Falcotte woke in agony. It felt like every bone in his body had been beat with a club, and his joints ached whenever he moved any part of his body. Much of his skin was sensitive to any touch because of the burns from the superheated steam created by the dragon. The dragon fire had blistered the skin of his arms and face, and he couldn't open his right eye due to the swelling on his face. Falcotte laid on the rock ledge in utter darkness and tried to relax and focus his mind.
Casting magic spells required considerable concentration, but the pain was preventing Falcotte from maintaining sufficient focus and control. Part of the problem was that his clothes had partially dried and become stiff, and they were rubbing on his burned and scalded skin. Falcotte let out a sharp, "Ahhh" as he levered himself up into a sitting position and then sucked in a deep breath. It took several minutes but Falcotte was able to remove and set aside all of his clothes with the exception of his undergarments. He lay back down on the cool stone, and relaxed as the rock cooled his skin. After a while, he was able to maintain enough focus to cast a simple, systemic healing spell.
Falcotte took stock of his physical condition. He started with a silent prayer of thanks to the Divines for rescuing him from what should have been certain death by the dragon. He didn't have any life threatening injuries or even any serious injuries. The healing spell had taken the edge off the pain from the burns and had started to repair the damage. His skin would be tender for a few days, but it wouldn't be dangerous or life threatening if Falcotte could keep it from becoming infected. As the pain lessened and his concentration improved, Falcotte would be able to increase the speed of healing with repeated applications of stronger spells.
Falcotte was worried about his energy level though. It had been at least a day and a half since he'd had anything to eat, and the temporary boost of adrenaline from the dragon attack had long since worn off, leaving him even more exhausted than he would have been otherwise. Water was no problem, but he could feel his stomach begin to tighten as he thought about food.
Falcotte cupped his hands and dipped them into the pool beside him. He took a sip of the water, and after deciding that it wasn't tainted, took a long drink. A shudder ran through his body as it hungrily absorbed the water.
'What next?' he thought. After a bit of rest, he could go back out the way he'd come into the cave. Falcotte didn't know how long he'd been unconscious, but he guessed that it was several hours at least, and the dragon was unlikely to have waited around that long. Unless the creek he had been following ran exactly parallel to the road, if he continued to follow it, Falcotte knew that he would eventually cross the road that ran between Windhelm and Riften. That still seemed like the best of a small, not particularly great, set of courses he could take.
Falcotte decided to rest until he could muster the strength and focus to cast a more powerful healing spell on himself. After that, he would explore this small cave and pool and then leave through the flooded tunnel that had brought him into the cave.
Falcotte fell asleep again and eventually woke with a start. The pain from the burns was back, but it wasn't as bad as it had been when he woke the first time. The muscle and joint aches were also not as bad as they had been. Now, he was feeling chilled since the cool air and cold, wet stone had siphoned away much of his body heat.
He sat up and was easily able to cast another, more powerful healing spell. Following the spell, Falcotte was able to get to his feet and lift his arms above his head and march in place in order to get blood flow back into his legs. The average Nord would not have been able to stand upright on the rock ledge without hitting his head on the ceiling, but Falcotte didn't have any problem. There was enough room on the ledge that he was able to assume several of the postures he had developed to incorporate healing effects into the ritual movements. The additional healing, as well as just the movement, made Falcotte feel much better and raised his spirits as well.
Falcotte cast a light spell, quickly located his clothes and gear, and got dressed. The bag containing the letters he had carried had filled with water during his escape, and the water ruined the letters, reducing them to a mass of pulp. Falcotte didn't consider that too high a price to pay for surviving a dragon attack. Fortunately, the coins that he carried in the pocket of his cloak had not fallen out, so Falcotte still had funds in the event he had the opportunity to purchase food or transportation.
There was nowhere to go while remaining on the ledge; it was only about twice as long as Falcotte was tall, so, resigning himself to getting soaked again, Falcotte climbed into the water. After a few minutes investigation, he determined that the way he'd entered was the only way in and out of the cave. Praying that the dragon had not patiently waited for him, Falcotte dived down to the entrance tunnel and pulled himself through it.
The sun was high in the sky, and there was no evidence of the dragon when Falcotte's head broke the surface and he took a deep breath of the outside air. He was almost under the fall he'd gone over while fleeing the dragon and spotted a small open area to the right of the small waterfall. He swam toward the opening and was quickly out of the water and standing in the warm sun. He summoned up his heating breeze spell and used the slight wind and extra heat to speed up the drying of his clothes. He was feeling somewhat energized and wanted to start following the creek as quickly as possible, so he didn't want to take the time to let his clothes dry out in the sun.
It didn't take long for the spell to sufficiently dry out his clothes, and after another application of a healing spell, Falcotte started on his way.
An overgrown path led out of the open area around the pool and continued to follow the creek in the direction Falcotte had been traveling. He wondered who would have made a path to the pool and where the path terminated at the other end. It didn't look like it had been used recently, and Falcotte had to go around fallen branches on several occasions. Whatever purpose the path served, it was not in regular use.
After about an hour of following the trail, Falcotte stepped out of a thick group of trees into another clearing beside the creek. He found himself facing three Nords, two men and a woman. The men were both holding axes, and the woman held a bow with an arrow drawn and pointed at Falcotte's chest.
Falcotte stopped, looked at each of the Nords, and slowly raised his hands to show that he was unarmed. The three Nords were stained and dirty, and looked like they hadn't seen a civilized city in weeks or months. They were alert and wary, but Falcotte did not sense any open hostility.
"Are you lost, friend?" asked one of the men.
Falcotte couldn't help himself. He started to laugh. "That is exactly what I am," he replied.
"Glad you have a sense of humor about it because that laugh might be the last one you ever have." Again, the tone of the threat was serious but not particularly evil or malicious.
"You would butcher a man who fled a bandit attack, was nearly roasted by a dragon, and hasn't eaten in days?"
"You saw the dragon?"
"It chased me down a creek and was about to eat me when I went over a small waterfall into a pool where the gods provided me a small cave beneath the pool to hide in and recover from my wounds. Afterward, I exited the cave and followed this path to you."
"The gods didn't provide you with that pool, we did." said the woman. "That is our bolt hole of last resort, and just knowing of its existence should be cause enough for your death."
The first man waved a hand at her. "We haven't needed that in months, Finna. There is no need to be threatening murder just yet. Besides, it is more troublesome that he knows of this clearing and has seen all three of our faces." He then turned to Falcotte and asked, "And how did you escape without any serious harm from the dragon?"
"I wasn't unharmed, and the some of the burns were rather serious." Falcotte knew the Nord suspicion about practitioners of magic, but he didn't have many options. "I know a few healing spells and was able to patch myself back up after being burned by dragon fire and nearly being cooked by a blast of steam."
"I guess that explains the burn scars on your face."
Falcotte's hand went to his face. "I haven't passed a mirror since my dragon encounter, so I can't say what new scars I carry."
The second man spoke up for the first time, "Maybe he can help Aldis."
The first man turned and said sharply, "Aldis is as good as dead. It is too late and there is no saving him."
"What is wrong with Aldis?" asked Falcotte.
"Gangrene of the leg. Got a nasty tear from a cave bear claw, and the wound got infected. We didn't have any effective way to treat the infection, and it has spread. He will be leaving this world soon."
"Is he close by?"
"About twenty minutes away. You are welcome to try and help him, but it is likely too late."
"Maybe I can help if he isn't too far gone. Some very skilled healers have trained me, and whether I can heal him or not will depend on how far the gangrene has progressed and spread. Even if I can save his life, he still might lose the leg."
"We gotta let him try, Irlof. Aldis deserves at least that much after all of these years."
The first speaker, Falcotte assumed he was the leader, hesitated. Falcotte couldn't tell whether it was because he thought Aldis really had no chance or because he didn't care if Aldis died.
Irlof gestured to Finna and said, "We'll see if he can help Aldis. Then we will decide what to do with him."
Finna lowered her bow and removed the arrow. She didn't say anything, and Falcotte got the impression that she was disappointed that she didn't get to kill him.
"Let's get back before Aldis dies and see if the mage here can help him."
Irlof led them out of the clearing, moving almost directly away from the creek. Falcotte followed him and Finna and the other man followed Falcotte. Falcotte could barely hear the Nords as they moved through the brush, and he was reminded of the skill of Skar the Hunter. These three had obviously spent time learning how to move silently though the wilds. Falcotte was not nearly as skilled, but he paid close attention to Irlof and tried to copy the way he moved.
They eventually reached a rock wall with a cleft hidden by several trees and thick brush. Once they passed through the cleft, the trail descended and curved to the left. It was a considerable descent, and at the bottom, the rock walls to either side disappeared. They stepped into an open area with a camp set up next to a large lake. There were several tents as well as storage sheds and racks where carcasses of several animals were drying in the sun.
"Ho, Aldis, we are back."
Falcotte thought he heard some sort of non-committal grunt from one of the tents. Irlof led him over to it and pulled the flap aside.
The smell of infection and rot assaulted Falcotte's nose, and it took all of his self-control to keep from retching.
Aldis was propped up against some logs fashioned to act like the arms and back of a chair. His right leg was uncovered, and Falcotte could see the nearly foot long gash where the bear claw had down skin and muscle. The wound was obviously infected, with blood and pus crusted at the edges, and the center wet with blood and pus. Falcotte could feel heat pouring out of the wound, which was mid way up the thigh. Black patches had formed lower down on the leg where the flesh was dying from lack of blood flow. It was as serious an infection as Falcotte had ever seen.
"Who is that? Why did you bring him here, Irlof?" Aldis wanted to roar, but his words came out as more of a croak.
"This man says he might be able to help you, Aldis."
"He knows where our camp is located. He could lead the Jarl's men right to us."
"Don't be a fool, Aldis. If he can't help you, you will be dead long before the Jarl's foresters can find us. If he can heal you, we can decide what to do with him after that." Irlof was matter of fact in his speech, and Falcotte did not miss the threat implied in Irlof's comment.
Falcotte looked at Irlof and said, "I will need plenty of hot and cold water along with a large supply of cloth for cleaning and wiping the wound. Also, please open up the back of the tent so air will flow through here but Aldis is still protected from the sun." While Irlof and the others did as Falcotte asked, he knelt down next to the wounded leg to get a better look.
The infection was bad, but there didn't seem to be any damage to the major blood vessels around it. The infection and swelling were impeding blood flow to the lower leg, and Falcotte bet that Aldis was not eating and therefore depriving his body of the nourishment it needed to fight against infection. If he could stop the spread of the infection and get the wound cleaned out, Falcotte thought that Aldis would probably survive. Saving the leg was going to be trickier, but Falcotte would have taken even odds that Aldis would walk on two legs again.
When the water and cloths were ready, Falcotte began cleaning out the wound. The Nords had tried to clean it out, but they didn't have Falcotte's skill or training in the art of Restoration. Aldis winced in pain and sucked in his breath several times as Falcotte proceeded with the cleaning. After about a half hour of careful and thorough work, Falcotte encountered a sizable, hard mass of infected tissue. He worked around the its edges for a few more minutes, cleaning away as much as he could.
He looked up at Aldis and said, "I need to remove this, and it is going to hurt…a lot. It will probably also bleed a lot when it comes out." Falcotte turned to Irlof and asked, "Do you have a small knife that I can use to cut this loose?"
Irlof went out and returned with a small but very sharp knife. "We use this on small game."
Falcotte took the blade and examined it. The knife was designed for fine butchering of small animals. He nodded his approval and then cast a cleansing spell on the blade. There was no sense in adding more unclean material to the already infected wound. Falcotte continued to cut around the edges of the infected mass. After he had cut away as much as he could easily reach without causing more damage, Falcotte put the small knife to the side.
"Ready?" he asked Aldis.
Aldis nodded and clenched his teeth.
Falcotte got a good grip on the mass and yanked it. The infected tissue came out easier than he had expected, and blood shot from the wound and began to form a quickly widening pool. Falcotte tossed aside the infected mass and began to use more healing spells to slow the blood flow and repair the torn arteries.
"Irlof, come over here and start soaking up this blood so I can see what I am doing!"
Irlof knelt down across from Falcotte and used clean cloths to soak up the blood and try to keep the wound from filling. Falcotte's spells slowed and eventually stopped the blood flow, and Irlof began to get ahead of the pooling blood and was removing more than was pooling. Falcotte finally said, "That's good, Irlof. I think we have taken care of the infection." Irlof got to his feet and backed away while Falcotte continued to work on the wound.
It took another half hour of work and spells, but Falcotte finished and got to his feet. "That takes care of the infection, and damage from the wound. The spots where the tissue has started to die, and the wound itself will have to heal on their own, but I can help speed that up and teach you…" Falcotte noticed for the first time that Aldis was unconscious.
"He passed out when you pulled out that mass," said Irlof.
"Probably the best thing for him. He needs rest and food, and he shouldn't be up and around on that leg for several days.
"When he wakes up, I will teach him some meditations and flexibility and massage techniques to improve blood flow to that leg. It will help speed up the healing."
Falcotte noticed that the three Nords were looking back and forth at each other. "Before you decide to kill me, can I at least get a last meal? I haven't eaten anything for two or three days, and I don't want to die hungry. I think that saving Aldis' life and leg are worth a few mouthfuls of food and a bit of ale if you have any."
Irlof gave a small smile. "The healing was indeed worth at least a good meal, but killing a man who was willing to perform such a feat of healing on a total stranger would surely anger the Divines, Falcotte."
Falcotte nodded and stepped out of the tent and into the open air. It was mid-afternoon, and a cool, refreshing breeze was blowing. He took a deep, invigorating breath and raised his arms over his head. He stood there for several seconds just experiencing the caress of the breeze and breathing in the crisp refreshing air.
When he finished, Falcotte lowered his arms and turned to face the Nords. "What about that meal?" he asked.
Irlof, Wulf, Finna, and Falcotte sat on logs situated around a fire pit. There was no need to light a fire since it was still warm enough and night was several hours off. They exchanged histories while Falcotte ate bread and berries along with strips of dried deer and rabbit meat. Falcotte ate everything put before him. When Falcotte was finally full and pushed away his plate, Irlof brought out and opened a cask of ale, and he poured all of them mugs.
The Nords were making a living by hunting and trapping in the wilds of eastern Skyrim. Technically, what they were doing was illegal since the Jarl of Riften owned the rights to all of the wild game in the hold. The area was so remote, though, and there was no effective means of patrolling so far from Riften. It turned out that several groups and many individuals were making a living poaching game from the Jarl of Riften.
Falcotte told of his adventures with Skar the Hunter traveling between Whiterun and Ivarstead. Despite the title, "Hunter", the Nords guessed that he was actually closer to being a forester of the Jarl of Falkreath. He didn't work in an official capacity, but reported any suspicious or illegal activities to the authorities. There were countless individuals, like Skar, who existed on the spectrum between outright criminal poachers and officially sanction foresters of the Jarl. Wulf noted that Falcotte had seemed to learn something during his travels with Skar since he didn't make nearly as much noise while traveling in the woods as a typical city dweller.
The Nords would sell meat and skins to merchants passing between Riften and Windhelm. They would get finished goods and news from other parts of Skyrim, so they weren't completely isolated from what was passing throughout the kingdom.
It was a hard and dangerous path to take through life, but none of the Nords had any intention of giving it up for the relative comfort and security of life in a city such as Riften or even one of the smaller settlements like Shore's Stone. Aldis and Irlof had grown up together in Ivarstead and had been wandering the wilds of The Rift since they'd been driven from the settlement at the age of 16. Wulf had tried his hand at being a soldier in the Imperial army, but deserted after a couple of years. He just couldn't get adjusted to the discipline of being a soldier, and since he was a deserter, he would be executed if he was ever captured by Imperial soldiers. Finna had fled a life of abuse by her husband, a drunkard farmer. What she lacked in bulk and raw strength, she made up for with determination, intellect, and skill with a bow.
Falcotte kept looking over toward Finna. Even after saving Aldis' life and leg, he wasn't convince that Finna wasn't going to shove a knife into his back at the first opportunity.
For his part, Falcotte described his upbringing in a moderately well to do family in Highrock. He was a capable, if not exceptional, occultist. He'd decided to leave Highrock and travel to Skyrim to attend the College of Winterhold. He briefly described his impression of the College and told about his travels in Skyrim. Rather than talking mostly about his time at the College, he focused on the incredibly beautiful scenery in Skyrim and the feeling of peace and purity he felt when out in the wilds.
Falcotte noticed how the Nords set up straighter and took obvious pride in hearing how a Breton appreciated the beauty of their home. They still bristled slightly when he talked about the College, but they didn't show open hostility.
He didn't mention the Thalmor or their torture facility, but he did admit to being on a mission to deliver letters and having met with Ulfric Stormcloak's court wizard.
"Do you report to Jarl Ulfric or Jarl Laila of Riften?" asked Wulf. The group's poaching activities often straddled the border between the two jurisdictions, so both Jarls were potential threats.
"I answer to Lyssa Brae, the Arch Mage of the College of Winterhold. I do not answer directly to either Jarl or any other civil authority in Skyrim.
"However, I am not immune from Imperial or Hold laws. Even so, I have no obligation or intention of informing any one about either your group or where you operate. You have saved my life as much as I saved Aldis'."
They continued to talk as the day passed. As sunset approached, Falcotte excused himself and found a secluded place to perform the Sunset Ritual. When he returned, he found the Nords sitting around a roaring fire, preparing an evening meal.
As he sat back down on the cut log, Falcotte heard Aldis shout from inside his tent, "Bring me some of whatever you are cooking up out there!" His voice was stronger, and Falcotte took the desire for food as a sign that Aldis was on the road to recovery.
Over the following three days, Falcotte continued to use his Restoration skills to speed Aldis' healing, and he taught him some of the Restoration Ritual poses. Initially, Aldis scoffed at the idea and mocked Falcotte, but after using them successfully a few times, he changed his attitude. At first, Aldis did poses while sitting up inside the tent, but by the third day, he refused to stay in the tent and started walking around. With the systemic infection cured, Aldis' natural vitality, assisted by Falcotte's healing spells, allowed him to get up and roam around much sooner than Falcotte would have predicted.
Aldis began to join Falcotte in performing the Sunrise and Sunset Rituals.
Aldis shook Falcotte awake one morning after he had been with them for a week. "Finna says the weather is changing for the worse, and we need to get to our winter quarters. We need to get you to a road or settlement before that, so we are packing up and moving out today."
Falcotte was ready to travel with little preparation. All that was required was a quick check of the few belongings he'd escaped with and making certain he still had his travel funds. Falcotte joined the Nords who were finishing a quick breakfast before packing their movable gear for the move and breaking camp.
He was well fed and back to full strength. He helped where he could with packing the gear, and they set out.
As Finna had predicted, the weather turned cooler, and a cold drizzle soaked them that night. The hunters gave Falcotte a thick canvas tarp and an extra blanket that helped keep him dry and warm.
It took another half day to reach a road. At their parting, the hunters provided Falcotte with a supply of provisions that would last at least two weeks.
Falcotte shook hands with each of them and said, "No one will hear about your group from me."
Aldis pointed up the road. "Riften is that way, about seven days walk. If the Divines favor you, a carriage will catch up to you in a couple of days and you can pay for a ride if you don't want to walk the entire way."
There was another round of hand shaking and well wishing and then the Nords disappeared back into the forest. Falcotte took a deep breath and started toward Riften.
As he walked, Falcotte thought about what he would do once he reached Riften. He didn't have any of the letters from the Arch Mage or Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak. The letters were ruined, and he didn't have any way of convincing the intended recipients in Riften that he was actually a legitimate messenger from the College of Winterhold.
"Perhaps I will be fortunate enough to encounter a wagon or carriage heading back toward, Windhelm," he mumbled to himself.
Falcotte didn't encounter any traffic going in either direction that day. As night approached, he made a camp well off the road with limited avenues of approach. He didn't want unwelcome guests to be able to approach him from multiple directions, so he set up camp on a wide ledge beside a small cliff that had a rock wall on the other side. The ledge narrowed until it disappeared a hundred feet or so beyond Falcotte's camp, so there was only a single approach unless the attacker wanted to climb up the cliff from below or climb down the cliff from above.
Finna's prediction continued to hold. The temperature had continued to drop through the day, and the nighttime temperatures were considerably colder than they had been only a couple of days before. Clouds moved in and completely covered the sky, and, midway through the night, it started to rain again. Falcotte had fashioned something of a shelter against the rock wall using the tarp, and that kept him mostly protected from the rain that night. At one point, he woke up and looked out from his shelter, the rain had turned to snow, but it wasn't falling fast enough to accumulate on the ground.
Even though the weather was turning colder and wetter and the first hints of snow were showing, Falcotte was thankful that bandits, wild animals, or dragons weren't attacking him.
The rain and snow had stopped by the sunrise, but a cold wind blew from the north, and Falcotte could still smell snow in the air. During his time in Skyrim, Falcotte had paid attention to the weather patterns and clues to changes in the weather. He didn't have anything near the skill and sensitivity of Finna or even most native-born Nords, but he was learning. He knew that the first real snows of winter would be arriving in a few days or a couple of weeks at most.
He started the day's journey after completing the Sunrise Ritual and eating a light breakfast. He tried to destroy or scatter any indications that there had been a camp. A casual look wouldn't be enough to find traces of where he'd camped, but an experienced tracker or hunter wouldn't be fooled by his attempt. Falcotte didn't think he was being followed, but he habitually tried to leave as little evidence of his passing as possible.
Falcotte took a break about noon to rest and have a bite to eat. Despite the cloud cover and cooler temperatures, his spirits were starting to rise. He'd decided to spend a day in Riften after he arrived and just look around the city since he'd never been there. He didn't intend on visiting any of the intended letter recipients since he no longer carried messaged for them. After spending a day exploring Riften, he would book passage on a carriage bound for Windhelm.
As he was getting ready to resume his journey, Falcotte heard something approaching through the woods and underbrush. It was in a hurry and didn't seem to be making any effort to be quiet. Falcotte was astonished when a child crashed through a bush and stepped into view.
She was a Nord, maybe ten years old. Her hair and clothes were damp, and, even at a distance, Falcotte could tell that she was shivering. She was wearing a simple shirt and skirt, and both looked old and tattered. When she looked up and spotted Falcotte, the child froze and stared at him.
She is terrified, was Falcotte's first thought when he saw the expression on her face.
Falcotte didn't move toward her but raised his hands, palms toward the girl, to show he was unarmed. She was cold, wet, and frightened. She wouldn't last much longer if she bolted and Falcotte couldn't catch her. He stood still and silent and waited for her to decide what she was going to do.
Finally, the girl asked, "Are you with them?" Her voice was a bit shaky, probably from the shivering as much as from fear.
"No," Falcotte answered. "I do not know who 'they' are, but I am travelling alone, so I am not with them."
She looked back the way she'd come and listened for a few seconds. She turned back to Falcotte and said, "My brother told me to run one direction, and he ran in the other when the bad men found us this morning. I don't know if anyone followed me, but I have been running since."
"How many men?"
"I saw two, but I think there might have been more. I heard some rustling in the bushes and saw shadows out of the corner of my eye when I started to run away.
"I hope Jofrr got away."
"What is your name?"
"Hedli."
"A pleasure to meet you, Hedli. My name is Falcotte."
Hedli started to relax. In order to appear less threatening, Falcotte sat down on the ground and invited Hedli to come closer.
"Where are your parents, Hedli, and why were the men chasing you and Jofrr?
Hedli approached but remained standing. "Jofrr and I were sent to the Honorhall Orphanage after our parents were murdered two years ago.
"The men were sent to bring us back to the orphanage."
"Why did you flee the orphanage?" Falcotte was impressed by Hedli's poise, especially given the recent terror of being pursued.
"The woman who runs it, Grelod, is a horrible person. People call her Grelod the Kind, but she is the meanest woman in Riften.
"Jofrr couldn't take it anymore, and he told me that he was running away. I was scared, but I didn't want to be left alone there, so I ran away with him.
"Jofrr said that even if we get eaten by bears or wolves, that would be better than staying with Grelod."
"It certainly sounds like she is a horrible person," Falcotte said.
"How long has it been since you have had anything to eat, Hedli?"
"Since we left the orphanage. We found water and a few berries, but nothing else."
"How many days? I have never heard of Honorhall Orphanage and don't know where it is located."
"Four days, I think. The orphanage is in Riften."
Falcotte whistled. "Four days is a long time with no food." He undid the straps on his pack and put it on the ground in front of him. "You are welcome to eat some of my food, Hedli."
She looked at him suspiciously but kept glancing down at the open pack. Falcotte backed himself away from the open pack. When he was about fifteen feet away from it, Hedli approached and began rummaging through it. She found some bread and dried apples and immediately began eating them. Falcotte sat and watched for several minutes while Hedli ate as much as she wanted. She would occasionally remember that he was there and would look up to make certain that he wasn't trying to sneak up on her.
After eating her fill, Hedli looked up at Falcotte and began to cry. "What about Jofrr? What will he eat?" She went on crying for a while and then said, "I'm so cold."
"Is it okay if I come over and sit by you, Hedli?" Falcotte spoke in a quiet and calm voice, trying to make certain he didn't frighten Hedli.
She looked at him and then down at the open pack. "I guess you are okay. You shared your food with me. Do you have a blanket I can use?"
Falcotte smiled and started to scoot closer. "Yes, I have a blanket, but I have something even better." He stopped a couple of feet in front of Hedli and quickly invoked the heating breeze spell.
Hedli's eyes went wide, and she started to panic. "Are you a wizard? Grelod said wizards sacrifice children in evil rituals in order to gain great power."
"Jofrr said getting eaten by a bear was better than being with Grelod, so why would you believe anything she told you?" The air around them was warming up and the gentle breeze on his face made Falcotte smile.
Hedli relaxed and smiled. The warm breeze was a welcome change. Falcotte could see the tension loosening in her shoulders and back as the breeze warmed her exposed skin.
"Grelod was kind of right though. Some wizards commit evil acts to gain power and learn hidden secrets. I am not one of them. Most of us study and learn to discipline our actions and thoughts so that we can cast spells without resorting to the evil acts that Grelod described." Falcotte paused before continuing.
"Your clothes need to dry out, Hedli. I am going to give you a blanket and turn around. Take off your shirt and skirt and wrap up in the blanket. You will get warmer faster, and your clothes will get dry as well. Is that okay with you?"
Hedli nodded and Falcotte handed his rolled up blanket to her and turned around.
"I'm done," she said when she had gotten out of the damp clothes and had wrapped the blanket around herself.
Falcotte took the clothes and spread them out flat on the ground. The warm breeze blowing over them would dry them out quicker than if Hedli was wearing them. When he looked, Hedli's eyes were starting to flutter. The warm breeze, full stomach, and feeling of safety were putting the young girl to sleep. By the time Falcotte had finished laying out her clothes and getting his pack reordered, Hedli was sleeping soundly.
He sat down beside the sleeping girl and meditated. Occasionally, he would get up and flip over her clothes in order to dry out both sides. The clothes were completely dry when she woke up three hours later.
After Hedli woke up, Falcotte had her dress in the warm, dry clothes and arranged the blanket so that it acted like a cloak to keep her warm.
"Do you think you can lead us back the way you came? Maybe we can find the men who were chasing you. If we are really lucky, Jofrr will have escaped them and is following your trail."
"I will try," Hedli replied, and they started on their way. It was going to be dark in a few hours, but Falcotte wanted to at least start looking for Jofrr, and they needed to find a more secure place to camp for the night.
They moved along Hedli's best recollection of her path. Falcotte tried to find clues and signs of her passage. In many places, he could see her footprints or broken sticks on the ground or bent branches on bushes. When Hedli seemed lost or unsure, Falcotte would try to find some sign or ask her to remember whether she was going mostly uphill or down, whether she remembered seeing a particular landmark, or a similar question to try to jog her memory. It was slow going, and they didn't travel very far, but, before the sun set, they covered some ground and were able to find a relatively sheltered spot to spend the night.
While they were following Hedli's track, Falcotte paid attention to landmarks so that they could navigate back to the road. It would be no good to rescue Jofrr from the men hunting them only to be lost in the wilderness. He noted local features as well as distant mountain peaks that he could use for navigation. They had only come a few miles from the road, so it wouldn't be difficult to find their way back if they found Jofrr early the following day.
They ate a simple evening meal after setting up camp among some large boulders that had fallen off a nearby cliff wall. Hedli didn't talk much, and Falcotte didn't press her. After eating, she pulled the blanket around herself and leaned up against a rock. Falcotte wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and tried to spread the tarp out over the boulders to create a roof overhead that would provide a bit of protection if it rained during the night. It was crude and cramped, but Falcotte was able to fashion a shelter that would keep out any falling rain. When he finished, he invoked the heating breeze spell again. The spell kept the air under the tarp warm and heated up the rocks. Once the spell ended, the air would cool off quickly, but Falcotte hoped the rocks would provide enough residual heat to keep the shelter warm through the night.
Falcotte sat still and listened to the night sounds of the wilderness around them. He'd always found being outdoors in Skyrim uplifting to his spirit. Just sitting still and listening to the wind rustling the leaves and branches of nearby trees was soothing and relaxing.
The next day brought much colder weather, and Falcotte started to worry about being caught out in the wilderness if a sudden storm descended on them. He could keep them warm enough, but a heavy rain or blizzard would make travel slow or impossible. If they didn't find any sign of Jofrr by early afternoon, Falcotte was going to take Hedli back to the road and head toward Riften. It was possible that the men had captured Jofrr and were already heading back to the city.
Hedli didn't like the idea when Falcotte explained it to her, but he insisted that they might die themselves if the weather turned worse and they were trapped. The cold bite to the morning air might have helped her understand because Hedli gave a nod after Falcotte explained the situation. She even brightened a little when Falcotte said they might find Jofrr back in Riften.
"What about Grelod? What will she do to us?"
"I will have a talk with Grelod. If I think it won't be safe, I won't leave you with her."
"Grelod won't listen to you, Falcotte. You are not scary enough."
After packing and cleaning up their campsite, they set off and continued following Hedli's track.
At midmorning, Falcotte and Hedli stepped into a clearing about twenty yards across. At the same instant, three men and a young boy stepped in on the other side. Falcotte immediately noticed one man was holding a rope. The other end was tied around the boy's waist. He didn't need to see Hedli's face or hear her yell, "Jofrr!" to know that they had found her brother.
"Get the girl and kill the milk drinker," growled the man holding the rope.
"Double the fun tonight," one of the men cackled as he looked at Hedli and headed toward her.
The other man gave Falcotte and evil grin and pulled out a dagger. "I guess I get the wet work, huh?"
Falcotte began using what he had started calling the Destruction Ritual to gather energy, much like what he'd done with the guard at Ulfric Stormcloak's palace gate. He didn't feel constrained this time and gathered as much energy as quickly as he could. The dagger wielder chuckled and stabbed out as soon as he was close enough to Falcotte.
Falcotte avoided the clumsy thrust, stepped in quickly, and slammed his fist into the man's chest. The energy discharge created a bright flash of light, and left a scorch mark on the man's leather coat. The body dropped to the ground and started convulsing. Blood poured from his mouth when the convulsing jaw muscles caused him to bite into his tongue.
The man heading to capture Hedli stopped and stared at his convulsing companion. Falcotte didn't take time to use the Destruction Ritual again, but held out his hands and invoked the most powerful electric shock he could control. The man screamed as the electricity pouring into him caused his muscles to cramp and spasm. Falcotte continued to pour the electric bolts into the man, and he started to scream himself.
Falcotte didn't know for certain how long he continued to scream and pour energy bolts into the body. When he stopped, his breath was coming in gasps, and all that remained of the man was charred corpse, which barely resembled a human body.
In the coming weeks and months, Falcotte would tell himself that he was only reacting to the sudden attack and the depraved suggestion of what awaited Hedli and Jofrr that night. That wasn't the truth though, and he knew it. Falcotte lost control and poured all of the fear, anger, bitterness, and humiliation he'd felt since coming to Skyrim and joining the College into the man. The feelings had built up over the last several months, and they had come flooding down on him, blotting out his self-control and reason.
When Falcotte remembered the third man, he looked over to see his reaction. The man was already dead, face down on the ground with a dagger buried in his back. Jofrr was standing over the dead man, looking down on the corpse with a stony expression on his face. Falcotte guessed that Jofrr had been able to get the dagger and stab the man in the back while he was watching his companions die.
Hedli was staring at Falcotte, her face frozen in an expression of shocked horror and tears running down her face.
"Hedli,…" Falcotte started to try to explain what happened, but Jofrr cut him off.
"Don't cry for these monsters, Hedli. I was their captive last night and we both would have been captive tonight if not for this wizard. They didn't suffer enough in my opinion." Jofrr started looking at the body of the man he'd stabbed.
Hedli continued to look at Falcotte with an expression of shock and horror on her face. Falcotte wanted to explain to her what had happened and that he was not evil but had simply lost control. When he took a step toward here, Hedli quickly backed away. Falcotte knew that she was now terrified of him and it was best to just leave her to her own thoughts for the time being.
Jofrr had taken a belt and leather scabbard for the dagger from the body as well as a water skin and a pouch that jingled with coins. He had pulled out the dagger and was looking its edge with a blank expression on his face. After a few seconds, he looked at Hedli and said, "Maybe we should go back to the orphanage and teach Grelod a lesson."
Hedli gasped at her brother's suggestion of murdering Grelod. Jofrr was looking back down at the dead man and seemed to be making some connection between the abuse the dead man had heaped upon him and the abuse he received from Grelod. He looked at the dagger again for several seconds and then back down at the corpse.
"Jofrr?" said Falcotte.
The boy looked up.
"Do not trap yourself by thinking that all of your problems can be solved with the blade of a dagger or that all abuse warrants deaths."
"Do you know what they did to me?" Jofrr replied with a sneer and growl.
"Do I look like I am shedding any tears over his death Jofrr? Look at my handiwork," Falcotte said pointing to the charred corpse. "Sometimes killing someone is the only way to prevent the loss of your own life. I just think that it would be a waste if you spend your life dealing out death as revenge for any slight done to you.
"Does Grelod deserve a dagger in the back? Perhaps. But does that mean you have to stain your soul by becoming a murderer? Think about your sister; what happens to Hedli if you are caught and end up in prison or being executed for murdering Grelod?"
Jofrr looked at Hedli. Tears were still running down her cheeks, but she wasn't making any sound. Jofrr sheathed the dagger and ran to Hedli. He wrapped his arms around his sister and hugged her close.
"Oh, Hedli, I was so worried about you."
They held each other and cried.
Falcotte guessed that Jofrr was only a couple years older than Hedli. He was a bit too thin; apparently Grelod didn't feed the children too well, but was nearly as tall as Falcotte. After a few moments, Falcotte turned away to give them some privacy to reassure and comfort one another.
Falcotte stepped over to where the first attacker was laid out on the ground. He wasn't dead. He was on his back, staring up into the sky with eyes open and unblinking. Occasionally, he would lift a hand to gesture as if he was protecting his face or brushing something out of his path. A line of drool ran from the right corner of his mouth, and drying spit and foam was crusting around his lips. Falcotte bent over him and waved a hand in front of the man's face. There was no response or any indication that the man saw the waving hand. Falcotte was reminded of the Thalmor prisoners who had finally broken with reality after being subjected to too much torture.
Falcotte felt his stomach turn over and walked away before he lost control and started vomiting.
Jofrr and Hedli eventually composed themselves and found Falcotte sitting with his back against a large tree. He'd moved away from the area where the fight had occurred and was meditating on what he'd experienced over the last several days.
"Where do we go now?" asked Jofrr.
"There is nothing but wilderness between here and Windhelm, and we don't have sufficient supplies to get there even if we didn't get buried by a blizzard.
"We either make for Riften or wander around out here in the wilderness until we die of exposure or starvation, are taken by bandits, or are eaten by some wild animal."
"Not back to Grelod!" exclaimed Hedli.
"Maybe, Maybe not. Whether you end up back at the orphanage or not, it is a choice between returning to Riften and dying. I will do whatever I can to help you find a different place to stay, or, as a last resort, discuss the situation with Grelod."
"Maybe you are scary enough to make Grelod treat us better," Hedli said without even a trace of a smile.
"What about the one that is still alive?" asked Jofrr.
Falcotte shrugged. "I don't think he could follow us even if we tried to lead him. I don't want to just butcher him though."
Jofrr looked back toward where the man was lying. "I don't think he will be moving anywhere. Either he will starve to death, or the bears or spiders will get him. It doesn't look like he will be aware of what is happening either way."
Falcotte got to his feet and said, "Let's get on the way then."
The trip to Riften took four days and was uneventful. The three of them easily made their way back to the road and simply followed it toward the city. They got a ride for part of the journey from a farmer transporting goods between small farming settlements. The cart travelled so slow, not much faster than they had been walking, that the ride didn't shorten the actual duration of the trip by much. They were all glad for the break from walking however.
Jofrr seemed lost in his own thoughts most of the time and rarely spoke to Falcotte. Falcotte guessed that the young man was processing the fact that he'd killed a man as well as coming to terms with whatever abuse he'd suffered at that man's hands. On one of the rare occasions that he spoke, Jofrr replied that he was 12 years old when Falcotte had asked how old he was. Falcotte marveled at how well Jofrr was holding up after experiencing such a traumatic episode.
Hedli did her best to avoid talking to or being near Falcotte. She would hold Jofrr's hand or even cling to him until he shook her off in frustration. She flinched and her eyes brimmed with tears whenever Falcotte said anything to her, as if she were waiting for him to cast some horrible spell at her. After the first day of travel, Falcotte stopped trying to engage Hedli and only spoke to her when he had no other choice.
The final two miles was uphill, and the city walls were visible for most of that final approach. Falcotte had never been in Riften but guessed that it was about the same size as Windhelm or Whiterun, but it was definitely larger than Winterhold. They were still about a mile off when Falcotte started to hear the screams and shrieks of children. At first, he was concerned but as they got closer, it became obvious that the shrieks were of laughter and delight rather than fear or panic.
Falcotte saw Jofrr and Hedli give each other puzzled looks.
"What could that mean, Jofrr?" asked Hedli. Jofrr just shook his head.
When they were close enough that Falcotte could see the gate and city guards, he spotted a dozen or so children running around, playing and laughing. He watched a pair of boys race from the gate to the stalls of a nearby horse stable.
From behind some trees beside the road, a young girl about Hedli's age came running toward them.
"Jofrr! Hedli!" she was shouting. The other children must have heard her because they all came running and surround their returned friends.
Falcotte backed away from the milling children and spotted a young woman coming over to see what was causing the commotion. Her face broke into a wide smile when she spotted Jofrr and Hedli, and she rushed over and gathered both of them into a hug.
"We were so worried about you two," she said as tears of joy ran down her face.
Jofrr disengaged himself from the hug and asked, "What happened? Why is Grelod letting you play outside the city gates? Where is Grelod?"
A boy, perhaps a year older than Jofrr replied. "She's dead; Talos be praised. Three days ago, Runa brought breakfast into her room like usual, and she found Grelod, dead with a dagger stuck in her throat."
Falcotte was shocked by the looks of happiness and outright glee on the children's faces as they boy described Grelod's murder.
The boy continued, "Constance lost control for a bit, running around in a panic and screaming incoherently, but we have been celebrating and having a great time ever since."
"Samuel, do you think Aventus succeeded?" asked Jofrr.
"That he succeeded in hiring a Dark Brother to kill Grelod? Maybe. Maybe it was just a former resident of the orphanage that returned in the night to repay her for her 'kindness.' Who cares as long as Grelod stays dead?"
The children all started talking and laughing. After a few seconds, the group broke apart and they began running about, shrieking and laughing again.
Falcotte looked at Constance and said, "Grelod must have been a truly horrible human being if these children are celebrating her murder by the Dark Brotherhood."
Constance didn't respond to his remark, almost as if she still feared Grelod. Instead she asked, "How did you find Jofrr and Hedli, and why did you return them here?"
Falcotte briefly described his mission to deliver letters to the Jarl of Riften and that he'd found the children days earlier. He left out most of the details, hoping to slip away quietly and let the children get on with their lives. They were playing with their friends, and Falcotte guessed that they would rather forget about their pursuit and abuse by the men Grelod had sent after them. There was also the final fight and the horrible scene of Falcotte reducing a man to a smoking, blackened corpse. He thought it would be best for the children to forget the whole episode.
"Thank you for returning them safely to Riften," said Constance.
Falcotte nodded and said, "If you will excuse me, I am very tired after a long and hazardous journey. I am going to find an inn, get a hot meal followed by a hot bath, and then sleep in a comfortable bed for the first time in weeks.
"Jofrr and Hedli have been through a very traumatic time; treat them gently." Without waiting for a response, Falcotte headed toward the city gate.