Epilogue

Nearly three months had passed since Aeri's death and the birth of his daughter, but Helgrim was still having a hard time dealing with the grief. After all of the eager waiting for the arrival of his daughter, the fact that to have her in his life he'd had to lose her mother in the bargain hurt immensely. He left the girl in the care of his cousin, Iddra, and would disappear for hours at a time. His house was sitting unfinished because he didn't allow Fjolnar and Hermir to work on it without him, and that was something that he had felt less and less like doing. During the times he would disappear, he became the wolf and ran until his lungs ached and all he could think of was finding a drink to cool down. Talk had quickly spread about the wolf that ran in the forests surrounding Kynesgrove and other small villages around Windhelm. No one had actually seen it, but there were reports of flashes of white and the paw prints in the snow were unmistakable. They were huge.

Hunting parties had gone out to find the wolf which now had a bounty on his head. Five thousand gold pieces to anyone who brought the beast down and could prove it. Helgrim heard about the bounty and though it didn't keep him from changing into the wolf and running, it did cause him to be much more careful about where he did so. More than once he had almost walked upon a group of hunters because he hadn't been paying attention. The times he took off and disappeared were diminishing, however, and he was slowly getting over Aeri's death. In his own way.

One day, Helgrim knelt before her grave and prayed. He prayed to Talos for guidance and wisdom. He didn't get a reply, but he had a feeling inside that he had a responsibility to his daughter. He shouldn't be relying on Iddra to take care of her. She was a newlywed and deserved to be able to start her new life. Without Helgrim's problems in the way. It did please him that Fjolnar hadn't let anything stop him from wooing Iddra and finally wedding her. He stood up from the ground and looked around the area. There were few trees that stood here, but he still knew Aeri would have loved the spot. It was the reason he had insisted they bury her there. Letting out a slow breath, he made his way back to the village and went into the inn.

Upon his entrance, the entire collection of persons in the inn stopped what they were doing and looked at him. He felt as if he were naked the way they gazed at him. He cleared his throat and walked further into the common room. Amid the sounds of the baby girl crying softly and Iddra in one of the rooms speaking to her, there was silence. Everyone's eyes, however, were on him as he strolled through the room. At one table sat the miners Kayl, Sareth, Vleryn and Toryk. At another sat Ganna and Gemma with Fjolnar. He could hear the pounding of his heart in his ears and tried not to think about the idea that they were talking about him and that was why they quieted when he entered the inn. Fjolnar rose from the table and approached Helgrim carefully, having been the victim of his friend's grief more than once in the past three months.

"Grim?" Helgrim stopped and looked over at his friend.

"Aye?"

"Damn, you look like something dragged in from Oblivion."

"Thanks, Fjolnar. I probably smell pretty bad, too, eh?"

"Aye, that you do, Grim. Would you like me to uh, get a bath ready for you?"

"Perhaps. I must do something first, though. You understand, don't you?"

"Aye, my friend. I do." Fjolnar placed his hand on Helgrim's shoulder and squeezed it in a comforting gesture, then nodded and stepped away.

Helgrim nodded back and continued walking through the room and toward the room holding Iddra and his daughter. His jaw clenched as he neared the door before raising his knuckles to the wood and knocking upon it. He heard Iddra sigh and then her soft footsteps approaching the door to answer it. He braced himself for seeing Iddra, and his daughter, after so long being absent. Iddra opened the door and was surprised to see Helgrim standing before her. She cradled the baby girl in her arms and swallowed, wondering what was going on in her cousin's mind at the moment. She was sure he wouldn't do harm to the child, but she wasn't so sure about herself.

"Grim?"
"Aye, Iddra." Helgrim looked weary. His eyes were bloodshot and dark around them from lack of sleep. Iddra's didn't look much better, proof that she had been up with the baby a lot of the time. He felt bad about that.

"You... You look awful, Grim."

"I know. I'm sorry I haven't been here to help."

"It's not a trouble, Grim. She's been a doll. Right now she isn't feeling well, that's why she's fussy."

"Still, I should not have been gone so much. I should have been here, taking care of her."

"No one bla-"

"I blame myself, Iddra. Don't you see? I feel guilty for not even giving her a name." He swallowed and then tensed slightly. "Can... Can I hold her?"

"Of course you can. She's your daughter. Come and sit down over here." She directed him to a chair in her room. Helgrim stepped inside and then went to sit down where she indicated. "Now, hold out your arms."

Helgrim did so and Iddra placed the baby into his arms, then took a step back. The little girl gave a yawn and looked up at Helgrim. He couldn't believe he had missed out on so much of her life already. He was such a dunce.

"She likes you, Grim. No one else can hold her. She cries bloody murder when they do." Iddra sounded quite impressed.

"She knows I'm her papa." He didn't know if the baby really did know that he was her father, but he liked to think something like that was instinctual. "What have you been calling her?"

"I've refrained from giving her a name, Grim. I knew you would eventually come back and want to do that yourself. Normally we use "Baby" or "Sweetie" when we speak to her."

"I appreciate that, cousin. Do... Do you mind giving me uh, a few minutes with her?"

"You don't have to ask, Grim. She's yours, yours forever. I'll let you get to know her." Iddra kissed her cousin's cheek and then smiled before leaving the room, shutting the door softly. She almost ran into her new husband when she turned around. "Fjolnar?"

"What do you suppose changed in him? Why'd he come back now?" he asked Iddra.

"I don't know, dear. Maybe he just realized he had a duty to do? Come on, let's go. He needs his time and I'm starved." They both chuckled a little hesitantly and then turned back to the common room.

Helgrim held the baby girl, slowly becoming more and more accustomed to how she moved and what she liked and didn't like. He could hardly get over the fact that she looked so much like Aeri. Not entirely, for sure, but the baby had her eyes. He took a deep breath to shake off the sadness and focused on the baby. She reached out her tiny hand and touched his cheek, her blue eyes looking into his own. Instantly he felt the connection. She was his and he was hers. Forever. No one could ever take that away.
"Well my little Lifa, I suppose we're stuck with one another, eh?" The baby cooed and grabbed onto his cheek, smiling. It hurt, but Helgrim didn't care. "Can you keep a secret?" He grinned. "Your papa is the Frost Wolf and you will never be unprotected. Between me and Tilly, we have you covered." Then he gave the baby a small hug and a kiss on the forehead before he got to his feet.

"Aeri, you gave your life to give this life to me. Her name shall be Lifa Aeri Frost-Blood and she shall forever be by my side. Now, let's go outside and meet your special auntie Tilly." Helgrim opened the door and with a proud smile on his face took the first steps as a new man. A father with a purpose, a protective wolf inside and a brand new view on his life. He must finish his house so that he can bring his family home. Then, when they're all here, he can go to war against the Imperials and win their freedom.