Bishop had been on edge for a while now.
He felt watched. Followed. He was sure of it. He knew that feeling all too well.
It was fucking unnerving. He was supposed to be the hunter now. He never felt like this on his hunts.
It was another day spent in the wilderness of the southern Rift, still by the southeastern edges. The dusk was slowly approaching and, since their meat supplies were beginning to run low, he had opted to go out on a hunt before it was completely dark out. It was just going to be quick. He didn't want to be away from Aeyrin for too long anyway. But he needed to catch something. It would have been much easier if he wasn't on edge like this.
He wasn't sure when it started. He was feeling paranoid before he even set off on his hunt, but it was getting worse with each step. Instead of concentrating on aiming at his prey, every snap of a twig or rustle of leaves made him twitch. Usually it made him release the arrow too and scare away his target. He fucking hated it. He wasn't sure what was wrong with him. He looked around constantly – nothing was following him, as far as he knew.
He shook his head at himself in silent chastisement when he spotted another deer in the distance. This one was gonna be his. No matter those fucking distractions.
He snuck a little closer – towards a fallen tree. He could easily hide a bit behind the crown and shoot the deer from there. It was currently idling in a nearby clearing, eating the sparse spring grass peeking up from the ground covered in leaves.
He knelt down there, notching an arrow. The deer was currently perfectly still. Only one precise shot was needed.
Hit!
Finally.
This had been a long-ass hunt. But he finally caught something. The deer's pained wails echoed through the forest and he quickly clasped his bow back onto his back again and grabbed his hunting knife instead. It needed to be put out of its misery.
Bishop was there within a second and he slit the animal's throat in one swift motion. He considered for a while that he should take the whole thing back to camp and get the meat off there, but then he would have to lug the carcass somewhere further away after that to keep it from attracting wildlife to them. As much as he wanted to go back, it wasn't worth the hassle.
When he knelt down again and unclasped the meat sack from his belt though, he heard the sounds once more – rustling of leaves, snapping of branches. It was everywhere around him. Sure, those were kind of the natural sounds of the forest, but it still got him too alert. He wasn't sure what it was today that made him like that.
With another sigh, he turned back to his kill. Another rustle, now very close to him, but he chose to ignore it. It wasn't anything the entire fucking time. He was sick of it.
He didn't even manage to get his knife close again to that deer though.
Suddenly there was a great weight on him, toppling him down to the ground. Something jumped out at him from the nearby bramble. He tumbled for a while, confused and panicked. He still had his knife firmly in hand, but before he could actually do anything with it, he felt a familiar feeling.
His free hand buried itself into the soft fur of his assailant. Before he could even open his eyes, the strong paws pinned him more firmly to the ground and he felt a wet tongue run across his cheek.
Bishop's merry laugh rang through the forest only a second later when he finally realized what just happened. He couldn't pretend like he hadn't been wondering – did Karnwyr come here in the end? Was he even alright?
But now he had his answers. All his paranoia about being followed dissipated instantly. He was right. But it was much less ominous than he had feared. Fuck, he missed Karnwyr so much. It's been so long, he could barely believe that he was right here, that he found him in the forests. Bishop himself had been toying with the idea of trying to track him down, but it sounded like an impossible feat. He didn't even know if Karnwyr was here and he could not reliably track his paw-prints – he couldn't differentiate them from the other wolves.
But he didn't have to. His friend found him all on his own.
Karnwyr continued to lick Bishop's face enthusiastically for a while. It took several minutes before the wolf shuffled away from him and let him at least sit up. But just as he did, Karnwyr settled himself into Bishop's lap and nuzzled his neck with palpable affection. Bishop merely wrapped his arms around his friend and gripped his soft fur tightly.
"I missed you so fucking much," he still chuckled incredulously at the turn of events and it earned him an affirmative bark. "Shoulda known only you would jump me so fucking fearlessly here."
Karnwyr nuzzled into his neck with another happy bark. He seemed pretty fucking proud of himself, but who could blame him? If the suspicious feeling was anything to go by, Karnwyr had been following him all the way from the camp, staying hidden the entire time. Bishop was really impressed with his subtlety, but more than that, he couldn't help but wonder if Karnwyr was actually waiting for Bishop to finish his hunt. He had plenty of opportunities to let Bishop know he was there, but the wolf was used to their hunts together – he never disturbed Bishop's concentration intentionally. Not until he made the kill and Karnwyr could go finish the animal off.
"You've been staying safe?" Bishop rubbed him behind his ear and he gave him a meaningful look.
The wolf barked again happily in response. At least Bishop always imagined that it was a conscious response. It could have just as well been a habit – reacting to the inflection of Bishop's voice whenever he asked a question. But that was boring. Bishop always convinced himself that Karnwyr understood him very well. He understood him more than anyone else on Nirn, save for Aeyrin.
"You missed so much," Bishop let out a sigh. "We've been through shit you wouldn't believe. Like Blackreach. There were so many fucking Falmer there you could have sunk your teeth in," he smirked, earning a low growl out of his friend. "You would have liked that place. So dark. You always like hunting in the dark."
Karnwyr's tail started to waggle aggressively, but he still seemed reluctant to part from Bishop's embrace. So was Bishop, for that matter. It really felt like fucking ages since they had parted.
"We could go back there. Show you everything. We'll have all sorts of hunts and adventures again soon. Once… once Aeyrin gets cured," another sigh left his lips, this time a bit more mournful one.
This was fucking ridiculous. He knew that it wasn't Aeyrin's fault. It wasn't Karnwyr's fault either. But he hated having to leave him, having to be apart from him so forcibly. It was a different matter when they separated for a while, either because some dungeon was too dangerous for the wolf or because he would be bored in whatever city they were going to, but this was not right. Aeyrin wasn't a danger to him. He saw that! She didn't turn, aside from the full Secunda nights. Karnwyr could just be running around or resting further from them on those nights. And even if not, Aeyrin would not hurt him. She was making so much progress, whether she knew it or believed it or not. She didn't want to hurt Bishop and she wouldn't want to hurt Karnwyr. And she was chained. There was no fucking reason to go on like this.
Karnwyr would be fine. He would adapt, just like Aeyrin was adapting. He just needed to try again.
"Come on," Bishop gave him a determined nod. "We'll take care of the kill first. Then, let's go see Aeyrin."
The wolf gave him another excited bark at that, wagging his tail even more now.
Yeah. Of course he wanted to see her.
That was a good sign.
…
As they got nearer to the camp, Karnwyr started to get fidgety.
Bishop rubbed him behind his ear again to soothe him, but it didn't seem to help much. The wolf growled, whined and generally stopped much more often than was customary for him. Bishop's confidence in this plan was starting to waver. But it had to work. They had to overcome this. She wasn't even in her werewolf form – it was just her. Why would Karnwyr be worried about that? She wasn't any different.
"It's alright. There's nothing to be worried about," he murmured, unsure whether he wanted to reassure Karnwyr more than he wanted to reassure himself that it would be fine this time.
Was this a bad idea?
Karnwyr growled more and more, especially when the camp came into view. Aeyrin hadn't noticed them yet – she was currently preparing the fire for Bishop's upcoming haul. Maybe he was imagining it, but she looked a bit nervous as she moved around the camp. He had been gone for much longer than usual.
The wolf's low growl was barely audible, but it still made Bishop all too hesitant. He placed his hand on the back of Karnwyr's neck, ready to grab him if he lunged. But he still persisted, going forward, ushering the wolf to follow him like he always used to.
When they got close enough for her to notice, she snapped her attention towards their direction at last.
"Karnwyr?" her eyes went wide. She seemed uncertain for a moment, or more likely a caught-off guard and nervous. But a second later, a cautious smile started to form on her face.
But the wolf himself barked in anger almost instantly. Bishop had to kneel down in a swift motion and wrap his hands around his neck to stop him from lunging. Karnwyr let out a series of barks, likely meant to intimidate her, then he just continued growling, much louder than before.
Aeyrin flinched with every sound and her smile disappeared in an instant. She couldn't even begin to wrap her head around seeing him again – around how happy she was that he was alright and that he was here. It all quickly evaporated when the painful reality set in once more. Why did Bishop bring him? It only reminded her of it all. She was a monster that, even after all the time they had spent together, Karnwyr just couldn't stomach.
She averted her eyes from the scene while Bishop tried to calm the wolf down. She couldn't watch the angry snarling expression of his. The sounds were bad enough.
"Just… hang on, he just needs a minute," Bishop called out to her before he turned his attention back to Karnwyr. Fuck, he really needed to calm him down. How could he still be so rattled from her?
"Hey, hey," Bishop grabbed Karnwyr's maw in between his palms, forcing the wolf's focus only on himself. "Shh, just stay calm. There's nothing to worry about, you know that. You know her. Come on, you can still tell, can't you?" Why wouldn't he be able to? Bishop could tell. Even when she was transformed, he could see her beneath her new form – the way she acted, her eyes – she was still there. Karnwyr had to see that too.
He started to stroke his fur behind his ear, trying to calm him down, but the wolf didn't seem any calmer. Not by a long shot. He kept growling furiously, barking and jerking a bit from Bishop's firm grip.
"Come on, please. Just… try to… I don't know," Bishop tried to stroke his fur longer, looking into the yellow wolven eyes intently. But there was only anger and fear staring back at him. Karnwyr let out several more furious barks, thrashing around. But when he couldn't get out of Bishop's hold, he began whining at him instead, as if Bishop was forcibly exposing him to danger.
She was not dangerous. Not to them.
Bishop looked back towards the camp briefly, intent on reassuring her in turn, but she wasn't even looking at them. Her eyes were closed and the rest of her face was covered by her clenched hand. Fuck, she looked so heart-broken. He fucked up. He shouldn't have tried this. It just made everything worse.
He let out a defeated sigh. He didn't know what else to do. There was nothing he could do to fix this.
He stood up again and grabbed Karnwyr by the back of his neck, forcing him to turn away and move. He had to take him away. Again. Fuck, why did he even get his hopes up?
Aeyrin only looked back when she heard the growls and barks ease a bit. Bishop was leading the wolf away. Once more he had to say goodbye to him because of her. Because of that monster. And once more she didn't even get to say goodbye to him herself. She didn't even get to greet him properly. She missed him too. But more than anything, she couldn't take the guilt wrecking her while she watched Bishop take his friend away again. Their friend.
It was all her fault. As if she needed to feel worse about that monster lurking inside her.
She sat down by the fire and buried her head into her hands in desperation.
It ruined everything.
…
"Hey."
Aeyrin hadn't even noticed that Bishop was back. He wasn't gone for too long, though she wasn't sure if she could tell time well just then. He had to speak for her to actually register him at all. She was still sitting by the fire silently, staring into the flames and trying not to think about the image of him leading Karnwyr away again.
"I'm sorry, princess," Bishop sighed as he sat down next to her. "He ambushed me on the hunt. I… I thought… you know… I told you that you were getting… calmer and stuff, during the transformations. I thought it would be different. That he could… feel that. Fuck, I shouldn't have brought him here."
"No," Aeyrin let out a sigh on her own. It left her feeling rotten and guilty, but at least she saw for herself. At least he was alright, still out there, running through the forests. "I get it. And… I was happy to see him… even if… never mind. It's not your fault. It's not Karnwyr's fault either."
"And not yours," he squeezed her around the shoulder reassuringly. He could already tell where her mind was going.
"You have to keep taking him away because of me," she mumbled, barely audibly. "You keep away from him for me."
"Just for now," he tried to give her a smile, but it came out a bit weaker than intended. "It's alright. He's happy here. He always prefers the forests. And it's not like we can't… I can't see him."
"Y-yeah," she nodded a bit. She knew that there was no point in saying it again – Bishop knew all too well that she would understand if he wanted to leave, even if for only a while, to be with Karnwyr again. Maybe she didn't really want to remind him. "You could have stayed longer with him, you know?"
"Hmm, it's fine. We caught up," Bishop chuckled at her. "I might go on another hunt in the morning. He might be able to track me down again."
She nodded and she finally managed a slight smile. That was good to hear at least. She really hated preventing the two of them from being together. At least when they were in the Rift, they could do that like this if the wolf found him again.
"It's getting late now though," Bishop looked beyond the trees lining their secluded campsite mostly surrounded by the southern mountains. "We should really get something to eat and some rest."
It was a good idea.
If nothing else, it was something else to occupy themselves with while the disappointment of the day settled in a little more.
…
The chirping of nocturnal birds seemed to be the only sound filling the area.
Most of the time.
There was still the rest. The rustling of leaves, snapping of twigs. Bishop felt watched again. It was odd how that feeling kept returning throughout the day. But this time, he wasn't nearly as disturbed by it. It was actually kind of comforting to be watched.
It felt like it used to, when he could always rely on his friend to watch over them when they slept. Like he was sleeping right there next to them again.
Bishop nuzzled contentedly into Aeyrin's back, squeezing her towards himself. She was already fast asleep, of course. She still seemed a little crestfallen by the time they went to their bedroll, but he did her best to distract her properly. After all, despite his unfortunate attempt at reunion, this was a good day. Karnwyr was alive. He was completely fine and running around his favorite forest. And he wasn't even a little resentful about being sent away. Bishop was already looking forward to seeing him tomorrow again. He had no doubt that his friend would find him. He was convinced that he was watching over them right now from afar anyway. Far enough not to get too bothered by Aeyrin's new scent, likely.
Bishop felt better about the whole situation by now. At first, he just felt crappy for both Aeyrin and Karnwyr, but now she was hopefully feeling a little better too and he knew that Karnwyr still cared about them both. He was just confused by his senses. It was a natural reaction. The main thing was that he was alright.
He would have been sleeping soundly with that knowledge by now if it wasn't for the sounds. He wasn't sure why those still kept him up. Nightly critters were always making noise and so could Karnwyr, even though that sounded closer to the camp than the wolf would be able to stay.
But Bishop should really get some fucking rest already. Why was it taking him so long? Aeyrin was warm and comfortable in his arms – that always helped – and the air was pleasantly cold, even here down south. Perfect for sleeping under the open skies.
His mind began to drift a little with strange images of half-dreams that he couldn't even make sense of or remember a second later, but then, another snapped branch jolted him from his attempt at slumber. It was hard to keep quiet for anyone and anything in the forests. Even for him. Muffling enchantments were all well and good, but they did nothing to prevent one from stepping on a twig or getting caught in the bramble. And the critters were in the same position, despite their smaller limbs and knowledge of the forest.
Ugh. Another noise. Why was it all alerting him so much? It was just this nagging feeling that…
SNICK.
That was weird. That sounded like…
Bishop sprung up into a half-sit instantly, trying to adjust to the darkness with their fire doused down by now. His sudden motion had Aeyrin rolling off his arm, flat onto her face. Her confused mumble rang through the night, but Bishop was barely able to register it as his intake of breath drowned it out.
A figure. Right in front of them. A man had sprung the Dwemer dart-trap. He didn't even make a noise, but it looked like the dart caught him off guard regardless.
Bishop couldn't see who it was, but he didn't need to. The gut feeling came back. It was so fucking naïve of him to suspect Karnwyr. He should have been more wary of it.
His hand began to feel around the ground around the bedroll, trying to locate his bow or his knife quickly. There was no time to waste. Whoever this was, it was no innocent traveler. He was sure of it. And if it was, who the fuck cared? He shouldn't be breaching their camp like this without saying a word, without making a sound.
Before Bishop could find any weapon at all, however, the man seemed to rouse from his shock. His hand suddenly lit up with bright burning flames, ready to be hurled straight at their vulnerable forms.
Fuck!
It all happened so fast. Suddenly there was a vicious growl echoing through the area. Then the light from the man's hand disappeared and, from the little Bishop could see, he toppled to the ground.
Aeyrin was still trying to collect herself in the confusion by the time Bishop stood up sharply, trying to see what was happening. The familiar sound of growls and flesh being bitten reverberated through their camp. It wasn't hard to figure out. But a second later, a few panicked barks and growls followed. Bishop could make out the shapes. He didn't need to think twice to know that it was Karnwyr. And now he was trying to tear himself away. The man was surely dead.
A soft whimper escaped Karnwyr's maw when Aeyrin got up from the bedroll too. He whined a bit longer before he turned his tail towards them and ran off into the night, probably as far away as he could.
"What just happened?" Aeyrin mumbled groggily. She still couldn't see anything. They were both standing there, completely naked in the cold night air and without any clue as to what had just transpired.
Well, that wasn't true. Bishop kind of had a feeling. Karnwyr was watching that man. Whether he had been following him through the forest or whether he had really been watching the camp and spotted the man approaching, Bishop would not get an answer to that. But it was still so… heartwarming to have him come to their rescue like this.
If they needed a rescue. Who was that?
By the time Bishop realized himself, Aeyrin already had a flint in her hand by the campfire. A few strokes and the barely-doused coals lit up slowly again, illuminating the scene more and more.
The two of them approached the corpse together. It was an old man with half of his face torn off and neck practically ripped out. Karnwyr really went savage on him. Bishop recognized the face, but even if he hadn't, he would have recognized the man's robes.
An assassin.
"Is that… one of them?" Aeyrin asked with a palpably disturbed voice.
"Yeah. Fuck!" He had almost managed to put these shits out of his mind during their stay in the wilderness. Maybe it wasn't the best idea. Maybe they really couldn't afford to be out here with no protection but those traps anymore. Not now. Maybe they needed to stay somewhere where the agents could help them out with shit like this. They were luckier than they knew that Karnwyr was even in the area.
"Was that Karnwyr? How did he…?" Aeyrin was still trying to wrap her head around all of it. One minute she was sleeping and then suddenly she was shoved to the ground and there were just the sounds of growling and tearing flesh. It was disturbing. But also a bit of a relief. Karnwyr watched over them, despite the monster that she was. And he ran away so that he wouldn't be tempted to hurt her or defend himself against her. No matter what she was, he was still protecting them. Or Bishop at least. But it was enough just then to know that she had not come between their bond when Bishop needed to take him away again because of her.
Bishop dropped down to his knees to examine the corpse, completely unconcerned about how exposed he was. It was a little strange to Aeyrin to be there like this. They should really consider putting on some clothes when they were sleeping in the wilderness. But that didn't transfer so much body-heat.
He rummaged around in the robes for a while. He located the dart first, stabbed into the man's stomach, but then he was intent on finding some clues of his intentions. Well, the imminent fireball was a hint enough. Unless the assassin wanted to light the fire and talk? Maybe? Could Bishop even dare to still hope that the Brotherhood didn't want him dead? This seemed to be pretty fucking telling.
"Maybe… maybe he just… saw us and… thought to take revenge. It doesn't mean they're hunting you or anything," Aeyrin suggested uncertainly. It was a possibility. And if they had been 'hunting' him, they would have found him a long time ago during their stay in the wilderness.
"Yeah. It's still fucking dangerous to keep on like this though," Bishop growled. He fucking hated this. He liked being in the wilderness, alone with her, away from people. This was so fucking infuriating. Even more so than all this time they had to take such precautions for their camps – this topped it all off.
There was nothing in the man's robes. No note, not even any equipment. He was clearly a mage. Maybe he didn't really need any. He could just use a spell for anything – locks, invisibility, muffling, whatever an assassin needed.
"There's nothing on him," Bishop sighed. "Fuck, I can't believe that Karnwyr killed a fucking assassin. We couldn't even do that," he chuckled a bit. That was a fucking impressive feat.
"Yeah… I still can't believe he was watching over you," Aeyrin smiled softly.
"Us," Bishop noted. Of course he was. Bishop was still so touched by that. And with Karnwyr around, he wasn't even worried about more of these fuckers lurking somewhere. Karnwyr would get them. And he would call for help if he got into trouble himself. But more than anything, this looked just like Aeyrin had said – the assassin must have spotted them and tried to take revenge. Bishop had seen him before during the ambush in Dawnstar. Now there was one fewer.
"What do we do now?" Aeyrin hugged her arms around her form tightly, partially from the stressful situation and partially from the cold hitting her naked skin. "We need to tell Maro what happened."
"Yeah, I know," Bishop nodded. Anything to help the Penitus agents in their quest. "We should move him towards the mountains, hide him there a bit and then send Maro the coordinates. Hopefully some animal won't tear into this fucker before the agents come."
Aeyrin looked back towards the nearby mountains. There were plenty of outcroppings where they could hopefully manage to stash the body – too high for regular animals to get to him, aside from flying ones or really tall ones.
Bishop seemed to have the same idea as he studied the cliffs.
After a while, they only shared a look and a determined nod.
It was time to deal with the fallout of this shit.
…
Sleep didn't come easy after what happened.
Both of them were on edge, even if they comforted themselves with the knowledge of Karnwyr watching over them from afar. But Bishop no longer felt that odd feeling of being constantly watched. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing – was it because of the assassin before or because of Karnwyr? He needed to see the wolf in the morning to make sure he was alright.
Eventually though, the stress and the exhaustion from arranging a corpse up on a ledge of a cliff did put them to sleep. And when the morning came, it did not arrive in a more pleasant mood.
Aeyrin composed a letter to Commander Maro while Bishop went on his quick 'hunt' – mostly to check on Karnwyr. The wolf was alright, just as happy to see him as he had been before. It was unfortunate, but for now, this was going to be another goodbye. Now that Bishop knew that the wolf was fine, he could leave with a clear head, only missing him instead of worrying incessantly about him as well.
Aeyrin was just as relieved at the turn of events when Bishop came back to the camp. Now that they had dealt with everything here though, their pleasant stay in the wilderness had to end. They agreed. They couldn't risk it. When they were free to do as they wished, they always opted to spend time out in the wilds. But it apparently didn't matter much that they changed locations each night. They needed to be more careful. As much as they hated it, their wilderness stays had to be toned down to only the necessary journeys across Skyrim to get somewhere. Other than that, their adventuring days should be ended at a town, in an inn, with Penitus agents around.
And since they still had no obligations to address, it was time to make a new plan.
"So, take your pick, princess. Where to next?" Bishop spread their map on his lap, scanning over the city markers there. They weren't sure if the agents were in smaller settlements like Rorikstead or Ivarstead – the occasional soldier they had seen there could be just a soldier after all. "So, Riften, Markarth, that's a no. Solitude, Morthal, Dawnstar, Winterhold, Windhelm. There's probably really not much to explore near Winterhold with the College pillaging the shit out of the ruins there, but other than that, we can go anywhere."
Aeyrin had been thinking about this the whole night before she fell asleep again. She tried to, at least, to distract herself from what had just happened. She started to have an idea that she was really uncertain about, but the way Bishop had just listed those places reassured her in it. She noticed. He skipped some. Of course he skipped Whiterun, that would have been just insane. But he didn't even skip Markarth, even if he rejected the idea. Not like he did the last town.
"I've actually… been thinking of a place," Aeyrin gave him a wry smile. "You might not like it though."
"Yeah? Where? And don't say Solitude," Bishop quickly scowled. Predictable reaction.
Aeyrin giggled at the worry that creased his face instantly. But she had no more intention of going there than he had. "No. Don't worry, you're safe from any paladins."
"So why do you look so nervous? Why might I 'not like it'?" he asked impatiently. He said 'no' to Markarth. That was not happening. So what else would he not like?
"Uhm… well… I was thinking… Falkreath?" Aeyrin bit her lip a little nervously.
"Really?" Bishop raised his brow at her in surprise. That was the last thing he expected her to say. He didn't even suggest it as an option. He never did. They passed through, sure. They got supplies there sometimes, but that was it. Falkreath had been silently agreed on being 'out of question' somehow over time. They never discussed it. It was just… mutually understood. He really thought it was what she was comfortable with. "Are you sure?" he scowled.
"Every time we pass through, I think about it," Aeyrin lowered her eyes with a somber sigh. "I don't even think about it for long or anything, not like before, but… I still remember, every time."
"Yeah, that…" he knew that feeling all too well. So why would she want to go there? "I'm not following the logic here."
"I don't think there is one…" she chuckled a little uncertainly. She didn't know why this idea stuck to her head last night. She wasn't sure why she thought it would be… cathartic. "Just… I guess… I wanna make it more normal? Is that… strange?" she gave him a hesitant look again, but his worried scowl made her back down instantly and she shook her head vehemently. "I… I know you have horrible memories of the place too. I don't want to spend any more time there than we need to if you don't want to."
"I have horrible memories of a lot of places," Bishop scoffed, before his lips turned into a familiar smirk. "I'll be fine, love."
He took her hand in his for a while, brushing his fingers along the gems on the engagement ring. She still looked like she was chastising herself for the idea. He kinda liked it though. He liked her reasons. "And… it does make sense. I know what you mean. It helps. You know, I spent so much time hunting in the Rift with Karnwyr because that was what I knew best. That was where I was safest. There… a lot of bad shit happened there at Lost Knife. But it helped. It makes you see more of that place than those memories. Eventually." Now, he couldn't get enough of the Rift. But it used to be hard to be in these forests. The trees reminded him of it all. But the times he spent here afterwards, trying to move on with his life, alone with only Karnwyr by his side, those were… moderately happier times.
"So you're alright with it?" Aeyrin beamed at him. She wasn't sure why she hadn't expected this. Maybe because when she said it out loud, the idea sounded really silly and naïve. But Bishop believed it would help too. Maybe it really would.
"Yeah. I am. Under one condition," he raised his finger at her in preemptive chastisement.
"Oh boy," Aeyrin snickered. She wasn't sure what was coming, but she could imagine. Something about her brashness and recklessness without a doubt.
Bishop chuckled as well, but soon, his face turned more serious. "Thorn might be gone, but Falkreath was never 'safe and serene'. Those fucking forests are dangerous no matter what."
"I am not going to go into the forest without being prepared and knowing where I'm going," Aeyrin promptly held her free hand to her chest as if she was diligently swearing to obey this proclamation. She had no intention of not doing that after all. She had learned her lesson the hardest way she could think of. There was nothing that would make her rush into those forests unprepared and stupidly angry like the last time.
"Good," Bishop laughed at her mock solemnity, but he was a little relieved to be reassured. He knew she wouldn't take such a risk again, but he still felt like he needed to hear it. "I know that last time it was really my fault, but if I do something shitty again, please just yell at me in town."
Aeyrin laughed as well, though it came out a bit more unnerved than she had intended. No matter what, the memories were still a little raw. But she really believed that there was no chance of anything like this happening again. They would reclaim the area and move on from the past properly.
"Deal," she smiled softly. She was starting to get a bit excited about it.
Bishop gave her a satisfied nod as he rolled the map back up again. This felt good. And a little more certain than the wilderness at least.
"I hope Maro gets back to us soon," Aeyrin sighed, clearly with her mind still on the same thing as Bishop's was. She hoped that this dead assassin would help their efforts – if nothing else, give them some clues or just make it all a bit easier.
"Yeah," Bishop nodded. "I wonder what the fuck's even going on with the Brotherhood after that mess in that grove."
It was two months ago.
Who knew what those insane assassins could have been up to since then?
