An Unexpected Rescue

Chapter 2- Goodbye, Windhelm

To say that the Nord was taken back by the Nightingale's decision was an understatement. He was downright shocked. The Nord began to stutter. "Ah- you w-want... Um... Want the-erm- the third one... Sir?" "Yes." "Oh, well... Ah-you see... Ooh boy... I mean- you can- uh... You-" The Nightingale thrusted a coin bag in the Nord's hands. "That's 100 coins," the Nightingale sneered. "Now give me the Argonian." The Nord gulped. "L-l-let me get the paperwork..." The Nord approached a guard standing near a door and began to speak to him. At one point, the guard perked up in surprise and his eyes darted from the Nightingale to the Nord. Eventually, the guard nodded and entered the door and came out a few minutes later with a pile of papers in hand. He walked over to the Nightingale. "Sign your name on this line, sir," said the guard as he he handed him a quill. The Nightingale paused to read the papers quickly and on the line wrote down Livas Atmone. After he signed all the papers, the guard asked if he had any special requests. "I plan to take him to Hammerfell," he answered," But would like to take him there myself to ensure that he gets there in one piece. Meet me outside the city and I will take it from there."

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Dark, dreary, and wet. The cells were not in good condition and all of the Argonians knew that, especially Scouts-Many-Marshes. Shackled by his wrists and ankles, given clothing so poor in quality, a sack was warmer and beaten with whips only made it worse. At least it would be the last time he would see this place. Tomorrow morning, he would be dead anyway. The locals called him weak, skinny, a disgrace, riddled with disease. No one wanted a weakling tending their property while they sat down with a glass of wine and kicked their feet up. And so, the guards gave him his final chance to live.

A guard entered the dungeon. Scouts wasn't at all surprised by that, considering the Slave Drive was going on outside. What did surprise him was the fact that the guard had bypassed all the other slaves and threw Scouts's door open. "Get up," The guard demanded. Obediently, Scouts-Many-Marshes stood up. The guard grabbed him by the arm and yanked him out of his cell. "You're lucky, lizard," the guard remarked,"You get to live in Hammerfell for the rest of your life amongst the Redgaurds." Hammerfell?, Scouts thought in concern. As if he didn't already feel homesick... "Hey, what's with the long face?", The guard asked. "This 'Livas Atmone' guy doesn't sound so bad."

Scouts-Many-Marshes was dragged out of the dungeon and through the city, where the Nords and even some Dunmer had already begun to ridicule him.

"My, the Skeevers have managed to not only grow, but stand on two legs!"
"Riddled with filth..."
"Pest!"
"Careful now. Wouldn't want to get Ataxia."
"Foul rat!"

Scouts just kept walking until he was outside of the city, where he received glares from the guards at the doors. The one that was currently holding onto his arm pulled him forward across the bridge.

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The Nightingale stood outside of the city next to a cart with his housecarl, Jordis the Sword-Maiden, as the driver. "Do you see them, my Thane?," Jordis asked. As if on cue, the Nightingale spotted a guard hualing an Argonian dressed in rags behind him. "They're coming over here right now." The guard approached the carriage and threw Scouts-Many-Marshes forward. "I don't know why you picked this shrimp," the guard questioned, "But here he is. Talos guide you in your journey." The Nightingale nodded and the guard walked away. The Nightingale turned to Scouts. The first thing he noticed was that Scouts was horrifyingly thin. His ragged robe looked loose, his arms were skinny, and his legs were constantly wobbling. It was a miracle he was still alive. Well, Scouts was about to have a full recovery soon...
"Climb in," the Nightingale said.

Scouts-Many-Marshes entered the wagon and took a seat. His new owner sat right next to him. "To Solitude, Jordis," the Nightingale said, "I need to drop off some things anyway." The Sword-Maiden snapped the reigns on the horse and the carriage pulled away from Windhelm. Scouts-Many-Marshes watched as the city got smaller and smaller until it was out of sight. Next stop, Solitude.

I hope you liked this chapter! See you in the next one!