Runa didn't look at him, just at the dagger; her fingertips danced across the blade with a childlike fascination, as if trying to ascertain how much pressure she could apply on the sharp edge without injuring herself. He considered warning her that he had just recently sharpened it; but something stayed his hand.
Eventually Runa answered his question. "It's not that."
A short pause. She hesitated and bit her lower lip. Even when she continued she didn't look up at him.
"You're wearing the armor of the Imperial Legion... Is it true that you fought in the battle for Fort Greenwall to reclaim Riften?"
"That's right. The Stormcloak rebels didn't stand a chance", he said with a smile. He was actually proud of that feat and recognized an opportunity to impress his daughter.
"They thought they could hide behind their flimsy barricades and take my soldiers out with their arrows. A simple but effective strategy, if they hadn't been facing the Dragonborn. I called my pet dragon Durnehviir down on them to decimate their numbers while my men infiltrated the Fort. You really should have seen it."
Runa flinched when she finally managed to cut herself. With a soft gasp she dropped the dagger and inspected her finger. Sighing Serano reached out and took her hand in his, ignoring the girl's obvious discomfort.
Healing the wounds of a third party was a high-level skill that few people ever mastered; Serano himself still struggled to seal cuts, even small ones such as this one; but he was able to numb the pain without much effort. After casting his spell he was convinced that Runa shouldn't feel the injury anymore, even though a little blood continued to flow.
"Magic", he elaborated when he saw her confused expression. Smiling he wiped the blood away with his thumb before letting go of her wrist.
She started biting on her lower lip. There was something on her mind, and whatever it was, she obviously found it hard to talk about.
"Is it true that the Imperial Legion intends to destroy our culture and turn us all into slaves for the Thalmor?", Runa asked all of a sudden.
He frowned. He hadn't heard such outrageous propaganda since his last trip to Windhelm. Ulfric's commanding officer - some Nord trying to impersonate a bear judging by all the furs he wore and the way he barked orders at his me -, had used the very same words. It was the Stormcloak's flimsy excuse to start their little rebellion that would probably get them all killed before Alduin had a chance to eat them. He had never thought he would have to listen to this crap in his own home.
Runa continued. "Do you believe the Empire's lies that signing the White-Gold Concordat was the only way to stop the Thalmor?"
"What!?" It was a struggle not to shout at her, at this girl who kept spouting his enemies' propaganda. She couldn't know anything about politics, yet recited the Stormcloaks' phrases as if she believed them.
Serano sighed; eventually he settled for the honest answer instead of an insulting or reassuring one.
"I don't know. I don't care, either. I fight the Stormcloaks because I hate Ulfric's guts."
Alone (M!DB/Romlyn) (39/?)
Eventually Runa answered his question. "It's not that."
A short pause. She hesitated and bit her lower lip. Even when she continued she didn't look up at him.
"You're wearing the armor of the Imperial Legion... Is it true that you fought in the battle for Fort Greenwall to reclaim Riften?"
"That's right. The Stormcloak rebels didn't stand a chance", he said with a smile. He was actually proud of that feat and recognized an opportunity to impress his daughter.
"They thought they could hide behind their flimsy barricades and take my soldiers out with their arrows. A simple but effective strategy, if they hadn't been facing the Dragonborn. I called my pet dragon Durnehviir down on them to decimate their numbers while my men infiltrated the Fort. You really should have seen it."
Runa flinched when she finally managed to cut herself. With a soft gasp she dropped the dagger and inspected her finger. Sighing Serano reached out and took her hand in his, ignoring the girl's obvious discomfort.
Healing the wounds of a third party was a high-level skill that few people ever mastered; Serano himself still struggled to seal cuts, even small ones such as this one; but he was able to numb the pain without much effort. After casting his spell he was convinced that Runa shouldn't feel the injury anymore, even though a little blood continued to flow.
"Magic", he elaborated when he saw her confused expression. Smiling he wiped the blood away with his thumb before letting go of her wrist.
She started biting on her lower lip. There was something on her mind, and whatever it was, she obviously found it hard to talk about.
"Is it true that the Imperial Legion intends to destroy our culture and turn us all into slaves for the Thalmor?", Runa asked all of a sudden.
He frowned. He hadn't heard such outrageous propaganda since his last trip to Windhelm. Ulfric's commanding officer - some Nord trying to impersonate a bear judging by all the furs he wore and the way he barked orders at his me -, had used the very same words. It was the Stormcloak's flimsy excuse to start their little rebellion that would probably get them all killed before Alduin had a chance to eat them. He had never thought he would have to listen to this crap in his own home.
Runa continued. "Do you believe the Empire's lies that signing the White-Gold Concordat was the only way to stop the Thalmor?"
"What!?" It was a struggle not to shout at her, at this girl who kept spouting his enemies' propaganda. She couldn't know anything about politics, yet recited the Stormcloaks' phrases as if she believed them.
Serano sighed; eventually he settled for the honest answer instead of an insulting or reassuring one.
"I don't know. I don't care, either. I fight the Stormcloaks because I hate Ulfric's guts."