A Skyrim Story

Chapter 3

Moli-anj knew that this is a far-fetched job. Why Vex wanted her to go all the way out to Solitude was beyond her. She knew that the Thieves' Guild once did jobs in every hold, but that was years ago. Since they have fallen on such hard times, the guild barely ever leaves Riften for jobs, never mind across the entire region. Yet she didn't argue with her, just did the job to try and bring money into the guild. Capturing a bit for herself wasn't that bad either.

Most people didn't trust Khajiit because of the belief that they are all drugged up thieves, and she may be a stereotype herself. She joined the Thieves' Guild a few years back when she realized that she wanted more than the life of a caravan trader. In Riften, she met a man with hair the color of the foliage that surrounded the hold. He introduced himself as Brynjolf, and offered her a job with the promise of more excitement. She took to pickpocketing and breaking locks like a fish takes to water. Also, who's to shame her if she likes the occasional skooma to take the edge of life? Skyrim is an unforgiving land.

So, within a few days, she was right outside of Solitude. She tagged along with a caravan of Khajiit while she was traveling, adding to both protection and a cover story. They all knew what she was, but she helped with supplies and kept them out of her job, so they didn't mind. Plus, she used to be one of their own. It was their duty to protect their kin, no matter what. So she walked with them and entertained them with stories of grandeur, until they got to the Solitude stables. This is where they split up. The caravan took the high road up to the main gate, whereas Moli-anj took the low road over the bridge to enter the side gate. This brought her into a tower of Castle Dour. She looked around to make sure no one was watching as she slipped inside the door.

Once inside the city, she waited until dark, and even then, she remained so more. This ensured that not only was everyone home, but that they were also probably asleep. She then crept as quietly as she could around the stands in the little market that was set up, then waited behind the stall closest to her destination as a guard with a torch walked by. When his light was far enough away, she crept out and went up to the door of Bits and Pieces. The lock was easy to pick, and she walked inside quickly, looking for anything of value. She was behind the counter when she heard the main door open again, freezing her in her tracks. Peaking over the table, she saw a rather large, balding man in a blacksmith outfit. Just the luck of the Thieves' Guild, he also happened to see her, and immediately yelled for the guards.

Moli-anj flung herself over the counter in hopes of sliding under this wall of a man, but he was stronger than her. He caught her by the tail, yanking her back. He then picked her up and pinned her to the wall until the guards burst through the door. They quickly put her in chains and marched her down into the cell, stripping her of all her belongings before locking the door. She managed to keep a lockpick on her, but apparently, Nocturnal had not had her fill because the moment the pick was put into the lock, it snapped. With seemingly no way out, she let herself fall back onto the wall. When she did so, she noticed that some of the bricks seemed loose. Upon more inspection, she noticed that many bricks were loose in her cell, and that it seemed to lead to a tunnel.

She was going to wait until the change of the guards, but she overheard talk about how General Tullius and his men were back. She could have sworn she also heard talk of dragons, but that must just be Imperial nonsense. So, she waited a bit longer until more the men from Helgen were shipped out, and the hysteria of recent events died down. She endured the snide comments and blatant hate, just sitting with her back against the wall that she knew she was going to break.

That chance finally came when she heard that the two guards we going to talk to General Tullius and the Legate. They came to gloat about their capturing of a Thieves' Guild member, not realizing that they gave her information for the perfect escape. So once they left, she waited until the other guards were on a different level and knocked down the wall. She rushed through the tunnel, noticing that there was a hole in the wall where she could grab her stuff from the warden's chest, and climbed a conveniently placed ladder. This brought her out on a ledge outside the front of Castle Dour. She jumped down and made a mad dash for the tower than she entered the city in a few nights ago.

Behind her, she heard yelling from various people. She wasn't precisely discreet running across the marketplace in broad daylight. Still, she'd be damned if her end was in some dank cell that obviously wasn't made well, to begin with. So she bolted down the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her. Once outside, she ran to her left. Getting off the bridge, Moli-anj jumped into the water. She planned on swimming to the other side and losing everyone in the swamp. If she got to Morthal, she would be free.