Chapter 8: Leaving the Vale

Gelebor...

It had been a long time since I had visited the Forgotten Vale. For the past few decades I had stayed close to the Chantry and only ventured out for hunting. I never got as far as the river. I had to admit, little had changed.

As we neared what remained of the once great portal, a sense of abandonment fell upon me. I was about to leave my home, the place I had pledged my life to protect, all over the possibility that some of my kin were still alive and were unlike our twisted brethren. Though it would fill me with joy to know that I was not the last Snow Elf on Nirn, I felt that it would not make a difference either way. I would inevitably return to the Chantry, and once again live there for the remainder of my life. Of course, knowing that others of my kind still remained would give me some small comfort.

Emelin had arrived a few days after our discovery and had brought quite a few supplies with her for the journey. She had also brought her dog, Sceolang and the vampire that brought her to the Vale in the first place, Serana. I was a little surprised to find Serana with her, as I thought that it would be just the two of us, and the dog of course. Still, the journey would most likely prove perilous, and the more people we had, the better. I at least could somewhat trust her.

"Hmm." Emelin muttered, looking at the garnet paragon with some interest. "Here goes."

In a flash of white light the portal opened.

I took one more look at the Vale before entering the portal, unaware of where we would end up.

I hadn't expected to be faced with a place outside of the Vale. Fog rested between and below shadowed alpine mountains in the distance. Gusts of wind drew us back and directed the snowfall to us. The place we had arrived at lay at the base of a steep mountain and I could barely see any of the surrounding cliff face or the mountain's rocky walls due to the snowfall. The portal's archway seemed partly intact but I was a little surprised to find that there were no structures that belonged to my race. Perhaps they were buried beneath the snow?

"So, where do we go from here?" Serana asked, looking at our surroundings.

I took the journal we had found from my satchel and opened it. There was a map on one of the last pages. "It seems that there is a cave entrance not far from here. From there, it should lead us through the mountainside."

"Off we go then." Emelin smiled, leading down the mountain.

"Err Emelin?" I shouted, getting her to look back, confused.

"Is something wrong?"

I pointed in the opposite direction. "I'm afraid you are going the wrong way."

Her eyes widened slightly and she shook her head. "Right, that way."

I smiled and nodded.

I should have known that the weather would get worse. Irritatingly, I had been too preoccupied with my thoughts to notice the weather changing or the ever-growing snow beneath our feet. Little talk had past between the three of us as we were too busy trying to stay away from danger. Thankfully, we didn't run into much resistance in our travels, but that didn't mean that trouble wasn't expected. I was used to the harsh weather of the Vale, so I barely noticed the temperature drop. However, after some time the wind had become more forceful, dragging us further and further down the mountain path until we were unable to go any higher. The map clearly stated that the cave entrance was further up, but there was simply no way we could carry on in such harsh conditions, and I knew it would only get worse.

I had noticed fairly quickly at how the conditions had affected Emelin. She may have been in Skyrim for almost a year and a half, but it was obvious that she wasn't used to the cold. She clung to her robes as if it was a life line and hid her face beneath her hood. She shivered uncontrollably and failed in trying to hide it. After some time I decided that enough was enough. There was no way she could carry on.

We set up camp in a small clearing close to the mountain wall which thankfully kept most of the weather at bay. Quite a few evergreens the height of the mountain itself scattered some of the area; some were buried within the snow. I glanced over at Emelin from time to time, noticing how she shivered even being in close proximity to the fire. She no longer wore her hood, allowing her raven hair to drape over her shoulders. She curled up in the furs we had brought and lit her hands aflame in order to keep warm. Sceolang lay beside her and Serana had somehow managed to fall asleep during our time here.

"The weather should only last a matter of hours. From there we can travel back up the mountainside until we reach the cave entrance." I said, running my hand along the journal's pages and skimming through the text.

She let out a sigh and rubbed her hands together. "Have you ever been here before?"

"No." I met her gaze. "I was unaware that this mountain path existed or that the paragon you had found would lead us here." Her eyebrows rose slightly and I continued. "In my youth I travelled a portion of Skyrim as well as the outer regions, but not all. There are quite a few mysteries I have yet to uncover. I imagine that my kind had found refuge somewhere after the war with the Nords and the betrayal of the Dwemer and had started anew. Obviously, something had happened for this snow elf to leave his colony and seek refuge at the Chantry. The question is, why?"

She lowered her gaze, but surprisingly a small smile graced her lips. "I'm sure your people would have survived Gelebor. Perhaps the danger wasn't as bad as the man thought? Maybe your people defended themselves and lived?"

Even after our first meeting, I never did quite understand her. She always seemed to see the bright side of every situation, always carrying the hope that was rare in both men and mer. I couldn't help but wonder what it was that gave her this, but at that moment I decided that maybe having such faith in something was worth it. After all, a few months ago I thought I was the last of my kind, and now I was on a quest to find my kin. It seemed that wonders never ceased with her.

"I... must thank you Emelin. If it wasn't for you I fear I wouldn't have come on this journey."

"You don't need to thank me. I'm glad I could do this and that you came. Just imagine where I'd be without you. I'd probably end up halfway down the mountain going the wrong way. "

I chuckled lightly. "I can imagine." I paused for a moment in thought. "May I ask you a personal question?"

She nodded. "Anything."

"What do you think you will gain in searching for my kind?"

I immediately regretted asking. She seemed caught off guard as well as hurt. Still, it was a question that bothered me, and needed to be spoken.

Her eyes wandered to the ground and she began fiddling with one of the furs. I had known her well enough to know that was a nervous habit. "To be honest, I don't know. I don't want anything from it if that's what you're asking. When I found that journal and found out what was in it, something seemed to motivate me, make me want to go on this quest. I can't really explain it, perhaps that's the thing that always gets me into trouble. It might be because it's an adventure, but I'm not really sure."

I nodded in understanding. I was unsure if there was a hidden purpose, but I was glad that I had her company.

"Hopefully come dawn, the weather will have calmed and we can make it to the cave in time."

I went back to reading the journal, but couldn't help but catch Emelin whisper 'hopefully' before lying down and allowing sleep to take her.