Chapter Text
Farkas
Something was wrong. He knew that before he'd even opened his eyes.
It had only been a few hours since he’d left the Temple. Even so, he heaved himself out of bed and hurriedly pulled on his boots. It had been a while since he’d had to sneak out, but years of practice allowed him to do so without a sound.
The crisp night air was eerily still, as it so often was so late at night(or was it early in the morning?), but even then, something was off. He didn’t figure it out until he was right outside the Temple. Someone was in there that shouldn’t be. The scent made his blood boil.
For fucks sake, why did they hate her so much?
Then the Temple shook with what could only be a Thu’um infused scream of sheer terror and agony.
Gem.
He couldn’t quite remember what happened next. He came to cradling Gem’s limp and far too pale body as she struggled to breathe. There was a wicked dagger sticking out of her leg. He could tell just by looking at it that it had been pushed into the bone. His hands were covered in blood that didn’t belong to either of them and there was a body with horribly twisted limbs nearby. Danica was crouched in front of him, wearily eyeing him.
“Are you back with us or are you going to try and bite me again?”
He blinked.
“I need to tend to Genevieve again. That bastard did a number on her and she was already weak. I think that blade is poisoned, but I can’t be sure unless you let me look at it.”
He shifted and tried to ease Gem off of the floor. She whimpered and weakly grasped his shirt. He looked to Danica, who signed and slowly inched closer.
“Don’t try to bite me again.”
Farkas nodded, then promptly passed out.
Vilkas
Divines, this was a mess. Vi was almost dead with a leg injury that would take months to heal properly, if it ever would. His brother had taken a dagger to the back and nearly died from blood loss. Lydia and the children had been attacked and damn-near kidnapped.
He sighed and dragged a hand down his face. The mercenaries from the day before had some kind of grudge against Vi. They’d freely admitted they wanted to kill her as the guards were hauling them to the dungeons. Three of them were dead. Two by Lydia’s axe, and one by Farkas’ bare hands.
He shuddered at the memory. The body had been… mangled. It was hard to believe his gentle giant of a twin had done something so violent, but Danica had no reason to lie and his twin’s hands had been covered in blood.
At the moment, Lydia was getting treated for the minor injuries she’d received while fending off the mercenaries. The children were being fussed over by Tilma and the others. They were understandably shaken up and hadn’t been their usual chaos-causing selves.
Then there was the matter with Ria. She’d been withdrawing from everyone and hardly eating. He had a feeling she was going to try to run. He’d seen her stuffing a few things into her pack, despite the fact Kodlak had forbidden her from taking jobs until the whole situation had been settled.
He hoped she wouldn’t leave. He didn’t want to lose a member of his family.
Farkas
Everything hurt. A lot.
What had happened?
He remembered waking up and sneaking out for the first time in months. He remembered blood and Gem’s scre-
Gem!
He bolted upright and immediately regretted it.
“Lay down you idiot!” He barely registered his brother’s voice through the pain currently burning in his blood. “She’s fine. Well, she’s not fine but she’s alive and unless something really bad happens, she’s going to stay that way.” Vilkas helped him lay back on the stone bed. “She’s right over there, but you aren’t out of the woods yet so you’re going to stay right where you are.”
Farkas tilted his head back to catch a glimpse of Gem stretched out on another stone bed. She didn’t look great, but she was definitely breathing.
“Danica is doing her best, but the blade that fucked up her leg was poisoned. Valdimar is working with Danica and Arcadia to try and identify it, but so far they haven’t a clue what it is. Well, that’s not quite true. Apparently it’s the same stuff that was messing with Vi’s throat. I didn’t hear exactly what Danica was saying, but there was something about spines?” Vilkas shook his head. “Whatever it is, it’s a potent brew.” Then his brother grew quiet and started fidgeting. “They don’t know if she’ll be able to walk again. The blade damn near shattered her femur and it nicked an artery, not to mention all the damage it did to the muscle.”
That would kill Gem. She’d be trapped.
“Whatever happens, it’ll be a long recovery.”
Farkas nodded, then let sleep claim him again.
Ria
It was all her fault. She never should have left. She’d rather be miserable and trapped than have her freedom at the expense of her Shield-Siblings lives.
She’d leave as soon as she knew what would happen to Vi. She owed the older woman that much. Her bag was already packed. She didn’t have much, just her armor, a small amount of money, a dagger, and the roll of bath salt recipes Vi had given her for her birthday. She hadn’t quite mastered them yet, but maybe they could allow her a quiet life where she could hide.
“Ria, come here child, I need to speak with you.” Oh no. Kodlak would know what she was planning just by looking at her. But refusing to talk to him would just be worse.
She crept into the Harbinger’s room, refusing to meet his eyes.
“Yes, Harbinger?”
“Sit, we have much to talk about.”
She sat on the edge of the chair, still refusing to look at him.
“Ria, no one here blames you. This is not your fault, child.”
“Yes it is!” she burst out, clenching her fists. “They were after me! If they hadn’t been after me they wouldn’t have been here and Vi and Farkas wouldn’t have gotten hurt!” She looked away, tears burning her eyes. She’d cried enough for a lifetime already.
“Why do you think they were after you?”
“‘Cause they were,” she mumbled. “I ran away from home ‘cause I didn’t want to get married to this horrid man that my father paired me with. My maid was a Nord. She taught me about the Companions and told me all the stories she knew of.” She sighed and fiddled with a strap of her armor. “My full name is Adraria Luciana Valencia Maraennius, daughter of Lurius Maraennius. He’s… kind of like Maven Black-Briar is in Riften, except for most of Cyrodiil.”
Divines, she hated that part of her life. She’d been nothing more than a pretty puppet for her father to use as he wanted. She’d known he’d come after her if she left, but she couldn’t stand the thought of marrying such a horrible man.
“Perhaps this isn’t my place, but it seems to me that you left to escape a life that would break you. The Companions are your family now. You are Ria of the Companions for as long as you’ll have us. Your past does not define you, child. It is not your fault those men acted the way they did. You sought a life that would let you thrive, and I’d say you found it.”
At that, Ria promptly burst into tears. It was embarrassing, but Kodlak didn’t seem to mind. In fact, while it was a little awkward, he did his best to comfort her.
She didn’t want to leave.
Genevieve
Someone was touching her leg. They were being gentle, but even the slightest touch sent bolts of agony through her body. A deep voice tried to soothe her. It was familiar, but she didn’t know who it was.
It felt like she was burning alive. She was in the village. She was in Helgen.
Everything was red red red.
Someone was screaming.
There were hands pinning her down. Big hands. Hands rough with callouses. They weren’t hurting her?
Smaller hands touched her leg, pressing something cold to it. It burned, but less than before.
The voice was back again. It was still gentle and soothing.
"How is she?"
"Not good. Better, but still not good. That damn poison is the worse part. If I could get it under control I’d be able to do more.”
“Has he been like that the whole time?”
“He only leaves when I kick him out to eat and bathe. He sleeps here. I think he feels like it wouldn’t have happened if he’d stayed that night. I keep telling him it isn’t his fault, but well, he’s stubborn.”
“He’s always been like that, since before we were whelps learning to hold a sword. Do you think the little ones could visit soon? It’s horrible to see them so sad. I didn’t think I’d miss their pranks, but now Jorrvaskr is much too quiet.”
“Perhaps in a few days. I’d like her to wake up before I let anyone else see her, especially her children. They don’t need to see her like this.”
“Aye. Lets hope she wakes soon. I don’t know how much longer I can stand seeing all of them so miserable.”
A big, rough, warm hand was holding hers. A tuneless lullaby was being hummed by a deep, rumbling voice. Another hand gently touched her face, perhaps to brush some of her hair out of the way.
Other voices blended together in the background. A moment later, she was being lifted and cradled against a warm, broad chest.
Exhaustion clawed at her, but she forced her eyes open. She wasn’t at the Temple. The bed was soft and warm. Something was resting against her side. She glanced down.
A dark head of hair was resting on top of two heavily muscled arms. Think bandages were wrapped around the equally muscled chest.
Farkas.
She was safe.
She let sleep claim her.
Genevieve was comfortable and warm when she finally properly woke up. She was still tired and her leg was throbbing, but she wasn’t moments from falling asleep. Tilting her head to the side, she found Farkas still sleeping with his arms as his pillow. There were dark smudges under his eyes and his hair was a mess, like he’d constantly been running his hands through it. Tension lined his shoulders and back, even though he was dead asleep. There were less bandages around his chest than there had been before.
“He hasn’t left your side, dear.” Tilma stepped through the door and set a tray on the nightstand. She started dipping long strips of cloth in a bowl. “It’s about time to change the dressing on your leg. I had a feeling you might wake up soon, but I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up. Your little ones have been quite sad. They’re a bit better now that they’ve been able to visit you and talk to you, but they still aren’t themselves. Alesan would read to you from that book about the Dwemer. Lucia would sing or play a song on the lute. Braith would mostly just sit quietly, though I did hear her asking you about a boy…” Tilma chuckled. “But I’m sure you’ll hear all about it once you’re a bit better. I’m going to change your dressing, alright?”
Genevieve nodded, hissing quietly when Tilma pulled back the furs and blankets and started undoing the binding on her leg. Once she’d piled the old bandages into a neat pile, she started to wrap the new ones, deftly tying them in place once she’d finished.
The bandages must’ve been soaked in some kind of pain-killer or anti-inflammatory, as her leg immediately started to feel a little bit better.
“They brought you here about four days ago. You weren’t sleeping at all in the Temple. Kept having horrible nightmares and would scream until your voice gave out and you coughed blood. Danica let them move you with the hope you’d rest better. So far, I’d say it's worked. Farkas insisted that you use his bed. Seeing as the only time you’d sleep peacefully was when he would hold you, no one protested.”
Genevieve slid her eyes back to Farkas. He must’ve been so worried. It seemed like that was all she was good for. Stress and trouble and pain.
“Ah, none of that, dear. Right now you are going to rest and heal. Those no good ruffians have been arrested and are waiting for their trials. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all executed. Oh, Kodlak will want to talk with you when you’re strong enough. I’d talk to Ria too, when you can. Poor girl needs someone to get it through her head that it wasn’t her fault. But, that’s enough of that. Get some rest, dear.”
Tilma tucked the furs around her so she was perfectly comfortable and left.
Genevieve was asleep moments later.
Farkas was awake the next time she opened her eyes. He was flipping through a book and making notes in another, his brow furrowed in concentration. The moment she moved, his head snapped up. Realizing she was awake, he set the books down and settled on the bed. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, then simply leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. Tension leaked out of his shoulders and he breathed deeply and slowly.
Eventually, he pulled away and stood, moving towards the door. She couldn’t help but whine and attempt to reach after him, only for her strength to fail.
"I'm not leaving, Gem. Just letting someone know you're awake so they can get Danica.” True to his word, he was back at her side a few moments later, taking her hand in his. “You’ve been out of it for a couple weeks. Alesan, Braith, and Lucia are all just fine. Those bastards tried to take them, but Lydia kicked their asses and I’m pretty sure Balgruuf is going to execute them. At the very least they’re banished from the Hold.” He paused. “You need to try and eat something. At least try and drink some broth. I’ll make it while Danica is here. She said she had some stuff to tell you and questions for you, but I’m not sure what.”
He still looked tired. A little better, but not great. He kept fidgeting with her hand. There was something he wasn’t telling her.
Genevieve’s leg was still throbbing. Her head hurt.
Danica arrived a few minutes later, Valdimar right behind her. Farkas squeezed her hand and slipped out the door.
Her leg would never be the same. Even if it healed properly, it wouldn’t be the same. Her throat was only a little worse than it had been and Danica was almost certain she'd speak again.
But would she walk? Would she run? Would she climb? Would she dance?
Valdimar stayed after Danica had left.
"Is there anything I can do for you, Miss?"
Genevieve was too weak to sign, but she was still able to move her fingers. She quickly started tapping her finger, relieved when Valdimar recognized the old code he'd taught her.
"Your pack? Alright. I'll bring it in the morning. It's at your house at the moment. Miss Lydia wasn’t sure where they would move you so she kept all your things together. Is there anything else?”
She tapped her finger again. His eyes softened and he sat in the chair.
“Of course I’ll stay. Would you like to hear what little we know about that poison while we wait?”
She nodded and Valdimar launched into a detailed explanation of his findings.
Farkas
She was finally awake. Gem was finally,
finally
awake. She was still a bit dazed and clearly exhausted, but Danica said that was to be expected.
She’d almost died. Twice. In the span of less than a day. He’d heard her heart stop a few times, though he hadn’t told anyone. Danica had saved her, it wouldn’t do anyone any good to dwell on things that had already happened.
Gods, he should have stayed.
He was careful not to spill the bowl of broth as he went down the stairs. He doubted she’d finish the entire bowl, but he had to try. Valdimar was just leaving when he reached his door.
Gem was propped up on a pile of furs. She’d lost weight and she looked only slightly better than death, but she was alive and healing. She gave him a weak smile when she noticed him.
She was a little grumpy that she was too weak to feed herself, but she didn’t seem to mind too much. Not yet anyway. He’d give it a couple days before her patience with herself ran out and she started pushing her limits.
She fell asleep a little bit after she ate. She’d eaten more than half of the broth, so more than he’d been expecting.
Once he was sure she was out, he pulled out his books. Farkas’ latest project was just an idea. He didn’t know if it would do a damn thing. But he had to try. He wouldn’t let her be trapped. At the very least he’d make her a staff. He’d start on it once she was closer to trying to walk. But the rest would wait until he was done.
Genevieve
As he’d promised, Valdimar brought her pack with him the next morning. Her parents' journals were safe, as were the amulets.
It was embarrassing, but Valdimar had to help her put the Amulet of Talos on. She immediately felt a little better, her voice a little stronger, but it was still frustrating.
She managed to get Valdimar to write and send a letter to Soli, explaining what had happened and her condition. Her friend had been expecting her back within the next couple of weeks. Now it seemed it would be months before anything could happen.
At least she had plenty of time to read now. She tired far too quickly, but she was learning so much from the journals.
Her mother had been well over 500 years old. Her father had been just over 300. They had been together for almost a century. Her mother had been an assassin. Her father had sold her poisons and helped her escape from that life. Her mother had become a healer.
It seems she was more like her mother than she realized.
Skjor
He didn't understand why everyone was fawning over the new blood. She was a mage. She'd nearly gotten Farkas killed multiple times. She was a magnet for trouble and she'd get all of them killed.
And now she was crippled. The others refused to say it, but that's what she was. She couldn’t speak and now she couldn’t stand, let alone fight as a Companion.
Her housecarls meant nothing. They were sworn to her service. Of course they respected her. One of her housecarls was the mage bastard from the War. His opinion was worth less than skeever shit.
Maybe she’d twisted their minds. It had happened before. But this was worse. Even Aela liked her. Aela wanted to give her the blood. She thought it would help Vi heal.
He wasn’t opposed to the wench getting the blood. After all, a lot could go wrong with the first change. And if she survived that, well, the Silver Hand were dangerous werewolf hunters. And accidents happened, especially during the first hunt.