“We don’t have to do this,” Hammerleaf mumbled as they wound their way through the couples.

 

“Yes we do.” Swordsinger ground her nails into her palms to forestall the silent scream that wanted to burst from her lips.

 

“The Dibellans will provide consorts. We don’t…”

 

“No, we need to stick together. A priest or priestess would demand all of our attention. This is…perfect. We can study the walls from closer than we would otherwise have dared.” She stuck to that thought, to the positives of the situation, and tried not to think about…

 

“I’m sorry, you know.”

 

It was barely louder than a whisper, but she felt it like a scream.

 

“You know…the…before…what I…”

 

“Shut up, Hammerleaf.”

 

“But I need to explain. To tell you…” He trailed off but Swordsinger didn’t spare him a glance.

 

“What is there to explain?” She bit her lip as her voice began to rise and people looked their way. She forced her tone back down to a whisper, “It was my fault, not yours. So shut up about it.”

 

“How was it your fault? Slow down, you’re running.”

 

“No, I’m not.” And she wasn’t, but only barely. She forced her gait back down as well. “It was my fault because I should have known it would happen and been prepared. Since I wasn’t prepared, I deserved what I got. I could have stopped it any time, you know.”

 

“That’s…no you couldn’t have. I outweigh you by…”

 

“My sword was right by my hand and I had an abundance of body parts to choose from. But since it was my fault, I didn’t do that.”

 

Silence, then, as they reached the back of the crowd. Swordsinger led the way to a flat portion a few yards away from the last couple.

 

“This is a good spot. We can see this portion of the wall clearly from…”

 

“I’m sorry. I…truly am.”

 

Swordsinger spun on him, ready to lash out for real this time, but stopped when she saw…

 

“What….are those tears? Are you weeping?”

 

“Yes, dammit!” Hammerleaf had apparently run out of patience with the whispering as well. Several couples turned toward them as his voice rose. “I’m trying to tell you that I…”

 

“If you are going to fight, please leave the ceremony.”

 

They turned as one to find another priestess, just as naked as the first but this time marked from head to toe in a dizzying array of tattoos.

 

“No!” Swordsinger held out placating hands. “I’m…we’re sorry, we’ll stop. We’re ready.” Ready to stop talking about that subject every again, she didn’t add. Out loud.

 

The priestess didn’t look convinced but simply shrugged and responded, “Very well. Remove your garments. The ceremony is beginning.” Even as she finished speaking, a gong rang out from the front of the crowd.

 

Swordsinger bit off a curse and yanked the dress off, tossing it to one side as she kicked her right foot in the air to remove the shoe. The other shoe and her undergarments soon followed, and she turned toward Hammerleaf as the first words of the blessing began.

 

Hammerleaf had likewise undonned. His expression was a study in conflicting emotions, but Swordsinger didn’t have the inclination to try to sort them out, even had she the time to do so. Besides, there were other things to look at.

 

She set her hands on his shoulders, the ceremony’s first stance, then, as he put his hand on her hips, she whispered, “Turn a little to your right. There, good. I can see the wall from here.”

 

He only grunted as the priestess called out, “Now to position two. Move closer. Let your bodies touch. Run your hands down your partner’s back.”

 

Swordsinger stepped deeper into Hammerleaf’s arms, patting his back absently as her breasts pressed into the firm muscle of his chest. The good thing about this particular ceremony was that everything was scripted so they didn’t have to focus on each other. She could spend this time studying the wall instead.

 

“There is a hill that gets close to the wall,” she whispered, trying to ignore the feel of his warm hands sliding down her back. And something else rising elsewhere. “I can’t quite tell if it would be useful. When we switch, turn and give it a look.”

 

Hammerleaf grunted again, which she took for assent. She tried to spot the sentries. “I see…”

 

“Now position three. Women, step back and run your hands down his body from as high as you can reach to his toes. Take your time! Feel the softness of his skin, the brush of his hair. Touch all of him.”

 

As she backed up a step, Swordsinger took the opportunity to swing around so Hammerleaf could get a good view of the walls.

 

“What do you think?” she asked as she ran cursory fingers down his face to his chest. His skin was soft, but she was paying more attention to trying to deduce what he was looking at. “Do you see the hill?” She ran her fingers lower, paying little attention to where they were going. They swept over his muscled stomach and she felt him shiver. “Focus. Do you see the…”

 

The side of her hand brushed the unexpected tip of his penis, and she almost yelped in surprise. For the first time, she glanced down at what she was doing. He was fully engorged, the length of his cock straining upward over his abdomen.

 

“That didn’t take long. Didn’t you visit the brothel recently? Never mind, I don’t want to know.”

 

She reached lower, brushing her fingers from his balls up his shaft to the tip, a brief graze that elicited another grunt.

 

It always amazed her how soft the skin of a penis was. It seemed so thin, almost like baby skin. So delicate for a tool that could cause so much destruction. She remembered the look of surprise on one whore’s face when she told him she just wanted to explore his cock for her full hour. She had found the organ to be fascinating, the way it rose when manipulated then shrank if left along for too long, how it bounced off the side of his thigh like a rebounding sword when she snapped it with her finger.

 

She shook her head. This was no time to be distracted by thoughts of penises and sex. She had a job to do. She moved on to his thighs, his knees, his calves, his feet, then stood and stroked his chest with idle fingers so it wouldn’t look like she was slacking as she waited for the next position to be announced.

 

“Well?”

 

“I…” Hammerleaf’s breath sounded a little haggard but he cleared his throat and it came out better. “I see the hill. It might be too far away from the wall to be any good. But did you notice…”

 

“Position four! Change places. Men, touch her from head to toe. Feel her soft skin, the swell of her breasts. Circle her areola until her nipples are hard, then move downward. Touch all of her.”

 

With the breeze and the cool air, Swordsinger felt her nipples were already hard enough, thank you very much, but she dutifully traded places with her partner, turning them as she did so she had sight on the walls once more.

 

“Did I notice what?” She asked as she felt his hands touch her head and slowly stroke down her face. “Skip the face, I can’t see.”

 

Hammerleaf grunted but complied. His hands dropped to her shoulders and began making their way along her collarbones. “There is a rise to the right of your hill, a place where the rock had flattened. It stretches closer to the wall.”

 

Swordsinger peered toward the hill. “I don’t see any…oh!” She couldn’t suppress an involuntary shiver as Hammerleaf’s fingers brushed against her nipples. “Ah…I don’t see a flat spot.” Though it took all her concentration, she forced her voice to remain steady as his fingers rubbed light circles around her nipples.

 

“It’s not obvious at first. Just look for a spot where the wall almost seems to dip down.”

 

His fingers dipped down just as he said the words and Swordsinger found it a little easier to breathe as he stroked her stomach. “Where the wall…ah.” And then, “Ah!” as his fingers brushed her mound.

 

“Sorry,” he said, not sounding sorry.

 

She shook her head. “Nothing to be sorry about. I think I see it.”  She squinted as his fingers ran down her thighs to her calves, then her feet. “It looks like the wall is still too high there, though.”

 

“Yes. What I was thinking was…”

 

“Men, while you are down there, let’s move to position five. Grasp your partner by the buttocks and pull her to you, then use your tongue. She is probably already at least a little wet but you are going to make sure she is fully prepared. This isn’t the time to be shy, gentlemen! Get every nook and cranny!”

 

“Wait, finish what you were going to gah!” Swordsinger stumbled as Hammerleaf’s strong hands gripped her and pulled her forward. She grabbed his hair and clung to it to avoid falling over as she felt the warm sensation of his mouth embracing her.

 

She tried to concentrate on the walls, especially the portion he had pointed out, but they were getting to the parts of the ceremony that either required actual concentration or just felt so good, concentration was impossible. Say what you wanted about Dibella’s ceremonies, they always produced results for everyone involved.

 

By the time the priestess called for position six, Swordsinger had nearly forgotten why they cared about the walls. Whether it was because of some Divine magic or because Hammerleaf had skills she would not have guessed (her bets were on the former), she was just as “fully prepared” as the priestess had requested.

 

“Trade places again! Ladies, you know what to do. Hopefully you’ve been doing the little tips and tricks we’ve been showing you to remove that gag reflex! Take him in as deep as you can. Use both hands to touch him everywhere. Make him groan!”

 

Swordsinger fell to shaky knees, grateful not to be standing – her body shook so much, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could have stood. She had just enough sense to shift a little to the side so maybe he would be able to see the walls, then lunged for his cock like a starving woman toward food.

 

It had to be some touch of Divine magic, she surmised (much later in retrospect – she wasn’t surmising anything in the moment). She didn’t mind giving blow jobs – she even enjoyed them, especially watching the man’s helpless responses to what she did to him - but it had never been something she was desperate to do. In this case, however, she could not get that cock in her mouth fast enough.

 

It filled her mouth, yet she somehow wanted more. Alas, she had not been shown the Priestesses tips and tricks, so she could only go so deep before she felt the gag begin to kick in. She eased back just to the point where it was bearable, teased the underside of his shaft with her tongue, and used her hand to stroke the portion she could not fit. After some time, she remembered she had two hands, so she reached out and massaged his balls with gentle fingers. She heard a heavy groan and glanced up to see his eyes closed and his mouth clenched tight as his hand gripped her hair, just as she had with his. She smiled, lips turned upward around his shaft, and sped up.

 

“Position seven! Lay on your backs, ladies, it’s time for the men to get back to work.”

 

Swordsinger released the cock and took a deep breath as she lay back, legs spread and open. Hammerleaf knelt, then shifted over her. She had a brief moment of déjà vu and thought she saw the same in his eyes, but she was not of a mind to reminisce – she needed him inside her now!

 

She gripped him, pulled him to her at the same time he plunged his hips toward her. A moment later, he was in her, filling her with his length and it was everything she wanted, needed, yet it wasn’t enough. She lifted her hips and pushed into his just as much as he pushed into her. She felt as if a void yawned inside her that needed to be filled, and every thrust pushed a little deeper, filled a little more of the void, but made her all the hungrier, all the more desperate.

 

She had lost track of every other sense and only just heard the call for the next position.

 

“Up you go, ladies, hands and knees, arch your backs. Men, get the right entrance. It’s not hard to miss!”

 

Swordsinger groaned as Hammerleaf retreated, leaving her feeling empty and hollow. She shifted as quickly as her shaking body would allow to hands and knees. Though it felt like a miniature eternity, she did not have long to wait before she felt his heat behind her, felt his touch, felt him enter her once again.

 

The void still called out, the hunger patrolled unabated, but this time he seemed to reach deeper, driving further down her dark halls, chasing away the emptiness, filling her endless need bit by bit. She only peripherally noticed his husky grunts over her ragged breathing as the first wave of relief swept over her, seemed to set off every nerve in her body at once. She cried out as the void was expunged with violent address, leaving her shuddering body whole, if only for a moment.

 

Even as she shuddering slowed, she felt the void return, seeping in at the edges, coalescing into her and dragging the hunger with it. But it could gather no purchase; already, she felt the tendrils of her next release begin to amass, just as the priestess’ voiced called out from what seemed an eternal distance.

 

“Position nine! Last one! Men, on your backs, ladies, you’re on top. Let Dibella fill you with her love even as your man fills you with his!”

 

The cock left her again, but this time she was more in control – she only shook a little as she turned and crawled toward him as he settled on his back. His cock seemed its own living thing, straining for her, and she quickened her pace, eager to give it what it desired. She straddled him, lowered herself down, closed her eyes as he filled her once again.

 

It took them only heartbeat to regain the lost rhythm. She felt his hands on her, one gripping her breast while the other grasped her ass, pulling himself deeper into her, impaling her with his cock. She pushed against him, willing him to go deeper, deeper, deeper still. The flagging release rekindled, unseating the void that had just found new purchase, sending it scattering upward, so she needed him deeper to chase it.

 

She leaned back and rocked, letting the new angles pursue the void in places it had felt itself safe. She was engulfed in the fire of her need as the next wave built, a tsunami strong enough to expunge the void once and for all. She rocked faster as he shifted both hands to her ass. She felt his strong fingers strain as they dug into her skin, pulling her forward even as he pushed his hips, driving himself deeper into her. The wave rose, crested, and he squeezed her ass as it crashed down. Their cries mingled with those around them, hundreds of voices coalescing into a singular warbling note of desperation, of need, of longing and lust. Her body shuddered and quaked, amplified by his body as it bucked and strained. She felt the warmth of his seed splash inside her, once, again, spurting out in hot rivulets as her fingers dug unconscious grooves into his chest and her body twitched.

 

Then it was over and she collapsed onto him. They held each other panting as she felt his cock, still inside her, soften and fade until it lost its length and slid out. She felt warm and safe, cocooned in a haze of com…

 

“Do you think Ulfric will consider us traitors if he finds out we helped protect the walls like this?”

 

Hammerleaf’s wry tone broke through the cocoon and, like a splash of cold water across the face, whatever divine spell had been upon them left all at once. She suddenly felt chilly and uncomfortable. A stone dug into her knee. And she was in Hammerleaf’s arms, of all people!

 

He seemed to come to the same realization because he moved as if to get out from under her, but Swordsinger tightened her grip.

 

“No, stay here. This will give us a chance to talk.” She settled her head on his chest as he relented, trying to make it look like they were comfortable lovers still a-bask in the glow of their encounter. “What were you saying about that portion of the wall?”

 

“Ah. Yes. Um…” Hammerleaf shifted and glanced back a moment. “Ah, yes. It looks from here that it extends to the wall, or close enough. If we could get a breach on that spot, it would…”

 

“…be like a bridge right into the heart of their defenses!” Swordsinger lifted her head and peered at the spot. “Yes, I think that could work. Nice thinking. Who do we know in Engineering?”

 

“I know a couple people. I’ll ask who their best Catter is. We need a precise shot.”

 

“Yes. Maybe we can have one of them intentionally miss so it looks like one is just broken. Then, when the wall is taken out, they will think it was just a bad shot.”

 

“I had no idea I was under such a tactical commander.”

 

 “Divines, that was a bad one. And I better not be feeling what it feels like I’m feeling.”

 

“What can I say? You’re sexy when you’re planning the destruction of an entire city.”

 

“Hopeless.” Swordsinger pushed herself up and off, ignoring the tiny part of her that wanted to stay pressed against his warm body. His cock was rising again. They could…

 

She shook herself and turned away. “Come on, we need to report in.”

 

“As you say, oh fearless leader.”

 

She rolled her eyes as she looked around for her scattered clothes, ignoring his laughter and trying to do the same to her too-quickly-beating heart.