Aurelia was beginning to sorely regret leaving so hastily. If she had waited until Arcadia's Cauldron opened to buy an invisibility potion or buy the ingredients to brew one herself, then maybe she could get a decent view of the camp. She circled it twice, but the camp was uphill and surrounded by crudely-built stick walls. Still, she supposed she should count herself fortunate. There was a sizeable gap in the walls that provided a view of the fire, which the inhabitants were likely to frequent. Plus, the hill was covered in tall, thick grass that she could easily hide herself in. She would just have to watch and wait.

She wasn't sure how long she watched the camp, but when her body was stiff from crouching in the grass and her fingers were itching for her bow, she decided the time to attack would be soon. However long she watched, she counted five Forsworn; two archers, two melee fighters, and the Briarheart. The villagers of Rorikstead had been kind enough to warn her about him; a warrior who sacrificed his heart and replaced it with an enchanted briar for increased prowess in battle. He would be tough, but the villagers also told her of his weakness. The ceremony to transform him had left a gaping hole in his chest, and if she could pluck his briarheart out, he would die instantly.

Although she would have preferred to have been a little more secure in her scouting, she had a plan. First, she noiselessly coated all her arrows in poison. Then she carefully cast a frost rune at what she hoped would be the ideal spot; close enough so that it could do damage quickly, but far enough away so that they shouldn't hear it being cast. And then she would have to spend even more time waiting. In order for her plan to work, she needed to kill both archers before she was spotted. And she had to wait until they were both in view while the melee fighters and Briarheart were some distance away to give her a better chance.

She had lost track of the moments that had gone by, but when the circumstances were favorable, she took careful aim and released a poisoned arrow into one of the archers. She faintly heard a gurgled scream as she watched the arrow pierce her neck. But she had no time to congratulate herself as she reloaded and fired at the other archer. She scowled as this one hit him in the leg. By this time, the melee fighters saw where the arrows were coming from and were searching in her direction. She hastily fired another arrow at the still living archer and dropped her bow almost instantly and reached for her mace, as the two melee fighters had spotted her. She didn't see if the arrow hit a vital point, or even if it hit the target at all, but she would just have to trust that the poison would finish the job for her. The melee fighters had just sprung her frost rune and she had no time to waste. She sprang forward and hurled two ice spikes while they were still recovering from the trap. The first one shattered against the ground behind them, but the second ice spike penetrated its target straight through the chest. The remaining Forsworn charged at her with blades up and ready to strike, but the frost rune had done its damage and his arms moved so slowly that he was unable to block Aurelia's killing blow with her mace.

Before she could look for the Briarheart, she felt a painful jolt of electricity strike her body. She looked up to see another Forsworn at the top of the hill. She jumped and rolled out of the way behind a stick wall before the shaman could strike again. Damn! She had miscalculated how many there were. She shoved a hand her bag, hoping to find a potion to restore her magicka, but it was too late. The shaman rounded the corner with her hands alight. Aurelia knew she wouldn't survive a point-blank attack like that, and if she did, she certainly wouldn't be up for fighting a Briarheart. So she did the only thing she could.

"FUS!"

Damn, she was hoping she could save her Shout for the Briarheart. She had learned that Shouting took a toll on her and she had to wait for her body to recover before she could do it again. But she had no time to dwell on that, for as the shaman flew back, Aurelia flew forward and brought her mace down on the shaman's head before she could get back up.

She turned to see a sword coming down on her. The Briarheart had found her. She dodged just in time to avoid a killing blow, but not fast enough to avoid a nasty cut on her arm. She tripped over the shaman's corpse and stumbled down the hill. Instead of trying to keep hold of her footing, she let gravity guide her downhill to get some distance from the Briarheart, but he wasn't far behind her. As soon as she came to the bottom of the hill, she turned abruptly and used what little remained of her magicka to cast a frost rune in his path. He charged right into it, with frost shards flying, but his swords still flew like a whirlwind. He certainly didn't give up his heart for nothing. His eyes bored down on her with a smirk on his face. She was badly weakened and he knew it. But the battle wasn't over yet. The way she saw it, she would either have to find a way to get in close so she could rip his heart out, or buy time until she could Shout again. The Briarheart swiped at her legs with his sword and her legs erupted blood as they were wrenched out from beneath her. She splayed out her arms to take the impact of the fall, but that turned out to be a mistake because the Briarheart skewered her arms to the ground with his swords. Her agonized screams pierced the air.

"Scream all you want, Imperial, no one will hear you." The Briarheart sneered.

"Are you sure? I screamed… pretty loud." Aurelia's voice was choked with pain, but her strained speaking would help her stall for time.

The Briarheart's boot came down on her left arm and she felt a snap. Her voice filled the air with screams once more.

The Briarheart shouted over her voice. "I'd take this a little more seriously if I were you! You've just killed my entire family! You don't think you're getting out of here alive, do you?"

She could feel her body recovering and she'd be ready to shout soon. Just a few more seconds…

"If you let me go… I can… send you to them."

She was ready to shout again. But that wouldn't help her much if she was still skewered to the ground. But he'd have to pull his blades to deliver the killing blow.

"A woman who makes jokes, even while staring death in the face? It's almost a shame to kill you."

"Well then… get on with it…I haven't got… all day."

As soon as the blades lifted from her arms, she Shouted.

"FUS!"

She scrambled to her feet as the Briarheart staggered back. She locked her eyes onto the gaping hole in his chest and lunged for him, hand outstretched. When she felt her hand enclose around the heart, she knew she had won. The look of fury on the Briarheart's face dropped into a blank one as she wrenched the heart from his chest.

Aurelia's eyes darted around cautiously a few times. When she was certain they were all dead, she collapsed to the ground. She was injured, badly. The warmth of the healing spell she cast enveloped her, knitting her flesh back together, but she still needed to see someone about her broken arm. She hoped Jouane, the only mage in Rorikstead, would have a better grasp on restoration magic than she did. Even when she finished her spell, she still felt exhausted. She slumped up to the camp. She would rest here for a few hours before returning to Rorikstead.

She had won, but she couldn't feel elated because it had been much too close. If she couldn't Shout, then she was fairly certain she would be dead. First she only survived the incident at Helgen out of sheer luck, and now this. Maybe she wasn't as strong as she thought she was. Maybe she was a fool to come out here alone.

She wondered what the Companions would say when she returned. They had to be impressed. It may have been a close call, but she still took out an entire Forsworn camp on her own, a thought that she found herself clinging to. But they may be angry too. She did go behind their backs and take the job even when they told her not to. They'd get over it when they got their gold for it. But still, maybe it would be best to let them cool down for a few days. She took out her map. She was about halfway between Markarth and Whiterun. She'd always wanted to go to Markarth. She heard it was built on top of Dwemer ruins and even had an impressive Dwemer museum. So that settled it. She would go to Markarth for a few days before returning to Whiterun.

/

It had been four days since Aurelia left to do whatever she was doing and three days since Vilkas and Ria left to take care of the Forsworn job. He felt particularly lonely with both Aurelia and Vilkas gone and was wishing that one of them, if not both of them would come back soon. He was sitting at the table by the hearth, taking a break from training when Vilkas and Ria came through the door, with deep scowls on both of their faces.

"What's wrong? Didn't the job go well?" Farkas said.

"There was no job to do! We traveled all the way to Rorikstead only to be informed that the Forsworn camp had already been taken out by a certain Imperial woman, and not the one you see next to me!" Vilkas fumed.

"You mean…"

"I still can't believe she actually did it!" Ria said, and Farkas couldn't tell if she was impressed or angry.

"So then where is she?" Farkas said.

"That's a very good question! Oblivion if I know." Vilkas said.

"You don't think she's…"

"Dead? I doubt it. The villagers said she came back after the job was done. She was a bit worse for wear, but she was alive. She stayed at the inn that night, but was gone the next morning before anyone knew what became of her."

"Hm." Farkas couldn't think of anything else to say, because he wasn't sure how to feel. There was definitely some anger. He had trusted her, and she blatantly lied to him. But he had to admit, he was also impressed. Not many people could take on an entire Forsworn camp by themselves and live to tell about it. He honestly didn't think she could do it. Perhaps he even felt a little guilt for not believing in her. But probably the most overwhelming emotion was worry. It didn't make sense for her to just run away like that. She needed gold, and she couldn't get proper payment for this job until she came back. If the Forsworn didn't get her, maybe something else did. What if it was a dragon?

His worry only grew as days, and then weeks passed by with no sign of her. The others seemed just as confused by her disappearance as he was. Kodlak even seemed disappointed. It wasn't until the beginning of Hearthfire that she showed up in their doorway during their lunch break.

"Whelp! Where in Oblivion were you? And what are you wearing?"

"Relax, Vilkas, I can explain." Aurelia said.

Everyone in the room turned to stare at her. She was dressed in Forsworn armor.

"Not only did you go behind our backs and take the job, but you joined them?" Vilkas bellowed.

"I didn't join them, I took care of the job weeks ago, weren't you informed?" Aurelia said

"Then where have you been all this time? And why are you dressed like that?" Vilkas said.

"I was in prison…"

"YOU WHAT?" Vilkas was livid.

"It's not what you think! After I broke out…"

"YOU BROKE OUT?"

"After I broke out, I was pardoned by the jarl and he apologized for my wrongful imprisonment, if you'd let me finish my sentence!"

"Vilkas, calm down. What were you even doing in prison in the first place?" Aela said.

"What is all the commotion up here?" Kodlak's voice came from the head of the stairs "Aurelia? You're back. Where have you been and why are you dressed like a Forsworn?"

"It's a long story, but I'll try. Since I took care of the job a bit more quickly than I had anticipated, and since I was near Markarth, I decided I'd like to spend a day there, maybe see the Dwemer museum, and then come straight back. But, as soon as I get there, this woman gets attacked in the street in broad daylight…"

Farkas was honestly trying to pay attention to her story, but his mind kept wandering with his eyes. This Forsworn armor, if she could even call it armor, did not leave much to the imagination. He never noticed before, but she had nice-looking legs. They were a bit short, but shapely and strong looking. And they lead up to a very firm and round…

"And then, after his confession, Nepos the Nose makes some comment about me not getting out of here alive and he and his servants start attacking me…"

Her stomach was flat, with muscle peeking through just enough so that she looked strong, but not so much that she didn't also look soft. He also noticed that her right arm was bigger and more toned than her left one. Some might consider that a flaw, but he thought it was funny, mabe even cute. While she had a more slender body type, the curves of her torso were accentuated in this outfit and very pleasing to look at. Her breasts were a good size too, and firm looking. He bet they would fit nicely in his hands…

"When I went back to the shrine of Talos, Eltrys was dead on the floor, Divines rest his soul, and the guards move to arrest me…"

Had her face always been that pretty? The stray curls that escaped that strange Forsworn hairstyle she was sporting nicely complimented her sharp, Imperial features. He bet it would be nice to run his fingers through that hair while he kissed those full, soft-looking lips…

"Wow, that was quite a story, Aurelia. Don't you think so, Farkas? Torvar? Athis?" Aela said with a smirk.

"What?" Farkas, Athis and Torvar said together, snapping back to attention. Apparently, Farkas wasn't the only one who was distracted.

"Oh for Shor's sake!" Vilkas said "Whelp, go change into something appropriate!"

Farkas shook his head at himself. What was he thinking? This was neither the time, nor the person for such thoughts. She was his shield-sister, but more importantly, now that he no longer had any reason to be worried about her, he was angry with her.

"First of all, I have name, and I'd appreciate it if you used it, Vilkas." Aurelia said with a sneer "And second, I will wear whatever I damn well please!"

"Kodlak, this woman has no place in the Companions, I suggest we boot her out at once!" Vilkas said.

"What? I just told you why I was late! Is that not a good enough reason?" Aurelia said.

"That's not the point, whelp, the problem is, you deceived us. You took a job we told you not to take and lied about it."

"I wouldn't have had to lie if you had let me go!" Aurelia said.

"You think that makes it okay?" Farkas said darkly.

Aurelia's features softened in surprise as she turned to him "You're right, Farkas, it was unfair of me to deceive you, and for that I apologize, but I succeeded, did I not? I've brought honor to the Companions, isn't that all that matters?"

"You may have brought victory to the Companions, but victory is not the same thing as honor." Kodlak said gravely.

"I… I don't understand." Was all Aurelia could think to say.

"You wouldn't, would you, mage?" Vilkas sneered.

Aurelia's rage returned "Now listen here, you…"

"Vilkas, Farkas, Aela, let's find Skjor and we can figure out what to do about our newcomer. I suggest the rest of you return to your training." Kodlak said.

"Am I being let go?" Aurelia said slowly.

"We shall see. Come." Kodlak motioned for the others to follow him down to his quarters.

The others took Kodlak's suggestion and returned to the training yard not daring a glance at Aurelia as they left, leaving her alone to wallow in her thoughts. She was so embarrassed she thought she might cry, but she wouldn't allow herself to, as someone could come back in at any second. She was so sure they'd forgive her when they heard of her success, even if the trouble in Markarth had delayed her return. What was she not understanding? She heaved a sigh. Maybe she was a fool to think she could be a Companion. She didn't fit in anywhere else, and the Arcane University only tolerated her because she did good work for them. She didn't know how she had deluded herself into thinking she would fit in here. Even more troubling, she didn't know why she cared. She was always happier being unattached anyway. She figured it had to be her anger at being rejected, what else could it possibly be? Even though her mind had settled on hurt pride, for some reason, she kept thinking about Farkas. Perhaps guilt played a role in it as well.

/

"Alright, let's talk about the problem we've been having with the newcomer." Kodlak said once everyone was gathered at the table by his room.

"I don't see a problem, she can get things done. I think it's about time we had someone as efficient as she is." Aela said.

"She's reckless, she's going to get herself killed." Skjor said.

"If she can wipe out a Forsworn band by herself, I imagine it would take a lot to get her killed." Aela said.

"I don't think anyone is doubting her ability to get things done, it is her honor that we are questioning today. And the fact of the matter is, she deceived us." Kodlak said.

"With all due respect, sir, what did you expect when you let a mage join our ranks?" Vilkas said.

Kodlak pressed his lips into a straight line as he thought. He did not want to give up on Aurelia for reasons that went beyond his desire for her help. The look on her face when he confronted her moments ago was not one of defiance, but confusion. "There is not a man, mer or beast living or dead who can claim a faultless life. Perhaps she is not dishonorable, but rather she is accustomed to a different lifestyle than is expected of the Companions. Perhaps it is time for her trial."

"I think you may be right. But who should be her shield-sibling?" Skjor said.

"Farkas? Would you be willing to watch her?" Kodlak noticed that Farkas had been silent the entire time, although this wasn't atypical of him. But he was the only one, besides himself, who hadn't seemed to have already made up their mind about her. He knew that his loyalty to the Companions was unwavering, and right now, his judgement was the only one he would trust.

"I would be." Farkas said.

"Then it's settled. But what should we do for her trial?" Kodlak said.

Skjor began "Actually, I may have the perfect thing. A scholar came to us recently, it seems he may know where to find a fragment of Wuuthrad…"

/

Farkas was relieved to see that Aurelia had changed into her simple magenta dress when he and Skjor went back out to her. She looked up at them with a neutral expression on her face.

"Your time, it seems, has come." Skjor said.

Aurelia furrowed her brow and pursed her lips in confusion.

"Last week a scholar came to us. He said he knew where to find another fragment of Wuuthrad. He seemed a fool to me, but if he is right, the honor of the Companions demands that we seek it out."

Aurelia's face twisted even more "What does this have to do with me?"

"This is a simple errand, but the time is right for it to be your trial. Carry yourself with honor, and you'll become a true Companion."

"So… you're not kicking me out?"

"Not today, but if you fail your trial, we will."

"So you just need me to go into a tomb and get a fragment of Wuuthrad? Simple enough."

"This trial isn't about proving your capability, it's about proving your honor. That is why you will not be going alone. Farkas will be your shield sibling on this venture, whelp. He'll answer any questions you have. Try not to disappoint again. Or to get him killed." Skjor left, leaving Farkas and Aurelia alone together.

"So when do we head out?" Aurelia said slowly, very aware of the heavy air between them.

"Dawn tomorrow. Don't delay." And with that, Farkas turned his back on her and headed for the stairs.

Aurelia held up a hand and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She didn't know what she was supposed to say or do to make their relationship go back to the way it was. She sighed deeply and decided she'd rather stay at the Bannered Mare tonight.

Author's Note: It took me four chapters to figure out that author's notes are part of the content, and not something that I added later. You'll have to forgive me as I'm still new to this. But anywho, here it is. First of all, thank you to everyone who made it this far. Like I said, I'm new to this. While I've been making up stories in my head for as long as I've been able to form thoughts, writing them down was something I seldom did. That being said, I welcome any constructive criticism anyone has for me. What am I doing right? What am I doing wrong? I'd love to hear it.