Chapter 36 The Morning We Became Us
The sun had only begun to peek over the distant mountain ridge, washing the world in a soft, golden haze. A pale morning mist drifted around us, glowing faintly as the new light touched it. The cold air nipped at our exposed skin, but it didn't matter we were wrapped tightly in each other's arms, sharing the warmth trapped beneath a single bedroll.
Yes… we had "done it" last night.
Astrid had even passed out halfway through because its her first time
And Alex… he'd been her first.
A soft, almost disbelieving smile curved across Alex's lips as he gazed up at the slowly brightening sky. His chest rose and fell in a calm, steady rhythm, the peace of morning settling over him. Astrid still slept against him, her breath warm against his collarbone.
With gentle fingers, he brushed aside a loose strand of her golden hair now slightly messy from the night's intensity and pressed a warm kiss to her forehead.
"Hey, beautiful," he whispered, voice low and tender, almost afraid to disturb the stillness of morning.
"Wake up it's morning."
Astrid's eyebrows knitted together in sleepy protest, her nose scrunching cutely as she burrowed her face deeper into his chest.
"Mmmmm… just a little longer…" she mumbled, her voice thick with drowsiness. "I'm still tired from last night…"
Alex chuckled under his breath, the sound rumbling softly where her cheek rested against him. He lifted a hand and gently pinched her cheek.
"Come on, wake up. We've got a mission, you little sleepyhead."
Slowly very slowly Astrid's eyes fluttered open. Her pupils glimmered like molten gold in the early light, still hazy from sleep. She blinked up at him, her expression soft, almost vulnerable.
And then she saw the way Alex was looking at her warm, protective, overflowing with affection.
Astrid's lips curved in a small, shy, but utterly loving smile.
"Hey… love," she whispered, leaning up to kiss him softly slow, gentle, sweet, as if her whole heart was in that brief touch.
"Is it really morning already?"
"With that sleepy tone?" Alex murmured, pressing their foreheads together. "Definitely morning, Miss Sleepy."
Astrid let out a small groan and immediately curled into him more tightly her arms looping around his torso, her bare leg sliding over his. She nuzzled her nose into the curve of his neck, inhaling deeply as if he was her source of warmth and comfort.
"Mmph… just a bit more… let me stay like this…"
Alex raised a brow, pretending to be annoyed though his smile betrayed him.
He sighed dramatically, eyes softening as he looked at the woman clinging to him like he was the only safe place in the world.
"Alright… just a moment."
Astrid smiled one of those small, genuine smiles that she only showed when she felt completely safe. She shifted closer, pressing her cheek against his throat, the tip of her nose brushing his skin with feather-light touches. Her breaths were warm, slow, content.
She cuddled into him like a spoiled, affectionate cat, her fingers lightly tracing circles on his back, as if confirming he was real and she didn't dream the night they shared.
Outside, the cold wind whispered through the grass.
But inside their little world beneath the bedroll, everything felt warm, quiet, and completely theirs.
A while later after several stolen glances, shared smiles, and a few more sleepy cuddles they finally forced themselves to rise.
The morning air was cold enough to sting their skin, making their breaths turn into pale white clouds. Alex shivered slightly as he gathered their clothes, while Astrid wrapped the bedroll around herself for warmth before dressing.
Astrid slipped back into her Daedric armor piece by piece the dark plates reflecting the early sunlight like molten onyx. But she left the helmet off, letting her long golden hair fall freely down her shoulders. A faint blush lingered on her cheeks, softening her otherwise intimidating appearance.
As she adjusted a strap on her gauntlet, she peeked at Alex from beneath her lashes shy, uncertain, but glowing with something warm.
"So…" she began, her voice unusually small for someone wearing armor forged in Oblivion,
"I guess this means we're… officially together now, right?"
Alex blinked dramatically, placing a hand over his heart.
"What? You don't want to be my soulmate? Truly tragic… what a cruel fate… sob…"
Astrid froze, her eyes widening in pure panic.
She took a step toward him, hands flailing slightly.
"No no! That's not what I meant! I wasn't saying no I just I just !"
Before her panic could spiral, Alex's expression melted into a warm, reassuring smile.
He stepped close so close that their breaths mingled in the chilled morning air and gently cupped her cheek with one hand.
His thumb stroked her skin softly, calming her in an instant.
"I'm teasing you, my darling," he whispered, voice low and fond.
Astrid's entire face flushed a deep scarlet.
She turned her head slightly, embarrassed, but she didn't pull away from his touch.
"Don't… don't scare me like that…"
Her voice trembled in a mix of embarrassment and relief.
"Hmph."
Alex chuckled softly the kind of laugh that always seemed reserved only for her.
"Sorry, sorry," he said, leaning his forehead lightly against hers. "Of course we're a couple now. Obviously."
Astrid's lips tugged into a tiny smile she tried (and failed) to hide.
Alex stepped away to tidy what remained of their camp. The fire pit was little more than faint smoke and blackened embers. He crouched down, arranging the stones and scattering the ashes with practiced hands.
But halfway through, something tugged at him.
He paused, straightened, and turned back toward Astrid.
She was standing a few steps away, watching him quietly, golden hair fluttering in the breeze looking at him like he was the only warmth left in the frozen world.
"Astrid," he called softly.
She blinked, lips parting slightly.
"Yes?"
Alex walked back to her slowly, deliberately, as if savoring every step that brought him closer.
When he reached her, he gently took her hands in his his warm skin against her cold gauntlets and looked straight into her eyes.
"I want you to always remember," he murmured, voice trembling with sincerity,
"that I love you very, very much. I don't ever want you to forget that."
Astrid's breath hitched.
Her cheeks turned rosy, her eyes softened, and her chest rose in a deep, emotional inhale.
The wind blew, carrying the faint scent of pine and cold stone between them.
Then she whispered barely audible, but overflowing with feeling,
"I… I love you too, Alex."
There was no hesitation.
No fear.
Just truth.
Alex smiled a slow, tender smile that lit up his entire face.
He leaned forward, one hand sliding behind her waist, the other brushing her hair aside.
Astrid instinctively tilted her head up, eyes fluttering shut.
Their lips met soft, warm, lingering.
A kiss filled with morning sunlight, quiet promises, and the unspoken vow that whatever battles awaited them… they would face them together.
When they finally pulled away, their foreheads remained touching, breaths mingling in the cold air.
The world felt quieter.
Softer.
Brighter.
Just because they had each other.
After their tender moment, they packed up and continued the long climb toward High Hrothgar.
The air grew thinner with every step, each breath coming out as pale mist that drifted away in the cold mountain wind. The path was quiet, except for the crunch of their boots on frost-kissed stone. Pine trees lined the trail below them, their tips dusted white, and the sky above shifted from gold to pale blue as morning fully woke.
Yet despite the cold, their hands remained linked nearly the entire time.
Astrid brushed against Alex now and then sometimes intentionally, sometimes because she stumbled on uneven ground. Each time she wavered, Alex steadied her instantly, his hand settling on her lower back in a protective arc.
"You okay?" he asked more than once.
Astrid would flash a shy smile.
"I'm fine. Just… still a bit tired."
Every time she said that, Alex's heart tightened with worry.
He kept glancing at her worried she hadn't fully recovered from last night, worried she was pushing herself, worried the cold might be biting into her skin beneath her armor.
His thumb often stroked the back of her hand gently, as if silently checking she was still warm.
Along the way they joked, nudged each other, and flirted between breaths small glances, brushing shoulders, shared laughter that warmed the frozen air around them. The world felt distant. Peaceful. Like the mountain path existed for only the two of them.
Eventually, the towering stone monastery of High Hrothgar came into view through the settling mist.
Quiet. Ancient. Intimidating.
Inside, their footsteps echoed softly against the vast stone halls before Arngeir appeared from the shadows, robes trailing quietly behind him.
"Ah," Arngeir said, his tone calm but edged with disappointment,
"you have returned Jurgen's Horn. You took quite long to retrieve it."
Astrid stiffened beside Alex the faintest tension visible in her shoulders.
Before Arngeir could say anything else, Alex stepped forward, his voice immediately protective.
"Please forgive us. We had some… more important matters to handle first," he said, choosing his words carefully.
"And it wasn't the Dragonborn's fault."
Astrid turned to look at him, her eyes softening with surprise and appreciation. Then she faced Arngeir again.
"He's right. We had urgent things to deal with. We handled them as quickly as we could."
Arngeir studied them both with a wise, knowing gaze, then nodded.
"Very well. You have passed all trials. Come, Dragonborn. We will now bestow upon you the proper recognition of your title."
They were led to the main hall massive, cold, and echoing with ancient power. The air hummed faintly with lingering Voices.
The Greybeards formed a circle around Astrid as she stepped into the center.
Alex hovered just behind her, close enough that their shoulders touched.
He didn't want to leave her side not in this place, not during this ritual.
Arngeir spoke, his voice reverberating through the hall.
"You are now ready to learn the third word of Unrelenting Force. With it, your Shout will gain immense power capable of sending living beings flying."
Then he inhaled deeply
and with a single word shaped by the Thu'um:
"DAH."
The floor shook.
Stone cracked.
A glowing rune carved itself into the ground in front of Astrid, the air trembling with dragon magic.
Astrid's eyes widened with awe, but she didn't flinch. With her Dragonborn gift, she absorbed the knowledge instantly her pupils glowing faintly as the meaning of "push" settled into her soul.
"With this, your Shout holds great power," Arngeir said.
"Use it wisely."
He nodded to Wulfgar.
"Master Wulfgar will impart his understanding of 'Dah' to you."
Wulfgar stepped forward, his Voice whispering knowledge into her spirit.
Astrid staggered slightly but Alex's hand shot out to steady her waist instantly.
"You okay?" he whispered.
Astrid nodded once, smiling weakly.
"Yeah… I got it."
Then came the ritual.
The Greybeards surrounded her again.
Arngeir raised a hand.
"Stand between us and prepare yourself. Few can weather the unbridled Voice of the Greybeards. But you, Dragonborn… are ready."
Astrid inhaled deeply, eyes sharpening with determination. She stood tall in the center, fists clenched at her sides.
Alex hovered nearby, unable to step away further than a few paces.
His chest tightened with worry his fingers twitching, ready to catch her if she fell.
Then the Greybeards began.
Their Voices crashed through the hall
not as a Shout, but as a wave of pure ancient power.
"Lingrah krosis saraan Strundu'ul, voth nid balaan klov praan nau "
The air trembled violently.
Astrid's armor rattled.
Her hair whipped around her face, her eyes narrowing in pain as she braced herself.
Alex flinched each time her knees buckled, gripping the stone pillar beside him so he wouldn't rush into the ritual and interrupt it.
"Naal Thu'umu, mu ofan nii nu, Dovahkiin "
Astrid clenched her teeth. A shudder ran through her whole body.
Alex's heart pounded so hard it hurt.
He whispered, "Astrid… hold on…" though she couldn't hear him.
"Myez nu Ysmir, Dovahsebrom "
Astrid gasped, nearly dropping to one knee
Alex almost move, reaching out and grabbing her arm tightly.to Supporting her.
Shielding her from anything he could, even if it wasn't much.
"Dahmaan dar rok."
And then
Silence.
Astrid was trembling.
Sweat glistened on her brow despite the freezing hall.
Arngeir stepped forward.
"Dovahkiin… you have tasted the Voice of the Greybeards and passed through, unharmed."
The moment the ritual ended, Alex didn't wait.
He darted to her side, kneeling.
"Astrid! Hey hey, look at me. Are you okay?"
He quickly retrieved a bottle from his inventory and guided it to her lips with shaking hands.
"Here. Drink this. Please."
Astrid's breathing steadied.
A tiny smile lifted her lips.
"I'm fine, love… really. Don't worry so much."
She drank everything he gave her.
Alex exhaled shakily, brushing a thumb across her cheek.
"You scared me," he admitted quietly. "You need to rest. We can talk to Arngeir later. It's getting dark anyway."
He helped her sit against the wall, supporting her weight gently.
Then he turned to Arngeir, voice urgent.
"Master Arngeir do you have a place for her to rest? She's exhausted."
Arngeir gave a small, knowing smile.
"Yes. You may let your partner rest there. Forgive us our beds are not as comfortable as an inn."
Alex nodded and immediately slipped an arm under Astrid's legs and back, lifting her into his arms.
Astrid let out a soft, tired exhale and leaned fully into him, her head resting on his chest.
He carried her to the stone bed, softened it with his bedroll, and helped her lie down gently.
"Okay. Rest for now," he whispered, brushing hair from her eyes.
"When you're better, we'll talk to Arngeir again."
Astrid managed a tiny smile.
"Alright… (yawn)… I'll sleep for a bit…"
She closed her eyes, drifting off almost instantly.
Alex settled beside her, sitting on the cold stone floor, refusing to leave her side.
His hand never left hers.
His gaze never left her sleeping face.
He would guard her even here, in the quiet halls of the Greybeards.
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