The Traveler

Chapter 14

Perhaps it was the sunlight pouring in through the window or the gentle song of birds which whizzed by the window, dancing with each other mid-flight. Nonetheless Maxine awoke to each of these, resting comfortably in the bed she'd slept in earlier.
With a faint groan she rolled over and reached towards the nightstand to grab her watch which sat next to an empty, tipped tankard.
"Ugh."
The hands showed that it was around mid-morning before they glided back to their positions at opposite side of the face.
So long as this watch is ticking, your sister is always with you. The soft words of her mother echoed in her mind and wrapped about her like a blanket.
This watch was her only connection to her sister and Maxine found her mind pondering what her kin was up to back in her world.
She was sure Crystal was looking for a way back as well but also wondered whether or not she was having as much 'fun' as she had been.
I wonder if Nick has found her. The idea of her sister in company with a robotic gumshoe entertained her.
Then again, the idea of herself and her sister's thieving fiancé must be equally as comical.

Rolling back over onto her back she rubbed the dust from her eyes before sitting up and tossing her legs over the bedside.
If she was being honest riding horseback to Ivarstead was the last thing she desired to do today but Brynjolf had insisted that she must see the Greybeards.
As she stood, the vision from the dream she had before came to her, quick but vivid.
A sister, fights until everyone she loves is safe.
That was the goal though Maxine wasn't quite sure how she was doing. In her short time, Kodlak had passed and Crystal's family had almost been burned alive so not good but today was a new day.
The floor was cold in comparison to the soft, warm sheets but she continued, uncomfortable but undeterred.
In the mirror she found herself, but different then when she had first arrived.
One week she'd been in Skyrim and already her muscles had strengthened to compensate for the heavier armor and clunkier weapons she wielded.
She'd also gained some healthy weight, or at least her ribs didn't stick out from under her clothes like they did back home.
After a quick stretch she slipped into her armor.
The once shiny and new steel plates had already lost their luster and dents and scratches adorned the plates here and there.
As far her messy hair went, she threw it in a sloppy bun then left the bedroom.
Brynjolf and her had been at the Manor for two days now, just resting after the whole Companions incident.
This gave Maxine much needed time to rest as well as settle her position as Harbinger with Farkas.
The deal they had was that as long as she was present in Skyrim, she was their leader but, in her absence, Crystal took her place.

She was surprised to find the house completely empty.
Even Lucia and Sophie were nowhere to be found.
Peering out a nearby window she looked for the girls outside but saw rather the morning sun shedding its rays upon the lush forest outside.
A walk might not be such a bad idea. After all, this is the first living forest I've seen in two hundred years. She thought as she made her way to the door and stepped outside.

The forests of Skyrim were breathtaking.
Nature itself seemed to be in harmony and every element co-existed in order to create a perfect, heavenly landscape.
The massive pine trees sprouted from the soft grass and towered above the rest of the woodland, staring over the expanse as vigilantes.
Sunlight danced through the leaves of the trees and cast spotted shadows all across the ground
Huge bunches of bright lavender rose from the ground and added its gentle purple to the palette of the woods.
A nearby river showered the forest floor with a cascading display of sunlight bouncing off the water and shining like tiny diamonds.

Closing her eyes Maxine took a deep breath and inhaled in the forest's beauty and the air ripe with the sweet smell of flowers and strong scent of trees.
When she opened her eyes, she gasped.
Standing in the clearing in front of her, staring with wide, black eyes, was a young deer.
Slowly the fawn approached Maxine and, once in arms reach, bowed its head.
This has to be another dream. She reasoned as she couldn't imagine this being an everyday occurrence in Skyrim.
Then again could she call anything she'd done since she had arrived a common occurrence?
She decided to take a bit of a risk and reached her hand out to run her fingers through the fawns soft, brown fur.
To her surprise, it allowed her to do so and even licked her fingers as a sort of thank you.
Then the fawn turned and gracefully dipped back into the woods.
With no words to describe the moment Maxine just watched the majestic fawn disappear into the forest. She was still standing there, awestruck, when the fawn poked its head out into the clearing and swung its head in the direction it had gone before.
"You want me to follow?" She asked, even though she knew the animal wouldn't answer.
To her surprise the fawn nodded.

After walking with her newfound friend through the woods, it stopped on the side of a hilltop that had been paved over with smooth river stones.
Maxine was sure her and Brynjolf had been on a path like this on their way to Riverwood.
Up ahead, near a sharp turn on the path, lie a small circular stone platform with three short stone pillars rising from different sides. Moss clung to both the platform and the pillars and the entire structure itself appeared ancient and archaic.

The fawn stopped at the edge of the platform, flicked its ears and looked anxiously from the stone pillars to her then back again.
She studied the intricate details on each stone.
They each appeared to represent something different.
The stone to her left bore a glyph of a man wrapped in a hood and crouching, the stone in front of her resembled robed man wielding a staff and the one to her right depicted a heavily armored man carrying a great shield.
The stones were great and all but here Maxine was kind of at a loss.
What did they mean and why were they here?
An unexplainable urge arose inside her and she found her hand reaching out to one of the stones
She quickly pulled back however when she saw a white aurora begin to engulf the stone.
"What the- "She exclaimed as she looked back at the fawn who still stood nearby, watching her and clearly waiting for something.
With a long sigh Maxine reached towards the stone again and again the light returned but she found that it didn't harm her.
Guess I'm supposed to choose one.
Of all of the symbols Maxine found the warrior stone most appealing.
She had no clue what touching it would do other than illuminate it like one of those starry nightlights.
Nonetheless she brushed it with her fingers and pulled her hand away from stone.
"There. Is that what you- "
Her question fell upon empty air as, upon turning, she found that the fawn had vanished, and she was alone.
A smile spread across her face as she began walking back towards the manor.
"I love this place." She whispered.
As she departed the stone, which continued to shine, she missed the huge black silhouette dipping between the clouds which poured down into the valley, covering the land in darkness.

***

"Auntie Maxine where have you been?!" Lucia cried as she hugged Maxine knees.
With her steel armor on the young girl could barely wrap her arms around the sturdy greaves but nonetheless her grip was iron.
"I just went for a walk. Where have you been?" She asked kneeling down and running her fingers through the girl's wet hair.
Her green dress was equally as soaked.
"Lydia took us fishing this morning!"
"Did she?" She looked down the mountain at the bubbling river below where she noticed a small wharf constructed on its shore. "I don't remember fishing being so.... wet."
Lucia laughed and pointed an accusatory finger in the direction of her sister. "Sophie 'fell' in and me and Lydia had to swim out to get her. Then we kind of got into a splash fight."
Just then Lydia came from the house with an armful towels. "Yeah, I beat these two and claimed the title of 'master of the river.'"
"Did not!!" Both girls yelled in unison before Lydia ran after them with the blanket and eventually wrapped and dried them both.

They were still laughing over the matter when Farkas and Brynjolf came riding in.
"Morning girls, morning Lydia." Farkas said, dismounting Preston.
"Morning Farkas!" The girls said in unison.
Lydia gave Farkas a quick hug, "Good morning, where have you been?"
"Brynjolf and I went to Whiterun and retrieved the horses. Skulvar took good care of them while you were gone."
Brynjolf interjected, "speaking of the horses, I think it's about time we rode out to Ivarstead. The Greybeards will be wanting to talk with you and who knows... maybe they'll have an answer on how to get you back home."
Maxine nodded, "Hopefully. In that case I'll go pack some provisions." She had just turned to enter the house when Farkas grabbed her shoulder.
"Don't trouble yourself, I already have some made." He slipped past her and went inside with the girls following behind him.

With him gone Maxine turned and shot Lydia a look.
"What?"
She gave her a small nudge with her elbow and gestured in the direction Farkas had just gone.
Lydia put her hand over her eyes. "Oh my gods."
"Lydia! Come on he likes you!"
Her cheeks turned red and though she tried to hide it Maxine could see them clear as day.
"And, and you like him!"
Farkas returned with two sacks in his hands. "Here you are." He handed one to Maxine and one to Brynjolf.
"Alright let's head out." Brynjolf said, stashing his sack on his saddle and grabbing his reigns.
Preston pressed his muzzle against Maxine's chest when she approached.
"Heh. I missed you too."

As she mounted, she felt the afternoon sun warm her armor.
Today would be hot and she knew they were in for a long ride.
"Bye Dad, bye Auntie Max."
Preston bucked up on his hind legs and whinnied, his way of saying goodbye.
Maxine waved to them as she gripped her reigns tightly and the two hit the road, filling the still woods with the steady beat of their horse's hooves.