Blue Palace, 12th of Hearthfire 4E 203, Part 2
Aurora returned to Proudspire in the evening, a few hours before nightfall. The woman found Vecheslav in the hall and embraced him happily. He had a parchment roll stuck under his arm, and upon being asked what it was by the woman, he explained that it was a news pamphlet which he had bought at the marketplace. Aurora put one and two together and realised that the Book Club ladies probably had set up their business already.
Delighted by the information that her town was growing and attracting intelligent people, Aurora looked by the kitchen and hastily greeted Ratibor before returning to the living area, where Bogdan was reading something out loud.
The man's hair was messy again, and his waves, which during most days could pass for subtle curls were now drawn out by their own weight. This made his hair almost touch his shoulders at the back, as well as lose much of its volume. That, however, was for the better, according to Aurora.
What caught the woman's attention was not the man's eccentric looks – she had grown used to that by then. As he read his poems, he played with his voice. At times, it managed to capture the sound which appears when someone changes the grip, and therefore the tone on a lute. It was the sound of the slip, which lasts for a mere moment.
Bogdan skillfully managed to pick the exactly right tone when reading one line, then quickly, throught the slip, proceed to the next one. In the following verse, he suddenly let it give the same impression as a long, thin metal piece that someone yanked back and forth.
He had an astonishing ability to play with his voice, with the ultra rapidly changing tones and perfect intonation. When beginning on a new poem, it amazed Aurora how that relatively small man managed to create bass sounds that almost boiled the air. It was if he was hoarse, but without the choking nuance. As quickly as he managed to surprise her with the rispy tone, it changed back to the soothing, caretaking.
"Why don't you sing?" Aurora interrupted.
Bogdan turned around and looked at the woman with a surprised expression. She chuckled and leaned against a pillar with her arms crossed in front of her. "You have a very trained voice, and would have made a good bard."
"It is utterly boring to sing. I am a composer, a poet, not an instrument," Bogdan ansered with a wrinkled expression.
Aurora rolled her eyes at the man's comment. She did not expect anything else from him to be honest. Instead, she returned to the kitchen, where Ratibor was now reading the news pamphlet Vecheslav had brought with him. The man was leaning with his elbows against a table as he examined the parchment. Vecheslav, on the other hand, was sitting on a chair next to the older Goldwine and smoking.
"Your brother is very talented," Aurora said as she looked at Ratibor.
"I am aware of that," Ratibor answered without raising his gaze.
"Why doesn't anyone publish him?"
"Because my brother doesn't try hard enough and he refuses to converse with the people he should. He may be genially talented, but he is also lazy and undiplomatic," the man answered in a manner which made it clear that he was not very pleased with the theme of the discussion
"But you are published, can't you help him?"
"I worked my way up. I spent years perfecting the technique he was given by nature, I moved to the Imperial City simply to have the chance to meet journalists, writers and publishers. The only thing my brother does is partying and insulting the wrong people."
Aurora remained silent for a few minutes. Ratibor was hopeless, the thought, and decided to turn her attention towards Vecheslav instead. "Who publishes you?"
"No! Don't you pull me into this!" he chuckled.
"Is it the Book Club lady?"
"What book club?" he exclaimed. "No! And I wouldn't tell you!"
The trio heard the sound of the entrance foor being opened, then promptly shut. Moments later, Egor stuck his head into the kitchen, and upon noticing Aurora, Ratibor and Vecheslav, happily walked up to them.
Some women found Ratibor charming – they had a bad taste, according to Aurora. Egor, on the other hand, was the epitome of charm and handsomeness. The man always had a positive and bright aura around him, brightning up the atmosphere. Aurora did not know anyone so carefree and lively as Egor.
His hair was divided in middle, raised by the roots, and formed a curtain on the sides of his face, bent to the back. It was light brown with slightly darker roots and about three or four inches long at the front, and shorter at the back. That day, the man wore a dark blue coat, which was short at front and long at the back. This one, as most of his coats, had eccentric details in the form of golden buttons and ribbons on the shoulders, making it look like something he had found in the props storage of a theatre.
Underneith, he had a wide, white tunic underneath which he had put into his ordinary, black leather trousers. This, together with his worker's leather boots created a fun combination that was slightly peculiar, but the man got away with it, Aurora thought.
"Oh, good! I thought I was late," he said, smiling widely, and thereby exposing his straight teeth.
Aurora looked at him in silence whilst Vecheslav got up from his chair. "Where have you been all day?" the tall man asked.
Egor leaned against the wall with a grin reaching from ear to ear. The painter looked up at Vecheslav, who was at least a foot taller, and crossed his arms.
"I have spoken to the Headmaster of the Bards College," he began.
"All day?"
"Well, mostly," Egor said and quickly raised a finger. "You see, I had an idea of arranging an exhibition since I'm almost finished with this series of paintings, and I needed a place to have it at. As it turns out, Viarmo is friends with Eupaxia's father and has seen my work at their apartment in the Imperial City."
"You spoke to Viarmo?" they suddenly heard Bogdan's voice.
The man walked up to Egor and placed an arm around his neck, clinging to him and forcing the painter to stand up straight in order to regain his balance.
Aurora looked at Bogdan. His smile was very different to Egor's, whose grin was open, friendly and full of life. Bogdan's, on the other hand, appeared drunken, mystical and closed. The two friends were almost one another's opposite, even though they both shared a heartfelt passion for art in all its shapes. Egor had an eye for details – mixing strict pieces of clothing with trousers that only mill workers would wear, or having slightly scuffy hair. It was all intentional and thought through, even though he made it look as if he had simply awoken that way – naturally perfect as opposed to Vecheslav's strict dress code and hair which he put hours into. Bogdan, as Aurora had understood early on, barely paid any attention to his looks at all.
Apart from this, Egor had an interesting body language – as open as his smile. Even though he was slightly shorter than Bogdan, who was about the same height as Aurora, the man appeared to have absolutely no complexes. He was wide-shouldered, but obviously no warrior. Bogdan's body language always looked as if he wished for everyone to simply leave him alone.
"So you spent all day talking about art?" Ratibor asked.
"Yes," Egor grinned, placing a hand on Bogdan's rib cage to stop him from tilting.
"This is astonishing," Vecheslav spoke. "You must be one of the only painters in all of Nirn who don't work on commissions. I can only imagine how humiliating it must be for most nobles and patrons to be forced to attend an exhibition rather than to…"
"Why?" Aurora asked.
Vecheslav looked at her. "Could you imagine an architect going the palace I designed for you is built, milord, and you can move in – however, you will have to wait for another month because I wish for the general public to have a possibility to see my work first? That's not how it works."
"Congratulations, Egor," Aurora smiled at the beaming painter.
"Thank you," he said whilst, although smiling, still trying to hide the fact that he was very pleased with Vecheslav's comment. "So, are we going? Bogdan, are you ready?"
"Good luck," Ratibor spoke.
"What do you mean? Aren't you going?" Aurora asked.
Ratibor returned to the table and his news pamphlet. "To see how my brother makes a fool of himself? No thanks," he said.
Aurora turned her head towards Bogdan, but to her surprise, he did not seem affected at all. She could not determine if it was due to the fact that the man simply did not care, or that his closed nature prohibited him from acting on it. Regardless of the circumstances, the woman was shocked by Ratibor not being there for his brother at such a moment. In her eyes, the Goldwine brothers were one anothers' everything – they might be somewhat different, yet they seemed like they could understand what the other one was thinking or feeling without uttering a word.
"Not cool, man," Egor said and pointed at him whilst lowering his head and staring playfully at the older Goldwine.
Aurora gazed at Ratibor, who merely burried his eyes in the pamphlet, then at Egor, who tried, and managed to lighten up the situation and let Ratibor off the hook. A moment later, Egor offered Aurora his arm before the pair walked towards the door with Bogdan following them. As they exited Proudspire, Bogdan caught up with them and placed himself on Egor's left side. Without looking at the man, the painter put his free arm around his friend's neck and messed up his hair even more by pushing his hand through it a couple of times.
It was almost dark outside, and rather chilly. Aurora regretted not taking her coat with her since it would be incredibly rude to leave before Bogdan was finished reading his poetry.
As it turned out, word of mouth was an effective way of attracting people to the gallions by the city wall. There were at least thirty or forty people waiting for Bogdan Goldwine, the nobleman who apparently wrote poetry. So Aurora thought as they approached the crowd.
"Good luck," Aurora smiled at Bogdan.
"What am I doing here?" he sighed. "What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to stand?"
"If you're nervous, just sit down," Egor said.
Aurora and Egor remained at the back of the left side of the gallion when Bogdan ran up the stairs. The woman, meanwhile, looked around at the crowd and concluded that the majority of them were poorer merchants and older people. Bogdan's slight nervousness had been in vain – he did not have the opportunity to even begin.
"Hey Goldwine! Remember me?" someone in the crowd yelled as he threw a tomato.
Bogdan had horrible reflexes, but the throw had not been a particularly good one. The tomato missed the man by almost two feet and left a big, red stain on the wall behind him.
"Think you're like your brother?" a younger man's voice was heard.
Aurora began to feel bad for Bogdan. He stood alone on the stage, vulnerable like a young deer in a forest clearing, without understanding what was happening to him. Aurora knew that Bogdan had quite a reputation in Cyrodiil, but not even in her wildest fantasies could she imagine him coming under such unjustified attacks. "What?" his mouth formed as he wrinkled his eyebrows, his entire face expressing a sad surprise.
"Just because you're the Jarl's favourite doesn't mean you have actual talent!" another man roared.
Aurora felt almost captured as she gazed at him – no matter how much she wanted, if she had wanted, she could not tear her eyes off him. A cascade of rotten vegetables were thrown at him, and this time, there was no chance of escaping being hit. The guards noticed that the situation had changed for the worst and were heading towards the gallion, but the woman did not notice it. Instead, she saw Bogdan turning upset with the crowd for not understanding, or even trying to understand him. He realised they had come there to attack him, nothing else. "Well never mind! You cunts! The lot of you!"
A few moments later, two guards ran up to the gallions and took the man's arms, leading him down the stairs. A man followed him, angrily taunting him. "Think you're so good, do you? Well, should have known that pancreas doesn't rhyme with Gaea."
"First of all, who are you? And it's panacea, you idiot," Bogdan spoke, turning his head towards the man whilst being pushed forwards.
"The evening is over, everyone, please leave the area!" a city guard who was standing on the stage exclaimed.
Egor placed a hand on Aurora's back and escorted her further to the back, away from the crowd. She understood him, she thought, she understood his frustration and hurt that no one even wanted to make sense of him. The man was disappointed with all of humanity, and she could see it so well.
Whilst a group of eight or so guards managed to disassemble the crowd, sending the troublemakers away. Only a dozen or so surprised people remained in front of the stage as Bogdan walked up to Aurora and Egor. The woman looked at him in shock – he had been hit by some vegetables, which were now forming big stains on his clothes.
"Are you alright, Bogdan?" Aurora managed to utter in a concerned way.
"That cunt ruined my tunic!" the man grinned.
Upon seeing his reaction, Aurora's heart dropped and she felt relief. To her, the younger Goldwine had appeared as such a vulnerable soul on the stage, being ripped to pieces by hooligans. Instead, she could now see the fun in his messy hair, massive sideburns and red, green, brown stained wide tunic and trousers.
"Oh Bogdan, it wasn't really ruinable to begin with..." she grinned.
The man stopped a foot and a half in front of her and looked at the woman with faked indignation. Looking her in the eyes, he then proceeded to take a bit of rotten tomato from his hair and pressing it against Aurora's chest.
"You did not just do that!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms slightly to the sides in surprise.
Egor and Bogdan both laughed, the painter louder and more openly than the writer. In revenge, Aurora took what was left of the tomato and pressed it against the younger Goldwine's face. It did not cause him much trouble, perhaps because it was merely a small bit of rotten vegetable, or maybe since he was covered in it either way. Instead, the man turned more serious as he looked at her.
"What in Oblivion were you thinking – sending me up there?"
"I'm sorry, I had no idea..." Aurora began, but was interrupted by Bogdan staring at Egor.
The woman turned to face him too and saw how Egor looked at Bogdan in disgust, pulled a bit of tomato out of his hair and ate it, spitting it out a second later. A moment later, the trio folded double in laughter. Egor jumped to the side to avoid Bogdan leaning towards him and potentially splashing rotten vegetable juice over the painter's coat.
Just as the group decided to return to Proudspire, a man hastily walked past Bogdan and stuffed a piece of parchment into his right pocket. Before anyone had time to react, the man had disappeared in the crowd, which was heading back home through the city walls. The only thing Aurora noticed was that he had a murky appearance and was slightly taller than the average man.
Bogdan immediately reached for the piece of parchment as Egor and Aurora closed the distance and leaned forwards. "What is that?" Egor asked before the younger Goldwine even had time to open it properly.
The parchment was about four times five inches and had a few badly drawn lines. Two were U-shaped and reached from one corner, halfway to the other side, with the first one being smaller and forming a straighter line within the outer one. Further up, there was a small square, and at the far left side, a rather straight line was drawn across what appeared to be a map. Close to the left corner, there was an X and an arrow pointing inwards. The woman realised it was somewhere near the docks of Solitude and happily looked up at the men.
"Let's go!" she exclaimed eagerly.
"No, you pillock," Bogdan muttered as he folded the piece of parchment back together and placed it in his pocket. "We'll go there at nightfall."
With decisive steps, he set off without Egor and Aurora, who looked at one another before running forwards to catch up with Bogdan. Egor clung to his friend, leaning closer to his ear and muttering something.
"I don't know," Bogdan answered louder than the painter had asked. "But I have a theory."
Aurora had no clue whatsoever of what Bogdan meant, but decided to avoid asking any further questions before they could speak in private. Apparently, Egor had a similar thought, as he remained silent all the way back to Proudspire.
"How did the gathering go?" Ratibor laughed as Bogdan opened the door and entered the manor with Egor and Aurora following.
Ratibor was standing by the stairs and looked at his brother with his arms crossed in front of him, and a bullying facial expression. Egor ensured the door was shut behind him whilst the younger Goldwine walked up to his brother and crossed his arms too. As Ratibor had been leaning against the wall, Bogdan now stood a few inches taller than him and used this to his advantage.
"I wouldn't mock me if I were you," Bogdan said. "I wouldn't invite you to a little adventure otherwise."
"What adventure?"
"To the docks, brother. You know what usually occurs by the docks, don't you?"
Ratibor's mocking expression soon died out. "No way!" he exclaimed.
Giggling, Bogdan ran up the stairs with Ratibor setting off after him.
After midnight, the Dockhouse, 13th of Hearthfire 4E 203
Aurora had begun to understand why the men living at Proudspire had been labeled as the Drunken Poets by many of the townsfolk. Even Vecheslav was drinking copious amounts of wine, and Ratibor had ensured that alcohol would be delivered on a regular basis to the bachelors' pad. The last phase of the evening had begun as Bogdan and Egor had gone down to the cellar "to get a bottle for the dinner". It ended with a drinking truth-or-dare game and the lot suffering from various degrees of drunkenness by midnight.
When it finally was time to start moving, Bogdan leaned in over the painter with a dizzy gaze. "Are you coming with us?" Bogdan asked.
"Sorry, mate," he answered, smiling and thereby exposing his light, straight teeth. "It's really not my cup of tea."
Bogdan wrinkled his forehead and pointed drunkenly at Egor, who merely chuckled in a manner which would make anyone forgive him for even the most hideous of crimes.
"Vecheslav?" Bogdan proceeded.
Aurora threw a gaze at the tall, dark-haired man who was lying in the sofa, smoking a nightshade stick.
"Don't even bother," Ratibor said, sitting below Vecheslav and leaning his back against the sofa. As he spoke, he nonchalantly turned his head slightly towards his brother, but his gaze remained fixed at the stick he was smoking.
Vecheslav grinned and shook his head. Aurora realised, based on Bogdan's facial expression, that he was disappointed with the fact that his friends did not wish to come along to his adventure. The woman could not understand why Egor and Vecheslav showed no interest whatsoever in exploring what was going on in the murky areas of the town.
"Shall we?" Ratibor asked his brother.
The older Goldwine placed his hands on the sofa behind him and tried to lift himself up. With great effort, he managed to push his legs under him and get up to his feet. Carefully, not to trip, he walked to the wardrobe close to the main entrance and took out two black mantles. They both had a hood and probably reached to the wearer's shins.
Aurora too got up to her feet as she saw Ratibor approach her, holding out one of the coats. As he stood a foot away from her, he let go of it with one of his hands, swinging it over her shoulders, before catching it again. He bowed his head slightly to attach the coat at the front of her chest, but experienced a few issues with buttoning it. Meanwhile, Aurora looked at the top of his head, where his perfect, black waves were parted. It amazed the woman how the older Goldwine always smelled of fresh berries.
"There," he said and looked up in her eyes again. "It will be better if we are discreet until reaching the place – especially you."
The man stepped away from Aurora placed the other cloak over his own shoulders.
"What about Bogdan?" Aurora asked.
Ratibor turned his head to his brother and sighed. "I gave up a long time ago."
"I'll set off first then," Bogdan proclaimed as he left his armchair. "As usual," he added as he walked towards the door.
Aurora looked at Ratibor with a baffled expression.
"It would be rather apparent that it is I who hide underneath this coat if I were to walk next to him," Ratibor explained to the woman. "And you certainly do not need the people to know that you visit places like the Dockhouse."
Aurora stood close to the stairs and observed the man. Dressed in black, he could as well have been the night itself. His hair – the tunic, the jacket, trousers, boots and mantle were all the same colour. Quite interestingly, it did not make him appear either gaunt or pale. Perhaps it was due to the man's fuller body and somewhat rosy cheeks.
He walked up to a cupboard and took some septims, placing them in a few of his many pockets. Meanwhile, Aurora walked up to him and placed her arms around his neck from behind and burying her nose in his hair. He chuckled two or three times before turning around and leaning his forehead towards the woman's, grinning slightly by pulling his right corner of the mouth. Aurora giggled as she leaned too much on him, prompting him to take a step back to stabilise. He had put his arms around her waist and rested his hands on her lower back. "Are you drunk?" he asked, to which Aurora merely giggled.
He let his forehead go of hers and leaned back, grinning characteristically. "One last glass before we go," he said.
Ratibor let go of the woman and returned to the sitting group, taking a bottle which had been standing on a small table and poured up two glasses. The lower part of the cloak flew up somewhat in the air as he walked back towards her. The man placed himself about a foot away from Aurora and gave her one of the glasses, after what he held up his own. Ratibor then quickly let his arm go around hers, then to his mouth. Thereby, she could not put her glass down before he did the same. The man emptied his in one go and did not bring his arm down before Aurora's glass was empty too. The pair looked at one another, grinning, before Ratibor took the woman's glass and placed it on the cupboard close to them. "Let's go," he said, after what Aurora slowly began to walk towards the door.
As the man passed Aurora, he grabbed her hand and opened the door. The woman and Ratibor walked out in the night.
Ratibor pulled the hood over his head, after what Aurora did the same as she followed him down the stairs. She was in an excellent mood – slightly drunk and anticipating a very fun night. She happily held Ratibor's hand as he led her out on the street, past the marketplace and out through the first wall. The road became slippery after exiting the gates as it was raining a little. As they began to walk downhill, it became a struggle to keep on their feet – especially since they were both intoxicated.
Suddenly, she heard Ratibor chuckle, after what he leapt a few yards forwards, pulling the woman with him, after what he stopped and began to slide in the mud. Aurora had a lot of trouble remaining standing as he did so, and clung to him by placing her arms around his stomach. Ratibor often had to pull the woman up as she misstepped and placed her foot the long cape, prompting her to giggle uncontrollably. Regardless of this, they still walked faster than Bogdan and caught up with him a few yards before the inn.
"Lord Goldwine, this way!" an Argonian exclaimed at Bogdan, who turned his head to the left, looking surprised.
A narrow alley which one would not have noticed unless specifically looking for it took them to a sharp right turn. There, they were met by a wooden wall underneath a seven or so yard high stone building. The Argonian pushed the right side of the wall and stepped to the side – allowing Bogdan, Ratibor and Aurora to enter.
The premises were a lot larger than Aurora had anticipated and could almost compete with the ones in the Imperial City. The fishing equipment, blacksmith, and textile shops, which hid the brothel and bar were obviously not as deep as Aurora had first thought. It was remarkable how quickly this had been set up compared with the pace Aurora's theatre was being built.
The area was two floors in height, at least eight or ten yards in width, and eighteen or so in length. At the far end, there were a set of stairs leading up to a balcony. There was a second one above the bar, which ran along the long side of the chamber. Above it, there was another balcony, which was closed and obviously led up to some kind of area which was located on the second floor of the shops. Four long tables ran along the room, one of which was shorter as it began after the bar area. Three large chandeliers hung from the ceiling, lightening up the chamber with candlelight.
Ratibor let go of Aurora and gave his mantle to a man working in the bar. The woman clung to Bogdan in order not to lose him in the crowd – there were at least sixty or so people there, and the Jarl had no idea where they were living. Not in her wildest dreams could she imagine that there were so many living undercover in Solitude.
Bogdan and Aurora sat down by one of the long tables. A moment later, Ratibor followed suit and declared that he had ordered wine. It became apparent to Aurora that the older Goldwine was obviously there to get drunk. As the wine arrived merely seconds later, he immediately began to empty one glass after another.
"It's smaller than in the Imperial City," Bogdan said.
Ratibor was looking around the chamber, but instead of, like his brother, observing the chamber, he was ogling the prostitutes. "But the girls are pretty," he said.
Aurora, who had felt a slight, if not attraction, at least some sympathy towards the older Goldwine began to feel disgusted by his behaviour. He had very pretty hair, a masculine, straight nose which was one of the best looking she had seen, and somewhat handsome features, as well as a decent sense of style. He had rather charismatic eyes and a way of handling himself when sober, but she had forgotten how prevalent the dirty side of him was.
"I am in Sovngarde," Ratibor sighed happily.
"No, brother, this is Oblivion," Bogdan said and smiled mystically as he lit a smoking stick on a candle, which was standing on the table.
The majority of the people around them appeared to be prostitutes, sailors, petty criminals and other representatives of the underworld. Almost all the men were drunk, and the few women who were not prostitutes, looking for customers were the barmaids.
"Good job taking the Jarl with you," Ratibor grinned, leaning in over his brother, who was sitting between Aurora and him. "She could have this place torn down in days."
"You underestimate her wickedness," Bogdan said without looking at his older brother.
Aurora looked at Bogdan with a pleased smile, but he merely continued to look up to the ceiling at the other end of the chamber and smoking his nightshade stick.
"You are so naïve, Ratibor," Aurora grinned at Ratibor instead, leaning backwards in order to catch his gaze.
He placed his hand on Bogdan's shoulder, pushing him slightly forwards so that Ratibor could have a better view of Aurora. "And you are no where near drunk enough," he chuckled and sent one of his remaining glasses towards her.
As Aurora took it, a prostitute in a revealing decollete walked by Ratibor. A second later, he he caught her as she let out a surprised shriek. She giggled as she sat down in his lap, throwing her arms around his neck. Bogdan rolled his eyes and took a sip of Aurora's glass.
"Oh, who are these beauties?" Ratibor asked, kissing the prostitute's right, then the left breast. She bent her head to the back and pushed her hair in Bogdan's face. At first, Bogdan leaned back, but then decided to move further down the bench and closer to Aurora.
As the evening progressed, Aurora began to lose her enthusiasm over exploring the whorehouse. Bogdan was rather quiet, whilst Ratibor spent copious amounts of septims on wine for himself and the cluster of prostitutes that had gathered around him. About half an hour after they arrived, Bogdan suddenly got up on the table and waited for the music to stop.
"I'm Berna," heard a new prostitute say.
"Ratibor Goldwine of Kvatch," the man said and took her hand, kissing it. He continued along her arm as the woman giggled.
"To all the devilish women who steal the hearts of men!" Bogdan exclaimed.
The chamber became more quiet, even though discussions were still heard throughout the dockhouse. Aurora observed the younger Goldwine and could not help but to smile a little. The man was so far into his own world, that he did not seem to care for anything outside of his own head. It was as if he was alone behind a screen, sharing his thoughts out loud to an audience which could not fully comprehend them. It was as if he was mocking them for not understanding that he laid bare in front of them – exposing something very personal to blind and deaf eyes and ears.
Sit down and listen to what I say
I am spellbound by your sashay
Your gaze, your mesmerising laughter,
Teeth and skin of alabaster
But be with you is to be at war
Where there is fear, there can't be love
And I am tired, the battle's over
Take a wine, no, I am sober
I think we were profoundly misled
A hundred thoughts race through my head
But stand here soundless – it hurts too deep
I never knew you were so cheap
Don't utter sugar-coated words, dear
Euphemisms have no housing here.
We felt joy, now party's over
You're a devil, I – a toper.
With the woman I dearly cherished
The fire has long since perished
Gather your belongings and go home
My heart was only yours to loan
It shatters my mind and tears my soul
When you depict a different role
So just leave – now our time is over
You'll be gone and I'll recover
The man had an odd way of performing. At times, he walked around with his hands in his pockets, and sometimes, he made odd gestures by throwing his arms out and rotating quickly on the table. He did not, however, use the different intonations, which had impressed the woman greatly earlier that day.
Some applauds followed before some bards began to play their music again. Bogdan walked up to Ratibor, sat down next to him, and placed hands on his shoulders, pushing the prostitutes who had been sitting next to his older brother, and in his lap to the side.
"Why don't you go up on the table?" he grinned.
"I am not drunk enough," Ratibor chuckled.
"Please, lord Goldwine," one of the prostitutes complained.
He smiled and ordered one of them to get more wine before turning to the first one again. "Only…" he grinned flirtingly at the prostitute. "If you show me those legs of yours," he said and began to kiss her neck.
"My lord…"
"Let me see them," he whispered. "And I'll go up."
"On the stage, milord?"
He chuckled. "Of course."
She pulled her skirt up to just below her knees. Ratibor quickly placed his right hand there, and began to press it upwards her thigh. She pressed his hand down, but still giggled.
"Fine, fine," he said.
With some help, Ratibor managed to get up on the table. As opposed to Bogdan, who expressed a rather closed bodylanguage, Ratibor immediately threw his arms in the air, ordering the bards to stop playing, and the visitors to turn their attention to him. "To the same heartbreakers gathered in this hall tonight!" he exclaimed.
Bogdan moved closer to Aurora, who returned his smoking stick, which he had given her just before going up on the table. "I like this place," he said. "There are interesting people here."
With the hand of a lover, your heart I'll cover
You may leap from a cliff and fly without fear
I'm not dissembling, stop your heart's trembling
And I'm not as indifferent as I appear.
With the hand of a lover, your heart I'll cover
Trusting with all my soul that you won't ever bite
But your heart is two-faced; the bottom being cased
In an armour made of rock hard malachite."
A few drunkenly mumbled poems and undeserved applauds later, Ratibor was taken to the bar by the prostitutes. Aurora observed the man for a while whilst Bogdan remained seemingly untouched by the events which were unfolding. He barely stared out in the distance, sometimes bringing the smoking stick to his lips and slowly exhaling smoke.
"I can't get my head around your brother. He seems so proper, and his poetry is not as wicked as yours, yet it appears so that you have stricter morals than him," Aurora said. She felt that she had been observing both Goldwine brothers long enough and wished to engage in a discussion in order to not die of boredom.
"My brother enjoys the pleasure of the flesh – I that of the mind," Bogdan spoke without looking at her.
"Have you ever slept with a prostitute?" Aurora asked to prove a point.
"I have," Bogdan said and brought the nighshade stick to his lips again.
Aurora did not expect that answer from him. Of course, she knew that he had quite a reputation, but a part of her still thought that it was undeserved, and that Ratibor was the real black sheep in the family. "Oh..." was all she managed to say.
"She was my partner for half a year, and I wrote poems in her honour," Bogdan said and leaned back and slightly to the side in order to let some ash fall from his smoking stick into a container, which was placed on the table.
"But... You were together?" Aurora asked, not being able to comprehend the absurdity of what Bogdan was saying.
Bogdan grinned and reached for a glass of wine, lifting it towards the woman and took a sip, cheering to that.
"And she... worked whilst you were together?" Aurora asked, wrinkling her forehead.
"Yes of course," Bogdan answered without moving a muscle in his face.
"Why didn't you tell her to quit? You could have supported..."
"Because she was the kind of woman who did not just engage, but indulged in copulation. She was a bottomless pit of sexual frustration and lust – she enjoyed every second of it," he continued without emotion.
"I don't understand... Weren't you jealous?"
"Absolutely, and it drove me mad. That is why we managed to keep the relationship afloat as long as we did," the man answered and looked at Aurora with an intense gaze.
"What?"
"It was never boring. I never felt secure and comfortable around that woman, and therefore she had me round her little finger," he smiled with almost a dreaming gaze.
Aurora silenced for a while. That information was not at all what she expected. Some moments later, she turned her head towards the younger Goldwine brother again. "Do you still love her?"
His dreaming gaze turned into strict expression."Gods, no!" he exclaimed as if he had seen a particularly big cockroach. "Besides, she caught a sickness from one of her customers whilst we were still at it. It's a miracle I didn't die with her."
"She died? Oh, I'm sorry..."
"Don't be. She lived a full life and enjoyed every minute of it. Now she's probably fucking Faded Wraiths and headless zombies and having the time of her life, ironically," he said followed by either a snort or a chuckle.
"I'm starting to reconsider who of you is the most wicked one," Aurora said with a wrinkled forehead.
"Oh, my brother is definitely the most immoral of us. You know what, Ace? I have never engaged in intimate matters with women who weren't mine. My brother, on the other hand..."
Bogdan raised his gaze quickly, and Aurora realised he was hinting at Ratibor, who sat by the bar with two women on his knees.
"Where does all this come from then?" Aurora asked.
"I put scenarios in my mind, but I let them live only there," Bogdan said with his mystical expression. "Look around the room, Ace. What do you see? Prostitutes, sailors, criminals... There is not a chance in Oblivion that I'll live to be all of them, but I observe. Their jargon, their look, their smells... And I create adventures for them."
"I don't understand your brother. He seems to be a popular young bachelor, he could have almost any woman he likes without paying for it," Aurora began.
"He doesn't pay for the company. He pays for their silence."
"Oh..." she said and leaned back. Suddenly, she realised what she should say, making her entire expression shine up. "And how are you going to pay for mine?"
"Hm?" Bogdan mumbled, seemingly confused.
"As Ratibor said, I could have this place shut in no time."
"Ah, but you won't," he said with a small smile, looking at the woman.
"You seem very sure of that."
"Yes, because you enjoy this, don't you? Seeing something new, something that makes you curious, something... that makes your stomach tickle?" he said, intensifying his gaze, probably not understanding that he was doing so.
"Still, is it worth to risk it?" Aurora asked and threw her hair back.
"Ah... arrogant, isn't she? I took her here in good faith, and what do I get, blackmailing?" Bogdan laughed. "Very well, what is the price?"
The woman leaned in towards him just as he took a sip of his wine. "A night with me," Aurora said suggestively.
Bogdan, obviously unprepared for such an unfolding of their conversation, spat his wine. Aurora, on the other hand, laughed. "Kidding, kidding. I simply wanted to see your reaction."
Bogdan cleared the sides of his mouth with the back of his hand whilst turning his head, bowing it towards her.
"What, am I that ghastly?" Aurora asked in a playfully displeased manner.
"Ah..." he said, leaning in towards her. "Whatever answer I give you, it is doomed to be the wrong one, therefore you will receive only silence," he said before breaking eye contact. "Where's Ratibor?"
They both looked up and looked around the chamber, but could not find Ratibor. It was as if he had disappeared.
"Maybe he went home?" Aurora asked as she stood up after Bogdan.
The younger Goldwine brother had his eyes set at the stairs above the bar counter. He observed it with a serious gaze before setting off towards it. "I wouldn't think so," he said as he took Aurora's hand and moved to the bar.
"You can't go in there," an Argonian said as Bogdan approached the stairs. "First pay, then..."
Bogdan backed off, remaining still for a few moments.
"What are we doing?" Aurora asked him.
"Waiting," he answered before leading Aurora back to the table.
"Can't your brother go home alone?" she asked.
"He could have been given anything here. You go, I'll wait for him."
For some reason, Aurora got the impression that Bogdan seemed a bit down. "No, I'll wait. I think it's safer for all of us," she said and sat down on the bench they were passing.
Bogdan followed suit and sat down, leaning towards the table. He looked to the floor at first, before turning to the woman some moments later. "So, how did you become Jarl, merchant's daughter?"
"Long story," Aurora said, leaning her head against her knuckle and resting her elbow against the table.
Bogdan threw his hands to the side. "We have time."
The woman chuckled nervously before stopping abruptly as she saw his subtle grin and intensive gaze. She did not know how she felt about telling him her life story in a shaggy bar at a whorehouse, with prostitutes walking around, looking for new customers, and drunk men engaged in stupid, albeit heated discussions. It hit her that she knew almost nothing about the man's past, except for the fact that he had a difficult relationship to his father and that his mother had died at childbirth. She had managed to draw a few conclusions – that Bogdan somehow felt that his brother had the right to hate and blame him as much their father did, and the fact that he did not impacted the younger Goldwine brother. He had formed a very strong attachment to Ratibor, almost to the brink of following him blindly, probably in a way to convey his gratitude, Aurora thought. Bogdan was not a weak man – his eccentric ways and rebellious attitude towards everything his noble blood represented was good evidence that he could stand up for himself. Besides, he could be bluntly rude towards people as soon as meeting them, regardless if they were the High King (thank Gods they had not met) or a simple village idiot. Yet when sitting, he often pushed his shoulders forwards instead of straightening out his back. He was not very talkative either, unless discussing something close to his heart with people he respected for their talent in one field or another.
For some reason, Aurora trusted him, though. Perhaps it was his blunt honesty that made her feel at ease. Also, it was apparent to her that he was hurt – not simply in the moment, but for a long period of time. Therefore, he would not intentionally be able to wound someone else, she figured. There was a difference in allowing a rude comment escape one's mouth and manipulation, permitting oneself to take advantage of another person's situation.
The woman thought for a while. There were so many things she had not told Olfina, who she deemed would simply not understand her. Olfina was the type of dominant character that often missed the fact that someone else, close to them was suffering. Everything in Olfina's life was about Olfina, Aurora thought. Maybe that was why the Jarl had been so happy when Vecheslav informed her that he was intending to stay. On the other hand, they had barely spent any time together since he arrived in Solitude – it appeared that he prioritised other matters.
The woman began to speak – first in general terms about how she had decided to leave the Imperial City to avoid being married off. This was something that she thought had impacted her greatly, but as she began to speak of it, she managed to do so without any issues. As she was growing older, it became a mere trifle, and she no longer saw anything heroic about it. Then, she explained how she had ended up in Elsweyr, working on a moonsugar plantation before continuing to the Black March and Morrowind. Instead of going into details abut the boy she met there, she made it sound as if she had simply grown tired with the place. Aurora told him how she spent half a year in Hammerfell training with a master in sword fight, then working as a mercenary. Perhaps she was trying to subconsciously make her and Bogdan's stories sound alike – she explained how her parents had shunned her as she returned to the Imperial City, hoping to join the Legion with her newfound talent of swordfighting. In honesty, this did not bother her quite as much as it used to – seven years had passed since she first left her city, and she seldom thought about her childhood home anymore. Instead, her explanation of how she fought the Civil War made her remember the difficult time she had with Vilkas. She did not even mention his name, yet an experienced eye would probably have noticed that her story did not quite make sense without some additional information. She had no good explanation to why she had returned to Morrowind and met Vecheslav, and realising this, she hurried to the time she returned to Whiterun before setting off to fight Alduin in Sovngarde. Aurora had no idea how much time passed as she finally finished telling about the Second Great War, but Bogdan remained as calm and observant as when she just began. He had not let her gaze go, and was leaning his left cheek against his left fist as he looked at her.
"Now I know why I like you," he stated as calmly as ever.
As Aurora had explained her life story to him, she had completely forgotten about the prostitutes, drunken seamen and lively bards, which surrounded them. However, as soon as Bogdan began to speak, she became very aware of them, and the magic of the moment had disappeared. "Why?" she asked.
"You too have psychological traumas that you haven't processed," he said in the same calm manner as before, and even added a rude little smile, to which Aurora rolled her eyes. "Have you had a panic attack yet? Or have you made yourself too busy?" he asked, finally dropping his gaze for a second or two before, almost flirtingly raising it again.
"What do you mean? I am perfectly fine."
"Keep telling yourself that, but the memories will catch up with you eventually," he stated.
It seemed to Aurora that he was speaking more of himself than of her. The woman could not decide whether to protest or simply let him remain delusional, however, a few seconds later, Bogdan had suddenly raised his head and straightened his back, obviously looking at something.
Aurora followed Bogdan's gaze and noticed a drunk Ratibor stuttering down the stairs whilst buttoning his trousers. Bogdan quickly stood up and walked towards his brother with Aurora following him. Just as the older Goldwine finished his descending, he lost his balance and fell on top of an Argonian who was sitting by the bar counter and drinking ale.
"Ei! Watch it!" an Argonian cried.
"You icebrain," a Nord sailor who had been discussing something with the Argonian said. "Wish to have your head smashed?"
Bogdan was quick to reach after his brother and looked up at the blond Nord. "Touch him and I'll do the same to you," he hissed hissed.
Aurora hurried to take Ratibor's other arm and pulled him to his feet, pushing him towards the door. It was not easy – Ratibor was by no means light, and his drunken state made it almost impossible to lift him as he felt like a sack of potatoes. He could not walk or place the whole body weight on his feet, meaning that Bogdan and Aurora had to half-carry, half-lead onward.
It was raining even more and the road was awfully muddy. Each step the woman took meant sliding into two inches of sludge, and her mantle was simply in the way as she sometimes stepped on it. She had covered her head with the hood, but it was falling forwards – in front of her eyes, and it was dark as it was. Only the windows of the surrounding houses lit up the road slightly. Ratibor, dizzy and unaware of what was going on, often fell as Aurora or Bogdan lost their balance. His leather trousers, jacket and mantle were completely ruined.
"Take it easy, brother," Bogdan said as they managed to drag him through the first gate.
Suddenly, Ratibor broke free of his brother's and Aurora's grip, threw himself to the side of the road and puked. Aurora sighed and looked for Bogdan's gaze, but it was too dark to make apart his facial expression.
As they finally managed to drag the man to Proudspire, they decided to open the cellar door and place the man in the bathtub. Aurora's arms had gone completely numb from the cold night and the weight of Ratibor. As they entered the bathroom, Aurora pushed the unconscious Ratibor into the tub whilst Bogdan placed a cauldron in the flames. The woman began to unbutton Ratibor's jacket and with great effort, pushing the man forwards, she managed to get it off him. A moment later, his younger brother helped her with dragging off the man's trousers. After that, he began to fill the tub with cold water, while Aurora got the now boiling one from the cauldron and poured it into the bath.
As Ratibor lay in the warm bathtub, Aurora began to inspect her own state. She realised that both she and Bogdan needed to do something. "I'll take care of him, get your clothes off, or you'll catch a cold," she said.
"I'll just fix him first," Bogdan said, leaning in over his brother. "Brother, for Gods' sake!" he exclaimed, trying to lift his head up.
Upon realising that it was useless to even try to lift him out of the tub, Bogdan instead emptied it and threw a pelt on his brother. "We'll leave him here. You can take his bed if you wish, it's not like he'll be needing it tonight."
Bogdan then walked to the door and up the stairs, with Aurora following him. As they got up to the main floor, Bogdan took two of the candles, one of which had been burning on a table, and lit the other with the first. He handed Aurora one before continuing up to the second floor. Aurora entered the first chamber, which she knew Ratibor had occupied the first day the brothers arrived at Proudspire. She looked around his room for a few moments before Bogdan returned to the doorway with a candle snuffer.
"Here," he said in a low tone, placing himself about a foot or so from the woman, still wearing his wet clothes.
"Thank you," she said, taking it from him. She had no intention of using it – when she went to bed in her own chamber, she merely blew the candle out, or wet her fingers before touching the flame, however, it was still a nice gesture from him, she thought.
Bogdan turned around, still holding his candle, but stopped before walking into his own chamber. "Ace?" he asked.
"Mm?"
"Good night," Bogdan said.
Aurora hung her clothes up and collapsed in the bed.