The next morning Rebecca awoke with a lighter heart. It was easy to cheer up when T'ariq walking into the room with two bowls of porridge in his hands and a nervous smile on his face. Her mood improved even further when she stepped out of her room to find the innkeeper presenting her with a steel sword.

"The man last night left it for you." she explained, holding it out in its sheath for Rebecca to take. Her eyes brightened in amazement. She strapped it around her waist, and practiced walking up and down the room with it nudging against her leg.

"How do I look?" she asked T'ariq, twirling in a circle. The Khajiit laughed.

"Like a little girl with a sword."

Rebecca dropped her arms and shot him a dry look.

Before getting back on the road, they bought some potions from Arcadia's Cauldron, mainly for health but also a couple for magicka. T'ariq even snagged a potion of invisibilty that he claimed would come in handy whenever he needed to stash her behind a tree while he fought. Rebecca found this especially unamusing. They also bought some fresh fruit and cooked meat to stash in their bags, unsure of where they would next be eating, or even sleeping.

They had just left Whiterun when Rebecca reminded her furry friend of his promise to teach her magic, unsatisfied with the feeble flame that she had briefly conjured the day before. They decided to stop just by the Battle-Born farm across the path to practice.

"Ok little kit," T'ariq took up a position opposite her, about a metre away, and placed his feet apart in a fighting stance. "Take your sword out."

Rebecca frowned, but did as he asked, holding onto her new blade with both hands to steady her grip. "I thought we were practicing magic?"

"We are. This one needs to learn to hold a weapon in one hand, and a spell in the other. Take your hand away from the sword." he instructed her. Rebecca gritted her teeth as she tightened her grip. Even though it was a one-handed weapon, it was still much heavier than she had muscle for, and took some effort to keep up.

"Good. Now, as we did yesterday-" T'ariq told her, pointing to her empty hand. "Remember that this magic is simply energy. This one has to focus that energy and mould it into what she wants. For example, make fire."

Rebecca closed her eyes tight shut, channelling that mysterious warmth inside of her to her hand. She tried to visualise it becoming hot, and destructive, and heard T'ariq purr in satisfaction. She opened her eyes and saw a ball of flames dancing about in her palm. She barely felt a thing, but for a slight tickling sensation, and was pleased to find that she did not have to concentrate too hard to maintain it.

"Now, direct it at me." he told her, putting out his palms in front of him.

"Are you sure?" Rebecca sounded worried.

T'ariq nodded, smiling. "Yes, little kit."

Closing her eyes and hoping to high hell that T'ariq knew what he was doing, Rebecca turned her palm outwards, and breathed out in a huff, trying to expel the energy that was building in her hand. But she heard nothing, no whoosh of flames or smell of singed cat hair. Opening one eye nervously, she saw T'ariq standing stock still, his hands on his hips.

"Did I do anything?" she asked hopefully.

"No." he told her. Rebecca groaned in frustration. She finally let her hands drop, the muscles in her wrist aching from holding up her sword for so long. "Perhaps it would help if the eyes were not closed?" he suggested, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Rebecca shot him a wry smile and held up her sword and left hand to try again. T'ariq cast a simple ward spell, conjuring a shimmering white barrier in front of him that warped his image like a sheet of running water. She tried again, reviving the flames in an instant and this time forcing herself to watch as she twisted her arm and breathed out. This time, to her surprise, a blast of fire shot out and splashed against T'ariq's ward. But she quickly ran out of breath, and when her lungs ran empty, so too did her magic. The flames vanished as quickly as they had appeared, leaving Rebecca unexpectedly tired, and panting heavily. T'ariq returned to her side, taking the sword and offering her his shoulder to lean on.

"This was good." he purred.

"If it was that good, then why am I so exhausted?" she gasped. T'ariq's eyes twinkled with amusement in the morning sunlight.

"Because you have little magicka. You must practice lots to expand it." he explained. Rebecca nodded, leaning forward with her hands on her hips while she caught her breath again. Once she had recovered, they set out onto the road, this time veering right towards Bleak Falls Barrow instead of Riverwood at the fork in the road. As they walked, T'ariq insisted that she carry her sword, swapping it from both arms and lifting it like a dumbbell to exercise the muscles in her arm. Although this practice was exhausting, especially whilst climbing a mountain in her tight leather cuirass, she was helpful for the tips he gave, demonstrating different attacks most gracefully with his own golden blade. Rebecca noticed that he fought very nimbly, although still clearly like a warrior. He always kept his weight on the balls of his feet, stepping lightly on his toes as he lunged, and dodging swiftly as his imaginary opponents fought back.

The wind howled ever louder, biting at their noses and fingers as they climbed higher up the mountain. The drop in temperature was so sudden and severe that Rebecca almost jumped at the first sign of snow on the ground beside them.

"I'd give anything for some fur like yours right about now," Rebecca muttered, folding her arms in a tight knot over her chest to conserve body heat. But T'ariq wasn't listening. Just as Rebecca glanced up at him to see if he had heard her, she felt his strong arms push her down into a crouch.

"What are you-?" she was cut off as he hurried her behind a thicket, silencing her with a single glare. Before Rebecca could spit back a retort, she froze as the wind carried to her ears what T'ariq's had picked up moments before. Just ahead of them, barely visible through the branches, was a small, grey tower, from which the sounds of grunts and groans were echoing around the mountainside. Finally, there sounded a yelp, cut short by the sickening slice of a blade, before the area was once again silent save the whistling of the wind.

T'ariq placed a furry hand across her chest, his long, dark claws unsheathed, and gestured for her to stay hidden whilst he crept out of place. Rebecca peered through the pines, hearing her heartbeat in her ear. She watched T'ariq, his dark fur distinct in the snow, creeping towards the outpost as his tail lashed from side to side. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched a lone figure step out into the wind from inside the tower, wiping a pair of blades against his bare arm. In fact, most strikingly, this man appeared to be wearing nothing but a pair of trousers, and two leather straps across his chest that held up his sword sheaths on his back.

"Unbelievable." she muttered in disbelief as she stood up and walked out into the snow, arms crossed and teeth chattering. T'ariq had clearly recognised the man as well and was walking slowly towards him. Although the Khajiit moved with a steady step, Rebecca could tell from his rigid posture that he was equally unhappy to see the Imperial again.

"Hey, kitty cat!" Felix called, standing on his tip-toes and waving eagerly as T'ariq approached. The snow around him turned red with the blood of a Redguard bandit, her neck sliced wide open where her body had slumped on the ground next to her assailant. Rebecca's eyes widened  as she drew nearer. She had a hard enough time with the wolves, but this? She kept her eyes on Felix and did her best to ignore the sickly smell of blood.

He spread his arms out either side of him, that stupid grin plastered across his freckled face.

"Princess." Felix greeted her, his voice sickeningly smug. Rebecca rolled her eyes, fighting off a smile twitching at the corner of her lips.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone colder than she meant it.

He raised a sword in the direction of the barrow. "Isn't that where we're headed?" he asked innocently. Rebecca gave a dry laugh. "You're not coming in with us." she told him. Felix smirked and stepped down towards her.

"Oh, but I am," he made a sudden move towards her face that Rebecca instinctively slapped away. She heard T'ariq cackle with laughter as he held a hand up to his cheek. "Oh, come on!" he cried, those warm brown eyes darkening in mock betrayal. "Please, let me go in with you? I told you, I'm lucky!"

Rebecca laughed again and trudged away from him, heading for the cold, grey ascent to Barrow.

"Wait, wait, wait!" he called, jogging to catch up to her. He put a hand out in protest, stepping in her way with a determined look. His cheek was beginning to redden.

"There's no such thing as luck." Rebecca chided.

Felix stared at her in genuine shock. "Yes there is!" he protested, his pitch rising like a child's. "Only the other day I escaped Helgen from the claws of a dragon." he grinned, looking proud at the stunned expression he had drawn from Rebecca.

"No you didn't!" she gasped.

"Yes I did! How would you know?" Felix frowned, an expression of outrage clouding his eyes.

"I was there!" she cried. Felix looked taken aback, and took another hard look at her face, as though trying to place her from a memory.

Rebecca's mind went into malfunction. He couldn't possibly have been at Helgen and survived – she had played the opening scene a thousand times. No one survived but the Dragonborn and Ralof! Or Hadvar, if you're Imperial scum, she supposed.

"Well, what were you doing there?" she challenged him, leaning up to his face aggressively.

"None of your business." Felix suddenly calmed himself and leaned back, raising an eyebrow and recovering that coy little smirk of his. This was even more effective at infuriating Rebecca, who jabbed a finger at his pecks in her rage.

"I bet you're a thief, and they were just about to chop your head off when the dragon landed!" she sneered, her eyes narrow and hostile despite the brief distraction posed by his surprisingly solid muscles. She snatched her hand back from his bare chest, but it was too late. He seemed to have registered her reaction and was raising his chin as if in victory, coaxing another outburst from Rebecca.

"You evil little-!"

"Little kit, if I may?"

Rebecca blinked as T'ariq stepped between the two of them and placed his hands on her shoulders. She stood straight and took a deep breath as he spoke.

"I think this boy may be of help." he told her.

Rebecca's eyes flew open, enraged.

"Listen to T'ariq, just for a moment!" he cautioned her. Rebecca closed her mouth and tapped her food impatiently. "We could use an extra weapon in a crypt such as this. And, the boy has proven that he is a worthy ally." His eyes flitted over to the tower where the three dead bandits lay. Felix leaned over T'ariq's shoulder to shoot her another sly smile. Rebecca sent him daggers back, but gave in.

"Alright, fine," she raised her palms in defeat. "He can come."

"Cheers." Felix chuckled. Rebecca's lips parted slightly, stunned into silence. Felix shrugged as the group finally passed the giant arches of the Barrow to their right. "I picked it up from you," he explained. The corner of his full pink lips twitched into a smile. "Did I use it right?" he asked, his voice dropping an octave to the sultry tone that he had used when they first met. Rebecca looked away angrily, keeping her head firmly down as her cheeks grew hot.

"Keep quiet!" T'ariq hissed. The trio stopped dead in their tracks, peering around the corner that T'ariq had paused at. "There are bandits ahead."

"Three of them." Rebecca nodded.

"You stay here." Felix commanded without looking at her. Rebecca gasped in outrage, but had no time to protest, as the Khajiit and Imperial launched into battle with a furious cry. In a matter of minutes, the three bandits were dead, their blood pouring down the steps of the Barrow and into the snow. Rebecca walked up to meet the pair just as Felix was pulling a throwing knife out of one of the bandit's necks.

"A dagger?" she raised an eyebrow as he wiped it clean on his trousers. "Definitely a thief."

Felix shrugged nonchalantly and flashed her a charming smile. "If that's what you want me to be, princess?"

Rebecca said nothing and hurried past him to the door, her blush deepening into a dark rhubarb as she heard his laugh tinkling like wind chimes behind her.

"There will be two bandits inside, but they're at the far end of the hall, so don't go rushing in." she told T'ariq, her voice lowered so as not to catch Felix's attention. He nodded and slid the door open just a crack, wide enough to let the three of them sneak in, but not enough to alert the residents.

They crept inside, each bent at the knee to sneak behind the great central pillar. Rebecca's heart pounded for fear of being seen, the anxiety racing through her turning to adrenaline as they crept further and further without notice. The bandits continued bickering about the division of gold in their little company, until a horrible gurgling sound erupted the throat of the nearest. Rebecca peered around the pillar to see a little silver knife sticking out of her throat. The other bandit looked on in shock.

"What the-?"

He hadn't finished speaking before T'ariq marched up to him and plunged his sword into the great oaf's chest. He sank to the ground with a moan as the Khajiit pulled out his blade and made for the door. Rebecca moved to follow him, refusing to look down at the bodies, until a call from Felix held her back. She looked over her shoulder to see him picking the lock to a heavy wooden chest.

"Definitely a thief!" she shouted, casting him a disapproving glare. Felix shot her a wink as the lock sprung open, revealing the contents of the chest. Rebecca glanced surreptitiously over his shoulder as the glimmer of gold caught her eye.

"Hey, we brought you along," she reminded him as he pocketed the gold and some jewels, shining like vibrant stars in the firelight. "We're going thirds on everything we find here."

"Sure, princess. Whatever you say." Felix smirked.