Another quick note: At this point Aela and the main character are taking the "Totems of Hircine" quest and because of Hircine blessing and protecting whoever goes on the quest Aela can't be killed (like in the game when you take but don't finished the quest) so Aela is basically invincible.


With a groan I force myself to get up and prepare for the day. As I put on my wolf armor I look up and force myself not to growl in disdain. Riverwood is by far the last place I want to be. This is the third week we've been camped right beside the little mud hole of a city. Apparently the Riverwood Trader has even less money than Aela thought.

After giving Aela a quick shake to awaken her I look towards the sun. After a few seconds though I decide the time is around 5ish. As I leap on to Shadowmere I hear a few mumbled insults telling me that Aela is ready enough to leave. Hanging on I ride Shadowmere through town and over the bridge on Riverwoods north side. As I follow the bank of the river I keep my eyes alert for the slight change in color that would indicate a mudcrab's corpse.

After only a few minutes of riding I pull on Shadowmere's reins telling her to halt her neck breaking run. As I leap from my faithful horse's back I hear a loud huffing and puffing. Rolling my eyes at Aela's over dramatic gasping I saunter over to the mudcrab's uncaring body. I raise my hands and prepare for the Soul Suck Spell. As I once again perform the spell I can't help but have a feeling of despair wash over me.

I've been doing this at least three days a week ever since we got to Riverwood. I know that if Aela had her way we would have left a week ago for Whiterun and maybe Winterhold. It was only after an hour of persuading she finally agreed (although reluctantly) to stay in Riverwood. Although she refused to spend any money at the local inn.

As I do the spell for the fifth time I can't help but groan. I know that only a week ago I could only do the Soul Suck Spell twice before getting tired. Most people would be thrilled to have come so far in so much time. Not me however, I'm only a little closer to getting HER back. Although there has been a huge change. I can feel myself getting stronger and stronger. It won't be long before I talk to Aela about going to the Winterhold College.

Suddenly as I do the spell once again I feel something inside me swell and break. I close off the magicka flowing to my hands and turn to Aela. "What's wrong?" She ask while never raising her eyes from our map. "I'm done training. My conjuring is as good as it ever will be." I say while quickly looking around to make sure I have all of my belongings before I go to sit by Aela.

As she closes up the map she raises her eyes to me a lifts one eyebrow in her signature "What do you mean?" look. "You were there when I talked to Phinis. You remember what he said, right?" When she nods I continue. "Well my conjuring is at it's best and I want to go as soon as we can." After a quick second of thought I throw in "And we can stop be Whiterun and even Jorrvaskr if you want!"

As she chews her lip I can see the wheels in her mind turn, no doubt thinking about her options. "I would like to see the companions again. And looking around a little in Whiterun would be nice. I also suppose we could sell the rest of our stuff at Winterhold. Okay, but I do have a few conditions." She says all while packing her belongings up. "Anything." I whisper while visions of Astrid once again alive run through my head.

"I want us to go together, no running ahead. And I want to do minimal stopping. And should the need arise for night travel I want us both to travel in our beast forms. No wandering around in the dark like blind chickens." She declares while rising from the ground and marking a path on the map. "Sure, sure anything." I agree blindly as I jump up and down in impatience.


As I sit down by the fire Aela had managed to coax out of a few wet branches I can't help but have hope flare in my chest. We were only a day or two away from Winterhold. I can't help but curse myself for staying three days in Whiterun. Surely I could have convinced Aela to leave after the second. As Aela sits beside me I see the ring on her finger gleam in the light of the fire.

With a slight sigh Aela moves away and crawls in to her sleeping bag, no doubt to get away from me and my obsession that has followed me ever since I got a note in Riften with two words on it. We Know.

Those two words have followed me ever since I first read them. Suddenly the ring on my finger (the exact smae as Aela's ring) gleams and my mind is turned elsewhere. My wife has followed me all across Skyrim, fought bravely by my side since I first joined the Companions, and done all she can to please me. She's even followed me on this wild hunt for a way to bring a woman that she has always hated back to life. And I can't even bring myself to kiss her. A wave of guilt washes over me. However as I lay my head down on my smashed pillow my mind wanders to thoughts of Astrid and all the things I never got to say to her in life. As these thoughts race across my mind I whisper in to the dead of night. "Soon. I promise."