What Happens In Solstheim

Chapter 7

Farah awoke after an annoying ray of sunlight fell on her face. She sat op groggily, wiping at her eyes and looking about the place. They were still at the Beast Stone. The fire had gone out long ago and only ash remained - grey ash instead of the volcanic red.

She stretched and crawled out of the tent, half expecting to find Teldryn already awake and busy scouting or preparing breakfast. But to her surprise, she couldn't find him anywhere near the stone. Farah took a stroll around the are, never wandering too far away from camp. Where could he be this time? There wasn't a forge nearby where he could be occupying himself. She was about to call his name when her eye caught movement in the valley below the cliff they were camping on.

There, in a small and pebbly stream, a person was washing. Well, not completely naked, thank Talos! But they didn't wear a shirt, only half of their armor and their helmet...

Her heart missed about twenty beats when she suddenly realized that it was him. Who else on this entire island wore a helmet like that? Farah turned to leave, wanting to give him some privacy to finish up - but she paused and took another look. Even from where she stood she could tell he was well built, not overly bulky and muscly, but toned enough that she had to swallow when seeing the muscles ripple in his back with each move he made.

Talos, help me...

Only his back was turned to her, but she could tell the rest of him was blessed by the Divines as well. Her cheeks glowed bright red when she returned to camp, suddenly in the mood to go back to sleep and forget that she saw anything - though she didn't mind in the least. Farah started a new fire and kept her thought busy by preparing breakfast. It wasn't long after that before her mercenary strolled into the camp, fully clothed and seeming more hyper than usual.

"Well, well, well, look who finally woke up." He commented when seeing her fidgeting with the rabbit hunches on the fire.

"Uh, yeah, I... I'm awake." She muttered, "Morning to you too."

He noticed her tinted cheeks, but blamed it on the heat of the fire, "There's a stream with fresh water nearby, I made sure it's safe to drink --"

"I know." She cringed at how fast that came out, "I mean, I heard the water rushing."

"Oh? Alright. I'm just saying, in case you want to wash up and refill a bottle or two. Fresh water is scarce in Solstheim."

Farah was quick to scurry to her feet and made her way down to the stream, desperate to just be on her own and to clear her rushing thoughts. Teldryn stared at her back as she left, wondering what had gotten her all worked up. She reminded him of a rabbit surrounded by wolves at that moment. He shrugged and continued the meal she was preparing. However, every few seconds he would find himself glancing over his shoulder in her direction. He couldn't see her exactly, just her shadow in the early morning sun, but he could clearly see her silhouette stripping off the armor, pulling her shirt over her head and her legs slipping out of the leather trousers she wore underneath. There was no telling if she removed her underwear as well, he averted his eyes from her shadow before he could see what happened next.

Only for two or three minutes though...

Teldryn found his eyes travelling back, searching once more for her shadow. He tried convincing himself that he wasn't some kind of perverted and restless asshole, that he was just looking out for her, making sure that she's safe and not surrounded by reavers or ash spawn.

But the knowing thoughts that she wasn't wearing anything just a few feet from him drove him mad.

He never really cared for women much - not in that way, at least. Yes, he respected them and would think some were attractive by his standards, but he never engaged. He would only sit and admire from afar, watch until another male would approach them, send the poor woman a charming smile or two before he led her into a room. That's when Teldryn usually stopped looking. Besides, all women on this island were Dunmer, except for the Skaal but that was certainly out of the question. It wasn't that he had a problem with his own kind - he remembered several beautiful Dunmer women from his time back in Blacklight - but none on this island gave him the craving for romance and settling down.