Jerund Rashi Kine
Member
This ff is based off of a mod created by Zazemel called Drow Race BETA. The drow are a very interesting race to play as, and even more so as a drow child. To learn more, check out the mod at SkyrimNexus
Disclaimer: Drow Race BETA mod is Zazemel's thing. I don't own it. Yadayada...
Now for the story.
Ralof awoke and looked at his fellow prisoners. Jarl Ulfric was bound in the same wagon as him, which both despaired Ralof and gave him pride. There was a man he knew to be a horse thief right next to him. And across was one of the strangest sights he'd ever seen.
The little one appeared to be a girl-child elf, but he couldn't tell what sort she was. Her skin was grey like a dunmer, but her irises were golden surrounded by black choroids. Her ears strangely stuck straight out, very different from most elves, and her hair was pure white to where it reflected the streams of sunlight almost blindingly. She blinked sleepiness from her eyes and yawned.
"Are we almost there yet? I'm starting to feel hungry."
Ralof didn't like elves all that much, but the Empire had certainly sunk to a new low if they were planning on executing a child. And he knew that that was just where they were headed. Had it have been anyone else, they wouldn't have cared as much, but with Ulfric in tow, they would certainly faced the headsman's block.
"Poor child," Ralof whispered before changing the subject in order to try and comfort the little elf.
Melanchol Followed everyone else off the cart and nibbled at her binds. She wasn't all too sure as to why she was tied up. And she had no idea what was going on at the moment. It was only a week ago that she had been sent out to learn about the world, and she hadn't learned much other than the fact that the sun was annoying and most animals with teeth bite. Now she had her hands tied up and some mean lady was yelling at her.
"Prisoner, cease that!"
"But I'm hungry! And these things are tight! Where's the inn at? I want some soup!"
"Be quiet and stay in line!"
A man read off names and had the other people join in a new crowd near a strange man with a big axe. Melanchol loved how the axe looked and wanted one for herself. She really like axes, almost as much as she liked hammers. But right now what she really wanted was some soup and to get these stupid things off of her wrists.
"Argh!"
She looked up and saw that the horse thief Lorick had tried to run and now had arrows in him.
"Should have serpentined," she mumbled.
"You there. Step forward," the man said. Melanchol did so and looked up at him. "Who are you?"
"Melanchol. I'm a drow. You look like a nord. Why are you with Imperials if you're a nord? Why's that Imperial lady so mean? When do I get supper?"
The man seemed to shake off her questions and wrote something down. "So I'm guessing that you're an orphan then? Captain, what do we do? She's not on the list."
"She goes to the block, same as the others."
"But she's only-"
"To the block soldier. That's an order."
"By your orders, captain." The man sighed. "I'm sorry. I'll make sure you're given a proper burial. You'd best follow the captain, Melanchol."
"Burial?"
Melanchol was trying to figure out what he meant as she followed the woman over to the group and took her place between two large nord men.
"Can you believe it?"
"Damn Imperials! Not even elf children are safe with them."
"You think the Thalmor would have tried something. They're too busy trying to kill Talos worshipers to save even their young."
Melanchol looked around the scene, trying to figure out what all of this was for. Suddenly a roar came from the distance and caught everyone's attention for a moment. They decided to ignore it and a priestess became chanting. Melanchol had no idea what she was talking about, but a nord apparently didn't like it much as he interrupted her and stood in front of a wood block in front of the axe man.
"Come on! I haven't got all morning!"
"Me neither," she mumbled.
The captain pushed the man down and kept a foot on his back as the axe man lifted up his heavy blade and brought it down on his neck. Melanchol jumped at the sight and blinked a few times.
"Wait, that means he's..."
The capatain kicked the decapitated corpse away and Melanchol saw the exposed bone and reed flesh as blood poured from the neck and made a crimson puddle.
"Next up, the little elf!"
A louder roar sounded.
"There it is again. Did you hear it?"
"I said next prisoner."
A guard shoved her forward from the crowd and made her stumble. Suddenly, citizens took notice of her.
"Is that an elf?"
"She's just a little girl!"
"What's the Empire thinking?"
"Captain," the general yelled, "what's the meaning of this?!"
"A murderer sir. Don't let her young looks fool you, she's dangerous. I saw her kill two men with her bare hands myself."
"Well, continue then, but make sure people know about that."
Melanchol was pulled up and pushed down like the man before her had been. She felt the warm blood on her cheek and saw the headsman standing over her. A tear escaped her eye as she came to realize this was the end.
"Mother, father, sister, brother, I leave this world now. Good-bye."
She shut her eyes and waited for the inevitable pain that would cease her life. As she thought for sure she could feel the man bringing the axe up, the general yelled aloud.
"What in Oblivion is that?!"
"Dragon!"
Melanchol opened her eyes to see the headsman stumbling with a dragon on the tower right next to them. It looked almost directly at her, it eyes seemingly gazing into her soul. Its mouth then opened and she could feel force and heat blow her away from the block and land her face first in the dirt.
Everything after became a blur that all ran togther. Someone had pulled her away to safety, and now she was inside a tower with Ralof and Ulfric. They were talking about the dragon, but Melanchol wasn't paying them any heed. The bonds on her wrists were getting on her nerves again and she had started gnawing on them. Ralof turned and tapped her on the shoulder.
"We need to go!"
"I've got to get these off!"
"In a moment. I'll be able to find a blade once we reach safety."
"But this place..."
The tower rattled and a loose stone the size of a chicken fell and hit a man on the head.
"Let's go!"
The two ran up the stairs towards the top. Melanchol stopped as she heard the flapping of giant wings outside.
"Wait!"
The wall burst open and the dragon stuck his head through.
"Yol!"
Fire bust from the dragon's mouth and set an unfortunate blue-clad soldier ablaze. It withdrew just as quickly as it had burst in and flew off to find targets elsewhere.
"Yol?" Melachol said with familiarity. "Yol? What is yol? I'm thinking hot, but..."
"Quickly, jump over to the roof of that inn?"
"What about you?"
"We'll be fine. Just go!"
Melachol lept from the tower and landed on the exposed top floor of the inn. Struggling to not trip over with her bound hands, she got out of the burning inn and ran into Imperial soldiers trying to keep the dragon at bay. The nord who had read out the list was there, trying to help a boy to safety. He recognized Melanchol immediately and went up to her.
"You're with me prisoner. Stay close."
Melanchol was in no place to argue. She had no idea where she was headed at this point. At least this man was from this country. She followed him through the ruined streets as he led the way through towards the keep. More than once she had to watch as someone was burnt alive or caught by the dragon and tossed through the air like a child's doll. Her heart was about to explode from her chest by the time they made it to the keep.
"Ralof, you damned traitor! Out of my way!"
"You're not stopping us this time Hadvar."
Melanchol stopped as she realized they were going to different entrances.
"Oh gods!"
The feeling of hot flames at her back compelled her to make a quicker decision. She decided to keep going like she had been and followed Hadvar.
Disclaimer: Drow Race BETA mod is Zazemel's thing. I don't own it. Yadayada...
Now for the story.
Ralof awoke and looked at his fellow prisoners. Jarl Ulfric was bound in the same wagon as him, which both despaired Ralof and gave him pride. There was a man he knew to be a horse thief right next to him. And across was one of the strangest sights he'd ever seen.
The little one appeared to be a girl-child elf, but he couldn't tell what sort she was. Her skin was grey like a dunmer, but her irises were golden surrounded by black choroids. Her ears strangely stuck straight out, very different from most elves, and her hair was pure white to where it reflected the streams of sunlight almost blindingly. She blinked sleepiness from her eyes and yawned.
"Are we almost there yet? I'm starting to feel hungry."
Ralof didn't like elves all that much, but the Empire had certainly sunk to a new low if they were planning on executing a child. And he knew that that was just where they were headed. Had it have been anyone else, they wouldn't have cared as much, but with Ulfric in tow, they would certainly faced the headsman's block.
"Poor child," Ralof whispered before changing the subject in order to try and comfort the little elf.
Melanchol Followed everyone else off the cart and nibbled at her binds. She wasn't all too sure as to why she was tied up. And she had no idea what was going on at the moment. It was only a week ago that she had been sent out to learn about the world, and she hadn't learned much other than the fact that the sun was annoying and most animals with teeth bite. Now she had her hands tied up and some mean lady was yelling at her.
"Prisoner, cease that!"
"But I'm hungry! And these things are tight! Where's the inn at? I want some soup!"
"Be quiet and stay in line!"
A man read off names and had the other people join in a new crowd near a strange man with a big axe. Melanchol loved how the axe looked and wanted one for herself. She really like axes, almost as much as she liked hammers. But right now what she really wanted was some soup and to get these stupid things off of her wrists.
"Argh!"
She looked up and saw that the horse thief Lorick had tried to run and now had arrows in him.
"Should have serpentined," she mumbled.
"You there. Step forward," the man said. Melanchol did so and looked up at him. "Who are you?"
"Melanchol. I'm a drow. You look like a nord. Why are you with Imperials if you're a nord? Why's that Imperial lady so mean? When do I get supper?"
The man seemed to shake off her questions and wrote something down. "So I'm guessing that you're an orphan then? Captain, what do we do? She's not on the list."
"She goes to the block, same as the others."
"But she's only-"
"To the block soldier. That's an order."
"By your orders, captain." The man sighed. "I'm sorry. I'll make sure you're given a proper burial. You'd best follow the captain, Melanchol."
"Burial?"
Melanchol was trying to figure out what he meant as she followed the woman over to the group and took her place between two large nord men.
"Can you believe it?"
"Damn Imperials! Not even elf children are safe with them."
"You think the Thalmor would have tried something. They're too busy trying to kill Talos worshipers to save even their young."
Melanchol looked around the scene, trying to figure out what all of this was for. Suddenly a roar came from the distance and caught everyone's attention for a moment. They decided to ignore it and a priestess became chanting. Melanchol had no idea what she was talking about, but a nord apparently didn't like it much as he interrupted her and stood in front of a wood block in front of the axe man.
"Come on! I haven't got all morning!"
"Me neither," she mumbled.
The captain pushed the man down and kept a foot on his back as the axe man lifted up his heavy blade and brought it down on his neck. Melanchol jumped at the sight and blinked a few times.
"Wait, that means he's..."
The capatain kicked the decapitated corpse away and Melanchol saw the exposed bone and reed flesh as blood poured from the neck and made a crimson puddle.
"Next up, the little elf!"
A louder roar sounded.
"There it is again. Did you hear it?"
"I said next prisoner."
A guard shoved her forward from the crowd and made her stumble. Suddenly, citizens took notice of her.
"Is that an elf?"
"She's just a little girl!"
"What's the Empire thinking?"
"Captain," the general yelled, "what's the meaning of this?!"
"A murderer sir. Don't let her young looks fool you, she's dangerous. I saw her kill two men with her bare hands myself."
"Well, continue then, but make sure people know about that."
Melanchol was pulled up and pushed down like the man before her had been. She felt the warm blood on her cheek and saw the headsman standing over her. A tear escaped her eye as she came to realize this was the end.
"Mother, father, sister, brother, I leave this world now. Good-bye."
She shut her eyes and waited for the inevitable pain that would cease her life. As she thought for sure she could feel the man bringing the axe up, the general yelled aloud.
"What in Oblivion is that?!"
"Dragon!"
Melanchol opened her eyes to see the headsman stumbling with a dragon on the tower right next to them. It looked almost directly at her, it eyes seemingly gazing into her soul. Its mouth then opened and she could feel force and heat blow her away from the block and land her face first in the dirt.
Everything after became a blur that all ran togther. Someone had pulled her away to safety, and now she was inside a tower with Ralof and Ulfric. They were talking about the dragon, but Melanchol wasn't paying them any heed. The bonds on her wrists were getting on her nerves again and she had started gnawing on them. Ralof turned and tapped her on the shoulder.
"We need to go!"
"I've got to get these off!"
"In a moment. I'll be able to find a blade once we reach safety."
"But this place..."
The tower rattled and a loose stone the size of a chicken fell and hit a man on the head.
"Let's go!"
The two ran up the stairs towards the top. Melanchol stopped as she heard the flapping of giant wings outside.
"Wait!"
The wall burst open and the dragon stuck his head through.
"Yol!"
Fire bust from the dragon's mouth and set an unfortunate blue-clad soldier ablaze. It withdrew just as quickly as it had burst in and flew off to find targets elsewhere.
"Yol?" Melachol said with familiarity. "Yol? What is yol? I'm thinking hot, but..."
"Quickly, jump over to the roof of that inn?"
"What about you?"
"We'll be fine. Just go!"
Melachol lept from the tower and landed on the exposed top floor of the inn. Struggling to not trip over with her bound hands, she got out of the burning inn and ran into Imperial soldiers trying to keep the dragon at bay. The nord who had read out the list was there, trying to help a boy to safety. He recognized Melanchol immediately and went up to her.
"You're with me prisoner. Stay close."
Melanchol was in no place to argue. She had no idea where she was headed at this point. At least this man was from this country. She followed him through the ruined streets as he led the way through towards the keep. More than once she had to watch as someone was burnt alive or caught by the dragon and tossed through the air like a child's doll. Her heart was about to explode from her chest by the time they made it to the keep.
"Ralof, you damned traitor! Out of my way!"
"You're not stopping us this time Hadvar."
Melanchol stopped as she realized they were going to different entrances.
"Oh gods!"
The feeling of hot flames at her back compelled her to make a quicker decision. She decided to keep going like she had been and followed Hadvar.