Sven handed me a letter, intended to frame Faendal as hating this girl Camilla. I took it and gingerly walked down the road to the shopfront, entering with the letter and pausing in front of Camilla and her brother as they seemed to be in a heated argument. This was the same argument that would normally lead to a main story quest for the Dragonborn.
I paused for a moment as I looked them over. These were no longer characters in a game, but real people. A pang of guilt washed over me as I looked down at the letter in my hand, before I turned around and exited. What was I doing? Was I just going to act the quest out in one of two separate ways like in the game itself?
I stashed the letter in my pocket and headed around to the lumber mill, searching for the elf Faendal. he was where he was expected to be, cutting lumber. As I approached him, I didn't really know what to say until I was reminded of his archery skills by the bow on his back. He was carrying a number of cut logs along with him. Grey hair in a ponytail, green and white coat, he was maybe 5 foot tall, slim with pointed ears. For a moment once again I hesitated, realising again it was awkward approaching someone knowing all I knew. Regardless, he had seen me now, so I had to say something.
"Hail, uh... Woodcutting must be good for your bow arm friend."
"Oh, I suppose..." He seems to respond well enough, stopping momentarily to stack his timber before facing me. "But nothing beats practice with the real thing." He looks behind me, seeing the longbow hanging behind me. "Are you an archer uh?"
"Oh, mm, Lokir. No, not really, though I might someday if I could get the training."
Faendal nods in response, glancing off into the distance momentarily and back, before continuing, "Well, I could probably help you with that, for the right price."
"Uh, I'll keep that in mind, but there was something I came to ask though. I've been looking for work and hear there might be a little conflict between you and the Nord Sven in town"
Faendal sighs and crosses his arms, "Is it that obvious?"
I nod.
"Hmm, well, I suppose it couldn't hurt to tell you, you see we both like the same girl, Camilla Valarius. See, he thinks his ballads and sonnets are going to convince her to marry him. As if she would say yes. An intelligent and beautiful woman wouldn't fall for that nonsense... I hope."
"Why did you sound a little unsure then?" I replied ad lib at this point, starting to feel a little more confident that I could take conversations a little off the rails.
With that, Faendal discussed his problem further, doing the same thing as Sven, handing me a letter to sabotage him. It was at this point I was going to attempt something a little different.
"Can you follow me for a second Faendal, there's something I need you to see."
He shrugs and agrees, leading me to walk back to the main road. I wave down Sven, who looks incredibly irritated at my approach.
"Have you betrayed me? Why did I even think to-"
"NO" I stated in the most commanding voice Lokir could muster. Quietening my voice, I turn to face both of them. "I need to speak to you both outside of town."
Faendal glares back at me in response, looking equally angry... As I walked ahead of them, I began to sweat from the nerves. Was this a bad move? Could they be reasoned with, or was it going to end in bloodshed?
Once we had made enough distance that I thought we could speak normally, I braced in my head and took a deep breath before turning about.
"You both have more in common with each other than you think." I draw out the two letters simultaneously from my pockets. "You both had exactly the same idea to sabotage the other! What is wrong with the two of you? Huh?"
Their looks of anger twist as they wrestle with the irony of the situation.
"Faendal, you claim to value her intelligence, right? Sven, as a bard, do you really want to win her over by sabotage? Doesn't seem very honourable or like a love story worthy of song...."
Both Faendal and Sven start to reply several times in apparent anger, which makes me nervous. People kill each other in this world over less.
Suddenly, Sven laughed sheepishly and shook his head. Faendal also crossed his arms and slowly nodded with a sigh. "You're right", Sven replied. "This is so ridiculous, it'd make a good song."
"Yes, I've been foolish", Faendal responded, looking up at me. "But what are you going to do about the letters?"
I hold the letters up in front of me and rip them up about 3 times, taking the contents and scattering them in a river that is running next to us. I walk back up to the two of them and smile.
"You should both just explain the situation to her and give her a chance to decide. That takes courage, but it respects her wishes. It's the honourable path"
The two take some time to reflect, before deciding to confess to Camilla and explain the situation, returning with smiles on their faces.
"She says she is interested in both of us, but doesn't know who to choose" says Faendal, who is positively beaming. "I feel so much lighter" Sven adds. "I'm not sure what to do with myself."
Faendal tilts his head a couple of times to the left and right. "I've uh, I've been thinking, maybe we could give her some space for a little while and get out of town. Lokir, if you're only travelling through, I'd love to repay you if I can, teach you the bow." Sven nods in earnest "Me too, I mean, I can't teach you the bow, but I'm sure there'll be something."
These were fantastic results. Originally I wanted to confront them because I felt bad about how the quest always screwed either one of them over, or both. It seemed they wouldn't be permanent companions as a result, but if they were going to offer to train me for free, that's all the better.
My response is an enthusiastic one. "That would be great! I've only recently started travelling and I've nearly died once already. I need to learn the basics of survival."
Faendal looked at me annoyed and maybe a little horrified, "Wha- why would you travel around Skyrim without knowing the basics of survival?" Sven added "That does sound pretty foolish."
I didn't want to have to explain things at this point, so I shook my head as I headed towards the Sleeping Giant Inn nearby. "Because I am a fool, that's why."
They both laugh and follow after me.
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