Arielle was sitting on the bed, a despondent look on her face while she half listened to the midwife drone on endlessly about the different herbs she was adding to the bath Rona had just poured. The woman had just gotten done examining her, and she was just so sick of being naked in front of people. More people than she ever thought she would be. Her small hands hugged the fur blanket closer around herself while she waited for the ok to soak her still tender flesh in the hot water.
Her eyes, that until now had been focused on a stray piece of yarn that was unraveling the corner of the rug beside the steps to the bed, strayed to land on the jar of troll fat that now sat on the small bedside table. Prescribed by the midwife herself and a frown came to her face at the sight of it. She didn't know which thought disgusted her more, using troll fat to have sex again or just simply having sex again. A mixture of both she quickly decided, tearing her eyes away from the goopy yellow substance in the glass jar. The midwife earned her attention when she finished preparing the bath water and approached Arielle to help her into it.
She accepted the woman's help wordlessly and winced immediately upon standing, her flesh screaming it's protest from the movement of her legs. It was even worse when she walked down the few steps of the dais and she couldn't help but wonder who's stupid idea it was to put steps leading to a bed. Though her effort was rewarded when she dropped the fur blanket and sank into the hot water, the steaming water immediately heating her abused nether and she released a shaky breath for it. She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her thin arms around her legs and let her gaze fall to the herbs floating on the water's surface in front of her. Despite not hearing much of what the woman had said thus far, her experience with alchemy helped her identify a few of the herbs. Lavender, sage, pine needles and juniper berries all floated around her, like a sangria for her muscles. She could also see the shimmer of an oil, swirling across the surface but she hadn't been listening enough to catch what that was made from.
"Am I with child?" she asked, speaking for the first time, her voice hoarse from the crying she'd done the night before. It was well into the night by the time her sobs finally died down and her tears ran dry and she was still more than exhausted for it. Unfortunately, it was rather early when the midwife showed up, waking her up to examine her and Rona was right there behind her, bringing her things from her guest room to the one she would now share with the Jarl. That development had surprised her the most, she thought for sure they would have continued to sleep in separate rooms. But apparently not, because all of her belongings were now tucked away in their proper place, right beside his.
"It's far too early to tell." the midwife said, placing a bathboard across the top of the tub. "There's a chance, but it may take a few times before you conceive." her face was set in a deep frown by the time the midwife had finished talking. She was hoping once would be enough, the last thing she wanted to do was experience that again. Her mother told her that the first time would be painful, but she never expected it would be like that and in front of witnesses. It was beyond humiliating and if she had any tears left in her body, they would surely fall at the memory of it all.
Her eyes followed the midwife as she placed a thick mug on the bathboard and filled it with the steaming tea she'd brewed in a small kettle by the fireplace. Little white blossoms tumbled out of the kettle's spout, landing in her mug along with several other herbs she couldn't identify. "Drink this. It will help you relax." she said and Arielle obeyed wordlessly, bringing the mug to her lips. She blew a few cool breaths across the top of the still steaming tea before taking an experimental taste. It was heavily flavored by the blossoms, tasting as if she were chewing a mouthful of mountain flowers, but it was also sweetened with honey, making it slightly more palatable. The midwife packed up her things soon after, leaving a small satchel of the herbs on her dresser for Rona to brew more tea as she needed it.
As the midwife left, Arielle settled back against the tub, sipping her piping hot tea while ignoring the sound of Rona changing the bedsheet behind her. She'd seen it, when she woke, the stain of her maiden blood on the white sheet. It made her nauseous to look at so she'd done her best to ignore it's existence along with nearly everything that was said to her, opting instead to adopt a blank state of mind. Like a retreat inside her mind where there was nothing, no Jarls to hurt her, no maids to pester her and no midwives examining her sore flesh. Just herself and the calmness of a thoughtless mind.
The next thing that caught her attention was the soft click of the door as Rona finally took her leave and with her tea now finished, Arielle set the empty mug on the bath board before wrapping her arms around her legs once more and allowing her eyes to close. The water was a blessing to her sore flesh and with what little strength she had, she reheated it to near steaming with a spell. She wasn't sure how long she stayed in the soothing bath, deep inside her mind and very near dozing off due to the effects of the tea. But it ended when the sound of heavy steel boots entering the room pulled her back to herself and not knowing whether it was Lydia or Ulfric, her body tensed at the sound. She had yet to see Lydia, though she knew from experience the woman would have announced herself. Her sleepy eyes opened, though she kept them trained on the bath board and empty mug in front of her while the sound continued behind her. After a long moment, she heard them approach before blue linen and black fur appeared in the corner of her eye.
She startled, nearly abandoning her skin in the process when the warm touch of a wash towel grazed her shoulder and slid down her arm into the water. Water sloshed in the tub from her jerky movement and her breathing hitched for it. Undeterred by her reaction, the wash towel returned to her shoulder before moving across the now trembling skin of her back. Her eyes were open wide, though they dared not to stray from the empty mug in front of her when the wet lengths of her hair were moved to the side for the dripping cloth to return to her skin. Her mind raced to play catch up to the newest development that was occurring between them. "I will honor you." he said, his deep voice breaking the silence between them. "As promised."
Unsure of how to respond, or even if she should, she opted to say nothing while he continued to move the towel across her skin in silence. Moments passed and the towel was discarded, laid over the side of the tub and she heard his heavy footsteps retreating. Soon they returned and a large hand wrapped around one of her thin wrists, she took the hint and he helped her stand, bracing his free hand on her small waist as she left the water. Her hands immediately covered her chest, though it seemed it wasn't necessary because she was quickly enveloped by the warmth of a heated towel. He pulled her toward him and she was forced to hold onto him as she stepped from the tub. And for all her time spent in the steaming water, she still felt the aching between her legs. "Now," he said while rubbing the towel across her skin to dry it, "let's get you to bed."
Her eyes, already wide from surprise, widened further as fear shot down her spine at the thought of him wanting her again so soon. While she still hurt. While she still bled. A choked sob escaped her and tears stung stung her eyes which she immediately screwed shut. "To rest, woman. By the gods, I'm not a rapist." he said with a snap, not at all bothering to mask the irritation in his low voice.
A deep breath invaded her lungs as she fought to get ahold of herself. She'd never felt so vulnerable and it showed by the severe lack of control she had over her emotions and reactions. After a rather shaky exhale he picked her up, towel and all and took her back to bed. Her hands clutched at the fur draped over his shoulders and part of her mind registered the ice cold steel of his chest plate where it touched the parts of her bare flesh that were exposed. Seconds later she was sitting on their bed, her mind still racing to process everything that was happening while he draped the thick fur blanket across her lap. Her hands gripped the towel still wrapped around her in tight fists while she watched him sit in front of her on the edge of the bed.
"It's traditional to give the bride a gift, the morning after." he said and she watched him reach for a flat, square wooden box that was sitting on the bedside table beside the jar of troll fat. It was reminiscent of the box formerly housing her circlet but she was sure she hadn't seen it sitting on the small table earlier. "I thought, a neck as beautiful as yours should not go without decoration." he said while unclasping the latch of the box. He opened the lid, revealing a large, jeweled amulet. It was circular and she immediately recognized the Stormcloak-bear engraved into the silver. A tiny sapphire was embedded into the silver for it's eye and a ring of diamonds bordered the engraving. The entire thing hung from a thick silver cord and one of her first thoughts about it was just how heavy it looked.
Without wasting any more time, he removed the amulet from it's home in the box, setting the now empty container to the side before leaning closer to clasp it around her neck. When his hands left her skin she realized she was right about the weight of it. The large amulet rest just below her collarbones and one of her hands lifted it to look at it up close. It was, about as feminine as it could possibly be considering it was a bear. Her thumb ran across the textured engraving a few times before she finally spoke. "Was it your mother's, like the rest?" she asked him, finding her voice out of curiosity.
"Only the circlet belonged to my mother." he said and her eyes strayed to the large ring on her left hand. "Both of those were made for you." Once more, she didn't know how to respond to his words so she didn't, her eyes going back to the amulet. "The war keeps me busy most days but I do try to attend court Morndas and Tirdas. I'm sure the people would love to see you there but I wont force you to attend. For now, rest."
Her eyes followed him as he stood, taking the few stairs away from the bed and leaving the room. The sound of his steel boots retreating down the hall carried for a moment, getting more and more quiet in volume until they disappeared completely and she allowed herself to lie down on the mattress. Her eyes gazed at the canopy of linen above her and she realized that the draping lace had been replaced with blue linen that hung down by each of the posts. Still exhausted from sleepless nights, her eyes closed of their own accord and it wasn't long til she slipped into a deep sleep.
It was mid-afternoon when Lydia entered the room, bringing with her a tray of food and a bottle of wine as she did. Arielle was awake, had been for a little while with no inclination to move from the bed. Though she was relieved to discover upon waking from her lengthy nap that she felt leagues better than she had before. The tea and bath had done wonders for her aching flesh. She still felt it, but nowhere near as strong. Only a dull ache remained in her nethers to remind her of the night before.
While food was the farthest thing on her mind in the morning, the sight of it on the tray had her suddenly ravenous. She sat up, holding the fur blanket tightly around herself as she did to allow more space for Lydia and her offerings. "Hope you're hungry cause I brought a lot." the woman said as she set the tray in front of her and she wasted no time picking at the offered foods while Lydia filled two mugs of wine. "Where've you been?" she asked around a mouthful of bread and soft cheese.
At her silence, Arielle looked up and was met with a sight she'd never seen before. A light dusting of blush littered the woman's cheeks. "I may have had a pint too many last night." the brunette admitted without meeting her eyes, only confusing Arielle further.
"What does that mean?" she asked, holding her hand up to her mouth while she spoke around her food. She was already awash with relief at just having Lydia around. She didn't have to worry about being proper or which fork to use. There wasn't even a fork on the tray, only a knife to spread the cheese and jam. That realization would have had her cracking a smile if she were not so cast down from recent events. "Well.." she began wearing a look on her face that was something akin to embarrassment. "Last night.. Galmar and I.."
The knife Arielle was holding clattered loudly to the silver tray, a sharp sound that echoed around them. "Wait.. what?" she asked the woman that still had not looked at her since the start of the conversation. "I thought you hated each other?" she asked incredulously, holding her hands up and looking rather comical doing so since one of her hands was still occupied by her food.
"I know." Lydia said with a visible cringe before she brought her mug to her lips and took a deep gulp of the burgundy liquid. "I mean, I do." she clarified after swallowing her wine. Arielle shot her a look conveying just how unconvinced she was but said nothing while Lydia took another drink from her mug. After all, the woman was clearly uncomfortable and Arielle had more than her fair share of things she'd rather not talk about. Instead, she brought her mug to her lips, taking an experimental taste of the wine, the flavor of juniper berries hitting her tongue as she swallowed.
"I brought Iron Hearts." Lydia said, abandoning the previous conversation in favor of revealing a deck of cards. It had been a long time since she and Lydia had played. The last time was weeks before she faced the World Eater, before the negotiations at High Hrothgar to halt the war even. But some of her best memories over the past year had seen Lydia and Arielle in one of Skyrim's many inns sharing a bottle of wine and playing cards to pass the time.
She smiled at the sight. It was halfhearted and only touched the corner of her mouth but it was a smile and her first one in how long? Lydia dealt the cards out while Arielle continued to stuff her face with the food, only realizing just how hungry she was once the tray had been cleared of it all. They played Iron Hearts for a few hours, their conversations steering clear of unpleasant topics and enjoyed each others company until the afternoon finally waned.
Rona returned a few times, to stoke the fire and brew more of the herbal tea the midwife had left behind. It didn't take long for the blossom tea to kick in and when their last hand ended, Lydia took her leave. Arielle relaxed into the mattress, almost near dozing from the effects of the tea when she heard the door open again. She assumed it was Rona back to stoke the fire again until she heard the sound of steel boots hitting the rug covered stone floor. A feeling of dread built up inside her and that tightness returned to her chest, constricting her lungs and while she was feeling better she couldn't imagine going through the same thing again while the memory was still fresh. But, just like the night before, he would do what he wanted to and she could not stop him because she agreed to it.
She sat up, frown firmly set on her face as she watched him place his cloak and chestplate on one of the chairs at the table. His steel bracers and boots were quick to follow before he started toward the bed. With her pulse now racing in anticipation, her eyes went to the bedside table where the jar still sat, it's disgusting contents making her stomach do a flip but she reached for it anyway. Small hands clutched it to her chest in a tight grip and she kept her eyes off him while she waited for him to join her. The fabric of his trousers softly hit the floor and she watched from the corner of her eyes as he slid beneath the fur blanket, scooting closer before a linen covered arm pulled her down to the mattress and against his chest. "Goodnight wife." he said, his warm breath hitting her face while his words left her stunned and confused.
A moment passed, the only audible sounds were the crackling of the fireplace and the warm exhale that landed on her neck every few seconds. Neither doing anything to ease her confusion and reluctantly, she turned her face to the Jarl's. Icy blue eyes were closed and his features were as relaxed as she'd ever seen them. She couldn't believe it, he was actually going to sleep without having her. She watched him for a few more moments to be sure, but his eyes remained closed and his face expressionless. She didn't remember closing her own eyes, only realized that they were and despite her confusion but thanks to the effects of the tea, it wasn't long until she fell asleep.