We got lucky we reached the coach just as the driver was giving the last call. We had to hurry to board. Aela, Skjor, and Kodlak sat on the left bench with Aela closest to the driver then Kodlak and finally Skjor. Me Farkas and Vilkas sat opposite them, once more the brothers had put me between them seemingly by some tactical agreement. The other people on the coach were an older couple with three children two boys and a girl.

Almost as soon as the coach was rolling one of the boys asked "Are you soldiers?"

Farkas answered smiling "Nay we're companions."

The smaller boy then said "Really! Papa used to tell us stories about the companions. He said they were the greatest warriors ever and that only the most honorable warriors number among them."

The older woman looked to the boys and said "Hush don't bother the man." then she looked to Farkas saying "I'm sorry if my grandsons bothered you."

Farkas seemed startled at the idea that they were a bother and said "Uh their no bother all they we're doing was asking questions."

Suddenly the girl leaned forward asking "Can a girl become a companion?"

"Only warriors can be companions and girls aren't warriors silly." the older of the two boys said

At that Vilkas leaned forward and looked back down the coach and said "Who told you that? Four among our number are women warriors two of which are in this coach."

The little girl looked at me and asked "Are you really a companion?"

"Yes I am so is Aela." I said nodding towards Aela

The girl leaned further forward to look around Skjor and Kodlak to see Aela. We spent most of the ride talking to the three children until they fell asleep at which point the couple thanked us for our patience and kindness. Kodlak told them that no thanks were necessary. Once the coach reached Winterhold we got off and headed for the tomb.

Once there opening the tomb was a simple matter of putting Wuutfrad in the hands of a statue of Ysgramor afterwards things weren't so simple. I had always thought of ghosts as well pretty much harmless souls just kind of wandering around. The ones in the tomb not so much they seemed to be trying to add our souls to their number. In all honesty as creepy as dragur are I think I prefer fighting them at least they didn't talk. Kodlak said they were trying to make sure we were worthy to enter and that they had probably been expecting us.

But that's not very comforting when most of the ghost charged at me yelling "Die elf!" and other such things along those lines, not very comforting at all in fact kind of disturbing.

I mean come on there's six of us here stop ganging up on me. Farkas and Vilkas kept having to lend me a hand and started teasing me about it. When we came to a doorway covered in cobwebs Farkas nearly turned around muttering something about hating frostbite spiders. I convinced him to just wait there and let me and Aela deal with the spiders via bow. Once they were dead Farkas had no problem and he stopped laughing at me. By the time we reached the flame of the harbinger that Kodlak said we had been seeking I was just about battled out and had decided I really don't like ghosts.

As we encircled the flame Kodlak said "We will go one at a time to rid ourselves of our wolf spirits."

We all agreed we should go in the order of who had had it the longest, so Kodlak went first. the wolf spirt would have been beautiful had it not been for the fact it tried to kill all of us. as soon as it was dead least that's what I think you'd call it can you kill a spirt?

Anyway all the tension seemed to drain out of Kodlak and he said "free at last."

Skjor went next his wolf spirt was even more fearsome then Kodak's and like Kodlak as soon as it was gone he relaxed but he simply grunted. Then it was Aela's turn as she threw the witches head into the fire her wolf spirt emerged and seemed unable to decide who to attack first. Once it was gone she relaxed but said nothing by now I was dreading my turn I feared I would not have the strength to face my wolf.

Farkas went next describing it as being like "Relaxing with a mug of warm spiced mead losing aches I didn't know I had."

Vilkas went next and as soon as his was gone he said "It's strange I can no longer hear your hearts beating but my mind is no longer clouded with thoughts of the hunt either I feel a true nord once more."

As I took the head from the bag and approached the flames I dreaded what was to come I tossed the head into the flames as the head burned nothing happened I could not understand it.

Then Kodlak called to me "Amaliea do you still wear the medallion I gave you?"

"Yes." I answered wondering what that had to do with anything.

"Take it off and toss it to me!" he called

I did as he said and as soon as the medallion lost contact with me something knocked me back onto my back. When I looked up a wolf spirt was standing over me snarling. It was more solid then the others had been and so the fight began.

After it was over I asked Kodlak one question "what just happened?"

We were all staring at Kodlak waiting his answer then Skjor bent down and picked up the medallion from where it had landed and looked at it for a few moments.

Then he looked to Kodlak saying "I know this medallion you used to wear it before you went on that job and got your leg hurt. How did Amaliea get it?"

After looking at all our faces Kodlak finally spoke "Amaliea the only way I can explain all this is to tell the whole tale it is your choice who you want to know. Are there any here you do not wish to know?"

I looked around at the people in the tomb three I would trust with my life and two I'm still not sure of. In truth I do not wish any of them to know but fate had torn that option out of my hands. I looked at the floor in front of my boots trying to calm the fear and uncertainty that seemed to close in on me. I felt more then saw Farkas and Vilkas step to either side of me a gesture that helped calm the storm inside with them near me I felt safe and a lot more confident. I couldn't help but think Farkas was so like my brothers but quiet like my Pa. Vilkas was also quiet like pa but in some ways so different.

I finally gathered myself enough to think clearly I looked to Kodlak and said "If it were up to me that tale would never have seen the light of day, but it has and now it has to be told."

Kodlak nodded and gestured for us to sit as we did Vilkas shifted his arm so that it encircled my shoulders and on my left Farkas sat close so that I was ensconced between them. Farkas put his hand on my arm and Kodlak began.

Kodlak's tale

I guess I should begin at the beginning just over nine years ago the companions received a letter from a village in Falkreath hold called Woodvalley. A group of necromancers had taken up residence in a cave not far from the village and livestock was going missing. They were requesting help the letter said that if we would accept send whoever we sent to the inn in Falkreath to meet a man named Garson Lyaera he would guide them to the village as it could be hard to find. In the end I decided to go myself I hadn't been on a job in a while and I was curious so I went. Garson Lyaera turned out to be the biggest bosmer I had ever seen. He led me to a cave a few hours from Falkreath then we went through it and emerged on a cliff side trail looking out over a hidden valley. Most of the valley was covered in woodland but near the cliff was a village a good bit bigger then Riverwood, some livestock, and a river that wound its way through fields before disappearing into the woods. The village seemed very busy and a frown was furrowing Garson's brow.

As we walked down the path a young bosmer man ran up to meet us saying "Garson sir thank the gods your back."

"What's going on Simiean?" Garson asked

Now that we were closer I could hear that a lot of people were calling something but we were still too far away to hear what.

The man Simiean had caught his breath and said "Sir it's Amaliea she's missing no one's seen her since yesterday evening."

Garson's face went white and he threw his pack to the ground and ran down the path to the village where he was meet by a blond woman. He clutched her to himself she seemed to be crying.

Simiean picked up Garson's pack and turned to me asking "Are you the one the Companions sent?" at my nod he said "follow me you'll want to hear this."

I followed Simiean down the path when we got to the village Garson was coming out of what was obviously the blacksmiths house carrying a large Warhammer. He was followed by a pair of dark haired twin boys who looked about sixteen carrying swords and a blond girl who looked about fourteen. They were quickly joined by the blond woman with all them together it was obvious they were a family. A gray-haired woman went up to Garson and seemed to be trying to convince him of something.

After a moment he yelled "Stop trying to patronize me Eirkir those blasted necromancers took my little girl! I'm not going to stand here arguing I'm going to get my daughter back!"

He started to walk away from her with the boys following on his heels and she called "Please Garson at least give us time to explain it to the Companion you brought maybe he'll go with you."

Garson looked over at me his eyes were filled with rage but behind the rage I could see desperation and sadness. He walked over to me with the boys still following him and the others soon joining us.

Eirkir spoke "Companion I know the letter we sent was for simply getting rid of a band of necromancers but things have become worse. This morning it was discovered that one of the village children has gone missing a young girl named Amaliea, she's Garson's and Mareia's youngest please can you go with Garson and his sons to find her. We fear the necromancers may have taken her."

Suddenly the blond woman who I was assuming was Mareia pleaded "Please go with my husband please find my baby."

She then turned to her husband crying the girl was openly crying and the twins were clutching their swords ready for a fight. I told them I would go with Garson and we left. Not far from the village near the edge of the woods we found signs of a struggle and something that chilled me to the bone werewolf tracks. From the scents and the tracks I could tell what had happened a young girl had been running towards the village the werewolf chasing her it had caught her there and dragged her away. We followed the tracks to a cave in the cliff side with part of a camp in front of it. Neither Garson nor his sons had said a word the entire time just clutched their weapons. I told the boys to stay inside the tree line as look outs then me and Garson walked towards the cave as we approached several people rose from around a campfire all dressed in necromancer's robes.

I called out to them "Hello travelers we're from the village one of the children there has gone missing a young girl have you happened to see her?"

The necromancers looked alarmed then one of them yelled "get them!" and they all charged.

They weren't that hard to fight none were very skilled and Garson with his hammer was a fearsome figure. Afterwards we entered the cave even inside we had no problem, it wasn't long before the necromancers were taken care of but we couldn't find the girl. There were a lot of side passages so we split up I think we both feared the same thing that when we found the girl she wouldn't be alive. I was beginning to give up hope when I heard a faint cry down another side passage. As I raced down it the cries became louder until they were pain filled screams and roars. When I reached the end of the passage I came into a small chamber and saw a terrible sight the only fixture in the room was a cage shoved against the wall and huddled in it as far back as she could get was a small red-haired girl. Her right arm was bleeding heavily and she was using a weak flame spell to try to fight of a large coal black werewolf that was intent on killing her. I rushed forward to distract the wolf then fought and killed it but I was wounded in the process the creature's claws had sliced through my leg. I dragged myself over to the cage where the girl was still huddled. She was crying and shaking sitting in a pool of her own blood she looked at me but didn't seem to see me. I didn't have any healing potions with me and I had no idea how to treat a wound that bad so I did the only thing I could think of I started talking to her. I asked her if she was Amaliea.

She responded by nodding and saying "yes." In a whisper

So I told her that her pa was looking for her.

Then she really looked at me for the first time and said "Papa's looking for me?"

Her face seemed to light up at that thought. I told her that we'd have to help him find us by calling for him after a few minutes the girl lost consciousness and it wasn't long before my vision got blurry. I don't know how long I sat there calling for Garson just before everything went black I saw him run into the cave and rushed over to his little girl.

When I came too I was lying in a bed in a room I had never seen before and one of Garson's twins was sitting in a chair by the door. As soon as he realized I was awake he ran out of the room calling for his ma it turned out the blond woman Mareia was the village healer. I spent three months with Amaliea's family in that time I realized that Amaliea had the wolf blood in her.

Amaliea's POV

At this point he stopped to gather his thoughts, my mind was reeling and Farkas said "But Amaliea said she never turned."

"I never did until what happened with Aela and Skjor. What are you talking about I had the blood in me?" I said completely confused

Vilkas asked "If Amaliea had wolf blood before why couldn't we sense it?"

Kodlak continued "The answer to all your questions lie with the medallion. Before I left Woodvalley I gave that medallion to Amaliea because it's enchanted. It suppresses the Wolfblood so that when I gave it to Amaliea her blood never grew strong enough to cause her to turn and it also prevented any werewolf from sensing the blood in her."

I didn't know what to think I was hearing what he was saying but I couldn't understand it. I wondered why didn't he tell me so I asked "why didn't you tell me?"

"I gave you the medallion in hopes you could live a normal life. I planned to tell you after you joined the Companions but the time never seemed right and then the business with Aela and Skjor happened and I wasn't sure how you'd take it." Kodlak said not meeting my eyes

I stood up and headed for the exit "Amaliea?" Kodlak said

"I need some air, I need to think." I said running out of the tomb as I left I heard footsteps following me.

I rushed outside and left the tomb only to slide on a patch of ice and land face first in a snow bank.

Next thing I knew someone grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet saying "You know your brothers weren't kidding you can be a bit of a klutz."

It was Vilkas he led me around a bunch of rocks to a sheltered spot out of the wind before asking "Are you alright?"

And with that simple comment and the concern in his eyes I was undone I slid to the ground crying and saying "I don't know. I don't know what to think, what to feel."

I can't stop crying now that I've started Vilkas sits down next to me and reaches out encircling me in his arms. I don't even stop to think I bury me head against his armored chest circling his waist with my arms clinging to the one normal thing in all of this mess. My thoughts are to jumbled to even be coherent to myself the only clear thought was Kodlak never told me. All this time he never told me, I spent all this time wondering why I never turned and he never told me. I felt Vilkas pull his thick woolen cloak so that the ends overlapped the sides of my cloaks and then he just held me.

I'm not sure how long we sat there like that before Vilkas said "look up."

I looked up at him and he nodded his head at something behind me I sat up turning to look and say a beautiful sight. Arches of light and color weaving across the sky I had seen them before but never this bright just then I realized I was shivering. Vilkas pulled me back to sit beside him tucking one side of his cloak behind me pulling me close and wrapping his arm about my shoulders. Then he used his other hand to pull cloak across me so that we were wrapped in a shared cocoon of warmth in that frigid land.

Then he spoke again "I read once that hope shines brightest in our darkest hour, but it's up to you to take that hope and believe in it. I imagine you feel kind of like how I felt when I found out that those with the blood can't go to Sovngarde."

I looked at him waiting for him to continue he looked back at me before going on "I felt betrayed, lost, and seriously confused. I felt like I had been lied to and had been living that lie for years. "

"Sounds about right. Does it ever stop?" I said my voice sounding choked even to me

"After a while aye. You've just got to get there." Vilkas said

We sat together watching the lights until they faded away. Then we stood and rearranged our cloaks before walking back to the entrance to the tomb. Where we found that all the packs were gone and where they had been sitting was a note written in charcoal on a piece of paper. I picked it up and read it to Vilkas.

We went on back to Winterhold, took your packs with us we weren't sure you'd come back we'll wait in Winterhold and catch the next coach back – Farkas

Vilkas took the note and folded it tucking it into a pocket inside his cloak, we walked back to Winterhold and rejoined the others just in time to catch a coach. Only this time instead of Me, Vilkas, and Farkas sitting across from the others. We all sat along one side with Aela closest to the driver then Kodlak, Skjor, Farkas, Me and finally Vilkas. The other passengers filling the opposite side of the coach were mainly a group of young mages, who judging by their chatter were on break from the Collage and a really stuck up high elf. Who when he looked at me wrinkled his nose and got this 'I'm so much better then you' look on his face. He was wearing Thalmor robes and I had to fight the urge to punch him in his sneering face. Needless to say I spent the trip back talking with Farkas and Vilkas about just about anything we could think of from weapons to weather. It was a very long ride especially when Skjor decide to add his two gold to our conversation, which usually came in the form of some barb aimed at me. I think he was trying to get back at me for my remark back at the Skyforge.