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Whiterun was an interesting, attractive city.\u00a0 It was noisy, too, even at the end of a day, with children running through the streets and shopkeepers calling out their wares, as well as multiple streams of water splashing through dedicated channels. Permanent businesses, including a substantial smithy, lined the main street.\u00a0 At the far end was a large building with a covered patio, filled with people eating and drinking; more people were entering the main building under a swinging sign.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat has to be the inn,\u201d Dagnell said.\u00a0 \u201cI think we deserve a good meal and a real bed after all that travelling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m supposed to meet a man here, but I\u2019m doing nothing before we eat.\u00a0 I\u2019m starved.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
The Bannered Mare was just as noisy inside as out, with tavern wenches taking orders, clinking dishes and laughter, and a bard singing \u201cRagnar the Red\u201d loudly and slightly off-key.\u00a0 Dag worked her way around to the bar, rented a room, and asked about food.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure.\u00a0 It\u2019s right this way,\u201d the innkeeper told her, leading them up the stairs to the second floor.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll send someone up to take your order.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPerfect,\u201d Dag smiled at her.\u00a0 \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a nice room, clean and tidy, with a double bed and a balcony overlooking the tavern.\u00a0 Roggi glanced at the bed and then gave Dag an uncomfortable look.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d she asked, kicking her boots off and stretching.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne bed.\u00a0 She must have thought\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh come on, Roggi.\u00a0 Relax. We can both sleep there. I can\u2019t imagine anything that would keep either of us awake.\u00a0 Except maybe for him,\u201d she said, pointing down at the bard, who had moved into a loud and equally dubious rendition of \u201cThe Age of Aggression.\u201d He had a decent enough voice, but staying in the same key for a whole song didn\u2019t seem to be his best event. The tavern\u2019s patrons seemed to like it well enough, though, so that was probably all that mattered.<\/p>\n
The chorus was loud, and some of them attempted to sing along with the bard. \u201cDown with Ulfric, the killer of kings\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Roggi snorted.\u00a0 \u201cAs if they know anything about Ulfric, out here in Whiterun.\u00a0 Bah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou seem to have opinions about Ulfric,\u201d Dag said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d he answered, looking out over the balcony in such a way that Dag couldn\u2019t see his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell I\u2019ve heard tales, and I\u2019m from Stros M\u2019Kai.\u00a0 None of them seemed very likely, though. Or very flattering, to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roggi just waved his hand dismissively toward the bard. \u201cSome of them are pretty true, sorry to say. Ok. We\u2019ll stay here. I just didn\u2019t think it was especially proper, but I suppose we\u2019ve been sleeping pretty close together on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. And it\u2019s nobody else\u2019s business anyway,\u201d Dag said, turning as she heard steps outside.\u00a0 Then she stared in astonishment.<\/p>\n
A gorgeous Redguard woman with a faded but distinct set of scars on her face had stepped into the room.\u00a0 \u201cWhat can I get for you?\u201d she asked, winking at Roggi.\u00a0 \u201cFood? Drink? Something else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Roggi blushed.\u00a0 \u201cI think we\u2019ll have whatever is the specialty of the house tonight,\u201d he answered.\u00a0 \u201cAnd mead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dag nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSounds good to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the woman left, Dag turned to Roggi.\u00a0 \u201cDid you see\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Roggi nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSure did.\u00a0 I wonder if she\u2019s the one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll bet she is.\u00a0 I think I\u2019d better keep a low profile while we\u2019re here.\u201d\u00a0 Dag frowned.\u00a0 There would have to be a wrinkle in the plans, wouldn\u2019t there.\u00a0 It couldn\u2019t just go smoothly.\u00a0 That would be too much to ask.<\/em><\/p>\n Then she giggled.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe I should go find my contact and leave the room to you,\u201d she said, giving Roggi a sly look. \u201cShe\u2019s a lot prettier than I am, and she seemed interested.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi frowned, and sat down in one of chairs on the balcony. \u201cGood grief,\u201d he snorted.<\/p>\n \u201cWell you do seem to be quite popular with the ladies so far, my friend.\u201d\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t blame them, really.\u00a0 Roggi was a good-looking guy, and travelling out in the sun had given his skin a healthy bronzing that suited him well.\u00a0 But he did not seem amused.\u00a0 Dag shrugged and dropped the subject. \u00a0Besides, the Redguard had returned with their meal.\u00a0 They tucked into hot bowls of stew, crusty loaves, and tasty mead.<\/p>\n \u201cNot quite as good as Black-Briar, but it\u2019ll do nicely,\u201d Roggi said, smiling.<\/p>\n After they ate, Dag left Roggi relaxing on the balcony and went down to the main hall to talk to the innkeeper again.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking for someone named Mallus Maccius,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cAny idea where he might be?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d the woman said.\u00a0 \u201cDown in the back of the kitchen, over there.\u00a0 He likes to keep to himself.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be offended if he\u2019s not real friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n The side room was half filled with kitchen gear and, at the far end, a lone table. Seated there was an Imperial man with stringy, shoulder-length black hair, incredibly pale skin, and some of the darkest circles under his eyes that she\u2019d ever seen aside from war paint.\u00a0 He looked as though he hadn\u2019t slept in a year.\u00a0 As she approached, he looked up at her and glared.<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t a man drink in peace?\u201d he whined.<\/p>\n Dag sighed.\u00a0 \u201cMaven sent me.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked surprised for a moment, then nodded.\u00a0 Wasn\u2019t expecting a woman, I guess, Dag thought.<\/p>\n \u201cFinally.\u00a0 I was afraid you wouldn\u2019t show up in time. Have a seat.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag sat and listened as he described the job at hand.\u00a0 It seemed that the Honningbrew Meadery had developed quite a problem with skeevers, and since vermin and mead didn\u2019t mix well, its reputation was on the line.\u00a0 Its owner Sabjorn, though, had arranged for the captain of the Whiterun Guard to attend a \u201ctasting\u201d of his new mead recipe the following day.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re going to go offer to help him with his problem before the captain shows up,\u201d Mallus said with an unpleasant sneer.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll treat the nest with pest poison and the rest will take care of itself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOk,\u201d Dag said, perplexed.\u00a0 \u201cYou have the poison for me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Mallus said.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s the beauty of it.\u00a0 He\u2019s going to supply the poison for you.\u00a0 He\u2019s too lazy to do the job himself.\u00a0 And when you get in there, you\u2019re also going to slip some of the poison into the mead vats, just in time for the Captain to have some.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUgh.\u201d\u00a0 Dag shuddered.\u00a0 That would make for a foul-tasting brew, to be sure, at the very least.\u00a0 It would probably make the captain quite sick, too. \u00a0Poisoning the captain of the guard didn\u2019t seem like a clever thing for Sabjorn to do.\u00a0 What a delicious scheme.<\/em><\/p>\n Mallus warned her that the brewery itself was locked tight all the time.\u00a0 The skeevers, though, had burrowed underground tunnels between it and the public meadery building; that\u2019s how she would get in.<\/p>\n Dag nodded.\u00a0 \u201cOk, I can do that.\u00a0 In the morning.\u00a0 I\u2019m dead tired.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust don\u2019t wait too long,\u201d Mallus said.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t want Sabjorn to suddenly develop a brain and hire someone else.\u00a0 I hope this works.\u00a0 Maven and I have been working on the plan for months.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo what do you get out of this arrangement?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell first of all, I get rid of a debt that he\u2019s had hanging over my head for ages. He doesn\u2019t pay me enough that I can settle it with him.\u00a0 But even better, with Sabjorn gone, I can establish Black-Briar Meadery West.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be set up for life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Maven\u2019s competition vanishes.\u00a0 Makes sense.\u00a0 Ok, then,\u201d Dag said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll see you tomorrow.\u201d\u00a0 She left him and climbed back to their room, yawning.\u00a0 What an unpleasant man.\u00a0<\/em> She\u2019d be happy to have this task done and over with.<\/p>\n Roggi had laid down on top of the bedclothes, still in his armor, and was sound asleep.\u00a0 Dag smiled.\u00a0 Well I\u2019m not sleeping in my armor.\u00a0<\/em> She stripped down to her tunic and slid under the covers next to him.\u00a0 The man threw an enormous amount of heat, relaxing and reassuring to her. It wasn\u2019t long before she was drifting off.<\/p>\n Whiterun was an interesting, attractive city.\u00a0 It was noisy, too, even at the end of a day, with children running through the streets and shopkeepers calling out their wares, as well as multiple streams of water splashing through dedicated channels. Permanent businesses, including a substantial smithy, lined the main street.\u00a0 At the far end was … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1-1-16-3.png\")
<\/p>\nPart I: Survivors<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"