Upon entering the hall, Kodlak was, for once, relieved to see Tilma chasing Aela down the stairway. They were both arguing over the young she-wolf’s attitude and the fact that she traped her feet through the area where Tilma was trying to clean. This gave Kodlak the perfect opportunity to get to his chair without unduly worrying Tilma over his leg.
An added beneficial effect was that the Whelps had dispersed outside in the opposite direction to the ongoing ruckus, leaving Kodlak facing the grim task of making his way down the steps to the table without the extra concern that there were any onlookers. Using Farkas to steady himself, he descended the stairs tackling one step at a time while he gritted his teeth.
Sotek gave him a few words of encouragement as he pulled out Kodlak’s chair.
“It will be sore as hell for a few days. The healing process and bones doesn’t get on so the nerves are hyper sensitive. It would be a lot less painful if I never healed your leg to be honest but you are stubborn and resilient so you’ll grin and bear it as always. Tomorrow I want to see you moving about”.
Kodlak grabbed hold of a pillar and cast Farkas aside like an old walking stick which caused its owner more problems than what it was worth. His knuckles turned white as he clenched his hand around the banister as he slowly moved towards Sotek.
“Tomorrow? Damn your spells and potions and damn this leg too. I’ll be up on my feet before that blasted moon you two think so much about has even started to rise. Damn it, aghhh! Farkas I swear if you grab me again I will… I will… Farkas, can you help me? I can’t move!”
It only took a few minutes for Farkas to escort Kodlak to the table which he switched to for support. Finally he slumped down in his chair just as Tilma was heading up the stairwell.
“That girl and her attitude! What caused her to be so erratic? She was pacing along that corridor like a demented deer trying to decide which way to go”.
Some sixth sense told her something was wrong. She stopped talking and looked around the hall at Kodlak and the three Companions. Farkas and Vilkas were sitting together sipping on a flagon of mead while Sotek was quietly munching his way through an apple. Kodlak slowly rubbed his leg from beneath the table while he bit into a piece of cheese just so it looked like he was doing something.
“Kodlak, what happened? Don’t any of you look at me like that! Something happened. These two are drinking like they were at a kings banquet, all posh and manners, Sotek’s picking at that apple like he’s a mouse and as for you Kodlak… you never eat cheese by itself. What happened?”
“I happened!”
Tilma spun around to see Aela standing behind her. The Nord girl moved further into the hall and gave a half truth measure of events, taking care to leave out Kodlak’s injury.
“There was a dragon. We attacked it but it managed to kill one of the horses. I couldn’t do enough damage to the blasted reptile. If I did then we would have had the bastard but no, I failed my role and so Sotek still doesn’t have enough scales to make his armor. I screwed him over. That’s why I was so pissed. Sorry Tilma, I didn’t mean to upset you”.
Silence filled the hall like time itself had stopped. Kodlak and the two brothers all stared at Aela with astonishment while Tilma found herself lost for words. A single loud ‘crunch’ echoed around them from where Sotek bit into his apple.
While he munched loudly on it, he moved towards Tilma and pointed at the stairwell.
“She blames herself but you know Aela, she is what she is. I’ve a few important days ahead so I was wondering if you could clean my shirts today. I’ve only a few because some bitch keeps nicking them and I do want to look half respectable with my dealings regarding Dragonsreach”.
“What? What dealings? Oh very well!” Tilma rested her broom against the wall and headed back downstairs grumbling with every step while Aela hastily headed to the other steps by the fire pit and sat down. Unbeknown to Sotek, she discretely drew her dagger, placed it in her lap and covered it with her arm.
When Sotek went to sit near her however, she revealed her knife and stuck it in the step where he was going to sit. She never looked at him, her eyes stayed fixed on the training yard doors.
“That spots taken”. As she spoke to him she watched his feet to see where he would go. He just shrugged then moved further along the step, then went to sit down again.
“And that spots taken!” She was now glaring straight at him. Her eyes were wide open and blazed with her usual unrestrained ferocity.
Having little choice, Sotek backed off and moved further away but he was still determined to sit on the step. Aela was equally determined to stop him but he was now out of her reach so all she could do was relay an empty threat.
“And that spot as well”.
Knowing she could do little to stop him, Sotek smirked back with a chuckle. He sat down and straightened his legs out, crossing them over as he leant back on the steps, fully stretched out.
“I know it is, by me!”
A set of narrow eyes bore into him while different scenarios played through Aela’s mind as she gave thought to which one she would act out. Kodlak had other ideas and prevented the increasing tension from spreading any further by calling out to her.
“Could you retrieve the Whelps for me please? I have an announcement which they need to hear”.
Aela glared over at him but never said anything. Instead she lifted herself up and headed to the rear of the hall, making sure her route would lead her past Sotek. She stamped her foot down near his tail, deliberately missing it while making sure it was close enough to get Sotek’s attention.
All the while Kodlak sat there in his chair shaking his head as he watched them.
Upon her return, Aela moved back to the steps but her animosity had seemed to be quenched. She sat right next to Sotek and held the inner part of his leg whilst she slightly leaned into him.
The Whelps scattered around the table, filling up every chair while they talked to each other; each one of them curious as to the meaning of the ’announcement’.
Once they had settled down, Kodlak stood up and asked for silence. He also made a point of motioning to Sotek, requesting that he should also stand.
Sotek rose to his feet and waited patiently while Kodlak hushed the mob of Companions so he could speak without fighting to be heard. Not that Kodlak needed to fight. His voice boomed across the hall, drawing everyone in as he addressed them.
“Quiet please, there are things you all need to hear and I will not be repeating myself. Now, there is a matter that needs my full attention over the next few days to such a degree that I feel it’s in everyone’s best interest to temporarily stand aside as Harbinger”.
Instantly the Whelps began talking about the complications to such news. Some of them started discussing the likelihood of who would be chosen to fill his position while others commented on the reason for Kodlak’s removal of position.
Aela screamed out at them like a banshee crying out on the wind.
“Shut the hell up!!”
Each Whelp fell silent as if Aela had cut out their voice boxes. Worried eyes flicked around the hall switching from one thing to another until all eyes were once again on Kodlak.
“Thank you Aela. I’m now half deaf but thank you nevertheless!”
As he spoke, he watched Sotek for any signs of emotions. If Sotek was indeed feeling anything then he certainly wasn’t giving it away. Even his tail seemed to be in a sleeping state as it just lay stretched out behind him.
“As I will not be able to give anyone or the running of the hall any of the attention you or indeed this hall requires, I temporarily hand over the Harbinger title to Sotek who, I hope, will lead the Companions until I can give you the attention you need and deserve. Sotek! Are you willing to bear this title?”
A single reptilian voice came back to meet Kodlak. Like they did with his own speech, each one of Sotek’s words commanded the attention and respect of his fellow siblings.
“Yes, I am!” Sotek glanced down at Aela and whispered to her, belying the confidence which he had so clearly shown. “Reluctantly”.
Quickly hiding her smirk behind her hand, Aela whispered back at him whilst she wrapped her arm around one of his legs.
“You’ll be fine. I’ll help you all I can”.
Kodlak looked at them both and smiled. For all their troubles and squabbles, Sotek and Aela always had each other’s backs. Knowing the three Inner Circle members also agreed with him made the decision far easier.
“Then Harbinger, you have the floor.” He sat back down in his chair confident that the four Companions would support one another during the next few days.
Sotek took note of all the curious, half worried faces which had chose to meet his gaze. In each of them he could see them wonder about what things would be like under his rule. ‘My rule?’ He thought to himself. ‘You don’t rule the hall, you lead the hall. The Harbinger’s role is to serve and by Hircine’s will and my own I will serve’.
He could even see some doubt in the three Companion’s eyes. He didn’t blame them though. He too had doubt but he also had an opportunity and he was damned to hell if he wouldn’t make full use of it. Things were going to change. He didn’t know if, at least yet, if such changes were for the good of the Companions or for the worse but things were going to change and he wasn’t going to wait.
His first task was to lighten the mood. Already the hall had a feel of depression about it while the air seemed thick and suffocating.
“Thank you Kodlak”. As he spoke he pointed to Kodlak, singling him out as he addressed the previous Harbinger.
“When Kodlak became the Harbinger, he was given a grand room downstairs and this very hall. I become Harbinger and all I get is a wooden floor? Well thank you very much Kodlak but if it’s all the same to you, I’ll keep to my step”.
The Three Companions laughed along with Kodlak. While a few Whelps joined in, the others didn’t look overly happy.
Kodlak banged his flagon on the table top, causing a disruption as he called out.
“Get on with it!”
Sotek jestingly rolled his eyes and tutted before quieting them all down.
“I’ll make this quick and easy. This is only for a few days. Kodlak will still be here and once he has finished those matters which have removed him from this position he will be returning as Harbinger. Now, any questions?”
Vilkas held his hand up and smiled broadly, hoping to undermine Sotek’s new position.
“I’ve a question. If you head North from Whiterun and keep going north until you reach Korvanjund; then travel east past Shadowed Grove, by the lake there you will find a cave. What’s the cave called?”
He then lowered his hand and high fived Farkas who was just as amused as Vilkas was.
Aela’s eyes narrowed as she gave them a cold hard stare while Sotek raised his shoulders in a dismissive shrug.
“I’ve no idea Vilkas. To be honest I didn’t even know there was a cave there. Once we are done here, maybe tonight you and Farkas could lead me and Aela to it. I’m interested on seeing this cave and I am sure Aela is as well. There may be rain later; shall we say we all head out at midnight?”
Aela roared out with laughter at the look of shock and horror which filled Vilkas’s face. Farkas stared blankly back at them, not knowing if Sotek was joking or not while Kodlak applauded the Harbinger for such a swift counter move.
Vilkas mumbled under his breath has he folded his arms across his chest to form a barrier which he could sulk behind.
“It’s called Bronze Water Cave!”
Now that he had control of the hall and the Coup d’état had been laid to rest, Sotek asked once more, giving anyone who had questions an opportunity to speak.
“Has anyone got any questions which will not lead to Vilkas taking a midnight stroll anywhere?”
One Whelp, the male Dunmer called out to Sotek.
“How will this affect our training”. He never bothered to raise his hand which both Sotek and Kodlak noticed but Sotek decided to let it slide. He had asked for questions and they were short in coming.
Sotek gazed into the fire pit for a few seconds before answering the man.
“There will be some changes but any changes I implement will be only temporary. Once Kodlak is back in charge then we do things his way. I’ll go into training with you all tomorrow. Now, has anyone any other questions?”
Aela jumped up to her feet and grabbed him by the arm. She swung him around as she snarled right in his face.
“What bloody changes?”
Huffing, Sotek pulled his arm away and shuffled sideways to give a bit of space between them both. He held her by the shoulder in a tight grip to firstly, reassure her and secondly use his strength to keep her at arm’s reach.
“I’ll be going through that with you three tonight. You can all air your views then”.
She swung her head around to Kodlak who simply shrugged his shoulders at her. He flapped his hand at her, telling the she-wolf to sit back down. With a disgruntled huff, she did as she was told and flumped down on the step where she lightly punched Sotek in the calf of his leg. He knew it was her way of telling him that their ‘chat’ was far from over.
Sotek could tell Aela wasn’t impressed to say the least especially as she started tapping the tip of her dagger into the step. Half wishing the day was already over, he spoke once more.
“Any other questions?”
Everyone sat there in silence as they watched him or rather as they watched Aela. Sotek knew there was no point delaying the inevitable so he dismissed the Whelps and sent them downstairs as he had hopes of needing them again very shortly; as long as he survived the next quarter of an hour.
“Right, all you Whelps disappear for fifteen minutes. By the looks of it I’m going to get a kick in my tail and I’m not having you bloody Whelps laugh at me while I get it. Off you go”.
As the Whelps headed downstairs, Aela counted the seconds down to when she could confront Sotek who, in turn, counted down the seconds to his imminent destruction.
He wasn’t sure if the Whelps were indeed downstairs in the Undercroft or whether it was a case of Aela not being able to compose herself any longer. The result was the same. She jumped up to her feet and collared him before he could even think about moving away. He found himself backing into a pillar as she ranted at him in his face.
“What bloody changes? You’re in no position to make them”.
He gave her a slight push, forcing her back a step but as she regained her ground, he had slipped around the pillar giving him plenty of room to maneuver as well as breathe.
“Oh but I am! That’s the point”.
Aela’s temper nearly got the better of her. If it wasn’t for the fact that she held her hands behind her back, she felt she would have lashed out. She yelled out at him, irrespective of his position. She had to release her rage one way or another, so she yelled.
“For someone who didn’t want the position in the first place, you soon changed your mind! You haven’t held the title for five bloody minutes and you’re making changes? What the fuck”.
Knowing why Aela was shouting made the situation easier for Sotek to bear. She was frustrated and worried over Kodlak. Add this with unwanted pressure easily became too much. He moved close towards her and held her arms, not realising her hands were now formed into two fists. She fought against him but as he pulled her head to his chest, she crumbled and leaned into him.
With long comforting strokes of his hand, Sotek brushed her hair using the clawed tips of his fingers. Her breathing had slowed down to the point where she was now thinking rather than reacting. Taking this as a good sign, Sotek explained what he had meant.
“Aela, this has nothing to do with being the Harbinger”.
“Oh no? Then why make them?”
“Because you three are all stubborn bastards, that’s why. When was the last time you trained with your shield? Not once since I first entered this hall have you properly trained with it. The most I seen you use it was when we were all out camping and Farkas told you to. Ah, Farkas! Farkas and Vilkas won’t use a bow; they refuse to”. Sotek’s voice cut into Aela. She tried to defend her choices but she couldn’t. No matter how hard she tried to think back, she couldn’t remember when she had used her shield in training.
Vilkas strutted towards him with Farkas at his side. He pointed to the pair of them with his thumb and vigorously defended both his and his brother’s roles within the Companions.
“We’re not archers Sotek; we’re fighters. Just because you jump from one weapon to another doesn’t mean we should. I’ll put my sword against your axe anytime. Hell, even your werewolf form had to change to keep up with you. As for your armors; heavy? Light? Half the time you fight in those grubby trousers and bloodied shirts you got from a stinking hole in the ground. I swear, the only thing that has managed to stay by your side for any length of time without being replaced is Aela!”
Equaling Vilkas’s pace yet completely surpassing him with aggression, Sotek moved straight towards him. He puffed his chest up in a ‘threat display’ and shoved Vilkas backwards, slamming down his tail for added effect.
He tore into the Nord, holding nothing back. Although he was angry with Vilkas’s words, he was still thinking things through. He knew there was a single chance to get them all to agree with his decision, a small window of opportunity and each verbal strike had to be right or he would lose not only his momentum with the argument but their eventual cooperation as well.
“You speak out of turn Vilkass! He will not be judged by a dead man! Yess… dead man talking. And yet you don’t even know why; do you?”
Vilkas’s aggression dissipated faster than the morning mist which drifted across the plains like a cloak of thick wool. The moment the sun cleared the mountains, the misty vaporous trails evaporated in front of your very eyes. Vilkas shared a fleeting glance with Farkas, and both brothers wondered on what Sotek had meant. Aela, trying to calm the situation, pulled Sotek away by the arm.
“What do you mean? Dead man?”
Vilkas took a step forwards, pointing his finger at Sotek. He spoke clearer and with a sense of calmness but the rage was still there mixed in with his words.
“I’m no dead man!”
With new found clarity, Sotek blinked several times in quick succession. Realising both their tempers were coming into play, he sighed then lifted up both hands showing their palms to Vilkas so he knew they were empty. Even his tail changed its temperament. It now fell the ground with a dull thud rather than a bang and slid to the side.
“No. No you’re not. If we didn’t get to you three in time, you would have been. Why? Because not one of you could even pick up a bloody rock and throw it! You three have to understand; Skyrim has changed so we must as well. Our biggest threat isn’t on the ground anymore, it’s in the air! Please, members of the Inner Circle listen to me and try to understand. I’m not saying you have to be as good as Aela; believe me you’ll be doing well to have a fraction of her skills with a bow. However, you have got to be able to hit a target with one. The pair of you needs to learn this skill; you have to be able to hit a target”.
Vilkas’s gaze shifted from the upstart Argonian to the hilt of his own sword. He rested his hand on the top of the handle wrapping his fingers around it and realized for the first time they faced a foe where such a weapon was useless.
“Dragons. You’re on about dragons”
“Yess, dragons. All you could have done was stand next to Kodlak and watch him die and we would be here now with three Companions killed. We wouldn’t be arguing over training we’d be mourning over your loss, Farkas’s loss and Kodlak’s. The only reason you three are here is because Aela was there with her bow. Now just one of you, Kodlak you’re included; just one of you tell me I’m wrong and I’ll forget the whole thing”.
Sotek walked casually over to the table and picked out an apple. Once he had chosen one, he sat on his step and crunched into it with his spiky teeth. Throughout the time it took him to eat it, not one Companion or even Kodlak had managed to say a single word. Sotek felt some level of disappointment with himself. He wanted it to go smoothly and yet even he was getting snappy. Throwing the stem in to the fire pit, he moved to the large table and beckoned everyone to sit with him.
“All of you, please, gather round. Look, this is how I see it and correct me if I am wrong. We are the ones out there, putting ourselves on the line. I’m not saying Aela has to use a sword when she steps outside Whiterun’s walls. I’m not saying Farkas and Vilkas have to use a bow whenever they venture outside. What I am saying is if any of you need to, then you will have that option. There is no if here; when a dragon flies overhead, then each of you can help to bring it down. I don’t want to change the way you three fight, I want to make sure that none of us will ever be in a position where we can’t hit back again. That is what I’m saying, that is all I wish to achieve”.
Aela scraped the legs of her chair sideways across the wooden flooring to move within reach of Sotek. She tenderly held the wrist of his arm, stroking it in a way of comfort so he knew he wasn’t facing them alone anymore.
“What other changes are you thinking?”
Thankful that the three Companions were now listening instead of reacting, which made things far simpler; Sotek began to explain his other idea’s which he intended to introduce into their regime.
“Well, there are two other things I want to do. It seems to me, well not just to me but you as well Aela; it seems that we four only have a few rare moments to hone our own skills. What I was thinking was this; one day a week we give the Whelps a day off as it were. During this day the members of the Inner Circle train. No Whelps, although they can watch, but just us four training with one another. Aela, you said it yourself. The other day you mentioned that you don’t get much of a chance to practice, none of us do”.
Farkas nodded at the stairway, using his head to point towards the Whelps. Everything being said, he knew Sotek was right yet he saw a particular difficulty in what Sotek spoke about. Had he thought about it more, he would have realized though that there wasn’t a problem at all.
“Taking a day from the Whelps will slow down their training. They won’t be happy about it”.
Sotek laughed at Farkas. He held his hands up apologetically and wiped a joyful tear from his eye and chuckled as he grinned back at the Companion.
“Sorry for laughing Farkas. Yes, they won’t be happy. Then again, the Companions weren’t formed to make ‘happy warriors’ but good strong dependable ones. Besides, we can train them in a group every so often rather than a ‘one on one’ training session. Say, with archery. They can all shoot together in a group while Aela picks out individuals and addresses their specific weaknesses. All I ask is that you three give it a week. It will take a week to give it a proper try out, despite what happens when the Harbinger takes back the Harbinger title and role; when Kodlak takes back the Harbinger title. The Whelps will comply if you three agree. Can you three give me that one week?”
Vilkas turned his back to their newly titled Harbinger. Sotek initially thought he was against the idea until he realized that Vilkas was looking beyond the walls of Jorrvaskr. He was actually looking at the yard, picturing the training sessions and realized something Sotek may have overlooked.
“Sotek, uh, Harbinger? We haven’t got enough equipment to train all the Whelps at once. How will we train them in a group?”
Kodlak raised his hand and interrupted their conversation. Even Sotek had almost forgotten he was there as he never joined in on their debate or offered any thoughts on it. He was keen to hear what Sotek had in mind and he could find neither fault nor reason why Sotek’s ideas couldn’t be implemented. Choosing to back the newly appointed Harbinger, he called out to Vilkas.
“We will have, Sotek and I will see to that”.
Sotek once again stood up and gave Kodlak a thankful nod. Having Kodlak in his corner literally forced the other three to partake of his plan but their change of attitude meant they had already agreed to it. Sotek always preferred to use a carrot instead of a stick. Now that particular hurdle was out of the way, he pointed past Kodlak and enquired about the double doors at the end of the hall.
“Now, if there are no more questions, I have one. Just what is behind those two doors?” Since he first entered the hall several weeks ago, he had never seen them touched.
Kodlak turned around and looked at the two doors in question. With a shrug of his shoulders he replied.
“That’s just a storage room. It’s full of heirlooms and junk mostly”.
Sotek grinned as his tail slashed about playfully, forcing Aela to move away from him before she got whipped in the ankle. Approaching the doors, Sotek asked about the room as he prepared to implement his third idea.
“Harbinger how big is that room”.
Kodlak mentally measured the room but if truth was to be told he couldn’t remember. All he could go on was the position of the doors compared to his own room below them in the Undercroft.
“Harbinger? Oh dear... it’s about the same size as mine. Why, may I ask?”
Sotek blanked Kodlak’s question and asked the three Companions one of his own.
“Is there anything that the Whelps shouldn’t see?”
Aela walked over to him and placed his arm around her waist, making him hold her. With a curiosity like a child, she half spun him around so she could face the room herself.
“Like what?”
“Like, say for instance any old drawings of you as a child running around on all fours covered in fur trying to bite Farkas, kind of things?” As Sotek spoke, he grinned back at Aela as visions of her as a child running around the hall flooded his imagination.
Aela just laughed back at him and shook her head.
“I don’t think so”.
Sotek stared at the doors and nodded to himself. The room sounded ideal for what he had in mind and he was quick to return to Kodlak’s previous unanswered question.
“You asked why Kodlak? Oh, you’ll see soon enough. Aela, can you fetch the Whelps please. We’ll be needing their help”.
Comments
Fixed the errors Ebonslayer. Thanks for pointing them out.
“(Quieten) it down please, there are things yo... more