The deck was empty aside from the few patrolmen pacing the ship. Wendy eyed them suspiciously and, after a moment, pulled Kravos into a private corner away from onlookers. She didn't say anything at first though. Instead, the woman stood there, looking around and tugging the thin blanket tighter around her shoulders to fight off the cold ocean breeze blowing over the deck.

"We can find a place inside to speak if you're cold," Kravos offered. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"Oh, there is no way to avoid that," Wendy sighed, gnawing on her lower lip to the point that Kravos was sure he could see some pin-pricks of blood. With a frustrated groan, tangled a hand into her hand, and collapsed down on a crate. "I married young, you know? Only seventeen."

That didn't sound young to Kravos, close in age to when most young women in Skyrim got married -Sofie had only been eighteen when she married into the royal family- but he nodded anyway, saying nothing and allowing all the space Wendy needed to tell her story.

"My parents were worried that they'd never be able to get me married because of, well-" she gestured to the red mark stretched from her left temple to the corner of her mouth and down to underneath her ear.

"Where I'm from, we call birthmarks like that a 'Dibella's Kiss'," the old Dragonborn explained gently. When Wendy gave him a questioning look, he continued. "Dibella is part of the religious pantheon of my people. She is considered the goddess of beauty, love, art, and music, so the story goes that sometimes babies are born so beautiful that Dibella herself had to kiss them, leaving her blessing behind."

Wendy let out a humorless laugh, "It is good to know I'm considered blessed somewhere on this god-forsaken planet. But not in my hometown. In Grathston, I wasn't so lucky. Some considered my birthmark a sign of mutation so, even though I was otherwise healthy, most weren't will to take the chance. It worried my parents because they were older and knew they wouldn't be around much longer; they wanted to be sure I had someone to protect me after they were gone."

She paused, drew in a shaky breath, and pushed forward. "And that is when Matthew came along."

"He seemed like a good catch at first. He was older, already thirty, but that just meant he was established. Matt was an electrician, the best in town, and was well-respected. I should have been flattered he chose me of all people to pursue but I wasn't sure; something about him seemed off, even then. My parents pushed me to accept his proposal though. Matthew had a livelihood, after all, and a good one at that. He could take care of me."

Wendy shrugged, "So I married him."

"When did he start hurting you?" Kravos asked, gentle and fully prepared for the woman to completely shut down.

"Not a first," Wendy shook her head. "No, for the first five years of our marriage things were... fine, I suppose. Matthew wasn't a particularly warm or affectionate husband -we didn't have many heart-to-hearts- but he was a good provider and, when I went to work as a school teacher, the two incomes kept us very comfortable. After a few years though, the problems began -kids."

The woman wrapped her arms around her stomach and hugged herself. "We both wanted children. I'm not sure I was ready at that moment, I still wasn't even twenty, but I still wanted them. But I couldn't stay pregnant."

Kravos felt his heart clench with sadness when he saw Wendy start tearing up. "You lost a child?"

"I lost three children!" Wendy cried. "I lost three babies and Matthew blamed me!"

She swallowed hard, regaining her composure. "After the second loss, Matt started drinking harder than normal. I wasn't thrilled but he kept it at the bar so... But then the twins were born and something inside my husband snapped. I thought he'd be excited! After all this time we had two beautiful, healthy babies but, no, instead he was furious.

Matt was convinced that there was no way that the twins could have been his. In his mind, since all my other pregnancies had ended with losses, I had to have cheated on him to create a viable pregnancy. I didn't! You have to believe me, Mr. Kravos, I was always faithful to him! I swear-"

"I believe you," Kravos reassured. He wanted to hug the young woman but doubted it would be well-received.

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"No one's ever said that to me before," Wendy admitted, swallowing hard. "Thank you."

"Would you like to take a break?" Kravos offered. "I can make you some tea, or perhaps even some wine."

The woman waved him away, "No, I swore to never drink; I can't risk it. And, besides, if I stop talking now I might never start again."

"Of course," the old Dragonborn nodded. "Please continue."

"As I said, Matt drank from pretty early on in our marriage. It wasn't happy but most of the men in the town did so I also didn't think it was anything unusual," she said. "And, for most of the marriage, it wasn't a problem. I mean, sometimes Matthew would get belligerent and yell at me or sleep too late, but nothing that bad."

"Until the twins."

"Until the twins," Wendy agreed. "After that... I swear, it was like Matt changed overnight! Three days after Ethan and Cindy were born, Matt locked me outside the house after an argument. He left me out there all night! It was so cold and the babies just kept crying and crying but he wouldn't let me in!"

This admission seemed to be too much for Wendy, nearly doubling over and tears starting to run down her face. Her breathing grew heavy and shuttering as Kravos let himself give the young woman a comforting hand on the shoulder. He said nothing as Wendy fought to wrestle herself back under control.

"After that night, I was determined to leave Matthew. When he was off at work, I grabbed the twins and went to my parents. I told them what happened and I thought they'd understand but..." Wendy sighed, "But they didn't. They sympathized, I suppose, and comforted me. Then they told me I should go back to Matthew. This was just a one-time thing, they reassured me, and, at the end of the, he was still a good provider."

Wendy huffed, rubbing her face and letting out a humorless chuckle. "I was such an idiot."

"You were vulnerable," Kravos reassured. "You were a young mother and, when you turned to the people you loved and trusted to protect you, they told you to go back to your husband. You cannot blame yourself."

"Maybe not. Maybe I can't blame myself for being stupid enough to stay with Matthew," the woman said. "What happened in the coming years, though? I'll always blame myself for that."

"Days ticked on and... Matt got worse, a lot worse. He drank more, yelled at me more, and worked less. Within two years, he wasn't working at all. Making matters worse was that both of my parents died; they were poor so they didn't have much to leave me and, what little they did, Matt took and spent on liquor. I was still working as a teacher but the bills were piling up -two kids and a lot of booze are expensive- and I didn't have enough caps to cover everything. So I asked him to go back to work. That was the first time he hit me."

"And it wasn't the last."

Wendy nodded, "No, he hit me... and worse. But I wasn't strong enough to leave him, not yet. Not until Matthew hit Ethan for the first time, actually knocked out one of his baby teeth. Then I left for real. In the middle of the night, I packed up the twins and we fled to the school I taught at. Maybe that was a bad hiding place but we employed a security guard during the day and it was the only place I could think of going. I couldn't turn to friends -I didn't have any left."

We hid there for three weeks, Matt wasn't willing to make trouble in a protected building but I knew it wasn't sustainable. Neither was going to another settlement; traveling with two small children was difficult, traveling at all is dangerous, I didn't have the caps to pay for transport or setting up in another town."

Another pause.

Another shuttered breath.

Another choked back a sob.

"Is it a surprise that I went back again?" Wendy asked, even if it wasn't a question. "Matt had a letter passed on to me, asking to meet. And, like an idiot, I agreed. Within two days, the twins and I were living back at home. I almost couldn't believe it but Matthew apologized, he groveled, he charmed me, and I fell for it. For two weeks, things were great but you want to know how it all ended up?"

This did actually seem to be a question, judging by the way Wendy was staring at him. The answer, to Kravos, seemed obvious, but, if it was what she needed then...

"What did he do?"

"HE FUCKING SOLD US!"

The floodgates opened and Wendy began to sob, turning and slumping against Kravos' chest. He held her close, smoothing a hand through her messy hair. Perhaps, to an outsider, it would look strange that he was comforting a grown woman but Kravos didn't see that. To him, this was no different from comforting one of his children, granddaughters, or Ashe. If someone innocent needed his kindness, Kravos could never deny them comfort.

"He fucking sold us! His own wife and kids and he fucking sold us to slavers to make some caps," she sobbed.

"It's not your fault."

"I took us back into that situation!"

"It's not your fault."

"I should have never agreed to marry him in the first place!"

"It's not your fault."

"I ignored so many warning signs and just went along with what people told me to do like an idiot!"

"It's not your fault."

"He hurt my kids and I still went back to him."

Kravos paused then. He couldn't, in good faith, claim that Wendy bore no responsibility for that. Tragic situation it was, parents needed to protect their children. Still, it also wasn't right to condemn this poor woman.

"Yes, you did. And you regret it," he said slowly. "You were in a bad situation that seemed inescapable and, sometimes, it is easier to let the tide sweep you away instead of fight against it by swimming upstream. But, even in the worst situation imaginable, you still managed to be kind to a scared young girl. And now you have the chance to change your situation. So, what will you do? Got back into a situation you hate or take a risk and start over?"

Kravos stepped back and pulled out a handkerchief, passing it to the hiccupping woman.

"I don't want to go back," Wendy said, fighting to calm down as she dabbed tears from her eyes. "I never want to see Matthew again. If I did, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from killing him."

"Do you want him dead?"

"What?"

"I'll kill him if that is what you want," Kravos offered. When Wendy looked at him with pure disbelief, he continued, "Matthew is a bad man, the world wouldn't weep if he were to suffer a... tragic accident, either at my hands or someone else's. I'm sure Natasha would be glad to offer assistance. All you'd have to do is say the word."

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"No," Wendy shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, I hate the man and think the world would be a better place without him but... I just want to leave him in the past. I don't want to think of him anymore. I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore. I don't want to make any decisions involving him anymore. I just want to leave him behind so my kids and I can move forward."

"I understand. If you choose, your... former husband will never be spoken of again," Kravos said. "But, I have to ask, how will your children react to not returning home or ever seeing their father again?"

"It... is complicated," Wendy sighed. "They don't truly know their father -Matthew always left the childcare to me- and, honestly, Cindy has told me she is scared of him. But he is their father and I feel that, on some level, they still love him. What if they have questions about where Matt years from now? How do I explain everything to them? What if they blame me? What if-"

The poor woman was working herself up into another hysterical fit so Kravos took her by the shoulder and said, "Take a deep breath. There is no use dwelling on the far future and, if I'm being completely honest, your twins are young enough that they might not remember their father. And you are young enough to find someone else -someone who is good and kind and reliable and will be a good partner to you and a father for your children."

Wendy shook her head, "Oh, no no no! I don't want to even think about getting remarried! I couldn't risk leaving Ethan and Cindy open to be hurt again! For now, I just want to focus on getting us somewhere safe and comfortable, somewhere we can start over. I have so much to make up for."

"If you take me up on my offer, then you can have that," Kravos offered. Then he paused and, after a moment, "I'm sorry, that makes it sound like I'm bribing or manipulating you. I do want you all to come and live with Ashe and I; I feel like my home would be a safe place for you all to recover and get re-established. I also want to repay you for what you did to Ashlyn during your harrowing ordeal. I know you say that is unnecessary but my own sense of honor demands it.

However, if you feel uncomfortable with coming with us, you could always go with Natasha. She is a good woman and I trust her to do right by you. She and the group she works for would be able to get you established and protect you if, for some reason, Matthew is stupid enough to come after you. I understand that, at the end of the day, you must do what you feel is right for you and your family."

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"You know, Mr. Kravos, you are the first person that I felt like I could trust since I was young," Wendy whispered. "Why can you be so sure about everything?"

"Because I know I am more than capable of handling any challenge that comes my way," Kravos answered easily. While he would never claim to be sure of everything -life was far too unpredictable and full of the unexpected- but that was something he knew without a doubt.

She turned away, looking up at the stars, and took a deep breath. "Alright, let's do it."