Chapter LXIII – Pampering

"Are you drunk already?"

Bishop laughed heartily, watching her sway on her chair in the common room of The Winking Skeever.

They spent the rest of the day lazing around Solitude, browsing the markets or just walking around the city. Their funds would suffice for a few more nights, but it was clear that they had to venture out some time before their meeting with Delphine and get more loot to sell.

"I'm not! I was… dancing…" she flushed in embarrassment. She might have had a few more tankards of spiced wine than she had usually with their meal, but the sad truth was, that she was merely attempting to sway to the bard's temptingly rhythmic music.

Bishop laughed again, more loudly this time, bringing some attention to them from the nearby patrons.

"I don't think you should call that dancing," he smirked at her, earning a light punch in his upper arm.

He scooted his chair closer towards her with a chuckle, draping his arm around her waist casually as she laid her head on his shoulder, snuggling closer to him.

"I definitely wouldn't add it to your performances if we want to actually sleep inside for free ever again," he snickered once more, pressing her closer to him as she punched him playfully again, this time against his chest.

A second later his amused grin got decidedly more morose as he muttered some curses under his breath, looking into the crowded room.

She followed the line of his sight, spotting the tall paladin making his way towards them.

Casavir approached their table with a curt polite bow towards Aeyrin, his eyes darting briefly towards Bishop, narrowing almost automatically. She felt Bishop nudge her even closer to him, the hand on her waist clutching her tightly, somewhat possessively.

"My lady, I am glad I found you here," he gave her a brief smile, but his eyes were still frowning a bit and she could have sworn she noticed his gaze shift subtly towards Bishop's grip on her once or twice.

"I-it's nice to see you again, Casavir," she squirmed a bit in the uncomfortable tension between them.

"You too, my lady. I was hoping to speak with you before tomorrow."

She heard Bishop mutter something angrily, likely getting upset again by the way the paladin addressed her. She nudged him lightly with her elbow before turning back to Casavir.

"What's tomorrow?"

"If you remember, I mentioned an event I'd be honored to have you accompany me to," he gave her a kind smile, inclining his head slightly, trying his best to ignore Bishop by her side.

"Oh. Sure. What event?" she asked excitedly. Maybe it was something with his fellow paladins – she was interested in meeting them, getting to know more people from the Order. Maybe some difficult quest. She certainly hoped it wasn't some sort of ceremonial dragon killing like Mercer's party.

"It's an annual event here in Solitude. I wasn't certain if I could attend, I expected to be called off to my contingent for assistance, but it seems they resolved the problem without me. It's a ball, my lady, to celebrate the coming of winter."

She frowned at the insinuation of celebrating winter. As if Skyrim needed to get any colder! But then she realized fully what he just said.

"A… ball?"

"Yes, my lady. It's held at the Blue Palace," he confirmed, apparently deciding to disregard her disturbed expression.

A ball? What was someone like her to do at a ball? Would she have to… curtsy and socialize with nobles? Would she have to dance?! She probably would have preferred the dragon… at least she would know what to do with that.

Bishop snorted contemptfully, scowling at the paladin deeply. He didn't talk, however, wary that an angry outburst would make her spiteful enough to accept his invitation. It's not like a ball was her thing anyways. She wouldn't want to go to something like that.

"I… it's nice of you to invite me… but I'm not sure I'd be good company at a… ball," she blushed slightly, squirming a bit away from Bishop as she felt his grip on her waist tighten again, his angry stare never leaving Casavir.

"Of course you would, my lady. I'd be truly honored to have you for company. Please, join me tomorrow. I was hoping we could talk more and enjoy the festivities together," his eyes turned from stern to surprisingly gentle as he gave her another smile.

He was hard to say no to.

And perhaps it would be fun. Their last evening together was rather pleasant, once they stopped discussing Bishop. Then again, what about Bishop? She doubted the invitation extended to him. Not that she needed his permission, but it felt a bit strange that he heard the entire conversation and wasn't invited along. It felt equally strange to ask whether he could come, though.

Her eyes must have darted towards him briefly, because she noticed Casavir scowl again. He gave a deep sigh of defeat and muttered the next sentence through his teeth with palpable effort.

"You… are free to invite anyone else you may wish, if it is absolutely necessary, my lady."

"Pfft, fuck off, tin-head. Do I look like some sissy-pants noble that would enjoy that sort of thing?" Bishop scoffed at him dismissively.

"Good. That's for the best. I would loathe for the likes of you to disrupt the event," the paladin retorted with similar distaste, turning his eyes back to Aeyrin promptly, looking at her expectantly.

"Um… Casavir, I… don't think I can actually afford to… fit in," she bit into her lower lip nervously. She couldn't even come as she were to Alec's performance in Windhelm. It was very doubtful that she could go in her regular clothes to a ball at the Blue Palace. And ballgowns were likely expensive. She wasn't even sure where to get one.

"Oh. Don't worry about that, my lady, I will arrange everything. There's a store at the marketplace that has an excellent selection. If you visit it tomorrow, I assure you, they'll have everything you need. You need not concern yourself with the price."

Her brows shot up in surprise. Was he really gonna pay for a dress for her? That was strange… or was it sweet? It made it kind of impossible to refuse now, though, since he was willing to go through so much trouble.

"Yeah, that's not creepy at all…" Bishop snorted mockingly, earning another nudge from her elbow promptly.

"Thank you, Casavir, really. You shouldn't have… I… I'd be happy to come with you to the ball," she gave him a weak smile, still unsure of herself at a ball, but maybe she could just blend into the crowd somewhat and spend most of the night just talking to Casavir.

"Oh good, the tin-head gets to dress you up and parade you around while you get bored out of your skull," Bishop scoffed again, his hand leaving her as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Bishop!" she turned to him in admonishment, earning an unapologetic shrug from him.

"Do not worry, my lady, the lowlife's comments are hardly worth my attention," Casavir retorted, pointedly turning his gaze away from Bishop.

"Good thing I don't give a shit about your attention," Bishop spat back at him contemptfully, as Aeyrin sighed in exasperation. It started to seem that those two were enjoying sniping at each other more than they let on.

"I'm… gonna go get another drink…" she sighed again, getting up from the table promptly.

"My lady, I apologize if we offended…" Casavir creased his brows worriedly before she interrupted him dismissively with a curt 'it's fine', eager to get away from their pointless arguments.

When she was far enough, over by the bar, Bishop leaned slightly over the table, narrowing his eyes at the paladin again.

"I don't know what fucking game you're trying to play, but it's not getting you anywhere. The only reason she even talks to you is because she still buys that show you're putting on. Once you snap, she's gonna see right through that fucking mask and leave."

"You assume a lot. Unlike you, I need not assume. I know you for exactly who you are. And she deserves to know as well. I will make sure that she sees that there are people with more to offer her than lies and tricks," Casavir spat at him hatefully, his fists clenching tightly.

"Look who's talking. Can't wait to see how you're actually gonna try to justify to her that your precious vows mean shit when you look at her."

Casavir looked at him for a while with furrowed brows, as if trying to work out a puzzle. His look of disdain returned in a second, his head shaking disapprovingly: "You disgust me. She deserves so much better."

"Good. 'Cause that's definitely not you," Bishop growled at him, noticing Aeyrin returning to the table with another tankard in her hand.

"Watch your mouth, bandit!" Casavir called out, rather loudly, spitting the address at him like a badge of shame.

Fuck, of course he would call him that.

Did she hear?

Bishop stood up at the table, his fists clenching in fury.

That man was determined to ruin his life no matter what. He should just knock his teeth out. Or better yet, cut out his fucking tongue.

"Are you two behaving yourselves?" Aeyrin's voice interrupted his seething.

She didn't seem upset or confused. Maybe she didn't hear.

"One of us is," Casavir scoffed as she sat back in her chair, watching Bishop's stance with a raised brow.

"Apologies, my lady. I should probably leave before this dog goes rabid. The name of the store I mentioned is The Jewel, I'm sure you'll locate it easily in the marketplace. We should meet then at sundown and head to the ball. Perhaps at the city gates?" he gave her a kind smile again, pointedly ignoring Bishop's hateful glares.

"Sure. I'm looking forward to it," she returned his smile politely as he turned on his heel, heading towards the tavern exit.

Her gaze returned to Bishop shortly when he gave out a deep sigh, sitting back into his chair. He looked strangely worried.

"You know you're gonna hate it there, right?" he scoffed at her, his brows still somewhat creased, his expression strange, as if he was… desperate.

"I don't know… Maybe it could be fun. And I wanted to get to know him better," she shrugged, staring into the wine in her tankard, swirling it a little in her hand. She was still convinced that Bishop took a giant leap in his assumptions about Casavir. She understood why, but that didn't mean she should distrust Casavir too.

"Why?!" he sighed out in exasperation. He really seemed overly concerned just then. She would have expected him to be more angry than anything.

Did he really think that Casavir would lure her away from him?

"I don't know. He seems nice. And it's always good to make more friends."

"He doesn't want your friendship, princess. It doesn't matter what he swore off. He's still a man."

She frowned at him. Even if he was right, it shouldn't matter.

"Don't you trust me?!" she raised her voice slightly, getting fed up with the insinuations that she was unable to resist the paladin for some reason.

"Yeah… I don't trust him," he sighed, his face still oddly more defeated than angry.

"Just… forget it. Let's just go to bed, sweetness," his arm snaked back around her waist again.

She was gonna protest once more about his insinuations, but his crestfallen expression was really throwing her off. It seemed like they were fighting, but he was still making that face.

She sighed, nodding slowly, not really sure how to continue the strange spat. She downed the rest of her wine and got up, heading back towards their room with Bishop closely behind her, his hand still touching her waist.

He clung to her rather needily for the rest of the way.

She was getting perturbed by his uncharacteristic behavior.

"Mmm… not yet…"

Bishop grumbled against her ear, his arm across her stomach pressing her back firmly to his chest.

"Bishop… I… ah…. really think…. we should…" she let out strained gasp, unable to finish the sentence as his hand snuck lower to tease her again.

"How long does it take to put on a dress anyways? We have time," he chuckled, nipping at her ear while his finger rubbed through her wetness slowly.

"I don't… nhhg… I don't know… I never… ah!" she cried out, stammering the words out as his fingers entered her swiftly, curling inside her eagerly.

"You know this is way more fun, sweetness," he chuckled, his hard cock poking at the back of her upper thighs briefly before he positioned himself at her entrance from behind, rubbing against her.

She moaned loudly as he moved his hand from between her legs to squeeze her breast and pushed himself into her excruciatingly slowly, filling her pleasantly as the heat spread through her body.

She let out high-pitched gasp with every movement when he started to thrust into her, his fingers pinching her nipple to the rhythm, sending heavy breaths and occasional grunts of pleasure against her ear. Her calf moved back to rest on his leg to open herself more to him as his thrust got a bit faster and rougher, the arm resting below her head twisting to let him grab a mass of her hair, pulling her head back towards him as he started to kiss the side of her throat wildly.

"Gods… ah! Bishop!" she cried out his name when he rubbed against a place deep inside her, sending powerful jolts through her body with each thrust. She grabbed the wrist of the hand playing with her breast, digging her nails in subconsciously, his teeth nipping at her throat and ear when he quickened his pace again.

The frantic pace went on for some time, his breath tickling her ear as he gasped her name in between strained grunts, his hands squeezing her breast and her hair more firmly.

"Fuck… Aeyrin!" he gasped when his cock twitched inside her, warmth spreading through her a second later as he let out a satisfied groan, his grip on her even tighter than before.

She let out a series of unintelligible sounds, losing herself in the sensation, sent over the edge along with him, her whole body humming pleasantly.

"See? Much… more… fun," he chuckled in her ear with heavy breaths, his grip on her easing lazily.

She groaned, reluctantly untangling herself from him and giving him a shy smile.

He stroked her bare back gently as she sat up on the bed, looking towards the ground for her clothes and pack.

"Are you gonna come with me?" she turned her head towards him with a pleading smile.

"I thought I just did," he laughed at her cheekily, earning a playful punch on his chest as she flushed with a light chuckle.

"Yeah, I'll go. I need to see the dress before I tear it off of you tonight."

"Wel- ehm… welcome to The Jewel."

An Imperial woman with dark hair, heavy make-up and rather strong perfume greeted them with a somewhat startled expression. It was palpable that she didn't expect someone like the two of them to enter her shop.

To her credit, she did recover quickly from the shock.

Walking into the store was like walking into another world entirely. Everything was bathed in the afternoon light from the large windows, the jewels and pearls, lining the dresses and accessories, glittering almost blindingly. There were gowns, shoes and jewelry everywhere, neatly displayed with meticulous care.

Everything was beautiful, but it made her feel somewhat intimidated. This was not a world she fit in. Definitely not one she was comfortable in.

"Umm… hello. Cas-Casavir said that…" she stammered nervously, still somewhat blind-sighted by the environment.

"Oh! You're with Sir Casavir! Yes, he took care of everything beforehand. Please, browse our selection and pick anything you like," her face turned much kinder as she inclined her head to her slowly. "Is the… gentleman in need of eveningwear too?" she turned her gaze to Bishop, both somewhat disturbed and curious at the same time.

"Fuck no!" Bishop scoffed derisively, earning an admonishing frown from the shopkeeper.

Aeyrin walked through the store slowly, looking over the myriad of dresses playing in all colors.

She had no idea how to even start to choose. And would something even fit her there? It looked like the store was catering to more races than just the Nords, so hopefully she could find something that didn't need to be pinned or cut.

It felt like she walked through the store twice already. Everything was beautiful but she was still at a loss at how to choose. She looked back towards Bishop. He wasn't paying her any attention, staring at one of the displays with jewelry somewhat ponderingly.

"Would you like me to help, milady? I think I have just the thing for you," the shopkeeper startled her as she appeared behind her suddenly.

Aeyrin gave her a bashful nod, grateful to be spared the process.

Bishop stared at the glittering jewels in the display absentmindedly.

She looked really nervous to be there, but maybe she would eventually grow comfortable in places like these. It was only a matter of time before nobles started clamoring for the attention of the Dragonborn, this might likely be more of a regular occurrence to her.

He didn't want that to happen.

He preferred to imagine her filthy from the road and battle. That's where she was comfortable. Where she was most beautiful.

But the real problem was, he could never be part of this world. He didn't want to, and even if he did for her, he couldn't. He would never be comfortable, never be accepted.

And what if it turned her into one of them… a prissy noble, scoffing at everything. Some old scratched up ring on a chain would hardly top any of the elaborate jewelry in the display then.

It's not like it mattered, the paladin would likely find a way to tell her about his past tonight.

And he wouldn't be there to stop it.

He looked back over to her as she discussed something with the shopkeeper.

Every second they spent in Solitude he felt like everything was hanging by a thread. Constantly worrying if his secrets were to be exposed or if she would be sucked in by the glamor of it all.

It would be unlike her to give into opulence, but what would either of them know? She never experienced anything like this… maybe lavish halls and a courtly tin-head were enough to convince her that roughing it in the wild was not as enticing as it once seemed.

Especially if she lost any interest in being with him.

When she saw her struggling to make a decision, the shopkeeper dragged her towards the back of the store and she only managed to throw Bishop a quick apologetic shrug.

They entered a large alcove and the shopkeeper pulled the thick lavish curtains to separate them from the rest of the store. There were several fancy white armchairs around, a washbasin and a large mirror with a stool in front of it.

"I have the perfect dress for you. Please disrobe while I fetch it."

She flushed. Couldn't she just take the dress and put it on at the inn or something?

She started to take off her clothes with a sigh, leaving only her underwear, covering her breasts with her arms in embarrassment, as she waited alone behind the curtain. She was not used to shopping this way. Did the nobles do this all the time?

The shopkeeper returned a few minutes later with her hands completely full with some sacks, likely filled with clothing.

She looked her up and down appraisingly as Aeyrin blushed even more, uncomfortable under her scrutiny, still attempting to hide herself from that woman.

"Oh! Milady, we need to put some make-up on those ugly scars," she frowned as her eyes rested on her left thigh.

"Wh-what? Why?" Aeyrin cringed.

"It's unseemly to have any blemishes on your skin, milady!" the shopkeeper gasped incredulously, as if she was telling her a basic fact of life.

That sounded depressing. It wasn't as if she was fond of her scars, but hiding them made her somewhat uncomfortable. She was used to them. They were part of her. A reminder of what she overcome. A reminder of what people were capable of, of what she was fighting against.

"B-but… no one's gonna see my legs… right?" she stammered nervously.

The shopkeeper giggled suddenly, her face covered with a light blush, palpable even under all the make-up.

"Likely not, milady. But…" she leaned in conspiratorially before continuing in hushed whispers, "the women at the court often… debate whether the vows of the illustrious paladins are… absolute. If you managed to convince him to break his… well, you wouldn't want him to be disappointed with you, would you?"

Aeyrin stared at her incredulously.

There was so much wrong with what she just said. First of all, making a sport out of a paladin's vows was despicable. Not to mention that she would hardly wish to participate at this, especially since she had Bishop. And why was he supposed to mind her scars? Were they that awful? Bishop didn't seem to mind. If he did find them off-putting, he would hardly have touched them, right? Besides, he had a lot of his own scars. And it was definitely not like him to stay quiet to spare her feelings on the matter… hopefully.

"I…" she had no idea how to answer any of that.

"I… don't want them covered," she said finally, deciding not to address the woman's rendition of the noblewomen's favorite pastime.

The shopkeeper frowned at her deeply, but didn't comment. She was obviously disappointed with her new dress-up doll. She only motioned for her sternly to uncover herself with an expectant nod.

Aeyrin let her hands fall from her chest after a while, cringing from her gaze. The woman considered her for a bit before taking out a white bustier and motioning for her to turn around.

That was excessive. Couldn't she just… put on the dress? And she could have dressed herself!

But… making a scene would not likely go over well and she may just embarrass Casavir. He seemed to be well known by the woman and she definitely didn't want her gossiping over the paladin's companion for the ball. The best thing to do was to pretend this was all normal to her. It was probably normal for other people… maybe those not raised in a temple.

Aeyrin sighed a bit at her impatient expression and turned around, letting the woman place the bustier around her torso and fasten it at the back.

After a while of fiddling with something, she pulled suddenly, hard, making Aeyrin gasp out in shock as her breath left her for a while, her chest compressed tightly under the garment, her breasts covered with it completely. The woman repeated the process three more times before fastening her inside tightly, making breathing somewhat difficult, her breasts squeezed painfully against her torso.

"Is… that necessary? It's hard to breathe…" Aeyrin looked at her accusingly, but the woman only raised an admonishing finger at her.

"Of course it is necessary, milady. You must present an acceptable figure."

Was her figure not 'acceptable'? What did she mean? All this was starting to make her feel really insecure. Bishop never complained about anything about her. Would he just keep it to himself?

The woman handed her a new undergarment a while later, matching the white bustier. Luckily, she didn't insist on dressing her that time, but she didn't leave either, making the whole ordeal even more uncomfortable.

She should have just stayed at the inn with Bishop…

She was handed a pair of lightly white and transparent stockings a minute later. She put the thigh-high things on as the shopkeeper looked at the scars again disapprovingly, fiddling with the lace on top of the stockings to cover as much of them as possible.

Finally, the shopkeeper pulled out the dress.

It was a rose pink strapless ballgown. The skirt didn't seem as large as she feared, but it wasn't exactly flowy either. The fabric was soft and a little shiny, the skirt wrapped in a transparent layer of it, making it seem a bit ethereal. It had sparse tiny rubies on a silvery chain lined along the cleavage, the hem and the waist above the transparent cloth.

It was beautiful. And it really looked as if from another world… one she's never been able to see before.

"It's… amazing," Aeyrin gasped, still mesmerized by the dress.

"Of course it is. Put your hands up," the shopkeeper scoffed at her obvious statement, bundling the gown to dress her in it.

The whole process took a lot more time as the woman insisted on styling Aeyrin's hair, manicuring her fingers, putting on make-up and rosy fragrance and adding some accessories and shoes. She even asked her to remove Bishop's ring and the amulet of Stendarr from her neck, but Aeyrin adamantly refused. That was where she drew the line. Whatever beautiful jewel she had for her could never compare to those.

Finally it was done.

Aeyrin looked herself over in the large mirror. The dress hugged her tightened waist and breasts closely, the skirt making her hips look a bit wider, then flowing down seamlessly. She had a delicate silver chain around her left wrist, laced with three small rubies, her other hand decorated by a matching ring. Her earlobes had long earrings clasped to them, tiny red metal roses dangling at their ends. Some of her hair was braided and pulled back, creating a neat waterfall hairdo.

"Sir Casavir ordered this especially for you, milady," the shopkeeper smirked as Aeyrin looked over herself, pulling out a familiar delicate headband with an enchanted moving red rose on it – the one she saw in the market when she met Casavir.

The woman placed the accessory in her hair carefully, the rose nestling above her right ear, the pleasant trickle of magic tickling her scalp.

It was all so beautiful.

Why did it make her so uncomfortable?

It wasn't her.

But was this somehow… a preferable version of her? The shopkeeper seemed to thinks so. Would Bishop think so too?

It was taking forever!

They've been there for at least two hours now. It was gonna be sundown soon.

He was half-lying in a cushioned chair in the store, the glittering jewels around annoying him more and more.

How fucking long could putting on a dress take anyways? What was so complicated about it?

Finally he heard the scrape of pulled back curtain.

He stood up in annoyance, eager to get going already.

Then he saw her.

His face softened immediately. He wasn't one for all this pomp and opulence, but she looked absolutely breathtaking. He's only seen her in a dress twice before. Once with the whole ragged look after trudging through the sewers in fancy clothes – she looked so hot like that, he could barely control himself. The second one was too weirdly refined for her, and hid most of her figure with the bundling of the fabric.

This however… she really looked like a princess.

Her flushed face complemented the colors of the dress as she walked a bit waveringly on the high heels. She looked at him with trepidation, an uncertain expression on her face as his eyes roved over her.

"Wow… you look amazing…" he couldn't stop staring at her.

It was somewhat infuriating that this was all for someone else than him. But with her looking like that… that tin-head will never be able to control himself. He'll show who he really is soon enough.

His eyes roamed over every detail of her, noting with a pleased smile that she didn't take off or hide either of the necklaces from him, before he looked back in her eyes.

She gave him a demure smile, but her eyes seemed sad somehow.

She walked over to him, lingering in front of the exit from the store as the shopkeeper returned to roam around disinterestedly.

"You really like it?" she looked up at him from behind her lashes, rubbing her hand over her other arm uncertainly.

"Fuck yeah… you sure I can't steal you away back to bed, princess?" he chuckled at her, taking one strand of her neatly combed hair between his fingers and playing with it for a while.

She gave him a light shake of her head and a weak smile.

She really did look sad.

"What's wrong?" he furrowed his brows at her, but she only shook her head again, heading out of the store at last.

She was being strange.

Maybe what he worried about was already happening? Maybe she was realizing this role suited her better, she was just wary of telling him.

It was a stupid idea, he was overly paranoid, but he couldn't get it out of his head. And he couldn't think of any other reason for her mood.

And it certainly didn't help that now she was about to spend the entire evening with Casavir, who would be trying to tell her about Bishop's past the whole time.

Whatever was about to happen was gonna be bad.

He had to stop it somehow.