Chapter Text
Fiona, the petite female Bosmer, her housecarl Lydia and I had found the place called Bannermist Tower. According to Jarl Siddgeir of Falkreath, the bandits were no longer cooperating with him and thus needed to be eliminated. At first, our sneaky approach was successful, but when Fiona had tried to lure another bandit out of the tower, the bandit boss himself, judged by the quality of his armor, came running out and attacked her, before Lydia and I could intervene. This was not what the plan had been, and I was not quite sure how the young Dragonborn would react.
She had the bow on her back and no weapons visible in her hands, and for a second or two she looked like paralyzed. When the bandit was only a few meters from her, though, with his sword raised above his head as preparation for a strong swing, Fiona apparently realized that she needed to do something, opened her mouth wide and shouted:
‘FUS!’
The dragon shout hit the bandit right in the chest and staggered him; the sword fell from his right hand, and he looked like he had just run into a wall. Lydia reacted faster than I did and ran over, and before the bandit had fully recovered from the shout’s effect, he found himself face to face with the tough housecarl.
Lydia was a formidable warrior, but the bandit chief was taller and stronger than her, and Lydia had a difficult position, specifically after he had managed to pick up his sword again. Fiona, though, once she had noticed the effect her Thu’um had had on the enemy, seemed to recall that she also had something else at her disposal. She raised her left hand, closed her eyes for a moment, and when a magical aura showed, she made lightning jump over to the bandit. The big Nord twitched for a few seconds, and that gave Lydia the opening she needed to decide the fight in her favor.
Only now it came to my mind that I could have helped; a little late. Just when I was about to walk over to the two ladies from my current position right next to the tower entrance, I heard a sleepy voice behind me:
“What’s all that noise? How am I supposed to sleep like this? Can you please take your arguments somewhere else?”
A female Altmer appeared next to me, rubbing her eyes. When she saw the dead bandit chief on the ground, she became alarmed, and I could see that she started to charge a spell in her hands. Too late she noticed me right next to her, and before she managed to raise her hands and discharge her spell against me or somebody else, my battle axe cut deep into her body. I had not had the time to aim properly, but as she only had a mage robe on her body rather than armor, I dealt lots of damage. She yelled and clutched her chest, and I delivered the final blow by cutting deep into her neck; I had no intention to be hit by whatever spell she had tried to charge.
Lydia and Fiona came over, and Lydia gave me some dark looks:
“See how your plan worked out. My Thane was in great danger, and only her own quick reaction saved her!”
I just nodded, and I knew that she was right. My plan had been flawed, and maybe I should leave battle planing to Lydia in future. Besides I had had to kill a person again, and despite understanding the necessity, I still did not like it at all and was almost repulsed by my own behavior. When I looked at the dead Altmer and all of the blood on her body, I almost had to vomit.
However, Fiona jumped in on my side:
“But, Lydia, see, at least he got the mage when she emerged!”
Lydia snorted and commented:
“Right, so we better check who else might be inside.”
The three of us entered the tower and looked around. There was not much to see on the ground level. One level higher there was a chest with quite some gold and jewelry. The top level, finally, had a table and a few chairs plus another chest. In there, we found various pieces of armor, some clothes, a few potion bottles and other small items. There also was a small strongbox, locked of course. We opened it with a key we had found on the bandit chief’s body, and we found a nice sum of septims, which we split between us. On a shelve, there were some bottles of wine, most of them empty. Based on the description the Jarl had provided, we identified the wine which he had ordered, but only three of them were still full; I carefully stowed them in my backpack.
Down at the entrance again the Bosmer called our attention to something we had missed before:
“Look, there are a few steps going down, too. Let’s see what’s there!”
“Maybe another storage area” Lydia suggested.
The steps ended with a sturdy door, which was of course locked. As we did not want to spend more time searching for the key, Fiona got to work, recalling that she was decent in lockpicking, but when the door was unlocked, Lydia insisted to enter first. From behind her I could see a small room with a bedroll and not much else, and an Argonian was sitting in a corner. Lydia had her sword in her hand, and the Argonian looked at her:
“Why the drawn weapon? Is it contemplating violence again?”
Violence? Wasn’t she one of the bandits? Lydia seemed to hesitate as well:
“Who are you?”
“Well, sitting here in a cell which was locked all of the time, I am certainly not the Jarl of Falkreath.”
“Very funny” Lydia snorted.
Fiona had gazed at the Argonian, and I assumed that this might actually be the first of their race she had ever seen; I had at least seen one in Riverwood before, although this one here looked somehow different. When prodded by Lydia, she claimed that her name was ‘Finds-Many-Plants’ and that she was the assistant to Zaria, the owner of the shop ‘Grave Concoctions’ in Falkreath. Lydia was unsure if we should believe her, but I suggested:
“Look, Lydia, we can take her back to the city, and Zaria can either confirm her story or not. If she does not, the Argonian will go directly to prison, but if she does, we may have done another favor for Jarl and hold.”
Fiona took my side, so that this was decided. As we could not be sure, the Argonian՚s hands were going to be tied in front of her, Lydia attached a rope and handed over the other end to me:
“Here, Khajiit, make sure that she does not escape!”
Yep, it sure looked like the housecarl was still angry with me. I probably deserved that, too. With myself not versed in combat and warfare, I should better leave those tings to those who knew about that, and Lydia certainly qualified.
Lydia guided us back to the city, taking a short cut in southeastern direction. We got close to a pond, but Lydia sensed danger, and indeed we could see a couple of spriggans when looking through the trees. She strongly advised to avoid the forest guardians, which seemed to be reasonable, and we managed to pass them at some distance without being noticed. When we were back on the road, Fiona came to my side and asked in a subdued voice:
“Is that another special race here in Skyrim? Lydia named her an Argonian, if I understood correctly?”
“Yes, she is an Argonian. They can breathe underwater as well as above, and they are at home in warm and humid swamp and marsh areas, like Black Marsh in the southeastern area of the continent.”
“So, I assume that there are not so many around in cold Skyrim?”
“No, probably not. Some port cities employ them as dock workers, I have heard.”
We had left the tower in mid afternoon, and when we finally managed to get back to the city of Falkreath, not encountering further problems this time, dusk was past us. The alchemy store was already closed, but we knocked at the door, and eventually a female Redguard opened:
“I’m coming! What do you need? I was just going to bed!”
She was now looking at us and saw the Argonian with us. She raised her hands and exclaimed:
“Finds-Many-Plants, you are back, finally! Why are your hands bound? What have they done to you, my dear?”
Lydia explained how we had found her in the tower and could not be sure if she was not a bandit after all. Of course, now with Zaria speaking for her, she was released, and we heard the story how she had been captured a few days earlier when searching plants; since then, the bandits had her do some mundane chores like cooking and cleaning.
While we were there, Zaria insisted that we get a few potions at least as thanks for bringing her assistant back, so that we used the opportunity to replenish our supply. I also asked about the shop’s name. The Redguard smiled and explained:
“I know it’s a bit strange. Not exactly a name to bring comfort to the sick and ailing who come to buy a poultice or salve. But what you must understand about Falkreath is that our town is defined, for better or worse, by the large and ancient cemetery here. That's why the inn is called Dead Man’s Drink, the farm is called Corpselight Farm, and so on. I suppose it’s sort of a running joke.”
Zaria promised to tell the Jarl how ‘the Dragonborn and party’ had rescued her assistant, and we finally said good night to the two ladies.
Considering that it was already night, we’d have to visit the Jarl on the next day. Thus we called it a day and went to the inn again, to get a nice dinner and go to bed after this long and exciting day.
The next day led us first to the local general store to sell off most of the loot we had found. Specifically for the bandit chief’s high quality steel armor, which I had carried back to the city, we got quite some money, but the gems and jewelry we had found in the stash at the tower also amounted for something, even more so as Lydia took charge of the price negotiation process. I decide to give two thirds of our new wealth to Fiona, as she had to take care of Lydia in addition to herself, and at least for now we were almost wealthy people. After that we went straight to the Jarl՚s longhouse.
I smiled, being almost sure what might happen now, and the Jarl did not disappoint. At first Fiona reported back, when being prompted by Jarl Siddgeir:
“We have killed the bandits at Bannermist Tower, my Jarl.”
“Well done; this will teach them to stop paying me. Have you been able to find my wine?”
I delivered the three bottles we had found from my backpack and handed them over to the steward:
“Those three were the only ones not empty yet, my Jarl.”
He looked at us like he wasn’t quite sure if we had emptied the other bottles, but conceded and addressed Fiona again:
“Here; you deserve a reward for your service. You know what? I like you. You are not afraid to get your hands dirty. I hereby grant you permission to purchase property in Falkreath hold. Talk to my steward if you are interested.”
Well, that not was quite what we wanted, and I dared to cut in:
“Forgive me, my Jarl, but the Dragonborn՚s business may not allow her to settle down in a home any time soon. Will there be anything else you need, sir?”
Jarl Siddgeir seemed to be slightly disappointed when he heard that, but conceded:
“Actually, thinking about it, there is room in my court for a new Thane. It is an honorary title, mainly, but there are a few perks someone like you could make use of. I could only grant the title to someone who is known throughout my Hold, of course.”
It was obvious that the Jarl wanted to milk Fiona’s presence and actions as much as he could, but his steward Nenya, a female Altmer who stood right next to her Jarl, turned towards him and whispered something in his ear. The Jarl listened, whispered back, and listened again, and we could see his face showing some surprise. Eventually he turned back to us and said slowly:
“My steward has told me that you have already helped several of my citizens, both in the city and the hold, and I have just learned that you also rescued the alchemy store assistant. This is quite some work for just a few days, although you seemed to have help, and I have to say that I am impressed.”
Fiona nodded politely, and Jarl Siddgeir continued:
“This is more than I could expect. So, by my right as Jarl, I name you Thane of Falkreath. Congratulations, Dragonborn! I grant you a personal Housecarl, and this weapon from my armory to serve as your badge of office. I will also notify my guards of your new title. Wouldn’t want them to think you’re part of the common rabble, after all.”
I smiled inwardly when I heard the term ‘common rabble’ being used again. Did those Jarls have a book where they got their smart phrases from? But anyway, Fiona had her second Thaneship and her second housecarl. She stepped forward, curtsied, and received a nicely crafted bow and a quiver with arrows. The steward told her:
“This bow does as much damage as an elven bow, and it has a chance of striking enemies with lightning in addition to the normal damage; this effect is permanent and does not need to be recharged.”
Fiona thanked the steward for the explanation and turned around, ready to leave the longhouse. Next to the door, though, a tall and sturdy looking female Redguard warrior waited, and she greeted Fiona right away:
“Greetings, my Thane – I am Rayya, your housecarl.”
While Fiona invited Rayya to step outside with her, I stayed behind for a moment and asked Nenya:
“I have a question, steward. We have seen this beautiful orchard on the shore of Lake Ilinalta, and I wonder who cultivates it and takes care of it?”
“Oh, there a few people in Oakwood being hired by the Jarl to do this. We have a deal with them; they tend the trees and do the harvest, and they get to keep half of the fruits, while the other half is delivered here.”
I nodded, thanked the steward and left the longhouse as well, my curiosity being sated for now. Rayya had been introduced by now, and she looked like a capable warrior; she wore Redguard clothes, or maybe this was light armor, and had a couple of scimitars ready at her hip. With the new housecarl in our team as well, I was almost sure that we had good chances to get to High Hrothgar in one piece. I was tempted to send Fiona with her two warrior women alone, but I did want to meet the Greybeards myself, and I did not want to miss seeing Fiona learning more Shouts from them. Once this was done, I’d be happy to let her do her own business, at least for the time being.
As the day had just started, we quickly decided that we were going to Ivarstead today. Rayya did not have much to pack, and after we had briefly visited the alchemy store once more to tell the two ladies that we were leaving for good, we were soon getting out of the city, heading east.
Our party of four – Fiona, the Bosmer Dragonborn, Lydia, her housecarl from Whiterun, Rayya, her housecarl from Falkreath, and I – managed to get to Ivarstead within two days of traveling. I could have done it in one day easily, but Fiona was not much of a fast and enduring hiker, and we needed to slow down to her speed. About half way between Falkreath and Pinewatch we cautiously passed below the wooden walkway which looked liked a bandit hideout and trap, but the bandits I expected to lurk there were either having a break or were not there at all. After negotiating the long climbing road, we managed to sneak through Helgen without seeing anybody in there; it appeared that the town was now completely deserted, and anybody who might have survived Alduin՚s wrath had probably moved away. We spent one night outdoors just after the destroyed town; the two housecarls insisted on taking the night watches, which was just fine for me.
Once we had cleared the pass on the next day and came down into the first parts of the Rift forest, it was almost like entering a different world again. Besides the ubiquitous pines, there were many birches and others, and leave colors varied between a deep green, light green yellow, orange, red and brown. This was at least as beautiful as the Indian Summer I had experienced a few times in the northeastern part of the USA on Earth, and due to the moderate walking speed of our group I had plenty of time to admire the scenery and enjoy the various smells of nature and forest.
Eventually we marched into Ivarstead. Once I had pointed out that we we’d better start our ascent early in the morning rather than in the evening, our first stop was the local inn to secure rooms. The innkeeper, a middle aged male Nord with hair cut very short, greeted us right away:
“Welcome to the Vilemyr Inn; I am Wilhelm, and I own the inn. We don’t get many visitors through here, unless they’re headed up to High Hrothgar of course. If there is anything I can get you, just let me know.”
Lydia took that one:
“Indeed, there is something. We’d all like to get an early dinner and three rooms.”
“I have only two rooms available for you; will that be enough?”
Before the ladies could respond, I answered that one:
“Actually, if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to sleep outside, if you have a barn or so. Beds tend to be too small for me.”
“Yes, I can see that. Sure, feel free to camp in the barn behind the house.”
I did not think that the inn actually had a barn in the game, but this was different, again. Dinner preparation took some time, and we used the opportunity to stroll through the town. It was small, but somewhat larger than what I was used to. We chatted with the farmers on Fellstar Farm and found Klimmek, an almost bald male Nord whom I recognized right away, on the bridge leading to the mountain ascent path. Klimmek was talking to a male Bosmer, and we could hear part of their conversation:
“On your way up the 7,000 Steps again, Klimmek?”
“Not in the next few days, Gwilin. I’m just not ready to make the climb to High Hrothgar. The path isn’t safe, as I have been told.”
“Aren’t the Greybeards expecting some supplies?”
“Honestly, I’m not certain. In all those years I’ve been bringing some supplies up I’ve yet to be allowed into the monastery, and I’ve never met one of them in person. On the other hand, they obviously do retrieve the food from the chest, as it’s always empty when I get there.”
Fiona was apparently getting curious, and based on her questions I assumed that she had not met Klimmek the last time she had been here:
“So, you have been up there already?”
“Yes, lady, I have. Me and a few others sometimes climb the stairs and deliver supplies to the Greybeards. It seems to be the right thing to do; I cannot imagine that they can grow food up there. I hope that they like the fish I usually include.”
“I see. Do you do this on a regular basis?”
“I wish I could make my deliveries more often, but the road's getting dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“Aye, indeed. Usually, there’s just the occasional wolf pack or stray and maybe an ice wraith further up, but lately I have heard some reports about a ferocious frost troll. Unless somebody tells me that this is taken care of, I am staying down here for sure.”
Considering what Fiona had told me about their previous climb, that report seemed to be genuine. I offered a comment now:
“Well, we are going to climb the stairs tomorrow, and we could take the supplies for you, if you’d trust us with them.”
“You could, really?”
Klimmek now looked at Fiona’s two housecarls and admitted:
“Well, with those two warrior ladies and yourself, you might be able to handle the frost troll. So, thank you, yes, this is much appreciated. Here, take this bag of supplies. At the top of the steps you will see the offering chest. Just leave the bag inside and you’re done. One word of advice: Watch your footing. In these wintry conditions, the stairs can be quite slippery and treacherous.”
“Wintry conditions? Yes, I have realized that already last time, but it’s still late summer or early fall, isn’t it?”
That was Fiona, and Klimmek laughed:
“Lady, it may be still summer down here, but this is Skyrim, and High Hrothgar is way up the mountain. It is always winter up there, believe me!”
We returned to the Vilemyr Inn and indulged in our dinner, which was ready now. As usual, I ate two full servings, as my large body needed that, and I got a jug of snowberry juice to go with my meal. I grew to like that juice, and as it was unlikely to find orange juice or something like that around here, that was good enough. I was also going to order milk sooner or later, but I was not quite sure how the innkeeper would react to that. Fortunately, we had more than enough money to pay for the service, at least. It would not last long, but there were going to be more places to plunder and more rewards to collect later on.
