E4 201, Cyrodiil Days prior to the attack on Helgen.
Rain came down in visible sheets as the wind gusts picked up and the wetness stung the side of the Breton's face. The sky was a dismal gray and gave little light to the mid-afternoon. The same terrible weather as it had been for the past eight days when he escaped the Imperial City jails through a poorly repaired hole in the back wall. His feet were blistered from walking and the leather soles of his stolen, too-small boots had worn through days ago. The puddles lying in the stony path felt great on his feet as the water washed over them. Ahead he could see a small farm house with a stable barn taking form through the grey rain, it wasn't far off. The Breton's stomach growled as the thought of food entered his mind. No doubt he could find something there. His last meal was yesterday morning when he caught a stringy rabbit, eating it raw, for there was not enough dry wood in all of Cyrodiil to build himself a fire to cook it.
As Inexs neared the family farm he spotted a garden and lowered himself to crawl across the wet grasses and under the wooden fence before diving into the mud. Caught by surprise when a man emerged from the home and came straight towards him, he pulled a fistfull of carrots and slunk back into the tall grass. The approaching man whistled to himself in the rain as he entered the garden to pick some vegetables. Inexs hadn't been spotted, he would wait him out. His eyes followed him, measuring his stature. He was Imperial, of that the Breton was certain, and thick in the chest and shoulders. Inexs knew that he couldn't take this man out if it came to blows but on a good day he might have been able to outrun him. But today was not a good day and the blisters on his feet ached. The Imperial turned from the garden with a cabbage a large leek and a few carrots in hand and made his way whistling back towards his small stone and sod home.
Grabbing the opportunity with the mans back turned, Inexs proceeded to the nearby barn and opened the door just a bit before entering. He stood there frozen in place and face to face with a red haired and freckle-faced girl who heard the wooden barn door open and spotted him entering. She wasn't much younger than he was, her hair tied up in a tail and an Amulet of Mara could be seen half tucked into her autumn dress. Inexs judged the situation he was in and decided to close the door and speak. He wasn't sure what to say but he was hoping something would come out as he opened his mouth in attempt to defuse the tension. As he did, the young freckle faced woman let out a shriek and the horse she was grooming startled and bucked and Inexs caught two hooves in the chest. The wooden barn doors both swung open as he crashed through them and landed on his back in the mud, rain pelting his face and his fistful of stolen carrots now strewn upon the ground around him. The horse whinnied and the broken Breton was certain he had heard the mare laugh at him before his eyes closed.
Abruptly his eyes reopened, not voluntarily, but from the pain of the Imperial man's boot on his chest. He looked up at the farmer and turned his head to one side. There he found the sharpened steel head of a wood axe sitting in the mud right next to his, its handle was in the farmers large, thick hand. In his other, he held the Amulet of Mara by its beaded necklace.
"Gilly, bring me my horse and a good leather rope." he called to his daughter. The girl obeyed and saddled the mare that kicked him from the barn before bringing her forward, rope in hand. With the large man's boot still upon the thieves chest he bid the trespassers hands be bound together.
"Now get up." the farmer commanded as he removed his boot from Inexs' aching chest. "We're going for a ride."
The thick man mounted the mare and fastened the rope to the saddle horn once the captive was on his feet. They started off down the path to the road at an easy pace, Inexs able to keep up on foot but once they found the road, the farmer put his heals into the horse and it made off into a gallop and the ground immediately came up to greet Inexs as he was dragged behind by his wrists face down through the muck and the stones.
It must have been ten miles before the farmer called his horse to a stop. Inexs was covered in mud and blood, his already sore chest was all that much worse after their journey.
"Captain," the man called. "I've got someone who would like to meet you." Inexs pulled himself up awkwardly with bound hands and cleared the mud from his eyes. He saw a man approach in polished steel and boiled brown leather. His helm marked him for a high ranking officer of the Imperial Army. Taking a look around, Inexs found himself in the midst of an Imperial encampment.
"A rebel?" called the officer.
"No, a thief and a rapist. I caught him attacking my daughter in my horse shed and found this on his body." As he held up the Amulet of Mara. "A gift to my daughter for when she came of age. 'Twas my wife's before she passed. I hope he'll not go unpunished for his crimes." he said sternly.
"Of Cou-"
"Lies! That's all lies. I di'n't touch the girl and I ne'er stole no stinkin' amulet." Inexs cut off the Imperial Captain, yelling, "All I took was a -"
The thick farmer gave the thief a backhand to the face, silencing him and punched him in the chest, knocking the wind out of Inexs for good measure.
"You can leave him with me." the Captain finished as he took the rope from the farmer and walked the criminal to a post where others were tied.
Inexs fought the against the soldiers who were charged with binding him to the post, his body thrashing around as he watched the farmer fade from view, his horse carrying him around the bend of the mud and stone path back across the border into Cyrodiil. Once he was bound up tight with his hands above his head and left to his own, Inexs calmed, his head hanging and eyes closed. The rain persisted as it soaked him through, his mud covered clothes beginning to rinse clean. His chest hurt. His breathing, labored.
"What did you do to find yourself here?" Inexs asked of the person bound behind him. He could feel his shoulder against his own. When there was no response Inexs shifted to give the other a nudge. Still there was no reply from his fellow captive. That was when Inexs noticed the stink of the man and the swarm of flies collecting around him. Oh gods, this man is dead. He thought to himself as a shock of panic overwhelmed him. That's when the Breton passed out.
Awoken by blinding pain, Inexs eyes nearly burst from their sockets from the steel boot he caught in the chest.
"Eat." The soldier said as he dropped the bowl of slop in the muck at the captives feet.
"I can't very well feed myself with my hands tied above my head and my meal at my feet." Inexs yelled at the soldier who continued to walk away. The thought of his bound hand brought an ache to his arms, the blood had drained from them long ago while he slept. Starving and sore, Inexs muttered under his breath "One day I'll make every Imperial pay for the way they treat others." he promised to himself. And all over a bunch of woody, frost-bitten carrots. It was nothing, NOTHING! Inexs sat there starving as he watched his bowl of slop fill with rain water, the rain started to let up as night fell. His thoughts filled his head as the sky grew darker and sleep crept in.
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