Last time of The Legend of Varion…

Varion and Vilkas killed the entirety of the silver hand at Driftshade Refuge, ending the majority of the Silver Hand organisation. They now return to Whiterun with heavy hearts and bloodsoaked blades…

Now, back to the story…

The skies were dark and the mood was solemn as Varion entered the grounds of Jorrvaskr, though he and Vilkas seemed to be alone in that depressed mood. Inside the bannered mare back in the plains district, he had heard shouts of joy and revelry, no doubt a large feast was going on with drinking and conversation where he assumed the other companions would be. "Whatever lets them get their minds off this" he thought dejectedly. He was in no mood for celebrating, not after the last week of events had left him completely drained. Dragging himself up the steps of the Skyforge, he saw Eorlund working away as always. They'd arrived at Whiterun in the late hours of the night, so Varion was half surprised to see the blacksmith at work, but everyone deals with grief in their own way. Varion absentmindedly traced a bloodstain on his armour. He'd have to get this replaced as soon as possible, he didn't feel comfortable wearing this stuff, not after what he'd done in it.

"Ah, Varion. Good to see you safe" Eorlund greeted. Varion nodded in response.

"I have the shards" he said, walking past Eorlund to place the bag on the forge bench. He sighed before speaking again. "The silver hand are gone," he continued. Eorlund nodded.

"Good. They deserved their fate" the blacksmith growled. Varion suspected he'd said that to try to comfort the young warrior, but Varion was too solemn for that. "I hate to burden you more Varion, but I have a favour to ask". At this, he gave a humourless laugh.

"Seems all I do is run errands for you" he replied without any real heat to it. "What do you need?"

"Kodlak kept the last fragment of Wuuthrad close to him at all times, in his quarters. I, I can't bring myself to go in there" Eorlund admitted, bowing his head in shame. Varion nodded.

"I'll get it. Are you going to reforge the axe?" he asked.

"Aye. First time I've had all the pieces. It's been broken for too long. As the blade is repaired, I hope the companions can heal too" he said.

"Never took you for a poet" he replied in humour. "I'll get you the shard. How long til the axe is forged?"

"A few days at least. This is the most important weapon I've crafted, not something to be rushed" Eorlund answered back. Varion nodded, then walked back down the stairs. Walking through the wrecked hall to Kodlak's room was painful. Despite his desire to get it over and done with, he couldn't help but walk at a slow pace. He stopped at the closed doors to Kodlak's room, next to the table that the old man used to sit at. Varion closed his eyes and leaned against a wall.

"Damn it old man" he muttered in sadness. Steeling himself, he opened the doors. It was a nice room, full of treasure and trophies from adventures long since past. If Vilkas was here with him, no doubt Varion could learn tons about so much, but he wasn't here for that. He opened up the draw next to Kodlak's bed and found the fragment of Wuuthrad, along with his journal. Despite it feeling slightly disrespectful, Varion wasted little time in beginning to read. "There has to be something in here about a cure, anything to give us a clue!" he said aloud in desperation. He failed to protect Kodlak while he was alive, he could at least help the old man in his death. However, as he read further, Varions heart sank. He completed the journal in silence, closing it gently before placing it back on the bedside table. Unable to stand, Varion collapsed and sat on the bed as he thought about what he had just read. "Kodlak…" was the only word he spoke. He then felt something run down his right cheek, something he didn't think he'd ever feel again. A single tear had escaped his eye. "I haven't cried since I killed him…" he said aloud softly. He wasn't exactly surprised. In the short time he'd known him, Kodlak had grown to be something of a second father to Varion. He'd helped with taming his inner demons more than even Arngeir had, and he and the companions had helped set Varion on a good course for carving his own life in Skyrim. But the words in the journal, Kodlak's dreams, his thoughts on Varion, and even a suggestion that Varion should be the next harbinger of the companions. It was almost too much to take in, and the dragonborn in question didn't feel worthy of all this. "If only we could've spoken more" he thought sadly. As he reflected, he heard a small noise from the doorway. Glancing behind him, he saw Aela standing there gazing at him.

"Varion, are you alright?" she asked gently. Varion considered denial for a moment, then his shoulders drooped.

"No. It's too much" he said in an almost broken tone. Aela stepped into the room, moving closer to him. She glanced over at Kodlak's journal.

"The old man's journal?" she asked with curiosity as opposed to an accusatory tone which Varion was thankful for.

"Yeah. There's nothing about a cure" he sighed.

"What else does it- No. I don't want to know" she started before stopping, grief overtaking her expressions again. Varion stood up and walked over to her.

"I've got to get this to Eorlund. Wuuthrad's being reforged" he explained before moving past her and back to the blacksmith.

"Wait, Varion-" Aela made to say something, but he was gone before she could. At the skyforge, Eorlund gave his thanks for fetching the shard and Varion began the relatively short walk back to Breezehome. He wasn't in the mood for any celebrations, he didn't drink, he didn't sing and he definitely didn't feel like telling stories tonight. In his depressed state, he didn't notice someone following him. He entered Breezehome, but Lydia was nowhere to be seen. Assuming she was already asleep, he made his way to his room, stripping off his armour as he did. Being left in just pants and a thin shirt, he moved to go to his bed, eager to forget about the horrific few days he'd just had. However, the person who was following him chose to make herself known. At the tap on his shoulder, Varion instinctively spun around, carrying a right hook with his momentum. However, it was a sloppy move, allowing his hidden stalker to duck under his attack before slamming her body weight into his chest, knocking him backwards onto his bed. He glanced up at who it was before relaxing.

"I knew you were the sneaky type Aela" he jested with no real humourous tone in his voice. Luckily for her, the dragon nature within him was silent and had been for hours, so he wasn't going to lash out for the stalking or the surprise attack.

"You left before I could finish talking" she said simply, though her tone carried no offence. Varion sighed softly.

"Sorry. Didn't feel like being around people" he replied simply.

"And now?" she asked. Varion took in her appearance. She had forgone her armour, wearing a casual shirt and pants. Her warpaint was gone, though her eyes were still rimmed red from tears.

"Are you suggesting something?" he asked cautiously, tensing up as theories rolled around in his head. He could've sworn she blushed at that, but he thought it wiser not to point that out.

"No, no. Not what you're implying" she reassured him, and he untensed a bit at that. "I just…" she trailed off. Varion stood back up and walked over to her.

"Aela?" he asked simply and she met his eye with some reluctance.

"I didn't want to be alone. I didn't want you to be alone" she almost whispered. Despite his mood, Varions lips twitched upwards in something of a smile.

"Thank you" he said sincerely and Aela stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him. He returned the embrace and they stood there, enjoying the comfort of each others company. After a while, Varion broke the hug and made to return to his bed. "Would you like to stay?" he asked. Aela silently nodded. They both climbed into the bed, lying down side by side. Aela snuggled into Varions chest and he wrapped his arms around her once more. Many thoughts flashed through his head. He didn't love Aela in a romantic way, he wasn't even sure he was capable of such a thing, and any sexual thoughts were nowhere to be found inside his mind, but he was drawing great pleasure from her company. When he felt her frame shake and faint sobbing come from her, he tightened his grip and she held onto him as she cried. "The old man was truly a father to her. I knew him for a month and a bit, she knew him for decades" he thought, understanding his companions anguish. Eventually her tears subsided and she glanced up at him.

"Thank you" she said, mirroring his words from earlier. Before he could reply, she kissed his cheek before closing her eyes and returning her head onto his chest. His earlier words died on his tongue and he simply allowed his lips to form into a small smile.

"Rest well" he whispered before closing his own eyes. Sleep came fast and the two companions dreamed of better days.

X-X-X-X-X

The next morning came all too soon. Lydia had been blushing when she saw Aela and Varion exit the room together, but in his usual blunt fashion, Varion explained the situation as it was. "I'd better not spread the word that the two fiercest warriors in Whiterun are the cuddling type!" Lydia had joked when she heard this news, though Varion just shrugged and the huntress simply blushed, rolled her eyes and turned away, grabbing her bow that she'd left downstairs. Of course she hadn't come without a weapon.

"The funeral is tonight Varion" Aela said softly, glancing back at the dragonborn before walking out the door. He sighed heavily.

"I know. I'll be there, I promise" he replied reassuringly. Even if part of him wanted to be anywhere else but there, he wouldn't miss this for the world, or a dragon attack, or Delphine, or the Greybeards, or anything else that required his attention. Lydia rested a hand on his shoulder and Varion allowed himself to enjoy the reassurance for a few seconds before he heard a cry from outside. Growling in frustration, he grabbed his old one handed blades from their place on the weapon rack before throwing the door open. What he saw surprised him. Aela and the city guard were currently dueling against three dark robed figures. What should have normally been an easy fight for a companion was far too even for his liking, as the robed figures shot red magic from their hands and kept up with Aela's hand to hand combat with only minor struggle. Wasting no time, Varion threw himself forward and kicked the one attacking Aela, sending them flying a short distance. He tossed her one of his swords before blocking a dagger slash from the second robed figure. He glanced behind them and saw a Whiterun guard bleeding on the ground and he grit his teeth. Returning his eyes to his attackers face, he saw their eyes glow orange and he knew what he was dealing with. Snarling in anger, he unleashed Whirlwind sprint and crashed right into the vampire, ramming them into the city gate. He then jumped back and drove his sword through their heart, instantly killing them and pinning them to the wooden gate behind them. He glanced back and saw Aela break the neck of the last remaining vampire, the one he kicked had been impaled by Lydia. Varion breathed heavily in annoyance.

"Are you alright my thane?" Lydia asked.

"Yeah. God damn bloodsuckers. Why today?" he growled. He was really hoping that today would be peaceful, but this was a bad sign.

"Varion. I have a theory" Aela said, walking up behind them. "While we were…" she trailed off, not exactly comfortable with recalling their tales of vengeance. "Back at Jorrvaskr, there were quite a few contracts coming in related to vampire attacks. There were about 3 in the Rift, two in the Reach, and five from Haafingar" she explained. Varion raised an eyebrow.

"So these guys have been attacking cities now?" he questioned.

"Not just cities. These jobs were mainly to deal with attacks on small farms or towns. This is the first I've heard of an attack on a major hold city" she said, frowning as she did so. Varion thought on this.

"Damn it. Dragon crisis, civil war, silver hand and now vampires. Will Skyrim ever give me a break?" he wondered aloud. Aela scoffed.

"You're dragonborn. I don't think you'll be getting a quiet farming life" she teased. He just rolled his eyes at this. She smirked and headed off, waving goodbye as she did so. Varion turned his eyes back to the carnage, but then saw an orc walk through the city gates. He was dressed in strange looking armour, different to anything Varion had seen before. He also had a strange looking weapon on his back. He shook his head in disappointment as he saw the dead guard and vampires whose bodies were starting to disintegrate in the sun now that they were dead.

"Such a damn shame. If only people took this menace more seriously" the orc lamented before looking at Varion. "Did you put down these scum?" he asked. Varion cautiously nodded.

"I took down one. My associates did in the others. Why?"

"I'm from an organisation called the Dawnguard. We're always on the lookout for capable warriors to fight against the vampire menace" he explained. Varion raised an eyebrow.

"Huh, not bad. Where can I find these dawnguard?" he asked.

"Good to see someone cares" the orc said with a smile, or as close to a smile as he could get with his rather intimidating face. "It's in an old fort in Dayspring Canyon, south east of Riften. Talk to Isran. I think he'll like you" the orc finished, offering his hand for Varion to shake. Varion clasped it firmly.

"Keep a spot reserved for me," he said in farewell and the orc nodded.

"What have you got yourself involved in now?" Lydia asked. Varion sighed.

"Yet another crisis. It can wait until tomorrow" he assured her, not wanting anyone to think he was going to skip the funeral. He retrieved his spare sword off the ground where Aela had dropped it during her fight.

"Of course my thane" Lydia said, nodding her head. Varion flexed his shoulders then walked back towards his house.

"We've got some preparing to do. I'm not wearing bloodstained armour to Kodlak's funeral" he half-jested, though his words weighed more heavily on his soul than he realised. Lydia said nothing, just silently following along with concern for her thane.

X-X-X-X-X

Putting his armour on in preparation for Kodlak's funeral was one of the most difficult eqippings Varion had ever undertaken in his life. His heart was heavy, his mind was fogged and in the end, he chose to forgo his helmet, not wanting to hide his face at all, not at this event. He'd spent about an hour just polishing his armour, trying to remove the blood from it. He'd spent equally as long on his sword, and though it shone now with it's orange glow, his hands were raw. With great reluctance, Varion left Breezehome with Lydia in tow. She'd also cleaned up for the event, her armour shining in the torch light. It was a clear night and the whole city was gathered outside of Jorrvaskr. They parted as Varion walked past and made his way to the steps of the skyforge. He heard the occasional whispers of "companion" or "dragonborn". He internally scoffed. "Great, people know me for what I am, not who I am". He didn't spend too long on this annoyance, he had greater concerns. Reaching the skyforge stairs, he turned around and glanced back at Lydia who gave a nod and remained at the bottom. As he stood at the top of the forge, he saw Kodlak's body lying on a pyre in the centre and his heart grew heavier. Varion glanced at the surrounding crowd. He saw Nazeem, Alvor, Faendal, Arcadia the alchemist, everyone in Whiterun hold seemed to be gathered to pay respects to Kodlak. The jarl walked over to Varion, getting his attention back from the crowd. He extended his arm and Varion clasped his forearm in a warriors handshake.

"My Jarl" Varion greeted simply.

"Dragonborn" Balgruuf replied. "My greatest sympathies Varion. All of Skyrim weeps at this loss" he said solemnly.

"Thank you sir. I'll miss him greatly" Varion replied sadly. They ended their greeting and Varion glanced over the crowd again. "Seems like half the hold is here" he said absentmindedly.

"Aye, Kodlak was known throughout the whole country, and beloved throughout Whiterun hold" Balgruuf replied. He looked at Varion with a curious expression. "Any news of who will be his successor?" he asked. Varion frowned, a little taken aback.

"No-one could ever replace Kodlak. He was a greater man than any of the companions here" he said solemnly. The jarl nodded.

"Well, I'm sure he had someone in mind" Balgruuf said knowingly. Varion regarded him with some interest. Perhaps Kodlak had told him about his thoughts? It wouldn't have surprised him honestly. With that, the Jarl gave Varion a nod and then took his place in the semi circle surrounding the pyre. The circle stood in front of them all, each holding a torch in their hand. Aela spoke first.

"Who will speak on the circles behalf? Varion?" she asked, gesturing to him. Varion felt uncomfortable with all the eyes now on him, but he gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

"Before the ancient flame" he began.

"We grieve". The whole crowd spoke in unison, such a word was powerful.

"At this loss…" Eorlund added.

"We weep". It was hardly the volume of the greybeards, but you could feel the pain in every person as they spoke the words.

"For the fallen" the jarl spoke.

"We shout!" Varion stepped forward. Aela had briefed him about what the companions wanted him to do here earlier and while he found it a little overkill, he accepted.

"Yol" he said, far softer than any shout he'd used before. The pyre was lit ablaze and began to burn, taking the body of Kodlak with it. Varion felt terrible, but he forced himself to continue. "And for ourselves…" he continued.

"We take our leave". The collective voice of mourning echoed throughout the city, throughout the hold. Varion felt another tear roll down his cheek and he allowed it to fall, but he refused to cry anymore. He wouldn't allow himself that weakness. Looking around, he saw that he was clearly the only one feeling such restrictions. Everyone else was ranging from teary to full out weeping, not that the dragonborn could blame them. His very soul was heavy, but with grief instead of dragon instinct. Kodlak had truly been like a father to him in the short time he'd known him, and he hadn't felt this remorse since his actual parents were taken from him. The memories flashed into his mind and his breathing became shallower, more rapid. Clenching his fist hard enough to draw blood if he wasn't armoured, he tried to shove down the panic.

"Everyone's watching, I won't freak out now, I can't!" he shouted internally, though it did little to reduce the anxiety he now felt. He was half tempted to wake up his dragon nature just to give himself something else to focus on, but he then felt a weight on his shoulder. Aela stood next to him, holding her torch in one hand and resting the other on his shoulder. He focused on her hand and on Kodlak in front of him, though the tension in his body remained. Slowly but surely, the memories died down and his breathing returned to normal. He shot Aela a solmen, yet grateful smile and she nodded in return. Eventually, the citizens started to leave, followed by the nobles and Balgruuf. The four companions of the circle were the last to leave and Varion followed his fellow members into the underforge. Upon entering, Vilkas, Farkas and Aela almost immediately began a heated discussion, arguing back and forth about the wolf blood. Varion may have been in a grieving mood and barely on the edge of a panic attack, but he was done with this.

"Being moon-born isn't as much of a curse as you might think Vilkas!" Aela snapped. Vilkas glared.

"The blood keeps you from Sovngarde! What true nord would turn their back on-"

"SHUT UP! YOUR OPINIONS DON'T MATTER FOR THIS!" Varion roared and everyone, even Aela, shut up real quick. He breathed deeply, then continued more calmly. "Sorry, but it had to be said. I don't care what you each think of the blood. What I do know is that Kodlak wanted a cure. We owe it to the old man to see his dream fulfilled" he explained, and he was surprised to see many nods of agreement.

"Apologies Varion. My personal view got in the way again" Vilkas said sorrowfully.

"Sorry" Aela muttered, which was basically her way of saying what Vilkas said but far less eloquently. Varion breathed deeply again.

"Ok, I cut off the heads of all the witches. Does anyone have any idea what to do with them?" he asked. Predictably, Vilkas spoke up.

"Yes, I believe I have the solution," he said. "I was pouring over some old tomes of mine and I found something interesting. Far north, near winterhold, lies the ancient tomb of Ysgramor. It says that the soul of a companion can be cleansed there" he explained.

"There the soul of the harbingers shall heed the call of northern steel" Aela said softly. Vilkas looked at her in surprise.

"You know of it?" he asked.

"I loved the old man just as much as the rest of you" she said somewhat defensively. "But to enter the tomb, you need Wuuthrad, and it's been in pieces for thousands of years" she finished. Varion clenched his fist, unwilling to be stopped by such an annoying detail.

"And elves once ruled skyrim. Dragon's were once just stories. Just because something is, doesn't mean it has to be" Eorlund announced, walking into the underforge. "Wuuthrad is ready to be rebuilt

"You can reforge it?" he practically whispered, in reverence of the axe.

"A weapon is a tool. Tools are meant to be broken and repaired" Eorlund said simply. "This is the first time I've had all the pieces, largely thanks to the dragonborn" he explained, gesturing to Varion who nodded in response. "The flames of Kodlak's spirit will reforged Wuuthrad, and in turn, it will allow for his soul to rest in peace" Eorlund finished pridefully.

"Alright! Finally some good news!" Farkas said, more enthusiasm in his voice here than he'd had in days.

"Indeed Farkas" Eorlund agreed. "It will take a few days to finish forging the axe, as it is not a job to be rushed. But after it is done, Kodlak can be freed" he declared. Varion nodded.

"Alright, here's the plan" he announced, glancing at the other companions. "Eorlund's gonna finish forging the axe, then we all head to Ysgramor's Tomb. We meet back here in one week, that'll give him plenty of time and give us time to keep ourselves busy. No point sitting around here doing nothing for all that time, or starting a contract and not being back in time" he explained. Vilkas and Farkas looked at Varion with wide eyes and Aela smirked.

"Looks like someone's training for a leadership role" she teased. Varion just rolled his eyes in response.

"Everyone agreed?" he asked. The other companions all nodded. "Alright, good. For Kodlak!" he shouted, raising his fist as he did. Everyone else copied his movement.

"FOR KODLAK!"

A/N:Woo boy, closest call I've had to not getting a chapter out in 3 days. I think I'll slow it down to weekly!

So, now Varion has a little time to kill before the finale to the companions questline! Leave suggestions on what he should do in the reviews!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward to seeing you all in the next one!