Hey there! This is my first fill, so I am still learning. Even if this does not turn out to be exactly what you were looking for, I hope you enjoy! The fill is already complete, so I will post it over the next day or two as I make my revisions. Fingers crossed that the formatting will look like the preview once this is posted…
“Even the Dragonborn Can Bleed” Belethor/M!DB, 1a/? Characters: M!DB Breton, Belethor Relationship: M!DB / Belethor Description: M!DB Ardbur rescues a beaten Belethor after the shopkeeper is kidnapped by bandits.
-------------------------------------------------- Ardbur strode into Belethor’s General Goods in Whiterun. The door banged open and bounced off the wall. The dragonborn halted. The room was eerily silent. The floor was devoid of clutter. The weapons rack behind the counter was nothing more than barren bones of wood. Peculiar lines of dust striped the empty shelves, outlining what had once been there.
Belethor was missing, too. There was no snarky one-liner about what the man wouldn’t sell or buy. The shopkeeper did himself a disservice speaking that way, Ardbur knew. The dragonborn had once tried to sell Belethor a stolen sword, but the shopkeeper had refused to buy it. Considering how Ardbur had threatened him at the time, he had to respect Belethor for holding his ground.
Ardbur sighed. Returned from a particularly gruelling trek alone in the wilderness, he could have done with a little humour from the shopkeeper. Most of Whiterun’s populace either feared Ardbur or admired him. Some refused to believe the stories and challenged the dragonborn at every opportunity. It all became tiring after a while. At least Belethor hadn’t looked at Ardbur any differently after discovering his fellow Breton was the dragonborn.
Ardbur left the shop. On his way out, he almost bumped into a guard. The soldier was young, likely a new recruit. He didn’t recognize Ardbur. “You shouldn’t be in there,” the soldier growled.
“And why is that?” Ardbur asked, eyes narrowing.
“There’s no one to manage the place. I was just on my way to lock it up.” The guard glared at the dragonborn. “You wouldn’t have taken anything, now, would you?”
Ardbur levelled the man a flat look. It wasn’t worth his time to respond to such a remark. “Where is Belethor?”
“Gone,” the guard said. “The work of bandits. The Companions are dealing with it. They’ll get him back – if the poor bugger is still alive.”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
“You’re just in time,” Aela greeted the dragonborn on the steps to Jorrvaskr. “We received a new contract this morning. Belethor’s been kidnapped, and the Whiterun guard wants us to deal with the bandits.”
“So I’ve heard,” Ardbur said. He crossed his arms and looked away. “Why haven’t you sent someone out yet?” he asked, feeling a stirring of anger in his belly.
“Well…” The huntress paused.
“What is it?” the dragonborn demanded.
“Don’t get snappish with me,” Aela barked. “The bandits who took Belethor left a note – for you.”
Surprise replaced the dragonborn’s irritation. Aela handed him a stained parchment. Ardbur stepped away and broke the seal.
Dragonborn, We must express our deepest appreciation for your business relationship with Belethor’s General Goods. Truly, there is no better cache of weapons, armours, and trinkets in all of Skyrim. If you would like to continue to work with the Breton shopkeeper in the future, find us at Duskenvale Cave. Bring your weight in valuables, and we’ll consider Belethor a fair trade.
“Duskenvale,” Ardbur said. His jaw clenched.
Aela raised one eyebrow. “If they were smart, the bandits wouldn’t have left a note.”
Ardbur could only shake his head. “Considering their stupidity,” he growled, “it’s shocking they can even write.”
The huntress shot him a wolfish smile. “Want some company?”
“No,” the dragonborn replied. He threw the parchment to the ground. “I’ll deal with this.”
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timeasmymeasure
“Even the Dragonborn Can Bleed” Belethor/M!DB, 1a/?
Date: 2013-09-03 07:44 am (UTC)“Even the Dragonborn Can Bleed” Belethor/M!DB, 1a/?
Characters: M!DB Breton, Belethor
Relationship: M!DB / Belethor
Description: M!DB Ardbur rescues a beaten Belethor after the shopkeeper is kidnapped by bandits.
--------------------------------------------------
Ardbur strode into Belethor’s General Goods in Whiterun. The door banged open and bounced off the wall. The dragonborn halted. The room was eerily silent. The floor was devoid of clutter. The weapons rack behind the counter was nothing more than barren bones of wood. Peculiar lines of dust striped the empty shelves, outlining what had once been there.
Belethor was missing, too. There was no snarky one-liner about what the man wouldn’t sell or buy. The shopkeeper did himself a disservice speaking that way, Ardbur knew. The dragonborn had once tried to sell Belethor a stolen sword, but the shopkeeper had refused to buy it. Considering how Ardbur had threatened him at the time, he had to respect Belethor for holding his ground.
Ardbur sighed. Returned from a particularly gruelling trek alone in the wilderness, he could have done with a little humour from the shopkeeper. Most of Whiterun’s populace either feared Ardbur or admired him. Some refused to believe the stories and challenged the dragonborn at every opportunity. It all became tiring after a while. At least Belethor hadn’t looked at Ardbur any differently after discovering his fellow Breton was the dragonborn.
Ardbur left the shop. On his way out, he almost bumped into a guard. The soldier was young, likely a new recruit. He didn’t recognize Ardbur. “You shouldn’t be in there,” the soldier growled.
“And why is that?” Ardbur asked, eyes narrowing.
“There’s no one to manage the place. I was just on my way to lock it up.” The guard glared at the dragonborn. “You wouldn’t have taken anything, now, would you?”
Ardbur levelled the man a flat look. It wasn’t worth his time to respond to such a remark. “Where is Belethor?”
“Gone,” the guard said. “The work of bandits. The Companions are dealing with it. They’ll get him back – if the poor bugger is still alive.”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
“You’re just in time,” Aela greeted the dragonborn on the steps to Jorrvaskr. “We received a new contract this morning. Belethor’s been kidnapped, and the Whiterun guard wants us to deal with the bandits.”
“So I’ve heard,” Ardbur said. He crossed his arms and looked away. “Why haven’t you sent someone out yet?” he asked, feeling a stirring of anger in his belly.
“Well…” The huntress paused.
“What is it?” the dragonborn demanded.
“Don’t get snappish with me,” Aela barked. “The bandits who took Belethor left a note – for you.”
Surprise replaced the dragonborn’s irritation. Aela handed him a stained parchment. Ardbur stepped away and broke the seal.
“Duskenvale,” Ardbur said. His jaw clenched.
Aela raised one eyebrow. “If they were smart, the bandits wouldn’t have left a note.”
Ardbur could only shake his head. “Considering their stupidity,” he growled, “it’s shocking they can even write.”
The huntress shot him a wolfish smile. “Want some company?”
“No,” the dragonborn replied. He threw the parchment to the ground. “I’ll deal with this.”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-