As Torin stepped into the mead hall, he managed only a few paces before he froze, a reaction mirrored perfectly by Aela and the twins. The sight before them was not what they had expected.
Standing before the hearth was Kodlak, his presence a familiar comfort. But flanking him was another man, a stranger who commanded attention by sheer presence alone. He was just as tall and broad-shouldered as the Harbinger, though considerably younger.
His hair was cropped short in a practical, military style, and his face was clean-shaven, revealing a strong jawline and a mouth set in a stern, uncompromising line.
A brutal, faded scar cut a path through his left eyebrow, rendering the eye beneath a milky, sightless white. This single flaw did nothing to diminish his intimidating visage; if anything, it enhanced it.
He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his one good eye sweeping over the new arrivals with a cold, appraising gaze that missed nothing.
Kodlak offered a warm smile to his whelps, but it faltered for a fraction of a second as his eyes landed on the bear cub cautiously peeking from behind Torin's legs. He cleared his throat, the sound rumbling in the quiet hall.
"My young friends," Kodlak began, his voice warm but formal. "This is Skjor. A brave and fierce warrior, one whom few in all of Skyrim could hope to match. He will be joining our ranks as a shield-brother."
Torin's own interest in the newcomer was minimal. But for Aela and the twins, this was a matter of immediate importance. Their gazes instantly sharpened, turning on Skjor with the same measuring intensity he was directing at them.
This was a test, and it had begun the moment they laid eyes on each other.
Vilkas was the first to break the silence, a derisive snort escaping him. "Seeing how long you've been away, Harbinger," he said, his tone challenging, "I expected you'd bring back someone…" He paused, giving Skjor a slow, deliberate up-and-down look that was meant to be insulting. "…more impressive."
Kodlak's smile became weary, the look of a man used to mediating between strong personalities. "Skjor has spent the last several years fighting the Thalmor," he stated, his voice gaining an edge of steel.
"He has sent more of their warriors to their graves than most legionnaires have seen in a lifetime. He was only forced to retire from that particular fight after sustaining a grave injury."
He gestured toward the stoic warrior. "In any case, I do not need to speak for him, and neither does he. His actions will speak louder than any boast or introduction soon enough."
Skjor finally broke his silence, his voice a low, gravelly rumble that demanded attention. "I'm sure each and every one of you is a warrior in your own right," he stated, his single good eye pinning each of them in turn. "But raw talent is not enough. You lack the kind of experience that forges legends. I can help with that."
At this, Kodlak took a subtle, almost imperceptible step backward, a knowing glint in his eye. He was withdrawing from the field, allowing the new dynamic to form. Instantly, Aela and the twins closed in on Skjor, a pack of young wolves circling a seasoned bear, their questions and challenges flying, eager to test his mettle and find his limits.
While the air crackled with that new tension, Torin showed no interest in the posturing. He instead weaved through the group and approached Kodlak. A genuine grin spread across his face.
"You look good, old man," Torin said, his tone lighter than it had been in months. "I expected you'd be back with a few more white hairs after dealing with recruits."
Kodlak raised a bushy eyebrow, a matching smile touching his lips. "And I expected you'd have grown a few chest hairs by the time I returned. It seems we've both been disappointed." He sank into his great chair with a soft groan, beckoning Torin closer. "Come, my boy. Let me have a proper look at you."
Torin's smile turned weary as he sat on a nearby stool. The Harbinger's gaze was not merely looking; it was seeing. He scanned Torin from head to toe, taking in his increased height and breadth, but then his eyes locked with Torin's. The old man's expression grew still and solemn.
"I see it in your eyes," Kodlak said, his voice dropping so only Torin could hear. "A new layer. You've been baptized in blood yet again. Tell me, how was your first contract?"
Torin sighed, the sound heavy with memory. His gaze drifted across the room to where the bear cub was watching them from a safe distance, her dark eyes curious. He then turned back to Kodlak.
"It was Aela's contract," Torin began, his voice low. "Vilkas said I should go along. A bear was killing livestock at the farms outside the city." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "We tracked it and killed it quickly. But then... we ran into bandits."
Seeing the shadow that passed over Torin's face, Kodlak finished the thought gently. "I'm guessing it did not end well for them."
Torin shook his head, his expression grim. "No, it didn't. I... insisted we find them. To make sure they couldn't hurt anyone else. Aela was reluctant, but we did it." He met Kodlak's gaze squarely, the memory of the cave's darkness reflected in his own. "We tracked them to their den and butchered them all."
Kodlak leaned forward, his gaze delving deep into Torin's eyes once more. He saw the lingering shadows, the hardened edges that hadn't been there before. But beneath that, the boy's gaze was not detached or fractured as he had feared it might be.
It was clear, focused, and, most importantly, still his own. Kodlak let out a long, slow sigh, the sound filled with a lifetime of a leader's burdens.
"I have always dreaded this day," Kodlak admitted, his voice a low rumble. "But as things stand in this world, I knew I could not keep you from bandits and their ilk forever."
He shook his head, a gesture of weary acceptance. "I had hoped I would be there with you when the time came, which is why I specifically ordered Vilkas to only send you after beasts if he found you ready. I wanted your first taste of true combat to rouse your warrior instinct, not your pain and grief."
Torin was genuinely confused. "I don't understand... Why would you...?"
Kodlak gave him a look of profound, meaningful understanding. "The truth is, my boy," he said, his voice dropping to a near whisper, "I have always suspected that you remembered the day I found you. The day that young woman was taken from you."
He let the words hang in the air, watching Torin's reaction. "I feared that you would lose yourself—that the ghost of that helpless infant would rise up and shatter you—should you ever face the same kind of people who took her from you if I wasn't there to guide you through it."
A warm, proud smile finally broke through his solemn expression. "I am happy, and relieved, that you have proven my fears wrong."
Torin was shellshocked.
The carefully guarded secret of his consciousness, the core of his identity, had been known all along. "You... you knew?"
Kodlak nodded slowly, his eyes holding a deep, old sorrow. "I am no fool, boy. You only cried once in your entire life. Just once. And it was on that day, after the girl fell."
His expression turned bitter, the memory clearly as sharp for him as it was for Torin. "The grief in your eyes in the days after that... it was a bottomless, knowing well of pain. The way you refused to eat unless I forced you... it was a deliberate turning away from life. That is not the grief of a witless babe. It is the grief of a soul that knew loss and understands its finality."
Torin stared at Kodlak blankly for a few moments, the weight of the old man's perception settling upon him. Then, a low, bitter chuckle escaped his lips. "I must have been a real handful for you back then."
Kodlak's smile was deep and fond, the lines around his eyes crinkling. "That, you were. A stubborn, grieving little mystery." He leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the young man Torin had become. "But seeing you now, strong and clear-eyed after facing your demons... I'm inclined to think it was worth every bit of the effort. You do me proud, boy."
Torin laughed awkwardly, shifting under the direct praise. He was far more accustomed to parental disappointment than pride; the specter of his strained relationship with his own father from a past life still lingered.
He cleared his throat, deflecting the uncomfortable warmth of the moment. "But why didn't you ever say anything?"
Kodlak replied with a question of his own, his tone gentle. "What good would it have done? To force a secret from a child that he clearly wished to keep?"
He shook his head. "I do not know how or why you were cursed, or blessed, with such a burden of memory and wisdom from the very start. But I have to believe it must have a purpose. And that was enough for me."
Torin gave him a sidelong glance, a wry twist to his mouth. "A purpose, huh? I really hope not."
"Hope as you will, boy," Kodlak said with a dismissive wave that held a world of experience. "The Divines weave their plans for us all, and we cannot outrun the threads forever."
His attention then drifted to the bear cub, who had subtly crept closer while she thought their attention was elsewhere. He smiled at the small, watchful creature. "And who is this fierce little heart?"
Torin's expression softened as he looked at her. "I found her in the bandit lair. The same ones who chased her mother out. Her limbs were broken, and she was lying in a... well, a literal shit pit." He let out a sigh, heavy with the memory. "I couldn't leave her there."
Kodlak let out a thoughtful hum, his wise eyes seeing the connection instantly. "She reminds me of you in a way," he mused. "A soul finding itself in a world of violence, robbed of its protector. I see why you took her in." He nodded slowly. "Yes. She seems like an echo of you, boy."
Torin froze at those words. His eyes widened, and a brilliant, triumphant grin spread across his face. "Echo..." he slowly muttered, tasting the name. Then, he sprang into action. Much to Kodlak's amusement, Torin hurried out of his seat and knelt before the bear cub.
"Echo!" he declared, his voice full of certainty. "That's it! Your name will be Echo from now on!"
Overcome with the moment, his hand instinctively reached out to pet her head. The newly-christened Echo just stared at his approaching fingers, waiting until they were at their closest before lunging forward and clamping her teeth around them with a warning growl.
Torin let out an exasperated sigh, though a smile tugged at his lips. "Some things never change."
From his chair, Kodlak simply smiled, watching the two echoes of loss and resilience—one man, one beast—find their way together.
...
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