25th of Heartfire, 4E 201
I awoke from a fitful sleep in the Four Shields Inn to find Serana and Uthgerd waiting by the bar for me. I apologized for keeping them waiting, although it seemed odd that only a few hours after sunrise and they were already up. It was no matter however, and we were soon on the road to Solitude.
As we walked I thought about the wall inside Dimhollow Crypt and the Nord legend written on the path up the 7,000 Steps. Could this word be a word of the Voice that the dragons used in ancient times?
While I mulled this over we reached the Solitude gates. A guard mentioned that I was just in time to say hello to Roggvir. I asked who Roggvir was, and the guard replied that he was the gate guard who let Ulfric Stormcloak escape after killing the High King.
As we proceeded through the gate, Serana said she always imagined Solitude would be like this as she looked on at it from her home. Like the guard promised, the execution was happening right as we walked in. The man's crime was stated, and then he rebutted with a speech about how Ulfric is the "true High King". People in the crowd yelled both insults and justifications for Roggvir's actions. Both were irrelevant when the headsman's axe crashed down and severed Roggvir's head. A voice shouted, "Some gate guard you were!"
As the crowd dispersed, I walked up to talk to the executioner. I had noticed he was a Redguard, and I was curious if he was from Hammerfell like me.
I learned that his name is Ahtar, and, slightly to my dismay, he is a Skyrim native. It was nice either way to speak with one of my own people, though, and in speaking with him I learned that he was offering a bounty on an escaped prisoner. I took the contract, although I probably won't take it until I have some free time.
We went around to the different shops, selling the various items we had picked up in our trek from Dimhollow Crypt to Solitude. I visited Belrand the blacksmith to sell a few of the extra weapons Uthgerd and I carried between us and to view his wares. There was no question that the man was a skilled smith, but his weapons and armor were a little ways out of my price range.
Our group then moved on to Angeline's Aromatics, as I had picked a number of herbs and alchemical ingredients along the road from Dragon Bridge. I spoke with Angeline, but she was preoccupied with her daughter's safety in the Imperial Legion. I wanted to put her at ease, so I ran up to Castle Dour to speak with Captain Aldis. At first he tried to wave me away, but I persuaded him to tell me.
When I came back to Angeline with the heartbreaking news that her daughter had been killed, she thanked me for finding out for her. She became downcast, so to try to take her mind off this tragedy I asked if she could help me make better potions. However, she said she was only an herbalist and couldn't teach me. So I made some health and stamina potions and went on my way.
About this time, we set off for Serana's home, northwest of Solitude. We ascended the mountain between her family's castle and Solitude, and near the top I found something troubling.
We had come across the Thalmor Embassy. Again those feelings that had fueled my actions a couple days ago welled up. But this time I couldn't attack. I may have had the fire to take on all the Thalmor inside, but not the strength nor the aditional manpower.
We followed the coast, fighting the occasional mudcrab and trying to stay warm through the bitter wind off the sea.As we approached the tip of Skyrim, marked by a large fort, I saw the castle in the distance. It was massive and ominous and a bit more than I expected. Serana led us to the boat her family used to go between land and the island.
As we rowed up, I saw that the castle was even larger than its silhouette suggested at the jetty. It loomed over the rocky beaches of the island and commanded the attention of anyone approaching.
Before we entered the castle, Serana thanked me for helping her return home and said she would meet me again soon, but first she wanted to go her own way. The gate guard let us in, with Uthgerd opting to wait outside.
An Altmer vampire was standing directly behind the door when we entered, and when he saw me he began to tell me I was trespassing. Serana stopped him, and he immediately went to tell the court of the castle Serana had returned. I followed her down into the main hall as she greeted her father.
His name was Harkon, and from the moment I saw him I despised him. He was overtly cruel and cared more than anything about the Elder Scroll on Serana's back. I hope she doesn't let him have it. He spoke about her "traitorous" mother and how he would love to kill her. I was tiring of hearing him talk. He asked who I was, but I wouldn't be friendly with this monster. I declined to share my name, and he moved on to my reward for freeing his daughter.
He offered me his blood, said I could be a powerful vampire and count among his family. Not if it were to save me from a lifetime spent in Oblivion. And so he banished me from the castle.
I left on the boat with Uthgerd, headed for Solitude. It was late, and we needed rest for tomorrow's journey to Fort Dawnguard. Uthgerd an I followed a path nearby the fort at the jetty up the mountain. As we walked I spotted two Sabre Cats up ahead! I tried to warn Uthgerd and move the other way, but she had that Nordic fire in her eyes and I knew we were going to have to fight the beasts. Uthgerd charged right into the midst of the cats, and took one down surprisingly quickly. I fired arrows at the other cat, only to have him pounce toward me. I slid out my blade and readied my shield for the blow a second before the cat collided with me. I bashed the huge animal's head, then followed with a series of slashes. I bashed once more, and drove my sword through the cat's neck to finish it off.
We continued walking along the road until we finally reached Solitude. Tired and hungry, we walked into the Winking Skeever, rented a room, and purchased some food. We quickly ate, then as we followed the barkeep upstairs, I heard a man named Sam ask if I wanted to compete in a drinking contest for a staff. I sleepily declined and sat down in this room. Now that I've written all this I'm going to sleep. Uthgerd and I have a long day ahead of us.
