Chapter Six: Mystery of the Golden Claw

Over the next few days, Kai worked harder than ever before after learning how to work a wood mill: impatience was driving him on, and he seemed extremely frustrated about something only he was aware of. Svena was usually talking to Gerdur or helping her in the kitchen, so the two of them had quickly discovered that they had a lot in common as far as personal tastes went. They'd slowly come to enjoy each other's company, and after two days of being near each other, they'd become friends.

Ralof, on the other hand, did absolutely nothing but sleep... and his appetite was virtually non-existent.

"I'm worried about him," Gerdur finally admitted to Svena one evening, watching her brother sleep on his bed. "He's never acted like this before... normally Ralof tries to stay up until his body can't take anymore and shuts down on its own. This isn't normal... could he be ill?"

"I don't think he's ill," Svena stated softly, giving the blonde woman a somewhat pensive expression. "At least... not physically."

"What does that mean?" Gerdur asked, wringing her hands with a sigh. "How can someone be ill and not have it affect the body? It makes no sense!"

"It makes quite a bit of sense," Svena weakly countered, closing her eyes with a sigh as Ula's behavior flashed into her mind. "Your brother might be acting this way because of what he saw after he and Ula were taken to Helgen... it is not so much a sickness of the body than a sickness of the soul."

Gerdur's face fell and she lowered her husky blue eyes, mouth pulling into a frown.

"What of your... friend?" the woman carefully asked, having already discovered that Ula's unidentifiable race was a touchy subject. "How has she been faring? I haven't seen head or tail of her or my son these last few days... Frodnar only comes home when it's time to eat or sleep."

"Ula's been acting very distant lately," Svena muttered, sitting down at the woman's table with a sigh. "In her own way, I think what she's doing is similar to everything Ralof is doing: she keeps going up to the river and climbs the tallest trees to get away from the world. She's always felt safest near the woods, so I think that's why she's avoiding everyone. It's possible that your son simply wants a new friend to play with... most boys his age generally do."

"I still can't believe they witnessed a dragon attack," Gerdur stated in a low voice, shivering and rubbing her arms. "Do you think... that it could be true?"

"Yes," Svena stated honestly, eyes becoming far away. "In fact, I don't even have a single doubt because Ula agreed with everything Ralof said."

"How could you not have doubts?!" the Nordic woman gasped, looking at her in surprise. "Just because that girl nodded, you'd believe it to be the truth?!"

"Yes," Svena confirmed, giving her a friendly smile, "and there's a reason for it, too: during all the years Kai and I have known her, that girl has never told a falsehood in any shape or form. She is... almost fearfully honest, or maybe she's simply extremely naive. Either way, when she confirms something, it's best to take heed."

"That's troubling," Gerdie muttered, accent becoming extremely thick with worry. "I will be grateful to you three when you take news of the dragon to the Jarl."

With that, she headed downstairs and Svena got up to start making supper.

The nights in Riverwood were cool, but by day it was so hot that Kai found it hard to work.

While everyone was off doing their own thing, however, Ula often sat beside old lady Hilde: on some days, the woman would tell her amazing stories about a place with an active volcano that lay far across the ocean called Morrowind. On other days, Hilde's son, Sven, would come and practice playing his pipe instrument for them: he would eagerly sing some songs and ask for his mother's approval, but more often than not, his music would put the old woman to sleep. During the moments when Hilde did so, he would turn to her and ask Ula with his eyes if his songs were all right, to which she always nodded.

Ula had always been attentive to the notes weaving out of the instrument: she found them beautiful... all of the vibrations and harmonies were magnificent to her ears.

She didn't understand why nobody seemed to like his songs: to her, they sounded like Magicka.

Nearly four days after her arrival to Riverwood, the girl decided to visit the Sleeping Giant Inn... and sadly, that's how she saw Sven's true colors: he was in the middle of a heated argument with a shorter man wearing a cowl-like hat. The Nord's face was extremely red, and the smaller man seemed to be huddling inward on himself.

"Faendal, I've told you before," Sven growled, making the smaller man shiver a little. "Keep your nasty inhuman hands away from Camilla! She's my woman!"

"I can't do that!" Faendal immediately stated in a calm tone, speaking with no accent or inflections to his voice. "I'm in love with her. I cannot back down."

"You think you have a chance with a woman like her?!" Sven snapped, then glanced around the room in amusement, as though he were looking to see if people were nodding in agreement. Ula, who was standing in the doorway with large eyes and ears that were sticking straight out, felt rather stunned. "Camilla Valerius is a pure-blooded Nord, Faendal: you are nothing but a pathetic Bosmer hybrid who has no wealth, nothing to give, and a lousy income. Someone like you isn't worthy of her: in fact, I doubt even another wood elf would court you!"

"I know I am worthless..." Faendal whispered, sounding thoroughly unhappy, "but despite that, she looks beyond my heritage and sees me for who I am, as an individual... and I simply cannot give that up. I don't want to back down, because Camilla is the first and only human to ever see me as something more than... ugly."

And with that, he turned around and walked towards the other end of the Inn with sagging shoulders.

Sven folded his arms with a huff of air before sitting back down and pulling his mandolin out: not glancing up, he began tuning it with furrowed brows.

Ula merely stood in place and clutched her dress, heart locking up in sympathy for the so-called wood elf.

Her feelings really did go out to him... even someone as kind as Sven had such a strong dislike for elves that he wasn't able to see past it. She'd never seen this side of the aspiring Bard... but deep down, he was just like everyone else: the Nord hadn't ever openly shown any dislike for Ula over the last few days, but somehow... she'd known his feelings about her were most likely on the same level as his feelings for Faendal.

And that hurt, simply because she'd thought she'd been making a friend the whole time.

She knew it wasn't any of her business... she knew she shouldn't have tried getting involved... but she did it anyway, and her feet started moving before she could stop them. Long hair swirling behind her and reflecting the firelight like a mirror, Ula slowly made her way over to where Faendal had unhappily sat down in the corner.

Then, she scooted in beside him and tapped his shoulder, trying to get his attention.

However, her eyes widened when he looked at her: it was her first time seeing a wood elf of any sort up close... and almost immediately, she understood why everyone disliked them so much. Faendal had a very thin and extremely angular bone structure: on top of that, his skin was an odd shade of brown, his eyes were huge and slanted in an extreme angle, and his irises were such a dark shade of maroon that they looked almost black. Then again... she couldn't really say such features were ugly: quite the contrary, she found them to be utterly fascinating since they were so different.

The pale girl stared at his thin lips and sharp jaw for a moment, then glanced at his extremely long ears before her gaze flicked to his small nose.

"Can I help you, stranger?" Faendal inquired somewhat hesitantly, blinking slowly and curiously. "Is there something you need of me?"

Ula merely shook her head and tapped her throat with a somber expression before mimicking talking.

He stared at her a little more intently, cocking his head slightly: his eyes were no longer blinking.

Since he looked confused, she repeated the signal and attempted to explain that she couldn't speak, but he didn't seem to be capable of comprehending it.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Faendal stated in a calm voice, finally blinking twice before turning back to the table. "Why are you sitting here?"

Ula huffed in frustration before struggling to use her voice: she struggled so hard that it felt as though her throat might collapse from the pressure of her muscles.

"Can't..." the girl forcefully wheezed out, making him glance at her in curiosity; the mark on her throat had once again begun glowing. "Can't... talk..."

"You just did so," he pointed out, raising an eyebrow when she started breathing hard and swallowed. "Ah, well... what do you need of me?"

The girl merely nodded at Sven before patting his shoulder with a comforting smile: he instantly winced, finally seeming to understand the reason behind her actions.

"Ah..." he sighed, shaking his head with a solemn expression. "So, you saw that, then?"

Ula nodded with a slight wince before giving him an apologetic expression.

"Well, it's not like he's wrong in any way," Faendal murmured, lifting his head and staring at the ceiling in remorse. "I'm not worthy of her affection. Someone as beautiful as Camilla Valerius... there's no way the divines would be so kind. She's beautiful both inside and out... and me? I'm just a lowly elf, and a poor one, at that... but despite all of that, I can't stop my heart from yearning for her... I... I love that woman."

For a moment, he seemed to space out... but then he blinked and glanced at her snowy features and sharp ears with a somewhat interested expression.

"I'm sure you can understand my hardships, right?" he asked, sounding more than a bit depressed. "You're a hybrid like I am... aren't you? If you are, you're very lucky, you know: it would seem that the human gene came out stronger in your makeup, so you look relatively pretty compared to someone like me."

Ula blinked and her cheeks turned bright red for a moment; she instantly averted her eyes, staring at the ground with a startled expression.

She had never been called pretty before... at least, not by someone of the opposite gender.

Svena had said it all the time when she'd been younger, and lots of other women had always told her that she was growing up into a beautiful lady, but hearing it from a grown male... it gave her a different feeling entirely. After a moment, her cheeks had cooled off enough for her to feel more comfortable, so she slowly turned to meet his gaze once again; they merely stared at each other for a long moment, not really speaking and not really knowing why the other was staring.

"You know, Sven doesn't understand Camilla the way I do," Faendal finally admitted, giving a nearby blonde woman a wave when she walked out of a storeroom and started drilling her husband about the Ale going bad. "I was with her all day yesterday out in the fields... she was unhappy because her brother, Lucan, found out where their stolen goods were: she wanted to go get them, but he's refusing to let her... and they've been fighting ever since. I simply want to make her happy again... and if I could go get the heirloom that they lost, I'm sure she'd understand my feelings for her, too."

Ula's ears perked up as a question suddenly struck her: if that was really how he felt, why hadn't he done it yet?

Most obvious reason: he needed help.

Eyes sparkling as a plan began taking shape, the teenage girl grabbed Faendal's sleeve and gently tugged on it.

When he looked at her, he blinked when he saw her hopeful smile: then she tugged on his sleeve again and stood up, waving for him to follow and bouncing up and down.

"You want me to follow you?" he asked, sounding mildly perplexed and somewhat reluctant. "I don't know. Who are you, anyway? A traveler?"

The girl nodded fervently and waved him, smiling with a pleading expression: she looked so earnest that his wary expression softened into a calm one. Without a word, he stood up and followed her with a curious expression, watching as she practically flew towards the Inn doors. Sven and the blonde woman glanced up and watched both of them when the albino happily threw the door open and tore outside.

"Where are you going, Elf?" Sven sneered, making Faendal pause and glance over his shoulder. "You'd better stay away from Camilla!"

"Or what?" Faendal asked, cocking his head with tired maroon eyes. "You'll hurt me? Beat me? Kill me? Don't attempt to control me, Sven... I'm not an animal."

And with that, he followed Ula outside and watched as she skipped over to her new favorite tree, which stood tall and proud beside the river. When she finally turned to look at him again, her eyes were sparkling and she seemed excited: the wood elf merely blinked and watched as she faced the water, lifted her hands, took a deep breath... and then thrust her palms out with an unexpected jolt. The elf jumped and leaped away from her with a horrid start when two lightning bolts exploded out of her palms with a deafening thunderclap.

He blinked, breathing quickly and heavily from the fright that had just assaulted him.

When the girl turned back around with a grin and waved him closer, he didn't want to move forward... but his curiosity was piqued when she squatted down in the dirt and started moving her pointer finger around in a precise manner. When he came closer, he blinked in surprise and knelt down as well, taking in everything she'd drawn: from what the elf could tell, he was looking at a drawing of a woman with long hair and stick arms covering her face as tears rained out to the sides.

In front of the stick-woman was a stick-man with a big mask holding a supposedly sparkling blob... the heirloom?

The girl then drew a big, curvacious line in front of the masked stick-man, a line that started out thick before growing thinner.

The wood-elf frowned when she made a questioning symbol at the very end of it.

"So... may I attempt to voice what this is supposed to mean?" Faendal asked, trying to hide a smirk when the girl happily nodded; giving her a sigh, he pointed at the crying stick woman with perplexed eyes. "From what I can gather... that is Camilla Valerius crying over the stolen heirloom... and that is the thief carrying it away from the Riverwood Trading shop... so, does that mean the curving line is the path he took? Is this correct?"

Ula nodded and beamed so winningly that he frowned in confusion.

"Well, what does that all mean?" he asked, sounding confused. "Why show me something like this?"

Ula held up a finger and continued drawing.

Faendal leaned forward and watched with undeniable curiosity as the girl drew a stick figure with a triangular dress and really long ears before making a tall stick man with similar ears shaking hands. Then she drew the two stick people standing in front of Camilla, who's frown had become a smile and had thrown her stick-arms in the air. Then she drew the two stick-elves following the path that the criminal took and marking the question symbol with an 'X'.

After that, she grinned at him with hopeful eyes: his jaw was soon hanging open.

"Wait... are you proposing," he hesitantly began, staring at her with a somewhat nervous expression, "that we should go after those bandits to retrieve the heirloom?"

Ula nodded so frantically that she almost lost her balance: the elf merely stared at her in disbelief.

"You definitely have a shot at getting whatever you're looking for if that girl goes with you," a familiar Nordic voice commented, making both of them jump and whirl to the side; Ula and Faendal started blinking rapidly when they spotted Ralof lounging against a nearby tree with a hollow expression. "Like every rational person, I originally had a deep hatred for elves, you know... but then I met her and my views were shaken because she alone helped me escape from a dragon attack."

"W-what?!" Faendal squeaked, standing straight up with enormous eyes; he instantly glanced down at Ula, who's eyes had become somber. "D-d-dragon?! What do you mean by that?! I was always told that dragons were nothing more than myths! A child's story!"

"I thought the same thing until one of those very myths burned Helgen right off the map," Ralof grimly explained, glancing at Ula with fierce eyes. "That girl and myself are the only ones who made it out of there alive as far as I know... if there were any other survivors, they most likely had other destinations in mind aside from Riverwood. The girl you're talking to is a mage, friend... she's not a very powerful one, but she's quick enough on her feet to hold her own if you work together. If she thinks you should apprehend some bandits in order to retrieve something important to you, I think you should listen."

"A-are you certain?" Faendal asked, looking a little less dismayed; he honestly seemed to be considering Ula's offer now. "She looks like nothing more than a child."

"From what I gathered, she's by no means a grown woman yet," Ralof snorted, making the Elf frown at him, "but she's as tough as any Nord I've ever met: on our way out of Helgen, she took out several armed men using nothing but quick thinking and sheer willpower. She's a strong girl, mark my words."

Faendal frowned before glancing down at Ula, who was smiling at him with hopeful eyes: she genuinely wanted to help the poor guy win Camilla's heart.

After a moment, the male elf took his hat off and sighed: Ula twitched when his hair came tumbling down around his sharp ears.

It was extremely long on top of being an unusual ash-grey color: the hue was fairly similar to her own, but... somehow, not even close for some reason.

"All right," Faendal finally sighed, shaking his head in total dismay. "Let's go talk to Lucan... I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have someone willing to offer help."

"Hey, Elf Girl," Ralof called, making Ula glance at him questioningly. "I'm planning to rest here for a few more days before I return to Windhelm. Remember what I said, okay?"

Ula immediately recalled his statement about joining the Stormcloaks and sighed, giving him a solemn nod.

With that, Faendal hesitantly led the way towards the Riverwood Trading Shop with Ula close behind: she was nervous, that much was true, but she didn't think it would be too hard for them to retrieve some stolen goods. After all, she could use magic if self-defense became necessary... and if she wwas going to be honest, she really did want to help Faendal get the heirloom back. She didn't know how they would do it yet, but she knew deep down in her heart that everything would turn out okay.

When Faendal opened the door, however, the two of them were shocked by the sound of an argument taking place.

"Well, one of us has to do something!" a woman with a pixie-like face and glossy dark hair stated in a sour tone; Ula immediately noticed that she had dreamy hazel eyes and pale skin that was dotted with adorable freckles. "We know where it is, Lucan! If we wait any longer, they could take it somewhere else!"

"I said no!" the man standing behind the wooden counter rapped out, gravelly voice coming out extremely sharp. "No adventures, no theatrics, no thief chasing!"

"Well, what are you going to do, then?!" the woman demanded, folding her arms over her chest. "Let's hear it!"

"We are done talking about this, Camilla!" the man roared, slamming his hands down on the shop counter; Ula and Faendal flinched when the woman let out a huff and lowered her arms with a hostile glare. Then the man noticed them standing there with open mouths and coughed, looking a bit embarrassed. "Oh... er, customers. Sorry you had to hear that... my sister and I were discussing something that happened a few days ago."

The woman turned around and made to head across the room, but then she happened to notice who was standing in the front entrance.

"Faendal?" Camilla asked, blinking at him when he blushed scarlet and looked away with a nervous expression. "Well, this is unusual... who's your pretty friend?"

"I honestly don't know her name," the wood-elf admitted, glancing down at Ula; the girl looked up at him and shrugged. "From what I've gathered, she can't speak."

"Well, if that's the case, hello," Camilla greeted in a sweet, whispery tone of voice; when the woman stepped forward and held out a hand to Ula, who shook it tentatively, the girl immediately noticed that her entire face lit up when she smiled. "Any friend of Faendal's is a friend of mine! I'm Camilla, but if you don't feel comfortable with that, you can just think of me as 'Auntie' if you'd like: every town child does, so I've kind of gotten used to it. I'm sorry you had to hear that... but we've had a bit of trouble with a thief who stole a valuable heirloom from us."

Ula instantly nudged the wood-elf standing beside her: he ran a hand through his silvery hair before moving over to the counter and looking at Lucan.

"Actually, that's why we're here," Faendal murmured, looking the man in the eyes with a solemn expression. "We wanted to know—"

"I don't know what you overheard, but the Riverwood Trader is still open," Lucan interrupted, giving him a wary expression. "Feel free to shop."

"That's not why we're here," Faendal chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck when Ula came to stand beside him; Camilla sat down and watched the two pointy-eared folk with curious eyes, setting her hands in her lap and looking for all the world like a proper noblewoman. "Actually, we wanted to know what happened... so... do you think you could tell me what went on the other day?"

"Uh... eeyuugh..." Lucan reluctantly groaned, wincing a bit before shaking his head in dismay. "Yes, well... uh... we did have a bit of a break-in, but we still have plenty to sell, you know! Robbers were only after one thing, it seems: an ornament... solid gold, in the shape of a dragon's claw."

"Okay," Faendal sighed, then took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut. "Y-you see, the reason we're here... is because we want to help you get it back. I used to be a woodsman and an archer, and I also know a bit about swordplay... so... this girl and I want to go get the claw for you. We could do it if you'll have us..."

"You could?!" Lucan asked, eyes widening with a hopeful gleam; Camilla instantly squeezed the hem of her dress with large eyes. "I've got some gold coming in from my next shipment... if you bring the claw back, it's yours. If you're going to get those thieves, you should head to Bleak Falls Barrow, Northeast of town! That's where they are!"

"Are you serious?" Camilla demanded, instantly getting to her feet with a red face. "This is your brilliant plan?! You're going to let Faendal, of all the people living in Riverwood, go get your treasured claw?!"

"Yes," Lucan sneered, giving her a firm glare that made her narrow her eyes. "Now you don't have to go, do you? Stop complaining: he's only an elf."

"Oh, really?" Camilla asked in a low voice, narrowing her hazel eyes in anger. "Well, I think your new helpers here need a guide: elf or not, Faendal is my friend."

For a moment, Lucan looked taken aback by her statement.

"Wh... no, I..." the man stammered, face turning red. "Oh, by the Eight, fine! But only to the edge of town!"

"As you wish," Camilla stated, then turned and headed for the entrance. "This way, you two..."

"Yes'm," Faendal practically squeaked; Ula watched the woman head outside before following Faendal. "So, how are we supposed to get to Bleak Falls Barrow?"

"We'll have to go through town and across the bridge," Camilla explained, nervously dusting off the front of her rough-spun dress before lifting her eyes and pointing at the closest jagged mountain that loomed above Riverwood. "You can see it from here, though... it's on the mountain just over the buildings."

"I... I've heard tell of odd rumors near those parts," the wood elf muttered, heading off in the direction of his home. "I'll be back... wait right here while I go arm myself."

"As you wish," Camilla murmured, clasping her hands before glancing at Ula, who was staring up at the jagged mountain with somewhat nervous eyes. She hadn't really considered what she was actually getting herself into, and she knew she couldn't tell Kai or Svena what she was planning or they'd try to stop her. With good reason, too, since the girl literally had no fighting experience whatsoever: all she had was a bit of lightning Magicka on her side. "So... are you going with him?"

Ula blinked and glanced up at the woman to see that she looked extremely nervous: after a moment, the albino nodded and hooked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Well, please... keep him safe, and be very careful," the woman muttered, glancing up when the male came running back down the street wearing a heavy fur jacket with a bow and quiver slung across his back; he also had a steel sword buckled at his waist, and was holding another jacket in his hands. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I should think so," Faendal confirmed, handing the spare jacket to Ula; when she blinked at it in confusion, he sighed and gently slid it over her shoulders. "Put that on so you don't freeze to death, child... Bleak Falls Barrow is high up in the mountains, so it's bound to be extremely cold. We should be there within an hour's time."

With that, they started walking.

"Those thieves must be mad, hiding out there," Camilla nervously muttered, walking down the cobblestone road with a sigh. "Those old crypts are filled with nothing but traps, trolls, and who knows what else."

"I've ventured into a few ancient ruins before," Faendal admitted, shivering a little in dismay. "It was when I was a tad younger... long before I settled down in Riverwood. There are countless dangers, as well as unexplainable mysteries. It's said that some ruins hold powerful treasures, too."

"Really?" Camilla asked, glancing at him in genuine surprise. "Wow... I never would have figured you were an explorer before you settled down. That's actually kind of amazing, Faendal! Still... I wonder why they only stole Lucan's golden claw? I mean, we have plenty of other things in the shop that are worth just as much coin."

"Where did he get it, if I may ask?" the wood-elf inquired, sounding a bit curious. "Does he know who fashioned it? Depending on the sculptor, it could be very valuable."

For a moment, the woman's brisk pace faltered and she seemed to think about it: Ula cocked her head and watched as she tapped her jaw.

"Actually, now that I think about it, I have no idea where it came from," Camilla suddenly scoffed, glancing at them in surprise. "Lucan found the claw after he opened the store, and he never quite explained where he got it... he's a tricky one."

"Curious," Faendal murmured, furrowing his brows before he glanced at Ula and nodded to her. "So, are you ready for what may come of this?"

The albino instantly smiled and nodded, swallowing her hesitance and steeling herself: she didn't know what she'd just gotten herself into, but it couldn't be that bad.

After that, none of them said anything for several minutes... but then they made it to the cobblestone bridge and Camilla stopped walking.

"This is the bridge out of town," Camilla explained, turning and pointing to the road ahead of them. "The path up the mountain to the Northwest leads straight up to Bleak Falls Barrow. I guess I should get back to my brother... he'll throw a fit if I take too long. Such a child... but Mara bless you for agreeing to help us, Faendal."

"I have only one question," the wood elf inquired, hefting his quiver of arrows before adjusting his clothes. "How will we know when we're there?"

"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 watch tower," Camilla explained, thinking about it as she eyed the road with furrowed brows. "Once you get to the tower, head north... bleak falls barrow should be just around the corner further up."

"Thank you," Fanedal sighed, gently stepping forward and pulling the woman into an embrace; Ula's cheeks turned pink and she clapped her hands against her mouth in girlish delight when Camilla gasped and blinked like an owl at everything over his shoulder. "I promise I'll bring the claw back, safe and sound... if it's important to you, it's important to me... so, just wait here and don't worry about a thing: we'll be back before tomorrow morning, I guarantee it."

"F-Faendal..." Camilla whispered, hazel eyes enormously large; then her stunned expression softened and she returned the hug tightly. "Be careful, okay? Good luck... Lucan and I will be waiting for you and your friend back in the shop. Don't let anything bad happen. May the Divines guard your path."

And with that, she tore free of him and ran down the road, rubbing her eyes with one sleeve.

Strands of Ula's long hair drifted in the wind as she stared at the wood-elf's back: he watched the woman go, muscles trembling a bit... but then he squared his shoulders and turned to look at her with a calm expression. His face was aglow with desire... and Ula immediately sighed, giving him a small smile of relief. He looked like a man who had set his resolve in stone, and that made her feel comfortable: both of them were scared, and they both knew as much... but if they worked together, they could get the claw back and return to Camilla unharmed.

Of that much... Ula was certain.

"So," Faendal murmured, smirking at her for the first time that she'd seen. "Are we ready to do this?"

By way of answer, Ula thrust her arm into the air and started marching down the street like something from a comedy stunt.

The wood elf chuckled before following her, not even realizing it when the shadow looming from the mountain seemed to grow colder and darker.

They had no idea what manner of horrors had been awakened inside all of the barrows across Skyrim as a result of the Dragons' coming.

But soon... they most certainly would.