Author's Note:

Happy holidays, dear readers :)

I hope you enjoy this time, celebrate whatever you celebrate, or just enjoy some peace and quiet if you can.

It's hard to believe that it's the fourth time I'm wishing you this from back when I started posting this story. Four years of this… insane :D I really hope you all still enjoy it and I'm so grateful for each and every one of you who still reads, comments, likes, kudos and all of that. Thank you so much :)

With the holidays properly starting, so is a new plotline starting. There might be some celebrations too, but as you all well know, nothing is just fun and games in the city we find ourselves in again for this plotline ;) I hope it will be enjoyable.

Thank you all for your continued readership and I hope you'll enjoy everything this saga still has in store :)

Let's start it off with some smut with a mild kink warning :D

Chapter LXVI – Changes

Aeyrin ran her fingers over Bishop's earring, examining the menacing bear's head carved into the silver.

It was his second one now. And they really suited him. They looked great at the cartilage of his ear like this and the piercing process went smoothly enough both times.

She was really proud of this gift. And Bishop was so excited about it too.

They'd spent some time traveling through the Rift and Eastmarch. The journey was so much more energetic with Karnwyr around and there was no way in Oblivion they would be taking a carriage now. They were both so happy to travel with him again. And he was jumping around excitedly the entire time. It was encouraging. Things somehow didn't seem so fucked with Karnwyr around.

Eventually, they did get to Windhelm though. It was pretty late in the evening and they didn't have the time to explore the city. So they had to part ways with Karnwyr again and leave him in front of the inn. Only for the night though.

They would reunite with him soon again.

"Did you notice how protective Karnwyr was around you?" Bishop smirked as he himself looked into the little mirror Aeyrin lent him and ran his fingers over the earrings. She had pierced the second hole only a few minutes ago and gave him his rightful trophy. It was more comfortable doing it at an inn with candles around and plenty of washing water nearby.

"Hmm-hmm, I guess he worried. I'm not sure he understands what happened to me," she nodded thoughtfully before she placed a soft kiss below Bishop's ear. It was true that Karnwyr stayed by her side the entire time, rather than scouting ahead or walking by Bishop. It was heartwarming. But she was a little surprised at the change.

"Yeah. That. Also, you know that some animals can sense some… changes," Bishop smirked. He noticed his behavior. Karnwyr was quite fussy about Aeyrin and somewhat oversensitive about the sounds of the wilds. He had seen this before with some dogs.

He put down the mirror for a while and instead grabbed Aeyrin around her waist and pulled her to his lap as they both relaxed on the bed in their room at Candlehearth Hall. He leaned his head on her shoulder and slowly moved his hand under her shirt and onto her bare stomach to make it clear what he meant.

"Oh," Aeyrin flushed. "You really think he can tell?" She wasn't sure why it made her embarrassed. Maybe it was still a little strange to think about. Her being cured kind of took her mind off her pregnancy, even though the sensitivity to smells and the occasional sickness reminded her from time to time.

"I've heard of this and seen it a couple of times. Dogs with pregnant owners sometimes get weirdly aggressive towards other people. Really protective," he nodded. He kept his hand on her stomach and stroked over her skin for a while, but he did start to glide it higher and higher almost subtly under her shirt.

"It's so early though," Aeyrin scowled a bit. How could he tell? She wasn't visibly pregnant at all. It was barely a month. Maybe a little bit longer.

"You could tell. Why couldn't he?" Bishop shrugged. Aeyrin noticed changes. Maybe her smell changed a bit or something? There had to be some internal changes, right? But he didn't understand this shit.

"I don't know," she sighed. She didn't know how Karnwyr could tell, if he could at all. Maybe it was because of her absence and him being unsure what happened to her. But it made Aeyrin think of other things. "I'm kinda worried about… when it will be noticeable," she looked down at herself. It wasn't yet, but time went by so fast.

"That's a long way away," Bishop nuzzled his face into her neck reassuringly.

"I know but… I just… I hate that we have no privacy, you know? No anonymity. Even in that horribly packed carriage, I could tell everyone was talking about me and… everything."

"Yeah… it sucks," Bishop let out a sigh. There was no question about it. And if she did manage to kill Alduin, she would be even more famous. Every single person would know her. Maybe not just in Skyrim. Fuck. That was a terrifying thought. He quickly thought of something else. Something much more private.

"Princess," he brushed the hair off her face and kissed her jaw briefly. His hand moved up from her ribs now to brush the underside of her breasts teasingly. "I promise, we'll have a place to be alone and away from this bullshit." He had that place ready for them. And they would make proper use of it after they got married.

Fuck the Brotherhood. Fuck everything. He was not waiting any longer. They needed this. They would just have to be a little more careful there, but they fucking needed this. Only a month now. So close.

"I can't wait," Aeyrin smiled softly and she pressed herself closer into his arm as Bishop began planting kisses on her from her jaw, across her neck, to her cleavage. In the meantime, his hand under her shirt began exploring in earnest, kneading her breast softly.

She didn't know if they could ever find a place away from this all. It was a nice idea though. Cyrodiil was certainly a nice break, despite all that shit that happened there. It was so refreshing not to be recognized everywhere.

"Yeah," Bishop sighed wistfully. "We'll just disappear somewhere, without anyone around." He murmured the next words against her skin as he continued to nip and kiss the tops of her breasts. "Just you and me."

"And Karnwyr," she chuckled. They wouldn't be leaving him behind again. Well… maybe when they were going into Dwemer ruins or when they were gonna be stuck in a city for a long time. The usual. But never again like this.

"Right," Bishop smirked. He was so glad they had Karnwyr back again. He didn't mind being alone with Aeyrin, but he missed his friend a lot. And it was not like Karnwyr deprived them of privacy. Not like another person would.

Bishop stopped for a bit as he realized something. It made him… uncomfortable. Or maybe uncertain. It wasn't Karnwyr that would be the issue. They weren't going to be exactly alone for long anymore.

Fuck. He didn't want to think about this. He didn't want to think about how he wasn't ready for this at all. Things just got marginally back to how they were supposed to be. But now this huge change was looming over them. Change that neither of them was prepared for. Or even excited about as they should have been.

He felt Aeyrin's hand on his cheek soon and she tilted his head to look into his eyes. She had a curious and a little concerned expression on her face. Right. He stopped kissing her so suddenly. He even only now realized he withdrew his hand from under her shirt.

Fuck. No more thinking about this.

Nope. He could just push those thoughts aside now. There was no end to them anyway – they always returned and it would likely not change anytime soon. That didn't mean he had to give them all the time of his day.

He only smirked at Aeyrin instead and grabbed her by the hips once more. This time, he practically threw her from his lap. She let out a little yelp as she tumbled onto the mattress a little gracelessly, but before she could protest about the loss of their proximity, Bishop climbed on top of her eagerly.

He needed to focus back on her. Perfect, just like this. Like this, he could just pretend that nothing would change. Not when she looked at him the way she was looking at him right now. With a smile tugging at her lips and a blush covering half her face. He could get lost in that expression so easily.

He leaned down and captured her lips in his, sliding his tongue inside almost instantly. Aeyrin was eager to reciprocate the kiss. She toyed with his tongue with her own, sometimes nipped at his lower lip when he withdrew from her to catch his breath. And in the meantime, her hands moved towards the hems of his shirt and she began to tug it upwards.

Soon, as they continued the passionate kiss, she managed to roll his shirt up and he needed to interrupt it reluctantly. Aeyrin got rid of the shirt promptly though and she quickly tossed it behind her, concentrated once more on returning to their kiss.

But suddenly, the room dimmed slightly.

Bishop pulled back in start. What just happened?

A quick look gave him the answer though. He noticed instantly the shirt on the nightstand that Aeyrin just threw there. Right atop the candle they left there after the piercing. There was a glowing orb, visible through the fabric.

"Shit!"

He quickly reached back to the nightstand, kind of burying Aeyrin into the mattress under his form. But he had to do that fast. The last thing they needed now was a fire.

He yanked the shirt away from the candle. It didn't look like the heat caught on the fabric yet. But as he did that, the candle fell from its holder in the momentum.

He caught the candle in his other hand at the last minute before it fell onto the bed, but at that point, Aeyrin pushed him away from herself roughly. She was probably suffocating a little, judging by her red face and heavy panting.

"Sorry," he gave her a wry smile. "But you almost burned us down, so I guess it was warranted," he chuckled.

Aeyrin took a deep breath to steady herself again and only nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah… sorry." She was still breathing a little heavily and she brought her hands to her breasts and rubbed them gently for a while. Alright, that might have hurt her more than he thought. She had been sensitive for a while now.

He threw her another apologetic look, but he really couldn't have left the shirt there. Best case scenario, he would have nothing to wear and he would have to take back the shirt she liked to sleep in sometimes. Worst case scenario… well, he didn't need to think about that.

He tossed the shirt aside onto the floor this time. But then, there was a little gasp from Aeyrin.

When he looked back at her, he noticed her rubbing her fingers into something on her collar, either trying to remove it or to see what it actually was. She looked at her fingers, at one of them coated in a white cover, then she gazed up at Bishop's hand.

Oh. He was still holding that candle. Kind of above her when he was straddling her like this.

He shimmied off her and got ready to put the candle away but the small gasp she made before was replaying in his head, pleasantly pushing all other thoughts away.

"Hey, princess, you wanna make this night interesting?" He winked at her mischievously as he stood up from the bed and put the candle back into the holder on the nightstand. Then he returned to the bed and placed his hand on her thigh, stroking her teasingly.

"In what way?" She asked curiously, but he already saw the intrigued smile forming on her lips and the blush spreading over her face again.

"Come on, what's the fun in that if I tell you?" He chuckled. That only made her more interested. He could already tell. No matter how much she tried to seem like she was pouting, the smile was giving her away.

"Fine," she grumbled when his grin widened at her. Gods, why was she so obvious? He could always read her like a book. But maybe in this case it wasn't a bad thing. She was really excited to find out what he was planning.

"Good. Now get up," he ordered her promptly.

Aeyrin scowled at him a little before she turned herself onto her stomach with a groan. Bishop's hand stayed, still touching her, but this time it moved from the back of her thigh up to her buttocks.

"You really want me off the bed?" She chuckled a little and stretched out her form languidly.

Fuck she was tempting like that. The curve of her body… fuck, it made him want to just yank her clothes off and fuck her right away. But he had plans. He had to stay strong.

"I just found out you can do a lot of damage when you're on the bed," he smirked. Almost burning down the room counted for something. "So yeah." He promptly punctuated it with a sharp smack on her ass, eliciting a surprised yelp from her.

Aeyrin let out a pouty groan before she shimmied off the bed again. Bishop was still sitting on the edge of it and she slowly approached, standing between his knees as she sank her hands into his hair. Bishop could never resist when she was so close to him. How could he keep himself from touching her? His hands began stroking the backs of her thighs again instantly before moving to her buttocks. And in the meantime, he kept trying to push up her shirt with his head so that he could leave kisses just above the hem of her trousers.

But while, judging from her soft moans, Aeyrin clearly wanted to prolong this teasing groping and kissing, Bishop soon pushed her away. She had way too many clothes on for his comfort.

"Strip."

He used that strangely commanding voice again and a shiver ran down her spine instantly. It always made her conflicted. Doing what he said would definitely turn out fun, but so would disobeying him.

Ah, she could play along for now and see where this was headed. She was certainly curious about his plans.

She stepped away a little more, completely out of his reach. He looked frustrated at that, but it was what he asked for.

She turned around promptly, leaving him staring at her back… or more likely at her ass. It was better when she could see his reactions, especially when she heard some shuffling of the sheets, but she figured out what he was doing soon enough as his brief moan rang through the room. She grabbed the hems of her shirt promptly at that and started to slowly roll it up her flanks, then over her breasts. She made sure to arch her back properly and stretch out her arms above her head when she was done. The sounds coming from Bishop may have been better than actually seeing him just then. She could just imagine how he's touching himself while she does this.

She spent some more time stretching there when her shirt was gone, but it was already hard enough not seeing him or touching him. She needed to speed things up.

She promptly hooked her hands below the hem of her trousers and started to take them off, bending over as she did.

Fuck, he loved that view. She still kept her undergarments on but it was still so fucking satisfying to see her bare legs and hips. Bishop continued stroking his cock as he watched her intently, letting out groans of pleasure every now and then. He moved his hand only slowly though. He certainly didn't want to finish like this. Definitely not on his own. And not this soon. He was wondering if he should remove the rest of his clothes besides just leaving his trousers open like this, but he couldn't tear himself away from the view even for a second.

Aeyrin stayed bent over for a while before she placed her hands on her thighs and straightened up, stroking her own skin in the process, then she continued to stroke over her hips and sides, over the small burn mark left above her hip after Blackreach, and then over her flanks to her breasts. She knew Bishop couldn't exactly see her properly, but he had to see at least where her hands must have been. Hearing the sounds he was making only spurred her to tease him more and she purposefully let out a moan of her own as she squeezed her breasts in her hands.

"Fuck," Bishop growled. "Take everything off." He needed to see everything already. It didn't matter how many times he had seen her completely naked, it never got old. Especially when she was undressing this temptingly. He had to hold himself back a lot not to pick up the pace of his hand around his cock.

Aeyrin hooked her hands under her underwear promptly, but she didn't pull it down yet. She made him think that she would a couple of times, eliciting frustrated groans from him, before she turned around instead.

Her heated cheeks flushed ever more when she finally saw him sitting there, stroking his cock slowly while he looked at her with an intense stare. She knew what he was doing, but it was still even more enticing when she could see him.

She quickly tried to get out of her daze though and when she hooked her hands in her undergarments again, this time she pulled them down. Still slowly, she slid the fabric down, uncovering herself entirely to him, before she just let it fall into the ground and stepped out of it.

"You need a hand with that?" She chuckled at him mischievously and bit her lower lip. She was way too aware of the fact that she kept staring at his hand on his cock, at how he was currently rubbing the leaking tip with his thumb.

"Yeah," Bishop huffed. He was apparently not capable of much more talking than that.

Aeyrin approached him slowly. Frustratingly slowly. When she reached him, she put her hands on his knees gently and urged him to close his legs a bit. He was in such a daze that now he was the one to obey without a question.

After he did that, she could comfortably step towards him with one leg on each side of him. And then she slowly placed her knees on the mattress, lowering herself down on him. Bishop got hopeful that she would just take his cock inside. Even though this wasn't the plan and he wanted to tease her more before they actually fucked, right then he wanted nothing else. And they could do the other stuff after anyway and then just fuck again.

But surprisingly enough, Aeyrin only rested on his lap and let his hard cock slide against her abdomen. He stopped touching himself a while ago, but now she moved her hand down to his cock and began to slowly stroke him.

She leaned towards him while she did that and her head dipped towards his ear – the one that now had two pretty silver earrings in it. She didn't want to aggravate the freshly pierced skin, so she merely ran her tongue over his cartilage gently a few times before she began nibbling at his lobe.

Bishop didn't stay idle in the meantime. His hands played with her constantly while she straddled him. He was especially intent on teasing her from behind like this, running his fingers over her entrance temptingly without ever entering.

Aeyrin continued to play with his ear while her soft moans filled his senses. She wanted desperately for him to fill her with his fingers, but he kept denying her. Maybe it was fair. After all, she could feel him squirming against her all the time as if trying to position himself to her entrance, but she kept his cock pressed against her stomach while she played with the tip, rubbing it with her thumb and squeezing him periodically.

The teasing was so deliciously frustrating. But after a while, Bishop wasn't really satisfied with it. He wanted her to moan more, to come from his fingers and unravel under him. She was so wet already. Fuck, he wanted to fuck her right now. But waiting for that was better.

He drove two fingers inside her swiftly and shuddered when her hand squeezed him harder and a loud high-pitched gasp filled his ear. At that, she started to stroke over his entire length much more firmly and fast.

Fuck, with that pace, he was not gonna last much longer after all that teasing. But Aeyrin didn't seem too far behind either. She began meeting the thrusts of his fingers eagerly, moaning whenever his fingers reached deep inside her. He tried to rub her clit with his thumb, but the pace didn't really allow him to do much maneuvering. And he was starting to feel a little less coordinated. His whole body tightened and he was dangerously close to the edge.

"Sweetness," he gasped, trying to slow her pace, but she didn't and he wasn't capable of much more coherent speech.

Soon, he couldn't hold back anymore. He let out a loud groan, buried his fingers inside her and came over her stomach. And his a bit too. Aeyrin seemed to be only encouraged by this. She started moving against his fingers again quickly and, after he roused himself a bit, he finally moved his other hand between their bodies and rubbed her too.

It didn't take long. The intense heat in her body got even hotter and she shuddered against him, letting out a few strangled gasps.

Fuck, well that was pretty quick. But he had so many more ideas. There was no way they could end the evening here.

Bishop gently grabbed her hips and pulled her off himself. He laid her slowly back on the mattress again while she still panted and tried to calm herself.

While she lay there, he finally got up and got rid of the rest of his clothes. Then he moved to Aeyrin's pack and rummaged around in it. He took out two washcloths from there. With the first, he wiped off his stomach and approached Aeyrin again to do the same. She was already lying there much more calmly with her eyes closed and her cheeks gorgeously flushed. Her body gleamed with a soft layer of sweat.

Fuck, she was so gorgeous. He kind of wanted to enjoy the sight a bit before he cleaned her off, but he couldn't dawdle too much. He was too eager to do other things already.

He wiped her stomach with the cloth too and put it aside before he began to fold the other one neatly.

* "What are you doing?" She cocked her head at him curiously.

"I think it will be better when you can't see," he winked at her, eliciting only a soft chuckle from her. He loved the intrigued look she gave him whenever she wasn't sure what was in store for her.

She eagerly raised her head to accommodate him when he reached out to her with the provisionary blindfold.

The room went dark around her and she waited with excited anticipation. She had no idea what he was planning now. She heard him shuffling around the room, but he wasn't touching her yet.

"Tell me if you're not into this, alright?" he murmured in a quiet voice.

She quickly nodded her head. That likely meant he was planning to do something new. She wasn't sure what. By now, she could barely even imagine anything they hadn't done together yet. And this wasn't a room at the Imbel's House. It was not like it was filled with some toys and contraptions; she had no idea what those were for.

The waiting seemed to take so long. She was starting to get a little anxious. The only thing she felt was his weight settling next to her. He lied down by her side, clearly. And then he finally touched her. On a little sensitive spot of skin on her collar. His fingers drew gentle circles around that spot and then they stopped and withdrew.

A moment later, there was a burning sting of mild pain and she let out a gasp. She recognized the sensation instantly. It happened only a few moments ago after all. It was the hot wax from the candle landing on her.

Bishop's fingers returned to that spot and spread the wax around a little, making it burn all over again. It was an odd sensation. It added to the heat building inside her strangely pleasantly. She wasn't sure why, but she kind of liked this.

She felt the wax harden on her skin and Bishop's fingers quickly. Then she felt him peel the little spot of wax away from her skin.

The next sensation was the soothing touch of his lips on that very spot and a flick of his tongue. She let out a soft moan at the sensation. It was pleasantly strange – the different temperatures mixing on her skin.

Bishop withdrew again and a moment later, she felt another burning spot fall onto her skin, this time at the top of her breast.

Another gasp of hers filled Bishop's ears. Fuck, she looked so good. She always arched her back when he dripped a bit of wax onto her and the way her breath hitched when he started to spread it with his fingers only made it better. She clearly liked this. She would have definitely said something if she didn't, but the best indication was how she tilted her head back and her face seemed to burn a little more and more continuously.

This time he let the wax harden there and on his fingers. He moved the candle a little lower when he noticed another drop of wax sliding from it, and he let it fall onto her breast again, closer to her nipple.

The closer the drops got, the more strained her moans got. When he spread the wax again and let it coat his fingers more, he moved them to her hardened nipple promptly before it could dry and cool.

He began to rub her nipple, making her moan out loud as his heated fingers coated her a little with the bits of wax that didn't manage to harden.

The strange smoothness of his fingers with the wax felt so odd and pleasant. Aeyrin felt her whole body burning from arousal, not just from the new sensations, but from constantly imagining him watching her intently like he always did when he teased her. She loved that expression of his so much.

Bishop repeated the same treatment on her other breast, making her even keener. She could feel the wetness pooling between her legs and she sometimes couldn't help but rub her thighs together to feel at least some contact of skin there. She heard him let out a little amused chuckle at her frustration. But he was clearly not going to indulge her fully yet.

She felt the heated drop of wax on her stomach next, then another a little lower. He rubbed them around her skin each time, but he never peeled them off again. He just continued lower and lower making her go crazy.

The last drop he let fall on her was very low on her abdomen. Gods, as if that area wasn't heated enough. She felt like she was on fire. But it was the best sensation.

Bishop rubbed his fingers through the wax and ran them lower, almost towards her folds, spreading the heated wax. He stopped there, which was probably a good thing – other places might have been way too sensitive for that kind of thing.

She missed his fingers when he withdrew them. She felt him lean over her to do something, his chest almost pressing into her face like that, before he retreated back.

He left her like that for a while and she knew he was just… watching her. Enjoying the sight of her squirming and eager for more touch.

Then she felt him peel off the first hardened drop on her breast. His mouth followed once more, sucking on her skin and licking the sensitive patch. Divines. Was he going to do it for every one of those drops? That was going to drive her crazy.

She squirmed and moaned with each contact of his lips. His kisses got more and more intense and insistent. And the best part came when he removed the last bit – the one going from her lower abdomen towards her slit. His tongue glided across her skin there, but it didn't stop. Soon, he finally slipped his tongue between her folds, making her shudder in excitement as jolts of pleasure shot through her.

Bishop's eagerness made it all the more intense. He practically devoured her. It didn't take long before his fingers joined in and soon she was writhing under him again as he thrusted his fingers into her and pressed his tongue greedily against her clit.

Aeyrin was getting close again, but she wanted more. So much more.

"Bish," she gasped in between her labored breaths. "Please, fuck me."

"So eager," he chuckled, but the strain in his voice was palpable. He needed this as much as she did.

He didn't torment her much longer. He withdrew instantly and a cold sensation spread through her as the absence let the cold air of the room hit her wet skin.

Soon, she felt him press his hard cock against her. Gods, she needed it.

He entered her slowly, almost excruciatingly slowly. Both of them let out a long moan at the contact. After all that teasing the whole night, it was perfect.

It was the perfect thing to remind themselves of the good things they had in their lives now. That Aeyrin was cured and that they finally had Karnwyr back with them. Just like he was supposed to be.

If only all the other daunting changes could be so dealt with.

Or made peace with.

…

Mornings at Candlehearth Hall were always pleasantly peaceful.

After a very eventful night, they enjoyed a hearty breakfast. Aeyrin did nourish herself up a lot for the day and Bishop couldn't help but wonder if it was the pregnancy making her even hungrier. He wasn't sure that was possible. He might have to redouble his efforts on his hunts as it progressed.

That made him oddly happy. He was always happy when she enjoyed his food. Seeing her wolf down even more of it actually sounded like fun.

Huh.

That was the first time he felt excited about some aspect of this pregnancy.

Maybe there would be more things like this down the line. Maybe they just really needed time to get used to the idea.

It was all still so fresh. It might not seem so dire as time passed by.

Maybe it was all the sex last night, but he was feeling weirdly optimistic today.

"So…" Aeyrin took only a brief break in between chewing on her big crostata. Maybe he was imagining it. She always ate a lot. So did he for that matter. They needed energy for the constant combat and lugging heavy equipment. He still liked watching her get into the food with such gusto she barely forced herself to pause to speak though. "We set on the plans?" She kept her question brief so that she could continue eating.

"Free-Winter and then the cornerclub," Bishop nodded. They didn't have many plans for the day. It was supposed to be a calm one. Just catching up with Brunwulf.

After that, they would go visit the elves at the cornerclub and probably spend another waking night there.

They planned on handling the whole 'blessing of Talos' as well as their resupplying later. There was no rush after all and they wanted to stay in the city for a while. It was safer than staying in the wilderness for too long, no matter how much they might have been able to enjoy that more.

All in all, it was shaping up to be a relaxing day.

One they could certainly use.

…

"By the Eight, look at him," Aeyrin scoffed disdainfully at the sight.

The city was busy that day. Much like the last time they visited, what felt like ages ago, there were soldiers marching through the streets, gathering into formations. It never boded well. The Stormcloaks were surely celebrating their recent victories and launching more and more operations.

But the most disturbing sight of them all was the man parading himself among them.

Ulfric looked like he was demonstrating the latest of warfront fashions in some fancy tailor salon. In his huge armor that made him look twice the size and a big blue sash with a bear's head over it, the thing that he presented most proudly, the thing that drew the most stares, was on his head.

A strange metal crown with sharp bones protruding from it like teeth. Maybe they were teeth. Were they dragon teeth? That would explain the size.

Why was he wearing that thing? Did he have his men kill dragons until he could fashion himself a crown big enough to contain his ego?

And did those dragons grow those teeth back when they resurrected? That was a weird image that wouldn't leave Aeyrin's head.

She didn't get to ponder on it too long though. Unfortunately. It would have been certainly better than what was coming.

Ulfric noticed the three of them soon enough. It was disturbing how confidently he carried himself. Karnwyr actually whimpered a little as the man approached. He waved off a group of soldiers that were trying to talk to him and headed over to them with a huge grin on his face.

That already pissed Aeyrin off. He was the last person she was hoping to see during their visit. Sure, he was their 'glorious High King', but he was usually holed up in his Palace.

"Well, well, look who's here again," he smirked as he stopped in front of them.

"Ulfric," she grumbled. She was still a little salty about his mocking letter that he sent after the tragedy in Rorikstead.

"So what does bring trouble back to my city?" He snorted. 'Trouble'. They were only trouble when he was being an asshole. What 'trouble' were they for the city when they got rid of the insane Butcher? And the burned down house didn't matter anyway – it was an empty house full of lunatic's experiments.

"You know, the actual friends we have here," Aeyrin scoffed at him. She was certainly not going to tell him that they were here also for the blessing for their wedding preparations.

"What happened?" Bishop smirked at him meanly, gesturing towards the crown. "Someone cracked your skull open and you needed something to hold it together?"

"It's despicable how ignorant some sons of Skyrim had become under the Imperial tyranny," Ulfric scowled disdainfully. "This is the Jagged Crown, of course. A symbol of the true High King of Skyrim. And it's exactly where it belongs." He puffed up his chest.

The 'Jagged Crown'? That sounded familiar. Why did it sound familiar?

Oh!

"Ah, it's that thing Tullius wanted me to get for him," Aeyrin grumbled, mostly to herself. That was so long ago, but it was the cause for such a mess. Back then, Tullius threatened to reveal Bishop's bounty to Balgruuf unless she got this stupid crown and presented it to Elisif as her proclamation of loyalty to the Empire. She went to talk to Balgruuf instead, thinking she might sway him and get a pardon for Bishop.

That backfired. And they were still paying for that.

She meant to mostly mumble it to herself and Bishop to remind him, but of course Ulfric heard.

"And you didn't?" Ulfric smirked and raised his brow at her. As if it was so inconceivable that she wouldn't play Tullius's puppet. Didn't he know? Where did he get it? Tullius asked for this a year ago or so. Didn't he try to retrieve it himself or with his men when she ignored him?

Or did Ulfric somehow get it from the Imperials?

"Why would I?" She growled. She was not in Tullius's employ and she wasn't in Ulfric's. She hated being dragged into this horrible war.

"Well I figured you would be eager to help your Imperial friends. I hear you've chosen sides," he scowled at her, this time somewhat threateningly.

What? What in Oblivion?!

She did not choose any side! How did he figure that?

"Where did you get that idea?" She frowned right back at him. Why would he think that?

"My people told me, of course. Apparently, you were all too eager to discredit the old rule in Falkreath and declare your support for the wretched Empire." His face was so dark, she almost felt like squirming under his gaze. She hated when he made her feel like that.

But fortunately, the anger was much more prominent.

Was that what people thought?! That snake Siddgeir! He knew this would happen! That was why he forced her to make that awful speech. He knew it would have these implications.

Gods, she didn't even know what to say to that. None of it was as it seemed.

"I just… told people what happened," she growled hatefully. That wasn't what happened! It was Siddgeir! All of it was Siddgeir. She wanted to shout it from the rooftops. She wanted to tell everybody what Siddgeir had done.

But she couldn't. That man was clearly capable of horrible things. Horrible revenge.

And telling this to Ulfric would be suicide, one way or another. Possibly worse. Possibly even genocide instead when Ulfric found out how Siddgeir tricked his entire Hold to abandon all hope in the rebellion and its allies.

"So you are not one of Tullius's lackeys?" He looked her over critically. "I could have certainly been fooled, judging by the reports."

"I am not!" Aeyrin huffed in frustration.

"What if she was?" Bishop scoffed. He usually didn't think provoking Ulfric too much was a good idea, but he was sick of the looks he was giving her. Like he was ready to execute her should she confess some allegiance. He couldn't do shit and he knew very well why.

"Don't try to play coy now," Ulfric rolled his eyes. "The reactions were a little too telling for that. You're like an open book. Tullius would have one crappy spy on his hands."

Well… he wasn't wrong, but it still pissed Aeyrin off when he talked to her like that.

"What? Do you expect me to say that I can't do anything because of some prophecy everyone's shitting their pants over?" Ulfric scoffed. "What if her death is part of the prophecy and then a return of a proper Dragonborn awaits us?" He gave Bishop a challenging look.

"Are you actually stupid enough to count on that?" Bishop growled.

"What you should remember is that, if their High King suggests this, my people will believe it. There will be no outrage, no comeuppance. So don't try to threaten me with what you think is your leverage," Ulfric said, now in a quieter voice, probably so that his men didn't hear him talk about them like some mindless idiots eating out of the palm of his hand.

There was no point in arguing with him. He was not taking Alduin too seriously before to even consider ending his war and he was certainly no more afraid of him now. Which was odd, given what was happening. But maybe the crown was interrupting the blood flow into his brain.

Or maybe he really had reasons to be confident. His army was taking forts left and right. They were already on the doorstep of Morthal, Falkreath and the Reach.

Though if he really thought he would take the Reach, he was delusional. Not with Calcelmo's toys guarding the place.

If he did anything stupid though, his actual comeuppance would come soon. Maybe not from his men, but certainly from the dragons.

"Well, this has been a 'lovely' diversion as ever," Ulfric scoffed. "But I have much more important matters to address now. Big changes are coming. Be sure not to cause trouble in my city again."

Asshole.

But what did he mean by 'big changes'? He was always so full of this self-important bullshit.

He turned on his heel and marched towards his men again. Good riddance.

The amount of soldiers was troubling, but Bishop and Aeyrin would surely not find out what they were up to.

It was best to move on with their day and try to forget this man's existence as much as possible.

…

It was refreshing to knock on Brunwulf Free-Winter's door and actually see him open.

He had been gone for so long and he kept silent about the situation in Cyrodiil for so long. But now he was here again, back in his element and clearly knee-deep in the troubles of the city once more. He came to the door holding a stack of papers and attempting to read them even while communicating with his guests. He did figure out soon enough that it was not really possible to keep his eyes fastened on the writing and see who came to see him at the same time. He had to tear his attention away.

"Ah. You're back in the city," he beamed at them when he finally checked on his visitors. "Come in. Come in."

Aeyrin and Bishop didn't need to be told twice. They headed into the modest house once Brunwulf stepped out of the way. Karnwyr did whine a little at them going indoors once more. It was no wonder. They'd been back together only shortly and they kept leaving him outside while they spent their time in various places. It used to always be like that and he enjoyed the solitude, but he was obviously a little needy after such a long time. Or what Bishop said was true and he was being extra protective of Aeyrin. She wasn't sure if that was actually possible or if Bishop was seeing things though.

"He can come too, if he behaves," Brunwulf chuckled a little at Karnwyr's whining and once Bishop gestured to the wolf to follow, he instantly let out an excited bark. He was so cute. It was such a relief that they found him alive and healthy after all this time.

"Don't worry, he's a good boy," Aeyrin smiled. Karnwyr rarely misbehaved. He could get playful sometimes, but rarely around strangers. And he could definitely get riled up sometimes. But unless Brunwulf turned into a werewolf or a vampire in the time they hadn't seen him, that was not gonna be an issue.

Karnwyr nuzzled her leg at the comment and followed as they settled by a table in the first room. Brunwulf had other papers stacked there, along with some pouches of coins lying around.

What was he up to now?

"So, how was the rest of your trip down south? We haven't seen each other since," Brunwulf nodded thoughtfully when he came to join them with three bottles of mead in his hands.

"Even more insane than the prison break, if you can believe that," Bishop smirked. It definitely was. Anything including his family would end up being that way. He was just glad that it was over. He hoped as much at least. If Liesl or Galric ever tried messing with his life again, they would regret it more than they could imagine.

"I don't even want to imagine what that means, young man. I've had plenty of insanity with all that during that 'prison break'," Free-Winter shook his head a bit incredulously.

"Count yourself lucky then," Bishop snorted. The Thalmor prison was unpleasant, sure, but it was really nothing against dealing with his family.

"Sometimes I do," he nodded wryly. "Have you been to see Therien since he settled in the chapel?"

"We have," Aeyrin nodded and a little pang of pain shot through her. Who knew how long he would be there? It could be a slow process once the body begins deteriorating, but sometimes it could be quicker than anyone would expect. Sometimes it was twenty years. Practically her whole lifetime all over again. Sometimes it was only a year. She didn't want to think about it. "He seems to be settling in well, even though he misses Cyrodiil," she noted a little sadly. She really hoped the mess they helped create wouldn't keep him away from his home until the end of his days.

"The pass is coming along nicely," Brunwulf reassured her. "My people inform me that it could be cleared in several months, a year at the most."

That didn't sound too bad. Hopefully he was right.

"And until then, at least he has a nice view," Free-Winter chuckled. "I've been to see him once, along with checking on the operations there. He seemed to be enjoying helping the people there."

"He does," Aeyrin smiled. He always loved this sort of thing. That was why he was eager to help with this dissidence in the first place. Whenever he heard about someone being oppressed or marginalized, he was always quick to land a hand. She still remembered the stories he told her about joining the protests in Cheydinhal against mistreatment of Orcish citizens. And many other things like this. Ever since she remembered, he was outraged about what the Thalmor were doing. Though that issue he didn't really discuss publicly too much.

She still couldn't believe she got him into trouble with the Thalmor – the one thing even he was too wary to do on his own.

At least he was safe now. But she still felt guilty about him being stuck in Skyrim, no matter how happy she was that he was so near.

"So, what are you up to with this shit?" Bishop nodded at the table after a while of silence. Free-Winter was always busy with something. What was he always doing? He probably had some businesses to run, right? Even though Bishop had no idea if Free-Winter even owned a business. What did noblemen even do?

"I am still trying to assist the remaining elves arrested during the unrests and due to the orders," Brunwulf sighed as if it was an insurmountable task. Maybe it was. "They are being held for various reasons and denied bail. I'm trying to either find legal loopholes that Ulfric will not be able to ignore, or to find enough money I could spare for the bribes."

It was impressive that he didn't get complacent with the orders gone. The elves did say that things wouldn't change too much – that they would always be mistreated. And that was probably true. While Stormcloaks and their ideas ruled Windhelm, it would always be like this.

"You're kind to still be doing this," Aeyrin smiled at him. "Most people would just… well, everyone here's lucky to have you."

"Thank you, but there's only so much I can do," Brunwulf sighed. "The elves are wary of approaching the Nords after all the abuse, rightfully so, and it can sometimes feel like they still live in their curfewed prison out of fear alone. This whole affair… it had done even more damage long-term, aside from the tragic deaths."

That was unfortunate to hear, but Aeyrin understood. If she lived in Windhelm, and wasn't so notorious, she would be scared out of her mind constantly. The people here could be really nasty and she didn't even get the worst of it, even before anyone knew who she was. The Dunmer were far more reviled.

"And it's really nothing," Brunwulf shook his head with a concerned frown forming on his face. "Not in the face of the larger scope of things." He seemed to hesitate a little before he looked at Aeyrin with the same worry in his eyes. "I heard what happened to Rorikstead. And what people saw. Heard."

"Y-yeah," Aeyrin lowered her gaze, trying to avoid his. It was still hard to take those meaningful stares everyone was giving her. Like they were asking if it was true at the same time as they were pleading for her to save them and blaming her for not being more than she was.

She dreaded going to the cornerclub for this reason. She was excited, but she dreaded it too. Not to mention that her lack of drinking might raise questions, but she and Bishop agreed on a system for that. There was no system for this though. No avoiding the weight those stares left on her.

At least she was glad that Master Therien knew. He'd known for a long time now – he was always there for her to reach out to. But there were others she still needed to face. As if the strangers' stares weren't bad enough.

"Isn't that enough of depressing shit?" Bishop sighed. There was nothing to say anyway. Everyone treated this prophecy as true already anyway. And it was. There was no point in confirmations, no point in discussions.

Brunwulf looked disappointed and Aeyrin didn't know what he wanted from her. She didn't know what anyone wanted from her anymore.

Fortunately, he didn't look at her like that for long. After a while, he really did smile instead.

"You are right, of course. Life is hard enough for everyone now without the unnecessary reminders. It's good to focus on the more pleasant things," he gave Bishop an acknowledging nod. "Therien told me there was something he was looking forward to very much here, aside from helping the Talos worshippers."

They weren't sure what he meant for a while, but then he inclined his head meaningfully towards Aeyrin's hand. The ring was plainly visible as she held her bottle of mead.

"Congratulations," Free-Winter smiled softly again. "I hope you don't blame Therien for divulging this to me. He was quite excited."

Of all the secrets they had, this was one they cared the least about keeping. Sure, it didn't need to become public domain, but their friends and close ones should know. And they were going to tell Brunwulf themselves anyway. They probably needed a favor from him.

"Thank you," Aeyrin finally beamed at him. At last, not a painful subject. "We were actually hoping to invite you."

"I would be honored," he answered almost instantly. Maybe he expected this? They've been through a lot together and while he still talked to them more as the older and wiser acquaintance, the things they usually did together suggested a much more trusted bond. It wasn't every stranger one could just embark on a prison infiltration and insipid assassinations with.

"Great. We need a favor," Bishop grinned, eliciting an amused chuckle from Brunwulf. That part he surely did not expect – that his invitation would come with strings attached.

"It's nothing bad," Aeyrin quickly interjected. "It's just… you're probably going to travel with some of your men, right?"

"I rarely do without. The roads are not safe. I don't have to tell you that," Free-Winter nodded.

"Well, we just hoped you might take some people with you? Like… Therien. And some people from here that don't exactly have the money for mercenaries or carriages," Aeyrin smiled wryly. They weren't planning to invite all the elves. Or… were they? It would be strange to invite only some while others overheard, right? But not all the elves even came to the cornerclub regularly. And surely not all of them would want to go. There wouldn't be that many. She hoped.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Brunwulf agreed. "I might even take a carriage with some of my men to guard it. I have a few just standing about anyway. I hoped for Jora to make use of them to provide them to her… bug transports, but… I find it harder and harder to find a moment's privacy with her."

Right. Jora was still contacting people to supply bugs to the Argonians at the docks to help with their lack of food and money. But wasn't the Master of the church, the one suspicious about Jora, involved in this too? If Aeyrin remembered correctly, it was his idea to supply bugs instead of the food that Nords were unwilling to part with for the Argonians' sake.

"I thought the Master of the church is involved in this?" Aeyrin raised her brow. Why would he need to be wary around him with this particular matter?

"He is," Brunwulf nodded. "And perhaps I should approach him instead. Regardless, Jora is hard to meet lately. She is… called to Ulfric often. Some say he began favoring her sermons to those of the Master."

What?

That was… impossible. Ulfric only liked the old priests' sermons because he kept blabbering about how the only way to know Talos is to know war. Jora didn't believe that. Jora was different. The fact that she was different was the exact reason for this entire dissidence.

What would Ulfric want with her?

Brunwulf had no more information for them.

But it was concerning. Despite them leaving his house with their initial goal accomplished, they left with an uneasy feeling.

Ulfric was getting more and more worrisome.

Aeyrin thought instantly that maybe the old priest told his suspicions to Ulfric. Maybe he was torturing Jora to get answers about what she was up to.

But maybe that was just the paranoia talking.

Still, the feeling couldn't be shaken.

Ulfric said that great changes were coming.

If only the great change would be his head on a pike at last.

Kink warnings: wax play