Day Seven

The next morning after a hearty breakfast of salted horker loaf and apple pie, we checked over my map to figure out the best route. My back was sore from some uneven floorboards but my mind kept returning to helping Lydia with her armor. Her steel armor kept her skin surprisingly supple, though not completely scar free. I traced the more interesting scars with my fingers as she told me of their origins. That was as far as I got, however, before she extinguished the candle and called it a night. I fully expected to be called into the bed but if she did, it was after I fell asleep.

Apparently the quickest route was back the way we had come but I was in no mood to go hiking through the mountains again. There was another route that would take us down and around the mountain then eventually back towards Whiterun which was on the way. I decided we would take that one since downhill sounded much easier and the longer route may give me more opportunities to try out my new knowledge of Shouts. Of course, one of those wagons like I saw outside of Whiterun at the stables would have been nice too. I could have slept all the way. Ah, well.

As was my luck, we encountered not a single hostile thing. The calm feeling I had yesterday was still within me. I wondered if everything else was feeling it too. I was able to walk right up to a fox and it did not even try to escape. At the end of the road, we came to an expanse of the river that was only passable by crossing a fallen tree over a gorge. It looked easy enough, until I saw a bandit already standing halfway across it. We approached and he obviously was intent on not letting us cross. Finally, a challenge!

Lydia stayed on the solid ground and strung her hunting bow. The bandit had a shield but Lydia was uncontested and can take her time aiming. I, on the other hand, did not feel like waiting so I stepped onto the tree and advanced on him. The small branches of the tree proved the real test because they were easy to overlook and quick to turn your ankle. The bandit saw my difficulty and laughed then started banging his sword against his shied which already had two arrows stuck in it.

Once I was close enough, he expected me to chop down on him with all my strength so he raised his shield and kept his sword ready for a low jab. Instead I inhaled deeply and unleashed by newly powered Shout at him. He was rocked backwards in a cloud of leaves and sticks. He fell on one arm and started coughing from the dust. I would have sworn the force would have blown him clear of the bridge. Lydia stuck an arrow into his thigh. I rushed forward and brought my ancient sword down on him. He raised his shield which absorbed most of it. He scrambled to stand and managed a swipe at me with his sword. It took a bite out of my armor and and opened a small cut on my arm. It was not enough to slow me and I responded with another powerful cut. He staggered again but he did not fall, that is not until Lydia punched an arrow clean through his throat. He dropped his sword and shield before pitching head first into the gorge. I lost sight of his body in the rising mist. I cleaned my sword on some moss and waited on the other side for Lydia.

We stopped outside of a tomb to rest on the bench and I cleaned out the cut on my arm. It was worse than I had thought but Lydia sewed it up to conserve the healing potions. We ate some apples and continued on down the trail. Near the base of the mountain we turned to follow the river towards Whiterun and suddenly my stomach began to cramp and my legs threatened to give out on me. At first I thought it is the apples we ate but Lydia was fine. Then I got the craving, more in my mind than my body, but no less demanding.

And I was out of skooma.

Lydia looked at me strangely but I sat down on the ground and told her I had a rock in my boot. I pretended there was a knot in the laces as I waited for the worst of the pangs to pass. After they did, I rolled up unto my knees then stood up, stretching the cramps out of my abdomen. I reached into my pack and pulled out a bottle of mead. I drank it all right there and it seemed to help.
"Ready, Princess Thane?" Lydia asked.

I belched loud enough to send a nearby hawk racing from its roast. "Now I am."

"Such a pig."

The road stayed level for only a short time then began heading uphill again. Around a bend I saw a tower then a minute later realized it was two towers spanning the river on high. I did not see anyone manning them until I got to the nearest tower's base. An elven woman in fur armor was stirring something in a pot. She stopped as soon as she saw us coming and blocked the road.

"This is a toll road," she said, "Pay me two hundred septims and you may pass."

I was about to answer her but the mead must have been slowing my reflexes because Lydia spoke first.

"Step aside, Elf. Make way for the Thane of Whiterun."

"The Thane? Why didn't you say he was such an important man? In that case, give me four hundred."

"Listen, thief," I said, "the only thing you'll get from me is a swift death, unless you let us pass. Now back off."

"If that is what you wish, then you will die!"

The elf rushed at me with a steel axe. I fumbled for my sword but Lydia was quicker and engaged her first with her own axe. They exchanged blows, each blocking the others'. Lydia countered with a back swing which caught the elf on the shoulder. I could see the chilling effects of the Axe of Whiterun across the surface of the elf's skin. By then I had unsheathed my sword and I plunged the weapon through the bandit's chest as she turned to face me. The point tented the back of her armor.

The battle over, Lydia turned to me. "Are you sure you're all right? I was being facetious before but you are sweating like a pig."

I dragged my sword across the bandit's fur armor to clean it. "Just living up to my reputation."

A voice suddenly called down from the tower. "You'll die for that!"

I looked up and saw an archer aiming at us from the top of the tower. A moment later an arrow hissed past my head and bounced off the rocks behind me. I picked it up for myself and switched from my sword to my bow. Lydia started to get her bow out then yelled at me. "There are more coming across the bridge. Let us take the fight to them."

The Housecarl switched to her warhammer and ran into the tower. I followed her in, wiping sweat from my hands as I switched back to my sword.

Inside the door of the tower I spotted two red bottles of healing potion on a small bookshelf. I snatched them up and raced to the stairs to catch up with Lydia. The tower opened to a narrow walkway leading up to another part of the tower and the bridge itself. I found Lydia already on the bridge and three bandits crowding near the middle trying to get at her. I unslung my bow and started driving steel arrows into their midst, not caring which bandit I hit.

Suddenly an arrow clinked against the tower wall beside me. I knew none of the bandits on the bridge shot it so I quickly looked around. Another arrow hit me in the foot and I saw a figure moving on the other side of the river. I pulled out the arrow from my foot which had barely pierced my iron boot and tossed the cracked shaft away. Lydia had the bandits bottled up for the moment so I focused my aim on the archer. Aiming just above his head, I tested my range and hoped I did not start shaking again. My first shot slipped from my fingers before I wanted and plopped into the river. My next three shots, however, hit home and he fell to his knee. One more arrow finished him.

I looked up for Lydia and found them still battling on the bridge, but closer now. I launched an arrow into the crowd of bandits again and this time one fell over the side, screaming. The final two managed to push Lydia back into the tower so I switched to my sword and ran up the ramp to help. She was holding them off with wide sweeps of her hammer but I could tell she was tiring. One bandit was a redguard with a rusty sword and dirty fur armor but the other was decked out in shiny steel armor including a matching helmet. It was not until I heard her barking orders that I realized it was a woman. They did not see me approach so I took out the redguard with a stab through his back. He fell to his knees and I kicked him off my sword, nearly stumbling as my balance failed me for a second. The brief delay, however, allowed the last bandit a window of opportunity which she took. She charged in screaming and I twisted out of the way. Her sword gashed my thigh open. I regained my balance enough to get my guard up to block her next swing which was aimed for my neck. Still guarding, I bashed my iron gauntlets into the open space of her helmet. She stumbled and I returned her damage to her with a powerful slash to her leg. Before she could recover, Lydia ended her life by turning the bandit's helmet from an outie to an innie with her warhammer.

We spent the next few minutes sitting at a table to catch our breath. I handed one of the healing potions I found to Lydia. She refused at first but I pointed out all the bruises on her and shoved it back in her hand. I drank the other one and watched as the jagged cut on my leg started to mend. It stopped just short of sealing completely so I merely bandaged it with strips of clothes I made from a cowl I found in a nearby wardrobe.

"Let's go see if these bandits had anything valuable on them," I suggested, "I think I've almost got enough to buy that house in Whiterun the jarl mentioned. I need someplace to store my money and weapons while I build my new following."

What I did not tell her was that the only thing I hoped to find there was a bottle of skooma.

Lydia agreed and we left the tower to check the bandit I shot on the other side first and to see if they had anything in the other tower. Just as we stepped out of the tower, Lydia was struck in the back by an arrow. She grunted from the force of the shot but did not fall down. Good thing she drank that potion to heal a bit. We looked up to see another bandit taking aim at us from on top of this tower. We headed back inside and I managed to pull the arrow from her armor. It had not gone far, but the point nicked the bone at the base of her neck. I gave her another strip of cloth to hold against it while I took care of this last one.

I followed the stairs up through the dilapidated tower. He was waiting for me but his shot missed as I dodged to the side, anticipating his aim. He did not get another chance. From the stairs, my sword swept his feet out from under him and my follow up nearly cut him in half, the blade getting caught in the bones of his spine. I wrenched it loose then my head became light and the tower spun beneath me. I lost my grip on my sword and it clattered back down the stairs. I doubled over in pain as my stomach seized into a tight, excruciating ball of fire. A moment later, Lydia yelled from below.

"Are you all right, Thane?"

"I'm fine," I managed to call back, then fought for breath.

"You dropped your sword."

"I'll be right down...just checking his pockets...for coin."

I struggled to control my breathing and waited for my vision to clear. The worst of the pain subsided but I was still sore and it hurt to straighten completely. I took my time going back down.

At the bottom, Lydia handed me my sword and I sheathed it to my back.

"What happened?" she asked, "You look ill. Have you been poisoned?"

"No, he got in a lucky kick. Landed right in my stomach. He died in a pool of my own vomit. Now let's clear these towers of anything worth taking and get to Whiterun. I could use a decent lunch and perhaps a nap."

It had never bothered me before, but I did not care for lying, not to Lydia. Perhaps because we had come to trust each other with our lives. I could not speak for her, but that was something new to me. I will admit, there was more to this Housecarl than being a mere servant and follower. I would need someone to rely on when I come to power and my back was exposed to more knives than I had eyes. I found the thought of Lydia and danger together made my stomach hurt all over again.

The towers contained mostly foodstuffs but they also yielded some coin, two unique bows, and a book titled, The Black Arrow, Part Two. Reading the book gave me an idea of how better to aim my bow, and I was eager to try it with the first bow I found on the top perch of the further tower. The bow was green but with a fiery glow to it. Lydia said it looked orcish in design and material. I nocked an arrow to it and it seemed to charge the arrow with a burning hot energy. I sent the arrow into a tree and the tree caught fire, burning for quite a while. I decided to swap it for my hunting bow. Together with my sword of frost I had a fire and ice attack to kill these bandits with. Lydia also found an odd bow inside of a locked chest. It was a well lacquered Imperial bow that has a greenish aura to it. When she fired an arrow into the wall, nothing special happens. Perhaps it had a special property that only worked on the living. We would have to wait and see. I doubted by the way things had been going that the wait would be long.

We loaded up as much as we could comfortably carry, though mine was considerably less than usual. I blamed the kick to my stomach and Lydia believed it. We arrived in Whiterun and I was seriously disappointed that the Khajiit caravan had not returned. That would have been perfect.

I stopped at Adrienne's and Belathor's and managed to sell most of what we had. I noticed Lydia's gaze linger on one thing in particular, a silver ring with a green gem. I gave it to her, saying we should always have extra loot on us just in case. Whether she saw though my ploy or not she did not let on. She smiled and put it on.

I stopped in at Arcadia's and bought some healing potions. She had no skooma. In fact, I tried every vendor out in the market area and no one had any. I did not want to come right out and ask if they knew where I can get some, since everyone seemed taken aback that I even mentioned the stuff. My sense of panic was rising so it was at least worth a try.

I was too restless to sleep yet so I talked Lydia into going to Riverwood to sell the rest of our goods. I also suspected that Lucan might have some skooma somewhere, since he was the target of thieves, or maybe he would know where I could get some if I could get him alone. It turned out to be a fruitless trip except for a few more coins, though it did put me over the amount needed to buy Breezehome in Whiterun. My exhaustion got the better of me so we stopped at the inn for dinner. I managed to eat some sort of meat stew before passing out.