I'm probably going to be spacing out chapters a little more from here on because I finally got a job like an actual adult with actual responsibilities. (If I'm honest, though, that's not what's going to slow me down. The truth is…. I'm addicted to Animal Crossing (hit me up, homies)).

On an entirely different note, at some point in the near future I plan to go back through some of the chapters and fix typos and other things that have been bugging me. I'm not sure if followers get notifications for that, so sorry in advance/just in case.

That's enough from me now.

Enjoy!

My first thought as I rolled away was an incoherent mess of incredulous curses. Maybe this was all some kind of dream. Maybe I was in some sort of hellish, alcohol induced coma and I would wake up back in Riften with Delvin yelling at me and Brynjolf smacking me on the head for being such an idiot.

I discarded that idea when the giant clubbed the dragon on the side of the head, and the beast roared again angrily. My brain rattled inside my head painfully.

Move, Kasha. Run! the sensible voice in my head urged.

My second thought was about how absolutely fantastic this all was in the purest form of sarcasm that existed. Had I survived everything Markarth threw at me only to get killed out here? I wondered if people would remember the dragon bit or just recall that I died somewhere out in a field while chasing a goat.

Run!

I watched, entranced as the dragon's jaws closed around the club, wrenching it from the giant's grasp and then snapping it in two as if it wasn't a enormous, dense piece of wood that was larger than I was. The sheer power the dragon emitted was mesmerizing, and I shuddered to think what those teeth could do to my bones.

Gods damn it all—Run!

The giant started running before I did, still frozen to the spot I had rolled into. He was running from the dragon and towards me with a big, lumbering gait. My third thought as he scooped me up, one hand wrapping around my torso and trapping my left arm against my side, was to wonder why my mode of inevitably painful death wouldn't just make up its mind. Death by giant or dragon? I was starting to get a little whiplash.

But then I noticed how gently the giant held me. It was firm enough that I wouldn't be dropped, but not too tight that it was difficult to breathe (no, my difficulty breathing was just the immense panic crushing my lungs in my chest cavity). A couple minutes ago, dragons didn't exist. They had been extinct for ages. And yet…

I wrenched my arm free from under the giant's fingers and twisted in his grasp. Sure enough, the dragon was slowly rising into the air, one leisurely flap at a time.

My stomach lurched as the giant stooped suddenly to pick up Gleda the Goat in his other hand. He took a couple more rolling steps before he crouched, plopping me roughly on the ground and shoving the goat into my arms. Taking his pointer finger, he pet Gleda on the head with as much love as I had ever seen shared between two creatures, and then used the same finger to jab me in the side, pointing in the direction of Rorikstead.

I stumbled a bit, but found that I couldn't move.

"Wait," I said, my voice hoarse. The giant glanced up at the dragon who was now lazily circling overhead. His brow was furrowed deeply when he looked back at me and I got the sense that he was frustrated with me.

"Wait," I said again, stronger. I didn't even know why I wanted him to wait. I didn't know what I wanted to say. All I knew was that the world needed to slow down for ten damn seconds. I had been all for leaving the giant, but after the show of compassion he had just demonstrated, my ever-vacillating sense of morals was having difficulty absconding as usual.

He just jabbed me in the side again, harder this time, and, laden with a large goat, I had to take a few steps to avoid toppling over.

"Go," the giant rumbled, his tongue wrapping itself around the unpracticed language with some difficulty.

I had never heard a giant speak before. In fact, the closest I had ever gotten to a giant before this was when Niruin and I accidentally stumbled upon one of their camps while on a job, and even then I had been a safe enough distance away that the crackling of their bonfire was only just audible.

Finally, with a mixture of relief and regret, I turned and ran. The giant, satisfied with my movement at last, straightened and ran in the opposite direction, making as much noise as he could.

Above, the dragon picked its target.

My progress was slower than I'd have liked, over encumbered as I was from the load in my arms, and for one terrifying second I thought the dragon was going to ignore the giant and come after me, but it seemed to change its mind halfway. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, and then readjusted my grip on the heavy goat.

"Oh my gods," I hissed. "What did they feed you?"

As if she understood me, Gleda kicked and struggled in my arms until a particularly painful hoof to my thigh made me drop her. I cursed again, prepared to limp after her, but to my surprise, she didn't run away. She merely stared in the direction where the giant was fending off his attacker. I shivered, feeling the iciness of its frost breath all the way from here.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," I said, wondering if the goat truly knew what was going on right now.

Great, I thought. I'm reassuring a goat. But part of me thought that perhaps I was also reassuring myself. I sighed, tearing my eyes away as the giant picked up a boulder and threw it.

"C'mon, Gleda. I need to get you somewhere safe."

I turned once again. After a few seconds, Gleda followed.

When I hobbled into Rorikstead, it was swarming with Whiterun guards, and I was noticed almost immediately. My first instinct was to try to recall any bounties I might have in this hold, but I was fairly certain I was clean. The guards had bigger fish to fry at the moment anyways.

"What are you doing out here?" a guard rushed over. Alarmed, he took in my slight limp, and tattered armour. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah I'm fine," I said, thinking how odd it was to hear that from a guard. "The dragon's fighting a giant out there, though. It might be easier to take it down while its distracted."

Can you even take down a dragon? I thought. In the lore I had read, dragons were always said to be highly intelligent and powerful. Some even claimed they were immortal.

"We've already got some people on it," the guard assured me. "Just get inside. We'll tell you when everything's under control."

I didn't argue. With Gleda on my heels, the guard escorted us to the inn.

"Stay inside," the guard repeated. "We'll let you know what the danger has passed."

With that, he turned smartly on his heel and rejoined his brothers in arms. Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Gleda, standing calmly beside me, wondering again if she really knew what was happening. I opened the door.

Ennis stood up abruptly from one of tables, practically tripping over himself in apprehension.

"Gleda?" he said when he saw it was me. "Is she with you?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. It's not like I had to face both a giant and a freaking dragon just now, but thanks for asking."

"Do you have her?" he insisted.

I felt my cheeks flush with anger. I really didn't like Ennis. Whatever he felt about Gleda, I was sure the giant felt ten fold.

…But maybe that was being unfair. I sighed and my anger dissipated.

"Just… whatever. Yeah," I said, stepping out of the doorway so Gleda could come in. "Here's your stu— here's your goat."

I collapsed on the bench of the table nearest to Ennis, back leaning against the edge of the counter, feeling bruised and drained as the Redguard reunited with his prize goat. Erik came over and offered me a drink, and I had to think long and hard before eventually declining the temptation. I could still feel my heart hammering away like a blacksmith.

"Are you okay?" Erik asked, sitting beside me. "I saw the dragon flying overhead. The guards ordered us all inside until further notice."

"I'm fine," I mumbled. "I was just being an ass."

"If only I had some weapons now I could help them take it down."

That sort of naïve thinking will get you killed. I hoped that drunk me did the right thing by convincing his dad to let him go adventuring. I know I had my misgivings earlier, but Erik was nice. Far too nice to go out and get himself killed.

We sat in silence for a fair amount of time, listening to the crackle of the fire pit in the center of the inn. Ennis made the occasional cooing noise and I closed my eyes, straining to hear any roars beyond the walls of the inn, but it was deceivingly peaceful.

I have so many questions.

"Did the giant have a name?" I opened my eyes and asked when I couldn't take Ennis's sickening display of affection towards the animal anymore.

"Mm," said Erik, reaching over and scratching Gleda behind the ear. "A traveler passing through called him Grok once. Grok the Giant. Don't know if it was what he called himself, but the name stuck."

I noticed how he used the past tense and tested the name.

"Grok. Hm. Nice name."

"…Really?"

"Yeah." I leaned forward, elbows on my knees and chin cradled in my hands. I had more questions, but first thing was first. "So, Ennis, I think you should tell me where Sam is now."

At this, Ennis looked a little bit sheepish.

"What?" I said, immediately suspicious.

The Redguard stood up slowly so that I had to look up at him. "Well, I don't know exactly where Sam is."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Wait, wait, hear me out. I don't know where Sam is, but I can help you retrace your steps. I mean, you were the one who kidnapped Gleda first, but it's the least I can do." I groaned as he fumbled in one of his pockets for something. "I still can't figure out" – he almost dropped it – "why you stole her. You left a note explaining it, but half of it was gibberish and the rest had mead spilled on it."

He handed me the note and I confirmed that it was indeed as illegible as he said. It did look vaguely like my handwriting though.

"Only bit I could make out was 'repaying Ysolda in Whiterun'," he continued. "And even that's mostly scribbles."

I sighed as I pocketed the note. So close, and then thrown for a loop.

"Erik, I'm gonna stay the night," I decided. "I need a room."

"Oh, okay," he said, pleasantly surprised. "I actually already put the bag you asked me to watch in the room on the left, so you can take that one, I guess. It's on the house."

"Um, thanks," I said awkwardly, unsure about how to properly deal with this kindness.

He offered to show me to my room, but I declined. Excusing myself, I stood up. I thanked Erik again and nodded at Ennis who nodded back respectfully.

Maybe he's not so bad, I admitted grudgingly as entered my room. Sure enough, my sack of things was on a chair in the far corner as Erik had promised.

I shut the door and, despite myself, trusted Erik and his inn enough to remove my gloves and boots before collapsing on the green bed, savouring the feel of a mattress under me that wasn't cold, hard rock. The softness felt foreign to me at this point, and almost made me ache more than the sleeping areas in Cidhna Mine. It took me a few moments to recognize it as an emotional ache rather than a physical one.

My eyes began to sting, and I clenched them shut.

Don't, I told myself. Not now, not ever.

A few deep breaths later, the stinging subsided, though the ache still remained. I relaxed, sinking further into bed, counting imaginary gold in my head. It wasn't long before I was fast asleep.