She ran for hours, staying off-road for the most part, right up until she hit the mountains and then she had no choice but to follow it, shivering as the snow started to fall but she didn't stop, couldn't stop, not until she got to Haemar's Shame, and then her legs finally gave way and she collapsed, dragging herself into the cave mouth and sitting down, out of the snow at least.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been there until she heard footsteps approach. Just one person from the sound of it but she was tired and exhausted and still weak from blood loss and she didn't want to fight. She was still trying to make the memory of seeing those dead Stormcloaks at her feet go away.
“Elisif?”
Aela, it was Aela the Huntress, and Elisif had never been so glad to see anyone in her life.
“Here!” she cried, and Aela ran over, dropping to sit by her.
“Elisif,” said Aela, her voice gentle, sounding relieved more than anything, and Elisif leaned closer, glad of the comfort. “There you are. I was beginning to think we'd seen the last of you.”
“I killed some people,” Elisif whispered, numb. Aela rubbed her back, faint smile on her face.
“I know, I was following your trail. Were those four dead soldiers at the remains of the Imperial camp your work?”
Elisif nodded, trying to forget the blood and the screams and the way she'd just changed as she'd attacked, driven on by the power of the Thu'um. Aela actually looked impressed.
“You took on all four of them on your own?? Well done, that was good work.”
“One got away,” Elisif whispered and even though he was the enemy, she hoped he'd found safety. Alas, that hope was soon dashed.
“Oh don't worry, he didn't get far,” said Aela dismissively. “He ran into me on the way back to that coward Ulfric. They won't find out where you ran off to.”
Elisif closed her eyes. Nords were brave, Nords were tough, Nords were meant to be warriors but Elisif couldn't for the life of her understand how people could get used to death so easily.
“What are you even doing here?” Elisif whispered. “Did Kodlak send you?”
Aela hesitated and Elisif guessed that was probably a no. “Not exactly. But Ria's the youngest of us, it didn't seem right to let her be the only one at your back, so Skjor and I decided to follow. Lucky we did, for you anyway. I think Ulfric would have captured you if we'd not been there.”
“You were there?” Elisif asked, surprised. She'd not seen them – and then it hit her. Werewolves. “Wait, you're a werewolf?”
Aela cursed under her breath. “Yes,” she admitted. “But you can't tell anyone. No one's meant to know outside the Companions. Skjor is – was – one too.” Aela hung her head at this point, and Elisif's shock on learning she was sitting next to a werewolf took second place to realising someone actually had died because of her.
“Oh! Oh Aela, I'm so sorry. He didn't make it, did he?”
Aela shook her head, face barely visible under her hair as she stared at the ground. “No,” she said at length. “There were too many, and numbers overwhelmed. They would have got me too, but you'd been able to get away, Skjor was gone – no reason for me to stay and keep fighting. So I led a few of them on a wild goose chase, got away and doubled back to try and find you. I had a feeling you'd need help.”
Elisif certainly did, there was no denying that now. Half of Skyrim essentially closed to her – Ulfric's troops would be on the lookout for any young redhaired Nord women on the road now – a Horn of Jurgen Windcaller to find, dragons to stop, a war to win... Elisif had no idea how she was supposed to deal with all this, she really didn't. She didn't even have a housecarl now.
“What about Jordis and Ria?” she whispered. “Did they make it?”
Aela reached out and took her hand. “I'm sorry, Elisif. They killed Jordis. She fought bravely but there were too many of them.”
Elisif could barely speak. Jordis, gone. Only twenty four, young, pretty, her whole life ahead of her and now she was gone, just like that. Elisif had really liked her too.
“And Ria?” she whispered, hoping that wasn't another death at her door. Ria was only twenty.
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 4.6
She wasn't sure how long she'd been there until she heard footsteps approach. Just one person from the sound of it but she was tired and exhausted and still weak from blood loss and she didn't want to fight. She was still trying to make the memory of seeing those dead Stormcloaks at her feet go away.
“Elisif?”
Aela, it was Aela the Huntress, and Elisif had never been so glad to see anyone in her life.
“Here!” she cried, and Aela ran over, dropping to sit by her.
“Elisif,” said Aela, her voice gentle, sounding relieved more than anything, and Elisif leaned closer, glad of the comfort. “There you are. I was beginning to think we'd seen the last of you.”
“I killed some people,” Elisif whispered, numb. Aela rubbed her back, faint smile on her face.
“I know, I was following your trail. Were those four dead soldiers at the remains of the Imperial camp your work?”
Elisif nodded, trying to forget the blood and the screams and the way she'd just changed as she'd attacked, driven on by the power of the Thu'um. Aela actually looked impressed.
“You took on all four of them on your own?? Well done, that was good work.”
“One got away,” Elisif whispered and even though he was the enemy, she hoped he'd found safety. Alas, that hope was soon dashed.
“Oh don't worry, he didn't get far,” said Aela dismissively. “He ran into me on the way back to that coward Ulfric. They won't find out where you ran off to.”
Elisif closed her eyes. Nords were brave, Nords were tough, Nords were meant to be warriors but Elisif couldn't for the life of her understand how people could get used to death so easily.
“What are you even doing here?” Elisif whispered. “Did Kodlak send you?”
Aela hesitated and Elisif guessed that was probably a no. “Not exactly. But Ria's the youngest of us, it didn't seem right to let her be the only one at your back, so Skjor and I decided to follow. Lucky we did, for you anyway. I think Ulfric would have captured you if we'd not been there.”
“You were there?” Elisif asked, surprised. She'd not seen them – and then it hit her. Werewolves. “Wait, you're a werewolf?”
Aela cursed under her breath. “Yes,” she admitted. “But you can't tell anyone. No one's meant to know outside the Companions. Skjor is – was – one too.” Aela hung her head at this point, and Elisif's shock on learning she was sitting next to a werewolf took second place to realising someone actually had died because of her.
“Oh! Oh Aela, I'm so sorry. He didn't make it, did he?”
Aela shook her head, face barely visible under her hair as she stared at the ground. “No,” she said at length. “There were too many, and numbers overwhelmed. They would have got me too, but you'd been able to get away, Skjor was gone – no reason for me to stay and keep fighting. So I led a few of them on a wild goose chase, got away and doubled back to try and find you. I had a feeling you'd need help.”
Elisif certainly did, there was no denying that now. Half of Skyrim essentially closed to her – Ulfric's troops would be on the lookout for any young redhaired Nord women on the road now – a Horn of Jurgen Windcaller to find, dragons to stop, a war to win... Elisif had no idea how she was supposed to deal with all this, she really didn't. She didn't even have a housecarl now.
“What about Jordis and Ria?” she whispered. “Did they make it?”
Aela reached out and took her hand. “I'm sorry, Elisif. They killed Jordis. She fought bravely but there were too many of them.”
Elisif could barely speak. Jordis, gone. Only twenty four, young, pretty, her whole life ahead of her and now she was gone, just like that. Elisif had really liked her too.
“And Ria?” she whispered, hoping that wasn't another death at her door. Ria was only twenty.