My Random Skyrim Stories

Sword and Shield (Argis) 4

It had been a little over a week since Lyste had moved in, when Argis was woken suddenly in the middle of the night. It sounded like there was a bit of a thunderstorm raging outside, but that wasn't what had woken him.

Across the hall, in her large master bedroom, Lyste was crying out...

As he bolted from his bed and opened his door he heard her frantic voice yelling things like "no," and "get back!"

Not caring that he was only wearing his sleep trousers, Argis grabbed his sword and shield and rushed to her room, ready to dispatch an intruder...
But instead of an intruder, he found Lyste alone in her bed, tossing and turning frantically, in the throws of a nightmare.

Argis took a deep breath to calm himself down as he considered what he should do... she slept in the same long mage robes that she usually wore around the house, but the leather wraps he'd never previously seen her without were rolled neatly on her nightstand...

The blankets were tangled around her legs leaving her top half only covered by the weathered moss-green fabric of her robe... and the robe had come slightly open in her thrashing... she wasn't entirely exposed, but he could see the gentle curve of her breast, and a thin, faint scar between them. There were also burn scars that extended from her right shoulder to just under her collarbone. Argis could guess those burns also extended all the way down the arm that she usually kept wrapped.

He could also guess she'd be embarrassed to know he'd seen her like this...

It might be most proper to simply close her door and go back to his bed... pretend he had just slept through her nightmare...

But he was her housecarl... he was supposed to help and protect her... he'd had to help Asgald through night-terrors many times later in his life... and Argis was no stranger to reliving his battles in his sleep either...

She was breathing heavily now with her eyes moving rapidly behind her eyelids, and her legs were twitching like she was probably running from something in her mind. Argis decided he should probably at least wake her...

"My Thane," he called out loudly from her doorway, but when that didn't rouse her he stepped closer... doing his best to keep his eyes on her face... "my Thane, wake up!" He tried loudly again.

"It's not me!" Lyste thrashed, her eyes shut tightly in obvious distress, "leave me alone!"

"Lyste!" Argis called louder. He set his sword and shield carefully down on her dresser since he didn't have his sheath or his belt, and stepped to the side of her bed. "My Thane, wake up," he said again, gently reaching to shake her left shoulder.

As soon as he touched her, her eyes snapped open and she sat immediately bolt upright, swinging forward as a dark purple, spectral short sword materialized in her left hand.

A sword was the last thing Argis expected, and he barely got his arm up in time to block the wicked looking blade from taking his head off. "Hey!" He grunted in startled pain as the summoned sword sliced into his forearm and cut quickly to the bone.

"Argis?!" Lyste gasped in horror, and the sword vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed as she scrambled to her knees and grabbed his now bleeding arm with both hands before Argis could pull away.

Before Argis really even registered what was happening, both of Lyste's hands lit with a golden light and a warm, soothing feeling flowed into his arm. The deep wound closed before his eyes, and the warm, comforting feeling spread from his arm across his whole body. It reminded him of the warmth of a good strong mead but without the haze the alcohol brought to his head... it felt good... he commented as much before he thought better of it, almost forgetting that she'd nearly killed him only moments before.

"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly as the light from her spell faded. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize it was you..."

"It's alright," Argis shook his head, "I didn' mean t' scare y'," he added sheepishly. He meant to look down into her eyes and apologize in earnest, but the sight of her caught him off guard... her blue eyes were a little bloodshot and her freckled cheeks were flushed... and she was up on her knees before him, holding his arm and looking worriedly up at him with wide eyes...

Then he accidentally let his eyes travel from her face and lower down...

Her robe had come even further open when she'd lunged out of bed the way she had... and by the gods... that beautiful sight was surely going to haunt his dreams...

She wasn't the blemish-free, idealized, mostly artificial vision of beauty he'd grown accustomed to seeing up in the temple when he visited his mother... she was...

...

... 'Real' was the word that came to Argis's mind first... scarred and freckled, but still somehow perfectly gorgeous...

And most certainly a sight that was not meant to be seen by Argis.

He tore his eyes away, clearing his throat in awkward embarrassment as he felt his cheeks heating with a flush that traveled all the way to his ears.

Out of the corner of his eye Argis saw her cock her head in confusion before she glanced down and let go of his arms with an embarrassed gasp to pull her robe tightly closed again.

"Divines! Argis I'm sorry!" She flustered in embarrassment, "I didn't mean to..."

"'S ok," Argis shook his head, "I don't mind— I mean... uh... you don't have t'..." Argis trailed off, feeling more embarrassed as he clapped his hand to his forehead. He cleared his throat awkwardly again. "Forgive me Thane," he mumbled simply, deciding to leave it at that before he could put his foot in his mouth any worse.

He stood back up to head for the door but paused as he heard her take a slow deep breath and let it out in a soft sigh.

"I mean, as long as you can forgive me for nearly cutting your hand off," she replied.

Argis glanced back to her at that to find her sitting with her feet tucked under her and both arms wrapped around her torso, holding the robe as tightly closed as she could... and she was smiling sheepishly up at him and looking just as embarrassed as he was. It was actually rather adorable, and made his heart begin to race all over again.

"I uh... yeah," Argis nodded in surprise, looking down at what was now a faint scar on his arm. Even the bloody mess was gone. "It's fine now," he added, holding his arm up for her to see. "I probably shoulda been more careful wakin' up a mage," he added apologetically. "Jus' glad y're a healer too."

Lyste sighed heavily at that, and Argis thought she actually looked relieved he didn't seem angry with her. "Me too," she agreed. "Thank you," she added softly, still looking embarrassed, "for waking me I mean."

"Mmhmm," Argis nodded, doing his best to remain stoic. "So, uh... d'you need anything else, my Thane?"

For a brief moment Argis's heart jumped as he saw Lyste's eyes seem to dart quickly up and down his bare chest, but then she quickly averted her eyes again.

"I... no, I'm fine," Lyste shook her head. "Thank you, Argis," she said quietly again.

Argis swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded awkwardly as he made his retreat. He hurried back to his room, but he doubted he'd be getting much more sleep that night.