Talinith found a heavy Orcish helm, typical Nord body armour along with some fur boots and leather bracers "Yan was a fool who liked to hunt, he went after a fox and caught a cold of Ice Wraiths." Talinith's grim humour was dismissive of the dead guard "Don't be a fool in a dead fool's armour!" she told me as she tightened the cinches to my body armour. It took us less than an hour to gather our supplies into several sacks and by that time my sisters had been transformed into short haired, blonde urchins in grubby grey smocks. I gave them a big hug, told them I'd see them soon and to be good for Uncle Eirik, then we said our goodbyes.
Beorning's grey-blue eyes turned watery with grief as he looked at his audience, Otalo and Timo, "That was the last time I saw them...." Otalo and Timo quietly gave murmurings of support and consolation whilst Beorning took a deep draught of watered wine.
Those days in the cave with Talinith were hard, very hard she said the Dunmer are a hard people from a hard land, made harder after the eruption of the Red Mountain. Each day comprised of exercise, weapons and armour training followed by theory and armour crafting discussions, the evening was wood gathering and hunting. Each night we took turns to keep watch and keep the fire burning. I was suddenly living a wilderness life far removed from my life of peace in Applewatch. The days started to blur and the shock of becoming an orphan, losing my home and living an outlaw life was being to settle in. Our staples were running low by the time Uncle Eirik came back some ten days later. After our greetings he said my sisters were safely hidden in Elinhir, Hammerfell with his Caravan. He'd come back for Talinith and to introduce me to the Talons, his outlaw contacts, and that he was late because he had to use the backpaths to avoid being spotted without his Caravan.
After a last night in the cave we had a big breakfast and left as the sun rose above the Jerall mountains. We skirted north of Bruma and headed to the western end of the Jerall mountains, where they bordered the Colovian Highlands. It was the borderland between Cyrodiil, Skyrim and Hammerfell and a narrow path led into the mountains to a place called Talon's Tower. It was an old structure from the time of the Reman Empire, partially ruined and overgrown. As Talinith, Eirik and I approached the tower, we heard a gong and two large people walked out of the tower entrance
"Valkrim, your health you old scoundrel I bring a recruit for you."
"Eirik? You thieving old merchant what junk are you trying to sell me today?"
The two old men did the armclasp in greeting, using their other hand to thump each other's back. The large Orc visibly relaxed and then Valkirm looked me up and down curiously after a hasty whispered conversation with Eirik "Yes, I can see it in his hair and the shape of his face..." then louder
"so YOU are The Whitefire's son eh? I ran with the Reivers, during the Great War. She was a great leader. If you have an ounce of her bravery then" and he paused for effect "You are welcome to the empire of the Talons" as he spread his arms to embrace the small valley and the tower. He and the Orc laughed "Some empire eh?"
Eirik broke into the conversation, "Beorning I cannot wait here, I must get back to your sisters before I am missed. Farewell Sister's-daughter's-son, the Talons are a good group and Valkrim here's been on the run from the Thalmor ever since the White-Gold Concordat was signed and he's not been caught yet!"
As they turned to go I heard Talinith yell "Happy hunting boy, you've been a good pupil! Just remember don't be a fox hunting fool."
Beorning turned to his Redguard audience, "It's strange telling the story, remembering these events is what I used to keep myself sane during my long years in the pit."
Beorning watched the two of them go, the last person he'd known throughout his life was walking down the valley and would soon turn a corner and leave him. He felt alone in a world of strangers. Valkrim gave him a steady look
"Beorning you're here because you were caught in a temple to Talos?"
"Yes, they killed my father and my friend, the priestess, Meara"
"Meara... was that Meara Benirus? Was she in the Reivers?"
"That's her, mother asked her to keep an eye on us, her kids, before she died. She died fighting the Thalmor to give us time to escape. We were ambushed in our private Temple."
Valkrim looked sharply at me "Did she do more than just keep an eye out?"
"Yes sir, she taught me the basics with a sword, basic healing and a fire spell with a little bit of Alchemy. She was an Alchemist.."
"She was much more than that!"
"Well that's what she did in Applewatch before the Dominion burnt it."
"Ok good, good and I see you have a sword and some armour. Golnak this, as you may have gathered, is Beorning Wildfire who's come to join our band of Talos supporters commonly known as the Talons. Find him a bed and introduce him to the others. Do you like that pig-sticker boy?" He was looking at my iron longsword "Or do you want a man's weapon?" he pulled out a Nordic Greatsword.
I grinned back, it was what Meara had started teaching me once my hands got big enough to grasp the hilt. She said it was what my mother would have wanted "One of those, please"
Golnak grunted approval, "And find him a good two-hander Golnak. I'm going to let Marcel know we have a new recruit and he shouldn't stick him full of arrows if he sees him wandering about."
The tower had looked broken from a distance. As we approached it this impression continued as we entered the ground floor, there were rotten carpets and splintered furniture there. I was wondering just where this camp was, Golnak strode over to a dark corner at the back of the tower and lifted a hidden trapdoor. I followed him through; it opened into an Oubliette containing a main square room filled with a couple of benches, a table laded with food, a fireplace with a cooking pot plus several chairs. Hanging off the walls there were a few good looking tapestries, one of Tiber Septim at the Battle of Sancre Tor, plenty of weapons and a couple of shields. The place looked well kept and tidy. As Golnak strode over to a weapon laden wall I could see two doors led out of this room, there was a corner of a bed through one of the doors. The other door was shut. With a metal clang Golnak had pulled a steel greatsword off the wall and thrust it, hilt first, at me. I grasped it, stepped back and swung it in a few basic moves.
”I can’t wait to stick it in some of those Thalmorian eel skins.”
“I like that psyched, crazy glint in your eyes Beorning, it reminds me of Orsimer battle rage.”
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