Companion (Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Fanfiction)

Chapter 9

Between quests and travel, the Dragonborn trained Miraak. It was frustrating. Not always, but often enough that the Dragonborn began to consider shipping Miraak to Solstheim and just forgetting about him.

Miraak did not like to listen. He wouldn't understand things at times or just try to leave mid-session when he grew bored. In his mind, learning magic or swordplay were not important.

The Dragonborn found herself growing angry regularly and yelling quite often. This greatly displeased her trainee. Miraak, in turn, would growl and turn his back to her. Sulking, the female Dragonborn felt it was. Miraak would refuse to listen to anything she said after that, ignoring her completely even hours later.

After much time and anger on both sides, Miraak began to learn. He learned to carry a sword and take it out when asked. He learned how to create and throw several basic spells. He was a far cry from what he used to be in Apocrypha but it was a start.

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More weeks of training paid off. Miraak was learning faster now. The female Dragonborn felt a little more comfortable that Miraak could handle himself in a battle. Even so, she could defeat him easily when she mock fought him as practice. However, that may have been because he was never really interested in a fight with her.

When actually faced with danger, Miraak was a little more menacing. He began to use his sword and magic in tandem. He did not have the grace or power he used to but he was still pretty good.

Most of female warrior's few friends now knew about Miraak. The Dragonborn had been bringing him along with her on every quest lately. Her friends had been curious about him and Miraak tolerated them, which was a much better reaction than what he would have had before.

The woman noticed he didn't react to any of them as negatively as he did to Silvan.

Some of her companions joked about how she never traveled with them anymore, that she was always with her new partner. The Dragonborn didn't realize how true that was until that moment. She hadn't requested the help of anyone else in quite some time.

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Being the Dragonborn was exhausting. The few weeks she spent on 'vacation' training Miraak had been somewhat of a relief but now she was once again overwhelmed with things she had to do.

The warrior traveled from Hold to Hold, gaining the trust and cooperation of the Jarls. Everyone needed to be united to stand against the Thalmor. The people of Skyrim seemed to trust her after everything she had done, the biggest feat of which was defeating Alduin.

Miraak was a big help. He kept her company on her travels and quests without complaint, mainly because he couldn't speak. He listened to her orders more often and things got easier. Teaching and talking to the former Dragonborn kept her mind off of more stressful things and she found that she enjoyed doing it.

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Miraak liked gold. Not really coins but everything else was fair game. When they would loot a cave or crypt, Miraak loved to take everything with a golden sheen.

The Dragonborn found herself smiling fondly at him as pulled everything out of a chest they had found to take a single golden ring at the bottom. The chest contained several rare weapons but Miraak did not seem to care. He just wanted the ring.

The man's room began to fill up with his trophies. Gold colored weapons, clothing and armor. She found herself cleaning the clutter in his room sometimes but she did not really mind. It was the least she could do with all the help Miraak had been providing as of late. And basically for free. All she had to do was offer him food, clothing and shelter but in the end it cost a fortune less than any mercenary did.