Other Fan Fiction ❯ Seeds of Obligation ❯ Chapter Three: Adjustment ( Chapter 3 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Hoshiko Saitou 
Bianca and Kylie talk about their lives and begin to form relationships with those around them.
Miscellaneous: Other Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Fantasy / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.26.2007 | Updated On: 12.27.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.8K | Visits: 120 | Status: Completed
Bianca and Kylie talk about their lives and begin to form relationships with those around them.
Miscellaneous: Other Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Fantasy / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.26.2007 | Updated On: 12.27.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.8K | Visits: 120 | Status: Completed
I haven’t heard any feedback since the prologue. I hope the writing has stayed on par with how I started. Feel free to tell me I’m getting lazy or making too many typing errors. The girl I use to edit my original work doesn’t do fan fiction, so I have no beta reader.
--- --- ---
For an hour or two, Cloud Ruler Temple could convince itself it was back to normal. Bianca and Kylie had been reading by the fire, awkwardly taking notes with a quill. They were treating it like a class almost, immersing themselves in the culture in order to gain a deeper understanding of it. Both held on to the belief that they’d be sent back just as suddenly as they had arrived, but they weren’t about to use that as an excuse to be ignorant.
To be polite, Marizia and Martin talked quietly about the search for a daedric artifact. After admitting her failure, however, Martin had forgotten to keep his voice down. “Why didn’t you get the artifact?”
“He told me to go kill a unicorn,” Marizia said. “Don’t you don’t think that’s a bit too monstrous a task? There are other artifacts; I’ll set off for a different shrine tomorrow morning.”
After a long sigh, Martin sat back in his seat and reopened the book on his lap. “I have no right to be so hard on you. You’ve done more than enough for us.”
“It’s alright, sire. I know you’re under a lot of stress,” she said. “And I’ve heard this morning was chaotic to say the least. Did she really throw a shoe at you?”
“Yes, okay!” Bianca shouted from the bookshelf across the room. “I threw a shoe. Laugh about it and let it go already.”
“Where’s your other shoe?”
“Ya know, I left it in my other realm,” Bianca answered.
“Bianca,” one of the Blades called out as he entered the main room.
She stared at him for a moment, trying to remember his name. “Cy… rus? Right?”
“Yeah. I found something for you.” He pulled out a set of clothes, a shirt and pants, made out of red velvet. “They’re technically men’s clothes, but they were tailored to fit a youth. Sorry it took so long, but we’re pretty specialized in armor around here. No use for fancy clothes.”
“No, it’s fine, thanks,” she said, her tone a little surprised. “That was actually really quick. No offense, but don’t you have anything better to do?”
“We’re on the defensive at the moment. That’s why you see us either on patrols, studying or sparring. So, you ready to make dinner yet?”
“Uh, I guess so,” she said. When he turned to leave she followed him, shrugging at Kylie before she left the room. Kylie returned to her studying after getting up and stretching first.
“I get to eat in town,” Marizia explained. “Is the food really that bad here?”
“It depends on who’s cooking. It can range anywhere between inedible and just under passable,” Martin told her.
“When I head to the shrine I’d like to take them with me. Give the cook some gold for food shopping and let her see what towns in Tamriel are like.”
“They have no combat experience,” Martin said. “It would probably be too dangerous.”
After she took the seat across from the former priest, Marizia stared at him until she got his complete attention. “I’ve closed Oblivion Gates, your majesty. I think I can bring two girls, on horseback, to a food store.”
“If you insist, then speak to Jauffre. He seems to be the one in charge of them.”
“Shouldn’t I speak to them?” she asked. “They are their own people.”
“Normally I would agree that we’re being too controlling, but these are not normal circumstances. I believe that Jauffre knows best when it come to their well-being.”
She shrugged, her bold Redguard features sagging into a rare expression of defeat. “Alright, you guys are the bosses. How is your progress going with the Mysterium Xarxes?”
“It isn’t. Today has been rather hectic, as you’ve said. I hope to know the next item in time for you to return with the first.” He inhaled through his nose and out his mouth. “This is already getting to be quite frustrating.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll all turn out fine. I’ll leave you alone to study and take the new girls out of your hair for a day.”
He looked up at her and nodded. “Thank you, and good luck.”
--- --- ---
Someone had told Martin a long ago that dinner was ready. Somewhere in his consciousness he was registering people talking about the food and laughing over dinnertime stories, but his mind was deep in thought regarding the archaic markings of the Mysterium Xarxes. The world turned around him; people passed by on their guard watch and sometimes Kylie would check out the books on his table. He never so much as looked up and his ears never twitched in response to a single sound. She wanted to do something to him to test his insane focus, like dance on his study table, but she realized that would have been immature and rude, so she left him alone and went about her own business.
Night settled over the temple like a blanket, but Martin remained oblivious even as the cold curled though every crack and crept across the floor on millions of silent legs. As Jauffre had predicted, Bianca was still up reading by the fire. She shut her book on the culture of Leyawiin and returned it to the shelf.
Martin didn’t notice her leave, but he did notice when she slid a bowl of food under his face. He put down the Mysterium Xarxes, resting it atop the pile of book he had plugged with scraps of whatever he could find to mark off important passages
“It’s cold,” she said, “But it should still taste good.” She turned and left before he could say anything, her velvet outfit rustling as she let herself out. He interpreted it as an apology or a peace offering and took a break from his studies to eat.
The heavy meal was good, but it weighed him down and surfaced any weariness he had been pushing aside all night. Though he was unsatisfied with his progress, he convinced himself that tomorrow would be a new and better day. After he thought back and really listened to himself he realized how bitter he’d been about life as of late. He was almost embarrassed when he remembered telling Marizia every honest detail regarding his faithlessness the moment they met.
With a candle in one hand he navigated the halls down to his room. He hated sleeping there, but it was one on a long list of unnecessary luxuries that the Blade’s insisted were his birthright. In return for having his own lavish bedroom he didn’t burn a fire at night. He didn’t want to waste materials. As a result, however, the room was filled with a piercing cold every time he went to sleep. He got into the habit of quickly removing his shoes and getting under the covers, but something caught his attention this time around.
He looked across the room where Bianca and Kylie had been asleep on his floor and saw a silver bag. It was crafted in a different fashion than the bags women carried in Tamriel and made out of some sort of reflective materiel that had a texture like Argonian scales. When he picked it up the contents clicked together in a chorus of hollow noises. He looked inside and noticed a scroll on top of the pile of foreign belongings. It was obvious that the rolled up parchment didn’t belong there, so he didn’t feel guilty taking it from the bag.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he straightened out the parchment and groaned aloud at the Akaviri symbols. Their use indicated that whatever magic had brought the two women to Tamriel, it wasn’t legal in the Empire.
“Excellent. More works to translate.”
--- --- ---
Though Kylie had gone to bed at a decent hour, too many factors were making it hard for her to stay asleep. Her loose, itchy clothing was doing little to keep her warm and the “mattress” wasn’t even half an inch thick. Deciding she should at least get some exercise if she wasn’t going to sleep, she wrapped the thin blanket around herself, slipped her shoes back on and began wandering the temple.
“Can I help you?” a voice asked her as she was about to enter the main hall.
“I can’t sleep,” she admitted. “I’m sorry if we’re not supposed to wander around.”
“Oh, I wasn’t yelling at you,” the man said. “I was just asking if you needed help.”
“Well is there anything special to do at four in the morning? Is there anyone here really good at listening to people whine?” she asked.
He laughed and amicably put an arm around her shoulders. “Come here, I think I’ve got something for you.”
She didn’t feel too uncomfortable with his gesture, but she couldn’t help laughing as a sign of embarrassment. “What’s your name again?”
“Arcturus.” They entered the main room of the temple and he gestured for her to sit at the table closest to the fire that wasn’t Martin’s work table. He walked into another room and came back with a clear bottle filled with a golden brown liquid and a glass filled with a little of it. “Here.”
“What is it?” she asked. She took the drink, but waited for an answer before she tried it.
“Brandy,” he said before he drank some straight out of the bottle to prove it was safe for consumption. “It’ll warm y-” Before he finished his sentence she’d polished off her glass and was holding her hand out for a refill.
“If it’s alright with you’d I like to get very very drunk,” she said. “I don’t know if you wanna stick around for it though. I’ll probably cry again and tell you how much I hate this place.”
He refilled her glass and took a seat on the floor next to her chair. “Cheers?”
She smiled and gently tapped her glass against the bottle.
--- --- ---
“You should know better than to get drunk,” Bianca said, shaking Kylie awake. The blonde woman had fallen asleep on the table with two empty brandy bottles next to her. “God knows where you’d wake up this time.”
“It was very therapeutic,” Kylie mumbled.
Outside the temple Jauffre was bringing around a painted horse that he was going to let the women borrow for their trip. He handed off the reigns to Marizia as the two young ladies began descending the stairs. He wasn’t sure if he approved of the way they’d altered their clothing. Bianca had folded the sides of her shirt in so that they formed a deep, v-shaped collar and had used a belt to bring it in at the thinnest part of her waist. Kylie had put on laced leather pants and had rolled up her skirt so it fell just above her knee. “I understand that you wish to feel comfortable,” he began. He knew they’d view him as too strict, but he tried to convey sincerity all the same. “But we can’t have you two garnering too much attention.”
They sighed and fixed their clothing to be more appropriate. Jauffre didn’t feel proud of himself, but he knew it was in their best interest to blend in as best as they could.
“So Bianca said you know how to ride,” Marizia said. She handed the reigns of Jauffre’s horse over to Kylie. Bianca, on the other hand, would ride behind the Redguard.
With a loud and clear command they began riding the horses down the mountainside. Jauffre watched until they disappeared and turned around with the intention of checking on Martin. Instead he was greeted with the sight of Martin at the top of the stairs.
“Jauffre, I need to speak with you.”
--- --- ---
“The two of you amaze me,” Kylie admitted as they galloped slowly back up the mountainside.
“We knights get trained in speech craft,” Marizia said. “We’re taught to fight for the people and be well-liked protectors. This one, however,” she said as she motioned back to Bianca. “I don’t know what her excuse is for being so good at it.”
“I told you, I’m a business woman,” Bianca said. “I can talk my way around anything.”
“So what did you do back in your world?” Marizia asked Kylie.
“Nothing useful. I was a fashion consultant for a clothing store. I’m beginning to wish I majored in blacksmithing instead.”
“That’s not useless. Well, to be honest I think it’s useless, but there’s a big calling for that in the Imperial City. Rich people around there love a good excuse to spend money. Scratch that, they love the bad ones too.” They trotted along in silence for the rest of the trip, enjoying the view and the warmer weather at the base of the mountain.
When they arrived back at the temple they unloaded the things they’d purchased and began carrying them inside. It was strange how monotonous tasks helped make them feel at home and normal, and how joking around with someone made them completely amnesiac to their troubles. Those happy feelings were fleeting, however, as they only ended up reminding them of similar times back home. There were many instances where they saw something that reminded them of an old friend. They’d open their mouths to start speaking of the memory, but it hurt too much. The wounds of loss were still fresh, and happy memories were all too much like salt.
Once all the food was brought in, Bianca walked to Jauffre’s room to return the change from the trip. She placed her hand against the door and prepared to push it open but the sound of frantic voices stopped her.
“I don’t know what to do, Jauffre. This entire mess has gotten far too bizarre far too fast. We don’t even know which of them the scroll is talking about.”
She didn’t move a muscle as she listened to their conversation and waited for them to say something more specific. She finally heard what she’d been waiting for, but the information chilled her blood to a near halt. On the tips of her toes she ran down the hall back into the main hall, breathing heavily and trying to convince herself that she’d misheard them. In the back of her mind, however, she knew she’d heard them loud and clear.
--- --- ---
Kylie felt someone pulling on her arm as she slept that night. When she tried to ask who it was, the person covered her mouth.
“Shhh,” Bianca whispered. “Come on.”
“What the Hell? What time is it?” Kylie wasn’t surprised that Bianca was pulling this stunt. She’d been acting up all afternoon.
“Shhh!” she repeated, this time more harshly.
Bianca pulled her friend up and dragged her down the halls without an ounce of explanation. Her gate was determined and forceful, scaring Kylie a little. “What’s wrong?”
“We’re getting out of here,” Bianca said. She shoved open the doors and they were both hit hard by the cold winds outside.
“Why? Bianca, stop! What’s wrong?”
“I’ll tell you when we get there.”
“Get where?”
With a flash of anger in her eyes, Bianca pointed toward the grand palace in the distance. “The Imperial City.”
--- --- ---
For an hour or two, Cloud Ruler Temple could convince itself it was back to normal. Bianca and Kylie had been reading by the fire, awkwardly taking notes with a quill. They were treating it like a class almost, immersing themselves in the culture in order to gain a deeper understanding of it. Both held on to the belief that they’d be sent back just as suddenly as they had arrived, but they weren’t about to use that as an excuse to be ignorant.
To be polite, Marizia and Martin talked quietly about the search for a daedric artifact. After admitting her failure, however, Martin had forgotten to keep his voice down. “Why didn’t you get the artifact?”
“He told me to go kill a unicorn,” Marizia said. “Don’t you don’t think that’s a bit too monstrous a task? There are other artifacts; I’ll set off for a different shrine tomorrow morning.”
After a long sigh, Martin sat back in his seat and reopened the book on his lap. “I have no right to be so hard on you. You’ve done more than enough for us.”
“It’s alright, sire. I know you’re under a lot of stress,” she said. “And I’ve heard this morning was chaotic to say the least. Did she really throw a shoe at you?”
“Yes, okay!” Bianca shouted from the bookshelf across the room. “I threw a shoe. Laugh about it and let it go already.”
“Where’s your other shoe?”
“Ya know, I left it in my other realm,” Bianca answered.
“Bianca,” one of the Blades called out as he entered the main room.
She stared at him for a moment, trying to remember his name. “Cy… rus? Right?”
“Yeah. I found something for you.” He pulled out a set of clothes, a shirt and pants, made out of red velvet. “They’re technically men’s clothes, but they were tailored to fit a youth. Sorry it took so long, but we’re pretty specialized in armor around here. No use for fancy clothes.”
“No, it’s fine, thanks,” she said, her tone a little surprised. “That was actually really quick. No offense, but don’t you have anything better to do?”
“We’re on the defensive at the moment. That’s why you see us either on patrols, studying or sparring. So, you ready to make dinner yet?”
“Uh, I guess so,” she said. When he turned to leave she followed him, shrugging at Kylie before she left the room. Kylie returned to her studying after getting up and stretching first.
“I get to eat in town,” Marizia explained. “Is the food really that bad here?”
“It depends on who’s cooking. It can range anywhere between inedible and just under passable,” Martin told her.
“When I head to the shrine I’d like to take them with me. Give the cook some gold for food shopping and let her see what towns in Tamriel are like.”
“They have no combat experience,” Martin said. “It would probably be too dangerous.”
After she took the seat across from the former priest, Marizia stared at him until she got his complete attention. “I’ve closed Oblivion Gates, your majesty. I think I can bring two girls, on horseback, to a food store.”
“If you insist, then speak to Jauffre. He seems to be the one in charge of them.”
“Shouldn’t I speak to them?” she asked. “They are their own people.”
“Normally I would agree that we’re being too controlling, but these are not normal circumstances. I believe that Jauffre knows best when it come to their well-being.”
She shrugged, her bold Redguard features sagging into a rare expression of defeat. “Alright, you guys are the bosses. How is your progress going with the Mysterium Xarxes?”
“It isn’t. Today has been rather hectic, as you’ve said. I hope to know the next item in time for you to return with the first.” He inhaled through his nose and out his mouth. “This is already getting to be quite frustrating.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll all turn out fine. I’ll leave you alone to study and take the new girls out of your hair for a day.”
He looked up at her and nodded. “Thank you, and good luck.”
--- --- ---
Someone had told Martin a long ago that dinner was ready. Somewhere in his consciousness he was registering people talking about the food and laughing over dinnertime stories, but his mind was deep in thought regarding the archaic markings of the Mysterium Xarxes. The world turned around him; people passed by on their guard watch and sometimes Kylie would check out the books on his table. He never so much as looked up and his ears never twitched in response to a single sound. She wanted to do something to him to test his insane focus, like dance on his study table, but she realized that would have been immature and rude, so she left him alone and went about her own business.
Night settled over the temple like a blanket, but Martin remained oblivious even as the cold curled though every crack and crept across the floor on millions of silent legs. As Jauffre had predicted, Bianca was still up reading by the fire. She shut her book on the culture of Leyawiin and returned it to the shelf.
Martin didn’t notice her leave, but he did notice when she slid a bowl of food under his face. He put down the Mysterium Xarxes, resting it atop the pile of book he had plugged with scraps of whatever he could find to mark off important passages
“It’s cold,” she said, “But it should still taste good.” She turned and left before he could say anything, her velvet outfit rustling as she let herself out. He interpreted it as an apology or a peace offering and took a break from his studies to eat.
The heavy meal was good, but it weighed him down and surfaced any weariness he had been pushing aside all night. Though he was unsatisfied with his progress, he convinced himself that tomorrow would be a new and better day. After he thought back and really listened to himself he realized how bitter he’d been about life as of late. He was almost embarrassed when he remembered telling Marizia every honest detail regarding his faithlessness the moment they met.
With a candle in one hand he navigated the halls down to his room. He hated sleeping there, but it was one on a long list of unnecessary luxuries that the Blade’s insisted were his birthright. In return for having his own lavish bedroom he didn’t burn a fire at night. He didn’t want to waste materials. As a result, however, the room was filled with a piercing cold every time he went to sleep. He got into the habit of quickly removing his shoes and getting under the covers, but something caught his attention this time around.
He looked across the room where Bianca and Kylie had been asleep on his floor and saw a silver bag. It was crafted in a different fashion than the bags women carried in Tamriel and made out of some sort of reflective materiel that had a texture like Argonian scales. When he picked it up the contents clicked together in a chorus of hollow noises. He looked inside and noticed a scroll on top of the pile of foreign belongings. It was obvious that the rolled up parchment didn’t belong there, so he didn’t feel guilty taking it from the bag.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he straightened out the parchment and groaned aloud at the Akaviri symbols. Their use indicated that whatever magic had brought the two women to Tamriel, it wasn’t legal in the Empire.
“Excellent. More works to translate.”
--- --- ---
Though Kylie had gone to bed at a decent hour, too many factors were making it hard for her to stay asleep. Her loose, itchy clothing was doing little to keep her warm and the “mattress” wasn’t even half an inch thick. Deciding she should at least get some exercise if she wasn’t going to sleep, she wrapped the thin blanket around herself, slipped her shoes back on and began wandering the temple.
“Can I help you?” a voice asked her as she was about to enter the main hall.
“I can’t sleep,” she admitted. “I’m sorry if we’re not supposed to wander around.”
“Oh, I wasn’t yelling at you,” the man said. “I was just asking if you needed help.”
“Well is there anything special to do at four in the morning? Is there anyone here really good at listening to people whine?” she asked.
He laughed and amicably put an arm around her shoulders. “Come here, I think I’ve got something for you.”
She didn’t feel too uncomfortable with his gesture, but she couldn’t help laughing as a sign of embarrassment. “What’s your name again?”
“Arcturus.” They entered the main room of the temple and he gestured for her to sit at the table closest to the fire that wasn’t Martin’s work table. He walked into another room and came back with a clear bottle filled with a golden brown liquid and a glass filled with a little of it. “Here.”
“What is it?” she asked. She took the drink, but waited for an answer before she tried it.
“Brandy,” he said before he drank some straight out of the bottle to prove it was safe for consumption. “It’ll warm y-” Before he finished his sentence she’d polished off her glass and was holding her hand out for a refill.
“If it’s alright with you’d I like to get very very drunk,” she said. “I don’t know if you wanna stick around for it though. I’ll probably cry again and tell you how much I hate this place.”
He refilled her glass and took a seat on the floor next to her chair. “Cheers?”
She smiled and gently tapped her glass against the bottle.
--- --- ---
“You should know better than to get drunk,” Bianca said, shaking Kylie awake. The blonde woman had fallen asleep on the table with two empty brandy bottles next to her. “God knows where you’d wake up this time.”
“It was very therapeutic,” Kylie mumbled.
Outside the temple Jauffre was bringing around a painted horse that he was going to let the women borrow for their trip. He handed off the reigns to Marizia as the two young ladies began descending the stairs. He wasn’t sure if he approved of the way they’d altered their clothing. Bianca had folded the sides of her shirt in so that they formed a deep, v-shaped collar and had used a belt to bring it in at the thinnest part of her waist. Kylie had put on laced leather pants and had rolled up her skirt so it fell just above her knee. “I understand that you wish to feel comfortable,” he began. He knew they’d view him as too strict, but he tried to convey sincerity all the same. “But we can’t have you two garnering too much attention.”
They sighed and fixed their clothing to be more appropriate. Jauffre didn’t feel proud of himself, but he knew it was in their best interest to blend in as best as they could.
“So Bianca said you know how to ride,” Marizia said. She handed the reigns of Jauffre’s horse over to Kylie. Bianca, on the other hand, would ride behind the Redguard.
With a loud and clear command they began riding the horses down the mountainside. Jauffre watched until they disappeared and turned around with the intention of checking on Martin. Instead he was greeted with the sight of Martin at the top of the stairs.
“Jauffre, I need to speak with you.”
--- --- ---
“The two of you amaze me,” Kylie admitted as they galloped slowly back up the mountainside.
“We knights get trained in speech craft,” Marizia said. “We’re taught to fight for the people and be well-liked protectors. This one, however,” she said as she motioned back to Bianca. “I don’t know what her excuse is for being so good at it.”
“I told you, I’m a business woman,” Bianca said. “I can talk my way around anything.”
“So what did you do back in your world?” Marizia asked Kylie.
“Nothing useful. I was a fashion consultant for a clothing store. I’m beginning to wish I majored in blacksmithing instead.”
“That’s not useless. Well, to be honest I think it’s useless, but there’s a big calling for that in the Imperial City. Rich people around there love a good excuse to spend money. Scratch that, they love the bad ones too.” They trotted along in silence for the rest of the trip, enjoying the view and the warmer weather at the base of the mountain.
When they arrived back at the temple they unloaded the things they’d purchased and began carrying them inside. It was strange how monotonous tasks helped make them feel at home and normal, and how joking around with someone made them completely amnesiac to their troubles. Those happy feelings were fleeting, however, as they only ended up reminding them of similar times back home. There were many instances where they saw something that reminded them of an old friend. They’d open their mouths to start speaking of the memory, but it hurt too much. The wounds of loss were still fresh, and happy memories were all too much like salt.
Once all the food was brought in, Bianca walked to Jauffre’s room to return the change from the trip. She placed her hand against the door and prepared to push it open but the sound of frantic voices stopped her.
“I don’t know what to do, Jauffre. This entire mess has gotten far too bizarre far too fast. We don’t even know which of them the scroll is talking about.”
She didn’t move a muscle as she listened to their conversation and waited for them to say something more specific. She finally heard what she’d been waiting for, but the information chilled her blood to a near halt. On the tips of her toes she ran down the hall back into the main hall, breathing heavily and trying to convince herself that she’d misheard them. In the back of her mind, however, she knew she’d heard them loud and clear.
--- --- ---
Kylie felt someone pulling on her arm as she slept that night. When she tried to ask who it was, the person covered her mouth.
“Shhh,” Bianca whispered. “Come on.”
“What the Hell? What time is it?” Kylie wasn’t surprised that Bianca was pulling this stunt. She’d been acting up all afternoon.
“Shhh!” she repeated, this time more harshly.
Bianca pulled her friend up and dragged her down the halls without an ounce of explanation. Her gate was determined and forceful, scaring Kylie a little. “What’s wrong?”
“We’re getting out of here,” Bianca said. She shoved open the doors and they were both hit hard by the cold winds outside.
“Why? Bianca, stop! What’s wrong?”
“I’ll tell you when we get there.”
“Get where?”
With a flash of anger in her eyes, Bianca pointed toward the grand palace in the distance. “The Imperial City.”