Author's Note: This is my first real and earnest attempt at a video game fan fiction- Skyrim, to be exact. The working title is Lover's Comfort. To stay as true to the video game as possible, I have employed a hybrid of in-game storylines and dialogue coupled with my own, made-up ones. This was also done in order to build a coherent story that could be read. So without further ado, enjoy, Skyrim and/or Farkas fans!
It was nightfall, and we had arrived at Sky Haven Temple. I was decked out in my Blade armor, carrying my Shield of Ysgramor and Elven Sword of Fire. My husband, Farkas, was with me, carrying his Honed Ancient Nord Greatsword of Fire that I gave to him as a present. We were trying to find our way to Markarth for the first time, and we only knew that it was somewhere near Sky Haven Temple, so we had made camp there. Now that we were finally on our way to the far western town, we had to carefully make our way across the precarious stone bridges and down the steps to find our way to the main path.
As we descended the last of the stone steps, we began to hear shouts. An arrow flew past my head and it was then that I began to see movement several yards away from us. Little did we know that we had just wandered into a Forsworn camp. "Oh, shit…" I muttered and immediately drew my sword.
"Let's get 'em!" Farkas proclaimed, drawing his sword, as well.
Together, we let out a battle cry and charged into the camp just as we saw some Forsworn bandits charge towards us. A savage bunch, the Forsworn were, wearing animal skins that barely covered their bodies and headdresses made from feathers. Three looters came at us, weapons flying. Farkas and I made easy work of them and moved on. The camp was a maze of wooden catwalks above some shallow water and there were Forsworn everywhere. They all started emerging from their tents and charging at us. A fire mage came after us and gave me and my husband some bad flame burns. After I killed the mage, I went over to Farkas, who was hunched over, looking badly hurt. "Are you alright, love?" I asked, and quickly put my hand on his shoulder, casting Healing Hands on him.
"What…?" he muttered and slowly stood up. "Hey…that felt good!" He rocked his shoulders back and forth and said, "Let's not waste any more time. There's still some bandits around."
Just as he said that, a few arrows whizzed past us again. Farkas growled and yelled, "You're making me angry!" and began running off.
I let out another battle cry and began charging at some more Forsworn bandits. Farkas and I now had separated, for he had apparently ran off to snuff out the sniping archer who was somewhere above us, shooting all those arrows at us. After I had killed a couple of Forsworn, I still had no time to rendezvous with my husband, as more bandits emerged almost of nowhere. I could hear him shouting angrily as well as the sounds of swords clashing from nearby, but I valiantly fought the warriors that were swarming around me and charging at me. The last bandit, a Forsworn woman, would not give me a break as she rabidly slashed at me with her two daggers, slicing me on the arms a bit. I finally managed to thrust my sword right into her heart. She gave a savage-sounding cry in pain, and when I yanked the sword out of her, she fell over dead. I ran to the sounds of the shouting and found Farkas.
I found him at the base of a ruin, shooting arrow after arrow up above with his Ancient Nord Bow. "Die, damn you!" he was yelling. Arrows were sailing to the ground nearby.
"Farkas, you're bleeding!" I cried, noticing the big gaping wound on his shoulder. It was completely drenched in blood. "Here, let me-"
But before I could raise my hand to heal him, a big ball of fire came down just a few feet away from us. "Agh!" I cried, quickly dodging it.
"Argh! Another fire mage!" Farkas cried, and with that, he began to run off.
"Farkas! Farkas, wait!" I began running after him. He was badly injured and would need some healing before he could go on. But before I could catch him, some more Forsworn bandits blocked my path and attacked me. "Hooah!" I slashed my sword left and right, slaughtering them like cattle. I need to get to my husband...
Just then, I felt a piercing, cold pain in my side. I looked down and saw a glowing ice spike sticking out of my waist. Oh no, an ice mage…I hated those. I ran immediately up the steps to where the source of the icicles were coming from, used a Fire Breath shout on a Forsworn bandit waiting there and found the Hagraven who was shooting the icicles. She shot another one into my leg, which hurt so bad that I could barely run, but I limped up to her as quickly as I could and killed her, finally.
All went silent and I caught my breath as the ice spikes disappeared from my body and the pain subsided. Farkas…he's still down there…and he needs my help! I immediately turned away from the Hagraven and ran down the steps back down onto the maze of catwalks. "Farkas!" I cried out. I ran to the other end of the catwalk I was on. "Farkas, where are you?" It was a lot quieter down here, now. I ran across another catwalk, passing some of the Forsworn bandits that I had killed earlier. I saw someone moving up ahead of me. "Farkas?"
"You're going to regret ever coming here!" the person shouted and charged at me. It was a lone Forsworn bandit.
"Raaaaargh!" I cried angrily and slashed him to bits. When he fell to the ground, my eyes darted all around me. "Farkas! Where are you?"
No answer. Not even the sound of voices or movement. I became worried. "Oh, Farkas, no…" I ran across the catwalk again. The last time I saw him, he was very badly hurt. If he got into a battle with another strong bandit, or worse, a fire or ice mage, then he surely would've been done for. "Farkas?" I called out, frantically running around the maze of catwalks. I looked down at every body I could find, fearing the worst- that I would see my love, lying facedown on the ground, with arrows sticking out of his back…"Farkas, please…" My eyes began burning with the sting of tears. Don't give up yet, Roxanne…I told myself. I made my way up to the alcove above where I was last with my husband, earlier, when he was trying to take down the hidden archer. I found the archer's dead body, successfully taken down by my love, and it was then that I heard something down below. I looked over the ledge, and I could make out a tall figure with a large bow slung to their back. Can it be…? "Farkas?" I called out to the figure below.
The figure turned around. I couldn't see their face in the darkness. But I heard their voice call back, "Roxanne?"
"Farkas!" I exclaimed happily, and began tearing my way down the stairs towards him. When I got down onto the catwalk, he held out his arms to me and I sprinted into them, burying my head in his shoulder. "Oh, Farkas, you're alive!"
"Roxanne!" he uttered, his voice sounding muffled against my shoulder, as well.
We embraced tightly like that for almost a full minute, my tears falling freely down my cheeks and onto his steel pauldrons. We finally pulled back and looked into each other's eyes. "I thought I had lost you," I said, my voice faltering.
"I thought I had lost you," he responded. "I'm so glad you're alright."
"Me too," I replied.
His expression then turned serious. "Come on. We need to get out of here. It isn't safe."
"Okay, let's go" I said. We quickly kissed and after I took one last glance around the area to scan for movement, Farkas and I then made our way out of the camp and headed west.
This is the story of soulmates. Two people, with very different pasts, who happened to cross paths with each other one day, fall in love, and become yoked with one another for eternity. This is the story of Roxanne and Farkas.
My name is Roxanne and I have been here in Whiterun for just a few days. I have been staying at The Bannered Mare and every now and then I ventured out of town to investigate the current dragon invasion. It had only been a few days since the incident at Helgen. I had been taken prisoner by a small group of Imperial soldiers, wrongly accused of helping a group called the Stormcloaks. It also probably didn't help that I was a Khajiit, either. People didn't seem to trust Khajiits or Argonians around Skyrim. But I wasn't born a Khajiit. You see, I am really a Nord from the land of Ceredia, far to the southwest of Skyrim. I come from a family of cruel warriors known as the Ihaniks, who practiced witchcraft of all sorts. For decades, our family fought with our rivals known as the Spagos. A few months ago, my leaders got into their heads to turn me into a Khajiit in order to deal more damage to the Spagos, but to make a long story short, I failed the mission. As a result, I was exiled out of Ceredia, forced to wander for days. I wandered from village to village. As a Khajiit, I was treated with suspicion everywhere I went. Khajiits were infamous for doing business in the black market. I got as far as the mountains between Cyrodiil and Skyrim before I was captured and brought to Helgen. So when I was finally brought to the executioner's block there, I felt ready to face my fate. To die was better than to live in exile as an imposter. But then…the dragon came and changed everything. He came like a black storm, raining fire upon Helgen and laying waste to everything and everyone. I narrowly escaped, helped by a man named Hadvar, who also ended up setting me free. I ended up in a small village called Riverwood and stayed the night there before coming to Whiterun.
Aside from being thrown into a new mess of figuring out why dragons are invading this land of Skyrim, I am now finally beginning to accept my new Khajiit identity. I feel so much more nimble and fast-moving. The fur keeps me warm when I'm wandering near the mountains, and being able to see much more clearly at night has been a definite perk. I still receive derogatory comments every once in a while from villagers, but for the most part, I am left alone. Nobody knows the truth about my past, and nobody here really needs to know.
During my stay in Whiterun, I began hearing about a warriors' guild called the Companions. It was right here in town and consisted of a close-knit group of the most powerful and honorable warriors in Skyrim. They were looking for new members, so naturally, my interest was piqued. At first, I wasn't so sure about joining any guilds, but I thought to myself, If I meet more people as nice as Hadvar had been to me, it wouldn't be so bad. So one day, I decided to check it out. I was told to go to a place called Jorrvaskr, where the guild was located. It was a large building to the east of the Gildergreen tree, in the shape of an upside-down Viking ship. I marched up to the burly building and opened the heavy, double doors. As I entered, I was overwhelmed by the spacious hall I had just walked into. In front of me was a great hearth in the center of the hall surrounded by a huge table.
"You lost?" I heard a sarcastic-sound voice say.
I looked up and saw a tough-looking man with a ponytail staring at me.
"I-I'm here to-" I started, but before I could finish, I heard shouts from behind him.
"Wha-?" the man turned around and looked behind him. "Geezes, are those two at it again?" Ignoring me, he immediately turned around and ran towards the commotion.
I just stood where I was for a moment, confused at what was going on. I then looked at where the commotion was coming from, and decided to get a closer look.
"Come on now, watch the footwork. Keep your balance," I heard the same man say.
I looked at the direction he was directing the speech to and saw two warriors brawling with each other.
"Come on!" a guy with long, red hair shouted.
As I drew closer, I saw that one of the fighters was a female Nord wearing studded armor and the other was a male Dunmer wearing leather armor. They were egging each other on and throwing punches at one another. I could only stare as I had no idea what was going on. I started to wonder if I should leave and come back later…
Just then, the tough-looking man that had spoken to me earlier turned towards me and asked, "Do you need something?"
"Oh, uh…no," I stumbled, glancing back at the battling duo. "I mean yes, I-"
"Don't mind them," he said, aware that I was distracted by the fight. "Just working out some issues, the old way."
"Right," I said nervously. "Um…I'm here to inquire about the Companions. Who are they?"
"Ask any fool around here, and get a different answer," he replied. "Mercenaries. Warriors of honor. Brothers and sisters of the blade. Drunken rabble. Take your pick. I've been here longer than most of them. Even I don't know sometimes. I just hope they don't kill each other."
"Well…please allow me to introduce myself," I said. "My name is Roxanne. I hail from the land of Ceredia. And I am here to ask about joining the Companions."
"So you think you have what it takes? Huh. Lucky for you, I'm not the one who makes that decision. Talk to Kodlak Whitemane."
"Kodlak Whitemane…where is he so that I can speak to him?"
"He's probably in his room. Take the stairs. They're right over there," he pointed to the corridor behind the fighters. "Just tell him that you're looking to join the Companions. Who knows, maybe he's in a generous mood."
"And you are…?"
"My name is Skjor. I was lucky…the Companions found me. Gave me a reason to be fighting."
"Well, nice to meet you Skjor. I shall talk to Kodlak now."
"See you around then, maybe."
"Alright, thanks…" Isn't he going to come with me to introduce me or anything? As I slowly made my way across the spacious hall, I realized that I was completely on my own. I took one last glance at the fighters duking it out with each other and shouting and went down the staircase. I opened another set of double doors and entered what looked like living quarters. There were tables with food to my left and to my right, a long hallway. There were a couple of women sitting down in the room across from me and when I entered, they looked up at me and stared in silence. I just now noticed an old lady dusting the cabinets. "'Scuse me," I spoke to her.
She looked up at me expectantly.
"Where can I find Kodlak Whitemane?" I asked.
"Go down that hallway all the way to the end room," she replied.
"Thank you," I told her and headed down the long hallway. I came to an anteroom and saw two men sitting at a table conversing with each other. One of the men had medium-length brown hair and looked young while the other had long white hair and a long beard that was also very white. He looked very noble, and I figured him to be Kodlak. As soon as I drew near, they stopped talking and looked up at me. The old man's eyes appeared very wise. My heart leapt into my throat and I was almost rendered speechless. "E-excuse me…are you Kodlak Whitemane of the Companions?"
"I am, stranger," the old man replied. "And who might you be?"
"My name is Roxanne…I hail from the land of Ceredia," I nervously answered, feeling the gaze of both Kodlak and the young man burning holes into me. "I…I am here because I want to know how one might join the Companions."
"Do you now?" he asked, perking up. He looked back at the young man almost as if in surprise. The young man gave him an impatient, bored look. He then looked back up at me. "Here, let me have a look at you." He then stood up out of his chair as I took a step back. He then examined me, inspecting my armor up and down, and appearing deep in thought. "Hm. Yes, perhaps. A certain strength of spirit."
"Master," the young man next to him spoke up. "You're not truly considering accepting her?"
"I am nobody's master, Vilkas," Kodlak snapped. "And last I checked, we had some empty beds in Jorrvaskr for those with a fire burning in their hearts."
"Apologies," Vilkas said reverently. "But perhaps this isn't the time. I've never even heard of this outsider."
"Sometimes the famous come to us," Kodlak said. "Sometimes men and women come to us to seek their fame. It makes no difference. What matters is their heart."
"And their arm," Vilkas added.
"Of course," Kodlak agreed. He then turned to me. "How are you in battle, miss?"
"I can handle myself," I replied, but then added quickly, "But I still have much to learn."
"That's the spirit!" Kodlak said excitedly. "Vilkas, here, will get started on that." He then turned back towards Vilkas and said, "Vilkas, take her out to the yard and see what she can do."
"Aye," Vilkas replied and got up. "Follow me, young miss."
I followed him up the long hallway and through the double doors. Up the stairs we went, and I noticed as we crossed the great hall that the fight up here had been broken up. I finally followed Vilkas out the doors opposite of the entrance. Now outside, we stepped out onto a large patio and walked across it and down some steps into an open courtyard that was set up like a fighters' training ground.
Vilkas stopped and said, "The old man said to have a look at you, so let's do this." He then stood in front of me and went on, "Just have a few swings at me so I can see your form."
Seriously? He wants me to hit him with my sword? I thought increduously.
"Don't worry, I can take it," he assured, as if reading my thoughts. He then drew out his sword and shield. I followed suit by drawing my own iron sword and shield. "Ready?" he then said. "Commence!"
I immediately went after him and we clashed swords for a bit. I successfully got a hit on his armor and he fell back for a moment. He recovered and swung at me and we sparred some more before he fell back again and said, "Enough!"
I immediately fell at ease. He sheathed his sword and so did I.
He took a deep breath and exhaled dramatically. "Not bad," he commented. "Next time won't be so easy." He then looked at me thoughtfully for a moment before saying, "You might just make it. But for now, you're still a whelp to us, new blood. So you do what we tell you." He then unsheathed his sword again and held it out to me. "Here's my sword. Go take it up to Eorlund to have it sharpened. And be careful, it's probably worth more than you are."
That's it for now? I wondered. Is this also part of my test, I wonder? I decided not to pry, so I obediently took Vilkas' sword from him and asked, "Who is Eorlund and where can I find him?"
"Eorlund Gray-Mane is the master blacksmith of Whiterun and also forges all the weapons and armor for the Companions. He is just up a set of steps from here." He pointed to the northeast and up.
"Okay," I said, and left him. Boy, these Companions just don't waste any time in swearing in newcomers and bombarding them with tasks. I just hope it's all worth it. I climbed up the stone steps up the side just below Dragonsreach and came upon a huge, blacksmith's forge. An old man was working there. I approached him. "Greetings. Are you Eorlund Gray-Mane?"
The old man looked up from sharpening a sword. "Why yes. I am Eorlund Gray-Mane. What brings you here?"
"My name is Roxanne," I answered, less nervous than I was before. "I am here on an errand for the Companions."
"I'm guessing you're the newcomer then?" he asked.
"I'm just doing what I'm asked," I replied. I took out Vilkas' sword and gave it to him.
"Ah, I've seen the likes of you many times before," he said, taking the sword from me. "The Companions like to give all newcomers a hard time. Look Miss, don't always just do what you're told. Nobody rules anybody in the Companions."
"Someone has to be in charge, though," I said.
"Well, I'm not sure how they've managed it, but they have," he replied. "No leaders since Ysgramor. Kodlak is the Harbinger, and he's a sort of advisor for the whole group, but every man is his own. Every woman, her own."
"Are you a Companion?" I decided to ask.
"Not actually a Companion myself, but none of them know how to work a forge properly, and I'm honored to serve them," he explained. "I work the Skyforge. Best steel in all of Skyrim. All of Tamriel."
"Nice to meet you, Eorlund," I said. "I'll need to be going now."
"Wait. I have a favor to ask," he said, stopping me.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I've been working on a shield for Aela. My wife is in mourning and I need to get back to her soon. I'd be much obliged if you could take this to Aela for me."
"I'm happy to lend a hand."
"That's a good lass." He then picked up a steel shield from the table nearby and handed it to me. "Remember, don't let them step all over you. You will become one of them before long, I'm sure of it."
"Thank you, Eorlund. Godspeed to you and your wife!" I then took Aela's shield back down to Jorrvaskr. I hadn't met Aela yet but I assumed that she was also another one of the Companions.
Once inside Jorrvaskr, I saw only the old lady in the great hall, sweeping the floor. I approached her again. "Excuse me…where can I find Aela? I have a shield that Eorlund wants me to give to her."
"Everyone is downstairs in the living quarters at this hour," she replied. "You'll probably find her in her room. Go down the same hall you went down this morning and make a left in the anteroom."
I thanked her for her help again and went downstairs. I went down the long hallway and into the anteroom, where I could hear people talking. To my left, I saw a tall, red-haired woman standing in the room having a heated conversation with the man, Skjor, whom I had met earlier. I cautiously walked in. Skjor said something to the red-haired woman which caused her to sigh. She then turned and saw me and said, "Sheesh! Ysgramor himself wouldn't have the patience to deal with all the rabble around here."
I wasn't sure if she was addressing me or not so I didn't know what to say. On her face, I noticed some fierce-looking war paint. I took her to be someone with seniority around here. "Are you…Aela?" I slowly asked.
"Yes," she said boldly. "You're the newcomer. Do you want me to show you to your room?"
"Um, yes, but…first I have something for you from Eorlund," I said and presented her with the shield.
"Why thank you!" she said, taking it from me. "Ah, good. I've been waiting for this. Good to see you made it up here."
"You've met this one yet?" Skjor asked. "I saw her training in the yard with Vilkas."
"Ah, yes," Aela replied, grinning sardonically at me. "Roxanne, is it? I heard you gave him quite a thrashing."
"Don't let Vilkas catch you saying that," Skjor warned.
I smiled inwardly. He did seem somewhat…winded when we had finished sparring, I thought.
Aela turned to face me again and asked seriously, "Do you think you could handle Vilkas in a real fight?"
"I don't care for boasting," I replied.
"Ah, a woman of action," she said, appearing satisfied with my answer. "Here, let me show you where you'll be resting your head."
Aela then proceeded to lead me up the long hallway and into a smaller set of rooms, each with beds. A couple of other women came up to us and spoke to us. Aela introduced me to them, who were Njada and Ria. They were also new to the Companions. But they sure had cocky attitudes.
"Here are your quarters," Aela explained. "Just pick a bed and fall in it when you're tired. Tilma will keep the place clean. She always has." Tilma…she must be the helpful old lady I always see cleaning and dusting around here, I thought. She then showed me around some of the other rooms and after coming back to my quarters, she finally said, "Well, here you are. Come see me again in the morning and I will give you something to do."
"Okay," I simply said and she walked off. I walked into the bedroom.
"Oh, hey there," Ria said to me. She was sitting on her bed. "I killed a bear today. What have you done?"
I chose to ignore her and got out of my armor and into my pajamas. Don't let anybody step all over you, Eorlund said. I will have to get used to this new lifestyle. I climbed into bed, my first free bed since coming to Skyrim, and fell asleep.
Dawn came and I woke up to find that all three of the other beds in the room were occupied with sleeping women. I guess they like to sleep late here, I observed, and I got dressed quietly. I went upstairs into the great hall and was greeted by Tilma, the housekeeper. She was enjoying her morning tea so I sat and chatted with her. We seemed to be the only ones up this early. Finally, after a couple of hours, I saw Aela emerge from downstairs. "Well, you're up early. Not much for sleeping late, huh?"
"Not really," I responded.
"So you ready to go to work?" she asked me.
"Yeah, what do you got?" I asked.
"I have received word from the Jarl that some Sabrecats have been causing trouble around Helgen. They seem to be coming from the den in Bonechill Passage. If you can go there and clear out that beast den for us, that would be great."
Do I really have a choice? "Okay, you got it."
"This is not an easy task; I hope you do well."
"I'll try my best." I then left Jorrvaskr. First, I purchased some steel armor and weapons and outfitted myself with them, selling all of my iron armor and weapons. Then, I set out on my task.
Clearing out the beast den wasn't easy, as Aela had said, but I made it out, with minor cuts and scrapes. I came back to Jorrvaskr and reported to Aela.
"Well, I'm impressed," she said to me at the door, when I came in, all dirty and with a few cuts and scrapes here and there. "You're stronger than you look. Well done, Roxanne. Perhaps we can hunt together, someday."
"Is there anything else that needs to be done?"
"Nope. I don't have anything. Why don't you go wash off and come back up and maybe I'll think of something."
So I went downstairs and bathed. After that, I came back up and talked to Aela again. "I don't have anything for you…but Skjor was looking for you earlier and said that he has something for you to do. I don't know what it is, but you'd better hurry. He's in the study."
I entered the study and found Skjor standing there, reading. He saw me enter and said, "Ah, there you are."
"You wanted to see me?" I asked.
"I did," he replied. "Your time, it seems, has come."
"What do you mean?" I questioned.
"Last week a scholar came to us. He said he knew where we could find another fragment of Wuuthrad. He seemed a fool to me, but if he's right, the honor of the Companions demands that we seek it out."
"What does this have to do with me?"
"This is a simple errand, but the time is right for it to be your Trial. Carry yourself with honor, and you'll become a true Companion."
"What is this Wuuthrad fragment that I'm looking for and where am I going?"
"Wuuthrad is the name given to the ancient battleaxe that Ysgramor, our founder, himself wielded. Over time, Wuuthrad became broken into several fragments, and they have become lost in history. We have managed to find all but one of the fragments. The scholar that came to us claimed that it was hidden in a place called Dustman's Cairn, which is far to the west of here. That is where you will go and retrieve it."
"Consider it done," I obeyed and began to leave.
"Wait," he said. "You are not going alone, whelp. You will have a Shield-Sibling accompany you on this venture. We Companions know not to wander through caves and dungeons alone. They are very dangerous. Shield-Siblings are what we employ so that you can have someone watch out for you, and you them. Come. I will introduce you to your Shield-Sibling for this task." Skjor then led me outside onto the back patio. Some of the Companions were out here hanging out. I followed Skjor to the edge of the patio and saw that a lone young man was training with a greatsword out in the courtyard. "Farkas!" he called out to the man.
The man sheathed his weapon and walked over to us. I was struck by the man's physique. He had long, straggly black hair, unshaven face, pale skin with many scars, and dark war paint lining his eyes. His big shoulders and chest gave him an imposing stature. He had a somewhat frightening appearance, truth be told. "Yeah?" he answered in a deep and raspy voice.
"I'd like you to meet this new blood, Roxanne," Skjor said.
"New blood?" Farkas looked at me. "Oh, hello. I'm Farkas. Pleased to meet you, Roxanne." He held out his hand, which was large and muscular.
I reached out and took it, shaking his hand. He lowered his head a little bit and a slight, chivalrous smile came to his face. Why, he's not that frightening after all, I thought.
"Farkas here will answer any questions you have," Skjor said. "Try not to disappoint. Or to get him killed. Well, I'll leave you to it!" Skjor said and left us.
"Welcome to the Companions," Farkas said to me.
"Thank you," I replied. "But Skjor says I have to prove my honor first before I can officially join."
"Let's see if you impress, then."
"Well, let's not waste any time."
Farkas smiled. "I like your attitude. Want to head out to Dustman's Cairn now?"
"Let's do it."
"Okay, then follow me."
Farkas and I left Jorrvaskr and headed out of Whiterun to Dustman's Cairn.