Song of the Dragon and the Bear

Chapter 15

A/N I feel like it's been forever since I updated, but I think I published the last chapter a week ago. Oh well. Enjoy the chapter!

Light glinted dangerously along the edge of the blade that cut through the air as Vara swung it in front of her once more. Oengul had done a fine job with the sword, a fact Vara greatly appreciated. In truth, she hadn't been certain that the alloy her father had invented would even work, but the metal had held up remarkably so far. Her father would have been proud to see it.

"You won't get very far swinging a sword like that," a gruff voice said, drawing Vara from her thoughts.

Vara turned toward the source of the voice to see Galmar Stonefist standing on the other side of the courtyard. She nodded respectfully to him and sheathed her sword before replying, "True. I was simply getting re-accustomed to the feeling of a blade in my hand; I haven't used one for a few years."

"The only way to get used to a blade is to fight with it," the general stated. "You can practice with it and hack apart straw until the snow of High Hrothgar melts, but a person isn't truly used to a sword until they feel it clang against tempered steel in a good fight."

"Was that an offer or a general statement?" Vara asked with a smile. It felt good to have a blade in her hands, even if she was still scared about what she would be using it for. The sound of her sword as it cut through the air reminded her of the crisp fall days she had spent training with her first sword under her mother's watchful gaze, years ago.

Galmar snorted, making Vara wonder if Wuunferth's habits were contagious somehow or if all the residents of the Palace of Kings simply enjoyed snorting. "No, girl, that was no offer. I'm leaving to go check up on some of our forces down by the border with Whiterun. I plan on returning with a new batch of recruits later this week, but I doubt they'd give you much of a challenge."

Vara shrugged then stretched, riding her limbs of the tightness they felt. "If the recruits look anything like the last batch, you might be right. You have a way of turning fumbling farmers into soldiers that I'm not sure I'll ever be able to understand," Vara said with a smile, but the general didn't respond to the compliment. Instead, he frowned deeply, and Vara followed his gaze to the Amulet of Talos she wore; it must have slipped free of its place beneath her tunic when she was practicing.

"Where did you get that?" the general asked in a low voice as one of his hands moved to the ax on his back threateningly.

Vara's eyes widened and she held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Peace, General. This amulet was given to me by Ulfric yesterday. He knew that I had lost mine and offered it to me," Vara managed to keep her voice steady despite the way the grizzled general loomed over her.

Galmar's eyes were still narrowed, but his hand no longer reached for his weapon and his stance was more relaxed than it had been. "What did he tell you about that amulet?" he asked after a long pause.

Vara lowered her hands slowly to her sides. "Nothing," Vara said honestly. "Why? What significance does it have to him?"

"That amulet belonged to his mother," Galmar stated, his voice no longer threatening. "She died of a sickness a year before Ulfric left to train with the Greybeards on their mountain. When she gave him the amulet on her deathbed, he swore to her that he would never lose it. He promised her that he would follow in her footsteps and uphold her honor. She died hours later." Galmar's eyes took on a faraway look. "Ulfric lost his childhood that day, the little he had left."

Galmar focused once more on Vara. "If he gave you that amulet, you mean something to him." There was a threat in Galmar's voice once more; a threat of pain if Vara somehow betrayed whatever it was that Ulfric had entrusted her with.