Sooo much stuff to do! I've been all over the storyboard, but I gotta post something! So here's something! A funny, then serious chapter!

Sorry, I'm in the Sheo mood, can't you see i'm busy doing the fishstick? It's a very delicate state of mind...


Chapter XII: Fresh Air

The morning sun peeked through the windows of the room, casting a glow at the foot of the bed. The rest of the room resonated with the light, letting the walls bask in the glory of Aetherius.

A certain brunet tried to open his brown eyes, but his efforts failed.

The strange experience he had with Leo drained him of his strength, and sent the young noble soundly to sleep that night.

His body was ragged, and quite exhausted from the fight between him and the aspect.

But as his eyelids fluttered open, he felt something heavy on top of him.

He slowly unveiled his eyes, only to find a passed out blonde sprawled atop him under the fur blanket.

Calibur was knocked out cold, unsurprisingly. For as many drinks as the boy had last night, no one could blame him, but this?

Ember felt his heart beat stutter, his mouth open in sheer embarrassment.

He tried to move, but his fatigue combined with the captain's weight was too much to overcome.

The noble could feel the others breath on his neck, hear his slow exhale, smell his sweet Honningbrew scent, which only distressed him all the more.

The brunet squirmed, causing the sleeping blonde to cling to him, wrapping his arms around the others sides.

A small yelp escaped from the boy's mouth, his face full of disbelief, 'This isn't funny!'

"C-Calibur! Wake up!"

"…"

"Wake up!"

The captain groaned, "What is it?" before opening his eyes slowly.

The moment Calibur realized the awkward position he was in, a red blush engulfed him.

But before they could say anything, a voice from behind the door intervened.

"Master, it's time to get out of bed…"

The redheaded girl opened the door to reveal Calibur laying on top of her master under the fur blanket, both staring back at her in horror.

Calibur panicked, sitting up, "It's not what it looks like!"

Unfortunately, as soon as he sat up, the covers slid off, revealing the two half naked bodies underneath.

The three were silent as the grave, before Vio spun around, a shocked expression on her face, "I'm sorry if I interrupted!"

She walked out the room hurriedly, Calibur reaching out to her from the bed, "No! I swear nothing happened!"

But his words fell on deaf ears, as he rubbed his aching head.

He turned back to the brunet underneath who gave him a look of nervousness and discomfort.

The captain launched himself over to his clothes that were strewn across the floor without hesitation, and began dressing himself.

The noble wrapped the blanket around his thin frame, watching Calibur frantically put his trousers on, 'Aaaaagh! I've never suffered so much indignity and embarrassment! But strangely… I'm not angry. I should be… but somehow I'm not… and that's what really bothers me…'

As soon as the blonde finished, he darted out the door, and down the steps.

'It was an accident Calibur, an accident! But what if he doesn't think that? Will he hate me?'


The captain found himself in a completely different tavern than before. The morning rays dimly lit the room, revealing a few drunks passed out here and there.

He finally spotted Vio, who both traded awkward looks as he sat down at the table with her.

She watched him carefully, while he completely avoided eye contact.

'…It's not my business what Master does in his private life… nor is it my place to judge. I was just… surprised. I didn't think Master was the kind of person to engage in such… activities. He never showed any affection to anyone like that in front of me. Maybe he made sure not to be open about it? But they've only known each other for about two days. And moreover… Calibur is a man…'

Her head was filled with unanswered questions that might be better without the answers.

But the boy across the table was just as conflicted.

'…I've got to clear the air somehow… I know! I'll just straight out explain to her what happened! Vio trusts me to tell the truth, right?'

The blonde opened his mouth, gaining the attention of the redhead.

"…Look, I-""Don't worry, your secret is safe with me…" she smiled.

Calibur was turned to stone in an instant.

'She didn't even give me a chance to say anything!'

He laid his head on the table in total despair, emitting a harsh groan from his throat.

'…I'll be leaving for Bleak Falls today, so it won't really matter, will it? Is there a point to stick around anymore? It might just be better if I didn't say goodbye…'

The blonde stood up from the table, "I need some fresh air" before walking to the door.

Vio gave him a look, before looking away silently.


The redhead watched as her master made his way down the stairs slowly.

He was still quite fatigued, but he at least could walk. Though, his main concern was Leo's message from the other night. He didn't like being in the dark about these things of course, but he didn't want to risk being wrong. But why?

Why did he want to save Calibur? He wasn't the type to do things for others out of the kindness of his heart. It wasn't because the fact that Leo hinted at something bigger, was it? He had to admit, he was quite interested in learning what the aspect meant exactly, but that wasn't his main reason.

His eyebrows furrowed as he thought harder and harder.

When he thought about the idea of Calibur dying, it brought pain to his heart. Was it some sort of fixation? 'Was it… no, it couldn't be… could it?'

The brunet sat down across from his servant, who couldn't help but mumble, "A little sore?"

He gave her an intense glare, before asking, "Where is he?"

"Calibur stepped out, said he needed some air… but that was quite a long time ago, now that I think about it."

"How long ago?"

"Hmm… an hour or so…"

The brunet violently sat upright, "WHAT!?"

A few sleeping drunks where startled by the sudden outburst.

"We need to find him now!"

"Master, what's wrong?"

With an unsavory look, Ember bit his lower lip, 'This is bad, he'll get to the barrow long before we get close… I have to get there before anything bad happens!'

"Come on Vio, we have to catch up!"

Her dark brown eyes widened, before she nodded to her master.


The captain trudged through the blinding snow storm, his steel plated armor slowly freezing. The cold chilled him to the bones, as the wind howled in his ears.

The trail was out of sight, and he could barely see his own feet, but before he knew it, a rock with a red cloth tied to it appeared before him.

As the white blizzard began to die away, the dreary barrow revealed itself to the teen.

Its dark stone architecture reminded him of the fiery dragon of Helgen, an unpleasant memory for sure.

Before those events, the idea of dragons sounded preposterous, but now that he's seen an ancient Nordic structure, not to mention a real, live dragon, all doubts were erased from his mind.

'So the Nords of the olden days worshipped them?'

Undaunted, he cautiously made his way up the slippery steps.

As he ascended, he spotted two guards at the top, casually talking to one another.

One sighed, "Can't wait to get out of this storm…"

The other exhaled onto his frosty hands, "That Dunmer better find something good, 'cause if he doesn't, I'll rip off his stupid ears, and feed him his teeth for all this trouble."

The captain quietly approached the two bandits in tandem with the icy winds, before slicing his blade deep into his terrified enemy's gullet.

The other tried to yell, but Calibur quickly embedded his sword into the poor lad's chest, causing him to cough up some blood onto the cold stone.

But as the blonde looked over the other's shoulder, he noticed a third guard coming into view from behind an arch atop the next set of steps, drawing his bow.

As the cutthroat let loose an arrow from afar, Calibur used the body attached to his sword as a meat shield, the arrow landing into the back of the dead man's right shoulder.

With a swift jerk, he removed his blade from the corpse, before making a mad dash up to the bowman.

The bandit panicked and fumbled with nocking the next arrow. But his fate was sealed as soon as his fear overtook him- the sword pierced right into his belly, causing his body to go limp.

The captain kicked the man, sending his corpse sliding off the bloody steel blade.

The blonde waved his weapon, flinging the red liquid onto pillar next to him.

He took in a deep breath, as the smell of iron filled his nose.

He hated it.

He hated killing, he hated the rush, he hated it all.

The boy wished that the world was like how he used to imagine it was when he was younger. But he learned the hard truth after joining the Imperial Legion, what the world was really like.

He calmly walked up the final set of steps, before walking around the pillar to greet the ominous doors.

Calibur eyed the snowy footsteps in front of him, "Let hope they're not lying in wait for me…"

Reluctantly, he pushed the large doors open, cringing at every creak.

The doors led to a large murky temple, with a partially open roof letting in the white light of the mountain, and a few broken pillars scattered through the room. The decay was prominent, remains of banners and fire pits littered the area, along with a few dead skeevers.

The blonde let out a cold sigh of relief, before slowly closing the doors behind himself.

He cautiously walked forward into the icy light, kneeling down to touch the deceased rat.

'Still warm…'

He continued on, going round the pillar in the center of the temple.

But suddenly, a light flickered on, as two shadows loomed around the corner of the next pillar.

Calibur hugged the pillar with his back, as a man's voice answered the silence.

"…Damn fire keeps going out…"

"…"

"…What's wrong?"

A woman's voice responded, "Those two should have been back by now… maybe they ran off without us…"

Calibur sat quietly behind the pillar, before reaching to something on the ground.

The male voice exhaled, "Calm down, I'm sure they'll come back if they find something-"

The woman sneered, "You expect me to calm down while Bjorn's alone with Arvel? That little elf would rather stab us in the back than share the riches!"

As the two continued to argue, the captain looked around the corner at them, readying his arm.

The Nord groaned, "Just shut up watch for trouble."

A sudden noise sent the two to their feet, eyeing the entrance to the tombs below.

The woman whispered, "Bjorn? Is that you?"

But another noise collected her attention, as it came from directly beside her.

The man she was speaking to a second ago was now face down on the floor with a nasty slash to his back.

She turned around, only to have Calibur's steel sword directly in her face, her eyes trying to focus on its tip.

Her fearful expression met his intense gaze, the fire next to them lit his left side, while his right remained in darkness.

The two moved in a slow circular movement, their shadows matching the dance, until her back was to the temple entrance.

Calibur turned to the steps leading down to the tombs, sheathing his sword in the process.

The marauder smiled wickedly, pulling out a hidden blade from her boot.

She ran towards the defenseless captain who turned back around to witness the dagger aimed for his heart.

"Fool! This'll teach you to underestimate a-"

Her speech was cut short, as her bloody body fell to a slump behind him.

He looked down to the sword in his right hand, as his enemies' life essence oozed from the tip.

A lingering sadness that leeched off his heart had formed in that moment.

'No matter where I go, it makes the same sound…'

Drip, drip, drop…


A tid bit of backstory for Calibur, more like a hint. Breadcrumbs to the whole picture. Of my characters here and to come, he probably has the second least scarred past. Even though he's made it to the rank of Tribune due to his combat prowess and leadership qualities, he's still just a kid at heart...