A Warrior is Born
Raja stabbed at the thick nix-hound meat with his fork and quickly chewed it, as though he was expecting it to sprout legs and run through the door. He continued to do this for several minutes, too distracted by the succulent meat to notice anything in the background. When he had devoured the meat he moved on to the large goblet set before his plate and chugged its contents. Once the wine had slithered down his throat and settled into his stomach, he stretched and leaned back in his chair with a content growl.
The Andus Tradehouse was much more crowded than usual. The entire bar was a congregation of drunken patrons, each bellowing in laughter or drowning their sorrows in alcohol. Several serving girls hustled their way through the crowded tables balancing enormous plates of food on their heads, all the while struggling to watch their footing. At one moment an entire table had left the room after a large meal, only to be replaced seconds later by an even larger crowd. For almost every person that walked out, two people took their place.
Raja could hear music floating up from downstairs. The melody was rather festive and lifted his heavy sprits, forcing a smile between his lips. He could hear people laughing and cheering, and he could feel the floor bounce with each of their steps. His smile was short-lived, however, as memories of his past returned to haunt him. Memories of his terrible childhood, and of his life in prison. Memories of his first love, Ahnassi, who loved him so much she was willing to die for him, and who he loved so much that he was willing to do more than die for her. The memories came so fast, so sudden. He found his entire life flashing before his eyes, from his horrid youth until now. The same loop of dreams repeated so often, so fast, that the world began to spin around him. The tan clay walls of the restaurant began to change colors and advance on him, steadily coming together, ready to crush him. He saw the door, still and unmoving, only a few feet away, but for some reason he couldn't get himself to stand. The walls began to push against his chest and his back. He could feel his ribcage collapse and his eyes began to squeeze out of his head. He would have died in that dream, had he not heard a little girl's voice calling to him.
"Are you okay?"
Raja forced his eyes open with a start, and glanced at his surroundings. Dozens of people were crowded around the tables, chatting idly and swigging mugs of booze. He could hear the music floating through his head, though there was a different tune this time. He noticed the subtle 'clank' of glass rebounding off of glass, and the scraping of leather shoes against stone. He noticed the hot, stale air and the dark lighting. He shook his head to rid himself of the dream, and looked at the little girl with a smile. "I'm fine." He replied. The girl smiled back and looked down onto her plate, then began to poke and prod at the thick slice of meat in front of her with her eyes down. Raja stared at her for several moments, then sighed. "Not hungry, are you?"
The girl raised her eyes and shook her head.
"I understand," said Raja. He leaned forward. "But I really recommend that you eat something. Just to get your strength back in case that ever happens again."
The girl nodded, but only continued to jab at the meat. Raja sighed and leaned back in his chair, signaling a nearby Dunmer waitress. She turned and set a plate down on an empty corner of the bar, then wiped her hands on her filthy smock and leisurely made her way to the table. "What, s'wit?" She asked with an exasperated sigh, putting her arms on her hips and leaning to one side. Raja glanced at her with his eye cocked and said nothing. "What do you want?" She asked louder. "Speak up or scram."
Raja continued to stare at her. "Excuse me, but do you have the slightest clue who I am?"
The waitress looked him up and down several times, shaking her head. "No, outlander, and I don't really care. But whoever you are, you owe a tab of fifty drakes, so pay the bill or else I will personally notify the guards." She turned and walked away. Raja groaned and faced the girl.
"No respect," he sighed. "No respect at all. You see now what I have to put up with everyday?"
The girl didn't speak. She only continued to play with her food. Raja yawned, and leaned forward on the table.
"So, girl, tell me about yourself. What is your name?"
The girl brought her face closer to her plate, almost burying herself in her food, and mumbled something under her breath. Raja leaned in closer. "What was that?" He asked.
"I don't have a name," she said a little louder. "I never met my parents."
Raja nodded and bit his lip. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" The girl shook her head. "Then how have you been surviving?"
The girl paused for a moment. "Sometimes the magic people would let me sleep in their beds."
"Magic people?" Asked Raja. "Oh, you mean the mage's guild?"
"Yes," the girl replied. "They were very nice to me. They gave me food when I never had any. A nice man gave me clothes, too, when my old ones were torn. They even told me about you."
What would they have to say about me? Raja asked himself. "You've been living by yourself for a long time?"
"Yes." Said the girl. "As long as I can remember."
"I see." Said Raja. He paused, taking a moment to stretch, and looked around the room momentarily. For the first time, he noticed he was the only Argonian in the entire room. As a matter of fact, he was the only non-Dunmer in the entire room. However, none seemed to notice. They were either too busy indulging themselves in alcohol or engaged in conversation with the person sitting next to them. When his muscles were relaxed, he leaned back into the table and brought his voice down considerably. "Tell me, girl. Why have you been coming to my house? Why have you been bothering me?"
The girl looked at him with wide eyes and said nothing. Suddenly, she broke out into tears. "I'm sorry," she said. "I wasn't trying to bother you. I wanted to ask you a question, but every time I got nervous and ran away."
Raja paused and looked on with pity. He wasn't entirely sure how to respond. All this time, he thought the girl was playing tricks on him. Perhaps she still was, but the fact that she was still sitting in front of him crying her eyes out told him otherwise. "No, it's my fault," he replied. "I wrongly accused you. I should not have jumped to conclusions the way I did. But now, I'm listening. You may ask me any question you like."
The girl hesitated for some time. She looked into Raja's eyes, and her tears reflected the dim lamps. "Can you teach me how to be a warrior?"
For a moment, Raja had a bewildered look on his face, but a smile suddenly creased his lips. "Is that all?" He asked gleefully, his voice substantially louder. The girl jumped in surprise at his response.
"Well, y-yes," she stammered. "A-as long a-as it's n-not a pro-problem."
"A problem?" Asked Raja in laughter. "You, girl, have the build of a natural warrior! I should be asking you for lessons!" The girl smiled. "But I must ask, what made you come to me? I would've assumed that those idio…those wonderful men and women at the mage's guild would have told you nothing good of me."
"Yes, they told me what you did and how you were ex-expe-expelled," she struggled to pronounce the word, "but they also told me that deep down you were a good person, and that being in your hands is for the best."
"They said that, huh?" Said Raja with a chuckle. "Well, did they tell you what I did besides that?"
"Yes. They told me that you used to be a great hero."
Used to be? Thought Raja. The girl continued. "They told me that you killed gods, and that's why I came to you. To ask you if you could teach me."
"How to kill gods?" Asked Raja with a laugh.
"No," replied the girl. "How to use a sword."
"Surely, traveling through the wilderness, you've had at least some experience with a blade."
The girl nodded. "A long time ago, I found a dagger lying in the road."
"What kind of dagger?" Asked Raja curiously. "Can I see it?" He put his hand out, palm up, on top of the table. The girl looked at it with a surprised expression, her eyes traveling back and forth between Raja's eyes and his fingers. She clutched the dagger at her side, but held her hand there, unsure whether or not she wanted to unsheathe it. "Please, girl, hand me the dagger. I want to help you. You can trust me."
The girl paused for a moment, then closed her eyes and placed a rusty iron dagger in Raja's waiting hand. The Argonian immediately began inspecting the blade, twisting it in his hand and holding it at odd angles. His eyes quickly scanned the surface and the handle, and after a minute he threw it down with an exasperated sigh. It was nothing more than a plain iron dagger. "This wont do," he said to the girl. "In the morning, we'll get you a new dagger. I know a smithy down the street who can offer us an excellent price."
The girl's eyes beamed with excitement. "So, it's okay? You can train me?"
Raja smiled. "Of course. It will be my pleasure." The girl jumped off her seat with a grin and nearly wrapped her arms around Raja, but hesitated for a moment and drew back in fright.
"It's okay, girl." Said Raja. "I won't hurt you."
The girl paused for a moment, considering, then slowly began to put her arms around Raja. She began to squeeze him very gently as he did the same. The girl began to feel peaceful as she felt Raja's massive form pressing against her, almost like a feeling of comfort and protection. She felt at ease around the enormous Argonian, and as she held her head against his chest she began to cry.
"I won't hurt you." Raja repeated, hearing the girl whimper in his arms. "You need not worry about a bed tonight. You can use mine. I have a bedroll lying around somewhere that I can use."
The girl was quiet for several moments, then spoke. "When can I start my training, sera?"
"Please girl, call me Raja. I don't know any good Dunmer names, though. In the meantime, I shall call you Matsami. Matsami the Apprentice. How do you like that?"
The girl nodded. "I like that."
"Good. Now that we're familiar with one another, I would like a mile from you."
The girl looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Come on, girl!" Said Raja as he rose from his seat. "You want to learn how to become a warrior. A fighter doesn't just use his arms in combat. You must be balanced in all aspects of both physical and mental strength."
Raja went over to the bar and gave the barkeep fifty golden drakes. Matsami stood and followed him to the door, which he had held open for her. Outside, the morning chill made way for the afternoon heat and sparse clouds dotted the azure sky. Raja began to jog and Matsami followed closely. In a matter of seconds, they left behind the city walls along with several curious glances from nearby guards, and picked up their paces. Several times, Matsami caught her skirt on herself and tripped, but Raja was right there to help her up.
"I scaled Red Mountain in full ebony armor," he said. "When you can do that, this part of our training will be over."
Matsami nodded and groaned as she tripped again. However, she rose back onto her feet, clenched her teeth, and ran faster.