Chapter Ten: Skyrim

"We can stop here," Khali said, finally giving in to her horse's tired whinnies. She dismounted and led the animal to a stream and tied the reins to a nearby tree branch. The horse drank thankfully, gulping down the cold and fast flowing water.

Khali bent down and refilled her waterskin, taking a drink as she did so. Ever since the attack in the desert, she had been riding almost constantly for about a week, barely even stopping to sleep. She hadn't had another dream from Ria, and that worried her. What if Tharn had completely destroyed her magic and she could no longer communicate? The Khajiit shook her head, trying to dispel the worry. It wouldn't do any good fretting over something she couldn't control. She had her next task laid before her already; find the Labyrinthian.

Even though she had been running from whatever it was Tharn had sent after her, she was still heading towards Skyrim. A couple of days ago she had crossed the border, riding into the lush forest at the southernmost part of the province. The climate was getting much colder, and Khali had spotted snow flurries last night. The icy cold of the north was not something she was looking forward to, and she found herself praying that the Labyrinthian was closer to the warmer parts of Skyrim, which wasn't very warm.

Khali watched as the horse finished drinking his fill and started grazing, pulling up the long strands of grass while snuffling happily. She had considered naming the beast, but was worried she'd end up calling him something stupid like Sandy or Windy. She wasn't the best at naming animals, and so had defaulted to calling him 'horse.'

After about ten minutes Khali untied the horse and remounted. The beast glanced back at the stream wistfully before obeying the order to continue on. He walked along smoothly, the dull thunk of his hooves eventually turning into a clack as Khali steered him onto a cobblestone road. A mountain stood tall in the distance, the sun lighting up its snowy cap, making Khali shiver by just looking at it. She spotted a sign at a crossroads up ahead and she paused at it before taking the northwestern road.

After a few minutes, a small town came into view through the trees and greenery. A weathered sign revealed this place to be Granitehall. She dismounted and led her horse in, who seemed to be grateful to have the Khajiit off his back for a while. She got quite a few stares from the Nords living in the tiny town. She didn't blame them. A Khajiit this far north was about as rare as a dragon attack and living to survive the tale.

A blond Nord in thick leather clothing was walking down the street, and Khali moved to intercept him. "Excuse me. Is there a tailor or clothes shop in this town?" she asked. Her desert apparel wasn't ideal for this climate.

The Nord paused, glancing at her suspiciously. "Two houses down on the left," he replied, his rough voice scratchy.

Khali nodded her thanks and moved on, tying her horse up at the fence outside of the designated house. She walked in, opening the creaky wooden door and looking around. It was a small two story building, stairs behind the counter presumably leading to living quarters and maybe shop storage. "Hello?" she called, looking around at the bear and sabertooth cat skins.

An elderly woman shuffled down the stairs, her once blond hair thin and gray and her fair skin wrinkled with age. Despite the weathered appearance, her blue eyes shined with warmth and welcoming. "Hello there. Do you need something?"

Khali walked up to the counter, not sure how this was going to go. "Yes, I need warmer clothes that can fit a Khajiit. I know you might not have that here, so I might be able to modify any clothes you can sell me."

The old lady waved a hand. "Nonsense! I can make it fit. Just choose what you want. I have some bearskin that is very popular. Keeps everyone warm, even during winter."

"Bearskin sounds great," Khali replied. "But Khajiit tailoring is a little bit diff-"

"I said nonsense!" the old lady interrupted. "I know what I'm doing. Grizzly or black?" she asked, pulling out two sample skins.

"Uh, black," Khali decided.

"Good. Now stand there while I measure you."

Khali tried to stand still as the woman took measurements of her waist, tail, legs, arms, and torso. A few times she wasn't still enough for her, and got an angry slap as the woman complained she was wobbling or twitching too much. After she was done, Khali was invited to sit as the seamstress got to work.

The Nord woman rambled on as she worked, revealing her name to be Morli and she had met a travelling caravan of Khajiit and helped make them new outfits for the cold weather. She had also made outfits for the emperor, which brought on some conflicted thoughts and a quick dismissal of the subject, and many travellers.

"All done!" Morli said after a few hours, admiring Khali in her new clothes.

Khali had to admit; the clothes fit perfectly. She had been worried about the pants cutting off the circulation in her tail, but that issue was nonexistent. "Thank you, Morli," she said, pulling out her coin purse. "How much do I owe you?"

Morli shrugged. "Eh. Ten coins."

"Ten? But you tailored these for me. Shouldn't the price be closer to twenty or thirty?"

"I. Said. Ten." Morli snapped, pointing a long, thin finger at Khali's chest. The Khajiit decided not to argue anymore, and counted out ten coins for the old lady, who shoved them in some compartment under her desk. "Now that that's done, I guess you should be on your way before it gets dark."

"I suppose so. Thank you," she said, turning to leave, but she stopped herself. "Oh! One question: Do you know anything about a place called the Labyrinthian?"

The woman scoffed. "Everyone knows about that place. So many awful legends surround it."

"Do you know where it is?"

Khali frowned as the woman laughed. "Oh not at all, but the mages of Winterhold might. They're into old legends and anything to do with magic in Skyrim."

"Winterhold?" Khali asked, hoping for clarification.

"Yep. That frozen northern city. Mages Guild is very prominent there. Almost rules the city. Over there."

Great, Khali thought. North.

Khali led her horse through the knee deep snow, bundled up in warm furs and still freezing as the heavy flakes and wind pelted the both of them. She had gotten a blanket for her horse and made sure he was bundled up, but she was sure the cold was still cutting through. She spotted a light up ahead, the structure undoubtedly a horse stable. Though it didn't look very far away, it seemed to take ages to reach.

When she finally made it, she brought her horse into the cover of the stable and tied him up. When she was sure he was secure, she knocked on the door to pay for a place to stay, looking forward to some warmth after the three week long journey to Winterhold.

Author's Note: Hey, Guys! Super sorry but there won't be any updates for the next two weeks because I will be moving! Once that's all settled, updates will return to normal until I inevitably have something crazy happen again