Asmara's trip through Bleak Falls Barrow had been anything but simple. She promised herself that she would explain to Farengar the true definition of the word as retrieving the Dragonstone was not "Simplicity Itself". Asmara perfectly accepted the ruin was originally a burial crypt, but what was unacceptable was that some of those bodies refused to remain buried. She had startled and tripped over her own feet when the first skeleton stood from its resting place and threateningly stalked towards her. She was relieved to find they simply crumbled after merely a few hits to the ribs or an arrow straight through the skull. After the first group she encountered, she picked them off with ease whenever they awoke.
The bandits were another story – also something she hadn't quite anticipated but it wasn't as if she had never dealt with them before. They roamed the unclaimed bits of land throughout Skyrim and they advanced her combat skills and experience. After thinking she had taken out all the bandits, she came across a Dunmer in a spider web, who was in turn guarded by said spider. After releasing him from the web trap and killing the giant frostbite spider, he quickly fled, yelling something about a treasure at the end of the ruin. It was shortly after her first encounter with the live skeletons that she found he was a rusty, ancient Nord sword through his sternum. On his person she found an ornate golden claw with three symbols resembling a bear, a dragonfly, and an owl. She had laughed to herself from the irony as she remembered the fight between the store owners in Riverwood. She had carefully placed the golden claw in her satchel with the intention to return it to its rightful owners. It was later that she found it had its use for one of the old Nord puzzle doors that led to the main chamber which in all honestly resembled a dank cave that had a musky smell. There were waterfalls on the other side of the cave and water from the condensation dripped from the ceiling and pillars. She could hear it storming outside and the heavy rainfall added to the humidity. There was mold on the rocks that lined the cave and Asmara wanted to cover her nose from the smell of it. The rest of the ruin hadn't smelled nearly as bad as this, even with the decaying bodies lining the tombs within the walls.
As she neared the end of the cave, she crossed a small bridge over to a raised area made up of stone. There was large stone wall that curved in a half circle and had, what she thought looked like, a flat dragon skull protruding from the center of the wall. There were etchings and symbols on the bottom part of the wall but she paid no attention to them. She was more focused on the single sarcophagus that sat opposite the wall with a chest to its right and a shelf holding a soul gem – which she pocketed – and a bottle of poison she kept for later use on her arrows. She migrated to the chest and to her surprise it was not locked. She kneeled down and rummaged through it finding some septims, jewelry and a rusty steel chest piece. She placed the valuables in her pack but she continued to search for the tablet she assumed would be in the chest. There was nothing.
She slammed the chest lid, aggravated that she had yet to come across this ancient artifact Farengar had sent her for and she was beginning to think she was just going on some wild chase for a mythical tablet. When she slammed the chest lid it made a large sound that echoed through the cave and she heard some bats flutter about on the other side. What she heard next grated against her spine and her head snapped to her left to see the lid to the sarcophagus open. She quickly got to her feet to see what was making its way out of the coffin and when she saw another skeleton, she pulled a dagger from her boot that she took from one of the bandits. Before the atrocity could climb out, she tried to stab it through the skull. To her surprise, it grabbed her wrist before she made contact and it slowly stood while holding her hand in place. She tried to yank away but its bony fingers held her firmly in its grip. As a wave of panic surged through her she punched the skeleton and his grip weakened and she yanked her hand away but in the process dropped her dagger. The creature shook its head from her punch and she quickly backed away as it continued its pursuit. It withdrew the large ancient great sword from the sheath on its back and charged at her. She backed up nearly running and tripped backwards on the stairs of the dais the sarcophagus sat on. She continued to move backwards on the floor using her elbows and feet as it swung its sword down at her. She rolled over to her right and when its sword hit the ground with a loud clang, she kicked at its knees and they buckled sending him down on one knee as she quickly got back to her feet. Standing in front of it, she readied her bow and sent an arrow flying and the skeleton stood while the arrow was airborne, placing its impact in the exposed lower ribs instead of his head.
Icy blue eyes blazed and its unhinged jaw opened. The next second she heard the loud cracking sound of thunder, but it wasn't from the storm outside. A large force flew from the draugr's mouth and she was flown back into the large curved wall. Her back hit it with a hard blow and she fell to the floor completely out of breath. Her vision blurred and darkened and she began to hear chanting voices in her head. She shook her head thinking the blow must have been much harder than she thought, but she tried to clear her mind as the creature came at her again. She saw her bow was just in arms reach and she snatched it before the sword came barreling down at her again. She held her bow above her to block the attack and it splintered in the middle when the sword connected. It raised its arms again for a second blow and she kicked her feet at its pelvic bone. It staggered back and she crawled away, still weary from the shock of hitting the wall.
Once again, the skeleton regained its composure all too quickly and she crawled faster diving down another set of stairs and hiding behind the stone platform the chest sat on. She tried to catch her breath, the voices fading as she looked at her damaged bow. Shooting anything with it was out of the question. The creature appeared to her right and she quickly darted away again, but not quick enough to avoid the tips of its sword grazing her right arm. She pushed herself onto her feet while clutching her arm as blood spilled from the wound. The wound hurt worse than any cut she had felt, it burned but not the type of burn you would receive from playing with fire. No, this was an ice cold burn, the same kind she would get when her bare skin held contact with the snow for too long in the middle of winter. She had no weapons and this thing seemed to have some sort of magical power radiating from its weapon and not to forget what it did when it shouted at her.
Feeling hopeless, she knew all she could do at this point was try to dodge the attacks. She continued rounding the platform, hearing its boney feet clatter against the stone floor of the cave. As she ran up the stairs facing the round wall again, the voices in her head returned and she almost cried from it. She was so flustered already and it made her feel as if she was going mad. She fell to her knees, almost giving up. When she landed she looked over to her left and saw the dagger she had dropped earlier. She turned her head to see the skeleton approaching and she dove over to the dagger, snatching it with her uninjured arm and threw. She had never been overly accurate with her left hand and she only hoped the dagger would meet its target. Her eyes followed the blade as it spun through the air and connected with one of the skeletons glowing blue eyes. She released the breath she was holding and the skeleton fell backward as its bones crumbled with the torso still intact from the armor it was wearing. She slowly and cautiously crawled over to the skeleton, just to make sure it was actually dead (or more so than it already was). When she approached it, she noticed the flat stone tablet stuck within its ribs and she laughed dry laugh to herself in disbelief as she split open the ribcage and yanked it out. She dusted it off to see the markings on it, not at all understanding what they meant. She shuffled back over to where her pack was next to the chest and after she put the Dragonstone safely among her things, she leaned back against the now open sarcophagus with her right foot under her left knee. She closed her eyes composing herself and breathed in through her nose and out her mouth, trying to steady her raging heartbeat from the fight. Her back ached and her arm was still burning slightly but had stopped bleeding for the most part. She sat that way for a few moments with her blood stained hands in her lap, still as could be and she reveled in the silence. Then the voices slowly came back.
She barely opened her eyes and stared at the curved wall across from her. The voices were a soft whisper in the back of her head and it sounded more like combined chanting than random mutters. She widened her eyes more when she noticed a blue glow emanating from the wall. She stared at it a moment longer and blinked a few times to clear her vision. She climbed to her feet and slowly walked over towards the wall, mesmerized by the blue glowing symbols. As she drew closer the chanting in her head grew louder but it pushed her on. When she reached the wall, she ran her fingers over the glowing symbols as the chanting was like a roar in her head. Suddenly she was wrapped in the blue glow and she fell to her knees, choking on the light that swarmed around her and the chanting was nearly screaming in her ears. She closed her eyes while trying to gasp for air and covered her ears until suddenly the chanting ceased and she could breathe again. She opened her eyes and the light was gone. She looked to where the wall had been glowing and it was just symbols etched into the stone, nothing extraordinary about them. She ran her fingers over them again and she shook her head trying to clear her mind. The chanting may have been gone, but like a small itch in the back of her head, the word "Fus" repeated itself over and over. She tried to ignore it, but couldn't grasp the meaning of the word and it made her slightly frustrated. She stood at the wall, still staring at the etchings. She was unsure of how long she had remained there, but when she finally grabbed her things and left the cave, night had nearly fallen. It was around noon when she had entered the barrow and she was surprised at how long she had been there. It stormed outside, the wind blowing her disheveled hair around her.
She slowly and carefully climbed down the rocks of the mountain, finding a cluster of bones and animal parts at the bottom. She only hoped that she would not run into any trouble seeing as her only real weapon was broken. She supposed she could still use her arrows if she needed to, but they could only do so much. She took in her surroundings trying to gauge where exactly she was. When she looked up the mountain, she could no longer see the ominous black arches that hovered over the entrance to the ruin. She looked opposite the mountain and saw a lake before her and decided it was best to follow the flow of the water. If she was anywhere near Riverwood, the river would lead her straight there; if not, it would surely lead to a mill.
She continued to follow the edge of the water and it formed into a small river, as it wrapped around the mountain. Soon she was able to see the arches she had been looking for and knew Riverwood was not far. She crossed the river when the water became shallow enough for her to hop on the stones and random debris to get across to the cobblestone path that was on the other side. She followed the road until finally Riverwood was in sight and she heaved a sigh of relief when she reached the gates. She was soaked from the rain and was sure she smelled similar to the moldy cave she had just been through. She considered stopping by Gerdur's house but decided against it seeing how late it was and walked towards the inn instead. She finally had a few septims from her journey through the tombs, after picking some off the dead skeletons and finding a few in the chests she had lock picked her way into.
She entered the inn and approached the gruff Nord man at the bar, then handed him the ten septims he requested for a room. He motioned over to a room on her left; she thanked him and made her way to the room that had a bed set against the far left corner with a chest sitting at the end of it. There was a small table with a pitcher of water and a small wooden chair next to it. The room also contained a large wardrobe against the left wall and a fur wall decoration above the left side of the bed. She found a bowl and put some oils in to help rid her of the god's awful smell she was covered with and she filled the bowl with the water in the pitcher that was sitting on the end table. The water was not warm, but at this point she did not care seeing as she was already sopping wet. She found a rag in the wardrobe and she scrubbed herself raw until she was sure the stench had left her skin. She used the remaining water to wash the rest of the smell out of her hair. She made sure to also treat the wound on her arm, pouring half of a health potion on it before she wrapped it in the bandages she had in her pack. After she felt she was clean and the wound was well tended, she laid her dirty, wet clothes out to dry and changed into the green leggings and white male's shirt she found in the wardrobe. The shirt was a bit large but once she tucked it into the pants and adjusted her belt it worked just fine. She set her broken bow and quiver in the chair, and then climbed into bed. She was so exhausted it was only moments before she fell asleep with a tick in the back of her head that continued to repeat the unknown word.
The next morning she reluctantly awoke, her body feeling much heavier than it actually was. Her back still ached and she arched and twisted her back to stretch as she sat up. After she gathered all her belongings, she headed out of the inn, making sure to hand the innkeeper some septims for the clothes she had taken from her room. She backtracked towards the Riverwood Trader, needing another new bow and hoped they would have one in stock. She also needed to return their stolen dragon claw and was sure they'd be happy to see it.
She walked through the door to the Traders to find the merchant hunched over the counter looking bored and depressed. His sister remained seated at the table eating her breakfast, still sending the occasional glare towards her brother. The merchant stood straight when he spotted Asmara and she walked over and placed her broken bow on the counter. He looked at it nearly dumbstruck before she spoke.
"It served me well, but I wouldn't advise blocking a great sword with it in the future." She said and he held up the splintered piece of wood and eyed it carefully. After his examination he set the bow down and sighed before speaking.
"I don't have any more in stock like this one, but Alvor across the way may be able to repair it. He's the local blacksmith and crafts pretty decent weapons." He said to her and she nodded before taking the bow back.
"Well in that case I do have one more thing for you." He studied her as she reached into her pack and pulled out the golden claw. She heard a gasp come from behind her and Lucan stared excitedly wide eyed at the object in her hands.
"You found it? Ha! There it is!" He took it from her and he examined it, chuckling to himself. "Strange… it seems smaller than I remember. Funny thing, huh?" Asmara just nodded but smiled slightly at the exchange. He looked to her and smiled wide. "I'm going to put this back where it belongs. I'll never forget this. You've done a great thing for me and my sister." He said and he placed it on display on the counter. Asmara went to leave but he stopped here. "Thank you so much for taking care of those thieves. Here," He reached underneath the counter and handed her a purse full of coin, "take this as a token of my appreciation. It should help pay to get that bow repaired." Asmara took the coin purse and was almost shocked by the amount she saw inside.
"This is more than generous thank you. Honestly, I didn't expect to find it where I did, but it came in handy. Apparently it opened the main hall up in Bleak Falls Barrow." She explained.
"Hm… that would make sense. Our family has been in Riverwood for generations. The claw is a family heirloom and surely we have some ancestors buried in that crypt. I just never thought about it before." The merchant said, glancing at his now happy sister.
"Well now you have something to share with your children." Asmara said before she turned and left the store.
She walked across the road to find the blacksmith hard at work in his forge. She cleared her throat to get his attention and he stopped his hammering to attend to her. She held up her broken bow and he took it from her without a word and examined it. He nodded in a thoughtful way as he twisted and turned the bow, looking at it from every angle. "I should be able to mend this." He stated simply and Asmara smiled at him with a hopeful look on her face.
"You can? How soon will it be ready?" She asked. He pondered her question for a second before answering.
"First let me ask, where did you get this?" He questioned her. When she told him he nodded in understanding. "I figured as much. Any good blacksmith would be able to recognize his own work when he sees it. How you broke it though gets me."
"A blow to the center with a great sword." She explained.
"Yeah, that'll do it. Tell you what. I have one just like this in my shop. With a little extra coin I can just give you the new one and I can just repair this, and then resell it later." Asmara pondered the deal for only a moment before shaking his soot stained hand to complete the deal.
Asmara entered Farengar's study to see he was not currently alone. She stood patiently in the doorway as he conversed with the hooded figure hunched over his desk, analyzing an old and worn book.
"You see? The terminology is clearly First Era or even earlier. I'm convinced this is a copy of a much older text. Perhaps dating to just after the Dragon War. If so, I could use this to cross-reference the names with other later texts." Farengar spoke to the hooded woman. Asmara would have been more impressed by his knowledge on the subject if it wasn't for the slight contempt she held for him after her trip to the barrow.
"Good. I'm glad you're making progress. My employers are anxious to have some tangible answers." The woman spoke. She sounded middle aged, but experienced. Asmara couldn't help wonder though, exactly who her employers were and what they could do with the information she was about to hand over.
"Oh, have no fear. The Jarl himself has finally taken an interest, so I'm now able to devote most of my time to this research." Asmara wanted to point out that the Jarls sudden interest was due to dragons returning. If they hadn't, this "research" would almost seem meaningless.
"Time is running out, Farengar, don't forget. This isn't some theoretical question. Dragons have come back." Well at least someone was on the same page as Asmara.
"Yes, yes. Don't worry. Although the chance to see a living dragon up close would be tremendously valuable. Now, let me show you something else I found… very intriguing… I think your employers may be interested as well…" Farengar continued, rummaging through his desk and throwing papers here and there. The hooded woman looked to Asmara who still stood in the doorway. Asmara gave a bored sigh and moved towards the pair.
"You have a visitor." The woman said to get Farengar's attention as he rambled on. He stopped what he was doing and smiled wide when he saw Asmara and the smile grew when he saw she had the Dragonstone in hand.
"Ah, yes, the Jarl's protégé! Back from Bleak Falls Barrow? You didn't die it seems." He said and Asmara's eyebrows shot up as she was slightly taken aback by the statement.
"Simplicity itself?" Asmara said and she saw Farengar's confused expression under his mage hood. "You said simplicity itself and now I come back and you're surprised I'm alive?" She paused, then scoffed when he didn't say anything. "Do you know what creature guarded this stone?" She said holding out the tablet. "A draugr." She let out a small laugh before continuing, "I thought they were just children's stories until I was face to face with one when he shouted me against a wall. I COULD have very well perished by his blade and this Dragonstone would have remained lost." She said, nearly slamming the tablet on the table. "Next time you need someone to go on a suicide mission, volunteer yourself!"
"My…" he looked to the hooded woman then back at Asmara, stuttering as he spoke. The hooded woman seemed amused by the confrontation. "My associate here will be pleased to see your handiwork. It was she who discovered its location… by means she has so far declined to share with me." As he spoke the last words he turned his attention to his "associate."
"So your information was correct after all. And we have our friend here to thank for recovering it for us." He said gesturing to Asmara. The hooded woman surveyed her but didn't appear to be impressed at all, regardless of what she said next.
"You went into Bleak Falls Barrow on your own and got that? Nice work." Those were her only words to Asmara before she turned her attention back to Farengar. "Just send me a copy when you've deciphered it." She then left the room, leaving Asmara and Farengar on their own. Farengar looked to Asmara but she nearly glared back.
"If this is all you and your Jarl need of me, I'll take my leave as well." Farengar just nodded and thanked her again. Asmara stormed out of the room and passed the hooded woman on her way out of Dragonsreach.
She huffed down the stairs into the Wind District. The Talos priest continued to shout to the sky about the almighty God and Asmara just tuned him out as she rounded the great tree in the center of the circle. As she descended the set of stairs that led to the market she heard a familiar voice but not one she expected.
"Hey! My favorite drinking buddy!" She turned her attention to the voice and saw one of the Companions standing with a case of mead in his arms. "On my back from the meadery. Wanted to see what they've been brewing up. You can smell the honey on the wind. They gave me a case to take back to Jorrvaskr. Why don't you come try some of it with us?" He asked and she blanched. He began to head back up the stairs and she stood there looking after him. When he reached the top he turned back towards her and gestured with a jerk of his head for her to follow. She took a deep breath and then willed herself to climb the steps.
Once she caught up with him, they continued their small trek to the mead hall. "Kodlak was expecting you. Though, we weren't sure how long it would take for you to come back but he seemed pretty sure of himself." The companion said. He had dark golden blonde hair and a long beard to match. He wasn't a hefty man but she could tell he was a Nord. She could see a bit of a belly underneath his leather armor and he sort of reeked of mead. She remembered drinking with him the night she stayed at Jorrvaskr but for the life of her, could not remember his name.
"I'm sorry, do not feel insulted but what was your name?" She asked hesitantly. He laughed loudly before answering.
"Usually I'm the forgetful one." He said with a chuckle, "The names Torvar." Asmara nodded her head, committing the name to memory.
"Asmara right?" He asked and she nodded again. "Weird name but eh." He said as he shrugged his shoulders.
They pushed through the doors to Jorrvaskr and she was greeted by the same smells as before. Tilma was setting the tables, readying for dinner and Asmara's stomach growled when she caught a whiff of some roast. She couldn't place the type of meat but it smelled divine.
Once again she was abandoned at the threshold but it didn't bother her as much this time. She figured since she was here she would visit Kodlak. She hadn't truly promised she would return but like he said before, she found her way here regardless of the circumstances. She didn't see him in the main hall so she headed off towards the basement. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she came face to face with a wide chest in the wolf armor that seemed to be a popular fashion choice in Jorrvaskr. She looked up and met friendly silver eyes framed by black war paint.
"Heya. I wasn't sure if you'd come back." Farkas said to her and she smiled back up at him as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Um, yeah. Torvar caught me on my way out. He insisted I try some of the new mead from the brewery but honestly, I'm just here to see Kodlak." She said to him.
"He's in his quarters. Want me to walk with you?" He asked and she shook her head.
"Thank you but, I think I can make it down the hall on my own." He nodded and she thought she saw something flash in his eyes but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.
"Well, we're all about to head up for dinner. You should join us when you're finished speaking with Kodlak." He said as he started up the stairs backwards not taking his eyes off her. She just nodded then headed off towards the end of the hall where Kodlak's study resided.
The doors were open and he was seated at the desk against the left wall. She knocked softly on the door and his features turned friendly when he caught sight of her. "You've returned." He said and she took a step into the space of the room.
"I have." She said, her hands twiddling with the end of her long braid. "Torvar said you were expecting me." Kodlak nodded in understanding, and then walked over to the corner table he seemed to favor. He gestured for her sit down and she did. He handed her a bottle of mead but she declined.
"Why have you returned to Jorrvaskr?" He asked her, taking a sip from his own mead.
"I'm not sure honestly." She answered, her brows slightly furrowed at the confusion in her own statement. "Because you asked me to?"
"I don't think that is why." He said.
"Then you know more than I." She replied, looking down at the floor.
"You search for what we all found here within these walls."
"And that is?" She looked back at him and he regarded her for a moment.
"When I was just a boy, I lost my family. After that, I had the fire of a man in my heart and eventually, my body caught up to my spirit. My predecessor, Askar, found me in Hammerfell. I was serving as body guard for some weak-necked lord out there. He brought me back here, and I realized… that I was actually coming home. Now, I work to bring honor to this family, and to the family that I lost. For my mother, my father and grandfather. For all my Shield-Siblings." He paused and took a sip of his mead. "Everyone here found family. They found a home. Just ask any of them and they'll tell you what it truly means to be a Companion. Family and honor. That's what it means to be one of us."
Asmara stared at the older man and felt her heart squeeze tightly in her chest. This man welcomed her into his home and his family. Yet, she could not help but still feel an overwhelming sense of dread of what were to happen should she join this family.
"What I said before still stands. You are always welcome in the halls of Jorrvaskr and maybe one day… you may call it home too." Asmara remained silent as he finished off his mead. "Come. Let us go enjoy the feast Tilma has prepared for us in the mead hall. You should stay and rest here tonight if you truly plan on leaving tomorrow." Asmara just nodded and followed him into the mead hall up the stairs.
Farkas was seated next to his brother at the table and he stood up to greet her. He pulled out the empty chair next to him and invited her to sit. She smiled politely up at him, but couldn't help but catch the ice cold stare coming from his twin. She swallowed hard and looked away, trying her best to avoid him. But like before, his gaze was unwavering.
A plate of food was placed in front of her and her stomach embarrassingly growled but Farkas just smiled. As everyone began to eat Kodlak directed everyone's attention towards her.
"So, Asmara, tell us of your trip to Bleak Falls Barrow." Asmara met the eyes of everyone at the table and shrunk into her chair slightly. She swallowed her food before speaking.
"It was… adventurous." She said before stuffing a spoonful of food into her mouth.
"Come now, there must be more to tell us than that." He said and everyone patiently waited for her to continue.
"Well… there were draugr. That was… um…" She looked at everyone, trying to think of the best word to use to describe her experience with the draugr who nearly killed her. "Ground shattering." She chose, but shook her head at herself for her poor choice of words.
"Draugr? Did you get anything interesting from them? You can usually find some ancient artifacts hidden away with them." Farkas said to her.
"Well, Farengar had originally sent me there to get this tablet called the Dragonstone. I don't know what it was for, but he said it had to do with the dragons." She explained.
"Dragons? What dragons?" Vilkas spoke up. "I wouldn't trust everything you hear." He said, before he took a bite of his food. Not looking at her as he spoke.
Asmara stared at him, and opened her mouth to speak but stopped short. She couldn't tell them she was at Helgen. No one could know. Who knows what would happen if the Imperials found her. None of them had a name from her and may not even know she made it through alive but she wouldn't take the chance.
"It was a favor for the Jarl. To what it pertained to was none of my business. He asked me to fetch the artifact and I did." She said plainly and he only glanced at her once before he turned his attention back to the meal in front of him.
To ease the tone of the conversation Farkas continued to ask her questions about her trip. She answered them and when she finished with the details of her story – omitting her experience with the wall of symbols and the blue aura – they all raised their glasses and toasted to her safe return.
The drinking and communion continued into the night. They all jabbed and joked with one another often stirring laughs from the rest of the group. Even Kodlak made a few jokes and she found it comforting that he was treated as one of them and not the Harbinger he claimed to be. Though he gave off the persona of a leader, he acted just as their equal. She assumed that was why they were all called "The Companions" because it very much defined the relationships they had built with one another. She wondered to herself if she would ever be considered one if she often left to be by herself, only returning when she strived for the social connection they provided.
After one too many drinks, her weariness hit her heavily and she excused herself from their company. She headed downstairs and found the bed she had previously stayed in. She dressed down to just her leathers and tunic, then flopped down onto the bed, a few strands of hay flying out from the impact. She draped her arm over her eyes and sighed.
She remained that way for a few moments, just listening to her breathing. It was when she heard quiet footsteps that she removed her arm and sat up to face the doorway. Vilkas stood there, leaning up against the frame with his arms crossed. He looked at her as if he was eyeing up an enemy that was ready to attack and it brought back that feeling of unease he gave her.
"Vilkas." She said softly and his head tilted to the side slightly.
"Asmara." His deep voice responded and it sent unfamiliar shivers down her spine. She couldn't grasp how different he was from his overly friendly brother. Vilkas was intense in every meaning of the word and hard. He represented the true definition of a cold blooded warrior. "I see you'll be staying with us for one more night." He stated.
"Kodlak invited me." She said hastily feeling the need to explain herself after their last encounter.
"I am aware." He said nothing more. She looked towards the end of the bed, trying her best not to look at him. After a few moments of silence she finally spoke up.
"Why are you here?" His eyes met hers and he remained silent for a moment.
"Do find me heartless?" The question took her for surprise and she was unsure of how to respond. She shook her head slightly but he was not happy with the simple gesture. "You're so speechless now, yet you had plenty to say the other morning."
"No, I do not think you to be heartless." She answered quickly to appease him. He gave a short nod at the answer but she continued before he could leave. "But that doesn't mean you have a warm heart." She made eye contact with him and his icy eyes matched the coldness that radiated from his stiff body. She would not look away this time for she would not give him the gratification. She swallowed loudly before he gave her a nod and turned to leave. She let out a shaky breath and remained frozen on the bed. She shivered, suddenly feeling cold and tucked herself under the furs. She faced the wall as she lay down and when she closed her eyes, bright grey eyes with an intensity that shook her to the core were what haunted her dreams that night.