I hadn't been wrong in my assumption that I'd be up all night thinking, that was for sure. The sun came up far sooner than I would've liked. Deciding that I might as well just get up already, I sat up tiredly, stretching stiffly as I rose from the relatively comfortable bed and went about making myself look presentable. Fastening my dark blue cloak around my shoulders once more, I headed out of my room, finding that I was basically alone in the main room save for the innkeeper himself, who was busy cleaning off the bar for the next day's patrons. I sighed, and couldn't help but admire the man. I would rather stay home and run the farm with Varnand than even try to help keep up an inn. Not that I wasn't grateful for them, of course. I far preferred sleeping indoors rather than out in the elements and at the mercy of wild beasts or bandits. I just couldn't imagine having to deal with all sorts of people for a living, even the questionable ones.
Taking a seat in an empty chair, I leaned backwards in it slightly, my hands crossed behind my head as I waited for my friends to get up themselves. Turns out, I didn't have to wait too long, as only a few minutes after I'd sat down Helgír exited his room, looking tired and slightly frustrated.
"Didn't sleep well either?" I asked him, causing the Nord to turn in surprise.
"Oh, sorry. I did not realize you were up yet. And I suppose you could say that... And let me guess. That drunkard is still out like a light..." Helgír sighed, annoyance and some disappointment in the young man echoing in his voice.
"Probably. I haven't checked."
"... Wonderful. Just absolutely wonderful. Thank the Nine he's leaving us today."
"Aren't you overreacting just a bit...?"
"Hah. You didn't help that idiot get back to his room. He kept blabbering on and on about goats..." Helgír responded, a note of disgust in his voice, "I honestly think he's going to be laughed out of Jorrvaskr in this state."
At that moment, a low groan could be heard from Toralf's room, sounding very regretful and pained. Helgír smiled grimly, his point seemingly proven.
"... I suppose we should just go ahead and start breakfast without him, then?" I asked awkwardly, not really sure what to do.
"From what I know, he probably won't be wanting any of it, anyways," Helgír replied, seemingly speaking from experience.
I went up to the innkeeper and bought an apple and a boiled creme treat, a considerably smaller feast than the one I'd partaken in at Markarth. I'd say that I currently had less than twenty septims in my pocket at the moment, and that I needed to find a way to get more money than I currently had, and soon. My companion seemed to be a bit low on coin as well, as he purchased a meal similar in value to mine.
We ate in silence, the Dragonborn's expression unreadable as I worried about our money problems, and what that thief was up to... As much as I'd love to smack him upside the head and tell him he wasn't welcome or needed, his words stuck with me. If he could both tell us where we were supposed to go, as well as purchase everything we'd need for the journey with his own money, we didn't have much of a choice on whether to let him come along or not. I hoped he was right about us crossing paths again, now for more than just one reason.
As I finished the last of my apple the door to Toralf's room was thrown open carelessly as the occupant staggered out, disheveled and eyes squinted as he came out into the brighter main room. Hissing slightly as he made his way over to us, he sat down heavily in a chair and closed his eyes, his breathing shallow and his facial features contorted in a grimace of pain. After a few moments of awkward silence, he got up again, walking stiffly to the counter and ordered another drink, to my utter surprise.
"Are you serious?" I asked incredulously, crossing my arms as I looked at the ginger-haired Nord.
"You've never heard of drinking away a hangover? ... Probably not, considering you don't seem like you've drunk anything stronger than water your whole life," Helgír answered, his tone neutral as he then turned to Toralf, "I sincerely hope you're just having one of those..."
Toralf managed a nod as the innkeeper brought him a drink, and he drank it slowly, sitting back down as he did so.
"... You're still going to try and join them, then? Even after what you did last night? One of them probably saw you drunk, more likely than not," Helgír asked Toralf flatly as he finished his drink, looking as if he were in considerably less pain than he'd been just moments before.
"Yes. I am. Even if they did, I don't think they'll be able to turn me down if they give me a chance to show them how I handle myself in a fight," Toralf responded, his confident tone wavering slightly as he stood up, "As a matter of fact, I believe that it's time that we should part ways. I ought to be getting over there now."
I blinked at him for a moment, unsure of what to say until I responded at last. "...I wish you all the luck in the world, then. May things go in your favor, friend."
Helgír remained silent.
After a long pause, Toralf went back to his room for a few minutes, and came out with all the things he'd brought with him before, and it finally registered in my mind that he was actually leaving. I bit my lip, feeling sad and slightly nervous about our party of three becoming two once again. Another reason to consider the thief, I suppose... Why does it seem like everything's working in his favor? Is it possible that he even has fate itself on his side?
As Toralf reached the door, he paused, turning back for a moment as he said, "Farewell, friends. I enjoyed traveling with company, for once, and who knows? Our paths may yet cross again."
And with those words, he walked out the door, not looking back.
I remained sitting for a few more minutes, staring down at the remnants of my boiled creme treat as I weighed my options. I wanted to go to Winterhold, but the Dragonborn clearly needed to go somewhere, and there was no way I was going to continue traveling on my own without him, and I certainly wasn't going to drag him with me when he had more important places to be. Places that a particular cutpurse claimed he knew of...
It's worth a shot. And if he does go back on his word... Well, I we'd deal with it then. I had made my decision at last.
"Helgír? Mind if we go for a walk? ...It might benefit us."
~~~~~
Where is he? He said he'd make sure we ran into each other again, and he's not doing a very good job of making that happen.
"Something bothering you, Helvia? You look frustrated," Helgír remarked, looking at me inquisitively. He could tell something was up, but it was clear he wasn't sure what.
"No, I'm fine. Preoccupied, but fine," I responded vaguely, brushing his questions off.
"Preoccupied with what?"
"Just... Well, I'm wondering what we're going to do next. We both clearly could use some more money, and we can't afford to stick around here much longer. And we have no leads as to where to go next. I can't help but feel as if we've hit a dead end."
"... Valid points there. Almost wish I hadn't asked," Helgír laughed uncomfortably, "I understand your concerns; they echo my own. We could always try and take a couple odd jobs from the people here, that is, if they need any done. As for where we're headed next, I really don't know. Yet, at the same time... as ridiculous as it sounds, I feel as if part of me knows where I ought to go, though it's rather unhelpful. I still don't know anything about the place, but I feel as if I've been there before. Somehow."
"What exactly do you mean by that?" I asked him, both intrigued and confused by such an odd statement.
"I don't know how to explain it... Ever since I found out I was Dragonborn, I keep feeling this strange sense of déjà vu whenever I go places... And it's not from my own memory. As I said before, I cannot really put the sensation into words. It's incredibly frustrating at times, though. Times like now, especially."
"... Oh." I couldn't really think of anything else to say to him after that, and, as fate would have it, I didn't need to.
As I spoke, Helgír let out a noise of surprise and anger, holding a now empty scabbard with a scowl on his face.
"How on Mundus did I lose my sword? Damned thieves... This city's worse than Riften... Since when did Whiterun fall to this sort of rabble?" He asked, sounding exasperated and more than a little volatile as he talked.
"Not thieves, just one, friend," an unidentifiable voice called out from behind us, "But I tend to rake in a more than decent profit wherever I wish to travel."
Both Helgír and I turned to look behind us, but there was no one in sight who could have just spoken. My companion looked utterly bewildered, but from the tone of voice and the use of 'friend' I had a pretty good idea of who'd just spoken, though I wasn't really sure where he was
I called out irritatedly, "You're really not making a good first impression on my companion here, you know."
"Is that so?" The reply came from behind us yet again, and, when we turned, someone was indeed standing there. A very familiar someone.
Getting a good look at the thief for the first time, I noticed he wore an unusual type of light armor, made of a black leathery material and adorned with pockets useful to one of his profession, though most of my view of this armor was obscured by the thief's similarly colored cloak which did a good job of obscuring his face as well. It was at this time I noticed how tall and limber he was, his body structure indicating that he was probably some type of mer. In his hands he casually held Helgír's sword unthreateningly, and he seemed almost strangely relaxed for someone in his current position.
The pickpocket seemed to straighten ever-so-slightly, carelessly, and, most likely, deliberately, dropping the Dragonborn's sword on the streets as he raised a hand in greeting, causing my friend to let out a cry and dive for his precious weapon.
"Ah, so nice to see you, miss. And I assume this is the Dragonborn?" Nightbrook queried, sounding amused as he gazed at Helgír, who glared back at him in return.
"Helvia? You know this scoundrel?" Helgír exclaimed, not taking his eyes off of the thief.
"I do, actually. And I wouldn't exactly describe him as a scoundrel. Though I'm not sure of what I would describe him as. And Nightbrook, I've thought your proposition over pretty well. And considering-"
"Proposition? Helvia, what-"
"Considering you probably won't give me back that ring and that your presence could be beneficial to the both of us, as long as Helgír's somewhat fine with this-"
"Fine? Helvia, I am not fine with whatever you're proposing in the slightest! How on earth did he even get ahold of you between yesterday evening and now?"
I was about to respond when I realized that my explanation would be very, very awkward. Instead, I chose that moment to distract myself by looking at the extremely interesting stones of the path beneath my feet.
"I paid her a brief visit when you two got back to the inn. She seemed more... friendly. I stated my wishes, my terms, and left. Simple as that," Nightbrook replied bluntly, and, though his statement relieved me, Helgír's expression darkened.
"Why did you even give him the chance to say anything to you?" Helgír sighed, exasperated.
"He's kind of difficult to tell 'no'... You forget that he outfoxed and outmagicked practically every guard in the hold, and there's no denying that."
"He's a thief, Helvia. And you can't take them at their word. We should be turning him in, not dragging him along with us... wherever we're headed."
"Oh, that's the thing, friend. I know exactly where you need to go, and I know the route there. But you're on your own unless you allow me to accompany you to your destination," Nightbrook spoke up suddenly, crossing his arms as he talked.
"You're going to believe that he knows just because he says he does? Helvia, what did I just say?"
"Look, it's worth giving him a chance to prove his honesty. Because neither of us know where you need to be headed," I reasoned, adding, "And if he proves to be untrustworthy, you're the Dragonborn. I highly doubt we'll end up in any situations you can't handle."
"Helvia, just because -"
"Precisely, Miss Abgrall makes a fine point. You'd be more than able to deal with me should I have ill intentions - though I assure you, I do not."
"And we could use a third person, especially one who looks like he can hold his own, as, well, Toralf just left..." I pointed out.
"Divines, Helvia-"
"Are you really so close-minded that you're going to continue to deny my help without even giving me a chance? Did you give that other companion you mentioned such a hard time when he joined up with you?"
"No, but he wasn't a thief," Helgír finally seemed to be able to finish once of his sentences, and his gaze was hard as ever as he tried to stare Nightbrook down, his eyes gaining a slightly gold tinge to them.
Nightbrook didn't look fazed in the slightest, as he replied, "I hate to resort to childish tactics, but it's two against one, friend. So I think I'll be welcoming myself into your company."
I laughed somewhat nervously as Helgír's eyes turned even more reptilian and his fists clenched, but he checked himself and the gold faded, though he still looked less-than-pleased. "Very well, but I warn you, if I chance to see you doing anything immoral on our travels I won't hesitate to turn you in or put you down."
"Mhm. Well, I guess that settles it, then," Nightbrook stated triumphantly, adding, "We might as well stock up on supplies here considering where we're headed. Ever hear of the Seven Thousand Steps?"
___________________________________________________________________________________
And they're off to more adventures! And what do you guys think of Nightbrook? Excited to see more of him? Hate him for basically replacing Toralf? Suspicious of him? Please, let me know what you think!
Well, as always, please do leave a vote and/or comment if you enjoyed the chapter, and see you next time! Good adventuring, dear readers!
-AA