Despite Sotek’s efforts, it took Eorlund to arrange a delivery of limestone blocks to Jorrvaskr due to his contacts there. Sotek put a hold on the Dragonscale Armor he wanted to make until he had sorted out his and Aela’s beds. Too many tasks at once would just add pressure and invite disaster.
Leaving any trip on the plains to the others, Sotek confined himself to Jorrvaskr as he never had any suitable armor. During this time Aela took pity on him but she couldn’t stay away from the plains herself. The pull was too strong and Red’s hold was too great. Red however couldn’t leave her mate behind forever. On the second day Aela sent out all the Whelps with Farkas and Vilkas. She even gave Kodlak and Tilma their marching orders, sending them to the Bannered Mare for their dinner.
Less than fifteen minutes after Kodlak left the hall, Red and Scarface ran along the length of the Undercroft corridor together and fed from two deer carcasses which Aela had provided. After they fed, Scarface set out to hunt down another prey.
His eyes were fixed on his mate, Red.
The next morning, three days after Eorlund had sent out a letter asking for the stone blocks, a wagon arrived outside Whiterun’s stables. The wagon master and two aids set about delivering the stone to Jorrvaskr. Under Sotek’s charge, Farkas, Vilkas and the Whelps helped move the seventy two stone blocks to Jorrvaskr’s Undercroft under the ever watchful and completely confused, Harbinger’s gaze. He had asked Aela for an explanation but all she could do was scratch her head and shrug her shoulders. Sotek had, once again, kept his plans to himself.
He had however paid each Whelp and Companion a sum of thirty gold for their troubles. This was further added to by him making a tab in the Bannered Mare for them.
While the Two Companions, Farkas and Vilkas drank away their earnings along with the Whelps, Sotek and Aela set to work.
Their first task was to clear one side of Sotek’s room. They moved all the furniture to the other side of the room then over the course of the morning they build a base of solid rock. Aela looked at the size of it and bemused over what Sotek was creating.
When it was finished it was six feet wide and eleven feet long. The base seemed way too big for what she was expecting. Sotek however seemed more than happy with it and he fought vigorously against any suggestion to make it smaller.
As the day went on, the two Companions slowed down. Every muscle in Aela’s body ached. After Tilma ran her a hot bath, she rested on a fur strewn across Sotek’s floor where they spent the night.
She awoke next morning to Kodlak giving her a gentle shake of her shoulder. Without talking he motioned for her to follow him upstairs. She quickly got dressed then made her way to the hall where a breakfast of eggs and bacon were waiting for her.
It was well after midday when Sotek made an appearance. Even Farkas and Vilkas were late to wake up. To Aela’s surprise, Kodlak never said anything to any of them. All he did was to have Tilma prepare a meal for the three of them.
Once he ate, Sotek beckoned Aela to follow him downstairs to his room where they once again began work on the stone ‘altar’ as she called it.
Again they both slept in each other’s arms on Sotek’s floor and just like the day before; Kodlak awoke Aela mid morning and took her upstairs. Throughout the morning Aela watched the Whelps come and go while she waited for Sotek to get up. Farkas and Vilkas didn’t make an appearance either which just added to her frustrations.
This time it was well into the afternoon when Sotek and the two brothers got up. They drearily made their way to the hall and flumped down on the chairs while Sotek slouched on his step. Aela sat there tapping her foot while she waited impatiently for Sotek to eat. He finally finished after guzzling down half a tankard of water.
Having run out of patience, Aela grabbed his hand and yanked his arm as she dragged her ‘prisoner’ across the floor to the Undercroft. She never stopped tugging until they were inside Sotek’s room. By now they were adding the final layer to the stone base. It was four feet high but it was still the same size. Not once did Sotek consider narrowing or even shortening the base.
By the time they finally finished, it was well into the evening. Before retiring for the night, Tilma left outside in the corridor two straw mattresses which were nothing more than large linen sheets sown together forming large bags which were filled with straw. She had sown them up but it was the Whelps who stuffed the mattresses as she required them.
Renewing a mattress was simple. All Tilma needed to do was to unthread the cord which closed up the sacks at one end and empty the old straw out. Once they were washed and dried it was a simple task of getting the Whelps to refill them then just tighten the cord so the straw couldn’t fall out. The end result? One clean, new mattress.
Once the mattresses were placed on the bed, Sotek sat up on it and patted the mattress, asking Aela to join him.
Despite her aching body, Aela slid on the stone bed and stretched out on it.
“So this is your plan. It’s as hard as rock; well I suppose it is rock. It reminds me of when we are out on the plains”.
“Too hard for you?” Sotek asked. As he spoke he watched her carefully for any signs of rejection.
Instead of rejecting it, Aela seemed almost overwhelmed with excitement.
“Hell no It’s great! I’m sleeping here until you done my room and I like the fact that you made it a bit wider for the two of us. It makes sense now although I don’t understand why its eleven feet long not even Scarfa... Scarface?”
She sat bolt upright and studied the bed with fresh new eyes. Almost ecstatically she cried out.
“You made it for them? They can sleep on it? Oh Hircine; Sotek this is perfect. It’s more than big enough. My bed; first thing tomorrow we’ll start my bed”.
Sotek laughed at her, or at least he tried to. Instead it was more of a wincing cry of pain as his shoulders hurt.
“Not straight away we won’t. I said once I tried it out, then, and only then, if you like it we’ll do it with yours; I haven’t tried it out yet”.
Aela tutted back at him and thudded back down on the mattress.
“We laid on it just now, its fine”.
“That’s not exactly a good test though is it?” Sotek said in a sleazy underhanded tone.
“So what do you have in mind?” Aela asked as she felt his hand creep towards her thigh.
Sotek stealthily moved alongside her then he started tugging at her rope belt.
“Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” The Huntress demanded as she slapped his hand away.
He smiled back at her and resumed pulling down her trousers.
“I’m testing out the bed of course”.
Aela awoke next morning, stark naked in Sotek’s arms. She got dressed then shook him, waking him from his much needed slumber.
“Hey! Sleepy head. Up, eat, then it’s my room”.
Sotek groaned then rolled on his side, putting his back to Aela.
“Oh hell no Aela; I’m not doing this again, I’m done”.
She stopped dead in her tracks and looked defiantly back at him. Not caring if he was joking or not, she thumped his arm causing him to groan.
“No! Don’t play games with me Sotek. You’re going to do the same in my room; aren’t you?”
He just shook his head and flatly refused to budge.
“No; I’m done, that’s it”.
Aela frowned and her voice started trembling in the fear of missing out. She felt bitter and resentful after spending so much time and effort on Sotek’s bed; especially when it was so perfect for Red’s needs.
“What? What about me? You were going to help me with my room. You said once we try this and if I like it you would help me do my room the same”.
He gave her a sigh and sat up.
“Look, it took what two? Three days to make this up? We practically lived in this room to make it. Let’s have a few days rest and then we’ll see about your room”.
Aela snapped back at him angrily. She felt used and mistreated; something she wouldn’t let go unpunished.
“The only reason this took so long is because you wouldn’t wake up until around midday so don’t bloody go giving it all that”.
He once again shook his head at her and pulled the fur over his shoulder. He turned on his side once again and proceeded to go back to sleep.
“I need a break first. These stones were heavy”.
Aela climbed out of bed and yanked open his door. She hollered at him, not caring who heard her.
“You bastard! You promised me! Now what am I supposed to do?”
“Well you could always sleep on a pile of straw in your room or you can spend the next few nights with me here”. Sotek said with a snigger. He finalised the conversation by covering his head with the fur.
She shouted at him before storming off, slamming his door as she went.
“Go to hell”. As soon as she entered her room, banging her door into the wall, she saw it. Somehow Sotek had already built her bed. It wasn’t as wide as his, it was around five feet wide but it was still eleven feet long. She sheepishly looked towards the corridor where Sotek was standing there in just a pair of trousers. He had a big smug smile as he watched her reactions.
“When? I don’t get it! When did you do this?”
At that point the Harbinger came out from his room after hearing her shouts and curses, let alone the doors slamming.
“I take it you’re winding her up again Sotek. As to answering your question Aela he’s been sorting out your room during the early hours along with Farkas and Vilkas. Why do you think I said let them rest in the mornings?”
Aela almost screamed with frustration. She felt like tearing a stone block from her bed and throwing it at the Argonian.
“Why the hell are you so bloody sneaky? You’re a bastard”.
Chuckling, the Harbinger stepped inside her room after pausing at the threshold for Aela’s permission to enter. He sat on the bed and immediately frowned.
“Oh its way too hard for me, there’s nothing like a soft bed. I can however appreciate the attraction this has for you two”.
Aela sat on it next to him and laid down on her back, stretching out her arms and legs.
“It’s perfect. It reminds me of the overhang. Greenspring Hollow? Kodlak, you’ve been there. Don’t care what you think anyway... I love it”
Sotek pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her.
“Yes but I’m afraid you can’t sleep in it for another week or so”.
“Why ever not?” She asked, albeit she was somewhat cautious lest she fell into another trap of his devising.
Sotek smugly answered.
“Because you promised to help with my armor. I’ve enough dragon scales to make a complete set of armor and some new axes as well as a bow”.
Aela’s eyes lit up at the news. She hastily made her way to the door, eager to make a start.
“Does that mean no more bloody plate armor for you? And does it mean when we are done that you will train with us? As in proper training?”
The Argonian nodded, putting Aela at ease.
“Yes, it does”.
She grabbed his hand then led him off along the corridor.
“Then let’s get on with it”. Half an hour later, once they ate, they both set off towards the Warmaidens to begin the preparation of the Dragonscale Armour.
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