Chapter 3
Riverwood
When we last left our heroes, they had just escaped from the now-flaming city of Helgen and the black dragon that had caused it. Now, riding on his dragon, Toothless, Hiccup was following the Nord Ralof and the Imperial Hadvar to their hometown. With him are the three youths that escaped with him: the red-headed Nord, Renee Silverglass; Rahm-Ku, the lizard-like Argonian mage-in-training; and the mysterious Khaljiit, J'Kiir.
They all thanked their gods that they managed to survive not only the horrors of the dragon and the giant Frostbite Spiders they had encounter in the caverns under Helgen, but their own execution as well. Now, they were traveling to the safety of the neighboring village of Riverwood and rest up. Hiccup wanted to continue traveling the world, but with Toothless' prosthetic tail broken and the threat of that black dragon still at large, the Viking could only hope that the Imperial's blacksmith uncle could allow him to forge a new tail without causing a disturbance.
As they made their way down the path, Hiccup overheard Ralof whispering to Renee about joining the Stormcloak rebellion in a place called Windhelm in the east, while Hadvar was trying to convince Rahm-Ku to join the Imperial Legion at a place toward the north called Solitude. As both Nord and Argonian refused, Hiccup turned his attention to J'Kiir.
"Hey, J'Kiir? What's 'Windhelm' and 'Solitude'?"
J'Kiir thought for a moment before answering his fellow foreigner.
"From what I remember, Solitude is the capital of Skyrim and the main hold of the Imperials. It is supposed to sit on top of a tall rocky formation overlooking the Ghost Sea, which would protect the city from the sea's harsh winds. Windhelm is home to Ulfric Stormcloak and no doubt the home of the Stormcloaks. I haven't heard much about it other than that they've separated the raced sections of the city into three: the Nords, the Dunmer, and the Argonians."
"Dunmer?" Hiccup asked.
"They are one of the three races of elves in Tamriel, who are also known as Dark Elves. Their most notable features are grey-black skin and red eyes that seem to glow. They are very strong, intelligent, and light on their feet. But legends say that they are ill favored by fate."
The Khaljiit leaned in and whispered to the Viking.
"I will not say this in front of the Argonian, but the College of Winterhold had a large number of Dunmer mages until the Nords that lived in Winterhold drove them out. They still live in various placed outside their homeland of Morrowind, including Skyrim."
But just as Hiccup was just about to ask more questions, the people ahead of him began to slow down.
"What's the matter?" Hiccup called up to them.
"Nothing, lad. Just wanted to show you young bloods something." Ralof answered as he pointed to a collection of mountains across the river.
Amongst the rocky cliffs was a structure that exposed five arches to the travelers.
"See that ruin up there? It is called Bleak Falls Barrow. When I was a boy, that place used to give me nightmares."
"It gave every child nightmares, Ralof. All the stories of Draugr creeping down the mountain to climb through our windows at night, that kind of thing." Hadvar spoke up.
Ralof forced himself to look away, as did Hadvar.
"If there is one thing we agree on, it's that we still don't like the looks of that place."
The younger Tamrielans were also wary, but Hiccup was still confused.
"Uh…what are Draugr?"
It was Renee who answered him.
"They are the Nord undead. Walking corpses who thankfully reside in their crypts where they belong."
Toothless growled at the monolith as Hiccup felt chills down his spine as he heard about the Draugr.
"They can't possibly exist, can they?"
Renee placed her hands on her hips and spoke.
"You're looking at one who has more than often delved into crypts from time to time."
Just then, J'Kiir called out to gain the travelers attention.
"What are those stones? They have some sort of carvings on them."
For the first time since the fall, Hiccup dismounted Toothless and he jogged to where J'Kiir was. In front of the Khaljiit were three stones that were indeed carved. The older men realized what they were and Hadvar answered.
"These are the Guardian Stones, three of the thirteen ancient standing stones that dot Skyrim's landscape."
"What do they do?" Rahm-Ku asked.
With a smirk, Ralof spoke to the Argonian.
"See for yourselves."
The four young bloods looked at each other before Renee spoke.
"I'll go first."
She then walked to the plateau that held the stones and named them off counter clockwise by image.
"Ok. The one on the left must be the Thief Stone. The in front of us must be the Mage Stone. Then that must be the Warrior Stone on the right."
Making her choice, Renee walked up to the Warrior Stone and touched it with her bare right hand.
The boys and the dragon watched in amazement as what appeared to be a constellation on the image of the warrior began to glow as a light beacon shot into the sky. Both grown men nodded in approval with her choice.
"Ah. The Warrior. A fine choice, lass." Ralof commented.
"Aye. I knew that you weren't meant for the cart with the Stormcloaks." Hadvar added in.
Impressed, J'Kiir and Rahm-Ku followed Renee's lead while Hiccup watched with Toothless. J'Kiir chose the Thief Stone while Rahm-Ku chose the Mage's Stone, both stones accepting their touch.
"What do the stones do?" The young Viking asked.
"Many a thing depending on the stone, lad." Ralof spoke. "The Warrior Stone will aid the lass by gradually improving her use of swords and the like. The Argonian's Mage Stone will help him grow stronger in spell casting and the Khaljiit's Thief Stone will, obviously, make him a better thief even if he isn't one."
"Are you going to choose a stone, lad?" Hadvar asked.
Hiccup looked quizzled at the three stones, wondering whether or not he should try them. It was Renee who saved him from the intrigued eyes of the men.
"Whether he chooses to use a stone or not is his business alone. And even if he's interested, there are ten other stones hidden throughout Skyrim for him to choose from. Now let's get to Riverwood before dark."
Mentally thanking Renee, Hiccup walked back to Toothless and decided to walk with him instead of riding him, allowing his legs, both flesh and metal, to stretch and move as he followed the others to Riverwood. They had little trouble during the trip, a wolf or two every now and then, but they arrived at the village before the sun touched the horizon.
Riverwood was a small town consisted of six, maybe seven buildings, the largest one clearly an inn. Upon seeing Hadvar and Ralof enter the town, Hiccup stopped to speak to Toothless.
"I need you to wait out here, bud. After what happened in Helgen, I'm pretty sure no one wants to see a dragon right now. The last thing we need to do is to cause a panic."
The Night Fury made a low grumble of protest, but upon remembering the black dragon that he fought, he complied and decided to look for a place to rest within a safe distance of the town.
After his friend left to find a place to rest, Hiccup turned to Renee and the two males who were waiting for him at Riverwood's gate.
"Hadvar and Ralof are speaking to their relatives in town. They said that they're going to explain the situation before calling us in to speak." Rahm-Ku spoke.
"In the meantime, let's set up camp. I don't know about the rest of you, but all of my septims were taken from me the moment I was arrested." Renee spoke up, beginning her search for firewood.
"I'll find some game for dinner. Since we're not going anywhere for the night, might as well stick together until the Nord and the Imperial come back." J'Kiir spoke as he prepped his bow.
Hiccup lead the other young bloods to where Toothless was: a small clearing in the forest near a mine that they had passed earlier and began to set up the shelters with Rahm-Ku and Renee. After Renee prepared the wood and stones for the campfire, Hiccup held up his hand.
"I've got this." He then turned to his dragon. "Toothless?"
Having done this before, Toothless used his remaining blast to light the fire, surprising Renee and awestruck Rahm-Ku.
After the fire was lit, Renee left to check on the situation in Riverwood while Rahm-Ku sat in front of the fire, waiting for his first meal in over a day.
"I hope that Khaljiit comes back soon with some meat. I don't want to have to catch fish in the river and get my clothing all wet."
At the mention of the Argonian's distrust of the cat person, Hiccup decided to ask some more questions with his Argonian counterpart.
"Has there been any problems with your two races in the past, Rahm-Ku?"
Realizing that he had forgotten his manners, the mage apologized.
"My apologies, Hiccup. I keep forgetting that you are not a native of Tamriel. Our races have been in conflict several times in the past. Sometimes, the scars can pass down through generations. Much like the High Elves and the Nords."
Knowing that he had given Hiccup more questions, Rahm-Ku continued to speak.
"Twenty-five years ago, the Empire was at war with the High Elves of the Summerset Isle. Although the High Elves are great in the art of magic, there were those who wish to revive an empire of their own known as the "Aldmeri Dominion". The Thalmor are agents of the Dominion. The Dominion seeks purification and perfection. They are also arrogant, believing that their race is the best."
"Sounds like they're a bunch of prunes. Pains in the neck." Hiccup joked.
Rahm-Ku laughed.
"I'll have to agree on that. Thankfully, not every Altmer, the term for High Elf, agrees with such arrogance. I should know. I've had plenty of Altmer and the other elves reside in Murky Glen back in Black Marsh."
"What was your childhood like, anyway? If I can call it a childhood."
It was the Argonian's turn to raise a proverbial eyebrow.
"Why are you interested in my past?"
"I'm curious. Especially since I told you all about my past. I honestly can't tell how old you and J'Kiir are."
Rahm-Ku laughed again, realizing again his mistake.
"Ha, ha. A fair trade. Well, to start with, I am in my eighteenth summer and I am pretty sure the cat is the same age."
Hiccup figured that meant that he and Renee are the same ages as the Argonian and the Khaljiit. So despite him looking older, Rahm-Ku was actually younger.
"Murky Glen was a small fishing village at the edge of Black Marsh and hardly anything happened there. It's the kind of place where everyone knows everyone and everything. I was the son of a fisherman and a merchant with four egg-sisters, two older, two younger. My egg-sisters and I learned the ways of the trade in my father's hopes that we would take over the business one day."
"But how did you find out that you had a talent for magic?" Hiccup asked as he leaned back on Toothless.
With a smirk of his own making, Rahm-Ku answered him.
"I was no more than seven when a family of Bretons came to Murky Glen. They were traveling mages and performed magic shows for the hatchlings in my villages. The mother of the family was a fortune-teller and sensed my hidden magical talents. She tested me for magic and after a couple of tries with various spells, I found I could cast Heal whenever I wished at a young age.
"After some persuasion to my parents, the family taught me what they knew about magic and I found myself wanting not wanting to become a fisherman or a merchant, but I began to dream of becoming the greatest mage of the Fourth Era. My father allowed me to teach the Heal spell to my egg-sisters and my mother was able to get a hold on some spell books for my hatching days."
"How did you learn about the College of Winterhold?" Hiccup asked.
"The father of the Breton family told me of the college when I entered my sixteenth summer. It took an entire moon to convince my father to allow me to pursue my dream on the condition that I'd wait until my eighteenth summer. That was no less than a moon ago. In the month of Sun's Height. As I had said in the cart back there, I was on the last leg of my journey when I was captured just for crossing the border."
"Sounds like you've had quite the trip. It must not easy traveling from Black Marsh to Skyrim on foot." Hiccup spoke.
Rahm-Ku gave a soft laugh as he answered Hiccup again.
"You don't know the half of it. If we find a map of Tamriel before we go our separate ways, I'll have to show you where my homeland is."
It was then that Renee returned with a cooking pot and spit as well as a small bag of something.
"Talking about your life, Rahm-Ku?" The Nord asked.
The Argonian gave a friendly nod at the young warrior as he helped her set up the cooking pot.
"Indeed. Our friend from the far north was curious, so I told him."
Hiccup then looked at Renee.
"What about you, Renee? Where did you grow up?"
Renee fell silent for a moment, allowing Hiccup to remember that her home was taken by a plague when she was a child.
"S-Sorry. I didn't mean-"
But Renee held up her hand to stop him from rambling.
"It's alright. It's been ten years, anyway."
As she began to take out ingredients, she spoke. "Hadvar's and Ralof's families gave me these ingredients before I left. They are still explaining about Helgen when I left."
She then began her tale.
"As I have stated back in Helgen, I was born in the mining town of Emeralda here in Skyrim. Our specialty were the emerald mines that honeycombed the land around the town. My father was a miner and my mother was a gem cutter and jewelry maker. The emeralds that my family mined and cut were considered valuable and we even once had an order from both the High King of Skyrim and the Emperor of Tamriel."
Renee then paused for a moment before she continued, trying to catch her emotions.
"When the plague came, it was like living a nightmare. For some reason, I wasn't infected. Thankfully, the townspeople were too sick to accuse me of being a deadra or a witch. I struggled to keep the town going while sending letter after letter to doctors all over Skyrim. But the Namira's Harvest was too much. My parents told me to leave Emeralda before my immunity could leave me."
"And have you been back there?" Rahm-Ku asked.
Renee shook her head.
"No. I was actually returning to pay my respects and see if I could revive the town when I was captured."
"But where did you grow up after you left your hometown?" Hiccup asked.
Renee answered him with fondness in her eyes, clearly happy with her memories this time.
"After I left Emeralda, I headed to the neighboring town of Rorikstead for the night before I could go to Whiterun for work. As I got there, I've found that there was a traveling band of warriors consisted of Redguards and Orcs. After winning a fight with a buffoon who wanted to take me in to trade me, I've found myself with two of the warriors asking me where I had learned to fight. After a while and hearing about what had happened to my family, the warriors took me in as one of their own."
"What was the name of the warriors you were adopted into?" Rahm-Ku asked curiously.
"The Sabre Fangs." Renee answered nonchalantly.
Hiccup was surprised by the Argonian's reaction as Rahm-Ku jumped back on his tail in surprise.
"No way! The Saber Fangs?"
Still trying to get some answers, Hiccup spoke up.
"I'm sorry. Who are the Sabre Fangs?"
Rahm-Ku returned his attention to the young Viking.
"Sorry about that. The Sabre Fangs are a famous warrior group that travels all around Tamriel. They are considered the strongest of the wandering warrior groups in Tamriel, mainly consisted of Orcs and Redguards."
"That's right." Renee spoke. "The Sabre Fangs took me in and taught me how to fight like an Orc and a Redguard, while maintaining my Nord heritage. We have traveled all over Tamriel and saw many sights. I've temporarily left the Fangs for a small trip to Skyrim, ready to confront my past when I was captured."
Hiccup leaned back on Toothless again as he looked at the red-haired Nord.
"My village would defiantly like you, Renee."
But before Renee could say anything else, J'Kiir returned with a large buck and a couple of rabbits.
"It may not be ingredients for Elsweyr Stew, but one can never go wrong with fresh meat."
Looking at the Khaljiit, Hiccup decided to ask J'Kiir about his past.
"Renee and Rahm-Ku have been telling me about their pasts. Can you tell us about yours?"
But instead of a straight answer, J'Kiir smirked.
"Guess."
Both Renee and Rahm-Ku gave the same answer.
"Thief."
J'Kiir scoffed at the pair.
"Oh? And what makes you think I am a thief?"
"Well, for one thing, you've chosen the Thief Stone as your patron stone." Rahm-Ku spoke.
Renee then pointed to something on J'Kiir's face that Hiccup hadn't noticed before: A crescent-shaped scar over his left eye.
"And the last time I was in Elsweyr, I've heard rumors of a stripped and speckled Khaljiit with a crescent moon scar over his left eye. The rumors said he was a notorious thief who stole from traveling nobles and ported pirates. He was known as 'The Shadow Stalker'."
Hiccup expected J'Kiir to protest about racial slurs, but the Khaljiit instead smirked and began to dress the deer.
"Hmm. Guilty as charged. I've been a thief all of my life like my father before my and his father before him and so on. I've come to Skyrim to join the elusive Thieves Guild in Riften when I was captured."
"But there's got to be more to your past than that." Renee spoke.
J'Kiir then gave a playful smirk.
"Eh…Maybe another time. If you are a good girl, Miss Renee."
Renee narrowed her eyes in annoyance at J'Kiir and it looked clear that she was going to smack the cat when Ralof and Hadvar came to the campsite with their families. The four adults and two children were cautious at the sight of Toothless, but Hiccup stood by the Night Fury which allowed the families to settle down.
"I see the stories my nephew told me are true. You have escaped a dragon attack with another dragon."
A bearded man spoke. Judging by his sentence structure, the man was clearly Hadvar's blacksmith uncle.
As the younger Tamrielans spoke to the family, Hiccup took up the challenge to approach the blacksmith, Alvor.
"Uh…Hadvar told me that you are a blacksmith. W-would it be alright if I use your forge to make a new tail for my dragon?"
Alvor raised an eyebrow at the Viking before looking toward his nephew, then back at Hiccup.
"My nephew has told me of your predicament. Although I am not exactly fond of the idea of helping a dragon after what happened in Helgen. But if he trusts you and your dragon, then I don't see any reason for me to say no."
After thanking the blacksmith, Hiccup followed Alvor to his shop in Riverwood while Renee and the others discussed the situation of the other black dragon, Toothless letting the two children approach him with curiosity.
"If there is one thing we agree on, it's that Riverwood is in danger of a dragon attack of its own." The Nord woman, Ralof's sister, Gerdur, spoke.
"Yes. Someone has to tell the Jarl of Whiterun about this." Alvor's wife, Sigrid, added in.
Looking at the youths they escaped with, Hadvar and Ralof looked at each other and agreed before speaking to the trio.
"As much as we wish to warn the jarl ourselves, we have to get back to our respective outfits. If it's possible, could you three and Hiccup head to Whiterun and warn the jarl? Riverwood would be very grateful to the four of you." Ralof requested.
Looking at each other, the trio shrugged their shoulders.
"Might as well. After all, I need to pass Whiterun to get to Winterhold." Rahm-Ku spoke.
"And I'll be taking the next carriage to Riften there, so why not?" J'Kiir answered.
Renee then gave her answer.
"Whiterun is my next stop before I make the trek to Rorikstead. So might as well warn them."
The Riverwood folk breathed a sigh of relief as Hadvar spoke.
"We thank you, young bloods. Riverwood will be grateful for this."
As they continued to chatter, Renee took the time to head back to Riverwood to check on Hiccup. The Nord found the Viking hard at work with the blacksmith in making a new tail for Toothless.
After making her presence known, Renee explained the request to tell the Jarl of Whiterun to Hiccup as he worked.
"I know. Alvor asked me the same thing. I agree that the black dragon back in Helgen is not something that can be ignored."
"Well that's good. The others and I were planning the same thing, since it seems that we'll be heading to Whiterun before we head to our destinations."
Hiccup gave a half-laugh as he hammered away at a piece of steel.
"Heh. Looks like we're hard to get rid of to each other."
It was Renee's turn to give a laugh.