Bishop kicked some dirt over the dying fire before looking into the distance. As he continued to peer through the forest, I didn't know what he was trying to see. We were surrounded by trees that blocked out the sky up ahead. "Windhelm is still a few days away, ladyship. You sure you're up for the walk?"

"I'd travel through all of Tamriel if it meant taking that bastard down."

"Lovely. She's unhinged." He hoisted his bag up onto his shoulder. "Then we should get a move on, ladyship. It's already morning."

"I noticed." It was my turn to be cranky. I'd woken up early to make sure I kept up with his schedule. The least he could do was try not to be an ass for five minutes. Years of imprisonment meant a sleep cycle didn't matter much. It looked like that was going to change with Bishop at my side. The ranger took a deep breath before his tone turned mischievous.

"Well, the road is rather long. I suppose we can cut cross-country, so we'll be in the woods a good bit," he said, a devilish gleam in his amber eyes. I sighed and waved my hand, waiting for the second part of that sentence. "I know a few hiding spots in the Rift's forests. There we can be alone, with no distractions... and perhaps no clothes." He spoke casually, though I felt my cheeks burning. I was well aware that was the reaction he'd been looking for when he snickered. "Shall we, princess?" Bishop gave a mock bow, that roguish smirk still on his face. The playful ranger had returned.

I bit my lip, considering a proper reaction to his sly words. Eventually, I decided that saying nothing was the best course of action and set off north. Of course, Bishop managed to twist that as well. "Shall I take your silence as confirmation?" he chortled. I whirled around, surprising Karnwyr for a moment, and scowled at Bishop.

"Do you have to take everything and make it... just..."

Bishop stuck his nose in the air. "I'd rather take you." His ensuing laugh grew with my anger.

"Fuck off!" I shouted.

"Or on," he suggested, his tone clarifying he was still mocking me. "Anywhere, anytime, Your Highness."

I continued to frown despite knowing he couldn't see it. "You wish," I responded sourly, vaguely considering walking away right then and there.

"Mmhmm, I do indeed." I knew he was smiling when I put my head in my hands and let out an exasperated scream. So staying quiet wasn't an option, but apparently, speaking wasn't one either. "Come on, princess. Just having fun."

"Ass," I muttered, aware that he'd heard me. My eyes scanned the landscape, giving me an idea to prevent any more sexual insinuations. "Hey, Bishop." He quirked a dark eyebrow, the rising sun from the east casting a glow in his golden eyes. "What kind of flora grow in the Rift?" A soft smile played across the ranger's face.

He gestured to the nearest tree first. "That's a birch tree."

"Well, duh."

"Hey, just doing my job," Bishop said, holding his hands up in surrender before pointing to a green bush with little crimson berries on its thin branches. He picked a few before tossing one to me. I caught it instinctively and watched him eat the others. "Snowberries," he announced, lips stained red with the berry juice. "You'll find some poisonous snowberry plants outside Skyrim, but here, they're deliciously edible." He enunciated his point by popping another into his mouth.

While snacking on the snowberries, he pointed out several other plants as we walked. "That over there is poison ivy. I'm going to take a wild guess and say you already know what it is." The ranger laughed under his breath as though recalling an old memory. "And here's a dragon's tongue flower." He bent down to pluck it before offering the blossom to me with a flourish. "For my lady," he drawled, earning a laugh as I accepted it.

The next one was growing alone next to a birch. "You've probably seen that one over there, too, if you grew up in Cyrodil. It's called the Septim's Spirit," he informed, gesturing to a white flower with streaks of gold running through it. The blossom somewhat resembled a lily despite us being nowhere near water. "It's called that because it flowers day and night, all times of the year. It only started growing after the Oblivion Crisis some two hundred years ago, so many people took to saying it was put here by the gods as a symbol of the last Septim's... well, spirit. That in addition to its constant bloom makes for a nice legend, I guess."

"Yeah, I think I remember seeing a few in my town." I bent down and felt its soft petals. "But I always thought they were just lilies. Why are they in Skyrim, too?"

"This Rift is more temperate than the other parts of Skyrim, so you'll see some Cyrodilian flora."

"Have you been there?" Bishop glanced at me questioningly, waiting for me to explain a bit more. "To Cyrodil?" A strange look spread across his face.

"Yeah. I would say I come from Cyrodil, considering how much time I spent there. But I was born in Riften."

I contemplated my next question. Bishop had reacted to it poorly beforehand, but now that Karnwyr was back, he seemed much more relaxed. Well, as relaxed as he could be, I suppose. I took a chance. "So, Bishop..." He spared me a glance, tensing up. He knew I was about to ask him something personal. "How did you become a ranger?"

It was quiet for a few moments, and I wondered if I'd pushed too deep again. "Why the sudden interest?" His voice was low, though not quite a growl.

"Why the sudden suspicion?"

Bishop's mouth took a downward turn as he faced me, slowing his step. "Because no one ever asks me something like that without another motive behind it." I widened my eyes, unsure of what to say at that point. "Stop asking, princess. It's not something I'm eager to share." His golden eyes flashed with frustration. "Not with anyone."

...

"Come on, ladyship. At that rate, we won't make it to Windhelm by next year." Bishop's tone had me in a bad mood. He'd been like this for hours, and even without me saying anything, he'd been shooting snarky comments left and right again. As if it wasn't me wanting to make it to Windhelm... "Funny, Cragslane Cavern isn't too far ahead." Karnwyr gave a whining bark when the cave came into view and walked closer to his master. "Then a couple of Dwarven structures, a cave, some mines up ahead a bit further."

I stared at him. "Really?"

"Really, what?" Bishop continued walking after answering my question. "The mines?"

"No, I'm just surprised you know the area this well."

Bishop shrugged. "I grew up in the wilds, princess. What kind of ranger would I be if I didn't know my way around?" he pointed out. I shrugged and trailed after him, Karnwyr trotting between us both. He glanced up at the sky, overcast and angry. "We should find shelter soon. Rain isn't too far away." A bit of thunder echoed with his point.

"What about Cragslane?"

"Ladyship, please tell me you're joking."

"Of course I am. Calm down." I took a deep breath. "Mmm. I love the smell of rain. I-" More thunder interrupted my words, and then all at once, the sky released a downpour.

Bishop hissed in annoyance. "Shit," he growled, quickening his steps. "Hurry up!"

"What, you think I want to stick around?" I kicked aside rocks and sticks in my path as I ran behind Bishop. He took a sudden left, leaving me to slip and scramble on the wet ground. Muttering a curse, I turned to follow. He waited at a cave entrance- though perhaps 'cave' wasn't the right word. It could also be a hideout of some sort. A door at the mouth of a rocky hill swung open as Bishop yanked the handle.

"Hurry up, princess!" I didn't even slow down, simply ducked in so I could be out of the pouring rain. The sigh and whine behind me signified that Bishop and Karnwyr had also come in. The latter gave a low bark and shook, flinging wet dog water all about "Bleh." I lit a torch and held it out to see Bishop leaning down to pet his wolf. "You reek, you old mutt." He rubbed Karnwyr's back despite the canine's shining wet pelt, and the red wolf barked, covering his master's face with happy licks. "All right, all right!" He stood up and wiped the saliva off.

I set the torch on the ground and rubbed Karnwyr's head. "What a good boy!" I cooed, ignoring the poisonous glare I was receiving from Bishop. "So, what now?"

Bishop set his hand against the rocky wall. "Build a fire, I guess. We've got to get dry, after all." He gave me a toothy grin. "Of course, we might have to set our clothes out."

"You wish, ranger." The path headed down further in, though I suspected gallivanting off to explore would be a poor idea. I took a moment to check out our surroundings. Wooden beams held up brick walls while the ceiling was solid rock.

It resembled a tower's underground tunnels more than anything, and I wondered if it was a tower where we'd taken refuge. As long as there weren't any sorcerers around, I could deal with it. Trouble followed necromancers wherever they went.

I remained on the ground, listening to the storm rage outside. Bishop leaned against the wall and closed his eyes while I opened my pack to bring out some of the dried venison strips. I passed one each to Bishop and Karnwyr before chewing on one myself.

I started scratching the red wolf's ears playfully, and Karnwyr's tail started thumping the ground. After a few minutes, I patted his head and let go of his fur. Though Karnwyr seemed disappointed for a moment, he set his head down and shut his eyes.

"I like him," I said to Bishop conversationally, idly kicking at a rock. "He's a sweetheart."

"He likes you, too." I turned my head to look at the ranger, who hadn't even turned to me as he spoke. "You know why?" He continued after my silence. "You're not afraid of him like the others." Bishop adjusted his shoulders but remained propped up against the wall.

"Once you understand an animal, you don't need to be afraid of it." I wasn't boasting or showing off; it was the truth.

I caught a rare smile from Bishop in the torchlight before he answered. "You see? And that's why you and he understand each other. You understand what he is, what he does. But most importantly, and this is the most important, you understand what he's capable of doing." I pondered his words and realized he was right.

"When did you get Karnwyr?" I queried, genuinely interested.

Thunder shook the ground, causing some dust and tiny pebbles to fall from the rocky roof. Bishop opened a single eye and looked up, thinking for a moment. He must've decided it was all right when he continued our talk. "I got him when I was just a boy. We survived together. We hunted together. Someday we'll die together. And that suits me just fine."

I tried to find a proper reply, though I never got the chance. The storm shook the cave rougher than before, leaving me to assume a bolt of lightning had struck near us. More debris fell from the ceiling while the walls began to shake. Bishop instantly stepped away, golden eyes wide. "Get up!" he barked, bolting over and yanking me up by my arm. "Run, go further into the tunnel!" He spoke with an urgency that I didn't dare question. "Karnwyr! Come on!"

Rocks began to fall from the roof, and I realized what was happening. Panic gripped me tightly as I hurried down the rough path. Boulders crashed to the ground right where we'd been as the walls caved in. The floor shook forcefully, and I had to grab onto Bishop for support.

The stones settled after a minute, leaving the rest of the cave eerily silent. All three of us listened intently, though there was no sound to alert us. We couldn't even hear the storm anymore. I kept a hold on Bishop's arm, vision completely black.

"Got a torch on you?" I whispered, a nervous shudder going up my back.

"No," he answered with just as much care. We were both quiet, the same question hanging unsaid. Karnwyr whined beside us. "But we've got to figure this out, and fast. We won't have air forever if we..." Are trapped? Well, what if we never find an exit? Starve to death? Don't find water?

"Right." I put every effort into avoiding hyperventilating. Panic wouldn't solve anything. "Well, it looked like more of a tower tunnel than a cave. If we carefully feel around, we might find a torch. Priority number one is finding light. Once we can see, we'll go from there."

As soon as I finished speaking, a bright flash filled the area. I had to cover my eyes for a moment. "What in the..."

Goulish iron torches had suddenly flared up all around us, illuminating the room while casting creepy shadows. Old crates and books were scattered about. I'd already been nervous, but I would have taken that blindness any day over the utterly horrifying sight before me.

A woman, skin pale as the snow and face dripping with blood, stared down at us with eyes cold and black as the void.