Rorikstead was somewhere along this road. Most likely, there would be nothing there for her to do, but hey, she'd never been there before. What better way to start her new adventure?
The town was quaint. There were a few people farming. She couldn't help but wonder what she was doing here. Did they even want her here? Sure, she was the Dragonborn, savior of the world and all that. But the truth was, few even knew her face. Nobody would guess the thin child to be the great and mighty Dragonborn. Upon claiming the title in front of strangers, she did get laughed at quite often.
She headed towards the inn – but of course, fate liked toying with her and, what do you know, a dragon attacked.
She scowled. Really? She just defeated Alduin. You'd think the dragons would try to stay away from the Dragonborn.
She tensed and then – "JOOR ZAH FRUL!"
The dragon landed with a cry, horrified at the feeling of mortality that Dragonrend forced it to feel. Emlen pulled out her bow and arrow and fired a shot at it's shoulder. The arrow embedded itself past a few inches of scales.
Some kid let out a warcry and charged the dragon – with a hoe. This stupid kid was going to try to kill a dragon with a hoe.
She whipped out her dagger and charged forward to distract the dragon before it killed this guy. It almost breathed fire on the poor idiot before it saw Emlen, who buried the dagger into his eye.
It didn't kill it, but it was distracted long enough for her to clamber onto his neck.
The dragon took flight before she could kill it, so she held on tight. It circled the town quickly, roaring with distress. She imagined it must have been pretty scary to have the Dragonborn on it's back.
She managed to pull forward and grasp his horns and aim her Voice at the top of his head. "YOL TOOR SHUL!"
Fire encased the dragon's head and it died very quickly. Of course, the trip down might have been one of the more terrifying moments of her life. She screamed as the shell of the dragon fell to Earth. The crash sent her tumbling off. She lay on the grass, her body aching. She heard the soul of the dragon breaking and felt it merge into her. She sighed.
There were plenty of cries all around of oh wow, the Dragonborn! And did you see what she did?! And whoa, do you think she'll give me her autograph?
Shockingly enough, it was the stupid kid who had the sense to come and make sure she was okay.
He knelt down and looked at her. She stared up at him tiredly. "You're an idiot," she told him.
He shrugged sheepishly. "And you're the Dragonborn. You all right?"
"Oh, you know," she rolled her eyes. "Just killed a dragon in midair and fell a couple hundred feet on it. Just another day in the life of the Dragonborn."
He laughed. "I bet it was."
She sat up. "Actually, never killed a dragon in midair before. Gotta say, I don't think I'll do it again anytime soon."
He laughed again. He had a nice laugh. "Hey, sorry about running up and trying to kill that thing –"
"With a hoe. A hoe. Are you an idiot?"
He shrugged. "Hey. Gotta do what you gotta do. I guess I've just gotten so caught up in the idea of being an adventurer, I jumped at the sight of my chance."
"If you wanna be an adventurer, why not?"
"Ah, my father won't let me. He cares about me a little too much."
She nodded. "Wish my father had though. He cared enough for affection – but not enough to protect me."
He considered that. She figured he might say something deep and meaningful about parents, and the role they had, and how that related to life and the universe. Instead, he asked, "Want to come inside and have a drink?"
She giggled, still a little dazed, and let him help her stand. He studied her face. "Hey, have we met before?"
Her brow furrowed and she shook her head. "Nope. Never been to Rorikstead."
He looked a bit disappointed. "Oh. Well, come on, I'm sure my father will treat you."
The inn was warm, thanks to the fire blazing in the fireplace situated in the middle. The boy walked her up to his father and introduced her as the Dragonborn.
The innkeeper laughed. "I thought I heard some commotion out here. What would you like?"
"Bread and mead, thanks."
He handed it over and she paid. "No need for that, Dragonborn," he said immediately but she waved him away and poured a few more coins than necessary on the counter.
"Being an adventurer means you always have more coin than you can carry," she assured him and walked away with the bread and the drink, back outside in the cooler air. The boy followed her.
"So, where are you from?"
"Before I got to Skyrim, I was in Cyrodil."
The boy's brow furrowed. "You sure I don't know you?"
She stared at him. "What did you say your name was?"
"Erik."
A long moment of silence stretched between them. And then she punched him right in the arm. "You stupid boy! I should have known it'd be you charging dragons with hoes!"
He burst into laughter and pushed her back playfully. "Who would have thought little tiny Emlen would be the Dragonborn!"
She laughed and tackled him in a hug. He fell over and they both landed on the ground, laughing hysterically. Hours passed as the two caught up and recalled old memories. Night was falling when he asked her, "Why don't you hang around for a while? It could be just like the old days."
She laughed. "No, it can't. We're not kids anymore. And I am not settling down."
He laughed too, but it was sad. "I wish I could adventure too. I guess I sound like a bit of a babe – but my father…"
She thought about it. "Why don't you come with me?"
He stared at her. "Really? You would want some unexperienced kid following you around?"
She rolled her eyes. "You're not just some kid. You're Erik."
"Ever had a partner?"
She shrugged. "Lydia. I suppose that didn't work out because she wasn't so quiet – but I could show you the ropes and you could go out on your own eventually."
"Why not?" he laughed. "If you can only convince my father."
It took a lot of effort, but she managed it. They headed out towards Whiterun. She told him she'd take care of the armor – he accepted reluctantly.
In Whiterun she paid for Leather Armor and began their hunt for a job.
And so, their adventure began.