"A book for the Bard's College, you said?" the Breton, Edwen, asked. We were riding our horses on the rough trail to Red Road Pass from freezing Dawnstar and I was thankful from the distraction the galloping horse was causing.
I gave the scruffy, brunette Breton a quick glance and replied, "It is a bestiary of the man-turned-monsters that roam Skyrim. A bard's perspective on them, at least."
"So it's a fanciful piece that dances around the facts," Edwen scoffed, surprising me with his discourteous attitude towards bards.
"It's an artistic telling of pure fact," I corrected, trying to sound untouched by his slight.
Edwen made another unattractive noise and, after a momentary pause, continued to question me, "If this book is about men, then why are we traveling to a damned Giants' camp? They aren't men, and they have never been men."
I put on my finest educated voice and explained, "There is actually some research that suggests that Giants originate from Nords – or at least somewhere in Nordic history."
"I doubt seeing the beasts up close will help you learn anything about their ancestry, ma'am. It's not as if they leave their pedigree lying about. Doesn't matter to me anyways. You're paying me to get you to the camp and keep you alive once we get there. How Giants grew so tall has no bearing on that."
"Thank Akatosh for that," I muttered. Despite my grievances with the Breton, I couldn't help by give him a slight smirk. There was something about him that simply made my thoughts wander. It's not often that you come across a tough looking Breton – one that looks as if he could hold his own in a drunken fist-fight. I have never thought of brawlers as attractive before…perhaps there was simply something more appealing about Edwen. Or perhaps it was just the horse's movements.
After riding along in another spell of silence, Edwen pulled his horse's reigns and lifted a hand to the air to signal me to stop mine. "The Giants are up ahead," he informed me.
I glanced to the horizon and took measure of the setting sun. "I would like to wait until dark. It will be easier for me to sneak then."
He narrowed his dark eyes at me and hissed, "Please, tell me that doesn't mean that you're sneaking into their camp! That's suicide. Especially for a bard!"
"What exactly do you mean 'especially for a bard'? I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I'm surprisingly tough, I assure you."
"Tough as a puppy," he sneered. "I would rather not have to take down a Giant. That's more of a four person job, to be honest."
"Don't concern yourself with the Giants – I have a plan to keep them under control. All I ask of you is to watch my back in case of wolves and the like. I will sneak to the edge of the camp and observe the Giants in their natural state. I will take the notes I need and then we will head off to make camp for the night."
"You know," Edwen grunted, "If you die, I could take the coin off your body."
"If I even had the coin on me, you'd have to beat the Giants to it. However, the coin is safely tucked away at a different location," I explained with my most devilish of smiles.
Once the sun was well hidden and the moon was creeping up the sky, the massive fire of the Giants' camp could be seen over the knoll that separated us from the beasts. I put out my torch and Edwen ignited a small ball of light from his hand. I was caught off guard by the battle-worn Breton using magic, and was a little surprised in myself with how attractive I found it. It took only a moment for my mind to wander to what else those rough hands could do with magic. I had to shake the thoughts from my mind and refocus myself on the task at hand.
Ignoring the odd look in his dark eyes, I give Edwen a curt nod and began advancing on the Giants' camp. Suddenly, he reached out and gently grabbed my arm to halt me.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" The gentle strength of his touch sent a chill up my spine. I could feel the magic throbbing through his fingers from the light still glowing out of his other hand.
"I'll be fine," I assured him with the most confident smile I could muster. The idea of staring down a Giant honestly frightened me, but I couldn't let him see my fear after all of my tough talk. Tough as a puppy, his words echoed in my head. A pup would cower in the face of danger, and I refuse to turn tail and run. Knowing Edwen was backing me up, however, did help boost my confidence.
I proceed to sneak up the grassy mound that hid the Giants' camp. When the camp came into sight, I was able to spy one Giant kneeling by the fire and two mammoths just outside the large camp. I slowly continued towards the firelight and tucked myself behind a nearby tree. Peering out, I took note of the Giant's size. If standing side by side, I would barely come up to his knee. He had tangled hair and a lengthy beard. His skin appeared to be carved with swirls and runes, however I couldn't discern if they were carved by the Giant's dagger, imbued into the skin with magic, or if the Giant was born with such markings. I was also surprised to see the pointed ears that were silhouetted by the firelight.
As I tried to lean forward to get a better look at the facial structure of the Giant, I stumbled and fell onto a tree branch causing a loud crack. The Giant's large eyes turned and settled on my small frame. I glanced back at Edwen and gave him a signal to stay put. When I looked back at the Giant, he was already to his feet, massive club in hand, and beginning to stagger towards me.
The Giant was gaining speed as I ducked back behind the tree and circled it to let the creature pass without spotting me. Thank the gods Giants aren't intelligent. I pulled a small vial out of the satchel strapped to my leg and dipped my thin ebony dagger into it. Listening closely to his footsteps, I wait for the Giant to stop and look for me. I complete the circle around the tree, coming up behind the creature, and dig my dagger into the back of his calf.
Stumbling slightly, the Giant turns to looks at me and then suddenly falls to the hard, frozen ground. I could feel my heart in my throat as I walked up to the gigantic head of the creature and plunge my blade as far into his eye as I could get it. I hated interfering with the beast, but it would make my research so much simpler if I could study him up close without fearing for my life.
"How…how did you do that?" Edwen stuttered behind me. "Since when does a bard know how to take down a Giant?"
My heart pumping and my head spinning, I gave Edwen a large smile. "Poison," I explained to him, shaking the small vile. "Paralyses poison, to be exact. I bought it on the suggestion of a friend in Whiterun."
"I'm impressed," he laughed as he gave me an unexpectedly boyish smile. "You told me you could handle it, and I doubted you. I do apologize for that. I admit it: You're tougher than I thought."
"Thank you," I beamed, feeling my cheeks grow red. After my head slowed its spinning, my blood began boiling for something other than Giant research. I gave him my most enticing look – biting my lip and looking out from under thick eyelashes – as I sheathed my dagger.
Then suddenly the ground fell to the sky and everything went black.
When I came to again, a tent of animal skins was spread above me. I slowly attempted to sit up and then felt an arm wrap around my shoulders to help me. I looked around and saw a campfire situated outside the tent and Edwen sitting next to me, glowing with the remnants of magic.
"What happened?" I asked hazily. I could feel waves of exhaustion leaving my body as I returned to normal.
"You were poisoned," Edwen informed me with a crooked smile. He lifted up my hand and showed me a small slice along the side. "You missed your sheath and cut yourself. There appeared to be a small amount of paralysis poison left on your blade, which then went into your system."
I closed my eyes and hung my head in embarrassment, "I poisoned myself."
He couldn't help but chuckle at my reddening cheeks. "I had no choice but to bring you to safety and let you sleep it off. The only thing I was able to do for you is heal you with my magic for the bump on your head."
I lifted my hand in search for the bump, but he took it into his. "It isn't there anymore – I healed it already. Are you in any pain? Are you cold? I could stoke the fire, if you need."
"No, I'm…" but before I could get my answer out, he was already sending flames from his fingertips into the campfire outside the tent. The warmth filled the tent and helped my muscles relax.
"Where are we?" I asked, looking up at his stubble covered face. I noticed in that moment that he had a thin scar across his jaw.
"Windward," he answered, "Or at least the front stoop." After seeing the confusion on my face, he explained, "Some of the old Nordic ruins have stairs that lead down into a domed hollow, where the door into the actual ruins is located. There was a nest of skeevers under the steps, but I was able to put them down quickly with a spell or two."
"We are in a hole in the ground?"
"And perfectly invisible from those wondering the ground above," he smiled down at me. Turning, he began fumbling through the items next to him. Pulling out a waterskin, he asked, "Are you thirsty?"
He handed me the waterskin and as I took it I leaned forward to hold my own weight. As I did, I could feel his arm, which was previously supporting me, slide from my shoulder blades to the small of my back. The unexpectedly sensual touch knocked the air out of me and I had to catch my breath before I could take a sip of water. The feeling of his strong arms carefully cradling me caused all of my previous urges to rush back to me.
I looked up into his dark eyes and felt bizarrely shy. As a bard, it's within my nature to be able to handle any situation with flare and create a comfortable environment for those around me. However, my honeyed words suddenly melted away and left me speechless.
"What's wrong?" A small crease formed between his furrowed eyebrows as he looked down at me.
"I simply feel silly, that's all," I shook my head, trying to clear the fog of lust.
A smile stretched across his face, "Don't worry – we've all missed our sheath a time or two."
"It's not that," I smiled up at him, but as soon as I did butterflies hit my gut and I had to look away. He reached out his hand and used his fingertips to gently tilt my chin up in order to force me to look at him.
As soon as my eyes met his, he closed the gap between us. His lips touched mine; his kiss was gentle at first but soon grew fierce. The strong fingers on my back twisted into my animal skin top and his free hand wound its way into my hair. As the kiss between us grew in intensity, I could feel all the nervous tension vanish. I found my customary courage once again and, without any further hesitation, I pushed Edwen down onto the bedroll and straddled him.
His one hand remained in my hair, giving it a strong and steady tug, and the other hand slowly ran up the back of my thigh until it could firmly grasp my rump. My hands traveled from his tousled hair, to his stubbly jaw, to his sinewy neck, and finally stopping to unlace his leather tunic. Once I reached the bottom of the lacing, he sat up and shed his top. He then rolled me over onto my back and began sensually kissing his way up my stomach as he lifted my top at an unbearably slow pace.
Finally, he reached my petite breasts and took one perky nipple into his mouth. A moan escaped my lips, which spurred him on. As his mouth remained occupied with my breast, he slid his hands down my waist, over my hips, and then began to unlace my breeches. I reached down to do the same to his laces however he swatted my hands away.
He smiled up at me and shook his head, "Not yet, pup."
I gave his hair a tug at the name 'pup', but couldn't help but let out a small giggle. I watched as he gave my breast another quick tweak with his tongue, and then his lips traveled back down my abdomen, over to my hips, and then his kisses lingered around the top of my trousers.
He sat up slightly and with a quick tug, he had my breeches around my ankles. He started his travels at my knee this time and began kissing down my thigh. As he teased with his kisses, his hands wandered about. They gently stroked my rear and softly tickled the back of my thighs. I shuddered as his mouth reached my wet core and he began slowly suckling on my nub. As my moans turned into panting, his sucking turned into massaging and flicking of his tongue.
He suddenly shoved two strong fingers into me, causing me to cry out pleasure. His tongue kept working my clit as he quickly moved his fingers in and out, causing my body to quiver and my back arched. I dug my fingers into his thick hair, pulling slightly every time he hit the perfect spot.
My incoherent words morphed into shouts of "By the gods! By the gods!" He finally had to stop and cover my mouth with a solid hand to prevent predators being attracted to the sound.
With one hand over my mouth and the other gently massaging my core, he finally allowed me to unlace his trousers. My hands were shaky from his work, but I managed to do it quickly enough. Once I was finished, he released me and pulled his bottoms down to his knees. He gently sunk his cock into me and then began bringing his hips down harder to set a pace.
He lifted me up so I was sitting in his lap and he was on his knees. He encouraged me to ride him harder by squeezing and gently pinching my rear. I scraped my fingernails across his back as my pleasure began wash over my body in waves. One of his hands softly slid up my side and then hungrily grasped by bouncing breast.
Without warning, he grabbed my hips and tenderly pulled me off of him. He firmly kissed my lips, and then turned his attention to my neck and shoulders. I could feel his hands on my hips, encouraging them to turn; I followed his directions and flipped over in order to be on all fours.
He slid into me once again and found his rhythm. When I could feel my body begin to shiver once more, I slipped my hand between my legs and began massaging my clit. Before I realized it, electricity rippled through my body, leaving me dissolving into pleasure. In my ecstasy, Edwen pulled out of me and came onto my back.
I relaxed my tired body on the bedroll and watched as Edwen pulled a spare rag out of his bag. He poured a small amount of water out of his waterskin onto the rag and began cleaning me off, massaging my muscles as he did. Once he was finished, he threw the rag to the side and stretched out next to me.
"I'm getting a little cold," I admitted, kissing him on the collarbone.
He leaned forward and sent flames out of his hand and into the fire. "Better, pup?"
A smile crept across my face and I couldn't help but ask, "What else you can do with magic?"
"Hmmmm," he purred as he pulled my body close to his, "Wouldn't you like to know." He chuckled at my reddening cheeks and then drew me into a long, hungry kiss.