This is a drabble. Feel free to make a request or two.
It was a beautiful day in Skyrim. The sun was shining bright. The snow was a pure shade of white. The blood was an intriguing color of crimson. The screams were a swansong for the ages. Oh, this day was something to kill for.
The bandits stood no chance and that was fine by me. After clearing a Dwarven ruin and killing two dragons, I needed some easy prey. Something that would allow me to focus on the prey with no need for finesse. Though, I'm sure J'Zargo didn't like not having his ego stroked in this skirmish.
"I yield!" One of the bandits cried.
"Fine," I said while sheathing my enchanted sword. "J'Zargo and myself will end our fight with you."
The bandit was grateful until he looked at the grin on my face. A grin full of very sharp teeth. He had, for some reason, forgotten the third member of our group. Maybe he thought that Bran would stop attacking once he saw my sword sheathed. I wouldn't command Bran but I was sure the husky would kill the bandit on his own. The bloodlust coursing through my veins surely was flowing even harder in Bran.
"No!" The bandit cried out right before Bran ripped his throat out.
"You lied to him." J'Zargo reprimanded me.
"I didn't." I argued. "I never said anything about Bran."
Bran barked and wagged his tail. J'Zargo and I laughed.
* * *
Falkreath was a small place and hardly took anytime to walk through. It was peaceful but we still remained alert for an attack. From vampires, bandits, dragons, or something else entirely.
"How long has it been?" J'Zargo asked. "J'Zargo doesn't remember the last time you went home."
"I think it was two weeks this time? Maybe a month?" I replied.
While I loved my husband and two adopted children, my fondness for adventure was also great. At times the road seemed to take my very soul and twist it. Yet each time I returned home, my family didn't seem to notice. Or, worse yet, accepted me for all my faults.
"Pa!" Lucie shouted and raced to hug me.
"Lucie!"I said as our embrace tightened.
Blaise and Scouts-Many-Marshes soon joined in the embrace. Meanwhile Bran raced around us barking at the top of his lungs. The whole world faded away and I could easily fool myself that I was a good person. Someone who loved his family and no darkness was in danger of creeping into his life.
"J'Zargo, I insist you stay the night before returning to the College." I said as the embrace started to end.
"Yes, Arch-Mage." J'Zargo chuckled and went into Lakeview Manor.
"I got presents for you." I said as my family looked at me, my children were the most eager. "For the husband who must spend these nights alone, I have a few dragon bones for you to sell in your shop. For Lucie, yet another dagger. You'll never be defenseless while I'm gone. For Blaise, a sweet roll like you asked for before I left."
"Thanks, Pa!" They shouted as they wandered off to enjoy their gifts.
"It is really disturbing how many daggers you bring our daughter, Jash." Scouts said as Brelyna Maryon eagerly took the bones to put away.
She knew that I hardly visited and I wanted to spend as much time with my husband. Whenever I returned home I always thought of putting away my adventuring ways. Yet, eventually, the need to fight and travel overtook me. At least Scouts didn't hold that against me.
"The lake is especially pleasant today, my love." Scouts said.
"I could use a good swim." I replied with a smile as we walked down towards the lake. "The necromancers and bandits are continuing to be a problem?"
"I don't have your penchant for bloodshed, but I do enjoy a good fight. And you can't forget the skill and cunning of Brelyna."
I laughed at that. She had proven herself to me to the point I trusted her to protect something valuable of mine. Though, one day, I would need to become thane and get a housecarl in order to help her have more peace. She deserved that.
"Do you ever regret it?" Scouts asked.
"Brelyna is a great friend." I admitted. "But I never wanted anything more than that. Do you ever regret marrying someone who is gone so often?"
"I have my moments of weakness. You seem to like the excitement of spilling another's blood and I can't share that with you. So some nights I stay awake thinking that you'll grow bored with us and leave."
Once we approached the shore, we undressed so as not to ruin our clothing. It was freeing to feel the breeze on my scales and the waves lapping at my feet. The thought of the flavorful taste of flesh came unbidden into my mind.
The last few times returning to my family, those traveling thoughts hadn't gone away. At least not fully. The dark acts committed on the road weren't leaving me alone. The scariest thing, though, was that I didn't mind.
"I have continued to lose myself." I admitted and fiddled with the Ring of Namira. "I used to know where the line was but now I'm not so sure. What actions are evil and which are justified? One day the line might disappear for me forever. But you and the children provide me a way to keep my sanity. So how could I ever leave the one bright light in my life?"
"You are a good man, Jash." Scouts said and took my hands in his. "No matter what happens to me and the children, you won't be consumed by darkness. If you could be so fully consumed why are you so scared? That terror shows there is something good inside of you. Some light that can be dimmed, but never extinguished."
"You're right, of course."
We dove into the water and raced each other. Bubbles showing our laughter even though the sound was too dim to hear. But the entire time I thought of how wrong Scouts was. If my family died, I would be lost. A slave to the dark urges that, even now, threatened to overtake me.
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