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SCOUTS-MANY-MARSHES
I slowly became aware of my surroundings even without having to open my eyes. Alex’s arms were wrapped around my waist as the dryskin slept soundly. It felt good that my husband had touched me even while he had been deep in sleep.
Faintly I felt the warmth of his chest on my back and the way his body pressed into mine. All of this he had done while in the depths of sleep. What would he do to me if he pressed his body to mine while awake?
My mouth opened to wake him up just enough to as-a thunderous roar came from outside. Alex instantly woke up as I became aware of everything around me. My husband did not care about how he had been holding me as now there was something more important: a dragon attack.
As he raced out of bed, half-dressed, I followed close behind.
Alan groaned and I barely let myself observe him as I raced out of the room.
“What is happening?” Alan asked as he let out a yawn.
“Stay inside, Alan.” Alex snapped.
“I’m no-“
“You. Are. Staying. In. Here. I don’t have time to argue with you.”
I turned to see Alan look at Alex with a look of pure determination. He didn’t want to stand by as the man he yearned for risked his life. I understood the feeling. It had hurt each day Jash was away fighting in Skyrim’s Civil War. I hadn’t known if a courier would come to hand me news of my love’s death.
“Has it been yours to fight a dragon before this night?” I asked as I grabbed a sword from a weapon rack.
“No.” Alan replied with a frown as Alex loaded a crossbow.
“You’ll just get in the way.” Alex said.
Alan didn’t say anything as Alex and I raced outside. The cold air began to rip at my scales but I couldn’t focus on that now. My husband would lose this fight without me on Mundus.
Alex took aim with his crossbow and fired at the dragon. Most of his arrows made their mark and the dragon roared out in indignation. Fire left its maw and I had to jump out of the way as to not become a smoldering pile of ashes.
“****.” Alex hissed as the dragon flew too high for his arrows to reach.
“It’ll come back down.” I teased as I gripped my sword.
“Great. All I need is a pissed off dragon.”
A second later the dragon swooped down and landed close to Hendraheim, its face just a few feet away from the house’s entrance. I ran directly at its face and let out an angry hiss at the same time Alex hit the dragon with another flurry of arrows.
I dodged at just the right moment so that the dragon’s teeth barely grazed my back. I stood up as the dragon turned its attention back to me and opened its mouth t-the dragon roared out in pain as an arrow pierced its eye.
Alex nodded at me and I mounted the dragon. Each time I stabbed the dragon’s tough skin, my husband fired at just the right spot so our foe was distracted. Its cries couldn’t compare to the deepening connection between myself and the dryskin.
It was not ours to know if it was one of Alex’s arrows or my sword that made the killing blow. It did not matter to me to claim the glory as not knowing was the greatest way of knowing how well we worked together.
The dragon let out one final cry before it died and its body became limp. I jumped off and raced to Alex’s side.
I turned to the sound of knocking a moment before Alex did the same.
“You can come out, Alan!” Alex yelled out and the knocking at the door stopped.
Alan walked over wearily to the dragon. Most of the creature’s body lay on the side of the hill while the head lay crookedly at the top. The dryskin touched the dragon as if he didn’t care about his own life.
Or did he trust Alex not to allow him out into a dangerous situation?
“Isn’t it supposed to disappear?” Alan asked.
“Only dragons and Dragonborn can absorb the souls of dragons.” I explained and drove my sword into the dragon. “If Jash were here you would see one of the most amazing sights in Skyrim.”
Alex put his quiver and crossbow beside the dragon. If Jash had been here there wouldn’t be a carcass to overshadow his weapon. The light of Jash absorbing the dragon’s soul would’ve graced the night with an otherworldly light and a heat that was hard to explain.
“The dragon can come back to life in the future.” I continued. “A true death for a dragon can only be achieved when their soul is absorbed.”
“Do we just leave it here?” Alan asked.
“In the morning it is ours to go to Goldenhills Plantation and get Illia, the steward, to distribute its scales and bones.”
“Since Jash isn’t here, the farmhands will eat dragon for months.” Alex added.
I smirked as Alan tried to hide how he shivered in the night cold. He was not yet used to living here and that was a good thing if he were to leave. If Alex desired Alan it might be that this would be a moment we would laugh about in the future.
“I’ll go back.” Alan said and tried to walk back into the house with dignity.
Alex and I watched as Alan entered the house and the moment the bard did the heat inside of us was let out.
My lips crashed against his and he kissed back just as roughly. His hands dug into my waist and the fact both of us were half-naked finally caught my attention. But it had been so hard to notice when the dragon had attacked us and now when there was the certainty of him claiming me.
Of him leaving his mark on my soul.
Not tonight, the arousal coursing through his body wouldn’t yet be strong enough to push through his doubts, but soon.
Once we were able to stop kissing I cupped his face and looked into eyes. Eyes that reminded me of a crisp, cold day in winter.
“Jash chose a strong warrior.” I said with a smile.
“At dinner you asked me a question.” Alex said as his doubts threatened to dim the heat.
“Which one are you referring to?” I replied as I rested my head on his shoulder and his hands moved to the small of my back.
“You asked if Alan and I had made love before.”
“If you had seen the looks the bard gave you, you would not blame me for assuming.”
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