Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Skyrim, the characters from the awesome mod Skyrim Romance by Maralightfeather, Kaidan 2 by livtempleton, or any other mod-related content referred to in this story. This story is purely fan-made and I only claim ownership of the character I'm playing as.

Note (3/25/2020): Sorry this update took so long, things have been crazy this week. Anyway, just fyi, I wanted to explain a couple of things I forgot to mention before. For one thing, Noir actually means "black" in French but I thought that was too boring in a Skyrim setting so I said it means "night sky" instead. Also, I know this is a romance story with Bishop from the Skyrim Romance mod, but I ended up having Cael a lot more involved in the introduction than planned since Noir just finds him fascinating. I mentioned it earlier in the other chapters but he basically reminds her of her old life in Elsweyr which you'll learn more about later. But don't worry, she'll get over her little crush eventually! Lolz!

(Updated 12/4/2020)

Chapter 3: Reluctant Kindness

Noir's POV

The first thing I noticed when I slowly became aware of my surroundings again is that I was being carried by someone. And when I opened my eyes to see who it was I saw a net of familiar brown hair brushing against my cheek. I wasn't entirely sure what happened at first though so I lifted my head a little and asked him groggily, "Ugh, what happened...? Where am I?"

Glancing over his shoulder, the stranger snickered in reply, "Welcome back to the world of the living princess, did you enjoy your beauty rest?"

"Princess? What's that all about? Oh well, I suppose I've been called plenty of weirder names over the years," I laughed tiredly then shook my head and repeated the question, "But seriously how did you end up giving me a free piggyback ride...? What happened to me after we killed the dragon together?"

"Whoa whoa whoa, I never said I was doing this for free," he frowned, slowing to a halt. "You're the one who decided to swoon into my arms like some damn noblewoman and I wasn't about to leave you laying in the mud like that, the guilt would've driven me crazy."

With an annoyed sigh, he reluctantly added with a slight shrug, "Besides...I kinda owe you one for saving my hide too so I thought I'd at least get you to town safely because with that twisted ankle you wouldn't have made it very far on your own. You're lucky I even give a damn."

Looking down as far as I could without throwing him off balance I finally noticed the make-shift splint on my leg, he must've checked for any broken bones while I was unconscious earlier which made me blush a little since I hoped he didn't decide to take a peek at anything else while "checking for wounds." Speaking of which, that did make me wonder just how long I was out for and how his argument with Cael and his friends ended so after that I asked my mysterious ranger companion, "By the way whatever happened to Cael? I assume he decided not to cut your head off since you're still alive and well unless I've been rescued by a very chivalrous ghost!"

"Ha ha very funny!" he scoffed, probably rolling his eyes at my teasing although I couldn't see his expression very clearly. "Anyway, what's it to you? Trust me I did us both a favor since you can't trust skirt-wearing bastards like him, they're worst than bandits because they kill people for the sake of killing and not for profit. He doesn't care about you! Those Forsworn probably only bothered to save you so you'd lower your guard long enough for them to sacrifice you to one of their freaky Gods, a Hagraven, or doing something much worse that would almost make you wish for death."

"Besides, that sissy-boy and his friends ran off as soon as they saw an Imperial patrol unit heading our way. True I didn't want to stick around either, but at least I bothered to help you while he was all too happy to leave you behind face down in the mud to fend for yourself. Oh and by the way, you're welcome," he added grumpily, sounding a bit jealous by the fact that I wanted to know more about Cael than about him but it isn't like that at all.

It's just that I've just never met a Forsworn who not only was willing to talk to me but someone who risked his life to save mine so I was curious to know what happened after I blacked out. I also felt guilty because I never got the chance to thank Cael either, and maybe now I never would since the chances of finding him were very low since the rain is bound to have washed away his footprints and his scent. That said, ranger-boy here did have a point since I didn't even know his name yet, but it isn't like I had time to ask him earlier between the dragon attacking us and preventing him from fighting Cael on top of that.

And even before all that this ranger looked pretty unapproachable at first by the time he finished trading with that Bosmer hunter. Especially when he looked like he was ready to attack Cael any minute as a knee-jerk reaction which didn't exactly make him seem like the friendliest person there. And while I could understand some of his mistrust, somehow he seemed especially irritated by Cael's presence even though from where I stood he and his companions weren't acting that threatening. In fact, Cael looked like he enjoyed teasing him...

All I knew about the man carrying me was that he's a ranger, whatever that means. But despite all of that he did decide to take it upon himself to make sure I was alright after I collapsed and he even put himself between me and Cael when there was no reason for him to do that. He didn't seem to trust anyone either judging from what I originally overheard, but for all his grumpiness and complaining I don't believe he's a bad person. Honestly, I'm glad he didn't just rob me and leave me on the side of the road somewhere once the dust settled like some people might have. He didn't have to stand up to Cael either, who I personally don't think was ever a threat to us, but he did.

So the least I could do was thank him properly.

"I was getting to that part next you know," I pouted, my ears drooping back slightly, "But first things first! So given the fact that we were rudely interrupted by that dragon attack earlier, I never did catch your name and I'd like to know who I'm actually thanking."

Grunting and lifting me up a little higher onto his back he replied, "It's Bishop. And let's save the rest of the chit-chat for when we reach Markarth though because I for one don't want to get ambushed by any more Forsworn."

"It's nice to meet you Bishop, and thank you for helping me. I'm Noir, but you probably already heard me introduce myself earlier huh," I added, swishing my tail a little bit and smiling. "Anyway, I should be fine now so can go ahead and put me down, I can walk on my own from here..."

"Nope, not happening," Bishop said firmly, surprising me. "Walking with a sprained ankle is a bad idea and I didn't carry you all this way just to have you go limping all the way to town in the dark. Even I'm not that big of a jackass."

"But-" I argued but he cut me off with a stern voice.

"Hey, Dragonborn or not, I'm not leaving you out here with an injured leg in a place swarming with enemies," Bishop argued. "If you died on my watch after I stood up for you I'd look like a total moron. Besides we're both heading in the same direction anyway right? So this whole argument is pointless."

With a sly grin though he added mischievously, "You can thank me by buying me a drink or two since I'm a bit short on funds at the moment. That is, unless you feel like sharing a room with me instead...?"

Rolling my eyes at his last flirty comment, I shook my head in defeat and replied, "Ok fine, you've made your point. But if you get tired of carrying me let me know ok? That way you can stop to rest for a few minutes without being ambushed since I can see in the dark than you can, so I should see anyone coming from a mile away or at least hear them now that we're not so close to the river."

"You mean like how you saw that dragon? What? I'm kidding! Don't give me that look! Besides, I'll never get tired of enjoying the warmth of a lovely woman in my arms, sweetness," Bishop laughed, continuing to walk forward again. "At any rate, let's get going because I'm really going to need a stiff drink after all the unexpected bullshit I had to deal with today."

And so we continued our journey to Markarth together in silence while he carried me on his back because there was no arguing with this stubborn man. I could have, but I just didn't have the energy for it yet. At that point we were nothing but two strangers brought together in the most unlikely way, not knowing what the future would bring or much about each other, and yet secretly I was really happy he decided to stay. I don't know what Bishop hopes to get out of helping me beside the obvious, but for now, I'm just relieved I'm traveling alone at least for a little while...

Not to mention that for once I'm the one being rescued.

Thankfully we were pretty close to the city when I woke up, however the guards weren't very happy when Bishop and I showed up long after they had closed the gates for the night. But somehow we managed to convince them to let us inside when I showed them the bounty letter I came to turn in and they realized we were just here for work and didn't plan on staying long. Well, at least I wasn't but Bishop on the other hand, who knew?

I'll admit it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when Bishop made it sound like we've been traveling companions for much longer than we actually have and spun a rather elaborate lie about our horse bolting, claiming that's how I ended up with a twisted ankle. Although my guess is he just wanted to give them another reason to hurry up and let us inside by appealing to their good nature of helping a damsel in distress so to speak. The guards didn't notice I'm a Khajiit either since Bishop draped his spare fur pelt over my head and shoulders to keep me warm when it was still raining and I was unconscious and they weren't in the mood to take a closer look at me.

I think the reason Bishop did this is because neither of us wanted to deal with the attention that usually follows after people figure out I'm the Dragonborn thanks to all the rumors floating around about me. As soon as the front gate boomed shut behind us though I could have sworn I heard Bishop call them a pair of "dumbass's" before he carried me straight to the inn, which was thankfully right in front of us. Once inside I stifled a sneeze since my armor was still a bit damp from my dip in the river and I settled into a chair after he set me down.

Bishop wasted no time ordering food and drinks and I didn't even argue when Bishop loudly announced he was putting everything on my tab because honestly all I wanted to do was change out of this soaking wet armor and take a warm bath. I was also really curious about why Bishop kept pretending we already knew each other even after we made it inside the city. It made sense at the gate but now? I dunno what to think since I hardly know the man. And the way he kept acting like we were already old friends, or maybe more than that, by slinging an arm over my shoulder to scare off anyone who tried to approach made me feel, well, safe for lack of a better word.

I usually have to be more careful when I'm traveling alone because people tend to treat me one of two ways. On the one hand, they either harass me for being a dirty flea-bitten Khajiit and say I'm not welcome in the city so they try to chase me out, or the men decide to offer me a good time since I look "pretty sexy for a cat." At least nowadays since people already know I'm the Dragonborn, anyone who tries to do either of those know I can kick their ass if they mess with me so it doesn't happen nearly as often anymore. But don't get me wrong it still DOES happen and I always try to be friendly to others for the most part, but I don't want anyone to think I'm oblivious to their true intentions or an easy target just because I'm alone.

Usually, I only come into town to get the kind of supplies I can't get out in the wild or to look for work but right now all I wanted was a good night's sleep and a hot meal. Speaking of which, when I asked if they had one the innkeeper, Kleppr I believe his name was, told me, "You're in luck, we do in fact have a bathing area in the back. The stone helps retain the heat of the water longer as well so you should find it very relaxing. Your meal should be ready once you're done as well. My wife will show you the way."

Kleppr's wife as it turns out was a much more gracious hostess despite all the loud complaints she made about her husband leaving her to do all the work and actually tending to their guests. She also gave me something dry to change into once she showed me to the bathing area since I didn't have any spare clothes at the moment since those were wet too. Sadly everything in my satchel was soaking wet at the moment so I hung up as much of it out to dry as I could after locking the room again.

Honestly, I wasn't sure why she was treating me so nicely until it struck me that maybe Bishop spent a little TOO much of my gold on our meal tonight. I just hoped that this wasn't his plan all along when Bishop "borrowed" my coin purse, but on the other hand, I still plan on collecting the reward for that bounty from the other day and I had a few small items with me I wanted to sell in the morning so I would probably be able to replenish whatever he spent. Or well, at least most of it.

Either way, I'm not going to complain too much because despite everything that went wrong today, at least I'm still alive. But whether this companionship with Bishop lasts or not, at least for tonight I have someone to talk to which is a pleasant change. And for now, that is enough for me.

And maybe it's too much to ask for but secretly I'm kinda hoping Bishop will stick around for a while. I kinda like him for some odd reason, its hard to explain why, and he did go through a lot of trouble to bring me here despite claiming he only wanted to repay me for my help and he had no reason to stay by my side besides some sense of duty to at least be civil around a pretty girl. That's why even if his intentions aren't entirely honest, I want to take a chance on Bishop. I want to believe that I've finally found someone worth the risk of being disappointed again...

And more importantly, I wanted a friend who wasn't off on their own personal quest like someone else I know.