Scales and Hearts | A Skyrim Fanfiction

Chapter Four: Into Darker Waters

Druthza

I awoke surprisingly early the next morning, slowly rising into consciousness as my ears were met with an eerie silence that hung in the air like a thick fog. The only noises that I could hear were my breathing, the creak of the bed as I shifted slightly, and the crackling fire pit in the common room. I strained my ears to pick up any other possible noises, like footsteps or muffled voices, but turned up with nothing.

The inn was practically empty, its only inhabitants being me and, possibly, the innkeeper and her daughter, who I'm certain slept in another part of the inn. I opened my eyes and rubbed them clear of the blur that always plagued my sight after waking up. I slowly sat up, letting out a yawn as I stretched my arms over my head, cracking my neck before shifting my position so that my legs now hung over the side of the bed. I took a moment to simply allow my brain to kick itself into a more conscious state. I sat there silently for a minute or so, staring into Oblivion before I looked towards the nightstand.

My belongings were still present where I left them, which made me internally sigh with relief whilst I grabbed the armor I had put aside last night, quickly putting it back on before grabbing my iron sword and sheathing it. As I slipped my septim pouch back into my bag, I briefly took out my map and examined its contents in the semi-darkness. I trailed a claw along the inky blue line that represented the White River, tracing its length and wondering where else it flowed.

It appeared to start from a massive lake southwest of Riverwood, trailed down to the mentioned village, then swerved around the massive mountain present to the east where it would then start to branch off towards other parts of Skyrim. The river forked and curved around a bit of land further to the east, an area speckled with pools of water and almost entirely encompassed by mountains. My curiosity had begun to flare up as I began to ponder the possibility of following the river down to that stretch of land, my tail wagged a little in response, for I always enjoyed wandering off the beaten path to new locations yet to be seen by mine eyes.

I then rather roughly tapped a claw against the parchment, in the general area of the mountain-encircled land, watching as that icy-blue arrow manifested where my claw had touched the paper, and I still wondered to myself: what enchantment is that?

As I rolled the map up and slipped my bag onto my back, I got to my feet, cringing as the bed creaked from my movement. I then, as quietly as a Saxhleel could, made my way out of the room, watching my step as I hurried down the stairs. The warmth of the flames swirling in the fire pit reached out for my scaly form as I approached it, welcoming the heat with a small, tired smile. After warming up, I approached the Bannered Mare's door and opened it, stepping out into the moonlit streets of Whiterun, shivering slightly as a brisk breeze slipped by.

I doubted that any normal inhabitant of Skyrim was awake at this hour of the morning, except maybe the guards, but they don't count. The streets were awfully quiet, and with them only being lit by the braziers and the two moons (Masser and Secunda) it was, admittedly, a bit unsettling. I silently made my way to the entrance of Whiterun, and upon making my way outside of the city's walls, I nearly had a heart attack as one of the guards cleared his throat.

I looked to the Nord who had made the noise, and he looked at me. "Ah, you're the Argonian that the Jarl has spoken about. I must say, it's not every day that an outlander such as yourself is seen aiding us Nords with our affairs. But, I suppose this time it's different, considering the dragon situation at Helgen."

"I think so..." I mumbled, stifling a yawn. I wasn't exactly in the mood to talk, it was way too early for me to be conversing with other living beings. But then again, it's also way too early for someone like me to be awake... "now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to take care of..."