Elyirwe and Martin Septim
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Panting in her armor, Elyirwe scanned the battlefield in search for the emperor. She could not see him luckily amongst the bodies of Blades members and Daedra that littered the forest floor. Her head was pounding after a hit to her temple by a Xivali. Blood was splattered on her face and armor; some her own, most of it, Daedra.
They had been traveling back to Cloud Ruler Temple after evacuating from a Daedric attack. They had been staying in a faraway cave waiting for the all-clear to bring the emperor back to the temple. They were so close when they were ambushed by Daedra. Elyirwe had lost sight of Martin Septim in the middle of the battle and prayed to the gods that he was still alive.
A daedroth roared and came rushing at her. She barely had enough time to turn around with her shield up. The massive beast hit her so hard that her breath was knocked from her lungs. Her strength was fading, the adrenaline wearing off. She could feel all the scratches and bruises and wounds on her body. She lifted her sword up weakly, readying to fight the daedroth. There were no Blades around her at the moment as she was in a denser part of the forest.
Elyirwe mustered up all the strength she had left, ready to charge at the large beast. Before she could even take a step towards it, a bolt of lighting came from her left and struck the beast. Then another bolt and another until the beast’s innards were fried and smoke came off of its body. Elyirwe sighed and slumped to her knees.
She heard the ground rustle next to her and felt someone pull her into their lap.
Elyirwe looked up into the sky blue eyes of Martin Septim. A little bit of blood was running down his temple and his robes were a little torn. Other than that, he looked fine. His eyes were full of worry as he looked across Elyirwe’s body, seeing her wounds. She smiled softly, her vision blurring as the pain finally caught up to her.
“Don’t you dare die on me now,” Martin growled, his voice low and worried. His eyes frantically searched for a way to take off her cuirass. He peeled the armor off her chest and winced at all the blood on her side. “By the gods,” he whispered.
Elyirwe flinched as Martin put a hand to her wound and closed his eyes. A small, white-blue glow started to form from his palm. The Altmer winced as a flash of pain soared through her body. Then she relaxed as his restoration magic flowed through, sewing her flesh back together. Her breathing became normal once more and she was no longer woozy from the loss of blood.
Martin opened his eyes and looked down at her. She smiled, a real smile, and managed to sit up. The spot he healed was still bruised and he put his hands on her back and chest, ready to catch her should she fall. Elyirwe had to take a few breaths, easing the pain before finally speaking. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“You’d be a terrible bodyguard if you were dead,” Martin joked, but she could still see the fear in his eyes.
“I’m fine now,” she replied, putting a hand on his cheek. His eyes lit up and his body relaxed.
They sat there for a few moments, in each other’s arms, before Martin finally kissed Elyirwe. The Altmer was stunned, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. Martin did the same, the hand that had healed her still covered blood placed a bloody handprint on her tunic. Neither of them seemed to care.
They pulled apart from each other when their names were being shouted. Martin cursed to himself.
Elyirwe couldn’t help but chuckle at his frustration. “My dear emperor, maybe next time.”
Martin looked hopeful as Elyirwe stood up. She put an arm around his shoulders, using him to mask her limp. They looked at each other one last time before regrouping with the other Blades.