Aela woke up with a pounding in her head as if some miner was chipping away at her skull. She slowly slid out of Sotek’s bed, almost falling on the floor in the process and washed her dreary face before realizing she was alone. Trying to listen for any signs of movement was pointless as the banging in her head drowned out everything so she opened the door and called out along the corridor of the Undercroft in a dry broken voice.
“Oi? Anyone? Bunch of bastards!” The room started spinning wildly forcing her to the floor where she slowly crawled on her hands and knees as she made her way back to her sanctuary, Sotek’s bed.
About an hour later she climbed the stairway, tackling one step at a time. She desperately wanted to sit on one but she knew if she did then that would be it and her legs wouldn’t bear her weight ever again. Or at least until she felt better. Reaching the final step felt like she had tackled a mountain; every joint and muscle in her body ached.
As she made her way across the hall, her stomach started turning from the stench of food which adorned the tables. Sweat covered her brow as an almost overwhelming nauseous sensation drained what little color she had in her cheeks. Sotek took her arm and led her to a spot by the steps where a gentle breeze blew in from the door he had propped open.
“Fresh air and a flask of cold water. Sip it though; give your stomach a chance”.
She chose to sit on the lowest step and lean back against the others for support but she slid off it and landed on her haunches, banging the back of her head in the process.
“Oww! Ohhhh....” With a painful grimace, she tried to pick out someone who she could recognise but everyone seemed blurry. At least they were until she became used to the fire’s glow and she opened her eyes wider.
She looked across the table at no one in particular and whispered pathetically.
“I’m sorry... I couldn’t help it, I’m so, so sorry”.
“Aela, it’s ok, there is no need to apologise. On a few different occasions the Jarl thanked the Companions for the invitations to the remembrance. The Jarl was actually quite impressed; we all were to be honest. I think it was a great success”.
Aela ever so slightly shook her head as she butted in. Her voice was so weak, it barely escaped her lips.
“I need to apologise, I’m sorry”.
Sotek shuffled closer to her and slid his hand below her back so it lay between the steps. He tenderly rubbed her waist as he sat next to her and pulled her closer so she could rest against him rather than the wooden steps.
“Hey, it’s ok. Honestly you’re ok; you didn’t show yourself up or start any fights. You did a terrific job with the speech. Tilma was crying her heart out”.
He cast a quick wink at the maid who returned it with a heavy frown. She held her fist up at him but when Aela turned towards her, she quickly hid her hand between the folds of her dress.
Sotek leaned closer to Aela’s ear and whispered softly to her.
“Omega would have been proud to hear you say those words for him. I know, because I am proud. Scarface wanted to howl when he heard them”.
As Aela looked at him, he couldn’t fail to see the pathetic look in her eyes. She gave him a kiss on his lips then spoke to him, giving no regard as to who could hear.
“I threw up in your bed”.
Both Vilkas and Farkas burst out laughing at Sotek’s face when Aela said it. As for Sotek, all he could do was rest his hand on the she wolf’s shoulder and gently rub her back while she rested her head under his chin.
“I’m definitely sleeping in your room tonight”. He tutted at her which did little except to make her snigger back at him.
Within a few minutes Aela was curled up in a ball with her head resting on Sotek’s coiled tail with the tip of it held tightly in her hands like a young child’s pacifier. Everyone in the hall fell silent and listened to her snores.
Kodlak took the opportunity to have a playful dig at Aela and commented about the level of noise.
“She sounds like a bear alright”.
Tilma rested her tankard of water on the table and beckoned Sotek to follow her.
“Well she can’t stay there all day. Sotek, carry her to her room and put her to bed. I’ll bring a bucket just in case”.
Sotek gently lowered her head to the floor while trying not to disturb her so he could free his tail as he needed to change his position in order to be able to pick her up. As he headed towards the stairwell with Aela held tightly in his arms, he gave Tilma a slight dig.
“I was hoping you would sort out my bed!”
He grinned when Tilma turned back to look at him. She was about to ask why when she remembered what Aela had said. The fact that she ‘face palmed’ herself said it all.
The moment Aela felt the touch of the straw mattress; she turned over, putting her back to Sotek. The Huntress curled up in a ball with her knees tucked against her chest. As she never bothered with her boots, Sotek didn’t have much to do. He left her in the old pair of trousers and shirt she had put on earlier. All he had to do was cover her over with a single fur so she couldn’t get too hot.
Tilma came in with a bucket and placed it by the side of the bed before giving Sotek one last job to do.
“Fresh cold water and a flask. She’ll appreciate it when she wakes up”.
Sotek brushed Aela’s hair away from her face and kissed her on the cheek before heading to his own room. He took the second bucket of water and a cloth away from Tilma and pointed towards the stairwell.
“I’ll sort out my room. I should have stopped her last night so I take the responsibility of this”.
Tilma almost skipped along the corridor as she eagerly replied.
“I won’t argue. There’s clean furs in the storeroom, dump the mattress in the washroom. I’ll re-stuff a new mattress for you later”.
Sotek returned to the hall quarter of an hour later to find both Kodlak’s and Tilma’s chairs empty. Vilkas, Farkas and the Whelps were just sitting around the table in absolute silence. Each one of them faced the yard where Kodlak and Tilma could be heard arguing.
The Argonian sat on his step and enquired about the heated debate by asking Farkas what was going on, but he soon wished that he asked someone else instead. As Farkas answered, he pointed to the two doors where the Harbinger and the maid were having their dispute.
“Well, as far as we know, Tilma said something about ‘losing her’. The Harbinger said she was wrong though. She shouted something about ‘her father’ along with a few choice words. But then he mentioned something about some salt?”
Sotek looked at him like he was crazy. Little of what Farkas told him made sense but instead of rectifying his mistake by asking Vilkas, he pressed Farkas for more information.
“Some salt? Farkas what the hell are you on about? Some bloody salt! It doesn’t make sense”.
Farkas nodded back at him, enforcing what he had just stated rather defensively.
“Yea salt; some salt. Don’t ask me, Kodlak said it”.
Vilkas laughed at him and banded on the table with his hand.
“No, you fool! It wasn’t some salt; it was something like salt some”.
Sotek groaned despairingly and buried his face in the palms of his hands. It was only when he said it a few times to himself that he realised what Kodlak had actually said.
“You two are so bloody stupid at times. Some salt? Salt some? I bet you it was Solstheim. What the hell did he mention Solstheim for?”
“Yea, that’s the one!” Farkas stated as he grinned back at Sotek.
Before anyone else could say anymore, the Harbinger entered the hall wearing a big frown upon his face. Tilma followed closely behind but she looked far more triumphant. It took Sotek little imagination to guess that she had won the argument.
The Harbinger sat down with a loud huff while Tilma smirked to herself as she leant back in her chair, adding further proof to who came out on top.
Sotek studied everyone in the hall and gave an afterthought glance at the stairwell while he tried to work out what the conversation had to do with Aela. He knew it was about her as he was aware that her father resided in Solstheim. This being the only link to anyone in Jorrvaskr meant it had to be about her.
With a shrug of his shoulders, he decided to take the ‘what the hell’ approach and ask about it.
“Harbinger, the ermm debate you were having. Was that about Aela?”
The Harbinger raised his thick bristly eyebrows at him and gave his owlish stare, quietening the young Argonian. He considered answering but such thoughts were dismissed within a second. Instead, he replied with his own question.
“So, what is everyone’s plans today? The yard needs putting back in order by someone so there is no training until tomorrow”.
Sotek raised his hand apologetically and relayed to the Harbinger his self appointed task.
“There’s a list of alchemy items I need so this morning I’ll be getting some of them. Tonight, Aela said she would give me a hand gathering more alchemy supplies, if she’s still up to it mind”.
Kodlak tapped his finger on the table and called Sotek’s obvious bluff.
“Why tonight? Why can’t she help you during the day time?”
At least he thought it was obvious until Sotek smirked back at him. The Argonian seemed too smug for his liking. Sotek’s reply sealed the mind game and declared him the winner.
“Today? Harbinger you saw the state she was in. Besides, she said she’d help me with some Luna Moth Wings and Torchbugs for Arcadia. She’s been asking me for a few days now. I’ve been pre occupied with ermm other things”.
The Harbinger frowned to himself. Today he lost two arguments and he hadn’t even had breakfast. He just knew it was going to be a long day. His eyes twitched as he stroked his beard. An idea formed in his mind and he saw the perfect opportunity to act on it. Grabbing hold of it with both hands, he quickly put his plan in motion.
“Fair enough, I can see why you can’t catch them during day light. Oh, Vilkas, Farkas I need you here tonight; there an errand I need you to go on tomorrow at dawn so don’t go too far today. Stay away from the Bannered Mare; I need you both with clear heads. And please, no Aela wisecracks”.
Vilkas chuckled as he smirked cheekily back at the Harbinger.
“That’s fine by me. Farkas, you can help me manage the Whelps in the training yard. We’ll have it tidied up in no time”.
The Imperial Whelp groaned as she screwed her nose up at the Companion.
“We’ll have it tidied up you mean... Sorry, was just thinking to myself”. Her cheeks turned red and she sank in the chair in a rather useless attempt to hide from the Harbinger’s gaze.
Tilma called over to her, catching her completely off guard.
“Oh no, that’s all in hand. You all stay out the way of the yard”.
Vilkas looked a bit surprised and found himself a bit stuck for ideas until he remembered Sotek was going out to the plains.
“Ermm, ok. How’s this? We’ll take the whelps out for a wolf hunt! We’ll go in one big group; nice and simple”.
The Harbinger nodded in agreement, although he knew Sotek had certain concerns about Vilkas’s plans. Laying Sotek’s fears to rest, he addressed the issue before the Argonian could.
“That’s settled then. Be sure to avoid the plains though. We don’t want Sotek and Aela complaining that you lot were overzealous and have inadvertently disrupted the balance there”.
It wasn’t until midday when Aela finally woke up from her sleep. She sat up in the bed albeit too fast and whimpered as the tiny miner in her head resumed his toil, picking away at Aela’s skull. It took her several seconds to realise where she was as the room was cloaked in darkness. Light seeped in from the lanterns in the corridor, giving her eyes a chance to look around her surroundings.
“How the hell did I end up here? Sotek...”
On her bedside table, she saw the jug and hoped that some water still remained despite knowing she guzzled the last of it earlier. The Huntress was pleasantly surprised when she found it near full of fresh water. Licking her lips she proceeded to pour out a flask and greedily guzzled it, deliberately spilling some down the front of her shirt, cooling off her body in the process.
She still felt rough but the water done the trick and gave her enough drive to tackle the corridor and make her way to the hall. The only one to greet her was Sotek himself and he quickly motioned to her, calling her over to him at the steps.
“Where is everyone?” She asked.
Aela expected a basic reply but instead Sotek rattled off a string of answers. It was too much information for her to cope with; let alone the speed in which it was given. Words flew at her like a volley of arrows and all she could do was cover her ears.
“Farkas and Vilkas have taken the Whelps out. Kodlak and Tilma are in the yard. We don’t have long so listen up. Tonight you said you will help me get some Luna Moth Wings and Torch Bugs. Don’t forget”.
Aela was in a state of confusion. She shook her head at him but quickly regretted it.
“Owww, oh crap! No I didn’t. You can forget that”.
Sotek groaned and held his head in his hands as he desperately watched the doorway.
“No, you said. Remember? Tonight? On the plains?”
She was adamant in her response but this time she kept her head perfectly still.
“No, I asked if we could hunt together not look for bloody moths”. Only then did it dawn on her what Sotek was doing. She whined in an act of self pity and slowly nodded back at him. “Oh yea; moths”.
Sotek just rolled his eyes at her and tutted giving Aela perfect cause to moan at him.
“What? I’m still drunk, well I feel drunk anyway. Hung over, that’s it; I’m hung over”.
After about half an hour of Aela feeling sorry for herself, Tilma asked them to ‘pop outside’ to the yard. Sotek presumed she wanted a hand moving the iron burners but as soon as they stepped outside he knew they were in trouble. Tilma stood there holding a dustpan and brush in one hand and a broom in the other.
The Argonian left Aela standing and lurched forwards, snatching the broom from Tilma’s grip.
Aela just stood there with her hands resting on her hips. She had shifted all her body weight to one leg while the other leg stuck outwards. With as much attitude as she could muster, Aela stared coldly back at the maid.
“What?”
Tilma pulled Aela’s wrist and stuck the dustpan and brush firmly in the girl’s hand. She ignored the attitude and tapped Aela on the nose as if she was a dog being told off.
“What? Oh you mean why you are cleaning the yard? Well, do you two renegades remember when you had that pillow fight?”
Aela smiled as she had visions of all the feathers thrown across the room.
“Oh yea, we remember”. She looked at Sotek and smirked as he chuckled back at her.
Tilma shook her head at them both and clapped her hands together.
“Well I tidied that up so you both are tidying up the yard. Get on with it while I supervise”.
She then sat down a one of the tables and poured herself out a tankard of water then, to add insult to injury, she rested her feet on a stool.
“Come on, we don’t have all day”.
Aela turned around instantly to re enter Jorrvaskr and snapped back at her.
“Screw this crap!” To her dismay, the doors wouldn’t budge. She lightly shoulder barged it but the door repelled her useless attack.
She turned around to see Tilma smiling back at her.
“The Harbinger locked it for me. Now, I’m supervising, you two uncouth renegades are doing the work. Get on with it. And Aela, don’t forget the tables. Sotek, that goes for you as well”.
After screaming out as loud as her head could take and lobbing the dustpan across the yard, Aela approached Sotek and lightly shoved him in the shoulder.
“Oi, Reptile. Do you know any magic or dragon shouts that will clear up the yard?”
Sotek laughed at her painful expression. He shook his head and gave her a slight cuddle for sympathy.
“Nope, none that will help. Least nothing that I can think of at any rate”.
Aela half heartedly punched him in the arm and scolded him before she tried to bend him around her finger.
“Some boyfriend you are! You’re useless, you useless bastard. Let me have the broom? Please, pretty please? We’re mates aren’t we? We look after each other? Please, my mate?”
Sotek laughed at her desperation and handed over the broom. She passed him the small brush and cheered joyfully.
“Yess, no bending down. My head can’t take that”.
Tilma decided that there was too much chatter and not enough work being done so she rose out of her chair and grabbed Sotek by a bone spike and dragged him to the middle of the yard. His head bowed downwards preventing him from breaking her grip. She thrust his head up and hollered at him.
“Too much talk, not enough squawk. See all the rubbish on the floor, your first job is to pick it all up. Aela, unless you want me to grab you by the ear, get a shift on”.
Aela’s face lit up in fear. She busily started sweeping the wooden decking while watching Tilma’s feet in case the maid started to approach her.
“I’m sweeping, look!”
Sotek was certainly looking. He was looking at all the rubbish littering the yard. As Tilma had resumed her seat, he decided to do things the easy way. Instead of picking up the various pieces of litter, he moved to the far end of the yard and drew a deep breath. The next instant Tilma jumped in her chair while Aela screamed in shock as Sotek shouted out.
“FUS RO!!”
The shock wave of the Force Shout ripped across the ground spraying up dust in its wake. Every piece of rubbish was lifted up and thrown against the far wall. Ignoring Aela’s screaming rant; Sotek walked brazenly to the wall and cast a Flame Spurt spell. Both hands threw out a stream of fire and incinerated the pile of rubbish until nothing but ash remained. He bent down and swept up the ash in the dustpan then smugly emptied it in one of the braziers.
In disgust, Aela shouted, openly cursing him. The reason though wasn’t because of what he did, it was the fact that she still had lots of sweeping to do while he had now finished.
“You cheating bastard! Tilma! That’s not fair he’s not doing it properly”.
Tilma laughed at him and clapped her hands slowly together.
“Oh well done. That was clever! Do it again and I’ll shout. Do I make myself clear?”
Sotek quickly nodded as a lump formed in his throat.
“Yess!”
Aela stuck her tongue out at him and sneered.
“Ha ha you got in trouble you dirty cheater”.
Sotek pulled a face at her but then he looked at the table. A sly grin formed on his face while his tail flapped about.
“Tilma, if I wash the plates up and dry them, can Aela empty them?”
The maid looked at the pile of plates while she wondered what he was up to. She knew by his tail he was indeed planning something but she couldn’t think what. Having no real reason to deny him his request, she agreed.
“Ok, that sounds fair. You do them properly mind”.
Aela looked at the plates as well and was just as baffled at Sotek’s seemingly charitable generosity.
“I just got to empty them? What’s the catch?”
But she soon found out that emptying the plates wasn’t so simple, and Sotek knew it. Her stomach heaved as she, in her drunken state, scrapped off the remaining food off each plate into a bin.
“I hate you, you bastard. Ohhh I’m gonna puke!”
Tilma laughed at them both when Aela thumped Sotek in the arm. He retaliated by ‘butt punching’ her, sending her sprawling forwards into a table.
“Are you two really in love? The reason I ask is because all you seem to do is try to score points off each other”.
Aela pointed at him and snarled, snapping her teeth together in the process.
“He may be but I’m not, he’s a prick”. Then her stomach started heaving again causing her to groan.
Sotek sat her down alongside Tilma and carried on with the plates by himself. While he scrubbed the plates with a cloth, he started to wonder about what Tilma had said.
“I am Tilma. Just for the sake of curiosity though, who’s winning points wise?”
Tilma glanced at Aela who was looking worse than she was earlier and chuckled.
“Judging by her face, you are”.
By mid afternoon they had finished clearing the yard, or, more to the point, Tilma had finished trying to get them to help. She gave up and decided to set a job they were more suited to.
“You’re off out on the plains tonight so you can get me some new furs. I want ten. Don’t come back without them”.
Both Sotek and Aela nodded enthusiastically and headed to the doors. Expecting it to still be locked, and with her head pounding away while her stomach made somersaults, Aela banged on the door like a wild animal. Vilkas opened the door to her, but he only opened it slightly, just enough to look through and held it there, barring her from entering the hall.
“Yeeeesss? Can I help you?”
Aela nearly cried as she leant against the closed door so she could peek through the ajar one.
“Come on Farkas, open up damn you”.
“Ermm my name is Vilkas. Do I know you?” he replied. He had a serious look about him which only aided him in winding Aela up.
She kicked the door with the side of her foot and screamed at him.
“What? Yes Vilkas, it’s me you stupid bastard! Open the bloody door!”
Vilkas nodded back at her which only made her worse. He readily agreed but the door still wasn’t budging what so ever.
“Ok, I’ll open the door. What door would you like me to open?” Farkas could be heard on the other side of the double doors as he creased up laughing.
Aela just stared at Vilkas in disbelief. She felt weak at the knees and all she wanted to do was lie down yet Vilkas remained absolute. He was enjoying the game along with Farkas, his brother. Aela pleaded with him but he still held the door where it was, blocking her way inside.
“What? This door? This one”. As she spoke she banged on it with the base of her fist.
“I have to request that you stop banging on my door or I will have to call the guards to have you thrown out”. Vilkas stated. He had a look of seriousness to him as if he would actually carry out the threat.
Aela nearly fell to the ground as her head was spinning wildly. She backed away and held onto a pillar for support. Sotek stepped in and picked her up, sweeping her off her feet and cradling her in his arms. He kicked the door once and hissed.
He breathed a sigh of relief when the door opened, thankful that he didn’t have a siege on his hands. With a slight shrug to the Harbinger, he then proceeded to carry Aela back to her bed for the second time that day.
Sotek laid her on the bed and stripped off her clothing, leaving her in a loin cloth. As he was also feeling rough, he climbed in beside her. She turned around to face him and squeezed her body against his and groaned.
“The rooms spinning! Make it stop, please make it stop”.
He just held her tightly and comforted her by lightly stroking her hair as her head rested on his chest.
“I’m sorry, I can’t”.
After she swore a few times she started to quieten down and soon enough her eyes closed as she fell into a peaceful slumber. Sotek’s head was spinning a bit as well due to the nights drinking although he had done his best to ignore it.
He closed his eyes and relaxed his body, allowing sleep to find him.
Comments