Caylin's Monsters
Chapter 1: Seeking Training
This wasn’t how I expected that night to go. I’d been waiting for years to be free from that dreadful orphanage, but it didn’t happen the way I’d planned. Grelod woke me up in the middle of the night and threw me out with nothing but the clothes on my back. With nowhere else to go, I ended up sleeping in Beggar’s Row. Unlike my homeless “companions”, however, I didn’t even have a mat to sleep on. My only other possession in the world was the set of key-shaped earrings Nilindil had made for me. Thank the gods I kept them hidden from Grelod. It’s so strange… she must have been counting down the minutes until I turned seventeen so she could get rid of me. In the end, I may not have left the way I would’ve liked, but I was still free regardless.
The next morning, I stepped outside the gates of Riften for the first time in nearly eleven years, and I felt an exhilaration and freedom I hadn’t known since I was a little girl; since before my family was killed. My only regret about leaving the orphanage and leaving Riften was that I didn’t get to say goodbye to Nilindil. She was the only good thing in that place… in my life. Our histories were almost identical. Her family, just like mine, had been killed as a result of this terrible civil war. We had become sisters in that orphanage. We looked out for each other; we loved each other. She was the only person I had left in the world who cared about me, and my heart ached at being seperated from her. I would see her again, I was sure. She still had almost another year until she turned seventeen, though. But we would find each other again. We would laugh, and embrace, and everything would be as it should be.
Before leaving Riften, I managed to scrape together a few septims, enough to hire a carriage at least. I asked the driver to take me to Whiterun, the only city in Skyrim I was familiar with other than Riften. My family had lived outside the city walls, and I remember going with my parents to the city when we would sell our crops or buy supplies. It was a rather mundane activity, I suppose, but those trips are some of the best memories of my life. I figured I could go there, maybe earn some coin, and find out how to join the Imperial Legion. I didn’t particularly agree with the Empire’s policies or anything, but I had decided years ago that I would do everything I could to help stop this horrible war; a war that’s hurt so many people and torn apart so many families. The Empire just seemed the best equipped to establish and maintain peace, so I would join their ranks in the hopes of making a difference.
Once I got into the city, I didn’t know who to ask about work, but I thought the local inn, The Bannered Mare, might be a good place to start. I introduced myself to the innkeeper, Hulda, and asked if there was anything I could do around the inn. She told me she didn’t have any work for me, but she had received a notice from the Jarl about a job. As I read the letter, my heart sank. It was a bounty letter concerning bandits who were harassing some citizens of the Hold. I set the letter down, struck with my own inadequacy as a warrior. Even though I wanted to join the Legion, to be a soldier fighting for peace in Skyrim, I had no training whatsoever in combat. There was no way I could collect on a bounty like this.
Hulda could see my disappointment, so she suggested a different option. She told me about a group of mercenaries in Whiterun called the Companions who were looking for new recruits. I was immediately hesitant at the word “mercenaries”, but Hulda assured me they were honorable warriors, doing a lot to help the people of Whiterun Hold. The more Hulda spoke about them, the more my interest was peaked. This could be exactly what I needed, I thought. They could teach me how to fight, I could earn some gold, and I would be helping people at the same time. I asked Hulda where to find them, and she pointed me to the home of the Companions, Jorrvaskr.
Upon entering Jorrvaskr, I was greeted with the sight of two of these Companions in the middle of a brawl. Apparently it was a friendly fight because everyone else was gathered around rooting for their prefered combatant. It was kind of frightening to watch, but I was also fascinated and impressed. These people were tough, and I wanted to be tough like that. After the brawl had concluded and they noticed me standing there, I asked them about joining the Companions. They directed me to speak with Kodlak, the one they call the Harbinger. In order to demonstrate my skills and prove whether I was worthy to join, he asked me to face off against a member named Vilkas. I was terrified as we made our way to the courtyard behind Jorrvaskr. I pulled out my dagger, the only weapon I could afford before leaving Riften, and it hardly seemed a match against a seasoned fighter like this man. I swung at him a few times, but he easily parried my attacks. I managed to side-step a few of his attacks as well, but I still felt so deficient as a warrior. Just as I was giving up hope that they would let me join, Vilkas stopped me and told me I had potential.
I was a little shocked but also elated to receive such praise from Vilkas (however small it was). Then he handed me his sword and told me to take it to the Skyforge and have Eorlund Gray-Mane sharpen it. It was such a menial task, but I didn’t care. I was surprised at how excited and nervous I was. I had just become a member of the Companions. Maybe there was hope for me after all.
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Comments
And boy, she survived the orphanage only to be kicked out. The Companions should be qui... more
And boy, she survived the orphanage only to be kicked out. The Companions should be quite an improvement ... more