After the battle of the town Raven Rock drew a long breath. The casualties were more than expected. Half of the Redoran Guard had perished during the assault, Eronos Sathoni was among them and several unlucky miners.
Captain Veleth was moody when he counted the dead. For the Captain it was a reminder to not to let his men fall under an outsider’s influence again. He’d send a letter to Blacklight, telling them what had happened. The House Redoran would send an officer to question the Councilor and him. The bribed guards would be sent back home and replaced by others who would not stray from the House ethics. A lot of changes were ahead, but Captain Veleth was more than ready for it.
They had a Temple ceremony for the fallen, and burned the bodies. Their ashes would be sent back home. It was hard for Ondren, who had lost his friend. Eronos had died due to the blood loss. And, Ondren mourned with Raryn. They had known him from their training days and to lose him was hard on them. Ciel’nn and Teldryn were present too, but the young mer didn’t talk to anyone. Teldryn told them his partner was still in shock because of the battle. It wasn’t the entire truth, but he didn’t know what else to say since Ciel’nn hadn’t spoke much since the mine event.
The news of of Mogrul’s demise spread among the Dunmer after Teldryn had confirmed that the Orc was dead. It wasn’t acknowledged openly that it was Ciel’nn’s doing, but the stall owners were thankful none the less. They were glad for not being blackmailed and harassed by the Orc anymore. Slowly they returned to their day to day routine. Life would return to the town with the next trade ship. Mogrul’s corpse was taken out of the mine and burned outside of the town.
Having dealt with the Orc, Ciel’nn didn’t feel like celebrating at all. He was haunted by bad feelings of the events with Skaal hunters and the hunt for the Orc. It had been dark for him and Ciel’nn didn’t know how to cope with it. So he cling to Teldryn for comfort. Although, he didn’t speak much about it - Teldryn allowed him to stay close to him.
Geldis frowned at the young mer who leaned on the counter with his head resting on his hands. as if he was asleep and had a Sujamma cup close to his hand. “Poor mer. How long is he going be like that?” The Inn keeper asked in a worried tone. He didn’t like to see the young mer in that state. Not even Sujamma seemed to cheer him up. Geldis also had tried offering tea, but it had the same result as Sujamma.
Teldryn shook his head. “I don’t know.” He replied in a soft tone because Ciel’nn was present and was probably listening to them. “I don’t know what happened in the mine, but he can have all the time of Nirn if he needs to.” The older mer patted his partner’s shoulder gently. He’ll talk when he’s ready. It’s not like we’re going anywhere yet. He glanced at Geldis who still frowned before he took a sip from his cup of Sujamma. I wish I knew what he’s thinking.
Captain Veleth came down the stairs, hoping to have a chat with the young mer. But, when he arrived at the counter he realized Ciel’nn still wasn’t his old self - if he ever knew when the kid was himself. The Captain sighed and looked to Teldryn. “Things seems to be getting back to normal day by day now. I don’t know if we could have managed it without you two.” He said in a low tone. “We still have the Ash —”
The young mer abruptly got up from the counter, knocking the cup of Sujamma over and rushed towards the stairs. The Retching Netch was getting busy. Can’t they leave me alone? His idea was to get outside and find a quiet place for himself, though he was starkly aware of Teldryn who would follow him. He pushed the door open and headed to the beach, towards the strange stone.
Teldryn sighed and chugged the last of his Sujamma down when Ciel’nn had rushed out. “You happy now, Captain?” Teldryn nearly barked. “He’s still not himself and you just…” He shifted off the stool and hurried after his partner. I hope he doesn’t do anything stupid or unpredictable. This side of him is worrying though. It only made the whole young mer more interesting and Teldryn was patient to learn more. He was glad the Orc was gone, but how it had affected his partner was another case entirely. “Have you seen the kid?” Teldryn asked from the guard at the door. “He went towards the strange stone.” He heard the guard replying. The older mer nodded and walked briskly after his partner.
Ciel’nn sat down on the ash fallen beach as he gazed across the water towards the Red Mountain. A moment of being alone was all he wanted, though the young mer was certain Teldryn would find him soon. He didn’t know what to think. The Orc was dead as he should be. Ciel’nn nodded to himself, but yet he couldn’t figure out what was bothering him. He drew a deep breath as he stared at the ashen sand. It wasn’t that the people of Raven Rock didn’t thank him for the deed, nor he didn’t ask for it.
Looking around near the strange stone, Teldryn found his partner with ease even the people around the stone weren’t helpful. They kept saying “Here do we toil” or “And when world shall see” which was utter nonsense for the old mer, but it made him wary. Whatever power had caught them in — he didn’t want to be part of it. Passing the stone, Teldryn looked to Ciel’nn. He hoped the young mer was willing to talk now that they weren’t surrounded by other people. The old mer stepped over a couple of stone and stopped next to his confused partner. He sat down and looked at the water, then at the Red Mountain. “How are you holding up?” he asked in a concerned tone, but the young mer only let out a sigh. Alright then. Teldryn glanced at Ciel’nn to observe how his stray hair shifted in the wind. “What do you use for your hair?” It looks silken, smooth and light.
The young mer shifted slightly. “Lavender and nightshade mix.” Ciel’nn replied in a quiet tone and he glanced to his older partner. “And, you?” He had noticed the rough spiky hair and wondered what Teldryn might use for keeping it up. “Troll fat.” He heard his partner replying with a grin. Ciel’nn turned his head to stare at the older mer like he had done a horrible thing. A grunt escaped from his throat. “Troll fat? Ugh, that’s… ghastly!”
Ciel’nn was glad that Teldryn talked to him even if it was hard for him to reply. Especially if it was about the recent events. The older mer brought a sense of calmness to him.
“It holds, though.” Teldryn chuckled at the younger mer’s reaction. At least I got him talking now. This is good. He put on a smile. “Soon, I’ll run out of it.” He paused for a brief moment. “Ciel’nn, is something wrong?” The older mer asked in a careful tone, not wanting his partner to shut up as soon as he got him talking.
The older mer looked worried to Ciel’nn as he kept his gaze on him, but he didn’t know where to start explaining from. Ciel’nn opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it. “I can’t talk about it now.” He replied averting his gaze slightly. “I’m glad you let me stay close to you, though.” I need that now more than anything else. A tiny smile crept on his lips.
“Alright.” Teldryn nodded. “If there’s something that you need, let me know.” He shifted his gaze towards the Red Mountain. “I don’t mind. We’re partners and that means supporting each other.”
“I still need to stay close to you. Otherwise…” It was almost like a whisper when Ciel’nn replied. “Otherwise you’ll be lost.” Teldryn completed his line quietly. The young mer discovered that the older mer understood him in some level and he felt warm inside his chest. Ciel’nn shifted closer to his partner. “You know, when you run out of troll fat - you only need to ask me. I have a few and I certainly don’t need them.”
Teldryn smirked as he let the young mer get close to him. “That’s generous of you. Otherwise we’d have to go up north and slay some trolls, and there is the chilling cold.” At that moment, the wind picked up and the older mer noticed his partner shivering. “Perhaps it’s best to move indoors? It’s getting cold out here.” He stood up, pulling Ciel’nn up along with him.
The old mer’s eyes skimmed over the pages of the “Lusty Argonian Maiden Volume One”. He had read it over a hundred times and wished he’d find the second volume from somewhere. Teldryn sighed, putting the book aside and looked to the young mer who was trying to sleep next to him. Poor mer, I wish I knew what he’s going through now. It was curious as his partner didn’t mind sleeping next to him at all. It was as if Ciel’nn was drawn to him and Teldryn wasn’t sure why - which made the young mer even more interesting. But, it seemed the night time were the worse for Ciel’nn when it was possible for him to have nightmares. I need to ask him what calms him down. What kind of tea?
The door was knocked gently and Geldis peeked in from the door way. “Do you need anything, sera?” he whispered and Teldryn shook his head. The inn keeper nodded and closed the door.
Ciel’nn seemed to have restless night and Teldryn tried to think of how to calm it down. It had been way too long since he had to comfort someone. He put his hand on the young mer’s shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. Azura guard your dreams, Ciel’nn. And, as if it worked - his partner fell into a calmer sleep. Teldryn smiled and shifted himself to sleep.
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Comments
I loved the lighthearted chat between Ciel'nn and T... more
is doing stuff else where. The Redoran official, I might write him in,
too. More trouble coming soon, no doubt about it.