As the Dragonborn could not lock Miraak in a room like she had originally planned, she found herself exhausted the next few days. Watching Miraak was a pain as he was so unpredictable. Teaching him was just as bad but the woman had made the decision to do it. She would help this man, and then find him somewhere suitable to live. It was the least she could do.

The warrior didn't sleep much as Miraak got used to his new home, and she got used to having him around. It was always a little startling to turn around and find her former enemy behind her or see him passing by as he explored her home. A part of the Dragonborn expected to have Miraak speak one day and tell her that it was all a ruse before attempting to murder her. But he didn't, and seeing him curl himself up in his blankets to sleep on the floor, nap in odd corners around the house or quietly struggle to figure out how something worked made the thought seem ridiculous.

The woman was careful never to leave Miraak and her steward alone with each other, as the feral man still did not like him. She wasn't sure what he might do if left alone with Silvan. The Dragonborn tried to get Miraak to learn to tolerate him but so far all of her attempts had failed.

The Bosmer attempted to help but the former Dragon Priest was suspicious of whatever he did and tried to avoid him. Whenever the two men were in the same room, Miraak would glare and tense up. Silvan could not touch the man without him reacting negatively. If the steward dared enter his room, Miraak would become visibly aggressive to drive him off. The dark haired man seemed to know the room was his and was already possessive over it.

The female warrior knew Silvan greatly disliked Miraak but she was grateful that he was still willing to try and help. She admired the loyalty he showed in this situation and was glad she hired him. He would be getting a bonus or two in the near future.

Silvan and the Dragonborn kept any and all weapons far away from Miraak. Almost everything had been put away in the armory with the door locked tight. Even knives and other cutlery in the kitchen were locked away in a drawer. No doubt Miraak could find other ways to kill them if he really wanted but they thought it best to not make it easier for him.

The Dragonborn spent a lot of time trying to teach Miraak. She wanted him to learn to behave so she wouldn't have to watch him as often. Maybe the woman would even be able to take him with her eventually. It would also be much easier to find Miraak somewhere suitable to live if he wasn't aggressive or beast-like. She didn't want him to end up caged like an animal.

One of the first things the female Dragonborn tried to teach Miraak was to eat properly. It took some time and many meals but Miraak learned to eat with utensils. He began to make less of a mess as well. He tended to prefer his hands when possible but it was a great start. The woman took note of his possessiveness when it came to his meals. If she attempted to take away any food Miraak had gotten a hold of he would growl, snarl or glare at her.

Before and after his meals, the Dragonborn made sure to clean Miraak's hands. The man didn't like this but he began to do it on his own, maybe only to avoid having the Dragonborn touch him. He didn't clean them as well as she had but again, it was a start.

Thankfully, bathing came naturally to Miraak, though Silvan or the Dragonborn had to supervise him. He knew that being taken into the bathing chamber meant it was time to bathe and he seemed to enjoy the hot water. The man began to use soap on his own after the third bath. He had a little more trouble drying himself off and was usually still wet when he put his clothes on. Miraak didn't seem to mind.

The female warrior was sometimes uneasy as she taught Miraak. He seemed to pick up certain things quite quickly. It was unnerving. She began to wonder if it was a good idea to keep doing this. If she taught him enough, would he return to being her enemy? The woman hoped not. Despite these doubts, the Dragonborn continued what she was doing.

Miraak had to stay in the house as the female Dragonborn did not trust him outside. She wasn't sure if he would run away. The First Dragonborn did not like this arrangement and attempted to leave the house more than a few times. The Dragonborn had been able to prevent it, so far. She could tell Miraak was becoming anxious though. He paced around the house often, as if trying to burn off energy.

One thing the woman did to keep Miraak occupied was give him books. She found him looking through her library once. He had been careful with the books and spent hours staring at the pictures inside some of them. She ended up putting a little bookshelf in his room with several illustrated books. Miraak seemed to enjoy this and spent more time in his room.

The female warrior made the First Dragonborn follow her as much as she could. She'd make him sit in the cellar as she worked on making potions, enchanted and repaired her weapons, cleaned or did other tasks. Whenever Miraak walked, the Dragonborn would make sure to straighten his posture so he did it properly. Every time he tried to walk on fours, the woman would pull him up, much to the man's annoyance. The more she did it, the less Miraak tried walking that way.

Miraak did not like to touch others unless absolutely necessary or when he was angry. On rare occasions, Miraak would come close and touch something that the Dragonborn was wearing, just sit near her or watch her intently as he grew more comfortable around her. These things would make the woman uneasy. She still didn't know what to think of him.

The former Dragon Priest also tended to stick his nose in everything, being very curious. The female warrior had been able to nothing the first time she brought him into the cellar. She had ended up enduring his constant need to touch and or investigate everything he saw in the room or what she brought out. It was frustrating but also a little... Endearing? The woman didn't know what to make of her thoughts at that moment.

**********

As the days passed, Miraak became a little easier to teach. The Dragonborn found that when she spoke, Miraak seemed to be listening more intently than before. Even so, the Dragonborn did find herself repeating things quite often when Miraak blatantly ignored her. She found she had to gain his attention or else he would just ignore her entirely. He wasn't always in a learning mood.

For some reason, whenever her steward would try to tell Miraak to do, or not do something, he would completely ignore him or just look blankly at him. It might have been because he did not like the Bosmer but it almost seemed like he could not understand him at all. Even Silvan trying to teach Miraak the most simplest of tasks would end in failure, with no comprehension on the feral man's face. Once the First Dragonborn learned something from the female warrior though, he would rarely forget it.

By now Dragonborn knew for sure Miraak was not faking his condition and began to grow less wary of him. He had done nothing to her that had been serious. There had been a few incidents but they were pretty minor when she compared that to the fact that this man wanted to kill her six months ago.

Miraak would sometimes get a little antsy or aggressive when the woman tried to get him to, or stop him from, doing something. She was usually able to calm him down or wait until he calmed down but that didn't always work. He had drawn blood when he bit her after she tried to keep him from going outside one night. The female warrior had ended up wrestling him to the ground. He was angry and snarled at her when she let him go, retreating back to his room. He forgot about the incident the next day. She was left with the bite and a few bruises but it was nothing serious.

Miraak also bit her when she tried to take away his plate of food after he had started playing with it. His teeth were sharp so they tore into her flesh easily. Her cry of pain had caused Miraak to quickly let go. He hadn't looked repentant but he didn't stop her when she angrily took the plate and marched away. He again, had retreated to his room for the rest of the night.

Another time was partly her own fault. She had accidentally left the door to her room open to grab a cup of water. When the Dragonborn came back, she found Miraak inside, going through her weapons chest. Not wanting Miraak to hurt himself, or her or Silvan for that matter, the female warrior knew she had to get him out of there. She had been frustrated at the time and didn't end up handling the situation as well as she should have.

The female warrior roughly pulled Miraak back from the weapons chest and snatched a dagger out of his hands. Maybe not knowing who was behind him, the man lashed out with his left hand as he tried to turn around. His talons ended up making several deep cuts on her arm. The woman had grown angry then and firmly grabbed hold of Miraak before pushing him outside. She slammed the door after him, letting her anger and frustration take over that night. She had regret her actions the next morning and vowed not to do that again. It was not Miraak's fault he didn't know any better.

**********

In general, Miraak behaved better than she expected. He was curious about many things and would make a mess when opening drawers, closets and investigating everything he could get his hands on. It was not much of a problem since he rarely broke things but sometimes cleaning and finding things again would be a hassle. And even if he rarely broke things, that still meant he did at times.

The First Dragonborn never uttered a word since the female warrior found him on Solstheim. His main ways of communication were glares, growls and snarls. Sometimes snaps, bites or swipes with his talons if someone was not careful. The Dragonborn began to wonder if Miraak was even capable of speech. Maybe his vocal chords had been changed as well as certain parts of his body?

Though Miraak did not like Silvan, he did not try to kill or hurt him. The feral man preferred to ignore his presence if his threatening growls did not scare him away. For the Dragonborn, this was a good sign. It hopefully meant that he knew not to attack people, even if he didn't like them. The woman was infinitely grateful of Silvan in this time, putting up with everything Miraak did and taking care of what she and he needed. With how quickly Miraak seemed to be learning, the Dragonborn hoped she would be able to begin her search for a suitable home in the next few days.