InsaneJournal

Andrel and Lydia parted ways later in the night after a long talk over a couple flagons of mead. The both of them needed rest, but their plan for the next day was laid. While Lydia left for Dragonsreach, he rented his room back from the previous night.

His last two days finally caught up to him in full force, and he slept until well past sunrise. For now, the voices from that wall had stopped. When he awoke, he gave a few languid blinks at the sunlight peeking in through the cracks of the walls and ceiling. He pulled on his armor and gathered his things, then went downstairs to the common area of the Bannered Mare. Exchanging a piece of gold for an apple, he left and made his way back up to Dragonsreach to fetch his Housecarl.

As he stepped inside the doors of Dragonsreach, he could hear the echos of voices coming from the grand dining platform. He flagged down Lydia, and she approached him. "Greetings, my Thane. You're ready to go?"

"I am. Are you?" he asked, glancing at the dining table behind her. "I don't want to tear you away before you've had something to eat."

"I'm ready. I've been up for hours, I ate after I woke up."

"I just got up..." he admitted with a sheepish chuckle. "But don't worry about me. I've got some food from Hulda at the inn."

"Well, let's head out, then. I can show you how to get there from here. I know you're new to Skyrim."

"Indeed. I probably would have gotten lost if I didn't have you," he winked.

The pair left Dragonsreach made their way out of the city and to the east. Lydia spotted a wolf across the bridge and drew her bow. His hand reached for his sword, but as soon as his fingers touched the hilt, the wolf yelped in pain as Lydia's arrow pierced the beast in the chest, puncturing its lung. Another arrow, and it fell silent. Advancing over the bridge, they recovered Lydia's arrows and moved the wolf's body to the side of the pathway. If another predator didn't eat it, it'd decompose.

"Nice shot..." he commented as he joined his housecarl again.

"Thank you," she replied as they walked. "It's a relatively straight shot from the bridge to Eastmarch Hold. There's a tower out by the White River when we get further along, and after that it's not far. Do you remember exactly how you got to Helgen?"

Andrel shook his head. "No... I fell asleep on the wagon somewhere in between Darkwater and Helgen. I do remember that when we left the crossing, we were traveling in the same direction that I came from, originally."

"You must have come in from the east, then. And then when you got out of Helgen, you came north through Riverwood to Whiterun."

"I believe you're right," he agreed. He could hear the howling of wolves in the distance, and though the sound was always chilling, it didn't hold quite as much weight as a dragon's, anymore. One side of the pathway dipped downhill to the river, but the other side was almost like a valley, landscaped with cliffs, large boulders, and evergreen pines. "How did you end up in Jarl Balgruuf's service?"

"I come from a long line of town guards, and a lot of the town guards were soldiers in past wars. We're free to stay as town guards if we want, but some of us want to see a little more of the world, so we offer ourselves as a housecarl," she explained. "And eventually, if we're lucky, we get assigned a Thane to protect. I'm at your service when you request it of me. I'll follow you and act as your backup, or I'll stay behind and protect your home and your family from harm, if you have either."

"Sounds nice. I take it you've been waiting for an assignment for quite some time, then?"

"I've had small assignments in the past, but nothing like this. Usually if we had a visiting noble in town, the Jarl would put me on the security detail for them. But it's nothing like having a Thane. So when I heard the news that I was finally getting a real assignment, I was rather excited."

"I'll try to not disappoint," he chuckled. "I don't think you'll be bored of me, though, knowing what kind of things I'm facing, now. While we're talking, we should really decide what we're going to do if a dragon comes calling. The last time I killed a dragon, I had several men and Irileth helping. Except in that case, it was more of a 'me helping them' than 'them helping me'."

"No, I get what you mean. And I agree. If it's just the two of us, we're going to need a lot more strategy. What can you tell me about them?"

"One, it's possible to kill them. It just takes time," he started with a laugh. "They're swift. They have the advantage of being able to fly, so concentration is key. Sometimes they'll hover, and that's a good time to try and make a shot. But you also have to watch out for their mouths. The one I fought at the watchtower used fire, but the one I saw at Helgen did something else, and it could breathe fire, as well."

"So you have no idea what you're up against until they open their mouth?" Lydia asked. They were almost half way to the tower, now, and she nudged him to cock her head in its direction.

"Mhm," he responded. As she nudged him, he looked up to see the tower. It was just a ways downhill from them and he could see somebody moving around outside the entrance. He stepped off to the side where he and Lydia could be hidden and still talk. "Stay clear of its mouth and tail - it can swat you and knock you off your feet. Maybe stay off to the side of it? You and I can use our bows to weaken it. When it flies off to circle overhead, we can use that window of time to heal ourselves and switch weapons, if need be."

"You also have your Voice," she reminded.

"Only the one, right now. When I was in Bleak Falls Barrow, there was this wall that had all these markings on it. It was calling to me, even before I went inside the Barrow. I thought I was going mad, hearing these voices in my head. But when I approached the wall, the voices became louder, and one cluster of them began to glow."

"You were hearing voices?"

"I was," he replied, nodding. "Next thing I knew, I was able to understand what the symbols on the wall meant, but they made no sense to me until I took that dragon's soul. Mirmulnir, was his name. When I absorbed his power, it gave me everything I needed to understand what I saw in the Barrow, and use it for myself. When I Shouted that first time, it made me stumble, it was so intense. And I was already feeling a little dizzy from the absorption."

"I bet that was an interesting sensation."

"It was, but I'm hoping I'll get used to it over time. I felt like somebody lit a fire to my insides and like my head was going to split in half."

"And painful..."

"Yeah... Now, let's focus on getting past these guys up here. There's one outside, one up on a watchpost, and another patrolling the bridge, from what I can see."

"I can take the one outside, there. There's likely to be more in the other tower, so you can take the one up on the watchpost and I'll take down the one patrolling the bridge."

"Deal."

Andrel watched as Lydia snuck up behind the first bandit. It appeared to be a woman, possibly a Breton. Lydia was a swift and quiet killer when it counted, and she drew her blade across the woman's throat, lowering her quietly to the ground. He followed soon after and made his way up through the tower until he reached the top. It was tempting to use his voice to push him off, but he knew it was loud and would draw too much attention to Lydia.

He and the Nord on the topmost level were in a risky position. One wrong move and it was an almost-guaranteed fall to the death, and the ground was so far below them. A broken spine was promised, at the least.

He already had his sword drawn, but he instead thrust his free hand out and let a spout of flames lick at the other man's skin, setting him alight. The man screamed, and in his frantic desperation to pat himself down, he stepped too far to the edge of the platform and lost his footing. Down he fell until he landed with an inaudible thud on the ground, his body rolling down the hill until he stopped just short of the river.

As Andrel left the top platform, he took mental note of the chests around the premises. Once they had the towers cleared out, he would loot what he could and split it with Lydia. He could hear more commotion coming from the bridge and ran down to find Lydia facing off another man. Grabbing his bow, he nocked an arrow and drew back, holding his anchor until he had a clear shot. Letting the arrow fly loose, it struck into the man's belly and gave Lydia enough time to deal off her finishing blow.

Most of the bandits here wore hide armors, but Lydia wore a full suit of iron. It wasn't the best metal, but it was still sturdier than leather or hide. She'd taken a few good cuts herself, but her vitals were better-protected. The bandit slumped down and fell off the bridge, his body splashing into the river.

An arrow narrowly missed him, and he spotted another shooting at him from the rocky overhang above the river. Moving past Lydia, he ran forth and into the opposite tower. Outside, he found the last bandit and nocked another arrow, letting it loose. The first struck him in the shoulder. Another loose, and it struck him in the lower abdomen. He put away his bow, drew his sword and approached as the Bosmer knelt before him, clutching the arrow as they struggled to find their breath. With a swift lunge, his blade dug deep into the elf's head from his neck.

It was a quick kill; Andrel wasn't here for a bloodbath, and neither was Lydia. They simply knew these cutthroats wouldn't let them pass peacefully, so they did what they had to do. "That's the last of them all, Lydia. Do you have any healing potions or are you-"

"I used magic," she answered him. She already knew what he was going to ask, and he nodded.

"Here's a couple lockpicks. Go through this tower and collect anything of use that we can sell later or use for ourselves right now. I'm going across the bridge to check the first tower. I saw some things over there."

"Yes, my Thane."

"Also... you really don't have to call me 'Thane' when we're out and about. If you want to do it as a formality in Dragonsreach, that's fine. But out here, just call me by my name. We're friends, you just happen to be my housecarl."

"Of course! Thank you for letting me know."

"I'll see you in a few minutes." He turned away from her and went back over the bridge to the first tower. Looking around, he found an assortment of trinkets and gold buried away in chests. He gathered his findings and went outside to locate the body of the Nord man from earlier. He was laying head-wise to the river, his cheeks streaked in blood from where it leaked out the corner of his mouth. The impact of the fall must have ruptured his organs. Patting him down and digging around in his pockets, he found a few more useful things and a few more arrows to replace the ones he'd lost from his own quiver.

"Andrel?" he heard Lydia call. He turned his head to face her and made his way back up the hill, offering the items he had.

"Take this. We'll count it all when we get to town and you can take half of what we found."

"Alright. Well, it's not far now. The pathway here will run down to where the White River meets the Darkwater, and then from there we just have to go south. It won't take long at all."

"Excellent," he smiled. They continued down the pathway from the towers. The road was windy as it curved downhill into Eastmarch. Everywhere he looked, there was vegetation. The area they were in was covered in pine trees. A variety of local flowers grew in abundance on the edge of the road, while Mora Tapinella mushrooms grew on the few dead stumps and overturned logs along the river, which roared with life next to the road. Eventually they found a large bridge, and Lydia turned to the Dragonborn.

"This here is the bridge that goes across the White River," she explained. "We'll have a few more to cross but they're all close together."

"I'm glad somebody knows their way around here. I'm sure before long I'll have a map of Skyrim memorized in my head," he grinned over at her. It was almost peaceful, the sound of the rushing water. "Well come on then, let's go. I think I see a signpost up this way."

They continued on down the road, and there it was – a signpost. The two arrows pointing the way they came were marked Solitude and Whiterun. Another pointed towards Windhelm, but Lydia drew his attention to the other two, which pointed south.

"The fork leads to Windhelm, but we want to keep going straight, towards Riften and Ivarstead. If you want to go straight to High Hrothgar, we can get your things and press on."

"Very well, then. We'll do that," he replied. As they continued on, he spotted a large fort. He tapped on Lydia's shoulder, his head nodding in the direction of the structure. "What's that place?"

"I don't know the name of the fortress, but it looks like we'll be looking for a fight if we go in there or get too close," Lydia pointed out. "See that person there? They're watching us. They'll let us go past if we stay away, but any closer and we're going to have a storm of angry mages on us."

"I'd rather not tangle with them for now," he agreed. "Let's get out of here and carry on."

As they continued on, the roaring of waterfall got louder and they found their next bridge. Another signpost was at the end, but it told them what they already knew. Up ahead, he could see a dirt pathway running up the side of the hill, but he would come back to that later. As he looked from the waterfall to the bogs, he could see hot pools steaming in the distance.

"That's how you know we're in Eastmarch. I think it's the only place that can be cold and have volcanic terrain at the same time. The hot springs are a nice place for a hot bath, though.

He chuckled. "It's certainly different from Cyrodiil. Bruma is always cold; we're right next to the Jerall Mountains so we get a lot of the snow from that pass. Of course, it doesn't bother me much but the other races are always in for it when they come to visit us."

As they crossed the bridge, a familiar yellow flower caught his eye. Dragon's tongue; a bright flower with golden-yellow petals. On the other hand, he swore he could hear those whispering voices again. He knew a word wall was around here, somewhere, but he didn't want to find the source of it, just yet.

"This flower, I saw it in this area when I was picked up, and it wasn't anywhere before we crossed that bridge, that I could see. We must be getting closer."

Andrel picked up his pace and started running down the path. He could see another bridge, and finally he saw the small settlement. He stopped just at the intersection and turned to face Lydia, again.

"This is where I was picked up. I was passing along this path, and I was heading for Solitude. But then chaos broke out, and I got put on that wagon with Ulfric and some of his men. If we go to this settlement, they should have found my old pack out here, and that'll have my sword."

"Alright then, let's go see if they've got it," Lydia insisted, tugging him across the bridge by his arm.

The bridge cut off to a dirt pathway that curved into the forest clearing. A small house was built there, and three small tents were set up by a blazing campfire. Logs were set up to mark the entrance of a mining cave, a smelter located near the entrance. He didn't see his horse, so he figured some wild creature must have gotten to her.

Andrel went over to one of the guards patrolling outside, lifting his hand to get their attention. "Excuse me, but is there anybody in this house, or are they down in the mine, there?"

"They're all down in the mine. Best not be making trouble, boy," the guard warned.

"Not at all. I lost some things around here a few days ago and was wanting to know if anybody had seen those things."

"You'd best check with Annekke. She's down in the bottom level of the mine, I imagine. The folks around here get up early to work, I reckon she's been down there since before sunrise."

"Alright. Thank you, friend."

Lydia followed him as he entered the cave. Lanterns kept their path downward well-illuminated, and the workers were busy chipping away at the rocks. The clash of pickaxes against stone echoed all throughout the tunnels. The mine was shallow, and soon he found Annekke talking to someone.

"Verner, you should have come out with me yesterday. I found the most amazing tree growing right out of a cave," he heard her say.

Verner was picking away at some ore as he responded. "And I found a new deposit of amber. Would have been nice to have some help pulling it out."

"You used to love finding new places."

"I still do. I just like to have food waiting for me when I come home."

Andrel chewed on the inside of his lip. It was a bit awkward, having walked in on this conversation. As soon as Annekke saw him in her periphery, she turned to face him and crossed her arms.

"Hello there, can I help you?"

"I'm so sorry to bother you or intrude but... Are you Annekke? I lost my horse and my pack a few days ago out here. Near the bridge on that path that goes to Ivarstead. Did you see the commotion out there?"

"Commotion? And yes, that's me. I'm Annekke Crag-Jumper."

"You've heard about Helgen, right?"

"I think everyone's heard of Helgen, by now. Not many got out alive, it seems," she replied.

"I was one of the few. I was picked up in that ambush just outside the settlement, but I got out of Helgen. I wasn't supposed to even be there, I'm just a traveler that had a bit of rotten luck.

"I see... Your story holds up. I think Hrefna did find a pack out there. It's in my house, I'll go up there with you," she replied.

"Oh, thank the Divines... That's my good sword in that pack. I'm from Cyrodiil, in Bruma."

"I keep telling Hrefna to not wander too close to the road," Annekke replied with a sigh. "There's wolves out here and I don't want her to get hurt. I'll have to tell Tormir or Sondas to keep a better eye on her. Right this way."

He and Lydia followed her back out of the mine and Annekke allowed the pair of them inside. Grabbing a pack out of a chest she kept locked, she turned to Andrel.

"Is this it?"

Family heirlooms were always of great importance, and weapons could always be replaced, but hand-crafted weapons such as swords were often weighted specific for the wielder. The sword he had purchased from Warmaiden's worked fine enough, but it wasn't his sword. Separating a man – however tough – from his favorite weapon, was like taking a sweetroll from a child.

"It is! Thank you for keeping it safe. Is there anything I can do for you in return?" Annekke handed his pack to him, and he sat down for a moment to transfer all his things over, handing a few other things to Lydia. He gripped the hilt of his sword and held the blade length-wise in his palm, feeling the weight of it in his hands. With his old pack in place, he sheathed his sword.

"Sondas wanted something delivered to Quintus Navale in Windhelm," Annekke explained, watching him and Lydia. "He's told me the workers are having problems breathing the air in the mine, and Quintus works at the White Phial. If you could deliver that note for us, it'd be appreciated."

"My friend and I are on our way to Ivarstead. I have something I really can't put off there, but I promise you. When I'm done, we'll come back the same way we left and I will go to Windhelm to deliver that note."

Annekke rose an eyebrow at him. Not in judgement, but like she knew, and understood why. "Alright then, we'll be here. Stay safe, and watch yourselves. Tell me all about it, when you get a chance."

"We'll stop here on the way back," he promised her. "You watch yourself, too, friend. Thanks again."

Lydia bowed her head to Annekke as the pair of them left the small settlement. The day was still young, and he wanted to reach Ivarstead before nightfall. They continued uphill on the pathway until they were enveloped in the valley.