Lorkhan's Eclipse [A Skyrim Fanfiction]

6. Fresh Starts

I meet Delphine properly when I step up to the bar. She seems very no-nonsense, like a soldier, and the dress she's wearing looks a bit out of place on her. Killian mentioned she's involved in some secret dragon-hunting group, maybe that's why her appearance seems off.

I guess the vibe check radar is still fully functional.

"I gotta thank you for lookin' after my boy," Orgnar, the cook and barman, tells me after Delphine mentions I was with those that brought Hjeralt in. "Told the damned fool I didn't want him running off to fight, just lucky he met you lot, I guess. Whatever you want, it's on the house - now and forever."

His voice doesn't have much inflection, but the offer says more than his words can.

Hjeralt is sleeping when Delphine lets me look in on him. She asks what I know about healing and I get to see her expression when the phrase "basic first aid" clearly means nothing to her.

"I don't know much about potions or medicines," I tell her, "Or healing magic. But I know how to treat basic injuries."

"If you were sticking around, I'd offer to show you a bit of Alchemy, but I hear you're off to Whiterun tomorrow,"

"And then back to get something out of Bleak Falls Barrow not long after," I shrug, "Killian knows a bit, he spoke to a Seer once who gave him some instruction."

"Really?" Delphine's entire attitude towards me drops by about thirty degrees. "He mention anything interesting about the people here?"

"Dragons are back was the main focus of what he listened to."

I didn't expect Delphine to be so icy about it all, but I guess, considering what Killian's said, it makes sense. Apparently she got hunted or something by the Thalmor - given the whole "hey dragons are a thing", I bet they regret that decision.

Orgnar insists on feeding us both a "light lunch" of stew with some bread, and I didn't realise how hungry I was until it's in front of me. He offers us mead but I opt for water, once I find out that he doesn't have anything else non-alcoholic.

Note to self: invent apple juice.

Ralof joins us for lunch, having changed clothes and tied his hair back. "Breton-style", he says, so he isn't easily recognised.

Killian goes off to investigate the shop and mill after lunch, while I hang around the forge and watch Alvor. We start talking about smithing, and he ends up giving me some iron ingots to turn into a dagger. When I bring him my handiwork, he seems genuinely impressed.

"Looks like you've got a real knack for this," he tells me, inspecting the dagger. "Maybe I should hire you as my assistant."

"I think I'd rather have my own forge," I tell him, "But, assistant would make for a good starting point."

I spend most of the afternoon working on a better sword for myself. The one I grabbed is alright, but I'd rather have something that I make purely for myself, customised to my own style. Alvor watches me with interest as I keep busy, finding other things to do around the forge. I see Killian moving back and forth through the town as I work, and at one point he's cutting wood for Hod and Gerdur, but we don't really talk too much while I'm working. He's found his own things to do, and I've found mine, but we still take comfort in each other's closeness. Some things haven't changed, at least.

Gerdur stops by as she and Hod are apparently heading home, climbing the steps to where Alvor and I are shutting down most of the forge – he said he leaves the fire going most of the night, saves him having to reheat everything when he gets up in the morning.