FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Part I: Welcome to Skyrim

The first thing I felt when I woke up, face down in the snow, was the splitting headache. It was worse than the time I got drunk and picked a fight with an orc twice my size. That was a fun night. Especially when we reconciled our differences afterward.

But this time hadn't come from a fun night of drinking and brawling. No waking up to a muscular, green-skinned arm thrown over my side while laying on a sagging bed. No, this time it was a bed of snow with a biting wind that cared little for personal boundaries.

It all came back to me as I sat up. Me and some "friends" were on our way to Winterhold to set up a business. "It's a dead-end," they told us. "You won't make any coin out there. Winterhold is dead. Everyone's either left already or leaving."

But that didn't stop us. No, that stubborn Redguard had a taste for coin that put even the most money-grubbing merchant to shame. Even now, the conversation that led to our expedition played out in my mind:

He said, "The College of Winterhold is funding expeditions into Saarthal. Whatever they find is going to set them up for life."

I said, "Yeah, and?"

"And, they're going to need supplies, tools, and people to spread the word for them. Think about it: all of Tamriel will take notice. Everyone involved, all the way down to the poor bastard who dug the toilets will be famous."

"Yeah, okay. So why do you need me?"

"Because you're my friend. Aaand you're a lot better at fighting than I am. I'm not stupid. There's bandits and worse on the roads. I need someone reliable I can count on. Someone who won't stab me in the back once it's convenient."

He wasn't wrong. What remained of him being picked apart by wolves proved that.

Of all the things I encountered, I couldn't believe wolves had gotten the better of me. They startled my horse and knocked me down. After that, everything was a blur.

Being unconscious likely saved my life. Judging from the dead wolves and the arrows sticking from the snow like little grave markers, bandits came to pick through the refuse. Worse than crows, the lot of them. They took most of my clothes, my weapons, and everything else that wasn't nailed down or soaked in blood.

No weapons, no food, and the sun was setting, taking the temperature with it. Great start.

If I remembered right, Winterhold wasn't far. I had to get there, or I wouldn't last the night.

****

The cold reception from nords was nothing new. Ever since coming into Skyrim, I've been called every insult under the sun and even a few new ones. It would bother me except as a professional thief, I was used to it. The only upside was I didn't have a bounty in Skyrim so I didn't have to worry about hiding my face. Which helped because I didn't have the means to cover it anyway.

But the guards of Winterhold were even colder than usual, and it wasn't the weather. They stared and a few warned me to stay out of trouble, but I was left alone. It might have had something to do with my markings. Thanks to the cold I glowed like a damn torchbug. And thanks to a certain group of bandits, I had little clothing to cover it with. It didn't help nords distrusted magic, so they had even more reason to be suspicious of me. But it seemed they didn't want to pick a fight with something that could be a walking magic bomb.

That was fine with me. But I would have welcomed being arrested since I had no coin for an inn. Worst-case scenario, I would need to pick a fight and hope I get thrown in jail for the night. At least then I'll sleep in a bed and have a roof over my head.

A guard approached me. He had a young face turned bright red from the cold winds.

He said, "Hey, miss, are you all right?"

I said, "Do I look all right?"

"Good point. Bandits, right? They're real bold in these parts because there's so many places to hide and the cold weather makes it hard to track them down. You're lucky. They usually leave no survivors."

"Lucky me. Look, it's cold and I have no time for games. I need a place to sleep for the night, so how about you make up a bogus excuse about me causing trouble and I spend the night in a cell?"

"Trust me, you don't want to spend the night in a Winterhold cell. But I can do you one better. Follow me."

I followed. He was nicer than most guards I met, but I was no fool. It wouldn't be the first time a guard pretended to be nice to lead me somewhere private. This one was true to his word, it seemed, and led me to the local in as he promised. The sign reading, The Frozen Hearth, swung lazily in the cold breeze. Cute. So long as the hearth wasn't really frozen, I wouldn't complain.

I almost groaned in pleasure as the heat washed over me when we stepped inside. I didn't care if I slept on the floor. I wasn't going back outside until the sun up.

My relief was short-lived as some nord, reeking of ale, bumped into me.

He said, "Hey, watch where you're going!"

A nord woman shouted, "Ranmir! If you want to be miserable, that's your business, but leave my customers alone!"

Honestly, that drunk was the friendliest reception I got since I showed up--not including the guard anyway. I shrugged and followed the guard to the counter. Another nord wiped off the countertop, wearing a worrying look on his face.

It was then I noticed how spotless this place was. And empty. Other than an altmer sitting in the corner, there was no one else here.

The guard waved as he walked up to the counter.

He said, "Hey, Dagur, I found this lass freezing in the snow. She needs a place to stay for the night."

Dagur said, "A stray, huh? Welcome, friend! We don't have much, but we can provide a full belly and a warm bed. Haran, get our guest here a bowl of stew."

I said, "Thanks for the help, but I should tell you, I can't pay--"

Dagur said, "Don't worry about it, friend. Everyone here has fallen on hard times, but we should always help one another. As for payment, you can help in other ways."

I was skeptical about what "other ways" meant, but I wasn't in a position to complain. Not unless I wanted to sleep in the stables tonight. Seeing how I didn't even see a stable, I was staying here.

---

This is a non-profit fanfiction. The Elder Scrolls and Skyrim are registered trademarks of ZeniMax Media Inc.