We’re in Swindler’s Den, and I honestly think this was dumber than fighting a dragon.

  We left the Bannered Mare bright and early this morning, so we could go to the prison at Dragonsreach. A guard directed us to the right of the building, and we found the door tucked away in a corner. Once inside, we easily found the man we were looking for.

  He said that he’d tell us where to find the others if we paid the fine to set him free. I didn’t trust him. What’s stopping him from going right back to warn the others as soon as he got out? And that’s assuming he didn’t lie about their location. He explained that as an Alik’r, he’d brought shame to his fellow mercenaries by getting caught, and could never go back.

  Ah, the old “Honor” thing. From what I’ve seen, it seems to get people in trouble more often than not.

  I took a moment to discuss things with Lydia, and she confirmed what he said. An Alik’r who brought that much shame to their household (getting arrested and thrown in jail was a lot of shame) would probably be killed if they showed their face again.

  I agreed to pay the fine (100 gold – ouch) and he told us that the others were hiding in Swindler’s Den. He marked it on my map, and we left.

  Ugh – 100 gold is A LOT. That’s a week’s worth of supplies and inn nights for the two of us, if we sleep rough for a few. I mean, I’m sure I’ll make it back with the haul I’m sitting on right now, but… I still didn’t want to hand it over.

  Anyway, we made our way westward to the spot on the map that Alik’r guy had marked for me. I got a bit distracted on the way here, though. I spotted a fox as we were walking, and I recalled a rumor I’d heard years ago in a bar back home.

  The rumor said that foxes, if they look friendly, will lead you to treasure or “secrets”.

  The fox didn’t look afraid of us. It ran off as I got near, but then stopped and looked back, as though it were waiting. So, I followed it. I explained why to Lydia, and she said that she’d heard the same thing from hunters, but never had the chance to test it.

  It ran over a small rise by the road, and then past a creek. Past the creek was a short drop-off, and in the drop off was a horse, with a saddle and everything.

  Lydia and I looked around and called out, but there was no sign of a rider, so I got on and started for the cave.

  I will admit I’m not the best on a horse. I’ve only been on one a handful of times, and I think the horse knew. It listened to me in regards to direction - As in, I was able to point it roughly where I wanted it to go, but it took off faster than a Spark spell!

  We ran over rocks and jumped over ponds until we almost ran over a man surrounded by dead bodies. He shouted that this was his find, and came at me with a sword. I jumped off the horse so I could fight him off, but in the confusion of the angry guy swinging at me and a panicked horse, I grabbed a scroll I’d picked up in the Barrow instead of the poison I planned to pour on my axe.

  It was a scroll of Dread Zombie.

  I’ve never used a scroll before, but this was… Terrifying and amazing, all at once. The closest body was an Imperial soldier. He looked high-ranking, so I tried it on him. He got up, pulled out his sword, and started to fight the man. I got my axe and some Fire ready while they were fighting, but I didn’t land a single hit.

  I have no idea how Lydia managed to catch up with me, but she did. All I saw was her greatsword slicing through the air and almost cleaving the man in two.

  So, yeah – Lydia’s terrifying.

  We gathered all the loot from the dead bodies and the scavenger. The bodies were a mix of Imperial and Stormcloak soldiers, probably the result of a skirmish that left all of them dead.

  What a waste. Lydia agreed, and we went on our way.

  Over a hill, we saw a shrine of some sort at the base of the mountain, and a bit past that was a mammoth, and a GIANT!

  I’d heard of giants, but I’ve never seen one. He was impossibly huge, even at a distance! A wolf came out from behind a stone outcrop and jumped at them, but the mammoth killed it with a single kick.

  Mental note – Don’t go anywhere near mammoths.

  The giant was carrying a big wooden club with a boulder at the head, and just ambling along with the mammoth. I asked if they were friendly to one another, and Lydia explained that the giants keep mammoths the way we do cows. I told her I wanted to check out that shrine, and she said as long as we don’t bother the mammoth, the giant would leave us alone.

  I have no intention of going NEAR a mammoth, so we made out way down to the shrine. I don’t pay too much attention to temples and such, but I think it was a shine to Stendarr. There were some coins and such left as offerings, which I took. Lydia didn’t complain, so that’s good. Either she’s not too into it like I am, or it’s that Nord practicality I’ve heard so much about.

  Then the ground started to shake. The giant had noticed us and was walking slowly towards the shrine to see what we were up to. As much as I wanted to see more of the giant (Can they understand Cyrodilic? Would they even bother talking to us, even if they could?) the sheer mass of him was intimidating and we ran off.

  There was just one man outside of the Den, and he was easy to pick off. He wasn’t an Alik’r, though. Just a regular bandit. That was strange, but we snuck inside, and not far in there was a large open area with tables and chairs and such. There were more bandits talking, complaining about the Alik’r hiding out with them, and how they didn’t trust them.

  We took care of them, but there was a mage with them, and he gave us a bit of trouble. Still, we finished them off, and kept going. I don’t know how many more bandits we picked off, but just as I was starting to think the Alik’r ran off when they heard the ruckus we were making, we found Kematu and a horde of Alik’r men.

  Kematu wanted to talk, so I indulged him. He said that Saadia/Iman had sold out her people to the Altmeri, and that’s why the other nobles wanted her dead. He said her town could have held out and won, if not for her.

  This puzzled me. Iman said she spoke out against the Dominion, and he’s calling her a traitor. Lydia pointed out that Hammerfell is fighting the Dominion. Logically she wouldn’t be persecuted for speaking against them. It would make sense her people want her dead for siding with the them. But even if she’s lying, I don’t know her reasons. For all I know the Altmeri were holding a loved one hostage. Maybe her people were under a terrible siege, and she did it to prevent more losses.

  Well, whatever her reasons, she hired me to kill the guy, and I told him as much.

  He and his men fell on us, and the fight was on. It was a HARD fight, and I’m forever grateful that I took the time to make a dozen or so healing potions last time I was near an alchemy table. Lydia used a bunch of them, too. I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have made it without them.

  But it’s late, and we’re both tired. Luckily, there’s plenty of bedrolls, fresh water, fire and food here, so we’re taking it easy before we turn in. Lydia’s checking over her armor and switching out her old gear for better things, while I write and enjoy some wine. We make out way back to Whiterun tomorrow.

  I can’t believe that I’m writing this journal entry at my dining room table.

  MY table, in MY house!

  I’ve broken down crying more than once, and each time I’ve had to reassure Lydia that I’m all right.

  I had to explain to her that a house in the Capitol would be impossible for someone like me. A house like this would cost at least ten times what I paid for it, not to mention the furnishings. Even if I’d somehow come into enough money, no one would even sell to someone like me. I had no real job, no family, no connections, no status… People like me just don’t own much to begin with, and we just accept that we never will.

  Lydia was shocked and even got angry – Girl’s got a quick temper – about how unfair it was. Here in Skyrim, any citizen in good standing can buy or build within a hold, name or connections be damned. If you have the gold and aren’t a troublemaker, why should anyone have a problem with it? Being a Thane just gave me first pick, better prices, and prime building spots.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  She said that if I went far enough away from a hold’s center, which doesn’t take long, no one would care if I just built myself a house. Plenty of people do that, and the little homesteads turn into large farms, inns, apothecaries, trading posts, or whatever they want. It’s risky and a lot of hard work, but doable enough.

  I know I’ve only been in Skyrim for a week or so, but I’m liking it more and more here.

  I hope Drusilla is doing as well as I am. She probably is. She’s got a good head on her shoulders and a quick hand. Not as good a talker as me, but she’s sweet and pretty enough for Dibella to take notice of her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s lost count of her marriage proposals already! It wouldn’t be the first time.

  I would write about today’s journey back to Whiterun, but there’s not much to tell.

  The only real bit of Adventure happened as soon as we got out of Swindler’s Den. We stepped into the light, and were immediately covered in the shadow of a dragon circling overhead.

  We froze. Lydia couldn’t take her eyes off it. She’d never seen one before, and this one makes three too many for me. It was small and green, and it didn’t notice us, so I looked around for a safe path out of there.

  I heard it roaring, and I heard more roaring in the distance, almost like it was answering.

  There was another dragon, far off and circling a mountain.

  This makes FOUR dragons, and I am NOT looking forward to my next one.

  I had to grab Lydia by the pauldron and practically drag her away. She kept whispering that there were two of them. I think she was in shock.

  She snapped out of it as soon as we were over the rise of the hill past the Shrine, because that’s when two bandits rushed us from out of nowhere. I didn’t have time to get any weapons out or a spell ready, so…

  I Shouted.

  The bandits fell back down the hillside, which gave me enough time to get my axe and my spells ready. I think the Shout surprised Lydia, too, because she didn’t jump in until the lead bandit was back on his feet.

  They weren’t hard to take care of, but the Shouting thing did make Lydia look at me funny for a while. I wonder if she doubted that I could do it, and didn’t feel it was her place to ask for proof.

  I didn’t know where the road was, so we went to the next little hill to see what we could see. There was some kind of ruin up there, and when we got to the top there were three skeletons armed and ready to attack us! They were easier than the zombies I faced beforehand, and when I commented on it, Lydia told me the Nords call those undead Dragur.

  Dragur. That fits better than Zombie.

  I noticed a light behind some nearby carvings that looked like ones I’d seen in the Barrow, so I went to take a look. There were two dead mages in black robes slumped around and over an altar covered in tools, blood and bones. There were candles around, still lit.

  Idiots. I’m no conjurer, but even I know that two vs. three is bad odds.

  We could see that the road was nearby, so we took what we could and set off on our way back to Whiterun. The rest of the journey was quiet, and we were back in the city by dinner time. I sold off all of our excess loot, and went to the Bannered Mare to tell Iman that Kematu was dead.

  She was happy that we’d succeeded, and gave us 500 gold for the trouble!

  That put us at 5526 gold. More than enough for a house and some furnishings.

  I ran to Dragonsreach as fast as I could. Proventus was in his usual spot by the Jarl, and gave me the key to Breezehome.

  My home.

  Gods, I’m going to start crying again. I’ve never had a place I could call HOME before. I mean, I used the word, but I’ve never felt it. It still feels like a dream to me.

  I bought some furnishings, too. A bedroom and a kitchen, to start. That leaves us with 70-something gold, but I don’t care.

  I have a home. A real one that’s mine.

  I’m going to stop now before I start crying and smudge up the ink again. I’m going to eat a sweetroll, drink some wine, and go sleep in my very own bed.

  I’m writing this in a creepy old ruin called Labyrinthian, according to Lydia.

  I miss my bed already - I’ve not even slept yet.

  We woke up early, and after I got some more food for the kitchen, I saw how terribly low we were on gold. I remembered the old woman I saw arguing with those nasty men in the streets a few days ago (by the Eight, has it only been so long?)

  She had asked me for help finding her missing son.

  I hadn’t gotten much for retrieving a sword, but I know I can count on a reward for finding a person!

  I’ll be honest, those men also rubbed me the wrong way, taunting an old lady like that, and about such a horrible thing, too! Who does that?

  Wealthy men who think their gold and status will protect them, and high-ranking Imperial soldiers, apparently. The thieves I know would never.

  So, I went to Fralia Gray-Mane’s house to get more details. I told Lydia to wait outside, and I’m glad I did. As soon as I walked in, Fralia’s other son, Avulstein, ran at me with a his greataxe. He demanded to know why I was there, but like a smart man, he listened to his mother. She told him to stand down, and that I was there to help.

  They explained that they both knew the Battle-Borns had something to do with the disappearance. The families have been feuding for a long, long time, and are predictably taking opposite sides in the war. Avulstein wanted proof that their rivals were in on it before he did anything, though.

  I mentioned that was wise of him, and went on my way to the Battle-Born’s house to see what I could find.

  Once there, I spoke with everyone, including Olfrid, the one who’d been bothering Fralia in the street. He’s as puffed-up as a horker, but with half the charm. I didn’t get anything usable out of any of them, so I decided to poke around in his quarters once he left the house.

  There I found an Imperial letter stating that Thorald had been taken to Northwatch Keep by the Thalmor.

  Good Gods, the Thalmor. He’s probably still alive, but I think he’s as good as dead.

  I’m not a fan of the Dominion. They’re fanatics who’d want to control everything down to our farts if they could.

  Still, I took it to Avulstein, who was determined to go to the keep to get his brother back.

  I don’t know if he’s seen what the Thalmor could do to people, but I have. They’ve made… Very public examples of those who would oppose them back in the Capitol. If he went to fight them, even with a group of men, I know they’d all be lost.

  The cold in this country must be slowing my brain, because I’m still not sure why I said what I said next. I told him to let me try and TALK to the Thalmor. Maybe I could convince them to let Thorald go. He was doubtful, but I gestured to Fralia, who was in the other room, and pointed out that if he were to get captured or killed, the stress of losing two sons would probably kill her.

  He agreed to stay for now, for his mother’s sake, but assured me that if I failed, he’d try to rescue Thorald his way.

  He marked the location of Northwatch Keep on my map, and I promised that we’d head out right away.

  I got us some provisions before we left, but as we were leaving the gates I actually looked at my map to see exactly where we were going.

  Northwatch Keep is well-named. It’s practically at the most northwestern point of Skyrim.

  Lydia rolled her eyes at me while I complained about it, and we started on our way.

  Maybe she was assigned to me because Irileth took one look at me and thought, “This woman may be a Thane of Whiterun and the Dragonborn, but she’s got the survival skills of a lapdog. Better have Lydia make sure she doesn't get herself killed before she gets to the Greybeards.”

  The more I see of Lydia’s main fighting tactic, which mainly consists of throwing herself directly between me and whatever threat comes at me, completely ignoring my Flame spell or poisoned arrows, the more I think that’s probably the case.

  At least Lydia’s good company. She’s got a sharp wit, and seems glad that I don’t mind her being sarcastic from time to time. She warms up quick, especially once she gets some ale or mead in her hand. She can sing, too - I’ve heard her singing along with the crowd at the Bannered Mare while I rest. Lydia reminds me of Marcella, one of the older girls I grew up with. We’d trade barbs back and forth and laugh at the same time, like sisters do. She’s got a good family, so I’m sure she’s doing just fine, now.

  Not like me, at the moment. The trip to this place was pretty quiet. We faced off against a bear, some mudcrabs, and some wolves. I decided to take the mountain pass rather than follow the road, and I still think I made the right choice. The hike wasn’t that taxing; it’s just cold and snowy up here.

  Labyrinthian is a little confusing to navigate, but the worst part is that it’s crawling with frost trolls. I’d never seen them before, but Sweet Mara, they’re ugly! And they’re hard to kill, too. Fire seems to work well on them, though.

  It’s getting dark, and right now we’re sheltering in a small stone building that seems to be in the center. It’s not a maze like the name suggests, it’s got a lot of platforms and archways and buildings everywhere. It’s just not orderly at all. I did notice some closed doors on some of the buildings that probably lead to tombs or something, but I’m not going in any right now.

  Maybe on the way back.

  But there’s some plunder here, at least. In addition to opening the random urns I’ve found, there’s something interesting in this building. There’s a skeleton here, in an old bloodstain with a knife in it’s ribs, along with a strange wooden mask and a note from a mercenary. The note says that the mask made the man whose skeleton this is disappear. Not like a cloak, where you’re invisible, but Not There, like a teleportation! The dead man didn’t pay them fast enough, so the man who wrote the note stabbed him when he reappeared, and he and his companion looted the body.

  They left the mask, though, and I don’t blame them. The mask is made of wood, and has a creepy, sad-looking (or maybe angry) face carved on it. I can tell it’s heavily enchanted. The magic coming off it feels powerful, and… Old.

  Lydia wasn’t happy when I picked it up, but I reassured her that even though I’m taking it, I’m not putting it on. I want to visit the college of Winterhold at some point. Maybe the mages there can tell me something about it.

  Now that we have a campfire going, I’m looking back at the skeleton. It’s propped up, leaning against what I first thought was a low stone wall, but now I see is… Some sort of altar? It’s got a bunch of blank-faced heads wearing hoods carved on it. Like at a hat shop, but cursed-looking. The carving on the altar looks a bit like the mask, and it looks like it would fit perfectly on one of the blank faces.

  After what happened with the Golden Dragon Foot, I’m NOT setting the mask on the altar.

  It’s early, but it’s only getting colder, so we’re going to set up camp in here and hopefully warm up before setting off again.