My Random Skyrim Stories

Sword Thief (Vilkas) 6 Farkas's Amulet

Not long after he concluded that Ysabyth was a worthy shield-sister, Vilkas decided he needed to get her to bed before she either passed out or sobered up enough to recognize him.
He managed to escort her to her bed in the common room for the whelps without getting himself into trouble, but when he got back toward his own room he stopped at Farkas's door... he still owed his brother a punch in the face... or at least maybe the shoulder...
He barged into Farkas's room without knocking, Farkas had likely heard and smelled him coming anyway...
Farkas was sitting on the edge of his bed, holding something, looking lost in thought, with a slight smile on his face. He looked up, only slightly startled as Vilkas entered.
"Damn it, brother, what in Oblivi—" Vilkas's words suddenly got caught in his throat as he realized what Farkas was holding...
"It's not what you're thinkin'," Farkas said quickly putting the amulet of Mara back in his pocket and getting to his feet.
Vilkas could feel his blood pounding in his ears and his jaw clenched as he tried to process this...
Farkas had gotten himself an amulet of Mara... and it had been years since he'd shown interest in anyone but Ysabyth...
Vilkas couldn't handle this... Ysabyth at least thought she wanted him, and Vilkas needed time to let that actually be true... he couldn't have Farkas trying to woo her away from him...
He didn't want a woman to come between him and his brother... but...
"It's not what you're thinkin'," Farkas repeated, clearly guessing how Vilkas's mind was turning.
"That's good," he growled, "because from my angle this looks a whole lot like I'm about to have a fight with my brother..."
"Calm down," Farkas rolled his eyes, "I saw her eyin' you at dinner so I told her to come 'ere and watch you get jealous."
"Care to explain why you're sitting here with Mara's amulet then?" Vilkas asked through gritted teeth.
To Vilkas's irritation, Farkas smirked at that. "You're worried it's for Ysa," he chuckled.
"Damn it, brother," Vilkas snarled. He threw a punch at Farkas's face that Farkas easily blocked, and followed it up with a quick jab that caught him off guard.
Farkas had been starting to laugh as he blocked, "it's not, it's— ow! Damn it, brother, Calm Down!"
Farkas caught one of Vilkas's fists and held on, but Vilkas lunged back at him him with his free hand.
"I said it's not for Ysa— ow, stop it!" Farkas snapped, only half managing to block Vilkas's third strike.
The words finally sank in and Vilkas stopped. Farkas grabbed his other arm and held tight. Vilkas sighed grumpily... from this position it was hit or miss which one of them could overpower the other, and Vilkas knew he was sure to break something in the small room if he tried.
"Explain then," Vilkas growled.
Farkas smirked and Vilkas realized he was probably going to have a bruise under his eye...
"You remember that girl from the farm outside of Riverwood? The one who joined the Whiterun guard?"
"The one you used to bring lavenders and purple mountain flowers back from every job we went on as whelps?" Vilkas raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Yeah," Farkas grinned, finally relaxing his grip on Vilkas's arms.
"Aye, but I thought you hadn't seen or heard from her in years..." Vilkas nodded in confusion, stepping back and crossing his arms.
"I hadn't, but I found her again," Farkas nodded, grinning a little wider, "she got promoted to housecarl."
Vilkas's brow furrowed in confusion at that, "that's... not good, brother," Vilkas shook his head, "housecarls swear their whole lives to the service of their master... they aren't allowed to get married..."
"She's not allowed to get married," Farkas nodded, "unless she has permission from her Thane..."
Vilkas raised his eyebrows in surprise at that...
"That's what Ysa was tellin' me at dinner," Farkas continued, "she said she knew I had an amulet, and she'd give her permission if it was Lydia I wanted to ask."
"Hold on, back up," Vilkas shook his head, "how's Ysabyth connected to this?"
"Lydia's her housecarl." Farkas chuckled at Vilkas's surprised expression.
"So... have you planned when or how you'll ask her?" Vilkas asked, still trying to wrap his mind around this turn of events.
"Not yet," Farkas shook his head, "figure I need to bring her some more flowers, and probably ask her to dinner or somethin' at least once first... hope she still likes me..." he shrugged with a hopeful smile.
"I see..." Vilkas nodded slowly, "that's... probably a good idea."
"Now," Farkas grinned, "what happened with Ysa after you stormed off jealous? And don't try an' tell me nothin' happened, I can smell her soap on you."
Vilkas sighed and ran a hand down his face. He sat down at the bar trying the think where to begin... he did need to tell Farkas at least some of what happened... he sighed again in mild exasperation. "Can you smell the mead too?" He asked, "because I found her on the roof, too drunk to realize I wasn't you."
Farkas chuckled and sat down in the chair beside his bed. "How embarrassed d'she get when she found out you weren't me?"
"Uh... I might have... never corrected her..." Vilkas admitted sheepishly.
"You impersonated me?" Farkas asked in shock.
"I tried to correct her at first," Vilkas explained defensively, "but she just didn't believe I'd ever climb the roof for her..."
Farkas snorted. "I was gonna ask if you'd kissed her, but If she thought you were me, you better not have..."
"I didn't," Vilkas replied quickly.
Farkas raised an eyebrow again, "but you wanted to..." he smirked teasingly.
"Not with her thinking I was you, I didn't," Vilkas protested adamantly. "I... I just listened to her... and then helped her off the roof..."
"What'd she say?" Farkas asked curiously, still smirking a little smugly.
"Well she, uh..." Vilkas rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "she started... confiding to... you... how she felt about me... and I..."
"You finally realized you like her?" Farkas smirked.
"I... uh... suppose you could say that..." Vilkas sighed, making Farkas's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "I finally understand why Kodlak let her join us even though she used to be a thief..."
"She did?" Farkas cut in sounding even more surprised and confused.
"Aye," Vilkas said with another sigh, "she grew up an orphan in Riften... she sort of got recruited into the thieves' guild the same way we ended up in the Companions..."

Vilkas spent the next hour relaying to Farkas what Ysabyth had told him... he left out some details of course... he didn't see any reason for Farkas to know the woman had fantasized about him... especially since he didn't think he could mention that without Farkas immediately picking up on how happy he was about that... and, Talos help him, that wasn't a conversation he was ready for...
There were also a few points in the conversation trying to explain things to Farkas was simply irritating... Farkas wasn't stupid, but sometimes Vilkas wondered if he'd hit him in the head one too many times when they were younger... but tonight the problem was simply that Farkas had never had as much interest in reading as Vilkas had...
"Thought nightingales were birds," Farkas deadpanned when Vilkas paused to let the Nightingale part sink in.
"No, well, yes— but that's also the name for the agents of Nocturnal."
"Things that come out at night?"
"No!" Vilkas groaned, "I mean she was an agent of the patron of thieves!"
"Oh."
"Ysmir's beard, brother, did you read any of the books Jergen left us?"
"Some of 'em," Farkas shrugged, "thought all that was kids' stories though..."
"Aye, well, werewolves and dragons are supposedly just kids' stories too," Vilkas shrugged.
Farkas's brow furrowed at that. "Does that mean ghosts are real too?"
"Probably," Vilkas shrugged, "draugr and skeletons get up and wander their crypts, lost souls probably roam somewhere too."
Farkas scowled uncomfortably at that.
"Why? You scared of ghosts?" Vilkas chuckled.
"No," Farkas grumbled, "just don't like the idea of enemies I can't punch..."
"You fight plenty of things you can't punch," Vilkas argued, "wizards, flame atronachs, frostbite spiders..."
"And I don't like 'em," Farkas nodded emphatically. "Besides, I can punch all those things, I'm just smart enough to know I shouldn't get close enough to actually do it... a ghost though, my fist would go straight through... don't like that."
"I guess you have a point," Vilkas nodded.
"Anyway," Farkas waved his hand, "Ysa, thieves, birds, bad stuff, go on."
Vilkas rolled his eyes. "She didn't say much about Nightingales other than that she was one..."
...and on Vilkas's explanation went. Farkas mostly didn't interrupt after that.

"So what're you gonna do about it now?" Farkas grinned once Vilkas had finished.
"I don't know," Vilkas shook his head, "I guess the first thing I need to do is ask her exactly what she's killed with my sword... then maybe... just... ask her to spar with me again...?"
"You should bring her some flowers," Farkas smirked.
"I was also thinking I could give her a good book," Vilkas shrugged.
Farkas rolled his eyes. "You would," he chuckled.