Authors Note;
Grenith isn't my character...sort of. He is based off my friend(I mentioned Meremaid). It's not his character from the game like Shingetsu is. I created this one to look and act similar to would sooo act like this.I was mad at him one day, I was going to burn him, but he got off with just breaking a few ribs and getting shot. Titania is another one of my friends. Also, took the name Titania from A Midsummer Nights Dream.
Hope you enjoy!


Chapter 7

The new Companions

It must be raining. Everything was blurred out. But I was inside. A woman was holding me close to her chest. It felt like my world was shaking.
Flashes of blood filled my vision. A small body, covered in red. The woman was humming some soft, sad tune. Yet it was ever so calming. As if it made everything in the world go numb. Made me realize that the rain was coming from myself.
I closed my eyes. The woman's warm embrace. Her warm song, mesmerizing. The flashes making more sense as her song went. Everything entwined together.
Even as the scene shifted, I could still hear her. Still feel her embrace. Even as I faced the mirror. With the knife in my hand, dripping its share of blood. A single red drop falling down my neck.
As eyes closed again, her song reached its peek. Sounding as if a story was happening in her unsounded words. The small body, soaked in red, locked into my vision. As if I was standing there, unblinking, unmoving.
Then, the tune slowed its way down. I could feel myself falling out of it all. Until its very last, softening note, when I opened my eyes.
I stared out at the wall beside me. My mind couldn't tell if this was still dreams, or reality. I could feel a tear roll slowly down my face.
It was that dream again. Come to haunt me, again. It has been several months since the last time. But I hope to not have to see it at all.
I didn't want to move. I felt that if I did, my whole world would shatter. As if I would cease to exist. My body was to heavy, I could only move my eyes, yet even that felt like too much.
I heard the door gently creak open. My eyes shifting, only to see a blurry image of Julianos. Luckily my face was mostly covered.
"Hey," I heard him say gently. "I heard some strange nosies from here. Dare I say, sounding like sobs." He muttered the last part. I didn't respond.
"Are you alright? You can tell me if you're not. I mean, you don't have to, but you can. If you had a bad dream or something."
He sighed when I didn't answer, "It's only 5. I'll let you get some more sleep."
He stayed for a minute just in case I would say anything. When I didn't, he shut the door gingerly.
I curled into my blankets more. I hated this. I was supposed to be strong, always. I should be out riding the world of dragons. And here I was, lying in bed, cowering over a dream.
I wanted to sleep, my mind and body pulled me into it. But I was scared. Scared I might have to live through that all over again.
My mind and body won this battle.

000

I finally awoke. No nightmare this go round. I pulled my armor on, making my way downstairs.
Julianos made his way down. Looking more tired than I was. We both nodded, making our way out.
Both silently agreeing to never speak of last night.

000

Farkas toke Julianos to train him. I stuck around the mead hall with Vilkas. I would be of little help to his training. And Vilkas, could understand me perfectly.
"I hate how people do things like that." He spoke with a bit more anger than I did, even though it was about my problem. "They take all the honor, all the respect that you earned. Just automatically taking it for themselves."
"Exactly!" I loved talking with Vilkas, he always saw everything like I did. "All I'm trying to do is go buy supplies after my vacation. But then the guards tell me I'm needed. And now I'm going to be on this journey for months."
I was only saying this because he was outside. Talking about this helped keep my mind off my dream from last night.
Someone came behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. I turned, finding a tall, blonde High Elf with gray blue eyes.
"Grenith!" I jumped up and hugged him. This guy, next to Shingetsu, was one of my closest friends. I let go, "I see you joined finally. I've been trying to get you to for months. But who listens to me, right?"
He snorted, "Yeah, I'd be in 14 separate ditches right now if I did. But, I guess you were right on this one. I think I may actually enjoy this." I punched his arm, "Told ya.
"Now, sit down, we need to talk." He rolled his eyes, "Oh Gods." sitting down beside me.
"Alright, I'll give you the shortened version. There's a new Dragonborn around. I am in charge of him. Now, why I tell you is, your rather intelligent. I've been trying for the past few days to teach him about the Gods." He gave me a confused look. "Why? His this part of some fancy curriculum that us non-Dragonborn's don't know about?"
I thought for a moment, "Actually, yes, I guess it kind of is. Anyway, I just want him to learn it because a Dragonborn needs to be properly educated."
"And non-Dragonborn's don't?" Now I could tell he was just joking. "Only you. Anyway, it's just what you expect a Dragonborn to be. It is important to know the Nine and the Deadric Princes. Know its influence all around us. It's just the proper way."
Grenith pointed at me, "You've been reading those ancient books on the old Dragonborn's, haven't you?" I look around, "Maybe." Sounding suspicious.
"Well, I need to borrow some of your books. You know, those dead tree things on the shelf that you never even glance at." He slowly nodded, "They sound familiar. I'll see if they're behind my cheese wheels."
I laughed violently. I didn't know why. I always seemed to. He just seemed to be very humorous. He could be serious, but only when needed to be.
Another woman walked up. She was Redguard, with simple features and brown eyes. "Oh, Dragonborn," Vilkas started, "I forgot to tell you. We have another new companian. This is Titania. She joined about a week ago." She gave me a small wave. Apparently one of the shy-at-first type.
"Well, have you two been your first big hunt yet?" they both shook their heads. I smiled and clapped, "Excellent, we should go once Farkas is done with Julianos." I snapped my head over to Grenith, "No." Already knowing what he was thinking. He let out a small chuckle. I'm sure you can catch the drift.

000

"So, were we heading off to oh wise one?" I asked Vilkas, who tagged along and was leading us to where we would hunt.
"A giant camp." I could a small look of fear grow on Titania's face. "Are you sure about that Vil?" I questioned. "All three of these guys are relatively new to this.
"Positive, remember when you first discovered us? We were fighting a giant, and you helped us kill it. You were relatively new to it to. And you were just fine." Alright, sometimes he made sense. Other times, he was just an ass.
The camp wasn't to far anyway. As we got closer, I noticed that there was only 1 giant and a mammoth. "Well, best to just go head on." I moved to the front of the group.
"I'm not so sure about this." Titania said as we got within there sight. It was about to charge.
Grenith joined me at the front, "Oh come on. I'm sure you can lift."
Vilkas gave me an odd look. I shrugged, "No one knows."
As the giant started to charge, we all pulled out our weapons. Me and Julianos our crossbows. Grenith and Vilkas similar Battleaxes, Grells Elven, Vilkas Ancient Nordic. Titania two Dwarven short swords.
Me and Julianos made the first shots, safe at our distance. Grell charged in. Making a single swing, hitting the Giants leg. Making the Giant swing its club. Knocking Grenith in the torso, making him fly several feet away. Going unconscious. At that moment, Julianos also missed, hitting Grenith in the knee. "Sorry!" he yelled over. Well, he wouldn't adventure for a while.
Vilkas made over to the giant. Just as he made a shot at its leg as well, I got a bolt in its neck. Causing him to fall to the ground. Only making attempts with it's club.
"Come on Titania! At least make an effort!" I yelled at her. She was standing there, most likely in fear of it all. She snapped out of it. Running in as well.
Vilkas and Titania finished him off. Me and Julianos were only minor backup. It toke me a minute to notice that the mammoth had ran away. I t looked to only be a child. At least it would get home safely.
Titania got the final move. Slicing the giants throat wide open. It flailed a bit more, then finally stopped.
"Okay, I'll loot the body. Vilkas, Julianos, please get Grenith."

000

Grenith had broken a few ribs, an injured knee, and was bruised all over. But for the most part, he'd be okay.
The four of us decided to celebrate their first hunt once Grenith awoke. I had to half-carry him.
"I'm telling you, if it wasn't for me, the giant could've killed us." Titania ended up being a very cocky person. We all decided to avoid her.
I started to pick up another mead, my third. Grenith gave me an odd look. "You sure you wanna do that? No offense, but you get a bit loop-de-loo when your drunk."
Julianos looked up quickly, "You've seen it to?"
I slammed the bottle down on the table, "What the hell happened!?" I practically screamed at him. I new it, he was hiding something from me. I was going to find out.
"I bet I've seen worse." Grenith leaned in and pointed at me. "I've seen this chick drunk more times in the months that I've known her than I you can count. I've seen how crazy she can get. This one time, she-"
I nearly slapped him, "You said you'd never speak of it!"
"Relax, now, this one time, we were Markarth. And we finally left the Silver-Blood Inn around 3 in the morning. So drunk, she couldn't lift a single septim off a dead man." His words were barely comprehensible past his laughter. "And she's goin round, wondering 'Where are all the damn Dwemer! I need to get revenge for my Elvian Bretheren!'
"So we are searching the town for hours. Asking every guard we saw. Around 5, she gets into this brawl with this traveler. Thinking he's a Dwemer. So, in the end, She's arrested. I bail her out once the two of us sober up.
"The funniest part, it takes her weeks to remember what happens when she's drunk."
I slapped the back of his head with enough force, that his head banged into the table. "I said never speak of it."
The next few minutes were a blur as the alcohol really started to kick in. It was no time before Julianos was cutting me off after my sixth.
"Stop. You are drunk." Grell helped Julianos. "You need to go home."

111

Me and Grenith practically had to carry her home. Each of us wrapping one arm around our neck.
"Not the first time I've done this. Not the last." Grell said. Prisoner letting out a giggle every now and again. I found out by now that's just what everyone was accustomed to calling her. Especially now that I was also Dragonborn.
I nodded. "Same here."
Once we made our way back, Grenith and I took her upstairs and to her room. She naturally went on her own from there. We closed the door and made our way back downstairs.
"So, now what?" I asked him. He sat in the left chair in front of the firepit. "Well, I usually just chill here until morning. Take her food and such. This happens every so often." I sat down next to him.
"She always get like this?" He shrugged. "Sometimes. Most of the time she gets all weird and seductive. Doesn't really work, on anyone, ever. But it's fun to watch. Woman couldn't hold her liquor to save her life."
I sighed. "Yeah, I've seen it before." Grenith gave a small chuckle. "How'd that go? Interesting, wasn't it? Who'd she do it on, an innocent by-stander, or a bard this time?"
"Me, she did it on me."
"Oh. Shit. Gotta say, that's never happened." He stared even more deeply into the fire. "I just don't think that she knows, if she wasn't so intimidating, it might actually work on someone. I think when she's drunk is the only time she actually opens up, about well, anything. And even then, she's got a tough shell to crack.
"Well, anyway. She may seem one way. But I'm sure in her mind she works differently. She may seem like she's all tough. But I know somewhere, she hates all the responsibility. Just because she acts one way drunk, don't fall for it when she's not. She may kill you."
I blinked a few times, "You know only half of that made sense, right?" He nodded, "Yep. I just think I'll sleep this off. Don't plan on leaving tomorrow. We will both have hangovers and need you sssooooo badly."