Blindness
by Deunan and Hawkings.
Nero.
~~~*~~~
Xochi trotted along the rock paths quietly.
Nothing in sight, rocks, grass, birds, some wolves but not enough to brave up and attack her.
"Good morning... uh, ma'am." A man said riding his own horse, was shocked to see a woman with such skin.
"Good morning Sir." She replied looking onward.
"Are you from here?" She asked. "Yes, what do you need?" He answered, surprised she didn't recognized his armor.
"Well, I don't know where I am, can you show me to the nearest city?" She asked.
"Of course ma'am. Where are you from though?" He asked as he turned his horse to parrel hers.
"Just a long ways, that's all." She answered, trying not to be rude. "Very well, let me take you to Chorrol, it's the closest city."
She followed him until the city was in sight.
"Thank you sir." She said and slightly bowed. "No, thank you for the company ma'am, us guards don't get much." He smiled back.
"Guards? Of what?" He laughed. "I'm an Imperial guard, I guard these lands from criminals." He answered.
"Imperial City? Is that a larger city then this?" He smiled even wider.
"Ma'am, do you have a place to stay? Relatives? Friends?" He asked, "No. No one I know is here, this is my first time in this land."
"How about I take you to the Imperial City, lot's of guards, less crime." He offered.
"I don't know, what difference would that make?" She looked at him thinking other thoughts.
"At the Waterfront, the poor of the Imperial City live there, they are all kind hearted and they will more then likely take you in." He explained.
"Don't worry, It'll be fine." He tried to encourage her.
"Very well." She slowly walked with him.
"Good, it's not too far from here, our horses will take us twice as fast." He watched she slowed her horse to a common walk.
"Event horse?" He asked as he watched the horses regal appearence.
"Well trained. The people I live with were very wealthy."
"What about you?" She turned quickly to him.
"What about me?" She asked as if offended. "I mean, around here there's no one with white skin, what about your... umm... race?" He covered for himself, hoping she didn't think that he meant she was an event animal.
"I'm the last." Turning her gaze he sighed. "That must be rough." He took off his helmet and strapped it on the side of the saddle.
"Quite. Hold up high, being hidden from the world is a strange thing."
"You don't seem troubled."
"I never did seem troubled, I am just now troubled." Pleased to hear she didn't loook bad she thought of a lighter reply.
"Now? You mean by me taking you to the Imperial City? I'm sorry if I worry you, I don't mean to!" He stumbled for words.
"Oh no! Not you, just why I am here, that's all."
He looked forward for a moment.
"Why are you here?" He finally asked.
"Long story." She answered. "We've got a long ride and I'm a good listener." He smiled and got a smile back.
"There's a smile!" He laughed and she joined in.
"Alright then... It's sort of complicated so please listen closely." She asked.
For hours she told her story as they traveled and the guard was right, he was a good listener because it will take five hours to reach the Imperial City.
At times he asked for explainations, like 'What is the most High?'
She would easily explain even though he seemed almost completely dimwited in her life, people like him without any idea about any of the culture would be considered a slow one.
Though she ignored that she slowly came to realize she is exactly the same way to him, she doesn't know what 'The Nine' are, or what the 'Imperial City' was, so technically since she is in his lands she would be considered the slow one.
She explained many cultural differences in the races back home, how some are private and some are public.
Soon, she came to her own and he was so drawn into her teachings that he almost completely forgot that he was thirty one instead of four again and back in the schools learning about his own culture and that of others.
Her talk of her world was almost unbelievable and normally someone would consider her insane but since the details are so very well perfected he was forced to believe her.
She told him about the first trip she's ever been on to now, her greatest day and her worst which, unfortunatly was today.
"Oh, I'm Xochiquetzal, a pleasure to meet you." She offered her hand. "I'm Nero." He took her hand.
"That's quite the story Xochiquetzal..." He said as he returned his attention to the city.
"We're here." He pointed to the city. "That's beautiful!" She smiled.
"It's the White Gold Tower, it's been there for a very long time."
"I can believe it!" She touched his shoulder. "You lost it there." He shook his head, "Yes I did, come on, let's go, the Waterfront is just beyond the gates."
"Come, leave your horse at the gate." He jumped off his and helped her off hers and took them both to the stables to keep until they desire them again.
"Which way?" She asked, "Just through the gates, come on I'm taking you anyways." He grinned and she put her arm on his for security.
"I've never been so opened." Nero looked at her after closing the gates.
"What do you mean?" He asked offering his arm again. "I had always been forced to wear this vail that covered my completely, I know I'm wearing it now but it's torn and useless now, it doesn't hide me anymore." She explained.
"I remember now, people would not stop staring at you when you traveled, so they made you wear cover."
She held tighter as people came and went, passed close by her and people who spotted her stared.
Nero noticed her holding tighter and felt the necessity to comfort her.
"Only a little further." He whispered to her and she relaxed.
"Why are the poor on the most beautiful piece of land?" She asked. "How do you know it's the most beautiful?"
"Waterfront? It's by water, right? Naturally spaces on the water are more expencive then ones away from it." He nodded.
"I thought that a long time ago too, and to answer your question, I don't know why..." He grinned.
"Ah, here's the waterfront." The gates opened and small tipping shacks came into view.
"Oh. It's beautiful." She walked on ahead.
"Come, let's see if anyone will give you shelter, at least for the night."
"Why don't I stay with you?" She asked.
"Well, my home is in Bravil, as is my wife and son, but it would take too long to reach Bravil and you wanted to come to the Imperial City anyways." He answered and she thought about it and soon laughed.
"Stay behind me." He said as they approached a door.
A woman came to it after Nero knocked.
"A guard? What do you want? I didn't do nothin'." The woman who answered quickly became nervous.
"No worries ma'am. I'm not here as an Imperial guard but rather looking for a home for the night for this younf lady, perferably a home that is owned by a woman instead of a man." He explained.
"Why doesn't she got a home?" The woman leaned on the door frame.
"She's traveled a long way to reach Cyrodiil and this is her first time here, unfortunatly where she is from her currency is different and she has no relatives or friends in all Tamriel."
The woman with pointed ears looked at Xochi up and down.
"For one night? Or does she need to stay for a while longer?" The womans nervous attitude turned into deep appreciation for Nero.
"One night, in the morning I'll take her to my home in Bravil so she may stay with my wife. I don't wish to bother you and if you can't do this, please don't worry." He tried to make himself and Xochi appear like two lonely souls without a home.
"She won't be a burden, unless she's picky about dinners." The woman smilied. "I'm Noki and I'll care for her well enough until you want to pick her up." The woman introduced herself.
"Thank you ma'am, I'll be sure to let you go on your next crime." Nero joked and the woman laughed.
"I guess you just manged to escape during apprihension." Noki laughed harder.
"I'm Nero and her name is Xochiquetzal." He greeted Xochi.
"I'll be back in the morning, I promise." He turned to Xochi and she hugged him quickly before entering the house.
The woman showed Xochi to a sitting area and Xochi relaxed.
"I thank you for your hospitality miss Noki."
"Think nothing of it, I couldn't very well let you go out and be stuck in the rain! I'd never forgive myself, pretty girl like you, things happen around here." Noki took soup to the table.
"Things?" She asked.
"Yeah, some bad, some good, but all around fine by us Waterfront folk, nobody bothers us since we ain't got nothing and if something does we all protect ourselves as well as the guards protect us. It's simple living and I like it."
"I saw that you all live next to the water, it must be wonder living here." Xochi expressed envy which she never had before.
"How sweet of you to say that! Not many people envy us for our homes though..." Noki looked around.
"It may be tipping and old but at least it has a story then some cold dark home built from nothing else but mortar and rock and wood." Xochi showed Noki some upsides.
"What else do you build homes out of?"
"Love. This isn't just some home, it's a house that carries a story of you, Noki. It says that your a nice, beautiful, and wise grown woman and that you express more love in joy in your life then anybody in the entire Imperial City!" Noki laughed.
"You know your way with words, huh?"
"I've practiced." Xochi grinned her teeth wide.
"I know this is inappropriate, but what are you?"
"We have two names from two different lands, very different lands. Aeronwen, which is from the Northern lands of the Tyr'ong cultures and from around my lands we are called Leocadia." Xochi said.
"Okay then Sock, I'm sure you don't know what I am so I'll explain too." Noki could tell.
"And you're absolutely right, I do not know what you are." Xochi agreed.
"I'm what typically people call a Dark Elf, but we prefer Dunmer, we're naturally dark skinned and red eyed, the man you came with is an Imperial, the native race to Cyrodiil." She said.
"Any other races I should be aware of?"
"Well, the Argonians are lizard-like people who are native to The Blash Marsh..."