-Before we get into this, I'd like to acknowledge reviewer GLaDOS-01 for pointing out a flaw in my design: it's true, if you were to wear that kind of steel armor in real life, it'd be almost impossible to actually bend yourself over forward, much less rest your head down on any table! I think at the time I was operating by Oblivion armor designs, where central armor pieces were divided into upper chest-plates and lower greaves. Nonetheless, thank's for pointing out that oopsie!

And with that out of the way, enjoy the next chapter!-


Lydia opened her eyes, thankfully not to any sort of thunder within the inn practically shocking her awake. This time she woke of her own accord. Slowly she raised her head off of her folded arms, an imprint left on both of them and on her forehead. Through the light shining in through the nearby windows, it was definitely morning by now.

Looking around, the inside of the inn was still empty. Not even Hulda nor Saadia had woken up yet it seemed. However, a simple twitch from her head was enough to bring about a host of muscle stiffness all throughout her upper body. Her neck, her upper back, her shoulders, even her arms were sore! She groaned as she rubbed her shoulders, then looked around one more time. With no one else immediately present, Lydia felt a little free for getting the blood flowing through her body again.

She stood to her feet, a great yawn escaping through her mouth. She tugged and stretched on her arms and bent her back forward and backward as much as could be allowed. Sleeping in a chair seemed convenient at the time, until one realized the stiffness that would follow the next morning. She hoped it would all be gone before long and not interfere with today. Maybe some sort of excitement would be in store to help her out with this!

Today; Gods, this was really going to happen, was it? A journey up to Skyrim's great mountain to meet with the wise Greybeards who summoned for the Dragonborn! This entire scenario felt like it was straight out of some storybook, yet it was happening in real life! And Lydia herself was a part of it, having been assigned as a Dragonborn's personal housecarl! Humbling would not even begin to describe her overall feelings!

On that note, after Lydia had finished with her moment of stretches, she looked up and out to the corner stairs leading to the room that Siffre was in. There was no sound to be heard from up there, and the door was still closed. It was getting early, and they'd need to get on their way while the time of day was agreeable. She set her feet to the ground, reveling one last time having her bare feet out to talk upon, before moving to slip them back into her armored boots. Her feet strapped in, she did the same with her gauntlets. Confidence filled her being along with her re-armoring herself, and she moved across the room.

She reached the base of the stairs and was about to make her ascent, when the creaking could be heard above. Looking up, the door to the room opened, and Siffre emerged. She turned and looked down to see Lydia, her eyes alert yet still held a little drowsiness in them.

"My Thane!" Lydia said, surprised, "I-I was just coming up for you. Good morning!"

"Ah... good morning-" Siffre whispered, her voice being drowned out by an unavoidable yawn. The Dragonborn made her descent, and Lydia stepped to the side to let her out and into the central room. From the looks of it, she had put her armored boots back on, but could only guess how effectively she'd strapped them on this time. Her gauntlets were also on, but to be fair looked more like they were strapped on better.

"So you're already dressed? Good," Lydia said, "How are your feet? Did you put the foot-wraps on underneath?"

Siffre nodded, "My feet... feel... better..."

"That's good to hear," Lydia said, "Then you're ready to depart from Whiterun?"

"I... well, um..." Siffre silently said, "That is... I'd like to eat first..."

"Ah, well you see..." Lydia directed her attention behind her, to the complete empty hall, "It looks like we're the first to wake up; Hulda and Saadia aren't around yet." She looked back at Siffre while at the same time pointing to a bowl containing a number of fruits within, "But, we can take some of those fruits there."

"Huh? But... won't we... need to pay...?" Siffre asked, but Lydia was already moving towards the fruit bowl.

"They're complimentary," Lydia assured her, reaching in and retrieving an apple, "I promise you it's not stealing; Hulda leaves them out, free of charge."

"Oh, alright..." With that, Siffre walked up to the counter top, reached towards the fruit bowl and pulled out a single apple. It was a pure, ruby-red in color, not a single spot of spoil to be found on it. She wasted no more time and took a single bite, the pleasing sound of the soft crunching filling both of their ears. As she chews, she finds herself looking up to meet Lydia's eyes, and she smiles.

Lydia returns the smile with her own, and she picks up her shield from the bottom of the table. She leads the two of them through the door and out of the Bannered Mare.


"Fresh baked cloves! Still warm from the oven!"

"Chops and steaks, fit for a Jarl! Come and see my selection of the finest quality meats!"

"Shiny trinkets for your good lady! All crafted by the great Eorlund Gray-mane himself!"

The two women exited the Inn and were greeted by the warmth of morning light, friendly vendors announcing their wares, and even smells of fresh foods on the breeze. Looking down, the townspeople in the market section of the Plains District were again going about their normal lives, as if there was never any threat of peril in the first place. Instead, they went about their daily routines, smiles gracing their faces.

The sight was enough for Lydia to smile at as well. As she and Siffre walked down the Inn's steps, it filled her with such content to see Whiterun's people in peace and safety. Especially now considering she would be leaving them for the time being. Off to the side, a man and a woman could be heard conversing.

"Ah, Ysolda is it? What brings you to the market?"

"I'm here to buy food, Nazeem; I suppose you don't need to worry about that," a red-haired Nord woman replied with slight irritation to the elegantly dressed Redguard noble, Nazeem.

"Owning a farm does have it's advantages..." Whatever followed in their conversation after, neither Lydia nor Siffre could hear it. And just like that, hearing the man's voice brought her smile down a little. If truth be told, she would not be missing 'everything' in Whiterun. There were certain things she was more than happy to get away from in this city.

"That man..." Siffre quietly noted, "I... remember him..."

"Who, Nazeem?" Lydia said.

"Yes... I, um... don't... like him..." Siffre's hesitation this time didn't sound like she was struggling to simply produce words like before, but more like she was struggling to find the correct phrasing.

"He is pompous, isn't he?" Lydia looked at Siffre with a tilted head. The quieter Nord returned her look, "You need not worry, my Thane; honestly, about half of Whiterun barely tolerates him. The way he looks down on us..."

"Ah yes... he did that... to me..." Siffre agreed.

"I'd say that farm he owns is about all he's good for..." Lydia trailed off as they continued to make their way to the gates. As they walked, Lydia glanced down at Siffre's feet, "So... how are your feet this morning?"

"My feet..." Siffre looked down at her boots, "They... they don't sting... as much... as last night..." She then looked up at Lydia, "Thank you... I mean... for that ointment..."

"Think nothing of it, my Thane," Lydia said, "If you're really to be climbing up mountains, at the very least your feet need to be looked after..." Her gaze drifted out past Whiterun's old walls and to the horizon. Even from where they were in the city, the Throat of the World could be seen in perfect clarity, stretching up to pierce the clouds themselves. Such a place like High Hrothgar to be located up there, upon the icy slopes of-

Wait a moment, up there? In the cold, and razor ice winds? Lydia looked back at Siffre.

"My Thane, wait; if you're really going up there," she pointed out to the mountain, "will that armor really be enough to keep you warm?" Her comment caused Siffre to look down at the steel armor she wore. It was wool-padding with a steel back-plate behind and a breast-plate to cover the front, and wool-padded greaves with plates of metal covering the legs. She looked all around at her armor, as if Lydia had pointed out some flaw in her apparel.

"Warm?" she quietly asked, "W-What do you mean? This... it's fine, isn't it?" Lydia blinked; she clearly had no idea.

"Hmm, you said that armor came from a bandit? I bet it doesn't have this..." Stopping for a moment she set her shield down at her feet. Siffre watched as Lydia reached one of her hands to her mid-arm, to the edge of the wool-padding, and undid a small tie on the outside. Once it was undone, the wool itself actually fell down the remaining length of her arm until it reached the edges of her gauntlet. Siffre's eyes widened at this display even as the housecarl demonstrated the same thing to the other side, "You see? Steel armor that can be used in the warm, and the cold."

"That's... that's really..." Siffre looked down at the wool edges on her arm, "I don't think... this one... has that..."

"That wouldn't surprise me," Lydia said, "Bandits tend to take whatever they can come across, but they've never been the type to innovate themselves, like a Hold's city guardsmen." She rolled up the wool 'sleeves' back up past the mid-point of her arm and redid the tie that held them up, and picked her shield back up, "So, that being said, maybe this is something that you can use yourself?" Siffre looked down at each mid-point of her arms, where the wool-padding ended. Now that attention was drawn to the subject, both women could see the obvious physical difference between the two's armors; Siffre's did not have rolled up sleeves like Lydia's at all. Whiterun outdoor weather at best had a light, barely noticeable nip of cold in the air, while the bright sun above kept everything reasonably warm. This armor Siffre wore probably had come from a bandit that frequented the more warmer regions of Skyrim, like Falkreath, Markarth, or even Solitude.

"If... if you think... it's best," Siffre settled, earning a nod of approval from Lydia.

"In that case, we can simply exchange your armor for the ideal kind at Warmaiden's; it's just on the way there," she pointed to a building off the the left side of the city's gates. A tanned woman in a blacksmith's apron could be seen around the corner hammering something on the workbench, each hammer strike echoed all the way down to their location. The two women made their way over, while at the same time finishing off their respective apples. The woman briefly stopped her work when she heard the dual footsteps approaching.

"Housecarl Lydia? Welcome!" she said, "What can I do for you?"

"Hello Adrianne," Lydia greeted, "We're in need of a new set of steel armor. Specifically, my set."

"Head on inside then, Ulfberth would no doubt have it in stock on our shelves." Lydia nodded in thanks, Adrianne resumed hammering, and with Lydia leading the way the two women entered Warmaiden's.

Inside they were greeted to the sight of a modest shop. Along its opposing walls hung either sets of armor or weapons. These particular armaments and apparel obviously were of the Nord variety; this was Skyrim's crown jewel after all. As such every piece had engraved detail work of Nord craftsmanship and decor upon them, from their appearances all the way to how differently the blades were tempered. This place was for Nords, through and through.

As with Nords, a heavily bearded, burly Nord stood behind a counter opposite the two women. A massive war-hammer could be seen on his back, and he himself was wearing very sturdy-looking iron armor. At the sound of their entry, he quickly perked to attention.

"Welcome to Warmaiden's," he greeted friendly, "Ah, housecarl Lydia! Always a pleasure to see you!"

"And to you as well, Ulfberth," Lydia greeted, "How's business for you these days?"

"It was calm at first, but now it seems like we've got hard work ahead of us," the man replied, "The Battle-borns have just requested a bulk order of Imperial swords be made. Even Adrianne has doubts she can get it done in time, but I have faith in her."

"Your wife's a good blacksmith, Ulfberth," Lydia assured him, "And swords for the Imperials means a better defense for Whiterun."

"Indeed," Ulfberth agreed, "Anyway, what can I do for you two? Looking to protect yourself, or deal some damage?"

"I... I um..." Siffre started quietly. Ulfberth's attention was lightly perked upon hearing sounds from her throat, but it was obvious he was leaning in due to her being too quiet. She sensed this, and after clearing her throat, focused hard on what she tried to convey, "I want some... some new armor... like Lydia's..." The housecarl looked at her in mild surprise. She was still whispering, but this time felt more concise and almost audible. Was she growing more and more used to being able to use words now?

"Is that so?" Ulfberth said, seemingly not bothered by Siffre's quiet request, "Well you my dear have come to the right place. We do have a set of steel women's Nordic armor, for warmth and cold, right here in stock." He then disappeared behind the counter by bending forward. He reappeared a second later, setting an entire array of said armor on the counter-top for the two ladies to see.

Siffre ran her finger tips along the engravings of the armor. The polish was smooth and the wool padding felt shaggy, yet soft.

"It's... just like yours..." she said, looking up at Lydia.

"That's right, since Lydia herself had gotten her own armor from this very shop as well," Ulfberth said, "It's unworn, but Adrianne was proud of the time and effort she put into this. Strong enough to protect from a hammer blow, and also..." He reached over to undo similar sleeve clips, exactly like the ones on Lydia's armor, and allow for the wool sleeves to stretch out longer, "retractable sleeves to keep your arms warm in any of Skyrim's coldest holds."

"Impressive," Siffre noted, "But... will it... fit me?"

"If you like, you can try it on first to make sure it fits," Ulfberth politely offered, then gestured to the side door, "You can use that room right there to change into it."

"Oh... a-alright," Siffre set down her shield, and picked the armor up in both arms, "I'll do that..."

"Excellent." Siffre made her way through the side doors and closed them behind her, leaving Lydia and Ulfberth alone in the main room.

"That one was a little... too quiet..." Ulfberth noted, softly lowering his own voice.

"She is..." Lydia said, "Unfortunately, general speech isn't one of my Thane's strong suits at the moment."

"Your Thane?" the man looked straight at Lydia, "Wait a minute, Balgruuf's filled that role on his court already?"

"That's right, and I've been assigned as her housecarl," Lydia said, "It's an honor to be sure."

"Well then, good on you Lydia," Ulfberth congratulated, "I know you'll make a fine protector, even if it wasn't exactly for the Jarl, like you wanted."

"It's fine, and thank you," Lydia said, "In fact, I'm slowly getting used to my current standing..." She found herself shifting her position to place her weight onto one foot, while casually placing her hand on the hilt of her sword. The motion itself was enough to draw the man's eyes to where her hand moved, and his eyes widened as he discovered the pommel and hilt of the blade.

"By the Gods, Lydia, that sword...!" he said, excitement creeping into his voice, causing her hand to pop off of the hilt in mild surprise, "Why I'd recognize Balgruuf's old blade anywhere! He had you bring it here for temperament?"

"Well, no, not exactly..." Lydia said, "You see, Balgruuf has... given me his sword. Passed it down to me, in fact." Ulfberth softened his widened eyes as looked from the sword back to Lydia.

"Truly? That tough old Nord and his blade have finally parted ways?" Lydia nodded, "Well then, best thing I can say is treat that sword right. Although Lydia, I've heard you to be a capable warrior in your own right, so you probably don't need me reminding you of that."

"Thank you Ulfberth, and you are right," Lydia replied, "The Jarl gave me his sword because he thought I was worthy, so I intend to prove his assumption was correct!" The two Nords had finished this discussion when the sound of creaking doors reached their ears. They turned to their side to see Siffre emerge from side room, under her arm a separate set of armor folded up as best as could be managed. She hadn't bothered to secure the sleeve ties near her shoulders, so the wool sleeves had been loosely stretched down to meet the edges of her gauntlets. She walked up to the counter to set the old armor down on top of it and free her arm.

"Hm, looks good," Lydia noted, "How does it feel?"

"This feels... really snug..." she softly said, stretching her arms around herself to demonstrate her point, "I think... I like it."

"That's mighty good to hear," Ulfberth said with a smile.

"So, how much will this cost?" Lydia reached behind her for the coin purse, only for the man to raise his hand up to stop her.

"How about this- you can simply trade in the old armor, and we'll call it even." Siffre and Lydia looked at each other, exchanging looks followed by nods.

"It's a deal, Ulfberth."

"Good doin' business with you." he replied, taking hold of the old armor and setting it below and underneath his counter, "So, is there anything else I can do for you ladies?"

"No, I believe that was all we needed from here," Lydia said, "Good day to you!"

"Safe travels, to the both of you!" The two waved each other off as the two ladies exited the store. Outside they could see Adrianne no longer was at the workbench but leaning against one of the support beams. Turning to notice them leave, she gave them a courteous nod.

"Oh yes, hold on..." Siffre suddenly stopped them. Lydia halted in her tracks as her Thane set her shield down at her feet. With free hands, she moved to secure her rolled-up sleeves via the clasp located at each shoulder. The left side she secured easily, but it was when she attempted the right side she showed some difficulty. The cloth tie kept slipping from her left hand's fingers, and her frustration steadily grew.

Lydia watched this as well, and all the while inside her amusement began to grow.

"Here, let me help with that..." she reached her hands up to secure it for her.

"I-I can-" Siffre tried to protest, but Lydia had already done it. She pulled her hands away, and both looked to see Siffre's upper arms were now bare to Skyrim's warm sun.

"There, I'd say we're both ready for Skyrim's cold," Lydia said, to which Siffre nodded, "Now then, Jarl Balgruuf said a carriage driver could take us to Ivarstead. There's one outside the city's entrance- a fella named Bjorlam."

"I remember... passing him," Siffre quietly noted, "When I first... arrived here... I know where he is."

"Then let's not waste anymore time," Lydia said, and the two continued on their way to the massive city gate, separating them from the whole of what else Skyrim had to offer, "Guardsman, we're heading out!"

The Whiterun guard that was standing next to the gates nodded to them, then moved forward to pull one of the massive doors open. The heavy door creaked audibly and loudly, and finally a big enough crack opened between the doors for the two ladies to move through. Once they had gone, the guard pushed the door back into its closed position.


"Need a ride?" Bjorlam the carriage driver asked.

"Yes please..." Siffre spoke. She spoke differently from before, where it seemed like she had to contain her voice in the presence of a crowd. Now that she was outside with few people around, she was at least not as quiet as before; a little softer than average speech volume this time. As such, the air before her mouth vibrated ever so slightly. Thankfully Bjorlam either didn't notice, or if he did notice, he thought nothing of it, "Can you... take us to... Ivars-tead?"

"Ivarstead?" the man said, considering, "Hmmm, that's not one of my usual stops..." He paused for a moment, "Ah well, it's on the way to Riften anyway, so I suppose I can at least drop you off there."

"Thank you Bjorlam." Lydia said.

"Twenty gold please." the carriage driver held out his hand. Lydia fished her hand behind her back into the coin purse, retrieved a handful of coins, and passed them into Bjorlam's hand.

"Alright, climb in back, and we'll be off!" he said, setting the coins into a small bag by his feet. Lydia moved first around to the back of the wagon and pulled herself into it. She took her seat, setting her shield down at her feet, and readjusting her sword so it was laying across her lap. Looking over, she could Siffre behind her, but that she had hesitated for a moment before pulling herself up as well. She took her seat across from Lydia, and both heard Bjorlam flick the reins on his horse. The carriage slowly rolled forward along the dirt road.

Lydia looked back at Whiterun as they rolled away. In a strange sort of way, the old but sturdy walls themselves were seeing her off on her long journey. This was different from when she'd left Whiterun in the past. Before she'd been dispatched to locations close by and within the Hold to settle whatever disputes were in play, all the while knowing she would return back to her home soon enough. Now though, it was as if she were leaving it for longer, like how a baby bird leaves its parent's nest.

Was she like a baby bird, moving out of her home and into the world to strike out on her own now?

She didn't say anything, but pulled her gaze away with a soft sigh. Her sigh drew Siffre's attention.

"Are... are you... alright?" she softly said. Lydia's eyes met hers, the latter's eyes holding concern within them.

"I'll be fine..." Lydia said, "It's just... perhaps it just hasn't quite sunken in yet."

"What hasn't...?"

"Well, me, leaving Whiterun," Lydia clarified, "Jarl Balgruuf ordered me to do so, but I guess... the reality of his request is..."

"You've... you've never left here... have you?" Siffre inquired. This earned her a look from Lydia, until she turned her head to look to the side in thought.

"No..." she said, "No, I've never left Whiterun, my whole life. Sometimes I'd be sent to deal with neighboring bandits or other threats in the area, but nothing that ever took me out of the hold."

"By the Gods..." both women heard Bjorlam say, causing them to look up at him. He was looking off to his right, and the two could see they were passing by the Western Watchtower by this point. As opposed to last time, a greater number of Whiterun guards could be seen there, picking up pieces of rubble that was the tower itself and moving them.

However, it was not only massive stone debris that they were moving, but dragon bones as well.

The three travelers watched in varying states of awe as the once whole dragon skeleton was being broken down piece by piece by the Nords. Each bone piece that was broken off was then loaded into another two-horse wagon. They all worked diligently in their task, none of them with any hesitation, considering that this skeleton they were disassembling had at one point terrorized the very sky above them. Perhaps the fear of this creature had long worn off for them by this point? Had they realized by now that it posed no further threat in its current state? Whatever the reason, what remained of it was now being carted off and would be taken to who knows where.

"Boy, am I glad that thing's no longer alive," Bjorlam noted, not necessarily to the two women but rather speaking to himself, "Road-travelin's hard enough these days without monsters from the sky..."

"Yes..." Siffre quietly noted, "But... I have a feeling... that there... there might be... more... than just one..." Upon hearing this, Lydia turns her gaze back to her with concerned eyes.

"My Thane... surely you're not serious?" she said, "You're saying that was not the only dragon out there?" Siffre shook her head.

"I know..." she said, her tone shifting to an even quieter, almost fearful one, "The dragon at... at Helgen..." her breath hitched for a moment, and she took a moment to breathe proper, "That one was... black... with red eyes, and..." Lydia noted Siffre's hands were shaking lightly in her lap, and what she could hear of her speech had trembling in it. That could not have been an easy memory to recount, a survivor of Helgen. Gods, how had she managed to survive in the first place?

Concern at the forefront of her mind, Lydia reached forward and placed a hand on top of Siffre's. The latter Nord's shaking stopped momentarily as she realized what she was doing. She looked up to find Lydia's comforting eyes, and a small smile of reassurance on her face.

"You need not worry," she said, "I am your sword, and your shield, even against the likes of a dragon," Siffre stared back at Lydia's eyes. After passing moments, she still hadn't verbally replied. Finally, she gave the faintest of nods to her. Any other time Lydia might have been put off that her promise of complete protection was being so casually acknowledged, but considering Siffre's current mood it was understandable.

Lydia pulled her hand back, resting it back on the hilt of her sword laying across her lap. Siffre found her eyes drawn to it, her fear slowly turning into curiosity.

"That sword..." she said, "Is that...?" Lydia looked down at her sheathed weapon. The crest of Whiterun's horse in the hilt looking back up at her, "I... I heard you and... that armor seller... talk about it..." Lydia held both of her arms underneath it to hold it up, not too high, but just up and level so both ladies could have a better view of it.

"Balgruuf's old sword..." Lydia said, "One he'd fought with in the Great War... one of the few things he had returned home with..."

"And now... it's with... you..." Siffre silently realized, "He... trusted it to you... didn't he?"

"He-... He did," Lydia looked up into Siffre's eyes, then back down at the weapon, "In his eyes, he saw I was someone worthy enough to be passed down to. It's... it's humbling, for I just know it's a huge responsibility for me ."

"I... I don't doubt you... either," Siffre spoke, "I remember... when you were... you know, fighting the dragon at first... you were... you were very brave, and skilled, with a sword... fighting that thing... up close..." Siffre's silent words brought memories of that recent fight back to Lydia's mind. How that fearsome yet grounded dragon gazed upon her with gleaming eyes. How even in that moment, when death seemed certain, Lydia would at least go down fighting. How she did manage to score decent hits on the beast, until...

"Until... it destroyed my original sword..." Lydia finished, "A sword which I had used for most of my life..." She found her hands gripping tighter around the blade's sheath, seemingly unconsciously, "Is this... was this all this really was? Nothing more than a simple replacement for a lost sword?"

"... M-maybe," Siffre spoke, and Lydia looked back up at her, "Maybe it is... a replacement... But, then again... it could also be a... a symbol; that sword, and... where it's from... It was given to you, because of you... and how you're... better now... than you were before." Lydia looked back up to Siffre, her widened eyes meeting the bluer eyes. Such profound meaning behind those words! She still had no clue where this woman came from, but... she was very much glad to have met her.

"I really do have a lot to live up to... Th-thank you," Lydia said with a smile, "Heh, you know, for someone who, well, wasn't as 'adept' at speech before, you now suddenly seem to have quite a way with words!" A gift of high praise, and Siffre couldn't stop the light blush that crept across her upper cheeks. She tried to turn her head to the side to hide this visible embarrassment. The more Lydia saw of this display, the more she... liked seeing it.

"O-of course," Siffre said after making a light cough to clear her throat. She very much wanted to move on to a different topic, "So... do you mind if... well, that is... may I 'see'... your sword?"

"Hm? Oh, of course," Lydia disconnected the small loop strap connecting the sheath to her waist, and she passed the entire weapon into Siffre's hands.

The dragonborn held in her own hands, giving the outer sheath a light squeeze. This leather material was course, yet somehow felt smooth beneath her fingers. And it felt sturdy, even when she merely dragged a fingernail across it. Her hand reached for the hilt, but she stopped herself and looked up at Lydia. The other Nord nodded in approval, and she drew the blade from its containment.

"Wow..." she breathed. The blade itself was dark-blue steel in color, but with the light of the sun reflected off the flat of the blade, it almost appeared bright silver, "It's so... clear."

"I'd only seen this blade once or twice before..." Lydia admitted and Siffre turned the blade to look at it from different angles, "Balgruuf never openly used this weapon, after he came back home to Skyrim..."

"Still... it's really impressive..." Siffre noted with a sigh, "much more than... than mine..."

"Well then my Thane, would you mind if I see yours?" Lydia suggested. Siffre did not reply verbally, but still gave a nod. She reached down to undo the strap that held her weapon to her waist as well.

As the two women continued to examine each others' blades, Bjorlam continued to drive the carriage. While his eyes were focused on the dirt road and his horse that drove them along it, his ears were completely tuned to the conversations behind him. Common courtesy taught him to always be like this- non-intrusive to the discussions his charges had while he charted them across the land. Still, he was allowed to hold reservations in his mind, and these ladies did have nice sentiments about them... But ultimately, it was all none of his business in the end.

As he continued to drive, he absently fished forth a small, blank piece of paper from his pocket. His other pocket reminded him that his small quill was also present, but that would be for later. Ivarstead and Riften were still a long ways off...


-And, done! Actually when I was writing up this chapter, a new batch of ideas hatched in my head that I really think I can play around with here! If I can execute them as well as I'm hoping, it might just make the world of Skyrim seem that much more... layered.

But, here's hoping that I actually can and do pull it off; until then, let me know what you all thought here, and I'll see you next time!-