Chapter 8


They rose early the next morning and prepared to leave Windhelm. Jane put on her leather armor and Bo helped tighten the straps for her so it was on properly. She made sure she had a warm pair of gloves and extra thick socks to wear under her hard leather boots. An extra woolly cloak and dark shawl wrapped around her head ensured she wouldn't freeze like she had done before. Bo carried one large pack that held their food and Jane wore one that held their bedrolls and other various supplies like eating utensils and a pot.

"Are you ready?" Bo stood by the door, watching her sling the pack over her back. She looked around the room once, making sure they hadn't missed anything.

"Yup, lets go."

"I don't want to… but I need to see Ulfric quickly, before we leave."

"It's okay Bo, I can handle it."

She followed the Orc as he made his way to the Palace of Kings, the sky dark and grey in the bleak morning. They walked down the hall and into the side room again to find Ulfric and his officer Holfgar standing over the map, discussing war business.

"Bo Gro Graul, what can I do for you?" Ulfric grimly looked up at Bo and, noticing Jane, straightened up.

"I am leaving for Windhelm now," Bo replied, looking nervous. "I wanted to let you know I won't be able to come back here right away, I have some… business to attend to there." Bo glanced down at Jane, who nodded, and then back up at the Jarl.

"Come back as soon as you can, safe travels."

Jane could feel Ulfric's eyes on her though she did not look up from the floor. They turned to leave, and she was relieved that Ulfric did no try to talk to her.

They followed the main road this time, which would lead them straight to Whiterun. Snow swirled thickly all around the pair as they walked side by side in comfortable silence. Around mid-day they stopped just off to the side of the road and had their first meal that day. Jane chewed thoughtfully on a piece of Horker jerky, appreciating the rare beauty of the land.

"Skyrim truly is a beautiful place to live." She commented, looking over at Bo. He stared off into the distance as well, and turned to her when she spoke.

"Yes," he nodded, "it never fails to impress me no matter how many times I travel it."

"I hope to see as much of this country as you have, one day."

"I will take you anywhere you like," Bo replied, turning to face her. His blue eyes pierced Jane's own blue-grey ones, and she knew Bo would probably drop everything to take her somewhere if she asked."

"I look forward to it." She replied, smiling at him.

They continued to walk at a steady pace until dusk, when they found a sheltered enough area to settle down for the night. Once again Bo gathered firewood and Jane dug a hole in the snow. Once the fire had started Jane pulled out their only pan and began cooking. She used a dagger to cut some vegetables and chicken, and added water from her water-skin.

"You can cook," Bo commented, coming to sit beside her and glancing at the boiling food. "It smells good."

"Stew is not very difficult to make," she replied, stirring the mixture. Bo shook his head, grimacing.

"That is not true, I have tasted some truly horrible stews in my lifetime."

"Well you can't say I can cook just yet, until you have tasted it." Jane removed the pot from the fire and poured the stew into their two wooden bowls. She handed one to Bo and fished out a spoon from her pack. She watched him as Bo took a bite of the stew. He chewed, and after a moment swallowed, his expression unreadable.

"What did you put in it?" He asked.

"Is it that bad? Just some spices, the woman gave them to me for free. She said "have some spices for the pretty girl." Jane laughed nervously, and Bo smiled.

"It is delicious."

Jane sighed in relief; she had been worried that the cooking in Skyrim was vastly different than what it was like on Earth. The different kinds of food meant different kinds of preferences.

"Good," she replied, picking her own bowl of stew up and starting to eat. She had to admit it was very good, the nameless spices tasted very similar to chili peppers, but was a bit milder.

After they had finished, they spread out their bedrolls on the cold hard ground after sweeping away most of the snow, and lay down side by side. Jane stared up at the dark sky and watched as the stars started to peek out from beneath the clouds. she hoped Bo would hold her again and they could sleep the night away, but she knew it wasn't going to happen like that. For one, Bo had been acting strange since this morning, he never got too close to her, but remained at an impersonal distance away. Also, they were out in open country now, which mean someone would have to watch out.

"I'll take first watch," Bo said after a while. He sat up and moved closer to the fire.

"Okay," Jane replied sleepily, slightly disappointed, and she snuggled into her blanket. It didn't take her long to fall asleep, her thick clothes kept it way warmer than the first set. Bo watched the girl sleep for a while, noting the way she smiled every so often, and he wondered what she could be dreaming about. Sighing, he rubbed his hands together and held them near the fire, watching his breath come out in long puffs. A wolf call echoed in the distance, and Bo tensed, straining his eyes to see in the darkness for any sign of the beasts. Wolves almost always worked in packs, and were effective in taking down their prey because of it. Convinced they weren't close, he relaxed again, and continued to watch over Jane while she slept.


Jane woke up the next morning, and was greeted by blinding sunlight that reflected off the snow. She groaned and blinked rapidly, adjusting to the light. Light. It was daytime. Jane sat up quickly and looked around. Bo was nowhere to be found. She stood up and picked up a half burned twig, poking at the ashes while she fumed. A little while later the crunch of snow told her Bo was back, and he dropped down beside her and set down the rabbit he had hunted. Jane didn't look at him, and Bo didn't notice her anger. He said good morning.

"I practically walked right into this rabbit. Do you want to cook it?"

Jane frowned, and Bo became puzzled. He opened his mouth to speak when Jane quickly turned to him and punched his arm.

"Hey! What-"

"You didn't wake me up!" Jane growled. "You said you were taking first watch, which means I was supposed to take second watch!" She crossed her arms and scowled at the Orc. Bo almost laughed, except she was being serious, and he looked down at the snow.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't think it would upset you." Bo rubbed his arm where Jane had hit him, admitting she had a strong punch.

"I'm not upset." Jane sighed, and rubbed her temple. "I mean I was upset, I just assumed you thought of me as an equal. Now you have had no sleep and I've had a whole night's worth."

"What? Jane," Bo reached out and took her hand, the first time he had touched her since yesterday morning. "You are my equal. Please forgive me for not waking you. I understand that I shouldn't have let you sleep all night when you are fully capable of sharing the duties."

"Thank you," Jane squeezed his hand gratefully. "I forgive you, sorry for punching you." She glanced at him, failing to hide a cheeky smile.

"That actually hurt," Bo replied with a mock hurt expression, and then they both laughed.

"Skin the rabbit," Jane said breathlessly, after their laughing had subsided. "I'll cook it up."