Dragonborn Rising Ch. 25

As we had people at the table not part of the Guild, Brynjolf and Karliah couldn't go into too much detail, but apparently the Guild had been running perfectly fine without my presence, which would make what I wanted to talk about the next day even easier. Haelga admitted life was rather dull, so she had little news to share. I was surprised Ingun was still in Riften, remembering she had wanted to elope, but apparently Saerlund's mother, the jarl herself, caught wind of it, and he was now locked in a cell twenty-four hours a day. She still hoped to escape, but Maven had been informed, so Ingun was now being watched by a couple of Maven's heavies.

Though everyone was drinking, I made sure I was consuming alcohol very slowly, noticing Haelga had one, maybe two drinks at most. There was plenty of laughter as we all shared stories of what we'd been up to. As we talked, Haelga's hand moved to my leg, and slowly but surely stroked my thigh before it moved closer and closer to my crotch. I eventually turned to look at her, and the desire in her eyes suggested we should leave. And leave immediately.

"I'm not sure about you guys, but it's been a long day, and Haelga would like to go home. Brynjolf, I'll be around tomorrow to catch up. Karliah, if you can join us too, that would be great."

"Have fun, Ragnar," Brynjolf stated as Haelga practically dragged me from my seat and out the door.

Inside the Bunkhouse, Haelga made sure we were upstairs, with the door locked, before she leapt on me. Before leaping on me, she led me backwards towards the bed, pushing me down, reaching down to unbuckle my belt and lower my trousers. She lowered her head, not to get me hard, as I already was, but I think simply to suck me as it had been quite a while for her. But she definitely only had one thing on her mind, as she hiked up her dressed, lowered her panties to the floor, then climbed onto the bed and slid my cock inside her.

I'm sure they heard my groan around the entire Rift. Once she bottomed out, she leaned forward and gave me a gentle kiss. "I've missed you," she whispered.

"I've definitely missed you."

"Do you know how long it's been?" I shook my head. "Four months, Ragnar."

I reached up and brought her head down gently to kiss her again. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. You did warn me... I may have cried myself to sleep once or twice though." She paused before adding, "Sorry for slapping you earlier."

"It's fine. I'm guessing there were a lot of conflicting emotions at that moment."

"Surprise. Anger. And unending horniness. I wanted to hit you while fucking you."

"Can we just do the fucking now?"

She finally started to move, barely lifting her head from mine, as I moved my hands to her arse. I warned her I wouldn't last long, though suggested I'd stay hard. She didn't mind, simply enjoying the feeling of my cock inside her once again, and within a couple of minutes, I was fucking her hard. I could feel my orgasm building quickly. All Haelga said was to cum, and she would keep going. I dragged her down, holding her tight against my body, as I slammed my cock into her, and the eruption of cum deep inside her was such a relief, I had to relax my entire body, my arms flopping onto the bed as Haelga lifted herself up a little, giggling at my reaction.

She sat up and took off her dress, revealing that beautiful body of hers, then removed her bra. It was now rather amusing that she was completely naked while I was fully dressed. She made no mention of it, though, as she simply continued to ride my still hard cock. Once I regained my senses, I licked my thumb and moved it to her clit, giving her a gentle fondle.

That certainly helped, as she was soon grinding on my cock, and I knew she wasn't going to last long either. "I've thought about this every day," she breathed, "Hoping you would walk through that door again."

"I would have come sooner, but..."

"It's fine. You're here now."

She fell forward, resting a hand to either side of me, doing nearly all the work as I watched her face. She was desperate to cum. Hot, wet and tight as always, I was amazed at how hard I felt. I'd had relations with Jenassa while I was in Whiterun, but the connection I had with Haelga was something else entirely. There was only one other person... I cleared that thought immediately. I didn't want to think about her. At least, not at that moment.

"So close, Ragnar," she breathed.

"Hold it off as long as possible."

That made her giggle. "I'll pass out if I do."

"Then pass out. It will give me time to undress." I looked her up and down. "Not that I'm complaining."

She kept her rhythm steady as I just loved the feeling of her move up and down my cock. Continuing to watch her face, I felt her body quiver occasionally, realising her orgasm was building. She would stop every now and then, take a deep breath, before resuming. My hands ran up and down her back, feeling a slight sheen of sweat in one hand, moving my other to her hair, bringing her head down so I could kiss her again.

"Getting close again. I need to cum, Ragnar."

I didn't ask her to hold off again as she sat up, changing her rhythm and the angle of how she rode me. I couldn't help appreciate her body, running my hands up and down her side, grabbing a handful of one of her breasts. She was making all the noises I remembered well, and I knew she was getting close. And when it finally arrived, it was... It was emotional, I think, as she cried out my name, along with a nice string of obscenities, before she relaxed and gently laid down on my chest, where I held her in my arms as she had a little weep.

"I should hate you for doing that to me," she sobbed quietly.

"I know. I'm glad you don't."

"It's because I still love you, dummy."

"Well, I still feel the same way too."

We laid like that in silence until she needed to move off me, sliding under the covers as I quickly undressed and joined her. Lying on our sides facing each other, we cuddled together and continued to make out. "What took you so long to come back?" she wondered.

"I wanted to come back a while ago but the Jarl of Whiterun asked me to remain in the city. I still don't know exactly why, but once I found myself working with the Companions, I was in two minds. You would be the only reason why I would now come back to Riften."

"So you're not coming back?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know."

She sighed. "We're never going to have any luck, are we?"

"Can you handle long distance? Just the occasional visit?"

"I can, but I'd prefer you close by." She met my eyes and sighed. "But you have your own life, as much as I have mine. And I can understand why you don't want to remain here, except for me. You're making a new life for yourself."

"I would ask that you come with me but..."

"Part of me would love to, Ragnar," she said quietly, cuddling into me tightly, resting her head against my chest, "But my life is here. And I can't leave Svana alone with this place. So... We can try long distance. Or we just do what we've always done. Sleep together when you're here, otherwise we enjoy ourselves otherwise."

"Have you been with someone else?"

"Yes. Does that bother you?"

"Of course not. Particularly if you thought I was dead." I lifted her chin with a finger. "And if it gets serious..."

She smiled. "Let's not get too far ahead. But he does know all about you."

"Do I know him?"

"He's a guardsman, so it's likely you don't. But..." She trailed off and looked away.

"You can see a future?" She nodded. "Then perhaps we should make this one of the final times. I want you to be happy most of all, Haelga. And I can't do it for you now..."

"I still love you though."

"And my feelings haven't changed. But our lives have." She sighed and cuddled into me again. "Do you love him?"

"I like him. He's a good man. And I know his feelings for me are deeper already."

"Then I think I should step away and at least give you the opportunity to find happiness with someone else."

"But what if you eventually come back?"

"Honestly, I think the chances of that are slim. I like living in Whiterun now. To be honest, I was going to ask you to come with me, but if you can't, then perhaps it's best we remain friends but move on with our lives."

"When are you returning?"

"I can stay for a couple of days. I'll probably pack up parts of my house and send things to Whiterun."

"We'll stay at your place tomorrow night. There's a certain room I haven't been able to use for quite a while. And, before you ask, yes I'm sure. Definitely sure. I want to be sore the next morning." The excitement in her tone gave me a good chuckle, and I promised that is what we would be doing.

She headed down a little later to grab some wine, and after having a cup each, made love again, this time Haelga quite happy lying back, legs wrapped around me, and it was surprisingly gentle and tender the entire time, spending most of the time making out, her hands running up and down my body, feeling the new scars I had, and plenty of sweet talk to start with, that soon devolved into the usual dirty talk we both liked. Only when approaching our orgasms did the tempo increase enough that I would call it fucking, but we climaxed rather close together, and with appetites stated, we fell asleep, Haelga in my arms as always.

After a good, hard and fast fuck the next morning, we headed downstairs for breakfast. There were one or two comments about my return, and the fact we'd made a bit of noise the night before, though we both laughed it off, as we'd heard it all before. Svana had mentioned the night before at the Bee and Brab that she'd found a man to be with, and I'll admit to a tinge of regret, as I had been looking forward to taking her first, but it was probably for the best, in all honesty.

Haelga saw me off, having no problem with me departing with the longest kiss on record, the sort of kiss and embrace that, if we'd been alone, I'd have turned her around, leaned her against the counter and... well, I'm sure you can imagine.

Heading through town, I headed to the Flagon the old way, through the Ratway. Dirge was surprised to see me appear that way, saying hello to Vekel before heading into the cistern. Everyone I'd asked for - Brynjolf, Karliah, Vex and Delvin - was already waiting for me, and we all took a seat around the desk.

"So, where have you been, Ragnar? And, since you're now in the right company, I'm guessing you can be completely honest."

"You all knew I was working for the Dark Brotherhood?" All four nodded their heads. "Okay, so a lot of shit went down from about the moment I walked in the door. The Night Mother returned, which caused Astrid no end of paranoia. What didn't help is that her husband was a werewolf, and couldn't perform his husbandly duties, so she went looking for someone else." Delvin started to laugh. Vex smiled. Brynjolf shook his head. "That's not all. I'm the Listener too."

All four shard glances before Karliah asked, "You mean..."

"Yes, the Night Mother spoke to me. And because she did, I was instructed to put together something not done since the Oblivion Crisis."

"You're joking!" Brynjolf exclaimed.

"Part of me wish I was, Bryn. We were instructed to assassinate the Emperor. And I was within perhaps thirty seconds of doing it too. I managed to get onto his ship, kill his crew, or those who got in my way. Made it all the way to his chambers. But I was caught, spent weeks in a cell, interrogated once or twice though surprisingly not tortured, and then I was at Helgen." I let that sit with them for a couple of minutes. None of them asked a question, so I continued. "I'm sure you've heard by now that Helgen was destroyed by a dragon. I was there that day as I was to be executed alongside Ulfric Stormcloak. The dragon helped keep me alive, though it spent a couple of hours trying to kill me at the same time. After escaping, I was asked to go to Whiterun to get help for Riverwood, a little village nearby. The Jarl of Whiterun asked me to stay in the city just in case he needed more help, and at the same time, I opted to join the Companions. And I'll admit I've enjoyed it so far."

"So what's this meeting for exactly?" Delvin wondered.

"I think it's obvious the Guild is functioning perfectly without me here. So I am going to rescind my position as Guild Master. And I see no reason why Brynjolf and Karliah cannot run it together. Quite frankly, you both deserve it far more than myself."

"And what about you?" Brynjolf asked, "Can we rely on your..."

"Of course, Bryn. While I won't visit down this way very often, you will find me at the Bee and Barb, or in Riftweald if I do find myself in Riften."

"Are you sure?" Karliah asked, the first words she'd said.

"Aye, I am. I need to get away from Riften. There are far too many bad memories here. And I need to restore my personal honour after working for the Brotherhood. I thought I could handle some of the shit I was up to. But having spent time with the Companions, I realise that I am a Nord at heart, and if I want to spend eternity anywhere when I die, it is in Sovngarde."

"But you are still a Nightingale," she stated.

"I know I am. Always will be too. But if push comes to shove, I know where I want to go. Guess the gods will have to fight over who gets my soul."

"You're sure about this, lad?" Brynjolf asked, I guess for the final time.

"I'm going to spend a day or two packing up what I need and send it on to Whiterun. To be honest, if you want it, Bryn, it's all yours."

"You're serious?"

"We can seal it with a simply handshake." He offered his hand, which I accepted, and that was that. Riftweald belonged to him. "I'll make sure I empty the Dibellan room before you move in."

"What about Haelga?" Vex asked, and I couldn't help smirk in her direction, because I knew at heart that she didn't give a shit about her. I still wondered if she thought about the suggestion she'd made long ago, about the two of us being intimate.

"We will enjoy a couple of nights together then basically call it quits. Long distance simply won't work, and I can't keep disappearing on her, so we agreed last night that, although at heart we really don't want to, it'll prevent the inevitable heartbreak in the future."

"You're not planning on coming back at all?" Karliah asked.

"Not unless work sends me this way."

"Well, I think I speak for everyone that it'll be a damn shame to lose you, lad. But I think we can also understand, particularly with the... losses you have suffered over the years. There's no doubt you were the lynchpin of the rebuilding of the Guild. You helped take down Mercer Frey, returned the Skeleton Key, and put the Guild on its firmest footing in decades. We can only hope to continue the fine work you started."

"You give me far too much credit, Bryn. I wasn't the only one involved. Karliah should take much of the credit for opening all our eyes."

I could have stayed and chatted with them all day, but I wanted to return to Riftweald and get started, so after a round of handshakes, and a whisper from Karliah to visit her before I left, I left them behind, figuring it was unlikely I'd ever visit the Flagon again. I simply didn't want to return to the life, no matter how much I had enjoyed it, and despite the fact I'd made a lot of coin. It just wasn't for me anymore.

Despite my prolonged absence, Aranea had obviously been in to clean every week or so, as the place didn't look lived in, but had been cleaned. Grabbing a chest, I started to place mementoes and other things I wanted sent to Whiterun, but as Brynjolf would be moving in, I figured all the furniture could at least remain.

After heading to the market for a little food, I started to put together some dinner for that evening. Haelga arrived as the sun was going down, wearing a coat which, once she'd shrugged it off, revealed she wasn't wearing anything else. Dinner was forgotten as she dragged me to the Dibellan room.

I could go into great, graphic detail about what we did the rest of the night, but to be honest, you probably wouldn't believe half of it anyway. I think she wanted to do absolutely anything and everything with me that night, as before we started, she said it would be our last time. She couldn't keep visiting while I was in Riften. I was rather reluctant as I agreed but understood her reasoning.

She was tied up, whipped, fucked in the arse more than once, swallowed more than one load, spanked, and left in all sorts of strange positions, proving how flexible she was more than once, before I finally released from the restraints and carried her to bed, where we relaxed for a while, sipping some wine, then made love for the final time. It was little surprise she cried upon her final orgasm. One, because it was a bloody good one. And, two, it was the last one we would share together.

Breakfast the next morning wasn't awkward, with plenty of light kissing and cuddling, before I escorted her to the Bunkhouse. Standing on the threshold, she held both my hands in hers and told me she loved me. I already knew that, but she then added, "And that's why I can't see you again, Ragnar. Once I walk inside, that will have to be it. At least for a while."

"I'll be leaving tomorrow so I guess that will make things easier."

I hugged her tightly when she said it wouldn't, but it would get easier later. I didn't want to let her go. She definitely didn't to let me go, so we let each other go at the same time. She kissed my cheek a final time, gave me a sad smile, and walked inside, looking back a final time before closing the door.

Feeling rather depressed by it all, I headed to the Bee and Barb, enjoying a morning tankard, earning a question from Talen-Jei about my state of mind. I cracked a bad joke and he at least left me alone. I stayed in my usual seat for lunch before heading towards Nightingale Hall. Karliah was waiting for me, and I did wonder what she wanted with me.

Finding myself escorted to the bedroom she'd made for herself, I did have to ask if she was sure. She was adamant that she was, adding further that she knew I'd been with Haelga the night before, and that things had now ended between us, so she wanted a final fling with me before I left Riften behind for good.

It was a fun afternoon, only leaving once it was dark, no doubt with a giant smile on my face. Karliah was near asleep as I dressed, and though she was sad that I was leaving, she was also understanding. She simply hoped I would change my mind and return one day, as I 'still made a bloody good thief.'

Brynjolf turned up the next morning so I could hand over the keys. I'd already arranged for a carriage to take the chest of stuff I wanted to keep, so I dressed in the armour I wanted, with my new sword and the best bow I had. Standing at the gates, I took one last look around Riften. I remember thinking how awful the place was when I'd first arrived, but over the years, it had grown on me, and I knew I was going to miss the place at heart, mostly because of the people. I'd made some friends that I thought would be for life, though perhaps, if things changed, I would return.

Mounting my horse, I pointed it north and put my heels into its flanks, the horse ambling off as normal. I didn't turn back to look at Riften. All I wondered is if or when I would ever return.