Disclaimer; not mine, friends :)
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"W-what?" Martin felt as though he had been struck in the chest by a sack of broken masonry. "Emperor Uriel Septim? Y-you think the emperor is my father?" Lethia did no more than nod, still bowing to the young priest.
"You must be mistaken," Martin said with a nervous laugh. "I am a priest of Akatosh; my father was a farmer."
"No," Lethia replied, rising to look directly into Martin's eyes. "The Emperor sent me to find you, Martin."
"You spoke to the emperor before he died?" Disbelief was written across Martin's face. "And he told you to find me?"
"Do you have any reason to not trust me?"
Martin was at a loss for words. The Dark Elf had risked everything to free Kvatch from the clutches of Mehrunes Dagon, all to find him and tell him that he was the son of the late Emperor Septim.
"Y-you might just be telling the truth," Martin relented, nodding slightly. "But what do you want from me?" Lethia placed a hand on Martin's shoulder.
"Come with me to Weynon Priory, my lord. It's much safer there rather than here. Besides, I'm sure Jauffre can explain your position much better than I." Martin nodded and was silent for a moment, thinking.
"You destroyed the Oblivion Gate, they say," Martin said, impressed. "You gave them hope. You helped them drive the daedra back. You are an extraordinary woman, Lethia." Martin was pleased to see the color darken over Lethia's cheeks. "I'll come with you to Weynon Priory."
-x-
Martin squatted and used a stick to turn the charred wood of the campfire, pulling the bowl of raw potatoes wrapped in leaves alongside the empty one. He plunged the wooden stoke deep into the heart of the flame and dug out one of the cooked bundles, snatching it quickly and dropping it into the empty bowl. Reaching for the other upturned potato, a stalk of flame licked Martin's arm, and the young priest yelped sharply and clutched his seared wrist.
"Something the matter, my lord?" Lethia's inquiry from behind him caused Martin to whip his head around to see Lethia's crimson eyes boring into him, dark with worry. There was a large bundle of wood in her arms, and her hair was falling from its braid. In some places, it stuck out at strange angles, and there were a few twigs tangled in her coral hair, as if she had run into more than one tree while searching for firewood. If his arm hadn't felt like it was engulfed in flames, the priest would've either laughed at the Dark Elf or fawned over how cute she looked with her hair all tangled.
"Ah, it's nothing." Martin smiled weakly, gingerly cradling his burned wrist. "I was careless and burnt my arm, but I'll be okay." Using his good hand, Martin picked up the bowl of cooked potatoes and held it out to the Dark Elf. "Would you like one?" Lethia shook her head, her falling braid coming even more undone.
"I'll have one later. I'll be right back with something to put on that burn," Lethia said, dropping her armful of firewood next to the priest. "Avoid any contact with your wrist. I'll be back shortly, my lord." With that, she shot off into the woods, leaving Martin to stare at her retreating form. Sighing, he placed the bowl next to the fire and reached again for the troublesome potato, this time paying more attention to the flame. As his fingers closed around the charred leaves, Martin heard a snap and whipped his head up, looking directly into the blue-grey eyes of a wolf. The beast was only four paces away from the fire, and Martin could hear the growl coming from deep inside the wolf's chest.
"How troublesome," a feminine voice sighed, catching the attention of the beast. The wolf whirled around to face its new prey, a young Dark Elf with a small bundle of flowers held casually in her small fist. The beast growled and lunged at the Elf, barring its yellowed fangs. Lethia raised her right leg and kicked up, snapping the wolf's neck with her foot and sending its body falling to the ground. Casually stepping over the corpse, Lethia walked over to the fire and sat down beside the awestruck priest, tearing the flowers into smaller pieces and lifting the crushed flowers to her lips. Lethia chewed the vile-tasting herbs into a paste and spit it into her hand, leaning towards Martin.
"This is Dragon's Tounge, my lord," Lethia smiled as she gently spread the polluce across Martin's seared wrist. "It is a well-known fact among adventurers and herbalists that when the plant is chewed or ground into a paste and then spread on a burn, it will help heal the skin faster and with a better end result. After a few days, you won't even notice the blemish." When the paste covered Martin's entire burn, Lethia tore off a long strip of cloth from her bedding. Martin watched as her blue fingers danced, gently pulling the cloth up and over Martin's arm, thus binding the priest's wrist.
"There you are, my lord," Lethia smiled, gently tightening the knot around Martin's burnt forearm and standing up. "You should be feeling better within the hour." Lethia started to return to her spot on the opposite side of the fire, but a hand caught her wrist and pulled her back down to the earth.
"Thank you, Lethia." Martin smiled at the Dark Elf, his good hand still holding her wrist. "I'm impressed at your skill in healing; my hand is already starting to feel better," Martin paused to flex his burnt wrist, "and at your prowess in fighting without a weapon. You dispatched that wolf very skillfully." Lethia smiled shyly, casting her eyes down to avoid the priest's gaze.
"It was nothing, my lord," she said, "think nothing of it."
"Please, call me Martin." The priest's quick reply startled the Dark Elf, and she lifted her gaze to look into Martin's cerulean eyes.
"As you wish... Martin," the Dunmer whispered. The name tasted strange on Lethia's tounge, but it flowed easily from her lips. Martin smiled gratefully and turned back to the dancing fire.
-x-
Pulling the pins from her hair, Lethia shook out her twisted braid and ran her fingers through her silky hair to untangle it. Unhooking her sheathed sword, she tossed it to the side and fell to the river bank, tugged off her boots. She didn't bother to unbuckle the many straps, and she pulled off her worn woolen socks soon after. Fumbling slightly with the leather buckles of her new Kvatch uniform, Lethia lifted the light cuirass up and over her head and set it on the bank next to her small pile of discarded clothing. Unbuckling the leather straps that held the iron greaves together, Lethia slid the whole garment down her thin legs, hopping out of the greaves and stretching. Her fingers brushed the gold amulet around her neck and she considered taking it off, but decided against it. Now in no more than her underclothes, Lethia took a deep breath and dived into the river.
She rose to the surface almost immediately with a gasp and a shiver.
"It's freezing!"
Martin laughed heartily at the Dark Elf's reaction, pulling off his own shoes.
"Little cold, eh, Lethia?" He teased, tossing his socks and shoes aside and pulling his robe up over his head. Discarding that, too, he was left in noting but his undergarments, and he barely stifled his laugh when Lethia's cheeks colored.
"M-must you bathe here, Martin?" Lethia stammered, trying her best to keep her voice level. "There's quite a lot of room upriver."
"I have to bathe too, you know," Martin smiled, calmly slipping into the water. "And this spot seems as good as any." With that, Martin took a handful of sand from the river bed and used it to start scrubbing his arms, pretending to not notice Lethia.
Suddenly, a small wave crashed over Martin's head, startling him and making him wheel around in surprise. His eyes were met with noting but the river bank, and he was about to resume his scouring when a larger wave attacked him from the front. This time, a large portion of water got into Martin's mouth, and he took a moment to cough and spit, trying to get the offending water from his mouth.
"You should've seen your face, Martin!" The priest looked up to see Lethia laughing hysterically, her coral hair plastered to her head. Martin growled playfully and swept his arm over the surface of the water, sending a huge wave towards Lethia. Sinking below the surface, Lethia disappeared before the wave reached her. Martin held his ground, waiting for the Dunmer to surface and make her move when his leg was pulled out from under him, and he fell beneath the surface.
"Two strikes, Martin," Lethia taunted when Martin rose, spitting the water from his mouth. "You'd better catch up quick." Martin smiled inwardly and threw two large handfuls of water at Lethia. She raised her arms and effectively blocked the water from her face, but then her arms were pulled behind her and she was pinned to Martin's chest.
"I think I win this round, Lethia," Martin grinned, holding Lethia against him with his arms around her midriff.
"So it would seem," Lethia chuckled, not even struggling against Martin's hold.
-x-
The stars began glowing dimly as the copper sun slowly receded from the horizon, and the twin moons were just beginning to take shape. Lethia was perched in the higher boughs of a young Colovian oak, carefully scanning the surrounding area. When she was satisfied that there were no immediate threats, she glanced down at the form of the sleeping emperor and the dying cinders of their tiny fire. As she gazed into the glowing embers, she recalled the events just a couple hours before.
Put quite simply. Lethia was ashamed. She had no idea of what had come over her and prompted her to act in such a manner. It was shameful in every possible way, despite the innocent intent, and Lethia felt terrible for acting so disrespectful to the man who would take the throne in a matter of days. She had just felt so at ease around him, his kind and friendly manner a wonderful change from what Lethia had dealt with recently, not to mention the warmth that found its way to her chest every time their eyes met, and that unmistakable feeling of rightness that settled over her whenever they were close. Maybe...
No, Lethia had to separate herself from Martin, before any further attachment could ensue.
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I REALLY hope that I didn't lay it on too thick this chapter. I wanted Lethia and Martin to develop a bond/relationship before I went and make them... Well, you all will find out soon enough :)
Heads up; I might not be posting another chapter for a couple days, simply because I've pretty much drained my reserves of Sweetness XD but who knows; I'm pretty worn out at the moment because I just spent the last four hours watching eight kids X)