- 11th of Evening Star, 4E 202 -
I ended up having to make the trek to Sky Haven on foot. Just outside Rorikstead Lydia and I were ambushed by bandits at a crossroad. They had us surrounded .. an archer high up in some rocks .. another archer below us behind a boulder .. a man with an axe blocking the road ahead .. and another man moving in to block the road behind us.
Any other time I would have just bore down and rode through them, taking a few arrows with me as punishment. But the moment Lydia drew her sword I knew we weren't escaping this fight. So pulled my horse around behind some rocks on our right flank and dismounted, even as I heard Lydia's battle cry and the cry of her sword striking armor.
I rushed into the fight and quickly evaluated the situation. The archer in the rocks was going to be the most difficult to reach, but he also had the best tactical position on us. The other archer was closer, and easier to reach, and Lydia seemed to have the axe man under control. The fourth bandit was now moving in to join the fight, but I knew it would be a minute before he became effective.
So I turned and used my shout of force on the bandit up in the rocks. He flew backwards as if a god had slapped him from his perch. I turned back toward the archer below and sprinted in her direction. I managed to dodge one of her arrows, and then blocked one with my shield as I got in close. Before she could draw her weapon I slammed her backwards with my shield, and brought my mace down on top of her head. She drew her sword as my mace struck her again .. this time in the chest. Gravely wounded, she lost her balance and dropped to the ground. I didn't hesitate and my third strike ended her miserable life.
Back to Lydia I sprinted now. She was bravely fighting off two bandits, and as I arrived and struck the closest in the back he fell aside, as dead as the archer behind the boulder. The axe-wielding bandit didn't last much longer, and soon he was laying in a pool of his own blood as well.
I looked to the rocks and saw the fourth bandit .. and my horse as well. Without a pause I sprinted up the hillside and into the rocks. My mace was ready to taste its next victim.
Just as I reached the bandit, and as my elven weapon was on it's way to meet the bandit's face, I heard my horse cry out a horrible cry. My mace connected and the bandit stumbled backward. He turned his blade toward me as I struck him again, first with the mace and then with the shield. Lydia was on her way up to help but she was too late. A third blow from my mace was all the bandit could take.
His lifeless body rolled down the hillside as my eyes moved up from it to the body of my horse. I couldn't believe it. Of all the times to lose my horse .. now ... when time is of the utmost essence ....
We continued on to Sky Haven on foot. We fought past numerous forsworn as well as a misguided thief, before we finally reached the ruins that lead to the temple. The ruins had a new contingent of forsworn in occupation, and Lydia and I flew into them with violent passion. We slew at least a half dozen in less than a minute's time.
After consulting with Esbern inside the temple I headed to Markarth with Lydia. Esbern had given me the name of one of the dragons, and using his name as a shout would call him to us at Whiterun, and there we would trap him and set the bait for Alduin.
In Markarth I purchased a new horse .. again. I was halfway tempted to just ride through the night all the way to Whiterun. I didn't want to waste a moment. But it was so dark I could barely see my hand in front of my face, and traveling in darkness like that is not advisable. So we'll spend a few hours resting tonight and head out again just before dawn breaks.
