A/N: Goodness, guys. Sorry for the long absence. December was a crazy month for me.

mia: Freja is in a constant struggle to decide what's best for her. I think the more she gets to know Argis, the choice becomes clearer.

AcuteHedgehog: I literally threw my head back and laughed, HARD. Thanks for that.

RoseAmongLillies: Brynjolf is holding on to a relationship that doesn't exist anymore. If he even gets a hint of anything from Freja, he's going to pounce. He's a man in love.

negative: Hey there! Thanks for the review. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

This chapter contains sexual content.

Chapter 11: No Pride

He walked out of his tent the next morning and was extremely relieved to find that the skies had finally cleared. He could still feel the moisture in the air and he breathed in the smell of the wet trees around him. When he let out a loud yawn he winced, and his hand shot up to the deep bruise on his jaw. Freja really knew how to throw a punch.

Brynjolf waved at Vex as she slowly emerged from her own tent, looking a little worse for wear. He was proud of her for toughing it out on this trip. He knew that, like him, she rarely left the city unless she was on a job. Though, this could technically be considered a job. It was for the guild after all. Now he just had to convince Freja that he was also there to support her. She could rely on him to care for her, to put her above everything else.

He would convince her, even though he was still angry about their fight. He had finally gotten a chance to rekindle some of their intimacy and she runs off to fuck that beast of a man. But he would always be the one that had her first.

He gave said beast a stiff greeting when he stepped out of his tent, running his hand through his tangled red hair. Brynjolf barely held back a growl when he saw Freja follow after him and kiss his neck, the only part of him she could reach without standing on the tips of her toes.

They all shared another quiet meal before heading out for the last leg of their journey to Solitude. In an attempt to seem in a better mood than he actually was, he kindly let Vex steer their horse. He wrapped an arm around her slim waist and she grinned back at him.

"Watch your hands, Brynjolf; I might get the wrong idea."

He laughed. "If I wanted you Vex, you would know."

"What's not to want?"

"That mouth."

"Really? I've been told I use it very well." She shot him another dangerous grin before he used his other hand to turn her back around. Any other day, he would partake in a little playful flirtation, but Freja was in close proximity. He couldn't risk her questioning his loyalties again.

They rode for most of the day, only stopping once to rest the horses. The sky was beginning to darken with sunset when they finally reached the Solitude stables. They left the horses there and continued on; walking passed the guards posted at the wall and into the main square of the city. They were eager to find an inn for the night, but were forced to stop when they saw the crowd of people that were filing into the square. They followed the gaze of the people up towards a stage where one of the guard captains stood beside a man in rags, and a headsman standing close by.

It seemed they had arrived on an execution day.

Xx

She woke before Argis that morning, and she slowly turned in his arms to watch him sleep. He was a lighter sleeper since he stopped drinking, but she couldn't resist watching him, especially today. They had finally made love and he confessed his feelings for her, though he thought she was asleep at the time. It still made her stomach flutter with excitement to think about it, but she also held back a feeling of dread she couldn't quite understand.

Her thoughts were interrupted when he shifted next to her. His eyes were still closed when he spoke.

"You're staring again."

"Ugh huh."

"Stop staring, Freja. I cannot sleep when you do that."

"Too bad. It's time to get up anyway; we still have to make it to Solitude."

He groaned and rolled over onto his back, pulling Freja on top of him. He kissed her deeply as his hands traveled over her body. It was driving her crazy until he pulled away. "Do we have time to...?"

She smiled down at him shyly. "We can spare a few minutes." She quickly lifted off him enough to pull his pants down. When she lowered herself onto his hardness she winced when she felt some resistance. Argis was certainly a lot to take in when she wasn't prepared. She tried to relax as much as possible till he completely filled her. She moaned when Argis sat up slightly to take her mouth again, his tongue brushing against hers heatedly. There was no resistance when she rocked her hips, and Argis moaned into her mouth when her pace quickened. This time, their lovemaking was much quieter, and she shook with the effort it took not to scream when she came. She clutched to him desperately when he flipped them over and took what he needed from her. He came inside her again, and she made a mental note to visit the potion shop in Solitude. She would need to stock up on anything that would prevent conception. A child was the last thing they needed to worry about.

When they finally dressed and left the sanctuary of their tent, the first person she saw was Brynjolf. She tried not to let out a cruel laugh when she saw the dark bruise on his face. He deserved a lot more than that after what he did to her, but she would let it go for now. She could not let Argis know about anything that happened between them in the forest. She still remembered the look on his face when he caught them in the cemetery, she would not put him through another betrayal.

The second part of their journey was easier, and she enjoyed looking out on the plains and up the hills towards their destination. She let out a sigh of relief when they passed through the gates, and nearly collided with Argis when he suddenly stopped. It was only then that she noticed the sizable crowd gathered in the square.

"What's going on?" she said as she tried to see over the people.

"An execution." They were the first words Brynjolf had spoken to her that day.

"Who's getting the ax?" Vex asked, though she didn't seem too concerned about the scene.

"No one I know."

Freja looked at Argis, noticing he was oddly quiet. His eyes were glued to the stage where the prisoner was being held, a strange look on his face.

"Argis?" He didn't seem to hear her and she called to him again when he stepped forward, moving through the crowd. They all followed behind him till they were close enough to see the entire stage. A city guard spoke to the prisoner, and his voice rose above the crowd.

"Roggvir, you helped Ulfric Stormcloak escape the city after he murdered the High King Torygg. By opening that gate for Ulfric, you betrayed the people of Solitude."

The people began to shout around them, jeering at the man in rags. She could feel Argis tense next to her. His hands were balled up in fists at his side. Her attention returned to the stage when the prisoner approached the stone block. He spoke just as loud as the guard.

"There was no murder; he beat the High King in fair combat. Such is our way; such is the ancient custom of Skyrim, and all Nords!" He looked in their direction then, and Freja realized that he was looking at Argis. He held his stare before he knelt down before the block, and placed his head down on the cold stone.

"On this day...I got to Sovngarde."

There was a deathly silence as the headsman swung his axe and beheaded Roggvir in one swing. His limp body fell backwards and out of sight, and the crowd began to disperse. She almost cried out when Argis seized her wrist in his massive hand and pulled her away. She tried not to show that she was in pain and Vex and Brynjolf followed them in silence as Argis led the way towards the inn.

The Winking Skeever was beginning to fill for the night, and the room was warm with the amount of people around. As they were securing their room, she could hear Vex behind her.

"Buy me a drink, Brynjolf? I think we both could use one."

"Aye, perhaps two."

Argis pulled her away from them and closed the door once they made it into their room. She watched from the door as he threw himself into a chair, his head in his hands. She stood there, gently massaging her wrist until he spoke.

"It's a shame...Roggvir was a good man."

"You knew him?"

"He saved my life once."

She walked over and sat on the bed across from him. "How?"

He sighed, his eyes fixed on the floor. "There is a lot you don't know about me, Freja; about my time as a stormcloak."

"I've always wanted to know more, but you always shut down when I ask."

"It's not a happy tale." He sighed again, his shoulders slumping forward. "I wasn't just a soldier, I was a captain. They called me the Bulwark because I was the first line of defense the enemy saw. I was the one that led us into Solitude."

She nodded her head.

"We all wore helmets to conceal our identities. When the fight began in the Blue Palace, I only saw glimpses of the duel between Ulfric and Torygg before..."

"Before what?"

"Before their court wizard blasted me with fire. She took my eye. And in my pain and panic, I killed one of my men. He was hardly a man...a boy actually."

"It was an accident."

He went on as if he hadn't heard her. "I was too distressed to help Ulfric. Torygg had him pinned, and he would have been killed if he had not used his thu'um. At the time, I didn't understand what I had seen, and Ulfric and I were the only stormcloaks that survived. We ran to the gates together and Roggvir opened them, but I wasn't strong enough to go on. Ulfric escaped, and he never looked back. Roggvir gave me enough healing to get me back on my feet in time to get away. I retreated back to Markarth and hid until the stormcloaks left the area. I was a deserter."

"It must have been hard for you to watch Roggvir die."

"Just another painful reminder of a past I thought I put behind me."

Freja paused before asking her next question. "Why did you side with the stormcloaks?"

"I believe in the old ways of the empire. I wanted to fight beside my kinsmen." She straightened at his words and he finally looked at her when she was quiet for too long. "What?"

"Please tell me you aren't one of them."

"One of whom?"

"Those men who believe that Skyrim is only for the Nords."

"And what if I am? You see what Skyrim has become because of the damn Thalmor; we've given up enough of our land and enough of our culture to the outsiders."

"How could you still think that way after being with me all this time?"

"I cannot change who I am."

"I know who you are, Argis, and you are so many wonderful things that I cannot bear the thought of you ever being a stormcloak."

"Well I was, and if I hadn't failed them, I would be with them now."

"You don't mean that. We wouldn't have met if it hadn't happened!"

"Perhaps not but...you're a soldier! You should understand how I feel!"

"I will never understand how you or anyone else could be loyal to a racist, power hungry, warmonger!"

He leaned back in his chair. Her tone was beginning to wear on his nerves. "You know nothing about Ulfric. The man is trying to save this country!"

"I know enough to know that he would bury every Redguard in Skyrim if it meant he was High King."

He laughed cruelly. "And I know enough about Redguards to know they would slaughter their own people for a little power. You should know that better than anyone."

Her mouth fell open at his words and the hard look in his features softened when tears welled up in her eyes. He reached for her but she moved away from him.

"I...I thought you would be different. You said you were."

"Freja..." He could say nothing else before she stormed out of the room and out of the inn entirely, fighting tears as she pushed passed the people.

When she was gone, Argis gripped the chair and smashed it against the wall. It was enough to calm his anger, but his guilt remained. How could he say such a thing to her? He hadn't been this angry in a while, and he let his emotions get the better of him. He left their room and headed straight for the innkeeper. He would not be sober tonight. Fuck sobriety, he was a Nord...though not a proud one.

He could see Vex waving him over from across the room, and once he had his drinks in hand, he headed over to where she and Brynjolf sat.

"Well, well, look who's decided to drink with thieves!"

"Hush, Vex" Bryn growled at her through slightly slurred words.

Argis said nothing but sat down beside the woman, immediately downing his first bottle. He practically shivered when he felt that familiar warmth in his chest.

"What were you and Freja arguing about? We could hear you shouting at each other from out here."

He glared at her. "Nothing that concerns you, woman."

Brynjolf chuckled drunkenly. "She's probably upset he didn't clean her sword well enough."

Argis brought his bottle down hard on the table. "Watch your damned tongue, Brynjolf. I'm not in the mood."

He heard the man speak again in a low voice. He did not catch the words, but when he saw the way Vex blanched, he wanted to know.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing that concerns you" he mocked him.

Argis finished his second bottle and stood from his seat to stand beside Brynjolf. "Don't make me pry it out of you."

Now Bryn was on his feet, though unsteadily. "Go ahead and try, housecarl."

Vex rushed between them, her hands pressed to their chests. "Settle down, boys! Let's not cause a scene!"

"I'll settle down when he's brave enough to speak his mind."

Brynjolf quickly pushed Vex aside. "I'll tell you what I said. I said Freja was in the mood last night...because I got her that way. "

"What?!"

"In the forest, you thought we were hunting, but my hand was down her pants."

"Quiet, Brynjolf!" Vex desperately tried to silence him but he ignored her.

"She enjoyed every second of it...I got her nice and wet for you."

Brynjolf was on the floor before another word left his mouth. Argis had him by the collar of his shirt. "You're a liar!"

"You know it's true! You never had her, she'll always be mine!"

Argis raised his fist, wanting nothing more than to bash his face in. But he quickly lowered it and released him. He said nothing to him or the stunned Vex before he grabbed more bottles of mead and locked himself away in his room.

Xx

"I'm sorry for everything, Argis. I don't want to argue anymore. I love you."

"I'm sorry too, love. I never meant to bring up your brother, I was wrong."

"Let's go home."

He woke with a start, and he squeezed his eyes shut again when the light of day burned his eyes. His head was swimming and he realized he must have drunk quite a bit to have such a vivid dream. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room for Freja. Her things hadn't moved from where she left them the night before, but she was nowhere in sight. It was only then that he realized she never returned after their fight, and deep down he knew she was gone.

And yet he could not shake the eerie feeling that gripped him. Something was wrong, he had to find her.