The Tempest Tales: Legends of Skyrim (Chapter One)

A golden haze illuminated the vibrant coloured pastures of Skyrim, signifying the dawn of a brand new day. It wasn’t long before the shrill shrieks of the creatures awoke me from my slumber, determined to draw me away from the seductive warmth that lay beneath my woollen blanket.  With an audible groan I arose from the comfort of the hay stuffed mattress beneath, my weak yawn building into a crescendo of fatigue. There was barely enough time for me to gather my thoughts before the wooden doors erupted into a flood of light, followed by the prompt arrival of a Nordic male with a long unkempt mane and a distinct odour that often offended my nose.
“Greetings my Argonian friend!” he cried with such exhilaration “I trust you’ve had a fair night’s rest?”
With a weary gaze I shrugged nonchalantly, snatching my ill-fitting tunic perched upon a splintered table and began to hastily get ready.
“As fair as always Lokir,” I muttered, much to the bemusement of the man before me. While I admired him for being so optimistic in such hard times, I could not understand whether this was due to persistence or the sheer bliss of ignorance.
“Nothing a belly full of mead cannot fix,” he continued to squawk happily, unaware of the arrival of a young Dumner woman behind him rolling her eyes towards Sovngarde “come on, a good bit of hunting will cheer you up!”
It was at that moment she erupted into a hysterical state of uncontrollable laughter, her hazel hair seemingly taking a life of its own as it bounced vividly from side to side. Lokir’s eyes grew wide in a brief moment of horror at the feminine cackle, leaping into the air as if a giant had struck him.
“You’ve barely caught a cabbage out in that pitiful excuse of a farm you’ve got going on out there let alone gone hunting. Even the Skeevers turn their noses at it!”
For once I agreed: ever since I had stumbled across the duo they had been living on this borderline barren land south of Rorikstead for quite some time. Even the foliage of the trees were thinly scattered around their dry branches, threatening to fade into the dirt beneath. Alas, despite their seemingly argumentative nature you could not deny that their faith in one another was something to be in awe at. If it wasn’t for their kindness towards me, albeit with slight reluctance, I doubt I would have managed to survive this far on my own.
“Eir my dear, as beautiful and gracious as Mara herself, you have my word that I’ll bring you back a feast fit for a Jarl!”
Once again the dark elf chuckled to herself, her gaze matching the eyes of her husband with a sincere and warm smile.
“Just bring yourself back this time - that’s all that matters,” she spoke in the softest of tones before being harshly interrupted by a fierce growl emitting from her stomach “although I suppose some bread would not go amiss.”
The couple were quick to embrace one another, a common display of affection they seemed determined to show to the whole of Tamriel. Personally, I was just glad Lokir was not as assertive towards me every time I did a simple task for him. Besides, I’d probably be struggling to scrub out his foul stench from my scales for days.
“Perhaps we should head before the sun sets,” I began to chuckle at a love struck Lokir, much to his apparent dismay at the thought of separating himself from his significant other.
“We’ll be back before you know it!” he declared enthusiastically, gently kissing her cheek one last time as we made our way towards the wooden frame. While my Nordic ally was quick to race outside in order to prepare for our journey, a tender grip upon my forearm had stopped me from following in his footsteps.
“Is something wrong Eir?” I inquired, noticing her anxious gaze that had sharply fallen upon the ground.
“It’s about Lokir ... oh by the nines I would not ask if I was not desperate.”
Her eyes glistened in a watery haze in a futile attempt to suppress her sorrow, trembling with every word that escaped her lips.
“You know as well as I do about his certain ... traits. He is too stubborn that he’ll do anything to keep this place going. Even if that means going back to his old ways...”
I could not help but tilt my head in confusion at the Dunmer’s statement, unable to comprehend what she meant. Fortunately Lokir was well out of earshot, humming loudly to himself as he secured the last of the supplies into a tattered bag.
“Are you ready or not Tempest?!” he called towards me with a slight tone of annoyance. I could feel the grip upon my arm loosen as Eir turned away, shaking her head.
“Just make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid out there alright?” she smiled softly towards me, wiping away the single tear that had slithered down her cheek “Don’t know what I would do without you boys now would I? Better not keep him waiting!”
Without another word I began to head towards the male Nord, turning back to what was now an empty doorway. Even though I did not know what Eir necessarily referred to, I could not help but feel troubled by her words. It was unlike her to be so secretive - particularly around Lokir who seemed blissfully unaware of our brief conversation. Nevertheless I tried to push the thought to the back of my mind, focusing upon the task at hand for now.

Many would assume that by nature I would be an innate hunter bred and raised in one of the harshest environment known to Tamriel. Alas, while my fellow siblings had high hopes of becoming Shadowscales or noble warriors like our ancestors before, I often spent my time engrossed in whatever ancient texts I could get my hands on. Suffice to say I never did hear the end of their persistent teasing, each one more creative than the last. Even father would force a blade into my hands on many occasions, constantly encouraging me to train in the ways my brothers and sisters had sought to follow. Fortunately, I was not encouraged to pick up a blade until...
“For Talos sake Tempest are you even listening? I know we’re going hunting but I would have thought that you would be a little more talkative than this!”
Lokir’s sharp tone was enough to snap me out of my thoughtful state, hurling me firmly back into reality.
“I’m sorry, my mind was elsewhere,” I hastily apologised “what were you saying?”
The Nordic male sighed in irritation, halting a few metres away from what appeared to be a shallow river trickling with crystal clear water.
“I was just asking if you remembered the last time we went hunting,” he fondly recalled, much to my disagreement “how funny it was when you nearly got beaten up by a rogue salmon-”
“And how you thought it would be a good idea to take out a bear with an iron dagger,” I interrupted initially with irritation, only to chuckle alongside him “by the divines how did you ever survive this long without me?”
What was once a topic of light hearted conversation swiftly adapted into one that forced his face to fall faster than a drunken Bard on payday.
“To be honest I wish I knew,” he mused solemnly to himself, his voice no longer laced with his usual joyous self “I thought that moving out here would benefit us after ... well not so stellar reputation in Rorikstead.”
I could notice the frustration within the male’s tone as he hurled his dagger towards what appeared to be a fish silently taunting him, avoided the blade with ease as it swam into the distance. Suddenly, Eir’s words were starting to become that much clearer.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to pry-”
“How long have we known one another,” he continued to ramble on “how long since I first found you unconscious on the side of that old dirt road?”
With a perplexed shrug I replied, unaware of what he was rambling on about. Even I did not know how long it had been since I had first encountered the couple, broken and alone. They were the only ones who had attended to my wounds, giving me a place to stay and in exchange I did as much as I could to aid them in maintaining their land. It was only recently that things had been going to oblivion - particularly due to the escalation of the civil war and bandit raids in nearby settlements.
“This better not end with you revealing that you’re the daedric prince of lousy hunting,” I muttered in a joking manner, much to his amusement.
“I wish it were that simple!” he exclaimed while shaking his greasy mane from side to side “I wanted a better life for Eir and I you know? I dreamed of a land where we would finally be free of the shackles of our past. No longer judged as man and mer in Skyrim - maybe we could have lived in Hammerfell or Cyrodiil! And you my friend would be most welcome in our humble abode!”
As much as I enjoyed watching Lokir become carried away in his own world I found myself determined to anchor him back in some kind of reality.
“There’s something else to this tale isn’t there?” I inquired, much to his dismay. After a brief period of silence the Nord finally spoke up.
“We needed money and a way to get there,” he explained in a disheartened manner, his gaze never meeting mine “so I found a horse with several bags attached to it in Rorikstead and stole it. I’m not proud of what happened next...”
“What happened?” I inquired with a newfound sense of curiosity.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” he sighed, slightly embarrassed by what he was about to say “I fell off the bloody thing a few feet away and lost it. Turns out the horse was wild and was meant to be trained for Imperial use. Talos I feel like such a fool! I can’t even provide for my family!”
With a stifled chuckle, I shook my head in disbelief at such a tale. For a moment I assumed that he was about to announce that he was a secret member of the thieves guild or, divines forbid, the Dark Brotherhood. It was then I took the opportunity to tell him an old tale told to me by my elders many years ago, much to the interest of my disheartened companion.
“There was once a Chaurus who wished to cross a river so he asked a nearby Horker to help him. “Of course I will not!” the Horker exclaimed “if you stung me then we would both drown!” However, the Chaurus constantly insisted that he would not.”
Lokir sat crossed legged beside the riverbed, his eyes fixed upon me with such curiosity like a child witnessing something for the first time.
“So eventually the Horker relented, riding across the river with the Chaurus nestled safely upon its back. However, once they were halfway there he was stung causing the Horker to ask the insect why he did such a thing to doom them both. With his last breath, the Chaurus simply replied: “it’s in my nature”.”
My Nordic companion furrowed his brow in confusion, waiting patiently for me to explain what this had to do with him.
“Basically,” I sighed, rising slowly from the ground “some of us are born and bred to be who we are - there’s no way of changing that. But clearly you’re not made for being a despicable thief and Eir knows that. You’re a kind hearted Nord and that isn’t something you come across often.”
With a smile so wide that I almost thought he was bracing himself to devour me, Lokir placed a firm hand upon my shoulder.
“Thank you Tempest,” he smiled warmly, much to my delight “now then, time to hunt!”

It wasn’t long before we managed to race back to shelter once again before darkness claimed the land, chuckling in unity at what we had caught. Other than a few heads of cabbages that must have rolled off of a travelling merchant’s cart and several pitifully sized fish, we still basked in the glory of what we considered to be a successful haul.
“I hope you’ve saved some room Eir because we’ve brought back the mother lode!” Lokir gleefully parted the doors to the side, illuminating the large room with a sickly crimson glow. It was only then we saw it: a feminine figure bound upon a wooden chair, her screams muffled by what appeared to be an ebony hood draped over her head. I barely had enough time to voice my suspicions as Lokir rushed forward, desperately trying to untie his spouses bonds.
“Get ‘im!”
The coarse voice rose swiftly into the air as a group of several men and women flooded into the room with unsettling grins of satisfaction, striking the Nord and I to the ground. Despite our best efforts to break free of their grasp, the bandits were quick in binding our hands leaving us virtually helpless.
“Well if it isn’t the horse thief himself!” a Nordic male who I could only assume was the leader of the group, dressed in rather fine attire for a mere bandit chief “Did you enjoy playing husband and wife?”
“I swear if you touch her-” he began to roar furiously, cut short by another bandit who fastened another ebony hood around the male’s head while another viciously kicked his side.
“Leave him alone!” I could feel myself roar towards the bandits, much to the amusement of their leader. With a devilish smirk the man gazed down upon me like dirt, forcing my head up with the end of his boot.
“I did not expect this. What is a lizard like you crawling out here for?”
“Let’s skin his tail and make a belt!” one of the other subordinates jeered, unsheathing his dagger with a malicious glare while the others argued over how cooked Argonian was said to taste like chicken. Despite the situation, I really wish people would stop making that assumption...
“Enough!”
The booming roar of the bandit chief was enough for them to fall silent immediately, their gaze falling to the ground.
“Looks like we’ll be rich either way,” he spoke with the delight of a cub devouring its first kill “your Nordic friend here will be sent to the Imperials where we will get our reward. We’ll have no problem getting a good few Septims for a pretty little dark elf like that one in Windhelm - I hear Dunmer slaves are very popular. And that brings me onto you...”  
Despite my consistent thrashing on the dirt beneath, there seemed to be no chance of escape. Each one of them looked on at me with a false sense of pity; at least until they remembered how much they would be getting paid for such an easy task.
“I’m sure the empire would have no quarrels with arresting you as an accomplice.”
“You went to all this trouble for capturing a horse thief?” I inquired in a perplexed manner, almost flattered in a way if the situation was different of course.
“Of course not! A couple of horse thieves aren’t worth the effort!” he snapped angrily, calling over two of the other bandits to raise me to my feet “But is this not a time of war Argonian? I think the Imperials would pay handsomely for a couple of Stormcloak Rebels.”
It was at that moment the couple I had grown attached towards over the years screamed in unison at the terrible fates that awaited them. If the Imperial Empire were led to believe that we were a part of the Stormcloak Rebellion then we would be executed without question in the name of a few Septims.
“Farewell Marsh-Friend,” the bandit leader spat definitively as I felt a dull blow towards the back of my head. Within moments, the darkness had claimed me...