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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.
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previous day
4-201-11-14 09:05
Calixto's House of Curiosities, Windhelm, Eastmarch, Skyrim
Our small house doesn't have a bath, so we use the one at the inn.
I find an excuse to stay behind with Lydia when Jenassa and Jordis are leaving. I ask her the question that's been bothering me: where did Jenassa sleep the other night in Hviterun?
Lydia has already heard it all from Jenassa herself. She slept in The Drunken Huntsman with her boyfriend-so-far Anoriath and they actually made love, but Jenassa wasn't too happy about it, because she's still head over heels with Nelacar. More precisely, she doesn't feel guilty about "betraying" Nelacar, she feels guilty about letting Anoriath think they're still a couple, and yet she doesn't know how to break the news to him, and she feels she can't just ignore him and sleep elsewhere while she hasn't told him she has a new boyfriend.
Indeed, the elves seem to take everything more slowly and thoroughly than we do, including getting themselves into a mess.
As much as I enjoy walking around in Windhelm (unless the weather is really bad), I limit myself today to a quick shopping tour. I also pay a visit to the court wizard Wuunferth to ask him what to do about the evil mage Orthorn.
Wuunferth informs me that when left unguarded, a mage like Orthorn would likely be able to gather up enough magicka to free himself from his cage in a matter of hours, certainly within a day. Meaning, he's pretty certain to have escaped by now. But he promises he'll ask the jarl to send messages to other jarls asking them to arrest Orthorn when sighted.
Wuunferth has a most amazing voice, the deepest one I've ever heard.
Hearing him say the above phrase actually makes me wet. (Please don't tell Yrsarald!)
Hearing him say the above phrase actually makes me wet. (Please don't tell Yrsarald!)
We rush towards Kynesgrove and Sahloknir's Burial Mound to rendezvous with Rudelphine and, should a dragon be awakened, hopefully kill him before he can do any harm to the population.
Having run through Kynesgrove, we see indeed a dragon from a long way away. I begin shooting at him and then I'm astonished to recognize him as Alduin – the very dragon who destroyed Helgen.
We shoot dozens of arrows into him, but none of them seems to even scratch him. I feel very frustrated. What if Alduin has some magical defense against arrows? What are we supposed to do then? Get closer to the burial mound, I suppose. If we can't harm Alduin, at least not from this range, then the only thing we can do is to find Rudelphine. Maybe she will know what to do.
Arriving at the burial mound, we see that Alduin is doing something, with the apparent purpose of awakening the dragon inside it. That one we kill before he can even take off.
My joy is ruined by Miraak stealing the dragonsoul and gloating at me. This does it. We'll return to Solstheim today and rub out that obnoxious prick.
At least Alduin leaves us alone for the time being. It doesn't even occur to me to wonder what his game may be. When I think about it afterwards, I cannot see one logical reason why he shouldn't have used the chance to kill the Dragonborn. And yet, he didn't. It means there is something important going on I don't know. All kinds of people and non-people seem to be playing games with me. But enough of that. Rudelphine is there and now she's demure and docile and tells me she'll answer all my questions. Nothing held back. I'm pleased with her improved attitude, but she is still going to get her punishment.
I learn that Rudelphine is a member of an ancient organization called The Blades who served the last Dragonborn emperor (that was Martin Septim two hundred years ago) and have been waiting for a new Dragonborn to appear ever since. Thalmors are their deadly enemies and that's the reason why Rudelphine has been so secretive and suspicious so far. In fact, she suspects the thalmors have something to do with the reappearance of the dragons.
She suggests we find a way to sneak into the Thalmor Embassy which is near Solitud. We should meet in Riverwood to make plans.
That is fine with me. But now... It's a pity it has begun to rain, but there's nowhere indoors we can go here.
To tell you the truth, after this encounter and the complete change of Rudelphine's behavior, I even feel sorry for her. That's why I order my followers to go out of sight to spare her the additional humiliation, and I stop the whipping soon after she starts to cry. After I've made her apologize, I tell her she's been forgiven. She knows now who the boss is. No more of that condescending "I know what you're going to do" talk.
I join my girls and we waste no time returning to Windhelm. Captain Gjalund doesn't seem too unhappy to receive another 2500 septims.
[series of 4 pictures you can click through; click on the first picture to make it big, then click again to see the next picture etc.; press Esc to return to the text]
The wind is favorable and sooner than expected we're among the familiar gray-brown walls of Ravenrock.
We won't be going anywhere tonight. We just pay a brief visit to the market square where I'm most pleased to meet my friend Milore the alchemist on the market square and have a long cordial conversation with her. She mentions that a woman named Daynasa Avalu is looking for someone to take a certain to Master Sergius in Winterhold. I say I can do it, and Milore asks a boy to go and tell Mrs. Avalu. Soon the woman herself arrives and gives me the ring.
It's a quarter to nine in the evening when me and my followers go to sleep in our house. Early as it may be, I'm tired and there's nothing meaningful to do and this way we'll be able to make optimal use of the daylight hours tomorrow.
next awakening
