I can't tell you why I can't remember before it happened. I just can't. There are some things in this world that we just aren't supposed to know. My past is one of them. Many people will tell you that I am good for nothing and not special in any case. If the people of Whiterun were to tell you that I would have to agree with them. I am in fact nothing special.
Eula would disagree. She's the woman who found me in the planes, and perhaps the kindest woman that I have ever met. Her kindness isn't always appreciated. Most of the Nords around here say that her kindness will be her down fall. They are probably right. If she were to take in someone a little less defenseless than I, surely she would bring herself terrible danger.
"Mia girl, come up here. There is someone I would like you to meet." She called down to me as I was plucking a chicken. When she found me I wasn't sure on how to do anything. I owe this woman so much. The fact that I owe this woman so much was the only reason I hung the thing up by its feet to let it bleed out and left half a chicken still dressed in its feathers. I knew what was waiting for me up those stairs, and I dreaded it.
For the past year Eula has been trying to find me a husband. It was one man after the next. They were all from Whiterun, and none of them entertained the idea of having a hot tempered, sharp tongued woman as their wife. I say to them so be it. If they do not want me they do not need to take me. Secretly though, I do not wish to be married at all, and I keep trying to best them with my wit. Men believe that women shouldn't have their own ideas. Not in Whiterun anyhow.
Climbing up the stairs I wiped my hands on my cotton skirts trying to get as much of the wetted feathers off my hands as possible. Smudging the blood from the chicken all over my skirts was just a touch done accidentally on purpose. I stopped on a stair and saw a small pile of dirt gathering in a corner. Taking my hand I took the rich dirt and smudged it over my face. All that was left was the final touch. Taking my comb from the back of my skirt I brushed up turning my hair into a knotted mess. Surely no man would want me seeing me in this state. Feeling the many kinks in my wavy hair I smiled in satisfaction and continued up the rest of the way.
"Ah there you are!" Eula's voice chimed over the crackling of the fire. Her pale skin was wrinkled with age, and her eyes were starting to have a gray film that usually comes with blindness. Age was not being kind to her in these past few years. Without the pale grey film over her eyes they shined like small pieces of opal, all types of blues and green mixed in with just speckles of brown. She had the most beautiful eyes. "Mia my girl… Did you get into a fight with the chicken?" She asked upon just barely being able to see my appearance.
Looking at myself I laughed. Eula's humor was what I loved best. It was very subtle most days, but she didn't mind my sarcasm. Usually she would bite back just as hard with her own little piece of wit.
"Yes, don't fret though. I won." I grinned at her before letting my eyes gander over our guest. He was handsome, I'll give him that. Men who are handsome and not married, mean trouble and I wished to keep my distance. "I welcome you to our home. It isn't much," My eyes roamed over his strong chest and thick arms. I refused to look any lower than that, no matter how much my eyes wished to. I kept them on his strong jaw rather than his eyes. Yes… He was very handsome indeed. "But it's home."
"You keep it very nicely." His voice rumbled like thunder after the loud crack of lightning. It surprised me at first. The low tones of it almost made me giddy, but I held on strongly to my senses.
"Thank you," I stated very curtly. My nervousness around this man was absurd, and I wouldn't let him get to me.
"This is Theblin; I raised him from a babe." Eula almost spoke of him as if he were her prized stallion. I quirked my eyebrow at her taking my eyes off of the Nord in front of me.
"Do you have a habit of finding defenseless children roaming around in the plain?" I asked moving over the fire to inspect the kettle that was steaming over it.
"You were hardly a child when I found you dear." The man grinned looking at Eula before turning his attention to me. It was true. The only way we guessed my age was by my appearance and womanhood. If it weren't for my bleedings I believe we would never have estimated my age. "You haven't been with me for that long.
"But my dear Theblin, you've been gone for so long. Sit with us for some tea. No… You're too old for tea now. You must be drinking ale now. My boy, you truly are a man now." I shook my head and chuckled at the old woman ranting away.
"One isn't a man until married." I jested challenging her. "What is a man without a wife?" Theblin smirked at me tearing the bread that Eula put in front of him to pieces.
"Free." He answered me surprisingly enough. I felt my eyebrows raise and I threw my head back laughing.
"True. Very true." I set a pint of ale before him, and handed Eula her mug of tea. I raised my goblet of wine and quite cheekily toasted, "To freedom." And we all sipped smiles on our faces.
We all sat there and spoke of our times with Eula, sharing the only pasts that we knew or cared for. I started to look Theblin in the eye, no longer afraid of him. Once I found out that he was a son like figure to Eula I felt as though I could trust him. In a way he was my brother. We were both her children, both raised and cared by her and her never ending kindness.
The sun faded over the stone walls of Whiterun and we started to grow tired. Eula was already asleep in a wooden rocking chair that I helped make when I was first taken in and I could feel the chill of the night creep in. Heat was no longer coming strong from the fire and Theblin and I just sat there in silence.
"It's getting late. I should get her to her bed." I whispered to him careful not to wake her up. He nodded and snuck to her side. "Are you staying anywhere? If not you can have my bed." I whispered tip-toeing next to him as he picked up Eula and carried her over to the corner of the room where two beds were placed.
"It's alright. I have quarters with the companions." He whispered back to me as I pulled down the furs to her bed. He laid her down and I felt my eyebrows rise yet again for the third time that night.
"You're a companion?" I asked tucking the old lady under the goat and wolf furs. "How in the world did you convince her to let you do that?" I grabbed a goat's stomach bag filled with fish stew for him to take as we walked toward the door.
"I needed to start somewhere didn't I?" I gave a low whistle and shook my head in amazement. Never did the thought of knowing a Companion personally pass my mind. They were very much glorified, but they deserve every piece of it. Long ago it was rumored that the Companions once helped to defeat one of the dragons that would terrorize all of Skyrim.
I reached for the handle and tried to open the heavy reinforced doors without making too much noise. A large cold gust of night air came in and made some left out linens flutter about and made me shiver, but that was the worst of it. Eula was still tucked away and the coals were still glowing red hot in the fire place.
"Eula would be glad if you were to visit us again before you leave Theblin." I said trying to rub down the shivers from my arms. "It was very nice to meet you." Putting his leather helmet on, he nodded his head. His shoulder length blond hair glistened in the moonlight from underneath the edges of the helmet. I handed him the goat's stomach before he turned to leave. He bowed and nodded one last time before heading down the north road towards the Jorrvaskr for the night.
Shutting the door behind me I leaned on it thinking of the day. More specifically, thinking of the man that just left our home. For the first time in all my memory was I happy that we had wax paper windows instead of glass, because I knew that if we didn't I would more than likely be following his carved figure with my eyes.
As I was saying, I couldn't tell you what happened before I was found by Eula. Quite frankly, at this point I really don't care.