A small flame flickered in his palm and he took a breath as he encircled his other hand over it, pouring his energy until the flame grew to a ball that encased his hands up to his wrists. Slowly, he spread his arms apart, pushing the flame down to the ground in front of him. Now for the hard part. Ignoring the dull ache from his earlier attempts, he grit his teeth as he boosted the flame to spread around him, encircling his feet and swirling upward. It was nearly complete, if he could just close the orb of fire. Just a little more.
A sharp twinge in his head prompted him to let go, the flames extinguishing as he groaned in frustration. He picked up his bottle of magicka potion, popping off the cork with his thumb and sucked down the remainder of the liquid barely tasting it. It was a testament to Vanya's talent since most magicka potions left him with a sour film on his tongue. He tapped the empty bottle against his palm as he looked out over the water, waiting for his fatigue to lessen.
This was a different style of magic than he was used to. To maintain the flame rather than charge it and release took so much out of him, though he'd gotten much better at managing the flow of his magicka. Still, it could not be a simple matter of not having a large enough pool. He felt that he was missing something vital, though he'd read through the spellbook multiple times searching for the answer to no avail.
His eyes roamed toward the boulder that now evoked a most pleasant memory. Her magicka, or lack thereof, was his other concern and a far more complicated matter that was beyond him. The mages at the College of Winterhold might be able to shed light on her situation, though he doubted she would be willing to subject herself to their scrutiny. There was one wizard he knew of, closer to home, who would likely be able to help with both of his current struggles.
He quickly dismissed the idea. A Telvanni would not deign to instruct him on what would be seen as a trivial spell and though Teldryn was quite sure the great wizard would be intrigued by Vanya, he had no desire to offer her up as an experiment. No, they could not go to Neloth.
Feeling recovered, he rekindled the flame in his hand to try again. Futile as it seemed, he had at least gained better control through his efforts. As for Vanya, he had a more immediate issue to deal with in her training. The flames spread out in front of him once again and he decided that once he was exhausted he'd pay a visit to Modyn.
Teldryn walked down the hall in Morvayn Manor coming to a stop in front of Modyn's office. He rapped on the door, sighing as he waited for a response.
"Come in."
Modyn was seated at his desk flipping through a few missives. He looked up, watching as Teldryn entered and fell into the seat opposite him. "And what do you need?"
Teldryn ran his tongue over his teeth before answering, "I have a problem."
The captain's brow quirked up. "Only one?" Teldryn gave him a withering look which drew a chuckle as he continued, "Let me guess. Your problem starts with a 'V' and ends with 'anya'."
"I'm stuck on her training," Teldryn said. "She's doing very well, but we've come to an impasse." He stopped to consider how to explain without oversharing as Modyn narrowed his eyes curiously. "We...can't really spar. She won't hit me."
Modyn shrugged, stating simply, "A few good whacks with the flat of your blade should provoke her well enough."
"Eeeehhh..." Teldryn squinted, shaking his head. "It's not that simple."
"It's precisely that simple, unless..." Modyn knit his brow and blinked a couple of times, then snorted. "Sheogorath's beard," he said. "You can't hit her either." He laughed, leaning back in his chair with an annoyingly pleased sigh. "If only you could see how helpless you look."
Teldryn squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his face. Helpless. It was the maddening truth. He was mismanaging her training enough being so easy on her, add to that his comparative rough handling of her feelings and he was truly doing her a monumental disservice.
"So are you going to help me, or what?" he said irritably, interrupting Modyn's enjoyment at his predicament. "What can I do?"
The captain sobered a little, leaning forward on his desk as he put his hands together, thinking. "I suppose you don't want her to spar with anyone else?"
"Definitely not."
Modyn hummed as Teldryn sighed in frustration. The very thought of watching someone else give her bruises was enough to raise his hackles, not to mention the fact he'd likely have to pay them for it. He slumped further into the chair, leaning his head in his hand at the absurdity of the task he had set for himself. To teach her to fight while keeping her from getting hurt in the process? He could not blame Modyn for laughing at him, as much as it grated. He was being a fool.
Still, he wanted- no, needed her to be able to defend herself and without the fallback of magic, they had no other options.
Modyn's chuckle again reached his ears and Teldryn pulled his hand from his face, seeing the older man grinning with a gleam in his eye that spoke of calling a distant memory. "I remember," the captain began as he settled back in his chair again. "when you were probably fifteen, I was helping your father repair the wall in the courtyard and you came tearing out of the house, your mother shooting lightning at your feet." He laughed to himself for a moment. "You were supposed to be reading history and instead you read a book on how to summon a scamp."
Teldryn sat up then, smirking. "Yes! And I couldn't control it and it wrecked the room. Shit, she got me with one of those bolts." He rubbed his calf. "That fucking hurt."
"I still remember your screaming." Modyn was in a fit now and it made Teldryn laugh along until he realized where Modyn was going with this memory. That's it!
Modyn noticed his face change and asked through tears, "You think you could control a scamp these days?"
"It's perfect," Teldryn said, clapping his hands together in triumph as he stood up. Before he could leave, Modyn held up a hand.
"Wait just a minute." The captain motioned for him to sit again. "This is rather good timing, I was going to come find you later." Teldryn sat down as he dug into the pile of papers in front of him, sighing away the last of his mirth. "I have a missive here for you..." he said as he plucked one out, tossing it across the desk. "From your mother."
Teldryn slid the parchment slowly off the table, eyeing Modyn curiously. "Why would she send you a missive meant for me?"
"It came attached to her response to a missive I sent to her."
Teldryn waited for him to continue, but he only sat there looking like he was sucking on hackle-lo leaf. "Well, spit it out," Teldryn said impatiently.
"We invited her to the wedding ceremony," he clipped out, lowering his chin with a pointed look. "She's coming."
Shit. Teldryn tore his eyes from the captain and stared at the wax seal on the missive, the tips of his ears burning. Alma...
"How long has it been since you saw her?"
"Thirty-two years," he replied without thinking. He'd been tempted to return, but each time he imagined her still in that same spot in the courtyard where he'd left her, waiting as her carefully tended garden withered. He could hear her voice, the words that had nearly brought him to tears. 'I wondered when this day would come.'
The captain blew air through his pursed lips. "Been longer for me." Of that fact, Teldryn was well aware. Though his anger had lessened with maturity, it had left a bitter taste in his mouth toward the man he had grown up to consider a brother. Modyn's choice to come to Raven Rock had ultimately cost them both, but Teldryn could argue that it had cost him more.
Teldryn sniffed, straightening up in his chair, banishing old and tired woes from his mind. A waste of time to think on. His face lit up with a sudden realization. If his mother was on her way, that meant Modyn's parents surely would be, too.
"Is The Armiger coming?" he asked.
"He is," Modyn said stiffly, scratching his forehead. "At least that's what alma'yi says. It remains to be seen if he does, or if he'll speak to me."
"Now that Raven Rock is the new Caldera perhaps he's seen the wisdom in your stubbornness."
Modyn huffed, "More like dumb luck."
"Does it matter?" Teldryn replied, arching his brow.
"To some," the captain said sourly, pulling up another missive between two fingers. "It seems some of the Redoran Council has seen fit to join the party as well, to inspect our progress." He flicked the parchment away and it flipped behind him to the floor. "As if I don't have enough to worry about. At least the alit and her guar will be out of the training yard by then."
Teldryn was very glad the only thing he had to concern himself with among all this mess was the missive in his hand. He stood up with an exaggerated groan. "I think Windhelm is sounding good right about now."
The captain snapped his dark eyes up, his elbow slamming onto the desk as he pointed sharply. "Don't you dare leave me here with all of them, Teldryn."
"Can't be helped. Got called away on urgent business," he replied smoothly.
"If you step foot off this island I will hunt you down and drag you back here by your ears, you little rat." The older man's face was tight as he leaned heavily on his arm and Teldryn cracked, laughing merrily.
"I'm not going anywhere. But don't think I'm fooled," he said, pointing in return. "You only want me here to draw everyone's ire away from you."
Modyn's severe expression softened, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Do you really think so little of me?"
"Yes," Teldryn said emphatically as he turned to leave once again.
"You're welcome for solving your problem, by the way," Modyn called after him.
"Fuck off."
