Izra stumbles back to Solitude around midnight. She was covered in blood, although most of it, thankfully, was not hers. She was bone tired too, and she supposed that she should have unrolled her bedroll and fallen asleep just outside of Solitude, but there was an inn that called her name with a man that looked like a gruff bear, so she kept going. Luckily, Sorex himself was running the bar when she walked in. There were still a few people drinking. "Izra, is that you?" Sorex asked, half-stepping out from behind the bar. "Yeah. I...need a drink. Strongest you have. And a bath. And a bed. In that order," she said, her hand clutching her ribs as she sank onto the bar stool. "Of course," Sorex breathed, after a couple of seconds of dumbstruck staring. He jumped into action, filling a mug with the strongest rum they had in stock. "I'll go draw you a bath right now. The room you rented two days ago is still open. No charge, this time," he said, and disappeared upstairs as she nursed her mug.
When he came back downstairs, she was ready for that bath. "Here, let me help you up the stairs," he said, sliding an arm around her waist. "I can do it," she protested half-heartedly, but made no move to pull away. He had to stoop down so he was her height, and Izra felt somewhat guilty allowing him to help her like this, but she needed the help. Her ribs burned with every step, but thankfully they were soon at the top. "Get some rest, Iz. You look like you need it," he said, walking her to her door. "Do you have a change of clothes? 'Cause if not I have an extra shirt that should work for you to sleep in," he asked. "I...might need that, actually. Would you mind?" she asked, biting her lip. His hand was on her cheek, tilting her face up towards him. "No, I wouldn't mind. You go get in that bath. There are towels in the chest at the foot of the bed. I'll leave the shirt out here on this table," he promised, and Izra smiled at him gratefully.
Sinking into the water felt better than she could have expected. It was hot, just like she liked it, but not too hot. Her sensitive skin tingled as she scrubbed gently at it with the rough soap. Her ribs were most likely cracked, as a sharp jolt of pain shot through her every time she moved a certain way, but that was the worst of her injuries. Soon, she was clean, and she rose from the tub. She patted herself dry with the towel and wrapped it around herself as she opened the door. Sorex's shirt was exactly where he'd said it would be, with a neat note on top of it. She carefully grabbed both things, and exited back into her room.
She let the towel fall to the floor as she made her way to the desk, opening the note and spreading it out on the wooden surface. She pushed her hair over her shoulder to avoid getting the note wet, and read it.
Just drag the tub into the hallway when you finish. I'll take care of it for you.
-Sorex
Izra found herself smiling as she read the note. She pulled his shirt over her head. It came down to mid-thigh, plenty long enough for her to sleep in. She did as the man had asked, leaving the tub just outside of her door. Gratefully, she collapsed on the bed, ignoring the ache in her side as she did so.
When she woke up again, Sorex was there by her bedside. Her mouth was so dry it felt as though her tongue had been glued to the roof of her mouth, and it was hot. She let out a groan as she tried to sit up. "No, no, just stay still. You slept for an entire day, and when I came up to check on you, you were burning up with fever," he explained, brushing her hair back off of her forehead. "Water," she managed. He slid one arm under her back, propping her up, and he raised a mug to her lips. She drank greedily, letting out a small whine when he pulled the mug away. "Too much will make you sick," he warned. "What's wrong with me?" she asked, reaching up to rub at her eyes. They felt gritty. "A mild case of Bone Break Fever. The priest that came by said you'd be fine as long as you stayed in the bed as much as possible. I've talked my father out of charging you for the room. Just rest, and you'll be fine," he said, his hand moving down to squeeze her own. "Thank you, Sorex. For everything," she whispered.
She felt truly awful, she decided, after he had gotten up to get her a bowl of broth. Her throat ached, her skin itself was sore, she was feverish, and her ribs still hurt. But Sorex was so gentle as he took care of her, taking the time to spoon-feed her the broth, and her chest started to feel funny. Oh, no, she thought. Not this. She was the Dragonborn. She couldn't fall in love.
She stayed in bed for the better part of two days, only getting up to use the chamber pot. Sorex rarely left, and while she was grateful for his company, she was wary of getting too close to him. She didn't want to put him in danger.
Late at night, on the second day after she had woken, she turned to him. His eyes were starting to droop close. "I'm the Dragonborn," she said, because she had no other way to tell him. "Yeah, and I'm the Emperor," Sorex snorted. "No, really, I am. I can Shout and prove it if you want," she said, sitting up. She felt much better now, and she knew tomorrow that she was going to get back to work, even if it was only to deliver her report to Elisif and Falk. "If you're really the Dragonborn, that won't be a problem. Go ahead, Shout," he encouraged. "FIEM," she yelled, and Sorex visibly recoiled when she became transparent. For a brief moment, she was worried that he would think less of her, that he would see the monster within her. "That's...How...What...But you're….Gods!" Sorex spluttered, and Izra couldn't stop the grin that tugged at her mouth as she became solid once more.
"I can't believe you're the Dragonborn. I always thought the Dragonborn would be a Nord!" Sorex exclaimed, after a few moments. "Yeah, it was a shock to me too," she answered with a weak chuckle. "It must be hard. Fate of the world, and all, resting on you," he remarked. "Well, it's not...easy," she murmurs uneasily, shifting. Sorex hesitated a moment before speaking, reaching out and brushing her hair out of her face. "Anytime you get tired of saving the world, you can come back and just be Izra here," he promised her. Izra's face lit up. She leaned forward, brushing her lips against Sorex's cheek. "Thank you, Sorex," she whispered, and suddenly Solitude didn't feel so wrong to her.