The Pink Haired Pirate: An Old Norse Saying
Rated: M for language, future mature themes, violence, gore
Warnings: Spoiler alert for Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim
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"Riften is drowning in a sea of sin and wickedness and it's my personal mission to let everyone know that the warmth of Mara can see them through." ―Dinya Balu"
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"Goddess Mara is very pleased with your progress. She smiles upon you." Priestess Dinya smiled brightly as she led Sakura to sit down.
Sakura returned to Riften after a while. She needed some help. She was supposed to go somewhere close to Rorikstead, a farming village in the Whiterun Hold. But she wasn't exactly sure about where the woman was located. And unlike how she had expected, the priestess didn't chastise her for returning back to ask for help.
"I'm glad her Benevolence is pleased.." Sakura smiled back politely. "But how can I find the woman I need to help? Who is she?"
Priestess Dinya rummaged through the pockets of her rust-colored robes and pulled out an amulet decorated with green beads. She leaned over and locked it around Sakura's neck. And as beautiful as it was, it felt a little uncomfortable as she wore the Amulet of Talos hidden in her dress. And she didn't want to remove it, it was Vol's gift after all.
"Mara will guide you through her amulet, my child. She will light up your path and will give you the strength to reunite the lost souls torn apart by the war. " she paused. "But you might want to hide it if you don't want to look for a spouse yet. You might give men around you false hopes." Dinya winked slyly, causing blood to rush to Sakura's cheeks, dusting them lightly.
"Oh, y-you're right." She fumbled to tuck the round sculpted amulet in the top of her tunic dress. It clicked lightly against the other.
"I'm not ready for that...I just want to help."
"Of course, of course. Now go, they need your help."
Sakura smiled lightly and walked outside the temple. She instantly ducked behind a wall and put her hands on her chest. She caught the glimpse of Brynjolf, sneaking somewhere. Their eyes locked for a moment before she disappeared out of thin air. Sakura left behind a small, pink flower.
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Hiraishin was tiring and exhausting when used on long distances. The closest to Whiterun she'd ever been was Ivarstead, the village she has visited not long ago. It was dawn as well. Sakura slumped against the wall, to catch her breath for a moment before she got up and make her way towards Gjukar's Monument. She picked up the pace and started running, climbing in a tree and bolting across the branches before she could be seen by anyone.
But as tired as she was, there was a feeling she couldn't help but let it overflow. She was smiling brightly, running like the proud kunoichi she once has been, but without the burden of death weighing on her shoulders. She was not running away from anyone. Not from the enemy nin, not from the Marine, not from other pirates...she wasn't looking to execute a mission as fast as possible. She was solely enjoying running, and this time she was not getting lost. The Amulet of Mara was gradually warming and freezing, leading Sakura on the right path. It was like playing Hot or Cold.
Sakura stopped on top of a branch and looked around. She jumped off and started walking, with the amulet getting gradually warmer.
She could see a ragged construction up in front of her and approached it. It was a worn-down stone two-story formation. It looked like it's been a fort once in its lifetime. She stepped closer, approaching something which looked like a shrine. It looked like an anvil, but the worn inscriptions bellow the statue implied something spiritual involved. She touched it gently and her eyes moved down to notice a necklace with an amulet shaped in a similar form. Next to it she spotted two iron ingots, a satchel with about tree fire salts and a book.
"Second Seed...the 5th volume?" Sakura flipped through the pages, her face bearing a vague curiosity, and tucked in the amulet in her pouch. She did the same for the book and the ingots which she stored in a storage scroll, before heading back on the path lightened by Mara.
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"Hello? Miss, please...Miss?" Sakura felt a cold shiver run down her spine as she turned around. It was getting darker and darker, and the bodiless voice was whispering in despair.
"Yes?" Sakura called out. "I'm right here, where are you?" She turned around, twirled and kept looking behind her back. A flash of an eye appeared before her, as a translucent woman clasped her hands over her heart.
"I'm so sorry!" She started to apologize to the startled younger woman, who had to pick herself up from the ground. "I'm sorry...everybody passes by these plains and no one hears my pleas! I'm looking for my Fenrig. He was marching along with Gjukar's men, who they say they have been wiped out here!" She frenetically held her head.
"Please...please help me! I've turned around everybody here and he's nowhere! He has red hair and beard; you must be able to see him!"
Sakura's expression started to look pitiful. She stared over the barren plain of grass and mountains flowers.
"I'm sorry...but there are no bodies here..."
"Are you a fool?!" Ruki snapped, cutting Sakura down. "It's full! And even if you'd be blind, you could still smell the blood." She chocked on a sob. "Please, come and help me look for him!"
The woman thought she was alive. The woman has been waiting here for decades, searching for her husband, forgetting her needs or about the dangers outside the village. And she was still searching, living in a reality where she was still alive, surrounded by the aftermath of the war.
"Come on..." Sakura smiled slightly. "Let's find your husband." Ruki followed her, doing her best to share a broken smile as she stepped over the phantasms of the bodies which once laid the ground. Sakura motioned Ruki to stop.
"Wait here. I'm going to scout, I will find your husband for you." Sakura smiled and before Ruki had the chance to protest, Sakura was gone.
Finding another ghost was like searching for a needle in a haystack. But Mara's amulet was burning against her chest, in a mending, pleasant way. It was pulsating gently as she came across a rundown military camp. The tents were flattened to the ground and partially buried already. And sitting on a rock, a ghostly man clad in a warrior's armor was waiting. And waiting. And she doubted he ever stopped waiting for decades. She walked closer to Ruki's husband, who soon spotted her in the shadows of the military camp.
"Hello." She walked closer. "Mr. Fenrig?"
The armored spirit shook his head. "Yes? I'm sorry, but we're expecting to fight here tomorrow. Gjukar elected the camp to be settled here but...I don't like it. Our fires will be visible for miles, we're in a low valley." He sighed. "We're like sitting ducks."
The realization hit Sakura like a ton of bricks. They've been ambushed, and Fenrig has never gotten the chance to live past that haunting night. Most likely he's been caught in the attack. And he was not able to move on with Ruki searching frenetically for him.
"You don't have to worry about that now, sir. Your wife, Ruki, is looking for you."
"Ruki? Where is she?" That made him stand up from the rock he was sitting on.
"A few miles from here. She's very worried..." Sakura shook her head.
Fenrig nodded solemnly. "Then we shall go see her. If she's come this far from home, then it must be important." Sakura smiled and motioned him to follow through the moonlight-kissed plains.
Ruki was waiting at the same spot Sakura has left her waiting. Her eyes lit up as she walked closer, with her hands held against her chest, seeing her beloved walking over.
"Fenrig? You're alive!" Tears of joy spilled from her eyes as she ran. Sakura stepped aside, to let Fenrig hold her.
"Of course I am. What are you doing here?"
"I heard that Gjukar's men were wiped out, I came here to find you!"
"What? But the fight wasn't due till tomorrow." And at the moment Fenrig held her hands, a surge of strength and easiness overflowed in his body.
"I'm so confused.." Ruki muttered. "What's happening?"
Sakura smiled at the fading couple, not saying anything. She didn't want to break the ice saying they were dead. But that wouldn't matter anyway.
"It doesn't matter, my love. Now we're here, and we'll always be. Together forever."
Sakura draped an arm over her eyes, wiping the stinging tears as they faded away. The Amulet of Mara was pulsating warmly, making her feel a sort of fulfillment she has never felt before. A sort overflowing happiness and joy.
"Not now, your Benevolence. There's one more thing I have to do."
Sakura found whatever has left from the bodies a few miles away. They were unrecognizable, but at the neck of the woman's skeleton was locked a silver necklace, not unlike the one the phantasm was wearing. She kneeled and enhanced her right arm with Armament Haki. She started digging in the ground, a comfortable-sized hole, with her almost-bare hand.
The least they deserved was a burial.
And even if it took at least a few hours, she picked up all the flowers she could find and braided a flower crown. She wasn't so accustomed to Nordic traditions of burial, but they deserved to be thought of at the very least.
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"It took you some time. But Mara is very proud of what you've done. You deserve Mara's blessing as much as we do." Sakura was standing with Priestess Dinya in front of Mara's Shrine at the altar. The dark elf woman took her hand and placed them over the shrine, whispering a small prayer. Sakura was motioned to repeat after her and she did so.
Sakura pulled away after the priestess was done.
"Thank you, Priestess Dinya. I'm glad Her Benevolence is pleased."
"More than pleased. Keep the amulet with you, it might come in handy." Sakura thanked her and motioned Chihiro to follow. The white, fluff of a cat jumped off the bench situated in the front, on the left side and raised her tail, yawning and stretching.
"Done, Sakura-chan?"
"Yes, I'm done. Do you think Chihiro could stay here a little more? I promised a friend I'll visit."
"Of course. She's very well behaved."
Chihiro shot her a questioning look.
"Sewer water is ruining your fur."
The cat understood. Sakura's last phrase was spoken in Japanese after all.
Priest Maramal has engaged in a conversation with the Priestess as soon as Sakura left. The ragdoll cat curled in her lap, as always.
"I'm so happy to hear you're with child, my love."
And out of the few words of Norse Chihiro has caught on, those were a few she could understand. Chihiro started purring happily, against the tummy of the Priestess. She felt her head and ears being stroked in response, by a gray hand.
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A/N: I think I'm going to separate the books...when she'll purchase a house, she will store them there and not carry all of them with her, but until then I will write them separately. I will also add an 'R' next to all the read books.
That being said...what do you think about the Book of Love? It was a little shorter than I would have liked...I have written a single chapter than this whole saga but it's a little harder than you think. As I said, the dialogue is bare-boned and it''s hard to make it all up in a way it would flow nicely.
This is my favorite mini-quest chain by the way. It's the sweetest. Like...it hits you with feels, so I couldn't help but reflect that in Sakura's actions. Especially the last (this) part. It's the feels. I play this game to have fun, not to feel. The daily dose of feelium. If you are to play the last scene...it's...I will let you see for yourself. If you're a romantic at heart, you'll love it.
It's getting hard to find matching books really. Like...really hard. Do you have any ideas about what else could I use as a break line? I feel like adding the book contents could immerse the reader better in the universe..especially the non-players. Non-players can read this story as well since Sakura is as new as them to the lore. I really am trying to make everything as visual as possible. Really.
I want to clarify the Amulet of Mara: it's some sort of custom that someone wears the amulet visibly if they're eligible for marriage. Bachelors and bachelorettes. Hence why Sakura hides it. But for the last part of the quest, you have to wear it to see the ghost couple. I never thought of Sakura as a religious person, neither my own version or canon, but I feel like it fits her a little. The only kind of prayers she has witnessed was Hidan's, and they weren't pretty. This is fresh for her xD And makes her feel warmer than she used to. But she's not turning into a goody two shoes...she just becomes a gentler soul with no bullshit-tolerance. You'll see.
Hmm. The stats right?
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Balance: 2350 septims.
Apparel: Clothes, Boots, Amulet of Mara, Amulet of Talos, Amulet of Zenithar
Weapons: N/A
Potions: N/A
Scrolls (spells): N/A
Food: N/A
Ingredients: N/A
Books: 2920, vol V - Second Seed (Speech Skill Book), Aedra and Daedra (Lore - R), Boethiah's Proving (Lore - R), Cats of Skyrim (Lore, Enchanter's Primer (Enchanting Skill Book), The Exodus (Restoration Skill Book), Walking the World - Volume XI: Solitude (Lore - R).
Journals: Sakura's Journal
Letters: N/A
Keys: N/A
Misc: Summoning scroll, Storage scrolls, Quill, Inkwell, Lockpicks (8), Black Soul Gem (1)
Passive Effects: Agent of Mara (15% Resist Magic.)
Spells: N/A
Shouts: N/A
Perks: N/A
Quest Log (Started): Discerning the Transmundane, Join the Stormcloaks
Quest Log (Completed): A Chance Arrangement, Drowned Sorrows, Book of Love
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Okay...I feel much better. I'm getting all annoyed if everything's all messy. I hope this will be easy for you to read. I hope it doesn't bother you I'm adding the stats after the chapter. Like this, you can decide whether to check them out or not. I wanted to add jutsu too...but those are kind of many to write. Basically most of the elemental jutsu she's naturally affiliated with, the supplementary stuff (not related to a kekkei genkai other than the Sharingan), she also possesses the Rinnegan but it's not fun to overpower her. I mean it's boring so she won't really use it. But a Sage Mode Sakura vs. Alduin will definitely happen.
I was this close to adding another cat in the story. But I scrapped the idea as soon as I started writing it. Maybe another time.
I'll leave you to your business. The footnote is getting too long anyway.
Bye-bye til later!