Disclaimer: I do not own skyrim or the world of Tamriel or the universe of The Elder Scrolls Series, these works belong to their original creators and Bethesda. Any likeness to someone IRL is purely coincidental.
Chapter 1: A Sad Welcome
We have all heard the legends and the thunderous cries that now rock the lands of Skyrim. The dragons have returned. but that's not all, according to rumors a prisoner from the ruined fort of Helgen escaped and was supposedly the legendary dragon slayer "the dragonborn" the bane of dragons and scourge of Skyrim's enemies, or so the stories go. It's been several years since the dragons had returned and with the stories of the dragonborn also returning with them no one truly knows what will happen. But this is not that story, our story begins in a small farming village on the edge of Whiterun hold, called Roriksted, with three childhood friends, a Nord warrior or a human sized giant Hrongar, a Nordic rogue and guild member Nodurr, and an Altmer mage and student at the college Kalissyna. Nothing overly special but three childhood friends recently finding their paths in life diverging but wanting to stay together. So, they planned, the day of their departure would also be the day they return every year. This plan has gone on without change for several years the friends share drinks and stories about the previous year to keep up with each other.
The student and the thief walked into their hometown expecting their friend to greet them with mead in hand and a smile on his face. They got no such reception, instead they saw haunted eyes from the residents of the town and the closer they got to their friends house they could see Hrongar's uncle Sond drinking from a bottle of mead as he sees the two approach he turns to not face them. As they make it up to his family house they can hear the songs and cries from within. As they move up Sond up ends the bottle before Nodurr grabs the bottle out of the grip of the older Nord saying "Sond what in Oblivion are you doing? And… where is Hrongar"
Kali leaned against her staff watching the to not saying a word as her eyes speak for her asking the same as Sond reacts slowly he looks over at the two saying "Boy, Give a defeated man some respite… Go on in, everyone else is there already."
As they enter the house the two remove their hoods to show their faces as Sond reaches for another bottle as Nodurr and kali walk in the songs pull on their heart strings as Nodurr turns to kali saying "You know this song right kali? Someone's passed… Maybe Hrongar is in there with the rest of the family?"
Nodding to him keeping hope in her heart that her friend will be there as they go down the stairs to the lower area of the home they are greeted with a sight they never thought they would see. In the lower hall of the home the family and friends are there holding back tears of grief or holding them back with all their will. As they looked over them they then saw the sight that truly made their hearts sink, the Patriarch of the family, Torkild Sure-Blood, Hrongar's father standing there weeping in utter soul broken sadness as he looked over a table that upon inspection by the pair made their hearts stop and bodies freeze in horror, utter sorrow, and complete disbelief. An axe carved from steel molded in the skyforge of Whiterun, a large helmet that looks like it belongs to a small giant, and an amulet of Talos, laid across a table in the back of the hall, every item belonged to the duo's friend and brother Hrongar.
Nodurr can do nothing but stare numb and frozen at the sight of the axe that had saved his life on several occasions in their youth, Kali saw the helmet and could sense the magic she herself imbued into it for Hrongar's protection as they slowly regain motion they move forward between the crowd the family members that recognized the travelers and knew of their connection to their fallen member, let them through. Moving closer they looked at the items still in disbelief as Torkild slowly regained himself wiping the tears from his face as he saw his son's oldest and closest friends as he regained his posture and brings them to the upper level of the home as some of the people go around the house to rest and drink and talk of the adventures that Hrongar had and told himself. Finding a table for themselves Torkild gestures for them to sit which they do as Nodurr asks "Sir… What happened to our brother?"
Torkild looked at Kali and knew her looks and she was boring into him with hidden hurt and sadness in her eyes wanting to know the same as he said "He died as any Nord should. An axe in his hand and honor in his heart. I don't properly know the details but those three will know more" gesturing to a farther corner there were three Nord warriors two men both black hair and one women with fiery red hair. "They are companions as Hrongar was. They were with him in the end."
Finishing his statement tears threaten to spill from his eyes before Nodurr grabs his arm saying "May Talos guide you through this hardship." Getting out a hard-shaking breath Torkild nods saying "I know he will and I'm sure Hrongar is singing songs and waiting for all of us, even you Kalissyna, in Sovangarde" Before letting go and going to some other groups to talk
The two then move to the group of warriors getting a better look at them they each had solemn faces not appropriate for warriors of the companions but still across each face was shown a deep heart break and loss. The three kept to themselves drinking and keeping a solemn silence in respect for their fallen brother as the women with fiery hair and three war stripes of green war paint across her face notices the two friends and turned her head gesturing to get the twins attention. As the two large Nords turn to look they are twins but seem to look almost opposites one with long unruly black hair and a great sword next to his chair, the other a hard and military look, as the three looked over they looked at the two approaching.
Nodurr went up first and began with "You three are companions, right? Torkild told us you three were with our brother in the end."
As the twins and the women heard that they all darkened further before the military looking one stood and said "Aye we are. He fought with honor and fury any family would be proud of…" as he looked over the two he saw Kalissyna's look of need to know more and Nodurr's look of want to know details not praise
He then sighed and nodded saying "but you two probably want to know exactly what happened. Come, I'll tell you everything I remember." He then nodded towards the other two as he then led them to another area of the top floor and he sat at a table and gestured and the two friends sit ready to listen
"Alright so what do you want to know?" As his gray silver eyes looked over them
Nodurr spoke up saying "anything at all, anything you can tell us. Who you fought, where it was, and what happened?"
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath he opened his eyes and looked over them before saying "We were on a simple extermination job. Clear out some bandits, quick and clean. But the issue was on the way back… we were followed into the pass next to the throat of the world between Ivarstead and the Whiterun, we were ambushed like a bunch of welps and milk drinkers…" his knuckles turn white on the table as he continues "… We never saw who they were. However, we fought well and Hrongar saw to it that we three made it out of the pass. He held the attackers off until the landslide… once we made it over the rubble the men were gone, but so was Hrongar. We looked for him under the rubble but all we found was blood, bodies, his axe, helmet, and amulet… I'm sorry we couldn't protect them. All three of us hold that burden." He looked over at his shield siblings with hurt as he hadn't felt the loss of a circle member since the fall of Jarvaskr.
As the friends listened they looked between each other thinking about how they knew Hrongar could take on a dragon so how did a few men take out their oldest friend? Then Nodurr asks "where did you say he fell? We would like to search and investigate ourselves. I'm sure you three did your best but we'd like to bring fresh eyes to the scene"
As Nodurr asked this kali went into her satchel and produced a map as she lays it over the table and using an ink and quill she keeps with her, she circles the pass and points to the area with a look that asks the companion 'is this the place?'
Looking over the map he nodded saying "Aye that's the place. Here if you two want you can travel with Aela, Farkas, and I. We have to return to Whiterun soon and I can lead you the rest of the way."
As Kali wrapped the map back up Nodurr said "We can do this ourselves, but thank you for the offer."
"You two had a good man as a brother. As harbinger of the companions you two will always have a place to rest at Jarvaskr." He bowed his head before returning to his shield-siblings ready to leave they all stood and left after each giving Torkild a respectful nod before leaving.
As Nodurr and Kali start to leave they helped Torkild bring a passed out Sond inside and asked "are you two leaving already?"
Nodding to the patriarch of the Sure-Blood family Nodurr says "Aye. We're going to do a bit of investigating of our own into what happened to Hrongar."
Smiling sadly Torkild sets Sond into a chair he pulls his sons oldest friends into a familial hug saying "May Talos guide you both and best of luck to you both on your adventure." Letting the two go he gave them one last sad smile before returning to the family and talking with them
Leaving the house Kalissyna and Nodurr head to the edge of the town and to the carriage as he looked over the two and asked "need a ride?"
Nodding Kali lifts her map and points to the area she circled as Nodurr said "can you bring us through that path to Ivarsead?"
Looking over the map the driver says "well that's not a normal route, but I don't see why not. 20 septim and I'll take ya."
Handing over 20 coins the two climb up onto the back of the carriage getting ready as they look at each other sadly wanting to know more about what happened to their old friend.
Hello all, thanks for reading. Here's my first fanfiction. reviews and comments are always accepted appreciated... Lets see how this goes shall we?
