Lunara finished writing and rolled up the paper, sealing it with a bit of candle wax. She stood and walked over to Valga, who stood behind the bar, cleaning the aged wood with a worn rag. "Can you see that the courier gets this to Danica Pure-Spring in Whiterun as soon as possible?" Lunara said, handing over the rolled paper along with a few coins to the innkeeper. "Yes mum," Valga replied, taking the offered items.

Lunara went back to her table, trying to decide what to do next. Two Falkreath guards entered the tavern, and Lunara scowled at them as Kaidan and Inigo watched, each one resting his hands on his sword hilt, waiting to see what she was going to do. The guards glanced around the room, stopping when they saw Lunara.

"You," one of them said, pointing in her direction, "gather your men and come with us. The Jarl requires your assistance with an urgent matter."

Lunara's face twisted into a scowl. "I think I'll pass. I've had enough of 'assisting' the Jarl to last me a lifetime. If he wants something done, he can go do it himself," she said.

The two guards looked at each other and shrugged, not to be deterred. "Something has happened at Helgen. The Jarl has appointed us to gather a small force to investigate. Our guards are spread thin and you are for hire, correct? Didn't Jarl Siddgeir hire you and your two men there to collect a bounty on some bandits?"

"He did," she said. Her voice was sweet, but it held a razor-sharp edge as she stood up and made a gesture around the room. "If you'll be so kind as to look around here, you'll see that it is full of people. More specifically, young girls. The Jarl sent me to deal with the bandits that were smuggling them here from Cyrodiil because they stopped paying him to look the other way. No, I will not do a fucking thing because the Jarl requires it and I don't give a damn if he asks nicely or not." She crossed her arms and plastered a saccharine smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes. She stayed this way for several moments, daring them to arrest her.

"We understand," the other guard spoke up, clearing his throat. "But if you would assist the guard in this matter, the Guard Commander would be very grateful, as would the people of Falkreath hold."

Lunara opened her mouth to insult him but glares from both Kaidan and Inigo stopped her. Lucien stood to her side and cleared his throat. Lunara glared at him. "What?," she snapped.

"Nothing," Lucien said. "It's just that well, maybe we should go and check it out anyway? If Something truly has happened, then there will be people in need of assistance and any number of guards they take probably won't be enough. Nor will they have your skills."

"What do you know about her skills?" Kaidan said.

"O-only what I've overheard the girls here talking about," Lucien stammered, trying to avoid Kaidan's crimson glare. "They said the three of you took out over forty men to rescue them and she healed all of the girls alone."

"Aye, we did. And it's true she healed all of them too. What they didn't say was that she exhausted herself to do it," Kaidan said, glaring around the room at the girls. "If Inigo and I hadn't gotten to her when we did, something worse might've happened to her."

Lucien swallowed. "That wasn't part of the story I was told, no," he said.

"Then maybe you shouldn't make suggestions like that," Kaidan took a step toward him, and Lucien shrank back. Lunara stepped between the two men and put a hand on Kaidan's chest.

"Last time I checked, I am free to choose where I go and what I do or don't do," she spoke sweetly, but Kaidan could not miss the challenge in her tone. "You can follow or not, your choice."

Kaidan put up his hands and took a step back. "Whatever you say," he said, scowling over her shoulder at Lucien.

"Good," Lunara said, turning toward the guards. "I will come and investigate Helgen with you, but that's all I will commit to for now. Wait here while I get my satchel and we can get going," she said, turning to the others. "Who's going with me?"

"I am," Inigo and Lucien said in unison. Kaidan remained silent, but Lunara could almost see the waves of anger rolling off of him in her direction. She ignored him, turning her attention to the other two men.

"Lucien, you will stay here for this. You don't have any armor and it won't be safe for you. As soon as we get back, I'll make sure you have proper gear," she said. Lucien started to protest, but Inigo shook his head.

"Inigo, you're with me. Kaidan?" she arched her brow and looked at him. "Are you coming or not?"

Kaidan sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, let's go."

Lunara turned on her heel and went back to her room to fetch her satchel. She returned to the guards, gesturing towards the inn door. "Lead the way," she said.

They left the inn, and the five of them were met on the road by six more guards, led by the guard commander. "Good day," he said, tilting his head to Lunara while eyeing the men who followed her. "I'm glad you accepted the invitation."

Lunara returned the gesture. "Let's be clear, commander. I only agreed to accompany your men to investigate Helgen, nothing more. I will decide what else I will do when I see what's happened. I've already been tricked by the Jarl once, it will not happen again."

The commander nodded once. "Fair enough," he said, turning away from her. "Move out!" he yelled to the guardsmen.

The small band of guardsmen marched down the road leading east out of the city with Lunara, Kaidan, and Inigo bringing up the rear. As they approached the road leading to Helgen, the skies opened up, and fat raindrops began pelting them. Lunara dug her hooded cloak out of her satchel, threw it around her shoulders, and tucked her hair into the hood. It didn't help much, and she was very wet as their party approached a bridge where three bandits stood guard. She had no idea what they were guarding and didn't bother asking. She drew her bow and let her frustrations fly, killing all three bandits before anyone else could get a shot. They continued toward Helgen, her mood souring further with each squish of her boots on the muddy stone road. She noted that both Kaidan and Inigo wore cool looks, neither of them speaking. The walls of Helgen came into view and billowing plumes of black smoke the walls like curling fingers beckoning them inside. Lunara wrinkled her nose and covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve, trying not to retch at the smell of charred flesh and burnt wood.

"Spread out and look for survivors," the guard commander said as the group flooded through the west gate of the city. Lunara, Inigo, and Kaidan headed for the nearest farmhouse, bows drawn. As they entered, a loud roar split the air as the skies momentarily darkened. "By Ysmir!" one of the guards exclaimed. The creature turned and swooped low, blasting the city with another stream of fire and bathing three of the six guards in flames. They screamed, turning into ash before their comrades. The other three guards turned and ran for the tower close to the farmhouse. Lunara stepped out onto the ruined porch of the house to get a better look. Kaidan reached out and dragged Lunara back into the farmhouse's relative safety just as the dragon flew up and away from the city. She turned toward them, terror gleaming in her gray eyes. "Was that a-, a-," she stammered, unable to convince her brain to make her mouth say the word.

"A fucking dragon!" Kaidan finished for her as she nodded.

"This is unbelievable," said the guard caption. "We need to see if there are any survivors. Let's go men," he said, leading the two men with him out onto what was left of the road. The other three left the tower to join them, and they started searching through the rubble. Lunara's group followed suit, picking their way through the still burning farmhouse. Finding nothing, they moved to the next building. Seeing no one there, they split up to search the wreckage faster.

Lunara made her way to the training area to see if anyone had taken shelter there. All she'd found was a burnt corpse with a leatherbound journal lying next to it.

This journal had to be made of Something straight from Oblivion to survive a dragon, she thought. She picked it up between two fingers as if it would burn her. When it didn't, she opened it up and turned the pages gently, trying to make sense of the scrawled handwriting. The journal belonged to an adventurer the Imperial Army arrested and brought to Helgen to be executed with Ulfric Stormcloak, but then the dragon attacked.

"Kynareth save us," she muttered, shivering as a drop of water rolled down her spine. Water dripped from her hood onto the paper, smearing the ink. She slammed the journal closed. "Kaidan! Inigo!" she called. A few seconds later, the two men appeared from the other side of the wall. "What is it?" Inigo said.

"I found this," she said, holding the journal out to Inigo. "I don't think there's anyone left alive. The entire city has been destroyed. I say we head back to Falkreath and figure out what to do from there." Kaidan and Inigo nodded in agreement, and the trio made their way back through the rubble to the guard commander.

"We found no one alive. All I found was a journal that spoke of the dragon attack just before the owner was roasted alive. We are going back to Falkreath to regroup. I am soaking wet and tired," she said.

The rain continued to pelt them, pouring down her face in tiny rivulets as the guard captain considered her words.

"Riverwood is a two hour walk from here, faster by horse. They are defenseless, and should be warned of the dragon," he said.

Lunara glared at him. "Yes, I agree. However, it seems you haven't noticed that it is pouring rain out here, and myself and my companions are soaked to the bone. If we continue, one or all of us could become ill, and then we will be of no help to anyone. Our horses are in Falkreath because we came here on foot. It will be dark soon, and I am not one to spend the night in or near a city that was just destroyed by a dragon. No, my companions and I will go back to Falkreath for the night to rest and regroup, and we will go to Riverwood in the morning. Surely that will have to do, unless you want to send your men into Whiterun hold to warn them yourself," she said.

She didn't wait for an answer and turned on her heel toward the gate they had entered, Kaidan and Inigo close behind. The guard commander sighed, nodded toward his remaining men, and followed her back toward the city.

It was well after dark when the three of them once again entered Dead Man's Drink, each exhausted and starving. Lunara's cloak dripped water in puddles around her as she paid Valga for the private bath key. She left a trail of water behind her as she entered the rented room and dropped her cloak onto the floor with a plop! Kaidan's hair had come loose from his usual half bun and was plastered to his cheeks. Lunara watched him, biting her lip to keep from smiling at the sight of him as he shook his head like a dog and water droplets flew from his hair, coating the area around him in a fine mist. He started unbuckling his armor, stripping the pieces off and setting them on the table as gently as a parent might lay down a child. His tunic was soaked through, and it clung to his broad chest and shoulders, making Lunara go slightly weak in the knees. Get it together and stop drooling! She admonished herself, turning away before he could catch her staring.

She left the room and headed for the bath, eager to soak in hot water and hoping it would take away the chill that had seeped into her bones. Gods, she was exhausted. She locked the bath door and dropped her satchel on the bench before stripping her armor off. She stood naked in the cold air, her nipples tightening to hard nubs, and found herself wishing she wasn't bathing alone. She dismissed the thought and turned her attention to the steam rising from the wooden tub, climbing over the side and sinking into the hot water with a groan of pleasure. Valga had placed sprigs of lavender and dragon's tongue flowers in the water, and Lunara gave silent thanks to the divines for the woman.

She sat down on the bench and stretched her limbs like a cat. The water's warmth and the dragon's tongue scent made her even more drowsy as she started to unbraid her hair. Once it was free, she ducked her head under the water, holding her breath until she thought her lungs would burst. She surfaced, water flowing from her face and hair, now sleek down her back with no sign of its usual curls. She finished bathing and climbed out of the tub, drying herself and wrapping her hair in a towel. She pulled her robes over her head and gathered her armor and satchel, stepping out into the inn's main room.

She glanced around and saw Kaidan and Inigo sitting at their usual corner table. Lucien had joined them, and they all seemed to be having a deep conversation punctuated by long drinks from the ale bottles sitting on the table in front of them. She smiled and tiptoed across the large room, not wishing to interrupt anyone enjoying their evening activities. Lunara closed the door to the room behind her, leaning against it and sighing heavily. She was in no mood to be social tonight, and she hoped no one had noticed her departure from the bathing room.

She pushed herself off the door and set down her satchel and armor next to the bed. Her cloak had been retrieved from the floor where she'd dropped it and draped across the back of the chair to dry, along with Kaidan's tunic. His armor gleamed in the candlelight, and Lunara knew he'd taken great care to make sure each piece was dry before joining the group in the main room. She inspected her own armor, almost completely dry now from being left near the small brazier in the bathing room. Relieved, she sat down on the bed and unwrapped the towel from her hair, letting it fall in waves down her back. She brushed it out with her fingers, sighing as she worked the knots free. She didn't bother to braid it; instead, she blew out the small horn candle on the bedside table and snuggled under the furs, falling asleep within minutes.