Chapter X – Recruitment

Fehn spent the remainder of the morning and most of the afternoon in conversation with Balgruuf, Proventus and Farengar; they all concurred that she should make the pilgrimage to High Hrothgar and scale the 7000 steps. Balgruuf gave her some steel armor and the axe of Whiterun as a gift. Staring at the rich armour, Fehn said solemnly,

"Thank you."

Balgruuf accepted her thanks and wished her well on her journey. As she turned to leave, Proventus piped up,

"May I make a suggestion, Dragonborn?"

Fehn nodded for him to proceed,

"Maybe you should hire a Companion for your travels, as an extra sword-arm and escort. You are new to this land and the men and women down in Jorvaskrr are well familiar with the landscape of Skyrim."

Balgruuf dipped his head in agreement,

"Yes, that is a good idea, Proventus."

Turning to her, he said,

"You should head down to their mead hall, Jorvaskrr. Speak to them down there and see if you can barter their services. Tread well and be safe, Dragonborn. Good luck."

Taking her leave of them, Fehn made her way back down to the Bannered Mare. The bar was quiet and Saadia – Hulda's Redguard assistant - gave her a curt nod as she past her. Opening the door to her room, Fehn donned her steel armour, and strapped her axe to her belt. The distinct sound of steel clanking followed her as she left her room and returned to the bar. Hulda was behind the bar and chatting to Saadia as she worked, noticing the girl, Hulda smiled.

"Ah, off to adventure, child?"

Nodding to the armour, Hulda wrung the rag she had in her hand and her smile broadened,

"You dress like a true Nord."

Fehn smiled sheepishly, she must have looked like a child wearing their father's armour. Producing a coin purse from her pack, Fehn passed it to Hulda. The woman's smile wavered and she frowned as she was handed the purse.

"What's this?"

Fehn shrugged,

"For the room and stuff...and the kindness you've shown me while I've been here."

Hulda's face softened and she cradled the purse in her hands. Reaching out, she gently squeezed Fehn's cheek and said tenderly,

"It's no problem, child. You have done Whiterun a great service in these last few days. You are always welcome here at the Bannered Mare."

Fehn smiled and nodded.

"Thank you."

Saying goodbye to Hulda and the Bannered Mare was more difficult than Fehn had thought it would have been. Inhaling deeply, she tried to push the thought of her own homelessness from her mind as she stalked over the Wind District and made her way to the Companion's dwelling of Jorvaskrr. Walking along the length of the mead hall, she poked her head around the side of the wall. She started when she came face to face with a large burly Nord man. His huge arms were folded over his swollen chest and his jaw set – his face a picture of gruffness. Glowering down at her, he said,

"Watch yourself, sneak thief."

Fehn frowned up at him and retorted,

"I'm not a thief! I didn't even know you were there."

He huffed a little and unfolded his arms. Placing his hands on his hips, he shifted his weight and eyed her,

"Don't bellyache, kid. It doesn't suit you."

Rolling her eyes, she pushed past the big man and walked onwards into the empty courtyard of Jorvaskrr. Looking around – squinting in the bright sunlight – her eyes fell on a woman. She was sitting on a wooden chair in the shade, her eyes half lidded and distant. Fehn's eyes widened a little as she realised it was the woman from the other day, the one who had been fighting the giant. Moving towards her, Fehn cleared her throat. The woman made no indication that she didn't know that Fehn was there. Turning smoothly towards her, she bored into the girl with her ice-blue eyes.

"Yes?"

She asked simply. Fehn gawped a little.

"Uh…Is, no, who-who's in charge here?"

The woman scoffed and looked away from her. Shaking her head to herself, she looked back,

"No one is 'in charge' here. But if you are dead-set on talking to someone who'll humour a whelp in tin, you can go and talk to Kodlak. He is of a milder manner and will be more talkative than that of me."

Fehn watched as the woman stood and walked off gracefully. Fehn cocked an eyebrow at the woman. What's her problem? Boiling it down to the fact that she was an Imperial and the woman a Nord, Fehn opened one of the big carved doors which led into Jorvaskrr.

"Oh gods! They're at it again!"

"Ten septims on Njada!"

"Done!"

The door slid open silently on oiled hinges. Slipping into the well-lit hall, Fehn as greeted with commotion. A Dunmer grunted and fell back as he was punched by a lithe Nord woman in hide armour.

"Come on!"

The elf ducked as she threw another punch – smacking her fist against the wall. The dark elf in retaliation tackled her around the waist and threw her back. The Nord snarled and laced her fingers together and smashed down on his back with both her hands. The elf grunted again and elbowed her. Confused, Fehn stepped forward, looking around at the other people in the hall; she wondered why no one stopped the brawl. A big Nord man with thinning hair that was tied back in a ponytail stood and eyed the fight with his one good eye, a tankard of mead in his hand. Two identical men were also watching the fight. Fehn recognized the one with the long hair as the one she had saved from being pummelled by the giant's club. He rolled his eyes at the grunting elf and snarling woman and turned back to his mead. His twin watched intently – his arms folded.

There was a crash as the elf was hurled onto the table. His arms outstretched and flat on his back, he grimaced baring his fangs. Gripping the elf's neck, the woman commanded breathily,

"Yield!"

The elf shrugged her hand off and snorted,

"Aye alright, get off, you mammoth I yield!"

With a self-satisfied smirk, the woman backed off and allowed the elf to get up and off the table. With a grimace he rubbed his back. The man with the ponytail clapped and tossed a bottle of mead to the victor and shook his head at the loser. Fehn watched as the twin with the shorter hair disengaged from the others and walked around the outskirts of the room and down a flight of steps. Quietly, she followed his path and sneaked down to the lower levels of the hall. Silently like a shadow, she slunk along behind the heavily armoured man. She followed him all the way along the passageway until he entered a large room. Peeking around the corner, she saw the Harbinger, Kodlak, sitting on a wooden chair bent over lots of scrolls. Upon the armoured man's entering Kodlak looked up and smiled warmly.

"Ah, Vilkas. What's troubling you, my boy?"

Fehn listened as Vilkas sighed and watched as his broad shoulders trembled. Kodlak frowned and stood, taking the man's shoulders, he sat him down on the wooden seat across from him. Passing him a bottle of mead, Kodlak probed gently,

"What is it, son?"

Vilkas lowered his eyes ashamed before looking back at Kodlak,

"It's…I-I'm finding the…the lack of transformations…"

He broke off. Fehn gazed at him curiously. What did he mean by transformations? Kodlak nodded understandingly and patted the boy's shoulder. Vilkas continued,

"It's getting harder, Kodlak. I want to run out again."

Looking away from the distressed boy, Kodlak raised his nose and sniffed the air softly. Blinking, he looked at Vilkas and gave him a hard look,

"Now's not the time to talk about this. We have a visitor."

With that, he turned to the door and looked straight at Fehn. Her hand was resting on the doorframe, leaned against the wall, half of her pretty face visible, the rest obscured by the wall. Smiling at the half-hidden girl, Kodlak motioned her forward with his hand. He noted that she was now wearing armour as opposed to the tunic she had on earlier that day. He smiled at the poor fit and how she still seemed to be managing to not keel over. Vilkas saw the ill-fit too and grimaced. She was so obviously medium armour and not a full-fledged heavy. Scratching his rough chin, he eyed her over as she came forward. Standing before them both, Fehn said in smooth voice,

"I'm sorry to interrupt. You're Kodlak, yes?"

The old man nodded and said,

"Yes. Yes I am. What can me and the Companions do for you?"

Her eyes glinted in the candlelight. Like big onyx stones, Kodlak also noted the scar on her left cheek, a strong sword arm and a certain ferocity to this girl hidden behind a little girlish demeanour, he found it amusing.

"I'm new to Skyrim, I'm doing a pilgrimage to High Hrothgar…I need someone to accompany me. I was recommended to the Companions by the Jarl."

Kodlak frowned,

"A pilgrimage to the Throat of the World? And what journey that would be…You would have to travel to Ivarstead first and then proceed from there…"

He trailed off in his thoughts, returning his attention to Fehn, he asked,

"Not that it's any of my business, but why are you doing this pilgrimage? Surely with the world in such a dangerous age, a little thing like you would wish to avoid death traps like pilgrimages cross country."

Fehn's eyes narrowed, gazing into his eyes, she softened and divulged some information,

"These dangerous times concern me – apparently. So I have to travel there and speak to…a teacher."

Kodlak dipped his head and didn't comment on her vagueness. Looking over to Vilkas and then back to her, he enquired,

"Do you have a preference? I assume you saw or spoke to some of the members upstairs?"

Fehn shook her head,

"Not spoken, but yes. I did have a look at a few of them up there."

Kodlak raised a bushy eyebrow,

"So would you be wanting a Companion of quick feet like Athis? Or a juggernaut like Vilkas here?"

Folding her arms, Fehn thought for a moment on the pros and cons of having either a light or heavy armoured Companion to guide her. Finally with a nod, she said,

"I'd like a heavily armoured one, please. Just in case we run into any dra...bandits."

The old man bowed his head and sighed,

"Alright, now that we have that settled, we must now talk about payment."

Fehn's stomach tightened at that. She was grossly poor at the moment. Reaching into her pack, she produced a coin purse which held a grand total of eighty septims. Peering in the purse, Kodlak laughed and said,

"With this, Vilkas here can escort you to the stables, but all the way to Ivarstead? I think not. Have you thought of maybe hiring a carriage?"

Fehn frowned at being made fun of. Placing a hand on the table, she said,

"Well if that doesn't suffice I can always offer the Companions my services? I heard you were looking for new members?"

Vilkas frowned at her insolent tone and moved his hand threateningly down to the hilt of a dagger he had strapped to his belt. Fehn ignored him and instead kept her honest gaze locked on Kodlak.

"Hmm, a Companion, is that really what you wish to be? How able would you say you were?"

Fehn looked away for a moment, looking down at the axe strapped to her hip, she said,

"I still have much to learn. But I learn fast."

Kodlak smiled at her and then at the surely Vilkas,

"A wise answer from one so young, maybe you do have what it takes to be a Companion."

Vilkas piped up at that, staring dumbfounded at his Harbinger, he asked,

"You can't be seriously thinking of allowing this whelp to join us?"

Kodlak brushed away his comment with a wave of a gnarled hand and hushed him,

"Now Vilkas, sometimes the famous come to us. Sometimes people hoping to become great warriors and be as renowned as Ysgramor himself approach us. I sense this girl has a burning for battle. Alright, girl, we will accept your payment of eighty some septims and the promise of your working for us upon your return. Vilkas, you go with her on her pilgrimage. You watch and take notes of her form, and when you both come back, we'll see if you truly are cut out to be a Companion."

Fehn recoiled internally from the surely look Vilkas had on his face. She only hoped he was as ferocious in battle as his face was now. Kodlak, noticing the look, laughed out loud. Clapping Vilkas on the back, Kodlak said with mirth in his voice,

"Oh come now, Vilkas! I'm sending you because you have the brains and the brawn! Talos knows if I sent Farkas he'd leave her up atop the mountain and forget about her."

So it began. The pilgrimage that would change her life forever.