Finding Peace in Solitude
After escaping the horrors in Helgen, Auburn finds herself not remembering anything from her past besides short glimpses from the city of Solitude. Despite the amnesia, she tries to find peace in Skyrim, while dealing with a world in flames and trying to find her old life.
Chapter 1
After barely making it out of the burning town Helgen, she finally had a moment to catch her breath and slow down. She was all confused, so she sat down beside the water just outside a small village called Riverwood. The screams of the people being killed by the dragon still echoed inside her mind. The weather was fine now; a bit chilly, but the sun was shining, and the flowers were in bloom. She took a look around: nothing seemed familiar to her. She was dressed in prisoner's clothes, and the cuffs were still attached to each of her hands, looking like a couple of ugly bracelets. At least the soldier she met while fleeing Helgen had had the courtesy to chop off the chain. She looked into the water to see her reflection, and the woman she saw in the water didn't really seem recognizable to her either. The reflection showed a woman in her twenties covered in dirt. She washed it off and saw that the person in the water was a rather good-looking young woman with a remarkable scar on her cheekbone. It looked like it was made by an animal's paw with its three cuts. She had grey-blue eyes and a funny-looking nose. Her lips were red, and her facial structure a bit butch, but when she smiled she managed to look feminine too. Her hair was braided into two braids on the back of her head, and the colour of the hair was dark red with a bit of blonde in it too.
"So this is me", she said to herself in distrust. She remembered nothing but the glimpses of a city called Solitude she had caught in her sleep: a big, beautiful, gothic city with tall buildings and a great castle. It was her only clue to find out what had happened.
During the escape from Helgen, she had realized that she was quite handy with a sword, so maybe she was some kind of a warrior? She still had the sword and some other things that she had taken from the dead soldiers in Helgen. She didn't really like stealing, even though they were dead, so at least now she knew that she had some kind of decency at least.
She got up and walked into Riverwood. Everywhere people looked at her like she was a real outsider, but she didn't mind. She walked over to the general store to sell some of the stuff she had collected.
The shop owner gave her a funny look too, but accepted her merchandise and paid her for the weapons.
"I'm going to Solitude. Can you show me the way?", she asked him politely. He frowned and squeezed his eyes tightly together examining her closely.
"You're not from here?", a woman then asked. She was poorly dressed and looked tired and weary.
"No, I'm not".
"Really? You sure look like a Nord with your fair skin and strong body", the woman answered. She smiled briefly, before the woman showed her the directions: Through the mountains and past the town Morthal and then just north-west.
She said thank you and went on her way. She walked for a long time, and the snow started covering the ground as soon as she met the mountains. The temperature dropped too, and her cold prisoner's clothes weren't enough to keep her warm. The snow started falling while she was contemplating what the woman had said about her being a Nord. She smiled – at least it was another clue.
The darkness had fallen when she finally reached Morthal. It was still snowing and she was so cold that she could barely stand. She walked past the jarl's house and past the swampy areas to the Moorside Inn. She needed a bed to sleep in, so she opened the door and the first thing she saw was a burning fire, which immediately made her feel warmer. The inn was cosy, built by wood, and there were only a couple of other guests. A dark Elf was walking around looking angry and he barely looked her way. Alongside the walls, there were tables, and a few men sat quietly and drank their mead.
"Tough day?", the barmaid then asked her. She was friendly-looking and smiling. "I can offer a hot meal and a bed to sleep in", she continued.
"That sounds good", she answered and walked to the counter at the end of the room.
"Where are you heading in this awful weather?", the barmaid then asked while pouring something hot into a mug.
"Solitude".
"Solitude? Where are you from?", she kept asking.
"Erh, from Helgen", she answered and left the counter to sit in the back of the room close to the fire.
"Helgen? Did you witness that madness with the dragon?", the barmaid asked, but she walked away to sit down to avoid the barmaid's questions. She wasn't able to answer them anyway.
The barmaid took the hint, "Okay, I'm Jonna by the way".
She sat down by the fire with her hot drink and relaxed. A big guy pushed aside his chair from across the room and approached her. She looked up at him. He had a worn but friendly face. He carried an axe and was wearing warrior's clothes.
"Good evening, ma'am", he said and looked at her. She got a little tense. She nodded at him.
"I'm Benor, beautiful lady", he then continued and sat down in a chair next to her. He was smiling a confident smile, and it annoyed her.
"Hi Benor", she just answered and looked into her drink again. The barmaid came with her food: Freshly-caught salmon with vegetables. It smelled delicious.
"Don't disturb the poor girl, Benor", she said and ran her fingers teasingly through his dark-blonde hair. He laughed and whistled after Jonna, when she walked back. He was that kind of guy apparently. A ladies man, but probably harmless.
"What's your name, miss auburn", he then said brushing her red-blonde braid away from her neck. His touch was light and soft. She actually found herself liking it. After taking a bite of her fish she smiled and looked at him. He wasn't exactly good-looking, but he was alright. He was probably a bit older than her, but she didn't mind. She found herself liking the attention.
"My name is Auburn", she answered not really remembering what her actual name was, but Auburn seemed to suit her.
"Appropriate", he almost whispered and caressed her hair again.
She pushed herself back in the chair to relax a bit more.
"Who are you then? Besides Benor", she asked and let her foot touch his slightly.
"Well", he said with a smile, liking her attitude, "I'm the best damn fighter around here in Morthal", he answered confidently and leaned forward to get closer to her.
"That is quiet a crown to put on your own head. I bet I could beat you in a hand-to-hand fight", she teased in a joking way. She quickly realized that she was good at seducing men. A skill that maybe would come in handy on her way.
Benor laughed a warm laughter:
"A little woman like you? I don't think so", he laughed and touched her knee with the back of his hand.
"You could let me try? 100 gold pieces to the winner", she proposed while leaning towards him, putting her mouth close to his ear. It seemed too easy to be true, and Auburn gave him her prettiest you-can't-say-no-to-me smile. She really needed the money.