Staring at the cave ceiling, I was able to ponder at the events that just happened. My arms were stretched out on either side, ropes were digging into my skin, same goes for my legs. Each movement I took, the ropes dug in deeper making it extremely painful for me.
First, I was taken away by some person. This human or elf decided that I should be in humiliating position.
Second, my friends were attacked. They better be alive or I will murder the person no matter the cause.
Third, this damn pain in my neck won't bloody stop! I may be an experienced fighter, but the constant pain is irritating and it can leave permanent wounds.
My captor was probably in another room since there doesn't seem to be enough space beside for a bed in this room. The walls are thick since were inside a cave but I could hear the mixing of potions, the grinding of herbs and the sound of the potion bubbling in the glass. Call me a liar but I think I inherited some dragon senses...
Footsteps approached the door that separated the room from the room beyond. The dim light only had little purpose for I could not properly see the person. But what was noticeable was the scar that ran from his temple down to his chin. It was a menacing look but if we're not with his soft blue eyes and dark blonde hair, I probably would have summoned my thum already.
"Do not bother. Your powers are rendered till the potion wears off" he commented figuring out what I was thinking. My body completely went rigid. The potions rendered my abilities? I can handle almost anything, but if were not for the feeling of helplessness if I could not use my fire nor my ice breathes. I clenched my fists tighter, the rope burning against my skin.
The man sat on a chair leaning against it, his eyes scanning me. Was he planning to do me? Or did he have employers?
"It's nightfall right now. Your friends must be frozen solid by now" I growled at him, the thought of my precious friends left in the cold made me regret my carelessness.
I saw a staff by the distance with the short opening when he opened the door. A mage. Great. As he stood up, I saw the glint of a knife sharp enough that its tip shined even with minimal lighting. I watched as his mouth turned upwards, enjoying my humiliating position.
"The mighty commander, at the mercy of my hands. Oh, the irony! For I was at your mercy just a few months back" he seethed at me, the tip of the knife right under my chin. A few months then? Who did I do that? Wait...
Swallowing "You got the wrong woman..." I'm pretty sure Rinka told me about a prisoner she had to break down completely for one of her missions. With all the humiliation I was in...
The blade broke through my skin "No. I am sure I got the right woman. Look-" he turned my head to the right. Was he trying to prove something?
I heard a cough. Guess he finally realized it. "Like I said, you got the wrong woman" I forced my wrists to break through the rope, though it was bleeding I grabbed the man by his throat switching our positions. Disarming him was easy. Too easy... His smile gave me shivers, all of sudden I was feeling drowsy once more, a needle pierced my neck on one of the vital points. By Akatosh.
My vision instantly got cloudy and my hearing heightened to the point I could not hear anything but ringing. I gave in to sleep once more.
"We got the wrong woman!" The man yelled stabbing the knife on the table nearby. His partner hummed in agreement gazing at Rinoa with interest.
"They specifically said, redguard woman, black hair, blue eyes, a warrior, a damn mix and a commander of the Imperials-" his partner raised a hand to stop the nonsense.
Massaging his chin, the partner leaned against the wall "Yes, I know. Though, do you not recognize that very same description?" If he could imagine it, a lightbulb lit up in the empty mind of his dumb friend.
"Dragonborn?! Oh no, we're fucked!"
"Calm down you mindless fool! Bring me the potion, Ray" he ordered reaching a hand out for the potion. A potion that was supposed to knock out the commander long enough to transfer her to the next hideout. All the way in Cyrodiil.
Begrudgingly, Ray did as told, handing the potion he worked so hard on. "What are we gonna do now? The whole damn Skyrim will have our heads!" forget Skyrim, Tamriel and the gods will have their heads for trying to sell the Dragonborn. He scoffed at the way Ray panicked. All they had to do was avoid the main roads and from any dragon sightings or patrols.
Tilting the head, he opened the potion and poured it into her mouth. Watching as the red liquid went past her lips and into her throat got him feeling... guilty for some reason. The mark on Rinoa's neck began to glow, a bloody red tint glowed scaring Ray.
"Ah, Nick, her mark-!" he stopped as Nick started glaring at him, a wind of ice shards circling around them threatening him to continue. It was best to shut his mouth for now.
"Prepare the wagon. We leave now" Nick announced carrying Rinoa like she was a feather. Ray nodded and did as told, gathering only food and money. He glanced at the chest that held all the stuff of the Dragonborn. Too much to carry, he left it there.
"How much you think she will be going for?" Ray asked Nick getting on the wagon to prepare for the long journey ahead. Nick blew out a loud laugh, throwing Rinoa into the wagon and used the chests and blankets to conceal her body. Her hands and legs were tied together to prevent her from moving at all.
Nick thought of the questions "Possibly a couple thousand septims. The girls' the Dragonborn after all" he reasoned. Maybe even a couple thousand were too tiny for the price of the Dragonborn. Ray agreed. Taking the reins they left the cave, leaving the possessions of Rinoa for others to take.
A couple of refugees were hiding from the two, finally decided to go to the guards to report the abduction, leaving out the part about Cyrodiil. Luckily, it was a Whiterun guard. The guard ran all the way to Dragonsreach telling the news of the abduction of the Dragonborn.
Balgruf stood up from his throne, anger on his face "They decided to report only now because?!" the guard reasoned that the refugees may have been killed if they were seen. Balgruf asked the location of the cave, possible clues might still be in it. The Jarl could only think of the horrors if Rinoa's friends were to hear of her... kidnapping.
"She got what?!" Rinka yelled at her sister the moment they arrived in High Hrothgar. She and Ondolemar gave up on waiting and decided to finish the meeting an hour early. When they were passing by Ivarstead, they heard the people talking about a pointed eared redguard running up the seven-thousand steps. Of course, knowing that it was her sister, Rinka ran up not stopping for her lover even for a moment.
Now that she was here, she learned that her friend Skylar was best due to blood loss and Rinoa was kidnapped! Silk was pouting accepting the yelling. Rinka was able to get an agreement between Maven and the Thalmors, she was planning to celebrate the night with Ondolemar till they heard about this!
"How many times must I tell you. Never let your guard down!" She yelled again to the younger. Ondolemar was not obliged to help Silk, nor was he feeling up to the task.
"Rinka, calm down. Yelling at Silk will do no good. I sent word to Rulindil already, he shall determine her punishment" Ondolemar sent out a brief letter explaining the incidence and since Rulindil is Silk's lover and superior he can handle her instead. Rinka, however, was only thinking about the trouble that was bestowed upon them.
It was as if Sheogorath had taken interest in them and decided to make them the knights for his game of chess... Now that Rinka though of it, it was highly likely that he's the reason for everything. They needed more help now, not even Skylar remembered who the assaulter was and she has good memorization! It has been a long time since the last time Rinka felt like murdering her own sister.
Ondolemar could do nothing but watch from afar as his wife continued to drive herself to ruin through worry. The woman ordered the others even himself not to enter their shared chamber. The elf could hear the relentless scribbling and snapping of quills, the smashing of ink bottles as it fell to the ground. This lasted through the night.
When dawn came, Rinka came out the chambers, eyes red and eyebags adorned the surrounding areas of her eyes from the lack of sleep. Her hair was a mess as if a swarm of birds flocked into the room and used her hair as a nest. In her hands was a roll of paper thick enough that Skylar had mistaken it for small wood. Ondolemar saw the splattered ink on her outfit, he looked into the room and saw shards of the glass that were once the ink bottles and on the table were a dozen snapped quill, aside for one.
"Get a courier, this must be delivered quickly to the Guild," Rinka said with a tired and shaky voice. Silk could've done something if she had not insisted on leaving to look for their friend. Skylar frowned in confusion,
"Why not deliver it yourself?" Rinka looked at the elven woman as if she had grown three more heads.
"I must look for her, I wasted enough time writing any possible criminals the Guild can investigate and any areas they can search" Ondolemar's jaw slackened slightly. Was his wife willing to trust criminals with the knowledge of other criminals? Why he never bothered to report her involvement with the thieves guild... he will never know.
Skylar seemed to understand, slowly shaking her head as she backed down. She knows whether Rinka will become dangerous if not given what she wanted. If this is what she wanted, then Rinka will have it.
Arngeir came into the room with a raven, a buckle was around its leg. The bird squawked loudly, it's silky black wings spread out as it eyed the rolled up letters.
"Rather than relying on couriers, use the raven. Animals are far more intelligent and are more motivated by minimal means to earn its reward" The old man reasons. Ondolemar agreed, the Thalmor has used ravens for any private documents, though it is on rare occasion.
Rinka debated about it but relented realizing that it would take too much time looking for a human courier indeed. Arngeir used magic to safely secure the letters on its legs. Since the bird was already a seasoned courier, it had waited for its orders, leaving rather instantly once the description of the person and place had been told. Hopefully, the bird will be able to send it without a problem.
I woke up to the sound of horses neighing uncontrollably. The hooves would land on the ground with a heavy thud. My head is still pounding from whatever those men injected me with. Ray and Nick were the names if I remembered correctly. My boy was tied in an awkward position and I was only in my small clothes. Must have sold my clothes. Just from the temperature, I could tell that I was not in Skyrim anymore. I did my best to move around to look for any opening that could let me see where I was exactly.
"Rise and Shine, Dragonborn!" That was definitely Nick... that annoying voice made my blood boil. I couldn't even yell at him due to my mouth being covered.
"Ya must have had a great sleep! Couldn't even wake ya when we tried to cut through you" my eyes widened. They did not...
"Stop stressing her out, we don't need a rampaging Dragonborn on the loss when we get to the Black Market now" His friend, Ray, spoke out. The man seemed quite content when he looked at me like he was proud of something.
He gave me a peace sign "Fear not, I stopped the fool from violating you. We need you as clean as possible if we want the best possible offer" Gods they're planning to sell me! I glared at them. I feel so powerless even though I know I'm not!
Ray said something about moving out once again, and Nick obeying happily. By Akatosh, where the hell is I?! The air is so thick and musky that I wished I was back in the cold. One thing for certain, Skyrim must be days far from where I might be. Could Odahviing hear me even from this far? Even if he could, I would not be here when he gets here.
I awoke once again this time in a cell. Hands were bound behind my back once more thankfully my feet were unbound. The room was dark, but with the several gasps of breaths from around me, I wasn't alone. I could sense the fear, hear the whimpers and the hopeless prayers, the constant footsteps that stalked the area around me. Why was it so dark? Even with a blindfold, it was never this dark!
"Fetch number thirty-four! The quicker we get all the useless ones, we can get to the main show!" a man with a gruff and squeaky voice called out. A few more voices grunted and the clinking of keys caught the attention of not only I but those that were around me. The ones whimpering and praying took a loud gulp of air, the one walking back and forth stopped and I could only sense dread all around me. Have I been able to sense so much since before? This seems quite new.
I couldn't tell if hours passed by, but the more numbers were called out the more people cried out. Some begged that they will do anything to avoid whatever was going to happen. I heard the scratching of nails against the floor, the effort bear no reward as the door has been shut once more and the screams of those that passed continued to disappear further.
What's going to happen to me? And what is this main show?
"That's it, lads! Time for the star!" The sound of keys and footsteps were getting closer to where I was. My cell door was opened and big hands grabbed my arms, lifting me off the ground harshly. I could've sworn that my sockets were pulled off.
The sudden burst of light made me go blind for a second. But when I saw where I was.
'By Auriel... an underground market?!' my voice screamed at me. My legs were shaking. I was in a slave market, this cannot be happening. By Akatosh, I beg the divines that this is not one of their numerous tricks!
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Let me present you, the almighty Dragonborn of Tamriel- Rinoa Stellar!" the host yelled out, and from the way he yelled it out, he seemed proud that he had me as the prize of the show. The awes of the crowd made my anxiety spike to levels I never imagined.
I want Alduin. I just want to be home, safe in his arms- but there is none. Even when I go back, the inevitable will occur either way.
"Starting price will be 10,000 septims!" others screamed at the host that the price was ridiculous. Even I could say that the price was ridiculous. What am I thinking?! I'm, not the one being sold, I shouldn't be thinking about how much I am worth!
The bidders continued to raise the numbers, I couldn't believe my ears when I heard someone went straight to 500,000 septims. The bastard had that much money, only to use it for his own gain. If I had that much, I probably would've donated it to the temples and help build communities! Not looking for a whore to satisfy one's needs!
The host was about to officially sell me when a tremor silenced the whole room. The tremor was noticeable but it was not loud. Then it started to repeat, but with each tremor, it got louder. A loud scream was heard before the ceiling collapsed and the ground split. I watched helplessly as the floor continued to split. I looked around for any way to get away but my hands were bound and there was nothing useless around to cut the ropes.
Then I was falling.
I landed harshly on the bottom, my body rolled further down for nothing was able to stop it. I caught glimpses of bodies, bent, impaled or crushed. I felt blood as I rolled, and I felt disgusted at the feeling. Blood was nothing new to me but for that disgusting liquid seemed to irritate my skin.
My body finally stopped rolling, but my head was still spinning, disorientated. Thankfully, the rope seemed to have loosened. Looking for a sharp object or ledge, I was able to break free from the rope. Now that my blood is circulating my hands once more, I can try and look for any exits. Surely even an earthquake can reveal a hidden passage or two.
"Where the hell am I?" I asked to no one particular. Wherever I was, it seemed to be a ruin. If I wasn't mistaken, an elven ruin.
"Must I help you all the time?" a voice rang out. I spun around the room, looking for the person. There was none. However, a glowing body was looking at me, and it got closer.
"You are the Dragonborn, you cannot afford being so distracted nor can you afford to be weak!" the figure yelled. I had a feeling I knew who it was.
I pinched the bridge of my nose "Akatosh? Please, help me out"
"I already did"
"May you at least tell me where I am"
"No."
"Why not?"
Akatosh merely turned his head away and disappeared. For a divine that is supposed to be quite helpful, he certainly is an ass towards me. Well, I wouldn't blame him. I had been killing his creations after all. Actually, his moodiness reminded me of a certain someone.
This will be a long trip back home it seems...
Alduin paced around the room, aiming to make a trench with his pacing. Not really but that was what Silk was getting from what she was observing.
"Calm your ass down, she'll be fine. She did survive you" Alduin snarled at her.
Rinka sighed "That is not helping Silk" Silk threw her hands up in the air, giving up, She stomped out of the room muttering how people would rather see her gone than get her help. The older sister sighed once again, gazing out of the window, hoping that Alduin will be able to restrain himself from being too careless.
Footsteps rushed towards her "Rinka! We received news about Rinoa!" the halfling whipped her head towards Ondolemar who looked as if he just read the most distressing news.
"Jarl of Whiterun does confirm our worries, the Dragonborn has been kidnapped and witnesses reported of seeing a strange caravan go west" he reported as if he was a mere recruit once more.
Alduin wasted no time and hurried for the door "What are we waiting for?! My prey has been stolen from me! The Dovs are all mine!" the World Eater announced loudly and menacingly. Rinka could see the shadow of his former self-emerge from the greed of having the Dragonborn all to himself.
May the divines have mercy on Rinka's poor sanity.