X: The First Contract

The road north was very quiet. Just north of Riften, the cobblestone path led through the middle of a small walled fort, but someone had put rows of sharpened stakes up in front of the entrance to the fort, as if guarding against intruders, and I got the feeling bandits had taken it over. Without Lokir, I decided not to pursue the bandits, so Lydia and I found a sandy path that led around the right side of the fort. We bypassed it without alerting the new residents and continued on our way.

Right up ahead, we found an old wooden watchtower with several dead Riften guards in and around it and blood splattered on the walls. This confirmed my suspicions that bandits were around. Maybe once we joined back up with Lokir, we'd see about clearing that fort out.

North of the fort and watchtower, we passed through the gap in the mountains we had come through on our way to Ivarstead. Far to the west, I could make out Dragonsreach on its hill standing out amidst the relatively flat plain encircled by mountains, but our destination was due north.

It had been almost midday when we reached Riften, and the sun had set by the time we made our way down the meandering path out of the southern foothills, across the geyser-studded field and up into the northern foothills. Snow appeared on the ground at the base of the hills, and while the weather had been clear down below, it seemed to snow here constantly.

We walked up a winding path and came to the top of one final hill. Down below, the path led to a horse stable with a carriage out front. The stable was built up against a fortified stone bridge spanning an icy river, leading to a walled city almost lost in the swirling snow. The walls looked even bigger than the ones surrounding Whiterun.

We stopped at the stable briefly to unload my horse. I took a moment to look the stable's horses over, but they were solid brown with white stockings, not pretty enough to justify throwing away 1,000 septims. I suddenly realized I had been too distracted by bidding Lokir farewell to go by the stable in Riften and see what color horses they offered. Feeling somewhat irritated with myself, I turned my attention back to the walled city.

We approached the city cautiously, but the guards pacing the bridge barely noticed us. The guards standing in front of the city gate, however, were looking me over disapprovingly. I struck my haughty pose and approached like I had every right to be there.

"What business do you have in Windhelm, Khajiit?" one of them sneered.

"Ra'wati Indoril, thane of Whiterun, here to speak with Ulfric Stormcloak," Lydia announced, for once sounding like she respected me.

I looked down my nose at him, hoping my tendency to tilt my head to the left wouldn't ruin the effect.

The guards just laughed.

A barrel sitting by the edge of the bridge caught my attention. I casually turned to face the barrel and shouted, "Fus Ro!"

The barrel went flying through the air, raining red apples down on the ground below, before smashing against the city wall several hundred feet away.

I turned back just as casually to face the guard, who had gone very quiet. He sidled out of my way and opened the gate, not taking his eyes off me.

I reached in my pack and pulled out a red apple. I silently pushed it into his hands as I walked past.

As soon as the doors closed behind me, my calm haughtiness dissolved into bewilderment as I looked around at the city. Whiterun had had a nice straightforward layout, but this city's buildings were arranged haphazardly. There were waist-high stone walls and short sets of stairs everywhere. I found the whole layout confusing.

I was turning to Lydia to ask if she could make sense of the city's landscape when I heard someone nearby shout, "Nobody wants you here! You take up our houses and eat our food and you refuse to help the Stormcloaks!"

Over to our right, two drunken Nord men were facing a Dunmer woman. The Nords looked like they were ready to fight.

The Dunmer woman snorted. "We don't take sides because it isn't our fight."

"Maybe you grayskins won't help us because you're really Imperial spies!"

She made a disgusted noise. "You can't be serious."

"Maybe we'll pay you a visit later on tonight," he said menacingly.

I stepped forward. "Is there a problem?"

The first speaker looked at me and started shouting, "Who let a Khajiit in the city?! We don't want you here either! Filthy, thieving, skooma-eating…"

I drew my sword without taking my eyes off him. He suddenly trailed off and blinked at me a few times, as if just realizing I was fully armored. He and his companion exchanged a couple wary glances, then slowly backed away. Once they had gotten far enough, they turned and ran.

"Thank you," the Dunmer said to me warily. "Not many people here stand up for us."

"Oh, I know how you feel," I said sadly. "Nobody wants Khajiit around. I have no time for people like those two."

"Then I'm afraid you've come to the wrong city. Windhelm is a haven for the narrow-minded and the prejudiced. It's not just us Dark Elves they hate, either. They seem to especially hate Argonians. Though they seem to despise anyone who isn't a Nord."

"So everyone here is like that?" I asked, not liking where this was going.

"No, those two are the worst, but very few people care much for us. It's not like we came here by choice. When Red Mountain erupted, we lost our homes and had to flee. Windhelm was the first city we came to. Ulfric said we could stay and he gave us housing on the east side of the city, what everyone calls the Gray Quarter, but the place is a slum. It's filthy. We keep asking him for help fixing it up, and he keeps assuring us he'll come down to look at it, but he never does."

"Are those two going to come after you?" Lydia asked.

"That idiot Rolff often comes to the Gray Quarter after dark and screams insults at us, but I don't think he's dangerous."

After she walked off, I turned to Lydia and said softly, "This doesn't look promising."

Lydia shrugged. "If you expect this war to be black and white, you're going to be disappointed. That's not how life works."

I looked to the east, where the Dunmer had gone. "I think I want to see this 'Gray Quarter' before I talk to Ulfric Stormcloak."

We turned east and headed up some of the ubiquitous stairs. Past the building on our left, two paths led north, one level with where we were standing, the other sloping down to a lower level. Nothing I saw was symmetrical and it was starting to set my teeth on edge.

But something on the right caught my eye. There were two stone houses there, with a stone wall with an arched entryway in front of the yard between them. Someone was curled up on the rocky ground against the wall inside the yard, shivering. They had nothing to sleep on and no blanket to cover up with.

I suddenly felt sick as I realized it was a small child, a girl no older than Lucia. I ran over and knelt beside her. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm so cold," she whispered as she wearily sat up.

"Why are you sleeping on the ground? Do you not have somewhere else to go?" I rummaged around in my pack and found a tanned deer hide. I wrapped it around her with the fur on the inside.

"No," she said in a small voice, pulling the deer hide tight around her. "My mother died when I was little. I don't remember much about her. My father was a Stormcloak. He went out with the other soldiers one day and never came back. I collect flowers and sell them to buy food, but I don't know what else to do."

"Have you eaten tonight?"

"No, not since yesterday. Nobody bought any flowers today."

"Come with us to the inn. We'll buy you something to eat."

She followed us back to the inn, Candlehearth Hall, which was the first building we saw when we entered the city. We took a table close to the fire and were served beef stew. It was late, so the stew was cold, but none of us cared.

We talked with the little girl as we ate. Her name was Sofia and she had only been on her own for a couple of weeks.

"Does Jarl Ulfric know about you?" Lydia asked.

"I don't know," Sofia said. "I haven't gone to him for help. I was thinking about it, but then Aventus Aretino came back from the orphanage in Riften. He said the old lady in charge there is horrible."

"A little girl in Whiterun also said she was supposed to be horrible," I said. "Maybe I should see what's up when I go back to Riften."

"I don't think you need to," Sofia said quietly.

I leaned in close. "Why not?"

She lowered her voice even further. "I've heard rumors Aventus is performing the Black Sacrament to summon the Dark Brotherhood. He's going to send an assassin to take care of her."

"Do the guards know about this?" Lydia asked, sounding shocked.

Sofia shrugged. "A lot of people have heard the rumors. I don't think the guards take them seriously. But I believe it."

The inn's front door opened and a guard came in. We fell silent and returned to our meal, but the guard came over to our table.

"Excuse me, Khajiit?" the guard asked.

"My name is Ra'wati," I said wearily.

He nodded. "Thane Ra'wati, Jarl Ulfric has heard rumors about a Khajiit who can use the Voice. If you showed up, we were to bring you before him."

"I thought he'd be asleep, late as it is," I said.

"The war keeps him up late. You may follow me when you are ready."

I looked down at my bowl of stew, barely half-eaten. Reminding myself that I was not pretending to be a noblewoman, I picked the bowl up and drank it all in one draught. I rose, ignoring the startled looks everyone in the room gave me, and picked up a cheese wedge to eat as I walked.

"Do you want to stay here?" I asked Lydia.

"Yeah, I wanted to enjoy my supper," she said dryly.

I tossed her a few coins. "Sofia is staying here tonight. Go see about renting a room for us when you're through eating. I shouldn't be gone long."

I followed the guard out of Candlehearth Hall. The entrance to the Palace of the Kings was straight behind the inn on the other side of the city.

Inside, the palace was grander than Dragonsreach. It was all stone, and even the ceiling appeared to be covered in carved stone panels. The entranceway was a very long hallway with two long tables down the center, both set for a meal. At the far side of the room, a Nord man was seated in a raised throne, while another was standing in front of him.

"Balgruuf will come to his senses soon enough," the man in the throne was saying. I recognized him as Ulfric Stormcloak from our encounter at Helgen.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," the other man said. "We've intercepted messages from the Empire. They're putting pressure on him to throw his lot in with them."

"What would you have me do, then? Take his city when he may still side with us?" He rose and walked to a hall on the left-hand side of the room, followed by the other man. I cautiously walked over to the hall to watch them.

"How much longer can we wait? I say you should take him out like you did King Torygg…"

"Torygg was merely a message to the other jarls. I would rather take Whiterun without bloodshed, but if not…" he trailed off.

"We're ready when you are. The people are behind you."

They seemed to be leaning over a table. They both paced to the other side of the room down the hallway, and I saw there was a map of Skyrim laid out on the table. It had colored flags planted on it, marking cities and forts. It appeared blue represented the Stormcloaks and red represented the Empire.

I slowly walked over to the map. It looked like Ivarstead was marked with a blue flag.

Ulfric and his companion fell silent. I was still munching away on my cheese wedge, scanning the map and waiting for them to speak again, when I realized they were both staring at me.

"You must be very brave or very foolish to come before me uninvited," Ulfric commented.

"The guards said I had permission to come speak with you as soon as I arrived," I said, trying to regain my composure while gulping down a mouthful of cheese. It was a losing battle.

He nodded. "So you're the Dragonborn Khajiit."

"The Greybeards confirmed it."

"You were also at Helgen, weren't you? Ra'wati the orphaned vagabond?"

"Yes," I said, surprised he remembered.

"You've done well for yourself since then."

"Hunting bandits can be quite lucrative."

"I had wondered if you might show up in Windhelm, after how the Imperials welcomed you to Skyrim."

I winced. "Yeah, the Empire and I won't be friends anytime soon, but… Well, I came here to see how the Stormcloaks differed from the Empire. I had hoped I'd find a noble cause I could support, but I have to admit I'm not sure I like what I see so far."

He laughed. "Bold and honest. I like that. What about my followers do you disapprove of?"

"I'm concerned about the way everyone says Skyrim belongs to the Nords."

"It is our homeland."

"I know, but not only Nords live here."

"Yes, I realize that. The natives of Skyrim should be its rulers, not the Aldmeri Dominion."

"Surely you can see why this attitude disturbs me. I had never been inside a city when we first crossed paths, and I was only allowed inside Whiterun because I had information they wanted. I want my children, and the Argonians, to be able to come and go as we please in the cities, not to only be allowed inside if it serves a Nord's purpose."

"My people may talk like we only want Nords here, but I assure you I welcome anyone who will support us."

"What about the Dunmer?"

"They have not chosen a side."

"Yes, but they came here seeking sanctuary, and the one I talked to said they're confined to a slum and you won't come down there to speak with them."

He sighed. "I have only just found my way back here after what happened at Helgen. I have been very busy. I will speak with them when I have the time."

His tone didn't sound convincing, but I dismissed it for now. "Okay. Do you know about the little orphan girl, Sofia?"

He shook his head. "I know of no orphans in the city. I would have sent her to the Riften orphanage if I did."

"I found her sleeping on the ground outside with nothing to cover up with. She says she had nothing to eat today. Her father was one of your men who never returned from a mission."

To his credit, he looked troubled. "Nobody told me about her. Where is she now?"

"I took her to Candlehearth Hall and bought her a meal and a bed for the night. She said she had tried to stay hidden because she had heard how cruel the woman in charge of the orphanage is."

"It's a shame, but we have nowhere else to send her…"

"Would you allow me to adopt her?"

"Do you have a place for her?" he asked skeptically.

I suddenly remembered how destitute I had been when last we met. "You may recall Lokir, the Nord who was shot down by archers trying to escape the headsman. I got him to a healer in time. We've been adventuring together ever since, and we've taken out enough bandits and sold enough loot to buy a house in Whiterun. We already adopted one orphan girl we found in Whiterun, and we have enough room for a second child."

He nodded. "I'm happy to hear another managed to escape from that dragon, and that you have done so well for yourself. Yes, you may take her in. Her father would have wanted her to have a family take her in rather than the orphanage."

"Thank you," I said, then frowned. "That dragon… Did you have anything to do with it?"

He laughed. "It would be quite handy to be able to summon dragons to fight the Empire, but no, I had nothing to do with that."

"Oh. It was odd, the way it showed up right before they were going to execute you…"

"I know. I am just as confused as everyone else. But it tried to kill me as well. It had to be pure coincidence."

He had a point. I nodded and looked back at the map. "One last thing. I see you have Ivarstead marked as your city on that map, but I was attacked by a group of ten Thalmor there."

"The Thalmor are in Ivarstead?" Ulfric's companion snarled.

"They were," I said quickly. "My companions and I killed them all."

Ulfric and his companion exchanged worried glances. "The Empire must be testing us," his companion growled.

"Yes, Galmar," Ulfric said. "Perhaps we will have to make our move sooner rather than later, if our enemies are going to act so boldly." He turned back to me. "If that is all, I shall take my leave now."

I nodded. "Perhaps I will come back to join you eventually, but I need some time to think it over first. If Windhelm was the type of city that welcomed the beastfolk, I would be willing to join you right now, but…"

"So you think the Empire is preferable?" Ulfric demanded, finally losing his composure. "The Empire that impoverishes my people to pay its debts but is too weak to rule us? The Empire that brands us criminals for wanting to rule ourselves? The Empire that looks the other way when foreign soldiers drag my people away to be tortured and murdered for worshiping our own gods?"

"Look, I'm on your side about all of this," I said. "I believe your people should be free to honor their traditions without being tortured and murdered for it. I believe your people deserve justice. But I don't believe only Nords deserve justice. There are more than Nords in Skyrim, and most of us don't have the option of returning to our homelands." I laughed mirthlessly. "For some of us, this is our homeland, and for some of us, we have no homeland, nowhere else to go."

"Fair enough," he sighed. "I will think about what you have said tonight."

I headed back down the hall and into the throne room. As I walked past the tables, I couldn't help reflecting that here Ulfric had a feast laid out while Sofia had gone hungry and had to sleep on the cold hard ground with no blankets. Did he really not know about her? I had noticed her easily enough.

I paused after I walked out the front door of the palace. Candlehearth Hall was straight ahead by the city gates, but I never had gone to see the slum the Dunmer lived in. Maybe I should do that now. There was a path leading to the east side of town on my left.

I headed down the path. It turned south, and a set of steps descended to a lower level. There was a house raised above the road on stone pillars like bridge supports. The path passed under the house, through a stone arch. I stopped on the other side and turned back to look at the house. It was quite an interesting way to save space in a cramped city like this.

As I was turning around to resume my journey, I noticed a plaque over the door that said Aretino.

This was one of the pivotal moments of my life. If I had turned around then and walked back to Candlehearth Hall, everything would have been so much simpler. I would have been saved so much pain and grief and despair and frustration and internal conflict and guilt. All by just walking away.

But instead, I crept over to the door and put my ear against it. I had noticed a light burning in one of the windows, and I could just barely hear a voice inside, too faith to make out what it was saying.

I shook my head and started to back away. What was I doing? If Aventus Aretino was trying to summon the Dark Brotherhood, it was none of my business. I had plenty of problems already and didn't need to go looking for more. They did a fine job of finding me on their own.

But then my maternal instinct reared its worried head. He was an orphan who had made the journey back here from Riften on his own. Had he been injured on the journey? Did he have anything to eat in that house? Any money to buy food? Warm clothes and blankets? Fuel for the fire?

I scanned the area for guards. Once I was sure I was alone, I took a lockpick out of my pack and started fiddling with the lock. I had been taught a little about picking locks by my parents, not because we were thieves but because we kept our money in locked chests, and keys were easy to lose. The lock was simple and I soon had the door unlocked. With a last glance around to make sure I wasn't being watched, I quietly opened the door and slipped inside.

I stood there in silence for a moment, listening for any movement in the house. Then the child's voice began speaking.

"Sweet mother, sweet mother, send your child unto me, for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear."

Every hair on my body stood on end. It was a child's voice, but those were words no child was ever meant to utter.

"Sweet mother, sweet mother…"

As he went through the chant again, I considered slipping back outside. I was getting in over my head.

"Please, how much longer must I do this?" the voice almost sobbed after finishing the chant. "Why won't you answer me, Night Mother? I'm so tired…"

My maternal instinct returned. The little boy needed help. Maybe he didn't want the kind of help I was prepared to offer, but I couldn't walk away now.

I rose from my crouch, did my best to flatten my fur and walked op the stairs in front of me. They turned left into the main part of the house. There was a small entryway and a larger room beyond, with a bed and a cold fireplace visible from where I stood. I walked into the room and saw a third room on the right, lit by a ring of candles on the floor.

There was a human skeleton laid out on the ground with a human heart in the middle. It was surrounded by various herbs. There was a small boy crouched beside it, stabbing the heart with a dagger as he chanted.

Some of my horror lessened as I sniffed the air and detected the scent of dirt and decay coming from the remains. The boy had robbed a grave to get them, not sacrificed a fresh victim.

"Excuse me?" I called softly as he started into the chant again.

The boy leaped excitedly to his feet. "Yes! I knew you'd come, I just knew it! An assassin from the Dark Brotherhood!"

"Ah… Well, I…" I began uncertainly.

"I performed the Black Sacrament over and over, and you finally came! Now you'll accept my contract, right?"

"You have a contract?" I asked blankly. I knew I should just back away… Drop some coins or cheese wheels on the floor on my way out…

"After my parents died, the jarl sent me to that orphanage in Riften, Honorhall," Aventus said with venom in his voice. "The woman in charge there is called Grelod the Kind, but she's not kind! She's horrible! She hardly ever lets us outside, she shackles us in this tiny room to punish us…"

"Shackles?" I asked. Suddenly I didn't feel like running away.

"Yeah, she's horrible. I want you to accept my contract and kill her."

"Are you sure you want her dead?"

"I'm more sure than I've been about anything in my life. She's a monster and doesn't deserve to live another day."

I thought about my journey from Riften, imagining a ten-year-old child making the journey alone, with all the wolves, bandits, bears and saber cats stalking the roads. Then he robbed a grave or two and performed a ritual to summon an assassin from an organization everyone feared.

How evil was this woman, if she drove a child to do all this?

I sighed heavily. "I'll see what I can do."

"Oh, thank you! But could you do it soon? To be honest, it's lonely here. I'd like to go see my friends at Honorhall again."

"I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning. Until then, do you have enough food?"

He looked confused. "Why are you concerned about me?"

"Look, I don't kill for fun, I kill to protect the innocent and to right injustices," I said, wishing I really believed it. "I can't help but be concerned when I see orphaned children."

"Oh. Yeah, I have enough food for a week here. Once Grelod's dead, I guess I'll go back to Honorhall."

"Okay. I'll be back in a few days."

I headed back to Candlehearth Hall, forgetting all about checking out the Gray Quarter. The innkeeper showed me to the room Lydia had rented. It only had one small bed, which Sofia was sleeping soundly in. Lydia was stretched out on a deer hide on the floor, reading a book. There was a second deer hide on the floor for me.

I settled down and told Lydia about my meeting with Jarl Ulfric, about my reservations with how he seemed to not care about anyone but Nords. Much as I hated the Thalmor, I wasn't sure I wanted to support someone who might turn around and drive me out of the country once the war was over.

I didn't mention my visit with Aventus Aretino.

"Do you really have to choose a side?" Lydia asked once I had finished.

"I suppose not," I said with a shrug.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?"

"I'll tell Sofia I'm adopting her once she wakes up. I want you to take her back to Whiterun. I'll go back to Riften."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'll be fine on my own. The road from Riften was pretty quiet. I'll take the horse, and you and Sofia can hire the carriage to take you to Whiterun. You can stay in Whiterun. Lokir and I will be back in a few days."

"What if Lokir's been sent across the country on a quest for the Thieves Guild?"

I looked away. "I'm sure I can find something to do while I'm waiting for him."

SOUNDTRACK: "Trenches" by Pop Evil, "Tell Me Why" by Genesis, "Both Sides of the Story" by Phil Collins, "Pleasure and Pain" by Gemini Syndrome, "This Means War" by Avenged Sevenfold

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I invariably get lost when I visit Windhelm. I have to stop regularly to consult my map. I just can't figure out the layout of that place. Like Ra'wati, it disagrees with my OCD.