Nothing much happened during half the day. Except of course, for the rain that was too heavy and forced me to take shelter inside a log for a while. Well, as they say, the wolves can't really hunt in the rain because of their loss of sense of smell, but I wouldn't know that. As I sat there in the log, I always thought my life is going to be simple. A farmer with a piece of land, maybe a spouse that I will be able to finish my life with. Hopefully, I have children or maybe even a small inn. Well, one thing happened after another and I'm stuck here, taking shelter from rain and feeling like the Eight Divines are still not satisfied with toying me around.
I don't know how long I took shelter, though when the rain finally calmed down, the sun was falling down. The trail I took from Riverwood was getting clearer and there were hints of roads half built. People tend to mark their trails and I saw some clearing here and there. It looks like a road frequently used. Although, I was the only one around. Thank goodness there weren't any wolves, or worse things. I took one look at the sky, scanned the ceiling of the blue sky and bolted.
The first signs of civilization, the city, were the guards. I took a corner and suddenly Whiterun loomed ahead of me. It looked big enough at that distance that I thought it must still be bigger when I get there. There were guards patrolling the area. I gulped down and walked slowly, afraid of attracting attention. But a loner passing through the woods? Not a chance.
There was one guard posted near the sign post. He saw me first. I didn't see him at first because of the camouflage uniform of the Whiterun guards, a brown leather armor and a steel helm. He was also wearing a cloak and a sword peeked through it. He called out to me, called me "Traveler" and asked me where I came from. I answered and the guard looked surprised. He advanced onto me and asked something about strange happenings near there. I didn't know what he was talking about, so I shook my head. He seemed relief, I guess. Whiterun was just around a bend, there was a big river on the left, and Whiterun is on the other side.
The guard showed me the way, I thanked him and was on my way. I passed what looked like a meadery and that was when I heard shouts. There were guards running from around the bend, coming out before me. I gripped my sword, afraid to sheath it out but the guards ran towards one of the farms nearby. I quickly ran towards it too, wanting to see what's happening. I felt it inside me even before I saw it. The earth shook and it vibrated my insides. That's when I saw the Giant, smashing at the ground. I was gaping my mouth but then I realized the guards were just standing there, looking at the fight between the Giant and 3 people.
They were seasoned veterans, I'm sure of it. And to my surprise, two of them were women. One of them have flowing hair, shooting arrows from her bow, the other was holding a sword and a shield, facing the giant, cleaving it's thighs and legs. The other one was a man, and his big greatsword swinging in great blows. I was truly at awe, watching them fight the giant. It didn't stand a chance against those three. It went down after the bow-man shot an arrow right through the Giant's eyes. The guards cheered as it fell down, and died on the spot. After that, the guards quickly gathered around the Giant and began to drag it off. Probably to be left rotten on some cave or something. I wouldn't know because those three warriors were coming after me.
The one with the bow, Aela, greeted me. She saw my sword and asked me why I didn't join in the fight. I shook my head off, saying that I'm no warrior such as them and it didn't look as if they needed the help. She snorted, quite loudly, and said that any warrior would relish the chance to fell down a Giant. She introduced her Shield Brothers. The man was named Falkaar. I asked her what Shield Brothers are and answered that's the name given to her greatest friends and allies. She said that they're the Companions, a group of warriors doing dangerous jobs for gold. She said I have a good sword arm, although I thoroughly disagree with her, and said that I should take a chance with Kodlak Whitemane, their advisor. She wished me luck and went ahead into Whiterun.
I breathed out. I was offered a chance to join The Companions, and offered by such a beautiful warrior such as her. But that was not why I came to Whiterun. I took a look around, and walked towards the great city. There was a stable outside of it, the stablemen were brushing the horses. I wish I can own one of those, but the cheapest I can get was a whopping 1000 gold. I don't even have a place to sit down and call it my own. Wishes can come later.
Then, I saw this leg peeking out from behind the stables. Shocked, I went to see what it was. What I saw sent me reeling back. It was a woman, naked to her underwear and she stink of booze. A lot of alcohol was poured down her throat at some time before. The stableman saw me and said that I don't have to care about her. She was a stranger, a drunk that had too much last night. He also said something about scaring the horses. Also said something that she's not worth the thought. I shook my head and was about to go my way when the woman grunted.
That's when I met Sofia. Although she was quite rude with me at first, and also reeked of ale and sweat, and she was also naked, and she was also dirty, I helped her a little bit. She said something about last night, had too much to drink, and her memory was fuzzy from then on. I asked her where her clothes are, and she was shocked. Apparently, drunk people do not realize that their clothes were stolen too. I gave her a drink from my waterskin and was about to go away when she grabbed my hand, it was a very firm grip, and asked if I needed a follower. Someone to guard my back. She didn't have anything to do or anywhere to go, or rather any gold to spend, and she was willing to follow me on my adventures. I shook my head, said that I was no adventurer but she pointed out that I really look like one right then. Her persuasion skills were expert, so I had to give in. Besides, the sun was going to set in a couple of hours and I have no time to waste.
As I gave her some clothes, a dagger, she washed her face from the river, I asked if the divines are still playing with me. She followed behind me, and I saw her clean face. She was quite beautiful but I think a guy would've had too much drink to accept her kind of personality. We walked to the gates, and I was hoping there would be no more complications after this and this Sofia will be on her way after I'm done telling the Jarl about what happened at Helgen.
When the guardsman at the front gate stopped me, Sofia hid behind a wall. I couldn't care much why. The guard said that the gates were closed because of the dragon. Apparently the news had already reached here. I explained I was from Helgen and I bring news to the Jarl about Riverwood being in danger. He believed me and opened up the gates for me. Sofia quickly hid behind my back while we made our way to the city beyond it.
When I said the Divines were done playing with me, I was hoping it would be true. I was truly wrong. Helgen didn't even compare to what I was about to do when I set foot inside that great, big trading city that was the center of Skyrim.
--To be continued.