Author's note:
First things first, a huge thank you to all my followers/readers/reviewers. The special mention of the day goes to the lovely AnonymousFangirl01 - I'm very glad that you enjoyed my previous chapter and I hope you'll like this one too. Also, I deeply thank my faithful Elspeth for her enthusiasm and her interesting questions. Steinarius told Agda about his feelings while he was still recovering from the vampire attack, which is also the reason why he was stuck in Riverwood long enough to realize that he was ready to give the girl a chance. Unfortunately, the dragons haven't stopped roaming Skyrim just because our Dovahkiin is in love and that will lead to some serious problems. I'm going to deal with that in the next two chapter, therefore stay tuned to find out more. For the moment, here's a fluffy instalment related to the first days of Agda and Steinarius' relationship - after all, I think they needed some peace before Steinarius resumed his difficult role as the savior of Skyrim.
For all those who don't like romance, here's some good news: this instalment marks the end of the first part of this fanfic. In about three chapters time, things will undergo a drastic change and there will be a lot more adventuring (yay!).
Last but not least, this instalment has a tiny warning for sexual situations. It's nothing you won't find in the average romance novel, therefore it shouldn't scare anyone away. If you have a problem with that kind of content, however, please let me know.
Enjoy!
5th of Rain's Hand, 4E 202
The night after Steinarius and Agda's first kiss was both tender and awkward. The two of them remained side by side until dawn, giggling stupidly at each other and exchanging many sloppy kisses that made Agda blush and forced Steinarius to fight hard against his inner wolf. After three years of rest, the beast namely couldn't wait to unsheathe his rusty claws and destroy the brown dress Agda was wearing.
Although part of his rational self felt that very same desire, Steinarius somehow managed to remain in control. It did help that Agda wasn't an experienced kisser – when the Dragonborn not-that-subtly suggested she nipped his lower lip while they kissed, for example, the girl bit him hard enough to draw blood.
Unfortunately, Agda's poor amatory skills weren't the only reason why Steinarius managed to keep his lust at bay - as a matter of fact, the man still couldn't kiss Agda without thinking of his former woman. As a consequence, every time Steinarius pulled away from the young innkeeper, he always expected to open his eyes and be greeted by Vigdis' dark irises.
"Are you alright?", Agda asked after a particular long kiss. Before Steinarius could voice his surprise for that question, the girl talked again. "You seem a bit stiff when I touch you. You can kiss me with your eyes open, if that makes you more comfortable".
Steinarius was impressed by the way Agda had immediately realized that he couldn't fully relax against her lips - and he was even more impressed by her silent understanding of the inner works of his mind. Willing to make his own distress disappear, the Dragonborn accepted the girl's advice and tried to kiss her while keeping his eyes open. Thanks to that trick, the treacherous memory of Vigdis finally ceased to disturb him.
Steinarius and Agda didn't go far on their first night together – rather than ending up in the same bed, they namely preferred behaving like two teenagers who had just shared their first kiss.
When dawn finally approached, Agda laid her head on Steinarius' shoulder and intertwined her fingers with his. After she let out a loud yawn, the Imperial gently kissed her temple.
"It looks like someone will have a tough time at work today", Steinarius murmured with a light smile.
Agda whimpered in protest, then she rubbed her cheek against the thin fabric of his shirt.
"It's not my fault if it took you so long to ask me out", she jokingly complained.
"You could have asked me out too, Agds", Steinarius chuckled. "And then, I thought you had a thing for Erik".
Agda straightened her spine at the sudden confession. The look on her face was both surprised and amused.
"The mighty Dragonborn is afraid of a farmer?", she asked with a giggle. Behind her snicker, Steinarius could tell that Agda was flattered by his jealousy. "By the way, I couldn't ask you out, Dragonborn", the Nord added with a smile. "What if you got angry and shouted me out of the inn?"
Steinarius chuckled at the image described by Agda; at the same time, however, the girl's words reminded him of his duty as the Dragonborn.
As soon as she noticed the sad smile on the Imperial's lips, Agda understood that her words had slightly ruined his mood. In an attempt to fix her mistake, the girl placed a gentle kiss on her lover's cheek.
"Don't think about your future", she softly whispered as her fingers gently cupped Steinarius' face, thus forcing him to look in her deep brown eyes. "Not tonight, at least. Let this night be ours, and ours alone".
And with that, Agda seized Steinarius' lips in the longest kiss they had shared until that moment.
The following week went by smoothly. Agda and Steinarius returned to Riverwood in great secrecy and did their best to hide the blooming romance between them. Nonetheless, their little displays of affection didn't go unnoticed. Moreover, the townsfolks soon realized the the mighty Dragonborn often sought advice in their little innkeeper, a fact that deeply surprised them.
Despite the latest developments of his relationship with Agda, Steinarius hadn't forgotten his duty as the savior of Skyrim. In those days he was supposed to be looking for a Shout that could force dragons to land, but he still hadn't found the willpower to meet the Greybeards and ask them about it - after all, the discovery of that Shout could only bring him closer to the final battle against Alduin, which was very likely to result in his death and in the ultimate downfall of Nirn. As a consequence, at the current moment the Dragonborn believed that rebuilding the Blades was a much more appealing task. Also, he thought that the creation of an experienced team of dragonhunters could help the population of Skyrim in their fights against the foul beasts that had taken to haunt their land.
Since Steinarius wanted to create a squad formed by a mage, a warrior and an archer, Agda quickly arranged a meeting between him and Faendal. At first the Dragonborn wasn't sure of the Bosmer's ability; yet, after hunting with him and Erik on a few occasions, he realized that the elf was exceptionally good – not as good as Aela, sure, but he could definitely stand his ground in a heated battle. Moreover, Faendal had been looking for a new job ever since Camilla bedded the latest addition to the townguards of Riverwood, thus offending the sensitive Bosmer.
One evening Steinarius gathered the courage to tell Faendal and Erik about his desire to turn them into the newest members of the Blades. As the warriors chatted in the secret room of the Sleeping Giant, Agda made sure that no one overheard their conversation. Long after midnight, Steinarius reached the counter of the inn and asked for three tankards of mead, thus letting his woman understand that Erik and Faendal had accepted his offer. As Agda took in the Dragonborn's relieved expression, she couldn't help but kiss him lightly on the lips.
Steinarius talked to Faendal and Erik until the inn was empty and his girl had retreated inside her room. When Faendal finally got home and Erik wearily staggered towards his own mattress, the Dragonborn was quick to push Agda's door open and face the darkness that was reigning inside it. After the long talks of that evening, the man wanted to spend some quality time alone with his lover.
Unlike Agda, Steinarius didn't know how to produce little globes of magical light. Nonetheless, he tried to make his way through her room even if he couldn't see where he was going. Faithful to his traditional clumsiness, after a few seconds Steinarius dramatically smacked his knee into the end of Agda's bed, a fact that caused him to curse and immediately startled the woman awake. When the young innkeeper realized what had just happened, she had to stifle a laugh.
Hopping on his uninjured leg, Steinarius eventually managed to sit down next to Agda. With a light chuckle, the girl lit the few candles in her room; a moment later, when she noticed that Steinarius was trying to pull a stoic face despite the pain in his knee, she used another spell to cure the bruise on his leg. As the Imperial growled in bliss, the girl smiled and laid down again.
"I thought you'd never stop talking", she said as Steinarius thanked her with a light kiss on her cheek.
Willing to make it up to Agda for disturbing her sleep, the Imprial allowed his hands to run up and down her spine, causing her to let out a pleased series of whimpers.
"I'm sorry if it took me so long", Steinarius said as he kept on massaging Agda's back.
The girl was laying on her stomach and looked surprisingly tired. As he took in her exhausted expression, the Dragonborn felt guilty for waking her up.
"If you want me to leave, just say it", he told her after tucking her hair behind her ears. "We can chat together tomorrow morning, if you prefer".
Moved by Steinarius' worry for her, Agda smiled against her pillow. A second later, she realized something very important - every time the Imperial was near her, her tiredness seemed to disappear.
Steinarius was slightly surprised when Agda unexpectedly propped herself on an elbow, and he was even more surprised when she grabbed the front of his shirt and seized his lips in a passionate kiss. It looked as though the girl had got tired of his slow ministrations and had decided to take matters into her hands.
With a light whimper, Agda fell back on the bed without releasing her grip on Steinarius' clothes. The Dragonborn eagerly followed her movements and soon found himself hovering above her.
Steinarius growled when Agda slid her hands under his shirt, thus brushing his abdomen with her cold fingers. Noticing his reaction, the girl smiled against his lips, then proceeded to caress the taut muscles of his back, chest and shoulders. As he reveled in the feelings that were running through him, Steinarius couldn't stifle a groan - it had definitely been too long since the last time someone had handled his body in that way.
Worried by the way the Imperial's arms were shivering, Agda changed their position and went to straddle his hips. The girl goofily unbuttoned his shirt, thus revealing Steinarius' torso and the pale traces of his scars. Now that Agda's face was lit by the candles, the Imperial realized that she often looked up at him, as if to ask for permission to touch him. When the girl blushed after causing a pleased moan to leave his lips, Steinarius sat up and took her in a deep kiss.
The two lovers explored each other's body for a long time, trying to understand what their weaknesses and their preferences were. Steinarius gasped when Agda nipped his neck, when she brushed his nipples, when she traced the hem of his breeches with her cold fingers. Later he studied the way the Nord whimpered when he grazed her earlobes with his teeth, the way she shuddered when he nuzzled her stomach, the way her breathing got frantic when he firmly stroked her thights. Eventually, when Agda whispered his name and arched her back, Steinarius chuckled.
"If you want, we can stop here", he teased her after placing a little kiss on her hipbone. "You're very tired, so you clearly don't want me to bed you..."
"If you stop here, I'll kill you".
Steinarius was amused by Agda's harsh reply, and he was even more amused when the girl suddenly frowned and asked him how he was doing. She clearly couldn't tell a serious question from a joke.
"I'd say that I'm enjoying myself", the Dragonborn smirked. "My breeches are about to…"
When Agda frowned again, however, Steinarius realized that her enquiry had been serious. The poor thing is worried for me, he suddenly realized, and that was enough to fill his heart with tenderness.
"I'm fine, Agds", Steinarius smiled after placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "I'm doing better than I thought, actually. I hadn't expected to come this far after our first week together; also, it is very sweet of you to enquire about my feelings. And before you ask, I don't want to stop either".
After saying those words, Steinarius went on to kiss Agda's lips, to feel the soft curves of her breasts, to stroke every inch of her skin. A few minutes later, he took her for the first time.
It was sweet and clumsy and tender and Steinarius couldn't help but smile at the cooing sounds Agda made during their union. She had guided him to her entrance with shaking hands and at that point the Dragonborn had taken some time to reassure her with kisses and sweet soothing words. Even as their bodies became one, Steinarius made sure to be gentle, to look his lover in the eyes, to ignore the growls of his inner wolf. The Dragonborn soon felt Agda shudder underneath him, he saw her eyes close in bliss, he heard her voice whisper his name. Then, after pulling away at the very last moment so that that night wouldn't bear any consequence, Steinarius hugged the girl and held her close to his heart.
"I like this scar", Agda whispered as she traced the pale mark on Steinarius' sternum.
The two of them were lying naked under their blankets and had just resumed their calm breathing after making love to each other for the first time. Steinarius was gently kissing the top of her head, whereas Agda was exploring his torso with the soft touch of her fingertips.
"I hadn't noticed it before", she added as she took a closer look at the Dragonborn's chest.
"Yet you saw me naked when you saved my life", Steinarius teasingly pointed out while raising an eyebrow. "And that scar is quite big".
"I saw you naked, sure, but I tried not to look too hard. I thought you wouldn't appreciate that".
As he noticed that Agda had frowned in embarrassement, Steinarius chuckled and kissed her gently on the cheek.
"One day I'll tell you about all my scars", he whispered as he looked into her deep brown eyes. Thanks to the flickering light of the candles, he could see himself mirrored in them. "And you will tell me everything about yours".
"Stein, I'm an innkeeper", Agda pointed out. "I don't have scars!"
As he realized that the girl was right, Steinarius let out a chuckle. The two lovers talked for a while, then the Imperial cuddled her and lulled her in his arms until Agda fell asleep, oblivious to all the problems of the world.
That night, as he watched how the girl clung to him in her sleep, Steinarius finally felt at peace with himself. Agda was soft and warm and protective and always managed to soothe him, to reassure him, to make him feel like an ordinary man should. To her, Steinarius Crepusculus wasn't the mighty Dragonborn, wasn't an officer of the Legion, wasn't a former Companion – to her, Steinarius Crepusculus was simply Stein, a young man with many flaws and a few qualities who always managed to make her laugh with his clumsiness.
Thanks to the girl whose head was now resting above his heart, for a brief moment Steinarius could forget all his troubles. For once, all that mattered was the woman asleep in his arms, the woman who symbolized a future when dragons and wars and the losses of the past would be nothing but a memory and he, the Dragonborn, would finally go back to being just another young man with a troubled story behind and a wonderful woman by his side.