A.N.-Hello everyone! I am so sorry that I couldn't bust this out sooner, but buying a home is ridiculously stressful (but worth it). So I wrote this out, and it is pretty lengthy, so instead of having you spend 6 hours reading my freakin' chapter, I split it into 2 separate chapters so it won't be so daunting. I will post it tomorrow, but I will make a deal with you. If I get at least ten reviews, I post it tonight instead. Just 'cause I love ya! ;) I really love and appreciate my readers and followers. You guys are so amazing and I love that you love this story as much I have making it. You are all just the best! Lots of love to you all, and can't wait to hear what you think!

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: I am sorry to add another few pages to this, but I need to bring something to your attention. I wrote this in my A.N. on chapter 7 as well as here and on my profile page, so you know what is going on. I was going through my story, and realized that my chapter 7 was accidentally deleted. I am absolutely devastated, I'm not gonna lie. That broke my heart since my chapter that was saved was on my broken laptop. I took a few days and realized I just need to move forward. I am intending on making it a detailed summary instead of writing the whole chapter out. I can't even remember all of it, but I hope I get it all. I want to personally apologize to my newest readers who didn't get to read it and may have been confused. I hope you can understand and hope to hear from you guys. Love you all! See you at the bottom!

Chapter Fourteen

Alduin POV

After thanking the Greybeards for their hospitality, and apologizing for stepping on most of the Greybeard's toes (they are like silent assassins, they are so quiet), they made their way home. Walking through the cities, there were only a couple of people who had heard the news about Alduin. They still were sifting from rumor or truth, and they wanted to believe it was a rumor. The latter being too difficult for them to hear.

They traveled quickly, rarely stopping to rest in fear of what the town or area would say. They pushed ahead, and instead of normally veering off the main roads to camp, Seraphina was too paranoid to sit more than an hour at a time.

Exhausted from their long trek to Whiterun, Alduin was internally buzzing in excitement to head somewhere to rest. His body ached with every step, and seeing the path leading to Whiterun's gates were a welcomed sight compared to what he used to feel.

Alduin turned the corner to walk up the steep path when Seraphina held a hand out in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. Looking over, he realized she stopped in front of the stables. Seraphina inspected the horses, and she told Alduin that she was going to get him one. While she inspected them, the owner watched her intently.

Seraphina didn't notice at first, until she found a horse and fed it a carrot from a barrel. Narrowing her eyes, she grabbed the coin purse and separated the amount she needed. Jingling the gold, she chucked it at the man named Skulvar and walked over to Alduin. The man wanted to protest, that much was clear, but once he bounced the weight of the gold in his hand, he sighed and said the males were on the right and females on the left. Seraphina, to Alduin's surprise, walked over to the left.

It was a black horse, or a dark brown when the rare sunlight gleamed against the horse's short coat. It was a female once again, but Alduin thought it could be because the horses there looked identical to Sliver, but it was pretty obvious when she wouldn't even look at the horse, purposely turning her back to the horse when she grabbed some extra saddles and bridles. Alduin didn't know what to name her, and he decided he would figure it out as they got to traveling.

Seraphina hopped on the horse, and held out a hand to Alduin to get on. Grabbing her hand, he lifted himself in front of her, which proved stupid. The small nub near the horse's coat called the horn was a lot closer than he realized and smashed his balls on it. Groaning, he slid down, and bent over at the hips, bending his legs slightly.

"What happened? You alright?" she asked, sounding slightly concerned. Shaking his head, he took deep breaths, and he felt like a dying animal. All groans and whimpers for who knows how long. Looking at him, recognition crossed her face and she got off the horse. Coming closer, Alduin could her hear childish giggling before looking at her.

"Oops. Maybe you should be in the back?" Alduin, looking over, gave her a derisive glance before trying to stand up. "You think?" he bit out, his voice strained.

Slowly getting on the horse, he held out a hand to her. Getting on, Alduin steered the horse to bring them to Whiterun's gates, but Fi wouldn't have it.

"Come on! I'm so fucking tired! Just one night? Please?" he begged, almost child-like. He didn't care, they had been moving for days and slept with one eye open. He needed proper rest and he needed it soon.

"No unnecessary stops, Alduin. There is no way we can take any chances. Half of my contacts froze me out just because of my contact with you, and going into a bustling city just to sleep is like walking into a dragon's nest."

Groaning, he moved to the direction she pointed and let the horse do a full gallop. If she was going to make him keep going, the horse was going to go as quickly as possible to get there then.

They both put on their helmets and moved northwest, stopping at Katla's farm once again. Fi was nervous the closer they got to the farm, and apparently she was nervous to see Katla's reaction to finding out about Alduin.

They walked up and Katla wouldn't take her cold eyes off of Alduin. She told Fi that she trusted her, but after their purchase she was never to return with him. Then Katla gave Fi the horse, who was a male, but it was a honey colored horse, looking completely different than Sliver in every way.

They spent the next day and all night getting their horses used to them, training them to their calls, and it went quite well. They stayed near the ocean and kept a close eye on their surroundings. When they finished, it was getting late, so they decided to make camp since a storm was coming. They were going to stay in Solitude to wait out the storm, but they found there weren't any vacancies after finding out her house was out of commission since the roof was broken after the latest dragon attack.

They went to every place to find somewhere to sleep aside from the castle, and all turned them away. They were taken up since the Bard's College was doing a special concert celebration for Ulfric who wasn't even going to attend, and it was pretty clear Alduin wasn't welcome in the establishments that were available. Everywhere he went, the tension, the distrust and fear was palpable, and Alduin knew this wasn't going to go well.

Since Seraphina mostly went there to talk to Ulfric, there was no reason to stay any longer now that they found out he wasn't there. No one dared to come near Fi, and least of all Alduin. It was the same there as it was through all of the cities. Disbelief and Anger was clearly written on every face.

They headed south west, slowly making their way down towards Markarth. The storm was on them within a few hours of leaving Solitude, so they stopped at the next river and made camp.

Once the fire was set, and their perimeter checks finished, Seraphina told him to follow her, and she showed him the tent she found. Slowly walking over, he looked and noticed an abandoned tent by the water. Checking it over, they knew it was a better idea to go in there than to be exposed to the harsh elements that were slowly building in strength. Grabbing their stuff from their camp that was already set up, they moved to the tent, and started their fire there.

Working with the horses was exhausting, still getting them used to their new owners takes time, which was something they didn't have. Every spare second went to training and handling the horses.

Soon enough, the wind began howling, and the large raindrops started rhythmically pelt the tent they were now in, so they decided to sleep rather than stay up. After promising she would make the largest breakfast he'd ever seen, she went to sleep instead of making some food immediately.

Alduin waited a few minutes before going to sleep, staring at the ceiling, thinking. He couldn't keep this up much longer. It was so exhausting looking over his shoulder, waiting for someone to finally have the balls to stab him in the back.

Later in the night, the rain shifted to slushy snow and opening his heavy eyes, he noticed a huge hole on the roof above them. The heavy winds tore it wider, and was now pelting his face harshly, the cold began to gnaw on his skin, and as irritated as he was, he couldn't bring himself to move. Too exhausted mentally and physically since they left High Hrothgar. They hadn't had a single moment to sit since they left and now his mind could finally sift and sort all of these emotions inside of him.

Lately, he noticed how many more emotions were emerging and defining him, and as nice as it was to understand them more now, it still felt wrong. Foreign and terrifying. Yet he couldn't figure out if it was horrible because he was losing himself or starting to enjoy himself.

That couldn't be it, right? Enjoying himself as a human compared to a dragon? He wouldn't and couldn't admit it to himself, but he would admit to enjoying some things. Like food, and warm baths, but the more he enjoyed something, the guiltier he felt. No, he wasn't enjoying himself. He was just tired. That had to be it. He was still in shock as well, he supposed, ever since she protected him, but he didn't know what to do now.

The wind shifted, and now that the slushy snow wasn't soaking him, he could focus a little better. Turning his head, he sighed, and looked at her sleeping form. She was sleeping heavily, clad in heavy clothing and a thick blanket, her hair braided out of her face. Still lying down, he turned to face her, wondering what is going through that head of hers to keep him.

He hoped he had made progress gaining her trust, but her emotions were always so well hidden he did truly believe she'd kill him that day. He definitely gained some trust, but he wasn't naïve to think it was enough. He still noticed her wary glances and furrowed brow when she though he wasn't looking.

Her mouth was open, and a little drool was pooling at the corner of her mouth. Suddenly, the wind changed and blew directly inside their tent once again. Alduin slid out, and put a couple more logs on the fire, and the intense crackling and heat sent a shiver down his spine. Thunder crashed in the distance, and Alduin slid quickly inside.

Wrapping himself up, he looked over and saw her shaking form. Grabbing an extra blanket, he threw it over her, and watched as her shivering diminished and she was sleeping soundly once again. She sighed happily, and she moved away from him, her back to him now. The blanket slid off of her shoulders, and she tossed back to her original position, except much closer.

She flopped on his chest, and nestled her body tightly against his, and her extra body heat felt so good, he decided to keep her there in the crook of his arm instead of his initial reaction of shoving her aside.

Her breathing evened out, and she was sleeping very hard. Furrowing his brows, he watched the top of her head for how long... he couldn't say. He wondered how he could still be alive, and not only that but the option to be free was out on the table.

Snorting, he shook his head. Free, he thought. Freedom will never touch me while I still have this body. She may have thought she was being nice- generous even, but it was heartless and ignorant of her to do. She will never understand what it is like to be a dragon and to have that taken away from you. How can I be free when I am shackled to the land and am not able to take flight?

Shaking his head, he looked down, and shut his eyes, hoping his anger would diminish. What was the point in getting angry when there was nothing to be done in that moment? Her mistake will be his gain, and no matter what, he will take flight again. He could feel it.

She never should have saved him, and she will come to regret it very soon. So far, everything is going according to plan, and he must be careful, more than ever now, not giving anything away that could jeopardize his plans.

Yawning, he closed his eyes. He needed to get as much rest as possible. While he knew nothing changed in his overall goal, he knows everything is changing within their dynamic. He needed to figure out how to use it to his advantage.

The next morning, he woke up to a plethora of smells wafting in the small tent. Rubbing his eyes, he saw Seraphina plating some food and turned to face him. She seemed much more rested, but there was a tension in her stance that meant only one thing. Her paranoia was back in full force.

Sitting up, he grabbed the plate and inhaled the food, too fast to actually taste anything. After his hiccups went away and finished getting ready, they packed up and began walking to Markarth. Making good time, they ended up getting there much faster with the horses, and they were going to camp once again for the night, then early morning they would make it to the gates of Markarth.

After camp was set up, dusk had taken hold and blanketed over the rough and rocky mountains. They finished eating in silence, and while Alduin finished up the cleanup, Seraphina opened up her own diary and studied it again.

Since she had read Lydia's diary it, she slowly started reading her own over again, trying to see the different perception now that she knew her intentions. And now Alduin believed it was bordering on obsession. She went through it, night after night, looking for some little thing she missed. Alduin was positive there was nothing in there to figure out who it was, but he knew Fi would never stop.

"Do you want to go pick ingredients or something? Or explore a cave? Anything besides that stupid journal?" Alduin asked, hoping to find something fun to do. He couldn't just sit there anymore. He needed to get out and not lie there for hours, clutched tightly in his mind's constant barrage of questions and scenarios of what he was going to do next. He decided if she didn't go with him to explore, he'd go himself. He could do that now, and he would be more than happy to start exerting his freedom.

Fi looked up, and chewed her lower lip, thinking. She stared off into the darkness surrounding their camp, to the once crisp and practically pristine journal that was now tattered and frayed one lying on her lap. Tapping her fingers quickly, Alduin bit back a triumphant smile. He knew she was going to say yes.

Furrowing her brows, she reluctantly nodded. "Okay, let's gather ingredients. Not too far away, though. I want to be back soon." Alduin nodded enthusiastically, and grabbed his satchel and dumped it by the fire. Fi did the same and since she was ready aside from putting on her helmet, she sat there, waiting. She was always much faster getting ready than he was, so putting on her gauntlets and sliding on her satchel was done in seconds compared to his few minutes. Not that he noticed or timed it or anything.

Alduin tucked his helmet under his arm and after tightly securing his gauntlets, he got to his feet. Seraphina put the journal in her satchel, and stood up. Instead of walking ahead, she stayed put. This was unusual.

"Um, Fi? Where are we going?" Seraphina smirked and shrugged nonchalantly. "You decide. Your idea, so you take the lead."

Alduin narrowed his eyes, and scrutinized her, hoping to see what she was getting at. Nothing jumped out at him, but that didn't mean that it was making him feel any better. Reaching into her pocket, she grabbed a scroll and handed it to him. "Here's a list of things we need, so keep an eye out around here. So, as long as we are back soon we should have enough sleep," Seraphina said, glancing around, not looking at him.

Alduin nodded, unsure, and decided to see what they needed for their ingredients. There were some ingredients that he was pretty sure were not in this area, but he could definitely find some things around there. Tucking the list in his satchel, he scanned the darkness, trying to figure out where to start. He remembered there were bandits to the north, and a dead end to the south. He wasn't sure what was east or west, so he decided it wouldn't hurt to go west.

They cautiously moved around, Seraphina tailing him, which seemed a little odd at first, but after a half hour it seemed much easier to take lead. It was always strange to him, deferring to someone else, but now that he actually was leading, it felt good again. He almost forgot what it felt like. He wasn't able to keep the smile off of his face.

He grabbed a few things that weren't on the list, like juniper berries and pine thrush eggs since there were such an abundance of them around, and he grabbed as many luna moth wings he could find. Seraphina kept watch instead of grabbing the ingredients. As nice as this was, his hairs stood on the back of his neck the entire time. He felt like this was some sort of trick, or test, and he couldn't shake that feeling. Either way, he could feel her curious eyes on him the entire time.

Her eyes stalked him no matter what he did, and knowing she had to have been waiting for him to mess up was tightening him like a string. He felt like he could snap any minute. Alduin took a deep breath, and when he stopped at a creek for a drink, he could still feel her there.

Angry, he stood up and turned abruptly facing her. If she was surprised, she didn't show it. In fact that smirk and twinkle in her eye in the moonlight was the one thing he didn't want to see in that moment. "Why do you insist on gluing your eyes on me when you were the one who wanted me to do this?" he blurted out. He couldn't help it, this was all too unsettling.

"Excuse me? I am just following where you are going. If you can't handle it..." she trailed off, shrugging. Even in the darkness he could sense her smug smile beaming in satisfaction.

His eyes burned, lighting up her face enough to prove he was correct, which angered him more. Knowing this is what she wanted, him giving up or throwing a fit, he turned away quickly and walked on. This was not the time, he realized. It didn't matter why she was looking at him, he would lead them without incident.

After a couple of hours, they found enough ingredients on their list to end their search. Seraphina had said nothing after that, but her eyes never left him. She had a few heavy satchels filled with ingredients and Alduin felt really good about his accomplishment. Now that he proved how capable he was, he was positive this could be something that happens more in the future.

"You did great, Alduin. I gotta say I'm impressed. You did well against those mages that popped out of nowhere!. I didn't realize how fast you've gotten with your weapon. Now your aim, however..." she winced, and dodged out of the way before Alduin's hand connected with her arm.

Laughing, she twirled whimsically around, gaining speed in her steps and soon enough walking backwards, looking directly into Alduin's eyes. The heavy weight of the satchels had no power over her, just flowing the same way she had done, before smacking into her hips.

The mirth pouring from her eyes was nothing like he had seen from her before. She seemed so different, light and effervescent than she was just a few short hours ago, as if she was the one capable of taking flight. For a single moment it took his breath away.

The grin on her face lit her in some way he'd never seen before, even in the happiest of times, and he wanted to know what it was that could have caused that reaction. She was downright sassy, and he had to admit, he kind of liked it.

"Okay, now that we are about to head in circles... again, let's go right, so we can actually make it back to camp." Giggling, she turned back around, and instead of taking the lead, she slowed to his pace, and matched him step for step.

"Circles? No way! You are just lying to act all superior and annoying. I know exactly where we are!" Glancing around, he had no clue exactly where they were but he didn't want her to know that. He'd rather eat dirt than to admit he was wrong.

"Yeah... well like I said before. You and aim have never been that friendly have you?" she asked, smugness lacing her tone. He did admit to himself since he was a human directions were a little harder to follow, but it was a whole other world down here compared to an aerial view of all of Skyrim.

"Probably as much as you when it comes to smart decisions." Juvenile, he knew, but he never was one for admitting he was wrong. Not usually, anyway. Peeking at her, he couldn't see what she was thinking, but he could hear her giggling.

"Touche," she breathed.

Walking back to camp, which, of course she was right about the way back, they ate a little bit of fruit and went to sleep. The next morning, they were ready to head to Markarth.

Walking up to the gates, Alduin saw the guards standing there stiffen, although he couldn't read their faces. Seraphina walked up confidently, and said nothing as she walked through. Trying to mimic her confidence, he strode in almost as well as she had, except that he wasn't watching where he was going.

Tripping on Seraphina's heel, her yelp echoed in the open space after passing through the gates. Taking a couple of steps back, he met her glare with a shrug, and after shaking her head, she walked over to one of the merchants up ahead.

She was a petite young woman, with inky black hair and fair skin. Alduin, in light of everyone now knowing about him, kept his distance. It didn't seem to help, however, since she was staring at him and stuttering over her words to Seraphina. Every time Alduin locked eyes with the girl, a blush would spread out along her cheeks and she would look down.

"Tara, please look over here. He is harmless, really. Now, have you heard of any artifacts coming through here. The man's name could be Jorde or Blaine? Anything?" Tara looked down, and ever so slightly shook her head, but wouldn't look into Seraphina's eyes.

Sighing, she pushed herself away from the counter, and walked over to Alduin. The girl was still nervously looking at him, and when their eyes locked, she dropped whatever it was she was selling, and it crashed on the ground.

Distracted, they didn't seem to notice someone walk up behind them. "Is it true, Dragonborn?" Alduin froze, and turned to see who it was. It was someone he didn't recognize, and peeking at Seraphina's reaction, she didn't know him as well. He was much shorter than Alduin, but he seemed as tall as any other men around. Alduin seemed almost giant-like compared to everyone else. The small man's face was caked in grime and soot, the only contrast was the white in his narrowed eyes. Balding and with a slight beer gut, he didn't look menacing, but then again, the pickaxe he was clenching in his hand seemed to be the a different matter.

Seraphina eyed the weapon for only a moment before returning to the man's eyes. Seraphina's stance was ready for anything, and her fingers were ever so-slightly tensing, and Alduin took the hint. Alduin took the same stance, and watched carefully.

"Is what true?" she asked. The man's eyes flicked from her to Alduin for just a second, before he bared his teeth. "Is it true you lied and said you killed that piece of shit?" he cried. Around them, everyone grew quiet and everyone started to turn toward them, waiting with baited breath for the answer they so badly wanted to hear. The desperation in their eyes was clearly affecting Seraphina. Up in High Hrothgar, she confidently stood up to the most influential people in all of Skyrim like it was nothing, and now seeing the hurt coupled with everyone's shock seemed to finally begin to get to her.

"The matter has already been settled by the leaders of Skyrim up in High Hrothgar. What you have to say about it means nothing," she replied coldly. Her voice was smooth and had a slight air of superiority. Almost fitting for a queen.

The man's face turned red, and he screamed so loud the tendons in his neck looked like they were about to burst. "Is that so? Well ancient lazy men in mountains and a few nobles aren't going to make a decision for all of us!" Alduin glanced at Seraphina, and saw no change in her. Her eyes were narrowed, and the look of it made him think that any moment she would have growled.

Hearing a few people shout out their agreement spurred the rest of the crowd to murmur what they all thought. Hearing some of their opinions rise above thr others sent a wave of nausea in his stomach. From the sounds of it most agreed. The crowd slowly started to grow in size and outrage, until Seraphina's voice cut through like a dagger.

Taking a step forward, she was almost in front of Alduin. "This is not your business, old man. This is your last warning." For one moment, Alduin could see fear in his eyes, until he looked at Alduin again. His eyes narrowed once more and whipped back to Seraphina.

"You made it our business the second you saved him off of that damned mountain!" he screamed. A moment later, the old man raised his pickaxe high into the air, and leaped toward them. Seraphina punched him mid-air, and in the blink of an eye grabbed her dagger and jammed it into the man's arm that was holding the pickaxe.

The man dropped his weapon, but now his anger was fueling him further. Taking another step forward, he tried to punch Seraphina. Her eyes said everything in that moment. She was annoyed. Grabbing his fist before it made contact, she twisted it unnaturally the wrong way and spun him around until his arm was now behind his back.

While the fight was going on, the crowd watched and stayed eerily quiet. So quiet everyone gasped and groaned after hearing the man's arm snap. The man fell to his knees, wailing and thrashing wildly. Seraphina let go and scanned the crowd of people. Her eyes held such hatred, most took a step back.

"Alduin had done terrible things," she started. The crowd nodded, all agreeing. "and I know more than anyone what he is capable of. I also know what he is capable of now. If there is a problem, I will deal with it! Now go! All of you!" she yelled, her voice booming all around them.

Everyone scattered, except for a few people who nervously walked over and helped the man up and took him to a healer. Alduin's skin crawled, feeling everyone's eyes on him. Seraphina marched over to the blacksmith, the altercation still fresh in her mind.

Taking a calming breath, she plastered on a smile, which to Alduin, didn't seem that hard for her to do. Something told him they were normally very friendly. An Orc by the name of Ghorza gra-Bagol, was just finished screaming at her apprentice when they walked into her Forge. She was tall, taller than Seraphina and thinner, but she looked much older.

The lines and leathery skin could have been from working at the forge, or older than she seemed. Seraphina, still upset, left no room for pleasantries. She asked the same questions as she had to the woman near the font gates and Ghorza shook her head.

"No, I haven't. I wouldn't lie to you, Dragonborn." There was a fierce sincerity in her eyes, and she seemed to be tolerating Alduin near her, but she made no point of acknowledging him. Seraphina's eyes softened slightly, and she nodded her head.

"I know, Ghorza. Well, thanks for your time." Turning around, Seraphina looked a little crestfallen, but looked around for the next place to look. Suddenly, Ghorza's arm shot out and grabbed Fi before she took a step further.

"Have you been to Calcemo, yet?" she asked, eyes shifting around. She took her weapon and dropped it into the water, the loud hissing drowning out their voices.

"No, I haven't. I thought he was supposed to go on an expedition around now. Is he here, still?" Seraphina looked over at the Understone Keep, as if she would have been able to see him from there.

"He never left. I was over there a few days ago for some soul gems, and as I was leaving, a man walked in there, and once Calcemo saw him, he shut his door and locked it. It may be nothing but... it certainly was unusual," she murmured. A light flickered in Seraphina's eyes, and without saying goodbye, they turned away.

Alduin looked around, and for the first time since they walked through the gates, no one seemed to be looking at them. The closer they got to the Understone Keep, the more hidden they were. The entire time, Alduin stayed silent. He didn't know why, but he felt like if he didn't talk, maybe everyone would forget about him.

Still shocked from the welcoming he had there, he tried to pay attention to the roaring of the waterfall in the center of the building, but for the life of him he couldn't focus on that. Alduin glanced at the large dwemer ruin in front of him, trying to distract himself from the fact that all he could feel was the crowds eyes still on them, making him shudder.

They walked into the dark and dank Keep, and took a left, into what must have been Calcemo's place. It was just as the rest of the Keep, but farther down was a door that lead to deeper ruins, that no doubt held falmers and spiders and whatever else. Alduin could never have lived in a place that he didn't thoroughly investigate to make sure nothing would get him in the middle of the night.

Calcemo was looming over some soul gems, and ancient dwemer artifacts, when they walked in. He didn't notice them, until Seraphina cleared her throat. Startled, Calcemo abruptly turned and faced them, holding his chest.

"What do you think you are doing? Frightening an old man!" he scolded. The old man wheezed, and after a couple hacks into his handkerchief, he bent over, like he was about to kick the bucket any minute. Seraphina held her hands up, and smiled a little.

"I'm sorry, Calcemo. How are you?" Calcemo incredulously looked at both of them for a split second, and his eyes narrowed on Seraphina.

"Nearly dead thanks to you! I tell you, kids these days..." he shook his head and took a step away from whatever project he was working on. Sitting in his chair at his desk, he took a sip of whatever was in his goblet.

"Oh come on! A little excitement is good for the old ticker!" she giggled. Alduin watched as his sour expression morphed into a small smile.

"You're just lucky I am in tip top physical health, young lady!" Seraphina smiled, and walked over to where he was earlier, scanning whatever he was doing on the table.

Frowning, she ran a finger across a dwemer artifact that was in the middle. "What were you working on, Calcemo?" Calcemo seemed a little dazed until he heard her voice. Shooting up from his chair, he moved in between Seraphina and his project.

"Oh, you know me. Just tinkering. So... you in need of any soul gems? You're just in luck! I got my hands on some pre-filled grand soul gems!" he exclaimed.

"Seraphina eyed the project still, but dragged her eyes away to say yes, and she handed him some gold. Handing her some soul gems, Calcemo made a point to hand her another one by itself, and gave her a pointed look.

Seraphina must have got the hint because she backed away from his project, and walked over to the chair instead. "So, Calcemo. I heard that a man came in here recently. Do you know who he was?"

Calcemo's body turned rigid, once the name left her lips, and turned to his project, as if nothing happened in the last five minutes. "Calcemo?" She waited for him to acknowledge her, which he didn't.

"Calcemo?" she tried again. After ignoring her again, she stormed up to him and slammed a coin purse down directly in front of his eyesight.

"Come on, Calcemo! Please." she faltered at the end, almost as if she seemed hurt by the slight. "What was he doing here?"

Calcemo's eyes that were starting to soften just as quickly hardened. "It is none of your concern, Dragonborn!" Turning away, he stared off into the doors leading deeper into the keep. Seraphina took a step back and plastered a sympathetic smile.

"Of course it isn't, you're right, Calcemo. My apologies. The man you spoke with has something that I am interested in acquiring but so far he has remained quite elusive. I was just hoping he told you his name, or had told you where he was headed next."

Calcemo looked back at her, and it was clear he didn't trust that this was just a simple transaction between them, but Alduin could see the resolve form on his face.

"I barely talked to the man! He was in here for some soul gems and talked about some dwemer ruin he was going to visit soon. Somewhere near Morthal, I think? That's all I know," he grunted. Seraphina watched him for a few seconds before smiling at him.

"Thank you. I'll leave you to your work now. See you later." Once they walked out of the keep, ignoring the blatant stares and the way leading to the Jarl, they decided it was too dangerous to linger in the city, so they left.

Once they were outside, they fed their horses and walked them out of Markarth's suffocating reach. Alduin ran a hand down his horse, who he still didn't name yet. He was never any good at things like that, but he knew he had to think of what to call her soon. They walked west for hours, and the silence was actually enjoyable. He didn't want to hear her rattle on for hours about nothing and everything.

She had been tracking him, he noticed. For a while, it seemed she must have had a strong lead, and they moved quicker through the forest, watching for any sign of the target or another trail.

It was starting to get dark, and Seraphina lit a torch so she could see the area better. Looking around, Alduin held his breath and listened intently.

"What do you hear?" Alduin whispered, scanning the area. Fi looked away, and shook her head. "Nothing. I'm thinking, that's all," she whispered.

"About...?" Seraphina walked a few feet ahead of him, and brought the torch closer to the ground. Nothing seemed different to Alduin, but he wasn't a tracker.

"This doesn't make any sense! All of his trails ran cold! I know I'm close! I was an hour away from him! Suddenly it seems like he vanished!" she grumbled.

Alduin looked around and smirked. More time to figure out his next move. He wasn't sure what to do next, but he figured his plan of having no plan so far seemed to be working and he wanted to see how that goes.

"Let's set up camp and head out at first light. He could be anywhere now." Seraphina growled, and nodded reluctantly. "Fine. I'll be right back," she grunted.

Alduin set up camp quickly, and searched their rations for something to eat. They hadn't eaten in a long time, and now that they were finally settling, Alduin's stomach rumbled so loudly Seraphina could hear it doing her perimeter checks.

Knowing they had to make the party soon, they headed up to Morthal. They scouted for a few days, hoping to hear if there were any strangers lurking around, but no luck. Seraphina went to her contacts and found out someone did end coming there last week that matched the criteria, but they were only in for a night.

Seraphina, frustrated, decided to put her search on hold once again. They had to go to Solitude, and that was the last thing that Alduin wanted to do. After delievering the bad news to Alduin, he stomped over to his gear, and ignored the rest of her planning.

"No! No way am I getting dragged to another one of these things!" he yelled as he rolled up his bedroll. They were heading west, and after just leaving another village, they wanted to get out of the suffocating glares and anger as quickly as possible.

"Hey! Did I say you have to come?" she asked innocently. Alduin rolled his eyes and fastened the straps on his satchel. He knew better than to believe he didn't have to go.

"Not yet," he said expectantly. After throwing some sand on the fire, putting out the last few remaining embers, he hopped on his horse. Seraphina was organizing her satchel, and smirked at him.

"It's fine, Alduin. Stay back. It's not going to be that fun anyways." Alduin looked at her, surprised.

"Really? You mean it?" he asked, hoping she was serious. Fi got on her horse, who she named Lightning, and turned the horse eastward.

"Absolutely." Alduin took a deep breath, relieved. He couldn't believe he actually got to stay back and relax. Not look at Seraphina, or being forced to dance, or better yet, not seeing everyone stare hatefully at him all night.

"But..." she warned. Alduin looked up at her sharply, his eyes narrowed. "But... what?" he ground out.

"But... it would be better if you were to come with me." Alduin scoffed and now that he was ready to go, he climbed up on his horse.

"What?" he yelled incredulously. "Better? Are you insane?"

Seraphina rode her horse around some jagged rocks, coming close to the main road. She sped up a little, and led them through the surrounding trees, cloaking themselves from sight.

"I am serious, Alduin. Seeing you there alongside me, and with the support of Ulfric will help our situation. I don't know about you, but I would like to go to a city where not everyone is going to kill us or hand me a sweetroll without cowering away like a beaten dog!"

Alduin sighed, and shook his head. "So not only do I have to go to this stupid party now, but I have to suck up to "Queeny" over there, too? Tell me when there is an going to be an upside to this conversation."

"Queeny? Nice, Alduin. Real mature." she giggled. Slowing down their pace, she listened intently at the animal that was coming closer. Seeing that it was just a fox, she sped up quite a bit.

"Of course there is an upside to this conversation. There will be cake." Alduin gave her a lop-sided grin. "See? Why didn't you say that in the first place!"

3rd Person POV

Once they arrived in Solitude, it was bustling with activities. Ulfric had the Bard's College sing all throughout the city, and Fi couldn't help noticing that the very best singers were not out among the common folk. She realized they were probably practicing for the event.

There were tons of merchants in and out of the city limits, taking advantage of the many high and low of society that would be there. Not to mention the sales of different food and drinks around. Alduin steered right over to the man giving out honey nut treats, but Seraphina grabbed his arm to stop him. They had to check on the house.

The last time they were in Solitude, the house was a total disaster from a fire dragon attack. Seraphina hoped it would be done by then. Alduin was now too busy watching the crowd grow silent as they walked through the busiest part of the city. Markarth was bad, but seeing this many people was a lot worse. Maybe he shouldn't have come after all.

They headed to Proudspire Manor, Seraphina's home in Solitude, and saw that it looked a little better than before, but there was still a considerable amount of damage that wasn't repaired.

She grabbed the latch, but it was still locked up with a warning sign on the door. It looked awful the last time they saw it, and the letter they first received from the builders said it was going to take weeks to fix from the dragon attack. Seraphina's Housecarl, Jordis the Sword-Maiden, had to stay at Ulfric's castle while the house was being repaired.

"Hello? Jordis, are you here?" she screamed as she pounded on the door. Even though she knew she wasn't here, she wanted to be sure. This was odd. Looking around, Fi saw a letter in her mailbox.

After reading it, she frowned deeply. "What does it say?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"It's from the crew who were working on my house. It says that they had to stop working the two to six week job on account of a lack of funds. That's ridiculous. All of my houses have more than enough for an emergency like this." she said, frustrated.

"Maybe there was too much work and not enough funds. Or maybe your housecarl finally wised up and took your stash and ran off into the sunset with it. I would." he shrugged.

"And that is why you aren't allowed in my house alone," she smiled. Sighing, she crossed her arms and looked around the area.

"What are we going to do now?" Alduin asked, looking around as well. There had to be a thousand or more people in the city.

"Do you think a neighbor would let us crash at their place or something?" There was no way they were going to be getting a room at tavern or camp outside. It was too dangerous given their situation.

"I don't think that is a good idea since I stole from every single house in this city. I know a few people became suspicious of me. Best not ask." Sighing, she rubbed her forehead and thought of her options.

"I suppose the only thing to do now is head to the castle. Most likely Jordis will be there and once we know more, we can decide."

Walking over, it was madness. People were coming in and out of the palace, like it was a tavern. The visitors were pretty drunk from all of the specials on the ale outside and the hot sun. And while they were being watched heavily by the guards, it was too chaotic to notice the smaller details, for instance a pickpocket was marking the crowd. He was good, too. Stole from everyone he came into contact with. Luckily, he didn't come near Fi or Alduin, or the pickpocket would have had his hand broken.

Once they got to the throne room, Seraphina looked around until her eyes caught sight of golden hair. Jordis was talking to Ulfric, telling him a story from the look of it. Before she could say anything, the announcer stated her name along with Alduin's, which was a little weird to hear now after all of the secrecy in public.

Ulfric looked over and smiled his usual ghost of a smile that immediately turned into a grimace upon seeing Alduin. Walking over, Seraphina noticed Jordis seemed different. Her hair was up in some updo she hadn't seen before, and she had on one of Seraphina's dresses from her wardrobe.

"Hello, Seraphina. I hoped I would see you here. Are you excited for the party tomorrow?" Ulfric asked, completely ignoring Alduin. Huffing, she looked up noticed he seemed to have deep circles under his green eyes.

"Yes, I can't wait to celebrate your birthday, Ulfric. Let's just hope that after this I won't have to put on some fine boots anymore. It seems every time my feet heal I have to put them right back on again."

Jordis laughed, but she seemed fidgety and wouldn't look directly at her. She certainly wasn't like that a minute ago. "Jordis, we need to talk..."

Jordis looked down and nodded. She seemed guilty about something. "I thought the house would only take a couple of weeks. What happened?"

Ulfric cleared his throat, and looked at Seraphina. "I think you need a minute alone. If you'll excuse me," he said softly.

"I am so sorry! The funds you had would have paid for it, but I ran into some...issues! Since I had to be here at the palace, there were a few times that Ulfric asked me to join him when he had these, like important dignitaries and people over, and he had these grand feasts and I had nothing to wear! All I had was my gear! So embarrassing! Also, he asked me to go to his birthday party and he found a famous dress maker that offered to make me a custom dress! I thought about taking some from your wardrobe, but I was worried you'd be mad, so I bought a few dresses with some accessories!" she rambled.

"Really? You seemed to have no problem taking from my wardrobe now I see." Jordis blushed, and looked down.

"I know, but I already depleted the account and I still needed something to wear. I am really sorry."

"Well I know what the prices are for a dress in Solitude and I can't see how that wiped out my gold!" Seraphina could feel her temper rise, and she would need to leave if she got any more heated than she already was. They are supposed to be keeping the city calm because of Alduin, and she was sure as shit not going to be the cause of Alduin's lack of acceptance around here.

"Well... something else happened as well. Once Ulf- I mean King Ulfric went to decide Alduin's fate at High Hrothgar, the news came immediately what happened. Everyone was screaming for justice! They wanted your head and to kill Alduin, too! All I could think to do was to get everyone to the tavern. I bought the whole town multiple rounds of drinks, and some meals to get them to shut up for five minutes!" she rambled, looking downward.

Alduin looked bored, but Seraphina could see he was thinking about what she said. How much they hate him now that they know he lived. Huffing, Seraphina closed her eyes and rolled her shoulders. She was not expecting these problems when she got to Solitude.

"If it makes you feel better I will give you my room and I can sleep outside. My friend in town may have a spare bed in her room," she said.

"Nonsense!" Ulfric said loudly, walking up to them. "Sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear about your lack of accommodations. I have one room left that I could gladly give you if you like."

Fi looked at the floor. "I couldn't, really. I'm sure we can-" she was cut off by Ulfric, who turned directly toward her. "Well if you wish I could take you to my room..." he hinted. Grabbing her hand, he brushed his fingertip against her hand, and smiled.

Seraphina glanced at Jordis, who frowned and looked away. Sighing, she smiled at Ulfric. "If that were the case then your guests would be unhappy that the birthday boy was ignoring them."

She squeezed his hand and let go, and took a step back. Seeing disappointment flash in his eyes, they just as quickly filled with mirth. "That was the plan, but I can see you may be right. I will have your quarters set up at once."

"Thank you, Ulfric. Well I will see you tomorrow night, Ulfric. I know you must have a million things to do. Bye," she smiled and turned around.

"Wait!" Jordis shouted. "I really am sorry about the funds." Seraphina looked at her compassionately. "I understand, just please write a letter next time something like this happens so I can fix it, alright?" Jordis nodded gratefully.

When they were walking out, Alduin looked at her astonished. "You actually believe her? That was the biggest piece of bull I've ever heard!" Alduin said hotly.

She ignored him while the servant who was an elf, escorted them to their room. It was a simple room with two beds, one on the left and one on the right. Seraphina went to the one on the right, and after thanking the elf, she began unpacking her bags.

Alduin watched her as she worked, and it pissed him off she ignored him. "How can you believe her? I gave better lies than that and you could see right through those!"

Slipping some jewels in a jewelry case close to her bed, she still didn't say anything, but her body was tight with tension. "Even if it was the truth, I can't believe you'd be okay with her using your money on her appearance of all things!" he hissed, outraged.

"Because I have to believe that eighty percent of the words coming out of your mouth are lies, that's why. Also, I wouldn't be okay with what she did, but I need to pick my battles. Besides, I know she is lying," she shrugged.

"Why didn't you call her out on it?" She smirked and put the last few pieces of clothing in a dresser.

"Because it wouldn't change anything. She'd still feed me another lie. I think I will find out easier to keep her closer. Besides, something is going on besides that and I want to know what."

The rest of the day consisted of finding something to eat and drink, and watching dueling matches in the square. It was interesting, until Alduin had too much attention on him and they figured they should leave.

A.N.-Hello all! I hope you liked it. I know it was more of a filler chapter, but things are getting juicier on the next one! ;) it should be posted tomorrow (or possibly tonight), so please let me know what you think! You are all just the best! Thanks for taking the time to read!