Sigurd's Saga, part nine

  • PROLOGUE-----

    A single guard stood watch over the sleepy village by the river, watching the sun set, the man was unaware of the small figure slip through the gate, heading towards the inn.  "I shwear! ash big ash a houssh!!" A burly, blonde nord in a leather jerkin wrapped in a blue sash was regaling the innkeeper with a tale surely devised from the pile of bottles that lay at his table.  Staggering over to another nord, he hooked a arm around him and hauled him up, my frien! he wull voush fer me! with his capacity to speak quickly deteriorating, the drunkard's grip failed him and he went lurching towards the floor.  An audience had gathered around the nord, and the assassin took this moment to advance on his target, the drunken man's friend.  

    Although my mobility and sight was impaired, my hearing wasn't, the sinister hiss behind me spelling my doom, or so the lizard thought.  I dropped to the floor, kicking the stool behind me, I heard a thump, and another hiss, this time of surprise, as I faced my attacker, a short, wiry lizard with a wicked knife clutched in one claw, it tried to dash to the door, but in it's haste stumbled over Ralof's recreation of High Hrothgar. My newly forged axe, at the ready sent one last look of fear into the assassin's heart before it came down, rending his midsection in two, Ralof, in a state of drunken bliss, bellowed for the finest ale.

    "Gods! where did that come from!" "Everyone stay back!" "ALE!!!"  "Are there more?" "Someone do something!" "MOAR ALE!!!"  the air was charged with fear as the residents in the inn were panicking, asking questions no one could answer, I wrenched my axe from the corpse, and kicked open the door, a blast of cold air met my face, I stood there, axe in hand, glaring into the night, but if there were more, they had fled.  I went back inside, reassuring the others, "Quiet! they are gone! after his failure, I don't think anymore will be too keen to return."  The bartender, on top of things as usual called out, "Free ale! after this nights shock, I think we all need it."  While the crowd around Orgnar grew, I knelt by the lizard, inspecting the armor, it was skin tight black leather with dark red embossed around it, I had never seen its like before, but I knew I would see it again.  Hauling Ralof from the crowd, I led my friend down the road back to Gerdur's house.  The next morning, I checked on Ralof, who was surprisingly awake, albeit with a raging headache, "Goodmorning friend!" he said at my sight, wincing, "I seem to remember a fight at the inn last night" "That there was, I'm surprised you remember there was an inn!"  I then left the house before he could come up with a rebuttal, I needed to clear my mind, I went to the inn, where the corpse still lay, and brought it outside, I traded the assassin's blade for a bow an a few arrows at Alvor's, planning to do some hunting after I had disposed of the lizard, the swift current of the river took care of that.  I then set out to the glades surrounding Riverwood, taking in the breathtaking beauty of the idyllic valley, spying a pair of antlers in the water, I nocked an arrow and sighted down the shaft at the blurry figure under the ripples, almost as if it sensed its' impending doom, the great elk lifted its head out of the water, just in time for my arrow to find it's throat, stumbling to the far side, the beast attempted to run to the woods, but my second arrow put it down for good.  taking advantage of the camp Ralof and I had discovered, I soon had a fire stoked and a hearty slab of venison spitted above it, while my lunch roasted, I took the hide and scraped it in to serviceable straps, to improve my current garb. I sat in silence over my meal, pondering my awakening, for what reason had I awoke? are my brothers awake? trapped in that evil place? I took it upon myself to return there, after The Jarl was informed of the dragon.  Dousing the fire I watched a hawk circle overhead, winging it's way toward a distand snow-capped mountain. and an crumbling fortress built in the old way.  My way.  If I wanted answers to my awakening, this place may hold them.

Comments

2 Comments
  • Eviltrain
    Eviltrain   ·  September 17, 2012
    All right. This is hands down my favorite active tale on the blog. This Nord kicks ass and I need to be his friend.
  • Kynareth
    Kynareth   ·  September 15, 2012
    Ooh, I like the way Sigurd is thinking...his ancient perspective is refreshing to read, and I wonder if he will make it back to the place of his awakening and to his comrades.  Glad to see another post!