Once Vilkas was safely outside the room, Farkas sighed and rested his head against the back of the shut door. Maren couldn't help the small smile that sprang up at the movement; she could understand his frustration.

"I'm glad you're back." She said softly to him. He turned his head and grinned at her through his black mane of hair.

"It is good to be home." He said.

"Oh, aye. As long as we keep that door shut." She said. He sighed and let his face swivel back down towards the floor.

"I don't know why he's acting like this." His voice was muffled, frustrated.

"I'm assuming you heard him; he doesn't like me." She wasn't sure how long he had been there at the door listening to her and Vilkas, but she was assuming that since he hadn't barged in, he had been carefully eavesdropping from the hallway.

"But I don't care what he thinks. He's my brother, not my father. And I'm older than him by a year."

"He obviously has taken to heart the idea that he has to take care of you. That you're the strength and he's the smarts. He's… " She sighed. She couldn't believe that she was taking up for the belligerent brother. "He's scared that you're paying attention to someone else who isn't him. He thinks I'm a bad influence on you. And I'll handle him when I have to, but there's no way I'm going to be able to change his mind."

"What you're saying is… if I want my brother and my… you to get along… I have to talk to him."

"Most likely. Even that's not a sure thing. Unfortunately as much as he can't change your feelings, you can't change his. Sometimes the best you can do is work out a truce."

"A truce wouldn't be so bad."

"No, it wouldn't."

"Especially since I'm… well, I'm pretty devoted to you at this point."

"Devoted?" She asked, sure she was smiling. He turned around to face her, his mouth parted in surprise, then he slowly smiled in return.

"Well, yeah. I'll do whatever I can to make sure you can defeat Alduin, and I'd like to do it by your side." Maren heaved herself back up and walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"That sounds good. It would be a very lonely journey without you." She realized her feet felt better out of her heavy boots. "Although we've got to get you on a horse. I'm not sure my feet can handle walking across Skyrim but so many times."

"But I don't get on with horses!" He protested. He had said this many times during the three days it took them to get to Ivarstead and up the mountain and then back down. She was a little perplexed that he wouldn't say why he didn't deal with horses.

"But we will get everywhere so much faster! And a good warhorse can handle those wolfpacks all on its own…" She tried to make the idea sound as enticing as possible, calling up the recent memory of the eight or so wolves that had ambushed them in the woods outside of Whiterun on their way back home. But he just shook his head.

"I think that's part of it though, Maren… I used to ride all the time, but ever since the wolfblood…" She nodded, putting it together with him. She laughed slightly as a thought occurred to her.

"Oh no, did you get a hoof to the face?" She turned his head one way and another, looking for a likely scar underneath all of his warpaint.

"I got a broken collarbone first time I tried to put a saddle on my old horse." He assured her.

"Oh dear." She couldn't help but laugh, she could just imagine the betrayal—Farkas had surely taken the best care with his horse, probably a gelding that was as equally massive as himself, and after the incident he had probably gone to sell the beast with an arm in a sling and a well hidden tear in his eye. "I'm sorry. We'll have to use a carriage or something then, is that okay?"

"I suppose. The horse doesn't have to touch me that way."

"That's fine. I'll touch you instead."

"Sounds good to me."

"So… I like your new armor, Companion."

"Do you think so?"

"It looks good on you. Show me the helmet?"

He pullet it from his belt and placed it on his head.

"Very fierce." She rapped her knuckles against his head. ""Ready to go find a horn?"

"No." He said, and picked her up and threw her on the bed. "Ready to get in bed."

A/N: Someday I might continue this chapter...