One of the best things about revisiting this story as I am reposting it is thinking about future scenes for the chapters that have yet to be written passed chapter 10. I am eager to get to that and cannot wait to write them. Things I did not think about before that I feel will definitely add a lot of great elements to the story.

Just as she and Kodlak had said - An'Aloriander had made it to Jorrvaskr that afternoon. She arrived with an average and modest satchel containing what few belongings she had and wore a fur cloak over her shoulders to shield her from the biting cold outside. In her hand she held a staff made from a sturdy red wood with a brilliant golden handle around its shaft and around its base. On the top stood a blue crystal of near perfect geometry that turned purple as a kind of reaction to the light that surrounded it.

Her staff was not her only weapon for she also had a sword attached to her hip. It was enclosed in a black scabbard that was embroiled with gold at both ends. It was not the kind of sword that just any smith could make. No; it took a smith of above exceptional skill to craft. A true pioneer in his field for her sword was made of ebony. It was a perfect light, one handed weapon that was far sturdier and than steel and hardly ever needed to be sharpened for it maintained its edge far better than most other blades.

No one in Jorrvaskr seemed to have taken notice of Annie as she made her way in. In fact, as she closed the doors behind her; she observed with red rimmed, glassy and languid eyes a fight suddenly brake loose between a Nord woman and a Dunmer man. She took a minute to watch the paroxysm of activity as they threw punches at one another. The Dunmer had tried to throw a plate at the woman's face but she ducked and the plate broke against the stairs that lead to the back and she slammed his head into the table. It was then the dark elf grabbed the woman around the waste and threw her onto the table and proceeded to try and elbow her repeatedly - landing a solid elbow to her nose which then began to bleed and the woman had wrapped her legs around the mans neck and arm in attempt to try and suffocate him.

Annie closed her eyes and shook her head as she decided that she had witnessed enough of the brawl. From its sudden happening she was able to see that such a thing was undoubtedly a common occurrence. She had already an idea of what she could expect from Jorrvaskr and the hardy fellows that called it their home from what Kodlak had told her and from the usual stories she had heard and read about of similar guilds throughout Tamriel.

Jorrvaskr itself - she would not describe as humble but neither would she say it was something grandeur. A mighty sea faring vessel that was simply made of deteriorating wood made up the woof of the building. It was modified to fit the building for their were no signs of the ships seats. Decorated wooden pillars carved with Nordic signs and symbols reached upward towards the ceiling. Some were draped with red flags bearing the image of an ax with a face of either anguish or rage in its center and some were used to hang the heads of wild game that had been caught. Where the fight was happening was the center of the main hall where the Companions broke bread together. The dining table was shaped like a large 'U' and was littered with different dishes of food that were currently being strewn about as the combatants rolled across the table until they rolled off the edge and onto the ground.

"May I help you dear?" Chirped a sweet elderly voice. Annie turned and saw a short elderly woman with curious eyes and a polite smile standing next to her. She was the maid from what Annie could see. Tilma's hands were slightly pruned and the skirt of her dress showed some discoloration at the knees. She had been scrubbing the floors earlier that day from what Annie could observe and from her and the shiny state of the wooden tier of the floor before it descended into carpet covered stone was another give away.

"Yes actually, miss…"

"Tilma." She answered.

"Tilma." Repeated Annie. Would you be so kind as to…" Before she could finish her question she witnessed Kodlak walking up a set of steps followed by Vilkas who was carrying a large black branded shield around his arm and a miserable expression about his face that suddenly vanished to something more stern and cold the moment he beheld Annie.

"Aloriander!" Kodlak said with a genuine smile. He was bright, eager and in excellent spirits for he was glad to see her in Jorrvaskr at last. Seeing his reaction towards her warmed her heart, which for her was an odd sensation. Before he could reached her he could see there was something wrong with Altmer whom he had grown fond of in such a short amount of time. Behind her smile there was something black lurking that consumed her mind in a sort of depression and there was an odd smell about her. It was a scent he knew well but he did not speak of it for now was not a very appropriate time.

Kodlak grasped her shoulders with calloused hands, but Annie found the touch comforting. Another odd sensation. "Something bothers you, child. Would you care to talk about it?"

Annie jolted her head to the side. "Not at any length, no. Though I appreciate your attempt to sooth my frustration; know that I needn't have it." She said obdurately.

"Then let me offer you this." Kodlak poised lustrously. "Keep your eyes on the horizon, child. It's light will always guide you."

An odd, short pause followed before Annie said, "There is no light. It's winter," in a stoic tone.

With a small and quiet laugh, Kodlak said, "You miss the point, girl. Just count all that is good in your life and be thankful for what you have compared to what you don't. Now then, I do believe we have some things we need to do before anything else."

"Such as?" Annie raised an eyebrow.

"I am to test your arm." Vilkas declared indignantly. He would have rather not, but Kodlak had asked him and could never turn down the old man. He did have to admit to himself that she was curious to see how Annie would perform. If Kodlak was so confident in this alchemist, then there must be some quality about her that was escaping him like a mocking thief.

"Ah! An initiation is it, then?" Annie inquired.

"Of a kind you could say." Kodlak replied. "But, it is more of a preparatory test. To see if you have the mettle to stand with us when we call upon you."

"I see. I wise test indeed! Such a shame it would be should one of your energetic lot bring someone in and they simply turn out to be a waste of time and effort. How often - if I may ask - does this happen?"

"Not as often as you would believe. We normally find people of exemplary talent as you can clearly see." Kodlak gestured to the two brawling whom were simply trading fists at this point with the rest sitting on the table cheering and laughing. "I hope this does not discourage you." Kodlak continued. "We're a rowdy bunch and such sudden fights are common place here."

"So I already gathered." Annie informed curtly. "In such a succinct living space - tensions rise and nerves are easily touched."

"Indeed." Kodlak agreed. "Now go ahead and head out to the training yard. I've kept you longer than I should have."

"Think nothing of it, Harbinger." Annie shifted her eyes to Vilkas and said, "Shall we?"

"After you." He responded holding his arm out to the door that lead to the training court yard then sighed as he followed Annie and Kodlak out, none of them paying Athis any mind as he laid on the ground near the dining table with a bleeding brow and holding his groin. Vilkas felt that would happen to him. Njada had a history of fighting dirty and hitting below the belt.

Outside stood Farkas who was training in blissful solitude before Annie and Vilkas stepped into the courtyard. Vilkas nodded to his brother who nodded back in understanding and went to sit at the bench across from Kodlak to watch the fight. Farkas stared intently at the Altmer that stood across from his brother. He found her to be especially beautiful and fair looking but he didn't see anything indicative of a warrior. But, what did he know? He's seen warriors of many different builds so maybe he would be impressed by this woman.

"Okay, just have a few swings at me so I can see your form. Don't worry, I can take it." Vilkas took a defensive stance behind his shield, hiding most of his body. "Magic is not allowed in this fight, is that understood?"

Annie dropped her satchel and staff to the ground and unsheathed her her weapon, exposing the black sword that hid beneath. "Transparently." She said in reply to Vilkas before she started walking casually around him whilst swing and twirling her sword from side to side so as to set her frame of mind. She stopped, turned in place with her sword facing out pointed downward then suddenly… nothing.

Above them, the clouds flew over and it was deafeningly silent. Annie made no attempt to move and Vilkas practiced patience as best he could as Kodlak had advised him to try earlier that day, but things were beginning to feel awkward. Vilkas stared at his opponent hoping that at any second she was going to attack him but she stood still like she was frozen.

At the bench from where they were sitting Kodlak and Farkas looked at one another and Farkas shrugged his shoulders. Annie's face was glazed over with a pallid expression with empty and half lidded eyes. She was staring right at Vilkas but not truly seeing him; not paying attention to anything that was laid out in front of her.

"HEY!" Vilkas barked. "Has your mind gone?!"

Annie suddenly rapidly shook her head and blinked herself out of her daze. Her attention and focus were back to where they should be with unexpected vitality and she ran for Vilkas. Both hands were tied tightly around the grip of her sword. As she ran she held her sword up high. Vilkas raised his shield and Annie brought forth a powerful strike against him.

It was a straight forward attack, not one Annie would normally make on a first bout but it mattered not here.

Vilkas recovered and Annie was already onto her next attack. She jumped in the air and thrusted her sword towards his neck, and Vilkas blocked without fail for that attack he was familiar with as he had seen it performed by others before. Next Annie made an attempt for his feet. He had left them exposed and she swung her sword in a downward horizontal sweep. Viklas jumped back; making her miss and she followed it up with another rightward horizontal strike but her sword only met his shield once again.

"Enough!" Vilkas ordered as he stepped away. "Not bad." He commended. "Now let's see how you handle defense." Annie rolled her eyes with a huff and Vilkas gave a subtle smirk to what was about to happen. Farkas leaned forward in his seat and rested his elbows on his knees as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Kodlak remained reserved and observant.

Annie prepped herself and Vilkas charged. He lunged his sword forward towards Annie's stomach and she stepped back while simultaneously clashing her sword with his. Their blades scraped against one another which made a sharp sound as Annie pushed his sword off to the side with her own. He came back with an attempt on her neck. Now normally Annie would have just leaned back as the sword passed but she instead lifted her sword up and held on with her other hand pushing on the blade so she wouldn't stagger once Vilkas's sword crashed into hers.

It came as no surprise to Annie but Vilkas was dumbstruck to see that once his sword collided with hers that Annie's blade had cut into his own. His blood rushed to his face, his head filled with heat and his eyes went wide. In an instant; Vilkas let go of his sword which was stuck in place against Annies. Forming a tight fist, he struck her against the mouth and she hit the ground hard and their weapons fell.

Kodlak and Farkas quickly stood up from their seats in shock, frightened at the prospects of what was going to happen next. Vilkas was breathing hard through his nostrils and felt all the anger slowly escape his mind. Annie faintly groaned as she slowly lifted herself into her knees from the ice cold stone beneath her. Her bangs hung unscrupulously over her face, and her fur cloak weighed over her body and a soothing way. She rubbed her mouth with her wrist and saw a red smear on her skin and tasted iron on her tongue.

"We're finished." Vilkas stated with grit in his throat. "Congratulations. Next time I will not go so easy on you."

"I don't recall anyone saying that you had to hold back." Annie retorted with no apparent venom in her tone before she went to rub her face.

"Don't get smart!" Vilkas then resigned with a deep sigh. "You may just make it. But you're still a whelp to us, New Blood. So you do what we tell you." Vilkas bent over to pick up the fused weapons before extricating them. He casted Annie's weapon to the side, an act that she left a bad feeling in her stomach, and held his out to her. "Here's my sword. Go take it up to Eorland to have it sharpened. It's the least you can do for ruining it. And, be careful, it's worth more than you are!"

Annie spat blood on the ground, but her lip still bleed, and she took his sword before Vilkas walked away with Kodlak following him in with a disappointed look on his face.

Spitting more blood before she made the attempt to stand she felt a large, gentle hand grab underneath her arm that helped pull her to her feet. "Sorry that my brother punched you. I'm Farkas." Annie peered up at the stalwart Nord. Her vision was blurry and so she squinted to help her focus. "He's been like that since we were pups. He doesn't like having his things broken."

"I would hesitate to call it broken." Annie replied rubbing her eyes. She held Vilkas's sword and observed and saw a small triangular chip in the blade. "It's but a dent if anything. Hardly a thing to become angered over." Silently, Farkas handed Annie over her satchel which she took and wrapped over his shoulder then held out her sword. She took it and held it close to her chest for a moment before sliding it back to her sheath. Farkas held onto to her staff out of courtesy.

"I'll show you where Eorland works. He's on top at Skyforge. Then I'll show you where you'll be resting your head."

Tucking her arms underneath her fur cloak, Annie said, "That would be most kind of you. Thank you."

Side by side they walked over a withered pathway that lead up and around a giant stack of jagged rocks. As they neared the top, the head of a giant carved eagle rose into view like the sun over the horizon. She had observed this monument every time she had made her way to and from Dragonsreach and beheld its majesty. It spoke of a fundamental truth about Nords that they can display moments of unparalleled craftsmanship. Only their tenacity could allow for such rigorous effort.

A great forge stood at the base of the statue where an elderly Nord with long white hair stood working in solemn vacancy. He pulled on a rope in which each time he did the fires of the forge came forth with new life before sinking down again like it was breathing. Eorland took from the forge a long piece of metal that was glowing red half way down and he proceeded to beat it with a metal hammer. His muscles flexed with each swing. Annie was impressed that even in his old age that a Nord could maintain such a physique.

"Eorland!" Farkas shouted in manner one would to garner one's attention from afar. He turned revealing a long white beard before wiping his sweaty forehead. Farkas placed his hand on Annie's back and said, "The is An'Alorli… hugh! An'Ali… uh." He looked at Annie canvassing her for assistance.

"Aloriander." She spoke. "But, most simply call me Annie." Farkas wished he had known that before he tried to say her name. He cursed himself for not asking prior.

"Eorland Gray-Mane." He replied in a thick Nordic accent and they shook hands. He did not fail to see a drying string of blood down her chin and a fresh bruise upon her lower lip. Annie inwardly cringed in disgust at the sweaty and clammy state of his cold palm. "What brings you here?"

"According to our Companion here." She referred to Farkas. "I - ahem - 'broke' Vilkas's sword." Farkas turned his head away from her and crossed his arms.

"I'm guessing you're the newcomer then?" Eorland inquired rhetorically as he took the sword from Annie. He ran his thumb down the length of the sword and then noticed the chip. He only wondered how such a thing could have happened to one of his weapons, but his wonder was overshadowed by the relief that it would take no time at all to fix. "Ill have this done soon enough. However, there is something I would like you to do for me. I've been working on a shield for Aela. My wife is in mourning and I need to get back to her soon. Would one of you have the kindness to take it to her?"

"Aela's not here." Said Farkas.

Eorland's face turned solemn. "Out on a job, is she?"

Farkas nodded. "Hammerfell. Something about a bear the size of a mammoth."

"I suppose I shall have to hold onto it for now until she gets back." Eorland said, unhappy with the news.

"See you around, Eorland." Farkas said before he and Annie turned to leave.

Relief spread over Annie's mind and body when she felt the warmth of a fire wash over her body when Farkas opened the doors of Jorrvaskr and it sent goosebumps down her arms and tingles down her spine. "Over here." Farkas motioned for her to follow him further and he took her to Jorrvaskr's lower level where was once again met by a spiteful chill.

"You'll meet Aela and Skjor soon enough. They like to tease me, but they're good people. They challenge us to be our best." He explained proudly. "It's nice to see a new face around. It gets boring here sometimes. I hope we keep you."

"I did join with the intention of staying for a while." She remarked. Farkas was unaffected by her tone unlike his brother. He was used to such smart comments.

He handed Annie her staff back then pushed open a set of doors and before them stood a startled woman who was going to open the doors to leave before they arrived. "Oh! Farkas." The woman gasped and placed her hand over heart. "You gave me a fright."

"Sorry Ria." He replied amused. "I was just showing the New Blood where she'll be sleeping."

Ria peeked passed Farkas's shoulder where she saw Annie standing behind him.

"Oh, an Altmer!" She said in awe.

"Beg your pardon?" Retorted Annie bemused.

"Sorry, it's just not every day when we see an Altmer in the city walls. Normally they don't come around here." Annie was in no mood for further discussion but this woman seemed eager to say something more as she came up to her. "So your new here, huh?" Ria placed her fists on her hips. "You know; I was the newest member before you came around. I guess that just means I get to show you the ropes."

Taking in a deep breath Annie struggled with finding the correct words to say. Her poisoned brain, which was ruined thanks to Vilkas, was making it difficult and so she settled for a default. "That's great!" She feigned her enthusiasm and it was almost painful to force a smile. Ria hadn't noticed.

"By the Nine! What happened to your face!" Ria pointed to Annie's swollen lip.

"That's enough, Ria!" Farkas ordered.

An awkwardness filled Ria's head and she suddenly felt ashamed. "Sorry. It was rude to ask." She gazed at Farkas once more before saying to Annie, "Well, I guess I will see you around. Maybe we'll even fight side by side some time."

"Let's not hold our breath." Replied Annie in feigned politeness. "For the 'black condition' doesn't allow us to know the future with any certainty." Farkas didn't know what Annie was talking about but the way she spoke got to him. The only way he could best think about it was dark.

"No, I suppose not." Ria said only pretending to know what Annie was talking about. "Anyway - I will be upstairs. Come find me later after you've settled in if you want."

"Sure." Annie had no intentions of taking Ria up on her offer.

Ria left and Farkas and Annie stepped into the room that was to be her quarters which she would be sharing with the rest of the lesser members of the companions by all appearances. The room was a small, narrow space with wooden arches separating the room between where the men and women slept with four separate beds to each side. The same red flags that she saw upstairs were pinned against the walls and there were but a few modest pieces of furniture therein.

"Men." Farkas pointed to the right side of the room. "Woman." The pointed to the left. He placed his hands on his hips. "Alright, so here you are. Just pick a bed and fall in it when you're tired." Annie chuckled. "Tilma will keep the place clean. She always has. And, welcome to The Companions. Good luck. Any questions?"

"Just one."

"Hmmm?"

"How did you learn my name before I arrived?" Annie had never said her name in front of him before speaking to Eorland Gray-Mane and there were at that point only two people who could have brought it up.

Scratching his head before he spoke, Farkas replied with, "My brother told me about you before you came. Is that all?" Annie nodded and Farkas went for the stairs.

With a heavily needed sigh, Annie closed the doors and leaned back against them. She closed her eyes then rubbed her throbbing lip. Vilkas certainly had a strong hand. She needed to be alone at this moment. There was something that only she could take care of and she needed the isolation to do it, if but for a minute or two.

Right now, her mood needed tending to.

That's two down already with eight more to go before I can write some new chapters for this story. I hope for all of you new readers that you will continue to enjoy this as much as I am in revisiting it. I am bouncing between this and my personal writing and have been really busying myself trying to write as much as possible through out my day with the hopes of being able to get a lot done with both with time available to me, and it's been working out so far.

With any luck I will keep my rhythm going and knock out chapter 3 soon.

Cheers! :)