Idgrod struggled, a throbbing sensation at the back of her head worked against her consciousness, but she kept struggling. At first, the pain was everything. Then her senses started to function, and she heard noises, people whispering. The cold ground she laid on worked itself through her clothes, numbing her entire right side and chilling her very bones. Something hurt her cheeks too. With a lot of effort, she opened her eyes.

"She's waking," someone said, the voice was definitely male. Footsteps closed in on her, and three faces came into her vision. Three male faces looked down on her, from far above her. They were tall, all of them. Idgrod took the time to recognize whatever she could, the distinct look in their faces, their clothes and their entire demeanor. They looked like thugs.

"Hello sunshine," one of the men grinned at her.

Her natural fear of thugs made her immediate response to try and flurry away from them, screaming for help. Only too late did she notice the cloth that gagged her and muffled every sound she made, and too late did she notice the fact that she was tied up, hands bound to her back, and feet tied together.

The men watching her didn't seem very impressed by her futile attempt to crawl away, and the man who had spoken to her grinned wider. "Sorry flower, looks like you'll have to stay."

"I told you, she's not the one," one of the other men said, still looking at her but talking to the others.

"You're right, up close she doesn't look like her at all."

"Looks like we bagged ourselves a little reward then," the man who had greeted her said. He kept his stare on her, like he was considering something. Idgrod stared back at them. The man who spoke to her was slightly smaller than the other two. His features were sharper, almost beautiful, if it weren't for the look in his eyes and his unkempt and rugged appearance. The other two had typical Nord features, bright skin and bright eyes. It was all she managed to see, in the dark. They wore heavy armor, she noticed. And weapons accordingly. Definitely thugs…

The smallest of the three, if you could call any of them small, leaned forward while he spoke. "I'm going to remove this cloth now, and you're going to answer our questions. If you scream, I won't hesitate to knock you out," he said and stared at her harshly. "Do we understand each other?"

Idgrod nodded, afraid to do anything else. She wasn't dumber than that she knew he spoke truth, and if it was true, that they had taken the wrong person, she wasn't of any value to them.

The man smiled in an unfriendly matter, and reached for her to remove the cloth.

Once removed, she licked her lips to moist them and cleared her throat. Her mouth felt dry like sand.

"Now, first things first," he said, pleased that she hadn't screamed. "Who are you?"

"Idgrod," she answered. Her voice sounded hoarse and weak. As if she'd been out of it for a long time. Her eyes quickly scanned the area to confirm the suspicion. It had begun to lighten in the sky. Dawn was coming. The area seemed to be in a forest. Trees surrounded them. Maybe they were close to Morthal after all. Trying to pinpoint her location, she searched the sky for the dawning light.

"Idgrod," one of the other men repeated questioningly. "That's the name of the Jarl of Morthal".

"It is," the man hovering over her confirmed. She could hear the smile in his voice when he continued. "Idgrod Ravenscrone, I believe. I also believe, if my memory is correct, that the Jarl has a daughter named after her." The last part he uttered like a question towards her, tilting his head slightly.

Not trusting her voice, Idgrod simply nodded.

"Then she must know where to find the Dragonborn," the other man standing said. With his right hand, he reached for his left hip, drawing a sword, slowly unsheathing it. It was long, looked heavy and dangerous. Idgrod's heart raced, and she stared at them one at the time.

They were looking for the Dragonborn?

The man hovering over her didn't say anything. He kept his head tilted, and she could practically feel the questioning eyes on her, like a prickle in the skin.

"Where's the Dragonborn?" the man with the sword asked, directing the tip of his sword towards her.

Idgrod's mind reeled. Suddenly she understood why they had been mistaken. She and the Dragonborn could resemble one another at a distance, and especially in the dark. The Dragonborn had the same length and hair as Idgrod, the same height and somewhat the same body. The Dragonborn had, however, a more muscular physique, and different features in the face. And, she didn't wear dresses, like Idgrod.

The Dragonborn, or Dovahkiin, had been holed up in Morthal the last couple of weeks, but now she had taken a few of the town's men with her to solve some trouble concerning the death of Hroggar's family.

She stared at the tip of the Nord man's sword like a hypnotized child, her heart racing and her mind scattering around. If she gave these men the answers they needed, would they kill her and leave her there?

"Answer the question!" the man hovering over here grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. Idgrod winced, his grip was hurting her.

"Please don't kill me!" she whined. "Please."

"We won't. If you answer our questions, we might let you live. Might even let you go." The man said, releasing her chin from his grip. "Now, where's the Dragonborn?" he asked, and his voice had softened a little. It didn't soothe her nerves though. The softness to his voice gave her a sickening feeling.

"She went north this morning. Took some men with her."

"Where?"

"Movarth's Lair, I think."

The man stood up, looking at the other two. The Nord who had pointed his sword at her sheathed it and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Movarth is a vampire, right?" he asked. Idgrod simply nodded.

"And the Dragonborn took men with her? Then it's safe to assume she'll return to Morthal?" The three men looked at each other, and then at her.

"Will you let me go?" she asked. "The entire city will look for me!" She tried to make her voice certain and threatening, but failed miserably. It sounded more like a desperate plea than anything else.

The man who had grabbed her, the slightly smaller one, laughed and leaned over her once again. She couldn't see his eyes, or the details of his face, but the menacing and mocking tone to his voice made her spine freeze.

"We can't have you running back to dear old mommy and tell on us, now can we. Might scare off the Dragonborn. We've been chasing that damn woman for some time, and we could use a break. To simply wait for her return is exactly that break." He rose to a standing position. "I guess you're just an unforeseen reward".

She gaped, not believing her ears. "They will look for me!"

"Then we have to make sure they don't find you, now won't we?" the man answered.

One of the Nord men pulled a knife and knelt at her side, cutting the rope around her ankles. The other Nord grabbed her shoulders and hauled her to her feet. Idgrod shuddered, but held her balance. Standing, she noticed how big the men really were. Three pair of broad shoulders, and all of them at least one head taller than her, surrounded her and made her feel small and insignificant.

"You can walk, as long as you don't run. If you try to run your walking privileges will be withdrawn and you'll be carried, like a puppet. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes."

"Good girl," he praised unfriendlily. "Now let's get moving."

Without waiting for any more answers, one of the Nords showed her forward, and they started to walk. Away from the direction that she knew her town was.