Chapter Summary: After a long day of traveling, Miranja and Teldryn enjoy a cozy evening with the Windstad Manor "family."
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It was suppertime when Miranja and Teldryn reached Windstad Manor. They'd run into the Dawnguard on the way, just as Miranja had predicted, and they'd cleared the bandits from Fort Dunstad and looted everything valuable that they could carry. Then, pleasantly surprised to have found a tavern inside the fort, they'd eaten their lunch and rested their feet for a bit at the Stumbling Sabrecat. When they'd reached the swamps, they'd hunted some mudcrabs – the most plentiful food source in the swamps – for their supper, and Miranja had a good-sized bag of crab legs to be boiled. She didn't want to show up unannounced at suppertime and expect the staff to feed two extra people.
Miranja introduced Teldryn to Uthgerd and Valdimar, then Valdimar introduced both of them to the new hires since Miranja's last visit: Sonir, the bard, and Engar, the carriage driver. Miranja welcomed the newcomers, then explained to the staff that her guest was in hiding from some bad people and wished to remain unseen by anyone but her, so he needed privacy to take his meals. She advised them that she and Tel would just be there for the night and asked that they not use the entry room while Tel was there. And if anyone happened to show up looking for him, they hadn't seen him. It would only be a stretching of the truth; they wouldn't actually see his face, or even his hands, as long as Teldryn left all of his armor on around them.
After introductions and instructions, she wasted no more time in getting out of her armor and washing the sweat off. She let her hair down and changed into a pair of ragged but comfortable pants and a roughspun tunic, going barefoot as she added her stash of mudcrab legs to the steaming pot Uthgerd had set to boiling. Uthgerd also melted some fresh, homemade butter to accompany the crab legs. The rest of the household was having a rich, hearty-smelling venison stew, and Miranja almost wanted to trade someone their supper, but the staff had seen enough mudcrab to last them at least the next year.
Telling her people rather apologetically that they'd be back after Teldryn had finished eating, Miranja and Tel took their mudcrab legs, a bowl of melted butter, some baked potatoes, and some grilled leeks to the table in the "entryway" (which Miranja still had not converted from "house" mode because she liked having plenty of beds for everyone plus guests), away from the staff, so they could talk privately and Teldryn could remove his helmet.
They sat perpendicular to each other, and Miranja played footsie with him under the table.
"You really so paranoid you think that even my staff might give you away?"
"Call it force of habit. I've become uncomfortable eating in mixed company. Even now, I'm feeling a little anxious that one of your people might open the door between this room and your main hall."
Miranja felt sympathy toward him. "I'm sorry that you can't stop looking over your shoulder, Tel. But I'm still glad that you decided to trust me. I feel very privileged to see your face." She smiled mischievously and reached out to touch his cheek. "Your handsome, handsome face." His hand shot up and captured hers before she could touch him. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm.
"You're too open to be any kind of spy," he told her. "I feel more relaxed with you than I've felt with anyone else in the last four years. I think Revyn's sister Idesa would be in second place, but it's a distant second, if only because we never had a sexual relationship. You're aware that Revyn's sister is only into women, right?" He let go of her hand and started in on his mudcrab legs.
"I wasn't completely sure of it, but I did have my suspicions. I think she subtly flirted with me before she found out that I was seeing Revyn. She's backed off since then. Why does that matter?"
"It doesn't, really," Teldryn conceded. "She and Ambarys Rendar were the closest things I had to friends when I was in Skyrim. She and I used to grouse about the lack of women for horny Dunmer in Windhelm. If only I hadn't been so paranoid, and I'd had the nerve to approach you. We could have been having fun months ago. You may have worried me, but that didn't stop me from thinking you were one of the sexiest women I've ever seen."
"Well, it seems you were very good at making yourself unnoticeable, since I don't remember ever seeing you in Windhelm. And now that I've learned more about you and seen you without your helmet – or any clothes at all, for that matter – I can't help but notice you. Makes me wonder why I was never interested in you before. Pretty sure you gave me that cocky attitude when I spoke to you the first time I went to Raven Rock. Maybe it was because I was with Faendal, or because Geldis was more straightforward about flirting with me. Just introducing yourself as a blade for hire isn't the most flirtatious way to get a girl's attention." Miranja winked at him as she dipped her crab meat in the bowl of melted butter they were sharing.
"Well, it's like I told you. I was suspicious of you at first, and then I was just intimidated by you. You were young and beautiful, and you seemed strangely confident. I didn't know until we had dinner together that you were such an open, honest, and down-to-earth person. Not the haughty bitch I think I expected."
"Thanks?" Miranja laughed.
"Now, just temper all of that with a bit of wisdom and you'll be absolutely irresistible."
"Are you saying I'm stupid or naïve?"
"I'm saying neither," Tel said, drinking his ale straight from the bottle. "You are the furthest thing from stupid, and you've been through too much crap to be naïve. But you're still impulsive, and you don't think things through before you act. That could get you killed, you know."
"Well, it's also saved my life," Miranja countered. "Sometimes taking too much time to think about something costs you valuable seconds."
"Acknowledged. But I'm not talking about combat."
"Well, if you're talking about Revyn, believe me: I've agonized plenty over that whole thing."
"That's one thing, sure. Getting involved with the Telvanni was most likely a mistake, too. And the Kolbjorn Barrow incident."
"What do you mean about the Telvanni?" Miranja asked indignantly.
"Okay, I concede that you probably didn't know about their dog-eat-dog way of doing things, didn't know about their ruthless ambition. And maybe your Talvas was different somehow. I didn't know him. All I know is the way he looked at you when you brought him into the Netch, and I'll agree that he did seem to be very much in love with you. But even if Master Neloth himself is okay, I guarantee you one of these days another attempt on his life will be made, and you'll either end up hurt or killed yourself, or you'll end up grieving another dead wizard."
"Point taken. I'm willing to take that chance, but for the record, I won't be spending nearly as much time with him as I have in the past.
"Now, as for the Kolbjorn Barrow excavation, I've been thinking about that again since you brought it up at dinner the other night. While it tears at my soul to have innocent blood on my hands, and I have mixed feelings about keeping Ahzidal's relics, something good did come out of that. Ahzidal will no longer seduce and control or kill anyone ever again. That barrow is no longer a threat – unless, of course, reavers take up residence in there. But that's a whole different story. And before you say anything, no, I didn't know what was in there when I started funding the project, and I didn't know how it would turn out, but I admit that I suspected something like that. I read Ahzidal's Descent. So, I know there will be some cosmic retribution coming my way, if Talvas' death wasn't already it, or my own recurring anguish.
"Now, can we change the subject, please? I'm trying to forget my sorrows, remember? Why do so many of our conversations have to be difficult?"
"Let's just say I feel sort of… 'mentorly' toward you. You've already done a lot with your life in the past year, but I feel like you have a lot more to offer, with a little guidance. I want you to examine yourself, challenge yourself, grow yourself. Maybe I'm being vain, but I think I could teach you a few things, and I don't just mean in bed."
"Well, don't take this wrong, Tel, but right now I just want to relax and enjoy being home. Well, one of my homes, anyway. I'm in the mood to sing with my new bard, not for life lessons. If you're done eating, put your helmet back on and let's join the others."
"In a minute," Teldryn said, rising from his chair and extending his hand to pull Miranja out of her own chair. "I haven't touched you all day." He pulled her against him and kissed her, running his hands from her shoulders to her ass, sliding his hands into the waistband of her pants and finding that she wasn't wearing smallclothes. He squeezed her supple flesh gently, pressing her pelvis against his, grinding slowly and sensuously. Miranja encircled his torso with her arms and pressed her breasts against his armored chest, even though she knew he couldn't feel it.
Miranja wasn't sure what it was about his touch that made her so wildly excited – it was probably that he was being the aggressor, whereas she was usually the one initiating sex. It was delicious to have someone help himself to whatever appealed to him, as long as she reciprocated the interest. She hated subjecting herself to Siddgeir, but it seemed her only option for keeping her favorite property. But Siddgeir was far away and not a concern to her right now. She refocused on Teldryn and his irresistible self-assurance, his magical mouth, and his boldly roaming hands.
"Even in your raggedy lounging clothes, you make my mouth water," Teldryn murmured against her neck, and the combination of his words, his low, sexy tone, and his warm breath on her skin ignited the flames in her belly.
"I can't wait to get into bed with you tonight," she replied huskily.
"You didn't get enough last night?" Teldryn teased, pulling back to look her in the eye.
"I think it's gonna be a while before I get enough of you, Tel," Miranja murmured, nosing his head up and biting his neck. "You feel so good inside me, and on me, and around me... and I love kissing you. You're an amazing kisser."
"Do we have to go join the others?" Tel purred into her hair.
Miranja groaned in lustful frustration. "You certainly tempt me, but I'd feel selfish and rude if I didn't spend some time with my people after being away so long. Besides, I still feel like making some music. We can make our own music in an hour or so."
Tel sighed and kissed her one more time, sliding his hot hands up under her shirt to cup and squeeze her breasts before releasing her reluctantly. "The anticipation might just kill me. Then what will you do?"
Miranja rolled her eyes and shook her head, smirking, as she adjusted her shirt. "And I thought only women were dramatic."
"You wound me," Tel grinned, snugging down his helmet and pulling his scarf around his face.
"I'll kiss it and make it better very soon," Miranja promised, opening the door to the main hall.
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It was rumored that Lurbuk at the Moorside Inn in Morthal was the worst bard in Skyrim, but Miranja thought he played quite well, although he didn't sing, so she wasn't able to judge his vocal abilities. Sonir, on the other hand, did sing, and if the rest of Skyrim knew about her, Lurbuk would be bumped up to second worst. Miranja didn't have the heart to ask Uthgerd to replace her, as she'd been hired so recently and she was a nice enough girl, but damn. While Sonir was good with the instrumental music, her singing even made Tale of the Tongues sound bad, and her rendition of Ragnar the Red made Miranja cringe and grate her teeth.
Tonight was going to end up being a mix of entertainment and education; Miranja asked Sonir if she would provide accompaniment on flute and drum as she herself sang and played the lute. Sonir, none the wiser, happily agreed.
"It's nice to have someone to play music with," Sonir chirped. "No one else in the house can even sing, much less play an instrument."
Miranja cleared her throat and studiously tuned her lute. "I want to start with Ragnar the Red to warm my voice up," she told Sonir. There was no flute or drum accompaniment for that song, so Sonir offered to sing harmony. Miranja graciously acquiesced. As it turned out, they didn't sound half bad together, and the rest of the little group clapped and cheered enthusiastically when they finished. They went on to do Age of Aggression, then Miranja sang and played lute for Tale of the Tongues while Sonir overlaid it with a haunting flute accompaniment. All the while, Teldryn sat silently, but Miranja felt the heat of his gaze.
Uthgerd announced that she hadn't had such an entertaining evening of music and drink since she'd left Whiterun, but that she needed to get to bed soon. Miranja and Sonir did the song about the maiden of Stros M'Kai for a fun end to the evening, and Uthgerd, loosened up by the sujamma Miranja had brought with her, hugged them both warmly before excusing herself for the night.
Engar and Valdimar sat at the other end of the table, drinking their ale over a card game. It warmed her heart to see Valdimar enjoying some male companionship; he'd spent several months alone before she'd hired Uthgerd to be steward and subsequently added the bard and the carriage driver to the household. She'd worried a lot about both him and Gregor, until she'd figured out that whenever she'd come to Windstad and Heljarchen and found them missing, they were off socializing elsewhere, like Whiterun, Morthal, and even as far as Lakeview Manor in Falkreath. She'd even crossed paths with Valdimar at Labyrinthian and helped him fight a frost troll. It had surprised her every time she ran into one – or both! – of them somewhere far from their stations.
Tonight, they were politely isolating themselves from Teldryn. They would have invited him to join their card game, but Teldryn's air of mystery combined with Miranja telling them he was in hiding caused them to refrain from speaking to him other than when they had greeted him. Teldryn didn't seem to mind, though; he wasn't big on Nords, and preferred the company of the women.
"Sonir, have you ever heard the Dunmer ballad about the Nerevarine?" Miranja asked her fellow bard.
"I'm not really sure, but I think I'd remember it if I had."
"Would you like to learn it? I know there aren't any Dunmer in these parts, but just in case… it's nice to learn songs from other cultures. And you already know the Redguard song."
"Sure," Sonir said gamely.
Miranja played and sang the song herself once, then Sonir followed along as she replayed it slowly. Sonir found some paper, ink, and a quill and jotted down the key words so she could remember the verses, writing the chords in their places. They played it together once more, a little faster, Sonir consulting her notes as they went, then Sonir played it solo. Although her singing voice left something to be desired, her ability to learn and remember new music was very good.
"You've caught on very quickly," she told Sonir. "Now, practice, practice, practice, and the next time I come through, we can play it together at speed. Who knows? I might even bring a Dunmer friend with me." She smiled and cast a wink at Teldryn – whom she'd only introduced to everyone as 'my friend Tel.' Sonir hadn't been around for Talvas, and Miranja thought it might be for the better. At least no one was asking about him here.
"I look forward to it," Sonir smiled. "Thanks, Miranja. Now I guess it's time to wash up the dishes before I go to bed myself."
"Let me help," Miranja offered. "You wash, I'll dry."
"I won't turn down an extra hand," Sonir smiled.
"My mother always says, 'Many hands make light work,'" Miranja told her.
They chatted amicably while they worked, mostly about the Bard's College and Solitude. Miranja mentioned that she and Tel would be heading to Solitude sometime the next day, after they found and closed the magical rupture.
"Would you deliver a message for me, Miranja?"
"Sure…?"
Sonir smiled. "I have a boyfriend there."
"Oh?" Miranja asked innocently, wondering if perhaps they shared that same "boyfriend."
"One of the guards under Captain Aldis," Sonir said, smiling and staring into space as she thought of her beau.
"I see," Miranja replied, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief.
"His name is actually Holgeir, like in the legend," Sonir burbled. Miranja was amused and returned Sonir's smile.
"I'd be happy to deliver your message."
"I'll write it up in a few minutes and give it to you in the morning." Sonir lowered her voice and cut her eyes in Tel's direction. "I don't know why, but I have the distinct impression that your friend is impatient to go to bed, if you don't mind my saying so."
"I believe you're right," Miranja replied with a mischievous smile. She put away the last plate and hung the dish towel over the back of a chair to dry.
"It's been very pleasant meeting you tonight. I hope we can play together again very soon."
"Me, too, Sonir. I hope you don't get too bored here; you're welcome to spend time elsewhere if you have friends and family to visit. And your boyfriend, of course. I try to visit here once a month just to make the rounds and spend time with my extended family – meaning my employees, of course. My parents are in Cyrodiil and I'm an only child, as was my mother, so I have no blood family here in Skyrim. My Nord grandparents have been dead for years, and they're buried somewhere in the countryside near Riften, where they once owned a homestead."
"I'm glad to be considered part of your family," Sonir said sincerely. "I like everyone here so far, although Uthgerd tends to be a little prickly."
"She's all right, I promise. As long as she doesn't challenge you to a fist fight, you should be okay." Miranja winked at Sonir and bid her good night.
Teldryn was rising from his chair before Miranja could even approach him. They bid good night to Valdimar and Engar as they passed, then shut themselves into the front room for the night.
"Nice place you have here," Teldryn remarked as Miranja tied the door handles together for good measure. She knew her people wouldn't do anything malicious to Teldryn, but they might be curious enough to try to sneak a peek at him, and she wanted to try to set Tel completely at ease. "I didn't know you were so wealthy."
"I've done a lot of good deeds, gotten a lot of rewards. I've killed dragons and bandits and giants and collected bounties. Sometimes the dragons and bandits had more money on them than the bounties I collected for them. I've sold a lot of the enchanted weapons and armor I've looted or made myself. It's taken a while, but I've built three houses like this – with help, of course. I never thought I'd be where I am now, but it makes me feel good that I can provide jobs for so many people, as well as providing extra food for the good people of Raven Rock."
Tel smiled and shook his head in wonder as he set his helmet and bracers on the table.
"I don't know whether to smack you or praise you," he commented, to Miranja's surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"You got me all worked up before dinner, then you took your sweet time helping the bard wash the dishes." He stood next to the table and started removing his cuirass.
Miranja laughed. "You got yourself all worked up, Tel. As I recall, you're the one who started it. So, what would you praise me for, then?"
"For being kind to your employees and treating them like family. You were so patient with Sonir in teaching her that song – not to mention I find it remarkable that you've learned it. And then to actually help with the menial tasks… you're just an odd duck. To me, anyway. In Morrowind many people have not employees but actual slaves. Not that I, myself, ever subscribed to subjugating other people, even people of other races – look what happened with the Argonians. I guess I'm an odd duck, too." He laid his cuirass on the chair he'd sat in earlier, then sat down on the edge of the bed closest to the front door to remove his shirt, boots, and leather pants. Miranja stayed on the side closest to the main hall but didn't start undressing yet.
"I come from humble, hardworking people," Miranja replied, "so I'm used to doing 'menial tasks.' My parents doted on me, but they didn't spoil me. At least, I don't think they did.
"The song, well, I learned it because I love your people, Tel, and I wanted to learn more about your culture, and to be able to show them that I care. I thought learning about an important legend and being able to entertain them with a song from their homeland would be a nice thing to do, without having to get into politics. It's not much, really; I know there's probably more I could be doing to make life better for our friends in Windhelm, but as Brunwulf says, it's hard when Ulfric turns a deaf ear. I worry that it'll take nothing less than killing Ulfric to really make anything change. And as much as I disagree with Ulfric about his methods, I respect him for standing up for what he believes in, and I know he would rather die than settle for less than the best possible outcome in his mind, and I don't want him to have to die. He's actually kind of sexy." Miranja winked when Tel snapped his head around to look at her.
"Sexier than me?" Tel asked, puffing up his chest and flexing his biceps at her.
"Hmmm…" Miranja pretended to have to think very hard about it, and Teldryn twisted around, reached across the bed for her arm, and yanked her down onto the bed upside-down from him, holding her arm tightly and tickling her so that she laughed loudly and shrieked.
"The longer you have to think about it, the longer I'll have to torture you," Teldryn said, deflecting her free arm and her legs as she fought him, and going back in to dig into the most ticklish spots.
"Okay, okay!" Miranja shrieked. "Stop! Please! I can't breathe!"
Tel stopped, but kept his hand raised as a warning. "One wrong word…"
"You're a Dunmer, Tel. You win by default, but just so you know, you're one of the sexiest, handsomest Dunmer I've ever met." In the back of her mind, she was wondering who all on the other side of the door had heard them, and what they must be thinking.
"You're damned right," Teldryn purred, shifting around to pin her beneath him and capture her mouth with his own. Not that she was struggling anymore.