Chapter XCVIII – Safe Places

The rest of the day had been surprisingly successful.

The workers had combed the surrounding areas through and through. Eventually, they found another Thalmor spy, a young Bosmer, trying to scout the area just as the Khajiit had. And a few hours later, another Bosmer actually showed up at the farmstead, trying to ask the proprietors about one of the Talos worshippers. Apparently the elf had lost his target.

The workers were more than eager to actually get rid of the spies. It was… for the best. They were in the same situation as the Khajiit and risking revealing their endeavors in the mountains was too dangerous, no matter the Hold's current allegiance. They were just lucky that the Thalmor couldn't send a whole squadron to investigate in the Rift and had to rely on lone, subtle spies.

But as unpleasant as this business was, it was taken care of.

They were safe. The chapel was safe. The Talos worshippers were safe.

Why did everything still feel so foreboding?

It felt like the Thalmor knew more than it appeared. It felt like there was looming danger that no one was able to anticipate or predict. And Aeyrin couldn't stop thinking about Master Therien. Had she put him in danger by involving him with Jora?

It wasn't the only thought lingering in her head. She was still wondering about that 'bait' at the bureau. She needed to talk to Bishop about it. She was curious what had caused all this.

Though maybe she should be grateful. Whatever Bishop had done, it set things in motion, but most importantly, it revealed something she would have no chance of finding out otherwise. Without this misstep, whatever it was, they would never find out about the agent in Cyrodiil. And then it could have gotten worse.

It was strange to think that things may have turned out for the best. Especially when it really didn't feel like it. It still felt like something went terribly wrong down the line.

But Aeyrin was doing her best not thinking about any of it.

Only two more days left in this place if everything went according to plans.

She needed to write to Bishop again. To tell him where to meet her and when.

And maybe agonizing over making the letter 'interesting' again could take her mind off the worries.

…

Days went by and the atmosphere at the cottage had lightened considerably.

Bishop promised Lydia and Saadia to talk to Aeyrin about the important stuff before any actual wedding and they stopped harping on it at last. He didn't want to think about it anymore and he wanted to just concentrate on the cottage. And eventually, Lydia and Saadia got into the spirit too. Especially after a few drinks. They had a lot of opinions on what they thought that Aeyrin would like in the house, based on how she made Breezehome homelier.

Bishop received one letter from her at one point. She didn't give him any information about where to send anything back so he had to assume that it wasn't safe to do so, unfortunately. He was also a little disappointed that the letter wasn't sufficiently 'interesting' as he had hoped, but at least she was alright and their endeavors were going well. That was most important.

He would make sure that she made up anything else to him once they were back.

The cottage was steadily actually starting to look… good. Very good.

They had finished the outside completely. The wood was sanded properly, the roof was re-thatched and the garden was not just a field of deadly thorns and thistles now. Bishop didn't bother with actually making it a garden or anything. Some shit would grow there again eventually anyway. The only goal was to make it actually passable.

The porch was cleaned and they did move some shit there, like a bench and a table and chairs, but nothing that was of much value. Anyone could steal it after all, weird as it would have been to steal furniture. But for a place that wouldn't see much use for a while, it was alright. Even the outside bath looked good, like a really nice place to 'relax' during the night with no one but the torchbugs around.

Aeyrin would really like that. And he was looking forward to that too – staying outside but close to home. A piece of the wilderness in their safe haven.

This place was just perfect for everything.

On the inside, everything was cleaned and the furniture was moved in. It was exactly like Bishop had imagined it. He even sprung for a small shrine of Stendarr in the basement. Just one that could be put on a table, but he still thought that Aeyrin would appreciate that. He may have not liked shit like that, but if it brought her comfort, he was fine with it.

The bed was the most difficult part. He actually decided to build one on his own. A big one that could fit a huge, soft mattress. It was going to rival the one in Solitude. He was pretty sure he had succeeded, although he struggled with that the most. Lydia and Saadia kept teasing him about it, goading him to give up and just buy one, but he knew that anything he could find in Riften wasn't going to be enough. He was right not to give up.

He had forbidden Lydia and Saadia from even sitting on that bed when it was done, just for all that teasing. Though he knew that they would anyway, the second he left the room. Eh, it was the point that counted – they shouldn't have mocked him.

Fixing this place up with the two of them was quite fun. They worked all days, sometimes quipping and teasing each other, sometimes helping each other. And every night they relaxed on the porch with a few bottles. Bishop and Lydia took turns cooking, much to Saadia's delight, and Bishop even took the time to go on a brief hunt once to get them some fresh meat.

They had been sleeping inside the cottage the entire time, though always only in their bedrolls. Once the bed was done, Bishop didn't want to sleep on it without Aeyrin and it was not like he couldn't handle a bedroll. He did insist on Lydia and Saadia always keeping theirs in the basement though – they kept insisting that they didn't need 'privacy' but Bishop didn't believe them for a second.

The basement was mostly empty now. There was a bathing room and a storage room that was perfect to preserve food. The other rooms were empty and they would be well suited to store their crap from the road. Or anything else they might need. They didn't really need much.

All in all, the house was… done. He couldn't believe that he had actually made it livable. Even nice.

He just hoped that no one would rob it until they could use it properly.

He stored the salvaged house deed in between some floorboards and the only thing that needed to be done was some security. Once he would leave, he needed to set up one of the traps by the door. He would have to make do without that one in the wilderness. This place was more important and he would still have two left. He could just tell Aeyrin that it broke and he threw it away.

But those were the last finishing touches on this 'trip'. Now they were all done and they could finally relax properly. They spent one whole day in the cottage, just enjoying their free time and each other's company. It was kind of a shame now that Aeyrin wasn't there, but this was all for her.

Lydia and Saadia didn't seem eager to return to Whiterun, but they did not talk much about how things were going there. Bishop respected that and he didn't even mention them leaving already. But eventually, on their second 'free day', another letter arrived for Bishop.

.

Dear Bishop,

Everything here is going according to plans and we should be done so that everyone can get back for the Old Life Festival. That means that I could be in Kynesgrove again by the evening of the thirtieth. Please be there. I can't wait to see you again. I've got a lot to tell you too.

So, today hasn't been great and I have a lot on my mind and I need a distraction. So I'm going to try to write you an 'interesting' letter. But you will not talk to me about this. Ever. We will pretend like this never happened because it's mortifying and I'm only doing this to distract myself. And burn this after reading. And then stomp on the ashes. And erase it all from your mind forevermore.

Also I have written like twenty versions of this. One worse than the other!

So, I've been missing you a lot over here. I know it's only been a week, but still. I miss having you warm me up at night, feeling you against me. I keep imagining how your stubble scratches my skin when you kiss my neck. Or your warm breath on me when you're between my thighs. I miss the feeling of you inside me. And the sounds you make when I scratch my nails across your back.

Alright, that's enough. Divines, this is horrible. If anyone but you reads this letter, I'm burying myself alive. In fact, I'm doing that even if only you read it. So maybe don't bother coming to Kynesgrove?

I think my face will combust at any second so I'm just going to stop writing now.

I love you, I miss you. And forget that you have ever read this.

Love, Aeyrin.

.

Bishop let out an affectionate chuckle as he read the words. He couldn't wait to see her again. Unless she was currently buried alive that is.

That letter really was 'interesting'. It really made him miss her and it did kind of work to turn him on. Maybe not in the way he expected though. He was much more riled up from imagining her agonizing over that letter. He could practically see her blushing furiously as she wrote it, biting on her lip all the time. Fuck he loved it so much when she got flustered. That always made him just want to grab her and take her, wherever they currently were.

Too bad they weren't anywhere near each other right now.

But soon. They were all done here and he was going to see her again in… well, tomorrow actually. He almost hadn't realized how soon that was.

Good. There was no way he wasn't going to remind her of this letter, if only to see her flustered again. And there was no way he wasn't keeping this.

In fact, maybe he should hide it here between the floorboards. After the experience at Irkngthand, it was much safer for the important letters and documents. He would have put his royal pardon there too, but he might actually need to have that one on him at some point.

Well for now, he was just going to enjoy the idea of Aeyrin writing him that letter. It was too bad that he couldn't write back. He would definitely make her face 'combust' with his response.

"What are you smiling at?" Lydia called out to him, interrupting his ruminations. He had almost forgotten that she was in the kitchen the entire time while he sat on the bed reading the letter. He even forgot that Saadia was there too, sitting by the kitchen table idly while Lydia cooked them something for dinner.

"Oh," Bishop tore his attention from the letter at last. "It's from Aeyrin. She's coming back tomorrow so we're gonna meet up."

"Ah… I guess we should go back home too then," Saadia sighed. She didn't seem particularly excited by that notion. Maybe things in Whiterun hadn't calmed down yet. "Hulda will be glad though. I haven't exactly told her I'd be gone this long," she snickered.

"It's a shame we don't get to see Aeyrin too," Lydia sighed somberly.

"Well… we can probably come to Whiterun sometime soon," Bishop nodded at her encouragingly. It would be good to see how things had evolved there. Lydia and Saadia were suspiciously quiet about how everything was and while he wasn't going to pry it from them, he still wanted to know. This was all because of him and that fucking bounty. He didn't want his friends to keep living like pariahs because of him.

Though he hardly knew what to do about it.

At least they could come and see if things got better. Or worse. Aeyrin would probably like to see Aela too after all this time. They still had 'something' to discuss which Aeyrin kept postponing. And Bishop could just sneak into the city at night and stay locked up in the house to avoid attention. He would manage that for a while.

"That would be nice," Lydia smiled at him somewhat weakly. "Just be careful when you do."

Bishop only nodded in response. As if he wouldn't be.

"So… you don't want Aeyrin to know we were here, right?" she let out a surprisingly worried sigh.

"Yeah, so don't say anything," Bishop confirmed. It was the easiest. He was in the Rift alone, hunting.

"I don't want to lie to her again, Bishop," Lydia scowled at him.

"You don't have to lie. Just don't say anything," he sighed. He should have known that Lydia would blow this out of proportion again. Why was it so hard for her to see the difference between making up lies about murders and bandits and surprises to make Aeyrin happy?

"It's gonna be fine, sweetie," Saadia gave her an encouraging nod. "Think of it as if we all have a surprise for her. And just look at this place. She's gonna love it. It's not like she would ever be angry about this."

Exactly. At least Saadia had some sense in her about all this. Aeyrin wouldn't be angry in the slightest if she knew that these two helped him out. Lydia was just worried over nothing.

"I guess you're right," Lydia still sighed in response, but she did smile a little.

Everything was gonna be fine.

No. It was gonna be great. Aeyrin was going to be thrilled about this place.

He still couldn't stop imagining it all. How she would react to the whole cottage, to that small shrine in the basement. How they would spend the peaceful evenings together outside on the porch or in that bathtub there. How they would finally test out the bed.

He couldn't stop imagining their life here together.

And he was getting more and more excited by that each second.

…

Bishop had been sitting in the Braidwood Inn for hours with nothing to do.

Maybe he shouldn't have come here so soon when Aeyrin said that she could be there in the evening, but he still felt like heading out much sooner. Something could have delayed him on the way and he didn't want to keep her waiting. He just wanted to see her again as soon as he could.

And he missed Karnwyr too. Though he wouldn't get to see him until they were out on the road again. Tonight, they were probably going to stay at the inn.

He had already collected the letter from Erik that was waiting there for him and Aeyrin – everything was fine at Sky Haven Temple. The dragon that destroyed Karthwasten apparently never even took interest in the fortress in the mountains and Esbern had no new important information for them. Everything seemed just as they left it there.

Bishop gestured towards the innkeeper to order another tankard of mead, but just as he did, the door to the common room swung open. As many times today already, his eyes went towards the exit instantly. But unlike all those times before, this time he found what he wanted there.

Aeyrin's face lit up the second she saw him. She didn't wait any longer before she charged at him and Bishop had barely enough time to get up from his seat

She lunged herself into his embrace, armor, pack and all, and stood on her tiptoes without a word, pressing her lips against his in an eager kiss.

Bishop hugged her tightly to himself as he pressed into her more, deepening the kiss. They didn't need to say anything – the greeting said it all.

They continued to kiss for quite a while, grabbing at each other's backs and pressing into each other's embrace. They didn't even stop when a brief hoot echoed across the room – the young son of the innkeeper's husband seemed to be just as 'impressionable' as he had been a year ago. He always tended to interrupt their more intimate moments. This time, however, Bishop only let one of his hands fall from Aeyrin's arm and he raised a middle finger at him. Although it was for the best to keep this from the public.

He stopped kissing her only for a brief second as he lowered himself a bit and grabbed her behind her thighs. It took quite an effort to hoist her up into his arms with all her equipment on, but Aeyrin caught on quickly and jumped up on her own, wrapping her legs around his hips and nestling herself into his arms.

He didn't wait any longer. As heavy as she was with all that shit, he didn't care. He just wanted her all to himself.

He took a first tentative step, but when it appeared that he would be fine carrying her like this, he started to walk on quick strides towards the room he had rented when he arrived. They were inside within seconds and Bishop kicked the door closed behind them while Aeyrin dropped her pack onto the ground, still wrapped around him tightly. His arms were getting a little tired from the weight so he didn't waste any more time before he dropped her right onto the bed and crawled on top of her.

Aeyrin started to squirm a bit in her armor on the bed, but Bishop was right on that too. He started to unbuckle her wherever he could, removing pieces of metal from her and throwing them onto the floor. They made quite a lot of noise, but he couldn't care less about that just then.

Bishop continued to remove the armor pieces while he dipped his head down towards her neck. She kept writhing on the bed, arching her back and turning every which way to help him in his efforts.

"What was it you said?" He smirked at her as he let his breath tickle her right below her ear. She was already out of most of the metal except for her boots and most of her underchain. "That you love the feeling of my stubble on your skin while I do this?"

He promptly started to kiss her neck, running his tongue over it languidly and nipping at her skin. It only elicited a groan from Aeyrin, but he wasn't sure if it was an embarrassed, frustrated or aroused one. Maybe it was all of those combined though. Her face was bright red and she was biting her lip again. So fucking hot.

"I told you not to talk about that letter!" she whined at him. It was enough that she had actually brought herself to send it, now he was reminding her? It was so embarrassing.

"Not a chance!" Bishop laughed while he started to roll up the chainmail shirt across her stomach and over her breasts. "That's imprinted in my memory forever." He finally managed to get rid of the shirt with a bit of her assistance and he tossed it to the ground as well. Without any delay, he pressed her into his arms and returned his attention to kissing her neck eagerly. "It was so fucking hot, imagining you writing it," he murmured against her skin.

"Stop it!" Aeyrin yelped and squirmed away from him, but she didn't actually get anywhere. Besides, she just wanted him to stop talking about that stupid letter, not stop what he was doing to her. "No more talking about it," she huffed. "Did you burn it? You have to burn it!"

"Never," Bishop laughed again. He kept his lips pressed to her neck while his hands moved down to finally remove the last of her chainmail. He could already feel her squirming and flexing, trying to lodge her boots on the bed to get them off. He focused on her lower half for a while and worked on taking off her chainmail trousers. It took a bit of fumbling, but soon enough they were both done, leaving Aeyrin only in her regular clothes.

"Where is it then?" she scowled at him when he returned his attention to her face. "Let me see it." Her eyes roamed all over the room to locate his backpack. She would find it and she would burn it until there was nothing left.

"I don't have it here, you'd be looking for a long time," he snickered. "I hid it. In a special place. You'll never take it away from me," he smirked at her maliciously before he leaned in to kiss her again, on the lips now, probing her with his tongue and ending the exchange with a teasing nibble on her lower lip.

"I hate you," Aeyrin growled at him when the kiss ended, but her voice still couldn't hide the involuntary lustful tone.

"Love you too, sweetheart," Bishop's chuckle rang through the room before it was interrupted. Aeyrin promptly pressed on his chest, pushing him back and forcing him to flip onto his back, pressed into the mattress. She straddled his thighs eagerly, settling herself on his lap and grinding herself against his clothed crotch.

It was time for a proper reunion.

…

"So they were just following these people for ages?" Bishop wondered with a permanent scowl etched on his face as he idly played with a strand of Aeyrin's hair.

They have spent some time 'catching up' with the more fun things they missed before they relaxed together on the bed and started discussing what actually happened on Aeyrin's 'mission'. She told him everything. What they were building, how it was going to help the persecuted worshippers and she told him about the Thalmor spies.

"At every step?" he looked a bit incredulous as he continued. "I would imagine the Thalmor had better things to do. Weren't these just regular citizens? And weren't they hiding the worshipping shit carefully? Were the Thalmor really following people as they walked around markets and shit?"

Valid questions. Those that Aeyrin and Brunwulf had wondered about as well. And it brought them to the important parts.

"Actually… no," Aeyrin sighed. She nestled herself closer to Bishop's embrace, pressing her naked body against his as if for more comfort as she explained. "They… someone read a letter from Cyrodiil. It talked about the plans for the list of names. So… the Thalmor knew that it might get stolen. Or copied. Someday. And they planted something in the bureau to let them know when it happened. So that they could follow a few of them then."

"Wait… what?" Bishop's eyes went wide and he gave her a disturbed expression. Oh fuck! Did he do this? Did he send the Thalmor after her? 'Planted something'? It was that fucking expensive necklace, wasn't it? That was the only thing he took. Fuck, he should have never taken it. Why couldn't he just do what he intended to and leave no trace?

"Bish, did you take something from there?" Aeyrin raised herself up on her elbow and looked at him with concern. Shit. He had to come clean.

"Princess, fuck. I'm so sorry," he shook his head at himself. "There was this… trinket. A necklace. It looked so fucking expensive and it was on the ground in between some crates. It looked like someone just lost it there. I didn't think anyone knew that it was ever there," he said defensively before he stopped himself. Shitty excuses. He did something really bad. He revealed all their efforts to the last people that should know. "Shit. I fucked up everything. I'm so sorry, love."

"Calm down," Aeyrin pressed her hand against his chest in a soothing gesture. "You didn't, actually. I told you, somehow they read a letter about the list. They already knew. And they don't know about the new chapel, we took care of every agent that followed the Talos worshippers. But because of that, we now know that there is someone who read the letter. Someone… in Cyrodiil. Maybe… in the temple…" her voice trailed off. She knew that Brunwulf promised to take care of that agent there, but she couldn't help worrying. What if they had something on Master Therien already? They could arrest him. The Thalmor would torture him. Do unspeakable things to him. Gods, she really didn't want to think about this.

"So that person was spying on the temple before?" Bishop asked with involuntary hopefulness in his tone. That made him feel better. He may have exposed a spy with his carelessness. But then he noticed Aeyrin's expression and he quickly cupped her cheek in a soothing gesture. "Sweetheart, I'm sure they don't have anything on Therien. You'd know by now, right? Maybe they don't even know that the letter was from him. Maybe they just intercepted a courier. And he's probably encrypting them when he writes to the others. And the letter to you told you not to steal the list."

"Y-yeah, I guess," Aeyrin sighed. "And Free-Winter went to Cyrodiil when we were done to investigate and warn Master Therien. I just… feel kind of useless and I don't know what's going on down there."

"Well… I guess we could…" Bishop said, but he was promptly interrupted.

"No. It's too dangerous and we don't know anything about dealing with Thalmor. Not like this. I don't want to make things worse. I can't… I can't make things worse for him," Aeyrin shook her head desperately. This was so out of her wheelhouse that it was painful. She would definitely screw something up and ensure her mentor's bleak future in a Thalmor dungeon.

"Alright. You're probably right," Bishop nodded at her with a sigh. "I'm sure he'll write to you once things are taken care of."

"Y-yeah," Aeyrin lay down again and pressed herself into his arms. It did feel a little better. She really hoped that nothing would come of this. But she still needed to think about something else right now. "So… the necklace. Was it expensive?"

"No," Bishop let out a disappointed sigh. That was a lie. It cost a fucking fortune, but he couldn't say that. Then she would wonder what he had spent it on and that was a secret. No. A surprise. It allowed him to buy the engagement ring. "It was a fucking fake," he growled angrily. It made him wonder though – why wasn't it a fake? Why would the Thalmor waste an expensive necklace like that for the bait? Maybe it was like pocket money to them. Or maybe it was a fake, but such a good one that neither him nor Gulum could tell. If that was the case, Bishop really kinda lucked out that something good came from this. He could have ended up with nothing at all and only a stupid mistake that put people in danger. He just hoped that Brunwulf's investigation would alleviate his guilt even more.

"Well… it did help us. At least we know now about that agent down in Cyrodiil," she gave him a reassuring smile.

"Yeah. That's more luck then we deserve," he scoffed. "I promise, princess, no more risks like this on heists. Ever." He meant it. No amount of money was worth fucking up something so royally. Even if he was sure that the item wouldn't be missed, apparently even then it was too much of a risk.

Aeyrin nodded at him silently. She didn't seem upset with him just… tired, it looked like. Maybe she was tired of stressing over this so much.

It was probably a good time to distract her from those worries.