Delayed Burial

In the years after I left Riften, I lived in an old house a few miles from Whiterun. It was a bit run-down, and only had one room, but it was home.

The day of my 26th birthday started out normally enough; I woke up, sat outside for about 30 minutes, ate breakfast, and tied my long blonde hair back into a braid. I debated staying home for the whole day, but I decided not to. It WAS my birthday, after all. Whiterun was not that far away, and I thought that maybe I could go to the Bannered Mare for a sweetroll, and maybe I could even make a few friends. So, I took a few coins and started the long and peaceful walk.

I only managed to walk for about half a mile before my peaceful walk to the city was interrupted. A loud crash came from my right, followed by a string of cursing. When I looked over, a cart was stuck on the side of the road, and one of it's wheels was completely broken.

For a second, I considered simply ignoring the issue, but I willed myself to turn around and see if I could help.

"Hello?" I called, approaching the broken wagon wheel. "Do you need help?"

The man with the broken wheel turned around and stared at me. He seemed to be about my age, maybe a few years older, although he a had an almost boyish quality about him. He had longish red hair, and was dressed in red and black, something about him seemed... odd. Maybe because he was dressed as a court jester. I had never seen one before, so it was weird seeing one in Skyrim.

I finally managed to ask, "What's the problem here?"

"Oh, my poor mother!" the man wailed in a distressed tone. "My dear mother, going to her eternal resting place! But now she can't, because we're stuck! Stuck!"

"Your mother?" I asked, looking at a large crate on the wagon. "Is that her, in the box?"

He looked at me as if to say, "Obviously."

"And she's... dead?" I had never been particularly bright in any situation.

"Yes! But the wagon wheel!" He shrieked. "Damnedest wagon wheel! Keeping me and mother from getting home!"

"Oh," I said, wondering what was wrong with this guy. "Oh, I see. Well, maybe someone could fix it."

Yes, perhaps," the man said. "See that farm over there?" he said, pointing to it. I said yes, I saw it. "Well, I've asked the man who owns it, Loreius, to help me! But he won't! He won't help poor Cicero and his mother fix the wheel!"

"Okay, um, Cicero, that is your name, right?" He nodded. "Okay, maybe I could talk to Loreius for you.

A huge smile spread over his face. "You will? Oh, thank you, kind stranger! Thank you so very much!"

"Um, you're welcome," I said, thinking that maybe Cicero had a few mental issues. "Yes, I'm very happy to help..."

"Wonderful!" Cicero did a sort of dance/walk around his broken wheel, and then gave me a wave.

It only took a minute to get to the Loreius farm. I found Loreius sitting out front, looking kind of angry. Putting aside my dislike of angry old people, I approached him slowly.

"Hello sir," I said, "There's a, um, weird man out there who needs your help..."

Loreius narrowed his eyes. "'Weird man?' You mean Cicero?" He shook his head. "The nutcase has already asked me about 5 times to help him. He can't seem to take no for an answer."

I was about to agree, especially with the nutcase part, but I promised Cicero that I would help him, and that's what I intended to do. "Why can't you help? I'm sure you have the tools to fix it, and I'm sure that he'd pay you..."

"Pay me?! This isn't about the money," Loreius said. "Have you seen the guy? He's crazy!"

"Well, yes, but-"

"And what's in that box, hm? He says it's his dead mother, and he's going to bury her. Ha!" The he sighed. "The issue here is that we don't know what's in that box. It could be weapons. Or Skooma. Or maybe even worse!"

"Okay, but-"

"Therefore, I will not be helping him."

"Listen," I said, speaking quickly so that I wouldn't be interrupted again. "He might be crazy, but he needs your help. Certainly you have the tools to fix the wheel."

Loreius looked ready to fight me, but he didn't. "You're right," he said. "Yes, you're right. Maybe he's nuts, but he does need help." He stood up. "Okay. You go down there and tell Cicer that I'll be there soon."

"Really?" I smiled. "Thank you!"

On the walk down, I wondered why I was so insistent on helping a (clearly) crazy man I just met. The way Loreius first reacted was the way I probably would have if it was me, but I knew it wasn't right. I guess that I wanted to prove that I was better than that, that I could do the right thing. Maybe this is stupid. I guess it doesn't matter.

When I got back to Cicero, he looked at me expectantly. "Well? Is Loreius going to help Cicero and his mother?"

"Yes," I said. "He said that he will be down soon."

"Oh, how wonderful!" he exclaimed. "Mother and I will wait right here, RIGHT HERE until Loreius comes to fix our wheel!"

"Alright then," I said. "Well, goodbye now."

"No, wait! Don't leave yet!" Cicero reached into his pocket. "Here, take this!" He held out a handful of gold.

"Oh, no," I said, looking at the ground. "No, you don't have to pay me."

"But I insist!" Cicero said, putting the gold into my hand. "The kind stranger has helped Cicero, so I must do something in return!"

"Oh, um, okay. Okay, Thank you." I slipped the money into my pocket. "Really, I should go, but, um, maybe I'll see you around?"

"Why, yes! Yes, I hope to see you, kind stranger! And your name is...?"

"Rosaline."

"Well, it has been a pleasure, Rosaline!" Cicero said. "Goodbye, and have a very nice day!"

"Right. Goodbye."

For a moment, I forgot why I even left my house, but then I remembered that it was my birthday.

I felt the coins in my pocket, and realized that I'd never had this much money at once before. Smiling, I walked to the Bannered Mare, expecting a better birthday than I've ever had.

(A/N: Just would like to point out that if you play Skyrim, Rosaline's house does NOT exist. just FYI. THis is kind of a filler chapter, sorry, but she HAD to meet Cicero. right? Also, If you want to stay updated, follow me. Or don't. Do what you want.)