Laid to rest pt.1

The squelching of wet mud splashing against the black leather boots of a hooded male figure sounded as the man walked down the defrosting hill to a murky swampland.

Decay, rot, briny algae, and the stinky bubbles of the swamp water hit his sensitive nose as he advanced over a small wooden bridge that looked ready to collapse. the dim grey of the midday clouds cast a long shadow over the small city in the distance.

Rotted leaves and black tree trunks encased the fallen city walls that sloped into the rippling water barely seen through the curling cloak of mist that hovered over the banks of the small river, small splashes and the faint buzz of insects broke the would be heavy silence as the cloaked man walked past the bygone gates.

A small crowd surrounded a long house, likely the Jarl's abode, complaining about one thing or another. A burned down house sat under the towering peak of the mountain up above in constant state of solitude, but the man's eyes saw more than most as a ghostly girl sat by an empty hearth.

He couldn't force himself to care as the destination he desired came into view, mentally noting his sightings for a later time.

An inn like any other in Skyrim stood tall past the light mist that gripped itself to the damp ground of stone and earth, a small clink of a bell sprung as the man entered his newfound source of respite.

Clanking his armoured right hand on the bar and lowering his hood, revealing his shining silver locks and pointed ears, he spoke to the innkeeper with his silky voice.

"Is there a story behind that burned down house?" Lucius asked.

"Hroggar's house? It burned down not too long ago. It's a real pity about his wife and kid. The screams woke half the town. Most folk won't go near it now for fear it's cursed." A dark skinned female responded as she cleaned a mug.

"Mmm. Does anyone know how the fire started?" He continued, his armoured fingers running a rhythm on the wooden bar.

"Hroggar claims it was a hearth fire. Some folks say Hroggar started it himself." She replied, looking up from the mug.

"With his own wife and child inside?" Lucius raised an eyebrow.

"That's what they say. See, he's living with Alva now. That started the day after the fire. It ain't right, movin' in with a new love the day after your kin die like that." She hid a nasty sneer.

"And, of course, they can't prove he murdered them." The elf sighed.

"Aye. Our Jarl would sure like to know if he did, though. Might even pay to find out." The innkeeper suggested.

"That's why i'm here." Lucius said waving a small note between his fingers. "Thanks for your help, Jonna." He smiled as he left the inn with a soft thud of the wooden door.

"I didn't even tell 'im my name..." Jonna muttered.

Lucius hummed a tune as he made his way back to the previously passed longhouse, his steps falling into the subtle beat of his song as he walked past the crowd of peasants with his gloved left holding his sheath.

"Oi, ain't that the dragonborn people been talk'n about." Lucius heard one of the men whisper.

"Think 'es here for Hroggar?"

"Are you stupid? Why would he be 'ere for 'im?" The first peasant mocked his friend.

With a long sigh Lucius brushed through the crowd into the Jarl's hall where an old woman with deep black hair stood from her throne seeing Lucius enter.

"Dragonborn, you came." She welcomed.

"Something about disappearances in the night?" Lucius gave a lazy bow. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised you sent for me, Jarl."

"There is too much to learn in the world, too much to know, to fight over 'laws' that have no real purpose." She vaguely replied causing Lucius to smile. "Tamriel is full of wisdom and magic, if one is willing to look for it... Few open their eyes to it like you." She said, sitting back down on her throne.

"I couldn't agree more. But, flattery is best left to... others, no?" He joked, a small smirking tugging at his lips as the Jarl's amused snort echoed in the hall. "Is there some kind of trouble in Morthal?"

"That which is unknown can create unease, even fear. It is to be expected. Some fear our new resident wizard. As they grow to know him, they will accept him. Time will prove me right." She declared, her eyes unfocusing briefly. "But, I asked you here to investigate Hroggar's house fire. Folk say it's cursed, and that he killed his own wife and daughter. There's a cloud over this, dragonborn... I will reward you for your services in whatever you desire."

"Any leads?... Information?" Lucius asked, hand on chin.

"Hroggar says his wife spilt bear fat in the fire. As i said before, many think he did it himself." She answered.

"Why would a man do such a thing? Was his wife hiding a...Hidden lover that caused him to lash out?" Lucius proposed.

"Well, lust can make many a man do the unthinkable - the corpses where still warm when he pledged himself to Alva." The Jarl informed.

"Heh, I think I see the issue now." Lucius shook his head in amusement. "You can't arrest a man on gossip and rumour, while your guards are too scared of the supposed curse to investigate?" He guessed with a grin, as the guards behind him shuffled on their feet as he glanced at them.

"See, Idgrod? Haha! This is why I asked for him!" The Jarl called up to a teenage girl with matching hair and eyes to that of the Jarl.

"Y-yes, mother." The girl shyly hid away behind the wooden pillar.

"You as a stranger may find the truth for us. Sift through the ashes others are to afeared to touch..."The Jarl hushed with a gleeful smile. "See what they tell you." She eerily whispered the last sentence.

'This'll be a good story for Ciri. A crazy old women and a classic investigation.' Lucius mused, as he bowed a final time before leaving to investigate the burnt home.

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.

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Long shadows smothered the ash of the home as they slithered ever closer to walls of the ruined home. The evening sun burned the sky a dark and fiery red as sprinkles of silver starlight broke through the suns painted canvas.

Lucius calmly sat on his knees in the centre of the carcass of wood with his eyes closed in thought. Slow and deep breathes left his nose in a white mist as his chest gently rose in a repeated motion of up and down. A small wisp of glowing blue flew around him in a circle, like a curious fairy prodding at a beast.

"Who are you? Where's papa?" A ghostly form of small girl asked, cradling her knees by the empty fire pit.

"My name's Lucius, Lucius Frey. What about you kid?" Lucius's soft voice rung around the house as he gently smiled, his eyes slowly opening.

"Helgi, but father says i'm not supposed to talk to strangers." The girl replied. "Are you a stranger?"

"No, i'm a friend. Can you tell me what happened here?" Lucius asked.

"The smoke woke me up, it was hot, I was scared, so I hid." She said. "Then it got cold and dark. I'm not scared anymore. But, i'm lonely, will you play with me?" She said through her doe eyes.

Lucius closed his eyes, taking in a deep and calming breath before his response. "If I do, will you tell me who started the fire." His smile slightly faltered at her lit up face.

"Yay! Let's play hide and seek. The other one will play too since it's night time!" Helgi jumped up.

"Other one?" Lucius caught.

"Find me first and i'll tell you" Helgi poked her tongue out as she disappeared into thin air.

"Huuh~ Dammit." Lucius cursed and run a hand over his eyes, rubbing away a lone and silent tear.

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Any of you guys seen the Witcher Blood Origin trailer? Wow, it was so bad it motivated me to start writing my story again.

Here's some reviews/comments that made me laugh:

"The part where Gandalf pulls out the sub machine gun and says to the orcs 'say hello to my little friend' was truly breathtaking. Tolkien could not have wrote it better."

"The part where the black elves rioted for George Floyd and burned down Novigrad was truly moving. I cried."

Have a good one,

Your "patently evil" Author ;)