Elae

Chapter Three

The trip to Windhelm was interrupted by a very big, very angry frost troll. It came bursting out of the woods, and the two were only alerted by the wolf's growls. With a massive swing, it knocked Elae in the stomach, sending her flying back about twenty feet.

Wheezing in pain, with blurry vision, she laid there in the snow. She heard Riefi cry out in pain and anger, but couldn't stop her head from swimming enough to look up.

"Oi!" she heard the elf call, before grunting. "Are you okay?!"

She was most certainly not okay, but when she opened her mouth to reply, her guts twisted and she puked on the path beside her. Ugh, that punch had done a number.

Her vision did clear up after she got sick, though, and she slowly looked up, wiping the spit from her mouth.

Riefi was having trouble with the troll, whose wounds healed up by themselves. Her own silvery strands were stained with blood, and bruises peppered her arms. Elae swore and got her bow, which was laying a few feet away.

"Gods damn," she choked, tightening her shaking grip on the weapon. reaching into her quiver, she got an iron arrow out, nocking it.

When she finally got it secure, she drew her arm back, freezing when she saw the scene before her.

The troll not had Riefi by the throat, snapping its jaws inches from her nose. The bosmer had a hand on his throat, pushing him back desperately, while the troll's massive digits dug ever further into her neck.

Elae crouched down, praying over and over that she made this shot. It would have to be accurate if Riefi lived.

She pulled the arrow back more until the string was tight, then released the arrow with a satisfying pluck.

The troll froze, releasing the woodelf from its grip. Elae was almost afraid she'd missed, but it fell over with the arrow sticking out of its left eye. The pup reappeared, zooming to Riefi's side as she coughed heartily.

"By the Gods," Elae said, resting a hand on her side. "Why?"

Riefi put her forehead on the snow, breathing heavily. When she was done, she glanced at the Breton.

"Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

"My Da, um, used to be pretty good with a bow," Elae explained, rubbing the injured area. "He thought it would be beneficial to me..."

"You're a better shot than I am," stated the Bosmer matter-of-factly, making it clear Elae shouldn't expect to hear that again.

"Oh." She wasn't sure how to respond.

The elf stood, brushing her tousled hair back and making sure her weapons were secure. Elae flinched when she saw the bruises around her neck.

"We should head to Windhelm now. You're probably got a bruised rib, and I need to check and make sure this isn't worse than I think it is." After stating this sentence, she turned around and began walking.

Elae jogged through the snow, feeling her heart speed up.

"We? Are you sure? Are we... a team? Partners?"

The Bosmer stopped, and so did Elae.

"I get it. follow more, ask less."

After a week in Windhelm, Elae started to hate it. A week and a day, and she thoroughly despised the place. It was beautiful, of course, but she'd always hated bigoted people. She knew a fair share from her home in Solstheim, and they never ceased to drive her insane.

Riefi had it worse. Several man in the district spat at her, called her disgusting names under their breath, or threw things at her. Even the lady at the inn wouldn't rent her a room without a long debate.

It wasn't all bad, though. Riefi invited her to the New Gnisis Cornerclub, where she had her first drink in a long time. The bartender seemed pleasantly surprised to see the Bosmer, so Elae knew she'd been here before.

The drink she had was called "Honningbrew", and it was quite possible the best drink she'd ever had. The stuff was strong, though, and she finished her bottle with blurry vision.

The next morning, she asked Riefi if she wanted to leave, and got a nod of the head in return. They'd gone on frequent trips to The White Phial, requesting healing and pain-numbing potions. With plenty at their disposal, food wrapped up, and the pup trotting at Riefi's heels, they left.

They traveled in a comfortable silence all day, occasionally running into a wolf, which Riefi took down with a sing of her ax. The last week in Windhelm had left them the chance to bond, and they found things out about each other.

Riefi had been on her own, traveling, since she was little. Her parent's cart had been ambushed by a giant when they'd moved to Skyrim, and she'd been the only survivor. She'd discovered a love for two-handed weapons by using big sticks to fight wen she was young. To keep herself hidden, she also practiced illusion magic. The pup had been discovered recently, near Riverwood.

Elae basically poured her heart out. Riefi was easy to talk to, very quiet. She always had a blank expression, so one wouldn't know if they were being judged or not. Besides, the Breton had never had an actual, solid friend outside of her family. It was probably a bad idea, but she told the elf everything that had transpired in the last few months, ending with her being saved from the slaughterfish.

It was an all around comfortable relationship, so Elae didn't mind following Riefi through the ever cold land, stepping in the footprints in the snow and doing her best to keep up.

Yo. Not much to say, other than I have gained one follower! Welcome! Anyway, hope you enjoyed and have a great day