Chapter LXXXIII – Trust and Tension

"So why not ask someone else?" Bishop pondered as the four of them walked through the narrow canyon towards Fort Dawnguard.

The journey from the cottage wasn't long and Serana was eager to continue onwards through the night. Bishop and Aeyrin didn't mind, for once. They were both rested plenty from their long honeymoon filled with nothing but eating, lazing about and sex. They could manage to stay awake that night. They would get rest later, or just the next night. As long as there weren't dire battles in store for them yet. And why would there be? The canyon was so well hidden in the mountains. And so well protected with all the Dawnguard there.

So Serana stayed outside and around the cottage while they prepared to head out for a few hours, even having lunch and buying some more supplies in the city. They offered her to stay in the house with them, but apparently she didn't want to disturb. It was no less disturbing when she was just hanging around the garden there. At least Bishop and Aeyrin haven't actually done anything with the garden itself yet – it was still just wild flowers and grass. It would have all been trampled otherwise as Serana kept walking around the area, back and forth, clearly impatient but not saying a word about it.

Bishop took some time to track Karnwyr down in the forest and lead him to Riften. He already knew how the wolf would react to Serana's presence – there was no need to make things unpleasant. So he decided to leave him in the city for a while. He would laze about for some time, then he would likely wait for someone to open the door to the docks and he would swim to the shore and run around the forests again, or return to the cottage. By then, hopefully the three of them would be gone. He told Karnwyr all about that plan and the wolf barked in what he imagined was an accord. He was never sure, but he could always hope Karnwyr understood him.

In the evening, they set off at last and headed towards the fort. Aeyrin and Bishop prodded Serana a bit for more information about what they were even getting into, but she didn't say all that much. Or maybe she didn't have all that much more to say.

"Who?" Serana frowned a bit. "I don't know anyone."

"I mean from the Dawnguard. They gotta have some other talents. Don't tell me all of them are mindless lummoxes swinging their hammers and axes at everything that moves," Bishop shrugged. They were this secretive order, right? They kept their presence somewhat hidden, they investigated prophecies, obscure vampire lineages and they had guarded an Elder Scroll for a long time before the vampires stole it. They couldn't be just some mindless idiots who didn't know how to infiltrate a place.

"Oh," Serana sighed. "They do not trust me. And I do not trust them. Isran not trusting me with getting the Scroll with him, that's the most trust I get from any of them."

Can you blame them?

Bishop kept that thought to himself. He did kind of trust Serana. He was honestly surprised how much he trusted her to be forthright with this 'mission', that she was not actually working for Harkon. She had a point. Why would she even approach the Dawnguard, risk being killed on the spot, just to get herself some allies? Why would she need that if she was just doing her father's bidding? But as sincere as he thought Serana to be, she was still the daughter of the worst enemy of these people. And despite the logic, trust couldn't come easy to them.

"That must be hard, working with them," Aeyrin gave her a sympathetic look.

"I have nobody else to turn to. I have to try and make this work, but I also cannot risk my father finding out. He had a spy in their midst and now the spy is gone. He knows these people. If I'm seen at the Castle with any of them…" she shook her head instead of finishing the sentence. They got the picture though. It wouldn't be pretty. Her father entombed her for centuries and that was only for her and the Scroll's 'protection' – he was clearly not above doing worse if he found out about her betrayal.

She was silent for a while before she turned to Bishop with some concern.

"Can you really do this? I… may have gotten carried away by being offered help," she sighed.

"I can. I've done this sort of thing a lot," Bishop nodded in determination. "You expect we'll run into a lot of the vamps?"

"No… we shouldn't run into anyone, but… you never know," she explained. "We will need to… discuss this further." Her voice trailed off a bit as they reached the palisades blocking the entry to the fort. A man who spotted them looked uncertain for a while with the number of people there, but he did eventually come down from his lookout to open the gates without a word.

It might be a good idea to discuss the details with Isran too. Serana needed his trust and cooperation.

Hopefully he would agree to their plan.

…

"Serana," Isran nodded at her when they entered the small room he was in – the same one they met him in the last time. It looked kind of like an office, but there wasn't really anything in it but a desk and several chairs, one on one side of the desk and four others around the small room.

This time he was alone. His men didn't even accompany the three of them through the canyon and fort. The fact that the hunters didn't feel the need to watch Serana's every move by now was encouraging, even though she brought unexpected visitors with her.

There was no respectful 'lady Serana' address on his part anymore. Or maybe it was a wary address. He seemed more at ease around her. But they still knew he wasn't entirely. He did have a problem with her getting the last Scroll.

"Aeyrin, Bishop," Isran nodded at the two of them. He knew their names. But that made sense, after he had his men track the two of them down for Serana. "What brings you here?" He gestured to the chairs so that they would all make themselves comfortable.

"Serana came by," Aeyrin began as she sat down in one of the chairs, promptly followed by the others.

"Yes, I hope you don't mind my men asking around. Serana said it was a personal matter," Isran explained. She clearly didn't tell him about Faldaen. Then again, why would he need to know that at all? It didn't concern him. And Aeyrin still kind of wished she never told anyone and just dealt with it herself.

"That's fine," Aeyrin nodded. "Our whereabouts weren't really a secret." Their presence near Riften was well known for a while now, even if most people weren't sure about the specific location of the cottage. They went to the markets often and there were also the very unsubtle talks about their wedding, riding across half the south in their obvious wedding clothes and all that. None of it could be kept a secret. People stopped to congratulate them often in Riften, even those they'd never met before. And some of them complained about Aeyrin having the time for celebrations with the dragons threatening everyone, of course. There would always be people like that.

Through that, it was really shocking how peaceful their stay at the cottage was. They weren't hiding at all. The Brotherhood could have known where they were, even though they took some precautions with the new security measures, they could have still tried to strike. But nothing happened. Not since Bishop killed Cicero.

It was too much to hope for that it was over though. And all they could do was be grateful for the moments of respite they finally got to enjoy.

But it has been too long and Serana's unexpected pop-in made them both eager to get back into the thick of it. True, they didn't plan an adventure like this, but it was important.

"Serana mentioned what you two have been dealing with too… planning to get the third Scroll," Aeyrin continued to explain. "And that there's a problem with getting to it."

"Yes, we've reached an impasse, as it seems," Isran sighed, giving a regretful look to Serana. It was a somewhat surprising attitude – they expected him to be more angry about the situation than disappointed. But then again, they barely knew the man. They just assumed from what Serana said. "Breaching the restricted wings of the Castle is clearly dangerous and she refuses to have me help."

"You only want to make sure I will not give the Scroll to father," Serana sighed in frustration.

"That too," Isran admitted. He was clearly not hiding that agenda.

"I cannot risk being found out for your mistrust," she shook her head. It was obvious they were both upset with the situation, but they still talked so calmly and civilly. It was almost more disturbing like that.

"It is not about mistrust. We've discussed it. You are planning to give the Scroll to Harkon," Isran scowled.

"It's the only way I would gain his trust to get the other Scrolls for the reading," Serana huffed a bit.

"It's too risky. We've discussed this. You can't be certain that it is what he'll do."

"Yes, we've discussed this. And I agreed to bring the Scroll here first and then talk about it again. I do not understand why you continue to think that I won't," she continued to reason with him. It was hard to say why this even mattered? Serana could just go get the Scroll alone at any point, couldn't she? Regardless of her reservations about it being dangerous, she still planned to do so. Why did she care if Isran was on board with that?

"I'm worried for your sake too. You yourself told me how dangerous it could be if you get caught and…" Isran began to reason with her again, but he got interrupted by Bishop. This discussion went nowhere.

"That's where we come in."

"Hmm?" Isran scowled a bit more, but it was not nearly as concerned as it was a curious frown.

"We'll help," Aeyrin clarified. "Serana needs help infiltrating the Castle and Bishop is really good at this stuff. And I can stay somewhere nearby and go look for them if they don't return for too long. It's a last resort but… the vampires might not expect my powers."

"You wouldn't expect their power," Isran scowled at her. "No matter your abilities, there is no such thing as wiping out the Volkihar clan single-handedly. Your contingency plan is doomed to end in tragedy. Don't kid yourselves. I'm surprised you would agree to this," he gave a pointed look to Serana.

"She insisted. And it's a last resort. Her abilities are unexpected. She cannot be charmed. Perhaps other vampiric magic won't have any effect," Serana pondered.

"That's a theory best tested outside of the Castle walls," Isran sighed. "But… we can discuss this… plan of yours. You are so against me coming with you, but you are alright with this?" He raised his brow at Serana.

"He says he's good at this. And I know you are not. I worry about your impulsiveness if we run into my clansmen, you know that," Serana sighed.

"How do you know he's not impulsive? How do you know he's any good at things like this?" Isran scoffed. "You barely know him."

"He is confident of his abilities and what reason would he have to lie about them? The only thing he gets out of this is risking his life," Serana reasoned. "You never consider one's motivations in your suspicions."

"I do not dismiss my suspicions because I can't see motivations that are not on the surface," Isran scowled again. "And even if he is sincere, he could be just overconfident."

"Can you two stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Bishop growled, interrupting their exchange. This was getting fucking frustrating. "Look, I'm good at this, no matter what you think, and I'm willing to go with her. She clearly doesn't want you to go, so what's the point in this discussion anyway?"

"The point is to ensure all our efforts don't go to waste because of incompetence," Isran sighed. "Look, I know you obviously have some skill, given what you two deal with regularly, but this is a delicate operation. I haven't heard much of your plan at all. Have you ever even infiltrated a hostile place?"

"Yeah. Lots of times. Not that the details are something I should be sharing," Bishop smirked. His infiltrations were never legal. "And we don't exactly have a solid plan yet… Serana…"

"I wanted to discuss it with you first," Serana nodded at Isran. They haven't talked about the details, just some basic things about Bishop coming with Serana and Aeyrin's insistence on being nearby so that she could go look for them, if something felt wrong. She also pondered on stopping by Dragon Bridge and cajoling Maro for more of those soul gem rings.

"I… appreciate that," Isran's frown softened a bit. "It's not a bad thing to have help. We can discuss a plan together that we're all comfortable with, to a measure."

His disposition seemed to lighten considerably, probably now that he didn't have to worry about insane plans being concocted behind his back. Granted, they really didn't have anything thought out and Serana always said they should talk to Isran too when Bishop and Aeyrin prodded her for details.

Those two had an odd dynamic. But as long as it worked and they could deal with this prophecy mess together, who cared?

As long as they could all come up with a decent plan, because so far, it did sound like an ill-thought out last resort. Bishop was especially freaked out by Aeyrin saying she would come look for them if they were gone too long – as if her Shouts could protect her from a swarm of ancient vampires. If it was that easy, the Dawnguard would have slaughtered them all by now, surely. But he knew that she must have been equally as nervous about him offering to go with Serana.

Once they got more information about the Castle from Serana and more solid plans and contingencies from Isran, hopefully it wouldn't seem that suicidal.

They just needed a plan.

…

"So, we need to discuss the backup first," Isran began to explain. They were all still in his small room, but since Isran thought they might take a while before they would start the mission properly, he at least told some of his men to bring food and drinks in. That was convenient, since Bishop and Aeyrin were still operating on no sleep and no breakfast. They needed some energy. The simple meal of venison bits and some bread and mead to wash it down was enough for that.

"Right… we didn't discuss that much," Aeyrin gave him a nervous chuckle in response. He did have a point about her providing the backup being very ill-thought-out, but they haven't really done any real planning. When Bishop agreed to help Serana, she just said she would come with and stay nearby to intervene if something went wrong. Serana advised against anyone staying close to the Castle, but Aeyrin did insist. And that was really it. She had no idea how she would even find out when something went wrong. And she had no idea what she would do. There was only that idea about the soul gem rings, which she thought had merit, but she hadn't shared that one yet.

"Yes, that is clear," Isran gave her a little smirk. "Serana and Bishop will go to the Castle then. We will discuss the details to prepare for that, but we need to be certain first that if anything goes wrong, we can get them out of there. A small rescue team, just in case. Enough to be able to deal with some resistance."

"Are you going to bring your little army to the shores of the Sea? They don't all remain locked in the Castle all the time. The first clansman to venture out on the skiff will see," Serana scowled at him.

"We will find a place for them to stay more hidden. Perhaps a cave nearby or an old structure. Somewhere not that visible. But I want them to have our back if we need it. I think we can all agree that we need some backup force to rely on if you get caught," Isran continued.

Aeyrin only nodded eagerly. It was comforting. She would probably not fare all that well against all of those vampires. She did manage to defeat a large force of them alone when she was a werewolf, but it did not go smoothly. Now she had her Shouts back and that made her a little more confident than the werewolf she was unable to control. But still, the Dawnguard had not wiped out these vampires so far likely for a reason. She shouldn't be overconfident.

"Last resort. I will not have you storming the Castle in a few hours, ruining everything," Serana sighed.

"Of course. And there will be no storming. I will stay near, camp by the shore. As long as it's not a larger group there, it shouldn't raise suspicion. And if I suspect something went wrong, I will scout the side entrance and try to gouge the situation. I can instruct someone to come check on my camp every few hours and come to help if I'm not back for two checks. That should be a somewhat secure fallback," Isran pondered.

"I'll stay on the shore too," Aeyrin piped up. If something went wrong, she was not going to be stuck with the rest of the men in some cave, waiting anxiously while checking on an empty camp. That was not happening. But she probably needed to convince Isran a little. "I know Shouts that are good for distractions and diversions when we need to assess the situation."

"Hmm… alright," Isran nodded thoughtfully. Good. That was easy.

"It still doesn't help us for when you decide we're in trouble way too early while we're still working on finding the information I need," Serana sighed.

"Right. That is a… problem. The Castle is not visible from the shore, and even if it was, there's no guarantee you would be in any position to signal us in any way. I have no idea how to tell whether you're in trouble. We could discuss some reasonable timeframes…" Isran tried to think of a resolution, but Aeyrin promptly interrupted him.

"I have an idea about that. It's a trinket we used before for this purpose. Rings that are… linked in a way."

"Right. The soul gem rings," Bishop nodded. "Good idea." He didn't think of that, but it was perfect. He would be much more comfortable with that. And he might even be able to relax about Serana more. He did trust her, but there was always that little speckle of doubt. If he had the soul gem ring, he could just rely on crushing it the second she looked at him funny. He would be able to tell by now, right? He thought as much.

"'Soul gem rings'?" Serana's voice sounded intrigued as she looked at the two of them instead of Isran. "What is that?"

"They're these rings, made from one split soul gem," Aeyrin explained. "You can crush the soul gem of one and the other extinguishes. So when you're in danger, you can crush the ring and we'll see that it happened."

"Interesting. This is really useful. And since we'll both be camping by the shore, we can take turns resting if we need to so that we can always have the ring watched," Isran nodded thoughtfully. "This would serve us perfectly." Good. This only meant that Isran was not going to try and deter Aeyrin from camping with him on the shore. He seemed alright with it, but it was still a little strange making plans like this with the people they didn't know so well.

"A split soul gem?" Serana looked a bit caught off guard by the explanation. "How does that work? How do you split it?"

"Oh. We don't," Aeyrin clarified. "We got the rings before from a… an acquaintance. In Dragon Bridge. We can stop by there and see if they have more of them to spare for us. I really don't know how they're made, sorry," she gave an apologetic shrug to Serana.

The vampire certainly looked disappointed by that. But Isran now looked even more intrigued for some reason.

"An acquaintance in Dragon Bridge?" He raised his brow. "With a trinket such as this… are you working with Penitus Oculatus?"

Alright. Maybe that was a little obvious for someone who knew of the existence of the spies. They had no idea that Isran knew about this group of people at all, but since he did, what else could they say? Who else would be in that tiny town who would be in possession of such a thing? It was basically only a lumber mill and an inn in there – no wizards, no artifact collectors. Just normal people. And the spies.

Aeyrin and Bishop shared a brief look and a shrug. What did keeping this a secret matter? It didn't matter if Isran knew. Even the Brotherhood knew they were working with the Penitus Oculatus. They also entered their outpost in plain sight often. It really wasn't something they needed to keep under the lid. And especially not in front of Isran and Serana of all people. They had nothing to do with this.

"A little bit. On some other concerns," Aeyrin gave him a wry smile. "In fact, if you know who they are and are still doubting Bishop's abilities – he did an infiltration for them too." Maybe this would make Isran more confident, since he knew who they were.

"Hmm… alright. That is comforting," he smiled a little. "They are no amateurs."

"Who are these people?" Serana cocked her head in confusion.

"Imperial spies. Do you recall the order of the Blades? They took their place after the Oblivion Crisis," Isran explained.

"I do recall the Blades, yes," Serana nodded. "Even the Daedra talked of them during the Crisis."

All three of them now got much more curious about her little bit of unexpected information and they looked at her intently.

"'Daedra talked'? You understand Daedric?" Aeyrin gaped at her. That was… not something a lot of people could claim. Perhaps only scholars who dedicated themselves to studying the Daedra.

"A little bit," Serana smirked, throwing her own words back at her. "It hasn't been as useful since my awakening, however, I'm sad to say."

Isran gave her an oddly measured look, but he didn't address the information. After a while, he merely waved his hand dismissively.

"Well… that is settled then. You try to get more rings from your allies on the way and Serana and Bishop will use them to alert us. This would solve the biggest issue on our end on the shore." Isran nodded somewhat contentedly. He still didn't really look content, but his words were reassuring. "I will need to pick and prepare my men for the backup, but other than that, I am more confident about this plan. We still need to go over your part though," he looked at Serana pointedly.

"Yeah, you said something about a side entrance?" Bishop asked promptly. That sounded good.

"Yes. We need to access restricted wings of the Castle, but that can be done through a side entrance," Serana explained. "We would take a skiff together towards that side entrance and hide it somewhere there. Then we would go through abandoned wings of the Castle until we find my mother's hidden study. I know the way. I used to come there when she kept it… open. But she hid it after she left and my father closed off the wings so that she couldn't return there for anything she may have left behind. But I know her. The only thing she would have left behind is a clue for me about her whereabouts."

"How are they restricted when there's a side entrance?" Bishop raised his brow. That didn't sound very secured.

"I don't know," Serana sighed. "I imagine some… guardians. Opposition. Likely gargoyles, hounds or undead. Those are very easy to maintain in empty halls."

"'Gargoyles'?" Bishop asked. He knew about the vampiric dogs, he knew undead all too well, but what the fuck was this?

"Creatures with skin like stone. They often appear as statues until you get too close," Isran explained. That made Bishop recall a certain unfortunate assault in Falkreath that Aeyrin had described to him. When Siddgeir sent her to rescue the citizens, something like this had surprised her in the fort, right?

"I think that's the…" Aeyrin looked at him and he instantly nodded, letting her know that he remembered.

"Yeah. Those are probably gonna be nasty without a blunt weapon, huh?" Bishop cringed a bit. Serana carried around only a dagger from what he saw. She was probably predominantly either relying on her vampiric magic, or regular magic. Would any of it be effective against these things?

"I can bring life to gargoyles as well. It's a simple matter of imbuing them with magic. Like raising the dead. I can do that as well. Any inanimate gargoyles and any undead we slay will be at our disposal again," Serana reassured him. That was… something.

"Still, if you want a hammer or something, just in case, ours are enchanted to do damage to undead and Daedra," Isran interrupted. That sounded useful. It sounded like the paladin magic Aeyrin knew.

"Sure, I'll take some lighter one, if you have any," Bishop nodded. He was not gonna drag a massive hammer around, but he could make do with something smaller.

"Well then… we should be able to handle what lies inside together, I hope," Serana smiled a bit. "I admit, having someone who will watch my back makes it much less daunting. But there is still one thing we need to discuss."

"What is it?" Bishop scowled. He knew there would be a worse catch. There always was, somehow.

"There is a… possibility. We should be able to get inside the side entrance without any issues, but like I said, the clansmen are not confined to the Castle. They might wander the grounds. And we might run into someone. And if we do…"

Serana stopped talking and gave Bishop a meaningful look. He wasn't really connecting the dots there though.

"I can't be found out. You know this," Serana looked at him intently. "So… if someone sees us, you need to look like you belong."

"Like… a vampire?" Bishop gave her an uncertain look. With the shiny eyes and all that? How would they do that? Maybe illusion magic like they did when he was infiltrating the Thalmor prison where Therien had been held.

"No. We all know each other in the Castle and no others are allowed in," Serana shook her head. "You need to look like… cattle. You need to be charmed."

"Wait, what?!" Aeyrin instantly interjected. That was not happening! Serana was not going to charm him again!

"That's not fucking happening! I told you, no charming. Ever," Bishop growled. They had both been very clear about how uncomfortable this shit was for them to go through. Serana seemed to respect that. And now they had to deal with this again?

"But if we encounter someone, you need to look like…" Serana was clearly starting to panic a little bit with the refusal, but Bishop quickly interrupted her.

"'Look like'. Fine. I can fake it. But no actual charming," he reiterated. Serana had a point – they needed a 'disguise' in case they ran into someone. But he was not losing his consciousness and faculties. Not a fucking chance.

"It's not that simple. It's not easy to pretend and my clansmen see the charmed cattle all the time. They recognize it," Serana reasoned.

"We'll practice then," Bishop shrugged. "I can handle pretending. But I am not gonna be charmed." He kind of had a whole new fucking appreciation for what Aeyrin had to go through during all of her werewolf transformations. Knowingly losing consciousness made his skin crawl. And she used to have no choice about it.

"Serana," Isran sighed. "Remember, we all have to trust each other here. It is integral for the mission to go well. You can't take away his consciousness." At least he understood. Serana probably didn't see it that way. It was probably such an ordinary thing to do for her.

"Fine. But we will practice. And make it look believable," Serana scowled.

Bishop wasn't sure yet what that entailed, but as long as he was conscious through it, that was fine.

"Good. Then we are in agreement," Isran nodded. "I will need to speak to my men and take some time to prepare them for potential encounters with some of the vampires. So we will probably not head out for hours yet. Maybe for the whole day. I have to see how ready they are."

"Good. We traveled through the night anyway. We need some rest," Aeyrin let out a relieved sigh. The notion of heading out right away was not a pleasant one.

"I will show you to some unoccupied rooms where you can rest," Isran continued. "And Serana, I would appreciate if you helped prepare my men. Show them your abilities to make sure they know what to expect. Prepare them to defend against the magic."

"I… understand," Serana seemed a little uncomfortable, though it was often hard to say with her. Maybe it wasn't exactly pleasant, showing her weaknesses to vampire hunters. Showing them how to strike despite her strengths.

It was no wonder everything here seemed so tense. They all tried to work with Serana, but Bishop and Aeyrin knew it themselves. It was hard to let go of the fears, when they knew what she was capable of. And it had to be hard for her to know these people had her life in their hands if they so decided. She was very outnumbered here if they snapped.

And not to mention, there was a strange respectful tension between her and Isran.

Traveling with them was certainly going to be interesting.

…

It's been quite staggering to realize how long it's been for Aeyrin.

They'd spent such a long time in the cottage. Such a long time just lazing about and enjoying the domesticity. And now they spent the whole night walking and then, after only a few hours of rest on a small rickety bed in Fort Dawnguard, they were back at it, traveling again.

To be fair, they were all just small rickety beds in there. Maybe Isran himself had a bigger one, but he didn't seem like someone who would flaunt his leadership over his men. All the equipment there was provisional – the food, the drinks, the furniture. All of it was old or cheap or in just functional enough condition. It was clear where the money went. The armor and weapons of the Dawnguard were a whole other story. Enchantments, plates, full-face helmets and quality craftsmanship. They had their priorities straight. Bishop did have to admire his borrowed hammer from time to time. It was heavier than what he was used to, but not that bad. It had actual glowing runes on it and a very reinforced handle. Bishop couldn't even tell what metal it was made from. Maybe steel and ebony? There were some black lines around the runes. It looked kind of badass. A price to pay for uncomfortable beds.

They could have taken two beds, no matter how old those were, surely that would be more comfortable. Isran showed them an empty room with like seven beds. But the two of them were convinced that they wouldn't sleep nearly as well without resting in each other's arms.

So that didn't end up being ideal. Aeyrin even fell off the bed at one point. And in the end, they only got about five hours of sleep before Isran woke them up. They needed to get going.

And so another afternoon was spent walking, way into the night. They only found a convenient place to stop and make their first camp in a giant's camp near the Eastmarch and The Pale border. It seemed long abandoned. Or maybe the giant was slain. It hardly mattered. From the state of the camp, it's been this way for a long time. But it was a good spot to make their own campsite – especially since there was a small cave in a rock there. It was really tiny, barely able to be called a cave – more like a hollow in the stone that didn't really hide anything, but it was a good spot to put their traps around with nearby trees and rocks. At least they were covered from one side.

It was just nice to be sitting again. Bishop had his hunts throughout their honeymoon, but Aeyrin got so aware just then how lazy she'd been. So much walking all of the sudden.

When Bishop finished putting their food on the fire, this time double the portion for Serana and Isran too, Aeyrin could finally snuggle closer to him and lean her back on his chest. Their traveling was hardly exciting. Serana and Bishop had been mostly practicing his 'obedience' and Aeyrin could see how on edge he got every time he tried to deliver that monotonous: 'yes, mistress'. No wonder. It must have been so uncomfortable for him to say. But that didn't escape Serana's notice either. She insisted he must get more believable. So all this time was generally spent by doing this. Isran and Aeyrin did talk a bit, a little about Dawnguard and the Vigilants and what made Isran leave, but for the most part, they just tried to give Bishop more tips on how to make it convincing.

It was a relief to be finally relaxing in the camp and to have a respite from this. Isran went to the nearby bend of the White River to wash up while the food is made and Serana… well she disappeared. They had no idea what she was doing, but she didn't really volunteer the information and Bishop and Aeyrin didn't know her well enough to be comfortable with prying. Isran didn't seem to be concerned about her leaving.

So at last, Aeyrin and Bishop could make themselves comfortable in the camp, keeping away from practicing mindless obedience.

Aeyrin let out a soft groan as she arched her back and rolled her shoulders against Bishop. Her whole body felt stiff and tense by now and she let out an involuntary yawn right after the motion.

She felt Bishop's hands move to her shoulders promptly, squeezing her as he pressed his thumbs into her sore skin.

"Long day," he let out a somewhat tired sigh of his own.

"Yeah, I think I'm not used to moving anymore," Aeyrin chuckled a little before she let out a small groan as he began to rub her shoulders firmly. Gods, she really needed that.

"What? I'd say we got plenty of exercise during our honeymoon daily," Bishop smirked. "And nightly."

"Yeah. Walking in heavy armor is a different kind of beast though," she smiled. So many of her neglected muscles seemed to have decided to make themselves known today. It did feel good to have his hands rub over her shoulder blades though. "Hmm, lower please," she murmured as she leaned into his touch.

"Yes, mistress," Bishop half-smirked, half-scoffed. He did do as she asked. It wasn't exactly directed at her.

"Sorry," Aeyrin cringed at herself. She did say 'please', but still, she had been watching him get more and more agitated by pretending to follow someone's demands all day. She just didn't think of it that way.

"No, I didn't mean…" Bishop sighed. As if he would ever mind giving into the request of touching her more. "It's fine." He moved his hands firmly over her shoulder blades, rubbing circles with his fingers into her skin and pressing and kneading the knots of tension in her back, as if to make it clear how fine he was with this demand. "'Sides… it's all fake. For the mission. I don't mind," he shrugged noncommittally.

"I can see it makes you uncomfortable. It's alright. I understand," she turned her head a bit to give him a smile. It would be more surprising if doing this, even for pretend, didn't affect him. For one, he really had a problem with obedience. No wonder, given his past. And secondly, he did not exactly have fond memories of the charming itself. Aeyrin understood completely. Maybe it wasn't a big deal when it was all for pretend, but of course it would be unpleasant.

"It's just a trick," he sighed. He seemed mad at himself for being annoyed at all.

It was just a trick. Sure. And Serana was so sincere from the start. She had so many opportunities to turn on them. If she wanted to, she could have charmed Bishop, incapacitated Aeyrin and dragged him to the Castle a long time ago if that was her intention. And why would it be? That made no sense.

But still…

"Bish," Aeyrin turned to him again, now a little bit more so that she could face him. Her next words were whispered, just in case Serana or Isran were returning and close enough to overhear. "I know she's doing a good thing. I know I shouldn't think like this but… please, be careful around her. I hate that I'm even thinking that, but…" She let the words trail off. She should know better. She was a werewolf. She knew that having these powers didn't make one untrustworthy. She knew it didn't change the person inside. She wasn't sure she should blame her upbringing or not, but it didn't matter. Nothing stopped those doubts.

"I know, princess." He leaned in to place a brief comforting kiss on her lips. "Don't feel bad, not trusting dangerous people is smart," he smirked. "I know what you mean. What she can do always makes me uncomfortable. I'll be careful. I don't think she'd do anything though." She really had no reason to, did she?

"I don't either," Aeyrin nodded. "Still…"

"Yeah, I know." He planted another peck on her lips before he urged her to turn her head again by pressing his thumbs into the nape of her neck. "Now come on, let me relieve that tension. I don't suppose we have time for a more effective tension relief right now, huh?" He sighed in disappointment. He did begin to nuzzle her neck as he moved his hands lower to massage below her shoulder blades, but he knew they didn't have time for much of this.

Still, he began to kiss her languidly on her neck while he continued to knead her back. They could enjoy themselves at least a little. And when he was massaging her, he was intent on getting her to moan under his touch just like he always did under hers. Who cared if he needed to help himself a bit with his mouth, since she still for some reason did not see a massage as an intimate activity? How could she not when he was touching her like that? Ah well, not that he minded the extra work. He promptly moved his lips to her ear and nipped at her earlobe before he ran his tongue over the ridge, earning that groan of pleasure he craved.

"Interrupting?" A somewhat amused familiar voice disturbed them and while Bishop wasn't exactly eager to stop on its account, Aeyrin did flinch a little in his arms. She didn't pull away, but he got the signal to at least stop kissing and licking her. He just wrapped his arms around her stomach instead and pulled her into his arms to relax together by the fire.

"I figured it was to be expected, traveling with newlyweds," Isran smirked. Both him and Serana were back, together. Did they leave separately in order to meet somewhere or did they just run into each other once they were coming back? It was hard to tell. Their dynamic was… strange. Both of them were somewhat unreadable.

"Sorry," Aeyrin gave them a wry smile while she only felt Bishop shrug against her back.

"I do not mind," Serana shrugged as well before her eyes went upwards to the sky critically. "But no chains tonight?"

'Chains'?

Aeyrin was confused for a while before it hit her. The last time they traveled with Serana, Aeyrin was still a lycanthrope. Aeyrin wasn't sure why Serana asked now though. They traveled last night too, all through the night. And it wasn't even full Secunda anymore. Then again, Serana didn't ask about too many details. She likely didn't know how the curse worked. Maybe she just remembered it now that they were actually camping again like they did the last time when she got to see the transformation.

Or maybe she wanted Isran to see it? She mentioned it in front of him without a second thought.

"'Chains'?" Isran raised his brow. But apparently, the mention didn't connect any dots for him. "Well… everyone has different… preferences."

He said it so casually. It was clear he assumed it was a sexual thing. Why did he think Serana would know about their practices in that area? They were both so stoic about everything, sometimes it just got disturbing.

Bishop only chuckled at his assumption, but Aeyrin promptly disputed it.

"Not like that," she shook her head quickly. "Uhm… she means… something else." She did not want to explain either though. It was just lucky that Isran did not make the connection. He would probably be alright with that – after all, he was all for people curing themselves of these conditions. That was why he left the Vigil – he hated that they hunted people down instead of trying to help them navigate their powers or to get rid of them.

But Aeyrin did not want to discuss this. She wasn't sure if she would ever be eager to talk about that mess.

Yet Serana clearly did not get the hint. She seemed curious. And it was hard to say if she was just unconcerned about Aeyrin's feelings on it or if she just lacked social graces after her life of seclusion and entombment.

"How often do you have to do that? I know by now it's not every night, but when? I admit, I do not know much of this." Serana sat down, a little further from the fire than anyone else, as she asked curiously.

"Uhm…" Aeyrin shuffled nervously in Bishop's arms. She felt him tense up as both the vampire and Isran looked at her curiously and she knew he would try to shut her up. But maybe it was pointless. Maybe Aeyrin should just get this over with. "Not at all anymore. I was… cured."

"Hmm… lycanthropy?" At that point, Isran made the connection at last. It was an easy one to make for a former Vigilant by now, surely – mentioning chains, something happening some nights and now 'curing', it was probably obvious.

"Yes," Aeyrin sighed. "Involuntary."

Isran seemed like he wanted to say something to that, but Serana looked even more curious now as she spoke.

"You were cured? For what purpose?" She cocked her head curiously.

"To… to be myself again," Aeyrin explained. What kind of a question was that?

"Were you not yourself with lycanthropy?" Serana pried more.

"No! I didn't remember entire nights of what I was doing. I did things I didn't mean to. I never chose it," Aeyrin promptly retorted.

"Do you usually remember what you do through the nights when you sleep?" Serana smiled a little. "You were put through something that changed you. Why not take advantage of the change? It gave you power you didn't have before."

"I didn't just dream. I did things! Things I couldn't control," Aeyrin snarled. How could she even compare it to a normal night spent sleeping and dreaming? "And it didn't change me for the better. It didn't just give me power, it took away my powers. Not just… how can you consider yourself powerful if you don't have control over it?"

"That is a valid point," Serana nodded thoughtfully. "You were excited about remembering small details the morning after I saw you transform though. With time, you would have likely adjusted even more and gained more control."

"It took away too much," Aeyrin only growled in response. She was not interested in discussing this. She did not want to think back on what it all cost her – her Shouts, Karnwyr, her afterlife. It even threatened her relationship with Bishop every time they fought about her inability to accept what he was telling her about the beast. And most of all, it threatened her own mind, how she saw herself, how she hated herself for becoming that thing. She still did. She would never get the memory of the people she killed like that out of her mind, whether the innocent ones or the others.

"A wise woman knows power always comes with a price," Isran gave her a respectful look. "I've rarely seen lycanthropes turned involuntarily, but when I did… I never heard of them gaining full control."

"Perhaps it takes more time than you think," Serana shrugged at him.

"Perhaps. Is it a worthy trade then, to lose yourself whenever you wish to use this power? Or even when you don't want to," Isran sighed. "You are lucky you found your way to a cure."

"I am," Aeyrin nodded eagerly. She was so lucky, sometimes it was still hard to believe.

The debate seemed to be over, fortunately and Aeyrin started to relax a little in Bishop's arms again. Thank the Gods, they left it alone after that. It was probably her least favorite topic in the world.

Isran did seem to be watching Serana curiously for a while as they all remained silent. It was a little odd, the way he looked at her. It was still so hard to figure out that dynamic. Was it polite distance? Was it just what they were comfortable with – silence and stoicism? It felt like there was tension all the time. But they never let it show in their interactions. It was all… underneath. Or maybe Bishop and Aeyrin just imagined it.

They were not used to traveling with people like this. Usually, they were the more experienced and mature adventurers, or at least comparable, when they were with Erik, or the random people they sometimes ran into in the barrows, or Darren. Why did all that silence and weird looks between Serana and Isran sometimes make them feel like they were some idiots along for the ride who didn't know shit?

Maybe they were.

The camp remained quiet for a while, only deepening the perceived tension. Bishop and Aeyrin were still not convinced if it was real. Serana and Isran didn't exactly seem uncomfortable. But Isran kept giving her thoughtful looks and Serana seemed to try to ignore him.

"Do you want to practice more?" She finally broke the silence after a while, giving Bishop a hopeful look.

It might be preferable to silence, but he really didn't want to do that.

"Not today. How about you tell me about the restricted wings instead. The layout and shit. You've been there before in your mother's study, right?" He changed the subject. That seemed like a good topic. And a useful one.

Serana nodded before she began to talk. It did make the atmosphere a little more eased up. Though Bishop knew that the next day would likely be spent practicing his cover again, which he was not thrilled about, at least now they could keep things a little fun. He could already imagine the corridors that Serana described in his head and he asked about every detail, just in case it was useful.

If only they still didn't have such a long way to get there.

They knew the journey across the entirety of Skyrim was going to be a long one.

But they were starting to worry that the company would only make it feel longer.