Disclaimer : *shoved into the nearest wall by Lucien* I do not own Oblivion and the other Elder Scroll series! They belong to Bethesda, I swear!
Summary : From witchunter to assassin, began the journey of a Bosmer as the child of the Night Mother. From hunting deer to hunting humans, her life changed as she met a certain Speaker who stalks among the shadows…
Chapter 1: A New Assistant
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I held my breath. My grasp upon my set of steel bow and arrows tightened, ready to be launched to end yet another life of a deer. There were indeed a mob of deer a few meters away from me, grazing peacefully without knowing that the cutlery was its next destination. But hidden in the bush I was, none of the animals realized that they were vulnerable preys stalked by their predator. Carefully I aimed my arrow into one of the closest deer's – a young female deer – lungs. I imagined that as if there was a practice target drawn on its skin that was what my father taught me to shoot accurately when he first brought me into the woods to hunt.
As soon as I've locked my target, I released a shot. The doe froze in shock and dropped stiffly, eyes widened but ceased to shine- indicating that its soul had released its bind to its flesh. Its mob of deer companions fled into all directions in an instant, leaving me a chance to get closer to the now dead prey. Carefully I placed the female deer into a large grain sack I carried from home and returned to my home in the city of Chorrol.
My father owned a fairly large butchery in our city that he inherited from his grandfather. He was also a very skilled witchunter, often brought me with him when he was hunting. The Great Forest were practically my training field and second home. Several times we camped there after clearing the area. There, after setting up the tent and lighting a small bonfire, my father and I talked about many things while we cook the meat for dinner. He taught me the basics of Destruction spells and archery, in other times he told me various stories of his experience or anything people are talking about; the Nine Divines and Daedra, the Gray Fox, famous guilds and people, the Dark Brotherhood.
But as my father aged, he retired from hunting to focus on his butchery in the city, leaving me to hunt animals alone for him to sell. Though we were still very close, I often missed the time when we still hunted together.
I finally arrived at the towering entrance gate of Chorrol. Two guards were on siege in front of it, watching busy people walking in and out.
"Good morning," I said and smiled as my eyes met on one of the guards.
"Morning, citizen," he replied warmly. "Just returned from hunting?" He asked as he saw me carrying the sack and my weapons.
"Yes… I caught a doe," I replied.
"That's good," he smiled. "See you later."
"Bye," I headed to my father's butchery in the center of the city. It was a typical morning weather of Chorrol, warm and a bit windy. Many people were outside, walking around. Occasional shouts of merchants offering their goods or attracting people to their shops could be heard.
I stepped on the porch of my home, the Galataur Butchery and turned the doorknob to enter. My father was heard talking to a man the voice I couldn't recognize. I proceed into the living room to find a young Nord man sitting with my father.
"You may start- oh, my daughter is home! This is Rosrenthiel – or you might just call her Rosren. She's the hunter of this butchery and will provide you with fresh meat every 9 am." My father then turned to me.
"And, this is Gonnar, starting from now, he'll assist my job as I'm afraid I couldn't do all the work myself anymore like I used to be. I hope you two get along well," he continued.
"Now as the deer has arrived you may start chopping the venison. Rosren, please show him the storage room and the equipment rack. I will be upstairs if you need me," my father left and headed upstairs to his room. Poor father, since he was infected with a rockjoint, he wasn't a powerful witchunter like he used to be. He lost his endurance and agility that he gained from years of training. Now he was just an ordinary old man.
The Nord man cleared his throat, startling me. "Can I have the deer?" He asked.
"Umm… Oh! Sorry, here it is!" I handed the sack to him. "Here, I'll show you the storage room,"
We walked to the back of the house and entered a door which led to the basement. Our basement was a large room divided into two. The majority part of the room was used as a storage and place to cut the meat, while the other small part was a wine cellar.
The storage itself was a room enchanted with a spell to keep the temperature low enough. Large pieces of meat was hung in the ceiling. On the center of the room was a large table with metal plates and bloody dishcloths, with an equally large rack full of various knives and meat tenderizers on the right side. I headed to the corner where two barrels of water was placed to wash my hand and pack some delivery orders, while Gonnar went straight to the cutting table.
I observed him while packing some meat and write the checklist for today's order. Gonnar was a large and bulky Nord man, only a few years older than myself. He had a typical Nord traits, blonde hair, blue eyes, strong jaws and a rather pale skin. His hair was shoulder-length, kept in a ponytail. He's wearing a standard white shirt and brown pants that every working-class people is wearing.
He might be a skilled swordsman… I thought as I observed the way he cut the deer. Quick, sharp, and precise. All the pieces was in a perfect slice and all done very quickly.
"Um… I've never seen you before around," I asked. "Where do you come from?"
"Skyrim. From the city of Markarth," he replied shortly while kept working undistracted.
"Wow, that's really long way from here… I guess there aren't many Wood Elves like me there, huh? Were you a butcher too there? You're really good with that knife,"
"Thank you," he smiled. "Yes, I worked as a butcher too there, occasionally went out for hunting. You're a hunter, right? What's your weapon of choice?"
"Wow, that's just like my father! At least when he was still able to hunt though. I alter between bows and destruction spells, how about you?"
"Two handed swords. Steel ones preferably. Say, how about we hunt together sometime? We can learn from each other that way," He stopped cutting for a while and turned to me.
So I was right! He was a swordsman, a hunter even! I blushed as his sapphire blue eyes gazed deep into mine. He's quite handsome, isn't he? I thought to myself. There weren't many people with bright blue eyes such as his here. He seemed really sweet too, despite his intimidating posture.
"Sure!" I exclaimed excitedly. How glad I was to meet someone who wanted to accompany my lonely hunting. "Teach me how to wield a blade, will you?" I asked hopefully.
"Of course. How about tomorrow at five in the afternoon, after my working hour?" He offered.
"Alright, I'll meet you at the main gate tomorrow, ok?" I smiled. "I must deliver some order to these houses, see you later!" I grabbed the packages I've just finished and headed outside.
"Goodbye,"
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Thank you for reading! Please leave your review, ok? I really appreciate any kind of review xD
I decided to write this fic after finishing the Dark Brotherhood questline because the Dark Brotherhood is just so cool! I just can't help but to fell in love with Lucien Lachance, our favorite Speaker. :3
Next Chapter: The First Kill