U.O.T.W. Chapter 94 Belly Full of Fire

  •  

    While Farkas and Vilkas were getting acquainted with Albino, Kodlak, in the Hall of Jorrvaskr, was just settling down to his favourite breakfast. He didn’t particularly care what the meal was, as long as it was Sotek and Aela trouble free.

    Not only that but his breakfast was also served with a double helping of ‘no twins’. His big plan for the day was to make the most of it. That entailed taking his favourite chair outside and watch the Whelps train while he enjoyed a bottle of mead. Or a few bottles, if he could get away with it.

    “I think as it’s quiet, I’ll make the most of it and watch the Whelps train in the yard for the morning. They can have an easy afternoon”.

    Tilma tutted as she swept a cobweb from the corner of a rafter with the head of her broom.

    “And how many bottles will be joining you?”

    He slightly huffed as he rolled his eyes at the black haired Imperial Whelp. She tittered but she was fast enough to hide it from Tilma. Before the meal was finished, Kodlak’s plans were thrown asunder by the untimely knocking of a fist on Jorrvaskr’s doors.

    He opened them to find a guard outside who looked somewhat intimidated by the Harbingers presence.

    “I… ermm… I’ve been asked by Irileth to send two guards to Riverwood… Harbinger, we need help”.

    Tilma called out angrily as she wrapped a fur around herself.

    “Kodlak! Bring him in and close that door! Were you born in a barn?”

    Kodlak laughed as he brushed away Tilma’s comment with the back of his hand.

    “Cease you prattling Tilma, this is important. Now, what’s this all about? Drugan isn’t it? Your father used to be a guard here? I remember him taking you on the battlements when you were a wee pup. How is your father?”

    The guard seemed to relax as memories of his father wearing the Whiterun guards uniform seemed to swell his chest with pride.

    “Aye, he is well. Lives in solitude now”. He started chuckling as he pictured his father by the fireplace in their home. “The cold plays havoc with his hands… What I need help with is a tower. Riverwood was supposed to be a ‘soft posting’ recruits and the like. You see, Whiterun takes the blunt of enemy forces and bandits, all they have is a few poachers and the odd rogue. Do you remember when Sotek first came to Whiterun? He alerted the guards about a so called scam from the trader in Riverwood. He accused Lucan Valerius and his sister Camilla of scheming with bandits in Bleak Falls Barrow. Now we didn’t take him seriously at the time. Oh we made enquiries but to our shame we never delved deep enough. Ol’ Val has ran that shop for years. We presumed it was a coincidence that bandits were at Bleaks…”

    Kodlak studied the features of the guard who had removed his helm due to respect of the hall in which he now sat.

    “Something changed. What was it?”

    The guard buried his face in the palms of his gauntlets as he spoke in a broken hushed whisper.

    “Two adventurers came to Riverwood. They weren’t anyone special, just two youngsters out to make some quick gold. After they visited the store they headed up to the tower to track down a thief”.

    Kodlak nodded as he thought back to Sotek’s situation.

    “Just like a certain Argonian’s tale. And they encountered more than a thief?”

    Drugan nodded shamefully in reply.

    “We don’t know for sure. One of them disappeared, the other...”

    Tilma handed Drugan a flask of mead to help steady his nerves. She could see he wasn’t afraid, this was guilt he suffered from.

    “The other was found?”

    The guard hunched his shoulders as he turned towards her.

    “He was thrown off the cliff. Everyone in Riverwood heard the screams as he fell… Two guards were sent to the tower, they’re missing”.

    As Kodlak pondered on the events he enquired about the trader. He was curious as to how Lucan fitted in the whole picture.

    “And what of Lucan?”

    The guard lifted his head and shrugged dismissively.

    “We don’t know. They up and ran. The shop’s deserted, door left wide open, all the spell books, valuables and coin gone. Out the back of the shop we found an old mound of earth. Tervilia? The old shop owner they bought the place from. She is buried in it. Her neck was snapped”.

    Kodlak’s eyes fell upon his two handed Skyforge steel great sword ‘Twilight’. He turned to Tilma and spoke slowly but his voice had a heavy tone to it.

    “Sotek said I was old. Am I Tilma? Am I an old man?”

    Tilma rested her hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

    “You’re the Harbinger of the Companions and I will have words with that Whelp of a boy for putting such thoughts in your head”.

    Kodlak shook his head at her then rose to his feet.

    “He’s right. I’m old… Old and tired… Well no more… Whelp’s get your packs, arm yourselves and check your potions. You’re all coming with me!!”

    He ripped his sword ‘Twilight’ off the weapon rack and swung it expertly around a few times before sheathing it in its harness.

    “Old man? I’ll show that pup who’s the old man”.

    He expected Tilma to stop him but she knew the fire that burned inside him. It wasn’t going to be extinguished by the ramblings of an old maid. It wasn’t that fact that Sotek had called him old which hurt Kodlak. Tilma knew the true reason, it was simply that Kodlak believed them. She just smiled while she watched the Whelps run around the hall franticly as they prepared for the outing. She knew he believed those words which had stung so bitterly and now he used that anger to fight back. Old age may be after him, but he still had some strength left. He still had things to do. Old age would have to wait in line the line was long. She nodded her approval as the Whelps fell in behind their Harbinger.

    “About bloody time too”.

    Outside, the sky was clear although there was a chill in the wind. Kodlak flexed his hands and made two tight fists. His fingers sprung open like they were part of a trap which had just been set off. Wearily his eyes fixed on the mountain range where Bleaks Falls Barrow lay in wait between two mountain peaks for the unwary. A cold shiver crept down his spine as he recollected Sotek saying that he had ventured inside before they had even met, before he became a Companion. Kodlak chuckled to himself when he pictured the Argonian walking timidly for the first time along the corridor and asked to join the ranks.

    His mind then turned to Aela. So many times in that first month he had spent pulling them apart so they wouldn’t hurt each other, until that day where Sotek had overstepped the mark. Where Aela had pushed too hard. He knew that was still at the back of Sotek’s mind, for it still troubled him. He nearly lost Aela because he was weak. He had grown soft and let himself be persuaded when he knew it was wrong, he himself made a vow that day.

    Never again.

    As he walked through the market, he was thrust into the present day by a gentle tap on the shoulder. He glanced around in bewilderment to see Saadia the Redguard cook from the Bannered Mare who just so happened to be holding a bread basket of sweet rolls and other baked bread.

    “I’ve overdone the baking again… I’ll learn one day. Maybe you can make use of these?”

    He gazed through the town towards the gate where the six Whelps were waiting for him. They had obviously seen them as they were all standing to attention. He gratefully took the food and stored them in his bag.

    “Thank you Saadia. Could I trouble you to do one more thing for me? Tilma, the lass is by herself as Sotek’s taken the Companions with him. They will be gone for a few days and I too must depart for a night. Could you check on her for me…. But don’t…”

    Saadia nodded as a grin formed on her face.

    “Why certainly, and I’ll make sure she don’t know I’m keeping an eye on her. I’ll take a few sweet rolls and pretend I haven’t laid eyes on you”.

    He slyly grinned as he gently held her arm.

    “Thank you. Now I must be off, the Whelps look like they are about to fall over”.

    He started walking off to meet the Whelps when Saadia called out to him.

    “Tell Farkas and Vilkas that the nights have been somewhat lonely these past few weeks. The maids are missing them”.

     He initially froze but he was quick to carry on walking as if he never heard her. Inside though he quietly seethed until the old adage flashed through his mind. ‘Boys will be boys’.

    “Just the maids?”

    Saadia gave him a sly wink before she swan off towards Jorrvaskr with a second basket of rolls.

    “And the baker…”

    Kodlak grinned to himself as he approached the whelps. Saadia was just as keen to see the brothers as they were to visit the inn. Once Kodlak gathered the Whelps around him, he gave them a quick prep talk. Rules needed to be established before they took one single step outside.

    “I am in charge, you all obey me and if I say run then you run. No heroics, this isn’t so you can prove to be the better man… or woman. We all go in and we all come out. Is that clear?”

    As one the six Whelps nodded excitedly.

    “Yes, Harbinger!!”

    Kodlak studied each one of them, one at a time then shoved the gate of Whiterun open. Sotek’s words flowed through him as he gripped Twilights handle tightly.

    “Old man? Old man indeed!!”

     

     

Comments

11 Comments
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  July 26, 2017
    Added Screenshot
  • Aela The Huntress
    Aela The Huntress   ·  November 28, 2015
    About time the old man got out of his chair.
  • Exuro
    Exuro   ·  November 27, 2015
    The mystical double like is as rare as it is fickle; one can not hope to control its power, only rejoice when chosen.
    Looking forward to seeing seeing the Harbinger in action too.
  • The Long-Chapper
    The Long-Chapper   ·  November 26, 2015
    If I could double like this one, I would. I've had the magical ability in the past, but poo, it has not manifested since.
  • The Long-Chapper
    The Long-Chapper   ·  November 26, 2015
    Hmm, well typos are easy to fix, content, on the other hand, is not and I really like the direction that you're going with Kodlak, Sotek. Really looking forward to hearing about his adventure. 
  • Ebonslayer
    Ebonslayer   ·  November 26, 2015
    And I don't expect you to.
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  November 26, 2015
    Thanks everyone.
    *Ebonslayer I won't get overconfident and let slip on the errors. It took a while but time will tell.
    *Lissette. I've had a re look at the section and added the extra part to it. It does read better now.
    "Mathias You won...  more
  • ShyGuyWolf
    ShyGuyWolf   ·  November 26, 2015
    Awesome tale man, glad to see Kodlak in action.
  • The Long-Chapper
    The Long-Chapper   ·  November 26, 2015
    Well done. Nice to see Kodlak take initiative and be a bad ass. He deserves to be. 
  • The Long-Chapper
    The Long-Chapper   ·  November 26, 2015
    LOL, will comment more later, but...
    While Farkas and Vilkas were getting acquainted with Albino, Kodlak, in the Hall of Jorrvaskr, was just settling down to his favourite breakfast.

    The above is what I had suggested earlier in our chat...  more