The Bride & The Other Brother
Chapter 2
Vilkas ran out of the bridal suite after Faye, but Aela soon blocked his path.
"Get out of my way!" Vilkas shouted at her as he tried to move around the huntress.
"Let them work it out," Aela replied sharply, a firm hand on his chest.
Vilkas slapped her hand away and studied her face. He saw jealousy, rage, and hurt in her eyes, as well as a vindictive smile on her lips. Understanding dawned on him and he snarled at her, "You did this."
She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Yes."
He grabbed her upper arms and shook her. "How could you do something like this, Aela?!"
Aela gave him a pointed look. "I don't think you're in a position to pass moral judgments, Vilkas. It wasn't I who was fucking my brother's future wife. On her wedding day and in her wedding dress, no less."
His hold tightened causing her to flinch. "But why, Aela? Why tear our family apart even more than it already is?!"
She smiled viciously at him. "Because you are mine, Vilkas," the Nord woman said simply before tearing herself from his hold. She turned her back on him and started walking down the hallway. She stopped and looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes only slits and her lips pressed into a thin line. "And I don't share."
Vilkas snarled at her as he took a fighting stance, fully prepared to attack her for her treachery. But he realized that the longer he stayed here with Aela, the farther Faye was getting away from him. He growled low in his chest and took off, pushing past Aela and flying out the front door of the temple.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Farkas ran as fast as he could, away from the woman that had just shattered his heart into little pieces and the brother that had crossed him. He felt so numb. It felt as if all the connections between his mind and heart and body had been severed with that one sharp cut of betrayal.
He raced passed the guards, heading straight for the woods that surrounded Riften. The sun was beginning to set and the full moon would be out soon.
She wasn't far behind him. He could hear her screaming his name. He could smell her, the wind carrying her scent to his nose. But he couldn't face her right now. He needed time. Need to be alone.
As he ran, Farkas let his beast take him over. His pace never slowed as his body began transforming into a werewolf. Soon he was running faster, his beast blood allowing him to fly across the open field towards the woods.
He just needed to escape.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"FARKAS!" Faye screamed as she tried to catch up to him. The hem of her dress was catching on her feet and the slippers she wore were making her trip all over herself.
She cursed under her breath when she saw him change into a werewolf. She'd never be able to catch him now. Her jaw set with determination and she changed direction and ran towards the Riften stables. She hopped onto the first horse she saw and tossed the horse handler a large pouch of gold when he started calling her a thief.
She cracked the reins and dug her heels into the horse's sides and took off across the open field. She couldn't let him get away now. She saw how hurt he was. That look was branded into her memory and would haunt her for the rest of her life. She had to talk to him. She had to apologize. She had too… fix this somehow.
She was gaining on him when a dark shadow fell over her. Faye's heart stopped in her chest. Her eyes swiftly lifted to the skies and began searching frantically. "Not now... please not now... let it have been a large bird... or a man being thrown through the air... please not-"
"Dovahkiin!" A growling voice bellowed overhead.
"Ohh... shiit..."
"I am Sahloknir! Hear my Voice and despair!"
"A named one. How lovely," Faye deadpanned.
"Those who do not bow will be devoured," the dragon continued to rage.
Faye sighed as she reached for her bow and to her horror realized that she was weaponless, armorless, without potions, and in a wedding dress. "Shor's blood..."
"My overlord will devour your souls in Sovngarde!" The dragon bellowed as it circled over the Dragonborn's head.
"What perfect timing you have, you big stupid reptile!" Faye shrieked at it, hoping her sheer hatred of the creature would send it back to the fiery depths of hell from which it came.
"Dragonborn, your pride will be humbled," Sahloknir said as he landed in front of her, causing a small shockwave to erupt from him that shook the ground. Faye's horse became spooked and threw her from it before taking off in the opposite direction.
"Traitor," she muttered under her breath at the fleeing horse as she stood and brushed herself off.
"My Voice has been silent for too long!" The creature roared at her.
"Yes, well, I'm happy you came out of retirement just for me," Faye grumbled as she got in a fighting stance - as best she could in a dress - and focused her Thu'um.
The dragon snorted. "I see that you mortals have become arrogant while I slept." The dragon approached her. "My lord Alduin requires your death, Dovahkiin. I am glad to oblige him." Sahloknir opened his large mouth and breathed out both fire and ice.
"FEIM ZII GRON!" Faye shouted, becoming Ethereal right before the frost and flames hit her.
"Hiding will not save you, Dovahkiin!" Sahloknir taunted.
Faye inhaled air. "YOL TOOR SHUL!" And she exhaled flame, a blazing inferno escaping her throat that singed the dragon's skin.
"It's to be a real fight, then! Good!" Sahloknir snapped his jaws at her and Faye rolled to the side narrowly missing his massive pointed teeth.
Faye stood and shouted, "KRII LUN AUS!" Her Thu'um cut through Sahloknir's flesh and touched his soul, Marking him For Death and weakening his life force.
Sahloknir fell to the ground as he felt the effects of her Thu'um. "Your voice is strong... for a mortal. But it's no match for mine!"
The dragon rose and swung his tail around at her. Faye ducked under his tail and stood right as his huge claws slashed across her stomach. She cried out in pain and fell back onto her tailbone. His enormous clawed hand fell on top of her, trapping her to the ground. Faye struggled beneath him and opened her mouth to shout but coughed instead, realizing to her horror that she couldn't shout.
A deep sound rumbled in the dragon's chest and Faye recognized it for what it was. Sahloknir was laughing at her. Faye started to shake, choking on her own breath in sheer terror as Sahloknir sucked in a breath and Faye could see the fire and frost building in the back of his throat. She steeled herself for the pain, and most likely death, that was to come, when suddenly a large black werewolf leapt over Faye's head and landed on Sahloknir's snout. The werewolf began slashing furiously with its large claws at the dragon's eyes. Sahloknir roared and frantically shook his head trying to throw the werewolf off.
Faye used the opportunity to squirm out from under the dragon's hold and scrambled away. She looked up in time to see the black werewolf slash out one of Sahloknir's eyes. The dragon roared fiercely and threw his head sharply to the side, throwing the werewolf off of him and sending him flying into the nearest tree trunk.
The werewolf struggled to stand after cracking the tree in half, and Faye saw the furious one-eyed gaze Sahloknir gave the wolf. Frightened and panicked for the werewolf's life, Faye sprinted to the werewolf as she shouted, "DUR NEH VIIR! Durnehviir! Hear my Voice and come forth from the Soul Cairn. I summon you in my time of need!" Faye slid in front of the werewolf, shielding him with her body, glaring ferociously at the dragon.
Sahloknir roared at her and was about to breathe fire and ice when a shower of frost rained down on him from above. Sahloknir snarled and looked up just in time to be hit across the face with a large dragon tail. Faye sighed with relief as she saw a grey-green dragon flying in the air with extremely weathered wings, greatly decayed flesh, and scales that dripped and oozed. The new dragon sucked in a breath and prepared another attack on Sahloknir.
"Durnehviir. What happened to you? You look... disgusting," Sahloknir growled from the ground up at his fellow dragon.
Durnehviir sneered, yellowish drool dripped from his mouth. "I look good for dead, Sahloknir."
"You reside in the Soul Cairn, then?"
"I do, and fight for the Dovahkiin."
Sahloknir hissed, "You defy the great overlord Alduin and side with this Dovahkiin?!"
"Alduin has proven himself unfit to rule. I have gone my own way. If you wish to fight the Qahnaarin, then you wish to fight me."
Sahloknir growled. "Then you shall share her fate."
"I warn you, Sahloknir. My claws have rended the flesh of innumerable foes, but I have never once been felled on the field of battle."
"I do not fear you, Durnehviir, as I do not fear the Dovahkiin!" With that Sahloknir took to the skies to meet Durnehviir and the two dragons began to battle in the air.
"Friends of yours?" Came a familiar deep, husky voice.
Faye turned her attention to the werewolf beside her who had already transformed back into a human. "Vilkas, what were you thinking attacking Sahloknir like that? You could have been killed!" Faye chastised as she gently placed her glowing, healing hands on his bare chest in search of wounds. Her cheeks blushed when she realized he was completely naked.
"That thing had a name?" Vilkas chuckled and winced as he leaned back against the cracked tree trunk he had collided with.
Faye suppressed a grin. "Yes, but that's not the point."
Vilkas cringed when her hands touched his ribs. "By the Nine, I think your ribs are broken," Faye grumbled. She summoned magicka to her hands and began healing him. Her green eyes flickered to his face before returning to his ribs. "Why did you do that?" She asked quietly.
Vilkas shrugged as he allowed her to heal him. Her touch was gentle and soothing, but the magic itself made him uneasy. "I think by now I've killed one of every living thing in Skyrim, except for a dragon. I saw the opportunity to remedy that and took it. Besides..." Those intense silver eyes slide to her. "...you looked like you needed the help."
Her eyes narrowed on his ribs and her jaw clenched. "I don't ever want you risking your life for mine again, Vilkas," she said firmly as she repaired his broken ribs.
Vilkas cringed as he felt the bones in his body snapping back into place. "I'll risk my life whenever I damn well please, woman," he hissed, his brow beginning to bead with sweat from the pain of his bones being mended.
"Stubborn, stupid, idiotic, Nord…" Faye grumbled under her breath as she continued to heal him.
Vilkas' silver eyes softened as he watched her. Her leafy green eyes were hard as she concentrated on her magicka, her bottom lip was caught between her teeth, and a tendril of her long golden hair was falling loosely over her face. His hand unconsciously lifted to brush the lock of hair behind her ear when suddenly bright streams of golden-white light rushed around her before sinking into her skin. Faye inhaled sharply and her eyelids fluttered as her body automatically absorbed the dragon soul that sought her own soul out like a moth to a flame.
"What was that?" asked Vilkas warily as his hand fell limply to his side.
Faye let out a jagged breath. "I absorbed the dragon's soul."
His silver eyes looked her over worriedly. "Did it hurt?"
"Not really. It feels like… like a bucket of ice water being dumped over my head as my chest expands with boiling lava."
He raised an eyebrow. "And that doesn't hurt?"
Faye chuckled and a growling voice echoed overhead. "Dovahkiin," Durnehviir said as he flew over them. "I have killed Sahloknir, but I must return to the Soul Cairn to heal my injuries."
Faye looked up at the dragon and nodded. "Of course, Durnehviir. Thank you for your help. I owe you one."
"More than one," the dragon mumbled before flying away without another word.
Vilkas looked at her incredulously. "How the hell did you get a dragon to fight for you?"
Faye's cheeks turned red with embarrassment and she laughed. "Well, it's kind of a funny story. You see, I started helping this order of vampire hunters known as the Dawnguard to stop this vampire lord. They realized immediately just how terrible I was as a fighter and only sent me on one mission: to sneak into the vampire lord's mansion with this powerful vampire named Serana, who hated me because I was still a werewolf at the time. We ended up in the Soul Cairn where I met Durnehviir and convinced him to join me. But I almost got both Serana and I killed a couple of times. By the end of it, she was just shoving me behind cover and fighting on her own. When we returned, Serana and the leader of the Dawnguard told me to just go home. So I did. I didn't want to be a burden or cause them any more trouble than I already had, especially since I wasn't able to actually help them in any way," she mumbled dolefully, her words self-deprecating and her smile sad, and Vilkas couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She'd been thrown into the life of a dragon hunter and a warrior when she was neither. Everyone expected so much from her, and she gave it her all, but it was never good enough.
Faye saw the pity in his silver eyes and quickly turned her attention back to healing his ribs. Vilkas was about to ask her if she'd gotten a chance to talk to Farkas when she exclaimed, "There! All done!" She sat back on her knees and beamed up at him. That smile caused his chest to tighten and he felt himself smiling in response to it. His scent was still all over her, marking her as his own, and Vilkas was surprised to find how much that satisfied him.
"How do you feel?" Faye asked.
Vilkas sat up and stretched side-to-side noticing how there was no longer any pain in his ribs. "Nice work, Breton."
Faye's smile fell and her face twisted as she suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous. She closed her eyes and put a hand to her suddenly sweaty forehead as she focused on her breathing.
"You're bleeding," Vilkas rumbled, his deep voice laced with worry and concern.
"Huh?" Faye looked down to see the front of her white dress stained crimson. Blood dripped in rivets out of three large, deep gashes that ran across her stomach from her ribs to her hip. A small pool of blood had formed on the ground around her. "Oh no," she mumbled, blinking at the sight of her own blood soaked heavily into the silk, "my dress is ruined."
"Who cares about a fucking dress," Vilkas snapped as his hands applied pressure to her wounds. "You need-"
Several howls came from behind them in the thick woods. Vilkas whirled around to find a dozen wolves closing in on them, attracted to the scent of Faye's blood. In a flash, Vilkas was on his feet, crouching protectively in front of her, his teeth bared in a vicious hissing snarl.
Faye's eyes frantically scanned the faces of the hungry wolves around them. "Vilkas…" she whispered, her fear evident.
"They will not harm you," he growled, his words holding so much promise. "I won't let them."
A wolf leapt at Faye, teeth ready to rip into her flesh, but Vilkas lunged at it, transforming into a werewolf in the blink of an eye, his sharp fangs digging into the wolf's neck before it could reach her. The creature yelped when Vilkas' fangs sank deep and tore its esophagus from its body. Another wolf leapt onto Vilkas' back, but the werewolf reached over his shoulder and threw the wolf into a nearby tree. Two more wolves leapt at Vilkas and he began swiping at them with his large claws as he growled deep in his chest. While Vilkas took on the other wolves, one wolf stalked towards Faye. The Breton scrambled back, she tried to shout but her throat was raw and nothing came out. She stood swiftly and started to run, the single wolf running after her.
Vilkas took down each wolf at a time, his fangs and teeth dripping with blood, but he was beginning to become overwhelmed as another pack of wolves showed up. Five of the new wolves jumped at him at the same time, each sinking their teeth into his body causing Vilkas to yelp in pain. Suddenly, another set of fangs and claws began slashing and tearing at the wolves that were gnawing on him. Once he was free of the beasts, Vilkas saw another werewolf at his side growling threateningly at the remaining wolves. Vilkas immediately recognized the werewolf that had rescued him.
It was Farkas.
Vilkas' heart tightened unmercifully in his chest at the sight of his brother by his side, protecting him from harm as he had always done for the last twenty-two years. A howl tore him from his thoughts and Vilkas lunged at the wolf that was aiming for Farkas. Together the two brothers tore into the remaining wolves, decimating them. When there were no more enemies, and the ground and surrounding trees were covered in blood, the two brothers transformed back into humans. They were breathing deeply, each drenched in blood, thankfully most of it wasn't their own.
Vilkas turned to look at his brother, his silver eyes sincere. "Farkas, I'm so sorry for what I did. I-"
"Vilkas, I can't speak of this now," Farkas interrupted harshly. "But know this…" His silver eyes sharpened and darkened in a way that Vilkas had never seen before. "As of this moment you are not my brother and she is not my betrothed. You are only my Harbinger, and she is only my shield-sister. Are we clear?"
Vilkas cringed at the sound of his brother's voice and the brutal look he gave him. He nodded dejectedly, "Crystal."
"Good." Farkas looked down at the pool of blood on the ground. "Is that yours?"
"Faye's," Vilkas answered quietly, concern evident on his face.
Farkas frowned; worry entering his expression as well. "Well, let's find her before she bleeds out and gets herself killed."
Vilkas gave his brother a small, hopeful smile. "Aye. I'm with you, brother."
Farkas turned and walked away before uttering, "And I'm with you."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Faye ran as fast as she could towards Riften with a wolf on her heels and her blood running in rivets from the gashes on her stomach. Gods, she was so weak and pathetic. She couldn't even kill a wolf! How the fuck was she supposed to kill Alduin, the World Eater, the Nordic God of Destruction? Everyone was doomed. Because of her. Because she was too weak.
She stumbled a bit and had to resist the urge to just let herself fall and let the wolf eat her. She was so tired. All she wanted to do was lay down and rest. But she couldn't. If she did, she would die. She had to keep going. So many lives depended on her. His life depended on her.
Faye's white slipper flew off her foot and she fell face first in the dirt. She rolled over just in time to see the wolf leap into the air, ready to sink its teeth into her, but the creature was struck through the neck with an arrow and fell dead at her feet, its blood spraying across her face. Before she could look around and find her rescuer, Faye's eyes rolled back into her head and she fainted from blood loss.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Vilkas and Farkas stopped running when they came upon a dead wolf with an arrow through its neck beside a small white slipper that was covered in blood.
"Faye…" Vilkas whispered softly as he crouched down on the balls of his feet to pick up the slipper. It looked so small in his large hand.
Farkas knelt and tore the arrow from the wolf's neck and eyed it critically. "This arrow isn't Faye's."
Vilkas lifted his head as he caught something on the wind. His expression instantly darkened and he growled, "I smell another scent. It's male."
Farkas' eyebrows rose. "She was taken?"
"I think so." Vilkas stood, her slipper clutched possessively in his hand.
Farkas turned to face his brother. "What do we do?"
Vilkas' eyebrows drew low and tight over his silver eyes as his lips curled into a fierce, resolute snarl. "We find her."
