24 Last Seed, 4E 201, Whiterun
The Nord girl glanced at Ivar with appreciation. "You took down two mammoth?"
"No, lass. Bandits had a deadfall trap. They drove mammoth into the trap, then hauled the carcasses out to butcher them for hides and meat. My housecarl and I took down the bandits instead."
"I see." She bent close to examine the tusks Ivar had brought to market. "These are very fine. What do you intend to do with them?"
"I was hoping you might handle their sale for me."
Two very wide hazel eyes. "My lord . . ."
"I happened to overhear." Ivar smiled at her. "You're hoping to learn the merchant's trade from one of the Khajiit caravan masters. That's a good choice. They certainly know how to bargain. But he demanded a mammoth tusk as the price for his instruction. And you're but a slender lass with no weapon-skill."
"That's true." Ysolda looked down at her feet. "I think it's a test. To see if I can parley the few gold coins I have into something rare and valuable, all on my own."
"Well, this is your chance. I want you to get the best price you can for three mammoth tusks."
The girl blinked in confusion. "But there are four tusks here."
"The fourth one is for you. Pick out the best of the lot. Consider it your commission on the deal."
"Oh!" She reached out to run her hand along one of the tusks, feeling the smooth ivory under her fingertips. "I hardly know what to say."
"I believe the custom is to say thank you," observed Ivar.
"Thank you!" She jumped up to embrace him with enthusiasm, brushing his lips with hers for a moment. Then she was away, chattering about her plans to surprise the caravan when next it came to Whiterun.
Well. I think this is the first time I've ever heard of a mammoth tusk being used as a gift in a campaign of seduction. I suppose one could consider that suggestive. Although I trust the girl won't expect me to be built to quite the same scale.
Whistling, he turned and climbed the steps of the Bannered Mare.
The evening crowd had not yet arrived. Only a few townsfolk sat in the common room, enjoying an early dinner and listening as Mikael played a tune. Ivar exchanged a glance with Huldah behind her bar. The landlady nodded slightly.
He stepped into the kitchen. A lovely dark-haired woman straightened up from the cooking spit, smiling when she saw who stood in the doorway.
"Hello, Saadia."
Ivar rolled to one side, breathing hard, looking up at the ceiling in the dim candlelight.
The woman beside him stretched luxuriously, growling softly in delight. "That was quite lovely, my lord."
He propped himself on one elbow, enjoying the sight of her, magnificently naked in his bed.
This has to be the best way to start off life in a new house. Not to mention it's more private than a little room at the inn.
"Now, aren't you glad I convinced you to take the night off?"
"Who said anything about that?" She watched him with a lazy smile and cold blue eyes. "I expect to be paid in full."
He caressed her breast and smiled. "Perhaps we can negotiate. I might be able to do you a favor."
"How so?"
"That depends on whether you are the Redguard woman for whom Alik'r warriors are scouring the countryside."
She stared at him for a frozen moment, and then her nails flew for his face.
He caught her wrist in a smith's vice-like grip, threw a leg over her to pin her in place. "Rude."
"Let me go, or you'll walk out of here a gelding!" she hissed.
"You don't appear to have anything sharp enough about you. Unless you plan to use your teeth. Which would be almost as unpleasant for you as it would be for me." Ivar gave her a warm smile. "Truly, love, I have no design against you, other than to tumble you again in a few minutes. I only wish to hear your story, and do you a good turn if I can."
She stared into his eyes, a few inches from her own. Slowly, she relaxed.
"Yes. I'm the one the Alik'r seek," she said at last. "I hoped they would lose track of me. I didn't even know they had reached Whiterun."
He released her, gave her a clear opportunity to leave his bed if she wished. "Why?"
"I am . . . I was a noble of House Suda, in Hammerfell." She sighed and lay still, watching him closely. "The Alik'r are assassins, hired by the Aldmeri Dominion."
Shock ran cold down Ivar's spine. "Why would the Dominion want you dead?"
"I spoke out against them in public. My family disowned me, stripped me of everything I had. I had to run for my life, take on a new identity. I guess living as a tavern wench in Skyrim wasn't quite enough."
Ivar felt his free hand clench into a fist. "Damn the Dominion."
She shifted and turned toward him, raised a hand to caress his face. "You have no love for them?"
"I despise them." He looked into her eyes. "If the Dominion is your enemy, then I am your friend. How may I serve you?"
She frowned, her eyes shadowed, thinking hard. "I suspect the Alik'r are led by a man named Kematu. Find him and kill him. The others will scatter."
"How do I find him?"
She smiled and pressed closer. "There's a Redguard warrior in the dungeon at Dragonsreach. Doubtless one of his men, captured by the jarl's guards. Question him as to Kematu's location."
"I will." He kissed her, felt himself stir in response to her warmth and scent. "I will kill this assassin, and you will be safe."
"Yes." She put her hand behind his neck, pulling him close. "Safe, and most grateful to my liberator."