Northbound Pilgrimage III

Chapter XXXIII - Busted

In the end, Bishop and Aeyrin spent five days at that hidden chapel.

It was a strange place for them to stay that long. At least in Chorrol, they had the city to explore and hang around. And they had some recuperating to do. Here, it was just... boring. Nothing happened at the chapel or around it, but it was still kind of nice. Aeyrin was glad to be able to spend so much time with Therien and Bishop had a reassuring surprise one night as well.

He went much further north for his hunt that night and he finally got lucky. He followed some wolf tracks, but those only led him to a pup that attacked him instantly. But an hour after that, a familiar form jumped him and toppled him to the ground.

From then on, he was able to spend his nights with his friend again.

Despite the news Aeyrin got, it was a somewhat cathartic stay for the both of them. And enjoyable, despite the lack of excitement. But five days of doing nothing was more than enough. It was soon time to leave again.

Bishop had told Aeyrin that he knew about Therien, and surprisingly enough, she wasn't mad. She was glad her old master was the one to tell her, though she was a little sad he didn't tell her back in Chorrol. But she still understood.

Their next destination was Riften. Only to resupply and to see Raven.

And after that, they were set to travel all across the province to Solitude. They had no immediate plans, but they still had one task to do that would take time. The Four Edges of Skyrim for their wedding. And the first step included getting a pearl from the Sea of Ghosts.

That was probably going to be an easy task in Solitude.

But for now, Riften was calling instead.

...

The city was looking well. Prosperous even. People seemed happy on the streets.

Maybe it was what Bishop and Aeyrin wanted to see. After all the mess with the Guild and Karliah, they wanted this place to just... stay calm and drama-free already. It was about time the Skyrim underworld actually operated with the people in mind instead of just trying to be intimidating. Brynjolf should be a good man for the job.

The two of them headed into the Bee and Barb first to get a room for the night, then the markets followed. They stocked up on what little they needed and Aeyrin headed over to the alchemist to get the tinctures. She made sure to supply herself for a long time into the future. But... she was going to think about their talk. She really was. Just a bit later.

The day went smoothly. Riften really seemed calm. And so, there was not much more for them to do than to go visit Raven. If he was home.

They walked together to Honeyside and Aeyrin knocked on the door.

Nothing. There weren't any lights lit inside either, but then again, the sun was still shining.

She knocked again, this time more loudly, and they waited. Once more there was no sound of footsteps, but they noticed someone moving behind the window. And soon enough, the door swung open.

Raven looked... different. His dark untamed hair that often hid a lot of his face was tied in a ponytail, exposing the brass earrings decorating his left ear. His black clothes or armor were all replaced by an outfit with brown trousers and somewhat vibrant green shirt. He looked like a normal person, a commoner, not like someone mysteriously charming with thousands of secrets hidden in his head.

Nobody would be able to call him a 'spy' looking like this. Maybe that was the point though. Maybe it was a new tactic. Or maybe he really did leave it all behind.