"Just what am I supposed to do with you?" The Dragonborn wondered aloud as she watched Miraak. He hadn't run away after she moved her blade away from his chest. The man seemed content with sitting in the snow, like she was doing now. The fight with the Dragon exhausted the warrior and resting for a bit didn't seem like a bad idea.

Miraak's attention was on the Dragon's skeletal remains but he looked back at the woman occasionally as if he was trying to figure something out. He didn't seem eager to leave any time soon. While she watched her former enemy, the Dragonborn tried to think of what she should do in this situation. But she was drawing a blank. Nothing could have prepared her for this.

The warrior was not sure what Miraak was thinking, staring at the bones while looking over at her in curiosity occasionally. She was curious herself how Miraak was not cold. The clothing and boots he wore were tattered and didn't look very warm in their state. Maybe he had some sort of natural resistance?

The woman closed her eyes and sighed, frustrated with her lack of bright ideas. She was startled when Miraak huffed a loud breath. She opened her eyes to see him begin to move. He glanced at her before getting up and walking away. He walked hunched over a little, like he wasn't used to standing upright. The Dragonborn jumped up and followed, worried about letting the man leave her sight.

"Wait!" The warrior shouted, not caring that Miraak probably didn't understand her. He didn't wait, ignoring her while continuing to walk. She tried again. "Miraak, wait!"

Surprisingly, this time Miraak stilled at her voice. Was it because she called his name? He looked back at her until she caught up to him. When she neared, he let out a small growl and turned away to begin to walking once more. Not knowing what else to do, the warrior followed behind, wary for anything. She did not know if Miraak would turn on her. He had saved her from some serious injuries but Miraak was almost wild in his current state. Did he even understand what he'd done? Or was it some sort of impulse for him, thanks to that odd connection she could still feel?

Part way into their journey, the man stopped and the Dragonborn saw that his hands were glowing. It was then she realized how Miraak had not frozen to death. His magic. It looked like he was using a flame spell and healing spell to warm and heal his body. If he had retained all of his magicka, Miraak would have plenty to use to keep himself alive out in the cold. After a few minutes of using his magic, Miraak began to move again.

Half an hour passed, with the two traveling in silence, before Miraak neared a cave opening at the base of a cliff and disappeared inside. During the trip, the man had traveled on all fours several times before switching back to walking, hunched over slightly like before. The action had looked unnatural but Miraak seemed to have learned to travel on fours relatively well.

Hesitantly, the Dragonborn followed Miraak inside the cave, after debating the decision and then unsheathing her blade. The icy cave wasn't too dark and the woman found that could still see well enough without a light. She carefully tread past a few curves and corners and found herself at a small campsite. Well, the remains of one.

There were skeletons strewn about of long since deceased men. The warrior counted five corpses, with nothing left but their bones and a few pieces of clothing. Reikling spears lay scattered with several lodged in the bones of whatever Men or Mer had been killed here. In a corner there lay a pile of logs and broken branches. A shallow pit with partially burned branches and bits of clothing had been made near a pile of furs. There were also several animal carcasses, almost entirely eaten, frozen in the corner. One carcass was charred black, like someone had tried to roast the thing whole. Had Miraak tried and failed at cooking it?

This must be Miraak's home, the Dragonborn thought. The man in question gave the woman a soft growl and then an almost dismissive glance when he saw her. He had paid little attention to her while she followed him.

The former Dragon Priest turned away from the woman and yawned, walking to the fire pit. The Dragonborn watched him as he spent several minutes tossing logs and branches in the pit and then attempted to light a fire with his magic. He snarled when the fire didn't take the first few times but then it did on the fourth attempt. Miraak then moved to the pile of furs nearby. He yawned once more, his sharp teeth flashing and lay down, moving the furs around until he was almost entirely covered. He seemed at ease, not caring that there was an intruder in his home. The intruder just stared at him in bewilderment.

As Miraak fell asleep, the Dragonborn moved towards the fire. She carefully sat down beside the flames, keeping an eye on the resting male in case he tried anything. The fire was a small blessing and it warmed her up. Eventually the woman lost herself in her thoughts.

It seemed like Miraak wasn't entirely bestial. He retained some fragments of intelligence here and there. He knew how to use magic and make things. If what she spied in the other corner was really a bathroom pit, then it looked like he knew to relieve himself properly and not in his clothes. Likely he would know how to dress himself as well then.

The Dragonborn still didn't want to kill Miraak but she knew she couldn't just leave him. It was too risky. But what could she do? Her mind wandered thought possible solutions until she found one that might work.

... What if she took Miraak back to Skyrim? Sending him to a place for the mentally ill might be best. Preferably one nearby so the woman could check up on him now and then. Someone would take care of him and she wouldn't feel any guilt for killing or leaving him. The warrior would just have to find a suitable place that could monitor the First Dragonborn and make sure to contain or kill him if he ever regained his senses.

But where could she find such a place? It would take time. And where could she leave Miraak until then? The woman felt she couldn't keep him caged or chained up. That was cruel for someone who didn't even remember or understand what he did wrong.

The Dragonborn thought about her manor. She could lock him in a room there. It would be better than a prison, chains or a cage. The warrior would be able to keep an eye on the First Dragonborn until she found a suitable place to house him. It would be troublesome but she did not want to leave Miraak to his fate here. No doubt he would get sick or killed by wildlife or other Men or Mer eventually. The chance was minimal but if anyone did somehow recognize the former Dragon Priest, he would for sure be hunted down and killed.

As a fellow Dragonborn, the woman felt Miraak deserved some help in his situation. And maybe helping him would relieve the warrior of the guilt she felt in killing him, even though it looked like he hadn't stayed dead. Part of her now felt responsible for his current state.

**********

Surprisingly, it didn't take too long to get Miraak to follow her. When he had woken hours later, the woman tried the first thing she could think of. She forced herself to grip Miraak's arm and gently pull him along with her, hoping she could get him to follow her. She wrinkled her nose at the smell the man gave off and tried her best to ignore it. She realized he probably hadn't showered in some time. The smell hadn't been noticeable out in the open but it was in here.

Miraak did not like the touch and proximity of the woman before him, and being pulled less. He gave the intruder a warning growl and stern glare. When she became a little more forceful with the pulling, he snarled and broke away from her grip, sending shivers down the Dragonborn's spine. No human should be make that sound, she thought.

Miraak's narrowed eyes followed the female warrior as she backed away. Remembering how he reacted to his name being called, the Dragonborn tried saying it out loud.

"Miraak?" Like before, his attention would focus on her when she said his name. She called him again, feeling a small jolt of something when Miraak's gaze locked with her own. The woman began to walk away, hoping he would follow. He did.

Once outside, he looked back at the cave. He stepped back towards it and the woman called him again. He shook his head and turned away from the entrance to his home.

**********

The former Dragon Priest's being behind her made the Dragonborn uncomfortable on the slow trip back to Raven Rock. It was slow because Miraak seemed to be in no hurry and liked to wander or stop to investigate things along the way. He halted at a broken, roofless house once, searching the inside and picking up anything that caught his fancy. He wasn't careful with the fragile items he touched, breaking several as he dropped them on the floor after he finished examining them. The woman called him several times before gently grabbing and tugging him, finally getting Miraak to leave. He glared at her but didn't pull away from her touch immediately this time.

The Dragonborn realized she would need to teach Miraak to listen to her, if she was ever going to get him off the island and back to Skyrim. She felt it would be close to impossible but she could not let him act the way he was in the town. With that in mind, the woman turned to Miraak, intent on getting him to act a little less like a beast.

Miraak would in fact listen to her if the Dragonborn tried hard enough. She just had to control her frustration when she tried to get him to do it. The man seemed to be able to understand words and phrases if they were repeated often. It took more than a few tries for Miraak to listen to her simple commands but it was worth it.

The warrior knew she probably looked like a lunatic continuously repeating things to her former enemy, gesturing and showing him what he should do. Miraak hadn't enjoyed her touching him often, trying to guide him in what she wanted of him. The woman hadn't enjoyed it either but she had no choice.

***********

Thankfully Miraak hadn't tried attacking her, however he vocalized his displeasure several times. Eventually, he learned to wait or follow her when she ordered him to. Guiltily the Last Dragonborn compared training Miraak to a training a dog, though Miraak seemed to be learning far quicker.

Thankfully it was close to sunset when the two Dragonborn neared Raven Rock. The woman set up camp half an hour away to prepare. She needed to clean Miraak up before she could take him into the city. He would be a sight, if he went looking as he did now, dirty, wearing tattered clothing, his scales and claws visible.

"Come here." The warrior motioned for the man to do so. Miraak obeyed and walked towards her. Swiftly, the woman pushed Miraak down when he was close enough. The man growled at suddenness of it all but stayed in a sitting position.

Looking at Miraak under the light of the setting sun, the Dragonborn wearily decided she had a lot of work to do. First of all he needed to be cleaned up. Then he needed some clothes, preferably ones that covered his face. All the Dragonborn had on her was her cloak but it would have to do. She soaked a cloth in water from her canteen and vigorously began scrubbing the dirt from Miraak's face. She couldn't bathe him but removing some of the mess covering his exposed skin might make him smell a little less.

Miraak snarled at the woman, not liking her actions one bit, and tried to move away. The Dragonborn firmly gripped the back of his head to prevent this, feeling disgust at the greasiness of his hair. She just wanted to get this done as soon as possible so she could get back home. She had developed a severe headache thanks to the frustration of dealing with teaching Miraak.

"Stay still!" The woman ordered but Miraak's response was to kick her in the stomach and lunge away. She grunted in surprise, but the armor she wore took the hit. It was probably a bad idea but the Dragonborn instinctively grasped his leg and pulled him back. Miraak hit the ground face first and lay there dazed for a moment. He then rolled over and lunged at her. In surprise, the warrior was not able to react and hit the ground hard as Miraak tackled her down.

His furious, narrowed and pitch black eyes bored into her own as he leaned over her. His hands were pressing her shoulders down hard. Thankfully, her armor kept her safe from his left, taloned hand. Miraak lowered his head to her neck with a low snarl, unkempt hair falling around. The woman could smell the stink of blood, sweat and dirt on the man. His breath stank even worse than his body had. Heart thudding in her chest as the man could have easily ripped open her throat right now, the female Dragonborn spoke calmly and firmly.

"Get. Off." The words had no effect at first. He hissed angrily but did not move or do anything else. Staying calm, the Dragonborn slowly raised her hands to grasp his wrists. He narrowed his eyes further at the touch. The woman repeated her words twice before Miraak finally listened and allowed the woman below him to move his hands away. He quickly moved off of her when she pushed him and sat down a few paces away, glaring at her. Thankfully he didn't try to leave.

Slowly, the Dragonborn reached out a hand to the man, testing his reaction. He tensed but allowed her hand touch him briefly before he moved away. Killing him entered the warrior's mind again, thinking he could be dangerous but she shook the thought. If he tried to seriously harm her or anyone else, she would end him then. Until then, she would give him a chance. He was just... Untrained.

**********

It looked Miraak didn't trust her enough to let her touch him for long. The little bit of trust she had built up with him had been shattered by her actions. The woman knew she would have to get him to trust her again so could clean and dress him. There was no way she could bring the insane, bestial man into the city as he was.

It took almost an hour before Miraak stopped being so skittish with female Dragonborn. The woman had first tried calling his name, gently trying to clean him when she was able to get close and distracting him with some of the random, useless junk she carried in her bag. These things had been a little effective but what had eventually worked was food. The warrior ended up bribing Miraak with food to get him to like her again.

At first, the man spat out the dry, tasteless jerky and refused to try the somewhat fresh vegetables she carried with her but he had shown interest in her sweet rolls. The Dragonborn had a little bit of a weakness for the treat and usually carried one or two with her. Miraak sniffed them curiously before taking a small bite of the baked good. The taste had his eyes widening and he devoured the rest, leaving stickiness on his mouth and hands, which he then licked off. He looked at her then and his eyes had almost implored her for another, which the woman handed over a bit reluctantly. She had been saving those.

After getting the treats, Miraak was less wary of the woman. The Dragonborn was able to carefully clean Miraak's face, hands and neck as he allowed her near. He still didn't like what she was doing but he didn't try to pull away this time. The woman noticed Miraak's eyes had some flecks of white in them still but they were hard to see unless you were up close.

After cleaning him, the woman attempted to dress him. She pulled off the gloves she wore beneath her gauntlets and tried to put them on him. Though the gloves were a little loose on her, they were almost too small on Miraak. The man did not like them at all, as they felt restricting, and pulled them off. Sighing, the Dragonborn just put them back on and prevented Miraak from removing them every time he tried. Miraak growled but didn't take them off after the fifth failed attempt at removing them. He then just stared at them and flexed his hands, not used to having such a thing on them.

Her cloak was easier to put on but Miraak kept trying to rip off the hood when she would lower it to cover his face. Again, she repeatedly put it back or prevented Miraak from removing it until he stopped trying.

During all this Dragonborn felt pity for Miraak. There was nothing of her former enemy left in this man. Even though Miraak would be trouble and she was already angry and frustrated with him, the woman vowed to help him as much as she could.

Knowing she did her best, the Dragonborn packed up camp. She called Miraak's name and together they headed into the city. The first thing they needed to do was find Jurgik. She still needed that damned book that had gotten her into this mess. She heard the man was usually in the Retching Netch before sunset so she prayed he would be there tonight.

**********

Somehow the Dragonborn was able to get through the town with Miraak without attracting too much attention. She was nervous and kept an arm on her companion to prevent him from wandering off. It was good she did, Miraak was fairly curious about everything around him and the woman had to keep calling his name and ordering him to follow her. He would reluctantly.

It was hard trying to keep Miraak on two feet. He kept trying to go on all four but the Dragonborn pulled him back up when he tried. She got a few stares from passers by when Miraak snarled at her but she ignored them.

The Dragonborn noticed Miraak was skittish around other people. He actively tried to avoid the townspeople, which was good for both of them. There were a few brief incidents when someone got too close. When questioned about Miraak's odd tendencies to growl or act out of the ordinary, she just quickly explained that he was drunk and left with the man as quickly as she could.

The only time the Dragonborn was truly worried was when she had to leave Miraak alone for several minutes while she talked to Jurgik. She left him in a secluded spot outside the Retching Netch and quickly entered. She got the book and almost bolted outside, sighing in relief when Miraak was where she left him.

After that, the woman took his arm and they went to the docks. Paying the captain, she quickly hurried Miraak away from the workers and sat him down. He kept trying to break away from her hold but she would hiss at him to stop and eventually, he settled down.

He panicked a little when the boat began to leave the docks but the Dragonborn gripped his arm tight to prevent him escaping. He let out a deep, low growl but settled soon after that. The man stayed still and stared in the direction of Solstheim, even long after it had disappeared from view. It was unnerving.

**********

Miraak had lunged the stable hand as soon as he saw him. The Dark Elf hadn't even done anything but Miraak charged at him for no reason. The Dragonborn kept away from people as she disembarked the boat but she needed a ride back home. The only way to do that was to go past the stables, where Miraak had encountered the Elf.

The Dragonborn had reacted fast and grabbed one of Miraak's arms and pulled him back. She pushed his head down and kept her other hand on the back of his neck, keeping him from going after the stable hand again. Miraak tried to break free, snarling and growling like a beast, even trying to bite her, until the Dragonborn angrily called out his name and commanded him to stop several times. Then he glared at the Elf and rumbled his displeasure. The stable hand gaped at them both, not understanding what the hell was going on.

After several embarrassed apologies and the explanation that Miraak was addled in the head, the man let them go without calling the guards. She angrily grabbed the former Dragon Priest and jerked him along to the carriage, thankful the hood and gloves had stayed on in the scuffle. Miraak didn't snap at her this time, too intent on baring his teeth at the man quickly fading from sight. He jerked himself out of her grip when he lost sight of the stable hand.

The woman would not allow that and grabbed his arm again in a tight hold. She heard the carriage driver ask her where she would like to go and she barked out her destination, grabbing a pile of coins from her pouch with her free hand and handing them over. The driver took them hesitantly even though it was more than he would have asked for, nervous towards the visibly angry woman and the strange man with her.

"Climb in-" The driver began but was not able to finish.

"I got it." The woman interrupted and left to board his carriage with the man in tow. She knew she was being rude but she was both angry and exhausted. The Dragonborn had given the man a fairly generous tip so she didn't feel as bad as she would have. Settling in the back, the woman took a few deep breaths, calming herself down. The situation with the Dark Elf had been both frustrating and embarrassing but there was no point in staying angry about it. Miraak seemed to have gotten over it already, she noticed. He was watching the scenery go by as the carriage began to move.

The Dragonborn once again kept an arm on Miraak for the duration of their trip. She could hear his stomach growling but the woman didn't have any more sweet rolls. She already knew the man wasn't interested in anything else in her bag.

The ride was almost without incident. Miraak attempted try to jump out of the carriage when he saw a deer but had been prevented from doing so. His stomach had rumbled loudly after seeing the the animal, so she knew that he had done it because he was hungry. She felt bad but there was nothing she could do for now.

The woman was relieved when the carriage finally stopped. She had arrived home.