Getting to Know the Harbinger

The Dragonborn

"Did you know?" Farkas asked, still looking surprised as Vilkas packed for their trip.

"She's my wife," Vilkas grumbled, "I knew she was the Dragonborn... I didn't know there was another Dragonborn who would send masked madmen after her."

"How'd you know?" Farkas prodded curiously, "she shout in bed or somethin'?"

"Of course she doesn't," Vilkas snapped back irritably, "she told me!"

"Sheesh, didn't realize that was a touchy subject..." Farkas smirked teasingly, "you seemed happy, so I just assumed she was good in bed..."

"She is! I meant the..."

"So it's you then..." Farkas teased.

"No! She likes..." Vilkas stopped. He knew Farkas was just poking his buttons now... how did this conversation even get into this subject? "Damn it brother, we are not talking about what my wife and I do in bed!" Vilkas flustered angrily.

Though now his mind was suddenly contemplating if the dragon shouts were the reason his wife never screamed like one could frequently hear the tavern whores doing from behind closed doors at the Mare... or like most of Jorrvaskr knew Aela tended to when Farkas had his way with her...

Not that Kaya wasn't beautifully expressive, the quiet, nearly breathless gasps and moans Vilkas got out of her were music to his ears... she just didn't scream... Vilkas had never contemplated the notion that she might bring the walls down if she did...

"But now you're thinkin' about it," Farkas's teasing voice pulled Vilkas from his thoughts and he knew his cheeks were turning red.

"Shut up!" Vilkas punched Farkas in the arm.

"Not my fault you can't make your wife scream..." Farkas laughed.

"Farkas..." Vilkas growled warningly, which just made Farkas laugh harder. Vilkas glared at him.

Vilkas was getting ready to punch him for real, in the face, when Farkas finally took a deep breath and began to calm down... he'd laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes...

"Sorry," Farkas said, still chuckling as he wiped his eyes and further smudged his warpaint, "was just tryin' to lighten the mood... seriously though, you ever seen her shout?" He asked curiously.

"I haven't," Vilkas replied flatly... he realized he'd never even thought about it... he'd heard the stories and the legends... but in his mind it was always that masked figure in scale armor that he knew as the Dragonborn that could do the dragon shouts...

When Kaya had told him— or rather let him find out— that she was the Dragonborn, she'd explained that she'd wanted to be herself, separate from the legend, and so, to Vilkas, she was still simply Kaya... in his mind Dragonborn was simply a roll she'd played or a job she'd done... she'd saved the world, she'd completed her task, and now she was retired... she was his wife, she was the Harbinger... she was so much more special than this faceless warrior of legend...

"Think we'll see it when we get to Solstheim?" Farkas asked more seriously.

Vilkas shrugged... he had no idea what to expect... "if she has to go fight this other Dragonborn, I imagine we may..."

Vilkas collected the last of his things into his enchanted pack and pockets, pulled Wuuthrad from its place on the weapon rack in the Harbinger's room, and made his way upstairs with Farkas on his heals...

He heard the commotion upstairs before he even opened the door...

"Are those really dragon scales?"

"What kind of sword is that?"

"By Azura, that's Auriel's Bow!"

"Is that mask made of gold?"

"Can you really breath fire?"

"Calm down and show some respect, she's still the Harbinger," Aela scolded as Torvar, Ria, Athis, Njada, and then Torvar again peppered Kaya with questions.

Vilkas just froze at the top of the stairs and stared... the figure standing in their mead hall now smelled and sounded like his wife... but she certainly didn't look like her...

Her simple leather armor had been replaced with that infamous set of dragon scale armor that Vilkas had recognized from the mannequin at her manor, along with the golden tusked mask that had sat atop it... her pair of skyforge steel short swords had been replaced with a golden sword with a glowing hilt, and a long, thin sword with a blue handle... and she had a beautiful white-gold recurve bow on her back... she looked like the Dragonborn now...

Vilkas knew she was still his Kaya, but now she had to be the Dragonborn again... Vilkas couldn't tell if he was impressed or intimidated...