Disclaimer: I do not own the Elder Scrolls series nor that of Skyrim and I am not associated with Bethesda Softworks in any way. I do own the original character of Adonis and Zevran and neither are to be used, redistributed, or referenced without my consent. This story is a work of fiction and any similarities to places, characters, or events are completely coincidental. Zevran is one of my created characters during my playthroughs of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. While he is not entirely original-considering the fact that the player's character assumes the role of the Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn, and the races, genders, and customisation options are provided by the game and its developer-he is still part of my imagination as featured in this story. Any quotes, descriptions of personality, or other anthropomorphic references included are that of my imagination and property.

Author's Note: I've been getting more and more into Skyrim lately and I've been itching to write a story about Farkas, the most handsome and sexy character in the game if you ask me. I intended for this to be a short story, but I found myself writing non-stop and ended up with a rough manuscript, so I'll be turning it into a chaptered piece. I hope you enjoy it and please send a review my way!

It was already raining quite heavily by the time Adonis hurried himself into the Sleeping Giant Inn, attempting to shake himself dry-or as much as he could anyway. It was a long journey he'd set himself on; after the untimely passing of his father, he left his home in Cheydinhal within Cyrodiil and headed northwest toward Bruma, stopping for an ale before crossing the border into Skyrim. He'd reached Falkreath an hour or two after arriving at the province and settled into the local tavern, having quickly befriended the bartender who'd listened attentively to Adonis' tale. Adonis had fallen in love with the city and its beautiful low-lying forest surroundings, but as he learned that Falkreath was one of the smaller major cities, it had no real walls around it and the sense of security was disturbingly low. As he explored the city, he learned of the burial site in which many famous Nords were buried next to Skyrim's honoured dead from historical battles. With this being such an important tribute, many of the shops and buildings within the city were given names relating to death and Adonis soon found himself picking up his belongings and continuing his journey north. It wasn't until four or so hours later that he'd followed the White River, leading him to the small community of Riverwood.

As Adonis closed the door behind him, he glanced around the inn quickly before taking a place by the warming fire. He set his backpack on the floor against his chair and pulled a book from one of the pouches. He cracked the spine and started reading and was soon interrupted by the innkeeper. "What are you reading there?" she asked. Adonis looked up and showed her the cover; the second book in the Argonian Account series. The innkeeper nodded and put her hands in her pockets. "Can I get you something to eat or drink?"

"Some apple-cabbage stew sounds great if it isn't too much trouble," Adonis asked, his body yearning for a warm meal. He set his book aside and outstretched his arms, warming them by the fire. He inhaled deeply and exhaled with a sigh. The inn was interestingly empty, aside from the innkeeper, the handsome bard tuning his lute and the bartender continuously wiping down the same spot on the counter. Not long after, the innkeeper returned with a bowl of the stew and a bottle of spiced wine. Adonis ate his meal generously and enjoyed the wine that complemented the stew, and after finishing, reached into his coin purse and removed ten gold pieces. The innkeeper returned to collect the bowl and with a smile, closed Adonis' hand that held the gold.

"It's on the house." She sat in the chair beside him and held the bowl in her lap. "I haven't seen you around here before. We don't get many travellers here in Riverwood," she spoke, nodding toward his backpack. "I'm Delphine." Adonis introduced himself. "What brings you here?"

Adonis shifted himself in the seat to comfortably face Delphine. "I hail from Cyrodiil...Cheydinhal to be exact. I arrived in Skyrim yesterday. My father passed away and I wasn't able to handle it as well as I'd hoped. I needed a change of scenery anyway."

Delphine nodded. "Well, you've come at the right time. Skyrim wouldn't have been a pleasant change had you arrived a year or so ago." Delphine noticed the look of confusion on Adonis' face. She set the bowl aside and fixed her dress. "Hadn't you heard about the dragons or the Stormcloak-Imperial war?"

"The war, yes, but what is this about dragons?"

"I'm surprised news hadn't reached the other provinces. Then again, with the war going on it makes sense that no one was able to get the word out." Delphine strummed her fingers across the arm of her chair. "Not too long ago there was a man known as the Dragonborn who came to Skyrim, almost with the same story as yours; he crossed the border into the province and was captured by the Imperial Legion, having been mistaken for a rebel. He rose from an alleged nobody into one of Skyrim's biggest heroes since Talos. He practically single-handedly destroyed the dragons that were returning to life and put a stop to their resurrection. He arrived at this very inn and he and I worked together on a few occasions."

Adonis was intrigued. "What happened to the Dragonborn?"

Delphine frowned. "He died last year. No one is really sure how. The Dragonborn's husband, Farkas, doesn't even know the whole story. He lives at the Lakeview Manor in Falkreath; a beautiful piece of architecture. According to Farkas, the Dragonborn built it himself."

Adonis thought for a moment and somewhat recalled seeing the manor on his way to Riverwood, as he followed the White River. He noticed that Delphine was saddened at telling the story of the Dragonborn, so Adonis collected his backpack and cleared his throat. "How much does a room go for?"

"Normally it's ten gold pieces a night, but if you're planning on staying for a bit of time, I'd be more than willing to cut you a deal," Delphine smiled. Adonis nodded appreciatively and followed Delphine to his room.

Adonis had barely slept for little over an hour when he'd awoken with a jolt, with beads of sweat that had collected on his forehead gently sliding down his face. He sat up and walked over to the wash basin and splashed the cool water onto his face. He dressed and left his room, shutting the door behind him. He sat at the bar and snacked on a grilled leek before the bartender walked over. "What can I get you?"

"The strongest thing you can put together."

The bartender reached under the counter for a bottle of Colovian brandy and poured it into a tankard. He reached for the bottle of Firebrand wine on the counter and mixed it in before squeezing a few jazbay grapes into the mixture. The bartender passed the concoction to Adonis who downed it almost robotically. It tasted of sour mead but he'd already felt the kick. It wasn't until an hour later that he realised he might've had one drink too many.

It was morning when Adonis woke up, feeling completely relaxed aside from the slight headache he'd earned from the previous night's indulgence. He turned in bed and outstretched his arms and jumped back when he felt something under the blanket with him. Adonis carefully pulled back the blanket and raised an inquisitive eyebrow when he realised what...or who it was. It was the bard he'd noticed earlier, completely naked beside him. Adonis wondered for a moment exactly how the two of them got into that situation and decided to just enjoy it. Adonis covered himself back up and buried his face in his pillow, his arm outstretched over his partner, holding him closely.

A few hours later, Adonis woke up again but this time, it was to the sound of his partner sneezing. He sat up in bed and turned to look at Adonis, smiling. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you." Adonis sat up as well and ran his hands through his hair. "Forgive me, as I don't want to sound ungrateful, but exactly how did we end up like this?"

The bard chuckled. "I'd feared you might not remember. It was late last night and you and I were the only two awake. You asked me to perform a song for you, so I did, and during it, you just watched me with these longing eyes. When I finished, you took my hand and led me back to your room and kissed me, and well...here we are." Adonis smiled. "I'm Sven, by the way."

Adonis introduced himself. "Despite my horrid memory, the pleasure is certainly mine," he spoke softly, leaning in to kiss Sven. Sven smiled and started to dress himself. "You're not hurrying off so soon, are you?"

Sven frowned. "I wish I didn't have to, but my mother hasn't been well lately and I really ought to check on her."

"I understand," Adonis replied.

Sven kissed him and headed for the door. "I'll see you around sometime." He waved and closed the door behind him.

Adonis sunk back onto his pillow and sighed. His first romance in a painstakingly exorbitant amount of time and he wasn't even able to enjoy it entirely, thanks to his inebriation. Adonis sighed again and reluctantly started conjuring up an imaginative replay of the previous night's events. After feeling less than satisfied, Adonis climbed out of his bed and dressed himself slowly, reminiscing on Sven's kiss. He took a seat at the roaring fire and stared at the embers occasionally snapping and fading into thin air. Before he could stand to order a meal, the door to the inn opened swiftly and slammed shut behind the patron who'd entered. His shoulder length hair was dripping wet as well as the fur underneath the steel armour he boasted. His cold, grey eyes were brought out by the black war paint decorated around them. He passed Adonis without a glance or word and stood at the bar.

"Orgnar," he addressed the bartender abruptly, "Is Delphine around?"

Delphine, who was standing not five feet from the bar at the alchemy laboratory, set aside the mortar and pestle she was using and turned to face the newcomer. "I'm over here, you blithering Falmer. Are you losing your sight, Farkas, or am I that well-blended in?"

Adonis froze suddenly and inconspicuously turned in his seat to take a second glance at the man. Farkas, as in the husband of the late Dragonborn? He watched as Delphine made her way over to the bar and sat on the stool closest to Farkas. "I'm sorry, Delphine. I was in a hurry. Have you any news of the convict?"

"Yes," she replied hurriedly, "I sent word through a courier that he'd come through here, but Faendal told me this morning that he'd been captured by the Imperial Legion."

Farkas looked incredibly disappointed. "Well, so much for the bounty then. Shame. I was in need of good coin too."

"You say that as if the Companions are out of business," she stated boldly.

Farkas leaned against the counter of the bar and sighed. "Well, we are an independent lot but since Zevran passed, a lot of the Companions lost their ambition and as such, the jobs stopped rolling in. He was an inspiration to a lot of us, not just as the Dragonborn, but as the Harbinger as well. Without a leader, the rest of us just fall flat...and you know I was never one for the farmer's life."

Delphine passed him a tankard of ale and chuckled. "Well, if you'd get over your damned fear of frostbite spiders, you could raid some cairns and sell the loot you find to the local traders."

"Horsefeathers," Farkas quipped, "I'm not a blasted tomb raider. It's the thrill of mercenary work that suits me just fine. Everything else pales in comparison." He sighed once more. "I'll figure something out." Farkas downed the last of his ale and hurried out of the inn as if a draugr was on his tail. Adonis looked up to see Delphine shaking her head and going back to the alchemy table.

Adonis approached her and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to give you a heads up that I was going to venture out to the town and explore." Delphine had a confused look on her face. "I didn't want you to think I was leaving without paying for the room."

Delphine chuckled. "You needn't worry – you don't look the untrustworthy type. If you'd like, I'll give you the key to your room and you can secure your belongings inside."

Adonis nodded and did as she suggested before heading out to explore the peaceful town of Riverwood. He closed the door to the inn behind him and noticed that it'd stopped raining and the sun was starting to peek out from behind the last of the storm clouds rolling past. He looked westward and noticed Farkas walking toward the direction of Falkreath, deducing he was heading back home.

Crossing the path to the blacksmith, he examined several blades on display outside near the tanning rack; a small handful of daggers and swords were placed delicately on the table, some steel and some glass. The blacksmith stepped out from his home and took a peek at Adonis. "Can I help you with something?"

Adonis looked over. "I was just admiring your blades; I've never seen any so intricate before."

The blacksmith closed the door behind him and took a stance next to Adonis, putting his hands on his hips. "Yeah, that's my pride along with some blood and sweat that was put into the work. It's rare that you'll find such effort within the Imperial City."

Adonis looked somewhat confused. "How did you know I was from Cyrodiil?"

The blacksmith chuckled. "I'm quite good at reading folk; that, and you have an Imperial look about you. You don't look hardy enough to hail from the climates of Skyrim, traveller. The name's Alvor." He stuck out his hand.

"Adonis," he replied, shaking Alvor's hand. "How much does a blade like that usually go for?"

"I usually charge fifteen gold coins, but I'll tell you what: if you do me a small favour, a task if you will, I'll give you one of them as payment."

"I'd be honoured. What can I do for you?"

Alvor sighed and crossed his arms, leaning against one of the pillars supporting the roof over his workstation. Adonis noticed that something was troubling him sincerely and assumed it wasn't information normally entrusted to strangers, but there was a sense of desperation upon the blacksmith's face. "It's my wife, Sigrid. I have my reasons to believe she's being unfaithful, but I haven't the stones to approach her myself. I mean, she's my wife. What's a man without his partner?"

"You need me to find out the truth," Adonis confirmed.

Alvor sighed again. "I don't want to believe it, but she's been acting quite differently and one of the other townsfolk was whispering about Sigrid having a new male friend from outside the village. I just need to know that she still loves me. I know I don't give her the attention she deserves, but I've been trying to work harder and produce more weapons and armour to sell. I wanted to buy a horse of her own; she's wanted one since she was a girl. She's the prettiest woman in town, if you ask me. Fair skin, auburn hair, always wears an immaculate brown and cream tunic. You can't miss her. She'll usually spend her free time outside of the inn with our daughter, Dorthe, or down by the river near the mill reading a book."

"I'll see what I can find out."

"I just hope I'm wrong," Alvor admitted before picking up a hammer and turning to the anvil.

Adonis looked upon the blacksmith as he worked; a depressed shell of a man with pride not only in himself, but his work and his family. 'I do too," Adonis thought.

He crossed the path to the riverbed near the mill and sat upon a tree stump to evaluate the situation and observe his surroundings. He reflected on Alvor's request and began to think about how he would go about spying on his wife. Adonis had never so much as eavesdropped on a conversation accidentally before; getting proof of adultery would be something more in the line of work of the Thieves' Guild, in his opinion. Alas, Alvor confided in him, a complete stranger, for a reason.

As Adonis stood from his seat, he turned to see a woman matching the blacksmith's description make her way toward the oak tree across the field and glance in his direction. Adonis signalled a friendly wave and turned to leave the area, making a mental note of the possibility of being Sigrid. He quickly made his way behind the buildings of the village to circle around to the other side of the field out of the woman's view. He arrived at the northern side of the village and crept up behind the oak tree, pressing his back against it. The woman began to walk forward and stop just before the river, gazing up toward the sky. As if on cue, a suspicious looking man in colourful attire – a noble, perhaps – approached her and stood beside her.

"What would you like to speak with me about?" the man inquired.

"I must respectfully decline your offer. I care too much about my husband and my daughter to leave them for an unprecedented time without notice. I hope you'll give the guild my regards and appreciation nevertheless."

The man looked slightly surprised, yet understanding. "It's a shame, Sigrid. You were once one of our best servicemen. Is there nothing more we could do to tempt your return to us?"

"Unfortunately not," Sigrid replied, "That chapter in my life is closed for now. Whether or not it'll reopen in the future remains to be seen, but I'm a housewife now. I'm needed here; mercenary work suited me once, but this is the path I've chosen."

The man nodded. "I understand. For the sake of confidentiality, we will not contact you further. Should you change your mind, you'll know where to find us."

The two friends parted with a hug as Adonis scurried from the scene and back to the blacksmith. He approached Alvor with a smile and put a hand on his shoulder. "Sigrid is not being unfaithful. I'm not sure her story is mine to tell, but I have a feeling that she'll explain everything when the time is right."

Alvor looked confused but turned from Adonis as he noticed his wife approaching from the road. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but could I speak with you for a moment, husband?" Sigrid looked at Adonis and smiled before turning back to her husband.

He cleared his throat and walked toward the house. "Come see me tomorrow and I'll have that blade ready for you, as promised." He nodded toward Adonis before following his wife into their home.

Adonis smiled and headed toward the inn to relax, as he'd had enough excitement for one day. Upon retiring for the morning, he'd spent the rest of his day helping Delphine around the inn with menial tasks; giving the floor a good sweeping, polishing some furniture and restocking some produce. After he'd finished, Delphine handed him a tankard of ale and smiled. "You know, if you're looking for honest work, you should go see Hod at the lumber mill in the morning. He'll pay good coin for a man willing to chop wood. That and a lot of the wood comes here and to the general goods store; once Hod gets to know you, I'm sure he'll let you sell it yourself and put some gold in your pocket."

"Thanks, Delphine," he smiled. "Your hospitality is never-ending. I'm eternally grateful."

"Just promise that when you find what it is you're looking for, you'll stop in for a visit every now and then." Delphine retired to her quarters for the evening and after handing Orgnar his empty cup, Adonis followed suit and climbed into his bed. He pulled the book he was reading the day before from his backpack and continued where he'd left off. It was at that moment that Adonis thought that life in Riverwood would be pretty nice until it came time to move on.

It was something that Adonis hated about himself; when facing conflict whether internal or otherwise, he can never stay in one place for long. He knew that he wanted to stay in Riverwood and see where an easy life and honest work would take him. However, he knew that once he began to get comfortable, the memories of his past would creep up and haunt him, forcing him to relocate before matters got worse. It wasn't a day that he was looking forward to. At that moment, he set aside his book and made a mental note to visit Alvor in the morning.

The sun crept through his window like an uninvited guest and Adonis quickly turned onto his stomach and covered his head with the blanket. His intentions were to block the blinding light for as long as possible before he made an effort to climb out of bed. After he allowed himself a few extra moments of laziness, he climbed out of bed, dressed and headed to the blacksmith. Alvor was already outside pounding away at the anvil by the time Adonis approached. Alvor peeked over his shoulder and smiled. "Ah, I was hoping you hadn't forgotten about my reward to you."

Alvor reached into his knapsack and pulled out a stunning blade and cradled it in his hands. The hilt possessed a fragment of moonstone and the handle was wrapped in genuine, smooth leather braiding. The blade itself was steel and had a narrowed, incredibly sharp edge similar to an elven blade. The blade itself was straight and curved slightly near the top where the tip possessed the sharpest of points. It glimmered in the sunlight and radiated pure beauty.

Adonis carefully took it from Alvor's hands and admired it appreciatively. "No one knows the extent of my talent," Alvor confessed, "I like to indulge every now and then, and I believe this to be my finest piece to date. Quite right, too, as it was well earned." He crossed his arms. "The downside is, I couldn't think of a name, so I instead decided to bestow that honour upon you."

"What's the date?" Adonis inquired.

"Fredas, the 11th of Heartfire."

Adonis had an accomplished look upon his face. "I shall call it Heartfire."