Kaayan winced a bit in pain when his mother dabbed him on the arm, which had a nasty gash in it. His mother heard him give off a bit of a tense gasp, and simply said, "You know, if you didn't keep getting into trouble with the Hiertan boy, this wouldn't have happened."

Kaayan shook his head. "I'm so sick of him, mother!" he said in frustration and anger. "What does he want with me? Almost ten years! I never did anything to him to warrant this kind of treatment! This has been going on for so long now, and-"

"Son, I don't like the boy anymore than you do, and no one wishes him to stop more than I do. You're my son, and I love you. But you're not helping the situation. This is the third fight this month you've gotten into with him. Kaayan, you're 14. In two years, you'll be adult age. Do you know what will happen to you if you get into brawls like that in public at that age? You'll be jailed. Son, your father and I can barely afford to get by. If you get yourself imprisoned, we wouldn't be able to help you, and gods only know how they treat those prisoners."

Kaayan breathed in and exhaled, clenching a fist before just relaxing it. In the recent years, he'd finally snapped. The first fight he'd gotten in with his childhood bully, Hiertan, gave Hiertan a few deep scrapes across his face, and a nose which was almost broken. Kaayan's first fight was one Kaayan couldn't forget. Such strange sensations had run through his body. A will to dominate. I want to make him suffer. Had his father not pulled him off immediately, Kaayan might have straight up killed Hiertan. Kaayan was disciplined by his parents for the fight, but not too severely. His parents were very much aware that Hiertan had been troubling their son for years. He had it coming to him.

Hiertan however took the liberty of pulling some strings and making life a little rough for Kaayan's family. Some words that were likely twisted and not entirely true were said, and Hiertan's father made sure that Kaayan's father Jeelius was docked some pay for about a month. Kaayan didn't care. He'd sneak some fish out of the dock fish barrels or straight up catch his own in the lake, as he'd become quite a swimmer, and an expert in catching the local fish that swam there. He still occasionally did it to help feed his family, though his family didn't always like the idea of him venturing into the depths of the lake alone. Yeah, Kaayan couldn't exactly drown, but the depths still offered plenty of hazards from slaughterfish, to extreme cold. Argonians were adapted to survive in water, and Kaayan had ventured to the bottom of the lake many times, with no problems. That didn't keep his parents from worrying.

Kaayan would have hoped that the beating that he gave Hiertan would have finally given Hiertan the lesson to leave Kaayan alone. Far from it. It wasn't too long before the harassment resumed. Fights were common between Hiertan and Kaayan, and it only seemed to fuel Hiertan's want to push Kaayan even further. Kaayan didn't understand his thought process. There were times he'd tried to make peace. Hiertan just wouldn't have it. "I'm just so sick of this..." Kaayan said, as his mother finished wrapping his arm in a bandage.

"Son, you are growing fast, and are beginning to understand that the world isn't always kind to us. Many see us as nothing but lowlifes. Criminals. We are enslaved, treated unfair, even if we've never done wrong. Son...there are many things in this world that I've learned in ways I hope you never have to learn. Perhaps one day we will talk about that. But for now, you need to understand that getting into fight after fight with that boy will not do anything. It will only cause you pain in the future. It will take you on a path you don't want to go on."

Kaayan was beginning to relax, and he just sat forward in his chair. "I understand mother...but...there are just times...I can't help it. I hear what he says to me, hear him laughing, feel his hands against me...and I want to just rip his throat out..."

Meerana seemed rather surprised at the wording of that sentence. "I'm going to assume that you didn't get such thoughts from me or your father. You weren't raised in such a manner. Kaayan...I've done all I can to raise you the best I could-"

"Mother, I love you, and you've done nothing wrong in raising me." Kaayan said interrupting.

"Then why do you think or act on such thoughts?"

Kaayan shook his head, rubbing it slightly. "I don't know...it just...it comes out of nowhere."

At that moment, the door to the shack opened, and Jeelius came in with a bit of an exhausted look. Meerana looked up to her husband with a bit of concern. "Dearest? You're home later than usual. Something wrong?"

Jeelius sank into the nearest chair and sighed. "There's a lot of commotion down at the docks right now. One of the recent ships that has come in apparently had a robbery. A captain is missing nearly 800 Septims. And he's blaming some of the dock workers...including me."

Kaayan heard his father's words, and he suddenly couldn't help but wonder if there was only one accusation...aimed at his father. Was that the case? Did the captain see his father as nothing more than a crook?

"Well...well what did you tell them?" Meerana asked.

"What could I tell them?" Jeelius asked. "Meerana...I love my family, and I will do what I need to do to make sure they can live-"

Meerana gasped. "Jeelius! You didn't honestly steal from this man, did you?!" she asked in shock. Kaayan looked up to his father as the words left his mother's mouth.

Jeelius however looked to her and replied, "What? Absolutely not. Love, I will do what it takes to keep my family comfortable, but as wonderful as 800 Septims would sound...I'm not headstrong enough to even think of attempting such a robbery. I'm surprised it was done at all."

Meerana looked at him, for a moment. "Jeelius, are you being honest?"

"Love...I cannot lie to you." Jeelius replied.

Meerana nodded, and said, "Okay then...I guess we'll take this one day at a time."

Jeelius then looked to Kaayan, and noticed the bandages and a few cuts on his son's face, which reflected in the evening fire. He sighed, and stood up, walking over to him. "Son...what happened today?"

"Why bother asking?" Kaayan responded.

"Damn it, Kaayan!" Jeelius said in frustration, "How many bruises and cuts are you going to endure before you get it through your head that-"

"Father, I've already gotten the 'stop fighting' rant from mother, so don't even bother with it." Kaayan replied annoyed.

"Don't interrupt me when I'm speaking to you, this nonsense has gone on long enough! I cannot go without a week it seems now without hearing of you most recent fight with the Hiertan boy. And it's going to stop now!"

"Well father, I've been wanting it to stop since I was seven! And it hasn't!" Kaayan said standing up. "I can't go a day it seems without Hiertan mocking us simply because of our social classes, and poor life! And I will not just sit and take it anymore!"

"Son, no one knows of our difficulties in society in this family more than I! I'm the one working to get supper on the table! I'm the one working dawn until dusk to provide for my family-"

"And it's not enough anymore, father!" Kaayan shouted. "I've had to catch fish at the bottom of that lake to help feed us-"

"You're more than welcome to do that, and more than welcome to help your father at the docks son-" Meerana said, trying to calm both of them down.

"Meerana, I'll handle this!" Jeelius said. "You've gotten a taste of what I have to go through in order to help this family, Kaayan! I'd hope you would respect that a bit more than what you seem to right now!"

"Yeah, well until things start to...ah forget this!" Kaayan said walking towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jeelius asked. "I'm not through talking to you about this!"

"Yeah, well, I'm done talking about it!" Kaayan replied, before opening the door and slamming it shut.

Jeelius was about to follow his son out the door, but Meerana stopped him. "Jeelius! Please! Calm yourself..."

Jeelius hesitated, but eventually sighed and sat down, coaxed by Meerana. "What is wrong with that boy?"

"Jeelius, there's nothing wrong with him, he's our son. He's troubled. This lifestyle is hard for him."

"We never taught him a way of violence. I've seen him fight Hiertan. In his prime...it's almost like he's a completely different person. I don't understand it."

"Jeelius...I'm worried about him too, but this isn't the way to address it. There's got to be some way of getting too the heart of the matter without this kind of approach."

"Meerana, nothing else has worked." Jeelius said.

"It won't work if you continue to lose patience with him." Meerana replied. "Please, I know we can get him to understand."

Jeelius took a breath in and sighed. "What did you make for supper?"

Kaayan was unsure how many hours had passed, but it wasn't long before he found himself once more entering the shack he called home. His mood and demeanor were silent. His head was hung in shame. The room was dark, except for a dying fireplace. He sighed. His mind was in a dozen places. He wanted to talk with his father. Almost as soon as he'd left the house he was regretting so many things he was saying. He loved his father. He had no right to talk in the ways he had. And-

"Son, come sit." his father's voice said calmly.

Kaayan jumped in surprise. He looked to the fire, and he saw his father's silhouette sitting by the dying firepit. Kaayan took a breath in and exhaled, calming his mind. This was what he wanted. To talk...and he was ready to accept any consequences that might be coming his way. He took his seat slowly, before saying, "Father, I-"

"Son...you don't need to speak right now. I need to tell you that I shouldn't have snapped as I did at you."

"No father, you're fine. I-"

"No son, it's not fine. We're a family, you're my son, and I love you, and I should not have jumped to the conclusions that I did without listening to you. You're my son, Kaayan, and you've done many things that have made me proud. Proud to be your father. You're a son I wouldn't trade for anything else in life. You are one of the biggest reasons I do what I can to provide for our family, and the fact that you've done what you have to help this family should only make me prouder."

"That's what I was thinking of father..." Kaayan replied. "While I was out, I was thinking to myself of what had been said...and I think it's time that I helped more. I want to join you on the docks, father." Kaayan replied.

"You want to work at the docks?" Jeelius asked. "Son, are...are you sure? I am happy you say you want to help us, but remember who works there. There are many who do not treat Argonians too well. You won't be given any special treatment just because you're younger."

"I don't care." Kaayan said. "If it will do anything to help us, I will do what needs to be done."

Jeelius breathed in and put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Then I would be happy to take you when you want."

"Tomorrow?" Kaayan asked.

Jeelius cocked his head at the suggestion. "Well...that seems rather sudden, but perhaps we can make it work. But if you're going to join me in the morning, you'd best get some rest. The morning work will come earlier than what you're used to waking up to."

After a moment, the two stood up and embraced. Kaayan felt relieved to say what he wanted to say, and he was happy his father would let have him work at the docks. After all that had been said an d done in the past few days, Kaayan really felt lucky to have such a family. And for the first time in a while, he wasn't even thinking about or concerned about anything Hiertan might try and pull.

"How you feeling, son?" Keelius asked, as Kaayan continued to unload crates and boxes from the ship he had been assigned to.

Kaayan laid the crate on top of a nearby barrel with a sigh. "Do you get used to this, father?" he asked, showing signs of tiredness.

Jeelius chuckled a bit and rubbed his son's shoulder. "You'll be sore for a while, but you get the hang of it in time."

"I certainly hope so. I feel like I'm the youngest one here." Kaayan said, taking a seat on a nearby barrel.

"You are." Jeelius replied. "However, many others your age wouldn't be safe working here. It may not look like it, but many of these dock workers cannot swim. I'm not lying when I say you are indeed part of a proud race. Not many creatures on this world can go into the depths, and walk the lands as you can. You may be a simple dock worker now, son, but-"

"Get down!" a voice shouted. Kaayan and Jeelius immediately looked over to see one of the dock workers fall to the ground. An arrow was stuck in his chest, and he wasn't moving.

Jeelius widened his eyes. "What in Oblivion...?"

An arrow narrowly missed Jeelius's head and he ducked down bringing Kaayan to the ground with him. All over the place, arrows flew into certain select workers. Many fell into the water,but each one fell dead. Kaayan couldn't even begin to comprehend what was happening. "Father, what's going on?!" he asked.

"I don't know, son. Stay low!"The arrows ceased to fly for a moment, and there was a commotion beginning to gather at the docks as Imperial guards ran to the area. No one was absolutely sure what was going on, but after a moment, Jeelius looked up from their cover. "Son...I want you to go home immediately." Jeelius said.

"What? Father-"

"Don't argue with me on this, son!" Jeelius said, Standing himself and Kaayan up. "I don't know what's going on, but this has never happened before. And I don't want you getting-" Jeelius never finished his sentence as a long black arrow went straight into his upper chest from the back. Jeelius' eyes widened before he fell to the ground.

Kaayan saw his father fall, and immediately fell down to it's side.

"Father!" He looked around. Guards were beginning to clear the area of surviving workers, and escort them away to safety, while they worked to clean up any of the now dead workers. Kaayan called out, "Help! Help please!" As he held the limp body of his father in his hands, which were getting warm as a dark crimson blood oozed over them. "Father, please! You can't die!" Kaayan said as tears began to pour from his eyes.

Jeelius said nothing. He didn't move. As Imperial guards finally made their way over to Kaayan, and forcefully parted him from the body of his father, Kaayan let it out. All emotion. Everything. This was a nightmare. It couldn't be real. His father was just...gone...

Kaayan sat on the docks that evening. Completely alone. And he didn't want to be bothered. The day had been very long. Too long. The murder of his father had hit his mother very hard, and there was still little known about it. Though from what the survivors could piece together, it seemed as if someone had contacted some organization called the Dark Brotherhood to attack certain workers at the dock. It seemed to be the most mentioned theory that day.

Kaayan didn't know what or who the Dark Brotherhood were, but he stayed out of such conversation. He just couldn't get his mind off it. His father had been killed right before his eyes, and the image wouldn't leave his mind. Kaayan wasn't even sure if he could work the docks anytime soon with this sort of trauma...

"What are you doing out so late?" a voice asked rather mocking.

Kaayan shut his eyes and clenched a fist. "Hiertan...go away. Tonight is not the night you wanna bother me."

"And what night is ever a good night? What's stopping you from coming over and just teaching me a lesson like you try to do so many times?"

Kaayan stood up, and turned to face Hiertan on the docks. "Hiertan, I'm warning you. You are fueling a fire you don't want to get out of control right now. You have absolutely no idea what I've gone through today, and you don't want to be on the receiving end of it!"

"What, did the lizard have a hard day at work? Or did the commotion I heard about scare you?"

Kaayan said nothing as Hiertan dared to walk closer. Hiertan apparently had heard about what had happened today at the dock, but Kaayan was unsure if he knew to what extent. Did he know that he had lost his father? Or did he even care? "You know what would get you to man up a bit? Just lay one on me as you always do. Or are you getting tired of it? Or maybe you're getting in trouble with your family? Get a grip."

Kaayan said nothing still as Hiertan continued to mock him, and just seemingly come up with some of the most repetitive insults that Kaayan had heard him say over and over again. Degrading the Argonian race, making fun of his family's wealth, Kaayan was nearing a breaking point. "Hiertan...shut up before you say something you regret."

"You've yet to make me regret anything I've said. Nothing you've ever done has stopped this, and I'm not sure anything will. You bend to the will of your family. If you really wanna teach me a lesson, then do it! Forget everything you've been told! Or are you going to be as weak as you've been for the past ten years?"

Kaayan shouted and delivered a punch to the side of Hiertan's face. A punch that he'd been wanting to deliver for a long time. A punch that felt strong enough to dislocate a bone or two. Hiertan immediately fell to the ground, almost in shock at the punch. He began to roll to get up and protect himself, but Kaayan didn't even let him get up. Both his fists went down onto Hiertan's back. "You want a beating? I'll give you a beating that will make you regret even thinking of messing with me!" Kaayan's foot went into the the stomach of Hiertan. But Kaayan didn't seem satisfied just beating up Hiertan, helpless on the dock, so he grabbed him by the back of the shirt, and hoisted him up with some strength that he didn't even know he had, and dragged the dazed body over to a couple barrels. He hoisted Hiertan up to lean him against the barrels, though not before letting his head bang against the sides of them.

Kaayan beat Hiertan's face, he beat it again, slashing with his claws at his abdomen and face. Hiertan tried to say something, but Kaayan wouldn't let him. Maybe he was finally starting to learn that Kaayan wouldn't take this anymore. Any attempts that Hiertan made to block Kaayan's attacks, or attempts he made to attack Kaayan himself were clumsy and Kaayan just continued his beatdown. Nothing seemed like it was enough! But after one more blow to the face, Kaayan just grabbed him by the shirt, and tossed the limp body into the dark water below with a splash. The body sank beneath the surface, small air bubbles rising as the body sank further.

"You asked for it! You remember that!" Kaayan shouted, before turning to head home. No one had witnessed his beatdown of the boy, and he didn't care if they did or not. But after three steps, he stopped. He felt a literal presence leave him. His anger, his lust for domination, conquest, it was gone. And suddenly, he couldn't stop thinking about his father, and how his father might have thought had he seen this. For all he knew, his father had seen it in this world or the next. Kaayan didn't want to do what his heart was telling him to do, he knew that if he did, things would get worse...but then again...doing nothing would be bad too. Kaayan turned back after a shout of frustration, and ran off the dock, diving into the water.

He didn't know why he was doing this completely. Yes, it was the right thing to do, but why did he care when this boy had made his life a living hell? Why did he care when for all he knew it might have been too late to get this boy? He didn't know.

It didn't take long to locate the unconscious body of Hiertan. Kaayan grunted a bit as he grabbed the shirt of Hiertan, and slowly ascended to the surface. Kaayan as he broke the surface, didn't go on the docks, but rather to a nearby small island that was not inhabited by anyone of the Imperial City or Waterfront District. He sighed as he felt the sandbed below his now bare feet, and he began to drag Hiertan's body to the shore. Water dripped from Kaayan's face and clothes as he readjusted to the air breathing environment again, before he just lay Hiertan's body...more dropped it...on his belly on a rock so that the water in the boy'd body could at least start to drain out. Kaayan had no idea if Hiertan would live or die, but at least here it might seem like a death would be more accidental. Hiertan went for a swim, drowned, a few slauhterfish had a few bites before he washed up on this island...

His mind trailed off those thoughts as the events of today slowly returned to him. His mind drifted back to memories of him and his father, whether they were having a good time, traveling the land just outside the Waterfront District, or just talking like they'd been yesterday.

"You know, son...I'm sorry the treatment you receive from those boys is as troubling as it is, but I would have thought you'd known better than to actually get into a fight with them." Jeelius said, as he dabbed a wet cloth on a scratch just over the left eye of his son.

Kaayan winced a bit but just replied, "He had it coming." Kaayan said. "I'm not gonna take that kind of treatment anymore. It...it felt good to punch him."

"Yes...yes I'm sure it did." Jeelius said, continuing to tend to his son's wounds, though his son was beginning to adapt the rapid healing of the hist that most Argonians had. "May I ask what it was exactly that made you so angry that you finally decided to punch him?"

Kaayan said, "He insulted you and mother. Said we didn't belong next to the Imperial City, said that we belong in a muck-filled swamp."

Jeelius chuckled. "Don't you know that we come from a swampy homeland?"

"Well...yeah but-"

"Think of it this way son, our homeland may not exactly look pretty in many areas to his eyes, as say the Imperial City or whatnot. Heck, to him, Argonians may be ugly. Son, I've said this many times, but you're starting to experience that our race isn't always looked upon with friendly eyes. Many are scared of us, suspicious of us. It's a life that isn't always fair, but they know they need us in times they least expect it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well this week, one of my friends fell into the water at work, son. He didn't know how to swim. You're Argonian...a gifted swimmer, and can survive in water...unlike man. He might not be alive had I not been there."

"The workers there still treat you bad..." Kaayan retorted.

"I've grown used to it, son. And I hope you will soon see that...because this..." he gestured to his wounds, "Fighting, it just doesn't help, and it will only fuel the hatred directed at you. I understand your actions today, but I want you to do your best not to lose yourself to such violence again...understand?"

Kaayan sighed a bit but nodded. "I'll try father..."

"I'll try, father..." Kaayan mumbled before sinking down to a stone and breaking into a small sob. He didn't want tomorrow to come, but he didn't want to accept that today had happened. His father wouldn't be there tomorrow. He father wouldn't return at all. And he couldn't take it.

Though his thoughts were interrupted when he heard Hiertan finally cough a bit and hack out the water that he had swallowed. Kaayan looked over wanting to say something, but couldn't and just looked back towards the town on the other side of the lake.

After a few other coughs, Hiertan finally managed to say, "Wh-what happened?"

Kaayan didn't bother looking at the beat Imperial, as he watched the town. "You took quite a beating, Hiertan." Kaayan replied. "Yes...quite the beating."

Hiertan looked up in surprise to see Kaayan sitting not too far from where he was.

"Gods!" he said in shock. "You...you almost killed me, lizard!"

Kaayan finally looked over, "And you know what, Hiertan? For a moment, it was nothing more than you deserved! You have absolutely no idea how long I've wanted to do that to you. And you have absolutely no idea...just how wonderful it felt, seeing you helpless to defend yourself, helpless to even save yourself. You're lucky to be alive."

"You expect me to thank you?" Hiertan asked.

"No. No I don't. I expect you to remember tonight because I promise you Hiertan...if this happens again, I won't save you."

"So why'd you save me this time?" Hiertan asked finally managing to stand up, and wring out his clothes.

"Because my father would have wanted me to." Kaayan said, turning away.

"Your father? What, do you plan on telling him about this?" Hiertan asked. "Tell him you beat me savagely, leaving me to die, before having a change of heart?"

Kaayan turned back and said rather coldly, "My father was killed right before my eyes today, during that little 'commotion' on the dock, Hiertan."

Kaayan wasn't sure exactly what he heard, but he could have swore he heard a change in tone and mood in Hiertan at those words. "R-really?"

"Yes. So as you can imagine, I was not in the mood for your smart talk."

"I knew that a few people were killed on the docks today but...I...I never would have...gods...Kaayan, I'm sorry."

"Sure you are." Kaayan said, not even looking at Hiertan.

"Kaayan, I'm serious, and I guess you have every right not to believe what I'm saying, but...okay I'll put it this way. I've been an ass to you. A real hard ass, but I don't wish that kind of pain or harm on anyone. I may get rough, and my words may not exactly...be the best...but-"

"Hiertan...stop talking..." Kaayan said, looking back to him. "Part of me wants to believe you mean what you say, but ten years of this makes me think otherwise."

"Well...can I ask if there might be a way we can mend the past?" Hiertan asked.

"The answer is no. I don't think I will ever really forget everything you've put my through. And even if there was a way, why would you even want to?"

Hiertan was silent for a moment, and sat down. "I guess I just never thought you'd have this kind of side. I grew up getting taught that your kind were nothing but trouble, lowlifes, and I grew up seeing similar treatment of your kind...it just kinda became routine for me...I guess I needed a kick in the pants to see the other side. There's obviously more to your kind than I thought possible, otherwise you would have left me to die."

Kaayan said nothing. He sighed and said, "There is more than what you'd think to Argonians, and I guess there's more to men than I thought, because if there wasn't you would care less about my father's death."

"So what do you say...think we can find it in our heads to find some kind of friendship?" Hiertan asked.

Kaayan said nothing for a moment, before saying, "Give me some time to think about it. I want to see if you mean what you say...and I need to spend time with my mother."

"Fair enough." Hiertan replied, before looking around and noticing that they were on an island. "Uh...I don't suppose you have a way off this island, do you?"

"Let me guess. You can't swim." Kaayan replied.

"Not very well." Hiertan replied.

Kaayan sighed a bit, not exactly willing to give this guy a ride to the shore. He scanned the docks before spotting a small rowboat. "Give me a minute, and I will be back..." Kaayan replied, before diving into the lake to get the boat. As he propelled himself through the water he simply thought to himself, "Father...I really hope you saw this because...honestly, I'm not sure if saving him was something I could have done without you..."