By [SteveAndAdam] Warning: [Explicit Content]
Chapter 1 - A Boy In The Rain.
The rain hits heavy, soaking into their thin leather helms as the imperial soldiers stand sentry atop the walls of Fort Amol in the early morning of Last Seed. The cold had driven most of the men inside leaving only an unlucky few to keep watch on the walls, and three slightly luckier men who have what little shelter the gate archway offers with only a low burning brazier for warmth.
"Damned the cold, I'll piss myself if I don't go now." one of the men said rubbing his hands together for the last time before facing the cold.
"Hope ya' cock doesn't freeze off!" the older, more circular of the three joked making himself and the younger, greener man chuckle. Ignoring the jape as the army doesn't allow you to punch your superior for a bad joke, the soldier picked up his bow and headed for the tree line seeking some slight peace from the rain. Lighting flashed, the inevitable roar slowly following it down the mountainside 'What a perfect day for sentry duty ... why couldn't I be put on laundry detail?'.
Putting his bow down leaning against a tree he looked over his shoulder to made sure he was out of his lieutenants eyesight before lifting his leather flap, his hands were cold but his boots were already soaked and so steam rose from the warm stream lying in a pool just before him. If there was one upside to wearing a skirt for armour it was the ease of pissing, the downsides included showing your ass to the creepy lieutenant every time he "accidentally" drops some important scroll and orders you to pick it up ... and the draft.
The lightning flashed again as he picked up his dripping bow, looking at the water loosened string he sighed. The roar of the thunder came, then a the second flash; a flash that revealed a small humanoid silhouette standing in the dark.
"HEYYY!, Get over here!" in a panicked voice he yelled over his shoulder at the fort, his cry got the two other men moving quickly grabbing their swords and running to meet him at the tree line. The loose sodden string proved hard to notch with cold stiff fingers yet after what seemed like forever in his panicked state he pulled the arrow back aiming the bow frantically towards the darkness.
"What'a crying about. Lose your cock did ya' Haha" the lieutenant said with heavy panting as they strode towards him.
"I saw something over there. In the flash. Only one but could be an advance party" his breathing had become calm and steady even if he wasn't, the years of training finally paying off.
"You sure it was just one?. Man, Mer or beast?" The years were not good the to lieutenant but even if they were his calm demeanour would show his many years of experience.
"One, but I'm not sure what it was ..." The rain would mask any noise of an advancing army till it was all but too late, their only hope was to wait for another flash to reveal more and so they stood in silence, eyes fixed on the darkness.
… … …
Finally, the flash came. The figure seemed all the same but a few strides closer, there was still only one figure and they weren't going to let those odds pass them before any reinforcements appeared.
"Josef stay behind us. If it moves, end it." Raising their imperial swords they cautiously walked side by side into shadows. Josef only a few steps behind with his bow still pulled taught keeping watch over them, two more quick flashes showed the figure staggering slowly towards them, swaying, barely able to keep itself up.
"Halt!" the lieutenant's voice commanding, the figure stood steady; they were close now and it was defiantly human which was a slight relief, although spriggans are bad news so is a stormcloack siege and so Josef kept at the ready. The figure made a small woeful moan before collapsing into the cold and wet mossy ground. Still weary they waited for any movement before deciding it was safe to take a closer look.
"Josef, take a look." Hesitant at first, it was an angry glare that got him moving. stood over the motionless body laying twisted and wet to the bone in the grass, Josef loosened his bow to kneel down beside the body to investigate.
"Its a little boy!" Shouting back almost with a sigh of relief as he sheathed his bow. The boy wore only old, dirty, rough sandy trousers made out of something you would transport grain in.
"Is he one of ours?" was his reply, Josef had almost forgotten he was under empire rule.
"Ye'a, imperial." The lieutenant relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief, which made Josef furious, he had grown up in Windhelm and his first girlfriend was a sweet dark elf called Ingil. Angry teeth clenched but thoughts of home and his wife calmed his heart ... for her sake. Josef carefully slid his arms under the boy, as he got a better view the boys small and muscularly slender body gave way to more slightly masculine features, dark brown, rough stubble covered his chin and cheeks matching the same brown, short hair lying flat and soaking, looking at him now almost a man grown. Even for a small ill'feed boy, he was lighter than Josef had expected as he easily stood with him in his arms.
"What are you doing?" The younger man said in his shaken, high unbroken voice, being only a few years older than the boy in Josef's arms, the lieutenant cuffed the recruit behind the ear for that.
"We don't leave our own. Should we leave you 'ere in the cold?" His rhetorical question answered with only shy silence. Josef couldn't help but chuckle as they made their way back to their post. The rain was still heavy and constant, yet the breeze had let up a little. The Fort was old and sturdy, but the stormcloack fought tooth and nail to keep the strategic advantage over Eastmarch and their last stronghold, Windhelm; the walls of the fort told that story better than any man could. The Imperial Dragon heavy in wet cloth rippled lazily in the settling wind above the gateway, clear as day by the light of two large burning braziers.
"Give him here. I'll see to him while you both keep guard" Josef hesitated, he hadn't been on this post long but it was long enough to know there was something not quite right about his new lieutenant.
"Should I let the commander know what we found?" Josef asked as the boy slid from his arms, trying his best to make it sound like a helpful suggestion.
His face turned "If I wanted to inform the commander of your failure to obey orders by abandoning your post, and recommend your immediate dismissal. I will be happy to tell him myself. Nord." Josef fell silent with no other option but to follow orders. For his and his wife's sake
With the boy in his arms and a sick smile on his face the lieutenant headed for the one place he knew would be empty at this time, the prison, pushing the door open with his back he carried the boy over to the large, table at the back of the room laying him down gently, pushing anything in his way to the ground with a little clatter.
"Pretty" Brushing a wet clump of hair aside showing all of the boys faces, walking to the door he revealed a key and locked them both within, a large ugly grin on his face; a face that hadn't been shaved in days with a scratty grey, food stained beard to prove it. His long, light brown, unkempt, greasy hair draped down as he took his helm off placing it on the ground. With the steady pat of rain against the wooden door, the room was near silent besides the heavy pounding of fat leather padded feet coming ever closer to his goal ...