AN: As the description says, this is a rewrite of an old fanfiction I made when I was 13 on a now abandoned account. Some things may change as chapters progress. This new version aims to adjust the faults of the old fic, mainly in terms of pacing and lore contradictions. Aside from that, everything should be the same. I hope you enjoy this new version!
Snow drifted from the sky and onto the ground as a dark hooded figure darted through the powder. He stopped once he spotted the great walls of the Stormcloak city. A freezing gust of wind blew against him, making him wrap his body in his black cape. The Nightingale hated being in Windhelm, but he didn't have much of a choice. He remembered what Jarl Balgruuf had instructed him to do: Find the Jarl of Windhelm, Ulfric Stormcloak, and give him Balgruuf's axe. If he kept it, then there may be a chance for peace. If he rejected it... Well, it was definitely not going to be pretty.
What he hadn't prepared for was getting lost in the sprawling city. Usually it was easy to spot the Jarl's keep but the Palace of Kings seemed to evade him for some reason. And so the Nightingale was forced to head to the docks and ask for directions from a guard like a complete fool.
"Oh, the Palace?", The guard told him. "Keep going through the gates behind the inn and it'll be right in front of ya." The Nightingale mentally slapped himself for somehow passing by the place multiple times in a row. "Thank you", he replied. But just as he was leaving, he saw something odd. A guard was entering a door not with a blade but a whip. The Nightingale was suspicious but decided to worry about that later. Ulfric was more important.
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'Cocky bastard', the Nightingale thought bitterly, Balgruuf's axe in tow as he left the Palace of Kings. Unsurprisingly, Ulfric had turned down the axe. He'd have to report to the Jarl about this later. But then a thought pulled him out of his initial train of thought. 'That guard on the docks', he thought. 'What was he up to?' Curious, the Nightingale immediately made his way back to the docks.
When he did, he could hear a bell ringing along with a man shouting. The Nightingale turned the corner to see a Nord standing atop a small box hitting a cowbell repeatedly with a mallet. Next to him was a small wooden sign. "Peasants for sale!", The Nord yelled out. "Get your peasants here!" The Nightingale approached the Nord. "What's going on here?", He asked. "Are you new in town?", The Nord asked. "This is Windhelm's Famous Lizard Drive!" The Nightingale froze. Slaves. They were selling slaves.
He had forgotten how Ulfric decided to turn innocent Argonians into free labor. It sickened the Nightingale to no end. The Nightingale felt his hatred toward Ulfric reach impossible levels but he chose to keep calm. "So they're for sale right now?", He asked. "Yessir!", Replied the Nord. "Fresh and able-bodied! Not to mention highly obedient! Well, mostly. One per customer, sadly. We're low on stock today, I'm afraid. But if you're interested, the prices are on the board!"
He pointed to the sign behind him.
The Nightingale grimaced. He didn't need a damn slave. He hated the thought of it. But morbid curiosity won him over and the Nightingale took a quick peek at the board. Unsurprisingly, the prices looked outrageous, but he kept reading:
TODAY'S WORKERS
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Neetrenaza, male- 12,000 Sep.
Stands-In-Shallows, male- 5,000 Sep.
Scouts-Many-Marshes, male- 100 Sep.
Shahvee, female- 7,500 Sep.
SORRY! DUE TO STOCK SHORTAGE, ONLY ONE PER CUSTOMER! THANK YOU!
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The Nightingale stopped when he saw the third option. Against all the other prices, that one was absurdly low. "Why is this one so cheap?", The Nightingale asked, pointing to the third slave's name. The Nord shrugged. "Well, it's a little rule. If a slave is considered too weak, then it means people are less likely to buy them. So everyday, the price drops by 100 septims. If he ain't bought before the number hits zero, then..."
The Nord made a slice along his neck with a finger and made a gagging sound like he was dying.
The Nightingale was stunned. They were going to kill him for being weak? He couldn't stand by this. It was a horrible idea, born in the spur of the moment, but he had to do what was right.
The Nord continued. "Everyone avoids the cheaper slaves because of that, but we hold on to the thing just in case someone wants them. Not that anyone would ever-"
"I'll take Scouts-Many-Marshes."
AN: Author again! That was the rewritten version of the first chapter of 'An Unexpected Rescue'! I hope you all enjoyed!
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An Unexpected Rescue: Rewritten
RomanceSo if you don't know, I've actually gone through like, A LOT of Wattpad accounts. My first one was called Igiveup1234. That account had quite possibly the best story I'd ever written at 13 years old: An Unexpected Rescue. Simple premise: It was a Sk...
