He looked around and saw a few more houses, but there were no people inside.
He kept searching until he spotted a farmland where people were working.
"So, this has also changed," he thought.
Unnoticed, a little girl approached him slowly.
"Hey!"
She shouted in his ear, almost causing Lun to hit her, but he stopped himself in time.
"A child," he said, looking at her.
"I'm not a child! I'm Fastred, and you're a kid too!"
Lun thought for a moment, as the name Fastred sounded familiar to him.
'Fastred… Fastred? Fastred?! She's the one caught in a love triangle with Klimmek and Bassianus!'
While Lun was thinking, Fastred began to observe him.
"Who are you? I've never seen you before."
"My name is Lun. I just got here after escaping a bear."
"A bear?!" she exclaimed, alarmed.
"Yes, but two guards saved me from it."
"The guards here are very dedicated. Where are you from?"
"I don't know. I have no idea how I got here," he lied.
"That's unfortunate."
Lun looked closely at Fastred and wondered how she would look when she grew up. Even Wilhelm's face looked slightly different—less bitter and somewhat distinct.
In Skyrim, many NPCs shared voices and even faces, like the bandits who were almost identical. But Wilhelm's voice was unique, so it was likely there would be many changes.
"I'm fine for now, but I don't know what to do since I can't leave the village. I might run into another bear."
He recalled all the deaths caused by the bear near Ivarstead's cave.
"Then stay here. There aren't many kids my age, and I get bored."
"I don't consider myself very entertaining," he replied, remembering his time as a forensic specialist. 'Except for that.'
"Don't your horns do anything?"
"I don't think so. They're just there."
She made a sad noise.
'How do you entertain a child?'
He thought for a moment and decided to show her his magic.
He conjured flames in his hand, impressing Fastred.
"Is that magic?!" she asked.
"Yes, but it just flames. Nothing impressive. There are people who can summon giant fireballs or shoot massive lightning bolts that can destroy giant fortresses, and much more."
"Wow!"
Fastred seemed incredibly excited until they were interrupted.
"Fastred! Come here!"
Fastred's father was calling her, glaring at Lun with disdain.
'Was Jofthor racist? He never said anything in the game… Maybe it was because I was the Dragonborn,' Lun thought.
"But, Father—"
She tried to keep talking to Lun, but her father wouldn't allow it.
"No buts. Come here," he ordered.
"Yes, Father."
Fastred walked away, leaving Lun alone.
'If I recall, Jofthor was very overprotective of her,' he thought.
He reflected on her love triangle for a moment.
"Wait a second. She looks about my age. How old are Klimmek and Bassianus right now?"
He went searching for the two, as it would feel extremely odd—and somewhat disgusting—if they were much older than her.
While searching among the houses, he noticed the large mountain leading to High Hrothgar.
He saw the bridge where a man was crossing, which meant it had to be Klimmek, who delivered supplies to the Greybeards.
"He already looks older. How did he see her as a potential partner?"
Returning to the village, he spotted a red-haired man with a beard walking, which had to be Bassianus.
"Another one. Am I overthinking this? Or maybe it's a difference in moral standards?"
Unsure of what to do, Lun decided to practice magic while counting how long he could cast flames.
"17 seconds. If I'm not mistaken, Flames costs 14 points of magicka. That means I have around 240 or slightly more. That's different too."
He stayed there, trying to calculate how long it took for his magicka to recharge. After waiting 17 seconds, he cast flames again but could only maintain it for 12 seconds.
"I was five seconds short. It'd be better if something notified me when I was at 100%."
He waited again, and this time felt something strange coursing through his body. He started counting until the sensation stopped.
"About 17 seconds?"
He cast flames again, and this time it lasted the full 17 seconds.
"It also takes me 17 seconds to recharge magicka. So, do I regenerate 14 magicka per second?"
While he was figuring this out, Hraldir approached him.
"You know magic?"
"I know the basics. Where were you?" Lun asked, stopping his magic.
"I had to patrol and speak to the captain about you."
"About me?"
Lun thought about why the captain wanted to discuss him and figured it had to do with claiming he had no memory.
"Yes, and he wants to talk to you."
Hraldir guided Lun to a house that served as the guard barracks in Ivarstead.
Lun tried to recall if such a place existed in the original game since he had only been to Ivarstead for quests like killing Narfi, finding Reyda's body, the barrow near the village, locating Sibbi Black-Briar's ex-fiancée, and Fastred's love story. He hadn't entered most of the other houses.
Inside, a few guards were resting while eating, and in the center was an older man reading several papers at a table.
"Captain, I brought him."
"Good."
The man looked Lun up and down, analyzing him.
"Kid, what's your name?" he asked.
"My name is Lun."
"Lun… Do you remember where you lived?"
"I don't know. I was at home, and suddenly everything went dark. When I woke up, I was on the riverbank."
"I see."
The man leaned back in his chair, thinking about what to do.
'It really could be that he was kidnapped like the other children'
After a few seconds, the captain made his decision.
"Lun, we can't keep you here since there's no orphanage, and it's too dangerous. It would be best to send you to Riften, to the Honorhall Orphanage."
Upon hearing that name, Lun's face almost contorted in displeasure, but he managed to keep a neutral expression.
'With Grelod? Seriously?'
"There, you'll be under the protection of Riften's guards."
He thought about it for a moment. It might indeed be safer, and he'd only have to deal with Grelod, an old woman. It might also give him a chance to learn about the Thieves Guild.
"O-Okay," he agreed reluctantly, already recalling Grelod's behavior and suspecting she not only insulted but also physically hurt the children.
"Hraldir will take you to Riften," the captain said, looking at him. "Hraldir, make sure he arrives safe and sound."
"Yes, Captain."
With the decision made, all that was left was to prepare for the journey to Riften.