Thmp. Thmp. Thmp.
Keera sighed and sat up on the stone double bed. She didn't know why she tried to sleep anyways, especially with other people. The beast blood never allowed her a decent night's shuteye. With other another person it was exceptionally worse due to the amplified pounding of their heart and breathing.
She turned and stood up, stretching her sore muscles. Her head was pounding as a painful reminder of her wild night. And why did people here sleep on stone anyways? It was absolutely illogical. She looked to see her clothes were strewn out across the room, as usual. She picked up her ale stained dress and sighed. Of course. Dropping it back to the ground, the young woman walked over to the mirror to assess exactly how much of a mess she was.
She pulled back her dark dreaded hair to take a look at the marks left on her neck and breasts, shooting a glare at the reflection of the man still lying in the bed.
She absolutely detested Nords, being a Reach native herself, but she ended up in bed with Yngvar quite frequently, usually after a night of heavy drinking. It was the most toxic and hate fueled relationship, if that's what you'd call it, but maybe that's what kept her going back for more.
Every few days the Silver-Blood family sent him into her grandmother's shop to shake them down for gold. It was for their "protection," but it was absolute nonsense. Protection from what? The Forsworn? Sure, in the Reach they were a problem for travelers, but in the city? They were locked up tight in Cidhna Mine, for now.
She continued absentmindedly trying to make herself look more presentable, but there was only so much she could do. She still reeked of alcohol, and there was no hiding that.
She caught sight of her pointed ears and frowned, pulling her hair back down. They were the only part of her that made her feel self-conscious. She felt as though people stared at how out of place they were, although they were most likely taking in her wild appearance. Her right arm was covered in an intricate knot design from her shoulder all the way to her wrist. She looked like the epitome of a Reach native, and she was damn proud of it.
As she looked again at her dress on the floor, she shrugged and quietly opened the chest of drawers next to the bard's bed. She pulled out a clean linen shirt and pulled it over her head. The bard was much larger than her, so it easily almost went down to her knees. She wrapped her belt around her waist and pulled on her boots, praying that it was early enough for people to still be asleep.
She rifled through the drawer a bit more and grabbed a moderately heavy coin purse. Keera smirked and stuffed it in her knapsack, along with a nice looking candlestick. That should be payback for the shakedown a few days earlier. She knew full well that he asked for more than the Silver-Bloods actually requested.
She slowly opened the door and slid out, creeping quietly down the hallway. Rhiada was at the front desk of the Treasury House doing some paperwork.
Keera knocked lightly on the wall. Rhiada looked up and gave her a look like a mother scolding her child. This was an all too familiar start of the day for her. She looked briefly over her shoulder towards the room Thonar Silver-Blood occupied. When it was apparent that the coast was clear, she gave Keera a nod.
"You know you can do better than that, Keera," she scolded as the native girl passed by.
"Of course I can do better. I was just bored. You know how I feel about him."
"I know how you think you feel about him, but I'm not so sure anymore."
Keera rolled her eyes and continued down the hallway. What did Rhiada know, anyways? She was married and had a child on her way. Her days of heavy drinking and fun were over.
As she pushed open the large Dwemer doors, Keera squinted into the sun. Hangovers were the absolute worst. She plopped down on the steps leading in the treasury house and rummaged around in her knapsack. She breathed a sigh of relief when her hand found a small red bottle. Gods, she loved having a master alchemist as a grandmother.
As Keera sat, waiting for the potion to kick in, she took in the sight of the city. For a place so uncomfortable to sleep in, it made up for it in beauty. The doors dotted across the city glistened in the early sun and the sound of the river snaking through Markarth was soothing.
As she lifted herself of the gray stone steps, she caught sight of the courier coming up the steps towards the treasury house. She gave him a nod of greeting and started to walk the opposite way, a bit embarrassed by her attire.
"Oh, Miss Keera, I happen to have been looking for you. You have a letter. It doesn't say who it's from on the outside, but the wax seal looks quite official."
Keera spun around. She received letters quite frequently, mysterious ones even, but never anything official looking.
"Thank you, Jhared. I hope they aren't expecting a reply. The mystery makes that a bit difficult," she laughed, masking her concern. She had less than savory connections outside of Markarth, so a letter usually came with a headache.
As the young courier entered the treasury house, Keera slowly eased open the letter. As her eyes scanned it, her face went pale.
Keera,
From what I understand from my sources, you may have some knowledge of the Glenmoril Witch coven. Meet me in Rorikstead on the 28th day of Rain's Hand. Do not worry. Your secret is safe.
Sincerely,
A Friend
Hello friends! This is my first Skyrim fanfic. Keera is my most favorite OC, so I thought I'd share her with you. =] I'm a bit rusty when it comes to writing, so bear with me. Any constructive criticism would be helpful. I'm trying to stick to stick to lore about the natives of the Reach as much as I can while also kind of adding in a little of my own ideas. Keera also isn't the Dragonborn, just your average bloodthirsty lycanthrope. I'll get more into the story of how that came to be in the coming chapters. I hope you enjoyed it.