Sevria's Travels: Meeting the Lioness

• Posted by MarkusMasterThief July 13, 2015 - 1,122 views

  Sevria woke from her tormented sleep, to the sound of birds singing their morning song. Briefly she was absorbed by the natural beauty of the Rift, before reflecting back upon what she'd done and wiping the tears from her face. She hadn't just stolen something and framed an innocent man for the crime... she'd broken that man to the foundation, and nobody knew the truth except for her and that miserable thief Brynjolf. But despite this, she still looked around for any sign of a guard coming to arrest her; even though she'd been discreet and wasn't caught in the act, guilt caused her to wonder if, somehow, the authorities had discovered the truth. Perhaps if Brynjolf had been frustrated by her refusal to accept his generous reward, he might have set the guards out to find her? Or maybe Vulwulf himself pointed her out to the prison guards somehow? Yet there was no sign that anybody was coming to arrest her... and so she could only conclude that she was still safe. She could still walk away as a free girl...

  She rose to her feet and started thinking to herself... should she leave Riften behind or, even harder to even consider, just tell the guards the truth? They would undoubtedly lock her up for it, but... she had to atone for her crime somehow. She had to do something to ease the pain and set things right; just walking away without atoning for her crime would break her even further. She took a deep breath and looked back at the city walls... and she could already imagine shackles around her wrists and ankles. The looks of shock and dismay on the faces of the local residents. How long would she be locked away if she told them? Would they execute her, just as the guards of Windhelm had tried to? Or would they be fair? Was she ready to face the consequences of her actions? ... ... Yes. Yes she was. In Windhelm it'd been a misunderstanding, but this time she really had done wrong. And though she was deeply afraid of the ramifications of her actions, she knew she had to face them... like a woman. And so she took another deep breath, before stepping toward the guard at the gate to confess the truth.

  "Excuse me..." She said.

  "Yes?" The guard replied, "What can I help you with?"

  "Last night... do you know what happened?"

  "Vulwulf? 'Course I know. Bastard got 'imself in a bad place, he did."

  Sevria shook her head. "No, sir... it was no fault of his."

  "What do you mean?"

  Sevria could feel her body starting to shake, and her heart pounding hard in her chest. Her guilt was immense, but her shame at the thought of running away proved even stronger. She maintained herself and, taking another deep breath, confessed to her crime.

  "I mean it wasn't him that stole the ring from Nivenor, sir... I confess. It was me. That man Brynjolf talked me into committing a heinous crime and I--"

  "What's it even matter?"

  This mildly irritated response caught Sevria off guard. "... What?"

  "It's old news, elf. Water under the bridge now. Snow-Shod'll be out and about in a week, free to live his life... so long as he abides by the Black-Briars' will."

  "But his daughter's ring--"

  "That's Nivenor's ring. Bought it fair and square, right here in Riften. Ain't no proof it ever came from Vulwulf's family."

  "He recognized it! You know that, yet you aren't doing anything about it! You're a guard! Don't you care at all for the law??"

  "I care plenty for the law... Maven Black-Briar's law, that is. You got a problem, you take it up with her. But I wouldn't count on getting Vulwulf that ring he wants; Maven's happy with things the way they are, and her mind ain't changing."

  "... So that dispute Brynjolf mentioned... it was between him and Maven?"

  "Hey now." The guard's expression became stern. "Don't go poking your nose where it doesn't belong. You wanna abide by the law? Go to Solitude. This ain't a city for the good and fair... only for the rich. Now get lost, squaw, before Maven decides to put a ring in your pocket."

  Sevria backed away with a dumbfounded expression on her face; despite her efforts, she'd ultimately failed to right the wrongs she'd committed. For it seemed that, if the fool guard was to be believed, the city itself was at the root of the problem she'd been dragged into. Even Brynjolf, in hindsight, was likely not much more than a pawn in whatever game Maven was playing with her people... could she feel sorry for him now? No, she reasoned, she could not; any more than she could feel sorry for herself after what she'd done.

  She turned and walked away from the gate, heading toward the surrounding forest. She walked for about half a mile and then overlooked the wilderness beyond; seeing the orange leaves and dark trees of the Rift reminded her of autumn-time in Valenwood. She always thought that her homeland was at its most beautiful during that time of year, when the trees would die and their leaves would float gently to the ground and the air would become crisp and cool... there was something strangely moving about it. She closed her eyes and recalled her memories of autumn, in an attempt to move on from the shame of yesterday; she remembered the smell of the air, so sweet to her nose... the air, cool and refreshing against her skin... her footsteps in the brush, snapping twigs and crunching leaves... her footsteps... wait...

  Those weren't her footsteps she was hearing.

  "You." A Nord woman spoke from behind her, "You put the ring in Vulwulf's pocket?"

  Sevria turned around to find a woman slightly taller than herself, clad in mighty iron armor with a longsword strapped to her back; her white-skinned face was painted with a streak of blue going down one side, and semi-long blonde hair fell down the back of her head.

  "Y-yes..." Sevria admitted, nodding nervously. "I hate myself for it... I'm so sorry... I tried telling the guard and--"

  "What were you thinking??" The Nord drew out her sword and pointed it at Sevria's throat. "Doing the work of the Thieves Guild for them... framing an innocent man who'd done no wrong... and for what, huh? Money?! Jewels?!"

  "No! No! Please, don't hurt me -- I thought that if Brynjolf had been so kind to me--"

  "Oh, so it was a favor for Brynjolf? That disgusting con artist?! How much did he pay you for this?!"

  "Nothing! I refused his money, I didn't want it!"

  "You... wait." She lowered her sword, though she still looked ready to cut Sevria's head off if she wanted to. "You... didn't want his money?"

  "No I didn't! How could I accept such a petty thing after what I'd done?"

  The Nord woman was visibly confused... but Sevria could see hints of mercy in her eyes.

  "So let me get this straight: you were beguiled by his charms and got duped into framing Vulwulf? Is that it?"

  Sevria nodded shamefully. "I feel so sick... I tried telling that guard at the gate about what'd really happened, but he didn't care. All I want is to atone for what I've done... maybe set Vulwulf free and let me be punished in his stead..."

  The Nord woman put her sword away and shook her head. "I should have known; you're still young. I can see it clear as day. Still got lots of growing up to do... no wonder Brynjolf talked you into doing the job. The guile of men must be a new thing to you. Am I right?"

  Sevria looked down in embarrassment. "... Yes..." She uttered meekly, "And this is not the first time either. I feel like such a fool."

  "Ah, I remember when I was just like you. Long time ago, that was..."

  "Youth is no excuse for poor choices."

  "Hey, if it makes you feel better? I had to learn the hard way too." The woman extended her hand. "Name is Mjoll... sorry for the scare."

  "Sevria." She said, shaking Mjoll's hand. "And... not nearly as sorry as I am."

  "Y'know, I saw you confess to the guard; that's what brought me to you in the first place. I wasn't sure what to make of you after what you said... but you're not who I thought you were. I can see it in your eyes. You're too pure to be just another greedy thief. In fact, I'd be floored if you ever decided to try it again."

  "I will never try it again. Ever. The shame is too great..."

  "Hey, tell you what; how about we walk for a bit? Might just clear your head."

  Sevria nodded. "Thank you... that sounds like it would help."

  The two started walking down the paved road leading away from Riften, before diverting into the forest and invariably losing their way. Weary from walking, the two agreed to sit down beneath a nearby tree to catch their breath. As they rested, Sevria noticed Mjoll groaning a bit and gripping her upper left arm. Had she been wounded?

  "What's the matter?" She asked.

  "Hm? What do you mean?" Mjoll responded.

  "Your arm. Are you hurt?"

  "Oh... well I was, couple weeks back. Still healing the bruises."

  "Bruises? What happened? Who made them?"

  "I don't know his name... maybe I'll never know. It was a Bosmer in the woods... never seen anything quite like him before."

  "What did he look like?"

  "I don't remember too much... everything went so fast, it's like a blur. Let me think... I remember seeing a lot of green. I think it was his armor. I don't remember a lot about his face, but it was painted black and red. And those eyes he had... they were like the eyes of Dagon himself."

  Sevria's face grew pale. "Marudil...?"

  "Wait, wait, you know him?"

  "Sort of... it's... a long story. I don't know where he is now."

  "Well wherever he is, I hope he's good and dead. Damn elf almost killed me."

  "He what? How? Why?"

  Mjoll recalled what had happened, to the best of her memory. "It was a hunting trip. I'd bagged myself a large buck and was heading on back to Riften, when..."

  "When?"

  "A pair of Thalmor justiciars passed me by. And not ten seconds after they'd turned a corner, I heard one of them cry out 'murder'. Now let me get something straight here: I ain't no fan of the Thalmor, but I knew something was up. So I turned the corner... just in time to see him -- your 'Marudil' -- tear that justiciar's head off. With his bare hands. His bare hands!" Mjoll emphasized her shock at the sight, "I never knew wood elves were even capable of something so... barbaric! I barely caught a glimpse of the other one, which I guess he killed first. Think I saw his ribs, though..."

  Sevria gulped. "And... he saw you next?"

  "He did. Must've thought I'd turn him in or something; he had this crazed look in his eyes when he looked at me. It was like staring down a rabid bear, you know? Now I'm no stranger to fighting, but those eyes... something prompted me to run away from 'em. So I did. But he chased right after me, and before I knew it I felt an axe dig into the back of my armor. If it had gone any deeper I might've been paralyzed. Can't remember what happened next, apart from feeling scared for my life. It was all just a vicious struggle to survive, and I remember sending him falling down a ridge... but I didn't bother staying long enough to make sure he'd died at the bottom. I stumbled my way through the city gates and locked myself in my home, before pulling the axe out from my armor... took a lot of effort to do it, too. Feckin' thing was stuck deep."

  "I'm so sorry..."

  Mjoll shrugged. "No worries. If you were anything like him, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. You're a good girl, Sevria. I'm glad we met."

  "I too. Truthfully, I worry for Marudil... his soul is consumed by grief and anger, that he chooses to face with bloodshed and murder... it will only destroy him in the end." The two remained silent for several minutes before Sevria rose to her feet, seeming to notice something.

  "What's caught your eye?" Mjoll asked.

  "Do you see that?" Sevria pointed far into the distance, walking curiously towards it. "That white marble structure out there. With the stone at the center. Looks like an ancient Nord altar of some--"

  Without warning, Sevria fell through an unseen hole in the ground. Mjoll immediately darted after her, reaching into the hole in the hopes that she could rescue her new friend. But she failed to grab her wrist in time, and could only lay there helplessly as she heard Sevria screaming all the way down the pit...