A/N: This chapter is shorter than I thought it would be, but I'm gearing up for a lot of serious stuff to start happening in the next one. :)

Guest: Thank you! I'd love to have these men fighting over me too!

DancesWithElves: Boytoy lol. I'm sure that's exactly how Bryn sees him. I think I'll keep a tally of who's rooting for who in this story.

mia: Bryn beats Argis...possibly. I'm curious to know why you think he's the better choice for Freja.

By the way, this chapter contains sexual content.

Chapter 9: A Daunting Fate

Flesh, muscle, bone. It all burned and was strained under the force of her swings. She was suffering from deep cuts and sore bruises, but she pushed on, seeing nothing but the black scales of the beast, it's yellow eyes and severed tail. It was not until Brynjolf had shoved her out of the way of a ferociously clawed hand that she became aware that she was not alone. They fought the beast on three sides, but Freja knew the quickest way to end the fight would be to reach it's most vulnerable spot on it's neck.

She fought her way closer to her housecarl and had to scream for him to hear her. "Argis! I need to get on it's back!"

One of his arrows barely made a dent in it's thick legs. He growled and readied another, never taking his eyes off the dragon as he spoke. "I'll give you a boost!"

Freja quickly backed away from the fight until she was several yards away. When she saw that he was ready, she ran forward to Argis who hoisted her in the air effortlessly. She flew forward and drove her sword into the dragon's side. It thrashed but she held strong until she was able to use the sword as leverage to climb atop it's back. She reached down to extract the sword but, gods help her, it would not budge. She gritted her teeth as she pulled causing more agonizing pain to be inflicted onto the creature. The sword was finally freed in a spray of blood that splattered over her armor. Freja did not hesitate to use the last of her strength to raise the sword high above her head and bring it down upon the neck of the dragon. It screeched in pain as the fatal injury gushed warm blood. She twisted the sword and began to feel the beast buckle beneath her. It crashed to the ground and she slid off it's back to lay limp beside it on the cold ground, her sword still deep in it's neck.

She was not dead, but she was so pained and tired that she felt as though she were nearly there.

Xx

Argis was not fast enough to catch her before she fell and he felt his heart slam against his chest when she did not get up. A flash of light stopped him and he and everyone present watched as the golden swirl that was the soul of the defeated dragon shoot through the air to engulf Freja's body. The force of it lifted her off the ground slightly before it died out and she dropped back down with a loud groan.

Argis was the first to reach her. He sat her up and leaned her against him, pushing her hair out of her face. His good eye searched the blood-soaked ground for his pack but was unable to find it amongst the ruins and bodies that surrounded them. He saw Brynjolf, who was standing stone still in the middle of the chaos. His face was unreadable, he only stood there as if stunned.

"Brynjolf! I need a healing potion!" The man did not move. Argis called for him twice more before he gently laid Freja back down and searched frantically for a potion. When he found it he rushed back and propped her up, tilting her head back so that he could pour some of the red liquid down her throat. She immediately began to choke and sputter before swallowing. Argis knew her strength was returning when her hand reached up to take the bottle from him so she could press it to her lips, downing the entire bottle.

When it was empty, she let it fall from her hand to land on the ground between her and the steaming bones of the dragon. She could finally feel Argis's strong arms holding her up and could hear his heavy breathing. She sat up further and swept a few stubborn strands out of her face. She smiled at Argis sheepishly. "That was easy."

He smiled back at her. "Speak for yourself." He stood and helped her to her feet. He was not able to say another word to her before she was pulling herself out of his grasp.

"Where's Brynjolf!?" He saw the fear that had crept back into her face, and again he felt the angry shiver in his spine. He had healed her, but she was worried about the thief? He did not answer her and she continued to look until she found him and ran over.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes...I'm sorry...I..."

Now she was scared. It was rare for Brynjolf to lose his words like this. She knew that he must have been terrified. He was not a battle hardened warrior like Argis was, but a man that was used to sneaking around and rarely engaging in close combat. Now he had faced a dragon and was clearly shaken by it. She had told him stories about her encounters with dragons, but listening to stories and actually fighting were too very different things.

She lifted her hands to his face. "It's alright. The dragon's dead, we're alright."

He finally responded when he reached out for her and pulled her into a tight hug. She placed her hands lightly on his back as he took his comfort from her. Minutes later, she felt Argis's hand on her shoulder and she stepped away from Brynjolf, their hands the last to separate.

Argis's voice was solemn. "We should help bury the dead."

Freja nodded and walked back onto the battlefield.

Xx

Hours later, the three of them sat at a corner table at the Bee and Bard with the cheerful voices of the people around them. The people were happy that the invading dragon had been destroyed, but they also mourned the dead that had valiantly fought for them. They raised their tankards to them and sang songs of their glorious departure to Sovngarde.

Few came to the table where Freja and her men sat. Those that did marveled at her and thanked her. The rest remembered who she was and kept their distance, but it was not so much fear that kept them away now, but pity. They knew that it was a daunting fate to be the dragonborn.

Brynjolf downed the last of his ale and leaned over to Freja. "Time I head back to the cistern. They'll be wanting to know what happened today."

She looked at him concerned until he held up his hands.

"Your secrets out now, Freja. If the guild knows you're here, it's not because of me."

"I know."

He reached out and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before rising from the table and heading out the back doors.

Argis stood from his chair. "I think its time we take our leave as well."

The Bunkhouse was still empty when they arrived and Argis walked her to the door of her room. She expected him to turn and leave for his own room back at the inn when he followed her inside and closed the door behind him.

"Argis?"

He turned away from the door and looked at her, a smile playing at his lips. "When you told me you were the dragonborn, I didn't believe you. Even though I saw you use the thu'um I wasn't sure it could be you."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Why not?"

"I've heard about the legend of the dragonborn my entire life. The stories always suggested that a great Nord would be the one to free Skyrim. I guess I never expected it to be a Redguard woman...being with you has changed the way I see this world."

She opened her mouth to speak but he stopped her.

"But that doesn't matter now. What matters is that you are the dragonborn, and though you are no Nord, you are the strongest, bravest warrior I have ever had the pleasure of knowing."

She smiled at him, feeling her face tingle with embarrassment.

He laughed. "And the fact that you can still be embarrassed by anything is amazing."

Her smile grew. "You're making it worse."

He came to her then and lifted her off her feet and into his arms.

"Argis! What are you doing?" She was silenced when he kissed her.

"I'm asking if I may stay here...with you?"

"You wish to share a bed with your thane?"

"Very much."

"Permission granted."

Xx

Brynjolf had left the inn only to immediately come fact to face with his guild sister, Vex. At first the attractive blonde looked shocked to see him, but her face quickly twisted into a scowl.

"Where have you been!?"

"Nice to see you too, Vex."

"Answer the question."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "You already know the answer."

"Then it's true then, Freja is alive?"

"Yes."

"Then why in Oblivion hasn't she returned to the guild?"

"It's not for me to tell."

She knew he was trying to shut her out. "You were always protecting her..."

"She always needed protecting."

She mirrored his stance and crossed her arms. "Not from what I've been hearing around the city. They say she's the dragonborn."

His silence confirmed it.

"HA! I knew there was something strange about that girl!"

"What do you want?"

"I want to know what's going on. What are you hiding?"

"Vex..." He only sighed, his eyes flicking over to the inn.

"Freja's in there, isn't she? Maybe I'll go ask her myself." She made a move for the doors but he stepped in front of her. He griped her shoulders and turned her around before pushing her away from the inn.

"We'll talk, but not here."

Xx

She was straddling his back, massaging his bare shoulders with her strong hands. Argis suppressed a moan as her hands moved down to knead the tan flash of his mid back, smoothing out the tense muscles.

"I should be giving you the massage, dragon slayer."

"You should, but I'm being nice." She brought one hand to his hair and her fingernails lightly scratched his scalp.

He could feel himself hardening against the mattress as her beautiful fingers worked over his body. He felt uncomfortably warm as his arousal grew...he really needed to turn over.

She shifted her weight over him and intimate images burst into his mind. He had touched her in this bed, watching as he made her come, the way she arched her back and moaned his name, loving the way she shook afterwards...gods, he wanted her. He wanted her right now.

He flipped over so suddenly she gasped and fell to her side. He was out of the bed in a flash and looked down at her, his skin flushed.

"What's wrong?" she asked before her eyes travelled down to his completely erect member. She smiled at him shyly and allowed him to remove her clothes as he trailed wet kisses over her warming skin.

"Turn over."

"What?"

"It's my turn to be nice."

She obeyed and laid on her stomach. She felt his hands massage her back and her thighs, inching ever closer to the center between her legs. She bit her lip, on the brink of moaning when he suddenly lifted her onto her hands and knees.

"Argis?"

"Eyes forward, my thane."

She obeyed, waiting anxiously for whatever he was planning to do to her. She jerked when she felt his hot tongue flick over her. And her mouth fell open when he used his hands to spread her wider, completely exposing herself to him as he thinned out his tongue to fuck her with his mouth.

She'd never been taken this way before but it didn't take long for the initial shock to fade. Her hands balled up the sheets in a tight grasp and soon she was pushing back onto his tongue, moaning loudly.

"Yes...yes...AH!" He had removed his mouth and was now thrusting two thick fingers into her.

Argis groaned. This was driving him crazy. He hated restraining himself when all he wanted was to fuck her senseless. He could do it now, but something was holding him back.

"I'm so close, Argis." Her voice came out as a breathy whine and his cock throbbed almost painfully. He stood and with his free hand he loosened the ties of his pants and pulled them down mid thigh, freeing his rock hard length. He withdrew his fingers from her and gripped her ass. "Touch yourself, make yourself come." He watched intently as she quickly reached a hand back between her legs and massaged her clit. He watched her pleasure herself as he took hold of his cock and stroked it furiously, letting his thumb brush against the weeping head.

Freja finally looked over her shoulder and nearly gasped at what she saw. He caught her eye and grinned at her before he smacked her ass, hard. She screamed and he spanked her one more time before she came undone, burying her face in the mattress as she came.

The marvelous sight of her coming pushed Argis over the edge and he moaned out his release, spilling himself onto the sheets and her bare skin. He took a moment to catch his breath before reaching for his shirt and using it to clean her and himself off. He carefully helped her off the bed and removed the soiled sheet before climbing back in, pulling her in as well. He held her, bathing in her scent until they both fell asleep.

But they only dozed for a short while before there was a knocking at the door that quickly turned into hurried banging. Argis groaned and turned over to lay his head on Freja's stomach. The urgent knocking continued, and she carefully slid from underneath him and threw on her gown before going to the door. Her heart sank down into her stomach when she saw Brynjolf and Vex outside her door. Her guild sister looked her over with a bitter smile, her eyes lingering a little too long on her cleavage.

"Look who's back from the dead."