Chapter Text
Marco breathed in the fresh morning air as he listened to the birds chirping. If there were birds, it usually meant there was no danger nearby. Still, he had his bow close and ready, as well as his greatsword.
Jean had opened up a bit and they had talked about his business in Solitude. It seemed his family was related to the East empire company and he needed to negotiate with the Jarl to make a contract that would allow commerce with more variety of products and a different tax system.
“So, how would this tax work?” Asked Marco.
“It would be a percentage based in the valued goods. Therefore, the more expensive things you buy, the more you pay. This translates to lower taxes for the poorer people without reducing the amount of taxes collected by the local governing power. This would allow people with lower incomes to have more available money compared to the current systems. Moreover, it would automatically adjust to good and bad times. When people feel richer and consume more, more taxes are collected. And the opposite is true when things don’t go so well. This way, farmers won’t feel strangled by a fixed tax when they have a bad harvest. Moreover, the noble families would not feel it as unfair as they could just spend less if they wanted to. And the higher taxation would imply that they are much wealthier which, by my experience, they tend to welcome.” He explained with a special light on his eyes. Then, he seemed to notice he had been talking a lot and blushed slightly. “I started to ramble, didn’t I?”
Marco chuckled at Jean’s embarrassment and nodded. “Oh, but it does sound great, it’s very interesting and I’m sure it’ll be better than what we have now.”
“That's the point.” Said Jean. Even if the tone of his voice was slightly sarcastic, Marco could see that Jean was proud of it. He tended to smile when talking about his ideas. Marco laughed at Jean's comment but suddenly noticed there was something off.
Birds weren’t singing anymore.
Jean was going to say something but Marco shushed him as he drew his bow. They both stopped their horses and kept completely still. Everything around them was silent.
Marco heard the crunching sound of spider legs from the path ahead and aimed towards the sound.
When the spider finally emerged into the path, Marco immediately shot an arrow at it and quickly shot another one. These things usually needed more than one good hit to go down.
The spider squirmed but stayed on its feet and spat venom at Marco. Luckily, most of the venom landed on his armor and protected his skin from damage. A few drops landed on his uncovered face but he was too concentrated to notice. Marco drew another arrow and hit the spider's head.
The animal fell to the floor, twitching for a few seconds before stopping moving completely.
Marco ignored the ice burning on his cheek and dismounted his horse to retrieve the arrows from the spider. He still observed their surroundings, searching for more spiders that could attack them but the area was clear. Marco turned towards Jean and asked if he was fine. He didn’t look like he was ok.
Jean was trembling and his hands gripped the saddle like it was his life source. His gaze was fixed in the now dead spider.
“Sir, Sir Kirschtein,” Marco called, still with no answer. “Jean.”
Jean finally looked at him. He gaped, no words managing to come out of his throat.
“Sir, are you hurt?” Asked Marco again.
“I-i, wait. I should be asking you that!” Jean said, his scowl back in his face. Marco chuckled, glad that he was back to his normal character and that he hadn't minded being called by his name, “Does your face hurt?”
“I'll be fine, those spiders have a rather weak venom.” Answered Marco. He was about to wipe his face with his gloved hand when Jean bellowed him to stop.
“Don't use your damned glove.” Commanded Jean while taking a handkerchief from his pocket, wetting it with a bit of the water they had and giving it to Marco.
“But I will ruin the handkerchief, sir. It looks expensive.” Countered Marco.
“Shut up and use it, I have a couple more.” Said Jean with a look that dared him to not follow his orders.
“Is this silk?” Asked Marco when he took it on his hands. It was a simple white cloth but shined in a way Marco had never seen.
“Yes and it doesn't matter. Clean yourself.” Prompted Jean.
Marco removed the spider spit from his face. His skin felt as it was burning in the areas the frost venom had landed but the coolness of the wetted handkerchief helped soothe the pain.
“Is it better now?” Asked Jean.
“Yeah, thank you, sir.” Said Marco with a smile. The affected areas still felt like they were burning but not as strongly. “I'll give you back the handkerchief when I manage to get it clean.”
“Oh, you can keep it.” Commented Jean. “I told you I have more.”
Marco looked at the piece of cloth. It was now dirty with spider spit and his own sweat but he could still distinguish an embroidered symbol that probably represented Jean's house. Below it, the initials JK could be seen.
“Just keep it, I never end up using them anyway.” Insisted Jean. Marco nodded and stored the handkerchief in his small travel bag.
Jean gave one last look at the spider before asking to continue advancing. Marco nodded and mounted his horse again.
-o-
After the attack, they had remained silent for a long time, none of them having anything to say. Jean was fine with that, since he was trying to seem calm and collected and talking would probably reveal his shaky voice. Not even two hours in their journey and Jean had already seen a monstrous spider. It wouldn't have been so bad if he didn't already felt scared of their tinier cousins.
Now the path seemed clear and free of any kind of aggressive creature but he feared that he would die of stress if this was how his trip was going to go across the Skyrim’s province. He was slightly regretting all his life’s decisions that had taken him to this moment.
Jean stopped his inner banter to look at his surroundings. Here and there he saw small paths that seemed to lead to ancient nordic ruins built in the distant mountain’s rocks. They had been riding along an uphill curve when the path split into two. Jean was pretty sure that they would take the path of the right, but he looked at Marco to confirm it anyway.
“We’ve reached the lake!” Exclaimed Marco when he turned his gaze. His face was kinda red due to the spider's venom but he didn't seem fazed by it, smiling as if nothing had happened.
“What was it’s name?” Asked Jean, only being able to see glimpses of water through the trees and rocks.
“Ilinalta. There’s a magnificent view of it further into the path. I was thinking we could make a break there to eat, when we are right next to the shore.” Suggested Marco.
“Sounds good to me.” Agreed Jean.
They took the path towards the right and soon Jean found a gap between trees that allowed him to see the waters from the path. The day had clear skies but the area still was surrounded by morning mist, making the view of the lake stunning.
As they kept moving east, the path lowered until they were riding right next to the shore. The lake waters shimmered when the wind stirred the surface and the sun shone with a warm light that created small bright patches in the path. Further away, he could see the silhouettes of the mountains through the mist. Jean marveled at the splendid landscape that was so different from the city he had grown up in.
Jean turned to look at Marco, who was also admiring the view. His gaze immediately fell on his swollen skin and even then Jean thought he was handsome. Something about his gentle demeanor drew the noble towards the warrior.
“Does it hurt?” Jean asked.
Marco turned his head to look at him directly and gave him a lopsided smile. Jean's heart skipped a beat at that and bitted his lower lip, not wanting his face to show his feelings.
“It doesn't really hurt, sir. More like the opposite. I cannot feel anything and I don't think I can move my cheek muscles.” Said Marco. That explained the half smile he had given as well as his weird intonation. “It's not a very strong poison, my face should be back to normal before we reach Riverwood.”
“Good to know.” Said Jean with a curt nod. He was glad to hear that.
Silence settled between them again so Jean went back to admiring the views. He had never seen a lake as big as that one, specially when it was right next to such tall mountains.
“Sir Kirschtein, we should reach the place where I thought we could eat soon. The view is even better from there.” Commented Marco.
“Sounds good to me.” Agreed Jean. His stomach was starting to rumble and his butt hurt from sitting for too long on the horse. ‘By the end of this journey it'll have the shape of the damn saddle’.
Like Marco said, it didn't take them long until they reached the place he had mentioned. And it was true, it had spectacular views. The mountains mirrored almost perfectly into the lake, their reflections broken by the breeze or the many dragonflies that were there. Trees grew around the area, giving plenty of shade over some rocks that were perfect for sitting.
“So, today we have hard bread with smoked pork chop, I hope it's to your liking, sir.”
Jean chuckled at Marco's comment. “My favorite.” He said with a slight tone of irony.
They both dismounted their horses and without asking Marco took the food from the satchel to prepare the simple meal. Jean found himself with nothing to do so he just stared at the little waves that reached the shore.
“Here you go, sir Kirschtein.” Called Marco from his back.
Jean looked at the meat filled bread and then at Marco, who was giving him again a lopsided smile probably due to the spider’s poison. Fortunately, the swelling seemed to be going down.
“Your face is getting better.” Said Jean while taking the stuffed bread.
“Is it, sir? Maybe I'll be considered handsome by the time we get to Riverwood” Joked Marco.
“You already look-” Jean blurted out while feeling his face heat up at his slip up. “I mea-”
Marco laughed while apologizing for his rudeness. ‘He doesn't look sorry at all’. Jean thought while posting. He started eating his food, giving his back to Marco and sitting down on a nearby stone as he tried to look as upset as possible to hide his embarrassment at having almost admitted he found Marco handsome.
His tantrum soon faded as he stared at the landscape again. From this close to the lake, the sunlight made the ripples near the shore shine with pretty patterns. Bright colored dragonflies buzzed nearby and the impressive mountains rose from the lake towards the sky. Jean started muttering some verses to himself, words coming to him naturally after many years of writing poetry to himself.
He felt at peace.
-o-
Marco was amused by Jean's behavior and kept observing him instead of watching out for spontaneous bandit attacks.
He should have guessed that a noble like Jean would get upset at his casual joke, but nonetheless he hadn't expected his unique reaction. The young man had flushed red at his slip up, proceeding to pout and grumble like a kid as he sat far away from Marco and made a point to look somewhere else instead of acknowledging his presence. He's literally throwing a tantrum, thought Marco with a smile on his face.
Marco wondered for a second why he found Jean so different from other nobles. He did act with an air of snobiness but somehow Marco didn't find it insufferable, just amusing.
Marco decided to let Jean be and ate his meal in silence while enjoying the view. He thought of how clear the water looked and remembered the dirty handkerchief Jean had given him. Maybe he could clean it once he finished his meal to take away the grime on it.
He looked back at Jean and saw his pout was no longer there. The noble had finished eating and was now gazing at the landscape with a soft expression. Marco kept observing him and noticed he seemed to be muttering something. Marco shifted to try to get a better look at Jean's face and see what he was saying, but the noble noticed his movement and turned towards him.
“What.” Jean said, looking at him and frowning.
“Sorry, I just thought you were talking.”
Jean blushed slightly at his comment, his pale cheeks turning pink while he looked away in embarrassment.
“It was nothing.” Muttered Jean.
Marco realized that whatever Jean was doing, he didn't want to tell so he finished eating and removed the handkerchief to wash it. The water was cold and transparent and helped remove most of the murk, leaving it almost as the same color it used to be. Marco squeezes it to remove as much water as possible and hung it on the traveling bags for it to dry.
“Sir, do you want to keep moving?” Asked Marco when he turned back to look at Jean.
Jean was already looking at him and seemed slightly startled when Marco caught him staring.
“It seems we are fair now.” Chuckled Marco.
“Hm.” Jean said while rolling his eyes. He seemed to have gotten over his tantrum and was back to his sarcastic self.
“Do you want to keep moving?” Asked Marco.
“Sure.” Said Jean with a curt nod.
-o-
They got back on the road and continued with their journey. They crossed a couple of travellers, some farmers that were traveling to Falkreath to sell their crops now that the dragon was gone. Jean and Marco ended up talking about the spell the noble had learnt and what little he knew about the schools of magic.
“So as far as I have understood, there are 5 schools of magic: Restoration, alteration, illusion, conjuration and destruction.” Explained Jean.
“Impressive, and what schools are the spells you bought from?” Asked Marco. He still felt slightly weary of magic but his fears faded as he learned more about it.
“Healing, the simplest restoration spell and candlelight, from alteration.”
“Sorry, Sir. What did Alteration do again?” He asked, trying to understand better the subject.
“Oh, Alteration is the kind that affects the physical world so the effects can be detected by everyone.”
Marco nodded as he tried to understand, he shifted his grip on the bow, ready in case they were attacked. He had heard howling from far away and they were moving towards the source.
Jean asked him if he thought they were in danger and Marco nodded. He told him about the howling, but also told him that wolves were easier to kill than spiders. “Wolves will run away if they see you are more powerful, spiders won't.”
Jean nodded but said nothing. He was nervous about another attack and clutched the reins more firmly as if that would help somehow.
The path started to go down towards the river that flowed from the lake. Just around the curve, Jean noticed three engraved monoliths standing on the side.
“We've reached the guardian stones” Said Marco as he dismounted from the horse. Jean followed suit to take a closer look. “The warrior stone, the mage stone and the thief stone. You can pray for one to give you their blessing.”
Jean moved closer to them and examined the engravings. That's when they heard the growling. Loud and clear and approaching fast. Jean turned towards the source and saw Marco was already drawing his bow. He shot at arrow to the closest of the three wolfs and hit him right in the face, the animal falling dead on the ground. The other two were already too close so Marco took his great sword and slayed the next one without batting his eyes.
To Jean's dismay, the last one shifted away from Marco and moved directly towards Jean.
He curled up and crossed his arms to protect his body, his back hitting one of the guardian stones. When the beast was about to attack he shot his eyes and felt his left forearm being teared down.
Jean bellowed in pain and opened his eyes only to see the animal being slayed almost in half by Marco's blade. The wolf’s jaw was still biting down on his flesh and blood was oozing from his sleeve, his sight was slightly blurry and he was feeling like he was about to crash. Jean tried to breathe normally but air didn’t seem to reach his lungs and the pain didn't let him think right.
“Sir Kirschtein! Don’t move, please!” Marco said and his voice broke him from his numbness. “Let me help.”
Jean didn’t move as Marco approached him and took the animal away from him. Once his arm was free, Marco quickly moved to his side and cradled the wound to examine it.
“We need to stop the bleeding, sir. Let me get a cloth.” Said Marco, rushing towards the horses to find something that he could use.
“W-wait, l-let me try something out,” muttered Jean with a weak voice as he extended his uninjured hand in front of him. He tried to ignore the pain to cast the healing spell. Soon an amber light surrounded him, his skin tingled and his wound felt warm as his pain dulled to a minor ache. Seconds later, the pain was completely gone and Jean stopped his casting. He felt a little bit dizzy, whether it was from the blood loss or the magic, Jean didn’t know.
Jean moved his hand. There was no pain but his skin and sleeve were covered in blood. He breathed deeply once, twice. He looked at Marco for a second and saw his awestruck face before closing his eyes and resting his head onto the stone.
“Fucking bless me.” he muttered to himself. Not believing that it had actually worked.
-o-
Marco was speechless.
Amber light had appeared out of nowhere and Jean no longer seemed to be in pain. Not that he could check since blood was covering the whole arm. Jean’s expression was serene now, only slightly exhausted as he muttered something Marco couldn’t quite hear.
For an instant, Marco thought the Mage stone glowed.
Jean had his eyes closed and was breathing deeply. The guard stared at him for a couple of seconds more before getting back to action and taking the still humid handkerchief Jean had given him.
“Sir, let me clean your arm.” Said Marco as he approached Jean and crouched in front of him.
Jean looked up at Marco and raised his arm without questioning. The sleeve was torn into shreds and stained permanently with blood. “I hope my mother doesn’t get to see this or I’ll die for sure.” He joked with a tired smirk.
“I’m sure your mother would be more worried about how you managed to get it shredded.” Commented Marco as he started removing the drying blood. As he rubbed, Marco realized there were no scars in Jean’s skin.
As he worked, Marco realized he had failed at his job. Jean had gotten hurt and if it hadn’t been for his newly discovered magic he would be in pain and have lifelong scars. Marco should have been faster and not let the wolf reach the noble. This had been just a pack of wolfs, what would have happen if some bunch of bandits had ambushed them? The feeling of guilt made his stomach churn.
“I’m sorry.” Said the guard as he finished cleaning up Jean’s arm.
“For what?” Asked Jean, who didn’t seem to care about what could have happened.
“Sir, I-” mumbled Marco, “I failed at my task, you got hurt. If it wasn’t for your magic…”
“Marco, it’s fine.” Jean cut off Marco, “it could have gone terribly wrong but it didn’t. You cannot take 3 opponents at once. No one can, and it’s partly my fault, too. I know I’m weak. To put all the responsibilities on you is unfair.”
Marco looked up at Jean’s face. He remembered the words Jean’s old guard had said, he’s a coward. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling. In some way, his weakness made him stronger.
“Thank you, sir Kirschtein.” He said with a soft smile on his face.
For once, Jean gave a smile of his own. It was rather subtle, but enough to reach his eyes and light up his whole face. Marco hadn’t seen Jean smile much, and never so bright. It made his stomach go warm in a pleasant way.
Marco stood up and offered his hand to Jean, who seemed thankful for the help. When he was on his feet Jean wobbled for a couple of seconds and clutched Marco’s hands to balance himself.
“Are you fine?” Asked Marco with furrowed brows, Jean looked rather pale.
“I’m just dizzy, and tired.” Answered Jean.
Marco nodded and helped Jean move to his horse and stayed close in case Jean didn’t have the strength to push himself up. Jean managed to lift himself, only to almost fall to the ground again when he tried to pull his leg to the other side.
Marco, now that they were out of danger and unwounded, cleaned his blood stained sword with the dirty handkerchief, took the forgotten bow and retrieved the momentarily forgotten weapons.
Once he was up on his horse as well, they went back to the path and rode along the river’s shore. Marco kept observing Jean, who seemed to sway from time to time in exhaustion. The bloodied sleeve didn’t help him look any better.
“We are very close from Riverwood, sir.” said Marco to uplift Jean’s mood.
Jean nodded at him but remained silent.
They soon could heard the rumble of the mill. Marco made the horse move faster to reach the door and Jean followed close by. As they got close, the town's guard noticed the blood in their clothes and rushed to check if everything was allright. Marco told him about the incident while they moved towards the inn.
Marco dismounted from the horse and took both his reins and Jean’s horse once they reached their destination. Jean tried to do the same without falling face first into the floor and somehow accomplished it. Once they were inside with their bags, Marco asked for two rooms to the innkeeper, a small blond woman with icy blue eyes.
“Thanks to the dragon and sadly for you, I only have one free room for once in my life. Almost nobody dared to venture south.” Said the innkeeper with a monotonous voice. “The good news is that the bed is big enough for two.”
Jean and Marco looked at each other awkwardly before Marco came up with an idea. “I could just lay the bed roll in the floor and sleep there.”
“We have a rat problem, it's not a good idea. Just sleep on the damn bed. It's there for that.”
Both Marco and Jean felt intimidated enough by the tiny innkeeper to not add further comments or complains.
“Can you get a bucket of warm water in the room too?” Asked Jean.
The innkeeper said nothing, staring at him and his bloodied sleeve before pointing with her head at the room in the left and turning towards the hearth fire.
Jean moved into the room, followed by Marco. It was rather spacious and the bed was quite big as the innkeeper had said. Marco laid their belongings over the dresser when Jean asked Marco to close the door.
Once it was closed, Jean removed his cape and tunic, only leaving the white linen shirt Marco had seen on the first morning. It still had dried blood on the sleeve, but Jean quickly pushed it up to his elbow and started rummaging between his belongings until he found a clean, similar looking shirt.
“What will you do with the ruined clothes, sir?” Asked Marco as he took his tunic’s tattered sleeve.
“I don't know, do you think they can be fixed?” Said Jean.
Marco took a look at the clothing. Blood was difficult to remove, and the holes and tears that the wolf had made had destroyed the embroidered pattern of the cuf.
“Maybe you could turn it into a sleeveless tunic for summer.” Suggested Marco. “But I don't know much about fine clothing, sir.”
Jean nodded and sighed. “I have a vest somewhere. Not the warmest thing but it will do.”
“Maybe I could go and ask in the shop? I wanted to visit the blacksmith anyway.”
“I'll get something in Whiterun.” said Jean. “I was planning on staying there for a couple of days anyway.”
“I see,” said Marco while hovering near the door. “I’ll go now then but i should be back soon.”
Jean hummed his reply while examining the shirt’s broken sleeve. Marco left the room, closing the door softly and nodding to the innkeeper as a greeting while walking towards the exit.
Riverwood was a small town and the Blacksmith was almost right in front of the inn, just a house further down the path.
“What can i do for you? Do you want to protect yourself, or deal some damage?” Said the blacksmith.
“I wanted to get some extra arrows and oil for the greatsword. Didn’t have time to clean it properly.” Said Marco.
“Ah, you are the guard that came just now with the bloodied noble. Everybody knows ya’ll by now” Said the man while grabbing some from a barrel. “I hope the bite didn’t infect that noble of yours with some disease, wouldn’t be the first time.”
“I’ll keep an eye on him.” commented Marco.
The blacksmith gave the arrows to Marco and asked for the greatsword to clean and hone the blade. Once the sword had been treated, Marco gave him his thanks as well as the septims it all had costed. The blacksmith, who had introduced himself as Reiner, wished him both a good day and a safe journey. “And come back again whenever you feel like it, i’ll love to hear more about you both” He said with a wink.
Marco went back to the inn while thinking about what Reiner had meant with that last comment, but soon forgot about it. Once he was back in the inn, he asked the innkeeper for some food before knocking on the door of their room.
-o-
Jean was feeling much better after cleaning up and laying down for a bit. He was putting his shirt on when he was startled by the knock and sudden movement of the door.
“Next time you come in wait until i give you permission,” Jean told Marco once he was inside. He didn’t want to risk being seen naked by his crush.
“Sorry, Sir Kirschtein.” Said Marco, who just seemed surprised, “I’ll be more careful.”
Jean didn’t say anything, concentrating on straightening up his shirt and putting on the vest to not think about his feelings and trying not to show his red cheeks. The leather had embroidered patterns on it and fitted his body in a way that made him look slender instead of scrawny. He could imagine his mother yelling that it made him look too thin, too small compared to his brothers but she wasn’t here and what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.
“It looks great on you, sir.” Marco’s voice snapped Jean out of his thoughts. “It makes you look sophisticated, like those fancy elfs.”
Jean blushed at both Marco’s comment and his dazzling smile. “Thanks?” And after a moment he added with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, “Does this mean the other robe didn’t look good?”
It was Marco’s turn to blush. Caught off guard, he couldn’t stop a nervous giggle . “I didn’t mean that… but it’s true it made you look kinda baggy.”
“That’s what I tell my mother but she insists on policing my wardrobe.” Commented Jean.
“It might be a mother thing.” Said Marco with another chuckle that made Jean blush again. “Ah, before i forget. I got you an apple since you didn’t look fine before. Maybe eating something will give you some energy back.”
Jean was surprised by Marco’s act of kindness, but then again, Marco acted like a kind person all the time. He took the offered fruit and bitted on it. It was sweet and juicy and made him realize he was feeling quite hungry indeed. As he ate, Marco told him about his short trip to the blacksmith’s.
Their conversation shifted topics as time went by without them noticing. Dusk had arrived and the smell of stew reached them, making their stomachs growl in hunger.
The inn's hall was now filled with people, both from town and the travellers that were staying there. The bard, a tall man with dark hair, was playing a soft melody with his lute and a couple of drunks were singing along with their tankards of mead in hand. Jean's gaze fell to the bard and thought of talking with him when he had the chance.
Jean and Marco went to ask for food on the counter, where the innkeeper was standing with the same glacial expression. Reiner was sitting in one of the stools and talking to her while watching the bard play.
“Good evening,” greeted Marco, “we wanted to get some stew.”
“Hey, Marco.” said Reiner, “and good evening, sir, I heard you managed to heal your arm with magic. That is quite impressive if I say so, not many mages around here.”
“I just know that one spell, learned it yesterday.” said Jean, before remembering what Marco had said the other day and adding “I never expected I would have the opportunity to use it so early.”
Marco smiled at the comment, “I had hoped you wouldn’t need to use the spell at all.”
The food was served and they ate while talking with Reiner, who told them all they needed to know and more about the small town. Once he learnt of the noble’s interest in poetry Reiner told Jean he would introduce him to Berthold, the bard.
Once he was done singing, Reiner called Bert and introduced him to Jean. They engaged in a long conversation about poetry books until people claimed Berthold back and he left to sing again. Soon after that, both Jean and Marco felt too tired and left to their room.
Jean sluggishly removed his boots, belt and vest only to throw himself on the bed and doze off. He thought for a second that he would have to share the bed with Marco, but he was too tired to think.
-o-
Marco took his gauntlets off before turning to say goodnight to Jean. He was already laying on the bed without even having put the blankets over himself.
“Sir, you should cover yourself if you don’t want to catch a cold.” Commented Marco. He knew the noble would probably ignore him since he seemed to be already asleep.
Jean mumbled something incoherent and made a half assed effort to put himself under the blankets. Marco finished removing his armor before moving towards the free side of the bed. He pulled the blankets from under Jean and dragged them back up over both of them.
Marco laid on the bed and sighed at the softness of the mattress before turning to one side, his back towards Jean. Soon, he was asleep too.