"These are going to hurt for awhile." Selena tightens the cloth wrapping around Kyra's ribs as she lets her arms fall back around her sides.
"I'll be ok." Kyra winces as she shrugs one shoulder, pain shooting up her side. She lets her eyes close and tilts her head when Selena's lips touch her neck.
"I'm glad you're ok, you had me so worried running out of here like that." Kyra reaches up and squeezes Selena's hand as they rest on her bare shoulders.
"Me too, and I'm sorry it won't happen again baby I promise." Kyra turns her head enough for their lips to meet.
The kiss deepens as she slides her arms around Selena's neck, Selena lays back pulling Kyra on top of her Kyra's hair tumbling off one shoulder and spills down across Selena's cheek. Kyra pulls away groaning in frustration when there's a knock at the door, she clutches her bruised ribs as she sits up and ruffles her now loose dark hair. She pulls her shirt on with one hand and tosses her hair from it as she calls out to the door.
"Yes?" The door opens and Neloth stops just inside looking at the pair, Kyra still resting on Selena's lap Selena propped up on one elbow looking at him.
"Forgive me but Kyra, Frea's here." Kyra blows the air from her lungs as she swings off of Selena's lap and gets to her feet.
"Thanks Neloth, tell her I'll be right there." Neloth nods and pulls the door shut again behind him. Selena crawls on her hands and knees to the edge of the bed and sits back on her legs brushing her chestnut bangs behind one ear, looking up at Kyra. Kyra leans down and kisses her again.
"I'll try to make this quick." Selena nods biting her lip as Kyra walks out of their bedroom. Selena can still taste her wife's lips and sighs as she falls back on the bed her arms splayed out around her, blowing the air from her lungs.
Kyra shuts the bedroom door behind her, Frea and Neloth rise from one of the benches around the small pool int he center of the floor.
"Why have I been summoned here?" Frea looks at the Dragonborn, at the bruises forming on her face, her bare legs.
"I'm afraid I have dragged your people into this conflict between Miraak and I."
"We were already involved..."
"Not as much as you're about to be, I need a meeting with your Shaman." Frea looks at Neloth who doesn't say anything.
"Why?"
"I've promised your people's secrets to Hermaeus Mora in return for the knowledge to defeat Miraak."
"You what?!"
"I know, ok? I did what I had to do to get what I needed, I promise to smooth this over with the Shaman as best I can, and we will work together to figure a way out of this for your people." Frea looks at for a long moment, and Kyra was sure she was going to hit her.
"All right, very well but the Shaman is my father and he will not be so easily swayed."
"When can we meet?"
"Now."
"Give me ten minutes."
"We should leave now..."
"We can't I have to go do some smoothing of my own at the moment."
"I don't understand." Kyra smirks.
"You will when you're married." She turns on her bare heel and walks back into the bedroom.
Kyra's boots crunch in the snow as she, Neloth and Frea make their way up the steep hill to the Skaal Village.
"Now remember the Skaal are a proud people, everything is all about heritage and the All-Maker with them."
"The All-Maker?"
"The ancient god of the Nords worshipped now, as far as I know, only by the Skaal. It's about oneness with nature and such, I've often speculated that it is in fact Anu they worship. The tales describe the opposition of the All-Maker as simply the Adversary and it bears a striking resemblance to Pad..o...may."
"I would rather you didn't go on about your personal views to my father." They stop as they come into the village.
Bodies lay strewn everywhere, smoke still rose from one of the burned homes. Kyra turns over one of the bodies, taking a knee as she examines it. Neloth looks around as people dragged bodies away from the center of the village, awnings smashed possessions strewn everywhere.
"What happened?" He asks as Kyra looks at the brutal marks left behind then up at him, turning the body back over to the way she found it pushing herself to her feet.
"Lurkers. A while ago too, most of the fires have burned out. Frea when did you leave?"
"Less than six hours ago now."
"Who knew you were coming?"
"Well, everyone saw me leave..."
"Why here?" Neloth looks at Kyra, who shrugs.
"I don't know but if the Lurkers came here..." Kyra's eyes search the ground as she connects the dots, turns on her heel and takes off.
"Kyra, wait! What about the-" Neloth's voice drifts off as he watches her sprint out of sight, then turns back to the devastation.