34 A trip to Dragonsreach
Sly.
That was what he had gone by to those who knew him. He had a typical history for one growing up in the slums. Orphaned at a young age. Learned to survive alone. Made the best of a bad situation.
Rictus looked down with a pensive look upon his face at the roaring fire as he listened to others tell stories of the man. Sly was the unfortunate one to die during the raid. He had been too tired and made a mistake which his enemy capitalized upon.
While Rictus was upset about the death, he also felt relief. No one there seemed to hold any sort of resentment towards him. This funeral was much more a celebration of life than a mourning of death. He was surprised at how good a mood the Restored were in. It seemed they all believed Sly had gone on to Sovngarde. It was something none of them had thought to be possible for them before Rictus. Many believed their disabilities stopped them from fighting and dying in combat. It was why so many Nords accepted whatever fate was instore for them after being disabled and fell into depression. Things were different now. They had been Restored.
Rictus had known he gave them hope for their current lives, but he did not start comprehending it was more than that until this moment. In a world where the afterlife was easily confirmed, helping people get to their version of heaven was incredibly impactful. He had essentially saved their souls.
It was only last night they had finished their raid on the bandits. Since then, they had made a lot of progress on their new base. Most all the trash had been thrown away, and things had been straightened up. There was still a lot of cleaning to be done, but it was moving fast, especially with their experience cleaning up the space in the dump. Rictus felt a bit of déjà vu at working on another base so soon.
Many of the Restored had made their way to the cave. It was decided this would be the main base of operation for them. Many wanted to get away from the city and this provided the perfect opportunity for them. When they were taking time off, it would be spent here at the cave. Patrols and guard rotations were still made out to keep their presence in the city strong and not allow any of the other gangs in the lower city to forget their place. Ample number of informants were also scattered throughout the city.
White River watch was less than an hour's walk to Whiterun which would allow it to easily be able to trade information and supplies. The river was very close which would provide ample fresh water. A couple flat areas of land around here would also provide space to start trying to grow their own food. It provided the people not only hope but a new home.
The dumps of Whiterun only had bad memories for them. That was where their life had been at its worse. White River Watch symbolized what could be for them. The cave would need a lot of work, but it was theirs. It was the first time most of them had a place they could claim as theirs which was more than an alcove in a trash pile. Rictus had restored their bodies and given them a home. This only deepened their loyalty to him.
Work on the cave was constant. They had a lot of plans to expand the place and make it better. Tunnels were smoothed out and walkways were made less precarious. The caverns were expanded to fit a larger group of people. A few rooms had been carved out as storerooms and bedrooms. The sloped walkways were even given handrails, so people were less likely to fall down. Since the cave was part of the largest mountain in Skyrim, there was more than enough room for expansion.
Rictus had tried to teach his shape earth spell to Ma'randru-jo to assist with the work, but it was not very successful. Learning to cast the spell only took a couple hours, but the cost was way too much. He would quickly run out of mana if he tried to do any amount of significant manipulation. He could do little things, but he would most likely never be able to do what Rictus could with the spell. Temporary movements were much easier to accomplish, but the stone would revert to how it was before the spell after some time passed. Useful, but not perfect.
The day passed very quickly as it was filled with working on their new base, and the celebration of Sly's life and death.
The funeral was simple. Instead of burial, there was a funeral pyre. The drinks flowed freely and plenty of food was available. Stories of the departed were shared and laughs were had. It was probably the most upbeat funeral Rictus had ever attended. Sly's closest friends had even come to thank him for what he had done. Being thanked for leading someone to their death was new. Nords were a very strange people.
As the fire was burning, Rictus stood before his people. All sound died away as eyes focused on him.
"Some are bound to die young. By dying young a person stays young in people's memory. If he burns brightly before he dies, his brightness shines for all time. Death is more universal than life; everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives. I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live. Sly found something. While we can no longer be together, if kept in our hearts, he will be here forever. We all leave something behind when we die. A child, a garden, a piece of armor. Something your hand touched. When people look at that which you left behind, you are there. The idea is not to live forever but create something that will. Death cannot kill what never dies my friends."
Silence hung over the crowd at his words. Rictus began to feel embarrassed at his monolog. It came off a little cringy, but he thought it wasn't too bad. The silence seemed to disagree. He was quick to move things along and distract people.
"Raise your glass for the fallen! Though he fell, he never stumbled."
A cheer went out from those gathered. Quickly finishing his glass, Rictus left to go get some rest. He had paid his respects and was ready to get some sleep.
Unbeknownst to Rictus, a glint of determination had appeared in the eyes of all who were there during his speech. Leaving a legacy was a universal desire among people. No one truly wants to be forgotten. Their leader's words had touched a special place in their hearts. The crowd slowly drifted away as the funeral finally came to an end. The last ones left were Ken, the 11 warriors who had gone on the raid, and a woman who had been Sly's closest friend and lover.
The warriors surrounded the dwindling fire. Ken and the woman were inside the circle and closest to the fire. One of the warriors handed the woman Sly's old armor. The woman placed the armor on the ground and stood next to it. Ken retrieved some ashes from the fire and placed them onto the top of the armor. He then motioned the woman to grab a branding rod which had been placed into the burning coals awhile ago. She grabbed rod along the handle as the tip flowed a burning red. A hissing sound could be heard as she branded the letter R onto the armor while burning away the ashes.
The gathered warriors watched stoically as the woman stood and donned the armor branded with the ashes of its first owner. Ken's determined voice soon filled the silence.
"That which had been lost has now been Restored. Though you may fall, let you never stumble."
Pure determination and devotion filled the woman's eyes as she had now taken up her fallen lover's armor.
Ken slowly observed the 12 warriors. The original 12 warriors accompanying Rictus had been chosen for a reason. They were the best and the brightest of those who had joined their faction. Not all were veterans, but each showed promise and aptitude beyond their years. As they had taken to calling themselves the restored, it only made sense they restored their numbers to 12. Rictus would always be the leader while Ken was his right-hand man, but they needed more than just the two of them. These 12 were Ken's solution. They would work as leaders among the Restored, similar to lieutenants.
Whenever one fell, another would rise to take their place. The ashes of the fallen seared onto the armor as a remembrance of those who came before them. Ken would ensure they were properly trained and knowledgeable about many different subjects. He truly believed their faction would continue to grow in number and power as time went on. These 12 would need to be the best. He was not too worried about the training. There was a reason Maro always recruited the people he trained in the legion. If he made unwilling recruits good enough for the Penitus Oculatus, imagine what he could do with truly devoted learners. Ken could feel his old heart beating in anticipation of things to come.
---
The next day saw Rictus making his way to the city. He was accompanied by 3 of the people who had gone on the raid with him. Ken and his remaining people would be more than capable of handling things at the base without him. He needed to meet with the Jarl's steward to collect the bounty on the bandits. It was always a good thing to get in the good graces of the ruling party of a region.
This would be Rictus's first time visiting Dragonsreach. He had seen it plenty of times while visiting the Companions, but he had never actually gone inside the famous Keep. Rictus was a little excited about it. While he was making his way through the Cloud District and was almost to the stairs for Dragonsreach, someone bumped into him.
"Watch where you are going you dirty ingrate."
Rictus stopped to look at the man who had tried to bump into him but only ended up stumbling himself. He was a middle-aged redguard wearing very nice clothes. There was a lot of gold jewelry coving his neck and hands. The man seemed to be looking down his nose at Rictus.
"Hmm. Do you visit the Cloud district very often? Oh, what am I saying, based on your dirty outfit you obviously don't. Maybe you should get cleaned up before coming up here. It would be oh so terrible if the guards mistook you for a beggar and threw you in the dump."
The redguard man really seemed to like hearing his own voice. Rictus was starting to become a little insulted. He was quite proud of his outfit. He knew for sure there was no dirt on his clothes because he used magic to manipulate the dirt off. The benefit of earth bending was your clothes would not get dirt or earth on them. He did have to wave off his guards as they seemed like they were about to impale the man based off their partially drawn weapons.
"I do not know who you are, but I have business here."
Rictus answered the man curtly as he continued on his way.
The other man had a nasty sneer on his face.
"You don't know me? I am Nazeem. I am the proud owner of Chillfurrow farm, and I am a personal friend of the Jarl, who often comes to me for advice. You better watch yourself. The guards really will detain you if you keep up that kind of act."
Rictus really did not understand why the man wanted to antagonize him like this. Did this man just go around Whiterun insulting people and acting like he was better than everyone? He didn't really want to create a scene though.
"I am sure someone as important as you must be busy so how about we both just go on our way?"
Nazeem continued looking down his nose in disgust at him.
"How about you go back to the dump where you belong and beg for scraps with those ruffians behind you? You are lucky I am not getting the guards to arrest you for assault."
Some people just wanted to start trouble and flaunt their position. Deciding to be the bigger man, Rictus simply walked past the man and continue to the keep.
"Hmph. I will graciously forget about your transgression this time, but you better watch yourself. The slums are a dangerous place."
Rictus could only roll his eyes at the mans poorly hidden threat. He originally wasn't going to do anything, but that last comment deserved a little lesson.
Once Nazeem had turned away from him, he transmuted all of the gold on Nazeem into iron. Rictus also caused the dust which had gotten on his clothes from kneeling to stick to Nazeem's clothes as well. Finally, he caused a bit of stone to move and cover Nazeem's left foot just for fun. He then started walking towards the stairs of Dragonsreach with a pep in his step and a smile on his face as the man tripped and fell face first into the ground.
Dragonsreach had a majestic yet rustic feel to it. It did a good job personifying the city. It had a sturdy base of stone, yet the majority of it was wood. Rictus was always a little confused why a keep made to trap a Dragon was mostly made of wood. Maybe they kept it in the stone basement? Or maybe the dragon was a frost dragon and didn't breathe fire. Regardless, even sturdy wood was not as good as solid stone.
Rictus was making his way across the bridge towards the entrance when one of the guards there stopped him.
"Halt citizen. What business do you have in Dragonsreach?"
"I am trying to turn in a bounty on some bandits which were in white river watch."
Even though his face was mostly covered, Rictus could tell the guard seemed to perk up at that. Seems he wasn't a big fan of the bandits.
"That is good news. Those bandits were a plague on travelers. Glad to hear someone was finally able to do something about them. Go on in. You will find the Jarl's steward, Proventus Avenicci, near the throne. He will reward you for your service."
Rictus nodded and smiled at the guard as he made his way inside.
The great hall was massive. It had huge columns and a high vaulted ceiling with a balcony around the edges of the wall. There were already a few people down in what seemed to be the waiting area. As he continued further into the room and up the stairs, he couldn't help but observe his surroundings. Two long tables were on either side of a massive firepit which dominated the center of the hall. The tables still had food leftover from breakfast and there were a few different warriors and staff sitting and eating at the table. Rictus was really hoping to see Lydia there, but he was greatly disappointed.
He was not disappointed in the stunning woodwork of the hall. The flowing arches were gracefully curved. The chandeliers had to be lit by magic since they were so high up in the air. It was doubtful someone bothered lighting them with a ladder. The throne area was more spartan, but the giant dragon's skull was quite intimidating. Maybe Rictus had played too many violent video games, but he would not like something that large sitting over his head. Too easy for someone to make it fall and kill him. For some reason though, he had a strange urge to steal it and try studying it. Maybe once the dragons reappeared he would kill one to make into a trophy.
The Jarl was not sitting on the throne, but Rictus did see who he imagined to be the steward. He quickly approached him so he could turn in the bounty.
"Hello. Are you Proventus, the steward?"
The aging imperial man looked over Rictus before replying.
"Yes. I am Proventus Avenicci, steward to the Jarl of Whiterun. How can I help you?"
Rictus was already liking this man. He was polite and got right to the point.
"I am here to collect the bounty for the bandits in white river watch. They are all dead and some of my group are currently staying there."
The man nodded as he seemed to think for a second.
"If that is true, then it is great news. It will have to be verified though. I will have some of the city guards travel with you over to make sure. If it did happen, then we will arrange payment for you. The bounty had gone up quite a bit after a couple merchants lost their entire stock from those bandits."
Rictus simply nodded. He was hopeful to get the money and leave, but that did not really make sense. Not many people are simply going to take your word on something like this, especially when they are giving you money. Anyone could claim they killed off the bandits. They then could get the money and leave town despite never having actually completed the bounty.
Thankfully, it was a very quick trip there and back. The guard travelling with Rictus was a nervous lad. He must have been the low man on the totem pole since he was assigned the job of checking Rictus's claim. Rictus wondered how many times guards were killed instead.
The transaction went smoothly until Rictus was finally back in Dragonsreach.
"Thank you for your service to Whiterun. We will make sure to send some guards there to make sure no more bandits take over the area. Maybe we will get lucky and there will be some ore to mine."
The last part was mostly said to himself, but Rictus was not liking what he heard.
"I think you may have the wrong idea here. My group and I are staying there. We were the ones to clear it. It is mine now."
Proventus frowned listening to Rictus.
"I am none too sure about that. That land originally fell under the purview of the Jarl. By right, it is his to decide what to do with it. Not yours."
Rictus stared back at him.
"Me and my men risked our lives fighting there. Not everyone made it back. We needed some where to call our own, and this place will be it. You were not using it or able to control it as evidenced by bandits taking it over and raiding travelers and merchants."
Proventus simply shook his head.
"Be that as it may, it is the Jarl's decision. Not mine, and definitely not yours. You will have to petition the Jarl for ownership of the area. I am sure you will be granted the land, but you will still have to pay for it."
Rictus let out a sigh. This was getting much more complicated than he imagined. It was supposed to be simple. He didn't even really need to come here, but he thought it would be good to turn in the bounty to let people know that area was safer now. He also didn't want a group of guards trying to attack them. Had he known this was going to happen, he would not have bothered with it. Usually, Rictus would not fight so much for something, but this was different. He had already seen the hope in people's eyes and how happy everyone was at living there despite it being rough. There was no way he was going to return there and tell them they had to leave again.
"Look, I know you are just trying to do your job, but that cave is now mine. If the Jarl really cared about it, he would have done something long ago. Besides, if Whiterun wouldn't send guards to attack the bandits, why would they send anyone against the people who were able to beat the bandits? I am not trying to be threatening, just realistic. I hope you can understand."
Proventus seemed insulted by Rictus's words, yet he was a clever man. He understood what Rictus said was true. They were already busy with the restlessness in the region. Having adventurers there would be better than bandits.
"Hmm I think we can come to temporary deal. I will tell the Jarl your petition for the land. In the meantime, I will temporarily lease the land to you for an indefinite amount of time if you refuse the bounty reward."
Rictus thought over the offer. It was kind of dumb how things played out, but it was better than risking being attacked by guards or getting into any legal trouble. Life sometimes was stupid like that though, especially when dealing with nobility.
"That sounds like a good compromise to me. I thank you for your understanding. If you do have any more local bounties in the future, send them our way. No guarantee we will do them, but we are cheaper than the Companions."
Rictus and Proventus shook hands as they concluded their deal. Proventus already had some ideas for this new group. They could be more useful than the Companions if they were less particular about what jobs they would accept.
As Rictus was turning around to leave, a tired looking man wearing worn clothing ran up to Proventus.
"Ulfric Stormcloak has killed High King Torygg."
---
[A/N]: Poor Torygg. I almost felt bad enough to save him. In an AU of this story, Rictus went with Jarl Korir to the moot instead of becoming a gang leader and shadow broker in Whiterun. The whiterun route won by a single vote so poor guy had to die. Maybe one day someone will save him.
