Elle didn't realize that in yelling at the merchant she had also prevented his murder. Honestly she had done it without thinking; it didn't seem fair that he was the reason that dragon hadn't burned Whiterun to the ground yesterday, and yet they had the audacity to treat him as anything less than a hero. If he hadn't saved her life, she wouldn't have been able to slay the beast in the first place. She still wasn't sure about the whole soul business, but hopefully that would be revealed soon. 

She frowned at his comment, [color=00B2EE]"I hadn't even thought of that,"[/color] she said, more to herself than him. They would have to be careful whilst traveling. She knew the Vigilants of Stendarr were not at all relenting when it came to matters concerning the Princes. 

At his second statement, she shrugged with a smile, [color=00B2EE]"He deserved it. What an ass,"[/color] she shook her head and shot one last scowl at the trader before continuing, [color=00B2EE]"Anyway, why don't you ditch that godawful yellow thing and I'll get the rest of the supplies. We'd best go while the day is still young, I don't want to be caught in the forests after dark."[/color] There were all manner of creatures prowling the woods of Skyrim and she'd rather not go camping with them. 

She turned and walked over to one of the market stalls, a friendly looking woman with a young girl at her side manning the booth. Carlotta Valentia was her name, and she proved to be much more agreeable than Belethor, in terms of the quality of the provisions and their prices. She purchased fresh produce, bread, and cheese, deciding that would be substantial enough. The wilderness was teeming with wild game should they decide they needed heavier fare.

. . .

After asking for directions to Ivarstead on the way out of town, the trek there was virtually uneventful. They filled the time with the occasional conversation, small talk mostly, Elle sometimes spouting off random facts she knew about Skyrim when she spotted something that brought them to mind. There were signs at every fork directing them further east into the mountains, and the roads were clear. Aside from a brief run in with an angry frost mage and a couple of wolves, nothing was seemed keen on opposing the pair. At one point, as they ascended the mountain toward evening, Elle swore she could hear a dragon, and sure enough, looking down at the hot springs in the valley below, one circled a large cluster of boulders, though there didn't seem to be anything in its immediate vicinity for it to attack. They decided to ignore it and press on. It was too far away for them to do anything about it anyway. She wasn't ready to fight another dragon, not before talking to the Greybeards.

Twilight crept up quickly after that, and the further they pressed up into the mountains and the darker it got, the more predatory animals they noticed lurking off the path. Thankfully, the most trouble they ran into were two vampire fledglings disguised as Vigilants, interestingly enough. Dispatching them wasn't terribly difficult, especially with Nil there. Night had fully set on by the time they reached the settlement at the foot of the mountain towering against the star filled sky, a large orange moon rising behind it amidst the clouds. The Vilemyr Inn was the first building on their left, conveniently enough, and when they entered, the place was empty save for a man behind the counter a woman tending the the fire pit in the center of the establishment. He raised his eyebrows in surprise at the duo as they approached. 

[color=EE9A49]"Well now, we don't get too many visitors for High Hrothgar these days,"[/color] he stated, looking the two up and down briefly, [color=EE9A49]"If you're headed to the monastery, watch your step, it's a long way down."[/color]

Elle thanked him for the advice and purchased a room, bidding Nil goodnight before retiring herself. Compared to the last few days, this one had been rather lax in comparison, despite the trek and its less than favorable beginnings. Plus, it had given her plenty of time to think and really wrap her head around her situation. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep this time, and unlike the past few nights, her slumber was void of dragons.