The Road to Hell
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Chapter 13: Little Soldier Boy
I awoke to the feeling of something heavy on top of me. I briefly panicked as I flailed my arms and opened my eyes. My vision cleared to see a curtain of hair the colour of dark honey splayed across my face. Spitting away the offending follicles, I raised my head to see that somehow during the night, Val had used me as a body pillow. I could feel her considerable assets pressing into my body, something which my morning wood appreciated with gusto. I heaved a sigh and tried to lift the slumbering wildling princess off me.
As I attempted to move the almost comatose Val from my person, she gave a muffled grumble and tightened her grip on me which in turn made her figure mould itself into mine. I laid back on the bed and looked out the tiny glass window. I could see the tinges of dawn beginning to creep in. We'd probably be getting ready to head back to Solitude like Legate Jamal said we would be last night.
I then tried to wake Val. "Val? Wake up, it's morning," I whispered to her.
Val woke up with a grumble, her eyes crusty with sleep and bleary. "Is it morning already?" she asked with a yawn.
"It is," I confirmed for her. "And I hope you slept comfortably last night," I said lightly as I indicated our position to her.
Val then noticed how she was laid atop of me and she gave a sleepy grin. "Did you sleep comfortably, little recruit?" she asked me sweetly.
"Like a log," I said in response and I immediately regretted saying that as Val grinned wider at them.
"I'll bet," she purred out as she torturously rubbed her body against mine. My erection throbbed almost painfully.
I sighed, thinking of what to say or do in this moment. I then spoke carefully to Val. "Val? May I call you that?" She nodded and I continued, "I don't profess to fully know of your people's customs regarding marriage, but I think you're jumping into this a little too quickly."
"How do you mean?" Val propped herself up on one elbow and looked at me.
"You said that your people consider stealing someone the closest thing to what southerners would call marriage and you seem to under the impression that I stole you," I began.
"I was teasing you about that, you know?" Val said gently.
"I get that now," I agreed before adding, "But even if I were willing to, ahem, steal you as a bride, there are some factors that wouldn't allow it."
"Such as?" Val scrunched up her face at my words.
"Well, you've obviously gathered by now that I am not an ordinary soldier," I informed her. "Back in Westeros, I am of royal blood, someone kneelers would call their prince and eventually their king," I then said. "Although I have reason to question and believe I am not who I was led to believe," I added as an afterthought.
"So, who is it that you think you are?" Val asked me.
"I have one or two ideas, but I won't share those for now," I replied. "But, given my position, I would be expected to marry into another noble house and all the crap that comes with it," I said.
"And you don't want to," Val stated rather than asked.
She was sharp, I thought to myself in approval and I replied to her, "I don't believe marriage is the thing for me. It's not that I don't want to, I just don't think I would be ideal husband material."
"What makes you say that?" Val asked me, concern etching her face.
"Personal reasons," was all I gave. "So, I'm flattered that someone as beautiful as you would consider me husband material, I just don't believe I'm the right person for that," I said regretfully. I then lay back and stared up at the ceiling blankly.
"So, you wouldn't take me as a wife then?" Val asked as she hovered over my face.
"I don't know. There's a lot for me to figure out and where I stand in life," I admitted to her. I then sat up on the bed to look at Val more seriously. "But, I would like to be friends with you," I said to her sincerely.
"Just friends?" Val arched an eyebrow at me.
"I'll admit my knowledge of intimate relationships is pretty lacklustre, but I'd like to be your friend first before ever reaching a stage where I am on intimate terms with you," I said to her.
Val seemed to consider my words before she gave a slow smile and nodded. "I'd like that too," she replied as she smiled warmly. Seeing that warm smile on her face made my heart skip beat. From what I remembered of Val from the books, she rarely if ever smiled, but seeing it made her look warmer and less cartoonish. If I were being honest, she looked breathtaking when she smiled.
"Then I suppose proper introductions are in order?" I suggested. I then stuck my hand out to shake. "Prince Aegon Targaryen, although the prince and last name thing is up for debate," I then said.
Val stared at my offered hand and looked up at me. "It's a handshake," I told her. "You clasp your hand in mine and introduce yourself," I explained.
Clumsily, Val clasped my hand in her own and I blushed as I felt how soft, smooth and velvety her hand felt. "Val, sister of Dalla," she said to me as she hesitantly shook my hand.
"It's nice to meet you, Miss Val," I replied as I shook her hand firmly before letting go. I looked out the window. "It's almost dawn. Time to get up and get ready," I remarked.
"Get ready for what?" Val asked me as I climbed out of the bed.
"We're heading back to Solitude, capitol of Skyrim. That's the land we're in right now," I informed her. "Which reminds me; how did you end in Skyrim?" I asked as I looked at her.
"I was in the camp with Mance and the others, when this strange man entered our tent," Val replied. "He was a very odd, almost mad, called himself Lord Cheeseman," she said.
"Just like Lynesse said," I muttered to myself.
"Who?" Val raised an eyebrow at me.
"Southron kneeler," I told her. "She too met someone called Lord Cheeseman who brought her here to this world as well," I then explained.
"Did you meet this Cheeseman as well?" Val asked me.
"No. My companions and I got there via another route," I replied. "We were sailing to Pentos to meet with someone who had answers I needed, when a thick fog enveloped our ship and we soon found ourselves in the city harbour of Solitude," I described to Val.
"Hm." Val looked at me before asking, "What is Solitude like?"
"It's big and very grand looking. I can't explain it more elegantly, but I'm sure it'd look like paradise to you," I answered.
I then fixed my shortsword to my waist and nodded at Val. "C'mon. Let's go have something to eat. Wouldn't want to march on an empty stomach," I said to her as we left the room and entered the main hall where already Legionaries and my fellow Auxiliaries were already eating breakfast. Breakfast consisted of what looked like porridge seasoned with a dash of honey, accompanied by a cup of juice to wash it down.
I sat beside Rolly and Val sat on my other side, sitting closely to me. Everyone seemed to notice this and Asher spoke. "Enjoy yourselves last night?" His tone was joking and humorous. It wasn't hard to get what the Northerner was getting at.
"We didn't do anything what you're thinking," I corrected him sternly as I could. "Miss Val and I mutually agreed that we'd be friends first before ever becoming intimate with each other," I then said.
"Really? So, you didn't…?" Asher prodded.
"Nothing of the sort," I replied primly as I ate my porridge with a dignified air.
Asher sighed and looked at Beskha who held out an open palm grinning at him teasingly. Money quickly changed hands and I glared at my fellow Auxiliaries. "You were all betting whether I slept with Val or not?" I demanded a little insulted at this.
"Why wouldn't you?" Rolly said to me.
"Lord Jon wouldn't approve," I reminded the shaggy haired man quickly.
"We won't tell if you won't," Asher winked at me conspiratorially, a grin on his face. "But if you won't have her, you could send her my way," he said with a laugh giving Val a leering gaze.
Val glared at the Northerner and leaned in closer to me as if to tell him that she wasn't interested in him. She even wrapped her arms around mine to reinforce her silent statement.
"Lucky bastard," Asher muttered under his breath as he smiled wistfully.
"Is the Legate awake?" I asked changing topics.
"He was already awake before us," Beskha said to me. "He's speaking with the Penitus Oculatus, but he told us all we'd be heading back out once everyone had eaten," she informed me.
"Well, no time to waste," I muttered as I began to eat my breakfast as quickly as I could. I soon finished my bowl and skolled my cup of juice. It tasted tangy and sweet, raspberries if I had to guess. Once I downed all my drink, I set the mug down and wiped my chin clean. Rising from my seat, I nodded at everyone.
"I'm gonna find the Legate and get ready to move out. See you out there," I said to them as I left the inn.
Leaving my compatriots, I shivered briefly as I was met with a brisk refreshing breeze as I walked outside. I drew my cloak around me tighter to ward off the freshness of the frigid air. I then wracked my memory of where the Penitus Oculatus were stationed in Dragon's Bridge; remembering where their office was, I headed down the road when the Merchant's voice called out to me.
"Stranger, over here!" I looked over to see the Merchant waving me over. Curious if the man had some new task for me or perhaps some new wares, I wandered over to him.
"Something I can help with?" I asked the vendor briskly.
"Got something for ya," the Merchant replied breezily as he dug out from the pockets and pouches of his coat and pulled out a hip satchel. "Here. Take this. On the house," he said to me as he offered the item to me.
"What is it?" I enquired as I took the pouch from the man's gloved fingers.
"That there is a satchel of holding. Can hold just about anything you find out there," the Merchant informed me. "O' course, it is offset by how much weight it can hold," he then said matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, it'd be too easy otherwise," I said in wry amusement. "What's the catch?" I then asked looking at the Merchant carefully.
"No catch, Stranger. We're just rooting for ya," the Merchant said with a grin underneath his mask.
"And this 'we' would refer to you and your associates?" I asked lightly.
"Heheh, sharp you are, Stranger," the Merchant cackled as he rubbed his hands together. "Besides, helps business if we give out a freebie every now and then. Makes things interesting," he told me.
"Well, thank you. I'll put this to good use," I said gratefully as I then fixed the hip satchel to my waist. "Got any requests that need do doing?" I then asked once I'd finished strapping my new satchel on.
"Not right this minute," the Merchant said regretfully. "But Duke might have something for ya when you see him next. You are heading back to Solitude, yeah?"
"We are, as soon as I find the Legate," I replied.
"Heheh, good stuff stranger," the Merchant said with a nod of his head. "Anything you wish to buy for your travels before you go?" he offered.
"Let's see what you have," I responded as the man opened his coat to reveal some new items in stock.
One item stood out to me in particular; on the surface it looked like a wand from Harry Potter, but it looked much thicker than a regular wand and the tip was set with a circular sapphire gem that glowed with soft blue light. "What's this? Some kind of wand?" I asked as I looked at it.
"Ah, see you spotted the Sapphire Wand," the Merchant said to me. "It's new innovation from the Mages College; it draws on ambient magicka in the surrounding environment, meaning you never need to use soul gems to recharge it," he explained.
"How powerful is it? What can it do?"
"Well, that's the offset; it's not particularly powerful. What it does is fire magical blue darts of energy straight at a target, much like a bow or crossbow," Merchant described.
"Interesting. Why wouldn't there be more like it?" I enquired curiously.
"Well, most magical types feel it ain't powerful enough for their needs. They'd prefer to cast more powerful spells like flames, frostbite or sparks compared to what the Sapphire Wand does," Merchant said.
"I guess I can see why that would be the case," I nodded my head at this. "How much is it?" I then asked curious to know the price.
"For you, Stranger? Thirty septims will do," Merchant grinned.
I quickly counted out how much money I had. I had enough money with some left over. "I'll take it," I said to the Merchant passing him the correct amount which he swept into one of his many pockets before handing me the Sapphire Wand.
"So, how does it work?" I asked as I carefully examined the magical artefact.
"Pretty simple really. Aim where you want to hit and give the handle a firm squeeze of your finger," the Merchant told me. "Wanna try it?" he offered.
"Okay?" I hesitantly said.
The Merchant then walked out from his stall and placed a simple clay pot a short distance away from me. "Try hitting this," he told me.
Holding out the wand in front of me, aiming the gemstone tip, I aimed as carefully as I could before giving the grip a firm squeeze of my finger. The gemstone tip flashed brightly as a neon blue dart of light shot out and hit the earth in front of the clay pot.
The Merchant laughed and said to me, "Good try, Stranger. Close, but not close enough."
I shook my head and tried again. It took two more tries before I hit the clay pot which shattered under the force of the energy dart from the wand. I stuck my hand up in triumph. "I like it," I said to the Merchant who nodded at me.
"Good stuff, stranger. Keep that up and you'll be quite a shot in no time," he said. "And if you're ever interested in trying your skills, I run a little side business where discerning customers like yourself can have a little diversion and win some prizes," he informed me.
"A shooting gallery?" I asked and the Merchant nodded in confirmation. "I'm not much of a shot, but I'll bear that in mind," I said to him.
"If you want that wand improved, come see me. Our craftsmanship is top notch!" the Merchant boasted.
"I'll keep that in mind," I replied before leaving, giving a wave of thanks as I thrust my new weapon into my new satchel.
Heading towards the Penitus Oculatus' office, I soon met Legate Jamal who just leaving the building. "Little Recruit. Good morning," the Alik'r grinned at me with his pearly white teeth. "Did she finish you off or bring you back to life?" he asked jestingly.
My ears burned with embarrassment as I realised what the man was getting at before saying stiffly, "I did not do anything with Miss Val last night, sir." I stood to attention rigidly as I stared at the Legate who laughed at my formalness.
"Why not, little recruit?" he asked me jokingly. "Young man like would be jumping at chance to lay with a pretty girl like Val," he said to me.
"I'm not like most men my age, sir," I replied stiffly. "Miss Val and I agreed to be friends first before ever getting to that stage," I said. " Besides, my foster father would not approve if he learns of it," I added.
"Well, she's still your responsibility," Jamal said to me sternly. "You treat her well, alright?" he reminded.
"I'll do my best, but I think Miss Val is too independent for me to watch after, sir," I replied.
"Good," the Legate nodded at me. "Come, little recruit. Time to march back home to Solitude," he ordered as we both headed back to the inn where everyone else had formed up. I fell in line with my fellow auxiliaries and I noticed that Val was sitting in one of the carriages that was clearly going to be making the return trip to Solitude with us.
The Legate mounted his horse and gave the order to the company sergeants. "On the left, quick, march! Left! Left! Left-right-left!"
In almost perfect lockstep we began the march back to Solitude with the wagons following alongside us.
A few minutes in, Legate Jamal called out to me. "Little recruit! Sing us a song!"
I wracked my memory for an appropriate marching song when one from my days in cadets came to mind. "Don't suppose you've heard this before?" I asked. "Just repeat what I sing!" I told everyone.
Clearing my throat, I sang the first verse.
Hey, hey, Captain Jack!
(Hey, hey, Captain Jack!)
Meet me down by the railway track!
(Meet me down by the railway track!)
With a pack of cards in your hand!
(With a pack of cards in your hand!)
I will be your gambling man!
(I will be your gambling man!)
Left, left!
(Left, left!)
Left-right-left!
(Left-right-left!)
Your military left!
(Your military left!)
Your left, your right!
So pick up the step!
Your left, your right, your left!
(Your left, your right!
So pick up the step!
Your left, your right, your left!)
As we sang the marching song, we threw in various bits of what could go in the song with suggestions being shouted by everyone. And in seemingly no time at all, we'd arrived at the gates of Solitude and it hadn't even reached late morning at most.
"Good song, little recruit!" Legate Jamal praised me. "We made it here in record time!" he laughed followed by cheers from everyone else and some even patted me on back congratulating me on the song that somehow increased everyone's marching speed.
Legate Jamal then gave some orders for the Legionnaires to help unload the wagons. I soon met Val who was looking at the gates of Solitude in awe.
"Is this… a castle?" she asked me her eyes never leaving the city gates.
"No, these are just the gates," I corrected. "There's two castles inside however," I then informed her.
"Two?!" Val looked at me with wide eyes of surprise. "Could I… see them?" she asked hopefully.
"Well, I suppose we could," I reluctantly replied when Jamal appeared behind me clapping a meaty hand on my shoulder.
"Go on, little recruit, show Miss Val the castles," he ordered me with a grin on his bearded face and a conspiratorial wink. "Never seen castles before, huh?" he asked Val who shook her head in response.
"Then little recruit will show you around. Won't you?" the Legate looked at me sternly.
"Don't you need me here?" I asked weakly.
"Miss Val is your responsibility, like I told you before," Jamal said to me sternly. "Show her around, let her see the sights. Help satisfy her curiosity," he ordered.
I sighed before looking at Val who looked at me expectantly and I asked her, "What do you want to see first?"
Val smiled that breathtaking smile as she latched onto my arm and practically dragged me into the city of Solitude with her. I had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to see first and I had little choice but to indulge her in this instance.
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: There! Chapter 13 is done and dusted! I know there wasn't any action in this chapter, but the next chapter may contain some as SI-Aegon might do a request for the Duke; still deciding what it should be, so if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to share ^_^
And it seems SI-Aegon has gotten his first magical artefacts, the satchel of holding and the Sapphire Wand. If the Sapphire Wand is familiar to anyone, it's from the game Hexen as the starter weapon of the Mage character in the game. There'll be some other magical artefacts and even spells from the Hexen games and even other game franchises for SI-Aegon to wield as some of you have complained about how he hasn't gotten his hands on his first spell yet, so I hope the introduction of the Sapphire Wand will be something for him to start off with.
And apart from that, I haven't got too much more to say, so I'll leave this here and I'll see you all in the next one.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.