With the dragon slain, every abled bodied person began helping quench the fires and pulling bodies out of the collapsed apothecary. Lying the deceased citizens in the street, the guards hauled the bodies off to the Hall of the Dead once the fires were out. Regrouping at the dragon's corpse, the locals turned to me as what I did fully sank in.
"I have heard many ways Ancient Nords slew dragons, but ripping their heads off was not one of them.", Kodlak chuckled, stroking his beard, "You are far stronger than you look."
"Thank you, I have been hearing that more and more as of late.", I laughed, glancing over at Farkas and Vilkas who were trying to lift the dragon's skull.
"This is now a third thing I owe you for, traveler. I genuinely hope nothing else happens today as this is getting expensive.", Balgruuf joked, much to his steward's dismay.
"My lord, please refrain from making jests like that.", Proventus pleaded, dabbing his brow with a handkerchief, "The damages incurred from the dragon's attack is going to put a large dent in our coffers."
Looking at the extensive damage created by the dragons, most people agreed that Proventus was unfortunately correct in this instance. The Bannered Mare and Belethor's General Goods aside, all the stalls in the market, cobblestoned market square, and terrain damage would all have to be paid out of the Hold's coffers. What made this all the worse was the fact that a civil war was about to break out, meaning all available resources needed to go toward defending and securing their territory. Unsure how they would pay for both expenses, the Jarl's brow furrow as he began thinking of ways to remedy the situation.
"Coin can be earned again; lives cannot be replaced. We should be grateful that we were able to take the foul beast out before more people died.", Kodlak remarked, reminding everyone to be grateful that the causalities were low.
"That is true, we should be looking at the positives, not the negatives, right now.", Balgruuf agreed, leaving the matter for another time, "Let us see about getting the dragon's corpse up to Dragonsreach so Farengar can begin studying it. Any further details we can get about these beasts will go a long way toward defeating them in the future."
Walking up closer to the corpse, I was about to offer my assistance in transporting the body when it suddenly began radiating a brilliant light. Watching the light flow into me, a few moments later, the corpse was nothing more than bones and items that had been in its stomach.
"By Ysmir's beard, you…you are Dragonborn!!", one of the guards shouted.
'Oh boy…here we go…', I thought, looking back at all of them.
Going through the spiel with the guards, almost everyone within earshot looked at me with hope and relief. Having conflicted feelings about what they were trying to push onto me, I did not want to immediately crush their dreams by telling them to screw off. I was willing to help rid their world of Alduin, as I knew how to reach him in Sovngarde, but dealing with the remaining dragons and this civil war was not in the cards. It was on the people of Tamriel to deal with those two glaring problems.
"Proventus, I may be able to contribute to the Hold's coffers a bit.", I said, changing the subject, "My family and I would like to purchase the vacant property near the gate. Could that be arranged?"
"My lord, do you permit them to purchase property in the city?", Proventus inquired.
"Of course, we would be honored to have his family call Whiterun their home.", Balgruuf acknowledged.
"Very well, the house in question is currently priced at seven thousand gold.", Proventus told me, "That said, given that the people of Whiterun owe you a great debt, I can lower the price to five thousand gold. Does that sound acceptable to you?"
"Absolutely, I can complete the purchase now if you have a moment to spare.", I said.
Motioning for us to follow him back up to Dragonsreach, he assured me that we could settle the matter within the hour.
---An Hour Later---
Leaving Dragonsreach, with the key to our new home in hand, we headed to the Bannered Mare to grab a bite to eat. Gingerly opening the charred door, fearing it could crumble apart any moment, the staff greeted us warmly and asked us to sit down wherever we liked. Grabbing the largest table they had, we took a seat and began to savor the pleasant aromas swirling in the air. Strutting over to take our order, the bar maiden Saadia welcomed us to the Bannered Mare.
"Before I take your drink orders, on behalf of the people of Whiterun, I thank you for your service today. Without your bravery and valor, the damage to the city and the people would have been far worse.", Saadia said, looking at each of us with gratitude, "Now then, what can I get all of you to drink?"
"A tall mug of cold mead for all of us.", I told her, as I removed my helmet, "If you could, please also bring us some bread to sop the mead up with."
"Of course, we have plenty of freshly baked left from breakfast this…", Saadia started to say, before looking at my face, "Oh my, it is a pity you hide such a handsome and manly face behind your helmet. I can see now how you built a harem with seven gorgeous women."
"Yes, I am reminded of how beautiful they are every time my eyes fall upon them.", I stated, with a smile.
"Maybe I could convince you to make room for an eighth woman?", Saadia inquired, provocatively leaning forward, "Adding a Redguard woman to the mix would be the perfect way to spice up your life. I can assure you that you will not be disappointed in me."
"While I fully intend to expand my harem, I do not believe you would be a good fit for our group. We are a band of bounty hunters and mercenaries, a bar maiden would not fare too well out there in the wilds.", I remarked.
"That is true, but I assure you I can be an excellent homemaker and mother to your children.", Saadia countered, "Just think about it and let me know."
Leaving our table, Saadia walked over to the bar shaking her hips in a provocative manner. While her seductive tricks might work on most men, I was not falling for her charms. She was a viper in sheep's clothing, a traitorous whore who sold her country and its people out to the Aldmeri Dominion. There was no way in hell I would ever allow her anywhere near my bed, there was no room for backstabbers in my harem.
Ignoring what had just happened, I pulled out a paper map that Proventus had given me of Skyrim and pointed to Windhelm. Telling my fiancées that the only boat to Solstheim was docked in Windhelm, we would have to charter the boat to reach the island instead of teleporting in.
"Is there any reason we cannot just teleport in?", Angelica asked, out of curiosity.
"There are entities called Daedric Princes that hold influence over this world, they may have connection to the Galactic Republic and Imperium's shared enemy. Till I am certain whether they are connected or not, I want to approach this matter cautiously.", I said, "One of the Daedric Princes is currently watching Solstheim closely so any use of technology there could raise the alarm. Last thing we want to do is have an incursion here because this world will fall in a matter of hours."
Accepting my reasoning, we switched gears and began discussing what we would order for lunch. Looking at what they had currently roasting over the fire, a face I knew very well entered the tavern.
"I figured I would find all of you here after the recent battle.", Aela said, with a grin, "Do you mind if I join you are your table?"
Introducing ourselves to her, as we made room at our table, Aela politely introduced herself to us before shouting her order at the proprietress Hulda. Pulling over a chair and plopping herself down, Mylene asked her if she needed something from us. Confirming that she had two reasons for seeking us out, she quickly got the point to avoid wasting time.
"The leader of the Companions, Kodlak Whitemane, would like to speak with everyone about possibly joining our ranks. All of us were very impressed with how you handled yourselves today, especially Roxanne and Victor. Everyone in the Companions would love to have you counted among our ranks.", Aela said, looking each of us in the eyes, "All that said, I have a second reason for seeking you out as well. Victor, I would like to formally challenge you to a duel."
"You want to challenge me to duel? For what reason?", I inquired, with a confused look.
"Ugh…Kodlak said you might ask for a reason.", Aela retorted, scratching her head, "Listen Victor, I will be straight with you, I am interested in you as a man. I have been looking for a suitable partner for a few years now, but I refuse to settle for any man weaker than me. While I do not like to boast, none of the men in the Companions can rival me in combat. Seeing as we are the best of the best in Skyrim, I had all but given up on finding someone till you came along. Watching you tear that dragon's head off…I knew you were the one I had been looking for."
"We hardly know each other though, what makes you think I am a good man?", I remarked.
Pointing at my fiancées, Aela said that a cowardly, weak husband could never satisfy seven powerful women like them. Giggling at that compliment, the seven of them admitted that I was quite an excellent husband.
"Even if you do not feel the same way, I would still like to duel you.", Aela stated, looking me in the eyes with sincerity, "Will you do me the honor, and fight me?"
Believing that she would be a good fit for our adventurous family, I wanted to broach this with a level head. If she did join us, Aela would have to be okay with leaving this world and the life she had built for herself here. Since divulging our identities to her right now was not an option, the next best thing was informing her of our current travel plans.
"I am more than happy to duel you, but as for becoming my wife, I think it would be best to travel together for a bit before making that call. We are heading out on a journey tomorrow, if you want to join us, we would be happy to have you.", I told her.
"Oh, tell me more about this journey!", Aela answered, with intrigue.
"Our first stop is Solstheim to mine up a large quantity of Stalhrim for a pet project of mine. After we wrap up there, I plan on tracking down one or two missing Elder Scrolls that are here in Skyrim. Lastly, my goal is to kill the Black Dragon Alduin. To do that, we will need to head to Sovngarde where he goes to feast on the souls of the dead to gain strength.", I said, making sure she understood everything clearly, "Would that be something you are okay with? I assume the Companions mean everything to you so if- "
"If that is truly what your journey is, I am more than ready to accompany the eight of you on this adventure.", Aela answered, cutting me off, "Just because I will be away from my family does not mean the bond we have built is gone. That part of me will always be in my heart till the day I die."
Deciding to use this journey as the means to test our compatibility, I offered her a hand and welcomed her to our party.