Loki set out the next morning a little after daybreak in the direction of Windhelm. The breeze blowing in off the Sea of Ghosts was bitter cold, but thankfully it was a clear and bright day. Dressed in heavy hooded robes to stave off the cold, Loki cast a Dragonskin spell on himself in place of armor just in case some unseen bandit decided to snipe him with an arrow before Loki could spot him. He also regularly whispered the word LAAS as he walked to see what life was hiding around the road.

As he approached the walls of Windhelm he noticed there was a Khajiit trading caravan set up behind the stables.

Perfect, I've been looking forward to meeting Ma'dran in person.

Loki quickened his pace to get down to the caravan.

Having heard of Loki and his friendship to the Khajiit from Ri'saad, Ma'dran welcomed Loki with all the hospitality of an old friend. He even told Loki how Ri'saad had saved him from the life of a servant and set him up with his caravan.

Loki opened his oblivion locker and traded some of his loot with the traders in the caravan for gold and other supplies he needed, then he and Ma'dran had lunch together and Loki discussed a special transport he needed to have escorted to Whiterun. Ma'dran assured him that the caravan's would provide the best protection they had to offer.

After lunch, Loki entered Windhelm with a very long to-do list. To start, he went to visit the Palace of Kings and the court mage, Wuunferth the Unliving. Upon entering the palace Loki attempted to cast a Detect Life spell, but found that he could not conjure the magicka. He tried to produce several other spells, but found them equally nullified.

"It's useless to try," Wuunferth said as he entered the great hall to accept his visitor, "the silencing runes in the palace silence all magic but mine."

"Really? That's amazing. I see I still have so much to learn."

"Well, at least you recognize that. I can't count the young mages I encounter who learn a few adept spells and consider themselves Master Wizards. Now, What can I do for you?"

"I'm on my way to the college at Winterhold and I was hoping to get a few pointers from an esteemed mage such as yourself. I also have several Akaviri arcane manuscripts you might be interested in for trade."

"Very well young man, come with me."

Wuunferth led Loki to his chambers where they discussed the arcane and traded spells and enchantments. On his way back out of the palace, Loki pricked himself and discovered that his amulets did actually still work inside the palace. Then, a curious thought hit him. "LAAS" he whispered just before he reached the doors to the main hall. The aura of the guards on either side lit up. You can silence magicka, but the Voice is a completely different kind of power. Loki made note of his new findings thinking they may someday be useful to him.

Evening was coming and the sun was setting fast so Loki made his way to the Candlehearth Hall to get a room for the night. He made a detour through the cemetery to see if the Butcher had claimed his next victim, but was relieved to find it hadn't happened yet. Probably next visit, he thought to himself.

As he entered the upstairs sitting area around the hearth he spotted someone he had been looking for ever since he entered the city. A little girl dressed in rags sat in front of the fire with a basket of flowers beside her.

"Would you like to buy some flowers Sir? I picked them myself" the child said in an almost apologetic little voice.

"I'm impressed, most orphans just beg, but you go the route of starting your own business. What's your name, child?"

The young girl smiled shyly, but with a worried look on her face, and then spoke, "My name's Sofie. Umm… How did you know I'm an orphan?"

"Well Miss Sofie, it's nice to meet you. I'm Loki. And it isn't hard to guess. Your clothes, no shoes, and selling flowers for food. This city is bitter cold, where do you stay?"

Sofie was showing visible signs of getting nervous about the inquisitive stranger. "Um, I stay on the streets mostly, but I sneak in here to warm by the fire when I can. They don't say anything as long as I don't stay too long."

"You seem uneasy, why don't you have a seat at the table over there and I'll order some food."

"I… um… it's just strange. Usually the men who are this kind to me have other things in mind than buying flowers. I'll starve before I do that kinda stuff for food. And some aren't even nice about it. That Rolff Stone-Fist, you should hear some of the things he says to me when he's staggering through the streets drunk. Old Pervert."

"Well my dear, you have absolutely none of that to worry about, and my kindness will never come with a price."

As they ate, Loki told her of his home in Whiterun, his adopted daughter Lucia, and their housecarl Lydia. He then told her that there was plenty of room for her too, if she wanted. Sofie's eyes began to water, and then heavy tears began to fall. The poor beggar girl could not believe she was ever going to get off the streets of Windhelm.

After dinner, Loki got a pair of rooms and put Sofie in one of them, telling her they had an early morning to send her off to Whiterun, then Loki went out for a long walk in the night before retiring to bed himself.

The following morning, Loki took Sofie to meet with Ma'dran outside the city by the stables. He was also pleased to see that Ahkari's caravan had arrived and the two caravans were exchanging goods and getting ready to travel to other cities and towns. After introductions to the leader of the third caravan, Loki turned to Ma'dran.

"This is the young lady I spoke with you about escorting to Whiterun. Please see that she is well cared for and also whatever she requires as far as food, clothing, and anything else, just deduct from my consignment on the loot sales."

"It shall be done as you have asked. And do not worry about food, we hunt and eat as a family, and any family of the Dragonborn is family of our own."

"You honor me Ma'dran, Thank you."

Loki gave Ma'dran a letter for Lydia to be delivered with Sofie, said goodbye to his newest adopted child, and also picked up a quest from one of the caravan guards named Kharjo to find his Moon Amulet before heading to the stables to catch a carriage to Winterhold.

While getting ready to board the carriage, Loki overheard one of the guards talking to Ulundil the stable master.

Guard: "It looks like the Butcher struck again last night, but it wasn't a woman this time. Rolff Stone-Fist was found in an alley in the grey quarter with most of his insides on the outside. The captain said it looks like he may have interrupted the butcher while he was hunting the next woman to kill."

Ulundil: "That is horrible, Galmar must be furious. Maybe this will put catching the Butcher in a higher priority for the guards."

Guard: "Maybe, but we are still spread so thin I don't know what good it will do. There's also the possibility that one of those dark elves did it and just wanted to make it look like the Butcher. We may never know."

Loki smirked, boarded the carriage, and off they went for Winterhold.

Author's note:

I am sorry it has taken me so long to get back to this. As most of you know this has been a very trying year so far, and unlike many, I was considered "essential" so I never had any time off for tquarantine and such. I honestly had to reread the entire thing myself to remember what Loki has already done and remind myself where I wanted him to go next.

Thank you to all of you who have stuck around and patiently waited for the next chapter.