AN: I do not own anything pertaining to Skyrim and I by no means profit from this fanfiction.
I have a rough idea of where this is going. It will probably be long. There will also probably be a romance later on between Callum and Ariani, but I haven't decided for sure.
I do not know how often updates will come. I am currently working on a Dragon Age 2 story and that is my priority. I do not intend to leave this unfinished though, even if it takes me a while to update. This story is also on AO3, under the same name/username.
I will keep the Teen rating probably throughout. If a chapter ever moves (in my opinion) to a M warning, I will place a warning at the beginning of the chapter. I do not write sex scenes and I use the fade to black if they happen. There may be light making out/kissing written in later chapters. Typical violence from the game can be expected, so I may not warn prior to that. Also, curse words may be used sparsely.
Also, I write in limited third person rotational (a la Game of Thrones). Most, if not all, chapters will be from the perspective of Callum or Ariani, since they are the main characters.
When I was in Blackreach, I was surprised by the Falmer Servants there and thus the idea of Ariani was loosely born.
Anyways, enjoy.
Had Septimus Signus mentioned how tedious and lengthy the journey would be to charge the Lexicon, Callum very well may have chosen to delay the quest, if not reject it outright. Aftland was a huge fortress and teeming with Falmer. Many times while exploring the ruins, Callum cursed himself for not bringing more potions or a healer to aid him. Instead, Callum had to rely on Farkas, who wasn't nearly as smart as his skill with a sword. Sure, it was nice having a strong warrior to charge into battle without a second thought, but sometimes foresight and planning was nice.
It may have taken weeks, but they did complete what they set out to do. Even now, Callum and Farkas were headed towards Septimus Signus' outpost. Callum shifted a little closer to their campfire because of the frigid night air. He rubbed his hands together, and then placed the palms facing out towards the fire to warm them even more.
"Do you think she will wake soon?"
Farkas looked at the girl, still unconscious, that they had placed on a bedroll. He shrugged. "How am I to know?" Farkas paused a second, before adding, "I think the better question would be 'will she ever wake up again'."
Callum just looked at him, but didn't speak. Rubbing his hands together again, he got up and approached the sleeping woman. Her dark hair fell in disarray around her shoulders. Taking in her ragged robes, he pulled the blanket up towards her shoulders.
"What do you make of her? Of the others we found?"
Farkas sighed loudly, slightly annoyed by all the questions before bed. "You know, Cal, if you wanted a lot of conversation, it would have been better if you had invited my brother. That's his specialty. I came to kill things; not to talk all the hours of the night away with you."
Callum couldn't help but smile a little. "Had I wanted Vilkas here," Callum replied quietly, "I would have invited him instead of you."
It seemed in Skyrim that brawn was valued over brains, but sometimes it appeared to Callum that Farkas did indeed feel less important than his brother, who was known as the more intelligent, well-spoken one. Farkas was a good man, and one of the first to somewhat embrace Callum when he had joined the Companions. Besides, Farkas could be quite funny, and sometimes that made the lengthy missions more bearable.
Since Callum had thought the conversation finished, it surprised him when Farkas began to talk. "I've heard tales of beasts stealing children away in the night. Perhaps it was the Falmer." He looked over at Callum and the sleeping woman. "She could be one of those children. Or perhaps the Falmer capture and enslave anyone strolling too close to their ruins."
"Is there more detail from these tales?" Callum asked.
Farkas scoffed, looking a bit irritated. "Tell you what, Cal, ask her when she wakes up. That is if she doesn't try to stab you again."
"I'm just curious, is all," Callum answered. Even if he didn't care for the cold, he found Skyrim fascinating. It was so different from the Imperial City he grew up in.
"Yes, well, I'm tired," Farkas responded. "I don't even know why you insisted on taking her with us. Better to have left her where she was."
"As far as I could tell, we killed all the Falmer. Where would she have gone?"
"I don't know, but it is not a good idea to take your enemies with you when you leave the battlefield."
"She would have died there. There was no one else alive. Even if there was, a life serving the Falmer can hardly be called a life."
"Maybe so, maybe not. But it was not our problem. She was not our problem," Farkas said, a bit pointedly. He paused a moment. "If it was too much for your conscious, we could have left her alive. You needn't have killed her, but you needn't have taken her with us either."
"Just because things are not my problem does not mean I should not get involved," Callum said, a little more sharply than normal.
Farkas' eyes narrowed a little. "You mean like with you and the Imperials. Ulfric should be King, yet you still talk with the Imperials and their would-be false High Queen." His words had taken on an accusatory, harsh tone.
"I have not made my decision when it comes to the Stormcloaks and Jarl Elisif," Callum ground out. "And I will not be swayed by the opinions of comrades. I will come to the right conclusion in due time, until then I will meet with whomever I see fit."
"Like I should expect more. You are not a Nord. You do not understand."
Callum's green eyes flashed in hurt. After all he had done with the Companions, he had thought he was accepted as one of them. Even if he was born and raised an Imperial, Callum let his conscious lead him, not his heritage. He would have thought that evident in the missions he had already undertaken for the Companions and various other individuals.
"I understand a great deal," Callum said, quietly. He paused a moment, but began talking again before Farkas could. "It has been a long couple of weeks. You can sleep first, I'll keep watch."
"Good," Farkas responded, settling down on his bedroll.
"I'll make sure she doesn't cut your throat in the middle of the night," Callum called out. Farkas laughed at that. Turning his attention back to the woman, Callum brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. He couldn't help how curious he was about her. He had never expected people to serve the Falmer. Hopefully, if she did wake, he could talk with her rationally. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to kill her.
Giving the woman one last look, Callum stood up and returned to his spot by the fire. Stroking the great sword laying beside him, he begin to watch the perimeter for any approaching beings. It would be several long, cold hours before Farkas' shift began.
