I shivered as the cool breeze drifted over my still damp-skin. I'd pulled my hair back into a knot at the base of my skull to keep it out of the way. Normally I would have pulled it back into a ponytail, but after seeing that doll… I doubted anyone would possible recognize me for who I actually was, but I would have rather played it safe.
There was a shop across the street from Alvor's house. The sign that hung outside the door, decorated with a pair of metal scales, hailed it as the "Riverwood Trader." I'd found some drakes underneath the fort in Helgen, and I thought it was probably a good idea to pick up a few supplies before heading to Whiterun. The bell that rang as I opened the front door was drowned out by the sound of raised voices.
"One of us has to do something!" A woman snapped. She leaned over the counter, toward the man standing behind it. He pointed one finger at her.
"I said no! No adventures, no theatrics, no thief-chasing!"
"Well, what are you going to do about it then, huh? Let's hear it!"
"We are done talking about this."
At that moment the man caught sight of me standing in the doorway. His eyes widened.
"Oh, a customer." He cleared his throat. "Sorry you had to hear that."
The woman shuffled past me, anxiously fingering one of the black braids looped around the back of her head.
"I don't know what you overheard, but the Riverwood Trader is still open. Feel free to shop," he said to me. I'd worked in that shop in Mournhold long enough to recognize the forced brightness in his voice.
I checked the shelves, pulling out a dark cloak along with a handful of other things, and took them over to the counter. As I handed over the drakes, I asked, "Something happened, I take it?"
The man rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes, we did have a bit of a… break-in, but we still have plenty to sell. Robbers were only after one thing. An ornament, solid gold. In the shape of a dragon's claw."
"I suppose I could help you get it back," I said slowly.
"You could? I've got some coin coming in from my last shipment. It's yours if you bring my claw back." Clapping his hands together, he went on, "Now, if you're going to get those thieves, you should head to Bleak Falls Barrow, northeast of town."
"So this is your plan, Lucan?" The woman piped up from behind me.
"Yes. So now you don't have to go, do you?"
"Oh, really? Well, I think your new helper here needs a guide."
Lucan spluttered for a moment before groaning, "By the Eight, fine. But only to the edge of town!"
The woman had a satisfied smirk on her face as she got up from her chair by the fire. I followed her outside of the shop, where she stopped me on the porch and pointed to the mountain outside of town.
"We have to go through town and across the bridge to get to Bleak Falls Barrow. You can see it from here, though. The mountain just over the buildings."
As we started off, she kept talking.
"Those thieves must be mad, hiding out there. Those old crypts are filled with nothing but traps, trolls, and who knows what else! I wonder why they only stole Lucan's golden claw. I mean, we have plenty of things in the shop that are worth just as much coin."
On the other side of town we stopped at a bridge that crossed the river. She sighed.
"I guess I should get back to my brother. He'll throw a fit if I take too long. Such a child…"
I glanced up the road. "How much further do I have to walk?"
"Well, it's a winding road up the mountain just ahead. You'll know you're in the right place once you spot the old watchtower. Once you get to the tower, head north. Bleak Falls Barrow should be just around the corner further up. Good luck. Lucan and I will be waiting for you back in the shop."
It started snowing as I made my way up the mountain, past the watchtower that Lucan's sister mentioned. Just a little further up the trail a ruin appeared. It was cut into the mountain. Arches of dark stone rose into the air. Between the pillars, I saw the shadowy outlines of people. The bandits.
I slunk forward, staying behind boulders and outcroppings where I could. When I was close enough, I crouched low and drew an arrow. One of the bandits stood out on an outcropping that jutted out from the rest of the ruin. Standing guard, probably. Taking a deep breath, I fired. In the distance, I saw the bandit topple off and fall out of sight.
The reaction was instant. One of them hurried over to where the first had fallen while the other slipped behind one of the pillars. I shot down the first and waited for the second to make a reappearance. It didn't take long before I had to duck as an arrow whizzed over my head. Hurrying to a more defensible position, I drew another arrow. Hearing running footsteps, I leaned around the boulder and loosed. There was a scream in response, almost drowned out by a gust of wind that nearly blew my hood back. Getting to my feet, I made my way up the stairs and into the ruin.
Inside it was cold and dark. On the other side of the chamber I'd entered, however, I saw firelight flickering on the walls. I crept forward over the rubble. Two bandits stood beside a fire, arguing. As I got closer I could begin to make out their words.
"That dark elf wants to go on ahead, let him. Better than us risking out necks."
"What if Arvel doesn't come back?" The other snapped. "I want my share from that claw!"
"Just shut it and keep an eye out for trouble."
The first toppled forward into the fire, an arrow protruding from the back of his neck. The second scrambled for cover and started to draw her own bow, but another of my arrows found its mark in the side of her skull.
They'd mentioned the claw. I was going in the right direction.
The rest of the ruin as I descended was infested with rats and I avoided them where I could. Spider webs covered every surface, over old shelves and cracked urns. Other than another set of footprints in the dust, the place looked like it hadn't been touched in a thousand years or more.
That was when I heard the voice.
"Is… is someone coming? Is that you, Harknir? Bjorn? Soling? I know I ran ahead with the claw, but I need help!"
He had to be the other bandit they'd spoken of, the Dunmer. He sounded desperate.
As I rounded the corner, I found myself in a room covered floor-to-ceiling in a thick layer of spider webs. The moment I stepped inside, a massive shape dropped from the ceiling and scuttled toward me. A spider, larger than a bear. The Dunmer screamed and I stumbled back, drawing an arrow. When I fired, it stuck in the monster's face, but it just kept coming. It reared above me, letting out a horrible, piercing shriek. My next arrow buried itself through one of the spider's eyes and deep into its head. It fell to the ground, twitching.
Breathing hard, I looked up to see the Dunmer was caught in the doorway at the other side of the room in a thick mass of webs. He struggled violently. Stepping around the corpse of the spider, I approached him cautiously. Upon catching sight of me, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"You did it. You killed it," he said. "Now cut me down before anything else shows up."
"Where's the gold claw?" I demanded.
He nodded vigorously. "Yes, the claw. I know how it works. The claw, the markings, the door in the Hall of Stories. I know how they all fit together! Help me down and I'll show you. You won't believe the power the Nords have hidden there."
"Fine. Let me see if I can cut you down," I sighed, drawing my sword.
"Sweet breath of Arkay, thank you."
I hacked at the webs, cutting through the thick strands. At first the bandit cringed. Then he shifted experimentally.
"It's coming loose. I can feel it."
With a few more hacks, he dropped to the floor. Before I could do anything, he stumbled to his feet and ran, shouting back, "You fool! Why should I share the treasure with anyone?"
"You s'wit!"
I chased after him through several passages. When I heard a low growling sound ahead I jolted to a stop.
Peering around the corner, I saw several withered corpses rising from alcoves along the walls to surround him. He managed to cut most of them down before the last buried its axe in his back. It wrenched the weapon out of his corpse and turned toward me, snarling. As it raced at me, I brought my sword up to block a strike meant for my head and kicked out at its knee. There was a loud crack and it staggered backward. Taking advantage of its preoccupation, I swung and knocked its head from its shoulders.
As the echoes of the clash slowly faded, I made my way over to the bandit and searched him. On the body I found the claw as well as a journal. I turned the former over in my hands. It was indeed shaped like a dragon's foot. Designs were etched along the toes leading up to its sharp claws. On the bottom of the foot were what looked like the shapes of several animals. I flipped open the journal to its last written pages to read what was scrawled there.
My fingers are trembling. The Golden Claw is finally in my hands and with it the power of the ancient Nordic heroes. That fool Lucan Valerius had no idea that his favorite store decoration was actually the key to Bleak Falls Barrow.
Now I just need to get to the Hall of Stories and unlock the door. The legend says there is a test that the Nords put in place to keep the unworthy away, but that "When you have the golden claw, the solution is in the palm of your hands."
I debated going back, but since I was there… could it hurt?
At the very bottom of the ruin, past a number of undead, was a long hall with an arched ceiling. Braziers flared to life as I entered, illuminating the carvings that ran the full length of the walls. At the far end of the chamber was a massive stone door. It was decorated with three rings displaying a carving of an animal. At the very center of the door was a stone plate carved with what looked like a clawed foot. Above it were three holes. I remembered what Arvel's journal had said about the claw being a "key."
"Is it really this simple?" I murmured as I pulled the claw out and examined the markings at the bottom of the foot.
With some effort, I managed to shift the rings on the door to the correct designs. Fitting the claw into the piece in the middle, I pressed it in and turned. There was a boom and a cloud of dust and the door began to sink down into the floor. I jumped back, yanking the claw away. When the dust settled, I cautiously made my way through the doorway.
On the other side was a tunnel. Unlike the rest of the ruin, it looked as if it had been formed naturally. I ducked as several bats flew over my head. The tunnel let out into a massive cavern, the ceiling vaulting up high above me. Holes above revealed patches of the sky. In the middle of the chamber was a large platform decorated by several braziers and a sarcophagus. On the platform's far side was a carved stone wall that stood alone and unsupported.
As I approached, I heard a strange sound. It was almost like a faint whispering that got louder the closer to the wall I came. On the wall itself were several rows of strange markings. Several of them stood out, almost seeming to glow. Part of me felt uneasy and I wanted to just walk away, but it was just… calling to me. The voices became more distinct. I couldn't understand the words, but I felt that I should. There was something so strangely familiar about them.
As I stepped up to the wall, everything seemed to fade away but those three marks. Not just marks, I realized, but letters. A word. My lips stumbled over the sound, but I just couldn't quite…
There was a loud crack from behind me and I turned in time to see a corpse climb out of the sarcophagus. It wore full armor, tarnished with age. The sword it drew from its back was coated with frost.
It charged and I barely ducked out of the way in time. The blow meant for me slammed into the stone wall. I spun around, slashing at an exposed part of its back. I heard a shriek as my blade scraped across bone. The zombie roared at me, and the sound was almost… tangible. It knocked me off my feet and I gritted my teeth as I hit the hard stone platform. The creature stood over me with a horrible sneer and poised to strike. Before it could I stabbed up through its stomach and wrenched my blade to the side. Its skin tore and I heard bones snap. It fell to the ground beside me and was still.
I lay there for a moment, breathing hard, before getting shakily to my feet. There was a set of stairs at the back of the cavern, hopefully leading to a way out. I hadn't taken more than a few steps when something caught my eye.
It was a small slab of pale gray stone lying at the bottom of the open sarcophagus. What looked like carvings covered its surface. When I picked it up and dusted it off, I saw that they formed what looked almost like a map. Tiny star shapes dotted the design here and there. I had no idea what it meant, but I mused that I might have been able to do something with it. I held onto it as I made for the stairs again.
At the top of the stairs was a tunnel that led out to an outcropping overlooking a lake. I carefully climbed down the cliff face and dropped the last few feet. Eroded skeletons of some kind of massive animal littered the area. I picked my way through, heading for the water. A river broke off from the lake. I assumed it was the one that ran beside Riverwood. I started to follow it.
For several minutes I heard nothing. Then there was the sound of footsteps up ahead. I soon saw that they belonged to several figures in light, mismatched armor.
More bandits.
"There's the bitch!" One of them screamed. An arrow whizzed past my head. "Give us the claw!"
I ducked behind a tree and nocked an arrow. Then I held my breath and listened to their footsteps. One was getting too close. I popped around the tree and fired, catching him in the throat. The second I got through the eye moments later.
Before I could find new cover, I felt a searing pain in my right arm. One of the s'wits had gotten me. I ran down the hill and slid to a halt behind a fallen tree. The bandit who'd shot me was a ways behind. But weren't there four of them? I shot two, I knew where the one was…
I saw a movement in the trees ahead and I quickly nocked and fired. A man cried out. Make that one left.
Taking a steadying breath, I backed up and drew the bowstring. The bandit jumped around the log and fired. I had to dive to the side to avoid being skewered, so my shot went wide.
"Just try to fight back." He taunted. I snatched an arrow out of my quiver and shot. It stuck squarely in his chest and he toppled, his condescending laugh turning instantly to an anguished moan.
I staggered to my feet. The wound on my shoulder was dripping blood all down my arm. Wincing, I put a hand over it. Yellow light filtered out from beneath my palm. When I took my hand away, there was new, raw skin underneath. It would hurt for a while, but it would be fine soon enough.
The sun had just started to rise over the mountains when I finally made it back to the Riverwood Trader. I pushed the door open, wincing as the skin on my wounded shoulder stretched painfully, and stepped inside. The woman was dozing beside the fire and didn't even look up as the bell tinkled. Lucan, however, snapped out of his stupor. He was still standing behind the counter. He looked like he'd been there all night.
I shuffled up and dropped the Claw in front of him. He stared at it, blinking slowly as if he didn't quite comprehend what had happened. Then his eyebrows shot up and a wide grin spread across his face.
"You found it! Ha, there it is! Strange… it seems smaller than I remember. Funny thing, huh? I'll never forget this. You've done a great thing for me and my sister."
I mumbled something vague and nodded as he handed me a purse of coins. Judging by the weight, there were quite a few in there. So Lucan wasn't cheap. Good.
I shuffled out of the shop, crossed the street, and dragged myself back to Alvor's house. Sleep was calling for me, and right then there was nothing more I wanted in the world than to oblige.
"Out all night, huh? Where did you head off to?" Hadvar asked me later, after I'd woken up.
"Did some work for Lucan at the Trader. I was planning to head off to Whiterun today." I finished tying my hair up and flopped down into the chair, grabbing the bread that he offered. Glancing at him out of the corner of my eye, I asked, "You really think I should join the Legion?"
He seemed taken aback. "Of course! I know you didn't have the best introduction to the Legion, but I hope you'll give us another chance. The Legion could really use someone like you, especially now. And if the rebels have themselves a dragon, General Tullius is the only one who can stop them."
"You think he knows where that dragon came from?"
"No. Not yet. After all a dragon, something out of old tales and legends… no one could have expected that. But you can bet he'll be trying to figure it out. This could shift the whole balance of the war."
I rubbed my forehead, thinking. "I'm still not entirely certain of what's going on. I understand that the other prisoners were rebels of some kind."
"Right. They claim to be fighting for Skyrim's freedom, but the war is really all about Ulfric wanting to be High King of Skyrim."
"But… who are the Stormcloaks?"
"You haven't heard of the civil war in Skyrim? I guess down in Cyrodiil people have other things to worry about," he said with a shrug. "It's pretty simple. Ulfric founded the Stormcloaks years ago as a sort of private army to advance his ambitions. He's always used the ban on the worship of Talos to stir people up against the Empire. He never succeeded in getting much support, so a few months ago he murdered the High King. That got the Empire's attention."
An icy feeling slipped into my stomach. That was why everyone had been calling the Divines the "Eight."
"Why was the worship of Talos banned?" I asked quietly.
Hadvar sighed. "I guess that wasn't such a big deal elsewhere in the Empire, but here it's caused a lot of resentment. Native son and all that. Even I'll admit it hasn't been the Empire's finest hour. But it wasn't like the Emperor had any choice, did he? If he hadn't signed the peace treaty with the Thalmor, they would have destroyed the Empire – then where would Skyrim be?"
I watched as he got to his feet and rubbed the bridge of his nose, agitated.
"That's the part that Ulfric's supporters always conveniently forget about," he said. "Unless the Empire stands together, the Thalmor will destroy us all."
I remembered Ralof mentioning the Thalmor back in Helgen. The Altmer that had been speaking to the General. I still wasn't quite sure what had happened, and I was almost afraid to ask, but somehow this Empire was clearly not the one that I had known.
