Disclaimer: I wish I owned Danny Phantom! Desiree: -turns me into Butch Hartman- AHHHHHHHHH! CHANGE ME BACK CHANGE ME BACK! -is changed back-
I decided to make Lydia around Danny's age, for the simple reason that I think they'd bond more as companions if they were closer in age. She's around 18-19 in this.
Danny and Lydia walked into the Bannered Mare. Hulda gave her usual greeting, and Danny briefly waved back before they looked around.
"So, uh, what do you think she looks like?" Danny questioned Lydia. She gave him a weird look, and he felt himself turn red.
"It's probably her," Lydia said in a hushed tone, subtly motioning to the dark-skinned cook. "She's the only Redguard I see in here."
"Right," Danny said slowly, biting his lower lip. "How are we going to convince her to go with us?"
The Redguard in question saw Danny and gave him another flirty smile before giving a wave. Lydia gasped lightly.
"Ask her to go on a walk with you!" Lydia told him in a hushed tone. Danny gave her a look of complete bewilderment.
"What!" Danny choked on his own spit.
"She has a crush on you," Lydia lightly snickered at him, but stopped at his glare. "Ask her to go on a walk, I'll wait and then I can spring her, tie her with rope and we can take a carriage to Rorikstead!"
"We can take a carriage?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We can pay as if we're going to Solitude but just have him drop us off in Rorikstead," she explained. Danny nodded, and he stared at the Redguard. Lydia pushed him lightly. "I'll meet you behind the stable just outside the city."
Danny gave her a light glare as she smirked. She turned on her heel and walked out out the Bannered Mare. He took a deep breath and walked up to her. She seemed surprised at first, but she pretended to not notice.
"Uh, hi," he spoke up, coughing lightly as he glanced around a bit awkwardly.
"I remember you, you were the boy waiting for his friend," she commented, smiling lightly before a small frown tugged at her lips. "Was your girlfriend your 'friend'?"
"What? Lydia! Oh, no! She's my housecarl," he explained. This peaked the girl's interest.
"Housecarl?"
"Uh, yeah. I'm...Thane. Of Whiterun. This place."
She giggled at his nervousness, making him flush.
"You're adorable. I'm Saadia."
She wiped her hand before offering it to him, and he briefly shook it.
"I'm Danny. Uh...wanna go for a small walk? Like, just maybe around the fields outside of Whiterun? When you're...done? With, what you're doing?"
"I'd love to," Saadia replied, face beaming. "I get off for a small break in about a half hour, if you don't mind waiting?"
"Not at all!"
Danny sat down at the bar, only to have the bard immediately sit down next to him.
"You're back," he observed.
"Only for a little bit. A half hourish," Danny replied. The man grinned.
"That's just enough time for a drink!" he announced, pounding his fist onto the bar. "Hulda! Two bottles of mead! On my tab!"
"Coming right up!" the woman replied. She was sweeping, but paused and put her broom against a wall so that she could stand on her tip toes to grab two bottles of mead.
"Uh, I don't know, I need my wits about me," Danny began to protest, but Mikael would not hear of it. He accepted the two bottles and put one in front of Danny.
I guess a sip wouldn't hurt me too much, he pondered, slowly grasping it. Then again, I've never drunk before. But I can't get drunk off of a few sips, right? Maybe a little tipsy, but not too drunk to take Saadia to where Lydia is hiding.
Danny glanced at the bard before taking a sip of it. It was sweet, almost like honey with a pleasant, burning aftertaste. He took a small drink, but put it on the table, determined to make sure he didn't get drunk or something.
Mikael had already finished half of his drink in one, long gulp. He gave a small burp before glancing at the label on his bottle.
"So what brings you to Whiterun?" Mikael wondered aloud before taking another sip. "I've never seen you here until the day you kicked my ass."
"Business," Danny told him, deciding to keep the answer short. He mimicked Mikael by taking another, short sip of his mead.
"Business," Mikael echoed, his voice a bit low in interest. "What do you do?"
"Uh...well, I used to go to school and I worked fighting gho-...bad guys, but...I...uh...I was tracking Plasmius, and next thing I know, I'm here," Danny replied, his cheeks flushing as he thought of the least weird way to phrase it to the bard.
"College student and bounty hunter!" Mikael whistled lowly. "What college?"
Danny pressed his bottle against his lips, pretending to take a long drink in order to give him time to think.
What do I say, what do I say, what do I say, oh God what do I say?
"Was it the Arcane University?" Hulda spoke up. She glanced up from her work at Danny.
"Yes!" Danny blurted out.
"You were an Arcane University student?" Mikael asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at him, a mixture of surprised and skepticism.
"Is there a problem with that?" Danny wondered, raising an eyebrow right back. Mikael broke his look to shrug and take another drink.
"Just didn't see you as the mage type," came the casual reply.
So Arcane University is apparently some sort of mage college...Ah well, might as well roll with it. People seem to think I'm a mage anyway.
"Well, I am," Danny replied. Even he could tell his own voice was shaking with slight uncertainty.
"What branch do you study?"
Danny narrowed his eyes at him.
"Why are you asking me so many questions?" he asked back. Mikael raised a hand in defense.
"Fair enough," he replied. "Hulda, another mead? Well ask me something then."
"Uh, well," Danny stammered some, rubbing the back of his neck. "How'd you get into the bard business?"
"Well, people always said that I was a good lute player, so I enrolled at the Bard's College in Solitude, got some professional training and have been in the bard game for nearly seven years now," came the reply, along with another gulp of mead and a burp. Danny winced slightly. Now he understood why Jazz and his mom always got on him for saying excuse me after burping. It was kinda gross.
Danny felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned to see Saadia.
"I'll be ready in a minute, I'm just going to freshen up," she told him. He nodded, and she walked into a back room. Mikael let out a low whistle.
"Saadia? She's a wild one," Mikael chuckled. "Where are you two off to?"
"Oh, we're just going for a walk outside of Whiterun," he replied, taking another short sip of the mostly full bottle of mead.
"I get it," the bard chuckled. Danny gave him a small look of confusion as the bard stood up, digging into his pocket. He threw a small bottle at Danny, who scrambled to catch it. "This will help you. I'll see you later, I gotta get back to work."
Danny held up the bottle of the green liquid, squinting at it. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Hulda shaking her head, sighing at Mikael.
"Uh, what is this?" Danny asked hesitantly, putting the bottle on the counter. Hulda picked it up and shot it only a short look before handing it back to him.
"Potion of stamina," she replied. "Gives you more energy."
Danny's eyes widened at the small bottle before his face exploded in a dark red. He immediately turned, putting his hands on his face and using some light ice powers to try and fade the dark coloring away.
Saadia came out a moment later, and Danny allowed her to link their arms. They walked out of the Bannered Mare and down the road towards the city gates. There was only light conversation concerning the weather and the inn. Danny felt his heart pound a bit in nervousness as they approached towards where the stables were. Was Lydia ready?
He noticed Lydia peer out from the stable. Saadia didn't seem to notice, her focus on the giant cats and making a small comment concerning them. Lydia motioned for Danny to come closer.
"Hey, Saadia? Wanna go pet the horses? They're really friendly, I'm sure the owner will let us feed them a carrot or apple," Danny spoke up.
"Okay!" Saadia eagerly agreed. "I love horses."
Danny smiled.
They changed paths towards the stable. The stablemaster wasn't in sight, but the black horse from the other day seemed to recognize Danny, for she neighed loudly and immediately pressed her nose into his shoulder. He patted her neck and scratched her nose.
"She really likes you," Saadia commented, smiling before petting another one of the horses.
Danny glanced around for Lydia. Where was she? She was just there.
Before he could wonder more, he heard a cry of surprise next to him. He turned to see Lydia sitting on Saadia's back, holding her wrists behind her back and was tying them securely. She then wrapped a piece of clothe around Saadia's head to cover her mouth.
"Got her!" Lydia chirped, looking up at Danny. She glanced behind her. "Should we tie her legs too?"
"Probably," Danny replied, and he held her down while Lydia binded the Redguard's legs.
"I'll get the carriage if you can get her," Lydia offered. Danny nodded, so Lydia stood and rushed towards a carriage he hadn't noticed before. She ran up the driver and began a conversation while Danny hoisted the bound girl to her feet. He pulled her over his shoulder and walked towards the carriage. Lydia nodded and gave the driver some coins before hopping up onto the back of the carriage. Danny handed her the Redguard, and she pulled her onto the carriage before sitting. Danny stepped up onto the carriage and slipped into a seat across from Lydia.
A few minutes into the ride, Danny finally spoke up.
"Hey, Lydia?"
"Yes, my th-Danny? Do you need something?"
"Actually, I could use some information," he began. "Do you know anything about the Whitecloaks and Plasmius? Like, where they are and any details on how this whole thing started?"
Lydia's expression turned into a frown.
"You're new to Skyrim," she observed as she glanced behind them. Whiterun was already becoming a slowly smaller and smaller dot in the distance.
"I came from Amity Park," he said. He sighed in frustration at the weird look, and added, "It's near the Imperial City."
"Oh!" she said, a look of knowing hitting her. I should probably just start saying I'm from the Imperial City. "So, what exactly do you want to know, sweetie?"
"I need to know everything you can tell me," Danny replied. Lydia rose an eyebrow, but began to tell him what happened.
"It began when Vlad Plasmius came to Skyrim," she began. "I don't know how he got here. Nobody knows. A few claim that he came down from the sky, but I don't believe that." Danny could. "But he immediately set course for the Greybeards. You know who they are, right?"
"The Jarl told me," he replied. She nodded, and continued.
"It was rumored that he knew somebody who could shout like the Greybeards, but he called it a wail, and demanded that they teach him too. They Greybeards apparently took him as a student, and they trained him in the Way of the Voice," she explained. "He was kicked out, but nobody ever knows why. Next thing we know, he took charge of Windhelm. Windhelm's Jarl was killed by whom many suspect to be a Dark Brotherhood assassin, and Plasmius stepped into his place." She bit her lip slightly. "I'll admit, he did fix Windhelm up a bit. I mean, some travelers tell me it's still awful but nowhere near as bad as it used to be. Then…he learned of the White-Gold Concordat, which lead to him-"
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Danny spoke, cutting her off. "But what's the White-Gold Concordat?"
"It's a treaty between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion that ended the Great War," she explained. "It formally disbanded the Blades, delivered a large portion of southern Hammerfell to the control of the Aldmeri Dominion and outlawed the worship of Talos. Emperor Titus Mede II made these concessions to the Thalmor hierarchy in order to give the Imperial Legion time to recover its strength, as it had been decimated in the Battle of the Red Ring, but the people of Skyrim were outraged. Talos originated from Skyrim and has been a beloved deity of the people of Skyrim for generations."
"So, when did this rebellion start?" Danny wondered, raising an eyebrow, nearly slipping out of his seat when the carriage went over a bump.
"You okay?" she asked. He nodded. "A little over a month ago," she sighed, continuing. "If I'm correct, it began when Plasmius learned the outrage over the anti-Talos worship. He…he almost feeds and relies on that to get the Nords to follow him. A few other races follow too, but it's mostly Nords. Then, the Markarth Incident happened.
"Basically, Plasmius used the thu'um to achieve a victory while leading troops to recapture the Reach from Forsworn control. When it was returned to Imperial control, the free worship of Talos was officially permitted, but the Thalmor were outraged. The Empire eventually re-banned it, and then it really started to heat up. But the spark was the Death of Torygg."
"Torygg?" Danny questioned.
"He is…was…the High King of Skyrim. Upon the death of High King Istlod, the Moot was convened to formally name his son, Torygg, as the new High King. Though the Moot only convenes as a formality when a High King dies with a direct heir, Plasmius used the forum to voice his desire for independence from the Empire. Torygg knew Plasmius as a war hero and respected him to a certain degree. Soon after, Plasmius traveled to Solitude to see the young High King. Torygg and his court believed Plasmius had come to further discuss his desire for Skyrim's independence, and welcomed him. By the time they realized Plasmius was there to challenge Torygg, it was too late to stop it. Under ancient Nordic traditions, Torygg had no choice but to accept Plasmius's challenge for the throne, lest he risk losing face for an act of cowardice, which would lead to a recall of the Moot and likely his deposal as High King.
"People are…torn on what happens after that. According to Plasmius, he knocked Torygg to the ground with the thu'um, then dispatched him with a sword. Others claim that Plasmius's shout literally tore the young High King to pieces. Plasmius's supporters claimed that Torygg was a traitor to his people who deserved to die and that the victory rightfully made him the new High King. Plasmius's detractors insist that there was nothing honorable about his challenge, and they view Torygg's death as unforgivable."
Danny remained silent, thinking as he processed all of this new information. Lydia kept stealing glanced at him.
"What do you think?" he asked her, breaking the silence. "Do you think his death was unforgivable?"
Lydia pressed her lips together.
"Yes," she said softly. "Yes I do. I know I'm a Nord and Vlad's fighting to keep Skyrim for the Nords, but I don't see any honor in that unfair of a fight. What do you think, my th-Danny?"
"I know Plasmius," Danny replied bitterly. Lydia seemed surprised. "I knew him before we came to Skyrim, and I know him enough to know that he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants. He's harmed my friends, he's put a bounty on my head, he's constantly trying to kill my dad and marry my mom, the guy's a fruitloop!"
"A...fruitloop?" Lydia repeated slowly, blinking slowly at the new term. Danny nodded, and Lydia smiled. "Fruitloop."
"Yup," Danny sighed, unable to help a small smile himself.
"So, we're going to the Greybeards after this," Lydia spoke a bit uncertain, but Danny nodded.
"Do you have a map?" Danny asked. Lydia shook her head no, and the halfa dug into his bag and pulled out his map, handing it to her. "I need you to meet me at the town closest to the mountain."
"Why not travel together?" Lydia wondered.
"Because once I get the map from the guys who want Saadia, I need to go home real quick," Danny responded. Lydia's expression fell.
"You can't leave!" she cried out. "You're the Dragonborn! You're...you're supposed to protect us! Do something about the dragons, and, and, and Plasmius! You can't just go back to Cyrodill!"
"I promise, I will be back by tomorrow," Danny replied quickly. "I swear, I am not abandoning Skyrim. I just need to go home for a really short time, let my family know where I'll be."
"But it takes almost three weeks to get to the Imperial City from Rorkistead!" Lydia protested, giving a frown.
"I swear to you Lydia, I will be at the city. Now, which city should it be? Oh, well we could just go there from Whiterun, see?" Danny spoke, motioning to the suggested path to Lydia. The housecarl shook her head.
"No, my thane."
"It's Danny."
"Sorry," Lydia apologized. She motioned around the mountain and through a path in between it and a town called Riften. "We have to go around to walk the 7,000 steps. We'd be meeting up in Ivarstead."
Danny grinned sheepishly.
"Okay then, I will meet you in Ivarstead. How long would it take you to meet me there?"
Lydia's eyes rolled off to the side as she mentally calculated.
"I'd say about two days maximum," she replied. "I can get a carriage to Riften and then walk to Ivarstead in about two days."
"We're here," the carriage driver announced. Danny leaned over the side to glance at the small town grow bigger and bigger.
"We'll discuss this more after we get your map," Lydia suggested. Danny nodded, and the carriage driver began to pull them into the town.