A/N: So Yeah, yall got to see a side of Heri that is not often showed save in his head. Concern, and uncertainty. So… This A/N is pointless….. Salllzy is amazing so go look at their stuff. So yeah. This chapter will be a peek at what will be changing later in the story.

Warnings:

Disclaimer: We do not make money off this and do not own Skyrim.

Title: Protection Always Has a Price, Dear Brother

Chapter Five: Faith

Life can throw many things at people, such as dragons, giants, vampires, werewolves and Deadra. It is things that most people think they will never come across, but being a Jarl means that you need to take all of these things into account. That you make sure that giants and dragons won't suddenly attack your people, things that normal people don't concern themselves with after all why should they? It was the job of Jarls and guards to worry about such things.

While it seemed like a thankless job Balgruuf was enjoying being a Jarl for once, after all how many Jarls can say that they have had a Deadra Lord stood in front of them? And without it being bound or trying to kill something? Not to mention the cute little elf that was with him, but Balgruuf had more pressing matters to attend to such as the words that the Deadra had spoken.

It had troubled him but he knew that he the words were true, no matter how much he wanted to deny them. But the words were the truth, and that scared him. Fear was not something that he was used to feeling, fear had never been his friend and he doubted that it would be his friend now. So what did he do? Did he heed the words that were spoken from a creature that was his senior, or did he ignore them? He knew that whatever he chose it would change the very face of skyrim forever.

He stared at the quill and parchment on his writing desk and sighed heavily. This would be one of the most difficult choices he'd faced in a long time. He rested his head in his hands and sighed a name he almost wished he never knew.

"Ulfric."

~~~~~~ With Forowing and Heri ~~~~~~

Forowing wasn't sure how it had happened but he had somehow ended up snuggled in Heri's arms as if he was meant to be there, he knew that he had woken from a nightmare at some point but he couldn't remember much after that. Which puzzled him slightly, he stiffened when he felt something brush against him. He turned around and was expecting an attack but his eyes widened when he saw Heri's wing wrapped around him, just what had happened? But they had more pressing things to do such as getting the stone for Balgruuf's court wizard. Forowing began shaking Heri trying to wake the Deadra.

"Heri we need to get going, we need to get the stone tablet thing." Forowing says softly but urgently, not wishing to startle the deadra awake. Heri grumbled and slowly came back to himself he clearly did not want to wake up at all, but he needed to get up and Forowing was determined to wake him up.

"Heri, you need to get up!" Forowing shouts and pushed Heri with all his might and was slightly startled when the Deadra moved backwards and rolled down the grassy bank they were laying on, Forowing watched with fascination and horror as Heri fell into the river. Awake, Forowing had seen the red eyes snap open. Forowing stood up and ran down the hill until he was stood at the riverbank; wide eyes looked around. Forowing gulped and wondered what had happened to the Deadra, he let out a very unmanly shriek when he felt soaking wet hands grip his shoulders.

"Little brat." A playful voice huffs into his ear as strong arms pulled him into the older beings lap. The river was only chest deep sitting in Heri's lap and Forowing calmed his heart to a slower beat as he slowed his breaths. The water was cold.

"This is cold." Forowing states chuckling lightly. Heri stands holding his bosmer to his chest and sets him on the dry bank. Heri flicked his wings out flicking water off. He looked at the little bosmer who went and started changing into some different cloths they'd picked up in Whiterun. Heri pretended not to watch for the sake of the elf's modesty. Heri was pleased at least that the lithe body was fit and not bone thin, he had muscle even if barely. In a land like this some advantage was better than none. Skyrim had changed little in that factor.

"So we head for the Barrow atop the mountains, shall we stop by Riverwood first?" Heri asks walking up to camp using simple fire magic to dry himself fully, wisps of steam rising from him like smoke. Forowing freezes a moment startled by the affect the swirl of mist had on the dedra's appearance. It made him somehow in a strange way alluring. Instead of the Deadra that he was used to seeing Forowing looked at the somewhat normal form of Heri, the Deadra chuckled and raised a finely shaped eyebrow. Forowing didn't know what to make of it, he hadn't even known that the Deadra could do such a thing. The wings that had been on Heri's back were now gone and instead of the pulsating red lines that had covered the Deadra's body was now smooth grey skin signaling the fact that Heri had once been a dark elf. Forowing quickly looked away as he found himself staring at the attractive body of the Deadra Lord, the last thing that he wanted was to be killed by Heri. Just because Heri had said that he would protect him didn't mean that Heri wouldn't kill Forowing himself, something that disturbed the young Bosmer.

Heri was slightly confused as to why Forowing had looked away from him, it had been far to long for him. Heri wasn't used to showing this much emotion or being in his original form, it was leaving him feeling as if he didn't know himself and when he was Tiber he did know who he was and what his role was. Now here he was eras later with no idea how to control his emotions, it wasn't that he didn't know what his emotions were he just hadn't really had much use for them while he had been in his own realm and now he was paying the price. Forowing blushed slightly he finished dressing and tore down camp before continuing on.

Forowing had kept his distance from the Deadra Lord, at first Heri wasn't too concerned with it but as the time went by Heri noticed that Forowing wasn't listening to his advice at all. Sometimes it would lead to them getting into slightly sticky situations, not that Heri minded it had been some time since he had this much of a workout. What he was worried about was Forowing, with the way that the young elf was pushing himself Heri knew that soon he would burn out, or even get himself killed.

At the beginning of their journey together it wouldn't have bothered him as much, but now that they were working together and doing this task for the Jarl it was beginning to irritate him. Something that wasn't good, more often than not he would lash out at the thing that was irritating him and in this case it was Forowing. Heri wondered if there was anything he could do to help the young elf. Heri finally can't take it if the damn child wished to ignore him so be it, he tore off the circlet and threw it at the bosmer's feet.

"Fine. Be it as you wish." He spits and the choker alters back to its pendant form and Heri vanished with a flash of scarlet smoke and black feathers. He rested in the gem once again and tried to ignore how his chest throbbed. This was not happening. He was not going to care for a foolish mortal. Again. He'd already felt that once. Never again.

It had taken a lot out of him, it was very rare that his emotions got the better of him like that but Heri knew that Forowing was messing with his emotion on a scale he hadn't felt since Tiber. Still if the elf child wished to throw a tantrum then Heri was going to let him, he may not be able to remember much of his childhood but he remembered that whenever he threw a tantrum his father would let him finish it. More often than not he was aching, tired, sore and very hungry. It had served as a double bladed sword as his father hadn't needed to punish him. Heri shook his head it was not his place to deal with the child, Forowing had made it clear so Heri decided that he would stay in the amulet.

Heri jut sighed, he hurt and hated how he kept going back to finding a way to try and deal with Forowing and how to fix what had gone wrong. He slept instead thankful he hardly ever dreamed. Forowing felt guilty. He was scare of Heri and hated all the killing. He didn't know how to act with the dedra after all he'd kissed him. He snuck through the ruins and past dangers.

Then he'd absorbed the word his head pounded as new knowledge swirled through him. Then the coffin cracked and the lid was thrown back as a drauger crawled out. Forowing cursed and panicked. Forowing dodged the sword, but was blown off his feet and thrown backwards when the drauger used its thu'um. Forowing felt fear, he knew that he needed to do it himself but there was something that warned him. Forowing barely had time to dodge the sword as it came down, he felt the ancient metal cutting into the flesh of his arm. He cried out in pain, it was one of the times that he wished that Heri was still with him. But because of the kiss he wasn't sure just what he was to the Deadra so he had avoided him, Forowing tried to crawl away but his arm wouldn't support his weight.

Heri was dozing lightly, it had been sometime since he had been able to fall asleep and he was enjoying it but he felt something tugging at him, something was calling to him. That was when he heard it, the sound of Forowing crying out in pain, he might be upset and hurt with the young elf but that didn't mean that anyone could hurt the young elf. With a roar of rage Heri burst from the amulet. He froze the dragur and looked for Forowing worried for the elf he saw the gash in the arm and sighs moving over to pick up the small shaken form.

"Stubborn fool." Heri mutters as Forowing looks away ears lowered in shame. Heri still kept his dunmer persona so his wings were absent. He looks at the gash where leathers hadn't protected and shakes his head. He sits the mer on the table and kneels to check the cut he can feel Forowings tumult of emotions but waits silently as he pulls up a mask of indifference and gently heals the wound with old mending magics. He was pleased magic left no scar, though the area would still ache. He stood and moved back about to go back to his amulet and make sure Forowing could fight without him, but the elf's panic stopped him.

"I don't know how to fight. With swords I mean." Forowing admits looking torn and uncertain, scared, and of Heri, that stops the dedra short. Why did the mer feel afraid of him? Slowly Heri relaxed, and let himself show his own confusion.

"I can only teach what you are willing to learn and I think I've already tried to attempt the impossible." Heri shook his head, despite the fact that he had chosen to appear in his mortal form didn't mean that he didn't have his power, he did but it was merely cloaked around him. Still there was a lot that Forowing needed to know, and he was going to teach the stubborn elf what he knew. Heri knew that Forowing would fight him at every turn, the elf was far too soft and wouldn't take a life but in this place it was kill or be killed. Even Tiber had always walked around with a sword when he was visiting Skyrim, Heri sighed and looked at the elf who still had his head turned away from him and his ears dropped in shame. It wasn't his fault, Heri knew whose fault it was and once everything was sorted out he was going to give the Adrea a piece of his mind. What was the damned dragon thinking?

Heri called upon magic that he hadn't used is thousands of years, magic that had always been just underneath his skin. He knew that Forowing needed to be taught how to use a sword and couldn't keep relying on the bow, even if Forowing couldn't use a sword then he would at least give the mer a dagger to keep on him at all times. Even if he kept it in his boot Heri would be happy that the mer had taken his words to heart, but first thing was first they needed to get out of the tomb. Heri could still feel the ancient power of thu'um lingering in the air and it reminded him of happier times, he shook his head he didn't have time to think about things like that now.

Forowing looked at the Deadra and wondered what was going through the other's mind, it was clear to him that whatever was going through Heri's mind was personal and he didn't have any right to know about it. For some reason he felt his chest ache, in the short time that he had known the Deadra, Heri had always been kind to him. Forowing wondered if he had a crush on the elder, if it was a crush the Forowing knew that he would have to keep it well hidden. He didn't know what Heri would do if he found out that he had a crush on him.

"Let's go." Heri looks more approachable as a mortal so Forowing decides to at the least attempt to be cordial and not avoid him. Forowing looked at Heri and felt his heart speed up, whatever it was he needed to figure it out and soon.

Heri saw Forowing's eyes looking confused and afraid but now less directed toward him. Small mercies. Heri helped the mer gather as much from the two chests in the cavern as was useful then they left. Through the back door. Ancient nords were so predictable. They made their way first to nearby Riverwood so Forowing could turn in the claw, then made their way slowly to Whiterun Heri teaching Forowing some basics with the sword. And trying to bite down his sever agitation that Forowing looked at the sword and held it like it were a dangerous viper that was going to turn on him.

Despite the fact that Heri had been training Forowing to use a sword it seemed as if the young mer was not all that interested in using said sword, that had not put Heri off for long. Instead he had given the mer a dagger to use, at first Forowing was no better with the dagger and Heri was just about to scream in frustration until Forowing threw the dagger and it hit the middle of the tree with no problems. Suddenly an idea hit Forowing, throwing knives.

"I think I may just thank the adra after all... I have an idea, tis no substitution for a real blade, but for now it will suffice." Heri says surprised and his eyes flash in crimson delight. He summons a chain that has several throwing daggers dangling from it. He wraps the belt around Forowing's wait keenly aware of how uncomfortable his close proximity makes the bosmer. He summons his own and fastens it.

"You do well with raged combat, and as I stated once, it will not always suffice. But, this may help you survive for the present. A throwing dagger is very different from the one you put in the tree. The balance is different as is its weight and size. Get used to the feel of one of them." Heri instructs pulling the dagger out and watching as Forowing uncertainly takes hold of one and spins it around his fingers like Heri had seen him do with an arrow. The chain was enchanted to resummon the blades and the blades were enchanted to return as well as to drain an opponents' life force. Heri moves to the elf positions him and show him how to hold the blade. Standing behind the mer Heri continues.

"Hold it by the tip arc back your throwing arm and bring it down, as your arm goes forward and levels out release the blade." Heri says and Forowing hesitates listens then does it, again nailing the tree perfectly. Heri grins in delight. He tells the elf to aim to the left three inches, Forowing focuses and does again hitting the tree correctly. Two up to two left and Forowing doe this until all twenty daggers are in the tree. Heri stops him from walking forward.

"Take the chain's tail and swing it around to summon the daggers back. But first do you know what mark those daggers now form?" Heri asks and Forowing frown confused before looking back at the tree staring hard at the daggers to make sense of it. Then he blinks in shock. It was the crest for an old dunmer family said to have merged with the Tellvani.

"It's a family crest from Tiber Septim's time for a dunmer family that's said to have merged with the Tellvani House." Forowing states and Heri nods. Staring at it. Then goes back to being indifferent.

"Summon your knives back. This you will practice, but the lessons on sword and dagger styles will continue. You must learn, or you will die, your arrows and throwing knives will only go so far. Close quarters combat will happen eventually. You need to know how to handle it. I do not wish to see you die. I do not wish to see anyone die, but sometimes it is necessary." Heri sighed in regret as he watched Forowing spin the chain's tail tipped with a wicked claw like blade so the chain could double as a weapon if in a tight spot.

Heri looked at Forowing he knew that the mer needed another weapon but other than the throwing knives and bow he couldn't really use anything else, it still meant that Heri would be protecting the mer. Not that he minded as he was the prince of protection, but that didn't mean that he wanted to be doing it all day long. Even he needed a break once in a while, not that he took a break often though. However, that didn't mean that he was going to allow Forowing to become dependent on him, no the young mer would have to learn how to stand on his own two feet and one of the ways was going to be by learning how to use a different weapon. Heri knew that it was not going to be an easy task but it was one that he was going to take on either way.

Heri took a deep breath as he followed the elf, one consolation, the bosmer had a nice figure to look at. He at least had the normal temperament attested to most dunmer, so if they met anyone with half a functioning brain they'd leave him be. Now they were heading up to the Barrow. Heading to collect the Dragon stone. He wondered how Forowing would handle the bandits in the tower that they must pass, he almost wanted to laugh, if the mer's previous response to blood shed had been an indicator this would end in pathetic hilarity.

But just because he was a Deadra didn't mean that he got his kicks from violence and death, no Heri knew that Forowing would not be able to deal with this and he knew that it would cause the mer more nightmares. While he didn't mind the warm body that curled up next to him he would much rather avoid it at all costs, Heri still wasn't sure what the young mer was making him feel. Unlike the Adrea, Deadra felt their emotions more strongly were as Adrea's emotions were almost muted it was why Heri was glad that he was a Dearda and not a Adrea.

Heri knew that he may not be able to control his emotions or even name the ones that he felt but he knew that he wouldn't change it for anything, Heri shook his head there was more important things to do such as the bandits, did he take them out or did he let Forowing do it?

It was a question that Heri wasn't too sure he should answer or not, there was a lot that he needed to consider before he even made his choice.

Forowing was already sleeping poorly, in fact Heri was certain there were already dark circles forming under the bosmer's eyes. He sighed the tower was in sight. Heri stopped his charge, a gentle hand on his shoulder, Forowing looked at him and became still as stone.

"The tower ahead is overrun with four bandits." Heri saw the dread enter the elf's yes and his heart softened.

"I can kill them, but you must learn little one. I can teach you how to look at them differently, it will help."

"Are you sure?" Forowing looked hopeless and Heri felt pained at the sight.

"I wouldn't have survived as a general if it didn't. I may be a dedra but I'm not a blood thirsty insane beast... Most of the time."

"I hope you never have to see that side of me. It's not pleasant... Or so I've heard." Heri states flippantly and Forowing has a nagging feeling Heri had only very rarely had such moments.

"When you are in a position where you must take a life imagine them as some kind of monster. Whether it be a beast, a Thalmor... A deadra, just picture them as something else. It helps. Now, I will go ahead to kill them, try to watch, try to see them as monsters." Heri says softly and then he goes forward a shadow until the last moment when he leapt from his perch on a boulder and skewered one ran through the other then dispatched the last two out of sight of his elf.

Forowing thought over what Heri had said, it made sense to him. But Heri always made him feel small and as if he didn't really matter, but Forowing knew that anyone who came in contact with a Deadra felt like that. After all they had unimaginable power at their disposal, it made Forowing shudder to think what Heri could if he lost his temper something that Forowing had no desire to see.

Heri sighed and took the few sparse items that could count as loot back to Forowing and watched the bosmer. He wasn't sure the little one was capable of all that his soul would require. It wasn't necessarily bad... But it certainly wasn't good. The world was filled with shades of grey, Heri knew this and he knew that no matter what came Forowing might not be ready for it. But still the young mer had something that no one else did. Him.

A/N: So long time coming finally got it done! So here y'all are!