A/N: Hey, hey, crazy bananas! It's ME! I had to get up early since my mom had company, so I figured: "Why not write a little bit in my fanfiction?"
Okay, before the story starts, I have some things to mention. No, no, nothing bad, so take that fearful look off your face. 22dreamer commented saying that there should be a relationship between Brynjolf and Sarila. There is going to be a relationship, and it will include Sarila, but not necessarily with Brynjolf. Don't worry, I have a plan for a relationship with Brynjolf, but Sarila's going to wind up with someone else eventually.
As I mentioned before, I'm going to go in-depth about Ysgrig's story after his family's death, and I'm going to continue going into detail about Sarila and Ytri's time together. I'm going to implement some of the OC's in the questlines, but be warned: not all of them will survive. Who lives and who dies is a mystery for now, but I have the entire outline of the story written out on my iPod, so I just have to add details and dialogues.
Enough talk! The story begins NOW!
Sarila had woken up early that morning, her golden locks shrouding her face. She swept the pesky hair from her view and exhaled, staring blankly into the seared slaughterfish on her plate. She picked up her fork and began to cut into the seared slaughterfish. "Need a knife for that?" Hulda, who was rooting around in some cabinets, asked. Sarila merely shrugged and shook her head in response, her hair swaying with each movement she made.
Sarila was so focused on devouring her food that she'd hardly noticed a familiar redhead girl enter the bar and sit in the barstool next to her. "A bottle of ale, please." The girl spoke, her braids dangling behind her as she looked around the bar. Hulda nodded and pulled an orange bottle of ale from the shelf of the counter. "Five Septims, please." The girl nodded and dug in her satchel, pulling out five golden Septims. One stray Septim rolled off the counter and under Sarila's barstool.
Sarila heard the clinking of the coin and reached down to pick it up for the girl. She handed the Septim to the redhead, who smiled at her. "Thank ye, miss." Sarila nodded and continued eating her slaughterfish meal as the girl paid Hulda, who handed over the bottle of ale. Sarila noticed a familiar accent in the girl's voice, one that she noted was similar to Brynjolf's. The girl turned to Sarila, sipping on her ale. "You know, your hair's as gold as the Septims, miss. I envy you." She complimented.
Sarila turned to the girl and smiled. "Thank you!" Sarila suddenly looked closer at the girl. She had the same red hair and braids as the girl in the cart. Her pale skin was burned in several places, and a large cut was evident on her forehead. This time, the girl was conscious, and Sarila noted that the girl's eyes were ice blue. "You seem awfully familiar, were you, by any chance, in a cart yesterday?" Sarila asked curiously.
The mysterious girl's smile fled from her face, and her lips quivered. "There…there was an attack on Helgen…a dragon. I was trying to cross the border a few days ago, and there were some Stormcloaks and Imperials and…and…one of them clocked me on the head, and I just…" The girl stumbled over her words, fear in her icy eyes. "So many people…I could feel the blood of the man who was beheaded before me on the block. Right as the executioner lifted his mighty axe, an enormous, black dragon landed on the tower behind him. It used some kind of…magic." She explained.
Sarila's face grew worried, and she slightly raised her right eyebrow. "Magic?" The redhead nodded. "Aye, it began shouting all this nonsense. Couldn't make a word of it out. It knocked the executioner to the ground. It saved my life, but killed so many people. I can't forget the smell of burning flesh." Sarila's blood once again froze. Lyvette's nightmare came true.
"You don't have to say anymore, it's fine. I saw the exact same dragon fly over the city yesterday; it headed up into the mountains." Sarila informed the girl. "At any rate, my name is Sarila. It's nice to meet you." Sarila held out her hand for a handshake. The girl took Sarila's hand with a warm smile. "My name is Valelia Sharp-Sun. Most people just call me Valie, though." Valelia took a sip of her ale.
"I'm sorry this happened to you, Valie. Gods know what you've been through, and at the age of, hmm…sixteen, I'm guessing?" Sarila asked. "Actually, I turn eighteen next month." Valie answered. "Oh, you're older than I'd perceived you to be. I'm seventeen, and so's my twin brother." "It was certainly lucky to escape that place. People tend to underestimate young women, but I had Ralof on my side, and things turned out alright." "Who's Ralof?" Sarila asked. "Ralof is a Stormcloak soldier. He was one of the men in the cart with me. He helped me out of Helgen keep, and convinced his sister to give us a place to stay in her house in Riverwood." Sarila smiled at the sound of someone so benevolent. There were bandits, thieves, assassins, and murderers, but there were still good Samaritans out there in the world.
"Ralof seems like a noble character. My father wanted to join the Stormcloaks. Too bad he died before he got the chance." Sarila frowned. "What happened? Sickness? Accident?" "Thalmor." Valie nodded in sympathy. "Aye, my parents are out there somewhere. I don't know what happened to them or where they are, but I don't care to find out. They're probably still in Cyrodiil." Sarila grew very curious for a moment as to why Valelia was in Whiterun. "Say, what brings you to Whiterun anyway?" Sarila inquired, forking another piece of seared slaughterfish in her mouth. "I came here to warn Jarl Balgruuf about the return of the dragons. Riverwood is going to need some more troops in case that sinister sneak decides to strike there next."
"What about you? What are you doing in Whiterun, Sarila?" Valie asked with a look of curiosity. "I came here to complete a job for a contact in Riften. In my line of work, you have to be stealthy, and you need a golden tongue." Valie thought for a moment before parting her plump lips to speak. "I've never been to Riften. I've been to Solitude, even Morthal, but not Riften. What's it like there?" She asked. "It had a fall from glory, but there's still plenty to do. There's a market full of shops, a fishery, and, of course, the renowned Temple of Mara." Sarila explained. "I've heard of the Thieves' Guild, and their presence beneath the sewers. I'm not entirely certain, but I might consider joining up. I've heard there's plenty of coin in that business." Valelia whispered.
Sarila smiled slightly. "Well, I don't know who told you that information, but it's correct. The Thieves' Guild does a lot of dirty work, but the benefits are unspeakable. That's why I'm here; the contact is allied with the Thieves' Guild. Therefore, I am required to do her bidding here." Sarila explained. Valie nodded before leaning in to quietly whisper in Sarila's ear. "Well, my mind is probably made up, then. I'll join the Thieves' Guild first chance I get. It looks like you and I will be seeing more of each other. That is, when I actually have time to join." Valelia whispered. Sarila nodded and smiled as Valie went back to sipping on her ale.
"Sis, we'd better leave for home now. It looks like it's going to storm later." Ysgrig called, strolling down the stairs. "Alright, I'll meet you at the gate." Sarila replied, forking more slaughterfish into her mouth. Ysgrig nodded and exited the inn. "I assume that was your brother?" Valie asked just as Sarila polished off her meal. "Indeed. We have to head back to The Rift now. We'll meet again soon, Valelia. You take care of yourself now, you hear?" Valelia giggled and nodded, pouring more ale down her throat. "Goodbye, Sarila!" She called as Sarila walked out the door, lugging her pack with her.
"Who was that? Friend of yours?" Ysgrig asked as the two walked across the barren fields of Skyrim. "Yes, her name is Valelia. She was one of the prisoners in the carts we saw yesterday." Sarila answered, sidestepping a large rock. "You know, sis, I thought she looked awful familiar." Ysgrig mused. Sarila grunted and tugged on the rough strap of her pack. "She was lucky to escape the dragon attack at Helgen. Stendarr has been incredibly generous." Sarila casually stated. Ysgrig, however, did not expect that statement to leave Sarila's mouth, and his jaw practically fell to the ground.
"Helgen was attacked by the dragon?!" Ysgrig asked in shock. Sarila sighed. "Yes. Valelia was next in line for execution when the dragon swooped down and attacked. It's kind of ironic, really. He saved Valelia's life, yet slaughtered dozens of other people. Gods know who else got out alive." "Shor's bones. Why have the Gods confounded Nirn so?" Ysgrig breathed.
"It's a mystery in itself where the dragon emerged from. Some sort of gaping hole in Oblivion, maybe?" Sarila theorized as she walked, stopping when she realized she had carelessly stumbled into a thick puddle of mud. "Perhaps. Maybe the dragon is Akatosh. Either seems plausible." Ysgrig told a grumbling Sarila, who was busy pulling her boot out of the mud.
Further down the road, the twins had made their way into The Rift. "I still don't understand how Lyvette could have a dream that predicted the exact events of Helgen. This could either be a blessing or a curse." Sarila mused. Ysgrig shrugged. "This Lyvette girl seems to have an important role in your life. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought she was your daughter." Ysgrig chuckled. Sarila smiled. "No, but she's very close to one. That little girl has survived for so long on her own, it's a miracle. I'm just glad I found her when I did. Those wolves can be awfully dangerous." Sarila shuddered as she thought of Lyvette's fate if she hadn't rescued her from the wolves.
"Sarila, look! We're almost home!" Ysgrig giddily grinned as he pointed to the familiar structure of the old fortress in the distance. "Race you there!" He beamed. "Not like you'll win, anyway!" Sarila laughed as the two took off.