Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the Elder Scroll series.

Chapter 10: Two is a Group, Three is a Crowd

Mahrig

I froze in my spot, completely aware that I had not even been able to bathe or put on my armor. I stood defenseless in my white cotton dress and had left my sword back at the camping site. The only protection I would have would be my arsenal of spells and two shouts that I didn't have the courage to use yet. I began hearing screams from the hill above us, the shouting was getting closer. The sound shook me from my frozen stupor and I instantly rushed up the hill toward the two dragons that grew ever closer.

"Mahrig!" Gareth's shout from behind didn't stop me. There were people in need of help and I had to do my best to assist them. The hill was moderately steep compared to most slopes of the hot spring valley, on top I could make out a plateau shaped crater that continued to let off steam. If I could make it to there, I would probably be able to see where the shouting was coming from. I pushed forward, my limp hindered my movement speed only slightly. I assumed that Theo and Gareth would have readied themselves by now and already started following me. They would no doubt catch up.

At the top of the hill I stopped only briefly to catch my breath and search the distance in the direction the screams had been heard. I saw a small camp surrounded by the springs. A few tents were erected in my view and a group of half dressed people were running frantically in all directions away from the approaching winged beasts. A male and a female wearing nothing but undergarments were headed in my direction. In the distance I could make out the Bonestrewn Crest where we had originally been traveling to. Rumors began to spread of nesting spots of numerous Dragon that began preying upon travellers and adventurers. Shearpoint had been the first place we had investigated. A group of hunters had gone missing in the area and we had been informed of their destination. They had been searching for their glory and fame that bringing down a dragon would present them with. Unfortunately all that they acquired had been a shallow snowy grave.

Upon travelling back to Whiterun Hold for some rest and recuperation we had heard of the beast that had brought terror to many who frequented the hot springs area of south Eastmarch. Never in the rumors had we heard anything about two dragons, and we were definitely not prepared to take on two beasts.

"Hurry, keep running, don't stop!" I yelled to the approaching man and woman. They had ran quite a distance in a short time and both seemed a little winded as they approached.

"By the Eight! The Dragons just came out of nowhere!" The woman cried frantically in my direction. The woman stopped beside me to catch her breath glancing back toward the two beast that now circled the encampment. The man did not stop, he continued down the hill from which I had came and yelled back in response to the woman.

"This is the Nine's punishment for people like you who would forget Talos!" He ran right past Gareth and Theodwyn who were now in close proximity to my location. I looked back to the frantic woman and patted her shoulder.

"I doubt this has anything to do with your religious orientation. I need you to keep going, get as far away from here as you can." The woman managed a weak smile in her fragile state and nodded.

"What about you, aren't you coming?" I shook my head at her words.

"No, my companions and I will hold these beasts off for as long as we can." Her eyes slightly widened at my attempt at bravery. I could tell she wasn't convinced though, I wasn't even convinced. My hands were clearly shaking and my legs had began to waver.

From my peripheral I caught a glimpse of blue and green. My sword came into view as Gareth stepped around me, his attention was in the direction of the circling dragons. Worry etched his face. Theo was next to come into my sights. He had a look of bewilderment on his face. He too was shaken by the fact that we would have to go up against two dragons. This was a dangerous situation that I did not want to put myself in let alone my two companions. I glanced between Gareth and Theo and then glanced back toward the direction that the woman had taken off in. She was hurriedly making her way toward cover wherever it could be found. I took my sword from Gareth and nodded in thanks. Without a word I darted forward. If I had waited any longer I might have turned and followed the retreating woman to somewhere safe. My courage was quickly fading as I seen the last few silhouettes of people escape from the area to a safe distance. No one was in immediate danger anymore. The dragons seemed preoccupied with the vacant camp and if I had wished it, I could have ran. I'm pretty sure in that moment that Gareth and Theo would have agreed.

My speed was steady as I sprinted toward the camp. The morning air was damp on my skin, aided by the steaming bodies of water that covered the spring valley. I readied a fireball and tightened my grip on my sword. This would be the first time I had ever initiated a fight with a dragon. The dragon at Shearpoint had surprised all of us. The blizzard we had trudged through helped conceal the dragon's presence until we had nearly stumbled right into his sight of attack. He had noticed us first and made the first move. Either I was growing foolish with my new freedom in the world, or somewhere deep down inside I wanted it all to just end. No one in their right mind would want to start a fight with a dragon, but I was about to start a fight with two.

"Spread out!" I yelled over the hastened wind and roars that ripped through the skies above us. Theo and Gareth both complied and went in opposite directions as I charged straight on. I released my fireball into the area ahead of one of the dragon's flight paths. It was a direct hit. The dragon wasted no time to recover from the blow. I was in his sights. I saw a green burst ignite around the other dragon, and a swarm of insects engulfed it. Theo was going to buy us some time by keeping the other dragon preoccupied. I released another flurry of fireballs toward the dragon who was now circling over top of my location. The wind around me caused by the beating wings of the dragon started picking up small leaves and ground debris mimicking a small cyclone. He released his first attack and I quickly jumped from its impact zone. A frost dragon. The ice made cracking sounds as it froze whatever it touched. The once warm soil now lay in a state of permafrost. I recovered from my dodge and quickly began another assault of fireballs. Each one lit up a small surface area of the dragon's hard scaly skin. Each one also served to madden the beast even more. The roars had now turned into something much more terrifying. I glanced over to check on Gareth's location. He was quickly moving in on my right to assist my dilemma.

Theo continued his attempt to distract the other dragon. Swarms of insects continued to block the dragons vision and eat away at his vast armored body of scales. I needed to ground my dragon. If I could somehow get this dragon to land we could start a ground assault and inflict more damage with melee. I quickly looked around keeping track of the hovering dragon above me. He was preparing for another attack and I was forming a plan. All that lay within the surrounding area were a few tents, a rock formation and a couple of trees that were spread out around the spring. I chose the rock formation. As another frost attack hurled my way I bolted. I wouldn't have much cover from the rocks, but it would definitely hide me from direct view of the dragon. Upon reaching the formation of rocks I noticed a slight dugout that would possibly fit my body and provide me with a little wiggle room.

Upon sliding down into the burrowed area I noticed a few small animal skeletons littering the den. This was no doubt a Skeever hole. The occupants didn't seem to be around thankfully. The dragon now circled the rock formation. Gareth waited patiently under a nearby tree trying to keep out of sight of the preying beast. Smart man, he had most likely already figured out my plan. I had assaulted the beast, challenged him more than once, and then fled out of his sight and attack range. This would either cause the dragon to land and try a ground attack at my level, or join its comrade dragon and attack Theo. For Theo's sake I hoped that the dragon would land.

As if on queue the dragon began to hover. I could see the wind impact the ground in a single area continuously until it's scaly skin came into view from my location through the hole in the ground under the rock formation. The ground slightly vibrated as the beast sat itself down. I seen Gareth's boots rush forward behind the dragon before it let out a gust of icy wind from its mouth. The ice covered the small entrance where I had squeezed myself into. On instinct I readied my free hand with flames. The ice was slowly spreading into the small area that my body occupied. I released the flame, hoping that it would melt the ice as soon as it formed. I held my breath. I knew fire well, no doubt the sealed area around me would not hold much air. The fire from my hands would burn through that air in no time. I could only hope that my flames would break through. The dragon's frost breath had stopped. The ice had halted in spreading, but the entrance was still sealed, and my flames could only burn so hot. The melting seemed as if it were taking ages instead of mere seconds. My already frantic body was air starved from the beginning and holding my breath was more of a challenge than I had anticipated.

My flames broke through. The hot spring air rushed in feeling cool compared to the heat I had endured from my flames in such close proximity. Sweat and moisture from the evaporated ice masked my forehead. I quickly glanced out of the sodden dirt entrance. Gareth repeatedly struck the dragon in its hindquarters and continued in a dance like motion evading the beasts attempts to turn on him. I noticed one of the dragon's wings had been badly injured. Gareth must have assaulted the dragon in such a manner to ensure that it would not take flight once more. A bit of relief washed over me at the realization that we could actually pull this off. I scurried from beneath the ground like the skeever that would return to its inhospitable home and stood up. I readied a fireball and reassured my grip on my sword. I rushed forward. I released a fireball that made direct contact with the dragon's right eye.

The dragon quickly turned causing its tail to quickly collide with Gareth sending him hurtling toward me. In an instant without even realizing what I had done I shouted.

"Fus!" The force from my shout slowed Gareth's sail through the air toward me. He fell just a few short feet in front of me. He rolled over, a group of gasps escaped his chest. The hit from the dragon's tail had knocked the wind from him. I left Gareth to regain his stamina. I rushed around him to avert the dragon's attention. If he attacked while Gareth was down, Gareth wouldn't stand a chance. I brought my sword up and readied my swing. The dragon blinked furiously with his left eye, the right eye was now rendered useless due to my fireball. The dragon lurched away at my swing, but I used my swing to my advantage twisting my body into momentum for the second swing that made direct contact with the dragon's exposed neck. The dragon attempted to pull further away dislodging my sword from its neck. I had already prepared a fireball and released it, hitting the dragon in the less scaled area of it's torso.

My attacks were wearing the beast down. The dragon's movements were less planned and more sloppy than they had been before. The only downside was that I could not see the logic in his attempt at an attack. He was fighting back blindly snapping his jaws in every direction. I readied another fireball and gripped my sword. I heard Theo's voice echo over the snarling dragon before me.

"Mahrig watch out!" I felt cold steel collide with my body, and then water began rushing into my gaping mouth. I instantly stopped my intake of breath as I sunk below the surface of water. A large metallic presence encircled me. A fiery glow illuminated the water's surface above me. I glanced beside me to see a dark head of hair sway beside me in the water's movements. I could barely make out Gareth's features in close proximity. He had been the one to charge into me throwing us both into the spring to evade an attack. When the flames ceased we both surfaced. Theo was now running in our direction. The grounded dragon was now in a form of retreat. He continued to back away from the approaching Theo. Theo's bow was drawn, and an arrow was nocked. He released the arrow sending it into the grounded dragon's left eye. The dragon was now blinded to sight. He would now only have his other senses to fight with. Gareth quickly pulled me to my feet as I searched the sky for the dragon that had attacked me unknowingly. The beast was swinging around for another assault.

"We need to deal with the one that is still flying. That dragon isn't going anywhere right now." Gareth motioned back toward the grounded dragon. I nodded still regaining my balance. I was still a bit dizzy from the impact Gareth's armor had made with my body. Standing up too quickly had caused me to become a little disoriented, but I tried to keep my focus on the sky. The dragon that was headed back toward us looked pretty beat up itself. Certain areas of its scales seemed to hang loosely from its body where the insects had slowly eaten away at the surface. Multiple arrows were lodged into the beasts flesh below the seemingly decayed scales. Theo's magic was definitely a force to not be reckoned with. The dragon had begun it's flight back toward us, but I noticed something strange. He was losing height quickly.

"By the Gods, he's coming in for a crash landing." I loudly observed. Gareth jumped quickly into action. Theo was the first to start moving. Gareth nudged me forward and motioned for a tree, but I stood in place.

"We can kill two with one blow." Gareth looked down at me curiously, the urgency growing in his eyes.

"You better voice your plan quick, because that dragon will collide with the ground and destroy anything in its path." I nodded at his statement.

"That is exactly what I intend for it to do." I pointed back toward the blinded dragon that continued to whip around in circles snapping at the air. Upon the dragon's blinded retreat he had cornered himself in a cluster of trees and bushes that lay on the outside of our previous battleground. Gareth's eyes widened at the realization.

"What do we do?" Gareth asked glancing wearily at the incoming dragon.

"You do nothing Gareth, I'll stay in its sight and slowly back toward the blinded dragon. If I can keep an attack of fireballs constant it will distract him and he won't notice the blinded dragon beneath the cover of the few trees we've backed him into." Gareth eyed the dragon and stood still.

"Then I'm staying here too. I'll make sure you and I are both out of the way." I started to protest but he stopped me.

"This isn't up for debate Mahrig." My previous use of that statement seemed like it was ages ago.

Gareth

Mahrig's plan was insane, but bloody brilliant at the same time. We could utilize this dragon's suicide collision to rid us of both dragons. Mahrig began her assault as the dragon neared. His attention was fully on her as he weaved in and out of his flight path to dodge her attacks. If she had wanted to hit him with her fireballs, she would have, but she was simply diverting his attention from the grounded dragon that lay in the cover of trees behind us. We quickened our steps backward as the dragon neared, the dangerous snapping sound behind us was also getting closer. There we were stuck between two beasts that could easily end our lives quickly. Mahrig's hand trembled but her focus was steadfast on her objective. The beast neared gaining speed toward it's decent. The moment I observed a point of no return for the diving dragon I pulled Mahrig from its path. The dragon collided with the ground sounding a thunderous boom that echoed through the hot spring valley. The distant southern mountains would no doubt echo the sound back to us briefly. The ground quaked as the dragon's body slid out of control toward the blinded dragon. Dirt, dust, rock, root, all things on the floor of the valley were now displaced by the dragon's speeded impact with the ground. I covered Mahrig's body with my own, being careful not to crush her fragile frame under the weight of my armor. Dust filled my lungs and I did not attempt to move myself or Mahrig from where we had landed just mere feet away from the Dragon's path. I heard the flesh and scale collide sending another wave of sounds through the valley. The roar of the blinded dragon faded, and a muffled snarl was all that remained. The dust cleared slowly leaving me curious to what kind of sight would unfold once the air cleared.

I pulled Mahrig up and scanned over her quickly. I could see blood seeping from her knee through a hole that had been torn through her white cotton dress. Other then that she seemed fine. A quick healing spell would take care of her knee. Mahrig's attention was on the dark figures that were slightly coming into view. Only one still moved. The dragon that had come in for the crash landing weakly tried to maneuver it's body away from the now gruesome sight of its comrade. The force from the impact had seemingly caused the other dragon's body to explode outward. The force to cause such a result must have been great, and something only a dragon could be capable of. Mahrig's eyes widened as the dust settled more. The trees that once shielded the grounded dragon from sight were now uprooted and some had even been thrust past the now distant camp. Mahrig quickly made her way over to the spring and jumped in. She resurfaced shortly with her sword that had been abandoned upon our recent impact with the warm water.

I watched her face turn into something cold and remorseless. She made her way to the still wriggling dragon. I hurried forward trying to make sense of her sudden step up onto the dragon's back. She walked up the length of the moving dragon. It's limbs had been noticeably crushed on impact, and its movements were severely hindered, still partially laying on the ground. She brought her sword up with both of her hands and quickly planted the blade through the beast's skull. The body went still, and the low growls ceased.

"Quickly help me, let's gather a few scales before the transfer happens." I rushed forward, following Mahrig's lead. We pulled loose scales, and carved around the ones that were still fully intact. A haze of orange began to engulf the giant body of the dragon.

"I can only hold it off for so long." Mahrig began to work faster. At Shearpoint Theo had come up with the idea of trying to salvage some of the scales before Mahrig consumed the dragon's soul, destroying the scales and flesh in the process. Apparently Mahrig wanted to attempt this also. Whether it was to see if she could hold off the transfer, or simply gather the scales, I didn't know. She worked hastily, and I tried to keep her pace. The heat beneath the scales began to rise and my steel gauntlets began to heat up in the process. A gasp from Mahrig signaled the beast's outer shell to burst into flames. I backed away from the almost instantaneous bout of flames that devoured the beast. The orange and white mist danced toward Mahrig in a swirl. She breathed deeply as the glow engulfed her skin. Fire danced in the shadow of her eyes sending a chill down my spine. She truly looked fearsome in those moments.

Both dragons lay before us as only bone. Mahrig's eyes returned to the gray that had been presented when she woke up. She now stared down at the beast, all traces of her previous cold demeanor were gone, and she almost looked...hurt. I wanted to ask about her about her sudden change in emotion, but Theo thudded to a halt from his rapid approach and wrapped his arms around her. My attention that had been divided between Mahrig and the bones were now solely on her. Tears threatened her eyes. Theo tightened his grip around her and shushed her nearing sob. Mahrig was fighting the urge to cry, and I found myself fighting the urge to unwrap Theo from her forcefully. I should have known Theo would take advantage of one of her weaker moments to get closer to her. I could see the way his hand slightly snaked to her lower back and began to rub small circles. He was clearly a scoundrel for feeling the poor girl up in her fragile state. Any sympathy I had felt for him in our earlier conversation vanished. His actions were inexcusable.

Mahrig pulled away and wiped her eyes. A stray tear had escaped, but she quickly wiped it away.

"Don't worry about me Theo, I'm fine." She assured him backing away and glancing back toward the bones. She bent down to a pile of scales and presented Theo with one.

"We managed to salvage a few and distance them before the fire took over." Theo's eyes widened at the discovery.

"Wonderful, imagine the armor possibilities if given to the right Blacksmith." His eyes gleamed as he accepted the scale. He turned it over numerous times inspecting the surface and observing the weight with an up and down motion of his hand. Mahrig turned toward me and tried a smile. It was a small weak smile, but it was a real smile.

"Well, I guess we did it." I nodded at her words and chuckled.

"That we did my lady." I teased with formality. She waved it off with her hand.

"I went into that battle not expecting to come out unscathed." She sighed and closed her eyes.

"You aren't completely unscathed." I pointed out. She opened her eyes and I motioned down to her knee. Her wet dress clung to her legs exposing the gash in the dress that exposed her bleeding knee.

"Oh darn, I really liked this dress too." She giggled and looked back up to me.

"May I?" She nodded at my inquisition. I guided her to a nearby log and sat her down. I gently pulled the wet fabric of her dress away from her flesh and raised it just above her wounded knee. She slightly flinched as the fabric pulled away from the tender skin.

"Let Sir Holy Knight mend your knee. I'll buy you a brand new dress when we get back to civilization." I heard Theo scoff in the distance. I brushed off his obvious attempt to irritate me. Mahrig only slightly blushed at his comment, but her face turned a full crimson shade as I placed my hands on her exposed leg. Noticeable goosebumps appeared on her skin. I glanced back up to make sure that I hadn't caused her discomfort. She averted her gaze to her hand that rested on the log beside her.

"You know, I could have healed myself. You don't always have to do it for me." Her words were quiet, almost a whisper. I could tell that she, for the most part, wanted to keep this conversation between the two of us, and not catch Theo's ear.

"I know you are fully capable of doing so, but I am your Paladin. My service is to you until you or the Gods decide otherwise." Mahrig's face blazed an even deeper shade of red. A feeling deep within me stirred, a satisfaction at seeing her react such a way to my words and even the most innocent touch of my hand. The heat welled in my palms as the healing energy flowed through to her knee. I could almost feel the skin mend itself in the healing bond. I removed my hand and wiped the blood away.

"It feels good as new." Mahrig turned her smile back toward me. A small gleam had made its way back into her eyes, a gleam I hadn't seen since before Shearpoint. This realization caressed my conscience. I had been worried long before Theo had brought Mahrig's downfall of emotions to my attention. I had worried that everything thrust onto her so suddenly was destroying her from within. It terrified me that she might give into death easily in order to escape her nightmares, to escape this world. It's what, despite Kynareth's will, kept me close to her side in battle. I had even caught glimpses of her pure exhaustion before we had even met Theo, and it had irritated me that he would assume I had not noticed such a long lasting spiral toward the unknown concerning Mahrig. Mahrig was my ward from the moment I found her in the debris of Helgen, my friend. Yes, she was my friend.

Mahrig and I held each other's gaze. Theo's approach was announced with him clearing his throat. Mahrig snapped her attention toward him and feigned a small smile. It was nowhere near the genuine smile she had given me.

"I guess we should head back to our camp." She sighed.

"Yep, someone needs to take a bath and gear up." Theo smirked and held out his hand. Mahrig took it and he helped her stand.

I made sure Theo's attention was elsewhere while Mahrig tended to her bathing and dressing. Theo now toted a full bag of dragon scales that he greedily hoarded. I began packing the bedrolls and other miscellaneous things we didn't want to leave behind. My attention however drifted as I packed item after item away. Mahrig's form was visible beside a small bush that sat beside the spring to the east. She had just pulled her robe up over her shoulders. I had caught sight of her pale shoulders before they had been covered. My pulse quickened, and no doubt a foreign look had crossed my face at realizing I had been the one to eavesdrop on her. I quietly chastised myself. The temptation was back. For an instant I had longed to catch a glimpse of her unclothed figure. My face felt heated, and it had nothing to do with the close campfire.

"Some Paladin you are." Theo's voice interrupted my thoughts. I glanced up toward him hiding any previous emotion that had been displayed.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Spying on Mahrig. Even I have the decency to give the girl some privacy." He smirked and tossed a small rock in my direction causing a clunking noise as it bounced off of my armor. I had been caught. If I could have kicked myself I would have.

"Can't really blame you though, she is quiet the beauty. I just assumed you weren't allowed to harbor such desires." His stare made my skin seemingly crawl as if he had sent an invisible bug swarm to torture my senses.

"I hold no vulgar thoughts towards Mahrig. I unknowingly glanced in her direction. It slipped my mind that she was even over there." Theo snickered at my attempt to explain my actions.

"Sure, sure make up excuses Paladin, but you and I both know where your mind went." The heat in my face was more from irritation now than what it had been from before.

"Don't worry, I won't tell on ya. Wouldn't wanna get the poor girl's hopes up about someone who can never truly make her happy." Theo's words stung more than they should have.

In the weeks Mahrig and I had traveled together I had become comfortable in her presence, and she seemingly had become comfortable in mine. Our adventures reminded me of the only memories I had of being around someone I cared about. I couldn't deny that being around Mahrig made me happy in a way. She was someone I could jest with, or talk to. I watched her back in battle, and in turn she did the same for me. We were a team even after Theo's introduction to our little party. Things did seem to get a little crowded at times, but mainly because Theo would always try and sneak in to gain her attention whenever he could. Mahrig and I were rarely ever presented with moments where just the two of us could talk. I noticed sometimes how Mahrig would even sneak away in Taverns or send Theo off on little errands so that she could catch up a bit with it just the two of us.

I noticed these things about her, and Theo didn't. So who was he to assume what would make her happy?

"Her happiness is up to her Theodwyn." I glanced up, no longer feeling the awkwardness from before.

"Her happiness is with me." Theo retorted causing my body to stiffen.

"So you admit your intentions toward Mahrig to me?" I asked trying to understand his forthcomings.

"Well, yeah. Why not? I'm not a man who is tied down by vows. I can give her true happiness. I've seen the way she looks at you at times. I'd say she has a little crush, and probably her first considering her scent." His words confused me.

"Care to elaborate a bit before I assume your intent?" I raised a brow in his direction as I spoke.

"Her garden is untouched, but blooming." His words only served to confuse me further. My brow creased further which only made Theo laugh.

"My Druid Sexual Innuendos confusing you? She's never been with a man, but her body is starting to react to all the manliness she encounters on a daily basis." He motioned toward me and then himself. The shock of his statement hit me causing me to stiffen once more. He could tell those kind of things about Mahrig because he was so well in tune with Nature as was the mortal body. The changes that took place in Mahrig weren't seen by me, but he could easily sniff them out no doubt.

"So, what I'm getting at is, when the time comes don't try and stop me. When she's ready, I'll handle the situation where you cannot. You may be her bodyguard that makes her feel safe in this world, but I can make her feel safe in her desires. One day she'll realize this too." My vision blurred into a haze of red. I could feel the adrenaline pump through my body invigorating my stores of stamina. His intentions are to bed Mahrig, My Mahrig! I stood up, towering over the campfire and the still seated Theo who continued to look at me with his devilish smirk. He was no different than the devious druid I had known long ago. His intentions were in the same bed, for lack of a better metaphor, as the female druid who had done such dispicable things to me as a lad coming into his manhood.

My anger faltered at the realization of what my mind had voiced. In my haste of anger I had claimed Mahrig. My thoughts had screamed ownership of her in some form. "My Mahrig!" replayed in my mind over and over. My hesitation must have prompted Theo, because his next words caught me off guard.

"You can't give her what she wants. I might not be as tall or well bred, but I'm sure I can make up for that in experience." I took a breath, trying to steady myself. He had confirmed my suspicions of Mahrig's innocence, but that is something I wanted to preserve, not take away like the vile man before me was suggesting. My previous thoughts were lost as Theo continued.

"Lighten up Gareth, I'm stating the obvious. You know, it's bugged me for a while." All signs of humor washed away from his features as he spoke.

"Here I am so open, and forward with my feelings and intentions toward her. I give her gifts, I compliment her, I open myself up to her and show her a side I've never shown anyone else. Yet…" He paused and looked up toward me questioningly.

"She still only seems to have eyes for you. The uptight Paladin with vows." I would be lying if I said that statement didn't give my ego a boost. I would also be lying if I denied the excitement at hearing Theo's observation of Mahrig's attention. Then the guilt set in. He was right. I couldn't give Mahrig what she wanted. I couldn't give her happiness like other men could. I couldn't break my vows.