Chapter 1: Somber news
The sky was a bright, clear blue, with only a few wisps of clouds slowly drifting about as I sat on balcony of the enchanting tower. Lakeview Manor was always so pretty. When the sun shined, the various plants in the garden seemed so vibrant and colorful that they appeared incandescent. Well, the mushrooms my father grew actually did glow, but they still looked beautiful in the sun.
In the rain the forest was fantastic. The air itself grew damp and when I breathed it in, I felt alive and alert, as if I was in tune with the whole forest.
At night though, when the skies were clear and I could see the night sky lit with stars and cosmic colors is when I think the Manor was the most beautiful. The forest seemed even more alive at night when I could hear crickets singing and bats fluttering just overhead. Sometimes at night, just for a moment, all noise stopped and the whole world seemed to still. Then suddenly a cricket would chirp, some bats would squeak overhead, and the night would come alive again.
However, none of it compared to my father.
You see, I didn't always live here. Not too long ago, I lived in a sad little farm just outside Whiterun. Well, at least I did till my momma died. My father left when I was very little and I never knew him, so my aunt and uncle inherited everything, including me. They owned the farm for ten minutes before they kicked me out. Said I wasn't good for anything.
After that I went to Whiterun. I didn't have any place there to stay, but I knew I wouldn't last long out on the road.
So that's how it was for awhile. Begging in the square during the day and sleeping behind the Bannered Mare at night with the town beggar, Brenuin as my only friend.
It went on like that for a few months, and then He showed up.
It was an ordinary day. I was sitting under the big tree in the wind district, begging again. All of a sudden, a huge warrior in dark armor strode towards me. At first I was terrified. The man wore dark ebony armor and a steel, horned helmet with a terrible face. Even his weapon seemed menacing, a black, curved greatsword, the likes of which I had never seen before, was strapped securely on his back.
I wanted to run at the first sight of that cold steel mask, but Brenuin's words rang in my head "Listen sweetie, if you wanna live here on your own, you gotta beg in the square. Ask anyone who passes by for money if you wanna survive."
I nodded to myself and took a deep breath. Putting on my sweetest face I stepped in front of the man "Excuse me sir. Could you spare just one coin? Please?"
The dark warrior jolted in shock as soon as he heard my voice, clearly not expecting me to speak. He looked around the square and then back down at me. "Shouldn't you ask your parents for money?" He chuckled.
My gaze drifted to the ground as I told him the story of my mother. "-I… I don't know what to do. I miss her so much." It had been months since I left my home, but I still teared up a little after I told it.
I couldn't see the man's face, but he was as still and silent as a statue. After a moment, the warrior silently rose and reached into his traveling pouch. He pulled out a coin purse so large that he needed two hands to hold it.
When the man handed me the enormous sack, I was so stunned that I could barely stutter out a weak "Th- thank you."
The warrior nodded silently and quickly strode towards Dragonsreach, leaving me struggling to hold more money than I had ever had before.
After giving a few coins to Brenuin and buying the first decent meal I'd had in a long time, the day ended and faded into night. After a few days of renting a room at the Mare, my gold finally ran out and I had to sleep out back again.
One night, I was awoken by a light shake to the shoulder. Shit, no doubt a guard who found out my sleeping spot and was here to arrest me for lollygagging.
Ready to put on some crocodile tears and hopefully get some pity, I looked up at who woke me.
To my surprise, the person who stood above me was not a guard, but a handsome knight in black shining armor. His eyes glimmered blue and his wild hair was as yellow as straw with a small beard to match.
It took me a moment to notice the horned helmet under his arm and the scary dark sword strapped to his back. It was the same man from before!
"Lucia. Wake up." He said gently. "I have something important to ask you."
I was immediately surprised that he remembered my name. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and nodded. "Hmm?"
The man took a small breath and smiled to himself, as if he was thinking about the reaction to what he would say. "Lucia, do you want a home?"
If I wasn't awake before, I sure was then. I practically jumped to my feet. "Yes, yes of course! Why?"
The man looked at me and smiled warmly. "Well… I could adopt you, if you want."
To say I was surprised would be a massive understatement as I stood there and gaped at the man. "Are you… are you sure?" my voice barely a whisper.
The man laughed. To me it was the most beautiful sound I'd heard in a long time. It was warm, jovial and almost melodic. It was a laugh that made you grin and feel good all over.
"Yes of course I'm sure... Daughter."
I laughed excitedly and wrapped my arms around his neck. The man patted my head and headed toward the main gate with my draped around his neck like a scarf.
After we rode to his home on a magical dark horse with red eyes, he introduced me to his friend and steward, Faendal of Riverwood.
My father was wonderful beyond compare. Brave, powerful, heroic, perfect, absent. I understood there were far more important duties that the Dragonborn had other than taking care of a little girl.
Still, it pained me when my dear father would disappear for weeks, sometimes even months at a time. Faendal was a sweet Mer, if not a bit awkward, but he was not much of a caretaker.
After my father left, Faendal would often take me back to visit Whiterun and Riverwood. It was sweet, even if it was mostly so he could see Camilla Valerius.
As I was reminiscing, Vix, my pet snow fox, nudged my hand. I smiled and stroked her back. I had found (and adopted) Vix a few months ago. I was so nervous about whether my father would let me keep her when he came home.
When he finally came home and I introduced them, my father smiled at me and said. "She's a very pretty vixen, and you two seem close. Be sure to take care of eachother okay?"
I promised that I would take care of Vix and thanked my father profusely.
Before I could continue my daydreaming, I heard a swift knock at the front door downstairs. I picked up Vix and slid down the ladder to the second floor.
As I headed down the stairs to the first floor, I overheard bits of conversation. "-Lot of gold… about your inheritance… for your loss."
I paused. Faendal's loss? I don't remember him mentioning any family in Skyrim. Although, he had previously worked for Gerdur and Hod at the lumber mill. I pondered and suddenly gasped. What if Camilla had been killed? How terrible that would be for him.
The door closed as the courier left, but Faendal stayed in place, opening the letter.
I tiptoed behind him, so as not to disturb his reading the letter.
Suddenly Faendal gasped, so loudly in fact that I nearly tripped. He began to look about the room in panic and he suddenly gripped his hair.
I walked up to him, suddenly worried. "What's wrong Faendal? Are Hod and Camilla okay?"
Faendal began to sweat as he gaped at me. His gaze seemed elsewhere and tears started to form in his eyes.
Suddenly, for a moment, a jolt of fear ran through me. No no, that was impossible. I shook my head.
But then I looked back to Faendal. His face was like nothing I had ever seen before. Panic, shock, worry, pain. I could read the emotion on his face as clearly as my yellow book of riddles.
A dull thrum of panic began to well up in my gut. As if possessed, I snatched the letter from his hands and bolted away.
Faendal yelled and started after me, immediately tripping over Vix.
By then I was long gone. Up the stairs, up the ladder, and up on the roof to my secret spot where I could be alone.
I clutched the letter with both hands to my chest. I was beginning to shake.
"This is stupid." I protested. "He's fine. Everything is fine." I told myself, yet my hands gripped the letter so fiercely that I had to force myself to open them.
I smoothed out the parchment on my knee and began to read. "Faendal of Riverwood, In the name of Jarl Siddgeir, it is with great regret that we inform you of the Dragonborn's death..."
Panic rising. Surely it was a mistake, so I read it again. "inform you of the Dragonborn's death…"
Shaking getting worse. I read it again. "the Dragonborn's death…"
Reading it over and over, praying for the text to change. "Dragonborn's death."
Suddenly I couldn't breathe normally. My breath came in short, hurried gasps.
"Stay calm stay calm stay calm." I told myself. "Read the rest of the letter."
"The deceased has bequeathed unto you a measure of inheritance in the amount of 150 gold pieces."
Wrong. True, my father's visits had been brief and far in between, but every time he came home he brought a small cache of wealth. Sacks of gold, jewels, artifacts, treasures.
I sighed with relief. If he was really gone, my father would have left us in good hands with much more than 150 gold.
The letter continued "The Jarl's court has levied an amount of 100 gold pieces from the sum, as the lawfully and honorably due tax. The remainder has been commended unto the care of a trusted courier for deliverance."
My breath froze in my lungs. Nothing. They had taken it all.
"While all of the Jarl's court grieves with you on this day, we rejoice in the knowledge that the deceased was in possession of dear friends and wealth to communicate unto them."
"May this lawfully bestowed inheritance prove as a reminder of your enduring faith in one another, and of the Jarl's beneficence accorded unto you both."
I couldn't move. It all made sense. In life, my father stood as a monument of strength and power. Now that he was dead, there was nothing to stop the politicians and rats from picking up the pieces he left behind.
Slowly I dropped back into the enchanting tower and down into the manor.
On the first floor, Faendal was rapidly scribbling on some parchment with a quill and some ink. Trying to keep himself occupied no doubt. Still, I could see tears streaking down his face as he angrily swept them away with his sleeve.
Faendal was a nice enough man and an excellent housekeeper, but certainly not a caretaker. More than likely, he was afraid that if he spoke to me it would make things worse.
I trudged over to the table he was working on and silently deposited the letter of inheritance next to him.
He nodded a silent thank you, either unwilling to speak or unable to.
I blankly floated to my room and into my bed. Other than the throb of pain in my abdomen, nothing felt real. Just another day of waiting for my father to return.
It was getting close to the day where he usually came back. Any time now he would burst through the front door with treasures and love, excitedly telling me all about his latest adventure. The day after he would show me how to string a bow or teach me to dance or instruct me on how to swing a sword.
Vix whined and curled up next to my bed when I offered her no response.
His flowing blonde mane and electric blue eyes. His warm, comforting grin, gone forever.
I curled into a ball under my covers, as if I could hide from the world, from the pain. Silently I wept, for my lost father the Dragonborn.