-And here we are, next chapter. As usual, I personally don't own the rights to Elder Scrolls 5 Skyrim, but I suppose what I do own is my own version of Dragonborn that I'm allowed to make... if that makes any sense...-
The door creaked open and the two women stepped inside, Almost immediately, they were bombarded by a plethora of scents and fragrants. Some scents their noses found pleasing, like sweetness and savory, others... reeked. Such was the Bannered Mare, a down-to-Nirn place where one could go for a good mug of ale.
At this time, while the dark of night was still illuminated by the moon in the sky, the inside's warm glow of the central fireplace felt more prominent. The entire room was bathed in a gentle glow and warmth. It set a very soothing atmosphere on its own, even without its patrons. There was also the pleasing sound of a lute, a gentle chirp of a tune being played by the local tavern bard, Mikael.
Speaking of patrons, Lydia and Siffre entered to find a number of people, calmly relaxing in different ways. There was peaceful, yet boisterous chatter between them, some even laughing at jokes. No matter what they were doing, their spirits were at ease, thanks to the steady flow of ale provided for them.
It was a common sight for Lydia, as she knew everyone here. Having grown up in Whiterun gave her ample time to learn everyone by face and name, as well as the type of person they were, for the most part. Glancing to her side at Siffre however, told a different story. The blonde Nord was nervous, looking all around at this place, a nervous twitch in her hands. Anxiety was ever present on her face. Hadn't she ever been in a tavern before? Well... with the way she was... maybe that was understandable.
"Housecarl Lydia? Welcome!" a voice rang out across the room. The two women looked to see the barkeep, Hulda, waving them over, "This is a surprise... Come on in, take a seat and I'll send someone over." With a nod of thanks, Lydia moved forward, Siffre right behind her. While the noise of the patrons persisted the same as before, a few of them were glancing over in their direction. She herself was used to the stares by now, having performed her duties before them countless times. Her being in their presence no longer felt... intimidating, nor embarrassing anymore. She was comfortable with them, as they were with her.
Around the central fireplace were sets of benches. Lydia and Siffre took seats at one of them, side by side, setting down their shields. They both then began to remove the armored gauntlets covering their arms. With relieved sighs, their now exposed arms could be rubbed of any soreness that the battle with the dragon had caused them.
"Good evening Lydia, what can I get for you?" the housecarl turned to her side to see Saadia, the dark-skinned Redguard barmaid, waiting for her expectedly.
"Hm, some bread, and mug of ale," Lydia said.
"Of course," Saadia said, then looked over at Siffre, "And what would you like?" Siffre looked up at Saadia's waiting face, her eyes briefly twitching down in thought then looked back at her.
"Um... the same..." she whispered.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" the barmaid leaned in a little.
"The same..." Siffre tried to whisper a little louder. Saadia's eyes narrowed.
"I could't hear you, could you please speak up-"
"My Thane says she'd like the same as I," Lydia spoke up. Her response earned Saadia a look towards Siffre, yet still prompted her to move back.
"Very well then, I'll just-" she said, then stopped as she realized something, "Wait a moment, did you say your Thane?"
"That's... correct," Lydia replied. At this, Saadia's expression softened greatly.
"Oh, forgive me housecarl! I hadn't realized..." she stammered, "I-I'll get you those things right away!" Before Lydia could say anything, the Redguard had already left for the kitchen area. Slowly, she looked back to Siffre, who shook her head in dismissal.
"Ah, Lydia! Fancy seeing you hear!" the housecarl turned to the direction of the boisterous voice. The armored Uthgerd was making her way towards her, mug of ale in one hand and a smile on her face. Lydia returned hers with a smaller smile of her own, "Can I join you?"
"Uthgerd! Of course!" Lydia said, motioning to the open seat perpendicular to her left side. The plate-armored nord woman took her seat, then clapped Lydia's shoulder.
"I'd say you deserve a drink in your name!" she said, "For going blade to tooth against a monster of legend!"
"Huh? The dragon?" Lydia said, mildly confused. They'd only just gotten back, hadn't they? "How did you know...?"
"Are you kidding? Word travels fast throughout the guard, and thus, throughout the whole of Whiterun!" Uthgerd paused to take a quick swig from her mug, "How I wish I could've been there myself, to stare that beast down let it see the gleam in my..." Lydia listened on, letting the female Nord carry on. She was... amusing, to listen to, and even at times fun. She was the type of person who could blow out just enough bluster as the damage she could deal through her arms and her blades. It's earned her plenty of scars and glory from battles, but at the same time a fair amount of trouble. Sometimes her hot-headed attitude required a great deal of temperament. After all, it was the whole reason that had caused the Companions to expel her, all for that alleged 'accident'.
During her talking Saadia had walked back out to Lydia and Siffre with their mugs and two halves of bread. The blonde took a sip from her mug, Lydia did the same, both savoring the bitter taste as it began to warm them up from within.
"Of course, that's not all being talked about..." Uthgerd's voice suddenly went softer. and she looked back in Lydia and Siffre's direction, "There's been talk that... a Dragonborn is here!"
"A... Dragonborn?" Lydia questioned. She was about to speak further until a thought occurred to her; Uthgerd mentioned the Dragonborn, but she didn't look at Siffre directly. It was almost as if... she didn't know right away about what her Thane really was! Was this right? wasn't this supposed to be common knowledge?
She looked over to her Thane, who was gingerly biting into her bread chunk. She looked up when she noticed her follower's gaze upon her.
"My Thane, they clearly don't know, but... should they?" Lydia asked. Siffre's narrowed, and she looked away for a moment. Looking back at her, she gave a simple shake of the head, her answer simple enough.
No? She didn't want others to know she was Dragonborn? Why in all the Holds not? All the glory to be had to one with such a powerful title... and all of its negatives. Maybe others would get jealous? Resentful that this gift of power was granted to someone else? Or even, what if someone were to try and usurp this power from Siffre to themselves? Was that even possible?
Whatever the case, Siffre had non-verbally made her point, and Lydia was to abide by it.
"A Dragonborn, Uthgerd?" Lydia asked, with skepticism in her voice, "Surely that's a mistake. Are you sure this wasn't something an injured guard would think up in a delirious state? In fact, Hergi himself was heavily injured from the battle..."
"Hergi, by the Gods, I saw what happened to him..." the armored Nord woman said out of sympathy, "Those legs of his, broken as they were... And now that you mention it, he was sounding a little crazy..." Uthgerd ceased her thought by completely downing the last of her ale in one last gulp, "Ah whatever the case may be; A glorious battle indeed, and I for one do not plan to miss out on any more! If the Companions won't have me, sod them! Now that I know there is greater battles out there!"
"That's great, Uthgerd, and in fact, might even be necessary..." Lydia said, "You see, I have been asked to leave the city on an... assignment."
"You? Leaving Whiterun?" Uthgerd asked.
"Right, for..." Lydia glanced quickly in Siffre's direction, "An... escort mission, appointed to me by Jarl Balgruuf himself." Uthgerd followed Lydia's glance to the side towards Siffre. The quieter Nord had watched and listened on to this whole exchange, but was nonetheless slightly self-conscious when the attention was shifted to her, from a stranger no less. She mustered up a single nod, hoping it would be a satisfactory reply.
"Hm, never seen this one before," she noted, turning to Lydia, "Must be important if you've been assigned to protect someone. This was what you were working and training for, isn't it?" Lydia nodded in response. "Well, may the gods watch over your battles friend!" One more heavy swig from her own mug silenced any further prodding, much to Siffre's, and Lydia's, relief.
The rest of the evening went on in relative peace. The two ladies continued to sit beside the fire, sipping from their own mugs of ale, and casually listening to Uthgerd's continued boasting. Eventually, the armored Nord grew weary herself, or she had run out of ale... whichever reason, she got up from her seat and let the two women be.
The surrounding atmosphere of the tavern seemed to mirror Uthgerd as well. The noise was beginning to die down as more patrons were leaving to turn in for the night.
"If it's alright, my Thane," Lydia said herself, "I'll purchase us a room for the evening?" Siffre nodded in agreement, and Lydia lifted herself from her seat to move in front of Hulda.
"Housecarl Lydia," the innkeeper said, "You'll be renting a room this evening?"
"Yes," Lydia said, reaching back and fetching forth a handful of ten coins to place on the bar top, "What rooms do you have available?"
"A room for two? Hmmm," Hulda said, gathering the coins in front of her, "I believe the room we have available only has one bed... It is a fairly large bed, but... this won't be a problem, will it?"
"No um, I don't think that'll be much problem..." Lydia said, hardly giving that last issue much thought.
"Very well, the room is just up those stairs and to your right," Hulda pointed out to the corner of the tavern interior where a set of stairs led upwards, "And let me or Saadia know if there is anything else you need." Lydia nodded, then turned around to relay this to Siffre. The silent Nord however was already lifting herself from her seat and moving to rejoin her. Perhaps Lydia hadn't needed to tell her what just happened, being how she was standing literally behind her while she had spoken with Hulda.
The face that met hers was one of acknowledgement as well. The two women picked up their shields and gauntlets, then made their way towards the stairs, Lydia leading the way. Unlike the previous stairs they had traveled up within Dragonsreach, these steps creaked with every step they took. It made sense, these were made of nothing more than sturdy wood, while Dragonsreach's steps were of solid stone. But the wooden stairs more then held their frame as the two women climbed them, finally reaching the top. They turned to the right and through the closed door, into the room they would be staying in: a small room with a two chair table in the corner, and a single bed that was big enough for two.
"Oh..." Siffre whispered, "One bed..."
"Hulda did mention this, my Thane..." Lydia said, turning to Siffre, "I'm sorry, um... I would be more than happy to find somewhere else to sleep while you take this-"
"It's fine..." Siffre held her hands in front of her, "I'm not... really tired... just yet..." With that, she moved to sit on the edge of the bed and set to work on removing her armored boots from her feet. Seeing this, Lydia was reminded of the soreness in her own feet. She took a seat in one of the table's chairs and began to peel her steel-armored boots off. While they did provide much needed protection against the outside forces, their interiors left much to be desired. The chafing against the backs of her calves could be so irritating at times!
One at a time, her calves were practically screaming with relief when they were freed to the open air, out of the confines of those cursed boots! She placed her foot-wrapped feet upon the wooden ground. A tender soreness crawled up her legs upon initial contact, but Lydia was used to that by now.
Looking up, she saw that Siffre was still struggling to remove her own armored boots from her feet. Her progress in comparison was slower... in fact, she was struggling so much she hadn't been able to work off the first one! Lydia's eyes narrowed, in mild confusion. How was she having such trouble removing them? It wasn't that hard, how did she even get into them?
Thankfully, what was coursing through her mind she was careful not to accidentally convey into words. Instead, after a moment of Siffre's continued struggles, Lydia removed herself from her chair and knelt down in front of her Thane. She reached out towards the securing buckles, while Siffre suddenly ceased her movements in response.
"Huh...? What are-?" she whispered.
"You looked like you were having trouble, my Thane," Lydia said. Siffre did not make any movements indicating Lydia to stop. In fact, she kept her feet still, encouraging the housecarl to proceed with this task she'd taken upon herself. She could quickly see why this might have been difficult- the outer straps were hastily buckled instead of properly, which made pulling them apart that much tougher. Fortunately, Lydia's calloused fingers worked hard to finally loosen the straps on both boots to eventually allow Siffre to free her own feet.
"Ah... thanks..." she softly said.
"Of course, my-" Lydia started, but was cut off by the sight of her Thane's feet. They were covered in blisters, with some even breaking open! Lydia felt something rising in the back of her throat, but quickly suppressed the urge as best as she could, "My Thane! Your feet!"
"Huh?" Siffre looked down, and her eyes widened in shock by what she saw as well, "Oh-!" Her sudden surprise caused her tone of voice to unintentionally rise sharply, and the air before them vibrated before she clamped her hand over her mouth.
"Why don't you have foot-wraps on underneath?" Lydia asked.
"What? Foot-wraps?" Siffre asked, careful to ask much quieter this time.
"Yes, they're worn underneath boots to keep blisters like this from happening!" Lydia explained.
"I... I didn't-"
"Well, no matter; wait here," Lydia commanded. She pulled herself to her feet and moved back over to the table she had been sitting at. There was a small pitcher of water and a small handheld basin resting upon it. She picked both items up in both hands and returned to kneeling at Siffre's feet, "Now, put your feet in this basin."
Siffre did as she was told, and Lydia gently poured a stream of water from the pitcher over her feet. The quiet Nord woman let out a gentle sigh as the cool liquid cascaded over her feet. Lydia poured liberally, making sure to cover as much of the feet as she could. After a moment she ceased pouring, set the pitcher down on the ground, and using her own two hands rubbed her Thane's now wet feet. Siffre's eyes by now were widened.
"Lydia?!" she said, struggling to keep her personal volume lowered despite her shock, "Y-you don't... have to-"
"My Thane, this must be done," Lydia insisted, keeping her head looking down at where she worked, "I shudder to think what would happen had these blisters gone uncleaned..." Her hands rubbed hard, wiping away all moisture as possible from the feet. By the time she finished, her Thane's feet were no longer riddled with unsightly blisters, but they could've looked better overall.
Picking herself up, Lydia made her way to the small shelf on the wall opposite the table she sat at.
"Now let me see... ah! Here we are..." Her hand hovered over the many shelves until it found what she searched for: a small vial of ointment. As she was about to turn back, her eyes caught sight of something else: a set of cloth wraps, very similar to the ones she had herself! "Oh, even better!" Quickly grabbing them, she knelt back down to Siffre's feet. She opened the vial, coated her palms with the bitter smelling substance, and began to rub it over Siffre's blistered feet.
Siffre hissed in pain, the ointment stinging every blister it came into contact with. The feeling of pain soon passed, or maybe she grew used to it, even as Lydia continued to work. Eventually she finished her application, and she stood back up, taking the pitcher and basin with her back to the table. Siffre looked down at her feet, her now blister-free feet.
"Um... thank you..." she whispered.
"Of course, my Thane," Lydia replied, washing her own hands in the basin.
"But... why? Why did you... do that?" Siffre quietly asked. This question earned her a look from her housecarl.
"Were you really expecting to proceed on your journey with the state your feet were just in?" Lydia asked, "It was like I said, they had to be-"
"No, I mean..." Siffre cut in, while trying to find the right words, "Why did... 'you'... do that?" Lydia spared her a glance, one that lasted a handful of seconds.
"As my Thane, I am sworn to your service, in addition to your well-being," Lydia said, drying her hands off with a towel, "How could I not take it upon me to make sure you were in peak condition?"
"Oh..." Siffre said silently. Lydia finished drying her hands and took a seat in the table's chair. The two women were now sitting down, positioned so that they were facing each other even with the great space between them, "Well... I'm grateful... I just- well, I thought you..."
As Siffre struggled to silently complete her sentence, Lydia had a vague idea of what she was getting at. It was true they had not gotten along on the best of terms when they'd first met. In fact, the housecarl was almost certain it would've come to blows between them. And for what? The fact that Siffre wasn't as adept at basic speech?
"Jealousy, isn't it? That you were granted boons that I myself desired?" Lydia asked, causing Siffre's eyes to meet hers. She simply nodded, "I won't deny it... a part of me does feel... envious..." The housecarl sighed, "But, you needn't worry so much about that, what Jarl Balgruuf decreed. I... respect my Jarl a great deal, and if he believes granting you the title of Thane and appointing myself as your housecarl, I will defer to his judgement.* The more Lydia spoke, the more relaxed and confident she relayed her words to Siffre. The quieter Nord relaxed her own posture after realizing she had been tensing her shoulders up without even realizing it.
"The Jarl..." she quietly said, "He must mean... a lot to you..."
"Balgruuf?" Lydia said, "He's the Jarl of Whiterun! A good man, strong, wise, firm..." her words trailed as memories suddenly crept up into her mind.
A little girl, standing in a massive hall, where only Jarls, lords, and nobles were allowed to stand within. Two guards on either side, to preventing this little... urchin, from escaping. This was a great-hall after all, with plenty of things someone like her could be accused of stealing as well. And in front of her, a man stood, looking down upon her, while behind him the very skull of some scary creature looking down upon him.
The intimidation was almost too much to bear, and the girl found herself cowering in fear. But while the skull itself was an unchanging image of fear, the man's face was stone-faced and neutral, yet still judging all at once. Then in a single motion, his lips slowly curled up into a simple smile, and he extended a hand down to her...
Lydia shook her head from her thoughts.
"All the years I've known him, Balgruuf has always been... fair in his judgments... like he's always had a grand plan in mind."
"Grand plan..." Siffre noted quietly, "Do you... do you think it's why... he had you come with me...?" Lydia blinked and looked at her. Was this some grand plan in the making for a housecarl like her to be assigned to protect someone who was not her Jarl? And on a journey that would no doubt take her out of Whiterun hold? What was really to happen to her?
Well, whatever it was, Jarl Balgruuf continued to display his utmost faith in her and her abilities.
"Perhaps..." Lydia said. Siffre was silent for a few moments. Not because of her usual reluctance to speak, but because of her own thoughts she mentally sifted through.
"You know..." she quietly said, "All my life... I was... by myself..." Lydia raised an eyebrow.
"Because of...?" she subtly gestured to her own throat, hoping she wouldn't need to say anything further. Thankfully, Siffre understood her meaning and nodded.
"And now... suddenly... I can talk?" Siffre continued, "And I'm also... Dragonborn?" She placed her hands on her knees as she looked down, eyes wide open, staring straight down at the ground, and sighed, "Is... this right? Was this... meant to happen... to me...?" Lydia's eyes softened as she heard her quiet Thane's confession. In this moment, she did not see an immortal hero of some ancient song or legend; she saw a woman, a woman with fear, uncertainty... but maybe a tiny sliver of hope? Very human traits, displayed by this initially mute woman, sitting before her.
"I admit, my Thane, the chances of everything happening as they have occurred have been... insane," Lydia said, "A dragon threatening Whiterun, you being able to Shout, and speak even, and then a planned journey to the Greybeards atop the Throat of the World. All of this in a single day..." Lydia paused for a moment, then chuckled once, "It's... quite the discoveries! I think... I think I'd like this through, to the end even!" She looked at Siffre right in her eyes, "Which is why, as my Thane, I will stay by your side through every step of your journey!"
Siffre's eyes widened, yet again, at Lydia's declaration. Such a profound statement, all culminating in this person, someone she'd never met before in her life, wanting to help her. She was a warrior, but she had always been alone for most of her life, no one ever being at her back. Lydia was a housecarl whom the Jarl had assigned to her, but somehow, in this moment, the sincerity of her words spoke different volumes. Huh, volumes... There was something Siffre could be envious of herself...
Her surprise deepened when Lydia then extended an arm out towards her. Siffre looked at it, then finally understood its meaning. She reached out with her own arm, gripping hers at just below her elbow. The two women shook their hands, a partnership in the making. Each one felt a slightly tight grip from the other, prompting them to grip harder in return. Satisfied, the two released hold of the other.
It was at this moment that a yawn crept up through Siffre's throat.
"I think... I think I'm... tired now..." she whispered.
"Ah, alright then," Lydia said, pulling herself to her feet, "However, that still leaves the matter of... sleeping arrangements..." The two looked at the bed that Siffre currently sat on. The quiet Nord's cheeks flushed slightly.
"Um... I ah..." Siffre said, her speech impairment coupled with the context of the situation made it that much harder to convey her thoughts, "I... wouldn't really mind if..."
"My Thane... it's quite alright..." Lydia said, shaking her head, "I'm more than happy to find a suitable place elsewhere to sleep, and leave the bed to you."
"But-"
"And besides..." Lydia subtly pointed to Siffre's feet. The light-haired Nord looked down, and flushed with embarrassment as the realization came to her, "I believe you'd need more... space, for your feet to heal..."
"Oh..." Siffre said, "I... forgot..." She looked back up at Lydia, "But... where will you sleep?"
"You need not worry about me," Lydia said, gathering her gauntlets under one arm and taking her shield in her opposite hand, "I'm sure I can find a suitable place to sleep elsewhere in the inn."
"Ah..." As Lydia moved across the room towards the door, Siffre now took this time to try and remove the steel armor covering the upper half of her body. Lydia glanced out of the corner of her eye, then slowly came to a halt as she turned to Siffre completely. The silent Nord was again taking longer than usual in this simple act of removing one's armor, as shown by the fidgeting fingers and the grimace of frustration on her face.
On Lydia's face, the corner of her mouth curled up slightly.
"My Thane..." she said, moving in. Siffre stopped what she was doing as she looked up, watching as Lydia set her armored items on the bed and reached her own hands to the side-straps. In a much shorter amount of time, Lydia had both straps loosened, "How did you manage to almost run the straps through? You've tightened them so hard they're-"
"I'm sorry..." Siffre whispered, "It's just... this wasn't... my armor..." Lydia stopped her movements and looked at her in response to that statement.
"What? Not your armor?"
"No..."
"Then... are you saying it's stolen?" Lydia asked. Did she just admit to her an act of thievery?
"No!" Siffre's surprised voice accidentally slipped upward again, causing small vibrations in the air. Her hands rushed to her mouth, but didn't cover it this time, "I-I mean... it was a bandit's... I took it off her..." Lydia's tension relaxed a bit from that confession. That was... almost relieving to hear, if nothing else that someone she was assigned to was not hiding some 'undesirable tendencies'. Still, armor lifted from a bandit? From all she know of them, they rarely were seen alone or individually, which meant that this armor had to be fought for...
Cautiously, she returned her hands to the side-straps and fully loosened them. After both were undone, the armor itself was free to fall apart into two halves, one covering her back, the other covering her front and bust. Siffre let out a noticeable deep breath of air after being freed from her armored prison. Underneath she wore a simple tan tunic. Well, at the very least, she knew to wear under-clothing beneath this armor to prevent chafing in more... sensitive places.
Speaking of sensitive places, a set of scars were noticed along Siffre's upper shoulders that disappeared beneath her tunic. They appeared to be... recent. Siffre's eyes glanced up at Lydia, then just as quickly her head spun away, shifting her body in the process.
"Th-thank you..." she quickly said, "I... maybe you're right... about me in this bed... alone..." She quickly gathered the armor halves, holding them tight to herself, "But... are you sure... you don't mind...?"
"I don't mind at all," Lydia said, "I will be close by if you need anything." She reached for the doorknob and pulled it open, yet hesitated when she looked back at Siffre one more time.
"Ah..." Siffre whispered, "well... bye..."
"Good evening, my Thane," Lydia said, and finally left the room, closing the door behind her. Gauntlets and shield in hand, she made her way down the steps again. She reached around the halfway point of the steps when lingering doubts began to creep up; was what she did the right thing to do? She was a bodyguard for this person, so was it the correct thing to leave them in a room by themselves? In that moment, her thoughts drifted to Irileth, and what she would say.
'Threats to the Jarl are ever present, but are no more closer to reaching him if I remain diligent and attentive,' she'd say.
'Really? That's all you have to be?' Lydia herself had asked.
'Well, there's that, in addition to facts themselves,' the dark elf continued, 'For example, alone in a room, any assassin could enter it through an unlocked door, a window, or a hidden crawlspace. That's why, I have to have intimate knowledge of the room's layout that he will be in. The worst thing that could happen is not only that an assailant could get to him, but that I could be too slow in coming to his rescue...'
"It should be fine," Lydia said to herself, "Besides, there are only two doors in that room: that door leading to an overlooking balcony over the tavern area, and this door, which is the only way in or out. There weren't any windows, and the room is on the upper level. Anyone that tries to get to her, they'll definitely be seen first..."
Coming off of the stairs she stepped back into the tavern area of the inn. Looking around, the place was completely empty of patrons, and the central fire was cooling down to mere embers by this point. In fact, the only other people were Saadia and Hulda, the former giving her a good evening nod before disappearing through to the kitchen. Hulda on the other hand was wiping off the bar's counter top when she noticed her approach.
"Housecarl Lydia? Was there something you needed?"
"Oh nothing really, Hulda," Lydia said, "It's just that, my Thane and I decided she would take the entirety of the bed in that room. I've only come wondering if there was some other bed...?"
"Oh, my apologies, housecarl," Hulda said, "That was the only room available, as well as the only bed. Usually only one person or two people agreeing to share the bed..." Hulda drifted off as she thought for a moment, "How about this: you can lay your head down on any table or on the bar counter?"
Lydia blinked, "Really? You'd allow that?"
"Of course, it's the least I can do!" the innkeeper said, "You can rest 'til the morning comes, and I won't bother you."
"Oh well, you have my thanks!" Lydia said with a smile. This was certainly convenient! With that she moved herself to the table along the wall on the same side as the bar stools. Taking a seat, she placed her shield down at her feet, and her gauntlets were laid on the table. The table had been cleared off before, so there was nothing else atop them to get in the way. Plenty of space open for both the gauntlets and room for her arms. She folded them on the table and laid her head upon them.
The moment she did, she could feel the weight of her fatigue pull at her even stronger. Gods, just how tired was she? This day has been filled with all manner of excitement, so perhaps now was when she'd be coming down from it.
One last yawn, and Lydia drifted off to sleep, the light from the central fire fading as well...
She's running, and running for her life, terror gripping her very being. All around her, fire rages and stone structures are destroyed as if they were made of sand rather than rock.
And the people... She tries not to, but she still glances at the ground to see corpses. Dead, charred bodies of people that only mere minutes ago, were very much alive! They were ruthlessly slaughtered here in this town!
And she herself was no better off, her hands still being bound in front of her. No means of defending herself, she might as well prepare to join them in death. Or rather, this was even worse than death; death for these people was a mercy, but she was still alive to witness it all unfold. Terror and destruction, on swift night wings...
A swooshing in the air, and she skidded to a halt. Slowly lifting her head up, she gazed upon it; the harbinger of death itself. She trembled, the fear that gripped her not allowing her any other sort of movement. All she could move were her eyes as they darted to every part of this... monster.
The solid ash-black color, the scales so razor sharp their jaggedness almost appeared as if they were carved stones, sharpened claws on hind feet, a blunt yet pointed tail, two sets of wings that warped the very air around it with every powerful flap, the menacing horns perched on its head, rows and rows of razor sharp teeth...
But none of any of that compared to the eyes. By the Gods, those EYES! Purely blood-red and brightly glowing! Eyes that could very well bore into anything it looked upon. Eyes full of greed, hunger, power, hatred, condescending, a sense of authority? Eyes that judged all they looked upon as well beneath it. Eyes that gazed upon her this very moment...
The creature's maw slowly opens, and suddenly she discovers her own mouth was opening! What was happening? She wasn't doing this on her own! She tries to close her mouth, but like her inability to speak, she has no physical control over her own mouth! She watches as suddenly rays of light flow out of her mouth, straight up into the air, and into the maw of the creature! What was happening? And why was she feeling... weaker...? What should she do? She had to do something, but what?!
The corners of her lips tremble and she feels her throat within. She tries with all her might to do something! She had to, this ray of light flowing out of her was growing more concentrated! The creature's unfazed face continued to watch down upon her as the light flowed into its own maw.
She tries... tries... tries, to push the air through her throat... she had to try-!
"FUS!"
In a single motion, Siffre shot herself forward as the air before her vibrated. As if a great wind had broken into her room and thundered the very air around her.
She panted, a cold sweat pouring down her forehead and upper chest. Slowly glancing around her, she could see from her surroundings that she was in a room, in a bed with sheets...
She wasn't 'there'...
A rhythmic thumping noise greeted her ears, and suddenly the door to the side burst open! On instinct, Siffre clutched the covers up to her chest. Someone had just broken in and would no doubt catch her in this vulnerable state! There was no way to hide, all that could be done was to at least see who the intruder was.
She gasped in slight relief when she saw that the intruder was in fact Lydia! She had burst in with sword and shield in hand, though still missing her armored gauntlets. Her eyes were widened and alert, then softened a little when the fell upon her.
"My Thane? Are you alright?! What happened?" Lydia asked, slightly lowering her arms after seeing for herself that they were the only ones present.
"Lydia..." Siffre started, then stopped herself when she realized her volume was again too high, "I-I'm fine..."
"I'd had heard that Shout just now..." the housecarl placed her sword back into its sheath, "I had assumed the worst..." No longer in a protective mode, Lydia took a moment to notice that Siffre was still concealing herself beneath the covers, "I... I can only assume... you had some nightmare?" Her forward question put Siffre off-guard, but thankfully she appeared not to press the inquiry further. Siffre simply nodded.
"Ah, I understand... Well, do you require... any sort of food or drink, right now?"
"Um... no, no I don't think so..." Siffre said, "I'd like... to sleep again..."
"O-of course, I will let you do that," Lydia agreed, reaching for the doorknob, "I will be downstairs if you do need me, my Thane." Siffre nodded and the door closed behind Lydia. Alone again, Siffre brought her back down onto the bed and her head onto the pillow. Unfortunately, the pillow being re-fluffed just now did little to stifle the now constant worry brewing within her.
That dream, it felt so vivid, and real! As if she was actually there! But that was what terrified her the most. That dream, that recounting of a great disaster in her own life... it was no nightmare of the mind; it was a memory, of something that had happened.
And now a new fear began to take seed within her: That it could happen again...
-And done! Admittedly, a little slower paced compared to what I've written, but I still think I did good in conveying the characters! But, let me know what you all think; as usual, views and feedback are always appreciated, and I'll see you all with the next chapter!-
