Chapter 1
Hello friends so I am republishing this story after quite a bit of editing and planning on continuing from where I left off. I hope you enjoy!
Happy Reading!
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I crouched down in the snow and sliced off a handful of Blue Mountain Flower blooms. They were covered in ice crystals, but they shouldn't have lost too much of their potency. I stowed them in my satchel as I straightened. My satchel was already overflowing, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to collect the blooms while I had the chance. There was no telling when my travels would take me to another region where the valuable blooms were this prevalent and I absolutely refused to purchase them from shopkeepers in the cities. What they charged for them was practically theft. And I would certainly know.
The bitter Arctic winds blasted between the mountains sending small whirlwinds of snow dancing around my boots. I looked over my shoulder, but couldn't see Mjoll anywhere behind me. We had been traveling the last couple days along the north forest road that ran between Solitude and Windhelm. We skirted both Morthall and Dawnstar without stopping, instead choosing to sleep out beneath the stars. For once, we were not pressed for time. There had been little trouble aside from the occasional wolf pack and Mjoll had adopted her own pace. With so little trouble even I didn't feel the need to travel in close proximity. When left to her own devices however, Mjoll traveled at a much more sedate pace than I preferred.
Mjoll and I had crisscrossed Skyrim so many times together I had stopped being dazzled by the sights and had taken to traveling with more expedience. Mjoll's love of traveling the wilds however was one of the things that made her such a great companion. She never complained about another night sleeping beneath the stars. She was simply content to follow the Dragonborn on whatever was to be my next great adventure. She loved the wilds and loved seeing all there was to see as we traveled. Unfortunately, it was also this very trait that had me annoyed with her now.
I stomped my feet, trying to stay warm as I waited for her to catch up. I had warmer gear in my knapsack, but getting it seemed like a waste of time. If we could just keep moving we would turn south once we reached Windhelm and continued on to Riften. Once we passed Kynesgrove the weather would improve dramatically. It was perhaps overly optimistic, but I was still hoping to get south of Kynesgrove before camping for the night. As I began to shiver in my armor I deeply regretted my choice to travel across the north instead of taking the longer, riskier road through The Reach. I would rather fight Forsworn than freeze any day.
Suddenly, everything went still. I froze. Even the wind, normally relentless in that part of The Pale, had ceased. It was as though Skyrim herself was holding her breath.
I tightened my fist on my ebony dagger. I silently cursed Mjoll again as a shiver ran down my spine. This one had nothing to do with the cold. I turned in a slow circle, my boots crunching softly in the new snow as I tried to determine the source of my unease.
I am Dovahkiin, I don't frighten easily, but there was something out there. I could feel it's malice, and strangely...it's patience. I let my eyes flit to the cliffs rising above me, but could see nothing but rock in the falling snow. I very slowly slid my dagger back into my belt and let my hands drift down to the hilts of my twin Daedric swords. I didn't draw them, I just closed my hands over their hilts. The leather grips were worn into the perfect shape of my hands and as I felt the enchantments flowing within them I immediately felt calmer. I pushed my cowl back, baring my cheeks to the icy air. I closed my eyes and listened.
I will be an old woman, warm and asleep in her bed, and I will still dream of the sound of dragon's wings. Nothing in all of Tamriel sounds quite like the air being beaten by their great wings, nor the feel of the very ground shaking beneath their feet. Nor is there anything that fills my mind with greater fear or my heart with the supreme joy as hearing the Thu'um of my kin echo through the mountains of my homeland.
I am a Nord through and through and with my cowl thrown back it is plain as day for anyone who cares to look. I have darker hair than most, a gift from my mother, but my heritage is unmistakable in my pale complexion and light blue eyes. It is not always good to be recognized however, especially not in the middle of a Civil War. A civil war I had opted out of, making me not an ally of either side, but rather an enemy of both. For both the Imperials and the Stormcloaks believed that if the Dovahkiin was not on their side then none could risk her being against them. I had faced my fair share of assassins on the sparsely traveled roads. I was not very popular in Skyrim just now.
I pulled my cowl back over my face and closed my eyes once more. This time, instead of focusing outward I turned my focus within. Despite not hearing anything I could not shake the feeling that I was not alone.
"LAAS YAH NIR," my shout whispered, barely loud enough for my own ears. I opened my eyes and the forest around me faded as though it were part of a dream and the nearby life forces shimmered and glowed red and pink depending on their strength.
I grunted in disappointment. Nothing but rabbits and deer, a fox and - something coming up the road behind me. It was moving fast.
I drew my swords and swung them experimentally to loosen my cold and stiff muscles. Suddenly I didn't feel the cold at all as my adrenaline surged. I drew my internal focus to the next shout I would use. Once satisfied I had it firmly in my mind I turned towards the glowing red life force. I licked my lips and waited for my adversary to appear.
"Freyja!"
I exhaled and the tension left my body so fast I felt almost dizzy as Mjoll came jogging into view. She slowed, a frown forming on her pretty face. Seeing me with my blades at the ready she immediately reached for her Warhammer. They didn't call her The Lioness for nothing. We had been together long enough it sometimes felt as though she could read my mind. I lowered my swords and she relaxed with me.
"Everything alright?"she asked, her breath coming out in a white cloud in the cold mountain air.
I nodded, still preoccupied. "Just a bad feeling-" I didn't immediately look at her. I was having trouble not watching the skies. When she didn't respond I finally managed to look her way.
She studied me for a few long moments and I noticed she was not as quick to put her weapon to rest. Sometimes I think she trusts my instincts more than I do. I shook my head as I sheathed my swords. "It's nothing," I assured her again. "Too long on the road," I added quickly.
Mjoll looked doubtful as she glanced around at the snow covered trees as though she would see something I missed or maybe identify what had me on edge. Her eyes flitted to the cliffs looming over us, but there was nothing to see in the falling snow.
"Really," I said, this time I forced the confidence I didn't feel into my words. "We are going to be passing close to Windhelm. It has me on edge." It sounded reasonable even to me. The best lies are steeped in truth and if we were caught near Windhelm I would be in serious trouble.
Mjoll chewed on her lip, as was her habit when she was thinking or worrying. She glanced at the sun, which was now well passed midday. "We passed the Nightgate only a little while ago, we could-"
I was already shaking my head. If we stopped now and backtracked to the Inn it would add almost a full day to the road to Riften. And while there was no pressing business waiting for us to demand speed, I was eager to enter The Rift. It was the one hold in all of Skyrim in which I was completely safe.
While the Jarl supported the rebel's cause she was not powerful enough in her own right to pursue me no matter what Ulfric said. The Thieves Guild was once more a force to be reckoned with and they took care of their own. Not to mention the support The Guild had from the powerful Black-Briar family.
"I would prefer to return to The Rift as quickly as possible." I kept my voice even and firm. What she was suggesting wasn't ridiculous. Nightgate was an ill frequented inn and we had stayed there before and been safe enough. But I would not sleep well until we returned to the Rift, and I desperately needed to sleep. We had been on the road for months without returning home and it was wearing on me. I longed for my own bed and a meal where I didn't have to constantly watch my back.
Mjoll nodded good-naturedly, though whether or not she actually agreed with my decision I would never know. She was good at getting along and had an uncanny knack for knowing when to push and when to step back and let me have my way. My stubbornness had been my downfall on more than one occasion.
"We could try to catch a carriage out of Windhelm. It would be much faster than trying to cross the thermal lands on foot," she suggested lightly. I could see the faint glimmer of hope in her eyes.
It would be faster, but we were not going to be catching a carriage. In fact, we were going to be giving Windhelm as wide a berth as possible. It was too dangerous for me to get that close to the city and even more so if the carriage driver somehow figured out who I was. It had the potential to lead to a certain type of moral dilemma I usually tried to keep from Mjoll.
This was just one more sharp reminder of my real purpose behind the journey to Riften. I was bringing Mjoll home although I hadn't broken the news to her yet. I loved Mjoll, she was my closest friend and someone a truly trusted. Something that was incredibly rare in my line of work.
We have been friends and travel companions for well over a year. We have fought at one another's back against the undead, bandits and dragons alike and not once had Mjoll hesitated. But there were certain parts of my life with which Mjoll is not comfortable. She would never leave me over them, but I couldn't in good conscience continue to divide her allegiance over what she believes to be morally right and her honor bound dedication to my service.
I hadn't told her yet. I knew exactly what her response would be, she would take it personally. But I knew once we were back in Riften and she was with Aerin it would be easier on her. Aerin would help her understand once I had left.
"We will have to see if there is even a carriage there," I finally allowed. But I had waited too long to answer and she saw straight through me as usual. She snorted and shook her head, the look she gave me saying plain as day she did not believe a word I said.
I opened my mouth, but had no idea what to say. Lucky for me, I was saved from having to come up with a better answer by a dragon dropping out of the sky.
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Thank you for taking a chance on a new story. I hope you enjoyed it. Skyrim has always been near and dear to my heart and this one is a bit of a pet project of mine. I have always wanted to finish it and am now going to take a shot at it.
Thank you for reading!
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