Chapter 6

Kiri woke up the next day, feeling refreshed for the first time.

Previously, she would get up groggy despite having enough sleep, but the labours at the farm made her super exhausted to even pick up a book to read at night. Nonetheless, she and Blaise were safe from harm.

She blinked when she stared at her reflection: a young Redguard woman with dishevelled black hair staring back at her with vibrant eyes. Her body was covered with a few marks left by the shadowed assassin, especially in her...tender areas.

"Veezara..." she called his name, almost expecting him to still be in the room. But true to his words, he had left stealthily into the night while she slept. Touching the red mark that was prominent on her neck, she felt a bit of the punctured dents left by Veezara's sharp fangs.

A part of her shuddered at the thought of him using his full strength, while the other wanted to experience that pleasurable moment again. Though, she meant what she had said about not being ready to tell him about why she was willing to let him take her own life.

That would be the least of her worries compared to the present.

Snapping out of her heated thoughts, she now focused on starting the day and making sure Blaise was ready as well. Katla was not a patient woman despite her homely appearance. Although she doesn't allow Blaise to stay in the farmhouse, she had the grace to allow him to sit at the table during meal times.

The young boy was already up and setting the table with plates and cutlery. "Morning, Kiri. I thought of waking you up after I set the table but now I don't have to."

Kiri smiled and ruffled his head. "Morning to you too. Wow, you set up the table and brought out the bread? I think you are growing up. Oh, time is moving fast!"

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Kiri, I'm still here! Do you want me to be like Geirmund?"

Talking about the man in charge of the horses, the young Redguard laughed. He's always stern about the horses, to the point potential customers were afraid to approach him if they ever want to purchase a horse.

In fact, he MIGHT be a potential suspect of the person performing the Black Sacrament. To Kiri, it somehow made sense since most of the customers approached her when it came to riding lessons. Could Geirmund be jealous of her and assumed she was stealing his job?

Her thoughts were interrupted by an impatient little boy who was waiting to have breakfast. Apologising, Kiri began to toast the sliced breads over the fireplace before spreading some creamy churned butter and preserved snowberry jam.

Sometimes, the simplest breakfast is always the best.

Today, she had a few clients to meet at the Bard's College for their horse riding lessons after taking care of Cinnamon and Pepper at the stables. While she handles the class, Blaise would either be running errands for Katla or play with some of the Solitude children as long as they don't ventured out of the city walls.

...

Mucking out the stables was the worst part of the job.

Although it was somewhat a good morning workout, Kiri couldn't stand the smell of horse manure and would do her best to spruce up the stables so that both her and the Bard College students would have a more pleasant experience.

A part of her still felt like that silver-spooned child that would demand for everything but now, a lot had changed since she was kicked out. If she wanted some things, she needed to put in effort to work for them.

In this case, money and showing everyone her skills in horse riding.

"I'm surprised you're not living in the Blue Palace," Geirmund commented with a chuckle. He had a tankard in his hand while the other was resting on his lap. "I've never seen a stable hand feeling queasy over mucking. Then again, you're not from here, are you?"

Kiri lets out an uncomfortable laugh. "No, I'm from Hammerfell. Back home, I only went to a riding school but never stayed back to do other things."

"Ah, that explains it. Well whatever you are doing, keep it up. Better head for the college soon if you don't want to disappoint eager riders."

With that, Geirmund went back inside the house. Now Kiri was confused, because there wasn't any sarcasm or malice in the old man's tone. Or maybe she wasn't good at interpreting people well since she was more used to horses than anything.

Speaking of horses, Pepper began to whinnied at a direction where guests usually came in. There were two horses, a dapple-grey mare with a black mane and a black stallion with a white star on his forehead. However, both of the horses' riders surprised her:

They were Khajiits.

Back home, she had met a few Khajiits working with other Redguards in most shops. Some were even their local healers with their knowledge of medicine and there were a few bakeries with sweet treats that those cats love.

The rider of the dapple-grey mare was a tortoiseshell-coloured female with yellow eyes and had a scar across her muzzle. She was wearing what looked like an armour made out of...dragon scales? Her companion on the other hand, was a male with his large head in white-grey speckled fur while adorning the Nordic armour along with the helmet.

Dismounting off of their horses, the two cats approached Kiri with their tails tucked across their feet.

"Greetings, Miss," the female bowed politely. "Do you have any vacancies for our horses? We are planning to stay in Solitude for a while."

"O-of course," Kiri managed to say her words. She was in awed of their appearance, to which the male lets out a mrrow of laughter. "Not the kind of Khajiits you would meet, yes?"

Kiri shook her head. "No but we do have travelling merchants camping close to the city gates. Judging by both of your outfits, you have important business in Solitude? I can house both of your horses here in the stable."

"Thank you, Miss?"

"Kiri, just call me Kiri."

The calico reached out a paw to shake her hand. "This one is called Tawnyfrost while my companion here is Kharjo. We are going to the Bard's College to enrol him into their unit. Kharjo has a good singing voice~"

From that comment, the speckled tom lowered his ears from embarrassment. "You jest there, Tawnyfrost." To which she replied with gentle smile:

"Khajiit does not. It is the truth, Kharjo. How else does Svana get swayed by your purrs?"

What a coincidence indeed! Kiri also told them that she was heading there herself so they could take the journey together. There was something about Tawnyfrost that almost made her straighten her spine.

Whether it was her deep yellow eyes boring into her or the edge in her friendly tone that could scare away bandits.

No matter the outcome, Kiri was glad that this newfound activity would distract her on who was the one performing the Black Sacrament.

Yay, Tawnyfrost is back from my other fanfic, Bejewelled Manuscript :) I like to imagine Khajiits do like music and sometimes sing at night while having something sweet

Still, there are potential suspects on who wants Kiri dead