Out Hunting

          Yet another day went by, I’m still unable to find a job. I tried picking nirnroots for Arcadia again, but managed to only pick up one of them after four hours of scavenging the plains to the West. I knew that would only net me few meager septims, not enough to buy anything. So I started to look for a deer or rabbit for tonight’s dinner.

          I finally found a deer after patrolling the plains for half an hour. I began to feel an adrenaline rush that I haven’t felt for fifteen years. I sprinted towards the deer and landed a blow to its left rear leg. The deer panicked and ran. I was able to catch up to it since it couldn’t run as fast with a wounded leg. I lunged, and delivered another blow to its right leg. The thing knew running away with two wounded legs would only delay the inevitable. So the bastard turned around. Antlers out and in front, he charged at me. It was my life or his. The antlers got me right where the wolves bit me yesterday, knocking my sword out of my hand. So I raised shield and bashed the beast right in the face, stunning it for a few seconds. I picked up my sword when the deer was still stunned. When the deer finally recovered, it was too late. I drove my sword the beast’s face, right between the eyes. It was absolutely glorious.

          With my wounded arm, I couldn’t carry the beast back by myself. So, I asked a traveling merchant to carry it back to Whiterun for me, and I would give him a portion of the deer in return. I decided to keep the nirnroot I picked up earlier and have Dora prepare it with the deer. It’s been a while since I’ve had sautéed deer with nirnroots. The deer tasted so much better than any deer I’ve bought from the meat market. But maybe I’m bias, because I caught it.

14^th of Last Seed

The World Seemed Brighter

          Today is the first day in thirteen years that I did not wake up as a Whiterun guard. And let me tell you, it feels good. The air is crisper, the skies are brighter, the mountain flowers are more colorful the dark elves are fairer and the wood elves are less hairy. Everyone seems so nice.

I tried to earn some money inside the walls, but to no avail. I asked if I could run errand for Hulda the innkeeper or Belethor the general store owner. Neither of them needed an extra hand. Arcadia, from the alchemist store, decided that she would help me. Bless her; the woman has the spirit of Mara. Since her store has been running low on nirnroots, Arcadia asked me to go to the field and gather some for her. She would pay fifteen septim for each.

The nirnroots were a pain to find. Some say that they don’t regrow, but no one knows for sure. After five hours of looking at every lake or pond, I only found two. Not only that, I encountered a few rabid wolves out there. I took three of them on and slayed the bastards, but the last one managed to take a small chunk out of my right arm. After that, I had to go back.

Arcadia paid me thirty septims for the nirnroots.  It was barely enough to buy dinner for Fiona and Dora. I could only get a small rabbit from Anoriath.

Poor Fiona, she was still hungry after dinner. She didn’t say it, but I knew.

13^th of Last Seed.

A Guard No More

          As of today, I have been discharged as a Whiterun guard. Jarl Balgruuf gave the order. To add insult to injury, my craving for lox was the final straw.

I went and talked to Farengar, our court wizard, and asked if he knows anything. He said it must’ve been something I ate, a potion I drank, or a spell I was under. I decided to tell him that someone casted an Illusion spell on me last week, it was a pretty strong spell because I don’t remember anything while under its effects. Farengar concluded that the craving for lox must be some kind of residual effect from the spell. Whoever casted it is no doubt a powerful wizard, because the effect still lingers.

          My conversation with Farengar apparently got out to Irileth, then the Jarl. Needless to say, the jig was up. Now everyone knows I was the one who let Adriane’s murderer escape.

          Dora was surprised when she saw me coming home early. When I told her what happened, she wasn’t ashamed or angry. She only smiled and said that I’ll have more time to spend with her and Fiona now. Since we have just about a hundred septims left, Dora used the leftover lox to make dinner. In all my thirteen years under this roof, dinner had never tasted so good.

12^th of Last Seed.

Closing the Case

          The Jarl needs a scapegoat for Adriane’s murder. He needs to calm down Proventius as much as he needs to stabilize Whiterun. Unfortunately for him, even Irileth can’t do anything. Fortunately for him, there’s Darien and Faustus.

A careless guard is much less threatening than a mage walking around burning people alive. A careless guard is slightly better than an incompetent guard. Most importantly, a careless guard is less embarrassing than the whole force of Whiterun under the command of Irileth unable to catch an old man with a rusty dagger.

Is this it? Is this how my career as a Whiterun guard comes to an end? I expected something better, something…more exciting. I don’t mind dying a Whiterun guard, as long as Fiona is grown up and well.

11^th of Last Seed.