Chapter CXXXIII – Never Let Go

Apparently, it wasn't enough that Aeyrin and Bishop had to fight through some of the Silent City's denizens the second they left their hiding place.

They certainly weren't the only ones drawn to that glowing 'sun'.

They barely woke up and recuperated and they were quickly dragged into the worst heat of battles. All the way from their sleeping chamber, across the entire Silent City, they were beset by Falmer. Some shot at them from the buildings or the pathways between them, some were lurking around the corners, waiting to ambush them, and some were huddled in bigger groups, attacking in numbers. And that was only on the outside.

When they reached the last tower they needed to explore, the situation wasn't any better.

They kind of regretted not taking it on last night after they had cleared most of the city – the Falmer wouldn't have regrouped so quickly. But then again, neither would have they. They were battered enough and even today they weren't in the best of states. Everything was sore and some of the magical burns still lingered on their bodies, only treated with salves. Aeyrin couldn't really deal with those well yet.

It made their battles even harder. As if they needed to be. But somehow they managed so far without major injuries. It took long enough to cross the City. Even longer to ascend up the tower and explore it fully.

But finally, they stood in front of a door that they knew could only lead outside onto the high platforms by the glowing orb.

Well… 'stood' was a strong word. They were leaning on the walls by the door, panting in exertion and giving themselves a fleeting moment of rest. Close quarters weren't ideal for Falmer battles. But unfortunately, it was where most Falmer battles took place. Then again, with how they swarmed people, open spaces weren't exactly ideal either. Maybe it was just fighting Falmer in general. How could something entirely blind be so effective in battle?

They had almost the same number of cuts, gashes and bruises as last night already between the two of them. But the platforms were their last stop for now. They really hoped something special awaited them out there. Otherwise this whole thing was for nothing since they got most of their loot in the City below. The tower was largely barren – it seemed to serve only as an observatory. The rooms around the floors were mostly empty with thin slit windows from which the Dwemer likely monitored the situation in the underground city.

Now they finally had a moment of respite with the tower cleared. For now. It wasn't a long moment. They knew that there were Falmer on the platforms. And more could have entered the tower by now, making their way towards the two of them.

"Packs?" Bishop asked in between his strained breaths that were only slowly calming down. His leg hurt so fucking much after he got stabbed right above the knee by one of those fuckers. But he could walk and he needed to hold on a little longer.

"I was… thinking… there…" Aeyrin pointed to the small ledge that circled the main tower chute, right below the golden dome. It wasn't very high. They could toss their packs onto it and then pick them up once the battle was done. It was never a good idea to fight with so much weight on their backs and they weren't exactly eager to leave them here behind closed doors for all to see – the Falmer could come from below and instead of attacking, just grab their stuff. Then what would they do with no supplies?

"Good idea," Bishop nodded. He slowly leaned back from the wall and took one of his arms from his pack's straps. Then he only let it slump down his other arm with barely any effort. The more difficult part would come now.

He grabbed the strap and tried to toss the entire heavy pack up onto the ledge. It barely got near it before it clattered onto the ground next to him. Fuck that made a lot of noise. That was so fucking stupid of him. His exhaustion was clearly making his judgment kind of suspect.

"Maybe best to… rest more," Aeyrin gave him a soft smile. "Or you could hoist me…"

"I can't hoist you," he interrupted her with an exasperated chuckle. If he couldn't toss his pack, he sure as fuck couldn't hoist her up with all her armor on. And she probably couldn't hoist him up either, no matter her strength. She was still a tiny elf trying to lift up a Nord. And even though she could manage with difficulty under normal circumstances, this was far from their normal, when it came to remaining strength and agility.

She had a point. A bit more rest was necessary. Fortunately his blunder with the pack didn't lure attention from the outside.

"You think it will be in some display somewhere?" Bishop mused after a while, finally able to talk without panting. "Or just like… tossed somewhere."

"I thought it was going to be inside that orb. But now that we've seen it up close, I don't know," Aeyrin shrugged. She really hoped that she was wrong about it, because she had no idea how to break that orb without her Shouts if they had to.

"Maybe a Falmer has it. They steal everything," Bishop pondered more, earning only a thoughtful nod in response.

It was a good point. It would make sense for the Falmer to steal it by now. That only made her think that they were on the right track here.

"You feeling ready?" she looked at him after a while. Bishop only gave her a strained chuckle in return, but he did straighten up properly a few moments later.

"Ready as I'll ever be. We shouldn't really dawdle here."

They both threw their backpacks up onto the ledge, now that they had some of their strength back, and they brandished their weapons in preparation for what was to come. Bishop didn't even bother with his bow – the platforms were too narrow to maneuver anyway and they weren't spanning nearly far enough for it to make sense.

Aeyrin was first in line, as always. She barged through the thick metal door as quickly as she could with her mace ready. The swarm of Falmer was already in attention with their weapons drawn too. They clearly knew that someone was coming. It was hardly surprising. They made some noise inside and besides, they were surely plain to hear when they were butchering these creatures down below.

Bishop was right at her heel and, as a group of Falmer charged her, he in turn rushed towards those that stayed further back on the platforms – those with bows and staves in their hands. The platforms weren't exactly providing them with a lot of room, but that could be turned to their advantage. As he dashed across, he swung his sword against one of the charging Falmer's leg, making it screech in pain, stumble, and fall over the edge of the platform. There was nothing to hold onto. Just a few small pillars around that looked like sometime back they could hold a chain railing. But that was long gone.

He reached the group of archers and mages promptly and slashed another one's bare chest. It was imperative to get rid of the mages first. But as soon as he got there, the archers dropped their bows and drew their melee weapons instead. They were ready for anything. And he was soon surrounded by them on all sides.

In the meantime, Aeyrin was in the midst of her own struggle by the tower entrance. She managed to successfully smash one Falmer in its head and another into the flank – that one fell over the edge too. But there was a big problem ahead of her. A very heavily armored creature wielding two swords. It was fast and relentless. And every blow she managed to get in just clanked against its armor or helmet harmlessly. The flames didn't even graze the thick strange metal. Or shell, or whatever it was.

It was fortunate that there were only two others left, aside from the menacing one. Another wide swing sent one more falling back onto the platform, enveloped in flames. But it made her head spin a little. It was disorienting. The next thing she knew, she felt a sudden dull pain on her arm and it made her drop her mace onto the platform.

She couldn't lose focus now. She quickly turned towards her assailant, mace or no mace, and punched the Falmer in its face with her armored fist. She was a little surprised how much strength was in that reflex, given her overall exhaustion, but the creature staggered back in pain and stumbled over the edge of the platform.

Huh.

She didn't even realize how close she was to the edge.

Before she could ponder on her current position, the armored Falmer struck again. She wasn't fast enough to react. Its sword clanked against her chained thigh with force, making her knee jerk in shock. It sent her sprawling onto the platform with a loud clanking noise. Even blind, the attacking Falmer knew exactly what happened right away.

She didn't even manage to prop herself up on her hands and attempt to stand. A harsh kick hit her flank a second later, with so much force that it sent her tumbling back. She felt it - the stone beneath her disappearing. Her hands dug into the stone with all her might and she let out an involuntary yelp as she felt the weight of her lower half drag her down, her feet already dangling in the air. There was nothing to hold onto until her elbow connected with something hard.

There was a small pillar and, without even thinking, her arm snaked around it, holding onto it for dear life. It was close. So terrifyingly close. She was already hanging off the edge with the suddenly enormous weight of her armor trying to drag her to her fall. But her head was still above the platform as one of her arms held the pillar tightly and the other pressed onto the stone, steadying her. Like this, she could still hoist herself up, despite the weight.

If only it wasn't for that Falmer.

It was upon her in an instant and she could only register the heavily armored foot, right above her arm. It was instinct. She didn't know what else to do. If she wouldn't do this, it would find a way to toss her over the edge completely. It was so high. There was no chance of surviving.

Her hand grabbed the armored foot firmly and yanked. For a moment, the Falmer was a convenient thing to hold onto, but that disappeared straight away. Her motion did exactly what she wanted it to – the Falmer stumbled as she yanked it, tripping over its feet and her arm both. She didn't let go. She couldn't. She yanked again, heaving with her whole body, until it stumbled over the edge right next to where she dangled.

Her grip eased and the Falmer was sent falling down to its death. But the momentum did her no favors.

Her hold of the pillar shifted with the harsh, heavy motions and her hand slipped around it. Her whole body slid further down until she could only grip a metal ring on the pillar – there were several that looked like they used to hold a chain, but unfortunately, she could only grab onto the lowest one in her panic. Now she was hanging entirely in the air, unable to grab onto the platform any longer. Her only hold was her fingers hooked around the metal ring.

"Aaah! Bishop!" She screamed. It was all she could think to do. She swung in the air like a pendulum, trying as she might to grab the platform with her other hand, but she couldn't get a hold of it. Gods, she was so heavy. The armor was so heavy. Her fingers under her chain burned with searing pain from the desperate hold of the ring.

Bishop couldn't even see what was happening. He was still surrounded, trying to thin the herd with wide swings as he had done before. But when her scream echoed through the cavern, he knew instantly where it came from. And when he couldn't see her there, even if he focused on the small visible points in between the bodies obstructing his view, he knew what happened. His only immediate comfort was her second scream. She was there, she didn't fall.

But she clearly might.

Fuck, he needed to get to her. He wasn't sure how she was holding onto the platform, but he needed to help her now.

He stabbed his sword into the Falmer that was barring his path, but just as he was about to withdraw it and jump over its slumped corpse, a painful shock struck his entire back. It traveled through his whole body, leaving searing heat behind and making him shake with the charge of sudden electricity. He knew that there was one mage left and with his attention effectively diverted, the fucker managed to cast a spell.

Bishop's grunt of pain only served to alert another Falmer that promptly slammed its weird bumpy club into his flank. It instantly forced him to his knees.

He needed to get up. But first he needed not to get killed.

"Hold on, pr'ncess!" he yelled through gritted teeth. It was weird, they wouldn't open from the clench. As if the electricity was still flowing through him.

Fucking idiot. What else is she going to do? Just let go and plummet to death? Fuck, don't think about that.

Aeyrin couldn't hold on much longer though. The weight was unbearable. It kept dragging her down. She couldn't even feel her fingers anymore. She was pretty sure they were bleeding from the rings of her chain digging into them. And the movements she did, trying to swing enough to grab onto the platform with her other hand, only made it harder. This wasn't gonna work. She needed to do something else.

Feim. Feim. Why isn't this working?! Gods, why?!

No sound left her lips, no matter how hard she concentrated, how much she needed it. Her blood didn't let her take control. The monster inside pushed every instinct she used to rely on away.

She didn't know what else to do. The armor was so heavy.

Maybe she could hold on a little longer without it.

She didn't have any other choice. It was just a thing. It would make the situation here more precarious, but what was more dangerous than this? She needed to get rid of it. Her clasps were made for easy undressing – she only hoped that she could hold on through the movements as she reached with her free hand for one clasp, then the second, third, fourth. Her chest and back plates fell off her heavily then, hitting the backs of her calves before they plummeted down into the City below. But it was a considerable weight off.

Bishop was still on his knees, unable to have even a second to get up. All his energy had to be devoted to keeping the Falmer off him. He did manage to stab that fucking mage, thank the fucking Gods, but there were four more trying to kill him and the lack of sounds from where Aeyrin was supposed to be was filling him with more and more dread.

She would scream if she fell. She's fine. She's definitely alive. Fuck.

He felt another heavy blow into his back from that fucking club, but at the same time, he managed to swing his sword against two of them, slashing their stomachs. One of them ended up with a deep gash, bleeding out on the platform and the other one stumbled back from the blow charged with electricity, enough to give Bishop some leeway. He could finally move a bit. He didn't dare stand up with enemies at his back, but he dropped to the ground and rolled around instead in order to face the remaining two.

One of them charged him, but Bishop was ready. He pointed his sword in the way just as the Falmer jumped on him, letting it impale itself on the blade. The weight of the creature was threatening to fall on him, so he didn't waste time trying to get his sword back. Instead, he let go, letting the creature fall even further atop it as it lodged against the platform, and he rolled away again. He grabbed the club from the impaled creature's grip instead and smashed it against the last hale Falmer's head.

That did it. He frantically got up on his feet and smashed the staggered creature in its head as well. They were all dead now. And he needed to hurry.

Aeyrin felt like she was only hanging by the tips of her fingers by now. She kept clenching her toes, trying to wriggle out of her heavy, metal boots, rubbing her feet against each other so that she would manage to slip them off. She really wasn't sure if all that moving didn't make things worse, but the loss of her armor did make it a little better. It felt like it. Or maybe she was just losing all feeling in her hand.

One of her boots finally slid off her leg, so fast with how heavy it was. It was much easier now to move her newly freed foot and use it to slide the other boot off. She could feel liquid running down the palm of her hand, but she couldn't let go, no matter how deep the rings were digging into the flesh of her fingertips.

But she couldn't hold out much longer. Even with the majority of her armor weight off, it was so exhausting, so hard to keep holding on. And Bishop had been surrounded when she slid off the platform. What happened to him? Was he still fighting?

Or was he…?

Before her mind got overwhelmed by the disastrous scenarios, a hand gripped her flailing wrist.

Oh Gods. Thank the Gods.

The relief barely managed to wash over her as she was yanked up almost roughly, as if he had expected to have to exert much more strength for the process. But Bishop didn't miss a beat. The second he could, he wrapped his other hand around her torso, pulling her up with force.

She finally let go of that ring on the pillar. There was no relief for her numb hand – she was sure that her chainmail was dug deep into her flesh – but none of it mattered. She grabbed onto him in return until they were enveloped in a tight hug. He kept dragging her upwards until her knees could feel the platform beneath her and her bare feet touched the cold stone as she was brought into a kneeling position. Bishop was kneeling too, but he didn't let go of her even for a second, not even when they were both finally safe again.

"Fuck... shit… fuck," Bishop let out the words in between gasps of both exertion and disbelief. He clutched her tightly to himself. He didn't even care that his back burned like crazy, that he had so many slashes on his arms and legs he couldn't even feel where they were anymore in that mess. "I thought… fuck." He almost lost her. He still couldn't believe it. The adrenalin of battle did a lot to push away the panic, but now, it seemed to just come crashing down.

Aeyrin just felt like she was shaking. Maybe she was. She wasn't sure if it was her muscles after all that strain or if it was from the stress and shock. It only served to remind her how helpless she felt without her Shouts. But that was the last thing she wanted to agonize over right now. She still couldn't believe she didn't fall, that he helped her just in the nick of time. That she was on solid stone again. Some part of her still felt like she was dangling there in the air at the cusp of swift death. She still couldn't feel her hand, she barely even realized how tightly she was holding onto him. And only now she could feel the cold on her cheeks from the tears of shock.

They stayed like that for what felt like the longest time. Neither of them were willing to let go of each other. Neither of them were even capable of properly processing what just happened. What could have happened.

It was like they weren't even there just then – not on these high platforms above a city still crawling with Falmer. The only thing that mattered was that they were both alive.

Only after a long while, a sickening gurgle tore them back to reality. One of the Falmer with its skull bashed in didn't seem entirely dead.

No matter how much they wished this deathtrap of a place to go away just then, it wouldn't. They were still stuck in the middle of it with no end in sight.

And the more reality came crashing down, the more they were reminded of where they were and just how wounded and exhausted they both were.

It was time to let go of the security of the embrace.

…

It was almost unbelievable.

It was hard to even remember the ordeal they had just gone through.

When they parted from their desperate embrace, they could both only focus on the pain in their bodies and the need to finish off all the Falmer. The creatures all ended up shoved off the platform in the end. The two of them then proceeded, entirely wordlessly, to grab their packs from the inside and set up on the platforms again. The first thing to do was to secure the door leading back into the tower. Then they could actually sit down and take care of their wounds.

When the atmosphere got decidedly calmer and less frantic, only then they started to notice it.

This place, even with how astonishing Blackreach was, the view from these platforms was something else. They could see so far. All those places, illuminated from the distance by the giant mushrooms. And the large orange globe, making everything around them enveloped in a warm light, almost like the sharp rays of afternoon sun.

This place was more mesmerizing than even their first glances of this underground complex.

It was hard to remember how dangerous it was when one looked over the horizon.

Bishop was standing on the edge of the platform, staring at the bright glowing 'sun'. It almost looked like it was burning on the inside, like flame trapped in a glass ball, encased in metal.

His wounds were already treated – Aeyrin had insisted that she would take care of him first. The burns from the shock spells were still there, only soothed by salves. Aeyrin said they might leave some scars if they weren't treated properly soon. He didn't care. He had enough scars already anyway, what was a few more? Besides, surviving this place – that was a feat worth commemorating.

The view seemed just so strangely… placating. He wasn't even sure why.

"No Scroll. So you almost died up here and it was for… nothing…" he let out a sigh as his last word was uttered with palpable uncertainty. He wasn't sure why it didn't really feel like 'nothing', no matter what had transpired just moments ago.

"It's amazing," Aeyrin smiled softly when she looked up at him. She was down on the platform, on her knees and finally out of her underchain as well, running her healing hand over her bloodied and torn fingers on the other. She knew what Bishop really meant by his remark though. The fear she felt when she dangled there over the abyss was strangely distant now. This place had an odd effect on the both of them, it seemed. No matter the dangers, the pain of their wounds or their constant exhaustion, they still found themselves filled with wonder all the time.

"Yeah," Bishop smirked a bit at the shared sentiment. Everything was even more astonishing from above like this. He was pretty sure he could already make out the familiar landmarks. The small tower where they stayed their first night here. Maybe even the entrance to Alftand. It was so far, but he could see the distant lights. He was sure that was it.

They could make a map like this. The Scroll was clearly not here, no matter how much they hoped it would be. There was still Aeyrin's theory that it was inside that glowing orb, but that would require them to break it somehow. They tried throwing one of the Falmer weapons at it, but it didn't even scratch it. They had no way of doing that. All they could do was hope that the Scroll was somewhere else.

And for that, they could use a map. Maybe. He felt like his staring at the view should be materialized somehow anyway.

He looked over his shoulder briefly to check on her. Or maybe to stare at her for a change as the warm light played on her golden hair. Even grimy as it was after all their travels here, it still looked so shiny. And the way her eyes gleamed in the light.

She was currently rummaging in one of their packs. Her hand was clearly healed already, since she could do that. It looked really bad when she took off her chain glove. He could see how much pain she was in as she tried to slowly dislodge the rings from her flesh. It was painful just to watch. But she had been confident that she could heal it well. Of course she could. There was barely anything left but a faint sore feeling after all his deep gashes. Too bad his armor couldn't be 'healed' that easily. It was going to cost a fortune to get it fixed. But fortunately, this place had provided them with plenty of loot already.

"Could you grab the riddle parchment for me?" he interrupted the silence again and Aeyrin only nodded absentmindedly. He could draw the map on the back of it. He wasn't even sure if it would do them any good in the end – they already had the directions and the road signs. But it was good to take the opportunity when he had a view like that.

He turned his gaze back onto the sights ahead. The horizon with the patches of teal, blue and purple light was magical, but he couldn't help being always drawn to staring back into the glow of the orb. He liked the colors. The bright yellowy orange. It looked more like amber than the sun's glow, now that he thought about it. And the black metal around it reminded him of…

Wait…

Fuck!

"Shit! No! Wait!" He turned around in a sharp motion as his heart started to beat wildly with the sudden panic.

But it was too late.

Aeyrin was kneeling on the ground, clutching his chest piece in one hand and holding it in the other. The ring. He didn't even realize. He kept it hidden in the same place he stashed that stupid fucking riddle. She stared at it with her eyes wide, filled with confusion and shock.

"Is that…?"

Her voice trembled. It was plain to see after all – what else could it be? If he had just bought her a simple present, he wouldn't have hid it like this. She clearly figured out what this was intended for. Fuck. This was not how it was supposed to go. He didn't plan this. He didn't know what to do now.

Aeyrin kept staring at the ring, unable to even make sense of the thoughts swirling in her head. There were just too many at once to even be able to concentrate on a single one. The shock was all she could feel for a moment, before she felt something else – a smile starting to tug almost involuntarily at her lips. Her mind was blank, but it was like some strange subconscious reaction. But that was all before she looked up at him instead of on that beautiful ring. His face was that of pure horror and even the barest hint of her smile fell at that.

"Yeah… fuck! You weren't supposed to see that," Bishop growled, as if he was chastising himself.

She wasn't? Why? He just admitted that it was what she thought. An engagement ring. Why didn't he want her to see it? Her heart clenched instantly with worry. Was it even for her? Maybe he stole it somewhere or found it. Maybe he wanted to sell it and now he worried that she would misinterpret the meaning. Or maybe it was exactly what it looked like. Only he…

"Oh," she couldn't hide the sorrow from her voice that accompanied the realization. She couldn't stop her hand from suddenly trembling. "You… changed your mind."

If Bishop looked horrified before, now he must have just looked like he was struck by lightning. She might have seen that if she would have been able to look at him at that moment.

Fuck, this was going even fucking worse than he could have ever imagined.

Fucking Void, you dumb shit, just talk to her already!

She looked so crestfallen. And it made him strangely happy, aside from the panic.

"What?! No!" He shook his head briskly and he rushed towards her again. She still didn't look up at him, not until he knelt down in front of her and carefully took her trembling hand in his, enveloping both it and the ring held between her fingers. "No. I didn't. Never. I just…"

Aeyrin finally looked at him as he tried to stammer out an explanation. He wasn't even sure if he had one. He had thought about this countless times before. But he kept postponing. He kept wondering if it was the right thing to even ask her. If he wasn't just being selfish and possessive. Or whenever he tried to get over those doubts, he kept agonizing over the perfect moment. This was definitely not how he imagined this going.

"I didn't change my mind. I just… I was waiting for… I don't even fucking know. I…" he kept stammering and her silence only seemed to make it worse. But now there was no going back. "Sweetness, you know that I'm not good with this shit. I… I don't know what to say…" he sighed in defeat.

"Well…" her voice was almost surprising to him. And agonizing over what her actual reaction would be was just making it worse. He couldn't tell whether this was something she would even want. He never talked to her about it before like he had planned. He never even got to see anything but confusion on her face before he ruined it with his blabbering, making her think he didn't want this anymore. That would be a hurtful realization, even if she didn't want it either right? He just wasn't sure how to brace himself for this.

"You could just… ask," she looked at him, almost carefully. He could swear that he saw a hint of hopefulness in her eyes, but she quickly recoiled. "If… if it's what you want."

Fuck, what a pair they were, stumbling around this like this. Would she really want this too? She wouldn't tell him to ask if she was planning to reject him, right? There was still so much they had to consider. So many doubts that had been planted in his mind ever since he got that ring. But right now, he didn't have it in him to think about any of them. He just couldn't contain his relief. And… happiness? It almost seemed ridiculous after those bouts of panic.

Maybe it was perfect, in a way. Life and death situations always seemed to bring it out in them, it seemed. And this place… if he was waiting for something special, something unique, he could definitely not find a better one.

"Guess it's that simple, huh?" he smirked, almost disbelievingly. The grin stayed on his face after that, and he was unable to get rid of it, no matter how seriously he meant his next words. "Sweetness," his free hand moved to her cheek affectionately, stroking over her skin in small circles. The smile she gave him only spurred him on. "You already know I can't imagine anything else than spending the rest of my life with you. I… I don't know what the fuck happened to me. If you had any idea how long I've been thinking about this, you'd think I've gone insane."

Aeyrin chuckled a little at him as she nuzzled her cheek into his hand. She still clutched the ring in the one he was enveloping and clear thoughts were still hard to come by. She never really thought about this stuff. Not like this. Not before right now. But she never really thought about her future without him anymore, whenever she did. She wasn't really one to plan these things, but she was always one to rely on her gut. And all she could feel right now was how much she wanted him to ask already.

"Will you marry me?"

She wasn't sure if her voice even came out. Her answer was so quiet as she felt her throat constrict. But her smile must have done the talking regardless.

"Of course I will."

She couldn't speak any more. She couldn't do anything else. She felt herself getting choked up and, as if that would prevent it, she disentangled herself from his soft touch and threw herself into his embrace instead. Her lips found his in a matter of a second, locked in a deep, affectionate kiss.

Bishop's arms wrapped around her back as he squeezed her closer into his embrace. Did she really just say 'yes'? Well, not literally, but still. She didn't even look like she needed to think about it. Whenever he ran this scenario in his head, yeah, sure, he hoped for this, but he always thought that it couldn't happen like this – not when he sprung it on her out of nowhere. Maybe she was thinking about this too and he just didn't know. Or maybe she was really that sure at that moment. Or maybe she was just caught up in it and would change her mind later.

Don't fucking think about that.

He didn't want to start obsessing about this again. He just wanted to enjoy this moment, the contentment that filled him when he saw her excitement.

His tongue started to tease her eagerly, drawing out a muffled moan out of her lips. He wanted nothing more than for them to get lost in each other's touch, even here in this place. Just forget all the struggles they had gone through and concentrate on what was really important now. But there was still one more thing he needed to do before that.

"Fuck," his voice came out in a pant as he parted from her for a second. He couldn't help but lean in to kiss her deeply one more time before he pulled back again to speak. "Wait a second."

Aeyrin seemed reluctant to wait. She moved her lips down to his neck, flicking her tongue gently against his skin, but she did pull back again after a while. It didn't even occur to her what he might want to wait for until he took a hold of her hand and gently nudged her fingers open.

She was still clutching the ring inside her grip, barely even realizing it.

Bishop took the ring from her when she opened her palm and he held her hand with his other one.

He realized that he was sliding the ring on her finger with a strange measure of reverence in his stare, but when his eyes darted towards her for a while, she looked just as shocked and fascinated about what was happening.

She looked at the ring intently. She felt like this was the first time she had actually seen it. Before, when she felt the strange shape in Bishop's armor pocket, instead of only the expected piece of parchment, her head got flooded by a blur of thoughts the second she pulled it out. She knew that it looked like an engagement ring to her. That it was hidden like one might be. She couldn't really concentrate on it too much though when she tried to decipher what it could all mean.

But now, she couldn't take her eyes off it. It was gorgeous. It wasn't overly gaudy, which she always liked, and she really loved the colors. Especially the amber drop – it reminded her of Bishop's eyes. It fit her finger perfectly. Everything about it was perfect.

She didn't get to admire it as long as she might have liked though. Bishop's arms wrapped around her waist a second later again and her attention got completely torn away from the ring when his lips descended on hers once more, locking them in another eager kiss.

There was no more left to be said, at least not now. Not when the world around them fell away with all the Falmer, all the danger, even all the beautiful surroundings. There was nothing more attention-worthy than being together.

They were still kneeling on the ground in their embrace, but soon, as their kiss prolonged, their hands started to wander. Aeyrin hooked hers under Bishop's torn and cut shirt. She was sure that if she just yanked hard enough, it would fall apart on his body, but that wasn't a good idea. He had mused before that he would use the one she sometimes slept in if he needed, but she was determined to not let it happen. What if that one got ruined too? It was hers now. So instead, she carefully draped the shirt over his head, only reluctantly pausing the kiss when the fabric rolled over his face, before her lips fastened on his again, her tongue eagerly probing his mouth.

She made sure not to toss the shirt away but instead to only place it beside herself – the platforms were really not made to throw stuff haphazardly. She already lost her armor – the Falmer would surely steal it soon – there was no need for them to sacrifice their clothes to the abyss as well.

Bishop followed suit with her shirt promptly. And once that was off and discarded, he grabbed her by the backs of her thighs and pulled her onto his lap. Aeyrin straddled him eagerly as his hands ran upwards, over her buttocks, her back, always squeezing her flesh, until they stopped below her shoulder blades. In the meantime his lips left hers and his kisses moved across her jaw, down her neck with soft bites, and towards her cleavage. She leaned back instinctively, letting him support her weight with his hands as her head dipped back and her torso arched, practically pressing her breasts to his face.

He didn't wait a second before he buried his head in her soft flesh, planting brief kisses everywhere he could.

Aeyrin felt like her head was spinning, dipped back like that. She wasn't sure why it made things even better, why it felt even better to have his lips suck on her skin eagerly, his stubble scratching her softly. Bishop moved his mouth to her nipple, sucking gently first, before he started to roll his tongue around it, eliciting a lustful moan from her. Her hands darted to embrace him, one tangling in his hair, pulling him even more against her breast and the other on his back.

Her hand on his back clenched when he softly bit into the flesh around her nipple and her nails dug in. He always loved that. But as her hand jerked with another careful bite, it raked over one of the lightning burns and he instinctively pulled his mouth off her with a loud hiss of pain.

"Oh Gods! Sorry," Aeyrin yelped in realization as her torso straightened up, blood rushing back from her head in a strangely dizzy motion. She could feel the wound beneath her fingers. It was so easy to forget about what state they were in. The last thing she wanted was to make it worse.

"I'm fine, sweetness," he chuckled at her a little. It didn't even really hurt that bad anymore. It just stung a bit and the reaction was more automatic than anything. He definitely didn't want her to stop. But she already did. Now he could tell she would be way too self-conscious to touch him. It was time to distract her again. Properly.

He lowered her onto the cold stone, letting her lay flat on her back in the middle of the platform. Her legs were still wrapped around his waist, but when he hooked his hands under the hems of her trousers and undergarments at once, she quickly accommodated him.

Her clothes were completely gone in seconds, but Bishop didn't bother removing the rest of his yet. First, the distraction.

Aeyrin wasn't sure if she was shivering more from the cold stone touching her back and her ass, or from the excited anticipation of watching Bishop lower himself between her thighs and hoist her legs up over his shoulders. She felt his warm breath over her slick folds first, then the gentle touch of the tips of his fingers. Her eyes peered up at the cavernous ceiling, illuminated by the mesmerizing glowing moss. It almost felt surreal – the lights being the only thing in front of her eyes and the jolts of pleasure coursing through her at every teasing touch of his being the only thing she could concentrate on.

A soft moan escaped her lips at first when Bishop's tongue started to run through her folds, its tip circling her sensitive spots, alternating between slow motions and fast lapping. The longer he kept up the treatment, always doing something a little different, catching her off guard either with the motions of his tongue or by teasing her with his fingers, her breath kept getting more and more labored.

Her thighs were beginning to squeeze his head periodically, every time she felt her body tauten. His treatment of her was getting gradually more intense, his fingers penetrating her at a rapid pace before they got replaced by tongue, sliding in and out of her wetness. Her pants and soft sighs were turning into louder moans each second. She knew that she should probably control herself – being too loud might attract the Falmer and the door wasn't that secured – there was no way to actually barricade it properly aside from Bishop fiddling with the lock a bit and trapping the threshold.

But just then, she couldn't really help herself. A pressure inside her was threatening to unravel, a strangely chilling heat was spreading through her whole body and all her muscles seemed to be locked in a strained clench. Bishop concentrated all his efforts on sucking on her clit when he could feel her tense up like that, with two fingers filling her and his other hand digging into her buttcheek firmly. She couldn't take it much longer.

It only took a few more seconds before the pressure burst and she felt her release wash over her. Her back arched against the stone, her hands darted to Bishop's head, pressing it into her crotch more firmly as he continued his treatment through her peak, and the shiny moss in front of her eyes started to swirl and blur a little when she was able to open her eyes again.

Bishop kept teasing, now much more slowly and gently, but he didn't let up even for a second. His hand snuck from her buttocks to squeeze her breast while she heaved and panted, trying to calm her heated body. He wasn't making it easy. But she wasn't really going to complain. She wasn't sure if it took seconds or minutes as her breathing calmed, before it started to slightly quicken again with renewed arousal.

He moved his head from her after a while, but the teasing never stopped. He kept slowly dragging his fingers in and out of her as he shuffled a bit, trying to reposition himself on top of her and take off his pants in one go, all with one hand only. At least his boots had been off from back before they even started. That made things easier. Not 'easy' though. But he had a bit of practice doing shit one-handed from all the time his arm was injured.

And besides, Aeyrin was eager to help him along. Once he straightened up, her hands instantly darted to his trousers, untangling the strings with palpable eagerness. It was a little hard to concentrate with his fingers still inside her, constantly teasing her, but she was determined. She needed to feel him inside already.

When her hands finally loosened his trousers, she quickly moved them to his buttocks to drag the fabric down to his thighs. Sometimes it was frustrating when he didn't undress completely or even loosened his strings before he began teasing her. It just made it take so much longer when she needed him like this. And he really looked on edge too. He quickly shimmied out of his clothes using mostly his feet, sometimes his one free hand, but he never stopped teasing her with his fingers. He only withdrew them from her, making her feel frustratingly empty, when he grabbed his hard cock with his hand and positioned it against her slit.

Aeyrin let out a soft whimper of anticipation when he didn't enter her right away. She wriggled her hips, trying to press herself against him on her own, but she wasn't really in a good position to do that. She felt like her sweaty body was sticking to the stone beneath.

"I love seeing you like this so much," Bishop chuckled at her in that low voice that always had her undone. "So fucking hot how frustrated you are."

Aeyrin practically growled at him in response as she shot him a pouty glare. Of course she was frustrated! He had been teasing her for ages now! How could she not be? He would be in the same state. In fact…

With a slight smirk decorating her lips, she reached out for him herself, squeezing his cock in her hand above his own and rubbing the tip with her thumb. Bishop let out a half-chuckle, half-groan at the retaliation and he let his own grip go. He would get the taste of his own treatment. She readjusted herself a little, supporting herself on her elbow, so that she could reach down to tease his balls next, cupping them gently and stroking the underside of his cock with her thumb.

"Fuck," Bishop growled. He only took that for a few seconds before he grabbed her wrist and moved her hand away. She gave him a victorious smirk, but his own gaze seemed much more serious when he stared back at her. It felt oddly intense.

"Fuck. Say it again," he panted as he grabbed his cock in his hand again and continued to tease her entrance with the tip of it, rubbing the slick against her clit and sending shivers of excitement down her spine. "Say you'll marry me." He wanted to hear it – like it was still hard to believe that she actually said it. Those exact words she had said only moments ago.

"Of course I will," Aeyrin let out an excited gasp along with the words, still keeping her eyes locked on his own as she concentrated on the feelings coursing through her. It wasn't just the way he kept teasing her. Now there was entirely different warmth spreading through her at that request.

Bishop entered her with a very frustratingly slow thrust, like he wanted to savor each second of it. It did feel good, but it did feel even better when he almost instantly picked up the usual rougher and faster pace that always drove her so wild.

Her legs wrapped around his waist instantly as she tried to move against him and meet his pace. She tried to squeeze around him with her inner muscles in time of his thrusts too. Bishop let out a low grunt every time she did and it was such a satisfying sound. She really wanted to finish what she had started and give back as good as she got after the treatment he had given her before.

Her thighs clenched around his waist and she gripped his arms, pushing against him. Bishop got the message promptly and, still locked in tightly with her, he helped roll them both over until he was the one on his back with her on top of him. She felt strange leaving the stone she felt stuck to. Her sweat-covered back felt so chilly exposed to the cavern's air like this and it created a strangely pleasant contrast to the constant heat in her body.

She didn't wait much longer before she started to rise and fall atop him though, still squeezing, still reveling in the strained sounds he made. She herself was feeling closer and closer to the edge again already though.

She was careful not to touch his back again, but when he sat up from the ground to bury his head in between her breasts again, biting her flesh softly, she did dig her nails into his shoulders. That only elicited another lustful groan out of him. He looked like he wouldn't last much longer. His cock kept throbbing inside her and he gripped her buttocks, pulling her onto him with a firm grip, as if even her fast and eager pace suddenly wasn't enough.

It took only a few more moments before she felt him shudder and grip her even tighter as he spilled himself inside her. His face pressed firmly into her chest, but as soon as the first seconds of his peak subsided, he began to nuzzle her soft flesh instead with a satisfied sigh escaping his lips.

Aeyrin kept moving herself atop him and, either that seemed to remind him, or he just needed a moment, but soon enough, his hand snuck between their bodies to tease her between her legs while she continued riding him for a while. It didn't take long then either. She had been just as on edge as he had. And a few seconds later, her walls began pulsing around his softening cock in her own release.

She wrapped her hands around his neck, pressing him into her chest affectionately. She couldn't help but look down on her hands like that, fingers tangled a bit in his hair. Her eyes caught the glint of the engagement ring there, peeking through his dark-brown mane.

She still wasn't sure if she processed what it meant.

But the sight of it made her face light up every time.

…

The lit up moss glittered from the ceiling at them as they both lay there, spent and still a little dazed from both the sex and from what happened before. From the entire day, actually.

It was still hard to believe that they just got engaged. Here, miles and miles underground in the middle of the probably most dangerous place they had ever been to.

Aeyrin raised her hand up high as she was still snuggled into Bishop's embrace. They didn't even get their bedroll out; they were not even covered by anything, just entirely naked, lying there on the stone platform. But she didn't care about any of it. She didn't care about the fact that they were yet to eat something, that a very boring night was ahead of them where they would have to take shifts sleeping, not just snuggling together as always. This place was not too secure after all and they were too exhausted to find another one. They needed to be more vigilant here. But none of it mattered when she looked up at that beautiful ring again, those two tears, onyx and amber, fitting together like two pieces of a puzzle. Kinda like the two of them were wrapped around each other right now.

"You like it?" Bishop smiled softly. It was probably more important that she liked what it represented, but still, he wanted her to like the ring itself too. He did. It had struck his eye instantly.

"It's so beautiful," Aeyrin smiled softly. It really was perfect. She couldn't stop looking at it. "Where did you get it?" She couldn't help but wonder. They didn't visit a lot of jewelry shops. But he must have gotten it some time when she wasn't around. Maybe in Morthal when he kept going outside for the Brotherhood ambush? Was there even a jewelry shop in Morthal? Or maybe he lied about not remembering anything about their recent five-day bender and he got it then.

Bishop's arm lazily stroked through her hair, through the haphazard side-braid, until it rested on the bottom of it. "In Solitude, of all things," he smirked a bit before, with one fluid motion, he unraveled the white ribbon with golden lining holding her braid secured. "Same day I got you this. It was my… alibi. I needed one, because that fucking tin-head saw me at the store. I knew he would rat me out to someone eventually, since he thought I was there stealing. So I needed you to think I was there for something else. So that you don't hear it from the gossiping nobles before you could hear it from me."

It made sense. She didn't think about this before, but Bishop went through so much trouble for that ribbon – scouting the place first, then butting heads with Casavir and then sacrificing an invisibility potion to go back. It was a sweet gesture, but it made more sense that he would do all that for more than just a pretty ribbon. It was an answer that she didn't expect, however.

"That was months ago," she let out an astonished gasp. Not that she didn't understand. Bishop tended to agonize over such things much more than she would, but it was still a very long time ago. "Why wait so long?" She couldn't help the tinge of insecurity that stung her when she asked. She kept wondering if he changed his mind at some point. He didn't even really want to propose to her. He wouldn't have if she didn't find the ring.

"Uuuh… I don't know…" Bishop mumbled a little, but he either sensed her insecurity and wanted to reassure her, or he really wanted her to know this in any case, because he quickly blurted the next part out. "I wanted to. I really fucking wanted to. But… you know… I was waiting for a good moment and then…"

"'Then'?" Aeyrin prodded with palpable uncertainty in her voice.

He only let out a defeated sigh. He didn't want to talk about this. Well, he did. He didn't exactly want to, but he had to. He knew this. He just kind of hoped that he could just enjoy her accepting without having to worry about convincing her that it was a mistake. But there was really no getting out of this unless he let her wallow in insecurity about him not wanting her or some shit like that.

"It… may have been pointed out to me that I was being… selfish," he grumbled. Maybe he really was. He still worried about that.

"'Selfish'?" Aeyrin scowled. What was he talking about? "For… wanting to marry me?"

"Yeah…" Bishop let out another sigh. He was kind of dreading this conversation. It was probably the biggest reason why he postponed it so much and why he could never get to actually proposing to her. He really hated Lydia and Saadia just now. Even though they had kinda made some really valid points.

He nudged her a little, getting her to roll her head away from his arm while he sat up on the stone platform. He felt like he needed to actually look at her properly, not with sidelong glances while they lay there together. Aeyrin followed suit and set right opposite him. Fuck, she looked even more nervous than he felt. How was that possible?

"Sweetness," he took a hold of her hand, brushing his thumb over the engagement ring. "You know how much I fucking love you. That I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I want the same with you," she gave him an encouraging smile.

"Yeah… but that's… the problem," he sighed again. "It's really likely that you'll… that you'll have a lot of life left after… me."

"Why do you keep saying that?" Aeyrin let out an exasperated chuckle at him. This was what the hesitation was about? The elven aging again? How could he still be thinking about that with the lives they led? How could he be still worrying about that when she almost plummeted to death only a few hours ago? Did it not make him think that maybe the longevity meant nothing? "Bishop, I could die at any second. Didn't you just see that?"

"I know! And don't remind me," he growled. He really didn't want to think about what happened before during the battle. He still had to shudder when he thought about that. It was so fucking close. "Yeah, sure, you could die. I could die. Anyone could die anytime. But… there's still a big chance that you won't. Not before me. And… maybe after… you might meet someone and…" He didn't want to think about this. The thought alone was making him sick, but… if they didn't die in battle and she actually got her centuries to live, he didn't want her to be alone and miserable either. She wouldn't want to be alone the rest of her long life, right?

"Bish, I don't need to marry anyone," she chuckled a little. "You think that marrying you now will prevent me from… from finding someone else if…" She swallowed the words. She didn't want to think about the what-ifs. She never did. Not in this way, not long into the future. Maybe that was why she never thought about marriage or anything like that. She always preferred dealing with what came spontaneously. And now, everything in her gut told her that she wanted this more than anything. She wasn't sure why. She wouldn't love him any more or any less if they got married. Nothing about the plans would change – they had already established that they just wanted to stay together, no matter what. And plans like these could change, of course, but if he was worried that such a change would prevent her from finding happiness, he didn't really understand how she dealt with the punches that life threw at her.

"Marrying you won't prevent me from being happy in the future. Even with… even with someone else," she couldn't even begin to imagine that, but it didn't matter. He clearly needed to hear this, even though he must have rationally realized it already. "As hard and painful as that would be…"

"I know that," Bishop shrugged. He did. He wasn't sure why it kept nagging him. Maybe because he thought that once she thought about that fact – that she could never do this with anyone else, at least not according to Nordic or Imperial laws and traditions, she might want to… reconsider. There was really no reason to get married after all. He couldn't even explain that desire to himself properly. "I just… we don't have to do this if you don't…"

"Stop," Aeyrin promptly pressed her index finger against his lips before she moved a bit closer to him. "I said 'yes', didn't I? I want this, Bishop. I don't know why… I didn't think about this before, but… I know I want this. I really do." With a reassuring smile, she moved even closer, by his side rather than sitting opposed to him, and she nuzzled into him with palpable affection. "It doesn't matter where life takes either of us. No matter what, you'll always be the first man I loved. Nothing will change that. I will never want to change that, even if I could. It… sounds fitting, doesn't it? Even if I don't die sooner, which is unlikely, even if there is someone else in the future, I would still want only you to be my first. My… husband," she couldn't help but smile wistfully at the word. It felt strange as it rolled off her tongue, but she kind of liked it.

"Yeah… I want that too," Bishop couldn't help but return the smile as he leaned his head on top of hers a bit. "Fuck, I don't even know why. I mean… what the fuck's the point of it anyway?"

"Don't overthink it," Aeyrin giggled. She didn't understand the rationality behind that compulsion either, but she had it too already. Ever since she saw that ring, she wanted this. It sounded like a proper way of commemorating what they had. And it would be such an amazing thing to celebrate it. Amidst of all the danger and chaos, it would be something they could both look forward to. Something good.

"So we're really doing this?" Bishop chuckled a little before he planted a firm kiss into her hair.

"Looks like it," she smirked. This was the last thing she expected to happen here in Blackreach, but it was even better than finding some lost legendary Elder Scroll. She still couldn't believe that he postponed this all because of such silly notions, but she was kind of glad that he did. This place… it was perfect. It would forever be even more special than it already was on its own.

But the thought made her remember one more question that bugged her.

"Wait, who told you that you were being 'selfish'?" she asked. She couldn't help but be curious. Not so much about who would say that – she understood the compulsion for that particular worry. But she was really curious about whom Bishop would confide in with something like this. Surely he hadn't interpreted one of Karnwyr's barks as a chastisement about wanting to marry her.

"Ugh, who do you think?" Bishop scoffed. "Those two hags in Whiterun, making me all fucking insecure and second-guessing myself. They're not invited to the wedding." He didn't need to mention when they filled his head with this shit. They could have just as easily done that when they were all in Whiterun and Aeyrin was meeting Aela.

Aeyrin laughed heartily at his outburst. She knew that he was joking. His relationship with Saadia and Lydia had become very close, whether he wanted to admit it or not. And it did make the most sense – she couldn't imagine anyone else he would talk to about this. She was sure the two of them were just concerned for their relationship. Especially Lydia. She could be such a worrywart ever since their whole messy separation after Falkreath. Not that Aeyrin could blame her for that.

"And before that… I don't know, I wanted it to be… special," he shrugged.

"Well, even though you didn't actually plan this… I can't imagine any place more special," Aeyrin smiled wistfully as she gazed over the horizon of the caverns.

It was a sight she would never forget for the rest of her life.

No matter how long it turned out to be.