Chapter 27 - Dragonborn
*****
Aela originally wanted me to deal with everyone alone, or at worse, ask another Companion to help me. I suggested working alone was exactly what led to Skjor's death, which caused her to grimace, get a little upset, but also agree. I added that perhaps involving everyone else might not be the best idea. I was fairly sure Vilkas and Farkas wouldn't agree with what we were planning on doing, and did either of us want to be responsible for the deaths of the other Companions.
Aela relented, rather quickly to be honest, agreeing we would see it through together until the bitter end. Looking over the journal and paperwork we had, alongside maps of each region of Skyrim, we figured out where one of the Silver Hand operations was located. "They must definitely be located here," Aela stated, pointing at the location with a dagger, "I'd bet... well, not my life, but perhaps a bag of coin."
Leaning over the map, I looked at the name before glancing at her. "Fort Fellhammer?"
"Probably one of the many abandoned by the Legion over the centuries, and probably has no strategic value for the Stormcloaks."
It was a little too close to Dawnstar for my liking, remembering that is where I'd sent the survivors of the Dark Brotherhood, but I figured enough time had passed and I doubted they'd actually see me. We agree to leave the next morning.
If anyone had an inkling of what Aela and I were up to, they said nothing at breakfast the next morning. We were already armoured, ready to leave, and I'd been out to see the horses at dawn, our supplies already loaded. Before leaving immediately after eating, Farkas did ask what we were up to. Aela immediately stated we would be going hunting and perhaps one or two other things, in such a suggestive way, Farkas looked away embarrassed while I nearly burst out laughing.
"Promises, promises," I said once we were walking towards the gates.
"I didn't promise anything, but you already know what I think, Ragnar." She stopped, turning to look at me. "But part of me doesn't just want to jump into bed... Well, you're already sleeping in my bed, so I don't want to just start fucking."
"To be honest, neither do I."
"And I understand why." We'd done a lot of talking the morning we woke up, hungover and grief-stricken. I had to tell her the truth and she was the only Companion that knew everything. And I mean everything. I had thought long and hard, and believed if there was going to be any sort of relationship, and most importantly trust between us, then I had to be honest.
I was amazed that she hadn't judged, almost repeating the words Kodlak had said to me in the hours before the funeral for Skjor. She would judge me on my actions going forward, but she still figured I was a good man at heart. I still don't really know how they figured that, considering everything I'd done, but I was slowly working on restoring my pride and honour.
Mounting our horses, we first headed east towards the meadery before turning north, having already agree to keep our pace light, as we would camp before attacking the fort the next day. Having been to Winterhold before, though what felt like long ago, I knew the way as well as Aela, so we could at least spend time chatting away, only having to deal with wildlife dumb enough to try and attack us. Usually just wolves, but we did run into one bear walking towards us. Our horses wanted to turn and bolt, so we quickly sent a couple of arrows towards the bear. The giant beast was smart enough to run away.
I generally didn't like camping on snowy ground, but after leaving our horses tied to a tree and finding Fort Fellhammer, we pulled back and made camp in a dense clump of trees, hoping our fire wouldn't be seen. We huddled close together under a large fur blanket as a bitter wind blew, and despite the fact we were still dressed, the body warmth and close proximity of Aela did provide some excitement as we continued to quietly chat about anything that came to mind.
We went to bed early, continuing to huddle together under a layer of furs. Aela remained dressed in her leathers, but I couldn't sleep in my scaled armour, though she made no complaints about having to hug me close. I'm not sure how I managed to sleep as I had innumerable thoughts in regards to what I wanted to do with her, most involving removing her leathers.
Waking up just as the sun started to rise, we ate a cold breakfast of hard bread and cheese before dousing the fire and moving out. If we were lucky, the fort would be as lightly guarded as Gallows Rock. In the low morning light, we could see at least a trio of guards patrolling the crumbling walls. Armed with a bow and quiver of arrows, taking the three out silently wasn't difficult, finding two more in the courtyard, the gates of the fort having long since disappeared.
"Bit too easy, isn't it?" I wondered, approaching the main building.
"At least they're dead."
I grunted as I opened the door, both of us now armed with a blade. It was dark inside, only a few torches providing any sort of light. Moving as silently as possible, we found a pair of Silver Hand still asleep, neither of having a problem slitting their throats before moving on. Any hopes of doing it silently ended when a door opened as we almost ran into another one, putting a sword into their chest before we just started swinging.
That drew the attention of others, and we were soon fighting our way down a wide corridor. Having been woken up by our arrival, most were not completely armoured, some only carrying a sword without a shield. No matter what, they all died. Reaching the upper level, the commander of the fort was waiting for us. He knew who we were too.
Taunting us, Aela and I wasted no time putting him to the sword. We could have drawn out his death, perhaps performed a little torture, but I think we wanted to eliminate the Silver Hand with at least some modicum of honour. Once his body hit the ground, we immediately went searching for information. The one interesting piece we found was the fact there was a mine below us. Other than that, we grabbed a couple of journals, agreeing to read those later, before we headed downstairs.
I was expecting prisoners in the mine, figuring the Silver Hand had kidnapped people. But my assumption was incorrect, as we found Silver Hand busy swinging axes at the ore veins. They turned and attacked as soon as we came into view, but with chests exposed, and only pickaxes at hand, we made short work of the few miners actually awake.
Heading back across the courtyard and through the gatehouse, Aela grabbed me by the hand, turning me towards her. "Thank you," she said, far more softly than usual.
"What for?"
"For helping. You did so without hesitation."
I shrugged, not sure what to say, except that it was fine. I liked being with her. Then she stepped forward and kissed me. It took barely a couple of seconds for me to drop my weapons and wrap my arms around her, and how we didn't end up on the ground doing many other things, I think both of us were probably surprised. There was no doubt we were incredibly attracted to one another, and I think that kiss, as hot and heavy as it was, signified what we both wanted. Each other. Badly.
Finally breaking apart, as I had her pinned against the wall, our hands exploring each other, we stared at each other before bursting into laughter. Clearing my throat, I said, "Well, I think that clears that up."
Staying close, leaving her hands on my chest, she looked up and admitted, "It's been too long since I was with a man, Ragnar."
"Seriously? But you're... Well, I think it's obvious what I think about you."
"I'll be honest, most of the men in Whiterun are losers, married or... Well, you've seen them for yourself. And I generally had a rule about being intimate with a fellow Companion."
