An Unexpected Rescue

Chapter 9- Red Rage

A.N: I don't have Hearthfire. I'm going by what playthrough and wiki articles tell me. Come at me, bro.
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It had been six months since Scouts-Many-Marshes and Forges-Many-Blades had married at the Temple of Mara in Riften. From the day they had met, it seemed as if though the gods had smiled upon them since the beginning.
Ever since they had been declared husbands, Scouts felt more comfortable staying at home while Forges went out to explore, though he did have thoughts of leaving the manor before. Alas, Scouts stayed put, with Rayya the housecarl patrolling the halls and Meeko constantly pestering everyone to pay attention to him.
On this particular day, Forges had left to work as a mercenary and left the house, red and black armor in hand and took Rayya along for support. Scouts spent the time cooking some food and taking care of Meeko while he waited for Forges to return. The sun was high in the sky when he heard knocking on the door and a woman calling out from the other side. "Hello? Anyone there?"
Scouts opened the door and saw a Redguard woman standing outside with three men: A Nord, a Khajiit, and an Orc."I'm sorry to bother you," the Redguard said,"But we wandered off the trail and got lost. Could you please help us?" Scouts, being generous, accepted. "Come on in. Perhaps I can help."
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"...I made that be a warning to never poke a wolf in the rear with a stick", the Redguard, who referred to herself as Rochelle, laughed. "Definitely a dangerous situation," Scouts chuckled. Rochelle and her friends were definitely a cheerful group. Even Meeko felt comfortable sitting right next to the Khajiit. "So," Rochelle began,"Do you just live by yourself with your dog?" "Oh, no", Scouts replied. "My husband and his housecarl left a while back. They should be back any minute now." He turned around to tend to the cooking pot, which was almost done boiling the soup. "I see." Rochelle stood up. "Y'know," She began," You are quite a hospitable fellow. I thank you for your kindness." "Anytime friend," Scouts replied, "I want to help out any way I can." "Really now?," Rochelle said, amused. "Then I have a proposition for you..." Scouts heard Meeko yelp and turned around to see the poor dog being thrown into Forges's trophy room. "What are-" He was cut off by a dagger being pointed at his throat as Rochelle smirked evilly. "Come with us," she demanded," And I won't have to kill you..."
******(Dun-dun-DUUUUUNNN)******
The sun set as Forges-Many-Blades and Rayya made their way back to Lakeview Manor. Forges had finished up his work and was ready to go back home to check up on Scouts. "So," Rayya began," Where do you go?"
"Hmm?"
"You know, when you take jobs from the other mercenaries. You tell me to stay in Falkreath, disappear for a few hours, and then come back. Where are you going?"
"Can't tell you that, Rayya," Forges replied,"It's against my group's rules."
"But, my Thane..."
"No, Rayya," Forges growled," I am not going to risk my group by giving you their location." The Redguard made a pouty face but dropped the subject anyway. "Understood, my Thane..."
As they got closer to the manor, Forges saw someone standing outside the house pacing around as if they were waiting for someone. "Rayya," Forges whispered to his housecarl,"Find out what he wants." The Redguard nodded and walked over to the stranger, a Nord man in studded armor. "Excuse me," Said Rayya,"But you are on the property of the Thane of Falkreath. State your business here." "I have a message," The Nord replied," From my boss, Rochelle the Red. She's the one you should be talkin' to." He handed Rayya a letter. "Now, if you'll excuse me-"
"Not so fast."
Forges stood in front of the Nord, blocking his path. "Who are you?"
The Nord scoffed. "What's it matter to you? I got places to go, scale back. Beat it."
Forges glared at the Nord.
"Get him of my property, Rayya," he ordered. "I need to check up on my husband."
"As you wish, my Thane."
The Nord yanked his sword out and charged. "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!," He yelled. Rayya blocked his attack with her scimitar. "Go now, my Thane!"
Forges ran inside Lakeview Manor and was greeted with total disorder. The display cases were wide open, the table was cluttered, a cooking pot had spilled onto the floor and a chair blocked the door to the trophy room. On the other side of the door, Meeko scratched the wood and whimpered. Forges removed the chair and opened the door. Meeko rushed out and began barking and growling as he looked around the house, as if looking for an intruder. Rayya rushed inside, blood on her clothes and the letter in her hand. "My Thane!," She yelled," You have to see this!" She handed Forges the letter that the Nord had given her. Forges opened the letter and examined its contents:

While you were away, we came to visit your lovely house. Scouts-Many-Marshes made us feel right at home. In fact, we liked him so much, we took him back to Knifepoint Ridge with us.

If you want Scouts-Many-Marshes back, come see me. Bring 5000 gold and I'll discuss letting him go.

                  -Rochelle the Red

Forges-Many-Blades felt a string of emotions hit him at once.
First, it was confusion.
Then it was shock.
Then fear.
Then sadness.
Frustration.
And finally he was furious.
That good for nothing kidnapper-
Forges ripped the letter in half. "Stay here, Rayya.", He demanded," I'll be right back."
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"Let me out of here, you scum!"
"Shut up and wait! Rochelle will let you out when the gold's been paid."
Scouts-Many-Marshes couldn't believe this. That Rochelle woman had played him like a lute and was exploiting him for some extra cash. How utterly cruel. This was the last time he let a stranger into his house.
"And just what exactly," Scouts sneered,"Do you expect when my husband comes for me?"
The bandit scoffed. "He pays the ransom and no one gets hurt, idiot. Now shut up!"
'What utter nonsense,' Scouts-Many-Marshes thought to himself. Forges wasn't the type to just pay thousands of gold just to get what he wanted. In fact, he braced himself for the bodies to fall...
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Forges stomped up towards Knifepoint Ridge, muttering curses to himself. If that 'Rochelle' person thought she was going to get away with her heinous deed, then she had another thing coming...
He spotted a Redguard woman with a few other bandits, supposedly her bodyguards. Forges made his way over to the woman, who noticed him approaching and motioned for her bodyguards to look. "So, you finally made it," She said tauntingly. "Now then, let's get this over with." The tip of a greatsword grazed Rochelle's throat. And as soon as she saw Forges's searing glare, she knew she had made an awful mistake.
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Distant shouts and cries made their way to the back of Knifepoint Mine. In any other setting, this would've terrified Scout. But in this case, it was music to his ears. Just then, a bandit ran into the mines, arrows jammed in his back, bleeding. The bandit near Scouts-Many-Marshes cell rushed over as the other collapsed on to the ground. "What happened?!", The bandit asked.
"We lost Rochelle," the other coughed. "We're all going to die, for Talos's sake!" The injured bandit then died having lost too much blood. A yell echoed through the mine. "YOU BASTARDS ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!"

The bandit that was still alive drew his sword. "Wait here, scale back!," He called to Scouts. He charged towards Forges, sword pointed fowards... And his corpse was promptly thrown back into the mineshaft. Scouts rolled his eyes. Bandits were so stupid.

When he saw Forges's face as he decended into the mine, however, his expression went from subtly amused to concerned. "Uh, dear are you okay?" He received no response. Forges picked the lock on Scouts's door and nearly yanked the door off its hinges. Then, without warning, he grabbed Scouts by the arm and harshly pulled him out of the cell. "Let's go," Forges growled. "I've seen enough for tonight."

His grip on Scouts's arm tightened as he let his rage take over. Scouts-Many-Marshes felt the strong hand nearly crush his wrist and tried to pull away.

"Love, stop! You're hurting me-"

Forges stopped walking and let go of Scouts's arm. He then picked him up and carried him like a bride.
"

It's okay," Forges whispered," It's over. It's finally over."
"Forges..."

And so, they left and walked all the way home, silently, in the moonlight.