Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

The Road to Ruin	By : pirouette Category: +A through F > Elder Scrolls - Oblivion Views: 2483 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I neither own nor am affiliated with Bethesda or TES:Oblivion, and am making no money from this fic.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
The
Road to Ruin, Chapter Three: All That Remains
Caleigh seemed much more
willing to leave me be since I succumbed and actually kissed her. There was a
time when I would have found that insulting, but in all honesty it came as a
great relief. We traveled down the road for the rest of the day, talking
merrily. She turned out to be rather knowledgeable about plants, and as a
result we spent most of the time discussing the flowers she was methodically
plucking and stashing in her pack. We interspersed this talk with more serious
matters: I bade her tell me of the Emperor's death, the appearance of the
assassins, and how hard the Blades had fought them. But as soon as Caleigh saw
how deeply this topic affected me, she turned her talk back to flowers.
Eventually, my mood lightened once more.
By the end of the day we had
managed the journey from Skingrad to Weye, though we arrived at the hamlet's
inn exhausted and in the dark. It didn't help that we'd been granted glorious
views of White Gold
Tower at sunset, looming from the
center of the Imperial City
and doing its best to make me dread the day when it would become my home. I
couldn't stop thinking about Kvatch, or what Jauffre was going to say when I
arrived. She must have guessed how much the sight would bother me, because she
took us along the high road rather than the one that paralleled Lake
Rumare. It was a longer, more
grueling trip, but the trees obscured the worst of the view and kept my dark
vultures at bay.
Caleigh used most of the
bandits' ill-gotten money to purchase us a room and dinner, remarking to me
casually that they didn't seem to have been that skilled at their trade. The
fare wasn't as good as it had been in Skingrad, but the Altmer innkeeper was
very friendly, which more than made up for it. She tried to get Caleigh to
sample some of her wines, but was refused.
�I thought you could have
such things if they were made by other people,� I commented, sipping my own
glass of vintage Tamika's and enjoying it thoroughly.
She shrugged. �It doesn't
seem right. I've always just had water with meals.�
�All Bosmeri come around
eventually,� I grinned, and she chucked a strawberry at me. I popped it into my
mouth and chewed it, nearly choking in amusement as she piled the rest of her
fruit and bread onto my plate while the innkeeper wasn't looking.
�I don't want to offend
her,� she hissed. �But she should have known better!�
�We're close to the Imperial
City. As I said, all Bosmeri come
around eventually.�
�Hnh.
Next thing I know you'll be telling me I'm going to buy a house.� But she was
smiling.
After dinner we moved to the
bedroom, and I experienced mixed emotions when I saw that we were again left
with a bed made to sleep two. I knew that after the kiss there was no
possibility of sending her elsewhere, but I still had misgivings about how
happy the thought of sleeping beside her made me. I vowed to myself then and
there that nothing would happen. So much stress from Kvatch, plus being alone
with a woman for the first time in years... of course it was difficult.
Besides, I barely knew her. The last thing I wanted was to become another Maglir.
That wasn�t a priestly
thought at all, I realized. But she�d hit me hard earlier when she told me she
wasn�t sure it mattered anymore. She was right, in a way. The Emperor certainly
couldn�t be a priest. But it wouldn�t be right to just drop the past
three years of my life to the roadside over a pretty girl I�d met three days
ago. By the Nine, I wished I knew whether or not I could trust her.
�Well, I'm exhausted,� she
said cheerfully, stepping out of her trousers and collapsing onto the bed. I
removed my robe somewhat more awkwardly and sat down beside her.
�Don't worry, I'll be nice.�
She pulled me over, sliding her hands briefly along my naked shoulders, and
laid me down on my side. Just like our first night together, she pressed her
face into my upper back and wrapped her arms around my waist, bringing her
knees up behind mine to curl against me completely. I tried to ignore the way
her breath tickled my skin, how her breasts were pressed against my back. But
she held good to her word, and was quickly asleep. Soon, her warmth caused me
to drift off, as well. That was the best night's sleep I'd had in recent memory,
and I passed it with no nightmares.
Caleigh was somewhat less
lucky. I woke at some point�early, I knew, because the sun was still down�to
the sound of her crying softly. She had pulled away from me and curled inward
upon herself, clutching her sides and sobbing into the mattress.
�Caleigh?�
Her breath hitched. �The Gate. The last three nights, every time I dream, I'm in
there again.�
�Do you want to talk about
it?� I turned over, rested my hand on her shoulder. Against
my better judgment, pulled her to me. We lay face to face, and she told
me haltingly about the heat, the stench, the rotting corpses staked and
hanging, the vile plants. I remembered how badly her hands had been burnt when
we met and felt ill.
�I'm sorry,� she murmured at
last. �You were sleeping so well.�
I kissed her forehead before
I was quite aware of what I was doing. Told myself that it
was a brotherly gesture. �You did this for me the first night.�
�Are you ready to see
Jauffre?�
I paused. �I don't know.�
�We can start late, and walk
slow.�
�I would like that. I need
more time to think.� My fingers were in her hair, pushing it away from her face
and arranging it on the pillow behind her. How long had they been there?
Her hand slid gingerly along
my cheek. �You probably don't want to hear this, but you look just like the
Emperor.�
I caught her hand in mine
and didn't respond. The words didn't bother me nearly as much as I expected
they would. Too much of her story made sense for me to feel much other than resignation.
�I'd like to kiss you
again,� she murmured at last, and I sighed.
�Caleigh.�
I tried to make my voice stern.
�I know! That's why I'm asking!�
The room was dim, but I could still see tear-trails on her face. I wiped at one
with my thumb, and her eyes shut slowly. Next I traced her lower lip,
remembering the feel of it against my own when she convinced me to kiss her in
the middle of the road. She had known what she was doing. So
many didn't.
No.
But I couldn't say it out
loud. My breathing was already ragged when she pressed her lips against mine.
Her eyes slid shut as my tongue sought hers, and it took everything I had not
to straddle her and pin her to the bed. She had only asked for a kiss, after all.
That thought disappeared
entirely when she broke the kiss and ran her tongue longingly from my
collarbone to my ear. I hissed and pulled away slightly, but it was too late. I
should have left the bed. Instead, I nibbled at her earlobe.
She sighed and ran her nails
along my neck, sending tiny electric thrills through my body that woke up
long-dormant nerves. Every inch of me that was touching her, feeling her
warmth, was demanding more. I wanted to remember what the feel of naked skin on
skin was like, wanted to run my tongue along the curve of her breasts and tease
her nipples. I wanted to discover what it would feel like to be inside her. And
I didn't want to wait, priest or no.
I think my assertiveness
surprised her. When my lips were at hers, or against her ear, she was enjoying
herself, but as soon as my hands began to slide under her shirt I felt her
enthusiasm subside. When her eyes came open and her hand stroked my cheek
uncertainly, I knew the moment was over.
�Martin, are you sure this is
a good idea?�
I planted a gentle kiss on
her neck. �You've been asking for this since the river.�
�I know!� she groaned,
covering her face with her hands. �But I realized at dinner that I actually
care how you will feel later.� Those words filled me with a strange
combination of disappointment and hope.
�Are you telling me you like
me too much to...?�
She laughed and sat up. �I
just don't want to make things any worse for you than they already are.�
As frustrating as it was,
that was the first moment I realized I was enamored with both her appearance
and her personality. Her spontaneous, often contrary
personality, which made her both addictive and unbearable. But in that
moment, I respected her. I pushed myself into a sitting position with my arms
and smiled at her.
�I understand.� I ran my
hand through her hair and kissed her forehead.
�I... also don't want you to
have the wrong impression, after Maglir. I don't usually�well.�
�What made him so special?� If that was even the word.
She told me he'd found her
in the hall, having a nightmare, and had taken her into his room to calm her
down. Soon enough, his lips were at her neck, and the night had progressed from
there.
�I did it because I was
trying to keep myself from ending up like this with you,� she said. Any other
woman would have been embarrassed. �But then we spent all day talking.�
It was my turn to laugh.
�What did that do?�
"You have a beautiful
voice.�
I licked a slow trail along
her shoulder, and she gave a soft moan. �So do you.�
�Martin.�
�At least let me see you.�
My hand brushed at the hem of her shirt.
She raised an eyebrow.
�Haven't you already?�
�I wasn't letting myself
look.�
Our eyes met, and she leaned
in to kiss me again. I tried my best to keep it moderately restrained. When I
tugged at her shirt, she didn't protest. Soon, she was completely naked. I
wrapped her in my arms and drew her to me, eyes tightly shut, and enjoyed the
feeling of her skin against mine. The nerves in my shoulder tickled as she
breathed me in, and I buried my hand in the hair at her neck.
�Lie back,� I whispered in
her ear.
She did, and smiled up at
me. My heart skipped a beat at the sight. It always does.

In case you were wondering,
remembering this part for you isn�t the slightest bit awkward.
You're out of practice,
Sanguinite.

I let myself actually see
her for the first time. No more stealing glances or pretending not to enjoy
the sway of her hips as she walked. She had the look of a mer who'd
spent most of her life hunting and climbing trees, with strong, long limbs and
a lithe build. She was pale without being pink, with nipples that stood out
darkly from her breasts. I let my hands slide across her stomach, up over the
gentle swell of her chest, grazing one with the palm of my hand. She gasped and
bit her lip, and it was my turn to smile. My hand moved back to her stomach,
and I splayed my fingers as wide as they would go with my palm over her belly
button. Her torso was long, and slender, which made her hips seem wide by
comparison, though they were still far narrower than a human's. I got the sense
that the Bosmeri I'd been with all those years ago had already gone soft.
Caleigh seemed almost feral in comparison. I remembered her in the water, and firing
her bow at the bandits, and felt a shiver run down my spine.
My hand slid lower to her
sparse, coppery curls, hoping against hope that she would not prevent me from
exploring further. My fingers played through them for a moment as I waited for
her to tell me to stop. But she did not. I let my hand slip between her thighs,
and groaned as I felt her warmth and her wetness.
�Someone is enjoying
herself,� I grinned, and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
�It's the way you're looking
at me,� she said, refusing to quite meet my eyes.
�Caleigh, I haven't seen a
naked woman in years.� I cut her laugh off with a gentle nibble to her left
hip. I kissed my way slowly down, dropping my head between her legs, and
allowed myself to give her a long, slow lick. She groaned and clutched at my
hair reflexively.
�Mar-� she began, but my
tongue found its way to her wonderful little cluster of nerves, and my name
died on her lips with a gasp and a sharp buck of her hips. I laughed again and
held her still, flicking at her with more pressure. Her back arched and she
gave a quiet whimper, covering her mouth with her hand. That was all I needed.
I set upon her in earnest, lapping at her enthusiastically, committing the
sounds she made, the taste of her, and the warmth of her skin�all of it, into
my memory. She had only been tasked to take me as far as the Priory, after all.
What if she left me with Jauffre and fled back into the wilderness, considering
her debt repaid? I wanted at least this memory of the woman who entered
Oblivion to find me.
I waited until she was
having difficulty keeping silent before I slid two of my fingers inside of her.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of her hands dig into the bedclothes, and
almost laughed again at how deliciously responsive she was. I kept my tongue
working steadily, moving my fingers in a gentle counterpoint, building her
slowly toward her climax. Soon she was bucking too hard for me to safely keep
my face so close to her hips, so I shifted upward and gave her a deep kiss. She
groaned when she tasted herself on me, and I flashed back to another memory, a
Breton girl, who had done much the same. I hadn't thought about her in years.
Caleigh was bringing all of the old memories back too quickly.
My lips pressed against her
neck, and I tasted sweat on her skin. She was flushed, and panting, and every
part of her was taunting me, begging me to take her, but I forced myself to
remain in control. My tongue lapped at her nipples and caressed the curve of
her breasts, and she came with a low groan that was awkwardly familiar to my
ears. Luckily, that fact made the sound no less alluring. Someone like with a
past like mine could hardly fault a woman for enjoying sex. I rested my head on
her shoulder and listened to the sound of her breathing. Traces of sunlight
were beginning to stream in from the window at the head of the bed. We would
have to rise soon, and continue moving toward the Priory.
�Are you�� I began, then
shook my head and planted another kiss on her neck. I didn�t want to assume she
was developing an attachment to me. If I asked if she was planning on staying
on, it might frighten her off completely.
�Am I what?� She turned her
face to mine.
�Why did you agree to find
me?�
There was a long stretch of
silence. �I owe your father for getting me out of prison.�
�I think that you're also a
good person.�
Caleigh laughed sullenly,
and I was left wondering what she had done to become so bitter about her past.
She reminded me of myself in that regard.
We stopped talking, then,
and dozed for a while. Neither of us stirred until the sun was high and the
birds had stopped singing.
�We should keep walking,�
she murmured at last, stroking my hair thoughtfully.
�Can we take our time?�
�Yes.� We grinned at each
other and rose to get dressed. I walked out to get some fresh air while Caleigh
took her leave of the innkeeper, who was just as cheerful that morning as she
had been the night before. I hoped that meant she had not lost sleep.
It was a beautiful day.
Faint clouds streaked the sky, and a steady breeze blew through the trees,
shaking them gently and making them hum.
The grass on the plains around the lake was rippling, and if White Gold Tower
had not still been looming in the distance, I would have felt rejuvenated by it
all.
She joined me after a
moment, following my gaze to the Imperial
City.
�We're walking away from it
today, at least.� Her hand rested on my shoulder briefly.
�I've never been inside the
walls.�
�You're not missing much,� she
muttered, and we set off toward the Priory to meet Jauffre at last. Jauffre,
the Grandmaster of the Blades, the order of warriors who devoted their lives to
protecting the Emperor and his family. A week ago I would have told anyone who
asked that I would probably go my entire life without seeing a member of the
Blades. And yet it turns out that I was mentored by their master. It was an odd
thought to come to terms with.
I had just begun to really
relax and enjoy the day when she suddenly drew her bow and fired an arrow in a
single fluid shot. A soft thump was heard in the bushes to our right.
�What is it?� I called as
she darted off in the direction of her arrow.
�Dinner!�
She returned with a young buck slung over her shoulders. �Last time I was at
the Priory they had no meat, so this time I want to make sure there's a meal we
can all enjoy.�
I sighed in relief; at least
she was not planning on leaving immediately upon handing me over to the Blades.
We walked slowly, taking
frequent stops at ruins and overlooks. Caleigh had not spent much time this far
north, and couldn't stop marveling at the forest.
�Where have you been
living?�
�Well, before the Imperial
City? Leyawiin,
and Blackwood.�
�Ah. I have never been to
Leyawiin.�
�Only go if you like rain,�
she chuckled, adjusting the deer carcass, which she kept refusing to allow me
to carry. �Thankfully, I love it. Always have.�
But no matter how we
stalled, no matter how many times we allowed ourselves to become distracted by
this or that, the countryside grew increasingly more familiar. Soon, the Odiil
Farm was looming on my right, and I felt my heart pounding nervously.
�Are you okay?� she asked,
glancing at me sidelong.
�I have not seen Jauffre in
years. It did not end well.�
She chuckled. �Does it ever,
with him?�
When I did not answer, she
realized this was not something I was willing to take lightly, and became
quiet. We walked in silence for a few minutes before her head jerked up
nervously.
�What is it?�
�Something's wrong,� she
said distractedly, looking off down the road. �I hear�by Y'ffre, no!� The deer
carcass fell to the road, forgotten, and she took off at a sprint. When I moved
to follow her, she called angrily over her shoulder �Stay there! I have to keep
you alive!�
I ignored her and kept
running, because now I, too, could hear the sounds of blade on blade. A Dunmer
was running down the road, closely followed by a man in a crimson robe. I could
feel the sheer amount of magicka he was exuding from where I stood, and
recognized the signs of a powerful bound mace. I used to prefer swords,
myself�by the Nine, that was not a healthy thought to
be having.
�No, no, no!� Caleigh
shrieked, drawing her bow and firing an arrow past the ear of the Dunmer. His
pursuer dropped to the ground and shimmered, becoming an Imperial about my age.
She stared down at his corpse, face grim with recognition.
�Jauffre!� gasped the
Dunmer, clinging to her arm. �You have to help him! He's in the chapel!�
�Keep going down the road
until you get to the farm!� Caleigh snapped, shoving him away, and took off at
a sprint again. I drew my blade and followed close behind, ignoring her when
she again told me to stay away. She didn't have her armor on�there was no way I
was going to let her fight alone.
We were cornered before we
could reach the chapel doors. Caleigh sent an arrow into the skull of one of
our robed attackers with a blood-chilling shriek, and I watched in horror as
two more convened on her, convinced that she was the more dangerous target. Her
arrows would be useless in close quarters, and I had her sword. I managed to
drop one with a surge of electricity, but the other closed in on her. She
nocked an arrow, drew, and stumbled as they collided.
There was nothing else to
do; I lunged forward and buried my blade into his back. He fell to the ground,
shimmering as the others had, and she stared at me angrily.
�What part of 'don't get
yourself killed' do you not follow?�
�The part
where I'm supposed to watch you die.�
�Oh, just heal me later!�
She grabbed the door to the chapel, pulled it open. A blast of spellfire
collided with her bow hand, and she gasped in pain. We surged through the door
together to find Jauffre surrounded by a ring of more attackers. The world
blurred, blood flowed, and soon the three of us were standing together by the
altar, staring at a collection of robed corpses. Caleigh was bleeding from a
cut at her shoulder. I healed her without her asking,
ignoring the fact that Jauffre was watching us intently.
�What happened?� she asked
Jauffre over my shoulder as I saw to her charred hand.
�Not now. We need to make
sure the Amulet is safe�I had it in a secret room�� Jauffre
began, and I flinched as she cut him off.
�You idiot!�
She ran for the dormitory, and he followed close behind.
It was gone. At the time I
didn't fully understand the meaning of its loss, but I could tell by their
responses to its theft that we had not won the day. Caleigh threw her bow to
the ground and rounded on Jauffre, and they began to argue heatedly.
Eventually, he shook his head and shoved past her.
�We can continue this later.
For now, what matters is getting Martin to safety.�
�What, you're not planning
on hiding him in the secret room?�
�Caleigh,� I muttered, and
she fell silent.
�Help me get him as far as Cloud
Ruler Temple,�
Jauffre continued, ignoring her interruption. �You can obviously hold your own
in a fight, and I would rather have help than not.�
�As you
wish, Grandmaster.�
Caleigh stormed out to keep
watch as Jauffre and I packed a few things. I made sure that there was not time
for us to talk, and he made no sign that he intended to do so. But I knew him.
He'd wait until we were on the road.
She'd found the Dunmer and
brought him back by the time we were done packing, and was trying her best to
calm him down. They were standing over a body I'd not yet noticed.
�Grandmaster, one of your
brethren has fallen,� she began, looking at him with concern.
He gave her a sad nod. �Prior Maborel. You'll be using his horse. He certainly
won't be needing it now.�
Her face hardened, but she
rose to follow us all the same. We moved quickly to the stables and prepared
the horses. Caleigh declined a saddle, and spent the time we took readying our
tack to bond with the paint horse that had once belonged to the Prior. The old
stallion took to her instantly, which failed to surprise me, knowing what I did
about her kind.
We took the road slowly.
Caleigh rode behind, staring into the trees at our left and right, bow in hand.
Watching her was unnerving, so I focused on the path ahead and pretended that
the silence stretching between Jauffre and me was pleasant.
�Where is the Temple?�
she asked at last, coaxing her horse closer to mine. I could tell by the set of
her shoulders that she had decided we weren't being pursued.
�It's just past Bruma,�
Jauffre replied tersely. �We will not make it there tonight.�
She shrugged and turned to
smile at me, but he was not done talking: �Bosmer, why don't you use your
skills to find us a campsite up the road?�
She looked to me for
permission, and I nodded, which Jauffre did not at all appreciate.
�Okay.� With that she dug
her heels into the sides of the horse and galloped off down the road. Jauffre
and I were left alone in the darkening woods.
�She has a name, you know,�
I said at last, more to break the silence than anything.
�I am sure she does. And as
soon as I have reason to, I will take the time to learn it.�
�If you had any idea what
she went through to get me to you�� I began, but he cut me off with a wave of
his hand.
�Word has already spread. I
am sorry about Kvatch, Martin.� We rode in silence for a few minutes, and then
he spoke again. �You're not asking me if her story was true.�
�I have no reason to doubt
it, especially not after what happened at the Priory today. And it explains
your role in my life rather well.�
He chuckled. �Yes, I suppose
it does.� Another pause. And then, the question I had
been dreading since he watched me heal her: �Tell me, how long did you wait before bedding her?�
�We haven't,� I said mildly.
�But you have been
intimate.�
�What makes you say that?�
�I know you, and I know wood
elf women. There was a day in your not too-distant past when the two of you
would have been rutting in the ruins of Kvatch.� His eyes flashed angrily, and
we both remembered our last conversation when he had found me, drunk and naked,
tangled arm and limb with a group of�by Akatosh, that thought was too
embarrassing to follow through. It was a wonder he could still meet my eyes.
�You seem to forget I joined
the priesthood,� I retorted, willing all thoughts of our morning at the inn out
of my head.
�Regardless, she�ll need to
leave us when we reach the Temple.
The last thing we need right now are distractions, and it is clear that she is
attracted to you.�
Those words had rather the
opposite effect he was intending for them�my heart felt light for the first
time since the daedra began to test the city walls. I likely would have allowed
him to send her away if he hadn�t given me hope that she cared.
�No.�
He turned in his saddle to
give me the full force of his glare. �Why not?�
I needed an answer that he
would understand. �The Emperor sent her to you, did he not?�
�Yes, out of desperation.�
Jauffre smiled humorlessly, and I had a brief, horrifying vision of what their
first encounter must have been like.
�I think she could be
useful.�
�We shall see.� And like that,
our conversation was over. For now. I was not looking
forward to the time when he decided to resume it. Jauffre had been a
complicated, terrifying part of my life for decades, and had a knack for making
me feel like a small boy. I spent the time until we reached the campsite
Caleigh had located feeling weak. What a son of the Emperor I would be!
The late
Emperor. I was all that remained.
Around dusk we caught up
with her. She was sitting beside a wayshrine some distance off the path,
tending to a fire and merrily skinning a bear with a sharp rock. I handed her
my blade wordlessly, and she removed the rest of the pelt with intimidating
finesse. He and I exchanged awkward small talk as we watched her scrape the hide
clean, spattering herself with blood in the process. Since neither Jauffre nor
I had thought of collecting provisions for the trip, he grudgingly accepted
when she offered him a thick section of bear meat, fresh off the fire. I had
never eaten bear, but found that I did not mind the flavor at all.
�What happened to the deer?�
I asked her.
�Left it
with the Dunmer. He needed it more than I did.�
That was the extent of our
dinnertime conversation. When we had finished eating, she erected a stand from fallen
branches over the flames and draped the cleaned hide over the top, where the
smoke was the thickest.
�What?� she asked when she
saw how Jauffre stared at her. �I don't have a cloak,
and I don't want to be cold when we reach the mountains.�
�So you are planning on
remaining at the Temple?� His voice
was deceptively calm.
She poked at the fire and
didn't respond.
�Bosmer, I'm glad for all
you've done for us��
�I have a name, Jauffre.�
�So you do. I assume you
also have a life to return to,� he said.
�Not really.�
�I do not think it wise for
you to��
�I'm staying with you until
I can get the Amulet back,� she said firmly, glaring at him from over the fire.
�I promised the Emperor I would keep it safe. I thought giving it to you would
be sufficient, but I appear to have been wrong.�
His face grew red, but he
did not reply.
�So I am staying with you
and Martin until we get it back.�
He sighed, and I tried not
to smile in relief. �Very well.�
�Perfect.� She rummaged in
her pack and produced two goblets and a bottle of wine. �Here,� she said,
tossing it at Jauffre. I gaped at the goblets for a moment. They seemed rather
familiar.
�Tamika's 399,� he said
musingly. �I didn't know recently escaped convicts carried vintage wine around
in their packs.�
My heart sank. She hadn't.
�I got it at an inn,� she
replied.
Oh, Akatosh. She had!
�An inn,
did you?� he asked, staring at me pointedly. I did my best not to flush.
�I thought Martin would like
it. And you, so I got a bottle.�
�How much did this cost?
This was a very good year.� Jauffre's demeanor was carefully pleasant. I knew
what that meant. Clearly, so did she�her face turned suddenly blank. �It
doesn't sound like you two tried very hard to make it back here,� he continued
quietly. �Wine�and I also heard a rumor she was spotted in Skingrad.� He
turned to me again, and I realized this was the real source of his anger.
�Jauffre, it doesn't matter.
We're here, and we're alive.�
�Yes, and had you managed to
arrive a day before, we might have had both the Heir and the Amulet safe
at the Temple!� He leapt to his
feet and threw the wine bottle at a crumbled pillar, filling the air with a
rich aroma and my mind with no small amount of guilt.
We spent the rest of the
evening in silence. A chill wind blew down at us from the mountains, and as we
prepared for bed I wished that I could spend another night in her arms, but out
of respect for Jauffre I forced myself to sleep alone.
Their relationship would be
a rocky one for months, though that fact was largely my fault. If I hadn't been
so insistent that she remain with me, openly, they might have gotten along much
better. But Jauffre was not without sympathy. Though we fought for his entire
life, I loved him, because he did have the best intentions. And, to his credit,
when we woke that night to the sound of her crying in her sleep, he was
somewhat softened.
�Does she do that often?� he
asked, realizing I was awake.
�Every night
since Kvatch. She told me she dreams about being back in Oblivion.�
He stared at her, and I
watched him reassess her, much as I had done that first day. Perhaps he was
wondering if all his Blades would have succeeded where she did. I rose and
moved to her side, silently stroking her hair and lulling her back to a calmer
sleep. Jauffre watched me keenly, but did not speak. Perhaps he was telling
himself it was a brotherly gesture. When she seemed restful once more, I
returned to my bedroll and tried to fall back asleep, but now Jauffre's
outburst seemed determined to remain in the forefront of my mind. Kvatch was my
fault, it seemed. And now, the Amulet's loss, the result of
my inability to face facts and keep myself from being distracted by a pretty woman?
No. I couldn't blame this on
myself, or Caleigh. There was no way either of us could have known. I was
convinced that I would remain awake all night, talking to myself in silent
circles, but it turned out to be my last coherent thought.
- 2
- 3
- 4
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Road to Ruin