Skyrim Short Story - Dar'iit Origin

[Jaquiline]

Hey!

I've written a very short story about my current character Dar'iit, and how she ended up on that imperial cart. It's not suppose to be anything grand, just something I tempered with a while. The story has personal meaning to me, sense it displays a portion of my life, and it gives my character more meaning. I've actually written several of these, about different characters.  So I thought that maybe someone would like it, and if so, I might keep posting them. Also, please keep in mind that English is NOT my native language. I'm from Sweden, and I'm basically self-taught. Feel free to correct any mistakes and misspellings, and let me know if you like it. I also added a couple of pictures of Dar'iit, check those out too!

 

 

Dar'iit saw the caravan slowly disappear down the road. She held her hand up, half as a wave, half to keep the lowstanding sun out of her eyes. All to get that final glimpse of the cart. She felt as if her heart weighed tons. Ever sense she left Elsweyr years ago, she had never felt so loved as in the company of the other Khajiits on the caravan. Or even before that. She had spent her childhood in a hovel, being abused and violated by her father. Her mother had loved her though, and there was not a person on this earth Dar'iit loved more than her little sister Shey. Her throat dried up at the thought of her, and she quickly pushed the emotion away. She turned around, quietly walking back to the stables outside of Skingrad. The stablemaster had agreed to let her sleep in the hay, as long as she didn't disturb the horses. She snorted at the thought. Some people actually seemed to think she was a real cat. Next he would probably ask her to take care of the mice. That thought made her smile, as she curled up in the hay. At least it was warm. The stable was filled with horses, chewing loudly, and it kept the cold away. Any other person might still have thought it was chilly, but she had her thick brown fur. It had saved her life many times. She felt the sleep creeping up on her, and embraced it.

 

Dar'iit filled her cupped hand with the clear water from the small stream, and felt its cold against her lips. It was still chilly outside, and the frost desperately held on to the grass. But it was going to be a beautiful day, and she was going out hunting. She was tired as always. It was nothing unusual, she had nightmares every night. Normally it was about that night she left home. Her father had gone out with his friends, and she knew it wasn't going to be fun when he came home. Her mother tried to keep Dar'iit and Shey occupied and distracted all night. She read them stories, and even though Dar'iit was way to old for that, she enjoyed seeing her sister smile. It didn't happen all to often. When the sky slowly started to light up, and she could hear the birds awaken from their slumber, her father came home. Both her sister and mother was asleep, and she too closed her eyes. Maybe he was too tired. It was pretty late. She felt the tension in her eyelids as she tried to look like she was sleeping. Suddenly she heard a loud crash in the other room. He had probably stumbled on his own tail, and fallen. It pretty much happened every time he came home late and intoxicated. She felt her grip around her little sister tighten. She was so small. Dar'iit didn't care much about her own skin, and always did everything she could to shield her sister from the blows. She was glad that Shey wasn't yet old enough to know the rest, and at the same time she realized how twisted that was. Her hope was that maybe she could get her sister out of there in time. Her father came storming in the room, and she heard the sound of a bottle crashing against the wall behind them. She pressed her eyes together, and tried to cover Shey with the own body.

 

Dar'iit suddenly realized she was staring into the shallow water, and tried her best to snap out of it. She didn't want to think of that night. She usually didn't. But her friends leaving had made her feel empty once again. When she crossed the border into Cyrodiil months ago she had almost stumbled upon the caravan. They took her in, seeing her as one of them, even though they were different. She was Dagi-Raht, and they were Suthay- Raht. But in a foreign land they were all the same. She accepted, but told herself she wasn't going to stay long. Only until they reached the capital. And then maybe a bit more. She ended up deciding to escort the caravan all the way to the border to Skyrim. That's where they were going. Appariently the business there would be good, beacuse of the civil war. And even if Dar'iit after all this time saw these people as her family, she didn't want to go to Skyrim. And now it was to late, she knew that. The caravan was long gone, and even if she went to Skyrim now, how would she track them down? No, she would just have to forget, and start the new life she wanted in Skingrad. It was a beautiful city after all, and the people seemed nice enough. Suddenly her sharp eyes fell on a deer some distance away. She immediately sunk to the ground, half sneaking, half crawling towards it. She made sure the wind was blowing the right way, so the animal wouldn't catch her sent. She was at a disadvantage when she was hunting. Even if deer could distinguish the human sent, and fled from it, they were always more perceptive to the sent of predators. Dar'iit had both. But on the other hand, her sensitive nose could do almost the same thing. The deer smelled of dirt, musk and blood. It was a highly pleasing smell. She sneaked closer, behind the cover of some thick foliage, and kept her bow ready with an arrow resting against the soft wood. Suddenly she heard the sound of men laughing. So did her prey. It quickly raised its head from the grass, flipped its ears, and then took off into the woods. Dar'iit didn't have enough time. If she would have anticipated it, she could have killed it. But now she was taken by surprise, and her attention was caught. The sound came from a spot in the woods not far from her location. She spotted a fire softly glimmering between the trees. She moved closer, quieter than ever, and soon looked out over a camp. A small group of men was gathered around it. They had blue uniforms, and was drinking heavily. Soldiers. All but one laughed and sang, and the other man just sat quietly. Staring into the flames. She watched him for a second, and then turned her attention to the rest of the group. When she soon turned her gaze back at the man, he was gone. With a growing feeling of distrust she scouted the camp with her sharp eyes. He was not there. Suddenly she heard a small twig breaking behind her. She turned around, and let out a hissing sound as a warning. Too late. A hand grabbed her over the mouth, and the other kept both her arms behind her back. The man had to struggle a bit to keep her under control as they entered the small clearing. The other soldiers looked up. Their faces all had the exact same expression. First shock, than mistrust, and finally amusement. The quiet man handed her over to another, and then once again took his place by the fire, continuing to stare at it like if nothing had happened.

 

For weeks they travelled together. The surroundings became more snowy, and Dar'iit realized they were going to cross the border into Skyrim. She probably wouldn't be surprised, sense the men obviously were Nords. Even though she was a prisoner, held against her will and beaten, she felt excited. Now she didn't have to make the decision herself. She was going to Skyrim. Hopefully the caravan wouldn't be too hard to find. But as they came closer to the border, Dar'iits doubts grew. She no longer thought she was going to survive. The men abused her, and most nights she was sure she was going to pass away in her sleep. Why would they keep her with them for this long, and just let her go when they reached their destination? They would probably beat her until she died, or leave her for dead in to snow, either for the cold to have her or the wolves. For every passing day, she became more and more accepting of her fate. She didn't care anymore. She wasn't even angry, and she had no hope of escaping. She knew it all too well. For all her life she had stayed at home, because she knew nothing else. And even if she had had a taste of freedom now, old habits die hard. It was alomst as if she felt more comfortable having her life in someone elses hands. She wasn't afraid anymore. Her senses went numb, and she felt nothing but a wish to die.

 

The very night before reaching the border something snapped inside of Dar'iit. She had been beaten, and raped as usual, and now she lay in the snow. The soldiers had all passed out around the campfire. She had listened to their drunken laughter all night, and in some twisted way it made her feel warm inside. Even though they treated her like this, they treated each other like trusting comrades. They all probably all had loved ones waiting back home. Nothing was entirely evil, and the world would go on without her. These men would live, without having to suffer her fate, and that made her pleased. Later Dar'iit would realize how out of her mind she was. How it was easier to accept her horrible fate, than to fight. How it was easier to almost imagine this was her doing, and not their fault. She had no more room in her heart for hatred. But even so, that final night she cried bitter tears. Her head throbbed, and she had a black eye that crippled her vision. Her stomach was empty, and she was pretty sure a finger was  broken. She knew this was the night. She could feel it in her heart. The fire was to far away to give her any warmth, and the snow against herm fur made her feel numb. Thinking this was it, she let it all out. All the black memories, all the pain. Bitter tears fell that night. Dar'iit never cried growing up, and yet now she did. She always had to act strong for her little sister. But now she was gone. Their father had been hitting Dar'iit in a moment of blind rage, and her little sister had run in between them. Trying to protect her. Dar'iit remembered the smash as Shey hit the wall. She could still hear that horrifying noise of a skull cracking. She had immediately rushed to her sisters side, and her father had, with a shocked look on his face, let her go. The whole night she sat there, with her dead sisters head resting in her lap. Crying. Praying for her sisters soul. Cursing her fathers name. Petting her hair. Kissing her cheak. Shaking her shoulders in rage. Crying. The next day she was gone. There was nothing keeping her there, and even though she didn't want to leave her mother behind, she did. She didn't want to be reminded of Shey. She was going to lock up her emotions in a small box at the bottom of her heart, and never mourn again. And even though she had had dreams, she hadn't cried. Until this night. Now she allowed every memory to wash over her, as she curled up in the snow. Every punch, every touch. Every harsh word from her father, and every calming one from her mother. Every stroke she had dealt to her sisters soft hair, trying to tell her everything was all right. It was all there, like crystal clear paintings underneath her eyelids. She sound of her sister skull cracking echoed in her head. Oh, the sound! She desperately pressed her palms against her ears, trying to make it stop. She didn't know how many times she had wished she was dead, but never as strong as now. It was then he came. The quiet soldier. She seemed to recall his name being Ralof. He brought a skin of water, and a bowl of cold stew. Dar'iit just watched him, and made no effort to move. She saw sadness in his eyes, even though he was the one who had done this to her. Or maybe that was where the sadness came from. She realized how she must look. Bloody, naked and curled up. Tears still running down her cheeks. Trampled in the snow. But it didn't matter to her. This was her death, and he was just and interference. So she close her eyes, tried to ignore the smell that rose from the bowl, and hoped he would go away. For her the alternative of living no longer existed. It might have, but not anymore. Not now when she had let all the images press through her barrier, and finally begin to mourn. She couldn't possibly go back to living now, not as she did. Dar'iit felt a thick fur being draped over her, and she could hear the man sitting down next to her. No, no, no! Let me have the cold, she though. Let me feel numb. As she got warmer she cursed herself for thinking of such things. She didn't want to die. Even if she had no hope, and death didn't scare her, she still didn't want to die. Not deep down. And now as it looked like she might not, she thought she would regret letting out her feelings, who had been buried so deep for so long. But she didn't. She had to recognize her past. She had to accept it, and she had to let go. She might even have to forgive. How else would she be able to live? This was the last thought to cross her mind, before she drifted into sleep. It wasn't the cold, hopeless sleep she had gotten used to, but a hopeful one. The last thing she felt was Ralofs hand carefully stroking her hair. Even though she would still hate him and the other soldiers for many years to come, he had saved her life. That moment, despite what she had been feeling not minutes ago, nothing meant more to her.  

 

 

 

//Jaquiline