The Elder's Scrolls

Marketplace Rumble

The sun, at its highest point, was beaming down on Riften. The citizens of the quaint town were already milling about, running their daily errands, heading to the Bee and Barb for lunch, or simply wandering the marketplace, coinpurses full of gold waiting to be spent. Everything was the way it usually was. Except one minor detail.

The hooded woman that'd exited the Bee and Barb was a bit of an abnormality to the fishing town. Though she didn't cause anyone harm as she made her way to the marketplace, she did attract the attention of a fiery - haired Nord.

"Running a little light in the pockets, lass?"

The woman glanced back to the Nord, then continued browsing the friendly Dunmer woman's produce.

"My wealth is none of your business," she said quietly after purchasing a loaf of bread.

The Nord smirked. "Ah, but that's where you're wrong. Wealth is my business."

"But mine isn't," the young woman turned to glare at him. Even though the sun was out and shining, her face remained in shadow. "Get away, thief before I call a guard. I'm not interested in your schemes."

"I know you wouldn't, lass. You need the gold, I need somebody to help me." He clamped a hand onto her arm. "Help me, and I'll leave you be,"

The hooded woman contemplated the Nord man for a moment. Then, reaching a conclusion, she shrugged his hand off and placed the bread in the hidden pocket of her dress.

"I'll help you, but I won't assure you it will end well."

And it didn't. Though the rugged Nord had captured almost everyone's attention with his shootings of an elixir with varying effects, a lone guard had spotted the woman just as she withdrew her hand from Brand - Shei's pocket.

"Stop, thief!"

The woman stood up quickly, instinctively pulling at her cowl as she dashed from the marketplace. Her heart racing, the shrouded woman made a split - second decision, and stopped running. Her blood was pounding in her ears as she withdrew her Elven sword and waited.

Soon enough, a mass of guards, no more than eight men, came charging across the wooden bridge and surrounded the young woman, keeping her pressed against the rough boards of Honorhall Orphange.

A long guard stepped forward. "You have committed crimes against Skyrim and her people. What say you in your defense, thief?" His voice was strained and hitching as he struggled to regain his breath. The steel sword clamped in his hand was pointed at the woman's heart.

"I say," the woman begun slowly, her voice soft and curious. "that you've made a mistake."

"What?" The guard snarled, jabbing his sword closer to her.

"I'm no thief," without skipping a beat, the woman darted forward and plunged her sword in the guard's chest.

A torrent of blood welled up around the golden blade, and, upon withdrawal, a steady stream began to flow from it as the man crumpled to his death.

The remaining guards stood stock still. Which was their mistake. Springing into action again, the woman danced forward to the closest guard and slashed at his leg. With a scream, the man fell to one knee, clutching the wound. This attack launched the others into attack.

Two unfortunate men were sent to their deaths by one clean swipe of the woman's sword. Another rushed forward, his iron battleaxe raised high over his head. It crashed down inches from the hooded figure's shoulder. While the man was fruitlessly trying to pull his weapon from the wooden planks, his chest was punctured by the golden sword.

The sixth man to meet his end by her blade had, before being speared through the abdomen, managed to pull the cowl from her face, revealing a young, fresh face curtained by dark brown hair, a pair of chocolate brown eyes, and two unruly gashes branching up across her cheek from the corner of her full lips.

Whipping her blade around to ward back the remaining two guards, an emotion other than satisfaction overtook her: fear. The guards knew her face now. There was no way they could report her to Jarl Laila. The Thu'um building inside her, she began to heave great gulps of air as the guards began to approach again. The unscathed corner of her mouth twitched upward as the two Words of Power settled inside her mind.

"FUS - RO!"

The two men were thrown back by the power of her Voice. Without waiting to see the end product of her final attack, the mysterious woman snatched the cowl back onto her face as she blindly ran past shocked citizens. She kept running, despite the redhead thief's attempts to stop her. She didn't stop running until the autumn forests of the Rift faded into the somewhat marshy environment of Eastmarch.