A.N.: This was based on a moment that happened during my first playthrough of SE. Adrianne got killed by vampires, and after that I noticed that Sigurd spent a lot of his time heading in the direction of War Maiden's when he should have been helping Belethor.

Disclaimer: Don't own Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Ulfberth sat bolt upright in his bed. His eyes snapped open. He saw no smoke, but something in the city was burning.

He jumped up from his bed and grabbed his warhammer. His boots clunked on the wooden steps down to the shop. He wrenched the door of War Maiden's open, to a calm Whiterun night. The only sign of life was a passing guard.

"Don't think he's ready to operate that thing unsupervised yet. Reckon he'll kill himself before he makes anything that could kill anyone else."

"What?" Ulfberth rushed around to the forge. The pit was burning bright, and Sigurd was sitting at the grindstone, clutching a burned arm.

Ulfberth sheathed his warhammer and strode over. Sigurd snapped his head up, and his eyes went wide.

"U-Ulfberth, I-"

"What are you doing, you damn fool? You don't know how to work this thing."

"I'm trying to learn!"

"By doing it by yourself in the middle of the night? You'll get yourself killed."

Ulfberth grabbed a bucket, filled it with water, and threw it over the forge. It hissed and gave out a thick cloud of steam.

Ulfberth dropped the bucket on the floor, grabbed Sigurd by his uninjured arm, and dragged him inside. He shoved him into one of the chairs, ducked behind the counter, and pulled out a healing potion.

"Oh, no, I can't take that from you."

"You wanna use that arm again, you'll take it. You can earn it back from me."

Sigurd averted his eyes and drank the potion. The angry red mark on his arm dulled to a smooth pink.

Ulfberth grabbed another chair. He plonked it in front of Sigurd's, and sat down. "I thought you were happy working for Belethor?"

"I was. I am."

"Then why are you trying to teach yourself how to smith?"

Sigurd sighed. "I just… I wanted to help."

Ulfberth sat back in his chair and ran a hand over his hair.

"Sigurd, you don't have to do that."

Sigurd snapped his head up. "Won't it be better to have someone making the stuff for you? Then you won't have to rely on the Khajiit caravans."

Ulfberth winced. "Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but this isn't the way to go about it. Besides, smithing is a livelihood. You'd be taking your life in a completely different direction. I can't ask you to do that for me."

"But you didn't ask. I'm offering."

A moment passed, while Sigurd looked Ulfberth straight in the eye with such determination that it was everything Ulfberth could do to not look away.

Ulfberth sucked in a sharp breath. "Sigurd… I…"

"Unless… that's not what you want?" Sigurd looked down into his lap.

"That's not… It's just… Adrianne hasn't been gone long. It would feel like… a betrayal."

"Adrianne would want you to be happy."

"I know. But… it's too soon."

Sigurd nodded. "Okay." He took a deep breath. "I… I'll go to Riverwood."

Ulfberth furrowed his brow. "Riverwood? Why?"

"Belethor sometimes does business with Alvor. He might let me train under him."

"Sigurd-"

"It's the least I can do." Sigurd paused, then he chuckled. "My dad always told me I should learn a trade. He said working as a shopkeeper's assistant was no way to live. Reckon he'd be proud of his son, the blacksmith. I'll be back when I'm all trained up. And… when you're ready…" He trailed off.

Ulfberth clapped a hand on Sigurd's shoulder. "When I'm ready, I'll wear my Amulet of Mara."

Sigurd let out a sound halfway between a chuckle and a sob. "I love you."

Ulfberth's lips curled into a smile. "Love you." He released Sigurd's shoulder, and Sigurd stood.

He loitered in the open doorway, and looked back over his shoulder. "I'll wait for you."

He left.

Ulfberth sighed. In the silence of War Maiden's, he looked over at Sigurd's empty chair.

"I know you will."