Lendri looked down into the gently rippling water of the bay. It was rather murky, but a large, ruffly red fish was swimming around, snapping at the fruit rinds and other bits of detritus floating in the water. He'd never seen a fish of that size, and hung far out over the rail to get a closer look. A hand grabbed the back of his collar, and he stepped back.
"Don't be falling over the side." It was Teldryn.
"Really, don't," One of the crewmembers added. SHe was a Redguard woman in her fifties, watching the captain's argument with interest."All the sewers drain into the bay. Hadj fell in when we got here last week and he's still sick."
"Did he?" Lendri had wondered where Hadj had been. Before he could think about going to find him, Teldryn spoke up.
"By the way, here's that letter I mentioned. The courier said it was from Valenwood." He handed Lendri a bent and rather creased piece of parchment, sealed with an unstamped piece of dark wax. 'Lendri' was written on the front, with 'Naia and Sondis' written smaller, in the corner.
"Oh, good. I haven't heard from them in too long. I was beginning to think they'd forgotten all about me. Or...or something." He chuckled.
"You thought they were dead."
"Yeah, I did, a little."
They found a spot in the shade behind some crates, and Lendri opened the letter while Teldryn sat next to him, reading over his shoulder and eating a pomegranate.
'Lendri, we're so glad to hear that you're well. Everything here at the village is going on as it always has, and hopefully will for a long time to come. The tribe are all in good health and are happy more often than not. Your father says, don't worry about the Thalmor, they don't want a swampy part of the forest and even if they did the trees here would keep them out. We can't wait to see you and meet this Teldryn you mentioned. I'm glad you're happy, but I hope you've chosen wisely.
Now there is the matter of your soul. Lendri, when you wrote us about being Dragonborn, I must say that niether of us truly understood, but it seemed, at least that you were safe. Perhaps even protected from harm now that you could wield ancient magics. But now you say you have bound your soul to Herma-Mora. Do you not remember one single tale from your childhood? Herma Mora is no woodsprite. He is a cruel and cunning old god and it will not be easy to get your soul from his grasp. We can't believe you've done this. You say you needed to do this but whatever it is, the price is too great. Old Ereven knows of a shaman, Kubwa, who lives by the deep falls and is skilled in dealings with daedra. Go to him. Your soul is not for anyone but yourself!
Please stay out of any more trouble.
Naia and Sondis
"I knew they'd be upset." Lendri sighed and put his head down in his hands. A gust of wind set the letter quivering away over the deck and Teldryn anchored it with his foot before it could get away.
"Well, 'Mother, Father, I sold my soul to a Daedra' is not a message you can deliver without some pain. Maybe you should have clarified that this was another thing you were doing for the sake of the world."
Lendri mumbled something into his palms that Teldryn didn't catch.
"You're being awfully melodramatic about this. Did you expect them to be happy?"
Lendri looked up then. "You don't know what they're like when they're like this! They don't get mad like normal folks. They never did. They would just look at me with this quiet disappointment and it makes you feel guilt like you wouldn't believe. And when I read that letter I could just see it, the both of them, looking sad and disappointed."
"There is still half of this left, if you think it will improve your outlook any." Teldryn held out the pomegranate.
2/?
Lendri looked down into the gently rippling water of the bay. It was rather murky, but a large, ruffly red fish was swimming around, snapping at the fruit rinds and other bits of detritus floating in the water. He'd never seen a fish of that size, and hung far out over the rail to get a closer look. A hand grabbed the back of his collar, and he stepped back.
"Don't be falling over the side." It was Teldryn.
"Really, don't," One of the crewmembers added. SHe was a Redguard woman in her fifties, watching the captain's argument with interest."All the sewers drain into the bay. Hadj fell in when we got here last week and he's still sick."
"Did he?" Lendri had wondered where Hadj had been. Before he could think about going to find him, Teldryn spoke up.
"By the way, here's that letter I mentioned. The courier said it was from Valenwood." He handed Lendri a bent and rather creased piece of parchment, sealed with an unstamped piece of dark wax. 'Lendri' was written on the front, with 'Naia and Sondis' written smaller, in the corner.
"Oh, good. I haven't heard from them in too long. I was beginning to think they'd forgotten all about me. Or...or something." He chuckled.
"You thought they were dead."
"Yeah, I did, a little."
They found a spot in the shade behind some crates, and Lendri opened the letter while Teldryn sat next to him, reading over his shoulder and eating a pomegranate.
'Lendri, we're so glad to hear that you're well. Everything here at the village is going on as it always has, and hopefully will for a long time to come. The tribe are all in good health and are happy more often than not. Your father says, don't worry about the Thalmor, they don't want a swampy part of the forest and even if they did the trees here would keep them out. We can't wait to see you and meet this Teldryn you mentioned. I'm glad you're happy, but I hope you've chosen wisely.
Now there is the matter of your soul. Lendri, when you wrote us about being Dragonborn, I must say that niether of us truly understood, but it seemed, at least that you were safe. Perhaps even protected from harm now that you could wield ancient magics. But now you say you have bound your soul to Herma-Mora.
Do you not remember one single tale from your childhood? Herma Mora is no woodsprite. He is a cruel and cunning old god and it will not be easy to get your soul from his grasp. We can't believe you've done this. You say you needed to do this but whatever it is, the price is too great. Old Ereven knows of a shaman, Kubwa, who lives by the deep falls and is skilled in dealings with daedra. Go to him. Your soul is not for anyone but yourself!
Please stay out of any more trouble.
Naia and Sondis
"I knew they'd be upset." Lendri sighed and put his head down in his hands. A gust of wind set the letter quivering away over the deck and Teldryn anchored it with his foot before it could get away.
"Well, 'Mother, Father, I sold my soul to a Daedra' is not a message you can deliver without some pain. Maybe you should have clarified that this was another thing you were doing for the sake of the world."
Lendri mumbled something into his palms that Teldryn didn't catch.
"You're being awfully melodramatic about this. Did you expect them to be happy?"
Lendri looked up then. "You don't know what they're like when they're like this! They don't get mad like normal folks. They never did. They would just look at me with this quiet disappointment and it makes you feel guilt like you wouldn't believe. And when I read that letter I could just see it, the both of them, looking sad and disappointed."
"There is still half of this left, if you think it will improve your outlook any." Teldryn held out the pomegranate.
"It won't," Lendri said, but he took it anyway.