Freystein's Tale: Departing Riverwood (Ch. 10)

• Posted by Incomitatus March 19, 2014 - 774 views

  It didn't take me long to decide to leave Riverwood. That's what Dragon-Man clearly wanted me to do, and he was clearly a god of some sort. A wise man obeys the gods if he wishes to live in peace and, apparently, not be burned to death in his dreams.

  I decided to head to Falkreath. Alvor had implied that there a connection may have existed between the bandits in Embershard Mine and Jarl Siddgeir. That whole business was still bothering me, and I don't like to leave matters unfinished. Besides, the only other place I knew of was Whiterun, and I had no reason to go there.

  I made my farewells early in the morning.

  I tried to thank Sven for making a song about me, but he just seemed angry and told me I was "no good." I wonder what I did to anger him? At least he wasn't a god.

  Ralof wished me well and once again tried to recruit me to his Stormcloak war, but the power struggles of these people was no concern of mine.

  Gerdur, who had taken me in and spent countless hours helping me learn the basics of her language... I couldn't thank her properly, but I gave her a silver ring I had found in the belly of a wolf. I washed it off in the river first, of course.

  Her parting words will stay with me forever: "It's good you're going now. Riverwood's too small for a... warrior... like you. May Talos guide you."

  I'm glad someone recognized my talents. I wasn't quite sure who Talos was... sometimes he seemed to be a god and sometimes an old warlord when people spoke of him. I knew he had something to do with the whole Stormcloak war, but he didn't seem to be the Dragon-Man and I only had time for one god's problems.

  After donning my best armor for the road, I went to find Faendal.

  I asked if he would join me, but he replied that he had promised Camilla he would avoid dangerous adventures. I wasn't sure why she would care about that, or why he would care that she cared about that, but I wished him well. For his part, he advised me that it was faster to travel to Helgen, skirt the fortress-town to the north-west, and take the west road down to Falkreath than it was to follow the lake shore road.

  We parted as friends. It was mid-morning when I strode out of Riverwood and the falling snow smelled clean and crisp, like freedom.It was good to be on the move again.