AN: Hey everybody! So, recently I've been playing Skyrim non-stop and decided to write a fic about my favorite side character, Vilkas! He's just so mysterious and broody, so I thought I'd give in a little insight into what I think may have happened previous to the Companion's questline as well as a bit afterward. My dragonborn, Adelia, will be in the fic, but won't come in till a bit later after I get the backstory out of the way. All of the Companions will be involved too, primarily the Circle. But for now, let's just focus on the twins and their "father". Members in the Companions at this moment in time are Kodlak, Jergen, Arnbjorn, Vignar, and an interpretation of Aela's mother, who I will call Medniece. (Means 'Huntress' in Lithuanian) Alright, here we go!
*DISCLAIMER: (applies to ALL installments of this work) I do not own any of the Elder Scrolls characters, locations, and or situations that are taken from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and its add-ons. This work is one solely of fiction and all things taken from the game for use in this story belong to Bethesda. I am simply a fan, writing out a story for entertainment purposes only, not profit-wise.*
The Mind of Ysgramor: Chapter One
The year was 4E 169. It was a dark night in late Frostfall when two men came stomping through the thick woods of Skyrim to approach their destination. Their feet heavy underneath the deep and icy snow that lay like a sheet over the terrain, they stopped for a moment to examine the area in which they were approaching. This mission was risky, and it involved something that was both dangerous and unfamiliar to their kind. As they scoped about, one of the men noticed a cave not too far away from where they stood, almost invisible by the cascading blizzard which was engulfing them at the moment. Peering closer, he noticed a trail of what looked like blood descending into its depths, and this was confirmed by the heightened metallic scent that soon wafted through his nostrils. They had found their target.
"This is it, Kodlak." the younger of the men stated flatly.
The older man gave a grunt and reached for his greatsword. He gave a nod of affirmation and they began to walk toward the putrid smelling cavern, their armor clinking as the wind howled past them. Slowly they came to the entrance, ready for whatever was in its depths.
"Is it vampires, Kodlak?" The younger man asked.
Kodlak shook his head and responded, "No, not even vampires could get away with this much blood and torture, by the smell anyway. We've got a different case on our hands, I believe it may be necromancers."
"Necromancers? I never suspected they were dangerous, I thought they were just a bunch of odd mages."
Kodlak chuckled lowly and shook his head. "Afraid not my boy. They use the tortured souls of the living for their potions and experiments. You should know this by now, Jergen."
Jergen shrugged and the pair continued onward. It wasn't until they reached the lower tunnels that their senses were peaked to the extreme.
"Ugh! If I keep smelling this much blood I may not be able to hold out much longer!" Jergen complained hoarsely.
"Keep your blood in check, boy. We don't want these monsters to discover our true identity amidst fighting." The old man whispered.
Rounding a corridor, they came to what was supposedly the main area of the hideout. A group of necromancers were turned with their backs to the sneaking companions, busy with something in a cage. Jergen began to growl at the sight before him. Blood and bones scattered the floor, with countless corpses and freshly dead bodies littering all sides of the cavern. Cages hung from the ceiling, with torture contraptions lining the side of the walls. A werewolf was hanging by the neck from a hook not too far away from where they stood.
"Sick bastards." He snarled.
Kodlak did not respond, but instead took off toward the group in a flash, roaring a battle cry. The group only had a second to respond before the man was slashing at them with his sword. Jergen joined in soon after, bringing out his battleaxe and slicing through everything in sight. Out of one of the tunnels, another female in robes appeared, and launched a firebolt spell toward the two men. Kodlak quickly dodged the attack, and leaped forward with his sword raised above his head, bringing it down on her shoulder. The mage fell down in a heap on the floor. Once every one of the robed minions was dead, they sheathed their weapons and began to examine the room. Kodlak walked toward a corpse lying against a boulder, and knelt down beside it.
"This is the woman we were sent to rescue." He said with a sigh. The woman was obviously dead, her face pale and lips purple, with gashes and blood running down her face and frame. Kodlak heaved another heavy sigh and stood up.
"At least we were able to clear out this place of them," Jergen responded with a sad smile.
Kodlak raised a hand to his beard and began to stroke it in thought. "There will be more of them inhabiting this place soon enough if we don't remove the work that's been done here. They will most likely detect the aura of fear that gathers here, and take up new residence. Jergen, let's dispose of these potions and mixtures, and give the bodies proper burial."
Jergen nodded, and began to walk toward the cage that the necromancers had previously been occupied with. As soon as he approached it, a foreign sound met his ears. Looking down, he gasped with wide eyes at the sight before him. In the cage were two infants, twin boys, maybe two years at the most, whimpering with fear. They were identical, thick dark hair covering their soft heads with eyes as icy as the winter snow. One of them reached out toward him, little palms shaking violently as he grasped the bars of the cage. Jergen knelt down and took the young child's palm from the bar, cradling it with his own larger hand. He turned to see Kodlak walking toward him and the old man gave a weary chuckle.
"Well, isn't this a surprise?" He muttered.
"What will we do with them?" Jergen asked, the child still holding onto his hand.
Kodlak smiled and unlocked the cage so that the infants could come out. Slowly the two children raised themselves to their feet and waddled out slowly, mistrusting of the two men. The bigger of the twins gave a loud giggle and ran toward Jergen, his small frame grasping onto the man's leg. The other twin, a bit smaller than his sibling, stayed behind, giving a questioning look to the two men before him.
"What else can we do? We'll take them back to Jorrvaskr with us. It's obvious they are orphaned at this point," Kodlak answered.
"But…infants in Jorrvaskr? Has such a thing ever happened, with all the drunken mischief and stupor that happens daily?" Jergen questioned.
Kodlak walked toward the smaller twin, who was still at the opening of the cage, his hands tucked behind his back. He knelt down and examined the boy, who in turn cast his glance down to the floor. The old man smiled and said quietly, "You are wise, child. Never trust a soul before you are able to know them." The infant then met his eyes, and let out a small string of gibberish. Kodlak laughed and slowly picked the boy up in his arms.
"If you recall, Jergen, there are many Companions who have been raised in the halls of Jorrvaskr. It is only a betterment of future warriors, to be able to be surrounded by those to which they will stand beside when they are more experienced. Even, if they begin as small as our friends here." With that, the boy in his arms smiled and reached out to touch the old man's beard.
"Yes, I suppose so," Jergen replied. He pried the youngling from his leg and lifted him into his arms as well, the other twin gurgling gibberish in a squealing tone.
"Jergen, you will be assigned to care for these two, seeing as you are the one who found them. And, as I checked last, you have been seeking a child of your own for some time, but no time to find a maiden and start a family of your own. These boys will be your personal recruits, train and raise them as you would any Companion, but with the fatherly love and devotion they need to survive." Kodlak stated.
Jergen looked to the two boys and back to Kodlak and gave a slight nod. "Yes Harbinger."
Kodlak nodded back and took one last glance around the cave. "We'll send others to clean up this catastrophe. For now, let's head home. These boys are as thin as a twig. Tilma should be able to fix that."
They headed out into the night, and traveled onward to Whiterun, coming to the main gates by late midnight. The infants were both asleep, worn out by the chill of the air and the events of before. The men climbed the steps to Jorrvaskr, and calmly entered into the mead hall, the smell of homemade cooking and honey overwhelming the atmosphere. The Companions present all glanced up, and gave a gasp at the sight of the two children in the men's arms.
"Oh my! What is this?" Tilma said as she looked up from her cooking.
The men placed the boys on the ground slowly, their little feet getting used to standing up again after being carried for so long. The twins glanced around, the bigger one whining a bit at the unfamiliar area.
"Great, you go out on a mission to rescue a kidnapped person, and instead you come back with kids." Arnbjorn said with a sneer as he slammed his tankard on the table before him.
Jergen gave a challenging look to the blonde Nord. "They're orphans, we found them in the cave where the woman who was kidnapped was taken. What else were we supposed to do? We couldn't leave them there!"
Arnbjorn guffawed and took another swig of his ale. "If you knew any better, you'd leave them at the orphanage in Riften where they belong. Children aren't supposed to be in Jorrvaskr. This is a place for warriors, not babysitters."
"Enough, Arnbjorn. I have given my consent to allow Jergen to raise these pups. They will become members of the Companions as they grow. I can already forsee the success we will have with them here, just by the amount of time I have had with them thus far." Kodlak announced.
Arnbjorn snickered and got up from his seat, "Whatever, old man. This guild is going to shame anyway with you as Harbinger now. I'll be down in my loft if you all need me. Or perhaps you'll be too busy fussing with trying to get these monstrosities to talk." He then stomped down to the living quarters and slammed the door behind him.
"Nevermind him, Kodlak. Here, let me see them." Tilma said as she walked toward the boys. The bigger one gave a big smile and shouted out unintelligible banter, while the smaller one stood his ground and gave a slight glare at the old woman.
"Well, look at you two," she said kindheartedly, "I could bet that you little ones would enjoy a nice mug of warm milk and a sweet roll or two."
The small one gave a huff and began to waddle down the steps on his own, which in turn caused the bigger one to follow behind. Jergen looked on in astonishment, but Kodlak only chuckled.
"It would seem that that one there is the alpha of the two, despite being smaller. The bigger one is just full of unthoughtful kindness. Extremely contrasting personalities, even if they are twins. Strange."
"What should we call them Harbinger? We can't just keep referring to them as 'big one' and 'one with bad attitude'." Jergen asked.
"Isn't that up to you to decide, Jergen? After all, you are their guardian now." Kodlak said with a brow raised.
Jergen looked to the twins and began to laugh as he saw the bigger one on the floor with his knees and hands placed down in a plank as the other climbed onto his back to reach up to the table. With a sigh he descended down the steps to the boys and handed each of them a honey nut treat.
"The bigger one, undoubtedly kindhearted, yet a bit too trusting, he shall be called Farkas." Jergen stated looking down at the boy in question. Farkas let out a laugh and began munching on his treat.
"And you…" Jergen said as he knelt down to the other child, who was still glaring even as he nibbled on his own snack, "Intelligent, brash, yet still warm inside nonetheless, I shall call you Vilkas." Vilkas only continued to eat his food, still glaring at his new father.
"I think it's going to take a while to get that one to break his walls," Medniece stated as she came up beside Jergen.
"That's a task I'm willing to take," Jergen responded, "For now, let's get these two to bed. They've had a long weary day. We will worry more about everything else tomorrow." He scooped the two boys into his arms and made his way to the living quarters.
Once he had brought them to his room, he set both of them on the large bed occupying most of the space to try and figure out the pressing question on his mind.
"Now where are you two going to sleep?" He asked himself as he looked around the room for something to make a bed. He found a large cow hide rolled up next to the wall and pulled it out, then unrolled it onto the floor. It would be thick enough to prevent the stone floor from giving them chills. He then took one of the large fur blankets from his own bed and laid it over the hide.
"That should work for now. Come boys, this is where you'll sleep tonight." He gestured to the makeshift bed on the floor. Farkas looked to his brother, who in turn lowered himself from Jergen's bed and made his way to the other, and a moment later Farkas followed suit. Jergen raised the fur over the two boys and tucked them under it. They looked comfortable he assumed, so he gently patted them both on the heads and blew out the candles on his night table. Stretching out his back, he removed his armor and placed it in the chest in front of his bed, then lowered himself onto the mattress. Sleep overtook him quickly.
Only about an hour later did he sense a disturbance nearby and heard the sound of his bed frame squeak. A small body made its way up next to his and yawned. Jergen slowly opened his eyes and saw in the dim light of the room that one of the boys had crawled into his bed. He smiled and reached out to stroke the boy's hair and realized slowly that it was in fact Vilkas. This made the man smile even wider.
"Good to know you approve of me now, my boy." Jergen whispered.
Tomorrow would be a new day for them all, the man thought as he drifted back to sleep, his new son in his arms.