The Swords of the Betrayed

It was odd. She had been alone for so long, that it was odd having someone there with her. Not just someone, two someones. Both welcomed her with open arms, but neither invaded her privacy. It was odd in a good way.
“Can I call you Thae?” He had asked her. Nicknames are for friends, not strangers. These people were not her friends. To her, they were only providers of food and shelter. But she secretly liked it.
The two talked so freely, as if not one had more or less to say than the other. The man, Alodon was who he introduced himself to be, laughed a lot. It was a strange laugh; loud and hearty, with a volume to it that wasn't typically found in laughs around Skyrim. The girl, however, was quieter. Her laugh was small and short. Her voice so soft it had to be carried by the wind in order for anyone to hear what she was saying.
Thaenaen purposefully walked behind them; scared to be forced into awkward conversation. They were leading her back to their camp. She had many questions, but decided to remain silent. Quiet and calm, her mother had always said. Quiet and calm.
“Welcome to the guild’s camp,” Alodon waved his hands around to get her attention on the small shelter. It was nothing much: two tents, a fire, and a couple of horses tied up. Certainly it could not have been a camp for a guild. Much too small. “Make yourself at home.” Thaenaen walked around.
“You call yourself a guild, but there are only two people?” She couldn’t help herself. There were too many questions. What was this? Why did they offer her protection? A spot in their guild? All they knew about her was a name, how could they be sure it was even her name? There was no way to know if they could trust her, but they did, and that perplexed her.
“We’re a new thing. You know, even the Dark Brotherhood had a beginning.” Thaenaen didn’t like the way Alodon talked to her like a child. She knew more than he probably did.
“What do you call yourselves? If I may ask.” Dreamgutta gave her an odd look, and Thaenaen just waited for someone's hand to come hard across her face. This was all so odd.
“We are the Swords of the Betrayed.” Dreamgutta answered, eyes shining with pride at this thing she and Alodon had created. “You are one of us now, Thae. You are a Sword.”
“Thank you Dreamgutta,” she bowed her head to the orc. “And thank you, Alodon. I will not fail you.” She spoke in a hushed tone. Alodon burst out laughing.
“God, don't be so serious!” His voice wheezed out between the laughter, and his body slumped as he threw himself onto the ground. He was such an odd man.
“Ignore him.” Dreamgutta advised her. Thaenaen couldn’t help but stare at the young man, rolling on the ground like there was no tomorrow. “And call me Dee. Most people do.” Dee carried herself in a way that when she was trying to be friendly, she seemed to be giving orders. It was something Thaenaen was used to, taking orders, and she enjoyed having a piece of her normal life coming with her on this new adventure. Dee walked over and pulled Alodon up from the ground. He took a moment to catch his breath.
“Call me Al, if you want to.” Alodon’s voice was surprisingly even. Thaenaen was terrified. So many nicknames. So many signs of friendship. Friends are people you trust. Could she trust these people?
“I wish to retire to my tent, if I may… Al.” It seemed to dawn on Al just at that moment that Thaenaen was not messing around when she spoke. That the way she worded everything was cautionary. That she spoke like a servant.
“Of course. I’ll, uh, show you to your tent.” His whole persona changed in a second. He went from joking to serious. From happy to confused. In the darkness, Thaenaen followed more by the sound of his heavy footsteps. The walk to the tent seemed to take forever, when it had only been a few seconds. “Here you are, home sweet home. Dee and I will sleep in the other tent, so you feel more comfortable. If you need anything, don’t be afraid to come and ask us. Um… Goodnight.”
Without a thought, Thaenaen attacked him with a hug. The whole day seemed to finally catch up with her. The wolves, the instant welcome, the feeling of being home. Al had taken her in without question. She could finally sleep without the fear of freezing to death before morning comes. Food would never be a problem again.
“Thank you, Alodon.” She muttered against his shoulder. This man was her savior. Without him, she probably would have died alone in the wild. The thought of sleeping on a roll up bed was the force to pull her from Al, and into the tent for the night.

Waking up the next morning was a bit terrifying, if she had to admit it. The lack of air hitting her face was one thing, but the fact that Alodon was crouched down poking her side was a whole new situation for Thae (she had decided she liked the nickname). She felt like screaming at him or punching him, but she did not want to screw this up.
“Good Morning Sleepyhead.” Al stood up and smiled at her, offering a hand to help her up. Thae stared at it as she raised herself from the ground, unsmiling. Al dropped his hand and shook his head, laughing at the girl. “Okay then…”
“Never wake me up again.” The air of the tent had changed from awkward to friendly the minute Thae opened her mouth. Seeing how Al and Dee spoke, Thae thought it would be fun to join in on the joking and bantering. “Or I will punch you.” Al smiled the biggest smile Thae had ever seen on a person.
“I just thought you’d want to know that someone’s here to see you.” Thae turned, looking at the door of the tent. Furrowing her eyebrows she walked outside, brushing past the tent flaps. When she stepped out the sun blinded her for a moment, and she shook her head, still not awake. When her vision cleared, there was a large dog. Thae stepped forward, bending to the dog's level. She found that it was not a large dog, but a small wolf.
She reached out her hand to the wolf, and the canine eagerly placed his head in it, expecting her to pet him. Laughing, Thae looked at the wolf, wondering why he came to her. Then she saw it. On the wolves left back leg was a large gash, bleeding down his leg. Thae slowly pet the wolf's neck ,then back, trying to get closer to the wound. Upon further inspection she saw that it wasn't very deep, but the wolf was probably left behind because of it. He was small, the runt most likely. Used as a shield because he wasn't as important to the pack, then left behind because of his wounds.
“Al, hand me some bandages please,” She frantically asked, holding her hand out for him to place them in. Immediately after she got them, she wrapped the cut with little fuss from the wolf. When she was done she sat back on her heels, looking at the overly happy wolf. Thae stood and took some stew when Dream handed it to her, sitting on a log near the fire. The wolf stood up and limped over to her, sitting by her feet.
“Hey Thae, I think your little friend wants some food. Want me to give him a bowl?” Alodon asked. When the elf nodded he scooped some meat from the stew into a bowl and handed it to her. Thae looked at the wolf before putting the bowl near her on the ground. The wolf looked between her and the bowl, making sure it was ok for him to eat it. When he decided it was ok he quickly ate all of the food offered to him. Then he layed back down at her feet, the perfect, obedient runt.
“I guess we’ve got a new member of the guild.” Dee laughed quietly. Thae took a moment to look over the two of them. Such an odd pair, an orc and a human. They acted like siblings, but obviously did not grow up with the same lifestyle. Dee was muscular, tall, and serious. She was quieter than Al, and her personality did not boom quite as much as his did. Al was very handsome, Thae noted, but he was also at least five years older than her. He was crazy; she did not think he had ever heard the words inside voices.
“Speaking of new members,” Al lead them over to a pile of logs he had set up for a fire, and a few logs set down to sit on. “Why don’t we get to know our little Thae?” Thae slowly sat down, keeping her eyes low. What would she tell them? That she had been sold as a slave as a child? That ever since she’s been on her own? She wouldn’t tell them anything. “What’s your story?”
“I do not have one.” She lied. Stay quiet, blend in. Survive.