Into Oblivion ~a Skyrim fan-fic~ (On Hold)

A Delivery

Vae woke in the morning from a full night of restful sleep. 'No dreams..' she smiled, slowly sitting up and stretching her body. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes before scanning the cottage. It seemed like she and Hadvar, who was sitting at the table eating breakfast, were the only ones inside. She sat down across from him silently, filling her stomach with bread. When she finished eating she put her armor back on and waved goodbye to the man she came to consider a friend.

"Good luck!" Hadvar called as Vae walked out of the door, "You're going to need it." Once outside she took a deep breath, loving the scent of fresh pine. The cool morning air steaming on her warm skin. Vae walked down the steps and started down the path but a voice made her stop. She turned around to see Alvor walking towards her, carrying a package.

"Here, you're going to need these." He unfolded the package, revealing two steel swords, a quiver of steel arrows, and a hunting bow. A complete upgrade on her weapons.

"Wow.." She smiled gratefully, "Thank you," He nodded and handed her the package. She took a sword out and studied the craftsmanship closely. Back in Cyrodiil when she wasn't working at her aunt's apothecary shop, blacksmithing was her trade. However Alvor's steel was far superior to her own. "I don't think I can afford these."

"The weapons you are using won't do you much good, they will work as payment." She took off her swords and bow, handing them to Alvor before replacing them with the new ones. "And take this too," he pulled a map out of his blacksmith apron's pocket. "It will help you on your journey. Now get going, the Jarl needs to know about the dragon."

Vaemona folded the map and put it away safely in her bag. She said her goodbyes to Alvor and turned back around down the path. It wasn't long before Riverwood past from sight behind her. At a point she crossed a bridge but other than that the path she was taking seemed to be the same as the one before as it twisted and turned down the mountain. 'Whiterun..' The name reminded her of why she had come to Skyrim in the first place.

~Flash back~

"Vae, come inside, there's a man here for you." Alvina, Vaemona's aunt, called from inside their cottage. 'A man..?' Vaemona thought confused.

"Coming!" She yelled back, standing up from her grindstone and putting down the iron sword she had been working with. She jumped over the small stream that divided their five acre land nearly into two equal sections and ran to the house. Their home wasn't very large, but it was bigger than an average cottage.

Once inside Vae removed her blacksmith's apron, hanging it neatly on the hook that hung by the back door. The door entered into the storeroom that was connected to every room in the house. To the right was a door that led to a bedroom which in turn was connected to another bedroom. To the left was a doorway that led to a tower. The first floor of the tower was an alchemy station where Alvina practiced her craft. The second story was a library, built entirely by Vaemona. It was where she spent most of her childhood, but past this day, would probably never see again.

The storeroom and the first floor of the library both had an opening to the kitchen/living room. This room was the most spacious and yet at the same time crowded room of the house.

Alvina was well past her prime, but she still loved to entertain. She had a large oak table directly in the center of the room, always covered in sweets, but there were chairs and end tables scattered everywhere. There was always a fire in the hearth and she never let the cauldron go a day without some new delicacy boiling in its stony bowl.

"Aunt Alvia?"

"We're in the kitchen darling, come join us." Vae removed her boots, not wanting to track mud on the floor, and entered the kitchen. Alvina was standing over the cauldron, slowly stirring something that smelled like garlic, some kind of herb, and roasted meats. The man who had come to speak with Vae was standing, rather stiffly in the entryway of the home. His clothes were little more than rags and his face was covered in dirt. Alvina urged him to come inside and have a hot meal but he shook his head respectfully.

"No thank you ma'am, I just came to deliver this letter." The man produced a small envelope and handed it to Vae. He nodded as she thanked him and turned away, walking swiftly down the path that lead from their house to the city.