Reljir and Farkas entered Dustmans Cairn setting off a chain of events which ended in the fight of their lives. They proceeded with caution once they noticed someone had excavated recently. Although the place was crawling with undead draugr, the first rooms had been relatively easy to get through. The second chamber caused the hairs on Reljirs neck to stand up. He could smell magic and malevolence in the air. A gate blocked the only exit.
Farkas found a niche with a lever, obviously some type of trap. He attempted to prop the gate open using a nearby wooden chest. However, it still crashed down splintering the wood trapping Reljir inside. He could only stand and watch Farkas being confronted, by a group bent on ambushing him. Fortunately, his shield-brother transformed into his wolf form and wiped out the adversaries. After freeing Reljir, Farkas explained that the circle consisted of werewolves, who kept their wolf blood secret from the other companions. For Reljir, the incident confirmed what he already suspected. He would later learn the attackers belonged to a band of werewolf hunters known as the Silver Hand.
The two companions continued to explore. They fought their way through draugr and members of the Silver Hand one room at a time. Deeper into the crypt the undead were tougher to fight. Some even carried ebony weapons and cried out forceful burst of energy. It all came to a head once they reached the last chamber. It was different then all the rest. Inaccessible Sarcophagi were all around the room. A narrow walkway led to a pedestal holding the fragments of Wuuthrad. Reljir saw a curved wall with unknown runes smelling of potent magic. He walked ahead and secured the fragments . All hell broke loose. Sarcophagi began to open and out came the draugr,
Swarmed with many enemies at once, Farkas and Reljir fought back to back. Even so, they were almost overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Patience, skill and brute force won the day. Just when Reljir thought it was over he felt compelled to approach the carved wall. A low chanting emerged from the stone and the runes started to glow. The chanting grew louder seeming to etch itself on his memory. He felt dizzy and the next thing he knew Farkas was pressing a water skin to his mouth. He felt disoriented and realized he was leaning against the wall. He struggled to sit up, taking in the carnage all around him. "What happened?" Farkas wanted to know. Reljir didn't have an answer for him. He didn't understand it himself. He described what he experienced. The two of them were eager to leave. They found a passage leading outside. It was time to go home.
Two days later the shield-brothers returned to Jorrvaskr. Before Reljir could wash off the dirt from the road, Vilkas asked him to join the others. Kodlak and the circle members were standing in the training yard. The rest of the companions gathered on the porch. The twins went to stand with the circle. Reljir started towards the porch. But Koldak asked him to come stand with the circle. The ceremony that followed was brief but meaningful. Farkas paid tribute to the honor of his shield-brother, swearing eternal loyalty. There were cheers all around as the companions welcomed their newest member.
Each companion stopped to greet him personally. Even Skjor was on his best behavior offering congratulations. The others drifted into the mead hall leaving him alone with Kodlak. "Well you're one of us now, I trust you won't disappoint" said Kodlak. He went on to tell Reljir , he would have the honor of hanging the fragments of Wuuthrad in their rightful place. Reljir was deeply touched by the gesture. Then preparations for the celebration began. Everyone chipped in to help even Kodlak. Reljir watched the amount of mead being consumed and doubted anyone would be sober when the party actually started.
He was helping Ria polish some tankards, when Kodlak said he had done enough. He was grateful taking time for a bath, and some much-needed rest. The party was just starting when he made it back upstairs. Some of the locals had joined, and were milling around mingling. Eorlund was playing a flute accompanied by his wife on the lute and Athis on drums. Reljir spotted Farkas sitting with a nord woman on his lap. They obviously had eyes only for each other. She was pretty with dark hair and beautiful brown eyes.
Reljir was looking for Aela, when she emerged from the living quarters with Skjor and Kodlak. The two men were wearing polished wolf armor. Aela surprised him. She wore a low-cut green dress laced in the front, with a skirt that fell in folds to the floor. Carrying the fragments of Wuuthrad, she radiated pride. Her modest dress teased his imagination more than her revealing armor ever had. It hinted at secrets which he felt tempted to discover.
Kodlak cleared his throat. Reljir realized he was staring at her. He quickly reached for the fragments. Her fingers brushed his and lingered as she handed them over. She met his eyes and flashed a subtle smile. She was flirting without saying a word. Somehow it felt more intimate than speech. She leaned towards him and he turned his face catching her kiss on his cheek. Their first real kiss would not be rushed in a room full of people. She stepped back to stand with the others and watch him hang the fragments of Wuuthrad. It was a solemn moment.
The companions had a gift for Reljir. Torvar proudly presented him with six bottles of Blackbriar Mead. Skjor announced that by tradition the newest companion had to finish all six, by the end of the party. All of the male companions had a hearty laugh at that. Apparently they had noted he was not much of a drinker. Still he was a good sport and saluted the crowd before starting the first bottle. Two hours later the party was well underway. The companions had outdone themselves. A lavish meal followed by lively dancing and mead had lifted everyone's spirits.
The mead hall was filled with folks dancing and stomping to the music. Reljir was avoiding Njada. During the meal she kept making excuses to brush her chest against him. He tried to convince himself it was accidental. But, as the meal ended she grabbed his arm and asked him to dance. He reluctantly went along with it. There was no need to be rude. Meanwhile, Aela sitting across from them watched all of this with a guarded expression.
Reljir sought Aela out for the second dance but she saw him coming and quickly led Skjor out to dance. Reljir noticed the amount of attention Aela was giving the other men at the party. She choose a different partner for each dance. He had every confidence she would eventually dance with him. But then he noticed she was dancing a second time with Skjor. Unwilling to acknowledge his jealously, he asked Njada to dance. His woman was ignoring, him but this one was more than willing. She wrapped her arms around his neck standing closer than necessary.
He was about to step back when he saw Aela watching. He stopped resisting and allowed Njada to inch even closer to him. As the dance ended, Farkas walked over and introduced the dark-haired nord woman as Lydia. Reljir learned she was oldest daughter of Jarl Balgruuf. She was currently training to become a housecarl. She was hopeful that her father would name a new thane soon. The three of them chatted a bit more before Torvar asked Lydia to dance. Farkas wandered over to sit with Vilkas.
Reljir was tipsy, an indulgence he almost never allowed himself. He found himself a seat content to watch the dancing. Njada suddenly climbed into his lap, straddling him. It was no secret that she had taken a shine to him. She had began to follow him around flirting. The mead was giving her courage to make her move. She wiggled around on his lap, running her hands along his chest. "I you and I are special Reljir, the only ones worth loving" she whispered.
He felt his body respond involuntarily. He bolted up almost spilling her on the floor in the process. Acutely aware of all the eyes avidly watching Reljir was at a loss. He knew could have handled this whole situation better. He raised her arm and gently kissed her hand. Across the room he spotted an empty spot on a bench between the twins. Moving as fast as he could without running, he walked over and sat between the brothers.
Having watched the exchange Vilkas laughed, "Why you push her away? You're acting like a virgin!". Reljir blushed and looked down jaw clenched, refusing to meet his eyes. Farkus not drunk enough to miss the implications exchanged looks with his twin. Both men looked at Reljir as if to say "You have got to be kidding me!". Reljir wished he had just kept his mouth shut and let the girl tease him. He could imagine the ribbing he was in for from the brothers.
There was no way to explain without revealing too much. There were good reasons sex was discouraged unless mated. Shadiing males had the potential to pass Hircines gifts to their offspring. There had been stories of unsuspecting women giving birth to werebears. These cases often ended tragically . If the young bear survived they tended to turn feral causing all sorts of problems.
The Shadiing elder council had imposed the ban on casual sex after a particularly bloody period. Feral werebears had began attacking people and had to be haunted down. Farkus leaned over to say "I could call her back! She might be intrigued to ride you first". Vilkas looked over and said slyly "Or if you like men, I know a couple. How about Elrindir over at the Huntsman?" Reljir rolled his eyes and stared at his tanker "Think you could convince Aela to do it?". He was halfway serious.
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