Unna's tale

Thor sniffed the air, and his rider, Unna, could feel his muscles tense at the scent of something dangerous ahead.

"What is it?" she asked, as if expecting him to talk to her. She hoped it wasn't Daedra again.

She'd only had Thor for a month, after Grendeline had been killed by a flame atronach's fireball, in the same fight that had left her with a patch over her left eye. She wasn't sure if it was the shock spell that did it, or the inexperienced Khajiit that healed her, but she had permanent night-eye now, and needed the patch to stop the constant glare of the daylight.

The Daedra had come pouring out of that oblivion gate by the trail when the Hero of Kvatch went in. There had often been one or two around it before, but suddenly it was four or five at once, and that was more than she could handle. If she hadn't rolled down the mountainside when the shock spell hit her, she'd be dead just like Grendeline.

She remembered coming round and wondering why they hadn't finished her, before she realised that she'd come to rest behind a boulder. She couldn't see the gate, and so they probably couldn't see her. She'd crept back up the slope, watching for Daedra, and sipping a health potion, so as not to reveal herself by casting a spell. She didn't like using them up. The ingredients to make them were scarce up here in the Jerall Mountains, but she needed something right then.

Then she'd dropped the bottle, and stood up in amazement. The sky wasn't red! The gate had gone! Well, there was still a jagged scar on the mountainside where it had been, and the bare patch where the snow had melted, but no fiery arch, and most importantly, No Daedra!! She'd stood there for several minutes, staring at the rubble in total disbelief.

That was all a month ago. She'd seen the Hero once more a few days after that, and he'd bought a bottle of peppermint schnapps from her. He didn't appear to be the type to drink it himself, so she'd guessed that Dumner woman at the Hermaeus Mora shrine, (Norasa, wasn't it?) had asked him to get her another. Her patrol didn't quite reach the shrine, so Norasa didn't often get the chance to buy one directly.

He'd shown her the Sigil Stone he'd taken from the oblivion gate, and explained how it was those that kept the gates open. He'd even offered to use its magic to enchant her silver claymore, but she'd turned that down. She didn't deserve that, and anyway she'd not be able to recharge it up here, so far from any Mages Guild. Her armor was already enchanted, with frost shield to keep out the cold of the high mountains as well as defense. He'd smiled at that, and she'd known what he was thinking. Nobody could believe how much skin the Riders' armor exposed. She'd wondered if her uniform had influenced that generous offer.

He'd noticed the eye-patch too, but she'd reassured him that the night-eye was as useful in the dark as it was a problem in the day. She didn't regret getting it, except that it reminded her of Grendeline.

But now she had Thor, and he was stopping to let her dismount. That meant he could see the danger ahead, and they should get ready to meet it. She pulled her claymore from her back and broke into a run.

One day, she'd get there first, but of course Thor was faster than she was. By the time she reached the ogre, Thor was already attacking it, and it soon went down for good.

"Only an ogre this time", she thought. "No match for a bear like mine." She bent to see if the ogre was carrying anything, as they often kept shiny things they'd taken from a luckless traveller, only to straighten up abruptly. "Thor," she complained,."you have a really cold, wet nose!"