Thanks everybody for reading my story! Do you like it so far?
Reviews would be very much appreciated since I am still learning how to write a proper story. And how am I supposed to learn if I don't know what's wrong?
Disclaimer: I still don 't own Skyrim. :( Or Farkas or Vilkas for that matter.
Chapter beta'd by Zevgirl and updated.
An uncomfortable silence hung in the room.
The twins exchanged nervous glances while Kodlak absentmindedly stroked his beard. He only got a few glances at the sleeping girl Farkas had carried into Jorrvaskr earlier that evening. She seemed almost unharmed, though obviously exhausted from all that she went through. Still, Kodlak was suspicious. What exactly had happened in that cave and why would anyone be left alive?
And what happened to the Bandits Farkas and Vilkas were supposed to take care of?
Too many questions, not enough answers.
Kodlak had decided to keep the girl in Jorrvaskr until they figured out what exactly had happened, and maybe even found someone to take care of her. At this very moment, Mahri was asleep in Farkas' bed. Vilkas' room had a double bed, so the twins decided to share the room for a while and offer the girl some rest and privacy while recovering.
Finally Kodlak spoke to the twins. "We all must keep our eyes on her, lest she see something she is not supposed to see. I will give the girl a few days, but eventually I require answers only she can give. I trust you will look after her in the meantime?"
Both men nodded in reply.
A knock interrupted their conversation. Aela stuck her head through the door and greeted the men. "Kodlak, a few hunters just reported a bloodbath to the guards. They say they found a camp of what appeared to be bandits, all of them torn to pieces. The hunters all agree that no animal they have ever encountered could do this much damage to a group of armed men, yet the wounds that killed these bandits seemed to have been caused by wild animals. Bears or wolves maybe. The bodies are still there, they have not been eaten by whatever attacked them."
Aela, Farkas and Kodlak all instantly looked at Vilkas.
"Where can I find these dead bandits?"
"About an hour north of Whiterun. Good luck finding your ring."
Vilkas nodded in reply and left the room.
Aela took his seat and looked at Farkas. "So what about that girl?"
"I don't know for sure. Seems like her whole township was eradicated by the Silver Hand. Doesn't seem to be their style, but you never know with them."
Kodlak once again stroked his beard. "You are right, Farkas. It seems rather odd. I hope the girl has some answers for us. However, we must keep our eyes on her."
Nodding, Farkas stood up. "I'll check on her right now. She will be really scared when she wakes up in a strange room."
With these words, he opened the door and headed towards his own bedroom.
It took Vilkas a while to find the dead bandits in the dark. Dawn would not come for another two hours at the least so he relied on the light of a torch to search the bodies. In his wolf-form, everything would be so much easier, but he refused to transform as long as he was not sure if he could keep control.
The scene that was lying before him was gruesome to put it mildly. Though he could not remember being there, Vilkas had no doubts whatsoever that he had caused this. He slaughtered these people.
Whether they were bandits or not, Vilkas did not know, though their armour, weapons, and other possessions suggested it.
There was blood everywhere. It was nearly impossible to identify the faces of the bodies, and by Talos, Vilkas could not even make out the gender of one of them.
There were about half a dozen bodies lying around and two dead horses were harnessed to a small carriage. There were shackles and chains on the cart that suggested they held someone – or something – hostage. Maybe they were head-hunters? Vilkas thought.
He sat down at the back of the bloodstained carriage and took a deep breath. What could possibly have driven him into such a frenzy? And why did that only happen to him? Farkas never lost control, and Aela's beast seemed to be her best friend. It was only Vilkas who struggled.
He just really hoped that these people somehow deserved to die. It was a great relief when he heard they were probably bandits, and upon his arrival, he could not see any dead children. So maybe he got off with a slap on the wrist this time. Still, he needed to find his ring.
He would have to wait a few hours for daylight to begin his search. Vilkas laid back on the cart, staring up at the sky, once again lost in thought about the strange events of the last two days.
Farkas sat in a chair in a dark corner of his room. He was watching the sleeping girl, wondering if her nightmares were as bad as his. Her red hair was spread out over his pillow and it almost looked as if her head was on fire. Her tears had dried and her pale face looked peaceful, almost happy, as she slept quietly. Even from the distance, Farkas could hear her heartbeat. It was steady and fast, an almost hypnotizing beat that entranced him.
He had been sitting there for about half an hour when she woke up.
She moaned softly as she opened her eyes, feeling better rested than she had in a long time. Farkas watched as she moved, took a look around and finally sat up in the bed, rubbing her eyes.
"Did you sleep well?"
His dark voice startled her and she almost jumped out of the bed. Big green eyes looked at him in shock.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya."
Mahri shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I was just not expecting to wake up here... wherever I am. Where am I?"
Farkas chuckled. "Jorrvaskr. My room to be exact."
She looked surprised and a little embarrassed. "So you did not get a chance to sleep because of me? I'm so sorry!"
A small blush graced her cheeks and Farkas could not help but smile. She was very pretty like that.
"Don't worry about it, I temporarily moved into my brother's room. You can stay here until you're better."
Mahri gave him a shy smile and nodded. "Thank you. Your brother doesn't mind?"
He shook his head. "We're twins. We've done everything together for most of our lives, so my snoring shouldn't bother him."
She started laughing at his comment, and Farkas noticed how proud it made him to elicit such a sweet sound from her. For some reason he felt protective of the girl, knowing that it was people like himself and his brother that caused her pain in the first place.
Did he just feel responsible? He'd have to think about that some more later.
Her laughter ebbed away and she looked at her hands. "And what will happen to me when I feel better?"
Farkas felt a knot tighten in his stomach. The thought of simply kicking her out once they got their answers did not appeal to him. He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed.
"Kodlak will want to talk to you about what happened. That is, once you feel you're ready. And after that... we will find you a place to stay."
Even as he spoke these words, he knew she heard the doubt in his voice. There was nowhere for her to go.
Yet she nodded. "I don't know if I... if I can talk about... will I have to tell everything? All the details?"
Farkas saw tears emerging in her eyes and quickly walked over to her, sitting down on the bed.
"No, of course not!" He panicked. Crying women was something he could absolutely not handle.
Mahri covered her face in her hands and started sobbing. "It was terrible! So much death, and the screams..."
Farkas did not know what to do. Her hands did little to hide the pain in her eyes. Tears ran down her face and fell onto the duvet. He would have done anything to make her stop, but this situation was new for him. The girls that lived in Jorrvaskr never cried.
Before he even knew what was going on, she was lying in his arms, crying at his shoulder. Instinctively Farkas wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair in what he thought was a soothing manner. To his surprise, the sobbing ebbed away. Farkas was very uncomfortable, but at least the girl had stopped. Her head was nestled on his neck, his nose just above her hair. She smelt of flowers. She's supposed to smell of blood and death, a little voice in his head screamed, but reason was the last thing on his mind.
After a while, he was not sure if she was still awake or had fallen asleep again. As he was trying to move, he felt her arms around his torso tightening.
"Thank you, Farkas."
It was but a whisper, but the sweet sound of her voice combined with her breath on his neck sent shivers down his spine. He really needed to get away from her. Like, right now.
"You're welcome."
Even he noticed how uncomfortable his voice sounded. His body was tense and he was getting slightly aroused, yet he could not get his arms to let go of her.
When her lips started to place soft kisses on his throat, he knew he was in trouble.
By Talos, what have I gotten myself into?
It was almost midday when Vilkas finally returned to Jorrvaskr. Aela only had to look into his eyes to know he had not found what he was looking for.
"Nothing but death and more death," he said as he walked past her. There was not a trace of his ring. Somebody might have stolen it, but all the other valuables the bandits carried with them were still there. So why would anybody take a ring that held absolutely no value whatsoever for anybody who did not have the beastblood running through their veins and yet leave all the other treasure behind? It made no sense.
Vilkas made his way downstairs. He needed a change of clothes and some sleep. In his room, he met his brother who looked slightly disturbed, yet as soon as he saw Vilkas, his eyes lit up. "Good, you're back. The ring?"
His brother only shook his head. "Nowhere to be found. And the girl?"
Farkas seemed to blush a little at this question. "Wide awake and full of energy. She's having a bath right now. Anyway, gotta go. Talk to you later, you need to get some sleep."
Before Vilkas was able to ask any questions, his brother had already left his room. That was odd. However, he would surely get some answers later. Right now, he needed to rest.
With a few quick motions, he took of his wolf armour and fell onto his bed.
Vilkas was asleep within seconds.
