The boat bobbed calmly on the water. The morning fog filled the area with a musty scent, but it still didn't overpower the fragrance of the flowers decorating the small skiff.
Aeyrin woke up with Bishop's squirming. It couldn't have been pleasant to be strewn about the benches like this, but she herself was quite comfortable. Even after that entire day and night, the soft silk of her wedding dress made her feel cozy. But not as much as being curled up on Bishop like this, using the entirety of his body as a mattress.
The day was perfect. In the end, they spent a lot of quality time just the two of them in the night, and then they returned to everyone else and celebrated until the morning hours. They even danced. Well… she wasn't sure if it could be called dancing when they swayed in each other's embrace to a slow tune, but it didn't matter.
The morning hours were filled with heartfelt goodbyes to those who just did not have it in them to stay up any longer or to pass out on the ground or in one of the boats. Namely Master Therien, Brunwulf, Taarie and Endarie. And in the end, Brelyna and Erik also decided they preferred the coziness of the inn.
The rest of them soldiered on though. They drank and ate to their hearts' content. Aeyrin didn't even remember how she and Bishop ended up sleeping in that boat.
Bishop did seem uncomfortable with all his squirming though. Maybe it was time to release her comfortable mattress.
She ran her hand over the silky material covering his chest and let out a satisfied murmur. When she opened her eyes, she noticed he had been already watching her. She didn't know how long he'd been awake.
"Morning, husband," she smiled at him affectionately before she craned her neck to plant a kiss on the side of his neck.
"Morning, wife," he smirked and he promptly gave her a kiss on the top of her head as well. Such a pleasant morning. But they couldn't remain in their own world for long. Soon, their quiet moment was interrupted.
"Morning, you two," a chuckle rang from beside them. Only now did they notice that they were bobbing right by the Lady Stone island. On that, Lydia, Lynly, Azshan and Saadia sat in the dewy grass with some of the leftover food strewn about in bowls. Karnwyr was there too, sitting by Saadia's side and panting excitedly whenever she picked up a piece of meat to chew on it. She probably gave him a piece before and now she was never getting rid of him.
When they looked around, they spotted a few boats around the lake. One of them had Aval in it, spread about the boat with his limbs hanging off the edges. He was clearly asleep. And another island was filled with the rest of the Windhelm elves, all sleeping on the ground peacefully.
"Morning," Aeyrin smiled at the nearby guests while Bishop only let out a tired grunt. They probably didn't get to sleep for more than three or four hours. And he didn't get much sleep regardless with those benches digging into his back and thighs.
"Are you gonna join us?" Azshan suggested.
Breakfast would be good. Maybe they should wake the rest while some food was still left. The elves were there, but that still wasn't everyone. Where were the rogues?
"Did Bryn and the rest go back to the alchemist's?" Bishop asked when Aeyrin rolled off him and he could finally sit up and stretch his back.
"Yeah. They left an hour ago or so," Saadia noted. "They wanted to go catch a carriage to Riften. And they didn't want to wake you two. They all send their regards and all that."
Wait… what?
Bishop instantly straightened up abruptly, making the boat wobble and forcing Aeyrin to clutch a bench in panic. Fortunately it wasn't that bad, but she didn't expect this abrupt motion.
"They left already?" Bishop scowled. Shit. He didn't know the carriage situation in Falkreath much. He knew that it wasn't that great in the smaller cities. He was counting on catching one with the rogues.
"Yeah. I mean… you'll get to see them at some point, I'm sure," Saadia gave his panicked expression an uncertain look.
"Shit. We gotta leave," he sighed. "Karnwyr." He whistled loudly and the wolf got alert in an instant. He forgot all about Saadia's meat and he rushed forth, making a running jump when he reached the edge of the island. He landed on a free spot on the boat smoothly, but that did make it wobble again and Aeyrin had to clutch the bench once more.
"What's going on?" She gave Bishop an alarmed look. Did he need something from the rogues? Why was he so panicky about them leaving? People would be leaving today. Everyone would be leaving today. So they didn't get to say goodbye, but that didn't seem that important.
"You're going?" Lydia raised her brow at him curiously.
"Yeah. We gotta catch that carriage," Bishop sighed as he settled himself on the bench and grabbed the oars.
"We do?" Aeyrin cocked her head. The carriage to Riften? Why? Were they going to Riften? They didn't talk about that. She assumed they would eventually get back to the inn in Falkreath and then discuss where to go from there. Maybe tomorrow. They still didn't have their wedding night. Last night didn't count. That was still technically 'wedding'. The night was supposed to come after.
"Yeah. Just trust me, alright?" Bishop smiled at her a bit. Fuck, he didn't expect the morning to get so hectic. But Aeyrin fortunately nodded at him as a smile appeared on her face too. He didn't want to ruin the surprise, so he was glad she just took him at face value. "We need to hurry to get our stuff from the inn and catch them. And some of my shit is still at the alchemist's," he sighed. "Are you all alright cleaning this shit up?"
"Don't worry about a thing," Azshan waved his hand at them. "Since you have… somewhere to be, for some reason?" He did raise his brow curiously. Of course their sudden escape seemed strange.
"Right," Bishop nodded. "We have a wedding night to… have," he smirked. "And a honeymoon."
"Honey-what?!" A voice called out to them from the nearby island. It appeared that the commotion woke some of the elves. Namely Idesa. The rest were squirming on the ground in discomfort or still asleep.
Bishop did not have time for this though.
"Lydia, explain," he urged her while he finally began to row them away. They could still plainly hear the conversation though.
"Basically, they'll go wherever they want for a month and they aren't to be disturbed by anyone or anything," Lydia smirked. "Nordic tradition."
"That's right! Keep that in mind!" Bishop called out to them from the boat. No disturbances. Though these people wouldn't be such a bad disturbance. He just hoped the rest of the world would honor that too.
"And… thank you all for coming!" Aeyrin called out, getting some waves and murmurs in return. But they were getting further and further. She did catch Saadia calling out to Bishop 'good luck'. She wasn't sure with what he was supposed to be lucky, but she wouldn't find out now.
So… that was that. The wedding was over. And apparently, they were rushing to Riften for some reason now. She had no idea what was going on. But Bishop said to trust him and she did. She was very curious what this was about though.
Even though hours spent on a carriage were not a pleasant prospect just then, she was excited to find out.
…
The morning only got more and more hectic.
Bishop left her to go to the inn while he ran back to the alchemist's. He asked her not to waste time changing clothes or anything like that. He was clearly really intent on not missing that carriage. And poor Karnwyr was entirely confused about whom he should run after in the chaos.
But she did what he asked and went to collect all their things from their room at the inn. She didn't even have any money for the carriage, but she hoped that Bishop did, since he was so eager.
And when they finally met back in town, he grabbed her hand and the three of them rushed towards the eastern gates. Aeyrin's feet were aching so much by now from the heels, but clearly there was no time to do anything about it.
They spotted the carriage a few paces ahead, just leaving Falkreath. They promptly called out to it loudly and the driver fortunately stopped, waiting for them to catch up and get into the cart.
The driver gasped when he turned around to see who was joining the ride. Aeyrin was unfortunately all too easily recognizable now and she was still in her wedding dress. It didn't leave anyone guessing about the context.
Fortunately, the man didn't ask any questions. He only mumbled a soft 'congratulations' and then he asked for forty drakes. Bishop fished out his coin purse, but he did note that he had only fifty left. Now he would have ten. He sure as fuck hoped Aeyrin had some money left.
But that didn't matter much. They finally settled on the cart which already had three passengers in it. Brynjolf, Sapphire and Raven eyed them both curiously, but Bryn did make room for them so that the two of them got a bench for themselves. Karnwyr didn't jump in. Clearly he wanted to run along the cart.
"Well… hello again," Brynjolf smirked at the two of them.
"Hi," Aeyrin beamed while she slung her pack onto the cart's planks. She wore it on her dress and now she needed to make sure she didn't ruin it. She reached behind her back to fiddle with the slowly wilting flowers there. Maybe she should remove them. They wouldn't last long anyway. But once she tossed one away, Bishop urged her to turn on the bench so that he could do it more effectively.
"Where are we going?" Aeyrin chuckled at him as he got to work. She didn't understand a thing and clearly nobody else did. Nobody but Bishop. She thought for a moment that Bryn invited them to celebrate with the whole Guild or some such, but he seemed just as confused about their presence here.
"You didn't think we'd have our wedding night in Falkreath, did you?" Bishop scoffed. That was… fair. Falkreath wasn't their favorite place. Was that what this was about? He wanted their wedding night somewhere else? That was so sweet. Maybe somewhere special. The Rift's forests were always their favorite.
"'Night'? It's morning, lad," Brynjolf chuckled at him.
"It will almost be night again before we get to Riften," Bishop smirked. And besides, it didn't have to be 'night' at all, did it? It just meant the first fuck after the wedding. That should be special.
"You'll have your wedding night at the Bee?" Sapphire raised her brow. "How's that better? It's a fucking shithole."
Well… she had a point. But Aeyrin doubted Bishop meant the Bee.
"Or do you want to go to the cistern?" Brynjolf asked. "You can, but… the privacy there…" he sounded uncertain, but there was no need. Aeyrin was not going to spend their wedding night in the sewer, even if Bishop wanted to. Which she doubted he would.
"No," Bishop only laughed at their suggestions. There was a much better place he had in mind.
Raven cleared his throat after a while, getting their attention, and he showed them a note he scribbled.
.
I'm not lending you the house. I cleaned that bed thoroughly. No more.
.
He narrowed his eyes at Bishop, but he only burst in laughter again. Well… the house would have been nice, Aeyrin thought, but Raven lived there now. That would just be selfish. She still thought they were going to the forests anyway.
"Wrong again," Bishop shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I have better plans."
Aeyrin had no doubt about it. But it did surprise her when Sapphire suddenly let out an 'aaah' of realization. Did she know? Maybe they talked about it.
"What?" Bryn looked at her curiously.
"Shut your mouth, Sapphire," Bishop chastised her and she promptly gestured as if she held a key and locked her lips with it. What was that about?
Bishop only shared a brief nod of understanding with Sapphire. Back when he was preparing the cottage with Lydia and Saadia, he ran into Sapphire at the market when he was buying some building tools. She dragged the truth out of him, but she promised she would keep it a secret.
Not a secret. A surprise.
He couldn't wait for Aeyrin to see it. It's been half a year since he was there, but he hoped nothing was wrong with the place. He… didn't exactly have an opportunity to pay taxes for it. Was that every month or every year? He hoped it was every year. That way he would be in the clear. He should really learn this shit though.
"Well… in any case, it's good to see you two again," Brynjolf smiled. "I hope you enjoyed your wedding."
Bishop was done removing the flowers and he stroked over Aeyrin's bare back to let her know. She promptly sat back on the bench properly and leaned on him, snuggling into his flank. The serene expression on his face when she looked up was something she would never get tired of. And she could only smile as she answered.
"It was perfect."
…
The carriage pulled to a stop at the Riften stables and Bishop nudged Aeyrin a little so that she would wake up.
She ended up dozing off for the better part of the journey, comfortably snuggled to his form before he noticed the goose bumps on her arms. He found her cloak in her pack and wrapped it around her. That seemed to just put her to sleep even more now that she was warm. And the quiet journey made him fall asleep for a spell too.
But now they were here and he was getting a little… nervous.
He couldn't help but still worry a bit. What if she didn't like the place? What if it just made her think he wanted to instantly stop wandering around on adventures with her. That wasn't it at all!
But the excitement still won over the nerves.
Aeyrin let out a yawn and looked around. The rogues already hopped off the carriage and Karnwyr was waiting for them by the wheels patiently. She gave Bishop a wry smile as she straightened up. It was afternoon by now – they spent a lot of time on that carriage, but hopefully she caught up on her sleep so that they could enjoy their wedding night properly.
She slipped her pack on and clasped her cloak around her neck properly before she stepped off the carriage too. When she wobbled a bit on her heels, Raven instantly extended his hand to help her down. But once she stepped heavily onto the ground, she couldn't stop the hiss of pain escaping her lips.
"You alright, lass?" Brynjolf gave her a worried look.
"The fuck do you think? You ever tried wearing shit like this?" Sapphire scoffed, gesturing to Aeyrin's outfit and shoes.
"I'm fine. I've just… spent a long time on these," she chuckled wryly.
Bishop put on his pack and hopped off quickly. It was still some distance away through the grass.
"Come on, I'll carry you," he nodded at her.
"I'm fine," she shook her head with a smile. She would feel really odd being carried here in her wedding dress. They should just get to the forest and change clothes at last.
"It's still some ways away," Bishop scowled.
"What do you mean? We're here," Bryn cocked his head at him.
"I don't think we'll be staying in the city, will we?" Aeyrin gave Bishop a knowing look. For a moment he panicked. How could she know? But then he realized she probably suspected they would go camp out in the woods.
"That's right," he nodded. It was true. "You three have fun. Thanks for coming to the wedding."
"Alright then, lad," Brynjolf nodded. "Enjoy your wedding night. And be safe out there."
They said their goodbyes quickly and as the rogues headed towards the city, Bishop ushered Aeyrin in the other direction and Karnwyr followed suit. He must have sensed Bishop's nervousness since he kept by his side and occasionally nuzzled his leg in support.
"So, you have some nice spot picked out?" Aeyrin pondered. He seemed to know where exactly they were going. He said 'it's still some ways away'. Maybe he had a clearing in mind.
"Yeah… really nice. I like it," Bishop nodded. Fuck, he really hoped she would like it too.
It was a little hard watching her have trouble walking like that. He offered to carry her a few more times, but she refused. She asked if they could change, but he had to refuse that entirely. He didn't want her out of those clothes yet. Definitely not out of those stockings. And they were almost there.
Aeyrin suffered the journey for a while longer before Bishop could finally see the cottage in the distance. Fuck. They were here. Why was he getting increasingly nervous? He really hoped she would love this place as much as he did.
Aeyrin didn't pay the cottage any mind. They walked past the side of the house and to the front. She walked on, but just then, Bishop grabbed her by the wrist and stopped her while Karnwyr ran excitedly to the familiar door.
"Uhm… we're here."
"What?" Aeyrin's eyes widened at him.
There was a cottage there, small and kind of cute. It had a nice porch and it looked to be in good shape. The doors were closed, no windows broken. Someone was likely living here. Why were they stopping here? Were they visiting someone? She couldn't imagine who. But Karnwyr looked like he knew the place by how he approached.
Though maybe no one was living here. There was no smoke coming from the chimney and there was nothing on the porch but a bench, some chairs and a table. Was this a place Bishop found and thought they could… squat in? It might probably belong to someone!
"Here," Bishop reiterated and pointed to the cottage. Now that they were really here, he had no idea what to say.
"What is this place?" Aeyrin gave him a confused look.
"It's…" Fuck, this was suddenly hard to say. When did he become such a coward? This was gonna be a good thing. "It's mine. I mean… ours. If you want it."
"What?" His? What did he mean 'his'? This place… this house. It was his? "Yours? You… you have a house?" Her eyes widened at him, but she suddenly felt an almost involuntary smile creep up on her face. He had a house. It was partly ridiculous and partly just shocking. How did he have a house? How did she not know about this? What was even going on?
"Yeah," Bishop let out a nervous chuckle. "I… got it from a friend. I told you about her. The old witch in Falkreath that helped me and Jules a bunch of times. You remember?" Aeyrin nodded at him. "Right. Her. Zoelyine. She owned this place and left it to me and Jules for… someday. When we were free of Thorn and the Guild."
"Zoelyine?" Aeyrin asked. He never mentioned the witch's name, but this one was familiar. "Isn't that…?"
"Yeah. Jules wanted to name his daughter after her and so Elisie… did, though we mostly called her Zoeya for short. That old hag saved our asses a lot of times," Bishop chuckled a little affectionately. "This place… Jules wanted to take Elisie here to have their family, but… well… you know what happened. I couldn't take her here, so close to Mercer. And so… it just stood here, abandoned."
"It doesn't look abandoned," Aeyrin smiled a bit, urging him to continue.
"No. Not anymore," Bishop shook his head. His face darkened a bit when he spoke of this, but she should know what prompted this… reconstruction. "When we… when we were apart... after Dragon Bridge… I… just stumbled upon this place, I guess. Maybe I came here subconsciously, I don't fucking know. But… this place was a wreck. And I…" he felt a lump force itself into his throat again and he found it harder to talk. Still, he wanted her to know. He wanted to tell her everything. "I just thought… what a fucking shame it is. I couldn't stop imagining a life here. With you."
Aeyrin felt her eyes prickle instantly. Dammit, this was somehow really hard to hear and really beautiful.
"Then we got back together," he took a step forward and brushed a tear off her cheek before he took her hands in his. "And I still thought about this place. About a life with you. Did I tell you how fucking soon after we reunited I actually thought of buying you a ring? It's… ridiculous. But I couldn't help it. And so… when Maven said she owed us each a favor, I asked for mine right away. I wanted this place back. The deed, since I have no idea where the original ended up, and the key. And she even paid some taxes on it and shit. So… that was it. It was mine again. And when you went to build the chapel in the mountains… well… I didn't want it to be a wreck for when I can actually show it to you."
"You… you fixed this place up for us?" Aeyrin couldn't stop the tears now. She had no idea this entire time. It had been half a year! It was… amazing that he did something like that. She still couldn't believe it.
"Yeah. There were so many times I wanted to take you here. But with the assassins and shit, I always worried they'd just find this place and then know where to strike when we lower our guard. Shit. It's still a concern. But I just… I couldn't wait. When Lydia said all that shit about the honeymoon – somewhere just the two of us, alone… I couldn't help it. I did think about taking you here after we marry anyway, but I still worried, but all that honeymoon talk. I just couldn't resist," he chuckled at himself.
"I… I don't know what to say," she sniffled a little. Gods, this she did not see coming at all.
"I know you have other houses. Even a fucking mansion and…"
"But none of them are ours," she interrupted him promptly. She could already see that he was getting a little insecure. None of that. He needed to know how much this touched her. How much she appreciated this. "I want a home. With you."
Bishop let go of her hands and enveloped her in a fierce hug. He felt like a huge loadstone he didn't know was there just fell from his chest. She said many times before that she wanted a place they could share, just the two of them, but those fucking doubts never left him. Now they have.
"Bishop, this is so amazing," she sniffled as she pressed herself into the hug. "It's so beautiful. I don't know what to say. I still can't believe this."
They pulled apart after a while and Bishop gently wiped a few more tears from her cheeks.
"I asked Lydia and Saadia to help me with the repairs. It was in a sorry state," he chuckled. "Lydia worried that I was keeping another secret from you, but…"
"It was a surprise. I'm… I'm glad I found out like this," she smiled warmly. This was more perfect than she could have ever imagined. She didn't even imagine anything like this ever happening.
"Good. Well… we can try to plant some flowers here or shit so that the place is nicer," he gestured to the wild grass and weeds in front of the cottage. She loved mountain flowers and seeing them here would definitely enhance the place. "Come on, let me show you the inside."
When he took her hand, he noticed she took another wobbly step. Enough of that.
"No more protest, princess," he sighed and put his hand on her back, crouching a little behind her. She finally relented and let him grab her behind her knees and wrap her in his arms so that he could carry her. She was heavy with her pack and the cloak was in the way, but he didn't care anymore. He carried her those several steps towards the front door where he placed her gently on the porch again. And then the task of rummaging for the key was ahead of him.
It took a few minutes – his pack was full of his armor and clothes and the extra clothes he had for the wedding before he got this outfit from Endarie, but then he finally found it. He unlocked the door – thank the fucking Gods it was still locked, and then he promptly raised his hand to stop her from coming inside. He had to step over the tripwire there and disarm the trap.
"Your last trap!" Aeyrin gasp. "You said it broke."
"Yeah. I lied," Bishop smirked. Now he didn't worry anymore that she would be upset about that. It was a surprise after all.
He disarmed the trap promptly and ushered her in, leaving room for Karnwyr to slip inside and head straight for a spot next to the fireplace, even though it wasn't lit. When she stepped in, he promptly urged her to grab onto his shoulder so that she could finally remove her shoes, now that her stockings would get dirty from the grass and mud. The floor was covered in a layer of dust, but that could be easily cleaned at least.
While she removed her shoes, she looked around the room curiously. Wait… it looked familiar. Where has she seen it before? She got a strange feeling all of the sudden. She couldn't recall where she'd seen it. There was a small kitchen there in the corner of the room, some closets and cupboards and a huge bed that looked so incredibly soft.
"There's a place there we could even put a baking oven," Bishop pointed to an empty corner by the kitchen. "I'm shit at baking, but I could learn eventually. Or you could," he smirked as he watched her eyes roam over the room. She looked a little uncertain for some reason. It made him nervous again, but he continued regardless. "And the bed… I actually made it, if you can believe it. Really sturdy," he winked. Heh. For obvious reasons. "And the mattress is really fucking soft. But I didn't even sleep on it while we rebuilt this place. I wanted to sleep on it for the first time with you. And, you know, not sleep," he chuckled.
Aeyrin gave him a really warm smile, but then she looked around uncertainly. Fuck, that made him really nervous.
"What's wrong, love?" He scowled. Was it too small? She didn't care about shit like that, right?
"I… I just feel like I'd seen it before. And I can't figure out why. That table…" she shrugged, looking at the table in the kitchen. She had no idea why that would be. It was so strange.
"What? How's that possible?" Bishop shook his head in confusion.
"I just… remember a knife in it…" she tried to explain, but it was more just a vague feeling.
A knife? In the table? Why… oh!
Oh.
"Dawnstar," Bishop sighed. "The room that caught on fire…"
"Oh!" Aeyrin yelped in realization. That was right – the room and the table were there when they were in that strange realm on the verge of the dreams. Bishop looked disappointed by that memory, but not her now that she knew. "You… you dreamed about this place?"
"Heh, yeah," his face brightened again at her expression. "In Dawnstar, sure, but I've had a lot of actually fucking pleasant dreams about this place too."
"It's really beautiful, Bish. So cozy," she beamed. And the bed did look really comfortable.
"Let's go. There's a basement too. And did you notice the bath outside?" Bishop grabbed her hand excitedly, dragging her along towards a little staircase at the back of the room, leading down towards a door. Aeyrin shook her head – she wasn't paying attention when they passed the cottage, but Bishop promptly explained. "There's a big tub outside by the back wall. It's far enough from the road and the city. We can use it all we like here."
Aeyrin smiled at the notion. That sounded really nice, bathing in an actual tub while watching the stars.
Bishop led her downstairs and opened the door to the basement level. And the first thing she was greeted by was a small table with something really unexpected.
Was that… a shrine to Stendarr?
He did that? He put a shrine in his house?
"Bish," she couldn't help but tear up again. It was clear he did that only for her.
"I'm glad I put it here," he smiled a bit. "When we were at the chapel… well all that meditation and praying crap seemed to ease your mind there. You should be able to do that here too."
Aeyrin wrapped her arm around his waist and pressed herself closer to him. That was so sweet. All of this was so sweet. She still couldn't believe it.
Home. Just for the two of them.
"There's more rooms here. Bathing room. Storage for food and then some empty ones we can use for… whatever." Bishop suddenly thought about a kid's room for some fucking reason, but he quickly chased that thought away. "For all our adventuring crap maybe," he chuckled.
"I love this place, Bish," she pulled him into a full hug once more, burying her face in his chest. "I wanna see everything. And I wanna test out that sturdy bed. I wanna watch you cook in that kitchen and have a bath with you outside. Everything is so perfect," she mumbled the words into the cloth of his doublet, but she was sure he heard her.
It still felt like a dream to him. All those images he had in his head for so long, now she saw the same thing. He wasn't sure if he could be any happier just then.
It never felt complete when it was his place. Not until it was theirs.
They finally had a place they could both call home.
…
It was a shame that it was impractical to just jump into that bed right away.
The place was really dusty after six months. And they were starving after the journey. So there was some work to be done. They had no money and no more supplies, but Bishop instantly sent Karnwyr to fetch them a rabbit. They would have nothing else but the meat, but it was food nonetheless. And once Karnwyr returned, scratching on the front door with his paws, Bishop headed to the kitchen to make them all dinner.
In the meantime, Aeyrin mopped the floors to get rid of the dust and beat the blankets and pillows.
The place was very nicely livable soon. Bishop whined every time she suggested changing clothes though, so she stayed in her wedding dress the entire time, just for him. She had to be careful not to get it dirty, but she managed somewhat, only with the low hems catching a little dust. And of course, the soles of her stockings, but that would wash off. She was definitely not putting those shoes back on. Her feet were aching even without them, but it was manageable.
When that was done and they enjoyed their spiced rabbit meat, Bishop rose from the chair and let Karnwyr out to run off the dinner before he looked around the room. After they had their wedding night, they should really fill this place properly with their crap. And there were still things hidden here too.
"You know how people get sentimental shit framed?" He smirked at her while he approached the table again and extended his hand for her to take. "I never thought I'd be into that, but we should do that. Like that official shit Brunwulf got for us. I know it has that asshole's signature on it, but it does feel like a little victory that the idiot was tricked into letting us marry in his Hold."
Aeyrin giggled at the notion. It did feel good. Even though Siddgeir tried, he couldn't ruin their wedding at all. And he lost his commissions at the Divine Elegance too. It was a victory.
"I have the deed to this place hidden in the floorboards, you know, in case another Irkngthand happened, I didn't want that shit ruined. And another important document," he dragged her away from the table to show her his hiding place. He just needed to reach into two floorboards that were a little apart. He showed her the deed first. "We should have your name written on it too. I don't know if that needs to be done officially somehow. We can ask Maven."
Aeyrin beamed at him. She wasn't sure why it was important. Probably for legal reasons if something happened to him and people wanted to chase her out of their home. But she didn't wanna think about that. This being the home for the two of them officially did sound nice though.
"But that's not important, enough with all that bureaucratic bullshit," he smirked as he opened the next document. "I have something much more important to frame."
What? What was it? She couldn't imagine what kind of document he would have that would be that sentimental and important.
Bishop didn't show her. Instead, he promptly began to read.
"Dear Bishop, everything here is going according to plans and we should be done so that everyone can get back for the Old Life Festival. That means that I could be in Kynesgrove again by the evening of the thirtieth," he read with a smug smirk on his face.
What?!
"You have it! I told you to destroy it!" She gasped incredulously. That was that awful dirty letter he asked her for while she was building the chapel!
"I told you I wouldn't and I told you I hid it in a special place," he laughed heartily. "This is getting framed."
"Not on your life! Give me that!" She tried to grab the letter from him, her face beet red, but he pulled it away promptly. When she tried again, he grabbed her by the wrist with his other hand.
"You will never take it away from me, princess," he grinned. And as she tried to reach out once more, he tossed the letter to the floor and suddenly tackled her.
She ended up on the soft mattress within seconds. Gods, it really did feel amazing. She promptly forgot about the letter when Bishop pinned her down like this, catching her lips in an eager kiss before she could protest.
Bishop's kiss was deep and insistent, but it ended all too soon. He parted from her lips as a mischievous grin spread on his face.
"And we're going back to Solitude at some point to pick up my art piece. It's going right there," he pointed to the mantle above the burning fireplace.
What? Did he mean that nude drawing he made of her?! No way in Oblivion!
"It's going into the fire, you ass!" She laughed.
"Never! Don't try to stifle my art," Bishop snickered. She tried to give him a playful chest punch, but he anticipated that and grabbed both her wrists in his hands.
This time it was her who captured his lips in a kiss. He was being so ridiculous. And kind of adorable too. She couldn't help but feel flattered that he actually did hide that horrible letter and wanted to save it.
This time the kiss took much longer. Bishop still pinned her arms down and she really wanted to touch him, but it was enough to have him devour her so eagerly as he did. He constantly probed her with his tongue and she in turn nipped at his lip whenever they parted for air.
After they did part when a few minutes passed, Bishop let go of her hands at last. She didn't get a chance to touch him though. He hoisted himself up off the bed and grabbed her waist. In a moment, she was flipped over into her stomach and she felt his hands on the fastening of her dress. She hadn't taken it off in so long. No matter how nice and soft it was, it would feel good to get out of the clothes at last. Somehow she knew she would not be getting out of those stockings anytime soon though. Bishop pulled down her dress to the waist when he untangled it and she helped him by lifting herself up a bit. Then he promptly touched her calves, enveloped in the soft material and started to slowly run his hands upwards, rolling up the skirt in the process.
His hands traveled higher and higher, sliding over the stockings slowly. But the motions seemed even slower when he passed the hems and got to her bare skin. He stroked her upper thighs gently for a while, letting his fingers brush very close to some sensitive areas, before he rolled up the dress further and uncovered her lower half entirely.
Aeyrin shuddered in anticipation. He left his hands on her buttocks and she felt him move. She felt his breath on her skin soon and she was eager for him to part her legs and use his tongue again.
But instead, a moment later, a sharp pain sprung in one of her asscheeks as she felt his teeth.
Aeyrin let out a strange yelp mixed with a giggle that she herself didn't expect. That was clearly a reaction he liked though, judging from his amused chuckle.
"First that awful letter, then the drawing and this," she snickered. "You really don't want me to like you tonight, huh?"
That was like telling a child not to touch something. Only a second later, she felt another bite on her other cheek and let out another yelp.
"That's it!" She chuckled and when she was sure Bishop pulled back a bit, she flipped herself over on her back again. Bishop gave her revealed form an appreciative growl, but when he looked like he wanted to reach out to her, she promptly grabbed his wrists. "No. You can't touch until you make it up to me."
"That's gonna be pretty hard to do without touching you," he smirked. "Or am I just not allowed to use hands? I can do that," he winked.
"No. No touching me with any part of you. You'll make it up to me differently," she nodded in determination. It was even better when Bishop looked her over again with a frustrated groan escaping his lips. Good.
"Fine. What do you want me to do?" Bishop folded his arms across his chest expectantly. This should be good. Though he was still having trouble looking at her face and concentrating on what she was saying. Her dress was now basically only covering her midriff with her breasts and lower half entirely bare. And damn, those fucking stockings…
"Strip," Aeyrin grinned at him, trying to sound commanding.
"Hah! Is that what it's gonna be like? Now that you got me tied down, you're turning the tables on me?" Bishop let out a laugh. Not that he minded though. It was so fucking cute how mischievous she looked when she said it. Fuck, he could just jump her right then and there.
"Why should I always be the only one making it a show for you? Now come on and start making your meanness up to me. Chop, chop," she clapped her hands at him with a grin.
"Fair point. So you want me to take all of this off slowly?" He smirked. She wanted a show, he would give her a show. He moved his hand to one of the ornate buttons of his doublet and began to fiddle with it, slowly trying to slide through the button hole before he changed his mind and started to pull on his collar a bit instead as if to loosen it. He was taking his sweet time with all of it.
"You know, you're the one who the clothes must be getting uncomfortable for," Aeyrin chuckled. He clearly wanted to just be defiant, but he was the one suffering most from it. She could see how much those silk pants were straining.
She had a point. He wanted to tease her and frustrate her, but he was so fucking eager to move things alone. Fine. Maybe he could actually follow orders and make an exception.
"Alright, sweetness. Just for my wife, I'll be obedient," he smirked at her, but that familiar smirk soon turned into an affectionate smile. He couldn't help it. It was just this once though! Next time he would absolutely tease her to no end, no matter how much frustration and discomfort it would bring him.
He unbuttoned the first button, then the second and the third. He was going somewhat slowly to be tantalizing or shit, but that was really pointless when he had a shirt under that black doublet, wasn't it? He should just toss that thing away.
He did just that quickly and then he pulled off his boots fast too. There was nothing exciting about taking off boots. Unless it was Aeyrin taking her boots off and bending over in front of him. But that was different. Maybe Aeyrin would like him doing that too? Ah well, too late.
He was gonna make the rest of it good at least.
He began to pull up his white tunic slowly with one hand, uncovering his toned abs to her, inch by inch. That he could take time with. And fuck, did he look at her like this whenever she was stripping? She looked so… transfixed, staring at his stomach. Fuck, that look alone was making him harder.
As he reached with his other hand to the laces of his trousers and opened them just a bit, it became clear that Aeyrin wouldn't be the only one getting a show.
She sat up on the bed, still looking at him as he dragged his tunic upwards along his torso. She didn't stay idle. He wasn't sure if she was doing it to tempt him more or for her own benefit, but she snuck her hand between her legs and began to softly play with her flesh. The other hand went to her breast, kneading it. Fuck, she looked so hot. The way she bit her lower lip whenever she let out a soft sigh, the deep red shade her face took. He wanted to fuck her so hard that bed would get fucking wrecked, no matter how sturdy he made it.
Aeyrin continued to play with herself while Bishop dragged his shirt over his head, revealing all those muscles underneath. Was it weird that she wanted to lick each and every one of them? She wanted him to strip for her at some point mainly because it was what he asked of her so many times and she wanted to turn the tables on him. She wasn't really thinking about how much it could affect someone. It was strange. She'd always marveled at how mesmerized he could still look when he saw her naked body slowly revealed to him, even after the years together. Now she was sure he must have seen the same look on her face. There was just something about this that captured the attention so completely.
Bishop finally tossed the shirt away and she couldn't stand it anymore. She kept her hand between her legs, though it was hardly as effective as it always was when Bishop did it. It didn't matter. He soon would. Now she needed something else. She left her breasts alone and reached out with her other hand, sliding it across his firm pecs, across his abdomen, over every contour of his toned body and every curled dark hair on his chest and below his navel.
Bishop's breath hitched when she brushed even lower. Fuck, she kept touching herself. That turned him on so much. He needed to get out of those pants already.
His fingers brushed against her hand as he grabbed the hems of the trousers again. He slowly moved his hand inside the soft fabric and he couldn't help but let out a groan as his hand made contact with his cock. He just needed to be patient. It was better when she was touching him anyway.
He finally pulled himself out of his pants and Aeyrin clearly decided to help. She was so impatient. So fucking cute. She pulled down his trousers to his knees before she began to run her hand over his flank and backside instead of his abs. Her other hand was still busy between her legs, making her breaths heavy.
She was just not touching his cock. That was fucking frustrating. He couldn't take it.
"Princess… fuck… can I touch you now?" He growled impatiently. No more teasing. He needed her so much.
"Well… you did strip," she chuckled, though he could see it. She was just as keen as he was.
It was time to really break in that bed. And to test its sturdiness.
Time for him to get his fill watching his wife, half-naked and half in her wedding dress, cry out in pleasure all night long. And hopefully many mornings and nights after that.
He was gonna make sure they had their Honeymoon. No matter how many traps he had to put around the house to have a restful night, it was gonna be worth it. No one would ruin this. He would not allow this.
No one would ruin the perfection that was the two of them, married, in their new home.