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Chapter 1: How to Sweet Roll
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Lydia was no doubt a true Nord. Never in all years of her life had she stolen a septim, sold her sword as mercenary, or neither slacked off during her service to Jarl Balgruuf. And she was proud of it.
The one thing her papa had taught her, since the day she was barely old enough to crawl on four, was that "one should always work their fingers to the bone", and when the time comes, shall they reap plenty benefits. Together with what her mama used to tell her in bedtime stories "Good things come to those who wait", had Lydia become who she was now.
She had run hard miles. Shed sweat, blood & tears. And look where she stood today. An esteemed noble housecarl of the Thane of Whiterun. The fearless elite follower whom Dovahkiin, the legendary Dragonborn solely trust. It was more than she could have ever asked for.
And here she was. Chopping firewoods in front of the Bannered Mare, while her thane was away on a personal matter, off to Morthal.
Tsk tsk.. In no way, would she let herself grow into laze, in the absence of her thane.
If one were to look for Lydia, she would either be found training with the ragdolls up in the Dragonreach, or either helping out Hulda at the inn. In exchange for a delightful dinner, of course.
"Naghh!"
With a grunt, Lydia splitted the last of the logs, and carefully tied all the firewoods into bundles.
Well.. that's taken care of. Lydia stood up and wiped away the sweat seeping down her forehead with the back of her palm. Her chest slightly heaved with pants from the labour. She had been chopping for at least like 3 hours. And right now, the only reward she demanded was a hot juicy venison chop and a bottle of sweet soothing Nord Mead.
Lydia threw the firewood bundle over her left shoulder, one under her right arm, and another in her right hand, before she bursted the inn-doors open with a strong push of her body and barged into the Bannered Mare.
Oops.
Lydia noticed she might have caused a scene as she found all the unwanted attention of eyes on her. Well.. except a set of blue eyes, of course.
She knew Saadia was looking at her. The thought of being stared at by the woman she fancied made her skin go tingling.
She couldn't really remember when she'd started having attractions for the buxom redguard woman. Probably after the incident with the Alik'r assassins.
Their first encounter though dated back awhile.. That evening.. She was headed down to the inn as usual for dinner, only to be met by Hulda whom with feverish excitement told her about the new barmaid that had turned things around at the busy inn. When she asked the innkeeper about the redguard woman's background, not much was known. Actually, none!
It intrigued her. What mystery could possibly lie behind those captivating blue eyes? It was nothing more than simple curiousity at that time though.
Then after a few months, her service as a housecarl to Dragonborn begun. Then, the cross with the Alik'r.
Yet again, the mysterious maiden amazed her. Not only upon hearing her fugitivity from Aldmeri Dominion, but also when asked for an exchange to take care of the assassins, had the redguard woman offered that curvy body of hers? Oh no.
Instead, the woman dug out all her savings and promised them of a month-free dinner. Lydia was astounded. In times like such, most women would have just sold their body and fill a more base need.
The barmaid was proud. And was a woman of dignity. A trait, which Lydia found very... appealing.
Her thoughts were snapped out as the innkeeper literally yelped at her.
"SHOR'S BEARD! Lydia! Don't tell me you finished all of them?!"
The housecarl grinned sheepishly in return. "Okay... I won't then"
The innkeeper's eyes couldn't go wider at that, her jaw hung open.
"Umm.. To the kitchen, yes?"
"Oh, yes! Saadia..!"
Lydia slightly turned to her left to see the very woman walk up to her from the kitchen doorway. Green eyes unconsciously wandered south, as they admired how those beguiling hips of the acquainted barmaid sway from side to side with each step closer.
She felt her heart beat a little faster at the beauty before. She had never been one to get entranced by appearances. But this was different.
Afterall, weren't it for the chance to see the barmaid every evening, she wouldn't have taken all those odd labor at the Bannerd Mare. And if she was lucky enough, they would have a few smalltalks about here and there, or even a dinner together at their little private table in the kitchen corner.
Over the time they became fairly acquainted, Lydia knew she had feelings for the redguard. Feelings she wanted to confess. But she was afraid.. Afraid of ruining what little friendship they have built seeing Saadia's guarded personality, afraid of rejection, alike all those men in front of her. Adventurers, merchants, guards, mercenaries, the Battle-Borns, Mikael, even Torvar from the Companions.
But how would she know if Saadia did like her back and her feelings would be returned?
"Hand me the one under your arm."
Her thoughts ceased as the redguard woman moved to grab the bundle she was carrying.
"No. It's fine. You lead, I'll follow."
Blue eyes glanced up at the housecarl's green ones with a quirked eyebrow. Lydia felt her cheeks burn at the gaze and returned an awkward smile, before proceeding into the kitchen.
"Just over here."
As instructed, Lydia set down the firewood by the cooking pit. She knew she looked like crap with all the amount of sweat, yet the whim to look her best struck her hard. Straightening up, Lydia tucked her hair behind the ears. "So.. What's for dinner?" She cleared throat to keep her cool.
The barmaid scribbled down in the ledger book on the table before returning a flash of smile. Lydia felt her heart melt like fondue. "Well. Since we're out of venison, hope you like chicken breasts."
Not as much as yours. The housecarl smirked to herself at the thought.
"Excuse me?"
Lydia snapped her head and met blue eyes staring straight back at her with a quirked eyebrow. "What did you just say?" The redguard asked.
Lydia narrowed her eyes in confusion. But then it hit her. Shit! Did I blurt it out?
"Oh. Umm. I said not as much as your sweet rolls. Th-they are my favourite dessert of all time, you know." Lydia quickly mended to save her mishap.
The barmaid eyed her seemly recalling her memory for a moment, before she let out a low laugh. "I thought I heard something else, but thank you." The redguard turned to leave.
"Saadia.. Actually I was wondering.." Lydia started, yet her inner mind still torn between her heart and fear. Her hands fidgeting with the fur from her gauntlet. Make it sound like a date. No. Don't make it sound like a date.
"Well, umm. I was wondering if you could.." She felt her knees going weak, her hands turning icicles. Goddammit! Just ask her out already. "Well. I was wondering if you could sweetroll with me."
Shit! She mentally slapped her forehead, she'd screwed up. Again.
"What?" Saadia looked at her, completely baffled.
"No-I mean.." Dammit. This couldn't get any worse. Okay. Just let it go. "Yeah, well, I mean.. could you teach me how to make sweet rolls?"
Lydia felt her confidence shatter in bits. This wasn't the first time she failed to ask the woman out. Most of the attempts she chickened out. And the rest had ended up just like this, her tongue tied.
"Sure. I'll make a list of ingredients you'll be needing for that." The barmaid smiled at her and left the kitchen to wait the tables.
The housecarl nodded forward to stare at the floor, hiding the blush of shame.
So much for the mighty housecarl of Dragonborn..
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xxx
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After bathing for an hour, draining her building frustration at Breezehome, the housecarl arrived back at the Bannerd Mare. Green eyes heedlessly flickered and scanned the tavern for a certain maiden.
A smile already made across her face, as she spotted Saadia in the further back corner of the barcounter, facing the wall. Bending at her hips, the redguard seemed to be occupied with something.
Lydia couldn't help but grin wider when she realized that the barmaid was actually trying to lift a large sack of who-knows-whats-inside, to no avail. Her damsel was indeed in need of a hand.
But her steps faltered immediately, green eyes narrowing at a certain blonde hair that sat at the barcounter.
Jon Battle-Born.
Lydia clenched her jaw. She noticed the way he was eyeing Saadia. More specifically.. her rump. The said maiden was completely oblivious with her task at hand.
The flaring anger in her chest almost made her body shook with rage. How dare he! What of Olfina?! The Gray-mane maiden he'd been trying to pick up?!
That bloody mildrinker! He's no different from his damn ugly pompous family. Claiming himself to be superior than those.. what was that word again?.. 'death-obssessed' soldiers willing to die for their homeland whilst those bony arms of his couldn't even properly swing a dagger.
Worse. That annoying tongue of his! Always belittling the bard Mikael to make himself look tough. Pathetic.. that blockhead too blind to see the fact that at least the bard has a job and he doesn't.
Lydia watched the blonde man took a sip from the mead bottle, before slamming it down onto the wooden counter and approached Saadia. My Saadia!
"Hello, sweetpea.. Is there anything a big, strong man can do for you this fine evening?"
The battle-born stood behind the barmaid. His perversed eyes still glued to the woman's lower back.
"Perhaps. If you see any big, strong men around, tell me." The redguard woman taunted back as she spun to face the man. The lightly boozed up man chuckled, "Big? Oh that won't be a problem.. I can show you how 'big' I am all night long-"
The blonde man staggered out of balance when the housecarl bumped his shoulder hard from behind and walked pass him.
"I'm afraid that won't be necessary, Battle-Born. You see.. it wouldn't even take a half-wit to tell that Saadia here is quite allergic to milkdrinkers like yourself. So why don't you go catch a chicken?" Lydia sneered as she grabbed the sack from the barmaid, before hurling it over her shoulder in a blink. She glared back at the blonde head in a warning manner. Her patience was far gone and the man was clearly on thin ice.
But of course. The Battle-Borns and their well-known oversized ego. The slightly sloshed man clutched his iron sword, and blocked both women from leaving "You'd better watch that filthy tongue or else I-"
The sound of metal clattered against the wooden surface, as the blonde man that was standing moments ago now laid in a heap on the floor.
All chatters went silent. Even Mikael had stopped playing his lute to gape in aftershock at the usually composed housecarl's perfect left hook assult to the man's jaw.
The blonde head groaned on the floor as if to process what had just happened to him.
"Piss off" The housecarl scoffed, and stepped over the sprawled out man, before storming her way into the kitchen.
Lydia placed the heavy sack where it belonged and plopped down the wooden chair in the kitchen corner.
"You know, that was rather uncalled for." An alluring voice floated across the kitchen. She was so lost in her rage that she didn't realize Saadia had followed behind her. The housecarl let out a heavy sigh and leaned her head back against the wall in her seat.
The barmaid sat down the chair across from her and handed a bottle of Honningbrew mead. "Are you okay?" The hint of concern in the redguard woman's voice didn't go unnoticed by the housecarl. By talos, of course, I'm not.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Lydia put on her usual smug face, and instantly earned herself a look from the blue eyes, as if they were giving her a second chance to rephrase that answer.
She sighed, and took a swig of the mead. "Look.. I- I just didn't like the way he was looking at you."
The barmaid crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat, ocean eyes softened as she listened to the housecarl in silence.
"Like you were a new notch he could claim with ease on his bedpost. Which you are not. And.. it just makes me so barking mad how people truly can't see pass that, how they fail to see the real you.." Lydia glanced up into sapphire orbs of the barmaid, who had moved closer and cupped her hand above the housecarl's resting one on the table.
"It's okay. It doesn't matter.." the barmaid whispered, oh so softly that made Lydia shudder with the urge to capture those full lips she had always dreamt of capturing. She watched as blue eyes bored into hers, the way they were looking at her, though she couldn't quite pin it, it was as if they were waiting for her to say something. Something that would change everything between them, something that could bring so much joy to the barmaid's life. Yet at the same time, a reflection of fear staining in those azure blue eyes, beseeching her not to say those words she longed for.
Lydia felt her breath hitch as the redguard brushed a thumb over the back of her palm, leaving traces of excitement. "Saadia.." Maybe this was the moment. The perfect timing to tell how she felt. "There's something I want to tell-"
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xxx
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Hoorayy! I know it wasn't much but it's my first attempt in the garden of romance. Hope y'all like it. Please R&R if you have time (: