Author's note:
First of all, let me send a huge thank you to Savage Gosling, reddevil47 and jxciie for their reviews. It was a great morale boost to read them!
Of course, I also thank all those who are reading/following/favoriting this story. Your support really means a lot to me!
I know that in the last chapter I've been *slightly* mean to Delphine - unfortunately, I still haven't got over the way she ordered me to kill Paarthurnax as soon as I managed to find three suitable people for the Blades. So yes, personal vendetta it is ;)
As some of you might have noticed, jxciie's remark about my way of using punctuation inspired me to go back and update the previous chapters by reducing the number of blank spaces and using normal quotation marks (as already suggested by msyendor). I don't know how mail alerts work, so I hope these updates haven't flooded your inbox with annoying spams. If that is the case, I sincerely apologize and promise that I won't do it again.
Anyway, back to business. After the angst of the previous instalments, here we are with the longest chapter I've written so far.
As always, thank you for reading!
16th of Evening Star
The following morning, as Agda opened her eyes, she realized that she was still sprawled on Delphine's twinbed. The sheets had been stained by the blood on her hands, whereas her broken fingers were throbbing in a very painful way. The girl felt tired and weak and dizzy and had no memory of falling asleep.
With a tired sigh, Agda sat up on the bed. At that moment, she realized that she was still wearing one of Orgnar's old shirts and that Steinarius' arms were still wrapped around her waist.
Before the girl could overcome her surprise, the Imperial opened his eyes and smiled at her.
"You're finally awake", he told her with his singsong accent.
Agda was unnerved by the relief in the captain's voice. With a shiver, she wondered whether the two of them had slept together for the whole night.
"So it seems", Steinarius nodded in reply to her question. "My arm was trapped under your back, so I couldn't leave the bed without waking you up. Delphine gave you a sleeping draught, therefore I didn't dare bothering you while you were asleep".
Agda frowned. Her voice was still hoarse from the cries of the previous day, but at least she was now able to talk.
"Why did Delphine give me a draught? I don't remember waking up or having nightmares or... "
"You may not remember it, but Delphine and I perfectly do", Steinarius interrupted her. "And believe me, it wasn't a pleasant sight".
"What do you mean?"
Steinarius sighed. He was laying on his back, whereas Agda was sitting beside him.
"Agda, it's ten o'clock in the morning and you've been sleeping for the last twenty-four hours. Hadn't you woken up by midday, I would have regained possession of my arm and asked Delphine to call a healer".
"TWENTY-FOUR HOURS?"
As Steinarius noticed how worried and shocked and embarrassed Agda was, he immediately tried to reassure her.
"You didn't sleep the whole time, Agda. It was more like sobbing, then sleeping, then waking up with a scream; sobbing, sleeping, waking up with a scream. That's why Delphine gave you a potion".
Agda snorted. Not only had the sleeping draught kicked her out – it had messed with her memory too.
The girl suddenly wondered whether Steinarius had been troubled by her whole crying and sobbing and waking up with a scream routine.
"You don't need to worry, Agda", the Imperial told her with a light smile. "It takes much more than that to bother my sleep. Anyway, I guess it's high time we cleaned you up".
Before the girl could ask what that meant, Steinarius swiftly hopped off the bed and headed for the main hall. Agda heard him talk to Delphine, then she heard a weird crashing sound.
"I'm fine!", the Imperial immediately screamed.
The young innkeeper frowned. The closets in the guestrooms hosted a metal basin on their tops; unfortunately, every time someone opened the closets too violently, the basins would fall to the ground. Apparently, Delphine hadn't warned Steinarius about it and the man's clumsiness had done the rest.
The captain was back in the room a second later. He laid a metal basin on the floor, then he wearily scrubbed his eyes with his hands, which were still covered in blood.
As he looked at Agda again, the girl couldn't stifle a low chuckle: completely oblivious of the blood that marred his hands, Steinarius now looked like a fluffy and sleepy red-eyed creature.
"I guess that a bath could do us good", the Imperial said without realizing how dirty his face was. "I've also brought you some clothes".
As Steinarius proudly presented her with an old sleeping gown that had probably belonged to the first woman who had ever lived in Skyrim, Agda sighed.
The captain was sweet and soothing and gentle, but he was as goofy as a Horker in a mage robe.
Despite Agda's protests, Steinarius insisted to help her with her bath.
Although the girl had kept her smallclothes on, at first she felt very uncomfortable. Yet, as the Imperial proceeded to rub her back and wash her hair, she let out a few embarrassing moans.
"You're good at this", she admitted.
Steinarius smiled. He was happy to see that Agda wasn't thinking about the Thalmors and he was even happier to see that she had temporarily forgotten the way he had tried to kill her.
"I had a lot of practise, Agda", he replied with a smile. "It's one of the few things I can do without causing disasters".
Agda frowned. In her experience, the only ones who needed help with their hygiene were old people, little children and people with health problems.
Did Steinarius use to attend an old relative of his?, she wondered. Or did he usually take care of his injured friends during his time with the Companions?
Agda would have liked to ask him those questions, but Delphine's appearance swayed her thoughts. The Breton handed her a clean set of blankets, causing Steinarius to snort.
The man helped Agda out of the basin, then he led her to her room, so that she could get dressed on her own.
As the young girl returned to the place where she had slept, she had a nice surprise - Steinarius had already changed the blankets and prepared Delphine's bed for the night. He had also bathed in record-time and prepared a plate full of sweets for Agda.
As the girl started eating, the captain wrapped her hand in a sloppy, yet comfortable bandage, then tried to make her laugh by telling her a few anecdotes about the Legion. Unfortunately, when Delphine called him from the main hall, Steinarius was forced to leave.
Agda felt a tingle of worry when the Imperial abandoned her. She tried to focus on her breakfast, but she couldn't block out the screams coming from the main hall. Apparently, Delphine and Steinarius were arguing again.
When the Breton shouted the word Thalmor, the sweetroll that Agda was eating suddenly fell to the floor. Out of the blue, all the memories from the previous day flooded her mind, thus erasing what little peace she had managed to regain.
The girl remembered the fear of the interrogation, the pain of the torture, the way she had trembled when the Thalmor had cut her dress. Eventually, she also remembered the way she had killed her captor.
As she did, she immediately broke down in tears.
When Steinarius returned to Delphine's room, he immediately sensed that something was off.
As soon as he noticed that Agda was hidden in a corner, the captain knelt down in front of her, then gathered her in his arms. He soothed her and stroked her until Agda stopped crying, then he cupped her face in his hands.
As he looked at her troubled expression, Steinarius frowned.
Because of him, that innocent girl had already risked to die twice. Now, the very least he could do was provide her with some good explanations for the Thalmor's attack.
To Agda, the simple idea of remaining at the inn – that very same inn where she had been tortured and had killed a man – was appalling. Therefore, when Steinarius asked her to take a walk with him, she eagerly accepted his offer.
Unfortunately, as soon as the girl understood why the Imperial had told her to wear comfortable boots and heavy clothes, she immediately regretted her decision.
"I thought we would head to Whiterun", she muttered when Steinarius took the road that led towards Helgen. They were in the middle of Riverwood and a few snowflakes were lazily falling over their heads. "Isn't it dangerous to walk through the forests?"
Steinarius shook his head. He was wearing his usual steel armor and had a very lethal-looking dwarven sword strapped at his waist.
"In the forests there is nothing for dragons to destroy, therefore we'll be relatively safe".
Agda frowned. When she'd accepted Steinarius' offer, she hadn't contemplated the possibility of being attacked by an overgrown fire-spitting lizard. Therefore, as soon as she heard the word dragon, she immediately wished she had never left the inn.
Sensing her fears, Steinarius laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"You just need to trust me, Agda. As long as you're with me, nothing will happen".
When the Imperial jokingly pinched her cheek, Agda agreed to follow him and even managed to produce a tiny smile. Yet, as the walls of Riverwood got out of her sight, she felt a cold shiver run down her neck.
For the third time in her life, she was going to tackle the wilds of Skyrim.
The walk to the Standing Stones was much easier than predicted. Agda panted when the road became steeper, but didn't come across any overgrown cat or dog or lizard.
She almost couldn't believe her luck.
Beside her, Steinarius was quieter than usual. He made a few comments about the cold winters of Skyrim, then resumed walking in silence. Later, when the two of them reached the Standing Stones, the captain absent-mindedly touched the one carrying the symbol of the Warrior.
"My birthsign is the Snake", he told Agda. "But in my line of work, the warrior is everyone's favorite constellation".
At that point Steinarius took a steep, hidden path that led to the shores of Lake Ilinalta. When he noticed that Agda had some troubles following him, he came back and took her by the hand. As soon as the girl reached the lake, however, he immediately let go.
When the strange couple got to a little wooden shack in the middle of a pinewood, Steinarius smiled.
"Agda, I welcome you to Anise's cabin", he proudly announced. "After Anise died, one of my friends decided to use her house as her own personal shack. She and I used to spend a lot of time here".
Agda would have liked to ask Steinarius more information about his mysterious friend, but the memory of his sudden escape from Alvor's house prevented her from being too nosy. The Imperial was sweet and goofy and kind, but he was also quick to lose his temper - and if he stormed out of the shack in anger, I would never make it back to Riverwood, Agda thought. Suddenly, that trip to the forests looked like a very bad idea.
Completely unaware of the girl's thoughts, Steinarius lit some of the candles he found inside the shack.
"Anise was an alchemist", he explained. "Unfortunately, she was also friends with a few Hargravens. When my friend found out about it, Anise attacked her, thus causing her prompt reaction. As you can see, after her death we did a good job of cleaning the place".
Although the revelation about Anise's death had slightly unnerved her, Agda noticed that the cabin was cozy and warm - there were clean blankets in a crate, books on a shelf, a few potions on a table. Nevertheless, everything was covered by a thick layer of dust.
"I don't come here often", Steinarius admitted as he noticed the girl's frown. "Yet, there is a hidden cellar I wanted to show you".
Intrigued by the discovery, Agda followed Steinarius through a trapdoor. As she saw the alchemy lab in the cellar, she let out a surprised cry.
That trip had just become much more interesting than expected.
Agda fiddled with the alchemy lab for what felt like hours. As Steinarius stifled the hundredth yawn of the afternoon, however, she suddenly remembered about his presence.
"You said you wanted to talk".
Prompted by those words, Steinarius forgot his tiredness and asked Agda to go back to the first floor. Although she would have liked to keep on examining Anise's rare collection of ingredients, the girl obliged.
She sat down on the woman's bed, whereas Steinarius slumped on a nearby chair.
"Agda, I know that you haven't forgotten the way I almost strangled you", the Imperial said without further preambles. "And I'm sure that you haven't forgotten the way I passed out in the inn a few days ago. I guess I owe you an explanation".
Agda frowned. She obviously hadn't forgotten those events, but hadn't expected Steinarius to explain her the reasons for his behavior - after all, the man was a Captain of the Legion and the son of one of the wealthiest men in Tamriel, whereas she was a simple innkeeper.
"I also want you to understand why an Imperial like me joined the Companions and why I later decided to become a soldier", Steinarius added before Agda could say anything. "But to achieve my aim, I'll need to tell you something about my youth.
"As you already know, I was born in Kvatch to an important member of the Imperial Legion. Mom was a Priestess of Akatosh, just like all her ancestors before her. I never had any siblings and I grew up amongst soldiers and horses and weapons, as my father often travelled through Cyrodiil because of his job.
"When I was seven, dad was unexpectedly stationed to Skyrim. At first I lived in Castle Dour with him and my mum, then we moved to a huge place called Proudspire Manor. Prince Thorygg was the same age as I, so we quickly became friends. He adored books and music and arts, whereas I grew to love hunting and fighting and horse riding. His father joked that I was a Nord through and through, whereas Thorygg was a perfect Imperial. He certainly didn't expect similar words to be used by the man who later killed his son".
There was a brief pause, during which Steinarius heavily sighed. As she looked at him, Agda noticed that his eyes had become golden as soon as he mentioned Thorygg. Apparently, that weird change in his irises took place whenever the captain was angry or sad or worried.
"My parents wished I would become a steward for Thorygg, but I wasn't cut for court life", Steinarius said, thus resuming his tale. "I wanted to become a warrior, therefore I joined the Companions shortly after my seventeenth birthday. I lived with them for seven years and never regretted that choice. Yet, about one year ago, I received the news of Thorygg's death.
"As soon as I found out about the murder of my best friend, I swore revenge. At that time I had already had some fights with my shield-siblings, as we all had different ideas on the war. After one particularly heated argument, I stormed out of Jorrvaskr and never looked back".
As Steinarius paused, he lowered his gaze. Agda, on the other hand, frowned. For some reason, she felt as though the Imperial was hiding the true reason why he'd left the Companions.
Unaware of her suspects, the man sighed and kept on talking.
"As you already know, I worked in the Legion for the last few months, slowly rising through the ranks and earning my colleagues' respect. Yet, a few weeks ago I decided to quit".
Agda couldn't stifle her surprise.
"Whaaaaat?", she asked while widening her eyes. "What does it mean that you quit the Legion? Hadvar said that he and the other soldiers adored you! He also told me that you're one of the most promising officers of the army and that you were about to get an even higher rank! Why would such a talented soldier suddenly quit?"
With another sigh, Steinarius lowered his gaze.
"I didn't leave because I wanted to", he whispered as though he was speaking to himself. "I left because I had to".
Confused by those words, Agda immediately stopped her confused rantings.
"When the dragon destroyed Helgen, I was angry", Steinarius told her. He was still looking at the floor and seemed very worried about something. "I was angry for the losses and the destruction and for the fact that the three months of efforts that had led me to capture Ulfric had suddenly vanished into nothing. Yet, that day I didn't think that my destiny was about to change".
Despite Agda's frown, Steinarius kept on talking.
"When I was with you in Riverwood and you mentioned the Companions, the tiredness and the frustration had me losing my temper. I headed for Whiterun to talk to the Jarl and, although I wanted to leave for Solitude as soon as possible, I stopped because Balgruuf asked me to retrieve a weird stone from Bleak Falls Barrow. That's why on the following morning I came back to Riverwood – while I was stuck in his shop with my sprained ankle and his annoying sister, I'd heard Lucan Valerius talking about a stolen golden claw. I have my fair experience of Nordic ruins and I know that sometimes it's impossible to explore them without those items.
"I quickly retrieved the stone Balgruuf needed and returned to Dragonsreach as soon as possible. On my way to Whiterun I would have liked to stop at the Sleeping Giant and say that I wasn't angry at you, but unfortunately I had already lost enough time. Therefore, after bringing the claw back to Lucan, I immediately headed for Dragonsreach. While I was there, a dragon attacked the Western Watchtower.
"I'm a good warrior and I had already witnessed the attack on Helgen, therefore I followed the townguards and helped them against the beast. As I killed the dragon, the world around me suddenly became dark and I felt a weird stream of memories flow through my mind. When I recovered my sight, I felt the unstoppable urge to Shout. And when I did, the nightmare began".
Steinarius stopped to look Agda's in the eyes. He was both curious and nervous about her possible reactions.
As she realized that the Imperial and the mysterious dragonslayer of Whiterun were the same person, the girl frowned. A second later, she noticed how tired and worried and troubled Steinarius looked. At last, Agda focused on the word his friend had just used.
Shout.
When she understood what all those clues meant, the girl let out a surprised squeak.
"It cannot be!", she protested out of shock.
Amused by her reaction, Steinarius humorlessly chuckled.
"And yet it is. The Divines have chosen me, an Imperial and a former captain of the Legion, to save our world from the end. I can no longer hide it, Agda: I am the Dragonborn".