Chapter 6: Oh for Talos's shake..

Honorhall orphanage. That's what the board says. On first glance, the building doesn't look much. I could've easily mistaken it for a normal house, if that board wasn't there. Oh well. I open the door and walk inside. First thing I see is a big table, big enough to let 8 people eat at it. It smells like cinnamon and other cosy stuff. This seems like a nice place. But that image shatters as I hear an old woman talk.

"Those who shirk their duties will get an extra beating. Do I make myself clear?"

Excuse me?! I walk around a corner to see 4 kids standing in front of an old woman, who has her arms crossed. The poor things are shaking in fear, which I hear in their voices as they reply; "Yes Grelod.."

"And one more thing! I will hear no more talk of adoptions! None of you riff-raff is getting adopted. Ever! Nobody needs you, nobody wants you. That, my darlings, is why you're here. Why you will always be here, until the day you come of age and get thrown into that wide, horrible world. Now, what do you all say?"

"We love you, Grelod. Thank you for your kindness."

"That's better. Now scurry off, my little guttersnipes."

My blood is practically boiling now. How dare she. How dare she talk to little children like that?! How old are they? 11? One of kids, a brunette boy, looks up at me. He seems to check if that hag is gone, then he whispers out to me. "Please, lady. You got to get me out of here. Ever since Aventus left, Grelod's been even meaner than usual. I swear, she's going to kill one of us."

It feels like a dagger just cut through my soul hearing his words. I stare at the room the hag just went in. How dare she. I walk towards it and close the door behind me. Grelod looks up and scowls.

"What do you want? You have no business being in here!"

I keep an emotionless mask and walk towards her. She doesn't even flinch. "What are you staring at, you worthless piece of gutter trash? I simply must start locking the doors again-"

She doesn't even get to finish her sentence, as I punch her in the face. Now, it was meant to be a punch that said "How dare you hurt these kids". But sadly, this old woman is.. well.. old. She tumbles over, her neck hitting the headboard of her bed. I heard a sickening crack and then she goes limp. Oh crap. I back away slowly. Crap. Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap. And that's when I made the stupidest decision of my entire life.

I ran.

I just ran out of the room, probably scaring the children outta their wits, and ran out of the building. I didn't stop running until I found a quiet place near the docks. Getting there, I curl up in a ball on the ground. By Azura.. Did I just kill someone AGAIN?! I curse up a storm under my breath. What the hell is wrong with me?!

But it felt good, didn't it?

Shut up brain!

But you liked it. Don't deny it. You felt good hearing that hag's neck snap like a twig.

I shudder. Did I really..?

"Sarafina? Is that you?" I look up to see Suntail standing a few meters away from me. I sit up, feeling myself shake slightly. Suntail walks towards me. "Hey.. What's wrong?" She squats down next to me, and I break. I pull her in for a hug, shaking uncontrollably. She seems surprised, but pats my back nonetheless.

"Hey.. There, there.. It's okay.. Tell me what's wrong."

"I.. I.. I-I.. By the divines.. I-I never meant it.. I never m-meant to k-kill her.." Suntail suddenly pulls away and looks me dead in the eyes. "What? What are you taking about? Who did you kill?" I bite my lip. "T-that hag in the.. the orphanage.. She.. She was being so mean to those children.. and.. and I.. I just.. I punched her.. But she fell.. And.. And b-broke her neck.." It's silent for a while. And suddenly Suntail chuckles. I look at her in surprise. "W-why are you laughing?"

"That hag is finally dead? By Mara, I should give you a prize!"

Wow. And I thought this girl couldn't get weirder.

"W-w-w-what?!"

Suntail chuckles. "Oh please, don't be so surprised. That old hag would've been dead for years if I was brave enough to do it myself."

She seems to notice my confusion. "I was in the orphanage when I was small. My real parents died during a bandit raid when I was 9. I hid, and was found by a friendly merchant lady. She took me to Honorhall, and Grelod was nice to me for about 5 minutes. Then she turned evil against me, and picked on me more because I'm a Khajit. Luckily, when I was 13, I was adopted by that same merchant lady who found me. Been living with her for 5 years now."

"You seem to have as much as a fudged up life as me." I mutter, and Suntail chuckles slightly.

"We're all a bit fudged up. But don't feel so sorry about what happened. That hag deserved worse than a broken neck." She offers me a hand. "So come on, get up and dry those tears. Look at the bright side, those kids won't be tormented by that hag anymore, right?"

I sniffle and take her hand. "I.. I guess you're right.. But still.."

"Did you mean to kill her?"

"No! No of course not!"

But it did feel good to hear that old neck snap like a.. SHUT UP!

"That's what matters. That means you're not like those cutthroats out in the wild."

I nod, but there's still that little nagging noise in my head. Did I like it? My moral feeling says no, but my head and heart.. say otherwise. Oh for the love of Azura.. I'm not turning into a murderer, am I?

"Thanks Suntail. I'm really thankful for last night as well. It's been a while since people managed to comfort me enough. Most people just.. back away at my attitude."

"Don't mention it. I know how to break through people's shell. I'm just glad I could help." She smiles. "Tell you what, how about we go get a drink together? I'll pay." I give a small smile back. "Yeah.. Yeah, that sounds good."

*Time skip to after having a drink or 2 with our furry friend*

Suntail and I began talking with each other, of course with a good bottle of Black Briar mead in front of us. I told her about my life, how I got to Skyrim and how my family was like. Suntail listens to me full of interest. "So you're a half-blood? That sounds so cool! I never knew children were possible between Elves and Humans."

"It's rare, but sometimes it happens. Us Elves are very.. pure-blood driven, so they almost never have a relationship that intimate with humans or other races. The whole idea that other races may 'spoil the bloodline' sounds like complete crap to me though."

Suntail giggles slightly at my statement. "I believe I have a cousin somewhere who's half Orc, half Khajit. He's.. very.. well, how do I say it.. He has enormous fangs and his fur is muddy-green."

"Well, he sounds handsome." We both laugh.

Suntail takes a sip of her drink. "So, what are you planning to do now? I mean, you could find a job around here, right?"

I shrug. "Maybe I should go to Windhelm. A friend of mine is a Stormcloak soldier. I could join them." Suntail raises an eyebrow. "A Stormcloak? You want to join the Stormcloaks?" I shrug again. "I could. It's better than just wandering from city to city. And it's for a greater good."

Suntail smiles. "Sounds like you already got a plan." I chuckle, shaking my head. "Well, it's my best choice for now."

*Time skip to later, because.. well.. I'M JUST LAZY 'KAY?*

After saying goodbye to Suntail, I exited the city. The guards began trembling at the sight of me, but I just smiled and gave them a small wave. I grin as one of the guards almost faints. I breath in deeply.

Well, here we go again.

Luckily Windhelm isn't that far from Riften, so I reach the city in the beginning of the afternoon. Sadly, this is the one of the chilliest parts of Skyrim. Shivering, I pull my cloak closer around me, puffs of steam escaping my mouth, while I go through the gates.

And the first thing I see, is two male Nords harassing a female Dark Elf. Sigh.

"You come here where you're not wanted, you eat our food, you pollute our city with your stink and you refuse to help the Stormcloaks." Says the first Nord. The woman makes a shocked sound, trying to defend herself. "B-but we haven't taken a side because it's not our fight." The second Nord suddenly pipes in. "Hey, maybe the reason these grey-skins don't help in the war is because they're Imperial spies!"

I facepalm. Really?

"Imperial spies? Y-You can't be serious!" The woman stutters. The first Nord grabs her by her collar, bringing his face close to hers.

"Maybe we'll pay you a visit tonight, little spy. We got ways of finding out what you really are."

And he throws her on the ground. And here, is where I draw the line. The two men walk off snickering, and I walk towards the woman. She sighs, but her face turns grim seeing me standing in front of her.

"Do you hate the dark elves? Are you here to bully us and tell us to leave?" I raise an eyebrow and point to myself. "Uhm.. Don't know if you noticed, but I'm an Elf too. And even if I wasn't, I wouldn't hate you."

She snorts. "You've come to the wrong city, then. Windhelm's a haven of prejudice and narrow thinking, unworthy of one such as you."

I snort as well and help her up, glancing at the backs of the two men who are walking away. "Are you okay though? Those idiots were being pretty rough on you."

The woman shrugs. "Nothing new there. Most of the Nords living in Windhelm don't care much for us, but Rolff is the worst by far. He likes to get drunk and walk around the Grey Quarter yelling insults at us in the small hours of the morning. A real charmer, that one."

I chuckle. "Sounds like most Nords. But why in Oblivion would they think you're a spy?"

"Some of these Nords will come up with any excuse to despise us. And it isn't just the dark elves they hate, they make a target of the Argonians as well. In fact, just about anyone who isn't a Nord is fair game for their bullying." My eye twitches. Idiots.

"Humph. Idiots. It's their loss. We can be awesome in our own way." I say smiling and the woman laughs along with me. "I'm Suvaris by the way. And you?"

"Sarafina. Nice to meet you." We shake hands.

"Well.. Have a good day Sarafina." She bids me farewell and walks away. I glance at the palace, and think of my original goal here. Do I still want to join this army? One that criticises people for being a different race?

Nope. Not at all.

I mentally grit my teeth. Came here all for nothing. Cursing under my breath, I kick away a little stone.

"OW! What in Talos name?!"

Oops. I look at the person who I hit on accident with the piece of rock. My heart leaps. The voice sounded so familiar for a reason.

"Ralof?"

He looks at me and his eyes light up. "Sarafina!" Ralof runs towards me, and picks me up in a bearhug. "It's so good to see you! How are you?"

"R-Ralof.. C-can't.. b-breathe.."

He quickly releases me and scratches the back of his neck. "Whoops. Sorry."

"It's fine. I'm glad to see you too."

He grins and ruffles my hair. Which isn't really easy, since we're both around the same height.

"What are you doing in Windhelm? Finally come to your senses and come to join our army?" I think about it for a second, and shake my head. "Nah. Just wanted to visit my friend. Guess I didn't have to search long for him." Ralof laughs loudly. "Well you must be tired from your journey. Come, let's go to Candle Hearth Hall."

We walk inside the inn and sit down at a table. Ralof, being the full-blood Nord and a gentleman, offers to buy me a drink, but I politely refuse. I've had enough alcohol for one day. We chatter for a while.

"So, how has life been for you these past 3 months? You look.. troubled by something."

I smirk slightly. "Something? More like a lot of somethings."

Ralof chuckles. "Tell your old buddy Ralof all about it."

"Well, let's see.." I begin counting down on my fingers. "Visited my dad's grave, found a new friend who died just yesterday, had a mental breakdown seeing him die, killed an entire hideout of bandits in my rage.." Ralof nearly chokes on his ale. "Choke carefully please. Err… Yeah, that's about it." I don't want to tell him about my.. accident yet.

Ralof stares at me like I've gone crazy. "You did.. What?!"

"Killed an entire bandit hideout by myself." I say with a straight face. Ralof leans back in his chair. "Mara's mercy.. You keep surprising me every time I see you. First you get over a dragon attack in like a minute, and then you kill a hideout full with bandits by yourself.. You're a mystery Sarafina."

I shrug. "I try."

Suddenly I'm tapped on the shoulder. I turn my head to see a nervous courier standing there.

"I've been looking for you. Got something I'm supposed to deliver. Your hands only." He reaches in his statchel. "Let's see here..." He pulls out a note and hands it to me. I raise an eyebrow. "A note? From who?"

"Don't know. Creepy fella, black robe. Couldn't see his face. Paid me a pretty sum to get that into your hands, though." He nervously scratches the back of his neck. "Looks like that's it. Got to go."

He walks away. Ralof raises an eyebrow as well. "What was that all about?"

I shrug. "Dunno. Must be important if mister creepy dude paid him a lot of money. Let's see.."

I open the note, and feeling my heart stop in fear. On the note is a black hand print, along with two words. Just two words. But they scare the hell out of me anyways.

We know.

A/N: Yay! Chapter 6 is done. Sarafina is going on a dark path.. XD Happy New Year everybody! Hope you'll have a wonderful 2015! ;D