"Come on Miraak." The Dragonborn pulled Miraak along as she walked up the path to the door of her manor. A cow munched on grass off to the side of the building and several chickens clucked and squawked at one another. The woman was glad the animals were okay. Last time she came back, she had arrived just in time to save the animals from a pack of wolves. Though the Dragonborn liked the seclusion here, she did not enjoy having to defend her home from animals, giants, bandits and whatever else decided to ruin her day. Miraak tried to lunge at one of the birds when he noticed them but the woman's hold prevented him.

"You can have something to eat inside. Don't you dare touch my chickens!" The woman chided but knew Miraak likely had not understood. His second attempt at breaking free of her hold proved that. She heard his stomach growl again and pulled him to the door faster.

The manor the female warrior now owned had been very expensive. It had taken so much time and hard work to be able to afford this place but it had been worth it. It was comfy, spacious and the Dragonborn could actually fit all of her junk inside it without issues. She was quite a hoarder.

The Dragonborn unlocked the door, keeping an eye her new guest as she took her hand off of him for a few moments. He didn't move or run away, which was good. He didn't seem to mind as much when she took a hold of him, which was even better. The tired warrior pushed open the door and grabbed Miraak again. Once both of them were inside, the woman dropped her pack on the floor and began removing her armor. She couldn't wait to get it off. She was exhausted, sweaty and filthy, though probably not as filthy as Miraak. She had gotten sort of used to his stink but knew he needed a bath, badly.

The Dragonborn dropped her armor on the ground after getting out of it. She looked over to Miraak to see that he was doing. The man had stayed where he was, his eyes traveling across the inside of the manor, taking in the strangeness. He had likely never seen something like this before. Miraak took a few more steps into the house when he froze. He heard a sound.

Footsteps approached and a Bosmer male came into view from a doorway leading to the kitchen. Miraak instantly tensed and the female Dragonborn could hear a faint growl emerging from his throat.

"Welcome back." Silvan, her steward, greeted. He stopped at the sight of the unfamiliar, cloaked man in the house. The Bosmer frowned, never really liking any of the males his employer brought in with her, but let it go. He had no right to tell the Dragonborn that he thought most of her guests were troublesome thugs. The Mer's eyes widened when the cloaked man took a step towards him and growled. It was a deep, low sound that made him shudder in fright. He stepped back.

"Don't be alarmed, Silvan. This is Miraak. He's going to be staying with us for a while." The woman placed a hand on Miraak's shoulder but he just snarled and shook it off. The former Dragon Priest's eyes were focused on the Bosmer, seeing him as a threat. The Dragonborn gripped Miraak's arm then, not allowing him to shake her off. She would not allow Miraak to attack her steward.

"Stop it, Miraak." The warrior hissed at her former enemy. He jerked his head angrily towards her but stopped his audible threat.

"Is there... Is he alright?" Silvan asked as he watched the exchange. He wanted to ask if there was something wrong with the newcomer but that would not be polite. He already felt like this Miraak was going to be trouble.

"Actually... Yes. Quite a few things in fact. I don't think he can talk for one. He also acts more like an animal than a human." The Dragonborn admitted almost sheepishly, to her steward's growing horror. "I'll explain everything I can later but I'll need your help with him."

"Of... Course." Silvan wondered what he had gotten himself into. His employer was an odd woman and finding some homeless nutcase to take in would not be entirely uncharacteristic of her.

"There's also one more thing you should see." The Dragonborn hesitantly removed her cloak from Miraak and Silvan gasped. The first thing he noticed was the newcomer's face and the unnaturalness of it.

"Are those... Scales? His eyes... Why is he in such a state?" The Bosmer asked in shock. Why were this man's eyes so dark? They were so empty, like a void. And he was dressed in tattered rags. Miraak continued to angrily stare at Silvan but the Dragonborn's hold seemed to keep him from doing anything.

"It's a long story, Silvan. Just know that for now he will be staying with us."

"I will... Prepare a room for him then." Silvan began hesitantly, unnerved by the man's strange eyes that did not look away from him. He looked like he would attack him at any moment, like some wild animal. "But is this wise?"

"To be honest, I have no idea... We'll see." The Dragonborn truly hoped she wouldn't be regretting the decision to bring Miraak in. "Could you prepare a bath instead, Silvan? He's dirtier than a Skeever right now."

**********

The bath was interesting. The Dragonborn did not want to bathe Miraak alone and asked her steward for help. The Bosmer had no choice but to accept. It was his duty to help his employer after all. He left to the bathing chamber while the female Dragonborn began to coax Miraak into following her.

By the time the wild man had entered the bathing chamber, the water inside a large tub was ready and heated. Knowing his clothes would be thrown out anyway, the Dragonborn just ended up swiftly cutting them off with a dagger. Miraak snarled at the act but shut up when the woman pushed him into the tub. He thrashed after he landed inside, spilling water over the side, but stopped when he realized the water was comfortably warm. Both the steward and the Dragonborn cringed at the stink emanating from the bewildered man now sitting in the water. Thankfully, Miraak seemed to understand that he needed to bathe or maybe he just liked the warm water, something he had probably never experienced in Solstheim. He settled in the water and sighed, likely in contentment.

Knowing that just soaking in the water wouldn't be enough to clean him, Silvan reluctantly grabbed the soap while the Dragonborn grabbed, then held Miraak still. The feral man did not like what was happening and ended up sending water all over the place as he thrashed to break free from the woman's grip, but it was in vain. Miraak flailed and snarled, ending up slashing the Dragonborn with his talons, who winced in pain, but did not release her grip. Miraak stopped his movements to stare at the bleeding wound for several long moments. The woman took the chance to get a better grip on him as the bath continued.

The female Dragonborn and her steward found that the patch of scales on Miraak's skin was larger than they first thought. From the patch on his face the scales ran down his left shoulder and then halfway down his back. There were also many scars all over the former Dragon Priest's body, though none looked like they came from a sword or other weapon. Miraak had probably received them from living in the wild on Solstheim. The woman thought she recognized one scar on his back having been from a bear's claws.

After the bath, the Dragonborn was unable to dry off the visibly and audibly irritated Miraak. He refused to get out of the now dirty water, snarling at the female warrior's attempts to coax him out. The woman healed her arm and then carefully opened the cover from a pipe on the bottom of the tub, allowing the water to drain. She then filled and emptied several, cooler buckets of water over Miraak to make sure all the filthy water was off of him. Without the tub full of water keeping him warm, the man began to shiver and scrambled out of it himself, keeping away from the other two occupants in the room. The Dragonborn noted he didn't seem mad as she thought he would be.

The Dragonborn was dreading dressing him but did not end up having to do much. Miraak knew how to dress, though it did take a lot longer than it should have. He grabbed the clothing, which Silvan had fetched from the Dragonborn's hoard of things she collected and would never use, from the female warrior's hands and inspected them first before putting them on himself. The shirt ending up backwards but neither the Bosmer nor the Dragonborn felt like trying to fight with Miraak to fix it.

The female Dragonborn was relived the bath went well and Miraak no longer stank. He was much cleaner than before and looked far more civilized. The woman knew she would need to do something about his nails, especially those on his left hand, and his unkempt hair but she would deal with that another time. Maybe Miraak's temperament would be better after a meal as well. She looked over to her Steward to see that he was frowning.

There were many horrible things Silvan had to do in life but he felt bathing this nutcase was one of the worst. He shuddered at the thought of having to do this again. The Bosmer felt his hands would never be clean again after touching Miraak. His hair had been the worst, dirty and greasy. Thank god there had been no lice he could see.

Silvan wished his employer had left the filthy man wherever she got him from. He forced his anger and disgust down, knowing that was not proper for a man in his position. Miraak would not stay long, he hoped. He could deal with this new situation for a little while.

Miraak growled at Silvan, guided by the Dragonborn as she led him to the dining room. The woman gave the Bosmer a grateful smile and a 'thank you' as they passed. He nodded to her and followed them both at some distance. Silvan watched as the Dragonborn pulled Miraak along into dining room and then pressed him onto a chair at the table. The former Dragon Priest looked at everything around the room from his seat. He made a small sound as he tried to make sense of where he was. It sounded like the strangeness of his situation was getting to him.

"Stay here Miraak." The woman said before taking a few steps back and then waiting to see his reaction. Miraak noticed the woman leaving and immediately got up to follow. He did not feel comfortable this new place.

"No." She pressed him onto the chair again. "Sit and stay here."

It took another few tries before Miraak finally stayed in his seat while the Dragonborn went into the kitchen. Silvan had no time to make anything as the woman had needed his help but that was alright. She found a loaf of bread, some cured meat, a plate, a cup and filled a pitcher of water before coming back. Miraak was hungry and so was she, but she could wait. The woman placed the food on the table, away from the feral man, in case he tried to snatch it, and cut a few slices of meat and placed them on half a loaf of bread. She then placed the food on a plate and set it in front of her 'guest'.

Miraak sniffed the food and frowned. He picked up the plate in curiosity and roughly set it down again. He had likely never remembered eating this before and just looked towards the Dragonborn.

"You can eat it Miraak. Like this." The woman demonstrated by taking a bite of some of the bread and meat she had with her. She found it a bit dry as she usually liked to eat it with some cheese and a few other additions, but that was alright. The woman wanted to try and get Miraak to eat something simple for now. The man watched her chew and then returned his gaze to his own food. He brought his face close to sniff it again and then picked it up with his hands. He pressed too hard with his left and ended up impaling the bread with his talons. It didn't look like Miraak expected the bread to be so soft.

After inspecting what he held one more time, Miraak finally took a large bite. He chewed slowly, frowning again, but finished the morsel. Maybe the meat was too dry or too salty for him. He hadn't really wanted the jerky on Solstheim either. The man's stomach growled again and so Miraak continued to eat even though he did not seem to enjoy the taste. When she placed the other half of the loaf and the rest of the meat on Miraak's plate, the former Dragon Priest picked off the meat, tossing it on the table, and devoured the bread.

The man was messy. Some of the bread had crumbled in his grip and attempts to eat and now covered the tables, floor and even himself. But at least Miraak ate and even seemed to like the bread. The woman wondered how long Miraak had been scavenging for food on Solstheim. She would need to introduce him to dishes that were not just raw meat or whatever fruits he would have been able to scavenge while he was here. After eating, Miraak gulped down the water straight from the pitcher, foregoing the glass and draining it all in one go. He let the pitcher clatter onto the ground with a loud crash after he was done. The Dragonborn winced at the sound.

**********

Now that Miraak was full, the Dragonborn guided him to his new room. The meal did seem to improve his temperament. He didn't make a sound of displeasure at being led somewhere else. The woman had already decided one the first thing she should do is make sure Miraak would not be a threat. He needed to be kept in the manor and observed.

There were many things the female Dragonborn needed to do so it would not be a waste of time to spend a week or two at home. Her stockpile of potions were getting low, her armor needed repairing and she needed to practice some of her magic, especially enchanting. To be completely honest, the Dragonborn also wanted to relax a little. Things had been getting fairly busy around the province thanks to the conflicts between the Thalmor, Stormcloaks and the Empire. They were either trying to get the Dragonborn on their side or kill her. And everyone else seemed to be asking her for help. A break from all this would be welcome.

The female Dragonborn and Silvan needed to change a few things in Miraak's room before he could be allowed inside so so she called the Mer over. He had been following them the entire time and the female warrior thanked the Gods for Silvan. She didn't think many others would have taken this situation as well as he had. The woman knew Silvan was not happy but he was willing to help out. That was admirable. She'd be paying him extra for this.

It didn't take long for the room to be prepared and to have its door adjusted to lock from the outside. The woman did not trust Miraak to not cause problems if he was let loose. Silvan and the Dragonborn removed most of the furniture in the room before they thought it suitable for its new occupant. No doubt Miraak would ruin or hurt himself on something in there. All the room was left with at the end was a bed, table, bookshelf and chair. While she and her Steward prepared the room, Miraak watched them, yawning every so often. Thankfully he was tired after his meal and didn't seem to have the energy to cause trouble. The Dragonborn kept an eye on him, preventing him from wandering off or touching anything he shouldn't.

The woman led Miraak into the room afterwards, with him following her with another yawn. She tried to get him to use the bed but it didn't work. He just eyed the bed and pulled off the pillows and sheets to throw them onto the floor. In a few moments, he had settled himself into the makeshift bed on the ground. The Dragonborn stayed there until she was sure Miraak was asleep before leaving, locking the door behind her.

**********

The Dragonborn took a bath and then explained the situation to Silvan while eating the stew he had just prepared. Silvan didn't understand why she brought one of her enemies here. The Dragonborn herself did not know how to explain herself. Miraak was an enemy, yes, but... He was not the same man any more. He needed help and as a fellow Dragonborn she could not leave him to die like an animal.

Maybe, she told Silvan, she could teach Miraak to be a good, or at least non- threatening, so he could spend the rest of his days comfortable. It might not be the greatest life but he would be able to live his life free from Apocrypha and Hermaeus Mora. She had always pitied Miraak and the fate he ended up with. The Mer did not like what she was doing, the woman could tell but he agreed to help. The woman sighed in relief, grateful once again for her steward. After eating, both Silvan and the Dragonborn went to bed.

The Dragonborn did not take her special tea today. Just in case something happened, the woman wanted to be fully alert. The tea she drank was something she brewed herself to help her sleep at night when her thoughts, stress or nightmares became too much. After becoming the Dragonborn, she had needed this tea regularly. She did feel the need to take it tonight but knew it would not be a good idea.

With Miraak locked in the room, the Dragonborn settled herself into her bed. She could still feel the strange connection to the First Dragonborn and it made her slightly uneasy. She kept her weapons close by her bed and had even set a rune spell on the floor. The woman had already informed Silvan she would do this so he would know not to come into her room, which was locked anyway. She had also placed one outside of Miraak's and Silvan's doors. Silvan knew how to disarm them, being a decent magicka user. If Miraak stepped on them, then it would hopefully alert the female warrior and disable him enough that she could finish him off, if she needed to.

**********

On the floor of his room, Miraak lay tangled in the sheets from the bed. His body twitched as he dreamed of things he did not understand. He tossed and turned in his sleep.

The man had never dreamed like this until the woman came before him. Because of her presence, things inside him began to change. Miraak's simpler mind felt the need to follow her. He did not understand it but he was drawn to the woman. When he was around her, he felt more complete.