I grew up on a farm, and I grew fast. Maybe it was all the exercise and good food, but I was the first girl in my class at school to fill out. That's why I'm called "The Buxom", of course. And it happened just when I was starting to rebel against parental authority, just like any kid of my age.

I could see that my new assets were getting all the boys' attention, especially the bolder ones who were starting to assert their own independence. I started hanging out with all the bad boys, much to my parents' annoyance.

It didn't stop me from doing my work on the farm. I was rebelling against my parents, not the cows, or pigs, or crops. They weren't the ones telling me what to do and what not to do. My mother did what she could, and taught me that if I wasn't going to be good, I should at least be careful. I listened to that, even if she didn't think I did.

Most of the kids I went around with grew up to be Marauders. One by one, they dropped out of school and disappeared, off to some ruin somewhere to join a band of outlaws. Soon there were hardly any interesting boys left. A lot of the other girls had caught up to me, so I wasn't the center of attention that I had been. Some of them could play the purity card, too. Bjalfi was the one guy who changed his mind and stayed, so I ended up with him kind of by default.

My parents weren't happy with my choice, but they helped set us up at Whitmond Farm, and let me have Rockshatter so I could look after myself. Obviously, they didn't expect Bjalfi to do that. It wasn't exactly dangerous there, just outside Anvil, but there were Marauders and Bandits just a bit further out from the city. I kept the mace handy, hanging over the fireplace where I could grab it in a hurry. That was as much to keep my parents quiet as anything. I didn't ever expect to use it.

Life at Whitmond was good enough to start with, but Bjalfi was one for going to the tavern in the evenings. He thought I was, too, but he didn't remember that I was always the first to leave, (with one of the men, of course). I wasn't there for the drinking, I had other things in mind, and I preferred doing it sober. And if I had to get up early to work the farm, I didn't want any hangover!

So I generally stayed at home, while he went into town for a few ales. Apparently he ran into a few of his old friends from our school days, because he came home one night, snatched Rockshatter off the mantel, and ran off out of the house with it.

I should have seen it coming, I guess. I'd complained when he came home worse for drink, especially if he couldn't perform, and he was probably feeling a bit hen-pecked. Anyway, I found out that he'd gone to join the gang at Fort Strand, just in between my farm and here.

If I'd still had Rockshatter, I'd have gone there and hauled him back out, but he'd taken it with him, and I wasn't taking them all on without any weapons. Fortunately for me, the Champion looked in at my farm on his way here to Gweden, and agreed to go get Rockshatter back for me.

Of course, he didn't know Bjalfi from the rest, so it wasn't too surprising when he came back with Rockshatter, but not my husband. He'd hauled a lot of armor and weapons back to town to sell, and the mace matched my description. He couldn't remember who he'd taken it from, but everyone in the fort was dead now.

So I was now a widow. I'd been pretty much working the farm on my own anyway, as Bjalfi wasn't a lot of help with that. He'd done odd jobs for other folks in the area, and brought in a bit of income that way. At least, that's what he told me. For all I know, he'd been taking a share from the Marauder gang he ran off to. I could survive all right on my own, but I needed a man for other reasons. I was going to have to get back to the dating game again.

The Champion had another idea. I could make a bit of extra cash at Gweden and get all the men I needed without having to find another husband. And it was close enough that I could just go there in the evening, and still put in a day's work at my own farm. They'd be good customers for my produce, too, especially when he'd recruited a few more staff.

So I came up here to see Tsarrina right away. It was sad for me to see a farm not growing anything, but a closer look at the soil told me why. You couldn't even grow weeds in that! All she could manage was a couple of flowers by the door.

It made sense that she was making the best of the situation by running a brothel instead, and she was doing a good job of that. I really liked the way she'd made the old farmhouse into a cozy nest for a bit of fun.

She showed me down to the basement, where I could sleep if I needed to. I told her that I had my own farm, and I needed to get back to it during the day, but I could help her out in the evenings. Now I had Rockshatter back, she had someone to keep the drunks in line, too. She told me the Legion Patrolman came here regularly, so that wasn't a problem.

I knew him, of course, as he'd drop by my place from time to time, especially if Bjalfi wasn't around. That sort of dedication to duty makes a woman feel safe. I suspected he was one of Tsarrina's regular customers, and I wasn't wrong.

I asked her if she ever did what I knew he liked. Tsarrina shows a lot of sharp teeth when she smiles, and that would put a lot of men off from asking. She told me she didn't but if I did, she'd be sure to let her customers know that was now available. We talked about our own likes and dislikes, I'd tried just about everything, or thought I had, but she knew more than I did. She called me an amateur, and grinned to show she was just joking.

And talk of the Daedra, who should come through the door just then, but the Legion Patrolman. He'd come by to introduce his replacement, as he was retiring. A younger man in the same uniform followed him in. Two of them, two of us. Perfect timing.

I rode back to my farm that night on the back of a Legion Horse. I don't think my legs would have carried me that far.