Chapter 4

In which Duncan and Katlyn make new friends in Whiterun

(AN: During this chapter I will be trying out third person mode just to see how it feels and then after I will decide weather I will go back to first person or not)

It was approximately twelve by the time Katlyn woke up, ordinarily she would never have slept in that late but the exhaustion from the previous day and the sleepless nights during her arrival had completely thrown off her natural rhythm. As she began to sit up on the bed she became aware of the man laying next to her on the bed. This surprising development had been such a shock that she fell off the side of the bed in an attempt to get away from the awkward situation of waking up in a unfamiliar bed next to someone you barely knew. Upon closer inspection the man in the bed was in fact Duncan as the events of the previous night became clear to her. Getting closer to the man revealed a look of pain from a nightmare that was plaguing him. As if aware of this sudden scrutiny Duncan awoke to find his face very close to Katlyn's. Realizing how close she was to the man Katlyn jumped back, her face changing from very pale to very red in a matter of moments. Duncan's face was filled with amusement at Katlyn's sudden embarrassment "You fell asleep while leaning on me and it seemed rude to wake you after that." his hand were held up in an act of innocence as he finished speaking. Trying desperately to change the subject Katlyn said "You looked like you were having a nightmare, what were you dreaming about?" Duncan's eyes grew distant and for one moment his mask was gone and Katlyn saw a grimace appear on the mans face, but as quickly as the mask had dissipated it was back on as Duncan tried to change the subject now. "It's nothing; we should probably head over to Whiterun if we're going to reach it before it gets dark." he said in a friendly tone trying to cover up that what had just happened. Katlyn narrowed her eyes at him and said "Yeah.. We should probably head out quickly. Wait outside the room while I change into my armor." Without a word Duncan moved outside the room and snatched an apple to munch on while Katlyn changed. By some manner of luck Katlyn managed to get her armor on just in time to see Duncan trying to settle a disagreement between a bosmer and a nord. "Stay out of this, it is none of your concerns and besides Camilla is mine not yours elf!" the nord retaliated "Why would a woman of Camillas caliber fall for a brutish nord like you Sven! She obviously belongs to me." the bosmer shot back. "She doesn't belong to either of you, she is not an object so both of you milk drinkers can shut up, you both sound like bitches in heat." Duncan said his barely contained annoyance starting to show on his complexion. "Nobody asked you!" they said in unison. Before Duncan could throw a punch however Katlyn appeared by his side and held his wrist. With a small amount of effort she managed to drag him out of the inn and together they said goodbye to Ralof and his family before finally heading down the road towards Whiterun. When the silence of they're travel became too much Katlyn asked "Why do you wear that armor if it means people immediately point you out as a thief?" Duncan gave a small laugh as if expecting this question would eventually be asked. "Just because I wear this armor does not mean I am a thief, and without probable cause the guards can not arrest me, however the knowledge that I am a thief lulls them into a false sense of security because they know what I do and they think they can guard themselves against it and thus they are all the easier to fool. It makes them think they hold the upper hand when in reality I still hold all of the cards. Secondly this armor is enchanted to assist me in the various tools of my trade. Plus it draws those people who want my services to me, you see a good thief is skilled and executes the job his guild gives him, a great thief is a master who completes the jobs for the guild and for himself on the side." That answer satisfied Katlyn and got them to the meadery outside Whiterun. Katlyn gasped at the sight of the large walls which surrounded the large city, Duncan didn't think it was all that impressive and could probably scale the wall with his grappling hook. Both of their thoughts were derailed when they heard sounds of fighting from the nearby yard and without hesitation ran to see what was going on. When they reached the field they found three warriors, two female, and one male fighting a giant. The dark haired nord male swung a great-sword trying to knock the giant off of it's feet while avoiding the blows of the giant hammer while the nord woman peppered it with arrows and the female imperial tried to flank it. With her shield and sword out Katlyn tried to assist the dark haired nord when Duncan did something that seemed insane. With both of his short-swords drawn he ran behind the giant and leaped onto the giants back plunging both of his blades between the giant's ribcage and throwing all of his weight on it performing a midair full body tackle. The giant was staggered and without missing the opportunity both of the two sword wielders swept the giant's legs out from under it as it fell unceremoniously to the ground where Katlyn plunged her blade into the giant's head. After the battle the nord woman approached us and said "You both handle yourselves well in a fight. You both would be decent shield siblings." Curiosity got the better of Katlyn and she asked "Shield siblings" the woman seemed surprised by that but answered her question none the less "An outsider. Never heard of the Companions? We are an order of warriors and we show up to solve problems if the coin is good enough. Regardless my name is Aela, that's Farkas, and that is Ria." "It's nice to meet you; my name is Katlyn, and that man over there is Duncan." she said gesturing towards Duncan while the man was standing there looking at the group of warriors with an expression that made it seem like he knew some dark secret about them. "What is he thinking about." Katlyn wondered "He probably knows more about this order than I do but they seem nice enough so I can't see what is wrong with them if they are like the fighters guild back home." Aela spoke up "If your interested in joining us head on up to Jorrvaskr and speak to Kodlack the old man has a good eye." and with that she and the rest of the Companions left for Whiterun. "So I take it you're familiar with the Companions then Duncan." "Yeah, they are very well known in Skyrim. They are basically Skyrim's version of the fighters guild or it would be more appropriate to say that the fighters guild is the rest of Tamriel's version of the Companions since they go back Ysgramor's Five Hundred. I would recommend that you take her up on the offer and join them, they can teach you more about fighting than I can." "Let's worry about that later. We should warn the Jarl about the dragon attack so that Riverwood can be safe." "Alright then the entrance to the city is just up ahead so if we hurry we might be able to get there before the sun sets." Duncan said as he began to walk back towards the road that led into the heart of Skyrim. When they reach the massive gates to the city they were stopped by the guards who took a long glance at both of them and said "Halt! The city is closed with the dragons about. Official business only." At this news Katlyn furrowed her brow at the word "dragons" and said "We bring word from Riverwood, they request the Jarl's aid." The guard narrowed his eyes at Duncan and said "Fine but keep your nose clean while your here." Katlyn had never seen a more bustling city, she had visited Bruma on several occasions but most of the time she was with her father at their farm. As soon as they entered they saw a smithy where a typical nord in imperial armor was trying to cement a business deal with the imperial blacksmith to provide swords for the legion. The blacksmith however claimed that she could not fill an order of that size in the amount of time she was given and told the man to take it up with a man by the name of Euorland Graymane who judging from the conversation was the towns other blacksmith and a strong supporter of the rebellion much to the disgust of the man who according to Duncan belonged to the Battleborn family. "The Graymanes and Battleborns are two of the oldest families in Whiterun. They used to be friends but the war has caused a rift to form between the families. On a side note the patriarch of the Battleborns is in the guilds pocket and owes me a personal favor for rescuing his friend." Duncan said as they passed by the smith. The market square seemed to be closing up for the evening so Katlyn could only imagine how busy it would get in the daytime. Near the center of town was this old tree that looked to have been struck by lighting, however that paled in significance as the castle of Dragonsreach towered over the rest of the town. When they entered the castle any feeling of cold that Katlyn had was banished by the large hearth that sat blazing in the center of the large hall. The hall itself was paneled in wood which gave it a more natural feel than the cold stones of Bruma castle ever did. The designs and decorations were classy and practical which spoke a lot about the man that made this hall his home. According to Duncan the Jarl of this hold was Blagruuf the Greater an honest man who by all accounts ruled his people justly and has opted to stay out of the war that's plaguing the rest of Skyrim, however both Tullius and Ulfric were at his door step and whatever choice he makes will dramatically upset the balance of this war. When Katlyn and Duncan approached the end of the large hall where the throne sat they were greeted by a surly Dark Elf woman who unsheathed her sword at their approach. In response to this Duncan's swords were out of their sheaths as the two eyed each other in looks that said "go ahead and try." The tension that filled the room was palpable but it was the Dark Elf who broke the silence "What is the meaning of this? Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving visitors." Katlyn cleared her throat and said "Riverwood calls for the Jarls aid. A dragon has burned down Helgen and Riverwood is defenseless." The hosecarl's eyes widened at the mention of Helgen. "You were at Helgen? The Jarl will want to speak to you personally." she said as she sheathed her sword as Duncan hesitantly did the same. Katlyn approached the throne where a man was comfortable reclining in a way that made it look that he was a confident ruler who had been ruling for a long time. His blonde hair was braided down the sides of his head and his hair was held up by a crown of gold and rubies. The mans face was weathered but had a certain rustic charm to it and his eyes showed a man who had been through the fires of war and hardship. The rest of his body was strong and muscular and it seemed that he would rather be up doing things but was held their by duties invisible chains. The Jarl spoke with a rough voice but their was compassion in it too "You were at Helgen? You saw this dragon with your own eyes?" His question seemed directed at Katlyn rather than Duncan who's eyes seemed to stare into the souls of everyone present as if judging them. "Yes." Katlyn spoke with a nervousness that she never intended to show. "The dragon destroyed Helgen and the last time I saw it the beast was flying this way." At the final statement the Jarl's eyes were wide with a look of horror "By the gods Irileth was right!" he turned to the man who was presumably his steward "What say you now Proventus? Should we continue to trust in the strength of our walls? Against a dragon?" Irileth spoke up before the steward could speak "My Jarl we should send a detachment to Riverwood at once. It is in the most immediate danger." The imperial steward tried to protest but he was cut short by the Jarl shout "Enough! I will not stand by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people! Irileth send a detachment at once." The dark elf housecarl nodded and left for the garrison. The steward bowed and left as well to carryout his duties. Katlyn and Duncan was left alone with the Jarl whose features softened as he looked at Katlyn "Well done you sought me out of your own initiative, so please accept a token of my esteem." he motioned to a guard who then left the room and returned shortly after with a fine steel blade that had a fire enchantment on as Katlyn held the blade she noticed it was warm to the touch, probably an effect of the enchantment she assumed. "What do you two plan to do now?" the Jarl asked inquisitively. Katlyn thought for a moment and said "We were invited to join the Companions so I was going to go see if they would let us into their ranks and teach me more about fighting." The Jarl nodded approvingly and looked expectantly at Duncan who just gave a shrug in response but Katlyn could see it in his eyes. Even though they had known each other for a short time Katlyn felt like she was beginning to understand the man and right now she could tell that he was torn between two decisions. Is he deciding if he wants to keep traveling with me? Why? He has no obligation to me and should have left me at Riverwood. With the promise that the Jarl would send word if he had need of them they left the keep and went to the inn figuring that it would be better to wait till morning to see the Companions.