AN: At this point I will be uploading one-shots at random, all centered around my The Mind of Ysgramor universe (so you should probably go and read THAT first so you know what's going on, in case you haven't). Most are going to take place after the story's timeline, but they won't necessarily follow in chronological order, and some could take place back when Vilkas was still little for all I know. So, I'll be sure to put the date of when it's happening at the start of each one-shot, and in the summary as well so ya'll know and can figure out when that one-shot is taking place. Also, they won't necessarily be in Vilkas' 3rd person POV like in the main story, so there's that. Anyway, hope you enjoy as always!

A Childhood Rediscovered

(Takes place on the 15th of Sun's Dawn, 4E 203)

Vilkas huffed as he sat on the rug at the foot of his and his wife's bed, his hair falling around his face as he dug through the large chest placed directly in front of him.

"Honestly, Vilkas, if you're so concerned with finding that belt, you should think about going through and cleaning out your inventory every now and then," Adelia muttered from where she was laying on the bed.

"I know it's here somewhere," the man grunted in reply, before his hand swept over something sharp and he flinched his hand back with a hiss. "The old man was never much of an organizer, and I haven't been through this thing since before he passed on. It's his fault everything's amuck in this chest."

Adelia giggled. "So you're saying you relied on your Harbinger to put your things away?"

He turned his head to give her a distinct glower. "No," he testified, "Kodlak used to just pile mine and Farkas' things in this trunk when we were younger. I never thought to open it myself until I saw it in here one day under the bed. Then I remembered that belt which I made when I was younger out of cow hide, the first thing I ever forged, and I thought I would show you. So there."

Adelia just rolled her eyes. "Alright, my Harbinger. Just don't slice yourself up trying to excavate for it."

Vilkas grunted as he turned back toward the chest, before his eye caught hold of something. Gingerly, he reached in and took the object out, his other hand sweeping briefly over it to remove some dust before examining it.

"I can't believe it," he said with a grin.

His wife sat up carefully and looked downward at him, her brows rising in curiosity. "Did you find the belt?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, but I found something else."

Adelia examined the object in his grasp, only to realize what he was holding was an old tattered book that had seen better days.

"A book." she clarified, laying back down.

He nodded before standing up and sitting on the edge of the bed next to her side. "Not just any book, Kolb and the Dragon. Kodlak used to read this to me and my brother all the time when we were little." He opened the book as if it were glass in his hands and his eyes ran over the words with a nostalgic fondness. "Gods, I can't even tell you how many times Kodlak caught me trying to read this in the middle of the night by candlelight."

"So started your interest in reading, hm?" his wife asked with a smile.

He shrugged, turning to look down at her. "Possibly. Have you ever read this?" he questioned.

She shook her head. "I'm afraid not. What's it about?"

Vilkas smiled as he ran his thumb over the opened page. "Many things. It's all up to you to decide."

Adelia looked confused. "What do you mean?"

He just chuckled and placed his hand on her abdomen. "Perhaps when the pup is here I can read it to them and then you'll see. Won't be too long now."

The woman pouted. "What if I want to know what it's about right this moment?"

Vilkas just sighed, shaking his head helplessly. "Fine, fine. You win this round," he said, knowing full well not to make her angry. He moved to his side of the bed, propping his back against the pillows. Adelia scooted over to his side and rested her head on his shoulder, snuggling a bit to get comfortable. Clearing his throat, Vilkas flipped the book to its' first page, and began to read.

"'Kolb was a brave Nord warrior. One day his Chief asked Kolb to slay an evil dragon that threatened their village. 'Go through the mountain pass, Kolb', his Chief said. 'You will find the Dragon on the other side.'" Vilkas read aloud in a booming voice.

"Kodlak impersonated voices for you, didn't he?" Adelia asked warmly.

The young Harbinger nodded, nuzzling his nose into her hair. "Aye, he did. Do you like it?"

She laughed. "It's interesting hearing you get into character. Keep going," she urged.

Vilkas smiled and focused his attention on the words of the next page. "'Kolb took his favorite axe and shield and walked to the pass, where he found a cold cave, a windy cave, and a narrow trail.'" He paused and pointed to three different phrases below the sentence. "Now, you get to choose what he does."

Adelia's brows rose considerably. "I have to pick?"

"It's all part of the experience, love. Now, does he enter the cold cave, the windy cave, or continue up the trail?"

"Hm," the woman considered. "Well, I suppose I would have him walk up the trail. It sounds the least dangerous, anyway."

"Up the trail? Alright then, so now we turn to page twelve," Vilkas said whilst flipping the pages to the correct spot. "'Climbing up, Kolb found a camp. He met a wise man who shared bread and showed two paths to the dragon's lair. One went through the hills, the other through a marsh.' What should he do?"

"Go through the hills. He'll probably meet a Spriggan if he goes the other way," Adelia shivered.

The man snorted at her sudden interest in Kolb's fate, and turned the pages to the next step. "'Kolb stepped onto a rocky hill. He could see the dragon sleeping below, and a tavern off a road nearby.' Should he climb down, or go to the tavern?"

"Well, if he goes to the tavern he can restock on food and get rest before he faces the dragon. That's what I would've done, anyway," Adelia stated.

"You sure about that, dear?" Vilkas asked slyly, getting ready to turn the page.

Suddenly she looked bewildered. "Why? Does something happen? Did I make the wrong decision?"

He snickered. "I don't know…" About to turn the page, her hand suddenly flew over his and held it in place.

"No, no, wait! I change my mind! Go down the hill!"

He burst into a fit of laughter at her imminent concern for the fictional man's journey and took her hand off his before planting a kiss on the back of it. "You're killing me here, Adelia. Not even Farkas got so worked up for Kolb."

"Well I don't want him to mess up! It is my decision as to what happens to him, is it not?" she said seriously.

He nodded and silently urged her to lay back down with his hand. "Of course, love. Just don't have a coronary over it."

She just stared up at him, her expression dead-serious. "Keep reading."

He smiled down at her and settled back into place, then turned to the next part of the story.

"'Kolb found the lair where the dragon slept, tendrils of smoke wafting from its' nostrils. The air made Kolb's eyes sting, and he nearly slipped on the bones of men, picked clean. The beast lay on its side, the throat and belly both waiting targets.'"

"So it's the throat or the belly," Adelia analyzed. "Well, instinct tells me the throat. But it also depends on how big the dragon is."

"Sounds like you're taking this story to heart," Vilkas said in reply.

The woman shrugged. "Kolb has the task of defeating a dragon, I had the task of defeating dragons. We're one in the same, really. 'Cept he had it way easier."

"So you say the throat, then?" Vilkas asked.

Adelia nodded. "Yes, go for the throat."

"'The head of the axe lodged itself in the tough, scaly neck of the beast,'" Vilkas continued. "'It wailed and thrashed, but Kolb held on and eventually sawed through the neck, killing the beast. Kolb returned home victorious, and his village was never bothered by the dragon again. The end.'" He closed the book and looked over at her, smirking. "Looks like you won."

She grinned, offering a victorious fist-pump into the air. "Bet it took you two forever to find out the right way, huh?"

Vilkas rolled his eyes. "Yes, but we were also children, Adelia."

"That's no excuse!" she cackled in a mock-evil tone. "…So what would've happened if he had gone to the tavern like I had wanted?" she then asked.

"Kolb would've been poisoned by elves," Vilkas responded.

"My guess is that it was some burly Nord who wrote this then," she smirked.

"Eh, probably," the man replied. "You've seriously never read this story before though? Pretty much every person I grew up with has read it at least once."

Adelia's expression suddenly turned troubled, and her gaze moved to her hands, which began twiddling together. Vilkas winced. He had obviously hit a soft spot.

"I…well, my parents…they didn't read to me much when I was younger. Usually I had someone, like a tutor of a sort, reading to me or telling me what to read. Most often, it wasn't anything entertaining. Mostly literature of the greats and philosophical nonsense."

"Sounds like something I'd take interest in," Vilkas stated. He couldn't imagine a young child, a little girl at that, being motivated to study beyond her years. Most likely it was for nobility purposes, but he wasn't about to ask.

"You'd be good at it," Adelia sighed. "I on the other hand, I was more interested in what the poor children were doing in the street outside my window. You know, sometimes I used to wish that I had been born to a poor family," she laughed sadly.

Vilkas didn't say anything, just took her hand in his and squeezed it. He leaned over then and tenderly kissed her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, gazing into her eyes.

She smiled and shook her head. "Stop it, you'll make me emotional."

He chuckled and stood from the bed, moving over to the bookshelf by the far wall and skimming over the titles.

"What are you doing?" he heard her ask.

He started to pull specific books from their spots on the shelves until he had a decent pile in his arms. "Going to catch you up on your childhood. A book a night." When he turned around to face her, he saw that she was crying, one arm thrown over her eyes. He set the books on the end of the bed and moved over to her side, gently pulling her arm away from her face. The, at this point, very familiar sight of her reddened cheeks and squinted eyes greeted him, and then she was staring up at him with an indescribable emotion. He simply lowered his hand to her cheek, stroking her flushed skin softly with his fingers.

"V…Vilkas?" she sniffled.

"Hm?" he responded, bending down to kiss her forehead.

"Can you read me Kolb and the Dragon again?"

Smiling, he nodded before crawling over to his side of the bed once more and resting in the same position as before. This time, however, when Adelia snuggled up to his side she embraced him as much as she could, her face nuzzled into his neck. Wrapping one arm around her and holding the book with his free hand, he began to read again.

"'Kolb was a brave Nord warrior…'"

I was reading the Easter Egg section of Skyrim on UESP and the "Choose Your Own Adventure"-styled Kolb and the Dragon appeared on the list. Of course, being me, a little snippet then materialized in my brain for these two dorks. I enjoyed writing this a lot, it made me feel very fuzzy!

Oh and by the way, I have two one-shots for TMoY Universe on the backburner right now, both in Farkas' perspective, so hopefully those will be out soon enough! (Hint: One of them has to do with Lydia…huh huh huh huuuuh)