Fire And Fangs

Chapter 17

Whiterun had changed.

Morgan was looking around at the places she used to frequent, normally with Lydia right alongside her, and had to fight the anger that was beginning to rise through her. The blacksmiths where she spent so much time repairing and forging weapons and armour was boarded up and there was no sign of the inhabitants. There were more guards but on closer inspection, she noted their armour was loosely fitted and poorly maintained. Even worse was the remains of Breezehome, the house she had received for her first dragon kill and where she and Lydia had spent so much time talking and planning trips to the other major cities. It was now a pile of rubble and she had to fight her first thoughts of tearing out the throats of any enemy near her.

But the main thing was the Thalmor presence. They had a guard posted on every corner of the streets that they could see, ensuring that if one were killed or attacked, the others would immediately know about it. Morgan gave Serana and Lydia a nod and they nodded back in return. Lydia in particular knew how she felt and Serana seemed to know all of Morgans' moods instantly.

"Thoughts?" she whispered to them.

"Well, I am not fond of being carried up a vertical wall" Lydia muttered.

"It was the only way to get inside unseen" Morgan grinned back at her friend, while Serana sniggered briefly.

"I was trying so hard not to laugh at your face" Serana said to Lydia with a feral grin.

Lydia made a rude hand gesture while wearing a sweet smile before meeting Morgans gaze, her orange vampiric eyes looking back at her with mirth.

"Do not tell Odahviing" Lydia muttered in an almost pleading way.

"Oh I wouldn't do that, his ego is big enough already" Morgan winked back. In truth, Odahviing was rather fond of the Nord and admired how she looked at the world. 'Almost as a dovah would' he had told Lydia more than once. Hence why Lydia was blushing slightly now.

"You better not. Anyway, there's a lot of guards so we can't take them out and ensure us getting there unseen" Lydia noted.

"That may be true for mortals but you forget we can run rather fast" Serana replied, her grin widening.

"No. Nononono" Lydia shook her head, "You are not carrying me again"

Morgan and Serana exchanged an amused look before Serana instantly appeared behind Lydia and wrapped her arms round her and hoisted her easily over her shoulder, the ebony armour proving no difficulty as far as weight was concerned.

"Sorry" Morgan shrugged, trying to hold in her laughter before sprinting at high speed, Serana alongside her with a bright red faced Lydia slung over her shoulder. The guards felt a sudden breeze and exchanged a look with each other before returning to their assigned duties. Not one of them had noticed that there had been no breeze that night.

Kodlak Whitemane sighed as Vilkas and Farkas started yet another argument. It had been a horrid week. First the Thalmor had appeared and started interrogating everyone about the Dragonborn and her whereabouts. Then the Jarl had been placed under arrest for 'failing to uphold the treaty of the White Gold Concordat'. Well, that was what that Thalmor woman had said anyway, he mused as the brothers started exchanging blows.

He looked at Aela, who nodded before walking over to the two fighting Companions and flinging them away from each other in a single show of strength and glared at them.

"Enough! We have enough to worry about. We don't need any more worries. We have no money, we are confined to our home and we cannot hunt like we should be able to. But that doesn't mean you start acting like a pair of skeevers" she growled.