With passion'd breath does the darkness creep.
It is the whisper in the night, the lie upon your sleep.
-Transfigurations 1:5
Come Hell or Highever
Aedan was exhilarated.
He was also slightly terrified.
Both had the same cause, which was weird, and unusual because normally one would make the other impossible, right? So, why was he feeling like his heart was going to beat straight out of his chest?
Maybe, it was because a more or less foreign, beautiful girl was waiting for him, in his room, right now? Was it because Talia was waiting for him, and hadn't exactly shunned his glances? Nah, that couldn't be it. Maker, what am I supposed to- I mean, what does she even want? Or, what- does she expect me to take the initiative, or maybe she just wants to talk? What if I make the wrong move and offend her or-
"Aedan, you're up late." He snapped up at the voice. Alma - although everyone and himself called her 'Nan' - was looking at him with an expectant stare, waiting for him to come up with an excuse that wasn't going to involve 'I have a beautiful girl in my room'. It would be easier to just say he was double-hungry, which could be supported by him wearing just his fine clothes. He'd dumped the armor in his room.
It would technically also be true, since his hunt for rats had meant he missed out on lunch.
"Hi Nan… I… just... got a bit hungry." He tried, resisting the urge to nervously scratch his neck. One reason being it would make him drop the tray of food he was holding. Nan didn't seem convinced. She picked up one of the flagons on the tray and sniffed;
"And that is why you have two flagons of our finest ale with you? Aedan, are you planning something untoward?" Nan demanded. Andraste's knickers, she was worse than his mother! "I have seen you waltzing around with that mage-girl, young man. You do know her name at least, I hope?"
"I…I-It's Talia. I'm just..." His voice caught in his throat as his face heated up. This was just about the last thing he needed now, for Nan to start berating him for making friends with Talia. Because, she only wanted to be his friend, right? That was all. Nan just shook her old head;
"Maker knows it was high time you actually took an interest in someone." Nan said. Her change in tone caught Aedan completely by surprise; "Just don't break down when she leaves us again. The Wardens are needed down south, along with your brother. Only Wardens, and the soldiers, are going there. You won't see her again, unless you're either of the two."
"I know." He hadn't even planned on sounding so annoyed. It just came out because he knew she was right. Nan usually was. It was how she stayed on top of just about every situation. Unless it was Turk getting into the larder. Then she would raise hell and probably scare off whatever demons were lurking in the closest sleeping minds too. He'd always suspected her of secretly being some sort of mage, but never caught her in the act. Nan put the flagon back on his tray, giving the food a once-over;
"You won't get far with just the ale and bread." Nan said, pulling open a closet on the wall. She extracted herb bread, cured sausages, beef and cheese, dumping it all on his plate; "There. Makes up for you missing dinner, I suppose. Now, off with you."
Alma, better known as Nan, watched Aedan as he disappeared into the darkness of the corridors. The sun was setting, and the narrow passages between the walls and the main hall always got dark the fastest.
"So...it's come to this day, finally?" the old ornery sighed to herself. To be quite frank, she had started to wonder if it ever would. But from the moment she'd spotted the Grey Warden insignias, and seen the red hair and green eyes, she'd known the time had come, at last; "...damn it all, and I was just getting the pantry in order."
She'd served the Couslands for many years now, and had watched the Cousland boys grow up to the fine young men they both were now. Fergus was every bit as noble, charismatic and intelligent as Bryce, and would make for a fine successor. In truth, she just knew he would far surpass his esteemed father in achievements and fame.
Aedan, she held dear to her heart. Fergus had been a little tyke, barely four, when she had found employment, but Aedan? She'd watched Aedan being born. Hard not to, seeing as she had been Eleanor's midwife when it happened. She'd held the little screaming sack of skin and bones, marveling in the miracles of life, for what had felt like the first time in decades.
And now, he was about to become a man, in more ways than one.
Aedan hurried off before whatever kind spirit possessing Nan decided to leave again. She meant well, he knew that. She'd always meant well. Actually she'd always been there, around. She'd served his parents for several years before he'd even been born, then more or less raised him when his mother could not. He ended up walking the darkening outdoors corridors, his mind adrift in the dimming skies above. Won't get far…won't get far with what? What did Nan…Nah, it's not like she knows my mind or… damn, she probably does. Wouldn't surprise me, even.
But, what was on his mind?
The answer was pretty simple: Talia.
Aedan sighed, thinking about the striking redhead in his room. How her hair seemed to change color in the lights, going between orange and blood-red colors, in such contrast to her skin. He knew, he knew he didn't even really know her, but… he could get to know her, couldn't he? No one said she was leaving tomorrow, although there seemed to be a risk for just that to happen. Maybe, if he hid away Ser Gilmore, she'd be forced to stay? No… no she wouldn't. They'd just leave without either of us.
Maker, why was this so hard?
Something had stirred in Aedan when Talia looked at him in the great hall, and then on the battlements. It was… it was like she had been evaluating him, like a predator. He wanted to laugh at the notion, that she had been examining him, like she had been… planning, what went on.
Women didn't just plan those things, did they? Men were the ones to take charge and everything, that was what dad had told him. Usually that was followed up with his mother smacking his dad over the head with whatever she was currently holding.
And yet, Aedan had ended up more than willing to completely subject to Talia's behavior earlier. She had done something on the wall, something no one else had ever even dared to do. She had grabbed him and given him shit, if that was even what it could be called. No one had ever even tried that before, and Aedan suddenly found that he didn't really blame her.
There had been something in her eyes, like a spark of determination when she told him how the tower had killed her friend. And then, she'd just broken down on him. She hadn't been a mage, or even an attractive woman at that point. She'd been a broken person, in need of someone to vent at.
Aedan had never been to the Circle. He wasn't a mage, so why should he?
Mother Mallol had taught him what went on in the towers, how magically gifted children would grow up there, safe from the outside world while they learned how to control their powers. Templars, as she had explained, would provide protection from demons, though the Mother had never gone beyond that to explain just how they did it.
Was Talia right? Were the templars there to murder those mages who took too long to wake up, and wake up from what trial? It all hurt to think about, that the very same templars patrolling the towns and roads for maleficar and apostates would also kill those mages already living in the towers. The world really is going the wrong way these days… Blights begin, Grey Wardens turn up, mages are killed for failing a test or a trial… Maker, what is going on in this land?
Aedan shook his head of the thoughts, uncomfortable as they were. He had to focus now. Talia was from a strange, new land, and she likely didn't know a whole lot about Ferelden. There should be plenty to talk about, and he really liked it when Talia just talked, short time as he might have known her. There was just something… magical about it.
He grinned a little at the unintended pun.
It probably didn't help that just seeing her face in his mind aroused him. It was a new feeling, and he wasn't even remotely certain what he was supposed to do with it. Father had often told him, in secret so that mother didn't hear, about the people, and women, he himself had known in his youth. Aedan wondered if something similar would happen tonight. He wouldn't mind if it did.
Stopping by his closed door, Aedan carefully pushed it open with a long, creaking sound. He poked his head in first, careful not to drop the tray in his hands. Inside, Talia was lying face-up on his bed, staring at the ceiling while her ghostly dog was on the floor. Two-Sock looked at Aedan with eyes frightfully intelligent. Maybe as intelligent as a person? The Familiar blinked and yawned, but remained silent. Thanks. Good… ehm, dog?
Talia still hadn't noticed him when he stepped into the room, and Aedan hazarded a long look at her. From this angle, her perky nose was more prominent, and her red hair was spread across the covers. She looked both wild and peaceful at the same time, an odd combination, but one he found to be absolutely intoxicating.
True, he was scared. He wasn't sure what exactly he was scared of, but something about having the beautiful mage on his bed was setting alarms off in his mind. Maybe it was the newness of it all, or simply that there were so many things he didn't know.
Aedan breathed a silent sigh of appreciation when Talia closed her eyes, obviously relaxing. It was a good sign, even he knew that. There was some part of him regretting to have never joined the knights and lesser nobles when they visited the brothels. Then at least he would have some sort of experience with this sort of thing. Now, he felt like he was standing at the edge of some cliff, staring into the endless abyss.
Talia hadn't noticed him yet, or maybe she had and just felt relaxed in his presence. He could feel his heart beating, pumping blood to places where it definitely wasn't wanted nor needed. Maker…
She yawned, scratching her side with a lazy movement. It was so utterly undignified, and yet it simply added to what Aedan already perceived of her. He knew things about her, things he was supposed to have told the Chantry. She was not of the Andrastian faith. She had foreign gods. He had been raised to revere only the Maker and his bride. So… why hadn't he told Mother Mallol yet?
He knew the answer, and yet he didn't. Talia was something new, something so completely different, and Aedan was utterly fascinated with her person, intoxicated by her beauty and enraptured by her way of moving, behaving and speaking. He wanted… he wasn't sure how to put it in civilized terms, but he wanted her. He wanted to understand her, her origins, her person. He wanted… he just wanted her.
Still, the way she scratched her side was so adorable that he couldn't help an amused chuckle.
Talia didn't hear the door creaking open, and noticed nothing before someone was standing above her, an amused chuckle alerting her to the fact that Aedan had entered without she even paid it any attention.
But the bed was sooooo comfortable.
"When I invited you in here, I didn't mean for you to fall asleep before I came back, you know?" Aedan mused. His hands were occupied, holding a tray of food from the pantry. Talia rolled over so that she could send an irritated glare at her Familiar. Two-Sock didn't seem to give a damn.
"You seemed...comfortable?" Aedan was the first to speak, hesitation and something else clear in his eyes. Hers went to the plate he was holding, widening as she took in the variety of food it contained.
"...that's some buffet you've scrounged up."
"I… think so?" Aedan offered as he placed the tray on the bed. When he stopped before sitting down on his own bed, Talia knew more or less what was going on in his mind. It had been more or less going through hers for the better part of the day. She sighed, fell back on the bed and looked into the ceiling;
"Sit your noble butt down, I don't bite." She was very tempted to add a 'yet', but didn't. It might just scare him off or alternatively cause them to skip the food entirely. And she was hungry.
"Right. Right." He said, doing as she demanded. Ah, but to order handsome men around. It was one of the things Talia missed about High Rock. She let a small laugh escape her lips before sitting back up, crossing her legs before her as she started examining the tray of food. With her hood down, her boots off and the outer layers of her apprentice robes off, she was very well aware of what Aedan was looking at.
It wasn't the food.
She decided to pretend she didn't notice. Running a hand through her long, red hair, Talia grabbed a knife and grabbed for the first piece of food she could get her hand on, which happened to be a cube of cheese. A mischievous idea sprung up in her mind;
"Since I'm the guest, why don't you do the honors of cutting the food?"
A noble, after all, was supposed to be a gentleman. Aedan accepted almost too quickly, as if he was afraid to disappoint in anything.
"So, if I can ask... you mentioned you came here with two other friends who escaped before the templars caught you?" Aedan asked as he carved out the cheese. Talia accepted it, suddenly feeling a bit guilty that her friends were lost in the wilds, and she was sitting on a soft bed, eating cheese and contemplating enjoying a handsome man. Aedra, what is wrong with me?
"Brelyna and J'zargo." She nodded; "Brelyna is a Dunmer from Morrowind, from the House Telvanni. She's...shy." It was better that she not included 'mentally unstable', especially when doing so would require an explanation of why it really wasn't the Dunmer's fault.
"J'zargo is a Khajiit. I don't actually know where he is from, come to think of it. Elsweyr, most likely. He's always going on about how he's going to be the greatest mage ever." She mused, her gaze idly wandering to where she'd received a nasty burn while testing out the cat's scrolls. It was a funnier memory than it had been an experience; "He's the talking cat, I mentioned earlier."
"Sounds like your homeland is a bit crazy, if you don't mind me saying." Aedan mused. Talia took a bite of the cheese, making an effort to make the bite as slow and sensual as possible. She once more pretended not to notice Aedan's eyes on her. This might not count the right way on her path to becoming a better person, but by Dibella's priestesses, it was entertaining.
"Oh, High Rock is normal enough. Every man and his sister is a mage of varying degree, and we have practically no history of famine or epidemics because of that. Skyrim though…" She said, taking a new bite. She let her lips play around the cheese before letting it disappear within. She could feel how the room became a bit warmer. And, she could hear Aedan's breathing; "…is in the middle of a civil war. The Empire on one side, the Stormcloaks on the other."
"Stormcloaks?" Aedan asked. It was clear his full attention was on her lips, but only half his attention was on her actual words. This was getting more and more entertaining. Talia took a new piece he offered;
"Mmm. Ulfric Stormcloak hates Elves… It's mainly because the High Elves are shitting all over one of his gods, and the other non-humans are just caught in the middle."
"There are elves in Skyrim?" This just stressed that his attention was somewhere else than her words, or he would remember she had mentioned Dark Elves.
"There are elves everywhere. Just different types." Talia explained, popping in a beef sausage. It was too good to waste time on playing with; "The Bosmer are Wood elves. Decent enough people, but don't get killed by them, they're said to eat their enemies. There's the Dunmer, like Brelyna. I suppose they are fine too, unless you piss them off. Then, there's the real assholes of Tamriel."
"The Stormcloaks?"
"No, not… well, they are assholes too. No, I'm talking about the High Elves, or the Thalmor." She said, devouring another one of his sausages. That… could be misunderstood.
"High elves? Funny, our elves don't get much taller than children." Aedan mused. Talia grinned, imagining Ancano the height of Oren. Now thát, would be magic worthy of a book. It would be generally interesting to see if the elves of Ferelden were anything like those from Tamriel. Would they be snobbish, cannibalistic or sensitive to mentions of the cataclysmic disaster that struck their homeland? The last one really did require there to be Nords too, so she didn't give that one much chance.
"I'd like to see that at some point. Aside from the Thalmor, I...kinda like elves." Talia smiled, locking eyes on the beverage Aedan had brought with him as well. It wasn't mead, she could smell that much. It smelled a lot more like…like ale. Aedan seemed to notice her shift in attention, or maybe he was just so focused on her eyes that he would see it instantly when she looked at something.
"I could show you, you know?" Aedan mused as he handed her a flagon, complete with a small lid on top; "We have some elven servants here on the castle, I'm sure they wouldn't mind some positive attention for a change. What's so wrong about the Thalmor anyway?"
Talia took the flagon and did a small scoot towards Aedan. Just enough that it placed her closer. Not enough to be seen as a move of any sort; "I'll have to take you up on that offer, Aedan."
"So… ehm, the, the Thalmor?" Aedan said to remind her. It was adorable how he got visibly nervous when she was like this, on his bed and comfortable. Talia felt the warm, buzzing sensation build in her chest, and she could feel the start of lust, or something like it, mounting in her as she took a sip from the ale. Damn… they could do business in Riften with this stuff.
"It all ties down to history, if that won't bore you?" She asked, slowly wiping some of the ale-foam from her lips. She pointedly allowed just a small bit to remain. She knew this game well. Aedan looked somewhere between uncomfortable and very, very comfortable. An odd combination, but not unusual in this situation.
Aedan's eyes were clearly struggling to avoid focusing on the bit of foam on her lips. It was highly amusing, and the longing she could see in his eyes was… appreciated. She hadn't thought it would be, but now she found that it was nice being seen as something other than a powerful mage with the ability to burn a man to a crisp in seven different ways. In the end, the handsome young man seemed to find his words again;
"I doubt you could bore me if you tried." He said, that Mara-be-damned charming smile on his lips. The sincerity in his voice made something flutter in her abdomen, and spread to a tingling sensation between her legs. Talia noticed there was not a hint of beard on his face, cleanly shaven and - probably - smooth like a baby's bottom. His eyes were still constantly going back to the foam on her lips; "You ehm… you have something."
Oh, how she loved this game.
"Huh?" She asked with as innocent an expression as she could muster. It was hard, not breaking into a grin. There was no longer any doubt in her mind as to how she wanted this to end. She had tried, the gods knew she had tried to avoid him, but he'd still somehow persisted to the point that they ended up here.
At this point, she might as well reap her rewards.
"On your lips." Aedan said, vaguely pointing at her mouth. Talia did her best to seem confused, much to the detriment of his emotional stability.
"What's on my lips?"
"You've got a bit of foam on your lips, Talia…" His voice was strained to remain calm and polite. Aedan was so polite and handsome and adorable, Talia wanted to just skip the whole 'playing with him' part. But no, the hunt was part of the prize, and the prize was important. So, hunt it was.
Even if the deer had practically dropped before her still-notched arrow.
"Where?" She tried licking where she knew there wasn't anything. Aedan's eyes widened just a little; "I really don't feel anything."
"A bit higher." Oh, how his voice was starting to become husky. Talia knew exactly what was going on in his mind, so now the hunt was all about making him think she wasn't aware in the slightest. So far, the night was looking to be very promising. Her tongue went higher, but still not where the foam was. In the end, she knew he would catch on if she kept on missing.
And that would be too easy.
Talia ended the small game by simply letting her tongue travel in a slow, alluring circle on her lips. She managed to sweep away the foam, grinning as if she had just won a small victory. In a way, judging by Aedan's heavy breathing, she just had.
"There, got it." She smiled at him, propping herself up a bit closer. She could almost feel the warmth from his breath now, even though it was obvious he did his best to conceal it. She tried hiding a snicker when Aedan went so far as to hold his breath for a few seconds. Oh, how she enjoyed the reversal of sexual roles. She was the hunter, Aedan the hunted.
She wondered if he even realized this.
"Now, where was I?" She asked, looking into Aedan's warm eyes. They were the nicest shade of brown, she noticed, something she rarely saw in the Nords and Bretons she'd grown up with. Most there had blue or green eyes. Aedan blinked, seemingly at a loss for words while his brain caught up. Talia blew a huff of amusement. Aedan had the age, but he really was more boy than man. An extremely cute, hot and handsome boy.
"Thalmor?"
"Right." She mused; "See, it all started when the Empire of Tiber Septim was founded by Tiber Septim himself...
At the far end of the Castle's grounds, in the main study of Teyrn Bryce Cousland, a conversation had gone from bad to worse.
"Bryce, damn it, listen to me!" Arl Rendon Howe exclaimed, throwing up his hands in desperation; "You must see the sense of what I'm...-"
"No!" the Teyrn barked, fury etched in his face; "Maker's sake, you speak of treason, Rendon!"
"I'm trying to stay afl-"
"You're turning your back on your king, your country!" Bryce Cousland snarled. All hints of friendship between the two men were gone, leaving instead a dangerous atmosphere; "I cannot...- I can't believe you would partake in something like this. What about our children? Yours, mine? Do you have any idea what will happen if...-"
"Of course I'm thinking about them!" the Arl yelled; "Do you think I want this? Do you think I do this for the sake of my own gains? If what is set in motion does not come to fruition, I know all too well who is going to suffer for it. It won't be me."
"I'm...sorry, Rendon." The Teyrn sighed, reaching for his sword; "But this I cannot let you do. I can't let you leave here. For the sake of Ferelden, I'm placing you under arrest."
"I'm sorry too, old friend." Howe said, his sword already drawn and in motion. Bryce had no time to stop it.
"My brain hurts…" Aedan groaned. Talia grinned and ruffled his hair. It was spontaneous and not even planned. Still, she liked the feel of his hair in her hand. She kept playing with his hair, completely enraptured by the way it seemed to stand against her touch, like it was alive. It was a dark mess of prickly strands, and yet she couldn't remove her hand even if she tried.
"You're…you're saying people can have the souls of dragons?"
"Too much?" She mused, meaning both the 'Dragonborn' thing, and her hand on his head. Aedan removed his own hand from his forehead and looked at her. She fought back a smile at the heady look in his eyes, like he wasn't fully in control of himself anymore. Positive reactions like these were the greatest compliments; "Sorry. I should probably go now. Hopefully Duncan actually has somewhere for me to sleep."
When she made to stand, his hand gripped around her wrist, stopping her with a speed and certainty that seemed to almost frighten Aedan himself. It didn't hurt at all, not that she thought he'd even thought that far ahead. Most likely, and judging from the way he seemed surprised at himself, he'd just wanted her to not leave, but hadn't known how to say it.
"Aedan?"
"I...I'm sorry." His hand withdrew from her wrist, almost in shame; "I mean, you...don't have to go. You shouldn't have to try and find something now. You could sleep on my bed, I'd be fine with the carpet..."
"You're sweet, Aedan. Really." Because honestly, he was. She'd expected him to somehow suggest they could just share his bed, not that she could have it to herself and leave him to sleep on the floor; "But I can't kick you out of your own bed...We could share it?"
"You...mean, we..." Aedan stopped himself, eyes clenched shut for a moment before looking at her again; "I'm sorry. I'm not used to something like this, to having...someone like you, around me, this close. In my room. At night."
"You find me attractive." She stated it more for his sake than her own, boost to her self-esteem though it was. He didn't deny it; "Aedan, I'm honestly...the feeling is mutual." She said, adding with a deeper voice; "Very mutual."
Aedan looked, for a moment, like she had slapped him. To say he seemed surprised would be an understatement.
"...it is?" he visibly struggled for words, even as she sat back down, this time closer to him than before. A nervous chuckle escaped him; "That's...that's honestly a first. Last girl I talked to said my face looked like something Turk would burry and forget."
Before he could react, either by avoiding it or meeting her, Talia leaned in and kissed him. His lips were soft, those of a youth without so many horrible habits, and she could feel his jaw going slack beneath them, taken utterly aback by her sudden encroachment. Taking advantage of that, she pressed the kiss in just a little further, then withdrew, her blood singing with glee at the reddening of his face.
"In that case, I take it that was your first kiss?" her smile grew at his nod, broken as his mind seemed to be for the moment. Still, somewhere along the way she'd actually started liking more than just the exterior. He was sweet, and very polite in spite of how she had treated him. Making this a one-sided thing wasn't what she wanted, right now. His hospitality had earned him that much, at least; "If you don't mind...can I do it again?"
"You ehm...you kissed me." Aedan blinked as if the revelation had only hit him now; "Do it...again? Yes, I think I...It felt good. Again."
She was more than happy to comply. This time, instead of simply leaning in, she scooted all the way to his side. Gently, she took his hands in hers and placed them around her waist, feeling them tighten their hold almost as if on instinct. Judging from how his eyes hadn't even come near them, it probably was.
When she planted her lips on his this time, he reciprocated it eagerly. Clumsily, yes, definitely, but so clearly eager to please that it didn't matter whether he was skilled or not. His grasp on her hips tightened, and she could feel his desire to pull them both over and down.
Not yet.
First, she would teach him to kiss. It sounded silly, even to her own mind, but it could be just one of the few gifts she imparted on him. He had the drive, definitely. She could tell that he put every scrap of his being into trying to get this right, even if he didn't fully achieve it.
Feeling him tugging, she finally relented, allowing him to pull them down onto the bed proper. She bent at the knees, wrapping her legs around his waist, her lips never leaving his. He was improving already, she realized, and found herself plying her tongue in between his lips. It was a gesture that clearly surprised him, his eyes widening with disbelief at what was probably an unheard of act, and yet he simply allowed her entrance.
She was surprised when his lips sealed tight then, and he started gently sucking on her tongue. Her surprise only increased as one hand of his went from her waist to her ass, groping it with far more assurance than an innocent virgin should. Sweet Dibella!
She couldn't help but moan, something he quite clearly understood to be encouragement. Aedan's eyes were locked on her, attentive for any signs of discomfort, but his hands continued their roaming, the one remaining on her waist now going for where her trousers would open at the fro...-
Turk, as if he knew exactly when to interrupt, jumped from his basket in the corner, barking at the door like a dog stricken with madness. Aedan's hands stilled on her body, and Talia had to suppress a snarl as she was forced to get off.
As Aedan, still dressed, sat up straight once more, Talia remained on her back, frustrated and punching at the mattress. She pressed a sleeved arm against her mouth so he didn't hear her complaints.
"Damn you dog."
