Daughter to Dragons- a Skyrim inspired fantasy

Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

This is what I get for trusting anyone, I thought bitterly as I rattled around in the back of the Khajiit’s covered wagon.  Despite Ri’sava’s claim that he treasured my father’s friendship and patronage, they proved they harbored no similar sentiment towards me.

As I sat there, bound at the hands and feet and gagged, I thought about how I could escape.  But the cats’ had done well at tying me down.  No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t free myself of these bindings.  All I managed was to get a bad burn on my wrists.

On the sixth night of yet another capture, I realized we had come to the Falkreath Hold.  The massive pines that towered over the roads was evidence enough of that.  I would be crossing the border, once again, in two or three days’ time.  And I was being taken there against my will again.  I sighed behind my gag, rest my head against the back of the felt covering.

Outside, I felt the cool air wafting into the wagon.  We would be stopping soon.  They always stopped a little after night had already fallen.  Their eyes can adapt to the dark better than humans’ or elves’ eyes can so they could go longer at night without worrying about wandering around blindly in the dark.  Especially since it was dangerous to walk these roads at night.

Soon enough, I felt the wagon come to a stop and the cats speaking to each other in some strange cat language.  Then the flaps of the wagon opened up and I saw Ri’sava’s blue eyes gazing down upon me.

“You know the drill,” he said to me.

I rolled my eyes, but nodded.  We had done it at least twice a day every day.  He removed my mask so that I could eat and I don’t Shout him to death.  It seemed a somewhat fair trade, especially considering I wouldn’t be able to fight all of them tied up like this.

“Good.”  He pulled the down the gag and let it hang around my neck before putting a skin of water to my lips.  I drank it hungrily, not wanting to waste a precious drop.  Once it was empty, he disappeared only to come back a moment later, an apple in his hand.

I looked at it then back at him, bewildered.  “How do you expect me to eat that with my hands behind my back?”

“Would you prefer them to be tied in front of you?”

“That would make things a lot easy for the both of us, wouldn’t you say?”  Stupid cat, I added silently.

His lips curled up in a hiss at my snarky comment, but he didn’t disagree.  “Turn around,” he hissed.  “And don’t try anything!”

I rolled my eyes and turned around.  “Not like I could do much,” I mumbled as he untied me.  I turned around and put my hands straight out.  “I don’t have little kitty claws like you do.  Ouch!  Not so tight.”  We glared at each other as he tightened my bindings until I could barely feel the tips of my fingers.  I probably should have learned not to taunt my captors by now, but I wasn’t the lying down type.

He, not so gently, pushed the apple in my hands before disappearing once more.  I cursed them.  I cursed every single one of them.  But I still ate my apple.

For dinner, I was given what I thought was goat meat.  A little overcooked, but I wasn’t about to insult their cooking.  My grumbling stomach was happy to just be eating.

I was left to sleep in that damned wagon once more, lying on the hard, wooden floor with only darkness surrounding me.  The moons and stars would have been a lovely sight.  I could see them in my head.  Masser and Secunda would be in the northern sky right about now.  If we were further north, we could probably see the night lights in the sky.  That was always a sight to behold.  It was even worth freezing your arse off in that tundra.