Dragonborn Ascendant (15.1)

A/N: 'Part' 1 of chapter 15, showing us a bit of insight from Lydia's perspective

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She had been enjoying a hearty meal at Frostfruit Inn when the door opened.

At first she thought it was Erik, son of Mralki the innkeeper, and a sigh escaped her lips as she did not turn to see who the newcomer was. It wasn’t that Lydia hated the young man, but his boisterous claims of becoming a famous warrior or a great adventurer certainly irked the housecarl. Especially when he tried to flirt with her. Tried, being the imperative, because the brunette shield-maiden certainly did not accept his unrequited advancements. Particularly when a man greener than her sought her affections.

So, with that said, she did not squeak when the chair across from her scraped against the floor and a provocatively dressed red haired woman huffed, sitting with a scowl on her face.

“That damned man,” grumbled the woman, arms crossed and a dark look on her face. Lydia almost winced sympathetically to whoever had garnered the redhead’s fury.

And the brunette was sure she knew who the poor sod was. Especially when given her expression, so typical whenever the woman wasn’t able to get the attention of her lord.

Lydia was sure her thane and lady Aela were lovers. Really, there simply isn't any other way they weren’t. If they weren’t, then why did the Huntress decide to follow them after all?

“What are you doing here?” Her thane had said when they were leaving Whiterun’s stables. The sun was high, it was almost midday and her thane - Magnus, as he insisted Lydia to call him - had spent most of the morning talking with the stable master, discussing something about horse breeds and farming horses.

And while Lydia was no unlearned peasant, she certainly was no mage or scholar, and so she could readily admit that whatever words used in their conversation and their meaning completely flew over her head. But that was fine, she thought. As a Housecarl, Lydia’s job was to assist and protect her thane… though that could also, at the end of the day, be through stewardship.

“What does it look like?” Lady Aela raised an eyebrow, arms crossed under her ample breasts. She took a step forward, standing dangerously close to her thane. “I’ll be going with you.” She said, and something in that statement almost made Lydia blush like a maiden.

So brazen, she thought, face heating up.

The Companions really were a direct bunch. She knew that already, having already interacted on occasion with some of their members during her training, but that notion was firmly cemented in her mind after spending the entire day together with the Huntress, procuring the same materials her thane had requested. That had been enough time for the two warrior women to get a basic understanding of one another, and if the brunette learned anything about the redhead, then it was that Aela was nothing but a direct woman. A predator that would leap and sink her claws into her prey.

To see it happening in front of her eyes… It was all so…

“The fuck that you will!” Her Breton lord complained, a frown marring his handsome face. “I’m not about to spend an entire fucking week riding with-!” And then in the most shameless act of affection she had ever seen displayed in public, lady Aela, grabbed Magnus’ coat by the neck and pulled the man down.

Their lips mashed against each other, and Lydia heard a gasp - probably her own as her face heated up - seeing the lewd imagery of the two Companions kissing. Kissing? She asked herself, they are almost ripping each other’s clothes! Well, her thane certainly seemed much less discontent with the redhead’s presence than before. Certainly, her mouth must taste really good seeing how forcefully he shoves his tongue in her mouth, and how eagerly she receives it and moans in return.

And then the Huntress pushed her thane back, and the man stumbled for a moment, dazed.

“W-what was…” he mumbled, confused. Then his eyes snapped back to lady Aela, clarity suddenly returned and a glare on his face, though it did not hold any anger.

The redhead shot him a smug look.

“Aren’t you coming?”

Lydia’s ears would still burn remembering the scene, her cheeks heating up as a healthy flush covered her face. Thankfully, she was already in her third cup of mead, and the alcohol was an easy cover for her blush.

“Something troubles you, lady Aela?” The housecarl asked after washing the rest of her food down with mead.

“I already told you to call me by my name, Lydia,” the huntress grumbled. “And it’s your damn thane. Again.”

“Careful there, Huntress,” the brunette smirked. “If you keep calling my lord names I might have to defend his honour.” There was a snort and Lydia allowed herself to smile. “What did he do?” She asked, although personally, she suspected it was something he hadn’t done that was upsetting the other warrioress.

True to that, Aela sighed, a heavy exhale leaving her lips.

“It’s all this fucking farm business he got in his head,” the redhead groaned and Lydia couldn’t help but share a commiserate look with the woman. “He’s been talking all morning with Rorik and Jouane. Now they’ve planned to build a barn, a cilo and a windmill, and then Magnus started to sell his whole idea of farming horses, sheep and cattle on the plains, and the two fools bought it and started to input their own ideas to expand their own farms together.”

“Lord Magnus certainly has found himself busy managing his property,” Lydia nodded diplomatically, although, internally, she could relate with the Companion’s frustration. “But I’m certain he will be done soon. The Greybeards did summon him, and furthermore, we cannot know if the dragon threat will lower.”

“Hardly,” Aela shook her head, pursing her lips. “Something tells me we are far from the worst of it.” She said in a dark mutter, and Lydia felt a chill crawl down her spine in response.

“Let’s hope you are wrong.” Said the brunette, and the two nodded.

“In any case,” the Companion sighed, leaning back on her seat and grabbing a cup and a bottle of mead. “Let’s just hope Magnus is finished quickly with his business here, or I’m ditching and heading towards Solitude.” Said the redhead, though Lydia knew she wouldn’t leave now.

If she wanted to, she would have done so long ago, after all.

Although, part of her reached out towards the huntress, as the two women shared a look. Aela wasn’t, after all, the only one itching for some adventure. This was the first time Lydia had ever travelled so far from Whiterun, and after having her first adventure with her thane thwarted by that Farkas, the shield-maiden was perhaps a tad too over eager to explore the world and test her mettle against bandits, rogue mages and deadly beasts alike. For that, she understood all too well what being cooped up for over a week in a single place - a fairly small village at that - felt so… constricting.

Still, the brunette certainly could appreciate her time in Rorikstead, even if there was little to do dutywise, only help - if barely - her thane design the expansions he desired to do on his farm, and actively help building things, but unfortunately, all the materials for said expansions had yet to arrive, so Lydia could sit idly and hone her skills some more. It was how she came to start training with her thane, and how she learned why Magnus was the Dragonborn.

Speed. Strength. Technique.

He had it all in spades and he knew how to use it with such skill, sometimes supernatural, that Lydia couldn’t simply wrap her head around the concept that her lord wasn’t a born warrior from the very beginning, a man destined to wield a blade and lead men into battle.

She still thought the Companions as a whole were jesting with her when they said Magnus didn’t even know how to make a half decent swing when he joined the Companions just a few months prior. Believing otherwise was simply madness.

Lydia blinked, an idea forming in her mind.

She looked over to Aela, the huntress throwing her a guarded look through narrowed green eyes. “I don’t like the look on your face,” said the redhead, shifting for a moment. “Tell me what you have in mind.” She said, and the phrase, she knew, wasn’t constructed neither as a request nor a suggestion, but like a rather firm order.

Lydia smiled.

“If it’s something to fight that you want, Huntress,” the brunette’s eyes twinkled. “Have you ever thought about sparring with my thane?”

“Do you take me for a fool?” The redhead scoffed. “Besides, Magnus wouldn’t take some of his precious time he could spend talking with those old coots to fight with little old me.”

“Are you sure?” Lydia pressed, garnering an eyebrow raised challengingly in return. “Master Magnus seems very accomodating to me. He certainly was to me when I asked if I could join him on his training.” She said, almost opening a small little smile when she heard the other woman grit her teeth.

“You might be onto something,” the redhead muttered after a long minute of silent musing and working her jaw. She got up. “I think,” she started, “A long fight would be just the perfect way to open up a large appetite. Don’t you think so too, Lydia?”

“I’m sure it is, Aela.” The brunette nodded, smiling behind her cup.

Divines, now Lydia could understand why so many priestesses of Mara enjoyed playing matchmaker so much. This was just so much fun!