[SKYRIM]: The Name of Time - Miraak & Female Dragonborn Fanfiction - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Upon returning to Whiterun, Ammra found Vilkas was waiting for her in Breezehome. The newly chosen Harbinger was planning to purify Kodlak's soul from the wolf spirit. When Miraak saw Vilkas again, a sudden agitation sparked inside his chest, making him start to make a list of whom to kill once his power returned.
Miraak just watched them discussing from the corner of the room in silence. "Legend says we need the Grenmoril Witch head to do this." he heard Vilkas explained. "We'll need to hunt them first."
"Don't bother. I have their heads already. Kodlak sent me secretly to gather some heads." Miraak caught Vilkas' eyes flashed in astonishment for a very brief second. Now he even hated the way that warrior looked at her. "When do you plan to do this?" she asked.
"Today," Vilkas said.
Miraak saw Ammra thinking. They are supposed to leave by now but Vilkas had made them delayed. At least that was how Miraak saw it. Before he could stop it, the words came out. "Dovahkiin," he called her. "Give him the head. We can continue our journey." she stared at him for a moment then turned to Vilkas.
"You are planning to leave again?" he asked her.
"Yes," Ammra said while she was still deep in thought. With each day passing, Miraak was getting his power back but she had not even started her project yet. "Kodlak, what should I do?"
"She is in hurry," Miraak said. "If she doesn't, she will pay with her life."
Instantly Vilkas's face showed a clear sign of concern then looked at her, making the elder Dragonborn even more agitated. "What are you dealing with now, Ammra?"
Lydia's gentle and strict voice broke in. "My thane is thinking. Give her a moment, please."
After some moment of silence, Ammra finally spoke, "Lydia, please take her to Heljarchen Hall to meet Aleesan and Gregor." She said to her then turned to Miraak. "It seems I have no choice but to postponed our journey." in that instant, he felt raging anger in his chest.
"Do whatever you want, little one. You know the price." He said sternly.
"Yes, I clearly know. You get the upper hand." They spoke of something that neither Vilkas nor Lydia understood. "Stay with them and I believe you will...keep them safe. Right?"
He crossed his arms, too proud to admit he was unsatisfied. Miraak refused to answer. He just maintained his smug face. Ammra let out a heavy sigh and got to her feet. He noticed how Vilkas watching her as she drew nearer to where he stood. When they were face to face, Miraak caught a glimpse of resentment in Vilkas' eyes.
"Miraak." she spoke, half whispering. In a brief second, the Dragon Priest glanced at him then looked at Ammra, feeling an addicting sense of victory. He knew now that he got her attention. "Please, help me this time. I promise I will open one lock in your Magica Vein."
He just stared at her while giving Ammra the silent treatment. He saw how she asked and for some reason, he wanted to see her trying harder. "Or do you want me to open it now?" without hesitation, she landed her palm gently on his chest. The elder Dovahkiin was amused by how naive his captor was but admit that this was what he expected her to do.
"Come to think of it," Vilkas suddenly spoke. "as long as we have the head, I think we can do it ourselves," Miraak could see it, the wolf was envious and he liked what he saw. "Leaving your family with that man is too much risk that you have to take in honoring the dead."
"I trust Miraak." her words rang in his head, bringing a soft sensation of pleasure. He did not expect Ammra would believe in him. They looked at each other. Ammra gave Miraak a pleading look which almost made him grin in satisfaction. "Tell me I can trust you, Miraak." she said faintly.
He smirked. "Fine, Dragonborn." finally he gave his approval. Ammra did not notice how her demeanor could change his mood dramatically. Before he could enjoy it enough, the woman turned to Vilkas.
"Let's not waste more time, Vilkas."
It took a great deal of courage for Ammra to left Miraak with Sofie and Lydia. He might strangely show a better side last night, but it did not mean he wouldn't back to his old self. "What if he killed them? What if he found his power and burned down the whole Whiterun?" But then, another side of her still appreciated what he did last night. "Jesus Christ! Am I too soft? Am I doing the right thing?" she grumbled while battling internally. All she could do now is to finish the job as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Lydia took Sofie and Miraak to Heljarchen Hall as Ammra said. Another housecarl, Gregor, greeted them. Aleesan smiled widely when he saw her sister. But when he noticed Ammra did not come along, he showed a slight disappointment.
To kill the time, Miraak just sat by the porch while practicing his magic. The sounds of kids playing on the field were heard. Once in a while, he looked at them then continued his practice.
"He might be our future papa..." he heard a whisper.
"Really? He looked scary." Apparently, the kids are peeking at him from behind the bush.
Miraak saw the two Housecarls keeping an eye for them while playing, so he did not bother talking. The kids continued their play and left him alone. The was peaceful silence until suddenly he heard the children screaming.
A herd of mammoth who happened to pass by was evoked by the kids' presence. Sofie managed to escape, but Aleesan fell to the ground. The mammoth was about to stomp on him. Gregor and Lydia came for aid but they were too slow. Instinctively Miraak shout.
Wuld Nah Kest...
his shout echoed as his body darted forward, grabbing Aleesan before he was stomped. The child trembled. He clenched his fist tightly to Miraak's robe. The herd now turned to them. Miraak readied himself and pushed Aleesan behind him.
Fus Ro Dah...
with that shout, the mammoths were pushed backward then ran away in terror.
"I told you not to play too far from the house!" Lydia scolded as she ran closer then checked if he got hurt. "Your mother will not be happy to hear that you disobey such a simple order."
"Lydia, don't be too hard on him. He's still scared." Gregor said. "I'll take him home."
"Thanks for your help," Lydia said to Miraak in a stiff tone then left.
As the snow began to fall, The First Dragonborn looked at the place where the mammoth was. Slowly he could sense his Thu'um was returning. While at the same time, he noticed in a depth of his consciousness, the presence of Hermaeus Mora. The Daedric Prince was undermining the ward that Ammra cast between them.
Miraak looked around for a moment. He was so close yet so far with his goal. There's no telling if this was going to be his last chance to see the world. He could sense the Daedric's price grip grew stronger. He might find himself back to Apocrypha before the next sunrise came.
Miraak did not bother himself entering the house even when the sky turned dark. Night crept in and so did the vicious restlessness. Knowing he might be taken back to Apocrypha was quite unpleasant but what he felt now had nothing to do with it. It's Ammra. The night was getting late but she had not returned yet.
The tall Atmoran man started to stride back and forth at the house entrance. He had been with her all these past few days and suddenly without her presence, he felt a strange loss he couldn't explain. The anxiety was unbearable. He wanted her there immediately.
On the other hand, Ammra was so happy to see Whiterun unharmed when she and the Companion approached the city. Aela and Farkas returned to Jorrvaskr but Vilkas remained next to her. "Ammra." He called. "I, thank you for today."
"I am honored to fulfill my duty." She replied with a sad smile.
Vilkas sighed. "Farkas told me about Miraak." Ammra knew where this was going to lead. But when she opened her mouth to talked, Vilkas gestured her to wait. "Why?" she went silent. "You know how dangerous he is."
"I cannot tell you, Vilkas. I'm sorry." she evaded.
"Not this again, Ammra." this time he talked in a slightly frustrated tone. "Why do you always cover yourself in mystery." instead of replying, she averted her eyes from him. "You disappeared for months without telling anyone. Only Kodlak knew why and he kept it secret. What are you doing, Ammra? You are part of The Circle and clearly..." when he saw her guilty and saddened face, he stopped himself, noticing that he had stepped out of the boundary. Even if he was the Harbinger and Ammra was a member of The Circle, she was not his to control. Vilkas cupped her face with one hand gently. "I'm sorry. I—I just cannot afford to lose you, Ammra."
"Don't say such a thing, Vilkas. You are just sad because of Kodlak's death."
"No." he interrupted. "I don't want that man to be near you. I want you to stay and don't leave again." she was speechless as numbness rapidly awakened inside her body. "I love..."
"No!" this time Ammra snapped. She would not allow such a thing got in her way. For her, love is nothing but an illusion. It clouded the judgment, making someone blind to any possibility of betrayal. She looked at him in the eye. "I'm sorry, Vilkas."
"Where will you go? Morrowind? Cyrodiil?" he still refused to give up.
Ammra let out a deep breath, preparing to put an end to this. "I am leaving this realm." she finally said. Vilkas seemed to not comprehend her answer. "I'm not from Skyrim. Not even from this world. I'll leave this realm and never return." A burst of rage and sadness suddenly flooded her blood. Ammra couldn't explain why his confession triggered her badly.
This time it was Ammra who felt guilty due to her tone. "Vilkas, I am not what you think I am." she looked down, holding back tears. "I must continue what I am doing to seek my past. And I need to bring Miraak with me. So whatever feeling you have, please...abandon me."
He looked at her. "Did things really not work out between us?"
She shook her head. "No. Never. And I'll not allow that." Her words are final.
Vilkas caressed her side of the face gently. The warrior suddenly pulled her between his arms before kissing her forehead for the last time. Ammra on the other and, swallowed the numbness before it turned into pain. "Please take care and just don't die," he told her dearly.
After he finally left, Ammra ran to the stable then rode to Heljarchen Hall.
The cold night wind kissed her skin while Ammra cursed to nothing. She just got a little peace of mind after purifying Kodlak but Vilkas invoked something she really didn't wish to remember. As she approached the manor, Ammra noticed a figure who was walking back and forth in front of the house. When it was closed enough, she saw Miraak who seemed to be rather annoyed.
"It took you whole day only to kill a wolf spirit." Was the first thing he said. His deep voice was a combination of being amazed and irritated.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked after dismounting her horse. Gregor who heard her arrival quickly took the horse to the stable.
"I don't have to explain anything to you, little one." He followed her into the house.
With her chest feeling so heavy, Ammra soaked herself immediately in a warm bath prepared by Lydia. Doing so always helped her calm her tension and stress. After she managed to cast away the memories of her past, Ammra put on the nightdress. She made her way to the guest room where she found Miraak was reading a book. "Do you need something?"he asked. Without explaining, Ammra sat next to him on the side of the bed. She gestured to him to put away the book and turned his body to her.
"I want to keep my end of the bargain." Without further ado, she just placed her hands on his upper chest. He slightly flinched in surprise. Miraak who initially did not care about the deal forgot about it. The touch he once resented now felt even more soothing as he felt her palm through his robe's fabric.
Her hand slid down on his heart position. Ammra closed her eyes, seemed to concentrate. Unknowingly, Miraak enjoyed the moment. His attention was drawn to her eyelashes, nose, puffy cheeks, and eventually her lips.
"Hmm...this will take a while." She mumbled. "The lock that I put was quite tight."
He placed his hand on top of hers. "You can do it another time." Ammra opened her eyes and gave him a disbelief look. On the other hand, for Miraak, her countenance showed helplessness. He noticed she always looked so fragile, but tonight she was even more vulnerable, even compared to this morning.
The former Dragon Priest was always happy to see his enemies trembled before his power as they crumbled in fear and defeat. What he saw before his eyes now was not the same but similar. He could kill her easily in that room before her housecarl came to aid. He had regained his Thu'um. Her chance of winning was slender, yet she dared to show up without a weapon nor armor. What the reason she did that was still a mystery for Miraak. He didn't bother to think of it because he liked what he saw.
Meanwhile, Ammra was caught in his deep blue eyes which were dangerously captivating yet intimidating. She was about to thank him for saving Aleesan but her words evaporated because of his gaze.
With the fact that she gathered from Lydia, Ammra was sure Miraak was getting stronger rapidly. Being trapped in his gaze, honestly, she wasn't sure anymore whether to be afraid of him and just gave in or remained her guard up. There was still some part of her that kept on telling her to believe in her project. Ammra took a deep breath and began to gather all of her confidence and courage.
"I—I want to thank you again." Her honor as a warrior insisted Ammra fulfilled the promise. Miraak felt a slight improvement in his Magica vein circulation right after a gentle thurst of her palm on his heart.
When he was the dragon priest, he was flooded with luxury and able to hoard any gems, golds, or any precious and valuables artifacts. He came to remember how it felt to have possession over something. Perhaps being out of oblivion made him recalling his instinct one by one. And what he saw before him was worth hoarding. Collectible. He started to feel he could own her.
After being carried away by his thought for some moment, he immediately brushed them away. "Your time is running out. Get yourself together and we depart tomorrow." He said sternly.
"Yes. But would you let go of my hand first?" he just realized he had been holding her hand all this time. "And thanks for saving Aleesan." She smiled faintly at him before leaving the room.