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We shouldn't have tried to summon the frost giant. Meren lay on the ground, clutching his side in agony. The icy remains of Karstaag lay nearby, and Meren slowly struggled to sit up.
"Teldryn?" He called, his voice breaking and hoarse. They had placed the skull of the giant on the throne, and almost immediately the twenty-foot high monster appeared, throwing ice and swinging a club as big as Meren was tall. If he's dead…
"Here." A weak voice responded. Meren crawled towards where the limp form of his hireling was curled up at the foot of that damned throne.
"How badly are you hurt?" Meren asked, trying to reach him.
"I'm in so much pain." Teldryn groaned. Oh, gods. Meren collapsed, his side burning. He bit back a scream as he prodded his ribcage, and what was probably a broken rib was felt. He looked up at the dark elf, trying to summon the willpower to move towards him.
"What's wrong with you?" Slowly the Dunmer rolled over, his helmet partially crushed, but his armour intact.
"Ribs." Meren whimpered.
"I've got bruising, but that's about it. Do you have any healing potions?"
"My satchel's gone, I don't know where it is." Meren coughed. "Your helmet…"
"I'll be fine, boss." Slowly Teldryn forced himself up, crawling on all fours towards the Altmer, his joints screaming at him the entire way. Meren allowed himself to be rolled onto his back, and the Dunmer quickly began using healing spells on his side.
"You leg's all torn up." Teldryn said as he inspected the man.
"Is it?" Meren asked, and looked down, immediately regretting it. The entire thigh was a blackened, frozen mess, frost biting the edges of his skin, and what wasn't a torn, bloody, bruised wound was tinged blue.
"What do you think, you stupid vampire?"
"Shit." Meren said, and let out a loud scream as his ribs mended themselves under the golden light of a healing spell.
"Hey, it's fine. Let me just fix your leg."
"Leg can wait, I need to check your head." Meren told him quickly.
"Don't worry about my head, you can't walk. Stop--" Teldryn started as Meren grabbed the man's helmet, slowly working it off, trying to protect his hireling's skull from damage. Meren triumphantly dropped the chitin helmet, meeting Teldryn's eyes for the first time. The Dunmer did not look happy.
"Satisfied?" He asked. Meren shook his head, checking the bruises on Teldryn's cheek and jaw, while taking the time to inspect the tattoos and small scars along his hairline.
"Nice tattoos." Meren simply said, finally dropping his hands. Teldryn sighed.
"You know, I'm seriously considering not fixing your leg."
"Then don't. I'll do it myself."
"You have no skill with Restoration. You'd end up making it worse." Teldryn told him, working another healing spell slowly across the Altmer's leg. Meren bit his lip, trying not to cry out as his thigh burned.
"A mighty good pair we are, messing up like that." Meren said, grinning at the sky as Teldryn paused to regenerate magicka.
"You'd be dead if I wasn't here." The Dunmer said shortly.
"No, I'd be slowly dying if you weren't here." Meren corrected, earning a light slap on his chest.
"You'd have messed up royally without me, and there'd be no one here to help you."
"I'd call a dragon. Or heal myself."
"Like you know how to summon a dragon." Teldryn scoffed.
"I'd… figure it out." Meren said softly.
"Like hell." Teldryn told him as he finished the spell. "You shouldn't lose your leg now." Meren moved to stand up, but was stopped by the mercenary.
"Didn't say you could walk."
"Then how are we supposed to get back to Raven Rock?" Meren asked. Teldryn didn't reply, but scooped up the Altmer, shifting so he could more easily carry him.
"I must be two feet taller than you." Meren said.
"Great."
"Are you sure you can carry me to Raven Rock?"
"You're not that heavy." Teldryn told the man, and began walking.
--
They entered Severin Manor well after midnight, covered in ash and exhausted. Teldryn simply dumped Meren on the bed and collapsed next to him, falling asleep quickly. Meren inspected his leg, noting the torn and blistering skin and working a healing spell to fix it. He winced as new skin slowly worked itself over the open wound, repairing the torn ligaments and bruised bones. He sighed, falling against the pillow and going to sleep.
--
Unfortunately for the Altmer, he had dreams of the Soul Cairn, which dragged him from sleep in a cold sweat as he remembered the empty, bleak space, and running for his life from the bonemen that lived there. His hands immediately went to the scar on his collarbone from the old knife that had been used against him, leaving a deep wound that he had nearly died from. He looked over at where Teldryn slept peacefully, and desperately wanted physical contact. Without giving it any thought, Meren rolled over, sliding on top of the Dunmer and wrapping his arms around the smaller man, hoping that the warmth would help him sleep.
--
Teldryn awoke to the feeling of paralysis. His eyes shot open, trying to figure out why he couldn't move, when he realised that someone was on top of him. As his vision focused, he saw a mass of wild blond hair, and grimaced as he realised Meren was lying on him. The other man shifted, wrapping his arms tighter around the Dunmer, and then stopped. Bleary yellow eyes met his, and he was sure they both looked like shit.
"Hi." Meren said sleepily.
"You're on top of me." Teldryn said flatly.
"Yeah."
"Why are you on top of me?"
"Reasons." Meren laid his head down again, and Teldryn realised that Meren had positioned himself so that he was resting on Teldryn's chest, which meant his knees were hanging past Teldryn's feet. The Dunmer snorted as he thought of this.
"So why would you decide to lie on top of me?"
"Got spooked." Came the slurred reply.
"And why is that?"
"Night terrors." Teldryn looked down at the man.
"Of what?" No reply. "I know you're awake, Meren. What happened?" The elf was silent, which was fairly normal, but now it was unnerving. Teldryn sighed, and wrapped his arms around the Altmer. "I'm going back to sleep, Meren. You should, too. But when we wake up, I want answers."
"You'll get answers." Meren mumbled. Teldryn nodded and closed his eyes.
--
"You have nice eyes."
"It's been a month since you hired me, this is the first time you've seen my face, and all you can think of saying is 'you have nice eyes'?"
"Would you rather I said they looked awful?"
"No." The two elves were sitting at the table in the manor, Teldryn was eating ash yams and Meren was slowly picking at venison.
"So now you know what I look like." Teldryn stated.
"Should I not?"
"It was bound to happen."
"How many piercings do you have?" Teldryn looked up at his employer, who was focused on the venison chop.
"What kind of a question is that?"
"Just a question."
"Eight." The dark elf said, going back to his yams.
"I'll be… I'll…" Meren looked around.
"Yes?"
"I'll be needing to go soon. I have a… I need to go to Tel Mithryn."
"Again?"
"Yeah."
"You want to explain to me why I woke up to a high elf sleeping on me?" Teldryn asked bluntly. Meren stopped messing with his food.
"I told you why already."
"You said you'd give me answers."
"I had nightmares about skeletons." Teldryn didn't laugh like Meren expected, the other elf simply nodded and went back to eating.
"When do we head out?" Teldryn asked.