(Rated K for Mild Perril and Some Intense Situations)
"It's not exactly normal to see such a young Dark Elf like yourself traveling so far from home. Why did you leave Morrowind?" A Nord asked.
The female Elf stared at the pounding waves below the deck of the ship. She was silent for a while, but then spoke up. "It was a-I had a bad time", she said mistily.
The Nord nodded, "I won't ask you anymore questions...Oh, my name is Hrongeir. What's yours? After all, you're the only female on this ship", he said. The Dark Elf finally looked up at the Nord, with eyes the color of silver clouds. "....Vahl...My name is Vahl".
The Nord smiled. "The Elves have such lovely names". They both stood there on the deck, looking at the crashing water. Vahl knew where she was going. She was going to the wonderful land of gold and blood; Skyrim. The Nord finally gave his regards and walked away, going into the captain's cabin. Vahl looked around at the other crew members. One of them had a jade cloth robe on. Another, a Argonian who she knew went by the name of Jenii, walked in a white shirt with a brown Mammoth hide belt. Vahl looked down at her own attire; A ragged shirt and short, stained leggings.
She longed for clothes. She wanted to be equal to the other people. The other races. She was shunned by her own kind when she was in her fine youth. Bullied...Beat up...
Why couldn't she be the same? Maybe the people of Tamriel will be accepting. It's all she had left.
She was about to go ask the captain how far away the shore was until she heard a big crack below her feet. Startled, she jumped. The crashing sound had become a tearing, choppy sound.
All around the boat. This couldn't be normal. Very, very, very not normal.
"WE'VE GOT A TEAR! STARBOARD!", a High Elf cried. Another large cracking sound, followed by a strong rumble below Vahl. She ran over to the edge of the ship. Sure enough, a large rock had dug and tore a giant hole in the boat. She was about cry for help, even thought many Nords were trying to cover up the hole with a giant sheet, until the boat rocked hard. Vahl fell to the deck, water suddenly rushing in at all sides of the ship. She started to panic. She was now dizzy from the fall, trying to regain her balance. The Nord, Hrongeir, grabbed her from behind. "We've got to get out of-", he began, but then, a large splash of cold water jumped unto the deck, washing him off of Vahl. She screamed. The crumbling sounds were all around her, and more waves washed up on the deck. Looking around for cover, she ran around the wet deck, water now up to her ankles. The boat rocked, and it started to tilt. Vahl, suddenly sliding down the boat, tried to swim back up, even though impossible. She tumbled down the now vertical boat, like a water slide. She rolled down, getting close to the bottom of the deck. As hard as she could, she tried to land on it with her legs. Sadly, a wave crashed into her, making her flip upside down in the slide. She hit her head against the end of the boat. The last thing she heard was the water surrounding her. It went black.
She woke up with a start, floating in the water. Her lungs felt like water-filled bags. She had the worst headache she ever had in her life. It felt like an explosion had went off in her head. She looked around, trying to find her way around. But the boat had been completly turned upside down, wood surrounding her. She looked around, floating in the cold salty water. A small opening was visable right to the left of her. She moaned with pain and swam out of it. She was free from the upside down ship. She found a nearby floating piece of driftwood and held on to it, looking up at the wrecked boat. She started to cry. Her chances of having a good life had disappeared. She licked her lips only to find that it tasted salty. She realized it was ocean water. She also realized that she had plenty of that water in her mouth. She gagged and spit it out.
She swam over to the wall of the boat, climbing up to the top...Or what used to be the bottom. Standing up slowly, she scanned the ever-crashing water for any survivors. She saw plenty of bodies. Dead. All of them. Even her Nord friend, Hrongier. The argonian too, as well as the High Elf. Dead...all of them...Dead.., Vahl thought. She felt sick and turned away quickly. She looked around more, until she saw, in the distance, a shore. Shore with a city. Dawnstar. Suddenly feeling a vibe of what seemed to be triumph, she stood taller. Her hunched back became an arched back. She wiped away the tears. She held her chin up high, eyes closed. She felt the sea air against her pale skin.
I am Vahl, she thought. I cannot be held back by a shipwreck and a terrible past. I don't have to die. I can survive. No, I won't survive...I'll live. Me, Vahl, living out there with the Nords and the Orcs and-Well, everyone. If they reject me, so be it. I can be an outcast. I don't care if it happens again. I didn't come her to thrive in a land where the races bow to me, even if someday it might happen...No, I want to live. Live a life where I can be free. Explore. Avenge the death, punish the killers. Welcome the new, pray with the old. Oh, I'll be the best one out there...Even if I can't live more than a day out there, Hell, I'll do it. I don't have to perish this way. I can choose my fate. This is my choice. I have chosen my path. Now all I can do is follow it. A Dark Elf and her dream. I am Vahl. I will live. She looked up at the sky, breathing in air that suddenly tasted like honey. She looked back at the land. She started running across the ship, only a few words determining what will happen;