Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I am merely a fan who appreciates the ingenious glory of Hetalia's masterful tomfoolery and Skyrim's beauty.

Warning: Strong Sexual Content (Yaoi) & Graphic Scenes [[Discretion is highly advised]]

Tale Eight Characters:

-England/ Arthur Kirkland

-America/ Alfred F. Jones

~Haven~

Tale Eight

"Pact"

The firelight never dimmed and the hearth forever emitted comforting warmth. The ancient stonewalls and floors adorned with preserved furs never knew the winter that eternally surrounded the keep. Tapestries that never faded illustrated the long histories of the ramparts that bore them, and every table and shelf was built from trees that never faltered beneath their burdens. This enchanted sanctuary, designated by the highest order of mages within the College of Winterhold, allowed only for the moon's soft glow to grace the room unhindered by the glass of any window. The lace curtains lining the entrance to the balcony remained tethered and motionless at their posts, heedless of the icy winds that raged beyond the transparent spell that kept the weather from ruining the haven within.

Under the protection of runes older than the dragons darkening the skies, Arthur watched the blizzard beyond the terrace while idly stroking the warm skin of the man beside him.

Tucked beneath the fur blankets covering the bed, Arthur held his companion close to his body, as the half-Nord lay on his side facing away from him. The two had just finished intimate relations for the first time since Alfred's liberation from the Silver Hand and the physical exertion had proven to be too much for the mercenary. Alfred was still recovering from the ordeal and healing at a much slower pace because of his refusal to change and hunt. Instead, the werewolf retained his human form and coped with human remedies – the most common of which was sleep.

To facilitate Alfred's recuperation as best he could, Arthur had returned to the College of Winterhold and taken advantage of his status to secure asylum for the two of them. For the past few months the Silver Hand and Stormcloaks had been relentlessly pursuing them, but no matter how desperate they became none would dare cross into the frozen realm of the mages. So long as he and Alfred remained within the borders and under the protection of Arthur's order they would be safe.

At least physically safer than they'd been on the outside…

Arthur's fingers traced the remnants of Alfred's internment in hell, feeling along his lover's still noticeable ribs beneath skin littered with upraised burns and scars. Arthur could identify every weapon used to bleed the half-Nord and every place chains had been wound to bind him. The silver had left behind a branding that would never truly heal and Arthur knew how horribly the memories plagued Alfred whenever he looked at the marks all over his body. Part of their union tonight had been Arthur's attempt to prove to Alfred that the scars meant nothing more to him than the fact that his lover had survived. If only Alfred saw it that way then perhaps the past would not affect his present as much as it did.

He had to move on from what happened…they both did.

Arthur leaned forward and rested his head against Alfred's back, closing his eyes and sighing. He felt the half-Nord begin to stir and tightened his arms around him a little more…perhaps trying to assure Alfred that he was still there.

He didn't know when Alfred woke, but moments passed before he began gently rubbing the mage's arm. "I must not have done well…you're up before me."

Arthur smiled a little before kissing the mercenary's shoulder, "Don't be so hard on yourself. It wasn't as vigorous as usual, but it was no less satisfying."

Alfred didn't seem comforted and only seemed to resign in defeat, stilling his ministrations on the others arm and falling silent again. Arthur wasn't used to such tepidness from the man. This uncertainty, this lack of response…it just wasn't Alfred.

He understood that it would take time…but he missed his partner.

Without warning, Arthur grabbed Alfred by the arm and rolled the larger man on top of him. The half-Nord seemed very reluctant at first but was soon coerced when Arthur crushed his lips against him.

Alfred knew better than to question or protest the eccentric mage's strange behaviors, and before long he relaxed and opted to enjoy his usually reserved companion's affection for all it was worth.

When Arthur finally released Alfred's mouth, trailing his own down the half-Nord's face and neck, the mage took a shuddered breath and whispered against his skin, "The depth of how greatly I have missed you has no words…I don't want to miss you any longer."

Alfred bit his lower lip and sank his head into the pillow to hide his face, "I missed you too. I'm just worried...its still so hard to fight it." He replied and knew Arthur would understand what he meant.

He was over two months without reverting to his other form and terrified about it making itself known at a time when he couldn't stop it and Arthur wouldn't be able to defend himself. Even when Arthur had been straddling him and taking the majority of the work upon himself, Alfred felt the urges to dominate within him and was scared. He had spent more time restraining himself then enjoying being with Arthur and mage had known, mercifully not lingering as he would have liked to, and it weighed heavily upon the mercenary. Arthur's safety was far more important than his own pleasure, but at the same time he was sacrificing Arthur's too.

The mage sighed wearily and tangled his fingers in Alfred's hair, tightening his hold just enough to pull Alfred away from his neck so he could see his eyes. "Love, your spontaneous changes are triggered by stress and you told me after our first time together that this was a way to ebb the need. Denying yourself will only make it worse," He said and trailed off into a entreating whisper, "I want to help you, Alfred…please let me."

Alfred didn't respond and Arthur felt his own sadness and frustration rise. He too had been fighting to control the intense emotions he'd been feeling since having lost Alfred on that mountainside. He had spent a sleepless month hunting down members of the Silver Hand interrogating and even killing them, as he made his way closer to the underground prison near The Reach. Fear, anger, and unconceivable hate had kept him going for so long that the relief in finding Alfred –alive– upon having infiltrated that hell…

Alfred wasn't the only one in need of release. After so long without it, Arthur needed something of normality…he needed Alfred to be with him in the present again, least they be trapped in the past forever.

"You need to stop being so goddamn afraid," Arthur hissed, unable to help it any longer and let the exasperation and his own desperation to be rid of fear show. "The thing inside of you isn't going anywhere except insane, just like you will if you don't let yourself feel again. So be yourself again; be my fucking friend and my lover. Gods, if nothing else be my fucking alpha."

Alfred's eyes widened and his heart leapt into his throat. The feel of Arthur's nails grazing his back and sound of the mage's husky command was more than enough to stir his blood, but he was still afraid. Yes, he was still physically tried but Arthur's words had grabbed the attention of the beast inside of him and he felt a rush of heat surge through his body. He screwed his eyes tightly shut and didn't realize the growl slipping through his locked jaw, but there was no ignoring the quickly returning need for intimacy.

He only fought the urges a few breaths longer before Arthur intentionally bit down on his shoulder and unleashed everything.

Alfred hastily set his lips upon the mage's again. He reached down and grabbed Arthur's hips, kneading them possessively, before hauling the Breton further up the bed. The moment their reawakening arousals touched, Arthur began grinding them together and driving Alfred mad, making the man snarl and ground back even harder. The half-Nord then buried his face in Arthur's neck and began grazing his teeth along the skin.

Arthur knew what Alfred wanted to do and hissed into his ear, "Do it."

The mercenary immediately bit down on his lover's offered neck and felt the other's body arch, pressing the mage harder into him and sending a rush of fire right to his loins. Arthur didn't want to wait and Alfred was glad; he needed to reassert his claim over the mage now.

Without giving any fair warning, Alfred released Arthur's neck and flipped him over to pin Arthur against the bed with his body. Arthur squirmed but didn't struggle, as Alfred grabbed his hips again and rubbed his hard cock against the Breton's gaping entrance.

It was already so hot and ready for him; he could even feel the wetness still inside from their previous union. Arthur was now relaxing and readying himself for penetration, and just the thought that Arthur was submitting to him triggered his feral need to dominate him. He needed to fuck this stronger male –his alpha mate–and mark him with more than just a bite. He wanted to rub his scent all over the other, leave his seed inside of him, and trail his tongue over his skin when their passions were sated.

Alfred's grip on Arthur's hips tightened, as he pushed forward while pulling the other back into his cock. Arthur gasped and let out a straggled cry, fisting the sheets while Alfred gave progressively deeper thrusts inside of him. Pain and searing heat pulsed within the mage and the bruising fingers controlling his movements through the entire insertion made him ache. But it was worth it; every second was worth the incredible warmth and pleasure when he felt Alfred so alive and fully sheathed inside of him.

His first driving thrust was dominating, fast, and struck nerves that had lain dormant for far too long. Arthur screamed but only to encourage Alfred not to stop. Though they had had rough sex before Arthur had always retained some semblance of control (which Alfred never seemed to mind), but now there were no illusions that Alfred had the reins. Arthur had challenged him and months of energy found an outlet in pounding into the body Arthur had essentially offered up to him.

That it was Arthur, someone he had long since subconsciously established as pack leader…it just made him more aggressive and slam into the Breton harder.

Alfred lowered his upper body atop Arthur's again, nearly burning the mage's fair skin with his inhuman body heat, as he kept up his forceful pace. The Breton couldn't catch his breath and was drowning in Alfred's that bathed him in animalistic grunts and snarls. At some point Alfred let go of Arthur's hips and grabbed his wrists, restraining them in his iron grip before slowing his more savage thrusts to roll his hips and stroke his submissive mate's prostate.

The Breton lost it then and buried his face in the pillow, screaming into it and shaking from the intensity of the feeling. His body wracked with pleasure, as Alfred continued stimulating him before returning to deep, forceful thrusts. He couldn't feel or pay attention to anything but the sensation of the half-Nord's movements; everything was just about Alfred now.

But he had meant to do this. For the first time since the nightmare began he wanted proof that the man he saved was indeed the man he had lost. He couldn't let the sins he'd committed or the loss of more of his humanity have been in vain. Alfred needed to be alive, passionate, there – not a shell filled with the shadow of the man who'd once cast it. He couldn't stand this sickly, dead Alfred any longer and if conspiring with the monster within the man was what it took to make him live again…then by the gods, he'd swallow his pride and let this half torture, half euphoria be endless.

He knew Alfred was close when the half-Nord became increasingly erratic, even tightening his already bruising grip on his wrists. He was scorching now; even the friction of his cock thrusting in and out of him was scalding. Though he enjoyed a little pain with his pleasure, it was soon becoming too much and he was forced to bite the sheets to bear it.

All at once a shockwave overcame him and he felt boneless and weak. He would have collapsed had one of Alfred's hands not released a wrist and hooked beneath his waist to keep him level, as the thrusts kept coming. Blackness began hovering at the edges of his vision until he clamped his eyes and jaw shut, letting out a moan when he felt Alfred's teeth sink into the junction between his neck and shoulder.

A ragged sob escaped him, as he felt Alfred empty himself inside him. He drifted along the edge of consciousness until he heard Alfred's inhuman voice growling out his name just before turning him over onto his back. Part of Arthur feared Alfred would want to go again, which made the mage's stomach tight with nervousness until he felt Alfred collapse on top of him.

Both of them were trying to catch their breaths and sweating. Arthur felt as though he was tied to an altar surrounded by candles, with the oppressive weight of his god upon him. He felt drained and certain he didn't have the strength to push Alfred off of him, but when he moved to try Alfred wrapped his arms around him tighter and his cock still buried in the mage pulsed.

He felt Alfred's teeth against his neck and froze when he growled, "Don't…move yet."

The Breton opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, as Alfred continued growling before burying his face into his neck, holding him tighter and shaking. Arthur did as he was told and remained very still, but it was hard not to try embracing his lover when he felt tears falling onto his skin.

"I'm sorry. It was too close and still is…I don't want to hurt you more."

The pain in Alfred's voice made Arthur's heart clench. He finally gave up on remaining inert and wrapped his arms around the half-Nord, ignoring Alfred's sudden stiffness, and closed his eyes. Alfred's body heat was still burning him but he could ignore it knowing it was nothing compared to what Alfred was feeling…

His own pain, his own discomfort…He could endure this so long as it ended his loneliness and brought his Alfred back to him.

"My love," The mage whispered, turning his head towards the mercenary's ear and kissing his heated skin. "You are so strong…now let me be strong for us both."

Alfred's breath hitched when Arthur rolled his hips and the mercenary's still hardened arousal plunged deeper into him. The ache from his abused insides was terrible, knowing that Alfred was trembling with need...

He sucked in a breath, bit his lip, and arched back again, this time receiving a jabbing thrust from his lover in return that made him gasp.

Harnessing the last of his energy and resolve, Arthur threaded a hand in Alfred's hair and held him fast. "Don't stop, my love. Don't stop."


Fresh linens and chamomile roused him. The comforting scents reminded him of sanctuary and soothing tea, which he drank whenever he could find the means and a moment's peace. Though his eyelids felt as heavy as his body, he managed to wake and the first thing to grace his vision was an opened jar of blue mountain flower ointment on the bed. The balm was a special blend he had made himself and was a more potent pain reliever than conventional solutions. Now that he was more aware, he could feel the slickness of its application on his lower body and memories of his night with Alfred returned...

He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep or even how many times he and Alfred had copulated, but the soreness in his body gave him a good idea.

The very thought of moving made his body throb and he took a deep breath before locking his jaw and rolling onto his back. The discomfort was sharp and paralyzed him for a moment, leaving him slightly arched off the bed before he gingerly returned to a supine position. He swallowed hard and when he finally relaxed again he opened his eyes and saw Alfred sitting and hunched over at the foot of the bed.

Their eyes met and tense silence stretched between them until Alfred guiltily hung his head. Arthur tried to find something to say but the half-Nord beat him to it with an apology: "I'm so sorry."

The mage let out a sigh and grit his teeth, as he pushed himself up with his elbows to a sitting position but was halted when Alfred continued, "And don't say I have nothing to apologize for. I don't need to be lied to, even if it's out of kindness."

Arthur froze and set his furrowed expression on the half-Nord, "Then tell me what you feel you have to apologize for."

Alfred seemed to be steeling himself before lifting his face and finally meeting Arthur's eyes again. "I know I hurt you when we were together last night. I saw the blood when I cleaned you up and changed the sheets. I also saw the bruises and the bite marks…I know I can be rough sometimes but I'm never that rough. I know I lost control and I was aware when you were hurting and still I didn't stop."

When Arthur's expression didn't changed and he didn't respond, Alfred hung his head again and ran his hands through his hair. He sighed and seemed to be centering himself, "I take full responsibility for what I did…and I'm sorry. I didn't…I never want to do anything that would make you regret having saved me."

Without warning, a pillow collided with Alfred's head and sent him ass over teakettle off the edge of the bed. The half-Nord was left sprawled out on the floor in awkward disarray, as the mage crossed the bed and leered over him.

"You are an utter twat, Alfred of Rorikstead."

The half-Nord could do nothing but stare up at the Breton absolutely dumbfounded.

"If this had happened a year ago I would have cut my losses and continued this journey myself. You have been nothing but a pain in my ass since the day I met you. You're annoying, disruptive, at times smothering and other times the most graceless twit on the planet. You're the embodiment of the majority of things I cannot stand in this life and yet I find it impossible to rid myself of you," Arthur began and didn't seem to care about the tears beginning to cloud his vision…but Alfred did, and his expression softened in spite of the man's cruel words.

"I spent over a month doing unspeakable things trying to find the one person on this miserable plane of existence that I loathe and love so much. I regret nothing of what I did because to do so would be to regret having you back, and I will do no such thing."

Alfred was too stunned to even right himself or muster any sort of dignity, and just continued staring at Arthur as the mage's tears finally fell. Arthur again didn't seem to notice, as he reached down to grab Alfred by the collar of his shirt and haul him up to within an inch of his face.

"You bastard. Don't you ever invalidate my decisions again and don't you ever think that I make my choices lightly. I told you to keep going last night and I meant it. You want to take responsibility for your actions? Then know that I will never forgive you for having given me cause to feel this way about you and that if you ever disappear from my life again I will scour the world and Oblivion to find you and end you, just to make sure the job is done properly," He spat and couldn't stop his voice from breaking towards the end.

He was shaking when he only just managed entitling Alfred with another profanity before wrenching him into a jarring embrace.

Alfred didn't fight and let Arthur continue holding him at the painful angle, while breaking harsh kisses to spit out more curses at him. Though the angry words had been expected, the other heartfelt ones hadn't and Alfred couldn't stop his heart from swelling.

Arthur didn't regret him. Even better, he said he loved him…

It made taking the next several minutes of insults easier, before Arthur exhausted himself and allowed Alfred to return to the bed with him. The mage ended up falling back to sleep with the half-Nord holding him and gently rubbing his back. When it was quiet again with Arthur breathing easier beside him, Alfred found himself with a moment to think…

He honestly thought he had died in that prison. All this time he had believed that the only thing that had emerged from that hell had been the beast possessing him, leaving the ghost of him no more than an audience to the acts of a puppet master. He was always so afraid to touch Arthur not just because he was terrified of hurting him…but out of resentment for the thought that it was the beast taking someone he regarded as precious to him. He didn't want an imposter using his body to take advantage of the most important person in the world to him, to give him false hope and then crush it when he learned the truth...

But he was the one who hadn't known the truth.

Yes, the beast was there as it always had been, but it had been him Arthur had been crying out for and he had been the one to respond. The beast had fueled him then but now he could feel it dormant inside of him, leaving just him alone in his brain. He looked at his hand on Arthur and traced along his skin…knowing it was his will leaving a trail of gentle touches and it was his heart Arthur's cheek rested against. He looked at his arms around the mage and saw his own scars that would never show on the beast, and cautiously let his mind remember himself having been the one present and enduring each torture that left him so damaged.

His wardens had wanted the beast to come out and he steadfastly denied them. In a way he had been protecting himself as much as the beast, and the beast had paid him back by saving Arthur from the other monsters when he couldn't have. For months he had been fighting the terms of the pact he had made with his demon in his youth, a pact that until now had kept them in balance and coexisting. It was a dangerous thing to ignore their bond and something that had all but destroyed his mother...Arthur knew that, the Breton had seen what happened to a cursed person who tried fighting against the beast, and he knew its what would happen to his companion if this continued.

Arthur was still trying to save him; him and that meant his beast too.

He closed his eyes and pressed his face against Arthur again, kissing his hair and trying so hard not to crush him closer to him. "I'm not dead…thank you for proving it to me."

~Fin~


Notes from the Author:

Hello and welcome once again to all of our lovely readers. It has been a while since my last update here, but I finally managed to finish this and get Pie approval to post. The timeline for this fic is after the "I Promise" story, so I hope this doesn't confuse anyone. :') Pie and I thank everyone again for reading and following the story, we hope you've enjoyed this latest installment and that we have more for you soon!

Sincerely,

General Kitty Girl

Pie