The Argonian Maid?...Nope!

 

It felt so good, the ice cold droplets of water that fell in strings from the sky.Only now he felt how hot it really had been in this strange plane.

His body felt overheated and he just opened his mouth to catch some rain.

He didn´t care that he lay there totally undignified, the cheering not too far away, the guards crying and laughing that the gate was closed...



..until Khzaar dumped a bucket with water directly over him, a shock of coolness and nearly drowing, springing upright, coughing and glaring between the coughs at the red skinned argonian who only grinned broadly and laughing in the end.

"You looked thirsty"

"Idiot"

"Here, drink..." offering the smaller lizard a waterbag one of the soldiers had brought.





But it wasn´t enough, it was never enough what they had done.There was always more in the end.

"Hey you were the one who said we had to help them, we can not stop halfway through"Khzzar chided the other one..clearly amused.

"I know..." he felt heavy and tired,starting to shiver from the abrupt change of temperatur,the rain soaking him and the exhaustion.



"Ok..let´s go, the longer we linger here the higher the chance that we won´t find any survivors"

Phioles with elixiers and potions were distributed by Kyrell, no one asking where those had come from, everyone getting a magical induced push to keep going, some bottles stored away for later.

He had the bad feeling they would need them early in the battle to get Kvatch back, having no idea how many foes they would encounter.







The city was smoking, the decoration as maquabre as the plane of oblivion had been, the horrors possible hightened because it was Nirn, a place that should normally be safe and full of life and clean..seeing the city destroyed, gutted people, beheaded, skulls with the flesh burned or eaten away on stakes...here and not Oblivion was much harder to stomach.

Burnt down houses, the streets coloured with blood and Dremoras hurling spells at them, lesser Daedras running an direct attack.



It was surprisingly easy to clean the Plaza around the chapel and it was a wonder that it still stood.

But maybe that was the magic of the chapel.



It was such a good feeling to see how many people had survived and Kyrells stomach lurched, shocked when he saw Martin. The man really looked like the young twin of the Emperor.

But he kept quiet and also held Khzzar back who wanted nothing more than to bash all the stuff they knew, around Martins head which wouldn´t have been a wise thing.



Helping the people out of the city, patching the wounded up with the help of more potions, they had to go on.

Even when everyone had not much hope to safe the Count.



Oh the castle was...still..impressing. No matter that so much was burning, destroyed, you couldn´t deny that it looked majestic,not in the way of the imperial city, more down to earth.But still awe inspiring...it must have looked beautiful before the attack.



But for the earl and his family it was ...too late. In the end they could only bring back the ring, some food and other stuff like blankets to help the people at the camp.





They walked down the street leading from Kvatch to the camp, surprisingly all the men had survived, some just barely and they would need rest to recover. Even potions could only fix so much...maybe if he had top notch ones...but he needed to keep them for real bad emergencies and..at least now the people seemed safe.



Dumping his load of blankets, wall carpets, heavy satin curtains, slightly singed...every bit of fabric to help the people, making bandages, using them for warmth or to make clothes for the ones that had barely escaped with so much as some ripped fabric on their body.



The heavier curtains that would keep the rain away were used to make some more tents and most people just worked on autopilot.



It was no surprise that Martin looked also dead on his feet as he tried his best to tend to the injured and console the hurt and lost ones.



As a meal of bread and soup was shared, everyone eating subdued, the two Argonians whispered to each other..now what to do, what indeed.

"I stay here and you..talk with Martin and go back with him...I help the people and will get after you in a week or such"

"Yeah we can not leave them here..but you take the horses with you ...carry fire wood and such"

"Don´t forget food...you have given much but..there are many people and maybe I can get help from an other city"

"Just be careful and don´t crush the wrong heads" he chuckled, sighing..oh he was so tired.





______________________________________



"Oh...Brother Martin, could I have a word with you...over there?" laying his hand on Martins arm, dragging him aside where they were undisturbed

"You...you are the one who helped to close the gate? I don´t know how I can thank you and your friend for what you have done..and all the food and the fabrics you brought, not to forget the potions. So many would have succumbed to the injuries without them"

He was sincere and smiling even with the sleepless hours he had before and now..he had to whack the thruth over his head.



"Well Martin..there is something I have to tell you and...it will sound unbelievable"



And at first Martin denied fiercely...and than he broke down in front of me, flopping down on the earth, head in his hands, chanting 'no's and 'why's.

It wasn´t surprising that he blamed himself for what had happened to Kvatch and even when Kyrell told him that they would have done that sooner or later because...yeah...Oblivion, evil Daedra Princes and so on... he knew it was a shallow consolation.





__________



"Please, we need to go...I know, we fought through the night and it is still not really morning but...the earlier we go, the earlier we arrive and than...well.."

Kyrell felt so clueless...and Martin...well there is a time for everyone where they have a breakdown...



Soon he was up again, seeming colder than before, but that was no surprise when he still would have to come to term with the knowledge Kyrell had given him.



They ..or more rather Martin packed some things together he would need, a cloak and a dagger, a waterbag...

"I would have...well..the horses but I think the people need them more"

"Yes, I feel betterwith the knowledge  that your friend and the horses will stay here to aid the people"



Still no rest for them, but at least Khzzar could rest a bit in the camp,saying his good byes to him in his argonian way, clasping each others shoulders even when Khzzar had to bow down and Kyrell balanced high on his toes, foreheads laid against each other, growling softly before snouts were rubbed and a nudge was given before they parted.



"Take care pipsqueak or I first trash your attackers and than you when I catch up on you"

"I will..." No joking from his side...and than they were on the road.







_________________



"It would be better when we wouldn´t follow the roads. It would take longer and I fear that our foes would try to catch us on our way back to Chorol, they know we need to go there and ...I hope they think we are too tired and weary for not using the comfortable roads"

"You seem to have some skill and knowledge. Is this your..job?"

Martin asked the Argonian as they took the way around the hill Kvatch was on, the Imperial looking a bit puzzled as they turned to the very steep side instead of using the still steep but safer safe with the road.

"Uhm I thought we would at least use the safe way down the hill, how should we go down there?" sounding skeptical as he eyed the hillside.



"Well ..." a teethfull grin came vom Kyrell, pulling a scroll out of his bag, speaking the incantation, lifting his hand as a Blizzard crashed down the hill, freezing a broad track to ice.

"Now we will go down there...or are your pants full?"

Martin raised an eyebrow, clearly not comfortable

"Where do you store all those things?" he asked miffed as Kyrell conjured a thick blanket from his knapsack, stiffening and bending it with a spell.

"Oh that...a trick from a nordic friend...instant sleed, only add water..and a spell. Now take a seat and hold on, don´t sit on my tail please..."





Oh it was a bit uncomfortable to have Martin pressed against him..oh ...he was fit for a priest...my.

But the next moment he had pushed their sleed of and it was a hellish speedy ride down the hill.

At least concentrating on getting them down the hill without crashing, or not getting away from the icy path who had blasted stones and trees out of their way...was a great way to distract himself from the heat of the priest of Akatosh and that he breathed straight down his neck, ruffling his feathers.

 

Their way was still a bit bumby and more than once they lost the ground, sailing through the air to land  hard on the ground again with an *ompfh* and *uff*and an Imperial clinging to an Argonian for life.

Martin had experienced some frightening things and this ride was both frightening and in a strange way exciting. The wind whistling in their ears, them nearly flying through the forest on the icy path and the challenge to not loose hold..and missing the ice would surely lead to awful injuries when they would hit the ground with this speed, no sliding, only unforgiving soil, stones and especially trees.

Was it wrong to feel so alive?

 

And than the ride was over, sliding over even ground, having left the hill behind them. But the ice and their speed still took them forward for  some hundred metres. But the ice got thinner, muddy pads slowing them down until the ended up in a grass patch.



"Are you okay?"

Martin looked confused at the Argonian who had gotten them safely down the hill, and as he had gotten off the feathered beeing had seemed frozen, chirped high and had fallen to the side, twitching

"Yeeees...perfict" Kyrell squeaked... laying twitching on the ground...before he got to his feet, shaking the blanket out and storing the instant sleed back in his knapsack.



"Yvrything pirfyct" still squeaking "Leets go" marching hastily in the direction where Chorrol was according to his inner compass.

He hadn´t realised how sensitive his neck was an..he guessed all those potions in his systems didn´t help with that.



"Well, you have spared us half a day of walking I guess, maybe even more"

Martin seemed talkative, maybe only because he wanted to make sure the Argonian was alright.

"Yes, if we keep walking we should reach the Priory in a day..and a half at most, when I keep us up with potions. There isn´t something in your beliefs against the use of those?"

"No, and even if there was, dire times are in need of dire help, I guess the divines would pardon us"





Oh he was a formidable fighter, it surprised the argonian as the ..well could you call Martin a monk?...stormed, dagger drawn to a bandit who tried to attack him and dispatched the foe quickly.



"This was...'Brother'Martin, is this a skill in which all brothers and sisters are trained?"

Voice awed and a bit mocking while Martin shrugged "I wasn´t always what I am now..or should I say was?"

It was clearly overwhelming to think one day you were a lowly servant to Akathosh, the next you should be crowned king...



_____________

As if it would have been so easy, Kyrell had it with Jauffrey and if he hadn´t been so tired he would have punched the oh so apologetic behaviour right back out of that face.

How was the damn amulet safe with him in his crop..slimy but safe..and that moron lost it to the enemy.



The nervous tick that made his face and limbs twitch every other minute wouldn´t leave him for the rest of the day, not even as Kyrell slumped over the horseback and slept on while the horse trotted with the others to Bruma.



He drooled all over the neck of the good old mare that carried him safely.

It seemed that Martin also took a nap because when it got colder,snow lay over the land and Kyrell woke, Martin looked also a bit..bed-ly awakened.

Grunting Kyrell dragged a blanket out of his knapsack, huddling under it..it was just too cold.



Martin didn´t fare better even with the coat he had taken from Kvatch with him, but as they went up that path and neared the hideout his demeanor changed, sitting upright...royality..it seemed to be in his blood.



Kyrell didn´t really hear the speech, swaying on his feet and barely keeping his eyes open before 4 days with barely a rest and with even less of sleep caught up with him,slumping to the ground while the Blades were still hailing Martin after his speech.