++Author's Note #1++
Remember for the entire story: EVERYTHING (except my OCs) belong to Bethesda!
~~Prologue 1 || 8th of Morning Star in 4E 188~~
~~Location: Cyrodiil-Skyrim Border (Jerall Mountains)~~
"You damned bumbling idiots! Don't let her escape!"
The rock falls away beneath the young Bosmer's seven-year old's feet. She knew there was a ledge; otherwise she'd fall, but she can't see it at all as she kept climbing the slightly slippery cliffside.
Already, the adrenaline courses throughout her entire body unchecked, urging her to press on. The blizzard's soft icy crystals found their way into her thin ripped clothes in every possible way. The snowflakes packed down her neck and between the fabric that flapped at the front. She could feel her blood and skin becoming cold to the core. Disorientation was a given; and the cold was a killer. The world was being erased around her into a white death, and she'd become one with it if she doesn't find shelter soon...
The coughs were coming on thick and fast now and she was struggling to get enough air into her lungs. Her fatigue was making her limp like wet laundry on a cold still day. She could feel every muscle in her fragile body beginning to give into gravity, but she had to press on. The Thalmor have been chasing her for so many moons that she's lost track. What did she do wrong that caused the Altmer to kill her family? They were innocent...were they?
She remembers Kivessan Nightvale - the man her father had been: the strong-willed and merciful captain of the guard in Greenheart, the gentle and caring father of five amazing children, and the passionate husband to a beautiful elven woman. Her mother, Annallee Nightvale, was a kind-hearted soul who would never hurt anyone and had a voice so warm that made her feel safe. Her younger brothers, the twins Ayre and Aethir, were mischievous with their pranks and their laughter was like music to her ears. Her infant baby sister, Sakaala, was a quiet one and required constant attention, but that being a responsibility to the Bosmer was a joy. And finally her elder brother, Tarathir Nightvale, was strong and confident with a husky voice that ensured her own safety.
The losses of them all that night - that loving side that never warned her...her heart buried with them. When the dirt hit the wood and their blood became spilled onto the ground, it buried her soul as well. There was no going back now, and so the world has become as if it was made of shadows and every breath feels hollow in her chest.
The girl gets atop the cliff and her muscles cried for relief, but soon, she reaches another edge. She thought it was all over, but she recognizes where she was. After being on the run for so long, she finally reached Skyrim from atop the Jerall Mountains at the border. The goddess Kynareth has brought her to her salvation, truly a blessing. "Don't move!"
The girl jumps in surprise and turns around, seeing an Altmer Justiciar with four others behind him. "A pathetic excuse for an elf..." He has his men get ready and stay put while he slowly approaches her. The left side of his lip tugged upwards, creating a sinister smirk on his face, burning with a sadistic lustful look on his face as he stared into the girl's eyes. "...but if you're smart and come along, we'll be gentle and take very good care of you. Ma say ni, little para (What say you, little one)?"
The Bosmer girl was cornered and backed away to the very edge after hearing the Justiciar speak his native Aldmeri language in such a tone that made her feel uneasy. Her blood suddenly boils with anger for the Thalmor killing her family, her eyes flared through stinging glossy tears while they turn to a gold-hinted blue color with slit pupils, and she inhaled deeply while soft booming voices could be heard all around her and a loud dragon's roar could be heard in the distance. She looked up and suddenly, a foreign tongue spews from her mouth. "Yol Toor Shul!"
Scorching red flames spew from her mouth, reaching hungrily for anything that they can consume to fuel their wrath before she jumped over the cliffside. The Thalmor all screamed with panic and extreme pain; the booming Shout echoed through the skies, causing an avalanche in the early morning. The hard, unforgiving snow pack tumbles towards the valley below and engulfs the girl; it somehow managed to save her young life and hid her from the Thalmor for now. Burnt through the freezing snow with all his men dead from severe burns, he yelled loudly in anger when he no longer saw her. "Dammit! You little bitch! I will find you and kill you!" Through that anger, he stumbles back to Cyrodiil to report to the Emperor.
An hour must have passed when the girl finally gets out of the snow, but not without incident. Sharp pain erupted from her chest and below her thin waist; she realized that she has a couple broken ribs and a broken leg. She winced, but she remembered she had to get to Riverwood - for a family friend would be more than willing to help her. She gasped and winces at the sharp pain, but she forces herself onto her feet after grabbing a strong tree branch that had fallen because of the heavy snow and begins stumbling on the road to the village, dragging her damaged leg. Every step of the way was agonizing in severe pain as she walked for over two hours.
Sunlight slowly filled the sky, pure scattered light; its hue ambitiously illuminating each crevice of the land. Sparrows and songbirds chirped an elegant, sweet melody as the temperature rose steadily. The air felt fresh and new; a gentle breeze caressed her skin. The pine trees were a black silhouette against the brilliant golden and pink sky, adorning the forest that seemed to glow with its own golden radiance.
Soon, the snow faded from view and the Bosmer was greeted with greens and the rich colors of an early spring. Mountain flowers, daffodils, tulips, and dandelions dotted the landscape with trees budding with leaves and soft white and pink blossoms; some white dandelion seeds flew around in the air, giving her surroundings a gentle and peaceful feel back home. Even though the scenery was soothing and the warm air was a blessing, she had to keep aware of danger and keep going.
As she does, the voice of her father's strong wisdom ran through her head. 'Remember these two very important lessons, my daughter. Our own hearts, and not other mens' opinion, forms our true honor is the first. The last is this: Family is the compass that guides us. They are the strength to complete our goals, the inspiration to reach the greatest of heights, and our soothing comfort when we occasionally falter. Even when it is my time to join Hircine on the Hunting Grounds or the gods of Aetherius, always remember that no matter where your heart takes you or what hardships you face, we will always be with you.'
Along the way to Riverwood, the young Bosmer managed to avoid bandit camps - for her ribs still greatly ached and she was attacked by a sabrecat that clawed her left thigh. She Shouted again, the flames scaring it off. But due to pain and beginning to lose some blood, she begins to literally drag herself along the path that made her arms cry as the strain on them started to get worse.
Soon, she reached three tall stones with Lake Ilinalta in the background and knew what they were: the Guardian Stones. She examines them before choosing the Thief Stone; she touches it and it glowed a soft blue that ignited the power from deep within her.
She continues dragging herself on the road, following the White River and finally, the gates of Riverwood came into sight. When a Nord guard spots her, he's in shock at the Bosmer's state of physical appearance and health. Her hair was a greasy matted mess with twigs and leaves in it, her legs were like stilts and her arms were like wet noodles; her dry skin was ghostly pale and almost transparent due to lack of nutrition as well as slightly coated with dried blood on her body as well as scrapes, new and old bruises, and the clawed left thigh already looked as if it was slowly reaching infection. She was covered in dirt, the broken leg itself was like it was about to just fall off, and her broken ribs made it very hard for her to breathe. Her eyes had dark bags under them due to lack of sleep; she was hungry, she was tired and she needed help fast or she would die.
"Mara's mercy!" He rushes to the girl and gently picks her up, who coughs up a tiny bit of blood with her stiff muscles aching badly. "This is bad. She's not going to make it much longer. We need to get here help in Whiterun!"
A young Nord teen with messy brown hair and silver eyes appears; the young Bosmer recognized him. "Let me do it! I can get her there faster."
"H-Hadvar..." Her voice was cracked and hoarse, but still maintained a melodic gentle tone.
Hadvar takes her into his own arms.. "Shh...don't talk."
He gently, and quickly, rushes to Whiterun, the capital of the Hold. He runs through the entrance gates to get to the Temple of Kynareth while ignoring the gasps of shock from all of its citizens. Around the outside of the central room was a series of wooden benches, with three healing altars around a tiled central area with a large raised cross mosaic in the floor and shallow crystalline water filled the areas between the legs of the cross. The Nord priestess, Danica Pure-Spring, rushes to the girl and gently puts her on one of the alters. "Thank you Hadvar. I'll take it from here."
The teen holds the Bosmer's hand. "Is Killian going to be okay? I worry about her."
The girl, Killian, just now remembered that her father had asked his daughter to use that name to hide her true identity for her own safety before he sent her off and died by the sword.
"Do not worry, my son. I promise to do my best to take care of her."
"H-Hadvar...p-please...d-don't go..." He turns back to look at Killian, whose eyes were tearing up. Even though they were four years apart in terms of age, the two were close friends because their families were like kin for decades.
Hadvar looks at her, his own eyes tearing up as well. "I wish I could, but I can't. Uncle Alvor and Aunt Sigrid need me back in Riverwood. I'll visit when I can, I promise."
He hugs her gently and she nuzzles his neck, letting the tears fall. Hadvar finally pulls back, although reluctantly and Killian watches as her friend leaves the temple.
Over the course of a week, Danica carefully healed the girl's broken bones and gave her water from the small pool in the main temple room that quenched her thirst. She also took her to The Bannered Mare to bathe her as well as get fed slowly and get her new clothes from Belethor.
Over the course of six long months, the girl was now healthy and her skinny form has filled in with muscle mass and some fat to keep her alive. She even helped Danica around the temple for upkeep and began praying to the goddess Kynareth as well as staying true to the Bosmer pantheon of gods back home in Valenwood.
~~Current Date: 8th of Sun's Height, 4E 188~~
~~Location: Outside of the Temple of Kynareth~~
"Go to sleep, child. You need to rest for the morrow."
Killian looked at Danica with those glimmering emerald eyes. The priestess was looking at the moons, Masser and Secunda, on a clear night; the two moons were full this night. The night sky is how Killian wishes to fly. It is the most beautiful art, alive within its raw energy, a song for the eyes. At times, she felt as if she could feel it vibrating somehow, whispering in a way the ears cannot hear. She takes it as if it felt friendly when the world of people felt so devoid of love. She wanted to see it right, in three dimensions, see the sculpture of divine hands.
"Dani, have you ever heard of Y'ffre?"
"I don't believe so, my daughter. Is he a god?" The middle-aged woman looks at her with her beautiful icy-blue eyes as the Bosmer called her by her given nickname.
"Not just any god. Back home, we call Y'ffre the Storyteller. He is said to given the names to all of the creatures in our world and formed the Green Pact, forbidding us Bosmer to not harm the plant life in Valenwood alone. He rules over all life as and also sang to Aetherius with songs so beautiful that the stars were compelled to dance and sway. It was almost as if I could actually hear him since he is the most important deity to us as well as Kynareth. Speaking of the goddess, what does she do for us?"
Danica looks at the girl, her blue eyes glimmering under the moonlight. "I thought you knew already, Killian. Kynareth's divine blessings help make Whiterun a thriving, prosperous city and it is she who brings rain and fair weather on the harvest days and grow our crops. She is also said to bring us fortunate luck and her winds guide you throughout your travels."
"Do you think she'll guide me whenever I go on the hunt in the forests?"
"Once you come of age, I have no doubt about that." Killian yawns and leans against the priestess's side before she falls asleep. Danica was surprised, but she runs her fingers through the young Bosmer's dark hair.
Meanwhile, not too far away hiding in the shadows, a figure watched them from afar especially at the young girl who was now fully asleep. "May the Divines protect you, my sweet one. And may you one day become the best woman in all of Skyrim."
~~Author's Note #2~~
This isn't my first Skyrim fanfic, but the one I deleted never really took off.
This one is going to be big involving all 10 Skyrim archtypes and I will be adding mods that I downloaded to expand the world and make things more interesting. At the end of certain chapters, I will list off the mods I used. The characters of each race are my OCs.
For this prologue, Killian is again a given name she uses to hide her true identity and she has the ability to Shout. The reasons why won't be revealed until the main story comes around.
*Mod Used: The Ordinary Women (NeusKharp) || Danica's original look made her look grumpy and has brown eyes. TOW gives Danica a complete makeover with a more subtle look with curly blonde hair and icy-blue eyes.
Please read and send me constructive criticism on how to improve this story. I'm out ^^
