"Eliza what are we doing out here? We're going to freeze to death if we don't find a town quickly and get better equipment." Darius shuffled behind his sister, rubbing his arms to emphasize how cold he was. The snow was up to their knees and they had come to Skyrim rather ill prepared.
"We are only just now crossing the border. Once we figure out exactly where in Skyrim we are we can locate a town and get the things we need. For now we just keep going and try to ignore the cold." She gave her brother a look over her shoulder before smirking. "Besides, you have your magic to keep you warm, don't you?" Darius gave a slight glare, pouting slightly as he pulled his cloak around him further to try and block out the harsh wind.
"I only have so much mana available at one time Eliza. If I were to use it all now, you would have to fight any trolls or giant spiders we come across alone." Eliza gave a shiver of her own at the mention of the large arachnids. She hated the small ones as it was, how the hell did Skyrim survive with giant ones?
"Point taken, I'm sure we will find a town or a road here soon."
"Hopefully before it gets dark. Once the sun is gone we really will freeze to death without the proper equipment." Eliza nodded in acknowledgement to her brother, but continued on. Sadly, when running from your home country it wasn't exactly an option to stock up on supplies. Eliza had intended to leave alone. She hadn't wanted to drag Darius to Skyrim with her, but he insisted. It had frustrated her at first, but she had to admit she was glad her half brother decided to come along. Eliza had decided to leave the Imperial City after her step mother's passing. Being the bastard daughter to the family, as well as a half breed, Eliza was automatically a suspect for her death.
Her step mother had always been healthy, and extremely in shape. The Breton women was the strongest warrior Eliza had ever known, and had taught Eliza everything she knows now about fighting. They may not have gotten along in her youth, but Eliza understood why her stepmother had been harsh on her. Eliza looked so much like her blood mother, and nothing like the family that had taken her in. Her bright golden blond hair was in stark contrast to the families characteristically brown locks. Her eyes were blue like the ocean's waters surrounding the Imperial City, and her skin was very pale. That might have been the only thing she shared with her father. Darius was the spitting image of both his mother and father. Brown hair past his ears, short and well groomed stubble, green eyes like emeralds and amazingly skilled in magic to boot.
That was another thing Eliza failed to be. Despite her Breton and Bosmer blood, she was terrible at any form of magic. The most she could grasp were basic healing spells that the youngest of children could learn, and the summon familiar spell that was known to be used by all Bretons. Darius was amazing and extremely talented with magic, as long as he had his spell book. She had envied him for years, but never hated Darius for his magical prowess. He had always been kind to her, and had been there to help in her studies. Eliza had hated trying to learn anything about magic due to her constant failures, but fighting on the other hand, she was a prodigy. She could master a weapon in a few short months. This was where Eliza and her stepmother bonded, this was where Eliza could enjoy her training and studies and enjoy her time with her mother without having to worry about disappointing her. Her mother was harsh, and never showed much affection, but in these times, in the training pit with swords of straw or wood, she would see her mother smiling, and laughing with her, egging her on to fight harder and faster. She never hated her stepmother, she only ever wanted to make the women proud. She would have never harmed her, let alone kill the women in her sleep.
When the guards came for Eliza, she packed what little she could, grabbed her armor and favored weapons, her mother's amulet of Mara, and what little money she had saved before jumping from her third story window out into the back alleys of the Talos plaza district. She had made it out of the gates and onto her horse before being stopped by her brother charging in front of her to step her escape, panting and obviously tired. His robes her a mess and ruffled, the large pack he carried showed he had obviously packed for something. Eliza glanced around nervously, her horse stepping anxiously, reacting to its riders nerves. When he said he was coming with Eliza automatically shot down the notion.
"I will not have you follow me. They will only suspect you as well. They will come after us, and if we aren't criminals now, we will be by sundown." He had given her a stern look that only reminded her of their father, before he mounted his own horse and rode up next to her.
"I am coming with whether you allow it or not Eliza. I know your innocence."
Gods how she had pouted the entire ride away from the city. She had been so livid with him for coming with. He was only putting himself into danger. He was being extremely reckless. She was glad to have him now though. The company was nice, and she was glad she wasn't leaving her entire past life behind with him around. Eliza was ripped from her thoughts when an arrow suddenly whizzed past her head and into a tree between the both of them.
"GET DOWN!" Eliza pushed her brother behind another near by tree, pulling out a steel sword from its hilt at her side and a wooden shield from her back just in time for another arrow to lodge itself into her shield.
"Halt right there Stormcloak scum!" Stormcloaks? Who the hell where Stormcloaks? Eliza heard flames start behind her, no doubt Darius preparing a spell. She lowered the shield again and stood her ground, looking towards the caster of the arrow. It looked to be an Imperial patrol, but these men were definitely from Skyrim. Despite their armor still appearing like the traditional Imperial armor, they were well equipped and modified for the harsh weather of Skyrim. The patrol was of at the least seven men, maybe more behind trees if they were smart enough to hide their mages or archers.
Eliza had come this far, she was not going to be taken down for a crime she didn't even commit, or the crime she was even suspected of committing. She held her sword and shield at the ready, glaring at the men before her. She felt the temperature of the air around her rise as Darius was no doubt ready to cast whatever spell he had prepared.