The road to Kynesgrove was long and dull, the frostfall month had sent most wildlife underground, and people out of the open, so the party had plenty of time to piece the stories together. Akatosh had told them different things, and neither answered the big question, their past.

She was smart, she pieced together the holes in his journey to come to the same conclusion Delphine did. Alice knew he about his parting with with Aela and neither believed he stayed with Gerdur without without her confort. Strangely he didn't feel remorse or regret at laying with other women, at least not yet, more curiosity at the limits of her intelligence. She had learned, as Delphine had, that Pein had more akin with dragons than humans, always searching for a new challenger, a bigger conquest, so he may reap greater rewards.

With cities being burned down, and people dying by the hundreds by these dragons, it seemed trivial to worry about who was making more with who. Pein walked in silent contemplation about his former transgressions; Pein knew that, one day, he would have to answer to his wife for what he did.

Kynesgrove was in sight, and a dragon wasn't far behind. The trio sprinted for the farm with all haste and was thrown to the ground with its voice. As they neared the burial site a farmer girl rushed past them screaming "there is a dragon attacking! Run for your lives!"

"Acting like that isn't going to get you very far," Alice said after she passed. "That's why I decided to take up the sword." She was grinning at the farmer girl when she said it, but she made an all-too-familiar expression. Pein watched intently as she slowly regained her composure, it was then that she saw him looking at her. "you do it too?"

"Far too often." Was his only response.

A thundering voice shook the ground again and heard keenly what was said, and what said it.

SALOKNIR! ZIIL GRO DOVAH ULSE!

"We'd better hurry," Pein said. "Alduin is bringing a dragon back to life."

"If we're going to be doing this on a regular basis, I need to find a better way to do it," Pein spoke softly to himself as Sahloknir roared. He thought he was being quiet, especially with a dragon yelling at him only a few meters away, but he still got a response...

"Why don't we cut it's head off?" Alice said from behind him. She ran past him with Brand drawn and pointed it's way. "Back me up!"

Pein couldn't describe what he was feeling, but watching Alice charge a dragon, sword drawn, and a smile on her face... Pein felt like he was right where he belonged. A wry grin crawled up his cheek... he had a perfect plan.

Alice ran to the right, Pein flanked left. Sahloknir faced Alice and readied his thu'um, until a different Shout struck his ears.

SAHLOKNIR! ZU'U VUKEIN HI!

Pein's gamble predictably paid off, Sahloknir turned to face his mortal challenger. So proud were the dragons that he paid no heed to the other humans, and almost didn't notice close to 200 pounds weigh his wing down, he didn't notice anything. Even in death, his attention was focused solely on Pein.

"Whatever you said to him, you pissed him off," Alice said after the body burned away. Pein didn't notice her address him. "What did you say to him." She pushed. He didn't notice...

Eventually, he did speak, and Alice wished he didn't. "We shouldn't have done that..."

"Do what!" She pushed, angry at him now. "We beat him, what's so wrong with that!?"

"I don't know, but I feel... wrong... like I made a dire mistake..."

As an archer Delphine invariably stayed back, she had caught the whole conversation and began piecing the puzzle together. "You challenged him to a duel!" She suddenly cried out. "That's why you feel bad!"

"I don't get it," Alice said. "So what? Pein wanted the kill for himself?"

"No; dragon's are, by their very nature, proud beings who crave conquest! When Pein challenged Sahloknir, the dragon soul inside him yearned to prove himself superior, and you struck his pride."

"Pein was never a proud person!" Alice shot back, followed by a flash of confusion. Pein, even dismayed at his own deception, noticed; for it was an expression he wore far too often since his time in Skyrim...

"The Dragonborn!" Pein called at length, venom etched his voice. "what a wonderful curse!"

Delphine had the feeling that her presence wasn't helpful, so she took her leave and hastily retreated.

Pein and Alice locked eyes. He saw her concern; he didn't want to hurt her, but he still felt his fists involuntarily clenched. " I didn't know..."

"No! You didn't!" He regretted saying it even as it came out of his mouth. "I-" he was interrupted by the clang of metal on rock. She dropped her blood-soaked sword and rushed to embrace him. He reflexively went for the daggers at his back, as he couldn't reach the ones at his sides. All anger and resentment he held melted away as he saw her shoulders quaking and saw her tears run down her cheek.

The two held their embrace until both were calmed down enough to talk, but neither ruined the moment with words. Finally, they broke apart and gazed into each other's eyes once again.

The Inn in Kynesgrove was all too willing to give a room up to their saviors, and the two made full use of their privacy.