Archive of Our Own

Work Text

Arkinn stood in a poorly lit empty room. The light coming from a single candle mounted to the wall to his right. Arkinn couldn't understand how exactly he had come to be in this room. As he continued to look around he soon realized that there were no doors around. His anxiety soon got the best of him as he started to wonder how he was going to get out. His past experiences had taught him to always know where exactly possible exits were in a room if ever in an event. The lack of an exit only caused his anxiety to grow.  How the hell did I get in here? What is going on? Arkinn thought to himself He had noticed a small table in the corner of the room upon his initial recon of the room. As looked more closely at the table he noticed that there was something sitting on top of it. Curiosity getting the better of him; he felt himself walking towards the table to try to get a better look at the object in the poorly lit room. As he got closer he was able to make out more details of the object. It took up about a fourth of the table's surface and seemed to be made out of some sort of stone. The object's base looked to be circular and got slightly smaller farther up. The top was a circle with pointers poking out at the sides. Arkinn continued to walk closer to the table and was able to notice the finer details of the object. It appeared warn down upon closer inspection. The circle on top had the design of face in the center with a series of ribbons interwoven from the pointers around the face. Arkinn was now directly in front of the table being careful not to block the little amount of light that was allowing him to see. He now knew exactly what the object he was looking at was. He hadn't seen one in many years being as he hadn't been to a temple in over ten years. The object was a shrine to Mara, the goddess of love. Once again curiosity won over in his head and he placed his hand on the statue to feel if it was real or not.  "Greetings my child" echoed a warm and calming voice inside Arkinn's head the second his fingers touched the shrine. Arkinn shot his hand back away from the shrine.   "What the hell? Who are you? Show yourself!" Arkinn called out to the mysterious voice as he searched where the voice could be coming from.  "Hold my child there is no cause to be angered. It is I Mara" the voice spoke Arkinn at that moment realized that the voice was coming from the shrine itself. "What do you want with me goddess?" Arkinn said taking a more cautious tone with his voice. "My child I have watched over you since the day you were born. You have been through much hardship and pain from such a young age. Yet you have survived and persevered through it. However, this has taken its toll on your life, my child. It has taken you away from the one that was made for you. You have traveled so far away that it is time for you to return to be with the one that was destined to be your soul mate." "What do you mean Lady Mara, I don't understand?" Arkinn pleaded to the goddess "It is time for you to return to the place you once called home to find your soulmate. Life has not been kind to you and it is time for your time to come. Now I think it is time for you to wake up, go forth with my blessing and find the one that will bring you happiness." Mara's voice now seemed to echo inside his head. "But my lady how will I know when I find my soulmate? Arkinn pleaded to the goddess but, she was already gone. The room grew darker and darker as Arkinn's eyelids grew heavy. Eventually,  Arkinn was plunged into darkness. —*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*— The breeze that blew through the thick branches that held up his hut is what woke Arkinn up.  What is that smell? I feel like I've smelt this before but not here.   Arkinn slowly lifted his back up from his sleeping position in his bed that was tucked into the corner of his small yet cozy hut. It was a small circular building which consisted of one room. at the foot of the bed was a dresser that came up waist high even with the bed. A tall wardrobe was positioned caddie cornered the dresser. Beside the wardrobe was an old warn desk that held an enchanter's station as well as an alchemy station next to it. Next to the bed was a nightstand where he kept his bow and quiver of arrows hidden behind if ever the event he needed them ever arose. Close to that stood a modestly sized fireplace that kept the entire hut warm, it was also where Arkinn cooked his meals. In front of the fireplace was a simple square shaped dining table with a chair on either side. On the opposite wall of the hut held a book shelf with each shelf filled with books ranging from Mixed Unit Tactics to The Beggar Prince. Next to the bookshelf was a weapons rack that displayed swords that he had found in his travels. In between the alchemy station and the weapons rack was the doorway to Arkinn's hut and with a drape hung over to allow for a little bit of privacy.  
Was that real? No, it had to have been a dream. But it felt so real being in that room. 
 Arkinn sat in bed for a few more minutes going over the events that had unfolded in his dream as he had decided it was. Had he really spoken to the goddess of love, Lady Mara? Had she really told him that there was someone out there that had been made just for him? He ran his hand over his buzz cut head processing these thoughts in his mind.  Arkinn eventually picked himself out of his bed figuring that he had better get ready for the day. He walked over to the tall wardrobe picking out his everyday attire. His armor was lightly weighted and made of leather so that Arkinn wouldn't be restricted in his movements when he jumped from tree branch to tree branch during his odd jobs he took. The dark leather had been cut into strips and then work and interwoven up the center and came over the shoulders in order to protect the vital organs. The cape shown obvious signs of wear from the black coloring and was attached at the shoulders coming down to his hips and went up to form a hood that was reinforced with the same dark leather. The pants were also the fabric and faded black coloring as the cape with leather knee pads. His boots came up just below the knee pads of his pants and were the same dark leather with straps going up the sides to ensure that they didn't fall off. The belt was made of the same dark leather with extra leather strips layered to protect his hips. As well there were two sheaths on the belt for Arkinn's daggers. One was in the front on the left side of the buckle while the second was attached at the back running parallel with the belt.  Arkinn finished putting on the belt inspecting the twin steel daggers seeing if they needed to be sharpened before today's hunt. The steel daggers were the only weapons he had on when he left Skyrim at twelve years old. He had found them on the corpse of what looked like a bandit near the border of Skyrim and Cyrodill. Finding them meant that he had a chance to defend himself from the wild beasts of Skyrim's southern forests. Even to this day they still brought him hope of survival.  He sheathed them and then grabbed his bow and quiver of arrows that rested next to the weapons rack. It was a simple hunting bow that had been in his possession for the past few years. He scraped the quiver to his back and slung the bow over his shoulder as he made his way out of his hut.  —*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*— The province of Valenwood had been Arkinn's home for the past eight years. He had made his way through Cyrodill scrounging up money where ever he could so he could pay for a cart ride to the next city where he would start the process over. At the time he didn't know exactly where he was going. Arkinn only knew that he wanted to get as far away from Skyrim and more importantly the pain that came from the cursed province. A year later he eventually made his way into Valenwood and slowly made his way down the coast. The ocean offered him a sustainable food source from the ocean as he traveled. The biggest threat to him at the time was bandits that wanted to capture him and make easy money be selling him into slavery. Because of this he quickly learned to be agile enough to use the trees and tree branches for protection and shelter.  He had been captured once when he was fourteen and almost sold. Arkinn had been traveling down the coast just south of Falinesti when the snap of a twig just beyond the underbrush set his instincts in motion. Immediately Arkinn took off running only looking back once to see a burly man chasing after him. Looking back that one time was his downfall for he didn't see the other man jump out in front of him throwing a net over him. Arkinn had struggled against the thick ropes of the net but it was no use the two men had come up on either side of him. The one that was in front of him knocked him out with the butt of his sword. Arkinn later woke up to find himself in a cage on a cart without his daggers. The two men that had kidnapped him noticed him wake and laughed about how much they were going to make from him. They said that he was going to be a rarity in this part of the content. His pale blue eyes and tanned skin would surely drive up the price they were going to fetch for him. For the first time in almost two years, Arkinn at the time was truly scared about what going to happen with him. The beasts he had fought and traveling south through a war-stricken province Arkinn at least knew he had a chance of survival or he would die trying. It was the Nord in him that kept his fighting spirit sparked. This time he knew that he would survive but he would be free, he wouldn't have any chance. To be sold into slavery was having your freedoms taken from you and you were still alive after it. Being the Nord that he was, this went against his culture to die on his feet than live on his knees. For days they traveled across Valenwood and slowly this gave Arkinn time to think of a way out of his cage. His plan came into fruition one the fourth night of their travels.  One of the men had fallen asleep in the front seat of the cart. The road they were traveling on had been extremely uneven which caused the cart to bump up periodically. Arkinn had slowly maneuvered his way close to the sleeping man. This was difficult to do since his feet and wrist were bound with rope. He waited for his golden opportunity for the cart to hit another uneven spot. It turned out he didn't have to wait too long. In that moment the cart had lurched forward and so did Arkinn. He was able to get his hands through the bars and around the dagger the sleeping bandit had equipped on his right him. When the cart lurched back Arkinn Held on to the dagger and allowed his body to follow the momentum of the cart back word pulling the dagger out of the sheath. He had made sure to land on his stomach so he could hide the dagger from view. The man that was awake looked back and chuckled at muttering something that Arkinn couldn't hear but he guessed that it was derogatory towards his race. For the next few minutes, Arkinn worked quickly and quietly as he cut the ropes that bound his wrists. The moment he was able to cut his way through the rope he knew that he had a fighting chance. He quietly untied the rope that bound his feet together and inspected the rope. It was good thick rope that he knew he could do something with. He slowly made his way back to the front of the cart. He could just slit both of their throats but then how would he get out of the cage? No, he needed to get one of them to open the cage for him. But how? He contemplated for a few minutes analyzing both of the men. He then came up with a plan. Arkinn took the rope in his hands and moved over to the man on the left he slipped his hands through the bars over the man's head. He waited for another bump in the road and at that point he brought the rope down around the man's throat brought his feet up against the bars and pulled on both ends of the rope. The man started flailing around trying to get to his two-handed war axe that he had placed at his feet but it was no use. In the process of the man's flailing, he had hit the man next to him waking him up. The man looked at his partner to find him gasping for air from the rope around his neck. He followed the rope back to find Arkinn pulling with all the strength that he could muster. The man stopped the cart jumped off and ran to the back of the cart to open the cage. While the second man fumbled for the keys, the first man finally stopped struggling against the rope. Arkinn didn't have time to process that he had probably killed the man but this was his fight for survival he couldn't think about it at the moment. He heard the cage door finally open and he turned around now with the dagger in hand and leaped at the man making his way into the cage. They tumbled out of the cage and off the cart. The man reached for his hip for his dagger but he realized that it was not in his possession. Arkinn kicked and kneed where ever he could, trying to get the upper hand until finally, he hit the man's groin. For a split second, the man's grip on Arkinn gave and that was the opening he needed to plunge the dagger into the man's stomach. Slowly the life in the man's eyes disappeared and finally fell completely on Arkinn. He struggled to push the man off of him. Arkinn picked himself up and looked around. He had no idea where he was but he knew he couldn't stay there. With his adrenaline rush over Arkinn finally realized what he had just done. He subsequently ran over to a bush and threw up. He had never killed anyone before and while he knew that it happened in life, he hadn't prepared himself for the fact that he had just taken another man's life. Not just one but, two men's lives.  Arkinn eventually composed himself enough to walk back over to the cart. He needed to find his stuff and get out of there before someone came around. He grabbed the keys that were still in the cage door and found the key that opened the chest with his stuff inside. he felt safer with his twin daggers attached to his hips now. There was also a bow with quite a few arrows in the chest as well. He grabbed the bow and quiver and ran over to a horse that had been pulling the cart he undid the bridal that attached the cart. He mounted the horse and started to ride off however he looked back at the two corpses. He couldn't just leave them there like they were. He turned the horse around and made his way back to the cart. He looked at the man that he had stabbed and felt himself slowly tear up. As much as he hated these men for kidnapping him and trying to sell him off, he couldn't just leave the man laying on the ground there. He bent down and began to search his pockets. He found four lockpicks and some money that he put in his pack that was slung next to the quiver on his back. He picked up the man by the arms and slowly dragged him to the front of the cart. He didn't know exactly what he was doing as he pushed the corpse up into the front seat. Arkinn pulled himself into the front seat and began positions the man's body the seat. He looked up and yelped as he saw the man's dead eyes looking back at him. He brought his hand up and closed the man's eyes from the world. Now it looked like the man was sleeping. Arkinn began to feel better after doing it so he moved over to the other man. He looked in the man's pockets and found a potion of healing, another lock pick and, and some more gold. he placed them in his pack and looked back the man. The man's mouth hung open and his eye was open with a look of shock in them. Arkinn teared up as he closed his eyes and mouth. He jumped down from the cart and looked back up at them. The men looked like they were sleeping. This made Arkinn feel a little better about what he had to do so he could survive. He walked back to the horse, mounted it and rode off the way he had come from.  He eventually made his way into a small village that he remembered riding through at night. Now that it was daytime the village was much more active as opposed to night time when it could have been mistaken as abandoned. He rode up to what looked like local in and tied the reins of his horse to the post. Arkinn walked up the stairs and pushed open the sturdy wooden door open and walked inside. Being only fourteen and lean for his size immediately drew the attention of everyone in the room. He walked up to the counter and waved down the bartender. "You shouldn't be in here, boy." The bartender said in a disdainful voice.  "Please, I just want to know where exactly I am," Arkinn asked pleadingly.  "You're in Vinehollow, now why are you in here?" Replied the Bartender. Arkinn had to think up of something fast. "I got separated from my trading caravan. Please, where is the nearest city from here?" Arkinn asked slipping in a little worry in his voice.  "The closest city is going to be Silvenar to the west and that's about a half day's ride from here. You're going to want to leave now if you want to make it there before sundown."  "Thank you, sir," Arkinn replied. "Whatever now get out of here" the Bartender grumbled back. Arkinn quickly walked back out of the Inn down the steps to his horse. He untied it to from the post and mounted the horse taking off westward just as the bartender had said. He didn't stop for anything or anyone. Eventually, Arkinn started to come upon the city of Silvenar. Upon first glance, Arkinn didn't think the city was that impressive. There were a few stone buildings scattered around several large ponds. Docks had been constructed to house all of the fishing boats that dotted the ponds. Massive trees shot up from the ground and into the canopy that grew over the ponds. It was at that moment when Arkinn was looking in the tree that he noticed what really made Sivenar a city. Within the trees' branches held most of the city. Massive buildings and houses were all nestled into the trees strung up by ropes and connecting each with bridges and ladders made of vines and what looked line scrap wood. The houses were tear drop shaped starting off small at the top then expanded going down to then have a flat bottom surface and ranged in sizes. The buildings looked as if they had been carved out of the massive trunks of the trees. Ten-foot openings served as doorways for the tree buildings with large walkways connecting the buildings to each other.  To say that Arkinn was an understatement, Skyrim had never held a wonder such as this. He trotted on his horse around the stone buildings on the ground in an attempt to find and Inn or a stable. He eventually found what he was looking for and was able to house his horse there for a few days that he paid for with the money he'd taken from the two people he killed. Arkinn did have anywhere to stay if the Inn was anything like the one in Vinehollow he surely wouldn't be welcome there. So he decided that after the stable master went inside for the day he would sneak back in and hope to get a decent night's sleep in the stable. The next morning Arkinn was up at the break of dawn before the stable master caught him sleeping on his property. He walked around the stone building trying to see if there was anything he could in the way of making money that would raise too much suspicion. As well he wanted to figure how in Oblivion he was going to get up those trees so he could walk around the real city. He walked for half of the day until his adolescent Nord pride gave in and he finally asked someone how to get up into the trees. He walked up to the closest person which happened to be an elderly lady with long tangled gray hair.  "Excuse me but could you tell me how I would get up there?" Arkinn asked politely. "Walk into the trees." the old lady said. "What?' Arkinn deadpanned. "Walk into the trees." The woman repeated now looking directly into Arkinn's eyes as if trying to make sure he understood what she was saying. Arkinn turned around and left the old woman be. He walked until he came up to one of the massive tree trunks. He circled the trunk inspecting the bark and the tree itself. Arkinn looked back in the direction the woman had been huffing in amusement. At that moment as he turned back around to look at the trunk he thought his eyes were beginning to play tricks on his mind. While Arkinn had slept the previous night in the stables, he was woken up many times from his nightmares. He would see the faces of the two men that had kidnapped him and would relive the events of his escape from the cage. Pushing those thoughts to the back of his head he looked at trunk again. Once more he noticed the tree trunk ripple. This time he knew he wasn't imagining. Arkinn placed his hand on the tree only for it to go straight through. He yelped and retracted his hand back out of the tree.  What the hell? Arkinn processed what had just happened and slowly raised his hand back to the trunk and pushed his hand through. This kind of magic he had never seen before the part of his skin that was contact with the ‘tree' tingled due to coming in contact with the magic and it reacting. Arkinn pushed more of his arm into the tree, now he had his arm up to his bicep in the tree. Finally, Arkinn decided to throw caution to the wind and pushed his whole body into the tree.  The first thing he noticed was the light in the center of the hollowed tree trunk. It was a calming blueish purple glow that pulsated. The air was noticeably thick with magic. Arkinn looked around the room looking at the walls. They were a mixture of greens and browns much like the colors you and inside a tree limb. His eyes traveled upward. There was a small amount of light that he could but only barely. Either the light was extremely small or it was high up. Arkinn thought that the latter seemed more reasonable. He looked back down at the light and started to feel a pull in his navel. He didn't realize he had moved until the glow was right in front of him. he could feel the magic swirling around him and pulse of the magic reverberate through his body. It reminded him of a heart beat and slowly raised his hand. The moment his hand reached the center of the glow, the magic swirling around him grew stronger. Arkinn felt his feet leave the ground and looked around as the walled started to move downward. He looked down to his feet and the floor which grew smaller and smaller. The speed at which he ascended started to increase. Arkinn looked up to the light as it began to grow. Now he could feel the wind pushing around him as he was now traveling at a very noticeable speed. Arkinn began to worry about how fast he was going because now the source of the light close probably less than fifty feet above him and he wasn't slowing down at any noticeable rate. The closer he got to the light the more he could make out of it. It was door way with a ledge that jutted out into the hollowed trunk. Still, as he ascended he was not slowly down and Arkinn was now really starting to panic. The doorway was now about two feet away and all at once as he passed the ledge he felt the magic that carried him up swirled around him again and brought him to a stop just as how feet came above the ledge. His feet landed on it and felt the magic balance him so that he didn't fall backward. Slowly he felt that magic disappear as he walked away from the ledge. Arkinn turned around and looked down the trunk. He could still see the pulsating glow from this height. He turned back to the doorway and walked through. It seemed that this day was just going to get more astonishing by the hour.  The room that he walked into was a large atrium with people walking around in and out of it through the arches that were around the room. The branched that formed the arches continued on and bend towards back to the center intertwining with the other branches forming an intricate lattice ceiling Arkinn some hundred feet in the air. In between the arches, there were more doorways like the one that Arkinn stood in front of. He slowly walked down the steps that were in front of him that lead down into the atrium. For the rest of the day, Arkinn walked around the city going through the different arches following the pathways they stood over. When he found the market area he made sure to remember where it was and how to get there. It was in different tree trunk than the atrium with this one having decks jutting out of the outside of the tree. There were different stalls set up outside on the decking with people walking around talking to the people selling their wares.  Arkinn walked into trunks and was astonished to find a few actual buildings constructed attached to the walls of the trunk. In the center, there was a massive three-tiered water fountain made of stone depicting a man which Arkinn could only guess was a god or deity the Bosmer worshiped. He walked around inside the tree looking at all of the different merchants. There was a blacksmith immediately to his left where a man worked away hammering on a piece of metal. The building next to that Arkinn assumed was a general goods store as there was a wide assortment of random items. There were different cases of food, a shelf of scrolls, bales of hay, weapons, and well as different pieces of armor all around the room when looking through the doorway of the store. On the opposite side of the room was a small building that had a fenced area to the side of it with different plants growing in the pots that were placed in rows. Arkinn was quickly able to form that it had to be an alchemist's store with its very own growing station. A woman walked out of the building into the growing station and quickly and efficiently took small cuttings of the few plants before walking back into the store. Next to the Alchemist's there was a larger building that looked to be a clothing store from the different shelves with an array of different colored fabrics. He would have to remember to come back for new clothes. There were other stores but as Arkinn walked by them looking in them, the items being sold would have no use for a fourteen-year-old.  Arkinn looked up into the sky to see where the sun was so he would know what time it was. Coming that it would soon be getting dark soon he decided to start heading back to the Atrium. When he finally made it back to the atrium the sun was setting over the canopy. The ground floor of this lush forest would surely be much darker than this. This meant that he would be able to sneak back to the stables and sleep there one more night.  When Arkinn finally made it make to the ground floor and back to the stables it was much darker than it had been when he left the canopy. He scanned the area to see if any other people were outside. Seeing none he kept low to the ground as he snuck into the stables and into the stall that was housing his horse. As Arkinn laid down on the pile of hay that he had fashioned into a makeshift bed he needed to make a game plan of what he was going to do. He knew that he couldn't continue sleeping here forever eventually he would get caught and probably arrested. He also needed to decide where to go from here. Where was he going to go to next? Did he want to keep moving? The more he thought back to his time spent in the city of Silvenar the more he felt this pull inside of him. For the first time since he left Skyrim, he felt a little safe being here. Tomorrow he would look for any odd job that he could find to get some money for himself and then decide what he would do. He closed his eyelids and drifted off to sleep. The next day Arkinn once again woke up early enough to beat the stable master out before getting noticed. He walked back to the tree trunk from yesterday and walked right into it coming into the room where he floated up to the canopy. He walked back to the market area trying to find anyone looking for help that could get him some money.  By mid-day, he had talked to most of the stall merchants outside with no success. He would walk up to the merchants and as soon as they spotted his pale steel blue eyes the sour taste was already in their mouths. it wouldn't take long for them to guess that he was a Nord by his accent. After that, they would all but shun him from existence.  He had given up on the outside stall merchants and walked inside to talk to the merchants there. He walked over to the forge to where he had seen the blacksmith working the day before. He found the Bosmer grinding an exquisitely designed two-handed battle axe. When he was only a few feet the elf looked up to meet Arkinn.  "What can I do for you, boy?" The Wood Elf said in a questioning tone.  "I came looking to see if there was any extra work that you could offer me?" Arkinn replied politely. After being rejected all morning, it was a blessing that he was able to still keep a polite tone in his voice.  "There is always work to be done for a blacksmith however, today is a rare day that I have been blessed by the gods for working efficiently and am almost done with my labors of the day." the Blacksmith said gruffly.  Arkinn's spirits fell once again, and finally, the mask of optimism that he had on finally cracked and his dejection had shown through for only a second. The Blacksmith seeing this took pity on the boy and remembered something. "However you could go over and talk to my wife, she runs the alchemy store across the market. I remember her saying that she needed someone to go out and fetch some rare ingredients that are hard to get By normal means."  Arkinn looked up with hopeful eyes and knew at that moment he had his way.  "I will go and talk to your wife and see if I can be of assistance to her," Arkinn said letting the hope he had slip into his words.  The Blacksmith waved goodbye to Arkinn as he walked with a quickened pace towards the Alchemist's store.  Arkinn walked into the small stone building where the Alchemist was standing in front of the station. Arkinn inspected the room he had walked into. There were shelves of different ingredients stacked up in different kinds of baskets, jars, and boxes varying in size. The shelves lined the sides the room while series of different buckets housing a few larger supplies that an alchemist would need such as crates of vials, planters, and few bags of soil. In the back corner, a counter jutted out of the wall that ran parallel with the back wall till about midway of the room. on the opposite corner of the back wall, the Alchemist work efficiently away at her station. making precise cuts, mixing liquids, and pouring the contents into vials. Arkinn walked up behind her and waited for a second before laughing to get her attention. She put down the knife and turned off the fire to her burner under the beakers then turned around.  The first thing Arkinn had noticed about her was her eyes. They were a shade of golden honey that was beautiful but also held a hint of all-knowing. Her gaze lets off a feeling of slight intimidation. The amber locks of her hair pulled back came down to about shoulder length. She had an angular face with freckles that dotted over it.  "what can I do for you today?" The woman said as a new look formed in her eyes. The intimidation that swirled in them was gone and replaced with a look that was akin to that of motherly and kind.  "I was told by the blacksmith that you were in need of some rare ingredients."  The woman's features changed to those of a humorous annoyance. "Yes, I did mention to my husband that I was going to go into the forest today to look for some ingredients." Well, would you like some assistance in finding these ingredients that you need?" "I'll be honest I wouldn't mind the company." "I'd be happy to accompany you." "I will pay you for your services." "Thank you that would be much appreciated." "Shall we go ahead and head out then?" "I'm right behind you ma'am." Arkinn watched as the woman closed down her shop and then met him outside. They walked together for a while before either one of them spoke. "I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Tilliana and as you could already tell that I am the alchemist here in Silvenar. Well one of them there are a few others but they mostly dabble in it. Me it is my life and its what I have been doing since I was very young.""My name is Arkinn Blackthorn, and I just came to be in Silvenar only a few days ago."  "You're a Nord?" "Yes I am, does that bother you?" "No it doesn't but it is quite uncommon for a Nord to be this far south in Tamriel. And to be as young you look it is rare. How old are you" "Turned fourteen mid-way through First Seed." "Do your elders know that you are out here?" Arkinn took a pregnant pause before deciding to tell her. Her eyes were motherly again and trusting as well. "My parents threw me out two years ago back in Skyrim. I tried to make it in Skyrim but I could take still being that close to them and not be able to return."  As they traveled through the city and down to the ground floor Arkinn slowly told her his story of how he came to be here in Silvenar. By the time they were in the thicket of the forest Arkinn released a breath that he hadn't been holding once he finished. "To be thrown out at that young of age is a despicable thing for a parent to do. You have been forced to grow up and fight to survive." Tilliana walked over to him and wrapped him up in a hug.  That hug broke what control he had on his emotions as he broke down in her arms. they held the hug for a minute or two before releasing. She wiped the tears from his eyes before doing it for herself. She suddenly remembered why they had come out here for and needed to get back to it.  "We came out here to find a certain kind of mushroom that grows on the roots of fallen trees. They only grow in the wild during this time of year and I want to get some cuttings to relocate them." "It might be better if we split up a little to look faster. I'd say how long we have but I cant exactly where the sun is from this far down so I don't know." Tilliana gave Arkinn a bag and pointed him in a direction the mushroom might have been. They searched for the mushrooms until both of their bags were filled. Tilliana decided then that what they had would be enough to get them cultivated in the planters she had set up for them back at her shop.  "We should head back before it gets too dark. I can pay you when we get back to my shop." Tilliana said. They walked in comfortable silence for a time until they came to stone buildings below the city. "I have to thank you for all of your help today, Arkinn. My husband, Mathian, would wrap me up in so many proactive wards if he had his way but, I know it is because he loves me dearly he's just protective. So I must thank you for your help today again, Arkinn." "You're welcome Tilliana it has been some time since I last had an actual conversation with someone as kind as you." They reached one of the transport trees and floated up to the atrium. From there they walked back to her shop making small talk until the got there. Her husband, Mathian, was waiting outside of his wife's shop. "There you are, dear." He said coming up to hug her and kiss her temple. "I was beginning to wonder where you had run off to." She smiled up at him lovingly then explained where they had gone to find the mushrooms she had needed. During this exchange, Arkinn had a chance to take in Mathian's appearance. He stood about a head taller than Tilliana with the same complexion as her. His hair was shaved except for the deep mahogany war mohawk. He had a goatee and mustache that had been well maintained. His high cheekbones framed his eyes very well and made him stunning for a blacksmith. His rust colored eyes held a look of certainty and love when he looked at his wife. Overall Arkinn had to give it to Tilliana. Her husband was muscular probably from working as a blacksmith and handsome.  "Arkinn could you go but these bags over in the growing station while I go get your payment?" Tilliana said turning to him When Arkinn nodded she walked into her shop with her husband. Arkinn took the bags of mushrooms into the growing station and set them by some pots that had been, by the looks of it,  freshly filled with soil. He walked out of the growing station and into the shop coming into the end of a conversation the couple was having. "You know I am right about this Mathian. I felt something when he walked in today to my shop." "Are you sure about this Tilli? I mean we haven't even known him a day." "You weren't there when he told me his story. The boy has been to Oblivion and back and is still standing. He needs a home and we could be that for him. We've tried having a kid and everything that we have tried hasn't worked. Maybe this is the gods giving us what we want?" "Ok I see your point, we can talk to him about it when he walks in here."  They looked up to see Arkinn walking in. Tilliana walked over to him and handed him a pouch full of gold. As he Arkinn was about turn around She grabbed his wrist. Arkinn tensed his free hand instinctively going to one of the daggers strapped to his belt. He looked at the hand that had grabbed him once realizing who it was he relaxed. He hadn't noticed Mathian but down the bow he had drawn out. Arkinn looked up at Tilliana with expecting eyes. Arkinn, do you have a place to stay tonight?" He looked at with a little shock and fear. Are they going to turn me in if I say that I'm sleeping in the stables? He shook his head not trusting his voice.  Tilliana lets go of his wrist. "We have an extra bed in our hut and you are more than welcome to sleep there."  Shocked, Arkinn looked back at Mathian and then back to Tilliana. Both of them held gentle smiles with hope in their eyes.  "Are you sure? I mean I am a Nord and you barely even know me." "Well, this could give us the chance to get to know you, Arkinn," Mathian said walking up to stand behind his wife with a hand on her shoulder. Arkinn thought it over for a minute.  
I'm not going to be able to sleep in the stables forever. And it is a bed. An actual bed that could sleep in. They are nice people but why would they show me this kindness?
 "Why would you offer this to me?"  "Because you are barely fourteen years old and have already had to go through so much it is time that someone showed you kindness. And we will not lie we would eventually like for you to consider staying. We have been trying to have a baby through the conventional ways for the bast few years but we have not been able to…" Arkinn cut her off with a raise of his hand being able to draw up the conclusion that she was trying to get across on his own. "I will stay the night and think about your offer."  Tilliana smiled with tears in her eyes as she rubbed his arm. Arkinn looked at Mathian and saw the joy in his eyes. Eventually, they made their way out of the shop and traveled to their home.  It was an average sized hut, not the biggest but certainly not the smallest hut when compared to the other huts around them. It was located farther away from the most populated parts of the trees and was quiet because of it. They lead Arkinn inside their hut.  Tilliana and Mathian's hut was a spacious two-story lofted hut. The entrance opened up the main room of the hut. There was a large fireplace the took up most of the left side with a cooking pot in front of it. In the center of the room was a large dining table with chairs positioned around it. On the right side of the room was a pair of plush chairs in front of several book shelves against the wall. A wall rose up opposite the entrance forming rooms on the other side. Arkinn looked up to see the guard railing for the loft room. There were stairs just passed the fireplace. on the left side of the wall was a doorway that led to what Arkinn guess was Tilliana and Mathian's room. Overall it was a quaint and cozy home.  "It's not much but it's home for us," Mathian said placing his hand on Arkinn's shoulder.  "It is more than all of the other places I have slept in a long time." "Let me show you where you will be sleeping."  Mathian led him up the stairs to the loft. It was bigger than he thought it would. A double bed had been pushed up against the stairs guard rail with a chest at the foot of it. the back wall held two circular windows that looked out into the canopy. Below one of the windows held an alchemy station. This is probably where Tilliana would work on her potions when not at the shop. There was also an enchanter's station next to it. to the left of that, there was another bookshelf filled with books with another comfortable looking chair in front of it. The loft was by far the best place he would sleep in the two years he had been on the run. "Like I said it's not much but its home and where you will be staying." "It's perfect, thank you Mathian. You and Tilliana didn't have to take me so I thank you both for your hospitality." "Tilliana, she likes you and told me how when you walked in she had felt something inside of her. She felt drawn to you and believes that you might be what we are missing in our lives." Arkinn sucked in a breath and smiled. The emotions that were feeling had been a little overwhelming. Mathian smiled back and then left and walked back downstairs. The rest of the night was nice and peaceful for the three of them they had dinner and talked some more. Arkinn told his story to Mathian with the support of Tilliana was able to get through it without breaking down like he had earlier that day. When they finally retired to bed Arkinn laid in his bed looking up at the ceiling.  They are great people and they obviously care. Should I agree to stay? I wouldn't have to keep running. I could help them out and I've always wanted to learn more about blacksmithing. Tilliana could also use some help when she needs more ingredients. I like it here. This house feels safe, this city feels safe, I feel safe. Arkinn smiled to himself as he closed his eyes for the night. Arkinn woke up early the next morning just as the sun was coming over the canopy. He looked out the window closest to him and watched it rise. Its colors were truly like nothing he ever saw in Skyrim or even Cyrodill. Different shades of crimson, orange, and blue filled the morning sky. He walked downstairs to find Tilliana preparing breakfast while Mathian set the table. The entire sight reminded him how his parents would be in the mornings With his mother cooking and father preparing the meal. It felt odd to be in a situation such as this again however he concluded that he liked it. He mustered up the courage and found the words that he needed to say.  "I want to stay." Both Tilliana and Mathian froze in their actions for a few seconds. Tilliana was the first to react walking over and pulling him in a loving embrace. Mathian just a few paces behind his wife joined the hug wrapping his arms around both of them. The held the embrace until Arkinn smelled something burning. "Tilliana what are you cooking?"  He saw her eyes shoot open before running over to the pot trying to salvage whatever she had been making. Mathian chuckled at his wife's actions and went over to try to help her. Arkinn watched the two in amusement this was going to be his life now and he enjoyed the idea of it.  —*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—  Arkinn made his way out of his hut. Tilliana and Mathian had helped him buy the hut next to them when he became of age to live on his own. As well Tilliana had found out she was pregnant after buying the hut next door. The three of them had been elated to find out the news and helped them set up the nursery in the loft where he once lived.  When he started living with them he would go with them to their shops alternating who he went with each day. Apprenticing under them both had allowed him to become an expert blacksmith and as well master alchemist. As well Mathian had taught him how to use a bow, use his daggers, and many other weapons. Mathian had served time in the Aldmeri Dominion in Valenwood for many years and taught Arkinn everything he knew just like he planned to with his son once he was old enough. Arkinn honed his skilled over the years doing odd jobs for people around the city and below. He had adopted the Bosmer fighting styles that they were known for using the trees for cover and to move around almost undetectable.  The Inn keeper had told him about a wild beast that had taken over a cave that people used for mining precious ores and needed help. Arkinn told them that he would take care of it. He made his way to the cave this morning jumping from tree branch to tree branch before eventually descending to a branch that hung just above the cave entrance. He waited for a few minutes to investigate exactly what beast had taken over the cave. A massive thunderbug crawled out of the cave and walked around outside. Arkinn smiled it had been a while since he had taken down a thunderbug. Hopefully, it had laid eggs so he could sell them to the Khajiit that came through Silvenar. The thunderbug made several clicking noises before more thunder bugs appeared from the forest and crawled into the cave.  Wonderful. This job just got a little harder. Arkinn rolled his eyes while he counted the number of thunderbugs that crawled into the cave. He counted eleven in all. The first one he had seen crawled back in and he waited a few more minutes before jumping down to the ground. He made his way slowly into the cave with his bow now drawn. He heard small clicking noises a few yards in front him. Arkinn knocked and arrow to the bow preparing himself for this. He knew the second that he attacked the other thunderbugs would know that he was here. The second he saw the first thunderbug crawl around the corner he let his arrow fly and watched as it embedded itself into its head. As it crumpled to the floor Arkinn was already knocking another arrow as he ran around the corner. Two thunder bugs crawled towards him lighting forming around their pincers. Arkinn released his arrow aimed at the one on the left while he ran. The arrow lands in between its pincers. The thunderbug on the right shot lighting at Arkinn but he was able to dodge it by rolling on the ground as he ran. Coming up he grabbed an arrow from his quiver. Not bothering to use his bow, he stabbed the thunderbug in its head with the arrow effectively killing it.Three down eight to go. Arkinn thought to himself as he ran down the cave. The cave opened up into a small cavern where four more thunderbugs crawling around two on each side of the cavern. Arkinn knocked an arrow and aimed for the two on the right. He shot the first one closest to him and quickly followed up with the one behind it. Both of them crumpled to ground instantly. He turned to the ones on the left as they crawled over to the others. He knocked one arrow to the bow and grasped another arrow in his hand. He let his first arrow fly to embed itself in the first one. Just he released the first arrow, Arkinn grabbed the other arrow in his hand knocked it and shot the fourth thunderbug. He made his way from the entrance ran into the tunnel on the other side of the cavern.  
Seven down four to go.
 He ran with an arrow knocked in his bow. A lighting bolt shot out from in front of him and Arkinn was barely able to jump out of the way. He aimed at the thunderbug as he crawled towards him and let his arrow fly watching it land in its thorax. The thunderbug continued to crawl slowly. Arkinn released another arrow that this time hit the bug on its head. Dead.  
Eight down three to go.  
 He came out of the tunnel that opened up into another cavern that was much larger than the previous one. The finally three thunderbugs circled around what appeared to be a nest. Arkinn smiled knowing that he would be able to get some eggs that he could sell. Arkinn looked at the closest thunderbug. He grabbed another arrow knocking it and aimed down the sights at the bug. Crumpling to the floor the final two thunderbugs were now on high alert. They crawled over to the dead one which gave Arkinn the perfect opportunity to eliminate the other smaller thunderbug and get two arrows in the larger one. The final thunderbug charged a massive thunderbolt and fired it in Arkinn's direction. He jumped out of the way letting go of his bow in the process. He ran directly at the thunderbug sliding past it at the last second. With one of his daggers in hand, he grabbed on to one of the thunderbug's legs and hoisted himself on top of it. He firmly grasped onto the dagger and brought it down on the bug's skull impeding itself down to the hilt. The massive thunderbug twitched for a few seconds before finally compiling to the floor. He pulled his dagger out of the bug and walked over to where his bow had dropped. He felt a pang of sadness when found his bow had been snapped during the battle. he picked up the pieces and walked over to the nest. Eight freshly laid eggs were nestled into it as Arkinn counted each one that went into his pack. He looked around once more.  
Eleven down none to go.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Arkinn returned to his hut later in the evening after going back to the Inn and collecting his payment and finding the right Khajiit that would pay for the eggs. All in all, it had been a very bountiful day money wise. But the dream he had the night before still haunted him.
"My child I have watched over you since the day you were born. You have been through much hardship and pain from such a young age. Yet you have survived and persevered through it. However, this has taken its toll on your life, my child. It has taken you away from the one that was made for you. You have traveled so far away that it is time for you to return to be with the one that was destined to be your soul mate.”
He wanted to talk to Tilliana and Mathian about it and get their council. He placed his money in the strong box that he kept inside of the nightstand and discarded his now broken bow before leaving his hut. He walked over to their hut and straight in. He saw Mathian first reading in one of the chairs by the bookshelves.“Hello!”“Arkinn how was your day, my boy?”“Cleared out a cave full of Thunderbugs today for some of the miners. Found some their eggs while I was down there sadly I broke my bow in the process.”“You remind me of me when I was about your age, Arkinn. But it sounds like you had an eventful day.”“Where is Tilliana?”“Up here Arkinn, dear,” Tilliana called from the loft area but she just out of sight.Arkinn assumed she was taking care of her son, Gadriel. He had been born in Hearthfire two years ago and the trio couldn't have been happier that he had come into their lives. He had his mother’s nose and his father’s eyes, a perfect blend of the two. When Tilliana had first become pregnant, Arkinn’s old fears of being kicked out had resurfaced within him. He had started to push them away and insisted that they wouldn't want him anymore now that she was expecting. It didn't take long for both Tilliana and Mathian to catch on what was going on with Arkinn and put a stop to it. They had sat him down one night to set everything out in the open.—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—
The couple had been seated in the two chairs that sat in front of the bookshelves while Arkinn had been seated in one of the dinner table chairs.“Arkinn don’t think we haven't noticed the change in you,” Tilliana stated rather bluntly“After raising you for almost six years now, you have to give us some credit when we see you becoming scarce around here. How you've been taking jobs that require disappearing for days on end only to return and say a thing about it. Or how you retreat back into yourself when discussion about the baby come up in the rare times that you come over.” Mathian pointed out.Arkinn has sat there with a crestfallen expression on his face. He knew where this conversation was leading and he knew that they were going to kick him out.“Honestly I'm a little hurt that you thought we wouldn't notice,” Tilliana said tearing up.“Dear, you're crying again.”Arkinn watched as Tilliana wiped the tears from her eyes and face. Her expression changed from sadness to annoyance as she turned to her husband.“I KNOW I’M CRYING!! It’s your fault I’m in this situation, Mathian! You couldn't keep your damned hands to yourself and now six months later I'm waddling. WADDLING! Do you know how tiring it is to waddle everywhere? NO, YOU DON’T! Do you know how exhausting it is to burst into tears over the smallest of things? Yesterday I dropped some Jazby berries on the floor and wept when I had to ask one of my customers to pick it because I couldn't bend down and pick it up!”Tilliana had somehow gotten out of her chair and waddled over to stand directly in front of her husband towering over him in her tear soaked hormonal wrath. Arkinn leaned over to see around Tilliana who had blocked her view of Mathian. What he saw had somehow lifted his spirits enough to smile a little. For the first time in all the years, he had lived with them he had seen fear in Mathian’s eyes.Tilliana looked Mathian over once more to make sure he had gotten her message not to point out when she got emotional and sat back down.“Arkinn, as much as I’d like to think I am, I’m not a mind reader and unless you tell us what you’re thinking we won’t know what to do to make sure you're happy here. So please talk to us and tell us what is making you act like this.”“You got what you wanted, you're pregnant. You're going to have the child you both wanted. You won’t want me anymore.”Tilliana and Mathian both exhaled and Mathian was able to recover first.“Arkinn, when we took you in we, decided you were what we needed to complete our family. Yes, we are having a child but, we already have one son this family. And I’m proud to call you my son. This baby will not replace you because nobody can replace you. He or she will be a part of this family as much as you are. Don't you dare think that just because we were finally able to get Tilliana pregnant that you will no longer be our son.”“You will always be my first son and I love that have let us raise you to be the wonderful man that you have become today. We may not have birthed you but you are our son and there is nothing that will change that. Not even this baby will change it.”Arkinn was speechless. He knew that they loved him but, to consider him their son shook him to the core.“One of the main reasons we are so happy to have this baby is because they will grow up in a loving home surrounded by his parents and big brother.” Mathian had walked over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder like he had always done when they had a heart to heart.Arkinn could only stand and hug Mathian in a strong embrace. He didn't say anything not trusting the sounds that would probably come out. So he poured all of his emotions into the hug as he cried silent tears into the older man’s shoulder. He felt Tilliana’s hand snake around his waist and her head rest on his shoulder. He was shaking in their embrace and felt them hug tighter.They held the embrace until Tilliana announced that she needed to sit down. With her feet propped up, she asked for arkinn to some over and kneel beside her.“I think it is time for you to feel your sibling kick.”She grabbed him and placed it over the part of her belly that seems to be protruding ever so slightly. He felt the pressure against his resting hand on her belly increase for a second and then subside. He looked up at Tilliana in a mixture of shock, awe, and excitement. She looked down and chuckled at his expression wiping the tiny tears that fell from his eyes.“Mathian made the exact same face when he first felt it kick.”“It’s an amazing feeling to experience. Thank you Tilliana.”“You may think it's amazing but, after the first twenty times, it starts to hurt. He or she definitely has some strong legs.”Mathian came over to stand next to Arkinn with his hand on his shoulder.“I think it is high time to get my beautiful wife to bed so she can get some rest.”He leaned over to help Tilliana up.“Don’t think I'm not catching how you're trying to save yourself from what you said earlier.”Mathian grimaced as he knew what was to come.“I think my feet need a good rubbing to make it up.”Arkinn chuckled as kissed Tilliana’s forehead goodnight and gave a quick hug to Mathian.He bid them goodnight as he showed himself out and made his way to his own hut. I have a family. I am loved.—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—He looked over to the staircase as Tilliana made her way down with a freshly wash Gadriel in her arms. She set him down and watch the toddler make his way over to where Arkinn sat and climb his way into his lap. Arkinn responded by wrapping his arms around his little brother in a hug. Gadriel let out a queen when Arkinn began to tickle his sides.When Gadriel had first been born Arkinn immediately became protective of his newborn little brother. He was over any chance he got to watch over the infant and made sure that he could see him develop in the past two years.Tilliana made her way over to the three boys in her life.“How was your hunt today, Arkinn?”“It ended up being slightly harder than I originally thought. There had been more than just the one Thunderbug in the mine and I had to fight my way through them to get to the one I was after. The mother had just laid eggs, so I was able to make some extra money by selling them to the local Khajiit.”“Sounds like you made quite the pretty penny today?” Tilliana said with raised eyebrows.“Yes, I will need it when I go buy a new bow from the fletcher in the market. While I was down there I had to let go of my bow to use my dagger to kill the mother because of this my bow was broken in the fight.”“Looks like I found an early birthday present,” Tilliana said smiling at him.“Tilli his birthday is still a month away!” Mathian reported to his wife.“He will need it before then,” Tilliana said looking directly at him, “something troubles you Arkinn, what is it?”Arkinn was always taken back when she was able to sense when something troubled him. He looked at them both as he ran his hand through Gadriel’s hair. He thought for a few moments before he started to speak.“I was visited last night…”Mathian and Tilliana looked at him in silence let him continue to tell them about the dream he had the previous night.When Arkinn finished his retelling of the events that had happened and rested his head on his little brother who looked up him with the same rust colored eyes his father had.“Well… that's quite the tail you had in your dream.” Mathian spoke slowly looking at his wife then back to Arkinn.“Do you have any idea what Mara was telling you?”Arkinn closed his eyes and releases the breath he was holding as he organized the thoughts in his mind.“Yes, however, I wish I was wrong. She saying that I need to return to my homeland.”“Skyrim” Tilliana surmised.“I haven't thought of Skyrim once since I came here. I’m happy here and I don't want to leave.”“I don’t think you really have a choice to disobey the will of a goddess such as Lady Mara, Arkinn dear.”“But Tilliana, what do I do? What if I don't find this soul mate that she spoke of? How will I know that they are the one?”“You will have to listen to your heart,” She looked to Mathian “and it will tell you when you found the one.”Mathian grabbed her hand and held it tight as he smiled at her with love clearly in his eyes. He looked over to Arkinn with realization dawning on him.“How do you expect to get into Skyrim? from what I’ve heard they are in the midst of a civil war. You can’t simply expect to cross the border, they are likely to arrest you on sight.”“I guess we will have to look into different ways I could get in? I have a few contacts I have made from all of the odd jobs I’ve taken that do this kind of stuff regularly.” Arkinn said.Tilliana looked at him in the motherly surprised disappointed look“Sorry,” Arkinn replied sheepishly.Arkinn looked down at his little brother. At some point, he had fallen asleep in his arms and looked so peaceful and peaceful hearing the gentle breaths he would take. Arkinn wiped a tear from his eye realizing that he would have to say goodbye to his family very soon. Being without them was a very scary thought that had crept into his mind. His little brother was one of the most important people in his life and he didn't want to miss him grow up while he was away. He would miss Tilliana and Mathian raises him. He would miss having dinner with the three of them every night and talk into the evening hours. But most of all he would miss having his family around him.Tilliana grabbed his hand which caused him to come out of his thoughts.“Hey don’t think those thoughts I can see them in your eyes and it will be alright.”“I finally have you all and now I have to say goodbye to you soon.”“We aren’t going anywhere, dear. You will always have a home here and a family to welcome you home. You look tired dear why don't you go get some sleep and we will talk more about this in the morning?”Arkinn hadn’t noticed his eyelids were getting a little heavy. He picked up Gadriel and offered to put him to bed walking up the stairs when Tilliana nodded. He placed his little brother in his crib and looked down at him one last time for the night. He placed his hand on the toddler’s head and caressed his thumb over his forehead before kissing him goodnight and returning downstairs.“Peacefully sleeping,” Arkinn said as he hugged Tilliana goodnight.He bid them a goodnight and walked back over to his hut. He looked around his hut to allow himself to take in the emotions he was experiencing. There were so many swirling around inside of him he didn't really know what he was feeling he needed to not think about them for a minute. He walked over to the wardrobe to take off his armor. He loosened the straps and stepped out of his boots. Unclipping the cape from himself and putting it in the wardrobe. He pulled off the rest of his armor and walked over to his bed getting into it and slowly relaxing into it before finally falling asleep.—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—
He felt wind brush over his face slowly waking him. The breeze smelt like lavender and mountain flowers. Arkinn slowly opened his eyes as sunlight flooded in and immediately blocked it with is hand. He looked around him and found that he was still in his bed but somehow not in his hut. Pushing himself up in his bed, Arkinn processed where he was and how he had gotten here. His bed was in the mild of a plane with no trees or geographical markers in sight. Just a field of flat earth and grassland. There were some different flowers and plants growing that gave the field some color from the regular dead grass yellow hues that reminded Arkinn of the planes of Whiterun Hold.

He pulled off the covers as Arkinn got out of his bed. The ground was warm and soft under his feet. Arkinn walked around his bed inspecting the ground around it to see if there was anything that could give him an idea of where exactly he was. however, he found none. He looked back up trying to find anything. In every direction he looked, the plane of yellowed grass and flowers just kept going with no sign of stopping.

Arkinn sat back down on his bed and looked up to the sky. It was clear with not a cloud in it. He felt the sun’s rays and heat gently beating down on his skin. He closed his eyes and leaned back putting most of his weight on his arms as they propped him up. He sat there for a few minutes enjoying the feeling of the sun on him.

The crunch of grass was what brought Arkinn out of his bliss like state. He looked over in the direction of where the crunching sounds were coming from. To his right, there was a massive wolf prowling towards him. The wolf mush has come up to waist as it was taller than bed’s frame. Its fur was a beautiful onyx shade that covered its entire body. The more striking part of the wolf was its eyes. The eyes were a pale steel blue that pierced Arkinn’s gaze and kept him there.

The wolf was now directly next to Arkinn’s legs looking directly into his eyes. It sat back on its hind legs and laid its head in Arkinn’s lap. Arkinn was shocked that this massive creature was here in this place and how he didn't notice it upon his first inspection of the plane. He continued to reprimand himself until the wolf interrupted him by huffing and looking up at him. Arkinn looked down at the beast and into its eyes. He knew that he needed to be on his guard around the animal but for some reason, he felt himself relaxing in the gaze. He slowly placed his hand on the beast’s head. The wolf lowered it’s head back into Arkinn’s lap when he started to scratch and pet.

“Interesting animals, wolves are. Don’t you think?”

Arkinn shot his head up in the direction of the new voice. A few feet directly in front of him a woman stood smiling at him.

“Yes, they are. Who are you?” Arkinn said hesitantly

The woman stood wearing a simple white strapped dress. There was a gold belt that came up just below her ribcage which seemed to hold the fabric above it in place while the fabric below flowed in the breeze. She had dark black hair that was covered and pulled back by a piece of fabric.

“They are great companions if they trust you. Their howls can be heard for miles and often times they mate for life.”

“As interesting as that is, you still haven't answered my question. Who are you?”

“You are bogged down by something, my child, what is it?”

“Lady Mara?”

The woman smiled in confirmation and the wolf huffed when Arkinn stopped petting him.

“Now tell me what bothers you, my child.”

Arkinn looked down at the wolf while he thought of what to say. The wolf’s eyes looking back at Arkinn helped him formulate.

“Why do you say that I have to return to that land? It has brought me nothing but sadness and pain. I am happy where I am now with people that love me. Isn't that enough? What if
I don’t want to find this person?”

Mara smiled gently at him and raised her hand in front of her. Magic swirled on her hand as the faces of Tilliana, Mathian, and Gadriel formed in the magic.

“You are scared that you will lose them if you leave. It is ok to be scared of missing them when you are gone. They will always love you no matter how far away you will be. Love can stretch provinces, and last a lifetime. While you are content with the love that surrounds you now you will never be truly happy and in love. Your soul mate is the one that will complete you. They will be there to help you and challenge you. They will be the one that will make you smile and be there to comfort you when you are down. They will help you in ways that no one else will be able to. They will love you unconditionally for the rest of your lives.”

Arkinn processed her words as he stroked the wolf’s fur.

On one hand, he was happy where he was now with his family in a place where he was safe. Sure, at the moment he didn’t have anyone special in his life at the moment but that was alright he still had some time before society would start to question him about it. On the other hand, he had this possibility at an adventure of going to the one place that had already brought him so much pain so that he could find that person that would make him the happiest in life. However, that would mean he would he would have to leave his family behind.

“My child you have spent so much time on everyone else around you being completely selfless, it is time for you to be selfish about your life,” Mara said as if she had read his mind and understood his struggle.

He looked back up to the Divine and finally understood what he was going to do. dropping his gaze down on the wolf who sat happily content with his head still in his lap. The animal had its eyes closed while it gently snoozed without a care in the world. Arkinn smiled at the animal as he lifted the wolf’s head affecting waking it up.

He got up to meet Mara eye to eye and bowed in respect.

“Thank you, my Lady, I will go to Skyrim and I will find this person who will be my soulmate.”

Mara smiled at this concession.

“You will see your family again and they will be safe while you go on your adventure.”

Arkinn released the breath that he didn't know he was holding, “Thank you, Lady Mara.”

The wolf came to stand next to Arkinn as it nuzzled into him. Mara smiled at the sight in front of her.

“This wolf likes you and seems very content to be near you. Remember him for you will see him in the future. Now I think it time that you woke up my child and set off on your adventure.”

Arkinn laid back down on his bed as the air around him grew heavy with magic until the world went black.
—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—Arkinn woke up and knew exactly what he was going to do today. He got out of bed and put on his armor to get ready for the day. He grabbed an apple from his table and made his way out of his hut.He made his way down the pathway towards the market passing both Mathian’s and Tilliana’s shops and through the rest of the market. Arkinn walked until he came into a part of the city that he didn't come to very often when he would sell miscellaneous items he picked up while on his jobs. The huts around him were in need of repair or just plain rundown for some of them. There was a heavier amount of leaves above which caused the place to give a darker atmosphere from the lack of sunlight. The majority of the people in this part of the city looked malnourished and sickly. Arkinn kept his head down and walked with a purpose avoid eye contact until he came to an old, rather dead looking tree trunk. He pressed himself through the trunk and into the chamber where the same transportation magic swirled around him. He stepped off the ledge and let the magic carry him down into the darkness below.When his feet touched the ground Arkinn walked out of the trunk. The trunk had opened up to a massive cavern. The cavern was held by different roots that spiderwebbed out over the ceiling. A set of stairs ran along the wall down to the center of the cavern. As Arkinn walked down the stairs he looked on to the chamber watching the people walk around and interact with each other.On any other day Arkinn would have walked around and looked at the stalls; however, Arkinn was there to see one person that would know how to get him into Skyrim. He walked over to the table where a middle-aged man was hunched over inspecting some documents. From the back, the man’s silver hair fell to his neck and parted down the middle. Arkinn walked around to the other side of the table where he could get a better look at the man. His cheekbones were high and framed eyes perfectly. The goatee and mustache came below his jaw line and where each tied together with small pieces of leather. Overall the man held an air of superiority that could be felt just being near him.“Whatever you want you better have the coin to make it worth my while,” the man said.Arkinn stood there with a small smile and waited until the man looked up.“Well shit. If it isn't Arkinn Fucking Blackthorn. The deadliest Nord with a bow if I've ever seen Haha. But don't let anybody down here catch me saying that they'll think I'm joking.” The man moved from the other side of the table to pull Arkinn into a hug.“It's good to see you again Felthen” Arkinn exclaimed.Felthen gestured for the both of them to sit down.“What in Oblivion are you doing down here? You don't have anything illegal to fence do you?” He joked.Felthen had been the man that Arkinn had gone to when he needed to get rid of various items that would cause people to take notice or raise questions. Since his people were in the business of getting rid of that kind of stuff it worked out great for both parties with Arkinn getting a fair amount of compensation for his goods after a deduction for the fencing.Arkinn had met Felthen on one of his very first jobs. He had been tasked to run a parcel to a city official for a merchant. He couldn't have been no older than seventeen with his hunting bow strung on his back. Out of nowhere Felthen had stolen it right out of Arkinn’s hands and took off down a narrow pathway between two trees. Arkinn had set off in pursuit of at the time ‘milk drinker of a thief’ jumping on branches to catch up. When he eventually got close enough with his bow in hand, he knocked an arrow and shot at the man. It had pierced the Felthen’s right leg and effectively rendered immobile allowing for Arkinn to run up and take the package back.Arkinn pushed back that memory to focus on why he was there. He returned his gaze back to Felthen.“I need to ask you about smuggling.”“Depends on what you want to be smuggled, where it's being smuggled into, and when?”“I need passage to Skyrim as soon as possible.”Felthen blanched at him.“Why in Oblivion do you want to go there? Miss freezing your nuts off?”Arkinn huffed out a laugh. Then proceeded to tell him the highlights of what had happened to him in a way that didn't make him seem crazy. When Arkinn had finished Felthen sat and stood on the information looking down at the table.“Well… Shit…”“Yes I know, and that is why I need to get into Skyrim.”“Well, I will tell you one thing is that it won’t be pretty or cheap. Give me a few days to think about it and get in touch with my contacts.” Felthen requested standing back up.Arkinn nodded in confirmation and rose to stand with Felthen. He bid him goodbye and made his way towards the tree trunk to leave.As Arkinn walked back to the market he thought back to how he actually became to know Felthen.—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—
Arkinn had been able to deliver the parcel to its destination after getting it back. A few weeks had passed before he ran into the thief again in the city. He had been able to remove a jeweled amulet out of a woman’s knapsack. Just as he was going to put the stolen necklace in his own knapsack an arrow had flowed out of nowhere and knocked it out of the thief’s hand and now hung off the arrow that had landed on the side of a stall.

The two made eye contact for a few seconds before Arkinn took off trying to lure the thief. Where to exactly? At the time Arkinn didn't really know. He had a pissed off thief hot in heels and didn't exactly know what to about it. He ducked under low hanging branches, sidestepped around people, slid over stall tables until finally coming to a dead end. The only way out was down, a two-hundred foot fall straight to the ground floor. Arkinn turned around in time to see the thief turn the corner after him. However, Arkinn had already knocked an arrow and shot at the thief. The arrow had been aimed at the dagger that he carried and was barely able to avoid to jump out of the way. Arkinn had already shot another arrow towards the intended spot the thief would jump to. He had been lucky to pick correctly and was rewarded with the arrow into the thief’s shoulder.

The thief had howled in pain as it caused him to drop his dagger. Arkinn quickly ran up and kicked away the dagger.

“STOP CHASING ME!”

“You listen hear Nord, what I do is my business and I would appreciate it if you would stay out of it.”

“You tried to take the amulet from that lady, why?”

“That's for me to know and you not to, runt.”

“Really? You're going to act tough when you're on the ground with an arrow in your shoulder?” Arkinn made sure to remind him about the arrow by grabbing it and pushing it farther in.

The thief howled in pain.

“OK! Ok… ok. Me associates and I were hired to steal that amulet back from the woman. Apparently, it had been willed to our client and she had stolen it before the will read.”

“How can I know that you're telling the truth?”

“Well, that's a stupid question to ask don't you think? Asking a thief if he's telling the truth right after being taken down by a fifteen year-”

“Seventeen”

“Whatever. The point is that I don't really have anything to lose now, one way or another it will get back to my associates that I failed the mission by not getting the amulet. I’m pretty much done after this.”

“What do you mean you’re pretty much done after this?”

“Whatever reputation I had will effectively be nonexistent, they will kick me out. So thank you for that, Nord!”

“Not my fault you’re a shitty thief.” Arkinn gawked.

“Look, kid, the only reason I took this job was because I knew who that amulet belonged to and she… she was an extraordinary woman. That amulet is the only thing a twelve-year-old girl has left to remember her mother by. I’m a smuggler for my associates I'm not entirely one for the pickpocketing but, give me anything that needs to be somewhere well I can do it. But getting this amulet back is the last favor I can do for a friend.”

Arkinn took a moment to let what the thief set in. Could he be lying? In that case, he's a good liar and I could leave him to die. The faces of the men he had killed when he was kidnapped flashed through are mind for a split second. His morality knew that decision was a bad idea. He had to be telling the truth. What other option did he have?

“What is your name?” Arkinn signed after weighing his options.

“Felthen”

“Arkinn. And I guess I’m going to help you”
Arkinn reached down and snapped the arrow before pulling the arrow out from where it was protruding from Felthen’s back. He roared in pain the entire time.Tilliana had insisted that he learn at least the basics of restoration magic if ever in the case and it looks like now that teaching was paying off. He made quick work healing Felthen’s arm before stepping back in between him and the dagger.

“I'm not going to try something foolish, Nord.”

“I know, just a force of habit. Do you know anything else about this woman who has the amulet?”

“I've been watching her daily patterns and habits for about a week now so I know where she's going. However, now that she's suspicious of someone taking the amulet she might change her routine.”

“If she wants to be safe she probably won't deviate from what she knows, more than likely she will go home and stay there. Which means we will have to wait until nightfall if we want to get in there without being seen.” Arkinn guessed.

“Her home isn't very far from the market so we can go from there.”

The two of them had formed a rough outline of a plan before going setting off towards the market. Arkinn however, kept one eye on Felthen, not trusting him completely but enough to walk beside him. Neither of them had realized how far they had run in their chase it ended up taking them close to half and hour to get back to the market before then changing direction to the location of the woman’s hut.

By the time the duo got to the woman’s house, Arkinn stopped Felthen by sticking his arm out in front of him.

“We need to find cover to stake out the house.”

“The tree branches.”

Arkinn nodded in agreement before they set off climbing up the surrounding trees and on to the branches that hung over the house.

The sun was beginning to set before either of them said anything to the other.

“So what makes a Nord come to Valenwood and specifically Silvenar?”

“What makes a wood elf become a smuggler and a half-ass thief?”

“I asked first, and how do you know all of this stuff?” Felthen fired back waving his hand in a vaguely circular motion.

“My father was once in the Aldmeri Dominion, when he took me in he taught me everything he knew from his time in the Dominion. And from my time on my own.”

“You can’t be more than fifteen yo-“

“Seventeen!”

“Whatever, what adventures have you been on?”

“How do you think I got here?” Arkinn groaned taking a second to look from the house to Felthen. at the teenager’s gaze, Felthen signed and decided that call that a win.

“I used to be a merchant in Woodhearth, worked there with my brother, Athriel. We sold whatever we could get our hands on and would often time be the guys that people went to when they needed something shipped to families in different provinces. Well, one day my brother had told me that he had a shipment that was going to get us rich fast. At first, I said no, but after a while, he wore me down before I agreed to take the order.”

“How come I don't like where this is going,” Arkinn cautioned.

“If you can already see this as a bad idea then you're smarter than I was. We eventually met up with the client and I could tell that he was just a shady man from the start. He made us meet up in the sewers. He said his name was Darnesh and that he needed to get something into High Rock discreetly without raising suspicion from the guards. He took us to further into the sewers until we found whatever he needed to get into High Rock. It was a simple cargo box that didn't have any markings anywhere from what I could see. Athriel took the job immediately. when I looked back the man he was gone. Getting the container out of the sewers were a bitch and I'm pretty sure I reeked of sewers for a week. We met up with some of the men that we used to transport cargo and told them that we needed to get this to High Rock. They were willing to look the other way and not ask what-what was in the contents because we didn't know either. Got the crate on a ship and off to High Rock it went.”

“Just like that?” Arkinn was appalled.

“A weeks went by before we heard back from Darnesh, saying that the package had gotten there with no hook ups. He threw a pouch of gold to us while he said that we should expect to hear from him again. When we looked in the pouch it was filled with gold. I went to say that it was too much but again he was gone. It had to have been at least a thousand gold. Athriel was ecstatic celebrating the entire night. I, however, could only thing about what was in that crate.” Felthen looked lost in thought before continuing.

“Anyways over the next couple years every few months Darnesh would contact us saying that he needed something transported. We would agree on Athriel because he wanted the gold, and I… the guy was intimidating just looking at him. I didn't want to cross him. For six years we worked for that man, getting his cargo into whatever place he needed it to be. We got good at it too. Making contacts all across Tamriel before one day I couldn't stop myself. I had to know what was in the crates that we were moving for him. When I looked in that crate I couldn't believe what was in there.” Felthen looked down.

“Don’t stop now, what was in the crate,” Arkinn urged Felthen to continue.

“There were people… Women and children that couldn't have been older than you are. They were all stacked on top of each other and looked to be under some kind of paralysis. There had to have been ten people in that small crate. For six years we had been smuggling people all over Tamriel. I ran to find Athriel to tell him that we had to stop what we were doing. When I found Athriel and told him what I found he wasn't surprised. Athriel had said that he had known what exactly we had been doing.”

“He knew,” Arkinn gasped.

“Oh he knew, I found out that he had known from the start. Ever since the first shipment. Of corse, he told it was always trafficking that we were doing. Apparently, we did really well in the jewelry business and wild game too. He laughed at the fact that it had taken that long to figure out what had been in the crates and that it had taken that long to actually have the balls to open one of them to look and see.” Felthen was ranting and Arkinn had to hush him to be quiet.

“So what did you do?” Arkinn questioned once he had known he was better.

“I went back to release the people that were in the crate but when I got back they and the crate were gone. The guards had somehow caught wind of our operation and arrested me. Was sentenced to twelve years in the prison. However, after about three years in, a new guy had been thrown in. He said his name was Cynric Endell and was hired by a friend to bust me out. The Breton wouldn't say who his friend was only that he was paid good money to break me out. After about a week of him being in there with me, he had already formed a plan of how he was going to break me out. On the last night of my stay in prison, Cynric had picked the lock to both of our cells before choking out the guard that watched us. We found our way to the drainage system and escaped through the sewers. We spent about a day just trying to find the exit but eventually, he got me out before getting me to Silvenar. He introduced me to the people who would later become my associates that I work with now. Been here for the past ten years and haven't really gone out of my to contact my brother. About two years ago we got word that everyone in that operation had been arrested and most executed. Ever since I have had the policy to know exactly what I’m smuggling and exactly who for. I also don't go out of my way to smuggle people anywhere; especially trafficking.”

“Wait a minute. Even after all of that you still went back to smuggling,” Arkinn was flabbergasted.

“Hey, the gold is great and at the end of the day, I like the thrill of it” Felthen replied nonchalantly.

Arkinn went for a rebuttal but what stopped when Felthen pointed down onto the house to show that something was happening within the hut. The teenager signaled for him to stay while he spidered across the branches to position himself in a way that he could peer through one of the windows. Looking in, he watched the woman put all of her stuff away, more importantly, the amulet into a safe near bookcase.

Arkinn trapezed himself back to Felthen before relaying where exactly the amulet was. The two of them made their way back down to the flooring outside of the hut. Felthen took the lead as the two of them made their way up to the hut. They waited along the outside until the last light was blown out and even then they waited for half an hour more before going in crouching.

Felthen signaled for Arkinn to watch the door while he got the amulet. The heist couldn't have been five minutes before the two of them were out of the hut and walking down the market.

“Listen, kid, I’m not much for thank you but you've earned one from me. If you ever need something fenced or smuggled out of the country you’ll be able to find me.”

“Be sure to get that amulet back to who it rightfully belongs to, if not I empty my entire quiver into you.” Arkinn smiled gently but the threat was clear behind his eyes.

“I don’t doubt that Nord, you're damn good with a bow and I will get this back to her.”
—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—Arkinn smiled thinking back to the memory. Since then Felthen has kept up his word to sell anything Arkinn had that wasn't exactly legal. Now he hoped that he would be able to get him out of Valenwood and into Skyrim.A week passed before he received word that Felthen requested to meet with him about how he was going to smuggle Arkinn in.“So what crazy idea do you have come up with that is going to get my into Skyrim,” Arkinn joked walking up to Felthen in the chamber.“I talked with a few of my contacts and we believe that we may be able to get you into Skyrim through the eastern side. Riften specifically. Skyrim’s Thieve’s Guild is located in the sewers of the city. Cynric Endell has apparently settled down there after his botched job up in High Rock a few years ago. He will be your point of contact. We have found a ship that is heading to the closest port in that direction. It will be leaving from Southpoint and going to Senchal. From Senchal you will have to take another ship to Soulrest. From there-there will be another ship that will sail into Bravil. The ship will be checked when it crosses the Cyrodillic border, the captain of the ship will have that covered for you. Finally, the last ship will take you all the way up to the Imperial City. Well, it will take you to one of the ports surrounding the Imperial City. After that, a cart ride over to Cheydinhal and I have one more guy that will be responsible for you getting into Skyrim. Cynric Endell has agreed to help you get into Skyrim if anything happens.” Felthen had certainly outdone himself on this plan.“Well it doesn't seem has crazy as I thought it would, but it does seem a little over the top and I don't know how you could have done this in just a week? But thank you Felthen and now pricing, how much is this going to cost me?” Arkinn speculated.“Normally I would charge around four-thousand for something like this, not considering that it is a person I'm smuggling. However, you've been a loyal customer and close friend so ill knock it down to right at two-thousand.”“When do I leave?”“We need to be in Southpoint be early next week. Morndas to be exact. Gives you enough time to say your goodbye’s,” Felthen grunted.“I’ll have your money to you tomorrow and we can leave then. There aren't many people I have to say goodbye to.”“Sounds good, Kid. I’ll see you then,” Felthen nodded before waving him off in dismissal.Arkinn made his way out of the chamber and floated up the trunk to the decrepit part of the city. He walked back to the market and strolled over to Mathian’s smithing station. The Blacksmith was working away hammering molten orange metal forming them into various weapons.“Arkinn, to what is the pleasure that brings you here today?” Mathian said without even looking up from his work.“I heard back from Felthen,” Arkinn divulged.“And?”“I leave tomorrow. I will explain everything tonight with you and Tilliana,” He explained.Mathian put down his hammer and turned around to face his son. He put his arm on Arkinn’s shoulder, smiling gently.“Ok, son, why don't you go on over to the shop and take Gadriel home. Tilli and I don't have much longer here for the day,” Mathian advised in a comforting tone.Arkinn nodded before he noticed that the ax that Mathian had been shaping had cooled down too much. He pointed it out to Mathian and saw the realization form on his face as he spun around to try and salvage his creation. Arkinn laughed at the man as he curses about how he had to start all over breaking it apart. He took this opportunity to walk over to Tilliana’s shop to get his little brother.Walking in the first thing he saw was Tilliana giving one her customers potions while Gadriel clung to her side messing with her hair. Arkinn smiled at the sight as he walked over to take toddler from Tilliana so she could focus on her customer.Gadriel smiled and giggled once Arkinn started to play with him. Tilliana finished up with her customer and bid them a good day before walking over to where the two of them were playing.“Thank you Arkinn. he was really getting fussy.”“Mathian asked me to come by and take him home so you can work and finish up for the day.”“Well thank you, that would be greatly appreciated. I don't have much longer here just a few more potions to brew and then I'll be home,” She affirmed.Arkinn picked up Gadriel as well as the bag that held all of the stuff that the two-year-old needed. He bid a goodbye to Tilliana while adjusting Gadriel on hip and stepped out of the alchemy shop. It took him a little longer than it normally would because Gadriel would see something that fascinated him. When they finally got back to the hut, Gadriel was thoroughly exhausted. Arkinn laid him down to take a nap and waited before he could hear the toddler’s breathing even out. He walked back down the stairs and decided that it would be a good idea to start making dinner before Mathian and Tilliana returned home for the day. It didn't take him long to get the fire started and to a place that would warm up the cooking pot quickly. He coated the pan with some oil and let it warm up while grabbing some carrots and potatoes to chop up. An onion was also chopped up and thrown in first to brown it before adding the carrots and potatoes in. Arkinn added some different spices into the mix of vegetable and finally some water for the soup. He brought the water to a boil stirring it to thicken it up.Over the years Tilliana had taught him a few things when it came to cooking. She compared it to making a potion and that it was all about substituting different ingredients to make a new concoction. He cut up some cheese into small enough bits that would allow it to melt in the broth that he had made in the pot. Arkinn let the soup simmer so he could go about setting the table. About that time he heard Gadriel starting to wake up from his late nap and ran up to bring him down so he could keep an eye on him. Walking back down the stairs with Gadriel attached to his hip he found both Mathian and Tilliana walking into the hut. Tilliana had noticed the two boys walking down the stair and motioned Mathian. He quickly made for their room holding something that Arkinn couldn't really see and just assumed it was some of his work he liked to keep an eye on. Tilliana walked over to the cooking pot to inspect Arkinn’s work wafting the smell to her nose with her hand.“A fine job Arkinn. It looks and smells divine,” She admitted.“Everything I know I learned I learned from you,” He respondedTilliana walked over and picked up her son from Arkinn’s arms before moving to the table to get him situated for dinner. Mathian walked out of their room at that moment it heading for the dinner to eat. Arkinn grabbed the bowls he had set out and carefully filled each one with the soup he had made. The three of them ate in a comfortable silence with occasional small talk all of them avoiding the elephant in the room. When they were all done they chatted some more while Gadriel played in between them until he began to get tired. Tilliana took him upstairs to get ready for bed and returned twenty minutes later.“So, are you going to tell us what you heard from Felthen?” Mathian finally broke the silence that had been the subject the entire evening.“He has been able to find me passage to Skyrim. I’m not going to be going into too much detail but I trust Felthen. If he has assured me that it will be a safe trip then I trust him,” Arkinn replied.Tilliana, looking not at all happy that he wasn’t sharing how he was getting to Skyrim caught him with a hard glare. Arkinn, knowing exactly how well she had become with the motherly glare that could look directly into his soul. Eventually, he caved under her and explained exactly he was going to get there.When Arkinn finished telling them he intermarry of travel the both of them held a pregnant pause while the processed the information.“It's a smart move going from Senchal to Soulrest before going into Cyrodill. They would be all over that ship if it went straight into Cyrodill from a Province that is allied with the Aldmeri Dominion.” Mathian mused as he was the first of the two parents to react.
Tilliana looked at her husband then back to Arkinn. It had all set in that she was going to have to say goodbye to one of her children tomorrow. The idea was beginning to fill her with sorrow and sadness. She got up and walked over to Arkinn effectively grabbing him in a hug, hanging on to him for dear life.“It's all hitting me that you're leaving and I didn't want to think about how hard it's going to be having to let you go,” she sobbed as tears fell down her face and onto Arkinn’s armor.She held on to the man who she had become to call her son before releasing him and disappeared into her room.Arkinn looked back at Mathian for some clarity but only got a soft smile and a shrug.“I knew that she was going to get emotional but I didn’t know that much.”“Give her a few minutes to compose herself,” the man answered, “What time will you set off tomorrow?”“I agreed to meet Felthen early in the morning so we could get to Southpoint by the afternoon. The ship leaving from there is set to depart the next day. It will give us plenty of time to travel down there.”

“I want you to know that you will always have a home here, you are my son and you have become the man that I hoped you would become.”Mathian walked into his room for a minute and return holding the wrapped item that he came in with, Tilliana followed up behind him.“When you told me that you were going to be leaving us to go on this adventure, I knew that you would need something better than that simple hunting bow. I forged this myself and even had it enchanted too,”. He handed the package over to Arkinn and sat down with Tilliana sitting next to him.Arkinn slowly unwrapped the package. What he found within was one of the most exquisite bows he had ever seen. It was golden with the signature green glass inlay that was in all glass weapons and armors. When he picked it up he felt the hum of magic coursing through the bow, it was strong and resolute.“Tilli and I, had it enchanted by one of the local arcanist in the market,” Mathian answered when Arkinn looked up.He looked back down on the bow and could see the bow pulsating with a faint purplish hue to it with runes all over. It was gorgeous. There was another item in the wrapping and Arkinn picked it up. It was a quiver made of the same materials as the bow only now there was a higher glass to gold ratio.“Mathian made one-hundred new arrows for you,” Tilliana noted with a hint of emotion still in her voice.“Thank you both, I don't really know what to say except thank you and I will treasure it dearly,” Arkinn proclaimed as he set his new bow and quiver down next to his chair.“Promise me that you will give it your all and that you will find your soul mate,” Tilliana stated as she rose with Arkinn and Mathian.“I promise,” Arkinn paused, “I promise that I will find my soul mate and not give up until I do.”Mathian moved to rest his arm on Arkinn’s shoulder.I know that you will find them, I love you son, and remember that you have us in in your corner for life,” Mathian beamed at him with pride, “Now it time that you go get some rest you have a long journey starting tomorrow.”Arkinn grabbed them both in a hug holding on tight to them both before releasing. He bent down, grabbing his bow and quiver before making his way to his own hut.Walking inside he sat his gifts on the table next to the pack he had packed for his journey. He had different potions and ingredients that Tilliana had given him. A few soul gems if ever in the event that he needed them as well as a pouch full of gems that he could sell if money got tight. There was an elven sword that was strapped to the side of the pack. The gold that he would need to pay Felthen had already been counted and was stored in another pouch. As well he a separate pouch filled with gold that would be for him. Some food had been packed since he didn’t know when he would get to eat on the ships. Extra lockpicks had been packed as well as the various smithing materials such as leather pieces, straps, and a few ingots of different metals. Finally, he had packed a few keepsakes that he had collected over the years that he would want to take with him. The first thing was a shard of ebony that he had broken off on the first day he had begun learning how to smith with Mathian. Another thing was a simple gold silver ring that Tilliana had given him when he had become a master alchemist the year before. There were other keepsakes that Arkinn promised himself that he would never lose.He took off his armor and got ready to sleep one last time in his bed.—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—Arkinn woke up before the break of dawn the next morning mentally preparing himself for how his life was going to change once he stepped out of his hut. He put his armor on followed by his pack and then his quiver and bow then made his way out of his hut. Outside Mathian, Tilliana, and a still sleeping Gadriel were waiting for him.“We wanted to see you off,” Tilliana whispered.The of them walked along the pathway to the market in silence while Gadriel slept peacefully. Arkinn walked in the middle while Mathian fell in step to his right and Tilliana to his left. The toddler eventually woke when they passed through the market. Being able to see his little brother awake before he had to say goodbye.They made their way to the atrium where Felthen had requested they meet. When they got there it was one of the few times that Arkinn had ever seen the place so empty. Normally there had been people hustling and bustling through it. Now there was no one except for the family and one smuggler who Arkinn had noticed hiding in the shadows. Felthen made his way out of the corner and walked over to where the trio stood.“You ready kid,” Felthen asked.“Just one moment,” Arkinn responded turning back to his family.He picked Gadriel out of Tilliana’s arms and hugged him for a long minute.“Now you be good to your mother and father, I’m so sorry I’m not going to get toes you grow up Gadriel. You are my brother and I don't want you to forget it.” Arkinn quickly wipes away the tear that had fallen down his cheek as he handed him back to Tilliana.He looked over to Mathian and was pulled into a hug.“I love you… father” Arkinn’s voice cracked as he whispered next to Mathian’s ear. He felt The arms around him tighten guessing that the older man had heard what he had said. The held the hug for a few more moments and let go. Mathian wiped a tear from his eye and turned to hold his other son.Arkinn turned towards Tilliana as the two embraced in another hug. He could already hear The woman sniffling into him.“If it wasn’t for you I don't know where I would be today. I wouldn't have a place to call home. I wouldn't have a little brother who I love. I wouldn't have a father who taught me everything a man should know. But most of all I wouldn't have a mother who took me in and raised me when she didn’t have to. I love you… Mother,” Arkinn held on to the woman who he loved so much and tried to soak up all of the happy memories and emotions that had ever come from being with Tilliana and Mathian both before letting her go.Mathian quickly made to wrap his arm around his wife to comfort her as tears fell freely down her cheeks.Arkinn turned back to Felthen and nodded that he was ready not trusting his voice at the moment since inside he was still filled with so many emotions. The two made their way to the transport trunk that would lead them down to the ground floor.“ARKINN! WAIT!”he turned around to see Tilliana running up to her and stopping in front of him. She stuck one of her hands in her pocket and pulled out a gold necklace.“It's a little something to remember us by. I was able to get a mage to charm it so it will show your family whenever you need it,” Tilliana explained as she showed how to work the charmed object. She held it in front of them and watched as a tiny little image appeared of Tilliana and Mathian smiling and looking down at Gadriel and then back up.Tears fell from Arkinn as he clasped the necklace around his neck and hugged Tilliana one last time before walking into the tree trunk.—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*The sun broke through one of the windows making the massive form under the pelts stir. The man turned over and swung its legs to the floor. He wiped the sleep out of his eyes and slowly woke up.Another sleepless night The man thought.Ever since the one night the week before he hadn’t slept well at all. It had been the first night since he had turned that he had found a peaceful sleep and didn’t wake up every few hours. He had woken up feel refreshed and his wolf had felt content.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Getting to Southpoint wasn't very eventful for the duo traveling there. They were able to get there by nightfall by traveling on horseback. Arkinn didn’t ride his horse very much except when he would need to get somewhere for a job he would take. It was the same horse he had stolen from his kidnappers all those years ago and ever since then, the horse had been loyal to Arkinn. he had finally named the horse Hollr, after having it for a year. It's dark chestnut coat and black mane stood out from the other horses that were kept in the stables on the ground floor of Silvenar. Felthen road in front of him with his normal gray mare leading the way. He would look back every so often to make sure that Arkinn hadn’t gotten lost or just to make conversation until the younger man came to ride along side him. The smuggler had drilled the itinerary of how Arkinn would be getting to Skyrim. From the ship names to the exact people, he would need to seek out and talk to. The Nord knew that the man was doing this just so Arkinn wouldn’t get caught trying to board illegally. Whether he would admit it or not the younger man the older one would miss him and this was his way of getting ready to say goodbye. Southpoint was an average sized city for Valenwood yet it was very different from Silvenar. Instead of a lush dense jungle, the trees were more spread out and were a barely a quarter of the size. All of the buildings were on the ground and towered above them. They were made of stone and a dark wood that Arkinn assumed was from the trees in the area. The cobblestone streets made the horses’ hooves clop as the strode in. When they reached the docks of Southpoint it was now completely dark with just the moonlight casting down from the two planets in the sky. Felthen dismounted from his horse and motioned for Arkinn to do the same as he led them into the warehouse they had ridden up to. “You have your daggers handy?” Felthen questioned.“Always, why?” Arkinn asked.“You never know what could happen,” he repliedAnd so Arkinn now with both of his daggers in either hand followed behind Felthen darting his gaze to either side of the warehouse as they entered. They hadn’t gotten more than five feet into the building before Arkinn heard the sound of a bow releasing an arrow to their right. “GET DOWN!” Arkinn yelled pushing Felthen down barely dodging the arrow as it whistled by his ear. He maneuvered his body to roll into a kneeling stance with his bow in hand when he came up. He knocked one of his new glass arrows. The target found Arkinn’s sights and let his arrow fly and watched the arrow embed in him. The second the arrow made contact, the enemy archer was forced back off is feet as a purple electricity coarse over his body. Arkinn watched as the magical electricity attacked the archer in awe. So that's what the enchantment is. Interesting.
He didn’t have very long to watch as he heard someone behind him unsheathe a sword. Arkinn turned towards the sound reaching for another arrow. He pulled the bow string back marking down the enemy in his sights. He felt the magical energy humming in the bow and now through out the arrow aimed at the man’s throat. “WAIT DON’T SHOOT YOU IDIOT!” Felthen yelled jumping up in front of Arkinn’s readied arrow. “Felthen step aside,” Arkinn responded coolyFelthen turned to the man who still had his sword in hand swinging it for intimidation. “You plundering idiot it's me, Tell Hingir that Felthen is here!”“No need to go anywhere. Stand down.” A raspy voice ordered coming from behind the man. The swordsman sheathed his weapon and stepped aside to reveal who exactly had spoken. The figure was easily the shortest person in the room. He had a rounded face with the signature pointed ears. The pitch black hair on top of the man's head was pulled back in a tight pony-tail. He was older and could tell that he held rank in what ever was going on at the moment. He wore a faded black cloak over a set of simple leather armor that had straps and pocket in just about any place you could think of. “Foroond, are you alive up there?” The elder man called up to the man that Arkinn had shot. The simple response was a mixture of wrapped moans and cursing but it was a sign that he was alive. “I didn't shoot him in any vital areas, he should be fine,” Arkinn clarified, feeling the need to do so. The elder man looked at him for a long second before turning his gaze over to Felthen. “Forgive me Felthen, these are some of the new recruits and were not notified of your arrival. I can assure you that this failure of communication will be rectified, Erados, go check on Foroond and take him to get fixed up.” He ordered turning to the swordsman. “Well I can't say that we needed that surprise today but, as long nothing else happens we are good,” Felthen replied to the man before signaling Arkinn. “This here is Hingir, one of the best in the business and your contact for the first part of your journey. Hingir, this is Arkinn.” “It is a pleasure to meet you,” he acknowledged bowing his head slightly, “please let us continue this conversation somewhere more… comfortable.”He led them over to a stack of wooden crates leaning up against the left wall. They didn't look like they would be boxes that would store important boxes. No, they were just regular old boxes. Hingir reached behind one of the boxes and felt around until Arkinn heard a click. He stepped back and watched as the stack of boxes rolled back revealing a stair case. “Shall we?” Hingir motioned towards the stair case.Hingir led the group down with Arkinn behind him followed by Felthen with Erados carrying a rather foul mouthed Foroond in the back. The stair case seemed to descend spiraling into darkness with a torch every so often. Eventually, they came to a door made of solid wood with iron fittings that attached the door to the frame. Hingir undid the locks that were on the door before opening it. The door opened up into a massive underground chamber with walls made of stone that gave the chamber a hexagonal shape to it. Overall the chamber reminded Arkinn of the chamber where Felthen could be found. there were alcoves carved into the walls around the chamber where people could be found sitting and having conversations. Arkinn watched as Erados carried Foroond and disappeared down a hallway on the other side of the chamber. He could only assume that the hallway led down to a healer’s quarters or something to that effect. The now trio made their way over to an empty alcove and sat down. Hingir on one side while Felthen slid into the booth on the other side first followed by Arkinn.“Now isn't that better?” Hingir asked. “Much,” Felthen responded bluntly. “Now let's get down to business. I assume you remember the plans for Arkinn’s travel?”“Oh yes of course I do, I received confirmation on the last ship two days ago,” the elder bosmer informed. “Mind giving the run down for us?” Felthen suggested.“The ship you will leave on tomorrow morning is called The Dromio, it's a transport ship for supplies mostly. The ship captain’s name is Sha’aasha. He will be storing you in a hidden compartment in his quarters, as well he will be responsible for getting you on to the next ship once you reach Senchal. Now this voyage will take about three days so I hope you don't get sea sick. Once you get to Senchal the next ship will be called The Campion. Sha’aasha will move you that night where you will meet the next captain. Now, this captain we had to pay off so don't cause any trouble on his ship. Nahad runs a small transport ship so quarters will be tight, you will be in a cargo box that will be on the next ship when you get to Soulrest. The captain has worked with us before and will have you covered when you get to the Cyrillic border. Any questions so far?” Hingir addressed Arkinn directly.“No, it sounds like you've done fine work so far. Now, what about once I get to Bravil?”A ghost of a grin drifted across Hingir’s lips before he continued on. “Once you get to Bravil, the final ship captain will smuggle you in under the guise of a crew member so you better make yourself useful while you're on the ship we want the cover to work. She will get you up to the Imperial City. We have contacts with the underground there. They will take you to your next location; Cheydinhal. Once you're there, a local bar keep will help you get to the border of Skyrim where Cynric will meet you. And just like that, you're in Skyrim.” Hingir smiled with only a hint of the common roguish expression that Felthen often had. “Thank you for doing this, I know you're getting paid to do this but I appreciate all you have done to help me,” Arkinn affirmed looking directly at Hingir.“Hey don’t go getting emotional on me, Boy,” Felthen elbowed him in the side.Hingir only smiled with a slight tilt of his head. “Now, if you will excuse me I have other priorities to attend to, make yourselves at home here. Felthen I assume you remember where everything is?” he said as he walked off not bothering to wait for a response. Arkinn got out of the booth and followed Felthen once he got out as well. There was a hallway a few booths over from where they were and Felthen led Arkinn in. The walked down the hall occasionally looking into the rooms they passed. There were stock rooms, rooms with bunk beds, and an infirmary. As he looked on into the infirmary he saw Foroond lying on a table. With what Arkinn assumed was a healer standing next to the table. Erados sat in a chair on the left side of the room.“Hold still!” the healer chided Foroond when he continued to squirm on the table. With the arrow, Arkinn had shot him with still sticking out. The healer was an older female bosmer with long red hair that the occasional stark white strains throughout. Arkinn could she by the way she stood that she was experienced. She wore a simple tan tunic with a white apron strapped around her waist.She attempted to get a closer look at the arrow wound by cleaning it with what Arkinn assumed was alcohol. Foroond squirmed again when the healer tried to inspect the wound.“If you don't stop moving I will have to put you under, now stop moving!” she scolded.Her right hand started glowing a teal green before she touched Foroond’s hip and he stopped squirming. The glow changed to a bright green before touching him again. She worked efficiently in cleaning the wound before looking at it. She nodded before putting one hand around the base of the arrow and the other on the shaft. In one swift movement, she pulled the arrow out of Foroond and placed on the table next to her. she then worked quickly to clean the wound again and bandage it. She finished off by placing her hands over the wound as they began to glow a golden aura. She held them there for a few seconds before turning around to start cleaning her equipment. In that moment Foroond seemed to reanimate with a cry of agony.“You bitch!” he spat. “Oh hush you,” she waved at him not bothering to turn around. Arkinn took that moment to reach in and retrieve his arrow and dart back out and catch up to Felthen further down the hall.The next room of any importance had a fire pit in the middle of it with a cooking pot suspended over it. There were tables pushed up against the walls around it while different types of food covered each of them.
The pair sat down at a table on the right side of the room. Arkinn grabbed a piece of bread and watched as Felthen reached for an apple. They ate in silence, neither had realized how hungry they were. When Arkinn finished he got up from the table and told Felthen that he was going to walk around.The underground base was surprisingly larger than Arkinn had anticipated. There were several large rooms with bunk beds scattered around, 4 training rooms, 3 planning rooms which Arkinn assumed was for heists and jobs, and surprisingly a room that contained several shrines to Bosmer deities. The thought of Arkinn’s new bow caused him to gravitate to one of the training rooms that housed several targets. He had used it earlier today however he was still itching to use it. Arkinn walked into the training room with his bow in hand. He stood on one side of the room and readied his bow with a fresh arrow knocked. after taking several breaths he aimed at the target directly in front of him and let his arrow fly.The satisfying thwack of the arrow lodging into the target made the edge of Arkinn’s mouth twitch up for half a second. With a new arrow knocked he aimed at the next target to the left of the first one. He released the arrow and knocked another, aiming at the next target before the first connected with its mark. He kept this routine up for the next few moments getting faster and faster before knocking two arrows and aiming at the targets on a ledge above the others. He released the arrows and rolled forward grabbing an arrow as he did so and knocked it as he came into a kneeling position, aiming at the top target on a ledge above the other two. He let the last arrow fly and watched as it embedded into the bullseye. Arkinn’s breathing had barely changed and not a drop of sweat in sight. He felt eyes on him coming from the doorway so he slowly rose to his feet, slinging his bow over him as he walked to the targets.“Do you have something to say or are you just going to stand there?” He announced not bothering to look at who it was in the doorway. “Your skill in archery is superb. Where did you learn?” A gruff female voice with a hint of age questioned.Arkinn had jumped up to the top ledge retrieving his last arrow from the target before turning to the woman. He was correct in assuming she was older as she had slight signs of age on her face and a few gray hairs intertwining through her normal raven colored hair. Her olive skin was nearly flawless despite the thin wrinkles at the edges of her eyes and mouth. Her soft chocolate brown eyes held an air of knowledge and intensity. She was dressed in a simple light armor that Arkinn had seen several other people down here wearing. The only difference was that she wore a dark cloak that covered her torso and bunched up around the neck with a hood hanging off behind her. The legs were an elaborate weave of leather to form trousers that almost appeared skin tight. Her wrists and hands were wrapped in in different leathers with fingerless gloves. Arkinn could just barely see a lock pick set attached at the base of her hand. A dagger was strapped to her to her right thigh so that it was easy to grab if ever in the event. She leaned against the door frame waiting for an answer to her question with one eye brow arched in an expectant manner. “My father served in the Aldmeri Dominion for a time before retiring. He taught me everything he knew.” Arkinn answered matter of factly. “I’ve never known a Nord to be as skilled with a bow as you have shown. Tell me what is your name and what brings you to this humble cavern we call home?” She asked, sauntering towards Arkinn and walking around him as if inspecting him. “My name is Arkinn, Hingir is providing me with passage.” “Passage to where?”“Well, a man has to have some secrets. You still have yet to tell me your name”“If you must know it is Laur-el.” She responded running a finger down Arkinn’s arm. Arkinn felt a hand sliding around the pouch on his waist. In that moment his hand shot out to grab the hand at his waist. He spun out of Laur-el’s grasp with his right hand clutching her empty left wrist. She held satisfaction on her face despite knowing she had been caught. “Well I must say you certainly are different, not many people notice me.” She announced.“What is the meaning of this? What the hell do you think you were trying to do?” Arkinn snapped in confusion.“Oh come now dear, I was just having a little fun. Not many new faces come around here and I was bored.” She pouted with a hint of amusement. Felthen chose that moment to walk into the training room. He looked upon the sight that was before him and chuckled for a moment.“ Ah, Arkinn I see you met Laur-el.”“She tried to steal my coin pouch,” Arkinn responded letting her go. She smiled with a wink before stepping away a few feet. “Felthen I thought I had heard a nasty little rumor about you showed up.” Laur-el finally acknowledging the older man by giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Arkinn, Laur-el is one of the higher ranking people here in this guild. She gives out jobs to members and teaches a few training classes.”Laur-el smiled at Felthen before speaking again. “As much as I have enjoyed this, I have other places to be. Felthen, don't be a stranger.” She winked as she passed him.Arkinn stood there watching the interaction and assumed that there was something there from before, but whatever it was he wasn't going to get into it. Felthen turned back to the Nord.“Well, that was interesting, to say the least.” “Yeah, she can be vexing just keep one hand on your coin when you're with her.” He replied chuckling. —*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—To say that the first leg of Arkinn’s journey was interesting would have been an understatement. They had woken up and left for the docks in the middle of the night to meet The Dromio’s captain, Sha’aasha. He was a middle aged Khajiit with black fur with hints of gray patch work. The only way they were able to see him was from the glow of his yellow feline eyes. He didn't say much as payment was exchanged. Arkinn took this time to say goodbye to Felthen. “Well old man I guess this is the end of the road for you.”“Hey, you keep yourself safe out there and don't get killed.” Arkinn looked at him wanting to ask something however he didn't know how to ask the man after everything he had already done for him.“Felthen…” “I will look after them Arkinn. Don't you worry” Felthen cut him off knowing what he was going to ask. “Thank you Felthen”Felthen did something he rarely did to anyone and never in front of people. He pulled Arkinn into a hug. One that you would give a brother or a family member. Arkinn shocked by the initial interaction quickly returned the hug before they both let go. “Now if you are finished with your goodbyes, Sha’aasha thinks it is time to leave before the guards come around.” The Khajiit captain spoke quickly and quietly before turning towards his ship. Arkinn hurried after him, keeping his foot falls quite as possible. Sha’aasha continued to walk at a brisk pace until he came up to a ship that Arkinn assumed was The Dromio. They walked up the ramp to board the ship. The ship was a nice size ship with the main mast towering over them as they walked on. Thick ropes were coiled around it. The foremast stood to the left of them with the sails bound. There grates in-between the two masts where they must have accessed the storage area or quarters for the crew. To their left, the quarterdeck rose above them with the mizzenmast, which was the shortest of the three, stood with its sails bound. Stairs were positioned on either side lead up to the quarterdeck. Nestled in between the two staircases was a wooden door made of solid oak if arkinn had to guessAs they approached the door Arkinn could see the door in more detail.The handle ornate that curved out at the top and slowly came back underneath. Golden leaves surrounded the points where the handle touched the door and grew onto the handle itself. The door was made of a thick wood that made Arkinn surer in his guess of it being made of oak. There were marks on the door that looked like they must have come from a sword. The Captain gripped the handle and quickly pushed it open letting Arkinn inside. It opened up into the Captain’s quarters which Arkinn had to admit was nicely sized. There was a wall of windows across from where they came in with a large ornate desk in front. A rug laid in the middle of the room. it had a mixture of greens and blues with tiny specks of other colors through out that reminded Arkinn of a meadow. To the Left, there was a raised platform where a decently sized bed was positioned in the middle of the wall. The side of the room right of the desk had two doors which must have been for the bathroom and storage.There were candles positioned around the room the provided an ambient feeling in the room. Overall it was something that Arkinn would not have completely expected a Captain’s Quarters to look like for Sha’aasha. “The storage has a false bottom where you will stay. This one will let you out to eat and use the restroom once a day. Stay as quiet as possible no matter what. The crew does not know you will be joining the ride and that is how Sha’aasha wants to keep it.” “Understood, I want to thank you again for allowing me passage on your ship.” Arkinn smiled before heading towards the storage room. Sha’aasha followed him inside before showing him where the false bottom was. The compartment was just small enough to a cot and a ladder. Once Arkinn climbed down into it; he looked back up at Sha’aasha and signaled that he was good. The hatch closed over him plunging the room into near darkness. Before Arkinn did anything he put his hand out in front of him, slowly bringing a little magic into his palm. He cast a small candlelight charm and watched as his hand lit up in pale light the charm put off and float into the air above him. Arkinn pushed his pack under his cot and leaned his bow and quiver next to the ladder before sitting down. He pulled out the amulet Tilliana had given him and opened it. The picture of his family glowed faintly as they smiled. A slight pang of longing in his heart made Arkinn close the amulet. he couldn't start second guessing his decisions now there was no turning back. Mara had given him a quest and he couldn't let the lady down. He laid down on the cot, extinguishing the candlelight charm allowing the darkness to flood the compartment once more. Arkinn let the rocking of the boat send him closer and closer to sleep before finally letting it over come him. —*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—The soft warm glow of a candle woke Arkinn up. Sha’aasha had opened the hatch and was standing to wait, motioning for him to come up. He climbed out and was shown where the bathroom was. Once Arkinn came out of the bathroom there was a bowl of soup with a slice of bread sitting on the edge of the desk. He grabbed it before sitting down in the chair, pulling his knees up to get more comfortable before quickly eating. As hard as it was to imagine the soup being something that Tilliana would have made, it simply was not going to do anything to help whatever he was tasting. He choked down every spoon full following it down with a piece of bread. The slight chuckle Arkinn heard from the corner of the room had him whipping his head in the direction it came from. Nestled in the corner next to the bed Sha’aasha sat with a book in his hand.“It is best if one eats fast to not taste whatever is in it.” Sha’aasha purred out looking to Arkinn.“I’m pretty sure the first meal I ever made tasted better than this,” Arkinn replied“It is definitely an acquired taste. Tell me young one, why is it that you seek passage?” “It's a long story and I don't really know where to start,” Arkinn admitted, “Why do you want to know?”“If one is traveling on my ship crew or not, Sha’aasha wants to know who he is on board with.” It was a simple and valid reason. He mulled over what he was going to say and taking a few more spoonfuls of his soup before finally speaking.“A goddess came to me in a dream telling me that my soulmate is in Skyrim and that I will never experience true happiness until I find this person,” Arkinn stated bluntly“I see…” The Khajiit took a few moments before replying.“This one thinks you are commendable to be taking on this journey, but this one also wonders where you will begin your search once the little one gets to his homeland?” “I don’t know, I guess I will have to make it up as I go.” Arkinn finished the last of his soup and set it down on the desk.“Sha’aasha, what happened to the outside of your door? I noticed last night that there were sword marks on it.” “That is a story for another day,” he said curtly before continuing. “Sha’aasha wishes you best of luck in your quest, young one. It is time to go back into your compartment.” Sha’aasha walked Arkinn over to the storage room opened the hatched and watched Arkinn descend. Once he was situated The Captain closed the hatch once more. Arkinn sat on his cot thinking about his conversation with Sha’aasha.How will I find my soulmate? I don't even know the first place to look?Arkinn laid down with these thoughts running through his head. Eventually, sleep overcame him once more.—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—Farkas woke up dizzy. He had felt that way whenever he would be on a boat for too long. He tried to remember the dream he had woken up from. Slowly some of the details were coming back to him. He stood in a small compartment, almost too small for Farkas to fit in. There was a cot in front of him just big enough for him to lay down on. The room rocked side to side and Farkas had to stop thinking about because he felt his seasickness coming back. Where was that? It felt so real. The man thought as he got out of his bed and got ready for the day. He felt the comfortable weight his steel heavy armor provided him as he exited the room.
The stone floors were hard against the soles of his boots as Farkas made his way down the hall. Above him, the quiet sounds of eating and laughter echoed through the wooden ceiling. Farkas noticed a pack on the ground leaning against the wall. Someone must have just returned from a job. The door at the end of the short hallway was closed and he assumed that whoever had returned must be have been talking to their leader, Kodlak Whitemane. Curiosity had eventually won Farkas over as he made his way to the door, pushing it open. The man with raven colored hair sat with an older gray haired man. The younger man had black war paint around his eyes that made his hazel eyes seem brighter. There were obvious signs of age as his forehead was lined with a few wrinkles. A scar marked his left eye from what could have been from an old battle. The five o-clock shadow he carried finished off his face giving him a very mature demeanor. His armor was a complete set of heavy armor that was covered in steel plates with black fur underneath that stuck out in some parts. A wolf baring its teeth decorated the form of his chest piece at the top of his sternum. He wore a kilt made of the same fur on the rest of the armor with metal plates at the top near his hips. A scabbard hanged off the left side of his hip with the end resting on the ground.“Well, it's about time you returned, brother” Farkas announced walking over to him.“The bandits I was after had trapped a troll.” Vilkas huffed out as he rose to greet his brother. “How in Oblivion did they manage to do that?” Farkas asked with a slight chuckle.Before Vilkas could respond the older man had cleared his thought in a noticeable manner as if trying to get their attention. Upon first glance, the man was clearly older than the other two men. A mixture of white and gray hair topped his head falling down to rest at the base of his neck. His cheek was marked with a tattoo of a circular design with a point directing to the center of his face. One of his eyes was a mixture of storm gray and ice blue giving it an extremely pale color overall. The other eye was solid white, which must have meant that he had been injured some time ago. His beard an even bush of gray coming down to hide his neck almost completely. He was dressed in the same steel and fur armor as Vilkas wore, however, there was no scabbard attached to his hip. Even sitting down the man exerted the confidence and grace that made him the interim leader of the companions. “Well, Vilkas I am glad the job when well. You should head up stairs, I would assume the of members are eager for you to regale them of your journey. “Very well Kodlak, we will speak again later,” Vilkas said before turning towards the door motioning for Farkas to follow.—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—“So come on Vilkas, tell us was the job?” Aela projected when she noticed the twins coming up the stairs.“It was successful, to say the least.” He responded sitting down at the long table U shaped table that took up most of the immediate area. A massive fire put took up space inside of the table’s shape with a pig roasting over. Thick massive posts deported the intricate wood work of the roof. Weapons were mounted on the posts to decorate the room with sconces spread out as well. The windows were a simple stained glass patterned that let in plenty of light for people to see. Rugs were laid out on the different levels of the room with no two rugs being the same, however, it made the room feel more comfortable. Overall it was a comfortable place to be and reminded Farkas of being home or what home was supposed to feel like anyway.Farkas sat down next to Vilkas, grabbing an apple off of the table. “It started out simple enough. The bandits were held up in a cave just north of Rorikstead. Apparently, they had been robbing people on the road for the past couple weeks. It took me two days just to get to Rorikstead. Stayed the night and that next morning I set off towards where people had been getting robbed. Eventually found the cave and there were only four bandits in side dispatching them was easy enough except one they opened up the cage they had a troll in.”
“ A troll? How did they manage to capture one of those?” Ria questioned in astonishment. “That's what I was wanting to know!” Farkas replied to Ria with a trace of a smile on his lips. “Don’t know but if it had to guess from what I saw in the cage I would say they lured it into the cave with meat or something. Then used a traveler they must have kidnapped as bait. I found a dead body in the cage with it, too torn up to see who it was.” Vilkas answered. “Anyways back to the story Vilkas” Aela steered the conversation back to Vilkas’ story. “Where was I? Oh yeah, stupid for the guy because as soon as he opened the cage the troll was on him. Dead in a matter of seconds, couldn't even get a good swing in.” Vilkas paused to take a drink of his mead before continuing on once more.“The troll then started coming after me and I wasn't going to let it get the upper hand. Right as he got to me I rolled to the side and slashed him across the side. He came after me again and I shield bashed it and made he stumbled back before I kicked him to the ground and stabbed him in the chest. After that, I cleaned my sword and made my way back here.”“What a tale! I would have enjoyed watching you take down that beast, Vilkas.” Aela reveled in the thrill of battle from Vilkas’ story. “Mind teaching me a few tricks sometime?” Athis laughed as he gripped Vilkas’s shoulder. Farkas had always enjoyed the camaraderie that came just after a fellow companion returned from an adventure. It made them feel more like a family. He continued to eat his morning meal as he sat listening to his fellow companions shared stories of past battles, and other jobs they had been on.When Farkas finished eating he got out of his chair and made his way outside to the training area was. Outside there was a covered seating area connected to the building that was held up with thick wooden posts. It covered a long wooden table in the middle. There were benches on either side of the table and a chair at the head. Several other chairs were nestled in between the wooden posts to provide more seating. Farkas made his way out from under the covered porch and to one of the practice dummies that were set up. He pulled the massive steel great sword from its holster on his back and took a few practice swings to warm up. Eventually, he really started getting into the rhythm of his swings. His right hand gripped the handle while his left hand gripped right below it as he swung it in a wide arc in front of him. He brought back in another wide arc slashing the dummy across its chest. A small tear opened on the dummy letting a small amount of sand fall out. Farkas used the momentum to spin to the side of the dummy with his great sword whacking the dummy in the abdomen. The tear grew bigger with more sand falling out now. He backed up and repositioned himself in front of the dummy. Farkas raised his sword above him and came down on the dummy with such a force that its right arm ripped off. He didn't allow himself a pause as he slashed diagonally up the dummy’s chest. The tear opened up more with a larger amount of sand pouring out. The Companion sliced across the dummy’s neck before bringing his sword down across its chest. he used the downward force to take a step back and impaled his sword into the ground. Using the sword for support he vaulted himself at the dummy. His legs collided with the dummy’s chest causing the tear exploded with sand pouring out. The force of the man’s kick toppled the dummy completely as the wooden post snapped under the pressure. Farkas took a moment to breathe before pulling his sword out of the ground. The sounds applause made Farkas spin his head around. There Vilkas, Ria, and Aela stood clapping at him. “That was amazing! I would have never thought to use a great sword like that, using it as a support.” Ria was awestruck with a sparkle in her eyes. “You know we just replaced that practice dummy three days ago, Ice Brain.” Aela Scolded but he could tell she was satisfied with his techniques.“I’ll pay for the next one,” Farkas replied shaking out the sand that had fallen in between the steel plates of his boots.“Oh, I know you are.” The Huntress chuckled as she walked over to the targets on the other side of the training grounds with Ria following her like a lost puppy. Vilkas made his way over to his twin, inspecting his handy work on the pile of rubble. “Where did you come up that last move brother, you've never been the creative type when it comes to fighting?” He questioned his brother with earnest. “I don’t know just kinda came to me in the moment,” Farkas replied shaking off his brother’s insistence. “Well, either way, it was a good move, however just be careful when there is more than one person against you. You never want to be without a weapon.” Vilkas lectured him.“I know brother, I will remember that.” He grumbled walking away from the other man. —*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—As mid morning drew on more of the other companions made their way out to the training grounds. Farkas leaned against one of the wooden posts under the porch as he watched as a few practiced archery at the targets with Aela occasionally correcting their stance or form. Athis sparred with Vilkas showing him new techniques that the Dunmer didn't know. Skjor stood over by the practice dummies watching the companions that were there whacking at them. There was a slight breeze that rolled across the plains of Whiterun hold. As it washed over the man a shiver shot down his spine when his nostrils were filled with a familiar scent. It smelled like a forest after a fresh rain, lavender, and sandalwood. He felt his wolf stir inside of him sniffing at the scent that was caught in the breeze. It was nothing like he had ever smelt before as an overwhelming sense of comfort washed over him. And just as fast as it came it was gone again. Farkas sniffed the air again trying to find it but it had vanished. Confusion danced in his mind as he tried to think about what just happened.“You like you're fighting a losing battle inside your head, tell me what troubles you?” Kodlak’s aged voiced came from behind him. Farkas turned around to acknowledge the older man. He blinked at him trying to figure out how he could have known what was happening inside his own head. Kodlak only smiled with a slight twinkle in his one real eye as he walked past Farkas.“When you are ready you will tell me. In the mean time don't look so angry.” Kodlak advised patting the younger man’s elbow. Shaking himself from his thoughts, Farkas followed the man before veering over to where Athis and Vilkas were sparring. He needed to get his mind off of the current mystery of what just happened. Fighting was the only thing that seemed to come to mind. “Mind if I cut in, Athis?” “Please, he's been driving me for the past hour. I need a break.” The Dunmer dripped with sweat as he walked over to the porch to practically collapse into a chair. “Are you sure you want to spar with me brother?” Vilkas lifted his eyebrow in question.“Yeah, let's see what you got,” Farkas grunted out as he unsheathed the great sword from his back. He took up a defensive stance as he watched Vilkas unsheathe his sword with a shield on his right forearm.The two circled each other for a few moments before Farkas charged at the other man. He slashed out in a wide arc only for Vilkas to jump back out of range of the attack. The other twin waited for the right moment to strike back when Farkas’s sword passed him and launched as his brother’s side. Farkas dropped to one knee, narrowly avoiding the lunge. He slammed the hilt of his sword into Vilkas’ stomach causing him to stumble back which gave Farkas enough just enough time to get back on his feet.Vilkas was on the offensive once more slashing back and forth at his brother with ferocity. The other Companions had stopped their training to watch as the twins faced off against each other. With each slash, Farkas had to use his sword to block the attack backing up every time he did so. He knew he couldn’t keep this up and Vilkas would change his tactics at any moment. He risked looking behind him and saw one of the porch posts a few feet away. And his brain starting coming up with a plan.He blocked Vilkas a few more time before suddenly turning around, taking three huge steps and planting his right foot on the post. He pushed off with everything he had in him turning his body around as he did to face brother. Vilkas barely had enough time to raise his shield before Farkas collided with it toppling them both to the ground. Farkas used the momentum of his jump to roll over his sword and come into a kneeling stance. His brother sliced his one handed sword along the ground kicking up dirt towards Farkas blinding him for a second. It allowed Vilkas just enough time to get up. Farkas charged at his brother now on the offensive, slashing again and again. Vilkas waited for Farkas to leave his guard open and that was the chance Vilkas needed. The two-handed warrior swung his sword across leaving his side open. He blinked with dirt still in his eyes. Suddenly Vilkas shield bashed Farkas and watched as he stumbled back.—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—Arkinn shot up in bed with a sudden pain in right shoulder and arm. He cast a quick candlelight charm and inspected his arm and shoulder. There were no visible bruises or damage down to either place. Eventually Arkinn figure it must have been from sleeping on the cot.It was the last night of his passage on the Dromio. He had come to like Sha’aasha’s company in the short time he had interacted with him. The previous day, he had let Arkinn stay out of his compartment for longer than he had the day before. They asked each other questions about their past and got to know one another through it. Arkinn thought back to what they had said.—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—Arkinn had been walking around the Captain’s Quarters waiting for the Khajiit to return from his rounds on the ship with some food. To the left of the bed, there stood an entire wall of books that Arkinn was amazed he hadn't noticed the day before. He inspected each row of books marveling at the wide variety of subjects and genres that were mixed together. Occasionally he would pick one up being drawn in by the binding and inspect the cover. He would read a few pages before putting it back once more and continuing on.He had picked up one book that was engraved in gold on the binding and seemed worn from age and use. There were remnants of a title that had been embossed with the same gold design as the rest of the book but he had been etched away and could be barely made out that there had even been one there. Arkinn flipped it over to look at the front of the book where the gold engraving traveled onto it spreading across and taking over the majority of it in an intricate design of golden vines. Arkinn let his fingers glide over the cover marveling at its beauty. He looked for the title in the jungle of golden vines for a second before reading Advanced Khajiit Dagger Techniques.
By: Sinidzo D’Raad Overcome by curiosity, Arkinn returned to the seat behind the desk. He repositioned himself to get himself comfortable, with his legs folded underneath him and leaning on his right shoulder that was propped on the right arm of the chair. The book sat in his lap as he turned the page every so often to continue reading. He studied the diagrams that were dotted throughout the book and absorbed every word that flowed from one page to the next. At one point he sat the book to go retrieve his daggers from his pack. He sat the book at the edge of the table while he stood in front of it with his daggers in hand. He now studied the diagrams with a more studious eye determined to learn them.He imagined there was an enemy in front of him, charging at it with the ferocity he would a real opponent. He slashed when book said to, ducked when the book said too, rolled when it said to and stabbed when it was instructed. It was so different than Bosmer and Dominion techniques that Arkinn struggled with the moves more than he cared to admit. At one point he was attempting to dodge passed the opponent and come up to slash the back. However, over time he tried, he couldn't figure out how he was to turn around while dodging to come up for the final blow. As he attempted the dodge once more imagined the enemy outmaneuvering him again. He let out a disgruntled growl that was interrupted by soft chuckles behind him. The sudden sound was not expected in the cabin and caused Arkinn’s instincts to kick in. He was close enough to the desk for him to push his right leg off it and charge toward the stranger behind him as he twisted his body to face him. His shoulder connected with the form of the new person as he pushed him against the door. One of Arkinn’s daggers pressed up against his neck while the other pressed against the stranger’s side. It took him half a second to realize that it was only Sha’aasha who had walked in. They stood there for a few breaths with their faces only inches apart. Arkinn gazed into the Khajiit’s emerald eyes, they were filled with something that he had never seen in eyes before. The feeling was so forceful and powerful that it scared the Nord. It was primal and animalistic in the way that the Khajiit’s pupils had dilated. Arkinn backed away taking a few quick steps. He looked back at the Captain only to find that whatever had filled his eyes had vanished. The Khajiit walked over to the desk noticing the book that was laid out. “Ah, The Young One has noticed Sha’aasha’s little library.” He stated turning around to Arkinn. “You are thinking too much like a human for these techniques. The Khajiit are as much animal as we are man.”He demonstrated one of the moves that Arkinn had tried doing earlier but couldn’t get perfect.
Watching Sha’aasha move was like watching a dance. His steps were precise and direct in some parts while graceful and delicate in others. And Arkinn did have to admit that watching the Khajiit perform them made him realize that he was trying to learn each technique from a flawed perspective. The Khajiit forms were agile and primal in some cases. Mathian had taught him to be swift, direct, and precise. If Arkinn could get passed an enemy’s guard the battle would surely be over in a matter of seconds. He knew where very weak point there was on the human and elven bodies that could cripple them with one blow. He knew where every organ was in the body and how to get past armor to reach them. Mathian had trained him to be just as good as any Dominion soldier and then some. But watching Sha’aasha as he continued to move in front of him made him realized there was much more than he could learn.“The Young One needs to remember that Khajiit move with our whole body. The body can move twist, fold, and contort. We use that to our advantage.” Sha’aasha said as he followed the motions of the book.
“The move The Young One was trying to do when Sha’aasha walked in is to get behind the enemy for a strike, yes?”“Yeah you're right but I'm struggling on how to get from moving past them to turning around.” “Ahh yes, this is where what Sha’aasha was just saying comes into play. The Young One needs to crouch then dive past the enemy then land with your hands out in front and let the momentum carry your legs under you. Push them forward around one side of your hands and rotate the body so the stomach is facing the ground. This will spin your body so that you now face you enemy’s back and you are also in a good position to pounce and strike. Try it.” Sha’aasha positioned himself so that he was the enemy. He had pulled out a dagger from somewhere on his person that Arkinn assumed he kept hidden from view of other people. The dagger was made of steel from first glance however upon closer inspection it was more than that. The grip was made of a worn down wood that had been well used by the way it fit in his hand. A red gem stone was inlaid at the bottom of the hilt.The blade was two sided that was engraved in the center of the blade. This dagger must have served more for actual use as opposed to ceremonial daggers. Arkinn faced him with his daggers in hand. Slowly they circled each other looking for a weakness in the other’s guard. Arkinn had just passed in front of the desk when Sha’aasha made his move. A foot came at him so fast that he barely had time to block it. It connected with his wrists and forced him back against the desk. He dropped down to a crouching position with one leg sliding out to the side to avoid Sha’aasha’s strike. He dived to the side of the feline’s feet attempting to try the new technique. His hands hit the floor and he focused on getting his legs passed his hands only for them to hit ground and lose the momentum they had. Sha’aasha had spun on one foot and brought the other around to connect with Arkinn’s abdomen. “The enemy will not wait for you, Young One.” Sha’aasha purred as he took a step backward. Arkinn had rolled on his back hopping back up to his feet.The Captain was back on the offensive again with a wide ark barely missing Arkinn’s chest. He avoided his advances and attacks like he had been taught. Blocking where he needed to, ducking when he needed to, and parrying when he had to. It was a like a literal game of cat and mouse before finally, Sha’aasha got close enough to land a blow on him. Arkinn risked a split second look at where the dagger had connected with him. There was a small cut on his upper left bicep with a little bit of blood dripping out of it soaking into his tunic. It wasn't a lot but it was enough to get Arkinn’s attention, it was his favorite tunic. Arkinn was done treating it like training. He waited for Sha’aasha to come in for another blow before he struck. He ducked under the attack and struck his abdomen with his leg making the other fly back. Sha’aasha rolled over himself readying himself to attack but Arkinn was now on the offense. His twin daggers became an extension of his arms flying at the Captain. He slashed constantly never letting up fighting for every step backward Sha’aasha took. Arkinn had obtained his clarity in the duel waiting for the other to attack. Then it happened. Sha’aasha had lunged which gave Arkinn the opening needed. He dived under his attack. Hands touched the flooring and Arkinn pushed his legs under him. He twisted his body and planted his feet. Sha’aasha was just turning around when Arkinn surged forward from the ground. His knee connected with his Sha’aasha’s stomach and slammed him into the wall behind him. One dagger dug into his throat while his other arm had Sha’aasha’s dagger arm restrained against the wall. He heard the weapon clatter to the ground. The Captain held an approving smile on his furry face. His tail flicked back and forth as he looked at the Nord. “Very well done Young One, Sha’aasha is very proud,” He said as Arkinn released the hold he had on him. “Thank you, where did you learn to fight like that? You are very good.” Arkinn questioned.“Sha’aasha is on the seas, there are also bandits and raiders on the seas. Sha’aasha needs to be able to protect himself and his crew. No?” He responded.“Ah I see now well you are very good.” “Many thanks, Sha’aasha can see that you are also very well trained. If the Young One would mind This one wishes for you to keep the book. He thinks you will find it more useful than Sha’aasha does now where it gathers dust.”“Than-thank you Sha’aasha, I will treasure it and will put it to good use.” Arkinn smiled at the Captain.Sha’aasha held a look with Arkinn for a few seconds and. The look held something that was familiar to Arkinn. It was sincere and calm yet it held an air of content. Arkinn was sure he had seen the look before but he couldn't place it and was completely different from the look that Sha’aasha had given him earlier than he had accidentally attacked him. Arkinn was the first to break the staring contest turning around to the desk. He rubbed the back of his neck looking at the book again. Sha’aasha moved to make his way over but then there was a knocking at the door. Arkinn grabbed the book and silently ran to the compartment hatch. He closed it above him just as he heard Sha’aasha open the door.He sat there clutching the book in silence hoping that no one had heard them sparring. He didn't risk doing anything that would cause anyone to come into the storage room. Arkinn assumed that it must have been a crew member needing the Captain’s attention. Eventually, he heard the two men leave the cabin and Arkinn released a breath he forgot he had been holding. He sat the book down beside him and felt a small pain in his arm. He had forgotten about the cut on his arm from their duel.Arkinn cast a small candlelight spell to inspect the cut. He took off his tunic for a better look. It wasn't very deep but the blood hadn't clotted up yet to stop it from bleeding. He placed his hand over it and concentrated on pushing some magic into his hand to at least close it.After a few seconds, the wound had closed completely and all that remained was the dried blood where the cut had been. He pulled out a cloth from his bag and wiped the remaining blood from the area.With his tunic now back on he rested against the wall that his cot rested against and dragged the book back into his lap. He opened the book back to the first page and began to read it again now that he needed to look at it from a different perspective. Hours passed before he heard the door of the cabin open again. Arkinn vanished his candlelight charm and darkness enveloped the tiny compartment once more. He looked up to the ceiling as he heard shuffling above him which meant that someone had come into the storage area. He grabbed his bow that was next to him and quickly knocked an arrow before kneeling on top of his cot aiming at the hatch. The bow’s electrical enchantment hummed and arced on its surface casting an even so faint purple glow. It wasn't enough to light up the room but it gave the bow a menacing appearance to it in the darkness.The hatch door opened and Arkinn released a breath when it was only Sha’aasha. Arkinn lowed his bow and put the arrow back in the quiver. He put the bow back in its resting place next to the ladder. Arkinn claimed out and followed the captain back to central room. A bowl of soup was positioned on the corner of the desk that must have been for Arkinn. “You must forgive Sha’aasha for earlier his second had questions that needed to be answered. Then he requested that Sha’aasha take a look at something.”“It was close but I’m glad we weren't caught.” Arkinn breathed out. “Please sit and eat.” The captain requested with a wave of his hand.Arkinn sat back in the desk chair with another bowl of soup in his hand and legs tucked under him. Sha’aasha had moved the chair he had been sitting in the day before in front of the desk. They had been talking for well over an hour and a half. Arkinn had told The Khajiit about his parents and little brother. As well he showed him the amulet they had given him before he left with their picture. Arkinn finally asked the one thing he wanted to know about the Captain.“Sha’aasha, how did you become the captain of this ship?” “The Dromio used to belong to this one’s father.” He replied with a subtle hint remembrance. Arkinn waited for the Khajiit to continue. With a sigh, he eventually started up again.“Sha’aasha had wanted to be a merchant when he was younger in one of the cities in my homeland. I would sell clothes of any colors, jewelry that glistened in the sunlight, weapons sharp enough to cut a man in two, many things this one would have sold. Sha’aasha’s father had other plans, however. He wanted one of his sons to take over the Dromio. Sha’aasha’s brother, Da’alnir had shown interest in taking over for my father, however, he eventually left to join the Aldmeri Dominion.” “My father served in the Aldmeri Dominion for a number of years.” Arkinn pointed out with a soft smile. “It was a noble cause to join at the time, but a year later Da’alnir was killed in battle.” He said with a stray tear in one of his eyes. He composed himself at that moment and continued on with his story.“Sha’aasha’s father begged him to come home, and so he did. This one started learning the ship to eventually take over for his father. This one eventually took over the Dromio years later when's father passed away.” Sha’aasha finished his story with an easy smile looking at Arkinn. “This one still has dreams to become a merchant someday, however.” He jokedArkinn chuckled before finishing the last of his soup and bread. He got up from the chair he had been sitting in and walked over to the row of windows that practically a panoramic view of the ocean. The sun was close to setting on the horizon with the oranges, pinks, and purples of the evening sky reflecting on the waters. If this had been another time this view alone would have convinced him to join the crew of the Dromio just to see it again. Sha’aasha stood beside him looking out onto the sea. “I was just thinking that if the situation was different I would probably ask to join your crew,” Arkinn admitted. “Sha’aasha would have hired you on, you are different from the men on my crew. You are smart where this one’s men can be dull. Eager where they drag their feet. You would have been a valuable member of this ship. This one will wonder what it would have been if you did stay.” The Captain said looking out onto the ocean. They stood they for a few moments before Arkinn decided that it was probably best for him to return to his compartment. They walked over and the Nord descended back down into the darkness of the small compartment. The hatch closed and Arkinn laid down on the cot still thinking about what his life would be like if Lady Mara hadn't given this quest. He would be back in Tilliana and Mathian’s hut on the floor playing with Gadriel. Tilliana would have just finished dinner and calling everyone to the table to eat. Gadriel would eventually be put to bed and the trio of adult would continue a conversation at dinner before Arkinn left for his own hut. He would lay there staring up at the ceiling until sleep over took him. While it sounded nice for Arkinn at the moment but the more he thought about it, the more alone he felt he would have been. There wouldn't be a person that would be his at the end of the day. He would come back to an empty hut.Arkinn finally pushed thoughts away, deciding that he was on this journey now and there was no going back. He let the gentle rocking of the boat send him off to sleep. —*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—Arkinn sat there massaging his shoulder. He had tried different healing spells to make the pain go away but none of them that he tried would work. So he sat there at the end of his cot massaging whatever phantom pain he had. It felt like he had been sitting there for hours as his candlelight charm would float around above him. He waiting for the time that Sha’aasha would open the hatch door and let him out for food and basic bodily functions. He was starting to get restless waiting in the silence save the sound of water lapping against the hull of the ship. Eventually, he heard the shuffling of a set of feet. Arkinn’s head darts up to where the latch was as he waited for it open and let light in.The latch opened as light poured into the compartment and Arkinn released the breath that he didn't know he had been holding. Sha’aasha motioned him to come up with a wave of his hand. “We got here a little earlier than we planned, tonight Sha’aasha will take you to the next ship on your journey. For now, there is a plate of food on my desk for you.”“Thank you Sha’aasha,” Arkinn replied as he passed him.True to his word there was a plate of a few different fruits and vegetables. It wasn't much but it was better than whatever he had been eating the past two days. Arkinn sat down in the chair with the plate in his hands. He grabbed one of the carrots and bit into it. A small moan escaped his lips as he chewed on the vegetable. Sha’aasha chuckled as he came into the room sitting down in the chair on the other side of the desk. “Sha’aasha figured you would appreciate something different than the soup you had been eating. My assumption must have been correct.” Arkinn laughed as he continued to chew on the carrot covering his mouth with his wrist. “How thoughtful of you.” Arkinn teased the Captain. Sha’aasha rolled his eyes as he picked up a book. He began to open it until he paused to look back up at Arkinn.“Most of the crew is on shore for the time we are docked here, for now, you will be able to stay in here until night fall. Which from the angle of the sun will be in a few hours.” “I will bring my stuff up after I finish eating,” Arkinn said as he finished eating a piece of apple he had been chewing. The Khajiit simply nodded his head once, not bothering to look up from his book. They sat there in a comfortable silence as Arkinn finished eating what was on his plate. As the hours went on, Arkinn had gone back into the compartment to get his pack and bow and quiver. Sha’aasha would occasionally go back out on the deck only to respond about fifteen minutes later. When he would return he would pick up his book and continue where he had left off. Arkinn sat in the chair with pack in front of him his quiver rested against the side of his chair while he held his bow in his lap. He spent a good hour cleaning the bow wanting to make sure that it would last. He found the arrows he had used already and resharpened them just to be sure they were in the best condition they could be in. His daggers were next to get inspected. Arkinn had found spots of dried blood and needed to be sharpened. He used the cloth he had out to wipe the blood off. After that, he began using the sharpening block on each of the blades. It didn't escape his attention has he noticed Sha’aasha had abandoned his book to watch Arkinn work. The sound of the block sliding over the edge of the blade became systematic until Arkinn would decide the edge was sharp enough and then move over to the other side. He did this for both of his blades until they were both resharpenedArkinn looked over his shoulder as he saw the sun almost completely disappear on the horizon. He figured he should probably change the clothes he had been in for the past three days. He pulled out a new shirt and new set of trousers before walking into the bathroom. A few minutes Arkinn had emerged from the bathroom. He was dressed in a simple tan tunic and a pair of brown trousers. The tunic was light and airy due to the neckline that came down to his sternum and a set of four loop holes in the middle. There was a thin cord of letter that was woven into an ‘x’ with the loop holes. It cut in at his sides accentuating Arkinn’s torso. His trousers were tight against his thighs and were tucked into his boots. He had taken a small cloak that was just big enough to cover his shoulders, face, and head out of his pack and put it on. He put it on and fixed it until it dropped off his shoulders and bunched up at the neck. He had thought about wearing his armor but he figured since he would be practically in a box he at least wanted to be comfortable. He packed the supplies he had out and strapped his daggers on him in their perspective places. Sha’aasha had put the chair that he had been sitting in back into the corner it had originally been placed. Now that it was nightfall, Arkinn assumed he would be leaving in at any moment. He grabbed his quiver and slung it over his head and letting it hang off of his back diagonally. Next, he grabbed his Pack shouldered it carefully not to get it caught on any of the arrows. Finally, he grabbed his bow and put one arm through and over his head letting it rest in the crook of his neck.“Are you ready to go Young One?” Sha’aasha asked from behind him. Arkinn drew the hood up over his head before turning around and nodding at the Captain. The two made their way out of the Captain’s quarters, over to the ramp and off the ship. The dock was practically a massive maze of cargo containers and crates. There were boxes that were stacked six high with each bow being at least five feet high. As good as Arkinn’s sense of direction was he was almost sure he might have gotten lost. Yet Sha’aasha cut right through the maze of cargo knowing exactly where to go. Their pace was fast and quiet as they ducked through the passages until they finally found another dock. Sha’aasha turned around so fast that Arkinn might have run into if he hadn't paid attention. The dock was rather secluded with a wall towering over them to their right. To their left a massive ship that blocked the view from peering eyes. A small rowboat was docked at the end of the pier where a tall figure paced back and forth on the dock. The shadow cast from the ship hid his face and, well just about all of him. “We are here, Young One. From here Nahad will take you to Soulrest.” Sha’aasha spoke quickly then took a step closer to Arkinn. “Sha’aasha wishes you safe travels, Young One, and hopes that you find your soulmate. You have given this one a great pleasure on his travels and wishes things could be different where you didn't have to go.” The confession had surprised Arkinn that the Khajiit would admit something like that.
The Captain leaned into Arkinn pressing a soft kiss on his cheek. The fur around his mouth tickled his skin. The warmth of the Khajiit spread across Arkinn’s face for the second he was there only to disappear as he pulled back away from him. “Now go and find your soulmate, Young One but, know you will always have place on Sha’aasha’s ship.” He spoke before nudging Arkinn towards the shadowy figure. The Nord took each step with trepidation growing. The wooden boards beneath him were worn and rounded at the edges from weathering of the ocean and time. Many were cracked allowing Arkinn to see down below into the waters. They were dark, almost black which must have been because of the shadows cast over them. He was sure he would have thought that there was nothing below if he hadn't been able to hear the gentle lapping of the water hitting the support posts that kept the dock up. Arkinn eventually stood in front of the dark figure. However, now that he was in front of the figure he could see his features a little more clearly. And from what he saw shocked Arkinn. The man towered over Arkinn standing at least a good foot taller than him. His beard was long and black with a single small golden band that kept it all together. His eyes were serious and intimidating with dark almost black irises. He was covered in several different colored robes that normally would have looked a little odd but Arkinn wasn't about to say anything. Finally, Arkinn noticed his skin. It was dark plan and simple. Dark as the night around them. Almost his entire body was covered in the robes except for his hands and face. He was a Redguard. A redguard in Soulrest?! That's new. Arkinn thought He didn't have much time to think about it before the giant of a man turned and lead him to the rowboat. Nahad stood next to the boat and motioned for Arkinn to get into the boat. Arkinn quickly settled himself into the rowboat with all of his gear equipped to him. Nahad lowered himself and stepped onto the rowboat. He sat down opposite of Arkinn and grabbed each of the oars.They moved in silence with only the oars dipping in and out of the water making noise. Arkinn feeling as if he needed to say something to captain began to open his mouth.“You will not speak while you are on my ship.” His accent was thick and deep. Arkinn closed his mouth and looked down at the planks of the small rowboat. They sat in silence for a few more minutes before coming to the side of what Arkinn assumed was Nahad’s ship. They found a rope ladder which the Redguard motioned for the Nord to climb.Arkinn did as he was told and eventually made it onto the ship with Nahad right behind him. He was officially on the second part of his journey; The Campion. The Campion wasn't as big as the Dromio but it was still decently sized with it still being laid out very similarly. Nahad grabbed his arm and quickly led him to a set of stairs in the center of the ship. The stairs led them down into the hull of the ship where the majority of cargo was stored. They walked to the back of the storage room where a cargo crate stat with the top of it slid open. It was a decently sized crate with fresh wood making up each side of the box.“This is where you will be for two days until we get to Bravil. From there this cargo container will be moved onto the next ship. Don’t make a sound while you’re on my ship. My crew is made up of good men who work hard and I will not let you jeopardize them by making noise. As far as they know this container has vials that will be used for potions. Am I clear?” Nahad commanded sternly.Arkinn nodded his head before climbing on a few of the other containers so he could get in. As soon as his head disappeared into the container Nahad dragged the lid over the opening and quickly hammered it shut. Darkness was becoming a common occurrence on this journey and Arkinn was trying his best to get used to it. He tried standing up in the small space and was just able to get up high enough to crouch. He pulled off his bow and rested it against one of the walls. Next he shrugged off his pack and quiver resting both of them next to his bow. He pulled down his hood and sat back down. He pulled out the amulet from under his tunic. The magic swirled around it and the small glowing image of his family looked back at him. Their smiling faces warmed Arkinn and he held a faint smile play across his face. He needed to keep going he could do this.With the amulet tucked safely under his tunic he repositioned his pack before laying down trying to get some sleep.—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—A breeze ghosted across Arkinn’s face waking him up. The sunlight flooded his vision has his eyelids opened. He raised himself up to a sitting position and looked around. He was back in the golden field where he had been before. He noticed that the wooden flooring of the crate was beneath him as he picked himself up. Arkinn walked around the field for a few minutes waiting for something to happen. He was just starting to get a little annoyed before a strong breeze rippled across the field. Arkinn turned around towards the direction of where the breeze had come from. There the goddess stood in the same white dress she had worn the last time Arkinn had seen the goddess. A soft golden glow surrounded her radiating warmth. Arkinn walked closer to the goddess before bowing to her in greeting.“My Lady it is a pleasure to be in your presence once more,” Arkinn stated formally as he remained bowed. “Hello, my child.” The goddess replied in a serene voice that calmed Arkinn. “You have done well so far. You are well on your way in your journey. But do not falter it will not be easy from here on out.”“What do you mean Lady Mara?” Arkinn looked up at the goddess in confusion.“Fate will test you as is it’s way it does everyone but you will be tested harder for you are my blessing.” “What tests are in store for me, My Lady?” “I am sorry my child I cannot tell you. In order for the test to be fair, I can tell you what they are.” The Goddess spoke as she rested her hand on his cheek. “I must tell you, my child, that my blessing will appear in different forms as you progress on your journey.”“Thank you, my Lady,” Arkinn whispered.“For now you need to rest as the next leg of your journey will be… interesting.” She smiled and placed a kiss on Arkinn’s temple before turning around and disappearing in a gust of wind as if she was made of dust.Arkinn walked back over to the wooden flooring, laid down and closed his eyes.—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*— He had only closed his eyes for a second and then he was back in the crate. There was a noticeable amount rocking of the boat that Arkinn had to guess was the waves of the seas. He cast a candlelight charm to inspect the crate. There was a small amount of hay that was spread out on the floor. Each of the walls was made of a sturdy wood that Arkinn didn't care to guess what it was. He reached over to his pack and began digging in looking for the book Sha’aasha let him keep. With the book in hand, Arkinn made himself comfortable and moved the candlelight closer to his body so it wouldn't cast more of glow than what was needed.Rereading the paragraphs now knowing what Sha’aasha had told him opened his eyes and made more sense now. He understood what the words meant and could imagine how it would look and feel. The actions of the moves were playing in his head each step mapping themselves out into Arkinn’s memory. Theories that were confusing before now made sense and gave him something to think about.Hours passed with Arkinn’s nose in the book with the little candlelight charm floating above him. When his eyes began to hurt he closed the book and put it back in his pack for safe keeping and rested his head against the side of his crate.Skyrim was all he could think about as he sat there. What would it feel like being back there? Had anything changed? News of Skyrim rarely ever reached Valenwood and when it did it was months old. The last thing that he had heard was the marriage of High King Torryg to Lady Elisif the Fair. That had been almost a year ago. The trees that took up most of southern Skyrim had always been his favorite and that surrounded Valenwood had always reminded him of what it was like to look up and see nothing but green with dots of blue and sun rays. The rocking ship lulled him to sleep with thoughts of tree putting a smile on his face. —*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—*— Farkas walked through the market in the plains district. He wasn't really interested in what he what they were selling he just needed to get out of Jorrvaskr for a little while.“For the last time, I am not interested in a courtship, much less one with you Mikael!” “Oh, you wound me, Carlotta. You know it is only a matter of time before you realize that we are meant to be.” Farkas looked over to the commotion that was happening. A blond Nord leaned over one the stalls looking adamantly at the woman behind it. He was scrawny compared to the companion with a pale skin and wiry muscle. The man’s face angular and just as pale as the rest of him. Eyes were sunken into his face that made his nose look larger than it actually was. His lips barely there as they were clenched at the face the woman was giving him.Farkas had to admit that the woman was beautiful. He could tell that she was an Imperial based on the high cheek bones that most Imperials seemed to have. Her brown hair was pulled back behind her to keep it out of her face. Shows dressed in a simple tunic with a red apron over. A belt was wrapped around her waist with a few pouches hanging off it. The features on her face were scrunched in disgust directed at the man that was loitering in front of her stall. “I would throw myself off a cliff before I even considered being with you in any capacity. Now leave Mikael.” Carlotta had both of her hands gripping the counter as she stared him down. “My sweet that would be a waste of a perfectly good body. And I will not leave until you have agreed to my courtship.”Carlotta reached under the counter and pulled out an iron dagger. In a swift motion, she stabbed it into the counter between Mikael’s fingers. He pulled his hand back and glared at the woman his expression turned sour.“Well every beast needs to be tamed before they are loyal, I suppose you are no different.” Mikael made a gesture that appalled Farkas.Deciding that he had heard enough of the interaction between the two, Farkas took a few steps until he was right behind the scrawny little man. He grabbed the back of his neck and lifted him up. Mikael let out a surprised yelp that wasn't dignified in any capacity.“You dare disrespect a lady like that? What kind of man are you to treat a woman with such arrogance?” Farkas growled into his ear. He felt his wolf pacing just behind his eyes giving Farkas a more dangerous tone to his words. “You will leave Carlotta alone, she has stated that she is not interested in a courtship with you. Now if I were you I would do my best to stay out her way before you end up at the wrong end of her blade.” He let go of the man and watched as he crumpled to the ground. Mikael scrambled to his feet and looked at who had picked him up. The fear poured into his eyes as he stumbled over his feet out of the market. Farkas took a moment to calm his wolf breathing in and out before turning to Carlotta. She walked out from behind her stall to watch Mikael running away. She chuckled and turned to face the large companion. “Thank you, Farkas, he has been pestering me for weeks now. He doesn't understand that nothing is going to come between me and my little girl, not even a man.” She said before turning back to her stall and pulling the dagger out of the counter.Farkas made his way out of the market district and walked out of the city walls. He didn't really have a set destination in mind he just walked. A breeze pushed against his back as he walked through the golden planes that surrounded Whiterun. Birds flew above him silently stretching their wings. The sounds of the river cascading down the side of the hill to his left made his wolf feel content being around nature and the wilderness. Eventually, he strolled into Riverwood. It was a small logging community just south of Whiterun that was nestled in between two of the mountains. The river flowed through the middle of the town that made it feel calming and serene. Farkas would often times come to Riverwood just to get away from everything and take a breath. Here he could smell the scents of what nature provided. He could walk into the Sleeping Giant order a mead and nobody would bother him. He’d sit by the fire and relax for the afternoon. Farkas often had thoughts of settling down here someday with a family, buy a house, and open up a shop. But as a Companion and a werewolf he didn’t know if it would be possible. What would happen if people found out? Or worse he killed someone? Farkas pushed those bad thoughts from his mind as he walked into The Sleeping Giant. The Inn Keeper poured him a drink and didn't say a word just as Farkas wanted. He grabbed his usual chair moving it closer to the fire. Each sip he took off his mead he sank lower into the chair gazing into the fire. His mind returned to the idea of living here. There was a cottage just across from the Sleeping Giant that backed up to the river and looked abandoned. It was smaller than the other houses in Riverwood with it only having one story but Farkas guessed that there was a lower level. A porch jutted out from the house with several old planters nestled into corners and on either side of the front door. An ivy plant was slowly taking over the house and would eventually need to be trimmed back. Farkas didn't want to get rid of it completely because it gave the small cottage a cozy feeling. From the outside, Farkas thought it was a great home. Ivy cottage, as he had started calling it, would some day be his he hoped. The sun was setting when he left The Sleeping Giant figuring he needed to return before nightfall. Farkas took one more glance at Ivy Cottage smiling as he did before making his way down the past back to Whiterun and his real life.