12th of Frost Fall

Proudspire Manor

Holding on to her armful of parchment rolls, Aurora knocked on the door to Ratibor's room. Some nearly fell to the floor, but she managed to bring her knee up to stabilise the falling tower. The woman could hear steps approaching from inside the chamber, and a few moments later, a dark figure opened the door while looking down. Ratibor raised his gaze, obviously surprised to see Aurora.

"Hi," she said. "Am I interrupting?" she added, carefully leaning forward and looking into the chamber.

Still appearing somewhat surprised, he stepped aside. "No, not at all. Come in," he spoke in a calm tone.

Aurora entered the room. The bed was made, but it was not the work of a maid, as the bedspread was not centered, with one of the corners was hanging down in a tired manner, as if it was trying to escape its job. The pillows were put in an untidy order by the headrest. She grinned a little, thinking that it was typical of Ratibor.

"I've wanted to ask if you could have a look on my calculations. I've followed your formula for calculating the optimal tax level on metal and luxury goods," she said, turning around to face Ratibor.

He stopped and put his right hand on the shoulder on the same side, raising his elbow over his head. "Sure," he said, pointing toward the table with his left hand.

Aurora walked up to his desk and dumped the parchment rolls on it before stepping to the side so that Ratibor could sit down in the chair. He rubbed his nose before taking one of the rolls and looking into the formulas that were used. Aurora could see his eyes running from left to right and a focused expression on his face.

"I copied the exact way you did the wheat formula," Aurora said. "At least I think so."

"This is the tax formula for metals, isn't it?" he asked with a wrinkled expression.

"Yes."

He then reached for his quill and dipped it into an ink bottle which was standing on the desk, before scribbling down some numbers on the parchment roll. He then unrolled another and did the same thing again while Aurora observed him. Mathematics appeared to come easy for him – he was so quick in adding numbers together. His hand traveled fast over the parchment, in an uncannily hasty movement, as if he knew exactly what should come next. It was as if he was writing down thoughts which had been formed long ago. Aurora's gaze moved from Ratibor's writing to the man himself. His hair was not arranged that day, with the curls having turned into waves instead. Aurora assumed that neither of the Goldwine brothers combed their manes due to the texture of them probably making the hair look even more messy. However, Ratibor had probably not wet it either, resetting the curls. He wore a white, linen shirt and his black leather trousers, together with boots of the same colour and material. His shirt was tucked into the trousers, but the sleeves were wide from the shoulder all the way down to the wrists, giving him a voluminous silhouette. He had not tied it at the neck, making it expose a deep v-cut of his chest.

"The metal one is correct, and it seems like you did the maths right on luxury goods too, but there is one issue," he said, looking up at her.

"An issue?"

"Yes, you see… you have all this numbers on wheat due to literally everyone buying it for food purposes, whilst only a small number of people buy silk, jewelry and other expensive things. You only have a fraction of the information regarding these products compared to wheat," he said. The man had turned his legs to face Aurora, who remained by the side of the desk. He leaned his left arm on the table, and the right on the back of the chair.

"Is that a problem?"

"It's not statistically significant."

Aurora must have looked at him with an expression that conveyed the fact that she had no clue what he was talking about. He smiled a little, lowered his head, and then raised it again. "What percentage of Solitude's population is considered poor?"

"Well, I guess the majority," Aurora said without thinking.

"And what percentage is nobility?"

"Only a few."

"So if I were to go outside and write down the class of the first ten people I meet, would it give a representable picture of the distribution of rich and poor?" he asked. "What happens if the first five I meet is you, Vittoria, Vittoria's husband, Bogdan and Nilsine?"

Aurora remained silent.

"That way, even if the rest I would encounter would be poor, statistically I would believe that half the population is rich," he said, raising his left arm at the elbow, and swiping with the hand in the air. "You have the same problem with the input numbers on luxury goods."

Aurora felt happy that she understood the problem. In fact, she was even slightly excited. "So what can I do if the formula doesn't work here?"

He shrugged. "Use another method. One could be to raise the tax a little and study what happens. In the best of worlds, the taxes collected would be greater than they were before. Or lower them, so that more products are sold, and you get more tax revenue."

Aurora looked at him and felt relieved. She had worried about making the correct calculations, and expected there to be issues. However, she found pride in having made everything correct, in theory. "Thank you so much, Ratibor," she said, lowering her shoulders. "You have no idea how much you've helped me out."

"It's nothing," he said and placed one hand on the table while grabbing the back of the chair with the other in order to get up on his feet.

Aurora had turned around and was leaning her butt on the desk. She smiled and tilted her head to the side tables by the bed, where she had seen two empty wine glasses. "Had company over?" she asked.

"Oh, just Lisette from the Winking Skeever. She's quite fun," Ratibor said, now up on his feet, standing turned with his shoulder orthogonally against Aurora's.

"Lisette? So what did you…?" Aurora grinned while lowering her cheek to give an expression which yelled "busted".

"Gods no," Ratbor said. "We just talked and drank. Then it became late and she stayed the night. I don't have sex with friends, it might become complicated," he smiled.

"What about no women you don't have sex with at Proudspire?" Aurora exclaimed, grinning.

"Rules have to be broken at times, what fun is it otherwise?" he spoke, raising his head while keeping eye contact. "Besides, that rule is mostly for Bogdan."

They both grinned. Ratibor then turned around and walked to the door, informing the woman that he would go downstairs. Aurora sprinkled some sand over the writings in order to dry the ink faster, then rolled up the parchment in neat cylinders one by one, being careful not to smudge them. Having managed to gather them all, she struggled to the door. As she reached the top of the stairs, she had no idea how to descend while not holding up her hemline. She looked to her right, then to the left before deciding that she would just have to take it slow and be careful. She struggled down the first few steps, and then heard Vecheslav and Ratibor's voices.

"Umbranox, can you please stop trying to pair us up, it's growing mildly annoying."

"I think it'd be a perfect marriage deal," he said. "Your family could become the most powerful one in all of the old Empire."

"Yeah, and the most hypothetical," Ratibor said.

Aurora had managed to get down to the flat area where the stairs turned and took a few breaths of relief. She did not feel like falling face first onto the hard, stone floor. At the same time, she found the conversation she was hearing quite amusing.

"Besides, where will you find anyone who tolerates your brother as much as Aurora?" Vecheslav asked.

"Aurora is asexual to me, and I bet I am the same to her. Besides, she knows too much of what's going on in my life to tolerate me as a husband."

She emerged from the staircase and dumped her parchment rolls on the sofa, to the confused look of Vecheslav. Ratibor, on the other hand, appeared quite entertained. Aurora stretched out her fist toward the older Goldwine brother, and Ratibor bumped it.

"You've got pretty hair, though," she said and looked at him like a kitten.

"So has Umbranox, marry him," Ratibor said and pointed at Vecheslav.

"Oh, he won't marry me, I'm not noble and legitimate enough," Aurora sighed, pretending to be offended.

Ratibor gestured again, this time by raising his entire hand toward Vecheslav. "Oh, that's right! Not everyone thinks that love should be the ultimate reason for someone to take a wife," he said and put his other arm around Aurora's neck, clinging to her like Bogdan usually did with her or Egor. She had to move her feet in order to stabilise, as he was pushing his weight onto her.

"Comes from a nobleman," Vecheslav smiled.

"Hey, my father is an understanding man. As you may have noticed, I'm 30, and still a bachelor," he said, raising both his arms a little, making Aurora struggle with the off-centered weight once again.

"I warn you, sooner or later, your father will grow tired of your bachelor ways," Vecheslav spoke, half-joking but with a nuance of a warning in his tone.

Ratibor laughed while bending back a little, causing Aurora to yet again struggle for balance. She found it amusing, though, and felt how her mood was improving from earlier in the day when she had been anxious about the calculations. Now it felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, even though Ratibor was hanging onto her.

Suddenly, they could hear the sound of the entrence door being opened. They all turned their heads to see who it was, but judging by the calm steps, Aurora thought it was the younger Goldwine brother. She was correct. Bogdan dawdled into the living room, wearing his usual red attire consisting of a tunic, which hung halfway down his butt, and trousers which gave him to shape whatsoever.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"We're marrying off Aurora to Ratibor," Vecheslav smiled.

Bogdan walked up to his brother and put an arm around him, pulling him closer. This finally caused Aurora to lose her balance altogether, and she felt how she began falling backward. Ratibor pulled her in toward himself, which stopped her fall, but as she regained balance, she found it safer to let go of the man.

"That'd be perfect. I always wanted to have a sister rather than that thing," Bogdan spoke calmly with his bedchamber eyes half-closed.

Ratibor messed up his hair. "You are not having a sister-in-law!" he said loudly.

"Why? It would be great," Bogdan grinned toward Vecheslav.

"See?" Vecheslav said. "Even your brother thinks that's a good idea."

"My brother is a jerk," Ratibor said.

Bogdan smiled smugly, as if it was a compliment. Ratibor had let go of him and straightened out while standing between Bogdan and Aurora, who was brushing off her hemline as she had accidentally stepped on it in the tumble.

"Now that you're done with your marriage plans, I might inform you that the Winking Skeever wants us to repay our debts," the younger Goldwine brother smiled innocently.

Ratibor made a complaining noise. "How much?"

"13 hundred septims," Bogdan said.

"13 hundred!?" Ratibor exclaimed. "How much do you drink there? Do you know how embarrassing it will be for me to beg father for more gold?"

That was not completely fair in Aurora's view. Ratibor spent a lot more at the dockhouse. And Bogdan only spent it on wine and food, while Ratibor… used different kind of services, which Aurora suspected his father would not approve of. Bogdan shook with his hand as if to convey this message.

"Father should marry you off," Ratibor sighed.

"Don't say that," Bogdan said. "It'll fall back on you one day," he continued while pulling out a small piece of parchment from his pocket. "Any way, it would be good to have it paid off before tonight."

"Why?" Ratibor asked.

"Well, there is this gathering at the Winking Skeever."

Bogdan showed him a pamphlet.

"Great!" Aurora smiled and took the pamphlet from Bogdan. "A party, this is exactly what I need after all that thinking."

At eight in the evening, the group was preparing to leave for the Winking Skeever. Bogdan, Egor and Aurora were sitting in the sofa, awaiting Ratibor and Vecheslav. The painter had been at work the entire day, finishing up some minor details on his latest piece. He had complained about stiffness in his right wrist, to which Aurora had referred him to Ingun Black-Briar as the court alchemist, but he had been wary of going to her as she had a reputation of messing things up. Instead, he had taken some sort of potion which Ratibor swore by, but it had not made a huge difference.

Bogdan, on the other hand, had disappeared soon after Aurora arrived at Proudspire the first time that morning. Vecheslav had been muttering something about Ratibor being cranky due to this, but the woman had not heard all details.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" Aurora asked. "The Winking Skeever, then what?"

"Well, we just had a load of mead and wine delivered," Bogdan said, suddenly looking up to the stairs as he heard someone walking toward the ground floor. "We could return here."

Ratibor emerged and began approaching the sofa where Aurora and Egor were sitting. "Who do you think will be there tonight?"

"Just townsfolk," Bogdan said.

"Oh, hi Auorra," Ratibor said as he noticed she was sitting there. "Do you know that Harrald Law-Giver well?"

"Yeah," Aurora said. "We…"

"Fought together in the war," Ratibor finished with a slightly annoyed tone, as if he had heard that a hundred times before.

"Is that the one who can't string a decent sentence together?" Bogdan asked, blowing out some smoke. "I met him at the Burning of Olaf festival. Apparently, he really likes your novels, brother."

"Oh, that's right!" Aurora exclaimed. "He was reading this Midnight Beast during the war."

"So he is a fan of Ratibor's?" Egor grinned.

Egor was wearing black trousers which were rather tight, a white shirt and a cravat of the same colour, paired with his eccentric blue jacket with golden details. His boots were more alike a working man's though.

"You know, he behaved so very oddly around me. He was on about proposing to Olfina Grey-Mane, and that I wasn't allowed to do so," Ratibor spoke, contemplating.

Bogdan laughed. "Olfina Grey-Mane."

"Bless him," Aurora said. "He has been in love with her for a year by now."

"In love with her?" Bogdan asked with a disgusted expression.

"She is really nice when you get past her wall, you know," Aurora said. "She is brave, loyal and at times rather entertaining."

"Well, we've seen none of that," Ratibor stated. "Anyway. Where is Vecheslav?" he asked while turning around to look at the stairs, hoping that he would somehow teleport there.

"He obsesses over his looks, as always," Bogdan said. "I think he's performing tonight," he continued while inhaling smoke from the nightshade stick.

"Is he reading his poems?" Aurora asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Bogdan said, grinning.

Aurora looked first at the younger, then the older Goldwine brother. Ratibor appeared to be in a good mood even though Vecheslav had said something about him being disappointed with the fact that his younger brother had escaped from work that day. He was smiling at Bogdan. Aurora noticed Ratibor's very even, white teeth and mentally compared them to his brothers'. They were similar in shape and colour, but Bogdan's had small distances between each tooth, something Ratibor lacked. In fact, Ratibor was not a conventionally good-looking man, but she could definitely see how the right person would find him very attractive. When Ratibor made an effort, he was rather handsome, Aurora thought.

Tonight was not such a night, though. Ratibor wore his usual black tunic with black, leather trousers and boots. His hair was freshly washed, though, judging by the clear pattern of his waves. As his hair reached his shoulders by now, his curls did not hold quite as well as previously. The style suited him well, though, Aurora thought, even though she preferred a slightly shorter cut on him.

"You look good," Bogdan told his brother, grinning.

"I washed my hair," Ratibor spoke coquettedly.

"Yeah, you should cut it. You look like a slob," Bogdan spoke with his usual, drunken expression.

"Coming from the man with massive sideburns!" Ratibor laughed.

Aurora had to agree with Ratibor. Bogdan's massive sideburns did not appeal to her. Bogdan still had much puppy fat, even though he was twenty-four. He did not appear child-like, though, for his nose was very much a grown man's, as were his sideburns. His age was difficult to categorise, but he did look way younger than his brother.

Suddenly, Vecheslav appeared. No one had heard him descend from the staircase as they were busy talking. However, Bogdan, who was sitting in the armchair which had the best view of the ground floor, spotted him as soon as he emerged from behind the wall. "Oh, look. Vanity personified," the younger Goldwine said.

Vecheslav did not bother responding to that comment, and instead decided to greet Aurora. He was immaculately dressed as always, with dark blue trousers which reached slightly longer than to his knees, with black socks and shiny shoes. He wore a dark green jacket and a white jabot, and his hair was pulled back with a ribbon which matched the trousers. In fact, he appeared the most lord-like of them all.

"Finally!" Ratibor said, "shall we go?".

Aurora smiled as Ratibor presented his hand. She took it and got up to her feet as she felt Vecheslav's gaze at the back of her neck. Ratibor did not appear to notice it, though, but casually placed Aurora's hand on his left arm and led the party towards the door. He opened it, let the Jarl pass through, and she stopped outside as she awaited the group. Vecheslav emerged after her, followed by Egor and Bogdan, who appeared to be engaged in a conversation. The tallest man got down the stairs, already shivering due to being dressed for a far warmer weather. Bogdan did not bother to put on a coat, but descended the stairs in his usual, casual manner with his hands in his pockets. Aurora waited for Ratibor to lock the door, then took his arm and the pair followed the younger Goldwine and Egor to the Winking Skeever.

Vecheslav had basically disappeared, having almost ran towards the inn. Bogdan and Egor were not hurrying, though. The painter had said something amusing, to which Bogdan was laughing merrily. Aurora looked at Ratibor as she heard the soggy snow underneath her feet and smiled. She felt immensely happy to be living in Solitude, being the mistress of her own place – be it a town or guild. She had wonderful friends whom she enjoyed spending time with, and for the first time in the last few years, there was no man in her life who made everything feel heavy and complicated. She did feel somewhat lonely without the male attention, though, and even though she did not wish to be in a relationship, she did feel like she was missing intimate company. While she was aware of Ratibor's comment to Vecheslav earlier during the day, as well as him claiming not to sleep with friends, she felt like that might feel different after a few glasses of wine.

She had come to respect him immensely. He was the first person she wanted close by whenever some new problem arose in her Jarldom. He always had an answer to everything, it seemed, and while she did not feel attracted to him the same way she liked Ulfric… he was still a handsome man in her opinion. Yes, he was not tall, nor was he very muscular or an esteemed warrior, but she had come to believe that was not everything in a man. He was smart. Very smart. He was a talented writer and good at directing plays. He was hard-working yet knew how to party. Socially, he was confident and presentable.

His waves bounced as he walked, and it was a lovely show to see. He was a good friend, whom would support her unconditionally, and that made her feel safe. Yes, he had some qualities which Aurora found questionable, but overall, he was a good man in her opinion. She enjoyed holding his arm and being close to him, it was calming. He did not look at her, though, but appeared to be listening to Egor telling some amusing story for Bogdan, for Ratibor was smiling a little just at the same moment his brother's laughter was heard.

As they entered the Winking Skeever, it became obvious that the tavern area was full. Vecheslav had barely managed to catch a table the same moment a group of people was leaving, and had been forced to fight off other pub goers for that space. It was unusually quiet for having so many visitors, but as soon as Aurora got past the door, she realised why. Aia from the Bards College was performing, and it was music to the ears.

Her voice was clean, on point and had a nice vibrato at times. As she performed, the majority of the visitors had their eyes glued at her. That included Egor.

"Do you believe in Gods?" he asked Bogdan, grinning, but keeping his gaze fixed at the performer.

"I'm an optimist, I believe in everything," Bogdan said. "Are you going to use that line to catch her attention? It's a little over the top."

Egor looked at Bogdan and broke out in laughter. He then hit his shoulder and continued further into the building. Aurora turned her gaze at Ratibor, who was observing her with a grin. The woman laughed as the older Goldwine brother gestured with his head toward Egor and Bogdan, and then rolled his eyes. Aurora laughed, then placed her free hand on Ratibor's arm and dragged him onward, following Egor and Bogdan.

They sat down by the table Vecheslav had conquered for them just as Minette approached and placed two bottles of wine and five glasses in frotn of them before hurrying back to the bar. Bogdan sat down on the short side of the table, facing the entrence door, with Vecheslav to his right. Egor took the chair opposite Vecheslav, leaving Aurora with two options – sitting next to the poet or painter. Ratibor led her up to the table and she took the chair available at the left side of the table, next to Vecheslav, while Ratibor sat down next to Egor and began pouring up the wine.

Egor leaned back in his chair, which was pulled rather far from the table. The man had one leg placed over the other in a casual manner, and had his arm over the back of the backrest. He was just about to say something as Ratibor handed him a full glass of wine while interrupting him. "Hey, Egor," Ratibor said. "You can't drink too much tonight – you have to start with the backgrounds for my play."

Egor looked at the older Goldwine brother for two seconds while biting his cheek. "I can't work on your scenes, I have my exhibition next week," he said.

"You won't have time to finish them all before the premiere otherwise."

"I will."

Ratibor went quiet while Bogdan and Aurora both observed him. He pressed his lips more tightly together and brushed his hair off his shoulder, obviously being somewhat stressed about the subject. Egor was looking toward the bar, where Aia was rounding up her performance. Turning her head to Vecheslav, Aurora noticed that he too was looking at Aia, as if he was in a hurry.

Suddenly, Egor leaned forward. He did so in a rather quick motion, catching Aurora's attention. "Hey, Aurora! With second thoughts, could you introduce us, please?"

She was baffled for a few moments before noticing Ingun by the doors. She had just entered the inn and was looking around for a free table.

Aurora turned her gaze toward the painter. "Sure," she said, with a doubting tone. Egor had appeared quite pessimistic about receiving help from Ingun for his stiff wrist when Aurora had suggested it earlier in the day and she did not quite understand why he would have changed his mind. Regardless, she turned towards the Black-Briar. "Ingun! Over here!" she gestured.

Ingun happily walked up to the group while Ratibor got up from his chair to offer it for the woman. He looked around and went a few tables away to retrieve a spare chair while Ingun sat down next to Egor.

"This is Lady Ingun Black-Briar. Lords Ratibor and Bogdan Goldwine, Vecheslav Umbranox, Egor," Aurora presented everyone one by one.

Egor enthusiastically, but calmly leaned closer to Ingun. "I've heard you are the court apothecary," he said while looking down to the table until the last word, which he pronounced while looking into her eyes, sitting with his face rather close to her. "You know, there are some ingredients I need for my colours…"

Ratibor sighed and Bogdan rolled his eyes. Aurora did not know whether it was due to his flirting, and highly successfully so, tactics – or if it was about him finding every possible opportunity to come over exotic ingredients for his colours.

Either way, Aia had stopped singing and thanking the audience for their support. Vecheslav gave Ingun his untouched glass of wine and left the table, heading toward the bar.

"Oh, it's for some details of my paintings. You see, next week, my exhibition begins, but there are a few things I would like to change…" Aurora could hear Egor say as she turned her attention from Vecheslav back to the group.

She snoozed out of Egor and Ingun's conversation, and instead turned her attention back to Vecheslav. He had gone up on a few chairs which served as an improvised scene for Aia a few minutes earlier, and began reading one of his poems.

Aurora found it rather pleasant for the ears. She still did not notice much difference between good and poor writings, however, she trusted Vecheslav's work and expected him to create enjoyable pieces. While she and Bogdan were paying attention to what was going on by the bar, Egor turned to discussing his paintings with Ingun. He had already invited her over, and she had happily agreed to come and see them. Ratibor sat with his arms crossed and leaning far back into the chair while trying to listen to Vecheslav, but sitting right next to Ingun and Egor made it difficult.

People applauded Vecheslav as he finished his performance and Aurora quickly gazed at Bogdan. He was looking at the man by the bar with a smile.

"Are you going up?" she asked.

"After last time? Wouldn't think so!" Bogdan grinned. "The dockhouse is my home stage."

Vecheslav begun a new poem, but he to raise his tone as people were now speaking to one another by the tables.

"Are you sure? There isn't any scene, one could just stand up and perform, then sit down again," Aurora suggested.

Bogdan went quiet, contemplating.

"Come on," Ratibor grinned from across the table. "We can do one together."

Bogdan did not answer, he was merely looking at his brother while thinking. Ingun was still busy discussing art with Egor.

"I think you should," Aurora grinned. "It has been months since I saw you preform, and I really appreciated it."

"You were drunk beyond recognition," Bogdan grinned. "You cannot even be sure you appreciated it."

"How come you moved to Solitude then?" Ingun asked Egor. He nodded toward Ratibor. "And you?" he asked, smiling charmingly.

Ingun smiled too and looked at Aurora. "I was given the opportunity to work as a court apothecary."

"Vecheslav's done!" Ratibor suddenly exclaimed.

Applauses were heard, this time slightly more tired. While Vecheslav bowed by the bar, Ratibor got up on his chair. This caught the attention of Egor and Ingun, who immediately stopped speaking. The older Goldwine brother balanced one foot on the table, causing Aurora to exclaim "oh!" and save her glass from Ratibor's approaching foot.

Vecheslav looked at him from the other end of the room and raised a bottle of mead towards his friend. He smiled warmly towards him, exposing his v-shaped grin. Vecheslav's narrow space between his eyes and eyebrows was almost entirely closed as he beamed after his performance. At the same time, Ratibor looked around the Winking Skeever as the applauses faded. He was standing with his legs wide apart as one was placed on his chair, and the other on the table. Egor and Ingun were both leaning back and looking up at Ratibor, both smiling a little, and with expectant expressions on their faces. Looking up, Aurora noticed that Ratibor's gaze was set at someone far behind her. She turned her head but could not see whom it was.

"I see some wealthy men here tonight!" he shouted.

The people exclaimed – some were laughing, others were cheering, and a few booed.

"This one is for the women flirting with said men!" Ratibor continued and was met with a cheer and some applauses.

You're beginning to question

Your remedies of depression

As they don't appear to work at all

They will not soothe, only appall

The love is an obsession –

Your favourite possession

Your highest wish is to enthral

A bachelor – that is life's gall

But it is not suppression

Of your innermost aggression

When you're bashing your head against the wall,

Sitting in a corner... of the dance hall

Ratibor reached out his hands towards a young woman whose face turned bright red. The audience jumped on Ratibor's bandwagon and laughed at her, which did not assist her in keeping a normal colour of her face. Aurora turned around once again to determine whom Ratibor had been looking at before he began reading his poem, and this time, she spotted a man fitting the description by a small, two-person table in the far end of the Winking Skeever. It was Harrald.

Before the audience had time to start applauding as the poem was evidently over, suddenly, Bogdan stood up. Not on his chair and the table, like his brother, but merely stod at the floor, but with a glass of wine raised.

That is your confession –

You drive him to cession

His birth-given heritage and crawl

You will ultimately become his fall," Bogdan yelled.

The girl covered her face with her hands, and Bogdan laughed – as did the people around. Ratibor gave out a loud "woho!" and pointed towards the ceiling with a bottle of mead while leaning back slightly.

Ingun was grinning with her mouth open and Egor gave out an entertained laughter. Aurora grinned and clapped her hands. She looked at the painter. Egor was smirking widely, and even Ingun appeared to be cheerful. The Jarl then moved her gaze to Bogdan and Ratibor. The younger brother gave his older a hand, and Ratibor jumped down from the table, embracing Bogdan. As he landed, the man moved to the side, but let his right arm remain around Bogdan's neck. This event caused Bogdan to spill his wine on the floor. Aurora quickly moved to the side to avoid this.

"More wine!" Bogdan exclaimed and let go of his brother. He then disappeared into the crowd.

Ratibor sat down on the chair Bogdan had been occupying until then.

"Feeling happy about yourself?" Egor grinned.

Ratibor smiled wholeheartedly towards the Nord as he stretched over the table and reached for his own glass of wine. "Why don't you sing?" he asked Egor before pushing his glass toward Aurora's and taking a sip.

Egor chuckled. "Even if I did have some talent, it would not be appreciated so soon after Aia from the Bards College!"

Ingun giggled and Aurora smiled at Egor's charming and relaxed body language. Within a few seconds, though, it became quiet around them. Aurora and the people remaining by their table turned towards the bar. Bogdan had stepped up on it and spread his arms to the side, gesturing for people to quiet down.

His red tunic and trousers were far too big for him. The man's wine red hair fell in front of his face, and together with his giant sideburns, hid his traits rather well.

Suddenly, Aurora felt a slight push. It was either Egor or Ingun as they had both got up and were heading towards the bar, probably to get a drink. The Jarl followed them with her gaze. It did appear as if Egor was flirting with her alchemist, which surprised her. He had been adamant about not letting her look at his sore wrist, and now, he led her forwards by placing a hand on her lower back. Aurora could not quite determine what was going on between them. Her attention returned to Bogdan within a few seconds as he began his performance.

It is nightfall. Cries from the battleground tear through the air.

It is nightfall. The moons observe us with a chilling glare.

I am an Imperial Preafect

And you, Altmer – a bastard dog.

Aurora was absolutely spellbound. Bogdan was standing upright, with his right hand flying up to his chest as he read the third sentence. He closed his eyes and wrinkled his forehead, contributing to the atmosphere of the piece. He played with his voice, creating the sound of someone changing the grip on a lute. It went higher and lower, with the man being in full control of it.

In the last battle, Alinor is heading for disaster.

Obey! I am your master.

Don't press against my chest with your knee

I am deaf towards your plea.

I only take what is my law-given right

Lay back and feel the Imperial might!

When the troop catches up, it is time to depart

With my blade, I shall caress your heart.

I am a swordsman, my chest rich in decorations,

I don't engage in foreign relations.

But I know what you are! You deceitfully embody

All that is evil, and your untruths are shoddy!

Don't lie through the debris

Don't A ne agea me! (I do not wisdom)

His movement was theatrical, but felt genuine. At times, he swung his arm in a half circle from behind his body and forward, or threw it upward, placing a hand on his chest. The man lived into his poem.

It is nightfall. Cries from the battleground tear through the air.

I am a drunkard. But it is my own affair!

The stars gawk, well they may!

Out of my sight! No... stay!

Once again, he dramatically threw his arms to the side. Aurora was astonished – she believed every word of it. The Jarl did not quite understand the last sentence of the previous stanza, but assumed it was the language of the High Elves. All around them, people applauded, and Bogdan bowed. Aurora looked at the older Goldwine, who was sitting next to her.

"Ratibor, does your brother speak the elven language?"

"Yes, well he studied it at the Imperial University," Ratibor mentioned casually while hanging over the chair with one arm, being half-turned toward the bar.

"What?"

"That was the official reason to why he moved to the capital – that he wished to study at the university," Ratibor said, raising his glass towards hers. "Well, to be honest, he didn't study much. He applied to a programme in literature and history, but he left it after a year and began learning the Aldmeri language instead."

"For what purpose?" Aurora asked.

"He's always been fascinated with their culture," Ratibor said. "But he has authority issues, and schooling did not suit him, so he only stayed for a total of one and a half years, but I believe that he went on studying on his own."

"Believe?" she chuckled.

Ratibor leaned a little closer to her and lowered his tone. "Well, we didn't exactly share much of what was going on in our lives, drunk and high as we were most of the time," he chuckled. "But he speaks Ta'agra too."

Aurora looked at Bogdan. He was grinning with his usual drunken smile, exposing his teeth with the spaces in between, as he basked in the audience's applauses. A few seconds later, he jumped down to the floor from the bar.

"He speaks the language of the Khajiit? How come?" she asked Ratibor.

"Don't ask me. He's interested in that for some reason," the older Goldwine brother replied as he emptied his glass.

"I can guess why," Aurora said, rolling her eyes. She remembered his reaction to her quarter-Khajiit protégé.

Bogdan returned soon thereafter. He was calm as always, his face carrying no evidence of his recently successful performance. "What are you guys talking about?" he said and bowed over, clinging to Aurora and Ratibor.

His brother looked up at him and smiled. "You and your fascination of the Altmer."

"I thought you disliked them," Aurora said.

"Oh, quite the opposite! I consider it a brother nation."

"But your poems..." Aurora began.

"Where's Egor?" Bogdan asked. He straightened out and looked around.

"I think he and the alchemist went for a drink," Ratibor said.

Their attention turned to the table behind Ratibor, to Aurora's left. A short woman got up on a chair, and it did not take long for them to realise it was Aggrippina from the copying company, Leliah's employer. Aurora had met with them twice at their premises but decided that it was not worth pursuing a friendship with either Engrid, the owner, or Aggrippina, who had the most annoying, nasal voice she had ever encountered. The woman who was now reading poems was rather aggressive in her expression, like a small dog who kept barking because it was safe behind a fence. Both Aggrippina and Engrid came across as stuck up and unsympathetic in the Jarl's eyes.

Aurora did not know if her personal opinion of the woman got in the way of her objectivity when assessing the quality of her poems, but regardless, she found the one being read to be not particularly good.

"My Gods, why do they do this to me?" Bogdan complained. "Who is that twat?"

"Why is that?" they heard a voice behind Bogdan.

Bogdan turned around with his usual, drunken gaze, and was met by a visibly upset Engrid. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and made sure everyone knew was not impressed.

"Well, first of all – the topic. If one is to write poems about nature, it better not be a cliché. Secondly, the rhyming pattern is too standard and boring, it has a weak language..."

"That is my best friend you are criticizing!" Engrid hissed.

"Well you're a shitty friend if you've noticed how bad she is and not informed her."

He lifted his glass and pressed it against Engrids, then he took a sip as if nothing special had happened. Engrid was shocked and her face bright red, beaming with anger. Ratibor giggled straight out, but Aurora tried to hide her face by looking in the other direction and bringing a hand to cover her mouth.

Engrid turned her heel after throwing a killing gaze at Bogdan, who just threw his arms out to the sides as if to say that he had done nothing wrong. He then proceeded to press past Aurora to reach the chair on her right, the one Ratibor had previously been occupying earlier in the night. The younger Goldwine brother pulled the chair out diagonally, so that it was standing closer to the woman, and sat down. He casually placed his elbow on the back of Aurora's chair and let his hand play with her hair. Aurora sensed a tingling feeilng in her chest as he drew circles on her scalp. She liked being touched like that. It was quite soothing.

Bogdan emptied his glass in one go and placed it hard on the table in front of him. Then he leaned further back in his chair and let his left arm fall straight over Aurora's backrest, but without touching her. Aurora wished for him to continue as she found it incredibly nice to be massaged on her head. She could not remember ever having someone doing that to her, and wondered if she could ask Ingun to do so before going to bed at some point. Then she remembered Ingun's experiments and quickly denounced that idea.

Vecheslav returned with two bottles of wine, some of which immediately went into Aurora and Bogdan's glasses. They put their arms around the other's, and took their glasses to their mouths, making it impossible for the other one to lower their glass before both agreed to do so. They both laughed, with wine running out of the sides of their mouths. Ratibor and Vecheslav cheered on.

The evening progressed quickly – they had already been there for three hours when Aurora asked Minette what time it was and became surprised by the girl's reply. They all had dinner together and found Ingun to be rather entertaining when they were more tipsy and she began opening up. She told them about how it was to grow up in the Black-Briar family as a black sheep, and probably won quite some sympathy from Ratibor, for his behaviour towards her changed from nonchalant to somewhat warm. She encouraged both him and Bogdan to perform with some older pieces they had written, which the brothers did. After some hours, though, the atmosphere at the Winking Skeever calmed down. Ingun decided to return to the palace, and left with Egor, who suggested he would walk her home. At that point, they were all wasted or close to.

"Let's continue this at Proudspire," Ratibor suggested as the atmosphere was dying out completely.

"Just one last," Bogdan laughed.

He had trouble standing up on his chair and leaned heavily on Aurora, who pushed him up.

Regardless of what occurs, we are children of crooks

With miscreant looks we get you on our hooks

You know us well from your nightmarish books

That you indulged in during your boring childhoods

We encompass more than one eccentric feature

Yes, little girl, I am a completely different creature

When death comes to my door I am not afraid

For I am not human – I am Ayleid

We are the sons of felons; we are the children of crooks

We will force you on our course and put you on our hooks

You will have read of us in your haunted books

Yes, we are the barbarians of your childhoods

But when time comes, do not be afraid

You don't have to worry, you're with Ayleid

Apparently, the audience loved everything which was or could be interpreted as offensive towards the Thalmor as Bogdan was met with both applauses and laughter. Aurora was too drunk to care, though.

Egor danced as if he were alone on Nirn. He portrayed a genuine expression of his inner life with smooth movements, standing with his legs far apart. It was mesmerising to see and made her want to join, not caring about anything or anyone. His movements went in perfect tact with the music from the lute someone was playing, and it was utterly beautiful. It was as if he was captured in the moment, outside of time. Aurora looked at his body – he was in good shape, and not only in comparison with the Goldwine brothers. There was some definition to his arms and chest even though he was more to the slim side, and he wore tight trousers for a good reason. He had taken off his shirt and was only wearing a west which exposed both a considerable part of his chest, as well as his arms with the two inkings on them.

Bogdan, on the other hand, danced awfully. It was not awkward, it was simply bizarre. The dance was not so energetic, but his arms moved like floppy fish being thrown around. At times, he made pirouettes, causing arms and hair to be pulled straight out from the body.

Aurora danced a schottis together with Ratibor, which was both immensely fun and nerve-wrecking as they were both wasted. They shared a bottle between them when they became thirsty or the music stopped, with either one of them holding it in one arm the rest of the time. This caused a lot of spillage on the floor and stains on their clothes. As he spun her around, she felt she could fall any second as her balance was rather poor in that state. As the song progressed, their steps with a small jump at the end of the sequence became more and more uncoordinated, and at times, they had to stop and start again. After a few times, they were bent over their knees, laughing hysterically.

She felt free. Absolutely free. The woman was in pure ecstacy emotionally and felt immensely good. Ratibor was the most amusing company she had, and at the same time, she felt safe and protected. As that evening and night went on, she began to hope he would join her in her bedchamber. He was quite attractive, at least the more she thought about it, the more she saw him as such. And it had been ages since she last spent the night with a man.

Bogdan and Egor were getting increasingly drunk too. They had sat down in the sofa, close to where Ratibor and Aurora were spinning around, trying to dance. Bogdan was telling the painter about his fascination of Kalliope in a loud manner usually expressed by very drunk men.

"She is a fucking dream," he said. "I have never seen such movement before – she is like a… she's… fuck it," Bogdan tried to say, but could not control his mouth.

Egor chuckled. "How would you lure her into a relationship if she were interested in you? Your sideburns are…"

"Interested in me? She doesn't even know who the Oblivion I am."

Bogdan leaned forward toward Egor as he said so. Aurora was about to grab Ratibor's shoulders, but he was not there as she reached for him. He had gone toward one of the side tables and was doing something. Aurora did not quite know what, but assumed he was pouring a glass of wine.

"I didn't want to leave the Imperial City, it was fucking Ratibor's idea," Bogdan mumbled.

Egor looked at Bogdan with slight concern. Aurora started to feel sorry for the younger Goldwine brother. He appeared quite depressed as he spoke to the painter about how he ended up in Solitude. At that point, most guests disappeared, so Proudspire Manor was rather empty of people and movement. Bogdan took some frost salts from his trouser pocket and then took up the lute from the floor and played. Aurora only then realised whom had played it before – it was Ataf, who was high, lying on the floor. Vecheslav was lying in one of the chairs, smoking and not particularly interested in everything around him.

Three, to Aurora, unknown women had arrived. She would have wanted to observe their dresses, which appeared rather skimpy, but her vision was blurred and her eyes so dry that they almost hurt. A moment later, she could feel Ratibor's hands around her waist. He had walked up to her and handed her his smoking stick. He stuck it into her mouth and she inhaled, but was surprised to realise that it was not nightshade. She looked up at the man's face and realised that his pupils were really wide. She grinned, and he took her hand and held it against his chest, and placed his other on her waist.

His heart was racing, but he looked so calm on the outside. Aurora placed her free hand on his shoulder and they began to move slowly. There was merely an inch between them at first, but Ratibor soon closed it. Aurora realised he was about an inch taller than she was, and then that her pulse went through the roof. It was not just her pulse – it felt as if she had been given an injection of energy.

Ratibor took the smoking stick out of her mouth. Then he pushed his chin up in the air and let out what he had just inhaled. He returned the stick to her and smiled a little. Aurora could feel the warm, pleasant energy kick through her body. She did not know what he had given her but assumed it was fire salts.

She felt like they had a moment – not necessarily romantic, but friendly. She felt she would sleep well that night, for she was completely relaxed and happy. They were moving from side to side in short, slow steps. He got closer to her and placed his cheek towards hers. The woman let her head fall to his shoulder, but soon felt uncomfortable in her neck as she had to bend it slightly.

Looking up, she noticed Ratibor was moving his lips with a wrinkled forehead towards Egor. Aurora turned to look at the painter. He had his arms out, forming the work "no" with his lips. He then rolled his eyes at Ratibor.

Suddenly, Ratibor let go of her waist, but kept holding her hand at his chest. With his free hand, he took her smoking stick and placed it in his mouth before leaning his chin against her shoulder. Once again, they moved slowly side to side.

Yet again she felt like being naughty and adventurous. She wished to feel a man on her and end the night in a lighthearted, sensuous manner. Aurora giggled and slowly and let her hand fall down to Ratibor's buttocks. He shrugged his shoulder, making her raise her hand, but Aurora was adamant and tried to reach for it again.

The man turned her around, still holding one of her hands, and placing his other on her stomach, moving slowly from side to side. He gave her the smoking stick again, freeing his hands. He placed them on the sides of her thighs, gripping her skirt and moving it up and down, exposing the lower part of her legs. She pressed against him, but heard him sigh.

"Come girls, let's go upstairs," he said to the women Aurora suspected were prostitutes.

A moment later, he let go of her and walked up to the women. He put an arm around two of them and led them towards the stairs. Aurora's heart sank – that was her opportunity for sex being taken away by two random women.

Bogdan's lute playing was reduced to tired ackords. Egor was holding his arm around Bogdan's neck, clinging to him, but his gaze followed Ratibor and the women.

Aurora felt left alone. She felt that Ratibor did not find her the slightest bit attractive, and it hurt her, even though she did not fancy him. She turned to Egor, for she knew Vecheslav would deny her. Walking up to the man, she then reached her hands out toward him and dragged him to his feet. They danced for a few seconds, but he was obviously not interested. He moved away as she pushed toward him, then laughed to ease the situation and walked into the kitchen to get more wine.

Instead, Aurora sat down with Bogdan. He placed an arm around her.

"I will sleep well tonight," she said. "No nightmares."

"You look exhausted," he spoke softly.

"Can you read to me?" she asked.

He looked at her. Now he was truly drunk, but his expression remained the same as always. "My bedchamber is your bedchamber," he grinned.

They walked upstairs, but only barely made it. Bogdan actually gave up on walking and crawled the last few stairs, causing Aurora to laugh hysterically. As they passed Ratibor's door, they could hear the older Goldwine brother having sex in his room, causing Aurora to break out in laughter once again.

They both managed to get up in bed, but Bogdan could barely hold his book the right way up. He mumbled the words and it was difficult to hear what he was reading, but Aurora did not care. She lay on her stomach, and felt how her lips were slightly open and drooled on the pillow. Soon, she was well asleep.