A Father's Last Gift

"Aran, you may rise. I will not punish you, as you have done as I expected you to. The man wished me no harm, I agree that he handled the entire ordeal terribly. However, if you had stopped him then you would be dead or seriously injured, and quite possibly I would have been taken away and tried there and then for assaulting a member of the court as you are my servant. Your actions reflect upon me and I would be punished for them."

Aran was extremely confused by her explanation. Surely she didn't think he would've intended to kill the man. If anything, his inaction might have led to a number of things, all of them bad. The guards and questioner might now think that they could show Lady Chloe disrespect without repercussion was not the worst of it. As her servant, he was supposed to protect her honor, and ensure no one ever had any doubt of his loyalty. If they now thought that they could treat her poorly and get away with it, what else might they attempt? It was not something that Aran wanted to think about. She was right about one thing though, his actions did reflect on her, and they'd reflected poorly so far.

She seemed not to desire talking about it any longer, so he stood back up, hoping he'd have a chance to explain later. Her refusal to punish him was enough shame for him at the moment, and we wondered if she truly did know anything about proper servitude, or if she just enjoyed making him squirm. He hoped it was not the later.

"Come, Aran. Take your sword and follow me, we are going to get my sword belt and then we are leaving this city. The Assassins should not care for me now that I have already reached the City Watch, surely. If they do. . . Then I guess I shall have to fight them, you too."

He said nothing, not sure he liked the idea of having to fight more assassins. It would be a delay, and they'd have to accept the hospitality of those he'd rather not. Still though, that was better then risking Chloe's life. It was not his place to question her orders. He strapped on his belt and went to the door, opening it up and checking the outside of the hallway. Even within the barracks, he was not willing to take any chances, especially now that he knew there was a price on his master's head.

"Such a mess. . . All because I saw a corpse. . ."

Aran was unsure about if he needed to speak or not. After her shaming, he was a bit lax with his emotions, and getting to be in a sour mood. Her statement was foolish, to stay the least, and while he couldn't say that outright, she needed to be told. Especially if she thought she was going to get away with shaming him. Refuse to punish him indeed!

"No doubt had you not seen it, someone else would have. The body would have been found, and whatever information the assassins might think you know would have been attributed to the other instead. Obviously a guardsmen has betrayed the information to others. If this information someone pertains to plots against the king, things in this city are much more dangerous then you might anticipate my lady."

"Had another, less capable hand found what you did, the ambush in the streets still would have came, and they would likely be dead in street while the houses burned. At most, you can hope who sent the assassins will now be less forward in their plans, and at least save the city some time. Events would have played out were you taken prisoner or not, and with such a bold attack in the streets, likely it is well that it was you that found the poor fellow. Wayrest shall be better for your actions Lady Chloe, and I daresay chaos will come whether you are involved or not."

There were questions he wanted answered, and he was highly intrigued by what danger the king might be in, but that was not for them. Aran only had two goals in mind, and they took precendence over anything else. The Lady Chloe must survive, and the binding must be completed. Everything else, was secondary.

---

Several hours south of Wayrest, running straight out of the city itself, the Dragontail's Road winded through the Cloak Forest. The road was ancient by the standards of man, dating back to before the Dwemer had been the dominating force in Hammerfell. It was a well paved and well maintained road, cobblestones force into the dirt, and the trees kept trimmed back. That was not to say the brush did not grow close to the road, and the tall trees blocking the sun directly overhead, sending scattered rays through the branches to light the way.

To the east lay the Dragontail Mountains, for which the road had been named. It was to their that Aran was headed, to pass through into Hammerfell, with his master the Lady Chloe. They would not make it today, but they would reach Mournoth by nightfall. He tried to ignore that afterwards they would not be staying in inns for a time. In fact he was trying to ignore a lot of things.

The truth was, his mood had soured greatly, even if he didn't show it. It had nothing to do with their departure from the city of course, that had gone as smoothly as he had wished. It was a simple matter picking up the Lady Chloe's new sword belt, even if he did feel they paid too much for it. Of course, it was crafted very well, and she'd made no complaint, especially since it'd been given coloring to match her sword hilt. He wasn't sure how the Khajiit had managed that, but Aran wasn't one to question.

His mood certainly had nothing to do with their arrival at the Inn either. Nothing of note had happened their. Aran had simply saw to things and ensured everything was ready, giving the innkeep a polite farewell at their 'appreciation of his hospitality.' Aran had worked for every scrap the innkeep had given, the way he saw it, but that was a simple traders way, no matter his business.

The gate guards had let them out without so much as a warning, for which Aran was thankful. Certainly, they had been prisoners, whatever any damned sergeant with honeyed words tried to make it sound like. But they had been released, and as soon as the word came back that they were free to leave the city, they had rode out without Aran so much as glancing behind him.

He was actually glad that they had rode mostly silent for once, though he was certain he was the cause of that. Aran had attempted to reason with Chloe, subtly, that punishment was completely necessary for his failure, and he wasn't even sure she had acknowledged what he was trying to say. He had worded it as carefully as he could not to offend her, knowing she had said they would not talk about it further.

But, that of course was the problem itself. She not only had refused to punish him, but she refused to explain why. It was as if she enjoyed shaming him. Based on her earlier actions, he wasn't sure she didn't. It was impossible for him to understand why of course - he'd be better off trying to reason out why the sky was blue then understand a woman - but it was bad enough that he'd erred in the first place. To treat him this way was just. . . rude! Aran was glad he had such firm control of himself, or he'd likely give her a piece of his mind. Such a thing was unheard of, and he still cursed himself for his statement earlier in the city about her involvement in the cities troubles. That had been far too close to a lecture for it be an appropriate statement from a servant without being asked his opinion first.

He watched the trees absently, always scanning for a sign of danger. It was second nature to him, and in part the serenity of the land helped his mood. It certainly was not enough to distract him from it entirely. He rode beside her, and looked over at the back of her head, scowling at her like a child beneath his helmet. Did she have to make things so difficult? No doubt she was having a good laugh to herself about making him uncomfortable. This had to be revenge for the charm spell, he was certain of it, but surely she had shamed him enough by now? The whole ordeal was enough to drive a man mad. Of everything he'd imagined, this was certainly not what he expected of being a servant!

"Do you have any problems, Aran? If we are to make this. . . Pairing? Between us work, I need you to tell me any problems you may have, so we may work to the best of our potential."

Problems? She wanted to know if HE had problems? They wouldn't be problems at all if he had any inkling of what Chloe was about. Even so, that was hardly an appropriate question for a master to ask a servant. Any 'problems' he had were supposed to be dealt with personally. He began wondering once more if her intentions were just to taunt him.

He gripped the reigns tightly wishing their were some way to avoid the conversation. Even without the binding, we wouldn't lie to her, but some careful wording might keep him from any further shaming. At the very least, he might be able to pry answers from her. That all hardly seemed worth the risk to him, but if she was going to go so far as to refuse him punishment, things could hardly get any worse.

"It is not a problem so much as a . . . curiosity. If it please you, I am confused that you have not yet punished me." She'd said not to bring it up, but she had been the one to ask. "I am uncertain as to what I have done to displease you so greatly as to receive that treatment." Short of outright asking what he had done wrong would be as shameful as the lack of punishment was in the first place. "I beg forgiveness for my ignorance Lady Chloe, but I am unfamiliar with your treatment of . . . servants, and I am at a loss for how to serve you properly in all of the duties I was taught to perform."

That was nearly as bad as calling himself an idiot, but that at least Aran could handle that. Just because he was expected to maintain a facade of knowing everything didn't mean he actually did. For mention of such a thing to anyone else he might as well do the lashings himself, but a servants appearance with a master was unique. If she had desires of him that were different then what he had been taught to perform , it was her decision if Chloe wanted to set new responsibilities on him. After all, she'd only owned him for a single day, and there were some things she was bound to change. He only hoped she didn't expect him to know her whims so quickly, otherwise the punishments just seemed to keep stacking up today.

Aran held back his shock, but only barely. He could never picture himself doing anything that would cause her displeasure on purpose, certainly not being an arse. For that matter, he wasn't sure he could stand being masterless, though he imagined that she still didn't have a full grasp on what the binding would mean. Even if she dismissed him from her service, they'd still be able to feel each others presence. As for treating him like. . . staff? That was almost as ridiculous as her suggesting he would prefer to be masterless.

". . . a sword without a hand to wield it. . . " Aran was surprised that he'd let any of his thoughts slip, but Chloe certainly had him unsettled. He hadn't been this off-center since he'd been raised to a full servant. Quickly, he continued with the train of thought, hoping she wouldn't catch his slip.

"My lady, my existence would be pointless without a master. To serve is my only reason for existing. I am. . . confused that you would treat me as staff, my Lady." He didn't want to say he was a slave, and in fact had been taught he was nothing of the sort, even if he was smart enough to see the similarities. "As you say, I am your Servant but. . . my mind and body are yours entirely, Lady Chloe. The price has been paid, and I am your property now. Perhaps you would not beat a dog for displeasure, but when a kennel master trains the hunting hounds, punishment is required to show the hound when it has erred. . ."

He couldn't quite fathom what strange notions she had about servants, but all he could do was voice his confusion and hope it did not displease her. "If you are. . . squeamish about such methods my Lady, I can inflict the punishment for you. Perhaps you are. . . distressed by the fight in Wayrest? I have known those who suppressed thoughts of the first they kill, thought it is an unhealthy act. Better to face the act then let it seep through your veins. . . Forgive me if misspoke my Lady, I simply do not understand why you would deny me my punishment."

"Just know that I will treat you like a person under my employ, not my property. It is my choice and you will just have to accept it. Maybe you will even learn to like it."

"As you say Lady Chloe. I would not question your judgment in this. . . though I shall find it hard to come to terms with." And that was the understatement of the era. It was well that he was wearing a helmet, because he was positive her statements had his face flustered with color. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had been so embarrassed. She was asking him - a servant - to be something other then what he was? It was. . . unthinkable. He couldn't believe that the an'Kin hadn't waned him about any possibilities like this.

The an'Kin had spent so much time convincing him that these kind of thoughts would be enough for severe punishment, and now she was telling him that he would be treated as anything but property. How in the Nine Divines was he supposed to deal with this? Nothing in his training had prepared him for this kind of problem.

"My lady. . . is. . is this a test?" He held the uncertainty from his voice, even with the pause in his words. It sounded normal enough, but he couldn't help but wonder. Surely Chloe must be testing his dedication, since she did not yet hold his binding. "I swear to you my lady, I am but your humble servant. I exist only to serve. Is. . . is this my punishment?" He couldn't even imagine how to begin being anything else. In truth, he wasn't really anything more then a slave, and he wondered how he could ever be anything else. But perhaps his punishment was her treatment of him. It had certainly been harder to understand what she was asking of him, then the simple punishments the an'Kin had put him through. He silently prayed that she would just ask him to flay one of his fingers rather then keep on with this mental torment.

"But you will not be treated like a slave in my service. You will be more than that. . . you will be a Pelin. My Knight."

That nearly sent him sprawling from his horse. A knight? Did this bloody woman want to see him hanged when they got to Norvos? If the an'Kin thought he had anything to do with this. . . most likely he'd never see the end of the torture that would await him. He was a Servant, that was his fate, and anything else would be inappropriate. Maybe she had other plans for him, but surely Chloe would see sense, if he presented it to her. Subtly, over time of course.

"If that is your desire my Lady. I live to serve your every wish." That probably wasn't the phrase she wanted to hear, but he would just have to show his subservience. Even if she denied it, surely this was some kind of test. He hoped that their travel would pass quickly, so that she could bind him, and know his loyalty. Aran was still pleased by his mistress of course, but he certainly had not expected her to be so . . . devious. He truly wished he could understand what she was scheming.

"Thank you, Aran. I am sure you'll learn to enjoy your service under me in this manner."

As I'm sure you will enjoy my service once you realize I was not fated for such treatment. . . Aran thought. He grew resolute, hoping that there would be plenty of opportunities in the coming trip to show her the error of her thinking. It wasn't that a small part of him didn't want to be 'free,' but Aran accepted that as beyond his reach. If he could not show her why her ideas were flawed by the time they reached Norvos, the an'Kin would set her straight, certainly. Aran couldn't imagine they'd accept anything less then someone getting the most out of him. Perhaps they'd lessen his punishment, since it hadn't been his idea.

As Chloe looked to the sky, Aran did the same, shaking his head while her gaze was averted. She might not know much about the proper use of a servant, but Chloe definitely knew a thing or two about weather. He was a bit surprised that she'd been so passive about being correct. How had she known that the rain would head this way? She might have some secret spell or trinket that would let her see. Aran wished it would be appropriate to ask her, but such a thing was to be considered a secret.

"The winter storms are coming, told you." Aran grinned beneath her helmet. Maybe she wasn't so passive after all. "Do they pass south of the Dragontail Mountains often, Aran?"

"No my lady. I do not believe it has ever snowed in Hammerfell. I believe the heat of the desert keeps it away." He wasn't an expert on the subject of course, but once they passed the mountains, the weather and landscape would be much different.

Drops began to make soft noises as they bounced of Aran's armor, and he frowned. Though he had mostly hoped she had been wrong about the weather, simply due to his own stubbornness, he knew that this weather would slow them down. The road was well paved until they reached the mountain pass, so mud would not be an issue, but it would slow them down greatly, and likely they would need to stop if Chloe did not like the weather. Aran would be fine riding all the way to Mournoth in a thunderstorm, though he suspected that his master had a softer disposition.

"If the rain comes down too hard we may need to stop at the Bjoulsae Crossing. Travel at night or next morning, once the rains let up some. I don't mind night, not in this more secure area and Mournoth isn't too far passed the crossing, is it?."

"It is about the same distance that Wayrest is from the crossing, if my memory serves correctly my Lady." That he was sure about, even if he didn't say so, but he would hardly call the area secure. Wayrest had supposedly been 'secure,' yet assassins had come after them, while they were with an escort of guards no less. If the clouds kept their hold on the sky, the light from the moon would be almost no help, and he would prefer not to risk a misstep of one of the horses. Then again, delaying the trip might give him more time to work on his master. The an'Kin couldn't punish him for seeking station if he could show his own master that he didn't want it.