"So, that tree is called the Gildergreen, and it's the offspring of one of Skyrim's oldest trees? That does sound like a Deku," Zelda said. Aryll quietly nodded but said nothing in response. Convincing her to come outside was a bit difficult. The pupil monk insisted on sleeping for the rest of the day, which Zelda attributed to both the long walk to the city and her emotional drain. It was only after the princess had pointed out how unlikely sleep would come at night after this much rest, and after she promised they would return to the inn earlier than the boys that Aryll finally consented. Even so, it took about an hour to get themselves both cleaned up, relatively speaking. Now, they wandered the upper district of Whiterun. So far, they had learned the history of the Gildergreen and had met the many shopkeepers.

Zelda led the way for the most part. She didn't mind that Aryll wasn't interested in taking the lead. Just as long as she's not shut up in that dark room all day, she thought. Zelda had done that before, a long time ago; and though it had allowed her time to think and research by herself, even she recognized that too much isolation, especially when upset, was unhealthy.

They walked across the way to where the priest – Heimskr was apparently his name – was still shouting to the skies. Curious about his recitation, Zelda stopped to talk to him, asking him about Talos. She received a few strange looks from passersby, and she thought she saw a woman guiding her child further away from the square. It wasn't until they finished conversing that Aryll got her attention.

"Careful. You'll scare the residents," she muttered.

"By talking about religion?"

"Unfortunately."

"That priest seemed like he didn't have many people to talk to."

"Probably because he doesn't. Talos worship is against the law, after all."

"How come?" Zelda asked.

"Lady, could you spare a coin?" came a small voice. Aryll smiled softly at the girl on the bench and gave her a gold piece (Gwilin had left them with some gold in case they needed it).

"It's part of the agreement our Emperor has with the Aldmeri Dominion," Aryll explained as the child thanked them. "Skyrim stays out of Dominion conflicts if their residents refrain from worshipping Talos. At least, they let us openly worship the other Divines."

"I thought you said your Emperor was killed in combat," Zelda said.

"No, that's our High King."

"How many government officials do you actually have?"

"A lot."

"So, there's a limit to what you can believe in Skyrim?" What would anyone think if she mentioned her belief of Hylia?

"No," Aryll reluctantly consented. "There's just a limit to what you can openly believe. I'm surprised the Thalmor haven't come to silence Heimskr."

"How are they connected to the treaty?"

"They're a branch of the Dominion." She said this passively.

"Have you no opinion of them?"

"I've never actually interacted with any one of them to form my own judgment. I have heard that they're ruthless, and I suppose I can attest to that, if only a little. They were partially the reason you were about to be executed."

"We were going to be taken to prison," Zelda remembered, "but that woman – Elenwen – changed our course." Personally, Zelda could not find herself favoring the group, not after her experience and what Aryll had told her. But, Elenwen is only one person. Are they really all that horrible? she thought.

They had wandered up the steps to the lodge-like building, simply curious as to what it was.

"The Jarl said the Bannered Mare was the finest inn in Whiterun," she voiced aloud. "It's a lot smaller than this, so this can't be an inn too."

"Maybe it's the guards' barracks," Aryll guessed. "I wonder why they're housed so far from the Jarl." Their curiosity only grew when they came closer to the doors and heard the unmistakable sound of fighting. "Probably not the best time to investigate." Zelda disregarded this and pushed the door open, pulling Aryll with her by the wrist. "What are you… hey!"

"I just want to look for a few minutes. Please?" begged Zelda. Aryll looked ready to respond, but she had become distracted. When Zelda turned, she saw the source of the commotion: a pair of soldiers in mismatched gear were swinging fists at each other. On the sidelines, more warriors, even more oddly dressed, cheered and called out to the fighters.

"A brawl," Aryll said, disproval in her voice. "I thought these were only supposed to happen in bars or bad business deals." Zelda wasn't that surprised by the behavior. Duruk and Link had used to fight all the time, not because they hated each other – just because it was fun. Despite the punches each of the opponents now took, they were grinning wildly.

"Let's get a closer look." She grabbed Aryll's wrist again, disregarding the protests, and stood against a banister overlooking the scene. The one, an elf by the looks of him, was close to exhaustion, his knees about to buckle. Still, he didn't cave as the other, a dark-haired woman, dodged his punch and made a kick towards his ankles. The elf sidestepped and lunged, only to have the dark-haired woman grab his fist and redirect his movement.

The battle ended when the woman tripped her comrade and locked him in a chokehold. Still grinning, the elf raised his hands in surrender, and the crowd cheered.

"Well done, Njada," a balding warrior said, whilst holding his hand out towards a fighter in heavy armor. The latter sighed and handed him a sack of coin. "My wealth increases because of you."

"Drinks on you then," grunted the armored fighter as he walked away.

"No hard feelings, Athis, love?" Njada asked whilst pulling the elf to his feet.

"Not at all. Nice shot." They kissed amidst the squalor, causing Zelda to sigh happily and Aryll to gag.

"Hold on," a stern voice called. "You two aren't Companions."

"Busted," Aryll mumbled. When they turned, a woman in rather revealing hunter's armor was approaching. Seriously, Zelda couldn't help thinking, does no one wear proper clothes in this world?!

"Who are you, and why are you here?" the woman demanded.

"Zelda," the princess answered, forcing confidence and calm whilst prepared to answer for her actions. "This is my friend Aryll." This earned her an odd look from the girl beside her. Too soon? Zelda thought. Oh well. The damage was done. "We just saw this building and wanted to know what it was. Then, we heard shouting…"

"So, you let yourselves in?"

"Yes." They held a staring contest for a moment, neither one blinking. She's testing me, Zelda realized, trying to see if I'll back down. Knowing this, she refused to turn away.

When she didn't, the woman grinned and let out a well-meaning chuckle.

"Women with initiative," she said. "I approve. Come. Join us."

"Thank you." As Zelda and Aryll walked over to one end of the hall, where a majority of the warriors sat around a table, Aryll tugged at her arm.

"What just happened?" she whispered.

"I think we just made some friends."

"Yes, but how?"

"Move over, lovebirds," the woman gestured to the couple. Njada grinned and elbowed Athis to get him to move further down the bench. The latter did so, but not before clasping her by the shoulders and pulling her with him. "Sorry about them," the woman sighed as the two started laughing. "He just gave her his amulet."

"What?" Aryll asked before she and Zelda sat in the empty space.

"You know," the balding warrior said. "Took an arrow to the knee."

"Petitioned for Mara's blessing," added the gruff-voiced fighter. When both girls exchanged clueless looks, the woman warrior shook her head and took her own seat at the table.

"They got engaged," she explained.

"Oh!" Zelda said. What odd expressions. "Congratulations then! When's the wedding?"

"A few weeks from now, after our clan's hunting trip," Athis answered.

"Priorities," agreed Njada.

"They're not actually that bad half the time," the woman added. "They'll just be sappy for the next month or so. You know how it is. Or, maybe you don't." She caught the girls' questioning glances. "How old are you? You didn't recognize any of those phrases we mentioned."

"Nineteen," Aryll offered.

"…Seventeen," Zelda finally answered. Technically, it's true.

"Both old enough to know about that. You ladies grow up inside neighboring caves?" There was a joke to this somewhere in her voice, but Zelda couldn't figure out where.

"I guess you can say we've lived rather sheltered lives," she conceded.

"Mm. Well, trust me, life here is not always like this."

"What exactly is this place?"

"Jorrvaskr. The Hall of the Companions." When she was met with blank stares, the woman stiffened. "You know – the Companions? The closest thing Skyrim has had to a fighters' guild in a couple hundred years? Surely, you've heard of us."

"Those caves must have been rather deep," the balding warrior remarked.

"I'm from Ivarstead," Aryll volunteered. "We don't know much about the rest of the world."

"I suppose you have an excuse then. What about you?" Zelda was fixed with a piercing stare. Once again, she refused to be unnerved.

"I'm not from Skyrim," she calmly answered.

"I figured you weren't. You've got as much formality as the Jarl himself. Must be from the Imperial City then," the woman said. Zelda made a soft hum, not bothering to correct her. "Please, eat something. We wouldn't have you sit with us if you weren't allowed to eat with us." The boys are going to be so jealous, the princess giggled inwardly.

"We never did get your name," she said before picking up a warm roll covered in glaze. It smelled delicious.

"Aela," answered the woman before going down the line. "Skjor" – the bald fighter nodded his head – "Ria" – a younger woman, practically a girl Zelda's age, with short-cropped brown hair gave a short wave – "Farkas" – the gruff-sounding man in steel armor cleared his throat – "and Torvar" – this name belonged to a man with a scraggly blond beard, who had just slammed down his cup and given a large belch. Zelda stifled a chuckle as he gave a drunken wiggle of his fingers as a wave.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," she said.

"There might not be a lot of residents here," Aela said, "but we're one of Skyrim's best lines of defense. Don't let our numbers convince you otherwise.

"Boasting again, Aela dear? Or are you recruiting?" Everyone at the table turned to greet the elderly man that had emerged from a staircase on the far side of the room.

"This is our leader," smiled Aela. "Kodlak Whitemane."

"The Companions have no leader. I'm more an old advisor if anything, emphasis on the old." His eyes fell on Zelda and Aryll, and Zelda felt a strange sense of familiarity. But, I've never met this man in my life, she thought. At any rate, he was looking at them as if he knew them. Zelda glanced at Aryll to see if she had noticed, but the girl's attention had been diverted elsewhere. The princess forced herself to look away from the elder and followed her friend's gaze.

Oh, was the only thought that came to her mind. Following behind Kodlak was a young, dark-haired man in a unique set of heavy armor. He had clearly seen training on a daily basis, because he was fairly well-built. She could see why he had grabbed Aryll's attention: the man was handsome in a brooding, stormy way. He wasn't Zelda's type, but she couldn't deny he was attractive.

"There you are, little brother," Farkas called out. "You're being rude, avoiding our company."

"Since when do we get company?" the young man asked.

"That's Vilkas," Aela said. "I would have introduced him if he had been here, instead of skulking in his usual place." She grinned and whispered loudly, "He's a bit of a recluse."

"I'm Aryll," Aryll blurted out before realizing what she was doing. "Wait, what?" She rubbed at her pink-flushed cheeks.

"She's Aryll, and I'm Zelda," the princess said in an attempt to help the monk recover. She would tease her about this once they became closer friends (and Zelda hoped that would be soon, because she really wanted to tease her about it). "We're new to Whiterun and had never heard of Jorrvaskr or the Companions."

"Fascinating," Kodlak mused. "Well, it is a pleasure to have you both in our presence, if only for a short while. I admit that I was rather hoping Aela was attempting to recruit you. We're always in need of new blood."

"It's not entirely out of the question," said Aela. "Do either of you ladies fight?"

"That's complicated," Zelda offered. "Yes to me, kind of. No to Aryll."

She allowed Aryll to explain her situation as a monk pupil, and Zelda realized that Vilkas had not stopped watching her. Oh yes, Zelda thought with a mischievous smirk. She's going to get an earful from me.

"So, I'm a pacifist," Aryll concluded. "Fundamentally. Sorry."

"The life of a warrior is not for everyone," Kodlak said. "My fighting days are far behind me, after all."

"Zelda can fight though."

"Just not on command," the princess said. "I am able to use magic periodically. In fact, I was able to use my abilities to keep a strong enemy at bay."

"Sounds like a fighter to me," Torvar said.

"The thing is, after said enemy was defeated, my ability became less reliable. I've been practicing ever since, but I can't seem to harness it the same way." Honestly, I'm glad I was able to fight Ganon at all, she pondered. Hylia's Light was extremely powerful, but for Zelda, summoning it was like drawing a million straws, trying to find the shortest one in the bunch. Sometimes, it worked. Sometimes, it didn't. When she had first arrived at the castle to fight the Calamity, she had only just discovered the power inside of her. Nobody had been around to coach her in how to use it.

"I don't suppose you have any magic users here that could help me?" she asked. The group looked at each other and shook their heads.

"If we do find someone though, we'll let you know," Skjor offered. "Having a mage among our ranks could come in handy."

"I'm sorry neither of us could be of use." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kodlak shake his head. Don't be so sure of that, he seemed to say.

After a meal filled with laughter and storytelling, Zelda excused herself and Aryll. "We have to meet up with the rest of our company," she said. "Thank you so much for your hospitality."

"The hall is always open to you, Shield Sister." Aela hardly looked at Aryll, and Zelda felt the urge to defend her friend.

"It is open to you both," Kodlak emphasized, casting Aela and exasperated look. "You are welcome any time."

When the girls were back in the open air, they were surprised to find that the moon had risen in their absence. I hope the boys aren't worried about us, Zelda thought.

As it turned out, they had nothing to worry about. Link and Gwilin had clearly been back to the room, because there was a note on the dresser.

Link insisted on getting the maille adjusted for Ary. We're down at the blacksmith's now. Be back soon. Don't wait up for us. –Gwilin

I hope Aryll will recognize that he's really trying, Zelda thought, as she glanced over her shoulder to the monk that had flopped emphatically onto the bed. There must have been so much going on in her mind. They had walked for hours to Whiterun, had a rather emotional encounter with the Jarl, then made friends with a fighters' guild that was more than happy to welcome strangers off the street.

"Are you going to sleep?" Zelda asked.

"Yes," Aryll yawned and snuggled under the scratchy covers. "Finally."

"They seemed nice – the Companions, I mean. I know it doesn't take away from what happened at Dragonsreach, but it didn't completely hurt the situation either." Aryll didn't answer this. Zelda sat on her own bed. "For what it's worth, I agree with Gwilin – I don't think your father is dead. I just… I wanted you to know that. Don't lose hope, okay? Stranger things have happened." When this statement was followed by silence, Zelda sighed. "Well… goodnight."

"Hey, Princess?"

"Yes?" Aryll's eyes were still closed when she spoke the following words:

"Thanks for the sentiment. You're not half bad."

Zelda smiled at this as she climbed under her own covers and shut her eyes. Of course, it really only mattered that Aryll forgive Link; but Zelda felt comfort in knowing that his sister was coming to like her, or at any rate hated her a little less.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

At least she wasn't dreaming about Hyrule again. Oh no, this was much worse.

Aryll was back in Helgen, after it had been destroyed. Flames still flickered from Alduin's attacks as she wandered through the rubble.

"Klimmek?" she called, but of course, no one answered. Everyone in the area was dead.

Everyone but me. She grimaced under the crimson sky. This wasn't supposed to happen. Why did I survive this? She knew in reality that she hadn't actually been the only one to survive the attack – Gwilin, Link, and Zelda were all proof of that – but that stark feeling of loneliness felt so real.

A sharp bray snapped her back to attention. She turned to find that standing in the ruined stable, only a few yards away was…

"Gladwen?" She recognized the limping steed immediately. Though the walls to the stables had all been knocked down, he paced the area, as if still waiting behind a closed gate. Of course, the horse would survive this, she thought as she made her way towards him. Guess it helps to be a big chicken sometimes, huh?

"Why did you come back here, boy?" She stroked the horse's neck. "There's nothing left for us." Gladwen, thankfully, didn't answer. Instead, he pawed at the invisible barrier in front of him. Maybe I have to let him out? Of what? There was nothing keeping him here.

Aryll tried to remember how they had handled Gladwen's behavior before he'd run off.

I opened the gate. Maybe I'm supposed to do that… with the air? Whatever. It was a dream, after all. It didn't have to make a ton of sense.

She mimed reaching for the handle and swinging open the stable gate. Rather than run off like last time, Gladwen trotted out and into the carnage. When he noticed Aryll holding back, he tossed his mane as if to beckon her.

It's not like I have anything else to do, she thought. She followed Gladwen as he dipped his snout into piles of debris and wandered throughout the area. What's he looking for?

Finally, he stopped at the edge of a large pile of charcoal and wooden planks. His loud whinny summoned Aryll to his side, and when she finally arrived at the scene, she froze.

Klimmek? It was him alright. Unlike the other corpses lying around her, he was unharmed. There weren't any lacerations, dismemberments, or even bruises. He just lay there peacefully with his eyes closed, as if he had fallen asleep after a successful night of fishing.

Aryll tried to reach out to him, but her hands were shaking.

"Please wake up," she mumbled. "Please." All was silent except for Gladwen's occasional snorting.

It didn't stay that way. The red sky above her darkened just as a mighty flap of wings "whooshed" onto the scene. Aryll whirled around and stood to shield her guardian from the World Eater himself.

"YOL… TOOR… SHUL!" Alduin screeched, blowing fire in her direction.

"FUS!" It was the short version of the Unrelenting Force shout, but Aryll wasn't focusing on fighting the dragon. Instead, she shouted against the flames, using the force to push them away from her and Klimmek.

"FO… KRAH… DIIN!" This time he sent shards of ice in their direction.

"YOL!" The ice melted under the short breath of flame. Unlike in real life, Aryll felt no energy drainage from these consecutive attempts. Instead, she felt angrier. "I won't let you take him!" she screamed.

"Ignorant child," he snarled. "I'm not the one who ended his life." What in Oblivion is that supposed to mean?! She clenched her fists and prepared to fend off another attack.

"My girl," a voice whispered. She blinked, and Alduin had disappeared with not a single trace of their battle. Somehow, she had gotten turned back around to face Klimmek, who was pushing himself into a sitting position.

"Klimmek." Aryll pressed a hand against his back for support and slowly pulled him into a stand before embracing him around the waist. "I thought you were dead." Hot tears unforgivingly ran down her face and into his shirt.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he muttered.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think you would believe me. I wouldn't believe me. I'm sorry… so sorry…"

"Why didn't you come looking for me?" And right there, Aryll knew something was wrong. She peeled her face from her guardian's shirt and gasped.

His eyes were open, but they weren't his eyes. They were white, pupil-less blanks, staring straight ahead.

"K… Klimmek?"

"Why didn't you save me, Aryll?"

"I…"

"Why didn't you save me?" came another voice. When Aryll whirled around, a young woman in a light blue frock was limping forward.

"Why didn't you save me?" This voice came from a familiar-faced Khajiit. But, Ri'saad and the others left before the attack, Aryll protested. She didn't understand.

"Why didn't you save me?" It was a chorus of groans, marked by varying pitches and accents. People she had seen die in the flames marched towards her, as did those she had met the day before. Even Jarl Balgruuf and his advisors walked amidst the crowd. All of their eyes were glazed over.

This isn't real. It's a dream. Aryll tried to logic herself awake, but the voices and figures continued to close in.

The worst part was when she found herself surrounded by Gwilin, Link, and Zelda, all expressionless and lifeless.

"Why didn't you save us?"

I have to wake up. I have to wake up.

"Why didn't you save us…?"

WAKE UP!

Aryll sat up gasping for breath. For a split second, she panicked, not recognizing the room she was in or the blanket she had fitfully kicked to the bottom of the bed. When she saw Zelda squirm and mumble in her sleep, she remembered where she was and why. Aryll pressed a hand to her heart and tried to steady herself.

It was only after several minutes that she realized Link and Gwilin still weren't back in the room. What time is it? she thought. Surely, it wasn't still night.

Her eyes wandered to the nightstand where the last note had been laid out. This time, there was another one, and Aryll fumbled to grab it, squinting in the dark.

Didn't want to wake you, since you both seem tired. We got the maille adjusted; it's back in the trunk where you left it. We're downstairs already. A messenger came by this morning, and it looks like the Jarl wants to see us sooner rather than later. –Link

Aryll frowned at the mention of the maille. Climbing out of bed, she approached and lifted the lid of the trunk, pulling out its contents. The shirt did appear more her size this morning as opposed to yesterday. It even felt lighter. She wondered how many links they'd had to have removed. Maybe don't mention this to the Jarl.

She was about to put it away when an image flashed through her mind: herself acting as a shield between Alduin and Klimmek before the dead had risen to crowd around her. She shook this away, then looked back at the shirt.

It can't hurt to have a method of defense. Hadn't Gwilin said something along those lines? And, it's not like wearing armor is against the Greybeard code, Aryll reasoned hesitantly, just as long as I don't use it to fight.

Before she knew it, she was rebuttoning her blouse over the maille she had slipped over her shoulders. It still felt heavy, but wearing it didn't necessarily feel wrong. In fact, in a strange way, it felt natural. She wondered why.

Link did say I wanted to be a knight when I was little, she thought. But, that was a long time ago. She had changed. What she wanted now was a lot different from what she had wanted back then.

Zelda woke up just as Aryll was putting her shoes on.

"Where's Link?" the princess mumbled.

"He and Gwilin are already downstairs. The Jarl wants to see us today."

"Already?" Zelda didn't waste any time preparing for the day. She was ready to leave only a few minutes after Aryll had tied her last laces. "What do you think he and the court wizard discovered?"

"Guess we'll find out, right?" They made their way downstairs, where Link and Gwilin were already sitting at a table. Surprisingly, they weren't alone, and even more surprisingly, they weren't eating the food in front of them.

"I've had nothing to do but practice for the last ten years," a woman in steel armor commented, her hand clasped in Link's, straining to bring his arm down.

"I was asleep for about a hundred years. I've had plenty of time to restore my strength," Link replied, pressing just as hard on her arm.

"You're an odd kid, you know that?" the woman grunted.

"Come on, Link," Gwilin cheered. "Tip the scales!"

"Good morning?" greeted Aryll. Her presence caught Link's attention, and the woman managed to slam his hand on the tabletop.

"Game," she said simply and held out her palm. "Hand it over."

"But, it's cherry-filled." Gwilin's bottom lip quivered, and Aryll stifled a laugh. Was he pouting?

"You boys made the terms," the woman said. At this, the Bosmer handed her a pastry off his plate. "Thank you."

"Who's this then?" Zelda asked. When Link turned to answer, they were greeted with a blackened left eye.

"What's that?" demanded Aryll.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Just a shiner. Uthgard got a good punch in last night when we got back," he said.

"This is Uthgard," Gwilin said, watching the woman with big puppy dog eyes as the latter scarfed down the cherry pastry. "And that was my favorite flavor."

"If you can win this next round, I'll pay for a whole tray of sweet rolls," Uthgard grinned.

"That is so tempting."

"You got in a fight our first night in Whiterun?!" Aryll asked.

"It's not that big of a deal," Link said. "She said she was the best brawler around, and that if I could beat her, she'd give us some gold."

"I never expected such a small man-child to actually win," said Uthgard, "but you can hold your metal."

"You gambled too?!" Aryll's voice had become shriller.

"Only a hundred gold. We got a hundred more," Link said.

"A hundred… ugh." She rubbed at her eyes. "I'm not dealing with this this morning. You said a messenger came by?"

"Yeah, about an hour ago." He cocked his head. "You okay? Your shoulders are sagging a bit."

"I'm fine. Let me just grab some breakfast and we can head up to Dragonsreach." As she took a seat at the table, she caught Gwilin studying her. "What?" she asked whilst chomping into a pastry.

"Nothing." Gwilin cleared his throat to get Link's attention, and the latter glanced back at Aryll, performing a double-take.

"Are you wearing…?"

"Shut up," she mumbled.