(4) - Familiar Territory

To Riverwood

It was still dark, and Gwenneth startled as she woke up.

"Oh no! I must have fallen asleep! How could I have been so careless, the camp is right next to the path, anyone could have surprised me in my sleep.. I better pack up and get going..
Ouch, my wrist is hurting and stiff. Ah no, not rockjoint again... This couldn't have come at a worse time...
Let's roll up my old cuirass.
Ok, this backpack is way to heavy, I'm suffering from rockjoint, and I'm low on food. I guess I have no other choice then to go to Riverwood. I sure hope though I won't run into Mendel there..."

Gwenneth quickly took off, eating two apples as she went along. Finding Riverwood would be no problem at all, she had walked the path along the Guardian Stones so many times. Ah yes, the Guardian Stones!
She visited them, and said a prayer in front of the Warrior Stone, as she had done many times in her childhood. Empowered by her prayers, the Warrior Stone energized, lighting the overcast skies above her.

Gwenneth continued along the path, her hand resting on her axe, and as she she rounded a corner, she almost bumped into an elk walking the path in her direction. The elk had no chance of escape, and after finishing it off with her axe, Gwenneth routinely skinned it, got a good chunk of venison, and also took its antlers.

A bit further along the path, she came across the wooden steps, to what she knew was Embershard Mine. As she had a quick look, she saw what unmistakably was a bandit, standing guard at the entrance. Not the best of guards, as he hadn't noticed her yet. Silently she readied her bow, and unleashed an arrow. Despite her sore wrist the arrow hit the bandit straight between the eyes. "Haha! Look at that... Leanawen, if only you'd been around to witness that shot, you would have been proud";  Gwenneth thought, as she freed the fallen bandit of his gold and a lockpick. Nearby was a pile of firewood, with a wood cutters axe on top of it. Having lost all her tools in the Cheydinhal fire, she quickly attached the axe to her belt.

Entrance to Riverwood

Just as a bleak sun was rising she reached Riverwood. She pulled her hood as far over her face as she could. The first person she saw, she recognized. It was Hilde, her once neighbor. Mendel's house was right behind hers, that is, if he was still alive. Gwenneth glanced at Hilde, but Hilde showed no sign of recognition.

Gwenneth kept on walking. She passed the shop. The sign hanging from the front had changed, so it seemed it had new owners. That was a good thing. The Inn was still there, as well as the sawmill. She rarely visited both when she had lived in Riverwood for two years, so their owners were unlikely to recognize her anyway. As she reached the end of the village, she noticed two barrels, seemingly not owned by anyone. Three apples and two old tomatoes in them. Well she didn't have the luxury to be picky, so they were hers.

Then she circled town towards Mendel's house. No sign of him. The house looked refurbished and Gwenneth figured it probably hadn't been done by the old Mendel himself. She decided to take her chances, and have a talk with Hilde.
Hilde definitely didn't recognize Gwenneth when she talked to her. She asked Hilde about Mendel, and Hilde confirmed he had died over 10 years ago; "Fell down in his house, drunk as a badger, bumped his head." Then Gwenneth informed about the children living with him at the time. "Disappeared without a trace, probably went to relatives or something. If I remember correctly"; Hilde replied.

Good, it seemed Gwenneth wasn't a murder suspect at all, and Mendel's death had been discarded as an accident. Somewhat relieved Gwenneth headed for the shop. As she entered, a young couple was arguing at the counter. Gwenneth dropped her hood back, as they were definitely not people who had lived here fifteen years ago. The traders name was Lucan Valerius. Imperial, Gwenneth guessed, but he looked ordinary, and seemed friendly. Gwenneth browsed his wares, and quickly noticed a potion of cure disease: 240 gold. Wow, that was pretty expensive, and much more then she could afford. Luckily the trader didn't get to see many traveling customers, and he was prepared to buy everything Gwenneth wanted to sell.
Though her items didn't sell for as much as she had hoped for, in the end she had 474 gold in her pouch.

"I'd like that potion of cure disease please. And that hide helmet, how much for that? 76 gold? Alright, that one too. You have some food as well I see, two loafs of bread, and 3 potatoes please. That will do, thank you."

At the end of the barter Gwenneth had 137 gold left, and the shopkeeper friendly offered free use of their cooking pot, if she wanted to prepare some food right away. As it was still early, Gwenneth declined and headed for the inn.