A/N: I'm so so so sorry i took so long to update this!
Also, I'm sorry in advance because this will hurt.
Naturally, Vilkas did not believe him at first.
"You must have been dreaming." He had said. But Farkas could see the cogs of Vilkas' brain turning in his eyes and he knew that it made sense. Their mother had mentioned a few things about their father and Jergen possessed all those things. It made sense that it would be their long lost father that came looking for them when their mother was killed, she must have contacted him.
"If he truly is our father," Vilkas began slowly, after taking a few moments to think, "Then we must speak to him about it. We must ask him why he left and if he knew why mother was killed."
Farkas nodded vigorously, "I agree." and then added automatically, "Great idea, brother!"
Vilkas smirked to himself and left to have his breakfast.
Jergen and Astridr had already left Jorvaskr before the twins awoke that morning. Farkas had not mentioned the curse Jergen and Kodlak were discussing to Vilkas. He was not sure he would have believed him anyway.
Farkas wanted to speak to Kodlak about it, he really did. His curiosity was eating him alive but he could not bring himself to approach him. Kodlak was very intimidating, his towering build made him feel small and his piercing eyes always left him uncomfortable, like the man could see right through him. He was not sure how Vilkas could be so at ease around Kodlak. Perhaps it was because Vilkas was braver.
Or perhaps it was because Vilkas did not have secrets to keep.
So Farkas avoided speaking to Kodlak all together and decided to wait for Jergen's return instead.
He trained with Aela and Vilkas during the day, spent the evening in the hall with everyone else and stayed up late to read while Vilkas slept, waiting to hear the sound of Astridr coming home.
He awoke many hours later to the sound of a commotion. He sat up, the book that he had been reading before he fell asleep tumbled into his lap as he did. He pushed it and the linens aside and grabbed a wooden figure off the table between his and Vilkas' beds, a wolf that Jergen had whittled for him a few months back, and threw it at his still sleeping brother.
Vilkas bolted upright, "Wha-?" he slurred, blinking groggily at Farkas.
"Something's happening." He informed him, getting out of bed and heading to the door barefoot.
Vilkas pulled himself out of bed too, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and followed Farkas outside.
Tilma hurried by them, as fast as an old woman could, as they were heading for the hall.
"Tilma!" Vilkas shouted after her, "What is going on?"
Tilma slowed down long enough to shout back, "Jergen and Astridr came back injured!"
"What?!"
The twins ran up the stairs to the hall where they were greeted by shouting.
"-Don't have time to carry them to a cot! Clear the tables!"
They came up the stairs in time to watch Athis swipe his arm across a table, sending tankards and metal plates to the ground with a loud clatter. Kodlak was supporting a bloody Jergen, helping him lay on the cleared table while Athis cleared another table for Astridr, who was unnervingly limp in Skjor's arms.
Aela burst through the front doors of Jorvaskr with two of the healers from Kynareth's temple. The woman immediately started giving orders while the man accepting the clean cloth that Tilma had gone to fetch before the healers arrived and began unpacking supplies from his sachel.
For several minutes, the twins were frozen by the stairs, watching the healers tend to their wounded elders. Astridr and Jergen were to pale where the blood did not stain their skin, their lips an ashen grey. They were both breathing heavily and Astridr was out cold. Aela was weeping by her mother's head, wailing for her mother to wake up. She was pulled away by Skjor at the healer's request and the teen pulled Aela into tight embrace, trying to contain her struggles.
"What happened?" Kodlak demanded from Jergen.
"We ran into the Silver Hand at the cairn." He panted, "We killed some of them but we were outnumbered." He grunted as the healer pressed on his injured side, "They cornered us into a trap, we were hit with poisoned darts."
The healer's head shot up, "Poison? That would explain the symptoms. Do you know what kind it was?" she demanded urgently.
Jergen coughed, "No." he managed to wheeze before coughing again.
The healer looked up at Kodlak, "This is not good. I don't recognize the effects of this poison and without knowing the poison, I cannot administer the correct antidote."
"Can't you give them all the antidotes you have? One of them will surely work!" Athis hissed.
"Giving them all the antidotes at once would just make things worse!" The male healer piped up.
"My...My boys." Jergen gasped weakly, "Where are they? Farkas? Vilkas?"
Farkas finally found his legs again. He hurried to Jergen's, his father's, side with Vilkas not far behind.
"We're here." They chorused.
His bloody hand raised from the table and the twins immediately grasped it, their small hands fitting in the warrior's large calloused palm. Jergen's eyes were unfocused and bloodshot and his skin was growing more pallid by the second but he managed a weak smile for the twins. He squeezed their hands, or tried to.
"I must tell you something-"
"We already know, Father." Vilkas told him, his voice breaking on a sob. It was then that Farkas noticed that he was crying too.
Jergen let out a choked laugh that made him cough, his eyes wet with tears. "Of course you do." he croaked, "You're both clever boys, so strong. You'll make great warriors some day."
An anguished sob made its way up Farkas' throat. Jergen's words reminded him too much of what his mother's final words to them, they were too much like a goodbye.
Jergen turned to Kodlak, his jaw squared in determination, "P-Promise me."
Kodlak let out a sad sigh, "Jergen-"
"Promise. Me." He demanded, "Promise me that you will keep your word."
Kodlak was quiet for a moment, reluctant, before nodding in acquiescence.
"Aela too. Astridr would have wanted it."
Kodlak's shoulder's slumped, "Very well. It will be done."
Jergen relaxed, "Thank you." he sighed.
Kodlak straightened then and spoke to the others, "Take the children away. They don't need to see this."
"No!" Aela screamed as Skjor picked her up and headed for the stairs, kicking her legs, "No!"
The twins were pulled away by Athis and Torvar but the twins only struggled for a moment before Jergen told them to go. They followed willingly after that, but their eyes were fixated on their father's pallid face until it was blocked from their view.