Chapter LXXXI – Years Gone By

It was almost ridiculous how things were going lately.

Bishop could not get used to this for the life of him. It felt so unnatural. It felt like… like a trap. Something had to go wrong at some point. Something had to get fucked. Someone was going to attack them. There was gonna be a dragon or five. Or maybe the assassins would decide they've had enough and just all drop everything and come take a stab at him. Literally.

This was fucking weird. It's been two weeks.

Two weeks of amazing peace and calm he didn't know could still be found anywhere in Skyrim.

But their own little cottage sanctuary actually worked. It provided that peace they needed. Sure, Bishop was still paranoid as fuck and he did secure the house with all his traps every evening. And Karnwyr got used to sleeping beneath the outside bath too – he was well hidden there from any threats and he would alert them if something happened. Bishop even considered hiding a private open entrance there for him, maybe carving it into the wood. But then that would risk some people crawling in too and he didn't want that hazard on his mind. And Karnwyr always preferred to sleep outside anyway, especially in the summer.

Or was it fall now? The month of Hearthfire was already upon them.

They spent the last two weeks in a strange domestic bliss. There was nothing they would let distract them.

All they did was make their new home a home. It was already in a pretty good state, but not really lived-in. Not only did they just want all their shit there so that they wouldn't have it in inaccessible places like Whiterun or Solitude, they also wanted this place to be safe. They needed some security measures and not just tripwires that a person could spot. Fortunately, they knew exactly whom to ask. After all, they spent a lot of time checking Maven's security business at one point when they were looking for ways inside Mercer's manor. Not that they needed that kind of security, but they needed some.

They didn't have any money. None at all and Aeyrin considered asking Maven for her favor on the security. But… then she remembered everything that Bishop told her about how he got the cottage – how he asked Maven for this and she somewhat mocked him for not using it on the bounty she was holding hostage. That seemed more important.

And so, they enacted a different plan. Aeyrin wrote to Jordis, still pretending not to know about how she tried to seduce Bishop, and she asked her to send all their things to them. It would likely be a few packages, but that didn't matter. They were not going back to Solitude for them. And… upon Bishop's insistence, she did ask for his 'art piece' too. Now it was going to be like they'd never even lived in that huge mansion. They could stop by to sleep over, but they were still not exactly welcome in Solitude anyway.

The next letter was from the both of them to Lydia and Saadia. They wanted the same thing from Breezehome – all their shit. Well… almost all. Aeyrin had a different request for the 'wolf armor' that she earned when she was made a Companion. 'Wolf armor'. Ridiculous how transparent now everything seemed. All those easy clasps that just sprung open right away during transformations…

Never mind. That was all in the past and she would leave it there. She did not want to be a part of this anymore. She wasn't a part of this anymore. It did not mean she would never talk to the twins again, but it did mean that she definitely wasn't going to be tied to the people who did all… that. She asked Lydia to go return her armor to Jorrvaskr. She did worry she would ask questions, but then Bishop informed her that Lydia and Saadia already knew about her lycanthropy struggles because someone came to collect her personal shit for the cure. Probably Farkas. It sounded like Farkas. He was not subtle.

And now all they could do was wait. Wait for their things to arrive so that they would have something to sell. For now, Bishop was only hunting in the area and spending all the profits on the food they would eat and store in the house. He didn't have it in him to stay away from Aeyrin for too long to prolong the hunts, so it was only about the necessities.

Now he had a problem though.

He knew there were some treasures in the other houses and that they could sell them for a lot of money. What use did they have for an enchanted weird mask or some cracked magical amulet anyway? They should sell that shit and get some money for security measures and house furnishings.

But he would likely need a portion of the money just for himself. And he still didn't know how much or for what. That was his mission today. First, they were heading to the Black-Briar mansion for Aeyrin's favor and then… then he needed to get rid of Aeyrin and spend some time in the market on his own. He needed to at least find out how much he would need. And get some idea on what to spend it on. So far, he had none. He had ideas about some nice shit he could do for her, but not an actual gift.

Her birthday was only in six days after all. He needed to figure something out. Especially after all she gave him on his birthday. He knew it shouldn't be a competition or anything like that, but it would feel fucking lazy to just come up with another bag of treats. Not a chance.

The two of them spent another blissful morning entangled together in their bed, which in fact was very sturdy – they checked the limits many times over. And now they found themselves back on the road heading towards Riften. The city was only ten minutes away – it was so convenient.

That meant it was close to a relatively busy road though. Well… Skyrim-busy. But they couldn't avoid running into someone from time to time. But running into this particular person was never a bother.

"Oi! Still here?" Brynjolf chuckled as he waved at them from some distance away. They just emerged from the forest to find him marching down the road towards Windhelm. They'd seen each other a few times before in the city. He knew they were still in the area. "Are you two seriously spending that honeymoon of yours in the forest? That doesn't sound too nice."

"We're not in the forest," Bishop smirked at him when they finally met half-way. Bryn never asked where exactly they were staying before. And it was no longer a secret now that Aeyrin knew, not a secret from Bryn anyway. Sapphire knew already, but surprisingly enough, she clearly didn't tell even after it was obvious during their journey that it would no longer be a surprise carefully held behind locked lips.

"Where are you then?" Brynjolf raised his brow. "Did you take over the Shor's Stone watchtower? Nobody's there anymore because they say it's cursed. Guards just ended up slaughtered there one day and nobody knows why. I don't know how romantic that is for newlyweds, but suit yourselves," he chuckled.

"Nah, not there," Bishop shook his head. He had no idea what happened in that watchtower, but he didn't particularly care. It was clear by Bryn's assumptions that it wasn't a recent event, so probably no assassins going after Bishop. "You wanna see? Or are you in a rush?"

"Just some business in Shor's Stone again. I need to keep an eye on our operations there. But I got some time," Brynjolf nodded. "Show me."

It was gonna be good for Brynjolf to know where they lived now. In case he needed to reach them quickly, if he heard of some new threats or shit, or maybe just to tell his thieves not to rob them.

They led him through the forest again a few minutes away from the road until they reached the cottage. Brynjolf instantly gave them a curious look.

"I've seen this place before. Thought it was abandoned," he murmured thoughtfully.

"It kinda was. Mostly cause I got it from an old friend and then I don't know where the deed ended up," Bishop smirked. "Maven got it back for me a while ago."

"So this is actually yours?" Brynjolf raised his brow. "I did not see that coming, lad. Good for you." He walked over to the front porch and examined the outside of the house carefully. Then he peeked into the window. "Looks lived in. You two are gonna be gone a lot, I assume."

"We need to get some money first to get some security in," Bishop sighed. "We're making do with a few traps for now, but it's not enough if we'll have some more important shit stored in."

"Don't worry about that, lad," Brynjolf promptly shook his head. "The Guild will handle your security. No need to pay anyone. You've done enough for us already. A favor."

"You'd really do that?" Aeyrin's eyes widened at him. That would help them so much.

"Of course. And we'll keep an eye on the place from time to time too," Brynjolf smiled kindly. "Not like it's far out of the way for us. And it's understood that…" he looked at the front door for a while, then his brows creased very deeply. "Lad, where the fuck are your shadowmarks?"

"Sorry… I haven't gotten around to them," Bishop sighed. He felt like a kid being reprimanded when Bryn looked at him like that.

"A dumb excuse with a house right outside Riften gates. And you didn't even tell anyone! What are you thinking? You're lucky both of you weren't robbed blind yet. Get on it right now," Brynjolf folded his arms across his chest in an impatient and urging gesture.

Bishop lowered his head and rushed past Brynjolf towards the door. Fine, fine. Fucking drama queen. Nobody was gonna rob a place they thought long abandoned. Not right away anyway. But… yeah, sure, he could have gotten the shadowmarks done before. He was just distracted. Mostly by Aeyrin. This was her fault.

He promptly knelt by the doorframe and began to carve out the diamond with two circles around its edges. That meant they were under the Guild's protection. He used to carve this symbol into places, like Breezehome, even before they had the Guild's protection. Even when it was under Mercer. He just thought it would be a good deterrent for thieves. Now he was actually allowed to do this though.

"You like the place, lass?" Bryn asked idly as he and Aeyrin watched Bishop carve out the shadowmark.

"It's amazing. I still can't believe all this," she chuckled. "Talk about surprises."

"You had no idea he had this up his sleeve?" Brynjolf smirked.

"I mean… would you expect him to own a house?" Aeyrin laughed, earning a prompt indignant 'hey' from Bishop and a snicker from Bryn.

Bishop fiddled with his knife for a while longer before he was satisfied with the results. He stood up again and waited until Brynjolf nodded approvingly.

"Good. Don't be dumb next time and do this shit right away," Brynjolf smirked. "You've got responsibilities when you own shit."

"Yeah, yeah," Bishop rolled his eyes. He was gonna do it. At some point. But speaking of responsibilities… "By the way, you know shit about taxes? I think we need to pay some on this place."

"Every year unless you're a Guild member. We got… special deals going on," Bryn chuckled. "Thanes don't pay taxes though," he looked at Aeyrin meaningfully.

"Oh shit, we need to get your name on that deed," Bishop smirked. No taxes. That was good. They wouldn't have to worry about that.

"You should," Brynjolf nodded. "Now come on, show me the inside. Let's see what security you'll need to stave off independent thieves and other assholes that might want something from you."

Good idea. They really got lucky by running into him. They were on their way to deal with Maven right now. And now all they needed was to add Aeyrin to the deed and all this legal bullshit would be handled.

The place would be theirs properly in name too.

…

Bishop walked around the market aimlessly, trying to figure out what to get her.

Everything went smoothly at the Black-Briar manor. They got Aeyrin's name on the deed and then, Aeyrin asked for her favor – Bishop's pardon in the Rift. Maven laughed about her having to do that for him instead of him asking for it in the first place, but she was malleable, thank the fucking Gods. It was done. No more favors, but then also, no more bounties. All of them were pardoned except for the Whiterun one. But at least that one was already out and he wouldn't be caught off guard by it.

He sent Aeyrin ahead from Maven's to wait at home because he would make her a surprise for dinner and he needed to buy stuff for it. It was the only thing he could think of and so now he had that to worry about as well. He barely had any money for it and he definitely didn't have any to spare for her gift, but he at least wanted to pick one when he had some time on his hands.

He could actually buy it later.

But he still couldn't figure anything out. Sure, Brand-Shei had some Morrowind treats as always and Madesi had all those glittering jewels and jewelry pieces displayed on his stand, but he didn't want to just buy the same thing as last time and he didn't want to just give her a random trinket either. She gave him those earrings and the challenge of them, and it just showed how well she knew that he would love it. Not to mention that dirty song and her in that perfect lingerie.

He would definitely give her an unforgettable night. And probably day too. And of course, he had something planned that would definitely make her happy. But he still needed a proper gift too.

He stopped by Balimund's forge for a spell. The man was working on a sword just now, a pretty ornate thing made from steel. A weapon would be a pretty decent gift, but then again, she already had an amazing weapon. And he could never afford anything better than ebony, not to mention topping that insane enchantment. It was moot. Anything he might even dream of buying would only end up being a downgrade.

And it was too practical anyway. He wanted to give her something just to make her happy, not because she might find it useful.

He was briefly interrupted from his ruminations by a commotion near the inn. A Redguard woman stormed off, slamming the door loudly behind her as she let out numerous insults. Something about 'fucking clueless lizards'. Bishop recognized her. She sometimes played at the inn. In fact, she did have a lute in her hand and for a moment, it looked like she would smash it on a nearby low wall, but she seemed to think better of it and merely ran off somewhere.

"Again? They'd been arguing with Keerava and Talen-Jei for months now," Balimund grumbled. It was clearly meant to be heard by Bishop. There was nobody else around.

"Why?" Bishop wondered. He didn't know what problem anyone could have with those two Argonians. They were used to all kinds of shit, having a tavern in Riften, and they were quite forgiving.

"Seems she tried to branch out," Balimund scoffed. "She's sick of the Nordic tunes everyone here's asking for. No wonder. But she learned some old Argonian tunes from a traveling bard. Apparently some very old ones. And not really from Black Marsh. They were taught to Argonians in Morrowind. A long time ago."

"Slave songs?" Bishop scoffed. That would probably be offensive.

"Yeah. I heard one. Something about holding your head high when you work where you belong," Balimund shook his head. "They were even in Cyrodiilic. I have no idea why she didn't think it would piss them off. It wasn't subtle."

"Yeah, that's idiotic," Bishop shook his head. Could have thought about the words at least a little. Didn't she figure out Argonians were fucking sour over the slavery business, given what they'd done to Morrowind?

"Keerava and Talen-Jei have been kinda finding excuses to throw her out whenever they can," Balimund continued. "I think they just wanna ban her from the inn, but she brings in a lot of business too. They do like the money," he smirked.

Fair. But no wonder the Argonians were pissed off. What kind of a bard didn't know the cultural shit that was tied to the songs? Aeyrin always told him about where her songs came from, who taught them to her, what they meant and such. She loved this stuff. She always said it made the song mean so much more when you know what inspired it.

Hmm…

"Hey, Balimund, you work wood, right?" Bishop pondered. He just got an idea that wasn't half bad, thanks to that bard.

"Sure, friend," the man nodded as he critically observed the sword. "I need to make handles. And shields from wood are popular. Gotta know your wood when you wanna know your metal."

Good point. And it was fortunate.

"So… I see all this ornate shit you can do. It's pretty nice. Do you think you could actually make a lute? Like a pretty one, with some ornate metal bits maybe?" Bishop asked. It would be a great gift for Aeyrin. She had an ordinary lute and she always appreciated artistic shit like this.

"I could do that," Balimund pondered. "But you're not trying to encourage her to play even more shit, do you? It's gonna make waves and I don't like waves."

"What? Her? No," Bishop waved his hand dismissively. He didn't give a shit about that bard. "Aeyrin plays. She has a birthday coming up."

"That's right. I remember her singing here that one time," Balimund nodded thoughtfully. "She plays well. And none of that Nordic stuff or racist bullshit either," he chuckled. "I have a lot of work. When would you need it?"

"Five days. Would that work?" Bishop asked. Hopefully that was gonna be doable.

"Sure. I can do that," Balimund nodded.

"I… can't really pay now though. I'll be here though and I should have some money coming in," Bishop pointed out a little nervously. It would be shitty if he had to wait for the funds first.

"Since it's you, friend, fine. I know you're here, but if you piss off and I have a useless lute on my hands, I'm having Brynjolf pay for you. And he won't like that," Balimund warned him.

Sure, that was good. Balimund knew Bishop had a… working relationship with the Guild. When Mercer died and Bishop was running errands and delivering bribes to ensure good relations with the Guild, Balimund was one of his 'targets'. He was pretty willing to be on good terms with the Guild, fortunately. No bad blood there.

"Deal," Bishop nodded. This was good. He was pretty happy with this choice. Aeyrin would love that. And he trusted Balimund to make it really nice.

"Any preferences? Wood, metal, all that?" The smith prodded.

"Your choice. Nothing overly expensive, but it can be a bit fancier. Got an estimate for me?"

"Something in reasonable quality… hmm… around two or three hundred," the man pondered.

"That's doable. Alright." Bishop finally shook his hand, finalizing the deal.

This was good. He was excited to see the finished product.

Now he just needed to figure out what specialty to get for dinner.

…

The dinner was somewhat less special than he hoped. He got some ash hopper meat from Brand-Shei, though he doubted it was any good. It had the word 'ash' in it – Bishop did not trust Morrowind ash food. But Brand-Shei assured him that those creatures were a delicacy.

It was pretty good in the end, but it was strong meat and Bishop over-seasoned it a bit. But it was still pretty decent and Aeyrin seemed to love it anyway.

It drained his funds again though. And now, once more, they had nothing at all. Barely a septim to either of their names. That was so fucking inconvenient for their honeymoon, but they didn't wanna disrupt it by dungeon delving either.

But the next day, their luck in that regard seemed to turn.

The preparation of leftover ash hopper meat for lunch got interrupted by a knock on the door. They were expecting their packages for a while now, if Jordis even sent them. But Lydia and Saadia surely would. Finally they would have shit to sell.

Bishop stayed with the food, intent on not ruining it this time, while Aeyrin went to open the door. She could hear Karnwyr barking outside excitedly. Strange. Why would he be that ecstatic about the courier?

But when she opened the door, it wasn't the expected familiar black head of hair waiting there. Well… it was other black heads of hair.

"Surprise!" Saadia grinned as Lydia waved her hand a bit bashfully.

"We know you didn't want anyone disturbing you, but there was so much stuff and…" Lydia pointed to the full packs on their backs along with some bags attached to them.

"You can't trust the couriers. You can trust us though," Saadia chuckled.

"I knew you two wouldn't be able to leave us alone, you harpies," Bishop laughed from the other side of the room. He already recognized their voices. Not that he minded. As long as they wouldn't be staying for days. They still wanted to spend time together, just him and Aeyrin. But a diversion with friends was hardly a bother.

"Hey! What did you think, you'd get away with no housewarming?" Saadia smirked.

"Come on in," Aeyrin chuckled and the two women along with the wolf rushed in instantly. They almost knocked her off with all the crap they'd been bringing.

"Sorry," Lydia gave her a wry smile before she started to take everything off and to look around the place. Somewhat nervously at that. "This is… a really nice house you have here."

"Relax. I told her you helped," Bishop smirked. It was clear she was still nervous about keeping a secret.

"Oh. Good," Lydia let out a relieved sigh. "I'm glad you two are finally settled in. It's a really nice place. So cozy," she smiled at Aeyrin.

"It really is. Thank you so much for helping him. And for keeping it a surprise," Aeyrin beamed. She really loved that it was sprung on her like this. It was such a beautiful moment.

"We're glad we could help," Lydia nodded. "Now, let's see… I took your armor to the Companions, to that one I talked to once. He looked really disappointed," she sighed.

"Yeah… well…" Aeyrin shrugged. The twins must have seen it coming anyway.

"You got some stuff to tell us, I think," Saadia winked at her. No doubt she talked about the lycanthropy. Aeyrin got very uncomfortable, but these two already knew some of it. It made sense they were curious. And it would be good to make it clear that they don't have to worry about werewolves in Whiterun much anymore.

"Later," Lydia gave her a sympathetic smile. "We also brought all your stuff we could find in the house. Guess now you'll only be really coming for visits."

"Yeah, so you better fucking take the big bedroom already," Bishop smirked. Lydia was always being so deferent when either of them offered, it was kinda frustrating. They lived there! They should have a big bed and a big room, not the little one Lydia had.

"We'll think about it," Saadia chuckled. "We do like being cozy."

"Right. And we also brought something for housewarming," Lydia rummaged in her pack before she pulled out a few bottles of some mead Aeyrin didn't recognize the label of. She had never seen it before.

"Is that the Helgen stuff? The juniper berry one?" Bishop eyed the bottles from across the room. "I haven't seen any in… well… two years, obviously." This shit was produced in Helgen, so naturally it stopped being produced when Helgen was decimated.

"We found some in Falkreath," Lydia grinned. "Apparently someone in Falkreath tried to recreate the recipe and now they're trying to get that going."

"Great. You're gonna love this, princess," he smiled at Aeyrin. It was really fruity but also a bit stronger than the regular meads.

"And last but not least, we know what day's coming," Lydia winked at Aeyrin mischievously before she took one of the smaller bags off the pack and handed it to Aeyrin.

She peeked inside curiously, but the first thing that hit her was the sweet smell. There were so many baked treats in there! It was amazing! So many kinds!

"Divines! I love you!" Aeyrin squeaked in delight. These were going to be so good!

"They'll be a little stale after the journey, but I hope they're still good. Happy early birthday," Lydia smiled bashfully.

"And I would claim I helped, but no one would believe me," Saadia chuckled. "So I just hope it's the thought that counts. It was my idea."

"Thank you both," Aeyrin beamed. It was a great idea. She instantly rushed towards Bishop and the kitchen to grab plates and bowls and start to put it all out. She couldn't wait to taste every single one. And maybe leave some for the others.

"So… what do you say? You mind some company until tomorrow?" Saadia smiled. "Lunch, then some mead and treats and we can help you go through all this crap you accumulated. A bunch of it looks like it has a good story behind it."

It sounded perfect. Who cared about not being disturbed during the honeymoon? That didn't need to be the case every day.

"We'd love that," Aeyrin nodded at them excitedly.

"Good. Because I really need to know what's cooking," Lydia left the bags be and approached Bishop curiously. Granted, the ash hopper had an unorthodox smell. Maybe Lydia would make sure it tasted great.

It was going to be an enjoyable day.

…

The next few days went really smoothly. It was still hard to believe how peaceful their stay here was.

The day with Saadia and Lydia was spent sharing countless stories, the fun ones and the tragic ones too, especially when it came to Aeyrin's lycanthropy. But there were also tales of a ball that happened a long time ago, or of surviving Falmer hordes and finding strange artifacts right after a dragon and its priest nearly killed them.

There was a lot of drinking and eating and after the next day's lunch, Saadia and Lydia headed back to Whiterun once more and Bishop and Aeyrin were left to their honeymoon.

While Brynjolf brought in some Guild members in the afternoon to work on the security measures, Aeyrin and Bishop had another mission – to get some money. They kept most of the things that Lydia and Saadia brought, such as their extra clothes and the fancy outfits from the first ball. Aeyrin also kept the bracelet from Cael and the headband from Casavir. The rest of the jewelry was sold to Madesi though. That yielded them a lot of money. And then, they managed to sell the strange enchanted mask and the magical piece of amulet to the court wizard at Mistveil Keep. They also sold the last potion that made one look like a ghost. They really had enough of those.

A day later packages from Jordis came. They didn't sell anything from those – it was mostly the clothes from Divine Elegance for the second ball and Aeyrin loved the dress and the jewelry too much to part with any of it. Bishop liked Endarie's work too. They kept it all in the end. And of course, Bishop did, after some teasing struggles, manage to display his art. Though not on the fireplace mantle – everyone who could even peek into a window would see it that way. Aeyrin did relent and let him display it on a shelf on the opposite side of the house. Though whenever she looked at it, she wanted to either burst out laughing or shake her head in indignation.

They were comfortably set up after that and finished furnishing their new home, along with many food supplies. And of course, Aeyrin bought many flowers and silk pillows and ornate vases to decorate the place. She liked that stuff, to appreciate Dibella's influence, as she said, and Bishop really didn't mind.

Unfortunately, they were left with a couple of hundred septims each to spare, even after Bishop's special purchase from Balimund, and they figured it would be better to keep the money for rainy days rather than spend it on a baking oven. Maybe one day when they would make more use of it. For now, that suited Bishop just fine. He had a different plan for today.

This was the day. The eighth of Hearthfire.

Aeyrin's birthday was today and Bishop woke up before dawn. He had work to do.

Balimund was nice enough to save the lute for the actual day. Bishop didn't want Aeyrin seeing it before. He did pay already though.

Now he had something else to do. He made a deal with Keerava, even though Lydia kind of ruined it for him a little. She brought all those amazing treats she made – now it would just pale in comparison. But he was still determined. He asked Keerava if he could use her baking oven for a small fee and she agreed. Then he convinced her to 'oversee' him. He really didn't know how to bake. It couldn't be that hard but he wasn't going to risk it. He wanted to make something special and sweet for Aeyrin himself.

It went… decently. He made some snowberry crostatas at Keerava's instructions and some lavender dumplings. He knew Aeyrin loved this stuff. It tasted pretty good. And he hoped Aeyrin would love it just for the effort he put into trying to make this shit himself.

So with a packet of treats, he stopped by Balimund's and headed back home to give her a nice wake up. It was some time past daybreak then. He didn't want her waking up on her own.

He opened the door again and used the special key on the side of the doorframe that Bryn gave each of them to disarm the entrance trap. Fortunately he wouldn't have to do that upon every entry, but he did arm it again when he was leaving Aeyrin there alone and asleep, just in case.

It did feel much more relaxing to have those measures in the house.

When he entered, Aeyrin was still snoozing in the bed, covered up to her chin with warm blankets. He didn't really want to wake her like that, but then again, the treats were still warm. It would be a shame to waste that.

He placed the lute in the inconspicuous bag on the floor for now and promptly kicked off his boots to join her back in the bed with the spoils.

Aeyrin squirmed a bit at the new presence in the bed, but she clearly got comfortable with it soon. She still stayed wrapped in the blankets, but she did lean into him quickly enough.

"Wake up, princess," Bishop whispered at her before he nuzzled the top of her head with his cheek affectionately. She stirred a bit more and soon, he noticed her inhaling through her nose a bit exaggeratedly.

"Hmmm… something smells good," she mumbled, still in half-slumber.

"That's right. You should wake up while they're warm," Bishop chuckled. That did it. Her eyes fluttered open with palpable curiosity in them.

He opened up the small bag for her to see. They weren't the most aesthetic treats. Lydia made better ones. And the same could be said for the taste. But still… she would like them, right?

"Yay! You bought me treats," Aeyrin beamed at him happily. He was pretty sure she still wasn't entirely awake, but she did free one of her hands from the blankets to reach out for one of the small crostatas.

"Actually, I made you treats," Bishop smirked, though for some reason, he still felt a little nervous. Ridiculous how such a tiny gesture could still make him a little insecure that she wouldn't like it.

But of course her face lit up instantly. She looked entirely awake now as she scrambled on the bed until she could sit up. She forgot the blankets entirely, letting them fall from her bare body, just so that her hands were free and she could admire his efforts.

"You made these? Really?" She gaped at him in disbelief.

"Yeah. I paid Keerava to let me use her kitchen. She supervised too so that it would at least be edible. I never made shit like this," Bishop chuckled again.

"They smell so good," Aeyrin smiled at him widely before she finally reached out. She couldn't wait anymore. She promptly grabbed one of the crostata which looked to be practically overflowing with snowberries, and she took a big bite.

The red sauce promptly covered her lips and escaped the corners of her mouth, but she didn't seem to care in the slightest. How the fuck did she always look so hot stuffing her face. He watched her intently as she licked around her lips to get to the extra sauce and then as she leaned down to lick any escaping droplets from her wrist. He wasn't sure if he was staring more to gauge her reaction or because of how she looked right now.

"It's so good," she let out a little satisfied moan after she finally swallowed. "I knew you'd be good at this too," she giggled. Now they just needed to get a baking oven and he could wake her up with this every day.

"Pfft, I doubt it. After the haul Lydia brought…" Bishop scoffed at himself. She really kinda ruined all the expectations.

"No, that's not true! This is so much better. Because you made it. And also I love the berries and Lydia is too stingy with them," she smirked. She really loved this so much. Sure, Lydia's treats were always perfectly made and so varied, but somehow just the fact that Bishop made this made it better. And the berries. They were so sweet.

"Well, in that case, go nuts," Bishop laughed. He was pretty sure she was exaggerating, but he could see the genuine excitement on her face nonetheless. "All yours, princess. Happy birthday."

"Best one ever," she grinned as she reached for one of the dumplings to taste that one now. "Last year was great too. But then you got abducted and all that. And this one is better just because we're here. And married."

"Yeah. It definitely tops it all," he smiled affectionately. He was kind of kicking himself for not bringing her here sooner. But maybe it was just perfect this way.

"I got you another gift too," he grinned as he watched her chew on the dumpling and roll her eyes back in palpable satisfaction. "But only after your breakfast. And other stuff," he smirked as he watched another drop of berry sauce from another crostata already trickle down her jaw and towards her chin. Alright, now he couldn't resist anymore.

He leaned in to run his tongue over the sweet trail, holding her still with his hand on her other cheek. Aeyrin let out another moan and he wasn't sure if this was still about the food or about his tongue now. Well… it didn't matter. Both options were good.

He probably wouldn't be able to wait for her to finish eating.

Aeyrin had all those treats splayed on the opened bag on her lap, only further covered with the blankets. Bishop was trying to be careful not to make a mess, but he couldn't wait. He pressed Aeyrin down, making her lie back on the bed with her lower half still trying to keep that position not to spill anything. He instantly began to lick around her jaw again while she still held that crostata in her hand and attempted to take another bite.

Did he really need to compete for attention with food? Well… that was a stupid question. He had to do that often enough before.

Aeyrin chuckled when Bishop tried to kiss her lips and she pulled away to lean to the crostata instead. He made his bed, now he had to wait for her to finish. But she was promptly rewarded with a nip to her neck.

He was about to punish her more for the inattention, but before he could bite into her skin again, a knock on the door disturbed them.

Fuck. Who was it now? They were not supposed to be disturbed anymore. Especially not today.

"Go, go, quickly. It could be important," Aeyrin giggled as she straightened up on the bed again to continue munching on her treats. She did at least use one hand to cover her bare torso, but the other hand was too busy holding food to help.

"This isn't over," Bishop growled as he reluctantly got off the bed again. There better be a good fucking reason for this disturbance. And it better be quick so that he could still steal her attention from the food. It was a challenge now.

He marched towards the door and opened it, only to find the familiar courier there yet again. Were there even more packages from Solitude? Bishop was pretty sure they had all their crap here by now.

"You know, I could get used to this," the courier sighed wistfully. "No running around the wilderness or abandoned buildings. Are you staying for good?"

"Don't get used to it," Bishop grunted back at him. They would be out on the road again eventually. And it was always kinda satisfying to have this guy chase them all over the Province.

"At least I can enjoy it now," the man shrugged. "Here. For the both of you." He handed Bishop a letter, though it was a bit bulky. Something besides paper was in that envelope.

Bishop nodded at the man and closed the door behind him again. What was it? He didn't know the neat handwriting on the envelope that had both their names on it, but there was something else there. A small stamp that had the seal of the Imperial Courier Service on it. Weird. Bishop had never seen that before. He promptly brought it over to the bed again.

"Oh! If's from Affan," Aeyrin nodded knowingly when he showed her the envelope. Her mouth was still filled with food, but that didn't stop her. She knew Azshan used the couriers to dictate his letters now and she'd seen the same thing on some dictated letters before.

Alright. Weird that Azshan would address it to the both of them – he usually only wrote to Aeyrin – but that just meant that Bishop could quickly open it without Aeyrin having to stop eating.

He pulled out the object first – a tiny box. But before he opened it, he opened the letter first. Who knew what it was? Best to find out before looking. If he cut off Siddgeir's finger, or something, for messing with the wedding, it wouldn't be a pleasant sight while eating.

He spread out the paper promptly so that Aeyrin could read too.

.

Dear Aeyrin and Bishop,

I arrived in Cyrodiil right after the wedding. It's good to be back. I missed this place. Mostly the culture. Even Solitude is not comparable. I'm heading to Chorrol soon, but I couldn't resist and wanted to stop by the City first.

I still had a lot of my ill-gotten gains. And I know, I could be spending it on the less fortunate, but hey, I'm not back in the church yet. I had a better idea.

I noticed that you two didn't exchange eherings during your ceremony. It's kind of a shame, I always liked that tradition. Maybe it's not that big up north? People in Solitude did that, but they're different. Still, you are from Cyrodiil, Aeyrin, you need to honor that. So I spent some of the money on you. And on ensuring the courier would deliver this on the right day.

Happy birthday, Aeyrin.

And congratulations to both of you again.

I hope you'll consider visiting Chorrol again now that I'll be there. It's gonna be so boring! I'm sure you'll liven things up.

Azshan

.

It was clear that the letter was written by someone else. It was a little strange that Azshan actually dictated shit about his 'ill-gotten gains' to someone, but maybe he bribed them too. Regardless, it was now clear what that small box would contain.

Bishop reached out for the box while Aeyrin continued to chew a dumpling with palpable intrigue in her eyes.

Did Azshan really buy them eherings? That was kind of crazy, but also not that surprising for him. And maybe he was still feeling shitty about all he'd done. It wasn't bad. Bishop told him he would not forgive him and he should feel fucking bad, but he certainly didn't mind him trying to make up for it. Especially not like this.

Bishop opened the small box at last. There were two rings there – one larger and thicker and the other one small and more elegant. They were both silver and black, the two colors, or two metals rather, ebony and silver, mixing in tasteful ornaments. There were no stones to decorate the rings, only drops of dark metal blending together with the light one. They looked gorgeous even without any gems. Both rings were elaborate, split into slim strands and weaving in different patterns – Aeyrin's more subtly with how thin it was.

"Divines," Aeyrin gaped at the rings. It appeared that something finally diverted her attention from the food. "These are beautiful."

"Yeah. Not bad," Bishop nodded. For the opulent way he dressed himself, Azshan did have surprising taste in what he and Aeyrin would like. He did give Endarie instructions for Bishop's outfit the first time around and it worked out well. And thanks to that, she knew what to make for the wedding too. That was one stupidly rich fop that Bishop didn't mind paying for their shit. "Not wearing these would just be rude," he grinned at Aeyrin.

"Oh yes, and you would never be rude," Aeyrin chuckled, but she did eagerly grab the larger ring and inclined her head to his hand.

She slid the ring on his ring finger slowly. It was a bit too big so she slid it on his middle finger instead. That one fit. Who cared what finger it was on? Bishop liked showing this one off the most anyway.

Bishop promptly took her ring after and slid it on her hand as well. Her ring finger had the engagement one on it, so after some trial and error, the new ring fit best on her index finger. Of course Azshan wouldn't just guess the sizes, but it didn't matter, as long as the rings fit somewhere. And it was a really nice gesture. The rings looked great.

"I love these," Aeyrin beamed as she twined her fingers with Bishop's, letting the rings clink against each other.

"Yeah," Bishop smiled at her warmly. "Glad you're not the only one who gets to wear shit showing off that we're married," he chuckled. "Still… everyone's topping my gifts for you." First Lydia with her perfect baking and now Azshan with all his money and fucking thoughtful rings.

"No. Yours is still the best," Aeyrin grinned at him. She was reminded of the treats still waiting for her and she reached out for another crostata right away. He knew what she liked more than anyone – fruit, sweets, and lots of everything.

"It's still not the main gift," Bishop chuckled. "But I told you, you get that one after."

"After what?" She smirked. Though she knew what he was talking about anyway.

"After I finally steal your attention away from the food," he laughed as another small trickle of berry juice escaped her lips. Aeyrin had to chew quickly before she could answer with a pout.

"Why can't I have both?"

"Fine. Since it's your birthday," he shook his head at her affectionately.

Once again he made her lay down, but she never relinquished her treat. Bishop took the rest of the treats and put them carefully on the nightstand near him. Aeyrin did whine a bit with her mouth full, but she would get more later. She didn't need a treat in each hand, now, did she?

He definitely shouldn't say that out loud or she'd consider it a good idea.

"Give me that," he reached out for the remnants of the crostata she was holding, but her hand promptly flinched.

"Noo! You said I could have both," she pouted again.

"You can, just give it to me and you'll get a bite soon again," he chuckled. Why would he ever think taking food from her would be easy?

"Fine," she grumbled and let him take the crostata into his hand instead. He held in the same spot she had before, but he leaned in even closer.

"Kiss me and you get another bite," he smirked.

Aeyrin only gave him a mischievous smile. He could already tell she was going to tease him instead. And surely enough, she quickly planted a brief peck onto his lips.

"Why even try? You know shit like this doesn't count. Come on, kiss me like you mean it," he chuckled. Of course she was gonna be difficult. But the food was a good motivation.

Aeyrin leaned in properly and captured his lips in hers. He promptly got a taste of those sweet berries as she slid her tongue against his, exploring his mouth passionately. She moved her hands to hold him by the sides of his neck as she deepened the kiss even more. Fuck, she did take her fighting for food seriously. He felt like he was getting kinda dizzy.

The kiss lasted quite a long time before she parted with a teasing nip on his lower lip.

Fine. She did earn that. Bishop gave her a smirk and held out the crostata close to her lips again. She took a bite probably even more enthusiastically then she threw herself into that kiss. He wasn't sure if he should be flattered or insulted.

While Aeyrin chewed on her treat, he promptly leaned in to lick off any excess berry juice that trickled down her chin. It looked like it was really impossible to actually eat that without making a mess. Oh well. At least she liked it. It was more important. And he really didn't mind. How did this look so fucking hot?

He continued to lick down her neck slowly before he moved even lower. He kind of forgot about the small remainder of the treat he had in his hand while doing that and eventually he felt her lips wrap around his fingers. He let go of the crostata immediately on instinct, but unfortunately that meant that she stopped and the warmth of her mouth left his digits. She let her head fall on the soft pillow and let out another muffled moan.

He continued to kiss and lick down her collar when he felt her lean in again and envelop his fingers once more. He had no illusions. He knew it was just to suck down on the excess juice there, but it still made him feel the constricting fabric of his trousers more prominently. Fuck, why didn't he get naked in the first place? Now he was too distracted. He eagerly began to knead one of her breasts with his free hand and suck on the nipple of the other with his mouth. She let out another muffled moan against his fingers and, this time, he knew that it was because of him.

Aeyrin did stop suckling on his fingers eventually while he continued to play with her breasts. He wanted to protest about the loss of the feel of her warm mouth around him, but then again, he did have a free hand now. He promptly moved it to his trousers to finally pull them off.

It was harder than he hoped to take his clothes off. Fortunately, Aeyrin did help him pull off his shirt. Too bad he had to disengage from her for a little while, but he got right back to it when the shirt was thrown somewhere across the room. He managed to get his trousers down to his thighs and then he let his hand abandon the task. It had better things to do. While he tried his best to shimmy out of those clothes using only his legs, he ran his now free hand over Aeyrin's flank, tracing her curves slowly all the way down.

"Bish, I want another treat," she pouted at him before she let out another little moan when he nipped at her skin.

Seriously? She already ate almost all of them. When he briefly glanced back at the nightstand, there was only one dumpling and one crostata left. He made three of each. That was so fucking cute. But he was not going to relinquish the rest so easily.

"No way. You gotta earn it," he smirked at her before he got back to his task and continued to run his tongue around her hardened nipple. His hands were still busy roaming about her curves.

"But it's my birthday," she prodded him again, squirming a bit when his teeth pinched her skin once more.

"And you already had some. You have to earn the rest, princess," he chuckled. The hand stroking her side promptly ran over her hip and thigh.

"And how…" Aeyrin got interrupted by her own gasp promptly when his hand slid between her legs at last and he began to run his fingers through her folds. It took a little longer than she thought before she could finish the question. "How would I do that?"

He moved his fingers inside her slowly as part of his answer, eliciting another gasp, now much longer for him to savor.

"Come for me," he leaned back closer to her and whispered into her ear.

His thumb began to gently rub on her clit while his fingers slid deeper. Aeyrin felt her body tighten in pressure even more as he began the slow movements and teasing. She instinctively arched her back a bit and closed her eyes to focus on the sensations.

"No, none of that," he smirked. "Look at me."

She obeyed and opened her eyes tentatively as her breathing turned heavier and heavier. Gods, she would never get tired of the way he looked at her in the heat of passion. His gaze felt so intense. Like he was watching every slight movement of her body, every breath escaping her lips. He probably was.

Though the scene below was quite mesmerizing with her breasts heaving with her heavy breaths and the sight of his fingers playing with her, disappearing into her flesh, Bishop mostly couldn't take eyes off her face. Her cheeks seemed to be getting more flushed by the second and her eyes gleamed so gorgeously when she looked at him.

He felt her walls tighten around him with every thrust of his fingers. Fuck, he couldn't wait to replace them with his cock. But that could wait. First, he really wanted to concentrate on watching her like this. He had to really resist touching himself too though. That would just distract him from the spectacle.

Aeyrin let out a louder moan several times and closed her eyes instinctively, but she always realized herself and opened them once more. The look she gave him every time was so fucking cute, almost apologetic.

It didn't take long at all. Soon, her walls clenched tightly around his fingers again and her whole body tensed. He could already tell she was over the edge. He'd seen and felt that so many times it would be impossible to mistake. She seemed like she tried to stifle the moans escaping her and they turned into high pitched sighs and whimpers. It made it even better that she forced herself to keep looking at him through that. Fuck, that was so hot.

He kept his fingers buried deep inside her through her climax, but he stopped teasing her clit for a while. They would get back to that soon enough. He did bury his face in the crook of her neck after a while and suckled on her skin, leaving a mark on his favorite spot on her neck with his teeth. That did elicit another moan.

He withdrew his fingers from her when the pulsating of her walls eased. There was one more thing he was eager to see. He brought the wet fingers to her face and gently prodded her lower lip with them.

Aeyrin didn't need to be urged twice. Her lips enveloped his fingers once more and she began suckling on them, eliciting a groan from Bishop. Fuck, he felt like that sight made him even harder. But first, he needed to give her her well-earned reward.

"Alright, here," he smirked when he finally withdrew his fingers and grabbed the last dumpling instead.

He held it to her lips and when she reached out, he promptly gripped her hand with his free one to stop her. She got the message. She merely tilted her head forward again and took a bite out of the treat.

Another moan left her lips when she chewed. Heh, so fucking cute. And the grateful smile she was giving him with her mouth full was even better.

He held out the treat until she finished all of it. She did earn the whole bit for that. But when it was gone, she gave him another tellingly pleading look.

"No. Not a chance," he laughed. "That's the last one. You really gotta work hard on earning that."

"It's the last one already?" Aeyrin looked to the nightstand, trying to peek past him to see. Her voice sounded so disappointed.

"What the fuck do you mean 'already'? You had five of them now," he laughed.

"But they're so good. You'll make more for me someday, right?" She smiled at him sweetly.

"Fuck, don't look at me like that. So manipulative," he chuckled. "Maybe. We'll see. Now you should be focused on the one you can still earn. But you really gotta convince me."

"Fine," she smirked. Oh she would convince him. Quite easily, judging how hard he was, poking into her thigh.

She promptly grabbed his shoulder and pushed him. For a moment, Bishop thought she was just gonna take him by surprise and steal the treat, but fortunately that didn't happen. As the element of surprise forced him to plop down on his back, Aeyrin promptly straddled his hips. She didn't even give him a second to realize what was happening before she grabbed his cock and aligned it with her entrance.

She slid down onto him in one hard thrust, eliciting a growl of pleasure from him. He didn't even know how much he'd been aching for this the whole time. Well… he knew, it was just weird that it always felt even better than he expected. And Aeyrin began to move on him with fast and hard motions right away, not giving him a moment of respite. It felt so fucking overwhelmingly good.

She rode him for a while, letting their gasps and moans mix in the air around them. Bishop felt close to the edge way too soon. That was clearly her point, but he didn't want it to end just yet. And it really didn't help when she reached out for her prize prematurely and took a big bite of the crostata, letting the juices trickle down her chin and drip to her breasts. Fuck, that looked hot. Although he did worry for a bit that she would choke on it with her labored breathing, she seemed to be doing fine. Of course she was. As if her body would ever reject sweets.

The small crostata was gone in only a few bites as she continued to ride him. He managed to sit up through the movements, though that only seemed to make it possible for her to slide him in deeper with each thrust. That did not help him hold out. He still tried though. Even as he leaned in to start licking the juices off her breasts and chin.

* He felt like he couldn't hold out anymore just as he pulled back again after cleaning her off. But Aeyrin either sensed that and wanted to prolong it too, or she just somehow read his mind. She moved herself up, letting his cock slide out of her entirely and eliciting a frustrated whine out of him. That wasn't exactly what he had in mind. He wasn't sure how else to prolong this, but it felt so bad to leave her warmth.

Fortunately though, that didn't last long. Aeyrin promptly positioned him to her back entrance and slowly began to lower herself onto him again. They haven't tried this before without those oils and other stuff like that and he worried for a bit, but his cock was already soaked from inside her and his own leaking juices, it went surprisingly smoothly. He let out a deep moan when the head slid inside and the overwhelming tightness and warmth enveloped him again, now much more prominently.

Aeyrin kept letting out tentative sighs as she worked herself down onto him slowly. The more she took in, the better it felt. It did take a while for her to finally lower herself onto him fully and relax a bit as she rested against his thighs.

Fuck, that felt so good. But he needed more. He didn't care anymore if it was over too quickly. He couldn't help himself. He grabbed her buttocks firmly, squeezing them in his grip and urging her to move again.

She did just that, though the pace was slower than the last time, the tightness around him more than made up for it. Soon, he really couldn't hold out any longer. He felt himself shudder and finally spill inside her.

Aeyrin stopped moving again when he came and just continued to sit on him contentedly, trying to ease her breathing a bit. It would take a while for the both of them to calm down again.

They stayed like that for a long time. Bishop fell back on the bed and tried to catch his breath while Aeyrin remained on his thighs with his cock still buried inside her.

"So… did I earn my treat?" She chuckled after a while when she felt like she could finally breathe a bit more.

"The fuck does it matter… you took… you took it anyway," Bishop scoffed. He himself needed a little more time to get his breaths steady, but he tried to get the words out.

"It was the heat of the moment!" Aeyrin protested with another chuckle leaving her lips.

"Fine," he smirked. "'Sides… you definitely… earned it." She earned more than one, but there weren't any more.

But at least he still had something else to give her.

He almost forgot about it with all of… this. But now that he remembered, he was excited to finally give her her gift.

…

The morning got much more calm and relaxing once the treats were gone. Aeyrin even dozed off for a while longer after all the exertion early in the morning.

But eventually, she woke up again in Bishop's warm embrace. And the serenity of the scene really made him think it would be the perfect time.

"So, princess, remember back when we first agreed to travel together?" He mused a bit, stroking his fingers through her hair lazily as they both still lounged on the bed. "Not when you agreed to help me with Karnwyr. After that."

"Sure. You offered to help me dress my wounds and then you offered to un-dress me and 'honor Dibella' with me," she chuckled at him. Knowing him now, she was honestly surprised it took him a few days to offer. Though he was probably too concerned about Karnwyr to risk chasing the only willing help off if she got offended or something. "It's hard to believe it's already been over two years," she sighed wistfully. "Then again, it's hard to believe it's only been two years. Somehow I feel like I've known you a lifetime."

"Yeah," he smiled back before planting a brief affectionate kiss on her lips. "Fuck, years gone by and I thank my lucky stars every day for being horny and greedy enough to agree to come with you," he chuckled. Back then, the prospect of potentially getting to sleep with her and earning some nice drakes from adventuring at the same time were really the only things on his mind. Good thing those had a strong enough pull.

"Me too," she giggled. "Three birthdays with you. And each one gets better every year. I can't wait for what the next one's gonna be like."

"Shit. I have to top the last one every time?" Bishop's eyes widened. He wasn't sure how long he would be able to do that. And he was planning many more birthdays to come.

"No," Aeyrin chuckled at his logic. "I just meant… I can't wait to spend my life with you. So much more of it than two years."

"Yeah. However many we get." He leaned in for another kiss, this time deeper and more eager, but he pulled himself back after a bit. "Still, not what I originally wanted to say. I just wanted to point out how much I love when you 'honor Dibella'. And you should do it more often."

"More often and I'm not even sure I'd ever be able to walk," Aeyrin laughed at him.

"Well… I wouldn't complain about that. Though I'm pretty sure you wouldn't either," he smirked. As if she herself wasn't just as keen every damn time. "But I was talking about something else this time."

He disentangled himself from her reluctantly, but he needed to. He got up from the bed then and walked over to the door to pick up the gift he left there earlier. It was still hidden in the bag so it wouldn't be revealed too early. Aeyrin only now seemed to notice there was even anything there.

She didn't prod him for answers and just waited tentatively until he hopped back into the bed and presented her with the gift.

"Happy birthday again, sweetness," he placed a firm kiss at the top of her head as he handed her the present. "And I hope you'll start to use it more often privately too," he winked. He really loved the private performance he got on his birthday. He wouldn't mind more of those. She could even learn new dirty songs.

Aeyrin took hold of the gift curiously. The bag was very thick. She couldn't tell what was inside yet. She felt something long and somewhat round. He didn't get her one of those toys they played with at the House of Mirth, did he? He was talking about 'honoring Dibella privately'. But it felt so big for that. Way too big. Intimidatingly so. And the other end looked just impossible, unless it was a second different part or something.

But when she brushed against the long part, a soft sound suddenly came out.

"Oh!" She gasped in realization and promptly opened the bag. He did mean a different kind of 'honoring Dibella'. The kind she actually teased him with when they agreed to travel together. She promised she would show him how she honored the Goddess when she got the proper tool for it. He probably imagined a toy or something like that back then too, just like she did now. Heh, his gutter mind was contagious over the years.

She unwrapped her gift eagerly at last.

The lute was beautiful. It was made from light wood, probably pine. It had gorgeous metal ornaments around the base, made from ebony and twisted into decorative curved branches and leaves.

"Bishop, it's so beautiful," she gasped as she ran her fingers over the finely bent metal and smooth wood.

"I had Balimund make it for you. I thought you'd like a new one," he smiled a bit. Her excited expression really made him happy.

"It's perfect," she beamed. "This one will honor Dibella with both music and the looks," she chuckled. "Thank you so much." The old one was sentimental. It'd been through a lot. It was just an ordinary thing she bought in Whiterun, but it was with them through all their adventures. But this one was even better. There was no need to get rid of the old one, especially with all the storage space they had now. It would always be there as a memory of their beginnings. But this one… it marked a new start for them. A new phase. Free of worries about parting, free of secrets that threatened to unravel what they had.

This one was for the years to come.

"Come on then, try it out. Play me something," Bishop encouraged her. Fuck, he hoped it would work just fine. There wasn't much to fuck up with lutes, was there? He didn't know shit about that.

"I have to tune it first," Aeyrin smiled. "But I will play you something. Any preferences?"

Bishop thought of the dirty song, but it didn't seem that fitting for this moment. Actually, this moment would be better commemorated by something else.

"The song from Anvil," he nodded resolutely. It was his favorite after all. "The first song I heard my wife play. First time I actually liked a bardic performance," he chuckled.

Aeyrin couldn't help but beam at him. Not only did he instantly remember the first song she played for him, but whenever he said the word, 'wife', a warm feeling spread through her core.

She would definitely oblige him with that.

And many more for however long the Gods would allow.

Kink warnings: anal sex