-Here I am again, been a hot few months since we'd last seen Siffre and Lydia huh? I've got an entire roadmap planned out for what I have for them in this story, including this little 'arc'; enjoy! -
The battle may have long concluded, but the effects still lingered.
Among the first indicators to Lydia was the smell in the air. The smell of outside air on this noon of day smelt somewhat different from before. She could still smell the faint scent of fire, smoke, and burning wood. There was not a single fire to be seen for miles, yet it persisted. Most of the fires that had been caused by the catapults, from either side, had already been extinguished.
Everywhere Lydia looked was also indicative of what had happened. Scorch marks here and there from shots of fire that had hit the ground. While there were no raging fires, sections of grass and even the stone of the walkway being walked upon were marked with blackened ash and soot. They were easy to avoid stepping upon but were still bare in plain sight to be seen.
Among the last things that Lydia noted was the lack of wildlife. She recalled before the battle had started speaking with Skulvar about how the fauna like deer and elk were still missing from the rolling plains of Whiterun Hold. It may have been somewhat strange that they were missing before the fight, but there was no denying why they would be missing now of all times. With the smell of fire in the air, not to mention blood and battle, Lydia hoped it wouldn't be too long before they'd eventually populate the land again. Some hunters and vendors in Whiterun's market and even citizens of the city make their living and livelihood off of plentiful game to be found out here.
All these factors in mind, Lydia drew a sharp breath. She thought her nerves had been steadied by this point already, but perhaps the reality of it hadn't sunken in just yet. She had really been part of that? A massive battle for Whiterun to determine its ultimate fate? Never-mind that they had won it? Gods only know how Siffre must be handling this.
Speaking of her thane, Siffre walked side-by-side with her along the road. She was silent, though characteristically so at this point. Where there was a time Lydia would feel unnerved or even discomfort from the silence, she was beginning to accept silence from her thane. It's not like silence from her was out of nowhere though; she had been through the exact same ordeal she herself had been through as well. Probably even more so with that whole thing with Hrongar...
She glanced at Siffre's side profile again as she recalled that. Siffre's look maintained an image of silence, stoicism, and with a tiny hint of sadness. As she was looking at her from her right side, she could see that trio of scar lines along her mouth. Her lips were closed, but not pursed shut as if she were refraining from saying something. At this time, she simply remained focused on walking forward, just as she was.
'I've never been thinking of this before. Am I... am I just wanting conversation?' she thought to herself, 'Siffre wasn't really big on conversations, but... maybe I could try something...'
"So... my thane," she casually started, "Is... it just me, or do certain colors around us appear... brighter?"
"Hm? Brighter?" Siffre could actually be heard softly replying. Her head had turned ever so slightly so that only one eye glanced towards her.
"Well yeah, like... everything just seems brighter? Richer in color?" Lydia's hand indicated to the nearby grass off the side of the road.
"I... guess so," Siffre said with a shrug. She glanced down towards the ground even as they continued to walk forward before, she eventually looked back up to face where she was going. Lydia gave a small frown. Siffre had spoken, but not as much as she would've preferred.
'Huh, have things really changed since we first met all those days ago...?' she thought to herself.
By now the two women had passed the Western Watchtower, with Fort Greymoor soon to follow. The former location saw considerable improvement from the last time the two had been there. Debris had been cleaned up, though even the recent battle had shown its marks in this location as well. A mix of yellow and red colored figures could be seen walking about the tower; it appeared that Imperial soldiers were present along with Whiterun guards even now.
By contrast, the fort was predominantly held by the Imperial soldiers. Fort Greymoor drew ever closer as the two women walked along the road. In this midday breeze, Imperial banners fluttered in the wind along the outside walls and along the entrance archway. As with the watchtower and even earlier in Whiterun itself, the ground all around was littered with bodies still. Bodies both dressed red and blue, belonging to Imperials and Stormcloaks respectively. Lydia could still recall the deadly fighting last night and just how many lives had been claimed. From the fact that there were fewer bodies lying about on the ground at this time, cleanup and seeing to fallen soldiers must nearly be finished for the Imperials.
A couple of Imperial soldiers could be seen standing at the entrance and even walking along the upper walkway of the outer wall. As the women walked past the soldiers turned their heads to regard them, though they didn't say anything. Eventually, they passed by the fort completely, with the whole of Whiterun Hold stretched back out before them.
"Um... Lydia?" Siffre's soft voice spoke up. Lydia turned almost too quickly and anxiously to regard her thane.
"Y-yes, my thane?" she said. Siffre cast a quick look back behind them towards the fort and the Imperials before continuing.
"So... you were at that fort, right? With the Imperials?" she asked. Her seemingly out of nowhere questioning brought to mind last night. Lydia recalled her tour of the fort, as well as her time spent with the Imperials.
"Yes? I was," she said. There as a rather curious look on Siffre's face upon answering her question.
"Then, was there any point where..." she said, "Um... did any of them... mention, or ask about me?" Lydia found herself slowing to a halt as she was further questioned, which in turn caused Siffre to halt in place on the road as well.
"Mention you? Well, why would they have-"
Just like that, instantaneous realization hit Lydia's mind. From everything Siffre had told her of her recent past, and how she had been taken to Helgen alongside the Stormcloaks by the Imperials, of course there would be wonder along those lines. Of course, there might be possibility that she'd been recognized by one of them, however slim the chances.
"Oh, you need not worry, my thane," Lydia assured her with a wave of her hand, "I didn't tell any of them anything. You know, about what you once were back in Cyrodiil? I kept it to myself completely."
"Really? You really didn't tell any of them?" Siffre asked to which Lydia shook her head. The Dragonborn could be seen giving a silent sigh of what sounded like relief. She proceeded to resume walking along the road alongside Lydia.
"Then, I appreciate that, Lydia. Really."
"Yeah, I figured you'd want to avoid that kind of attention from certain people," Lydia said, "I mean it was Imperials that had captured you and taken you to Helgen, wasn't it?"
"Yes, it was..." Siffre nodded, "But... that wasn't all. There was also... there were Thalmor there too."
"Wait, what? Really?" Lydia said. Her mind recalled the most recent Thalmor that herself as well as Siffre had encountered within the last hours, "Was it the same one that was there in Whiterun?"
"No, it wasn't," Siffre shook her head, "The one I saw at Helgen... it was a woman, not a man. I... don't know her name, and she never spoke to me. To anyone."
"I remember in Whiterun that Thalmor saying 'agents' might've thought it was you in Helgen..." Lydia said, "You don't think... could those Thalmor that were at Helgen have survived?"
"I don't know, but I really don't see how," Siffre said. Her gaze slowly drifted in front of her again. Her eyes appeared to be looking straight out toward something, yet nothing at the same time. It was that sort of 'thousand-yard stare' as to indicate something heavy was on her mind, "The dragon at Helgen... it... it destroyed everything! Killed everyone...!"
"Hey hey," Lydia quickly placed a hand on her thane's shoulder. The Dragonborn slowly turned her gaze towards her, "That's not gonna happen again, right? You'll make sure of that. 'We' will make sure of that!" The look distant horror on Siffre's face persisted, but at the very least she had her eyes refocused on Lydia this time.
"I mean, that's why we're going to this 'Valthume' in the first place, isn't it?" she continued, "To find... whatever it was, that could help you as a Dragonborn?"
"Hm, maybe... yeah, maybe," Siffre said. The horror on her face gave way to thought and consideration. She looked back up at Lydia to give her a nod. Her eyes were no longer filled with past horrors lingering into the present, which the housecarl considered a good thing. She pat Siffre one more time on her shoulder before continuing to walk along the stone path.
"Lydia..." Siffre said as she walked alongside her, "Again, thanks. You know, for not telling those Imperials about me."
"Of course, Siffre," Lydia said with a nod. After thinking for a moment she added, "Heh, imagine if the Imperials could 'look the other way' if you were to just tell them you were the Dragonborn, am I right?" She found herself chuckling a little at her own comment. To her mild surprise, a small smile crept up along Siffre's lips as well. She didn't chuckle as Lydia did, but that smile in itself was enough indicator to show an improvement in mood.
The two warriors continued to walk on in relative silence, following their talk. The only sorts of sounds to fill the air was the trilling of insects and the distant call of birds. It was peaceful, soothing even, in its own way. So much more preferable to the sounds of battle that both had been a part of not too long ago. The further they walked along the stone pathway, the more that Lydia began to notice the smell of burning fire on the air growing more and more faint. By now it was as small and subtle as the smell of a home's fireplace that had just recently been extinguished. Perhaps the fighting itself had not stretched past beyond what the Stormcloaks were trying to 'liberate'.
'If the Stormcloaks 'had' taken Whiterun, that means they'd have gone for Riverwood and Rorikstead soon afterwards, wouldn't they?' she thought to herself. It seemed like the likeliest step to take; both of those towns were a part of Whiterun Hold after all, and under Jarl Balgruuf's guard and protection. Well, thank goodness such a thing never did, nor could've happened.
Eventually, the stone pathway began to slightly curve to the right. There were a few land rises to their right, but they were completely dwarfed by the massive mountain range on their left side. Looking up the peaks of these mountains stretched up far, yet just barely managing to not touch the clouds in the sky at all. The Throat of the World had all other mountains in this land beat in terms of sheer height for sure; still, these mountains were impressive on their own.
Lydia could even see a couple of worn pathways from the mountains laying across the stone walkway. They were completely dried up at this time, but it was clear to see that they acted as the naturally worn pathway for melted snow to run down the mountain as cold streams. This time of year was not quite warm enough for any streams to be running from the melted mountain snow.
This path led onward for the next few minutes or so. Both women continued their walk in silence, though more comfortable silence at this point. By now the faint smell of smoke and burning fire had become so faint it could hardly be detected anymore. In its place was that familiar smell of natural air; crisp, cool air with the scent of natural trees on the gentle wind.
Eventually, Siffre and Lydia noticed a branching pathway leading off to the left from their present path. This path led upwards on a steady incline towards a small pass in the mountains. At the very spot where this path met the main one, the two women could see a familiar wooden post with a number of wooden arrows pointing in different directions. All of them had single words written upon them.
"Here we go, signpost," Lydia said. She pointed a finger to a couple of the indicated directions, "Whiterun and Riften are back the way we came, while Rorikstead, Markarth, and Solitude are on this path. And that way is... Falkreath, and..." She deliberately trailed off instead of mentioning the name of the other settlement.
"Helgen."
Lydia glanced at Siffre as she whispered the word. The look on her face read differently however; she wasn't displaying her usual horror at the mere mention of Helgen this time, but the look of discomfort was still plain to see. The housecarl had noted that this was beginning to become a sore subject in general. Even if she herself wasn't present at the time when the dragon attacked, Siffre had painted an agonizingly clear picture in her mind of what must have happened.
"Well, good thing we're not heading that way, right?" Lydia said, attempting to air out the obvious discomfort in the air. She gave a quick wave motion with her hand, "Let's be on our way, this way."
"Yeah, right..." Siffre replied just as silently as before. She nevertheless followed after Lydia rather hastily, as if eager to put as much distance between herself and that direction as possible.
The pathway they walked upon gradually began to curve downward; the land itself gave way to a steady incline before leveling off again a few feet downward. Towards the flat of land was where the mountains on the left were separating completely, while the small land rises on the right side persisted.
As the two warriors made their way down the incline of land, Lydia was beginning to feel it all coming back to her. Many years ago, as per order of the Jarl, she had found herself venturing out toward Rorikstead. She couldn't quite recall what exactly she was tasked with doing back then between protection or active combat of any local bandits. Whatever it was, she remembered wondering why exactly such a settlement so far away from Whiterun was so important at all. She hadn't realized until much later that Rorikstead was actually one of the primary suppliers of Whiterun's produce like vegetables. The whole time she'd lived believing Carlotta grew every piece of produce that Whiterun ever ate!
"Have you... ever been to Rorikstead before, Lydia?" Siffre could be heard saying. Lydia glanced at her thane, surprised that what she was just thinking about was a question being openly posed to her at the same time.
"I have actually, many years ago, a couple times," she said.
"What's it like?"
"Hmmm, Rorikstead... it's a nice enough little hamlet, I suppose," she said, "They had a decent farm about them I remember, growing things like leeks, lettuce, and carrots."
"And... it's really part of Whiterun as well?" Siffre asked, "We've had to... walk far to get there already."
"Oh yes, it's part of Whiterun," Lydia nodded, "Even I had wondered way back then how such a place was also a part of Jarl Balgruuf's domain with the distance as well. But I guess it is what it-"
"Lydia, wait."
Siffre's voice was quiet as before, but there was a slight edge to it. Lydia glanced up at her thane's face.
"My thane? What's wrong...?"
Siffre did not reply, but Lydia could still see the look on her face all the same. Her eyes were narrowed, focused, and looking towards the path before them. At first, Lydia didn't see anything, hear anything. The only thing before them was the stone pathway leading along the steadily flattening plain, the distant sound of chirping birds filling the air, the natural rising landmasses no bigger than the two of them on the right side.
And then she saw it. Barely concealed behind one of these landmasses was a sharp... something. Any other time Lydia would have written it off as a sharpened piece of rock. After focusing really hard on this 'rock' however, she could see that it was in fact swaying ever so slightly, and its tip gave off the tiniest of gleams in the midday sun. That was no 'rock', but the tip of a sword!
A bigger question now presented itself: who was holding that sword, and clearly hiding?
Lydia hastily drew her own sword, deliberately letting the sound of metal scrape on the leather of the sheath fill the air.
"Is someone there?! Show yourself! Now!" she declared. At first, there was no immediate reply, save for the sound of Siffre slowly raising her own hand and gripping the hilt of her own great sword on her back.
That silence was quickly broken however as a sound was heard. Something made a sound that sounded like... a curse? No sooner was it heard than movement was in fact seen.
"Drgh, clever one, aren't you?"
A figure stepped out from behind the rising landmass. The first thing noted on this person was that patched fur armor covering nearly his entire body. Even from the distance between himself and the two women, Lydia could see that sneering expression gracing his face. His weapon was pointed in their direction, and his intentions were made clear in that moment.
"But clever won't save you when we take the gold of your corpses!" A voice called out, but it was not the voice of the man the two women were focused on. Before their momentary surprise could give way to panic, more movement caught their eyes.
Another figure stepped out from the opposing side of the pathway. Another highwayman from the looks of it. Unlike his counterpart however, this one was dressed in fur armor covering his legs but not the upper body. Most likely because as a Khajiit, that was not needed for him. While facial features were harder to read on a cat-person, the barred teeth and the ears folded back displayed its aggression all too well. This one also held a single-handed sword by the hilt in one hand and supported by the other hand, a threatening display.
"Highwaymen..." Lydia spoke in a low tone. She then adjusted her voice to address the aggressors directly, "You threaten a thane of Whiterun and her housecarl! Attack us at your peril!" A final scraping of metal on leather, and Siffre drew her own long sword as well. She held it in both hands and faced the two bandits.
"Oh-ho! You hear that, buddy? Lap-dogs of the Jarl she claims!" the human called out to the Khajiit. He turned his sneer back in Lydia's direction, "You're a long way from home, aren't you?"
"Must be ripe pickings from a Jarl on you, in that case...!" the Khajiit added. Every word uttered from these two set Lydia's hairs on the back of her neck on edge. Her anger steadily began to boil, forcing herself to maintain temperance of her emotions. It was difficult though; the sheer audacity of these two vagabonds!
"This is your last warning..." Siffre spoke in her low tone as well. She gripped the hilt of her great sword tightly with both hands as she focused on the other two, "Walk away... now."
"Oh, we'll be walking away alright," the human said, "Along with every septim you've got on you!"
The Khajiit let out a loud feline-like hiss, and the two bandits quickly rushed forward. This was an outcome not preferred, but nevertheless one that Lydia was ready for. She pounded the hilt of her sword against her shield a couple of times before rushing forward herself.
Her opponent being the right side, she met the human bandit in a deadlock of their two blades. A small flash of sparks flew from where the metal weapons clashed against each other. Lydia was also afforded a closer view of the man's face, his grimacing face as he held his blade crossed against her own. She could see that faint tug at the corner of his lips in a smile, that smug sort of smile that suggested he was in control. Lydia felt the urge to be unnerved, but she held her emotions in check, as well as held her own control against the deadlock.
Eventually, the man's lips steadily drooped from a faint smile to a slight frown. Lydia could feel it too: her own strength placed into her sword arm was very slowly overpowering his own! If she could force it down just a little more...
Finally, the strength of her own arm forced the man's blade-wielding arm to swing downward hard. The bandit grunted in frustration from this sudden turn of events, but Lydia wasn't done. She quickly forced her elbow into the man's sternum as hard as she could. The result was the bandit being forced back a step and a rush of air from his lips from the sound of air that had left his lungs.
The bandit visibly snarled at what had just happened, at how this tide had seemingly shifted out of his favor. He hastily brought his arm back up to slash at Lydia again.
The housecarl was quick to bring up her own shield to block the strike however. She could feel the impact of the blade against the shield, again and again as the bandit slashed repeatedly. In between her shield blocks she couldn't help but notice a difference in pressure compared to last night's fight with the Stormcloaks. The soldiers then practically pounded on her shield arm and sent hard vibrations through her body. This man however barely sent any hard vibrations with how hard he was striking. Was he truly weaker? Or could it be that the Stormcloaks were truly stronger than anything she'd ever feel in the future?
She bashed away a sword strike with her shield, intent to finish the man off quickly. Unfortunately, the man appeared to have other plans. Instead of finding him wide open for a counterattack, the male bandit himself was preparing to follow-up himself. Lydia could only catch glimpses as the man suddenly brought his foot up and planted it against her body, hard.
Lydia could feel the pressure of the boot against her lower midsection but was unfortunately unable to do anything to prevent its intended effect by the aggressor. She could feel herself being pushed back as a result.
'Damn him! she thought in her head, 'He didn't kick me too hard though, I can-'
Whatever plan she had thought up in her head immediately was dashed within the next few seconds. She felt her foot catch on something, and thus found herself tumbling backwards and eventually crashing back first onto the hard, dusted stone walkway beneath her! Lydia felt the wind be momentarily knocked out of her for a moment, though this was more out of surprise than from any pain from the impact. What in the world had happened?
Her feet? The man had kicked her backward, but she actually 'stumbled' over her own feet?!
'Damn my own feet! What's going on here?!'
"Heh, clumsy one, aren't you?" the bandit sneered. His look didn't have the desired effect on Lydia however. She shot back his sneer with a look of defiance of her own.
The only thing that was largely hurt was her pride. She could get out of this, she needed to scramble back to her feet and-
"Lydia!"
The housecarl's head shot to the left at the sound of the voice. Lydia watched as her thane practically 'ran' from her side of the road to the opposing side! The hilt held gripped in both hands, and the blade and tip pointed straight towards the male bandit.
It was then that Lydia also saw it: the look in her thane's eyes. They were hardened, focused. Filled with anger? She had never seen such a fury in Siffre's eyes before, and it... it rather shocked her. This was combined with the practically snarling of her visibly barred teeth, and the Dragonborn had seemingly appeared a different person before Lydia's eyes.
The male bandit himself glanced to the side as well. He too caught a look at Siffre practically barreling towards him. He tried to reorient himself to prepare for the other woman but was too slow.
Siffre wasted no time in plunging her great sword into the bandit's midsection. The sound of metal cutting through cloth and flesh ripped through the air. But Siffre didn't stop there: she pushed harder and harder, the man's screams of pain drowning out all other sounds. She pressed her assault even further until she essentially 'hilted' her entire sword through the man's body completely. In fact, from her low angle on the ground, Lydia even watched as the lengthy great-sword emerged out of the bandit's back, completely red and blood-soaked.
And Siffre still wasn't done. She very slowly, as well as with some effort, angled her sword towards the sky ever so slightly. This steady motion eventually transitioned to her 'lifting' the impaled bandit above her own sword and hands! His feet barely left the ground by about an inch as well!
The bandit was not faring well himself at all. His sword had clattered to the ground as his hand lost grip of it. His eyes practically bugged out of their sockets as a blood-curdled cry burst from his open mouth. Droplets of blood splattered on the front of Siffre's armor. She wasn't nearly as blood-soaked as Lydia had seen her last night, but there was still just enough for her to see this time.
Finally, after a handful of seconds, Siffre slowly lowered the tip of her sword to angle away from the sky. The bandit's feet touched back onto the ground, yet the weight of the body was not supported by them at all. The Dragonborn meanwhile mustered all of her strength to rip her great-sword back out from the impaled bandit. Blood from the tip of her sword could be seen flying off and splattering against the walkway. In a two-fold motion the dying body of the bandit fell backwards and crumpled off the edge of the walkway. Eventually, he lay completely still and silent, death having claimed his life quickly.
Lydia had continued to watch from her prone position on the ground. She had watched as her thane had come to her apparent rescue, coupled with the sheer... brutality. She'd not only watched Siffre positively impale that bandit to such a degree, but she'd watched the entire time that look on her face as she did so. That look of sheer focus, as well as anger, focused on a single target. And the way the other woman's teeth were barred in such a snarling expression, Lydia was reminded of not too long ago this morning, seeing her thane outside Whiterun with a very similar expression on her face...
Then Siffre turned her head. Her attention was refocused back to her, looking down while she still lay on the ground. However, the expression changed in an instant. Siffre's eyes looking down at her were filled with genuine concern and worry, rather than crazed bloodlust. How quickly she had changed faces too, the disbelief only mounted in the housecarl.
With one hand, Siffre reached down and offered it towards her.
"Lydia... are you alright?" she asked. The tone of worry in her voice matched the look on her face. She also spoke with relatively normal volume, yet the vibrations were significantly reduced from times before.
Lydia snapped herself out of her dumbfounded state and regained her senses. She was still on the ground after all, so she reached up to take Siffre's hand in her own. The Dragonborn pulled the other woman to her feet.
"Yeah, I'm alright, my thane," she said. She gave a quick shake of her shoulders to free dust off of them.
"You're not injured, are you?" Siffre asked, "I saw you had fallen down, and, well..."
"I'm fine, really," Lydia waved her hand, "I just... got careless is all. Wasn't paying attention and... fell."
"You... fell?" Siffre's eyes flashed with momentary confusion, followed by bewilderment, "How... did that happen? Were you shoved, by-"
"I said I'm fine!"
Lydia's voice was laced with a hint of frustration as she spoke. Siffre must have picked up on this as well. Her eyes narrowed, but she relented from pressing any further.
Just as quickly, the housecarl regretted the edge in her tone just now.
"I... sorry, Siffre," she spoke with a more controlled tone this time, "I really am fine. You don't need to worry."
"Alright, if you're sure..." The two held their glances at each other for a handful of seconds. Lydia looked upon Siffre's face, her once hardened facial features softening considerably. No longer did her eyes carry that fury she'd witnessed a moment ago, but the exact feeling she'd felt from seeing it before persisted.
Why did seeing that look on her thane's face create such a feeling within her? And what was it she was even feeling? Fear? Intimidation? Assurance even?
'Assurance? Of what? That my thane is the one protecting me rather than the other way around?' she thought to herself, 'What kind of housecarl am I if that's the case?'
Siffre turned her gaze away to regard the now corpses on the side of the road before them. Her face was turned completely way so that Lydia couldn't see exactly the look on her face at all.
"Well... they won't be a problem anymore," she heard her say. It was true: the cocky male bandit she had just been fighting lay on the ground in a pool of his own blood. A large, open gash wound stained red seen at his midsection.
Looking to the opposite side she could see that the other Khajiit bandit was already dead. Just like his cohort he too lay dead on the ground, only this one was noticeably short by a head, literally. Blood continued to pump in small bursts from the neck stump where the cat's head had once been, the head nowhere to be seen. Any momentary feelings of regret or remorse were quickly forgotten upon remembering that 'they' started this. Even after giving them plenty of chance to stand down, they brought this on themselves...
"Highwaymen on Whiterun's roads," she noted, "And with Whiterun itself having suffered that attack from the Stormcloaks..."
"Would make sense though. Bandits like this prey on opportunity," Siffre added before looking all around the area, "There were only two of them here... small group?"
"I certainly hope so. And now at least two less bandits to potentially harm anyone else..." As Lydia trailed off, she glanced to Siffre again. Her face once again out of view from how her head was turned. Was that comment unwarranted? Insensitive in a way?
She shook her head. No, it wasn't. These were bandits, the unrepentant kind. Siffre wasn't like them, and she'd made that clear herself many times before. Surely, she wouldn't take offense to that in any way.
The Dragonborn could be seen bending down to the lifeless body of the male bandit. She appeared to be... patting it down? She almost opened her mouth to question her, until she watched her pull something from the body in her hand.
"Only five gold... Looks like they really were desperate..." she said. She then rejoined Lydia and presented her open hand to show her the coins. Five septims in her palm, just as she said.
With a quick shrug she took the coins from the hand and added them to the coin-purse on her own person. Likely those coins would find better use with them than on the dead bodies of these killers.
"Well anyway, we should stay alert going forward. You know, just in case."
"Yeah, good idea..." Siffre agreed. With that she used the side of her arm to give a quick wipe of the blood off of her blade. A quick flick of her arm in a downwards motion and the ground was sporting a small, thin splatter of blood. The two women sheathed their respective weapons and continued.
The walk continued on in relative silence. For about ten minutes or so they walked along the slightly curving walkway. Though their attention was kept on alert for anything else, there were no other encounters on the road to delay them. Perhaps the more wide-open view of the road before them attributed to that: there was no way an ambush spot wouldn't go unseen by them, or anyone else for that matter.
In fact, Lydia glanced off to the right side in the distance to see something. There, in the distant flat plains of the Hold, one of the more magnificent sights: a small group of mammoths, and a pair of giants herding them. Were it not for their legs moving, the two creatures moved so slowly they almost appeared to not move at all. Occasionally one of the mammoths would twitch its massive head and tusks side to side while the giants gently herded them along.
The sight of a herd of mammoths with shepherding giants was certainly nothing new to Lydia. She'd seen them a few times growing up both gazing from afar, and the occasional warding off a stray group that wandered a little too close to Whiterun citizens out in the open. For the most part the giants kept themselves, even when on the road, just as this group was doing themselves.
'They're walking in the direction... the general direction of Whiterun,' she thought as she glanced back between them and where she had come from. There was no worry, for the most part giants were wary enough to steer clear of civilization or where denser populations were, 'If they're feeling confident enough to tread the Hold again... maybe other game might reappear in Whiterun's fields again! Gods, I hope so...'
About three more minutes of walking passed when finally, the two women could see something before them. There, still a way's out from where they stood, the faint image of a couple of buildings could be seen. Only about three or four of them on both sides of the road, with a couple of large gardens out in the open.
"Is that it?" Siffre asked.
"That's it. Rorikstead," Lydia nodded.
It had been quite a while since she'd visited this place herself. The last time had been on an escort duty along with fellow guardsman. A rather bountiful harvest at the time meant all the more produce to be brought in from the smaller settlement back to the larger city. Unlike this time however, there were no bandits or highwaymen to prey upon the precious cargo, which even then she was thankful for. Other than that, Rorikstead wasn't a place often traveled for her.
The two women continued to walk, the settlement slowly growing larger as they themselves drew closer.
"Looks like... I see a lot of... gardens," Siffre noted.
"Yes well, a good majority of Whiterun's own food like vegetables comes from here," Lydia explained, "Carlotta does well enough at her own stand in the market, but most of it comes from here."
"It's really far though," Siffre said, "A place this far out... and still under Whiterun's rule?"
"I guess it is. No idea why they did choose to establish way out here though," Lydia said with a shrug. Growing up and learning of basic Whiterun geography, she had wondered herself as to why this was herself. Over time and as she grew older, she stopped wondering and simply accepted it as it was. Eventually commands by the Jarl involving trips to and from Rorikstead felt less and less daunting.
The two women approached the settlement now before them. The very faint scent of smoke in the air had long since vanished completely, replaced instead with that of wheat, cabbages, and leeks. A rather large garden was seen on the right side of the pathway just outside of the settlement's own borders and was currently being tended to by a couple of people.
As their attention was drawn back to the road that ran central and through Rorikstead, they could see people currently walking along it as well. Yellow-garbed Whiterun guards, and... red-garbed Imperials?
Lydia blinked in momentary confusion. There were Imperials stationed here. Already?
"Housecarl Lydia?"
The attention of the two was drawn to a voice. Looking to the side they could see an elder man standing next to a fencing around one of the gardens. He was dressed in rather fancy clothing, a contrast from the rustic environment of this farming settlement.
"Jouane," she regarded him. His facial features held mild worry about them as he looked at them.
"By the Gods, we could see the fires in the night and hear the sounds of battle all the way out here. What happened?"
"It was Stormcloaks," Lydia replied, "They attacked Whiterun last night, tried to overthrow Balgruuf's rule in favor of Jarl Ulfric." She pursed her lips momentarily as memories of last night nearly flooded back into her mind again. Shaking her head she continued, "But they were stopped."
"Stormcloaks?" Jouane's eyes widened for a moment at the mention of the word, "I hadn't realized they would ever be so brazen. Then... that might explain the sudden Imperial presence here." A quick glance to the side reminded Lydia of said troops. A couple of them could now be seen walking nearby the yellow-clad Whiterun guardsmen up and down the central pathway that ran through the settlement.
"When did they arrive here?" she asked.
"Not too long ago. This trio of them arrived only yesterday," Jouane replied, "I thought they were staying only temporarily, but Rorik's told me that their presence is more longer-term."
"It is likely that it'll be permanent," Lydia said with a nod, "You see, after Balgruuf's forces had prevailed, he decreed that Imperial troops would be allowed presence in his city, maybe even the Hold too."
"Did he now? So... his time of neutrality has finally passed?" Lydia nodded again. Jouane turned his gaze towards the ground, as if contemplating something for a moment.
"I wasn't aware though that extended to our little hamlet," he said before shrugging slightly, "Still, an increase in guard presence here I wouldn't consider all that bad. It's helped keep us safe from bandits thus far."
"You should be careful on the roads; Lydia and I... we ran into a pair of desperate highwaymen," Siffre softly spoke up while indicating with a thumb over her shoulder back where they had come from. Her sudden speaking drew Jouane's attention to her completely.
"Hm? Who is this?"
"This is Jarl Balgruuf's Thane of Whiterun, Siffre," Lydia introduced, while the Dragonborn regarded with a simple nod as well.
"Oh, forgive me!" Jouane's eyes momentarily widened as well, "Allow me to introduce myself: I am Jouane, loyal friend to Rorik. I am honored to meet a thane of the Jarl."
"And... who is Rorik?" Siffre asked.
"He owns this place; it's why it's named after him as well," Lydia replied. She instinctively glanced all around her before speaking again, "Is he not around though?"
"Well, I saw him speaking with one of the guards, a few minutes ago, before heading back inside," Jouane said while pointing a finger towards the building in question, "Likely he's gone for another drink; you know how he tends to be..."
Lydia nodded; she had only met Rorik a scarce couple of times, but each time he seemed... distant, almost withdrawn to speak than the last. Given her learned history of him, or rather what Jouane had relayed to her himself, it did seem understandable. A quiet farm-life was likely what someone like him desired above many other things.
On that note, she gazed upon the relatively quiet farming settlement again. Rorikstead was still going about its daily life, with a couple of its citizens out tending the massive gardens with farming equipment. Aside from them, as well as the few guardsmen that patrolled up and down the road, it almost felt... idyllic here. One would've never thought there was a war going on with how calm and peaceful things appeared to be.
"The fighting at Whiterun really hadn't come this far out at all?" she found herself asking. The elder Breton shook his head gently.
"Thankfully no. We weren't even aware something of the sort was actually happening last night. It's my hope though that the guards will help maintain that sense of safety in the days to come."
"What about from dragons?"
Siffre's question earned her a quick look from Lydia. It was almost out of nowhere, however... she did have a point. These days the threat of a dragon attack was very real. The two of them could very much attest to that. Compared that, an attack brought about by the civil war almost seemed trivial.
Almost.
"Dragons... I shudder to think about that," Jouane's gaze once again turned distant as the word was spoken, "Sadly, there really is little we can do if a dragon ever comes here. This is a farming town, and we're not fighters. Even with the guards we now have, I worry..."
"So, no dragons have come here?" Siffre continued, to which Jouane shook his head again, "Well... that's good, at least."
"And you'll all take shelter if one does come here?" Lydia chimed in.
"Of course, housecarl Lydia. We will not take any chances," Jouane replied. The three of them were silent for a moment before the man spoke up again, "But anyway... What brings you all the way out here?"
"Well, we were actually searching for something," Lydia explained, "Something that was described as 'south of Rorikstead'. Do you... Would you happen to know of anything south of here?"
"South of here?" Jouane said, "I'm afraid I don't know much of what's out there. I've rarely ventured beyond this town's boundaries myself. The only thing that might come to mind is the Karth River, in that direction." He pointed his finger in said direction, prompting Siffre and Lydia to look as well. The two women could see a gentle rise of land that likely comprised a hill, with a barely beaten pathway leading up along it.
"What about..." Siffre softly spoke up, "Have you ever heard of... well, something called... 'Valthume'?"
"Valthume? Hm... I cannot say that I have," Jouane pondered for a moment before shaking his head, "Although, that name itself does sound vaguely... Nordic. I've heard tales of the Nords of old would give strange names to such places in the past. Ancient places, like crypts, burial sites, or even places of worship."
"So, that's what it might be? Some kind of ancient place?" Lydia asked.
"That would be my g-"
"Excuse me, Jouane?"
The attention of the three was suddenly drawn to the side. Siffre and Lydia turned to see someone approaching them, someone dressed in red-garbed armor.
"Oh, yes sir? Is there something I can help you with?" Jouane replied to the Imperial.
"Well, we have just finished clearing out that nearby bandit encampment," the soldier indicated over his shoulder. Curiously, he pointed in the same direction that Jouane himself had indicated to Siffre and Lydia as well when giving his own vague description of where 'south of Rorikstead' might've referred to, "However, there were some things we wanted to clarify with Rorik, your town's leader. Do you know where he might be?"
"Oh, I see. Well, I believe I could at least take you to him, if you'd like," Jouane offered.
"I appreciate that," the Imperial soldier nodded. With that, the elder Breton led the way for the Imperial to follow him, likely towards the building he'd told the two women prior that Rorik was likely to be. He quickly spared a look back towards them before leaving.
"It was good to speak with you, Lydia. And you as well, thane of Whiterun," he said before departing completely. The two walked away completely, and Siffre and Lydia were left alone once again.
"So... in 'that' direction he said?" Siffre absently commented while pointing over said ridge. The Imperial's earlier comment of a bandit encampment in that same direction still lingered in Lydia's mind, "I wonder how... how far in that direction?"
"He did also mention the 'Karth river'?" Lydia added, "Here, let's look at the map again."
Reached down to her side to pull forth the folded parchment. She unfolded it and held it up before the two of them. The women's gaze was drawn to the point they now recognized: Rorikstead.
"Alright, so if the town is here, and the road we traveled came from this way..." Lydia said, her finger trailing along the indicated line, "That means we traveled from the east to get here. And the Karth River..." Her finger drifted along the parchment further down, "I... think this should be it here."
"The man said that Valthume... it sounded Nordic, and like an ancient ruin," Siffre said while inspecting the localized section of the map herself, "So maybe... What if the place is one of these darkened sections of the map?"
"What, you mean all this right here?" Lydia pointed to the rather shaded places directly beneath the map's rendition of the Karth River. Siffre nodded, but Lydia found herself shaking her head a little, "I'm not so sure. I thought all of this was simply rocky terrain in that area. The Jerall Mountains are directly beneath after all."
"Wait... oh, that's... that's a good point," Siffre said with a hint of disappointment in her voice, "Well... it can't hurt to check at least, could it?"
"... Perhaps not," Lydia said before beginning to fold the map back up and put it away, "But my thane... Even if we do find this place, whatever it turns out to be... What is it exactly that we- er, 'you're' expecting to find?"
"Well... the letter said it would be something that can only be 'unlocked by the Dragonborn', remember?" Siffre said, "I've been... thinking about that. I have a feeling that it might be... a Shout."
"A Shout? Like, some other kind of Shout that you could do?" Lydia asked to which Siffre nodded.
"Or maybe even a Word of Power that would make a Shout," the Dragonborn clarified, "It's how... how I've been able to learn Shouts... through these Words. They're written in... these scratches. A different language entirely."
"But wait, that's the part I'm not understanding," Lydia suddenly cut in, "How are you able to learn a Word if it's like that- in some non-Cyrodiilic language? How could you even tell if it was a Word you could learn?"
"It's... hard to explain," Siffre admitted. Nonetheless, after a moment of thought she spoke again, "When a Word of a Shout is before me, I... it's like it's 'calling' to me; I even 'feel' myself being drawn to it. And then... It's like I 'know' what the Word is!" returned Lydia's still somewhat confused expression, "I don't know how else to describe it... but I just 'learn' what that word was in that moment."
"And was this what happened at High Hrothgar? And even at that place in Eastmarch a couple days ago?" Siffre nodded to both of those instances.
"And also..."
She started, but then hesitated. For some reason there was a heavier sense of reservation about her face; Lydia could see it in her eyes. Even as the Dragonborn turned her gaze to seemingly stare far off in some other direction. The housecarl could best describe that as a deeply thoughtful expression. As someone who tended to have them herself, the look was better understood for her.
After a handful of seconds, Siffre spoke again.
"Also, at... Bleak Falls Barrow."
"Bleak Falls Barrow?" Lydia asked. Her momentary confusion quickly faded into familiarity with her, "Oh! That's right... the place you said you found yourself at when you first came to Skyrim?"
"That's right," Siffre nodded, "I... learned that first Word there. I didn't really know what it was I was seeing at the time, but now, looking back... It makes so much more sense..."
Her gaze then quickly turned to over the nearby ridge, the topic of discussion when the other two men were present earlier.
"So... it's gotta be that, for sure," she said, "It has to be a Word of Power, at this place, this Valthume. I don't know what the Word could be... but I have to find out."
Lydia listened intently to her thane speak. In fact, she found herself hanging on her every spoken word rather closely. This was not simply because of the resolution lining the Dragonborn's words, but rather... She was beginning to speak both more frequently, as well as in higher volumes. Or, perhaps that would be best applicable compared to how Siffre first started out. Gone was the constant whispering, and now starting to go was the caution and even some of the hesitation. She was speaking now more frequently, with more clarity, and dare Lydia say: confidence?
For some reason, Lydia found herself liking that more and more about Siffre. How the woman was slowly gaining confidence in both herself, and her ability to speak. It felt very... endearing to her. Was... was that the right word for it? Whatever the case may be, Lydia was ever proud of her thane.
"Well then, Siffre, it is midday. We going to head there now?" Lydia asked.
"I'm ready if you are," Siffre nodded, "Unless this place has some kind of shop for supplies?"
"No, none here, unfortunately," Lydia shook her head, "Rorikstead's only a farming town, not any kind of trading post at all."
"Ah..." Siffre shrugged her shoulders, "Oh well, we still have those potions of health on us, so maybe we'll be fine." Lydia nodded in affirmation.
"I'm with you, my thane. Lead on."
With Siffre leading the way, the two women turned and began towards the natural rise of ground off to the side. They passed one of the buildings on their left side. The pathway they walked upon was nowhere near as pronounced nor easily identified as the stone walkway that ran straight to and through Rorikstead. An unbeaten path was a far better description for it.
The two quickly found themselves standing atop the very high-rise point. A quick glance behind them showed that Rorikstead was at a significantly lowered elevation. Looking before them, something could be seen immediately to the right side.
"Look there. It's a... campsite?" Lydia said. A section of flat rock that jutted out of the ground was indeed the site of what must have been a campsite. What tents were there however had been completely torn down, haphazardly, and the campfire had been swiftly disrupted from what likely was someone's foot.
"Probably that bandits' camp... Remember what that Imperial said before?" Siffre reminded her. Lydia's eyes shot back to the site, now suddenly more aware of its general location.
"But... this one, it's so close!" she found herself saying, "How long had bandits been here, likely able to prey on them below...?" A small shudder ran down her spine at the feeling and implication. Well, thank goodness that they'd been discovered at least.
The two continued to walk past the former bandit campsite a few steps further. They walked until they came to a gradual stop. Siffre and Lydia were given... a rather stunning view of the world before them.
They gazed outward for what felt like miles. Miles upon miles of land stretched forth as well as the rising gray of stone mountains they joined with. They could even see a couple of low drifting clouds that barely scraped against the tips of these mountains. While there was no way of knowing if these mountains were at all as big as the Throat of the World, it was still quite a sight to see such a... a union of world and sky.
It was indeed Skyrim, but it was a part of Skyrim Lydia herself wasn't terribly familiar with. The distant mountains she remembered seeing from the map indicated the mountain range that served as a natural border with Skyrim and Cyrodiil. Even from where they stood upon now, a heightened elevation of land looking down into a small ravine, the land just 'became' vastly different from what Lydia had known before. The two women were gazing upon the part of Skyrim known as the Reach.
"Wow... incredible."
Siffre's soft-spoken voice reached her ears again. She'd spoken softly, but Lydia just... knew. She knew that she wasn't speaking softly due to any sort of reservations from the past. She spoke softly because she too was in awe of what she was seeing.
"It really is, isn't it?" Lydia found herself agreeing.
A glance out of the corner of her eye told her that her thane's face held wonder that reflected that awe. Lydia had seen plenty of the land of Skyrim before, at least from within Whiterun Hold, and found it all a marvel of a sight all the same. However, there was just something different when she was looking upon the land with someone else present with her. Shared experiences and all that, sure, however... there was just something... something else present when it was her and her thane. She couldn't quite place her finger on what it is, but it was a pleasant feeling.
'Is it that... that I enjoy her company?' she thought to herself, 'That could be it. She is an honorable thane to serve as housecarl, sure, but... she is a good companion too. After all we've been through so far... She really is that good a friend to me, isn't she?'
Before Lydia could dare to open her mouth and voice the unspoken notion on her mind, her thane was already speaking.
"Lydia... look there."
The Dragonborn pointed a finger down the incline of the elevated land she and her stood on. Lydia looked down to see at the very base of the ravine was a small stream of rushing water. Momentary confusion graced the housecarl's features.
"The water?" she said, "I think that would be the Karth River, like Jouane-"
"No, not the river," Siffre interrupted, "I mean past it, on the other side..." Lydia shook off her momentary confusion and refocused her sights. Siffre was pointing a finger downward and into the ravine. She was clearly looking at something, but Lydia wasn't quite seeing it, or rather anything of note...
And then, the housecarl saw it. There, on the other side of the river below and a little way past on the other side in the nearby mountainside was... something. A sort of discoloration of rock and stone compared to the grayer of the surrounding mountain itself. What was even more odd about it was how... curved it was. There appeared to be some kind of stone 'arch' that gave the impression of a half-circle. There was no way something natural could make such a peculiar shape on its own. Something like that could've only been... man-made.
Lydia turned to Siffre, while the Dragonborn returned a look of her own.
"You don't think...?" she said.
"I guess... we'll have to find out," Siffre said.
The Dragonborn then led the way, slowly walking down the natural incline. Lydia quickly followed after her. She could feel the slight burning in her legs from walking down a steady incline. It wasn't anything like her walks up and down the Throat of the World however; she was convinced there was little that could come close to feeling like that.
The further down the pair traversed, the more a feeling of nervousness began to creep up within Lydia. Only now was she starting to become aware of how the surrounding rocks 'rose' all around them in height. As someone who grew up in the wide open and flatter plains of Whiterun, it was a strange feeling to be surrounded on all sides by rocks and natural hills. Unnerving really; anything could be hiding behind them or peering over their tops.
As she walked, movement was spotted off to the side. Lydia felt her nerves spike momentarily and she had to stifle herself from calling out as her anxieties almost felt confirmed. In that same moment however, she saw that it wasn't danger at all.
There, off to the side, was a goat that had stepped out from behind one of the large rock formations. It was prancing about on its own, not a care in the world and certainly not fearing the two of them. In fact, it was moving in the same general direction as the rushing river as they were. It must have not seen them though, as it was going about its way.
The descending incline smoothed out, and the two women found themselves standing at a new stone road again. This road ran from left to right as far as they could see.
"Siffre, look here," Lydia suddenly pointed out. The housecarl pointed to a signpost right where they stood. Upon it held six different directives, all pointing in one of two directions.
Siffre re-angled herself to look at the post from the opposite side.
"'Whiterun'... 'Windhelm'... and 'Riften', are all that way," she read while absently glancing in the now right direction, "And the other way is 'Markarth'... 'Solitude', and..." Her eyes frowned as she looked upon the last sign with a word etched upon it, "'Kar-Karth... Karwas'..."
"'Karthwasten'," Lydia spoke up, "Apparently that's the name of another settlement in... the Reach I think it was. I heard it from Proventus once."
"Oh, I see..." Siffre said.
The two women crossed over the stone road and back out onto the more uneven and slanted land on the other side. Eventually they made it to the very edge of the rushing river. The body of water was about ten or so feet across and its water flowed westbound ever onward.
"Well, here we are," Lydia said, her voice slightly elevated to speak over the sound of the rushing currents.
Looking up they could see that strange 'rock formation' a little better. It still appeared small and there was still some distance to cover before reaching it, but more details could be made out. Those curved stones seen before were definitely an archway, and that there were also a set of steps leading up to a small door at the very base. There was no denying that was in fact a man-made structure, with 'inviting' steps and everything.
"But this water looks deep, and the current's pretty strong," Lydia noted before turning to Siffre, "How are we going to get across?"
"There, we could jump across using that," the Dragonborn pointed towards the river. Lydia could then see a large rock with a mostly flattened top. It just barely broke the top of the water line and broke the otherwise smooth flow of the river. The rock didn't connect both sides of land to each other however; the side they were on had at least a few feet's worth of space between them, while the other side was closer.
"That... rock?" she said with a frown, "I don't think that's such a good idea, Siffre." She turned her head in the direction of where the river was flowing from upstream, "Surely there must be a bridge somewhere else we could use to-"
"Come on, Lydia, it's not that bad," Siffre could be heard saying.
The housecarl turned back to look at her thane, only to find that she was already moving. Lydia watched as the Dragonborn took a position near the edge of the river, her feet just out of reach of the water's edge. Before Lydia could voice any sort of protest, Siffre was already taking a couple steps back. She then dashed forward and leapt as hard as she could. Lydia's eyes widened momentarily, fearful of her thane possibly missing her landing.
Thankfully though, Siffre stuck the landing completely. She even held her stance for a few seconds to ensure complete center of balance. She then slowly stood back up on her own legs and turned back to Lydia. There was even a strange look of... confidence, gracing Siffre's face this time.
"See? Come on, Lydia! It's easy!" she called out.
"Whoa! B-be careful, my thane!" Lydia shot back, "You might-!"
Her words went unheeded, as Siffre was already making her way to the other side of the rock. Just as before, the Dragonborn took a leap across the section of water... and landed on actual solid ground. She had cleared the entire river's length and the supporting rock with only a couple of jumps.
Her thane was on the other side of the river, completely fine, yet Lydia's anxieties were not eased in spite of that. What was she doing? She could have tripped, slipped, or fallen straight into that running river! Then what would have happened?
'But she didn't, did she?' her own mind suddenly questioned her, 'She managed to make it across with no problem!' A frown graced her features from her own 'mental debate'. Lydia then quickly shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind.
'Siffre's been handling herself quite well recently. And I... I should have a little more faith in her, like she does in me!'
With that Lydia carefully made her way to the near edge of the river, where she had seen Siffre stand before. While she focused primarily on herself and her own stance, out of the corner of her eye she could see Siffre across the way. The Dragonborn must have still been standing there, waiting for her. For now though she had to focus on herself.
A couple of steps back, and Lydia took a running jump herself. The sound of rushing water filled the air all around her despite the source being primarily beneath her. The crisp, cool air blew hard around her head and ears as she jumped. Her eyes remained locked on the rock, her sole hope for a stable landing.
Her boots made contact with the rock. Instinctively Lydia held her stance to balance herself as best she could. Did she... make it? Looking all around her she could see that she was standing in the 'center' of the running river and atop the rock! She had made it! She hadn't slipped and fallen into the river like she'd feared she would. Anxiety in her still remained, but she was almost certain she could feel the faint rush of... excitement, within her.
"You're doing it, Lydia!" Siffre's voice called out to her, "I said you could! Now come on, one more jump...!"
Glancing back up Lydia could see Siffre looking out at her. A rather hopeful expression on her face as she watched her from afar. She was really supporting her? The housecarl could feel her worries diminishing and more at the feeling of someone supporting her. It was a much-needed boost for her confidence indeed. Maybe, she could make this jump!
She looked at the opposing side of the rock where she'd have to make her next jump. Compared to before the space between it and the river's edge was not nearly as wide and far apart.
Despite the distance not being that great, Lydia still opted to get as much of a running start as she could manage. She again leaped forward through the air... and landed on solid ground. Just like before she held her stance to balance herself, then slowly straightened back up again.
"Nice one, Lydia!" Siffre said, joining the other woman to clap a hand on her shoulder, "I told you we could get across this way!"
"So you did," Lydia admitted. In this moment, Lydia found herself flushing lightly from the praise. That, in addition to the rush of excitement she'd experienced from something as simple as jumping across a river on a rock, she didn't even try to hide the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth, "That was... kind of fun, to be honest."
Siffre didn't respond with words, but still returned her smile with a smile of her own. She then turned in place and looked out towards the large, distant rock faces. Their destination was literally in plain sight: a section of discolored rocks standing out from the wider rock wall. A curved arc of stone, as if it was purposely placed there rather than being born of the rock itself. The ruins of Valthume beckoned.
"That looks to be it, I'd say," Lydia said, "Well, if we're really doing this, then let's do it."
Siffre and Lydia made their way across the relatively flatter ground. There was the tiniest hint of an incline felt as the ground gradually rose upwards. A number or rocks jutted out from the flat of the ground. There was still wide-open space to walk between them, yet enough to feel the sheer difference in environment.
Lydia could see over the tops of some of these large rocks. The back of her mind created the idea of someone hiding just behind them and peering their heads over to watch them. Instinctively she pursed her lips at the thought. As much as she didn't like that, it still remained a distinct possibility. This was completely new territory for her, metaphorically as well as literally.
In no time however the two women finally closed in on their destination. Now that Valthume was directly in front of them, the two could see the 'base' of this stone formation was actually a set of stairs! The very wide steps stretched the entire front width of the ruins and led upwards towards a hollow in the front. Turning her gaze upward, Lydia could see the very 'apex' of the curved stone arch was actually a stone carving of a face. Of course, it was barely recognized as a face at all from the sheer erosion from the elements.
"This has got to be one of those old Nordic ruins I'd heard about," Lydia said before turning to Siffre, "Think so?"
"Yeah... It definitely is..." the Dragonborn spoke softly. Her volume wasn't spoken out of reservation this time; it almost felt like genuine curiosity.
She then began to make her way up the steps, Lydia following close behind. The two passed through into the hollow, where they found an old double-door and two unlit braziers on both sides. Instinctively, Lydia took hold of the ancient doorknob on the right, while Siffre took hold of the left. Both glanced at each other, gave a single nod, and pulled.
Two sets of heavy groaning filled the air, but not from the two women. The doors themselves were groaning as the incredibly old doors turned on equally old hinges seemingly for the first time in years. In fact, small clouds of dust could be seen pouring off from the door edges where the hinges likely were. Nevertheless, the doors easily yielded to the combined efforts of Siffre and Lydia.
The first thing Lydia laid eyes upon within was death.
Her breath hitched momentarily as she caught sight of a skeleton! A set of bones completely stripped of any sort of body parts or even clothing. These bones sat slouched back upon... a stone chair?
Two sets of footsteps filled the cramped space as Lydia and Siffre cautiously made their way inside. They approached this rather macabre display before them from two different angles from the front. Both of their eyes remained glued to the bones for a handful of seconds before loosening their tension. Or, as much as they possibly could all things considered.
"That's... creepy," Lydia whispered aloud. It was then that she noticed how strangely 'lit' this display was at all. Weren't they supposed to be in a dungeon that was completely dark?
She then glanced upward and immediately found the answer. There, a few feet high up in the air, the ceiling above them was actually a metal grating. The bars easily allowed light from above to pour down below, almost a deliberate attempt to highlight this morbid display before them.
"A watchman from the past...? Who knows," Siffre also spoke softly, "Let's hope there's not much more of this within."
'Somehow I doubt that,' Lydia thought to herself.
"So... do you sense anything in this room?" Lydia asked, "You know, something that a Dragonborn might be looking for?" Siffre actually seemed to consider the question posed at her. She then took a moment to slowly glance around her immediate surroundings.
"Hmmm..." she could be heard saying, "Nothing. I'm not... sensing anything here."
'Ugh, so much for that hope,' she inwardly groaned. There was that small sliver of hope that they'd find what Siffre was looking for immediately, but sadly that didn't seem to be the case. It appeared the two of them would actually have to traverse deeper into this place to find it.
The two women focused past the skeleton on the throne and at the rest of the room. In fact, they both came to notice in the very back was a small hallway. Unlike this room that had decent lighting, this hallway was much more devoid of light. With the exception of some spider's web that could be seen reflecting the nearby light from this room.
"I guess that's the only way forward..." Siffre said, confirming Lydia's fear.
"R-right. Well, let's stick close together in that case..."
The housecarl swiftly made her way back to the Dragonborn's side. Both women kept their eyes locked on the very narrow passageway with noticeably less light. Slow steps followed slow steps as they made their way forward.
Lydia then held her shield-bearing hand out to wipe away the massive cobwebs before them. The silky substance stuck to her shield, prompting her to wipe it off of the edge with her free right hand. This sort of webbing felt dry, not the sort that was fresh or recent at all. Did that imply that there weren't any spiders in this place? Lydia held on to that hope, but still prepared herself for anything.
A few more gingerly advances and wiping of cobwebs later, and the two women found themselves at the end of the passageway. Or at least, they found themselves out of a very narrow hallway and into... a larger place?
"By the Gods..." Lydia breathed. She could hear the slight echo of her voice in this room compared to before. Looking around at what she could see, two pillars stood in the center of this antechamber and rose to meet a ceiling high above the ground. Unlike the previous room there was no grating to allow the flow of daylight into this room, so there was no way to know exactly how high the ceiling really was.
Perhaps it was due to the absence of light, but Lydia couldn't help but notice how... chilly, it felt in this place. A rather crisp cool feeling crept about the edges of her arms. As she reached up to undo the straps that would loosen her long-sleeves, Siffre's soft-spoken voice could be heard.
"Look at the size of those... doors!"
Sure enough, two sets of massive doors lay before them. Their outsides held a single knocker at their edges, while the doors themselves were cracked open just slightly to allow the barest amount of space to slip through. The sheer width of each of them was even wider than the two women themselves!
"I'm guessing that would lead to another room..." Lydia said. She then glanced to her side at her thane, "Don't suppose you'd want to reconsider doing this now...?" Siffre's response was to simply return Lydia's look with a look of her own. In spite of the situation the corners of Lydia's lips tugged almost in a smile, "Right right, sorry. You need to do this."
"It won't be that bad, at least, I don't think..." Siffre spoke. From the way she was speaking Lydia couldn't tell if she was speaking to her or actually talking to herself, "I mean, I was by myself last time... I hadn't been in Skyrim long either..." Her gaze glanced to Lydia once more, "And I've got you with me this time, Lydia."
Lydia could feel a welling of pride within her at those words. It wasn't enough to dispel the anxious feeling from being in this place, but it gave her confidence a much-needed boost. Her thane was right: the two of them would be by each other's side, keeping each other safe.
'Keeping each other... safe,' she thought to herself.
For some reason the duty felt all the more important. Granted it was an important duty for her as a housecarl, but she couldn't help but feel a greater sense of urgency towards this great task these days. After all, the two of them had gone through so much together; fighting dragons, strange creatures, taking part in an actual civil war!
'And... my friend,' she suddenly realized, 'Yeah, that's right! She even said so herself; we're friends! Close friends? Argh, what difference does that make? I'll keep my friend safe, no matter how close we are!'
"Absolutely, Siffre," she said with a nod, "I've got your back, always."
Siffre returned her nod with a nod of her own, as well as a soft smile. With that, she prepared to walk through the narrow-
Just like that, Siffre stopped short. Her halt in movement came abruptly, causing Lydia to be put on alert as a result.
"W-what is it? My Thane...?"
While Siffre was looking forward, she was only looking in the general direction before them. Had she seen something? And... why was it feeling chillier all of a sudden? The tops of Lydia's hands were covered by her gauntlets, but she could still feel this crisper chill against the backs of her fingers. It almost seemed like her gripping her shield with her left fingers made them even colder!
Lydia's heart began to beat faster in her chest; there was something... wrong, here.
She suddenly felt a rush of cool air blow by her head. As if a cool breeze had suddenly blown in from behind her. As strange enough as it was that there would be a draft in this place at all, Siffre seemed to feel it as well. A cool wind that seemed to blow past them... into the room?
Lydia watched with narrowed eyes the space directly in front of the cracked open doors. It was hard to explain, but it was almost as if the cold air was blowing 'towards' a single point. How was this even possible? What was even happening?
Narrowed eyes suddenly began to widen as something began to take form! From the dark of this cave, the gentlest glow of light suddenly lit up in the darkness!
Lydia's breath caught in her throat as she realized what exactly was happening! It was a spirit! A ghost!
A sound broke through the dark; the ghost spoke,
"Beware... doom lurks in this place..."
-And here we go! Looks like I had to break the actual Valthume exploration segment off from how big this chapter had gone already, but that's not entirely a bad thing. I've still got the entire thing planned out for what all's to happen, along with a healthy amount of 'subversion' as you likely have come to expect from me by now!
A quick update: with the release of this chapter, my story A Silent Thu'um has reached over 291K words! The previous holder for words typed was with Until Dawn: Atychiphobia! My current story is now THE longest worded project I have ever created, possibly at any point in my life! To say this is humbling for me would be a grand understatement! Of course, none of it would've been possible without the constant support in the form of reviews, favorites, follows, everything that's been giving me the confidence to keep this project going. So once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, to everyone who has been sticking around with this story as long as you have! I can promise there's still a lot more content for this story to come, so keep on reading! -