Whiterun Hold was in the glory of an early spring. The only snow to be seen was on the majestic peaks of the surrounding mountains. Wildflowers of purple, red and blue grew at the sides of the road. Farmers were outside tending their fields in the mild weather. Beyond the farms, stood Whiterun's ancient stone wall and the buildings huddled protectively inside. Rising above it all, Lily could see the high pointed rooftops of Dragonsreach Palace.
In the distance, Lily observed a hooded, robed figure headed in her direction. She cursed as she recognized him. Out on the open road she had nowhere to hide.
His eyes widened when he saw her "You!" he exclaimed. His robes flapped behind him as he ran over to her.
"Please, tell me you have returned to Whiterun to deliver me the Dragonstone."
"Farengar." Lily greeted him. "Nope. Sorry. No stone. I've been busy lately."
He stared at her in disbelief, "You don't have it yet? It's been three months! What part of "High Priority to the Jarl" did you not understand! By Julianos, I am plagued with fools!"
Lily rolled her eyes and replied, "You said the stone might or might not be in that barrow. I told you I might or might not get around to retrieving it."
The usually cool Farengar wrung his hands in distress, "You don't understand, there is much at stake!"
Lily guessed that it was Farengar's precious research at stake.
She shrugged, "It's been months since my ordeal at Helgen, and I've heard nothing of any other dragon attacks."
Farengar explained, "There have been no dragon attacks yet, but it's only a matter of time. I've heard this from very reliable sources. Please, this matter demands your aid."
Lily had never been more terrified in her life than that day in Helgen. She never wanted to see another Dragon, EVER again. She already warned the Jarl and gave him Riverwood's request for troops. Beyond that, they were asking too much.
"NO." she said and started to walk away.
Farengar was furious. "When fire and destruction rains down upon the land, I hope you remember this day. The day you refused to help avert the disaster before it began! It's all going to be on you!" He yelled.
She spun around and pointed a gloved finger in Farengar's face. "I don't care what you say! I won't get messed up in this Dragon shit of yours!"
After her roadside screaming match with the court mage, Lily turned her attentions to more important matters. This was going to be a difficult job. She knew that Mercer gave it to her expecting that she would fail. She needed an excuse to get into Jorrvaskr to case the place. Lily would start by asking the locals what they knew of the Companions. One way or another, she would return to Riften with Wuuthrad. She couldn't wait to hand the Axe to Mercer and wipe the smug look off his face. She wasn't going to let him keep her from her home and friends in the Guild.
Lily's contemplation was shattered by the sound of battle.
In a farmer's field about 50 yards away, there were two women and a man fighting an enormous grey-skinned giant.
Lily unsheathed her bow and nocked an arrow. Time seemed to slow as she drew back the bowstring and let the arrow fly. A second later she heard the giant bellow and saw him grab the side of his head. The arrow must have been like a fleabite to this massive creature. Nevertheless, the distraction was enough to make him drop his tree-sized club. The three warriors took the opportunity to go on the offensive. Lily watched in awe as the man swung his greatsword in a deadly arc that slashed through the Giant's chest cavity. The creature went down with a roar and crashed to the ground.
Lily jogged over to the group to check out the giant. She'd never seen one so close before.
The three warriors regarded her with curiosity.
One of the women approached Lily, striding gracefully with a bow at her side. She had long red hair, steel-gray eyes and stripes of warpaint across her lovely face.
"I greet you. I am Aela of the Companions. And who might you be?"
"I'm Lily."
Aela looked at the fallen giant and noted Lily's arrow sticking out of its ear.
"You handle yourself well Lily. You could make for a decent Shield-Sister. If you ever consider joining us, seek us out at Jorrvaskr. Kodlack Whitemane is our Harbinger. The old man's got a good sense for people. He can look in your eyes and tell your worth."
With that, Aela turned and walked towards Whiterun. The other woman greeted Lily, introducing herself as "Ria" before following closely after Aela.
"Hi, I'm Farkas."
Lily turned around to be greeted by the man who made the killing blow upon the Giant. The handsome Nord had long black hair and ice blue eyes enhanced by dark warpaint. Nord men always looked big to Lily, but this guy was huge. The last time she'd seen muscles that big she was looking at a statue of some god.
"I'm Lily!" She blurted. "But I guess you heard that when I introduced myself to Aela. Anyhow, you and the giant out thereā¦that was amazing." She said awkwardly.
Farkas smiled and answered in his deep baritone, "Thanks. Good to meet you too. I hope we'll see you back at Jorrvaskr. It gets pretty boring there sometimes and it would be nice to have a new face around."
Lily watched Farkas jog off to join the others, his impossibly broad shoulders and muscular back receding into the distance. How could those women fight with such a distraction in their midst?
Lily laughed and shook her head. "By Nocturnal's black knickers, what in Oblivion just happened?" There must be a 1000 to 1 chance that she would bump into the Companions on the road and get an invitation to their meadhall. Lily immediately sent a more respectful prayer of thanks to Nocturnal. The Daedric Princess had been a little thin on the luck blessings these days, but it couldn't hurt to let her know they were appreciated.
