Disclaimer: Although I use my own characters, Skyrim is in no way my creation. Aside from the few characters I make for this story, everything else is property of their respective owners!

Ignorance is Bliss

Chapter 1

The sun was shining brilliantly, high in the sky, casting its warming glow onto everything in Riften. I was walking through the market, gazing at all the shops. I carried no money on my person, feeling no need to buy anything I wouldn't need later on. I didn't have much money to spend, anyways! As I walked down the paved pathway, I felt slightly uncomfortable in my own skin. I was an Imperial. An Imperial in Skyrim who didn't have any family except for a younger brother who was off fighting for the Imperials in the war. Things were complicated.

I passed a booth, glancing over when I saw shining gold and gems in my peripheral vision. It was all so fantastic! All of it handcrafted as well, and I simply bit down on the inside of my cheek. Shiny objects got to me, this I had to admit. Nothing in my life was straight out fabulous, everything seemingly dull especially because I lived in such a dreary city like Riften.

I brushed a strand of auburn hair behind my ear, glancing up simply to see a guard with his head turned directly in my direction. Although I couldn't see his stare, I could feel his eyes burning into my skull and I simply rubbed my arm with my hand. Pressing my lips together, I continued out of the market area and onto a wooden bridge that creaked under my feet. Below me, man-made canals carried wooden boats along at a leisurely pace. I had never actually been down there, scared of all the talk of the Thieves Guild and such. No, not scared. Simply concerned. Besides, they weren't even active!

As I walked along, I had a distinct feeling like I was being watched, so I walked a little faster. All I wanted to do was get to the inn where I had been staying for the past week. I didn't have the coin to buy a place of my own, and Keerava, the inn keeper, let me work to pay off the majority of the coin.

Behind me, I heard a soft noise, like someone had been trying their best to keep quiet but shifted their weight in the wrong way. A feeling of dread fell into the pit of my stomach, and I prayed to the Divines that I was just overreacting. I did tend to do that a lot.

I stopped in my tracks, turning around slowly. All I saw was a guard, standing with his arms crossed. Was this the same one? I couldn't tell with the helmet and all. I spoke, unsure of myself as I stared at the unforgiving metal of his face. "Can I-" She stopped mid sentence, clearing her throat. It felt like it hadn't talked in ages. "Excuse me..." I murmured with an embarrassed look before looking back up. I had to be able to face this with a sense of strength or no one would take me seriously. "Can I be of any assistance?"

He stared for a while longer, probably only a few seconds, but it felt like hours. "You are Maria Arnold?" He questioned in a thickly accented voice. The dread in my stomach fell even further, and I honestly didn't know why. I had done nothing wrong, so there was nothing to be worried about!

"Yes? Is there something the matter?" My heart started beating as a nauseating rate. Had something happened to Christian, my brother? No, that couldn't be right. He was fighting for the Empire and Riften was Stormcloak controlled.

This time, the guard wasted no time in securing a grip on my arm. "I'll need you to come with me," He growled, his voice rumbling in his throat like that of a growling beast. All I could do was just stare, letting a look of despair wash over me before quickly centering myself.

"On what grounds?" No answer. "I'm expecting a reply!" I felt myself being dragged in the direction of Mistveil Keep, the core of the whole city. Sadly, this was also home to the Riften Prison.

There was no noise from the guard as he took me down the corridor and I desperately tried to calm my heartbeat. Honestly, I sounded like a frightened rabbit! I took a moment to distract myself from the current situation and look around. We were heading straight for the cells, if I was correct. I hadn't had to need to visit the cells, but I had at one point bailed Christian out. That was an event that spent nearly all of my gold.

I was escorted, or dragged, to a cell and I stared at it with my pastel green eyes widened. "Are you still not going to tell me what's going on?" I demanded, trying to up the power in my voice. Even I was surprised with the authority that it held.

For the guard, however, this did not bode well. "Empty your pockets, m'lady," He said, his voice full of the venom I didn't expect in a guards voice. Of course, I had to comply, especially when I glanced at the sword that was sheathed on his hip. I stuck my hands into my pockets, taking out only a few items. It was lucky that I didn't bring gold.

Once I had been inspected for anything that could aid in my escape, I was pushed roughly into the cell. I, unwillingly, fell onto my hands and my eyes widened in surprise. What was going on? I could hear the heavy lock on the door as it sealed my fate; a fate I did not know I would suffer. How long was I going to be in this prison?

There was a small bed in the space that made me cringe. I had slept in terrible places before, but this just made my skin crawl. I finally got up off of the dusty ground and moved towards it with my face the model of uncertainty. I was exhausted, and I didn't know why. It was probably from all the stress from those few moments of panic... I got down onto the bed, lightly closing my eye. I swear that I saw something scurry away as soon as my slender framed body hit the rock like mattress. Soon enough, sleep overcame me like an ocean wave on the sandy shore.

My eyes quickly opened, my mind having no idea what time of day it was. How long had I been sleeping? Minutes? Hours? By the barred cell door, there was a wooden tray with a small slice of bread on it. They certainly had the eye for fine cuisine, but I was hungry nonetheless.

In just a few seconds, I hate gobbled the bread down. This was not a great feat since the slice was around the size of a small mouse. I sat back, unsatisfied, on the ground while I hugged my knees to my chest. When had everything become so difficult? She had been perfectly happy picking up plates and empty mugs back at The Bee and Barb.

Just as I was about to stand back up, there was the soft noise of footsteps. My eyes turned towards the small corridor where a guard sat in a chair, and my eyebrows knit together on my forehead. Just as I was about to turn around to get back to my bed, the guard let out a hair splitting screech. I whirled around, my eyes wide and my heart thudding in my chest.

A person, or a shadow, crept out from the hallway and towards my cell. I took a step back, taking note of the bloody dagger that this thing held. It was hard to see what they were wearing because of the shadows, but I could now tell that this was a man. A man that left a trail of blood droplets. He stood up to his full height, taller then me, but not over sized. I could barely make out his frame; slightly broad shoulders with a lean build. I didn't doubt the muscle power.

He got even closer, but I stood my ground. Besides, there was a cell door blocking us. I only hoped that would be enough. He stopped right in front of me, and I found myself sizing him up. Sizing him up in a way that I would know what to do if he attacked, or at least try to carry out those plans.

I decided to speak, my throat dry like before. Perhaps I was dehydrated... "Who are you?" I asked in a quiet voice, the walls causing my question the echo off the walls of the prison. The whole ordeal was quite eerie.

Unlike the guard, he answered right away, as if he had planned his response from the very beginning. "Let's get you out of here."