A short story I tapped out in an effort to give my muse a kickstart. I'm not sure if it worked on the muse, but I like the story :-)
As always, Skyrim and all recognizable characters belong to Bethesda.
Raelynn clenched her hand closed, effectively cutting off the healing spell she had been using. Before her the female Orsimer, Shel, was kneeling on the ground. "Yield?" Raelynn asked as she shifted from the healing spell to a fire spell with her left hand, her mace still clutched tight in her right.
She could hear Shel's teeth grinding as she tried to stand, only to fall back to one knee. "Yield," she growled and Raelynn sighed in relief, dropping her hand and securing her mace back to her waist. The Orsimer had put up a good fight and if she had lasted much longer, Raelynn would probably be the one on the ground. "Good work, my Thane," Lydia commented as she walked up, patting her Breton master on the back.
"Thank you, Lydia," Raelynn responded.
"Yes. Good work." Raelynn turned to see the Chief of the stronghold, Burguk, standing behind her. She dipped her head in acceptance and then turned to walk back over to her horse. "Where are you going?" he demanded.
She stopped and turned, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Home," she stated. "I only came here to speak with you about becoming Blood Kin. I apologize if this caused any problems. She should not have insulted my Housecarl."
"You challenged her and bested her in a manner fitting of the Orsimer," Burguk stated. "And you have no need to leave to go home. You are home," he added.
She snorted lightly and turned to head back to her horse. "No, my home is in Whiterun, not here," she said. She gasped as two Orsimer stepped up, one grabbing her and the other Lydia. Burguk appeared in front of them.
"You defeated one of my wives," Burguk said. "As tradition dictates, you must now take her place."
Raelynn choked on her own inhalation. "What?" she gasped.
"We will be wed on the morrow," he declared before moving back to the Longhouse.
Raelynn shared a look with Lydia. "We can't get married!" she called after him.
He faced her again. "Why not?" he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Because," she stopped, eyes darting around as she floundered for an excuse. "Because I'm already betrothed!" she said.
He looked her over and his eyes narrowed. "Very well, you shall bring your man here so that I may challenge him. The winner will be your husband."
Raelynn squeaked as the Orsimer holding her released her suddenly. She looked over at Lydia and the other Orsimer, waiting for her Housecarl to be let go so that they could run away and never come back. "And to insure that you return, we will be keeping your Housecarl here," Burguk added.
Raelynn watched, horrified as Lydia was led away by two Orsimer. Lydia stared back with a terrified look in her eyes. Raelynn swallowed hard and pulled her stunned body up onto the back of the horse, mind frantically scrambling to try and figure out just how she was going to find a fiancée and convince him to come fight an Orsimer for her.
lllllllllllllllllllllllll
Raelynn darted into Jorrvaskr the next morning, startling Athis and Njada where they were eating a late breakfast. "Have you seen Farkas?" she panted.
"I think he's up at the Skyforge-" Njada started. Raelynn didn't stick around to hear the rest; she bolted back out the door and up the steps to the great forge.
Farkas was immersed in a conversation with Eorlund and Raelynn paused, dancing around anxiously off to the side as they talked. Farkas caught sight of her and raised an eyebrow. She stopped her antsy movements and threw him a little wave. He finished talking with Eorlund and walked over to her, a look of concern on his face. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"I need a husband!" she blurted out and then clamped her hands over her mouth.
Farkas blinked rapidly and stepped back slightly. "Well," he said after a few moments. "I'm not sure how Bretons do this, but traditionally when you're looking for a husband you wear an Amulet of Mara," he began explaining.
Raelynn frowned and grasped his arm, cutting him off. "No, I didn't mean it like that. I just," she sighed and dropped down on the wall of the forge. "It's a long story. I don't need an actual husband, I just need somebody to pretend to be my husband and come defeat an Orsimer Chief so that I can get Lydia back."
Farkas crossed his arms and leveled a strict look at her and she slumped down meekly. "Lydia and I went to Dushnikh Yal to talk to the Chief and become Blood Kin. While I was there one of his wives said something nasty about Lydia and I challenged her and defeated her in a fight and he said that by tradition I have to marry him to take her place! Which is dumb, I didn't kill her or anything."
"I still don't see why you need a husband," he said.
"Oh! Oh, well I told him I couldn't marry him because I was betrothed," she answered. At his raised eyebrow she sighed again. "He said I needed to bring my fiancée back with me so that he could fight him and then the winner gets to marry me. And he kept Lydia there to make sure I come back. So, I need a fiancé I suppose, not a husband. And he has to be able to defeat an Orsimer."
Farkas ran a hand through his hair and eyed her. "You're serious, aren't you?" She nodded dejectedly. "Why me?" he asked.
"Because I'm sure you can defeat an Orsimer," she stated.
He shook his head slightly. "You get into some really odd situations, Rae, but this one is definitely the oddest," he commented.
"Please Farkas?" she begged, grabbing his hand and clutching it tightly. "I don't want to marry an Orsimer and I need to get Lydia back and stay Blood Kin to them. This is the only way."
He threw his hands up in the air. "Fine. But you owe me," he said.
She jumped off the wall and threw her arms around his great frame as far as she could, squeezing tightly. "Anything!" she said. "Now c'mon, let's go!"
lllllllllllllllllllllllll
Anxiety ate at Raelynn when she and Farkas stopped to camp for the night. They were near Markarth and the Orsimer camp, but Farkas had stated he wanted to face the Chief after having a good night's rest. She stared into the fire, mind whirling around all the things they could be doing to Lydia while she was camping with Farkas.
"They're not going to hurt her, you know," Farkas's deep voice rumbled through the silence and she jumped. "Orsimer aren't the savages that most people think they are," he added. "They are warriors yes, but they are not mindlessly violent."
"How do you know?" she snapped. He frowned and she felt guilty for her attitude. Farkas was here of his own free will helping her out of another stupid mess she'd gotten herself in and all she could do was harp at him and imply he was stupid. He got enough of that from the other Companions; he didn't need it from her also. She sighed and plucked up a piece of grass, absently shredding it. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just on edge. You're here helping me and all I'm doing is being rude and ungrateful." She sighed again. "I just can't believe I got into another mess like this."
Farkas chuckled and she shot him a look. "What?" she asked.
He shrugged and took a swig from the bottle of ale he was holding. "You do seem to get yourself into some interesting predicaments," he answered. "This one is definitely my favorite though. I can't wait to tell Vilkas about it."
She started and launched herself across the dirt patch to latch on his arm, barely missing falling into the fire. "You can't tell him!" she begged.
"Why not?" he questioned. "It's hilarious."
She groaned and dropped her head onto his arm. "Because he already thinks I'm useless and that I shouldn't be Harbinger. This would just give him more proof." She knew he was frowning at her again. "What?" she muttered into his arm.
"You really think that?" he asked.
She shrugged and tilted her head to look up at him. "Yeah," she replied.
His frown deepened and he set his ale down and then grabbed her shoulder, pulling her upright until she was seated next to him instead of sprawled half across the camp. "Vilkas doesn't think either of those things," he said. "He knows you are an amazing fighter and that you are the only one level headed enough to be Harbinger. He may never say it but he realizes that he's too quick to anger to be Harbinger. We all do. We also know that Aela is much too independent to be a leader and that I'm not really smart enough to do it."
She gasped and grabbed his arm again. "Don't say that Farkas, you're plenty smart! You just prefer things to be simple and to think over all the options before you make a decision. Just because you don't use long words or, or over explain things doesn't make you stupid."
He shrugged. "I'm not good with leading. I take too long to make decisions. And I'm not as smart as you seem to think I am."
She sighed and dropped her hand from his arm, knowing that arguing with him over his intelligence was a lost cause. "I bet you would be smart enough to study more on Orsimer customs before barging into one of their strongholds," she muttered.
He laughed. "Did you?"
"Yeah, I mean, I studied enough to know what I needed to do to become Blood Kin. I must have missed the chapter on Orsimer marriage customs." She pulled her knees to her chest and crossed her arms over them.
"If it makes you feel better, I didn't know about this custom either," he said and surprisingly, it did make her feel a little better. "Now come on, we need to get some sleep."
"You go. I'm too anxious to sleep. I'll take first watch." He looked like he was going to argue with her but instead snapped his mouth shut and then moved over to the bedrolls, slipping into one and soon his quiet snores filled the air.
Raelynn squeezed her legs to her tighter and stared into the fire, wondering again just how she managed to keep getting into these situations.
lllllllllllllllllllllllll
Raelynn fidgeted with the handle of her mace as Dushnikh Yal rose in the distance. Now that they were getting close her anxiety was climbing higher and her thoughts were rushing around her brain, practically colliding with each other.
"You okay?" Farkas asked from where he walked next to her. She glanced up at him, amazed at how cool and collected he looked while she was sure she looked terrible. He'd woken up a few hours before dawn and had admonished her for not waking him earlier. He'd forced her to lie down but what sleep she did manage to get was riddled with terrible dreams.
"Fine," she replied.
"Liar," he responded and she flushed but didn't acknowledge him or his accurate assessment of her. Sometimes she wished he was as dumb as Aela accused him of being, then he wouldn't be as perceptive as he was.
She'd grown close to Farkas over the last year and a half she'd spent in Skyrim. He'd been one of the first people she'd met who had been nice to her and hadn't wanted anything in return. She'd been terrified when she first saw him and Aela and Ria at the farm outside Whiterun, watching as they killed the first giant she'd ever seen. Aela had made some snarky comments but Farkas had recognized that she needed help and had talked to her, then offered to escort her to Dragonsreach once she told him of her need to speak to the Jarl.
He'd suffered through quite a bit of teasing from the other two women, but Raelynn had been grateful for the help and had learned all about the Companions as the two of them walked through the city. He'd left her at the stairs up to the castle, again commenting that she should think about joining the Companions.
She hadn't given much thought to it since the only reason she was in Skyrim was to go to the College at Winterhold, but then that whole Dragonborn business had happened and she'd found herself on the steps of Jorrvaskr desperate for combat training. Kodlak had allowed her to join, but most of the Companions refused to work with her since she relied primarily on magic.
Farkas hadn't minded, gladly sparring with her and giving her tips and advice on how to put the mace she wielded to good use. When she'd finally set off for Sovngarde to face Alduin she'd actually felt like she had a fighting chance thanks to him, instead of the absolute terror that had plagued her since the first time she set foot in High Hrothgar.
Since their first meeting they'd shared several things together, from fighting the Silver Hand in Dustman's Cairn to bringing down a dragon that was terrorizing some farms in Whiterun Hold. She also had to admit that he'd saved her from several uncomfortable situations as well. The first time he'd rescued her he'd bailed her out of jail in Riften after she had told Maven Black-Briar just what she thought of her and her mead. That was quickly followed by a stream of other misunderstandings among several residents of Skyrim, leading to this moment; another misunderstanding, another sticky situation, another time that Farkas was saving her.
She sighed and he reached over, placing a hand briefly on her shoulder as a silent show of support. She smiled at him weakly and he let his hand drop as the neared the entrance to the stronghold. The Orsimer at the gate nodded a greeting and then waved them inside.
Once in they found that most of the camp was seated around a fire, Lydia included. Her Housecarl looked no worse than she had when Raelynn left. Burguk rose from his chair at the head of the fire and strode up to them, his eyes rolling over Farkas in obvious distaste. "This is your man?" he asked, rough voice filled with disdain.
Raelynn's eyes narrowed and she pulled herself up to the full extent of her height which, compared to Farkas and Burguk, wasn't much. "Yes. This is," she declared.
Burguk snorted but didn't say anything, instead motioning. "We will eat first. Then fight," he ordered. Raelynn gave Farkas a helpless look and he shrugged, following Burguk over to the fire. Raelynn darted around him and knelt by Lydia, pulling the woman into a tight hug.
"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.
"Aye," Lydia responded. She glanced over at Farkas and then raised an eyebrow at Raelynn.
Raelynn's face soured. "Don't even start," she hissed. Lydia grinned but didn't say anything, instead turned back to the group around the fire.
Farkas came up behind her and she looked at him questioningly when he held out a hand, but she took it and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet and led around the circle to an open space. He settled onto the ground and she did as well, fingers twisting nervously in her lap. She barely resisted pulling her legs up against her chest again and curling into a tight ball as she felt the eyes of everybody in camp on her.
She jumped slightly when Farkas's arm slipped around her waist, pulling her up next to him. "Relax," he murmured into her hair.
"Easier said than done," she snarled back quietly. "I don't see how you can be so calm."
He shifted a bit and then his hand slid under her chin and tilted her head so that his eyes met hers. "Because nobody, Man, Mer, Aedra or Daedra, is going to take you away from me," he vowed.
Her breath caught in her throat at the intensity of his gaze. "Farkas," she breathed out.
"We shall see about that," Burguk cut in, drawing Farkas's attention away and leaving Raelynn reeling.
"Aye," Farkas agreed. "We shall."
lllllllllllllllllllllllll
After the meal was done both men moved to an empty side of the camp that had been cleared out to make room for their fight. Raelynn stood next to Lydia, hands still twisting as she danced around frantically. They went through a series of warm up exercises and then faced off. Burguk's two other wives walked up to him and Raelynn took the cue from them and approached Farkas.
She stood before him, head tilted down slightly so that she was staring at his chestplate. "Rae?" he asked quietly.
"You don't have to do this," she whispered finally and looked up to him. "I would never forgive myself if you were hurt. This is my mess; I should find a different way out of it."
Farkas grinned and tucked his sword back into its sheath and dropped his shield on the ground so that he could grip her shoulders. He hunkered down in front of her so that they were eye to eye and he shook his head slightly. "When are you going to realize that I like helping you?" he asked quietly.
"What?" she asked, confusion dancing across her face.
He chuckled. "And they call me the Icebrain," he muttered. She opened her mouth to say something snarky but he stopped her with a finger to the lips. "No time for this argument, Love," he said. "Kiss me like a good fiancée and then we need to get to it."
She gaped at him, limbs frozen stiff at his words. He rolled his eyes and gripped her shoulders again and then pulled her forward, his mouth slanting against hers in a possessive kiss. Her breath caught in her throat and her hands came up to clutch at his wrists. His tongue swept against her own once before he pulled away slowly.
He smiled again and then turned her towards Lydia and pushed her lightly, causing her to stumble forward. Lydia stepped up and caught her arm, guiding her to the side of the circle where the rest of the stronghold had gathered to watch.
Raelynn raised a trembling hand to her lips, pressing them there as she relived the feeling of Farkas's mouth. "May I say something now, My Thane?" Lydia asked quietly, a teasing lilt to her voice.
The stunned look fell from Raelynn's face and she glared at her Housecarl. "No, you may not," she snarled and Lydia laughed before they both looked back at the men facing off.
"What are the terms?" Farkas asked as he adjusted his shield and pulled his sword from his side.
"The loser is the first to yield," Burguk stated. "The winner gets the Dragonborn for a bride."
Raelynn's anxiety shot through the roof again and she swallowed hard. As if sensing her discomfort, Farkas tossed her a small grin and then looked at Burguk. "Agreed," he stated.
The Orsimer nodded and then the men advanced on each other and met with a clash of steel.
lllllllllllllllllllllllll
The duel had been going on for nearly an hour and neither combatant was showing signs of backing down. Several members of the audience had drifted away to return to their daily chores. Daylight only lasted so long and there were things that needed to be done no matter what their Chief was doing.
Soon only a handful of guards, Raelynn, Lydia, and Shel remained. Raelynn had been surprised to see the female standing at the back of the group, eyes taking in the fight avidly. Part of her wanted to go talk to her, but a larger portion blamed her for this predicament. If she hadn't made those comments about Lydia, this fight never would have happened.
There was a loud grunt and she turned back to the fight just in time to see Burguk sweep Farkas's legs out from under him. The man landed hard and she could see the breath had been knocked out of him. He lay there, sucking in air and trying to steady his breathing and Burguk advanced, placing the tip of his sword at Farkas's throat. "Yield?" he asked.
"Never," Farkas snarled.
"You have been bested," Burguk growled. "Yield or I will run you through."
Raelynn ran forward, stopping only a few feet away. Farkas glanced over at her and she couldn't read the look in his eyes. Whatever he saw on her face seemed to strengthen him because he turned back to the Orsimer. "I said 'Never'," he rumbled and then flipped his shield up, striking Burguk against the side and knocking him back. Farkas rolled to his feet and scooped up his sword, advancing on Burguk before he could recover.
He struck at him hard and fast and the other stepped back as he deflected the blows until his foot slipped and he fell. Farkas was on him in an instant, his shield pressed against the Orsimer's chest and his sword at his throat. "Yield?" he asked.
Burguk lurched violently but Farkas's weight held him fast. He slumped to the ground and then growled. "Yield."
Farkas stood and sheathed his sword and then held a hand out. Burguk took it and pulled himself up before he patted the large Companion on the back. "You fight like an Orsimer," the Chief said.
"Thanks," Farkas answered. He glanced over at Raelynn and grinned. "Come on, Bride," he said. "Let's get you and your Housecarl home."
She stood there, jaw gaping and a torrent of emotions running unchecked through her. She moved when Lydia came up behind her and steered her out of the stronghold, Farkas trailing behind. The two made the appropriate goodbyes as Raelynn stumbled along.
lllllllllllllllllllllllll
They were well past Markarth when Farkas called for them to stop. He sent Lydia off to fetch some water and then faced Raelynn. She'd been moving in a daze, only going because Lydia was pushing her along.
"Rae?" he asked quietly, walking up to her. "You alright?"
She blinked and looked up at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. "Why do you put up with me?" she asked. "With all the trouble I give you and all the problems I cause. Why do you keep bailing me out?"
He grinned and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Why do you think?" he responded.
She shrugged. "Aela thinks it's because you're dumb enough to keep doing it. Vilkas thinks it's from some misguided sense of loyalty," she answered.
"I don't care what they think," he replied. "Why do you think I do it?" he pressed.
"I don't know," she said. Her eyes cut away from his and she stared blankly at the sky above his shoulder. "I honestly have no idea why you help me."
Farkas huffed out a sigh. "Okay, why do you keep asking me for help?" he asked.
"Because I know you'll help me," she answered automatically.
"Any of your Shield Siblings or Housecarls would help you," he countered.
She shrugged one shoulder and turned partially away from him, looking at the ground. "Yeah, but you won't make fun of me, or use it against me, or only do it from some sense of obligation because I'm your Thane."
"So you come to me because I'm nice to you?" he inquired.
"Yes, but," she stopped and chewed on her lip as she thought. "But that's not all. You're not just nice to me Farkas, you're my friend. You, you care about me." She turned her face towards his and he gave her this look and she gasped. "You care about me," she repeated. Her eyes searched his and he flushed slightly and looked away. "At the forge, when I said I needed a husband and you started explaining marriage traditions?" she asked.
"I wanted you to know how it's done here in Skyrim. Because if you were serious, that's how we need to do it, with an Amulet of Mara. No priest would marry us otherwise," he explained.
"Oh," she said. "And then I just dashed right through it in such a rush to correct you. Oh Divines, I'm sorry! Why in Oblivion did you still come and help me?"
He looked back at her and stepped so close that there was barely room between them and she had to crane her head back to meet his intense gaze. "Why wouldn't I, when you were the prize?" he responded.
"Farkas," she said, her hands rising on their own towards him. She would never know just what her hands were doing because Lydia chose that moment to return and the spell that had wound itself between the two of them was broken.
"Come on," her Housecarl said, stomping across the ground. "There's no water here for miles and I want to sleep in my own bed tonight."
Farkas again took the lead with Raelynn trailing behind, completely consumed by her thoughts.
lllllllllllllllllllllllll
Three days later Raelynn found herself pacing behind Jorrvaskr, her mind again whirling chaotically. When the trio had made it back to Whiterun she'd split off at the stable, telling them she had a just remembered errand to run and had torn off on her horse before either of them could stop her. She'd ridden hard to Riften and had a long talk with Maramal and when she'd left Riften her coin pouch was a little lighter and her neck a little heavier.
As she paced her hand came up and brushed over the bulge created by the Amulet of Mara. She'd put it on immediately and tucked it under her tunic, thankful that between it and her leather cuirass it was difficult to tell what necklace she was wearing. Now she just needed Farkas. Unfortunately he and Vilkas had gone off after some bandits the day before.
She sighed as she reached the far end of the courtyard and spun, stopping abruptly when she saw Vilkas and Farkas round the corner of the building. The two were in high spirits, obviously teasing each other.
"Ah, our esteemed Harbinger," Vilkas called as she slowly walked towards them. He dipped into a low bow and she raised an eyebrow at Farkas. He rolled his eyes and shrugged. "And how are you this fine day?" Vilkas asked as he straightened.
"Nervous, but that's not exactly a new thing for me," she responded. "How were the bandits?"
He shrugged and leaned against the railing that ran around the back porch. "Easy. What has you out here, pacing a trench in the dirt?" he teased.
She bristled and straightened. "Nothing that concerns you," she retorted and then shifted her eyes to Farkas. "You it does concern though."
"Uh oh Farkas," Vilkas said. "Sounds like she's in trouble and needs help again," he continued. "Good luck."
Raelynn shot him a dirty look but he just grinned and hopped up the steps then headed inside. Farkas stepped up and gave her a concerned look. "Everything okay?" he asked.
"Uh, I think so," she answered.
He laughed and leaned against the railing, mimicking his brother's position. "So what was this important errand you had to run off and take care of?" he asked. She shrugged and her fingers came up to twist in the chain of the amulet. It hung against her throat feeling like a heavy weight as she looked at him. "What's that?" he asked, reaching forward. She yanked her fingers out of the chain and her breath froze in her lungs as he grasped it and eased it from beneath her armor.
The gold and blue pendant slipped out with little coaxing on his part and came to rest in his large palm. He blinked at it a few times and then looked up at her. "An Amulet of Mara?" he asked. She nodded, unable to talk, unable to breath, unable to think. He raised an eyebrow. "Looking for a spouse are you?" he questioned. His voice was calm but she could see in his eyes the flare of excitement and nerves.
She sucked in a breath and quirked a small grin. "I might be," she said. "Interested?"
He ran his thumb over the amulet and he smiled. "I might be," he responded.
"Well," she said and shifted slightly, bringing their bodies closer together. "What can I do to convince you?" she asked.
He glanced up at the sky, seemingly considering her question, and then looked back down at her. "Promise me that whenever you head off to parts unknown, you'll take me with you. That way I'll be right there when you need rescued," he said.
She grinned and brought one hand to wrap around his where it still held the amulet. "I promise," she vowed.
"Then I'll marry you," he replied. He dropped the amulet and his hands slid around her back and pulled her against him before he bent down and placed a kiss on her lips. "It's only fair," he added after a few moments. "I did win you after all." He cut her protest off with another kiss.