Gods, sure as Hell I took my sweet time, didn't I?
That little, shitty written chap was lying around for MONTHS now, but did I take TWO hours I needed to get it more or less ready to be released? Sure as Hell I didn't! Sorry, people, I'm probably mad at myself more than you, since I actually care.

With having as much time, you'd think that the writing quality should be good? No way, not with me. It's even worse than usual, and the chapter is stiff. Really, I'm wondering why I actually written that.
And Google Translator is being a b***tch. I don't really understand meaning of the words I write, half of the time.
And don't even get started with the grammar. This one can suffer with some Slav grammar issuses.

So, I'll be really, really, really grateful towards everyone who points out both typos and grammar mistakes to me. I really should find myself a beta-reader.

But don't think I have done *nothing* at all. I have the random notes and minor real-life ideas list longer that this chapter by now, haha.

Allright, after that silly rant, there comes time to adress some comments:

About self-insert being Mary-suish: I know what you mean. It's hard to keep character that is basically yourself from getting Mary-suish in the setting that requires a noob to gain such a powers in a very short time. Well, it's *too* easy to go Mary-sue even when you are just *talking* talking about yourself in real-life. And, to tell the truth, that comment hurt me so much because this is the thing I fear the most (next to a real bad quality writing).
But sure, when I did a Mary-sue test, Elle scored over 150, 50 meaning Mary-Sue. I started to be real worried then. So, if you ever see mary-suism in my fics, cry aloud, by all means, and I'll try to corect that, if it'll be possible, since, while it doesn't bother me much in other people's work, it would be nice to do learn to do something well, wouldn't it?

About "surviving an icical to the face": that is actually possible. Both ice and fire damage are actually survivable in real-life, they just tend to be crippling. And with magic at work, it's not such a big deal, I suppose that would just hurt as hell. And there was that case in Poland, lately, when some general or somesuch *shoot* himself in the head. The bullet went through his cheek, so he ended well and healthy, so I kent this in my mind.
But worry not, being a whinning baby she is, she won't miss a bit of pain in her constant whinning...

About the ancient sword: Nah, I never did. For me it's always been a big, heavy, useless thing, since I use daggers, haha.

"As for how you SI killed that durgar lord, at least you used a reasonable explanation insted of the usual surge of power most si get." - well, but isn't a sudden courage/berserk fit essentially the surge of power you talk about? Now you mention it, I wish I never included it, but I tend to follow too close to the game, with just mentioning that my chara's making things I shouldn't be able to do (and whining about it).

About putting my things on the horse: I probably just forgot to do so. And I'd be scared it'll run away. Or someone steals it. Or it could get eaten. Or somesuch. Probably I just didn't think about it in that moment. Silly me.

About ice sword: Would you be able to use something like this in the real life? This big and heavy? Just asking.
I'd prefer to learn to use lighter weapons first, myself.

About marrying Marcurio: I know about him, even if I haven't used him, since I love running around with Vilkie. But if we're talking about mean remarks... I was said that when you force Ralof to marry you via console commands, he keeps asking you if you always been this ugly, so... xD

Ahh, smell of the Author's-Note-that's-almost-longer-than-a-chapter-itself in the morning!

Bethesda owns everything, anyway. It's a big company, so it's nothing wrong with it's owning a world. Or two.

And thanks to *you*, people. If not you and your (mostly) nice reviews, I'd already drop the thing (and hate myself even more). So know, that even a little comment is highly appreciated, and I go all 'Awww"-ing over it in the weird places.

And the next chapter should take less time to write, since it'll be basically short training and talking with people thingie, but you shouldn't expext before half of June, anyway. Things are going to be real scary at school now.

When I returned from another chat in the Skyforge I was still in great mood, and I crossed the threshold of the Jorrvaskr building with a smile plastered on my face. It proved to be wrong expression, apparently, because I was immediately met with Vilkas' annoyed glare. Oh. That man kinda didn't like me, did he?

I hurried to the living quarters, hoping that Aela will be there. I strived to remember which room belonged to whom. The last one was the Harbinger's chamber, but the others? I sneaked as silently as I possibly could and pressed my ear to the door carefully. Hmm, this one was silent, and there was only snoring in the other. That had to be the brothers' bedrooms. Somehow relieved that Vilkas wasn't around, I passed the main corridor again, and I could be sure I was in the right place at once, judging by the woman's voice coming from behind the closed door. Well, I suppose that it's pretty much my bad luck to always check the right patch at the end.

Not wanting to hear something I wouldn't want to know, I quickly knocked, hoping that I wasn't interrupting anything awkward. I knew that Aela would kill me with a dull knife if it was so. Or even worse, find it amusing.

Luckily that wasn't the matter. Both she and Skjor stood in the middle of the room, but their talk died down when I stepped inside. The older man shoot me another glare. Why every man here seemed to hate me so?

I smiled awkwardly, reaching out to give Aela her shield. For some reason I didn't want to come too close. Maybe I just could feel that they were dangerous. Too dangerous.
Or I just felt uncomfrotable around her. Probably the latter.

To my suprise the woman returned my smile, flashing her teeth in the wide grin.
"Ah, good! I've been waiting for it." she nodded her head in thanks, and raised an eyebrow, intrigued when I continued to stand there. "Are you new here?"

I already opened my lips to answer her, but the still frowning man was faster.

"I told you." he gazed at me angrily "That's the whelp that Vilkas mentioned."

The Huntress smile grew even wider.
"Ha, yes! I heard that you gave him quite a trashing!"

I felt myself blush. That... that couldn't be true, right? Well, he was a warrior, and me...
I knew I had that startled expression on my face, but I just didn't care. The realization that I was just learning, but I was beggining to be a warrior, too, has hit me hard. When did that began? When I first set out for adventure in the Black Fells Barrow, or... no, the dragon-killing wasn't that epic. In the Barrow I already was able to fight, even if barely so, but...
And then the other realization came. The Word. It has changed me a little. I wasn't so afraid to fight anymore. Not to tear somebody's flesh with a knife in combat, anyway. Man, I was really begginig to be a meanie, wasn't I?

"...whelp?"

Sharp voice brought me back from my thoughts. They looked at me expectingly. I missed something again, right?

"She asked you if you thought you could beat Vilkas in a real fight" Skjor repeated, and added with a grimace "But I think not."

"Uh, what?" I was sure I looked dumb now. I did want to tell them 'no I couldn't', but that would be plain awkward. The were Nord warriors, after all, weren't they? Now what was that funny game line...?
"Ah, I am... not interested in... bragging contest."

I was sure I was red as tomato while uttering that obvious lie. You're weak and pitful, girl. Why don't you face it?

Aela's response was actually out of place, while she continued to compliment me, annoying Skjor more and more. Wait, annoying him? Now that was clear. Why does everyone use me as an godsdamned power struggle pawn? In Companions, of all places?

I was still pondering over my oh-so-cruel fate, when the old man decided it a fine time to scream.

"Farkas!" Then looked at me harshly. "I'm sure you are going to get along with that ice-brain."

I just stared at him. Why, oh why couldn't anyone respect my eardrums? First that Dunmer hag and now him.

Farkas was suprisingly... well, I think I'd call this grim-bear-cheerful - leading me to the my new resting place. And awkward, too. I had to hold back a chuckle at his attempts at small talk, but I had to admit it - it was nice to be actually welcomed.

"Nice to have a new face around" he once again tried to start conversation. "It gets boring here sometimes."

I was sure that I was grinning like an idiot at that. Boring? You don't know what you're asking for! But then again, these drunkards could be probably more entertaining than me at any given time, considering what stories I heard at school. I just wondered what they had there instead of phoning their girlfriends using the sink. Nah, I don't think I really wanted to know.

"I hope we keep you" Farkas kept talking. "It's a hard life."

Wha...? Damn, he was right. Never mind being a warrior, I wasn't one anyway, but sleeping in one room with Njada? Or Torvar? Oh gods. I was going to die.
But nice of you, Farkie, talking about me as if I were a puppy or somesuch, anyway.

This was the moment that the stupid corridor decided to end, forcing me to actually look the big man in the face. He wasn't much higher than me, really, but there was... much of him. I was never one for muscles, so he looked plain intimidating to me. I had to remind myself that he wouldn't hurt me, but I trembled nevertheless.

He seemed to ingnore that, and just continued to speak, but I was sure that he tensed even more.

"Here, the quarters are up here" he stated, stainding in the doorframe. "Just pick a bed and fall on it whenever you need." he added, but made no move to let me pass. After a short while, he realized what he was doing, so he moved away, and added awkwardly:

"Looks like the others would like to meet you."

Yeah, sure. They are dying to welcome me, The Miss Unworthy Whelp. Especially Njada.

I wasn't realy willing to step inside, so I just stood there and looked at him... and just let him continue talking. After some more words that I almost knew by heart, he made my status oficially known.

"Good luck. Welcome at the Companions."

I could hear an angry woman's cry from the room in front of me. Thanks, man, she would have killed me if I had to tell her myself.

He was already walking away when he stopped rapidly as if he remembered something.

"By the way, if you're looking for job..." and he gave me details of the "mission", not getting discouraged at all by my lack of verbal response. To tell the truth, all the time he talked, I just smiled and nodded, wishing to have that already behind me. That was a long day, after all, and I really missed the "skip" button.

Until he decided to warn me.

"I don't want to hear about the killing, understand?" he looked at me seriously. "Try not to get carried away."

I stared at him in utter surprise. Man, are we serious or what? I barely kept myself from laughing aloud, fighting to keep my face straight, but Njada wasn't so subtle.

"As if she could!" her sharp voice came from the room.

My thoughts exactly, she-man.

Farkas just shrugged and walked away, giving me one last smile as he saw my grin.

As I was returning from my task, I could barely contain my laughter. A bit histerical one, I hated to admit. It's not like I had a problem with dealing with the barmaid. Quite the opposite, actually, and that was making it almost unbearable at the moment. Well, this and how late the hour was - well after midnight, I was sure, because I could feel it in my aching muscles.
Ah, the irony! Me, pampered youngest daughter, managed to beat up some big bad bandits, the warrior and the true, Nord woman, who was possibly no stranger to barfights. And actually I *was* let into Companions.

I was smirking to myself as I passed the door leading to the hall of Jorrvaskr. It was surely going to be interesting time.

"I figured you had it in you!" Farkas patted my back friendly. Actually, so friendly that I nearly fell down. "Nicely done!"

He smiled to me, a heartfelt smile that lighted up his eyes, and all I could do was to stare, noting absent-mindely that it was happening to me disturbingly often lately.

I never had a dog, much less a puppy, but that was how I would imagine happy one acting. Even with his intimidating face, I actually thought how cute and sweet he appeared.
I answered his smile with my own once again, and headed towards the table. He looked at me for a moment longer, then added:

"Allright, then." and with that, he was gone.

I kept smiling while putting some meat and fried leek on my plate. Meeting with Farkie's good ol' heart, so to speak, brightened my mood, that much was sure. But just then, as I was starting to relax with a good food and a mug of a nice mead in my hand, somebody else decided to drag his pesky hide from his midnight trip. I looked towards the opening door and froze with a piece of a salmon halfway to my mouth.

Vilkas swept the room with an indifferent gaze, not giving me even a nod, so I decided I won't bother, as well. That proved to be quite hard, however, since I was feeling more and more awkward with every passing moment , each one of us not ackownledging the presence of another. I always hated silence, and this man was clearly grating on my nerves with everything he did. Had... to break... the silence...!

"Good evening, Vilkas!"I said, sitting on the opposite end of the bench he occupied. I actually thought about taking another one, even farther away from him, but I decided it would be outright rude. I soon regretted that, however, as I could feel his intimidating aura almost instantly when he looked at me from above. And from a definitely too close distance, if I may say so.

"It's night." he replied, returning to munching on his bread absentmindely, and continuing to ignore me entirely. I was just getting ready to walk away, already, when he looked at me again, much warmer this time. Or, should I rather say, not so freezing cold anymore.

"Come to me with questions, if you need" he told me, after a little more time, and returned to watching spot on the opposite wall wistfully. "I know our history almost as well as Vignar now."
His laughter sounded a bit awkward.
"Except, I actually remember it."
We sat there for a long moment, both looking in the distance, so to speak, before he spoke again.

"It was a pure luck, you know?" he glanced at me from the corner of his eye, still not facing me.

"What?" I asked, even if I was more or less certain I already knew what he was talking about.

"You so much as touching me with that..." he frowned and finished with emphasis "...knife of yours."

I allowed one more moment of silence to pass between us, then nodded my head.

"...I know."

"I just let my guard down because you are such a whelp." he added, seemingly ignoring my answer. Being such a devil's advocate as I was - or just an annoying chatterbox - I had to argue with that.

"That's why you should never underestimate your opponent." I forced a crooked smile to appear on my face "Mightier men than you had already been brought down because of such mistake."

His lips spread into a weird half-smug, half- bitter smirk when he finally turned to look at me with that... probably ironic expression?

"Oh? The pup has sharp teeth, after all."

"Doesn't they all?" I risked a short glare at him, which only seemed to amuse him further. Not knowing what more to do, I just stood up.

"Excuse me, this was a long day." I nodded my head and turned my back to him.

"Don't mind me, little princess. I won't interfere with your beauty sleep." he answered behind me with a smirk clear in his voice.

I tried to ignore his comment and just walked away with dignity, leaving him alone. Or so I wanted to do.
About halfway to the stairs, though, I stopped and looked back. He was just sitting down near the middle of the table, at the place next to the one I have left moments ago, before our little... chat. As if he couldn't do it while I was sitting there and eating. Bastard.
As if sensing my gaze, he turned his face in my direction, and shoot me one of his own.

I felt as if I was being caught red-handed. I rushed down the stairs in no time, my face burning red.
Why did I got that impression that our relationship was going to resemble the one *I* had with my mother? That is, getting along pretty well, when not screaming at one another, but sill trying to avoid the each other as much as possible.
Well, maybe without that "getting along" part. Or the "screaming" one, who knows?
I forced myself to stop thinking about it.

When I got to the recruits' quarter, I decided that my previous luck continued. Both men, Athis and Torvar, and Njada were already fast asleep, thank the all gods above and under, so I wouldn't have to put up with the barbaric woman's comments for at least some more hours.
I had already said my 'good night' to Ria, and was re-plaiting my hair for bed, when I heard some footsteps ringing in the stone hall, and a sound of something hard rolling on the floor. I waited a moment, then looked out to the corridor. I could see Vilkas' back in the distant end of the hallway and the vase lying on the ground near the wall.
Wow, the man sure was annoyed. Was it because of me? I surely didn't want to get on his bad side. He might have been full of himself, annoying bastard, but I was sure he could be a great friend... if he tried. And he didn't look so angry just mere moments ago, anyway...

Then another stray thought hit me. Maybe it was his wolfish blood, making him restless? I sure could be touchy when I was tired. He, being both a warrior and a wolf, could be more sleepless that me at my worst exams times. Poor Vilkas...
Nah, I wasn't going to pity that man. He sure got what he deserved somehow, I was pretty much certain of this.
Wasn't I?