Frigid winds whipped past Vera Addley, snow blinded her. She could hardly make out a few feet in front of her. She tread upon a broken stone road, one that was unfamiliar to her. The last time she remembered, London didn’t have roads like this, or even Liverpool for that matter. As she tried to recall how she ended up here, a light in the distance caught her attention. She changed her direction, light meant something. It meant warmth, food, and
people. In circumstances like this, she would have avoided heading directly for the light, but in her situation, lost and caught in a blizzard, she really didn’t have a choice.
’Shay, where are you?’ She wondered, her eyes burning with tears. The last thing she did remember, was that she had fallen asleep next to him that night, the warmth of his body surrounded her, until she woke up in a snow drift. In London, it was midsummer, so for it to be snowing like this made her confused.
With arms trembling, numb with cold, she pounded her fists upon the door to a stone cabin. The sound of merriment ongoing inside lulled her into the sense that perhaps these people would help her, instead of cutting out her tongue. Or worse. Just then, the door swung inward, revealing a frighteningly tall woman with a mane of fiery hair. Both gazed at one another in surprise. At the mystery woman’s hip, there gleamed the blade of axe. Her hand darted to it, curling around the wooden shaft.
“Who are
you?” Her accent was unlike anything Vera had ever heard.
“I’m Vera Addley. Please, I need your help. I’m lost, and I have no idea where I am.” She returned, taking a step forward to come into the light. The red-haired woman eyed her with apparent suspicion, yet she stepped aside, and gestured for her to enter.
Once inside, Vera headed straight for a stone fireplace where she warmed her hands. When she turned to warm her backside, she noticed several faces seated around a hewn wooden table that shocked her. There was a man with long sandy-brown hair, dressed as if he were a knight, and a blonde woman that sat in his lap. While across from them, was the one that drew her attention the most. There was an oversized cat, who looked to be a mountain lion of some sort. Forcing the door shut against the howling winds, the red-haired woman came to stand before her, eyes sweeping over her.
“Where do you hail? You are dressed like no one I’ve seen. Are you from the Imperial City?” She asked, hands planted firmly on her hips.
“Imperial City?” Vera returned, the name of this place sounded unlike anything she had ever heard. “Is that where I am now?”
“No,” Here she chuckled, “You are in Skyrim. Falkreath Hold to be exact. So if you are not from the Imperial City, where do you come from?”
“I’m from London, England.” Vera said.
“London, England? Never heard of the place.” She said with a shrug of her shoulders. “What are you doing out in a blizzard dressed like that?” Here, the woman gestured to her clothes, giving her reason to look down at her own body. Sure enough, she had fallen asleep in her clothes, something that happened from time to time when she partook of her pipe. A black pleated skirt, with a button-down blouse, stockings and a pair of her Mary-Janes, and a cloche upon her head.
“I… I can’t say for certain. The last thing I remember is falling asleep, and when I woke up, I found myself here, in the middle of a blizzard.”
“Ah, sounds like the work of the Daedra.” Commented the man.
“This one would not doubt that indeed, the Daedra have had a hand to play in this.” When the cat-person spoke, her eyes widened.
“You can speak?” She asked, hoping that she really didn’t hear him speak.
“Yes, this one speaks.” His voice sounded like marmalade, thick with an accent, and honeyed.
“Allow me to introduce ourselves.” The woman that had let her in gestured with an open hand towards the cat-person/man-thing, “This is Do’Karth, my husband. And this is Leif Raven-Stone, with his wife Ilona. They come from Solitude.”
“Pardon me… you said that you are married to… Do’Karth? To a cat…?”
A flash of anger burst in the woman’s eyes at Vera’s words, “Watch your words, woman. Or I’ll carve your liver out.” Her hand curled around the axe at her hip.
“I’m terribly sorry! It’s just… ah… we don’t have his kind where I’m from.”
“You do not have Khajiit in this, London?” Do’Karth asked.
“No. Only humans.”
“What a strange place!” Exclaimed the blonde woman named Ilona, her arms were encircled around the man’s neck.
’I could say the same about this place,’ Vera mused bitterly. This felt like a bad dream she was never going to wake up from.
“Hmph.” The woman grumbled, and then stuck out her hand for Vera to shake, “I am Sevine Varg-t’uk. You might as well join us, we just sat down for supper.” With that, those seated around the table made room for Vera to join them.
It was now that Vera took in the welcoming scents of dinner, to be certain, the slab of a goat leg sitting on a wooden platter made her raise a brow. That was an entire leg of a goat… were they going to eat it? There were other normal looking foods, such as apples, and leeks. There were several rolls of bread in a basket. Her gaze shifted around the room, hands folded neatly in her lap, lest she cause offense. She landed on the curious sight of herbs drying over the fireplace, along with a pair of pheasants hung upside-down.
“Here you are, goat leg, bread, and a bowl of venison stew.” Sevine, as she called herself, set a plate and bowl down before her. To be frank, the food smelt normal, something that her mother would have cooked.
“Ah… Sevine? What year is it here?” She asked after a mouthful of stew.
“Why it is 207CE. What year did you expect?”
207CE? Does this mean that I’ve gone back in time? No… Not once in my studies have I learned of a place called Sky-Rim or this Imperial City. Have I crossed into some multi-dimensional world?’ Vera thought, her eyes fixated on the stew. “Where I am from, it is June 3rd, 1920.”
“As I’ve said before, it’s the work of the Daedra. It sounds like Vaermina is having a hand in this.” Leif said with a disapproving grunt.
“You’ve mentioned that before, what exactly are the Daedra?”
“While the subject is lengthy, in short, Daedra, specifically, the Daedric Princes are powerful entities, much like a god of sorts. There are over seventeen known Princes, and each one affects our world in a profound way. Each Prince has their own realm the rule over, as such, Vaermina is the Daedric Prince of dreams and nightmares. I wouldn’t be surprised if Vaermina had something to do with your appearance. Though, to be frank, I’ve never heard of anyone coming from another realm entirely.” Leif offered up. To Vera, he looked to be a swarthy pirate, though his mix of leather and steel armor contradicted that notion. With all of this talk of Daedric Princes, and some being called Vaermina, her head began to ache in confusion. She wanted nothing more than to wake up, and find herself in Shay’s arms.
“Tell us, Vera Addley, what do you do in London?” Sevine asked, pointing a three pronged fork at her.
“Oh well… I am apart of a syndicate, an organization that helps distribute the wealth from the rich to the poor.” She said carefully, did they have gangs in Sky-Rim?
“Are you a bandit by any means then?”
“Ah, no, well yes, but not quite so.” Oh boy, how could she explain this one to them.
“It sounds an awful lot like the Thieves Guild.” Grumbled Ilona. They certainly had odd accents, and odd names. It reminded her of
Beowulf and the names in the epic poem.
“I’m not sure what this
Thieves Guild is, but it sounds close to what we do.” Her face turned crimson, praying inwardly at the idea that she would not be cast out in the blizzard.
“Sometimes, people make bad choices.” Sevine began, “But all are not evil. Why, I have a friend, Rozalia, she is a thief, but a close friend of mine. While I do not enjoy the fact that she has chosen such a path, I cannot help but love her, as Mara, has taught me to do.”
“Mara? Is this that a woman? A teacher of yours?”
“Nay, she is the Goddess of Love. An Aedra, opposite of the Daedra.” There is little that Sevine could say that would make any sense to Vera at this point in time.
When the meal concluded, Sevine suggested that Vera stay the night, and cleared a space in front of the fireplace. She laid down several animal pelts, and then placed a woollen quilt over top. “You should get some rest.” The woman beside her said. Vera didn’t need to be told twice. She prayed that when she laid her head down to rest, that she would wake up next to Shay again. Sleep came quickly, taking her as soon as she closed her eyes.
Morning Familiar scents filled her nose, and slowly, her eyes opened one by one. There staring back at her, was Shay Alden. “Good morning my love.” He crooned, and leaned forward to kiss her on the lips.
“Oh Shay!” She cried after pulling away from him, “I had the strangest dream.” She threw her arms about his neck, and rested her cheek on the warm flesh of his chest.
