Thanks so much to everyone who left reviews and added me to their fave or watch list. You've encouraged me to keep trying!
Edit: Chapter re-written on Sept 2nd. Let me know if you like it :)
Lily stood on the stone steps and looked up at Jorrvaskr, admiring the unusual overturned ship that formed its roof. According to legend, this meadhall was built more than 3000 years ago from the ship sailed by Jeek of the River, one of Ysgramor's captains. She'd taken a few days to speak to the locals and learn something of the Companions and their history. As an organization, they were descended from Ysgramor's original 500 Companions, who drove the elves from Skyrim in days of old. They were an ancient order of warriors who now fought for both honor and coin.
She felt a little nervous as she entered the imposing building through one of its great carved double doors.
As she stepped inside, her attention was taken by an auburn haired Dunmer male who was having a conversation at the table in front of the fire pit.
"I'm just saying…that job would have gone a lot more smoothly if you hadn't been swimming in ale." He addressed a strong looking woman clad in hide armor who stood a few paces away with a mug in hand. Underneath her tight-fitting hide helmet a pair of amber eyes glared at the elf, made fiercer by the streaks of red warpaint across her cheekbones.
"What's your problem Athis? We finished the damn contract, and on time too," She replied. "Besides, I fight ten times better drunk than you do sober." She smirked.
"I'm not denying your skill and we finished the job. But your moves were as graceful as a horker on a dance floor, as balanced as a one-legged guar, as-."
"Somebody slap me the next time I agree to go on a job with you!" She cut him off. Her expression was furious, but then there was a gleam of mischief in her eye.
"Not only can I fight better than you when I've had a drink, you'll find I've got better aim too…" She said.
With that she threw her mug at his head. Athis uttered an oath as the mug ricocheted off of his head to bounce and spin off the table in Lily's direction.
Lily cursed and dodged the mug, but not before being showered by a spray of Ale.
"That's it, I've had enough of you Njada!" The Dunmer yelled, rising to his feet.
"Oh yeah, let's see if you can punch me little boy!" The Njada taunted with a grin. She had her fists raised.
Just like that, the brawl was on. As they exchanged insults and punches, the others ran over to watch the show, offering either encouragement or jeers.
The Companions were so preoccupied with the fight that no one seemed to notice Lily's arrival. She made a quick assessment of her surroundings.
There were ample opportunities for a burglar to gain entry or exit here. There were two sets of double doors on both the front and back of the building. Multiple windows cast light into the hall and there was a hole in the ceiling to vent the firepit.
She had to admit, the dining hall looked warm and cosy. The dark carved wood of the interior looked well oiled and cared for. Surrounding the central firepit was a long table laden with food and mead. There were deer heads and animal skins on the walls. Rich tapestries hung from the rafters and woven carpets decorated the floors.
The fight ended with the Nord woman, Njada, as the clear victor. Aela turned her attention away from the brawl and noticed Lily standing in the doorway.
"Oh, it's you!" Aela said. "I see you took my advice to heart. Sorry you had to see this. Honestly, we aren't always trying to kill each other."
Aela called Farkas over. "Farkas, you remember Lily from our fight with the giant the other day? Could you take her downstairs to meet with Kodlak? I'm going to see if I can talk sense into Athis and Njada." Aela ran over to help the vanquished Dunmer off the floor.
Farkas gave Lily a smile and spoke in that deep baritone of his, "Welcome to Jorrvaskr. Looks like you picked a good day to stop by. We don't usually get this much excitement. Follow me, and I'll take you down to see the Harbinger."
She followed Farkas to the stairway at the end of the hall. As Lily began to descend the stairs, something flashed in her peripheral vision. She looked up and saw a collection of metal pieces artfully arranged and tacked on the wall. The light from the firepit caused them to glimmer.
"So, what's this artwork you've got on your wall?" Lily asked.
"Artwork?" Farkas frowned in confusion. "Oh, that's just Wuuthrad, or what's left of it."
"That's Wuuthrad?" Lily breathed out. She stared at the metal shards in disbelief, her heart pounding.
Silently, she cursed Mercer to the 9 hells of Oblivion and back again. He must have known all along the axe was in this condition. The sneaky bastard gave her an impossible task!
Unaware of her distress, Farkas continued, "Yeah, that was the ancient axe of Ysgramor. Some of the pieces are still missing. We've been looking for em so we can fix it."
"Can the axe be repaired?" Lily asked.
"I'm not sure, but if anyone can do it our smith Eorlund Gray-Mane can. He may be the best in all of Skyrim."
So there was some hope. For now, she would join the Companions and bide her time. Gods willing, the fragments of Wuuthrad would be found and re-forged. She was afraid to think about how long the process might take.
The lower level of Jorrvaskr held the companion's living quarters and was constructed of sturdy gray stone. The long central hallway had a vaulted ceiling and numerous adjacent bedrooms. The Companions made the area warm and inviting with comfortable furniture, colorful rugs and the bright light of candles.
Farkas pointed to the end of the hallway. "Kodlak's quarters are down there. Good luck."
As Lily walked towards Kodlak's quarters she saw two men seated at a table within. Both wore finely etched steel armor with a wolf's head device on the chestplate. Dark wolf-fur kilts complimented the ensemble. The Nord seated on the right was a battle-scarred elder with a long mane of gray hair. Kodlak, no doubt. When Lily saw the handsome, dark haired man sitting across from Kodlak, she did a double-take. He was the mirror image of Farkas. The man had shorter hair and a slightly smaller build, but the resemblance was unmistakable. The two had to be twins.
The men were so deep in conversation that they hadn't noticed her yet. The brother of Farkas seemed deeply troubled by something. His brow was furrowed and she could read the conflict in his ice-blue eyes. Lily wondered what could be so wrong.
Kodlak looked up as Lily approached. "A stranger comes to our hall," The old man said.
She addressed Kodlak. "Greetings. My name is Lily. I'd like to join the Companions," She pronounced.
"Would you now? Here, let me have a look at you," Kodlak replied.
Great, another ambitious visitor here to waste our time, Vilkas mused. His frown deepened as he sniffed. Was that ale he smelled on her? Ysmir, not another Torvar, he thought.
She was nothing to look at. Her leather armor was old and worn, with baggy pants stuffed into clunky boots. The set was ill-fitting, as though she stole it from someone larger than herself. Vilkas cast a suspicious glance at the vials, tools and lockpicks on her belt. She had unkempt brown hair tied back from an unremarkable face. Her brown eyes held a spark of defiance in them as she glared back at Vilkas, daring him to say she wasn't good enough.
Too many wannabe warriors thought they could just swagger in and join. These hopefuls usually didn't measure up, either because they lacked strength and skill, or they had no concept of honor. Vilkas believed this short, skinny woman would be no different from the rest.
As Kodlak assessed her with his kind pale blue eyes, Lily had the uncomfortable feeling that he could see her secrets, and that he was peering into her very soul.
"Hmm," Kodlak said, leaning back in his chair. "Yes, perhaps. I sense a certain strength of spirit in you."
Vilkas was stunned. "Harbinger, surely you're not considering this girl. She hardly looks strong enough to lift a blade let alone win a battle. She has the look of a rogue or bandit!"
"I'm a former Thieves Guild member if you must know, from Riften," Lily answered irritably. Shit. She hadn't planned on this confession, but she didn't appreciate the dark haired man comparing her to a common bandit.
"A former Thieves Guild member?" Kodlak asked. He raised a gray eyebrow at that.
She shrugged. "Yes. I didn't see eye to eye with our Guild Master."
"So, you have problems with authority," Vilkas challenged.
"Authority had a problem with me," She answered curtly.
"And now you think you can just wander in here and join us?" Vilkas asked.
Kodlak intervened. "Vilkas, last I checked we had empty beds at Jorrvaskr for those with a fire burning in their hearts." He turned to Lily and asked, "How are you in battle girl?"
"I manage to stay alive."
Vilkas made a grunt of disbelief.
Kodlak nodded seriously, but his eyes held a spark of amusement. "Fair enough, girl. This is Vilkas. He will test your arm. Vilkas, take her out to the yard and see what she can do."
"Aye," Vilkas answered in resignation. "Alright whelp, wait for me outside in the training yard."
Lily nodded respectfully to Kodlak and glared at Vilkas as she left.
When Lily was out of earshot Vilkas said, "Harbinger, you can't be serious. She admitted she was from the Thieves Guild! Who knows why she is really here? How can she be trusted? Also, considering what's going on in the Circle right now, is it wise to bring a stranger into all of this?"
The old man smiled patiently and said, "Vilkas, she would not be the first rogue ever accepted into the Companions. If Ysgramor had been so rigid, do you believe he would have had 500 to accompany him on The Return? Do not be concerned. If the girl proves herself unworthy, we will simply let her go. As for your other question, I have a feeling she may yet have an important part to play. Do not ask me anymore, nor question my judgment boy. Go and test her."
Lily took in the view of the Companion's practice area. Jorrvaskr's doors opened out onto a large stone patio furnished with benches and tables. In front of the patio was a small paved exercise yard bordered by Whiterun's eastern wall. A few training dummies stood at the ready, some in bad need of repair. Beyond the wall, the massive ice-capped mountains of Skyrim rose into the sky.
Lily turned to see Vilkas arrive. In his wake, several Companions appeared and filed into the benches and seats, mead in hand. She guessed that she would be their entertainment for the afternoon. She recognized Farkas, Aela and Ria. The pair of brawlers from the battle in the dining hall also joined. There were a few people she did not recognize like the older man with the scar across his eye and a young warrior whose face looked flushed with too much mead.
Vilkas called Lily to attention and pointed at her bow, "The Companions are warriors, not some archery club. Put that thing away and go grab a real weapon from that rack over there."
Lily retrieved two shortswords from the rack. She practiced a couple of spins with the blades in an attempt to limber up. Vipir the Fleet gave her some blade training back at the Guild, but she'd been a terrible student. She tried to remember some of his tips. Never attack a larger foe first. Taunt and evade the enemy until their stamina is drained, then go in for a fast attack. Use anything in your environment to your advantage.
Vilkas spoke again, "No magic, no potions and no…poisons." He glanced at the bottles attached to Lily's belt. These were the tools of sneak thieves and weak milk drinkers as far as he was concerned.
"Come on, the old man said to have a look at you so let's do this," Vilkas said, as he pulled a greatsword from the rack.
Vilkas and Lily dropped into a fighting stance and circled each other slowly.
"Just have a few swings at me so I can see your form," Vilkas ordered. He looked bored.
Lily chose to be stubborn about what she was taught. No attacking a larger foe first. She struggled to think of a good taunt.
"Why don't you attack me first you…milk drinker!" Lily shouted.
His frown deepened slightly, but he was not goaded.
She tried again. "Yeah that's right milk drinker! And I bet you've been eating cheese, butter and cream too!" She accused. She never quite understood the Nordic disdain for dairy products.
Vilkas was not moved by this old tactic. He'd seen warriors of smaller stature try to taunt larger foes into anger and mistakes. It would not work on him. It served no purpose other than to entertain their audience. A few hoots and jeers rang out from the tables where the Companions sat and enjoyed the show.
"Stop wasting time and attack!" Vilkas was becoming irritated.
Lily made a movement with one booted foot, and dirt flew into Vilkas' face. While blinded, he blocked her first attack with ease, as a flurry of quick strikes rang out against his greatsword.
Vilkas felt his temper flare. A clod of dirt was on his face and his teeth were bared in a snarl as he began to advance on Lily. Her eyes widened and she backed up nervously towards the wall, twin blades held defensively in front of her.
He didn't know how she managed it, but Lily hooked one foot at the base of a training dummy and sent it flying into his path. Vilkas cursed as he stumbled into it. While he was distracted, Lily spun and lashed out with a quick volley of blows. He still blocked her, but was highly annoyed that she'd managed to surprise him with these pathetic tactics.
By Ysmir, he'd had enough.
"We are done!" He announced. "You will not join us. You are no warrior and your methods show you know nothing of honor."
She protested, "That's bullshit!" She counted on one gloved hand, "You said no bow, no magic, no potions and no poisons. I complied. You never said I couldn't use my environment to my advantage!"
"We fight with strength, skill and honor, not tricks!" Vilkas answered back. He wanted to throttle her when she rolled her eyes at him.
Athis stood up from one of the benches. Vilkas noted the purple bruise forming around the Dunmer's left eye. "Hang on Vilkas, just because she used some unusual methods doesn't mean she shouldn't be considered. I think she demonstrated some strategy."
Lily was shocked that anyone besides herself would protest. She listened intently.
Njada spoke out next, "I'm with Vilkas on this. We can't let just any nameless riffraff waddle in here and join us."
Athis answered, "That's funny Njada, because I could have sworn that's how you joined. Vilkas, please hear me out. It's been getting stagnant and boring around here. It's high time we used more creativity in our approach to battles. We need to allow people in who have different skills than the rest of us. Also, our numbers are too few right now. Can we afford to turn away perfectly good fighters when we've got the bloody Silver Hand breathing down our necks?
Aela spoke up, "I agree with Athis. We need to build our numbers. I say we give her a chance and see how she performs on the job. And one more thing, since when is a bow not a real weapon, Shield-Brother?" Her silver eyes narrowed on Vilkas and he had a sinking feeling he would be in for it later.
Vilkas felt the fight go out of him. Athis was right that they desperately needed to bolster their numbers. He just wished that the quality of the recruits would not have to suffer so much. His eyes turned towards the benches and he grimaced as Torvar let out a loud belch. Vilkas was also unnerved by Kodlak's cryptic words earlier about Lily having some part to play in the Companion's current situation. He did not like nor trust her, but he would let it go for now.
He turned to face the puny woman. "All right. You're in for the moment. But you're still just a whelp to us and need to follow our orders. Here's my sword, go take it to Eorlund and have it sharpened. And be careful, it's probably worth more than you are."
His words made her temper flare, but she managed to restrain herself from a smart-assed retort. She needed to keep her position safe in order to work on getting her hands on Wuuthrad. Lily obediently took the greatsword from Vilkas and suppressed the temptation to fling it over the back wall. With a parting glare for the haughty Companion, she turned to make her way up to the blacksmith.
Vilkas called after her with a warning, "One more thing whelp. We may be rough, but we won't tolerate thieving around here. If that's your game you can go right back to the lowlifes in Riften."