Author's note:

Before we start, I want to send a big thank you to Alastair279, reddevil47, msyendor and all the others who have left a review/are reading or following the story! I'm happy to know that some of you consider Steinarius an interesting character, just like I'm happy to know that Agda comes across as the funny one. And yes, Steinarius definitely is a goofy golden retriever ;) As for his family and the reason why he stormed out of Alvor's house, I'm afraid that I'll leave it hanging for some more chapters.

On a side note, I want to thank msyendor for the punctuation remark. After reading your review, I actually asked myself why I use dashes rather than quotations marks - and surprise surprise, I couldn't find an aswer. I'm slowly changing that and from now on I'll do my best to stick to traditional punctuation :)

Anyway, back to the story.

Today we have a bit of a shorty. It's a build-up chapter, so it will probably make sense only after I post the next chapter. There is a tiny little warning for alcohol abuse - nothing too serious, just a booze between two friends.

As usual, thank you for reading!

25th of Hearhfire, 4E 201

After they learned of the dragon, some of the bravest – or stupidest, Agda didn't know what to think – men of Riverwood reached Helgen to check whether the rumors regarding its destruction were true. Led by Sven and Faendal, who were desperately trying to gain Camilla's attention, those unexperienced warriors left their homes with cocky smiles on their faces and arrogant thoughts in their minds. Nevertheless, they came back to Riverwood with tears in their eyes and an ancestral fear in their bones.

They had no doubts left – after several centuries of peace, the dragons had eventually returned to Skyrim.

The simple idea was enough to fill Agda with dread. She didn't feel safe in Riverwood: the village was in the middle of a very flammable pinewood, had very flammable wooden buildings and a very flammable lumber mill. The place had very flammable wood even in its name – and with a dragon flying around, that looked like a very meaningful coincidence.

If the dragon attacks us, our merry village will be burnt to the ground, Agda thought the night after her unexpected meeting with Hadvar, Adaeze and Steinarius. A week later, however, she had already changed her mind. She no longer believed that Riverwood could be burnt to the ground by the dragon that had attacked Helgen – by now, she was sure that any other dragon could do just fine.

For a few wonderful days, the people of Skyrim had nourished the illusion of a single black dragon flying over their country. It was a nasty matter, sure, but everyone believed that the Companions would kill that overgrown bat as soon as they got the chance. Unfortunately, the news coming from Whiterun soon spread fear and anxiety throughout the whole country.

The rumors regarding the dragon attack on the Western Watchtower were very confused – some spoke of a snake-like beast that had killed hundreds of men, others talked of an old greyish animal that had been dispatched quickly. Nevertheless, all those tales had three points in common.

First: the dragon seen in Whiterun wasn't black - which meant that there were at least two of the foul beasts flying around; which in turn meant that the Companions were probably going to need some help with the whole dragonslaying thing.

Second: the animal that had attacked Whiterun had been killed - which meant that dragons could die.

Third: some claimed that the mysterious dragonslayer was a girl, others said it was a man; some toasted to an Orcish mage, others drank to a Breton warrior; some thanked an acolyte of Akatosh, others mentioned a Dibella priestess. Nevertheless, they all agreed on one point.

The mysterious dragonslayer was Dovahkiin, a mortal with the soul of a dragon.

"And I am a Nord with the soul of a butterfly", that's how the local drunkard had commented the news.

Agda didn't feel as graceful as a butterfly, but she knew one thing: the Dragonborn was the very stuff legends were made of – and legends were nothing but fairy tales. She firmly believed that, if a dragon attacked Riverwood, her only chance of surviving laid in the calm waters of the White River.

After the attack on Helgen, the Jarl of Whiterun sent a few guards to protect Riverwood. Those brave fellows would do nothing but stroll across the village and drink mead at the Sleeping Giant, but their presence made everyone feel safer.

Even Agda was reassured by the soldiers who had taken up residence in Riverwood. Moreover, in the long days following the attack on Whiterun, she often forgot her fears thanks to Adaeze.

The Redguard was very different from Agda - she was beautiful and chatty and unbelievably strong, whereas the innkeeper was shy and boring and couldn't even swing a sword. Nevertheless, when they were together, the two girls felt perfectly at ease.

"I think you have a thing for Hadvar", Adaeze once said.

Agda welcomed the news with a laugh. She and Adaeze were enjoying a quite evening at the Sleeping Giant, just like they did whenever Agda had a day off. The weird Nord hated mead, but loved Colovian Brandy – and Adaeze was more than happy to share that passion with her friend.

"I think Hadvar has a thing for you, Adaeze", Agda replied with a laugh. "He couldn't take his eyes off of you while he was here in Riverwood. It's a pity that he had to leave for Solitude the morning after Helgen".

Adaeze pulled a grimace.

"He couldn't take his eyes off of me, sure, but he couldn't speak to me either. He seemed terribly afraid of me".

"He's simply shy. By the way, you have to believe me: if Hadvar and I got married, we would die of boredom a week into our marriage".

"What about his Imperial friend? He's quite goofy, but he has nice eyes".

Agda chuckled.

"Steinarius? I asked him a simple question and he left Alvor's house as though it were on fire. Nah, he is definitely too weird for me. I need a simple-minded husband – or, better, a simple-minded cat. Humans are way too complicated for me".

Somehow, over the course of that conversation Agda and Adaeze got really, really drunk.

After the innkeeper had collapsed on her chair, the Redguard had a terrible idea – she took some paper, then she sent two letters to Castle Dour.

One, on her behalf:

Dear Hadvar, I'd like to drown in your deep brown eyes as if they were a sea of chocolate.

The other, for Agda:

Dear Steinarius, thinking of your taut chest makes me stagger as if I had a sprained ankle. Please visit me soon. I can't wait to lay my hands over that wonderful body of yours.

When Agda regained her composure, it was already too late – a courier had taken the letters and was already carrying them to Solitude.

Surprisingly enough, nor Agda, nor Adaeze did receive any reply.