Chapter One: New Life

31st of Evening Star, 3E 426

I suppose we should start at the beginning, shouldn't we?

I was originally from Cyrodiil, but my parents were from Morrowind. Mournhold, to be exact. My father, Dranen, was from some well-off family of hunters that were originally from some area controlled by House Hlaalu, and my mother, Llethsea, was the daughter of a merchant. That was what I was told, anyway. I couldn't be sure.

At some point, while my mother was visiting the family she had in Mournhold, she met my father, and the two of them eventually got married, had me, and then two years later, my sister was born. Soon enough, they made their way to Cyrodiil with Serethi. At first, they settled in Cheydinhal, but then my mother passed away, and my father then moved us to The Imperial City. Not long after my mother passed away, my father remarried Serethi.

We lived upstairs, in a small apartment above one of the stores, and while it was crowded, we made do with what we had. We were not the richest people in Cyrodiil, but we certainly weren't poor, either. Probably because my father didn't spend too much money on unnecessary things, as he told me time and time again. Only what we needed. I heavily suspected my father had a fear of spending any money. This caused a certain amount of tension between him and Serethi, something I tried my best to ignore.

I never knew much about Serethi, but she told me that she was from Mournhold and was a merchant's daughter. Despite any and all evidence to the contrary, I never questioned it until much later. Serethi had a lot of scars that ran up and down her arms, giving me the impression that at some point of her life she had sustained severe injuries, but I didn't dare ask about them. I knew it'd only anger her if I asked.

I always thought it odd that my father had remarried in such a short time span. He and Serethi weren't an affectionate couple; I never really saw or heard them spend much time together growing up. I never saw them kiss or even really hug while growing up. If they married for any reason other than love, I wasn't told what it was. I suspect they never really wanted me to know.

I never really got to know my mother, as she passed away when I was very young. I didn't know too much about her, either, as my father didn't like to talk about her much. Whenever I pictured her, I just pictured a Dunmer woman who looked vaguely like my sister, except more gentle-faced. If what I had been led to believe was true, Eriama was an almost spitting image of our mother. Llethsea supposedly had long, black hair and features not unlike my sister's, but I had no idea if it was true. Considering she had died not long before I was two, I couldn't really remember anything about her.

While Eriama looked a lot like our mother (supposedly, anyway) I looked nothing like either of our parents. My father had the same dark hair that our mother had, although his facial features were a little different. I, however was short, even by Dunmer standards and had long, curly red hair, a button nose and freckles across my cheeks. Eriama had commented about my hair many times, as had Serethi during the many, many times I had sat down on her lap and let her style it as a child (and I hated having my hair done, too), often while I couldn't help but notice all the scars on her arms.

But I couldn't help but notice how different I was from everyone else around me. Sometimes, I couldn't help but wonder if it was because maybe I had inherited traits from my grandparents or another, even more distant ancestor instead.

I still took after my dead mother in other ways, supposedly. My father often said I had her kind heart, but he did try and teach me things that he had learnt from her. Llethsea had disapproved of stealing anything, and tried to make sure everything was fair and equal. He often described her as a peacekeeper. Others had told me that I had a sense of honor, and hoped I never had to break it. I hoped so as well.

But enough about my parents for now. I have other things I want to talk about, too.

When I was five years old, I began my formal education. It mostly began with Serethi teaching me to read, and then write. As I grew up, I found I was able to speak both Tamrielic and Dunmeris with relative ease (although I struggled a bit with the latter). For additional subjects, I was sent to classes in arithmetics, alchemy and basic restoration at The Temple of The One when I turned eight years old. Soon enough, Eriama joined me, and we often took the long treks to the Temple, often while passing through the Talos Plaza District and looking at all the nice homes enviously. No family like ours would be able to afford to live in what was arguably the most well-off district in the city. I imagined people often stared at us while we walked together, given that we stuck out like sore thumbs.

When we went to school, I didn't really make many friends, as I was more interested in other things. I did have one friend, and her name was Ida. But we hadn't really spoken much since I was ten years old and there was an incident near Lake Rumare. We still spoke, but not as much as we used to. I think it was because she was more afraid of her mother's reaction to her hanging around with the immigrant Dunmer family than anything. Since then I had been mostly alone and afraid of large bodies of water.

Eriama made friends easily enough, and had a large gaggle of them over the years. Her best friend was Lillia: a young Breton girl who lived in the Market District with us, though I suspected her family was originally from High Rock. Many times, Eriama would often be gone during the weekends, spending time with Lillia while I wrote in this large, old journal that I had been given.

Eriama took more after our father, or so Serethi had said. She was an adventurous child from the very beginning, and she still was, even at sixteen. As soon as she was able, she was willing to disappear deep into the Imperial City with Lillia and claimed she knew the city like the back of her hand. The only place our father didn't want her going was the Waterfront, but even then, I suspected Eriama had disobeyed him anyway and I took comfort in the fact that my sister was still safe. She was everything I was not. Whereas I liked the quiet and didn't speak unless spoken to, Eriama was talkative about anything that interested her. She was more active than I, though I didn't think our parents exactly approved of her choice of friends at times, telling her they could easily be her downfall. I watched an observed when I could, but even then, I didn't really have the courage to intervene when I should have.

Perhaps I should have, really.

Because I would later find out my parents were right.


I breathed in the early morning air as I sat down on the step outside the store. It was the day before Saturalia and my father and Serethi were arguing. Again.

This happened constantly, and usually now whenever it happened I just made my way out of the house until I could be certain things had died down. Just hearing them was exhausting. They argued about where and how we lived, they argued about what my father taught me and my sister, they argued about Llethsea, my father's first wife and our mother and they argued a lot anyway, something I had never been able to understand. I knew couples argued, but the way my parents argued sometimes made me question why they even married in the first place.

Eriama had taken off, insisting that she didn't want to hear anything our parents had to say, and I agreed. It was a private matter anyhow. I had overheard some of what had been said already and I had heard Serethi drop my name mid conversation ("Ulina is old enough to know now, Dranen!") and that left me in a state of confusion.

Old enough? Old enough to know what, exactly? I knew I was old enough to leave my parents home and take care of myself, but that hadn't exactly happened yet. My father didn't want me to leave. This was never really explained to me, either. Serethi did snap at my father a few months ago that he needed to stop "coddling" me, but I was fairly certain that was not what he was doing.

Or maybe it was because of something else?

That was when I decided to stop wondering and slink outside instead, no matter how cold it was as a result of the recent snowfall. Saturalia was almost upon us, and the weather was likely to stay even long after the celebrations. Eriama complained profusely during this time of year, as she hated snow. In fact, I suspected the only reason she chose to brave the cold today and find her little group of friends in the Elven Gardens district was because our parents were arguing once again. I think anyone would prefer the snow to a headache as a result of screaming parents.

I pulled the shawl I was wearing tightly around my shoulders, and sat back against the wall, trying not to sit directly in front of the door. It opened soon enough and the storekeeper - Estir - shooed out two young Bosmer, rolling her eyes afterwards. When she saw me, she left the building and sat down beside me.

"Ulina, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I offered, "just came out here for some peace and quiet, is all."

Estirdar - or Estir, as she preferred to be called - was an Altmer who was born in Cyrodiil, although she had relatives living elsewhere and didn't want to discuss it. As far as I knew, she had been married once, and did have a son, who had since grown up and had a family of his own. I had never met any of Estir's relatives, through from what little I was able to infer I was secretly glad I hadn't. My family had known Estir since we had moved to the Imperial City, and that was when I was a child. I couldn't have been more than four years old at the time. Estir lived in her store, and had been a good neighbour and a friend to my family during the years we had known her. I had even worked for her for my first job. Considering recent events, I couldn't help but worry about her.

"What about you?" I asked. "Are you alright?"

Estir sighed.

"I think I may have to sell the store after all," she said, in a resigned tone of voice.

"Oh, no."

"I knew I had several people who were interested, though," she said, "but most of them aren't exactly...reliable. I did have a friend of a friend - Jensine, I think her name was - who might be a good person to leave the store to when I leave."

"But where will you go?" I asked. If Estir left, then my life would be a lot more complicated than it already was, and it was complicated enough.

"Probably either to Chorrol, which has very steady trade at the moment or out of the province. My son has sent me a letter requesting I return," she answered, before brushing some loose strands of her golden hair out of the way. "Either way, I'd still hate to leave you all behind. Especially you girls." She smiled, slightly. "You two have been like the daughters I've never had, really."

"I'll miss you," I said.

"Luckily, however, I don't leave for at least two weeks," she said. "So we'll still have time together before then. Do you need anything, or…?"

I smiled slightly, but shook my head. Estir patted my shoulder, and then went back to her store, and I let out a sigh. I was going to miss Estir.

When I finally decided it was time to go back into my own home, it was a little past midday. Serethi and my father were nowhere in my line of sight, and I let out a sigh of relief at that fact. I did not want to face them right now, or have to explain anything to them. I went to my room and pulled out a book to read instead, before lying back on my bed and turning the pages.

Reading was one of my favorite past times. Eriama read sometimes, but nowhere near as much as I did. She was the kind of person who was usually good at socializing, but I never was. I hated large crowds or a great deal of attention, preferring the peace and quiet of my bedroom. I loved reading about all different kinds of stories, be it a heroic adventure or a romance or even a history book. I just knew I would never experience any of the pains and joys that the characters did. My life was boring as could be.

I knew little about combat, only taking note when my father told me what little he liked to disclose about his past. He still had his swords, and other weapons from when he was younger, and said he used to go out adventuring on a frequent basis. He even taught me how to hold a sword once, and hoped I would never have to hold it. Eriama was never interested, but did stare longingly at the bow that hung up on the wall above our father's desk. It had once belonged to our mother. I remember Eriama once mentioning that she wanted archery lessons. Our father put his foot down and said no, however. He never gave a reason.

I knew even less about love and romance, as that was something I had even less experience with. And it was highly unlikely that I ever would. I had my infatuations at times, but none of them were ever serious. Eriama didn't, but that was because she was usually focused on other things.

The book I was reading now was actually a favorite, and I couldn't help but feel annoyed when the door opened, and I was forced to tear my eyes away from the book. Serethi stood in the doorway, asking me to go find my sister, who was most likely somewhere in the Arena District. I would have to find her and bring her home. In the cold.

I pulled on my coat, and went outside, only to find that Eriama was on her way back anyway. Her hair, while it had been tied back, was wet from the snow that had probably fallen. She grimaced when she saw me, and sighed as the two of us went back inside, probably annoyed at the fact that she would be cooped up inside again. I however, went back to my book, frantically searching for the page I had lost. Eriama, meanwhile, fell into her bed and pulled the covers over her head.

It would be awhile before I fell asleep.

A week after Saturalia, it was New Life. I knew that the streets of the Imperial City were likely to be busy, and kept to myself for a while. I didn't envy my father or Serethi as they trudged through the Market District, shopping for supplies for the evening. I suppose it would all be worth it in the end, when we had that party and celebrated together.

It would be a small gathering, with only a few people around to celebrate into the New Year. I was certain Estir was going to be there, mostly to say goodbye to us. But she mentioned something about bringing the new owner of the store, so she could introduce her to my parents. But there were others I could foresee coming as well. Like some of my father and Serethi's friends from the Temple of the One (although Serethi made it pretty damned clear Alessia Ottus wasn't invited, and I didn't blame her, even though she would likely spread nasty rumors as a result of this later). Eriama and Lillia were going to be the ones to light the lanterns outside in the graveyard after midnight this year.

I made a mental note of the things that would happen in the New Year. It was going to be the year 427, and in Rain's Hand, I'd turn nineteen. It was likely I would sign up for the Mages' Guild this year, so I could begin studying even further. Even though I wasn't that great at magic, and my father didn't exactly approve, I had to take some aspect of my life seriously. And, if I studied at the Arcane University, I wouldn't be too far away, either. It was in the Imperial City, even if it was about an hour away.

Of course, I'd probably have to buy a great deal of the supplies myself, but I didn't care. I had some money saved up for myself during the time I worked in Estir's store. I hadn't counted the amount of money I would need for supplies, though, and was thinking it over as the door to the bedroom burst open and Eriama stood in the doorway.

What first got my attention was how frightened she looked. It was almost as if she had seen a ghost.

"Are Father and Serethi home?" She asked, frantically.

I raised my eyebrows.

"No, they went shopping together," I said. It was for supplies for tonight's celebration. Eriama let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh...good," she finished. "I need your help!"

"With what?" I asked.

"It's...Lillia," she began. "I'm afraid she's going to get herself in trouble."

I raised my eyebrows. Lillia was incredibly gullible. At least once she had accepted food being offered to her by a stranger while we were all taking the journey to the Temple of the One together. I had scolded her after that. I couldn't imagine what sort of trouble she could be getting herself into now.

"She's...she's going to the Waterfront," Eriama revealed, in a frightened tone of voice.

I was suddenly alarmed by those words. The Waterfront was not a safe place. Certainly not for a young woman like Lillia. And the abundance of water made me feel uneasy the few times I had set foot in the place.

"What?"

"She thinks…" Eriama was panicking. "She thinks she can join the Thieves' Guild, Ulina. She had this note, and…"

I scoffed.

"The Thieves' Guild doesn't exist," I told her. I heard it existed in other provinces of Tamriel, but not in Cyrodiil. It was merely a fabricated rumor, spread to frighten the gullible. At least according to my father. It was more likely that it was a sinister operation to kidnap young, vulnerable women and trap them into the most unspeakable circumstances.

"She...she thinks it does," Eriama said. "I...I agreed to go with her."

I could only sigh. Even my sister couldn't possibly be that stupid. She must know what sorts of lies criminals spread to lure their victims.

"Eri…"

"Ulina, I'm so sorry," she said quickly, turning away so I couldn't see her face. "I was just so scared for her, I didn't know what to do! I'm afraid...I'm afraid she'll get herself killed!"

I had the inkling my sister was trying not to cry, and it took a great deal not to approach her and wrap my arms around her. I couldn't do that right then. I was too angry at her.

"How did she end up in that situation in the first place?" I demanded.

Eriama took a step back.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I just know I want to be there for her, and I need your help. We...we need to go to the Waterfront."

I sighed, not for the first time that day, and quickly grabbed my coat, and slipped it on, before leaving our bedroom. Hopefully we could quickly find Lillia and make it back in time for the New Life celebrations. Before I left, I quickly noticed one of my father's knives, which hung on the wall. I grabbed it and strapped it to the side of my leg. It was hidden from view underneath the long skirt I was wearing, but if anyone tried to attack me I could at least defend myself and my sister. We were going to the Waterfront after all.

Then, we both left, disappearing out into the snow.


The Waterfront was one of the worst areas of the Imperial City, and was home to criminals as well as those unfortunate enough not to be able to live in the rest of the city. Boats often came in and out from Lake Rumare - either from across Cyrodiil or another province completely. Despite being close enough to the Prison District, there were few guards in the area, something that made me feel anxious given the eyes of criminals I felt watching my every move. Not even Captain Lex was about, something that was unusual, given that he spent most of his time in this horrible place.

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise, and tried to stay as far away from the water as possible. Otherwise I might fall in, and that'd take me back to one of the worst days of my life.

I didn't want to be here; I felt a horrible feeling at the pit of my stomach from simply being here, but I'd do it. I'd do it for Eriama, who would otherwise have to go and protect Lillia alone. I, for one, was not willing to take that chance.

Lillia was far away from any guards, something I think she intended. Nearby, I spotted three suspicious looking figures approaching us. I saw that the leader of the group was a Redguard. He was tall, muscular and wore one of the scariest grins I'd ever seen. Lillia looked towards them cautiously.

"Who are they?" I heard Eriama whisper to her friend. Lillia shook her head, letting her blonde curls fall over her face.

"I don't know," she whispered back. "Not who I arranged to meet."

The Redguard glanced at all three of us. I tried my best to look menacing, but I was sure I had failed in that attempt. Apparently, I had; the sneer became apparent on his face.

"Pretty ladies," I heard one of the men, a short, but older and menacing Imperial say. Lillia took a step back, glancing towards me and Eriama nervously.

"We don't have anything worth taking," I told him quickly. "Now please, let us move along."

I tried to hurry Eriama and Lillia along, but the Redguard stepped in our way before I could.

"Really?" I heard another Imperial, who was younger and taller but still just as menacing - growl. "Not even a little gold?"

"Back off," I heard my sister snarl angrily. Lillia silenced her, however and pulled a small coinpurse out of her shoe. Lillia extended her hand. The Redguard pursed his lips, but said nothing as he took the coin purse and counted the gold, before throwing the gold to the ground in outrage.

"This isn't good enough," he said angrily. I felt Eriama ball up her fists in rage, as if she was ready to defend anyone who came near. I put a hand on her shoulder. I intended to stop it if it came to that.

"This is all I have!" Lillia protested. "Please, leave us alone. Please…"

The Redguard raised his eyebrows, before approaching Lillia with a stern expression.

"Well, I need more than that," he said. "And because you don't seem to have the gold, I suppose you'll make do instead."

Before I could stop her, Eriama leapt forward and tried to grab onto the Redguard, but he only slapped her away like she was a fly. He then went forward towards Lillia, who was backed away into a corner. Lillia looked around for a way out, but she was surrounded. I let out a small scream, and the Redguard turned around.

"Leave her alone," I said. I intended for it to come out menacing, but it came out as a squeak instead. He glared in my direction.

"What'll you do?" He sneered. "Scream our ears off?"

Remembering the dagger I had strapped to the side of my leg - which was biting into my skin by now - I pulled it out and held it up.

"Jorad, the Dunmer girl has a weapon," I heard one of the Imperials hiss. The Redguard's - Jorad's - eyes widened and he let Lillia go, before nearing me with a frighteningly interested expression.

"Smart girl," he remarked, before roughly grabbing my wrist. "Too smart for your own good, you are."

I still held the blade in one hand, and stabbed Jorad's left shoulder. He let go of me in an instant, while blood dripped onto my dress. My dress was white, so it'd be permanently ruined, but that was not what was on my mind at that current moment. Jorad pushed me over, but ran away before I could get up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the Imperials quickly stab Lillia, and she fell to the floor. I heard Eriama scream, before she rushed to her friend's fallen, bloody body.

I wanted to scream, too.

But I couldn't. What I had just witnessed was enough to stun me into silence. Everything suddenly felt colder than it did before. I felt the bile rise in my throat; it took a great deal of effort not to throw up.

I managed to pull myself to my feet, rushing to my sister, who had cuts and bruises that were being unattended. It seemed during that moment she didn't care. She was sobbing into Lillia's bloody body, and covering herself with more blood in the process. I went to comfort her, still holding the blade in my hand.

"Ulina, what are we going to do?" Eriama whispered. "Lillia's dead and I'm scared and I don't know what to do…"

I let my hands drift to her messy black hair.

"I'm scared, too, Eri," I admitted, pulling her into my arms and holding her close. I was scared more than I wanted to admit. I had seen someone die. Someone I once knew was brutally murdered and it was something I had never expected to see.

What if Jorad and his group came back to finish me and my sister off? What if there were even worse monsters residing here at night? What if -?

"Hey!"

I heard a voice - a distinctly male voice - shout in our direction. It was an Imperial guard, who held up a torch as soon as he saw us. Fire blinded my eyes, and I closed them instantly, hugging Eriama closer to me as if she was a lifeline. I imagine the guard wasn't impressed with the blood everywhere, or even more so Lillia's corpse, which was beside us.

"Who did this?" He demanded in a dangerous tone of voice. I heard Eriama whimper.

"We didn't do anything," my sister whispered. "I swear on the Nine Divines…"

"Don't lie!" The guard yelled. By now I had opened my eyes. He wasn't wearing normal Imperial Legion armor. Rather, he was wearing armor that made him seem more important in status. "Only the worst come here after dark. One of you murdered that girl," he declared.

Eriama whimpered again, but I decided then and there what I had to do.

I had no choice, you see. Eriama was young; she had a life ahead of her, and I didn't want that to go to waste in a stone cold prison cell. Despite her immense stupidity, she was still a child. I loved her that much that I would give up everything for her.

I may have had other options, if I could think of them, but at that point, I couldn't think of any others. My mind was racing, and screaming. I sighed and took a deep breath.

"It was me," I said, with as little emotion as I could. "I did it."

The guard raised an eyebrow.

"I have the blade," I continued. "I murdered that girl. Eriama followed me to try and stop me. She's entirely innocent, I swear."