The luminescent sunlight from the window roused me.
This was a surprise, because normally, I would've been woken by one of my many siblings. Usually the younger ones.
Laying curled up next to me was my little sister, Lirena. She had her arms tightly locked around her skinny knees; clearly she was cold. My eyes swept the room for a blanket of sorts, and surprisingly, I found one. It was dirty, old and tattered, but we didn't have many options here. I carefully draped the blanket over Lirena, before getting to my feet as quietly as possible.
Two more people were sleeping soundly in the room: Frizane, my little brother, and Marada, my fiesty red headed younger sister. The others slept in the room opposite of this one. My back and feet ached worse than ever due to the excessive work the day before. But I was use to it all: the challenging work and uneventful aspects of life. And there wasn't anything I could do to change that fact.
My ice cold feet carried me to the other side of the room. I opened the door as quietly as I could, hoping that maybe the younger ones wouldn't hear me. Somehow they didn't, and I crept out of the room.
Mother and Father were already wide awake, of course. Father had to try and sell his smithing work like he did everyday. We needed any money we could get in our large family. Lirena and Frizane were the youngest ones in our family. Though I loved them all to death, at times they seemed to be a bit too energetic. Then there was the five older ones: myself, Marada (who I was only one year older than), Joratte, Thornen, and finally, Bordican. Bordican had already departed our home and got himself a wife. They purchased a handsome home in Whiterun. He was fortunate enough to find her, and leave behind Wolfwater forever.
Wolfwater was located on the outermost edge of Skyrim, belonging to the Hold of The Reach. Most people didn't even know it existed, since it was so far away. It was a small village with a large variety of farms. Farming was almost an impossible task because of the intense, severe weather. But somehow we managed, just barely skimming by.
Mother sat at the table, eating breakfast in a haste. She looked up upon my arrival.
"Hello dear, how are you?" She asked me as she ripped off a piece of stale bread.
"Alright," I told her quietly. A shiver ran through my spine, like cold fingers crawling down me. Goosebumps appeared up and down my arms. Always so cold in our house.
"Here, have some breakfast. Are the younger ones up yet?" Mother inquired, handing me some bread as I sat down. I shook my head.
"No, I think it was a bit too cold in our room last night," I replied gravely.
"I'm sorry." Her voice was soft but had a sad undertone. Mother wanted to give us more than this. She wanted us to have a good life. But she tried her best. And besides, she taught me how to read and write: something I cherished very much.
After a few moments of silence I asked her in a solemn voice,
"Has Father sold anything yet?"
"Yes actually," Mother told me a little excitedly. "He managed to get a local traveler to buy an iron dagger and some fur gauntlets. Best sell we've had for a while!"
"Brilliant," I said, smiling ever so slightly. That really was good; maybe I could feed my siblings a sufficient meal for once.
After breakfast, I decided it best to go out and hunt. Hunting wasn't exactly my forte, but I did it anyway, as it was a necessity. I pulled on my hunting gear and grabbed my bow and arrows. Just as I was about to leave, Thornen stopped me, unfortunately.
"Going somewhere, Carabelle?"
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Hunting. Got a problem with that, Thornen?" My eyes narrowed as he began to look even more smug.
"No. May I accompany you?" He asked, his lips turning up at the ends.
"Sure, I suppose a little help might be useful."
The smug little Thornen took his superfluously large war axe, like he always did. He thought bows were wimpy, and true Nords hunted with swords or axes. Cottleswop, evidently.
"A bit heavy for hunting, don't you think?" I asked him as we walked out of our little house. He laughed three times, in an irritating way.
"No, not at all!"
"Oh, shut it," I told him sharply. He thankfully didn't respond.
It was still rather early outside, but a few roamed about. I caught sight of Aslfdic Black-Soul, a young man who claimed his love for me was unconditional and irrevocable. I pulled my hood over my head, praying to the gods that he wouldn't see me. But of course, being my luck, he did.
"Carabelle Sylbery, just the beautiful woman I wanted to see!"
It was no use to hide. I pulled off my hood and tried to give him a little greeting smile, but it wasn't much.
"Hello, Aslfdic. How are you this morning?"
"Exceptional, now that I have laid my eyes on you. Have you yet changed your mind about my proposal?" He took a step closer to me, and I heard Thornen chuckle under his breath.
"No, I'm sorry Aslfdic, but I've already given my answer. Now I must get going, I have a task to get to," I tried to hide my annoyance at him, but it felt impossible.
"Hunting, are you? Beautiful and strong, evidently," he answered, smiling. I gave my head a little shake.
"Thank you, but I must get going. Thornen?" I looked desperately up at him for help. He seemed to be holding laughter himself, naturally.
"Yes, yes," Thornen finally said, coughing to conceal his laughter. "Let's be on our way, then."
Mercifully, Aslfdic gave me a wink before leaving us. Thornen was still laughing as we trotted up one of the hills, leading into the thick forest.
"Oh stop it," I muttered heatedly. He snickered with volume.
"Carabelle Sylbery, the most beautiful woman in all of Tamriel," he mocked. I glared menacingly at him.
"Well, at least you have that advantage. Get yourself a nice husband and you'll be set for life. Speaking of the future, I have something to share," he told me quickly. I raised my eyebrows. Thornen had something to share? What a pleasant surprise. Not.
"What is it?"
He heaved a deep breath. "I'm going to join the Companions in Whiterun."
He most definitely took me by surprise. My mouth hanging open slightly, I stared at him. He smiled wistfully.
"Well," I told him slowly, "that sounds rather interesting."
"Interesting? It's going to be great!"
"Yes, yes," I mumbled quietly.
"Come on, Carabelle, has Joratte even told you what she wants to do? I reckon she hasn't."
I shook my head, worry seizing me. What could be worse than joining the Companions?
"You know how outspoken she is about Daedric worshippers, right?" He asked me a little quieter this time.
"Yes, that they should all be killed and imprisoned for their despicable crimes," I answered simply.
He nodded. "And how much she despises the existence of vampires and werewolves?"
I nodded once again. "Well, she wants to join the Vigilants of Stendarr."
Vigilants of Stendarr? Oh no. I remebered reading, a few years ago, a book about this clan. They mainly hunted for Daedric worshippers, along with werewolves and vampires. Anything that preyed on human kind, as they said.
"Carabelle," Thornen has suddenly become very serious. His dark eyes met mine.
"The Companions. . ." He hesitated, staring at a point located behind me. "Are werewolves." He said finally. His voice was just barely audible.
Werewolves? I shook my head, seeming to not hear my ears correctly. My brother, Thornen, would become a monstrous creature such as a werewolf? The shock was greater than it had ever been before.
"Wow," I breathed quietly. Thornen had an expression of deep worry.
"Yes, you aren't scared, are you?"
"No," I told him immediately. My answer was clear and firm. Though I deeply disliked werewolves, I wasn't going to shun my brother away for it. After all, werewolves weren't as bad as vampires, since they could change at will, instead of being a creature all the time. I tried my very best to look at the bright side of things.
"But," I began, my curiosity getting the better of me, "how did you find out about it?"
"You know that strange man that always hangs around the inn in the village? He used to be in the Companions, and when he saw how I truly wanted to join them, he told me."
"Oh" was all I could manage.
After a moment, another question popped into my head. "Do the. . .the Vigilants of Stendarr know about the Companions being werewolves?"
Thornen let out a deep sigh. He nodded, his head bowed to the moist floor beneath us.
"Yes, I'm sure they do."
There was silence. Dark, unusual silence. Finally I broke it by saying,
"Thornen, what are you going to do if they do know? What about Joratte? She'll be. . .once she knows. If they do know," I shook my head at the very thought.
"I know," he informed me a little sadly. He kicked a rock with his boot. "And I haven't told her yet. You and Marada are the only ones that know. I can't let her know. Promise you won't tell her?"
"Yes," I promised. "But what will you say when you leave?"
"I don't know yet. Perhaps I'll claim that I want to find some mercenary job in Whiterun, or say that I want to find a wife. Maybe I'll just wait for her to leave before I do."
Something moving caught my eye. A little deer galloped across the wood, and I instinctively readied my bow. It ran faster at my sudden movement. I aimed with as much precision as I could, and let go. The arrow just went through its backside. It fell to the ground, dead.
"Very good," Thornen told me as we walked to the lifeless animal. "I'd say you wouldn't need a husband with that kind of archery."
"Yeah right," I breathed. I kneeled down near the deer. I pulled out the arrow and cleaned it with some grass, then placed it back into the sheath.
We walked together then, in the tall, viridescent grass, the morning sun hidden by the thick of the trees. I found the dimness of the forest calming, especially being so distant from the village. The same old, perhaps a little boring, small village. But it was all I had, and there wasn't much I could do about that fact, rather it fortunate or not.
"So," Thornen began, a little distracted by his searching for animals. "Almost seventeen, huh? Considering what you will do in the future?" He swung his axe, showing off his 'skills'. I resisted the urge to laugh.
"Um," I stared off into the distant, contemplating his question. What was my future? Sadly enough, I had no clue. The truth was, I would probably end up just like Mother, marrying another young villager, and working long and hard days to support my family. Though it was depressing, I didn't have many options. Leading the life of an adventurer was unrealistic.
"I don't know," I sighed. It was true. I didn't know for sure. Thornen, to my happiness, then dropped the topic.
In the end, Thornen managed to get loads of game, whereas I didn't. I suppose my first and last kill of the morning was just a lucky shot. The hunting trip definitely didn't put me in high spirits. In fact, quite the opposite. Thornen handed me his winnings at the doorstep before running off to find Hurgen, a girl we all knew he fancied. The thing was, she was the daughter of a begger. Her father and her stayed at the local inn permanently, since they had no other place to live. It was unfortunate though, because Hergen was kind and considerate, and didn't deserve the life she had. Thornen didn't care much about what we thought of his 'friend', which I admired, oddly enough.
The way he gazed at her was so strange. I felt I could never understand his feelings towards her, since I had never experienced anything near that. I wondered how people were able to love someone so much, that they might have been under a spell.
I entered the house and set the bag of game on the table. Mother was now sitting on the floor with Lirena in her lap, reading. Lirena had already almost perfected reading, though she was so young. I watched them for a little, smiling at my own memories of learning how to read.
Mother soon looked up with a sweet smile.
"Carabelle, love, would you get the clothes from that basket and wash them in the pond, please?" She asked me kindly. I nodded quickly, the weaved basket already in my arms. I walked out once again in the soft sunlight and the cool air, the perfect weather in my opinion. It was rarely this temperate in Wolfwater.
There was a little pond near the side of our tiny house we used to wash things in. It was small but deep, and most of the time a clear aqua blue. Sure enough, the body of water was sparkling under the sun. Beautiful little things such as that made me thankful for my life.
I kneeled next to the water, and brushed my fingertips on the surface. The water was shivering cold, as it always was, no matter what time of year. I took an item of clothing - which appeared to be Lirena's olive green dress - and began washing it. I continued this process of washing and folding the clothes to dry, over and over. When only a few more items of clothing remained, I heard familar laughing from a girl and boy. I looked up to see Hurgen and Thornen, walking side by side, laughing up a storm.
The pair staggered their way over to the pond. Thornen's arms were around hers, and they wouldn't stop grinning. Upon seeing me, he didn't move his arms, but instead laughed again.
"Care for a swim, Carabelle?" He asked. His companion giggled like a child. I couldn't help but notice though, the excessive dirt smeared on Hurgen's blushing cheeks. A swim would be good for her. I nodded, now smiling too.
We always would swim in the pond on handsome days such as this. We would swim with our clothes on, since we had nothing else to use. I hastily finished my washing and folding while the couple watched me, laughing hysterically.
"Alright," I announced, getting to my feet. "Let's go in."