Chapter 2

Morning came quickly, and soon sunlight began to filter through the frost covered window, barely illuminating the dark room. Jane stirred, and yawned, stretching her arms above her head. She opened her eyes, and, was once again greeted by the worn wooden beams of Braidwood Inn. She had survived the night and was still residing in Skyrim. Jane smiled, feeling optimistic and excited about what the day would hold.

Jane got out of bed and walked out into the hallway. she reached Bo's room and knocked quietly but heard no response. She opened the door ever so slightly this time, having learned her lesson; and found Bo laying on his back, snoring softly. He wore no shirt, and Jane couldn't tell if he wore pants because the blanket covered his lower half, but she admired how sculpted and muscular his body was. She stared for a moment, studying the sleeping Orc. Then she realized she probably looked like a creep, and she quietly shuffled forward, unsure if she should wake him or not.

"Bo?" Jane called out softly, and the Orc grunted, turning his head to the side.

He scratched his belly and let out a deep breath but did not wake.

"Bo?"

Bo's eyes slowly opened, and he blinked a few times before looking over at Jane, and he quickly sat up.

"Sumthing wrong?" He asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"Uh no... no, I wasn't sure if you wanted up. The sun's starting to rise. You said you needed to be back in Windhelm for Stormcloak business."

"Ahh," Bo yawned. "Yes. Yes, I should be up. Give me a minute, I'll meet you in the dining hall."

Jane turned to leave his room and had her hand on the door when Bo stopped her.

"I almost forgot... I managed to get some clothes for you before I went to bed. The ones you're wearing are a little... bright. If you wanted to change, they're on the table there."

"Oh, thanks," Jane replied quietly, blushing.

She suddenly realized how ridiculous she must look in her favorite pajamas.

"I will do that..."

Jane scooped up the clothes and headed back into her room. She took her pajamas off and folded them up nicely, and then she inspected the clothes Bo had provided for her. He had chosen wisely. He had given her a simple navy-blue tunic and brown breeches, plus a pair of soft leather boots. They were rather plain but Jane loved them, and she quickly put everything on. She wondered briefly about armor, and then left her room and headed back into the dining hall.

There were fewer people mingling about this morning, as it was still early. Jane nodded and smiled at the few that seemed friendly enough. She took a seat at the same table she and Bo had eaten at the night before and laced her hands together; resting them on the table. A few minutes later Bo entered as well, looking rather sleepy still; his hair half coming out of its tie, but he smiled at her and took a seat across the table.

"Hungry?" Jane asked with a grin and Bo nodded.

"Very much. Yesterday was my first good meal in a while, I tend to forget what good food tastes like after weeks of being on the road."

"How much further is it to Windhelm?"

"Not terribly far, probably two days at the most."

An older woman brought over two steaming plates of food, and they thanked her before tucking in. Jane had always wondered what some of the food items tasted like in Skyrim and found so far it was quite scrumptious. This morning they had fried eggs, some sort of meat sausage, and a healthy slice of bread which had been toasted lightly and slathered with butter. They made quick work of their meals, and then Bo left the Inn to find Lynne and look into getting some armor for Jane.

Jane wandered over to the bar and struck up a conversation with Iddra, talking about local matters until Bo returned sometime later with Lynne trailing behind him.

"Hey Jane," Lynne greeted, sitting down beside her. "How do you feel today?"

"I feel better, not sore anymore. Thanks for helping me."

They smiled at each other, and Lynne patted her shoulder.

"I gave Bo some more potions, in case you might need something down the road. He told me you're not from here, so traveling can be pretty hard on the body."

Lynne glanced over at Bo and he silently nodded.

"Do you have any idea as to what you're going to do? Do you remember where your home is?"

"Oh," Jane replied quietly, looking down at her hands. "No, I don't really remember, there's a lot of things I just can't remember."

Jane felt bad about lying, but she figured it would be easier than trying to explain how Skyrim was actually a little world that only existed on a television screen where she came from. It might do more harm than good.

"That's fine, Jane," Bo spoke up, and she looked up at him.

"You're more than welcome to come to Windhelm with me, you don't have to have it all figured out right away."

"Thanks, Bo. I really appreciate it."

"It's nothing."

Bo coughed and looked down at the floor of the Inn.

"So, you're all set."

Lynne stood up and shook both of their hands.

"Perhaps we'll see each other around. If not, take care of yourself and safe travels."

"Safe travels," Bo replied, and Jane quickly echoed him.

Lynne pulled her hood up around her face and, while slipping her dark leather gloves back on, headed towards the door of the Inn.

"Did you find any armor?" Jane asked, and Bo shook his head.

"No, we'll have to wait until Windhelm."

"Oh."

"Don't worry," Bo told her quickly, patting the sword that hung off his hip, "I'll keep us safe."

"I guess it's all the same, I've never even held a sword before."

Bo's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah..."

Jane blushed, and she down at the counter, biting her lip.

"Well, it's no worry. I can teach you. But we should get going, daylight is precious."

Jane nodded, and they headed back to Bo's room, where his supplies still lay on top of the dresser. He had managed to track down some warmer clothes and a big winter coat that should shield Jane from the ice-cold winds of the Eastmarch hold. Once she was all bundled up and sporting a small satchel with her own bedroll, the pair departed the Inn and headed down a thin road in the direction of Windhelm.

Jane and Bo walked silently for some time. Occasionally Jane would ask a random question or Bo would make some remark about the landscape, and they didn't stop until around mid-day when they were beginning to feel hungry.

"This is a good spot, let's rest a while."

Bo touched her arm and pointed to a little cropping of small trees. Together they walked off the road and sat underneath the trees. They shared a cold lunch of somewhat stale bread and a few delicious strips of smoked beef.

"Skyrim is beautiful," Jane commented in between mouthfuls of food.

Her eyes gazed around their surroundings with deep admiration.

"It's the most beautiful province, in my opinion."

Bo found himself watching her rather than the jackrabbits that bounded by them as they played in the tall grass.

"Have you been to other provinces?" Jane turned towards him, and they made brief eye contact before Bo looked down at the ground.

He sure does that a lot, Jane thought with a small smile.

"A few. Mostly Cyrodiil, but I've been elsewhere. Nothing beats my homeland."

"I can see what you love about it, it's breathtaking."

"Yeah."

Bo cleared his throat and suddenly feeling full, he shoved his food back into his pack and stood up.

"When you're done eating we'll keep going, we'll have to make camp tonight but it shouldn't be much longer."

"I'm ready."

Jane quickly placed her half-eaten jerky strip in the bag and stood up.

I'm determined not to be a burden, she thought fiercely while she slung her pack over her shoulder.

Bo had a feeling he had rushed her, but he brushed it off, and the pair wandered back down to the main road. They made quick work. Jane proved to be good at keeping at pace with the Orc. They encountered few threats for the rest of the day aside from the occasional wolf and one brown bear. Bo had dealt with them quickly and easily, barely breaking a sweat with the bear. Jane had been impressed.

He makes it look so easy but if that were me I'd probably have peed my pants and had my head bitten off.

The day quickly turned to night as the sky started to grow darker. Bo eventually found a sheltered area located off the road where they could set up a small fire and spend the night. Jane sunk down to the ground and tried not to groan out loud at how much her legs ached, while Bo gathered Kindle from nearby.

"Are you okay?" He asked, dumping the sticks on the ground.

He had noticed Jane rubbing her calves.

"Oh yes… just a bit sore. I'm embarrassed to say I'm not exactly very fit."

"Travelling in Skyrim is not easy for anyone, even I find it difficult in some areas. You'll get better with experience."

Bo knelt down beside his pack and rifled through it for a moment until he produced one of the purple bottles Lynne had given them.

"Drink this, it'll help. The worst pain is usually the morning after."

"Thanks."

Jane gratefully took the bottle uncorked it, downing the smooth liquid in one gulp. Stamina potions tasted a lot sweeter than she imagined, bordering on a weird and flowery juice, and it immediately left her feeling better. After placing it back in her bag Jane undid the strings holding her bedroll down and laid it flat on the cold ground. Bo had placed all the kindling in a small pile and lit the fire with a small spell. Jane had almost forgotten about magic and seeing Bo work even a simple flame spell had thoroughly excited her. She couldn't wait to see the college of Winterhold.

If I ever make it there alive, she thought bitterly, shivering as a cold gust of wind played with her hair. Traveling in Skyrim is brutal.

Once the fire was nice and hot, Bo produced a small iron pan, some potatoes, and a couple of carrots. He used a small silver knife to cut them into bite-size chunks and added them to the pan along with a pinch of some herbs he'd produced from a small drawstring bag.

"I don't have any fresh meat," Bo commented out loud, glancing up at Jane, "but it's still nice to have a hot meal."

"I don't mind at all, that looks great."

After dinner had been fried up and eaten along with some more bread, they both drank from their own water skins with tired expressions. Bo finally relaxed back on his bedroll with his arm tucked behind his head. He stared thoughtfully at the fire, lost in thought. Jane watched him a while, studying his face. He had smooth skin the color of a deep evergreen tree and was mostly smooth save for some stubble on his chin and a few light scars that weren't noticeable at a glance, but she had noticed them back at Braidwood Inn. His tusks were sleek and so bright white they nearly glowed in the dark. It did not make him look barbaric or ugly like he had mentioned the night before. She didn't really understand why anyone would think an Orc ugly just because of their skin tone and teeth but knew racism was a problem in Skyrim. The fire cast rich lights of orange and red against his skin and hair, making him seem even more alive. His hair almost shimmered gold and Jane only hastily looked away when Bo looked up at her.

"Are you warm enough?" He asked her, sitting up slightly on one elbow. He gestured at his pack. "I am used to this weather, you can have my spare blanket if you wish."

"I think I'll be alright for now, the fire is nice and warm." Jane held her hands up for a moment and then rubbed them together. "I will use it later if I need it, thank you."

"It's no problem. Orc body temperatures run a lot hotter than humans, I can handle much colder. I wish you remembered where you came from, I'm very curious."

"I would tell you if I could remember," Jane breathed in, biting the inside of her cheek.

"I barely remember anything before meeting you."

"Maybe it'll come back to you."

"Maybe..."

Jane pulled back the cover to her bedroll and climbed in, her coat still on. She was beginning to feel the night's cold hands grasping at her, and so she settled down into the bedroll as tucked together as she could manage. The fire crackled and popped. It was still going pretty well but would die at some point in the night. She looked over at Bo, who lay on his back with the blanket half pulled up against him. He stared up at the night sky and Jane did the same, awed by how clear the skies were. Stars twinkled in the black sky, and Jane felt incredibly safe despite laying in the middle of the woods with somebody she'd only just met. Bo was proving to be a kind and gentle soul, with a deep love for Skyrim and perhaps a few social insecurities. That didn't bother Jane whatsoever, and she quickly drifted to sleep thinking about his kind face.

Jane woke up abruptly a few hours later. The fire had died down and even the coals had gone cold. The wind was so sharp and cold that it bit into Jane like she wasn't wearing any clothes or a blanket at all. She shivered hard, her teeth chattering together, and she couldn't take it anymore. Slowly pulling herself out of her bedroll, Jane clumsily shuffled on her hands and knees over to where Bo's pack lay, and she struggled to make her hands work to get the extra blanket Bo said was in his pack.

"F-fuck," she murmured, feeling her lips crack as though they were ice.

She tasted blood, and reached up and gently touched her bottom lip, unsure of what she could do, when Bo stirred beside her.

"Jane?"

"Y-yeah. It's j-j-just me."

Shivers wracked her body, and it was hard to breathe in as the air was so cold it was like breathing in something sharp. This was not what she expected living in Skyrim to be like. This was a new level of cold she had never experienced before. Jane cursed herself for thinking it would be anything less than harsh.

"You're freezing. Here, let me start up the fire again."

Bo sat up and pulled over some chunks of wood he had gathered earlier. Piling them up in the ashes of their previous fire, he used another flame spell to get it going.

"I should have known better than to let you travel like this, a tent would have helped."

"I-it's ok. I-I'm fine."

Jane tried to stop her shaking but it wasn't really working.

"Don't lie to me," Bo scolded her softly, and made her sit directly in front of the fire. His touch was very warm, and Jane grabbed a hold of his hand.

"God you're so warm, no wonder you can handle it. I feel like I'm turning into an icicle."

Bo chuckled, trying to ignore the knot that formed in his stomach by Jane's touch. He felt terrible because he knew better. The Eastmarch hold was an incredibly cold region, and he should have thought things through more. He resolved himself to sitting quietly beside Jane and cupped her hands in his in an attempt to get them warm.

"Can I sleep in your bedroll?" Jane asked hesitantly, not wanting to startle the shy Orc. But she was desperately cold and wanted to make it through the night with all her fingers and toes.

Bo tensed, his mind racing. This was new territory for him. He'd never really had any sort of intimacy with a woman, be it romantic or not. He was far too shy to even try. But Jane sat beside him at that very moment, looking up at him with her pretty green eyes, and he felt himself melting. The wind whipped her hair every which way around her face, and her cheeks were bright red from the cold biting at her tender skin. He knew he wanted to keep her warm. Despite the butterflies in his stomach, and the nervousness he felt, Bo pushed it all away and nodded.

"Yeah, come on."

Jane sighed in relief, and together they pulled Bo's bedroll closer to the fire. Bo lay down on his side, and Jane slid in next to him with her back facing the fire. Their knees bumped into each other and Jane laughed nervously but was thankful for Bo giving up his bedroll for her. It was very snug with the two of them, and they had to press their body's close to each other. Jane pressed her arms up against her chest and shuffled closer, while Bo awkwardly wrapped his arms around her. Heat radiated off his body and she immediately felt much better. Jane sighed softly, and closed her eyes, leaning against Bo's chest. For a while, Bo was unable to relax.

When Jane started to drift back to sleep and she snuggled into him, he finally relaxed his arms and closed his eyes. He could smell a faint flowery scent on her hair. Eventually, they both fell asleep and slept soundly until just before the sun began to rise.