Wanderer

Chapter Eight

~~~~~~~ Ulfric P.O.V.~~~~~~~

I watched as Wanderer and Falion drew strange markings on the floor with various substances, some of which I did not know.

" Stand in the center." Falion instructed, placing the souls gem down in front of me. I did so, my eyes tracking Wanderer's movements. I noticed she did not move as quickly as she once had, and her complexion seemed paler than usual. Before I could say something, Falion spoke again. " Come help me, dear. I need you to draw your magicka from within and push it through me. " he said, a blue light emitting from his hands. Thin silver light ran down her arms, growing as she used more magic. Falion began chanting something, but it was muffled by the searing pain in my head. After what felt like hours of incredible pain, it stopped, and all three of us were out of breath. Various things in Falion's home were knocked over or had fallen to the floor.

" It worked." Wanderer said, clearly surprised. A thin layer of sweat caked her brow, and her breaths were uneven.

"Yes. I was surprised by how magicka you could emit." He said to her, removing his thick robes. A small, tired voice echoed through the hall.

" Falion?"

" We'll be leaving, thank you, Falion." Wanderer said, grabbing her cloak and satchel. Falion nodded, hugging her briefly.

" Of course. Come back anytime." He responded, disappearing down the hall.

" Wanderer, thank you." I finally said, following her through the city, now illuminated by the dawn.

" Don't mention it. Let's just get back to Windhelm." She said, hopping up on the saddle of our horse.

" So you are coming back?" I questioned, climbing up behind her.

She smirked back at me as she urged the horse onward. " You'd be lost without me."

~~~~~~~ Wanderer P.O.V.~~~~~~~

The skyline of Windhelm hit our tired eyes sometime at midday. The pain in my leg had grown, and I felt physically sick. Ulfric shifted on the horse behind me.

" The sun feels nice." He commented, a sigh escaping his lips.

" Yeah, but right now a bed would feel nicer." I quipped, urging the horse onwards.

" Are you feeling alright? You seem cold." Ulfric inquired, wrapping his arms around me a bit tighter.

" I'm fine, I just need to get inside."

Upon our arrival, the guards cleared the path to the palace so that we did not have to walk as far. Galmar slammed through the doors, his arms wide.

" You're not dead!" He exclaimed, gathering Ulfric in a bone-crushing hug once he dismounted. Suddenly, white hot pain erupted through my body, causing a short moment of unconsciousness. I slipped off the side of the horse, but was caught in a pair of muscular arms. Through blurred vision, I glanced up at Ulfric, whose face was contorted into that of extreme concern.

" Wanderer?" He said, his tone worry ridden. I tried to answer, but my body grew cold and my vision went dark.

~~~~~~~Ulfric P.O.V.~~~~~~~

I scooped Wanderer's slim body up into my arms, noticing that the bandaging around her leg was bleeding heavily. I whipped my head around to Galmar, pushing past several guards.

" Send a healer to my quarters at once!" I commanded, shouldering the heavy doors of the palace as I entered.  I practically sprinted up the stairs, careful to not jostle Wanderer too much. Kicking open the doors to my room, I rushed inside and set her down on my bed. She seemed impossibly small resting in the large bed, her hair splayed out in a crazy mess across the pillows. Her shallow breathing gave Ulfric hope that they would not be too late. Jora, a healer at the Kynaryth Temple, rushed in, a large sack full of potions and other tools strapped haphazardly on her back. Jora was relatively new to Windhelm, and had aided several of his officers after gruesome battles.