An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Made a sequel chapter to the "Golden" story I made for tesfest24.
Teldryn continuing to catch feelings and denying them at every turn. Enjoy!
Things were different since that day.
Well, not really. Teldryn still hung out with his boss and helped her in the marketplace carrying supplies back home. They took small adventures into the nearby forest to hunt for deer or just to explore the nearby mountiain. Every night they shared a dinner in her home and every night they separated into their respective rooms to sleep.
Sometimes Yera had to leave to deal with Guild business and left Teldryn on his own to do as he pleased. He spent it browsing the few books she had on her shelves, chatting with Lydia on whatever idle conversation came up, or trying his hand at fishing on their personal dock.
All very mundane, domestic activities he didn’t believe he could ever experience again. For decades his life revolved around how much money he got and which patron was next on the list. Everything else was put to the side as survival was of the utmost importance. Sure there were years he was living it in some form of luxury with the influx of gold, but most of it was saved or spent drinking the evenings away to keep the creeping nightmares away.
Always that promise he’d leave Solstheim and return to Morrowind, his homeland for what it’s worth. Yet here he is now back in Skyrim. Living now in his boss’ home - free of charge! - and spending his afternoon fishing. Fishing on that lake that shined gold at dusk, the same gold that lived in Yera’s hair and eyes when she sat on the porch.
He was sure her housecarl knew. Teldryn knew that Lydia teased Yera back on Solstheim whenever the two of them were chummy. It wasn’t as if Lydia didn’t like Teldryn; in fact the housecarl was grateful for another person to be around Yera when she couldn’t be there. Being guide and friend and housecarl all in one was a big responsibility. But how could Teldryn be that person when all he can think of is running his hand through her hair, looking right into her sunlit eyes, and leaning down to-
Enough, he thought. There are more important things to think about.
For example, like how he was dragging out rugs to the porch to get the dust beaten out of them. It had been months since Yera was last home and the home chores were finally catching up to her. Lydia was already outside setting up the racks to hang them off of while he and Yera rolled and carried the rugs out.
Once outside, they were beaten until a considerable amount of dust and dirt fell onto the porch. Teldryn was tempted to grab his helmet if only to spare his lungs and eyes from the cloud that came out of it.
“How in the Gods did it get so dusty?” Yera grumbled, waving the air in front of her face. “It’s not like I was gone for months and left the bloody windows open.”
“Don’t know about the windows, sera, but you were in Solstheim for quite a few months. You might even say you were gone long enough for the dust to settle in your home.”
“Only because an ancient dragon priest and a Daedric Prince of Knowledge wanted my soul for extreme dubious reasons,” she responded. “I have them to blame for my house chores being left undone.”
“Blame it on Hermaeus Mora’s all seeing eye that you can’t get your rugs dusted in an orderly fashion,” Teldryn joked back.
“Wouldn’t be the first nor the last time the Gods and Princes both wanted to bother me for their own entertainment,” Yera huffed. “But enough of that, I think these are ready to be taken down to the lake for a soak.”
Yera set aside the paddle she was using and reached up to tug the rug down from the rack. It was a huge, heavy thing and while the rack was sturdy it looked ready to fall forward with one badly timed pull.
Too late, the rug caught the pole at the very end of the tug and the whole thing started to fall towards Yera. Out of instinct, Teldryn reached out and grabbed Yera to use his own body to protect against the falling rack. Thankfully, it clattered harmlessly around them and just threw up a big cloud of dust.
“Yera, are you alright?”
“Yeah,” she answered. “Didn’t think I’d pull the whole thing down.”
Now that there was no threat, Teldryn realized the position he put himself in. Arms wrapped around Yera and hunched over her as if blocking an attack. No attack forthcoming except the realization of how close he was to Yera. And how she looked up at him just as stunned as he was.
From this close he could see the scar on her lip so clearly. Two thin lines crossing over the corner of her lips. How she looked so different without her usual warpaint, almost youthful. Eyes clouded over but he could still see where her irises were and how they focused at the center of his face.
How easy would it be to lean down and-
“I heard some noise, did something happen?”
Lydia arrived just in time to have Teldryn release Yera, as if he were about to do something indecent to her. Yera herself took a step back as well and patted herself down, brushing off the dust that and floated onto her.
“Nothing,” Yera answered. “Just pulled on the rug too hard and made the rack fell.”
Yera could never see it, but Teldryn could see it clear as day. Lydia’s eyes glanced down at the rack and back at Teldryn and Yera, and back to Teldryn again. A silent conversation that he could not hear was transmitted through the housecarl’s eyes right into his skull. He knew what she was thinking, and she knew he knew what she was thinking. But Teldryn was an honest man and a coward and didn’t say a single word.
Lydia broke the eye contact and simply walked over to the fallen rug.
“I’m glad you are unharmed. Let’s get this rug into the lake before more unforeseen accidents happen.”
And just like that Teldryn was left on the porch alone once more. Lydia and Yera dragging the rug down while he was left to sweep the dust away. He almost wanted to use the broom to beam himself in the head with how stupid he was acting.
She is still your boss and is paying you, he thought. There is no space here for that kind of feeling. Nevermind she probably doesn’t have the thought or time for it with her lifestyle.
Conveniently forgetting that Yera hasn’t paid him in months, or that she loudly proclaimed she was not going on anymore adventures for the next lifetime, Teldryn focused and brushing the dust and his own feelings away into the wind.
He gave one last cough as some dust flew back into his face, before sweeping them off the porch.
Planning a wedding while working is energy draining in a way that goes right into my soul and sucks all decision making away
It will be great and fun and exactly the way I want (small, a great karaoke machine, and with only immediate family and friends I want) but man is the industry of it so exhausting
