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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
4-202-04-01 06:09
The Mer Inn, Granite Hall, Whiterun, Skyrim
I can't avoid Mojarik satisfying himself with me one more time, and then I'm finally able to get into my clothes and hurry to have a bath with my followers. I don't think I'll want to be with him again.
I tell the girls to give me a couple of hours alone at the shrine of Dibella west of here. They can kill time in the town or something.
The I run westwards. At the shrine, I sit down and look at the glowing coals in the firebowl.
I feel very calm for the first time after several hasty and confusing weeks. I'm not sure I did the right thing by not going to Windhelm right away, but I'm not turning back now.
I ponder the question if I should have refused to have sex with Mojarik last night, but then, all things considered, I still think I made the right decision not to ruin our relationship over one little conflict like that. Um... yes, I intend to break up with him anyway, but now at least it doesn't have to happen with a fight. And I retain the option of changing my mind.
I'm also wondering if I've been acting too slutty, but I'm forbidden to worry about it, so I dismiss that thought decisively, as I've been doing every now and then during the last months.
With that weird state of non-action in Cyrodiil, does Skyrim have a realistic chance against the Aldmeri Dominion at all?
The question is too difficult. I can't be bothered to rack my brain with something like this right now. I listen to the birds and the gentle wind and eye the objects on the altar that have been brought by unknown people as offerings (I presume). At least the Empire's secret service is still working towards thwarting the Dominion, as I had the fortune of finding out. Which reminds me – I have important information to deliver to Yrsarald, so I should have gone to Windhelm first after all. Oops! Well, I'm still not going to turn back now. I. Am. Not. Going. To. Turn. Back. Now.
I'd better get going before I fall asleep in this peaceful place. I send a telepathic signal to the girls and start walking to the west to give them time to catch up with me.
At the place where one road goes to the right across the bridge towards Markarth, we turn left, uphill to the south. I ask the girls what it was like to walk around in Hviterun in those fine Cyrodiilian clothes. They all agree it was awesome and we should do it more often. As for what to do about the shoes, they don't have an answer either. There simply aren't any available. Neither seem the people in Skyrim hold it for very important, so maybe we'd just better not sweat it either.
It's nice to be in Dushnikh Yal. I feel tempted to sit down next to the chief and idle the delightful sunny day away, but I kind of feel it wouldn't be appropriate.
So we do our shopping and get some Heavy Armor training and proceed unhurriedly to Markarth which we reach a little past 11 o'clock.
We talk to some people to make sure no Silver-Bloods have been sighted since the last time we were here. Then we go to the Fortune's Tradehouse. The delivery with Dalmyn's remains has arrived all right, but Fortune refuses to tell me what the Dwemer artifact is for. So I won't give it to him. He acts indignantly, but realizes he has no way of overpowering the four of us.
Now I suppose there's nothing more for us to do in this city. It's still early enough to explore a Nord ruin Ragnvald north of here at the request of Tolfdir and comfortably reach Karthwasten for the night, to proceed to Mor Khazgur tomorrow.
Yeah, before we leave, we'd better drop by the palace so the jarl can see we're alive and free.
My friend Faleen, the jarl's housecarl, is very happy to see me. The wizard Calcelmo, however, barely takes notice. How different can people be!
Having exited the city by the main gate, we basically need to travel north. That'll be up the mountains on our left. (This picture faces east, more or less.)
They seem utterly unclimbable here, but we're still going to try. It's good exercise.
We go up the stairs onto the city fortifications first and banter some with the soldiers. There's no way getting to the mountains from here, though (or vice versa; the fortifications are very well designed). A little way further east, however, we succeed in climbing over. On the other side, we're already seeing Ragnvald. Tolfdir has asked me to retrieve a special magical tool called Kahvozein's Fang that should be there.
We sneak closer carefully, but there doesn't seem to be anybody outside.
It's an ancient Nordic ruin with not too many draugrs. Much of the roof is missing:
One of those birdhead statues has fallen down:
A part of the sinister walls is covered with mysterious carvings:
It's a good thing that most of Ragnvald consists of large halls. Thanks to having plenty of space, we kill the draugrs easily.
The only difficult part is locating a switch to open an important grating blocking our way. Then we find Kahvozein's Fang and I also get a dragon shout.
[series of 3 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]
Then we return, leaving a larger part of the ruin complex unexplored.
My time planning has been right. Karthwasten where I intended to spend the night is to our east-northeast and we'll probably reach it before it's completely dark. Directly in our path is the Shrine of Peryite. We watch a nice flock of birds fly past while a Khajiit alchemist Kesh insists on telling us about repulsive diseases and such. We find a book that suggests that something may be found at a shrine of Mehrunes Dagon, another daedra, up the mountains southeast of Stonehills. I couldn't care less.
We arrive in the nice peaceful village of Karthwasten at half past 7. The miners are just going inn from work. (All right, that's not entirely true. Some of them are actually going home.) I see my boyfriend Vegard, but pretend not to notice him. I'm kind of not in the mood. I check out the mines and then join my followers at the inn. Vegard is there and looks at me expectantly. I sigh with resignation. There's clearly no way for me to get out of this civilly.
I tell Vegard I don't want to go to the mine this time. Let's walk a little way uphill behind the inn. No one is walking around at this hour and it's dark anyway. I don't mention the risk of being interrupted by wild animals and the fact that I don't really mind if it should happen.
Well, what can I say? Our lovemaking is spectacular.
The sight of the wooden houses with lit windows below us (and the inhabitants whom we can't see resting peacefully behind them) and the night sounds are so calming and soothing, and Vegard takes his time making sure I'm fucked through and through. The whole world is wonderful all of a sudden. I'm so happy I didn't give in to my hesitations! (Or, actually I did give in, but Vegard, being a real man, didn't care. Well, you get the idea.)
We sit a little in the somewhat cramped taproom afterwards and I go to sleep at about midnight thoroughly pleased with myself.
next awakening
