DESTINY UNRAVELED
CODEX
#1
Fire engulfed the building.
It didn't graze the walls nor did it flicker here and there; it burned profoundly from the basement of the building to its rooftop. The fiery tongues cracked under the starry sky and their roar echoed in the poor district in the north end of Sentinel.
Screams and shouts accompanied the roar of the flames, producing a symphony of cacophonous sounds. The rezidents of the said district were in a frenzy that night, rushing in all directions. Some were extinguishing the fire while others were running from it. The water seemed to do nothing as the flames raged on. They tried to shovel the sand at it to no avail.
Amidst all the chaos stood a lonesome girl who wept silently.
She was young, fifteen or so summers. Her black locks glistened under the flamelight and her golden eyes reflected the terror that she saw. Her dress was disheveled, her favorite scarf burned out and her feet were naked against the sand beneath them. But she didn't care for all of that; she didn't for the terrified people that desperately tried to subdue the fire nor did she care that she was standing too close to the ablazed building.
All she cared about was her mother that burned along with that building.
The girl simply stood in place, watching helplessly. She wished to run into the house, to get her beloved mother out to safety. She wished to hear her sing and watch her dance. She wished that they'd stargaze at the rooftop like they always did.
But wish though she may, it was not meant to be.
The flames left the scorched building and spreaded through the sand, engulfing other buildings in the vicinity. The situation was getting out of control and people could no longer extinguish the flames. With no other option left, they dispersed away from the fire, saving themselves and their families.
The girl didn't run, however. Her only family turned to ash and her life was meaningless. She felt no need to run; in fact, she wished to die as well. Numb, the girl made her way towards the blaze, welcoming the fiery touch of death. She started to gasp for air then to cough profusely, the hot smoke burning her windways and lungs. She was thirsty and dizzy, losing senses in her limbs.
The girl soon fell to her knees as she wheezed.
She smiled; is this what it means to die, she wondered. She didn't get an answer nor did she need one. It didn't matter in the end.
The girl managed to get back onto her feet. The air was getting hotter as she got closer the flames. She could feel the heat on her skin as well, the temperature uncomfortably warm. She still didn't care and continued her walk towards certain death.
All she could think about was her mother.
She was ready to jump into the flames when suddenly everything turned black. She felt slight pressure on her forehead and she reached out with her hand to touch it. She found that it was a gloved hand that covered her eyes.
"Get a hang of yourself" a male voice whispered in her ear.
"Let me go to her" she responded with a sob.
Her feet then lost touch with the ground as the man lifted her small body and hoisted her over his shoulder. She protested by kicking him.
"Let me go" she screamed. "Let me go to her! Please, let me go!"
The man said nothing as he took her away from the blaze. The girl watched with teary eyes as her childhood home grew smaller as she was carried further away. It isn't fair, she thought. It isn't right, she thought.
And yet, she felt relieved that she didn't burn along with her mother and that made her feel guilty.
"Why" she wept, hiding her face in the man's hood. "Why..."
The man had no words of comfort.
~•~
The sun grazed at the horizon sooner than she thought, its luminous rays waking her from her sleep.
The girl prompted on her elbows and rubbed her eyes off tiredness. She had slept just a few hours and yet, she felt more exhausted than when she fell asleep.
When she took a look around, she noticed that her savior was sitting near the campfire, now extinguished. She suddenly realized that his hooded scarf was wrapped around her frame. The girl figured that he must've been cold during the chilly desert night as all he had on him was a thin leather armor.
"You're up" the man said. "Good."
She snapped out of her thoughts as he spoke up, realizing that she had been staring at him for a while. The man turned around and she nearly gasped; his face was marred in scars and his left eye was blind. His hair was pulled back into a tight braid and adorned in golden accessory.
The girl quickly recognized the man.
"Azrah" she whispered. "What are you - "
He didn't let her finish, saying, "I've been asked to escort you to the eastern border by your mother."
She watched him in shock and with contempt. "You knew that this would happen?!"
He sighed. "Your mother feared the worst and prepared in advance."
The girl remained silent.
"Why did you start walking towards the flames" he asked her.
"...I wanted to die" she said truthfully.
"Just like that" he asked.
She nodded.
"You foolish girl" he chastised her.
"What" she whispered.
"What did you expect it would happen" he asked. "That she'd miraculously rise from the dead?"
"How dare you" she hissed. "My mother died - "
"And now, you need to flee" he cut her. "No point in arguing over the spilt milk."
"You whoreson" she raged uncontrollably. "What right do you have - "
The crack of skin against skin rang loudly around them, stifled only by the soft breeze of the wind against sand. It had been the first time the girl felt the humiliation that invoked after receiving a slap on the cheek. Her mother, her dear mother never raised a hand on her as a sign of discipline. She taught her way of swordplay and martial art but never even touched her in such manner.
The girl remained silent as Azrah's blue orbs pierced at her.
"There's only one truth you need to know now: your mother sacrificed her life for yours" he said evenly. "Honestly, I don't see a point in letting you live, such as you are, but she had faith in you and I'd be damned if I defied her final request."
With that said, he reached into the sleeve of his cuirass and revealed a letter and a simple, golden locket.
"Those are your documents" he said, adding, "and in case you're short on Septims, sell the necklace - it's worth something."
The girl took the item and inspected them. She then raised her gaze and met Azrah's.
"Can't we wait a bit, just enough to spread her ashes" she asked. "Please."
"I'll return later to collect whatever is left" he said. "Don't worry."
The girl was uncertain if she could trust him but then again, he was her mother's most trusted ally...
"What do I do now" she asked desperately. "She's gone and I'm all alone...I'm afraid..."
The man reached for her shoulder with his gloved hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
"Don't be afraid" he said. "There's no need - she trained you for this very moment."
"I can't" she muttered in despair, shaking her head. "I can't do this, Azrah..."
"You can and you will" he said. "Go to Skyrim, join the Thieves Guild there. They will keep you safe."
"What then" she asked sarcastically. "Wait for the Thalmor to find me?"
"They probably won't count on you surviving the aftermath of the blaze" he said. "As long as you stay off their sight, you should be free to live your life."
Her gaze wandered to the rising sun in the distance. "I see..."
Azrah watched her for a brief moment before reaching for his beg and unfastening it. He revealed a set of simple leather armor, similar to his, along with a pair of leather boots and bracers. He then reached for his belt and threw a simple iron dagger on the pile as well.
"You need to have some protection while we travel" he said. "Go ahead, dress up."
Needn't be told twice, the girl took off her dress and put on the armor instead. Azrah helped her with fastening the buckles and straps, as well as setting her belt with the scabbard for her iron dagger. Once set, the two rose from the ground.
"Ready" he asked her.
"Ready" she answered, adding, "and thank you, Azrah."
"Don't thank me yet" he said, "Ziiah."
With a sad smile on her lips, Ziiah followed Azrah into the desert, her eyes set on horizon towards Skyrim...