Chapter Summary: Miranja and Revyn grow closer over the course of the evening, as they celebrate the liberation of Windhelm and Miranja's new home and her position as Thane of Eastmarch.

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Teldryn opted to stay at the Candlehearth for supper while Miranja visited Revyn on this blustery evening. She strapped on her backpack, covered her uniform with her warm wool cloak, and headed to the GQ before Revyn closed his shop so that she could check his inventory for some civilian clothes, since her nearest home containing her belongings was either Heljarchen Hall or Breezehome.

"I've been in this uniform for three days," Miranja complained as Revyn rummaged through the storeroom. "It stinks of sweat, smoke, and blood. I ought to take it down to the docks and dunk it in the river a few times."

"It's not much," Revyn apologized, withdrawing a simple tan belted tunic from a chest, "but it should suffice for tonight, anyway." He held it up and compared it with her body, hoping the size was right. "If that's not right, I have a rather plain green dress."

"Let me try them both on," Miranja told him. "You know I like green because it brings out my eyes."

"It's not a good green," Revyn argued. "It's pastel and faded, not the emerald you really need, my love."

Miranja smiled affectionately and kissed his cheek. "I don't think you're going to complain about what I'm wearing while we're flirting over dinner."

Revyn grinned closed-mouthed and tight-lipped, having been called out. "No, you're right. You could be wearing a sack cloth and you would still make me… unseasonably warm."

Well, have a fan or a damp cloth ready, then," Miranja teased, "because I'm about to strip right down to my smallclothes."

Revyn hurried to lock the door so that no one would come in while Miranja was changing, then followed her to the living area. "I keep a ready kettle if you'd like some warm water to wash up. I'd be happy to help you wash your hair."

"It's not eight o'clock yet, Revyn. Are you going to close early?"

"Why not? It's been quiet as the grave here all day, and we have reason to celebrate tonight."

"Well, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, Revyn, but fair enough. I accept your generous offer of a wash-up, but I don't expect you to wash my hair. To be honest, I'm on my menses and I'd prefer to bathe alone." She smiled apologetically.

"I was married once, you know," Revyn scolded. "I'm not squeamish about womanly bodily functions. But if you're not comfortable with my presence, I can go read a book in the storeroom."

"Tell you what: give me a couple of moments to make sure I'm presentable, and then you can join me. Divines know we've known each other long enough and we've been intimate enough times that this is kind of the logical next step, but as open as I am about many things, I'm still pretty private about this."

"This may sound strange," Revyn began, "but being privy – no pun intended – to this part of your life makes me feel that much more honored. Thank you for letting me get this close."

Miranja was touched. "Thank you for wanting to get this close."

"I'd get so much closer if you would let me," Revyn breathed wistfully. Before Miranja could reply, he said, "You go ahead and do what you need to do. I'll wait in the other room. Call me when you're ready."

"Okay." Miranja watched him go with a weight on her heart, allowing herself to cautiously speculate on the idea of marriage. Could she ever marry Revyn? He was so much older than her, but even so, with their disparate lifespans, she could still grow old and die before he did. Then again, there were no guarantees that either of them would even live long enough to die of old age. The thought of having a steady, loving, dependable friend as a permanent fixture in her life was pleasant… more than pleasant, to use Revyn's words. But wasn't that what Revyn already was?

Then she thought of Tel, and of Fihada, and of Geldis – her hot-blooded, slightly twisted, naughty men who would do things with her that Revyn couldn't seem to bring himself to do. She wasn't ready yet to give up that kind of fun. Just thinking about that threesome of sorts she'd had with Fihada and Tel the night before she joined the Legion made her horny. She wished Revyn was more open and adventurous sexually, but at the same time, she loved his tender, one-on-one lovemaking.

When she had tended to her personal needs, and was seated modestly in the washtub, she called Revyn back into the room.

Revyn retrieved his hairbrush from the dresser drawer to brush out her hair before washing it. He probably enjoyed brushing her hair more than she enjoyed letting him. Having a woman in his life again, however sporadically, energized him and filled him with joy. When he shared these little mundanities with Miranja, they transcended everyday life and became sacred to him.

Revyn brushed Miranja's hair gently, teasing her with little kisses and nibbles on her neck and ears, giving her gooseflesh and arousing both of them. Miranja turned and tried to kiss Revyn on the mouth, but he pulled out of reach.

"Not yet, love. Let's build this up over dinner, shall we?"

"Are you saying you would still want to make love tonight, considering…"

"I want to make love with you every time I see you, if I'm being honest. But I thought we could play a little teasing game tonight."

"Okay, what's allowed? Kissing and touching, or just looking and saying naughty things?"

"Oh, that's a tough decision," Revyn lamented, "but let's go with looking and talking."

"But weren't you going to wash my hair for me? Can't do that without touching me."

Revyn looked torn. "Can we make an exception for that part?"

"It's your game, your rules, Revyn." Miranja's crotch was already aching, but she was willing to go along with the game.

"You're not quite ready for a real bath," Revyn told her, nodding toward her bandage. When he tried to remove the bandage on Miranja's arm and she pulled away, he thought at first that she was just playing the game, keeping him from touching her. But she held her hand over the bandage instead of removing it, which made him concerned and suspicious. Game or no game, he grabbed her arm and pulled her hand away.

"Revyn, can we please just leave them covered?" Miranja cringed, struggling to free her arm.

Revyn gave her a "not on your life" look and pinned her arm under his own while he removed the bandages. He sucked in his breath when he saw them: there were now around three dozen cuts, and at least a dozen of them were fresh. He released her with a mournful expression, his eyes filling with tears, and Miranja turned her own eyes toward the floor.

"It's only been three days," Revyn exclaimed in quiet disbelief.

"I know." Miranja squeezed her eyes shut.

"Is this all from yesterday?"

"No. We took Fort Amol the day before." She opened her eyes again but kept them fixed on the floor. "I killed half a dozen Stormcloaks that day. To be honest, I don't even know how many I killed yesterday. It was a blur, and they just kept coming. I estimated. The big one on the end is for Ulfric." She was frowning, and her eyes were shining in the firelight with unshed tears.

Revyn stroked the cuts gently with his fingertips, then pulled her, unresisting, into his arms, forgetting about the game. "It's over now," he said with finality.

"I certainly hope so," Miranja agreed cautiously. She clung to Revyn and they cried in each other's arms for several long moments, for lives lost, for innocence lost.

It was Revyn who finally spoke again, with forced cheerfulness. "We have a celebration to attend. Let's get you cleaned up, dearest."

"Do you still want to play the game?"

Revyn had already begun testing the temperature of the water in the kettle. "Do you?"

Miranja thought for a moment. "Yeah." She gave him a tentative smile.

"Starting now?"

"Kiss me one more time first?"

Revyn made it a long, teasing, tender kiss, with minimal tongue and with his hands in her thick hair, cradling her head. It was enough to get them both back into a better mood and reignite their libidos. When Miranja tried for another kiss, he held her away. "The only touching from now until after dinner will be me washing your hair and helping you redress your wounds. Now turn around."

Miranja sighed in disappointment and frustration, but she did as she was told.

Revyn washed her hair first, massaging her scalp with firm fingertips, taking advantage of the exception to the rules and stroking her face, ears, and neck in the process. Miranja lolled her head back and moaned breathily in the way she knew drove Revyn crazy. When she washed the rest of her body, she washed her cuts first, then lingered over her nipples, circling them with her wet fingertips, bringing them to attention. Revyn watched, unblinking, his mouth and jaw moving as if he was imagining sampling her fruits. But she made him turn his back before washing down below, and wouldn't let him turn around until she had put on fresh smallclothes. Once Revyn helped her put a fresh bandage over her cuts, she tried on the green dress first.

"Too tight in the bust," she told Revyn, and he had to help her get the dress back off again. The tan dress turned out to be a little large, but serviceable.

"I hope you don't mind looking at me without any makeup tonight," Miranja smiled apologetically. "I haven't bothered with it while doing these Legion missions. Too tired. Don't even have any in my pack."

"Miranja, dearest," Revyn chided, "while you have one of the loveliest faces I've ever had the pleasure to behold, with or without cosmetics, it's far from the only thing I love about you. I enjoy looking at you no matter how you look, but it's your heart and soul that really matter to me." He reached out and lovingly stroked the air next to her face with his palm, then leaned close and tenderly kissed the air in front of her lips.

Miranja smiled impishly. "Wow, I'm kind of enjoying this little game of yours. You can turn me on without even touching me."

"That's the idea," Revyn replied with an impish smile of his own. "Now, if you think it would help, I do have a bit of charcoal you might line your eyes with, and some snowberries you could stain your lips with."

"Bless your sweet heart, Revyn. That would be perfect."

Revyn skipped his customary half-hour nap, and they went to the New Gnisis as soon as Miranja was dressed and made-up, and her hair was reasonably dry. She borrowed the lute that Revyn still hadn't sold, thinking some music would be in order.

The place was as busy as the night she'd come back with Talvas' ashes, but the mood was much more festive. There was a crowd around Aval's table, but everyone came to her to shake her hand, hug her, kiss her, and thank her for finally ending the tyranny.

Malthyr was waiting tables but detoured over to her for a moment. "Took you long enough," he groused, but he was suppressing a smile as he hugged her.

"I know," Miranja told him, holding his shoulders at arm's length and looking earnestly and apologetically into his eyes. "I don't know why the Empire couldn't seem to move on Windhelm before I got involved, and I don't know if it's coincidence or not, but I swear to you, Malthyr: I would have joined the Legion much sooner if I'd had any inkling that the war wouldn't progress without my involvement."

"I know," Malthyr replied, his eyes softening. "I was giving you a hard time, but I have no hard feelings toward you, Miranja."

"I'm glad." Miranja smiled and kissed Malthyr's cheek as she hugged him again, then he turned and hustled back to the kitchen to tend to the dinner rush.

Miranja and Revyn headed over to Aval's table. Revyn clapped Aval heartily on the shoulder. "Welcome back, my friend."

"Good to be back," Aval grinned. He raised his tankard toward Miranja. "Thanks again," he told her jovially.

Miranja smiled warmly at him and nodded, but there was a touch of sadness in her eyes. She wondered a bit if there might have been a better way to free him, but Ulfric himself had left her no real choice. And while all the people who had died along the way had done so for a greater cause than freeing Aval, a small part of Miranja felt like it was still her fault because she'd wanted to free one friend. A different part of her argued that it wasn't just one friend, it was all her non-Nord friends who'd suffered at the hands of Ulfric and people like him, but that first little part still insisted on holding onto the guilt.

"Gonna entertain us again tonight?" Aval asked hopefully, eyeing the lute under her arm.

Miranja's smile perked up. "What's a celebration without music?"

"Agreed."

Miranja and Revyn squeezed in at the bar long enough to order drinks. Ambarys had his hands full keeping people in drink, and he was actually smiling as he kept up with the brisk business. He told them he was out of clean tankards and asked if they'd be okay with drinking straight from bottles.

"This is me, Ambarys," Miranja chided, raising her voice over the din. "I'll drink from whatever you give me, as long as it's clean."

Ambarys gave Miranja her mead and Revyn his ale, then asked Miranja to come around behind the bar for a moment so he could hug her. She did, and was surprised to find that he was hiding an erection beneath his apron. For a moment Miranja thought he was going to slide his hand down and grab her ass to press her pelvis to his in front of everyone, but he stayed his hand at the last moment and returned it to her waist. She remembered the one time she'd fucked him before Revyn had expressed his interest in her, and she wished she could sleep with him one more time.

"I knew you'd be the one to bring us hope," Ambarys said into her ear as he pressed her tightly against him. "And you look beautiful, by the way. Thank you for all you've done." He winked at her as he released her, as if his erection wasn't enough to let her know that he still thought about their tryst and wished for more, as well.

Revyn found them an open spot on one of the benches Ambarys had set out to accommodate the crowd he'd anticipated. Crowded by a muscular dock worker on her left and Revyn on her right, Miranja had to set the lute on the floor and hold it between her knees.

"If a table doesn't open up by the time we've finished our first drink," Revyn told her, "I'd be happy to take you back to my place and feed you supper there. That is, if you don't mind the leftover stew I made for lunch." He looked a mite concerned that Miranja might look down on that idea, but Miranja smiled lovingly at him.

"I'm easy," she told him. "Whatever, wherever, it doesn't matter to me. As long as we fill our bellies and spend time together. By the way, we're touching." She gave him a mischievous wink.

Revyn glanced down at their pressed-together arms and thighs. "I suppose it can't be avoided in these cramped quarters," he replied with an ornery smile. "But let me just say that I'm looking forward to filling more than your belly."

Miranja's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Her gaze shifted quickly toward him in surprise and arousal, and she turned her head to the right to see him with both eyes, smiling in wonder. He held her gaze with a challenging grin, then leaned closer and kissed the air in front of her lips as he'd done back at the shop, surprising her even further. He was positively gloating at having caught her off guard.

"Revyn, I want to pounce on you right here in front of the Divines and everyone," Miranja managed to say through her constricted throat. She stared at him with burning desire in her eyes. "It really turns me on when you show me affection in public, but for you to say something so suggestive in this crowded club, well…"

Revyn laughed, and Miranja realized it was the first time she'd ever heard him truly laugh. He'd barked a couple of "hahs" or sniggered a bit now and then, but this was a sound of mirth he probably hadn't made in decades. It pleased her immensely to hear it.

Miranja reached over and stroked the air next to Revyn's cheek. "You have no idea how wonderful it is to hear you laugh," she told him.

"I had forgotten how good it feels," Revyn admitted.

"I hope you do a lot more of it in the future." She handed him her half-empty bottle of mead, then excused herself to step into the stairwell to make sure the lute was still in tune. Once satisfied that it was, she came back out to the taproom and went to the center of the room where, without any fuss, she began playing and singing "Age of Aggression." Last time, she'd sung it out of rebellion – a social infraction, at the least, in a Stormcloak city. But now Windhelm was an Imperial city, and she played it with pride.

The conversations around her died down and were replaced with singing as all the merrymakers began joining in. Miranja had never heard an entire room full of people sing a song together, and her heart swelled in her chest at the zest she heard from everyone. Even the people singing out of tune were singing with gusto, and it was beautiful. When the song ended, everyone burst into cheers, mugs were waved, ale was spilled. Miranja went straight into the Nerevar ballad, and at least half the people sang along with that one, as well. By the time she had finished the song, a table had indeed opened up, and Revyn had grabbed a seat and reserved a chair for her, catching her eye and pointing to the open seat. Miranja played one last little instrumental ditty, then joined Revyn at the table.

"I can't wait to taste your lips again," Revyn told her, hovering his hand over hers on the table, close enough that she could feel the warmth, but not close enough to touch her. Miranja's heart thrilled, and she looked around to see if anyone had heard him. If they had, they didn't let on, but Revyn smiled at her with an intent stare and she couldn't help but return the look.

Miranja waited until Ambarys came around to get their dinner orders. Then, with an evil grin, she said to Revyn, "I can't wait to run my hands over your bare skin – all of it."

A smoldering look came into Revyn's eyes, and she knew she'd especially gotten to him because she'd said it in front of Ambarys, the naysayer.

Ambarys' brows raised – to the extent that a Dunmer can lift his brows. "Should I even ask for your dinner order, or are you two about to go get a room?"

"No, Ambarys," Revyn replied, keeping his eyes on Miranja. "We're here for supper. But we'll be having dessert elsewhere."

Miranja held his gaze and ran her tongue across her top front teeth.

Ambarys looked comically bewildered.

"Tell us what's on the menu tonight," Miranja said, mouthing a kiss at Revyn.

Ambarys recited the offerings, they ordered, and Ambarys hurried away to give Malthyr the order, glancing back at them once, perplexed.

They lingered over dinner as long as they could stand, and if anyone besides Ambarys noticed their antics, Miranja and Revyn didn't notice them noticing. Except for a few moments when Idesa came over to say hello to them, they were in their own world tonight. They were almost finished with supper when a courier showed up looking for Miranja. Miranja thanked him and gave him a few septims, then read the note.

"Revyn, how would you like to make love to the Thane of Eastmarch in a big, beautiful house in Valunstrad, right across the way from your sister's employer?"

Revyn's eyes widened. "You made thane?"

"Just this afternoon," Miranja confirmed. "Right after I bought Hjerim."

"Well, congratulations! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Guess I didn't really get the chance. We had other things to talk about. Wanna take a walk after dinner?"

"Isn't that where the murderer was doing his sick, necromantic rituals?"

"Yes, but Jorleif has had the place cleaned up for me, and it seems the bedroom is also now furnished and ready to use. I'd really like to break in the bed in my new house with you, Revyn. It would be so deliciously fitting. Besides, you've hosted me quite a few times, and now I have the opportunity to host you. And I have a housecarl to meet."

"I don't know…"

"Revyn, as far as I know – correct me if I'm wrong – you've been sleeping in that tiny bed in that one-room home with holes in the floor pretty much ever since Red Mountain erupted. Let's at least go check it out. I suspect it will be a beautiful home once it's fully furnished. All the wood will feel warm and cozy once there are some lights in the place. It's nice wood, not that burnt-looking stuff the walls in the Gray Quarter buildings are made of. And I do recall that the bedroom was at least as big as your storefront and storage room combined."

"If it means that much to you, then we'll go. Are you just about done?"

Miranja scooped up the last couple of forkfuls of her garlic mashed potatoes and swallowed them quickly, chasing them with the rest of the mead in her bottle. Revyn did the same with his bread. Revyn left a respectable tip for Ambarys, and Miranja added a few coins herself. They stood and donned their cloaks, then made their way through the crowd to the door.

It was still windy, but the snow had stopped. Glad to be out of the stuffy atmosphere of the club, Miranja took a deep breath of the cold air – and coughed.

"Do you smell lamp oil?" she asked Revyn.

Revyn frowned. "Yes, it's quite strong."

Looking around, they discovered a wet rag and a broken earthenware jar lying on its side a few steps down the staircase in a pool of liquid. Revyn touched the liquid with his fingertip then rubbed his thumb and forefinger together to feel that it was oily. "Lamp oil," he confirmed. "But I don't understand why this is here."

"Me, neither, but I guess the least we can do is pick up the mess and dispose of it properly. The Candlehearth has a big litterbin behind it, and it's not far out of the way. But let's stop back at your place so I can put this lute back and get my pack."

It was around ten o'clock when Miranja opened the front doors of Hjerim and let Revyn in ahead of her. There were a few candles on plates set at strategic locations on the floor to guide anyone who might need to navigate in the dark, but otherwise, the main floor was empty. She was a little concerned that her housecarl might already be asleep, and while she didn't want to wake them, she didn't want to alarm them, either. "Hello?" she called without raising her voice too much.

She was relieved to hear footsteps from above, moving in the direction of the top of the stairs.

"Is that you, my thane?" came a male Nord voice. As he descended the stairs with a candle, Miranja could make out red shoulder-length hair and mutton chops, and the standard steel armor that all her Nord housecarls wore.

"Aye," she replied, walking over to the foot of the staircase to greet him. "I'm Miranja. Pleased to meet you. I would shake your hand, but as you can probably smell, I have lamp oil on them and need to wash up. This is my friend, Revyn."

"I'm Calder," the housecarl told her. He glanced at both Revyn and her, nodding. "Pleased to meet you both, as well."

"I need to know right now if you have any problem with Dunmer," Miranja said. "Most of my friends in this city are Dunmer, and I won't tolerate racism in my household."

"Thane, I have no problems with people of any race. If they treat me with respect, I'll treat them with respect. I form my opinions on people individually, based on their words and actions, not on stereotypes."

"Then we'll get along just fine," Miranja smiled, clapping Calder on the shoulder. "Do you have any misgivings about living here in light of what happened here?"

Calder squirmed a bit. "I have to admit, Thane, we Nords tend to be superstitious. I am a little uncomfortable, but I'll stay until I see any ghosts. Then I may need to find other employment."

"That's reasonable, I suppose," Miranja agreed, "but I'm pretty sure you won't have to worry about that.

"On a different note, I hope I didn't wake you," she continued. "You seemed to answer quickly enough when I called."

"No, Thane, I was expecting you. The Jarl told me you'd be looking to spend the night here tonight. I was just reading while I waited."

"That's good. Judging by the sound of your footsteps a minute ago, I'm guessing you're taking up residence in the small room across from the master bedroom?"

"Aye, Thane. My hope is that if an intruder tries to get to you in your sleep, I'll hear them and be close enough to stop them before they can do you any harm."

"Good man. How do you feel about being my housecarl? Did they tell you who you'd be serving when you were appointed?"

"Aye, the Jarl himself handpicked me because we have similar views about non-humans and the Empire. It's my honor to serve you, Lady Dragonborn."

The term Lady Dragonborn caught Miranja off-guard, and a vision of Talvas smiling at her and bowing deeply flashed across her mind's eye. Her heart twisted in her chest, and tears were already filling her eyes as she smiled and nodded as graciously as she could at Calder. She struggled for a moment to regain control of her emotions.

"Thank you, Calder." She was done with the formalities and ready to wash her smelly hands and get into bed, if Revyn agreed. "I have one major requirement of you, and that is that from this moment on, you will not bow and scrape and be subservient toward me. All my housecarls and other employees are like family to me, and I want nothing less with you. Please call me Miranja, and remember that this is as much your home as it is mine. I want you to be perfectly comfortable here. Agreed?"

Calder's serious face brightened a bit as he smiled. "Yes, Miranja. Agreed."

"Wonderful. Now, let's go see what they've done with my bedroom."

Calder led the way, and Revyn brought up the rear. Calder stopped at the doorway and gestured at her to go in and inspect. She did so, and was pleased to see that not only was there a fine double bed and ample lighting, there was a wash basin in the alcove on the west side of the room. Additionally, there was a full jug of water and a platter of sweetrolls on the table in that same alcove. She checked the wardrobes and found that there were a few clothes already in them, and some extra linens and towels. There was a bucket in the alcove closest to the bed on the east side of the room. Whoever was responsible for furnishing this room had done well. Satisfied that she had everything she needed to stay the night, she watched Revyn as he explored the room.

"Well, Revyn, what do you think? We even have some sweetrolls we can eat for breakfast in the morning."

"I'll try it," he assented. "As long as I'm with you, it almost doesn't matter where we sleep."

Miranja grinned and gave a little hop, clapping her hands. "Thank you, Revyn!" She turned to Calder, who was still waiting just outside the door.

"I'll be up front with you, Calder. Revyn and I are…" She looked at Revyn as she spoke, making sure he was comfortable with her telling Calder about their relationship. Revyn stared calmly and steadily back at her, so she continued. "We've been lovers since last Midyear. I brought him here in the hopes that he would be willing to break in the bed with me in my new home. So, while we will try not to keep you up, I just wanted to warn you that you might hear some things." She smiled a little sheepishly at her new housecarl. He was basically still a stranger to her, but here she was telling him her most personal business. Still, she felt he deserved a warning, if he hadn't already deduced why she'd brought Revyn there.

To his credit, Calder simply nodded placidly without succumbing to the temptation to look Revyn over once again. "It's your home, Tha – Miranja. Your business stays within these walls."

"Thank you, Calder. You're free to go on to bed now, if you want. I hope you weren't too bored sitting in this empty house, waiting for me. I plan to get the rest of this place furnished very soon, but I don't have enough funds on me right now. If I can't get back here within the next day or so, I'll send a courier to Jorleif with the funds to furnish at least the kitchen and the living room.

"Oh!" she cried, suddenly remembering. "Are you familiar with Silda?" She nodded back when Calder nodded at her. "I've been promising Silda for at least the last year that when I finally bought this place I would hire her and get her off the streets. She'll be joining you here soon, so you'll have some company."

"That's fine by me," Calder said amiably. "I've never had a problem with Silda. In fact, I'm rather fond of the old girl."

"Great," Miranja smiled. "I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, good night, my friend. I'll see you in the morning."

Calder turned to return to his room, and Miranja closed the door before going and standing in front of Revyn.

"Now can I touch you and kiss you?"

"Please do," Revyn smiled. "I don't think I can stand the anticipation much more. And you know what? I don't even care if your housecarl hears us." He grinned at her with an aggressive hunger in his eyes, then pulled her roughly into his arms and bit her lip.

Miranja's belly flip-flopped, and she had scarcely sucked in her breath in surprise before Revyn was kissing her heatedly and fumbling to unfasten her dress. Any thoughts she may still have had in the back of her mind about wishing Faendal could be the one with her tonight sizzled away in the heat of Revyn's desire. This was going to be the most exciting night she'd ever spent with Revyn.