![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1-1-14-1.png\")
<\/p>\nDagnell and Roggi Knot-Beard headed north out of Kynesgrove early the next morning, after he said goodbye to Kjeld and passed along some pointers about the spots he\u2019d been digging in most recently.\u00a0 It was a decent morning; cold as usual in this part of Skyrim, but sunny.\u00a0 Dag was still uncomfortable, though, and marveled to see Roggi hiking along in his thin clothing as if there wasn\u2019t even a nip in the air.\u00a0 Nords.\u00a0 They still baffled her.<\/p>\n
It was pleasant to have company. Roggi chattered about nothing in particular, identifying bird calls, pointing at outcroppings of minerals, and other unimportant things.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter. \u00a0She\u2019d been walking alone and in silence for a long while, and the sound of a voice other than the sarcastic one living in the back of her head was welcome indeed.<\/p>\n
Roggi also showed himself to be a fine marksman.\u00a0 Several wolves came out on the road to snarl at them along the way; he simply pulled his plain hunting bow and calmly picked them off before she even had a chance to draw, as though he hunted wolves every day.\u00a0 As they walked up to one of the carcasses and she prepared to skin it, she heard him mutter \u201cstupid dog\u201d and ended up with a fit of giggles. It was a much more pleasant approach to Windhelm than it had been the first time.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Oengul recognized Dag from her previous visit to his smithy, and was happy to buy the load of wolf pelts from her.\u00a0 \u201cI need to get my friend outfitted, if you have anything reasonable available,\u201d she told him, pointing to Roggi who was happily chatting with the apprentice. She was smiling coyly at him and had a flush to her cheeks that gave her away; she was flirting up a storm with him. Oengul smirked, but said \u201che looks like a boy who could use a good solid greatsword.\u00a0 What say you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUm,\u201d Dag thought, glancing over at Roggi herself, \u201cI really don\u2019t know.\u00a0 I thought he was more the sword and shield sort, but I could be wrong. I don\u2019t do two-handed weapons myself. Do you have a good one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I do,\u201d he said, pulling a beautifully-crafted steel piece out of his collection.\u00a0 \u201cCome over here for a moment, son,\u201d he called to Roggi.<\/p>\n
Roggi glanced at them, confused.\u00a0 \u201cMe?\u201d Dag nodded, struggling to suppress a laugh.\u00a0 Roggi shook his head but walked over to Oengul, who handed him the sword. The apprentice sighed and went back to her metal.<\/p>\n
\u201cTry that out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roggi examined the sword, sighting down its length, then took it in both hands, testing its weight.\u00a0 He swung hard, a swift, controlled, efficient vertical stroke that would easily take almost anything in its path apart at the seams, followed by a quick, diagonal upward slice and a cut back to the side.\u00a0 He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a fine sword.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dag\u2019s mouth was open.\u00a0 He was a natural.\u00a0 Of course, she thought.\u00a0 Pickaxe.\u00a0 That\u2019s where that stroke came from.\u00a0 Still, she hadn\u2019t expected him to look like someone who had been sword fighting every day for years. \u201cOk, Oengul,\u201d she said, trying to collect her thoughts. \u201cWe\u2019ll take that.\u00a0 You two figure out some armor.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Roggi talked armor with Oengul, Dag walked over to the apprentice, who was working on a handsome set of greaves. \u201cNice work,\u201d she said. The girl glanced up at Dag and sighed, then went back to her work. \u201cIs he your husband?\u201d she asked, nodding at Roggi, looking a bit sour.<\/p>\n
Dag spent a split second being astonished, then threw her head back and cackled.\u00a0 \u201cMine?\u00a0 Oh no, dear, I\u2019m not married, and I\u2019m pretty sure he isn\u2019t either. We\u2019re just friends.\u201d\u00a0 The girl brightened up considerably, and she smiled.\u00a0 \u201cNeither is Ulfric, you know,\u201d she whispered slyly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m hoping I\u2019ll be allowed to work on some of his armor.\u00a0 It would be a great honor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dag had to stifle a giggle.\u00a0 \u201cIt would indeed,\u201d she agreed.\u00a0 Husband shopping was one thing, but the Jarl of Windhelm seemed a bit of a stretch for a smith\u2019s apprentice.<\/p>\n
Roggi was slipping into a nice set of ranger\u2019s armor, boots, and gauntlets as she returned to him.\u00a0 It looked a bit sparse on coverage to her, especially now that the clouds had moved back in over Windhelm and the snow was threatening again, but she wasn\u2019t about to argue with him about it. It had been hard enough to get him to agree with the purchase in the first place. \u201cHelmet?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I\u2019ll be fine without one.\u00a0 This is more than enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dag paid Oengul for Roggi\u2019s things, ignoring the subtle sneers he was giving her. Yes, I\u2019m paying for the man\u2019s gear.\u00a0 Say one word about it to him and I\u2019ll belt you in the nose; it bothers him enough as it is.<\/em> She made sure her eyes were passing the message along. It felt really fine to be able to just buy the things and not worry too much about the cost, she realized, settling her coin purse back into her leathers.\u00a0 Brynjolf was better than she\u2019d given him credit for; she did enjoy having money and he\u2019d seen that about her.\u00a0 She was pretty good at reading people, but it was looking more and more to her as if he was better.<\/p>\n As they were getting ready to leave, Roggi chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cSon.\u00a0 First time anyone\u2019s called me that in years.\u201d His smile faded. \u201cToo many years,\u201d he muttered, softly enough that she wasn\u2019t even sure she\u2019d heard it.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re just a growing boy, Roggi,\u201d she laughed. \u201cI have to say I\u2019m more than a little impressed with your sword form.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled.\u00a0 \u201cEh. It\u2019s nothing.\u00a0 It\u2019s just something I picked up when I was younger.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis apprentice seemed to appreciate the view, too,\u201d she teased him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Roggi looked at her in obvious confusion. \u201cWhat are you saying?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t know when a girl is flirting with you, my friend?\u201d Dag laughed.<\/p>\n He blushed.\u00a0 Oh how hard it must be to be as pale as a Nord, she thought; there\u2019s no way to hide a blush at all.\u00a0 Unless you wear a black hood, I guess, she grinned, remembering Brynjolf\u2019s long-suffering sigh.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026 I never even thought about it,\u201d he stammered, giving Dag another confused look.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Dagnell just laughed.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s ok, Roggi.\u00a0 Really.\u00a0 She was just flirting. It\u2019s actually a bit surprising you\u2019re even available to be flirted with.\u201d<\/p>\n She had meant that to be a light-hearted nothing, but Roggi frowned as he adjusted his gear, his eyes going dark for a moment. He turned and stomped away from the marketplace, toward the main gates of Windhelm.<\/p>\n Dag stood motionless for a moment wondering what she had done, and what she might be able to do to repair it.\u00a0 Then she hurried to catch up to Roggi.\u00a0 Near the gates, Rolff and his friend were accosting a Dunmer woman again, a different one than Dag had met earlier. This woman was tiny, and quite clearly nervous.<\/p>\n \u201cYou grayskin trash,\u201d Rolff was yelling.\u00a0 \u201cGet out of our city. You\u2019re not welcome here.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman cringed backward a bit, and Rolff stepped forward menacingly. To Dag\u2019s surprise, Roggi strode up to him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you say to her?\u201d<\/p>\n Rolff scowled at Roggi.\u00a0 \u201cI told her to get out.\u00a0 Filthy gray-skins.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi didn\u2019t answer him.\u00a0 He merely balled his hand into a fist and sent Rolff flying backwards into a snow pile with a punch that made an audible crack.\u00a0 Rolff didn\u2019t get up; he just moaned.<\/p>\n Dag stood there with her mouth open.\u00a0 By the Eight, she thought, where did that come from?<\/p>\n Roggi sneered at Rolff.\u00a0 \u201cYou call yourself a Nord? You\u2019re just a dog. You\u2019re not even fit to do Ulfric\u2019s dirty work for him. Stay down there, dog.\u201d\u00a0 Then he turned and walked over to Dag. \u201cLet\u2019s get going,\u201d he said, settling his gear and moving toward the gates.<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi,\u201d Dag gasped, astonished, trotting to catch up.\u00a0 \u201cWhat was that all about?\u201d<\/p>\n He frowned. \u00a0When he spoke, his voice was low and harsh, even more so than it had been when he had gotten angry about having his bar tab forgiven. \u201cYou no doubt noticed that I work with a Dunmer. Dravynea. She lives next door to me. She\u2019s one of my best friends. They\u2019re just people, like anybody else, and their families have been in Skyrim for two hundred years or more. I’m a true Nord, but I don\u2019t like the way they treat Dunmer here, sticking them all down in the slum and giving them no help. I don\u2019t like the way they treat them in lots of places, but Windhelm\u2019s the worst and nobody tells people like him<\/em> any different, including the high and mighty Jarl of Windhelm. So I just did.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag opened her mouth and then closed it again. \u00a0She had no idea what to say.\u00a0 There was such \u2026 vitriol in his voice speaking of the Jarl.\u00a0 She realized that she didn\u2019t know that much about Roggi, but even so she was taken aback at the difference between what she\u2019d just seen and the jovial mead aficionado she\u2019d had dinner with the previous night.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t as though Dag didn\u2019t understand the sentiment, though. \u201cHe\u2019s going to be mighty sore,\u201d she murmured.\u00a0 \u201cI beat him up not too long ago. For the same reason. I hope someone will see to his nose. I think you broke it.\u201d Roggi shot her a sideways glance, then smirked.<\/p>\n As they headed out the big iron doors and across Windhelm\u2019s icy bridge, he relaxed by degrees.\u00a0 Dag trudged along beside him, not knowing what to say and frankly more than a little unsettled. Finally, he gave her a small smile.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s Whiterun, yes? We can go two ways from here. One is back to the south on the other side of the river, or we could go west into snow country and then south.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag grimaced at him. \u201cSouth. Definitely south.\u00a0 I hate being cold.\u201d<\/p>\n He snickered.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not cold.\u00a0 It\u2019s just a little snow.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag smacked him in the arm.\u00a0 \u201cNords. \u00a0You people are impossible. You\u2019d probably melt where I come from.\u201d Then she laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, about Rolff.\u00a0 I see you\u2019ve been practicing your swing since the first time I saw you. That was pretty impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi smiled. \u201cYou don\u2019t miss much, do you? I had let myself get out of shape. It seemed like time to take care of that after a little Redguard girl took me down. I\u2019m still not back to my best but a bit of training never hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, watch it. \u00a0Little Redguard girl will take you on again,\u201d she growled in a mock-angry tone but unable to keep the smirk off her face.<\/p>\n He settled into a pace that would cover ground while not exhausting either of them, the pace of an experienced traveler.\u00a0 Dag glanced at him, pondering.\u00a0 I can\u2019t figure this out, she thought, no matter what he thinks of my observational skills.\u00a0 I wonder what it is that I can\u2019t see.<\/p>\n Just before they turned south into the forest, Dag stopped to adjust her boot.\u00a0\u00a0 When she looked up, Roggi was standing in the snow-packed roadway, looking west toward the mountains.\u00a0 He seemed a million miles away.<\/p>\n Dagnell and Roggi Knot-Beard headed north out of Kynesgrove early the next morning, after he said goodbye to Kjeld and passed along some pointers about the spots he\u2019d been digging in most recently.\u00a0 It was a decent morning; cold as usual in this part of Skyrim, but sunny.\u00a0 Dag was still uncomfortable, though, and marveled … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1-1-14-2.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1-1-14-3.png\")
<\/p>\nPart I: Survivors<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"