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Jorik woke early the next morning, the sun was just barely out. He groaned as his head pounded, his stomach was threatening to turn. He thought about going back to sleep, but decided not to, he still had to get that mission from Farkas.

Slowly he rose from the warm bed, shivered as the chill of the house hit him. He grabbed one of the health potions and downed in, hoping it would take care of his headache.

He glanced up as his door opened. He was surprised to see Lydia standing there with a plate of food. This was a first, her bringing him food.

"I don't think I will be eating," Jorik muttered looking at the food with distaste when his stomach turned once more.

"You need to eat, and this potion should help," Lydia murmured with a smirk. She chuckled as he downed the potion with a grimace.

Lydia squirmed in place, wanting to ask the question that was on her mind, but knowing it wasn't her place to ask. She was his housecarl and any questions of his past weren't her business. But the name had stuck with her.

"What is it Lydia?" Jorik asked with annoyance when his housecarl wouldn't stop watching him.

Lydia took a breath and met his eyes squarely, "Who is Argis?" she asked, waiting for her Thane to blow in anger.

Jorik ran his finger down the scar he had, running over his blind eye. "Someone from my past that I want to avoid," Jorik muttered with a grimace.

"How do you plan on avoiding him?" Lydia asked, now she was worried. It was her job to protect her Thane, but now she knew there might be danger to her Thane. She needed to know this information.

"By avoiding Markarth area. My father took me there a couple of months before I left and I won't return," Jorik stated with a pointed look. He watched the question Lydia had been about to ask die before given voice.

Jorik thought back to that time…

My father and I were travelling to Markarth to pick up the shipment of wares. The man who was supposed to deliver it died late in the night. We had received a message letting us know of the coplication. The snow was falling lightly, the two moons in the sky larger than usual, my father called them a harvest moon.

They made it to Markarth late and rented a room at the inn. Both tired from the long trek, they didn't bother sitting around the fire, instead they went straight to their room.

The next morning his father met up with a man so we could collect our wares. He stay near, ignoring the conversation, it didn't pertain to him as it was. His ears perked up when he heard mention of a cave with a pack of wolves in it.

"My son is leaving to take care of it, you should have your son join him. I'll cut a hundred septims off the price," the other man stated.

"Done, Jorik meet his son Argis outside," my father ordered.

Self-consciously I touched the scar on my face and gave my father a worried look. "You'll do fine boy," his father reassured. My gut had told me not to go, but my father had told me I had to.

Argis was a large young man, a few years old than me, not as large as me, or as tall, but for most Nords he was considered large. He wore neatly cut blond hair with crystal blue eye, of a true nord. He held a shield in one hand and a sword strapped to his waist. His steel armor was well worn, easily enough to tell it had seen some battles.

It took us a few hours to get to the cave. We both hesitated when we heard the howls. "Are you ready?" Argis has asked, his voice was deeper and burly.

"Yeah, just say away from my right side," I warned him. I watched as he nodded and looked curiously at my blind eye and the large scar that accompanied it.

"What happened?" Argis has asked. I sighed, not wanting to talk about it, but I would answer his question, he was the son of the person we bought our wares from.

"Balgruuf and myself were exploring a cave, a sword was going for him and I blocked it. The bandit turned his attention towards me, but Balgruuf was still in danger from another bandit I didn't see. The as I defended Balgruuf the first bandit sliced my face before I took his life." I told him.

"Why not let the man fight for himself?" Argis asked with a shake of his head.

"Because he's the son of the Jarl of Whiterun," I answered with a shrug. I smirked as his eyes widened but he asked no more questions which suited me just fine.

The first section had only two wolves in it, we moved further into the cave and found a lot more. More than we had been expecting. Argis took out five and I took out four. The last one was where everything went wrong. I went to jab, but Argis had tried to block me from getting bitten and my knife sliced down his face. I moved quickly stanching the blood, passing him a healing potion. It hadn't been strong enough to give him his sight or to heal the slice.

~ooooooooooooooo~

His father had been mad, but didn't blame me. Argis hasn't blamed me either but I blamed myself and that was enough. I had left Skyrim and went to Cyrodiil, away from everything I knew so I wouldn't be a burden to my father.

Jorik walked up the steps of Jorrvaskr, Farkas was waiting for him outside. "Have any missions?" Jorik asked quietly.

"Yeah, have someone around Whiterun that needs to be taught a lesson," Farkas murmured passing over the details. Jorik glanced at it and nodded his head.

It hadn't taken long to find the man and wasn't surprised to find out this man had stole something. Jorik found Brenuim in the market place. He shook his head. "So what did you steal this time?" Jorik asked with a smirk.

"Don't know what you are talking about," Brenuim snapped.

"Yeah I just bet you don't. Well I'm going to make sure you remember the next time you decide to steal something – don't." Jorik just finished his warning when Brenuim right fist caught him in the face.

Jorik snarled and swung out hitting in the stomach and quickly following through with a right hook to his jaw. He was surprised the man dropped holding out his arm so quickly. Jorik backed away giving the man a moment. He glanced around at the market and watched as everyone grinned. He wondered how many this guy had stole off of it.

~ooooooooooooooo~

He walked back in Jorrvaskr, Farkas was waiting for him at the entryway. "Finished, Brenuim probably won't try stealing again, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that," Jorik told him with a smirk.

"Have another mission. This one is in Markarth," Farkas stated handing him the mission details. Jorik's brow lowered into a scowl, the one town he wanted to avoid he now had to go to.

"Any others?" Jorik asked hopefully.

"Not until you prove your worth," Farkas told him. "Is there a problem?"

"We will see won't we," Jorik muttered with a shake of his head as he left Jorrvaskr. He wasn't going to leave right away, first he wanted to collect Lydia and restock.

~ooooooooooo~

Lydia glanced up sharply, her sword drawn when the front door slammed. The sound vibrated through the house. She walked downstairs, ready for anything. She stopped dead when she saw Jorik. His face was contoured in anger as he paced agitatedly.

"Lydia!" Jorik bellowed.

Lydia walked the rest of the way down the stairs, "Yes my Thane," she murmured, not wanting to set him off any more than he was.

"Make sure you are packed for a long trip," Jorik ordered as he started grabbing potions and stuffing them in his pack. He went to the cabinet and grabbed the salted meat. He vaguely heard Lydia moving quickly behind him packing her own bag.

He turned slowly and glanced at his housecarl, "We leave first thing in the morning," he stated as he headed out of the house. He needed to speak with Kodlak before heading. This mission was going to take long than he thought, he needed to work out his past before he left Markarth.

~ooooooooooo~

Jorik found Kodlak in his room, "Jorik what can I do for you," Kodlak murmured.

"I have a mission to head to Markarth, I'll be gone for a bit," Jorik stated firmly.

Kodlak sighed, he was surprised Farkas had given Jorik this mission. It was a good thing but he could see Jorik didn't agree. "Take as long as needed," Kodlak said with a nod of reassurance.

A weight felt like it had been lifted off of Jorik's shoulder. With a relieved sigh he walked out of the room. "Everything alright?" Vilkas asked.

"Yes, no, my past is coming up," Jorik told him as he took a seat on the bench.

"Heading to Markarth?" Vilkas asked as he took a seat next to him.

"Yeah, Farkas gave me a mission that needs to be done there. Not sure how long I'll be gone," Jorik told him. He smirked, this was the first time he actually had time to sit and talk to anyone here. He made a promise when he got back he would make more time.

"You know the family never blamed you," Vilkas told him quietly.

Jorik looked at him sharply, "You father told Kodlak and myself what happened a few months after you left," Vilkas explained.

"Hmm, so I take it he told you why I left?" Jorik asked icily.

"No, he didn't," Vilkas told him quietly before rising to his feet. Jorik looked up at the nord and saw the confusion before he walked away. He sighed in relief that no one knew why he left.

Jorik scowled disgustedly at himself and stormed out of Jorrvaskr. He silently berated himself for a milk drinker. He had ran when he was a lad and knew it. Vilkas said things were good, but he wouldn't believe it until he saw for himself.

~ooooooooooooo~

Grabbing the family heirloom was easy enough. There had only been a few mercenaries, he could have done the mission easily enough on his own.

Lydia watched as her Thane scanned the streets looking for something. She was pretty sure who it was, but wasn't going to comment yet. It wasn't her place and she figured he needed to put his past to rest. She was still surprised that they were here when he said he needed to avoid this city.

She smirked as her Thane walked to the Silverblood inn. She wondered if she would have to drag him back to his bed this time too.

Jorik walked into the busy inn and ordered two rooms. He thought about staying in his room and ignoring everything until they leave on their next mission. He had picked up a few in town, but he was wary of doing missions here since he received a note. The note told him to go to the temple of Talos, which he planned on avoiding. With all the Thalmor in Skyrim it would be stupid to go to the temple.

He glanced at Lydia to find her already at a table waiting for him. Quickly he ordered food and mead for the both of them.

"My Thane?" Lydia asked with concern as he glanced around once more.

"Don't worry about it Lydia," Jorik muttered. Relief swept through him when he saw no one he recognized. He just hoped it stayed that way.

Lydia rolled her eyes, she didn't care her Thane saw it. How was she supposed to protect him when she didn't know where the danger was coming from? So she decided to keep an eye on everyone and think them all a danger to her Thane.

She scanned the room once more. Her eyes landing on a stranger in the corner, cloaked in shadow. He wasn't hiding, but keeping away from all the patrons. She could see he was a large nord, and was watching her Thane intently.

Lydia knew who she had to watch now. She sipped her mead and glanced at Jorik, he didn't seem to notice the man.

Lydia tensed as the man rose to his feet and walked over to their table.

"Jorik?" a burly voice asked.

Jorik whipped around startled. His eyes met the others and his shoulders slump. His father told him once you can't run from your past. Told him that just as he was leaving to Cyrodiil. Now his past was staring right at him.