When Vilkas woke up he was in a pair of ragged trousers tied up on a wall in a cage. Laiyana was not with him, he struggled against his bonds in a panic for a moment before regaining his composure and waited patiently, trying not to rip his arms out of his sockets. He didn't know how long he had waited before he saw his companion again. Her hair had come out of it's signature double braided loop and was a wild red mess. She was wearing nothing but a ragged tunic and her war paint had been scrubbed off her face, revealing a face younger than she normally looked, silver eyes shut as she hit the floor. Blood caked her arms and legs as she whimpered in her unconscious state. One of the men who threw her in walked inside and sneered at Vilkas, he recognized the weapon he carried. The silver sword at his side revealed his association with the silver hand. Vilkas tried to hide his surprise, he thought that they had destroyed the silver hand. Apparently he was wrong. The man got in Vilkas' face and spit. Vilkas did not flinch and glared at him
"Hello companion" he said with a sneer "Is that your harbinger? Shame. She was so easy to break." he said and Vilkas felt an odd feeling in his stomach, one that wanted to tear this man limb from limb and that wanted to take Laiyana in his arms and growl at the man until he left. The man laughed at Vilkas' expression.
"Whats wrong wolf? Don't like me messing with her? She your mate? She's awfully pretty. Mabye she and I can have some fun before I kill her." He sneered and Vilkas cried out in rage and tried to lunge for the man. The man just laughed and exited the cage. He pulled at a lever and the silver chains that bound Vilkas released him. Vilkas felt a rush and a rapid beating in his heart as he rolled Laiyana onto her back, Vilkas could not make sense of this, he never liked her, he never supported her, but right now all that mattered was to keep her safe. He wrapped an arm around her and hoisted her into his arms, her blood staining his chest and skin. He ran his thumb subconsciously over her cheekbone and her eyes fluttered. He saw a flash of silver as they opened
"...Vilkas?" she said weakly and he nodded. She visibly relaxed and shut her eyes again
"This is like Alduin all over again, except I was all alone then...at least if I die here...you will be here with me..." she said with her eyes shut and Vilkas' breath hitched as he was startled by her outward acceptance of her death.
"Hush, you will not die, we have already lost one harbinger too many" he said, not recognizing his own voice. Her wounds were still bleeding he noticed, it must have been from silver weapons.
"I'm sorry" she said out of nowhere. He looked at her
"Sorry? For what?" he said, genuinely confused
"For leaving...I couldn't stand for you to see me...to see me like this...like I was..." she whispered, a tear tracking down her face. He looked at her face closely, the scar still shone like new and while her hair had grown long enough to braid it still barely reached past the top of her neck.
"We would have understood harbinger" he said. She sighed with dissatisfaction
"Please Vilkas, call me Laiyana. I never liked being called harbinger." She said, but he didn't have time to respond because the same man had opened the cage again and four men grabbed at Vilkas' arms as they drug him off.