The afternoon sun was almost blinding, as the group rushed out of the cave, narrowly escaping. The blast of wind carrying dust and small pieces of rubble from the cave-in hit their backs, dirtying them and their respective garbs.
However if one were to choose between being covered in dust as opposed to being trapped in a cave, they would certainly choose the former.
"We barely made it!" Ralof said as he hunched over panting to catch his breath.
Helfna was the same as she sat on a large stone on the ground trying to compose herself. They had all just barely escaped the clutches of their demise.
Leif on the other hand was slightly more composed but still panting lightly as he studied the surroundings, making sure they were safe enough to be taking a bit of time to rest.
Just then, as they continued to rest, the familiar deafening roar and a colossal shadow passed over their heads as the dragon who wiped out the town of Helgen flew over them.
Not noticing the group hidden by the surrounding flora, he flew away, with large gusts following him from each flapping of his enormous wings, into the far reaches of the mountains, and past the visible ancient-looking ruins away from all who had laid eyes upon him.
The sight of which seemed majestic, but in Leif's mind, that couldn't be further from the truth. What he thought to be the dragon running away after having its fun, reignited his built-up rage but came to an abrupt end as he knew there was nothing he could do at the moment. Though, he did take notice of the massive ruins on the edge of the distant mountains.
'Is there a reason why he went that way?' Leif thought to himself as he looked back to check up on Helfna and Ralof.
"There it goes. Looks like it's had enough fun." Ralof said. "We better clear out of here soon. This place will be crawling with Imperials when they hear of what happened here."
"But, what should we do now? We have no idea if anyone else made it out alive." Helfna stated, somberly. The memories of all her siblings-in-arms that were killed in the attack as well as the ones that were killed much earlier at the hands of the Imperials flashed by as she finally had enough time to think of them.
Leif noticed this and quickly offered an idea as to what they could do now given their current circumstances. "Are there any camps near here? I feel as though you might feel more at ease among friends."
Helfna looked at Leif with confusion, but quickly cleared up the misunderstanding, "Oh no! I didn't mean it like that. I was just wondering what our next course of action should be." She said as she waved her hands around trying to clear the tension, before smiling warmly at Leif, "You are definitely enjoyable company."
"I'm here too, you know?" Ralof looked at Helfna and Leif with a bummed-out expression, feeling excluded at the sight of them getting close.
"Though, there is a camp towards the East on the way to Ivarstead. That means circling Helgen and that gives a higher chance of meeting up with more Imperials." Helfna stated, ignoring Ralof's glumness.
Ralof, following up said "I have a sister that lives not too far from here. She and her husband run a mill up in Riverwood. Perhaps she can provide refuge for her bungling brother and his friends."
"Now that sounds like a plan. I hope she can let us rest after what we just went through." Leif said as he nodded at Ralof's proposal.
"Shall we get going then?" Helfna said as she stood up and stretched out her limbs.
|---.---.---|
"You know, you should try and go to Windhelm and join the fight to free Skyrim. You've seen the true face of the Empire and Imperials today." Ralof suggested out of the blue as they traveled along the path towards Riverwood.
"You'd make a fine addition to our ranks, Leif." Helfna also suggested.
"Thank you for the offer, but I don't have a preference in joining either side. I'm not a native of these lands such as yourselves, nor am I from wherever these Imperials are from." Leif declined.
Both Ralof and Helfna had a confused look at Leif's answer, but Ralof was the first to question him about it.
"Say, lad. Where are you from then?"
"Some place cold…unbearably cold," Leif said bluntly with a smile.
"Haven't you looked around? There's no place colder than Skyrim!" Helfna said at Leif's vague answer.
Leif laughed lightly before saying "There is a place colder than Skyrim. It's also a reason I like to wear multiple layers." he said as he pointed to his current attire.
What he pointed to was many different animal furs and leathers. Not too bulky and hairy to be considered a fur overcoat but not too little to be considered a thin coat. All of which were covered in specks of dust and dirt that unfortunately couldn't be gotten rid of by simply patting it down. He'd have to get it at least washed when he finally got to this Riverwood place that Ralof had mentioned.
"Quit being so vague and answer the question, why don't you?" Ralof said as he grew impatient with Leif's response. "Where are you from then, if you're not a Nord or Imperial."
This time Helfna gave a look of focus to Leif's response as they kept walking down the pathway from Helgen.
"Okay, I'll tell you guys since we escaped death multiple times together. But you can never tell anyone as it may raise a few suspicions. At least I think it would." Leif said as he held his head up high and looked even more imposing than he already did.
"I'm an Atmoran. Similar to you Nords but…bigger and sturdier, I suppose?"
Both Helfna and Ralof paused from walking and stood in silence as the shock set in.
"You must be joking," Ralof said as he played off Leif's answer with a chuckle.
"But, I'm not?" Leif said as he kept walking.
"Surely you jest. The last of the Atmorans we know of was around the time of Ysgramor. And that's thousands of years old! You can't be from a race that is as old as that!"
"Believe me or not. I am an Atmoran. Probably one of the last few that remain alive, no less." Leif trailed off as he had a solemn look on his face but he kept hidden as he looked away.
Both Helfna and Ralof looked at each other, just thinking of the magnitude of what Leif had just said.
What an Atmoran was and who they were are still shrouded in mystery. They are an ancient and legendary race that is known as the precursors of the native Nords that came to Tamriel from the now-frozen continent of Atmora. They are closely associated with ancient figures such as Ysgramor and Ahzidal and are accredited to the establishment of many of the cultures in Nord society. They were thought to have all gone extinct after intermingling with the other races and to be forced to adapt to the different climates, however, that would certainly not be the case anymore.
What seemed to have been a brief pause that Helfna and Ralof took, was more or less an ongoing conversation that they both had through various looks and gestures that they exchanged to argue something amongst themselves.
Ultimately, Ralof lost the exchange and questioned Leif even further. He ran up beside him and asked respectfully, "If what you are saying is true without lies, it is my greatest honor to stand alongside someone with such a storied heritage."
Helfna quickly raced up as well on the other side of Leif but this time with visible joy and respect in her tone, "So that's why you tower over us! Now I know your strength lies in your blood!"
Leif, quickly replacing his solemn look with a happy one, sheepishly scratched the back of his head and told them in a hushed tone, "It may come as a shock to you but I only recently came here from Atmora a few weeks ago before I was captured alongside you Stormcloaks."
"That means that you have lots of tales to tell us! You must!" both Ralof and Helfna excitedly asked him.
"Perhaps later. For now, let us get to this town first."
As their banter kept going, they happened upon a strange rock formation. One that consisted of 3 upright stones each had its own unique carving.
"What's this? I haven't seen anything quite like that before," Leif questioned as he observed the stones more.
"These are the Guardian Stones. Three of the thirteen total standing stones that dot the landscape of Skyrim." Ralof said as he felt proud of his answer.
"Thirteen? Are they only native to Skyrim or are they also in other regions?"
"There may be more. But the ones that all Nords are familiar with are the ones in Skyrim." Helfna said.
"What's so special about them?" Leif asked as he felt familiar with these stones somehow.
"Once you find a stone that you feel connected to, the carving of whatever is on that stone will give you a blessing befitting of the image," Ralof said as he touched the stone that had the carving of a warrior clad in armor, holding a shield and a large battleaxe.
As soon as he touched it, the carving of the warrior started to glow blue, and a beam of blue light shot toward the heavens.
"See? But since I've already had the blessings of the warrior, nothing really changes." Ralof said as he stepped down.
"Why don't you try?" Helfna asked Leif as she too already had the blessing of the warrior stone.
"Wait, hang on. What happens if you have the blessings of another stone? Does it add to the previous one or does it take it away entirely?" Leif asked as he felt even more familiar with the stone from the little light show from Ralof's interaction.
Ralof answered his question by telling him that any blessing from any other stone would be replaced with the one that he planned on getting.
As Leif nodded at Ralof's answer and as he was prepared to receive one of the three blessings, a rush of memories hit him. A piece that he had long since sealed away at the back of his mind. One where he was just but a boy who wandered a little too far away from his home and came upon a large altar inside a cave.
FLASHBACK
As a child, he had never felt that much fear before, being outside for so long and alone no less in the wilderness. In that moment of fear and desperation, he walked to a cave and deep inside, found a large stone monolith that resided at the top of an ancient-looking altar. He did not know why but he felt drawn towards it as if the stone was sentient and told him that all would be all right as long as he got close.
The monolith had a picture engraved and below it was something written in runic marks.
Bow before the power of Order
The picture gave a detailed and intricate figure of a warrior, its body looking to be entirely made up of armor with a perfectly symmetrical sword being wielded in its right hand.
The face behind the protective helm revealed an elderly man who seemed so lifelike. Though he too was entirely composed of a metallic-like composition.
As soon as he touched it, a warmth enveloped his body, the same warmth a child would feel in the arms of their mother. Alongside that warmth, a pulling sensation from an unknown force was tugging at him, trying to take him somewhere. Just then, he fell asleep, waking up the next day and knowing exactly where to go to get back home.
He has no recollection of what had happened to him while he was unconscious but did end up discovering a unique gift after that event, something that he kept hidden from everybody and something that he plans to never share with anyone.
END FLASHBACK
Finally remembering his encounter with that stone, a voice that he could vaguely hear was calling out to him.
Almost like a whisper, "Don't…my…champion" was heard in his ears.
Leif looked around, trying to see if it was either Helfna or Ralof calling out to him, but to his surprise, it wasn't either of them.
As strange as it had come, the whispering was steadily losing its volume and soon faded away.
If Leif wasn't already accustomed to many different things in his life, this would have definitely been a cause for concern, however for him, he composed himself and kept his calm. He would try to figure out what that voice was later, but now, he had to make a choice.
Leif experienced hesitation at trying to receive another blessing, it seems that the voice did not want to leave him. On one hand, he could receive a different blessing than the one he already had, but on the other, would it truly top what he had?
The gift that he apparently received from the stone back in Atmora provided him with a unique power and using that reason, along with that ghostly voice telling him not to, he ultimately decided against the idea of replacing his current blessing.
"On second thought, perhaps these aren't for me. I'll take a look at the other ones around Skyrim." Leif said as he backed away from the altar.
"To each their own, I suppose," Helfna said as she was slightly taken aback at his choice.
As the group turned away from these so-called Guardian Stones, those colossal-sized ruins captured Leif's attention.
Ralof caught sight of Leif's confused look at the sight of the ruins and proceeded to explain before Leif could ask about them.
"Bleak Falls Barrow. I never really understood how my sister could live in the shadow of that place. Heard there's a bandit group who took over a couple of months back and have been occupying since. Might want to steer clear of that place." Ralof said as he carefully told Leif everything he knew.
'Bleak Falls Barrow? Now that I have a closer look at it, the craftsmanship seems Atmoran! Just how old is this ruin?' Leif thought to himself as he couldn't wait to explore the ruins despite what Ralof said.
|---.---.---|
As they continued on the path, they eventually reached the outer gates of the town of Riverwood. A quaint town a little smaller than Helgen but had just enough hustle and bustle to rival it.
"Looks like nobody here knows what's happened in Helgen," Helfna said as she saw that all the townsfolk outside were going about their usual business.
However, for Leif, he couldn't care less about that. What he saw was quite a new site for him.
Sure he saw the liveliness of Helgen from a prisoner's point of view, but now that he was technically a free man, he could enjoy the serenity as a traveler. He wanted to see how the people of Skyrim acted in their everyday life and right now, it was all unveiled as soon as he walked through the main gate.
However, he was stopped by Ralof as he said, "Before you get all giddy about Riverwood, let us meet my sister first so that we can inform her of the dragon attack. She might still be working at the lumber mill right now."
Leif grumbled a little like a pouting child which was noticed by Helfna, who covered her mouth to stifle a chuckle.
As they walked through the town and towards a large sawmill, Leif heard the ramblings of an elderly woman and her son trying to make sense of her.
"A dragon! A dragon! It was as big as a mountain and black as night!" she shouted.
"Mother please, calm yourself." her son said not at all believing her inane ramblings.
"I saw it! I saw it! It flew right over the barrow!" she reaffirmed that she did in fact see it.
'Seems like she's the only one that knows of the attack so far. I'll probably have to ask her what else she's seen.' Leif thought as the son of the elderly woman began to walk away saying that he couldn't deal with her fantasies or delusions.
Following Ralof, both Leif and Helfna walked around the mill. An elven man of Bosmer descent was seen chopping wood, too focused to pay attention to the group of three that had just entered the town and walked past him.
It seems that almost all the townsfolk hadn't noticed the group of dangerous-looking strangers entering their town, and just chose to focus on what they were doing. Such was the life of the common folk in Skyrim, too much work to have a care in the world.
"Gerdur!" Ralof said as he spotted his sister going about her business. Relief washed over him as he finally found who he was searching for.
"Brother! Mara's mercy, it's so good to see you!" his sister, Gerdur replied once she saw sight of him.
Though her happiness in seeing her brother was short-lived as she immediately thought of the dangers of him, being a Stormcloak, was in Imperial-occupied territory.
"But is it safe for you to be here? We've received news that Ulfric was captured-"
"Gerdur, I'm fine. At least now I am." Ralof said in a gentle tone, trying to calm his doting sister.
Gerdur, finally noticing his companions by his side, was taken aback.
How she failed to notice the large man behind her brother, as well as a Nord woman, was only something that the Divines could know.
"Who are they? Did they travel with you?" She questioned her brother.
"They're my friends. I owe them my life, in fact." Ralof said as he looked at Helfna and Leif.
Leif sheepishly smiled as he scratched the back of his head, not really knowing what to say from being embarrassed.
Helfna introduced herself first "My name is Helfna, pleased to meet you."
Leif, seeing that Helfna introduced herself, quickly followed suit with a friendly smile, "Ah, hello. My name is Leif, it is a pleasure to meet you."
Gerdur, not expecting that such a large and imposing man and an intimidating woman with a large sword sheathed on her back would have a friendly way of introducing themselves, quickly replied, "My name is Gerdur, thank you for taking care of my brother as he can be a real handful at times."
"You can say that again," Helfna stated as she gave a look to Ralof which he caught and basically shrank back as he was embarrassed at how his sister described him.
"Is there someplace where we can talk? No way of telling when the news of Helgen will reach the ears of the Imperials," Ralof brought up since everyone was acquainted with each other now.
"What's this about Helgen? Has something happened?" Gerdur asked as she had no clue. Perhaps not even noticing the colossally-sized dragon that flew from that town.
"Oh, you've no idea," Leif said with relief that he won't need to experience that again.
"Hmmm, you're right. Come, follow me." Gerdur said as she turned.
As she led the group towards a tree stump, away from the prying ears of anyone who would try to eavesdrop, she called out to someone who was operating the mill.
"Hod! Come here a minute. I need your help with something."
What followed was a grumbling of a man, too busy to deal with her problems, "What is it woman!? Sven drunk on the job again?"
Gerdur heaved a sigh before saying, "Hod, just come here!"
The man on the sawmill caught a glimpse of Ralof and everyone else. Not wanting to keep his brother-in-law waiting, he quickly stammered, "R-Ralof!? What are you doing here? I-I'll be right down!"
Once they reached the tree stump and were joined by Gerdur's husband, Hod, could they now truly discuss what had happened in Helgen?
"Now, Ralof. What's going on? You three look pretty done in." Hod said as if stating the obvious.
Ralof simply sat down on the stump, stretching out his legs and finally relaxing his sore muscles and limbs. He let out a large sigh as if all the build-up fatigue had finally gone.
"I can't remember when I last slept," he said as his eyes were closed, trying to see when he should begin his story.
"Where to start? Let's see…well the news you heard about Ulfric being captured by the imperials was true. They had captured us right outside Darkwater Crossing. Almost as if they knew exactly where we'd be."
He pondered for a moment, trying to piece together everything, "That was…two days ago now. We stopped in Helgen this morning, and we all had thought it was over. They had us all lined up in front of the headsman's block and ready to start chopping."
Ralof ended up going off on a monologue about how they wouldn't let Ulfric have a fair trial and a bunch of politics between the Stormcloaks and Imperials, but eventually got back on topic.
"But then! Out of nowhere, a dragon attacked."
Gerdur and Hod both looked at each other as if trying to ask each other if what they heard was indeed correct.
"You don't mean…a real, live…" Gerdur was about to continue before being interrupted by Helfna.
"It's true. We witnessed it ourselves and still have a hard time believing in it, or at least I am."
"As strange as it sounds, we'd be dead if not for that dragon. Amidst all the confusion and chaos, we escaped. Are we really the first ones to make it to Riverwood today?" Ralof asked.
"From what I know, nobody else has come up from the South road," Gerdur said, reaffirming Ralof's guess.
"Good, maybe we can lay up for a little while." Ralof said before he began again in a hopeful and begging tone, "I'd hate to put your family in danger, Gerdur, Hod-"
"Nonsense, you and your friends are welcome to stay as long as you like. Let me worry about the Imperials for now," Gerdur interrupted as she knew what Ralof was going to ask.
"Isn't that right, Hod?" She asked as she looked at her husband with a threatening glare.
Hod felt nervous and started to stammer out, "O-of course! Any friend of Ralof is a friend of mine!"
"Thank you for your generosity. We'll take you up on that offer but do let me know if there's anything I can do to repay the kindness." Leif said as he lowered his head in respect.
Gerdur turned to look at Leif, as Helfna sat together with Ralof on the stump already exhausted, and asked him, "There is something that you can do for me. For all of us here in Riverwood."
"Of course. Whatever needs to be done, let me do it." Leif said with a warm smile.
Gerdur, seeing that, felt thankful that her brother had managed to befriend such a gentle giant and asked, "The Jarl needs to know of the dragon on the loose. Riverwood is defenseless and we need to get word to Jarl Balgruf in Whiterun to send whatever reinforcements. If you can do that for me, I'll be in your debt."
"Don't worry. Consider it done." Leif said with a thumbs up.
"Thank you, sister. I knew I could count on you." Ralof said with a more relaxed tone as if a huge weight had dropped from his shoulders.
Gerdur nodded before asking, "I ought to get back to work before I'm missed, but did anyone else escape? Did Ulfric?"
Ralof laughed a bit before easing her worry, "Don't fret. I'm sure he made it out. It'll take more than a dragon to stop Ulfric Stormcloak!"
"I'll show them to the house. Show them where everything is." Hod said as he signaled Leif and Helfna to follow.
Helfna put up her hand in refusal as she said, "I can't really walk right now. I'll join up in a bit." She then turned to Leif, and gave him a warm smile, "I'll be seeing you Leif, don't be a stranger."
Ralof, knowing that Leif was about to leave Riverwood again quickly replied, "Thanks again, Leif. Without you, who knows what would've happened to us."
"Of course. I'll come back as soon as I can." Leif said with a curt bow in respect before turning to Hod.
"Guess it's just you and me, tall man," Hod said in a joking manner.
"Very funny. Though, before that, could you perhaps show me around? I'd love to get to know how life here in your town is," Leif asked as he closely followed Hod.
"I can't really show you as I have to get back to the mill, but I can point you the directions of where the interesting places are," Hod replied.
"Don't worry, I'll try not to get lost."
Soon they came to Gerdur and Hod's home. A small but cozy house that was furnished to make it even more comfortable.
"All right. In front of us to the left is the Sleeping Giant. If you're ever in the neighborhood for some private rooms or just some food and mead, that's your place." Hod said as he pointed to the largest building. "Should be perfect for you," Hod said, jokingly patting Leif's back.
"To our right, we have the Riverwood Trader. Got some things that caught your fancy and want to sell it? Or if you need some supplies, you go there." He said, pointing to the second-largest building in town.
"Other than that, we have our mill that you've already seen and the other folks' homes. There's also that forge that you should have seen when you entered town. That place will forge you whatever you need."
"Ahh, Interesting. Thank you again. It's greatly appreciated." Leif said in a respectful tone.
"Say there's one more thing. How come a man with your size is being so formal? You've got to be more intimidating," Hod said as he looked Leif up and down.
"I have to show respect to my elders of course," Leif answered bluntly, as if it was common knowledge.
"I- what? Wait a second, how old did you say you were? I'm not really good at guessing." Hod asked as he was now genuinely confused.
"I turned 23 on the 27th of Morning Star," Leif said as he turned away to the Riverwood trader, deciding that it was the first place he'd go as the spider fang that he had collected was itching to get sold. As well as his burning passion to discover new things.
"23…23…wait…23!!!" Hod said as he could not believe it, but before he could ask him anything more, Leif's back was already turned and he was already gone, leaving a flabbergasted Hod with his thoughts.
|---.---.---|
As Leif walked to the Riverwood Trader, as Hod called it, the ramblings of the elderly woman that he heard when they entered town first were still being continued, as if she was a spokesperson on permanent repeat.
His curiosity got the better of him, and he tried to find out more information from the woman so, he steadily walked towards the woman and gave a respectful bow before asking, "Hail, elder. What's this I here? About a dragon over the barrow?"
The elderly woman gave a quick look at the newcomer, Leif. First shocked by the size of the fellow, before turning her head away, "Why do you care?!" She yelled, "Just some ramblings of an old woman, trying to live out the rest of her days. Besides, you wouldn't believe me. Nobody would…not even my own son."
She finished her words in an almost whimper-like voice with a frustrated face, seemingly on the verge of tears.
Leif, picking up on her emotions, sat her down on the bench placed conveniently on the porch where she stood for hours, spreading her warnings.
"I believe you. So please…" Leif said gesturing to sit next to him on the bench, "...continue," he said with one of his warmest smiles. A truly heartfelt one that only a child could give to their mother.
The elderly woman could only stare in shock at Leif. Never in her life could she imagine that such an imposing man could ever show such a joyous and sincere smile. It almost reminded her of her own son, back when he was so full of wonder and innocence. It brought her to a simpler time.
She reminisced for but a moment, before realizing that she stared at Leif for a little too long.
"Ahem…Okay. I'll tell you. Since you're the only one to listen to this old woman here."
"Nobody believes me, but I saw it! It was this morning that I saw the dragon head towards Helgen. Since then I've kept watch. Trying to see if anything would happen, I've only faced the South road. Only until a little while ago, did I see that behemoth fly out and head towards the barrow," she said as she pointed to the ruins of Bleak Falls Barrow, "just there."
Leif was left in thought for a bit, to ponder what his elder had said. He asked one more question of the woman, "Would you happen to know anything about the barrow? I'm quite foreign to these lands and have only the slightest of clues about it."
She seemed to think for a few moments, first thinking that he was a foreigner but quickly brushing that fact aside, and started to speak.
"The barrow is quite old. It is an ancient Nordic ruin that goes back to the old Dragon War! Though it has been collecting dust and has been breaking down, there are still tales of treasure hidden deep inside the sanctum within. That must be why so many bandits are accustomed to staying there. Perhaps they ambush any who try and brave the arduous journey."
Committing everything that this woman had said to memory, Leif gave his thanks for the information that she provided. She also gave Leif a pat on his head, which Leif had to lower his head for, as a thank you for listening to her talk. It was quite an enjoyable feeling that Leif felt, to which he reluctantly had to tell the elder woman that he needed to be elsewhere.
As he turned to leave for the trader, he was stopped by her.
"Oh, are you heading towards Lucan's shop?"
"Is that the owner of the Riverwood Trader?" Leif asked, noting that the owner's name was Lucan.
"Of course. He and his sister have set up shop here for quite a while now. They sell all kinds of trinkets and goods." she said with a happy smile.
However, it didn't last long as she went on to say, "Though, it was robbed last night. Poor Lucan must be torn to pieces over it."
Just then she perked up and asked in a pleading tone, "If you can, young man, could I ask of you to assist him in these harsh times? I know it's just the request of an old woman, but I can't bear to see poor Lucan in this state."
Leif thought it over in his head. Of course, he wanted to help, but right now, he had to talk with Jarl first and get some reinforcements to this town.
"I'll do what I can, elder. I'll hear him out first for more details and then see if he wants my help." Leif said as he turned away and walked to the trader.
"May Talos guide you, young man."
|---.---.---|
Leif only had to walk for a moment until he came right to the front entrance of the Riverwood trader.
Standing right in front of the door, he went for the handle, only for him to hear what sounded like an argument from inside.
Being the curious kind he was, Leif pressed his ear to the door to hear better, and upon doing so could he make out the voices of a man and a woman.
"Well, one of us has to do something!" he heard a woman shouting.
"I said no! No more adventures, no theatrics! And definitely, NO. THIEF-CHASING!" the man rebuked.
"Well, what are you going to do about this then, huh? Well, c'mon, let's hear it?" the voice of the woman for which he could definitely hear the sarcasm.
"Enough! We're done talking about this."
It seems that whatever was stolen held great value to them. Or at least, for the woman it did as she was very emotional about it.
Leif took his head off the door and wondered if he should walk in at this point. Was he willing to put himself in the turmoil that these people had about their break-in?
Of course, he was! He was raised to be someone who would never let anyone down, even if it was a stranger in need.
So he opened the door and let himself into the trader.
With a chime, his presence was known to the two people inside, alerting them and quickly getting their friendly attitudes ready.
Only that, their attitudes took a little longer to be shown as the first thing they thought of was the hulking man that was in their presence.
Lucan, the store owner, was the first to break the ice as he noticed that he was staring too long and welcomed the customer, Leif.
"Welcome, dear customer! My name is Lucan and that hussy over there is my sister, Camilla. We carry just about everything you need so please take a look around!" Lucan said in a very polite and warm manner.
The woman on the other hand was still in shock, not even registering how her brother had introduced her. Her shock was almost the same as Lucan's but only differing in that she had a red hue donning her face and her eyes unwavering from Leif's. Perhaps she had her own reason to be shocked.
It seems that Leif had an admirer without him even knowing.
"I'm sorry to say, but I overheard that you guys may have had a break-in. Something valuable was stolen from you as well, judging from the shouting that I heard." Leif said.
"Oh, you overheard that? Well…we did have…sort of a break-in. But we still have plenty to sell." Lucan said, trying to divert the attention away so that his customer could still find something to buy.
The woman on the other hand, finally waking from her own little world, decided to tell Leif about it, as he seemed very curious in that aspect. Definitely not because of his perfectly sculpted face, or his strong stature, or his piercing frosty blue eyes. Totally not for those reasons.
"T-the robbers were only after one thing. An ornament that my brother had kept as a keepsake, one that he proudly left to show off on the counter there." She said as she pointed to the very same counter that Lucan was leaning over.
"It's solid gold, in the shape of a dragon's claw. May I ask why you are asking about it, traveler?" She ended in a delicate tone.
"The name's Leif. I plan on stopping by a so-called bandit's nest soon, so I'll be sure to return it should I come across it." Leif simply said.
"You will?!" The woman exclaimed. "Oh, that would be wonderful!" she said with a delightful tone that made her blush even more.
"Seriously? That would be splendid!" Lucan said aloud as he knew no bandit would stand a chance if someone of Leif's stature had anything to say about it.
"Listen. If you do end up finding it, I've got some coins coming in from my last shipment. It's all yours should you bring it back to me."
Leif perked up at the mention that there would be a reward for his troubles. Though he would've done it as a kind gesture for free, he certainly wouldn't mind being rewarded some coin for him going out of his way.
As Leif was just about to leave the store, he stopped himself. Forgetting the first reason as to why he was even here in the first place, he quickly turned back to Lucan and asked, "Do you guys happen to be buying venom? I've got a fang that's full of it."
"Of course! But depending on the size and type of spider it's from, the coin I can offer for them will vary." Lucan said with his eyes already gleaming with delight.
"I've got this. Don't really know what kind of spider, though." Leif said as he handed the pouch from within his coat.
As Lucan carefully opened the pouch, a virulent smell arose from the bag, which he quickly tightened again.
"How did you get your hands on this?" Lucan said with a questioning glare.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Ordinarily, I would just assume it to be a Frostbite spider. But the smell and size say otherwise."
"Oh, I fought it just a few hours ago. Quite large and stubborn, but I took care of it." Leif simply said as he recalled that aggressive and feral-looking spider in the cave during their escape from Helgen.
Lucan, mouth, and eyes agape in shock, just looked at Leif. Did this man really just slay and harvest the fang of a mutated Frostbite spider? Was that even possible without the strength of an entire war party?
So of course he would be confused at the thought of someone dropping by to sell one such item of absurd difficulty to get.
To Lucan, his being a general goods owner would make him well-versed in all the creatures of Skyrim. Of course, all this knowledge and their worth so that he can buy and sell accordingly.
"Because you want to help me and my sister with our Golden Claw Situation, I'd like to offer you 750 septims for that fang," Lucan said to which Camila finally focused on something else other than Leif.
"Lucan, you must be joking! Is it really worth that much?" She screamed at her brother's expenditure in getting the fang.
"I wouldn't have offered it if it wasn't something special. This right here," he held the pouch at her, "this IS special."
"Alright. But if it isn't, don't even bother me with your petty errands."
While the two siblings were bickering with each other, Leif just stood there as a statue. A soft smile was donned on his face as he saw them argue, which reminded him of his time with his own family.
"Thank you. It's quite a large sum for a simple fang, but if you say it's worth that much, who am I to argue?" Leif said as he got up to the counter to receive his payment.
After placing the pouch away and was about to say his farewells and leave the store, Camilla stopped him.
"May I accompany you?"
"Wha-?" Leif froze as soon as he opened the door.
"What?!" Lucan shouted at her.
"Obviously he wouldn't know where to start looking if he was going for the claw!" She yelled back to her brother.
"Besides, I'll just walk him to the edge of town," she said, trying to explain more.
"May I?" She turned her gaze back to Leif, just beaming with stars in her eyes.
"I… guess?" Leif said with visible confusion donning his face.
"Thank you!" She said while jumping up and down like an infant girl.
After waving his goodbye at Lucan, Leif held the door open for Camilla and followed suit. Breathing in the fresh evening air, he walked together with her.
"So…where are you from?" Camilla asked, trying to make conversation.
"Uhhh, nowhere really," Leif stated, making sure that he kept people from knowing his origins to a minimum.
"Oh come on…you can tell me," Camilla said, trying to pry. "Besides, I can keep a secret, unlike some people in this town." She said trailing off as she looked at a certain Bosmer and Nord who happened to watch both her and Leif walking side by side.
Leif, finding a topic to switch over from his origins, quickly jumped on board and asked her, "What do you mean? Do you happen to be talking about someone in particular?" Leif said while aiming his gaze at the two who were staring at him and Camilla.
Camilla simply sighed and said, "The Bosmer is Faendal and the Nord is Sven. Both have been trying to attract me ever since I've set up shop here with my brother." She then proceeded to walk a little closer to Leif, "Though, I appreciate the attention, it became bothersome. To the point that they decided to tarnish each other's reputation with the letters that I've received from them both."
"Is that something to really fret about?" Leif said, not at all understanding the distress of a lady.
"Of course it is! You see, if both of them are capable of defaming each other, then what will become of me if I were to choose either of them? Would either of them try to sully my name if I didn't choose between them? Would the feud between them resolve once I made a choice?"
"Ohhhh. I see now. That does sound harsh." Leif said as he held his chin in thought as they continued walking.
"Have you tried approaching them about it? If they both fancy you, wouldn't they respect the decision you make in your choice?" Leif kept thinking and then paused.
"Unless…"
"That's the problem. I don't like either of them. So they'll probably go out of their way and try to sabotage anyone else that I come to like." Camilla said bluntly which confirmed Leif's suspicions.
"Quite a predicament that you've found yourself in," Leif said as he tried to think of a solution that could get her out of this mess, to which he just picked the first one in his mind.
"Would you like it if I talked with them both? I'm sure I could 'reason' with them and get them off your back."
Camilla, taken aback quickly refuted, "I can't have you try to busy yourself with my problem! You're already helping me and my brother out with our claw situation. Besides, it's only a small matter," she said while giving a smile of appreciation at Leif's selfless act.
"Nonsense. Though it would have to wait, I'll talk to them once I get back with your claw!" Leif said, flashing one of his warm smiles at her as if he wanted to say that it really was no trouble for him to go out of his way to help someone in need.
Camilla just couldn't look away from his smile. This big, soft-hearted man would simply go out of his way just to help her out with some trouble. She had never met anyone as kind as he and would definitely try her best to get on good terms with him.
As they kept up their conversations, many of which were still aimed at Leif's origins to which he answered as vaguely as possible, they found themselves right at the bridge leading to the North road.
"Alright, here we are. If I led you any farther, Lucan would've given me an earful." Camilla said as disappointment and reluctance were present in her expression. She definitely enjoyed Leif's company in the short time they were acquainted with each other. "If you follow the road signs, they'll lead you to the barrow and Whiterun. You could for sure get yourself some nice weapons and armor there!"
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you again Camilla for accompanying me. I'll definitely help you with Faendal and Sven. I'll be off now. I'll be back before you know it!" Leif said as he started to walk away and across the bridge. Camilla could do nothing but wave at Leif's back, as he continued to walk until he disappeared into the forest that separated Riverwood from Whiterun.