A/N: This chapter is very late, and I'm very sorry but I struggled a lot while writing this. It sucks and I hate it, but hopefully next chapter will be a lot better.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my Dovahkiin Iona Silver-Fang. Everything else belongs to Bethesda.
Growing up in the Leyawiin County of Cyrodiil, Iona had the chance to visit Elsweyr many times. Its native population consisted of Khajiit, one of the beast races of Tamriel. These cat men lived in lush jungles of south, or dry badlands of north. They lived their lives traditionally in small villages. Khajiit were very hospitable and nice, even if many people saw them as drug dealers and dirty cuisine was based on moon sugar so their plates were sweet, and usually had a bad effect on outsiders. But Iona was no outsider to their culture, people or cuisine; so she became unbelievably happy when she saw a Khajiit caravan just outside the walls of Whiterun.
The caravan leader's eyes widened in surprise when a Nord sat in front of him with her legs crossed. Bowing her head with respect, she held out her hand. "I'm Iona Silver-Fang. Pleased to meet you."
Surprised at the friendliness of the Nord sitting before him, he shook her hand. "I'm Ri'saad, the leader of this caravan," pausing, he narrowed his eyes with curiosity."It's pretty unusual for a Nord warrior to come visit me, let alone acknowledge me; so I must tell you how curious I am about your purpose of visit."
Smiling softly, Iona nodded. "I may be a Nord, but my family moved to Leyawiin after my father became a veteran, so I grew up there," she said, her heart aching with nostalgia. "He took me to Elsweyr sometimes, to teach me how to fight and how to survive."
"Yesss, our lands are harsh for outsiders, just like Skyrim for us Khajiit," said Ri'saad knowingly. "Why are you back in Skyrim though, girl? Did you not like the comfortable lifestyle of Cyrodiil?"
"Cyrodiil isn't easy to live in if you are a Nord with all these conflicts going on," she snorted, unamused. "A few years before the Stormcloak Rebellion, Nords have already started to express their discontentment. We were not allowed to worship our god, and Thalmor agents were breathing down our necks. We Nords of Leyawiin were thrown out of the walls of the county and we had to pay ridiculous taxes,"
Ri'saad's ears twitched in interest. "Leyawiin is still ruled by the Caro family, isn't it?"
"Yes, tradition addicted stupid Imperials. Their imperialization laws got stricter with the ban of Talos worship. Then came Thalmor with their sneaky agents, and we found ourselves thrown out of our homes."
"I understand how you feel. Look at us, we are not allowed in cities just because we are Khajiit. We mean no harm to anyone, we just want to earn a few septims in a fair way."
"Life itself isn't fair though," said Iona softly. Ri'saad looked at her, his eyes soft. "What did you do when were thrown out of the city then?" he asked, trying to lighten the conversation. He didn't want to get emotional, and he was sure neither did the girl sitting in front of her.
He understood that he was mistaken and that he tore open a deep wound in her heart with his question. Her eyes became glazed by unshed tears, her cheeks and nose reddening with frustration. Her hands were closed tightly on her lap and he could see her tremble lightly.
Regretting what he asked and feeling guilty, Ri'saad didn't know what to do. He felt sorry for the girl, she was such a nice person too. It was the first time a Nord sat with him to chat. Looking at her nervously, he did the first thing that came to his mind.
He pulled her head to the crook of his neck, with a hand caressing her hair.
That was it. She started sobbing as soon as her face touched the soft fur of his neck. She obviously had been holding it for a long time now.
Ignoring the questioning looks of his companions, he held the young woman until her muffled sobs died down.
When Iona's muffled sobs and hiccups came to a halt, she pulled back and rubbed her tear stained cheeks with the back of her hands. Ri'saad looked at her with concern, but Iona smiled a genuine smile at him. She'd been wanting to cry for a long time, and now that she did, a great weight had been lifted from her heart. All the frustration of earlier weeks and the events of that day left her when she cried; she actually felt relaxed and peaceful for the first time in a long while.
Ri'saad was glad he could comfort the girl, even though he knew his question wasn't the real reason of her tears, he still felt a bit guilty. The genuine smile she threw his way made him feel better.
"Are you hungry, hm? We can offer you some of our finest meals, not the best since we lack some ingredients but I'm sure you missed our unique cuisine, no?" asked Ri'saad, standing up and walking towards the cooking spit in the middle of the camp.
Iona sat up as well, her legs trembling in protest. It had been a while since she last sat cross legged this long. Rubbing her thighs, she joined Ri'saad near the cooking spit.
A female Khajiit, clad in a simple white dress, an orangish red overdress and a worn brown leather corset was stirring the sweet smelling soup in the cooking pot.
"Can we serve our guest some fruit bread, Atahbah?" asked Ri'saad, putting his clawed hand on Atahbah's back. She turned his attention to him and motioned her tent. "This one believes we still have some left, check the smallest sack in her tent," she said and focused on the soup once more. "Pardon our poor meal, but it's very hard to find the right ingredients here in Skyrim to cook meals of our homeland. We try to imitate them the best we can, but it never tastes as good. This one believes you tasted our food before?"
Iona approached her and smiled. "Yes, I have. I liked it a lot too. I never would've imagined that I could taste Elsweyr cuisine here in Skyrim after all those years."
Atahbah laughed heartily. "A Nord coming to her homeland after all those years and eating sweet breads and fondues instead of rare cooked venison. You must be disappointed, if this one were to go back to her beautiful homeland, she would lie under the warm sun all day and eat fresh fruits," said Atahbah, sighing. "This one really does miss her home, surviving in the cold climate of Skyrim is hard. Especially when..." sighing once more, she looked at Iona. "Especially when you're an outcast hated by the majority."
Being an outcast. Iona had experienced that herself; but Atahbah, Ri'saad and all other Khajiit who didn't live in their homeland were probably discriminated worse than she ever could've been.
Watching the sparks of the lit fire and listening to Atahbah's stirring, she felt nostalgic again. Her friends, her friends that she betrayed had been her second family. She couldn't stop the murder of her parents, it was too late when she found them lying in their small cabin. Everything precious they owned had been stolen and her parents had been brutally murdered, she still could remember the half lidded eyes of her dead mother; lifeless, yet staring in her soul and blaming her.
She had cried for days in the cabin near her parents' corpses. She was 15 years old at that time, and she already was a promising warrior. Her father had been proud of her courage and power; her mother, on the other hand, had been concerned about her safety and always joked that she'll never find a husband if she turned more barbaric.
Crossing her arms, she smiled sadly. After all those days spent in the haunted cabin like a ghost, she had buried her parents properly and pried the Nine Divines for their well being in Sovngarde. Packing up, she left her home to never see it again.
After days of hiking in the green grassy lands of Cyrodiil, she had found a small cabin. The cabin had been deserted and days of restless traveling with an empty stomach tired her greatly, so she lied on the bed for a quick nap.
Her quick nap had turned into a deep sleep; because when she woke up, she found herself tucked in a comfortable bed in a nicely decorated and warm room. When she sat up, she met the man who changed her life greatly.
"Young girls like you shouldn't sleep alone in cabins they find in the forest now, it's dangerous. So, what about joining us and having a safe place to sleep, young one?"
Malik'r. The person who was the head of their little family, the wise Redguard in his forties that invited her to join them with open arms.
Later on, she met with all the members of the family. Thabita, a lovely Bosmer woman that could become one with nature. She had teached Iona so much about nature and hunting. Bjorn, a fellow Nord with long hair and beard that are dark as the night, green eyes as vivid as emeralds. He had been a skillful warrior and he trained Iona to become a better warrior. Endryn, a Dunmer who could shoot anything out of his palms and rob a man naked without him noticing. He appeared cold and distant, but once she got under his skin, his company was relaxing and fun. He teached her a bit of magic, but his attempts of training her
on thievery were futile; she had been too loud on her feet and too sloppy with her fingers. She still could remember him screaming furiously at her when she got caught stealing from a group of bandits. He had scolded her for days after saving her life.
She had grown up thanks to them, she became the powerful Nord woman her dad always wished her to be. Iona had been living the best days of her life, until Ardaline came.
Her innocent looks, so unusual for an Altmer, fooled them. They took her in, treated her wounds and showed her the ropes. Who could've known that she was a top ranking Thalmor spy on hunt for Talos worshippers and illegal operations in Cyrodiil?
It was so sudden, so unexpected.
It all happened while they were travelling to north, to Skyrim, in order blend in with the raging Civil War going on. They were going to sneak in, since borders were closed due to inner conflict.
Everything had been going as planned until they took a break in the wilderness of Chorrol. As the least infamous member of the group, it was Iona's duty to visit the city and buy supplies.
When she returned to their camp a day later, she had found every single member of the group lying in their puddles of blood, dead. Only Malik'r had been alive when she found them, but it was too late to help him.
"I could've helped if I were here. I abandoned you. Thabita, Bjorn and Endryn could've been alive if I were here. YOU wouldn't be lying half dead on the ground if I were here!"
She still could remember the angry yet affectionate look on his face after her words. He had wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks with a trembling hand.
"Never... blame yourself like this... again. You didn't abandon us. It was... it was my fault, I should've been... more careful, as the leader. I *cough* was the one who... who failed you. I'm so sorry Iona. *cough* *cough* Don't cry... please."
Those had been his last words, his body slumped in her arms, his head falling to the side. Her father figure died in her hands, and she was alone once more.
Sobbing, she clenched her fists in his armor, tears flowing freely. She was broken once more, and this time, she was sure that she would never fully recover.
The gathered tears in her eyes were gone as soon as Ri'saad emerged out of the tent with a platter in his hand, his gleeful voice making her smile despite her aching heart.
"We still have some fruit bread left, you are a lucky one Nord!" he said cheerily. He set the platter down near the pit as Atahbah poured fondue in small bowls.
Everyone gathered around the pit to enjoy their delicious smelling meal.
"This, we call, is the Elsweyr fondue. It's a lot different than what we eat at home, but it's the closest thing we could create here in Skyrim," said Atahbah, showing Iona the bowl in her hand. "And this, is fruit bread. It's just like normal bread but a lot sweeter. Normally we make it with fresh fruits, but here in Skyrim we have to use dry fruits. This one is made with dried pineapple and mango." she added, motioning the tasty looking bread.
As soon as Atahbah was done talking, she dived into her meal, enjoying the lingering taste of mead and moon sugar in her mouth. The fondue wasn't enough to satiate her hunger, so she picked up a piece of fruit bread. As soon as she bit it, she moaned in delight. Pineapples were one of her favorite fruits, and it had been since she last ate one. Dried or fresh didn't matter as long as it was pineapple.
Ri'saad laughed at her, clearly amused by her lack of table manners. Iona simply shrugged and stuck her tongue at him, she was really hungry so she could devour her food in any way she wanted!
As soon as she was done with her meal, she thanked Atahbah for the amazing food she prepared.
"Now, it won't be a complete meal without something to wash it down, no?" said Ri'saad, going into his tent.
Iona watched him and she was more than pleased when he came out of the tent with a fine bottle of wine in his clawed hands.
"This, also is from Elsweyr. One of out finest wines. It'll be an honor to share it with a good friend." said Ri'saad, filling her goblet.
A Nord with alcohol was a happy Nord indeed.
As soon as she sipped the savory drink, she heard a roar in the distance. This roar was very familiar to her, in a bad way.
Ri'saad's ears twitched as he scanned their surroundings. There was nothing to be seen, but they still could hear the blood chilling roar in the distance. Suddenly, something huge flew over their heads, its shadow bringing darkness in its wake.
The creature roared again and this time, unfortunately, she was sure about what it was.
"DRAGON!" yelled a passing guard in shock and horror.
Memories of Helgen came back to her, along with guilt. She should've gone to the Jarl and warned him about the return of dragons instead of weeping about the past. Her selfish mistake endangered many lives.
As the huge creature landed near the stables, she knew she had to do all she could to somehow bring this creature down.
With the terrorized gaze of Ri'saad on her figure, she picked up her bow and strapped the quiver on her back. Sitting back in horror wasn't an option now. She had to help, unlike many times she had failed to do in the past.
She started sprinting towards the guards, picking an arrow from the quiver on her back. Her steps were confident, eyes focused on the target.
Placing the arrow and pulling the string, she aimed for the constantly moving and snapping dragon's eye. Just as she released the arrow and missed the creature's eye with a millimeter, her attention was drawn elsewhere.
"IONA!"