The Nord Smith

4E 121, 20 of Sun's Height

I awoke to the sound of giggles and a working forge.

"Please don't let it be the children again..." I said in a groggy voice. I got up slowly to put on my blacksmith apron, which was a perfect fit for a strong Nord woman. I then went to the mirror to check on my hair. It was still as golden and curly as ever.I went outside, and found children playing around the forge, which wasn't a big surprise. I scowled at them and walked over.

"Run along now little ones. I don't want to see you kids touch the forge again until you're older... Do I make myself clear?" I said in my mother-like tone.

"Yes, Miss Flandre..." The group said in unison.

"Alright then. Run along, little ones," They scurried off into the distance. "Cute kids." I said under my breath. I then sat down on the wooden bench next to that old war veteran Noster Eagle-Eye. "Finally a day to relax, and to not have a single care in the world." I took a breath of fresh air and closed my eyes for a brief moment.

"You can never relax with dragons lurking about..." He said in his old raspy voice.

"Hey, lighten up, Remember its Sun's Rest, work and you get fined. It’s time to relax and enjoy yourself. Besides, the Dragonborn will take care of it if one comes."

"That's what they all say, and the next thing you know, you're in a dragons stomach!" He scowled.

I decided to get up and relax someplace else where most people won’t bother me. Home.

I started to walk home seeing as it was just a short walk up the streets of Solitude.

"Miss! Miss!" I turned to see a young lad running towards me.

"Yes? What is it?" I asked.

"I've been sent here to give you a message." He said, catching his breath.

Figures. He was a courier. "Who's it from?"

"I don't know, b-but the man said the information was inside." Was he stuttering?

I gave him a worried glance. "What's wrong lad? You feeling alright?"

"I-I have to go!" He was gone within ten seconds, sprinting with the wind.

"Wonder what his problem is?" I thought as I walked inside, inspecting the package. It seemed to be the size of a sword, although I’d been wrong before. I came inside, moving all of the ingots, spare pieces, daggers, and other miscellaneous objects for the package. I slowly opened it. You can never be too safe around packages. After a few minutes, I had the package safely opened.To my surprise and excitement, inside was a Daedric blade!"By Talos... This is amazing!"

I admired the craftsmanship. It was obviously hand made from the markings on it. Then I noticed the letter that came attached to the blade. I ignored the seal and opened it up right away.

Miss Flandre,

This is a gift from me to you now make sure to keep it with you at all times. They are coming. And wear the armor that's going to arrive...

Sincerely,

A friend

This gave me chills across my back. I had no idea what he was talking about, and... who are they? Just then I got a knock on my door.

"Yes?" I asked as I opened it.

I saw a new courier. A more "manly" one, you might say. "I've got a package for you." He said in a gruff, nordic voice.

"Who's it from?" I asked.

The courier smiled and replied. "Some old blacksmith said this was from a friend."

As soon as he said friend, I knew it was the armor. I grabbed the armor and said thank you before quickly shutting the door. I opened the package with haste. This time a complete set of Daedric armor! "Oh my... Talos, thank you!" I cried to the heavens.

There was no note this time but I didn't care, all I really cared about was trying it on. It was perfect fit like most armor. I decided to follow the letter's advice and I kept the armor on along with the blade. I looked outside to see that it was already dark.

I remembered about the parcel I was supposed to deliver to Dragonbridge. It was 6:47 "It should only take a few hours to get there, and I'm just delivering shouldn't get in trouble." I thought. So I decided to leave the house and travel to Dragonbridge.

I arrived at the bridge two hours later. While traveling I gained many fearful looks from oher travellers I met during the trip. I knocked on the door of my customer.

"H-hello?" The brown argonian said, stuttering.

"Don't worry. It's just me, Julus." I said, lifting my helm and smiling briefly. "Here's that dagger you ordered," I handed him the parcel. "Now where's my coin?"

"Here you go, and thanks again for making me my 'supplies'." He handed over the gold.

"Don't mention it... Seriously, I shouldn't have delivered today."

"Alright, see you later!" He said, shutting the door quickly.

"See ya..."I said. With that I headed home.

I arrived at home late. I looked at the clock and it showed 10:21 PM. I realized how late it was and how tired I really was, yawning noisily, I dragged my feet over to my bed and laid down, going into a deep slumber almost instantly.

I opened my eyes and saw an endless mist and many, many stars. I immediately thought I was in Sovngarde, but it didn't have a nordly feel.

"Traveler, what brings you to this land? Have you come to harm?" A godly voice said.

"What do you mean by tha-"  I found that I was wearing the armor with the blade. "Oh... No, I'm not here to harm, but I don't really know where here is... Could you possibly know?" I asked in my kindest voice (even though it annoyed the hell out of me).

"Perhaps... but only if you can win my trust." The mysterious voice said.

I sighed. "And how could that be done?"

The disembodied voice didn’t waver for an instant. "Simple. All you have to do is to complete my test."

"Sounds simple enough... Alright, what should I do?" I asked hesitantly.

"First, answer these simple questions. What's your name and occupation?"

"I am known as Flandre the Smith, and I'm the best blacksmith in Solitude!" I pronounced proudly.

"Hmm... What is your species and where did they come from?" She asked in curiosity.

I smiled. "I'm a Nord, one of the people of Skyrim! It's believed that we came from the land known as Atmora in the ancient days."

"Could I ask you a question?" I asked.

"Go on ahead, even though you already made one." She joked.

I figured if this being knew what I was now, it was only fair that I know what it was. "What species are your people?"

"We are known as Alicorns, the Princesses of Equestria. We are ponies with wings and a horn." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Heh, that's stupid ponies ruling a kingdom. Stop joking around and tell me what your species actually is." I joked.

She stayed quiet. This made me uneasy.

I tried to see if she was still there. "Um... Are you alright?" I began to hear growls from the voice.

"Don't you ever insult my kind again..." She warned. “My species is proud.”

"Well this joke is getting old. Shut up and tell me the truth already." I retorted.

"Fine then.” It seemed she’d had enough of this. “Now, for the final part of the test, defeat my double!" She yelled in a booming voice.

Suddenly, a dark blue pony with a horn and wings appeared and faced me!

"What in the Nine?! What sort of trickery is this?!" I readied my sword and shield for anything from this...creature. I saw her charging a spell, so I naturally raised my shield in defense. It was partially successful, but I still got hit by the edges of the magic. I then attacked with a powerful blow to the being’s face, but she retorted with quick buck to the face.

"Ugh! You're going to pay for that!" I yelled with fury. I sheathed the shield and I swung my Daedric blade with all my might. This made the being stagger, but it quickly regained its footing. "How is that even possible?" I thought nervously.

It began to fly at me, and I tried to avoid the attack, but she was fast. Too fast. I was being lifted into the air by the creature, and I had the sword in my hand, so I plunged my blade into the being’s skull. It was a fatal blow.Like an illusion, it faded away, and I then crashed to the ground hard, leaving me heavily wounded.

I’ve completed your test now," I said, feeling dizzy/ I could feel the blood leaving my body. "Now... tell me... what... you..." Before I could finish, I felt all of the remaining energy leave my body, and everything went black.