#dnd!killian

[sycamorre]

this is the laziest sketch in the world and I dragged my feet on posting it but I've been feeling bad that I haven't posted art in months

this meme was haunting me the other week and I had to make it with Ledo and Killian (plus Drache)

[sycamorre]

Whumptober 2024 Forced Choice – Killian/Ledo

Public Display | "I'm doing this for you."

My longest whump, a day after October is officially over. This is the only one that I originally planned on doing in the first place, before I got the handful of request ones. I still have one more request whump I'm probably gonna do, but I wanted to post this one first since it was a doozy to write. And fair warning, it is a long one.

-------------------------------------------------------

The ship’s map room was Killian’s safe haven and his prison. In here he was safe from listening to Ullrich’s shouts and watching as he strutted around the quarterdeck like a damned king. But Killian also knew the moment he left, he would be watched. Every move he made was scrutinized by the pirates and mutineers who were now in control of the ship. He certainly couldn’t visit Ledo in the brig without one of them practically breathing down his neck the entire time. Ledo was still furious about the situation, at least from what he could tell the last time he tried to talk with her. She would barely even look at him. He just wanted one moment of peace and quiet to explain, to plan how they could escape. But he was watched so intensely that he could not even manage that. So for now, he had to be patient, staying in the map room where he could be alone with his thoughts, his planning safe from prying eyes.

Or at least, he was safe most of the time. The door to the cabin was forced open behind him, and even without looking Killian could recognize the heavy stomps of their new “captain” coming to grace the navigator with his presence. Killian briefly scowled at one of the maps he was pretending to be pouring over, then took a deep breath and turned to see a familiar, bull-horned tiefling standing in the doorway. Xanthas Ullrich.

“Ullrich,” Killian acknowledged him flatly, forcing his expression to remain neutral.

Anger flashed behind the ex-marine’s eyes. “Captain. We’ve been through this, Doresh. Do not make me remind you again.”

“Captain Ullrich,” Killian corrected himself in the most sickly-sweet tone he could muster, smirking and giving a small bow in the process. Ullrich's frown deepened while Killian's smile only grew wider. A small victory, but a victory nonetheless. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“You need to talk some sense into your little house brat,” Ullrich began, slamming the door behind him. He moved to stand beside Killian at the table, fist pressing into the closest map.

It was Killian’s turn to frown. There was a lot wrong with that sentence, but no time to dwell on any of it. He could tell that Ullrich was genuinely pissed now. Worry nagged at the back of his mind. What in the hells did you say to him this time, Ledo? He crossed his arms, raising a brow as Ullrich loomed over him. “Still not getting anywhere? Maybe you should start by not insulting her.”

“You said she would fix the cannons!” Ullrich growled. “We're out here in the middle of the sea, unable to defend ourselves while half of our guns sit fuckin’ useless!”

“No. I said she would be your best bet to keep this ship floating,” Killian replied, holding his ground against the outburst. “Sergeant Veltarai knows just about every inch of the Zephryn, including the weapons, and you let your men kill the rest of the engineering team, remember?”

Ullrich jabbed a finger at Killian’s chest. “And I only let her live because you begged for her life.”

“If you want to call it that.” At this point, Killian assumed Ullrich got some kind of sick satisfaction from treating the rest of the crew this way. It disgusted him, but he went along with it for now. The last thing he needed was to earn the captain’s ire. Ledo was intelligent, but not particularly gifted in acting. And despite his threats, Ullrich could at least acknowledge good logic, at least when his temper was in check. Hopefully, that would be enough to keep them both alive. “But you still needed someone on the crew who knew how the systems work. You won't find a navy-trained engineer kicking around in the ocean.”

The comment was met with the same scowl as before. “You need to convince her to cooperate, Doresh.”

“And you need to stop treating her like a prisoner. Let her out, give her belongings back, let her have some real food... Hells, she won’t be any use to you if she’s on the verge of starvation! She'll be dead in a month at this rate!”

“Good. Once she’s gone I won’t have to listen to you lecture me.”

Killian pinched the bridge of his nose. “What do you expect me to do? You know where Veltarai’s loyalties lie, and it’s not with pirates that murdered the rest of her crew. The harder you try to push her, the more she's going to resist. Sending someone else instead is not going to help, it might just piss her off more.” Especially if it’s me.

“Oh, I know about her loyalties.” Ullrich's tone changed suddenly, his lips turning upward in a smirk. “Which is exactly why you’re going to be the one to do it. Everyone knows she has a soft spot for you. What were you getting out of it, anyway? Money? Rank? The satisfaction of saying you slept with someone from a house?”

That hit a nerve, and not just because of the insults directed at Ledo this time. Killian’s hands balled into fists at his side while he fought the urge to bite back too much. “Neither. Piss off. Don’t talk about what you don’t know a damned thing about.”

“Watch. Your. Tongue!” the captain growled, suddenly stepping forward. Killian had to take a few steps away from the table to stay out of range, just in case a fist came swinging towards him. “You will not talk to me like that, are we clear?”

Killian simply remained quiet, nodding ever so slightly to appease him. Ullrich sneered but appeared to accept it, though begrudgingly. However, he continued to step forward, as if trying to close the distance, which Killian was not keen on allowing to happen. He stepped away from the map table and Ullrich followed, until Killian was all but pressed against the hull wall.

Ullrich gave another venomous smile. “Now let’s try this again. You will go down there and convince her to do whatever I need her to do. Understood?”

Before Killian could consider his next words, he felt something. A heavy weight on his chest, trying to grip his heart as the captain came closer. It was a sudden, sinking feeling threatening to overwhelm. Something was telling him to get away, and he found his eyes searching for where he knew a set of cutlasses were stashed under the table. It was fear, but something about it felt… wrong. Unnatural, maybe? Yet it was familiar, too. He had felt it before, hadn’t he? The day he witnessed Ullrich shouting at several younger sailors who were all but cowering in front of him. It was shortly after the mutiny, while Ullrich was working with that Red Fleet captain… At the time, it was just a minor feeling, something at the edge of his consciousness. Killian had brushed it off as feeling sympathetic for the victims of the captain’s tirade. Now he wasn’t so sure.

He fought against the feeling, and it faded away, replaced briefly by surprise. Surely that wasn’t magic. Ullrich was a fighter, not a mage… right?

A similar look flashed across Ullrich's face, mirroring Killian’s confusion, but the anger quickly returned. “Hm. We're doing this the hard way then.”

His large fist swung forward, catching Killian in the jaw and sending him to the deck. Killian managed to catch himself somewhat, though the rough wood caused his forearms to burn where he landed. He tried to get to his feet but was instead yanked up by the collar of his shirt and thrown back toward the map table. Killian stared at the ceiling, wincing before trying to sit up and quickly turning towards the table, mind focused on retrieving his weapons. A heavy boot came down on his shoulder, and he grunted as he was pinned against the floorboards. How in the hells did he get this strong?

“Maybe I should have killed both of you from the start. You've been nothing but a thorn in my side,” Ullrich growled above him, his bared teeth and unkempt hair making him something more feral now. Black eyes bore down on Killian, regarding him with… was it disgust? Or hunger?

Killian couldn’t reach his blades from here, but his hands were still free, and he had a few tricks of his own. He struggled under the captain’s boot, which only pressed down harder in response. But it was a long enough distraction for Killian to move his hand to where he hid a set of lockpicks and let one slip out into his palm. Then he rolled sharply, causing Ullrich's foot to slip from where it was and slam into the floor, where it was in perfect position for Killian to stab the lockpick directly below the knee. His opponent roared in pain and anger, while the sailor managed to get back to his feet, scrambling toward his real weapons—

“HALT!”

Ullrich's voice boomed with thaumaturgy… and something else. Killian felt his limbs suddenly go stiff, refusing to move even as he stared at the spot he needed to reach. What was happening? He turned back to see Ullrich still standing, pulling out the lockpick with a growl. And Killian could swear he saw a low, arcane glow coming from that hand before he stood straight again, moving as if it didn’t even happen.

Xanthas Ullrich did have magic. But how?

The brute reached out and grabbed Killian by the throat this time, just as he was being released from the spell. Ullrich held up the bloodied lockpick in his other hand. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Doresh. One that you’re not going to win.”

“So are you,” Killian coughed out through strained breaths, both hands pulling at Ullrich's to keep himself from being choked. “You think making a deal with the Red Fleet is a wise move? You don’t think they’re going to stab you in the back the moment they have the chance to take this ship for themselves? Threatening to kill members of your crew who disagree isn’t going to help your chances when that—.”

That hungry grin returned to the captain’s face, and his grip tightened, silencing the other tiefling. “I think you underestimate what fear can do. Isn’t that why you were so loyal to the empire? Fearing punishment? Fear is even why you and Veltarai kept your little dalliance a secret, right?” He gave a low, rumbling chuckle. “She must have been afraid to be seen with a commoner. What a shame.”

Killian struggled again, anger burning like a fire now, but without breath to say anything in rebuttal.

Ullrich regarded his prey for a moment, almost thoughtful, then appeared to have a new idea. With a laugh, he smiled and threw his crew member to the floor again. Killian hit hard enough for the rest of the wind to be knocked from his lungs, leaving him desperately gasping for air. But before he could gather himself, a broad cutlass was pointed directly at his chest, forcing him to stay where he was. 

“Ralmir! Menon!” Ullrich roared, his thaumaturgy shout directed at the door to the cabin. After a moment, two faces appeared as it opened. Killian did not recognize the first, a heavy-set pirate that had been one of the prisoners they caught before the mutiny. But he did recognize the second, Menon, a younger marine who had managed to reach junior officer status before siding with Ullrich during the mutiny. Killian was on somewhat decent terms with him, given the circumstances, as Menon had shown at least some guilt after what they did. The two of them locked eyes for a split second before Menon turned to look at the captain questioningly. The pirate, who Killian assumed was Ralmir, looked almost bored, casually glancing between the two.

Ullrich turned toward them, though the cutlass remained pointed at Killian. “Menon, when was the last time someone was flogged on this ship?”

Menon blinked. “I… Never, as far as I can recall. It has not been long since her maiden voyage, and I don’t think Captain Zoreil cared for it.”

It was because the lieutenants kept him in check, Killian thought, recalling what he had overheard before from the previous sailing master and other senior officers, but kept his mouth shut. The crew would have mutinied even earlier if he had been keen on flogging.

“Oh, what luck.” Ullrich's grin widened. “Then Doresh here can be our first.”

Ralmir laughed. Menon at least had the decency to look shocked. “But why, captain?”

“Insubordination and threats of violence. We need to make sure the crew sees what happens when someone thinks they’re above the rest of us.” Ullrich motioned with his head towards Killian. “Ralmir, take our friend here and let your men get him ready for his punishment. I can let you do the honors. Menon, you put out the call for all hands. I want everyone who can to come up and witness this. I think it would be good for them.”

“Aye, captain…” Menon said quietly, looking over at Killian again with an apology in his eyes before turning away from the door and heading back to the quarterdeck. Ralmir crossed the room, pulling Killian roughly to his feet before forcing his hands behind his back. As he started to drag Killian out, however, Ullrich held up a hand to stop him.

“Keep him alive at least, Ralmir. I have more plans for him afterward.” Ralmir grunted in disappointment but nodded as he took Killian away. But even as he was being turned out the door, Killian kept his own gaze locked on Ullrich, fury simmering in his chest.

The sea will swallow you whole, Ullrich. Like all other traitors and cowards. And I will live to see it.

—

After the first two weeks following the mutiny, the days started to blend together. Has she been in these chains for a month now? Two? More? Did it matter? Ledo’s wrist burned where the metal dug into the skin of her good arm. How long until it might hit bone at this rate? Her stomach ached for food, and her head felt heavy on one side as she was now missing the majority of a horn. The arcane shackles made her mechanical arm sit limply, almost useless. She wished more than anything that she could at least have Drache with her, even if it was just for company.

Some days she was almost numb, tempted to give in to the weakness she felt, but the anger in her chest kept her going. Resisting.

Yet the worst part was the sadness that lingered in the solitude. Between Ullrich’s visits, which only refueled her fire every time he tried to demand her to do anything, Ledo only had her thoughts to keep her company. Thoughts of how easily so many of their crew had turned on their officers, ready to kill them in cold blood. How could they live with that guilt? What lies had been fed to them? And Killian… He had come down a couple of times, trying to talk to her, trying to get her to eat something that he had snuck down there, but she was angry with him as well. She couldn’t bear to look at him, in case it broke her. He knew what was happening but decided that hiding her was a better move than alerting the lieutenants. Was her life really worth more than the others? No, it probably wasn’t. Hadn’t she cheated death enough?

The lower deck was eerily quiet now. Something had brought the usual guard that was on duty to the upper decks, and she had been alone for a while. At first, she wondered if it had been a call to quarters, but the ship was still moving calmly, and there were no signs of a fight. The only sounds were the creaks of the hull and the sea sloshing against them. If Ledo could have cast a spell, or called on Drache, she might have attempted to do so, but as it was she barely had the energy to attempt it, even if she could get around the magic-blocking elements of her cell. The navy’s preparedness was currently working against her. So she remained where she was, trying to think about anything else…

Until another sound broke the silence. Ledo turned her head up tiredly, expecting to see the guard coming back or someone else coming to take his place, but she quickly became aware that there were multiple footsteps and… something being dragged? A pair of pirates came down the stairway not a moment later, with another held between them, barely on their feet. As they walked closer, however, Ledo’s breath caught as she saw who it was they were carrying.

Killian…

He looked terrible. His face was bruised, particularly around the jaw, and he looked as though he could barely keep his head up as well. As they passed in front of her cell, she briefly caught his eyes before he was dragged past her, and she had to stop herself from crying out when she also saw what had happened to his back. His shirt was torn in numerous places, the scraps barely hanging on, and the tan linen was stained a deep red from where she could see numerous fresh cuts across his back.

Flogging was not a common punishment in the navy. In fact, while not a hard rule, most considered it barbaric, outdated, or only justified if the crime matched its severity. This was the first time she had ever seen it, especially one that seemed this intense, and the sight made her hunger pains seem like nothing more than a mild irritation in comparison. The fact that this was done to Killian of all people certainly did not help in the slightest.

The two pirates dropped their victim, letting him crumple to the floor with a painful groan. One of them started pulling out the keys to the cells, in no rush while Killian tried to sit up, despite his injuries. Another set of footsteps came from the entrance to the brig, and Ledo was able to pull her gaze away from Killian’s back to spot their captain following them into the room, beaming as he came to stand beside the door to her cell. Ledo’s anger immediately flared again, this time even stronger.

“Well, well… Ullrich began, leaning against the metal bars, watching as his men opened the other cell to drag Killian in. “Looks like you’re going to have company, Veltarai.”

“Bastard…” she hissed, pulling on her shackles. “You pathetic, vile bastard!”

Ullrich tutted, then held out a hand toward the other two pirates. The one with the keys handed them to him after he finished locking Killian in his own set of shackles, arms lifted in the air while he faced the hull. Ullrich reached over to Ledo’s cell door, unlocking it and striding in. She leaned away as he crouched in front of her, her expression a scowl while he simply smiled at her.

“Don’t you want to know why he ended up like this?” Ullrich asked, pointing over his shoulder. “It’s because of you. Your poor, poor lover is trying to defend your honor and your life. And what do you do to thank him? You continue to be stubborn, too proud to help him and your crew. Do all of those months we shared at sea mean nothing to you? Or do you just see us all as beneath you because we don’t all belong to nobility? Hm?”

“Lies. And you are no better than Zoreil was.” Ledo held her head a little higher. “Nobility or not, at least he was not a murderer.”

The captain shook his head, then reached out in a flash, grabbing her by the chin and forcing her to look across the room at Killian again. The other cell’s door was now closed, but she could see through the bars that he was trying desperately to look over his shoulder, shaking from the exertion. Guilt twisted her heart, and it took all of her will to keep it from showing. She was not going to give a backstabbing traitor the satisfaction of knowing his words were working.

“I want you to take a good, long look at him,” Ullrich started again, leaning in, his voice low and tone dark. “I want you to remember what this looks like because next time I won’t be as kind. I can always find another navigator. But can you replace him as easily?”

He let her go, head dropping again as she pulled away from him. Ullrich stood, stepped out of the cell with a relaxed pace, and locked the door behind him. He regarded Killian’s state for a brief second, then chuckled. “You know what? I will be nice, not that either of you deserves it. You can have a few minutes of privacy. Enjoy.”

No further words were exchanged, and Ullrich left the brig with his men. The silence returned, with only the same, familiar creak of the ship once again filling the air. Ledo stared, holding what she could of Killian’s gaze as she tried to find something to say in the precious moments that they had. Anything.

“I’m… I’m so sorry,” she said weakly. It was all she could think of to say. Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she truly cried, it might have been the day she found out about her parents’ deaths.

“Ledoras,” Killian started, trying hard to turn and see her better. He winced as the muscles of his back stretched and strained, and her heart twisted. “Don’t apologize. This isn’t your fault, it’s mine.”

“What happened?” The first tear rolled down her cheek, and she had to take in a sharp breath to keep herself steady, holding back the rest. She was glad he could not see it.

“He was trying to get me to be the one to force you to do what he wants.” Another grimace, and the chains clinked against the hull. Ledo could hear that he was angry, too. A lot angrier than he seemed the last time he had come to talk to her. “He thought you would just agree if I told you to. I may have pushed my luck. Managed to stab him with a lockpick.”

“You… What?”

Killian actually chuckled at that, though it was quickly cut off as he took a strained breath. “Aye. In the leg. Self-defense, mind you, he’s lying if he says otherwise. But it just made him angry, that was why he had me flogged. And now he must think using my life as a threat will work instead.”

“I… It will.”

“Ledo…”

She let her head hang, eyes downcast. “I’ll do it. I’ll cooperate with him. I’ll fix his damn guns and engine.” The shame burned her throat, but her pride was already too wounded to care anymore. Ledo may have questioned Killian’s decision to keep her alive over the officers, but this was their reality now. So long as she lived, so would Killian if she had any say in it. And Ullrich was right, he could replace Killian far before he could replace her. If Ullrich had any kind of inclination to think Killian wasn’t worth keeping around, he would get rid of him in an instant. “It will be on my terms if I can manage it, but I… I can’t lose you. I need you. I love you.”

Ledo heard his chains moving again, and she looked up to see him trying to turn around as much as he could, leaning towards the cell bars while the chains twisted above him. He seemed… frightened. “I love you too, but Ledo, please… There’s more. He has some kind of magic now. I saw him heal himself, and he had some sort of spell to make you feel or do things. We still need to find a way out as soon as we can, but I fear this is more complicated than I thought it would be.”

Her brows furrowed. “Dammit,” she murmured. But at least they knew now. “We really need to find a better, safer way to plan than by having you brought down here with flog-”

She quickly fell silent when the sound of the brig’s hatch opening echoed down to where they were. Both of them cursed, nearly in unison before Killian leaned a bit further towards the bars, hissing at the pain it caused. “Ledo, promise me something,” he whispered quickly.

“Anything.”

“If we make it through this, I’m going to be too tired to keep up appearances anymore. No more pretending, and no more hiding. I don't care what the other houses think of us anymore.”

The second tear finally fell down Ledo’s cheek. “I promise. No more games. For better or worse.”

[sycamorre]

Ledo and Killian. 8, 16, and 45

[ - ship asks - ]

8 - are they naturally compatible or do they make an effort to try and understand the other

At first, they absolutely were not. They do not become romantic quickly in any sense, it takes them a year or two at the very least. It took them time and effort to grow into not only their relationship, but also into entirely new people in a way.

Their very first interaction was Killian "borrowing" Ledo's tools to try fixing something incredibly minor for their ship's quartermaster while Ledo was focused on other repairs. When she found him, not only was she furious by that time, but he responded to her reprimanding with a bit of sass. Technically not a good move on his part, as even by that point she was a higher rank than him, but in his defense he thought they were just the ship's tools, not her own personal ones. So they were not off to a good start from the get go. Fortunately, Killian felt bad about it later on and brought her his ration of rum that evening to smooth things over, and things got significantly better from there.

While there were definitely moments early in their relationship that pointed to them having some natural compatibility, it still took a significant time for them to really find it. Ledo had to go through a lot of growth as she was experiencing a lot of realities of the world for the first time during those first few years with the navy, and Killian ended up being a major part of that growth. With his help, she was able to connect better with the crews and other regular sailors (as well as learn to relax and not be so serious all of the time), while she in return was able to give him the tools to help him advance his own career by helping him to learn the expectations of other officers. Both of them grew from who they were when they first met, and it was during this growth that their compatibility really started to show. No doubt that was part of the catalyst that would eventually spur on the romantic feelings they began to develop for one another.

There is definitely a few things they clash on, but at this point they're in position where they recognize the differences for what they are and know that they have to talk it out and work with those differences instead of fighting each other, and they know each other well enough to understand the decisions the other is making so that's definitely helpful for the future.

16 - how accepted is their relationship by their community and loved ones

AHAHA. Aha. Yeah, let's just say it's complicated.

While it helps that Ledo is not from a super, major, influential noble house, it still would not stop people from looking at them strangely. People already looked at Ledo oddly because she was not really interested with any of the people her great-aunt tried to hook her up with early on, and even more so when she made it known that she was focusing on her career first and foremost once it was apparent that she was accepting her role as the heir to her house. If it came out that she was planning on marrying someone without any house connections at all, even if he did have a full officer's commission by that point, there would absolutely be all kinds of rumors and talk running amok. Ledo's prepared for it at this point, and was why she was adamant that she get as high of a rank as she could by the time she was ready to make things official. It would at least make people think twice before fanning the flames too much. And if the admiralty put up a fuss about them potentially compromising their work, well at that point Ledo could probably take a job at the shipyards heading up projects while keeping her rank, and that was going to be the long-term plan anyway.

On a positive note, the people who do care to Ledo and Killian and actually are aware of their relationship accept them. Other friends among the sailors for one, especially ones they would go out to taverns with while in port, absolutely caught on when things started getting serious and were very vocal (mostly to Killian) about their support. The housekeeper that basically became a second mom to Ledo after she moved in with her uncle Halthor also specifically became their biggest supporter (she definitely caught Killian one morning before he could sneak out, oops). And even once Halthor caught on to what was happening and confronted Ledo about it was supportive after he saw how earnest she was regarding her feelings and plans for everything, only giving her a warning that she would have to be the one to deal with the rest of the family if they did not approve.

45 - how are they different when they are with each other than when they are with everyone else

Killian's easy because he's not too different around others as he is with Ledo. He's a bit more charismatic than she is, better at talking to people all around, and he's more of a go-with-the-flow personality than her. Sure, he's serious when he's on duty and is respectful of other officers, but when off duty and around friends he's much more relaxed. If anything, when he's alone with her, he gets to be a bit more soft and even sentimental with her than he does when he's around the other sailors. He came from a rough background where he had to be street smart and keep his wits about him, and a lot of that he brought into his work in the navy as well. Being around Ledo lets him relax in a different way and really drop his guard because he knows he can trust her at this point, and he appreciates that more than anything some days.

Ledo, on the other hand, is significantly different around him than she is around others, and that's mostly because of the expectations put on her. When she's in any kind of naval setting, even when off duty, she's expected to be responsible and collected. She has to pay much more attention to her public image. She was trained from a much younger age that she has to be respectful and follow proper etiquette. It's exhausting. So when she gets to be alone with Killian, all the walls get to drop. She laughs openly. They crack jokes. Etiquette gets thrown out the window for what feels right in the moment. She treasures those moments. She becomes affectionate, bold, sometimes even acting on whims and impulses. And he never bats an eye, enjoying every moment of it, which just encourages her to keep going.

While Ledo does not have the same level of reservations she did as a young adult, you can definitely see in her early interactions with the party how she tends to fall back into that serious personality when she's not comfortable around people. It's coming out a bit more now that she's got some people she actually considers friends (Lehala and Dral being examples) but Killian will always be the one that gets to see her full personality without any reservations.

[sycamorre]

WHATEVER we're allowed to know about Killian. Also one TES character of your choice.

[Send me a “🖊+an OC“ and I will talk about that OC!]

KILLIAN —

I'm honestly ready to answer any questions about Killian at this point so have a backstory snippet

Despite Killian's normally positive and easy-going demeanor, there is at least one particular topic that will cause him to nearly switch on a dime: asking him about his family.

Killian did not have the best upbringing. He grew up poor, in a small village, the son of a fisherman. But all of that was fine. He enjoyed learning to sail with the others in the village. He didn't necessarily care about having anything fancy like the nobles and merchants had in the big cities. The worst part was actually his father.

They did not have any kind of positive relationship, even as a child Killian did not feel like his father cared much about him and seemed to barely acknowledge his existence. His mother, while a bit more attentive and emotionally available, did not help matters much as she would often just give excuses for his father ("He's just so tired, he was out fishing all day..." "It's his day off he needs his rest..."). What he didn't figure out until later was there were also signs that his father may have been developing alcoholism. Still, by the time he started reaching his teens, Killian had become resentful of both of them. Primarily his father, but even his mother to an extent, though he would never say that out loud.

However, he did start to argue with his father on a near daily basis.

There was never a physical fight, fortunately, but the arguments and insults began to grow worse and worse. Eventually, Killian was fed up with his situation: a father he couldn't stand, a home that didn't feel like his anymore, and no opportunities to do anything besides fish and work the docks if he stayed in the village. Shortly after he turned fifteen, he grabbed what he could from the house: some clothes, food, a stash of money from doing odd jobs at the docks that he had managed to hide away, and a case of rum his father had recently bought. And then he left, no looking back.

He would fall in with a group of thieves once he reached the nearest city, but that is likely a story for another day. After eventually deciding to join the navy and getting some of his first promotions, he did run into his mother one day while on leave in a port city close to his home village. He didn't speak with her long besides updating her on what he was doing, as neither had a lot to say (and he didn't want her knowing where he lived in case his father got the info from her and tried to come find him), but it has been something that he will think about from time to time.

And while I don't have concrete details, he likely had an older brother (or half brother) but they were not close in age. The brother would have left home early as well, so they never really had much of a relationship to begin with and Killian wouldn't know where to even begin to look for him, if he had the desire to.

----------------

VIALGO ALVINIUS (Elder Scrolls) —

Indes is pretty protective of her little sister, but that doesn't mean she's the only one that gets this treatment. After leaving Valenwood and moving to Cyrodiil with her uncle and mentor (Thoron and Arrador respectively) following a rough run-in with the Thalmor (before the Great War), the three of them found themselves working with Imperial nobles near the city of Cheydinhal, the Alvinius family. They lived on the estate as groundskeepers and animal handlers. But over time, Indes found herself with a bit of an additional responsibility: making sure the children didn't run off and sometimes keeping them occupied/entertained. Not quite like a nanny or babysitter, for the most part, but she would get protective of them. Big sister instincts kicking in.

But Vialgo was one of the kids that just seemed to latch onto her more than the others. I wrote a snipped with them here. He begged her constantly to take him off the estate to go explore the woods. Asked her endless questions about Valenwood and all the things she used to hunt. Eventually asked her to teach him proper sword-fighting, which she did once she felt he was ready.

So when he showed up in Skyrim years later, after Indes had joined the Companions and risen to the Circle ranks, it was a bittersweet reunion when she realized he was coming to join the Dawnguard of all things. Vialgo was still a kid in her eyes, he had no business hunting vampires! He did eventually go back to Cyrodiil once things started to die down with the Dawnguard but as much as she enjoyed seeing him now and again, and getting to see that he took her lessons to heart, the relief she felt was massive.

As a bonus fact for him his personality and looks were absolutely inspired by Gwaine from Merlin.

[sycamorre]

Whumptober 2024 Blow to the Head – Ledo/Killian

Slurred Words | Passing Out from Pain | “I can’t think straight.”

I continue to make these too long. Another @editoress request.

-------------------------------------------------------

“Engineering needed on the upper gun deck!”

The shout came out over the sound of arcane cannons and battle from the decks above them. Ledo stepped away from the junior engineering team she was monitoring the engines with, giving command over to the most senior corporal working with them while she responded to the call. She found a marine standing at the top of the ladder, who motioned for her to follow him once she climbed up.

“What’s happened?” she asked, concern apparent as they dodged other teams rushing between decks. Her small draconic homunculus, Drache, clutched tightly to her coat as they weaved through to avoid falling off. “Is there something going on with the engineers we already have up there?”

The marine frowned. “Somewhat. They’re stuck working on cannons that started misfiring. We need someone to help with damage to the hull. It looks like one of the lines feeding a section of cannons got hit.”

“Damn,” Ledo hissed under her breath, but picked up the pace. “Which side? How many guns?”

The two of them continued up the next set of ladders before she got her reply. “Starboard side, aft section, about 6 guns. I didn’t get any other specifics.”

“Guess I’ll see soon enough.”

The damage was certainly apparent as soon as she stepped foot on the upper gun deck and looked where the marine indicated. Even amidst the crowd of sailors and smoke, there was a section near the rear that had part of the hull that Ledo could tell had been hit. Splintered wood littered the floor and a noticeable crack in the wood was visible between two of the cannons. She ducked between the waiting gun teams to get a closer look, and felt some measure of relief. “Doesn't look completely punctured,” she muttered, carefully looking over the damage. Ledo did see the biggest issue that the marine mentioned: a couple of the metal-based arcane lines that fed power to their cannons had been broken by the damage. It wasn’t beyond repair, but it would take a good few minutes to bypass the damage and get the charge back to the rest of the weapons.

So Ledo got to work, pulling tools from her arm and belt. Drache perched himself on a beam above her while she crouched down by the broken lines. She had a bit of material that could be used, but she would need to make sure the runes were not damaged beyond–

“They’re coming about!,” came the shout of one of the marine lieutenants. “Prepare for another broadside! Starboard!”

Shit. From this deck, Ledo had no visual on where their enemy actual was, but she could see the other sailors preparing shots and lining up the cannons on the same side she was on. Even while trying to weld new metal to the damaged lines, Ledo was tempted to try and peer out one of the gun ports to see if she could spot the other ship, to gauge how close it was. But she knew better, and that every second counted. They would need all cannons available if this was the side they were still engaging the other ship on. So she continued to focus.

“Fire!”

From the corner of her eye, Ledo could see the deck light up with flashes of arcane shots being fired from the cannons. The roar was deafening as the volley flew towards the enemy ship, and she could hear a number of shots hitting their marks. Ledo winced at the sound, unable to protect against it while her hands were occupied.

Shouts and smoke filled the air as the crew began to prepare the next volley, but her ears were still ringing and she could not make out much. Which is why she missed the warning from one of the crews that the other ship was returning fire with a broadside of their own. Roundshots impacted the side of the imperial gunship, most of it hitting the reinforcements and bouncing off without damaging the hull itself. Yet a couple did manage to break through the wooden areas… including where the previous damage was.

One moment, Ledo was staring at the welded material, trying to finish setting it in place, and the next she was knocked to the deck. Something had slashed across her forehead, and she could just make out the sensation of blood pooling over her face, while something else was pressing against her ribs and making it hard to breathe. The impact, whatever it was, had her vision spinning, but she could just make out Drache gliding down from his previous perch to her side, his cries sounding like a metallic whine as he tried to get her to respond. But the shock was enough to keep her frozen in place for what felt like an eternity.

Then the pain set in. Ledo gasped, as if just remembering how to breathe, and winced as a sharp feeling bloomed out from her diaphragm, almost burning as it went. She managed to get her mechanical arm underneath her torso so she could attempt to sit up, but even that caused her body to shake, fighting her the entire way up. After a second of trying to orient herself, she looked down and could see a piece of wooden shrapnel protruding from her side, blood already staining the gray and white fabric of her uniform. She wasn’t sure to be relieved that she had not gotten hit by the shot itself, or if she should be a lot more concerned about losing too much blood before she could get it seen to.

Regardless, Ledo knew better than to risk pulling it out, at least not here. She had to stand, to get away from the hull. Despite her body’s protest, she continued to try to get back to her feet, only vaguely aware that some of the sailors, most likely ones who were waiting for the cannons she was trying to fix, were starting to crowd around her, realizing what had happened. The ship rocked a bit more to one side after it crested a wave, and Ledo felt her world spin. She would have fallen entirely if a number of hands had not caught her and helped her to lean against one of the nearby capstains, slowly sinking back to her knees instead. There were shouts all around her, but she could not make out any specific voices, only the very distinct, stressed sounds of Drache as he tried to stay as close to her as possible.

A moment later, another set of hands grabbed her under the arms, hoisting her up to her feet. Ledo's sturdier mechanical arm was draped over the other sailor’s shoulders so her weight could be fully supported by him. She winced at the movement, groaning as she felt another fresh sensation of pain flowing from where the shrapnel was still embedded. But as they started to move, she opened her eyes just enough to see the side of the other sailor’s face. Tanned skin and dirty blond hair currently dirtied by soot and sweat, with horns that curled around to the back of his head. That was all she needed for relief to dull a bit of the pain.

“Killian…” she muttered, the name stumbling out as they moved toward the stairs. She should be addressing him by rank, but she couldn’t be bothered to care at the moment. “I can prob-… probably walk.”

He chuckled. “Probably isn’t good enough, Sergeant.” Despite it all, he managed to give her a smile, though it was only brief, before he had to turn and focus on guiding them through another group of marines who were running supplies to the upper decks. As they passed, however, Killian glanced back at Ledo and took a sharp breath. Her head was starting to droop, and he could feel her movements getting sluggish. He shook her lightly, just enough to get her attention and make her head snap up again, though she still grimaced at another wave of pain. “Ledoras. Stay with me.” He whispered, holding her a bit closer. “Consider yourself lucky I’m letting you look like you’re on your own feet. I could be carrying you like I did back when we–”

“Not… now,” Ledo hissed, her head already spinning even more with each step. Her voice was almost drowned out by the sound of another volley of cannons from above. “Last thing I need… is… is you trying to… tease me while I’m bleeding out.”

Killian smirked at that, his own relief laced throughout the laugh that followed. “Sounds dramatic when you put it that way. But if it works… You better stay awake until I get you to the surgeon, aye?”

Ledo nodded, but could already feel the darkness encroaching on her vision again.

-

Killian could tell he was starting to lose her, as more prodding was getting less of a reaction. Even Drache was not able to elicit a response out of her. But they had made it to the orlop deck by this point, and it was only a matter of getting to the surgeon before Ledo could lose too much more blood. The surgeon’s work area, which had been cleared of sleeping hammocks in preparation for the fight, was plenty busy by this point. The groans of other injured sailors could be heard coming from temporary cots, while the smell of blood and sweat hung heavy in the air.

“Sergeant Doresh!” The voice belonged to one of the younger surgeon’s mates, who happened to recognize him. The boy’s gaze fell on Ledo, eyes widening, and Killian watched as they immediately began preparing a place for her on one of the surgeon’s tables. “What happened?”

“Not sure exactly,” Killian admitted, moving to help lower Ledo on the table. He watched as she winced, head rolling over to the side while her hands seemed to search for something at the table’s edge. He found her good hand and clutched it tight in both of his, which seemed to relax her. Or at least he hoped it did. “I was on the weather deck when one of the enemy volleys went through the upper gun deck. Someone called my name and I came down, saw her like this, and brought her straight here. Looks like a roundshot came through the hull and she got hit by some of the wood. Cut to her head, pierced on her side.”

The boy nodded, glancing around at the rest of the room. “I’ll get the surgeon. Do you need to go, or can you stay a minute to help? Keep her awake while I get him?”

Killian nodded, trying to smile. “I can stay for at least that long. The sailing master has plenty of hands up top, they can go without a navigator for a little while.”

He watched as the assistant sprinted off to go find the surgeon in the crowd of other crew members and cots, before turning to look down at Ledo. Her eyes fluttered open, squinting at a lantern above them, then looked in his direction, though seeming to have trouble focusing. Drache found a spot by her head to curl up, resting his tiny head on her shoulder. She gave a low groan, her body flinching from another wave of pain. “Ki…”

“I’m here. You’ll be fine now,” Killian tried to reassure her in a hushed tone. He squeezed her hand a bit tighter, wishing very much that he could do more. This gesture would have to do for now while they still had eyes on the two of them. He settled on rubbing a thumb over her knuckles and trying to keep her attention while they waited.

She frowned up at him, then managed to mumble, “You’re going to… get in trouble staying here.”

“No, I won’t.” He answered the frown with a renewed smile. “Surgeon’s mate asked me to watch you for a moment. I think I can get a pass for that one. Not your concern right now anyway.”

Ledo blinked, seeming to accept this for now as she tried to take a steadying breath. Her head turned back up towards the ceiling, eyes closed again, and a single corner of her lips twitched upwards. “You’re still too sweet to me…” The statement was barely audible, but it earned her another chuckle.

“Careful, or you might be the one in trouble for flir–” Killian stopped when he noticed her expression change, eyes seeming to roll back. “Dammit,” he muttered, standing up and reaching out to tap her face. “Hey, I said stay with me. Can you hear me?”

Ledo could only groan in response. Shit. Shit. Shit. Killian squeezed her hand again as he looked around, hoping help would come soon.