The Storm Fighters
A Skyrim Tale
Chapter 1: The Bandit Dilemma
The dragon attack at Helgen was catastrophic but more than a few Stormcloaks, Imperials and the Dragonborn survived. One of the survivors was a Dark Elf named Azzurri Darkblade, a true warrior in every sense of the word. When the attack began, he charged the headsman, knocking him down and sawing off the bonds on his wrists with the headsman's axe.
Another survivor was a lovely Imperial woman named Aliane Sunfire, a clever rouge. When the attack began she ran off to hide, sticking to the shadows she made her way out of Helgen with slight bruises. Later when she was safe she got her bonds removed.
And finally a wise Breton mage named Jorlif Windrider managed to escape to safety, he was a previous member of the mages council in Cyrodiil. When the battle began he engulfed his bonds in flame and fought his way out burning anyone in his path.
Little did these three know that they, together, would play a very important part in Skyrim's future and all of Tamriel. After the battle each of them ended up in the woods just north of Helgen, not far from where the Dragonborn had ended up.
Aliane stood in the woods looking around, she still had the bonds on her wrist. Making sure it was safe before proceeding she gave one last look around then left her hiding spot. As she stepped out she heard someone shout "HEY YOU, WAIT!" She quickly spun around to see if it was an Imperial or Stormcloak soldier.
Behind her was a Dark Elf, long dark black hair with a few scars on his face, his eyes were the bluest of blues she had ever seen, which complemented his light grey skin. In his hands he had a large axe and he was running straight towards her. She decided the best thing to do would be to run, as she was not sure if he wanted to kill her or help her.
As she began running another man came out from behind the trees. He had medium length grey hair, with a beard, hazel eyes and a wrinkled expression on his face. In his hands was fire so she assumed him to be a mage.
"Get behind me girl!" He shouted. Aliane was unsure of who to trust as both looked equally dangerous.
As best she could she climbed the nearest tree after kicking over the mage. Struggling due to her bonds she only made it about 9 feet up before the Dark Elf had caught up. As she looked down she saw the Dark Elf help up the mage, and then look up at her. "I was going to offer to remove those bonds from your hands, silly girl." he shouted.
Aliane had a puzzled look on her face, as a rogue she learned not to trust anyone but her own instinct and sometimes like now it got the best of her. Slowly she lowered herself down the tree and when she reached the bottom held out her hands to have the bonds removed.
"Sorry 'bout that. I forgot I'm not the sweetest looking elf on the block," he said. "I am the one called Azzurri Darkblade."
The mage bowed and replied "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Master Darkblade, you may call me Jorlif Windrider." He looked at the girl " And what of you?" he asked.
Aliane was a little nervous as she brushed her dark chestnut hair out of her face to get a better look at the two men before her in case they decided to make any sudden attacks. Still un-trusting she hesitantly said, "My name is Aliane, Aliane Sunfire,"
The three of them exchanged glances until they heard the roar of a dragon as it passed over head. "Shor's bone! It looks like that dragon was headed for Whiterun!" Exclaimed Jorlif looking at the others he continued "We should head that way and see if we can help."
"How are we going to help? We don't have any weapons and no armour, that dragon would kill us instantly!" remarked Azzurri. "This axe could barely cut the bonds on our wrists!" with that he threw the axe on the ground.
"I know people in Riverwood who could help us,." said Aliane.
"Then let us be off!" exclaimed Jorlif.
Riverwood quickly came into view, it was a small town with two walls on the west and east roads. To the north they were guarded by a river, and to the south a mountain. The town had a tavern, blacksmith, general store and most importantly lumber mill where many of the towns folk worked.
The three travellers entered the town. To the left was the lumber mill across the bridge and the blacksmith just up the road. The banter of an elderly woman could be heard exclaiming that she had seen a dragon flying overhead, to which her son replied with doubt and disbelief.
Aliane led the others to the tavern where she asked around for her friends from town. After around an hour she returned to Azzurri and Jorlif with news.
"Apparently my friend, Faendal, works at the lumber mill in town. I will go to the mill and ask him for help, you two can come along if you wish or stay here and relax."
Jorlif stood for a moment stroking his facial hair then began "I will come with you, I want to meet this Faendal."
"As do I," added Azzurri. With that they left for the lumber mill. When they got there they asked the owner, Hod, where Faendal was.
"I think the elf is on break. He might be near the river enjoying the air." Hod answered before continuing, "It's good to see you again dear."
The three of them went off to find Faendal and within minutes they had found him. He was on a walkway that extended out to the river, looking out enjoying the peace and beauty of nature around him, as wood elves do. When she saw him, Aliane rushed up and gave her old childhood friend a hug.
"It's wonderful to see you again Faendal!" She cheered as she held him tight. He turned around, acknowledging the young female that had attached herself to him like a tumour.
"It is good to see you too Aliane. How have you been as of late?" The Wood Elf asked returning the hug.
"I'm good, I need to ask something of you though." She replied and switched to a more sombre tone, "Me and my friends here need to stay with you for a few days, I will explain later, it is a long tale." Faendal nodded and led the three to his house.
When they arrived at Faendal's house they sat down and Faendal found some wine for them. Sitting down he looked at the two strange men and asked "May I have your names please?"
"I am Jorlif Windrider ex member of the council of mages in Cyrodiil." replied Jorlif with a bow.
"I am Azzurri Darkblade, master swordsman." answered Azzurri taking a sip of wine.
Faendal nodded at both saying "I am not one to trust strangers, but if Aliane trusts you, then it must be for good reason." Azzurri and Jorlif nodded back. Faendal looked at Aliane and asked "Now, what brought you here to me Aliane? Tell me the whole story."
"Well, it begun when I was walking in the forests east of Darkwater Crossing, near the border of Morrowind. From behind I heard the thundering sound of hooves, and I turned to see what it was. To my surprise behind me were Stormcloaks, with their leader Ulfric at the fore."
"They rode past me and I thought nothing of it, so I continued. Not a moment later Imperial soldiers rode past at top speed in pursuit of the Stormcloaks that had passed only moments before. I continued to ignore this, but within moments I had caught up with them and a battle had commenced."
"I observed it for a few moments before deciding to help the Stormcloaks as they were out-numbered about five to one. Rushing up I attacked the nearest Imperial, saving a Stormcloak from an honest death. Noticing the kindness I had shown he nodded at me and continued the fight."
"We fought hard, but as you know when it comes to Imperial Soldiers, when there is one a hundred more are sure to follow. We were vastly out numbered and Ulfric commanded we lay down our arms. After that they had us in bonds and on carts to Helgen for execution."
With that, Aliane took a long breath and thought for a moment, taking sips of wine as she thought and continued, "That series of events led me to these two men and back to you."
Faendal pondered the tale for a few moments. The sound of the fire crackling filled the room as the four of them sat in silence, taking sips of their wine. Faendal decided to break the silence, acknowledging Aliane "So you and your friends need to stay here for a while?" he took a pause to finish his wine and putting the cup down he continued, "I don't have much room here but I am sure that they have room at the tavern, I could pay for you to stay there for a few nights. Working at the lumber mill pays well, and it keeps me in good shape."
The four of them talked for a while and had a large supper, after which they walked down to the tavern and got rooms for Aliane, Jorlif and Azzurri for the next three days, and if they needed more time Faendal agreed to re-rent the rooms. After they settled down in the tavern Faendal said one final good bye before leaving.
They sat around the fire listening to the bard, Sven, play his lute. Later in the evening they began to talk. Aliane had asked both Azzurri and Jorlif how they had been brought to Helgen which they told their tale up to the point of their meeting.
After that Azzurri turned to Aliane and said "Tell me, why was it that you attacked the Imperial soldiers near Darkwater Crossing? I thought you were an Imperial"
Aliane shrugged and replied, "Well, I may be an Imperial by birth, but the Empire now is a fraction of it's former self. Back when the Septims ruled the Empire was fair and just, they would never bend their knees to the Aldmeri Dominion."
Both Jorlif and Azzurri knew she spoke the truth, and left it at that. They sat in silence listening to Sven for the remainder of the eve until they retired to their quarters to get a good night's sleep.
Azzurri rustled in his bed, his dreams were filled with memories of the dragon attack and the events that followed. It all happened so quickly, but it kept replaying to see if there was some extension, something more that he might have forgotten. Then as he lay there in a restless sleep it felt as if the very earth was being shaken.
As he slowly awoke he heard a woman sobbing and felt rough hands clasped onto his shoulders shaking harshly. "Wake up elf!" He heard a growling voice say. It was Jorlif, Azzurri assumed that if the old man was waking him as so then something bad had to have happened.
"What is it old man?" he growled, while shielding his eyes from the candle light. The old man discontinued the shaking and took a step back before replying.
"Bandits attacked Riverwood in the middle of the night. They took prisoners and according to a head count taken by Hod, Aliane's friend was among them. You can imagine how devastated she is."
Azzurri nodded slightly in agreement, knowing that Aliane was most likely the crying woman he continued to hear. He stood up slowly, taking in a deep breath and stretching, feeling a slight ache in his back. Throwing on his shirt, he followed Jorlif out of the room into the main hall where he saw many of the villagers of Riverwood crying over the capture of loved ones.
In the corner across from the bar he saw a woman comforting Aliane. Azzurri recognized her as one of the owners of the tavern, Delphine. Her dirty blond hair was held back out of her face, and her blue dresses length reached down to the floor. She had owned the Sleeping Giant Inn for thirty years with her good friend, Orgnar, who sold the goods they had, while she handled everything else like room renting and managing the building.
Aliane held her head in her hands as she continued to sob as one would after losing a life long friend to certain death so quickly. As Azzurri and Jorlif approached she sniffed to try and stop the flow of tears, wiping them off her cheeks. Delphine gave her a quick reassuring hug then turned to the two men.
"The bandits took their prisoners North-west, toward Bleak Falls Barrows. Yesterday a man came back with Lucan's golden dragon claw, we assume this is a counter-attack." The dragon claw, unknown to Lucan or anyone else in town, was the key for an ancient door in Bleak Falls Barrow up on the mountain. Delphine paused for a moment before continuing "Poor Aliane has taken it really hard, most of these people she grew up with. I remember when she was a young girl playing in the river with her friends."
Jorlif pondered for a moment then asked "Is there anything we could do to help? I am certain between Azzurri, Aliane, and me we could rescue those prisoners within a few days hopefully." Azzurri who was still a little sleepy was surprised by this offer from Jorlif.
Azzurri was hoping to leave town that day and find his friends in Ivarstead; where he and his friends, before his arrest at the hand of the Imperial guard, had planned to start their own rebellion. Their cause was more just than the Stormcloaks, rather than completely fight off the Empire and weaken both the Empire and Skyrim, they planned to help the Empire fight the Stormcloaks and then unite all the provinces of Tamriel against the Aldmeri.
Azzurri scowled at Jorlif and said grimly "I plan to leave today, you and Aliane can handle them I am sure."
Aliane looked up a cried "What about Faendal and the others? These people will live in fear unless we take care of those bandits!" She shot up and pinned Azzurri against one of the support beams, well aware that he could easily escape, "You will help or by Talos I will kill you myself!" she growled in his face.
Knowing the small Imperial girl meant business, he sighed and agreed to help. Within a short time they had been equipped with arms and armour by the local blacksmith, whose wife had been among the villagers captured in the attack. He asked for no payment, asking only that they return his love to him safely.
They agreed and set off to slay the bandits and rescue the villagers. They followed the road east out of town and turned north across the bridge that ran over the babbling brook. The trees swayed softly in the breeze and birds sung songs loudly in the trees. Insects buzzed and flew about their business as Aliane, Azzurri and Jorlif walked along the path.
The day quickly passed to night as they travelled. The adventurers found a small flat spot a little off the road which was sheltered enough that they would not be seen by people passing by. Azzurri laid out a small fire to cook over, and after they ate they sat quietly as the flames licked at the air and a warm light shone on their faces.
Aliane started humming a tune to herself and Jorlif recognized the tune immediately and began singing,
'There once was a hero named Ragnar the Red, who came riding to Whiterun from ole Rorikstead!
And the braggart did swagger and brandish his blade, as he told of bold battles and gold he had made!
But then he went quiet, did Ragnar the Red, when he met the shieldmaiden Matilda who said…
Oh, you talk and you lie and you drink all our mead! Now I think it's high time that you lie down and bleed!
And so then came the clashing and slashing of steel, as the brave lass Matilda charged in full of zeal!
And the braggart named Ragnar was boastful no moooooree… when his ugly red head rolled around on the floor! '
Aliane sang for the second and third verse, and Azzurri hummed the fourth verse. It is a song sung in taverns and mead halls. By the end of the song Azzurri had joined in and they were all cheering and laughing with Jorlif overpowering the other two in song with the last verse.
They sat in silence, smiling for a few moments until Jorlif stood up saying "I think it is time we should rest our heads for the night, we have a battle a head of us tomorrow." The other two lay down onto their bed rolls without complaint and within moments they were all in a blissful sleep.
Visions of a horrible battle were rumbling in Azzurri's mind. Many bodies lay strewn about, some mangled beyond recognition, he stood sword in hand. Had he done this? No, it had to have been something else, he reassured himself. Looking around he saw that the battle still raged on. Imperials and Stormcloaks slaughtered each other without mercy. He heard a shout in the distance, "IT'S THE THALMOR." 'Shit' he thought to himself. On the horizon he saw the Thalmor armies charging towards him, and the last thing he saw was a sword's tip coming for him.
Azzurri woke with a violent shake, examining his surrounding area he saw that it was still night, or at least very early morn. Aliane and Jorlif were still asleep and the fire had long since burnt out. Sitting himself up against a tree he rubbed his eyes trying to get the horrible dream out of his mind. What did it mean? It had been a most disturbing event that he decided to take a bit of parchment out of his pack along with a quill and ink and write what had happened adding 'what could this mean?' at the end.
He sat against the tree for around an hour until he dozed back off into sleep.
Jorlif was the next to wake. It was early morning and the sun was still behind the mountain to the east. He lay on his roll for a moment, stretched and proceeded to stand and awake the others. Having a quick breakfast of eggs and tomatoes they set off speedily, determined to reach the bandit outpost on the western side of the mountain.
By mid morning they were at the mid point of their journey, stopping only to have a quick lunch. After lunch they easily made up lost time and by late afternoon they had the outpost in sight. It was not a very big outpost, there was a tall stone tower and a bridge leading back to the path where some huts had probably been built as of late.
The tower was built by Imperials in the third era to keep watch over Riverwood and the surrounding area. The outpost was high on the mountain and it had long since been abandoned by the Empire, but had proven quite useful to its current inhabitants. At the outpost there was a small raiding party of bandits. Not a lot but enough to raid a small town such as Riverwood.
The three allies crouched behind some stones, surveying the land. It was quite difficult due to the flurry of snow and ice being fanned at them, slightly impairing their sight. Azzurri squinted, trying to make out figures amongst the blinding white of the blizzard around them.
Between the huts he could see a fire, and around it silhouettes of what where most likely bandits.
Turning to the others he whispered to them "I see a fire and people around it, I am not sure if it a decoy of hostages or not. We may need to go in blindly and hope not to be out-numbered."
"Wait!" said Jorlif in a hushed tone, "I know a spell, it allows me to see past fog and snow and such. It displays anything that is living as a sort of green figure, usually shaped as what it really is."
"That's wonderful Jorlif! Use it quickly!" Replied Aliane silently with glee.
What followed was Jorlif murmuring words that were anything but audible to the untrained ear, but to one who was familiar with spells the words were 'Oculi mei videbunt, saeculi errore' which in the common tongue would translate to 'Eyes of mine, see through the blindness of this world.'
As he raised his head, Azzurri and Aliane noticed that his eyes had turned a lemony yellow colour. Looking at the outpost, Jorlif saw approximately seven bandits by the fire, and in the tower another four. They could easily be taken by surprise if it was done right.
"There are seven at the fire and four inside we could easily take them, we just need a strategy." he said to the others. They thought of a plan over the next few minutes and eventually they had come up with an idea. Aliane was to stay back a bit and provide cover fire with her bow, Azzurri was to lead a charge with Jorlif after Aliane had taken out any bandits straying away from the pack.
Azzurri and Jorlif got into position to charge in once the first few shots had been fired. Being given the signal, Aliane shot the first arrow and it made its mark, killing the man instantly. The next arrow also took its target, which lured the remaining five out of the camp, which is when Azzurri and Jorlif launched their ambush.
Azzurri charged, hacking down one of the bandits without difficulties, then he continued his momentum into a lunging stab at the next one. Jorlif threw fire at two of them, engulfing them within seconds and they fell without further effort. The last was met by an arrow in the lung, bringing him down to one knee.
From the fog, Aliane's silhouette approached the man, and she slowly tugged the arrow out of the man's chest. "Where are the villagers you kidnapped last night!" She demanded. The bandit let out a cry which was silenced with an elbow to the jaw.
Spitting out blood he answered, "We built under the tower, built a jail, they's in there."
Aliane pondered for a moment, then a content look overcame her, "Thank you." she whispered then thrust the arrow into the man's throat.
Azzurri and Jorlif watched in disbelief as Aliane, the young and pretty imperial woman, showed a darker side that was much less common, only shown when those she loves are in danger. She turned her attention to the two men to her right and let off a sly grin saying "Bet you never thought I had it in me did you?"
They replied with a disturbing silence with more disbelief that she could go from a ruthless killer to a joking young girl. Within a moment, they heard voices from more bandits, the ones who were in the tower. Getting to cover as quickly as possible, the three friends hid behind the rock that Azzurri and Jorlif used for their ambush.
"Where are those bastards! I know I heard something!" Yelled a scratchy nord voice and the sounds of footsteps became louder and louder.
Behind them, Azzurri and Aliane heard Jorlif mumbling again, this time he said 'Oh potens mentis, abscondite nos in chlamyde invisibilitatem.' Within seconds a dark cloud swept over them, masking them from the eyes of the world. The spell had worked just in time, as it had finished casting the bandits ran past. Looking around them, Azzurri and Aliane were amazed by what Jorlif had conjured up for them.
The next thing Azzurri and Aliane saw was a large chunk of the mountain above the bandits plummeting down onto them. The last thing the bandits ever saw was a boulder, complemented with a heap of snow.
"Did you do that?" Aliane asked Jorlif with suspicion.
His answer was a sly grin, "Yes, I merely used the element of time which for us, luckily caused an avalanche dealing with our friends here.
They ran towards the tower after hiding the bodies in case of reinforcements. Once inside the tower, they searched it for the golden claw, and the hatch to the basement. After a short while, they had found the hatch that led to the basement and entered cautiously.
The basement was very crude looking and it was evident that it was built in a hurry. The air was quite musty and the room was dimly lit. Opposite to where they were standing, the three friends saw cages on the other side of the room. They approached rapidly but were taken by surprise when the leader of the bandits leapt from a hiding spot, stopping them in their tracks.
"Stop there travellers! You think you're going to save these people? Not until I discover the secret of Bleak Falls Barrow." Growled the Khajiit, a cat-like humanoid who was twirling a sword in one and and a staff in the other. Then, without warning he slammed the bottom of the staff against the ground and flames erupt from it, boiling towards the three adventurers.
Diving for cover, they had barely escaped the scorching flames in time. Retaliating Azzurri leaped towards the bandit slashing his claymore at the cat's chest, which was easily deflected. Aliane shot many arrows rapidly, all of which were engulfed in flames before meeting their mark. Jorlif summoned a wolf spirit that charged viciously and covered Aliane's arrows in a protection charm so they would not burn before hitting the cat.
Using his staff, the Khajiit knocked back Jorlif, breaking his concentration therefore making the arrows combustible again. As Jorlif flew back he smashed his head against the brick walling and was stunned. While the Khajiit did this, Azzurri saw an opening and hit the staff out of his hands.
The bandit realized that the arrows were now a primary threat and before he could protect himself one hit him in the chest, bringing him down to one knee. Azzurri advanced, and slid his sword deep into the cat's neck, finishing him. Stepping back the three of them took a quick breather, as the cat had put up a tough fight, considering his odds.
"It is a shame it had to come to such violence." Jorlif muttered from behind as they moved towards the cages. Looking inside they saw that it was certainly the villagers from Riverwood, making sure that everyone that had been taken was accounted for.
"Let us find the key to these cages and free these people." Suggested Azzurri, but within a moment Aliane came back with "Don't worry, I can deal with those locks." Pulling out a lock pick and fidgeting around with the first cage and within a few moments she had the caged opened.
She continued this for the next three cages and soon all the prisoners had been freed. Jorlif tended to any wounds they had received from the bandits and Azzurri gave them food and drink. After everyone had been taken care of they began their journey back, but first Azzurri, Aliane and Jorlif looted the tower for whatever weapons they could find.
Azzurri found a set of steel plated armour and a large steel claymore, which was better that his previous iron one. Aliane found a set of fur armour and a large quiver of arrows. Jorlif took the staff off the dead Khajiit's body and found himself a steel short sword. After that they acquired the golden claw for Lucan, and led the villagers back to Riverwood.
They took a short cut back to town, saving them a days worth of walking. On the walk Aliane and Faendal talked about what had happened when he was imprisoned by the bandits. The group reached Riverwood by late evening and all the villagers went back to their families and normal routine.
At the tavern, Azzurri, Aliane and Jorlif rested after their exciting adventure, and Sven the bard pestered them with questions for a song he wanted to compose for their heroic actions. Later in the evening the blacksmith came in and thanked them graciously for the safe return of his wife, and told them that if they ever came back he would give them a hefty discount on any arms or armour. They enjoyed a hearty supper prepared by Orgnar, after which Faendal came in to talk to them.
After they relaxed and finished talking Faendal left for home and the three 'Heroes of Riverwood', as they had become commonly known as, went to bed.
The same dream that plagued Azzurri's mind the previous night came back. The battle was once again stretched out before him, but this time something was different. He was in Solitude, the capitol of Skyrim, and his friends from Ivarstead stood behind him along with an army of Imperials and another army he had never seen before.
Raising his arm to lead the attack, the two armies charged into a thick fog. On the other side was the Aldmeri army, equal in numbers the two armies clashed. The clanging of steel echoed in his ears, and soon, bodies lined the streets. "The Aldmeri have retreated!" He heard a voice shout in the distance, then battle drums rumbled heavily.
The Aldmeri had returned, this time with all kinds of beasts. Giants, trolls and mammoths marched alongside the Thalmor and before Azzurri knew it, his army had been defeated and he was seconds away from being gutted when something interrupted his slumber.
A loud bang had echoed through the tavern hall and as Azzurri rushed to equip himself for the worst he began to hear laughter. Puzzled he left his room clothed and without anything to defend himself if he needed. Outside Aliane, Delphine and Orgnar were standing around someone lying on the ground and laughing.
"By Talos what is going on out here?" Asked Azzurri with a confused look on his face. They turned their attention to him, and Aliane replied with "Oh, Hello Azzurri! Jorlif was just saying he could make this mead turn to cheese." she began chuckling halfway through the sentence and pointed to a black mark on the wall where on the table below sat a bottle of mead, still the same.
Azzurri approached the group and looked at Jorlif. He looked like he had worked in a mine his whole life and had a rather dumbfounded expression on his face. Standing up he shook himself straight again and scrubbed the blackness off his face.
After a short while, he went back into the main hall and asked "So, do we part ways now or are we going to make for Whiterun?" shifting his eyes from one to the other.
Azzurri responded with "Some guards from Whiterun just arrived recently, and they said that they had killed a dragon with the help of someone who was Dragonborn. I am going to Ivarstead , I know people there that are starting a rebellion that want to defeat the Aldmeri but first are going to put an end to the Stormcloaks."
Aliane piped in "I think I am going to stay here for a while, catch up with some old friends in the area. Maybe even settle down."
Jorlif laughed at what the young lady had said and replied "I am the one that needs to retire these old bones. I may move to Dawnstar and start up a small apothecary, maybe get married, finally and have kids." he finished with a sound of hopelessness to his voice.
They were mostly silent for the rest of the day until they went off to bed.
Another dream filled Azzurri's mind, only this time it was different. There was no battle and there was no wars going on, and the Aldmeri were abolished. In this dream, he was in a house, he heard muffled voices beyond the door in his bedroom. Opening the door and going down the stairs to the main floor, he saw a woman talking to someone at the front door.
The man looked like Jorlif, and as he realized it was the old man waved and said "Hello Azzurri my old friend how are you?"
Azzurri remained silent, and the woman turned around. It was Aliane, and as she saw him she said "Hello, my love. Jorlif has stopped by for a visit, shall I make tea?"
From below he heard a small, high-pitched voice say "Papa, can I go out to play?" looking down, he saw a small half elven child. "Papa? You don't look too good."
He did not respond, but stood there silently until he felt a sharp excruciating pain and fell down on shaking knees. He saw another man in the room, adorned in all black robes. Death himself, he felt himself drifting into an eternal sleep.
He jolted awake, feeling an icy grip slowly ease off his soul. Breathing heavily, he looked around seeing nothing but feeling a dark and evil presence. Shuddering he tried to reassure himself and decide to write this dream down as well.
He relit the candles and sat on the bed, holding his head in his hands. He heard a knock at the door, "Azzurri?" he heard Aliane's voice squeak silently from behind the door, "Can I come in?"
"Yes" He said silently back. She entered the room closing the door slowly behind her so not to make a sound, and sitting on the chair across from him. "What's wrong, I heard you gasping for air and rustling around a lot." She asked him after the short silence. He looked at the ground, unsure whether he should tell her of his dream or not. After a moment he decided he would tell her of his dreams from the previous nights.
He told her of his past dreams and how each one opened up more of what felt like a memory, something he had lived, or would live. She sat there for a moment with a puzzled look on her face as she imagined and re-imagined the dream that was described to her.
Eventually she said "That is certainly weird, but have you been having other dreams? I have heard you the past few nights waking up very early and scratching of quill on paper."
He told her that he always had a gift of having visions of the future, but they were never concrete and they could always be changed depending on the actions by the people involved in the dream.
Aliane found this very interesting, and wanted to know everything she could about these visions. Azzurri was surprised by her interest, and told her as much of what he knew about this gift he had. As morning quickly approached Aliane stood up to go back to her room and before closing the door, turned back and smiled saying "Goodnight Azzurri." she said, and left for bed. Azzurri laid back into his bed and went to sleep
In the morning Azzurri awoke to the sound of knocking and the door opening and closing. Slowly opening his eyes he made out a woman's silhouette and as his vision came into focus he realized it was Aliane saying "Breakfast's ready, hurry before Jorlif eats more of it."
Dressing he went into the next room and replied, "Yea, how long have you and Jorlif been up?" taking a bit of eggs and some tomatoes.
"We were both up around seven, it is eight now." she answered
After breakfast he took the dishes and handed them back to Orgnar thanking him for breakfast before going to pack his things for his journey. When he was ready to leave, he threw his pack over his shoulder, grabbed a decent walking stick he had found outside earlier and gathered Jorlif and Aliane for a final goodbye.
"Well it was a pleasure to meet the both of you, and I hope to see you both again in my life." He said, the turned to Jorlif and said "Open up that shop eh? I might just need a healer where I'm going." He said jokingly and patting the man on the shoulder. Then turning to Aliane he said, "Well, I wish we could have spent more time together, but sadly we can't," and the two of them hugged for a moment.
Aliane said, "Please come back and visit me, and you had better not die out there." He laughed and left the inn, walking up the east road, across the bridge and looked back at the small town, for the last time. . .
Fin.