Author's note:
First things first: a huge thank you to all the wonderful people who are following/favoriting/reading this story. You really are amazing!
Of course, I also thank flutterchaos for their review, which made me chuckle just like the previous one. I must admit that I quite like Steinarius, so I think he'll stick around for some more time ;) By the way, I must warn you: I'm not a fan of happy endings, therefore you should definitely expect some more tragedy and torture and angst over the course of this story.
A huge thank you also goes to Elspeth: it's always nice to read reviews from people who have just started reading the story! Moreover, I'm glad you're enjoying this fanfic and the developing relationship between Agda and Steinarius :)
Back to business: you all remember the cozy little scene from the prologue, do you? If not, it means that it's high time I reminded you about it - and this chapter gives me the perfect chance to do that.
7th of First Seed, 4E 202
Ever since Helgen, some towns had proven to be particularly vulnerable to dragon attacks. Windhelm and Falkreath, for example, were believed to be among the beasts' favourite places, just like Winterhold and Morthal. Riverwood, instead, was considered relatively safe – or, at least, it was considered relatively safe until a tragic afternoon at the beginning of spring.
It'd been months since Agda last saw Steinarius. Over those long, dull weeks, the girl had learned to stake the thoughts regarding the Imperial in a hidden corner of her mind. That afternoon, however, as Sven entered the tavern and screamed something about a dragon flying towards Riverwood, the young innkeeper deeply wished that the Dragonborn were by her side.
Spurred by the bard's alarmed cries, Agda and Orgnar immediately left the Sleeping Giant. The building wasn't safe at all: it was highly flammable and, had the dragon decided to land on its roof, it would have surely collapsed under his weight. Nonetheless, the two innkeepers didn't leave their tavern just because they wanted to find a better shelter - on the contrary, they left because they wanted to help the townsfolks during the fight with the beast.
As Agda reached the main street of Riverwood, she noticed that Sigrid was running for Whiterun together with her daughter and Gerdur' son, who was desperately crying out for his mum. Despite her worries, Gerdur had grabbed a bow and looked ready to defend her lumber mill and her village from the upcoming threat.
As she watched the resolute look on the Nord's face, Agda felt a rush of adrenaline run through her veins. She wasn't an archer, but over the previous months she had become very good at magic.
It was now time she put her long, sleepless nights of study to good use.
When the dragon came closer, the people of Riverwood could finally take a good look at the legendary beast.
Their enemy was a huge bronzed creature, with lethal razor-sharp claws and powerful wings. As they saw him, the inhabitants of the village didn't even flinch – on the contrary, they simply steadied the grip on their weapons and got into a fighting stance.
Agda had never been a brave woman, but the behavior of her friends awoke her primal Nord instincts. Therefore, as all the other people of Riverwood reached for their bows, she was quick to summon a Frost Atronach and ready the strongest destruction spell she knew.
Unfortunately, despite the villagers' good intentions, the fight soon proved to be uneven. One of the hunters who usually roamed around Lake Ilinalta was killed by the first wave of fire coming from the dragon, whereas two of the townguards were incinerated few minutes later. Despite those tragic losses, the people of Riverwood stood their ground.
Although Lucan Valerius had run for the mountains immediately after the appearance of the beast, his sister Camilla didn't abandon the village for the whole fight. Hilde shouted insults at the huge dragon, while Sven and Faendal forgot their eternal arguments to face the common threat together. Gerdur, Hod and Alvor were fighting like sabre-cats in order to give their children the time to reach Whiterun, whereas Embry and Orgnar were proving to be quite good archers.
During the fight, Agda fell into a weird sort of routine: she would cast a spell towards the dragon, then she would find shelter behind the lumber mill. The girl could feel the ashy scent coming from the creature, the power he radiated, the sickening smell of burnt flesh and sweat and blood that was now reigning in Riverwood. Despite the tiredness, even when the last standing townguard was killed, Agda never faltered.
Eventually, as the dragon landed on the roof of the lumber mill, Agda was forced to give all she could for the safety of her village. She summoned another Frost Atronach, then she ran out of her hiding with a strong ice spell in her hands.
The dragon seemed amused by that little girl who was facing him with such bluntness. He said something in his ancient language, then he opened his fangs. As soon as he did, Agda' spell hit him right in the mouth and prevented the fire from leaving his throat. Angered by that trick, the beast abandoned the lumber mill and resumed flying over the village. He was now set to destroy those arrogant humans who'd dared to oppose him.
When the dragon let out a loud roar, Agda felt a cold shiver run down her spine. With a sudden feeling of nausea, the young innkeeper realized that she'd just managed to make the beast even angrier.
As he starting flying around in circles, the dragon spat a huge column of fire towards the sky. Yet, after a few seconds of that display of power, the beast unexpectedly stopped moving and tilted his head towards south. A second later, he immediately headed for Helgen, leaving the people of Riverwood alone. Spurred by that apparent retreat, the villagers were quick to follow him.
As the dragon disappeared behind the tall trees, Agda rubbed her eyes in order to check whether she was dreaming. Not only was she perfectly awake - it aso looked as though the dragon had decided to abandon Riverwood for good.
As Agda realized it, the exhaustion and the relief had her drop on her knees and burst into a long, hysterical laughter.
Agda's amusement didn't last long. As she heard the sounds of a distant battle, the girl immediately remembered the death of the townguards and of the hunter who usually roamed around Riverwood. Zakar, Pablus, Kael and Rakkus were among her favourite customers, therefore Agda felt as though she'd just lost four friends.
As the girl stood up, she realized that Hilde had an injured arm, whereas Camilla Valerius had broken into a nervous cry. Since the dragon seemed gone for good and the Sleeping Giant hadn't reported any damage, Agda was quick to lead the two women inside the inn, where she immediately started to take care of them.
Half an hour later, when the doors to the tavern burst open, Agda expected a group of very grim townsfolks to make their appearance. She was therefore taken aback when she realized that Alvor and Hod were carrying a consciousless warrior with a mane of red hair and a vast burning on his leg – and she was even more shocked when Orgnar, Sven and a very battered Steinarius immediately followed suit.
The young innkeeper motioned for the injured warriors to be taken to Delphine's former room. As she grabbed some healing potions, she noticed that Steinarius was muttering some incoherent words in a language she couldn't understand.
"What happened?", Agda asked as she made her way towards the injured fighters.
"A dragon attacked Riverwood, then left", Orgnar calmly told her.
Confronted by the Nord's phlegmatic answer, Agda felt the urge to roll her eyes.
"That much I knew. What happened then?"
"The beast attacked Steinarius and his companion. The Imperial has killed the dragon and absorbed his soul".
Agda cursed. Everyone in Riverwood had just found about the Dragonborn. Yet, before the girl could analyze the consequences of that discovery, a very angry Sven appeared by her side.
"Yuor friend is freaking out", the bard hastily said. "You'd better check on him".
Agda immediately obliged. When she reached the room where Steinarius and the other warrior had been brought, she couldn't believe her eyes.
The red-haired boy was still unconscious. Alvor had taken off his armor, so that Agda could have a clear view of the burnings that marred his chest, his right leg, his arms. The skin over there was black and surrounded by nasty blisters. Steinarius, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter.
Hod was wrestling to keep him still, but the Imperial kept on squirming and cursing and yelling.
"You're hurt, for Talos' sake, can't you see?", Gerdur's husband hissed.
Steinarius simply ignored those words. He was completely out of himself: his eyes were wide with fear, his chest was heaving fast, his mouth was babbling a series of illogical sentences.
Worried by that fact, Agda decided to run by his side and calm him with a spell. When Steinarius saw her, he immediately grabbed her by the shoulders.
"You have to save him, Agda. You have to save him, do you understand? If you don't save him, I'll…"
"Steinarius, calm down", the innkeeper told him. "Are you talking about this boy? Who is he?"
The Imperial said something that Agda didn't understand, then mentioned the name Erik. He tried to get up from the bed, but Hod held him down once again. A second later, Sven tried to pin Steinarius' legs to the mattress, so that the Imperial could stop kicking like crazy. Meanwhile, Alvor examined the conditions of the other warrior.
"We'll have to fetch Danica Pure-Spring", he said. "I've never seen such bad injuries".
Agda agreed: she was a decent healer, but she had no idea what to do with poor Erik's burnings.
Yet, before the girl could speak her mind on the matter, Steinarius started screaming once again.
"You have to save him, Agda, you have to save him! I promised his father that Erik would be safe with me, I promised him he would be safe. His father! I promised his father that…"
"For Talos' sake, does he ever shut up?", Hod complained.
Steinarius seemed offended by that remark.
"You don't know how it feels to lose a son", he said, his voice broken by a lump in his throat. "You don't know how it feels to lose a son and I hope you'll never find out. You don't know how it feels to lose a son and…"
The Imperial didn't finish the sentence: as Sven gave him a strong blow to the temple, he immediately slipped into unconsciousness.
By the time Agda left Delphine's room, it was well past midnight.
As a punishment for his behavior, Sven had been sent to Whiterun to fetch Danica Pure-Spring, so that the experienced healer could help Erik with his injuries. Unfortunately, the priestess was temporarily in Rorikstead to help a woman with the birth of her child; therefore, Agda had been forced to take care of the red-haired warrior on her own.
It had been a very long day and the girl had often thought that Erik was about to die. Nevertheless, thanks to a huge amount of potions and healing spells, the warrior was now feeling better – his breathing had returned calm, his pulse was regular, his skin had regained its natural pink shade. He was still unconscious, but Agda thought that he was now out of danger.
Steinarius hadn't regained consciousness either. Sven had been very brutal to him and had left a big mark on his temple. Nonetheless, the Imperial had no other injury aside from that bluish bruise on his face.
"Do you remember what he said this afternoon?", Sven asked Agda.
The bard had come back from Whiterun in the late evening and was now enjoying a warm supper in the Sleeping Giant.
"Aye", Agda sighed as she answered Sven's question. "He said something about a promise".
"And a lost son. Do you think he was talking out of experience?"
Agda snorted.
"Steinarius doesn't have a wife, let alone a child".
"You don't need a wife to have a son", Sven pointed out with a shrug. "Maybe Steinarius got a random girl pregnant and they later decided to keep the baby without getting married. After all, there are many former Companions who have illegitimate sons all over the country".
Agda shook her head. She couldn't imagine Steinarius getting a random girl pregnant - he was clumsy, sure, but not that clumsy. Yet, as Sven asked her what she knew about the time Steinarius had spent in Jorrvaskr, Agda frowned. Nothing at all, she realized with a startle; whereas his friend often chatted about his childhood or his time in the Legion, he never talked about his life with the Companions.
Out of the blue, Agda randomly thought about the way Steinarius had tried to kill her. She had seen how dangerous the Imperial could be when he lost his temper - and newborn babies definitely had the ability to stretch people's patience to their limits.
What if Steinarius had really had a child from a random girl? And what if he was kicked out of the Companions because he hurt his son and his woman?
Horrified by those thoughts, Agda immediately locked them in a hidden corner of her mind. She couldn't imagine Steinarius hurting a child, let alone his child.
"Steinarius wasn't talking out of experience", she claimed after Sven had been ranting about the matter for almost an hour. "And now I'd be glad if we could talk about something else".
Yet, even when the bard obliged, Agda couldn't stop thinking about Steinarius' confused words.
For some reasons, the thought of the Imperial being a father didn't feel right to her. There were two children in Riverwood, Dorthe and Frodnar, but Steinarius had never given them any attention. Sure, he had danced with the little girl on New Life Festival and had once gone fishing with Frodnar and his father, but that was all.
If Steinarius had lost a son, shouldn't he look upset when he was around other children?
When Sven left the inn, Agda could finally think her questions over and over again. Yet, as she went to check on Erik, the girl was forced to set her thoughts about Steinarius aside.
The red-haired warrior was covered in sweat and wore a very pained expression. When Agda touched his forehead, she realized that he was burning with fever.
Worried by that fact, Agda hastily fetched a potion against diseases. It seemed that Erik had come down with Bone Break Fever, a very dangerous illness that required a lot of cures.
As soon as he gulped the potion Agda had just poured into his mouth, the consciousless warrior regained part of his health. Nonetheless, the young innkeeper didn't feel relieved by that light improvement: whoever came down with Bone Break Fever needed a curing vial once every two hours and risked to die if the necessary potions weren't provided.
If she wanted Erik to survive, Agda had to do everything she could to give him the assistance he needed.
With a tired sigh, the young innkeeper examined the alchemy ingredients displayed next to her lab. As she did, her face immediately went blank. Agda had everything she needed to heal burnings and fractures, but had just run out of curing potions - and without those vials, Erik's life was in great danger.
Trying to keep her fears in check, Agda thought about the places where she could get the potions she needed to help the redhead with his disease.
When they'd seen how badly Erik had been injured, the people of Riverwood had given Agda all the vials and ingredients they had at home; given that fact, the villagers clearly couldn't do anything else to help. There was an alchemy shop in Whiterun, but the journey there and back usually took about three hours - and Erik couldn't resist such a long time without drinking another potion.
With a shiver, Agda realized that she had no choice apart from brewing the necessary vial herself. The girl already had some mudcrab chitin, but she didn't know where to find charred skeever hide, vampire dust or hawk feathers. Without those ingredients, preparing a potion against diseases was simply impossible.
In an attempt to concentrate and find a solution, Agda massaged her temples with her long fingers. After a few minutes, she remembered about Anise's cabin, the little shack where Steinarius had told her he was the Dragonborn. There was an alchemy lab in the building and Agda was sure she'd seen some hawk feathers in a satchel nearby.
Spurred by urgency, the girl immediately grabbed her cloak and went for the door.
There was no time to lose: if she didn't want Erik to risk his life, Agda needed to reach Anise's cabin as soon as possible.
And if she wanted to reach the place as soon as possible, she had to go there herself.