Disclaimer in Ch. 1
Elise sighed and ran a hand over her brow, wiping away the sweat. She rolled her neck and shoulders and again hefted the two-handed greatsword before she moved into a fighting stance and began attacking the practice dummy.
"You keep going like that the dummy will have you beat in no time," Farkas teased from the porch. She stopped mid thrust and turned to look at him.
"If you know so much why not come down here and give me some tips?" she called back.
"Sorry, Sister, two-handed weapons are Vilkas' specialty, not mine," he returned.
"Great," she answered, "it looks like I am on my own then." She swung at the dummy a few more times and then added, "I thought you were on your way to Solitude."
"Just getting ready to head out," he responded. "Do you have anything to take to Jordis?" he asked coming down to stand near her.
She turned to face him. "Not this time, but thank you for checking." She paused a moment then suggested, "You can take my horse up there if you want to. Then you will have more time there and less time traveling."
Farkas looked chagrinned. "I never got the hang of horses. I am fine walking."
"At least take the carriage Farkas. You do not get to go see Jordis very often, if you travel by carriage you will have more time to spend with her," Elise suggested.
"That is a good point. I might do that. Take care Sister," Farkas gave her a one armed hug.
"Take care as well, Brother," Elise answered. She waved as he walked around the side of the building, nearly colliding with somebody. She heard him throw out a gruff apology but whoever it was ignored him.
Elise groaned once she caught sight of the woman who was walking towards her. "Delphine," she stated.
"And so here I find you, hiding in the ranks of the Companions," the blonde woman accused.
"I am not hiding," Elise retorted, turning back to the dummy and hacking at it violently. "I told you I was going to train so that the next time I face Alduin, I can finish the job."
Delphine grabbed her arm and spun her around, sending the sword flying across the yard. "That was nearly seven months ago," she hissed. "Do not deny it; you are ignoring your duty!"
Elise wrenched her arm from Delphine's grip. "I am not ignoring anything!" she snarled. "And how dare you accuse me of it!"
"I dare because it is obvious to me and all the other Blades that you would rather hide than finish the job you started!" Delphine yelled.
Elise screeched and turned away from the other woman, grabbing the nearest object and hurling it against the wall. She spun back around with a look so nasty on her face that Delphine took a step back. "I did not choose to be the Dragonborn," she growled. "I have done everything the Greybeards asked of me, I have done everything you have asked of me; I have every intention of facing Alduin again, but not until I am ready!" Her voice rose steadily through the rant and when she ended there was so much power behind the words it knocked Delphine back a few paces.
"Do not dare," Delphine said, straightening and pushing a loose hair back from her face, "Do not dare use your Thu'um on me. Without me you would not be anywhere near ready to face Alduin."
"And without me you would still be in Riverwood, wondering how long you had until the Thalmor caught up with you," Elise retorted.
"Have you even talked with Balgruuf yet?" Delphine asked.
Elise sighed and rubbed her temple. "Yes," she answered finally. "He refuses to help until we negotiate a peace treaty between Tullius and Ulfric. He is afraid that one side will use it as an opportunity to attack while the guard is distracted with the dragon."
"Have you arranged the peace council?" Delphine questioned.
"No," Elise stated bluntly. "As soon as we negotiate we will move forward with calling and capturing the dragon and after that, it is off to face Alduin. I am not ready yet."
"You had better get ready," Delphine stated, "Because in a month's time if you have not arranged the peace council I will come here and drag you out myself and force you to finish the job." She spun and walked briskly away.
Elise inhaled deeply, every intention of using her Thu'um to deal with the woman. A hand on her shoulder startled her and she gasped out, her breath coming out as a slight frost, instead of the powerful Shout it would have been. She was surprised to see Vilkas standing next to her. "Do you think that would have been wise?" he asked.
"No," Elise admitted and turned, retrieving the greatsword from where it had landed across the yard. "But it would have felt good," she added. Vilkas laughed and she glanced at him surprised. "I did not know you could laugh," she commented.
"Yes well, it does not happen often," he assured her. "Who was that woman?" he asked, watching as she began attacking the dummy again.
"Delphine, leader of the Blades, Breton pain-in-my-arse," Elise answered. "She was here to remind me of my duty, as if I could forget," she muttered angrily.
"So it is true then," Vilkas said, reaching out and grabbing her arm to stop her mid-swing. He adjusted her grip and her arms and then stepped back motioning for her to continue. "You are the Dragonborn."
Elise was surprised at how much easier using the greatsword was after his slight adjustments. She continued to attack the dummy a few times before she answered. "Yes," she said. "The Dragonborn, the great Dovahkiin of legend and song."
Vilkas moved around her and touched her shoulder. She stopped her attack and he kicked her feet, adjusting her stance. "You do not seem very happy about it," he observed, again motioning for her to continue.
"I was captured by the Imperials while I was simply trying to return home, nearly fried to a crisp in Helgen, and then told that I am the Dragonborn and it is my responsibility alone to try and save Skyrim from a dragon so powerful they call him the 'World-Eater'. Would you be happy?" she asked.
"When you put it that way," he stated. He stood in silence for several minutes watching her work with the greatsword. "I think I know the problem," he said suddenly, startling her. She stopped and turned to face him, eyebrow raised in question. "The sword you are using, it is too heavy."
"It is a standard greatsword," Elise stated. "What better weapon to use when practicing two-handed attacks?" Vilkas motioned for her to wait a moment and disappeared inside Jorrvaskr. He returned a few minutes later carrying an item wrapped in cloth. Elise watched as he unrolled it and pulled out a beautiful ebony katana.
"I think this will work better for you," he said, handing it to her. "It is still a two-handed sword, but much lighter." Elise took it and gave him the greatsword, swinging the katana a few times to get a feel for it. He pointed at the dummy. "Try it now," he ordered.
She turned back to the dummy and tried a few simple maneuvers, a grin slowly sliding across her face. "Now this I might be able to work with," she said.
"Hopefully it will greatly reduce your chances of becoming dragon bait," Vilkas teased. She shot him a glare with no real malice behind it before turning back to the practice.
The two of them stayed there well into the night, Elise attacking the dummy and Vilkas offering advice and comments to help improve her form.