#also hello i created skaldir myself and i already fucking hate him

[friend-of-giants]

● WIP Wednesday ●

A little late to the party, but here I am! I've been tagged by @vervayyn @theoneandonlysemla and @elavoria. Going to tag @sheirukitriesfandom @umbracirrus @juniperberries-canisroot @pocket-vvardvark and YOU, yes you reading this! If you want to be tagged in future posts, just let me know!

I'm taking a little break from writing my main fic and have been working on my bandit backstory stuff. Same universe, as it follows my dragonborn Wren through her early years. This has actually been a nice change of pace from working on Ascent, and hopefully it'll give me some extra motivation when I go back to it.

Fair warning, this snippet does include a lot of foul language and mild physical harm to a child. Read at your own risk.

The door to Tarrick’s chambers flew open and struck the stone walls with a crack that killed the peaceful silence of the afternoon, startling the chieftain from his midday nap.  

“Knock!”  A surge of furious heat spread across Tarrick’s cheeks as he bolted up from his bed.  “How many fucking times do I have to tell you to knock before barging in here?  Do it one more time and-”  

The threat died in his throat as he laid eyes upon who had disturbed him.  Skaldir, his good for nothing right-hand man, stood proudly in the doorway, a malicious grin gleaming from behind his thick beard and a grunting, wriggling bundle draped over his left shoulder.  

“My sincerest apologies,” Skaldir drawled with thick sarcasm, then rapped on the doorframe with his free hand.  “There, I knocked, happy now?”

“Skal, what in the blazes do you want, and what…”  He made an exasperated gesture to the hostage, “what is that?”

“A thievin’ little bitch,” Skaldir replied, then aimed his next words at the captive.  “Ain’t ya?  Thought you could get away with stealin’ from me?  Girl, you got a world o’ hurt comin’ your way.”  Before he even finished speaking, he dropped his shoulder and let her fall.  She landed on the old bearhide rug with an audible whump and a muffled cry.  

Tarrick glanced down at the girl, who appeared to be a young Dunmer.  Her wrists and ankles were bound, and a length of cloth had been wrapped around her head and tucked into her mouth to silence her.  Like a trapped animal, she struggled and growled viciously, though it was doing her no good. 

“Was on my way back with Joli and Leon.  I stepped off the road to take a shit, no more'n finished wiping my arse and turned around and I caught this little bitch diggin’ through my knapsack!  I was gonna cut her damn hands off but Joli wouldn’t let me.  Said it ain’t right to do that to a child.”  The word fell from his lips like it was something rotten.  “Women and their soft fuckin’ hearts.”

"It isn't right," Tarrick agreed, anger darkening his voice.  "We already have a bad enough reputation being brigands, you think I want us to be known as child butchers, too?  You dumb shit, you should have just let her go!"

"She was stealin' my cheese an' jerky, Tarrick, nobody, nobody-" Skaldir gave the girl a rough nudge with the toe of his boot, "-takes food from me and gets away with it!"

"This is a godsdamned kid.  She looks…"  Tarrick glanced down at the girl to truly get a look at her.  Her dark hair was woven into two long, unkempt braids, with countless strands hanging loose and bits of grass and leaves tangled into them.  Her clothing was ragged and filthy, her flesh bruised, like she'd been dragged from one end of the hold to the other.  Two crimson eyes glared up at both himself and Skaldir with a blistering rage behind them.  A shiver rushed up his spine and he felt a fleeting sense of primal terror; there was something eerily bestial about her gaze. 

"...She looks like she's seen better days," he finally concluded.  "We're setting her free, Skal.  I'll take her to the road and send her on her way."