An Exchange of Words between The Huntress and The Healer, Where Secrets Are Revealed ~ Brought to you by:
@Dervish and
@MacabreFox
Sevine hobbled down the steps from Jorwen's humble house, with a sensation of... what was it? Calm? Yes. She felt calm. Perhaps it was the good company, that she had found herself in once again, or perhaps it was the adrenaline of the chase wearing off that left her feeling exhausted? Whatever the cause, she did not understand. The rain continued in steady, grey sheets, not a heavy rain, but certainly a soaking rain. She shivered under Do'Karth's coat, the one he had offered her on the way to Jorwen's, she still had kept hold of it, to cover herself when she had dropped her pants. "I don't suppose you would be willing to escort me back to my friend's place, would you? He doesn't live that far from here, in the Grey Quarter actually. I would just rather avoid anyone still looking for trouble, if you catch my drift." For once in her life, Sevine felt vulnerable out on the streets of Windhelm now, after her scuffle with the Argonian's. With her injured leg, there was no way she could escape very far were anyone to pursue her.
"The Grey Quarter?" Do'Karth asked, surprised. "This one thought that area was largely off-limits to Nords, largely because that's where the Nords stuffed all the dunmer. But it would be Do'Karth's pleasure. He will see you there safely." the khajiit reassured her with a smile. He walked alongside Sevine, matching her understandably reduced pace. "Would it help if this one supported you?" he asked. Her leg must have been throbbing.
"Yes, that's right. It mainly is, but Leif's house is one of the oldest houses in all of Windhelm. Before the arrival of the Dunmer in large numbers, there were a few Nords that lived there, it was still considered the poorer area, but those folks were mainly dock workers. It's been passed down through several generations of his family, if I remember correctly." Sevine grunted as she almost lost her balance. She flung her hands out to catch herself, but instead caught Do'Karth's arm. Her face flushed red again at the embarassing misstep, but she was thankful that he had offered to support her.
"Ah, yes. That would be very kind of you, thank you." Sevine relented, and placed her arm over his shoulder, giving him room to put his arm around her waist if he wanted. "It's just down this way, and then, we'll make a right." She said, pointing where they needed to go.
Do'Karth considered the history of the Grey Quarter Sevine was telling him, realizing how easy it was to take for granted that there was a lot of history in these old stone walls. He recalled hearing that Windhelm was the oldest human city in Tamriel, and it wasn't that long ago that the Red Mountain forced the dunmer to flee Morrowind, so someone had to have lived in the Grey Quarter before. He imagined a few people didn't agree with being uprooted, or having their homes suddenly being surrounded by a bunch of outlanders. He didn't agree with xenophobic attitudes, but he certainly could understand where they stemmed from.
He reached out to support Sevine when she stumbled, and in truth he had begun to move the moment he caught her movement in the corner of his eye. "There is that blush again. You have nothing to be ashamed of! You are wounded, asking for help to walk so shortly afterwards is a sign of strength, if you were to ask Do'Karth." he said, guiding them in the direction Sevine was pointing. If one were to ignore the crowds, it would almost be a nice day, minus the rain. Rain was something Do'Karth quite enjoyed, for it rarely rained in his homeland, and when it did, it usually brought life. Here, it tended to make people cold and miserable. It wasn't hard to see why.
"So you knew Jorwen from the war?" he asked, partially out of curiosity, partially to take Sevine's mind off her pain. "What was it like?"
Whether she wanted it to happen or not, her face burned ever brighter at his words. It felt as if she couldn't hide anything from him,
anything. She eased into him, letting him take some of her weight, so it wouldn't be put on the freshly sewn leg, and risk the possiblity of opening stitches. "You ought to understand, there is a reason why they call me
The Huntress, Do'Karth. I fought with a ferocity that no other woman on the field could match, if I took an arrow, I kept fighting. It is hard for me to... ask for help. Even when I need it." She sighed, which led into a small smile.
"Jorwen? Ah yes, we were never apart of the same squadron, but our patrols crossed paths often. When it came time for battle, what little chances I did get to see him in action, by the Divine's, that man was a fierce beast. I do remember one young Imperial simply wet his pants, and Jorwen just roared at him, the poor lad turned tail and ran. He... I cannot say for certain, why he fights, but there is something that drives him. Perhaps it is the bonds forged between one's comrades, or it is the sheer adrenaline rush of blood through his veins." She gave a half-hearted shrug.
Steam rose off her body in the air, as did Do'Karth. In fact, a curious smell caught her attention. She turned her nose, and pressed it into his fur, inhaling deepy. He didn't smell like a house-cat, that was certain. Instead, there was a strange musky scent about him, like the earth, but there was an underlying, heavier scent that she could not identify.
"When did you arrive here in Skyrim?" She asked.
The khajiit grinned. "'The Huntress?' Quite intimidating! You Nords do love your names. This one understands where you come from, but it sounds as if you've already proven yourself. It is hard to continue to earn a repuation if you are too stubborn to ask for help that could save you, no?" he said, helping Sevine adjust so she wouldn't have to favour her wounded leg. He quite enjoyed the tales of the battle, how Jorwen was as fierce as the firey hair that dominated his brow. He decided he would have loved to have seen Jorwen terrify the poor Imperial, the war itself must have been quite something incredible. He said as much. "Do'Karth would have liked to have seen the war, to see things change so much, but he thinks he would have not been welcome then. Even now, Do'Karth feels like an outsider, someone that is still resented for being khajiit. At least he doesn't have to sleep outside the city walls." he smiled sadly.
"Do'Karth has been in Skyrim less than a month, he more or less came up past Riften and headed straight for Windhelm. Do'Karth heard a company was looking for recruits, so he figured why not? Earn some coin and see the sights. It was never meant to be a long-term situation, just enough to generate some stories and experiences until something meaningful came along to distract this one." he replied.
"Oh yes, I could keep you entertained with the adventures I've been one. Particularly about how I got that name to begin with. I will admit, that it is rather hard for someone to keep living up to the expectations of an earned name, as people always expect you to be that for the rest of your life." There was a dark, and sad undertone in her voice, her thoughts reflected back to how others had recognized her after the war, it was still shocking to hear herself being called
The Huntress still. She was very proud when she had earned the name, but now looking back, she wasn't sure if it was something she wanted to carry anymore.
"I wouldn't let you sleep outside the walls, not with the Kamal's here, or even if they weren't. It's never made sense to me as to why your people have always been shunned. Surely the lot of you aren't all skooma addicts, and thieves." She commented, offering him a reassuring rub on the shoulder where her hand hung over.
When Do'Karth mentioned about wishing to be within Skyrim during the time of the war, Sevine shook her head, "Nay. Consider yourself lucky. It was a bloody, brutal war. Many lives were lost, many families torn apart. I know of a brother that was with my company, and his brother had joined the Imperial's. The lad ended up dying, thankfully not by his brother's hand, but he died nonetheless. Though, you're quite right about the stories, there are many stories now about the brave that fought on the side of the Stormcloak's. Just like Jorwen, and I, there are countless others that will be remembered for a very long time." She said behind a chuckle.
"You could always do what Do'Karth has done and just leave it all behind and find your own path again," he offered. "This one knows all too well how hard it is to live with certain expectations. Sometimes one just needs to wash their hands of it all and start anew. But Do'Karth is grateful; it is rare to meet someone such as yourself, an accepting and warm soul. Perhaps you should be running the hold." he chuckled, but his face grew serious. "The khajiit you often meet outside of the Kingdoms are... not welcome home. They do not represent the values of our people, and that is why so many are thieves, skooma addicts, assassins for hire, shady merchants... all manner of unpleasantries that do not belong in Anequina or Pelletine. This one understands why khajiit are widely distrusted and loathed; when you only see what is wrong with this one's people, how do you ever think there's good?"
As they turned the corner, Leif's house came into view. Surprisingly, it had gone unscathed in the siege so far, and even with the latest event of the riot, none had chosen to pillage the house. Sevine smiled even brighter at his words, especially at the mention of running the hold. "I think that is the very fork in the road I have come upon. After the war ended, I don't know what to do, or where to go. I find the idea of starting over... terrifying."
Even more surprising, Sevine learned from Do'Karth's revelations as to why many khajiit had left Elsweyr, they were not accepted. It made her question why Do'Karth had chosen to leave, or did he even have a choice? "Here, it's that house there." She pointed at the grey-stone house.
"If you've nothing to do, I'd like for you to come inside. I can whip up something for you to eat or drink." She offered, it was the least she could do, and they could continue their conversation in private as well. "Why did you leave?" Sevine asked, as she broke away from Do'Karth, and hobbled up the stairs to the door. Leif had given her the spare key to the house when she had come to stay with him, and gave her permission to stay there, as always, if she needed to. The iron key slid into the lock, and yielded, with a push of the door, it swung inward.
The khajiit grinned. "You will not find this one ever refusing food or drink when it is offered. Thank you."
It was a rather fetching house, and far larger than any Do'Karth had ever lived in. It seemed that the people in Windhelm, even in poor sections of town, lived rather well. He ran his fingers across the stonework as he crossed the threshold and found himself in a rather cozy set of accomodations.
"Starting over is always much more nerve wracking before you actually go and do it, and... well, this one hasn't told anyone why he left Anequina. Do'Karth tries not to think about it." he said, leaning his staff against the wall and wishing he had a towel to dry off with. He looked at Sevine, concern in his eyes. He was torn between wanting to tell this woman he barely knew and letting that part of him stay buried in the sands of time. "He made a mistake, and this one was not a good person in his younger years. It's why Do'Karth believes so strongly in mercy and second chances. After all, he was given just that, and has learned that sometimes people can change... if they have the opportunity."
Once inside, Sevine busied herself with readying the hearthfire, the coals were still warm, and it would not take long for a fire to catch. She then moved onto to the kitchen, listening to Do'Karth all the while. When she emerged from the kitchen, she came bearing a platter full of sweet rolls, fruit, goat cheese, and some bread rolls, Leif must have gone to the baker before they closed shop, he knew how much she liked sweets whether she wanted to admit it or not; along with a jug of mead, and two tankards hooked around her pinky finger. She set them down gingerly on the small table in front of the hearth, the fire had sprung to life and kindled quietly; oranges flames licking at the side of the freshly placed logs. Leif had a curious arrangement of furniture, as there were two padded chairs, and a long padded bench with a backrest, did he call it a couch?
Standing next to the growing fire, Sevine noted how wet Do'Karth appeared, for his fur was slick with rain. She smiled and cleared her throat, "Ah, let me fetch you a towel." Then she disappeared upstairs to the room she had used, Leif had kept a few, clean woollen towels in the armoire. When she came back downstairs, still hobbling on her gimp leg, Sevine handed over a towel to Do'Karth before taking a seat on the couch.
She wanted to ask him what mistake he had made, but she chose not to press the matter, instead, she asked, "Surely it was not a mistake that could not be forgiven in time?"
The khajiit had found a spot by the fire while he waited for his host to return. He accepted the towel with a smile and a nod. "Many thanks. This one is certain Leif would not wish to be plucking wet fur from his lodgings" he said, staring into the flames while he considered what she was asking. He shook his head sadly. "No, not for that. It is irreversable and time will not mend what had happened. A friend paid the price for Do'Karth's mistakes, and it should have been this one who died, not him." the khajiit sighed, his soul feeling like it was lined with lead.
As Do'Karth revealed to Sevine, the basis of what the mistake was, she could only wonder even more what had truly happened. She would ask no more on the matter, this was not the time. Instead, she pushed the plate towards him, and lifted the jug off the table. Honey-coloured liquid poured over the lip of the jug as she filled both tankards. Returning the jug to the table, Sevine took one of the tankards for herself, as well as a sweet roll. She took a sip, and bit into the roll, chewing and swallowing before she replied to what he had said. With some solid food in her stomach, Sevine felt better already.
"Whatever you did, I will not judge you. It is against my beliefs. I can only do so if you personally wrong me. However, there are things, perhaps just as dark, that I have done." She stared into the bottom of the tankard in her hand, and closed her eyes.
"There are only a few people that know the truth of how I got my name. In the war, there was a battle, a surprise attack from the Imperial's during the night. They had slaughtered our men on watch, and had set fire to the tents. I shared a tent with a Dunmer woman, and Leif was next to ours. We escaped without dying in the flames, and while we got caught up in the commotion, an Imperial rushed me. I didn't have a chance to reach for my axe, nor my bow. He cut me down, sliced into my hip, all the way to the midst of my calf. He spat on me, kicked me around with his steel boots, and tried to crush my throat in. I don't know what happened after that, or how I survived, Do'Karth, but the next time I woke up, Leif was sewing me up. He said the blade the Imperial used was tainted with poison. For the next few days, I drifted in, and out of consciousness, I dreamt of dark things, things that haunted me, that tormented me, all I could see in my dreams were of that Imperial's face, his eyes staring down at me, the sensation that I couldn't breathe, as I was reminded over, and over again the weight of his boot on my neck. I didn't know where I was half of the time. When I recovered, I burned with vengeance. All I wanted was to see that man suffer. So I left camp one night, and tracked him down like the animal he was, it took me two weeks to find him. After the attack, they had moved their camp to a different location, as they wanted to keep an eye on us, but far enough out of the way for us not to find them. I waited, and waited, for another three days until I discovered that man. I waited again, for him to leave the safety of his camp, and when he did, I caught him with his pants down, taking a shit." She paused in her story, eyes blazing something fierce as she looked up to the khajiit standing next to the bristling fire. Her hair had dried now from the considerable change in the atmosphere as the room filled with warmth, but her eyes were glossy with tears.
"I cut him down. I killed him with a head-shot, an arrow straight through the eye. Left him for dead. I went back to my own camp, and waited for us to move. By the time word got out, they had found my arrow, those Imperial's didn't know it, but our company knew. I always dyed my feathers green, so they would blend in with the surrouding environment, makes it harder for my prey to detect. I had killed an officer. To me, he was just a man. A man that I killed in cold-blood. For all I know, he could have had a family, with children that were waiting for him to come home. And I took his life, because I was angry. I haven't slept well ever since, and that was three years ago." With that, Sevine let out a shaky sigh, and set her cup down on the table in front of her. She stared at the floorboards between her feet before raising her head to look at Do'Karth, unsure of how he would react.
"That's how I became,
The Huntress. My deadly aim, and my perseverance to hunt down my targets like simple deer, never relenting in the search until I found the man that did this to me. I healed in time, at least the physical wounds did. I have no limp, or aching hip, thanks to Leif, but my heart feels cold, Do'Karth."
Do'Karth stared at Sevine, transfixed, taking in this outpouring of admission, a story of vegeance and pain that lingered so long after the fact. He understood perfectly; to Sevine's comrades, she simply had killed an officer and she had struck a blow to their ranks, but to her, it was a deeply personal score that had scarred her, and she felt guilty over it, no matter how justified. He crossed the floor towards her, setting his tankard down and taking a seat next to Sevine. He placed a hand on her arm, his eyes locking with hers.
"Thank you for sharing that, this one is unsure why you chose to open yourself to a man you hardly know, but Do'Karth is grateful for your trust. You are justified in your actions, and this one is sure you agree with that, but trust Do'Karth when he says he knows all too well how different it is to plan to kill someone, to play the slow game and be removed from the heat of the moment. For your comrades to have given you that name is just to be reminded of what he had done to you, and for that, this one is truly sorry." he said, squeezing gently as if to say,
you are not alone."Thank you Do'Karth. I... It feels good to tell someone for once, someone that understands." The squeeze on her arm felt reassuring, and even more oddly, comforting. Silent tears rolled down her face as a weight felt as if it had been lifted from her shoulders. She, herself, did not know why she had chosen Do'Karth. Perhaps it was the way he had spoke to her at Jorwen's, or even when she did not know him, when she had rounded that corner looking for Jorwen, and he had offered her his coat. He had shown her kindness when she had not asked for any. If anything, he certainly seemed wise beyond his years. From the way he sat next to her, Sevine felt as if Do'Karth had something to say for the expression on his face.
Do'Karth was quiet for a moment, eyes searching while he struggled to find words for his own deeds. "Do'Karth supposes that it is only appropriate he shares with you what he has told no other souls. Understand it is a part of him he wishes were gone forever, and he is not that khajiit anymore.
"Do'Karth was born to a family who worked for the Renrijra Krin, a criminal syndicate that dominates much of Anequina and Pelletine. It is an organization that dabbles its hands in everything illicit, from smuggling and thieving to murder. As it turned out, someone wanted the Mane dead. Do'Karth was to be the one to do it. This one was born as Dar'Turga, and he does not remember much of his family, other than he was treated as a business asset more than a son. Do'Karth's parents were arrested when he was a teenager, and he did not care. Others had raised this one more than they had, and been far less cruel. Without family ties, this one was ideal to use as a sleeper agent. It was an assignment, and identity, he took with pride." Do'Karth said, reaching for one of the dinner rolls. He manipulated it in his hands as he spoke.
"For years, Do'Karth, which was the name the Renrijra Krin gave me as the adopted identity this one would assume, trained to assassinate the Mane - the leader of all khajiit, and the symbolic figurehead of our people. This one was prepared, and he moved to Torval, where he lived for quite some time, and for the next two years, Do'Karth would join the city guard and befriend a court scribe named S'Razza, who initially was this one's source of inside information of the palace, the guards, and the Mane himself, not suspecting this one's purpose. Do'Karth grew to care for S'Razza, and after the assassination, this one was sure to miss him.
"The night came where Do'Karth received the symbolic dagger to act. Armed with a saber and djerids, a type of short javelins, this one moved on the palace and infiltrated the grounds with the intention of striking the Mane as he was carried down a long corridor on his palaquin. Do'Karth was undetected, a shadow. This one had the chance to strike, and when he moved, even the palace guards were caught off guard. This one tossed a djerid, and at that moment, S'Razza, seeing my movements, stepped in front to speak to the Mane. Do'Karth's weapon pieced him through the chest, and died to save the Mane. This one was stricken with horror, he had intented to kill the Mane, it did not occur to him he would end up taking the life of one he cared for. The guards fell upon me with blades, and most of the scars you see upon this one," he gestured to the long cut along the left side of his face, "Were from that night, where this one was cut down without mercy and dropped into a mass communal grave." Do'Karth said, biting into the dinner roll and chewing, his face visibly pained from the admission. "This one does not know how he survived, but something kept this one from succumbing to his wounds and Do'Karth managed to claw his way out of that grave and find some herbs to promote healing and patch himself up. Weeks of near death and agonizing pain and sickness threatened to kill him at any time, but this one survived, and he realized that it was a chance to start over, to leave that awful person behind and try to become someone S'Razza would have been proud to call a friend. And since then, Do'Karth has wandered with nowhere to call home."
Her eyes went wide half-way through his recollection as to how he fled his homeland. Of all things, Sevine would have never guessed him attemtping to assassinate the Mane, she understood him to be the leader of all khajiits based on Do'Karth's explanation. Yet, as she sat there listening, her eyes never wavered from his. Instead, in the back of her mind as she listened, the syndicate that his family worked for, Renrijra Krin were the ones to blame. Had the fates aligned differently, Do'Karth, perhaps, would have never been born under those circumstances. He could have led a normal life. Then again, if that had been the case, Sevine would have never met Do'Karth in these present circumstances. What proved more painful for Do'Karth to express, was killing his friend, S'Razza, when he had not been the intial target. Upon hearing this, Sevine returned a similar gesture Do'Karth had expressed to her, and reached for his hand, taking it into her own, stroking it tenderly as he continued on. His friend had died in place of the Mane, and Do'Karth had been maimed in return from the assault of the guards, and when they believed him dead, they chucked him into a mass grave to be left for dead. To her, it seemed that only the Divine's had granted Do'Karth a second-chance at life, she then came to the conclusion as to why he was untiring in the matter of showing mercy, and giving second-chances.
"I think, that your friend, S'Razza would be proud of the person you have become now Do'Karth. You are merciful in your ways, though I have not known you long, you are indeed, most kind to those in need. I also think, the Divine's gave you a second chance at life, it was not your time to go. You have been on a long path, one filled with pain, and anguish, seeking redemption for your actions." It was then, that Sevine leaned forward, and embraced her khajiit friend, pulling him close to her body. Together, they were two grieving beings, each filled with their own dark pain, each seeking redemption, seeking a way to restore the balance they had upset in their own worlds. For Do'Karth, it was becoming a better person, one that his friend would have appreciated, and Sevine, to accept her actions for killing a man in cold-blood, despite the current events of war, and to forgive herself.
Do'Karth squeezed Sevine's hand gently in his own. "Perhaps, it is what this one chooses to, needs to, believe. Very few people survive what Do'Karth have, and this one would like to think that perhaps even the gods can forgive. This is why this one refuses to kill, it would be like tearing a hole in my soul once more, and Do'Karth does not think it would heal a second time. It is much better to protect one's friends than kill them, no?" he was surprised by the sudden embrace, but he welcomed it with every fiber of his being. He had never received comfort like this from anyone before, and for once, he felt like he deserved something fortunate to happen for a change. Sevine was warm in ways Skyrim was not, and maybe home didn't have to mean a place, but who you choose to stay with. Perhaps, in each other's arms, they could find a peace that had eluded them, a harbour in a storm. "Thank you, Sevine." he said. "It means more than words could express to be able to finally speak those words this one feared to say for so long. You understand, like very few would."
When she released him from her embrace, Sevine only smiled, relieved that he had not shied away from her touch, nor shunned her for what she did. Raising her hand, she caressed his scar, the one that had come from the assassination attempt, her eyes searching his, not for answers, or questions, but to show reassurance. "Do'Karth, your secret is safe with me.You and I have both suffered from our deeds, actions that none may ever understand, I am glad to have found someone like you. I would be glad to call you my friend."
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