The next day Aela awoke to find herself alone in Sotek’s room. The remaining pieces of Dragonscale armour were laying in a pile in the corner where he tossed them aside the night before. What was more surprising though was his old steel armour set was gone. He used to keep it on a wooden freestanding coat hanger, but this morning it stood in the corner looking quite bare and empty.
She poured herself a glass of water then threw on an old pair of trousers and one of Soteks shirts before she headed upstairs. To her surprise, the hall was remarkably empty let alone quiet. Only Eorlund, the Harbinger and Tilma sat at the table. They were quietly talking amongst one another while they shared an uncut loaf and a block of cheese. Initially ignoring them, Aela headed to the training doors and peeked outside. The silence confirmed her suspicions, so she sat near the others feeling somewhat abandoned.
“Where’s Sotek and the others?”
Eorlund grimaced as he mumbled under his breath.
“He’ll be on the forge if I had my way”.
Aela just gave him a slight glare, but then her eyes flashed as she noticed a plate of meat near the rolls.
“Great, I’m starving. So, Harbinger... Where’s Sotek and the others?”
Kodlak pointed to the doors which led out towards Whiterun.
“He’s taken Ebony and Kul-et out. I think their heading towards the plains although he never actually said where they’re going”.
Aela stared blankly at the doors like an abandoned child.
“The plains, with them?”
Tilma frowned at her, not a hefty frown but just marginally. Enough to try to snap Aela out of the mood she was in.
“Oh, really indeed. You’re not joined at the hip you know”.
Aela screwed her nose up at the comment and sat in silence for a few minutes. After she watched the door for a few moments, she looked across towards the others.
“I know, but to take everyone and just leave me?”
Kodlak nodded as he understood what was going on in her mind.
“Ahh, but he didn’t. He told us to leave you three alone and let you wake up in your own time”.
Aela suddenly shot her head around towards the living quarter stairwell. “Farkas and Vilkas?”
Tilma disapprovingly shook her head.
“They’re still asleep”.
Aela stopped for a few seconds as she pieced the information together. “Yes, we’ve had a hard few days to be honest. What with the poisonings, me getting shot by an arrow. Then there was the lack of food and water...” She stopped as she glanced at the others who were all staring back at her. “Anyway, a sleep will do them good. What to do today, that’s the question... Ermm… Archery”. Without another word Aela got up and looked for her bow, but much to her frustration, she couldn’t find it. “Where the hell is it?”
Kodlak closed his eyes for a few seconds as he had forgot something. He held his eyes tightly shut as he prepared for the explosion.
“Sorry, I forgot. Sotek took all the Dragonbone weapons back. He said you’re not to use them until he’s satisfied their safe”.
Aela slumped down at the table then stared at the others.
“Great, I’m stuck here with you three and I can’t even fire off some arrows, whoopppee”.
Before Aela could fall any deeper in her pit of misery, the doors flew open as Kul-et and Ebony carried three leather bags between them. Kul-et grumbled as she threw down one sack.
“That bloody bastards got us fetching and bloody carrying like we’re bloody slaves. There’s seven more bloody sacks on the carriage”.
Aela came over to them and opened a sack up.
“What the hell have you got here?”
Ebony slumped down on a chair, she looked tired and worn out.
“Leathers, skins, iron ores. Dragon bone, Dragon scales and ebony bars. Even the divines don’t know what else he has here. There’s loads of it”.
Aela picked up a Dragonscale and examined it for several seconds then simply tossed it back in the sack.
“Ebony, get Farkas and Vilkas up. They can bring in the sacks. Kul-et where’s that bloody reptile?”
Kul-et’s eyes darted about nervously as she became flustered.
“He’s at Arcadias. He... He’s sorting out some ingredients”.
Ebony called out to Aela as she headed down the stairway.
“There’s loads of them as well”.
Aela cast a glance at the doorway as she mumbled to herself.
“What the hell are you up to now?”.
At that moment Sotek himself stepped inside.
“What’s who up to?”
“Ahh the wanderer returns. Where you been? I hate waking up when you’re not there. It throws me off”.
Sotek gave her a hug then looked across to the others.
“Yes, sorry about that. But over the next few days a lot of you are going to get thrown about. Kul-et, get Sam and Sabre to help Farkas and Vilkas, then I need everyone in the hall”. He then turned his attention to Aela. “And you, I need your help the most. Long nights, little sleep and Hircine knows what problems we will have. You up for it?”.
Aela leaned forwards and kissed him on the lips, then she looked at him right in the eyes.
“I’m your girl, you know that. What will you have me do?”
Sotek stared past her as his eyes fixed on the fire pit. He mumbled one word, but everyone heard it.
“Everything”.
Only when the others had entered the hall did Sotek break his trance like stare at the fire pit. He waited until everyone was seated then stood up and addressed them all as one.
“The Harbinger has allowed me to make full use of the facilities of Jorrvaskr, that in short... Means you lot. Aela’s going to be my second and keep things running as smooth as possible. Basically, there’s a lot for me to do and I need your help. Can I count on you all?”
Sam stuck his hand up as he looked back at the Harbinger.
“Does that mean there’s no training?”
Aela got to her feet then lent back against a post as she answered, cutting Sotek off entirely. “Training will still be running, but there will be some disruptions, mainly for us two. We need you morons for fetch and carry”.
Sotek stood up then tapped one of the sacks with his foot.
“What a way to inspire the workforce. Ebony, Kul-et, your first job is to sort out the sacks. I need everything divided up along the side there where they’ll be out the way. Make a start after lunch. Sam, Sabre, I’ll need dragon scales at the Skyforge and ebony ore at the Warmaiden’s”.
Aela slowly turned to Sotek grinning wildly.
“The Skyforge? Didn’t Eorlund threaten to skin you alive if you go near there?”
Sotek started laughing as his eyes fixed on Eorlund who was sitting at the table staring daggers at him.
“Yes, but then I threatened him in return”.
Upon hearing those words Aela presumed the worst and thumped Sotek in the arm.
“You can’t threaten people using Scarface”.
Sotek backed away several feet then smiled at her.
“I didn’t, I threatened him... With you”.
Aela screwed her face up at him then glared across the table at everyone. She held her hand out as she snarled at Ebony.
“Give me that fork”.
Sotek pointed his finger to Ebony waving it in front of her.
“Don’t you dare”.
The next second Sotek watched as the fork was thrown towards Aela. Ebony shrugged as she looked at them both.
“Sorry, she’s way more terrifying than you“.
Aela picked the fork up then tapped it slowly against her hip.
“Oh yes, reign of fear”.
Sotek shook his head as he snarled back in response.
“I’m not afraid of you”.
Aela bellowed with laughter then suddenly darted forwards a few steps. Instantly Sotek backed off several feet, much to the amusement of the others yelling out as he ran.
“Get off! That’s not helping”.
“What you going to make first Armour or weapons?”
Sotek picked up a dragon scale and studied it for a few seconds before he cast a quick look across the table to Eorlund.
“Neither, the first thing I got to do is get a feel for the dragon scales and bones. Speaking of which... Farkas, Vilkas, can you both go to the Warmaiden’s and get a war hammer each. You’re going to need them”. He then walked over to Aela and gently prized the fork from her hands. “You hungry? Or shall we make a start?”
Aela slowly walked around him, like a cat studying its prey.
“You better get changed first. You can’t go playing with a forge in armour. I’ll meet you there. What do you need first?”
Sotek tossed her a scale, then headed off downstairs to get changed. “Just a few scales to start with”.
While he was downstairs, there was a knock at the door. Moments later Arcadia walked inside. Her eyes darted across the hall, as she looked around.
“Is Sotek about?”.
Aela smiled, she couldn’t help but chuckle slightly as she felt somewhat amused.
“I presume Sotek’s cleared things with you, else you would have said, ‘Where’s that blasted reptile?’”
Kul-et looked up from her dinner and pointed towards the stairwell.
“He’s getting changed at the moment”. She then watched Aela and Arcadia nervously then she quietly whispered. “Do you all call me ‘Lizard and Reptile?”
Arcadia looked a bit surprised but then she walked over to Kul-et and rested her hand on Kul-et’s shoulder.
“Oh no dear, we like you”.
At that moment Sotek came up the stairway. He walked past Arcadia as he sniggered.
“I’ve learned a new flame shout. Let’s go to your shop and I’ll show you it”. The next second he flinched as Arcadia smacked him across the back of the head. “Oww, what do you want anyhow?”
Arcadia tutted as she went to hand over a big pouch of gold.
“Charming, here, this is for you. I worked out the value of the ingredients you gave me, there’s far more than what I had, so I reckon I owe you about 850 gold”.
Before Sotek could do anything, Aela literally ran over and snatched the bag from his hands.
“I’ll take that thank you”. She promptly sat at the table then divided it up into four piles before distributing it out. “Vilkas there’s your gold back. Sotek, one hundred gold for you. I’m keeping one hundred and fifty on me, and Harbinger can you keep this aside. Don’t let Sotek take it though. If he wants gold he can see me”. Then she went over to Sotek and prodded him in the chest. “That’s the last time you’re skint, you hear me?”
Upon hearing this, Sotek groaned then glanced over towards Aela.
“I need some gold, I’m skint”.
Aela gave him a slight shove as she snapped at him.
“You got a hundred”.
Sotek’s response was to throw his pouch of gold over to Sabre.
“Not any more. Sabre, I have a task for you”. After he had a quiet word with the Whelp, Sotek picked up his scales and headed outside towards the forge.
Sotek and Aela spent the remainder of the day boiling scales for various lengths of time, as they tested the scales response to the water. By early evening, Farkas came over to them with the Whelps in tow.
“We’re heading to the Inn. Why don’t you two have a break and come with us?”
Sotek shook his head, then pointed to the hall.
“Not tonight, the Inns out of bounds. There’s plenty of ale in the hall. Aela, get yourself off, he’s right, take a break. I’ll see you tomorrow”.
Aela’s response was to pull a scale out from the boilling water with a pair of tongs.
“No, I said I’ll help you, so that’s exactly what I’ll do. Come on you”. She watched the others head back to the hall then she looked across Whiterun to the Inn. “Why can’t they go to the Bannered Mare?”
Sotek cast a discrete smile then turned towards Eorlund.
“Get yourself off, have an early night. No doubt your wife would appreciate it. Thanks for your help”.
Eorlund nodded as he placed his hammer on the anvil.
“Well it’s not like I can get much done here anyway. I’ll see you both tomorrow”. With that he laid out his apron then headed off home.
Aela watched Sotek suspiciously as Eorlund disappeared from sight. “What are you up to?”
Sotek just gave her a slight hug in response.
“Just patching things up a bit with Eorlund”.
As Eorlund walked through his door, his wife called out to him.
“Get washed and changed, we’ve been asked to meet the Harbinger at a formal event in the Inn”.
Eorlund stopped in his tracks as he watched her brush her hair.
“Funny, the Harbinger never said anything about it”.
Within half an hour, Aela who was still at the forge with Sotek, looked across Whiterun to see Eorlund and his wife head towards the Inn. “That’s odd, she doesn’t often go there on a weekday”.
Sotek chuckled to himself as he nodded.
“Yes, I wonder why”.
The moment Eorlund and his wife entered the Inn, they were greeted by the Innkeeper.
“Ahh yes, your tables ready. In the corner near the fire, follow me please”.
Eorlund, who was initially startled, looked around for the Harbinger. “Ermm, where’s Kodlak?”
She laughed as she lit three candles at the table, then she proceeded to pull out the two chairs.
“He’s not coming, it’s just you two. It’s Soteks way of apologising, he arranged it earlier. Two Ale’s coming up and your roast pig will be ready shortly. Enjoy”.
Over the course of the next five days both Sotek and Aela boiled the scales for various lengths of time, then they studied the results. During that time, Sotek discovered three things.
The first thing he discovered was that if the scales were boiled for less than two and a quarter hour, they tended to powder slightly at the edges.
The second thing he discovered was that if the scales were boiled excessively for nigh on three hours, then the edges started to crystallize and fracture. These two pieces of information told him the dragon scale’s optimum boil time was two and a half hours, which he then started to do.
The third thing he discovered was, not one whelp enjoyed the sight of Scarface and Red tearing up dead deer carcases in the yard during training sessions. The first time they both fed there, they ended up having to clear up more piles of vomit than blood from the three deer.
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