Aurelia was positively chipper when she woke up the next morning. And why shouldn't she be? For one, she couldn't remember the last time she slept that well. She had been so exhausted (and intoxicated) that she fell asleep as soon as she collapsed on the bed. Second, she had just secured her employment, and nobody told her not to use magic. And soon she would be on the road again, losing herself Skyrim's beauty, just Fauna and herself. Although her cheeriness turned to nervousness as she walked up the stairs. She hadn't forgotten the way Farkas held her last night, and the thought of it brought a blush to her cheeks. But as soon as she spotted him sitting alone at the table, her apprehension melted away.
"You weren't waiting for me, were you?" Aurelia said with a smile.
"I wanted to make sure I said goodbye before you left today."
Everyone had finished breakfast already, so she sat down to eat what was left.
"Oh come on, you didn't actually think I'd leave… without… saying anything…" her words fizzled out awkwardly as she realized what she was saying.
"It's ok, I've forgiven you for that, now that I know why you did it."
"Actually, I've been thinking about that."
"Oh?"
Aurelia bit her lip "I originally said it was because I wanted to prove to you that I could do it. Which is true, but I think it's more than that. I think, more than anything, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. Helgen was the closest I've ever come to death, and well, it scared me because I thought I had grown weak. The dragon attacked mere seconds before the axe came down on my neck. I've never felt so vulnerable in my life. I always thought that as long as I had my mind, I could get out of any bad situation, and I have gotten myself out of dozens of bad situations. But I didn't get myself out of this one, dumb luck did. I guess I needed to prove to myself that I was still strong and smart, that I could still save myself. Because I certainly didn't feel that way after Helgen. I still don't know."
"You are strong, and you are smart, but that doesn't mean you're invincible, nobody is. That's why we have shield-siblings. We are all strong on our own, but together, we're even stronger. Which is why I'm really happy that you joined, because now the Companions are even stronger."
She looked at him and a warm smile crept into her lips "I don't understand how you can think you're dumb when you say such smart things."
Farkas's cheeks heated up as they always did when she complimented him.
"Ah, hello Aurelia, glad I get the chance to say goodbye before you go."
They both turned to see Kodlak making his way over to the table from the head of the stairs.
"Hi, Kodlak. Did you sleep in, too?" Aurelia said.
"Sleep often eludes me, so when I grab hold of it, I keep it for as long as I can."
"You don't have to tell me, that's why I slept in too." She finished the piece of bread she was eating and got up "but I should be on my way soon."
"Are you going alone?" Kodlak said.
"Yeah, the roads aren't that dangerous, are they? Besides, who would I bring?"
"Don't you have a housecarl?" Farkas said.
"Oh yeah, Lydia. I should probably stop by Dragonsreach before I go and let her know I'm not dead."
They both chuckled at her as she picked up her bag and headed for the door.
"Well, I should get going before it gets too late, I'll come back as soon as I can."
Farkas got up and hugged her "I'm going to miss you. Actually, do you think you could write to me?"
Kodlak raised an eyebrow curiously at this, as he had never known Farkas to write or request letters from others.
"I suppose, but why?"
"I just want to know that you made it there safely, also I thought it'd be nice to hear from you."
Her lips twitched in a smile "I suppose I can manage that. Ok, well, I'm off then."
She gave his hand a squeeze before walking out the door. Farkas sat back down at the table.
"Do you think I made the right decision? Letting her join?" Farkas said.
"I trusted your judgement last night, why shouldn't I trust it now?"
"Vilkas isn't happy."
"You understand her better than Vilkas, better than anyone else here. I still trust your judgement."
"I just think I may have let her join for the wrong reasons."
"What makes you say that?"
"When I first met her, I thought she was a lonely woman, turns out I was right. I wanted her to join because I wanted her to have a home she could come back to. I wanted the Companions to be that home for her. I wanted her to join for her sake, not ours. But of course, I do still think she's strong and honorable."
"You are a kind boy, Farkas, and I do not believe that is a wrong reason at all. If we accepted members asking only what they can bring to us and not what we can bring to them, we wouldn't be much of a family now would we? And we certainly wouldn't have accepted two toddlers all those years ago." Kodlak said with a knowing smile. "But I suspect you know this already, what Vilkas thinks troubles you."
Farkas nodded.
"I understand why this would trouble you, the two of you have hardly disagreed on anything your entire lives. But it is ok to have disagreements, just like it's okay for you to form your own opinion on things."
"That's what Aurelia says too."
"She's a smart girl, and I know that the love between you and Vilkas is stronger than any disagreement you may have."
"Thanks, Kodlak."
/
"Hello, my thane. I was worried about you." Lydia said.
Lydia was sitting at one of the long tables in front of the hearth in Dragonsreach.
"Oh, hi, Lydia. Sorry about that. I was, um, stuck in Markarth due to unforeseen circumstances beyond my control. Anyway, I was just checking in on you."
"A package came for you while you were gone from a Curtis and Marcella Ventus. Your parents I presume?"
"Ah, yes, thank you."
Lydia handed her a package. She opened it to find some books, a letter, and a generous sum of gold.
Dear Aurelia,
So you have the soul of a dragon. Suddenly, so much about you makes sense. Regardless of whether or not you think this makes you suited to dragon slaying, do be careful.
Thank you for the ancient Nordic weapons. Alfonso Fanucci really liked them and paid us a nice some of gold for them. So here is 3,000 septims and every book we could find regarding draugr. Hopefully, this should help you buy that house.
I hope you and your brother are staying safe.
Love, Mother and Father
"Ha! I just got 3,000 septims, you know what that means, Lydia? I can buy Breezehome! And of course, you can stay there too."
"That's great, my thane."
"Hey, listen, do you think you could just call me Aurelia?"
"If that's what you want, Aurelia."
"Great thanks. So I think I'm going to buy Breezehome, and then be on my way to High Hrothgar."
"Would you like me to accompany you?"
"Um, I don't know, do you want to come?"
"I want to do whatever you wish."
Aurelia huffed a sigh. She was looking forward to being on the road alone again. But at the same time she did want to see what Lydia could do in battle. Then again, there probably wouldn't be much opportunity for that on this trip.
"Sorry, I've never had a housecarl before, I don't know how this works. Listen, I'm going to go to High Hrothgar myself, and then when I return, why don't we do something together? I'm pretty sure that bounty for a nearby bandit chief is still up. And that Amren fellow was looking for someone to find his family sword in a den of bandits. It'll fun, just you and me slaying bandits."
Lydia quirked her lips into an amused smile. "As you wish."
/
The trip to Ivarstead had been mostly uneventful. This gave her nothing to do but enjoy the Rift's colorful foliage and think. She had never made a friend before, not really. But she could think of no other word for what Farkas was to her. It was a strange feeling, looking forward to simply being with someone again, but she didn't mind it. In fact, she almost liked it. But was it wrong for her to like it? Her family had always said she was like the wind. She knew they were referring to the fact that she was restless and unpredictable, but she had proudly taken the wind as her identity. To her, it meant that she was powerful, free and unattached. But if she had made an attachment, could she still call herself the wind? But the wind was also an agent of change, and if she was the wind, then she should welcome change. But could she change so much that she would no longer be the wind? Could she still be Aurelia if she was no longer the wind? As Farkas would say, it was all so confusing.
She arrived in Ivarstead early in the morning with no conclusions to any of her thoughts. Neither did she have any conclusions after she spent the day doing farm work in Ivarstead for some gold. Then again, it's not like she had any time to think. The farmers' daughter Fastred wouldn't stop asking for stories about her adventures across Tamriel. Although Aurelia was happy to oblige, as she liked telling her stories and it helped to pass the time. At the end of the day, her muscles were aching but she had a hot bath, a hot meal and a cold ale to look forward to at the inn.
As she sat at the table waiting for her meal to arrive, she took out some parchment, a quill and ink and started writing a letter to Farkas.
"Who are you writing to?"
Aurelia jumped at the voice in her ear. "Fastred! Shouldn't you be at home?"
"Why? It's not that late. So are you writing to a lover?"
"No, he's just a friend."
"That's what they always say, so Farkas is his name?"
"You know, it is rude to read someone else's letters." Aurelia said as she shielded the letter with her arms.
Fastred, completely ignoring her and taking a seat next to her, said "Farkas, I swear that name sounds vaguely familiar. Oh! He's a Companion! He's come through here before on jobs. Huge Nord? Doesn't talk much?"
"That would be him."
"Oh, he's handsome! And there's just something about the strong, silent types… You have good taste! You, know, I never figured him for the letter-writing type."
Aurelia rolled her eyes "For the last time, he's just a friend."
"Right, right, so have you ever been in love then?" her airy voice suddenly turning serious.
"I thought I was once, and then I realized it was just hormones." She said nonchalantly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry."
Aurelia shrugged "That was a long time ago, I'm over it. In fact, I'm better off."
"Oh, so you're not very experienced in love, I was actually hoping you could help me with something. I've been praying to Mara and I was hoping she'd send someone."
"Yeah, I definitely haven't been sent by Mara, but I can try to help."
"Well, you see, I'm in love with Bassianus. And he wants to take me away to Riften, and I want to go with him, but my parents would try to stop us."
"So? You're eighteen aren't you?"
"It's not that simple. And then there's Klimmek."
"What about him?"
"Well, if I settle on Bassianus, I'll have to give up my love for Klimmek."
Aurelia coughed "Klimmek? Isn't he at least twice your age?"
"I don't think he's that old! But he's wonderful. But then again, so is Bassianus. Oh, I just don't know what to do!"
"It seems like no matter who you go far, you'll be settling down. Since I've met you, you've gone on and on about how you want to leave this place and see the world. I'm sure you'd get bored of Riften just like you are of Ivarstead. Besides, I've personally never been to Riften, but Farkas says it's a shithole."
Fastred gasped and grabbed Aurelia's hands "I could come travel with you! Oh, it could be great! Two beautiful, single women wandering Skyrim! Maybe even the rest of Tamriel!"
Aurelia wrenched her hands away "Are you crazy? We've only just met less than twenty-four hours ago!"
"So? I felt a soul-deep connection with you the minute you came up to us and said 'hey, need some help around the farm?' It was almost like you were a long lost sister or something! Well, not really, you're too short and dark-skinned to be related to me, but like a soul sister!"
"Oh for Shor's sake, do you even know how to fight?"
"Well, sometimes foxes come after the chickens, and I throw rocks at them."
"That's adorable. But how can I be expected to take you anywhere if you can't fight?"
"I could be your apprentice!"
Aurelia sighed "You know, if you're so willingly leave both of your potential suitors just to follow me, then odds are neither of them are right for you. Ok, look, tell you what. You learn how to fight, and I'll take you on an adventure sometime."
"Do you mean it?"
"If you can learn to fight, I can't stress that enough. What do you want to learn?"
"Gee, I don't know, I never thought about it."
"Ok, do you have any interest in magic?"
"Not really."
"Of course, I should have figured you wouldn't. Alright then, if you're not going to use spells for ranged attacks, then you're going to want to learn archery. Fortunately, I happen to have a spare hunting bow that I keep forgetting to sell." Aurelia reached into her enchanted bag and pulled out the hunting bow and Fastred's eyes bugged out. This was when the innkeeper came by with her meal.
"Hey there, no need to be arming yourself in here now."
"Sorry, Wilhelm. Fastred, just take that with you and I'll give you quick lessons on how to use it before I head up tomorrow. But for now, I am going to enjoy my meal and rest for the rest of the night. You should probably go home soon."
"Ok, I promise to practice every day!"
"But don't neglect your chores either, I don't need your parents blaming me for that."
"I will, thank you so much!" Fastred hugged her before running back home with her new weapon.
Aurelia rolled her eyes but grinned and returned to her meal and letter.
/
Farkas received his letter from Aurelia about a week after she left
Dear Farkas,
I finally made it to Ivarstead. It took a little longer than expected since the wilds were teeming with useful ingredients that were ripe for the picking. And wolves. So many wolves. Well, now the wilds are teeming with dead wolves. I hope I don't upset the balance of the ecosystem, but what am I supposed to do when they insist on being so aggressive?
Anyway, I am now resting at the local inn. I spent the day helping out some local farmers with their fieldwork in exchange for gold. They're a very nice family. They have an eighteen year old daughter named Fastred that actually reminds me a lot of myself at that age. She's naïve, but eager to explore the world. Her relationship with her parents isn't terrible, but it's not exactly good either. She even begged me to take her adventuring with me. Maybe I will someday.
How are things at Jorrvaskr? Gotten any good jobs lately?
So I'll be climbing the 7,000 steps tomorrow morning. I'm really hoping I get there before dark. Not sure I can handle a night on a freezing mountain. I must admit, I'm a little nervous to go see the Greybeards. I'm sure they were expecting me sooner.
Hope to see you again soon.
Your friend,
Aurelia
Farkas was smiled affectionately at the letter. He had just starting penning his own when he heard Vilkas's voice.
"Since when do you write letters, Farkas?"
"Um, I'm just…"
"You're writing to her, aren't you?" he said disdainfully.
"Aurelia? Yeah, so?"
"Farkas, I need to ask you a serious question. Why did you want her to join?"
Farkas hesitated. He wondered if he should tell Vilkas what he told Kodlak. Would Vilkas understand, or would he just laugh at him? He must have spent too much time thinking because Vilkas spoke again, his words cautious.
"Is it because you want to bed her?"
"What? No! I don't want to… Ok, well maybe a little. But I wouldn't! It would be too weird, with a shield-sister."
"I just don't want to see you get hurt Farkas, I don't want to see any of us get hurt."
"And no one will, not because of her. I trust her, Vilkas, I know you don't trust her, but can't you trust me?"
Vilkas was silent, and this silence hurt Farkas more than he was willing to let on.
"I just want her to be happy." Farkas finally said.
"And what about the rest of us?"
"The rest of us are happy that she's here. You and Njada are the only one that seems to have a problem with her. Why don't you just give her a chance?" Farkas said, voice rising.
"I did give her a chance, and she betrayed our trust!" Vilkas's voice raised as well.
"No you didn't! And she made a mistake, she apologized for it, and then she made it up by getting us a fragment of Wuuthrad. She even risked her life to save mine. What more do you want from her?"
Vilkas's face contorted in anger and shock but no words came out. Farkas had never spoken to him like this before.
"Leave me. Please."
Vilkas didn't want to leave with the tension still so thick in the air, but he couldn't think of anything to say, so he complied with his brother's wishes.
Farkas sank his forehead into his palms. He did not know how to deal with this.
/
Aurelia practically skipped back down the 7,000 steps. She couldn't wait to tell Farkas all about it. Fastred would probably want to hear about it too. She was still trying to decide whether or not to write him about it or tell him everything in person when two cultists in strange masks approached her.
"You there! You're the one they call Dragonborn?"
"Um, yes?"
"Your lies fall on deaf ears, deceiver. The true Dragonborn comes. You are but his shadow. When Lord Miraak appears all shall bear witness. None shall stand to oppose him!"
"What are you…"
But the cultist blasted her with a flame spell that Aurelia quickly countered with a frost spell. Fortunately, this caught the attention of the guards and they descended on the cultists brandishing swords. One of the cultists fell quickly to the guards, but the other kept his focus on her and continued blasting her with flames. The robes the cultist was wearing were thick and the mask protected his head very well. She tried to think of the best way to attack him, but it was very difficult to think when she was getting badly singed with the attacks. That's when an arrow landed in his neck. Aurelia plunged her Skyforge sword into his gut to finish him off. She cast a healing spell on herself and turned to see who fired the arrow.
"Fastred?" Aurelia said incredulously.
"Hey, I just saved your life! Does that mean I can go with you now?"
"You've only been at the bow for a few days, in all honesty that was probably just a lucky shot, grateful as I am for it. Are you sure you're ready to take on the world?"
"S-sure!"
Aurelia smirked "Alright then, let's start with a little adventure here. You know, Wilhelm told me that that old barrow over there is haunted. I kind of want to check it out, will you join me?"
"Are you kidding? That place is evil!"
"Well, then I don't think you're ready to travel with me."
Fastred scowled indignantly. She didn't want to admit it, but she was probably right.
Aurelia bent down to search the cultist that was dead at her feet. She found a note and read it. She shoved it angrily in her bag. Great.