I was in the back of a wagon headed to Riften to pick up my brother, Asahn who I hadn't seen in years. I missed him so much. I remember when we were little he always had the smartest ideas, and told the funniest jokes. I hadn't been in contact with anyone hardy except for my dog, Scruff who I had found in an abandoned shack which I had lived in until now. The sun was peeking over the trees. "Dawn", I murmered as I patted Sruff on the head before turning my attention to the driver. "Ah here we are, Riften. Home of the thieves guild. Good luck out there, stay safe", he said as I hopped down from the wagon and neared the gates.
I had never been to Riften before but I had heard about it's reputation. Thieves living under the city in the Ratways. I had always been curious about them, I shook the thought away and focused on getting my brother and leaving. I nodded my head in respect to the two guards that guarded the city then entered the gates. A gloomy, lifeless city is all it looked like to me not to mention the smell of death and stale food. I wrinkled my nose and kept walking down the path.
"Excuse me. Sir?", I asked a man standing on top of a wooden bridge. "Yes?", he asked giving me a faint smile. He was the same as me, a Redguard. "Do you know where Honorhall Orphanage is?", I asked as Scruff sniffed his shoes. He pointed towards a log building that resembled a cabin of sorts. "Thank you", I said heading in that direction.
I opened the door to the Orphange and noticed a women sitting on a bench beside the door. "Can I help you?", she asked while taking a bite of the loaf of bread she held in her hand. "Um yes I'm here to pick up my brother, Asahn", I replied looking around the room. "Ah, he's in that room there", she said pointing to a small bedroom. I nodded and approached the room she had pointed out. I knocked on the door and I heard his voice much manlier than I had remembered.
"Come in", he said in a quiet voice. I opened the door and he dropped the soup he was eating in astonishment. "Zahna?!", he said springing up from the small bedroll and sprinting towards me. He was much taller than me even though he was three years younger than I. "Yes it's me brother", I said as he met me with opened arms. A tear exscaped my eye as the familar warmth from my brother overwhelmed me. He wiped a tear away from his cheek and grinned.
"I was starting to think I'd never see you again", he joked. I chuckled as Scruff licked his hand. "I never knew you had a pet", he said crouching down to pat the dog on the head. "That's Scruff", I explained. "After I ran away into the woods I found him as a puppy, he led me to an abandoned shack in the forest & thats were I've made my home for quite some time", I went on.
"I see....", he trailed off. "Well we best get out of here and make our way to Whiterun", he said grabbing a small satchel and stuffing a few things inside. "Why Whiterun?", I asked as he threw the bag over his shoulder and grabbed an iron sword from beaneath his bed. "Because thats one of the safest cities to go to", he replied. "And, we may even be able to make some gold there. Not to mention thats where the Campanions live", he finished. I nodded and with that we were off to Whiterun.
