Freedom. All Anya could think about. Though she had plenty of time to think while rotting away in her jail cell.
"Useless" she proclaimed out loud, as her fingers began to sting from her tight grip on the lock pick. She had only been in here for 3 days and was already beginning to feel the effects on her skills. Her senses were beginning to dull and her thoughts were not quiet the same.
"How did I get stuck here?" she asked herself.
"Must have been those damn Silver-Bloods!" Looking back, wondering the Reach alone, as a Breton, most likely was not the best idea. Her Breton blood got her thrown in here and that was that, no sense in blaming anyone else. Her ignorant choice of wealth over safety was what lead her to this.
Anya came to Skyrim in hopes of owning her own business. She never had a taste for fighting or adventure, though she was very proficient in her use of magic. She had relatives here, many traders and merchants, that had found a fair share of wealth ripping off the ignorant locals. Why couldn't she do that as well? Live a luxurious life within the high walls of Solitude, perhaps a more simple life somewhere down in the Rift.
All she knew was that she was trapped. Stuck in this jail cell like a rat.
"I'll never get out, I'll never see my family, I'll never..." And just at that moment, BOOM! A tremendous thundering sound came from above.
"What the hell was that!" she said out. Dust and concrete from the ceiling started falling to floor.
BOOM! Again it rang out.
"The whole building is going to collapse down on me!" She curled up in the corner of her cell, dust and dirt falling all over her. She could here the cries from the other inmates as the noise continued.
BOOM! A deep single tone, as if the divines were stomping over head.
Then, no more. Only screams and the bashing of steel now. She could hear the guards yelling at each other to take up arms. This had nothing to do with the divines but everything to do with the Forsworn.
"This is my chance" she thought to herself. Sure enough, only a minute later, Forsworn had flooded the chamber and were letting everyone out, she was no exception. In a panic, she ran. Down the chamber, up the stairs, only to find the bodies of Markarth guards laying bloodied and dying. Prisoners flew past her out the down and flooded the streets of Markarth. She would not be caught again, so she ran. She ran as fast as she could for as long as she could.
Somewhere past Fort Sungard she turned south, heading to where she though Falkreath was. In an attempt to keep from sight she headed off the road. She had out-run the Forsworn who headed back to their camp only to keep fighting. Thinking she was free now, she wanted to start over. Falkreath would provide a good opportunity for now and would allow her to build up the money she needed to get to the Rift. Unfortunately what she found on the way to Falkreath was not what she expected.
Everything seemed normal enough until she walked into the inn. A silent, dark quiet crept over the inn as she entered.
"Need a room?" the innkeeper asked her as she approached the front.
Extremely exhausted and somewhat out of it Anya replied "Yes please, but I have no money to pay" she went on to ask the innkeeper if there was any work that could be done for a nights sleep.
"Plenty" replied the keeper who then had her chop up some fire wood for the stove. After the fire was burning hot, the innkeeper allowed Anya to stay. What Anya didn't know was that some of the Silver-Bloods had relatives in Falkreath.
While laying in bed she swore to learn to protect herself, that something like this would never happen again.
Two days later, while out in the woods to the northwest of Falkreath, Anya heard a strange sound. She was down at the mill doing some chores for the local blacksmith when she first heard it. What sounded like the deep raspy voice of her father. It caught her attention immediately and she began to walk into the woods. She stopped just outside the tree line and listened again, nothing. As she turned around she saw a group of Imperials circling her, all dressed in soldier gear. Right away she knew she would have to escape, or die trying. Before she could turn around and take off into the woods an arrow hit her right in the thigh. Just as she looked down and noticed the poison dripping from the arrow tip everything went black and Anya fell straight back. Poisoned, shot, bleeding, and only half conscious she was lifted onto a wagon only to hear the words "death, Ulfric, and Helgen" as she slipped out of consciousness.
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