Alright so Good news; Lassarina found some information about her brother. Bad news; She has no way of knowing whether or not he's alive. This Chapter will finally have a dragon in it and there will be a lot of talking and some fighting. There's also a funny scene. I hope you enjoy it and remember to Fave/Follow/Review!
Chapter Four
Farkas sat with Lassarina outside out the Whiterun gates, lending her his shoulder, while she cried. He felt bad for her. He wouldn't know what to do if Vilkas went missing. He'd probably search all of Skyrim looking for him, and if he didn't find him, he'd search the rest of Tamriel. He wouldn't rest until he found Vilkas, whether he was dead or alive.
He kept murmuring words of comfort to her, telling her that Einarr was no doubt searching for at that very moment. That there was no guarantee that her brother was at Helgen at the time of the Dragon attack. Even Fang, who was sitting on her lap, was trying to comfort the crying girl, licking the tears from her face and nipping at her fingers. He didn't know if it was his words, Fangs actions, or a combination of both, but after a little while Lassarina stopped crying and wiped her reddened eyes dry. She stayed quiet for a few moments, taking several deep breaths, before she finally looked up at Farkas.
"I'm sorry for being so troublesome," she apologized. "I cried all over your shoulder."
"It's fine Lass," he smiled, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "You were worried about your brother and didn't know what else to do."
"I still don't know what to do," she murmured.
"Well Whiterun is a good place to get any information of your brother," he said. "It's the center of all Skyrim. People always end up in Whiterun every time and again. You could leave word with the merchants in the Cloud District and at the Bannered Mare. If a man asking for you comes around, he's to find you at Jorrvaskr."
"That could take months," she told him. "I only meant to stay with all of you a few days. I've already overstayed my welcome."
"Nay Lass," he protested. "You can call Jorrvaskr your home as long as you wish. Everyone enjoys having you there. Tilma especially. She thanked me the other day for bringing you there. Says you're like her granddaughter."
She smiled at that comment. "That's funny since I like to think of Tilma as my grandmother. But I highly doubt everyone enjoys having me there. Njada is always telling me I don't belong there, and Vilkas..."
"Njada and my brother are like that to everyone," he told her for what felt like the thousandth time. "How many times do I have to tell that to you before you understand it."
She smiled even more and couldn't help but chuckle.
"That's what I like to hear," Farkas grinned. "You have a lovely laugh Lassarina."
She felt herself blushing and looked down at Fang, who was nipping at her fingers once again. His sharp little teeth were starting to make her fingers hurt a bit so she pulled away and tapped his nose.
"That's enough of that," she told him. "If you keep doing that you'll leave me without any skin."
Fang stared up at her, his brown eyes indignant, and let out a little bark, expressing his annoyance of having his toy taken away. She smiled at him but shook her head.
"Sorry but we can't have you thinking biting people's fingers is alright," she said firmly. "I don't care how cute you are, I won't tolerate you hurting anyone."
"You speak to him as if he can understand what you're saying," Farkas laughed.
"He can understand," she looked at him. "Animals are intelligent. A hunting dog understands his masters commands and a horse can understand what each tug of the reins means. So why can't a wolf understand my words?"
Farkas laughed and shook his head, standing up and pulling her up with him. "I can't think of a reason because you're right. Wolves are smart."
"I hope Kodlak and the other Companions won't mind him," Lassarina sighed, her voice worried.
"They won't, trust me," he replied, giving her a confident smile.
The walked through the Whiterun gates and headed directly for the market stands in front of the Bannered Mare. Lassarina and Farkas left word with every vendor and then repeated their words to the merchants inside the shop and at the Bannered Mare. Once they were sure they got everyone, Farkas led the way back to Jorrvaskr. As they stepped through the doors of the mead hall, they found several of the Companions gathered around the table, drinking mead or eating. Torvar spotted them first and raised his tankard.
"Looks who's back!" he announced. "Back from her first hunting trip!"
"How was it?" Ria added.
"We brought down a Sabercat," Farkas told everyone, reaching into the satchel and pulling out the pelt as proof. "Rina shot it from a tree and when it turned around I just about sliced its head off."
"An impressive kill," Aela said, running her hands through the fur. "But it would seem a pelt is not the only thing you brought back from this trip."
Aela looked right at the pup Lassarina was holding and she smiled nervously. The rest of the Companions followed Aela's gaze and their eyes widened at the sight of the wolf.
"That's a wolf pup isn't it?" Ria gasped.
"The Sabercat killed its mother and the rest of the litter," Farkas explained. "This one survived because it hid."
"He's only a little over a month old, if that," Lassarina added, stepping forward, Fang squirming in her arms. "He's too young to survive without a mother, so we brought him back with us."
"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" Athis asked, staring at the pup.
"He's too young to be aggressive towards people," Lassarina told the Dunmer. "He can be trained to be a tame wolf."
"And who, may I ask, is going to train him?" Skjor asked, sitting beside Aela.
"I will," Lassarina told him firmly, holding Fang closer.
"I thought you were leaving for Riften soon," Njada said. "How can you train a wolf when you're just going to leave?"
She flinched back from the womans harsh gaze and Farkas stepped in front of her, glaring at Njada.
"Lassarina has decided to stay for a while," he told Njada.
"Really?" Ria asked, excited. "What made you change your mind Rina?"
"There was a Khajiit Caravan camped outside of town," Lassarina explained. "My older brother was adopted by the leader of that very Caravan and told me he was somewhere in Skyrim looking for me. I thought we'd have a better chance at finding each other if I stayed in one place."
"That is good news," Kodlak's voice said.
Everyone turned their heads and saw the aging Harbinger had come up from the dormitories below, no doubt to join everyone for supper. Lassarina held Fang close as Kodlak walked over to her and looked down at the pup. For several moments she feared Kodlak would tell her to take Fang back to the forest, but the weight of the fear was lifted when the Harbinger smiled and reached out to pet the wolf.
"He'll make an excellent Companion," Kodlak finally said.
Lassarina smiled and loosened her grip on the pup a bit, which gave Ria a chance to take him and pet his soft fur. Soon Torvar stepped over to inspect the wolf, only to make everyone laugh when Fang wrinkled his nose at his alcohol ridden breath and nipped the Nords nose.
"Even a wolf thinks you have a drinking problem," Athis chuckled.
"Does he have a name?" Aela asked, having taken the pup from Ria.
"His name is Fang," Lassarina said.
"Did Farkas come up with that?" Skjor asked, petting Fang, his good eye soft.
"Actually Rina named him," Farkas laughed. "Can't pin the name on me."
"I think it suits him," Aela said, smiling as Fang nibbled on her fingers.
The Companions spent the rest of the night drinking and eating, asking all about the Sabercat they killed. The entire time they passed around Fang, who was enjoying the attention and getting scraps off of everyone's plate. Everyone found it funny when Torvar gave the pup a drink of mead and then Fang started wobbling around the room, unsteady on his legs before finally falling asleep on the pelt of the Sabercat that killed his mother.
They drank until it was very late in the night, and for the first time since she had arrived at Whiterun, Lassarina was thoroughly drunk, laughing at the slightest joke and making Torvar ten Septims richer when she walked out of Jorrvaskr and collapsed in the waterways around the Gildergreen. Farkas had taken it upon himself to try and take care of Lassarina as much as possible, but it became even harder when he got just as drunk as she did. When she collapsed in the waterways Farkas tried pulling her out, but only ended up falling in himself, making her sides hurt from laughter.
"Rina I've been meaning to ask you something," Farkas slurred, water dripping from his face as he sat up.
"What?" she giggled, crawling out of the waterway and wringing the water from her hair.
"You said you were at Helgen," he started. "What exactly happened?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I had crossed over the border from Cyrodiil and walked into an ambush that the Imperials set up for the Stormcloaks. The idiots thought I was with them even though I kept saying I wasn't."
She looked around for the unopened bottle of mead she had been carrying and saw it had rolled a few feet away. She quickly grabbed it and took a long sip before handing it to Farkas who drank a bit himself.
"They threw me onto a cart with a Stormcloak soldier, a horse thief and the Jarl of Windhelm himself. There was someone else too but he slept the entire way to Helgen. The Stormcloak soldier, Ralof, told me he saw the guy get hit pretty hard by a sword pommel. Well we got to Helgen and they lined us up to be executed. They called my name second and just as the executioner was about to chop my head off, the dragon attacked."
"That explains why you were covered in smoke stains," Farkas said, taking another gulp of mead before handing it back to her when she reached for it. "Did the dragon shoot fire at you?"
"It all happened so fast," she sighed. "I'm not even sure how I got out of there in one piece. Ralof pulled me into a nearby tower with a couple of Stormcloak soldiers and Jarl Ulfric. I ended up following Ralof to Riverwood and then ended up here."
Her hands had started to shake from the memories of Helgen. Her head being forced onto the still bloody chopping block. The look in the executioners eyes as he stared down at her. The sight of the black dragon as it fired a jet of flames onto the towns. Farkas must have seen that she was troubled cause he reached out and tugged on the end of her braid.
"No more bad memories," he told her sternly.
He quickly stood up and lifted her onto her feet. They were both a little unsteady so they had to lean on each other for support. Farkas led her down to the Plains District, passing the bottle of mead back and forth until there was none left, Farkas having drank the last bit of it and making Lassarina angry.
"That was my mead," she told him with a smile. "I was supposed to have the last sip!"
"What are you going to do about it?" he chuckled, waving the empty bottle in her face.
She snatched the bottle from him and hit the back of his head with it, but not hard enough to do any damage. He grunted and rubbed the back of his head.
"Lass you're gonna pay for that," he grinned.
She saw him reach for her and she quickly stepped out of the way before turning around and ran. She could hear him running after her and she quickly picked up the pace, laughing as she ran past a guard. Farkas had bumped right into the guard and had to stop to help him up, making him lose sight of Lassarina. She had run over to the gate and was hiding in the shadows, waiting for Farkas to come looking so she could jump him. She waited a few moments and was dozing off when a familiar shape walked right by her. Instantly alert she jumped out from her hiding spot and onto his back.
"Got you!" she cried with a laugh.
His hand reached to grab her shoulder and threw her off, slamming her to the ground. She cried out in pain, groaning when the shock faded.
"Farkas why in Oblivion did you do that!?" she shouted, struggling to sit up and glared at him.
She instantly flinched when she saw that it wasn't Farkas she had jumped, but Vilkas. He must have just returned from his assignment cause his face was grimy and covered in sweat. Blood was splattered across his armor and he had a scowl on his face.
"I should be asking you that," he growled at her.
"Vilkas I'm so sorry," she babbled, forgetting her pain and getting onto unsteady feet. "I thought you were Farkas. He was chasing me."
"Gods Lass are you drunk?" Vilkas asked, grabbing onto her shoulder to steady her.
"No no no," she protested. "I'm fine. I was just having some fun."
Vilkas reeled back when her alcohol laced breath reached him and he sighed.
"Come on let's get you back to Jorrvaskr," he said, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her along.
"No I don't want to go back," she slurred. "I need to go ask Za'nir more questions about my brother."
She pulled her arm out of his grasp and she turned towards the gate. She walked right up to the guard who stopped her immediately and told her she couldn't go outside.
"No it's fine," she reassured him. "I have to talk to the Khajiit outside."
"Companion could you control your woman?" the guard complained to Vilkas, who had followed her.
"I'm not his-"
She was interrupted by Vilkas, who had picked her up by her waist and threw her over his shoulder. She shouted at him and slammed his back with her fists, demanding he put her down, but he just ignored her and apologized to the guards as he walked away.
"Vilkas put me down!" she shouted again.
"Just be quiet!" he snapped. "I'm taking you back to Jorrvaskr so you can sleep this off."
"I don't want to go back I want to go outside!" she complained, feeling queasy from being held upside down.
"Vilkas what are you doing?" Farkas' voice asked.
"Farkas tell him to put me down!" she groaned, the feeling to retch starting to become unbearable.
"Brother put Lass down," Farkas said his voice thick with laughter he was trying to hold back.
"You've both had too much to drink," Vilkas spat. "We're going back to Jorrvaskr. Now."
"I think I'm gonna be sick," Lassarina muttered. "Vilkas please, put me down."
Vilkas sensed she was about to retch and set her on the ground, she quickly ran over to a nearby bush and completely emptied her stomach of the sour tasting bile. Vilkas and Farkas waited for her until she stumbled back to them, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Are you alright?" Farkas asked.
"Yeah," she murmured, feeling very tired all of a sudden. "I just got really tired."
She took another wobbly step forward and nearly tripped over her own feet, receiving a laugh from Farkas and a sigh from Vilaks. Handing Farkas his greatsword, Vilkas knelt in front of Lassarina, his back to her.
"Get on, I'll carry you back," he offered.
She didn't protest this time and got on his back, her arms wrapped around his neck and her face resting on his shoulder. The started walking back to Jorrvaskr, but Lassarina didn't stay awake long enough, passing out a few minutes after climbing onto Vilkas' back.
oOo
Several days later Lassarina was still facing the teasing jokes from the Companions of her drunken state and having to be carried back to Jorrvaskr by Vilkas. Her back and head hurt like crazy for a couple of days. She spent most of her time inside, avoiding the bright sunlight that only made her head ache more, training Fang.
The wolf pup was already starting to show that the training was paying off. She had taught him how to sit and heel rather quickly, and was currently working on controlling his curiosity. While the other Companions had come to adore the pup, they did not appreciate having him sniff through there stuff in search of something to chew on. Farkas had given Fang a large bone to sate his need to chew, but the little wolf still enjoyed sneaking into bedrooms.
Lassarina saw that Fang was looking for trouble once again when she spotted him sneaking into Vilkas' room. She knew from her time living at Jorrvaskr that Vilkas didn't like people going into his room, not even Tilma. He cleaned up after himself, Tilma told her. In the weeks she had lived there she hadn't even seen the inside of Vilkas' room, but now she figured she would have to, she had to go in to get Fang out.
Thankful that the intimidating warrior was upstairs, Lassarina stepped into Vilkas' room and spotted Fang on his large bed, rolling around in the furs playfully. She couldn't help but smile at the pup as she walked over and picked him up off the bed. She had turned to leave when her eyes fell upon the bookshelf. Each shelf was filled with books and her eyes widened in awe. She walked over to the books and ran her fingers along the spines, pulling one of them out and trying to sound out the title.
"Th-The, W-wo-l-f- Wolf, Q-q-" she frowned as she tried to sound out the last word, her brow furrowing in frustration.
"What are you doing in my room?" Vilkas demanded, surprising her.
She turned around and clutched Fang close, seeing Vilkas glaring at her.
"I'm sorry," she told him. "I only came in to grab Fang. I didn't want him messing up any of your stuff."
"You've got the wolf, why are you still in here then?" he growled.
"I saw all your books," she mumbled. "I was just looking."
Vilkas stared at her before looking at the book that was still in her hand. He took it from her and scanned the title before offering it back to her.
"You can borrow it if you'd like," he told her.
Her eyes widened in surprise and she didn't know what to say. She honestly expected Vilkas to yell at her. To tell her never to set a foot in his room again and to never touch his things. The last thing she was expecting was him loaning her one of the books.
"Are you just going to stare at me or are you going to take the book?" he snapped.
She blinked and quickly shook her head. "No that's alright Vilkas. I can't read well. I can't even write. It would take me a year to read a book like that."
Vilkas stared at her again before placing the book back on the shelf.
"I could teach you to read and write," he told her, walking over to the weapons rack beside his bed and grabbing his greatsword.
"Really?" she asked excited. "Could you teach me now?"
"No not now," he shook his head. "I've got to go rescue this man who got kidnapped. His wife is paying handsomely for his safe return. Once I come back I could give you a lesson."
"Thank you Vilkas," she smiled.
Vilkas glanced at her and she swore she caught a glimpse of a smile on his face. But it quickly disappeared when he nodded.
"Everyone should know how to read and write," he explained with a shrug. "And if you receive word of your brother from those Khajiit it'll probably be written. I'd imagine you'd want to read any word of your brother yourself."
She nodded. Za'nir and his Caravan had moved on the day before yesterday, but they had promised her that they would tell her if they ran into Einarr, and tell him where she was.
"Also you should probably take the pup out for a walk in the plains," Vilkas said, leading her out of his room with a gentle push. "He's probably getting into all that trouble because he's restless."
"That's true," she sighed, petting the wolf pup.
"Grab your weapons, you can walk with me up to the Western Watchtower before heading back on your own," Vilkas told her.
She nodded, quickly running over to her bed in the dormitory and picking up the bow and arrows and sword the Companion's had given her. She clicked her tongue at Fang to follow her and the pup trailed after her like a little shadow as she climbed up the steps to find Vilkas waiting for her. They walked out of Jorrvaskr, Lassarina often having to call after Fang whenever he ran ahead. They were nearing the gate when they saw a large group of soldiers being led by Irileth and a man in Steel armor and helm running out the gates.
"What do you think that's all about?" Lassarina asked Vilkas.
"I'm not sure," Vilkas replied. "Perhaps we should follow, see if we can be of any help."
Though she was a bit apprehensive about following a group of soldiers into what could possibly be a battle, Lassarina nodded. She figured if there was a battle ahead she could always stand farther away from the thick of it with Fang and fire arrows. She and Vilkas ran after the soldiers, who surprisingly had gotten very far ahead. They were heading towards the Western Watchtower, and she could see a cloud of smoke far ahead.
"The Watchtower must be on fire," Lassarina panted as they ran.
Vilkas merely grunted and picked up the pace, making Lassarina work twice as hard to try and keep up. By the time they reached the soldiers, they had arrived at the Watchtower, and they were all hiding behind a large boulder.
"What's going on?" Vilkas asked when they reached them.
"A dragon," one of the soldiers announced. "It attacked the watchtower."
Lassarina gasped and felt her hands start to shake. She wanted to run, her mind was screaming at her, telling her to run back to Whiterun and not look back. But she couldn't move. Something was keeping her there and she had no idea what. She looked at the faces of every soldier and saw they each looked terrified but determined to fight the dragon. She looked up at the sky and at the watchtower but the dragon was nowhere to be seen.
Maybe it flew away, she thought hopefully.
She felt someone staring at her and looked at the man in Steel armor. He was clearly not a soldier, and was staring right at her. She could see blue eyes being shadowed by the helm on his head, and got the feeling he recognized her. After staring at him for a few moments she started to get a similar feeling.
"I know you," she said without thinking.
The man nodded and removed his helm, revealing thick brown hair that reached his shoulders in a sweaty messy tangle. Her eyes widened in surprise and she couldn't help but gasp.
"You're that man from Helgen," she whispered. "You were in the carriage."
He nodded. "I escaped with Ulfric. How did you get away?"
"Ralof, the soldier that was in the same carriage as us," she replied.
"You know this man?" Vilkas asked her.
She nodded to him. "Yes, he was at Helgen when the dragon attacked."
"Alright we're going in," Irileth announced. "Search for any survivors and keep your eyes open, that dragon could still be around."
Lassarina knelt beside Fang and ordered the pup to stay. The small wolf was shaking violently, as if sensing the danger, and quickly crawled into a little gap in the boulder, whimpering. Once she was confident Fang wouldn't move, she followed Vilkas out to the Watchtower, her bow drawn and ready to fire. They were nearing the Watchtower when a soldier stepped out from inside, shouting at them.
"No go back!" he cried. "It's still here!"
A roar suddenly echoed around them and Lassarina's eyes went to the sky. She saw the dragon flying towards them, having flown and hidden behind the mountain nearby.
"Take cover!" the man from Helgen shouted to everyone.
Vilkas pulled Lassarina by her arm, over to a collapsed heap rocks. She looked at him and saw that his eyes were clouded by fear and the sword in his hands was shaking slightly. Seeing the normally brave Companion beside her scared made her less frightened herself. She found herself reaching out and placing a hand on his arm. Vilkas looked at her and she let her eyes speak for her. They said how she was glad to have met him and having spent all this time with him and the other Companions. They said how she appreciated everything they had done for her and wished she would have done more to thank them
Vilkas seemed to understand, for he nodded to her and freed a hand to hold hers. His eyes became soft for the first time since she met him and he smiled at her.
"If this is to be my last battle, I'm glad to have a Companion by my side," he told her.
"My first and possibly last battle," she smiled. "May we come out of this unscathed."
The dragon's roar was right above them and Lassarina raised her bow, pointing it up as she released an arrow. It hit its mark, getting the dragon right in its belly. For some reason she was relieved to see that this dragon wasn't the same one from Helgen, giving her enough courage to stand up and fire another arrow at the flying reptile. The dragon roared, sounding annoyed and angry, as it turned around and flew at her. She gasped and started running back. She felt the ground shake beneath her as the dragon landed and she stumbled a bit. She looked over her shoulder and saw the dragon take a deep breath. She froze, knowing what was coming and how she wouldn't be able to avoid it.
"RINA!" shouted the man from Helgen as he ran at her and tackled her out of the way as the dragon released its fiery breath.
She rolled across the ground with him and ended up beneath him when they stopped, his arms wrapped protectively around her. The heat disappeared and she looked up, seeing several soldiers stabbing and slashing at the dragon. The man on top of her still hadn't let her go and she started to push him.
"Get off me!" she shouted.
He stood up and turned to the dragon, running at it with a sword in each hand. He stood beside Vilkas as the hacked and slashed at the Dragon, turning it into a bloody scene. Lassarina got to her feet herself and started to fire arrows at the dragon. The fight wasn't long, though the dragon managed to kill a few soldiers with its snapping jaws, but it finally collapsed, falling dead, blood pouring from the wounds. She let out a sigh of relief, glad the battle was over, but her breath hitched when she saw the man from Helgen walking towards her.
"Rina are you alright? Are you hurt?" he demanded, grabbing her shoulders and checking her for any injuries.
She blinked and nodded. "Yes I'm fine but-"
She was shocked into silence when the man pulled her into his arms, holding her close.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, trying to push him off. "Who the hell do you think you are? And how do you know my name?"
"Let her go," Vilkas growled, pulling the man off of her and shoving him aside to stand in front of Lassarina.
The man stared at her, confused, when his vision cleared with a sudden clarity and he sighed.
"Of course you wouldn't remember me," the man sighed. "You were only four when we were separated."
Her entire body tensed and she felt she knew what the man was about to say.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice a whisper.
The man stared at her, his pale blue eyes soft and relieved and full of joy.
"Rina it's me," he said. "I'm your brother. I'm Einarr."
Duh Duh Dun! Einarr is alive! The siblings have found each other! They had been so close before but had no idea who the other person was! The next chapter will reveal the Dragonborn!
A lot happened this Chapter. Farkas and Rina got a little too tipsy. Torvar won a bet. Vilkas warmed up a bit to Rina. Einarr made his appearance. They killed a dragon! And most importantly, the Companions have acquired a pet!
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember to Fave/Follow/Review and make sure to check out the story that inspired me to write my own Fanfiction, Whisper292's An Orphan's Tale!
Much Love,
Mirage3