Chapter 19:
Dila liked him. She would never deny that.
They were in bed now, finnaly trying to sleep after many hours of… exercising.
She was firmly wraped around his arm, with her head resting on his torso. She could hear slow, steady heartbeats drumming on his chest. The room was dark now. The candles had run out long ago, and they were just lying down in darkness. The sheets were smooth and silky, and the feeling of just lying naked in a bed in which she didn`t have to squeeze to fit was good.
- I love you, Dila.
She looked to him. He was looking at the ceiling, a smile in his mouth. She scutted closer to him.
- Why would you state the obvious like that? – she teased.
- I don`t know. I just love you.
- Why would you say that? – she asked
- It is the first time I really said that out of nowhere, isn`t it? Heh, get used to it.
To her, he was talking nonsense. Sweet nonsense, but nonsense nonetheless.
- Why are you saying that right now?
- For no reason at all.
- Come on.
- I said. I have no reason. I just love you!
Dila was getting out of patience. She was going to get an answer, be it by peace or by war.
- Tell me. Now.
- Na-ah. – he said, holding back a laugh.
- Dila wants an answer!
She silenced herself, eyes wide and blushing. Siris stared at her, equally wide-eyed. Then he broke out in a fit of laughter, which didn`t help her trying to control her shame. She wanted to go live under a stone for the rest of her life. She had always prouded herself in her almost perfect imitation of a man`s manner of speech. To slip up like this, in front of the man that had took her under his wing… claw…
He was laughing so hard his leg was involuntarily curling beneath the sheets. She waited for him to finish and catch his breath. He wiped a tear out of his face and looked at her.
- See what you made me do? I probably woke up half of Whiterun.
- Me? You? Dila… - she stopped herself before Siris could start to laugh again.
He stedied himself before turned to face her. She then punched him in the chest. He coughed, as he wasn`t expecting that.
- That was for making fun of me.
Then she kissed him. He was also surprised by this.
- And that… - she said, resting her head on his chest. – is for saying you love me.
He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her while her leg rested between his. She breathed in slow. He smelled of the sea, and Dila liked that.
After a few minutes, she finnaly got the rest she needed
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Siris woke up the next morning with the constant noise of someone knocking on his door. His eyes lazily opened. He took notice on his surroundings. He was still in Breezehome. The dim sunlight coming from outside illuminated the room lightly.
Dila didn`t seem to mind it, though. She was still asleep. Her left hand was firmly gripping his right shoulder, so that her left arm was laying on his chest. He needed to answer the door, but he might have to wake Dila in the process. The door knocking came back, more insistant this time. He shook Dila slightly and she stirred, letting her eyes open a little bit.
- I have to answer the door. I`ll be right back. – he whispered.
She mumbled something and released his shoulder. He slid of the bed and put his pants back on. He then rapidly went down the stairs and flung the door open.
Adriana was waiting by the doorstep, holdling something wrapped in a leather covering. It took him a moment to remember what she was doing there.
- Adrianna, what are you… - then he noticed that the package was something slightly curved. He rememebered what he had asked to her. – Done already?
- Yes. Took me a while to get started, but after consulting with the old books back at the Skyforge, I finnaly could get started. The trick is to wait for the right time to melt the heart in the forge. You should have seen it. The flames became pure red.
Siris had already heard about the making of Daedric weapons, but he had never been to a forge with a skilled enough blacksmith to make such a weapon. He decided to keep it wrapped for the time being. Dila would want to unwrap it by herself. He took it in his hands, and he felt the almost lightweight bow in his hands. He was sure that most of the weight was from the wrapping. Dila was going to love that present.
- So, Siris, how have you been doing? – she asked. He lifted his gaze up to her.
- Fine, I guess. That is, taking out all attempts on my life. And… - he looed up to the ceiling of his own house. – on hers.
- Oh, so the great hero Siris, brother-in-arms with Skyrim`s savior, has fallen for a Khajiit, huh? – she chuckled at Siris`s expression of what seemed like embarassement and slight annoyance. – Don`t worry, I`m going.
She turned around and left, chuckling as Siris went inside of Breezehome. He layed the bow on the table and went back upstairs, to her. When he entered the room, Dila was still half asleep. Hem made his way to her side again. Before he could doze off, he heard rattling at the door yet again.
"Oh, what is it now?"
He lifted himself up and ran down the stairs. This time, a Legion soldier was waiting for him at the door.
- What do you want, soldier?
The soldier straightened himself, unwrapped a scroll of parchment and began reading what was written in it:
- By the order of General Tulius, I hereby announce that both Siris "Ebony Snake" and Dila "Lynx Eye", for their help in defending Whiterun and for their explotis in Dawnstar, are to be promoted to the rank of Quaestores. Long live the Emperor. Long live the Legion!
Not wanting to waste his superior`s time, the soldier did a turn-tail and walked off. Siris closed the door behind him, smiling at his new promotion. HE looked up the stairs. Dila was there, wrapped in a robe.
- Did I wake you up? – he asked.
- No. – she said, before yawning. She stepped down the stairs. – I figured I should get up. After all, I guess it is late. The Jarl might want to see us.
Her gaze shifted to the wrapping on the table. She lifted one side of her brow.
- That thing wasn`t here last night, was it?
- No. – he smirked. She stepped closer to it. – But you can open it if you would like.
She eyed him, a little confused. Then she took the package in her hands.
- Siris, what are you…
She accidentally pulled on one string, and the wrapping came loose. She looked at the now exposed bow, and her face changed to an expression of surprise Siris had never seen before.
She was mesmerized.
00000
"It is… so beautiful… "she thought.
The bow was black, but it somehow had red designs etched deep inside the metal it was made from. The design of the bow was recurve, and it had spikes in it. She didn`t know what was their purpose, but they did look sharp. The bowstring had a notch made of ebony, to let her shoot better. The string sang when she gave it a small pinch. The vibration spread to her arms, and, just as quickly as the morning fog came and went, it steadied itself again.
She loved it.
Siris cought up to her expression, and came near her.
- Like it?
- Siris, Siris… - she placed the bow on the table. - …you re going to stop giving me presents. You are spoiling me!
He laughed and picked her up. She laughed as he spun them both. They were happy for the moment. That is, until Dila`s tail knocked a tankard from the table. They stopped spinning.
- Oh! I`m sorry, Siris. Forgive my clumsiness.
- Oh, don`t worry about it, clumsy cat. – he said, touching his nose to hers. – I`ll take care of that, later. Now, we should test out that new bow of yours.
He released her, and she finaly succeded in not falling backwards. She picked the bow and went to the door.
- Dila, aren`t you forgetting something?
- No. Why?
- You are still using robes.
She looked down. She had completely forgotten about it. She stepped past Siris, and heard him say from downstairs:
- Not that I mind, but I think that a few mothers might complain.
She chuckled while she put on her armor. She then went down the stairs and out of the door, with Siris following her merely a few feet behind her. A few guards wolf whistled at her, and she was not sure if they were admiring her or her bow.
"Sorry, boys. Both are already taken."
The walk to Dragonsreach was uneventful, to say the least. When they arrived, they went to the guards`s training grounds. They weren`t being used at the moment, so she could test the bow all she wanted without anyone harassing her.
She picked an arrow and placed it at the notch. She drew the bow, and could almost feel the tension building in the string. She took aim at the centre of the target, and split her fingers, releasing the arrow.
It flown so rapidly she couldn`t even see it, and it not only hit the centre of the target, but pierced through it, coming out on the other side of it and flying over the walls of the city. Her jaw droped in an "o" shape.
"By all the grains of sand in Elsweyr! How is a bow supposed to do that."
She squinted her eyes and saw that the arrow was still traveling, a small black spec lost in the sky. She laughed at the shher power that elegant bow had. What a present had Siris given her.
- Seems like you can hunt across Skyrim, no? – he said, chuckling. He was also squinting, trying to see the arrow.
- I wish. That way, I could kill Ulfric right here and now. Would save us a lot of trouble, wouldn`t it?
- I had no idea that thing was so powerfull. I can at least sell your elven bow, can`t I?
She looked at him. He was almost begging. Hadn`t he ade enough money already?
- I thought it would have made for fantastic decoration. Why? You didn`t?
He was going to say something, but stopped before a sound could leave his mouth. He had probably figured he wouldn`t be able to talk her out of it. She took out another arrow, but this time, she didn`t aim for the target. She aimed to the right and fired at the wall.
Even though the arrow was fairly simple, it drove through the stone, impaling the stone until it was half buried in the strong rock. She was very satisfied with the bow. It would prove very handy in future battles.
Figuring that Siris wasn`t probably enjoying this as mucha as she was, she prompted them to go to Dragonsreach to see how the Jarl was doing. He happily obliged, and they walked to the manor.
Unfortunately, Balgruuf didn`t have any leads on Razara or anything else. It seemed like the Legion was preparing for an offensive further into Stormcloak territory, but they hadn`t send anything to the both of them, so they were pretty much confined to the city waiting for new orders. Krona hadn`t even shown herself in the past days, and all seemed calm and quiet. Siris, however, didn`t seem to like that.
- What`s the matter? – she asked him, when they went outside again.
- In my training, you are tought to always be on your guard. Doubly so when everything seems calm.
- Gods, Siris. Just relax a little. We have all the time we want, now. Sure we could find something to invest it into.
She said that last thing with probably more seductiveness than she wanted, because Siris immediately focused on her and smiled.
- Any ideas? – he asked, closer to her ear.
Maybe those alchemy lessons you promised me?
- Oh. – he said, retreating half embarrassed. – I can do that.
She laughed and turned his head around with her hand, kissing him when he was fully facing her.
Just then she realized.
She didn`t just like him.
She truly and deeply loved him. But she didn`t know why.
She just loved him...
Yeah...I`m sorry that this chapter contains little to no plot at all. I just hit that dreadfull place people call Writer`s Block, and one of the tips I picked up was writing things that come out of your mind would help that.
So, yeah. Consider this chapter filler
Sorry again...
(please don`t flame me)