Bolrin the Bold
Part 1 - Early Years
The honey colored liquid swirled about at the bottom of the mug. In one quick gulp, he downed his sixth cup of mead. The Imperial two seats away eyed him suspiciously, he wanted trouble. Bolrin rarely left a tavern without it, midnight brawls with the watch were a regular occurrence these days. As he stared down at his fresh refill, pictures started to materialize in the golden mead. His mind faded and was whisked away, back to his childhood...
Bolrin stared blankly at the meal before him. The slab of overcooked venison still steamed on his plate, along with the side of chicken giblets. He looked up at his grandmother, Felicia, who promptly gave him a toothless smile. Ever since she had moved in, the whole family had to follow the traditions of The Green Pact. Being over ninety years old, Felicia still followed the old ways of Valenwood and expected the rest of the family to do the same.
His mother, Alawen, looked at him apologetically right before another plate of meat was plopped in front of her. Bolrin's family had moved to Skyrim when he was only four years old. His family would never tell him why they had moved and only his grandmother talked about their homeland. Bolrin decided he would visit the lumber mill today and see what his dad was doing.
His father, Dondir, did not like to be bothered at work, but that didn't stop Bolrin from trying to help. Being a Wood Elf in a Nord's world was not easy. Dondir was the smallest at the lumber yard, but worked twice as hard as many of the Nords. Like his father, Bolrin never felt any lesser than the other boys and made up for his small stature with his courage. Bolrin quickly finished his breakfast and said goodbyes to his mother and grandmother.
Felicia stopped him before the door and whispered in a raspy voice, "Remember boy, you may be small, but you have a great power deep inside you. Speak your mind, use your voice." She patted him on the shoulder and went back to the hearth. She had told him this many times before, but he never understood the meaning of it.
Bolrin walked down the main road of Riverwood. People were already busy, a man hauling firewood, wives gossiping by the local tavern, Burd the smith sharpening an axe. As Bolrin took in the fresh morning air, he could see the lumber mill to his left. The workers had stopped to eat breakfast. His father ate alone while Thrud and his buddies boisterously talked amongst themselves. They frequently pointed in Dondir's direction and laughed boorishly. Bolrin was about to go sit with his father when a large figure stepped in his way.
Hil stood directly in his path with his two cronies at each side. He sneered down at Bolrin while each of his buddies tried their best tough-guy look. Hil was large for a ten year old and twice as big as Bolrin. His two enforces weren't quite as big, but they all had the average Nord build.
"My dad says the only reason tree huggers like you are in Skyrim is because those spineless Imperials," Said Hil in an annoyingly high voice. "Dad says we're gonna run them out of Skyrim some day and only Nords will live here, then you and you're family can get back to eating each other in Valenwood."
Bolrin had stumbled to the ground after colliding with Hil, who had lowered his face closer to Bolrin's. Bolrin glanced over and noticed a sturdy looking stick close to his right hand. Before Hil had a chance to follow his gaze, the stick solidly smashed into the side of Hil's face. He reeled backwards and fell into a nearby bush. The two goons surrounded Bolrin, who stood poised to strike.
"Enough!" A deep voice rang out from behind the two bullies. It was Burd, the local smithy and something of a mentor to Bolrin. He picked up Hil by the shirt and pushed him along. The little posse walked off slowly, scheming as they went. "Are you alright? You can't just go around hitting people like that, especially Thrud's son."
"What was I supposed to do? He insulted my family, my homeland. He was asking for it" replied Bolrin.
Burd gave a disapproving look and said, "You never throw the first punch, that's what boys like Hil are trying to coax out of you. You don't start fights, you end them. Got it?"
"Got it" murmured Bolrin.
"Good, now let's head back to the shop. I've just been asked to make a warhammer and I know they're your favorite. I could use the help, come on."
Bolrin grinned at the news and walked alongside Burd, feeling much better. From the doorway of Bolrin's house, Felicia watched the two walk off. She had witnessed the whole scene and was smiling to herself. "Someday soon, he will learn. He's something special, I know it" She muttered as she went back inside.
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