Emotions can be draining, expressing emotions can be exhausting, in particular for people who are usually quite reserved and private, like Lena and Lucien – yes, Lena, in spite of her outbursts of rage every now and again. Rage is easy, love is hard. After such an emotional night and morning, they needed time to relax, they needed a diversion. They rode to Windhelm.

…

“Hey!” – Roach reared up, a dead spider at her feet.

“Whoa!” – Lena nearly fell off. “Where did that come from?”

She got off the horse to harvest spider venom – and retrieve an ebony arrow. Lucien.

“How very romantic – throwing dead spiders at my horse’s feet” – Lena grinned at him.

“I thought you preferred your spiders dead, but I’ll try to keep them alive next time, if that’s what you want” – Lucien laughed. “Anything for you, dear!”

They continued on.

“That’s close enough!” – two bandits shouted at them from the steps of the Silverdrift Lair.

“If I ever heard an invitation…” – Lena muttered, drawing her bow.

“Aauww!” – “Let us end this little ga… Ahh…”

“I thought we were going to Windhelm?” – Lucien raised an eyebrow, getting off his horse. “Or shall we end their mysery?”

“Let’s” – Lena nodded. “I am feeling charitable today” – she smiled. “Besides, this is apparently a ‘lair’ – I wonder how it differs from regular crypts.”

They went in.

…

“Well, Dragonborn, now I see why you go into these crypts – to learn a new language” – Lucien watched Lena study the Word Wall. “But next time you use that shockwave, make sure I’m not in range, please – that blew me right into a fire trap.”

“Sorry” – Lena blushed. “Next time don’t get ahead of me when I’m drawing breath! I can’t stop it then.”

“I wonder how often dragons end up frying each other by accident?” – he smiled.

“I’m not a dragon” – Lena smiled back. “I can’t even do it as well as some of the draugr… But then again, they had more time to practice.”

…

Candlehearth Inn was warm and welcoming as usual. No one was paying any mind to a pair of mages in black robes – because who else would wear plain black robes besides mages? They had a late lunch, then went to walk around town.

“I haven’t been here in a long time” – said Lucien. “It brings back memories…”

Windhelm hadn’t changed much, although the Snow Quarter was now the Grey Quarter, and the docks were inhabited predominantly by Argonians. Some Nords were outspoken supporters of the Stormcloaks, others were not saying much – supporters of the Empire were not welcome here.

“There is an aura of death here” – said Lucien as they walked around the more upmarket parts of the city. “An aura of death and a stench of blood. Literally.” He rattled the handle of Hjerim. “Locked. I wonder…”

Lena walked over to the house next to it.

“This one doesn’t feel right either” – she said. “I can sense something…”

Blood trail led to the cemetery. There they found a young woman lying dead on one of the graves. She was naked and pale, but her belongings were right there next to her, including her coin purse.

“We have no time to deal with this” – the guard was saying. “Nobody had seen anything again, and I have no clue how to find the murderer.”

“Again?” – Lena picked it up.

“Yes, again – this is the third young woman killed in this fashion! But like I said – I don’t even know where to start looking!” She seemed angrier than usual.

“Well, can I help perhaps?” – Lena asked hopefully.

“You have to take that up with the steward at the Palace” – the guard sounded annoyed as well as angry now. “We can’t have just anyone walk around claiming they are on an official business! But if he allows it, then be my guest!”

With that, she marched off – too busy to attend to a mysterious murder.

“That’s City Guard for you” – was the general response from the onlookers.

“Let’s have another look around” – said Lucien following the blood trail back up the stairs towards Hjerim. “This house seems to be important – lots of blood here. But we cannot do anything right now – perhaps later” – he said taking Lena’s hand and pulling her into a back alley. “Fair maidens shouldn’t be walking through back alleys” – his eyes twinkled. “Wasn’t that the mystery you were solving in the Imperial City just before we left?” He kissed her. “Haven’t you learned anything?”

“I have” – Lena returned his kiss. “There were no vampires involved.”

Tova Shatter-Shield was about to enter her house when she heard strange noises coming from the back alley of her late daughter’s house next door. Worried that the murderer had returned, she went to investigate.

“Oh, pardon me! Do carry on” – she laughed, nodding approvingly. No one could accuse the Nords of shunning passion.