Ana woke to the sound of laughter downstairs. She stretched and hopped out of bed. Her body felt even sorer than ever, but at least she was well rested. She changed back into her heavy armor and groaned as the weight of it sat on her shoulders heavily. She promised to herself she'd buy—or make—some new armor for herself that was lighter but still had protection.

Ana made her way downstairs, seeing a few people here and there. She walked over to the bar and asked if there was a shop for ailments.

"Hm? You sick?" the woman asked.

"Oh, no. I have a nasty cut on my arm right here," she said pointing to her arm, "And the scar on my face is healing, but not as well as I'd hoped."

The woman examined her face and noticed the attempted stitches on her face. She recoiled when looking at Ana's arm. It was bloodied through the cloth and specks of greenish-yellow stuck to the cloth.

"Go see Arcadia in her shop. It's just to the left when you walk out. She's got some potions for your wounds," she said. Ana quickly headed out without another word. She turned to her left to the shop called:

Arcadia's Cauldron

Ana walked in noticing shelves filled to the brim with potions. A woman with ash-like hair looked up from her work. She smiled and went to the counter.

"I offer remedies for ailments both common and rare. Do let me know if I can be of service," she called out. She looked closely at Ana. "Hmm… could you have Ataxia? It was a problem back in Cyro—"

"No, I don't. I'm from Cyrodiil, and I assure you, I'm all right. Well, except for these," Ana said, pointing to her wounds. Arcadia winced and looked for something under the counter. She pulled out proper bandages, a couple potions, and a dark cream in a jar.

"Bandages, health potions, and a cream to rub on those wounds to heal you right up," Arcadia said.

"How much for all of this?" Ana asked, hoping it wouldn't be too much.

"Hm… two hundred septims," Arcadia said. Ana checked her satchel and counted the rest of her coin. She sighed in relief as she had enough. She handed Arcadia the two hundred she needed and went to grab her things.

"Wait! Let me help you," she said, stopping her. Arcadia pulled off the disgusting cloth and led Ana to the room a few feet away. Arcadia washed her wounds up and poured a bit of the potions on them. Ana's eyes widened as they healed fairly well in a matter of seconds. Arcadia applied the ointment and wrapped the bandages around her arm.

"Keep your bandages on for awhile then repeat the process I did. Whoever stitched up your face caused the cut to heal improperly. It'll scar by now," Arcadia explained.

"That's fine," Ana told her. She felt thankful how kind everyone was, but was skeptical. Besides the random man in the streets, no one had treated her horribly.

"Maybe that Sam guy did by pulling this elaborate stunt on me," she thought, frowning. She remembered the reason she had been travelling throughout Skyrim. She had to find him. Maybe she'd start at Morvunskar? Witchmist Grove didn't sound too nice since her "fiancée" lived there. Ana cringed lightly that she'd let herself get that drunk. She stood up and thanked Arcadia before taking her things and leaving. She fit the ointment and potions into her small satchel, but held onto the bandages. A bag would be nice to have so she could hold all of her things at once. She looked over to her left and read a sign saying:

Belethor's General Goods

Ana walked in and a man with mutton-chopped facial hair grinned at her. He waved her over, spouting some nonsense about buying off her relatives. Ana walked up to the counter.

"Do you sell any knapsacks?" she asked. The man, whom she believed to be Belethor, the owner, left for a second before returning from the back room with a knapsack in his arms. He set it down in the counter.

"Seventy septims," he said. Ana bit her lip as she checked her satchel. It would leave her with ten septims, but it'd be worth it in the long run. She paid for the sack and put her things inside. She exited the shop and decided to head back to the Skyforge. Might as well see how Eorlund was doing. Before she could make it, one of the men Aela was with stopped her.

"Hey, you're that High Elf from yesterday. You know, a few of your kind came by looking for someone who looked like you," he said, stepping into her bubble. Ana gulped and tried to step back before he grabbed ahold of her. "So, what'd you do, eh? Why've you got the Thalmor on your hide?"

Ana opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She cleared her throat and stood up as straight as she could. She needed to be strong. Her weakness was left back in Cyrodiil from now on.

"I was framed by the Thalmor for supposedly committing a crime," she said in her bravest voice.

"And what was that crime?"

"Murder. Although it was obvious suicide," she said bluntly. The man examined her. He chuckled almost humorlessly.

"Kodlak would like you. You act tougher than you are," he said, letting her go, "My opinion? You won't last a day the way you are right now."

He laughed at that as he walked off. Ana furrowed her brows, but knew he was right. She wasn't rich back at home, but was wealthy enough to not do anything. In Skyrim, that would change. She would find that bastard, Sam, and get the staff before training. It dawned on her that there may not even be a staff. Either way, she wanted to give the man a piece of her mind.

"Hey, you're back," Eorlund said as Ana finally made up to the top. "Been working on this beautiful blade for you all night. Just now got back to sharpen it."

Ana looked at the blade. It was gorgeous. The metal was dark and the edges were jagged, causing the sword to give off a menacing feeling. She grinned at the blade. Eorlund smiled after seeing this.

"Glad you like it. Just give me a couple minutes and it'll be sharper than a Hagraven's claws," he said. Confused by what a Hagraven was, Ana made a point to never meet one if their claws were that sharp. Once he was finished, he handed Ana her new blade. Ana admired it, amazed by the fine work done.

"Wow. This… This is amazing," she said breathlessly. Eorlund nodded and handed her its sheath. It was black with an odd medallion on the front. A silver line going around the sides met it in the middle. The medallion itself was silver as well, but had the symbol of an eagle etched into it. It reminded her of the Altmer symbol back at home. She slid the sword back into its sheath and put it on her belt.

"Best weapon I could make. Just for you. Where you heading after this?" Eorlund asked.

"I might stay awhile. To train and rest," Ana answered, "Then, I'm heading to Morvunskar."

"What? Why there? That place is full of mages if I remember correctly," he told her.

"I'm looking for someone there. And thanks for the tip. I'll prepare myself for any spells they throw at me," Ana said.

"Learn how to sneak. That'll help greatly. The way you are now, you'll make the loudest noises you can," Eorlund told her.

"Good point," Ana thanked, "Well, know where I can prepare myself for battle?"

"No place other than Jorrvaskr right there. The Companions will help you. Just say I sent you to Kodlak Whitemane. They have no leader they say, but I believe they all look up to that man more than anything," Eorlund explained.

"Will do. And, again… thank you, Eorlund," Ana said with a smile. Eorlund smiled back and gave her a single nod. Ana turned on her heel and walked down towards Jorrvaskr. She entered the building and was greeted by Aela.

"Back again? What for?" she asked.

"Eorlund sent me down here. I'd like to train before I head out of Whiterun," Ana explained, "I have to go to Morvunskar. He told me to talk to a Kodlak Whitemane?"

"Kodlak's downstairs. I'll take you to him," a man next Aela said, "I'm Farkas, by the way. My brother Vilkas is right over there."

He pointed across the room to the same guy who had stopped Ana earlier. Ana nodded and followed Farkas downstairs to a more homey area for those who stayed at Jorrvaskr. Farkas led her down the hall to the last room ahead of them. An old man sat at a table at the end, his snow-white hair almost shining in the light.

"Kodlak. Someone's here to speak with you," Farkas said. Kodlak looked over and examined her. He waved her over and gestured for her to sit next to him. Ana did as she was asked.

"What's your name?" he asked, his voice low and gravelly.

"My name is Ana," Ana answered. She hoped he would help her train- or at least allow her to stay for a while to train. Kodlak stared at her for a few moments before standing up.

"Why do you want to train?" he asked.

"I wish to be prepared for anything here in Skyrim," she explained, "I want to be aware of the dangers and protect myself."

"Who sent you here?"

"Eorlund. He told me you were a very respectable man," Ana answered. Kodlak nodded, thinking something over. He took her hand and shook it.

"Show your comrades respect and no killing. You may stay here as long as you need," he said, "Now, I think it's about time I visit my friend up at the Skyforge."

As he walked off, Farkas gave her a hard pat on the back, knocking her forward a bit. He grinned at her.

"Welcome to the family. I'll see you outside when you're ready," he said, heading back upstairs. Ana felt joy surge through her. She was led to the barracks and where she would sleep by some of the newer Companions. Ana set her pack under her bed and made sure everything was situated for her stay. She headed upstairs quickly to begin her training.

.

Ana hated training. Her body was sore everywhere- including in places she never knew could be sore. She groaned as she got up once more. Vilkas laughed loudly as she wiped blood off her nose. Ana glared at him lightly before getting into battle stance again.

"Now, now. Let's take a break. You'll hurt yourself if you keep it up," he said, sheathing his blade. Ana reluctantly sheathed hers.

"How in Oblivion did you get this strong?" she asked, rolling her shoulder a bit.

"Lots and lots of training," Vilkas answered, "It'll take some time before you can beat me. After that, try to beat Aela."

"Can you beat Aela?" Ana asked, laughing.

"Shh, shh. We aren't talking about me," Vilkas joked. The two laughed as they went back into Jorrvaskr. She had grown to love Skyrim and the Companions. She highly respected everyone there. Her only fear was the Thalmor, but with every passing day, she would overcome it as she grew stronger. Just a few more weeks, maybe months. Either way, she'd overcome everything and she would help take down such a tyrannical dominion.

But, first, she had to find Sam in Morvunskar.