A/N:: More of our wonderful Breton! I still do not own Skyrim. I just own Elyse's personality, and I am claiming her name just for my story's purpose. I hope you enjoy the chapter because next chapter will be longer and... Well... you'll see for yourself. Please Read and Review. Even give constructive criticism. Enjoy!

Elyse's Trek to Whiterun

Elyse never woke up the morning of the next day. She had ended up sleeping into the evening, and even then it was a little hard to rise. She ran a hand through her hair and cringed before she sat up, and rubbed at her eye with the palm of her hand. Green eyes scanned the area, trying to remember what had happened the day before. She frowned heavily and shook her head. She remembered. Standing up, she grabbed her bag and trudged off to the waters. To be more precise, to the deeper edged waters so that she could bath. She pulled off the Imperial armor and set it on a couple of rocks, and sat in the gentle rushing waters. There she rubbed water up onto her arms, cleaning what blood or dirt was on her before she dunked herself to clean her hair out as good as it could get.

Rising from the waters, she shook herself once before putting the armor back on. As she walked back to Alvor's home, but more specifically the forge area, she tied two parts of her hair into small braids, and found a leather strip on the table next to the tanning rack. She hoped he wouldn't mind that she used it. With the strip of leather, she tied her hair up into a small ponytail, and sighed heavily. She supposed she'd have to head over to Whiterun now, or maybe she'd go explore that mine that she'd come across yesterday to see if there were any goodies in it.

Opting for the mine, she turned on her heel and took off at a light jog to get to the mines. On her way she picked up a couple of the mountain flowers, and grabbed a butterfly to rip it's wings off. Maybe she'd get a couple of septims for them, maybe. She hoped. As she neared the pathway upward, the bandit look-out spotted her and the sound of him unsheathing his battle axe startled her. She looked up the pathway, she looked at the grizzly looking man.

"You need to turn around this instant. You're not supposed to be here," he warned her, and she just stood there like she hadn't heard him. She eyed him warily for a moment or two before she pulled out her sword and rushed him. It caught the bandit off guard, and he didn't have enough time to bring up his axe into a defensive position to protect himself from Elyse's first blow. However, he recovered and began way-laying into her with his weapon. It was painful, and hard to keep his attacks from cutting deep into her flesh but after he'd run out of stamina to do another power swing, she rammed the sword up through his chest cavity and killed him.

"...Filth..." she muttered as she sheathed the weapon and went inside of Embershard Mine. However, once she was inside the mine, she instantly crouched down and crept down the slight slope. Her eyes caught a tripwire further down and moved onto the wooden planks to avoid the trap. A smirk graced her face, and slowly she moved toward the next area where she heard voices. Pulling out her bow, she listened to the two bandits talk before walking backward to be sure she wouldn't be spotted when she heard the conversation end. Taking an arrow from her quiver she notched it on the bow, drew it back and aimed when the bandit was in her sight. Biting her lip lightly, she aimed it at his figure which kept moving further and further away from her.

Taking a deep breath she let the arrow sing through the air and implant itself in the man's head, though fear struck her when she heard the other bandit stop to see what happened, and that's when she slowly walked back toward the entrance of the mine. Waiting for a few minutes she headed back down to easily dispose of the remaining bandit before standing up to give her knees a breather. Slinging the bow onto her shoulder she rummaged through the barrel and picked up what she could, including the pickaxe before heading back up the ramp and to her left to take another quick left again.

She picked up the journal that she found by the skeleton and opened it up to read it:

"They've had me working down here for days now. It's not the time that's getting to me though, it's these tunnels. I've told them countless times now to add extra supports to the weak sections of tunnel. If only we had more of those wooden beams that we reinforced with bronze bottoms. Honestly, if I hear the earth shift one more time above my head I'll be so stressed I may stop drinking for good. I mean, what's a nord without his mead?"

Closing the journal she frowned a little and tossed the journal back down next to the skeleton and picked up the coin purse before turning to go back up the hill and straight ahead. Turning to her left, she searched the room for goodies before looking at the lever a little skeptically. She sighed heavily and pulled it, and watched the bridge go down, but heard voices of more bandits. Panic rose in her chest and she darted from the room to go hide down over the skeleton. There she sat crouched down with her bow out, and arrow drawn back, waiting. It took some time but the bandit walked into her line of vision and before she could release the arrow, he turned to look at her. However, his reaction time was slower than hers and he only ended up with an arrow to the face.

Moving forward now, she took what she wanted from him before standing in a crouched position in front of the bridge. Notching another arrow, she drew it back and aimed once more. She let it fly and only moved when the bandit dropped dead to the floor. Picking up what little gold he had on him, she moved forward slowly and stealthily. However, rounding the corner she'd jumped when the bandit moved to stand and withdraw her weapon. The startle had lasted longer than she liked, and thus it took her a little longer to take out her sword and stand back up to retaliate.

Both were breathing heavily from wasting so much energy, and Elyse's vision blurred from the incredible loss of blood. However, in a final attempt, she tripped the charging bandit and stabbed her through the back. Panting, she sheathed the weapon and moved to go sit on the chair for a little bit. Removing the bag from his shoulder she reached inside to pull out a bottle of minor health potion, uncorked it and drained it in one gulp. Tossing the empty bottle she rested her head against the wall and waited for the effects to quickly rejuvenate her. Once she felt much, much better and full of life, she went back to mine the ore before going into the closed room (after she picked up the key from the dead bandit) and took what she wanted. Leaving the room, she went back into a crouch and went into the next open room to pick off the bandits one by one with not a problem.

She went around slowly to each area and picked up items that she thought she could make money, or that she'd potentially want to keep. She even discovered that there was a chest behind the waterfall after she had found that there was an entrance to it. With a satisfied smile on her face she jumped down into the water below and waded up onto shore, took the ramp up and went around to leave the mine.

"So far, so good. Doing what I want and... I should probably go see Jarl Balgruuf about the dragon issue..." she said, her cheery demeanor almost instantly evaporating as she pouted a little and left the mine. The sun was almost setting and she went ahead and sprinted back toward Riverwood to go to the Riverwood Trader to get rid of some of the things she picked up. Apparently the owner and his sister were having a disagreement about something, but it was none of her business (and she didn't want to bother knowing) so instead she showed him what she'd obtained and he paid her for each item that was handed to him.

With a coin purse with clinking metal weighing a little heavier against her hip, and a pleased smile she headed out the other side of Riverwood and across the stone bridge. It was time to take the trek to Whiterun. Not that she'd particularly like having to do a task that had nothing to do with her now, but Alvor had asked her nicely and Elyse wouldn't want to regret accepting his menial task.

With no time at all, and only a couple of attacks by wolves, Elyse had made it to the farmsteads. Just in time to see a group of people take down a giant. However, one of them approached her with a lit torch, and Elyse felt herself stiffen and narrow her eyes as this woman approached her.

"Thanks for not giving us any assistance," the Nord commented rudely and Elyse couldn't help herself at all.

"Thanks for not noticing that I just got here, and you decided to try to play a big, bad girl and try to make me feel guilty about not doing something that I couldn't quite help with because I had just arrived here as that thing fell to the ground. So, I apologize if I didn't want to waste an arrow on a dead giant," was Elyse's remark, and it left the Nord a bit shocked but she recovered almost instantly and looked the Breton up and down, "And I'm sorry, but your eyes must remain up. I don't care who you are, what you prefer, or what you're looking for. No eye contact means this conversation is over. Besides, I've more important work to do than deal with the likes of you... plus you need to bathe or something. You smell like a wet dog."

With that Elyse left even as a Nord male and an Imperial woman went to the female Nord's side to keep the woman calm. An amused smile graced her face as she headed onward, turning on the path that led up to Whiterun. She was stopped by a guard and before he spoke, she spoke.

"Don't get me started on the crap I've seen so far. I'm here to deliver news personally to the Jarl of Whiterun," her tone was one that was not pleased, and the guard said nothing as he let her pass her, and enter the city. It wasn't like the places she'd been to in Cyrodiil. More neat looking, and full of life. At least that was her opinion. She walked down the street, taking in all the sights, and listening to all the people talk. She entered the small little marketplace and looked at each stall before heading up the stairs.

Her ears were assaulted with the preachings of a Talos worshiper, whom she ignored as she walked around the large, beautiful tree to go straight across the tiny bridge and up more stairs. So many stairs, but she didn't mind the walk. It was enjoyable to see each and every little thing that she could from so high up. When she got her fill of looking out at the city below, she turned back around and entered Dragonsreach. She tried her hardest not to look around and be in awe of such magnificent architecture or even decorations.

Walking around the bonfire, she was instantly stopped by a Dunmer whose crimson eyes was glaring at her with uncertainty. Elyse concealed a groan. She was tired of being stopped by people. Didn't she have the right to walk up to whomever she pleased and speak to them?

"Jarl Balgruuf is not taking any audiences. Whatever you have to say to him, you can damn well say to me," the Dunmer spoke roughly with her, and Elyse didn't take that from the female Dunmer at all, but before she could quite speak her mind, the Jarl said that it was okay for her to step forward.

"Thank you, Jarl Balgruuf. I do, humbly, apologize that I came to you at this time of day but it is of great import," Elyse started off, trying to speak as properly and clear as she could, while shooting the Dunmer, whom the Jarl had called Irileth, a quick glare, "I've come from Riverwood, upon request of the smith there, Alvor, to tell you of the news regarding Helgen's downfall by a dragon." After her words, they discussed a few things while his steward interrupted at times. When all was said and done, she was led over to the Jarl's court wizard, where they had another discussion.

"You want me to do what?" Elyse asked and the court wizard went over what he'd just told her again, "... Fine, fine... I'll do your run through Bleak Falls Barrow. I won't like it. In fact, I'll stomp on every skull I find, and wish I was out there running some little merchant business instead of being elbow deep in some ancient Nordic ruin, Farengar. I'll dislike it every step of the way!" Elyse turned on her heel and left the little room to in general leave Dragonsreach. Once she was outside of the keep she muttered to herself.

"Why do I have to do this? Why me? Damn stupid Nord. Making me do crap that I don't want to do. I survived Helgen and now they want to throw me into some ancient ruin! Maybe if I get this done and out of the way I can get on with my life. Stupid Nord court wizard..." Elyse mumbled as she walked down the stairs and moved through the city to leave it. Time to head back up toward Riverwood then, and do something that she was going to hate.