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Ravn was filled with rage, her husband Vilkas draped over her and Farkas’ shoulders. She also felt a quiet regret, leaving him alone to defend the stead, but there was no way she could have guessed some bitch would try to ransom him while she was away. She should have guessed, however, that they would not hold up their end of the bargain. She sometimes regretted killing people, they were people after all, but not this one. She almost enjoyed ripping that orc to pieces. Her train of thought was interrupted by a soft moan. She glanced over to see Vilkas visibly cringing.
“We’re almost to Rorikstead, love, we’ll patch you up right there,” She said in the gentlest voice she could muster. She quickly glanced past him at her brother-in-law. He looked as if he were half asleep himself. Her mind jumped back to when she had first learned of what had happened. She traveled strait to Whiterun and to the companions. She had dragged him out of bed at the time, after a four day hunt and they had traveled three days without rest. “Almost there,” she repeated.
--
After another half hour they arrived at the Frostfruit inn. The innkeeper looked rather ruffled at the sight of them but calmed after she gave him a hundred septums for the rooms and silence.
“Will you be able to handle him yourself?” Farkas asked half in his room. His head nodded as he tried to stay awake for her answer. Ravn let out a small chuckle.
“I have been so far, get some rest,” She jested with a smile. Farkas didn’t need to be told twice. He turned on his heels and wandered into his room with a long yawn. Once his door clicked shut, Ravn turned into her own room. Vilkas had already sat down on one of the chairs. She quietly pulled the door shut and walked to his side. He glanced up at her with a halfhearted smile. She could tell he was embarrassed about having been kidnapped. He could have fought back, they both knew it. According to Sam, the bandits had a knife to Sophie’s throat and Sophie had the mark to prove it. His pride or his children, that was the choice he was given. She was glad he had made the right choice, even if it meant she had to rescue him.
“I need you to take off you armor love, that wound is going to need stitches,” She said softly placing a butterfly kiss on his forehead. He let out a small sigh before untying her now blood-soaked sash, then stiffly pulling off his armor, shirt and gloves. She gently bit her lip as she looked at the gash on his side. It was twice the size it had appeared.
“What’s the verdict?” Vilkas asked, noticing her hesitation.
“That bitch really got you good,” She answered pulling out what she needed from her bag. Vilkas nodded, glancing at the wall in front of him. She had seen him do this before, focusing on a spot in the wall to keep the pain at bay. As she worked she noted how ridged he was. “You’ve been awfully quiet, even for you, are you alright love?” she asked not looking up from her work.
“Hum...oh yeah…” he murmured, “I’m just worried about Sophie.”
She smiled again, “he’s adorable.” “She’ll be alright, I would harbor to guess that it won’t even scar, whether or not she lets you out of her sight for a while, however, will be another matter entirely.” He let out a hearty laugh that sent a warm tingle through her body.
“What about you?” He asked, looking down at her with concerned. Her fingers froze half way through tying off the suture.
“You scared me,” She finally said, “When that woman stabbed you, you dropped like a sack of potatoes. Farkas and I thought you were on your way to Hircine…” She was shaking even as she carefully snipped away the loose thread. She could hear Vilkas shooshing her before ruffling her short black hair with his large hand.
“I’m sorry love,” He said softly, coxing her to look at him with a finger under her chin. If she truly wanted she could pull away, but she didn’t. She looked over his face for the first time since she had left. His war paint had all but completely smudged off, letting her take a good look at his features. The paleness from his injury almost highlighted the giant purple bruise on his jaw. On top of all this, his blue eyes were bloodshot and his hair was in utter matted mess. Had he been kneeling on the floor instead of her, he would have looked pitiful.
“I’m sorry too,” She felt herself saying, “I shouldn’t have left you alone out there. I could have handled those bears myself, Valdimar could have stayed behind…” She trailed off as she noticed him cocking an eyebrow and a smile. She couldn’t help but stare, utterly flustered. “Damn…” she muttered knowing he had gotten her again. With a defeated sigh, she pulled herself to her feet and gently cupped the uninjured side of his face. With a soft chuckle he took it and pressed kiss into her palm. He then pulled her so her head was pressed against his chest. A wave of calm rushed through her as his thunderous heart beat coursed through her body.
“Don’t blame yourself love, there is no way you could have known,” he cooed stroking her hair, “besides it was her fault really, she was the one who decided to piss you off.” She chuckled despite herself. He was right after all, she had paid and there was no reason to stab him. Once she finally felt relaxed again she wandered over to her bag and pulled out some linens. She then poured some water into a bowl and grabbed a wash rag.
“I’m just going to wrap up your waist, then I’m going to try and get some of the blood and grime off,” she whispered wandering back.
“You don’t need to do that,” he said with an appreciative smile.
“Technically I do have to wrap the stitches, or they could go bad,” she pointed out kneeling down again.
“Well, it’s still appreciated,” he said with a soft chuckle. She smiled as she began wrapping. Once she had tied the bandage off, she took her cloth, soaked it and began running it over Vilkas’s face. He breathed a contented sigh as the last of the paint and grim peeled off his skin. Once she finished with his face she dipped her cloth again and gently washed his chest. As she moved it across his skin broke out in goose flesh and his breath hitched. Ravn felt a foxy smile creep across her face. It occurred to her that even before this happened, they had been apart for some time. She placed the cloth aside and tiled his head back, placing a gentle kiss on his bruised lips. “I missed you,” he whispered, as she pressed her forehead against his.
“I missed you too,” She murmured. As she pulled back she noticed a smirk forming at the corner of his lips.
“Is that so?” he said in a teasing tone, “With all your adventures, maybe you don’t miss me as much as you say.”
She smiled, quickly catching on, “oh, you think so? I guess I’ll just have to prove it to you.” She sauntered around him, hand never leaving his shoulder.
“I guess you will,” He chuckled. With a small heave she helped him to over the bed, gently laying him down. As she began to strip off her armor she quickly realized there was no way to do it in an alluring manor. She tried but all she ended up doing was falling flat on her ass. Vilkus laugh and shakily sat up on the edge of the bed.
“c’mmer love, let me help you,” He said waving her over. She chuckled, awkwardly picking herself off the floor. They spent several minutes slowly taking off her plate piece by piece until she was just in her under-tunic. She went to pull it off when she noticed he was shaking and his body was wilting.
“You alright?” She asked brushing his hair from his eyes.
“y-yah, just…a bit tired,” He mumbled leaning forward and resting his head on her shoulder.
“Do you want to do this another night?” She asked, gently pulling apart some of the tangled strands.
“No, I just need a moment,” He responded his eyes falling shut.
She smiled sympathetically, soothing his hair, “alright, you let me know when you’re ready, or if you change your mind and just want to sleep or the like.” He nodded before pushing his weight against her. As his breath evened out, she began gingerly running her fingernails along his spine. He let out a low throaty moan as a chill ran through him.
“Better?” she asked softly. “yah,” he murmured back, kissing her neck. She giggled at the sensation.
“Lay down, love, I’ll take care of you,” She whispered against directly into his ear. He gave a bit of a nod as he pulled away. She cupped the back of his head as she helped him down, guiding his legs behind. Once he was settled she straddled his hips, being extra careful with his injury. She took a moment to glance him over. His head was leaning back, eyes half hooded and mouth soft. His wrist were crossed just above. They each had a red chafe marks bright against his light skin. She took a moment to lean in and kiss each one tenderly, as she had no intention of holding him down this time. Once she was satisfied she slid down, capturing his lips with hers. She wanted to keep it light as not to hurt his already swollen lips, but he pressed back, hard, tangling his fingers in her hair. After a moment she ended it, pulling a sad moan from Vilkas. She smiled, before placing a series of kisses along his jaw and down his throat. He unconsciously tilted his head back to allow her better access. She sucked a mark on the base of his neck before trailing her lips lower. His breaths became shallower as she did so.
She loved to watch him unravel like this. Knowing she was making him feel like this, that he belonged to her, sent a tingling warmth through her body. Not that she didn’t enjoy the other way around as well. His muscular body pressing down against her own. Her soaking up every kiss and caress, knowing that she was utterly his.
With a soft breath she plucked at the strings of his breaches before sliding them down over his narrow hips. Before she could draw him out, however he wove his fingers through her hair and lifted her head.
“I’m sorry love, I just can’t tonight…” He sounded beyond exhausted, his breaths labored, his lids barely open. She smiled sympathetically, gently sliding his pants back up.
“It’s alright, we can pick this up another time,” she whispered, stretching out next to him. She pulled him onto his good side, letting his head rest on her chest. They laid like this for some time. Ravn listened intensely to every breath he took until it evened out and calmed. “I’m glad you’re safe,” she murmured into his hair. He breathed a quiet hum, pulling her closer. A moment later she could hear his soft snoring. She watched him for a long time, smiling to herself. Finally, she leaned in and kissed his head before whispering, “I love you”