Hello, all! I've started an Elder Scrolls story, as you can see, that features two OC's. Also, if you couldnt tell, it is Semi-AU, that consists mostly of some timeline tweaks that I feel make it easier to get through the story. I can not tell you how bored I get reading TES stories that follow the Skyrim story-line exactly. So to help people like myself, I have adjusted things to make it better.
- Razzella
|| Chapter One ||
Skyrim, Oblivion © Bethesda
Faelynn, Laskiin (Arvakr) © Razzella
I met Ulfric Stormcloak when I was just a little girl.
The man was several years older than me and to a young girl with little socialization, I found him rather charming. He was speaking with my father and the General in the courtyard when I noticed his pretty eyes and funny accent. I wasn't sure why they were here talking – since they usually used the throne room or my father's courters to talk about important stuff – but I knew to keep my distance.
I didn't, of course, but I knew to.
"Papa!" I squealed, practically tackling the man as my arms looped around his waist in an awkward hug. He had been away for some time now, and his presence back home was comforting. They all laughed at the outburst, so I was lucky this time not to be scolded. After all, it was very unladylike to interrupt a meeting, much less with such an emotional display.
"Ah, yes, Ulfric, you haven't ever met Faelynn, have you?" My father spoke fondly as he petted my snow-white hair. He had told me years before I was albino, though I wasn't sure exactly what that meant. All I understood was that I looked more like my mother's people – the High Elves – than my fathers, but even then I was different. Too pale, too short, red eyes, white hair; I was a strange mixture between the two that made little sense to me or them.
"No, sir, I don't believe I have." Getting a good look at him now, I could see he was easily ten years my senior – though he was still but a boy. I offered him a bright smile as I extended my hand for a handshake, though I was quite surprised when he gently grasped it and – kneeling down to my level as best he could – planted a soft kiss on my knuckles. It was like every storybook I had ever read – where the princess meets her knight in shining armor and I could feel the warmth coloring my cheeks at the thought.
"It's very nice to meet you, Lady Faelynn." He seemed amused by my wide eyed gaping as I squeaked out a response.
"The pleasure is mine, sir."
"Faelynn, you need to focus." My mother was getting angry, though she was too regal to express such things openly. My father said that it was her people's culture – they were very refined, controlled people and so breaking away from her raising was nearly impossible.
"You will never be able to master this spell if you don't." She added sharply; I felt a sting across my knuckles that I knew to be her switch. I took a deep breath and resisted the urge to massage my hurt appendages. Mother always made sure to switch me harder when I tried to rub the sting out.
"Yes, ma'am." I mumbled, closing my eyes as I focused the energy into my palm. Magic was both a bane and a boon for me, though generally speaking I was by far more advanced than others due to my heritage. I was trying to learn the invisibility spell my mother had given to me – the tome was practically in pieces from all the time I spent trying to learn it; now she was trying to make me master it completely. She said it was for my own safety; it was important I know how to vanish when necessary. I could already blend into the shadows well enough, and conjure three different Atronaches to protect me, so I wasn't sure why she thought I needed to know it. But she was desperate, and I was always willing to learn.
"Excuse me, Lady Auriel," The General spoke, and I felt my thoughts break away from the spell. I found myself frowning at my lack of discipline, but I turned my attention to my mother. She was wearing a small, knowing smile as the General approached us, though he had yet to acknowledge me.
"I was looking for Lady Faelynn," He said softly as he bowed. "The Emperor wishes to speak to her."
"Tell him I will send her if I see her." My mother responded as the male nodded and made his way back out. I furrowed my brow thoughtfully before I felt my mother's hand on my head. I looked up at her in confusion.
"Well done, Faelynn."
I was running.
I had been in the courtyard when I heard the alarms being sounded – and I realized quickly I needed to escape the palace when two of the guards were cut down before my eyes. I had taken off with speeds I didn't realize I had and resisted the urge to let my fear stall me. It was important I get away, and I assured myself I would do so.
Or, I thought I would, before a hand covered my mouth and I was practically ripped off my feet as I was drug into one of the many rooms along the hall. I thrashed in the persons iron grip – honestly too frightened to cast a spell – before I felt a familiar calm coming over me as the hand over my mouth glowed.
"Lady Faelynn," I recognized that voice; a small smile came over my face as my heartbeat slowed to a relaxed thump in my chest again. "I apologize for frightening you, but I'm going to let you go now and I need you to be–" I spun around in his grip and threw my arms around his neck. Squeezing the soldier tightly, I felt him tense awkwardly before relaxing slightly and patting my back. I hadn't realized the spell had worn off so quickly until I found myself crying quietly against the older Nords neck; his arms encased me more firmly as he began rubbing my back gently, trying to soothe my shaking.
"You're safe, Fae. You're safe; I won't let anything happen to you."
Ulfric kept his word; I was safe. He had barricaded us in that room – and I had placed several runes around said barricade – and we waited several hours until one of the guards managed to beat down the door. Needless to say, on top of my runes going off, they were quite surprised to find me asleep in the lap of the Nord warrior with his axe resting against my back; prepared to fend off any trespassers.
My father's army managed to beat back the Dominion again, and the war continued. My mother's body was discovered in the library that same day, shortly before they found me and Ulfric, and though I felt sick at the sight, I was disturbed to find that I was glad it wasn't me. The woman who raised me was lying dead in a pool of her own blood and one of my first thoughts was that I was glad it wasn't me.
I wasn't sure how to feel about that.
I was naively pleased when Ulfric was stationed close to the city; he often came to visit my father, which gifted me with the pleasure of seeing him more often. Of course, he didn't directly interact with me often, but my father had taken to training me in how to rule; so I took my mother's throne at his side during most meetings. I was usually silent unless he chose to make a particular problem a lesson, and now was one of those instances.
"Well, Faelynn," My father spoke smoothly, his eyes unwavering from my own. "Where should we send reinforcements?"
"I think that," I felt myself growing close to trembling. It was the first time I had been involved in making a decision relating to the war, and despite that in and of itself being stressful, I was doing it in front of some of the most well-respected men my father had ever employed. "I should seek counsel with someone I trust." I finally admitted, staring at the map.
Against my better judgment, my gaze met Ulfrics across the table. He was standing behind his own Legate and I saw a brief flicker of confusion cross his features as I quickly returned my attention to the map. Unfortunately, my father was not blind to the silent exchange and he gave the other man a thoughtful look.
"Ulfric, I believe my daughter seeks your counsel." He commented pleasantly and I felt warmth dust my cheeks as the Nord approached me. He gazed down at the map, rather than meet my gaze, and slowly pointed.
"Bravil is taking a beating down there," He murmured to me, and I felt my brow furrowing.
"But they would have to be coming from here to reach Bravil," I responded, my own fingers dancing across the map as I relaxed. "They haven't been passing through Valenwood or Elsweyr to reach us, and we haven't seen any ships off the coast so – right? Am I right?" I stopped my chattering to glance up at Ulfric, and realized how close he was. His smile was warm.
"Yes, you're right, Lady Faelynn."
"So send them here."
We were right, as it turned out, and we managed to hold Bravil for a little longer. My father was proud of me and Ulfric seemed pleased that he had been involved. The war seemed to finally turn in our favor, and it was on my eleventh birthday that I was informed as much. My party was admittedly full of people I had no care for and those looking to butter up my father, but I was practically glued to my mother's throne through the entire night.
I like to pretend I wasn't hoping to see Ulfric but it wasn't something I could deny. He was the closest to a friend I had ever managed to make all on my own, and I had grown particularly attached to him after the incident in which he saved my life only several months prior. I trusted him, and it was easy to see as much if anyone had cared to notice.
"Faelynn, why don't you go dance?" My father spoke up from beside me and I fought off a frown. I didn't want to move from my spot – admittedly because I was nervous I would miss him if Ulfric happened to come to see me. Or, well, my father, as he had never come to visit me directly. Either way, I was nervous I would miss seeing him and for some reason I couldn't rationalize, that sounded awful.
"W-Well, father, I really don't want to, you see, I, uhm– " He laughed – a hearty guffaw that made me jump – and grinned at me openly.
"I promise if Stormcloak shows I will have him find you. Go, enjoy your party – it would be such a waste to listen to this awful gossiping and those damn Nordic tunes you've taken such a fascination with if you can't even properly enjoy yourself." I felt my face flush red with embarrassment as I stiffly stood and made my way across the ballroom somewhat awkwardly.
It was less that I had a particular fascination with Nordic songs as I did with the culture – after all, they had guarded our northern border and even my papa had said several times that they were fierce warriors. The closest I had gotten to their homeland was the time my mother and I made a trip to Bruma to converse with Skyrims High King on behalf of my father.
"Ulfric is missing in action," my father had said. "We presume him dead." I felt the breath sapped from my lungs as I tried to maintain my composure, hand resting over my breaking heart. He couldn't be dead – he was a talented soldier, strong and intelligent.
"I… I see." I responded stiffly, casting my eyes to the floor. How? The word was caught in my throat as I closed my eyes, blinking away tears. Did I honestly want to know?
"Faelynn, my light, I'm sorry." I forced a watery smile onto my face, eyes still closed as I tilted my head upwards.
"Forgive me, Father, it appears I am unable to control my emotions. Please excuse me." I managed not to run from the throne room, though I ignored my father's protest as he called after me. I heard the confused murmurs of those around me as I practically shoved my way into the hall. I somehow managed to keep it together until I found the room he had saved me in years before. Locking the door behind me, I collapsed to the floor.
And I cried.
"Ulfrics been spotted in the city." My father said, not managing to contain his surprise. My heart skipped a beat, despite the dire situation.
"He's alive?" I breathed, feeling relief flood every piece of my body at my father's nod. The city may be taken from our grasp this day, but for some reason all I could do was thank the Gods that the Nord soldier was alive.
I was standing beside my father when the war ended; I felt my eyes narrow at him as his pen touched parchment. I looked away after a moment – I couldn't bear to watch him sign away so much. I wished he would have done more – even if it was just getting off his ass and raising a sword for once in his life. But everyone in the room, while solemn, had apparently accepted this as the end. Now fifteen, I felt as though this was a waste.
My eyes met Ulfrics' from across the room, and we shared a moment of quiet mourning.
I had decided to flee the country.
My white hair was pulled into a bun under a dark hood and I had worn the most raggedy clothes I could find. I slipped away in the still of the night, managing to pass every guard on my way through with relative ease. In fact, it wasn't until my feet hit the pavement outside of the door leading to the waterfront district that anyone seemed to notice me.
"Halt!" The voice was familiar so I obeyed. "Face me." I couldn't place the tone until I had turned to meet his gaze as I had earlier in the day. He looked tired, and expectant, as though he knew it was me before he even had me stop. Red met blue and he just let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head.
"Why are you doing this, Lady Faelynn?" He murmured, quietly enough that any passerby wouldn't have heard, though his voice resounded loudly in my head.
"I refuse to stay here under their thumb," I said slowly, feeling rather bashful in the presence of this soldier I had grown to adore. "They killed my mother, and my father bowed to them anyway. Thousands of his people – my people – died and his response was to bow his head and surrender when they came beating down our door. I would have preferred him dead rather than a coward." I spoke honestly, though my voice was barely above a whisper.
"You realize I cannot let you leave, regardless of your reasoning." Ulfric murmured after a long pause, and I felt myself scowl.
"I wouldn't expect anything less of you-"
"So it's a good thing this is not my station tonight," He continued, a small smile pulling onto his face. "And that I, like everyone else in this city, was asleep when you slipped away unnoticed." I felt heat flood my cheeks at his implication, tears of gratitude stinging my eyes as I nodded slowly.
"Thank you," I mumbled shyly as he turned to walk away. "I don't know how I could ever repay you for this."
"Just stay alive, Princess." He said seriously, glancing over his shoulder at me. He paused again thoughtfully before adding:
"I hope to see you in Windhelm."
I was on a boat and despite hating every moment of it I comforted myself with the knowledge that someday, somehow I would come home. I would come back and everything would be right with the world and all would be well. I would rule, and I would run out the Aldmeri Dominion one way or another.
I would fix everything.
I docked in Solitude, and needless to say I was entirely exhausted by the time the voyage was over. Though, I knew if I stopped here I would surely be found. So the first thing I did was head to the nearest store to buy a map of the country, before promptly heading for the exit of the city. I kept my hood up, well aware of the Imperial presence here even as I made my way out the gate of the city.
I hoped on the back of the nearby carriage, instructing the male to take me to a city called Morthal. It seemed secluded according to the map, and I was more than happy to sleep my cares away during the trip. I laid out on the seat, staring at the sky thoughtfully as I debated the likelihood of finding myself a home in the harsh lands of Skyrim.
"Y'know, ma'am, if we continued on to Whiterun, you could purchase a horse." He commented pleasantly, casting me a smile. "Not that I don't appreciate yer company, of course, but most people would rather not spend their savings on transportation." I smiled slightly.
"There's also a home for sale there, if you'd be interested."
"Do you know of anywhere else I could call home?" I asked after a moment of silence, rolling back into a sitting position as I cursed silently to myself. Sleep would escape me for now as well, it seemed.
"Ah, well, ma'am, I know that there is a plot of land in Falkreath for sale, as well as Morthal and Dawnstar, though I wouldn't recommend the latter two. There's also a home in Whiterun and back at Solitude, to my understandin'." He responded cheerily, and I frowned in thought.
"Well, then, sir, lets head for Falkreath instead." I said, offering him a smile from under my hood. "If there is a good place to stop for supplies along the way, though, I will pay you fifty more coin to stop there." I offered, and he chuckled.
"Aye, we can stop in Whiterun, ma'am."
"Please, call me Fae."
Whiterun was about a day's travel, and as we had left in the afternoon from Solitude, we arrived about the same time in Whiterun. I had slept through a good bit of the ride, and it had only been when Eriik, the carriage driver, had gently shaken me awake that I realized how far we had made it.
"Ma'am, we're on the outskirts of Whiterun." He said simply, and I sat up slowly. He had parked alongside the stables and I looked up to see a large city, guarded by a stone wall.
"You just follow that path on up and the guards will let ye' in." He provided as I handed him another fifty gold before scuttling off.
"I'll be back as quickly as I can manage." He waved off my words with a grin. "Take yer time, ma'am."
The guards gave me a bit of trouble, claiming that there were dragons about – which I scoffed at, after they let me pass – but after explaining I would be leaving shortly they let me by. It was strange that I had to answer to guards here, as I was used to them answering to me. The first thing I saw was a smith, and I headed straight to it. While I had brought a sword with me, I had not considered armor, and after a quick discussion the woman sold me a set of leather armor, for which I was more than grateful.
She also pointed me towards the other shops, explaining that I would probably want to hit Belethors General Goods before anything else. I gave her another tip before following her directions and stopping in on the man. He seemed rather amusing, if not entirely too greedy, and I bought several spell tomes from him, as well as some apples and other miscellaneous items.
After I finished there I stopped by the alchemy shop and bought some ingredients, as well as a mortar and pestle, before haggling the small booths outside. I bought a decent amount of meat and some more fruits and vegetables before heading back towards the exit. All in all, I spent an hour stuffing three bags full of things; toting them along alone was hard but not impossible.
I was more than slightly agitated when a group of guards came sprinting by, letting out a squeal as one male actually ran headlong into me. Red met green as we gazed at each other, equally surprised. Then his surprise shifted to annoyance as he scoffed.
"Watch where you're going." He growled as he stood, before continuing on after the others. I stared after the man in wonder – anger, embarrassment, and fascination mingling as I scrambled to my feet and continued on my way.
When I finally reached Eriik outside, the sun was just barely hovering over the horizon.
"Sorry that took so long," I apologized as hopped onto his carriage. I gave a sidelong glance at the stables, chewing my lower lip. "Eriik, I hate to ask this of you, but would you mind if I bought a horse here?" He seemed surprised, but shrugged.
"Not at all, ma'am. You've paid me more than enough, so I don't mind if you want to continue alone – "
"Oh, no, I meant and allow me to follow you." I said sheepishly, offering him a bright smile. It was then I heard a roar fill the air around us. Looking to my right, I saw a large shadow in the sky circling around. My eyes widened considerably, gaping at the beast in awe.
"Is that a…?"
"Dragon!" Eriik yelled, garnering the attention of those surrounding us. I dove out of the carriage, quickly slipping into the stables, managing to hang onto my things as Eriik took off on his carriage. Rightly so, as the beast soared overhead only moments later.
Its roar was deafening as it landed, setting fire to a nearby building. I looked on in horror as the male from earlier sprinted out from the plains nearby and literally tackled the beast, digging his sword into the creature's wing. It snapped at him, and though he managed to dodge the beast's teeth it looked as if he wouldn't be able to dodge the blast of fire it threw at him. I flinched as he just barely rolled out of the way, towards the dragon, before slicing upward. Blood immediately began pouring out of the beast as it stumbled back, collapsing shortly thereafter.
I was gaping at the male once again, absolutely astonished. I took in his features curiously, noting that he was almost as pale as myself, though he had short black hair – well, excluding the thin tail, which reached his waist – and bright green eyes. He was tall and young, probably closer to my own age, if I was not mistaken. He turned and I watched as he was enveloped in light that was seemingly coming from the dead dragon.
"Dragonborn.." Came a low gasp from nearby, and I looked around to find the owner of the stables watching him as well.
"Dragonborn?" I questioned quietly and he just gave me a confused look.
"The Hero of Legend – destined to battle the World Eater. He has the soul of a Dragon." I blinked several times at him before I stood, slowly. I found myself eyeing the "hero" curiously from where I was, unable to keep myself from wondering how he felt about the whole thing.
We made eye contact and I felt my heart skip as he smirked at me. Heat flooded my cheeks and I turned to the owner of the stable again, bartering for a horse as I ignored the approach of the Dragonborn. I grabbed the reigns of the horse the man offered me and used the poor creature as a shield while I loaded my things onto her back.
"Aren't you the girl from earlier?" He questioned, tone amused, and I fumbled with the knot I was making.
"Aye, I believe you tripped over me." I commented as dryly as I could manage, growing agitated with the situation and the damned ropes as they refused to cooperate with me.
"Ah, yes, I'm sorry about that," He purred, and I immediately knew what kind of a man this "hero" was, silently cursing when he walked up behind me and took the ropes gently from my shaking hands. "My name is Laskiin." He added, easily tying the knot I had been fumbling with.
"Faelynn." I said stiffly as I turned to face him, giving him my blankest stare.
"Mm, like the Princess?" My heart stopped.
"Yes, like the Princess." I rolled my eyes as I slid under his arm and grabbed the reigns of my new steed with a long sigh. "It was nice to meet you, Laskiin, but I'm in a bit of a hurry."
"Awh, come on, Princess, come share a drink with me." Laskiin smirked as he called playfully after me.
"I don't drink. But thank you for the invitation, Dragonborn." He seemed to stiffen at that. "I'm afraid I need to get to Falkreath and it's going to take me a while to get there, so I have to get going."
"I could take you." Laskiin chirped, his cocky grin never leaving his features. "I'm heading that was as well, tomorrow morning. I'm guessing you're new to Skyrim, right?" I spluttered, narrowing my eyes slightly.
"Aye, I arrived yesterday." I relented, frowning. "How'd you know?" I sighed, tugging my hood down a bit lower on my face.
"The emblem on your cloak. It's from the Imperial City." He said it casually, but I felt panic fill my heart as I looked down at the metal piece holding it closed. I traced the crest with my thumb, exhaling quietly.
"I left after the Emperor signed the White-Gold Concordat." I said honestly, shrugging my shoulders slightly. "I figured things were about to go to Hell around there so." He was eyeing me curiously then nodded slowly.
"I can only imagine."
I ended up staying with him at the Bannered Mare that night, despite my better judgment. I rented the room above his and ended up sitting at the bar with him, talking about his adventures across Skyrim. He seemed like a nice guy, despite the fact he was every bit what I thought he was. His smirk was charming and his eyes always twinkled with mischievous intentions, but even so I rather liked him.
I learned he was bordering twenty, and made his money as a mercenary. He had only just recently discovered he was the Dragonborn after narrowly escaping his hometown of Helgen, and the only reason he was in the city of Whiterun was because after defeating the dragon above Riverwood a kind soul had asked him to send word to the Jarl.
"So now that I'm finally done here, I'm heading home to Falkreath." Laskiin finished and I found myself smiling at him.
"What about you, why're you heading to Falkreath?" He asked casually, giving me his full attention.
"Ah, well," I flushed pink for some reason under his gaze, shrugging. "I heard there was some land available for purchase, so I was going to build a home there." He seemed a bit surprised.
"Aye, but they want a lot of gold for it, Princess." I shrugged slightly, fiddling with my cloak nervously.
"The worst they can do it tell me no, right?" I commented cheerily, smiling at him. Laskiin seemed dubious, but didn't comment further. I tried not to notice the slightly darker gleam his eyes took on as I dropped a handful of coin on the counter, smiling to the bartender.
"His drinks are on me, alright?" She gave me a nod, scooping up the coin as I stood. "Goodnight, Laskiin. I'll see you in the morning."
"Princess," He whined, but the smirk had returned to his face as he waved. "I'll see you then."
Making my way up the stairs I made sure to reminded myself to stash my coin in separate places, splitting the large sum of money up. It was never wise to travel with so much money on your person, but I really hadn't had a choice in the matter. I had also taken a horde of my most expensive trinkets and jewelry with me in the event I needed more; overall I suspected I should never have to actually work a day in my life as long as I lived a moderate life and didn't get robbed blind.
Though I was only fifteen, I knew very well that I needed to be frugal. It hadn't mattered thus far how old I was, and I was hoping that it wouldn't matter when I got to Falkreath to buy the land. Age was apparently something that went generally unacknowledged, apparently, and I wasn't going to complain.
I fell asleep that night thinking about the green-eyed Nord downstairs.
I woke to a gentle knock on my door before it was pushed open. I knew without looking it would be my traveling companion, and I decided I would rather just leave my eyes closed than deal with it. There was a soft chuckle as I tried to hang onto sleep, though my attempts were thwarted when I felt a gentle brush along my cheek. Startled, my eyes fluttered open to see the older Nord smirking down at me.
"Good morning, Princess." He chuckled as I blushed slightly, sitting up. It took several moments of me rubbing my eyes for me to register that I was no longer hiding beneath my cloak.
"Good morning, Laskiin." I mumbled tiredly, trying to pretend I was unbothered that my snow-white hair was hanging loose, and my pointed ears exposed. My elven features were not as prominent as they would have been if I was a full-blooded Altmer, but I still more closely resembled my mother's people than my fathers.
"Didn't peg you for an elf, I'll admit." Laskiin teased, crossing his arms over his chest as I stood and reached for my cloak.
"Half-elf," I responded absent-mindedly as I fastened the cloak before I began wrapping my long hair into a bun. "My father is Imperial."
"Really now? I wouldn't have guessed it. You look more like one of those Snow Elves. Of course, I've only ever seen paintings of them, but you catch my drift. You've got the white hair, white skin, and those pretty pink eyes – "
I turned my gaze to him, growing flustered under his attention. His eyes were trained on me, and I saw something in them that made my heart flutter.
"I-I'm an albino." I clarified as I forced myself to look away from him. "My mother was an Altmer; if I didn't have this defect I would be taller, a-and tanner, and probably have had golden hair like my mother – "
He put a hand on my head, pulling out the pin that was holding my hair up.
"Relax, Princess." Laskiin chuckled, seeming a bit bewildered at my reaction. "You're beautiful the way you are. Don't stress yourself out thinking otherwise."
Once again, I was left gaping at the male as he made his way out the door, never looking back at me.
"I'll meet you downstairs."
As Laskiin had stolen my hair pin, I decided that I would braid two strips of hair to frame my face, and just leave the rest down. I made my way down the stairs with my bags in hand, trying to ignore the stares I got from those around me as I approached the bar. The bartender seemed confused, and I was not surprised as I hadn't shown her my face the night before. But I left the coin on the bar and made my way towards the door, anyway, staring at the ground as I waited for Laskiin.
"Damned elves." Someone growled and I flinched despite myself, not looking up. I had expected that elves would not be well-liked among the people, but I had forgotten that I would be considered one of them. I suppose I had deluded myself into thinking that I was more human than elven.
"Oh shut up, you old drunk." I looked up to see Laskiin scoffing at the male as he approached me, rolling his eyes.
"What'd you say, boy?"
"I told you to shut yer trap." Laskiin sneered, his accent coming out with his agitation. "Leave the poor girl alone."
"What self respectin' Nord would defend an elf?" The older male sneered nastily and I found myself turning pink in embarrassment. Despite this, I tentatively reached out and touched Laskiins arm.
"Let's just go, please – "
"What self respectin' man disrespects a woman?" Laskiin shot back, ignoring my quiet request. My heart was beating faster at the exchange, though I couldn't quite pinpoint why.
"The kind that knows how to tell the damned difference between a woman and a thing." There was a pregnant paused and I almost thought Laskiin was going to walk away.
Boy was I wrong.
"FUS RO DAH." I gasped as the older man was blasted through the air, slamming into the wall with a loud 'thud'. Laskiin grabbed my hand, then, and took off running; laughter bubbling out of him as he dragged me away from the scene. I could only imagine how illegal what he just did was, but even so my heart was thundering in my chest for different reasons.
"Halt! You have committed crimes against – " Laskiin drew his sword, and I quickly cast an invisibility spell over the two of us.
"Just keep running!" Nervous laughter leaked into my words as I dragged him around the guards and out the front gate. He was cackling still as we reached our horses, and I couldn't help but laugh with him. The situation wasn't funny – really, it wasn't – but Gods he looked like he was having so much fun. I promised I would gripe at him later as we rode away, moving as fast as our steeds would carry us.
It wasn't long before we were out of Whiterun Hold, and slowed down to allow the horses some rest. It was then I decided to fuss over what had happened, casting him a wry look.
"Was all that really necessary, Dragonborn?" He grinned deviously at me, and not for the first time did I find myself admiring that smile.
"I had to defend your honor, Princess." I knew he was teasing, and I felt my eyes roll before I could stop it. He just laughed loudly at the motion, shaking his head.
"You're just too cute, Faelynn." Laskiin said as he sped up and I felt heat flood my cheeks as I gave his back a startled look. Oh.
We made it to Falkreath quickly, to my mild dismay; it had only taken some conversation – and Gods know how much coin – for the Jarl to allow me to buy the land, and after offering payment it only took a few days for my home to be built, with the assistance of several strong men. Of course, then I was faced with the fact that I and Laskiin no longer had a common goal.
"I'll be heading home soon, Princess." He commented casually the night my home was finished. I had made us dinner in celebration, and while the male was still his usual playful self, things felt a bit bittersweet.
"Are you trying to tell me we won't be seeing each other again, Dragonborn?" Laskiin gave me a secretive smile, though his eyes were alight with amusement.
"I wouldn't say that, but it may be a long while after tonight." I brushed my long hair behind one ear, trying not to show my disappointment as he stood. I scraped my brain for a reason he could stay, but came up empty handed as I followed him to the door. He gazed at me thoughtfully as we stood there – me trying to hide my distress and him preparing his goodbyes.
"See ya', Faelynn," He finally said, opening the door. He paused, holding the handle as he glanced back at me.
"Oh, and my real name is Arvakr." He closed the door before I could respond, and by the time I made it outside he had vanished.
