Unwelcome Homecoming III

"Are you sure, Boss? I wouldn't want to force you." Lokir says, hesitant to mount the horse first.

"No, I insist. Besides, we don't want to waste time. Just hope on!" I say, starting to usher him onto the horse.

"If you say so, Boss." Lokir finally agrees, hoping on before I follow him up.

I look over to Inigo and Lydia before looking back to Lokir who looks at me with a peculiar look.

"Um... So, Boss... Are you going to hold on or would you prefer to just fall off?" Lokir asks while staring back at me.

"Oh... We should really get going..." I say awkwardly holding on to his waist.

And with that, we begin racing along on our way to Rorikstead. We decided to travel westward to get there instead of backtracking through Riverwood and Whiterun.

We decided to travel for an entire day before stopping to rest. We could have reached Rorikstead within a single day's travel but as we drew closer Lokir seemed to be getting more antsy and on edge, so I thought it'd be best if we camped for the night to let the horses rest and maybe hunt for a good meal while on the road.

"Inigo, you and Lydia mind grabbing us something for dinner?" I ask as I start building a fire with some sticks and a spark from my hands.

"Of course, my friend. We will be back with a great deer worthy of a feast!" Inigo proclaims before dragging Lydia off, who seems to be blushing as their hands' interlock.

Lokir ties up the horses at a nearby stump, before joining me by the impromptu campfire and sitting down beside me.

He nervously twiddles his thumbs together as he seems to be lost in thought and unsure of what to do next.

"Lokir, brother, what has you so on edge? With every step we've gotten closer to Rorikstead, you seem to get... I don't know, you just don't seem yourself? Why is it so important you head home now, and why are you needing my help? I know we've been really good friends ever since Helgen and you know I have your back no matter what, but... I'm just wondering what you're not telling me, especially since it seems to be weighing so heavily on you." I ask him, hoping to encourage him to open up.

Lokir pauses as conflicted expressions wage a war across his face as he's torn with how much he should say before he sighs and a deep guilt washes over his previously conflicted face.

"You're right, Boss... There's something I've been holding back... It's something that, I'm not sure how to say this... But if we're going there you should know..." Lokir says, struggling to say what has had him distracted.

"Don't worry, just take your time." I say patting him on the shoulder as the moons start to rise in the sky as darkness settles on the outskirts of our little camp.

Lokir takes a deep breath to steady himself before continuing, "You know I was a horse thief and I was caught trying to cross the border, right? Well... Have your visions ever told you 'why' I was trying to cross the border?" Lokir asks, stressing the 'why' while giving me a look of deep concern.

"Actually, I don't know, my visions mainly show the future and not the past. Is that what you'd like to share? The reason you were trying to cross the border that night?" I asked him, quite curious as to what a basically meaningless NPC actually has in terms of backstory.

"Yeah, Boss. It all started around 5 years back? I was falling in with the wrong crowd, and my dad didn't like it much... Which made me want to do it even more, just to piss the old man off. Eventually, they asked me to do something, something I didn't think there was any harm in. But my actions, intentional or otherwise, led to the death of someone in our village, and I was cast out and disowned. After that, I turned to petty thievery in order to make ends meet, but that was never enough. Eventually, I even turned on my so-called friends, I was going to cross the border and run away from my problems yet again. But as luck would have it I was picked up by the Imperials as they were going to kill bloody Ulfric Stormcloak." Lokir explains his story, and with each word, he seems to get lighter and lighter.

He pauses to get a drink from his water skin before continuing, "Then my life changed, I met someone who gave me hope that I could be a better person. And since then that's what I've been working to do, all the coin earned from the little side jobs and the looting obsession that you've got that's been rubbing off on me. I have been saving up it all to pay my bounty in my home and I would like you there to serve as a witness to my change in character."

Having explained his origins and motivations, I'm left shocked and sit quietly in thought while Lokir looks at me nervously.

"Well damn brother, that's some pretty heavy shit. But, I know you've changed. The coward that did those things all those years ago is not the man I've been fighting beside for the last month. You've truly become a new man and I'll be there to prove just that to anyone you need, as long as it stays true." I reassure him.

"Thanks, that means a-" Lokir starts to say before a sound interrupts him.

*Thump, thump, thump*

"It's that fuckin' giant! It followed us!" Lokir shouts before jumping to his feet and pulling out his sword.

"Lokir! Wait!" I shout trying to warn him.

*Rrrrwwwwaarrr*

A long Khajiit cry echoes through the night.

"It's got, Inigo! We gotta hurry!" Lokir shouts once more before charging into the forest.