The next morning we hired the carriage to take us to Falkreath Hold, from there we walked to my house. Their was a Redguard woman walking around, who asked who we were. After I explained who Serana and I were, she said Marcurio had went to the Jarl to ask about some purchases and found out that he had appointed her Housecarl. She had just been waiting til the next time I had come to town, but as Marcurio was her appointed steward, she had decided to come to the house with him.
She introduced her self as Rayya and brought me up to date on the improvement's that Marcurio had, done to the house. The roof had needed fixing along with some of the flooring, because of water damage. He had added some smithing equipment, knowing that I did my own, plus an enchanter and alchemy lab for anyone who could use it. He had also added some chicken's and a cow, he was looking for some goats and a good horse, since he knew I liked them.
As we walked up the hill to the house, I noticed the outside looked a lot better as well. A barn, pen and garden were actually nice to see. The house seemed to have gotten a new white-washing as well. She left to complete her patrol as Serana and I to walked into the house. I noticed right away that their was furniture in the entry way, dressers, tables, a couple weapon's rack's and assorted other things.
A large table with apples and bottles of wine and some bread and cheese where on the table. As I went through the doorway, I heard footsteps from the second floor and then saw booted leg's coming down the stairs. Marcurio's tanned face soon followed, "Ha, look what the horker dragged in! You staying for a day or so or are we leaving right away?" I told him we would be staying at least a day, as I wanted to repair my armor and then all three of us would be leaving. He said hello to Serana as well and asked if she which bed she would like, the one in the room with Rayya, one of the small bed's meant for children or the big double bed that he generally used, but would give up for her. Serana looked surprised that he would ask and said she would take the bed in the room with Rayya. She asked if he had gotten any book's and a smile the size of a mammoth crossed his face as he said, " I should say, I sent for all the book's she, had stashed at various Inn's across Skyrim. They are still in boxes in the store room, but their's a table and chair's in the other room. You can either read there or drag the chair into the store room, though the lighting isn't great in the storage room."
Serana wandered in the direction that he had pointed and Marcurio asked me if all had gone well getting the Auriel's Bow. So I explained all of that while he heated up a clam chowder and steamed crab leg's, my favorite meal. I told him about Knight-Paladin Gelebor and he was amazed that a Snow Elf still lived and he very much wanted to meet him. I explained about the deal I had made with Gelebor about people coming to help him rebuild the Chantry in return for sanctuary. I painted a picture of word's to the best of my ability, telling him about the twin dragon's and the frozen creatures that Vyrthur had sent after us.
I asked him if I couldn't, would he take my Aunt and her family and retainers to the valley. While he agreed to do so, he would not be left behind while I went after Harkon to do so. I hadn't expected him to and would need him with me. I had told Serana that and I was now telling him, I needed his skill's with magic simply because Isran wouldn't recruit mages or wizards. That was the other thing I needed done, if he wouldn't mind doing it. If he could concoct some potions to cure disease, I would repair and improve his armor.... and by the way, I had a nice glass war-hammer if he wanted it?
His eye's lit up, for a mage he really liked carrying a weapon he never used. So I was very surprised when he said he would do me one better and also make some healing potion's for all, if I would enchant the warhammer with the best two handed skill enchantment I could make. I raised and eyebrow and he told me his Companion friend had pointed out, that in a prolonged fight he might exhaust his magic and he should have something as a backup. I'm pretty sure I had told him the same thing a number of times, but then again I wasn't a beautiful redhead either. He went on to say that Rayya had given him some lesson's in the use of two handed weapons and would continue to do so.
Rayya walked in through the door about that time and got herself some dinner and then sat down near us. She reported that all was quiet on the holding at the moment, but they seemed to have a repeated problem with bandit's in the area. It was nothing that she couldn't handle at the moment. I thanked her for taking such good care of the place and for giving Marcurio lessons in weapon use. She looked sharply at Marcurio and said it was no problem what so ever, then looked down at the table with what looked like a blush and self concious look and said they had traded weapon's lessons for reading lessons.
I told her that reading and writing was like any other skill, it had to be taught. She had to learned her skill's with the sword's, a hunter had to learn to read the track's of their game on the ground. Reading and writing had to be learned and there was nothing to be ashamed of in not having learned it already.
I told her about my family coming to visit and that if she could watch the workmen I would appreciate it, as I had need to take Marcurio with me. I needed more space for their retainers beds and all the stuff in the storage room could be organized and put in the cellar. Their were two room's there now and enough space where a third could easily be made.
The three of us sat up pretty late talking and making plans, Serana would wander by from time to time, but I think she just wanted to be alone for a little while. When Rayya went to walk on her last round I went with her while Marcurio said he would clean up after dinner. I took in the lay of the land again and realized it wasn't really in a good position for a large farm, maybe some cattle and goat's would be fine though. All was quiet so we said good night and went to bed.
The next morning was rather chill, so I stoked up the smelter and melted some steel ingot's and softened some leather with some troll fat mixed with juniper berries, just to cut the smell. I made some of the small plates that made up my armor and pierced the metal to attach the plates to the leather below. I then made up the mixture that would make the white enamel that covered the metal plates, spreading it over the metal squares. I put the new enameled pieces in the smelter and left them their for an hour so that they would harden. While I was waiting on that to cook, I worked on the hardened leather pieces of Marcurio's light armor. That was easier and quicker to do as his armor didn't tend to get hit anywhere near as often as mine, plus I kept replacement pieces for his armor in a pouch. I really liked to work on the leather in the evening's when I had nothing better to do with my hands. Stone carving was and always shall be my favorite pass time, but it is also a rather heavy hobby, that doesn't travel well.
By noon I had all the repairs to our armor done and even looked at the armor that Serana had dragged along, she would look rather fetching in the white ancient Snow Elf's armor. It needed no repair, so I gave it back to her and she said she would wear it to defeat her father, since the original owner had caused all this in the first place.
I decided since it was a rather nice afternoon to go to the lake, do some fishing and swim alittle. Marcurio and Rayya decided to come along, I had to persuade Rayya, when she looked interested but then said it was her job to watch the house. Serana said she would do Rayya's rounds as everyone needed some time off and Serana didn't swim if she could help it, plus it was turning into a rather bright day.
So the three of us went down to the lake shore and went swimming, splashing and dunking each other like a bunch of children. As the shadow's started to lengthen on the ground we headed alittle ways up the lake and put our lines in the water to catch some fish. By early evening we had enough fish for a good dinner for the four of us, plus some left over so Rayya would have some while we were gone.
We had another nice night of drinking, though that was kept light and story telling. Marcurio told us a story about the mishap's of one of his fellow student's that managed to conjure a dremora that had a rather odd request for the poor boy in order to not take the boy back to the Oblivion plane with him. It seemed this particular dremora had a quiet a few dealing's with a certain Deadric prince and black mailed the boy into finding a sexual partner so that he could watch. It seemed the dremora liked to glean the energy caused during sex. We all laughed and I told the last tale for the night.
I was on patrol, during the height of the Oblivion Crisis with Amy and two others..when we happened on a small valley that had quiet a few dreadroth in it. We took out the majority of them with little problem's, the last couple were centered around a small pond. At first we didnt see the leader of the group, then Amy and I were stunned into immobility as a Mazken caste a paralysis spell on the two of us. It was in the form of a beautiful woman with wings. She put a seductive pout on her face and swayed her hip's as she walked, Amy groaned and tried to walk towards it, which caused it to look her way. The Mazken smiled and I could almost see the thought in it's eye's that I would be the only problem. I looked at the two men and got a wink from one of them. I laughed inwardly, I watched how it walked and wondered if a real woman could walk that way. As the Deadroth got within sword length, it readied another spell. The two men lunged, one forward drawing his greatsword, the other lunged backwards casting two spells at the same time.
He didn't need to as the Mazken's head parted from it's shoulders in a spray of blood. The second spell went past the Mazken to another lesser Deadroth and those remaining tried to scatter, but made it nowhere. Amy and I came out of the spell and charged at the nearest of them, within minutes you couldn't even tell they had been their.
Amy was frowning as she walked back, cleaning her sword. The two men looked at her and laughed, I couldn't help but laugh also. The Mazken would have been a little more successful had it appeared as a beautiful male, 3 out of the 4 of us would have fallen for his charms.
Marcurio, Serana and Rayya laughed, but then marcurio asked what a Mazken actually was. I told him the several names they often went by and some of the history behind them. Then I got up and went to bed. It wasn't the most restful sleep in the world.
The next morning I got up and cooked a good breakfast for us all. Made up a pack to take, with all the potion's and some trail ration's. I woke Marcurio and called out to Serana, both came down from opposite sides of the house, Rayya picked that moment to walk in from outside. I had made enough for all of us, plus a couple more of the apple & berry pastries for Rayya to keep here. Serana asked if their was anything that I didn't do well, as she took a tiny bite of the pastry and said it was very very good.
We left the Hold and headed to whiterun, along the way a couple bandit's decided that we might be just the people they should try to rob. They were very sadly mistaken and Serana had her breakfast after Marcurio and I walked a little ways up the road. She looked a little sheepish when she caught up to us, she said while she needed to feed once in a while, it wasn't like our eating, she said it kind of felt like when she had over eaten as a child and gotten tired, but then a few hours later felt a burst of energy.
We chatted and basically had a good time as we walked all the way to Riften. Well it was all fun and games until I told Marcurio that I had absolutely no intention of walking all the way to Volkihar Keep, he would just have to suck it up and ride a horse, or I could summon Durnehviir and ask him if he would fly the wizard their. The wizard went quiet pale at the though and said he would be happy to ride a horse, the lie was quiet plain, even Serana laughed at him.
We got to Fort Dawnguard in the late evening and talked to Isran, who was more than happy to leave right then and their. I talked him out of that and said first thing in the morning would be soon enough. we all got a good night's sleep and Isran had everyone in the entry hall for a big speech. Then they took off and so did we, but their were a couple horses waiting on the road outside the valley. I thanked Shadr and asked if he had also gotten the food's I had asked for, he nodded and took the coin I offered him and headed back to Riften.
We headed off in the same direction as Isran and the rest of the Dawnguard and were soon right behind them. The horses were kept to a slow walk until early in the evening, we were on the tundra on the other side of Whiterun. I trotted the horses ahead to the point I thought Iran and the rest could make it to and then stopped and set up camp for the night. The three of us had dinner and tent's set up for everyone by the time they got to the camp, which had been my intent.
Everyone, except Marcurio had a good nights sleep.
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