Author's note:
My dear readers, here I am with a new update. First of all, however, let me reply to my lovely followers and reviewers.
Just like Valtieri, I adore the final part of the main quest too and I'm completely in love with the whole "Season Unending" arch. Hopefully I'll do it justice in my story! As for Agda's absence from Winterhol, that will be the main theme of one of the next chapters - and everyone will be rather pissed off when she returns. Speaking of characters, you are absolutely right about Irileth - and the funny thing is that I didn't mean to describe her like a sort of pet!
As for MeanE, I must say that I love your sense of humor and your remarks! Stein only has eyes for Agda, but Elisif is a true beauty and our little mage may become jealous soon... To ShpperOfTrashyShips' joy, more drama is ensured!
Spaking of Agda, I'm glad Elspeth underlined her evolution. She's grown a lot since the beginning and even I have troubles linking her to the clumsy innkeeper from the first chapter! Also, I like giving backstories to my characters and to some Ocs, so it was good to know that they're appreciated.
As far as this update is concerned, I must admit that this chapter made its way onto my computer screen without me actually realizing it. I considered deleting it, but then I realized that this may actually be the last fluffy instalment in a long while - hence the decision to post it anyway.
Enjoy and let me know what you think!
15th of Sun's Height, 4E 203
When Agda and Lydia wearily dragged themselves towards the small inn of Ivarstead, the summer showers that had been tormenting Skyrim for more than a week still hadn't ceased. The two women found shelter in the wooden building and were immediately greeted by Steinarius' tired and worried expression. The Dragonborn had got to Ivarstead two days earlier in order to ask the Greybeards whether he could organize the peace talks for the upcoming truce in their seat; Agda and Lydia instead had got back from the Pale with some days of delay.
Dinner went by fast, as the two women were incredibly hungry. Neither of them talked and, when Agda announced she wanted to go to sleep, Steinarius was quick to bid Lydia goodbye and follow the mage into the small room he had booked for the two of them.
"My hut near the village isn't big enough for the three of us, so I decided to stay at the inn", he apologized when he noticed the disgusted expression on Agda's face. "I didn't expect this place to be so shabby".
As she quickly scanned the room, Agda sighed. She was tired and cold, she couldn't remember the last time she'd slept, she felt sick and feverish; also, she would be forced to spend the night in that little room without windows or cupboards or chairs.
"I've joined the two beds", Steinarius said when the mage' silence made him unease. "I thought you may want to sleep with me and..."
When Agda slumped down face first on one of the two beds, the Dragonborn was forced to trail off. Probably because of his Imperial upbringing, he couldn't stand it when people went to sleep in their dirty clothes - and Agda had just laid down without even taking off her wet cloak and her muddy boots.
"Agds!", the man cried out, disappointment well evident in his voice. He would have never expected Agda to collapse like that on a clean bed.
"Stein, this place hasn't been swept in more than an Era", the mage scoffed as soon as she guessed her man's thoughts. "I don't see why I should put on clean clothes to sleep among dirty sheets. Also, I don't have enough strength to get myself ready for the night. If you don't like what I've just done, go sleep with Lydia".
Steinarius was shocked by that unexpected reply. Frowning, the man sat down beside Agda, who was still laying on her stomach. At that point he gently squeezed her elbow.
"Agds, are you alright? You didn't say a word over dinner and now you've just told me I should sleep with Lydia. Are you perhaps..."
"I am what?", Agda said without even allowing her man to finish that sentence. "Tired, sleepy, cold and wet? You can damn well bet I am! Also, I am sick and feverish and angry and downright pissed!"
Surprised by that sudden outburst of rage, Steinarius let go of Agda's elbow.
"Honey, what happened?", he asked, his voice full of concern. "Have I somehow..."
"It's not you, it's Lydia", Agda eventually confessed with a huff. "The other day she set off an argument while we were in Ulfric's tent; also, she's been complaining about me for the whole journey back to Ivarstead".
Confronted with Agda's tone, Steinarius had to stifle a chuckle. He used his strength to turn the girl on her back, so that he could watch her expression, then he began to peel her wet cloak off her body.
"Why would Lydia complain about you?", the Dragonborn asked while performing that operation.
Agda freed her arms from the cloak, then she scoffed and shook her head.
"On our way back from the meeting in Ulfric's tent, we came across his infirmary", the mage explained. When Steinarius made to take off her muddy boots, she raised one leg after the other in order to help him with his task. "I heard a man scream, so I asked what was going on. I discovered that some butcher disguised as a healer was about to cut off the poor guy's leg even though he had run out of potions for numbing the pain. I couldn't just stand back and watch, Stein: I had to do something. Which is why I strode towards the injured man, insisted on visiting him and got mad at the butcher who wanted to cut his leg off".
Steinarius let Agda's boots fall to the ground with a loud thud.
"Was he wrong?", he said, his hands moving to untie the laces that kept Agda's mage robes together.
"Of course he was!", the girl cried in reply. "Well, I did have to cut off the man's foot, but I managed to save the rest of his leg. Also, I used a numbing spell that allowed me to perform the operation without causing him too much pain; last but not least, I noticed that the poor guy had come up with Ataxia and did my best to cure him. Now he's fine, even though the loss of his foot has been a bad blow to him".
After Steinarius freed Agda from her mage robes, he got up from her bed and walked towards her knapsack. He took some spare clothes out of it, then he returned to bed and began to undo Agda's trousers.
"I don't see why Lydia would get angry at you for that", he calmly said as the mage raised her hips to allow him to take off her pants.
That remark caused Agda to scoff.
"After I helped that man, many more people asked me to take a look at their injuries", she said as Steinarius focused his attention on the few buttons of her undershirt and finally freed her from that garment too. "I worked without break for two days, then your huskarl forced me to leave. She told me off because she said that some of those soldiers had dangerous diseases, but I helped them anyway. I am a healer, for Talos' sake, what was I supposed to do?!"
Although he could relate to Lydia's worry and to Agda's rage, Steinarius had to chuckle.
"'For Talos' sake'", he teased his lover by quoting her words. "You have come up with a rare case of Stormcloxia, honey".
Agda snorted in reply. She was wearing only her small clothes now and, when Steinarius laid his hands on her hips and made to kiss the juncture between her neck and her jaw, she was quick to escape his grip and hiss in annoyance.
"I'm not done with complaining yet", she pouted at him. Her expression was stern and amusing at the same time, so that Steinarius had to fight hard to stifle a laughter.
"Complain away, honey", he told Agda after laying a playful kiss on her neck. "I'm all ears", he added, the ghost of a smirk on his face.
Agda gave him a slightly crossed look, then she resumed speaking.
"Lydia also got mad at me because we had to ride very fast to get here on time", she said with a very unhappy tone. "She said I lost too much time with the injured soldiers and that I put my life at stake by curing so many people at once. Also, she told me she's bound to protect me. Why does everyone in this stupid land want to protect me, Stein? Do I really look so weak? Do I have a message saying 'Damsel in distress' written on my back? Or is it because I never carry weapons?"
"Maybe it's just because you're so cute and pretty and adorable that everyone wants to keep you safe", Steinarius joked. He had missed Agda over the previous week, so he was overjoyed to be reunited with her. Also, the Dragonborn was having a hard time trying to control his lust. The girl was almost completely naked, so that the Imperial couldn't wait to make love to her. Agda, however, didn't share that desire.
"Stein, I am serious!", she said when she realized that her man wasn't really listening to her complaints. "It was a horrible journey for me. Lydia got mad at me because I didn't allow her to protect me from germs and diseases, I got mad at her because she wanted to protect me from germs and disease, and I got mad at Ulfric for having butchers acting as healers in his campsites!"
"Agda, it's useless to complain about it now", Steinarius smiled, his voice finally serious. The Imperial laid down next to the girl, then he propped himself on an elbow so that he could gently caress her cheek and watch her in the eyes. "You and Lydia simply need to make peace. Also, Lydia should apologize to you: you knew what you were doing back in Ulfric's campsite; otherwise, you would have fallen ill in a heartbeat".
There was a moment of silence during which Agda slightly blushed and distorted her gaze from her man.
"Agda, you are not ill, are you?", Steinarius asked her when he guessed the reason for her embarrassement.
Frowing, the mage blushed even further.
"I may be a bit feverish", she murmured. "Also, I feel sick and cold".
Confronted with the discovery, Steinarius shook his head. He had finally understood why Agda was so angry: not only had Lydia told her off - she'd also been right in doing so.
"Let's get you dressed and warm, shall we?", the man sighed after jokingly pinching Agda's nose. "My lil' healer is ill", he added as he stood up from the bed and went to retrieve some furs and potions from his knapsack. "And for once, I get to take care of her. I feared I'd never see the day".
Agda murmured something that sounded suspiciously like "you're lucky to be a werewolf", but Steinarius was too amused to listen to her. He wrapped her in some of his warmest clothes, then he tucked her in the best bear fur he had in his knapsack. As he performed those actions, the man realized that his lust could wait. Actually, right then he only wanted to lay down in Agda's bed and cuddle her like she deserved.
The girl whimpered when Steinarius took place in her bed and she muttered a complaint about the size of her mattress.
"I don't want you to sleep alone, Agds", the man said while arranging himself so that the mage could rest comfortably despite his presence. "Not when you're fuming with anger. You may set fire to the sheets".
Agda gave Steinarius a little, playful shove, then she shuddered because of the cold. The man was quick to gather her in his arms.
"You are in a very good mood", the girl commented after a few moments of silence. Steinarius was peppering her temples and nose and cheeks in light kisses that were about to make her go crazy, so she wanted to keep him occupied with words.
"I am in good mood indeed", the Imperial replied, his voice satisfied and low. "The Legion has agreed to meet the Stormcloaks to discuss the detail of a peace treaty, I have you in my arms and we have a few days to ourselves before organizing the truce. I guess that's enough to make a simple man like me happy"
When Agda scoffed, Steinarius thought she was tired of his good humor. Believing he might have overdone it, the Imperial stopped kissing her and gently tucked her hair behind her ears.
"I could ask Gwilin for a potion against diseases", he whispered when he noticed how warm Agda's forehead was. "He surely has one in his house".
Agda shook her head, then she clung to Steinarius' shirt.
"Don't", she whispered. "I don't want you to leave, not even for a moment".
The Dragonborn was moved by the way Agda hugged him after saying that, and he was even more moved when the girl spoke next.
"Actually, there are two more reasons why I'm angry, Stein", she admitted without raising her eyes. The mage was keeping a cheek against Steinarius' chest, whereas her arms were around his neck. "First, I have talked Ulfric into signing the peace treaty. Second, I have seen what war does to people".
As he waited for Agda to elaborate, Steinarius was perfectly silent.
"Deep in my heart, I wished Ulfric wouldn't sign the peace treaty", Agda admitted. "I wish he wouldn't because his refuse would have postponed your fight against Alduin and it would have granted me some more time with you. Actually, I hoped Ulfric wouldn't sign the peace treaty at all - in that way, you and I would have stayed side by side until the end of our world and we would have faced our destiny together. Now, instead, I just have to sit back and watch while you do all by yourself".
Steinarius made to speak, but Agda shushed him.
"I'm not done yet", she sternly said. "The other reason why I'm angry is that I can't understand why people take part in wars. At Ulfric's camp I've seen people without legs, or arms, or eyes; I've met people who were about to die, people who had lost their families, people who had witnessed the death of their friends and loved ones; also, I've seen people sitting by their dying companions, all while staring into the void and contemplating their future alone. After all of this, I really can't understand why anyone in their right mind would ever choose to go through that sufferance".
"Sometimes sufferance helps you improve", Steinarius whispered. He knew that Agda was not-so-subtly suggesting he was crazy for his ideas about the war. "Also, fighting for a right cause can make you feel useful".
"It can also make you die", Agda promptly replied. There was a long sigh on her part, then the mage pressed her face into Steinarius' chest. "Stein, I know we'd agreed not to mention this for a while, but I really need to talk about it: I don't want you to resume fighting for the Legion. If by some miracle Alduin dies and you survive, I swear I will lock you away in a cave so that you won't be able to..."
Confronted with Agda's panicked tone, Steinarius shushed her and gently kissed her forehead.
"I know, Agds", the man said when the girl trailed off. She was trembling now and the Dragonborn didn't know whether it was an effect of her fear or if the fever was getting worse. "Actually, you might have noticed that I didn't really talk about my meeting with Elisif in Solitude, and all because I did something I am really ashamed of. I made Elisif cry".
Surprised by those words, Agda craned her neck to look Steinarius in the eyes.
"You... what... but why?", she asked, disbelief and worry evident in her voice.
"I made Elisif cry because I told her about my plans for the future" the Dragonborn calmly replied. "I explained her that those plans involve the wonderful woman I have by my side in this bed right now, a couple of goats or dogs - we still need to make up our mind about it - and the pitter-patter of small feet running around our home. And nope, I didn't see any war or Empire or Legion involved in my future - even if, perhaps, I should say our future".
There was a moment of astonished silence, then Agda spoke.
"Did you really tell her that?"
Steinarius chuckled.
"I might have not used those exact words, but the meaning was there. I have already suffered enough in my life and I think Thorygg will have to forgive me for breaking the promise I made on his grave. He treasured love above everything else, so I believe he'll understand. As for Elisif, I hope she'll find the same happiness I have found in you, Agds. You mean the world to me and there is no promise from my past that can prevent me from spending the rest of my life with you".
When Steinarius fell silent, Agda tightened her grip on him and got even closer, almost as though she wanted her body to merge with the Dragonborn's. She kissed the point where his neck met his torso, then she traced a path of little kisses down his chest. When she reached his heart, however, she stopped.
"Thank you", she whispered.
Chuckling, Steinarius tenderly kissed her forehead.
"Thank you for making my days brighter", he smiled. "And now let's get some sleep: if Lydia notices you're feverish..."
Agda smiled at that, then she closed her eyes and sagged in Steinarius' arms. As he listened to her calm heartbeat, the man knew he had made the right choice: there was no way he could sacrifice the love of his life to a useless war that was bound to bring him only death and despair.