Northbound Pilgrimage II

Chapter XCV - Moving Forward

The stay in the wilderness was very cathartic in a way.

And surprisingly peaceful too. They were still careful – they never camped anywhere for more than one night and they always trapped their camp securely even if it was located so out of the way that only a crazy person would look for them there. Well... crazy people may have been looking for them there, so it was reasonable enough.

But there was no incident, no Brotherhood and no dragons. And surprisingly enough, those were the only things they still had to be worried about. There was no shadow on every corner in every city – no scores of 'allies' who might think the price on Aeyrin's head just might be worth the risk. There was no price now – there was nobody left who would pay it.

And even though there were dangers still constantly present in their lives, it did feel freeing. It took time to come to terms with what happened with Karliah and it would always be a bitter reminder in one way or another, but it did get easier to start enjoying the victories that came from this mess.

It was easier to move forward.

Bishop, Aeyrin and Karnwyr had spent two weeks in the Rift, recuperating, relaxing and adventuring. It was a much needed respite and the Rift was the perfect and the most beautiful place for it. And it wasn't as cold as most of Skyrim even during the winter months.

They explored animal caves, bandit camps and even one surprise hagraven nest – that was a nasty battle. And on top of that, they discovered an old abandoned and very rich mine, hidden somewhere east of Riften. They did prepare a letter for Brynjolf, notifying him of the place. He would surely put it to good use and he would definitely send them some finder's fee back.

But eventually, other Holds beckoned them. They never did like to stay in one place for too long.

Without Karliah's missions, with the Blades settled in the Reach and with their next step regarding the Dwemer contraption being very open, they did not have a clear destination for a change. They both agreed that they should go somewhere they hadn't explored too much yet and, after long deliberation, several places appeared to fit that criterion. They have seen their fair share of the Rift, Hjaalmarch, Eastmarch and even Whiterun, mostly before Bishop's bounty. Haafingar was always a bit neglected in their adventures – whenever they went there, they went to Solitude and then they rushed as far away as possible. The Reach was a nice place, but the current situation with the Forsworn didn't make it ideal for casual adventures. Then there was Falkreath. They did want to return there one day, now that it was relatively safe, but... they just got out of the whole Mercer mess and Falkreath was unpleasantly tied to all of that. Neither of them wanted to go there just then.

The last two options were Winterhold and the Pale. They had always avoided adventuring in Winterhold too much and for a good reason – they knew that the College mages studied the nearby places and most of those would be looted to the bone. And Pale? Well there was only one thing ever keeping them away from the Pale.

But why? Just some annoying nightmares that they forgot by the morning anyway. And surely they could make do with staying in the city itself only sparsely. They wouldn't be affected in the wilderness.

It was decided.

They stopped by Riften once more, only briefly, to resupply and sell their loot and then they continued north towards Dawnstar.

They passed through the small mining village of Shor's Stone, only to see it still prosperous, though now under new leadership – Brynjolf's. They didn't stop at the village though and they continued onwards, crossing the Eastmarch tundra, past Raldbthar and towards the Nightgate Inn. They planned to stop there for the night, although they were a little apprehensive – they hadn't been there together ever since they caused a scene there with their fight back when they were still apart.