With the Coven cleared out, and all five of their heads strapped securely to his horse's saddle, Markus made his way back to Whiterun, feeling the heavy burden as he got closer and closer to the village. Dusk had fallen and his heart tensed painfully in his chest. Making his way through the Plains district, he slowly climbed the stairs to the Wind district, where his eyes caught a crowd gathered around Jorrvaskr. At the sight, he felt the air leave his lungs. Racing forwards, he pushed through the crowd and gazed up at Torvar and Aela, both of whom were standing above the corpses of Silver Hand agents.
"What happened?" He asked as he ran to her side, subconsciously checking her visible skin for any wounds, and thankfully finding none but a few scrapes and bruises.
"The Silver Hand. They attacked while you were away. Go inside, quickly, and check in with the others. Torvar and I will stay here, if only to be sure that none of them get a second chance to reenter the hall." Aela replied, gently nudging him towards the doors of Jorrvaskr.
Markus stared at her for a moment longer before he finally turned to enter Jorrvaskr. Before the door even closed behind him, Markus was immediately verbally assaulted by Vilkas.
"Where have you been?" He growled out, a challenge resting at the back of his throat.
"Doing Kodlak's bidding." Markus replied, feeling the hair on the back of his neck rise.
"I hope it was important, because it means you weren't here to protect him. The old man... Kodlak... Is dead." Vilkas whispered, averting his gaze to the floor.
Markus looked off to Vilkas' side, and gazed down at Kodlak's body, sprawled out on the floor of Jorrvaskr; blood still oozed out from the open wounds in his chest and arms, and Markus could feel the rage bubbling in the pit of his stomach as he gazed at the elder werewolf. Through his internal struggle, Vilkas had reached out and took Markus by the shoulders.
"You and I will take care of this. We will avenge the old man." Vilkas muttered as he gripped the hilt of his sword.
"Yes. You and I hunt together, Shield-Brother." Markus replied as he, too, took hold of his sword.
At this point, Aela came in through the doors, eyes immediately falling to Markus and Vilkas. At the looks in their eyes, she felt her stomach tighten with fear. She reached out and took Markus' arm in her hand, pulling him away from Vilkas, off to the side of the doors.
"What's going on? What are you two going to do?" Aela asked, her eyes scanning his face as he looked deeply into her eyes.
"Vilkas and I hunt together. We're going to find the stolen pieces of Wuuthrad, and avenge Kodlak. I owe him as much, seeing as I was absent when the attack happened." At that, his voice became soft and small, very unlike him. Aela brought her hand to his cheek.
"My love, I have faith in your hunt. I have faith in you. Avenge Kodlak and bring Wuuthrad back to us. I will be waiting for you until you return." She replied, whispering, as she placed a tender kiss upon his lips. As she pulled away, she noticed the small frown on Markus' face.
"What? Think of it as a small parting gift. There's more in store for you when you return." She growled, placing another kiss on his jaw. He hummed in response, holding her close to him, taking in her scent before he had to leave.
"I'll be sure to give the Silver Hand your best, she-wolf." Markus hummed, running his fingers through Aela's hair before stepping away from her.
"You haven't even left yet, and I already feel like a piece of me is missing. Please come back safely." Aela pleaded, hands held tightly against her sides.
"I promise my life to you, my she-wolf." He replied, making his way back to Vilkas.
"You'd better." Aela called, a smirk playing at her lips as she watched him disappear out the front doors.
She quickly moved downstairs and made her way to her room, shutting the door behind her. The hall felt so much emptier than it ever has before. Skjor was gone, Kodlak was gone, and Vilkas pulled Markus from her arms to take revenge upon the Silver Hand. Granted, she would have been the first to take up arms in honor of the Companions, but these were new feelings for her, and she still didn't know how to best process them. With a sigh, she laid down and fell into a dreamless, restless sleep.
Driftshade Refuge. Markus curled his lips in disgust, eyes focused on the formerly abandoned fort. Markus trained his eye on the Silver Hand standing atop the entrance, knocking an arrow into his bow before taking aim, and firing true to the mark; twisting his head to the side, Markus eyed Vilkas killing the second guard. The two werewolves entered the fort, and quickly made their way towards their goal. Markus led the way, firing arrows or slashing away with his sword, felling any Silver Hand who dared stand in his way. Despite the heavy smell of blood in the air, Markus recalled Aela's scent, fueling his aching, tired body forward.
The duo came upon the main chamber, where three Silver Hands and a Chief sat in wait. The three underlings were dispatched quickly, with little effort by Markus or Vilkas, but the Leader proved to be more than a fair fight. Markus swung his sword, hacking and slashing against the brutish Nord before him, while Vilkas tried every which way to get his sword through an opening, but their efforts were proving ineffective. Vilkas, having become fed up with this game of dodging, transformed into his bestial form, pulling the Chief to him, plunging his fangs deeply into his exposed face. Markus watched as Vilkas tore away flesh, muscle, and part of the brute's jaw before dropping the lifeless body down onto the stone floor. As soon as the Nord had been dispatched, Markus walked up to the table and collected the gathered pieces of Wuuthrad, placing them in his pack before heading out of a side exit, Vilkas closely on his heels, claws clicking against the stone. The duo exited the fort just as Vilkas reverted back to his original form.
"I've got the fragments. Just remind me to never get on your bad side." Markus joked as he mounted his horse.
"Plenty of time for that, lad." Vilkas replied with a laugh as the two of them rode off back to Whiterun.
Aela, Farkas, and the rest of the Companions were standing around the Skyforge staring at Kodlak's lifeless form lying across a funeral pyre. As is custom, the Companions were to burn his body at the Skyforge, allowing his body to become part of the fire that forged their steel. She held a torch in her hand, being the one who was going to light the flame, and stared at the pyre. The sound of steel boots on cobblestone brought her out of her mind, and she turned her head to see Markus and Vilkas approaching the group.
"Who will start?" Eorlund asked as he gazed out into the eyes of the gathered group.
"I will." Aela replied, taking a single step forward. Markus wanted to reach out to her, but kept his hands at his sides.
"Before the ancient flame." She began.
"We grieve." was the response that echoed from all voices present.
"At this loss."
"We weep."
"For the fallen."
"We shout."
"And for ourselves."
"We take our leave." Aela stepped forward, torch raised in her hand, and dipped the tip into the coals of the Skyforge. The coals took to the flame quickly, and the pyre was alight within mere moments. Aela turned back to the group, and looked into the eyes of each member of the Circle.
"His spirit is departed... Members of the Circle, let us withdraw to the Underforge to grieve our last... Together." She voiced, walking past the gathered group as she made her way to the Underforge.
At this, Eorlund stepped to Markus, and looked the younger Nord in the eyes.
"Do you have the fragments still? I'll need to prepare them for mounting." He spoke, shadows flickering across his face as the flames burned beside him.
"Yes. Here." Markus replied, handing him the satchel of fragments.
"There is one more piece that Kodlak always kept close to him. I don't think I'm the most qualified person to go digging through his things. Would you mind retrieving it for me?" Eorlund asked as he took hold of the satchel that Markus handed him.
Without a word, Markus turned and walked into Jorrvaskr, down the stairs into the living quarters, and to the end of the hallway into Kodlak's chambers. As he stepped into the old man's room, his eyes instantly glassed over with tears that he now refused to shed. He walked over to the small nightstand next to the bed, and pulled the drawer open, finding both the piece that Eorlund spoke of, and a small tattered journal. Thinking it best to wait for some time to pass, he moved over the journal and picked up the final piece of Wuuthrad before leaving the room, and heading back upstairs and outside to the Skyforge. Handing the piece to Eorlund, the older man placed his hand upon his shoulder.
"I know how you feel lad. Now go, the others have already gone down to the Underforge." He voiced, nodding his head towards the small incline that lead up to the Skyforge. Markus tried a smile, and walked down the hill to the Underforge. Inside, Aela and Vilkas were arguing about Kodlak's beast blood.
"The old man wanted to be clean, and he never got that." Vilkas roared, daring Aela to challenge him.
"You're right. It's what the old man wanted, and we failed to give it to him." Aela conceded, shifting her gaze over to Markus as he walked towards them.
"Let Ysgramor show you the way to his tomb." Came Eorlund's voice as he walked towards the group.
"Is that?" Farkas asked as he gazed upon the ax in Eorlund's hands.
"It is. Wuuthrad, restored to its former glory. It will lead you to Ysgramor's tomb, and more importantly, to Kodlak." He replied. "And I think Markus here should be the one to wield it." He concluded, handing the massive weapon over to Markus, who took it in shaking hands.
"I can think of no one better." Aela commented, arms crossed over her chest.
"Do you still have the witches head?" Vilkas asked.
"I do. Let's go and cleanse Kodlak's spirit, and send him properly to Sovngarde." Markus replied as he turned towards the Circle, Wuuthrad gripped tightly in his hands.
"For Kodlak!" The three called in unison, leading the charge from the Underforge and out of the main gate.
The group of four made their way all the way to Winterhold, crossing the small channel in the Sea of Ghosts to reach the Tomb of Ysgramor. Farkas and Vilkas went on ahead, entering the main chamber of the tomb, but Aela stopped Markus outside the door. He looked at her with curious eyes, and in response, she huddled as close to him as possible, wrapping her arms around his body. Markus immediately returned her embrace, burying his face into her hair, kissing the top of her head, and trailing down to her jaw.
"We're going to have to fight our way through the tomb. You can feel it, can't you?" She asked, looking into his eyes.
"Yes. There are many strong presences inside, and I can only assume that they're Ysgramor's strongest generals." Markus replied, tightening his hold on her.
"Absolutely, and I don't want to lose you. Stay at my side, and we'll fight our way to Kodlak together." She pleaded, hands pressed firmly to his chest as she looked into his eyes. His only response was a tender kiss before he pulled her through the doors to the tomb.