A:N
Sorry this Chapter's a little short :) More a prologue than anything.
Don't forget to review!
Disclaimer: I don't own Elder Scrolls, only my characters.
Nhallyia scowled, shivering in her little clothing as the door the brothel swung open, revealing another patron.
She didn't actually work as a whore, she was a barmaid, and the protection for any of the girls who needed it. In other words, she was the girl who beat the living shit out of rather… Unsavory clients.
The man, presumably a Nord, gave her a filthy smile that made her want to scrub every fibre of her being in the bath.
"Hey, sweetheart," he drawled drunkenly, swaying slightly.
"Too much mead? Want another?" She asked, ignoring his comment, or, rather, the tone he said it in.
He leant further toward her, smiling suggestively. "Nah, honey. I want somethin' else…"
Nhallyia sighed, running her hand down her face. When would it click to people like this that the young Bosmer girl, was in fact, TOO young. She wasn't actually working in the small, dingy brothel on the outskirts of the Imperial Waterfront, behind the "Great" Imperial City, by choice, but was actually in service to the Madame who owned the horrible place. Her and her best friend, Ahria, who was a pretty half Redguard and Nord.
Ahria cleared her throat behind Nhallyia, placing a larger hand on the slender girl's shoulder.
"Just tell him that you're only sixteen, then he'll leave you alone," she whispered, pausing, "that is unless he's a complete and utter creep… If that's the case…"
"Then I'll plant my staff into his skull," she muttered, turning her head slightly towards her lifelong friend.
Ahria smirked, patting Nhallyia's shoulder twice, whispering, "Good girl."
Nhallyia rolled her eyes playfully, turning back to the intoxicated man.
"Sorry sir, I can't provide that for you. But here's a menu of our extensive list of food that has nothing to do with the female anatomy," she smiled sweetly, handing him a menu… He didn't get the message.
"But I want to eat you," he said, quite loudly albeit.
Her patience was wearing thin.
"Sir, you need to see Frelda about that. I'm only sixteen, therefore I'm not for hire… More a decoration, really. Frelda's the pretty blonde-haired Nord over there, now please leave or I'll be forced to set you on fire."
He smiled, yet again, and snaked his arm around her shoulders over the counter, "Age is only a number, sweetheart…"
Her last thread of tolerance for the disgusting man had not only been cut, but had been frozen, shot with numerous arrows, set alight, diced up, stomped on, fed to a slaughterfish, regurgitated, eaten by a dragon and sent to the void.
"YOU WILL LEAVE RIGHT NOW OR I SWEAR TO SITHIS I WILL END YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW!" his arm shot back if shocked by lightning, and he quickly stumbled away.
Nhallyia took a deep breath, attempting to gain composure, but her rage was growing quickly.
Ahria gently nudged her with her elbow, "Don't worry 'bout it, Lyia. He got the message."
"I hope so," she growled in a dangerously low tone whilst clenching her fists, watching the now upset Nord talking to the Madame, Frelda.
Frelda shot Nhallyia a deadly look, making the young elf freeze. The tall woman slowly strode to where she stood behind the counter.
"Ahem, I would like to talk to both of you in private," Frelda stated, gesturing towards the door into one of the rooms. Aria and Nhallyia exchanged looks, then followed the Madame cautiously.
When they arrived, the Madame closed the door, eying both girls angrily, "I have been informed that you have been treating a customer badly, would I be correct? Don't answer. You both know that the customer is always correct, no matter the situation. And here you are screaming like a spriggan and threatening death. Is that the way to treat a patron?"
Nhallyia blinked, taken aback, "He tried to hire me, milady. I'm under aged, yet he insisted. It was the only way to get him off my back."
"We both know you're mature enough to start working properly," she growled.
"With all due respect," Ahria started, brow furrowed, "Nhallyia hasn't even passed her eighteenth winter, and won't for another two years. It's not fair to force her to do this at sixteen."
Frelda's scowl deepened and she took a warning step towards the dark-skinned girl. She had round, green eyes framed by long, dark brown lashes and dark, arched brows. She also had a straight nose with a slight bump in the bridge from where it had been broken when she was young. Her Redguard skin and dirty-blonde Nordic hair gave her a charmingly unique look, and her muscular frame gave her the look of a warrior, paired with the two dark purple stripes she painted onto her wide cheekbones daily. She was quite pretty, but looked dangerous as well.
"Ahria, be quiet. You encouraged her, therefore you shall also get punished."
Nhallyia took a threatening step forwards, baring her teeth, "You keep her out of this, Frelda."
The Nordic woman struck her, bringing her open palm across her beautiful face. The elf was a completely different beauty than Ahria, holding a stealthy, cat-like appearance. Her eyes were large but slightly slanted, one being yellow and the other purple, both surrounded by black, thick and long eyelashes. Her lips were full and naturally held a red tinge, as did her cheeks. Her high cheekbones were dusted lightly with freckles and her nose was pointed, as was her chin. She was tall for a Bosmer, and held a slender and long-legged but curvaceous figure. Her skin was sun-kissed and her hair was ebony, her wing-like eyebrows sharing the same color.
"QUIET! Insolent child! You will both offer the Nord that requested you your services and I will hear nothing except agreement."
Both Ahria and Nhallyia's mouths fell open. Frelda left the room, and, after a few moments, the disgusting Nord strode in with a huge smile plastered to his face.
"Oh, this will be fun," he murmured whilst eyeing Nhallyia up and down.
He approached Ahria first, backing her up to a wall and letting his hand skim down her face. She stayed resilient, calmly pushing him away, but he just pinned her again. His hands ventured down.
Nhallyia watched the man, she watched her best friend's panicked face, and her rage returned, hotter than ever. She felt something hot in her hand, and before she knew what, exactly, she was doing, she hurled a huge fireball at the man assaulting Ahria.
He screamed in pure agony as he fell to the ground, and to most, it would have been borderline torture, but to her his pain was bliss… It was satisfying…
'What am I becoming?...' She thought, and her smile faltered. Ahria's shouts brought her back to reality and out of her disturbing thoughts.
"RUN! THE PLACE IS BURNING!" Ahria's voice was laced with fear and… Relief?
Nhallyia's eyes skimmed the room to find that it was indeed burning. Smoke clogged the air and embers sprayed as flames licked the ceiling. She franticly searched for a window to jump out of, seeing as how the flames had spread through the rest of the building, running to the door through the many corridors would mean death.
She breathed a sigh of relief as the sight of an open window on the right wall, and, taking Ahria's hand, sprinted through the flames to it.
They leapt, flying momentarily before landing in a fleshy, coughing and spluttering heap in the grass.
Ahria and Nhallyia untangled themselves and stood, bathing in the sight of the huge building burning.
"We're free…" Ahria whispered, grasping her best friends hand, smiling.
That's when they heard the footsteps of the Guard.
Both girls fled, sprinting down the cobblestone paths, and into an abandoned house by the water.
"We can't stay here," Ahria muttered, shivering by the fire.
"Thanks for that, Emperor obvious," Nhallyia said, each word dripping with sarcasm.
Ahria rolled her eyes and continued to speak, ignoring her best friend's comment, "Where can we go? Nowhere around here, that's for sure."
"We can't stay in Cyrodil in general, Ahri. They've already figured out that we were the only survivors, therefore pinning us with the bounty. We're wanted in every city from Cheydinhal to Bruma to Anvil to Leyawin!" Nhallyia exclaimed, trying to figure out which province was safest.
"Well, we can't go to Elswyrr, Blackmarsh or any of the elf provinces because the Argonians and Khajiit's will shun us and the Thalmor will kill me and hire you. We're more suited to the cold, so that crosses out Hammerfell, Morrowind's goddam uninhabitable and High Rock's full of Bretons… That only leaves…" Ahria started.
"Skyrim." Nhallyia finished with a determined expression.
"Well, get some sleep. We have a big day of travelling ahead of us," Ahria smirked, laying down in the dusty bedroll.
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Nhallyia whispered, thinking about the cold winds of Skyrim.
There would be no sleep… Only dreams of ice and snow…
But Skyrim would hold much more than that… She knew it… But what, she didn't know.