Chapter 10: Northwatch Keep, and the Blood.
"No, Oblivion no, and fuck NO!" Talis yelled, loudly, but not loud enough for people in Markarth to hear her. "I'm not going anywhere near Cronvangr cave! You know I have issues!" Cronvangr Cave was a known Frostbite Spider lair.
"All right, all right. It was just a joke." Aela said. She looked at a list of missions available. "Let's see… oh! How about this one? It's a rescue mission."
"Rescue mission? I'm listening." Talis said.
"We received a request of capable warriors to join Avulstein Gray-Mane. He received an anonymous tip about where his kidnapped brother, Thorald, is being held by the Thalmor." Aela read.
"That, I can do. I'm leaving right now." Talis said, marking Northwatch Keep on her map.
At Northwatch Keep…
Talis crouched behind a giant rock, along with Avulstein Gray-Mane, Vidrald, and Geirlund, two of Clan Gray-Mane's friends. She looked at the entrance, guarded by a soldier and three archers. "So, what's the plan, Avulstein?"
"We kill anyone who stands between us and Thorald, and we bring him out alive." The eldest Gray-Mane son said.
"Good plan." Talis said. "Let me go first."
"Wait. Take this with you." Avulstein handed her a letter. "It's something Olfina got from the tipper. I'm not sure how much use it will be."
"Olfina was the one who got the tip?" Talis asked. Avulstein nodded.'Jon.' Talis thought to herself. She took the letter and walked up to the guardsman, drawing her Greatsword. "Look, I know you have Thorald Gray-Mane in there. Let him go now, and I won't slaughter you all." Talis showed her the missive. The Thalmor guard took it and read it. The guard reached for his sword. "FUS RO DAH!" Talis shouted. The guard flew back and snapped his neck. "Negotiations are over!" Talis yelled. The Nordic warriors charged in and slaughtered the remaining soldiers outside.
Inside, they fought off against the rest of the Thalmor soldiers. The torturer ran up to her with a bound sword. "YOL TOOR!" Talis shouted. While he was taken aback by the flames, Talis decapitated him. They descended to the deepest part of the keep, Talis found a man chained against the wall. She knew him from her childhood. "Throald!" Talis ran up to him, checking his vitals.
Throald groaned as he regained consciousness. "Talis? Talis, is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me. Hang on, we'll get you out of here." Talis unlocked his restraints.
"Thorald, are you in there?" Avulstein ran into the room.
Throrald fell onto the floor. "Is that you, brother?"
"Yes. C'mon. Let's get you out of here." He tossed Thorald's arm over his shoulder and picked him up. "Geirlund and Virald, you take the rear. Talis, you take the point." As they exited the keep, they slew the final Thalmor soldiers.
When they were outside, Talis turned to all of them. "So, what now? Are you going back home to Whiterun?" She asked.
"No." Throald said. "The rest of the Thalmor will go looking for us, and Whiterun is the first place they'll look. Our best chance is to fall in with the Stormcloaks."
"I see. Wait here for a moment." Talis ran back into the keep. A few minutes later, she came back out with a letter and gave it to Avulstein.
"What's this?" The Gray-mane asked.
"A letter of introduction." Talis answered. "I'm a Companion as well as a Stormcloak. When you get to Windhelm, give that to Galmar Stone-Fist. It'll tell him about what happened here."
"Thank you." Thorald said. "Will you give a message to my mother?" Talis nodded. "Tell her to suffer the winter's cold wind, for it bears aloft next summer's seeds. She'll know what it means."
"Very well." Talis said as she shook the Gray-Mane brother's hands. "Good luck to you."
On the road…
Talis continued her walk home to Whiterun. As she neared a farm, she sensed something was close by. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a glimpse of a readied arrow. "TIID KLO UL!" She shouted. Time in the area around her began to slow down. By the time the arrow was fired, she was already clear of the firing range, and ran up to the foe before he could ready another. When time returned to normal, she plunged her Greatsword through the assassin's gut. He fell, dead as his unholy matron. Talis could tell from the armor that he was from the Dark Brotherhood. On his body, she found two notes. One was from someone named Astrid, saying that someone performed something called the Black Sacrament on her. The other was from Maven Black-Briar, promising double his pay if he brought back Talis' head and sword. "So the true ruler of Riften wants me dead…must be because I threw out Balgruuf."
Whiterun…
Talis was standing in front of Fralia Gray-Mane's stall. She just gave Throald's message to her. "So Thorald and Avulstin are alive and together. Thank you Talis." Fralia said.
"You're welcome." Talis said. She left the stand and walked to Jorrvaskr.
Skjor was there waiting for Talis as the moon shone over Whiterun. "Ah, there you are. I've got a special assignment for you. Follow me." Talis did as she was bided. She followed Skjor to a secret room underneath the Skyforge, appropriately named the Underforge. She saw a Werewolf standing next to a basin. "I hope you would recognize Aela, even in this form."
"That's Aela?!" Talis asked. She looked nothing like the Nord she knew.
"Yes, she has agreed to be your forbearer." Skjor stood next to Aela. "We do this in secret because Kodlak is busy trying to throw away this great gift we've been given. He thinks we've been cursed, but we've been blessed. How can something that gives this kind of power be a curse?"
"Something this good has to have a catch." Talis said. "What is it?"
"No catch, no strings. But to reach the heights of the Companions, you must join us in the shared blood of the wolf." He looked at Talis. "Are you prepared to join your spirit with the beast world friend?"
Talis thought for a moment. "I've been hearing tales of Vampires beginning to attack. Since Werewolves are immune to Vampirism, it may not be a bad idea."
Skjor nodded. He took his dagger, cut Aela's arm, and let the blood drip into the basin. Talis took the blood and drank it. Something insider her overcame her. She blacked out.