A/N:

Sorry this is late as hell! I've been swamped with work and I had A LOT of ideas for this chapter and I just couldn't include them all. This chapter is the largest one yet, with 3,900 words. So I hope that the length makes up for the late update...

Also...

I wanted to put this out there in the hopes that someone who is artistically inclined may see this but I am looking for an artist that would be willing to draw a cover for my story. I would pay you, of course! If this is something that interests you, PM me!

Now without further ado...

Kaiah awoke groggy and stiff. She rubbed her eyes as she tried to open them and sit up in her bed. Her face was blessed by the sunlight that beamed through one of the glass windows in their room, casting a pleasant warmth on her skin. She stretched her arms and yawned loudly before scratching her itchy scalp. She looked around the room and noticed that Vilkas' bedroll was empty and neatly made, as well as his belongings which seemed to be packed away. She furrowed her brows, 'Where did he go?'

The Redguard moved lazily out of her bed and over to the nearby wash basin, splashing the cool water on her face. She did this several times in an attempt to wake herself up, but also to wash her face as she typically did every morning. She grabbed a clean rag and dried her face off, looking again at her shield-brother's empty bedroll.

Kaiah put on a pair of small leather boots and fixed the dress that she slept in before heading downstairs. As she walked through the tavern she noticed that very few people were inside the once loud and crowded building. She looked around and finally saw Vilkas, who was sitting at a table with a book in his hand and a ceramic cup of tea on the table. The Redguard approached him, taking a seat across from him, and resting her left arm against the table.

"Sleep well?" Vilkas asked nonchalantly, not taking his eyes off of his book. Kaiah rested her head on her left hand and sighed, "Not really."

She looked at the cup of tea on the table and decided to reach for it, bringing the beverage to her lips to take a sip. Vilkas cocked his brow and watched incredulously, "Yes, by all means, help yourself…". As soon as she tasted the tea, however, she shuddered at the bitter taste and, without thinking, spit it back into the cup. She put the cup back down on the table and pursed her lips, "That's disgusting."

Vilkas, who was now scowling at the Redguard, took the cup and pulled it towards himself, "It's chamomile."

Kaiah scoffed, "Well it tastes like ass-water."

Vilkas glared at the Redguard as he took a sip of the tea, producing a loud slurping sound as he did so. Kaiah gave him a disgusted look but the Nord didn't seem to care, continuing to drink the disgusting contents. "Well!" The Redguard slammed her hands on the table, punching herself out of her chair, "I'm going to take a stroll through the city… bask in all its capitalistic glory."

"You have fun with that," Vilkas responded nonchalantly, reading the contents of his book intently.

The Redguard pursed her lips and left, leaving the Nord to stew alone in his bibliographies. She left the warmth and comfort of the Winking Skeever and stepped into the bustling streets of Solitude. Already the people were out and about, carrying on with their daily duties. Truthfully, she hadn't been in a city so populated since her time in Sentinel. Although it seemed that the province capitals were always the most densely occupied. Solitude appeared to be as diverse at Whiterun, with people of all races littering the busy streets.

She walked through the market and took her time to browse the open stalls. Some were filled with meat and produce and others had material goods such as clothing, armor, weapons, and even jewelry. She stopped by a small jewelry stall and browsed the stunning collections of fine silver and rustic gold. She gazed at the silver pieces lovingly, remembering fondly of her parents back in Hammerfell. 'It has been a while since I wrote a letter to them.' As ashamed as she was to admit it, she hadn't written a letter since the incident with Kematu, she had far too many things on her mind.

Kaiah's ears caught wind of a scuffle happening at one of the stalls nearby. It was a small stall run by a middle-aged Nord woman who seemed to be arguing with an Imperial woman dressed in rather fine clothing.

"Look, Vittoria, I don't have the money," The Nord woman admitted adamantly. The Imperial woman shook her head and scoffed, "I don't really care, Evette, if the tariff isn't paid the wine isn't coming."

Kaiah approached the two women and interjected, "Is there a problem here?"

Vittoria glared at the Redguard woman, "This isn't any of your business, Redguard."

Kaiah swallowed the urge to insult her, "Maybe not, but it looks like you're giving this poor woman a lot of trouble."

"Me?" Vittoria seemed offended by her accusation, "Giving her trouble? She is the one who owes me an outstanding tariff!"

Kaiah observed the Imperial woman before her. She was a slender and rather beautiful woman who clearly bore a high station in society. Her brown hair was pinned back to show off her freshly done makeup and fine gold jewelry. Her clothes only solidified her image of wealth, a long light green dress with gold embroidery and a thick fox fur trim that she wore on her shoulders. Evette, however, seemed to be the epitome of a lower working class citizen. Her dark green commoners dress was dirty and her skin seemed to be dry and riddled with dirt. Her hair was tousled and the bags under eyes were telling of all the sleepless nights she had been getting.

The Redguard smiled weakly at the Imperial noblewoman, "Look, clearly she can't afford the tariff, certainly you could make an exception?"

Vittorie pursed her lips, "Not my problem."

Kaiah glanced at the Nord woman who looked at her with pleading eyes. She sighed in near defeat before asking the dreaded question, "How much is the tariff?"

"Two-thousand gold."

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell to the ground, "Two-thousand gold? You're joking!" High King Torygg didn't even pay them that much for clearing out Wolfskull Cave.

The Imperial woman crossed her arms and scowled, "Do I look like I jest?"

"I only have six-hundred gold…" Evette admitted quietly.

The Redguard gestured to the Nord woman, "She's a commoner who owns a tiny stall in the largest market in Skyrim. Surely six-hundred gold is enough to cover the tariff just this once?"

Kaiah and Evette stared at the Imperial woman with pleading eyes, begging her to accept the bargain. Vittoria decided to let up and sighed, "Fine, I suppose that is acceptable. But just this once!" Evette tried to contain her excitement, "Thank you so much, I'll have the gold sent to the East Empire Company as soon as possible."

"Hmph," Vittoria huffed before walking away from the stall, leaving the Redguard and Nord women alone. Evette leaned over her stall and smiled at Kaiah, "Thank you, friend, I swear it's a fight with them every single shipment."

Kaiah smiled with a glint of affirmation, "It was no problem, the two-thousand gold tariff was absolutely absurd."

Evette pulled two bottles of spiced wine from underneath her stall and placed them on the counter, pushing them towards the Redguard, "Please, take these for your troubles." Kaiah grabbed the bottles and held them closer to her face, reading the label carefully, "This wine must be good if it's worth two-thousand gold."

The Nord gave her a devilish wink, "Worth every septim."

Kaiah smiled as she grabbed the two bottles of spiced wine before heading back to the tavern. She thought it best to drop off the bottles in their room instead of carrying it around the city. As she entered the tavern again she saw Vilkas still sitting in the same chair that she left him in about an hour prior. She walked over cheerfully and placed the two bottles of wine on the table, pulling his attention from his book.

"Look what I got from the market," she exclaimed, marveling at her spoils. Vilkas cocked a brow, "You bought some wine?" The Redguard shook her head, "Nope, I helped a woman negotiate out of an obscenely high tariff with the East Empire Company so she gave me this wine from her stall as a form of gratitude. So now we have some free spiced wine to enjoy tonight."

Vilkas shook his head as he tried to contain his chuckle. 'She certainly has a way with words…' He thought to himself amusingly.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘ ༓ ∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

The two Companions stepped inside the Radiant Raiment, a large clothing boutique in Solitude, known for its extravagant gowns and attire. Of course, they didn't come to Solitude packed with formal attire, so they had to find something appropriate to wear to the courtly gathering they were invited to last minute by the High King of Skyrim.

The two warriors approached the counter that was tended by a tall Altmer woman dressed in fitted merchant's attire, carefully sewing the hems of a dress. Her stern face and stoic posture made her appear menacing and not at all encompassing hospitality to strangers. "Excuse us," Kaiah started, tapping on the counter in an effort to grab her attention politely, "My friend and I are looking for something… nice to wear to a gathering at the Blue Palace tonight."

"The Blue Palace?" The Altmer woman shot up from her seemingly important project. Her look of disbelief softened into one of flatness when she saw the two Companions. "Oh… You must be the Companions. Yes, his Majesty sent a letter this morning. You are very fortunate that he is paying for this attire; I doubt you would be able to afford it on your… salary."

Kaiah pursed her lips and forcibly tugged her lips into a pseudo smile, clasping her hands gently on the counter, "Can you please help us?" 'Before I strangle you?'

The Altmer woman flipped her hair and placed her sewing needles accordingly on the counter, "Of course, someone has to…"

"Endarie!" The two warriors jerked their heads towards the source of a smooth and feminine voice, "Perhaps make an effort to be nice to our customers?" She was another Altmer woman who was dressed in a fine blue coat and adorned dainty silver jewelry. Her facial features were very similar to Endarie's, with slender jaws and high cheekbones, complemented by their golden skin tone and blonde hair.

Endarie scoffed as the other woman approached the two Companions. "Please, excuse my sister's… tactlessness. She can be a bit rude."

"Rude certainly isn't the word I would use…" Kaiah muttered under her breath. Vilkas elbowed the Redguard in the arm, chuckling nervously, "What my companion means to say is that it's alright. We're just looking for some attire for a formal gathering and we'll be out of your hair." Kaiah glared at the Nord and rubbed her arm gently.

"We can certainly help you with that," the Altmer woman assured them, placing her own hand on her chest, "I am Taarie, owner of the Radiant Raiment." She then gestured to her sister who still stood behind the counter, "And that is my sister, Endarie."

The three could hear Endarie scoff at her sister's underlying snarkiness. "I believe we have just the thing suited for such an occasion at the Blue Palace. Follow me."

The two warriors followed Taarie around the boutique, looking at clothing that had already been pre-sewn. They had a wide range of attire from casual to formal, dozens of gowns and suits embellished with gold or silver embroidery. While the pieces were beautiful, they all shared a common style to fit the harsh and Nordic land of Skyrim.

The three browsed the selection for a while, trying to find something not only in their respective sizes, but complimenting colors as well. The two warriors insisted that they would wear whatever was available, however, Taarie persisted that they chose something flattering. Nonetheless, after what felt like hours of looking in nearly every nook and cranny of the boutique, Taarie found something for both of them to try, respectively.

Vilkas changed into his new clothing with little trouble. A sapphire colored long-sleeve jacket with a thick, black-dyed belt to fasten it together over a white cotton tunic. His trousers were black and fitted comfortably around his legs, a pair of black leather boots fastened around the base of his knees to match. In truth, he had never worn anything so expensive in his life, though he was shocked to find just how comfortable the clothing was. He grabbed a thick cave bear pelt neck trim and fastened it around his neck, covering his shoulders and upper back.

Kaiah did not have such luck getting into her gown. Of course, with the corsets that had to be fastened from the back, it would be impossible for any woman to put a gown on by herself. Taarie helped the Redguard into her dress and securely tied the corset from behind, nearly squeezing whatever air Kaiah had left from her lungs. She turned around to look at herself in the mirror and was in awe of what she saw. She stood before herself wearing the most beautiful gown she had ever seen. A lavender dress with a gold embellished corset to match. The intricate purple and blue beading added even more flare to the seemingly perfect gown, trailing the bodice and body of the dress. The lavender chiffon sleeves were cuffed with matching gold embroidering, fitting snugly against her biceps. It truly was a stunning gown.

"These earrings and necklace will match the ensemble perfectly." Taarie exclaimed, hooking a pair of gold dainty earrings through her lobes and clasping a gold sapphire necklace around her neck. Kaiah touched the necklace with her hand and frowned, "This feels expensive…"

Taarie rolled her eyes, "That's because it is."

Kaiah bit her tongue as she slipped on a pair of black leather flats which she already knew were going to give her blisters by the end of the night. Coupled with the insanely tight corset that was cinching at her waist, she wasn't sure how long she was going to last tonight at this ball.

Vilkas leaned against the wall and fiddled with the cuffs of his jacket, trying to loosen their grip around his wrist. He had been waiting for Kaiah for a while now, wondering if she was even coming out of the fitting rooms. 'Gods, how long could this possibly take?'

"Okay, I'm ready to go!"

Vilkas' eyes shot up from his wrists to Kaiah, who had just come nearly stumbling out of the fitting rooms. The Nord warrior's eyes widened when he saw her, nearly knocking the wind out of his lungs. 'Ysmir's beard…' She was stunning. The lavender and gold-embellished gown complimented her dark skin and blue eyes beautifully. Her long and thin black dreadlocks fell unabashed along her chest and back, framing her beautiful round face perfectly. The colors of her dress made her blue eyes pop in the most exquisite way, giving them the appearance of sparkling sapphires.

"I-I…"

Kaiah grinned mischievously, "Stendarr's mercy! Have I left the Master of Arms speechless?"

'Yes.'

Vilkas cleared his throat and shook his head defensively, "D-Don't be ridiculous! I was just… distracted."

Kaiah walked past him and towards the exit of the boutique, a sultry smile across her face, "Well for a man of many words you seem to be short of a few…"

Vilkas swallowed the lump forming in his throat and fought back the blush creeping on his cheeks. 'Gods, what is wrong with me?' He felt like she was getting inside his head, slowly creeping her way inside his deepest and most secluded thoughts.

If she could read minds, he would be fucked.

"C'mon, what are we waiting for?" Kaiah called out, keeping one of her hands steady against the door. Vilkas suppressed an amused grin as he followed his shield-sister out of the store, stepping out into the now quiet streets of Solitude. The sun was setting just beyond the mountains to the west, creating a beautiful orange sky which Kaiah couldn't help but admire.

In truth, The Redguard was nervous. She had never been to a gathering like this. Well, that was a lie. She has been to formal gatherings of courts and political intrigue, but she was by no means a guest to any of them. It feels different when you are a visitant to an extravagant event that you have to, with all consciousness, look presentable for. Vilkas, on the other hand, seemed rather unphased. Though perhaps he was just hiding his apprehensiveness as well, but she couldn't tell with him sometimes.

The two warriors made it to the Blue Palace which was already flooded with guests. Men and women of all races dressed in their finest clothes littered the courtyard with expensive glasses of champagne in their hands. Walking through Kaiah noticed an unsettling amount of male eyes peering at her as she passed, trailing her body from head to toe. She reluctantly locked her right arm around Vilkas' left, earning a confused but unbothered look from the Nord.

"Perhaps we should walk in as a united front?" Kaiah inquired quietly, not taking her eyes off of the men staring at her. Vilkas looked at the men she was staring at, who upon meeting his gaze immediately averted their eyes, embarrassed that they were caught staring at his date.

"That would be best." Vilkas admitted with a low growl, returning the gesture and locking his arm with hers.

Vilkas has had the misfortune of speaking with many nobles throughout his life. Typically, it was for the sake of arranging a contract to fetch something valuable that they so carelessly lost. However, he knew how men of higher statutes behaved. They seldom hear the word no, and when they do, they don't take it very well.

The two followed the trail of guests that eventually led them to the massive ball room where the event was held. It was a large room with beautiful Septim Empire dated artwork that plastered the ceilings and crystal chandeliers that hung elegantly from above. Stained glass artwork of previous High Kings and Queens could be seen around the room with fancy curtains to frame the decorous windows. The High King certainly spared no expense, with long tables filled with freshly cooked food and baked pastries and shelves of the finest spirits money could buy.

"Wow…" Was all Kaiah could say as she peered around the ballroom with widened eyes and complete and total awe. "This really is something."

"Yeah," Vilkas admitted with adherence, taking in the Imperialistic styled architecture.

Kaiah and Vilkas walked over to the nearest bar, trying to politely maneuver through the onslaught of guests that crowded the ballroom. They approached the bar and the Imperial barkeep leaned against the counter, throwing his dirty towel over his shoulder. "What can I get you tonight?"

"Got any whiskey?" Vilkas asked hopefully, wanting something to warm his dampened spirits. The barkeep grinned and pulled a bottle of an unlabeled liquid and poured it into a small glass. The golden brown contents filled the cup and he slid the drink to Vilkas, which he promptly took into his hand and brought to his lips, taking a swig of the drink. The whiskey nearly burned his throat as it traveled, leaving behind a satisfying warmth in its wake.

Vilkas coughed and squeezed his eyes shut, involuntarily reacting to the strong liquor, "What is that?"

"Yokudan Sorrow Bourbon." The barkeep stated matter-of-factly. Kaiah jumped next to Vilkas and grabbed the glass, "Let me get some of that." She scarfed down the remaining contents and let out a content sigh, shaking her head to knock out the kick she started to feel, "We'll take two more."

The two warriors stood at the bar, drinking the unlimited flow of hard whiskey. While Vilkas couldn't feel the effects of a drunken state, he wasn't immune to alcohol poisoning, so he watched his drinks carefully. Kaiah, on the other hand, had an inhumanly high alcohol tolerance. She was on her sixth drink and could still speak with a sliver of coherence. The two talked about nothing for what felt like hours. The jobs they had taken, what they thought of everyone at Jorrvaskr… they even talked about their childhood. Vilkas admittedly was enjoying himself, seeing her so loose and carefree, talking about her passions and intrigues. He started to grow cautious however when she started showing signs of drunkenness.

"Alright," Vilkas grabbed the drink from her hand, "I think we should slow down."

"Slow *hiccup* down?" Kaiah laughed, "I haven't had this much fun since the…*hiccup* since the Mare…" Her once vibrant smile started to fade and she looked down at her drink, slowly swirling its contents in the glass. In a brief moment of clarity she realized that she hadn't even touched a drink since that at the Bannered Mare. She didn't feel safe to drink around anyone, until now.

"Perhaps you're right…" Kaiah admitted softly, setting her drink down on the counter. Vilkas placed a gentle hand on hers, earning an unusual look from the Redguard, "I don't care if we drink, but maybe while we're here we can enjoy the ball and not keep our heads tucked in our spirits?"

Her gaze softened into a smile. She knew what he was trying to do, and she would be lying if she said she didn't appreciate it. The two got up from the bar and walked over hazily towards the open area of the ballroom, careful not to bump into the other guests. The two found a comfortable area with a few less people and stood together, their hands still intertwined. Vilkas took her left hand with his right and placed his left hand gently on her waist. Kaiah returned the gesture and rested her right hand on his shoulder, swaying with him to the melodic sound of the music that had been playing throughout the night.

"I know I already thanked you," Kaiah spoke up, gazing into his silver eyes, "But I want to thank you again, for getting me out of Whiterun even if only for a few days…"

Vilkas shrugged his shoulders, "Bah, it was no trouble. Truly. However, I think this job may have been good experience for you."

'It's definitely been an experience.'

Vilkas noticed the uncertainty in her eyes, "You did good. As your teacher, I would say I was quite impressed with your resiliency and tenacity."

Kaiah looked back up and smiled softly, "As your student, I appreciate your assessment. As your friend…" She took her free hand and cupped his face before placing a gentle kiss on his cheek, catching the Nord warrior by surprise. She pulled away and gazed into his widened eyes, "I appreciated your company."

She placed her hand on his shoulder once more and rested her head against his chest, pretending not to notice the increasing rate of his heartbeat. Vilkas felt his face grow hot as he rested his chin atop her head, swaying deliberately with the gentle sound of the lute playing nearby. He could still feel the tingling sensation from where she kissed him, a warmth spreading from his face to his chest. His shield-sister, who he was now undoubtedly smitten with, kissed him on the cheek. A tenderhearted term of endearment, and one that he would cherish forever.

And it seemed as though for the first time in a very long time…

The beast inside was finally content.