Elara's Song, Chapter Ten

  • Bright sunshine sparkled off the newly fallen snow as Haakon’s Colovian leather boots crunched merrily on the path to his father’s Bruma home.

    By Stendaar, my head hurts.  He had forgotten how much mead a Nord could consume.  He knew Onmund felt worse due to the special something he slipped into that all important first mug of wine.  Haakon bounded up the stairs to his father’s velvet draped dressing room, where he found his father neatly dressed and reading some letters.

    “I have leverage,” Haakon smirked, and his father smiled broadly.

    “You never fail me,” Aron praised.  “What kind?”

    “The boy is a veritable poet, under the right influence,” Haakon waved a sealed letter in his hand.  “We had a writing contest.”  He neglected to tell his father that it was the best time he had spent in years.

    “Genius, my son, and our dear niece most likely suffers from the same weakness as her father.  Love,” Aron began.

    “Is an occupation of fools and has no place in our family,” Haakon intoned the unofficial Rammligr family motto.

    “You understand then.  Hold that letter close, and we will deploy that when I deem it is appropriate.  Did you discover any reason why he left his beloved?”

    Haakon shifted.  “No, that is unclear.  It seems that he is some sort of courier.  And based on his anguished mumbling last night, I am assured that they did not part on good terms.  He never mentioned her by name, though.”

    “Do you think he suspects us?”

    “If you mean does he know we are related to his former companion, then yes, I believe so.  I have not earned his complete confidence, Father.  It was not a truth potion that I slipped him.”

    “It would make our life easier if such a thing existed,” Aron noted dryly.  “He is still considered a threat to our goals and his activities must be monitored.  I will be back to the City within a fortnight.  Report to me then.”

    Haakon bowed and left, knowing he was dismissed.  He checked the stables to ready his caravan for departure, and then turned to fetch Onmund from the inn.

    Onmund.  At least his niece had good taste.  He was an extremely likable fellow.

    ----------

    “Ugh,” Onmund moaned, sitting on the bed and holding his head in his hands.  “It must have been Bruma mead.”

    You know that is not true.

    And Onmund recalled the strange tingling he felt after the wine.  Haakon must have given him something that was now making his head throb.

    Now you are using your brain.

    Onmund tried to retrace the events of the hazy evening and remembered the arm wrestling, classic Nordic jokes, and then—his heart sank.  He sat up quickly and looked at the table.  A pile of ashes lay in a pewter bowl.

    “A true Nord has the soul of a poet, otherwise, where is his spirit to fight?”  Haakon had said, and in the spirit of the contest—the True Sons of Skyrim—Onmund had penned a poem or letter of sorts.  He blushed to think of the contents.  He was declared the winner for that round.  And the ashes proved that Haakon kept his promise to burn them.  Onmund’s heart slowed to a normal pace.

    You left her to fight dragons all by herself.  You promised…

    I am not who I was, Onmund argued, angry that the voice was choosing now to berate him.  I am a bloody elf!  The kind that killed her father!

    Before the voice could answer, a thundering knock at the door made him jump.

    Haakon’s well-groomed figure sauntered through the door.  Onmund sighed.  The raven haired Nord looked the exact opposite of how he felt.  Haakon’s appraising glance resulted in a cheerful and much too loud; “You can sleep in the wagon on the way there,” accompanied by a friendly clap on the back.

    “The innkeeper is delighted with the amount of wood we hewed in our wood chopping contest.”  Haakon handed Onmund his satchel and pushed him out the door.  “And amazed that no limbs were lost,” he added with a laugh.

    Onmund, in spite of his splitting head, had to laugh too.

Comments

8 Comments
  • Guy Corbett
    Guy Corbett   ·  October 28, 2013
    I love this to and fro of deception between these guys. I get the feeling that Haakon has bitten off more than he can chew with Onmund and the conclusion to this part of the story is going to be very interesting. The voice is still very intriguing. One in...  more
  • Vazgen
    Vazgen   ·  June 17, 2013
    I see Aron's destiny as a Giant's club to the face! Good job on portraying him, he's a very convincing villain! 
  • Kynareth
    Kynareth   ·  October 16, 2012
    @Vix and Eviltrain--whoa, I never thought I would have fans for Aron, so I better make certain that I treat him properly!    Glad to hear he is working, and I know it seems like there are a lot of characters, but I just could not leave Aron and Haakon sit...  more
  • Eviltrain
    Eviltrain   ·  October 13, 2012
    Aron... I like him. He's sufficiently evil for my tastes.
  • Kynareth
    Kynareth   ·  October 5, 2012
    @Jake, Haakon is my own creation.  It seemed logical that some of Elara's relatives would still be alive, and it seemed odd to not include them, particularly if they heard about a Rammligr suddenly becoming ArchMage at the College.  If he bears resemblanc...  more
  • Jake Dassel
    Jake Dassel   ·  October 5, 2012
    Or signs up to Skyrim's space program
  • Batman
    Batman   ·  October 5, 2012
    I hope Aron gets eaten by a dragon.
  • Jake Dassel
    Jake Dassel   ·  October 4, 2012
    I am curious, where did you get the inspiration for Haakon? is he purely your own, or an elaboration of an existing character?