The Nord and the Four-Eared Khajiit, About 20 years after Martin's death, as crimes are spreading, a No Options

[sford564]

Okay, I already posted this on fanfiction.net, but I've revised it a little now. Soooo... here it is. It starts out a little dark and gets lighter as it goes.


Chapter 1: Fulfilling a Promise

The Nord made his way through the forest toward the traveling entertainers’ carts. There were all sorts of low lives of every race in this little gathering. Some of the scum wanted to see the bear baiting or to bet on the pit fights. Others wanted to buy slaves. Others still came to have sex with or buy some of the kidnapped girls the travelers had with them.

Sure, slavery was illegal, but it didn’t matter as long as you didn’t get caught. After Emperor Martin’s sacrifice, everyone’s attention was focused on cleaning their world up again from the Oblivion scum and rebuilding it again. Then, when things began to settle down, the talk of the new emperor exploded into several skirmishes, until most citizens didn’t care who ruled, as long as the deaths stopped. Now that the new High Chancellor took over rule, things were peaceful again for the moment. Alas, though, with all the strife that had taken place, the High Chancellor didn’t have enough time or man power to take care of every problem across the land, which meant that slavers began to rise up here and there in various parts of the world.


The Nord shivered a little and pulled the cloak further over his head so that no one could see him as he rode up to the camp. He had promised the dying Khajiit that he’d find her daughter, but he never expected to find her in a place like this. Still, though, he didn’t have as hard a time finding her as he had expected. It seemed that the sight of the four-eared half breed Khajiit made a lot of stir in every town she was brought to.

As soon as he entered the camp, he was surrounded by a group of dangerous looking men. “I’m looking for a Khajiit half-breed. Four ears,” he informed them.

“We have nothing like that here,” one of the men told him, not liking the looks of the Nord.

“Ahhh, so you’re the one asking around, are you?” another asked.

“What do you want, stranger?”

“I want to buy her,” the Nord answered.

“She’s not for sale!”

“She will be,” the Nord assured, slipping off his horse next to them. The vagabonds backed away a little, as the Nord towered over most of them. “Take me to her,” he demanded. No one moved.

The Nord slipped off his hood, and everyone backed away even more, horrified. There was no real face on the Nord; instead, there were two black eyes and two ears in a mass of scarred and torn flesh. He looked inhuman enough to be one of the Oblivion spawns he had hunted many years ago.

“Now,” the Nord growled. The group instantly spilt away from him and one vagabond, too scared to disobey, made his way through camp – nearly running to get away from the Nord – to where the Four-eared Khajiit was locked.

There was a small group of laughing, jeering people in front of the cage. They didn’t even notice as the Nord walked behind them.

This post has been edited by sford564: Sep 5 2010, 07:12 AM

[sford564]

Okay, this chapter is more fluff than anything else, but I wanted to show more of them together. The idea was actually inspired by a picture I saw a long time ago of an actor who was strong enough to let the actress he had just starred with sit on and stand on his arm... I always thought that was cool...

haute ecole rider: Thanks. I’m glad you liked the part explaining his scars. I figured I had to explain those, but I wanted him to be able to tell the story. It would be easier for him to talk about something so traumatic to Mara, because she also went through episodes of hardships and torture in her life. Also, I thought that if he actually did tell her, it would be something that would help her understand and like him more.
Remko, thanks. I fear poor Mara is always going to have her feral Khajiit moments.
mALX, hehe, I’m glad you like Four Ears. She’s the most unusual character I’ve ever written..but my favorite.


Chapter 15: Playing in the Snow

Falkreath was a cold and barren looking place. To the Nord, this hard land and way of life seemed just fine – he was used to hardships and he loved the solitude. Also, it was in his blood to be immune to such low temperatures. His thick skin and many furs kept him warm and happy, but the poor thin-skinned, petite Bosmer-Khajiit couldn’t stand the cold.

She wore her two dresses over her pants and shirt, and then wore her cloak, his cloak, and an extra shirt of his, but she still shivered uncontrollably.

“Mara cold,” she cried.

“It’s Skyrim.”

“It’s cold.”

“No, it’s Skyrim.”

“Skyrim cold. Mara hate Skyrim. Sun hate Skyrim. Run from Skyrim.”

The Nord just laughed.

“Mara cold!” she cried again.

“Then maybe you should walk – it will make you warm.”

“Mara no want to walk,” she whined. “Mara get colder. Get snow in feet. Freeze legs. Then Mara freeze – die in cold.”

The Nord sighed. “Hold on for a second,” he told her. He climbed onto the horse beside her and, wrapping her up in his arms, told her, “Here this will keep you warmer.”

They rode on like that for the next few days and nights. Mara slept in the Nord’s arms whenever she was tired, and, even if she wasn’t sleeping, she usual was in his arms to keep her little body warm. She hated all the snow, so when she wasn’t riding on the horse or sleeping in his arms, she would climb onto his back so that he could carry her through it.

It soon became a great source of entertainment for her during the long cold days to bother him. She’d pull and tug on his hair until he became mightily annoyed. She’d blow on his ears and even occasionally lick them just to make him holler at her. She’d laugh so hard that she’d nearly fall off him. Every time she became too restless, he’d drop her into the snow and then stop her from getting onto the horse. She’d jump and cringe and whine so much that she’d soon promise not to bother him again as long as he got her out of the horrible snow. He did, of course, but it would be no more than thirty minutes later that she started more trouble.


One time when he had knocked her into the snow, she jumped up immediately and grabbed onto his arm, lifting herself off the ground. He threw his arm to side hoping to knock her off, but she not only managed to stay on, but also to climb up onto it.

He would have tossed her into the snow again, if she had not declared with excitement that he was able to hold her up with his arm.

“Of course,” he told her. “You’re really small, but I’m afraid –”

“No!” she cried. “Mara see how long Nord keep on arm.” She giggled a little and bounced up and down to see if his arm would give out under her weight. It did not. He walked along, his arm extended and the little Four-eared Khajiit sitting on it, laughing.

“Mara see if can kneel on arm. No drop Mara,” she told him. Leaning her body against his neck for support, she carefully knelt down on his arm. Giggling with glee, she bounced up and down on his outstretched arm.

“Mara stand!” she told him. Once again using the Nord, who sighed profusely but smiled secretly, to keep herself balanced, she stood on his arm. If she was not a very agile, careful creature, she would have fallen as he trudged through the thick snow. But she was very careful and was soon standing on his outstretched arm.

“Haha! Mara fly! Mara fly!” she cried, waving her arms about. She was so excited that she lost balance and fell. Squealing, she quickly jumped up and climbed onto the Nord’s back.

“Nasty snow! Go in Mara’s shirt.”

“Well then maybe Mara shouldn’t play around.”

“Nord really strong. Hold Mara on one arm. Nord hold Mara on hand?”

“Probably, but you’d have to stay really still.”

“Mara stay still if Nord lift up in one hand.”

“Okay then, get off.”

“What?! No!”

“Get off,” he instructed pushing her off with his shoulders.

Turning around toward her, he put his hand in front of her to let her know she couldn’t climb on him. Squatting in the snow, he had her stand on his knees. “Feet together,” He instructed. “That’s right. On this leg. Okay, now stand on my hand. I’m going to lift you – stay completely still.”

Her two little feet stood perfectly still on his open palm and he slowly lifted his hand off his knees and out to the side.

“Oh! Oh!” Mara cried with delight.

“Careful. Stay still.” He slowly rose from his knees.

Mara was completely delighted. Realizing that she wasn’t going to be able to stay still as she was too excited, she jumped off his hand and quickly climbed onto him, clinging to his neck as she kissed his face all over.

“Nord strong!” she declared. “And handsome. Handsome and strong.”

The Nord pushed away from her. “Don’t lie,” he instructed. “And get off.”

Mara just shook her head and continued to kiss him. The Nord lifted her off him and put her back on the horse. “We need to keep going,” he told her.

“Why?”

“Your mother is waiting for you.”

This put Mara in a more serious mood, but she still looked over longingly at the Nord – who tried to avoid her gaze – and later had him carry her on his outstretched arm, much to her delight.

This post has been edited by sford564: Oct 8 2010, 08:08 PM