Chapter 11

It was still early by the time they arrived at the gates, and were greeted by the guards.

"Well met, Thanes!" the guard on the left said as they took off their helmet, revealing an older man with unkempt red hair and scraggly beard."Good to see you still in one piece, Lydia."

"And you, Erlund," Lydia responded. "Good to see you're still stuck on gate duty. What would happen if they gave you something actually important?"

Both guards were struck silent for a moment, but soon burst out laughing. Mikael and Aramen both shared a smile. It had taken some doing, but it seemed they finally had gotten Lydia to loosen up a bit. That she and this guard knew each other already was probably what made her feel comfortable jabbing at them.

Erlund grinned at the woman. "When did you get such a sharp tongue? These two are a good influence on you." He chuckled again briefly before his eyes lit up. "Oh! Right, meant to tell ye; Jarl Balgruuf wanted to extend an invitation for dinner when you three showed up. Can I tell him to expect you tonight?"

The Twins were rather surprised at the offer and shared a glance, as obviously nothing of the sort was in the game. But it was a pleasant shock, and so Mikael said, "We'd be very happy to join him for dining this evening. At what time should we arrive?"

"Little before sundown, if I remember," Erlund told them.

"You'd forget your helmet if you didn't trip over it in the morning," Lydia stated.

"And you'd forget your sword if you didn't sleep with it tucked under your pillow," Erlund shot back.

Lydia colored ever so slightly. "I've never forgotten it since then."

The guards chuckled once more. "Right," Erlund started walking away.. "I'll tell him to expect you before sundown. Enjoy your stay, Thanes. Stay out of trouble, Lydia!" Lydia merely smiled and shook her head, and the trio proceeded into the city.

"Friends of yours?" Mikael prompted with a smirk.

"A few of the men I trained with when I was younger. Erlund and Yold always seem to get stuck on gate guard duty, and so they wanted something to kill the boredom after their shift."

Aramen nodded. "It's good to have friends."

"Well, I guess we've got some time to kill before this dinner," Aramen mused. "Ideas?"

"We've got some goods to offload, and some supplies to procure," Michael stated. "Got shit to do tomorrow and a few days after."

Walking into the market, they weren't surprised to see it busier than normal in the game. Ever since they started selling through Birna's Oddments and gave her the salt gathering technique, they had pretty much only traded those out through Whiterun. It wasn't unusual for either Twin to have been escorting her wagon full of the goods they had sold to her all the way to Whiterun. In the display of the trading network, it went something like this; Dungeon Loot to Aramen and Mikael to Birna to Whiterun to everywhere else. As such, Whiterun had picked up a fair bit more business, selling items that were harder to come by since few were the adventuring sort. It wasn't too much, but word was getting around that Whiterun was a place to procure goods of all kinds.

The twins swung by Carlotta Valentia to pick up a few apples and noticed Carlotta looking a bit frustrated.

"Nice to see you again, Carlotta," Aramen greeted. They had talked a few times before on their previous trips and so were familiar faces. "But you look a mite angry. Something wrong?"

She gave a sigh. "That bard Mikael is asking for a dagger up against his throat, the way he goes on about me. I heard him boasting at the Bannered Mare, saying he'll 'conquer me as a true Nord conquers a harsh beast." Hmph."

"Sounds like a real prick," the shorter twin commented. "Want us to see about straightening things out for him?"

"If you want to try, go right ahead. I don't think anything will get through that thick skull of his, though," she explained with a weary wave towards the inn. They walked away, smirking as they heard Anoriath's sarcastic response to Nazeem's snootiness. Good man, or Elf, rather. Anoriath was one of Birna's bigger customers, needing plenty of salt for his meats. He had agreed to sign a contract promising his secrecy as to his source of salt. Lydia opted to stay in the square until they returned, citing that she wanted to browse.

Walking into the Bannered Mare, they spotted the bard in question behind the fireplace. Aramen walked off to the side while Mikael approached directly.

The man barely registered the tall Breton's presence. "If it's a girl you're looking for, you'd best look elsewhere. Once Mikael, gets them, they're got."

"It's assholes like you that give the rest of us men a bad name, Mi-KYLE, especially Mi-KAYLs," the Twin spoke loudly, emphasizing the difference in pronunciation of their names. It was notable that the term "asshole" didn't actually exist in the Elder Scrolls universe, far as they could tell, but it clearly got the message across and people turned to look, particularly the bard.

"What was that?" he asked in something like disbelief.

The wizard shrugged amiably. "Nothin' wrong with having confidence, mate. But the difference between confidence and arrogance is backing it up. And being smart enough to take a hint is something any man should be capable of, any man worth his salt anyways," he continued, making no effort to lower his voice. "Seems you lack that ability, so I'll help you out this time; Carlotta does not welcome your advances. You should respect her decision and leave her be."

"Carlotta put you up to this, did she?" he asked with narrowed eyes. "I'm sorry, but that fiery widow is mine. She just doesn't know it yet."

"Oh is that true?" Mikael asked in faux surprise. "That's strange, given how you continue to boast about 'conquering' her, yet she has turned you down flat every time! Why, I'd think that you're merely blowing hot air because you're not man enough to admit she rejected you and not mature enough to move on. Why, you just scream ladies' man, with how cowardly you're acting."

The human was taken aback by the sudden verbal assault. The other bar patrons started murmuring to each other, making the bard feel quite embarrassed. He raised his hands in surrender.

"Whoa, hey there. I didn't mean to make you upset, nor insult her. On my honor, Carlotta won't have to worry about me again," he promised.

Mikael put a friendly hand on his namesake's shoulder. "That is how a man acts. Well said." He left 5 septims on the bench in front of him and walked out the door, his twin following.

They arrived back outside and informed the Nord woman of the good news, turning down her offer of coin, saying that it was only right to help put a man on the right path. They stopped by Belethor's General Goods to offload some of the items they'd picked up from the previous dungeon diving and some of the items that survived from the Thalmor's decimation.

After that, they headed to Warmaiden's to buy some ingots and other crafting supplies, as well as selling the remaining armor and weapons they had. Ulfberth, the shopkeep, was curious as to what they planned on making, but they replied that they couldn't tell him, but he could watch if they allowed him use of their forge for the next couple days. They paid 300 gold for the privilege and shook on it. All in all, it was a productive afternoon.

The sun was just reaching the horizon over the walls as they stepped through the doors to Dragonsreach, a couple servants scurrying over to take their packs from their backs. Curiosity was the main feeling shared between the brothers. A dinner with Jarl Balgruuf had never been an in-game event, so they were a bit apprehensive about stepping into unknown territory, but they were confident that there was nothing wrong, so it would be fine.

The Jarl in question was sat upon his throne as usual, with Proventus and Irileth flanking him. Upon seeing them, the Nord sat up straighter in his throne and a smile crossed his face.

"Welcome, my Thanes. It is good to see you both again, it's been quite a while," he said, before turning his gaze to their female companion. "And Lydia, it is good to see you as well."

Mikael gave his customary short bow with eye contact, Aramen his nod, and Lydia smiled back, giving a deeper bow. "Likewise, Jarl Balgruuf. And glad to see you're still kicking, Irileth." The Dark Elf nodded in response. "We heard you invited us to dine with you tonight."

Proventus seemed to take some offense to the obvious omission of a greeting to him, but was interrupted by the Jarl before he could make an ass of himself.

"Indeed!" Jarl Balgruuf clapped his hands together, standing. Several servants bustled about, offering chairs to the Twins at the left side table, Jarl Balgruuf taking the seat on the end. Irileth stood off his right shoulder. Lydia was ready to follow suit, but Aramen merely rolled his eyes and pulled out a chair for her between him and Mikael. She hesitated, but sat after a moment. "Where's father?" She asked.

"Hrongar's off sparring with some overconfident new recruits for the guard," the Jarl responded. "He'll be back late, we weren't expecting you today."

Lydia looked a bit down, but Mikael put a hand on her shoulder. "We're here for a few days. Feel free to spend time with him, we'll just need you for some things in the morning. We won't mind if you're not by our side every hour." She inclined her head, looking happy.

Now that they were seated, the servants placed platters with various meats and fruits and vegetables before them, filling their mugs with mead, to which the Twins gave thankful nods. Jarl Balgruuf set some food on his plate, and the rest followed suit.

"So tell me, friends, what adventures have you been up to while away from the city?" the Jarl asked.

The two Bretons happily started recanting their various exploits, taking turns telling the story to allow each other time to eat, making jabs and snarks at each other as they went, Lydia occasionally adding her own perspective on matters. They talked at length about their time in Winterhold, culminating in them ousting Korir, citing their reasons for doing so. "The man was a stubborn fool, and the town is better off without him," Aramen summed up.

Balgruuf made a hum of acknowledgement. "It came as quite a surprise when I received a gift from Jarl Kraldar, but I had a feeling the two of you were involved somehow."

The Twins felt the scrutinizing eyes of Balgruuf the Greater upon them, which made them uneasy. Honestly, they hadn't considered any of the other Jarls' thoughts on replacing Korir at the time, they had only needed to plead their case to the Elder Council. While the people of the Blue Palace seemed accepting and approving of their actions, they weren't sure what the other holds' reactions would be.

"Replacing a Jarl, even one such as Korir, is no minor feat, nor is it an action that should have been taken lightly," he informed them with a stern look. "Skyrim is in a delicate place right now. The damned Stormcloaks and Imperials have mostly been skirmishing with one another and unwilling to commit. However, a sudden shift in power might have been the tremor that triggered the avalanche leading to all out war, with Whiterun being caught in the middle. You two have sworn yourselves to the service of this hold, MY hold. I have proudly proclaimed you as my own, your actions reflect upon me. Fortunately, nothing has come of this, thanks in part to Kraldar's swift actions in offering peace to the other Jarls."

He was right, of course. It was obvious in hindsight; none of the Jarls in the game were replaced until the war broke out. By switching things up like that out of the blue, it likely made the other Jarls pause. Hell, how much effort would it really take for someone to find out that Kraldar was only appointed thanks to the efforts of his two new Thanes? The other holds' eyes would now be on them. Anybody with the power of unseating a throne would be held in cautious and scrutinizing eyes, and would probably color their opinions on them before they ever met. It was only luck that they'd gotten to Solitude before the courier to make a good first impression. Gods know what went through the minds of the others.

Aramen and Mikael were smart enough to realize when they'd made an error, but they still wouldn't call it a mistake. Everything had turned out alright this time, but they would be sure to be more careful in the future.

"You are right on all counts, Jarl Balgruuf," Mikael responded solemnly. Neither Twin's eyes left the Jarls. To do so would be weakness. "We were hasty and rash, and did not fully consider our actions. We apologize for causing you such concern."

"I have heard your reasons for your actions and don't blame you for your choice, but I wish you had tempered your eagerness with caution." Balgruuf sighed. He vividly recalled Proventus' rantings and worry after they had gotten the gifts, about how war was sure to break out now, how foolish the two Thanes were, a comment which got him quite the look from Irileth and words from Balgruuf. The Dark Elf stood silently during all this, dutifully watching out for her Jarl while he spoke. "Now you are Thanes of two holds, two loyalties. I should hope you'll never be forced to choose between them."

"Jarl Balgruuf," Aramen started, "I see this as the best for both Winterhold and Whiterun. You've no doubt noticed the pick up in trade between the two cities. Kraldar's political leanings are much like your own; not wanting to pick a side, though he may have Imperial sympathies. With now two holds pushed towards neutrality, this should serve to help prevent war. With Winterhold trying to get back on its' feet, having strong early ties to Whiterun will ensure good relations between us for a long time to come."

Balgruuf looked considerate for a moment. "That is true. I'll trust your word on Kraldar. As long as you do not forget your duties to Whiterun, I will be content with letting you two handle this."

"We will not disappoint you, Jarl Balgruuf. That, we promise," Mikael finished, his brother echoing the same immediately after.

Jarl Balgruuf smiled, and the tension was cut from the air. "Good. Now, tell me more about your adventures."

When they got to the part about Meridia, they paused. Daedra worship was, of course, outlawed under the Thalmor rule. That being said, Meridia was widely regarded as one of the "good" daedra, so they felt they could explain somewhat. "This is Dawnbreaker," Aramen explained as he stood up and unsheathed his longsword. "A gift, from a… powerful associate, for clearing out a necromancer problem." The table and bystanders all regarded the weapon with awe and appreciation, the glow was quite beautiful. They saw the shared look between Balgruuf and Irileth, which the Jarl turned on them, to which Aramen merely gave a sly wink before putting it away.

They continued on, speaking of Wolfskull Cave, garnering appropriate reactions of horror and respect, ending with them speaking with Jarl Elisif, excluding her personal request. They had found a courier shortly after their shopping spree and sent him with a letter to Jarl Elisif to explain they had done the task. They ended their story by explaining they took the wagon to Whiterun, making no mention of their detour to the shrine.

"..and we did a bit of shopping earlier, planning on making some special equipment over the next few days. When we were done, we came here," Mikael finished, drinking some mead to wet his throat.

"How I envy you, friends," Balgruuf told them with a smile. "To be young and have such adventures once more. You seem to have grown in your time away." He looked to Lydia. "And you, Lydia. How have you felt about travelling with our Thanes?"

"I am honored to serve them, Jarl Balgruuf," she responded easily. "I feel that I've learned much by following them, and have been happy to teach them some things as well. I've seen more of the world than I thought I would so soon. I feel they have upheld their titles dutifully."

Jarl Balgruuf nodded, satisfied. Mikael asked, "So tell me, how have things been here, Jarl?"

"Beyond what you already know," the Nord said while spearing himself another piece of meat, "little. The people are happy as ever. Why, I was talking with Hulda the other day-"

"Balgruuf, did you slip out again last night for a drink at the Bannered Mare?" Irileth asked accusingly.

"Heard about that, did you?" Balgruuf adjusted himself to better look at his housecarl. "Yes, I went out for a pint or two. What of it?"

Irileth sighed. "These secret visits to the tavern will make you an easy target for an enemy assassin. You should have told me first."

"Damn it, woman, I'm the Jarl of Whiterun! I won't apologize for talking to my people. You can't protect me every moment of the day," he spoke with exasperation, but obvious fondness.

The Dark Elf smirked. "That might be so, but it will never stop me from trying."

"Anyways… there have been no further attacks from the dragons, though our men are still vigilant." The two breathed a sigh of relief. While they had individually made several trips to Whiterun and saw that nothing major had happened, it's better to hear it from the Jarl himself.

Aramen hummed through a mouthful of mead before swallowing. "Speaking of the dragons, that's something we wanted to take care of while we were here," he told the man.

After taking a few of the scales and bones that had fallen apart from the main bodies of the two dragons as gifts to the soldiers families, they deliberated what to do with the rest. By the time they had stepped through the doors of Dragonsreach all those months ago, they knew what they wanted. So they asked the Jarl if he could cart the remains back to the city and store them somewhere until they were sure they knew what to do with them.

"Ah, finally decided on something, then?" Balgruuf leaned forward eagerly.

"Why, yes we have," Aramen informed him with a grin, his brother following suit. "We've decided to go ahead and make some weapons and armor out of them, except for the skulls. Those are coming back with us to Winterhold, where I'm sure they'll make lovely decoration."

Jarl Balgruuf laughed heartily, a few nearby guards chuckled, and even Irileth cracked a smile. "A fine choice, friends! I look forward to seeing what you make from these."

"We'll be sure to swing by before we leave, Jarl Balgruuf," Mikael assured him.

They continued with some idle chatter as dinner wound down. Finally, Jarl Balgruuf wiped his face with a napkin and stood up, prompting the others to do the same. "It was nice to catch up with you, Mikael, Aramen, Lydia," The Jarl nodded to each in turn. "Get some rest, and though I assume you will be busy, I look forward to seeing you again before your departure. Until then, good hunting."

"May your enemies fall before you," Mikael said with a nod.

"May their blood whet your blade," Aramen finished. And with that, the trio left, retrieving their belongings as they did, and took off for the Bannered Mare.

Five days.

Five days of designing, bending, snapping, chopping, sewing, refining, sharpening, transfusing, and enchanting. That was what it took to achieve their latest masterpieces. Aramen and Mikael merely sat back to soak in their fine work.

Aramen's armor was made to look like ranger style armor; light and durable emphasizing mobility. The boots were tightened with straps, the trousers had knee pads and were fit well but also loose enough to not inhibit movement. The gauntlets were thick gloves with bracers up to the knuckles. The cuirass itself was similarly fashioned with buckles and a thick belt, with pouches on either side. Pauldrons that hugged his shoulders going down adorned the top, and his back was cloaked as well. Finally, there was a masked hood that gave near maximum coverage and only limited his peripheral vision slightly, not the he planned to wear it much. All of it was done with thick leather and skinned with the scales of the green-silver dragon, giving it a very slight shimmer when one watched, but more importantly made it very strong. Topping it all off was a pair of enchantments for Restoration and Magicka Regeneration, he'd rather not get hit in the first place but he was more than prepared for the eventuality. Aramen was happy with the results, but not entirely satisfied. He mentally dubbed it "Ranger Armor Mk.1"

Mikael, on the other hand, went for something more befitting of his magical inclinations but still possible for stealth. His armor looked more like modified robes, with dyed black leather and cloth as the base, and the scales of the red dragon serving to armor it. The boots were buckled, and notably softer than his twin's on the bottom, though still as sturdy on top, as to help his sneaking. The trousers were looser and thinner, not meant for protection. His gloves were similar to the ranger style, but the vambraces were bone with scales covering it, and the fingers were cut off. His robes were thick and held on with buckles, with short sleeves that hung over the gloves just below the elbow, and they hung down to the knees. The robes themselves also were designed for easy removal, as under the bulky outer layer was a form-fitting black long sleeve shirt that was covered in red scales, accompanied by a belt with several pouches. For the head there were two sets. There was a black mask and tight hood he could use for concealment when he went for stealth, but most other times he would wear an ebony helmet, citing that it both looked great as it was and was up there as strongest protection for combat. His robes were enchanted for straight magicka regeneration rather than making types of magic cheaper to cast, because while he could eventually work a complex enchantment to incorporate all the types together, it would take more time and power than they had here. Mikael did feel his outfit spoke of indecisiveness, not being able to commit to a pure magic or pure stealth design, but reasoned that, like his brother's, this was only the first draft of their equipment.

As for Lydia, she was unanimously voted as the tank of the party by virtue of being the only heavy armor user. She wore a rather standard set of dragon bone full plate, only slightly modified. The shoulder plates were smaller and the armor had less extrusions on the chestplate, smoothing it to mere bumps. The helmet was similarly hornless.

While everyone's headgear came with a bit of climate control with some clever use of fire and cold enchantments activated by tapping the gear on either side and the masks having water breathing, they were disappointed on how anemic their gear otherwise was. Simple fact was that after ingots, buying grand soul gems ate through their money fast and they could only afford a few without going broke, and had already decided what most of them would be used on wasn't their gear.

On the weapons side, Aramen was already satisfied with Dawnbreaker and his crossbow was fine for the moment. He very much wanted to make a dragon bone crossbow, but was hesitant to do so. He'd wait until he could spend more time working the designs. Lydia was sporting a new dragon bone sword and shield combo, unenchanted for the moment. Mikael got a small bone dagger to keep in his boot, but had other plans for his work.

Doodly doodly doo FLASHBACK

"Aramen, Lydia, I think it's time I start giving more thought to my fighting style," Mikael began as they looked over their armor designs.

"Yeah? I'm all ears," the shorter Breton said, Lydia nodding and giving her full attention.

"I'm not much of a weapons guy, plain and simple," he stated. "If I want some, I'll make them, conjure one up." He had been working on changing the appearance and style of his bound weapons, remembering that Oblivion merely conjured daedric weapons whereas Skyrim made shimmery ghost versions, and was experimenting to see what he could do with them. "But I don't use them much. If I have to pick, I'd stick with a dagger, but I'd rather focus on magic. However, I don't want to be helpless in melee, so I think I want to start focusing on hand-to-hand."

Lydia looked apprehensive while Aramen grimaced, and Mikael didn't blame him. As far as they had seen, nobody in the Elder Scrolls series had a real fighting style for fisticuffs, just straight brawling. Which meant that he'd have to start from the ground up in either inventing or re-creating a fighting style from Earth.

Mikael wasn't planning to focus on being strong like his brother, so styles centered on grappling or throwing would be difficult to focus on, but the simple fact was that people in this world wore ARMOR, which rather made striking styles like Karate and Taekwondo difficult to employ, as they relied on the opponent to be clothed rather than geared. He was smart enough to know that every style had their own benefits and could incorporate specific parts, but he needed something more solid. Aikido was more self defense based, more immobilize than eliminate. But Jujitsu… that mainly focused on redirecting attacks, joint locks, and counter-attacks, which would suit him just fine.

The biggest bitch of a problem in the way of this is that Mikael had only passing knowledge of the basics of these fighting styles and a few youtube videos in his mind to go off of, so he'd have to develop it through trial and excruciating error. He rubbed his face, already seeing his schedule for the next few months arranging.

"Well, no point going half-assed about it. This'll be my choice. Goin' monk."

Woobly woobly woo CURRENT TIME

So it was that Aramen designed for Mikael a weapon as of yet unseen by the Elder Scrolls world; Brass knuckles out of dragon bone. Not enchanted in any way, as Mikael felt that they would be perfect being as mundane as possible. He needn't fear throwing his full strength behind a punch at a wall and breaking them, his hand would first. They would serve well for blunt damage against armored enemies.

The Twins sat down, arms on each others' shoulder, tired from their hard work, and hoping their housecarl was enjoying herself while they were busy.

Metal crashed together, sparks flying off from the intensity of the swings. Lydia used the force of the blow to spin, backhanding the opponent with her shield. He grunted, and swung his claymore, aiming for her head. Lydia ducked under, planting her hand behind her as she kicked viciously at the man's knees, but he hopped back out of range.

Righting herself, Lydia pressed the attack shield first, wincing at the force of the blow she'd blocked, the latest of many that left her feeling the bruises form each time. Still, it gave her the opportunity for a side swipe at the torso, which was barely avoided by the man, cutting in to his clothing. In retaliation, he gave a nasty downwards chop with his own blade.

Lydia panted hard, sweat dripping down her face. Her arms shook with the effort of pushing back against the sword of her foe, relentless in his attack. Suddenly, the pressure let up, and she was put off balance as she leaned forward. Seeing a fist come racing towards her, she decided to roll into the lean rather than fight her momentum, causing her to tumble forward into the man attacking her, driving her head into his gut. Hearing a satisfying "oomph" emerge, she raised her blade to strike, only to feel the tickle of steel against the back of her neck.

"Halt," called a voice, a female Dark Elf's voice, specifically. "Hrongar is the victor."

"Well fought, well fought," Hrongar said, similarly sweating, but not nearly as winded. Lydia nodded and lowered her sword, shakily standing up and offering a hand to her father, who took it and rose to his feet. He clapped a hand on her shoulder. "I haven't been pushed that hard in years."

Lydia merely nodded, catching her breath. They were currently in the courtyard outside of Dragonsreach, having just finished the latest of three spars in the past few days, with Irileth serving as judge. They both walked over to a nearby barrel with water, taking turns drinking deeply before dunking their heads.

Irileth let them gather themselves before walking over. "As always, Lydia, your defense is strong. Your attacks seemed different than how we trained, but it seems to work well for you. You really ought to learn to dodge better, as you well can feel what taking these hits will do to your stamina if you have to keep blocking them," Irileth lectured. "Still, it's clear how much you've been practicing while you were gone. Very well done." Irileth nodded, satisfied. With the ghost of a smile on her lips, she turned and went back inside.

"You've improved more in these past few months than the last four years, Lydia. I'm proud of how strong you are," the man told her. "Your mother would be very proud as well, I know."

An old throb where an emotional wound once lay, but she was still happy. Moments like this reminded her of when she was a teen, first training with her father and Irileth. She recalled many hot days and cold nights spent in this courtyard, practicing her swings over and over to get the feel of each attack right. Her father was always there, encouraging her, chastising her for losing her head in a fight, pushing her every bout.

"Thank you, father," Lydia replied happily. "It hasn't been easy being a housecarl, but it's been very rewarding." Between the dungeons, the daily morning spars, the travelling, the friends she'd made in Winterhold, and the camaraderie from her two companions, she felt like she'd seen much in little time.

"Aye, those Thanes of ours have brought you along some very challenging tasks," Hrongar said approvingly. "You'll be heading out soon, then?"

"When Aramen and Mikael are finished working on their 'projects', yes."

'Time flies when you're having fun' was one of the phrases that the twins introduced Lydia to during their time together, and she could definitely agree. Seeing her father again after this long away from home was heartwarming, and they had spent hours talking, mostly Lydia regaling her experiences, as little had changed at home. But the days seemed to flit by far too quickly for her liking. She leaned against Hrongar, who put a fatherly arm on her shoulder.

"Just remember all I've taught you, and you'll be fine. Maybe one day you'll even best me in a fight," he said with a joking smile, the most emotion he'd ever display, and it was only with his daughter.

"I think I'll be old and gray before I ever beat you, father," she replied with a smile herself.

They stood like that for a little while longer before pushing off the wall and heading to the doors of Dragonsreach.

As it turned out, they were just in time, as it seemed Mikael and Aramen had recently arrived as well, and were chatting with Jarl Balgruuf and Irileth, Proventus nowhere to be seen. Not that she minded that, the man was not to her liking. They also seemed to be dressed in impressive new armor, the shorter Breton in a green and silver outfit, while his twin was in a red and black wizardly garb, both with their adventuring packs on. Hearing the doors open and close, they turned to face them.

"Ah, Lydia! Good timing. We were about to send for you, but Irileth told us you'd be by shortly," Aramen greeted. "And glad to see you in good health, Hrongar."

"And you as well, Thanes," he responded, reaching the throne.

Mikael clapped his hands together. "Right! Well, on to the point, then. As you can see, our gear has been properly upgraded, and Birna should be arriving later tonight, where we will all be spending an evening at the inn before heading out in the morning. On that note," He shrugged off his pack and pulled out several items from it. "We have a few gifts. First, Lydia."

Lydia was utterly surprised to see what was laid out before her. An entire armor set made from dragon bones, including a new sword and shield. It was clear just from looking at it how strong it must be. Her father beside her looked similarly stunned, Irileth looked surprised and Jarl Balgruuf was quite impressed.

"My Thanes, I am honored. Thank you," She said with a bow.

"Ah, Lydia, what did we say about bowing to us?" Aramen said with a teasing smile. "And like we said, good gear is important, and damned if you don't deserve some of the best out there for what we put you through. There's some specific stuff about it that we'll explain later."

She could only nod and smile, itching to try it on. But she was sweaty and tired, she would save it for the morning.

"Next, a gift for you, Hrongar."

And she thought she couldn't be more surprised after that. The man next to her visibly reacted. "Me?" he asked, confused.

"You, unless there is some other Hrongar here?" Mikael joked. "This is both a gift for the living weapon that you are, and a thank you." Aramen pulled from his pack a Dragonbone Claymore, which he walked over to Hrongar and presented hilt first, blade down. He continued where his brother left off. "Thank you for taking such care of Lydia, thank you for raising her as well as you did. If you hadn't, we would never have gotten the chance to meet her, to fight alongside her." Both of the Breton's faces were utterly serious and honest. Hrongar was not an emotional man, but he knew respect when he saw it, and grasped the blade tightly, looking into the eyes of the Thane, taking it from the much younger man. He held it up before his eyes, Lydia also observing it, then lowered it.

"I thank you both, Aramen and Mikael. Know that you will always be welcome in my home," he swore.

They nodded seriously, before turning their attention to the other female in the room.

"Irileth." Lydia could see the intrigued look in her mentor's eyes. "To better defend your life and that of Jarl Balgruuf's, we have for you this." Mikael drew a Dragonbone Sword from his pack, in a sheath. "Upon this blade we have a special enchantment that I invented. Note the indentation on the bottom of the pommel," he indicated. He tapped it, and for a brief second, a wide shimmering ward formed in a bubble before dissipating almost immediately. "This ward will spread out four feet in every direction from the handle and could take the force of a giant's club, but will only last about fifteen seconds before needing a recharge, less if it were a couple giants. In case of some emergency, I trust you will make excellent use of this." With that, he offered it to her, sideways.

Irileth took it in her left hand with great care, and nodded solemnly. "I thank you both for this fine gift and swear it shall be put to good use for our lord." Mikael smiled and offered his hand, which Irileth shook. Lydia looked at Jarl Balgruuf, who was watching this all with silent pride and clear happiness.

"Finally" Aramen spoke. "Jarl Balgruuf."

Her lord leaned forward, giving his full attention.

Aramen withdrew a wicked looking Dragonbone War Axe. Lydia noted that this, along with the other weapons, appeared to have been refined at a grinding wheel. She almost laughed, it would have been just like the two of them to take the best of weapons and refine them."A Jarl should have only the best of personal defense, but a wise Nord knows that the best defense is a good offense. Hence why this little beauty has a powerful Magicka Absorption enchantment on it, to help you plow through whatever physical or magical defense your enemies have. May your enemies never live to regret the folly of attacking you, Jarl Balgruuf." He offered the weapon the the Jarl.

Jarl Balgruuf smiled, standing up. He took the offered axe in hand and stared at it for a moment, then turned and swung several chops in the air. He exhaled, seeming very pleased, and tucked the axe into his belt, sitting back down on the throne. "I've been plied with bribes and gifts by more than a few who thought they could place me in their debt, but I've never received an honest gift of such quality, nor seen a Thane of Whiterun offer such to others of the court." He looked at the Thanes, who had moved to both stand beside each other in front of him. "I am truly thankful for what you've done here tonight, my Thanes."

Lydia couldn't help smiling as well when her two Thanes grinned. "Honestly, we're just happy to know that you all will be safer and better off with those at your side," Mikael said.

"And it was damned satisfying to work with such high-grade materials," Aramen continued.

"So long as we can be of help, Jarl Balgruuf, we intend to be. We like Whiterun and consider you a friend."

"As do I, Aramen and Mikael." The moment seemed to hold there, with all six of those present smiling at one another.

"Now I'm afraid we must be off, got an early start in the morning," Mikael explained, giving his short bow and brother nodding.

"Of course, please go get rest. I wish you all safe journeys," Balgruuf told them. The Twins slipped their packs back on, collecting Lydia's armor.

"Take care, you three," Irileth called as they turned away.

Lydia turned and faced her father. She stepped into his embrace, him patting her back. After a few seconds she stepped back, smiling at her father. "I love you, father. I'll see you again when next I return."

"You be safe, Lydia, and watch after them well," he replied. No more needed to be said between them, they knew everything important that didn't have to be.

And as Lydia turned towards the stairs, to the door leading out of Dragonsreach, she looked at the grinning faces of her two companions. For the first time in a long time, she grinned as well.

Whatever came next, she would always have this moment.

It was about the break of dawn when the trio stepped out of the inn, followed by Birna and one of the guards from Whiterun who had escorted the wagon, a fellow named Loke. They immediately headed for the gates, pausing only to get their souvenirs.

"By the gods! Is this why you wanted me to save space on the wagon?" the shopkeep asked. She had done a bit of shopping when she arrived the previous day and had some bundles of cloth and furs.

On their way out, passing by Warmaidens, they had left the very last unused portions of the dragons they'd killed; the skulls. "They'll make one hell of a conversation piece," Mikael commented, struggling to lift one with both arms and magic while Lydia and Aramen took the other. Birna merely shook her head and made for the gate. As they left, a few of the guards would cheer upon seeing the skulls, shouting praise at the Thanes.

Soon, they reached the stables, where Birna quickly hooked up her horses to the wagon while everyone else hopped in the back, the wood creaking slightly from the weight of four grown adults and two heads.

"Time to be getting back," Aramen declared. With that, they took off, heading northbound to their destination.

OMAKE TIME

The day after their dinner, the Twins returned to Dragonsreach to discuss a most important matter.

"I'm sorry, a what?" Proventus asked.

"A concert," Mikael explained patiently. "A musical festival hosted by Whiterun, run by us two. We've already sent invitations to a few key groups and people."

"We'll be providing all the music, naturally." Aramen pantomimed strumming a guitar. "Songs you've never heard before in your lives, nor has anyone in all of Tamriel, I can guarantee."

"Many different styles of music, with even a bit of showmanship courtesy of yours truly," Mikael told them, smoke flowing out of his fingers. "I can promise you it will be the cultural cornerstone of the century. Something beyond what any have ever experienced."
"We just want you guys to play host, since Whiterun is fairly centralized and Dragonsreach is practically already a stage by design. You won't go uncompensated, I can assure you."

Jarl Balgruuf mused. Irileth remained silent, completely out of her element on the subject. Proventus seemed more skeptical, but when didn't he? "I will grant you this request, my Thanes. Just be aware that this is my home, and that you may be held responsible if things go wrong."

The Twins grinned widely. "Not to worry Jarl Balgruuf. In a couple nights, you'll be thanking the divines that you allowed us to do this."

XxX

Oh yeah. This is one of the omake ideas I've had since this story's conception. A whole bloody concert. It'll probably be broken up into a few pieces, but I'm still rather excited for it. The Overpowered Broken Game Omake will continue, don't you worry.

Please, sir, can I have some more reviews?

-Waki Paki