It was nice to be traveling through Skyrim again.
Even though it was cold, even in the late spring heat, even though there was still some occasional snow falling down again near the mountain peaks, even though Aeyrin was still adjusting again to the temperatures and freezing all the time, it was good to be back.
Especially since whenever he could, Bishop squeezed her to his side as they walked. It wasn't too effective with her armor on, but it was still a gesture she would always appreciate.
They left Whiterun right after she came back from Jorrvaskr, once more through the smuggler passage. Aeyrin told Bishop about what she talked about with Kodlak, but there was not much to help out with when it came to the cure right now.
That just meant that there was to be no hitch in their current plans.
They traveled through Whiterun Hold covertly and then enjoyed the forests of southern Rift fully, along the Jeralls again. They were off to the secret chapel once more.
Aeyrin did recall that the guard there asked to be alerted upfront, but Aeyrin had no real idea on how to do that. So she figured the best bet would be to ask the couple that provided shelter to the dissidents at their nearby farm before. They probably still provided help to them – supplies and such.
"Do you feel like there are more dragons around since we came back?" Aeyrin pondered as they walked through the bramble.
They spotted several on their journey. That didn't usually happen in such frequency. None of them were close enough to be a threat, but they could clearly see them in the distance around the mountain peaks. They even saw one on their journey from Cyrodiil, on the other side of the border, but again, too far.
Or maybe she was just being paranoid.
"It could be a coincidence," Bishop shrugged. "Why would there suddenly be more in the last month?"
She had no idea. She just couldn't help but notice these things. And she focused on the skies much more now too. Like Kodlak suggested, she was trying to focus on her senses more, even though she still found it somewhat uncomfortable to be familiarizing herself with her changed nature.
But she wasn't the only vigilant one. Bishop had been constantly alert, looking towards every small noise of the forest ever since they left Whiterun Hold. Why? Was he worried about assassins? This fast? Barely anyone knew they were even back in Skyrim. And their visit to Whiterun was mostly secret. As would this trip be.
"I guess," she nodded, though she found her thoughts wandering away quickly – mostly to Bishop's own focus on the forest. "Are you looking for something?"
"No… not really," he sighed. He seemed unwilling to elaborate, but when the silence between them stretched for longer, he let out another deep sigh and actually told her. "I was just… hoping Karnwyr might be around again."
Right. The last time they were in the Rift, Karnwyr was watching over them from a distance. And he came when Bishop was apart from Aeyrin. She still felt so awful about keeping them apart.
"Do you want to split up? If he's got your trail, he might show up if I'm not around," she gave him an encouraging smile, though saying that was a bit more heartbreaking than she was ready for. She wanted to see Karnwyr too. So bad. She missed him so much, she just wanted to spend a whole day just cuddling him and ruffling his fur.
"No, don't worry about it. I'll go night hunting or something when you're asleep at the chapel," he smiled softly. "It just sucks he can't join us now. But at least I wanna know he's fine."
"Yeah, I know," she nodded. She had the urge to say 'sorry' again, but it was pointless. She was always sorry about this and he knew.
"Ah well, it's good to be back again anyway," he tried to change the subject. "I really fucking missed the Rift. We should stop by the city after too."
"Yeah, I wanna see how Raven's doing," Aeyrin beamed. She hadn't seen him since they left him the house there. "And maybe he'll know how the Guild is doing too. And we're gonna need more supplies."
"We just got plenty in Bruma," Bishop raised his brow at her. He just wanted to see Riften again, they hadn't been there for a while and he liked it when he didn't have to deal with Mercer there. But they had been shopping in Bruma only three days ago.
"Uhm… I wanted to get more of the… tinctures. To last me some time. Just so that we're not caught off guard, you know?" She stammered a bit. This was still a weird subject. She hoped he wouldn't ask if she had thought about the whole having children issue. Because she hadn't. She still felt completely blind-sighted by the notion alone.
"Right. I thought you bought some in Bruma though. We fucked in Whiterun," he stopped in his tracks suddenly.
He looked disturbed. Why did it ease her mind that he was looking caught-off guard by this right now? It was a relief to know it was also a point of panic for him.
"I did. I'm… safe. It's fine. I only bought enough for one dose though. It lasts a month. I wanted to go back to the tincture after that. I know how to mix the other stuff and all, it's just that… the tincture's been reliable for over two years, you know?" She tried to explain. And she was used to it. Every week. It was easy to make a routine for a day of a week. Not so much for once a month. She might forget.
"Yeah, makes sense," Bishop nodded. It was a weird situation and he had no idea why. He felt like she worried he would harp on her not to take the stuff for no fucking reason. That wasn't what he wanted. But he felt like maybe she thought that now? It was so damn weird. Saadia was right, they were on the same page, but it still felt uncomfortable to talk about this stuff now. It never had before, aside from the awkwardness the first time she was buying this stuff.
They stayed silent longer. A little too long. But fortunately, soon, they could see their destination on the horizon. The farmhouse. It was a relief to escape this atmosphere.
Hopefully visiting the chapel would be a distraction enough.
…
The couple at the farm taught Bishop and Aeyrin a secret signal that would come in handy. Apparently the dissidents built a mechanism at the base of the mountain – a barely visible lever that raised some sort of a small flag up on the plateau to let a guard know someone who knew the signal was coming. The guard would still check who it was, but it prevented any blind attacks and precautionary measures being deployed.
It worked well. They were able to get up on the plateau without any traps being sprung on them. There were plenty of people walking around and most of them were strangers. They were clearly still working on the chapel tirelessly as it seemed. Some rubble and building materials were still present but much less than before, and there were crates filled with various objects inside. From what Bishop and Aeyrin could see, they were dishes, candelabras, blankets and fur rugs and all these ordinary household items. The dissidents were likely in the process of making the bare chapel homier. And there were still workers about, lugging stones from inside, probably still working on clearing Gromm's Pass.
Regardless, the place seemed very lively. And the people there looked content, despite the amount of work they still clearly had.
Bishop and Aeyrin decided to head inside the chapel proper when they didn't recognize anyone out on the plateau, but before they could walk in, a familiar face stepped out of the wide open door.
"Master!" Aeyrin beamed when she saw him make his way towards them. She didn't wait. She ran to meet him and practically leaped at him, hugging him around his neck. She knew he had come here with Brunwulf and she knew the nobleman would never let anything happen to her old mentor on the road, but she still worried about them making it here alright.
"My dearest, I'm so glad to see you," he squeezed her tightly in his arms. "I wrote to you to let you know I made it here safely, but I never got anything back."
"Oh," Aeyrin disentangled herself from the embrace reluctantly. "I guess it didn't arrive yet. We only came back from Cyrodiil three days ago. And we needed to do some dispelling things that kind of throw the couriers off. It's a long story," she sighed. The courier might be having a really hard time tracking them down right now. And he would for a while yet. Their presence in Skyrim was still not really known to anyone.
"It's alright, my dear, I'm just glad to see you," he stroked over her hair gently before he turned his gaze on Bishop. "Good to see you too, young man."
"You too, old man," Bishop smirked at him, eliciting a chuckle from Therien.
"So, tell me, how was your journey? Was everything alright? Did Brunwulf go back home? And how do you like it here?" Aeyrin began to question him instantly. It hadn't been that long since they'd seen each other, but it still felt too long. And now she couldn't hide her giddiness at him being here. She could always come see him so easily. She just hoped he would be happy about being here too.
"Slow down, my dear," he smiled at her warmly. "Come, let's not block the doorway with our idle chatter," he ushered them to follow as he walked over to the southern edge of the plateau, the one overlooking Cyrodiil. As always, the White Gold tower could be seen over the horizon. Even though they had just been there and knew that the Province held secrets and plots as nasty as Skyrim could, it felt oddly distant and serene to be seeing it from here.
"The journey went well," he spoke at last when they settled there with Bishop leaning on the rocky outcroppings and the two of them standing by the edge where the view was always visible. "We only took the main roads in Cyrodiil and there was no danger there with the patrols. As you know, I am well used to walking the roads myself. And I had recovered by then for the most part. Though Skyrim was a bit of a… shock to me at first. The cold is quite persistent, even more than around Bruma."
"Yeah, I'm still getting used to it again," Aeyrin chuckled. It was like the month south made her completely forget the cold up here. But she still loved it.
"I was impressed by the work done on this place. And I have been learning more about Talos in the meantime so that I may be able to preach here too. Other than that, I am helping with any wounds the workers get from clearing the pass and I'm getting to know the people. It's a lovely place to be, really," he smiled. "And people like me are needed here."
True, the chapel needed more actual priests. And they could not have gotten a better one. But Aeyrin was still a little concerned.
"So… you're alright with being here?" She bit her lower lip nervously.
"I am. I know it is for the best, for me and for the people here. But I won't lie, my dear, I look over the horizon every day, every sunset," his gaze turned towards the view at the Tower. "It hasn't been too long, but I still miss it. And I do feel disappointed that I had to leave this way."
"They'll clear the pass eventually," Bishop noted. "You'll be able to come and go back whenever you want, without the Thalmor getting any wiser."
"I hope so, young man," he smiled softly, but then Bishop realized what worried him. That he might not live that long. Fuck, he wished Aeyrin would already know. This was making him so uncomfortable.
"But come," Therien nodded at them. "We've been in the cold long enough. Let me get you something to eat and drink inside. I hope you'll be staying for a while."
"We can stay for some time," Aeyrin smiled. They agreed before that there was really no rush for them to leave the chapel, not until they got antsy for some adventure or travel. "We could even stay overnight. Or more. If there's room."
"There's plenty of space and places to sleep," Master Therien confirmed. "We still expect more people down the line. Many more. But for now we just have a lot of extra room."
That was good. Aeyrin wanted to spend some time here. Though they'd see how much yet.
For now they were both happy to start their return home slow without heading into dangers right away.
…
"So, it's gonna be on that lake," Aeyrin continued to explain excitedly. "On the eighteenth of Last Seed. That's when we met two years ago."
She had been telling Master Therien about the wedding plans for what felt like ages. But he looked just as enthusiastic as she felt, so that was comforting. The three of them were just sitting by one of the tables in the mess hall and indulging in some pretty good food. It appeared that the people here were not exactly willing to live the same way actual priests did and they weren't going to stick to plain bread and fruits. Especially since more than one of them worked as cooks before.
But aside from the nice surprise of the food and pretty decent mead to drink, the best part was Master Therien getting excited about the wedding too.
Aeyrin told him that the islands on Lake Ilinalta were special to her and Bishop, though she didn't exactly say why. Maybe he could tell by how embarrassed she got, but she decided not to worry about that too much. She told him about the boats idea and how Lydia and Saadia got all into the planning. And now it was time for the most important part.
"You're gonna come, won't you?" She grabbed a hold of his hand firmly. She knew the answer was 'yes', but she still felt like she needed to ask. "I don't think I could imagine doing this without you. And… it would be really nice if you could… hold the ceremony."
"My dear, are you serious?" Master Therien looked so touched. She could have sworn she even saw some tears glitter in his eyes subtly.
"Of course, who else?" She chuckled. He was one of the most important people in her life. For all that mattered, he was her father. An actual father, not like that excuse for one that Faldaen was. Who else could she want there?
"I would be honored," his smile beamed and he reached out to envelop her in a warm hug. Fortunately the table was small enough for him to manage.
"It's gonna be good to have you there," Bishop nodded. "But we should probably get Free-Winter to get you there. It's all the way in Falkreath and…"
"Bishop, he travels across Cyrodiil constantly." Aeyrin chuckled.
Right. He used to. But now he was sick. Well not sick but… slowly dying. And he'd been through Thalmor torture and then a pretty fucking long journey along the mountains in an environment much different from what he was used to. Bishop couldn't help but feel a little concerned about that. Why couldn't Therien just take some carriage with Free-Winter? They had talked about the nobleman transporting the elves anyway, if he would agree.
"Yes, quite right," Therien smiled softly. "But I am always happy to see Brunwulf. If you're inviting him, he will be coming the same way anyway, right?"
Good. At least the old man was reasonable about his health. Bishop promptly nodded in response. When would he tell her already though? Maybe they needed to be alone for that.
It was not like Bishop was looking forward to Aeyrin being upset. He just couldn't stand to be here, knowing what he knew with her being clueless. It was unfair. And he didn't want to lie to her anymore, even if it wasn't his secret to tell.
"Good. I can't wait," Aeyrin beamed at him again before she turned her attention to her plate once more. Unfortunately, it was already empty. "I'm gonna go get seconds," she decided. Why not? They seemed to have enough supplies. People apparently went to Riften on occasion and the farm also supplied them often. They were set up well here.
The moment she got up from her seat, Bishop threw a somewhat nasty look at Therien.
"I know. I know," the old man sighed.
"You have to tell her already. She deserves to know," Bishop hissed. He wasn't very thrilled about acting like this towards the man, but what else was he supposed to do? This truth needed to come out. And soon.
"I know, young man. And I'm sorry I left you with this secret," Therien sighed. "It's… difficult. Seeing her this happy… I don't have the heart."
"I get that," Bishop grumbled. Ruining that permanent smile of hers seemed like the worst thing to do just then. But what other option was there? "But what if something happens to you sooner than you think? She needs to know."
"I will tell her. I promised you. And she deserves to know, you're right. I will try to do it tonight," Therien sighed sadly. It was fucking sad, but Bishop knew it was the right move. She would be so angry if she knew how long they kept this from her.
"Alright. Good," Bishop let out a relieved sigh. "How are you doing, by the way?" He gave Therien a concerned look.
"I'm… alright. The journey took more out of me than I expected and I had to stave off a few cold-based diseases," Therien explained.
"Yeah, Aeyrin had to do that when she was new here too. Always with the preventative healing," Bishop noted. He remembered her using her healing hands on her throat and ears a lot whenever the situation exposed her to too much cold. But it was no use in extreme cases.
"It's effective. I think it could have gotten ugly if I hadn't done that. But… I'm better now. I swear. I will be kicking around for a while yet. Possibly a few more years. The mountain air suits me well once I got used to the cold a little," Therien smiled softly.
"Yeah, it's good you're here now. You'll get used to it gradually," Bishop nodded. "You might even be ready to withstand the winter season up in the mountains. But be careful when that time comes."
"Of course, young man. You're sweet to worry," he chuckled at Bishop affectionately.
"Yeah, well, she's gonna need you kicking around for as long as possible," Bishop mumbled. It was gonna be so fucking painful when she found out. But it had to be done.
He should probably leave them to talk about this alone in the evening.
It was for the best.
…
"My dear, would you stop helping for a moment and come here?" Therien called out to Aeyrin as she kept busying herself sorting through the items in his chambers.
He had one of those crates filled with various items in his private room on the second story of the chapel. But he did not yet unpack it and spread those things around the room. Aeyrin helped the moment she noticed while Master Therien sat on the bed. He invited her to go see where he was staying and how nice the rooms in this place were while Bishop went to talk to someone to find out where the two of them could actually be staying overnight. So for now they were alone.
Aeyrin put the candelabras she had been holding on the nearest cupboard and walked over to him. Was she bugging him by cleaning the items up? Maybe he wanted to do it himself eventually.
"Sit down," he gestured to a spot on the bed next to him. Alright. This was getting a little odd, but maybe he really just wanted her to stop hovering around. She obeyed and settled next to him comfortably, but the moment she did, he reached out to take her hand in his.
"What's going on?" She scowled promptly. Now she was sure something was wrong. He kept looking into the ground and acting like he was going to comfort her. Something was definitely very wrong. And she couldn't help but get anxious instantly.
"I need to tell you something," he sighed somberly.
"What's wrong?" She squeezed his hand right away. This was getting her really worried.
"Lately I've been… having some health problems," he started to explain. 'Health problems'? He was the best healer she knew! What health problems would be too much for him to take care of? "Breathing gets harder sometimes, my muscles are weakening. My magic is weaker too."
"What do you think it could be?" Aeyrin prodded with concern. She wasn't sure what disease could be doing all this at once. She knew well about diseases targeting magic, targeting physical form and internal organs, but all at once? Strange.
"Age, my dear. It's been slowly getting worse for a couple of years now but it's become… quite noticeable lately. I'm… getting too old for many things that came easily to me before. And I'm aware now… I won't be here for that much longer."
What? He wasn't that old. He wouldn't be just… dying of old age, would he? No. That wasn't happening. This was surely some long-winded disease that just needed curing.
"My organs have been deteriorating and I might have trouble walking too in some time. Every minor tickle in my throat sends me to a coughing fit. I can still heal well enough, but some more challenging spells fail me at times. Samus helped examine me properly. We surmised I still have some good years left in me. But not too many."
"No, you're not even eighty yet," Aeyrin shook her head promptly. "This has to be something else." He was going to be eighty next year. He was too young. And a healer. He had to know how to slow this down even more.
"It's not, my dear. And you know that it's not too soon. I have no wish to leave Nirn, but the Gods are starting to call. It has to come one day. And my body is beginning to show frailty. I have a few years in store if I'm lucky, but you know how these things go," he moved his other hand to close around their intertwined ones as well, as if he wanted to provide even more comfort that way.
She knew how these things went. When the body began to frail, it was harder to stave off any minor disease and any minor infection. Everything was life-threatening. Her old mentor was among the luckier ones – he could still heal himself in time from most of it. But that didn't mean that his body alone wouldn't give out one day. And apparently sooner than Aeyrin had counted on. It still felt too soon. So soon. She couldn't believe this.
How could she deal with the knowledge of having him here only for a few more years at most? If they were lucky. Especially when her life was so hectic she could barely see him.
She felt her eyes prickle with tears and she couldn't speak anymore. What was even there to say to that? What could anyone say to this? He was dying. Slowly. Yes, everyone was, but he knew he didn't have much time left, he knew his body was gradually failing. And it was clearly bad enough that he needed to prepare her for it.
She tore her hand away from his hold and she couldn't help but notice his surprised and hurt look, but it was short-lived. Instead, she threw herself around his waist and enveloped him in a desperate hug. The sobbing was hard to stop, but Master Therien was ready to wrap his arms around her and embrace her comfortingly.
They stayed like that for a long time. She didn't know what else to do. She didn't know what to say. She still felt like not believing him, but she knew he wouldn't be wrong about this. All she could do was hope that he would be here for a few years yet. And make sure he was taking care of himself.
After a while, she disentangled herself from the hug. She tried to wipe the tears away, though new ones sprung free promptly. It didn't matter. She had something important to do.
"I should go get you more of those blankets. And some furs you can use. You can't let the cold get you here in the mountains. And you're sure everything's healed after that prison? If anything's neglected…"
"My dear, stop," he chuckled affectionately and he pulled her back into a hug. "I'm alright. I have enough blankets and everything that can be healed is healed. The other magical means of prolonging my life are… not ideal. But I promise you, aside from that, I am doing whatever is possible to be able to stick around here with you longer." Right, at least he wasn't considering lichdom or such, that was an insane thing anyway.
And he was here. At least he was here.
"I know you didn't want to leave, but I'm so glad you're so close," she sobbed again as she squeezed him into her arms. "And I promise, we'll find a way for you to see everyone in Chorrol again before… before things get worse. Even if the pass is not clear yet, we'll get you back home to at least talk to everyone."
"Thank you, my dear," he placed a soft kiss at the top of her head. "And believe me, I'm not going anywhere yet. I still have too much to do in this realm. Such as seeing my dearest child getting married," he smiled softly.
That's right. Now she was really glad the wedding was only a few months away. He better be alright until then.
"Just be careful. Take care of yourself, promise?" She sobbed. "And… can we stay here a while longer with you? A few days?"
They hadn't planned how long they would stay here yet, but somehow, right now, she couldn't stand leaving too soon. She wanted to spend time with him, even if there was nothing to do around here. That didn't matter.
As long as he was here.
…
Bishop came back from his hunt in a somber mood.
There was no sign of Karnwyr anywhere. He did get some meat which he left there for the dissidents, but he was hoping to see his friend much more than hoping to be useful. And now it was time to find Aeyrin and see if Therien told her at last. It was already pretty late, but he wanted to give them some time alone to deal with this together. It was for the best.
He and Aeyrin didn't get a private room, but that was to be expected. They got a bed in a larger communal room down in the caverns below, though it was not filled with people yet. Despite the number of beds there, only about six or seven people shared the large chamber. It wasn't too bad.
Though it left a lot to be desired when it came to privacy.
But first, Bishop asked around where he could find Therien's room and he headed there.
He knocked briefly on the door until he could hear footsteps, and waited for the man to open the door.
"Ah, there you are," Therien smiled softly at him and he opened the door wider. Aeyrin seemed to be asleep on his bed there, still in her boots and clothes, just kind of passed out. "We talked. About everything. It was getting late and she dozed off. I didn't have the heart to wake her," he chuckled a bit. "I didn't tell her you knew. I'll leave that to you to deal with however you want. I won't be telling her that."
"Thanks. I appreciate it," Bishop nodded. There was no point in telling her. The important talk she had to have was with Therien and she had that. "I'll take her so that you have somewhere to sleep," he smirked.
He moved towards the bed and grabbed Aeyrin into a bridal carry. She almost instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, but she merely mumbled something incoherent. She didn't seem too awake from that yet. Not that he expected her to wake up.
"Thank you. And thank you for… pushing me. I may have needed that," Therien smiled again.
"Thanks for telling her," Bishop nodded. "Now get some rest. We'll see each other in the morning."
Therien's smile didn't wane as he nodded as well and Bishop merely turned on his heel and left the room with Aeyrin in his arms. He carried her all the way down into the caverns – luckily the dissidents had built steps there by now instead of a simple ladder.
When they were there, he located their bed promptly and placed Aeyrin gently on the covers.
"Bish?" She mumbled. Ah, she was kind of aware.
"What is it, love?" He only yanked off her boots, then his own along with his shirt, before he promptly joined her on the bed, draping a blanket over them both.
"Can we stay a bit longer?" He had a hard time making out her mumbled words, but he got the gist.
"Sure. However long you want," he smiled. Not like he minded. He would come to the forest every night to see if Karnwyr would find him. And she needed some time with her mentor, that was clear.
She wrapped her arms around him and enveloped him in a fierce hug. Soft sobs escaped her after that, but she didn't say anything more. That was alright, he knew all too well what this was about.
All he could do now was be there for her and hold her.