Aurelia awoke to the sound of wagon wheels turning and horses whinnying. She must be on a carriage. She blinked her heavy eyelids awake and looked around groggily. By the Divines, her head hurt. Three men were on the carriage with her, all Nords by the look of them, none of whom she recognized. Everyone was bound, including herself, the man sitting next to her was also gagged.
"What in Oblivion?" her voice was still scratchy from waking up.
"Hey you. You're finally awake." A blond Nord in front of her said "You were trying to cross the border, walked right into that Imperial ambush."
"Cross the border? So I made it to Skyrim, it would seem." Her memory was slowly starting to come back. She knew she was close to the border between Skyrim and Cyrodiil border when she came across that skirmish, but she hadn't realized she had crossed it. She let out a sigh. If she had stuck to the trail like her mother told her to, she probably wouldn't be in this mess.
"Damn you, Stormcloaks! Skyrim was just fine until you came along! The Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I could have stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell." The man next to the blond said.
"Horse? Oh gods! Where is my horse? Where is Fauna?" she cried out frantically. The last thing she remembered when she happened upon the skirmish was being chased down by three legionnaires on horses. Startled, she had tried to run from them and kicked Fauna in the other direction, but the legionnaires caught up to her, and knocked her off Fauna. She must have been kicked pretty hard in the head by one of the horses when she fell off, because the next thing she knew, she woke up on this wagon with her head throbbing.
"Shut up back there!" The driver said.
"I will not shut up! I am in binds and my horse is missing, I demand an explanation!"
"I said shut up back there!" The driver snarled.
Aurelia sat back down indignantly. She obviously wasn't going to get anywhere with this fool. She'd have to wait until she could speak with someone in charge.
"What's wrong with him, huh?" The horse thief said to the gagged man next to me.
"Watch your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Strormcloak, the true High King!"
"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion. But if they've captured you… Oh Gods! Where are they taking us?"
"I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits."
"No, this can't be happening, this isn't happening!"
So, this was Ulfric Stormcloak sitting next to her? If they had captured him, this would mean the end of the war. Good, that would mean the legion could withdraw their troops, her brother could go home, and she could explore Skyrim without any worries. That is, if she could get out of her current predicament.
"Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?"
"What do you care?"
"A Nord's last thoughts should be of home."
"Rorikstead. I'm from Rorikstead."
The carriage started to pull into a town. She saw a man in ornate-looking Imperial armor sitting on a horse. Before she could wonder if it was the general, a guard spoke to him.
"General Tullius, sir, the headsman is waiting."
"Good, let's get this over with."
Aurelia stood up "General Tullius? There's been a mistake, I'm not a Stormcloak! If I could just have a moment to speak with you!"
"Sit down, you damned fool!" the driver called out.
General Tullius regarded her pitifully, but said nothing. He didn't believe her, but why?
"General Tullius doesn't care about your life, lass." The blond said. "He just wants to end this war as fast as he can."
Aurelia sat back down. She didn't doubt the blond man's words. It wouldn't be the first time someone had disregarded another's life for the sake of convenience. Still, there had to be a way out of this. Magicka flared up in her hands, but nothing happened. They had enchanted the binds to stop the flow of magicka. Clever. Looked like it would be more difficult than she thought to escape, assuming she lost her chance to talk her way out. They continued through the town as the blond reminisced about the town. Helgen, apparently it was called, and the horse thief prayed frantically to the divines. Aurelia's heart dropped to her stomach when they came to a stop.
"Why are we stopping?" The horse thief said nervously.
"Why do you think? End of the line." The blond said calmly but gravely.
"Wait! We're not rebels!" the horse thief cried out desperately.
"Face your death with some courage, thief."
"You have to tell them! We weren't with you! This is a mistake!"
"Step toward the block when we call your name, one at a time!" an Imperial officer called out as Aurelia got off the wagon.
The captives walked one by one as a young Nord soldier called out their names. "Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm. Ralof of Riverwood. Lokir of Rorikstead."
"No! I'm not a rebel! You can't do this!" Lokir, the horse thief, cried out before making a run for it.
"Halt!" the Imperial captain's voice was surprised, but harsh.
"You're not gonna kill me!"
"Archers!"
Lokir hadn't made it more than twenty paces before he was shot down. Aurelia gulped. Clearly running wasn't going to be an option for her.
"Anyone else feel like running?"
"Wait, you there, step forward." The young soldier was staring directly at her. "Who are you?"
"My name is Aurelia Ventus and I am neither a Stormcloak nor a thief. I have never even been to Skyrim until now."
"Hadvar, she was caught trying to cross the border illegally." The carriage driver said.
"I got lost! Has that never happened before?"
"It is suspicious that you happened to show up right at a Stormcloak camp."
"Do I look like a Nord to you? What business does an Imperial have joining the rebel faction of the civil war of a country that she has never even been to?" Aurelia's voice rose with her desperation. Indeed, she looked nothing like a Nord. Although average sized for an Imperial woman, she felt quite petite next to all these Nord men and her skin was darker than anyone else's there. Her deep brown curls, which she usually kept up in an intricate bun and braided loops, were flowing in a mess down to her waist. She had a slim face, a long, slender nose and narrow, piercing eyes that were some unnamed color between green and grey. One would look at her and not think she was anything but Imperial.
"Plenty of Imperials call Skyrim their home. All we have is your word that you've never been to Skyrim before." The driver said.
"She's not on the list though." Hadvar said.
"Forget the list. I agree with him." The captain said, indicating the driver "She can't be trusted. She goes to the block."
"You… You can't be serious." Aurelia said.
"I'm sorry, we'll be sure to have your remains sent back to Cyrodiil." Hadvar said in a defeated voice.
"Wait! Atticus Ventus! Do you know him? He's my brother! He can vouch for me!"
"I'm afraid not, the legion has a lot of soldiers. I'm sorry." Hadvar said.
"What happened to my horse? Can you at least tell me she's ok? Please, that horse is my most cherished friend." Aurelia said, beginning to tear up at the thought of her beloved Fauna being lost and afraid, or even dead.
"Enough wasting time and get over to the block!" the captain exclaimed, her already thin patience unraveling even further.
Aurelia's pride compelled her scream profanities at the captain, but she reluctantly did as she was told and went to stand with the other prisoners. It was clear that she wasn't going to talk her way out of this. She had to figure something else out.
"Ulfric Stormcloak, some people here in Helgen call you a hero. But a hero doesn't use a power like the voice to murder his high king and usurp his throne." Ulfric mumbled something incoherent under his gag as General Tullius addressed him "You started this war and plunged Skyrim into chaos. The empire is going to put you down and restore the peace."
This, among other reasons, was why she hated politics. It was easier for them to just kill an innocent woman and bury the incident as fast as possible than it was to give her a proper investigation. All in the name of "restoring the peace." She would have laughed at the irony if it wasn't weighing so painfully over her.
Her thoughts were interrupted by an unrecognizable roar in the distance.
"What was that?" an imperial soldier said.
"It's nothing, carry on." General Tullius replied.
She was vaguely aware as one Stormcloak soldier was being beheaded, but her thoughts were elsewhere. She had gotten herself into countless bad situations in her life, and she always figured a way out, surely she could figure a way out of this one.
"As fearless in death as he was in life." She heard Ralof say next to her.
"Next, the Imperial!" the captain called out.
Aurelia snapped back to attention as she was fairly certain that she was the only Imperial prisoner there. She thought she'd have more time to think. She was just about to start walking with shaky steps when she heard that roar again.
"There it is again, did you hear it?" Hadvar said.
"I said next prisoner!"
She walked slowly towards the block, her mind now spiraling into a panic. She couldn't run, she couldn't fight, and she couldn't persuade. There had to be something, anything. Her breathing was shaky and her heart was hammering against her chest. As she knelt down and placed her head on the block and faced the executioner, for the first time in her life, she felt her mind go completely blank. This was it. She was going to die. She had no solution to this problem. Just as she began to resign herself to her fate and wonder which afterlife she'd be taken to, she saw a black creature flying in the sky behind the executioner, and she wasn't the only one who saw it.
"What in Oblivion is that?"
"Sentries, what do you see?"
Just as the headsman was about to drop the axe on her neck, the creature landed on the building behind him and roared. The ground shook and the headsman keeled over.
"Dragon!"
Aurelia didn't bother to comprehend what she had just seen. All she knew was that here was a chance to escape and she wasn't going to pass it up. As soon as she recovered she got on her feet and ran. She didn't know where she was expecting to go, but she ran into Ralof.
"Come on, the guards won't give us another chance! This way!" He led her into a tower. Ulfric and a few other Stormcloaks were there too. "Jarl Ulfric, what is that thing? Could the legends be true?"
"Legends don't burn down buildings."
They heard a roar from outside that was deafening, even from inside the tower.
"Come on, we need to move, now!" Ralof said as he herded her up the stairs. Aurelia wondered how he got his bindings off and why he couldn't take two seconds to take hers off as well, but before she could say anything, the wall just before her shattered and a breath of fire rained down before her. When it departed, Ralof basically pushed her out of the building. Still bound, she jumped onto the floor of the next building. She started running, again, she didn't know where. This time, she ended up running into Hadvar.
"Still alive, prisoner? Stay with me if you want to keep it that way!" Hadvar shouted to her, the adrenaline in his body clear in his voice.
"Why don't you unbind me?" Aurelia called out over the pandemonium.
"Now is not the best time!" Hadvar said as he herded other people to safety.
"Now is the perfect time! I can do magic, I can help!" It would also be harder to arrest her if that's what he was planning on doing once they escaped, but she kept that thought to herself.
"Oh for the love of…" Hadvar cut her binds off with a swift flick of his sword "Happy now?"
"Quite." She ran ahead of him and cast a frost spell, the moisture dousing the flames that stood in their path "Come on."
After the two of them dodged building debris and dragon fire, they ran into Ralof again.
"Ralof! You damned traitor! Out of my way!" Hadvar shouted.
"We're escaping, Hadvar, and you aren't going to stop us!"
And the two men diverged. Aurelia had to take a serious moment to think and consider who she wanted to follow. She definitely trusted Ralof more at this point, as Hadvar was willing to send her to her death mere minutes ago. But in the long run, it was better to go with Hadvar. For her family's sake, she figured it would be best to stay on the Imperial's good side, even if she really didn't care for them right now. But more importantly, she had a better chance of finding out what happened to Fauna. She ran into Helgen keep with Hadvar.
"Are you alright? Do you need to be healed?" Aurelia said.
"A little singed, but I'll be fine, but you should put some armor on."
Not only did she find armor as she rummaged through the chest, but a sword. It was just a simple iron sword, but it would suffice for the time being. Hadvar must not be planning on arresting her again if he was letting her arm herself, and even suggest that she give the sword a few swings. Still, she would not breathe a sigh of relief until she was out of this keep. She put on the armor and followed Hadvar deeper into the keep. It would seem that they were not alone.
"You hear that? Stormcloaks, maybe we can reason with them." Hadvar whispered to her.
"You just tried to cut their heads off, I don't think…"
But Hadvar was already advancing cautiously. Aurelia rolled her eyes and readied her blade in her right hand and a flame spell in the left. It felt wrong to kill those who had been her brothers and sisters in binds until a few minutes ago, but she had her own life to worry about in more ways than one. She hadn't a Septim to her name. She was certain her parents would be more than willing to send her some, provided the circumstances, but it would take some time for anything to arrive.
They eventually made it to the torture chambers after fighting off some more Stormcloaks. While Hadvar was busy arguing with the torturer, Aurelia was looking around. She found a few septims, a few weapons, and some mage's robes from some poor victim. While she could sell these off for a decent price, they weren't any good to her if she didn't have a bag to carry them in. That's when she saw the bag on the table next to a few Septims and a book called "The Book of the Dragonborn." It looked like it could only carry a few daggers, plus the robes she found, but it was better than nothing. But her jaw dropped when she actually looked inside. Instead of the bottom of the bag, she saw a black abyss. She had heard of bags like this, bags that were enchanted to carry things of all sizes as long as the holder could manage the weight. But these were incredibly rare. She didn't know if it belonged to anybody, but she didn't care. She took almost anything else she could find before Hadvar motioned for her to follow him. She stopped when she saw a skeleton in a cage.
"Aurelia, what in Oblivion are you doing?" Hadvar said as he watched her scrape at the bones.
"Just collecting some bone meal."
"There's a dragon attacking! Are you mad?"
"Probably, you aren't the first person who seemed to think so. Just give me one more second… Ok let's go."
Hadvar was beginning to see why a horse was this woman's best friend. And this was only the beginning of her scavenging. Further into the keep, they encountered some frostbite spiders. While he was still cleaning his sword of blood, she had disappeared to search the cave for egg sacs. After they had finally left the cave, they headed straight for Riverwood. Well, they tried to head straight for Riverwood, but since Aurelia insisted on grabbing every ingredient she could find, it took a little longer than anticipated.
"Look, Aurelia, I'm grateful for all the help, but if you insist on leaving the trail, I'm going to have to leave you behind!" Hadvar called after her as she crossed the river.
"But there's a nirnroot over there. I'll just be a moment." Aurelia crossed the river to retrieve the Nirnroot and Hadvar kept walking. She had to run to catch up to them. "Sorry about that, I promise I will try to stay on the trail… Oh hey, a blue mountain flower. What? I'm still on the trail."
Hadvar shook his head and kept walking.
"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, but please understand that I have just lost all my belongings. I used to make my living as an alchemist, and I need anything I can to get my life back on track."
"I understand. But you know, I have an aunt and uncle in Riverwood, I'm sure they'd be willing to give you a few supplies once I tell them how you helped me escape."
"You really think so?"
"I do."
So for the sake of time and keeping Hadvar from being too annoyed, she only plucked the flowers she found near the trail. And yet he still rolled his eyes at her every time she did. Ungrateful bastard. Fauna was a much better traveling companion. She never complained. Speaking of Fauna…
"So, do you know what may have happened to my horse?" Aurelia said hesitantly, fearing the answer.
"Usually after we take prisoners, if they have a good horse, we take it back to our base in Solitude. Having a good supply of horses is always useful. I don't know if your horse is among them, but I would check there."
Aurelia smiled warmly at him "Thank you."
"While you're in Solitude, maybe you should join the Legion yourself, you are quite good in battle, we could use someone like you in our ranks."
Aurelia suppressed a laugh "After today, I'm not too keen on joining the Legion."
"I suppose I can't blame you for being angry after today's events. But it is a good cause."
This time she did laugh "Even before today's events, I'd rather spend a lifetime in Coldharbor than become a soldier."
"Those are some very strong feelings."
"Please don't misunderstand, it's not that I don't respect soldiers, but a soldier's job is to do whatever you're told, regardless of whether or not you think it's right. I just can't subject myself to that. For example, you didn't actually want to send me to my death today, did you?"
Hadvar's expression was unreadable. "You're right, I didn't."
"Besides, I'm a suspected Stormcloak sympathizer, I don't think the Legion would want me."
"As soon as I can get back to Solitude, I'll be sure to vouch for you."
"So you believe me when I say I'm not a Stormcloak sympathizer?"
"I do." Given her recent behavior, he had no doubt that her story about getting lost was true. "There's Riverwood, let's go."
/
The sun was noticeably dipping into the western sky when she left Riverwood. Hadvar told her that if she hurried, she should make it to Whiterun before nightfall. It was a little easier to hurry and not grab every ingredient she could see now that she was a bit heavier on coin, but old habits die hard and she couldn't help picking a few mountain flowers. It was also easier because she had a debt to repay. Not only had Hadvar's aunt and uncle, Sigrid and Alvor, given her some food and supplies, but Alvor also bought some of the weapons and armor she had taken from the keep. She owed them a debt, which she was to fulfill by traveling to Whiterun and informing the jarl about the dragon attack on Helgen.
Speaking of the dragon attack, now that she didn't have her life to worry about, she was free to marvel at what had just happened. She had just seen a creature that was believed to be extinct. Even more impressive, her life had been saved by it. That creature was a marvel to behold, it looked like an ancient statue that had been carved out of ebony. And those glowing red eyes had been so close to hers when she was in the tower. And the way it moved so freely in the sky, how she envied it. Although perhaps she shouldn't admire it too much. Even if this one had inadvertently saved her life, by all accounts, dragons were not nice creatures and their return couldn't be good.
It was evening when a large, walled city surrounded by farmland came into view. This had to be Whiterun. She was about to run towards it when she saw something large and pale roaming the fields. She came to an abrupt stop and grabbed her bow. Even in the dying light, she could see that it was a giant. Judging by the way it continued mindlessly crushing the crops, she was fairly certain it didn't see her. She drew her bow and took careful aim. She had a cheap bow and cheap arrows, but if her aim was true, she should be able to take it down before it reached her. Just as she released an arrow, she saw three warriors come charging into view. With the giant preoccupied with three different blades hacking at slashing at it, she only needed to fire a few more arrows before the giant fell. When it did, the warriors looked around for the person who had fired those arrows. Aurelia cautiously walked towards them.
The woman with red hair, heavy war paint and leather armor approached her "You handle yourself well. You might make for a decent shield-sister."
"Shield-sister? I hope you mean that figuratively, because I'm not very good with shields." Aurelia said.
The woman laughed "The shield isn't my strong suit either, I favor the bow. But it doesn't matter, we Companions are an order of warriors and have many diverse sets of skills. We are brothers and sisters in honor. And we show up to solve problems, if the coin is good enough. If you're interested in joining us, you should see Kodlak Whitemane."
"Oh wow, you're the Companions? I've heard of you. I'm quite the admirer of Ysgramor. I'm honored that you would invite me to join, but it sounds like joining would be quite the commitment, and I am just a traveler. I have no idea how long I will be staying in Skyrim."
"If you change your mind, you can find us in Jorrvaskr in Whiterun." she said before motioning for her other two companions to follow her.
"So you're not going to take the toes?" Aurelia said.
The three Companions exchanged confused looks before turning back to her.
"The toes?" the red-haired woman finally said.
"Yeah, they're actually potent alchemical ingredients, and they're pretty hard to come by, for obvious reasons. So you wouldn't mind if I took them?"
"I couldn't care less what you do with the corpse."
"Great, thanks! Have a lovely rest of your evening!" Aurelia said cheerily as she knelt down by the giant's feet.
Aurelia was about to get to work when she realized she had nothing to cut it with. She had sold her iron sword and instead opted to keep a mace by her side. The Companions were already making their way back to Whiterun, but they hadn't made it very far.
"Um, excuse me, sir, with the great sword? Would you mind helping me out?" Aurelia called out.
The man stopped and turned around "What do you need?"
He was rather imposing-looking, now that she got a good look at him. His already otherworldly silver eyes were intensified by the dark war paint he wore around them. Not only that, but he was a huge bear of a man, even by Nord standards. And he had a deep, rumbling voice.
"Um, if it's not too much trouble, would you mind cutting the toes off this giant for me? That great sword looks like it will work."
He nodded and lifted the great sword as if it was a twig and brought it down with such force that he only needed to swing once for each foot. It would seem that he had a strength that matched his appearance.
"Thank you. If you'd like, you can keep a few as payment for helping me out."
He chuckled slightly "Oh, I'm no alchemist."
"Even if you don't do alchemy yourself, you could sell them to an alchemist for some gold. Like I said, giant toes are hard to come by." She started tearing chunks of fabric from her tattered clothes so she could wrap the toes.
"I'm not really hurting for gold, you keep them. I'm not going to charge you for a few swings of my sword."
A man who wasn't obsessed with lining his pockets? She was beginning to like him. In spite of his imposing looks and great strength, he had a docile demeanor. Maybe he wouldn't mind indulging her curiousity. "Mind if I pick your brain a bit?"
"Um…"
"How long have you been with the Companions?" she said as she continued to work.
"Vilkas and I have been here since we were little whelps. Our father, Jergen, raised us here. Even Vignar couldn't remember Companions younger than us."
"Who are Vilkas and Vignar?"
"Vilkas is my twin brother. Vignar is the oldest member of the Companions."
Aurelia nodded "Ah, so you've basically been a Companion all your life. Fascinating. I bet you can tell me a lot. So what do the Companions actually do?"
"The Companions are my family. We fight so that others don't have to. We bring honor and glory to ourselves and each other."
"What does it mean to be a Companion? What kind of people do you accept as members?"
"I've never been a smart one. But the Companions welcome anyone with the heart of a warrior. When we step into battle, we fight for our own name, and the name of the Companions."
"So you're strictly warriors, huh?"
"You ask a lot of questions. I'm getting tired of standing around and talking all day."
Aurelia's face flushed crimson as her stomach roiled. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize I was bothering you. And even after you were kind enough to help me without asking anything in return. I'm so sorry, I won't bother you anymore. I was just finishing up, I'll be on my way." She got up and walked away as quickly as she spoke.
He immediately felt remorse when he saw the look on her face. He caught up with her easily "Not that asking a lot of questions is a bad thing, I'm just not very good at answering them. If you want to learn more about the Companions, you should probably talk to someone smarter."
Aurelia wasn't sure what to say to that. The polite thing would be to say that he was plenty smart, but she had only met him minutes ago and couldn't possibly know that. He didn't say it like he was baiting her anyway, so she ignored it. "Perhaps if I get the chance, but I don't plan on staying in Whiterun for very long. I have a message to deliver to the jarl, and then I have to find my horse. I lost her while crossing the border from Cyrodiil to Skyrim, and I won't be able to rest until I get her back. I've been told Solitude is my best bet."
"How did you lose your horse?"
Aurelia laughed humorlessly. "I don't even know where to begin, it's such a long story. I've had that horse since I was only seventeen, I don't know what I'll do without her." Her eyes started to cloud again "Sorry, I'm probably boring you again."
His guilt of his previous callousness intensified "Not at all, I hope you find your horse soon. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. And you don't have to worry about boring me or anything, I like listening more than I like talking."
To his relief, she smiled at him "There aren't enough people like you in Tamriel."
His cheeks warmed with a blush as he smiled back at her "So what brings you to Skyrim?"
"I simply wanted to see it because I've never been here before."
"Really? With the war going on, I didn't think many people would want to come here."
Aurelia shrugged "I think I'll be fine. By the way, which side are you on with the war, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Too confusing for me. Empire, Nords, Talos, who cares? Just tell me who needs bludgeoning."
Aurelia laughed "I don't really understand this war either. I don't understand most wars or politics for that matter. Not only are they confusing, but boring too."
He laughed with her "You can say that again. So you must be pretty strong if you're not afraid of war."
"I've been through more dangerous things than this. I've run into divines know how many Daedric cults, wild beasts and bandits."
He looked genuinely impressed "I bet you have some very interesting stories to tell."
Aurelia's face lit up "Being a Companion, I bet you have lots of interesting stories too! I mean, if you would care to share them sometime."
"Does this mean I'll get to see you again?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to impose."
He furrowed his brow in confusion. "I want to see you again."
"Oh," What was she supposed to say to that? She wasn't accustomed to people wanting to see her again. She was grateful when the man spoke first.
"My name is Farkas, by the way."
"Oh, we never actually introduced ourselves, did we? My name is Aurelia Ventus. I'm from the Imperial City."
"So, you're pretty good with a bow. Are you very good with that mace?"
She shrugged "I can handle myself, but I can always be better."
"Well, maybe after you get your horse back, you can come to Jorrvaskr, we can trade stories and train."
"A chance to train and trade stories with the legendary Companions? I'd be a fool to refuse such an offer."
They smiled at each other as they finally approached the city gates, but instead of letting them pass, a guard approached them and said "Halt, the city is closed with the dragons about. Official business only."
"Dragons?" Farkas said incredulously.
"That is precisely why I need to see the jarl. I was at Helgen when it was attacked." Aurelia's tone was suddenly serious.
"Fine, but we'll be keeping an eye on you."
"You saw a dragon?" Farkas said with the same incredulity he spoke with before.
"I did. It's quite a long story though, I'll have to tell you later. That's why I need to see the jarl. Riverwood may be in danger from dragon attacks and he needs to know."
"Right. Here, I'll show you to Dragonsreach." He beckoned for her to follow him and he broke out into a jog.
"Thank you so much."
Given her propensity to get lost, Aurelia was grateful that Farkas was showing her the way, as Whiterun was definitely bigger than Riverwood.
"You see that building over there? That's Jorrvaskr and Dragonsreach is up those stairs. I'm going back. Good luck, I hope I see you again."
"Thanks. Me too."
/
"You certainly took your time getting back, Farkas. Ria and Aela got back from the job almost a half hour ago." Vilkas said as Farkas entered Jorrvaskr.
"He was talking to a woman. A very pretty one, too." Ria said with a smirk.
"Ah yes, the alchemist who could shoot a bow." Aela addressed her next words to Vilkas. "She helped us take down the giant, you know."
"A pretty woman who can take on a giant? Why didn't you bring her back here, Farkas?" Torvar said.
"She has things she has to do, but she's going to come back here after she takes care of them." Farkas said as he took a seat next to his brother at the table and grabbed an ale.
"I thought she said she wasn't interested in joining." Aela said.
"I just asked her to train with me. Although I wouldn't mind if she stayed with us, even if she was a little strange." Farkas said.
"Most alchemists are strange, in my experience." Aela said.
"Not like that. She seemed…" Farkas thought for a moment, looking for the right word "lonely."
"I wouldn't get too attached to her, if I were you. I don't trust alchemists, they're practically mages." Vilkas said.
Farkas shrugged "I liked her. She seemed nice. And strong, not many people can survive a dragon attack."
Vilkas laughed "Did she claim that she survived a dragon attack? Now I know she's crazy."
"Actually, I thought I heard the guards say something about a dragon attack on Helgen on the way back. I dismissed it because I thought I must have misheard them." Ria said.
Aela nodded "So did I. Wow, if that woman survived a dragon attack, I definitely want to hear that story."
"So there really are dragons about." Vilkas sighed "As if Skyrim didn't have enough problems."
/
Aurelia had hoped that she could be on her way as soon as she reported to the jarl, but the court mage insisted on sending her to some ruins to search for an artifact that may or may not actually be there. Normally, she would have been thrilled to accept the mission, as she thought there was a high chance of seeing some draugr up close. But without Fauna, she felt incomplete. The mission to Bleak Falls Barrow would just have to wait.
And it would have to wait awhile, seeing as how the carriage ride was excruciatingly slow. She had forgotten how much she hated carriage rides, as Fauna's presence in her life made them seldom necessary. Instead of feeling the wind through her hair as she freely moved through the wild and maybe occasionally stop to pick some ingredients, she had to sit quietly while someone else got to decide how fast to go and how to get there. She tried to amuse herself by taking in Skyrim's landscape. The jagged outcrops, the golden grasses dappled with green shrubs and trees were very pleasing to look at, but that only seemed to make her feel even more confined as she had to resist the urge to jump out of the carriage and become a part of the landscape. So she took out the book she found in Helgen Keep. The Book of the Dragonborn it was called. So a dragonborn was a person of dragon blood who could steal a dragon's power after slaying it. It sure would be nice if one showed up right about now. She read the prophecy at the end of the book. Maybe there already is a dragonborn, the last dragonborn, and they just don't know it yet. She wondered what kind of powers could be taken from a dragon.
It was past midnight when the carriage finally arrived at Solitude. Damn, she'd have to wait until tomorrow to speak with anyone, because apparently the drawn out carriage ride wasn't enough. She went to the local inn where she overheard a few guests talking about a man they were going to execute in the morning. He supposedly helped Ulfric Stormcloak escape after killing the High King. She would have to try to avoid watching that as best as possible. But as soon as she left the inn the next morning, she was faced with a crowd gathered around the execution block.
"They can't hurt Uncle Roggvir, tell them he didn't do it!"
Aurelia's heart clenched at the little girl's words, but she kept walking and refused to look back. Solitude was a large city, and she had no idea where Castle Dour was, but anywhere was better than here. She finally found what she believed to be the right place when she heard a familiar voice.
"Aurelia? Please tell me I'm not actually seeing you here."
"Good to see you too, Atticus, I'll be sure to tell mother and father that you're not dead. Have you even seen active combat yet?"
"What in Oblivion are you doing here?"
"Looking for Fauna. Where does the Legion keep their horses?"
Atticus seemed unable to speak for a moment "Why would you expect to find her here?"
"The Legion stole her after they arrested me and tried to execute me."
Atticus put a hand on the hilt of his sword "And why are you wanted by the Legion?"
"I will set you on fire if you touch me." Aurelia threatened.
"Answer the question, Aurelia." Atticus threatened back.
"They thought I was a Stormcloak."
Atticus released the hilt of his sword and laughed "You, a Stormcloak. You wouldn't take up a political cause if someone paid you."
"Glad you think so, you can tell General Tullius if he tries to arrest me again. But please tell me where the horses are kept. I need to see if Fauna is among them."
Atticus sighed "I'll take you to General Tullius and we'll figure something out, but please behave yourself!"
Atticus was afraid of what Aurelia would say to the general, but he was even more afraid of what she'd do if she didn't get a chance to look for her horse, so he begrudgingly took her inside Castle Dour. Before he could even properly introduce them, Aurelia marched right up to him at his strategic planning table.
"General Tullius, it has come to my attention that the Legion may have my horse, and I demand that you give me a chance to look through your stock so that she may be returned to me."
There was a moment of silence. General Tullius clearly wasn't accustomed to being spoken to in this manner and needed a moment to recover, and Atticus was too horrified to form proper thoughts, let alone words.
"Soldier, why did you let this woman in here?" he directed his attention to Atticus.
"Oh, you don't recognize me, do you? It was only a few days ago that you tried to cut my head off without giving me a proper trial or investigation! You know, you should count yourself lucky that all I want is my horse back, because I think you owe me a lot more!"
Tullius gave her a hard look "Oh, I remember you."
"This soldier here is my brother, known me my whole life and he can tell you that I'm innocent and would never have anything to do with the Stormcloaks."
Tullius turned to a petrified looking Atticus "Is this true?"
"Yes, sir. This is my sister, and she would never fight for the Stormcloaks." He stammered.
"Very well. I take it you would also recognize her horse if you saw it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Take her to the stables then so she can find her horse and send her on her way."
"Thank you, sir." Aurelia said, still with a bite to her voice.
As soon as they went out the door and it closed behind them, Atticus's fear turned to fury.
"What in Oblivion is wrong with you? You do not talk to the general like that!"
"No, you don't talk to the general like that, I'm a civilian, I can talk to him however I damn well please."
"I swear, if I get disciplined because you can't keep your mouth shut…"
"If the general would punish you for my actions, even though I am far out of your control, then he is unfit to lead."
Atticus's lips were moving, but no words came out, just grunts of exasperation "For the love of the Divines, Aurelia, it's no wonder you don't have any friends!" he was finally able to say.
"I do have a friend, and he's a Companion."
"As in the Companions? You did not."
"I most certainly did! We defeated a giant together, then we walked together and talked, and as soon as I get Fauna, we're going to train together."
"Talking to someone for five minutes does not make someone your friend."
"Well, we could be! It was a very good five minutes!"
"Right, knowing you, you'll find some way to mess it up."
Aurelia merely huffed a sigh of indignation, because she knew it was probably true. As nice as Farkas seemed, she knew he must have his limits just like everybody else, and she always found some way to push them. In spite of these thoughts, she couldn't help but look forward to her visit to Jorrvaskr.
All other negative thoughts were pushed aside when she saw that Fauna was in the stables. She ran up to her, threw her arms around her and nearly sobbed as she buried her face into her neck.
"There, you have your horse, will you go now?" Atticus said impatiently.
"Gladly. Well, try not to die or anything." Aurelia said as she got on Fauna and trotted off.