Ch. 13: Skills and Harsh Truth

-Volfir's POV-

As soon as I woke up and had some breakfast, I sped off towards Adrianne's smithy. Yesterday's beating wasn't critical, but it was quite thorough…

My leather armour needed some patching, maybe it was time to buy a new steel helmet as well. But my priority was my sword which needed immediate sharpening, as well as replenishing my stock of arrows

As I jogged towards the outskirts of the city, my mind wandered towards the ideas of using magicka. I am aware of how looked down upon the mages are in the lands of Skyrim, especially inside the Companions. The reasons are kind of stupid in my opinion, any tool to save your hide and kill your enemies is a good tool

It would be great if I could conjure weapons out of thin air, I would never need to maintain or buy them anymore. And the restoration spells like those Mara priests use would be great as well…

It's slow, but I continue deciphering the journal of the Overseer back from the mines, which was always with me, perhaps I should just return back to Jorrvaskr to continue my literacy studies with Skjor and Kodlak, Aela doesn't go anywhere near the libraries, so perhaps I will be able to avoid her until my feelings settle down

The journal had the horrific man's insight on the use of Cryomancy, I still find it disturbing how knowledgeable and scholar-like his text made him out to be, so far from his actual personality…

As I neared the smithy, I could already hear the blacksmith hammering away, busy in her never ending work. That's probably why her business is blooming so fast, her hard work topped many, even Eorlund Gray-Mane has nothing but praise of her dedication

When I reached 'Warmaiden's', I stopped by the entrance and let myself fall inside a trance, I had no idea how long I watched the middle aged woman work on a steel sword, but I only came to my senses when she finally stopped

Placing the newly made sword on a weapon rack, she loosened her long, sweaty hair and looked towards me, my gaze instantly falling below her neck. She wore a red tunic and black pants, thankfully her large and glistening bosom was covered by a blacksmith apron, so my lustful eyes were denied the sight they sought

I shook the uncontrollable, horny thoughts away, as well as reminding myself that she is married and brought my gaze back up, towards her face which adorned an amused expression, with a single raised eyebrow

"Aha… sorry about that…" my leg drew a pattern on the ground with a slight panic of getting caught, as I averted my eyes

"*Cough* Never realised how huge the gates are…" I tried changing the topic, as my face got more and more red by the second

"Forget it child, why are you here?" the woman asked, bringing back my attention towards her

"Oh, well… I need to sharpen my sword and have my armour patched up… maybe buy a helmet as well" I told her the reason for my visit

"Don't think I have a helmet your size and a commission will be pretty expensive and long, just wait till you grow a bit older Volfir" she answered while taking a towel off a nearby bench

"Too busy?" I asked

"Yeah, the Legion is asking too much from a single woman, even if they pay market price for such a big order…" she said while wiping her face with the towel

"I see… what about the other things?"

"Leave the armour to my husband, you will be able to get it in a couple of days. The sword… just sharpen it yourself, like I taught you" Adrianne answered, as she started walking towards the entrance of 'Warmaiden's'"

I followed after her, the leather armour in my backpack, while the sword was sheathed on my side

"Oh! I also need to buy some arrows, lost too many on my last hunt" I spoke out

"Sure, we have a bunch crafted not too long ago, but they will be above market price" Adrianne said, stepping inside of the house-shop

I made a slight grimace, but there was nothing I could do "That's fine, I guess…" I answered

"Ulfberth! Volfir's leaving his leather armour for patching up, get him a quiver of arrows as well!" she shouted inside the place

A huge and bulky man walked out a room behind the counter, a man once dubbed War-Bear, now the husband of the city's rising star blacksmith

"Mhmkay" he grumbled out, although his voice was tinged with rather positive emotions, unlike what he let anybody see

"'Mhmkay' my round ass, go get him the quiver, you bear of a man" Adrianne mocked, but the spoken words seemed more warm than not

I just stayed further back, scratching the back of my head with a wry smile at the exchange between husband and wife

-Scene break-

I was swinging my wooden, practice sword outside the city walls my head filled with imaginary foes that I blocked, parried and swung towards

My practice dance of death only interrupted when I had to take a break to catch my breath and drink some water from a well crafted flask

It was evening, so just like inside of the city, the inhabitants of the outside wall were also keeping themselves busy and bustling

The khajiit caravan seemed to find a place not too far away from the road, as they made a permanent camp. The Nords were very unhappy at first, but some deals between the Jarl and the caravan master seemed to even out the relationship

Unfortunately for some city guards, they had to pay attention to the cat-like people, so a new post dedicated to patrolling the outskirts of the khajiit camp was made

"How goes your training, young one?" a familiar cat woman walked up to me

"Hi Khayla, everything is good! Back from Markarth?" I welcomed her presence with enthusiasm

"Yes, although the road from Whiterun to Markarth makes this one weary…" she strolled to my side

"I did hear that the hold is rather unwelcome and full of danger" I sheathed my wooden sword, grabbing a towel off the ground and wiping away the sweat from my face

"This one finds the Forsworn to be annoying enemies, big numbers, little skill" she sat down beside me, prompting me to sit down as well

"I see, the new scar on your face is from them I take it?" I asked, while crossing my legs and placing my elbow on my thigh, letting my head rest on my palm as I got ready to listen to the good cat lady

"This one was careless, the attacker didn't live for long though" she said, a feral smile adorning her face by the end of the sentence

"It looks good on you, makes you seem more ferocious" I added with a smile

"This one thanks you, for the compliment" she answered, wiping her feral smile, replacing it with what seemed to be a smirk

"This one thinks your form has gotten much better, it's good that my advice on leg movement wasn't wasted on you" Khayla added

"Yeah, your advice was revolutionary! The movement compliments my small stature, so focusing on quick strikes and evading has done me wonders, a pity I don't have the strength to compliment it…"

"You are still growing, little kitten, this one will be glad to help you train some more, if you want"

"Yeah! Help me with my sneaking though, it will be good for hunting with my bow" I agreed immediately, thinking back on how I could have evaded the altercation between the wolves, if I was able to leave in the middle of the fight unnoticed

"Very well, this one shall teach you how to move in the shadows" she answered with excitement

We both got up and my khajiit friend instantly started lecturing me on the different types of muscles we use when sneaking. It's pretty surprising how familiar she is with the anatomy of Men and Mer, but I guess she had a life before being a caravan guard, so I shoved the thought away to the back of my mind

As dusk engulfed the snowy lands of Skyrim and more light retreated under the hunger of the shadows, I found myself practising sneaking around the Whiterun guards with Khayla as my lead

It was… rather mind blowing how she was unnoticed with all that heavy steel armour that should be clanking and screeching under the moves she kept pulling. But I guess that's a khajiit for you, their proficiency in skulking around is one of the biggest reasons they are scorned and shunned as a race

As I got more and more comfortable with moving alongside Khayla, she started upping the stakes, blowing out a torch here and there, distracting guards with pebbles and animal sounds. Practising the same things under her tutelage let me find some relief as I found myself laughing more and more, playing harmless pranks on guards and citizens alike

-Scene break-

"This one thinks you are too much of a fast learner" Khayla spoke to me, as we sat pretty far away from the city walls, away from noise and activity, while simply watching the rising moons

"The Companions say the same thing, Kodlak even says I am blessed by the Divines" I hugged my knees towards my torso, my blue eyes watching the beautiful night sky

"This one thinks that perhaps you are, don't let it affect your nature though, young kitten. Divine influence is just that… influence, it is you who chooses how to live" she spoke affectionately

"Un… I don't think I am blessed though… my life's been too harsh and cold, to be blessed by the Divines…" I spoke my sombre thoughts

Khayla didn't answer though and I too, soon forgot about the topic, opting to continue gazing at the beautiful night sky

"Ooooh~" my friend's voice broke me out of my reverie some time later

I looked towards her in question, but her gaze was locked somewhere further away. When I followed her eyes, I found a young couple of Nords partaking in carnal pleasure, their naked bodies hidden away by shadows

"Kyah! Don't look!" I jumped up on my feet and tackled Khayla, my palms covering her eyes

"Hohoho~" she in turn, found the situation even more amusing

-Scene break-

After wishing Khayla good night, I returned to the city with my mind filled with the indecent scene that kept replaying itself, as much as I tried to forget it

I found myself in need of some good mead and a loud crowd, so my destination is obviously the 'Bannered Mare'

Even halfway there, the resident's loud cries, shouts and cheers reached my ears, helping with shoving away the indecent thoughts plaguing my mind

"Vofiiiiiiiiir~" a shout that kept rapidly closing the distance prompted me to turn around

"My favourite little draugr!" a young man jumped towards me in a hug

I let the body fly past me, by sidestepping the blabbermouthing buffoon. Unfortunately instead of a comical sight of the man falling head first into the dirt, his extended hands cushioned his descent, which quickly transitioned into a roll, which then led to the man jump back at me

THUD

"Geh-"

I kicked the man in the chest, taking out the breath in his lungs as he dropped to his knees

"*Cough* Volfir, how uncouth… don't you recognise me?!" the young man screamed in indignation

"Shut up Vosnyak, you are as loud as always" I covered my face with my hand, breathing out in exasperation

"Hey, hey, hey! It's been so long! Come! It's my treat!" Vosnyak shot up from his knees and put my head in a lock, instantly starting to rub my head in with a fist

"S- stop! It hurts you stupid blabbermouth!" I broke out of the headlock by kicking his shins

"Besides, it's been like… a few weeks at most!" I growled into his face, but his smile never left his face

"Don't sweat the little details my little friend! Let's get wasted!" this time he grabbed my arm and pulled towards the 'Bannered Mare'

Instead of arguing, I just let him do whatever he wanted, the man could never be reasoned with, as annoying as it is

-Scene break-

I was sitting behind the counter of probably the most popular inn and tavern in the whole of Skyrim, a big mug of low priced mead in my hand and the insufferable Vosnyak to my right side, who was busy groping a well developed barmaid

'Fucker's treating me to the least priced mead, while flirting with the wenches… should have just gone back to the 'Drunken Hunstman' to get some nice and fulfilling sleep…' I thought, very displeased with the situation

"Why the long face my little friend?" the young man put his face in front of mine while I was busy contemplating my life choices and looking into the mug of shitty mead

THUD

"Geh-"

I head butted the little shit and smiled when he almost whimpered, covering his forehead in order to rub the reddening place of impact

"Tsk, that's no way to treat a friend, who's buying you mead" he complained, but I simply threw him a dirty look, which made him smile wryly

"Say what Volfir, any chance you can get Aela to come? That one is a fiery one in bed" he spoke and my face turned dark

I visibly shifted in my seat, the atmosphere becoming awkward and uncomfortable

"Don't know, ask her yourself" I answered with a cold and uncertain voice

"Oh come on! It's not me who lives in Jorrvaskr, how am I supposed to find her?" he shook my shoulders while practically begging

"Then don't" I cut the action short and downed the whole mug of mead, wincing at the bad taste in the end

"Very well… Guess I should find a respectable woman for tonight" Vosnyak stopped his begging and started contemplating with a hand on his chin

"What? Aela is not respectable enough for you?" I felt my anger rising at the comment

"Hahaha~ Of course not, look I know that I play around a lot, but the woman is just like me" he patted my shoulder, while I squeezed the mug, cold rage washing over me

"Just a week ago she had some fun with a couple of men back in Riverwood, while coming in from Falkreath" he continued, while the mug in my hand was already ready to burst if I pushed the grip even a bit more

"So no, she isn't exactly good relationship material, stop running after her tail" Vosnyak's taps turned into a slightly hard grip on my shoulder

I widened my eyes in surprise, feeling like a blanked of cold water washed over me

"Look, you are like a little brother to all of us Riverwood guards, it would be pretty sad to watch you get played around like a fiddle, you should find somebody else man…" Vosnyak poured more mead into my mug

"I… I am aware… you know, of her… playing around nature…" I hesitated to speak, everything just hit so much back home… all these days of trying to get over the feelings towards her but I just can't

"Listen… I am sorry little guy, she doesn't deserve you, I visited the 'Drunken Huntsman' before running into you on the road. The barkeep told me that you and the redhead had argument or something, so you are avoiding her" Vosnyak started speaking

"All of us guards in Riverwood and many people in Whiterun know you have the hots for the wild huntress, but she doesn't care about you, not in that way at least. You should find yourself a good woman your age" he finished, taking a big gulp of mead

I stayed silent, swirling the liquid in my mug, looking into it while my mind was replaying the different interactions between myself and my crush

"You spoke to her in Riverwood?" I asked eventually

"A week ago you mean?"

"Yeah…"

"Not me… Erikur did, you know how warmly the Captain thinks of you, besides... he didn't like that the redhead slept with two guards at the same time, while they were supposed to be on shift…" Vosnyak decided to drop the filters, even if he had them before

I winced, I winced hard… it was a crushing admission, my heart felt like it was burning along with the tears that rolled down my cheeks…

"Ehm… look… ehm… fuck, Volfir, I know a couple of beautiful women that would be pretty happy to get with you, or… spend a night?" the young man was sweating buckets while looking at the broken hearted boy in front of him

"Fuck off…" I answered

"...More booze?"

"I'm going to sleep…" I finished what remained in my mug and got up to leave

"Ehm… sure man, don't let it get to you, there's plenty of fish in the sea and you have those Breton prince kinda looks" Vosnyak tried to comfort me

"I don't care" I was dusting off my clothes and wiping away my face, but he yanked me closer to him

"I was your age once, not long ago actually… I am also an orphan you know? Raised in that horrible Riften orphanage, you see my parents rejected me at birth, so I was dropped there…" he put a hand over my shoulders and touched his forehead against mine

"At your age, all I wanted was to find warmth to wash away the coldness of the world… Unfortunately, I have yet to find a woman to care as much for me, as I would for her. That's why I play around with women I guess, perhaps it started with me searching for the one?" at the end of the speech Vosnyak seemed as unsure and depressed as me

I put my hand over his shoulders as well, earning a surprised look from him

"Forget about it brother, you are right… about me looking for that warmth… Aela is… was… the closest person to me, I like… liked her presence, just by being there I found comfort and I guess I shared many things about my life only with her…" I started, raising my head to look at the ceiling

"Guess it just so happened that she finds me nothing but amusing… nothing else…" I showed a sad smile, one that Vosnyak shared with me

"I am going to the 'Drunken Huntsman' come visit if you stay long enough" I patted his shoulder and we broke away our brotherly embrace

"Alright, bye Volfir, I know you found some good female friends that at least care not to belittle of play with your emotions, maybe spend some time with them" he spoke his last words before I waved them off and exited the 'Bannered Mare'

'What a tiresome few days…' I loudly sighed, walking off in the distance with a more or less light heart