Chapter eleven: Truth
Ulfric's allowance couldn't have come at a better time. Ellayna decided to ignore the crude fact that nords despised magic and make herself learn new spells. Frankly the only way she'd managed to survive that dragon was her magic, not by her archery and certainly not by any blade. So as soon as the courier delivered her pouch of coin she left Jorrvaskr and traveled the short way up to Dragonsreach. She was embarrassedly winded at the end of the multiple staircases but pressed on into the keep nevertheless. There she sought Farengar Secret-Fire, a wizard Ellayna had only crossed paths with once. From him she purchased multiple spell-tomes, avoided his persistent questions about the dragon she recently dispatched, and left as soon as she was able.
Currently she sat in Farkas' chambers, the spell tomes open and surrounding her. This was the only private place she could be when casting spells. Most of the Companions being nords, she didn't doubt she would have to deal with snide comments if she practiced in front of them. Leaning back against Farkas' headboard, Ellayna focused on the space before her. Bringing her magic to her fingers she conjured the familiar from the tome. There was a "whosh" and a sphere of deep purple. Ellayna paused, vaguely concerned about what was going to emerge from it. Suddenly a canine stood in its place. Not just any canine; a wolf. The beast look around in confusion, tail between its hind legs. Its body mildly transparent and pale grey, it didn't strike a frightening figure. It gave a whimper and lowered its head, bewildered. Ellayna gaped at the wolf, mouth open. "You're supposed to be ferocious," she hissed quietly at it.
The door of Farkas' chamber opened and the nord nearly yelped. He hurriedly closed the door, cautiously stepping around the familiar. The wolf, hackles raised, was just as cautious of him. "Why is there a wolf?" Farkas asked with concern.
"It's supposed to be a familiar to help me fight, but somehow I don't think that's what this scaredy-cat will do–" The wolf snarled abruptly, interrupting her. Eyes locked on the wolf, Farkas lowered himself onto the bed pallet beside Ellayna.
"I don't think you should call him a cat."
"Agreed."
Neither of the two relaxed until the wolf disappeared, "whoshing" away in a flurry of purple. Farkas turned then to smile at Ellayna, watching her thoughtfully.
She prodded his thigh with her foot. "Is there a reason for your stare, you big lovable nord?"
"You're very pretty," his smile got bigger, reaching his eyes. Then he moved, heedlessly knocking down the spell tomes, climbing over the small bed to lay beside her. On his side, he had his chin just against her shoulder.
Ellayna watched him kiss her shoulder out of the corner of her eye. "You seem happy."
"I am," he began grinning then tried to conceal it against her arm. "I had an idea."
"Oh? Do tell."
He shifted nervously. "There's this place I used to go to when I was a kid. Vil doesn't even know where it is. It's outside Whiterun and I used to use it as my… safe place."
"'Safe place'?"
"I used to get in a lot of trouble when I was a kid. A lot of trouble Sometimes I had to run away from that, or get away from Vil if he was being a grump," Farkas spoke shyly. "I want to take you there."
"Truly?"
He made a grumbling sound. "I'm not joking."
"I didn't say you were," she smiled warmly and pressed a kiss to the top of his forehead. "So where is this place?"
"South of Whiterun. It's hard to explain where, exactly. I'd be better of showing you the way."
She chuckled and leaned into him more. "I supposed we could call it a date?"
Even from where she was she could see him blush. "I suppose," he mumbled against her arm. "So you'll come with me?"
"Of course, I want to see where tiny you hid when you were a little shit."
There was a rude and loud thud on the door of the chamber. "I need to talk to you!" Vilkas barked low. Farkas sighed against her.
"I think he's talking to you," Ellayna murmured. "Somehow I don't think he would tolerate looking at myself."
Farkas mumbled an agreement and pushed himself up. He gave her a lingering kiss then, reluctantly, moved away. She missed his warmth against her side immediately and wished they had gotten to speak longer.
[-X-]
Farkas could see Vilkas pacing before he pushed his twin's door open fully. There was little part of him that wanted to speak to his brother when Vilkas had that particular look on his face. Vilkas' jaw was clenched, his nose wrinkled slightly as if he was about to snarl. He bit his thumb's nail, glancing up at Farkas with brooding eyes. His shoulders were hunched and the tendons in his neck protruding. "Why are you looking so pleased?" Vilkas demanded.
Briefly Farkas considered whether or not to tell Vilkas the whole truth, but he hated lying to his brother. "Ellayna agreed to go to my Safe Place with me."
"What?" Vilkas froze where he was. His eyes were locked on Farkas. "You're taking that bitch to your 'safe place' yet you refuse to take me? You fucking traitor!"
"Vil?" Farkas closed the door behind himself, stunned. His Safe Place was somewhere he didn't take Vilkas because sometimes even loved ones become too much to be around. But he wanted to share that with Ellayna; he wanted to have her in a place where neither Vilkas nor Athis could glower and snarl. "How can you say that?"
"Because I am your brother, and she's some common slut–"
"How can you say that? She's not a slut and stop being horrible!"
A shrill, sickening laugh came from Vilkas. "You don't know the half of it, do you? Go speak to Athis."
"I don't want to speak with Athis, I'm talking to you and you're being nasty."
"I'll tell you then," Vilkas stepped forward confrontationally, arms crossed over his chest. "She's was a whore. Literally. Men used to pay her for her body. Athis told me he saw her in a brothel in Solitude. General Tullius himself used to pay for her."
Farkas just stared. He clenched his jaw and kept his lips sealed.
"That woman you're so keen on has probably fucked hundreds of men. I don't understand why you're chasing after a whore like her. You're worth more than that, Farkas, to me and to everyone else."
Instead of replying, Farkas turned away. With something akin to a growl, Vilkas grabbed his twin's arm and held him there with an iron grip. Farkas kept his eyes away, feeling his rage gathering. Whether it was truth or not he did not know; truthfully he did not care. But it hurt that it was this Vilkas was trying to use to force Farkas away from her.
"You have to hear this and understand it," desperation was leaking into Vilkas' voice now. "You have to understand what she is. She's a liar and a bitch and doesn't deserve your attentions," Vilkas' other hand slid down to Farkas' balled fist. He tried vainly to unclench Farkas' fingers and join their hands together. "Farkas, please. Understand where I'm coming from–"
"Stop!" Farkas snapped defensively. "You can't change my opinion of her."
Never had Farkas seen Vilkas looking so betrayed. "Farkas, she was a whore–"
"What does that even matter?"
Vilkas was suddenly rampant again. "You're trusting that bitch over me? I'm your brother, Farkas," he pushed himself against Farkas, his face almost touching his twin's. "Your twin brother. And you know we're more than that–"
"No!" Farkas pulled away. "Leave Ellayna alone, and leave me alone!"
He left Vilkas gawping after him. As soon as Farkas opened and slammed the door behind himself, he was glad he could no longer see his brother. The fury of a wolf was boiling inside of him, snarling internally. He wanted to believe that Vilkas said those things for Farkas' benefit but he knew the selfishness of his brother's words. Vilkas wanted to push Ellayna away. Worse, he wanted Farkas himself to distance himself from her. Instead of wanting his brother to be happy, Vilkas wished only for his own happiness and selfish pleasures.
Ellayna emerged from Farkas' chamber. As always he smiled when he saw her but that immediately faded. There were tears in her eyes. She met his gaze squarely, her voice shaking, "Now you know."
"Puppy, it doesn't matter what Vilkas said."
"It does, Farkas," she spat, trying to storm passed him. "It fucking does."
His reflexes were to grab her instead of letting her pass. Before she shook from his grasp he could feel her trembling. "It doesn't matter, pup," he tried futilely to reassure her. "Truthfully it doesn't."
"You don't understand!" Her voice rose to a shout. "I don't want your pity and I don't want you feeling like you have to take care of me."
"Ellay–"
She all but ran passed him. Confused, he followed her. Not once did she glance back as she stalked into the whelps' barracks. "Puppy, it's not like that," Farkas sounded small. "There are things I can think of that I don't want you knowing about me," this was entirely accurate, "But you would be better off knowing them. This is like that. Just because I know who you used to be, that doesn't mean I see you any differently."
After grabbing her cloak and a pouch from beneath her bed pallet, her gaze shot to him with venom he never wanted to see again. "How can you not see me differently, Farkas? What the hell makes you so different from everyone else?"
Farkas' tone was falling to anxiety. He did not understand why she was panicking. "How much did you hear us say?"
She stared at him, then looked away. "I heard Vilkas tell you. These walls are awfully thin. I couldn't listen after that."
"Then you don't know everything I said."
"I don't need to!"
The last thing Ellayna grabbed was a pair of riding boots and passed him, unable to meet his eyes. Still, Farkas was confused. She was correct about one thing and that was that he felt pity for her. Anyone would feel pity for someone who had to resort to such measures. Why she was overreacting and panicking in a way so unlike her? He could not wrap his head around her actions.
He tailed her again, more like a lost pup than a furious nord. He could see her as she swung her cloak around her shoulders. "Ellayna," he called after her, hurrying up the steps into the mead hall itself. Unfortunately there were other gazes now on them; Skjor, Aela, Njada and Athis. The latter was the worst person to be witnessing this. The four were sitting at the rectangle table, tankards in hand.
"I didn't give you a job," Aela's eyes narrowed as she pointed this out to Ellayna.
"You did not," Ellayna tersely confirmed. "I don't know when I'll be back."
Skjor's usual scowl deepened. "And where do you think you're going?"
"Away."
Farkas decided to plead. "Ellayna, stop, please. Talk to me."
The laugh Athis let free a laugh much like the one Vilkas had at one stage. "You finally found out, then? Good. Let her leave and hope that she doesn't come back."
"Explain," Skjor barked.
"She's a prostitute," Athis leaned back in his chair and revealed all smugly. "Is or was, it doesn't make a difference. She's still a dishonorable whore."
Ellayna paused where she was. For a brief moment Farkas believed she would throw herself at him in fury. Instead she then continued her escape, giving Farkas a short-lived glance. In her expression there was not only sorrow but guilt. Then she left Jorrvaskr, not uttering a goodbye. That time Farkas did not follow her.
I was really freaking out while writing this oh my gosh. Anyway, this story will mostly be from Ellayna's point of view but it will occasionally switch to Farkas', as there are some scenes that I can't do from Ellayna's. I'm still veering away from the humor stuff but was this alright?
