"FUS-RO-DAH!"
A wall of pure force blasts me back onto the Word Wall. It's like gravity forcefully changed directions times ten. I'm pinned to the wall for a solid second before the pressure alleviates, just managing to stay on my feet as I land facing my opponent. As draugr go he's not particularly impressive. He's shorter than the rest but is the only one to wear a solid iron helmet. His weapon makes up for his size, a massive bearded battle axe. Its rectangular beard reminds me very strongly of the headsman's axe with the amount of material used for it. I can see frost build up on the blade, one of the first enchanted weapons in the game.
I stand up, ready to meet his swing. When I think he's close enough I summon Wolfy right behind him, my favorite tactic. The draugr, without missing a beat, opens his mouth.
"Fus!"
A weaker wave washes over me, not knocking me down but not allowing me to advance either. The draugr turns and with a single swing destroys Wolfy as though she had been made of air, splintering the stone floor. Deciding that fighting head on would be a bad idea I move while his back is turned to gain distance. Draugr have two weaknesses as far as I can tell. One is that their brains seem diminished somewhat and two is that they move pretty stiffly. Aside from the main platform here very little of the chamber is flat and I'll use that to my advantage.
A game of cat and mouse begins, where I try to roast the lord with Flames and he tries to cleave me in two. It's much harder than I thought, he is very skilled and much smarter than the other draugr in the Barrow. When it became clear he couldn't land a killing blow on me he started settling for jabs or extra long one handed swings with less power. It feels like an ice bucket is poured over me every time even when he strikes the only shield. I'm so cold I'm shivering and becoming numb. With no choice I use the river to head to the bridge back to the platform where it will be easier to stand with my numb feet.
I manage to down the last of my magicka potions before taking up a defensive position on the bridge. All my magic goes to healing now. No fancy tricks, just gonna try and hack at the burnt draugr lord. He taunts me, bashing his axe against his withered chest, dust falling from his body. I tighten my guard, putting all my fear into defense. Then he laughs.
"Fus-Ro-Dah!"
My guard is blown apart by the shout and I fly back onto the stairs to the Word Wall. The draugr comes running with a haymaker swing, smashing into my side. My armor bears the brunt of the physical damage but the cold is unbearable. Desperate for warmth I cast Flames on myself. The draugr lord flinches back in surprise as I self immolate but the fire gives me enough feeling in my limbs to throw myself off the bridge edge. I splash in the small stream below, the cool water feels hot to my frozen body.
"Grah!"
The draugr lord leaps down after me, his stiff body buying me time to scrabble up. Here in this water carved trench he can only attack from above with his axe, highly telegraphed. I hadn't planned on such an advantage when I rolled away but I seize the moment further by stepping in and stopping his swing. We struggle together for a moment before he opens his mouth.
"Fus-"
Point blank?!
"-Ro Dah!"
An explosion of force launches me backward, rolling against the walls of the trench. The rest of the cavern is shaking from the reverberations. My world is spinning and it takes a few moments before I can regain control of myself. Just as I start to get my bearings there's a loud splash ahead of me in the stream, where the draugr lord was. I try to struggle up but I nearly throw up at the effort so I stay leaned against the trench wall waiting for the inevitable to walk down the corridor. Then what I think is a rock rolls into my thigh. I see the draugr lord's head staring back at me with a confused look. Before I can process what happened the blue light fades from his eyes and his jaw slackens. I throw his head down stream and use Healing to pick myself up.
I stabbed him in the throat before he finished his shout. It's not the kind of wound a zombie would even feel but I remember a story about a Dragonborn who had their throat slit and survived but was unable to shout afterward. I retrieve the Imperial sword that has ironically saved my life multiple times now, its gladius style instrumental in landing my last jab. Further ahead is the blown apart corpse of the draugr lord. I claim his mighty axe for myself and the Dragonstone he was carrying in his inventory.
I clamber out of the ditch and say goodbye to the Word Wall. I know there's a staircase behind the wall that leads to the hidden exit, a wall of natural looking stone activated by a small hidden lever. This should be where the real treasure is, the most powerful mod I ever installed. The door slides down to reveal a cave, which itself leads to a ledge of a small cave area. From atop the ledge I can see my prize, a massive book as tall standing straight up on a pedestal far too small for it, adorned with a snowberry wreath. I clamber my way down the ledge, which itself is twice as tall as me, scraping my armor on the rock as I find footholds to climb down on.
For such a gigantic book it's got a pretty plain cover, though I don't really remember it being particularly fancy or anything besides being large. It almost doesn't look real. I go to pick it up, wondering how best to read the massive thing, when my hand passes through it. I watch stunned as the book fades away. I swat at the fading image but the book is in the blink of an eye.
I just stand flabbergasted. This wasn't supposed to happen. That was supposed to be a spell tome for size stealing and gigantism, not a vanishing act. There was also supposed to be a sword but I don't see that either. Maybe…
There's a new sword in my inventory. The one I was supposed to get from the book. An elven blade with the growth enchantment I'm looking for. I examine it for just a moment and then tuck it away almost immediately out of fear. I'll have to deconstruct it as soon as possible. I can't afford anyone else stealing it. Hopefully this means that I learned the spell without realizing it. Thinking back to my first day in Skyrim when I first used magic in Helgen, I focus on what I want to manifest. The spell comes easily to my hands, a red aura dancing between my fingers. Part of me is super excited to test this power out but the rest of me is cautious. There's no real reason why someone else couldn't use this power but the area just outside is so remote that I don't think I have to worry about someone copying or stealing it.
I nearly fall out of the cave in excitement. The cave exit is secured by being on a sheer ass cliff of doom. Grabbing the random potion that's always tucked in the corner by the cave mouth, it takes me nearly five minutes to climb down safely from the mountainside until I slip and fall the last few feet. The bottom is an old mammoth graveyard, their skeletons half buried in mountain erosions that give way to the familiar pine covered lushness that defines the Riverwood valley. I think I'm technically in Falkreath hold right now, the southernmost Nord Jarldom, the most temperate of Skyrim's regions.
Knowing roughly where I am I head away from the mountainside until I reach a large body of water. This should be the lake that feeds the actual river for Riverwood, its name unknown to me. If I follow the shore to the left I should make it back to Riverwood but I have a different idea. Even the small islands I'm approaching are bigger than I remember them being, it feels like Wonka put Skyrim through the taffy stretcher. Before they were tiny islands with a mining and clay node. Now you could put a small home on each island with room to spare. I remember these particular islets because one of them has corundum ore, a precious ore for early crafting. And because slaughterfish would always interrupt my mining animation. Apparently an angry fish in the water counts as being in combat even if you're on land.
This time I'm actually after the murder fish, so I can steal their size. My new spell needs a live test subject to work and that subject needs to be about as harmless as possible. My hope is that the fish will be aggressive enough to try and attack me while I'm close to the shore so I can beach them, probably after they bite my foot but I can cast Healing just in case.
The swim to the islands is a short thirty second dip that almost ends me. Heavy steel armor doesn't float like it does in the game apparently. I make it to the other side naked and gasping, having panicked sucked all my equipment into my inventory so I could float. Any fears I had about being bitten by giant parana fish were forgotten when my head dropped below the waterline involuntarily. After catching my breath I redress and start to stomp around the beaches. Nothing shows up. Maybe there's no fish here or maybe their AI is better this time around and they know not to fuck around with the shallow end just becuase I touched the water. Either way there's nothing here for me so eventually I swim back to the mainland, this time without drowning myself, but the price is being naked. I wonder if there's swimwear in Skyrim.
Feeling a bit less exposed now that I'm covered by the foliage of the mainland, I take the opportunity to examine myself naked. I haven't really had a chance since that brief moment in Helgen (I've been busy and medieval taverns are surprisingly dark at night). I think I look mostly the same but maybe a little fuller, like I've had a few square meals. I stroke my tiny penis to to try and get a better look at it while it's erect and after some coaxing it finally gets hard. That said it really doesn't change all that much, sadly. I can't say I'm surprised. My libido has almost been non-existent since I got here. It's made focusing on everyday life easier but it's like missing a piece of myself.
After shaking off the excess water as best as I can I clothe myself in my much dryer leather armor and make up a nearby hill. I could follow the river exactly to Riverwood but if I remember right there are usually some wolves or some other nonthreatening woodland creature that I can use.
"Oorh, ourh!"
Oh fuck.
Out of nowhere bursts a lanky brown gorilla eight or nine feet tall (three meters) with three large black eyes. Its limbs are wonderfully adorned with terrible claws for both of its long arms and stubby legs. A severe underbite shows off a large row of jagged teeth ending in large canines. The stench it emits is almost unbearable, a mix of rotting meat and awful funky cheese. It's no surprise considering how disgustingly greasy the monster looks. Also it's a literal fucking troll.
I stand no chance, both my game knowledge and my instincts both scream at me to run for the water. My only hope is I can out swim a troll as I literally streak back to the water taking off my armor to be butt ass naked for the third time. I splash into the shore swim-running frantically, the troll behind me, its roars ringing in my ears. I use all of my stamina, hoping that if I can at least make it to land I can summon my familiar to slow it down for a second, then maybe swim downstream to the village. Grunts of effort from the massive troll echo into the valley from right behind me. At soon as my feet touch the bottom I run to the highest point on the first island and turn. The troll isn't behind me. It's not even close. It's still by the shore. The beast is grunting and slapping the water angrily, never getting more than ankle deep before retreating back to dry land. It's been yelling from the shore the whole time. I guess trolls hate water. Who knew?
I catch my breath on the island, nude and dripping. I watch the troll for a while as it makes more failed attempts at crossing the water. It's clear from this that the troll's aversion to water is more psychological than anything else. He or she never gets much more than ankle deep before running back in a panic. At first this is pretty amusing but then it doesn't stop trying. Ever.
I have no way of knowing how long I've been stranded here but the sun is hanging dangerously low in the sky. I've got two options; swim nude back to Riverwood and risk being eaten by the slaughterfish that might be lurking somewhere or try to deal with the troll. In the game trolls have large health pools and insane regeneration abilities (I think the only enemy that can regenerate health without magic). I doubt I have anything on me that could kill it before it ripped my head off. Except of course for the size stealing magic. It might just be possible, since the troll can't pass a certain point, to use the spell on it. I cast an experimental burst of magic at the troll and find that my range is too short, unable to touch the troll
"GUAARR!!"
I nearly piss myself as the troll lets out a roar that's heard for miles. It barrels towards me, completely forgetting its fear of water, apparently angered by my magic. The monster is so tall it doesn't need to float, head well above the water as it pushes to me. The moment it gets in range I unleash my spell, pulling out my shield just in case. Red aura envelops the troll as speckled sparking motes drain away from the rampaging troll. It doesn't react at all, face still angry above the water line as it chugs away.
But something is happening. The troll is taking too long to reach me, head only just above the water line despite getting closer to me. It's getting smaller under the water, until the shore underneath rises dramatically enough for it to surface. The once fearsome beast is waist high to me when it emerges on the shore. My magicka is gone but the spell did more than enough. I pull out my Imperial sword and charge the small troll.
And I get bodied. The troll may be smaller but its muscle efficiency must be insane. It's like fighting an angry chimpanzee with knives for hands. I get in a few good hits but the beast's healing factor is insane. I only ever see one wound on it at a time, everything else already healed. My leather armor won't hold in a war of attrition. My only hope is to last long enough to recharge enough magicka to shrink the troll even further.
My shield takes blow after blow from the once gorilla monster, now angry monkey. I even try to shield bash the troll multiple times but that confuses it more than anything. I wanted to wait for more magicka but I'm starting to lose blood. The troll jerks back, giving me a moment to use the spell. The troll shrinks, writhing now in agony, from the spell which I thought was painless. My magicka runs out too soon but now the bastard is just knee high now.
I straighten up and lower my shield to see that something else was happening. A slaughterfish had finally showed up, nearly as long as I am tall. With the body of a fish and snout of a crocodile its been viciously tearing at the legs of the troll while I shrunk it to . A slaughter fish should try and eviscerate any living thing that gets in their water. Now that the troll is the same size as the fish it's game over for my attacker. The tiny beast tries to fight off the fish but it gets pulled under a moment later, fish food now.
So I'm left on this island again, panting, dripping and bleeding but I'm not naked. A burst of Healing is all I can manage but it's enough to stop the bleeding. I sink down and just lay on the islet like the most comfortable bed in the world. At this point I may as well plant my own flag and start my own Kingdom with the amount of blood, sweat and tears I've shed on it. I doubt my soon to be fellow Jarls would complain, at least until they got jealous of my inevitable success. After a few long moments I can heal myself fully and make the naked swim back to the main shore hoping the much-scarier-than-I-remember slaughterfish are too busy with the troll to attack me.
I make it back thankfully with no issues, except the sun already gone behind the trees. With no time to dry off I clad myself in no damp Imperial leathers and move. Following the river I make it back to town well after nightfall by lamp light. I'm wet, tired and I just wanna lay down so I make a beeline for the inn and get rewarded by its warm dry interior.
"Inn's closed. Bar's still open, though. Feel free to sit and put your head down on the table for as long as you like. I won't bother you." Orgnar says, his stone-like face bereft of any hope.
I can't even get upset. I should have remembered sooner that the innkeeper fucks off after you get the Dragonstone. I don't see why he can't rent a room without her but he doesn't make the rules. I guess I'm sleeping under a table tonight.
Rather than ask permission I'll just see what I can get away with. I grab a room for a second to change. Orgnar stares at me disapprovingly but doesn't say anything as I leave the room now wearing a simple dry tunic I picked up from the bandits. Then I start laying my wet equipment out piece by piece by the raised pit fire. My head is bobbing so I'm debating leaving them out to dry while I sleep or just drying them for an hour before passing out.
"You can't dry your armor like that. The heat'll warp the leather." says a familiar voice.
"Alvor!" I say shocked.
"The way Hadvar told it I didn't think we'd be seeing you again. I'm glad he was wrong." he says with a smile behind his brown pointed beard. "Did you lose a fight with a slaughterfish?"
"An argument with a troll." I admit. "I had to swim to get away."
Alvor doesn't look shocked, but nods as if this was a perfectly normal thing.
"Aye that'll do it. I couldn't help overhearing you earlier. If you'd like, you're welcome to stay with us. We'd be more than happy to help the woman who saved Hadvar, and I'll look after your equipment like I promised." he says.
"Sure." I reply. It's too good to pass up. I didn't really want to bother either Hadvar or Ralofs family with my presence but even I am not antisocial enough to choose the inn floor over an actual bed.
"Good, good. I'll just pick up my usual order to go and we can be off." he says cheerfully.
I stash away my warmed armors and a few moments later Alvor comes back from the counter and we make our way to his house. He leads the way through the lamplight, and opens the door to a warm interior.
"Sigrid! We have company!" Alvor announces as we step inside.
A pretty Nord woman perks up from a chair by the hearth. Well pretty by earth standards, her face is kinda plain by Skyrim standards. It's really hard to find an ugly person here. Her hair is nowhere near as vibrant as Aela or exotic like Irileth's but it's kind of a welcome change to see someone with just a normal head of red hair. She is thick, but that's normal here in Skyrim. Only the very poor can seem to keep their weight down, or rather can't keep their weight up. Must be a winter thing to survive the cold or something.
"Welcome! You must be the friend that Hadvar mentioned. He told us a little about what you did for him and we're very grateful. Come, sit down and let me get you something to eat." she invites, clearly pleased at the company.
Sitting down I spy their daughter asleep on a small bed on the opposite side of the home. The house is almost entirely wood save for the fireplace and floor, with the kitchen on the left from the door and the bedrooms on the right undivided. A warm bowl of apple cabbage stew, bread and cheese is placed in front of me while Alvor gives my armor a look over.
"If ever you find your leathers wet again let them dry normally, then rub some fat on it. That'll condition it and restore the flexibility. Bear fat works the best but even fresh butter would be better than nothing." he explains while doing just that, a bowl of animal fat beside him. "Your steel armor on the other hand is more resistant to water but it can rust at the rivets and has leather straps of its own to consider. Put it in the sun or the rivets at a fire to drive away the moisture.
"I thought the mark repaired the armor automatically?" I question.
"Aye, but it's not foolproof. Rust gets in the way of the magic and once the leather has been warped the rune thinks that's how it's supposed to be." Alvor explains.
I move from the table to help Alvor, since it is a lot of gear, and get swiftly put in my place by Sigrid.
"Now you be a good guest and eat. Let my husband worry about your armor. He may spend most of his time making saw blades but he's made plenty of good armor too." Sigrid says proudly. "He even made a set just to propose to me. He looked so handsome in it at our wedding. I wish he would wear it more often." she adds pointedly.
"Bah, I can't stand to look at it. It was amateur work from my early days." Alvor scoffs.
"Or maybe you just don't fit in it like you used to." Sigrid teases.
"And who's fault do you think that is?" Alvor quietly grumbles.
I eat my stew in silence. Apple and cabbage stew isn't bad but it is weird. It goes good with cheese and bread though. Sigrid and Alvor work while I eat, paying me no mind save to offer me more food. But before long we all finish what we're doing and they push a mug of mead in my hand. I get the feeling I'm about to pay for dinner.
"So…" Alvor starts.
"We were wondering if you could tell us about Helgen. If you want to, of course." Sigrid quickly adds. "We heard it from Hadvar but it's just so hard to believe…"
"Did Hadvar already leave?" I ask. Hadvar at least should be here. Neither Hadvar or Ralof ever left Riverwood until you started the civil war questline in the game. They would just hang out with their families until you picked a side.
"Aye, the lad left not long ago." Alvor remarks. "Thought he was going to stay longer but something came over the boy and he left." he says, glancing at Sigrid.
"You wouldn't happen to know if Ralof left as well?" I follow up, curious.
There's no hiding the glances between the husband and wife now. I could be terribly rude and just ask about the boys' relationship outright, but I think I've got enough information just from this.
"We're not certain." Alvor answers. "We never saw him to begin with so there's no telling."
"That's fine. Well Helgen was a mess-." I say.
I summarize everything that happened at Helgen, while leaving out some of the unnecessary details. I gloss over the small uprising I caused before the execution, the hallucination before that and what I was doing before I got captured. I also try to leave out details I should have no way of knowing naturally, like how Alduin the World Eater was specifically the dragon that attacked us and that we're in the end times. They do ask questions but for the most part stay quiet and listen. They give each other knowing looks every time I recount an interaction involving Ralof and Hadvar, getting less and less subtle as we drink. There's a visible reaction when I describe the spider lair and Sigrid nearly falls off her chair when I describe the bear encounter and how it nearly mauled Hadvar. I end my story with the pair looking tired but satisfied.
"Well I'll be. That was a story right there. Worthy of its own song!" Alvor proclaims, clunking his mug on the table.
"I'll say. If the tavern had more stories like this I might go with you more often." Sigrid adds.
"Half of Skyrim would come round to this little village if that were the case." Alvor says with a laugh. "I'll have to scold the boy when he comes back. He left out half the story!"
"Husband…"
With my story over and it being well into late night we make for bed. I see a glint from the daughter's bed as the blanket moves a little. I guess we'll all have a late start tomorrow. They lead me to a basic bedroll in the basement that Hadvar was using while he was here and wish me good night. The bedroll is basically a hollow burrito made of animal hide, with the fur turned inward. Thanking the Divines that I don't have any allergies anymore, I crawl inside and pass out.
-
Everyone did get a late start the next day. Well late morning anyway. I couldn't stay asleep in another new place for very long anyway and found the rest of the family up and about already even with the lack of sleep. Sigrid and her daughter are busy keeping house and tending the garden while Alvor was getting a late start on the forge. I wanted to see if I could convince him to properly fit the iron armor pieces I found from the bandits
"Why? Is something wrong with your armor?" Alvor asks, concerned.
"It's not that. I need a more… inconspicuous armor. Something that won't put me on the receiving end of a Stormcloak ambush." I say.
"Aye, I can see how that would be a problem. But this iron isn't really the solution you're looking for, especially for a new adventurer. Iron's effective and cheap to be sure but it rusts too easily. That steel armor you've already on the other hand won't have you reeking of troll fat, and it's better protection besides." he explains.
The thought of having to smear troll fat on my armor to stave off constant rust kinda ruins the romantic ideas I had about switching over to a rustic set of horned Skyrim iron armor. I'm actually quite fond of the Imperial stuff but it will give a lot of people the wrong impression.
"I think you're right. In that case could you modify the helmet?" I ask. "I don't want to impersonate an Imperial officer if I can help it."
"Tell you what. You trade me that iron you found and I'll reforge the helmet and throw in a set of old hide armor so you can be inconspicuous when you need to. Not the best protection but no one will mistake you for an Imperial when you're wearing humble Skyrim hides." Alvor offers.
"Deal."
Alvor gives me the hide armor and gives me a run through of the basics of wearing it. Not too difficult, but it is almost entirely made of just worked animal hides. I wear it while I watch and occasionally help Alvor around the forge. It's mid afternoon when we finish.
"I knocked off that officer fin and molded the edges to look less conspicuous. It should serve just as well, if not better without the unnecessary material balancing on your head." he says.
"Thank you very much." I reply. "I need to see the trader. Depending on what happens there I might be leaving today or tomorrow."
"Well try to let us know before supper? Sigrid and I would love to have you again, especially if we get to hear that story about you and the troll, but she won't be satisfied with feeding you leftovers this time." Alvor says cheerfully.
I nod and head to the traders, it's on the same main road so it only takes a minute. To my surprise Camilla is at the counter right now. It's weird to see her like that because she only ever ran the shop if Lucan died, but I quickly get over that. Her face is full of surprise when she sees me pull out the claw.
"You have the claw! Lucan will be so happy when he sees it. He's taking a quick nap upstairs but he should be down in a moment. He never can sleep when there's a customer." she chirps happily.
"Have you thought about what we talked about?" I ask, setting the claw down on the counter.
There's a rustling sound from upstairs. Camilla looks sheepishly above before replying.
"Are you really going to see the Jarl?" she asks.
"Possibly. I'm delivering this-" I produce the Dragonstone next to the claw. "-to the court wizard."
With a great heave I place the heavy tablet on the counter, a dark stone in the shape of a pentagon. One of the points is slightly exaggerated and marks the bottom of the gold inlay map. The front is an ancient map of Skyrim with certain places marked by stars. On the back is a passage in dragon script, but I'm not flipping this slab over just to point it out.
"Alright, but you have to convince my brother. I don't think he'll like this." she whispers quickly as Lucan comes down the stairs.
"You found it?!" Lucan says, with a shout. "Ha ha. There it is! Strange... it seems smaller than I remembered. Funny thing, huh?"
"I'll never forget this." Lucan says, picking up the claw. "You've done a great thing for me and my sister."
He takes a few moments to examine the claw before returning it back to its rightful place on the counter. Camilla withdraws to her table next to the fireplace, allowing Lucian to also take his rightful place behind the counter. He rubs the sleep from his eyes a bit before seeing the Dragonstone is on the table.
"What is that?"
"That's the Dragonstone. I was just showing it to Camilla. The Jarl himself asked me to retrieve it from the barrow for his court wizard." I say.
"Oh?" Lucan says, eyes focusing on the stone with renewed interest.
"That stone is a map of ancient dragon burial sites, made relevant by the recent dragon sightings I'm sure you two have heard about?" I continue.
"I thought that was just a silly rumor, started by some bored villagers. I guess it's not just a rumor, huh?" Lucan explains.
"The Jarl seems to think so. I also saw one at Helgen, as a matter of fact. It was bigger than the inn." I explain.
"Is that why you're wearing Imperial armor? Are you a deserter?" Camilla asks behind me.
"No, I stole this while running away. The dragon was tearing into the town and I ran into the keep for shelter. I took whatever I thought would help me survive and made it out." I reply.
"Makes sense. I doubt anyone would've stopped you if a dragon was attacking. What were you doing before that?" Camilla asks, giving me the impression of being interviewed.
"I was… a farm girl turned prisoner for some warlocks. I escaped and came here for a new life. Was planning on heading to the College before Helgen…" I trial off, reciting my made up origin story.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"No, it's fine," I say, raising a hand. "I'm doing better now."
"That's good."
"Anyway, if I'm going to be an adventurer I'll need to figure out how to sell all the loot I bring back." I say turning back to Lucan.
"Go on." he says, back straightening.
"I could sell it to any general store but I know I'd always lose coin. That and what if I dig up something powerful or dangerous? I can't just hand that stuff over to just any shopkeep." I explain.
"Hm, quite."
"At the very least it would have to be someone I trust, even better if they could come with me to any of the Hold capitals I'd visit. That would maximize profit for both of us." I continue.
"And how to you figure that?"
"Different Holds value different things, so the merchant I bring could just hold onto any specific item he or she thought might sell better somewhere else. Not to mention they'd gain a reputation across Skyrim as a purveyor of interesting goods. That would help a lot if I ever needed to find something particular or in great amounts."
"And are you hinting that you'd like one of us to come along with you?" Lucan says with one eyebrow raised.
"No Lucan, she's telling you that I've already decided to go." Camilla says, standing up
"Camilla you can't be serious?"
"Oh I'm serious. How many chances am I going to get like this? To leave Riverwood and see the world? It's so exciting I can hardly wait." she replies.
"You're not going, I forbid it!"
"You forbid it?! Since when did you become my father? I'm old enough to make my own decisions, Lucan so I'm going with or without your approval!"
"Fine! Don't blame me if you end up dead, and don't come back either. Since you're all grown up now it's time you took some responsibility for yourself. Maybe then you'll appreciate what I've done for us."
"Are you insane? Come on, we're leaving." Camilla says, grabbing my hand.
"Ah, wait-" I say as Camilla drags me out of the Trader.
I end up having to pop back inside sheepishly to recover the Dragonstone while Lucan glowers at me.
"Sorry about that." Camilla says when I return outside. "My temper got the best of me but it was Lucan's fault! He keeps treating me like a child! Just because we lost our parents at a young age doesn't mean he gets to act like my father!"
"I wasn't expecting that to be honest."
"I was, just not like that. He's usually more reasonable than this, but I guess he got tired of me. Anyway, what now?" Camilla says, looking at me.