Author's Note:

So there's some smut again at the beginning of the chapter O:) Enjoy or skip at your leisure. That being said, I decided to put in some warnings regarding kinks. It's not specific to this chapter, but more for any future smut as well, just to avoid making anyone uncomfortable at any point. I also don't want to spoil the content for anyone though, so from now on, I'll be putting an asterisk before certain smut scenes with more specific warnings at the end of the chapter. If for any reason you'd rather know beforehand what the scene will contain, scroll down to the bottom. Otherwise, you are free to read spoiler-free :)

I hope you all enjoy the chapter in any case :)


Chapter LXXVIII – The Road to Ruins

* "Come on, princess, nobody cares."

Bishop groaned in her ear, his hand running over her body eagerly, caressing her upwards from her thighs until they rested on her breasts, massaging them firmly.

"I care… It's embarrassing, everyone will stare at us in the morning…" she tried to snatch his hands away half-heartedly, but with her resolve slowly leaving her, she only managed to grip at his wrists as he kept playing with her, eliciting a low moan from her.

"You didn't care in Solitude," he chuckled, one of his hands moving down across her naked skin, stroking below her belly button, teasingly approaching lower.

"I… I couldn't hear everyone through the do-door there…" she gasped when she tried again to capture his wrists, but didn't really pull him away. Damn those hands! He was undoing her quickly.

"You think that means they couldn't hear? Sorry to break it to you, sweetheart, but I'd say you're louder than a swarm of roaring drunkards," he laughed mischievously, his hand dipping down towards her warmth, stroking over her and eliciting a loud moan from her reflexively.

"W-what?!" she yelped, the grip on his wrist tightening when she prepared to disentangle herself in earnest this time.

"I'm kidding. But… if it's really bothering you…" he laughed and his hands left her as he sat up on the bed. She felt a tinge of disappointment, but it was for the best. It was too embarrassing to have everyone give her suggestive looks the next day. She had enough of that every time she was drunk and her resolve was practically nonexistent. Besides, the commotion they already caused their first night here in Ivarstead was enough.

Bishop dragged her pack from the floor on the bed beside him, fishing around there for a while.

"What are you looking for?" she peered at him curiously, curling around him from behind and looking over his shoulder.

"A solution," he smirked at her, his hand finally finding his target. He produced one of the soft yellow washrags made from the dress that Mercer gave her, presenting it to her with a suggestive grin.

"You're… not serious, are you?" her eyes went wide at him as she untangled herself from him. He turned around to face her, his hand cupping her cheek gently and stroking over it, his thumb strumming over her lower lip slowly.

"Only if you're up for it, sweetness," he gave her a surprisingly gentle smile, his other hand returning to caress her body again. He obviously did that just to tease her enough that she'd agree. Then again… it was kind of an… exciting idea. She feared it would remind her of their struggle in the sewers, but the only images playing in her head were of how he teased her and kissed her in her tied up state their first night there.

She nodded slowly and Bishop pushed her down on her back almost immediately, his gentle touch turning eager and hungry again.

He nipped at her ear, his hot breath tickling it while he started to knead her breasts firmly again. His voice was low and rumbly when one of his hands turned to grab the rag, placing it next to her head before it returned to her face, gripping her chin and tilting her head back. His thumb pressed against her lower lip again, the nail pricking her lightly.

"Open up, princess," she heard him smirk in her ear before his kisses moved over her jaw slowly.

"J-just… not too… deep," she stammered in between heavy breaths, his other hand still squeezing her breast eagerly, fingers playing with her hardened nipple.

"The rag? Don't worry… but other than that…" he chuckled as she opened her lips for him tentatively, her eyes closing in anticipation.

Instead of the cloth, she felt his lips on hers, his tongue invading her mouth, twining with hers passionately for a time.

They continued to kiss frantically for a while, their breaths ragged, their hands roaming over each other's bodies with excitement. After some time, the need for air forced them apart. She opened her eyes to find him looking her over, his touch turning gentle for a bit again while his hand stroked her cheek once more, his smile fond and hungry at the same time.

She opened her mouth for him once more and he tentatively took the cloth, folding it neatly in his hands. She closed her eyes, feeling the cloth brush against her lips and touch her tongue lightly. It didn't feel anything like before – the sensation was similar, but there was no fear, only excitement.

Bishop pushed the washrag a little deeper, careful not to make her gag. He gave her a questioning look when he withdrew his hand, eliciting a nod and a muffled moan from her.

He chuckled lightly, turning his attention to her neck. She felt him return to that same place again, nipping at her skin, sucking on it eagerly. Every time he did that now, it was like hearing that low growl in his voice all over again, when he murmured to her: 'You are mine'. Just the memory of that made her body heat up even more.

Bishop moved his roaming lips down to her cleavage while one of his hands moved lower, rubbing against her wet slit, eliciting a strained moan against her gag. Her hands started to grip at his arms, the firm muscles flexing under her touch pleasantly.

Her hand moved down to his cock, gripping over his girth, making him groan against the soft flesh of her breasts. She felt his fingers enter her swiftly, making her whole body twitch at the contact, her hand squeezing him even harder.

He seemed to be straining against his patience. His hands and lips left her and he moved away, making her release him in the process. He lowered himself along her body, his head nestling between her legs, his mouth sucking on her eager nub faster than she anticipated. His exertions were eager and intense and the need to bury himself in her was already palpable in his ministrations.

She gasped and moaned under her rag, the obstruction in her mouth suddenly feeling both uncomfortable and helpful as she dug her teeth into the fabric, biting down on it firmly while powerful jolts coursed through her, making her whole body thrash.

The gag muffled a loud long moan when she grappled at his hair firmly, her back arching, heat spreading through her body, her walls clenching, eager to grip something inside them. Bishop continued his ministrations for some time, his tongue licking at the wetness between her legs intensely until the anticipation started to build up in her again.

He moved away from her suddenly, grabbing her by the calves, and she shifted herself while he arranged her against him. He placed her legs along his chest, grabbing her below her backside and squeezing her firm flesh hungrily. She spread her legs further, carful that her calves didn't slip off his shoulders as he positioned himself against her, his eyes fixed on her crotch, watching himself tease her entrance with the tip of his hard cock.

He entered her with a powerful thrust, unable to wait anymore. A deep groan escaped his lips while she arched her back and gasped into the rag, her teeth digging into the fabric again. Bishop gripped her legs, his eyes still fastened on their joining point, his need barely contained as he thrusted against her, making her whole body jerk with every movement, her breasts bouncing while she dug her fingers into the bedsheets, strained breaths escaping her nose and muffled moans echoing against the gag in her mouth.

She clenched him inside her eagerly, her head tipped back, eyes closed, her whole body quivering and burning as he hit a special place deep inside her with every hard thrust. She arched back, a deep pulsating overpowering her insides, her heart pumping wildly in her chest.

She felt him twitch inside her, her walls clenching him as he stopped his thrusts for a while, buried deep within. The warmth of him spread through her, a loud groan of relief and some muttered curses escaping his mouth. Why didn't he get a gag? He wasn't exactly quiet either…

She panted under him while he stayed in the same position for a while, moving in and out slowly as his excitement subsided gradually, his cock softening inside her.

Her legs fell heavily from his shoulders after he slipped from within her, their fluids escaping along her backside. His body slumped down onto her, his weight pressing her against the thin mattress.

She wrapped her arms around his back, stroking over his heaving muscles as he breathed deeply against her, his breath tickling her face while he planted lazy open mouthed kisses over her cheeks and forehead.

She reached out for the rag in her mouth after a while, but suddenly his hand darted to hers, gripping her wrist firmly. A mischievous smile played on his lips while he pushed himself off of her, watching her sweaty naked body under him.

"I am far from done with you, sweetness."

"Morning, you two."

Lynly smiled at them as they entered the common room, pouring two tankards of mead for them automatically.

They sat themselves at a table in the corner, the rest of the room was still blessedly empty.

"You came in late last night. And we didn't even get a chance to catch up after my performance with how fast you disappeared to your room," Lynly passed them the tankards, sitting herself at their table for a while, obviously bored by the lack of customers in the morning.

"Yeah… we had a long day," Aeyrin smiled, watching her expression a while for any hints of smirks or suggestive looks, but she didn't find any. She was pretty sure the gag was pointless eventually, but it was surprisingly exciting.

"Are you heading back up the mountain?" she gave them a curious look. This time her smile turned into a bit of a knowing one. They have traveled to High Hrothgar twice already and the rumors of elven Dragonborn were getting more and more widespread. It was likely that she already figured Aeyrin's identity out.

"Not this time. We're just taking the long road to Windhelm," Aeyrin shrugged, answering wryly. She was hoping that the server wouldn't broach the subject of the Dragonborn. It was refreshing being back on the road with no one knowing. She even stopped herself from using Shouts in front of Golldir. It was strange… she was much more self-conscious about people that disliked her knowing who she was. Maybe it was the fact that she knew they would be disappointed with the legend. But why couldn't she stop herself from caring? She shouldn't be concerned with what unpleasant people thought of her. But for some reason, she couldn't help herself. She envied Bishop's disinterest in other people's opinions. It sounded… refreshing.

"Breakfast?" Lynly smiled at them after a while, getting up from the table and heading to prepare their food once they nodded at her eagerly.

The barmaid joined them again once they dug into the plates filled with steaming carrot and beef stew, bread and small boiled cream treats.

"So what's in Windhelm?" Lynly asked curiously.

"Not much… just visiting the city. We're looking for some odd jobs on the way, gathering some loot to sell," Aeyrin said, not willing to discuss Talos worship either. She felt like none of the things they were actually doing were safe to talk about with random people. It was strange – when she was travelling through Cyrodiil, she always spent time at taverns sharing the tales from the road with other patrons. Now there were the Blades, Raven and Karliah, her interest in Talos – all of those topics could get them in trouble with the wrong people.

"Oh! I have a tip for you. It's a little… strange though…" Lynly chuckled nervously, making them turn their eyes from their plates to her curiously.

"We've… spotted a ghost roaming around the old barrow at night. There's been nothing happening with that place ever since anyone remembers, but now, suddenly, there's this… ethereal figure just… walking around. It doesn't hurt anyone, but it's scaring some patrons away nonetheless. Half of the pilgrims here up and left already," Lynly explained.

They noted the ancient barrow by the village the first time they arrived, but with their sights set at the monastery up the mountain, they decided to leave it be. Besides, it was so close to the village, they assumed it was plundered a hundred times over.

"No one's investigated?" Aeyrin asked curiously, taking a large bite of her treat afterwards.

"Who would? There's farmers, merchants and innkeepers here. The pilgrims aren't really battle-ready either. But I know how capable you two are. Just getting through the snowed under passes was quite a feat. Every other pilgrim gave up. Some even spotted trolls up the mountain," Lynly smirked as in disbelief.

Should they mention the dragon to her?

"You don't know about anyone that's been in the barrow? Ever?" Bishop narrowed his eyes. It seemed unlikely that the place would remain untouched.

"The word of mouth is that people don't come near it. They always whispered that it's cursed. I assume adventurers don't consider it worth their time, maybe thinking it's already plundered. But honestly… I doubt it is. Then again, I've only moved here a year ago," she shrugged noncommittally.

"Oh? Why move to Ivarstead? No offence… it just… I thought people mostly moved into larger cities…" Aeyrin inquired. It seemed odd for a barmaid and a bardess to rely on a secluded inn for employment, unless she grew up in the place.

Lynly seemed a bit nervous at the question, straightening her skirt on the chair with palpably fidgety hands as she cleared her throat: "That's… that's a long and boring story. I might tell you some other time…"

"We can look into the barrow…" Bishop nodded after a while, steering the conversation away from the topic.

"That's great! I hope you can do something to… I don't know… put the spirits to rest or… whatever one does with ghosts…" she chuckled a bit, getting up from their table. She seemed eager to leave them suddenly, likely trying to avoid more personal questions.

They stood in front of the ruins, looking over the empty sarcophagi by the entrance.

It was so close to the village… it seemed strange that scores of adventurers didn't plunder it all the time. Maybe Lynly simply didn't know about them.

It was still a worthwhile pursuit – there may be a Wall inside.

Karnwyr sniffed around the entrance curiously, following the ground with his nose until he reached a small puddle of ectoplasm some distance away from the door.

"Seems the ghost stories are right…" Bishop pondered as the wolf called him over to his find with an excited bark. What was he so happy about? Not like he could bite a ghost…

"There's nothing out here. And waiting until nightfall is pointless when we can investigate inside. Let's go," Aeyrin gave him a shrug, opening the ancient carved metal door slowly.

"Yeah… at least this time we don't need to babysit that whiny ice-brain. I really hope all we find inside will be corpses…"


* Kink warning: mouth-gag