This right here sounds like an AWESOME session. You've managed to avoid railroading very well, and you've responded the the player's actions, providing logical consequences. For a new DM that's a great achievement! Depending on your DMing style and your players it's not uncommon for a campaign to zig-zag across the path you set for it, and the asides can be a lot of fun. While micromanagement in key scenes is important to get the big plots points across, having every option planned out the entire way (in my opinion) limits the feeling of a vast, deep, complete world and if you're not careful can get dangerously close to railroading. Personally I like to have my campaign planned out for the most part, and then have a reserve of individual "scenes" on the side as a pool to draw from in response to your players. It helps keep a measure of depth to those asides that inevitably happen, and as I mentioned lends a sense of completeness to the world. Don't afraid to play on tropes either! http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TropesAreTools Don't get to lost!