“Will do, Da,” Kaie promised, saluting him with a fist to the chest and slipping off to start making arrangements. Madanach watched her go before turning back to look at Elisif. She really was very pretty. Far too young for him, obviously. All the same, he did feel rather protective of her. Whether it was the Stormcloaks she needed protecting from, the Dark Brotherhood or the dark side of her own mind, he'd do what it took to keep her alive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Early morning in Markarth and two figures were slipping into the city, one young woman in studded armour and a man in a jester outfit, the latter drawing more than a few looks from the guards although had they but known it, the former was just as dangerous, more so in some ways.
Hogni was already at his stall as Cicero and Eola made their way over.
“Good morning,” Eola drawled, having already told Cicero to shut up and let her do the talking. “We'd like some venison for breakfast please. Oh, and a little local gossip.”
“Some choice cuts of venison? Absolutely!” Hogni said, just a little too loudly before lowering his voice and leaning forward. “Eola, what are you even doing here? Do you want to bring the guards' attention down on us?”
“Don't worry,” Eola murmured. “Tell me what I'm after and I won't be long. I'm looking for a girl called Maia. Nord, red hair, really pretty, wearing some shiny scaled armour and a glowing sword.”
“Oh, her!” Hogni said, shaking his head. “Eola, trust me, you don't want to get involved with that one. Say, wasn't he with her yesterday?”
“Never you mind,” Eola said tersely, shooting a glance to where Cicero was humming to himself, twirling on the spot and successfully distracting the guards while Eola chatted to Hogni. Such a good boy. “What happened to her, where'd she go?”
“She happened to other people from the sound of it,” Hogni said, remembering Hroki from the Silver-Blood inn telling him the story, pale and horrified as she recounted it. “She killed one of the smelter workers, a young man called Eltrys. We don't even know why. Poor man had his whole life ahead of him, pretty young wife, baby on the way. Terrible thing. We think it might have been jealousy maybe. They'd been seen meeting earlier, we think he'd turned her down perhaps and she couldn't handle it. So they say. Anyway, she's in Cidhna Mine now and you're best off out of it.”
Eola felt her world come to a standstill. The hornets' nest had swarmed all right. Cidhna Mine... roughest prison in Skyrim, full of Forsworn men who were sex-starved and hated Nords. While Forsworn culture in general was sexually liberal and celebrated sex and sensuality, and sexual consent and open communication about such things considered cornerstones of How Things Were Done, that didn't mean there weren't exceptions... and Cidhna Mine was not a Forsworn camp. Who knew what being shut away in the dark did to a man – well, look at Cicero.
“Thank you,” she whispered faintly, paying Hogni more than the meat was worth and taking a few cuts, before retrieving Cicero and hauling him off to sit on the stairs leading up to the next level, out of sight of the guards.
“It's bad,” Eola whispered. “She's in Cidhna Mine. They're saying she killed a man.”
Cicero looked at her, stared back, saying nothing for a full half minute before suddenly bursting out laughing.
“Oh but Eola, sweetling, that is ridiculous!” Cicero laughed. “El – Maia isn't a murderer! Maia is a kind woman, a sweet woman! She doesn't even like killing bears! She is not... like us.” He lowered his voice on the last two words, sweet little smile on his face but his eyes portended blood.
“Well of course she didn't do it,” Eola sighed. “Someone framed her, someone who didn't like her poking around.”
“Madanach,” Cicero said softly, fingering his dagger. “Does sweet Eola want Cicero to sneak into Cidhna Mine, take care of the Forsworn King for her?”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 14.4
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Early morning in Markarth and two figures were slipping into the city, one young woman in studded armour and a man in a jester outfit, the latter drawing more than a few looks from the guards although had they but known it, the former was just as dangerous, more so in some ways.
Hogni was already at his stall as Cicero and Eola made their way over.
“Good morning,” Eola drawled, having already told Cicero to shut up and let her do the talking. “We'd like some venison for breakfast please. Oh, and a little local gossip.”
“Some choice cuts of venison? Absolutely!” Hogni said, just a little too loudly before lowering his voice and leaning forward. “Eola, what are you even doing here? Do you want to bring the guards' attention down on us?”
“Don't worry,” Eola murmured. “Tell me what I'm after and I won't be long. I'm looking for a girl called Maia. Nord, red hair, really pretty, wearing some shiny scaled armour and a glowing sword.”
“Oh, her!” Hogni said, shaking his head. “Eola, trust me, you don't want to get involved with that one. Say, wasn't he with her yesterday?”
“Never you mind,” Eola said tersely, shooting a glance to where Cicero was humming to himself, twirling on the spot and successfully distracting the guards while Eola chatted to Hogni. Such a good boy. “What happened to her, where'd she go?”
“She happened to other people from the sound of it,” Hogni said, remembering Hroki from the Silver-Blood inn telling him the story, pale and horrified as she recounted it. “She killed one of the smelter workers, a young man called Eltrys. We don't even know why. Poor man had his whole life ahead of him, pretty young wife, baby on the way. Terrible thing. We think it might have been jealousy maybe. They'd been seen meeting earlier, we think he'd turned her down perhaps and she couldn't handle it. So they say. Anyway, she's in Cidhna Mine now and you're best off out of it.”
Eola felt her world come to a standstill. The hornets' nest had swarmed all right. Cidhna Mine... roughest prison in Skyrim, full of Forsworn men who were sex-starved and hated Nords. While Forsworn culture in general was sexually liberal and celebrated sex and sensuality, and sexual consent and open communication about such things considered cornerstones of How Things Were Done, that didn't mean there weren't exceptions... and Cidhna Mine was not a Forsworn camp. Who knew what being shut away in the dark did to a man – well, look at Cicero.
“Thank you,” she whispered faintly, paying Hogni more than the meat was worth and taking a few cuts, before retrieving Cicero and hauling him off to sit on the stairs leading up to the next level, out of sight of the guards.
“It's bad,” Eola whispered. “She's in Cidhna Mine. They're saying she killed a man.”
Cicero looked at her, stared back, saying nothing for a full half minute before suddenly bursting out laughing.
“Oh but Eola, sweetling, that is ridiculous!” Cicero laughed. “El – Maia isn't a murderer! Maia is a kind woman, a sweet woman! She doesn't even like killing bears! She is not... like us.” He lowered his voice on the last two words, sweet little smile on his face but his eyes portended blood.
“Well of course she didn't do it,” Eola sighed. “Someone framed her, someone who didn't like her poking around.”
“Madanach,” Cicero said softly, fingering his dagger. “Does sweet Eola want Cicero to sneak into Cidhna Mine, take care of the Forsworn King for her?”