Author’s note: The chapter has not been edited except for odd mistakes and errors therefore the content may change at a later date although the plot will remain the same. The content you read now is as I written it in 2014-2015. I hope this fact doesn’t lessen your enjoyment.
As always, should you see an error or something you feel is off then by all means let me know.
Sotek Loyal Hound of Hircine
Around eight that evening, the market stalls started packing up. The various shops quickly followed suit as the day’s hustle and bustle of the town died down, leaving the Bannered Mare the last place for business. Over the next few hours even that place quietened down as the patrons slowly headed home. By eleven that evening the only sign of life were the guards on their patrols; until the two doors from the back of Jorrvaskr opened.
Rikke, Vilkas and Farkas all left the rear doors quietly as they followed Kodlak. He led them to the secret stone door under the Skyforge. In the moonlight, a panel gently shone as Kodlak moved his hand across it. Slowly, but with an ominous rumbling, the stone slab slowly opened.
As Kodlak and the others peered into the darkness, two conjured swords lit up. The ethereal blades shone with blue fire as Sotek rapidly approached the entrance.
“Sotek, it’s me”.
As soon as Kodlak entered the cave, Aela threw her arms around him. “Harbinger! Oh Ysgramor, we’re in so much trouble”.
He held her tight in his arms.
“Yes we heard. Everyone’s after you! Are you ok? What about your leg?”
She let him go and moved back to give the others space. Farkas handed over a bag containing food. Aela grabbed it and sat on the floor as she started eating and talking at the same time, while she attempted to guzzle on a bottle of mead.
“Damn, that’s good”.
Farkas lit a torch which cast light all around, blinding both Aela and Sotek.
“Farkas, damn it you moron!” Aela shouted.
Rikke pushed her way into the cave.
“Aela, shut up you idiot! If the guards hear you, you’re for it”.
Sotek stepped out of the shadows covering his eyes as he moved towards them.
“Her legs fine, she broke her ankle but she’s ok now”.
“Yes but at the time it hurt like hell. Then this moron throws me off the castle”. Aela gave the Harbinger a smile then threw an apple to Sotek. “Here catch”.
Sotek caught it then immediately took a big bite. Within ten seconds he was finishing off the core, leaving only the stem.
“I take it you both been eating then”. Vilkas laughed as he watched Aela dig into the bag for more food.
“Eat? Yea, a right buffet here”. She replied but then she started devouring a roll so all they heard was her gulping and munching like a wolf tying to eat all its food in a single mouthful.
Sotek sat down on a shrine base then looked hard at Rikke.
“What the hell happened there? I thought we were on the same side”.
Rikke nearly screamed at him.
“Happened? How the hell should I know! You pushed the statue off the walkway while she fired at the guards”.
“Only because they...” Aela stopped talking then bit into an apple.
Sotek shook his head at her.
“Aela, you eat like a dog”.
She just laughed.
“I am a dog....Well a bitch actually or hadn’t you noticed? Any way they fired first”.
Rikke screamed at her.
“No! You did! You fired first and Sotek shoved the statue over the edge”.
Sotek got up and stood right in front of Rikke.
“You stupid bloody cow. She shot the Assassin while I tried to grab the statue he was pushing over the edge”.
Rikke looked dumbfounded.
“What assassin? There wasn’t anyone else there”.
Aela got up and joined in.
“I shot him! He fell over the edge”.
Rikke shook her head.
“There was no body recovered. Where did he fall, bodies don’t just disappear so where is it?”
Sotek groaned as he thought back.
“Oh curses and wolf tails..... It fell in the bushes; it must still be there”.
“Well at least that’s some good news”. Kodlak replied.
Rikke responded hostilely.
“How in Oblivion is that good news?”
Sotek laughed, then he cast a smile at Rikke.
“The Harbingers right, its good news. Simply because, if it hasn’t been found then all we got to do is go and get it. We find it and take it to the general. Problem solved”.
The Harbinger half frowned, catching Sotek’s eye.
“What? What is it?”
“There’s a kill order on you two, you’ll be killed on sight”.
Aela seemed quite pleased.
“Oh good we’re outlaws. Oh well, Red’s hungry anyway”.
Sotek gave her a tap with his boot.
“Tough, Imperial troops are off the menu. Rikke I’m sorry to do this to you, but we need to get to that body. You have to get us into Solitude undetected. It’s the only way we can all get out of this”.
Kodlak nodded in agreement.
“Sotek’s right. That’s the only way to sort it. Rikke, Aela go with Sotek get into Solitude and find that body. It looks like all your lives are dependent on it. We’ll bring you supplies, and Sotek for the love of the nines try to keep them safe. And stay off the roads!”
Sotek’s shoulders sank.
“What? I don’t want the responsibility. Rikke can take us”.
“Ermm yes, about that. I’m on the run as well; at least I think I am. The general let me escape. I’m to find you two and either arrest you both or prove your innocence. Until I have proof I’m hunted as well”.
Kodlak walked up to Sotek and held his shoulder.
“Sotek, you’re smart, we all know it. You see opportunities others don’t. You must find a way, get them to Solitude. Find that body and prove your innocents. If you can’t then no one can”.
Aela looked at Farkas and Vilkas.
“Can’t they get it?”
Rikke shook her head.
“No, the imperials will think they planted it there”.
Vilkas gulped loudly.
“Harbinger, you’re asking an Argonian to travel across open hostile territory with an Imperial and a Nord. Avoid roads and settlements of every manner and description. Enter the Capital full of troops who will shoot on sight. At the same time to remain unseen to try to find a body that may not be there. To then somehow take it to a fortified position, enter it unseen, and enter the main chamber with it, alive?”
Sotek falsely laughed.
“Now you put it like that it sounds easy”.
Kodlak’s voice turned sullen.
“Can you do it?”
Sotek shook his head.
“Not a chance in the hunting grounds. We won’t get half way...” Then he smiled evilly. “But we’re gonna try it anyway. Rikke Aela rest up, we got a long way to go. Harbinger, have you any influence in the dockyard of Windhelm?”
“Despite the rebellion yes, I have some contacts there. Why”.
“Make arrangements for us to get out, anywhere out of Skyrim. If this goes wrong I’ll have to fight my way out. There’s no going back if that happens. We’ll have to run”.
Vilkas was far from happy.
“You can’t fight them”.
“Vilkas, if we are caught they will hang us then display our heads on the ramparts. I’ll be damned if I’ll let Aela’s head be put on a pole. Trust me, I’ll fight, I’ll set Skyrim itself ablaze if I must”.
Rikke grabbed his arm angrily.
“You shouldn’t talk like that”.
Sotek shoved her into the wall pinning her by the throat.
“Then the general should have let us explain, but he didn’t did he?”
Aela pulled his arm away from Rikke.
“Sotek, it’s not her fault. It’s not up to you to get us there; it’s up to us, not you. Like I said before, we’re in this together, you and me”. She pulled him close and gave him a kiss, as she did his arms relaxed. Gradually his hands found their way to her waist. She gently broke the kiss then looked at Sotek right in the eyes. “Apologise”.
“Pardon?”
“You heard me. Apologise; she’s in this as much as we are”.
Sotek hissed out an apology.
“Ssorry”.
Rikke knew it was resented but she accepted it anyway.
“Me too, none of this was supposed to happen”.
Sotek slumped down on a shrine base then gave Rikke a weary smile. “Yes, it did go off track somewhat didn’t it”.
Aela walked up to him and placed his arms around herself.
“Hey, we’ll fix it you’ll see”.
There was still something on Rikke’s mind.
“Can I ask you two a question?”
Aela laughed.
“Sure, as long as he doesn’t get into a hissssy fit”.
Sotek leaned over her shoulder and moved his mouth to her ear. “Hsssss”.
Aela glared at him for a second then started smirking.
“How the hell did you both get away? You couldn’t hold your breath for that long”.
“Get yourself an Argonian then you won’t have to”. With that Aela turned back to Sotek and kissed him again, leaving Rikke confused and none the wiser.
An hour or so later, Rikke settled down on a bedroll with an extra fur Vilkas had given her while Aela cuddled up to Sotek for extra warmth. Sotek was the last to sleep as his mind raced across the plains trying to form some sort of suitable route to arrive at Solitude. Every time though he felt they would get too close to a town or village. If the alarm was raised any attempt to enter Solitude would surely fail. He slept uneasily as his mind fought against his body, it simply refused to let go.
Around three in the morning, Sotek woke up. Aela was still asleep with his arms wrapped around her, on the other side Rikke was snoring like a wild boar. He gently moved Aela then got up and started sorting though the supplies the Harbinger had given them. He was far from happy; he still had no way to get them to Solitude. As he went through the gear he saw Rikke’s chest armor. He picked it up and examined the workmanship.
“I don’t think I like you looking at another woman’s chest”.
He smirked at Aela who had just sat up, but then his gaze returned to the imperial armor.
She could tell by the way he kept staring at the armor that something wasn’t right.
“What’s up?”
“How the hell are we going to get there?”
“Do what you keep telling me to do. If there’s a problem, strip it down to the basics. Go on, you strip and I’ll watch”. She had a massive smile on her face as she spoke. “Go on, strip! We got an hour, you can be my slave”.
Rikke woke up.
“Aela, you’re a sex maniac”.
Sotek started laughing.
“Yes, but she’s right. That’s how we’ll get there”.
Both Rikke and Aela looked at each other; the two of them just as equally confused as the other.
Sotek looked at the pair of them.
“Don’t you see? It’s simple, I’ll strip”.
Aela got up and walked over to him.
“What the hell are you on about?”
Sotek ignored her and turned his attention to Rikke.
“Any imperial wagons about? We need to borrow one; and a set of armor”.
“Ermm yes, at Fort Greymoor”.
“Could you walk in there and requisition a cart?”
“Ermm yes I should be able to. They have a fixed garrison. Unless a message has been sent, they won’t know about Solitude yet”.
Sotek smiled.
“Good and don’t forget the set of imperial armor”.
“Ermm ok, when?”
“When? I was thinking... Now. Load up, we’re out of here”.
Aela gave Rikke a knowing nudge.
“The old‘Argonian slave’ manoeuvre”.
Sotek smirked.
“Sort of, more like the ‘Argonian Stormcloak’ manoeuvre”.
She grinned but then poked him in the chest.
“Food, I want food first. Breakfast”.
Sotek gently but firmly pulled Aela’s chin down and shoved a bread roll in her mouth. Then he pushed her chin back up jamming the roll in between her teeth.
“Breakfast sorted, let’s get going before its light”. He started distributing the supplies and as usual, he took the bulk for himself. Once they had loaded everything up he signalled to Aela. “Right let’s move”.
She smiled at him and mumbled something as she was still holding the roll in her teeth.
Comments
"and Sotek for the love of the [Nine] try to keep them safe".
"Find that body and prove your [innocence]".
I'm bracing myself for t... more
And going back to Solitude? Well damn. Sounds like fun