Skyrim: Shieldmaiden of Jorrvasker.

Part Five: Age of Oppression.

Lydia's eyes don't move from Farkas's muscular form. He practices his archery and wears a lose shirt. Lydia stands near me but her eyes are on him. I smirk. I knew that over these last few weeks, Lydia has been studying and tends to hang closer to me when I am speaking to Farkas or even near the big oaf.
"Lydia, you might want to wipe your chin, you are salivating a little." I say quietly.
Lydia wipes her face with the back of her hand and then glares down at me from where I sit. "That isn't funny." she says.
I smirk, "It is. Because you make it so obvious sometimes. Why don't you speak to him?" I gesture to Farkas. "I'm sure the big whelp would enjoy your attention."
Lydia rolls her eyes and takes a seat on the steps of the Mead hall besides me. "I can't ask him. I'm a Housecarl-"
"So? Are you forbidden to love?" I ask softly.
"Well....it is implied we should always put duty before wants and desires." Lydia says, nodding.
"Well, if you are afraid to ask him to speak. I can make it happen." I say, standing to my feet.
"Wait, Thane, what are you-" Lydia says anxiously.
"Hey, Icebrain, come here!" I shout over to Farkas. He turns around to look at me. "What do you want, Tanii?" He shouts backs.
I gesture to him, "Can you get over here please?"
He slowly walks over, giving me a strange look, but often staring at Lydia. "Has anyone told you that you are slower than a horker?" I say, my hands on my hips.
"Other than you, no." Farkas says blankly.
I nod, "Thought so. Well, you still are. Anyways, Lydia needs to make a trip outside the city to the Western Watchtower, but since she is my housecarl, I don't want her to go alone."
"You want me to escort her the watchtower?" Farkas asks looking at Lydia.
Lydia is speechless. No, she had no need to even leave the city, but I was going to make a match one way or another. "Y-yes." Lydia says awkwardly. I step aside as she clumsily comes to her feet. "Let me grab my shield and sword and I will be with you shortly." Farkas says running to where he last left his weapons. Lydia glares at me.
"You're welcome." I whisper.
I step away as Farkas joins Lydia and I see him motion for her to follow him. I smile to myself. Lydia was a very beautiful woman in her own right. And she saw so little of herself. I had to play matchmaker somehow.
"Shield-Sister." I turn to see Aela walking over to me. We clasp hands and I say. "Aela, what is it?" Aela smiles. "The Harbinger was wondering where you were." I give her a confused look, "I have been here."
"And your husband?"
I nod, "Sinding went to Dragonsreach today. He was inquiring about Breezehome, the small house for sale in the city." "Ah, so you are trying to start a little family now, are you?" Aela smiles, bumping me with her elbow.
I give a little smile, "Well, we figured its probably better where you don't have to listen to us on certain nights....."
Aela's mouth drops open and I laugh. "You are terrible!" Aela grins, "At least Skjor and I had the decency to leave the mead hall."
"We aren't that terrible. We do the same as what you and Skjor used to. But we do want to have children one day. But after what happened.....its better that we wait until we get a new home."
"Or cure yourselves?" Aela adds.
I meet her eyes. "Yes, that is still in the plan."
She doesn't say anything, but she pats me on the back regardless. "Kodlak is waiting for you." I nod and I head into Jorrvasker. I walk toward's Kodlak's room. I see Njada, Ria, Torvar and Athis watching me. I narrow my eyes, not understanding the stares. I see Vignar Greymayne speaking to his servant Brill in whispers. I knock on Kodlak's door.
"Enter." I hear his voice.
I step in and I see him speaking to Vilkas. I close the door. "Ah, Taniiaae, make yourself comfortable and take a seat." He gestures to an empty chair. I sit and cross my legs and arms. "You summoned me, Harbinger?" I ask. Kodlak nods, "I wanted to speak to you and Vilkas about news of Wuthraad....and a cure for our beast blood." I look over at Vilkas, "What have you found out?"
"I have only received news of Wuthraad. The Silver Hand have taken it Windhelm." Vilkas says, studying Kodlak and then me. "Windhelm?" I repeat, "That's the capital of the Stormcloak Rebellion. Ulfric Stormcloak resides there." Vilkas nods, "Vulono is either very stupid or very clever to hide out in Windhelm. Ulfric Stormcloak would sooner have his head on a pike then let a Mer enter the city."
"Good, maybe he can do me a favor." I sneer. Kodlak shakes his head, "What is dangerous about the Silver Hand taking Wuthraad into Windhelm is because they know we have to stay mutual in their war. The Companions can not side with either the Stormcloaks or Empire." The old man says. "I have studied upon this, and it is our vow to stay neutral. But," he hesitates. "Wuthraad belongs to the Companions and belonged to Ysgramor. And the Palace of Kings, where Jarl Ulfric resides, was once Ysgramor's as well."
"In that case, we wouldn't be aligning ourselves with the Stormcloaks if we entered Windhelm." Vilkas says. Kodlak nods, "Correct."
"And what news of the cure?" I ask to Kodlak. The Harbinger is silent for a moment, and then he asks. "We need the heads of the Witches of Glenmoril's Coven."
Confused, "We need their heads? Like....beheaded heads?"
Kodlak nods, "They were the ones who cursed our people so many years ago. We need their blood to cleanse ourselves."
"So we need to find them, and kill them and bring back their heads. Then what?" I ask, leaning forward in my seat. "We take them to the Tomb of Ysgramor and we have to partake in a ceremony. While we are there, we can 'defeat' our wolf spirits, and at last be free." Kodlak says.
"When will be make the journey?" I ask, wanting to know every little detail.
Kodlak laughs, "Patience child. Let us wait until the next new moon, then we can travel without our beasts causing us burdens. So ten days."
Vilkas and I leave the Harbinger's room, and I see Njada and Athis sitting by the hearth. I feel her eyes glaring through me. "Do you have something to say, Njada?" I ask with a sneer. She smirks, "No, nothing at Taniiaae. Just wondering when you will be abandoning us here at Jorrvasker to live with your convict of a husband?" I let that slide as I remark, "Who knows? Maybe after you actually 'find' yourself a man, you won't be so nasty. You know, dear, your face gets very ugly when you furrow your brow like that." Njada's face blushed but then she regain her composure. Athis, the sly little Dunmer busts out laughing. Njada glares at him, "Do you think that's so funny?" She jumps to her feet and Vilkas steps in between us. "Ladies, this isn't how disagreements get resolved." He says, keep his arms in front of us. "No, but we need to air out some town's gossip." Njada sneers. "We all know what your husband really is, and how incompetent you were as a mother, that's why you both lost the baby." I feel my chest clenched up. "Njada! I have told you that we do not bring in personal affairs of our shield brothers or sisters." Vilkas exclaims. Njada laughs, "You said that once to me after I questioned Aela and Skjor's little midnight hunts. I know what they were really doing. Aela spends all her time here now that he's dead."
"What did you say?" I hear Aela growl. She stomps down from the entrance. Lydia, Farkas and my husband, Sinding behind her.
"Peace, Aela!" Vilkas begs as Aela pushes Njada back. "What did you say about Skjor?"
She shoves her again, hard in the shoulders. "Tell me now, you little bitch. How dare you even speak his name!" Angrily, Aela shoved Njada down.
"Aela!" Farkas shouts.
Vilkas rushes over and grabs Aela around her middle, pulling her away from the floored Njada. "She insulted Skjor! She insults everyone of us, and I'm sick of her!" Aela snarls, trying to get out Vilkas's arms. Farkas rushes over as Athis helps Njada to her feet. I stand where I was. I honestly believe Njada deserved what she received, but I wasn't going to join in the fight. I was too stunned that she brought up my dead child.
"ENOUGH!"
We all see Kodlak walk out of his quarters. He looked angry, his hand on his sword hilt and he commands. "Vilkas, let Aela go."
Without explaining himself, Vilkas releases his grip and Aela pulls away. Kodlak studies me, and sees my face, and then he looks at Njada, and Aela. "I will speak to you three women...now." He says. Holding my head up high, I follow Aela and Njada into his room and he shuts the door. "Now, what started this spat?" He asks.
"Taniiaae started it, Harbinger." Njada said, pointing her finger at me. I have the urge to bite a finger off. "She made some comment about me staring at her."
I roll my eyes, "I did, but then you proceeded to insult my husband and myself for losing our child."
Aela's mouth dropped open and she burst out laughing, "I knew you were an evil little cur. She was insulting Skjor's legacy as well." She told Kodlak.
Kodlak holds his palm up to silence us. "Njada. Did you insult your former Shield-brother?"
She shakes her head, "No insult, Harbinger. Only spoke the truth of Skjor and Aela running out at night and how Aela no longer hunts during the night like she used to when he was alive."
"Is it any of your business?" Kodlak says in a low voice.
"Well-"
"And should you have brought up your fellow Shield-Brother's past and the loss of his and Taniiaae's child?" He says with a firmness.
"I suppose not." Njada says, her head low.
"Taniiaae, should you have instigated Njada?"
I don't try to hide what I did. I didn't think I was in the wrong, but for keeping the peace, I say. "No, probably not."
"And Aela, what have I told you about lashing out on your Shield-Siblings?" Kodlak says.
Aela scoffs, "It was a well deserved beating." She glares at Njada.
"Aela, do you believe you acted in the right?" Kodlak repeats.
"I defended the honor of Shield-Brother." Aela says. She doesn't wait for his response and leaves the room, slamming the door behind herself. I look down at my feet. I knew that Aela was still mourning the loss of Skjor.
"We are a family here at Jorrvasker." Kodlak says, exhaling. "I need you all to act like it. We are facing threat from a group of people who want to erase our legacy. We are in the middle of a Civil War and now dragons have returned! I need us to push aside old grudges for our sake and our people."
I don't meet his eyes. No matter how much I hate Njada, I know Kodlak is right. We lost one of our own not that long ago and I think his loss was taking a toll on us all. I know that we can't live forever now.
"That's why I decided. I have yet to give you all the details, but next quest I have you take, you two girls will be Shield-Companions."
My mouth drops open and I turn to Njada. Her face is as shocked as mine and I see anger burn in her eyes. I wasn't happy either. I didn't like Njada, at all. She always looked down upon me. "Now, leave before I decide to make you two do something together now." Kodlak says.
Njada storms from the room and I slowly follow behind her. The others still wait in the hall, Lydia, Vilkis, Farkas and Sinding. Njada whirls around to glare at me. "Over my dead body will I be your Shield-Companion!" She then storms out of Jorrvasker. It takes everything in my body not to punch the wall. If I wanted to be really scary, I could transform into my inner wolf and threaten to bite her head off. But I know I would be scolded and even in trouble for that.
"What happened?" Farkas asks approaching me. "You look so angry, you could curdle milk."
I give a loud laugh, "Oh....I feel like breathing fire right now."
"Ohhhhhhh." Sinding remarks. I glare at him, "What, husband?"
Sinding doesn't say anything, only shakes his head. I HATE it when he does that. When he is unhappy about something, he tends to get quiet and brooding. He knows I can't stand it.
"I do not want to be Shield-Companions with Njada Stonearm on my next quest." I seethe.
"Oooooo, I'd breathe fire too." Farkas admits. Vilkas smacks him in the arm. Lydia approaches me, "Is there anything I can do for you, Taniiaae?" She says. Despite my anger I give her a smile. I know its hard for her to refer to me as a person and not a Thane. "No, Lydia, I'll be fine. Just let me have my tantrum." She nods and takes a step back. I try to not let my emotions get the best of me. What did Njada have that I didn't? She was jealous, she had to be. Why else would she hate me so much?
"You know? This calls for a bit of Honningbrew Mead." Farkas says. "We should make the trip to the Sleeping Giant in Riverwood, no one from Whiterun ever goes there to drink."
I look at Lydia, who is staring and nodding enthusiastically at Farkas, I smile a little. "Why not? I could down a few ales." I say.