Chapter Six:

The City of Whiterun

We emerged into the sunlight of a new day. We'd been in the barrow for a full night, it seemed. Both of us were tired an weary, but we had to turn back to Riverwood and return Lucan's golden claw. We stopped for only a few minutes before we made our way back to riverwood, taking the easier, longer path, rather than the shorter, mountain-climbing way. By noon, we had returned to the small village, both of us about ready to fall asleep standing.

But still, because we were such nice people, we ignored the urge to get a bed at the inn and sleep. We walked straight into Lucan's shop, mostly dragging our feet.

"We have the golden claw," I grumbled as I thrust it into Lucan's hands.

He didn't seem worried about the gesture though. He could probably see how tired we were. "You found it? Haha! There it is! Strange... it seems smaller than I remember. Funny thing, huh? I'm going to put this back where it belongs. I'll never forget this. You've done a great thing for me and my sister."

Lucan put the claw on his counter with as much care as he would his own child. Or, at least, I hoped he would. We traded for a few things afterward, and Lucan gave us a nice discount on his wares. I had a nice new longsword now, and a bow, while Milos apted for the greatswords again. With new steel, and a bit of new armour for Milos, we headed to the inn for a room, and some food and drink.

Actually, once we'd gotten the room, we skipped the food and drink and went straight to our beds. I slept like a rock for hours and awoke the next morning. Milos, however, was still sleeping. I stretched, quickly changed into the novice robes I'd found when we were in Helgen, and then went outside our room for some food aroun the fireplace.

A woman approached me. She was definitely Imperial and had blonde hair, and she was considerably older than I was, but not old enough to have any grey in her hair.

"What would you like?" she asked, though it seemed a bit forced, like she wasn't used to taking people's orders. "I'm Delphine, so tell me what it'll be."

"Cooked venison and Honningbrew Mead, please."

She eyed me for a moment before she left to get what I'd ordered. I'd pocketed the words from the wall in the barrow and brought them out now, in order to study them. Arvel's journal didn't mention anything about this strange language, and it must have been a rare sight to see.

It almost looks like these so-called "words" weren't chisseled into the rock, I thought as I studied the bumps and the uneven curves. It looks more like it was scratched into this rock forcefully...

When I heard Delphine returning, I pocketed the words again, suddenly wary of what Milos and I had found. She'd given me a smaller glass of Honningbrew Mead, probably because Alvor had been in the inn while Milos and I were after the claw, and told Delphine that I'd never tried the mead before. I thanked her gratefully and tried my first sip. It was an odd taste, cold as it went in my mouth but hot as it slid down my throat, and it tasted strangely like honey. The venison was a great mix with it, and I found that I enjoyed the mead a lot.

"You're up?" Milos, if he'd had hair, would probably have a bed-head. He was just one of those people. "Hey, can I get some of that?"

I called to Delphine and asked for another order of venison and mead as Milos sat down beside me, opening his great maw to yawn.

"Man, your mouth got big," I remarked jokingly.

He rubbed his eyes. "And yours has gotten excersize."

I was laughing when Delphine returned with the second order, and I paid her there for the food and drinks. She was nice enough.

Milos had finished his breakfast in a matter of moments. "You've changed clothes," he observed.

I nodded. "I couldn't stand that Imperial armour any more. I mean, you've got new armour, so why shouldn't I?"

"Well, it definitely feels more comforable on me. It's nice to have some banded iron armour. More defence, and I'm not running around in a skirt."

"Here, here," I agreed, holding my mead up. "Plus, this is tons more flexible. I can start killing draugrs efficently now. And maybe you can impale them on your horns."

"I don't want a bath in old blood, thanks." Milos downed his mead in one large gulp and shook his head quickly. "Wow. That's not too bad."

"Did you actually manage to taste it? I think it may have skipped your tongue and gone straight to your stomach."

Milos grinned. "So, we're heading to Whiterun next?"

I nodded. "We need to let this Balgruuf guy know that Riverwood needs some protection. And then, we can do whatever the hell we want."

"Sounds good. I don't mind adventuring, as it is."

Milos and I stood up and grabbed our packs and weapons out of our room. Just before we left Riverwood, we met Camilla Valerius at the bridge. As I went forward to allow them some "alone time", I heard Camilla ask if Milos was single.

I honestly didn't care about his reply. He now owed me twenty septims.

And once he had paid me on the road, I was content.

"So, what'd you tell her?" I asked.

"I said I was available," he replied. "You never know. I may want to settle down with someone after I'm done adventuring, and she's nice enough."

I snickered. "Milos and Camilla, sitting in a tree..."

"M-I-A-M-I-N-G." Milos was smiling. "I definitely still need you as my adventuring partner. I need to kill things every once-in-a-while."

"I'm touched."

We followed the path, once running into a skooma dealer, and another time we watched three men singing as they drank Honningbrew Mead. I made a mental note not to get that drunk, because my singing would probably resemble that of a Hagraven's.

A mill came into view first, and Milos and I stopped for a bit to help out by picking some wheat and potatoes. Not long after, we spotted some people fighting a giant, so we helped. I showered it with arrows, and Milos went in close, as usual.

One of them commented on our fighting skills, and once we'd had a short conversation we continued on. We passed the Honningbrew Meadery (Milos was looking longingly at it), and soon found ourselves at the lower gates of Whiterun, near the stables.

"Well, that didn't take long," I said cheerfully. "We'll be adventuring in no time!"

We walked up the sloping, curving path to Whiterun, even crossing a drawbridge, when we made it to the main gates. A guard saw us coming and walked over to us. I suddenly wondered if Hadvar had betrayed us by reporting us, or if the Thalmor had a bounty in Skyrim on my head.

"Halt!" he ordered. "The city's closed with the Dragons about. Official business only."

I cleared my throat. "I-I have news from Helgen, about the Dragon attack."

"Fine," the guard said after a moment of deliberation, "but we'll be keeping an eye on you."

The guard moved back to his post and crossed his arms as we opened the door to Whiterun. It was a quaint place, and seemed nice enough, but I didn't spend much time examining it. I ignored most of the conversations around me as Milos and I walked to the main keep, called Dragonsreach. We jogged up the steps, past a guard who was eyeing us suspiciously, and entered Dragonsreach through the giant double-doors.

The keep was large and spacious. The Jarl's throne was at the back of the room, centred, while two tables were on either side of the room, filled with food and drink. I could hear Milos' stomach growl at the sight of it. There was also a huge skull—a huge Dragon's skull—hanging above the Jarl's throne.

Milos and I climbed the last few steps to meet with the Jarl, but as we approached, a Dark Elf laid here sights on us and drew her sword, glaring at us darkly.

"What's the meaning of this interruption?" she growled. "Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving any visitors.

"I have news from Helgen," I insisted, standing my ground, "about the Dragon attack."

"Well, that explains why the guards let you in. Come on then, the Jarl will want to speak with you personally." The Dark Elf sheathed her blade, but her hand remained on its hilt. She led us forward, closer to the Jarl, until we reached the smaller steps to his throne. Jarl Balgruuf was dressed similarly to Ulfric Stormcloak, but his robe contained less blue and more gold. The Jarl was sporting a true Nord beard, and had a small crown atop his head. His blue eyes were sharp with experience, but also soft with age. I immediately felt like I could trust this man with my life.

"So, you were at Helgen?" the Jarl inquired. "You saw this Dragon with your own eyes?"

"The Dragon destroyed Helgen. And last I saw, it was heading this way," I told him.

The Jarl leaned forward in his throne and looked to the man on his right, who was wearing noble garments and had a hooked nose. Those kinds of people I always labeled as the snobby rich type. I ignored my feelings about him though.

"What do you say now, Proventus? Shall we continue to trust the strength of our walls? Against a Dragon?"

"My lord," the Dark Elf interjected, "we should send troops to Riverwood at once. It's in the most immediate danger. If that Dragon is lurking in the mountains..."

"The Jarl of Falkreath will view that as a provocation!" Proventus exclaimed. "He'll assume we're planning to take Ulfric's side and attack him!"

"Enough!" Balgruuf barked, silencing Proventus. "I'll not stand idly by while a Dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people!" The Jarl looked to his Dark Elf. "Irileth, send a detachment to Riverwood at once."

Irileth bowed her head. "Yes, my Jarl."

Proventus' lip curled in a reminiscent of a sneer. "If you'll excuse me, I'll return to my duties," he said.

"That would be best," Balgruuf replied coldly. When Proventus had walked away, Balgruuf sighed and returned his attention to Milos and I. "Well done," he said to us. "You sought me out, on your own initiative. You've done Whiterun a service, and I won't forget it. There is another thing you could do for me. Suitable for someone of your particular talents, perhaps. Come, let's go find Farengar, my court wizard. He's been looking into the matter related to these Dragons and... rumors of Dragons."

Balgruuf stood and led me to the wall on the right, which opened up into what looked like a lab. Potions were strewn about, as well as diagrams and such. A man was bent over a piece of parchment, draped in a blue robe and hood of a wizard.

I walked ahead of the Jarl and got the wizard's attention. He was a Nord man, with mutton chops as a beard on his face, but he looked friendly enough.

"The Jarl said you had a project that you needed help with," I told him.

"Hm? What? Project? You think you could help me? I really don't think so." His nattering made me reconsider my initial opinion of him. Milos was already rubbing his temples. "So the Jarl thinks you can be of use to me?" he added once the Jarl gave him a nod. "Oh, yes, he must be referring to my research into the Dragons. Yes, I could use someone to fetch something for me. Well, when I say fetch, I really mean delve into a dangerous ruin in search of an ancient stone tablet that may or may not actually be there."

I looked at Milos, who was already searching through his pack. He held up the stone tablet he'd taken off of the last draugr's corpse. "You mean this thing?"

Balgruuf and Farengar both looked impressed, but Farengar's expression lasted for only a moment. Balgruuf left quietly, smiling to himself. "Where did you...? Never mind, you have it now. This is where your job ends and mine begins. The work of the mind, sadly undervalued in Skyrim."

"Farengar!" Irileth sprinted into the room, her face even more serious than before (which had seemed hard to top, initially). "Farengar, you need to come at once! A Dragon's been sighted nearby." She nodded to Milos and I. "You should come too."

"A Dragon!" Farengar exclaimed (almost like a little girl). "How exciting! Where was it seen? What was it doing?"

"I'd take this a bit more seriously if I were you," Irileth growled. "If a Dragon decides to attack Whiterun I don't know if we can stop it."

Irileth led us all up the stairs, on the right of Balgruuf's throne, right to the Jarl, and a rather battered guard.

"So," the Jarl said, "Irileth tells me you came from the western watchtower?"

The guard nodded, shakily. Irileth sighed. "Tell him what you told me. About the Dragon."

"Uh... that's right," the guard said, answering Balgruuf's question. "We saw it coming from the south. It was fast... faster than anything I'd ever seen."

"What did it do?" the Jarl pressed. "Is it attacking the watchtower?"

"No, my lord. It was just circling overhead when I left. I never ran so fast in my life... I thought it would come after me for sure."

"Good work, son. We'll take it from here. Head down to the barracks for some food and rest. You've earned it." The guard bowed and headed down the steps, still shaking. "Irileth, you'd better gather some guardsmen and get down there."

"I've already ordered my men to muster near the main gate," she said.

"Good. Don't fail me." The Jarl looked at Milos and I. "There's no time to stand on ceremony, my friends. I need your help again." I really dreaded what I knew the Jarl was about to say. "I want you to go with Irileth and help her fight this Dragon. You survived Helgen, so you have more experience with Dragons than anyone else here. But I haven't forgotten the service you did for me in retrieving the Dragonstone for Farengar. As a token of my esteem, I have instructed Avenicci that you are now permitted to purchase property in the city."

The Jarl exchanged a few words with Irileth and Farengar while Milos and I looked at each other, both of us holding a frown.

"We're allowed to purchase property in the city..." Milos mused. "Hear that? If we don't end up in the belly of a Dragon, we are permitted to buy a home here."

I shrugged. "Well, we'll take what we can get. Now, let's go get that Dragon!"