Another chapter update! Yay! I've always thought about how the Companions get jobs, so I made it so they get them through letters. Hope you like this chapter :)

19 years later

The Companions,

My dear niece has been kidnapped by bandits whilst she was out hunting, or we think bandits have kidnapped her. We were hoping you could send your members to find her and return her to Riverwood as soon as you can. We fear what might happen if nobody comes to save her... If you do find her, she should like something like this: She has golden brown hair, most likely pulled together in a loose braid, hazel eyes, she's quite tall, slender frame, pale skin and her war paint is dark red and is a stripe under each eye which travels down to her neck. Perhaps if you inform her that you are with the Companions, she will quickly go with you, for she has always been 'in love' with the Companions. Please bring my niece back safely!

– Torfyn

Vilkas sighed and looked around Jorrvaskr, the place was empty of any whelps. "I suppose I'll have to do this myself..." He grumbled.

He strapped his Skyforge Steel greatsword across his back and got a bite to eat before heading off. This was just a job to be done in Whiterun Hold, nothing special. He could finish it easily in a day, or less. Vilkas walked at a steady pace towards Riverwood, if the girl he was rescuing went hunting nearby this little village, she couldn't be too far. Once Vilkas took a turn to the mountain pass, he closed his eyes and sniffed the air. For a normal man, it would be completely useless to do such a thing. For a werewolf, sniffing the air was the best way to get to his target. The air smelled of pine needles and deer, which stirred the beast within Vilkas. He bit his lip and ignored the calls of the beast. He sniffed again, this time picking up a faint scent of wildflowers... A girl, or a woman. Mixed with that was the scent of fear and steel, perhaps she wielded a weapon. There was also the scent of mead, blood and iron... Bandits. Vilkas walked around the area for a little while, until he saw the glint of metal. He reached for his greatsword as he stepped towards where he saw the light shine against metal. Half buried in snow was a long dagger, not long enough to be a sword though, steel by the looks of it with a golden hilt that had an emerald embedded in it. Quite flashy. The dagger had that same scent of wildflowers lingering on the hilt... This must belong to the girl he was rescuing. She must have lost her grip on it when the bandits attacked. Vilkas picked the dagger up, perhaps he could give this back to the girl or give it to her to show that he wasn't going to hurt her. Vilkas turned around and sniffed the air once more, seeking the scent of the bandits. Soon, he found a trail and followed it.

Vilkas crouched in the shadows as he listened to what the bandits in the camp were saying. "You heard about what that raiding party found?" Asked a gruff voice.

"You mean about the pretty girl?" Responded a smooth, sly voice with a strange accent.

"Yeah, she says she ain't got any valuables, but did you see the scabbard for the dagger she claimed to have? Pretty fancy and intricate. I'd bet all my gold that she's a noble just pretending to be a poor ol' farmer!"

"That remains to be seen, the boss's got her in the next room, trying to get her to say the truth. So shut up and guard proper–"

The bandit was cut off as Vilkas ran his sword through the bandit, which turned out to be a Khajiit. The other bandit, an orc, was about to say something about an intruder when Vilkas decapitated him with ease. Vilkas made his way through the door which the bandits were supposed to guard and silently crept into the dark chamber. Then, he heard voices. "You're lying girl!" Shouted the one who was most likely the leader.

Then a female voice responded, "No! I'm serious! The only valuable thing which I had was that dagger which you made me drop! That was a gift from my father years ago! Please let me go!"

Why did this girl's voice sound slightly familiar? "Don't give me that crap! I know very well that you're hiding something!"

"I am not!" The girl responded desperately.

Vilkas walked forward a little more and managed to get a good glimpse at who was talking. The girl matched the description Vilkas was given perfectly, yet there was something that was so familiar about this girl... He furrowed his brows in thought, he just couldn't grasp what was so familiar. Had he met this girl before? Had he seen her around Whiterun? Vilkas shook his head, he could think later! Right now, Vilkas had to save her. He stepped out of the shadows and held out his sword. "Let her go." He commanded.

The bandit leader turned around and sneered. "Who're you?"

"The one who will remove your head from you neck if you do not let the girl go, so let her go or face the consequences!"

The bandit leader didn't want to go down without a fight, he pulled out his own sword and charged at Vilkas, who easily sidestepped and brought his sword down over the bandit's neck. "I did warn you." Vilkas muttered.

He turned his attention back to the girl, who had backed up against the wall. Vilkas could see that she was most likely quite afraid. "Who are you?" She asked shakily.

Vilkas sheathed his sword and offered a hand to her. "I'm Vilkas, I'm one of the Companions. Your uncle sent us a message notifying us of your capture, so I came."

Upon hearing his name, the girl's eyes flashed with recognition. "I think I know your name... I'm sure I've heard it before... Ah, never mind. I'm Leya."

That's when Vilkas remembered. "I have heard your name before, too... Wait... Aren't you that girl that got lost in Whiterun?"

Leya's eyes widened. "Yeah... You're the guy who helped me! I remember now! You're one of the Companions now? Lucky!"

Vilkas smiled, this was definitely the girl he'd helped all those years ago. She had that same sparkle in her eyes that she had before... "Yeah... Not so lucky when you have to deal with over excited whelps and people."

Leya frowned and crossed her arms. "Well someone's grumpy today."

Vilkas clenched his fists and took in a deep breath. "Can we just get you back to Riverwood?"

Leya nodded. "Fine... I'll get back to my boring life of pulling carrots out of the dirt while you get to slay monsters and vampires and save damsels in distress."

Vilkas couldn't help but laugh, the girl did have spirit. "Come on then, I know that you would just love to get back to your life."

Leya rolled her eyes and sighed in submission. "Fine..."

"Here we are, Riverwood. I presume you know the roads from here, so you go on ahead."

Leya turned around and flashed Vilkas a grateful smile. "Thanks for helping me out, I was starting to get in a little trouble back there..."

Vilkas smirked. "I had to save you again, didn't I?"

Leya laughed before running her fingers through her hair. "Oh... Did you by any chance come across a dagger? Emerald at the hilt and the blade steel?"

"You mean this?" Vilkas held out the dagger which he had found in the snow.

Leya gasped and grinned. "Yes! That's it!"

She took it from Vilkas's hands and slid it back in it's sheathe. "Thank you so much! I can't tell you how much it means to me! It's..." She trailed off.

Vilkas tilted his head. "It's..."

Leya turned to look in his eyes, tears welling in her eyes. "It's the only thing I have left that reminds me of my father... He passed away a few months ago, my mother died soon after... Refusing to eat or drink after my father had died... I now live with my uncle." She spat the word 'uncle' out like it was a terrible curse.

Vilkas nodded slowly. "Oh... I presume you and your parents were close then."

Leya nodded, dashing away the tears that started to trickle down her cheeks, smudging the war paint under her eyes. "Very close, I loved them dearly... Even if my mother didn't approve of me being a warrior."

Vilkas smiled slightly. "If you think you can be a warrior, come by Jorrvaskr." He said jokingly.

Leya's expression brightened. "Some day I will!"

She waved and dashed back to Riverwood. Vilkas smiled and turned back to face the path which would lead him to Whiterun. "It's not like she actually will..." Vilkas muttered to himself as he back to Whiterun.

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