Skadi sighed, a satisfied rumble from her echoing in the quiet of the room.

  They had eagerly taken advantage of the accommodations the jarl had so graciously offered them, and in their enthusiasm they had laid another bed low.

  Now she laid in its ruins and watched her man as he slept, one of her legs thrown over him possessively. Skadi had always been greedy, even when she was but a girl with big dreams, but there was something about him that brought the worst out of her.

  It did not help that this was one of the only times she was certain he was there, watching him.

  It was not long until sleep claimed her as well, her dreams just as troubled as they always were, ending in a black maw opening to swallow the world whole.

  As the sunlight pricked at her eyes, she wondered if perhaps Vaermina was working her filthy wiles on her. She had certainly given the Daedra plenty reason to consider her an enemy.

  Skadi soon spied his eyes popping open in the uncanny way she was growing used to, not a hint of morning sluggishness about him. And yet the smile that came fiercely upon his lips did much to turn her mood around.

  "Morning," he whispered as he turned over to face her, his hands running over her figure in pleasant ways. She also heard the ruins of the bed creaking as he shifted. "That's two beds down for the count," he teased. "Trying to make a habit of this?"

  She ran her nails along his skin, drawing a shiver from him. "Perhaps I am."

  They fooled around in bed for a time longer before they made themselves presentable. Jarl Balgruuf had wanted to speak to them about an important matter in the morning, and she had always considered it a matter of respect to be punctual.

  Donning clothes more suited to home and hearth, she tugged a comb through her hair as she watched him do the same like she showed him. She chuckled at the way he looked confused when he noticed.

  "Didn't think you knew shirts were a thing."

  His strange way of speaking was something she was growing used to as well, but there was a knock at the door as she was about to throw some of his cheek back at him. "Thane?"

  His housecarl. He cleared his throat. "Come in, Lydia…"

  She stalked in, dressed immaculately. Just like her father and her uncle, she saw in her a line of kings, trailing after her like a cloak. And with fierce eyes like she was showing right now, Skadi knew she was a good fit. A man like him needed a housecarl with some sense.

  Skadi only just kept from laughing when she began berating him for the holes in his furs.

  "It's like battle scars," Russ tried to defend.

  "It is not fit for a thane." She looked him over a moment with her stormy eyes. "I will find something that is. Wait here."

  His eyes turned on her. "I can see you trying not to laugh," he groused.

  She stopped holding back in response, drawing a sigh from him.

  His housecarl returned with a change of clothes then, and soon enough he stood before her in white linen embroidered with golden thread. Combined with the cloak she made for him, he made for a handsome sight, though she soured slightly when he hid that accursed dagger on his person.

  The explanation he had given her was more like a riddle the Mad God would tell, but he had been so earnest that she swallowed her worries and threw him on the bed instead.

  If he would bear such a curse, then all she could do was keep a steady heart and a watchful eye.

  With his housecarl satisfied, they joined the rest of the jarl's court to break their fast. There she saw the jarl himself seated with his kin, his children and brother on one side and his sister and nephew on the other. The woman's cool eyes found her, a small sneer about her as she scolded her son for gawking at her, his hair almost as long as his mother's.

  This was a woman with more pride than sense, a false crown upon her brow, and Skadi turned away dismissively, finding that the tiny Argonian had already beaten them to it, going through a haunch of honeyed hog with surprising speed.

  For all she seemed innocent and ignorant of the world, in her shadow just as small she saw things that leaned and cast their own shadows. Skadi knew not what it meant, but then it wasn't the first time she encountered a mystery she could not solve, so she would not hold it against her.

  What she had seen when she laid eyes on the World Eater still haunted her to this day.

  She idly listened as Russ engaged Bright-Like-Dawn in conversation, hearing him chuckle about coincidences they learned that the tiny Argonian had been heading to the College of Winterhold when the Thalmor took her prisoner.

  Her heart skipped a beat as she wondered if he meant to leave soon. Could she follow him there when all she knew of magic could fit on a single parchment and have room left over?

  Jarl Balgruuf had stood then and looked at them expectantly, having finished with his meal.

  He led them to his court mage, a man almost as odd as her own, less walking and more dragging himself from place to place as if it was an unhappy necessity.

  "Farengar here's had his nose in the books since the first rumors had reached us," the jarl said as he ran a hand through his hair. "Believes there is something that might help us in Bleak Falls Barrow."

  "It might not be there at all," she heard the court mage mutter in response. "But if it is there, we will have the location of all the dragon burial sites known to those that had buried them. If their master has truly returned, then we can expect he will raise them to life again."

  This was no simple request, she knew. Bleak Falls Barrow was a haunt of bandits brave enough to make their home atop a tomb teeming with horrors thousands of years old.

  Yet that only had her fingers tingling in excitement. This must be why she was drawn north.

  "I have drawn a map as best I could following books older than most of the trees around Skyrim," he continued. "I will leave the rest in your… capable hands."

  She took Russ's own hand in hers, catching his eyes. Surely Winterhold could wait.

  "I wouldn't be much of a thane if I refused," he said after a moment, drawing a satisfied sound from her. The squeeze he gave her hand was also pleasant.

  That only left Bright-Like-Dawn, who quickly looked away at all the eyes on her. She eventually nodded, sending a brave look at the wall opposite her.

  "It is a relief to hear," Jarl Balgruuf told them with a softer smile. "I can ill afford to send the guard when we are already stretched so thin."

  He soon departed the room, and Skadi moved to retrieve the map from the court mage, though it looked more like a child's scribbles made with charcoal.

  A certain housecarl butted in to take a look herself, complaining about the same.

  "I never claimed to be an artist," she heard him mutter.

  "Worst comes to worst," Russ began, "I think I could find our way with a sprinkle of magic."

  His fellow mage studied him curiously. "I was wondering if it was an enchantment or a spell that you are crawling with the fabric of Aetherius. I do feel some small measure of reassurance that there will be someone with any wits heading this fool's errand."

  She gave him a dull look that had him shying away into his private quarters.

  "We can be on our way to Bleak Falls Barrow by noon if we hurry," Lydia mentioned. There was a quiet nervousness about her that she saw.

  Skadi shook her head after a moment. "I need to stock up on herbs and potions and maybe visit old Eorlund Gray-Mane first."

  The axe her man had gifted her was serviceable, but she missed her old axe that was no doubt lost in Helgen.

  A hum caught her attention, and she saw him turning away from staring at the dusty old books thrown around. "Speaking to two Nords, what will we find there?"

  "The legends aren't clear," she admitted. "It, like other barrows, was sealed after the power of the dragon priests was broken, some believing it was done by the dragon priests to wait for Alduin's return and others believing it was done as punishment." She gave a snort. "With what's happened, perhaps we finally have the truth of it."

  "First this war, and now not only are the dragons returning but their priests as well?" his housecarl said in a hush. "I hope for our sake that it isn't true. They were cruel men with crueler ambitions."

  "Not always. The oldest legends did not speak of them as tyrants." It was only a few years ago that she was chasing all these legends down to satisfy her curiosity.

  "Whatever happened in the past, that there's even a chance of us finding a dragon priest down there…" He paused. "I was thinking we get the Companions on board."

  His housecarl made a sour face. "They are not what they were, my thane. And there are certain rumors…"

  He gave a shrug as Skadi noticed the Argonian girl poking at a vial with gemstones in it. "It can't hurt asking."

  She had thought about joining the Companions once upon a time, but she was never comfortable under anyone's thumb.

  Still, there was plenty of glory to go around if they succeeded, and she voiced that.

  Lydia saw which way the wind was blowing, and soon they were making their way down the steps of Dragonsreach and through the city to Jorrvaskr, hard to miss with its roof being an upturned longboat. The old blacksmith might even be there, saving her the trouble of tracking him down.

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  She paused, frowning. Why didn't she hear his footsteps? He had been right behind her. Turning around, she saw he hadn't actually vanished, though he was giving her a funny look.

  "Everything alright?"

  Skadi smiled at him with a shake of her head, but when they continued she walked behind him. She might have to ask a certain housecarl if she felt the same, for she doubted she would ever get a straight answer from him.

  Though she only had herself to blame, drawn to the mystery that was him like a moth to a flame.

  Their strange company received more than a few looks when they entered Jorrvaskr, and she even heard her name from one pair of lips, tickling a prideful part of her.

  They were soon approached by a woman with a mane of hair like fire, her nails covered in blood and gore. Not truly, but in the way she saw things, and the way her face was painted gave her the impression of a huntress.

  It was also one of them in particular that she approached. "Didn't think I'd see you around here again, Lydia."

  Her eyes were more winter than summer storm now. "I haven't changed my mind."

  The woman smirked. "I'm guessing these aren't potential recruits then." She suddenly lost her smirk as she sighed. "But where are my manners? They call me Aela the Huntress."

  "Small wonder why," she heard another voice butt in, a man also with dye around his eyes. He was clad in heavy plate and had a greatsword strapped to his back as he moved forward to greet them. "If you're not here to plead your case, and thank Ysgramor for that, then I should tell you this is no place for sightseeing."

  His nails were similarly bloody, the stink of it distracting.

  Russ for his part did not seem bothered by the man's curt words. "We're making for Bleak Falls Barrow to see what can be done about the dragons returning, and I thought to myself, why should we have all the fun?"

  His words set off a swarm of whispers among those gathered, though the man in front of them still appeared skeptical.

  "We have heard rumors, aye. Though I have yet to see a dragon with my own eyes, nor any I trust. I do not think I have even heard of you."

  Aela put a hand to his forearm. "Lydia wouldn't follow a fool, and if I am not mistaken…" Their eyes caught. "That is Skadi of Ivarstead."

  "You wouldn't be mistaken," she confirmed with a toothy smile. "We were lucky to escape Helgen with our lives after the World Eater laid ruin to it."

  Her words set off even more whispers as a certain housecarl piped up as well.

  "The jarl asked us to undertake this mission shortly after he named a new thane. You stand before him now."

  She took some childish glee in how embarrassed her man was, scratching at the stubble that had started to appear on his cheeks.

  "For running away from a dragon?"

  "For facing down a Daedric Prince," Skadi corrected briskly.

  The man gave a wolfish grin. "Then how about this. You beat me in a fight and I'll come with you on this mad quest. I'm no Daedric Prince, so how hard could it be?"

  Aela beside him sighed as the rest of the Companions started banging their hands on whatever they could find like drums.

  It was not a challenge that could be easily denied, and her heart swelled when she saw him smile in its face.

  "You don't mind if I use magic?"

  There were a few jeers, but a stare from her silenced them all.

  "If it gives me more of a fight, I don't care what you do." He looked around after his words. "Just maybe don't set the place on fire. Kodlak would station me at the latrines for weeks."

  Those words she could respect, and she had some words of her own as she leaned down to whisper in her man's ear. "If you win, I'll give you a surprise I think you'll like."

  He gave her a look she adored as the crowd pushed them out on the terrace overlooking the hills and fertile valleys surrounding the city. She also took his cloak from him.

  "Try not to kill our new thane," she heard Aela say. Then she bid them stand in opposing circles. "Vilkas of the Circle has offered a fair challenge, and it has been accepted. You will begin on my mark."

  Skadi saw Russ thump a fist into his chest in a familiar way, his skin hardening as it had during their own friendly spar. Though here it seemed to her more like stone than wood.

  His opponent swung his greatsword around with some artistry as the count continued. "That's a pretty sword you have, Thane. Let's hope it holds up to Skyforged steel."

  "You and me both," he muttered back.

  Vilkas moved forward with impressive speed as the count was finished, his sword hurtling through the air like the crack of a whip, only barely stopped before it struck, the glass holding up to the steel.

  It didn't surprise her. The Dominion for all its arrogance and wickedness had craftsmen that had studied their trade for centuries.

  They all stepped back as sparks danced across the air, Vilkas throwing himself out of the way, a black and smoking mark where he had stood.

  "Not holding back, are you? Good."

  It turned into something of a cat-and-mouse game, more and more marks left in the stone, but it could not last forever.

  Vilkas stirred forward again, and she groaned when this time he struck true. Though the magic held up, the sword only chipping away some of the stony skin, it still unbalanced Russ and his opponent's sword took advantage to reel back around to strike him in the jaw.

  There were cheers as Vilkas kept up the momentum, and it was clear to her that her man had no experience using a blade. Skadi felt some fool nudge her and laugh at him.

  She nudged him back hard enough to send him tumbling to the other side of the terrace.

  The Argonian girl had covered her eyes, but his housecarl was still cheering him on, so how could she not do the same? And maybe he heard them as he soon surprised all of them, abandoning his sword to instead throw a fist as much stone as the rest of him into—

  —A familiar shiver suddenly went through her. This was the third time she had felt.

  Vilkas made a grunt of pain, drawing her attention back to his already bruised and swelling jaw. He was trying to put some distance between them when all the heat was sucked up from around them, a trick she well remembered.

  Skadi cheered as her man took them both to the ground, smashing his fists into his opponent's jaw again and again as more and more frost spread over them. It was splendid. And while he grimaced as the butt of a sword was smashed into his ribs repeatedly, he pushed through until Vilkas yielded with a hearty laugh.

  There were some groans and some cheers, but none louder than hers.

  She was at his side before his housecarl, where she pulled him to his feet with a huff, being heavier than she remembered.

  "I was awesome, wasn't I?" he bragged.

  "Aside from you waving your sword around like a fool? Aye." She leaned in to kiss him, and it felt much like kissing a stone until he did away with the magic.

  "I guess I deserved that," she heard, turning to find a bruised and bloodied face. There was still a grin on his lips like any true Nord.

  He retrieved a potion from within his breastplate and knocked it back, soon returning to normal.

  "I'll be heading to Bleak Falls Barrow then," he continued, looking around those assembled. "Any of you pansies want to come with?"

  His brother, or so his features told her, stepped forward. "Our mother would never forgive me if I let you get eaten by a draugr." His nails too were a ruin, and so were his teeth.

  It wasn't all the members of the Companions that bore that mark, and the mystery tugged at her.

  They soon had seven volunteers, and Russ sighed. "That went well."

  She smirked. "Aye."

  It was decided that they would set out at first light tomorrow, and that today would be a time to feast and drink. Bright-Like-Dawn clapped at the idea, and she wondered if the Argonian's belly led to Oblivion with how hungry she always was.

  It wasn't long until food and good ale were piled on the long table, though she decided instead to seat herself in the lap of the victor shamelessly. She knew she was no dainty maid, but he did not complain.

  In the corner of her eyes, she saw one very grumpy housecarl speaking with Aela, but it was not her business, so she returned her attention to her mead, drinking her cup dry in seconds.

  "Think we will really find a dragon priest down there?" he suddenly asked her.

  "Who can say?" She found a more comfortable position in his lap to his chagrin, her hair tickling his nose. "But I know it will be an adventure."

  "It seems all I've had since I came here is adventures," he snarked.

  Her hand soon went to his as they spent the hours easily.

  She found her thoughts returning to her family a few times. Eir had grown into a fierce beauty when she had last visited, her hair as red as their father's had been, while she took more after their mother in that sense.

  The longing hit her strongly.

  Skadi decided then that she would make the journey back to Ivarstead when this was over, and he would join her. She was curious what her family would make of him…