Marcurio was rubbing his eyes and yawning at the kitchen table when she crept down leaving Farkas to the large warm bed.
Frenya sat across from him and chuckled as she watched his tired eyes relax and try to wake up. "You're getting lazy mage, it's a good thing we're getting you out today."

He nodded and smiled as she ate the quick breakfast he had waiting for her. "I've rather taken to eating all day and sleeping in large feathery beds at night. Please don't send me back to Riften" Marcurio sarcastically pleaded with a wink.

"Never in an era would I send you away. You are my very best friend, Marc."

Marcurio's face went slack as she spoke, reaching across the table and taking her hand. "As are you, Fren. I've never met anyone quite like you."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Marcurio smiled and nodded before grabbing an apple from a bowl on the table. "Do you want children?"

Frenya raised an eyebrow as she thought about the question. "Someday, I guess. I've been using a contraceptive potion. Why?"

"I don't think I want them. I was watching them chase each other and it was cute and everything but then they started screaming and arguing. I figure I can just spoil your kids and
send them home."

"Oh, how kind of you. I'm sorry you walked in on ..that." Frenya tried to cover her blushing cheeks in the dim light of the room.

"I should have knocked but if I'm going to stay here, maybe you could get a new bed frame?"

"Oh gods, you heard?" Frenya covered her face with her hands in pure humiliation as Marcurio chuckled. "We're going to need a bigger house."

"Frenya, do you really think he is going to want me living with you guys for the rest of our lives?"

Frenya dropped her hands to the table and shrugged. "Never thought about it. For years you've gone where I go except the times you go to Riften for relaxation or whatever it is
you do in that filthy town. Seems like he and I have some talking to do."

Marcurio nodded and threw the rest of his apple into the fire. "Ready?"

On the long walk her mind was flooded with the questions Marcurio had brought up. She and Farkas had never talked about what they wanted in the future.
Children, sprawling mansions or a cottage on the lake. Not many women brought mages into a marriage with them either. She felt herself growing anxious as she thought about
bringing it up to Farkas. What would happen if they did not agree on what they wanted in life? She brought her anxious mind back to Marcurio and asked him how he and Aela had come
to spend their time together. He laughed and told her that they had struck up conversation while he was at Jorrvaskr and it just seemed to go from there.

She laughed when he asked if she was mad and told him that she saw no problem with it that it was just so unexpected. Aela was never one for anything other than quick flings with
large brutish men that were more often than not intimidated by her.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. You've had so much on your plate and I know you're scared that I'm going to just up and leave you behind one day but that will never be the case, Frenya. Understand?"
She nodded with a teary smile as he stopped to squeeze her into a painfully tight hug.

"Are you really considering becoming a Companion?"

"I think I am. I've been a lone mercenary for so long and being with you through all of this..I don't know, I guess I want something more, something stable like you have."

"Then lets talk about it when we get back. Maybe you could use that gods damn sword I made you! I almost burned myself alive creating it and you've used it like twice."

"Aela has been training me with a bow. I think I may just be amazing at everything I try." She rolled her eyes at his cocky grin and ego puffed chest.

"You with a bow? I had to PAY you to use a sword the last time because you don't want to callous your pretty little hands but you'll use a bow?!" She threw her hands up in irritation as he chuckled and playfully shouldered her until she finally laughed.

The nights breeze made her hair dance across her face and shoulders as they made their way towards the bandit camp. Her muscles began to ache reminding her that her lingering scars were once painful wounds.

She slipped a stamina potion as they approached the camp and crouched, looking for signs of life and surprised to find no bandits guarding the entrance. They exchanged a wondering glance at each other before moving closer to look for signs of life.

"This place is small but dangerous. The last group had several traps just in the entry tunnel. If we watch our step and stay hidden we shouldn't have much problem."

Marcurio nodded and silently followed her into the structure. She picked off the first lonesome bandit with an arrow to the neck with a cocky grin that Marcurio had so often given her.
Frenya stooped over the body stepping backwards in shock as she looked upon the dead man.

"Marc..these are vampires. We aren't prepared for this." Her heart pounded her in chest as she watched Marcurio's eyes confirm what she had just realized.

Footsteps approached calling out what she suspected was the name of his now completely dead friend. A roar signaled the rest of the vampires that there was intruders.

Marcurio swore loudly as he took out two of the vampires easily while Frenya switched to a blade for a melee attack. Shouts and dying groans echoed the room as they fought in unison
as they had done many times before. Frenya watched as the master vampire charged Marcurio while she was tangled with a determined undead orc that left a nasty gash in her arm that only further enraged her.
She called out for Marcurio who responded with a witty chime that this vampire would be meeting his death again today.

She drove her sword through the chest of the vampire, leaving him to drop to the ground as she quickly tried to spot Marcurio. His fight had left him cornered and his energy obviously draining.
She felt her blood boil at the sight of one of her own being threatened. She didn't recognize the feral growl that left her lips as she drove her sword through the chest of the undead
creature, her chest burned with anger as she put a boot on his throat to hold him down and waited for him to die. His hissing and fight died quickly leaving her to tend to Marcurio.

Her next breath was like ice in her lungs as she realized he was bleeding. Quickly pulling back his robes she realized he had been stabbed at some point during the altercation. The wound entered under his ribs in one clean slice.
She smacked his face trying to revive him as her stomach quivered, threatening to spill its contents if she didn't calm down. She dug through her bag for a healing potion,
growling at him as the liquid dribbled from his unconscious mouth.

She quickly realized that it was not just fear making her head spin and muscles freeze but the sour smell of poison that was now running through her veins. She cursed the vampire that struck her as she tried to remember what Marcurio had taught her if she was ever poisoned. She found the vile she kept tucked in her satchel that contained only a few drops of a bright green liquid and drank it, hoping it worked for all poisons.

"Okay Fren, you are going to stay calm. You are going to get him to town and it will be fine." Saying the words out loud did little to comfort her as she tried to slip an arm around
the slacken man and pull him up. Her body screamed under his limp weight as she tried to walk forward. Feeling the tears building in her eyes she leaned against a wall, letting his weight fall on to her. "Marc, I need you to wake up and help me now." her voice was more of a plead then the command she wanted it to be as she tried to form a plan.

She sighed loudly, letting a few tears drop as he tried to lift his head. She groaned under his weight pushing her into the stone wall as she tried to pull another potion from her bag.
She gave him words of encouragement as he sloppily drank the bottle and tightened his grip around her waist for support.

"I'm going to get you home and you're going to be fine."

Marcurio murmured something as Frenya slowly made her way back out of the camp commanding her body to shut up and do what it was told.
He moaned as she gently placed him on the ground outside before trying to tend to his wounds more. Her body quivered and tingled as she tried to blink away the blurry vision and focus on the ailing mage.

"You're not dying here, Marcurio. Just let me get you home."