Author's Note:

This is just a little thing I've written for the SRMC Valentine's Day fic challenge way back in February. It's not posted anywhere anymore so I was thinking that I might as well share it as a little bonus story with you all before I get back to posting the actual books again O:) Very soon, don't worry ;)

The story doesn't really fit into the first book, regarding continuity (or the major events and side character stories of the book :D), which is why I have never incorporated it. It was just meant for the fic writing event so that people who didn't know the story could read it too. It follows the Skyrim quest The Book of Love :) I figured that some of you might still enjoy it now, even if it doesn't fit well with the rest of the story ;)

I hope you like it :) And happy very belated Heart's Day, I guess :D

Heart's Day

Bishop was lazily browsing through the new items on display at Grelka's stall.

It was all just overpriced junk. None of it had really caught his attention. Aeyrin was still talking to that priest though and, judging from both of their excited expressions as they talked and smiled at each other, he still had some time to kill. He picked up one of the steel daggers from the stall and looked it over properly.

"It's Balimund's work. Best quality you can find," Grelka proclaimed with disinterest. Even she didn't sound like she really believed that. The dagger looked a little rusty in places and the steel was probably more brittle than she would have liked. Bishop suspected that it was just a used weapon that some adventurer sold to her after looting it from a bandit or something. She tried to give it some credibility by mentioning the smith's name, but she would have had better luck offering it to one of the townspeople for personal protection.

With a dismissive scoff he put the dagger back down, only earning an unimpressed expression from Grelka in return.

His eyes went back to Aeyrin promptly after that brief exchange. It looked like she was finally done with the priest. The man pressed something into her hand and she turned back towards the market to locate Bishop. She looked way too excited. He had no doubt that the priest asked her to do some favor for him – to delve into an ancient ruin to retrieve something completely useless and unimportant. It was all a familiar routine by now.

"So… what now?" he smirked at her when they met halfway by the bridge between the temple and the market.

She gave him a wry grin. It was already too easy to guess what was coming.

"How come you didn't tell me they celebrate Heart's Day in Skyrim too? I mean, not really. Maramal called it something else, I can't remember now, but it sounded like the same thing," she beamed at him excitedly.

Huh? Alright… he did not expect that.

"What? I don't even know what that is," he shrugged. He never paid any attention to whatever holidays people 'celebrated'. It was all the same to him. The priests got more pushy, the merchants got more relentless with showing their goods into people's faces and everyone was a little drunker than usual. Cities were only more annoying on days like those.

"It's a holiday," Aeyrin beamed, as if that wasn't obvious. "You're supposed to celebrate with the people you love. It's on the sixteenth. Only a week away! I used to love it back in Cyrodiil. Everyone was selling flowers and all the streets smelled like roses. Even the slums! And there were baked sweets to buy everywhere!" A wistful smile appeared on her face and she let out a small sigh before adding with a palpably quieter voice: "I may have… 'misappropriated' a few of those every year when I was a kid."

He chuckled heartily at that. As pointless as these celebrations were, it was pretty cute how excited she got over them.

"Well, princess, I sincerely doubt that you'll be able to smell anything but the sewer in Riften, no matter the day. Besides, it's just a trick to get more people into the temples. Or to peddle more goods no one would buy on any other day," he smirked at her.

She rolled her eyes with a dramatic sigh. Always such a grump.

"Don't tell me that's the only thing you talked to the priest about? No life-threatening quest to search for his long lost childhood toy or something like that?" Bishop laughed while he gave her a knowing look.

"Well… since you mention it." Aeyrin opened up her palm to reveal the item that Maramal had given her. It was a very familiar amulet. She draped it around her neck, letting the pendant with the elaborate wooden carvings rest below her collarbone. It emitted a subtle red glow.

"Not this again, sweetness. You really want all the idiots around propositioning you again?" Bishop grumbled at the sight of the amulet of Mara around her neck.

"You're the only idiot who's gonna be propositioning me, I suspect," she chuckled. "This one's different. It just lets people know I'm on an important mission for the church."

Of course… there it was. He wasn't the least bit surprised.

"Come on. We've got work to do."

…

They slumped their packs down on the floor by their bed in Vilemyr Inn after a long day.

When they had finally arrived in Ivarstead, they spent most of their evening running around the village and discussing some farm girl's personal life with various people. Bishop almost wished they were actually sent to some ancient ruins or bandit-infested caves. At least that would have been exciting.

"Poor girl. It must have been such a tough decision. I hope she's happy with that man," Aeyrin sighed as she started to unfasten the clasps on her armor.

"I doubt she cares that much. She probably just used him as an excuse to leave this shithole," Bishop chuckled. It was definitely possible. Why would she prefer to stay here and farm for the rest of her life?

Aeyrin rolled her eyes at him with a slight snicker. He was such a cynic. That girl seemed to really have feelings for that man. If she got the life she actually wanted by leaving with him, all the better. But even if Bishop was right, it would only mean that Aeyrin had given her the right advice – to leave Ivarstead.

It felt a little odd to be meddling in the girl's relationship like that, but she was the one who had asked for help from the Marans after all. She must have known what it could possibly entail.

"So, where to next, ladyship?" Bishop plopped down on the bed. Instead of getting rid of his own armor. He was content with only watching her undo hers for now.

"Markarth. To Calcelmo, of all people," Aeyrin smirked at him.

"What? Please don't tell me he needs help getting it on with one of the Dwemer automatons! That guy is definitely in love with those things," he laughed before his face twisted into a mean grin.

She smiled at him with a shake of her head, but to be fair… he had sort of a point. Calcelmo never seemed interested in anything but the Dwemer. Then again, it wasn't as if she knew the mage that well.

People probably got more wistful and regretful over their affections during this season.

…

"Hey, let me read that," Bishop practically snagged the small parchment from Aeyrin's hand as they made their way up the stone steps back towards Understone Keep.

Luckily Calcelmo did not have that kind of interest in the Dwemer. He did have an interest in the Jarl's housecarl Faleen though. After more and more talking, Aeyrin decided to solve his problems expressing his feelings by petitioning some help from Faleen's friend Yngvar. An aspiring poet, it seemed.

"My lover's heart is numbing stone. That hides in ice beneath our sight. So some decry, 'It is not there'. While others whisper, 'Yet, it might'," Bishop read the lines out loud with a purposefully mocking tone. "Is this seriously supposed to seduce someone?" he laughed.

"Maybe. Yngvar would probably know better when it comes to Faleen," Aeyrin shrugged.

"Or maybe he wants to portray Calcelmo as a blubbering idiot and get the girl himself," Bishop smirked. "Besides, wouldn't it be better if the mage told her himself? Why does he need an in-between?"

"Some people simply have trouble expressing their affections. You're one to talk, by the way," Aeyrin grinned at him. He was certainly all too free with expressing one kind of affection. He definitely had a hard time expressing any other though. Well… at least at first.

"Hey! I can express myself just fine. In fact… how about we get this shit done and head straight to the inn. I can show you just how well I can 'express' myself," he gave her a suggestive wing, earning a hearty chuckle from her.

How unsurprising.

But damn it, if it wasn't always tempting.

…

They stood on the Whiterun plains together, watching the two spirits ascend to the heavens in the dead of night.

The silence, only interrupted by the occasional chirping of some nocturnal creatures, made for an eerily enchanting atmosphere.

The ghosts slowly dispersed into the skies, almost mesmerizingly dissipating in the green glow of the northern lights. Even in death they could find each other. Even in death they could be together again.

It was a comforting thought.

Aeyrin stared into the starry sky for a long time after they were gone. After a while she felt Bishop's hand gently wrap around her waist all of a sudden. She almost jumped up in surprise when he interrupted her ruminations.

"Done?" Bishop gave her a surprisingly tender smile.

"Yeah," she sighed wistfully. Her eyes turned back to the skies once more, as if she could still see the content expressions of the two ghosts etched across the stars, even though they were already gone.

"Good. All this took forever," Bishop chuckled briefly.

"What, got somewhere to be?" she scoffed at him. They would have to make camp anyway. It was too late to travel now.

"Actually, yeah. We both do, in fact," Bishop gave her a smug smirk.

Before she could react, he grabbed a hold of her hand and turned on his heel. Without a single word and ignoring all of her questions, he led her some distance across the plains towards some rocky foothills. He only let go of her hand there before he started to climb up one of the rocks.

Since he still wouldn't say a word about what he was up to, Aeyrin followed him along in confusion. Her climb was a bit more difficult in her heavy armor, but it wasn't anything that she couldn't manage.

When she finally made it up the hill, she looked around curiously. There was a small meadow of mountain flowers spread out in front of her, playing with all different colors. Their scent was intoxicating and the beautiful sight was only enhanced by the numerous torchbugs flying around them.

There was nothing else in sight, save for the green glow of the northern lights behind the peaks of a large cliff that arched over the lone meadow.

It was breathtaking.

"Don't tell me you already forgot about your holiday, love?" Bishop smiled at her before he once more extended his hand towards her.

"I… I didn't think you cared," she chuckled briefly, almost in disbelief.

"I don't. But you do." He led her by her hand towards the center of the meadow while she still could not take her eyes off the sights before her, then he turned her around to press her into his embrace. Without further prompting, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest with a content sigh. He gave her a gentle kiss on the top of her head before his hands moved to cup her cheeks, making her look back at him again.

"Now… I may not have any roses, but I figured you'd like these much better," he inclined his head towards the blanket of mountain flowers beneath their feet. "Besides, any chum's giving you roses these days," he added with a smirk.

She giggled at him. She wondered if there's ever been a week without him making some petty jibe at a certain paladin. But she couldn't deny that he was right – this was definitely better than roses.

"And… I may not have some baked sweets for you, but…" he gave her a sly wink as he disentangled himself from their embrace. He walked a few steps towards the cliff until he stopped by a small snowberry bush and snapped off a branch.

He returned back to her and gathered a berry from the branch, raising it up to her lips.

Aeyrin closed her eyes for a brief moment as she ate the berry gingerly, savoring the sweet taste on her tongue with an affectionate grin. She couldn't help but lean in when the berry was gone to softly kiss his lips.

"Much better than any sweets," she chuckled. He wasn't sure what she was referring to now, but that was hardly important.

He might actually come to enjoy these holidays with her.