Disclaimer: Alas, Skyrim is not mine – I am merely borrowing that universe to write this story. Characters you do not recognize were created by me for the purposes of this tale. Some quests/dialogue has been changed, so do not expect a word-by-word account taken completely from the game. This story is rated M for violence, gore and scenes of a sexual nature.

I would also like to announce that my Skyrim character married Vilkas today! I had to complete a lot of redundant quests for him and fetch one too many stolen family heirlooms, but he is worth it ;) Thank you for the lovely, encouraging reviews, alerts and favs! They certainly help me keep the chapters flowing! - Fallon.

Chapter Ten

Idalyn awoke to the comforting smell of stew brewing over an open fire. She tried to sit up and felt strangely cold considering how close she was to the fire. She looked down and gasped, pulling the blanket tightly around herself.

Gods, why am I naked! She thought fearfully to herself.

"You're awake, that's good. I found some frozen vegetables towards the back of the cave, I hope you like stew."

She glanced up and saw Farkas sitting at the fire tending the stew. He was completely devoid of clothing, but her angle kept her from seeing anything beyond his bare back and legs.

"What...what happened? Why are we naked?" Idalyn stammered bashfully. Nudity didn't seem to bother Nords and many she had met in her travels were accustomed to it. While she was not ashamed of her body, she was modest and not used to having anyone see her so exposed...especially a man.

"Aela told us you accepted the beastblood and took off into the woods. It's not a...pleasant time to be alone, so we took off after you. The change destroys your clothes, so when you change back..."

She nodded, "Ah...I suppose that makes sense. Thank you for coming after me, Farkas."

"Vilkas came too," he said as he stirred the stew.

Idalyn blushed even fiercer, had Vilkas seen her?

As if on cue, Vilkas entered the cave carrying a bundle of fabric. Idalyn smiled when she saw him, and then quickly looked away once she registered that he too was naked. Her reaction hadn't been fast enough however, and she had caught a glimpse of him. He was covered in grime, as was his usual, but she had seen his thick, muscular thighs and even the lack of light in the cave could not keep her from glancing further down and getting an eye full.

Idalyn was hit with a sudden wave of warmth.

Vilkas noticed the smile she gave him and fought from grinning when her eyes darted away and her cheeks burned in her nervousness. He tossed his brother a pair of ragged trousers and shoes he had found, "Here, cover up so our friend here can stop blushing."

"I am not!" She insisted from her corner.

He smirked, "If only you had a mirror, elfling..."

She pulled the blanket even tighter around her. Was he flirting with her, or was it just teasing? She knew then he must have seen her when she changed back. Embarrassed, she huddled up and tried to bury her face in the blanket.

Stupid man...

Vilkas slipped into a pair of trousers he had salvaged for himself and then a tunic. He hadn't had to search for very long until he found another cave full of skeletonised bodies. They certainly didn't need the clothes any longer, but it did make him worry. The bodies were only a hundred feet from where they had decided to camp for the night – what had killed them? The land was harsh and could easily take anyone unprepared off guard; he suspected that by what little he found around the bodies, it had a lot to do with unpreparedness.

The bitter wind picked up outside and Vilkas tossed Idalyn an oversized tunic before sitting down beside Farkas, "It would fit Farkas, but I suspect you'll want something other than that ratty old blanket."

She snatched it gratefully from where it landed and then began the delicate task of putting it on without shifting the blanket too much. She knew they had both seen her and that she could just stand up and put it on, but her modesty told her to remain covered. They may be able to saunter around people as naked as the day they were born, but she was not.

Vilkas was right, the tunic was huge but it covered her and that was all that mattered. It was too cold for her to cast aside the blanket, so she ignored the stains covering it and tucked it up to her chin.

Vilkas was watching her from the corner of his eye, "You should come closer to the fire."

She stared at him but eventually her stubbornness was outweighed by how cold she was. Idalyn crawled over to the fire, sitting closer to Farkas than Vilkas.

Vilkas noticed, but bit his tongue.

"Why did you accept Aela's offer, Idalyn," Farkas asked her, his voice full of tenderness.

Idalyn shrugged. She had her reason, but didn't want to voice it for fear the brothers would think she was foolish. Well, Farkas wouldn't think less of her for her reason, but she wasn't sure what Vilkas would say. Just in the few minutes she had been awake Vilkas had been kinder to her than he had been since she joined. Whatever it was, flirting or teasing, it was better than before.

"I don't know..." Idalyn muttered finally, knowing it was a pathetic answer to a simple question.

Vilkas tried to think quickly for the right thing to say but Farkas, strangely enough, was faster.

"Whatever your reason, it has to be more honorable than Aela's or Skjor's."

She sighed, "When Aela told me about the Circle, and it just...seemed like the right choice. I only wanted to belong...I thought this would be the way."

Farkas touched her shoulder and Vilkas stopped himself from growling. Vilkas reminded himself this was his brother and that who Idalyn fancied didn't matter to him. He tried hard to convince himself of that, but he couldn't believe such an obvious lie.

"You already belong..." Farkas assured her, shooting a glance to Vilkas.

"And you certainly didn't have to take on our curse in order to find that, elfling," Vilkas offered, unsure of what else to say.

Comforting people was always Farkas's job. He was the stronger of the twins, but was also the more sensitive. It was what got him woman. Vilkas had no problem with that either, though woman flocked to him because he was broody and quiet and considerate in the bedroom, not because he expressed himself easily.

Idalyn's sad chuckle interrupted his thoughts.

"It's always 'whelp' or 'elfling'...what do I have to do to get you to use my name, Vilkas!" She gathered her blanket and stood, "How can I belong here when to you I have no name?"

She retreated to her corner, content to shiver so long as she was away from him.

Farkas shot him a frustrated glare then made for the cave entrance, "I'll keep watch all night...I'm not tired."

Vilkas sat next to the fire, watching her from a distance as she shivered violently. It hurt him that she'd rather freeze than be near him, but he knew it was his fault. Nothing he said around her ever came out right, not that he had been trying to make an effort before. She had just been a whelp, a nameless newblood...now...well, she was becoming something more.

He didn't want to admit his brother had been right, but the truth was getting harder to hide by the day.

Damn, you Farkas...

He stood and moved away from the fire, "You'll freeze to death if you don't move closer..."

She looked up from the blanket and saw that he had moved away. Without saying a word, she crawled back to her place by the fire and curled up on her side. It made a difference, her shivering slowed, but she was still considerably cold. She lacked the Nordic blood that kept Vilkas and Farkas from feeling the effects of the cold and at that moment she was extremely jealous of them. Vilkas wasn't shivering and he was sitting less than ten feet from her.

"Why...why do you hate me?" Idalyn asked him, her breath billowing past her lips in visible puffs.

Vilkas sighed, running his fingers through his greasy hair, "Believe me...I don't."

He wished he could be as honest with people when it mattered as Farkas was, but he never knew how to phrase things or when to stop, so he simply kept his mouth shut when it came to sensitive matters.

"Then...why are you so cold to me?"

"I have to keep a distance from you," he admitted, hoping it would end there but knowing it wouldn't. What he had said opened up a new round of questions for her.

Idalyn forced herself to sit up, "W-Why?"

Vilkas shook his head, "Please...let's just drop this now."

"Answer me, Vilkas." She demanded, her stern tone weakened by the quivering in her voice.

He looked around the cave awkwardly, wanting anything to focus on besides her.

"The beastblood...it becomes hard to ignore when you're around," he sighed heavily, "you have it now too, I'm sure you understand."

"No," she admitted, "I mean...I can tell the difference in scents between you and your brother, and I certainly feel it inside of me but it doesn't feel...wild."

"Maybe it's taken better to you then, because it always surges in me when I'm around you. Before...in Riverwood...well, I could have killed you or done worse. That was why I had to keep my distance; it's why I still have to."

Idalyn stared at him through the fire, "What are you saying?"

Vilkas swallowed hard. He was usually drunk when he spoke as openly as she was asking, but after everything that happened between them he supposed she disserved a straight answer. Still, he could hardly admit it to himself and tensed at the idea of speaking it aloud - especially to her.

Idalyn sighed, "Perhaps it's just me..."

Vilkas arched an eyebrow, not having expected her to say something so ludicrous.

"I mean...maybe I'm just taking what you say too much to heart," she shrugged, "you're not like your brother, and I'd never change you –

"How I've treated you is not your fault, despite what I said at the time," Vilkas said sternly, leaving no room for arguing, "I keep my distance because of my own weaknesses...not yours."

Idalyn crawled closer to him, "But why? I know I earned Kodlak's respect quickly, that you're suspicious of me, but I love my shield-siblings far too much to ever hurt them! I don't have anything, Vilkas. No family, no memories...I joined the Companions to have all of that." Tears welled up in her eyes, "I'd never risk my new family for anything..."

Vilkas saw her pain and his heart wrenched. He had treated her so poorly, and for foolish reasons, when all she wanted was a sense of belonging. He had put up a fight when she expressed her desire to join and had been grumbling since. He suddenly felt very small, like a milk-drinker.

"Idalyn..."

She looked up at him, surprised but relieved to hear him say her name, "Yes?"

"I'm sorry for everything," he said in a sharp exhale, "I've been needlessly cruel to you."

She smiled, and it warmed him, "I forgive you, Vilkas."

He chuckled, "So easily?"

"Hmm, don't think I won't use this against you for years to come!" She said as she rubbed her hands in an attempt to warm herself, "We elves hold grudges, you know!"

Overcome with a strange boldness, Vilkas grabbed her by her arms and pulled her into his lap. She stared up at him with wide eyes but he draped his arms around her chastely, wrapping her in warmth, and she relaxed.

"I'm tired of watching you shiver," he said quickly, not wanting her to read too much into the action and question him further.

"Damn you Nords..." she muttered as she settled against him.

He was incredibly warm and the strength of his muscles was pleasurable too. She was thankful that her back was to him, because she knew without a doubt she was blushing.

"I wish you hadn't taken on the beastblood..." Vilkas whispered into her ear, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

Their sudden closeness didn't offend or startle her, even though she knew it probably should. She felt like Vilkas was taking down some of his barriers, and she wasn't about to object and have him build them back up again. This side of Vilkas was nice.

"Why?"

"It's a curse, one I'd never place upon you," he said sadly, "it will keep my brother and me from entering Sovngarde, Kodlak too. A true Nord yearns for the pleasure of Sovngarde, and it hurts so deeply to know we could never go there as we are now. Hircine would drag us to his hunting grounds...heaven for some, I suppose, but not for me. It's why we swore we'd never use the blood until we discovered a cure."

She tilted her head back to look at him, "But...I saw you in your wolf form, you changed."

He settled his chin on her shoulder, his facial hair scratching her exposed skin, "We broke the vow we made to Kodlak, though I'm sure he will understand when we return to Jorrvaskr and explain everything to him."

Idalyn simply stared at him, "Why did you do that?"

Vilkas swallowed hard, "I've...I've answered enough questions tonight, can we not just stay like this for a while longer?"

She blinked a few times, certain she would open her eyes and he'd be gone – but he remained.

"Idalyn?" The look she was giving him was unreadable and he feared she was about to recoil from him in anger.

He doubted he could withstand such a blow.

She smiled and sunk back into his chest. For now she was content to remain where she was, but she knew she would need the answer eventually, "Someday soon you must answer those questions for me, Vilkas."

She needed to know why his beastblood surged when he was around her and why he'd ignore his vow to Kodlak to search for her. She needed those answers, but tonight she was too cold and too tired to push him any further.

He held her close and told himself it was just to keep her from freezing to death.

"So be it, elfling."

A/N: I'm sure many of you were expecting some sexy times between Vilkas and Idalyn, and I'm sorry to disappoint, but the tension and build up is just so much fun to write! And Vilkas is a stubborn one after all! Believe me, their eventual "coming together" will be well worth the wait ;) Thank you so much for reading, and happy holidays! – Fallon.