Eriah walked into Jorrvaskr and sat down at the table between Aela and Ria. Everyone but the twins were there. Her stomach felt funny and that was because she had made a decision. A few weeks ago, Farkas asked her to marry him but told her that he was in no hurry to hear her answer. He explained she had some thinking to do about what her heart wanted. Eriah thought long and hard about it. It hadn't been easy. Now she knew for sure she made the right call. She just needed to tell Farkas. Where was he? "What's on your plate today?" Aela asked. "Nothing really. I need to talk to Farkas first and then I should probably wander the plains, making sure there are no dragons about and that the giants are keeping to their camps." Eriah replied, biting into some venison. Aela was a friend of hers, make no mistake, but she was rough around the edges. Probably something to do with her being a werewolf. She and Skjor had both agreed Eriah would make a fine addition to the Circle but Eriah was putting off her decision. After seeing Farkas transform in Dustman's Cairn, she wasn't in a hurry to throw half of her humanity away. It meant service to Hircine, Daedric Prince of the Hunt, and Eriah made it no secret that she wasn't a big fan of the Daedra. Hircine wasn't likely to involve himself in mortal affairs but when he did, it was usually for his own amusement. Were-beasts were his pawns and Eriah would not be one. Still, that didn't mean she thought less of the Circle. Farkas and Aela were friends, Vilkas was more relaxed around her, and Kodlak reminded her of her father back in Cyrodiil.
"Where is Farkas anyway? Hasn't he come back from his job yet?" she asked the Huntress. "Yeah. He and Vilkas came home late last night so they're probably still asleep. Not for long, though." Aela said, non-verbally reminding her of the short end of the werewolf stick. That was another reason why Eriah wasn't in a hurry to accept the beast blood. She loved her sleep. Eriah sighed and took a swig of mead. That's when she heard Athis behind her. "What do you have there?" the Dunmer asked before he ripped something from her neck. "Hey!" Eriah protested as he danced out of her reach. The rest of the Companions looked up to see what was up. Athis looked at what he had in his hand to the Dragonborn, who was throwing him a murderous look. It didn't faze him. "An Amulet of Mara?" he asked, his lips curling into a cheeky smirk. Eriah's face went red and she felt heat rising from under her collar. Athis smugly swung it like a pendulum. "Damn, Eriah. I'm flattered. Never thought you'd be open to the prospect of marriage." he said, his smirk growing wider. "Damn that insufferable elf." the Dragonborn swore in her mind. Athis was a bit of a joker and he liked picking on Eriah in good fun. However, she wasn't in a gaming mood because she hadn't meant for anyone else to know she had been approached or that she was looking for a marriage partner.
"Get over yourself, Athis, and hand it over. I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man on Nirn." she growled. Athis got off on her foul moods as much as he did her good ones so he wasn't the least bit intimidated. "If you're not interested in me, sweetheart, who are you planning to ask?" he asked. "None of your damn business. Will you hand it over or will I have to Shout you into a wall?" Eriah shot back, wishing she had her warhammer on her. Of all the days to leave it at home. "You don't scare me, honey. I know your power well after seeing you down that dragon last week but you wouldn't dare risk Kodlak's anger if you ended up killing me. So...are you going to tell me who it is? Did someone approach you or are you going to ask someone?" he asked. Eriah lunged at him but Athis dodged, still dangling the amulet between his fingers. "When I get my hands on you, you're going to wish you had asked Azura for protection." she growled. Athis shrugged. "You're the one making this difficult on yourself, Eriah. You Nords are a stubborn bunch." he said. It was at that moment that Vilkas made an appearance. "What's going on?" he asked when he saw Eriah glowering at Athis. He saw what was in the Dunmer's hand and his silver eyes looked at Eriah in surprise. Feeling even more humiliated now that Vilkas was involved, the Dragonborn slammed her fist on the table and put a dent in it. The other Companions got to their feet, wondering if they'd have to restrain her. "Damn it, Athis! This is my business! Why are you butting in?" she raged.
"Because it's fun. This doesn't have to get ugly if you just tell us why you have this." he replied. Eriah's fists balled but she didn't move. Her head bowed as her mind raced. This was turning into a disaster. She had meant to tell Farkas her answer in private but this damn elf insisted on making her looking like a fool. "Oblivion take you, damn elf." she hissed. She saw Farkas coming up from the corner of her eye. His face had the look of puzzlement and she heard him ask Vilkas what was going on. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. There was nothing for it now. She could either drag him off now and risk giving Athis more ammo to needle her with or she could make a statement before the entire company. "Fine, Athis. If you absolutely must know, I was approached by someone asking for my hand. I had intended on giving him my answer." she said, catching everyone's attention. Athis gave her another cheek grin. "See? That wasn't so hard. So then, who was the brave sap who asked you? I can't imagine anyone being brave enough to ask the Dragonborn to marry them." he grilled. Eriah ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "You're walking a fine line, you know that? I may be Dragonborn but that doesn't put me above anyone. Or have you forgotten I served under Ulfric Stormcloak?" she sniped.
"Ah yes, the Bear of Eastmarch. Don't tell me he asked you. That would start up the rumor mills in a hurry." Athis said. It didn't even cross Eriah's mind that she could easily punch him into the wall. "So you want to know who asked me and you want to know my answer. This nosiness is going to send you to an early grave, jackass." she said. Without waiting for a reply, Eriah turned on her heel and marched straight over to Farkas. He blinked in confusion as she came to stop in front of him. Eriah wasted no time in taking his face in her hands, pulling him down, and kissing him right in front of everyone. She could hear several jaws drop to the floor but all that mattered now was that Farkas himself got the message. She pulled away from the stunned Nord, their lips smacking audibly, before marching back over to where Athis stood with a dumb look on his face. "Satisfied, nosy bastard?" she asked before swiping the Amulet of Mara from him. She went back to Farkas, still stunned, and dragged him out of the mead hall by the arm. She slammed the door for good measure. The rest of the Companions looked over at Athis who shook his head to get out of his stupor. "What?" he asked when he saw a few pairs of eyes on him. "Eriah is right. You are a nosy bastard." Njada said. They looked over at Vilkas, whose shoulders were shaking as he tried to control his laughter. "What's with you?" Skjor asked. "That was beautiful. I must say I'm looking forward to calling Eriah my sister. My brother's a lucky man to have her." the man said before he burst out laughing. Several others joined in before things settled back into normalcy.
Eriah had dragged Farkas to Breezehome. Lydia saw them as they came in and decided to take her leave. Her Thane was flushed with embarrassment and it would be wise to give her the privacy she apparently needed. "I'll be at the Bannered Mare, my thane." she said, excusing herself. She left the Companions standing in the middle of the room. Eriah's back was to Farkas, her shoulders slumped and her head bowed. Farkas managed to shake his stuper off and he looked at the Dragonborn. "Stupid elf. Can't mind his own damn business." she mumbled under her breath before swiping her arm over her eyes. Thanks to the beast blood, Farkas could tell that she was feeling humiliated. No, it was stronger than that. She was downright mortified. There was no hiding the scent of salt from him. His face grew gentle as he drew closer to her and set his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him slowly, biting her lip before her reddening face forced her to drop her gaze. She allowed him to turn her around and face him. "Am I correct in assuming that you accepted my proposal?" Farkas asked, carefully. Last thing he wanted was to get his hopes up. It would be out of character for her but Athis had clearly riled her up so much, he had to consider the possibility that she had kissed him in full view of everyone for the express purpose of shutting him up. She was an honest woman but even she had her limits. "I...I didn't mean for it to get that out of hand. I had meant to tell you my answer in private." she choked.
"Take a deep breath. We're alone now so you can give your answer." he said. Eriah leaned against his strong frame, breathing in his scent. He wrapped his arms around her and just held her. "I don't want you to think that I only made such a scene to get Athis off my back. I meant every bit of it." she said after a moment. She brought her brown eyes up to meet his silver. "My answer is yes. I will marry you, Farkas." she said. To say the man felt immense joy was an understatement. Farkas's face broke out into a huge smile. His lips were on hers so quick, she squeaked in surprise. He lifted her clear off her feet, holding her tightly to him. When they broke apart and she was on the ground, Eriah swayed a little. "Whoa." she said. Now that was a kiss. "You made me the happiest man in Tamriel, Eriah. Mara herself would be proud." he said. The Dragonborn let her face break out into a smile before wrapping her arms around his neck. Farkas lowered his face to her own neck and kissed her several times, causing her breath to hitch. She pulled back a little and her hand found its way to his face. The man leaned into her touch. That's when what happened in Jorrvaskr caught up with Eriah and she went completely still, her eyes wide and staring at a point off to his left. "What's up?" he asked, curiously.
"Oh gods. What in Oblivion did I just do?" she asked. Eriah groaned and buried her very red face in her hands. Farkas just cocked an eyebrow before smirking and prying her hands from her face. "I can never go in there again. I just made a complete fool of myself." she said, rather dumbly. Farkas laughed, causing her face to redden even more and she gave him a very weak punch in the chest. "Don't make fun of me, Farkas! I just wrecked my entire reputation!" she complained. The man gave her a wolfish grin before backing her to the wall. "Would you relax and savor the moment? Worry about them later." he said, putting his hands on the wall by her head. Eriah was rendered a bit speechless by his rather bold move and her hands had instinctively come to rest against his waist. She groaned again before letting her forehead fall against his armor. "Not that easy. I can't set foot in there. Athis, Ria, and Njada would eat me alive. To say nothing of the torture Aela would put me through." she complained. "Stop worrying. I'll keep them off your back but if you really don't want to go back there, you can always head to Riften. I'll smooth everything over and meet you there." he said. He got a huge kick at seeing her face light up like Masser when fully waxed. She sighed, sounding rather defeated but she lifted her eyes to his with a small smile. "I love you, Farkas." she said. He smiled back before kissing her again, bringing his entire body closer to pin her to the wall. Her hands reached around to rest against his back.
When they pulled away, they were slightly breathless. "I'll make for Riften. Can't promise I'll make it there before you, though. Might get pulled into something along the way." she said. "No problem. Just be at the Temple of Mara by sundown on the 17th of Mid Year. That gives you two weeks." he said. "I'll be there." Eriah promised. Farkas kissed her again and both were reluctant to part for even a moment. When they finally did, Eriah pulled out a key. "This is the key to my house in Riften, Honeyside. If you make it there before me, you can stay there. Just watch your pockets." she warned. "Naturally. I'll see you there, love." he said. Eriah smiled at him before flipping their positions so that it was his back to the wall. "I love it when you talk like that." she said. Farkas just toyed with one of her braids before a rather dark look settled on his face. The Dragonborn picked up on it and she titled her head. "What's wrong?" she asked. "I know Aela and Skjor approached you about joining the Circle. They mean to make you one of us." he said. Setting his hand on the back of her head and lifting his gaze to meet hers, he sighed. "Now that we're going to get married, they're going to get more insistent that you take the beast blood, claiming it will make it safer for you to be around me." he said. Eriah pursed her lips as she thought about it.
"What do you mean?" she asked. The man leaned his forehead against hers. "The beast blood...it makes me stronger. Things are about to change for us, Eriah. When we're married and we...I could forget myself and do some damage." he said. The Dragonborn knew what had gone unspoken. He was afraid that when she gave herself to him on their wedding night, his inner wolf would work him into such frenzy that he'd hurt her horribly. She placed her hand under his chin and made him meet her eyes. "You knew me in Dustman's Cairn, Farkas. You knew me when you carried me to Windhelm after the Silver Hand ambush. I'm not afraid of your inner wolf. Leave that for when it happens. If you think about the bad that could happen...well, you'll make it happen. Please, Farkas. I struggled to come up with an answer for you for weeks. I finally gave my consent to marry you. Don't back out now because of your fear that you'll damage me. If it's unavoidable, then it's unavoidable. I've fought and defeated a number of powerful foes. Against Alduin or even Miraak...what's your wolf in comparison?" she asked. He just looked at her, his love and helplessness making themselves known in equal measure. "Eriah Quintence...you drive me insane. You win. But if they come to you asking you to take the beast blood, I want you to give it serious thought. I'd rather you not join me in this curse but if you choose to, I'm with you until the very end." he said. The two kissed once more, slowly savoring each other's taste before they reluctantly parted. Eriah headed upstairs to start packing for her journey to Riften while Farkas left to fend off the rest of the less reserved Companions. He could handle their teasing but he had to keep them occupied long enough for Eriah to leave Whiterun. She had been humiliated enough for one day.
Eriah's mind was formulating a plan. She'd likely would have to stay a night in Windhelm and she wondered if she could handle being in the same city as the first man she loved. She was positive she was making the right call in marrying Farkas but there was always that small nibble of doubt. She could almost hear Miraak mocking her over that small amount of doubt she let slip but his soul was quiet. Sighing roughly, she opened up her chest and pulled his mask out. "Stay out of my head, bastard. Don't ruin this for me. You hear me?" she half-growled at the mask in her hand. Silence met her threat and she placed it back in the trunk. She locked it, wanting to keep the First Dragonborn's effects away from prying eyes. She trusted Lydia enough not to rummage through her personal belongings but it was with regret and no small amount of guilt that Eriah had even brought everything on Miraak's person when he was slain home with her. She didn't want to be questioned on them yet. She needed to do things one bit at a time. There was no rush. Farkas was aware of the brand on her neck and he had come to an understanding that in a way, Miraak had his own claim on her...even if his claim only extended to his right to defeat her in Sovngarde when she died. Hoisting her pack onto her shoulders and grabbing the Masque of Clavicus Vile, Eriah headed out the door. She intended to stop by the Bannered Mare to let Lydia know what was going on. She looked at Jorrvaskr in the distance and her doubt blew away like smoke. The man who was going to be her husband was there, doing his best to shield her from unwanted grilling. She smiled and turned to the tavern. She couldn't wait to begin this new stage in her life with Farkas at her side.