Lydia stood under Gildergreen, it's empty branches casting late morning shadows into the plaza. The naked tree was a sacred symbol of the goddess Kynareth and along with the nearby statue of Talos, represented the heart of Whiterun and its people. A fortunate few enjoyed their leisure under it's branches while the main part of humanity walked through on their way to some task or other. A guard kept watch while a Priest of Talos stood under the idol, shouting his message to anyone who would listen. Standing between the two symbols, Lydia was cursing her luck, less than pleased by her new appointment by Jarl Balgruuf.
As one of the Jarl's house warriors, Lydia had fully expected to be made a housecarl at some point. She had always assumed that it would be to some great Nord adventurer. Someone fun and bold, and with a wicked grin. Someone who might drink her under the table while telling great stories. Someone, who knew at the least how to brandish a sword. Instead, she found herself coolly eyeing a diminutive Breton girl wearing an obviously stolen mage's habit, with an angry look on her face. This was not, how she had imagined it would be.
As an orphan child, one of thousands created by the Great War, Lydia survived by scavenging the battlefields, picking apart dead bodies for anything useful. She had learned to stay away from adults and their strange passions and had learned to hate the outsiders for killing her parents. That was the way of things until the day she had been found by Irileth. Looking for survivors after a battle, the Dunmer warrior saw the young one standing among the dead, covered in filth and rags yet looking for all the world like she owned the place. Then as now, Irileth stood by Balgruuf's side, protecting him from any and all threats to his life. Lydia saw this and, was in awe of Irileth's selfless devotion and the unbreakable bond that the Nord and Dunmer seemed to share. Once Balgruuf ascended to the Jarlship, Irileth had forced him to give her the position of his housecarl. It was an enviable marriage of two warriors and something the Nord orphan had looked up too since being taken under Irileth's wings.
Having returned from a mission in Riften, Lydia found her adoptive sister in her quarters being treated for her most recent injuries. A dragon, once thought extinct, had appeared near the western watchtower, threatening the Jarl's Hold and killling his men. If the Dunmer was to be believed, the Breton girl had been instrumental in the battle to kill the immense beast. As a result, the Jarl had made the young woman, Thane of Whiterun and had appointed none other than Lydia as her housecarl.
Never one for sentimentality, Irileth simply ordered Lydia to wait by the Great Hall's entrance, to meet the Breton girl after she had been granted the boon. The new housecarl, expecting great things, approached and greeted her new Thane. The young woman listened to her introduction then replied, "Yes, well, I appreciate the generosity, but I think I'm done fulfilling the Jarl's 'requests'. Please tell him thank you. If you will excuse me..." She stood rooted by the unexpected response while her Thane walked out of the Cloud District. The warrior ran after her as anger began to surface over their first meeting and the girl's less than cordial attitude.
Catching up to Nephili by the Gildergreen, Lydia held herself in check and spoke, "Perhaps you do not understand. A one such as yourself can only accept the Jarl's generous gift. Any Nord would be greatly honored to be appointed Thane and even more, given a housecarl."
Clearly angry at something, the Breton was not put off by Lydia's insistence. "Well, that may be the case, but I'm not a Nord. I didn't ask to be named a Thane or request to be given a housecarl. I'm just someone who wants to be left alone."
Nephili stopped to take a deep breath. Feeling perhaps that her words were too heated, she continued with less passion. "Look, I'm sure your a very nice person but in no way am I deserving of your services. Please tell the Jarl that I can't accept his gift. I'm just here to learn magic with the fervent hope that the world will stop imposing its will on me."
Lydia watched Nephili walk away, now completely non-plussed by their first meeting. How could the young woman not understand the grave insult of rebuffing the Jarl's gift? She ran past the Breton to stand before her again. "I don't know what your problem is, but as my Thane, I am honor bound to ensure your safety. Though your not a Nord... that your not a nord, should not stop you from... understanding the importance of the title you've received. I won't allow you to speak ill of such an honorable privilege. Jarl's do not hand out such things on a whim. Surely there lies in you a warrior spirit as it lies in each of us."
Nephili's color rose as she stood in front of the much taller and imposing Nord woman. With nails biting into her palms she spoke. "Look you! Since I've come to Skyrim, I've been attacked by the native beasts, attacked by the Imperials, attacked by Stormcloaks, attacked by dragons, brained, stripped of my clothes, chained, nearly executed and burned alive, and ordered about to complete one task or another by any number of warriors and high born!"
"I've managed to escape one dragon attack only to be ordered into a tomb filled with, with, with undead things! After returning from that little 'errand', I was 'asked' to join a dragon hunt because Iiii was the only one that had experience dealing with them!"
"Experience? Dealing with them?"
"I!.. BARELY!.. SURVIVED!.."
"And now I find myself in front of yet another of Skyrim's 'warriors' telling me what I must or must not do. How about this? I don't care what you think! If defying you means that I need to die, yet again, than kill me! No one else in this land seems to have a problem putting me in harms way or seeing me dead!"
Lydia stood in the middle of the plaza about to lose her composure. How in Talos' name did she help kill a dragon?! How was she able to receive the Jarl's boon? Gods! This, this coward!
Gathering what little shred of composure was left within, Lydia responded, each word bitten off one by one. "Well then, my... Thane, why, did you not refuse the Jarl's requests? Surely he would have understood."
"Understood? You make it sound like I had a choice! No choice! Not one! Not a one allowed me a voice since I left Cyrodiil. In every case, my life and well-being hung in the balance. If I walked somewhere, someone found reason to kill me! If I so much as spoke, someone found reason to enslave me! If I resisted, someone found reason to attack me!"
Unable to lock eyes with the Nord now, Nephili looked for a moment at the ground. "Attack... others... "
"I... knew nothing of Skyrim when I came here but since then, I've learned this place is like the playground of... of a mad god!"
No choice? Do you walk around letting the winds tilt your destiny?! My home? The playground of a daedric prince?! This, is why I hate outsiders! They lack strength of character!
Under other circumstances, Lydia would have been honor bound to challenge this Breton and kill her on the spot. Off to the side, the Priest of Talos was still speaking to any who would listen.
"Aye, love. Love! Even as man, great Talos cherished us. For he saw in us, in each of us, the future of Skyrim! The future of Tamriel!"
The Gods! Talos guide me but I want to stab your priest! How can any Divine see the future of Skyrim in this Breton!
Nephili, having regained most of her composure, looked up at the Nord. "Look, you can do whatever you want. I won't tell you to do anything. You have your own voice and I'll... I'll be the last one to take that away from another. I hope you find something worth protecting, but I am not that one."
Lydia watched the young woman walk away unable to respond, so insanely angry she had become. She looked up at Gildergreen and took deep breaths, as many as she needed to regain just a measure of calm.
This, is the worst possible outcome! I've just been ordered by my Jarl to give my life to protect a worthless, honorless outsider!
With all her strength, Lydia walked after her Thane.
* * * *
Comments
Guess everyone's busy. In starting this new arc, I thought I had lost the few readers I had, wondering if I had taken a bad turn. I did have a little trouble trying to mush through this part. Whole sections were written and discarded.
More to come.