Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

The Line Begins to Blur	By : VirusVescichetta Category: +A through F > Elder Scrolls - Skyrim Views: 61884 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: Look at the URL. Now back to the disclaimer. Now the URL. Back to the disclaimer. Sadly, I don't own Skyrim or make money off it, but you can now read a story that's written as though I did. And yes, I just wasted a mod's valuable time.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
We were arriving back at town when the ground shook. "Dovahkiin," a voice in the form of a great shout was carried on the winds. To my shock I understood the word, despite never having heard it before in my life.

"Oh, that sounded all kinds of unfriendly," I spoke aloud and looked to my companions. "Okay, so what was that and why do I know what it meant?"

"The Greybeards," one of the guards muttered. "See? I told you he was the Dragonborn."

"This all sounds a little overbearing for my liking," I frowned. We continued towards Dragonsreach, though a great part of me was less than thrilled with the situation. "Someone want to explain a thing or two to the ignorant lizard?"

"The Jarl will explain everything once we get to Dragonsreach," Irileth spoke as though it should reassure me.

"Because just explaining it to me on the way and saving me time would be so much harder," I muttered quietly to myself. The thought flashed in my mind that perhaps she simply didn't know enough about the subject and the Jarl was the only one who could really give me accurate information. I also thought that she may just want to dump the responsibility on someone else and save herself the trouble.

The rest of the walk went by wordlessly, surrounded by the white noise of a bustling town. The two guards flanking me spoke to each other in muted tones, though whether it was so I couldn't overhear or simply out of a desire for privacy, I couldn't tell and didn't really care too much.

"You've returned!" the Jarl stood from his throne when we arrived at the top of the steps inside the keep. "What happened at the watchtower? Was the dragon there?"

Irileth motioned for me to explain and I held back the urge to glare at her. "The watchtower has been nearly destroyed and three of your men died in the battle, but we killed the dragon."

He nodded, his lips set in a grim line. "I had not imagined everyone would survive, but their lives were traded for the safety of our city. They died honourably." I was tempted to ask what was honourable about being torn in half by a dragon, but thought better of it. "Did anything else happen at the watchtower?" he asked and I could instantly tell he knew something he wasn't saying.

"Nothing particularly noteworthy, no," I shrugged.

"My lord," I let out a sigh as Irileth interjected. "After the dragon was slain, this Argonian absorbed some kind of power from it and let loose a Shout of great power."

"A Shout?" the Jarl seemed less surprised than he should have.

I turned to look at Irileth. "Did the thought occur to you that maybe I didn't consider that particularly noteworthy?"

"You were just saying you wanted to know if you were Dragonborn."

"Yeah, but then my senses came to me," I frowned and looked up at the Jarl. "Okay, so it turns out I may be that thing she said."

"What do you know about the Dragonborn?" he asked and sat back down on his throne.

"Not a thing. It's just what the men called me," I shrugged again.

"The Greybeards seem to think the same thing."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" I folded my arms across my chest. "Look, I'm not from Skyrim and I'm hardly versed in all your lore. You're going to need to elaborate a little bit."

He actually took on something akin to a sympathetic look and nodded. "They are masters of the Voice who live in seclusion high on the slopes of the Throat of the World. The Dragonborn is said to be gifted in the Way of the Voice, able to focus his energy into a Thu'um, or Shout. If you really are the Dragonborn it is likely that they can teach you to use your gift."

"Didn't you hear the thundering cry earlier?" a man to my right said. I hadn't noticed him until he spoke and I nearly jumped at his voice. "That was the Shout of the Greybeards, summoning you to High Hrothgar. It hasn't happened in centuries, at least. Not since Tiber Septim himself was summoned."

"And you're sure that I'm the Dragonborn?" I smiled humourlessly. "I mean, isn't it some unwritten rule that Argonians can't be anything special in other countries?"

I was surprised at how many frowns I received for my self-deprecation. "The Greybeards are an ancient and honoured order and absolute masters of the Way of the Voice. If they say you are the Dragonborn, then who are we to argue?" Jarl Balgruuf's voice left no room for any further argument on my part.

Clearly my opinion wasn't the one that mattered in this. "So I suppose I'm left climbing a mountain in the near future, then?" my chuckle was hollow, even to my ears. "Wonderful. I love frostbite."

"Despite your obvious apprehension, being summoned by the Greybeards is a tremendous honour. You should go to High Hrothgar as soon as possible," the Jarl continued.

"I'll be sure to get right on that," I made my voice sound genuine. Whether or not I actually did hardly seemed like their concern after I left Whiterun. Not that I had any precise idea of where I wanted to go.

Balgruuf nodded, apparently satisfied with my answer. "In the meantime, I wish to name you Thane of Whiterun in recognition of your services to our city. Do you accept?"

"You're going to have to explain that one to the Argonian. We're kind of slow when it comes to matters of civility," my eyebrow arched slightly. "Or at least that's what the other races seem to like to think..." I muttered under my breath.

He didn't seem to hear the last part. "Simply put, you would be a member of my court, given a housecarl to serve under you. It is an honoured position not awarded to many people."

There was that word again. Everything in Skyrim seemed to revolve around "honour". I assumed that if I asked what a housecarl was, the answer would be something along the lines of "honoured servant". They could at least come up with a different word for it. "I accept then, I guess. A little political clout never did anyone any harm," I shrugged.

To my surprise, the Jarl actually chuckled quietly. "Indeed. If you're caught doing anything...less than strictly legal, you can explain your position to the guards and they'll probably look the other way. Wouldn't want them thinking you're one of the common rabble."

I had to work to keep my eyes from bulging out of my skull and my jaw from dropping open. I was being given free license to commit crimes. I doubted that included anything more serious than petty theft, but nonetheless I was shocked. Balgruuf turned to speak to his steward. "Proventus, prepare for the ceremony tonight," he faced the woman standing beside me, "Irileth, I want you to find our friend here a suitable housecarl."

"Yes, my lord," the man nodded curtly while the Dunmer bowed. Each was gone in a matter of moments, leaving me alone before the Jarl. The man who had been standing on my other side had vanished sometime during the conversation before without me noticing, something I found somewhat bothersome. It wasn't often I missed details like that.

A thought seemed to strike the Nord sitting before me. "I don't think anyone's told me your name, yet," he frowned.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," I chuckled dryly. "It's Kailev-Tel, though most people...well, it's Kailev-Tel," I hesitated in explaining my preferred short form. It seemed unlikely that someone of his stature would settle for referring to me as anything but my proper name.

"Very well, Kailev-Tel, Thane of Whiterun Hold," he spoke with reverence of my position. I was suddenly very unsure about how much I liked the sound of the title. "The ceremony to make it proper will be held in a couple hours. Until then, find something to eat. Fighting that dragon must have worked up quite an appetite. Oh, and I haven't forgotten about you bringing us the Dragonstone. Please, take this enchanted tunic from my personal armoury."

He handed me something akin to a leather cuirass, though it was much softer than any armour I was used to. I inwardly doubted its ability to protect me against blades and arrows, but I couldn't deny the magical energy I felt buzzing in it.

"Thank you," I gave the Jarl a curt nod. "I'm certainly not someone who'll turn down a free meal," I turned to look across the large tables in the hall. I was sure that on some level the Jarl was somewhat offended at someone walking away without a "my lord" and a bow, but then I wasn't really a citizen of Whiterun, or even Skyrim. Even if he gave me a fancy title I was still just a mercenary.

There was a small bowl of apples available on one of the tables, though what purpose it served beyond being available for snacking I couldn't tell. I thought that perhaps people who liked to feel important also liked to always have food available, regardless of the time of day. I also thought that I had eaten more apples since coming to Skyrim than the entire rest of my life.

Food in hand, I decided to see if Farengar had many any progress with the Dragonstone. I severely doubted it, considering it had been less than a day, but I needed something to do to kill time until whatever ostentatious ceremony they had planned. The wizard glanced up for a moment before looking back down at the stone on his table, eyes flipping between it and a piece of parchment he was writing on beside it.

"Made any progress?" I asked as I approached.

"A bit. I shall have to ask the Jarl to send some men out to the nearer burial sites. I dread the thought of the dragons coming back to life," he said gravely.

"Well, they came from somewhere," I shrugged and glanced over his notes. "So you've just been staring at this thing and scribbling since I left this afternoon? It's going to be horrible standing up straight again."

"My work is important. I cannot afford interruptions," he said as he continued scribbling notes.

"Maybe, but working on the same thing for hours straight doesn't do anyone any good. It makes research end up sloppy and the whole thing more fatiguing," I said. He gave me an odd look as though he was startled that I knew something so profoundly intelligent. "What? Not all lizards are stupid, you know."

"Clearly," he muttered as he stood up straight and rubbed at his eyes. I wasn't incredibly offended by it. Even a backhanded compliment was half-nice.

"Why don't you take a break and show me how to work this...thing?" I asked and motioned to a rather ornate looking table at the back of his study. It reminded me of an altar, etched with a five-pointed star and covered in glowing symbols. Each of the star's points had a candle, except for the very top which had a crystal ball with a candle on either side of it. The whole thing was very obviously some kind of magical device, though I had no idea what its use was. Still, I entertained the thought of learning.

"The Arcane Enchanter?" he sounded surprised. "I didn't realize you had any skill in magic."

"I know a few spells. Always looking to get better, though," I said flippantly and walked over to the foreboding altar. "So this thing is what you use to enchant armour?"

"Armour, weapons, rings, anything really," Farengar nodded as he followed me. "You have to use it to learn an enchantment, though, and for that you need an enchanted item. Using the Enchanter to learn an enchantment destroys the item, though. After that, you can put that enchantment on another item, if it can maintain it. You can't enchant a suit of armour to be wreathed in fire the way you could a sword, for instance. Enchanting an item requires energy from a filled soul gem," he explained

"That speech used the word 'enchant' far too many times," I said and lifted the cuirass the Jarl had given me before. "So if I want to learn what the enchantment on this thing actually does, I have to destroy it with the Enchanter, and then I can put that on something else?"

"You can learn enchantment an item has through using it, though weapons are usually pretty obvious," he explained as he took the tunic from me. "Ah yes, I remember enchanting this for the Jarl. Its magic will keep your body from tiring as quickly while running or fighting."

"That's useful, but it doesn't seem like this armour is going to keep me from getting stabbed, and that's more important to me," I said. "Could I take that apart and add it into my armour and still get the benefits of the enchantment?"

"No, that would destroy the enchantment. A particularly able blacksmith can improve and modify enchanted armour, but takes a great deal of skill."

"So getting enchanted armour too battle-damaged will destroy an enchantment, too?" I frowned when he nodded. "That sounds terribly unfair."

"Enchanted weapons need to be charged frequently with soul gems, as well. Each time you strike an enemy it weakens the magic slightly."

The whole thing was starting to sound like more trouble than it would end up being worth, but then I also thought of the money I could make from forging weapons and armour, enchanting them and selling them to traders. It suddenly occurred that if I could learn to forge jewellery, I'd be able to make even more money that way. Whatever sense of greed I had quickly ran away with that idea.

"Alright, so how do I learn an enchantment?" I asked and stood next to him at the table.

Several hours later I was walking out of the study with a small amulet enchanted in the same way as the armour had been. The effect was minor due to my lack of skill and the rather petty soul gem I had been supplied, but it was a start. With some time and practice I figured I could only get better. Farengar had even seen fit to show me the difference between an empty soul gem and a filled one and how to tell how powerful the soul locked inside was.

When I left the study I found the main hall completely changed. What looked like dozens of people were bustling around, chatting animatedly amongst themselves. "How did I miss this happening?" I muttered to myself and looked among the people. The vast majority were humans, but there was the odd Bosmer or Dunmer among them, too. I noticed a distinct lack of any others, though. Even Altmer and Orsimer were absent.

Movement to my side caught my attention and I turned to see a number of servants bringing out an assortment of food to the tables. There were roast meats, cooked vegetables and baked breads of all description. I suddenly felt very uncomfortable that I'd be the centre of attention in such an event.

"Ah! Our man of honour emerges from his studies," the Jarl called out as he caught sight of me. There was that word again. I inwardly cringed at the thought of constantly being hailed for my honour.

"This was set up pretty quickly," I noted as I ascended the dais of his throne. "Who are all these people?"

"Citizens of Whiterun. News of your appointment as Thane has spread quickly. They have come here to show you their respect," he explained.

I looked out across the veritable sea of faces. "Did anyone tell them that I'm, well, an Argonian?" I asked and looked back at the Jarl. "Some small part of me has a sneaking suspicion it might colour their opinion of me."

"Nonsense! Your race has no bearing on your deeds," he assured me.

"I wish all humans looked at it that way," I mumbled under my breath. "So when are we actually going to go through with this ceremony?"

"Whenever Irileth returns with your housecarl."

"She still hasn't come back yet?" I was surprised. "How long can it take to pick out someone for, uh...whatever job they do?"

He gave me a look that told me he wasn't impressed with my ignorance of the position. "It's very important that we find the right candidate for the position," he said levelly. "Whoever she picks will be sworn to your service for life."

"That certainly sounds...permanent," I chuckled. "What if we don't get along?"

"You will learn to," I could tell by his voice that we wouldn't have been the first pair not to see eye-to-eye. "Here they come now."

I looked to the door to see Irileth enter with a Nord woman dressed in full steel armour. I was somewhat surprised that it had been a female that was chosen for me. Not out of any doubt as to her capabilities as a warrior, but because it seemed...odd to assign a female servant to a male. I then thought that perhaps that my race made them assume it wouldn't be any kind of issue.

Even despite her armour I could tell she was fit and strong, if half a head shorter than me. Nonetheless she was quite attractive and in spite of her athletic build she had very soft features. When her eyes landed on me, though, I could tell the attraction was entirely one-sided. Not that I minded or found it at all unexpected. My own deviations didn't fool me into thinking that everyone I met would be the same.

"My lord, I present Lydia as my selection for the new Thane's housecarl," the Dunmer said with a respectful bow.

"A fine decision, Irileth. Lydia, do you accept your position?" he asked the woman.

"Of course, my lord," the newcomer mimicked Irileth's bow, though I noted a tenseness to her body and hesitation in her voice.

"Kailev-Tel, do you accept Lydia as your housecarl?" he asked me.

"Yeah, I guess," I replied with a shrug. "I mean, I don't really know what proper protocol is here, so I'll just do whatever you say I should." I caught Lydia's sneer out of the corner of my eye, but held my tongue in check. There would be time to set some ground rules later.

Balgruuf nodded understandingly and stood from his throne. As if on cue the entire hall was hushed in mere moments, food back on plates and drinks set aside. "Citizens of Whiterun, it is with great pride that I grant this young man a place in my court," he called out across the hall. Even before he gave me the order to, I had drifted down to one knee before him. I had played witness to a few ceremonies like this in Cyrodiil and figured they couldn't be too much different. He drew his sword from its sheathe and I bowed my head respectfully. Or at least so it looked like it. "By my power as Jarl, I grant you, Kailev-Tel, the title of Thane of Whiterun. May you bear it for many years to come," he spoke as his sword dropped to each of my shoulders.

A voice in the back of my head reminded me that this was for life. Still, I hoped there there was no hidden rule saying that I had to stay in Whiterun for the rest of my existence. "Thank you, my lord," I replied simply and stood back to my feet. Applause rolled through the crowd like a wave, though I couldn't tell if it was genuine or simply acted.

He smiled and handed me a metal badge depicting the emblem of Whiterun fixed to a fabric band. "Wear this device proudly as your badge of office. And if anyone in the hold gives you any trouble, I'm sure they'll be all too happy to change their minds after seeing it," he whispered the last part quietly to me.

"Thank you, my lord," I repeated as I took the heraldry. It was weighty, but I doubted it would be a problem once fixed to my upper arm or armour. I turned around and faced myself with the prospect of meeting the various important people of Whiterun. "Oh joy of joys..."

It couldn't have been more than two hours later that I escaped with my pack of supplies. The celebration was still buzzing behind me as I jogged my way down the stone steps of the keep. I had even managed to dodge out on my housecarl and a quick glance over my shoulder told me she wouldn't be finding me wherever I was headed. Or at least not without earning it.

My search for shelter and a place to sleep eventually led me to an inn called The Bannered Mare. It was a quaint little place, for a city the size of Whiterun's, and I assumed that there would be a much larger inn up higher in the city.

"Come on in!" a middle-aged woman called from behind a counter inside as I opened the door. "Take a seat and get the cold out. I just stoked the fire."

"Sounds like a decent idea," I chuckled and closed the door behind me.

The woman smiled at me as I made my way over to the counter and sat down on a stool. "I'm Hulda, and this is my inn," she introduced herself. "Usually we're a bit more lively than this, but with the celebration going on up at Dragonsreach..."

The place was nearly empty, with only a Redguard who looked to be busy cleaning up and a pair of humans at a table in a corner. The male of the two looked to be a Nord, judging by his general build and blond hair, while the narrow features of the woman suggested she was an Imperial. On closer inspection, it seemed that the woman cared little for the other's company, if her scowl was any indication.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" Hulda broke me out of my thoughts.

"Some venison and mead would be fantastic, actually," I smiled somewhat sheepishly. A hand drifted down to rest on a stomach that was making its hunger very well known. I had barely eaten at the celebration earlier due to the fact that I had been forced to talk to what felt like an endless stream of people all looking to pay lip service to the Jarl and his new Thane.

"Saadia! Get some venison for our guest!" the woman called to the Redguard. She called back in response and set about cooking my food. A tankard of sweet smelling mead was set down in front of me and I immediately took a grateful swig of it.

"Leave me alone!" A harsh tone caught my attention and I looked over at the pair in the corner to see the man with a smug expression and the woman with one of simple anger. I heard Hulda mumble something under her breath but couldn't make out the words. Her voice told me all I needed to know, though.

"Happen often?" I asked, still keeping my eyes on the pair.

"Unfortunately," Hulda muttered back.

"Then maybe someone needs to go teach that man about the concept of manners," I chuckled, swallowed the last of my mead and stood from my stool. I'm sure Hulda was going to tell me not to get involved, but I was already at their table within a heartbeat. "Hey, not to intrude on other people's business, but something tells me that the lady doesn't want to be bothered," I stood over the man with my arms folded slackly across my chest.

He stood up to face me and actually managed to stare back at me at eye level. "It's rude to put your nose into places it doesn't belong, lizard," his voice was surprisingly even.

"It's also rude to keep pushing yourself on a woman who's clearly not interested," I pointed out helpfully.

"Ha! Carlotta's already mine, even if she isn't ready to admit it yet."

"She isn't yours or we wouldn't be having this discussion."

"Sounds like a bit of jealousy to me."

I actually snorted. "Right. I'm jealous of a man who can't even figure out when he's being rejected. That's what all this is about. So glad we cleared that up."

He didn't seem to appreciate that comment, if his narrowed eyes were any indication. "I don't think I like your tone."

"I don't think I like you trying to force yourself on someone who wants nothing to do with you," I shrugged. "So how about this: either you can fuck off, or I can make you spit out a couple teeth."

I knew by the smirk he shot the woman that he was going to throw a punch, so when it connected across my jaw I wasn't surprised or particularly fazed. It didn't have nearly the impact that a dragon's tail or a bear's paw across my head did.

His face twisted into a mixture of surprise and pain when a right hook slammed into his ribs. I followed the attack with a rather vicious headbutt that sent him stumbling back against the wall. Blood seeped from the small wounds the horns over my eyes had made on his forehead. A hard cross to his jaw nearly dropped him on the spot but I kept him from falling by grabbing his shirt and throwing him bodily towards the door.

"And if that wasn't incentive enough, I'd be more than happy to do worse next time," I called as he stumbled out the door. I turned my head to face the woman. "Sorry about interfering. It just didn't seem right to let him continue making an ass of himself."

She actually laughed, the first sound I'd heard her make since I had arrived at her table. "I think that's about all that would've gotten through his thick skull, anyways. He's been after me for weeks. It's about time someone finally put a stop to it."

"It was my pleasure," I said with a smile before looking to Hulda with an embarrassed expression. "Sorry about the violence and whatnot in your establishment."

She shrugged unconcernedly. "It's not like it offended anyone or damaged anything, and Mikael had it coming. Now maybe he'll think twice about bothering someone who wants to be left alone."

"One can only hope," I chuckled quietly and took a seat across from Carlotta. "I'd hate for him to come right back and bother this pretty young woman after I've left town."

She smiled at me and extended her hand across the table. "Carlotta," she introduced herself properly.

"So I've heard," I gave her hand a quick shake. "Kai, if you feel that it matters."

"I don't think I've ever had an Argonian call me 'pretty' before," she said with some amusement.

"Ever had an Argonian call you ugly?" I asked with a quirked brow.

"No..."

"Then you're doing better than me. I've never had an Argonian call me pretty," I smirked as a plate of roast venison and a new tankard of mead were set before me. "Ah! Lovely."

We sat in silence, though I was somewhat perturbed by the way she watched me eat. She simply sipped at a cup of what I assumed by the smell to be wine. "Do you compliment humans often?" she finally asked and actually managed to startle me.

"Only the attractive ones," I shrugged. "I'm actually a disgusting deviant among my people. It's why I was banished from Black Marsh," I deadpanned.

She laughed quietly. "You were banished?" her tone showed her disbelief.

"Well, no, but it makes for an interesting story, doesn't it?" I admitted with a smirk as I finished my food. The food, mead and fire all spread a comfortable warmth through my body.

We lapsed into another length of silence as we quietly enjoyed our respective drinks. I noticed that as time wore on she began to drink her wine faster and faster. "Did you hear about the celebration up at Dragonsreach?" she broke the silence again.

Before I could answer the door burst open to reveal a very flustered Nord woman in steel armour. "Thane!" Lydia shouted as she caught sight of me.

I threw my hands into the air. "And my attempts at being incognito fly out the window," I groused aloud. "Or out the door, in this case. And close that thing; you're letting the heat out and I happen to be enjoying it."

She quickly shut the door behind her and fixed me with a disapproving stare. "You left your own appointment ceremony," she seemed content to point out the obvious.

"Of course I did. It was boring," I replied matter-of-factly. "I would've liked to stay and eat something but no one would leave me alone long enough for me to take a bite of anything."

"You're the new Thane?" Carlotta finally spoke up.

"Apparently."

"So then you're the one who killed the dragon," the part of me that liked to be inconspicuous didn't like the awe in her voice.

"I had a hand in it," I shifted uncomfortably under my rather worn armour. I would really have to repair it, I thought.

"From what I hear, he's also the Dragonborn," Lydia pointed out.

I shot her a glare. "Could you not go bragging for me? I rather like the idea of people not knowing everything about me."

"Consider it your punishment for leaving the celebration," my housecarl smirked at me.

"Oh, so that's the kind of relationship we're going to have," I groaned. "And here I was hoping it'd be nothing but sunshine and rainbows. Do me a huge favour, miss housecarl, and go back to the keep or castle or whatever it is and tell the Jarl I went to an inn to get some sleep. You can come find me in the market or something tomorrow when I'm looking for work."

"If that is your wish, my Thane," Lydia sounded less than happy with the order but obediently left regardless.

I turned in my chair to face Hulda. "How much for a room?" I asked.

Carlotta interjected before the other woman could respond. "It would be my honour to have the new Thane of Whiterun take shelter in my house for the night," she suggested with a smile.

I stared at her for a second before responding with a simple "Okay," and turned back to the innkeeper. "So then how much for the food and drink?"

"It's some mead and venison. I'm hardly going to charge a Thane for that," she responded with a kind smile much like Carlotta's. "Consider it complimentary."

Before leaving with Carlotta I thought that perhaps being Thane wouldn't be as bad as I thought. It had certainly been beneficial so far, even if I wasn't too interested in having any sort of publicity. I followed the woman through the streets into one of the upper districts of the city as she led me to her house. It was a surprisingly large building and I suddenly doubted very much that she lived on her own.

She put a finger to her smiling lips as she eased the door open. "Try to be quiet. I don't want to wake my daughter."

I nearly tripped over the doorstep at the mention of a daughter. "A daughter, you say," I coughed quietly into my hand. "She wouldn't happen to have a father, would she?"

"He's dead," she said as though she were simply remarking upon the weather. Clearly it had been some time since whatever incident had lead to his death. She lit a pair of candles to give some light to the room and then suddenly turned to face me as I closed the door. "Did you honestly mean what you said back at the inn? That you find me attractive, I mean."

The question caught me rather off-guard. "Of course. I wouldn't have said it, otherwise," I raised a horned eyebrow. It fell and I chuckled quietly. "Why? Did you take me back to your home to have me ravish you?" the question was asked in sarcasm, so her response caused my smirk to falter.

"I'm a grown woman with very real needs," she said. "It has been many years since Mila's father's death, and I have turned away any man in this town who has sought after me." She stepped closer to me until I had to resist the urge to back against the door. "You did not make any attempts, despite your compliments. Perhaps that is why I want you."

"Well, to be fair, I didn't think you'd have any particular interest in me," I laughed quietly and uncomfortably. "I mean, I can't be very good-looking to you." Despite what had happened in Riverwood with Camilla, I still had a rather coloured opinion on what humans and elves had to think when they saw me.

A small, delicate looking hand came to rest on the tunic covering my chest. "Perhaps you aren't the only disgusting deviant in this house at the moment."

I frowned down at her. "Could you not refer to finding me attractive as disgusting deviancy? It kind of ruins my self-esteem. I don't have much of that around humans as it is."

She laughed under her breath, shook her head and looked back up at me with a serious expression. "Do you accept my proposition, or not?" she asked.

"I will if you ask me without making it sound like a business deal," I smirked lightly. "I don't like thinking that this is just so you have some political sway because of a night with a Thane."

Carlotta laughed again, still quiet so as not to disturb her daughter, but her mirth clearly showed. "Do you wish to lay with me?"

I laughed right back. "Good enough," I muttered before leaning down and pressing my lips to hers. Just as it had been with Camilla, each time with kissing was more and more comfortable than the last. I felt her fingers dig into the hardened leather covering my chest as my hands drifted down to land on her waist. My long neck helped compensate for the height difference, but standing just inside the front door was still less than ideal.

She broke away looking a little out of breath. Her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing heavily. "My room is at the top of the stairs," she muttered quickly. "I have a couple things to take care of down here before we...continue."

"Uh...yeah, sure," I mumbled back and made my way awkwardly up the stairs. I wondered faintly if the surreal feeling of kissing a human would ever fade. I hoped not.

In the minute or so it took for her to come upstairs I divested myself of my leather tunic and boots. I couldn't help but shift somewhat nervously when Carlotta caught sight of me. It was still very strange to be in any sort of intimate situation with a human. I noticed distantly that she had put out the candles downstairs, bathing the entire house in inky blackness. A tiny flame spell from my fingertip lit another next to her bed.

"You're a mage, too?" she sounded amused and somewhat impressed.

"I know a couple spells," I shrugged. My muscles began to feel tight and my skin felt hot under her scrutiny as her eyes roved over me.

"You certainly keep yourself in fine shape," she noted cheerily.

I had to look to the side to keep my composure, though that in itself was likely a failure to do so. "I do a lot of walking," I answered lamely. I looked back at her quickly. "Sorry. This is just...a little strange when I actually start to think about it."

"What? An Argonian half-naked in a room with a human?" she laughed quietly.

I shrugged again as she stepped closer until she was almost pressed against me. "Humans aren't known for for their unflinching acceptance of other races."

I was pleasantly surprised when she smiled at my comment. "Well, then I guess it's a good thing not all humans are entirely alike, hm?" her voice was a near whisper. Her arms circled around my neck and part of my mind noticed when her hands shifted around the spines running down my back.

My own hands found their way to her waist again. "Yes, that's certainly something to be thankful for," I muttered before leaning down to kiss her. She immediately gripped my neck and pulled my lips harder against hers. I felt her tongue slip past my lips and hoped she'd be mindful of how sharp my teeth were. I had the presence of mind to open my mouth a bit wider to make sure a slip didn't ruin a perfectly good moment.

A sort of sense of competition willed me to press my tongue back against hers and before long it seemed as though we were having a veritable war inside our mouths as each battled for dominance. When I started to win, though, she seemed to grow discontent with the proposition and quickly pushed me onto my back on the bed. I felt something fabric give way and tear under my head but I couldn't have cared less when Carlotta straddled me and began quite enthusiastically attacking me.

Her lips and teeth danced across my neck and her nails found some enjoyment from scraping down my chest. A low, hissing growl escaped my throat. I didn't recognize the sound and doubted she did either, but judging from how she only seemed to grow wilder with it I doubted she particularly cared.

Some of my senses returned to me when she sat up, slid down my body and made shorter work of the various buckles and straps holding my pants up than I had ever been able to. Within seconds my hard member was pulled from the soft leather constrains and given a few experimental strokes. "Look at what you've been hiding..." she all but cooed. Another hiss slipped through my teeth at the feel of her hand.

Carlotta suddenly seemed very fed up with her own clothing. Her dress was off faster than I had thought possible, followed impossibly quickly by her undergarments. I took the opportunity to similarly remove my pants the rest of the way, though working my tail free took a bit of extra effort in my rush. "Damn, you're fast," I muttered as my eyes flicked across her naked body. Considering she had a child downstairs, I was quite impressed with the state of her body. Apparently she had a few tricks some other women her age could stand to learn.

She smirked at my comment. "You better not be," she growled with a mock threatening tone that actually managed to arouse me further. She gave another hard stroke of my erection and caused a near painful throb to ripple through my body.

When her head ducked down towards it I was gripped with a sense of sudden panic. It didn't occur to me right away that a human's mouth wasn't filled with as many razor-sharp teeth as mine was. "What are you doing?" I muttered as I sat up. When her mouth enveloped me I let myself fall right back down. "Fuck it. I don't care what you're doing as long as you don't stop." I was reminded by her soft, full lips that her mouth was nothing like an Argonian's.

Something akin to a giggle bubbled up from her throat and vibrated around my shaft. I let out something between my earlier hiss and a gasp of pleasure at the sensation. Her tongue pressed along the bottom of my cock with the bobbing of her head. A hand soon joined in on the action and through barely cracked eyelids I saw her other working furiously between her legs.

My insecurities quickly ran off with the wonderment of what she could possibly enjoy about working my member with her mouth and lips. The vast majority of my life I had been raised believing that humans and elves simply found my race repulsive. That a human woman could find me attractive enough to do what she was doing didn't seem like it could be real. A thought briefly flashed in my mind that maybe the soft, pliant scales that covered that part of me weren't too much different from skin.

Despite my thoughts, all too soon I began to feel my end approaching and reached down to halt her. "Not that I'm not loving every second of that, but a man has his limits," I chuckled somewhat nervously. She gave me a look that was amused, aroused and somewhat disappointed all at once. "Hey, it's kind of my first time with...that," I hastily became defensive.

"You've never been with a human before?" she sounded surprised.

I looked away and could swear even the black and red scales of my face lit up with my embarrassment. "Well, yes, but she never did that," I muttered and coughed lightly. I looked back at her as curiosity struck. "Have you ever been with an Argonian before?"

"No," she answered honestly. "But I've always been curious about it, and if I'm going to lay with an Argonian, it should at least be one as attractive as you."

I looked to the side again and found a spot on the wall that was very interesting. "Thanks," I mumbled.

Carlotta said nothing, instead opting to focus my attention by dragging her moist folds across the tip of my erection. My eyes snapped back to her face and found her looking down at me with a lip caught between her teeth. I looked across her body again, though this time my hands rose unbidden to cup her breasts. I gave them a firm squeeze before pinching at her nipples gently and was encouraged as she tossed her head back and let out a low, long moan.

I thrust up into her at the same moment she chose to let herself drop onto me. My hard member was suddenly engulfed in tight, wet heat and I couldn't contain the groaning sibilation that escaped me. We stayed like that for a moment as I revelled in the feel of her sex wrapped tightly around my cock and she seemed to enjoy the sensation of me filling her.

Then in an instant I was all but pounding into her and she was rolling her hips to match my thrusts. I abandoned her breasts to get a firm grip on her waist to help push myself deeper into her welcoming heat. She leaned down to press her lips hard against mine, moaning long and deep into my mouth in an attempt to keep herself quiet. I happily swallowed every elated sound she made.

Her orgasm was sudden and soon. It felt like it had been less than a minute since we had started when she started tightening around me. Her lips left mine to bury between my neck and a pillow where she could quite wantonly scream her pleasure. Still, it wasn't enough to bring me to my own peak.

I rolled us over so that I was on top and for a moment I saw a mixture of fear and utter excitement in Carlotta's eyes before they screwed shut in a pleasured grimace when I began thrusting into her with renewed vigour. She grabbed one of my hands and quite forcefully planted it over her mouth to hold in her continued moaning and screaming. Sharp teeth carefully nipped and scraped at her neck as my other hand returned to its rough work at her breast.

When she came again she dragged me to the peaks of pleasure with her. Her rhythmically tightening muscles drew my own spasms out as though her body was trying to milk me of my seed. I spilled into her with another guttural hiss. My hand slid off her mouth to give her a chance to greedily suck in air.

I flinched slightly as I drew my hypersensitive member from her still-hot sex and tumbled to the bed beside her. My years of travel and fighting had conditioned my body but I still had to heave for breath almost as hard as she did. "I put a hole in your pillow," I mumbled as I caught sight of a neat circular opening a horn had punched into the fabric.

"Good. Then I have a trophy," she joked between pants. "I don't suppose this could be used to grant me any special privileges from our newest Thane?"

"Tell you what," I chuckled and looked over at her with a smirk. "You get bothered by any more jerks at a tavern or inn, you can come talk to your local Thane and he'll gladly straighten the issue out if it means a night like this again."

A/N: So there's a good chance I was originally going to write this chapter up for last weekend, but then I kept changing my mind about what I wanted to happen in it. That and it's amazing how much in life can distract you from writing for free. The sex scene was originally going to be with Jenassa (Dunmer at Drunken Huntsman) as per a request from back at chapter 1 on AFF, but this felt like it fit the story better at the moment. So the Jenassa scene shall have to wait for a later chapter. On another note, I'm trying to get across the sense that Kai is uncomfortable with the idea of other races finding him appealing because it's such an alien concept to him, but I also feel like I might be getting close to overdoing it. Though that might just be me being too critical of my own work because I want it to be the best I can make it and that makes me paranoid. Or just tell me what you think. That should work.
- 5
- 6
- 7
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 Line Begins to Blur