Blind

"Greetings, Dragonborn." The voice, sounding oddly metallic, startled the woman as she sipped a cup of mead at her table. She recovered quickly, preventing the drink from spilling. That man was here again. That odd echoing quality of his voice was very recognizable.

The female Dragonborn had once asked why his voice sounded like that. He explained that he wore a mask, one that he was rather reluctant to take off. She thought it was odd but she had met many people that had even more unique quirks in her travels. It didn't matter if he wore one anyway.

"Must you startle me every visit?" The female Dragonborn turned around, trying to face where she thought the voice was coming from. So many times she wished she had her vision back. Simple things were so much harder when one could not see.

Alduin had burned her eyes in their last battle and no magic had been able to return her sight. Even though the most skilled mages in restoration had been tasked to aid her, the most they could do was repair the physical damage.

They said her eyes were fixed, at least visibly. Something else must have been wrong, or maybe it would take some time before her vision would come back. No one had been sure. It had left the woman frustrated and angry but she could do nothing about it.

All the Dragonborn could do now was wait and try to cope with the loss of her vision. She spent most of her time at home as she could not go out alone. She had made many enemies and it was safest for her at home. There was usually someone with her, either a friend or her summoned guards. Sometimes she was alone, but that was not often. This was one of those rare times.

"It is not my fault your senses are so dull. You must learn to pay attention or else you may find yourself in trouble." Her visitor sounded almost scolding, judging by the tone of his voice.

"Lucky for me you're not here to kill me." The Dragonborn joked. "So what brings you here again? It's been a few weeks since your last visit."

"I had some business nearby. I thought I'd stop by again to see how the Slayer of Alduin is doing." The man said. "But now that I am here, I must know. Where is your servant? Why is she not with you?"

"For the last time Miraak, she's not my servant! Ennah's a friend and she's just gone to the city for supplies. She'll be back soon."

"That is careless of the both of you. You would be dead if I had wished to kill you."

"Contrary to what you might think, I can still defend myself." The former warrior retorted, even if she knew he was right. Normally she conjured a Dremora or two to help guard her home when Ennah was out but she had forgotten today. She was fairly proficient in Conjuration and she could let the Daedra do the fighting for her. And of course, she could still Shout. "And most people don't move around like some wraith, like you seem to. I didn't even hear you come in."

"All I can say is that you must hone your senses. And I have no doubt you could still defend yourself if needed, but I fear you would destroy your home in the process."

"Probably. But at least I'd be alive." The woman smiled. "And I'm sure one of the Jarls would just gift me a new one."

"Ah, yes. You helped many people while on your journey to defeat the World Eater. You've still to finish your story about the College."

"Am I so old that you come for stories like you would your grandmother?"

"My grandmother was not a telling stories type of woman." He said after a few moments. His voice seemed to have gotten a bit colder, but the woman brushed it off as her imagination.

"You know what I mean." The woman rolled her eyes, hoping Miraak could see the gesture.

"All I am is curious about the life of the Last Dragonborn. Must you harass me for just a taste of your experiences?" The man sighed exaggeratedly.

"Alright, fine." The former warrior laughed. "I'll tell you more… For a price."

"Not as altruistic as the tales paint you out to be, are you?"

"Maybe not." The woman hesitated before voicing her request. "Can you bring me something next time you come?"

"It depends on what it is you want. And what could I get you that you could not get here?" He sounded curious.

"It's nothing fancy. Nothing hard to get…"

"Tell me what you need and I will make sure to bring it, if I am able."

"A plant. Or a fungus. Or whatever it is. Could you just bring me some Emperor Parasol Moss?"

"Why would you need that?" Miraak had heard of it. It had been popular during his time as an alchemical ingredient in potions. It seemed to have lost its popularity in recent times with the introduction of new flora and fauna. As far as he knew, it was now rarely used since it was harder to acquire than other ingredients.

"My 'servant' as you call her, read that the moss was regularly used for herbal medicine throughout Solstheim's history. Many swore it helped cure them of serious ills. I was just hoping…"

"If you think it may help then I will bring the moss next time I visit." Miraak promised.

"Thank you… I don't actually think it will help restore my sight but I'm willing to try everything at least once." If magic didn't work, maybe herbal remedies would. The healers said there seemed to be nothing wrong with her eyes, other than some visible scarring around them. If that was the case then why couldn't she see? Something had to fix this!

"Of course. I would do the same." Miraak responded.

"And now the rest of the story." The Dragonborn said before she could get lost in her thoughts. She made herself more comfortable in her seat. "Why don't I pour you something to drink? I promise there won't be any mishaps like last time."

"I am alright for now." The woman could almost hear the amusement in his voice at the reminder. She heard him moving and then the sound of rustling paper.

"Suit yourself. Let me know if you change your mind later." The woman shrugged. "So…"

The Dragonborn spent hours talking. Miraak asked many questions throughout. He was a very curious man. He would ask who she thought was trustworthy, who was powerful, who she thought was doing a good job, who wasn't. He seemed ravenous for anything she could tell him. The scratching of him writing on paper was almost constant.

The woman found she didn't mind. It was nice to talk to someone who didn't pity her or put her on some sort of pedestal. His visits, and the visits of the many friends she had made in her travels, helped her from wallowing in self pity. She was lucky she had them.

The Dragonborn was glad she let Miraak in that day, a year prior. He had come, knocking on her door like others had when they learned where she now resided. The former warrior had been tired of being gawked at or asked to help, even though she was still coping with the loss of her vision. Everyone knew the Dragonborn was blind. It had been infuriating to be asked to help when she could barely do anything in her own home at the time. She almost hadn't let Ennah open the door, but decided last minute that she might as well get another uncomfortable encounter over with.

The encounter hadn't been unpleasant at all, at least for her. Ennah seemed rather startled by whoever was at the door but the man must have assured her that he meant no harm. Her friend, and housemate, had let Miraak in even though she admitted that he looked rather intimidating with his face obscured by a mask. Later, Ennah explained she almost felt compelled to let the man in.

Miraak had been polite, explaining that he had arrived from Solstheim and hoped to learn about the Dragonborn. If she was willing to allow it, he wanted to write about her and Skyrim. The offer had been unexpected and she told Miraak to come back another day. She hadn't been in the mood to talk right then and would consider his offer that night. To her surprise, he had left. No arguing. No complaints.

Miraak had come all the way from some backwater island called Solstheim, a place she had never heard of before, and respected her request to be left alone. Most people who came to her door had not, wanting to meet their savior despite her wanting to be left alone. They begged and pleaded for her to speak to them, help them, bless them, and so on.

The former warrior ended up agreeing to Miraak's request. He would come visit when he had time as he said he had other necessary duties to attend to. The man explained he had work in Solstheim but once he was finished, he wished to come to Skyrim permanently. Until then, he would visit Skyrim occasionally.

The female Dragonborn found that she didn't mind conversing with Miraak when he visited. She felt lonely and bored. It was nice to feel like she was doing something, even if it was just talking. Maybe people would read about her and it would allow people to discover their own strength.

In the last year, the woman found herself considering the man a friend. He was easy to talk to and quite friendly. It was surprising how easily she began to trust him, letting him know a lot more about what she had done and witnessed than she would have anyone else.

One day, the former warrior hoped she would be able to see Miraak. She wanted to see the man who made her feel like she was still useful. More than anything though, she wished she could be out and helping make Skyrim a better place, but for now she was stuck at home.

Miraak took his leave before Ennah came home. He promised to return in a week or two to listen to the next part of her story. The Dragonborn had finished explaining what led her to become the Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, though currently Mirabelle led in her stead. Next time she promised to talk about some of the experiences she had with various Daedric Princes, including Sanguine. That had been one of the most embarrassing times of her life and she hoped Miraak would not think less of her for it. She hadn't been in her right mind at the time.

The woman said her farewells and shut the door behind Miraak. Afterwards, she conjured up two dremora to guard the house until Ennah came back. Her friend did not like the Daedra but she had grown used to them.

As Miraak left, he smiled beneath his temporary mask. The Last Dragonborn had been rather helpful to him, unknowingly.

He had only returned to Nirn for a year and that was too little time to learn what he needed to about the people and current politics in Skyrim. Having the Last Dragonborn, and his many spies, tell him everything he needed to know was going to make things easier for him once he finished up in Solstheim.

How fortunate it was for him that current circumstances kept the Last from getting in his way. He wasn't sure how long the blindness would last but if her body could not fix itself, he intended to. There were ways to cure her, though no healer seemed to remember these old magics. Many seemed to have gone extinct in this age.

The Last Dragonborn was young and still rather inexperienced in the ways of the world but she truly was a hero for the people. He would rather have her on his side over killing or imprisoning her. He would have to show her that he was the lesser of two evils. She could either let him do as he wished and rule Skyrim or she could allow the province to tear itself to pieces. In his opinion, the choice was easy.

But before Miraak could begin his designs on Skyrim, and the rest of Tamriel, he needed to make sure Solstheim was prepared. His people were training, the number of Dragons under his control was rising and the man felt they were almost ready. If anyone dared to attack them, they would find fierce opposition.

Soon, he thought to himself and smiled once more.

Been working on this for a while! Finally finished it. :)