AN: Thanks for the follows and favorite. I appreciate them. This chapter is better, at least, I hope it is, we'll see.
Out of All the Towns to Protect
Marina had never felt happier to be out in the sun, with the sunlight touching her skin, and the sound of natural throughout the air, a hawk let out a cry, and Marina felt truly free, not even the roaring black dragon flying overhead could dampen her spirits. It was eleutheromania in the purest form, and when it was finally achieved, nothing else could matter.
"You two should go to Riverwood," Ralof said, cutting out the perfect illusion that Marina was entranced in. "My sister runs the mill there. We could go together, or split up."
"Well, we should stay together," Marina said, to her, it was a no-brainer, she didn't like the idea of possibly running into a brigade of Imperials, or worse on her own.
"I have no objections either way. I'm clearly not leaving Skyrim anytime soon," Hayame said with a shrug.
"Well, let's go." Marina allowed the eleutheromania to fade back into her subconscious again, and she took the dirt path down the hill, her boots scruffing up boots, as she can't quite be bothered to walk properly. She needed time to think it over, and decide how she really felt about the situation.
"Listen, you should join the Stormcloaks," Ralof fell in line with Marina, while Hayame kept pace a few steps back, "in Windhelm, we could really use someone like you, like both of you." Ralof turned to regard Hayame.
"I'll see," Hayame said, sounding far from convinced. It just sounded like a place-filler to Marina.
"If I can make it," Marina replied, she wasn't sure how long she can survive in the wilderness, and it probably isn't very long. Not without Hayame to slap her out of the trance she so often enter, and Ralof to cover for her during her ever-so-often lapses of judgements.
Soon, the dirt road gave way to solid stone, a proper pathway, leading from major settlement to major settlement. A rotting wood sign at one side pointed the way to Riverwood, and a butterfly rested atop the sign, making everything seem like one of those dreamy paintings, but Marina didn't have time to dwell on it, or say hello to the pretty monarch, as Hayame and Ralof did not seem to have the slightest interest in her pursuits, so Marina followed them down the cobbled road, only then realizing how truly in need of repairs Skyrim's roads were.
The trio walked down the twisting roads down the mountain, or raised ground, whichever one it was, when Ralof stopped, and Marina looked to see what Hayame and Ralof were staring at.
"What?" Marina asked, all she saw was three stone slabs, of sorts, each with a different image engraved, and a hole at the top.
"These are the guardian stones," as if on cue, Ralof began explaining, "three of the thirteen ancient standing stones in Skyrim." So those were the standing stones, Marina has never seen any, but she certainly didn't expect it to be that unimpressive. "Go ahead, see for yourself."
"Eh?" Hayame made a noise that could only mean she still wasn't following.
"They grant you a special ability, allegedly," Marina said, she actually wasn't too sure, but still, she looked through each, and found herself drawn to the warrior stone. It had some kind of exalted power radiating from it that just seemed to resonate with Marina, so she placed her hand on the smooth stonework, finding it surprisingly lacking in faults, and run her hand through the engraving, allowing the cool stone to chill her being, until she drew back, feeling different yet the same, and turned to Ralof.
"Warrior, huh?" Ralof said, with a smirk. "I always knew you shouldn't have been in rags with the rest."
"Well, I have always been a warrior, yeah." Marina laughed, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "I don't know how to do anything else, honestly, maybe a little alchemy here and there, few novice level spells, arcane enchanters on something, but combat really is where I excel."
"Thief or mage, thief or mage, thief or mage or am I going to die before I choose?" Hayame interrupted the two, bumping into Marina as she paced back and forth, trying to figure it out.
"Listen to your heart," Marina said, she knew it sounded dumb and cheesy, but what else can she say?
"Alright," Hayame said, with a small sigh, "I'm following where ever spending a year with Telvanni wizards get me." Hayame ran her finger through the mage stone, and Marina watched, in awe.
"Mage, eh?" Ralof said once Hayame turned around. "To each his own. I'm not going to judge."
"Well, if you did, we'll have a problem," Hayame said, before skipping off down the mountainside, and Marina and Ralof shared a gaze, before following.
As they moved down the mountainside, several wolves leapt out, but before they can attack, Marina slashed them all, clear in the throat, much to the shock of both Hayame and Ralof.
"Just a little skill I've learnt during my time in the Reach," Marina said innocently.
"And I thought my ability to skin horkers fifty different ways were impressive," Hayame commented, "but this is where the real shit's at."
"Nah, skinning a horker fifty ways is still pretty cool." Marina looked away, blushing, she wasn't used to compliments.
"Well yeah, but there is like no practical uses."
The group walked further downhill, picking themselves away from the wolves, and Marina found herself increasingly lost in thought, and wondering just what precisely she was meant to do, because clearly something didn't want her to leave Skyrim.
The group reached a river, and Marina found the sound of rushing water a comfort, it was smooth, without a hitch, just life flowing its natural course. Sometimes Marina wished she could be a river, flowing to her destinations with no obstructions, and never feeling like there was something more in life, and being able to fly, be truly free.
"We're almost at Riverwood now." Ralof's voice cut Marina out of her thoughts, for the second time that day. "I'm glad you two choose to come with me."
"It's nothing, I'd be utterly lost and halfway down a bandit hideout otherwise," Hayame said, with a sheepish laugh, "I need to learn not to go to everything that looks even slightly exciting."
"And I don't think I'd be able to kill anyone without you two," Marina added, because clearly, they were confessing embarrassing truths now.
"True that."
The group continued their walk along the path back in silence. A comfortable type that showed a developing sense of comradeship, and the kind that allowed nature to bloom, as birds whistled, and the leaves rustled in the gentle breeze, the bugs buzzed around a clump of thistle flower, and Marina knew she could never feel more at home than in nature, it was one of the few things she enjoyed about being a Forsworn.
Before Marina could relish the nature anymore, and get completely absorbed, to the point where Hayame and Ralof would have to dig her through layers of earth the get out, a settlement interrupted the landscape.
"Riverwood!" Marina squealed, because she was really looking forward to it, and quickened her pace, leaving Hayame and Ralof to catch up after her, there still was something magical about people.
"Seems pretty quiet here," Hayame commented, as the trio walked through the gate. If that thing could really be called a gate.
"Welcome to Riverwood," Ralof said to the two as they look around, starry-eyed, "there's my sister." Ralof crossed a bridge to the lumber mill, and Marina quickly followed, with Hayame a few steps behind. "Gerdur!" He greeted to his sister.
"Mara's mercy, it's good to see you!" Gerdur was visibly shaken. She had shoulder-length blonde hair, that was neatly slicked back, and clipped on both sides. She looked to be in her thirties, and was quite ordinary, wearing ordinary clothing, and didn't seem to have much distinguishing features. "But is it safe for you to be here?"
"Gerdur..." Ralof seemed to be searching for words.
"We had heard that Ulfric had been captured..." Gerdur trailed off, almost unable to continue.
"Gerdur..." There was a slight pause. "I'm fine. At least now I am."
"As fine as someone who's just been attacked by dragons can be," Hayame commented sarcastically, and Marina elbowed the girl, the black-haired never knew a good time.
"Are you hurt? What happened?" Gerdur seemed panicked by Hayame's outburst of dragons, but composed herself and looked cooly at Hayame. "And who's this?" She nodded at the black-haired. "One of your comrades?" Gerdur frowned, probably because she agreed that Hayame should not be a comrade. "And the Breton?" Gerdur nodded at Marina, and Marina nodded back.
"They're not comrades... Yet," Ralof looked at the two girls, "but friends. I owe them with my life."
"Eh, that might be exaggerating," Marina said, blushing.
"It's not," Ralof said to Marina in assurance, before turning back to Gerdur. "Is there somewhere we can talk? There's no telling when the news from Helgen will reach the Imperials."
"Helgen? Has something happened?" Gerdur asked, once again in beginning alarm, and Hayame gave the blonde a look. "You're right." Gerdur sighed, nodding to Hayame. "The dragons. Follow me." She turned to call at someone. "Hod! Come here a minute. I need your help with something."
"What is it, woman? Sven drunk on the job again?" Hod shouted.
"Hod. Just come here." Gerdur said with a sigh, indicating this was a daily occurrence.
"Ralof!" Only then did Hod realize the trio standing there. "What are you doing here?" Hayame folded her arms expectantly. "Ah... I'll be right down."
"Uncle Ralof!" Just then, a young boy rushed to the group, and Hayame sighed, almost in frustration, while Marina smiled. He had the same blonde hair that ran through so many Nords, and seemed like quite an average child, but Riverwood was just the town with this perfect sense of ordinariness. "Can I see your axe? How many Imperials have you killed? Do you really know Ulfric Stormcloak?" The question came in a rapid-fire, one after the next, with not chance to respond between each.
"Hush, Frodnar. This is no time for you games." Gerdur shushed the child with a single wave, if Marina had to guess, Gerdur was most likely the mother of the boy. "Go and watch the south road. Find us if you see any Imperial soldiers coming."
"Aw, mama, I want to stay and talk with uncle Ralof!" The child seemed visibly disappointed.
"Look at you, almost a grown man!" Ralof said, he was definitely exaggerating for the sake of this child, but Marina rolled with it, and hushed Hayame before she could make a sarcastic remark. "Won't be long before you'll be joining the fight yourself!"
"Ugh, pushing your political views on children," Hayame whispered to Marina, almost in disgust.
"What? He's not," Marina said, looking at Hayame with a harsh glare, "pushing your political views on your child would be what the Forsworn do. Trust me, I'd know. This is just a kid with massive respect for his uncle."
"Whatever." Hayame shrugged.
"I won't let those soldiers sneak up on you!" With that, Frodnar was gone, and Hod entered. Something about Hod just intimidated Marina, and not just a little. He had short, neat blonde hair, without a strand out of place, and a mustache framing his mouth, not to mention his rough tone of voice.
"Now, Ralof, what's going on?" Hod asked. "You three all look pretty well done in."
"Like you won't believe," Hayame commented, with a spur of drama in the mix.
"It wasn't that bad," Marina tried to correct.
"I can't remember the last time I slept." Ralof began, with a groan. "Where to start?" Ralof looked at the two girls for help, and Marina gave an equally lost look. "Well, the news you heard about Ulfric was true. The Imperials ambushed us outside Darkwater Crossing." Ralof looked to the two girls for confirmation, and they nodded. "Like they knew exactly where we'd be. That was..." Ralof paused for a second. "Two days ago now."
"Two days?" Marina hissed to herself, but not quietly enough for all the attention to be turned on her.
"Yeah, I was counting," Hayame replied, "and this morning, we arrived at Helgen."
"I thought we were all over then," Marina continued for Hayame, and Ralof. "They had us all lined up, with a headsman, and I was the second in line to die." Marina added the last part with a twisted knot of a smile.
"The cowards!" Gerdur gasped, as if she couldn't believe it.
"They wouldn't dare give Ulfric a fair trial," Ralof said, "treason, for fighting for your own people!" Hayame was about to interject, but Marina shut the Nord up, and Hayame settled for glaring at Marina. "All of Skyrim would have seen the truth then!" Marina found she needed to keep an iron grip on Hayame, lest she interject with some really unnecessary comments that'll do nothing but spark tension. "But then... Out of nowhere... A dragon attacked."
"You don't mean a real, live..." Gerdur looked at Hayame, who nodded in confirmation.
"I can hardly believe it myself."
"None of us can," Marina offered, "but it was real, and raining down the apocalypse with it."
"Yeah," Ralof nodded in confirmation, "and as strange as it sounds, we'd be dead if not for that dragon. In the confusion, we managed to slip away." There was a moment's silence.
"Are we really the first to make it to Riverwood?" Hayame cut the silence, looking around.
"Nobody has come up the south road today, as far as I know," Gerdur replied.
"Good." Ralof said, in satisfaction. "Maybe we can lay up for a while. I'd hate to put your family in danger, Gerdur, but..." The rest of the sentence was left unsaid, but it hung in the air all the same.
"Nonsense. You and your friends are welcome to stay as long as you need. Let me worry about the Imperials." Gerdur turned to address the two girls. "Any friends of Ralof's is a friend of mine. Here's the keys to the house, and take whatever supplies you need." Gerdur offered the girls a bag filled with things. Marina ended up taking it all, since she didn't know what she was going do next, it was better to stock up, and Hayame didn't seem to have any complaints.
"Thanks, this is awfully nice of you," Marina said with a smile. "But I would hate to intrude."
"Nonsense. You can stay as long as you like." Marina was still unconvinced. "But there is something you two can do for me. For all of us."
"That is?" Hayame asked, and Marina nodded, straightening up her knapsack.
"We need to send word to Jarl Balgruuf to send whatever troops he can," Gerdur explained, "Riverwood is defenseless. If you do that for me, I'll be in your debt."
"Of course we'll do that," Marina answered for both of them.
"Yeah." Hayame sounded unconvinced.
"Thank you again for everything."
"I ought to get back to work before I'm missed, but did anyone else escape? Did Ulfric?" Gerdur asked, almost desperately.
"Don't worry," Ralof reassured, "I'm sure he made it out. It'll take more than a dragon to stop Ulfric Stormcloak!" Gerdur nodded, seeming more relaxed.
"I'll let them into the house and, you know, show them where everything is," Hod said.
"Help them drink up our mead, you mean." Gerdur said, a hand on her hip, clearly unimpressed. She turned back to Ralof. "Good luck brother. I'll see you later."
"Don't worry about me. I know how to lay low," Ralof said, giving his sister a reassuring smile, and everyone left on their own ways, leaving Marina and Hayame alone.
Marina and Hayame just stood there for a second, Marina slid a look at the girl, and appraised her for the first time under the sunlight. She had a nice figure, curves in all the right places, her eyes glittered like a million scattered pieces of crystals, reflecting light, and her black hair was the color of shadows, it was almost strange, seeing a Nord with such a jarring hair color. Despite being beautiful, every time she opened her mouth, a firestorm came with it, and somehow, her demeanor left Skyrim ten times colder, and with little left to be desired.
"So, what now?" Marina asked, after a moment of silence.
"I'm going to sleep for the night, follow if you desire." A playful smirk crossed the Nord's face. "But sleeping so much is no good for you."
"You mean the carriage?" Marina still couldn't believe she's been out for two days. "I didn't even realize."
"Of course, you weren't the one stuck supporting your own body." Hayame turned and walked, following Hod to the house.
"I'm sorry that I was out." Marina didn't understand Hayame.
"Yeah, you were hit real hard by Imperials, whatever." Hayame's tone was completely indifferent.
"Ok, fine, whatever, forget it." Marina huffed, Hayame did not understand how conversations work, and Marina wasn't about to make her see.
That evening, as the sun set over the mountains, the two finally got everything sorted. After Gerdur insisted that the two girls took the double bed, while Gerdur and Hod can take the floor. Marina was very much against the idea, but after pressure from Hayame (that ass just wanted the best for herself), Marina agreed to the plan, and the two ended up in bed. Hayame very much went out like a candle being snuffed, but not sleeping for two days did stuff to people. Marina just lay in bed, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds, and contemplated her future.
So the dragons has returned to Skyrim, something out of legends, a legend that must be very much Nord, 'cause her parents most certainly didn't mention anything about it. So she was captured and almost executed, but a big black dragon saved her, all the while shouting strangely unfamiliar words, that Marina felt like she knew from another life, and very much understood. So now she was in the town of Riverwood, her plan of leaving Skyrim for some foreign city suddenly pushed at least fifty steps back, and was stuck with some uncompromising asshole by the name of Hayame until she saved Riverwood from the threat of dragons.
As she wondered more and more what to do after all this blows over, her head hurt more and more, and the throbbing feeling at the base of her head returned, and Marina had to wonder, what will anyone do against dragons?
AN: Was it any good. I hope it was. I am taking suggestions for the direction it goes, following the main storyline, and Dragonborn DLC. Please review, follow, and/or favorite, unless it's bad. (But you probably zoned this part out because of psychology)