15th of Mid Year, Morndas, 197 4E (A/N: Sorry lol, I realize I’ve stretched this day for literally three chapters now. Let's see how long it will last!)

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(Freyja pov)

I hold my breath, wondering if Mother will say yes. I’ve been really bored recently, so anything is better than just endless traveling and sword fighting. Plus, then maybe I can finally dispatch a decent amount of enemies without her freaking out.

Mother looks deep in thought. Frey gives me a weird look.

“Well . . . what reasons do you have to learn it?” She asks me. “And what do you want to specialize in?”

I think about that, trying to figure out what I would prefer. I’ve mainly seen Mother use Destruction and Restoration, so I know almost nothing about other kinds of magic. Restoration could be useful if I somehow get an injury a potion can’t heal, but that probably wouldn’t happen. Destruction could actually kill things other than undead, so that would be the best option.

“Mother, I’ve been really bored. There’s nothing to do while traveling, so I want to practice Destruction magic.”

Frey looks at me surprised, as though asking why. I simply send him a hand gesture telling him I have my own reasons.

Mother seems just as confused. “Why Destruction? You have a mind capable of Illusion, or Restoration.”

“Because I don’t know anything about Illusion, and Restoration seems kind of useless because I know how to make potions already,” I tell her confidently as we enter the trees.

She throws me a knowing look, as though saying, ‘You will regret it.’ “Okay, but we can’t exactly start at the moment. Arenthia is pretty close, so we can bunk there for the night.”

I nod absentmindedly, and excitement overflows all annoyance I ever had at her. Finally, there is fresh air! I mean, it’s a little bit stuffy, but it’s also a thousand times better than that awful desert. Still a bit too warm for my liking though.

As Frey breathes in deeply and looks around in awe, I begin wondering what sorts of new spells I will learn. I feel a lot more happy knowing that there is going to be more to do with life.

We venture further into the forest, and it gets more dense, and more beautiful the farther along we go. Green and golden light cascades through the canopy, and hundreds of thick trees tower over us. Large roots and ferns cover the undergrowth, so much that we quickly go back to normal paths.

Frey looks like he’s having the time of his life, what with all the new smells. Me and my brother have never actually been to Valenwood before. It is one of the few places we haven’t explored yet.

We continue traveling for another few hours, admiring the view, when we see glimpses of a large village in the trees.

“Well, here we are,” Mother says, looking uneasy. I wonder why for a few minutes, because she lived the first portion of her life here..

Frey seems to have noticed her strange expression as well. “Mother, why do you look so worried?” he asks.

“I’ve never actually spent much time here, so I’m not sure what will happen once we step inside,” she replies. “I grew up in Elden Root, so I find it a lot more comfortable over there.”

As we reach the southern gates, a few Wood Elves spot us, and quickly march over with half asleep expressions.

“Halt! What is your business with Arenthia?” one of them asks us.

“We are simply travelers, please let us in so we can rest here for a few days,” Mother tells him.

I nod, and let her finish chatting with the guard. He finally lets us in, after shooting a few wary looks at Frey and me, probably due to our pale skin.

As we step inside the gate, I gasp in awe. There is a beautiful golden light coming from the houses and other buildings, illuminating the now dark canopy above. Small Bosmer children run across the streets, while the adults stand around talking about random things. Mother still looks uneasy, and Frey looks excited.

We end up at a tavern, and after renting a room, begin browsing the marketplace.

Mother looks a little bit more relaxed now, and Frey looks as though his head is exploding. I simply look around at the different weapons, armor, food, and clothing, admiring the style and craftsmanship.

“Hey, Mother,” Frey says, while chewing on some sort of dried meat. “Can you give me and Freyja a few gold coins to spend? A few weapons caught my eye.”

She sends us a wary look, mainly pointed at me, deciding whether she would let us or not. “Okay,” she says cautiously. “Just don’t go crazy on the meat or anything.”

He thanks her, and pulls me along to a weapon stand selling bows.

The merchant greets us, and Frey starts examining the bows. I carefully look at them, with little interest.

They come in a couple of different colors, with a few different kinds of metal. I notice a bunch of Elven bows, a couple of Orcish ones, some simple hunting bows and longbows, and, surprisingly enough, an Ebony one. It is around forty-two septims. I notice Frey mainly has his eye on it.

He mumbles to himself a little bit.

The merchant looks a little impatient, just as Frey asks a strange question. “Do you have any books about archery?”

The merchant looks a little incredulous at the fact that we don’t already know it, but nods. “Do you want one for beginners, or the more advanced kind?”

“Beginner.”

Frey hands him some gold and the merchant hands him the book. We thank him, and walk away, me feeling disgruntled.

“Frey, why are you interested in archery? It really isn’t necessary,” I ask him, trying to make sense of his sudden interest.

“Because, Freyja, if you haven’t noticed, the bandits we killed had bows. It could be useful to learn.”

“Okay, whatever. Suit yourself.”

We head back to the inn, and Frey starts studying the book he bought. I think about what the uses of archery could be.

I walk over to Frey, who looks up at me with an annoyed look on his face.

"Frey, give me that book."