No One Cares

It's Morndas, 18th of last seed and I have just entered Riften...

I rush up to the first guards I see... "Hail! I have to report a crime!" I shout at them as they look at me lazily and uninterested.

"The Jarl will want to hear about this then!" One of them says and sniggers at me.

So I run up the stairs behind me, forgetting that this building is actually the temple of Mara. Well since I'm here, I receive a blessing and speak to a priestess, Dinya Balu who tells me that to receive Mara's full powers that I should go Ivarstead and do something or other, I'm not really listening.

I take my leave of the temple and enter Mistvale Keep. Finally, the Jarl may be able to do something to help!

I speak to Jarl Laila Law-Giver... "I need to report a crime!! Some men came in the night, took my father, left my home in ruins and did unspeakable things to me throughout the night!" I redden with embarrassment but keep my head up to look at the Jarl.

"This is the local Cook, my liege. You savoured her honeyed treats ere last Second Seed." The woman next to her said, I think she is the Jarl's steward.

"Oh, yes. Your father was Grenulf the odd-jobsman. So he is missing is he? I will be sure to send a contingent of guards to your house to investigate. Now take your leave, good day."

I stand there in shock for a moment, being dismissed by the Jarl. What am I supposed to do now? I think as I stand there open mouthed.

Anuriel, the steward gestures me over towards her and hints to me that there may be corruption in the keep, maybe this is why the Jarl seems so uninterested with my story. I ask about the thieves guild, since they could be behind my father's disappearance. Although, I never heard a story of a person being stolen...
Anuriel just says that someone is already on the case of catching the thieves and doesn't really tell me anything of value.

 I walk out of the keep in a daze, feeling as dreary as this view of Riften. I wander along worrying about what to do, thousands of questions running through my mind when I am stopped by a gentleman. His name is Brynjolf and he says that I look poor, well thanks, I think as he sizes me up. He offers me some work stealing something or other, but I am in no mood to take on work, let alone stealing!! So I walk off from him towards the Bee and the Barb Inn.

As soon as I walk in there is a crazy man shouting about Dragons in the middle of the room! There are some strange people in Skyrim! I speak to a woman called Keerava who tells me about a shrine of Azura, but I'm not really interested.

By this point I realise that I am ravenously hungry, so I go to the bar and buy an apple pie, a single apple and some salt for cooking.

I take a seat near the fire, it's chilly in these ragged robes! And eat the whole apple pie! I told you I was hungry!! I wash it all down with the bottle of Black Briar Mead that was in the pack. I then proceed to buy a room for the night because I have no-where else to go. I am left with 287 Gold.

This is my room for the night

I quickly make my way to my room for the night and settle down on the raw hide and cry myself to sleep, thinking about how my life ended up like this.

Rush to Riften

Morndas 18th of last seed 4E 201

After soaking in the river a while, I sat on the bank wearing the ragged robes yet again and ate the half a bread loaf that was in the emergency package. I want to save the big loaf for later, as I might start getting hungry with no home to cook in and only 313 Gold to my name.

Well, after my ordeal last night I had no reason to believe that what happened to me was an isolated incident,   so I thought I better check out the other nearby residences to see how they were and ask for information. Just as I stand up and get ready to be on my way I hear a squeal behind me...

...It's a Skeever. These disgusting vermin riddle the forests around here and are known to be quite bold when hungry. He must have been hungry as he jumped right at me! I fumbled for a second with the pack but managed to place my hands upon the twin daggers and slashed at the vile creature until it stopped moving. 

I had killed creatures before, it's something that comes from living in the forest, but never had I felt a bloodlust take over me while I hacked away. Taking my anger out on the vermin satisfied me momentarily, but I felt a little sick with myself for having such feelings and hastily put away the daggers. I cut off the thing's tail as I know it is used in some herbal remedies, and took it with me.

I continued on my way, and eventually reached Heartwood Mill. I know that Liefnar and Grosta live here with their son, and it's quite close to our house so maybe they know something?

"Gralnach!" I shout at the boy. "Where are your mother and father? Are they alright? Were you attacked?" I do seem a bit hysterical here, but can you blame me after what I've been through?

"Er, hello Freya, you haven't been on the mead again have you?" The cheeky little brat says to me.

"What? Oh that was one time!" I shout, remembering the time when I had drunk two bottles of my father's mead and drunkenly stumbled over to the mill raving about apple pie...

"Mom's inside if you wanted to see her, you haven't got any apple pie have you?" He grins at me and then runs off, narrowly missing my backhand slap aimed right at his head. Never in my eighteen years have I met anyone as cheeky as that boy! Well, nothing seems amiss around here, so I calm down a bit and enter their house as I have done a hundred times before...

"Oh! I didn't expect you Freya, how are you?" Grosta asks me looking a little flustered.

"I'm not well actually, last night some men came and took father away and attacked me, leaving our house in ruins! Can you believe it?" I pour my heart out to Grosta, and her expression hardens which is odd as I thought she would be sympathetic towards me.

"Hmmm, that is strange, you seem alright now." She pulls me aside, "Don't tell Gralnach but Liefnar has gone missing too!" I gasp in shock, he must have been taken too! "We weren't attacked or anything, he just left two days ago and never came back, good riddance I say!" She grinned at me but I wasn't in a jocular mood.

"You're telling me that your husband has gone missing and you don't care to find him? What have you told Gralnach?" I exasperate at the woman.

"I have told him nothing, that man is better off lost I'm telling you! Now don't say a word to Gralnach." With that she ushers us outside and I am left speechless for a moment.

Not only does Grosta not care that I have been attacked and my father taken, but she spares no sympathy for her estranged husband either! It looks like it's up to me to investigate what has been going on here, and only yesterday I was a simple cook, baking goods for my family and this community. The people of which it seems I never truly knew that well after all.

I inform Grosta that I intend to find out what happened here and possibly find her husband too along the way. She looks shocked that I spoke out loud about her husband when she had just asked me not to in front of her son. Well, it serves her right for being so self centred and not caring about me or even her husband's well-being.  I think as I stalk off.

"Mom, what did she just say about dad?" I hear from Gralnach.

"Thanks, Freya!" Grosta shouts sarcastically as I walk away.

That was a strange encounter alright, I think as I am walking in the direction of Riften. Grosta is usually one of the friendliest people around here, I wonder what's got into her? I am pondering this as I hear wolf calls from all around me!

One second my heart starts hammering in my chest with fear, the next, the fear has changed into anticipation and as the wolf pack charges me I lose control of my senses and come back to myself with the bodies of three wolves at my feet. My heart slows down as the threat is over, silently wondering where all this hatred came from that is now seething within me. Of course, last night...

I take my time and skin each of the corpses as I was taught to do as a child, willing myself not to think about what happened to me last night and the hateful feelings that are building inside of me. When that is done, I carefully wrap the skins and take them with me to sell, I continue onwards and spy the Goldenglow Estate from my side of the river.

I decide it's probably a better bet to head towards Merryfair Farm as I get on better with the Llanith family. They supply the food that I cook, my father had a deal with them that anything they grew that was surplus to their order's from Riften they would pass on to me. I would then cook up the food and take it around to the people who lived nearby. I wouldn't make much money from this but people always wanted to give me a little something for my treats, because my food just tasted too good, apparently.

My father used to do a bit of everything really, he was a hunter, sometimes cook, builder, and took care of any odd jobs that needed doing around the lumber mill or in town. I mostly keep to myself and help out around the house, or do chores but I guess that life is over now...

I run the rest of the way Merryfair as I can see some guards patrolling the grounds. I run straight to the first Rift Guard I see...

"Thank Mara I have found you! I have been attacked! I need help..." I am cut short by the guard's reply.

"Sorry miss, but we are investigating a theft and you will need to take it up with the Riften Guards in town." He says dismissively and strolls off! I can't believe it, again, no one seems to care about what happened to me! This is ridiculous! I am fuming by now but I calm myself, since being angry will solve nothing.

I ask Synda what has been stolen, as it might have a connection to the people who took my father but all she says is:

"It's only a stupid bow! I don't see why he's so upset!" and gets back to work tending the field.

Dravin is more forthcoming with information and tells me that some one came in the night and stole his favourite bow, a family heirloom. I tell him my story and he wonders if it was the same people? I wonder the same but realise that I am the only person willing to do something about these incidents as he also goes back to his precious field after telling me that the thieves are probably at the Ratway. 

If only I could go back to my life so easily... 

I agree to investigate who took his bow as it may lead me to the same men that I am after and resolve to make my way to Riften.

It doesn't take too much longer to arrive at Riften, when I am stopped by the guard.

"Halt, before you enter the city you must pay the visitor's tax." He states. Visitor's tax? What new rule is this? I have been here many times and never had to pay a tax to enter! This is an outrage!

"Visitor's tax? What kind of a scam is this? I am here to report a crime!" I shout righteously. I don't think I have ever been this outspoken! "I don't have time for this!"

"...Ok, ok, you can enter, calm down! I'll open the gates!" The guard slinks away to open the gates, well being angry paid off this time it seems!

I enter through the gates of Riften and ponder my next move.

Unspeakable Things

Morndas 18th of last seed 4E 201

My name is Freya Cook,

I awoke suddenly, to a seething mist of red surrounding me and my family home.

Well, what is left of it anyway...

I know that this particular colouring was just the dawning sun spreading her first rays of light upon the world, but to me it felt like a blood red reminder of what had happened the night before.

I shuddered as I stood up from where I had been cast aside and left unconscious last night. The only thing I had on my person were the ragged robes I had been sleeping in before the men came...

...It all happened so fast, it's hard to recall what actually occurred...

...I lived in this house with my father, Grenulf all of my life. I was trained in the arts of cooking by my mother while I was still a child. She sadly passed away three years ago from a disease that we never saw coming. I took on her role as cook for the local community, and me and my father lived a modest but content life just outside of Riften. Until last night...

...I had already gotten ready for bed and was lying down on the bedroll in front of the fire, waiting for father to come back from town with supplies, when I heard a commotion outside. I quickly moved to the window to see what was happening and through the darkness, I saw three men bring my father to his knees.

I gasped in shock and quickly stifled my noise with my hand, but it was too late, one of the men had heard me. Why were men beating my father? And what would they do to me when they found me? I soon found out...

The man had entered my home sword first, "Oh it's just a wench, no need to worry." He called to his comrades as I crouched in fear in the corner of the room. His face was covered, so I could not see who my assailant was and he wore armour of a kind I had never seen before. Wild thoughts were flashing through my mind, should I run? Scream for help? Plead with the man?

He sheathed his sword and came towards me, I cringed away from him and I heard him snicker. I have never been so terrified in my life, why was this happening to me? Another man entered from outside and I covered my head with my arms in abject horror of what was about to happen...

...Unspeakable things were done to me that night, things I could never have even dreamed up in my worst nightmares. For some reason, the men spared my life after having their way with me, I almost wished they had cut my throat...

...But here I stand, my home has been ransacked, tainted, all of my possessions are gone. I have only these ragged robes to wear and no idea why my world has been ripped apart in a single night.

I stand looking at my ruined home for an indeterminable length of time and suddenly remember the hidden stash of items that my father kept outside of the house in case of emergencies. The best thing to do now, I surmise, is to do something other than wallow in my humiliation and fear.

I tentatively reach under the decking for the bundle, please be here, don't let them have found it! I think as I am searching. Then my fingers brush the rough fabric of the bundle and I sigh in relief as I retrieve it from the hiding place.

Inside are four Cabbages, a bottle of Blackbriar Mead, one and a half loaves of bread, footwraps, a sheath of Iron Arrows, two Iron Daggers, a Longbow, three raw rabbit legs, a roughspun tunic and 313 Gold. Well, it's more than what I started with and the weapons will definitely come in handy.

The place where I have lived all my life has been tainted and ruined for me, beyond the obvious physical damage, the mental damage also runs deep. My memories are the only thing that keep me from retching as I search the perimeter for any sign of the men who have taken my father.

I find a discarded suit of studded armour which is covered in blood spatters and dirt and while it's hardly a clue, I take it with me just in case it could help me find those men. I suddenly realise that I have already made up my mind about what to do...

...I need to find my father.

But first, I need to cleanse myself, body and mind...

...I slowly make my way to the river. My arms and legs feel bruised and sore, so it takes a while.

But I finally get to the water's edge. I strip off the rags and soak myself in the clear, cool water. This is the place where I have bathed every morning, for all of my life and the water sooths my aching body and refreshes my mind. I scrub the dirt from my skin and try to block out the images from last night, when I realise that my home might not have been the only one attacked!