Rona's Story: An Epic Skyrim Romance

Chapter 45 Dragons in the Rift

Bishop found Rona sitting by the fire telling everyone about the first dragon she'd ever killed outside Whiterun. They listened quietly and intently, taking in every piece of information she gave, trying to absorb it for their own looming battle against the dragons.

When she finished Kodlak spoke to everyone, "Fend for yourselves with your meals tonight, you all know where the supplies are. When you're finished eating get right to sleep. We need everyone to be well rested tomorrow as we'll definitely be killing dragons. But before that we're meeting with the Jarl, I expect you all to be on your best behaviors as well. Save the fist fights for the Mead Hall when we return victorious."

Everyone nodded and mumbled agreements and the group dispersed going around putting together their meals, some cooking over the fire while others stuck with cold slabs of meat and bread. Bishop fixed a pair of sandwiches for him and Rona and muttered to her, "Hey, come walk with me for a minute?"

She got up following him a short ways from the camp, out of earshot of the others. She was just staring down at the food he'd given her and he asked, "Nerves?" She nodded and he said, "Force it down, Ladyship. Don't want you to sleep on an empty stomach."

She sighed and took a bite. He was working up the courage to ask her the one thing she probably didn't want to think about. But it had almost been four weeks and he had to know. "Sooo..." he leaned into it and she glanced up at him, cheeks puffed out with a mouthful of food. It threw him off and he chuckled at her face.

She covered her mouth, swallowing her bite and said, "Yes, I'm very funny when I force food down, I know. I have to take big bites or I'll never get it down though," she sighed, "I haven't been this nervous about fighting dragons in a long time."

He knit his brows together and put a hand to her shoulder, "We'll get through it. I mean we've got all of the Companions with us, can't go wrong there right?"

She just nodded, slowly and feebly. He pressed his lips together. Maybe he shouldn't ask her yet, he didn't want to make her feel any worse. Then she brought it up, answering his question for him, "I still haven't started my period."

His stomach dropped and he was suddenly feeling less hungry himself, "Nothing huh?"

"It could just be the stress," she said looking up at him, "Back in the Mage's Guild, every time I had a big test coming up on destruction magic I was always late. It just threw my entire cycle off because I'd be so stressed out over it."

So there was still hope. A light at the end of this narrowing tunnel. He took a breath and wrapped his arms around her, "Well, let's worry about it later then. I guess in two months if we don't see anything then... hmm..."

Rona finished her food and yawned. Bishop started forcing his own down as they walked back. Half the group had already curled up on their bedrolls, while the other stayed up sitting around the fire and prodding it quietly while feeling anxious themselves. He laid down next to her and she fell asleep pretty quickly. He was having a lot of trouble dozing off though. He couldn't stop thinking about dragons and babies. Dragons and babies. If he had a child with the Dragonborn... A dragonbaby? Gods, he needed to just close his eyes and shut off his brain already.

His mind wandered off to a time when his own mother seemed to birth a new one every nine months. He was just a boy himself at the time, between the ages of eight and twelve, he was so naive, thinking he could help them and save them. His mother relied on him and his older brother Jack a lot.

She breastfed the infants but that seemed to be the only thing she'd offered any of them and only to stop their incessant wailing. Bishop and Jack often took care of their changings, made sure they were bathed and looked after them when they'd started crawling around. Always making sure they didn't crawl off a cliff, or get picked off by a bear, or some other predator, it all depended on where they were holding up for the night of course.