Always Lost, Always Hopeful (37) Alive and a Little Amused

———————————————
SPOILER INFO
This fanfic novel is largely based on the events that occurred in an actual game of Skyrim I played. Therefore, it's inevitably a spoiler.
———————————————




previous day






4-201-09-22 00:28
Windpeak Inn, Dånstar, The Pale, Skyrim


A little past midnight, I have a bath and knock up my followers. They're not too happy, but their boss is rested and ready to depart and objections are smilingly ignored.

Our destination is Hviterun. More precisely, I want to visit Outcast Valley, alone. Don't ask me why. It's an intuition.

First we go south along the highway to kill a giant for the jarl at Red Road Pass nearby. It's easy. A little further, we discover the Hall of the Vigilant – a big country house with 7 or 8 virrs. They look like generally decent people, but talk like fanatics and there's nothing interesting for us to see there.

A little later, we pass by that Fort Dunstad again, and I figure this is a suitable opportunity to check out the interiors where we would presumably find many bandits and get some decent loot, and so wouldn't have to arrive in Hviterun empty-handed.

The ramparts are abandoned. The bandits we killed recently haven't been replaced.

The picture was taken after the indoors battles, just before leaving.
But it looked the same when we arrived, except that it was night.

In the courtyard, there is an inn. Really? We go in. Yes, it's an inn, although probably not serving travelers. But it even has a bath downstairs, as well as two alive bandits and one dead one. Needless to say, we make it three dead bandits.

Then we enter the actual fortress. There are two separate areas, in neither of which we succeed in attacking covertly. Especially the second one is a ghastly mess. Not only do I take dangerous damage, I completely lose control of the situation, so that two or three bandits actually turn up behind me, taking me completely by surprise. Fortunately, my girls are very efficient and we all survive that horror.

The village of Laintar Dale is not far from here. I think I can improve our gear at the smithy there (although I have very few raw materials) and Murzush will probably open shop soon. But first we go and check out an amazing metallic construction a little to the west from Laintar Dale.

It seems to be the same kind of apparatus we saw at Deep Folk Crossing in the far west. I had thought that maybe it was somehow using the energy of the flowing water, but this one isn't anywhere near a river.

We climb to the top of the higher building you can see in the previous picture,

but we're not going to look around for more Dwemer things that may be somewhere in the area. My curiosity is satisfied for today and we return to Laintar Dale. I succeed indeed in selling most of our excess gear to the smithess, and she allows me to use her smithing facilities. While I work, I let Lydia tell me about yesterday. Jenassa and Rayya heard it already in the evening when I was sleeping. Lydia tells me he was most touched when Bjarne didn't want to leave immediately after sex, but when she realized he wasn't going to get hard again, she suggested she shouldn't keep him from his work and indeed offered to accompany him, and then she went with him on a patrol and later they sat in the barracks with other guards, as well as Jenassa and Rayya, and chatted the evening away. I'm not surprised Lydia hadn't any difficulties finding a common language with the town guards.

We continue our journey southwards. I'm glad to see the Loreius couple are alive and well at their farm. Hviterun is not far now.

I get rid of the rest of our excess loot in the eastern suburb. Then we enter the city proper. Since I intend to go to Outcast Valley alone and I have no idea what I'll encounter there, I give everything non-essential to my followers, so I'll be as lightweight as possible. Lucia walks with me to the palace where we chat a little with Farengar and Heidi. Then I go to the temple to get Kynareth's blessing and give Idgrod's letter to Danica. Lucia who doesn't want to see sick people waits outside. Then we walk downhill to the marketplace. I say hello to my dear Ysolda and ask Lucia to go back to work rather than accompany me to The Bannered Mare where I intend to deal with Mikael.

I'm prepared to kill, but astonishingly that obnoxious bard agrees to stop pestering Carlotta. He's quite flirtatious with me, though, and, to my utter shame, I must admit that I find myself not as repulsed by him as I've been used to. (Just please don't tell anyone, I'm begging you.)

Having brought the happy message to Carlotta, I notice Aela and two men apparently returning from a mission. I greet Aela and she stays behind to have a chat while the men proceed towards Jorrvaskr.

We ask each other what's new and such. Over Aela's shoulder, I notice Jon Battle-Born approaching along the main street. He smiles brightly when our eyes meet, but then he realizes it's Aela I'm talking to and walks past us like he doesn't know me. I find it amusing.

Rayya joins us and it occurs to me to ask Aela what she knows about Saadia. She says she remembers how Saadia came to Hviterun and Aela was positive she looked like she was running away from something, but she has never discussed it with anyone. Neither have the two ever talked – Saadia goes out rarely and Aela doesn't like hanging around in bars. But she recalls that a suspicious Redguard man was imprisoned some time ago. She describes his looks and it sounds very similar to those men who told me they were looking for a certain Redguard woman.
Rayya says the outfit is typical for the warriors from a region called Alik'r. They are known for their fierceness, so if Saadia is being chased by them, she's in big trouble.
Aela replies that the Alik'r warriors (I shall call them "alikrs" for short) are known in Skyrim as troublemakers and that's why they aren't even allowed to enter Hviterun. She insists the city is safe and I agree with her. Rayya remains visibly skeptical, but doesn't argue.

We wish each other good luck and I go home to get some sleep. Yes, I know, it's only noon, but I've been up for 12 hours and I'm tired and I'm going to Outcast Valley later today and I've no idea if I'm going to have any sleeping opportunity there. So, I wish you good night for this afternoon.



next awakening






return to the table of contents