Prelude
It's happened. Finally. Today, I finally managed to secure the deed to Vindrel Hall, no more debts to the Silver-Bloods. Finally Stannis Mountainborn is truly his own free man. Sofie was ecstatic when I told her. She's still too young to truly understand the politics of money and debts, but she does realize that I don't have to work in Cidna mine any longer, meaning I will no longer have to come home every day scarred and smelling like Orc. I still don't have enough to start my own smithing shop, the house left me with less than 100 septims.
No matter. Today is the first day of the rest of my life. I no longer have to sleep with one eye open in fear of a repossession. As Father would have said," it's unbecoming of a true nord to fear for a game of politics." Tomorrow morning, I'm going to go see about working in Kolsgeger Mine, one of the few not owned by Thonar. I think it's because he doesn't want to be a Silverblood owning a gold mine. I'll need the gold if I'm to eventually leave this Forsaken city. Land owner or not, Markarth is still no place to be raising an eight year-old. I mean on the way home last night I was asked by a VIGILANT about Daedra worship going on inside the old abandoned house. What fool would worship the daedra in a city where a Thalmor Justiciar has taken up residence.
On that note, I think they have some sort of psychic powers as they seem to know I'm a Talos worshipper. Sofie called me out on it, saying that it's me giving away hints when I walk by. She's probably right, that girl is too smart for her own good. I think she may even be smarter than me; not that being smarter than me is hard, just that she's only seen eight winters so far and thus I should be smarter, well smarter than her. Not that I'm dumb, I'm actually rather well read, I'm just not very street-smart.
A shining example of this being that Sofie noticed that the Old Thane, Thongvar Silver-Blood, has been struck of his title of Thane of The Reach. She honestly thinks that I should try and get the position. Me? A Thane? NEVER! I'm a wimp, not a hero, not influential, not even a warrior. All I can do is work metal. She's begged me to at least try. I've never even set foot into Undertone, and she wants me to just waltz up to the Jarl and ask to be a Thane. She wore me down though, and I promised her that I'd try and do it after I finished shopping for a job tomorrow. I'm going to try Arnleif and Sons first, maybe I could be a simple laborer. I could do that. At least until a new mining position opened up, my fellow miner said a spot in the mine outside of town, where he works, will be open soon. I really hope so.
It appears as if my bedside candle is burning out. Goodnight Journal.
Yours truly,
Stannis
