Gwenneth Gut-Ripper's History part 3

The Jerall Mountains

Gwenneth had never ventured through the Jerall mountains before, and perhaps that was a good thing, because if she had, she would have been terrified to travel across them with a 10 year old holding her hand. Eventhough Nords are hardened by the cold conditions, no deep valleys cut through the Jerall mountains, and on its high peaks winds scourged the rocks with their snowy whips.  Gwenneth and Quynthen pushed on Southwards relentlessly, though at times storm force winds forced them to take shelter, until Gwenneth was able to see where they were heading again.

Jerall Mountains

They were two days in, when they ran out of food. For each ridge they climbed there seemed to be a new ridge behind it. Though Quynthen tried his best, and never complained, his legs were giving way more often by the hour, and Gwenneth had to carry him for more then half the time now.


Another day passed, and they just passed yet another ridge, as they got attacked by a timberwolf, or, got attacked by dinner as Gwenneth would say it. With one swoop she severed the wolves spine in the middle of its back, then told Quynneth to finish it off, as he did eagerly did. They quickly ate some fresh meat before it froze, and Gwenneth wrapped some good chunks in the rag she saved, skinned the wolf completely and wrapped the still warm skin around her brothers shoulders.

Timberwolf

It seemed that fortune smiled at them from that moment on, because the next ridge they climbed with renewed energy was finally the last one, and they gazed far into Cyrodiil's valleys, as even the sky started to clear. They started to descend, carefully ofcourse. This wasn't the time to get rash and fall to their deaths.
At dawn they were well past the treeline, ate some more meat and had a good nights sleep.
The next day they left the snow behind them, and Gwenneth was even able to make a fire, and roast some meat for dinner. The day after that they stumbled across a path, and followed it to the city where they would spend the next seven years of their lives...

Bruma

As soon as Gwenneth saw Bruma in the distance, she knew that this was the place where they had to settle. The rugged centuries old walls would keep them safe and there was plenty of forest around.
The gold she had taken would only last them a week or two, if the inn was cheap enough. However, she had something on her worth hundreds of times the gold she had on her... Gwenneth felt for her necklace, the only thing she had left that remembered her of her family.


They slept at an inn for a few days, while during the daytime Gwenneth visited all shops to see where she would get the best worth for her Brinsingamen necklace. Unfortunately the shopkeeper offering the most was only able to pay half of the gold outfront. She would have to wait for the other half until he resold the necklace. Well, Gwenneth wasn't going to fall for that, so she went for the second best offer.
Priceless doesn't exist for a shopkeeper, but Gwenneth got several thousands of gold for the necklace, and they bought a house within the walls of Bruma, furnished it and had plenty of gold left to last them a month or two. They were safe.

Bruma

It was a good thing they had some gold left, because jobs were hard to find in Bruma. With no one knowing her, people were hesitant to give her hireling jobs, and the city was suffering from bad economy, with many houses being in a state of disrepair. Which gave Gwenneth an idea.


She had watched her father work in the woods and at the sawmill often enough. For two months she went out logging, and with no sawmill near split the logs with her axe. After weeks their small backgarden was filled to the brim with logs and planks. Gwenneth bought some tools, and started to offer her services for house repairs. Though things started off slow at first, soon her bussiness took off, and within 3 months she was not only able to buy enough food to maintain themselves, she could also afford a trainer for the much needed fighter training for Quynthen, as she had barely time left to teach him herself, filling most of her time working and hunting. Through her work she got acquainted with many of Bruma's residents, and finally she got offers for a few hireling jobs as well.


Many years passed as Quynthen trained, and Gwenneth worked. Though Gwenneth never made any real friends in Bruma, her woodworking as well as her fighting skills increased with the years and she became an appreciated member of the community.


When Quynthen was 17 years old, Gwenneth was 24 at the time, he got his first hireling job. A transport escort, just like Gwenneths first hireling job. But Quynthens was to take him all the way to Hegathe, on the West coast of Hammerfell, he would surely be gone for many weeks. As Quynthen said goodbye, Gwenneth hugged him firmly, and could barely let go, as if she might never see him again.


Quynthen



Quynthen never returned from his escort job. Instead Gwenneth got a letter;"Many hireling jobs here, will not be back for a while. Love, Quynthen." For the following year, Gwenneth got many letters of Quynthen, then the letters stopped. The last thing she ever heard of Quynthen was when a year later a traveling Nord knocked on her door. He told Gwenneth how Quynthen had earned a title, that of 'Swift-Axe'. And apearantly he was now even commanding a band of eight hirelings, all Nords. Imagine that, 19 years old and already a commander. Though happy of hearing news, Gwenneth was also saddened. She knew the chances of him returning were none, he was living the true Nord warrior life now...



It was two months later, and Gwenneth was out hunting. She had spotted a large buck, and had been following it well over an hour, while staying down wind. Finally she managed to get close enough, and she charged out of the undergrowth, axe drawn. The buck startled, turned around and ran straight into a large shrub, wildly kicking to free itself from the branches. Gwenneth was quick to kill it.

Just as she was trying to pull the buck from the shrubs, she heard horses hoofs behind her. Three horseriders approached, all of them clearly imperials, with the center one particularly well dressed in a shiny armor, adorned with expensive fur linings. "What is this, Nord!"; the fancy one said, "Not only do you trespass on my private hunting grounds, you slay my game as well?! Consider yourself to be under arrest!"

Three longswords pointed at Gwenneths throat. She had nowhere to run, and no chance to fight. A few hours later she was in prison.

After spending a week in her dark cell, only to see a guard a few times to have some crusts of bread being tossed at her, she heard several guards approaching, and her prison door was opened. Three guards stood in the door opening. "Our Imperial Lord Nagonius Alminius has decided in all his wisdom for you to be released from prison. You are hereby expelled from Bruma, your house will be confiscated. You will be escorted to your former house in order for you to be able to collect some belongings, then out of the gate. You are not to return here, ever!".

Nagonius Alminius

Gwenneth cursed out loud as she dragged the two heavy large sacks with her tools and personal belongings out of the East gate. "So this is Imperial justice?!? A house for a deer? A livelyhood for some meat? Curse you, curse you all !"; she snarled as the guards left her to be on her way. Once again Gwenneth had lost a home, once again she was trodding through the snow to an uncertain future...