Lydia sat at the small table in her thane's room pondering her current position in life. She was a housecarl, sworn to protect her thane and all he owned. It was an honourable profession, but boring. Faenrune wasn't like most thanes, the ones who paraded about town in fancy clothes and visited the palace and just sat around. Those kinds of thanes were always targeted because they were important, weak, and defenceless. And that is what housecarls were for. But Faenrune was strong, he was rarely ever home and he could protect himself against anything. Lydia found herself bored all the time - there was nothing for her to do. She sat around the house all day, in her thane's room because he wasn't there to tell her to get out, and acted like a house-sitter.
Things changed not too long into her appointment, however. After a month of house-sitting, Faenrune came home with a man. His name was Farkas. He was known as a prominent member of the Companions. She knew of him, but they were not friends. This was the first time she would see him up close, and when she did, she could not tear her eyes away. Farkas was strong, broad, and gorgeous. He was everything she wanted in a man. He wasn't the smartest Nord in Skyrim, but he was kind.
"Hello again, Lydia." Faenrune greeted his housecarl when he entered Breezehome. Farkas was at his side, keeping rather close. Lydia wasted no time being introduced.
"Greetings, my thane. Who have you brought with you?"
Faenrune turned to look at Farkas and smiled brightly at Farkas.
"You never told me you were a thane. You're pretty important in Whiterun, aren't you? Isn't it enough responsibility being Harbinger?" came Farkas' low voice.
"Thane is mostly just an honorary title, there's really not much I actually do. Besides, Jorvaskr has no leader, I don't do much there either." Farkas nodded, understanding. Faenrune turned to Lydia.
"This is Farkas, he and his brother are in the Circle up at Jorvaskr, I'm sure you've heard of him."
Lydia had indeed heard of him. And he was perfect for her, she thought. At first she had thought Faenrune was perfect for her, but he had shown no interest. She walked up to Farkas and offered her hand, which he took and shook strongly.
"Good to meet you, Farkas. I've heard great things about you, and it looks like they are all true. You're quite the strong man." she was unused to flirting, but she tried her best.
Farkas smiled. "Thanks. Skjor says I have the strength or Ysgramor."
"I don't doubt it." she replied, smiling kindly. She was glad that Farkas seemed to like her.
Faenrune noticed what she was doing and sighed. She had flirted with him as well, but he wasn't interested at all. Not only was it unwise to have a relationship with his housecarl, but Lydia wasn't his type. And she wasn't Farkas' type either, and he was sure he was thick enough to not notice what she was doing.
"Lydia, stop flirting, please." he said softly, not wanting to hurt her feelings. Farkas looked at him with wide eyes, finally catching on that she liked him.
Lydia looked affronted. "What? I mean, why shouldn't I? You may be my thane, but you can't say who I do or do not flirt with."
Faenrune sighed again. She was stubborn.
"yes, I realize that, but I'm not asking you as your thane."
Lydia just looked annoyed then. "Faenrune, a thane is all you are to me. You are not my friend. Your power as a thane is all you have on me. Now, unless Farkas is another thane, you have no right to tell me what do do in this regard."
Faenrune could have hit his head off a wall then. He settled for leaning against Farkas. Farkas held him around his waist, keeping him upright.
"Lydia, the main reason I turned you down when you were flirting with me was not because I dislike you." that was a lie, it was not the main reason, and her certainly didn't like her that much. "I turned you down because I'm gay."
Lydia was shocked. Her thane was gay? She didn't have a problem with that, but it certainly answered some questions. But still, what did that have to do with her flirting with Farkas?
"Yeah, so?" she asked, confusedly.
Faenrune was exhausted from his recent adventuring, and he really wanted to get some sleep. His frustration towards Lydia was not helping. He stood up and held Farkas around the waist, as Farkas was doing to him.
"Ok, I'll be blunt. Lydia, please do not flirt with me or Farkas ever again, we are officially married and it is improper."
Lydia was dumbstruck. Married? Her beautiful Altmer thane was married to this gorgeous Nord? That wasn't possible. The two men she liked couldn't be gay and married, it just wasn't fair.
"I'm sorry Lydia. You'll find someone for you. But it's not either of us. Now please excuse us, we're very tired and we'd like to sleep now. Hold the fort, I think we might have been followed. Goodnight."
With that, Farkas helped his tired husband upstairs to their bedroom where they dropped everything but their underwear onto the floor and crawled into the bed. It wasn't very comfortable, so Faenrune tossed a few more pelts onto the hard bed and they settled in much more comfortably.
"I don't understand women." said Farkas, holding his lithe husband close.
"Neither do I. It's a good thing we don't like them, the only women we have to put up with are pesky housecarls."
Farkas laughed and hissed his husband soundly.
"Unless you ever want to adopt a little girl, anyway." Faenrune mumbled, almost too tired to hold conversation.
"Maybe. Go to sleep." replied Farkas.
"Goodnight, love."
They both nodded off, comfortable in each other's arms. Lydia, meanwhile, sat in a chair downstairs with her arms crossed. She decided then and there that she would swear off men for at least a month. That is, until she noticed that the thief that just broke in was rather cute.