A/N: Here's another one. I hope you guys like it. Please let me know what you think.

I saw some questions about Freya. I just finished the most recent book, but I don't want to get into spoiler territory. I'll just say that I have never found Freya's love for Bell to be very…pure. She has always seemed really creepy to me and has an army of people lining up to lick her boots. Not the kind of person I can see sweet, naive Bell falling in love with, so I decided to tweak her character a bit. What do you guys think? Is it working?

If you'd like to leave a comment or have a question, please do so! If you want to leave a longer review, don't be afraid to. I love seeing what you guys think, it really helps my motivation and thinking process.

Hearthfire

Chapter 8

Eina

Those unused to a city like Orario would likely assume that the day following a disaster like the one that had occurred during Monsterphilia would be filled with builders and officials rushing about and trying to figure out how who was responsible and how much it would cost to rebuild. They would be wrong. Orario was a city of adventurers where 1 in 5 members of the population had the strength to destroy public property just by becoming distracted and weird things happened in the street every single day.

Orario had one of the best disaster relief policies in the world. Barely an hour after the last of the fighting had ended, the cleanup and recovery crews had assembled and begun their work. Members of the guild had begun investigating the cause of the incident before the fighting had even ended. Unfortunately, none of the Ganesha Familia members who had been guarding the cages could remember what happened. Several gods who sometimes helped the Guild with various matters participated in the questioning to ensure that the guards were telling the truth. After all, it was impossible to lie to a god.

Most would think that even with a decent disaster relief program, it would be all hands on deck at the Guild. They would be wrong again. Eina was actually taking the day off and nobody had a problem with it! Everything was handled and business could proceed as normal.

Eina stood near the fountain in front of Babel Tower, waiting for Bell to show up. Adventurers and supporters who were looking to form temporary parties would often congregate around the fountain and there were already quite a few milling about as she stood there. Eina was so proud of Bell. He'd been caught up in the fighting and had actually managed to best a Silverback! Not only that, but he hadn't charged in like an idiot trying to be a hero. He'd tried to escape a monster that should have been far too powerful for him and had only turned to fight when he had no choice. It was a little upsetting that this was the second time he'd done that, but she was still proud.

After the first incident, Eina had promised to take Bell to buy new armor and the day had finally come to do so. She knew he'd been saving his money for quite a while so she was hopeful that he could afford some decent armor. "He should probably find a supporter too…" Eina thought as she watched a party form off to her left. She would need to recommend that to him once they were done.

Bell

Bell was positively buzzing with excitement as he followed Ms. Eina into the Hephaestus Familia shop. He was actually going to buy good armor! Mr. Torrhen had stressed that armor at his level was one of the most important things an adventurer could have so he was ready to take that step.

While only the best of the best would be on display or sold in the main store and other primary displays, there were other counters and shops towards the back that sold armor from lower-level smiths. It was from these shops that most lower-level adventurers bought their armor. Mr. Torrhen had told Bell that most adventurers formed at least a partial contract with a smith before they hit Level 3 so most of the people who bought from shops like the ones in the back were Level 1 or 2.

Bell and Ms. Eina split up as they entered the slightly dusty shop. He'd spent several hours talking with Mr. Torrhen about what kind of armor he should look for and together they had concluded that light plate armor was what would suit him best. This was harder to find that one might think.

Most light armor wasn't even made of metal at all, as it tended to be made of hardened leathers. Any metal found in light armor would be chainmail or done in a brigandine style. Mr. Torrhen had said that plate was usually reserved for medium or heavy armor and as he browsed, Bell found himself agreeing with that.

After finding a set that was in his price range, Bell would pick up the chest plate. If the plate was too heavy, he would have to put it back and so far, he hadn't found any that were light enough. It must have been nearly an hour before Bell stumbled across a box hidden on a low shelf. Inside were pieces of silver plate armor with red accents. The box read 'Pyonkichi Mk-II by Welf Crozzo. V-9,900.'

That was well within Bell's price range, and he was thrilled to discover just how light it was once he picked up the chest plate. "Ms. Eina!" He called though the shop. She was browsing the other side of the store, trying to find anything that might fit him.

"Did you find something, Bell?" She asked as she came over.

"Look at this," he said, showing her the armor. "It's in my price range and it's definitely light enough." He knocked on it with his knuckle and tried to bend it. "It seems sturdy enough too. Mr. Torrhen said he wanted to look at whatever I buy before I use it in the Dungeon, but it seems perfect."

"Well, if you think that's the one you want, you should get it." Ms. Eina said with a smile. "You will be returning it though, if Mr. Torrhen says it's no good."

Bell nodded enthusiastically before rushing to the counter so he could buy his armor.

Torrhen

Torrhen stared down at the steel plate with a critical eye. Bell had come rushing in about twenty minutes ago with a box of armor, begging him to examine it. Before that, Torrhen had been watching the builders work. Hestia had been gone for quite some time, attending a party of the gods. They would apparently have parties rather regularly to discuss the events going on in the city. Considering the reconstruction and events of the day before, they would have plenty to discuss.

Torrhen had been impressed to discover that Orario already had teams designated for reconstruction after any kind of disaster and that had meant that the Goibniu Familia didn't even need to wait a day before resuming work on the renovations to the church.

It was coming along nicely. It wouldn't be more than a week before they were able to move into the living space and another month and a half before the renovation was complete. After that, they would start thinking about recruitment. It made no sense to recruit new adventurers if they had nowhere for them to live. They already had plans drawn up for expansion as well once they had enough members to warrant it.

Torrhen tapped lightly on the plate with his hammer. It was apprentice level work, but it was sturdy enough. The smith had been quite clever in the method he had used to keep the weight down. Judging by the set in his hands, this 'Welf Crozzo' was probably at the same level he had been when he started his apprenticeship under Eorlund. Arnbjorn had gotten him started but it was Eorlund Gray-Mane who had taught him what it really took to be a smith.

Torrhen set the armor to the side and looked at Bell, who was standing off to the side looking nervous. "It looks good," Torrhen said, standing. "It's the right size for you and it looks sturdy enough to my eye. Now we just need to see how it holds up."

Bell looked confused. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Torrhen smirked. "I mean, go put this on and meet me in the training yard. You need to get used to wearing it and I want to see how it holds up in combat." They had converted one of the empty lots near the church into a makeshift training yard that reminded Torrhen of the one out behind Jorrvaskr.

Bell's grin was blinding as he grabbed the armor and rushed towards to church, eager to get started. Torrhen rolled his shoulder and grabbed one of the practice swords hanging on the wall of his forge. This would be fun.

Hestia

Hestia smiled as she bit into one of the hors d'oeuvre's Ganesha had provided. While most godly parties were held in the evening, this one was supposed to have been to celebrate the ending of Monsterphilia and had been scheduled to begin at noon. Despite the events of the day before, the party continued as scheduled. Since nobody died, there was no point in cancelling, right? The truth was the gods just loved any excuse to get together and a disaster on top of a festival was a perfect excuse.

This one was especially nice for Hestia because it was the first time she had attended one and didn't stand out because of her clothes. Before, she had barely been able to afford nice clothes for day wear, let alone a fancy dress to wear to a party like this. Now though? Thanks to Torrhen's generosity and with her investments working out, she had been able to afford a lovely white dress with blue trim that fit in perfectly with the clothes of the other gods around her.

Hestia snagged a drink from one of the trays as she moved along the upper balcony, searching. She was looking for Hephaestus. They hadn't seen each other since Hephaestus had kicked her out, but Hestia didn't hold a grudge. Truthfully, she was grateful. Her friend had given her the kick she needed to get off her lazy ass and start a Familia. Just in time, too, since it led to her meeting Bell and Torrhen.

Hestia passed by multiple groups of gods as she walked along the balcony, sipping her drink. She caught snatches of gossip and nonsensical rumors as she did. Rakia was planning to invade again. Magic stones could be used a suppository. The elves were isolating further. Loki had offered to buy Demeter's breasts. The Black Dragon had been seen in the east with a bright pink bow on its head. Gods would gossip about anything, no matter how stupid it was.

"Well now, don't you look lovely," came a familiar voice. It seemed Hephaestus had found her. "Find someone new to mooch off of?"

"Not at all," Hestia said, her nose in the air. "One of my children was generous enough to help me with a few investments. I bought this dress with my cut of the proceeds and have already paid him back half of what he gave me."

"Really?" Hephaestus looked impressed. "It's good to see you taking some responsibility. You're also quite lucky to find a child to join you who has money. Isn't your only member a Level 1?"

"No," Hestia shook her head and took a sip of her drink. "That's Bell. He's my only active member, and the Captain, but he has a teacher. The teacher's name is Torrhen, and the two arrived in Orario together. Officially, Torrhen is retired and is spending his retirement teaching Bell and helping the Familia grow. He's even funding the renovation of the church."

"Really now?" Hephaestus said, intrigued. "He must be extremely skilled to have lived long enough to retire. Especially if he has enough money to pay for renovations."

Hestia couldn't help herself. "He's fantastic!" She bragged. "Bell is a truly wonderful child and Torrhen has been teaching him everything he could ever wish to know. Not only that, but he is being generous with his money and even forged an incredible weapon for Bell."

Hephaestus, unsurprisingly, looked very interested at that. "He's a smith?"

"Yes," Hestia said. "A very impressive one. Bell and I were watching while he made the knife. He needed my blood to make it and said it would grow into its power as Bell does."

Hephaestus' gaze turned intense. "He's able to make growth weapons?!" She asked, abruptly.

Hestia was confused at the intensity. "Yes? I know he's a master smith but is that uncommon?"

"Even Tsubaki can't make growth weapons." Hephaestus said, seriously.

Hestia was shocked. "But isn't she the best smith in your Familia?" She asked, in a quiet voice.

"Yes." Hephaestus was still very serious. "I have never met a mortal who could make growth weapons. Is he teaching your other member how to smith?"

Hestia shook her head. "No. Torrhen is an extremely skilled fighter and is teaching Bell how to fight and be an adventurer. He told me that he only started learning to smith so that he could make his own weapons and armor.

Hephaestus' jaw dropped. "You're telling me he's not a dedicated smith? How? How is he that good if he's focused on combat as well?"

Hestia was nervous now. "Torrhen is…unique."

"Unique how? Explain."

Hestia sighed. "I can't. Not here." She looked around. They were slightly isolated, but there were too many potential eavesdroppers around to say more. She'd probably said too much already. "You're my friend, so I don't mind telling you. Besides, Torrhen mentioned wanting to meet you. Come back to the church with me after the party. You can ask him yourself."

A voice cut in from behind them. "Mind if I tag along?"

Hestia turned and, to her shock, saw Loki standing behind her in a black dress. "Say what?" She asked.

To Hestia's even greater shock, the trickster goddess looked serious. "I met the older of your children yesterday after the fighting. He helped out several my kids who were in a tight spot. My lil Lefiya was hurt pretty bad, but he healed her with magic." Hestia's eyes widened as she remembered. Torrhen had mentioned the encounter the night before. "I suppose I owe you one for that, Hestia since he's one of yours."

Hestia shook her head at that. While the gods took debts very seriously, she did not consider this to be one. "You don't owe me anything," Hestia said. "I should actually thank you. One of yours, Wallenstein, saved my Bell in from a minotaur in the dungeon a few days ago."

Loki's eyebrows shot up. "That kid? He's one of yours?" She smiled. "I guess that makes us even then. Mine saved one of yours, yours saved one of mine." She leaned in. "I still want to talk with the older one. You too. There is something about him, his energy, that I can't place. Not only that but, judging by the battle yesterday, he is at least Level 5 or 6. I can't figure out how he got that strong and yet I've never seen or heard of him before. When I asked him, he said he would need to talk to you."

Hestia hesitated. Shortly after she had invested in Miach's shop, she and Torrhen had discussed alliances. Both had agreed that the goal of their Familia was to rival the Familia's of Loki and Freya. As Torrhen had pointed out though, it was next to impossible to gather that much influence overnight. Even though Torrhen himself was the perfect counter to military and monetary might, the Loki and Freya Familia's boasted impressive numbers, reputations, and wielded massive political power. They would have most of the city on their side.

Freya and Loki would suffer no rivals, and the only way to gain that much power was to eliminate one of them. Doing so immediately through force of arms would only create a power vacuum since Hestia did not have the power needed to step into either of their shoes. The best way to get that much power was to form an alliance with one and work together against the other. With the aid of one, they would have a shield against the political actions of the other and would be able to build their strength in peace.

Once they were strong enough, they could step up and become one of the top two Familia's in Orario. They might even be able to make Orario a safer place since the two strongest Familia's would be allied instead of antagonistic. There was always an underlying tension to the city because of the rivalry between Loki and Freya. This would eliminate that.

Hestia had not even considered who to ally with but, now that she did, Loki was the better choice. While the two were almost constantly teasing each other, with Loki making comments about Hestia's height and Hestia joking about Loki's breast deficiency, there had never been any true disagreements or antagonistic feelings. If she was being honest with herself, Hestia had actually found some of Loki's antics rather hilarious. When they weren't directed at her.

Freya on the other hand, had always felt dangerous to Hestia. Her godly sphere was the home. Home is a place of love and acceptance which, technically, made Hestia the Goddess of Familial Love. That was part of why she had never even considered shunning Hephaestus for her deformity like so many of the other Olympians. Hephaestus was her family, and she loved her. Loki, despite her penchant for being a prankster, truly cared about her family and wanted only the best for them. To see them happy and laughing. Freya though?

Freya was a goddess of love, but to Hestia a better description would be obsessive love or controlling love. Freya wanted those she loved to be completely under her control and fully dependent on her attention. She was also patient, projecting an air of detached beauty as she manipulated her targets. She would treat anyone who caught her interest as a toy or a plaything, slowly breaking them down until they were practically her slaves. This behavior did not match well at all to familial love and so, was almost in opposition to Hestia's own sphere.

Finally, Hestia spoke up again, in a serious voice. "To tell the truth, there are quite a few things I would like to talk to you about as well, Loki."

Judging by her expression, Loki was surprised. "Really? What are they?"

Hestia shook her head. "Not today. I'm not ready to have either of those conversations. The renovations on my home will be finished in a little under two months. When they are done, I will invite you over and we can talk. Can you wait for your answers until then?"

Loki's stare was calculating. Finally, she spoke. "I can't remember the last time you sounded so serious when you were talking to me. This must be pretty important, but you know my curiosity gets the better of me." She shook her head. "Two months. I will wait two months for answers. If I haven't heard from you by then, I will start digging on my own. Can you accept that?"

Hestia nodded. "I can. I promise."

Loki grinned. "Well then! All this seriousness has me antsy. I'm gonna go find someone to prank. See ya Phai-Phai! Lil Bit!" She walked away, mischief in her eye.

Hestia grimaced at the annoying nickname. If an alliance was really possible, she would have to deal with it.

"What was that about?" Hephaestus asked.

"It's nothing," Hestia shook her head. "Not yet at least. You want to get out of here? We can go talk to Torrhen." She needed to talk to him, anyway, considering the conversation she just had. That would have to wait, though.

Hephaestus nodded. "That sounds good to me," she said.

Hephaestus

The sun had only just begun its descent when the rundown church she had given Hestia came into view. Make that formerly rundown church, considering it looked more like a small mansion now, with what looked like the foundations for a gated wall stretching around an area that far exceeded the lot she had originally given her friend. Hestia had gotten very lucky to find this mysterious Torrhen person.

The idea of a mortal being able to make growth weapons was mindboggling. Even her Captain, Tsubaki, skilled as she was could not make them. They required a level of skill as a smith that few mortals could achieve. She wasn't ashamed to admit, she was bursting with curiosity.

The sound of combat reached her ears as they entered the property. Off to the side in what looked to be a training yard, Hephaestus could see two figures engaged in a rigorous spar. The smaller of the two had white hair and was clad in what looked like light plate armor. That had to be Bell, Hestia's Level 1 adventurer. The other figure was larger, with tanned skin and dark hair. He was unarmored and carried what looked like a training sword. That one was definitely Torrhen.

The two sheathed their weapons as they approached. She could hear Torrhen speaking to the other one. "Looks like that armor will hold pretty well. You made a good choice, kid. Starting tomorrow, you've got my ok to head back into the Dungeon.

The one that had to be Bell sounded thrilled. "Awesome! I feel so ready!" Now that she had gotten a closer look, she recognized that armor! It was Welf's! She had stopped by his forge to check on him and had taken some time to observe while he had been making that armor. The kid must have bought it from her shop. That was good. Welf deserved to earn more business.

She had a sudden idea. "Maybe…" She stared at Torrhen. She'd need to see him in action and have a bit of a discussion with him first but, maybe her idea would work.

"Is that Bell's new armor?" Hestia asked as they got closer.

"That it is," Torrhen replied. "We just finished testing it. It's apprentice level work but it will hold up well. Bell made a good choice." The man clearly had a good eye for quality and skill. She herself would consider Welf to be at the level of an apprentice, but he was a damn good one. "Who's this?" The man was looking at her.

"This is Hephaestus!" Her friend said. "I may have mentioned Bell's knife at the party, and she wanted to see it and come meet you."

The man looked intrigued. "Well now. A Goddess of the Forge interested in my work." He smiled. "Go get your knife, Bell." He gestured and the boy went running off towards what had to be a forge near the back of the property.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, extending his hand. "My name is Torrhen."

"The pleasure is mine." Hephaestus said, shaking his hand. "I could barley believe it when Hestia told me you had made a growth weapon. I needed to see it for myself."

With a low shout, Bell came running back up to them and, coming to a stop, handed a sheathed dagger to Hephaestus. She could tell it was a work of art before she even touched it. With a simple but sturdy sheathe, and a dark red, almost black leather wrapped handle. The moment she touched it, she could feel the energy contained within the blade. Slowly, she drew it. The inky black blade slid out, runes and another strange script were carved along the straight blade.

She held it up to the light, examining it both with her eyes and her senses as a Goddess of the Forge. It was definitely a growth weapon and a very powerful one at that. She wasn't certain she could make one better without her Arcanum. Match it, certainly, but not surpass it. She spent several minutes inspecting the beautiful blade, asking questions of its creator as she did until a different question popped into her head.

"Would you consider this to be your finest creation? Your masterpiece?"

That clearly made Torrhen stop and think for a moment. Finally, he replied, "No. While this is certainly one of my best, it is not my finest."

She had to know how skilled he truly was. "May I see your best? Your masterpiece?"

Torrhen visibly hesitated before gesturing towards his forge. "Not outside and you will never breathe a word of what you see to another living soul."

Hephaestus understood that desire all too well. "I accept your terms."

Torrhen led them into his rather impressive forge and disappearing into a back room for a moment, returned carrying something wrapped in a black cloth. Even with the covering, she could feel the incredible power radiating from the object. Slowly, Torrhen unwrapped it to reveal the most beautiful scabbard she had ever seen. With a deep black color and leather wrapped handle, gold inlay showed scenes of dragons and lightning dancing across the sheathe.

Torrhen slowly drew what was, without a doubt, the most beautiful katana she had ever seen. As it left the sheathe, her senses exploded. That weapon wasn't just beautiful. It was deadly. A shiver ran up her spine. A small part of her was very afraid of that weapon, but the rest was enraptured by its appearance.

"This," Torrhen said, "is Dragonbane."

It was all Hephaestus could do to keep from drooling.

Hestia Church. Late Evening.

Once Torrhen had put the beautiful Dragonbane away, the following hours had consisted of one of the most enlightening and most engaging discussions she had ever had. After getting over her initial shock at his origins and how he arrived in Genkai, the two had proceed to, 'talk shop.'

They had discussed materials and techniques. Torrhen showed off a few pieces of his, including his impressive battle armor and she had explained the best uses of a few of the materials in this world that were new to him.

The two were sitting on stools in his forge sharing a drink when, as a rather lengthy discussion on the Tamrielic enchanting method wound down, she brought up the idea that had occurred to her earlier. "The smith who forged Bell's armor. Welf." She said, "what do you think of his skill?"

Torrhen thought for a moment, taking a sip from his tankard. "I've only seen the one piece, but he seems decent. Just from the one set, I'd put him at an advanced apprentice level. Why?"

Hephaestus sighed. "Welf is a member of my Familia but he's stunting himself. His family are renowned for creating magical weapons of incredible power, but he refuses to make them. No matter how much money he is offered, he refuses, point blank."

Torrhen's face turned quizzical. "Why? That doesn't make sense."

Hephaestus took a swig before saying, "he feels that a weapon that will break in its wielders hands is unworthy. A weapon should never betray its master and a magical weapon will always break, no matter what. At least..." she paused, "magical weapons made in our style will."

Torrhen seemed to get it. He leaned forward. "But ones in the Tamrielic style won't. They are less powerful overall but, once the magic is spent, they simply need recharging, and the magic is back to full power."

"Exactly!" Hephaestus said. "I was hoping that you might consider taking Welf on as an apprentice or at least teach him your method. It would help him grow and maybe give him the confidence he needs to really use his talent."

Torrhen looked surprised. "An apprentice? I thought apprenticeships across Familia were forbidden."

Hephaestus nodded. "They are. Having a training partner or forming a party with members of another Familia is fine but cross-Familia apprenticeships are forbidden under the rules set by the first Denatus."

"You're saying you'd let Welf leave your Familia?" He sounded shocked.

Hepheastus struggled for a moment to find the right words. "I… am very fond of Welf. I don't really want to let him go, but if he joins Hestia and learns from you it could improve his skills by leaps and bounds. I want to see him improve." She sighed and drained her tankard. "Once you have determined that he has learned all he can from you, I'll welcome him back with open arms."

Torrhen sat silent for a moment. "If I do this, what happens if he decides not to come back?"

That sent a shiver up Hephaestus' spine. She didn't want that, but… "If that's what he really wants, then that's ok. I would rather see him become the best smith in history in another Familia, than wallow in mediocrity in mine."

Torrhen was silent once again before finally, he stood and stepped towards the weapon racks in his enchanting lab. Grabbing a beautiful golden sword off the wall, he returned and handed the weapon to Hephaestus. If she remembered their discussion rightly, the sword was done in the 'Dwemer' style. She could feel the magic of the enchantment running through the blade.

"I made that as an experiment using materials I acquired in this world." Torrhen said. "The enchantment was done using the magical stone, or rather the soul gem of a Wall Shadow. Gems from the upper floors are generally in the same area as Petty Soul Gems from Tamriel." He gestured at the sword. "Show that to Welf. See what he makes of it. Do not force him though. Leave the decision up to him. If he wants to learn, I will teach him. If he wants to be my apprentice, I am sure Hestia will accept him. Bell is already wearing his armor, so maybe they can make a contract while we're at it.

Hephaestus let out a sigh of relief at that. "Thank you," she said. Now she just had to convince Welf that this would be a good idea. Considering his dislike of magic swords, that may take some time.

Bell

Bell stood near the fountain in front of Babel, muttering nervously to himself. While they were out shopping the day before, Ms. Eina had suggested Bell find a supporter. Since she was his advisor, he would gladly follow her advice. The only problem was, he didn't know how to find one. What if he approached a supporter that looked alone, and they laughed at him?

"Excuse me?" A voice interrupted his thoughts. Looking up, he saw a small Cienthrope girl wearing a huge backpack.

"Y…yes?" Bell asked.

"I heard you muttering about finding a supporter. I'm looking for an adventurer to pair up with for the day, so I thought I'd ask if you wanted to partner up," she said.

Bell was thrilled! "Of course! I'd love to."

She smiled. "Great! My name is Liliruca Arde. It's a pleasure to be working with you."

"Bell Cranel!" He said as he shook her hand. "The pleasure is all mine.

A/N: An apprentice? A possible alliance? Maybe some foreshadowing? Lili! What do you guys think about what happened in the chapter? If you'd like to leave a comment or a review, I'd really appreciate it.