Title: The Soldier and the Magpie Pairing: F!DB/Gaius Maro Summary: He has his orders. She has her contract. Still, why does that mean she can't have some fun before he dies? Helpful tags: relationship:het, char:F!PC, char:gaius_maro, kink:oral, race:Nord, race:Imperial
Gaius Maro was barely two hours out of Dragon Bridge on his way to Solitude when he saw the woman on the road. Bruised and bloody and barefoot, a blue dress hanging in tatters on her body, she stumbled up to him.
"Please," she cried, reaching her hands out.
As she grabbed for him, she lost her footing and fell, but he caught her as easily as a ragdoll.
"What happened?" he asked urgently.
"Stormcloaks," she whimpered, burying her face in his breastplate. "There's a camp, not far... I got lost, and they..." She choked out a sob. "Please, they took my money and my dagger. I have nothing."
Gaius frowned, thinking of his schedule. He was already late for Castle Dour, having taken so long to bid farewell to Faida, and the Emperor was more important than one woman's problems. Still, she was so small and fragile in his arms, and Solitude was not too far. He could see her safely to the city without much trouble. And he needn't tell her anything she didn't need to know.
"Those Stormcloaks are making it hard for anyone to travel safely in Skyrim these days," he said, sighing. "I'll take you to Solitude, make sure you get a meal and a bed for the night. You can speak to a guard in the morning, and they'll take care of the rest."
The woman threw her arms around his neck and laughed in relief. "Oh, thank you, sir!"
He unfastened his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. "That should be a little warmer until you can get some new clothes. I'm told the Solitude tailors are very good at what they do."
"They are," she said, sniffling. "Though they're not very friendly."
"You've been to Solitude, then?" he asked as they began walking. She was unsteady on her feet, so he let her have his arm when she needed support.
She shrugged. "Only a couple of times. I love going to hear the bards."
Gaius nodded. "I don't know Skyrim well," he admitted, "but I'm told the Bards College is one of the finest institutions in the country."
"The finest," she said. "I'm Maggie, by the way."
"Gaius," he offered.
"What do you do, Gaius? You look like a soldier, but that's not Legion armor."
"I'm... I'd rather not talk about my work. What about you? What do you do?"
"Oh, a little of this, a little of that. I make potions, mostly. My mother was an alchemist. She could make a healing potion that would mend a broken bone overnight. And it tasted good, too. Moon sugar was her secret ingredient. In everything."
Gaius smiled. "That would do it. What were you doing on the road? It's not safe for a young woman to travel so late in the day."
"My da isn't feeling well. He lives in Markarth, and, now that ma died, I worry for him. When I heard he was ill, I wanted to see him as soon as possible."
"I understand. My father is far from fragile, but he's a soldier, too. I worry about him all the time."
"I bet he worries about you, too," she said, squeezing his arm.
Gaius shrugged. "It's hard to tell, honestly. He's not the easiest man to get along with. I always feel like I've let him down somehow." He shook his head. "I don't know why I'm telling you this."
Maggie smiled. "Sometimes it's easier talking to a stranger."
"Maybe that's it."
"Why do you feel like you've let him down?"
"I don't know. He rose through the ranks really young. Growing up I always heard about his great deeds. That's why I joined the... That's why I joined. Only I'm not moving up as fast as he did. I think that disappoints him."
"Oh, I'm sure not," she said, wrinkling her nose. "Any father should be proud to have a son who wants to follow in his footsteps. I know enough men who want to be anything but their fathers, it's kind of nice to meet someone on the other side."
Gaius smiled. "That's very kind of you."
The silence stretched between them as the sun hung lower and lower in the sky.
The Soldier and the Magpie 1/?
Pairing: F!DB/Gaius Maro
Summary: He has his orders. She has her contract. Still, why does that mean she can't have some fun before he dies?
Helpful tags: relationship:het, char:F!PC, char:gaius_maro, kink:oral, race:Nord, race:Imperial
Gaius Maro was barely two hours out of Dragon Bridge on his way to Solitude when he saw the woman on the road. Bruised and bloody and barefoot, a blue dress hanging in tatters on her body, she stumbled up to him.
"Please," she cried, reaching her hands out.
As she grabbed for him, she lost her footing and fell, but he caught her as easily as a ragdoll.
"What happened?" he asked urgently.
"Stormcloaks," she whimpered, burying her face in his breastplate. "There's a camp, not far... I got lost, and they..." She choked out a sob. "Please, they took my money and my dagger. I have nothing."
Gaius frowned, thinking of his schedule. He was already late for Castle Dour, having taken so long to bid farewell to Faida, and the Emperor was more important than one woman's problems. Still, she was so small and fragile in his arms, and Solitude was not too far. He could see her safely to the city without much trouble. And he needn't tell her anything she didn't need to know.
"Those Stormcloaks are making it hard for anyone to travel safely in Skyrim these days," he said, sighing. "I'll take you to Solitude, make sure you get a meal and a bed for the night. You can speak to a guard in the morning, and they'll take care of the rest."
The woman threw her arms around his neck and laughed in relief. "Oh, thank you, sir!"
He unfastened his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. "That should be a little warmer until you can get some new clothes. I'm told the Solitude tailors are very good at what they do."
"They are," she said, sniffling. "Though they're not very friendly."
"You've been to Solitude, then?" he asked as they began walking. She was unsteady on her feet, so he let her have his arm when she needed support.
She shrugged. "Only a couple of times. I love going to hear the bards."
Gaius nodded. "I don't know Skyrim well," he admitted, "but I'm told the Bards College is one of the finest institutions in the country."
"The finest," she said. "I'm Maggie, by the way."
"Gaius," he offered.
"What do you do, Gaius? You look like a soldier, but that's not Legion armor."
"I'm... I'd rather not talk about my work. What about you? What do you do?"
"Oh, a little of this, a little of that. I make potions, mostly. My mother was an alchemist. She could make a healing potion that would mend a broken bone overnight. And it tasted good, too. Moon sugar was her secret ingredient. In everything."
Gaius smiled. "That would do it. What were you doing on the road? It's not safe for a young woman to travel so late in the day."
"My da isn't feeling well. He lives in Markarth, and, now that ma died, I worry for him. When I heard he was ill, I wanted to see him as soon as possible."
"I understand. My father is far from fragile, but he's a soldier, too. I worry about him all the time."
"I bet he worries about you, too," she said, squeezing his arm.
Gaius shrugged. "It's hard to tell, honestly. He's not the easiest man to get along with. I always feel like I've let him down somehow." He shook his head. "I don't know why I'm telling you this."
Maggie smiled. "Sometimes it's easier talking to a stranger."
"Maybe that's it."
"Why do you feel like you've let him down?"
"I don't know. He rose through the ranks really young. Growing up I always heard about his great deeds. That's why I joined the... That's why I joined. Only I'm not moving up as fast as he did. I think that disappoints him."
"Oh, I'm sure not," she said, wrinkling her nose. "Any father should be proud to have a son who wants to follow in his footsteps. I know enough men who want to be anything but their fathers, it's kind of nice to meet someone on the other side."
Gaius smiled. "That's very kind of you."
The silence stretched between them as the sun hung lower and lower in the sky.