Chapter 8

Ivarstead

They headed west along some small dirt paths until they came upon the main road. Bishop said Ivarstead wasn't more than a day's ride from where they were so they moved casually, taking their time. Rona enjoyed taking in all the sights of the lush forest and meeting the unique people that passed by from time to time. They even came across a traveling caravan of Khajiit and though Bishop was wary of them Rona insisted they stop and stock up on potions and arrows. She bought two honey-nut treats on skewers for each of them and a slab of raw meat for Karnwyr.

Bishop scolded her for spoiling the wolf as he'd just fed him and she argued how thin he was! Karnwyr didn't complain either way and scarfed the food down while Rona and Bishop ate theirs and bickered back and forth about how much the wolf should get to eat.

They met a traveling bard named Talsgar the Wanderer and Rona asked if would perform some songs with her. Bishop rolled his eyes at her but patiently waited as the two of them sang along to the Age of Aggression and Talsgar played flute as she sang a solo rendition of Scarborough Fair. (The song is Scarborough Fair by Erutan)

Talsgar was quite impressed but even more so once Bishop nonchalantly said, "Yeah, and she's the Dragonborn too."

"By the nine!" he gasped grasping her hands, "To meet the Dragonborn in person! I'd never have believed it. You're...," he paused glancing at her ears, "an elf?"

Rona laughed and shrugged, "Half altmer, half nord actually."

Talsgar chuckled, "I see, I see! The Gods certainly like to play such games with us. Well Lady Rona, I'll be sure to sing your stories all across Skyrim! And to be as accurate as possible certainly now that I know just how lovely you really are!"

Rona gave him a smile and thanked him for singing with her. She asked him for some tips on his speechcraft when he waved a hand and said, "Ah. Well. After a little incident with a roguish lad and the daughter of a prominent Thane... Well, let's just say, best not. But if you're serious about that tongue of yours, you might try the Bard's College in Solitude."

Rona's eyes lit up, "There's a Bard's College here in Skyrim?"

"Yes, it's where I trained as a lad, although to be quite honest m'lady, you're already quite proficient in the art of song," he reached into his travel bag and said, "Ah, here, I'd like you to have this." He handed her a small, worn book with the title Songs of Skyrim scrawled across the cover in flaky gold lettering.

"For me?" she said as she traced the title with a finger.

"Yes, for sharing in some poetic eddas with me. I truly enjoyed them my dear and I'm quite glad to have crossed your path on this fateful day. Why it's not every day one meets a living legend after all. I do hope that you will continue to share your lovely voice and infectious joy with Skyrim, Gods know we need it more than ever now."

"Thank you," she said pressing the book to her chest.

"You are most welcome my dear. It was a pleasure, take care!" He left them singing, "Our hero, our hero claims a warrior's heart! I tell you, I tell you the Dragonborn comes!"

She smiled and slid the book into her saddle bag then climbed back onto her horse. They moved on, continuing their journey. Bishop said, "We'll be there in another hour or so. We're making good time, the sun's still up." They were quiet for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts before Bishop said, "It's probably a good thing you're a bard."

She gave him a side-eyed glance and said, "Why's that?"

"Because you can write your own story and sing it and it'll be more true and accurate than whatever those other bards make up. Especially when they teach a song and then someone else changes it or forgets a line and just makes it up and it keeps going from person to person until it's just...nonsense and myths!"

"Hmm...I could write a book," she said pulling, Songs of Skyrim from her saddle bag. She thumbed through the pages, "If I write it all down then they can't change the story," she paused and said quietly, "I'll sing about you too."

"What?" he leaned towards her.

She looked up at him, their gazes meeting, "I said...I'll sing about you. How you helped guide me through Skyrim."

He waved a hand dismissively, "Don't go singing about me. I'd rather fade from history."

"Why?"

He gripped the reins of his horse and growled, "Because my story isn't worth remembering."

Rona looked concerned and reached out to touch his hand, "How could you say that about yourself? Of course you're worth remembering."

He looked up at her and had the most gentle expression she'd ever seen on his face. Was this what it looked like when Bishop expressed warmth or affection? It faded all too quickly though as he turned away from her and laughed under his breath, "I'm just saying, no one cares about the man that followed the Dragonborn around, they care about the Dragonborn herself and her story. That's what they'll want to hear, so that's what you should sing about...Hey, I see Ivarstead coming up!"

She didn't see any sign of the town anywhere, but Bishop spurred Whiskey onward to evade her gaze. Rona didn't know how to get through to this mystery of a man. Was he ever going to trust her with the stories of his past? He chose to continue journeying with her, so surely he trusted her somewhat...

It wasn't for another twenty minutes that they finally reached the town. Ivarstead was small, with about four buildings, one of them being a burned out structure across the river. A few townsfolk were working on a farm in the distance while a couple of Stormcloak guards patrolled the area. Bishop lead his horse near the river and dismounted, Rona did the same and they allowed their steeds to take a drink from the river and graze in the small paddock near the inn.

Rona looked up at the mountain before her. It was tall and patches of snow covered the higher rungs. Bishop said, "Never had a reason to climb that mountain before. Guess now's as good a time as any. We'll leave bright and early tomorrow morning."

Karnwyr started barking and growling aggressively around the other side of the inn and they heard people shouting. Bishop and Rona ran around to find two Stormcloak guards cornering him, their weapons drawn.

A male Stormcloak muttered, "Can't believe a wolf would come this close to town, stupid mongrel."

"Just kill it already Hamvak and be done with it," said the female Stormcloak beside him.

"Hey!" Bishop shouted at them, "Touch my wolf and you're dead."

The male Stormcloak called Hamvak turned to look back at him and scoffed, "Your wolf? This mangy pit meat belongs to you?"

Rona pleaded, "Please don't hurt him, he's very friendly, he won't bother anyone."

"Friendly?" Bishop growled at her then glared back at the guards, "Karnwyr is not friendly. Go ahead and give him a reason to rip your throats out, I dare you."

"You're not helping Bishop," Rona clicked her tongue and called to Karnwyr, who, hair still bristling along his back and fangs bared, carefully padded around the guards and up to Rona. He calmed slightly and pressed his nose into her hand, obviously expecting food.

"No wolves allowed in town," Hamvak ordered, then he nodded in Rona's direction and added, "And no knife ears either."

"What did you just say?" Bishop snarled.

"I said to take your bitches and leave."

The female Stormcloak mumbled, "Hamvak, please stop..."

Bishop drew his dagger and took one step towards the man, but Rona grabbed his arm to stop him and said, "We have every right to be here."

"Oh yeah? By what right?" Hamvak scoffed at her.

She stepped forward and held her head high, "By birthright. I am Dragonborn."

"It can't be..." the female Stormcloak gasped.

The male Stormcloak sneered, "Hah, if the Gods ever went and made some arrogant piss-skin the Dragonborn then I'd be a frost troll's uncle."

Rona took a deep breath and cried to the skies, "FUS!"

The thunderous rumble of her shout shook the mountainside and caught the attention of all the townsfolk who stopped plowing their fields to gawk at them.

The Stormcloak woman pulled her helmet off and gaped at Rona, "By Talos...so the legends are true." She scowled at her associate and smacked him on the back of the head, hard. "You idiot! How could you say such foul things to her? What's wrong with you!?"

Hamvak threw his helmet off and rubbed his head, "Augh! That hurt!"

To her surprise, Rona saw that he was just a lad who couldn't possibly be older than sixteen or seventeen.

"You deserved it," the woman hissed.

Bishop slid his dagger back in its sheath and crossed his arms, "I didn't exactly see you standing up for her either."

The woman bowed her head to them and profusely apologized, "I'm so sorry m'lady. I should have spoken up sooner. Please, I hope you can forgive me and my dimwitted little brother for our behavior."

Rona hesitated, "It-it's alright. I just didn't want to see anyone get hurt."

The woman smiled at her and said, "That's very kind of you. My name is Risla and this is my baby brother Hamvak. He's still a bit of a milk-drinker but he's got a good heart, I promise you."

The young man scowled at his sister and Bishop commented, "Got a sharp tongue too, he'd best watch himself."

Rona smiled back at Risla and said, "I'm Rona and this is my companion Bishop. Oh and this is Karnwyr," she said scratching the happy wolf who'd calmed down now that everyone else had relaxed.

"Welcome to Ivarstead," Risla said, "We're very glad to see you've finally arrived. We heard the Greybeard's call a while back and were wondering what it all meant."

"Yes, I'm here to answer their summons and begin my training."

"That's wonderful! I hope you'll enjoy your stay, and please don't worry about your wolf, we'll leave him be, right Hamvak?" She frowned at her brother.

"Whatever...," he muttered.

"Thank you Risla," Rona said and then looked over at Hamvak who was still scowling, and sulking with his arms crossed. She approached him and gave him a warm smile, "By the way I'm only half a piss-skin if that makes you feel any better. The other half is all snow-back."

She winked at him, making him go pink in the cheeks. Then she turned and lead the way into the inn, Bishop and Karnwyr following closely at her heels.

Rona took a seat at a table and Karnwyr laid under it at her feet as Bishop asked the innkeeper for two rooms and ordered their usual drinks. He sat down across from her, sliding their drinks on the table and immediately said, "The hell was that all about? You flirting with that kid, or what?"

She laughed, "Well I figured if I can't win him over by being nice I can always win him over by being flirty, I did learn from the best after all."

Bishop rest his head in his hand and leaned forward on the table, "So you're saying I've won you over?"

"Well...not quite yet."

"I suppose I'll just have to try harder then," he gave her a salacious smile.

She returned it and said, "I guess you will."

He laughed, "Ha! Don't tempt me princess."

The evening was quiet in the inn, the only people in attendance were the rugged, middle-aged innkeeper and an attractive female bard. The short-haired woman played her lute softly and chattered with the innkeeper while Bishop and Rona drank their drinks and exchanged some more flirty remarks.

Bishop set his drink down and said, "Tsk tsk, the things that come out of your mouth sometimes."

"Can you blame me?" she tossed back laughing, "You're a bad influence."

He grinned and thumbed the label on his drink, pausing to think before he said, "So you deal with that sort of thing a lot?"

"What sort of thing?" she asked resting her chin over her hands.

He nodded to the door, "That kind of blatant racism?"

"Hmm…not a lot, at least not in Cyrodiil. People are a lot kinder to mixed people like myself on that side of Tamriel," she mused, "I still got the usual, 'Thalmor scum' remarks from a few people holding a grudge but it's been a long time since I heard something as off-color as that."

"I hate the way they look at you," he said,"Makes me want to crush their skulls in." He cracked his knuckles.

"Oh? The way who looks at me?"

"These damned nords and any man really. Got half of them looking to kill you and the other half following your ass around."

She looked at him, half-lidded eyes, "Oh, you mean just like you - nord?"

He smirked, "Exactly! Although I think I'm the only one looking at you both ways, depending on my mood and how stupid you're being."

"Gee thanks," she drawled and then asked him, "Are you from Skyrim?"

"Born here, but wouldn't say I'm from here."

"Where did you live?"

"Everywhere."

"Can't you ever tell me about yourself without deflecting or being vague?"

Bishop rolled his eyes, "You can ask, but I'll answer however I damn well please."

"How am I supposed to get to know you better if you never talk to me?"

He drank from his bottle of mead and said, "Look princess, I don't like to dwell on the past. It was all shit, all the way up until…well I came here I guess. And even then, it was shit."

"Is it still shit?"

He looked at her, "What? You mean like with you?"

"Yeah," she said dejectedly.

"Hell no! Meeting you…well it was crazy at first, definitely considered skipping out a few times, like with that dragon," he pointed a finger at her, "You are walking trouble, that's for damn sure. But it's been fun, plus you helped me get this mangy mutt back," he scratched the sleepy wolf behind his ears, "and I'll always be grateful for that."

She smiled and blushed a little.

"Ah there it is," he smirked at her, "Been missing that. I have to be more bold these days to get any kind of rise out of you."

"Doesn't take much to get a rise out of you though," she teased.

He laughed and shook his head at her, "You know I think I'm starting to rub off on you Ladyship."

"Not yet," she shot back matching his laughter.

Their word games were just that, playful games, always trying to one up each other as much as they could. But as they turned in for the night and Rona lay in her bed she began to wonder what her feelings really meant. Being around him, at first he, was just a vulgar hedonist, but now she almost enjoyed it. Every time he complimented her, every time he looked at her with lust filled eyes she couldn't help but get excited.

He was so different from the few men who had court her. The would-be paladins and the stuffy, proper men that put on a mask, a lie, to try and win her heart. Bishop was just so different. He was honest and blunt, he never hid who he really was. He was electrifying and...dangerous. She wanted so much more from him.

But she was afraid too. To fall for someone like him, to let him bed her...would he leave? He often treated her like a challenge. And so she played that game, she ran and he chased when all she wanted to do was turn around and run right into his arms.

She didn't want it to end though and so she would play their game a while longer and see how long he would chase - see if perhaps he could win her heart when no other could.