Chapter LVII – Settling Scores

"Do you think that they'll throw us into the mine?"

Aeyrin whispered to Bishop as she shuffled in spot nervously.

They were both sitting on a stone slab by the Jarl's throne with their hands behind their backs, clapped in irons. When they got caught outside the abandoned house, they tried to frantically explain to the guards what had happened. The men were intent on investigating the house, but Aeyrin quickly deterred them. When they saw the look in her eyes as she tried to explain the presence of an actual Daedric Prince inside, they got considerably more nervous.

Instead of exploring the household, they placed the door back in place as well as they could have and barricaded the entrance with various things to keep the citizens from entering. Some guards remained on guard in front of the house while the others arrested Aeyrin and Bishop and led them back to the Keep so that they could explain themselves and the happenings in the house to the Jarl.

The Jarl was not very convinced by their recounting. He didn't believe that something like that was possible at all, but he was still too wary to send his men in. Right now, he was talking quietly to his steward and housecarl, discussing the situation and how to proceed, while Bishop and Aeyrin remained in chains in the same room.

"I don't know," Bishop sighed. Being thrown into Cidhna mine was a definite possibility at this point. And the Silver-Bloods would surely love an excuse to get rid of Aeyrin like that. Although… would they? Thongvor was interested in the bounty. If Aeyrin was in the mine, he could hardly claim it now, could he? But… he could probably just snatch her from the mine then with no repercussions and deliver her to Mercer.

Fuck, this was excruciating. All for that stupid Daedra! That fucking thing was vicious, even remembering that filled him with an unpleasant feeling in his gut. How could he let it manipulate him like that? How could he let it convince him that obeying it was the right choice? Was he really so weak? Was that thing right about him? Did he always just 'pretend' to fight, but then when the stakes got too high, he just… submitted? He always thought of it as survival. It was irrational to fight a losing battle. It was irrational to keep struggling instead of biding his time and waiting for an opportunity.

Aeyrin wasn't like that. She was ready to fight and struggle to the last, no matter what. She didn't listen to that thing for one second. But… at other times, this stubbornness was what got her into trouble.

He wasn't sure what was right anymore.

He just hoped that Aeyrin wasn't too abhorred by him letting the thing get to his head.

"I think… I think that they'll send us to the mine…" Aeyrin lowered her head mournfully, tearing Bishop from his ruminations. "I killed that man…"

"You saved him," Bishop tried to sound encouraging. She really did save the man. He didn't give much thought to the afterlife, but the idea of promising it to some disgusting Daedra had to be worse than anything else that might have awaited him. Especially someone like Bal. If Bishop thought that he hated submitting to people like Thorn or Torban, he didn't even want to imagine how he would suffer under that monster's command.

But their current situation didn't allow him to convey too much encouragement.

"Maybe I could have changed his mind," Aeyrin sighed again, still peering into the ground.

"Princess, he was gone already. His mind was… broken, you saw that. If he wouldn't swear himself to that thing at that moment, he would have done it a second later. You saved him," he repeated it. She must have known that. That was the only reason why she killed the paladin. Why was she second-guessing herself now? She did the right thing. She was the only one who had the strength to do the right thing in there. Bishop had even considered taking that fucking mace and just killing the paladin on Bal's behest.

Fuck, how could he have let it get to him like that?

She gave him a grateful smile and she scooted a little closer to him on the stone slab to nuzzle her head into his neck affectionately. She seemed to stop concentrating on her unjustified guilt and she noticed his forlorn expression.

"That thing was awful. It could manipulate anyone. Anyone could have gotten tangled in that," she whispered to him reassuringly.

"You didn't," Bishop scoffed.

"I… had doubts too. If we didn't manage to get out of there… it would have gotten to me too," Aeyrin shook her head against his shoulder a little. She wasn't trained to withstand something like that, even in Stendarr's temple. She was trained to battle lesser Daedra if it came to that, but… nothing like this. Nothing so intelligent and manipulative. This was a far cry from some useful combat tactics.

But… the paladin was supposed to be trained in this, right? They had to study the Daedra much more extensively, or at least she assumed as much. And still… he fell under its spell.

Maybe nobody was ever ready to deal with something like this. If Bishop hadn't figured out that the blood was sustaining Bal's presence and power in that place, they may have ended up broken and constantly manipulated just like the Vigilant.

"You two!" the Jarl suddenly called out to them as he finally tore himself away from his advisors. "We will call for the court wizard so that he can verify the plausibility of your claims. You better pray that he believes your story."

They would call for Calcelmo?

That… was good news, wasn't it?

Calcelmo was sure to believe them.

…

The wizard was positively enthralled by their recounting. Even though his scholarly interest lay elsewhere, it was obvious that the connotations of the events have piqued his curiosity nonetheless.

Fortunately, he seemed to have some knowledge of conjuration and the Daedra and he confirmed that their story was indeed possible. In fact, he asked about every detail, about how the blood affected the altar, about how the cage worked and whether the metal was enchanted. At that point, Aeyrin was left with no choice than to reveal her identity as the Dragonborn – she needed to explain how she couldn't get out of the cage, despite the Shout and she would still have to explain the noises and how she managed to send the door flying across the street with such power.

Calcelmo was even more enthralled, now that he knew who he had been dealing with the entire time, and he instantly asked how her abilities were of help within the Dwemer cities. This did not sit well with the Jarl, however, as he stopped the line of questioning instantly. He obviously wanted this whole affair to be done with already.

"They could still have enough knowledge about Daedra to just make this all up," the Jarl scowled when they were done with the recounting.

"Do you really think that someone would go through so much trouble?" Calcelmo smirked. "Besides, these two have been immensely helpful to my research, they have provided material and information that nobody else was willing to. And I do find it very believable that, considering the stories they have told, they would easily get into a situation such as this. These two seem to have a neck for it," he chuckled heartily.

He wasn't wrong. Why did stuff like this constantly happen to them? This wasn't even them throwing themselves at danger voluntarily, it was just a stupid coincidence and misfortune.

"You vouch for them?" the Jarl raised his brow at Calcelmo.

"Absolutely I do," Calcelmo shot the two of them a bright smile before he muttered quietly under his breath. "Who else would bring me Dwemer treasures if you throw them into the mine?"

Thank the Gods for that man! He had been nothing but helpful himself in their endeavors, even if he wasn't always aware of it. If they had to get that tracing of the Falmer and Dwemer script now, they were sure that they could just ask him for it, without going through with some elaborate heist, and he would just give it to them, enthralled by the fact that they were willing to study something like that.

"Besides, you cannot imprison the Dragonborn. You'd have more than barbarians and rebels to contend yourself with," Calcelmo smirked at the Jarl. They seemed to be on rather friendly terms, since the Jarl let the wizard talk to him like that.

"I never said anything about imprisoning them. But they have admitted to trespassing, murder and they have wounded one of the guards," the Jarl scowled. "What were you even doing in that house in the first place?"

"I leaned against the door and it opened. It's not like we broke in," Bishop scoffed in response.

"Why did you go in?" the Jarl still looked at him dubiously.

"It was an abandoned house, we were curious," Bishop shrugged, but that only made the Jarl crease his brows further. He likely thought that they wanted to rob the house.

"We… well, it was furnished and… we were worried that the owner might be still there… dead," Aeyrin stammered when a legitimate reason popped into her head. That was believable, right?

Bishop only shot her a knowing smirk. That was so cute. If only the Jarl knew why they really stayed in the house. But this was a good excuse.

"Come now, Igmund. You have two conscientious adventurers here. Surely there is no need to prolong this charade any further, is there?" Calcelmo gave the man an encouraging smile.

"I cannot act on your good word alone, Calcelmo," the Jarl sighed morosely. "I have to send for the Vigilants. They need to investigate the place and rid my city of this… presence. Hopefully the information about that… blood pool… will prove useful to them. But in the meantime, I need to detain these two. The Vigilants have to confirm their story."

'Detain'? He didn't mean in the mine, did he?

Out of the corner of their eyes, Bishop and Aeyrin suddenly caught the sight of the Jarl's steward being approached by a familiar man on the other side of the small alcove with the throne. It was the same man that had delivered Aeyrin the message from Thongvor.

They both tensed up instantly.

This likely didn't bode well for them, whatever it was.

Much to their dismay, once the messenger left, the steward approached the Jarl again and cleared his throat to get his attention.

"My Jarl," the steward lowered his head dutifully. "The Silver-Bloods demand that these two are released and leave the city at once. There are… circumstances, my lord."

What? 'Released'?

The Silver-Bloods really wanted them out of the way. They didn't even ask for them to be imprisoned. This was… strange.

The Jarl's eyes went wide at the man before they creased deeply with either concern or anger, they weren't exactly sure.

"What 'circumstances'?" the Jarl barked at the steward. Alright, he was angry.

"Confidential Silver-Blood business, my lord. I am sorry," the steward sighed somberly. His mood was understandable, especially considering Igmund's reaction.

The Jarl clenched both his fists and his teeth angrily and it looked like he was trying really hard not to be caught in an outburst of fury just then. Obviously he didn't appreciate being ordered around by the Silver-Bloods.

He seethed silently, for what seemed like a long time, before he finally spoke: "Fine. Faleen, un-cuff them," he nodded at his housecarl. "Because of Calcelmo's good word, and… apparently the Silver-Bloods' too… you are released. I don't know what business you have with the family, but if they want you out of the city, I suggest that you comply quickly and don't stop to 'explore' another house. But let me make one thing clear. If the Vigilants find out that you two were lying, showing your faces in the Reach will go very poorly for you."

Well, unless something went very, very wrong, there was no chance of that happening.

"I am sure that everything will turn out fine, Igmund," Calcelmo placed his hand on the man's shoulder reassuringly. "And you two, be sure to come back if you ever get more stories and material for me. Or if you ever want to try your hand at our local ruins."

"Calcelmo! What did I tell you about that?!" the Jarl snarled at him angrily before Bishop and Aeyrin even managed to answer.

"Oh stop that already. They have explored two cities already! They can handle themselves," Calcelmo scowled at him with a challenging expression on his face.

"They can endanger themselves in the ruins outside my city all they want, but I will not have the Dragonborn's death on my head. The access to the ruins is restricted to everyone," Igmund ended the discussion with a determined nod.

"Fine, fine… simpleton," Calcelmo rolled his eyes. Strangely enough, the Jarl didn't seem to mind the insult. They probably really were friends. "The offer still stands, barring the Markarth ruins, it would be a pleasure to hear about your explorations again," he turned towards Aeyrin and Bishop with a kind smile.

"We will return if we get anything for you, Calcelmo," Aeyrin smiled at him in return.

"Yeah, the College mages are all cheap bastards when it comes to Dwemer stuff anyway," Bishop laughed, earning an understanding smirk from the wizard.

This certainly went better than they had originally expected.

And after that ordeal in that house, it was a welcome development.

…

As fishy as the Silver-Bloods' tactics were, Bishop and Aeyrin didn't tempt their fate further.

After they reunited with the worried wolf, waiting in the shadows near the Keep, Bishop only briefly stopped at the pawnshop to purchase a new waterskin. His old one was still in that house, soaked with blood.

Then they finally left the city for good and headed straight for the wilderness.

They didn't pay much attention to where they were going. They stayed off the roads and traversed the plains, enjoying the peace of solitude after all that trouble, as well as each other's company.

For a couple of hours, they didn't even head anywhere for some adventure, and when the night came, they finally decided to look around the area and get their bearings before they would find a place to camp.

It turned out that they were only a very short distance away from Rorikstead.

Well… as tempting as the wilderness was, the inn was right there. They wouldn't have to make camp, cook or set traps, in case some other Brotherhood member decided it was a nice opportunity to abduct Bishop again.

So they made their way to the Frostfruit Inn for the night where they could relax, get pampered with food, a proper bathing room and a soft warm bed.

The tavern was rather lively that night and a lot of villagers were drinking there and chatting excitedly. It took them a while to remember that Alec had his performance there last night. Perhaps the cultural upheaval lifted the people's spirits and they were still eager to talk about it even the night after.

Bishop and Aeyrin grabbed one of the last empty tables and settled themselves comfortably with their tankards of mead while they waited for their food to arrive.

"Oh!" Aeyrin suddenly exclaimed, breaking the comfortable silence between them. "I won the bet!"

She wasn't sure if she was more excited about that or more nervous. She didn't think too much about their bet with other things on her mind in Markarth. She usually secretly hoped to lose their bets whenever they made them. It was so exciting to constantly be in that state of anticipation, wondering what Bishop would have her do.

Thinking of something that she would have him do, however, was making her oddly anxious. She wasn't sure whether Bishop even had any sensibilities that she could put to the limit. She wasn't sure if there was anything she could do to embarrass him or to elicit the same nervous excitement that he got from her.

But, then again, if nothing else, she could just have him do whatever popped into her head and concentrate on her own enjoyment of it. She really shouldn't overthink this.

"What? No you didn't. The Silver-Bloods were constantly butting in," Bishop scoffed at her instantly. "I won. As usual," he smirked victoriously.

She was kind of tempted to agree, since it would certainly end up in another unforgettable night for her, but that damn smirk of his got her in an arguing mood instantly.

"No. You said that they would 'try' something. They didn't 'try' anything. They just wanted us out of the way. That doesn't count. I won," she scowled at him in response.

Bishop looked like he would argue with her about that some more, but he was clearly now more concentrated on what would follow than on who actually won. Soon enough, his face got decorated by an expectant and eager look as he slowly nodded at her.

"Fine, princess," he smirked at her slyly. "Bring it on."

"What? That's it? 'Bring it on'? How about something more… servile. 'Your wish is my command' or something," Aeyrin giggled at him, although she was already racking her brain on what she would have him do.

Bishop couldn't help but laugh heartily at that, but instead of complying, he only shrugged.

Did she have to spell it out for him?

"Say it," she gave him a challenging look.

"Your wish is my command," he chuckled at her. "Or something."

Aeyrin rolled her eyes at him with a little snicker before she looked around the room slowly for some inspiration. It was not like she needed to order him around right now… but still… she should really think of something.

Hmm… what did he have her do before? Except for the… private stuff. Well… it was mostly that. He did make her match him drink for drink, but… that was really not the way to go here. It wouldn't really work the other way around. If anything, he would just complain about not being able to drink enough.

But aside from that, there was one thing that she could get back at him for.

She turned his eyes back to him with a maliciously conspiratorial look in them and Bishop instantly raised his brow at her with an intrigued expression on his face.

"You're gonna sing for me," she giggled at him.

"Am I?" Bishop chuckled. He should have expected something like that. It was probably too much to hope for that she would just drag him to bed instantly to follow her orders there. This was certainly not a tempting prospect for him, especially since he suspected that she had something very… public in mind.

"Yes. I'll play for you and you'll sing. For me and for all these lovely people here," Aeyrin giggled again. She seemed to be really happy with her plan. "And after Alec's performance last night, they're probably gonna chase you out of the village with pitchforks." She laughed heartily at the image, although she hoped that it wasn't actually a possibility.

"You think? Who says that I can't sing?" Bishop scoffed at her. Her smile disappeared instantly, turned into an uncertain expression.

"You… you don't sing," she looked at him dubiously.

"So? Doesn't mean I can't," he smirked again. That was fun, catching her off guard like that. In fact… he could have a lot of fun by doing that all night. She was obviously a little uncertain about giving him orders already. And he knew exactly how to fluster her about that during the more fun part of the evening.

"Can you?" The uncertainty was still palpable in her voice. But, then again, if he really could sing, she had to hear it.

"I don't know," Bishop laughed. "The only times I apparently tried are a little… hazy. I guess we'll see." He was not looking forward to that. He wasn't sure why anyone would enjoy having all those drunkards gawking as they made a fool out of themselves. It was different when Aeyrin sang. He wasn't sure why… it just was. The squawking of bards had always bothered him in the taverns, but never her. He didn't know whether it was her voice, or the fact that she didn't just keep singing the same old songs about Nordic glory and shit like that, or whether he just liked looking at her while she was in her element. One thing was certain though – he would be just like all those other idiots humiliating themselves in front of the patrons.

But… Aeyrin looked really pleased with herself and very curious and excited. She was so fucking cute. What did he care about some drunken idiots? He didn't give a shit about what people thought of him. He had no trouble humiliating himself for her.

"You realize that I don't know any songs, right? And I definitely can't make them up like you did," he smirked. If he tried, he would probably just stand there slack-jawed without a word coming out of his mouth.

"You gotta know some. You've practically spent your life in taverns," Aeyrin chuckled at him.

"Funny, but no. I either blocked that screeching out or I got drunk fast enough that it all blended with the noise."

"You don't know any songs?" she still shook her head at him disbelievingly. Even she knew some Nordic songs by heart now, and she'd only been here for over a year. He'd been back in Skyrim for a decade.

"Just some of yours, I guess. I never paid attention to any other," he shrugged rather noncommittally, completely overlooking Aeyrin's stunned expression at the admission.

She wasn't singing that often, certainly not as often as they could hear those same old Nordic tunes at every tavern, yet he still remembered hers over any other. She couldn't stop the fierce flustered blush that crept up on her face at that moment.

"What? I don't just stare at your tits while you sing. I can do two things at the same time, you know," Bishop laughed at her expression and her cheeks promptly turned even a deeper shade of red. She couldn't help but think for a while about how exactly he was staring at her with the lute in the way before she realized that she was probably overthinking his comments. It was really about time that he was the one getting embarrassed instead of her.

Unless he actually could sing.

"Which one?" she quickly brought the subject back to the issue at hand.

"The one from Anvil, I guess. It's the shortest…" he grumbled. And it was his favorite since it was the first one he had ever heard from her. But she didn't need to know that. It would just go into her head.

"Alright. I'll go arrange your… performance," Aeyrin snickered at him before she got up from the chair briskly and headed towards the bar.

Fuck… if only he had the time to get more drunk.

…

"Oh my, another artist singing for us?" one of the villagers gasped when the patrons gathered around Bishop and Aeyrin curiously. Aeyrin was clearly beside herself with excitement at what was about to happen, unlike Bishop. Ah well… it was really adorable how eager she was. That made up for his inevitable discomfort.

"Nope. Lost a bet. Don't get your hopes up," Bishop smirked at the crowd of patrons, eliciting a few sparse chuckles of amusement from them and a pleased giggle from Aeyrin.

A minute later, she threw him a questioning look, asking wordlessly whether he was ready. How was someone supposed to be ready for something like this? He just hoped that the patrons wouldn't try to lynch him afterwards, since they were obviously expecting something like that stupid fop yesterday.

He shrugged in resignation and, with a wide grin, Aeyrin instantly struck a familiar tune on her lute.

She never thought that she would actually see him nervous about an audience. He usually didn't care even a little about who saw him doing what. No matter what. But now, he actually stammered a little before he started to sing. It was strangely endearing.

He wasn't actually bad. He was no bard, that was for certain, but his deep voice was very pleasant as it carried through the room. She always loved his voice, especially when it got so temptingly low whenever he whispered into her ear. She never thought that she would actually hear him sing. She could barely contain her excitement.

He didn't bother trying to hit some high or more complex notes, which was understandable. But still, hearing one of the songs she herself loved to sing on her travels gave her such a warm feeling inside.

The patrons weren't very impressed with Bishop's performance. Most of them only listened quietly with either disinterested or even sympathetic expressions, but some of them pointedly rolled their eyes or scoffed at his efforts.

That was rude… he had a nice voice. Alec must have warped their expectations last night.

The song has ended much too soon for Aeyrin's liking and some of the patrons clapped at Bishop's performance while the others still appeared somewhat disgruntled. A few of the drunker ones patted Bishop amicably on the back, sympathizing with his punishment for losing, but Bishop didn't pay attention to any of them. He didn't seem to care at all anymore about the people around. He just watched Aeyrin's mesmerized expression.

Going through that was definitely worth it just for the look on her face. She looked like she couldn't really believe that he had gone through with this.

"Pfft. I bet even I could do better," one of the drunken patrons waved his hand at Bishop dismissively.

"Hah! You will scare all the cats around with your squawking!" another one roared in laughter at him and a couple of patrons joined him with amusement. They all started to argue for a while about which one of them could perform the best, but Aeyrin and Bishop still didn't pay attention to anything but each other.

"H-hey! Lady! Gimme yer loot!" The drunkest of them all reached out to Aeyrin, intent on making his own performance.

She couldn't care less just then. At least the patrons would all be distracted with their own entertainment. She was a little worried that they would ask her to sing next while she had other plans. She handed the man her lute without ever taking her eyes off Bishop and she took a step towards him to whisper in his ear while the crowd was busy fighting over her instrument.

"I think I should go take a bath now." Her cheeks flushed automatically. She wasn't really in a mood to think of any more things to make Bishop do. Well… no more things that wouldn't require them to remove their clothes.

"Any orders?" Bishop smirked at her in response.

"Wait a few minutes, then come join me. Subtly." The patrons seemed really distracted now, but still, she didn't want to have those drunkards notice what they were up to.

Bishop nodded eagerly before she turned on her heel and rushed to get her pack to go to the bathing room.

Finally! He kind of worried that she would try to come up with some other ordeal for him.

But now it looked like they finally moved to the good part.

…

A horrible drunkard's song carried through the tavern when Bishop entered the small bathing room.

He couldn't care less about the muffled noise filling his ears. Aeyrin was already naked, submerged in the tub, waiting for him. Her cheeks were still flushed bright-red tantalizingly, either from the hot water or from her bashfulness. It didn't matter what the reason was. She was irresistible either way.

Bishop quickly located the wooden doorstop on the floor and lodged it under the door before he turned to her with a palpably hungry look in his eyes.

"Orders, sweetness?"

She giggled at his obedience and inclined her head slightly with a wry smile. "Come join me."

He didn't waste a single second and he took off his clothes in practically record speed before he moved inside the tub alongside her.

He quickly moved towards her and enveloped her in his arms, dragging her to sit on his lap, but she pressed her hands against his chest to slow him down with an amused chuckle escaping her lips.

"Uh-uh. Not yet," she smirked. There was still too much fun to be had with teasing him before they threw themselves at each other. She reached out to the edge of the tub for her washrag and soap and she handed them to Bishop promptly. "Wash me."

Bishop eagerly took the items from her and he positioned himself to sit in the tub with her back to him. He started to run the soaped up rag over her shoulders gently at first, slowly gliding the soft wet fabric over her skin, but it didn't really last long. Soon enough, his hands ran down her shoulders and over her breasts and he began soaping them up and kneading them with hunger barely contained in his touch.

She let out a satisfied sigh as his hands concentrated all their attention on her until he let them slide down to her hips and, once more, reached to settle her on his lap. His palms returned to her breasts right after that while he pressed his body against her firmly.

"Weren't you supposed to wash me?" Aeyrin giggled at him as she closed her eyes, with a pleased sigh escaping her lips, and rested her head back against his shoulder. Not that she was complaining about the treatment, but she was pretty sure that her breasts were already thoroughly cleaned by now.

"Right. Sorry, love," Bishop smirked and he immediately ran the hand that was still running the rag over her breast down her belly and between her legs. A loud gasp escaped her at the unexpectedly quick action and a jolt of pleasure shot through her heated body when the soft fabric started to determinedly rub over her sensitive flesh.

His other hand remained on her breast, squeezing her and playing with her nipple, while he continued rubbing the cloth underwater against her slit.

"You… you are really bad… at following… orders," Aeyrin managed to get the words out, along with a light chuckle, through her gasps. The fabric made the feelings all the more intense and she kept straining against him, pressing herself into his hands firmly.

"You never specified how I should wash you," Bishop snickered at her and he promptly started to kiss and nip at the exposed side of her neck.

She couldn't take much more of that treatment. Her whole body jerked under his hands and she let out a loud moan as the burning heat in her core seemed to intensify even more.

She slumped back against him when her peak subsided and she let out another long satisfied sigh. Bishop wasn't exactly ready to relax yet though. He threw the washrag back on the floor by the tub and she could feel his hands sneak back underwater, clearly eager to reposition her to sink her down onto his hard cock.

"Uh-uh. No." She quickly twisted herself away from him and settled back into her previous position, sitting in front of him, away from his lap. "You need to wash me. Properly," she looked back over her shoulder with a smirk, earning a frustrated groan from Bishop in turn.

Right now he really wished that he had won that bet instead. He should have argued.

With a resigned sigh, he took the washrag in his hands again and started to run it, a little hurriedly over her back and the nape of her neck.

She was intent on tormenting him, it seemed.

…

The entire evening had been just frustrating for Bishop.

Aeyrin was obviously adamant about giving him the taste of his own treatments. She teased him mercilessly in the tub and when he couldn't take anymore, she refused to touch him. He knew that he had 'threatened' to do the same to her. He had done the same to her. But this was just… cruel. She liked that. He was just suffering.

Well… not exactly.

Alright, the frustration was kind of exciting, especially since he knew that the eventual release would be all the better. And at least she left the bath before him to avoid any suggestive comments from the patrons, leaving him with some time to take care of his immediate concerns.

When he managed to get into their shared room, while the tavern was still very much alive with drunks singing and playing with Aeyrin's lute, she was once more waiting for him there, already naked, hiding under the covers bashfully.

She looked so fucking irresistible like that. He couldn't wait to tear that fur blanket off her and finally take her.

He climbed up on the bed alongside her and positioned himself on top of her instantly. He didn't wait for a second before he leaned in and captured her lips in an insistent deep kiss. His hand snuck to the blanket slowly, but once he got a hold of it, he promptly yanked it from her body, revealing her naked form to him without breaking the kiss for a second. Her hands grabbed at his shirt, but instead of pulling it off him, she used it to push him away from her.

Apparently, she still had different plans for him.

Why was she enjoying tormenting him so much? What was so satisfying about denying him? Well… alright. He knew exactly what was so satisfying about that.

"Not so fast," she giggled at him when their lips parted. "I'm feeling all sore. I think you should do something about that."

"Oh, I'll do something about that, princess," Bishop smirked at her. "When I'm done with you, you'll be feeling all pleasantly sore for a whole other reason."

"Really?" she chuckled. "Well, in that case, I could really use something to ease the tension before that."

Oh he would definitely help her ease the tension…

With another mischievous giggle, she quickly flipped herself over onto her stomach and turned her head to the side to rest on the pillow. "How about a massage then?"

Bishop let out a frustrated groan. Normally he would be all too eager to run his hands all over her body, but he just needed to do more. Right then, it was just another delay to the activities that he longed for. And she knew it. She was obviously enjoying his frustrations.

He would get back at her for this.

Aeyrin closed her eyes in anticipation, and a second later she could feel his rough hands press against her shoulders. He ran his palms over her back soothingly before he began kneading her shoulders. His touch was firm and a little rough from his calloused hands, just like she loved it, but the movements were a bit more hurried than she had expected.

A thought popped into her head about how much gentler the massages were back when she trained them back in Chorrol… usually with Azshan. It may have been the involvement of healing magic, or it may have been the less frantic pace of it. For a very brief second, she thought to taunt him with that. It was so much fun to tease him all evening. She could tell that, as frustrated as he was, he was enjoying himself too. But this particular kind of teasing had the potential to sour the mood. She didn't want that. She liked the hurried motions of his hands. She could tell from them that he could barely contain himself by now. He wanted nothing more than to take her.

But didn't he already know that the anticipation made it better? He certainly seemed to know that when he was the one doing the teasing.

Bishop moved his hands down her back soon enough and he started to concentrate on kneading the flesh of her lower back. He only spent a few seconds doing that before he moved to her buttocks, which he spent considerably more time on, and then on her thighs.

He massaged the flesh on her thighs for a little while, before he spread her legs apart a bit so that he could concentrate more on the inner parts of them. She knew what he was doing, but she hesitated before chastising him. His fingers were already kneading her skin on the highest spots of her thighs, and the proximity of him to her naked wetness made small jolts shoot through her body. She tensed up instantly, but Bishop didn't stop the treatment. His fingers occasionally brushed against her folds teasingly, but he never touched her, only concentrating on the 'massage' of her thighs.

Aeyrin let out a little groan of her own frustration, but that would be short-lived. Bishop seemed to forget who was in charge tonight.

She reached back and swatted his hands away quickly. When he stopped and moved away from her a little, she flipped back onto her back and spread her legs again. Bishop's eyes were instantly fixed on her exposed flesh and she had to reach out to place a hand on his shoulder in order to indicate that she wanted him to move down between her legs.

But he didn't.

"Orders, sweetness?" he smirked at her.

What? He knew what she wanted him to do! She pressed on his shoulder again, but once more, he wouldn't budge.

"What is it?" he couldn't hide the amused chuckle from his voice now.

"Bishop," she groaned at him in frustration. He was obviously enjoying tormenting her in turn. But fine! If that was what he wanted, she could bring herself to say it, despite her embarrassment. "Use your mouth."

"I am using my mouth," he laughed. "I'm talking to you right now. Or did you want me to use it for something else?" Bishop watched her in amusement as she let out another frustrated groan. She was so fucking adorable, all flushed and flustered. He knew that he would find a way to turn the tables on her.

Aeyrin took a deep shaky breath as Bishop moved one of his hands to her inner thigh and started stroking over it lightly. Yet again, not in the place that she wanted him to. So frustrating.

"Lick me," she managed to get the words out and she instantly felt her cheeks burn even hotter.

Bishop immediately obeyed. But instead of what she had expected, he leaned down along her body and he trailed his tongue slowly over the side of her neck. It felt so good, but… she needed to feel that tongue somewhere else entirely.

"Bishop," she groaned again. "Please."

She felt her skin vibrate slightly as he let out a chuckle against her neck. He ran his tongue over the same spot, eliciting another frustrated noise from her, before he finally straightened back up again.

"Alright, sweetness. Your wish is my command," he smirked at her and he finally moved to position himself down by her lower half. He hooked his arms under her legs and let them slide over his shoulders until he was nestled comfortably between her thighs. His face moved down to her and his tongue started to run between her folds, making her whole body tense and heat up even more.

He started to tease her clit relentlessly, pressing his tongue against it and sucking on it with eagerness. She arched her back and let out one strained moan after another while her hands gripped the sheets below her tightly. She was already riled up enough before he started and now she was on the verge of exploding any second with his ministrations. Bishop plunged his tongue inside her, burying his face completely between her legs and she finally couldn't take it anymore. She cried out loudly and arched her back even further, pressing herself against his face.

Bishop didn't stop, even after her climax ended and he kept running his tongue inside her folds and around them periodically. Her hands moved down to his head and she grabbed clumps of his hair in them firmly. She could already feel another peak building inside her core after a few minutes of that. The constant teasing and anticipation before left her eager for much more than one quick release.

Bishop was already strained himself. He needed her so badly, it was almost painful. His ministrations must have made it perfectly clear as he redoubled his efforts and started to run his tongue around her flesh faster, pressing his face harder into her crotch.

She shuddered under him with another loud moan and, a second later, he could feel her walls pulsate wildly again with her release. He still continued while he listened to her labored breaths and he dug his fingers into her thighs ever harder.

Finally, after a little while longer, the hands weaved in his hair yanked his head away from her with one rough motion.

"Bishop," she gasped with her still heavy breathing. She didn't know if he would still insist on the explicit instructions, but she wasn't about to waste a second by finding out. She was already past caring. "Fuck me."

He instantly disentangled himself from below her legs and he yanked all his clothes from himself in frantic motions.

"Fucking Void, finally!" His strained groan didn't leave her guessing about how eager he was. He was naked within seconds and he swiftly moved back onto the bed to position himself on top of her. Before she could even properly wrap her legs around his hips, he drove himself inside her. Fuck he needed that. The whole evening of teasing had been a torture, but this was worth all of it. I did feel so fucking good.

Aeyrin tried to chuckle at his eagerness, but she couldn't really manage it in between her moans. Thank the Gods that the drunkards were still wailing those songs in the other room. At least no one could hear her like this. She wrapped her arms around him and raked her fingers across his back almost subconsciously. She felt like she needed to hold onto something as he kept thrusting inside her with wild rough motions. She kept arching her back, pressing her breasts firmly against his chest while Bishop's hands moved up to tangle in her hair. All those sensations were so overwhelming. The slight sting on her scalp at every pull at her tresses when he moved, the feel of his body rubbing against her and the pressure building inside her as his cock rubbed against her walls quickly.

She almost lost herself in another release, but Bishop didn't manage to outlast her. He pressed her body down onto the bed firmly and shuddered against her as his cock buried itself inside her to the hilt. The warmth spreading inside her drove her over the edge right after and after the last rough scratch of her fingers along his back, she slumped down weakly, letting her arms and legs only rest against his body limply.

The frantic and heated atmosphere eased as they both lay there with Bishop pinning her body down with his weight and Aeyrin running her hands in soothing motions across his back. His cock was still spent inside her. Either he was too lazy to move even a little, or he was hoping for another round promptly. The answer became clear soon enough when he lazily kissed her cheek and whispered into her ear in an irresistibly low voice.

"Orders, sweetness?"