Union of the Wolf - Chapter 24 - Nin

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Have you missed the previous chapter ?

Chapter 23: https://goo.gl/ANOpXq

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Chapter Index: https://goo.gl/4vCpWG

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Several days later during an afternoons training session, Farkas’s face turned sour as he glanced over to Aela and Vilkas who were both grinning at him. The piece of straw which he clasped in his hand fell to the ground as he sighed before heading inside Jorrvaskr. Knowing that Kodlak spent most of the afternoons in his study, Farkas trod wearily across the hall to head towards the Under Croft.

The Harbinger lifted his head up from the book he was reading as if he was forewarned by some mystical sense. Either that or he heard the giant bulky form of Farkas plodding along the corridor. He gazed along the passageway towards Farkas as the book slowly closed in his hands to then find itself resting upon a small table. The Harbingers fingers tapped on the cover a few times as he watched Farkas approach. Several minutes later Kodlak and Farkas were both engaged in a heavy discussion.

“Are you sure about this?” The Harbinger asked while he studied Farkas’s features as a way of reading his emotions.

Farkas shrugged his shoulders as if to emphasize his indecision.

“Yes, we think she’s right. We all talked about it yesterday”.

“Who? Vilkas? Aela?” The Harbinger knew the answer already. There was no way Farkas would approach him about something like this off his own back. Farkas slightly nodded his head but Kodlak wanted more from him than that. His eyes narrowed and seemed to bore into Farkas as he spoke a single name which would confirm everything. “Aela?”

“Yes. She mentioned it first”.

The Harbingers eyes opened much wider giving him an owlish stare. “Then how come she isn’t here but you are?”.

“I... I picked the shortest straw”. Farkas stated as he shuffled about. He didn’t know what else to say. It was true though, none of them wanted to bring this up with the Harbinger.

The Harbinger laughed to himself, that’s the one thing he could never see Sotek do. If Sotek wanted a word with someone then he would just walk straight up to them. Not pick straws hoping someone else would have to do it.

“This might not go well”.

“That’s why we picked straws…” He looked at the Harbinger and just shrugged.

“After you sent them out, they have been different. Things have been different. A lot better… Hell even Aela’s calmed down. Yesterday a whelp screwed up while Aela was training him. She didn’t shout at him, just laughed a bit then corrected him… It was almost scary”.

“Yes, I noticed the change in her. I was beginning to think she was ill”.

He then sat back in his chair and weighed things up in his mind.

“What of Sotek?”. His eyes once again fixed on Farkas.

“He doesn’t know”.

“Ok, keep this to yourself. He’s been having nightmares, bad ones about that day.”

Farkas shook his head slightly. His eyes changed from a shallow nervous man to a stocky dependable fighter. Kodlak could see the sudden confidence in him straight away.

“Had… Aela’s talked to the maid. Sotek hasn’t had any since that day we killed the dragon. I don’t know what they talked about the night before but he hasn’t had any since. Whatever it was, it did the trick. That’s sorted”.

“Obviously you three have looked at this closely. Ok, gather them up outside”. As he watched Farkas head towards the stairway, he smiled to himself. He was pleased they went through all this trouble to rectify what weeks ago was a disaster. He just hoped it wouldn’t go wrong.

Soon afterwards Aela and Sotek were sent to the Warmaiden’s on a simple errand. They had to collect a complete set of old iron armor for Eorlund. When they got back to the hall they found it surprisingly empty. At least Sotek was surprised, Aela knew what was happening so she wasn’t the least bit concerned.

“There’s a chest on the far side of the hall. We’ll dump this gear… Trash in there. Only the nine divines knows why Eorlund wants this old tat”. Once Aela dropped the chest piece which she was carrying in the chest she scoured as she examined her hands. Bit’s of flaky rust and stains smothered her palms marking her skin. “Urgh”. Her face screwed up as she glanced at Sotek before she wiped her hands on his shirt to remove the worst of the debris from the old armor. Sotek’s shoulders dropped as he gawped at her for her audacity however he never moved away or even stopped her. He simply stood there patiently waiting for her to finish cleaning her hands.

Once Aela was ready she asked Sotek to follow her as she headed outside to the courtyard.

As they entered the training area, everyone was there waiting for them both. The whelps, Farkas, Vilkas, even Eorlund, and the Harbinger. Sotek knew something was going on but he didn’t know what. As he turned to Aela for answers, she whispered to him.

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“It’s your trial, your proper one”. She stated as she discreetly squeezed his hand before walking off to join the others.

Tilma tutted as she walked towards him carrying a clean shirt.

“When are you going to dress smarter? Look at you, you’re like a baby. Get this on. And hurry it up their waiting”.

Sotek sighed as he pulled the shirt off all the while he could hear Aela chuckling to herself knowing full well that she was responsible for the previous shirts state. As she watched Sotek throw the shirt on a stool she found herself staring at his naked chest. She snapped out of her trance like stare when she became aware that she was biting her bottom lip.

Sotek stood by the doors for a few seconds as his eyes fell upon the training yard. His hand found its way to his pocket and gently started playing with whatever he kept there. Aela had asked him about it before but he just couldn’t tell her, not yet.

The Harbinger walked to the middle of the yard and spoke loudly so everyone could hear him.

“Sotek, this is your trial. Everyone is aware of the… Complications that has surrounded your previous trial. However that now seems to have faded in the past. It has been requested that you have the opportunity of a new one. A new trial. However due to your unique abilities, the three companions have some requests to make before the trial starts”. Sotek drew a deep breath then walked to the middle of the yard to where the Harbinger beckoned him. His eyes however were fixed on Aela.

Vilkas was the first to call out at him with his request.

“No fireballs or stuff like that”. As he spoke he semi consciously rubbed his chin where the previous fireball had struck him.

Farkas followed suit by adding his statement.

“No shooting arrows at us. I still don’t know if that day, you would have shot me”. What he kept to himself was the simple fact that it was true. He’ll never shake that image of Sotek’s intensive glare as he lined up the arrow.

As if Sotek knew what was going on in Farkas’s head, he looked down to the ground and smiled to himself.

Aela looked hard at Sotek as she studied him. Over the course of the last week since that night they slept together on the plains they became close. She felt the line blur as to who he was. Shield brother, lover, friend, Sotek was all of these. She closed her eyes tightly as she fought with her feelings. A low growl slipped out from her lips as she fortified her will. Not today, here and now Sotek was an enemy. Today she wouldn’t let up. Her request was simple and straight to the point.

“No dragon shouts”.

Sotek looked at the three of them, then turned and starred for a few seconds at the area where Aela fell weeks before. With slow and deliberate movements he headed to the same spot then kneeled down and rested his hand on the dusty earth. After carefully scooping a small handful of dirt Sotek sniffed the earth before dusting off his hands. He lifted himself up and walked back to where the Harbinger had directed him to. Subconsciously his hand went in his pocket to once again hold the item he kept so dearly. He then turned to the Harbinger bringing his empty hand out into the open again.

“I got two requests to make of my own. First, no weapons!!! I’ll not draw another weapon against any of you… Not again”.

Farkas interrupted him. “We need to, else we can’t….”

Sotek lifted his hand up cutting Farkas off.

“I mean, I won’t use them against you, any of you. I just can’t”. He shook his head as just the thought of it made him feel sick. Once again his hand found its way into his pocket.

“You all can, but I won’t”.

Aela spoke up.

“Sotek, you got to try to beat us. I’m not going to just let you beat me, none of us are”. Her face was heavy, full of concern of Sotek’s well being.

He glanced over towards her, then just smiled as if he understood her fears.

“My second is four days time. We’ll have this ‘Trial’ in four days time”.

The Harbinger nodded in agreement as he stood up. He understood why Sotek couldn’t use weapons against the Companions, but he still felt sure they were in for a hard time. “Agreed”.

Without another word to the three Companions, Sotek turned around and headed straight to Dragonsreach. Half a hour later he returned and asked to speak to the Harbinger privately. They retired to his chamber for a few hours. Shortly afterwards Sotek left Jorrvaskr and headed to the Main gate.

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