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skyrimkinkmeme) wrote2011-10-29 12:36 pm
skyrimkinkmeme) wrote2011-10-29 12:36 pm
Meme Announcements!
ANNOUNCEMENTS: UPDATED 12/16/2017
Happy Holidays, fellow Kinkmemers! I have returned and have no reasonable excuse for my absence except LIFE. I will be working on updating the archives. If anyone sees anything amiss, please let me know.
I am also hoping to find another Mod and an Archivist.
The more dedicated people we have in this Meme the less chance of it dying. I admit that being the sole keeper of the Meme is not great for the fandom. If something were to happen to me, for good, this place would go the way of the Fallout Kink Meme. Let's not let that happen! If anyone would be interested in Modding/Archiving, please drop me a line. Thanks! <3
Re: Nothing Gold Can Stay (Part 4/?)
(Anonymous) 2014-09-08 01:25 am (UTC)(link)Erik watched in sheer confusion as Brynden drove his dagger through the squirrel, killing it instantly. He forced himself to watch as Brynden sealed the wound and then snapped his fingers. His healing hands spell became a ball of golden light, brighter and starker brimming with energy that made Erik's skin prickle with goosebumps. The squirrel suddenly thrashed in Brynden's arms and the man struck it with a quick paralysis spell. The squirrel froze up and Bryden sent it gently on the ground before lifting the spell and letting the squirrel chitter at him angrily.
Brynden removed a small wedge of cheese from his pocket and dropped it in front of the squirrel. The animal scampered off with it all the while making it's disapproval known. Brynden shook his head and turned back to Erik. "Animals are simpler, they don't need time to recover or an exchange to stay around. But men, mer, the khajiit and argonians, they're all sentient enough that Death requires a replacement."
"Who did you kill, to bring me back?" Erik was wide-eyed and shivering.
"A bandit chief, one who we had already taken a bounty for. He was scum enough to deserve his death."
"That's why you had out Wordkeeper? You were playing headsman?"
"I gave the sentence, and so I swung the sword. I had to, after all. There was no way in Oblivion I was going to leave you up on that mountain alone and Death demands I make retributions for what I steal."
There was silence throughout the woods. Erik's gaze directed at the sky, then the ground, then the trees. Anything but in Brynden's eyes. "Let's go back to the hall, give you a chance to rest. You must be tired from our travelling."
Reluctantly, Erik let himself be led back to the hall. His mind was a maelstrom of thoughts and he wasn't about to find any peace in sleep. Both employer and hireling were in for a long night ahead of them.
---
"I'm going to collect the bounty from Nenya in Falkreath." Announced Brynden over breakfast. "You'll stay here, let yourself rest a bit more. It'll help with the back pain. That's an order, Goldie."
"Understood." Erik replied curtly, not bothering to look up from his bread and cheese.
Brynden frowned, hating to have to order Erik around but knowing the lad would need time alone to clear his head space and allow himself to think. "Would you like anything from town?"
"No, thank you."
Brynden fretted over Erik's formal disposition, unsure of what he could do to coax back the happy and cheerful Erik that brightened the room whenever he grinned. "Just... think over it, okay? I understand if you don't want to work with me after this. I'll bring you back to Rorikstead tomorrow, get you an extra payment for all of the shit you've put up with because of me. I'd hate to see you leave, but it's your choice. I'll be back this evening."
Without further ado, Brynden gathered his gear and left Erik alone in the hall to collect his thoughts and come to a decision.
Re: Nothing Gold Can Stay (Part 4/?)
(Anonymous) 2014-09-08 08:00 pm (UTC)(link)Nothing Gold Can Stay (Part 5/?)
(Anonymous) 2014-09-26 12:02 am (UTC)(link)---
Erik went back to Rorikstead that day, Brynden insisting on riding with him. He'd cited his reasons as wanting to catch up with some friends in Solitude anyways. They separated outside of Frostfruit Inn, Brynden pulling Erik into a tight hug before mounting his black stallion once more. As Erik watched him ride off, the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach grew. He couldn't meet his father's questioning gaze when he finally turned away from Brynden's retreating form on the horizon.
One week later, Erik found himself setting out on his silver mare. He was bound for Falkreath once more. Though his head claimed it was for the sake of adventure, his heart said differently.
---
It was three months later when Brynden caught up with Erik once more, by the Thalmor Embassy of all places.
Brynden was travelling to Solitude with Meeko, a stray dog he picked up near an abandoned shack after the untimely death of his old owner. That was something he realized he did a lot, picking up strays. Strays like Meeko and Etienne Rarnis and Erik himself.
Though he could not admit it aloud, Brynden missed Erik more than he missed Neverwhere Hall sometimes. The difference wasn't that he could actually find Neverwhere Hall instead of Erik. The difference was that the Thalmor couldn't.
The note reached him by a trembling courier, just outside of the Solitude Stables. Five minutes after he had read the note, Brynden had already composed his own note to be sent to Falkreath, and then was astride Onyx once more with Meeko charging beside him. The Thalmor had made their last insult against the Nothing's Men. Brynden was prepared to raise all of Oblivion if it meant getting Erik away from that twisted bitch of an elf.
---
Five riders and a scrappy dog approached the Thalmor Embassy at midday. It was like the start of a bad joke, except it wasn't the start and no one was laughing. A rarity for the Nothing's Men, who could find a laugh in almost any situation. Brynden usually laughed the loudest of them all. His tight-lipped silence only added to grimness of the situation.
"Wait for our signal." Instructed Atla to her chosen riders as she and her son dismounted. "The smoother this goes off for us, the better. This is about rescuing Erik first, and sending our message second."
With that the six parted, three remaining under the cover of the trees and three walking forward in the riskiest heist they had planned in their lives.
---
Erik felt cold despite the dungeon's stifling heat. His sides ached from relentless dry heaving. His sword and armor sat just outside of his cell, so temptingly close and yet always out of reach. His memory was still fuzzy and his disorientation had not yet left him. How long had it been since the Thalmor Justiciars had seized him outside of Riften? A few days? A week? Time seemed to stand still within the tight walls of the cell.
A gentle scratch of footsteps caused the mercenary to shudder. The guard who walked by him didn't give a second glance, ignoring the shaking prisoner in his shackles. He had fought at first, they all fought at first. They bared their teeth and snarled like wolves, until Elenwen came and made them tuck their tail and whimper like whelps. Erik was not different than any other the others. Elenwen herself had made it clear.
---
Brynden might have actually had some respect for Elenwen had she not been so uppity and self-righteous. The woman had the sort of cunning that could topple nations to build new empires. Elenwen had a beauty to her, but it was a beauty like a well-forged dagger or a particularly strong dragon. One not to be messed with lest you were suddenly met with the pointy end.
And as she looked at him with her slick smile, his soul burned with dragon fire.
"You're a talented man, Brynden Stark. I hate to kill you." She said smoothly.
"You're a talented mer, Elenwen. I hate to die." He replied.
Re: Nothing Gold Can Stay (Part 5/?)
(Anonymous) 2014-09-30 04:18 am (UTC)(link)Nothing Gold Can Stay (Part 6/?)
(Anonymous) 2014-10-05 12:24 am (UTC)(link)Fond memories aside, Atla crept up behind the oblivious guard and had her blade through his throat before he even noticed she was there. The action broke her invisibility spell, but no one else was there to witness the nord woman's sudden appearance other than a wide-eyed Erik. Atla straightened up and obliterated the reinforced locks on said cell with a quick spell.
"If it can't be picked, blow it up." She murmured to her self with a cocky grin. "Allo, Erik. It's been awhile since I've seen you."
Erik instinctively jerked away from her touch, causing Atla to frown and slowly pull away. A quick observation revealed Erik's wrists had been rubbed raw by the manacles. His chest, upper arms, and thighs were spotted with vivid purple bruises. She felt his aches just looking at them.
"Those bastards will pay for that." Muttered Atla as she worked on breaking the chains.
When she finally managed to release Erik, he collapsed into her arms with a dry noise in his throat. He tried to form words but only came up with racking coughs. Atla hushed him soothingly and ran a healing spell over his cuts and bruises. Ever so slowly they faded away from his skin until all of the fresher scars were gone.
The leader of the Nothing's Men pulled a small water skin from her satchel, raising it to the Nord's lips for him to re-hydrate himself. Erik just barely managed to keep it down.
"Is Brynden-" Were the first words out of Erik's mouth, and they were quickly interrupted by Atla.
"Brynden is occupied at the moment. We'll be seeing him again soon. Are you well enough to walk? We put spare clothes for you in Meeko's pack."
captcha: run away!
Nothing Gold Can Stay (Part 7/?)
(Anonymous) 2014-10-05 12:27 am (UTC)(link)"He's not here, is he?" He asked quietly as Atla bundled him into a black cloak with a thick fur collar. "He's inside."
Atla pursed her lips. "You're quick, Erik. Bryn feared you would think he'd abandoned you."
"He'll die in there, Atla!" Exclaimed Erik in panic.
Atla stroked Erik's matted hair fondly. "Don't discredit my son. Death does not stop a Nothing's Man. It merely delays them for a while."
---
Elenwen's conjured sword collided with Brynden's dagger, making a metallic shriek as her spell dissolved. Brynden blasted a frost spell at Elenwen's stomach, making her stumble back. Their positions shifted as the Thalmor and the Nothing's Man circled each other in a flurry of conjured blades and spells. Brynden's dagger met Elenwen's hand in in mid air, slicing through her palm and making her cry out in shock and rage. Elenwen swiftly retaliated with a shock bolt that struck Brynden in the chest and sent him flying straight back into the wall.
Lightning crackled under Elenwen's fingers and victorious smile lit up her face. "If you want the boy to remain safe, you will do exactly as I say." She said with a smugness to her voice.
"If you wanted my cooperation, you wouldn't have touched him." Brynden snarled back, his head pounding.
Desperately he tried to get up. Elenwen's shock spell was still sending spasms down his legs and shaking him up so he couldn't regain his balance and stand. The elf was perfectly aware of it, stepping towards him with a gloating look. She placed one of her hands under Brynden's chin, the other to his chest with a conjured blade. She pressed herself up to the man, getting into his space and by extent, under his skin.
Elenwen smiled at her own cruel joke. "Your choice, Nothing's Man. Your death and his extended torture, or your compliance and his safety and the safety of your organization.You will not see him in your precious Sovngarde if you defy me. And maybe there would even be a reward for you, as my ally..." She purred.
Brynden spit in her face.
"I am Oblivion bound already, Elenwen." He growled. "We would've never met in Sovngarde anyways. I don't want your rewards."
Her scathing reply of "Bastard, I-" was cut short by Brynden's second short blade slicing the side of her robes. She jerked back in surprise, and Brynden took the opportunity to spin his blade around and plunge it into her throat. The mer's healing spell quickly died in her hands. She fell back, and Brynden darted forward on unsteady legs to yank his dagger from her neck.
For the first time in her life, Elenwen felt fear. Brynden grinned like a son of Sheogorath as he sent an ice spike straight through her heart.
The laughter that consumed the solar as Elenwen's gave her final breath was chilling to the bone. It was the laughter of a man who had both nothing and everything to lose all at once. "You died as you lived." He proclaimed to the corpse. "With a heart encased in ice. May Death judge you wisely."
Brynden made a funeral pyre out of Elenwen's desk after cleaning it of anything valuable. He laid her body across it and rested a copy of the Talos Mistake and a golden necklace against her chest. A flame spell set the pyre alight, flames catching within moments. Just because he had to kill her, it didn't mean the Nothing's Man was going to slack off on respect for the fallen.
And with all of the documents collected and no further reason to stay, Brynden turned around and left. It should not have been easy it felt. It should have weighed on his shoulders and yet Brynden found himself with no regrets. At the end of the day, Erik was always worth it.
Re: Nothing Gold Can Stay (Part 7/?)
(Anonymous) 2014-10-05 04:04 pm (UTC)(link)Nothing Gold Can Stay (Part 8/?)
(Anonymous) 2014-10-05 04:51 pm (UTC)(link)Erik longed to join the battle, to get his revenge on the soldiers in the storm of swords. He ached for close combat once more. But Atla had strictly forbidden it, giving him her bow and telling him to shoot whatever approached him and nothing more. Blood boiled in his veins, but his still healing ribs prevented him from defying Atla's orders. Meeko had been commanded to stay beside him, and the mutt performed his duty to the letter. Meeko growled continuously, his hackles raised as he stood loyally beside Erik. He only strayed once, to tear the throat out of a guard who had gotten too close before Erik could knock an arrow in the ebony bow.
Just as it seemed the battle would go on forever, the winds shifted. The gates of the embassy were blown open by the force of a voice Erik could recognize anywhere. Everyone on the field stumbled at the aftershocks of Brynden's thu'um, Nothing's Men and Thalmor alike. Brynden himself ran through the gates with his twin daggers drawn and a broad grin plastered on his face. "For Life!" He hollered, slicing open the throat of the nearest guard and spinning around to confront the next.
His war cry was echoed by the Nothing's Men, their spirits restored by their co-leader's victory. Spells and arrows were flying left and right, until it was down to nineteen Nothing's Men, and one younger Thalmor soldier who quickly surrendered himself when he saw all hope was lost.
Atla quickly ordered the remaining Nothing's Men to build a mass pyre for the Thalmor Soldiers after looting their bodies. She then turned towards her new captive.
"So you're the wise one!" Jeered Atla, slinging her sword back into it's sheath on her back and sashaying forward. "Some reputation you live up to, lad. I thought the Thalmor never surrendered to anyone. I have a deal for you, elf."
---
While Atla laid out the terms of the soldier's message bearing and the Men handled the pyre, Brynden raced off to find Erik. He pulled the shorter man into a tight hug the moment he found him. Erik dropped Atla's bow at the suddenness of it, wrapping his arms around Brynden's neck and resting his head onto the taller man's shoulders. The dragonborn's left hand raised to tangle itself in copper hair while his right pressed against the small of Erik's back.
Once they'd finally separated themselves, Brynden readjusted Erik's cloak and brushed the stray hair from his face. "Are you alright?" He asked quietly, holding Erik's face in his hands and stroking his thumb over his cheek.
Erik nodded, his exhaustion finally catching up to him. "I'm fine."
"You're worn out. How much sleep have you gotten since they've taken you? We need to get you a proper meal and a bath once we get back to Rorikstead." Brynden fretted like a mother hen, making Erik smile despite the hint of tears in his eyes.
But what Brynden said next caught him off guard. "Do you want to help light it up?"
captcha: now and forever. it seem's brighter times are in store
Re: Nothing Gold Can Stay (Part 8/?)
(Anonymous) 2014-10-09 02:41 pm (UTC)(link)Nothing Gold Can Stay (Part 9/9)
(Anonymous) 2014-10-10 02:04 am (UTC)(link)"Fire!" He released the fire arrow, watching it soar through the night sky and into one of the open windows.
Nineteen arrows followed it, each hitting a different area. After only a few more shots, the entire Embassy was ablaze. The oil slicks that had been set up caught immediately, burning anything not made of stone. And as Erik stepped back to watch the flames build higher and higher, the laugh that broke out from him shocked even himself. To see the flickering reds and oranges and yellows contrasting against the inky black of the night sky, to see the place that had been his own personal plane of Oblivion for the past two weeks fall... Nothing felt more like victory than that.
"Come on, you. It's high time you got some rest. You can ride with me so you don't fall off the horse. along the way." Brynden smiled fondly, placing a hand at Erik's back.
---
When Erik next awoke, the sun was shining down on his face and Meeko was curled up at his feet. It took him a moment of petting the relaxed dog to figure out he was in his own room, at home, safe. Glancing around the sunlit bedroom, he spotted Brynden curled up in the armchair beside his bed, fast asleep and bathed in golden light like a ginger cat. He had changed into roughspun cotton pants and had a light blanket wrapped around his bare shoulders. A smile graced his features, making him seem much younger than his thirty-four years.
Erik found his eyes fluttering shut once more, and he succumbed to the warmth of sleep.
---
It was two weeks later that the call of the road beckoned to Brynden once more in the form of letter from Neverwhere Hall. At breakfast, Erik and Mralki were greeted by an already armored up Brynden who gave Mralki a firm handshake and Erik a tight hug. With a quiet explanation of his intentions to return home and a thanks for allowing him to stay and oversee Erik's recuperation, he turned to part. Erik almost felt his heart break in half as he watch him reach to open the door.
Once more Brynden would walk away, would ride off into the sun without him. The thought of it made him anxious. Without thinking, Erik charged after him and called out "Wait!"
And then Brynden turned around, a broad grin on his face. "Yes, Goldie?"
"Can I come with you again?" Erik asked, voice shaky.
"There will always a place for you by my side, Goldie. Your silver mare and armor await us at the whereabouts of Never." Brynden replied.
And if Erik practically jumped into Brynden's arms and almost knocked him over when he ran to embrace him, well, only Meeko and Mralki where there to witness it.
As the duo headed out of Frostfruit Inn, both found that everything felt right in the world once more.
Re: Nothing Gold Can Stay (Part 9/9)
(Anonymous) 2014-10-10 03:27 pm (UTC)(link)Re: Nothing Gold Can Stay (Part 9/9)
(Anonymous) 2014-10-13 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)A!A
(Anonymous) 2014-10-15 08:26 am (UTC)(link)Re: A!A
(Anonymous) 2014-10-17 06:28 am (UTC)(link)