Chapter Six

The month had just changed and the pair had just finished building the house Dar' had wanted-having gotten a plot of land from Dengeir of Stuhn for helping him become Jarl of Falkreath again and liberating his hold from Imperial control. Now she sat on one of the porches with paper, ink and a quill, reading the letter she had just received from her parents and smiling before looking off towards Whiterun, remembering that day.

-*Flashback*-

She stood by and listened to Balgruuf and Vignar Grey-Mane argue before the now former Jarl turned to her. "And you-a Stormcloak. I thought better of you."

Inigo saw her tense up and whispered something to Galmar, he and Ralof nodding as the female Khajiit lit into him. "And I once thought better of you!" was her reply, her green eyes flashing in the light. "I have suffered your actions whenever I did work in the Hold-the final straw was when you accused me of lying about Helgen!" She caught movement and drew her bow, nocking an arrow and aiming it at Irileth as she continued, her eyes having gone as hard as jade. "Vignar is right-this place is no longer yours and if it was my choice I would do a lot worse to you, you pompous fool! I gladly took this mission because it gave me a chance to pay back everything you've done to my family. I have not forgotten that little tax increase that forced my parents off their farm and out of their home! Now you are the one being kicked out and by the Divines you deserve it!"

She holstered her bow and arrow. "Inigo stopped me from going off on you before, but this time he knew I was not going to be stopped."

Balgruuf stared at her open-mouthed at what had just a few minutes prior been a fierce but quiet Khajiit, hearing her speak once more. "I'll go let Ulfric know of our victory here Galmar," she went on. "I'll leave it to you and Ralof to take out the trash."

At the sound of chuckling from her companions, she turned on her heel and left with the other Khajiit, stopping at the Temple of Kynareth and donating a large sum to help with those who needed relief due to what had happened before heading back to Windhelm, a satisfied smile on her face from what she had just helped to happen.

-*End Flashback*-

Dar' shook herself, looking down at the paper in front of her and dipping her quill in her ink before starting to write.

Middas, 10 Hearthfire, 4E 201

Dearest Mother and Father,

I received your letter today-it was good to hear from you. I'm glad the farm is doing well. I will have more about that in a moment. I've joined up with the Stormcloaks and one of our first targets was Whiterun. I had not forgotten about how the taxes Balgruuf levied forced us to leave the farm-which is now in the hands of a Dark Elf named Drelas (I've given him full use of the cottage with the provision that should something happen to me or Inigo, he bury our bodies under those two pine trees). The poor man thought I was going to kick him out, but I have no use for it-I have a new home Inigo and I built on one of the lakes called Lakeview Manor-I'm writing from you there. Anyways, after we took Dragonsreach, Balgruuf thought to chastise me for being a Stormcloak-I told him exactly what I thought of him and his actions-seems only fitting that one of the people he kicked out got to kick him from his home, don't you think? Vignar Grey-Mane is Jarl now, and a sight better than Balgruuf. I hope to chat with him a bit over the tax issue at a later date-I doubt anything can be done, but it wouldn't hurt to check. My companions in the Stormcloaks are good to me-they see me as one of them and not just a Khajiit-something that I wasn't expecting. Many of them have lost family to the Thalmor, and that seems to drive me harder to take them out when I can. My enemies think I'm quiet and shy-something I use to great effect and to my advantage. The man I report to is friendly enough, even though I did tackle him for calling me a 'cat'-seemed impressed I was able to take him down. If you hear talk of someone called 'Dovahkiin' or 'Dragonborn', you'll be hearing about your own daughter-apparently I can Shout like the Nords in the old tales. The Greybeards wish to see me-I'll head out that way soon. Anyways, Inigo's waving to me for us to head out-there's more to do to win this war. Markarth will be our next stop.

Raj ahziss shal,

Your Clever Shadow.

She reread her letter before folding it and sealing it with wax, writing who and where it went before putting her quill and ink away. The pair headed out, finding a courier and paying him to deliver it, watching him take the letter and nod before running off. Inigo inhaled the air, exhaling in content. "You seem in better spirits." He intoned as they walked, watching her look over. "It was good to hear from them," was the reply. "I do miss them but they are doing well now."

The pair chatted as they walked across the tundra, reaching the camp in question and speaking to Galmar. She grinned at the task ahead of her: breaking into places she wasn't supposed to be in was a passion of hers and she knew this would be easy for her. Dar' led the way to Markarth, the two of them taking out some Forsworn and others along their path before reaching it. As they entered, however, they walked right into a situation. The female Khajiit lunged at the man about to attack another, latching onto him and snapping his neck before getting up, looking at the woman and calming her. She moved off, blinking at a man that bumped into her and passed her a note before the pair headed for the keep, sticking the note in her pack. As she thought, it was a piece of cake to slip into the steward's room while he was there, easily snagging the amulet before closing the door and waking the man, blackmailing him for information. Inigo grinned as they left and headed back. "That was impressive." He said after they were out of the city, watching her grin. "I've always been good at sneaking into places and doing that," she replied. "Though I try to limit myself to those who were rich. It's a favorite pastime to slip in, take a few things, then fence it and give some of the gold to those who actually deserved it. The Battle-Born Clan in Whiterun is a favorite target of mine-in fact, I think they're just about due once more."

"Why not take another mark or two as well?" came the question, the male Khajiit watching his companion look over at him before continuing. "Go after Chillfurrow Farm and Battle-Born Farm-at the very least it might shut up that ignorant Redguard and give you a second place to nail your usual target."

Dar' thought for a moment. "The Battle-Born house needs a pick lightly bent to the right about two inches from the tip," she muttered, remembering. "Their farm needs a slight twist to the left. For Chillfurrow I think it's a straight pick." She raised an eyebrow at his gaze. "What? I used to pick them for fun so I would know in case I wanted to leave money for those who needed it-I can pretty much get into almost every house in Whiterun, or, in the case of the families in question, rob them blind. If I know Olfrid, he'll be trying to cause problems for the Jarl."

"I suppose burning him out of..." Inigo began before seeing her look. "I was kidding Dar'-I promise. A good clean-out does sound in order."

"Eorlund and his family have been good to me." She replied. "He's the one that usually bought the pelts I'd sell. The extra meat I'd sell to the Bannered Mare or some of the citizens that wished it. I didn't do the second one all that often mind you-didn't want to anger Anoriath. Any horns I didn't use I would sell to Arcadia."

"Sounds like you did well for yourself." The male Khajiit said as they reached the camp, Dar' letting Galmar know what they had found before being sent to meet up with the men. The group easily overwhelmed the Imperials and captured the cart, the pair heading back to the old Nord. Their next target was Fort Sungard-that fight taking a toll on them as the Imperials just seemed to keep coming. They managed to get them down, staring at the bodies in the yard, Dar' dropping her hood and wiping the blood from her face, seeing the arrows lodged in the padding of her armor. She grumbled, using the knowledge she had to slip the arrows out of the cuirass before heading inside to remove it, checking herself for wounds and healing the scratch she got from one of the arrows managing to go through the padding before slipping her armor back on, coming out. The Khajiit knelt by one of their comrades, helping the battle-maiden healer tend to him after drinking a couple potions to regain her strength. Inigo touched her shoulder after a bit. "Don't overdo it Dar'-I really don't want to have to report to Ulfric you passed out again."

She smiled wearily at him, slowly getting up. "It's late-we'll make camp for the night and start in the morning."

"Or you could just use the barracks here," one of the Stormcloaks chimed in. "Plenty of beds in the Muster. And you know something-'Bone-Breaker' really doesn't suit you. With your white fur I think the name 'Snow-Hammer' would be better-at least for now."

The Khajiit headed inside, the blue-furred male helping his companion lay down before doing the same.

-*Timeskip*-

The next morning found the pair up bright and early, Dar'Mora using the crafting area to repair her armor as she looked at her companion. "Would you be willing to do a little dragon hunting on the way back?" she checked her supplies. "I need about two more sets of scales for the armor. I know where we can find one too-near Korvanjund."

"I would feel better were you to have some better armor Dar'," was the reply. "But we should probably forge it back at the Manor."

She nodded as she went and got changed, hearing shouting and running outside. "Or we can just take this dragon down." The female Khajiit said as she drew her bow and fired at the creature with the other Stormcloaks, managing to get it to land before they all attacked. The dragon died, Dar' feeling the soul go to her and sighed before collecting what she needed, looking at her comrades. "Thank you for the help." She said, putting the scales and bones into her pack before shouldering it and moving off, hearing them move around the skeleton to examine it. "We can just head back to the Manor now." She went on, Inigo grinning at her. "I think I'm getting used to this...perversion of nature thing you do with dragon souls." He replied as they moved, reaching it about midday. They went inside, the female Khajiit grabbing some leather and iron from her crafting chest and heading into the basement to work.

Inigo relaxed outside in the sun, looking up after a few hours as the door opened, Dar' coming out in her new armor and blushing faintly, watching him stare. "Wow...he said, noticing the new bow on her back. "Dragonbone?"

She nodded. "The bow my father gave me will always be dear to me, but I thought it was time for something a bit stronger. I've given it a place of honor on the weapon rack in my bedroom and I'll probably pass it on to my children if I have any." She looked down at the thought.

"I can see you with a litter Dar'," he said. "You just need to find the right one."

"I want to be loved for who I am, not because I'm the Dragonborn or any other title. If they can't respect that, then no deal."

He chuckled. "Until then, I'm sticking with you." Was the reply as they got in the carriage, asking Gunjar to take them to Windhelm. As they rattled along, Dar' took out the notebook she kept with her, going over a few things before taking out some charcoal, working on something. The male Khajiit raised an eyebrow as she glanced at him for a moment before returning to what she was doing. "What are you up to?" he asked. The reply came when they were half-way to their destination when she put the stick of charcoal away and turned the book around, revealing a drawing of him, complete with raised eyebrow. "Whoa...you can draw?"

"I sketch mostly." Was the reply as she showed him some of her other work, the drawings exact. "I also use it for notes-been keeping track of the dragons. Might be interesting if I could get them to just speak with me instead of attacking all the time-think of what we could learn."

"A dariit and a scholar rolled into one." Inigo chuckled. "Maybe you'll find such a dragon Dar'."

She reattached the notebook to her belt, smirking. "Maybe one day." She blinked. "Maybe Ulfric could help translate what I took from that wall-or at least point me in a direction."

The wagon pulled up and they got out, thanking Gunjar before heading into the city. They entered the palace, Ulfric looking up at them and congratulating them, listening to what the Khajiit asked after giving the next assignment. "I can try-it's been a number of years since I've seen the writing."

She took her notebook from her belt, opening it up and handing it to him. "This was on a wall in Bleak Falls Barrow-there was a strange light coming from one of the words."

The Nord blinked before looking over the inscription. "'HET NOK FaaL VahLOK
DeiNMaaR DO DOVAahGOLZ ahRK aaN FUS DO UNSLaaD RahGOL ahRK VULOM.'" He thought for a moment. "If I remember right, the translation would be 'Here lies the guardian-Keeper of Dragonstone And a force of unending Rage and darkness'. If you're interested in knowing more, there's a book about the language you should try and find called 'Dragon Language: Myth no More' that talks about it. The Greybeards could probably teach you as well, or you might gain the abilities from dragons you take down."

Dar' went to take the book, blushing as he happened to turn the page and see the sketch she had done of him, watching him look up at her. "You have a good eye for detail young one." He handed it back, watching her put it into a pouch for safekeeping. "Thank you Ulfric for translating that for me."

"It was interesting to see if I could-a challenge. If you find any others, I'd enjoy trying to help-the war doesn't allow for much else and this was a welcome diversion."

He watched the pair go, chuckling to himself. "Khajiit in body, dragon in soul, and Nord at heart." He looked at his steward. "What do you think of her Jorleif?"

Jorleif looked at the Jarl. "I think everyone expected the Dragonborn to be a Nord, not a female Khajiit. She's pleasant to be around as long as one doesn't rouse her temper. The one she travels with, Inigo, is different, but you can tell he wishes to protect her. That armor of hers and the bow-were those..."

"Dragonscale and Dragonbone? Yes...she did a good job with them too."

(A.N.: bit of a longer one this time. I figured since Ulfric knew how to shout, he'd be able to translate the dragon language-though it's been many years since he'd seen it.

Ta'agra translations:

Raj ahziss shal-All my love

Dariit-theif)