A warm fire, comfortable beds, delicious food…
For a blacksmith of some standing, providing such hospitality was no trouble at all!
Alvor wanted to ensure that his nephew and his nephew’s friends received the most comfortable care and rest.
“And then?
What happened after that, Big Sister!” “After that, Kaye and I encountered the Dark Elf mage Valse in the main burial chamber.
His fire spells were completely useless against me!
After all, I’m a Breton!
Then, your Big Brother Kaye shot him through the head with two arrows, and he was dead as a doornail!” In Alvor’s home, a young girl who looked to be in her teens sat excitedly beside the white-haired young woman, listening to this sister—who wasn’t much older than herself—recount tales of adventure.
As the daughter of Riverwood’s master blacksmith, Dorthe was born with a longing and curiosity for adventure and travel—even as a girl, she was a child of Skyrim.
But her parents had her late in life and doted on their only daughter, so she could only experience the thrill of adventure through stories.
“I have plenty more stories!
Dorthe, let me tell you about my experience at Wolthersom Tower…” As it happened, Sio was quite the chatterbox!
Especially at a time like this when she could show off her status as a ‘big sister,’ Little Dog’s stories flowed like the waters of the White River, endless and unceasing…
Seeing how much Dorthe liked her, Alvor breathed a sigh of relief—he had been worried that his spoiled little princess might be dismissive of Sio.
Now that someone was keeping Dorthe company, it was convenient for him to have a proper talk with Hadvar and Kaye about the situation in Helgen.
…
“By Ysmir!
So a dragon really appeared in Helgen?” “It’s absolutely true.
That dragon attacked Helgen, the whole town was destroyed, and Ulfric and his associates took the opportunity to escape…” The things Alvor feared had ultimately become reality.
Helgen was less than half a day’s journey from Riverwood; if Helgen, with its Imperial garrison, was gone, Riverwood would be exposed to danger.
Never mind a dragon; the wild beasts and bandits alone would be more than enough trouble for them.
A group of bandits had recently taken over Embershard Mine, and the miners had been forced to stop working for a week.
Hiring The Companions or mercenaries would take time; for the sake of his family, his business…
and Riverwood, they had to seek help from Whiterun.
“The news must be reported to Jarl Balgruuf.
Riverwood cannot protect itself against the threat of a dragon.
I’ll write a letter immediately.” Alvor took the paper and pen handed to him by his wife, Sigrid, and began writing about the dragon attack on Helgen and the crisis facing Riverwood.
But as for who should deliver the letter…
that had now become a troublesome matter.
The situation was urgent; it had to be someone trustworthy.
His nephew Hadvar was certainly trustworthy, but his status as an Imperial soldier might not be well-received in Whiterun, which maintained a neutral stance.
Besides, he needed time to rest and recover from his injuries.
“You can leave it to Sio and me.
We have some connections with The Companions, so we should be able to see the Jarl without trouble.” Kaye volunteered.
This kind of smooth-talking work was usually Sio’s responsibility.
But the current Sio…
With just a glance, Kaye could see Sio sitting on the bed with her boots off, swinging her legs.
She was so immersed in telling adventure stories to the little girl that she couldn’t be bothered!
…Better look away.
Seeing Sio’s ankles tightly wrapped in white stockings made Kaye feel a bit uneasy.
After becoming travel companions—and even developing a closer relationship—Kaye had learned a few things from Sio.
For instance…
making others owe you a favor.
They had to return to Whiterun eventually anyway, and this was on the way.
There was no harm in helping out, and they would gain the friendship of Alvor’s family—it was a win-win.
“Then I’ll leave it to you!
Riverwood will remember this kindness!” The look in Alvor’s eyes as he watched them held a bit more approval and trust.
Now, Kaye was certain that their family could become…
good friends.
Alvor and Sigrid warmly hosted the two for the night.
Even with the urgency of the situation, the generous Nords were unwilling to let their benefactors travel through the night, insisting they rest for at least one evening.
Although there weren’t many rooms in the house, Dorthe was willing to share her room with Big Sister Sio this time—clearly, the little girl wanted to hear more stories.
This meant Kaye and Hadvar’s room was settled as well.
For Kaye, this was a rare stroke of luck.
He wouldn’t have to squeeze into one bed with Sio tonight, so he didn’t have to worry about her climbing into his bed in the middle of the night…
If they were intimate every single night, even he might find it hard to keep up.
Perhaps he should eat more supplements…
And the assistance Alvor’s family provided went beyond just food and lodging.
As Riverwood’s master blacksmith, Alvor replenished Kaye’s supply of arrows.
The steel-forged arrowheads were extremely sharp, capable of easily piercing even heavy Orcish armor.
There were even some hard-to-find enchanted arrows.
A few fire arrows would trigger a fiery explosion upon hitting their target—these were “gifts” sent by Farengar, the court wizard of Whiterun.
As for Sio…
she liked neither armor nor shields.
So, Alvor chose a finely crafted dagger for her, just in case.
He also obtained several spell tomes from Lucan at the Riverwood Trader to give as gifts.
That stingy merchant was willing to be generous this time—only because he also had a request for the two young people.
A while ago, his prized golden claw had been stolen by a group of bandits, and he was desperate for someone to help him recover the treasure.
Who could be more suitable than these two?
Naturally, he was willing to spend some money.
Although the people of Riverwood didn’t know much about magic and the books they gave were somewhat random, Sio accepted them all!
Fear, Oakflesh, Magelight…
they seemed like very basic spells from various schools, but as long as Sio learned them, these basic spells would be removed from the list of spells randomly unlocked when she leveled up in the future!
With a higher probability of directly learning advanced spells…
wasn’t that a good thing?
“Big Sister, are you leaving already?” When the two were about to set off for Whiterun, Dorthe asked, pulling reluctantly at the corner of Sio’s clothes.
Even though they hadn’t known each other long, no child could resist the charm of a beautiful and kind big sister!
“Don’t worry, once I’ve finished my business, I’ll come back and tell you new stories!” Sio giggled and leaned down slightly, brushing her finger against Dorthe’s nose.
“So, until I return, you must be a good girl and listen to your parents.” “Sio, it’s time to go.” Kaye, with his pack ready, patted the pack horse beside him and called for Sio to hurry up and follow.
Although this pack horse hadn’t brought back crates of Juniper Berry Mead, it could still serve as a reliable companion for the journey~ And so, Kaye lifted Sio onto the saddle.
Amidst the jolting of the horse’s steps, she didn’t forget to turn back and wave goodbye to everyone.
She was always like this—optimistic and…
lively.