Open When in Skyrim, Do As The...?

[Patricia]

She nodded, and almost fell asleep then and there. "I think I made a mistake coming back upstairs. I think I might pass out. I should go bath before I get to tired for that. Um, we could discuss it more on the road tomorrow. I think that Winterhold is our first stop. I, uh... Goodnight.",She said as sincerely as she could sound without sounding like she didn't mean it. Myra took her drink and went back upstairs. The bath was open, so it was her turn. She close the door, and put her hand in the water. She jolted it back. It was freezing! She thought for a moment, and plunged both of her hands in the water. It began to bubble, and then steam. Nice and hot, just the way she liked it. She unlaced her (let's just call it semi-corset) semi-corset and boots, and pulled them off. She put them next to the tub. She undressed in a tired manner, like she was half asleep already. She put one leg in the water, and slid into a comfortable postion, and relaxed back. And then the worry started. Who was it that was financing all of this? Who were her companions, really? She trusted them, and yet, she didn't trust them. She knew she was being lied to in one way or another. She herself was lying. The truth was she had no idea why she came to Skyrim. She didn't really want to leave. Or maybe she did? Everything was so confusing at that point. She had made new friends, and yet, she felt so alone. And so very, very tired. ~~~~~~~~~~~
Myra awoke to someone knocking on the door. "Sorry! I fell asleep, I'll be out in a moment!", apologized, getting out of the bath, and toweling off. She put her chemise back on, and gathered the other articles of clothing. She unplugged the tub, and let it empty. She poured more water in the tub, and hurried out. Dumping her extra clothes on the floor by her bed, she crawled under the covers. "Is it alright if I snuff the lights out? I don't mind if you keep one on to read by, but if you do, be sure to keep close to you, and not floating around. Oh! Rumare, don't take your bandages off, unless you want your whole body to be numb! You are going to bath, right?", she said sleepily. "Any matter, Goodnight." (Goodnight, guys.)

 

[Rathalos_lord_of_the_sky]

Rath raises an eyebrow? "Umm careful. Nords don't like mages. What exactly are you guys talking about?"

 

[CapObvious]

Rumare snuffed his blade out after getting some harsh stares. He looked to Rathalos and coughed to ease the tension welling up within him. "Myra and I were discussing whether we should bring along some muscle. Someone who doesn't have to rely on magicka, preferably. It really would help on our way if we run into trouble."

 

[Rathalos_lord_of_the_sky]

Rath Pointed to the Daedric sword on his waist. "I'm a trained swordsman. I'm only a master of Telekinesis nothing more. Still wouldn't hurt to have some more help." Rath stretches. "Come on lets hit the bed."
Rath walks into the room, he notices Myra already asleep. He creeps quietly over to his bed and lays down. Slowly falling asleep.

 

[CapObvious]

Rumare followed suit. Quickly remembering Myra's jesting, he decided to bathe in the morning. It would help him wake up, besides he was just too tired to worry about it. He placed the book he was reading on his bag and spread out on the bed. Without another moment to think, he was out.

 

[Rathalos_lord_of_the_sky]

Rath woke up first. His mind battered by the nightmares that infect, or infected, most of his people. He slowly rolled out of bed. Rath quietly picked up his plate armor and began strapping it into place. Once finished he slid on his gauntlets and re-equipped his sword. He grabbed his helmet too. "Wouldn't hurt to do some early morning sparring practice." He thought to himself. The door to the bathroom opened as Rath was putting his boots on and a cup of water floated over to him. He grabbed the cup and drank all of its contents before heading upstairs.

Rath walked up to the bar, The breakfast crowd had started to arrive and Nords of all shapes and sizes were waiting to get their meals. Rath sat at the only open seat with two Nords and an Orc. "Ah. Please don't mind me but this seems to be the only open seat." They all shook their heads. "It's fine as long as you're not here to cause trouble." The Orc said. "Not at all." Rath replied. The others continued talking while Rath studied the room. It was your typical inn. Stone walls wooden ceiling and floors there were about 5 tables in the room all had 4 chairs sitting at them, all of them full, with nords mostly, but a few odd races here and there. There were more people standing along the ways as well leaving the population of the room around 30. The fireplace in the middle of the room was lit and was keeping the room warm. Rath looked out the window. A heavy snow was falling in the blue morning sunrise.

The nord woman from the bar approached. "Can I get you anything this morning?" Rath pondered for a bit. "Steak and eggs. I would like the steak rare, and the eggs scrambled." She scribbled it down on a piece of paper and continued to ask the others doing the same for them. She quickly ran back to the kitchen. A couple minutes later she returned with a blood soaked steak and eggs for Rath, and assorted drinks and bread for the others. "Like your steak bloody eh?" The Orc commented. "It's what I've always ate." Rath snickered as he began eating.

After finishing off the meal Rath left the Inn. It was cold and the snow was piling up in places. Children were outside pushing the snow to the sides of the streets. It was a Beautiful morning in Windhelm. He continued walking around the city. None of the shops were open yet so he decided to head to the Jarls court, the big courtyard in front of the castle. When he got there he watched new recruits being trained in the Yard. A few were shooting arrows and two were sparring with some on lookers. Rath approached the two sparring. "Care to take me?" He said strapping his helm into place. "Sure. You won't last a chance." Rath drew his sword and motioned for the Nord to attack.

The Nord used typical combat techniques he sliced at Raths chest easily countered as Rath swept his legs. Knocking the Nord off his feet. The crowd laughed. "Why you!" The Nord jumped to his feet and swung blindly at Rath. Rath blocked with his sword and punched the Nord in the chest the man stepped back stunned Rath swung his sword around stopping just inches away from his neck. "Finish him." The crowd yelled. Rath offered a hand to shake. "It appears I won." The Nord just spat on the ground and walked off.

Upon returning to the Inn Rath decided not to bother the others he found himself a table and a book and began to read quietly. Waiting for the others to awake.

 

[CapObvious]

Rumare was the next one up, stumbling out of bed. He quickly recalled the the day before and remembered to bathe, but just barely. He walked into the room and gathered the water, but didn't heat it. He undressed lazily and stepped in, the cold water doing wonders. He washed everywhere except for the area of his arm that Myra had bandaged, unsure what would happen if the bandage got wet. Then for a moment, he just relaxed. He thought again about what had brought him here. The scenes came back in red flashes, red as the blood spilt. The soldiers fighting tooth and nail for a piece of land. Blood spilled and lives wasted for material gain. He thought about the lives that he himself had cut short. The families that wouldn't have... Rumare stopped the thought cold. He was out of the army now. This was the past. But he knew that one day he would have to answer for his deeds. He just hoped the gods were merciful.

Deciding he had sulked enough, he dried off and changed into fresh robes. He tried his best to not wake up the sleeping Myra. He then decided to wander up the stairs to see what Rathalos was up to. He went up the stairs to see Rathalos sitting alone, sweaty. After getting to know Rathalos, there was no telling what he had gotten himself into. He took a seat across from him and studied the room. "I assume you won?" Rumare said softly.

 

[Patricia]

Myra was the last up, and was quick to wake. The moment she opened her eyes, she immediately bolted upright and got out of bed. While lacing herself back up, she noticed she was alone, and assumed that the others had gone upstairs. With the darkness in room, she couldn't tell the time. They needed to leave before noon. She hurried up the stairs, and went to the nearest window. Outside, the sun was getting close to the middle of the sky, and the wind had died down significantly. Suddenly, she felt someones hand on the small of her back, slowly trailing down. She turned around to find a large burly Nord. She tried to take a step back, but he kept her waist locked in his arms. She lifted her hand and had a lightning spell in her hand. She pressed her hand to the mans neck, and let the spell loose, but he seemed to hardly notice. The brute had a drunken grin on his face, and was incoherently slurring what she bet her life were vile words. She began to panic. No one was helping. "Rath! Rumare!" (I figured I should shake it up a little. Hope this isn't too much...)

 

[CapObvious]

Rumare heard scuffling and looked over to see what the commotion was. There was a Nord harassing a woman, obviously with vile intentions. It was only after hearing the woman shout his name that it clicked. Myra was in trouble. Rumare jumped up and shouted for Myra. "Hang on, Myra! Rathalos, come on!" He raced for the Nord and threw all of his weight into his side. Somehow, it was enough to send the Nord tumbling to the floor, and leave Myra unharmed. Rumare was lucky the Nord was drunk. The tackle probably wouldn't have worked otherwise. Rumare sprung to his feet and prepared his bound sword for casting. "Hands off, Nord. Myra, are you alright?"

 

[Patricia]

"Thank the Divines! And you! I just don't know what happened! I put a huge amount of strength in a shock spell, and it's like he didn't even feel it!", she exclaimed shakily. She looked around the Inn, and a few people were staring at them. They didn't look terribly happy. "We... We should get out things and get on the road. It's almost time to go, and I don't think it would be wise to stay here any longer...", she whispered, glancing at the people around the room. She gathered her things and went outside to put them on the cart. They would all have to take turns guiding the team of horses, but there was room enough on the seat for three, so no one would be alone. She'd be steering clear of as many Nord men as possible for a while. She climbed up on the seat and took the reigns, waiting for the others.

 

[CapObvious]

He packed his bags and loaded them up as well. "Looks like we will need that muscle. I doubt we'll be as lucky again." Rumare jumped up on one side of Myra and checked once more over his things. Satisfied, he spoke to Myra. "Where did you say our next stop was?"

 

[Patricia]

"Winterhold. Then Riften. I think the schedule goes 'cold, sunny, cold, sunny', but I'm not sure, so I'll have to look again."

 

[Rathalos_lord_of_the_sky]

Rath reluctantly threw his bags into the back. "Dammed Nords."
He was ready for a change of scenery though. Rath's homeland was covered in snow all year long and he looked forward to seeing what else the world had to offer. He removed his helm and tossed it into the back with the bags. "Mother of decay grant us safe passage on our journey. May we always walk in darkness."

 

[Patricia]

The horses moved at the shake of the reigns, and they rolled out of Windhelm. The road was quiet and calmer than she expected, but it was bumpy. The wind was calm, but as they got further north it was colder and colder. She finally stopped the cart. "Could someone go get the blankets out of the back? We need six; two for each of us. The horses are fine, I think. I mean, they've lived here all their lives. Oh! And get some of my Brandy! That'll help warm us up!", she chittered. Her hands were almost frozen to the reigns, and as she unclenched them she fought to yell in pain. She warmed her hands with a spell, but it wasn't enough to warm her arms, much less everyone else. They were cracking and bleeding, so she healed them. Like the heating spell, it wasn't enough, so she put a solvent on her hands and put some gloves on. "Are anyone else's hands chapped? I have just the stuff."

 

[CapObvious]

A look at Myra's hands and arms made Rumare uneasy. To keep from looking at them, He volunteered to grab the blankets and brandy from the back. He grabbed two for each like she had instructed, and folded them over his arm, while clutching the brandy with his other hand. While he was getting the items, he heard a soft brushing sound to his left. He turned to look, only to see thick brush. Then the same sound came again, this time on his right. Images of what the sounds could be flashed through his mind. Bandits? Wolves? Instead of panicking, he heads to the front and speaks to Myra plainly while handing the blankets and brandy. "We're being followed."

 

[Patricia]

Myra acted like she hadn't heard him say it, but spoke in a very low whisper. "Be ready and arm yourself. I'm going to use lightning, then you and Rath either kill them, or paralyze them so we can interrogate them.", she whispered to them, barely moving her lips. As Nobility, she had much training in what to do with assassins and thugs, and had unfortunately had to use those skills many times. She shifted a glance toward the bushes and saw them shake a little. She quickly looked back ahead, and repeated a lightning spell over and over in her head. Her hands tightened a bit on the reigns.

 

[CapObvious]

"Interrogation would be best." The last thing he wanted was more unwarranted death. He kept his off hand in his robes as he waited for the word, or for an attack. He had been in ambush situations before, on both sides. But something about this one made it much worse. Maybe it was because he actually cared for the people he was with, regardless of the short time with them. He watched for the next brush. After about a moment, a loud thrush sounded from behind, and Rumare bellowed. "Myra! Now!" Rumare held out his hand and sent a paralyze towards the sound, and heard a grunt. Sure he had hit his mark, he shouted for Rathalos. But before he could get the words out, he heard a voice that sent a chill down his spine. "So nice to see you Carenen. Never thought we would catch up with the greatest coward from the Summerset Isles." Rumare turned to see the mer and saw that they were his worst nightmares incarnate. A Thalmor Justiciar, with a soldier on each side. Myra had killed one, and another was lying down, unable to move. "I suppose you know what happens next. What we do to traitors?" Rumare looked to Myra, who looked slightly confused by what the Justiciar had said. He hadn't heard his real name in what felt like centuries. Rumare looked to Myra and tried to show a look of desperation. They were focused on him, which left Rath and Myra open to take advantage. Myra and Rath might have been a little put of by him lying to them, but he hoped they would forgive him. "Help." He mouthed. "Please."

 

[Patricia]

Myra got the message, and in her most official voice possible, she lunged for the Justicar and held him by the neck, pushing him against a tree. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Legion semi-sub group 264, leading a prisoner to his execution under orders. Do you know what you've just interrupted?! Do you know who I am?!", she yelled at the Justicar, who immediately recoiled in horror of who he was speaking to. "I... Lieutenant Aredreyn! General Aredreyn's Grandaughter! Oh, by the Divines! My deepest apologies my Lady! But, that man is traitor! He needs to be killed quietly. We've already tried him. Well, tried to give him a trial, as he escaped before we could... Wait. You aren't in the army anymore! Your grandfather let you out after-" "THAT'S ENOUGH. Do you want me to kill you where you stand?", she interrupted the Justicar. She discreetly signaled to Rumare. "Should I kill him? Or do you wish to talk to him? Because, suddenly, i'm in the mood for blood on my skin."

 

[CapObvious]

Taking advantage of Myra's distraction, Rumare thought about what he could do. He didn't want to have to kill them. If he could avoid it...Then it hit him. Rumare prepared a different kind of tactic. One that was used more by the scouts and spies he had heard of in the Dominion. "You don't have to kill anyone, Aredreyn." They all looked to him, confusion spread on their faces. "Let them do their own dirty work." Without another word, Rumare pulled Myra back and threw a fury spell at one of the two soldiers. The soldier, as he hoped, went beserk and cut down the other soldier with a nice swipe to the neck. The justiciar was overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events, but was able to dispatch the soldier before he could attack. The Justiciar was about to turn to Rumare, but Rumare was holding an elven sword to his throat. "I suggest you hold still." After wordlessly thanking Myra, Rumare turned his gaze to the Justiciar. "You're coming with us, my friend. I believe we have some questions of our own." The Justiciar swallowed hard, and Rumare smiled. "Who's scared now?"

 

[Patricia]

Myra, a little shocked from being so assertive, and being pulled away, slowly set up camp. She pulled four bedrolls out of the back and lay them next to a captive fire. She tied two of the rolls together, and tied one to the cart. She tied up the prisoners roll, and weighed it down. She paralyzed the man, and had Rumare and Rath ease him in to the bedroll. She then fed him a small bit of bread and something herself. She cuddled up as tightly as possible in her bedroll, after she tied the captive up in his roll. "Rumare", she whispered. "I am going to have to kill him eventually. He knows too much about me. He knows too much about you. It's not hard for me to guess what you did, because I did the same thing. But for a totally different reason. He's a danger to us all." She sighed deeply, to prepare herself to tell her story. "I was taken out by my grandfather's permission, unlike running away, due to 'crippling injuries'. But the real reason was because they killed everyone I lay eyes on. One man particularly. Ereden. He was my leader, and somewhat my lover. And when someone found out and reported it to the leader. They killed him, and his fleet, right in front of me, and told me "A Noble should never mingle with the commoners.". That's my real secret. Please understand. When we get what you need, he needs to be taken care of. I have a brainwashing spell, that never lets him reconnect his memories of this event, or anything else for that matter, instead of killing him. But we have to do something.", she whispered dead serious, and curled up for a reply, and fell in to a worrysome sleep.