Then there's no time to waste.

But... They did have plans tonight, which were supposed to be for after lunch, really...

"Since you are funding the bulk of the expedition, I suppose it's only reasonable you set the timetable."

"There's good arguments for being well rested when we tackle the barrow, after all."

"So are we getting a room here?"

"The Bannered Mare has some pretty nice rooms..."

"Sounds good."

There, then - it's just down the hill from Dragonsreach, past the Gildergreen and into the market district.

Whiterun is a very vertically organized city, isn't it.

"It's built on a big hill, yeah. Though I've heard there's also a dragon buried under Dragonsreach..."

"That'd explain the name."

"Has to have come from somewhere."

"It's built on a hill and tall besides that, so maybe it was an attempt to lift people high enough to swordfight dragons directly. Put them with reach of a dragon, as it were."

She laughs. "Dragons can fly over mountains! I'm not sure that'd stop them."

"Maybe they'd swing down out of curiosity."

"And if you've got someone able to jump on their backs..."

"Then the dragon has been reached."

"It'd require a reckless hero out of legends, but I hear those used to be going spare."

"Dawn Age was practically built out of them."

"Maybe that's why the dragons are back. All these sensible every day people are boring the gods."

"So we're supposed to rise to the occasion or die and make room? That sounds about right for the gods."

"Definitely their style."

"Bastards that they are."

"Real rotten."

"They should learn how to write fiction instead."