Chapter 10: Lydia
Katie was still feeling a little weak in the knees by the time she got back to Whiterun, although by that point, the guards were surrounding her, as though they considered it their personal duty to protect her. She'd fought in battle alongside them, of course, and that had to account for something, but she still wasn't sure just what they were making such a fuss about.
At last, Katie was disappointed to find that the guards were leading her back to the Jarl's house, though she didn't resist. After what had just happened, she suspected that the Jarl would be very eager to see her.
As the large, wooden doors swung open, and she stepped inside, preceded and followed by several members of the Whiterun guards, she noticed that a very deep silence had fallen on the Jarl's court, and when she was led up the steps, past the firepit, and towards the throne, she was a little surprised to find that very few people were there. There was the Jarl himself, of course, and his Steward, who always seemed to be standing by his side. Farengar, unfortunately, was also standing off to one side, looking a little suspicious, and there was one guard, but no one else, apart from Katie and the compliment of guards who'd escorted her in.
At first, she thought that the Jarl might start asking questions, but as it turned out, there wasn't any need for him to do so. One of the guards begam to report what had happened, and it didn't take him long to get to the death of the dragon, and the role that Katie had played in it. The Jarl looked confused, for a moment, then a bit scornful.
"She's proven to be quite skilled." The Jarl admitted after a moment, "More than should be expected, but no one person can slay a dragon except the dragonborn."
"We all assisted as best we could, sir." One of the guards replied, "Yet, the fight was largely hers."
The Jarl still looked doubtful, but he turned to face Katie a moment later, with a suspicious, searching gaze. Then he spoke to her directly again.
"My men say that the dragon is dead, and that you had something to do with it. I trust them, of course, but I would prefer to hear it from you. Is that account correct?"
"Yes. It is, Jarl."
The Jarl still didn't look fully convinced, but at last, he sighed, and leaned back in his throne.
"If that's true; if you had some strong hand in what happened, then your service to my city has been, perhaps, the greatest of anyone in this age. You've done a great deed, and you merit a great reward."
Soon, the Jarl had seized something from the small table next to his throne, and gotten to his feet, stepping towards Katie slowly. The moment that he began to do this, every last guard descended onto one knee, and taking it as a cue, Katie quickly did the same. At last, the Jarl stood over her, and with a swift motion of his right hand, he drew a small axe from his belt. Then, using only his left hand, he slowly placed something on her head. It was thin, hard and smooth; clearly made of metal.
"Rise, Thane Katie of Whiterun." the Jarl said, holding out the axe for her to take, "Take the blade of Whiterun, and accept the ladyship, and the honor with which it comes."
Katie was simply stunned for several moments, as she got to her feet, and the axe was pushed into her hands. She didn't even know what to say at first. However, as the Jarl turned to go back to his throne, she finally spoke up, feeling absolutely flabbergasted.
"W-wait a minute!"
"What?" The Jarl asked, turning to face her with a curious expression, "What's wrong?"
"That's not what I want at all!" Katie exclaimed, almost blushing as she uttered those words, although the soldiers that surrounded her were starting to back away from her just a little, as though worried that something horrible might erupt between those two mighty figures.
"Take it anyway" the Jarl replied casually, "as a sign of respect for me. One should never refuse a gift, when it's given freely. It dishonors the giver."
"First off..." Katie said, suddenly feeling her courage beginning to grow inside of her again, "I have no intention of dishonoring you, or of refusing any gifts that you have to offer, Jarl Balgruuf, but there's something else that I want much more."
"Name it." the Jarl said, once he'd taken his seat back on his throne again.
For a moment, Katie's mouth just opened and closed several times. It seemed that the Jarl had completely forgotten about the requests she'd made on behalf of her parents when she'd first arrived, and it made her feel a little upset to be forgotten about so easily, but that, it seemed, was what had happened. Still, in a moment, the situation was corrected. She repeated her request for the Jarl, and he seemed to contemplate it for a few seconds. At last, however, when he spoke, he had a grave expression on his face.
"These are dangerous times, my thane. We have not only the dragons, but a civil war to worry about, and the country is divided because of it. Allowing a compliment of guards to leave Whiterun in times such as these means weakening our defenses from attacks of all types. If you really asked me about this before, I must have explained this to you."
"Yes, sir. You did," Katie replied, "but right now, I'm more worried about my family. They don't even have a secure place to live, and their town has been decimated already, while Whiterun remains standing."
At that point, the Jarl's expression changed to a disappointed and sad one, but at last, he snapped his fingers and his steward stepped forward, stooping over to listen to his leige.
"See to it." Jarl Balgruuf said, causing the steward to give him a nod in reply, and scribble something onto a piece of parchment that he had in one hand, along with a small slab of wood, on which the parchment was resting. Katie was amazed that the whole thing had been that simple, although obviously, it would have serious repercussions; especially for the soldiers who would need to climb mountains for a few days just to get there, and another few to get back. Still, it was the reason she'd come to Skyrim in the first place, and she was still convinced that she'd done the right thing.
The very thought that her parents would finally be getting the help they'd asked for made Katie feel very relieved, so her next words to the Jarl were less desperate and frantic than before.
"Sir, there's something else. I'm not sure what it means to be a thane, exactly."
At that point, however, the Jarl smiled broadly and leaned back in his chair as he explained.
"The thane is the first in a lineage of lords or ladies. Even if the thane has no children, however, he can still be a thane by himself. To be a thane of this city is to be a figure in the court of Whiterun, and this comes with many honors and priveleges. You may, for example, consider yourself invited to all gatherings of the court. You have the right to buy and own land within the city itself, if you should happen to have enough gold. You can be empowered to act as an emissary in certain affairs; a very lucrative position, and perhaps most valuable of all, if anything should ever trouble you in my city or the surrounding lands, you can request a hearing with me, at any time, day or night, and I'll hear you out. Just try not to abuse that last privilege. My time is valuable, you know."
"It all sounds like a lot of extra work." Katie objected, but the Jarl just waved the objection off.
"We have lords and ladies in this city who haven't shown their faces in court for decades." he said, "You may be known a bit more around town, but as for the advantages of access to my court, you can, of course, make use of them, or ignore them as you see fit. That's entirely up to you. There's power in my court, if you know the right people, but then, I suppose a dragonslayer would scoff somewhat at that kind of power, wouldn't she?"
"No, sir." Katie replied, having calmed down considerably, and once again putting effort into being polite, "It's just that I've never had any ambitious to be famous, rich, or powerful. I'm afraid I'd just find it troublesome."
"Then you'll be pleased to hear that you can be a thane of Whiterun, and still be reclusive, poor and unconnected, if that's what you want." the Jarl responded with a laugh, "Frankly, I think the slaying of the dragon will be more likely to draw unwelcome fame than the position you now occupy."
"Then, thank you." Katie said at last, backing away from the throne a few steps, but it wasn't long before the Jarl spoke to her again.
"There are two more things, for the moment." he said, "The first is that, of course, one mustn't leave one's thane unguarded, even if she -is- a dragonslayer, so I'm assigning Lydia; one of my best warriors, to be your Housecarl. She will follow your orders without question, unless, of course, you decide to turn on me."
At first, Katie felt like objecting to that remark, but the Jarl burst out laughing a moment later, seeming to indicate that he'd meant it to be a joke. Still, she thought, it was in very poor taste. She couldn't help but wonder what she was going to do with an obedient warrior. Maybe order her to stay put, and then get on with her life.
"Finally," the Jarl continued, "I think there's one important point, which deserves further reflection. The dragon that was in these parts is dead now, and if you ask me, that's good cause for a celebration."
Then, turning to his steward again, the Jarl said "The center of town; food, drink and music for all comers. Open last season's silo if you have to. I want this to be a celebration to be remembered."
Once again, the steward was nodding, and it was the first announcement that Katie had heard all evening that actually made her feel glad. She could do without authority, power and command over others, but food, drink and good times were things that everyone needed.
Katie hadn't been disappointed by the celebration in the least. Farengar had demonstrated some of his skill, by conjuring up many enchanted lights, and placing them all around the center of town, and several musicians of various types were playing their hearts out. People were singing, and apparently, writing new songs all across town. Katie had even caught snippets of one that mentioned her by name, though its description of her was most inaccurate, and, she thought, rather unpleasant, though perhaps another kind of person might have thought differently.
She herself had greeted a few people, gotten some attention and started on the food and mead. When she was finished, she felt absolutely stuffed, but happier than she'd been since her last day in the Slow Sabrecat; probably because so many of the people around her were happy as well.
As the meal slowed down, however, and Katie began to push herself away from the table, she heard a familiar voice from very nearby.
"So you're a thane now? Wonderful! Couldn't have happened to a nicer lady."
That remark bothered Katie for some reason, but she didn't let it show as she turned to look at the man who'd just made it; Lord Olfrid Battle-Born.
"Thank you." Katie replied to him, not sure what else to say.
"I suppose you still have no land, however." Olfrid observed.
"Not yet," Katie admitted, "Perhaps someday."
"Of course." the broad-shouldered man said a bit boisterously, "I can tell you're the type who won't be happy until you've got a bit of land of your own. If you like, I might be able to get you a small place cheap."
"That's alright." Katie replied with a smile, "I doubt I even have enough for that yet."
"No trouble. No trouble at all." Olfrid said with a wink, "You've been making money, I'm sure. For a modest rate, I could let you have the land early, and you could pay me back for the extra time and effort when you're ready. How does that sound?"
However, after taking a moment to think it over, Katie remarked "With all respect, Lord Battle-Born, I don't think I should. My mother always told me never to get in debt to anyone if I can help it. I trust you, of course, but I feel I should honor her wishes. I may take you up on your offer, though, when I have enough money to make a clean purchase."
Olfrid showed no visible sign of being disappointed by that remark, merely laughing briefly and remarking that she was welcome to make him an offer when she wished, but Katie could tell that he was gravely disappointed nonetheless. As friendly as Olfrid acted most of the time, it was pretty obvious that the man was an opportunist, always looking for some means of gaining greater power over those around him. He was precisely the sort of man who Katie had always been warned to stay away from.
It didn't take Olfrid long to move on, and strike up a conversation with someone else, which gave Katie yet another reason to feel relieved, so in a moment, she'd grabbed another mug of mead from the table and was starting to drink it slowly. That, however, was when she heard a completely unfamiliar voice, addressing her from behind.
"My thane?"
Quickly, Katie turned around and found herself looking into the face of a pretty, young woman, though she might have been prettier if her dark hair hadn't been such a wreck, or her armor so dirty-looking. Worse yet, her upper arms had no visible armor at all, as though she simply hadn't been able to afford a proper defense from attacks.
"I guess." Katie replied with a shrug, "Are you Lydia?"
"I am." Lydia replied with a nod, though she remained standing where she was, "I've been instructed to follow you and obey your orders."
"Yeah..." Katie replied, feeling like she was being put on the spot against her will, "About that... I know it was a lot of trouble to fight the dragon, and I know people are probably pretty impressed, but I only did it to save my folks. I really don't think I'm going to need any backup from a warrior from now on."
"Are you saying that you want me to stay here in town, my thane?" Lydia asked a bit coldly, apparently disliking Katie for the moment.
"Well, you can stay where you want, and do what you want, within reason..." Katie replied with a shrug, "I just don't think I'll have need of your services. That's all I meant to say."
"I'm truly sorry, my thane." Lydia replied, however, with a firm shake of her head, "If you instruct me to wander alone into a haunted barrow, I will. If you tell me to stay at this very spot until you return, I will. If you tell me to live a peaceful life, alone, here in Whiterun, I'll even do that. However, in any case, I'll just be waiting for further orders from you. The jarl has instructed me to obey your orders, and that's what I'm going to do. Only the jarl can reassign me to another task."
Katie felt mainly disappointed but that reply, but something about it also made her feel a little encouraged.
"In other words," Katie said, "Just because you're a warrior doesn't mean that I need to take you into a war."
"No, my thane," Lydia replied, still without even the hint of a smile, "though there -is- a war right now, if you wish to."
Katie actually started smiling at that point, although Lydia still didn't smile. It was a bit annoying, considering that everyone else was celebrating and having fun, but then again, she thought, the housecarl had to do what she said, which gave her a few ideas.
"Okay." Katie replied with a shrug, turning back to the table, "In that case, have a seat, and start smiling. A grim face just doesn't look right at a big celebration like this one."
Lydia obeyed the order, just as she'd said she would, but her smile still didn't look right, as if she wasn't used to it.
"You're upset about something." Katie observed, hoping to actually cheer Lydia up a bit, "Did you lose any family members to the dragon?"
"No." Lydia replied, "Not family in the strictest sense, but I knew two of the men who died. They were good warriors. Still, the real tragedy is that it was not their victory."
Katie had to pause for a few moments to digest that remark, but it didn't take her long to realize what it had been meant to imply.
"You don't like me, do you?" Katie asked in some disappointment.
"No, my thane. However, perhaps, in time..."
"Why not? Just because I helped fight the dragon? Be totally honest."
"No, my thane. It's because you've made a mockery of our armed forces; shown that you alone can do something that all of us combined could not. Were you another kind of person, that would have made you a hero, or even a champion of our people, but you aren't even a soldier. You don't follow orders, and you have no discipline. Also, to be frank, I think you cut a most unflattering figure for a dragonslayer, my thane."
"Just call me Katie from now on." she replied, however, taking in the somewhat brutal assessment of herself as calmly as she could, "As for all of that, I didn't mean to mock anyone, I was just trying to help you out, and I was a little curious about the dragon. I can't really help the kind of person I am, and as for following orders, you're right that I'm not a soldier and I have no intention of becoming one, but that's because I don't like fighting. Too much rushing and swinging and getting stabbed. I've done it before, but to tell you the truth, I'd rather do as little fighting as possible. Also, unflattering or not, I've always rather liked my figure."
"Being a soldier isn't about fighting." Lydia replied with a shake of her head, "It's about following orders loyally and completeing the task well. In my view, my th... Katie, you could stand some practice at that."
However, Katie had stopped feeling insulted by that point, and was satisfied, for the moment, with the perturbed look on the face of her new housecarl, so she was still smiling a moment later, when she asked "What did you have in mind?"
"If the war isn't to your liking, you might take some independant work with the companions. They're a guild of warriors, but many of their tasks don't involve fighting at all. If you're more of a mage, as I've heard some say, you might journey to the far northeast, and locate the College of Winterhold. That's where the rare Skyrim mages tend to gather and trade secrets, I hear. Either way, you'd be doing some jobs, earning a bit of money, and learning about loyalty and how to follow orders. It's all up to you, of course, but I recommend it."
Katie nodded silently as she thought the matter over in her head. Finally, she spoke again, feeling a little better, for some reason.
"I may want to go back home and visit my parents at some point, but I feel better now that I know they'll be getting some help, and I have to admit, I prefer the air here in Skyrim. Maybe I'll start living here. Of course, what I really want to do is set up a little shop, or a bar, or an inn of some kind, and just tend the place in peace for the rest of my life."
"In that case, Katie, you'll need to get out of Skyrim, and go far away."
For a moment, she wasn't sure that she'd heard that right, and turned to look at Lydia again, feeling utterly perplexed. However, the young warrior continued to speak just a moment later.
"Don't forget what happened today, Katie." Lydia said grimly, "You challenged a dragon to a fight and won, killing it utterly. Are you certain that was the only dragon of its type?"
That question sent a chill down Katie's spine the moment that she began to think it over. Lydia was more right than she knew. Katie was entirely certain that the dragon she'd fought was -not- the only one of its type. She'd seen at least one other; the one that had attacked Helgen, and it had been even larger and more ferocious-looking. Worse yet, the dragons were intelligent. At the very least, the last one had been. Hauntingly, its screams of anger and despair came back to her, as she remembered the moment of its death, and just how like a very large human its booming voice had sounded. It had been intelligent, clever, malicious, and possibly related to an even larger dragon.
"Oh, shoot." Katie muttered, rubbing her eyes a little as she realized what Lydia was talking about.
"The other dragons will know what you've done, assuming that there are more than one." Lydia explained, although the words were hardly needed by that point, "If they don't know already, they'll know soon, and begin their hunt. Any place that you've chosen to live will be a dangerous place for all those around you, unless every last dragon is hunted down and slain. Getting assistance from the other cities and towns of Skyrim will be difficult as well. Few will believe that the dragons have returned unless they've already suffered an attack, and by then it may be too late for them to be of any use. As for Whiterun, even if we can fend off another attack by a dragon, or even two, or three, or half a dozen, we can only hold out for so long by ourselves."
"You really think there are that many?" Katie asked in horror, feeling a lump form in her throat at the thought of a half dozen dragons all attacking at once.
"The legends speak of dozens and dozens of dragons, who once ruled this land, dominating the less powerful races." Lydia explained, still wearing the same fake-looking smile as before, "We once thought they were all gone for good, aside from the dragon blood in the veins of the heirs of Tiber Septim. However, some have now returned; who can say how many?"
Katie looked away from Lydia again at that point, feeling suddenly alone and helpless. She didn't want to fight anymore, and she was -certainly- far from confident in her ability to slay any more dragons. It was a horrifying, merciless fate, which seemed to have caught her by the shoulders. A few moments before, she'd felt as though her whole life was before her, and she could finally begin living it the way that she wanted to, but suddenly, that destiny had been pried from her grip, and her life was being forcibly redirected into a new path; the very path that she least wanted to take.
"You could try to live here in peace, if you wish," Lydia said at last, "but you'll only be endangering these people. If you're like myself, and you care about their wellbeing, and want to protect them..."
"But don't you see?!" Katie gasped, feeling utterly desperate as she turned to face her housecarl again, "You were right about me! You were -absolutely- right! I'm not a soldier, or a warrior, or a fighter!"
"I think there's a dead dragon outside of town that might disagree with you on that."
For a moment, Katie jumped in alarm. The voice that had spoken that last sentence was new, and had taken her completely by surprise. Quickly, she spun around to face the owner of the voice, and there, right across from her at the table, sat the man in the black robe, still with the same thin, black beard, and the same pitch-black eyes, and still smiling as though he were a child who'd just recovered some lost toy that he cared a great deal about.
"What?" Katie asked, feeling more than a little uncomfortable with the new arrival, "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to check up on you, and offer you my services again." the man in the robe explained calmly, and still with a smile on his face, "It's fairly obvious that you can use all the help you can get right now, and I could offer you some training, if you'll accept it."
"I -don't- want to fight." Katie insisted quickly, but the man's gaze never faltered.
"Do you want to lose? To die?" he asked flatly, "Is that what you want?"
"Hold your tongue, citizen." Lydia said to the man in the robe, "This is the thane of Whiterun."
"I know who she is; maybe better than you do," the man in the robe replied, "and although I respect you as a warrior, I warn you not to interrupt our discussion again."
"My job is to obey and protect..." Lydia began, but it was then that the black-robed man turned his gaze on her. To Katie, he looked no different; just the same calm, dark eyes and calm, pleased expression, but somehow; perhaps through some form of magic, he'd done something to Lydia. She'd simply paused in place, with her mouth open in mid-speech, and a look of horror in her eyes, and Katie wasn't sure what to do for the next few seconds. However, she quickly got to her feet, looking Lydia in the face, and trying her best to provoke a reaction.
"Lydia! Are you alright? Lydia!" Katie exclaimed in horror, but although Lydia's gaze darted briefly in her direction, no other part of her moved.
"She's fine." the black-robed man remarked from the other side of the table, "Now, answer my question, please. Do you want my help? I can't protect you from dragons, but I can teach you how to fight with any kind of weapon, how to wear and use armor in battle, how to attack from just the right angle, to deal heavy damage to your enemies, and how to use your great strength to your advantage. It's training that you'll need, if you hope to survive the ordeal that you're about to experience. Yes or no."
Katie shivered a little as she glanced at Lydia, then at the robed man, then back at Lydia again, but at last, she turned back to the man in the robes, and asked him a single, nervous question.
"If I say yes, will you promise not to harm any of my friends?"
"No." the black-robed man replied, though he was still smiling calmly, "No promises. You either want my help, or you don't."
Katie felt even more like shivering, the longer that she staying in that position, looking at that strange man, but finally, she said "I don't want your kind of help at all... but it's not about what I want, is it? If I want to live, I need you to help me."
"That's how I'd size the situation up; yes." the black-robed man replied, and after watching Katie for a few more moments, he got to his feet.
"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Katie asked a bit indignantly, but the to her surprise, the man actually replied to her question.
"Of course you do." the man said sternly, "On the battlefield, soldiers are constantly faced with choices between life and death, but they still make those choices, and when they choose life, they make their choices right. Just because your decision will have consequences doesn't mean it doesn't exist."
That was it. Katie did have a life-and-death choice in front of her, and it wasn't the kind of choice that it took her a long time to make, although it still bothered her a lot.
"Alright." she said, sparing Lydia one more glance as she made her decision, "I accept. What do I need to do first?"
"My advice is to do what your housecarl suggested. Spend some time with the Companions, and with the College of Winterhold. They'll teach you a little about conflict and war, and maybe help prepare you for the next thing you have to face, whatever it might happen to be. In the meantime, I feel I should warn you; that black sword..."
For just a moment, Katie's eyes darted to the blade that she'd found in Bleak Falls Barrow, and it was just as large and shiny as it had been then. In fact, if she wasn't mistaken, it almost looked a little bigger.
"Be careful with it," the man in the robes replied, "and above all, don't lose it, or let anyone take it from you. You might need it. Also, don't worry too much about my training just yet. When you're ready, I'll find you."
Then, the man got up and headed away from the table, but just then, something else occurred to Katie, and she exclaimed "Wait a minute! You never told me your name!"
"Call me Eron, for now, if you have to call me at all." the man said, before vanishing completely into the shadows. At the very moment that he disappeared, Lydia gasped and nearly collapsed forward onto the table, resting both arms on it in apparent exhaustion. Katie was just glad, at first, to see that she could move again, but the mortified expression was so strong on her face, that after only a few moments, Katie grabbed her by one shoulder, to try to steady her.
"Are you okay, Lydia?"
Lydia, however, just cursed softly, looking very aggrivated, and she was sweating, as though she'd just gotten over some horrible fright. It took her several seconds to calm down, but when she finally, did, and turned to face her thane again, she still looked horrified.
"Katie..." Lydia remarked ruefully, "I'm sorry. I don't know what just happened."
"You don't look confused to me." Katie observed, however, "You look scared."
Lydia looked away for just a moment, then closed her eyes completely, but after a few more seconds, it seemed that she was ready to explain herself.
"I've been in several battles, Katie." Lydia began, "I've been injured, recovered from injuries, seen friends and allies die, and even come close to death myself. I know what it feels like when you're right on the edge of a danger that might cost you your life, and just now, when I was scolding that man, I... I got that same feeling, like I was standing on the edge of a battlefield, waiting for the enemy to start firing their arrows. I felt like... I felt like I was about to die, and I asked myself 'for what?' Just because he wasn't being respectful enough? I... I felt like I'd be taking a chance if I even moved, or said another word. It was... It wasn't like anything I've ever felt before. I'm sorry."
Katie was certainly surprised to hear that, but she hadn't changed her mind. She still needed the help of that man, or someone like him, and she was still planning on checking out the Companions. Still, it got her wondering about just what kind of a person Eron was, that he could so easily strike terror into the heart of a trained veteran.
Beyond the mods addendum; Things you can't do in-game
1. Becoming thane of Whiterun doesn't involve a military escort or the receiving of a circlet. The Jarl doesn't even rise in respect.
2. The Jarl doesn't hold a celebration over the death of the dragon in Skyrim. In fact, no one reacts to any of your accomplishments significantly at all.
3. Olfrid doesn't speak to you after you become Thane in Skyrim.
4. Lydia has -a ton- less personality in Skyrim than here.
5. Eron is a completely original character. He has no place in Skyrim.