Chapter 65: Gemma and Ganna

[21st – 22nd of Sun's Height 4E 202]

Together with my companions – Tolan, Agmaer, Jordis, Inigo, and of course Hanni and Nanni – I was traveling towards Dimhollow Crypt to find out what might be waiting there for us. Knowing the game, I had a very good guess, and I was quite looking forward to getting there. In Shor's Stone we had met Ahkari and his caravan, and we had been asked to assist in defeating bandits frequently lurking close to the road further north. Today, we were headed for Kynesgrove, and there had been a few nice conversations while we walked. Specifically, I was happy to learn that at least one of my companions – Inigo – was interested in scientific explorations, though mostly related to practical implications.

When we reached the road branch with the side road going up to Kynesgrove to the right, I decided to help the mules pulling the cart by pushing from behind, as we had to go uphill for a kilometer or two, and I was even sweating some when we reached the local gastronomy, the Braidwood Inn. Fortunately, as I had already expected based on experience with other settlements, both village and inn were considerably larger than their counterparts in the game, and the inn had more than just two or three guestrooms, as one could see right away when coming in. As a matter of fact, while the main taproom with a huge fireplace in the center and many tables around took most of the ground floor, there was a gallery on all sides, and maybe a dozen doors indicated as many rooms for guests, although a couple of them might also be the proprietors' private quarters.

A Nord woman looked up when we came in, and she appeared to be delighted to see that many customers arriving, even with Zaynabi and Dro'marash still outside to take care of the mules; she smiled and called out:

"I hope you'll stay for a bit; we could certainly use the business. I am Iddra; what can I do for you all? Food, drinks, rooms? Got some nice comfy beds here at the Braidwood Inn, if you're looking to flop down somewhere."

"All of that, lady, for all of us plus two more who will come in soon. Would you also happen to have somebody helping our companions outside to get the mules into the stables and find a safe place to keep our cart for the night?"

"Certainly."

She turned around to a young man close to her and commanded:

"Kjeld, go out and take care of the mules and the cart!"

"But Mama, I'd rather go hunting!"

"It's either that or kitchen work, son!"

"All right, all right."

The young man, presumably in his teenage years, appeared to have other ideas on how to spend his time, but that wasn't really our business and our problem. We all stepped over to the counter and ordered our drinks, and once again people looked at me when I ordered juniper berry juice instead of mead, ale or wine. This time, though, I was in the company of quite a few other Khajiit, and they also had their own preferences – Akhari asked the lady about options, and he seemed to be happy when she nodded at one of the suggested beverages. Inigo, as I was happy to see, joined me in ordering juice, as did Kharjo. When we had all found seats around along table, Kharjo explained:

"When we first met, this one may have mentioned that Skooma can have very negative effects; this one's personal experience was, in younger and quite wild years, unfortunately not only limited to Skooma, but also to excessive consumption of drinks like Plum Brandy and Tenmar Apricot Liqueur. When Akhari saved me, years ago, this one also had to promise to keep consumption low."

"And he has kept his promise" the caravan leader confirmed. "It is true that many Nords seem to be able to consume mead, ale and such in large amounts without significant side effects, but this does not apply to some Khajiit. This one is glad to see that Inigo and you are also careful."

Inigo nodded and replied: "Indeed; I have done many stupid things in past years after imbibing such drinks, and my extended stay in Riften helped to get along without – not being allowed strong liquids was part of my repenting. But, my friend B'lushona, what about you?"

"My explanation is even more simple; I strongly dislike the taste and the smell."

"Is that so?"

"It is, indeed, and I'm, literally, a juice and milk drinker; the latter also applies to Hanni and Nanni, by the way."

I had also ordered a jug of milk and a bowl, and my two saber cats happily licked up the white liquid. Iddra had already looked at them with worry showing on her face earlier, and she now she asked:

"Are you sure that your two saber cats won't be a problem for the other guests?"

"I don't expect that you are worried about some milk drinkers, or are you?" I grinned. "But no, they are very well behaved."

Hanni and Nanni, with me as Khajiit being something like their father, had come to like Khajiit in general, unless such other Khajiit attacked me, of course, and with the Khajiit of the caravan around plus Inigo, they seemed to be very happy about present company. While the caravan people were still a little bit careful around them, Inigo has already grown fond of them, and he was frequently scratching their fur, even making them purr. Soon we got our dinner, and we enjoyed the meal, knowing that mules and cart were taken care of.

While eating, I noticed that something was missing here in this inn. Many such places in Skyrim had a bard playing music or singing or both from time to time, to entertain the guests. Here, I could not see a bard, and I did not hear any music either. Curious, I asked Iddra about that once I had eaten, and she replied:

"Aye, our long term bard died during the dragon attack last year, and since then, the position has been vacant. We had a few applicants, but they did not stay long. It's a pity, but it does not appear to hurt business too much; people come here for good food and soft beds, not so much for entertainment."

"Ah, I see. Speaking of good food, I have to admit that the venison I got is excellent; I enjoyed my meal a lot."

"Good to hear, thank you."

After dinner Iddra showed us to our rooms. I shared a room with Inigo, which seemed to be best, as I was going to have Hanni and Nanni in the room with us. Inigo was delighted, and while Akhari and some others stayed in the taproom for some more time, Inigo and I retired to our room. Once we had prepared ourselves for the night, with me already yawning a few times, we got down on our separate beds. Hanni and Nanni both looked up at me, and I knew that look; I told my fellow Khajiit about that:

"Inigo, we've got a problem. My two saber cats are big fans of cuddling up to me, but my bed is clearly not big enough for both of them to join me. Maybe I should ask Iddra if I can sleep in the barn or so."

"Or maybe you can ask them if one is willing to snuggle up to me?"

"Hm, the way they have enjoyed your attention earlier, that might work, but will that really be fine for you, too? She might stay for the night, after all."

"I'm willing to try, and I can always imagine to have a pretty female in my arms. Not all Nord women are as beautiful and as strong as your saber cats are, although few are hairier."

Seriously, Inigo? I had to admit, though:

"Oh, yeah, good point, and sometimes I imagine that as well."

A few minutes later one of my saber cats was next to me and the other one next to Inigo, and we had stereo purring for some time due to the attention they were both receiving. It was not a perfect substitute for a loving woman, of course, but lacking the option for the latter, or rather not willing to take the easy way, as Antonius had suggested several times, it was clearly better than nothing, and at the very least I was absolutely sure that my bed mate enjoyed the attention she was getting from me.

The next morning started a little bit slow, and we were not really in a hurry; after all, the distance between Kynesgrove and Windhelm wasn't that big. When I stepped outside before breakfast, I saw that Akhari had already set up shop outside and a few locals were already here, apparently browsing his wares. The town had a small general store, but a caravan had a different selection of wares available; whereas the normal stores focused on items needed for the daily life, including food, tools, weapons, armor and such, the caravans usually had some jewelry and various items from southern provinces. When I approached, the caravan leader explained with a smile:

"It never hurts to accept business where it can be found. The citizens here will want to start their day's work soon, but this one gladly accepts a few septims here and there when the opportunity presents itself. Not enough to stay for even a full day, but worth an hour or two, and we'll still make it to Windhelm easily."

That gave me a chance to look around and also do some of my morning exercises. I did not feel like I had enough time to run up to the dragon mound where Fiona had defeated that dragon Alduin had resurrected when she had been there with Delphine, but I managed to get some kind of overview of the settlement, which was not really that large. There was the inn, of course, and the general store next to it, and I saw a few small fields with various vegetables. There was a mine entrance on a large place mostly surrounded by rock, and several people were getting in and out. A couple of guards were posted next to the entrance, too. Two female Imperials just started breakfast at the campfire there, and when I approached they put their hands on their weapons and asked me:

"Why are you having two saber cats with you? Aren't they dangerous?"

"May I introduce Hanni and Nanni, my best friends; they are well behaved and won't hurt anybody who doesn't try to hurt me. My name is B'lushona, ladies."

"It has been some time since somebody's called us ladies, but I am Gemma Uriel, and this is my sister Ganna. Hey, if you're sure that your animals behave, why don't you join us for breakfast?"

"I'd be happy to, sure, although I don't have any food on me."

"That's all right, if you maybe entertain us with a story or two."

"No, that's not good enough, as my two saber cats need to feed as well. Would it be all right for them to go hunting around here?"

"Sure, there's plenty of game around."

Hanni and Nanni were quick to understand the words, and when I waved my hand, they were gone in an instant. Another person came out of the mine, and he moved like he was somewhat intoxicated. When he saw me, a stranger, he shouted:

"If you bring mead, you're welcome here! Even if you don't, you're still welcome!"

I was a little bit puzzled about that, but Ganna explained:

"Oh, this is Roggi Knot-Beard, and he is just like that. He cares about mead a lot and, of course, drinks a lot, but he is a decent miner."

Roggi, a male Nord, added:

"Yes, that's me. You know, working our mine is dangerous work, but Dravynea keeps it going. Well, Dravynea and the promise of more mead."

Apparently he wasn't interested in joining us, but headed towards the inn instead, likely hoping to get more mead there. I slowly shook my head, but turned my attention back to the two ladies who had started to prepare a simple meal. Thinking back about what Roggi had said, I asked:

"Do you know who Dravynea is?"

"Oh, of course. She is a Dark Elf mage and she also works in the mine. She seems to be able to identify dangerous areas and stabilize the tunnels, so that we can work safely; her work is much appreciated by us, believe me."

Gemma and Ganna now focused on the meal preparations, and I gave them the story they wanted and told them about how I had found and adopted Hanni and Nanni. They were obviously surprised, and Gemma asked:

"I had no idea that one can do that, raise dangerous animals like this."

"I did not know either at that time, but I just couldn't help myself. It worked out quite well, much better than I had initially expected, but this may not be a guarantee for similar situations. Now, what about this place here? What kind of mine is this?"

"It's a malachite mine, maybe the only one in the hold."

"Malachite? What is this good for?"

"We are not into smithing, but we have been told that one can forge glass weapons and armor from it. One has to be a very capable blacksmith in order to do that, we have heard."

"Yes, and while this was considered too much effort before, the showing of dragons may have changed Jarl Ulfric's mind about it."

That seemed reasonable, and glass arrows, for instance, sure had a better chance to hurt a dragon than iron or steel arrows had. Breakfast was ready now and I indulged, and when we had eaten, Hanni and Nanni came back, dragging a small deer between them. They had not been very hungry, or more likely they had found smaller prey for themselves before and had apparently decided to share with me, as they frequently did. I had plenty of food in my pack and not enough time to prepare what my companions had brought, so that I suggested:

"Gemma, Ganna, would you accept that deer here as a token of gratitude from myself and my two saber cats?"

"What? Really?"

"Well, I am traveling with a caravan, and we will leave soon, so that I won't have the time to prepare the food properly."

"All right then, we accept, and our thanks for that. But, as you mentioned a caravan, let's hurry to the inn quickly and see if there's something we could buy or sell."

While Ganna decided that she was going to prepare the game, Gemma went down to the Braidwood Inn and just managed to get sometime to browse the caravan wares before it was time to go again. Agmaer returned from another direction with a pretty young Nord lady next to him. He introduced her as his sister Adelrine, who had apparently been the only person in his family who had been really happy to see him; his parents were still somewhat angry for him leaving town to seek adventures instead of helping with the farm and eventually take it over. Adelrine admitted:

"Agmaer is not a good farmer, you know, and I know that my brother is better off doing something else. I love farming, and one day I hope to find a good strong man to work the farm with me."

She looked at me in particular when saying 'good strong man', and I just hoped that she wouldn't start swooning over me. I mean, she was quite a pretty thing, but she did not know me at all; besides, I had no ambition at all to become a full time farmer. I did not have to worry about that for much longer, though, as Ahkari told his fellow Khajiit to start packing, and we prepared to be on the road again.

About half an hour later the caravan had left Kynesgrove, and the cart now rumbled down the cobbled road to get to the main road towards Windhelm. We had summer season, and while there was a cool wind from the North, at least the environment here was not eternal winter, not even when he had the pass behind us and the city of Windhelm right ahead. I expected the caravan to head to an open space close to the road crossing, where they had rigged their tents before, but instead they stopped the mules right next to something like a large wooden shed, which looked quite new. Ahkari noticed my surprise and explained:

"That's new, indeed. During our last stay here the guards told us that we could use the shed. It's not perfect, but at least it protects us from the cold winds around here."

"It's a sign that Ulfric appreciates your coming here, isn't it?"

"This one believes that this is correct, and it is heart warming."

"Wouldn't you prefer if they let you in the city itself?"

"As a matter of fact, we are already allowed to enter the city, but most Khajiit prefer to camp outside. Having all those stone buildings around is not what Khajiit like…"

"Oh yes, I can understand this well. I also prefer to be outside of cities, if I have a choice, but alas, sometimes business requires a sacrifice."

Right at this time a small group of Stormcloaks on horses, likely a patrol returning, approached from the West, and suddenly a well-known voice called out:

"B'lushona, fancy meeting you here!"

I turned around and recognized my friend Ralof. Hanni and Nanni recognized him as well, and as soon as he got down from his horse, they greeted him and jumped around him excitedly. A few horses started to panic and some of the soldiers, who did not know me and my companions, quickly got their swords out, but Ralof waved them off, knelt on the ground and hugged Hanni and Nanni. When the greeting was done, I called them back to me to calm the horses, and Ralof came over as well to shake my hand:

"You are traveling with a caravan now?"

"Well, for the time being, yes."

"Where are you headed to?"

"There have been reports about some special bandits, lurking close to the road branch where the main road to Winterhold starts, and Ahkari's caravan has been robbed a few times. We will see if we we can do something about it."

"I see. Ah, well, there are some faces I remember, too."

The Nord turned towards my companions, greeted Jordis whom he had met before, and Agmaer, whom he likely had met in Kynesgrove, and I introduced the others:

"Ralof, you may not know the others. The fellow Khajiit here is Inigo, and the two Nords are Tolan and Agmaer, whom you seem to know already. I assume that you know Ahkari, Zaynabi, Dro'marash, and Kharjo. Friends, this is Ralof, a good friend of mine and Stormcloak commander."

"Pleased to meet you all, folks" the Nord commander politely said, nodding towards the group. "About those bandits, we have heard about that, and if we had not been so busy with troop movements, we'd have looked into that. At the very least, let me find a soldier to go with you and report back afterwards, assuming that you'll move on and not come back to Windhelm."

"No, indeed, I'll probably not come back right away."

"So, normally I'd of course offer you a room in the palace, but things are a little bit hectic right now, and Jarl Ulfric is out for a troop inspection. As it is summer and not quite as cold, would it be a problem if you and your friends camped out here with the caravan?"

I clapped him lightly on the shoulder and responded:

"No, not at all; you know that I usually prefer not to be stuck in rooms anyway, and I assume that my friends also won't mind."

The Khajiit in the caravan had already started to get settled and were busy unloading the cart and getting the mules into the stables so that they could rest; a couple of tents were also set up next to the shed. Tolan and Agmaer quickly confirmed that being out here was just fine, specifically once Ralof had promised to send some good food out. He turned towards that city gate and said before he left:

"I will make sure to spread the word that the caravan is here; I bet that there's going to be quite some business here."

Ahkari had heard that, smiled and replied:

"This one is looking forward to tomorrow then, and our thanks for that."

When Ralof was gone, the caravan leader explained:

"We usually stay here outside of Windhelm for a full day anyway, not just for business only, but also because the mules need some rest. It is good to know that people get a chance to learn about that quickly; there have been times when many Nords seemed to prefer to get their merchandise from vendors in the city, even knowing that we usually offer wares from other holds and even other provinces. Fortunately, times have changed, and people in Skyrim are less reluctant to deal with Khajiit."

[Author's Notes: Slow progress, but they'll get to Dimhollow, eventually.]