fellburg. We've been expecting you for some time…"
"We greeted each other and I must admit that Lady Silver-Eye's housecarl is quite the impressive woman. She must accomplish her duties as Aria's bodyguard most proficiently, as she is a tall, muscular woman whom, I have no doubt, can fight off almost anything the universe throws at her."
"After finishing our business with the guard, Rayya instructed me to follow her, and it's there that I got my first glimpse at the settlement."
Fellburg was truly a self sufficient fiefdom, complete with it's own clay and iron mine, a carpenter's shop, a farm, a small fishery as well as a few of its own shops. But the crowning jewel of this settlement was Fellburg Manor. The finely crafted residence was worthy of any nobleman in Skyrim, with its high tower and balcony that overlooked the whole of the settlement.
"As we made our way through the central path of the fiefdom, I was surprised to find that I was not being led towards the mansion, but rather towards where the crops were being cultivated. When I inquired as to why I wasn't being led towards the house, I was answered that Lady Silver-Eye is rarely inside her home during the day and would most likely be found working on the farm or chopping firewood. Surely enough, hunched over a wood chopping block, stood a woman with hair so pale it seemed white or silver in appearance."
"- My Thane, the writer has arrived, said the housecarl."
"The woman that stood before me turned to face us and that's when it became clear to me why her name was "Silver-Eye". A pair of bright, silver irises gazed back at me with such beauty, I could only stare, mesmerized. Never had I seen eyes of such an unusual color. They weren't just grey eyes, they seemed actually made of silver. They gleamed in the sun like precious metal. And it was not just her eyes that were beautiful. She was also a very attractive woman, despite the few scars that barred her right cheek. Like most Nords, she was tall and had an athletic body, but less so than her housecarl. She wore clothes that reflected her noble status, but that weren't so pompous as to hinder her work. She removed the gloves she had been wearing to protect her hands whilst she was chopping firewood and held her hand out towards me."
"- Welcome to Fellburg, stranger. I am Aria Silver-Eye. It is a pleasure to welcome you to my home, she greeted me with a smile."
"Although she was of great beauty, her face conveyed very few emotion. There was always this stoic demeanor about her that made her quite honorable among her people. She always seemed so calm and collected. It put me at ease and made me nervous at the same time. I knew this was the face of someone who had seen a lot in their life, which was shocking considering Lady Aria was still a fairly young woman."
"After dispersing with the pleasantries, we made our way towards the mansion, which was undoubtedly the part I was most excited about apart from interviewing my subject. We entered into a large hall similar to those you would find in a Jarl's longhouse, with a large chair serving as a throne. It was made clear to me that this part of the mansion was hardly used since Lady Aria was always outside doing manual work with her workers. She would only use this room when Jarl Siddgeir visited, and it was mostly for appearance sake. I was then led into a fairly large dining room with a grand table that could seat a large amount of people. It was at that moment that suddenly, the room was flooded by a group of children. This surprised me as I was unaware that Lady Silver-Eye had children."
"They swarmed her, not knowing that I was standing right behind her. Two girls hugged her legs, almost making her fall over. She gently pushed them away, kneeling down to kiss them on the forehead."
"- Mama mama! One of the girls called out."
"- We missed you! The other said."
"- But I was only gone for a few moments! Aria laughed."
"Then the girls turned towards me."
"- We have a visitor? One of the girls said."
"- Yes. He's a writer, the one that mommy told you about, answered Aria."
"- Is he gonna stay long?"
"A voice called out from the corridor. To my surprise, a young Dunmer boy was standing underneath the arch leading into the rest of the house. He seemed awfully shy, as he kept trying to hide behind the blanket he held tightly in his little hands."
"- As long as it takes. Come Eldryth. Don't be shy… The boy's mother replied."
"She held out her hand towards him as he slowly approached, glancing often in my direction before curling up in his mother's arms as she lifted him up from the ground."
"- You've now met my children. Here are Sofie and Sissel and this little one is my son Eldryth, she said to me, motioning each of her children."
"- Hello! said Sissel."
"- Hi mister! I hope you write a good book about our mom! said Sofie very proudly."
"- She's the best mom ever! Sissel proclaimed as she hugged her tightly."
"Sofie and Eldryth soon joined her as all the children came together to hold Aria in their arms. She laughed as she was swarmed with love. It was the first time I had seen her with so much joy in her eyes."
"- Alright now. You can let go of your mother now."
"The surprises kept coming as a Dunmer man suddenly appeared. He had short black hair on the top of his head, with both sides having been shaved off. Two facial tattoos traced his eyebrows, circling his eyes and descending all the way down to his jaw. His eyes were all red with irises the color of warm embers. Aria rose to her feet to meet his gaze, handing him the young boy."
"- Thank you dear. Could you take the children outside? I would like to be left alone awhile with our guest, she explained to the dark elf."
"- Of course, dearest… Come along children. Your mother needs a bit of time to herself."
"The elf regarded me for a brief moment, nodding. I nodded back, wondering who this person was. I would probably soon find out once we would be left alone in Lady Aria's study. I sat myself down on one of the arms chairs, grasping a notebook I had stuffed into my robes."
"- You must have so many questions, she said."
"- Indeed… and I scarcely know where to begin…"