Hi everyone, I'm back with an update! Also, not to get your hopes up too much, but I already have the next chapter's final draft ready. I'm going to proofread and fix some minor details and I hope to have it up in the next few days. I'll leave some quick notes about this at the end of this chapter, for those wanting to know more. But nevermind that! Here's Chapter 29.

Read and enjoy!

"I know where we are now." Edna broke the silence after a few hours of following the road South. They've made a quick stop to refill their water supplies at a stream running close to the roadside.

Asgeir raised a brow at his companion, offering a blank stare. "I thought that was your job, wasn't it? To know the way back to Solitude." And he pointedly turned his back on her to gather water between the palms of his hands and drink.

Edna allowed herself to roll her eyes at the man's theatricals. She put her energy into tightening the lid of her canteen. "I mean,—" she elaborated in a prim voice. "— I know exactly where we are now, not merely the general area. We're close to the Solitude Lighthouse. We should be able to see it as soon as we step out of the shadow of this mountainside."

Asgeir wordlessly put his hand out and Edna handed him over the canteen. He placed it back in Edna's pack and pulled the supplies over his shoulder.

"How far away from Solitudes does that put us?" The man asked, eyes back on the road.

"A couple of days, if we can keep this pace. And if we don't make too many stops." Edna answered, taking her place walking a few steps behind Asgeir.

It was easier to converse when neither of them was looking at each other, Edna had found. If the woman let Asgeir take the lead, they didn't need to look at each other. Or feel compelled to make conversation. Edna's injuries meant that her pace was slower then Asgeir's anyway. It was a good system for dealing with being stuck together for a while longer. And for avoiding stepping on each other's toes.

She had thought that Asgeir would agree. Which is why it took Edna by surprise when the other Nord slowed down his pace so that they were walking side by side.

"Is there something of the matter?" The woman quipped, staring straight ahead.

"How are your injuries?" Asgeir wanted to know, taking Edna by surprise.

The woman tilted her head to look at him. He looked more uncomfortable than concerned. "Worried about me?" Her tone conveyed her scepticism. "Or worried that I'll slow us down?"

"Pick whichever you like." Asgeir said flatly.

"I'm fine." The Dragonborn said after some consideration. "I'm not bleeding through my bandages. So I'm probably not going to collapse any time soon. " Edna pressed her palm against her injured side as if to check. Other than feeling tender and tired, the woman was not in any pain. Her body was already healing at its usual unnaturally-fast pace. Normally, this would be nothing a few health potions wouldn't be able to fix. If only they had any left. "I'm going to be better after we reach a town. And an alchemist."

"Good." Asgeir eyed her unsurely. "I suppose."

Edna refrained from sighing with exasperation. Even though she'd expected his lack of sympathy, he didn't have to sound so disappointed. He'd been the one who asked about her health in the first place.

At the next fork in the road, they turned right. The view of the mountains parted to reveal the Solitude Lighthouse in the distance. The silhouette of the dark grey tower was impossible to miss, standing tall on the coast. Edna felt a jolt of satisfaction at how accurately she'd pinpointed their location.

The woman had to fight down the urge to point it out. She might have been young, but she was not a child, or so she reminded herself. And pointing at the Lighthouse as if it was proof of her competency was not going to impress anyone. Especially not Asgeir.

Not to mention the fact that trying to impress a man that hated her guts was incredibly childish, to begin with.

Now in her twenty-third winter, Edna had thought she'd grown past the need to get others' approval. It seemed not.

They walked in silence for another long while, until the sun started to set. Edna could feel herself growing dizzy with hunger.

Jordis had complained often about their packs being weighted down by rations. But there was a good reason why Edna would carry so much food with her whenever she travelled. The Dragondorn had a disproportional appetite for her slight frame. It was one of the drawbacks of her accelerated healing.

Of course, Edna had only been able to give Malborn essential supplies to smuggle into the Embassy. She had no rations hidden in her pack now. The blonde was at least glad that she'd had the forethought to pack some of her potions alongside her equipment. Things could have turned out far worse for Edna and Asgeir otherwise.

"Should we stop for the night?" Asgeir asked when the sky started to turn purple, and Edna perked up at the suggestion.

Her condition was improving at a steady pace, but Edna's wounds had started to take their toll on her stamina. She needed rest and food. The Dragonborn would eat almost anything to get rid of the ravenous hunger.

"I think that's a good idea." She piped in, already scouting the surrounding to find the best place to set up camp.

They didn't have any sleep rolls. They had nothing at all that could offer protection from the elements. Edna could only hope that it would not rain and that no blizzards would blow their way. And, as much as they've had some bad experiences with caves recently, it would have been lucky to find one around. Unfortunately, it didn't look like there was any shelter to be found at all along this road. They would have to sleep out in the open.

They were close to the coast, though, so at least there were plenty of streams around. It was always good to camp near water. They might even be able to fish and sort out their meal for the night.

"That looks like a good enough spot…" Edna said. "We are near the stream, and there are some trees nearby that will shelter us. At least to some extend."

Asgeir seemed to approve of her suggestion. "We could try to catch some fish, and start a fire. " He examined the trees Edna mentioned. "There is dry timber around. And we can clear this area out to sleep." He approached the stream and claimed a spot on one of the big river stones near its water. He placed the supplies pack down and started to take out a few things that they would need to catch some food.

Then, he paused, lifted his head from his task as if something had occurred to him. "Are there any beasts we should worry about here?" He asked, turning to face her.

It shouldn't please Edna that Asgeir was asking for her expertise — it was why he'd not abandoned her in the cavern, after all— but it did.

"There might be some wolves around, but we're close to the main road. It's doubtful that they will be hunting in this area, and they don't often hunt at night anyway. And at least here we have a better chance of making a run for it."

Asgeir grunted in acknowledgement and returned to his task, effectively dismissing his companion. There was still a lot of tension in Asgeir's shoulders, but Edna's reassurance seemed to help relax him. What a curious thing to see.

Feeling invisible once again, Edna felt it safe enough to observe the other Nord.

For the first time, Edna noticed dark blonde stubble around Asgeir's face. His normally neatly-groomed beard was in a dishevelled state, as was his hair. The Nord looked wilder. Maybe a bit aged beyond his years by their recent experiences. And completely exhausted.

No surprise there. Edna expected that she also looked tired.

Hunger pangs jolted her back into motion, and she moved closer.

"I can fish. If you can sort out the fire?" She suggested. A sort of peace offering. Kneeling opposite Asgeir, Edna reached for the wires they've salvaged from Edna's traps. As Asgeir mentioned, there was wood around. The Dragonborn could use her dagger and the wire to fashion a fishing rod. After only a brief moment of hesitation, the woman extended her hand, silently asking for her dagger. It still surprised Edna when Asgeir relinquished it without protest.

Once everything she needed to catch their dinner was in her grasp, Edna didn't idle around.

With the sun getting lower into the sky, the woman wasn't sure how much longer until there would be no fish to catch at all. Edna needed to eat something more filling than the berries they've chewed on over the day. She did not think she would be able to rest at all if she had to go to sleep hungry.

It seemed that her unexpected streak of good luck was holding, though. Somehow, the woman managed to catch something. Not once, but twice.

…

…

…

"We're eating well tonight." The assassin announced, settling down opposite Asgeir with a proud smile. She was holding up two salmons, their silvery bodies still wriggling around.

Without another word, the woman got to work on preparing the meat. Her vigour gave away her hunger almost as much as her noisy stomach. All things considered, her mood was disturbingly cheerful. She even hummed under her breath as she killed and cleaned the fish of its scales.

The Nord tried not to pay the assassin much mind, not comfortable with her visible excitement. Yet, despite his discomfort, Asgeir made no effort to burst the Dragonborn's bubble.

He wasn't sure why. Was it because that would take the focus away from his own task? Or perhaps it was because that would give away the fact that she could disturb him so easily. Or maybe it was just because that would require him to acknowledge the Dragonborn at all.

Watching her from the corner of his eye, Asgeir was reminded of the first time he had met the assassin. When she'd presented herself at his wedding, she'd tricked them into believing that she was just a quiet young woman in a green dress. Blonde, slender, and with faint freckles across her cheeks. So perfectly ordinary.

Now, Asgeir knew her dark secrets, but there wasn't much that warned people of how dangerous and evil she was. Not in her appearance, at least.

With her sole focus being the task of preparing food, she still looked the part of a normal civilian. The soft growling of her stomach giving away her hunger made her seem harmless. She looked young, and she probably was so. Asgeir would guess that the assassin would be close to Lilija's age, had his sister still been around.

Asgeir told himself that it was pointless to spend so much time examining the vile woman. No good could come out of him looking at her as if she were human. Gods knew that that was not true.

She was a cruel agent of divine power at best, and an immoral monster at worst. And any way one looked at it, she was a killer.

Asgeir busied himself with adding some dry grass under the stack of wood he'd set up. He'd used a few sturdy pieces of lumber to help himself dig a hole for his little construction. And he'd set stones around the opening in the ground to make it easier to place skewers and cook their food. Asgeir wouldn't say that he did an excellent job, but he was pleased with his work.

It took only some minimal fumbling with the piece of flint from Edna's pack for the kindle to catch a spark. Asgier was grateful when the flames spread to the rest of the wood and he could bask in the warmth of a proper fire. It should keep them warm at least for a few hours.

"The meat is ready." The Dragonborn said, having regained her normal detached composure. She kept her face neutral as she prepared some skewers and poked the meat with them. Not a smile in sight. No humming buzzing in the air.

But her delight was impossible to hide once she got her hands on the first piece of meat. She sighed contently as she took a generous bite. Her entire expression relaxed, softening her features.

Asgeir did his best to ignore her as he waited for his food to cool. The woman, thankfully, had enough sense not to try to initiate conversation.

They ate in silence and later laid down on the cold ground with their backs facing each other.

It should have been difficult to fall asleep, Asgeir knew. There was a sense of emptiness and disillusion he felt in his gut. The unpleasant feeling seemed to grow the more time he spent with the other Nord. Yet, the past days have been exhausting. Asgeir found that sleep came easily enough.

…

…

…

It took longer for the Dragonborn to go to sleep.

As a child, Edna used to never have a problem sleeping. She would fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, and she'd been a heavy sleeper. The type that was almost always impossible to wake up in the morning. Her brothers used to always poke fun at her for that. They would make a game of splashing water across her cheeks to see her jerk awake. And she would chase them with her fists up, every time. She'd force herself to look angry even when their laughter made her want to smile.

But those were different times, long before she'd left Cyrodiil. A lot had changed since then. And a lot had happened in the past year alone.

Training under a master assassin for close to four months changed a person. Sleeping in a den of killers would turn even the most relaxed person into a light sleeper.

For an assassin, every little noise was important. Every little noise could be a threat. It could make the difference between being discovered or a successful contract. The difference between having your throat slit in the night or living to see another day.

There were many dangers in Skyrim, and there were some lessons that could not be forgotten. Astrid and the Brotherhood might have taught Edna how to kill, but they also taught her how to survive. Edna could not fault them for that.

Once Edna did manage to sleep, it did not last long.

She'd only been asleep for a couple of hours before her eyes snapped open, a heavy feeling resting in her stomach.

Despite her immediate urge to leap into a fighting stance, she didn't make any sudden moves. Instead, Edna listened. She listened to the sounds of the water at her back and the sound of leaves in the wind. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, but Edna could not get herself to relax.

Her instincts, already honed by her training as a Sister, had become even sharper with every dragon soul that Edna had absorbed. And they were telling her that something was wrong.

That's when she heard the crunch of leaves in the distance. It could have been anything: a pinecone dropping on the forest's ground, or a fox chasing its prey. But something about this sound had Edna tense up. The Dragonborn reached for her dagger, but her holder was empty. There was a flash of fear as the woman realised that Asgeir had their only weapon. And she was defenceless.

Then, suddenly, Edna heard the footsteps of someone approaching from behind the trees. Despite the warning, her reaction was slow. She blamed it on her ill-timed moment of panic, combined with her grogginess.

By the time she was on her feet, the assailant was already too close. Large arms grabbed her from behind and placed a steel dagger against Edna's throat. A human male, her immediate assessment told her. The woman could feel the metal buckles of his leather armour dig into her back through her thin shirt. His breath fanned her exposed neck and smelled vaguely of ale.

The attacker's blade pressed down but did not slice into flesh. Not yet a murderous intent; merely a warning. Edna felt it nick her skin as she forced herself to calm down and swallowed past the knot in her throat.

Clearly, Edna thought bitterly, her good luck streak had ended.

'Void.'

So, for people that were feeling like things were a bit too quiet (no, just me?), here's some action. As per my speciality, I'm leaving you on a cliffhanger, but I promise I'm not cruel!

I actually have the next 4k+ for the story written down in (almost) final version. I plan to turn most of it into a final edit in the next 4 days. I'm still making up my mind about whether you'll get one chapter in the next few days and then another one the week after, or just one really long (almost 5K) chapter next week. I'm tempted to stick to my normal chapter sizes, but that means people might be even less happy with my next cliffhanger. Oops.

Well, if you have any preferences you can let me know in the comments. Also, fair warning, it's going to get a bit intense.

Until next time, A.