Dovahkin’s Flight
by AJ Marks
Part 3
Zoe made her way past a group of people and she recognized several, including the Orc and Imperial from earlier and Tegan. Pausing she looked on at the scene and noticed that Tegan appeared to be trying to appease them all. Moving closer until she could make out the conversation.
“I know you swindled us,” the Orc said to Tegan.
“Now, I don’t know a thing of what you’re talking about,” Tegan said, holding his hands up as he plead with the group. “All I know is what they tell me, what matches are going to be that day, that’s it.”
“And why should we believe you?” the imperial said, stepping closer to Tegan who now was against the wall looking for an escape route.
“I know what it looked like, and it was a surprise to me as well,” Tegan said to them. His eyes glancing around at all of them.
“I figure you swindled all of us out of some good coin today, how much did you get?” the Orc said, grabbing his shirt and lifting him up.
“I didn’t get anything,” Tegan cried.
“You know, I don’t like a liar,” the Orc threatened, still holding Tegan up by his shirt.
Zoe felt split, knowing that he probably didn’t have anything to do with what happened yet felt he did know. How could he work there and not hear anything?
“I-I’m not, b-but if you think something did happen talk to Ygesser,” Teagan said suddenly. “He knows everything going on with the fighters. He just tells me who’s fighting.”
“He doesn’t take our money,” the imperial said looking at Tegan then the Orc. “Probably works with him.”
Before anything else could happen several guards showed up.
“What’s going on here,” one guard said, moving forward towards the group.
“Nothing’s wrong,” the Orc said, releasing Tegan as he and the Imperial stepped back with a few others.
Tegan took the opportunity to move away from the group and closer to the guards.
“Thank you,” Tegan said. “We were having a misunderstanding and things were starting to get out of control. I’m so glad you came along and stopped this before things did get out of hand.”
“All right, everyone move along,” the guard said to them all.
Zoe continued on making her way to the bar as her mind went over what she heard. She wasn’t the only one who thought the fight was rigged. That raised a question was Valis actually behind it, or did he take advantage of it?
Entering the bar she noticed a few regulars who waved as she sat down and ordered a drink.
“So, what brings you here?” a regular, who Zoe recognized as Renold, asked. “Didn’t expect to see you for another couple of days.”
Renold was a tall Imperial, taller than most nords and had been around for a while. She had heard a lot of stories from him as he loved to tell stories. She did wonder about his ability to exaggerate versus truth. Many stories seemed too improbable to be true, but that was part of his charm.
“Ran into trouble,” Zoe replied.
“More like who hasn’t today,” Renold replied. “Seems like that’s all I’m hearing. Just a short time ago Eric and Havlac were in here talking about how some match in the arena was rigged.”
“Yeah,” Zoe said quietly taking a sip of her drink.
“Yep, got themselves all worked up over it,” Renold said. “Then they decided they were going to go and do something about it. Bunch of idiots if you ask me.”
Zoe stayed quiet recalling the encounter outside earlier. It seems as if Eric was the imperial from the confrontation, she had heard that name before. It meant the Orc’s name was Havlac.
“Wonder if the fools did something stupid,” Renold asked, even as the door opened allowing a few more people in. They watched as eh Orc and Imperial wondered in. “Guess not, or they didn’t find who they were looking for.”
Zoe watched as they sat down at the bar ordering a drink.
“So, chickened out?” Renold asked.
“No, fool got lucky some guards happened upon us,” Havlac stated.
“Surprised you’re not in jail,” Renold stated to them.
“Very funny old man,” Eric replied back looking around. “Ask her, she was there.”
Zoe sighed knowing she had been there at the arena, and wondered if they had noticed her earlier.
“Which part?” Renold asked.
“The arena,” Zoe replied. “Was there most of the day.”
“Aww, you bet on that as well,” Renold half asked half knew.
“Seemed like a good bet,” Zoe stated.
“And that’s why you don’t do it,” Renold said taking a drink as Eric and Havlac reached for their drinks as well.
“No risk no reward,” Zoe replied back to him. “You’ve done that.”
“Yeah, but not with the deck stacked against me,” Renold replied back to them. “That’s just asking to lose. I thought you were smarter than that.”
“Well, I don’t have your skills,” Zoe replied, feeling even worse as she took another sip of her drink.
“And I had no skills either when I started out,” Renold said. “You’ll find many are weak, don’t want to work on gaining skills. If you have a bit of work ethic you’ll find yourself climbing the ranks rather quickly. Hell, those fighters in the arena lack ambition in the real world.”
“Hey, those are some good fighters,” Zoe replied recalling watching the fights.
“Staged with no real consequences,” Renold replied back to her. “When you’re out in the wild facing a pack of wolves, or a bear, things are very different. There is no second chance. Or even a group of bandits.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Zoe said. “I guess I don’t have the same drive you do.”
“Ah, sometimes things happen which you can’t avoid, that’s how I got my start,” Renold sad. “Just a routine visit to Kvatch, and bam, my whole life changed overnight.”
Zoe mentally rolled her eyes, having heard the story a few times as he was off telling the story to her. She wondered how much of the story was actually true, meeting some stranger on the road who wanted help with recovering some item. He agreed and from there realized how much he could help and do something called dungeon hunting.
How much treasure could be held in a dungeon anymore? Surely they were all recovered by now, cleaned out. From his reports some were constantly being renewed by the creatures who lived there. Some gathered gold like crazy, and reports of more gold than one could carry was often mentioned by him.
Having enough to not worry, she wondered what that might be like.
Renold’s story was interrupted by another two people walking in. Zoe observed the two, a male and female both looking to be either Imperial or Bretons and she didn’t recognize either of them.
“Damn Thalmor,” the male said sitting down ordering a drink.
“I’d be careful if I were you, never know who is listening,” Eric said to them. “They have spies everyone here.”
“Good, maybe they’ll hear my protests,” the man said. “Ruin everything they touch.”
The man and woman looked on but said nothing even as Zoe paid for another drink, something she didn’t do often. She already had a bit today and was feeling the last one, perhaps if she could get drunk enough things wouldn’t matter anymore. She had to admit the Thalmor were nothing but trouble. Finally deciding to gather her courage she asked the man and woman what the problem with the Thalmor had been.
“Like normal, they butt in wherever they are not wanted. Thought we were Talos worshipers,” the man replied, pointing to him and the woman who Zoe now wondered if she was his wife. “Didn’t listen to us at all, busted in and then fabricated the evidence.”
“Kicked us out of the town,” the woman said. “Had a good business as well, but too competitive for that Thalmor down the street.”
“What better way to get rid of your competition than slander them,” the man said, downing his ale.
“And they get away with it because they own the local justices and guards,” Eric said from where he sat.
“Its true, they do,” Havlac stated as they joined the couple.
“Even here,” the man said. “Guess maybe its time to head north, or to the Redbeards land.”
“Too cold up north,” Havlac said. “Knew a few from Skyrim, harsh place.”
“At least they have guts up there,” the man said.
“Things are never like they appear,” Renold said speaking up having been listening in. “What looks promising is many times isn’t, and what doesn’t look promising is.”
Zoe shook her head at that logic. It seemed to contradict itself. However all the talk of the Thalmor only fueled her anger, now mixed with her drinking giving her a boost of false confidence.
She went for another drink.
“You sure you have the coin?” the bartender asked.
Zoe angrily fished out her pockets but now came up with nothing.
“Sorry Zoe, but you know the rules,” he said to her.
“Com’on, one more, won’t harm anyone,” she pleaded.
“Nope, that’s the rule, no coin no drink,” he said.
“Fine,” Zoe muttered angrily and stormed out of the bar. She couldn’t even enjoy a drink and it was all thanks to that damn Thalmor, Valis. Walking around her anger at the elf grew. He had been a constant irritation in her life. Perhaps it was time someone else took him down a notch or two.
Pausing she realized she now stood right outside the High Elf Tavern, a bar which only served elves not allowing anyone else in. Standing outside were two guards making sure that policy was upheld, dressed as always in Thalmor armor. Their elitist attitude finally pushed her over the edge as she walked up.
“No humans, elves only,” one guard stated smugly and looking down at her with a smile.
“Tell that rat, Valis, to get his ass out here,” Zoe growled.
“And why should I do that,” the guard replied, as another guard walked over.
“Just tell him Zoe is out here,” Zoe replied back, using her taller than normal height to hopefully show she wasn’t intimidated by either guard.
Even as they all stood looking at each other Valis walked out looking even more smug than usual.
“Well, well, well, look who is crawling to talk to me,” he said with a smile.
The tone only infuriated Zoe even more despite knowing she wasn’t strong enough to take him and two guards. Still despite her situation her anger took over.
“You bastard,” she spat, rushing forward to grab him by his collar, slamming him to the door. “You had my house burned down!”
She moved so fast neither guard even had time to react but Valis never dropped his smug expression. In fact he seemed even more pleased with her actions.
“I think that can be called assault, don’t you,” he said calmly while looking at her then over at the guards nearby. “You are mine now.”
Zoe realized with clarity what happened and what she had done. The two guards snapped out of their shock and seized her, one grabbed each arm. Valis played this to almost perfection to capture her. He wanted her to act in this manner, come to him and do something like this. She hadn’t been careful and allowed her anger at him to spill out in front of others so he had a valid excuse to press charges. Of course he would drop the charges if she agreed to his demands.
Part of her felt sick for falling for his manipulations so easily.
“I think some time in the jail will cool you off,” one of the guards said.
“Assaulting a high ranking Thalmor, you’ll be lucky to not get the death penalty,” the other guard stated.
She stared at Valis who appeared to gloat.
“Or, if you’re open to a suggestion I can be, reasonable,” he stated to her.
Zoe panicked at the thought of her future. In a desperate lunge she broke free from the two guards and started to run. She had no idea where to run to, just to get away from the Thalmor. She needed a place even they didn’t dare go as she ran wild through the streets.
As she ran blindly through the streets she noticed something, the grate to the underground. Her one hope. Racing over she flung it open, and closing it behind her ran down into the depths unsure what might await her.
End part 3