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A New Meaning
"Coming to, are you?"
He recognized the voice, but knew it didn't belong to someone he knew well. He tried to speak but fell into a coughing fit that sent jolts of pain all through his body, the taste of smoke blasting through his mouth. He opened his stinging eyes and saw a woman standing over him, her arms crossed and bearing a wide grin. She had blonde hair and was dressed in armour made of bone, now spattered with blood.
What had happened again? Right, the fire. He'd rescued a little baby, or at least, hoped he had.
"Th… the…"
"Just fine. A little cooked, but alive."
He tried to get up, all his bones aching.
"Stay still for a bit. You took a nasty fall."
He was in a shack, lying down on a bed of soft straw. Night had fallen while he was out, apparently.
The woman crouched beside him. She had the strangest eyes, somehow… unnatural. Unsettling. "That was quite incredible what you did, as stupid as it was to run into a burning house. And trust me, when I say it, that means something. I kill dragons for a living."
"Yes, I've… heard of you," he said hoarsely, still coughing up smoke. "You're the uh…"
"Dovahkiin, yes." She rolled her eyes as she said it. "Or that's what they call me. I'm just some butch chick who's good at chopping up oversized reptiles." She smiled broadly and held out her hand. "Arska Gvalhir. You can address me by my first name. Oblivion, anyone who risks being burned alive to save a child gets the right to ditch the honorifics."
"Keljarn." He feebly shook her hand, his arm in terrible pain.
"Also, you're forgiven for crashing into me just then."
"I was… chasing someone." The murdering little rat. He'd had to let her go to save the infant, but he was relieved to feel that he regretted nothing. Shame she got away, but he knew Ria, Njada and Kodlak would have approved of his choice. What was petty revenge compared to the life of an innocent child?
He tried again to get up, but paralyzing pain shot up from his shoulder.
"Yes, that's… probably dislocated," the woman said, her grin still very much there, as she observed him clutching the joint. "Could have been much worse, though."
"Sure… could have." He realized now that the child he'd saved was now an orphan. "So what… happens to the child now? Any family?"
"Don't think so," the woman said, still kneeling by him. "Young couple, just settled here. No one knew who they were. Little poop plopper has no family for all we know. Suppose if no one takes it in, they'll drop it off at the Orphanage in Riften."
Biting the pain, Keljarn shook his head. "No. I'm not letting that happen. I know exactly how those children turn out." Perhaps this was an opportunity to do more than just take revenge or even save a young life. Perhaps this was also an opportunity to prevent that young life from turning out the same way the assassin had done.
The woman shrugged. "We all turn out the way we do for all kinds of reasons. Heh, I almost had my block knocked off in a town called Helgen. Was this close to ending up in two before a dragon attacked. Crazy stuff, life."
"Yes, well, I'll be a reason for this infant if I can help it. Can you… do me a favour?"
"Absolutely."
"Tell the village that unless anyone has a legitimate reason to be the one to take care of the child, I want to take it home with me."
She snorted. "I'm pretty certain no one will have a more legitimate claim than actually saving the little thing."
"Thanks. You know, I'd heard stories about you, and I have to say… you're not as bad as they say."
She chuckled. "Second time I've heard that in a very short time. Don't be too quick to like me. I think a lot of people would disagree. Like the folks in Riften, for starters."
"Oh." He had no idea what she was on about, and it was probably best not to ask. "But thanks for letting these people know I'd like to take the child home with me."
"It's only right. And home would be…?"
"The Companions. We'll make a proud, honest, honourable man out of him."
She shook her head, standing up brusquely. "No. No way. I can't believe you'd even ask that of me. How dare you even make the suggestion."
What in Oblivion had he said wrong? "But… what's so bad about…?"
"I will not have you gluing a wooden pee pee to her pelvis."