Sorry about any spelling errors that there may be, as one of the reviews pointed out, (my computer's keyboard acts up sometimes) and I usually catch mistakes, but this one slipped by I guess, I was so eager to finally post this! Thanks for pointing that out, I will fix it ASAP. (If there is any typo like that again please let me know.) ;)
And a quick note about this chapter: just a heads up, I have set this story BEFORE the Oblivion Crisis (for various reasons). So Kvatch is not a fiery mess where everyone just stands around staring at the rubble that never does seem to get cleaned up or rebuilt until you download the mod. Just so there's no confusion about that. ;)
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Something was brushing against Arianna's face. Something soft and warm, kind of fuzzy. She giggled sleepily as it tickled her face, never opening her eyes, and reached her hand up to push it away.
Suddenly whatever it was bit her nose. Her eyes flew open just in time to see a big pink tongue shoot out of the creature's mouth and swipe across her face, leaving a layer of saliva.
"Yaaaaaaaah!!" she yelled, and jumped up, drawing the sword. She was very much awake now.
The animal squealed and jumped back, jerking its head out of the tent. Arianna leapt to the tent entrance and wiped the sleepy haze form her eyes…
Outside stood a black horse, eyes wide with surprise, ears cocked, and head held high. It just stood there, looking at her curiously, as if deciding whether he should from this strange, jumpy person.
Arianna wiped the horse slobber from her face with the sleeve of the black robe and stared quizzically at the horse.
"Well what are you staring at?" she asked the horse
The horse, in reply, stretched its nose towards her and shoved her arm with it, nibbling at her robe.
"What, are you hungry?"
Arianna must smell like food, since the blanket she slept on had been in her bag with a few apples she had picked out of an orchard near the road.
The horse stared insistently at her. She didn't have much in the way of food, and what she did have she needed to keep for herself.
Ignoring the horse, she looked upwards. The sun was starting to rise, and textured clouds filled the sky. It was absolutely gorgeous, and she wished she could keep the image of it forever.
How can I have been missing this all my life??
After tearing herself away from the scene, Arianna went back inside the tent and gathered her things, shoving the blanket carelessly into her bag. As her arm rubbed against the quiver full of arrows, pain shot up it as if the skin was being peeled off.
Crying out, she jerked it back.
Oh yeah, I burned it.
She yanked her sleeve back. The burn from last night's struggle was still there. It wasn't terrible, she hadn't touched the flaming brand for very long, but the skin was blistered and red. She quickly tore off part of the lower part of her old dress and wrapped it carefully around her wrist, making sure to tie it tightly, but no so that it would turn her hand purple.
As she gathered her things, she turned back to the tent entrance and almost collided with the black horse's head. With one hand she shoved his face away.
"I have nothing for you! Now go back to whoever owns you!"
At saying that, Arianna wondered if this horse even had a home. Its ribs stuck out and its coat was matted, but there was a rope halter on its head. The halter was tight, and looked as if it was causing the horse discomfort.
Arianna frowned and reached forward to untie the halter. The knot that held it in place would not budge, it held firmly. She picked up her sword, holding it gingerly close to the tip, and gently cut it off. She did not know much about horses, but she did know that if something like this stayed on the horse it could become snagged and potentially kill itself.
As the halter fell to the ground, the horse shook out its mane and nickered.
"Okay, I got it off, now leave me be." She eased around the horse and walked away from the encampment, being careful not to step on the bodies of the two Kajiit she'd killed.
She supposed it didn't count as murder since it was in self-defense and they had attacked her first.
As she headed back towards the road, she looked back at the horse, who stood alone, staring at her. It was really getting creepy how he would just stare like that. Quickly, she snapped her head back around and marched on.
About five minutes down the road, something soft poked into her back. She whirled, sword drawn, ready to strike, just to see that horse standing behind her. He whinnied expectantly.
"I told you, we're not meant for each other. I mean, I'm me, and you're… a horse. It just can't work."
The horse was not fazed by this at all and kept staring expectantly at her.
"What, are you expecting me to stand on my head?" and then Arianna realized what she was doing. "Oh, great. I'm talking to a horse. I'm going crazy. And now I'm talking to myself!"
She glared at the horse. "This is your fault, you know."
He just stared at her and nuzzled at her bag in response.
Her heart grew a little less hard for a moment as she sighed in exasperation. "Fine, you can have ONE apple. This is my only food; I can't afford to give you much." And she reached her hand in the bag and drew out a shiny red apple.
The horse took the entire thing in its mouth and stood there chomping on it. Arianna decided it was a good time to get away and turned to leave, running in the other direction. Not five seconds later, the horse trotted up behind her and walked along beside her.
"Listen buddy, there's only one person going on this little mission. Me. You need to go home." She informed the horse, not stopping. It still walked energetically along beside her.
Her eyes scanned over the horse again. The dirty, gaunt, homeless horse. "Did you run away from home too?" she asked softly
She almost started to speak again, but a crack of thunder interrupted her before the words formed themselves. Looking up at the sky, Arianna saw dark, menacing looking clouds gathering.
"On second thought," she said looking back at the horse "Maybe you can be of use to me."
Arianna had absolutely no horse experience, and had only ever seen them from her window and read about them, but she still hauled herself onto the horse's bare back. It danced a little to the side, surprised by her change in attitude towards him.
Clinging to his mane, she nudged him gently with her heels. He sprung forward, almost flinging her off, into a smooth trot. It was a little nerve-racking for her, and she had no idea how to steer, but she kept calm. Her hand tangled into his mane, holding on for dear life.
Hey, at least it's better than walking and getting soaked.
He followed the road for the most part, but sometimes he would veer off to eat a flower or two. It did not take her long to discover that if she pressed her knee into his shoulder, he would usually move to the side. She fell off a couple of times, but got right back up as he stood obediently for her.
In about an hour's ride, she reached Kvatch. The horse zigzagged up the steep hill, never changing pace, and on the last turn he executed a perfect sharp turn. However, Arianna did not and went flying off.
As she sat in the grass, she rubbed her back and glared at the horse.
"Stupid showoff of a horse." She muttered, getting up and walking towards the gate to the city. The horse plodded quietly along behind her.
A Dunmer woman approached her as she reached for the gate handle. "Sorry miss, but it's against the law to take a horse inside unless you're one of the guards."
Arianna stared back at the horse, who dropped his head and lazily began to munch on the grass.
"So what do I do with him?"
"We have a stable right outside the city. We can board him for you, but…" the Dunmer hesitated. "There is a fee."
Arianna sighed and reached into her bag. "Alright, how much?"
"Ten gold pieces. We will take care of you horse as long as you require. In fact, we will even put shoes on your horse." She said, casting a glance at the horse's shoeless feet.
So THAT'S why it could move so silently, while with other horses she had passed it was 'CLOP CLOP CLOP CLIPPITY CLOP'.
"Actually," said Arianna "I like having my horse barefoot. Easier to get around, y'know?"
"Then we can just trim them."
"Fine." Arianna dropped the gold into the Dunmer's hand. "But he better be here when I get back, or heads will roll." She laughed over her shoulder as she stepped into the city. Ha, who knew, maybe she was actually serious.
Kvatch was a much nicer city than Skingrad. It was more open, and there was more foliage growing wherever there wasn't a building.
As she stood gazing up at the swaying trees, a guard approached her.
"Looking for anything miss?"
"Yes, where are the inns?"
"Well, there's only one. It's behind the chapel and across the street."
Arianna turned to walk away and smiled back at the guard. "Thank you!" she called.
The chapel was very much like the one in Skingrad, she noticed as she walked around it. It wasn't hard to find the inn, she didn't even have to look at the sign. She just heard loud voices coming from within and walked right in.
The interior was dim, but the place was cozy-feeling. Everything about Kvatch seemed to be better than Skingrad!
Arianna approached the bar, and the bartender walked over to where she was.
"What would ya like miss?" he asked, leaning on one arm.
"Help finding someone." She replied smoothly "Has a man named Berwick, first name Claudio-"
"Nord? Brutish louse?" he finished her sentence "Yeah, he came through 'bout two days ago. Created quite a stir. Got drunk and started harassing one of my barmaids. Me and the other guys threw him out."
"So do you have any idea at all where he is now?"
"All he said was something about going west. Going to Anvil I presume. Why? He do anything?"
Arianna smiled darkly. "We have a debt to settle."
"Well, good luck. He's strong though, so be careful."
"Thanks." She bounded out the door and out into the street.
She moved quickly towards the gate, wanting to get a move on towards Anvil, but she was distracted a moment as she passed the chapel doors.
She had only ever seen the outside of the chapel in Skingrad, she had never been inside. Curiosity ate at her, and after a moment of internal conflict, she gave in to the impulse and walked towards the door.
As she stepped into the dark interior her eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim blue glow of the room. The first thing she noticed was the windows. The tinted glass cast beautiful spots of colored light onto the floor. Each Divine was depicted in their own separate window, Akatosh standing at the head of them.
Arianna walked down the carpeted isle, entranced by the beauty of the stone chapel. How a building that was so sturdy and solid could be such a work of delicate art escaped her.
A deity that resided in a place like this must have answers for her.
As she touched the alter, she froze for a moment. Then, looking up at Akatosh's image, she asked the panes of colored glass "Is there a reason you're doing all this to me? What plan do you have in store for me?"
But her only answer was her own echo. No one was in the chapel, only her. Even the beautiful colored images of the Divines were empty.
"Can you even hear me?"
Her voice bounced off the walls, coming back faintly to her. Hear me, hear me, hear me…
For a moment, she cast her gaze down. Then, her eyes lit back up and she jerked her head up to stare directly into Akatosh's eyes, letting her hand fall from the alter.
"Are you even listening?! Maybe you don't have a plan for me. My fate doesn't rest in your hands anymore. The Nine have no time for those who are beaten, bruised of heart, and cast out, but maybe…" her heart beat faster "…maybe there is a god who does."
With those last words she turned on her heels and fled the chapel.
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Sithis.
Who is he?
I read about him
When I said his name my magic came to life.
But is he even real?
Or was that luck?
Arianna was lost in thought as she rode down the Gold Road. The horse cantered smoothly forward, and he followed the road. Two days had passed since she left Kvatch, and she could think of nothing else.
The horse had stuck with her, not leaving her side. If she went into an inn or a cave or some other place not accessible to him, he stood patiently outside, awaiting her return. She had decided to call him Bersenger; it was the name of one of the heroes in a book she had read. The name seemed to suit him, and he always responded to it when she called him that.
She was jolted forward as Bersenger suddenly stopped at the top of a hill, and she slipped back to the present. As she looked out beyond the hill, the land got lower and flatter. A few miles ahead she saw a city, grey walls contrasting with a blue sparkle a little further off.
Arianna narrowed her eyes and looked out. What was that blue shimmer? A mirage?
She jerked out her map and stared closely at it. She was reaching the edge of the land, which must mean…
She gasped. It was the sea! Never in her life had she seen such a large body of water, only read about it. And here it was now before her, more glorious than any book she had read could describe.
She pressed her heels into Bersenger's sides and he leapt forward, shifting his weight back into his haunches as he cantered down the hill. Arianna leaned back with him, so as not to upset his balance.
Riding was coming pretty easily to her. It was getting easier each time she got on, she had found her balance and learned that it was not a good idea to lean forward if she didn't want to go faster. Bersenger would step to the side if she pressed her knee into his shoulder, and would swing his body around, pivoting on his forehand if she pressed one calf against his belly.
It was all she knew at this point, and it was all she needed to know. She was falling off less and less, and if they were running on flat land, she could let go of his mane and let her hands hang at her sides.
As they approached the Anvil gate, Arianna slowed Bersenger and slid off his side.
A lot better than my arrival to Kvatch. She thought.
As she lead Bersenger to the stables next to the gate, people stopped and stared at them, more so than when she crash-landed at Kvatch. She looked back at Bersenger. He had filled out considerably in the past two days. They had stopped at farms and orchards where she had filled her bag with produce and Bersenger ate and ate and ate for what seemed like hours. His ribs still showed, but he was almost completely better. He was a very beautiful horse, heavily muscled and glossy, if brushed.
Arianna held the gate open for Bersenger, and he walked right into the paddock, snorting back at her before dropping his head to forage for food.
The stable hand walked over to Arianna, staring at Bersenger the whole time.
"That's going to be 10 gold pieces to board here." He said, finally taking his eyes off Bersenger.
Arianna dug out the gold from her bag and put it in his hand. As she walked towards the gate, she passed by the fence and Bersenger came up to her. She touched his face, whispering, "I won't be long, maybe half a day."
He tugged at her bag with his teeth. Her face twisted in thought for a moment. She didn't need it, and it would get in the way. She wished she had somewhere safe to put it where she could be sure no one would go through it.
Bersenger tugged it upwards.
Arianna thought a moment. "Bersenger? Can you guard my bag?"
He jerked it up over her head, and she allowed him to pull it off completely. He carried it over to a corner near the wall and stood over it.
She smiled. "Thanks." And she turned to the gate.
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The inside of the walls of Anvil looked even more different from Skingrad, and very, very different from Kvatch. It was a lovely city, except for the few abandoned buildings which marred its beauty. Most of the buildings were low-lying and spread out, she guessed to protect it from storms that blew in off the sea.
It wasn't hard to find the tavern, the streets were very open and she could see the sign saying "The Count's Arms" swinging in the wind from across the town. As she entered the inn, a jumble of voices greeted her. There were many people packed into this tavern, it almost looked like the whole population of Anvil was meeting in here for a drink!
Arianna pushed her way through the mass towards the bar. She was almost to the bar when…
She stumbled as a woman ran into her.
"Hey!" shouted the woman at her. ""You ran into me!"
"No, you were the one who ran into me." Arianna said
"I want an apology! Now!" the woman said angrily, shoving a finger at Arianna's face.
"Why should I apologize for something I didn't do?" Arianna spat. Oh, it was great to be free. She could actually say stuff like this.
The woman pushed her sleeves up. "Okay, you're asking for it."
The crowd had begun to move away a little bit, forming a circle around them. Arianna's eyes darted around. The crowd was too thick, she couldn't fight through.
No, I'm done running. I'll fight.
Arianna stared the woman right in the eyes and dropped into a fighting stance. She would have drawn her sword, but she didn't want to kill the woman in front of all these people.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" the crowd chanted. Arianna heard the bartender's voice lost somewhere in the noise, protesting.
The woman let out a yell and swung a fist at Arianna. Arianna ducked it easily.
How ladylike the women in Anvil are. She thought.
Several more times the woman swung at her, Arianna dodging and ducking each attempt easily. It was like fighting an ogre, the woman was big and slow and easy to avoid.
As the woman swung at her again, Arianna jumped forward, avoiding her fist, and slammed her shoulder into the woman. She heard the whoosh as she knocked the wind out of the woman. Even though Arianna was medium height and short compared to this brutish woman, she was strong from working in Berwick's house.
She gasped as she recalled his name. She had almost forgotten why it was she came here.
In the short moment that Arianna hesitated, the woman swung again, catching Arianna in the side of the face.
Arianna stumbled backwards to the edge of the circle, her face throbbing. The people behind caught her and hurled her back into the middle.
The woman smirked and came for Arianna again.
Arianna touched her face gingerly. She could hear the blood roaring in her ears. She was dazed for a moment.
That's when she really became agitated.
As the woman barreled towards her, she raised her foot in the air and kicked the woman in the stomach, send her flying backwards. Before the woman could fall back completely, Arianna was on her, angrily throwing punches at the woman's face. The woman managed to shield her face from most of the blows before she threw Arianna off.
Arianna stood at the edge of the circle, eyes narrowed, daring the woman to come closer. As the woman scrambled up, her arm flew out and yanked a sword from the belt of one of the bystanders.
"Hey!" he cried, but the woman was already lunging at Arianna with it.
"So it's going to be swords then is it?" snarled Arianna
Arianna raised her hands as the woman's sword was pointed at her throat."You can give up now." Smirked the woman, sure of her victory.
Arianna smiled and coolly said, "I don't think so." And with one swift motion she knocked the woman's sword out of her hand with her forearm.
As the woman fell back, surprised at how she did that without getting hurt, Arianna pulled out her own sword. The woman cowered as Arianna pointed it at her throat.
"You're… that didn't…. hurt you…" she stammered
"Generally actions like that don't hurt when you're wearing armor." Arianna said, using her free hand to pull back her sleeve, revealing the Mithril underneath.
The woman started to babble incoherently. Apparently she wasn't used to defeat.
Arianna heard guard's voices outside coming closer.
"As much fun as this was, I have to run." Said Arianna, sheathing her sword before throwing herself into the crowd, pushing with all her might towards the open window. Most people saw her coming and got out of the way. Just as two guards burst in through the door, Arianna swung herself out and onto the street.
She took off at a run and headed for the west gate which let out onto the dock, bolting past the guards, who just stared in surprise.
Outside on the dock was a crowd of sailors. It smelled salty, and she looked outwards. She gasped in awe as she stared out at the sea, sparkling in the sunlight, gently lapping at the beams that held the dock up. She sun had just begun to set, casting a brilliant glow over the water.
She shook her head, clearing her mind. She would enjoy the scenery after the job was done.
Thinking about it made her insides jump. Excitement built up in her chest, and she smiled a dark smile.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she glimpsed something out of the corner of her eye. As she turned her head quickly, she saw a dark figure standing out among the crowd of sailors, but it disappeared before she could look any closer.
She blinked and rubbed her eyes, looking back at the spot where it had been. Still nothing.
It was probably nothing, just an illusion. She thought. But she was still a little unsettled. She felt like she was being watched.
She slipped into the crowd of big, smelly sailors and made her way down the dock.
Suddenly she stopped. She heard a familiar voice. She turned towards the sound of it to see…
There he was, the foul swine, standing, talking to one of the sailors. Arianna could've struck him down right there on the spot, slit his throat and watched his blood spill out on the wood and into the water. Her hand reached for her sword…
She pulled her hand back from the hilt. It was all she could do to keep from killing him now. She must wait. He would suffer later.
"Our ship is sailing to Hammerfell. I dunno if we can take passengers…" the sailor told Berwick
"I'll work as a crewman. I can handle myself. I just need to get outta Cyrodiil" Berwick said in a low voice.
Arianna moved closer, just a little, so that she could hear them better.
"Ohh, avoiding the law are we?" laughed the sailor
"Let's say what I did was barely Illegal."
Arianna's blood boiled. 'Almost legal?' Even if Kitty's contract to him made her pretty much his slave, it was still illegal to kill her.
"Sure, the captain won't mind ya. We get people like ya all the time." The sailor said. "Get yer stuff on board. I'll take you to yer room. Make sure yer on the ship by nightfall, that's when we set sail."
Nightfall. He would be on board, probably alone. He didn't know anything about sailing, so while he was down in his room, everyone else would be on deck.
Arianna slipped to the other side of the ship, out of view from everyone else and gathered her magic up again. This time, the invisibility spell did not take long to cast, since she had discovered how to do it, and she shimmered out of sight in very little time. As she opened her palm above her head, the slight green shimmer fell down her like a curtain, making her vanish from view.
It was slightly disorienting, feeling her feet touch the ground and the robe swishing noiselessly around her ankles but not seeing them. She almost fell over once as she made her way back around the ship, so she kept her eyes up and straight ahead, locked on the back of Berwick, who picked up his sack and clomped up the ramp after the sailor.
The deck of the ship was crowded with large, smelly sailors, loading cargo and hauling ropes. It was hard not to run into one of them, and Arianna was always dodging and weaving. If she touched one of them, the spell would become harder to hold, potentially forcing her back into view.
She had discovered that during her travels. If she touched a living being, the magic would escape her through that physical contact and drain her magic reserve faster. It wasn't as bad with animals, but with people it only took a few short seconds before she felt her magic reserve drop so low that it started to drain on her energy. At that point she was forced to dispel, if it hadn't dispelled on its own. She did not know, but did not want to find out what happened when she ran out of magic.
Arianna slipped around the cabin door and followed the two men down the ladder into the hull. It smelled like fish and sweat, and she made a face as she moved through the nearly-empty hold. Finally, they reached the very end and went through a small door at the back of the ship.
"You'll be staying here. I'm guessin' you've never been on a ship, so ya wouldn't be much help up top. Just stay here and you'll be fine. Now, about that gold…?"
"Right."Berwick reached into his sack and pulled out a smaller, bulging sack and dropped it into the sailors outstretched hand.
Arianna slipped around the doorframe and into the room as the sailor shut the door. The room was cramped, barrels and crates stacked high. There was one circular window on each of the port and starboard sides. Perfect for hiding out.
Arianna watched as Berwick threw his stuff down and settled on one of the crates.
She was so close… She only had to drive her sword through his body…
No. Someone will certainly hear. I'll wait until the ship is away from the dock so that guards can't reach us.
She sat down behind a crate and waited.
At least I'll have time to plan this out. He will suffer.
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Cliffhanger!!! I'm sorry!! I had to stop, this is now 12 pages long!!
So yeah, some of this does seem very… unrealistic… but just bear with me. I'm doing my best here.
Next chapter. I promise.
Please review!! If there are any mistakes, please let me know of them so they can be fixed!