Hey, y'all, I finally tried my hand at drawing Talvas, and I'm rather pleased with how it turned out! Check it out on Deviant Art: ladytanithia/art/Talvas-934078665 (you'll have to put the www. deviantart. com in front of it yourself - FanFiction doesn't want me to post the full link.)
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Chapter Summary – Miranja and Teldryn spend a mostly unproductive day in Haafingar, and Jordis goes along for the ride.
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"Aetherius is a much better place than Mundus, and I feel mostly content here, but I still miss you. Come be with me here. We could be happy together here. I still love you, Miranja. Nothing feels complete without you. Why did you let him kill me?"
Miranja knew what she wanted to say – "I couldn't stop him" or "You had me bound to the rack" – but the words wouldn't leave her lips. Tears streamed down her face, but she couldn't move to wipe them away.
Neloth's voice came from behind her shoulder, lower and more menacing than she'd ever heard it, growing closer, but she couldn't turn her head to see him. "Begone, betrayer. Go back to where you came from or I shall cast you into the realms of Oblivion myself." As he came into view at her side and walked past her in slow motion, she could see crackling lightning at his fingertips. She could feel the hairs on the arm closest to him rise and stand at attention. As Neloth raised his arms, the haunting memory of the smell of burning flesh arose in her mind, and finally she found her voice.
"Stop it! Neloth, don't – not again! I couldn't stand it again…"
Miranja's sobbing woke Teldryn, and a quick glance at the opaque leaded glass window told him that it was still deep in the night. "N'chow," he murmured to himself, squeezing his eyes closed and reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He could feel his heartstrings being drawn taut, and he mentally kicked himself – but only a little – for letting his curiosity get the best of him and agreeing to travel with her. It was easy to say he didn't let himself get emotionally attached when there was no one to get attached to. It was easy when a woman was simple-minded and lacked substance. But this girl had a way of worming her way under a man's skin. She surprised him at every turn; she was beautiful, talented, intelligent, and compassionate, and she was simultaneously savage and vulnerable. Just yesterday afternoon, she'd decapitated one of those bandits at Fort Dunstad with great relish, and now, in the still of the night, she was weeping in her sleep. He thought he knew what it was about, and it wasn't guilt over cutting that man's head off.
Sighing, he turned toward her and put a firm, comforting hand on her upper arm, pulling toward himself to move her gently to her back. She cried out in alarm at his touch, and he shushed her, letting go of her arm and putting his arm over and around her. He couldn't see her in the dark, but he could hear her breathing change as she returned to reality. Finally, she sucked in a big breath and let it out in a long, slow whoosh, and her hands came up to touch Tel's arm. When she wriggled around to face him, he pulled her in against him, putting his chin on top of her head and nuzzling her hair.
"Thank you, Teldryn," Miranja whispered, still sniffling. Even under the influence of the powerful grief the dream had evoked, she knew better than to rub the thing about emotional attachment in his face. She simply accepted and appreciated the comfort she'd been longing for. His quiet embrace salved her soul like no words ever could.
"Do you need anything?" Teldryn offered.
"Other than what you're giving me right now, just time, I guess."
"Do you want to talk about it? Or do you think you could go back to sleep?"
"If you're willing to listen, I think talking about it would take away some of its power. The feeling doesn't want to go away."
"Talk away," Teldryn said gently, and this time Miranja didn't doubt that he would listen.
It was a short dream and didn't take long to share, especially since it was quite similar to the real-life story she'd already shared with him. She cried a little, but as she'd said, telling about it took away its power, and the crying helped wear her down and made her sleepy again.
"I don't know the right things to say to make you feel better," Teldryn fumbled.
Miranja smiled with her cheek against his chest. "You don't have to say anything, Tel. It makes me feel better just being in your arms and knowing you're listening. Getting through this is mostly on me."
Teldryn had been in the same position for too long, so he rolled onto his back and she nestled her head into the hollow of his shoulder. His near arm was around her, and with his opposite hand he stroked the arm she'd put across his chest. Her warm leg was draped over his, and he had to admit to himself that it was very pleasant to have someone to share a bed with.
"Did you realize what you were getting into when you agreed to travel with me?" Miranja queried, a bit ruefully.
"I had my suspicions," Tel acknowledged. "But my curiosity had to be satisfied. And no," he said, before she could ask, "I'm not regretting it one bit."
"I'm glad," Miranja murmured, starting to slip away toward dreamland once again as Teldryn continued stroking her arm.
He was almost asleep himself when he heard her whisper, almost inaudibly, "I love you, Tel." He squeezed her more tightly for a moment and kissed her hair but didn't reply.
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The next morning was blustery and snowy, and Uthgerd, being the first one to bed and the first one up, made a big pot of warm, sweet porridge for everyone. She had also very astutely boiled a kettle of water so that Teldryn and Miranja could have a washup before heading back out again. Miranja thanked her with a rather shy smile, and Uthgerd gave her a knowing smile in return but said nothing.
Miranja chose to wear her Arch-Mage's robes in spite of the weather, because it was easier to swim in wet fabric than armor, even if it was light armor. As they dressed, she told Teldryn that if they were to take the road, they'd have to go south through Morthal and then head northwest to cross the bridge at Dragon Bridge, and then go all the way back east to Solitude. And while that path would take them past the rupture on the way, it would take hours she didn't want to spend. Her intention was to cross the northern end of swamps to the base of the arch on which the Blue Palace sat, then swim across the river and take the "secret" entrance under the windmill.
Teldryn made a face of distaste but gave a resigned sigh. "You're the boss," he conceded in a balky tone.
"You won't die," Miranja teased, stopping him before he put on his helmet and kissing him tantalizingly. "We can stop at my house or at the Winking Skeever to warm up before continuing on to Wolfskull Cave, which isn't far from where I believe the rupture is. We should be done and back in Solitude by no later than midafternoon, then we can just relax and do whatever we want for the rest of the day. And I'm sure the weather will have changed by then, too." She grew thoughtful for a moment. "Actually, I kind of hope it rains. I love to go up on the bridge between the windmill and the Emperor's Tower and look down on Solitude in the rain. There's something tranquil and soothing about it." She took a seat at the table to write out their itinerary so that Uthgerd would be able to send a courier if anything came up.
"I'm starting to think you're too romantic for your own good," Tel said wryly, giving her a wink before pulling on his helmet and scarf.
When they bid farewell to the household, Sonir gave Miranja the letter for Holgeir. "Thanks again for doing this. It's been a pleasure meeting you. Can't wait 'til next time." She hugged Miranja impulsively, and Miranja, surprised, hugged her back.
"You're very welcome," Miranja replied. "I always like to have a good excuse to go look at Captain Aldis, anyway." She smiled mischievously and winked at Sonir, and Sonir smiled back.
"Take care," Miranja told Uthgerd, "and send me a message if you need anything. I'll be in Solitude until tomorrow, then I'll be circling around through Markarth, Falkreath, and Riften. We should be in each place for one night, barring any unforeseen circumstances. From there I might visit Ivarstead, but I plan to be in Whiterun within a week. I have to report back to the College before I head back to Solstheim, so after Whiterun I'll stop at Heljarchen on the way to Dawnstar, then Winterhold, then back to Windhelm." She saw the dazed look in Uthgerd's eyes and laughed. "It's all in here." She handed the itinerary to Uthgerd. "Long story short: if you need me within a week, send word to Whiterun. After that, send word to Windhelm."
Uthgerd nodded. "Safe travels," she told Miranja, and Miranja gave her a hug as well. Miranja hugged Valdimar and kissed his cheek, then shook Engar's hand before pulling him into a warm embrace. Then she and Teldryn were off into the wind and snow.
It took less than an hour to reach Solitude using Miranja's route, and though the sky was still overcast, at least the snow had stopped by the time they reached the river. The wind was cold over the water, but they used cold resistance potions, and when they reached the entrance to the tower supporting the windmill, they were sheltered from the wind. They entered the tower and stood inside the door, shivering. Teldryn conjured his flame atronach and lit a torch, and the warmth radiating from the two was enough to take the edge off of the cold. As silly as it might have looked to an observer, they turned themselves slowly around, warming themselves as if the atronach was a roaring campfire, and Miranja felt the water evaporate from her exposed skin, although her clothes and hair were still pretty sodden.
"Let's go to my house," Miranja suggested, teeth still chattering a little. "We can dry off and warm up there before we go dripping into anyone's place of business."
"Sounds like a good plan," Teldryn said with some amusement. "And may I just tell you: you're kind of cute when your lips are blue."
Miranja punched him playfully and led the way up the spiral stairs to Solitude proper.
At Proudspire, Miranja once again introduced Teldryn as "my friend Tel" to Jordis, and she and Teldryn hurried to the kitchen and stood near the hearth while Jordis fetched them some towels.
"This place is even nicer than your home in the marsh," Tel commented, looking around.
"I think it's the grandest house I own," Miranja agreed, "and also the most expensive. It took me a long time to save up the money, and I was so afraid someone else would buy it first. I love the stonework and the plants. And I love my bedroom and my bed."
"You'll have to show me that later," Teldryn said suggestively.
"You know I will," Miranja replied with a wink and a suggestive smile as she started letting her hair down from the braid.
They were already standing in a pool of water by the time Jordis returned with their towels. Miranja thanked her and began toweling her hair.
"I'm surprised you didn't bring Talvas again," Jordis commented idly.
Miranja's blood froze and she stopped. Teldryn also stopped moving, and they looked at one another for what felt like an endless moment. Finally, Miranja turned to Jordis, taking a deep breath.
"Talvas is gone, Jordis. Tel is helping me take my mind off of Talvas' untimely death."
Jordis' face went beet red, and she threw her arms around Miranja, disregarding her soddenness. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"It's okay, Jordis," Miranja replied, hugging her back. "You couldn't have known. It just happened within the last week, on Solstheim. "No one in Skyrim knew until I came back on Fredas. This is going to be a painful trip, with so many people remembering Talvas from the last couple of times, but I hope it'll be healing, as well."
"I hope so, too, Miranja. I'm so sorry. And Tel, it's a pleasure to meet you, but I'm sorry about the circumstances."
Teldryn merely nodded and bowed slightly and didn't speak.
"So, what will you be doing in Solitude this time?" Jordis asked, uncomfortably changing the subject.
Miranja knew that Jordis was obliquely asking if there was another foursome in the near future. "I'm not entirely sure, but as close to nothing as I can get," she smiled. "I haven't seen Lisette or Fihada yet; we came up from under the windmill and came straight here. But I'll let you know as soon as I know. To be honest, I'm not sure I'm ready to recreate that experience. It's too soon."
"If you'll be home at lunchtime, I could start preparing something."
"That would be terrific, Jordis. Make whatever you like; I'll eat anything you cook."
When Jordis went down to the cellar to see what was in the stores, Teldryn asked, "Recreate what experience?"
Miranja smiled half-heartedly and her eyes went distant as she remembered. "The last couple of times I've been to Solitude, Talvas and I had some naughty fun with a couple of my friends. I may have mentioned it to you between Solstheim and here."
"You did," Teldryn nodded. "Will I be meeting those friends?"
"Without a doubt," Miranja replied. "I never come to Solitude without seeing them, if only for just a few minutes."
Once they were dry enough not to drip all over the floor, Miranja and Teldryn headed to Fihada's shop.
"Excuse me, do you have any arrows that will take down a dragon?" Miranja said loudly as soon as she entered the door.
Fihada, being at the counter, couldn't see her due to the stanchion in the way, but he emerged smiling and holding his arms out. "Miranja! So good to see you again!" He enveloped her in a warm embrace for about a second before releasing her quickly. "You're wet!"
"Not as wet as I was," Miranja told him. "We took a shortcut through the river to get here from Windstad Manor."
"Sometimes I question your sanity," Fihada joked, shaking his head.
"Thank you! Tell me about it!" Tel interjected, and Fihada gave him a curious look.
"That's not Talvas, is it?"
"This is Tel," Miranja explained. She repeated the brief story about why Talvas wasn't with her this time, and, like Jordis, Fihada pulled her back into his arms in spite of her being cold and damp.
"Oh, tidbit, I'm sorry. Will you even want my company this time around? I'm good for my shoulder as well as the other parts." He pulled back and winked at her mischievously, but his eyes still reflected his concern.
"If nothing else, we can hang out at the Skeever later. I have to head over near Wolfskull Cave to look for a magical rupture needing closing, but I'll be back to spend the night here. We'll be back." She corrected herself with a glance at Tel, stepping back from Fihada.
"If you get back before eight, feel free to come back and visit. Otherwise, I'll see you at the Skeever. Take care of yourself out there, dear heart."
"If I don't, Tel will," Miranja smiled.
"And pleased to meet you, Tel. Any friend of Miranja's is a friend of mine."
"Likewise," Tel said with a one-finger salute off the brow of his helmet.
As they left Fletcher, Miranja spoke quietly to Tel. "Remember me mentioning Lisette and how she would have a field day with you? Well, you're going to meet her as soon as I deliver this letter, so put on your best manners." Miranja was admittedly curious to see what Tel would think of Lisette, and what she would think of him. Lisette had been pretty smitten with Talvas, who was still a little awkward and eager; unlike Talvas, Tel had the same roguish, confident, lady-killer attitude that Fihada had.
Captain Aldis was in his usual place, training archers at the targets in the castle courtyard. Holgeir, he said, was on duty at the outer wall, down near the stable. This, of course, was very convenient; Miranja could find him on their way out of town. She bid farewell to the Captain with a coy smile and a wink, and Aldis gave a nod in return, ever professional in front of his men.
At the Skeever, Miranja bypassed the story of Talvas and simply told Lisette she was tooling around with a new friend. She introduced Teldryn in the same way, and Tel took Lisette's hand and kissed it through his scarf. Lisette smiled coquettishly and stared intently into his goggles but could see nothing but her own reflection in the lenses. She knew he had to be handsome; Miranja would settle for nothing less.
"Miranja has nothing but good things to say about you," Tel told her in that low, sexy purr.
Lisette raised an eyebrow, still smiling. "Is that so? And I thought she knew me better than that." She winked slyly at Tel, at the same time extending a playful foot to lightly kick Miranja in the shin. "Miranja, does this mean we're going to have some fun together tonight?"
"It certainly could, or perhaps you and Tel could just get to know each other better. I'll have to see how I feel later this evening. We'll be back around suppertime, probably."
"Definitely keep me in the loop," Lisette ordered.
"Of course," Miranja assured her as she and Tel started for the door.
Miranja found Holgeir and delivered the letter, but because of his helmet, she couldn't see his face. He had a pleasant voice, if that could be considered any indication of his looks. Not that she had any designs on him herself. She simply wanted to be able to picture him and Sonir together.
Near Kilkreath Ruins, they were surprised by a couple of Blood Horkers who were out for revenge. The pirates were no match for Miranja and Teldryn, and the skirmish only lasted a minute or two. Tel was surprised and a little awed at how Miranja viciously plunged Dragonbane into the chief's chest with a powerful downward thrust.
"Is this vendetta a personal thing?" Tel asked as they continued.
"Not really," Miranja said. "A few months back, to help the East Empire Company resume their shipping operations, I took out their hideout on an island called Japhet's Folly, including killing their battlemage, and they've been showing up in my path ever since, kind of like the Dawnguard. I'm sick of them, and I wish they'd just give it up. I would have warned you about them, but they're kind of easy to forget. They don't show up quite as often as the Dawnguard do."
"Remind me never to piss you off," Tel said with a shudder. "I'd hate to see what a personal vendetta on your side looks like." Miranja elbowed him companionably and gave him a sideways smile as if she hadn't just ruthlessly murdered someone in self-defense.
The rupture turned out to be on the south side of the road, west of Wolfskull Cave and within sight of Fort Hraggstad. Before Miranja could deal with the rupture, however, she and Teldryn had to deal with a couple of wolves and three Dawnguard all at once.
"Never a dull moment," Miranja murmured darkly to Teldryn as he looted the bodies and she withdrew the Staff of Magnus from her pack. She briefed Teldryn on what would happen as soon as she zapped the rupture with the staff, and advised him that fire seemed to work best on the anomalies. Teldryn summoned his flame atronach and nodded that he was ready, and Miranja summoned her own flame atronach before aiming the staff and unleashing the anomalies.
Even with the atronachs, it was a challenge to vanquish them. Still, the battle was over within a few minutes, and the rupture was closed.
They were back at Proudspire by lunchtime, and it started raining just as they ascended the steps to the porch between Proudspire and the Vici Manor.
"Looks like you're getting your wish," Tel commented, holding the door open to let Miranja inside first. "I suppose you're going to want me to go out in it with you after lunch."
Miranja gave him a teasingly exasperated look. "You don't have to, but it would be nice to have someone to share it with."
"I knew you'd say that," Teldryn groused. "I'll think about it."
"It smells delicious in here, Jordis," Miranja called toward the kitchen. Jordis was pleased to announce that she had made a good, hearty beef stew and there was plenty of bread and butter to go with it. Teldryn's stomach rumbled, and Miranja grinned at him, reaching out to pat his belly. "Let's get you fed, hungry man."
They went to the kitchen and removed their footwear to set on the hearth to dry. Wet socks, Teldryn said, were the worst thing for an adventurer. "Waterlogged feet grow fungus and start to smell. Not to mention it simply feels vile to squelch with every step."
"Thanks, Teldryn, that does wonders for my appetite!" Miranja joked. She turned to Jordis with an apologetic expression.
"Jordis, Tel doesn't like to show his face because he's kind of on the run from some real cutthroats, so if it's okay with you, we're going to have to eat lunch in my room. Please don't take offense; I really appreciate you cooking for us. But we can come back out and talk with you afterwards."
"I understand, and that's okay." Jordis fetched a large serving platter and arranged their lunch on it, then Teldryn took it from there, carrying the platter upstairs.
"What are we going to do for the rest of the day?" Teldryn asked, setting the tray on the little table as Miranja closed the bedroom door behind them.
"Well, we could go draugr hunting. There are catacombs here in Solitude, and I've often thought about going back to Kilkreath Ruins to confirm that it's still clear. Does that sound like fun?"
"Sure," Teldryn agreed. "Sounds like there's a possibility of finding some treasure in the process."
"Just to be clear, I'm not talking about grave robbing. If the draugr have gold or something on them, they're fair game, and so are urns, but I'm not going through people's corpses and coffins."
"Agreed."
"And I'm thinking we could take Jordis, if she's interested. I've only ever taken her on one adventure with me, and she keeps hinting that she wants to go again."
"Whatever you say, you're the boss," Tel said amiably. "I wouldn't mind bringing up the rear for two lovely, curvaceous, young women."
Miranja shot him a coy smile as she chewed her bread. "You know, if this rain keeps up the whole afternoon, we're just going to have to get dried off all over again."
"A sacrifice I'm willing to make," Tel drawled.
They finished their lunch in companionable silence, listening to the rain tapping on the windows.
Jordis was indeed excited to be asked along, in spite of the steady rain. They started out exploring the Solitude catacombs attached underground to the Hall of the Dead. Teldryn marveled that such a huge area had been carved out within the solid rock arch that supported the city, and that in all that time, there had never been a collapse. Miranja had to agree; it was a little scary. Certainly scarier than the two or three measly skeletons they encountered toward the end.
Miranja thought of Queen Potema's catacombs and wondered if there was still anything down there, or anything new. Since she and Talvas had nearly died down there, she was loathe to go back, but she suggested it, anyway, out of a sense of duty, if nothing else. Fortunately, when they reached the iron gate in the temple cellar, it was locked again, and Miranja no longer had the key. She had given it back to Styrr when she'd given him Potema's skull to sanctify. She feigned disappointment, but secretly she was terribly relieved that she wouldn't have to revisit that nightmare, and that the issue seemed to be permanently resolved.
Moving on, they left Solitude and headed west to Kilkreath Temple. They entered cautiously, and they found the first desecrated body, still lying where Miranja remembered it, within moments. The place was still filled with the strange black vapors and all the desecrated bodies of soldiers, but there were no draugr to be found. Nevertheless, Miranja took them through the whole place until they reached the door to the final chamber where she'd fought the necromancer Malkoran and his shade minions and had been rewarded with Dawnbreaker, one of her best swords. When they tried the door, it was mysteriously relocked, so they had to backtrack all the way to the entrance through which they'd come in.
"Well, guys, I'm sorry that was kind of a wash," Miranja apologized as they came back out into the gray, rainy afternoon. "But I guess we at least kept busy for the afternoon. Let's go home and get dried off and changed, then we can have supper at the Skeever. That includes you, Jordis."
"I would be happy to join you. We may not have found any draugr, but still, I haven't had this much excitement since your last visit. It was a rush clearing out Broken Oar Grotto with you and Talvas."
"Even though Talvas did most of the clearing," Miranja said with a wistful smile. Talvas' magic had been on the terrifying side, for sure. It had gotten to the point that she would just stand back and let Talvas do pretty much everything, as it was best to stay out of his way. As soon as she'd draw a bead on someone with her bow, Talvas would hit them with a firebolt and send them flying out of her sights. If she charged someone with her sword, the same thing would happen. He was absolutely fucking amazing, and Miranja was in awe of him. If Neloth hadn't caught him by surprise at Highpoint, she was sure the fight between the two of them would have been epic – and very close. She wasn't sure which of them would have won.
Jordis saw the look that came over Miranja's face as her stomach clenched up and her eyes filled with tears. She embraced Miranja tightly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to upset you."
Miranja hugged Jordis back, wishing she could indulge in a good cry but not wanting to do it here while her friends were waiting to trudge back home in the rain. "It's okay," she said. "A lot of things are going to set me off for a while. Don't feel like you have to tiptoe around me and watch your words. It hurts to know I'll never see him again, but I do love my memories of him. I wish we'd had time to make many more."
Jordis squeezed her one more time then released her. Teldryn offered his hand as they started walking, and it was pleasant and comforting to Miranja to hold hands with him on the way back. She was angry when the dragon torched them from above as they neared the Solitude mill.
Teldryn immediately conjured a flame atronach, and Miranja and Jordis had their bows out in seconds, nocking arrows as the dragon circled. When it hovered above them, Teldryn double cast firebolt and Jordis and Miranja loosed their arrows, then Miranja roared a Soul Tear Shout at it before it could fly off again.
"Filthy n'wah!" Teldryn shouted.
"Gods damn you!" Miranja screamed, inordinately angry, as if she blamed this one dragon in particular for Talvas' death and every other bad thing that had ever happened to her. While the group waited for the dragon to come around again, Miranja downed a fire resistance potion. When it landed in front of them, Miranja pulled Dragonbane and charged toward it, slashing blindly through the flames it spewed. "Fuck – off – and – die, – you – piece – of – shit!" She yelled, punctuating each word with a slash of her sword. In the meantime, Teldryn, Jordis, the flame atronach, and a Solitude guard who had run up from Katla's farm to join them were all firing spells and arrows at the dragon. It tried to fly again, but Miranja's Marked for Death Shout followed it as it rose.
It circled twice, then hovered as it spewed more fire at them. A few more arrows brought it back to the ground, and Miranja charged in again, wielding Dragonbane with both hands and bringing it down upon the dragon's neck as hard as she could with a savage scream, decapitating it with the razor sharp blade. Everyone else stopped moving and just stared as Miranja looted its body and absorbed its soul as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
She was feeling much better when she turned around and saw them all staring. "What?" she asked them, and the guard went back about his business, keeping his head down. Teldryn and Jordis simply shook their heads and silently joined her as she continued on back toward Solitude, feeling a little uncomfortable, as if she might loose her wrath upon them if they said something out of turn.
Finally, after they'd passed through the archway under the outer wall and were halfway up the hill to the city wall, Teldryn spoke up. "So… feel better now?"
Something in his voice made her stop and look at both him and Jordis again. Seeing their discomfort, she sighed and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry if I alarmed you guys. Yeah, I was feeling angry about losing Talvas. And Tel, you holding my hand was actually helping me feel better, but then that asshole dragon came blasting us out of nowhere and I just let go on him. I told you I wanted to kill things before we came back to Skyrim, Tel. I don't know why you're so surprised."
They started walking again, and Tel said, "I guess it's because you seem to have had a thing for decapitating your enemies in the last couple of days. Do you do that often?"
"No," she admitted. "But I've never felt this much like lashing out before, either. I can't wait to get out of these wet clothes and go enjoy some good food, good music, and good company at the Skeever."
"Agreed," said Teldryn, pushing open the great doors and ushering the ladies in. "It's been a rather odd day."