Chapter 69: Christmas Day in Whiterun

[25th – 26th of Evening Star 4E 201]

After an early breakfast on the next day, Christmas Day, I started to think about that meal I had promised to work on. We did not have any gifts prepared, but I had offered to assist Tilma with cooking today, and I had in mind to bring in some variation. Not that I had any complaints about Tilma՚s way of cooking, of course. However, back in my old life I had done cooking a lot, and I had learned most of what I knew from my grandmother. Here in Skyrim, though, I had to cope with different ingredients and different tools; there was no electrical stove, for instance, but I had managed once before, in Riverwood, and the result had been edible at least. In addition to that, of course, I had frequently improvised cooking when traveling.

Fortunately, today there was going to be a lot of time available, as the main meal was usually served around the time the sun was going down, when most Companions would be back from their daily work. So, I decided that I'd experiment with potato dumplings. I did not know exactly how to make them and I had not seen any in Skyrim so far, but I had a vague idea at least. I needed potatoes, flour, and eggs, and those ingredients were readily available. There was also some flexibility with the kitchen utensils required, but after a few attempts with small amounts of ingredients I found a combination which looked, smelled and felt right; as it was still morning and thus too early for the main preparations, I dumped a few small raw dumplings into hot water and decided to wait if they'd turn out right. To my delight they did, and when I tasted the result about twenty minutes later, I found out that I'd only have to add some salt to the dough. Tilma tasted the result as well and approved.

Meanwhile, Tilma was preparing a few ducks, and once she was done, she placed all five of them in a large frying pan and pushed that into the oven. Naturally, the oven here in the Jorrvaskr kitchen was way larger than any other oven I had seen before. A typical oven in Germany was good enough for one duck or goose, and I had learned that ovens in the USA were somewhat larger, so that a medium sized turkey at least could fit. This one here was gigantic, and even with the huge pan in it there was still some space left inside. On the other hand, this was the kitchen for Jorrvaskr, and sometimes food needed to be prepared for more than a dozen people. While Tilma now worked on several types of vegetables, I prepared the main amount of dumpling dough, and additional help arrived, too. For such a large meal Tilma would be hard pressed to do everything on her own, but her assistant Hranura helped, of course, and just when I was working on my dough, Torvar, the Nord, came in. At first I assumed that he was just looking for food or something to drink, but he actually stayed and assisted Tilma with cutting vegetables. My surprise probably showed on my face, and Tilma explained:

"When he's just fresh out of bed, Torvar is quite a capable kitchen assistant. I just need to make sure that he does not find any mead before he's done; after two or three mead jugs he cannot be trusted to yield a kitchen knife any longer."

Okay, that made sense, and this was certainly a facet of Torvar I had not expected. So, for now, there were four of us working in the kitchen, but as soon as the smell from the oven started to develop and circulate, occasional faces stopped by and sniffed. Apparently it was true that today was a slow and quiet day, and most Companions seemed to be around during the daytime hours.

While I had to wait, I had a closer look at the vegetables Tilma prepared, and most of them were familiar ones. At this time of the year, the selection was limited, and most of what I saw was some variation of cabbage, including savoy cabbage and white cabbage. The former one was my clear favorite, and I could remember the times, decades ago, when I had helped my grandmother growing those in her garden in Germany. Some variations of cabbages had the great advantage that they were frost resistant and could be harvested in winter, like field salad, too. For the latter, I had not seen any in Skyrim yet, and maybe I'd have to keep my eyes open.

Meanwhile, I heard some commotion from the main room, and when I looked out, I saw a visitor being greeted by Vilkas and Aela. She was a female Nord with long black hair, and when I stepped close I heard her introducing herself as Illdi from the Bards College. Now as the name had been mentioned, I recalled that I had seen her before in Solitude at the College, but not really talked to her a lot. Why was she here? Aela offered her a seat and some food and drinks, and Illdi saw me and spoke:

"B'lushona! You are the person I came here for!"

"Me? Why that?"

"Well, you are an honorary member of our College, and we all got told how you managed to retrieve the book with King Olaf's verses from a tomb. Now, a couple of weeks ago somebody broke into the College and stole the very special lute owned by Inge Six-Fingers, among some other valuables. Viarmo somehow learned that the thief had plans to retreat to a place called 'Stony Creek Cave', and when he saw on the map that this place is in the eastern part of Skyrim, he thought about you, and he wonders if you might be willing and able to help again."

"And why did you come to ask instead of Inge herself?"

"Inge does not like to travel much, and I volunteered, as I had not been out of Solitude for a long time, and I wanted to see Whiterun. I took the carriage, and here I am. Don't worry about expenses; I have enough septims to spend a couple of nights in an inn before I head back home."

"There is of course the matter of payment for doing such a job" Vilkas put on the table.

"Let Kodlak decide on that, Vilkas" I offered. "I know that he is a good friend of Viarmo, and I believe that he won't ask for too much."

Right on cue the white haired Harbinger appeared and asked:

"What should I decide on?"

Illdi explained the situation once more, in some more detail, and Kodlak nodded a few times, before he replied:

"Yes, it makes sense for Viarmo to contact us for such a problem, and I think that our Khajiit member here may be inclined to help. However, I do know that he's got some other obligations, too, and he may not be able to travel there right away."

"That should not be a problem, Harbinger. According to our headmaster's sources, the thieves may plan to spend a longer time there and potentially collect other stolen artifacts in the cave as well, to be offered to a fence at a later time. If he waits a few weeks more, he may be able to find even more stolen goods in the cave. Of course, we could also talk to the guards about that, but the Haafingar hold guards would not be willing to travel to Eastmarch, and even if I managed to get the attention of the Eastmarch guards, they might not want to act on rumors alone."

"And they might be too busy with the Civil War, too."

Kodlak added and looked at me, and I responded:

"Well, yes, Harbinger, I think that I can do that. I do have two capable housecarls and also my two saber cats, but you are right – I do have other obligations. In particular, Jarl Balgruuf the Greater has indicated that he'd like me to be available in the first week of the New Year, and this may be important. If I get a chance, though, I will see what I can do and hopefully be able to retrieve the lute and maybe more from the cave, if it's actually there."

"That's all I can ask for; thank you" Illdi, the Bard, replied.

We spent an hour or two talking about this and that, Illdi supplied the latest news from Solitude, and when she left again to find a room at an inn, it was about time for the final meal preparations. Tilma told me that the ducks would be ready to be served in less than one hour, and I made sure that my dumpling dough was all right, before I started to form the individual dumplings with my paws. I needed some time to get back into that, what I had done multiple times both as a boy and an adult before, but my Khajiit paws were larger than the hands I had had in my previous body, and I needed to be careful to make the dumplings not too big.

Finally the dumplings were all in a pot with hot water, the vegetables were all prepared and the ducks were almost ready; in addition, of course, a small goat was already above the main fire in the mead hall, being slowly rotated on the skewer. There was certainly not going to be a lack of food. Right at this time Irene stepped into the room and she brought a visitor – Jarl Balgruuf the Greater.

"Balgruuf! I am glad that you could come!"

"Kodlak! How could I refuse such an invitation."

The Jarl and the Harbinger were good friends, and Kodlak now told us that he had invited the Jarl for our festive meal today. The two distinguished gentlemen got the seats of honor in the center, and the others found seats around. Today was one of the few days when almost all of the seats around the large table in the mead hall were actually taken. Among the Companions, only Njada and Athis were absent, and we had guests; besides Illdi, who had found a room and was now back to eat with us, Fiona, Janina and all of our housecarls were with us, on special invitation from Kodlak. When we were all seated, Kodlak said a few words:

"My dear Balgruuf, my dear Dragonborn, my fellow Companions, dear guests and housecarls, it is good to see you around again in Jorrvaskr, and I won't make many words before we can start to eat. From our latest newcomer, Irene, was have learned that today they celebrate 'Saturalia' in High Rock, and from our Khajiit member and the Dragonborn we have also heard that there is a celebration called 'Christmas' at the same time in the area, very far from here, where they came from. That's why we have that decorated tree here in the hall, and I have to admit that it looks quite nice. In addition, B'lushona mentioned that he was going to prepare some special food, and I will be curious to find out more about it. It is a pleasant sight for me to see the large table here in our big Mead Hall almost fully occupied. Now, without further delay, let's get started with our holiday meal – dig in!"

The Harbinger raised his jug, took a large sip, and the meal was started. Tilma, Hranura, Torvar and I brought the dishes out from the kitchen and placed many bowls with potatoes, dumplings and cabbage on the table, and each section of the table got a plate with one of the five ducks. Once this was done, we could also sit down, and everybody was busy with drinking and eating now. Hanni and Nanni had not been forgotten either; from the goat on the skewer, some large meaty bones had been cut off earlier, and the two saber cats could indulge in a corner, where they also had a bowl with water. From time to time I could hear a bone cracking from their direction. Hanni and Nanni were quite flexible; while they did like to hunt food on their own, they would also gladly take food from me, when there was not much opportunity for hunting. Being saber cats, they preferred meat, of course, but sometimes they also took a few potatoes with it, and occasionally a cookie or two.

It was nice to see the almost fully occupied large table here in the Mead Hall of Jorrvaskr, my home for now. I was not related to any of the people here, and yet they were something like my family. They had not known me at all less than half a year ago, and yet they had accepted me, even though they had not had a Khajiit in their ranks for some time. They were all different, both in body and mind, and yet they worked and lived together. Kodlak Whitemane, the Harbinger, was probably the oldest, but he still looked like he could fight if needed; he was something like a father to most of us, and though he rarely gave orders, his suggestions were never ignored. Jarl Balgruuf the Greater, right next to him, was an old friend of the Harbinger, and the Jarl had managed to gain my respect. The Companion Circle members, Aela, Skjor, Vilkas and Farkas, all radiated self-confidence, and I knew all four of them were werewolves. Although, technically, the term was not fully correct, as their transformations were not dictated by the phase of a moon or so, but they could decide when to transform, at least in the game. In a fantasy story I had read a long time ago, the term 'shape-shifter' was used for that, but here, as far as I knew, they were called werewolves. I was already determined to refuse that 'gift' if they ever decided to invite me into the 'Circle', the Companion leadership board. I was a Khajiit, after all, and I did not think that werewolf genes were a good fit; even when playing the game, I had usually not transformed after the first time and had hurried to get rid of that additional feature as quickly as possible, for various reasons. Fiona, Janina and our housecarls were placed with me close to one end of the long table, and the remaining Companions were seated close to the other end. Njada and Athis were missing, but there was Torvar, Ria, Vignar, Brill, and Tilma - I had 'met' all of them while playing. In addition, there were a few others I had not seen in the game: There was Lorgukh, the female Orc, Borogar, a male Nord, Irene, the female Breton who had joined as whelp very recently, and finally there was Hranura, Tilma՚s assistant.

Strangely I was able to even recall the name for each and everyone in the room here, despite my general weakness in memorizing names and faces, but that was likely related to the many hours I had played the game. True, the real faces were different from the ones in the 'Skyrim' game, but I had adapted. Looking around, the scene did somehow remind of Christmas at home. There were so many more people in here, but there was a decorated Christmas tree in a corner, the one Irene, Fiona and I had brought in on the day before, almost everybody looked happy, and there was great food. For this meal I had an opportunity to eat one my favorites, which was roast duck with potato dumplings and savoy cabbage. I had to supplement the duck portion with goat meat, of course, as we had only had five ducks for about twenty people, but that was quite all right. For a 'normal' human being on Earth, a standard serving had a quarter of a duck, but here, in my wonderful Khajiit body, I doubted that even an entire duck was enough to really fill my stomach. Of course, many people in my old life had office jobs and did not exercise their bodies much, whereas here in Tamriel most people had to work hard and thus needed more calories anyway.

I was glad that my taste for food was similar to the one I had had in my previous life, and so far my three favorites stayed the same: roast duck, venison, and salmon. Fortunately, some people were well versed in cooking, and I had no reason to complain about food preparations by Tilma or one of the innkeepers. I could also do cooking and had done this for many years before, and I was looking forward to the time when I might have a home of my own and be able to get back to this hobby again.

In the next morning I decided that I needed some exercise and went to the backyard, thinking about either a relaxed morning jog or a practice fight. I was not alone, and I found Borogar, the male Nord, already there. He enticed me into some a sword fighting exercise, so that we were busy for some time. Naturally, he won most of the rounds, although I was a few times able to take advantage of my size and strength to win, too. I varied with weapons and sometimes used a sword and sometimes an axe, but Borogar obviously had years of experience and practice on me. His way to handle a sword was again different from the technique Vilkas applied, and I asked him where he had learned it. When we sat down to eat and drink something for an early breakfast, with nobody else around except for my two saber cats, he told me:

"I believe that I mentioned already that I grew up in Riverwood, and I am related to Phintis' wife. One day, when I still an adolescent, a group of people passed through town, and their leader asked me if I wanted to join them. He promised adventure and wealth and women, and my youthful mind was very much interested in all of that. I went with them without asking anybody, and at first, I was happy. We had adventures all right, and about the wealth we accumulated, I did not ask much where it came from. For many months I did not even realize that I had joined a group of bandits, and I thought them to be more like mercenaries, doing good deeds and getting paid for them. We had a couple of hideouts, and a few times our leader brought a woman or two, too. So, for some time, life was mostly like I had dreamed about as a boy."

"You never saw what they really were?"

"Not for some time, no. Until something happened, that is. Most of us were just raiding a farm, 'teaching a lesson to a greedy person', as our leader had called it, when some hold guards showed up. A fight started, they called us bandits, and some of us were caught or injured. I was lucky and made it back to our hideout, but I asked out leader what that had been about. He used all kinds of excuses, but my suspicion was raised. A few weeks later a few women were brought to us, and one of them was assigned to my bed for the night. I thought them to be willing or at least paid whores or so, and I was very much looking forward to spending an exciting night, but the woman in my bed cried and sobbed, and I learned from her that she had been forced to come here – she had been kidnapped from her home. Not only that, but she was not fully an adult yet either, and I only realized all of that after we had been intimate with each other; she had not dared to resist me, and I had been stupid enough to see this as female shyness."

"Ouch!"

"Yes, indeed. On the next day, our leader stated that we could not allow the women to leave again, and he kept two of them in a cell, including the one I had been with, while the third one was simply killed. Now I was completely shocked, and I hid in a corner to think about the situation. I did not get much time, as suddenly there was fighting noise in the main room, and I realized that we were under attack. Even I had heard about the Companions of Whiterun, and when I looked out, I saw that it was some of them. They were fewer than our group, but we did not stand a chance against them."

"So, what did you do?"

"I dropped all of my weapons and surrendered. Going to prison for some time seemed fair for what I had done. Fortunately they accepted my surrender, but the bandit chief, who had been something like a role model for me, and most of the others fought to the death. A few hours later I was indeed pushed into the Dragonsreach dungeons and in a prison cell there. The dungeon master questioned me, I freely admitted what I knew and added that I initially had not known what was going on, but deeply regretted my actions now, and I had to spend a few months there, with meager food and lots of time to think about everything. When I was released, they asked that I either leave the hold or show proof of my intentions to change, and on a whim I decided to visit the Companions."

"Wow, right away after prison?"

"Yes, and while Vilkas, who had been part of the raid, growled at me and looked very angry, Kodlak asked me to sit with him for some time, and I told him everything. It was almost like he could look into my heart, and an hour later he nodded and told me that it appeared that I had the right heart and spirit, and of all people Vilkas was to test my sword arm. I had learned something about sword fighting from the bandit leader, and it was unconventional enough to surprise Vilkas, although I could of course not defeat him, so that he had to admit that I had some potential at least. On this day, I was accepted as a whelp with the Companions, and I have never once regretted this step. I was a whelp for quite a long time before I was accepted as a full member, but I understand that they needed to be sure about my true intentions. Being a Companion helps to atone for some of my earlier bad deeds, at least."

Wow, this was really an interesting background, and it was good to hear that Borogar was happy now. Meanwhile, a few others stepped out, and earlier than usual Fiona showed up again. She teamed up with Irene right away, and the two ladies did a few morning exercises before they went inside. Later in the morning I saw that they were busy in the kitchen together with Hranura, Tilma՚s assistant, and they were going to make cookies today. Fiona said that she had done something like this earlier, Irene also had some knowledge on baking, and Hranura was eager to participate. And indeed, a selection of three different types of cookies was offered today after lunch, and this did remind me of my earlier life and the wonderful Christmas cookies my mother had been preparing on a regular basis.

[Author's Notes: I took the idea about a Companion having a bandit background from a review posted earlier by 'dknight131313'.]