It was the early hours of the morning, a cold sun rose from behind the mountains, and Benjen arrived to Jorrvaskr once more. Instead of scaring Aela, she greeted her like a normal person.
Aela smiled when she saw the dragonborn.
"Benjen, you are back. Care to join me on a hunt?" She asked, and Benny smiled, she loved their hunts together.
And hours later they found themselves walking the cold tundra of Skyrim. Bows sheathed but ready.
Benjen told her all about Lykaios, her plans, and the remaining people she had to find.
The two of them hadn't spoke in quite some time, since Benny was always away. She didn't like to stay in Whiterun for too long because it filled her with memories of a life she could not have. A normal life.
Oh, but it's not like she disliked fighting and killing, quite the opposite. But there were times in her life where she wondered how it would've felt to be a normal person. To experience a life of tranquility where your only problem is to put food on the table, to write letters to your relatives, and to make sure your crops are growing well.
But her life was different. She was no hero and no farmer...
"You found your half-sister, now you only have to look for..." said Aela.
"I have to find the orc warrior: Robar Ironjoy, and her twin if he's alive. Then I have to find Skade Felsaad, the healer/necromancer. They are important, but there is someone who is way more important for my mission." Said Benny, she didn't do any sort of visual contact.
"And that person is...?"
"You." She said boldly.
That caught Aela by surprise.
"What? Me? Where do I fit in your plan?" Asked Aela.
Benny took a deep breath.
"Aela, you have always been there for me. You are a skilled warrior and an impressive archer... but this goes beyond fighting skills. I want you to go to Coast of Fire with me because..." she couldn't even finish her sentence.
Aela stared at her, quiet and rather worried.
"... you are the only person alive that can control me if I go Dementia. If I lose myself in Madness I might kill everyone, friend and foe alike. I need you to stop that from happening... either by making me snap out of it... or by killing me." Her voice was emotionless... strangely emotionless.
The fact that her voice had no hint of emotion scared Aela a bit, it made her uneasy.
"I'm not going to kill you." Said Aela stubbornly.
"You have to! What if I go crazy and kill-" she stopped talking mid sentence.
Aela rose a brow. Benny stayed very still for a couple of seconds.
Until they heard a roar that shook the ground.
"... you said we were hunting deer, not dragons." Said Benny sarcastically.
"I'm not sure this is the best moment to be joking." Said Aela.
"Ah, who cares." Benny shrugged and her eyes became golden, she took out her daggers and a demented smile appeared on her face.
They heard another roar, this time closer. Benny braced herself, she was ready. And her soul demanded blood of a dragon.
An enormous dragon with pale scales appeared from behind the trees, flying low and making the pines shake.
"DOVAHKIIN, TODAY YOU DIE BY THE ICE OF RUTHERNAAX!" Roared the dragon.
Benjen waited, Aela saw her looking at the sky like a halfwit.
"BENJEN! YOUR BOW! SHOOT HIM!" She yelled, unsheathing her own bow.
But Benny didn't listen, instead, she just stared at the sky. The dragon was flying towards them now, and Benny waited.
She patiently waited.
When the dragon was at a better distance, she finally shouted.
"JOOR ZAH FRUL!" She yelled.
Her words reached the dragon, and he fell to the ground, making the ground shake like an earthquake.
Benjen tried to get on top of him, but the dragon was fast, really fast. He threw a couple of bites in the Redguard's direction but he didn't get her.
Aela shot him right in the eye, making the dragon roar in pain.
This gave Benny some time, she ran towards him, his mouth was closed, she jumped on his snout but he moved his whole head violently, making the Redguard lose balance and fall to the floor, biting her tongue and tasting blood on her mouth.
She grunted and felt a sudden burst of rage overcome her, she ran towards him and jumped onto his snout once more, this time stabbing him in the head with one of her daggers.
The dragon stopped moving instantly, and he fell to the ground.
Benjen kept stabbing him, she wasn't satisfied. Stab after stab, more blood poured from his wounds, until his flesh became fire and she swiftly absorbed his soul, leaving only the warm bones from the beast.
But she was not satisfied at all, she still felt the desire to kill someone... she still wanted blood.
She started to lose her mind, throwing one of her daggers and screaming.
Before she could do anything rash, she felt arms around her, embracing her, stopping her from hurting herself or someone.
She tried to move, to push Aela away, but the Nord was strong.
"Benjen, Benjen, calm down, it's okay. He is dead." She reassured to the mad little redguard.
But Benjen kept kicking and struggling, her Dementia was taking over her, she became her shackled self, her mad self.
She had to take a few deep breaths, to allow herself to calm down, to cool her head, to remember who she was... her sane self... or half sane at least.
Her energy was quickly drained, and after a few seconds, she stopped fighting Aela. She didn't move, her whole body felt a lot heavier than before.
Aela finally released her, and looked into Benny's eyes, she was worried.
"You see now?" Asked Benny between ragged breaths.
"You are the only one who can stop me from doing something I will regret. I need you, Aela." Said Benny.
She didn't even know how much power the Nord had over her until now. She knew that only Aela could stop her attacks, but she was way more than just that.
She was the woman who went to the bannered mare with her and Leah, the woman who taught her more about daedras when no-one else would, the woman who comforted Benny while she mourned her dead lover. Aela the Huntress had always been there for her... and she had the keys to the shackles of her Madness.
Suddenly, she realized she needed to correct something she had told to Lykaios. She said she didn't have any more family... now she stood corrected.
Aela was her family, her last true friend, and her weakness.
This time, she wasn't going to make the same mistakes.
Benjen was going to protect Aela.
And she would take an arrow for her, no matter what.
