Alidorim's return from unconsciousness was slow. More than once the sheer weight of his fatigue dragged him back down into the void. Awareness dawned as twinkles of faraway starlight. That distant glimmer spread into a brilliant horizon. Soon his vision was filled with the brilliance of the waking world.
Groaning, the Dragonborn sat up. He was on the floor next to the fireplace. Someone had placed a pillow under his head and quilt across his body. They'd made no attempt to remove his armor or weapons. The bright shaft of midday sunlight pierced the living room casting a soft golden haze on the couch. Beneath a white sheet laid Yulia. She was still with her red hair fanned out around her head. Mercifully her chest rose with the steady rhythm of one in a deep sleep.
A relieved sigh escaped Oklith's mouth.
"Ah, you're finally awake," a female voice called out. The woman from the night before walked in carrying a tray of food. She was dressed in modest workwear as befitting a woman of the house. "If you slept any longer, I'd consider tossing a bucket of water on ya."
Ignoring that last comment Alidorim refocused on the girl. "Yulia?"
The woman smiled and replied as she placed the tray upon the nearby table. "Aye, your daughter's recovering nicely."
Alidorim relief was only surpassed by surprise. Had the woman really assumed that he, a Dragonborn, had sired a Tiefling? "She's not my-" he started to state but was cut off.
"Father Sebas cast a sleeping spell so that she could rest properly," Maddy kept on talking as if the warrior hadn't even spoken. "Poor thing was suffering fever dreams." Walking over she gave the girl a quick once over, pausing at her feet. Suddenly her head snapped in his direction. Alidorim was taken aback by the fire in her eyes. "I have half a mind to box your ear over the state of her feet." Her gaze narrowed dangerously. "What kind of father lets his girl walk barefoot?"
Once again, his sheepishness was outweighed by his annoyance at her presumption. "I'm not her-" he once again tried to correct her but never got the words out.
"I cleaned and bandaged them. Father Sebas purged the infection without much effort, thank the Gods." She stood straight and placed her hands on her hips. "It'll be some time before she wakes. I suggest you eat and then go see Julian. We don't board freeloaders." Alidorim opened his mouth to assure her he had every intention to pay, but the woman pressed on. "By the way, I managed to untangle the poor girl's tail. Somehow it got tied up about her waist."
Olkith blinked several times. "Her...tail?"
"And thank Sebas when you get a chance!" she called out, disappearing back out of the room. Alidorim could only sit in stunned silence. He took a moment but couldn't recall a moment when a woman half his size railroaded his own conversation.
Dazed Alidorim got up and walked over to the couch. Yulia lay in gentle repose. Lifting the blanket, he saw that she was wearing a proper nightgown rather than rags. The family must have cleaned her up as well. There was no trace of dirt on her skin either. Somehow it made her appear younger.
As promised her feet were wrapped in white bandages, and Alidorim could smell fresh herbs. At least now she could walk without pain.
Looking a bit lower he saw that Yulia did indeed have a thin tale. It matched her hair in color and was about as long as her leg. As he observed the appendage it slowly curled with each of her breathes. In the back of his mind, he'd known Tieflings had them, but for some reason, it never occurred to him that Yulia would possess one. "So...she has a tail...How did I miss that?" Alidorim would have to blame fatigue, frustration, and a genuine indifference on that one. He did find it odd that it was tied about her waist as if she were attempting to hide it. Now that he thought about it, her hair could easily cover the ears and horns. Unless someone got a good look at her eyes, Yulia could pass for human or half-elf in a pinch.
But why would she be hiding who she was? Better yet, who or what was she hiding from? More questions and fewer answers in the making. He certainly wouldn't be getting them while she slept, so Alidorim decided to partake of the food Maddy brought. A fresh meal of boiled eggs, a slice of ham, and porridge. The bill for the family's hospitality would be significant for sure, but at that moment his appetite and relief outweighed such concerns.
The storm had not been kind to the compound. Thatching had been ripped off the roofs of the outbuildings, and the courtyard was dotted with mud puddles. Men were hard at work repairing the damage while women and children were going about the daily chores. Julian and the guard from last night, Tucker were assisting with the maintenance. After making sure he wasn't needed, Julian descended from the stable roof and approached the Dragonborn. He was middle-aged, balding, but with a strong physique. Alidorim noticed the slightest of hesitations in his step as he drew near. None of the residences seemed completely sure of the new arrival.
"You certainly know how to make an entrance," Julian said, by way of greeting. They shook hands. The human seemed to flinch when flesh met scales. "Glad to see your up and about."
Alidorim merely nodded. "We are grateful you took us in."
Julian shrugged as if it were a minor issue. "How's your daughter doing?"
"She's not my daughter," the Dragonborn growled, annoyed at everyone's assumption.
The human gave Olkith a sarcastic look as if to say, 'No kidding?' "Could've fooled us," he said with a shrug, "the way you hovered about her till you collapsed from exhaustion."
The reminder of how much the family had done for Yulia and himself cowed his frustration. "I appreciate the help," he said bowing his head in gratitude. Alidorim felt sheepish. Obviously, none of them believed he was her biological father, but the way he'd behaved he undoubtedly presented himself as such.
"Don't thank us too much," the man replied with a wry smile, "You were too heavy to move, and none dared touch ya because of...uh..." he gestured not to he weapons but his dragonesque features. At least he was upfront with his people's feelings and had the decency to look apologetic at the implication. Alidorim could respect that. After a hot meal, decent sleep and Yulia on the mend there was little he wouldn't tolerate.
"Don't see much of your kind this far north." Julian barreled on. "Not every-night a Dragonborn shows up at your door carrying a sick Tiefling. There's a story there to be sure."
"Not much of one." He briefly explained the events surrounding him and Yulia's brief acquaintance. He didn't omit much, and the tale barely took a few minutes to tell. Julian spat at the mention of Goblins but seemed impressed by how far his travels had taken them. "We were fortunate," he explained, "Didn't even know there was a settlement at the crossing."
Julian nodded and gestured at the manor. "Aye, we get paid to maintain the bridge plus extra coin from travelers and commerce up and down the river."
At the mention of money, Alidorim brought up the subject of payment for the care. Julian waved off the topic. "When Yulia feels better," he declared. About that time Father Sebas, the priest from the night before walked up. "Speak to the good father. I've still got plenty of work to do." After nodding to the priest Julian rejoined his men.
"I see you've met my patron," the priest commented, "A good man, if a bit stingy with his prayers." Despite his surprise, the night prior the older man didn't seem at all perturbed by Alidorim's appearance. Neither did it appear to bother him that the mud was staining the hem of his robes.
"I am grateful for yours in regard to Yulia," the Dragonborn said inclining his head, but like Julian, Sebas waved the topic off.
"What kind of priest would I be if I ignored the sick and helpless." He sighed looking weary for a moment. "Truth be told a few more hours in that weather and she would've been beyond our skills."
Alidorim grumbled in agreement though his mind perished the thought lest it turns to bile in his stomach. He did mention the earful the Lady of the House had given him upon awakening.
"So, you met Maddy," Sebas guffawed, "God's love her. That woman wields maternal instinct like a mace." The comparison startled a laugh out of the warrior, and he had to agree. Despite being armed and armored, the woman had bossed him around as if he were a child. He hadn't even thought twice about it.
"She's very...stalwart," he said trying to be tactful in regard to their host.
"She's a force of nature, is what she is." Again, the priest managed to draw a genuine laugh out the Dragonborn. The moment the chuckles had subsided Sebas asked how Alidorim and Yulia ended up in such dire straits. Once more the warrior recounted the events of the last few days starting with the encounter with the Goblins. As he regaled him with the story Sebas began to look grimmer behind his smile. By the time he'd finished the priest was looking contemplative.
"She is young," Sebas said parsing out what information Alidorim had given him on the girl. "Having been on the road for so long might justify her lack of knowledge."
"She picked up on common easily enough," Olkith replied a bit defensively. Yulia may not know she was a Tiefling, but that didn't mean she wasn't smart.
"Of course," The priest said with a smug smile, "Your child-"
There was that presumption again! Alidorim had had enough. "She is not my child!" he snarled, his patience and gratitude having reached its limits.
Sebas didn't seem the least bit concerned about his temper. "For a being claiming to not be her father," he said as calmly as if they were speaking over tea, "you have a paternal way about you."
"I promised I would find her a home," he stated in a rather blunt tone, "Nothing more or less."
The priest wrinkled his nose. "Rather crass of you," he said in a disapproving tone, "I'd believe it if it didn't come from someone who marched through a storm for two days carrying a sick child that was not his own."
"Do not visit my intentions, priest." Alidorim snapped. As accurate as Sebas' statement was the human should not deign to know the inner working of the Dragonborn's mind. "When I desire counsel, I'll seek it."
Sebas shrugged not in the least bit put out by his rebuke. "Suit yourself, lad," he said. He started to turn away but paused and looked back. "But a bit of free advice?" Alidorim knew he'd regret it but nodded regardless. The Priest had saved Yulia's life. He was owed a measure of latitude. Giving a soft smile, Sebas said, "Fate often works out in ways we did not intend." And with that, he left Alidorim in a mixture of annoyance and introspection.
Alidorim turned and reentered the house and took a seat next to the couch. Yulia would wake and it was best he was present. She would awake in a strange place and would need someone familiar to keep her calm.
Whatever everyone else thought, Alidorim could never be Yulia's father. No one should have him as a father. She deserved better. Somehow Olkith would find her someone better.