Isekai From Hell: Modded Skyrim

I open the door to find Aela outside it with a plate of food and some gauze along with a jar of some green mush.

"Ah, Aela. Yeah, it was no big issue. You didn't have to check up on me. I'm fine, as you can see." I say, flexing beneath the tight armor, actually causing one of the straps to snap making the chest piece fall to the ground and land on my foot making me jump in shock.

Pft...

Cough, cough...

Aela clears her throat before saying with a knowing smile, "Are you sure you don't need some help? I think your armor came undone, Harbinger."

"Um, yeah. Do you mind?" I ask her, picking up the plate to study the snapped strap.

"Of course, let me see that." Aela says, pulling the chest piece from my hands as she slips behind me to get a better look at where the strap failed. I feel her wrapping her arm around my chest as she pulls the plate taught and begins to swap out the strap with a spare strap she had on hand.

Her warm breath on the back of my neck making my hairs stand up in tension.

After feeling the strap successfully repaired I feel Aela leaning against my back for a few moments in complete silence before I finally speak up.

"Are you... Doing, okay?" I ask her, not moving to turn around or break her embrace.

"... No... I don't want to think about it... I don't want it to be real... I keep hoping this is just a terrible dream and I'll wake up to find Skjor, Kodlak, and Vilkas alive and well... And I just want to forget about all this mess..." Aela says, holding close to my back as she allows herself a moment of vulnerability in this secluded section of the hall.

I start to turn around to look at her but she stops me by holding my shoulders steady keeping me facing forward, as she asks hesitantly, her strong facade set aside as she croaks out her question between parched lips, "Can... Can we stay like this a little longer? I know you're busy with the preparations but-..."

"Yeah, we can... Just take the time you need." I say, reassuring her by taking her arms in mine and just standing with her as we let them moment sink in and accept the weight of our loss.

We stand quietly for several minutes before she finally let's go of my back and untangles herself from my grasp as I finally turn around to see her eyes slightly red and buffy, but no signs of tears to be seen, as Aela says returning to the detached tone she had earlier, "Thank you, I needed that, Harbinger."

"You know you don't have to keep calling me that, at least if we're alone." I tell her, rubbing my forehead.

"If you say so, Harbinger." Aela says, making her way towards the door before turning back, "Don't forget to eat before heading up." She says as she walks back upstairs leaving me to eat alone as I shake my head giving up on trying to read her.

I sit down at a corner table, finishing off the food Aela brought me before heading upstairs to find the hall empty, save for Eorlund who is of sitting at the edge of the table staring into the fire pit as he rests his hands on his knees.

I head over to him, he doesn't look up but he speaks as I come over to him.

"I had my suspicions you know..." Eorland says aloud, continuing to look away.

"Excuse me?" I say, not sure what he's getting at.

"Of what the Companions were... I always suspected, but they fought with honor and protected the innocent... So when Kodlak asked me to reforge Wuuthrad in that way, I accepted thinking he knew what was best... But I didn't expect it to go like this..." Eorland confesses before finally looking up meeting my eyes as he seems lost in guilt.

"You didn't know Eorlund, it's better for you to focus on making amends than it is to dwell on the wrongs that've been committed." I say, trying to reassure the old man but he stares intently at me, as if looking into my soul.

"I normally don't concern myself with what my arms and armor does after leaving my forge... But knowing that a weapon I helped reforged was used to end the life of a dear friend... I wanted to let you know that I'll be laying down my hammer, at least when it comes to forging weapons and armor." Eorland says after sighing deeply shocking me at his sudden revelation.

"Wow, Eorlund... What of the skyforge? And how do you plan to support your family without the weapons trade?" I ask him.

"That's partly why I've come to talk with you. I'm planning to take that Grelka girl on as my official apprentice. I learned she works for you during the couple of lessons I've given her when she came into town for help designing your company's new armors and saw potential in her skills. And we'll be fine for money, I used to design jewelry in my younger days and I'll probably take it back up." Eorland explains his plans to me as he stands up, "But if I take her on as an apprentice, she won't be able to do any other work for you, so I wanted to ask you before pulling her away."

"I'm fine with that, but you'll have to ask her too. And as for you going back to becoming a jeweler, I've got friends in the caravans and I'm sure I could get them to purchase them for their journey." I offer, as I think on how I could repay him for teaching our company blacksmith, when I remember that his missing son is somewhere up in Northwatch keep, and resolve myself to freeing him on my through the area when returning Serana home.

(Author's Note: I have some sad news everyone. I will be having to modify my update schedule to every other week. I underestimated the difficulty of my classes and will hopefully be able to return to a chapter a week schedule once summer comes around. Hope you enjoy and also wanted to take this opportunity to thank my patrons Provilas Demikis, Riku DreamEater, and bgbng for their financial support.)