Valleri couldn't help but stare wide eyed at the city looming in front of them. If she looked closely enough, the Imperial woman could clearly see the buildings and spires carved out of the bed rock. She had seen cities carved out of stone before, but nothing on this scale. Alastaros told her that they were primarily exploring Dwemer ruins during their ill-fated trip. Were they all like this?

Vilkas didn't seem to be phased by the grandeur of the front gate. To him it was probably just another city with more problems and people to deal with. There were only so many times a person could go to a place and still feel amazed by it.

She turned to look at the Nord only slightly behind her, trudging through the patchy snow like he was going to murder someone, "You okay?"

He stared at her with narrowed eyes, "I'm fine. I remembered just how much I hate this place."

The smile faded from Valleri's face before she turned back around. She stopped and looked up at the city, "What's so bad about Markarth?"

Vilkas stopped behind her, finally looking up. The scowl on his face faded into an expression of mild annoyance, "Same type of people here as there are anywhere else. Besides, the entire city's built on a Dwemer ruin. That just can't be safe." The Nord continued along the path leading to the gates.

"That's exciting though!"

"I'm not going to say anything more and let you think that," Vilkas muttered before finally reaching the steps leading to the city gates.

Valleri shook her head. She was about to take another quick step to catch up to Vilkas when she felt something ram into the back of her legs. Valleri felt the heel of her boot slip across a slick patch of ice. The woman reached out for anything to grab onto but the fall was inevitable. She hit the ground with a thud and her right shoulder careened into the point of a jagged rock. "Fuck!"

Vilkas turned to face his friend laying on the ground, "What in oblivion happened?"

Valleri steadied herself. She looked over to her left; there was a wide eyed dog wagging it's tail and staring at her with what could have been a smile. "I hit an ice parch," the Imperial muttered as she caught up to Vilkas. She could see him begin to smile smugly.

"You didn't break anything, did you?"
"Oh, shut up."

"I take it there wasn't a lot of ice on the Gold Coast?" Vilkas retorted, desperately trying to keep a straight face. He waited for Valleri to enter the city before going on through himself.

"If I ever see you there, I'm gonna throw sand in your eyes." Valleri grumbled.

Vilkas sighed, rubbing the back of his head with a free hand, "That's fair." Valleri shot him a glare through narrowed green eyes. The Nord couldn't help but laugh to himself. He paused in the middle of the market, watching as Valleri seemed to continue on to a side street. Shaking his head, Vilkas addressed her, "Valleri, where're you going?"

The woman paused and spun on her heel to face him. She looked at him with confusion then realization, "I have no idea."

"We're supposed to meet a man by the name of Ainethach at the Silverblood Inn."

Valleri began to approach Vilkas again, face contorted in a frown, "Where was I going?"

"Up to the other side of town towards the mine. Come on," Vilkas held the heavy stone door open for Valleri as she strode on through into the warmth of the building. The interior of the inn was dimly lit apart from the hearth at the back of the room and a wall sconce every few feet. Vilkas stepped in and the door slammed behind him with a thud. The inn was mostly empty apart from a spare smeter worker here and there. All Vilkas knew was that they were searching for a Breton. At least he'd assumed Ainethach was a Breton name. He followed Valleri to the back of the room and took a seat by the hearth.

It wasn't long before they were approached by a newcomer. The man was too short to be a Nord and the tattoos on his face certainly didn't have any cultural motifs that Vilkas could recognize. The man crossed his arms nervously, "Sorry but are you guys with the Companions? I was supposed to meet a man by the name of Vilkas here."

Valleri glanced at her friend with a questioning expression. Vilkas nodded, "I'm him. This is Valleri, she's with the Companions as well," he gestured to the woman in question. She smiled at the Breton anxiously.

"Well that's all well and good. You're gonna need more than one person any ways," Ainethach laughed nervously while Valleri shot Vilkas an unsure glance. "Some of my miners went missing a while ago near an old Nordic ruin and I haven't seen them since. I'd go after them myself but I've got enough problems between the Forsworn and those, well, I'm going to stop there."

"You own land around here then?"
"That I do, Karthwasten."
"What's the ruin called?" Valleri piped up from her seat on the other side of Ainethach.

"Ragnvald. All I know is that if I go meddling around an old burial site, I might get attacked and loose the mine."

Vilkas muttered, looking into the fire in front of him, "Shouldn't be too hard."

"Great then. The ruin is a tad to the south west of Karthwasten. There's a road that should be going right to it some where between here and my town."

"At least we won't have to spend a day looking for it," Valleri couldn't help but smile, reminding Vilkas of their trip to Dustman's Cairn a week or so before.

Ainethach finally laughed genuinely, "I'll leave you two to it then. When you're done just come on up to the mine and let me know what happens." He turned to leave the inn, "I'll see you in a few days hopefully."

Vilkas watched him leave then looked back to Valleri. The woman unclasped her cloak and laid it across the back of her chair. Her hair was hanging in front of her eyes, rose gold light glinting off of the strands. She turned to face Vilkas, mouth curled up in a grin.

Vilkas paused, not knowing what to say. He looked back int the fire and started speaking, "We'll leave tomorrow morning. No need to rush at this point; people don't typically make it out of places like that alive."

Valleri's gaze turned sorrowful in the firelight, "Well, you're not wrong." The woman looked back over to Vilkas, "We call those people idiots. But when you think, we're the idiots, right?"

"I'm not an idiot though," Vilkas muttered, "I'm a trained professional. I've been going through old ruins and caves since I was barely a man."
Valleri laughed, "Me too, but that doesn't mean I make the best decisions," she patted him on the back roughly, "You should know!"

Vilkas sighed, smiling all the while, "Regardless, you've only ever been theses sorts of places for research or treasure hunting or whatever it was you did with Alastaros, but you were still safe about it."

"And what part of this is safe?" Valleri cocked an eyebrow. Vilkas only shook his head and looked back into the fire.

This was going to be fun.

…

Breakfast was a dull affair the next morning; Valleri wasn't feeling particularly hungry and Vilkas was missing after she left him the night before. Though it wasn't like she could really coax him into doing much anyways. Valleri learned many things about the Nord in the time she spent with the Companions; Vilkas was not someone you messed with early in the morning. It wasn't that he was overtly horrible, the man was just cold and distant.

Valleri accidentally woke up earlier than she would have liked. The stony bed provided by the inn was insufferable and Valleri would much rather sleep outside on the ground than on the slab of rock. She had a hard time falling asleep in the first place, but staying asleep was another thing.

The woman found a corner table in the main room of the inn and sat for a time. People filled the building as they came inside to find food and a warm fire to wake them up. Most of them were sluggish smelter workers, dressed in threadbare tunics and trousers. How they could work outside like that was beyond her. Even with the heavy cloak, Valleri still felt the chill creep up on her.

Valleri broke off another piece of bread but couldn't find will to start eating it. Sitting alone for the morning meal felt foreign. In the time that she was staying with the Companions, she would end up eating with Vilkas. He wasn't much of a conversationalist but the company was nice at least. Finally, she started to nibble on a spare carrot on her plate. The taste was bland, but it was food.

She perked up when she saw a familiar black haired Nord lumbering out into the main hall. He was slouching as he walked; Valleri figured he didn't sleep well either. He stopped by the main counter before turning around to search for her. Valleri made no move to welcome him to the table. Instead she began to slouch further into her chair when he came striding up.

Vilkas yawned as he took a seat across the table. Valleri smiled to herself, "You too, huh?"

"Gods, I hate this city," Vilkas grumbled. "Why they don't use normal beds is beyond me."

Valleri stifled a laugh, "Did you actually get any sleep?"

Vilkas rubbed his eyes and sighed. "Only a few hours. What about you?

The Imperial laughed, "No, I don't think so." The Nord across from her furrowed his eyebrows, "I've been sitting out here for a few hours." Valleri paused, twirling a strand of hair around her finger, "Do you think that maybe we should have just gone straight to Ragnvald?"

Vilkas stole the last piece of bread from Valleri's plate, "Not at all. I'd much rather just sleep on a stone bed than walk in the dark in the Reach."

Valleri thought of the surrounding scenery, steep cliffs and fast-moving rivers could be dangerous in the day time. It was easy to see Vilkas' point. She watched him finish off the food on her plate and got up to put her cloak back on. "How long do you think it'll take to get there?"

Vilkas shook his head and looked down at the table, "Not long at all. The trek will take the better part of a day, but that's to be expected." The chair clattered as Vilkas began to move back into his room, "I've got a few things to pick up, then I'll meet you outside."

Valleri nodded her head in reply and began towards the door. She hesitated before opening it, mentally preparing herself for the blast of cold from the outside. It was still dark as well, the looming wall in front of her blocked the sun. The walk to Ragnvald was going to be miserable. Valleri leaned against a stone pillar supporting the rockface and closed her eyes. She figured she may as well get a bit more rest before leaving Markarth.

She waited by the door for some time before she saw a cloaked figure running down one of the side streets at an oddly fast pace. Valleri could only stare on, feet frozen in place as the figure kept running closer. Valleri shouted at them with worry before she attempted to step away. The woman was too late, the hooded figure side swiped her and fell forward into the stony ground. Valleri tried to reach out for anything to regain her balance, but she felt herself loose her footing on another ice patch. She felt her side hit the ground hard before attempting to get up. "Gates to oblivion," Valleri shouted as she propped herself back up with an arm. Her shoulder was throbbing again. She glanced at the person who ran into her; he too was picking himself up from the round and his hood was flipped back to reveal golden, pointed ears. She scowled, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am…" the Altmer trailed off.

"What in Ysmir's beard happened? I was gone for only a few minutes!" Valleri looked up and saw Vilkas standing in front of the door leading into the inn with a look of disappointment on his face. He walked over and offered a hand out to Valleri. She sighed and took it, cursing Vilkas internally. She wasn't going to hear the end of it.

"I accidentally ran into your friend here," the Altmer muttered as he turned around to face the two Companions. He looked at Vilkas with a sheepish grin then back at Valleri. He had only glanced at her for a few seconds before there was a bright light of recognition went off in his eyes and his jaw drop. "Wait, I think I know you!"

Valleri stepped back. there was something unsettling about this elf.

"Your name is Valleri right?" his smile faded when she failed to answer, "Did you have brother by the name of Lexius? A Redguard? How about Alastaros? Do any of those names sound familiar, at all?"

Valleri looked at him with wonder before glancing over to Vilkas, the Nord was equally surprised. "How the fuck did you know that?" Valleri muttered, listening to the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

The Altmer ginned again, taking Valleri's hands into his own, "I didn't think I'd ever get to meet you! Lexius was adamant that you hated the cold."

"How did you know Lexius though?"
The Altmer's grin faded a bit, "I met lexius when he came here to get the Falmer translation a year or so ago. I'm Calcelmo's nephew, Aicantar."
Valleri paused, immediately recognizing the name, "The same Calcemo that studied with Alastaros in the Imperial City before Alastaros got kicked out?" Aicantar nodded vigorously. Valleri breathed in and took her hand back, "Wow, I heard a few storied about Lex's trip but nothing in great detail."
Valleri heard Vilkas grumble behind her before patting her on the shoulder, "What are you doing running around so early in the morning when you're supposed to be in a Dwemer ruin with this Calcemo fellow?" Valleri glanced up to the Nord; it was another valid question.

Aicantar laughed nervously, "I was, uh, running errands, very important stuff." Valleri stared at hm through narrowed eyes. The Altmer winced, "Yeah, okay, fine. So maybe I may have gotten into a fight with Calcelmo."

Vilkas stared at the elf with a scowl, "Are you running away?"
Valleri breathed in sharply and didn't move her gaze away Aicantar, who was beginning to melt under Vilkas' scrutiny. She had to stop this before it started. The Imperial woman coughed to get Aicantar's attention, "Was it that bad?"

"Well, I maybe not so kindly told hm that he was too preoccupied with his own work to notice any of other plebeians working for him," the elf began to seethe again. Aicantar began to shift from one foot to another, "I figured getting away for a while would help."

Valleri tilted her head to the side, "It usually does."

The Imperial looked up to Vilkas. The man was rubbing his temples with annoyance, "We should probably start going."

"Right," Valleri mumbled. She paused and took one last look at the Altmer. He was dusting himself off and muttering something Valleri couldn't pick up. Tapping Vilkas on the arm for him to wait, she addressed Aicantar one more time, "Hey, you're from Summerset Isles, right? Are you good with destruction spells?"
Aicantar furrowed his thin eyebrows, "It's called Alinor now, but yeah. I'm pretty handy with lightning."

Valleri smiled, preparing herself for the barrage of complaints that would come in a moment or two, "Why not come with us? I'm sure we could use another person and staying out of the city isn't going to do anything for you."

"Valleri, what the hell?" Vilkas all but shouted, eyes wide and stormy.

"What's wrong with having another person with us?"

"The elf's a liability."

"No, he isn't. It'll be fine."

Vilkas' mouth turned into thin line, "No. That's it, he's not coming with us."

Valleri wanted to punch the Nord, but stayed still. They didn't have to agree on everything. Before she knew it, Aicantar slowly raised his hand and began to speak, "Actually, I'd like to go. I'm not sure where you're all going but I'd rather be anywhere but here."
Vilkas stared at Aicantar for only moment before sighing. Her rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Fine, he can come." Aicantar shot Valleri a happy glance before Vilkas began to address the Imperial woman, "You'll be the one to talk to his uncle if anything happens though. I don't have any particular wish to deal with smug elves.'

The Nord turned to leave and Valleri began to walk next to Aicantar. The elf shot her an exasperated smile, "Is he always like that?"

Valleri laughed to herself, 'Not always. You just caught him on an odd day."

"Well, that's inconvenient," he held the city gate open for Valleri, who didn't even try to catch up to Vilkas. "What happened to Lexius? Did you guys ever find that necklace he mentioned?"
Valleri paused, her face turning white, and breathed out sharply. Cold creeped up on shoulders, a different cold than the snow around them. She turned back to Aicantar with a sorrowful expression, "A lot of things happened since then. Right now isn't really a good time to talk about it." The woman turned away only to see Vilkas waiting at the bottom of the steps. He had definitely overheard their conversation and his scowl was replaced by a much softer expression. Valleri felt a little better when she nodded in reply and the three of them started on their trek to Ragnvald.