My Love

Chapter Six

He pulled the green covers up and over his head, breathing in the smell of her and the suffocating warmth. His eyelids flickered in his waking daze. He yawned and reached out an arm, finding only the empty space on the other side of the bed.

Argis didn't give it a second thought, the Dragonborn did as she pleased, but he would have liked to have woken up to her at least once more. He smiled to himself thinking of her sleeping face, vulnerable and innocent. He reminded himself of the way her lips twitched when she was dreaming, or feigning sleep in an attempt to grab only a few minutes longer. She never had to get up for anything anymore, after all Skyrim was safe and what else did she have to do except finding hidden vista's in Skyrim and helping out those in need? But she was religious with her mornings. Get up as soon as the sun rises, get dressed, make him make breakfast (much to his dismay) and set off with blades strapped to her back and sides; her face plastered with a grin, excited for an adventure, for something new.

After a movement of frustrating thoughts he threw back the covers, cursing himself for letting her slip away in the dead of night. Oh what he would do to her this morning, covering his body with hers and slanting his lips across cerise red. He groaned to himself and rubbed his eyes clear from sleep. Today would be a long day if she didn't find her way back to him soon. He of course would never admit it but he found the cold stone walls of Vlindrel Hall lonely, even the fire lacked the capacity to breathe life into the ancient walls when she was gone. It was Eve who held that power. Eve who made this place what Argis had always wanted it to be, and when she was gone... well...Argis felt almost as lifeless as the same Dwarven ruins that he inhabited.

Feet falling heavy against the cold stone, Argis pulled on his clothes and made his way to the hall, wanting to stoke the fire, awaiting her return. He pondered on what had happened the night before, wondering about her dreams, of what she wasn't telling him. He found these thoughts unsettling, how much did he know about her? Or rather, how much didn't he? Would he ever know every secret that she was keeping, how could he marry her if something as simple as her past couldn't be told? Argis rubbed his eyes in annoyance, his thoughts a pestilence into disrupting his resolve. Perhaps it wasn't simple after all.

The way she spoke of the Imperials, of her lover, something darker lay dormant within her and Argis wanted to know what it was. It was her ailment, a disease that plagued her, something that kept her up at night stilling her from peaceful sleep. He wanted to cure it, to cure her from her feelings from her lover, to rejoice over the defeat of the Imperials and tell her that things were now over, that there needn't be any more bloodshed because of a revenge that had been reclaimed a long time ago.

But what if in his attempt to find more about Eve, wanting to find out about the warrior within he had actually in fact pushed her away? What if all those questions he had asked her were too personal and she now felt involuntarily uncomfortable with him? What if she had changed her mind? What was he supposed to do; he had sworn an oath to her, to protect her with his life. His feelings were jeopardising his duty, he had to protect her no matter the cost. He owed her his life, and he was prepared to give everything if it meant that she was safe.

It didn't matter if she had left him behind, seeking the comfort of another. Argis loved Eve, irrevocably and unequivocally and if she had gone to another he would swallow up his anger and keep it buried within him. He would suffocate that angst just like he had when she had told him of her previous lover, of her fiancé. That would be the hardest thing he would ever have to do, to know that if there was someone else, he would have to remain beside her out of duty and convince himself that the love he felt for her was merely arbitrary, a test from the Divines to make him a damn worthy candidate for an eternity in Sovngarde.

But maybe he was thinking too deep into things. Maybe his Thane had just decided to take leave, an occasional break from his company. It had happened many times before and Argis had waited patiently for her return. Back then he did not worry. But why was he so frustrated now? He slumped against the chair, picking up the iron poker in his fist and poking at the dying embers of the fire. He loved her now, before was mere infatuation, a miniscule feeling compared to the encompassing emotion that clutched onto him. Now, it was suffocating, blinding, a hurricane sweeping him away from sanity. He wasn't sure if such a feeling was healthy but he didn't care. It was love, indefinable in any other words except that. If all else failed it would be that feeling that would remain, a stain on his soul, a torment of his brain. It was chaos, and it was entirely exhilarating all in one.

Unsettled, Argis ran fingers through his dry hair, tugging at all the knots from his sleep. What was he supposed to do? How would he even function when he felt this lost? When had this even become a problem? When she proposed? Is that what had made it clear to him, that this wasn't unrequited love, she loved him too. Perhaps it was that which fuelled his insanity, the profound feeling that had overcome his sensibility.

Whatever was pestering him, it only encouraged the loneliness that had slowly begun to creep up on him. He would follow her to the ends of Nirn, and when she returned he would demand that she marry him. To whisk her off down to Riften on a damn carriage, to say his vows and swear to the Divines. Gods, all he wanted to do was kiss those lips of hers, swear another oath to her, to love her, to cherish her, to be with her until the tides of death washed at their heels, taking them away to spend eternity in Sovngarde, or wherever her soul might go.

He let out a long suspending sigh, slouching in the wooden chair with his head lolling over the edge. He looked up at the ceiling, the newborn fire casting flickering shadows on the ancient stones. It was too quiet for him, all he could hear the crackle and spitting of flames, the howling of wind outside and the constant thud of his own heart beat ringing in his ears. He couldn't just wait here for her to return to him. He had to do something in fear of going completely insane, locked up in this house waiting for a damn woman; even if she was the most lethal killer he had ever met.

Argis quickly cooked stew for breakfast and was binding leather to his hips as he poured the rest of the contents of the bowl down his throat. He looked over at his Dragonbone armour on the armour stand and sighed. It was so usual for him to wear it now, but somehow it felt wrong when she wasn't around. Argis smiled to himself, the countless times she would come back to Vlindrel Hall and told him off for not wearing the armour she had so skilfully handmade him. Gods it was pathetic of him to miss her this much already. He growled in frustration and snatched up the remaining parts of his leather armour, fixing the chest piece and gauntlets into place before grabbing his weapons. What was he supposed to do? Sit around and wait for her? When he would become her husband he hoped that she wouldn't expect him to follow her around aimlessly, though he guessed that out of habit he probably would end up doing just that. Somehow, he could never win.

x

Wind blustered through the busy streets of Markath, blowing in from the hills and mountainsides of the Reach. It was nice to get fresh air, clear his mind from the Dragonborn, if only for a few minutes. Idly he passed over the stream and walked through the market, looking out for cheap deals and bargains, hoping to soon stock up the pantry; especially when Eve returned and demanded a warrior's banquet.

Hovering over a stall he listened, unintentionally, to a discussion between a woman, a regular at the Silver-blood Inn and the maintainer, a man who Argis knew was called Kleppr. They spoke in sinister whispers just off from the courtyard, eyes darting for inconspicuous listeners and guards.

"Did you get a look at them?" The woman hurried in a low tone. She wobbled on her feet, resting her balance on one foot and then quickly switching to another. Her hand reached for the man's shoulder, eagerness written into every gesture she made.

"I didn't," Kleppr replied making the same shifty movement, "After the Dragonborn came in the whole Inn descended into chaos. They...they had swords I didn't see before, suddenly there was blood everywhere." The man stroked the tufts of white hair that had been growing on his cheeks and chin for a few days.

Argis knotted his eyebrows, straining with difficulty to catch the man's low mumbling. Did he say Dragonborn? Eve? He picked up an apple from a basket on a stall and tossed the woman behind it a coin. He adjusted his position, flanking the two talking and standing a few yards away resting against the stone of the fortifications. He brought the apple to his lips and crunched into it, the juices cresting at the sides of his mouth.

"Kleppr have you told the guards?" The woman replied urgently touching Kleppr's shoulder with a shaking hand.

"N-no," He shook his head, a mat of silver hair dancing at his shoulders; "I-I mean, not yet. I... t-they left in such a hurry, a-and one of them held a dagger to my throat," The man closed his eyes, reliving the story in perfect clarity, "I couldn't help her, I couldn't help anyone. Vorstag tried to get involved, Divines they stabbed him Muiri."

"And what of Frabbi? Is she safe?" She took hold of his shoulders, comforting him as his head drooped against his chest. He nodded faintly and ran a ragged hand through fraying tendrils of grey hair.

"She was upstairs when it happened, along with Hroki and Hreinn, they are safe," He breathed, "What am I going to tell the guards?" Blue eyes looked at Muiri, distressed and filled with pain.

"That they took what they came for," The Breton replied, voice filled with relief, "I shall pray that they won't return."

"And what of the Dragonborn?" Kleppr looked startled at the her dismal of the warrior that had saved all of Skyrim. Argis took another bite from the apple, crunching down on it instead of his own teeth. His throat felt raw, choked up on something that was rising fast up from his stomach. This was stupid, how could Eve possibly be taken away from the Silver-Blood Inn? Markarth was second nature to her, how could she be so stupid? How could she be so careless?

"We pray to the Divines Kleppr, many dark things exist in Skyrim," Muiri shook her head, eyes scanning the surrounding area. Argis cleared his throat, a hand dancing over the handle of his sword. He closed his eyes and prayed that he was still dreaming. He had to be dreaming right? A frustrated growl arose from the depths of his lungs. Divines, he was pissed off. More pissed off than he ever thought was possible.

He tossed the apple to the floor where it cracked. He huffed and stalked back up to Vlindrel Hall. What did this mean? He clenched his hands into fists and slammed them down on the table. Goblets and platters trembled with his strength, food thudding in their bowls on the solid stone. Just what did this mean? He couldn't protect her, dammit he had failed her. He had broken his oath. He should have been there.

Argis slumped into an unoccupied chair and laid his head in his hands, armour scrapping against the old wood in an uncomfortable fashion. Why did she have to be so restless? Why did she have to go out in the middle of the night? Why wasn't she content with him? What was he doing wrong? Why couldn't she just settle down and be with him? He didn't want to blame himself but all he could think about was his persistence in knowing her past. He had driven her away, and now she was gone, taken from him. He groaned again and closed his eyes tight, blocking out the flickering flames of the fire and the foreboding realm of reality.

Love was destroying his reason, his logic. Divines, he had made an oath, an oath to protect her. He had to go find her. He had to make sure she was alive. He had to, if he didn't... Argis sighed, fingers rubbing the tiredness from his eyes. She was a stupid woman, and she would surely be the death of him.