A.N.: Yay for plot bunnies. Unfortunately this doesn't help me with any of my other stories that haven't been updated in the past year, this was certainly something that the muse threw together in roughly twelve hours. Honestly, I'm happy with this, and I hope that you all are as well. I do not own Skyrim, nor the characters of Aela, Jordis Sward-Maiden, Danica Pure-Spring, Lydia or Vilkas. Markus, Dengen and Eiruki are mine though.
Please read, review and enjoy!
Aela paced nervously across the kitchen foyer of Proudspire Manor, her hands wringing together in an anxious dance before her chest. While it was true to his character, Markus has never stayed away from home for this long before, and she was worried for his safety. Dragonborn or not, he was still her husband, and she would only worry if it was necessary. Right now, the feeling in her gut, and the tightening in her chest, told her that her worry was justified.
"My lady, please sit. All of this pacing cannot be good for you." Jordis remarks as she moves towards Aela.
"I can't stand this... He's never been gone this long." Aela responds as she allows Jordis to lead her to a chair in the living room.
"I am sure he is fine, my lady. He is a Nord, and quite a stubborn one as well. It would be impossible for just some lowly bandits to best him in combat."
"It is not the bandits that I worry about. It is the dragons, the Thalmor, and especially the Silver Hand..." Her eyes begin to well with tears, and it takes great effort to keep herself together.
"My lady... Markus is the Dragonborn. He is the Harbinger of the Companions, the Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, the Thane of all nine Holds of Skyrim, and the Slayer of Alduin the World Eater. Have faith in your husband; he will return for you." Jordis replies as she gently takes hold of Aela's hand in a comforting gesture.
Aela smiles sadly as she listens to Jordis' words, taking in the information that she knows all too well. Jordis is the only Housecarl, aside from Lydia in Whiterun, that knows of Aela and Markus' lycanthropy, and to the two of them, she is considered a valued member of their "pack". When Aela became pregnant with their son, Jordis made it a point to pick up any extra slack that may have happened while Aela rested. This included running the shop during the day. With Dengen now approaching the age of eight, he is fascinated by the prospect of being a warrior like his father, and mother, before him. Jordis trains him daily at archery and swordsmanship, much like her name suggests.
"I think it is best that I go to sleep for the evening. If he returns, please wake me." Aela says as she fixes her gaze upon Jordis.
"As you wish my lady." Jordis responds as she helps Aela to the master bedroom.
As they walk up the stairs, they hear Dengen practicing in his bedroom. The familiar clang of iron upon the dummy sends a pang of longing into Aela's chest. It's been too long since she's picked up a sword, and she misses the familiar feel of steel in her hands. Jordis sees the look in her eyes, and leads Aela towards Dengen's room before dismissing herself downstairs to busy herself with cleaning.
Dengen continues to strike the practice dummy with precision, never once taking his eyes off of his enemy; his prey. His golden eyes show his concentration, and Aela feels a swell of maternal pride as she watches her pup hack into the dummy that Markus had built for him. She shifts in the doorway, and Dengen's ears perk slightly at the sound, temporarily breaking his concentration. He turns his head towards the doorway, and then gives his mother a toothy grin as he sheaths his dagger.
"Mother!" He exclaims as he rushes towards her, wrapping his arms around her in an embrace.
"You are improving pup. I'm so proud of you." Aela responds as she hugs Dengen close to her.
"I wish father were home..." His voice is suddenly small and meek, showing a side to her son that she rarely sees.
"Oh Dengen... I wish he was too..." Aela responds sadly, running her fingers through his dark brunette hair.
"Do you think he will be back soon?" His eyes lock with hers, and she just can't avoid the sadness in them.
"Yes... I'm sure of it. Now, it's time for bed pup. Put your dagger away." She says as she gently nudges him towards his bed.
"Yes, mother." He responds as he removes the dagger sheath from his hip and places it on his bedside table.
Aela follows him to his bed and tucks him in, smoothing his hair back as he lays his head onto his pillow. She places a kiss on his forehead and moves to head to bed herself, but his voice stops her.
"Ma?"
"Yes Dengen?"
"Will you... Will you sing me the song that Grandma used to sing to you?" He asks, and she feels her chest tighten at his request.
"It's been so long that I've forgotten the words... How about I hum the melody?" She asks as she turns to look at him.
"Okay."
Aela moves back to the bed and lowers herself onto the edge. Dengen rolls onto his side and curls up against his mother's side as she begins to hum the old melody that has been sung from generation to generation. She runs her fingers through his hair again, soothing him into a deep, dream filled slumber. At the end of the melody, she removes her fingers from his hair and readjusts the quilt over his shoulder before walking out of the room and leaving the door cracked open.
She moves into the master bedroom and lowers herself onto the bed, sighing sadly as she thinks of her absent husband. Who knew what he could possibly be up to at this moment. Was he fighting a dragon? Was he running an errand for some Jarl in another Hold? Was he conversing with the Greybeards up in High Hrothgar? Her worst fear was that her husband, her mate for life, had been killed somewhere far from home and the news had still not come.
Her chest began to constrict at the thought, and she immediately dispelled it from her already anxious mind. Shaking her head once more, she laid down and covered herself with the quilt, drifting off into a restless sleep.
When she awoke, unsure of how much later, she was drenched in a cold sweat that chilled her very bones. Removing the quilt from her legs, she rose from the bed and walked to the washbasin against the far wall of the bedroom, filled it with cool water, and splashed it against her face. Using one of the fur towels sitting on the cupboard to her right, she slowly dabbed the water away from her skin and tried to shake the nightmare from her mind.
At the sound of rustling downstairs, her ears perked up and her eyes began to gleam in the moonlight shining through the window. She quickly moved to her bedside table and grabbed her dagger from the drawer. Slowly, she began to sneak down the stairs to the living room, eyes focused on every shadow that she passed by. As soon as her foot touched the landing, her nose was assaulted by the very prominent scent of dirt, sweat and blood. Her heart sank into her stomach as she immediately imagined the worst possible reason for the scent of blood. Her legs began to shake underneath her, and it took incredible will power for her to reach a chair before she collapsed under the weight of anxiety and nausea that threatened to floor her at any moment.
She buried her head into her hands, dagger discarded on the table, and wept. For the first time in the three months that Markus has been away, she wept. Her shoulders sank with her heart, and her beautiful red locks fell around her face. So lost in her own worry and sadness, she didn't notice the familiar presence that made its way up the stairwell and towards her.
"Aela?" The mental connection that only werewolves could share invaded her mind. Her head immediately shot up from her hands and she turned around in the chair that she had fallen into.
"Markus?" She responded through the connection as her eyes scanned the darkness of Proudspire Manor for the slightest hint of movement.
From the stairwell leading up into the living room, she spotted it. Two glowing golden eyes hovering over a muzzle of razor sharp teeth. The familiar gait of her mate gave him away, and she burst into tears of joy at seeing her darling mate once again. She pushed herself up from the chair as he stalked over to her, and embraced his hulking form when he was within arms reach, burying her face into his warm fur, inhaling his familiar scent once again.
Another scent caught her nose, and she quickly pulled away and looked up into his eyes.
"Silver?" She questioned as she locked her gaze with his.
"Yes. Brunwulf Free-Winter, the new Jarl of Windhelm, assigned me with clearing out a new group of Silver Hand's that took refuge in Gallow's Rock." He replied as he traced his claws over her flesh, becoming familiar with her figure once again.
"My love, you could have died..." She responded sadly as she once again buried her face into his fur.
"And I would if it meant that you and Dengen would be safe." His body began to revert back to his human form, and Aela pulled away from him as the change occurred.
"But life would have no meaning without you here. We are mates, and when one of us dies, the other is soon to follow." She said as she gazed upon his human form once again.
He moved towards her and placed both of his hands upon the swell of her protruding abdomen, where their child moved at the contact of his hands upon Aela's stomach. She moved her hands over his and held them there.
"You know that I would never die and leave you here. But, if I had too, it would be for the protection of you and the children. Nothing else would matter to me but your safety." He said, gently kissing her lips as they stood there in the moonlight filtering through the skylights.
"My love... Please do not leave for such an extended period of time. I worry about you." She said as she rested her head in the crook of his neck.
"I am staying right here. Nothing else could take me away from you when you are so close to giving birth. I have missed out on too much already." He replied as he held his beautiful mate closer to his body.
With very little effort, he hoisted her up into his arms and walked up the stairs to their bedroom. Laying her down, he covered her body with the quilt and kissed her temple before walking around the bed to join her. His arm wrapped protectively around her waist as he nestled up against her back, placing a second kiss on her shoulder before falling peacefully to sleep.
Aela held his hand against her stomach, just staring into the darkness, before sleep finally came to claim her exhausted mind and body.
When she awoke the following morning, the first thing that her eyes found were those of her mate looking back at her. He smiled sleepily at her and kissed her forehead before removing the covers from his body.
"I still haven't greeted Dengen." He says as he moves from the bed and dresses himself in his Wolf Armor.
"Our pup will be happy to see you, love." Aela responds as she sits herself up against the headboard.
A slight look of discomfort crosses her face, and the sudden shift of her scent is picked up by her husband, who immediately turns his head towards her.
"Aela? Are you okay?" He asks as he makes his way towards her.
"Fine... Just the baby moving around. Go, let Dengen know that you are home." She says as she dismisses him from her side with a gentle wave of her hand.
"If you insist my dear." He says, placing a gentle kiss upon her lips before leaving the room.
As soon as Markus makes his way down the stairs, Aela runs her hand over her abdomen; her face slightly contorted by the amount of pain that she is actually feeling.
"Be still little pup. It is too soon for you to arrive." Aela whispers as she continues to brush her hand over her stomach.
The movement slowly comes to a stop, and she breathes a sigh of relief before making her move from the bed to her wardrobe. Her armor had stopped fitting long ago, and though she despised wearing something that left her so vulnerable, the tunics better suited the change in her body better than fitted armor. Slipping on a deep blue tunic, Aela walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the living room, where Markus was busy play wrestling with Dengen. The smile on her face was immediately replaced with a grimace as she leaned against the wall on the landing; her arm wrapped securely around her abdomen as she hissed in pain.
Markus and Dengen both stopped wrestling at the sound, and when Markus laid his eyes upon his pained mate, he quickly went to her side and held her protectively in his arms. Jordis, who had been watching the two male werewolves, quickly approached Markus and Aela.
"Aela, what's wrong my love?" Markus asked as he took her hand in his own.
"The pup... I... I'm about to give birth..." Aela gasped as another jolt of pain rippled across her abdomen.
Jordis quickly ran down the stairs to the alchemy lab, while Markus carried Aela back upstairs to the bedroom. Knowing that the members of The Circle frequently patrolled around Skyrim, Markus reached his connection as far as he could, brushing against the minds of any Companions that could be close by. Aela felt the connection as well, and sent out her own plea for whichever Shield-Brother may be near by.
As soon as her connection went out, her body convulsed as another contraction shot across her abdomen, throwing her head back against the pillows behind her. Dengen shifted uncomfortably at the foot of the bed, eyes locked on his mother as the pain ripped through her body. The fear and tears in his young eyes chilled Markus to his core. He left Aela's side and went to his son, murmuring soothing words into the eight-year-old's ear before sending him down to the living room to wait.
After several minutes, Markus finally received what he had been waiting for: a response from a Shield-Brother. Vilkas answered the call, stating that he was merely a few miles away from Solitude. The sound of footsteps bounding up the stairs brought invaded into Markus' conscious. He turned his head towards the doorway and locked eyes with Jordis, who was holding a tankard of a sweet smelling liquid. Jordis moved to Aela's side and brought the tankard down to her lips.
"Drink this my lady. It will help with the pain." She said as she placed the lip of the tankard upon Aela's lips.
She drank the liquid willingly, and within mere minutes her body began to relax under the effects of the potion. Looking up at Jordis, she slowly nodded her thanks to the other woman, who smiled in return. Markus laid his hand upon Aela's abdomen, causing her to turn her head towards him.
"Are you ready my dear?" He asked as he looked into her eyes.
"With you by my side, I can handle anything..." She replied as she placed her hand over his.
Vilkas cut in with a connection, stating he was in Solitude and making his way towards Proudspire Manor. Markus sent Jordis to greet him when he arrived, which was right as she got downstairs. Vilkas appeared in the doorway mere moments later, followed by Lydia, who had become a recent recruit of The Companions after Aela and Markus moved to Solitude.
"Aela, Markus, it has been a while Shield-Siblings." Vilkas greeted as he walked into the room.
"Too long Vilkas... Too long..." Aela breathed out as she rested against Markus' chest.
"You'll have to bring the pup with you on your next visit." Vilkas stated as he took hold of Aela's outstretched hand.
"Of course. It will need to know how great it's linage is..." Aela responded as she dropped her hand down onto the bed.
A comfortable silence fell upon the room, and as the potion continued to take effect on her body, Aela slowly drifted off into a quiet slumber.
Her eyes shot open merely a few hours later as a stabbing pain laid into her abdomen. Her arm instinctively flew over the general area of pain, and she leaned forwards as it became almost unbearable. Markus, stilling sitting next to her on the bed, quickly took her in his arms and held her close as the pain began to subside. Lydia walked back into the room, followed closely behind by Danica Pure-Spring. The healer took her spot at the end of the bed and checked to see if the child was crowning.
"Aela." Danica said, looking up from her place between Aela's legs. The She-Wolf looked down to the other woman with a look of pain on her face. "It is time. You can push." She said as she gripped Aela's knees before turning her attention back to the shifting babe.
Aela bore down as another contraction set in. Sweat dripped down her forehead as her body fought to expel their child from her womb, and with each passing moment, she became more and more exhausted. Her eyes began to droop in a tired haze, but Markus was instantly encouraging her through their mental connection and placing gentle kisses upon her temple.
With the following contraction, Aela pushed with all her might, and her body fell back against Markus' chest, exhausted.
"I can't... I'm too tired..." She panted out as she closed her eyes.
Markus pressed his head against hers and breathed in her scent. He reached into her consciousness and began to share vivid memories of Dengen's birth, and how proud and awestruck he was when he held their son for the first time. He shared memories of their time together with The Companions at Jorrvaskr, the memory of their first night together as mates. More importantly, he showed her the memory of when he first saw her, fighting the giant at Pelagia Farm, and fell in love with her.
Tears of happiness were slowly sliding down her cheeks as she relieved his memories of them, and she was filled with a new strength as her mate placed another kiss upon her brow.
Aela once again bore down as the next contraction set in. Whenever she thought that she couldn't do it anymore, she relieved a memory and drew upon the strength of her wolf spirit, bearing down once again.
After several more hours, late into the night, Aela's cries of pain were overpowered by the cries of a healthy baby girl squirming within Danica Pure-Spring's arms. Aela collapsed back against her husband's chest and allowed her tears to flow freely at the sight of her newborn baby girl. Danica wrapped the infant in a clean fur blanket and handed her off to her mother. Her parents gazed fondly down at their newborn pup, and Vilkas walked back up the stairs with Dengen close at his heels. Aela gazed at her son and gently waved him over. He was immediately at her side.
"Meet your sister, pup." Aela said hoarsely as she gazed down at Dengen.
Dengen gazed down at the squirming newborn. Her eyes, the same vibrant blue as her father's, gazed back at her brother. Though only a tuft at birth, she had the same red locks as her mother, and grandmother, before her. Dengen gently traced his fingertips down her exposed arm, and she cooed happily up at him. His face broke out into a toothy grin as he looked down at his sister, and then back to his smiling parents.
"What will you name her?" He asked, looking between the two of them.
"Hmm... What do you think of Eiruki?" Aela asked as she looked between her husband and son.
"A strong name for a strong she-wolf. I love it." Markus said, placing a gentle kiss upon his daughter's forehead.
"I like it too. It is a pretty name." Dengen said, grinning widely at both of his parents.
"Eiruki it is." Aela says with a smile, kissing the newly named pup on her forehead, then kissing Markus.
Dengen climbed up onto the bed and nestled himself onto his father's lap, talking animatedly about how excited he was to have a sibling, and how he would train her and protect her no matter what. Markus smiled happily, throwing in his own thoughts on Dengen's proclamations to his new sister, and agreeing that he would make an excellent protector for her. Aela smiled happily as she gently held Eiruki to her chest, the beating of her heart lulling the infant girl into a peaceful sleep.
Placing their daughter into the crib in the corner of the room, Aela's final thoughts were of how happy she was to have her family together and complete. She walked back over to the bed and lowered herself down, taking gentle maneuvers so as not to wake her sleeping son and husband. She placed a goodnight kiss upon Dengen's forehead and laid down onto the pillows behind her.
Though painful and exhausting, she couldn't have been happier with the day as she was at that moment. Her world was complete, and nothing could take this happiness from her.