“There, there, everything’s going to be alright.” I hear a soft female voice say, while pressing a warm cloth on my face. I begin to fall back asleep when then I remember I’m supposed to be on a carriage on my way to Solitude.
“Where am I?” I say jumping up. I look round. I’m in a warm bed in what looks like a temple. A beautiful temple if I’m being honest. Beautiful crafted wooden beams hold this building together and there’s a number of other injured people here also. “Hush now.” A hooded lady says trying to press my body back to lying down. “No, I shouldn’t be here.” I try to get out of this bed but a sharp pain over whelms me across my right side. I look down and watch as the cloth I’ve been dressed in begins to turn red. That’s my blood? I’m bleeding. I say nothing, I just watch in silence as more people rush around me and see to my wounds. The pain begins to fade away but I pass out anyway.
I don’t know when but I wake up again, it’s darker now and candles have been lit around the temple. The same hooded lady is sat by my side. “Do you wish for some water?” She kindly asks. I nod silently and try to sit up. “My name is Danica and you are in the Temple of Kynareth.” She says helping me to sit up and handing me a drink. “You were found out side Whiterun near a burnt out carriage.” She continues. “You were very lucky. The roads around Skyrim are so dangerous for someone with such beauty. Bandits would have loved to run into you.”
I start to look round to seek out River. “What of my friend, where’s my friend?” I can’t see River anywhere. “Just try to relax.” Danica takes away my water. She’s avoiding telling me something. “Please.” I beg. “I need to know, where is my friend?” Tears start to appear in my eyes. Danica takes a deep breath. “You were found alone, next to a burnt body of a horse, carriage and two men.” I hold my head back and let out a loud pitiful cry. “NO.” I yell and then cover my weeping face with my hands. “NO.” Danica cradles me like a child, I feel like a child. She rocks me back and forth. I begin to feel weak again and lay back down but I don’t shut my eyes. I stare at every craftsmanship on the beams above me. I take in the smell cabbage soup and warm wine, the smell of burning candles and the sound of the wounded, groaning. I take everything in and continue to cry until I no longer can.
Days and nights pass through, light and dark. I stop keeping track on how many times candles are lit. Danica through the first night stayed by my side but I didn’t speak a word to her. After several nights she left me alone and tended to the more needed. My wounds did get better but my breaking heart has not. As more healing time passed I began to turn my pain into anger. Who took River away from me? I will not rest until every bandit has my axe through their ugly skull.
“Danica?” I call, she isn’t far away. “When can I leave?” Danica sits at the end of my bed. “Your wounds are better but you are weak, you need to eat.”
“Danica help me out of my bed.” I hold out my arms. Danica nods and helps me to stand.
“You need food, young lady.” She smiles at my strength.
“Then bring me food.” I say trying to hide my trembling body from her.
Danica hurries away and returns with more soup and dried bread. “Thank you.” I say settling down around a wooden table. “My name is Amber by the way.” Danica smiles and then walks away to help some other poor soul.
More nights and days pass by and I’m able to walk around with no help from anyone. The right side of my ribs have healed but has left a beautiful scar as long as my arm down it. If my father could see it he’d be proud and my mother would weep. As I’m able to move around by myself I help out with the wounded in anyway I can. Many men and women have now died in my arms and each time I think of my friend River. I’m sure more and more people are becoming wounded. Danica tells me it’s because of the war but they all say the same thing. “Dragons are coming.” They yell. “War can turn a man’s mind to madness.” Danica whispers.
As dusk settles around Whiterun and the injured lay asleep Danica and I sit and drink some spiced wine together. “You have done so well Amber. Do you still wish to leave us?” I don’t answer straight away and look around the temple. “Yes I still wish to leave you. I’ve seen so much death now.”
Danica laughs. “Some people never get used to it and some do.”
“Danica?” I ask. “Who rescued me?”
“A man from the Companions brought you to us.”
“Companions?”
All that night Danica tells me on how I came to her care and how long I’d been here for. She gives me details on the Companions and where to find them followed by some new clothes and a few coins. “These coins are for all your work here, it’s not much but that’s all we can spare.” We hug and then as dawn appears I leave and wonder the streets of Whiterun searching for the Companions.
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