Verianus was tired, beat, exhausted, whatever one might call it. She wanted nothing more than to rest and enjoy a bit of peace for once. However, when she was summoned by Ulfric Stormcloak himself she couldn't refuse.
Upon arriving at the Palace of Kings, she presented herself to the Jarl of Windhelm and leader of the rebellion and asked what need he had of her.
Ulfric had heard of her exploits, knew she was the Dragonborn, and was relieved that she had joined the rebellion and its cause. He had met her only a brief few number of times after Helgen when she had initially come to join the Stormcloaks and had passed Galmar's tests- even bringing him the Jagged Crown. He knew she could be trusted, especially now when it was nearing their time to take the city of Solitude.
Ulfric wanted her to go to each of their hold camps and report to Galmar. They needed to further solidify their influence throughout the province. Verianus felt like an errand girl, but each time she reported in to Galmar at the specified hold camp she was pleased that she was being put to action and on the front lines. She led attacks on Imperial held forts, rescued captured Stormcloak soldiers, and was even tasked with blackmailing the steward of Markarth into giving away information in exchange for keeping his worship of Talos secret- to which she learned of a caravan of gold and silver, as well as weapons, that she and Ralof were able to track down and secure for the rebellion.
As the weeks went by, more and more did the influence of the Stormcloak rebellion spread and soon enough it was time to take Solitude.
Ulfric led the charge into the city himself, making certain to keep Verianus and Galmar at his side. Verianus, however, got separated from Ulfric and Galmar saving one of the local children. Once she was certain the child was safe, she hurried to fight her way to Castle Dour where General Tullius had holed himself up.
Rikke, a Nord who had fought by Ulfric's side once before, refused to stand down and surrender- resulting in her death. Tullius tried to surrender after informing Ulfric that this was exactly what the Thalmor wanted- to see Skyrim thrown into chaos and their military forces and resources spread thin. Ulfric acknowledged the general's warning, then gave his sword to Verianus and gave her the honor of executing the general.
The battle won, Verianus stood with Galmar at Ulfric's side as he gave a speech to his men and the members of the noble house who had surrendered. He recognized their courage and strength, recognized what a large part Verianus played- naming her "Stormblade"- and asked for Elisif- the widow of High King Torygg- for her allegiance. Once she gave it and conceded her claim to the throne of Skyrim, it was finally over and all that remained was to prepare for the moot.
Verianus made her way home, staying at her small cottage in Hjaalmarch to rest and enjoy the peace. But once again, it did not last long.
Receiving a letter from a contact in Whiterun about official guild business, she packed her things and went to the city to find her contact. Finding them in the Bannered Mare, they informed her of a client from the Companions who had something stolen from them by a group of bandits. The bandits had holed up in an abandon fort near the city and the client would pay handsomely for the retrieval and safe delivery of their item- an axe given to them by their late father.
Travelling the wilds to reach the fort- Greymoor- she scouted the area around the fort, took out the posted guards from their towers, and made her way into the fort. She made quick work of the weak bandits, forcing her way into the fort and disposing of the remaining bandits and searching every room and chest until she found the axe- a beautifully crafted ebony war axe.
Her query in hand, she made her way back to the city and through the market up to Jorrvaskr- the Hall of the Companions that had stood longer than the city of Whiterun itself had. She asked around for the client, presented them with the axe, collected her payment, and set to find a courier to take the payment back to Riften- to Brynjolf. As the courier left, given a bit of extra compensation to see to it they made haste, Verianus was approached by a different member of the Companions. He introduced himself as Farkas and suggested that she come inside and speak with their leader, Kodlak Whitemane. Verianus considered it for a moment, then agreed and followed Farkas into the hall and down into the living quarters where she was introduced to Kodlak, Harbinger of the Companions, and Farkas' brother, Vilkas.
Kodlak saw a great strength in Verianus and asked that Vilkas take her to the training yard and see what she could do. Vilkas begrudgingly led her to the courtyard and drew his sword and shield, trying to catch her off guard before she could draw her own weapon. Verianus expertly dodged his attacks, drawing her sword to parry his and drawing her dagger to catch him off guard. Eventually he yielded, telling her that she was stronger than she looked. He then handed her his sword and instructed her to take it to the Skyforge to Eorlund Gray-Mane- whom Verianus knew was said to be the greatest smith in all of Skyrim.
Irritated about being made into the errand girl but sensing that it was necessary as part of her joining the Companions, she agreed and did as was asked of her. Eorlund took the sword from her and gave her a shield to return to Aela as a favor. Verianus took the shield down to Aela's room, knocking when she saw that Aela was speaking with another member, Skjor. She apologized for interrupting and presented the shield to her, then followed Farkas as he was instructed to show her where she would be sleeping. Farkas mentioned to Verianus that he was pleased to see a new face around and suggested that she asked either Aela or himself if she's looking for work.
Verianus spent the next several weeks completing jobs for the Companions. Upon returning to Jorrvaskr from her most recent one, she was told to speak with Skjor. Finding him drinking near the central hearth, Verianus listened to his instructions as he informed her that there was one last thing to become a full fledged member of the Companions. She was to go with Farkas as her Shield-Brother to Dustman's Cairn and find a fragment of Wuuthrad- the axe once wielded by the Companions' founding father, Ysgramor.