"Helvia, have you gone completely and entirely mad?"
I sighed exasperatedly at my brother's outburst, though it wasn't like I wasn't expecting this sort of reaction from him. He'd always been stiflingly overprotective, but the current debate we were having was something I was determined to win, for once. I shot back exasperatedly, "Hardly. Is there anything wrong with wanting to lead a life other than a dull, monotonous existence helping you run this farm? I want to do more with my life than stay here in the same place for all of it; I would like to see what lays past this land and experience all the joys of traversing it, rather than turning grey here and looking back on the lack of things I wasn't able to do because of-"
"Listen, you wouldn't last a second out there, all alone. You wouldn't even make it to the High Rock-Skyrim border if you tried. It's dangerous out there, sister; if bandits don't get you first the wolves and bears will. You've never had a reason to learn how to protect yourself, and setting out with no means of self-defense and no survival skills is suicide And you have a place to call home - and it's not like our family isn't well off enough either - why on Mundus would you want to throw your good fortune in life away for the sake of something as childish as adventure?"
"You have such little faith in me that it's insulting. In case you've forgotten, I'm not as defenseless as you think I am. Maybe I've never used a sword or anything against another person, but I know a bit of magic-"
"You think those pretty parlor tricks Grandmother taught you can protect you?" Varnand laughed disbelievingly, causing me to bristle, "The best you could do at your level is stun someone; you're being unreasonable."
"Well, you can't stop interrupting me so I think my points might make more sense if you'd let me finish, Varnand!"
"I'm trying to keep you from going and doing something stupid. Why can't you see that, sister? There's no reason for you to leave. Why are you set on becoming something you aren't meant to be?"
"Do you even hear yourself right now? Since when did someone put you in control of every aspect of my life and allow you to tell me what I can and can't be?" I was nearly spitting flames at my brother's careless choice of words, my eyes narrowing angrily as I unconsciously took a step towards him, fists clenched, "I've wanted to leave this place for as long as I can remember. I know myself better than you do, and you need to accept that. I'm not exactly a child anymore either, you know. I'm old enough to make my own decisions, and this is something I've got to do - for myself. I won't go off unprepared, either, as we've still got Grandfather's sword around here somewhere, and I'm sure that I'll be able to figure out how to use it should the need arise."
"Grandfather's sword? That thing's older than our ages combined, and it's so dull it could barely cut through butter!" Varnand suddenly let out a defeated-sounding groan, running his hands through his sandy-colored hair as he continued in a gentler-sounding tone, " … I just wish you'd see reason. I don't want you to end up getting hurt… I couldn't live with myself if you did, especially after what happened to… him."
The mention of Him changed the mood of the conversation instantly, and suddenly I started to feel more than a bit cold, in a numb sort of way.
"We might be related, but I'm not the type of person to make the same mistakes he did. I'm not just setting out to become a wanderer, my sights are set on going to the Mages' College in Winterhold and I plan on getting there. He always had a knack for getting into trouble, even around here; it was obvious he was going to go and do something stupid when he went off on his own. I wish you could understand my reasons for wanting to leave, but it seems you're not willing to even give me a chance to explain. I know why you're concerned, and although I appreciate it, there's no way I'll let you keep me here against my will - even if I can't get your approval, I will leave at some point, whether it's today or next week."
"Helvia… Oh, very well. I know I very well can't change your mind at this point, and whatever I say or do won't have any effect on your decisions in the long run. Go on this fool's journey of yours, then, as nothing seems to be able to make you see reason."
"You- you're serious? You'll let me leave?" I exclaimed, somewhat surprised at how easily I'd managed to win my case. One thing that seemed to run in our family was extreme stubbornness, and arguments between family members could last hours, and didn't even necessarily even reach a resolution; they ceased simply because both of the verbal combatants were exhausted and might not even be quite sure what they'd been arguing about in the first place.
"As you said, you're old enough to make your own decisions, so you can live with the consequences if things go sour on your journey. But I sincerely hope for your sake you'll have as grand of a time as you think you will…" My brother responded sincerely, adding in a brisk tone, "It'd be best if you gathered your things and set out now. When mother and father get back from the mill, they'll be less than pleased to know I've let you go off on your own, not to mention exactly what you're leaving for."
"I understand. It won't take me long to get my things," I replied, suddenly feeling a little cold inside. Was I really as prepared for leaving home as I thought I was?
Leaving the main room of the surprisingly spacious farmhouse I shared with my brother and parents, I made my way towards my room, already thinking about what I'd need to take with me. Provisions would be easy to obtain, and I'd managed to save up a considerable amount of money - at least, I viewed it as such - for the occasion, and knowing both of these things caused some of my earlier confidence to return, and I began to feel almost childishly excited as I dug through around in the chest at the foot of my bed.
After a few minutes of tossing things aside haphazardly, I found the item I was looking for. I lifted the ancient-looking journal from its spot at the near bottom of the chest, inspecting it for a moment as my fingers traced the odd lock holding said book together. I'd never been able to find anything that could get it open, and it supposedly belonged to my great-grandmother, which made it all the more interesting to me, and I figured that if I took it along with me that I just might find someone who'd be able to figure the strange mechanism out. After wrapping it carefully in a blanket, I placed it in the bottom of the pack I'd be taking with me on my journey, and proceeded to place several of the other things I'd need on my trip in the bag on top of it, as well as a few things that weren't necessarily necessities - namely several books that I simply couldn't find it in me to part with - and finally, I was ready to set out.
Well, almost.
At the very bottom of the same chest that I'd kept the journal in lay a set of old robes, foreign-looking in appearance, and, despite their age, somehow managed to retain their deep, vivid royal blue coloring, accented tastefully with hints of yellow-gold. I removed them from their place and laid it out on my bed, a smile creeping onto my face as I looked at the sophisticated-looking garment, an idea coming to my mind.
I donned the aforementioned robes for the first time, leaving my plain and unremarkable dress behind folded neatly in their place in my chest, placing everything else back in it; I wasn't about to leave a mess behind me. Adjusting my satchel to a more comfortable position across my shoulder, I headed out the door, not looking back as I continued walking, my sights now set on the rolling hills that now lay before me, the slight breeze tousling my hair causing me to feel almost a bit giddy as I continued onwards.
A new chapter of my life had just begun, and I intended to make it one worth remembering.
xXx
I awoke to the sound of birdsong, and let out a protesting groan as I opened my eyes, knowing full well that, since the sun was clearly in the process of rising, it was time to get a move on. Slowly pushing myself into a sitting position, I winced as a dull pain shot through my back; it seemed I hadn't chosen a particularly flat sleeping spot and now I'd be paying the price for that all day. "Gods, what I would give to find an inn somewhere around here… I've been out of touch with humanity for far too long," I complained aloud as I forced myself to get on my feet, getting my bearings.
As I rolled up my bedroll, I realized that my lingering exhaustion might have been caused by more than an uncomfortable sleeping place - perhaps it hadn't been one of my brightest ideas to try and finish A Minor Maze last night, seeing as it seemed to have taken more than a bit of time away from valuable shut-eye. But it was definitely worth it, I thought to myself wholeheartedly, as it was one of the more interesting books I'd read in quite a while.
After packing up most of my things, I rummaged around in my pack to find something edible, and managed to find a whole loaf of bread and some goat cheese, as well as a few apples left from my packing just less than a week ago. "Should last me at least a few more days… I hope…" I muttered to myself, slightly alarmed by the fact that if I didn't reach civilization soon, I could very well starve to death. The map I'd been able to find to take on my journey was incredibly vague at best, as the only information the piece of paper had on it were the locations of all nine Holds, and though the terrain sketched on the map was relatively accurate, there were no markings for anything else, and for all I knew I could end up stumbling into a skeever den or worse due to the lack of general information.
Deciding to forego the bread and cheese this morning, I repacked everything but one of the apples, slinging my satchel over my shoulder as I started on my path towards the nearest Hold's capital - Markarth. I didn't know much about the place, but I figured it would be a good city to restock in and possibly get a much better map. I munched on the apple absently as I continued to walk, thinking about what I'd need to - and want to - do when I reached my destination. I reached the core of the fruit in seemingly no time at all and tossed the inedible remains of the fruit away haphazardly, suddenly wincing as a sharp pain in my left forearm flared up. Sighing as I slowly and carefully let said arm fall to my side, I was reminded of the wolf that had clamped onto my arm and had certainly left its mark on it just a few days ago, and I grimaced, remembering the agony of the experience and the less than pleasant sight. "Lucky I knew my little 'parlor tricks'," I muttered to myself with a half smirk on my face, as my ability to wield magic had definitely saved my life. The wolf had definitely gotten the worst end of the wounds, as biting me had proven to be a very fatal mistake for it.
As I continued my trek towards what I hoped would be Markarth, I started humming to entertain myself, recognizing the tune immediately with a slightly homesick feeling. Varnand was quite talented with a lute, and I recalled with a bit of bittersweetness how he often spent the quiet evenings at the farm playing it, and the particular song I'd been humming was one of his favorite pieces to play. You might miss it now, but there was nothing for you there, and you know that, I admonished myself abruptly, trying to kill my homesickness quickly before I went and did something stupid because of it, You've waited so long for this; you'll probably be able to go back and visit sometime, but now isn't that time.
Shaking my head to clear it of such negative thoughts, it was then I suddenly got the feeling that I wasn't alone on the path I was taking - though it certainly looked that way. "Oh come on, you're being ridiculously paranoid…" I remarked unconcernedly in an attempt to reassure myself that I was, in fact, alone at the moment. It hit me how ironic that thought was; I was eager to reach civilization yet didn't want to run into anyone while on the road.
And, as I was busy thinking about irony and other things of no real importance to the potentially dangerous situation I was in, I was anything but aware of the fact that there were a couple not so quiet noises coming from behind me.
Or the sound of metal clanking against metal in the undergrowth.
Really, it shouldn't have been much of a surprise when I heard someone say the dreaded words, "You picked a bad time, to get lost, friend."
Oh, gods.
A/N: So, I've finally managed to put out a chapter for my first work of fanfiction on this site, after a considerable amount of editing and other means of improving the quality. I've had this story up and going for quite a while on another site, but I've just recently joined this site and am still getting used to the differences, so please bear with me if my formatting gets a bit messy at times or anything like that. Also, though I've heavily edited this chapter and am relatively happy with how it came out, the next six or so following chapters that I'll be posting in the near future aren't the best quality, and I apologize greatly for that - I've been writing for this story idea for over a year and my writing style's changed a lot since then, and it's difficult for me to post my older chapters on here as I know that they're far from ideal in quality.
But I'm hoping that this story will at least be an enjoyable read for some people, and that eventually I'll get around to editing all of my older chapters - though writing new chapters takes priority over that. And any constructive criticism is welcome, as long as it's polite and valid, or any comment at all that's not senseless or antagonistic.
I also apologize for the lengthy amount of time it's taken me to post a second chapter of this story, which I'll be doing shortly. Thanks again for bearing with me, and hope to see you next time!
-AA