They had just emerged from the maze when Luthien fear came true. The strong blond man to whom she owed her life and escape turned on her. His muscled left arm circled her lithe form squeezing hard, pressing her against his large chest and backing her on a boulder while his right came to her face to muffle her. She struggled for a while; conscious it was to no avail. The man was a least three times her weight! I wasn't long until her fear was transformed into another. The black dragon, with ambers eyes, was flying above them. He circled once over their hiding spot, then, roaring, he flew away toward the snow-covered mountains. As soon as the beast was out of sight, Ralof released the small elf.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, concern showing on his face.

The elf was looking at him with suspicious eyes, her arms crossed against her chest. She had been scared, but the man hadn't tried to force himself on her. He had shielded her from the terrible predator that very nearly killed them all. She could not hold it against him.

"Yes, I'm all right, thanks to you", she said, looking at the tip of her boots.

"I don't know what you've been through woman, but I'm not going to jump you the first chance I get. I might not be a refined nobleman but I'm not a beast", he said angrily. Then he mumbled, "Plus, I owe you my life", while kicking gravel on the ground.

"And I owe you mine, Ralof", she said, a grateful smile on her lips.

They stayed like this, looking at their feet, casting fleeting glances to each other until Ralof suggested they went to Riverwood. Luthien agreed, she didn't know what she would find there, but it was better than getting lost in the Skyrim forest.

Along the way, he showed her tall menhir he called "Standing Stones". To explain their use, he place his hand on the Warrior Stone and a light shot from it. "It grants me an easy learning of the fighting skills", he said, turning to look at her. The light mesmerized her; it was almost comical. Her neck crooked toward the sky, her mouth slightly agape, it seemed she was trying to see where the light went. Chuckling, the tall Nord nudged her toward the Stones. "Come on, choose one", he said with a smile in his voice. When she placed her gray hand on the Thief Stone, he was a little surprised. "You're honest about your occupations!" he said, looking at her suspiciously.

"The Thief kept me alive this long, I'll continue to trust him", she answered.

A little further on the road, he noticed her interest in the old ruin high in the snowy mountain. "It's called Bleak Falls Barrow, it's an old Nord ruin. A friend of mine and I used to plan to take it when we were kids". Luthien was mesmerized by the old stone ruin. She swore she could hear a faint chanting coming from it, calling to her. Her ears were probably playing trick on her; there was no way she could here anything this far away.

They made it to Riverwood without any further disturbance. The midday sun was shining hard on the thatched roofs giving it a golden hue and bringing out the blue, green and purple of the flora. The kids were running in the street, their laughter echoing in the valley, while the adults were hard at work by the sawing mill, the forge or in the fields. The temperature was a lot more clement than in Helgen and Luthien felt a smile blossom on her lips. Maybe she stood a chance in that province after all. For his part, Ralof was smiling widely, waving his uninjured arm in the air to a strong blond woman in the sawmill.

"That's my sister, Gerdur, she owns the mill", he explained, still smiling. "Come on, I'm sure she'll want to meet you".

She looked at him in doubt, but he was already running toward the woman. The two hugged for a while, Ralof lifting Gerdur despite her protests. After a while though, he put her down, looking around him to locate his newfound friend. She was standing on his right, politely behind him, her shoulder bowed and her crossed arms nervously clutching her robes.

"This is Luthien, we escaped together", he said introducing her, "I wouldn't have made it without her", he added, looking kindly at her, motioning for her to come closer. As soon as she was next to her, Gerdur grabbed her in a bone-cracking hug, making her squeal in surprise. Sensing her discomfort, her companion placed a hand on his sister's arm.

"Be careful sister, she's not built like a Nord!"

The woman loosened her grip, apologizing at the same time. "I'm simply so happy to see him! Thank you so much." After that, she invited them both in her house, leaving her husband, Hod, a strong-built blond man with an impressive moustache, in charge of the mill. Having seen his uncle Ralof, Frodnar came running after them, asking if he had met Ulfric Stormcloak and if he had killed any Imperial. At the mention of Imperial, Ralof's face lost it's cheerfulness.

"Hadvar was with them", he said in half tone to his sister.

"Frodnar, go watch the road for Imperials", she said to her son. "Come running if you see any, got it?"

Smiling at the crucial role he had been given, Frodnar started to run toward the street. "Don't worry Uncle Ralof, I won't let any of them sneak up on you!" And with that, he was out of earshot.

"Are you sure?" she then asked her brother, worried.

"Yes, there was no mistake possible" he answered, avoiding the mention of the headsman.

Having stayed mute until then, Luthien asked, "Who was he?"

It was Gerdur who answered, "Ralof and him were friends when they were kids. Always together those two! He left to enlist shortly after my brother. I always thought he had joined the Stormcloaks…" she seemed to take a few moments to think, "Though it is true we do not discuss politics so much here in the village".

"An Imperial kept me safe during the attack", the elf said, looking at the tall man beside her.

"That was Hadvar. He made sure you didn't freeze to death in that wagon. He wrapped you up in my cloak. He might be a traitor to his land, but he's still more or less decent" he finished, clearly wanting to change the subject.

They had made it into the house by that time. I was a simple thatched house but it was warm and smelled good of soup and roasted meat.

"There was a dragon in Helgen", said Luthien, sensing her companion discomfort.

"A dragon! Then Hilde wasn't going mad". She sat down to think it over. "The Jarl has to be warned! Riverwood is defenceless. We need more guards!" she pleaded looking at Luthien and her brother.

Ralof seemed ashamed when he answered, "You know me Gerdur, I would go in a heartbeat, but I fear it will bring trouble to the village. To you."

"I'll go, though I do not know the way…"

They both turned to look at the dark elf. She was still standing next to the door, unsure if she was really allowed to enter the house. She looked very uncomfortable. Ralof walked to her "You need to rest first. The cold nearly killed you last night and you haven't eaten in two days!"

"The dragon won't wait for us to be ready", she told him. She was trying to be logical, but he could clearly see she was about to fall over from exertion. "Gerdur, can she stay here for the night?" he nearly begged his sister. "Of course, that goes without saying! You saved my brother Luthien, help yourself to anything you need, really!"

The moon white eyes opened widely in shock. She had never been so warmly greeted. Living in the streets, begging for food, she was used to be treated like pest. Looking at Ralof for confirmation she was motioned toward the table and a large bowl of meat stew Gerdur had served. Sitting beside her, the blue-eyed man said "You can have my bed tonight, I'll sleep in my nest in the attic". She was about to retort, but he frowned and she slowly nodded, thanking him.

Once they were done eating, Gerdur brought her a knapsack and a cape.

"I packed a few essential like food, clothes and a few healing potions should your journey prove eventful. I added a cloak too. You seem like you could use it".

After thanking the woman profusely, she went to the bed Ralof had shown her. Only removing the outer robe and hood, she fell asleep as her head touched the feather pillow.

A scream woke him in the middle of the night. He climbed down the ladder, jumping the last steps and ran to the source of the noise. Luthien was sitting in the bed, clutching the covers like her life depended on it. Tears were running freely on her ashen cheeks and sobs shook her shoulders.

"Luthien, what happened" asked Ralof, worried.

She answered him through sobs "I saw… I saw Him. The Dragon… He was in my… head. Telling me I was going to die… Ralof, I'm scared", she whispered.

Gerdur and Hod had been startled by the scream, but seeing the blond man sitting on the bed, talking to the elf, they went back to sleep. Frodnar was still sound asleep, his nose in Stump's fur.

"It was a nightmare little elf", he whispered in his deep voice, running a hand up and down her back in a soothing motion. "He can't get to you here".

"Ralof, it seemed so real!" she whispered, panic rising in her voice. "His eyes… they were burning me". She was now clutching his shirt, bringing her head to his chest. She could feel his slow heartbeat, his ribcage expanding with each breath he took. Her eyes seemed clouded as she spoke, like she was seeing her dream all over again. "I was in a field, I could hear water falling. There is mist all around me and I'm screaming at it to go away, but it always comes back. I can see his eyes, burning in the mist but I can't see him, I can't move. He tells me it's over, that I'm already dead". Her voice was but the tiniest whisper now. Even in the silence of the night, he could barely hear her. "It's over now. Go back to sleep", he told her, trying to unclasp her hands from his shirt so he could go back to his much needed sleep. "Stay", she begged him, nearly ripping the threadbare shirt in her attempt to keep him close. When he agreed, she moved away to allow him to lay beside her. He was so bulky she had to rest her head on his chest and a leg over his calf to keep from falling to the ground. Unsure of what to do, he slipped an arm around her and rested his chin on top of her head, his hand caressing her short soft white hair. Taking a shaking breath in, she closed her eyes, the last warm salty drops falling on his shirt. She looked so fragile, lain in his arms like this. He felt strangely responsible of her, like the trust she put in him bounded him to her. Her breath was now a little quicker, shallower. She was asleep, but he did not move. Instead, he caressed her face with the tip of his fingers as if he wanted to memorize it. His thumb ran from the lobe of her gray ear to the delicate pointy tip and she gasped in her sleep, her leg grip tightening around his calf, bringing her even closer to him. The strong reaction to such a small gesture took him by surprise. Curious, he did it again eliciting the same reaction. Through the light fabric of her robe, he could even feel her nipples hardening. Feeling like he was taking advantage of her vulnerability, he took his hand away from her sensible ear, placed it on her shoulder and closed his eyes, trying to forget how her reaction to his caress had affected him.

He woke early the next morning to find her still asleep half on him, half on the little part of the bed his impressive size left her with. He could feel a telltale tightness in his breeches and decide to get a quick dip in the cold river before he could embarrass himself and no doubt scare the Void out of her. For someone as jumpy as her, she surely slept tightly, he observed as he slipped unnoticed out of the house.

When she woke, she was alone in the house. A plate with bread, cheese and an apple sat on the bed stand. The sight of food reminding her of her hunger, she devoured the content of the plate before getting out of the house. She picked the knapsack and the cape and tried to find Ralof. He had done more for her in two days than every other person she had met in her twenty years of life. Her mother had been a Skooma user and had cared more for her next fix than her daughter. She had grown in a derelict shack on the Waterfront of the Imperial city and been raised by its other inhabitants. When she had been old enough, she had done a few odd jobs for a handful of coins for a man in hooded leather armour. She had even spent a few days in jail once after one of her hit proved to be more complex than she had thought. As a kid, she had always envied the large boats that rested a few days in the port before going back on their endless journey, so, one day, she had hopped in a crate and thus boarded a tall ship sailing for Skyrim. Of course the journey had been longer than she had hoped and she had been discovered. She had earned her keep doing menial jobs and occasionally sharing the captain's quarters preventing her from being thrown overboard.

She had arrived in Skyrim in the middle of a snowfall. Lost and freezing, she had spent a few days hidden in a stable before trying to get away from that white hell. She had walked south for days, but having no maps, she was going in blindly. She had just passed the small city of Falkreath when she was taken prisoner.

She followed the noise of the sawmill and voices until she found them. Ralof had traded his armour for a plain linen tunic like Hod and was lifting a huge tree trunk in the mill despite his bruised shoulder. Once he was done, he signalled to Gerdur he was taking a break and jogged toward Luthien.

"Already ready to go, are you?" he said, smiling sadly.

"Well, the jarl as to be warned, doesn't it" she said, unsure.

"I'll show you the way then. Follow me"

They walked in silence until they reached the village's gate.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye then" said Ralof, looking at the ground.

"Yes", breathed the elf.

"You simply follow the road, it'll lead you right to the city" added the blond man.

They stayed a little longer facing each other, neither knowing what to say but still wishing they could say more. Finally, the Nord extended his hand toward the small woman. "May Talos watch over you" were his last words has she shook his hand and started to walk on the path.

She had walked maybe a hundred steps when she turned back and looked at the man, still watching her beneath the arch of the watch wall. Feeling a little stupid for doing so, she ran toward him. She could see him smile as she came closer.

"Back already!" he joked, giving her a lopsided grin.

"Ralof, what's a jarl?" she asked looking at him with an uncertain face.

He broke in laughter, her surprised face making him laugh even more.

"You really are something little one!" he told her as he recovered. "Ready to risk your life for a village you barely know yet going in blind!"

"You have all been so kind to me. It's the least I can do!" she answered earnestly.

"A Jarl is the leader of a Hold. The Jarl of Whiterun, the one you need to talk to, lives in Dragonreach, a palace on top of the city." She saw her anguish at the mention of dragons. "You need not worry, it was named after a dragon was held prisoner and defeated in its hall, you won't meet any live one there". As he said that, he truly wished it to be true. In truth, there was no certainty she wouldn't encounter the black nightmare from Helgen again.

This time, she hugged him, her lithe arms circling his heavy ribcage. He was a little stunned at first but quickly hugged her back, placing a light kiss on her silky head. His lips millimetres away from her hair he whispered, "Be safe and come back to me Luthien". She nodded lightly against his chest. Lifting herself on tiptoes she placed a warm kiss on his cheek, the blond stubble scraping pleasantly on her lips. "Thanks for everything Ralof" she told him while letting go of her hold on him. In turn, he begrudgingly let his arms fall back at his side, allowing her to leave, yet again, on the path to Whiterun.

The trip was relatively eventless. She met one lone wolf who had planned to make a meal out of her, but a few flames on his truffle had him fleeing toward the woods in no time. She also met a Stormcloak soldier being escorted to the city by Legionnaires. Even though she wanted to help him run, she opted against it. She had the safety of a whole village on her shoulder and she was determined not to let them down.

She could see the city from where she stood. It was terribly small compared to the Imperial city she had grown in. The walls were made out of crude stone and wood that wouldn't do much to keep a dragon at bay and the "palace" Ralof had talked about looked more like a tall house. Her contemplation has broken by the sound of combat ahead. Once again, she was planning on walking quietly by to avoid being noticed when she heard a ferocious yell. Minutely forgetting her responsibility, she ran toward the noise, expecting to find a lifeless body. Instead, she was met with three combatants, the tallest man she had even seen and two women, fighting what she could only qualify as a giant. The beast was wielding a crude hammer made out of an entire tree and a stone as large as his head if not more. The hammer was about to crash on the tall black haired man when she let a column of fire leave her palm to make contact with the eyes of the abomination. Screaming in pain and momentarily distracted, the giant wobbled on his feet. The warriors didn't waste a second of that precious time and attacked his legs and neck until it fell to the ground in a cloud of dust, dead. She was about to walk away when one of the woman, wearing what looked more like a tavern wench's dress than an armour called her back "Hey you, yes, you, the mage, come over here". Looking at the woman suspiciously she approached. "You handled yourself well here. You should think about joining the Companions". Whishing she could avoid the attention, Luthien thanked the woman and jogged toward the city. Unfortunately, the warriors were going in the same direction and quickly caught up with her. "I'm Farkas," said the huge man. If she had thought Ralof was tall, he looked more than average beside Farkas who towered a good three heads over her. "Pleasure, I'm Luthien", she said fearing that she would anger him by staying silent. "Don't listen to the Ice Brain, I'm Ria and she's Aela". Even though she wished the imperial woman had never begun talking, she let her. After all, she was a warrior. The woman talked about her fights against wolves, bears, necromancer, trolls and sabercats. Each time the man named Farkas wanted to join, she made a comment belittling his intelligence and continued on talking. Getting quickly tired of her rambling and mean comments, she excused herself, consequences be damned, and began talking with Farkas. It soon became clear that he was not the most brilliant fellow but he appeared to be extremely loyal to his twin brother, about whom he talked in the highest terms.

When they arrived to the city gates, the guards tried to hold her out, stating that the city was closed to outsiders. He quickly changed his mind, going as far as apologizing when the huge man said with his most ferocious snarl "She's with us, move along". As soon as the guard had resumed his post and opened the gate, Farkas winked at her, giving her a boyish small. "I like messing with the guards. Don't go making trouble about though, or I'll have to bludgeon you," he added very seriously. They parted ways near a large dead tree and she began climbing the stairs toward Dragonsreach.

A sword tip to the throat by a Dunmer woman who took the safety of the Jarl very seriously greeted her. She refused to even let her speak to the man until the Jarl himself ordered her to let her through. Sheathing her sword but keeping an eye on her, she stepped aside, allowing the newcomer to pass.

"You claim to bring news from Riverwood then?" said the Jarl looking at her from his throne. "Speak".

" Gerdur from Riverwood asks for protection for her village against a dragon".

" A dragon. Is that so."

" It was huge and black and it was last seen flying in this direction" said Luthien, eyes wide with fear.

"My Jarl" interjected a dark haired Imperial, "We cannot send troops to Riverwood! It will be perceived as an attack by Falkreath".

"Riverwood cannot remain unprotected, please Jarl, they are good people" pleaded the elf. She would do whatever was needed to insure Gerdur, Hod, Frodnar and most of all Ralof, were not forced to face the black dragon on their own.

"Irileth, send a detachment to Riverwood at once!" Said the man on the throne with a commanding voice that rand through the hall.

Bowing toward her Jarl, the menacing Dunmer woman exited the room to carry out the order of her leader.

Bowing in turn, Luthien thanked the old Jarl for the help he was sending to her friends. Just as she was thinking that she could accompany the soldiers to Riverwood to meet with Ralof again, the Jarl spoke.

" You have proven yourself reliable, I might have another matter for you to look into".

Feeling like she owed the man, she agreed.

"My court wizard, Farengar, is investigating this Dragon problem. You can talk to him for further information" and with that, she was dismissed.

She found the wizard bowing over an enchanting table. Not wishing to interrupt him, she chose to stand next to his desk until he acknowledged her. Her courtesy was completely wasted as he turned out to be a rude and unpleasant sort, asking her to go readily to her death on the vague rumour of a stone buried deep within a ruin. She remembered Bleak Falls Barrow from her trip with Ralof. She had felt the ruin call to her and had no wish to visit it. Knowing that she had little choice in the matter, being asked by the Jarl and all, she asked him for directions to the place. His answer had her wishing she could knock him over like the dragon had done to her. Maybe it would scare some respect in the man! He had said that she should go to the "worthless" village of Riverwood and ask one of the pathetic people living there for information. He had much more pressing matters to attend and very little time to deal with the likes of her.

She walked out of Dragonsreach fuming. Her frustration must have shown on her face for on of the guard asked, " Oh, let me guess, someone stole your sweet roll!" His colleague erupted with laugher as she turned to face the man and gave him her most angry glare. She realized on her way to Riverwood that the two tall Nords must have though her quite cute and pathetic, trying to impress them, glaring at them with seemingly blind eyes, nearly tiptoeing to be able to look them in the eyes.

She had left Riverwood around noon of the same day and she was now coming back as glowing embers disappeared in the East. In one miserable day, she had managed to look like a lunatic in front of her saviour, nearly lost her head to an overzealous bodyguard, met the most pedantic man she had ever met and be mocked by guards. She had just survived a dragon attack yesterday and was about to delve in a possibly haunted ruin tomorrow. Her life was really changing from bad to worst… On the bright side, she thought, her newly appointed mission would give her a reason to meet with Ralof sooner than expected. Actually, she was thinking about asking the man to come with her. She was not a coward, but neither was she ready to die to fetch a "might be there" stone for a rude wizard, debt to the Jarl or not. Maybe, if they managed to get through the ruin he would hold her against him like last night. Maybe he would whisper in her hear like this morning and make her shiver even in the mild climate of the Whiterun Hold. Maybe next time she would kiss him a little less on the cheek, a little more on the lips.

Upon her arrival, she was a lot merrier than she had left Whiterun and Riverwood was as beautiful as she had left it. The mill was turning relentlessly, pushed by the steady stream. The town folk were gathering near the Inn to share a drink together after a hard day of work. Sven was composing odes for his sweetheart the beautiful Camilla while Faendal was walking around, displaying three rabbits and a fox, the fruit of his hunt, making sure this very same lady was aware of his prowess. Frodnar was bragging about his last trick to his father, Luthien overheard something about nailing a coin to someone's doorstep, though she was to far to understand anymore, it brought a smile to her face. Gerdur, for her part, was trying to look stern as her son and husband laughed. Life was going on except for one thing; she could not see Ralof. Deciding she had walked enough for one day, she chose to ask Gerdur right away instead of walking aimlessly in the village, hoping to find the man. She was greeted with a warm hug from the blond woman and many thanks from the villager as she approached. The guards had arrived about three hour before her in town. After being toasted to a few times and being bought a few bottle of mead, she managed to talk to her saviour's sister.

"Say Gerdur, have you seen Ralof? I can't seem to find him."

"Oh dear", said the woman. "He left after the guards arrived without you. He didn't think you'd be back for him. He went back to Windhelm, to fight for Skyrim".