The Elder's Scrolls

A Night in Riften

"Hold there. Before I let you into Riften, you'll have to pay the visitor's tax."

The short, hooded figure stopped. From the dark depths of the cowl, a pair of dark blue eyes watched the guard. They noted that, over the increasing moments of silence, the guard began to fidget.

"Well, traveller? Are you going to pay? The tax is ... is sixty - three gold." The guard shifted his weight to his left foot.

"Do you even know who I am?" The traveller said smoothly, despite having traces of congestion deep in her chest.

The guard placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Someone trying to start trouble, I'd say."

"Wrong. I am naught but I weary traveller, having taken the trek up the seven - thousand steps to High Hrothgar, back down, and now to Riften. My feet are sore, I have a sack full of treasures to sell, and I'm in need of a good meal and a warm bed."

The guard frowned behind his helmet. This traveller could easily have skooma or moon sugar ...

"Show me your 'treasures', then."

The traveller instantly obliged, setting the bulging sack down from her back and pulling the leather rope from around the top.

The sack fell open, revealing glittering jewels and jewelry, various weapons and random armour pieces, potions and poisons, and what looked like a giant's toe tangled in the leather chord of an amulet of Talos.

"Where did you get all these jewels, eh? Not something your average 'traveller' has." The guard reached down and picked up a flawless amethyst.

"I'm an adventurer. I found them in abandoned crypts."

"I've never heard of female adventurers. Let alone adventurers that don't wear armour." The guard retorted, clenching his hand around the amethyst.

"I shed my armour when I reached Shor's Stone. A nice young lady gave me a beautiful dress and a robe to wear over it." The traveller bent down and secured the sack. Upon standing again, she slung it back onto her back.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to try and get a few hours of sleep. I've got a busy day tomorrow," The hooded woman said passively, walking a small arc around him to the gates. "Oh, and you can keep the amethyst. Think of it as me paying my 'visitor's tax'."

A/N : Finally got another short story up! Would anyone be interested in seeing more of this mysterious woman? Lemme know!