All Roads Lead To You (A Skyrim Romance Mod fanfic)

Chapter Forty-Seven

After dinner, Bishop insisted on walking Aruna to their room before he left.

"Don't you trust me to get there by myself?" Aruna joked half-heartedly.

"I don't trust you to do what I ask." Bishop frowned. "You'll probably get stopped on the way by someone who needs help and end up in some crypt somewhere, fighting a horde of undead."

"All that before you get back from the apothecary?" Aruna teased.

Bishop scowled at her, but there was no venom in it. "Just stay put, will you? Worrying about you is exhausting."

They had reached the room by then. Bishop turned to her, then frowned.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing," she said quickly.

He put a hand to her forehead. "Hmph. No fever. Do you have any of those sleeping draughts left? You need sleep; those dark circles under your eyes aren't doing you any favors, Ladyship."

"Yes, Mother." She rolled her eyes. "Just don't kill anyone without me, okay?"

"I'll save all the dragons for you," he snorted. He looked at Karnwyr. "Come on, boy. Let's go."

Karnwyr gave a low, cranky growl and nosed the door of the room open, then disappeared inside.

"Traitor," Bishop muttered. "All right, fine. I'll be back soon. You two stay out of trouble."

Aruna shut the door behind her and went to the bed. Karnwyr had already staked out a place on the rug in front of the fireplace, which had been lit by the innkeeper after Bishop had rented the room. The wolf curled up and immediately settled in for a comfortable snooze. Aruna watched him with a smile as she sat on the edge of the bed and tugged off her boots. The room was warm and had a nice herbal smell, as though someone had been brewing teas, and the combination made Aruna feel a little better. She pulled a linen shirt and a soft pair of black pants from her pack and changed into them carefully, trying to avoid aggravating her wound any further. She nearly succeeded.

When she finished, she sat down on the edge of the bed again and looked around the room. Other than the crackling of the fire, Karnwyr's soft snores, and the distant murmur of conversation from the tavern downstairs, it was quiet. Peaceful.

It made her restless.

After a few minutes more, Aruna pulled her boots on again and grabbed her cloak. She made sure her sword was secure in its scabbard at her waist and headed for the door. She considered waking Karnwyr, but he looked so peaceful and comfortable curled up by the fire, she simply didn't have the heart to disturb him. She left the room quietly. She had to walk slowly down the stairs, as every step seemed to make her belly throb. At the foot of the stairs, she looked up. Near the exit, stood Bishop, arms crossed over his chest, a scowl firmly etched into his face. In front of him stood the pretty red-haired woman who'd been staring at him earlier. Aruna hid herself behind a shelf of herbs and peeked around the side, eavesdropping on their conversation. She knew it was a bad idea, but she was curious...and maybe a little suspicious.

"...just like old times," the red-haired woman was saying, smiling alluringly up at Bishop. She reached out a slender hand and brushed her fingers across his forearm. Bishop didn't move.

"How many times do you want me to say it?" he asked, a note of exasperation in his voice. "I'm not interested, Neeshka. Find someone else."

"I don't want anyone else," the woman, Neeshka, insisted. "No one has the same skillset you do. Come on, Bishop...you used to do jobs for us all the time. Don't tell me you don't need the coin."