Recovery

Aila heard a soft humming noise. The sound seemed to be coming from somewhere near her, but she couldn't be sure where. And she felt light-headed. The more time passed the more she became aware of a pain in her side. Aila tried to open her eyes. It was more difficult than it should have been. Her body didn't want to respond. More time passed. The humming stopped abruptly. The pain in her side grew slightly, and Aila felt something being pressed against it. Then the feeling left her, and she felt nothing once again.

The next thing she could remember was waking up in a temple. She was laying on a padded stone bed. She heard the gentle trickle of water. Aila struggled to get up, stopping when the pain in her side became too much. Then Aila noticed that she wasn't wearing her Guild armour. Instead, she was in a simple tunic and breeches. She lifted up her tunic and saw a patch covering her side. Aila tried again to get up. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, rested a moment, and pushed herself to her feet. A wave of dizziness came over her and she sat back down. Her actions seemed to attract the attention of a woman in tanned robes, as she came rushing over to her.

"Whoa, there. You should be resting. Wouldn't want your wound to open back up, would we?"

"Who are you?" Aila asked.

"Oh, me?" The woman touched her hood and tilted her head. "My name's Danica Pure-Spring. It's a pleasure to meet you, Dragonborn."

Ala flinched at the title. "Please don't call me that." There was no denying it, everyone saw what happened outside of Whiterun. But still, she wasn't really comfortable with the fact.

"No?" Danica said. "Then what would you have me call you?"

"Aila."

"Aila…?"

"Just Aila."

"Well then Aila, I'd advise you to get back in bed. You took quite a hit back there. I'll be a while before you're well enough to be up and about."

"How long is a while?" Aila asked.

"Oh, I'd say about three or four days."

"What!? I can't wait that long!"

"Are you in some sort of hurry?" Danica asked.

"I just... I need to see..." I need to see Kathryn. "Oh, never mind."

Danica smiled at her. "Then in that case, bed."

Aila sighed and lay back down. Danica lifted up Aila's tunic so she could attend to her wound. She peeled back the patch, revealing it. Her hand began to glow and she placed them over Aila's torn skin. It started to hurt a little less.

"I want you to come in daily for treatments," Danica said. "Or you can just stay here, in the temple, if you don't have a place to stay. Oh, and Aila?" She looked at her. "A wound like this... Magic or no, it'll scar."

Aila looked down at the area Danica was tending. She imagined how it would look scarred. It made her think of Kathryn's scars. "It's fine," Aila said. "I have a friend with scars much worse than this'll ever be."

"Good. I mean, not good about the scars, good that you have a positive attitude. It never helps to have a bad one."

Aila murmured an agreement. She had stopped paying attention to the conversation. Her mind was focused on Kathryn. She was hoping to already be headed back to Riften by now. Instead, she was stuck in Whiterun for the next few days. Aila was definitely not okay with that. But what else could she do? Ignore the healer and set off for Riften anyway? With no one tending her wound, it would likely kill her.

Aila sighed with resignation. Oh, well. A few more days wasn't so bad. Just then there came a series of knocks at the temple door. Danica muttered something under her breathe that Aila didn't catch. She ceased the healing magic and went over to the door. She opened it slightly and peered out. Aila heard her speaking with someone, but she couldn't understand the words. Then she heard shouting from the other side as Danica shut the door. "What was that about?" Aila asked as Danica returned, bringing fresh bandages.

"Just another visitor," Danica said.

"Another?"

"Ever since word got out that there's a dragonborn resting int the temple, the whole city suddenly became very pious." She began wrapping the bandages over the wound.

"Why would they want to see me?"

"You're the Dragonborn, why wouldn't they?"

"I don't get it," Aila said. "What's so special about me being Dragonborn?"

Danica looked at her. "You're joking right?"

Aila shook her head.

"You really don't know? Haven't you heard all the stories going around about the other one?"

"Other one?" Aila thought back to when she first heard the word Dragonborn. "You mean the Redguard?"

"Damon, yes. Most of the stories are way overblown, but there's one thing that no one can argue. He can fight. He's just like the legends describe him. Physically, at least."

"Physically?" Aila asked.

"He fights like a legend, but he doesn't act like one. Not exactly what you'd call a respectable figure."

"But what does being Dragonborn have to do with it? How is it any different from anyone else?"

"Your soul," Danica said.

"My soul?"

"Yes. According to every legend, story, or just plain fairy tale, the Dragonborn is one with the body of a mortal and the soul of a dragon."

"The soul of a dragon?" Aila said. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it? After you killed that dragon, what happened?"

"Well... someone once told me that... I was absorbing its soul."

"Really? Dragons were said to be able to absorb the souls of their brethren. Now, how could you do this, if you yourself are not a dragon?"

Aila didn't have an answer.

Danica smiled at her as she finished up with the bandages. "I'll let you think on that. In the meantime, you're free to go. You're armour is over on that shelf over there. I wouldn't recommend wearing it, though. Else it'll wear out the bandages."

Aila stood from the bed and thanked Danica. She grabbed her armour and headed out of the temple, making her way to the the Bannered Mare. She told the innkeeper she was going to be staying longer than she had anticipated and went to her room. No one tried to talk with her. It seemed that nobody actually knew what the new dragonborn looked like, otherwise Aila thought it would be much more difficult to get where she was going.

She placed her armour down in her room, checking to make sure the ring was still there. It was. Knowing that, she fell into the bed. This day was not turning out well. She had attracted the attention of the entire city, which was not at all what she wanted. But worse than that was the ache in her heart. She missed Kathryn dearly, and wanted to return to Riften as soon as possible. She wanted to feel her arms wrap around her and her lips press against her own. Aila hugged her pillow and let out a small whine.

She lay quietly for several more minutes, thinking. She was trying to find a way out of this mess. Everyone wanted to see the Dragonborn, but nobody actually knew what she looked like, save for a few guards and the companions. That seemed to be that only thing she had going for her, though, that was likely to change soon.

A soft knock came at the door followed by a voice. "Aila, you in there? It's Aela."

Aila considered ignoring hr and waiting until she left, but then she realized that, despite what she said, Aela was fully aware that Aila was in the room. Those werewolf senses were becoming an annoyance. "Come in," Aila said.

The door opened and Aela stepped in. She looked at Aila for a moment. "You alright?"

"I've been better."

"How's you wound?"

"Healing."

"Good. That's… good."

An awkward silence ensued. Aela seated herself in a chair across the room from Aila. As she sat, Aila noticed that her arm was in a cast. The arm that was burned. Aila propped herself up against the bedpost, grunting a bit when her side pained her. Aila also noticed that Aela was staring at her. "What?"

"Sorry, it's just… I still can't believe it. You, of all people."

Aila sighed. "Yes, I know. I'm the Dragonborn, so what."

"So what?" Aela gaped. "Don't you know what that means?

"No!" Aila said. "And nobody will give me a straight answer. They just say that I'm special, that my soul's special. Soul of a dragon, what does that even mean?"

"Aila," Aela said softly. "Nobody can tell you because nobody really knows. All anyone really knows about the Dragonborn is what they've heard in legends and stories. And that's all people thought it was. A story. Up until about a month ago, when Damon showed up."

"The Redguard," Aila said. "Who is he exactly? Someone told me that he's a mercenary."

"Yes, or at least he was. He just sort of, appeared one day. A bit ago there was a dragon attack on the Western Watchtower. According to the guard, a Redguard joined in during the fight. The dragon didn't stand a chance. Apparently he used a warhammer to cush through it's scales."

Aila rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. He would have to be made entirely out of muscle."

Aela laughed. "You haven't seen him. He looks pretty young, but it also looks like he's been fighting all his life. He's covered in scars."

"What's he like? I haven't heard very good things about him."

"You wouldn't. He's arrogant, inconsiderate, and just plain rude. When he was asked to join the Companions he just laughed."

"He laughed?" Aila said. "Why?"

"I think he thought he was better than us. The worst part is that he was right. Skjor took his laughter as an insult and challenged him to a duel. Damon won within minutes. Skjor was seething afterwards."

"Wow."

"Mm. I just wish I could have heard him shout."

Aila furrowed an eyebrow. "Shout?"

"Yeah, shout. You know what a shout is.

Aila shook her head. "No."

Aela looked confused. "Of course you do, you used one when you fought the dragon."

"Aela, I truly have no idea what you're talking about."

"Just before you ran off to fight that dragon you used a shout. Don't you remember? You said su, or something like that."

"Su? That's the word that was on that tree…" Aila didn't remember doing anything unusual. "Are you sure?"

"It was impossible to miss. It was so loud I had to cover my ears. Afterwards, you were moving, well, fast. Faster than I thought was even possible. Every time I thought you were going to get hurt, you somehow managed to avoid it."

"I just acted," Aila said. "I wasn't thinking about what I was doing."

"Whatever you did, you may very well have saved Whiterun. I hope you know that."

"I doubt that. Someone would have killed it eventually."

"Maybe. But thanks to you much fewer people have died than otherwise."

Aila looked down sadly. "That didn't help those who did."

"Don't grieve for them, Aila. They have enough of that already." She stood from the chair. "Now, I really must get going. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Well, I'm okay. But thanks."

"See you around."

"See you."

Aela left the room. Aila sat quietly, feeling slightly better. Still, though, her mind was racing. She wanted to know more. About this Damon, about herself and these Shouts Aela many questions and so little answers. The only one who seemed to know anything was the man in her dream, but she had no idea how to find him. Perhaps he would come to her on his own. He must eventually, right? She needed answers.

And he had them.