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Farkas was brought out of his drunken daze by an incessant pounding on the doors. Everyone else had already retired downstairs; he was the only one left in the dining hall. The fire in the center was the only light that shown which cast long shadows across the room. He wouldn't be surprised if it was past midnight.
Whoever was knocking at the door was persistent. They hadn't stopped once they started and was only getting louder as time went on. Farkas groaned in annoyance before getting up to answer the door. He was expecting the town guard but instead was met with a young girl. He recognized her as Lucia: the former beggar. She certainly wasn't a beggar anymore with the fine armor she donned. It was made from chainmail and red velvet fabric. It had been fit for a child, a young girl specifically judging by the leather in the skirts. She carried a short bow that was, like her armor, fitted to her.
"Farkas!" Lucia practically lept into his arms. Poor girl looked like she had been crying. "You have to help me, please!"
Needless to say Farkas was both shocked and confused by Lucia's presence. What was she doing out this late, fully armed no less?
Farkas knelt down to speak to her. "Hey, it'll be alright. What happened?"
"A bunch of men in black robes broke into our house! They hurt Lydia and took mama!" Lucia quickly looked over her shoulder at the sound of footsteps but relaxed when she saw it was just a guard. "I...I think they were Altmer. They hurt Lydia and said they would kill her if mama didn't go with them!" She sobbed. "Braith told me people were being taken but I didn't listen to her and now mama's gone!"
That sobered him faster than any healing spell could. He knows Lucia's mother; she's a good woman. A great woman, even. She was both generous and beautiful. How she wasn't married yet was truly a mystery. Judging by what Lucia said her mother had been taken by the Thalmor and he had a good idea why. It was no secret that she helped free the Graymane's son who had been captured by the Thalmor. Many rumors floated around of just how she pulled it off. The most popular rumor is that she killed every single Thalmor in the fortress so in the end all they had to do was walk out. She had gone alone so how anyone would know the details was beyond him. Either way she had earned the Greymane's gratitude and respect as well as the Companions' attention.
"Does Lydia need any help?" Farkas asked. Might as well start somewhere.
Lucia shook her head. "I already told the priestess. She's resting in the temple right now."
It was then that her getup made a thought occur to him.
"Lucia...why are you here? Why didn't you go to town guard? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you came here but..."
Lucia pouted as she crossed her arms. "They're useless! They want to wait until dawn to look for her but I want to go now!"
I?
"So you want me go start looking for her?"
"Sort of." She then took out a rather heavy looking pouch of coins. "I want you to escort me to Northwatch Keep."
If Farkas wasn't surprised before he certainly was now. If anything he thought Lucia was going to hire him to rescue her mother (something he would do for free) but to escort her?
"Why Northwatch Keep?"
"That's where they took her."
"How do you know that?"
"I...heard them talking. They said they were going to take her to the same place she slaughtered their comrades!"
"Comrades?"
She nodded. "Mama told me about how she rescued someone from a place called Northwatch Keep and that she--" Lucia gulped. "--she didn't leave any survivors. She said she had to or they would come after us. I don't know where this place is but I figured one of you guys would."
"I get that but why do you want me to escort you?"
"Because I want to fight!" She yelled. "My birth mother died and I couldn't do anything about it! I'm not gonna let anyone take my mama from me and not do anything about it this time! I'm going to fight for my mama with or without your help, so help me Akatosh!"
She certainly had a fighting spirit. Unfortunately that wasn't enough to keep her from getting captured or killed.
"Listen, kid. I'll go save your mama, no charge. But I can't take you with me."
"Yes you can! Mama says you guys are the best fighters around. And I can fight too. Watch!" Lucia drew her bow and released her arrow towards the large tree in the park. Farkas heard a wet sound before a fruit of the tree fell onto the stone beneath it. She had only lived with Alessia for a year; how was she already this good at archery?? "See! Mama says it's my natural talent!" She placed her hands on her hips in defiance. "Can you do that with a bow?"
"I...no." His skillset was one handed weapons and shields, mostly. Archery had never interested him before (until now). But if they were going to go up against Thalmor he would need an archer at his back and Lucia seemed to have already made up her mind. With a sigh he pushed her bag of coins back to her. "Fine, I'll take you. But you have to do what I say when I say it." She nodded. "Save these coins for the carriage ride. We'll need it."
They reached Solitude by daybreak. To get to the fortress they would either have to walk or buy a horse. Fortunately Lucia was able to broker a deal with the farmer where they could rent the horse for their quest. It took all the money she had brought but soon enough they were riding west towards their destination. When Farkas had asked how she knew how to barter she smiled and reminded him that her mother is a Breton. Of course Alessia would teach her daughter the art of speechcraft; the Breton herself was almost famous for her silver tongue. Once they passed Meridia's shrine Farkas turned their horse north towards the coast. They would have to park the horse a decent distance away to make sure it wasn't killed in the inevitable fight. They managed to find a fisherman who was willing to watch their horse once Farkas explained what they were doing. The man offered his prayers which they thanked him for before once again heading west.
"He was nice." Lucia said as they walked.
"The Thalmor aren't popular here. He's not going anywhere for a while so it makes sense he'd be willing to help."
Lucia was quiet for a moment. "Why are the Thalmor here if no one likes them? Wouldn't they be happier in their homeland?"
"They're here because they want to oppress us. The Thalmor think us humans should serve them because they're supposedly superior. They hate that we worship Talos because he was a human who ascended to be with the gods. They deny his godhood because to them a human being equal with their elven gods is impossible."
"But...why? Talos is a god. Don't the Altmer worship the divine gods like we do?"
Farkas sighed. "Yeah, they do. Some people just have hate so deep in their hearts that no amount of logic can change their minds."
"Oh..." Lucia's gaze fell to the sand as she continued to walk.
Shit. Farkas put a hand on her shoulder and stopped walking to face her. Once she turned to him he knelt down so that he didn't tower over her as much.
"Listen, you don't have to worry about those people. Nothing you could do would change their minds and that's not your fault. I can't change the way they think either but I can protect you from them."
Lucia stared at him with raised brows before smiling softly at him. "You sound just like my mama. No wonder she likes you so much."
Farkas felt his face heat up as Lucia giggled at his expense.
They laid flat on their bellies among the snow covered brush outside the fortress. Farkas only saw one Thalmor standing watch outside and could smell the rest within its walls. He growled deeply which earned him a strange look from Lucia.
"So...what's the plan?" She asked.
Initially Farkas had planned on using his wolf to fight his way through but with Lucia in tow that would be difficult. He didn't want to scare her and the whole werewolf thing was supposed to be a secret. In truth he wasn't sure he could take on the group of Thalmor without it. He thought about telling Lucia to wait out of sight but she was determined to fight.
"I'll go in first and you'll watch my back. Stay out of sight and don't take any risks." He paused. "If I fall you need to run as fast as you can away from here, ok? Find the fisherman if you can and go back to Whiterun. You know my brother, Vilkas?"
Lucia nods.
"Go get him."
Lucia raised her bow and notched an arrow. "I won't let you fall."
Damn, she would make one hell of a companion one day (assuming they both survived this ordeal). He simply nodded to her before crawling out of the brush. There wasn't a lot of cover around the walls of the fortress so he would have a hard time sneaking up on the guard. He stayed crouched until the guard started to notice him and charged. He grabbed the Thalmor and ran his sword straight through their gut. They could only gurgle in shock before he ripped his sword from their body and they collapsed. He ran into the fortress and managed to kill two more Thalmor before an arrow hits him in the arm. He growled from the pain and turned to attack when he saw the archer fall from the top of the wall with a steel arrow in their back.
Nice shot, kid.
There was only one Thalmor left outside but he was far more skilled than his comrades had been. He was a fast fucker wielding two elven daggers leaving Farkas at a slight disadvantage. He cursed as he felt his sword arm begin to go numb; that arrow must have been poisoned. He switched hands and focused on blocking as the Thalmor attacked in a frenzy of stabs and slashes. The elf manages to nick him a few times before his sensitive ears heard movement behind him. He only had a moment to duck before an arrow flew over him and into the Thalmor's eye. The elf howled in agony before Farkas beheaded him with a powerful slash. It wasn't until the last Thalmor outside was dead did he realize how heavily he was breathing.
"Farkas!" Lucia's boots crunched in the snow as she ran over to him. "Are you okay?"
Farkas huffed. "You wouldn't happen to have an antidote in that pack of yours?"
To his surprise Lucia nodded and took her pack off her back. She knelt down to rummage through it before pulling out a small red bottle sealed with wax.
"Here, this cures poison and heals."
Farkas took the potion and downed it like a shot. It didn't taste horrible but it wasn't something he liked either. Almost immediately he felt the cuts on his arms close as they became scars. Bastard must have cut him deep.
"Thanks, kid."
Lucia nodded with a smile before packing her bag back up. "Do you think that was all of them?"
"No, but there's certainly less of them now." Farkas stated. "When we get inside you need to stay behind me at all times. Closed quarters fighting is different from being outside. It'll be much harder to escape of something goes wrong." She tried to hide it but unfortunately she reeked of fear. He didn't blame her for being afraid. It was do or die and she knew that. But he couldn't let her die. He wouldn't let her die. "Lucia, whatever happens in there...just know that I would never hurt you or your mother. Ever. Understand?"
Lucia seemed to study him for a moment before nodding slowly. She was smart enough not to ask and followed Farkas quietly into the keep.
The inside of the fort was surprisingly vacant. Perhaps they truly had killed all the Thalmor outside? No, something smelled off. The wolf within him was tense, making his hair stand on end. As they moved deeper in and still found no one Farkas' wolf became even more restless. It was trying to tell him something but he didn't know what. Once they reached the deepest room did they find Alessia. She was chained to the wall with engraved metal cuffs that glowed slightly. She looks like she had been roughed up but otherwise was still alive.
"Mama!" Lucia ran to her mother and gently lifted her head.
The Breton's eyes fluttered before they opened fully. Even in the dim light of the chamber he could still see how blue her eyes were.
"Lucia? What...how?"
"I'll tell you later. But right now we need to get you out of here!"
Alessia sounded weak. "We...?"
Farkas stepped forward and turned the engraved cuffs over. They were magic binding cuffs but thankfully he found a keyhole on one of them.
"The key should be over with the tools. I'll make sure she's okay."
Lucia nodded and dashed over to the table with the assorted instruments scattered about. Alessia typically kept her hair tied back but now her golden red locks fell over her shoulders. She had some cuts and bruises but no broken bones. Farkas found this a bit strange considering the reputation of the Thalmor. From what Lucia had told him it sounded like the elves wanted revenge and yet.
Alessia's voice sounded hoarse. "How did you find me?"
Farkas nodded to Lucia. "Your daughter heard those elves talking. She a tough kid, you're lucky."
Alessia let out a shaky laugh. "She'll make a fine warrior one day, huh?"
As he was checking her over his fingers grazed across her soft hair. Even after being kidnapped and roughed up she still managed to look like the most beautiful woman in Skyrim. He tried not to let his hands linger anywhere on her body for too long for fear of offending her. Lucia ran up beside with a glowing key and unlocked the cuffs that bound her mother to the wall. Once she was free she slumped forward into Farkas' arms.
"Can you walk?" Farkas asked as he tried to still his pounding heart.
The Breton sighed softly. "Yes, I just need a moment."
Lucia took another red bottle out from her bag and handed it to Farkas. "Have her drink this. It should give her some energy."
Farkas popped the top off with his teeth and held the bottle to Alessia's ruby lips. Once it was gone he noticed the Breton's eyes seemed to be a bit brighter than before. He was about to lift Alessia into his arms when he heard Lucia gasp sharply. The young girl had been pulled back with magic and was now being gripped by a rather pissed looking Thalmor. The elf had a dagger pressed to her throat which made Farkas' blood boil. Alessia cried out and tried to rush forward but crumpled to her knees from pain. The Thalmor took a quick step back causing Lucia to cry out.
"Let her go!" Alessia pleaded.
The Thalmor glared at them. "After what they did?? I should cut her throat and be done with it!"
Alessia let out a sob as Farkas helped her to her feet. "Please, don't hurt her! Just tell me what you want and I'll give it to you!"
Farkas could feeling the wolf clawing madly under his skin. The sight before him made him want to tear the Altmer limb from limb, literally. He could feel his teeth and nails becoming longer and sharper with each of Lucia's whimpers.
"What I want?" The Altmer scoffed. "What I want doesn't matter. But the Dominion wants you, Leorre. So let's make a deal: you come with me and I spare the brat."
There was no way in Oblivion that Farkas would agree to that but of course Alessia was all to ready to throw herself to the Thalmor to save her daughter.
"I'll go with you, I promise. Just please let her go!"
The Thalmor looked cautiously between them, specifically at Farkas. The elf was right to be wary of him. While Alessia was willing to comply Farkas was doing everything he could from just digging his teeth into the elf's neck. They were high and mighty now but his wolf would turn them into a Altmer sized chew toy. With a grunt the Thalmor released Lucia and pushed her forward. The girl ran into her mother's arms and began to cry.
"Don't go with him, mama!" She cried.
Alessia smiled sadly. "I'll be fine, sweetheart. Be a good girl and go home with Farkas." She kissed her daughter's forehead before withdrawing from them and walking over to the Thalmor.
The Thalmor roughly grabbed her arm causing her to cry out in pain. "I should kill you for what they did."
Alessia clenched her teeth and grunted. "But you won't."
The Thalmor pressed his knife into her throat. "Don't test me." He glared at Farkas. "Don't even think about moving until we're gone or I'll cut her pretty little throat."
Farkas' vision became red as he felt his fangs and claws become fully unsheathed. The Altmer's eyes widened and in his shock let go of Alessia's arm. In that moment Farkas charged forward and sunk his teeth into the Thalmor's neck. He felt them gasp before tearing flesh from bone; blood spraying onto the ceiling and his face. He spit the flesh in his jaws onto the Thalmor's lifeless form. It wasn't until the red faded from his vision did he realize what he had done. Shit.
"Farkas?"
He wiped the blood from his face before looking back to Alessia and Lucia. The girl had run back into her mother's embrace and they were both looking at him with wide eyes.
"Yeah?"
Alessia looked to the dead Altmer before looking back to him. "Thank you."
He nodded and offered her his clean hand. To his relief she took it and they walked out of the fort together. Once they were outside Farkas took a moment to wash the blood off of himself. He could feel Alessia and Lucia watching him but he tried to pay it no mind. He smelt no fear on them which he took as a good sign. Alessia in particular seemed to be studying him intently. Of all the times he wished her gaze on him it had to be after he ripped a man's throat out with his teeth.
Once he was finished they began their walk along the coast back to their horse. There was a heavy silence among them as they walked. Farkas led them while Alessia and Lucia walked behind him hand in hand. The fisherman's boat had just come into view when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Alessia looking up at him with concern.
"Are you alright?"
Farkas shrugged. "I'll live."
Alessia pursed her lips for a moment. "I won't tell anyone about what I saw but I would like an explanation." A pause. "You're a creature of the night, aren't you?"
Farkas nodded. He saw no reason to hide the truth from her. Such an act would be insulting after what he did in her presence.
"A werewolf?" He nodded again. She seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before continuing. "It was my grandmother who found the cure for vampirism. If you wish I'm sure she could help you too."
Farkas shook his head. "I'm fine, really. It's a long story but Im not really looking to cure what I have."
Alessia nodded. "I understand. I don't judge you for it, by the way."
"You'd be among the first."
"I know." She paused before leaning up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Thank you for looking after my daughter. And rescuing me, I suppose. I'm very grateful."
Farkas could only hope she couldn't see his blush. "It wasn't a problem; I'd do it again if I had to."
Alessia smiled at him and moved to walk past him before pausing. "When we get back to Whiterun I'd like you to join us for dinner. If you don't mind, that is."
"I'd love that."
Perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him but when she walked away there was a seductive sway to her hips. He couldn't help but stare until Lucia brushed past him with a smirk.
"I told you mama likes you." She said with a wink.