Author's note:

First of all, I send a big thank you to Guest and to reddevil 47 for taking some of their time to leave me a review :) As usual, I also thank all those who are following/have favorited (is this even a word?) this story.

By the way, here's the second part of the second meeting between Agda and the mysterious S. C.

Enjoy!

17th of Last Seed, 4E 201

Agda couldn't believe her eyes. The man in front of her was covered in blood and mud and ash, but his grey irises and his blonde hair left her no doubt - that battered warrior was the mysterious S. C.

"Do you already know each other?", Hadvar asked as his brown eyes darted back and forth between Agda and S. C.

The young innkeeper was too shocked to form a coherent answer, whereas the Imperial quickly overcame his surprise.

"I've already met Agda" , he carefully said. "But I'm afraid I haven't told her my name".

To the girl's surprise, Hadvar seemed to understand why S. C. had behaved in such a mysterious way.

"Captain, I can guarantee you that Agda would never betray us", he claimed with a smile. "Her parents are Nords, but she was born and raised in Anvil. Moreover, she holds no love for Ulfric and his people; a few months ago she even turned down a romantic offer from a Stormcloak soldier".

Agda was confused – confused and outraged.

Her confusion derived from the fact that Hadvar had just called S. C. captain; her rage derived from the fact that Hadvar had apparently spied on her.

After Ralof had been injured in a fight, his sister Gerdur had asked Agda to heal him. The Stormcloak soldier was very charming, but he was way too blunt - as Agda was attending his wounds, he had namely voiced his desire to make love to her in the vast pinewoods of Riverwood.

Can you imagine it, Agda? A tender summer night, you and me cuddled together, the moons shining on our naked bodies and the nightingales singing of our love. Sweet Talos, I would treasure that memory until I die!

Agda had been touched by Ralof's romanticism, but she had also been embarrassed by his frank suggestion – so embarrassed that she had felt the need to talk to Sigrid about it. Apparently, the witch had immediately reported the information to Hadvar.

Before Agda could overcome her confusion and start yelling at the soldier, S. C. sighed.

"If she really isn't a Stormlockak, you can tell her who I am", he said as he took a few steps and wearily slumped down on a chair. He was slightly limping, whereas his armor was completely destroyed.

"Agda, this man is my Captain, Steinarius Crepusculus", Hadvar announced in reply to his invitation.

For the second time during the last few minutes, Agda's jaw almost dropped to the floor. The mysterious stranger she had met a few months earlier wasn't just a Captain of the Legion – he was also a member of the Crepusculus family, a very famous dynasty of Legionnaires.

"Dad was good old Cornelius", the Imperial said before Agda could ask him anything. "As you probably know, he fought in the Great War".

Agda confusingly nodded. She knew how famous Cornelius Crepusculus was - after all, her own father had served in his troops.

"Now you'll understand why I didn't tell you my name", Steinarius told her with a tired sigh. "I knew that some people here in Riverwood sympathize with Ulfric, therefore I didn't want them to know about my presence in the village. On that rainy night I would have liked to reach Whiterun, but my horse was too tired. I'm sorry if I acted suspiciously".

After many useless attempts, Agda eventually succeeded in closing her jaw. Despite her confusion, she somehow managed to thank Steinarius for the ingredients he had given her on his previous visit. The man chuckled, then asked how Adaeze was doing - despite the noise, the woman was still asleep.

As soon as he received a reassuring answer, Steinarius got up from his chair. To Agda's surprise, he staggered and almost fell to the floor.

"You hurt your leg while jumping inside that inn, remember?", Hadvar said as he helped the Imperial regain his balance. "I'm afraid you might have a broken ankle, Captain. You should rest a few hours".

"Broken ankle or not, I need to get to Whiterun as soon as possible", Steinarius muttered. "I must send a courier and find out where Tullius and Rikke are".

"Do you think the General is still alive?"

"I haven't found his corpse, so I guess that he has survived. Unfortunately, the same applies to Ulfric - and to Elenwen, if I may add".

Steinarius tried to take a few steps, but the pain was too strong. With a hiss, he decided to move across the cellar by hopping on his left leg, the one that was unhurt. As he did so, he tripped on a bucket and almost fell to the floor.

Hadvar was quick to help him, whereas Agda had to do stifle a chuckle.

Steinarius Crepusculus wasn't just a Captain of the Legion and the son of a former Legate - he was also terrible at walking.

After a long discussion, Steinarius eventually agreed to have his ankle checked.

An hour earlier, when he had said that he was perfectly fine, Hadvar had pretended to believe him.

"We'll meet in Castle Dour, Captain", he had solemnly stated. "But as you already said, first you might need to send a letter to Solitude. If you're interested, Lucan Valerius can get you in touch with a courier".

Steinarius had welcomed the news with a satisfied smile. He was keen on reaching Whiterun as soon as possible, therefore he had hastily washed his face and replaced his Imperial cuirass with a plain steel armor. Then he had turned down Sigrid's offer of a warm dinner and bidden farewell to everyone.

As Agda, Hadvar and his family were having supper, however, someone had knocked on their door.

"There's a weird man in our shop", Camilla Valerius had snobbishly informed them. "It looks like he has a broken ankle".

Stifling a chuckle, Hadvar had immediately rescued his Captain, who seemed embarrassed by his misadventure. Steinarius had eaten his dinner in silence, then he had asked Agda for help - since he was a warrior, he had never bothered learning any magic.

As soon as she helped the soldier take off his boot, Agda frowned. Steinarius' ankle was swollen and had a nasty bluish colour.

"Your ankle is simply sprained, but the bone will break if you keep on walking", the girl warned him after a careful exam.

Steinarius shrugged his shoulders. He was sitting on Dorthe's bed, whereas Hadvar was downstairs with Sigrid and Adaeze, who had just regained consciousness. Alvor and his daughter, instead, had reached the inn in order to find out more about the attack on Helgen.

"I don't need to go far", the Imperial said. "In Whiterun I'll ask Danica Pure Spring to heal me, then I'll rent a horse and ride to Solitude. Unfortunately for me, my steed was killed by that stupid dragon".

"You've said that Helgen has been completely destroyed".

"The dragon has burnt everything to the ground. Nonetheless, you don't need to worry: as soon as I reach Whiterun, I'll ask Balgruuf to send a few warriors here in Riverwood, to protect the population if the beast comes back".

"I didn't think you knew the Jarl", Agda said as she cast a strong healing spell on Steinarius' ankle.

The Imperial stifled a pleased growl, causing the girl to blush.

"I lived in Whiterun, once", he explained as the magic ceased its benefic effects. "I was a member of the Companions".

Agda was very impressed by the news - impressed and surprised.

"I thought that, as an Imperial, you would have rather joined the Fighter's Guild than the Companions".

Amused by that comment, Steinarius smiled.

"As you might have noticed, I'm not the usual man from the Imperial Province", he said as Agda started to wrap his ankle in a soft linen bandage. He was sure that the girl would have made a perfect healer. "I was born in Kvatch, sure, but I've been living in Skyrim for more than twenty winters. I've always been surrounded by Nords, therefore my parents weren't surprised when I joined the Companions. When I was with them, I even chose a Nordic war name, Steinar Blackdusk".

"It looks like you loved living with the Companions. May I ask you why you left?"

As soon as the question left Agda's mouth, the golden circles around Steinarius' eyes got bigger and brighter than usual.

"I'm afraid this is none of your business", he harshly replied.

Before Agda could understand what was happening, Steinarius stood up and grabbed the knapsack Alvor had lent him.

"Thank you for curing my ankle, Agda", he said with a cold tone. "And please thank the others for their help".

"You can thank them yourselves", the girl frowned. "They're downstairs".

"I've already lost enough time", Steinarius replied. "Be a nice girl and tell them that they were very kind to me", he added as he gave Agda a satchel full of alchemy ingredients. "You're very sweet too, so I'm looking forward to our next meeting".

Before Agda could scream for Hadvar to come upstairs and bid his Captain goodbye, Steinarius opened the house door and disappeared into the night, leaving the girl alone with her questions.

She couldn't understand what she had done wrong.