On our way to Whiterun, we only encountered a few wolves. Nothing too dangerous; Astrid and I handled them without much trouble. Along the road, I also gathered some Blue Mountain Flowers—important ingredients for potion crafting.
In the distance, we finally saw the silhouette of Whiterun’s castle rising above the plains. While walking, a sudden curiosity crept into my mind—Astrid’s past. After all, in the game, the player’s backstory is completely unknown.
“Hey, Astrid… before you came here, who were you? Really?”
Her face instantly tensed up. Clearly uncomfortable. She didn’t want to answer that. Realizing this, I quickly switched the topic to myself—even though I honestly had no clue what kind of history the original owner of this body had in Skyrim.
“Alright, I’ll go first. I’m someone who craves adventure. I lived in Helgen… though I don’t think I actually have any family there. Haha…”
Astrid frowned. “Why don’t you have any family there?”
Damn it. Of course she would ask that.
To dodge the question, I improvised, “Well… you could say yes and no. My head feels like it got hit pretty hard. Honestly, it feels like I was… reborn.”
“Reborn?” Astrid looked even more confused.
Crap. Nice going, mouth. Real smooth.
“I mean—reb—”
Before I could make things worse, I spotted a group of warriors fighting a giant.
“Hey, look! Let’s help them!”
Thank the Nine. Perfect escape.
Using Sparks, I felt like Raiden—lightning shooting from my fingertips. I really need to buy more spell tomes once we reach Dragonsreach. Astrid dashed forward, her longsword slicing the giant’s leg, making it stumble. For the finishing blow, I blasted Sparks straight at its head, and the creature collapsed with a thunderous thud.
“Hey, you’re pretty strong—cutting a giant’s thick leg like that.”
And then… her voice chimed in.
Damn. Aela the Huntress. One of the strongest companions—and also a marriage candidate. I mean, I’m not a furry, but when she’s not in werewolf form she’s… well… gorgeous.
“You two are strong enough to steal our kill,” Aela said. “Quite impressive, considering your appearances. Maybe you’d be interested in joining the Companions.”
“Maybe another time,” I answered. “We’re here to bring news about Helgen.”
“Very well. Look for me—Aela—and this is Farkas. Come find us if you’re interested.”
“Okay.”
At Whiterun’s gate, a guard blocked us.
“Halt. Security of the city is tight right now. State your business.”
“We bring news that a dragon is approaching Whiterun. Are you really going to delay us?”
“Dragon? …Fine. You may enter, but only one of you.”
I froze. That never happened in the game. Then again, in the game, the Dragonborn arrives alone. Maybe that’s why only one is allowed…
I sighed. “Astrid, you should go. I’ll take care of something else. Meet me later at the stable.”
“Alright. Don’t wander too far. You can’t survive a second without me anyway.”
What? I’ve beaten this game multiple times. And she’d probably freak out if she knew I can use the strongest spells in Skyrim later.
While waiting for Astrid, I decided to train my skills. For starters, I wanted to increase my Sneak skill. With no instruments or trainers around, practicing manually was the only option.
After several hours, my Sneak increased from 15 to 20. I also leveled up twice thanks to the Destruction XP I gained from killing the giant. What I really needed now was sleep to allocate my level points.
As I rested, a thought crossed my mind—
Should I separate from Astrid?
She’s strong… maybe she doesn’t really need me.
By the time Astrid returned, she brought news from the Jarl.
“Hey, Alex. I’ve informed the Jarl about Helgen. It seems we’re being sent to retrieve the Dragonstone from Bleak Falls Barrow, up in the mountains.”
“Astrid… I think we should split up for now.”
“Why, Alex? Are you scared? Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
“Hey, no. I just want to grind first. Maybe fate will bring us together again.”
“Grinding…?”
“Yeah. Training to get stronger.”
Astrid stared at me with a serious look.
“You’re sure?”
I nodded with confidence.
“Yes. And when fate brings us together again, I’ll be far stronger than I am now.”
She smiled faintly.
“Very well. I’ll see your progress when we meet again. And when that time comes… I want us to spar. I want to see how strong you’ve become.”
And so, we parted ways.
She’s the main character—the Dragonborn. Strong enough to handle Bleak Falls and any skeleton that comes her way. I don’t need to worry. That dungeon is her destiny—to obtain the word of dragon thu’um.
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