Northbound Pilgrimage II

Chapter CXXIII - Out of Your Mind

Author's Note:

Happy New Year! Tomorrow... :D

Happy New Year's Eve today to you all. I hope you're all having fun in whatever way you like. And in the spirit of the celebrations, here's a fun start to a new plotline. Well... new-ish. But you'll find out soon enough.

Now it's time to party.

Enjoy :) And I'm excited to share more with you all in the next year :)

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Aeyrin and Bishop's journey from Dragon Bridge went off without a hitch.

It was all pleasantly calm. No disturbing feeling of being watched, no interruptions. No fear of getting ambushed on the road.

It was somewhat unsettling. They should have been more worried about the Brotherhood's retaliation. They should have been always wary.

But maybe they were both just too exhausted from living like that. It was too easy to focus on anything else, even if those worries still sometimes prodded at their minds, they both promptly buried them as deep down as they could.

They took a carriage from Solitude stables, just as Maro had suggested, and they hitched a ride to Rorikstead. Granted, they weren't exactly sure if when the Commander said he would have patrols in all towns, it meant the small ones like Rorikstead as well, but they certainly weren't going to go all the way to Markarth. Especially not after Bishop had sent the assassins there. And they had quite enough of Morthal. They would be fine. They would be careful as always – no long separations, trapped room through the night and no going off with strangers. Hopefully that would ensure their safety.

Everything seemed quiet in the village.

They arrived in the afternoon. It was the perfect time to just enjoy some time at the inn with good food and a warm bath. Even though they had spent the past week in a similarly lazy manner, it was still a tempting prospect. They would set off on some adventures soon enough again.

After a pleasantly uneventful afternoon, the two of them retreated into their room.

Aeyrin plopped down on the bed with a satisfied sigh leaving her lips. There were still a few things to be done, but she was really looking forward to that bed. How was it possible to still be so eager for a rest even after a day... no, a week of doing absolutely nothing? Maybe it was just the fact that she could rest somewhat easily. Or at least she kept telling herself that.

Bishop crawled on the bed right after her. His arm was still wrapped in the sling, but he didn't let it slow him down as he snuck his healthy one below her to pull her against him. He nuzzled his face to her neck promptly, planting the occasional kiss on her skin.

"Uh-uh, healing first," she smirked at him. She could already tell where this was going with the way his open-mouth kisses on her neck got more frequent and passionate and his grip around her waist firmer. He better not try to distract her through the treatment again. Though that was really naïve. Of course he would.

"Hmm... I have a better idea," he murmured against her skin.

Yeah, she got that. It wasn't hard to tell what ideas he was getting already.

"Bishop, you need the healing," she sighed. It was for his own good, why did he always make it so difficult? She knew that he was getting better already – he could mostly feel his arm and he could already move it somewhat decently, though definitely not well enough for combat and such yet. But that didn't mean that they should stop the procedures in the slightest.