It was three long days to Dragonsbridge. They should have got there halfway through the third day, but another fort was in the way, with more Necromancers.

 

The locals must have ways around, thought Nora, who had seen many paths leading off the road to this point. Problem was, there was a bridge over a river less than half a mile from the fort. And she didn't know the fords or bridges, if any, either up or down the river. She didn't want to explore the wilderness in this area, so it was the fort.

 

The fort, with three towers joined by a wall, loomed ahead as they approached. There were figures milling about outside, and it only took a couple of seconds for Nora's sharp eyes to discern that they were skeletons, about a dozen of them, most archers. She really hated the archers. The skeletal swordsmen were easy enough to handle, not really a match for any of her people, and an attack en mass normally took them down quickly. The archers were another thing, especially when they were on towers or battlements. Arrows could come in at any angle, and were capable of penetrating most light armors..

 

“Get the archers on that tower,” she ordered Annekke, then pointed over to Recorder. “And you take care of those on the battlement between those two towers. “Eldawyn. Hit everything with fire.”

Her designated archers started sending shafts into skeletons, while Eldawyn looped a fireball into the mass of skeletons at the entrance, blasting many of them apart. The four melee fighters charged in, each heading for a skeleton and taking it down. Nora advanced under her shield, moving fast, but not as fast as she could without a shield. Arrows bounced from the protection she held up in front of her, and she was soon swinging her blade through the archer, shattering it.

 

Hearing a war cry Nora turned to see Valdimar crushing a skeleton with an overhand strike of his hammer. The skeleton shattered in a most satisfactory way, and Valdimar ran toward the entrance of the castle. Nora saw that an arrow was sticking from a shoulder, but the man ignored it in his battle lust.

 

The mages were inside the courtyard, and the party was barraged by spells as soon as they entered. Eldawyn moved forward, a ward in one hand while she threw cold magic with another. Nora quickly sheathed her sword and did the same, her shield hand projecting her ward while she threw ice spikes with the other. Some of their magic was getting through the ward, enough to hurt but not enough to take her down.

 

The last mage went down and Nora was about to declare it a victory, when she felt the sharp pain of something punching through one of her lungs. She forced herself to turn, knowing that if she didn't get her shield up in time she would take another arrow. The one protruding from her chest had missed her heart, and despite her body's ability to heal that would have been fatal. She got the shield up just in time and tried to shout at the skeletal archer across the courtyard. The shout rattled in her throat, and she realized she couldn't take a breath to project her voice.

 

“That's the last of them,” said Sofia, walking over, then running. “Nora,” she yelled out.

 

Nora noted the blackness at the edge of her vision, which suddenly swept in to obscure her sight. Her knees weakened and she felt herself falling. Then, nothing.

 

*     *     *

 

Nora opened her eyes to the sight of a beautiful Altmer face looking down on her, a concerned expression that creased into a smile.

 

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” said Eldawyn, taking Nora's hand.

 

“You healed me?”

 

“Well, we poured magic into you. But if not for your natural healing you would have bled out before we could knit that artery. As it was, you've been out all day and into the night.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“One of those archers had a very powerful bow,” said Annekke, coming up and smiling down on Nora. “It drove an arrow through your mail. A couple of inches to the right and we wouldn't be having this conversation, as it would have skewered your heart.”

 

“We're in the fort?”

 

“Yep,” said Sofia, coming into sight. “It was a nest of necromancers. But we put paid to the bastards.”

 

“You had us worried, my Thane,” said Lydia, a tight smile on her face.

 

“It looks like I was in good hands,” said Nora, smiling up at her people. “Thank you.”

 

“Hell, Thane,” said Valdimar in a rough voice, his hand holding a bandage to his shoulder. “We can't lose a treasure like you.”

 

“How do you feel?” asked Eldawyn.

 

“Weak. And hungry.”

 

“It's that remarkable metabolism of yours,” said the elf. “You heal fast, but you use up your body's reserves, quickly. If you think you can sit up we'll get some food in you.”

 

Nora nodded, then attempted to swing her legs off the bed. Her head started to spin and she fell back on the bed.

 

“Some of you people help me get her up,” said Eldawyn, putting her hands on Nora's shoulders.

 

“Do you think that's wise?” asked Lydia. “My Thane is so weak.”

 

“And she needs some food in her or she will continue to weaken.”

 

“How about some sugared snowberry juice?” asked Annekke, coming close to the bed with a large bottle in her hands. “It will give her energy until she can get some solid food in her.”

 

“And I can make some stew,” said Lydia, walking away, heading toward a cooking spit.

 

“Drink this,' Eldawyn said, holding the bottle of juice to Nora's lips.

 

Nora sucked down the sweet juice, much of it spilling down her chin and onto her naked breasts. She didn't care. She was already feeling the rush of the sugar enter her. Not enough, but it gave some energy. Finishing the bottle she decided to try sitting up again. Still weak, she was able to get her feet off the bed and sit up.

 

The Dragonborn looked down at her chest, noting the puckered wound just below her left breast. The arrow had pushed all the way through, only stopped by her mail from being visible from the front.

 

“We used all of our magicka, Elda and me,” said Sofia. “By the time we generated more it was obvious that your body was healing itself. Remarkable.”

 

“By tomorrow there will only be a small scar,” said Nora, accepting a platter of cheese and bread and taking some bites. “By the end of the week,” she said with a full mouth, “even the scar will be a memory.”

 

“I wondered how a warrior of your caliber had such smooth and unmarked skin,” said Valdimar, bringing over a bottle of wine. “So your scars heal?”

 

“Scars, broken bones. Hell, I've even regrown fingers, and one time a hand.”

 

“You must have some powerful magic,” said Annekke, raising an eyebrow. “I've heard of masters of Restoration that could help patients regrow limbs, but they are rare.”

 

“No magic. It was the Supersoldier serum,” said Nora, accepting the open bottle of wine and taking a large swig. “The same thing that lets me move so fast, and be so strong.”

 

“And I thought it was your beauty that was making me weak,” laughed the big Nord warrior. “The way you pulled me into you was fierce.”

 

The women laughed. Some Nords could be prudish and proper, but not these. They were down to Earth and comfortable with their sexuality. Well, most of them were. Lydia had a deep blush on her face as she came over, carrying a bowl of steaming stew.

 

“That brings up a point I have been thinking about after you went down,” said Annekke, her face now serious. She pulled up a chair and had a seat, looking over at her charge while Nora hastily spooned stew into her mouth.

 

“Another?” asked Nora, holding out the empty bowl to Lydia, who took it with a smile and headed back to the cook pot.

 

“So, what do you have in mind?” she asked the ranger after taking another swig of wine.

 

“I want to go over a list of your assets, then see what we can do to strengthen your weaknesses,” said the ranger. “First off, you’re stronger than you have any right to be, and the fastest thing outside of a vampire I have ever seen. You’re agile and flexible, and you heal at an unreal rate, though as we saw today, you are not invulnerable.”

 

Though I have a shout that makes me so, thought Nora. But she hadn't remembered to do it, if there had even been time to deploy the shout.

 

“You are as good at stealth as anyone I have ever seen. It's obvious you have been sneaking around for a long time. Watching you move in for a silent kill is like watching a master, a thing of beauty. You are a pretty good swordsman, though your speed and accuracy covers for many inadequacies. You’re becoming proficient with the bow. Anything else, everyone?”

 

“Well, your store of magicka is outstanding,” said Eldawyn, nodding toward Nora. “You have as much as some archmages already, and you regenerate it faster than anyone I have ever seen, even without that ring you wear. But you still hesitate too long when calling up a spell, or switching over. You need to smooth your transitions. And I recommend talking with every court mage in every city we visit. I'm good at what I do, but I'm limited, and you have the ability to go beyond my limitations.”

 

“And you need to learn how to set your feet,” said Valdimar, frowning. “You are very effective, and with your speed and strength you will often be called on to hit while moving. But footwork is still important. Even if you don't strike from a perfect stance, it's still good to be able to rebalance yourself. That is what I can teach.”

 

“And we need for you to figure out how to deal with arrows,” said Annekke. “You're so fast you should have no trouble avoiding them, if you know they're coming at you. Perhaps something from that unusual hand to hand style you employ.”

 

Nora thought about that. There had been people prewar who were able to knock arrows out of the air, even catching them at times. They were fast and fluid, though she had to think she was faster than any master of martial arts that ever lived.

 

“And what about magic?” asked Nora. “What can I do about that?”

 

“We need to get you some more magical protection. Enchantments,” said Eldawyn. “I'll get you some more of those, but we'll never make you totally invulnerable.”

 

“Okay, sounds good. Anything else I'm totally awful at?”

 

“We're not going over this to hurt your feelings, Nora,” said Annekke. “You are already highly effective, a true hero. One everyone can look up to. I can see that you were exceptionally good where you came from. This is a different place. And being effective is not enough. We want you to be excellent, and so we will try to work on something every day.”

 

“What about the rest of you?” asked Nora, uncomfortable at all the attention they were paying to her development. “I want all of you to survive, so what can we do to insure that?”

 

“The thing is, my dear,” said Annekke, looking into Nora's eyes. “You are vital to this world. We are not. Sure, I want to survive, but in the scheme of things, if I die and go to Sovngarde, I will be happy. If you die the world is doomed. And you are the reason for us being here. You are the one who will kill the really powerful creatures that threaten civilization. We are just the supporting cast. So if there is anything left over after getting you prepared we'll take it. But not at the cost of leaving you vulnerable.”

 

Now Nora was getting really uncomfortable with all the talk of how important she was. She wanted to scream at them, to make them see that they were important to her, and she would do whatever it took to see all of them through this thing alive. But deep down she knew they were right. She had exceptional abilities, both from her home and given to her here. If she died, it was over. Conversely, she needed to help people. If she hid out, training and waiting for Alduin, she might as well be dead.

 

“Can you eat more, my Thane?” asked Lydia as Nora finished off her third bowl, on top of a loaf of bread and almost a whole wheel of cheese.

 

“I'm stuffed.”

 

“Then you need to sleep,” said Eldawyn, helping Nora to lay back.

 

Nora was about to protest, wanting to stay up and talk. But fatigue overcame her, and soon she was falling into a deep sleep. With the nightmares starting with the first dream cycle.

 

*    *    *

 

“You have me this morning,” said Annekke, holding a bow and a blunt headed arrow at the ready.

 

Nora had woken rested and strong, though the echoes of the nightmares had haunted her through the morning. She had stuffed herself again at breakfast, her body crying out for sustenance. The sun was still on its way over the horizon, but it was light enough to see.

 

“Where did you get those arrows?” asked Nora, looking at the strange shafts.

 

“Last night,” answered the woman, holding the arrow up. “I took some arrows from the skeletons, removed the heads, and substituted a head of resin and wood. They're actually pretty good for taking down birds and small game without ruining the meat. But they have another purpose this morning.”

 

And without another word the ranger quickly notched the arrow and sent it zipping at Nora. Nora attempted to get her shield the way, cursing as the arrow struck her in the breast and bounced away.

 

“And you are dead. So let's try it again.”

 

Nora caught the next two arrows on her shield, then Annekke started running back and forth, sending arrows in at all angles. The Dragonborn caught some, missed others, but was starting to get the hang of is when she decided to try what she had been thinking about.

 

The woman dropped her shield and stood there in a fighting stance, concentrating on her breathing. Getting ready. “Shoot me,” she said.

 

Annekke nodded, then sent a shaft Nora's way. The arrow zipped past the block and bounced off the armored breast. The next did the same. And then Nora focused, slowing down the arrow in her perception, and knocked the arrow away with a palm. She did the same with the next two, then caught the next, holding it up and tossing it to the ground.

 

“We're ready to move out, my Thane,” called out Lydia.

 

“That was amazing,” said Annekke, gathering up her fowling shafts. “That could really come in handy.”

 

“I haven't tried that before, though I've seen the technique used on TV before the war.”

 

“Tee vee?”

 

“I'll explain on the road,” said Nora with a laugh. She had to remember that these people hadn't seen any of the things she took for granted on Earth. Only what she had brought with her. That thought brought on some melancholy at being away from home. Which soon lifted when she was horseback and moving on to the next way point. Then it was just a matter of enjoying the beautiful day, up until the afternoon when the clouds closed overhead and the rains came.

 

*     *     *

 

They pitched camp in the rain, all retiring to tents to dry off. Eldawyn shared Nora's this night, but the elf insisted that the Dragonborn needed rest this night, not sex. Still, she spent some hours with the elf studying one of the tomes they had found in Ustengrav. She learned Magelight that evening, giving her the ability to cast a ball of hovering light that stuck to the place she sent it and provided a great deal of illumination. Eldawyn rode her like a drill sergeant, having Nora cast it over and over. It used little magicka to cast, and Nora felt she could never run out of magical power with this spell.

 

“Next session I will teach you a spell that will give you additional armor,” said Eldawyn as she worked on inscribing a new tome.

 

“Are you decent?” called out Lydia at the entrance of the tent, then barged it.

 

“If you ask the question you need to wait for the answer,” said Eldawyn in mock anger. “And no, I'm not corrupting your Thane tonight. She may heal fast, but the wound she took was grievous.”

 

Nora thought she was perfectly fine, but she wasn't about to argue with her friend. Not because she thought Elda was correct, but because she was kind of liking being catered to by her friends.

 

“I brought you something to eat, my Thane,” said Lydia, holding out a platter with steaming meat and cooked potatoes, a heap of vegetables on the side.

 

“And how are you doing tonight, Lydia?” asked Nora, her mouth watering as she took the platter. “And how in the hell did you prepare such a feast with it raining out?”

 

“Oh, Valdimar brought a small cook stove with him,” said Lydia, smiling. “We found some dry wood at a cave entrance, and there you go.”

 

“So you're getting along well with the new Housecarl?”

 

“Not like that, my Lady Eldawyn,” said the now frowning Housecarl. “I have no desire for sex before I am married.”

 

“Can't understand that,” said the elf. “My people believe in making all the love possible before tying oneself down with marriage. But to each his own.”

 

Lydia mumbled something under her breath, and Nora made out the word Barbarians. Eldawyn opened her mouth for a retort, then thought better off it and just shook her head.

 

“Thank you, Lydia. And thank Valdimar as well.”

 

“Valdimar is in a tent with Sofia and Annekke both,” said Lydia, rolling her eyes. “I really don't understand it.”

 

Lydia watched as her Thane ate, making sure the plate was cleaned, then left to wash it.

 

“That metabolism of yours,” said Eldawyn in exasperation. “If I ate that much my horse wouldn't be able to carry me.”

 

“There are some advantages,” agreed Nora, smiling. “But some disadvantages as well. Try being stranded someplace with little food. I can actually starve to death in half the time it takes someone with a normal metabolism to expire.”

 

“Then we'll have to keep you in food.”

 

“Are you going to try Valdimar?” asked Nora, curious.

 

“Already have. Last night while you were sleeping. A little heavy handed for my tastes, but he did make me cum, several times, and that's all I can ask.”

 

“Funny. He was extremely gentle with me,” said Nora, closing her eyes and visualizing their liaison. “I had to force him to pound me like I wanted.”

 

“Of course,” said Elda with a smirk. “You're his precious God Thane. And people tend to underestimate your strength until you show it. And it also might have something to do with my being an Altmer.”

 

Nora looked into the face of the elf, raising an eyebrow and wondering what she was talking about. Eldawyn had some light tattoos on her face as well, just slightly darker than her skin and in a symmetrical pattern that actually enhanced her beauty. Nora found the Altmer people on the whole beautiful, much more so than the other species of elves.

 

“Oh, it goes back to the great war,” said Eldawyn, shrugging her shoulders. “The motherfucking Thalmor were instrumental in engendering bad feelings between the humans and the Altmer. I am not them, and I hate having to pay for their actions.”

 

Nora thought about the Brotherhood of Steel, as it was before she placed Sarah Lyons in charge. They weren't exactly racist, since they had people of all ethnicities in their organization. But they did go out of their way to torment civilized ghouls because they resembled the feral kind. Again, the Nazis of the Second Global War seemed to fit the Thalmor to a tee, and she told Elda as much.

 

“That's sounds awful,” said Eldawyn, holding a hand over her mouth. “To kill a people just because they were different. But the rest of your world wasn't having it, huh?”

 

“Nope. The alliance defeated the Nazis and their servants. You see, not all of the Germans were Nazis, but their military had taken oaths to their leader and were forced to support the policies.”

Nora knew there was more to it than that, but she thought simplified was better in this situation.

 

“That sounds like many of my people,” admitted Eldawyn, shaking her head. “They don't like the Thalmor, but feel obligated to support the current regime that supports them. Now, I want you to practice more magic before you turn in, and I'll watch and correct you.”

 

“Slave driver,” growled Nora. “And what should I practice?”

 

“Well, throwing destruction spells in the tent might not be a good idea. Wards, light, maybe even that Clairvoyance spell. Just imagine Meridia's shrine and cast away.”

 

Nora liked the adept level spell. It would really come in handy if they were lost in a ruin. The spell raised a stream of smoke that pointed the way to where she wanted to be. Most useful.

 

Nora woke up that night to Eldawyn kissing her while the elf's fingers probed her sex. “I thought you were determined there would be no fooling around tonight.”

 

“Sorry,” said the elf, moving a thumb that had been lubricated in Nora's vagina across the Dragonborn's clit. Nora shook with pleasure and gasped.

 

“Better,” said Elda with a short laugh. “As I was saying, I'm sorry. But you were crying out in your sleep. Something about Supermutants attacking a settlement and bodies everywhere. You were obviously in distress, so I decided that you needed something to drive the nightmares away.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

They made love for an hour, both of them getting off and falling asleep in each other's arms. Nora awoke with a smile and no memory of the nightmares, for which she was grateful to her friend.

 

The day dawned clear, almost no clouds in the sky. Nora practiced shield and sword with Lydia while the others broke camp, Valdimar watching and commenting on Nora's footwork. There were plenty of bad habits to break. It was so different moving with firearms compared to swinging a blade, but she was determined to become as good as possible, and the two Housecarls together could teach her much.

 

They came upon Dragonsbridge by midafternoon. They started seeing outlying farms by mid-morning, then a couple of craftsmen's houses, their inhabitants working on pottery or baskets, one man making leather on a tanning rack. And then the town came into view, a hundred or so houses, a mill, a couple of inns, a temple to one of the Divines, all surrounded by a stone wall. And the famous bridge with the head of a dragon in the center at the south end of town, thrust over a river that came flowing from a steep gorge to the west. The roads were packed with travelers, on horse and afoot.

 

“This is the main road from the southern holds to the capital,” said Sofia, nodding toward the stone path. “We may have a hard time getting rooms.”

 

Actually it proved of no difficulty at all. The first inn had a score of rooms, five of them free, and they only needed three of them. Nora went ahead and got four, giving the party more flexibility with their sleeping arrangements. She took a room with Eldawyn and let the others sort themselves out. She was surprised when she was about to retire that a knock came at her door.

 

“Valdimar,” she said, surprised to find the Housecarl waiting on the other side of the door.

 

“Eldawyn said it would be okay if I slept in your room tonight,” said the big Nord.

 

“Oh, she did,” said Nora in mock anger, turning to see a smiling Eldawyn sitting on one of the beds and acting like she didn't know what was going on. She looked back at the Housecarl, noting that his facial markings were starting to fade. So warpaint then, she thought, smiling. When it wore off he might actually be presentable, and she reminded herself to have a talk with him about going clean faced.

 

“I thought we might need some variety,” said Eldawyn. “I haven't had a threesome in quite some time, and I've never heard you say anything to lead me to believe you disapproved.”

 

“No,” said Nora, smiling at both of her friends. “Come in, Valdimar, and we'll try to make the evening, entertaining.”

 

It was more than entertaining, and the big Nord proved to be as good with oral as he was with pounding a pussy. Nora was surprised at that, since most Nord men seemed to think that all they needed to do was stick it in and move it in and out, and their partners would be grateful. She asked him about it as they all lay exhausted in one of the beds, Elda's breasts pressed deliciously against her back while she continued to rub her hand over the taut muscles of the man.

 

“I was trained as a Housecarl,” said the man in a soft voice. “A part of that, at least in our Hold, was knowing how to please women, and men.”

 

“The way you say that seems to indicate you didn't like that last part?”

 

“No, ma'am. See, I have nothing against those who like the same sex, but it isn't for me. I like women. The feel of them, the scent of them, how they cry out if I am doing a good job of it. But mostly it was women I was asked to have sex with. Particularly the Jarl.”

 

Nora sat up, surprised. She knew that Idgrod had forbid her daughter love, but she was screwing all of the staff herself?

 

“Why the Jarl?”

 

“Because she had visions. And sex seems to blunt them some. So she tries to have someone in her bed every night.”

 

“But not the daughter, who must suffer with her own visions,” said Nora, quietly.

 

“People have tried to tell her that it was killing her daughter, but the old woman won't listen.”

 

Nora filed that away for future reference, resolving that she would eventually go back to Morthal and help them sort the situation out, whether they wanted to hear it or not.

 

The next day they were on the road north, passing by an Imperial outpost which had men and women coming and going. They wore what looked to Nora like ancient Roman armor, something that looked so out of place among the medieval Nord society.

 

“The Penitus Oculatis, the Imperial Protection Service, has an outpost here,” said Sofia as they were riding out of the north side of the town.

 

“And it looks like they have a strong Thalmor presence as well,” growled Nora, watching a dozen of the armored elves walking into the town. The was another problem she would have to address, someday.

 

“The motherfuckers have an embassy to the west of Solitude,” said Eldawyn. “Be too bad if it caught on fire.”

 

Nora could only hope that the elf didn't do that. She wasn't ready to take on the Thalmor, or the Imperials for that matter. They saw several more Thalmor patrols through the day, a couple leading Nords in restraints north. If there had been fewer people on the road Nora would have been tempted to attack the bastards and free their captives. But not with so many witnesses.

 

One thing Nora noticed was the lack of bandits. When she remarked on this Sofia laughed.

 

“Oh, there are bandits, but they have to hide far off the road. There are too many patrols, Imperial and Haafingar Hold guard, on this road. There are some bandit holds on the coast, but here it's just too dangerous.”

 

A couple of hours further on, at a place where the road was almost empty, they ran into bandits. A merchant's wagon was on the side of the road, a couple of Khajiit sitting cowering on the grass while a large bandit with a sword menaced them. A half dozen bandits were going through the wagon while three or four more stood in the middle of the road, watching the party approach. There were a couple of archers which bows already bent tracking in on them.

 

“The bastard scum,” growled Nora, glaring at the men and women ahead.

 

“Hold up,” shouted one of the bandits, walking toward them, a couple of others trailing after him. “You're on a toll road, and need to pay.”

 

“And what's the toll?” yelled Sofia, her left hand clenched into a casting configuration.

 

“Why, everything you own,” said the smiling bandit, smirking. “And if you don't have enough gold, we will take your bodies in trade.”

 

Nora called up a spell of her own and looked over at her people. All were ready, and she knew with a word she could unleash them on the bandits.

 

“What if we turn around?” she asked, having no intention of doing so.

 

“Too late. You're on our road, so you have to pay. So get off those damned horses and pay up.”

 

Nora looked over at Annekke, who already had her bow strung and ready, as did Recorder. “Take out their archers first, while the rest of us give these bastards a payment to remember.”

 

“What are you talking about. Get off the damned horses before we fill you with arrows.”

 

“Now,” shouted Nora, calling up an ice spike spell and sending the bolt of cold into the spokesman. Bows twanged, Recorder and Annekke firing first. The two archers released as they were being hit, their arrows flying wide.

 

Nora spurred her mount forward into a gallop, throwing more ice spikes and pulling her sword. She hit one bandit with the horse, spinning the man away and to the ground, then swung her sword into a woman, slicing through her leather armor and deep into her body. Nora let the sword fall back and trail, pulled from the body by her forward motion. An arrow zipped by, and Nora turned the horse to send an ice spice into that archer. The woman croaked out her last breath as the spike hit her in the chest and penetrated into her lungs.

 

Valdimar was not one to fight on horseback, and early on he had jumped from his horse. He was running at a pair of swordsmen who stood at the ready. His hammer came down, hitting the upraised sword of one bandit and smashing through, breaking the man's skull and snapping his spine. The Housecarl pivoted on one foot, faster than seemed possible for one of his bulk, dodging the second sword and bringing his hammer around in a sideswipe that crumpled the bandit. And then it was over. A couple of bandits were still alive, barely, laying groaning on the ground.

 

“You want us to tie those up and leave them for the authorities.”

 

“Why bother,” said Nora. “No prisoners.” She left that to her people and walked over to the pair of Khajiit, noting that another lay in his own blood on the ground.

 

“Please. Do not hurt us,” said the surviving male, holding on tight to a female.

 

“We're not bandits,” said Nora gently, crouching down to get on their level. “But you are free to go.” She looked over at the wagon. “We'll even fix your wagon.”

 

“May the Gods bless you,” said the female. “This is a cruel land, and so many of your people have nothing but insults for us.”

 

Nora nodded. Yes, Skyrim was a hard land, even more so for outsiders. But Nora felt good saving these cat people, and decided that she would let them share a camp this night so she could speak with them.

 

Thirty minutes later they were back on the road, the Khajiit wagon rolling along behind their horses. Nora rode her horse even with the front of the wagon, talking with the Khajiit, wanting to know everything she could learn about the handsome creatures. They were well spoken, with some interesting turns of phrase, and she found herself liking them immediately.

 

“We told our guard, Do'tron, to lower his weapons,” said the trade leader, one Ri'Jaro. “But he insisted that he would lose face if he allowed bandits to take that which he had signed on to guard. So the fool attacked over a dozen bandits. He got one, but the others cut him down. And I was afraid myself and Dra'Zira were doomed. And then you and your people came along like a gift from the Gods and saved us. You were amazing to see. So much skill.”

 

“And you are going to set up your trade in Solitude? In what part of the city?”

 

“In the stables, friend Nora,” answered the wife of the married team.

 

“Why there?”

 

“Because you Nords do not want us in your cities,” answered Ri'Jaro, hissing. “They think we are all thieves and smugglers. And while I'll admit there are some of that number among us in this land, we are not all such.”

 

“I'm not a Nord, Ri'Jaro,” said Nora, seeing a look of surprise come over the Khajiit's face.

 

“Then you are an Imperial? Or a Breton? Because you have the eyes of a Nord, though more beautiful than most.”

 

“I am actually not from Nirn,” said Nora, delighting in their surprised expressions.

 

“Is that true?” asked Dra'Zira. “You are not from this world? Then where are you from?”

 

So Nora told them about her world, and listened to their tales of their homeland. To her it sounded wonderful. Warm, without the freezing cold of Skyrim. She thought she might want to visit that land someday.

 

There was an hour's daylight left when they made camp. Annekke took Sofia out for a hunt, and they returned shortly with a large buck, which they dressed and butchered. The rest set up their tents, the Khajiit pitching theirs near. Lydia looked at the cat creatures suspiciously, but Nora wasn't about to drive them away without proof that they were smugglers. From what she had seen on their wagon they were legitimate traders, and she let it go at that.

 

The Khajiit woman, Dra'Zira, offered to cook, and she spent an hour rubbing spices on the deer meat before putting it on a spit over the fire the humans had built. The meal was delicious, as fine of venison as the Dragonborn had ever tasted, and she wondered that the cat people hadn't opened restaurants in Skyrim. She thought they would be a success, and decided she would look into investing in one for the couple if they were amicable to the idea.

 

Guard shifts set, Nora fell into her bed, exhausted. To be awakened by someone screaming their head off. She wasn't sure who it was, but it sounded like they were in severe distress. She exited her tent to see all of her people gathered. With the exception of Recorder and Valdimar. And then, from one of the tents, she could make out the voice of Recorder yelling at the man.

 

“Faster. Go faster. Pound me into the furs. I'm almost there, you bastard.”

 

“That as fast as I can go,” groaned the voice of the man.

 

“Faster,” yelled Recorder again. He must have been moving fast enough, because her cry of orgasm soon screeched into the night.

 

“It seems like we thought the wrong person was being murdered,” said Sofia, bringing laughs to all the humans. The Khajiit stared, their mouths open.

 

“And I thought we made a lot of noise when mating,” said Dra'Zira, to the laughter of the party.

 

The next morning Recorder had a wide smile on her face that wouldn't leave.

 

“So,” asked Nora. “What happened?”

 

“Well, Dragonborn, I just couldn't take it anymore. You all seemed to be having so much fun, and it had been so long since I had been laid, that I decided I needed some. So I talked with Valdimar and he said yes.” She broke out in a giggle, like a little girl, though she had proven during the night that she was a woman.

 

Of course he said yes, thought Nora with a smile, putting her arm around Recorder and leading her to the fire for some breakfast. You're cuter than hell, with a voluptuous body. The man would have to be an idiot to turn you down. Now, we just need to adjust the rotation a bit.

 

“So now you're one of the girls,” said Nora with a laugh.

 

“I don't want to be one of the girls,” said Recorder, turning an angry glare on Nora, then smiling sheepishly. “I'm sorry, but every female lover I have ever had has stabbed me in the back. They are too catty, especially the ones at the Academy. I like men. At least I can trust them. I can't trust women, at all.”

 

Nora thought that a bad attitude to have among a company of mostly women when your life might depend on them.

 

“Do you trust me?”

 

“Oh yes, Dragonborn. You are the most caring and compassionate woman I have ever met. You wouldn't think of saying anything behind my back, unlike those bitches at the Academy. I trust you with my life.”

 

That gave Nora an idea, one that she thought she might be able to implement the next night.

They moved up the road through the day, seeing more patrols of Imperials, mostly on foot. She had to wonder why they weren't using horses on these long stretches. The same with the Thalmor, who were also out in force.

 

They reached the cutoff to Solitude by late afternoon and said goodbye to their Khajiit friends, who headed off to the city while her people headed north. Nora decided to pitch camp before they reached the shrine, about a mile away. She wanted to approach the temple during the morning so she would have the entire day if need be.

 

“Let me see what you have, girl,” said Nora after inviting Recorder into her tent. She had made her plans clear to Elda, who had decided to try her luck with Sofia.

 

“Dragonborn,” said the woman in her little girl's voice. “I don't know about this.”

 

“You've said this morning that you were bisexual, that you've had affairs with women. So after having man, why not a woman?”

 

“But, you're not just any woman. You're the Dragonborn. A hero.”

“Whose heart beats just like any other. Who gives and receives pleasure just like any other. Who would like to get to know you better this night.”

 

Recorder still looked like she was unsure, so Nora took her by the hand and pulled her onto the furs. “Now all you have to do is say no and get up. But remember. If I don't get some pleasure I will have nightmares, and that's up to you.”

 

Recorder lay there, trembling and not saying a word. Nora took that as a yes, and started making out with the woman. Recorder was slow to warm, but once she did she became a demon in bed, much to the delight of Nora. 

 

Nora licked the woman's sweet pussy while finger fucking her. Recorder had an interesting sweet smell and taste, and she responded to Nora's touch with heavy breathing and cries. Recorder returned the favor, lapping away at Nora's pussy and driving the Dragonborn into a series of orgasms. Nora knew that she was very responsive, and the other woman was obviously an expert at manipulating a woman's genitals, despite her profession of not really liking to bed women. She thought that none of her girls would want to miss a session with Recorder, and as part of her long term strategy she resolved to make sure her young friend made the circuit.

 

As they lay beside each other Recorder looked over and played with a strand of Nora's hair. “I have a question for you, Dragonborn.”

 

“Nora. I want you to call me Nora.”

 

“Very well. Nora,” said Recorder, as if tasting the name. “And I might as well give you my real name. It's Elesia.”

 

“That's a beautiful name, my dear,” said Nora, gently running her right hand over the other woman's shoulder. “And what do you want to ask?”

 

“I've never seen someone so into sex,” said Recorder, again letting out her infectious giggle. “I know part of it has to be dealing with the nightmares. But I sense there is more to it than that. So what makes you such a nympho?”

 

Nora laughed. She had been called that in the Commonwealth, but never here. She didn't think the Nords even had a term for an oversexed woman. For male Nords there was no such thing as a woman who wanted too much sex.

 

“I have always been into sex,” she answered honestly. “You've heard about how I worked the clubs and the VIP rooms, for money. But not just the money. I loved the attention. And then I married, and was never unfaithful to my husband. I loved Nate, but he was not the best of lovers. I raged over his death, and put a bullet in the head of the son-of-a-bitch that killed him, and moved on. I started killing what needed killing in the Commonwealth, and the nightmares came. The faces of those I killed. Sometimes snarling, sometimes raging, sometimes pleading for life. And good sex banished them for a night or two.”

 

“There's more to this, isn't there?”

 

“And this is going to go into your report to your Academy?” asked Nora with a smile.

 

“Not if you don't want it to. I owe you that much.”

 

“Then I blame in on the Supersoldier serum. The stuff we made from the oil extracted from Lorenzo's blood. If I was horny before, I was more so then. It doubled my strength, doubled my speed, and doubled my libido. A small price to pay for such abilities.”

 

“I would say,” said Recorder/Elesia, reaching over to tweak Nora's breast. “And how about now? Is your libido still going strong?”

 

“I'm horny as hell my dear Elesia. Still. And I want you again, now.”