Two Graves - The Song of Nephiah and Brelyna

Chapter 21: Somewhere In There

"Ou ou ou!" They had found themselves a little cave to rest and wait for dawn. Sitting at a small campfire, Nephiah was tending to Brelyna's wounds. "How do you do it?! Ou!" Nephiah was focusing on stitching up the back of her hand, having finished the palm first. "Do what." "OUCH!" Brelyna was trying hard not to pull her hand away. "Deal with the pain?!" "Used to it." "OUCH!" "Done." Nephiah removed the needle from the thread and stuck it back into her pouch. Her face didn't show it, but every time Brelyna cried out, she felt it too. "Well I'm not used to it, what am I supposed to do?!" She made a knot at the end of the thread. "OU!" She moved close to Brelyna's pain distorted face and looked at her until she stopped looking at the wound and into her eyes. As the expression on her mage's face turned from agonized to confused, she moved in and kissed her, both their eyes closed, Brelyna's brows rose. After a moment Nephiah moved back and looked into her eyes. "Better?" Brelyna giggled. "You have all of this figured out, don't you." Nephiah pulled a bandage from the pouch and gently wrapped it around the now stitched up hand. "This will leave a scar." Brelyna gave off a faint moan as she lay down sideways. "Well, now we have something in common."

She noticed Nephiah lying down as well. "Nono! Over here!" Nephiah confusedly looked at her. She pointed at her back. "Like me, just, over here." After a moment of contemplation, Nephiah moved to her love and lay down as instructed, wrapping her arm around her. "See? This is nice. Read that in a book once." "You read a lot." "Used to warm the lonely nights." Nephiah took a deep breath. The fire crackled calmly, yet the warmth they gave each other was all the more comforting.

"We have a bounty on our heads in Windhelm, you know." No answer. "They are looking for two Dunmer women, a warrior and a mage. If we walk in like this, there will be trouble." Still no answer. "Are you still awake?" "I don't care about the guards." Brelyna turned her head to look at her. "Well you should. There is way too many of them." She turned back and rested her head on Nephiah's arm. "Lucky for you, I have planned ahead."

"I don't like this." The guards outside the city had closed the massive gate shut behind them, they stood in front of an inn, the Palace of the Kings towering in the distance. They had hidden their armor and weapons on the road and were now dressed in common clothing. "They are looking for a warrior and a mage. Now we are just of the common folk! Nobody will even look at us twice." Nephiah exhaled audibly as she scanned the roads and windows. People everywhere, workers, traders, every single one of them a potential threat. "Should have brought the swords." Brelyna looked at her for a second, then grabbed both her shoulders and turned her towards her. "Don't start anything, all right?" Nephiah's gaze slipped into the distance, taking note of yet another dangerous commotion on the streets. Brelyna touched her chin and turned her head back to face her. "I am serious. We mustn't draw attention to ourselves. No amount of kisses is going to repel the trouble that will descend upon us if we get caught here." Nephiah's look darkened. That sounded more like a challenge than a warning. "Nephiah... Please?" She closed her eyes and loudly exhaled yet again. She wanted to scream and take down everything that moved. But Brelyna's presence made it bearable, calmed her, provided security where she would not have found any. She nodded quickly.

Shouting approached. Nephiah flinched and nervously looked over her shoulder to see where it was coming from. A Dunmer woman turned the corner at a brisk pace, followed by a Nord wearing dirty, ragged robes, a beggar by the looks of it. "Who do you work for?!", he shouted. The woman moaned. "Not this again." "Who do you report to, Dark Elf?!" "I am NOT a spy! Get that through your thick head!" The man stopped her movement by grabbing her shoulder and turning her around. "Don't touch me!" Nephiah's fists tightened, she looked to her side. Brelyna looked her in the eye and slowly shook her head, thusly denying her request to charge in and kill the man.