"What's been going on since I left?"

Farkas shrugged, biting into an apple. "Just the boring usual stuff. We get into fights, track down missing valuables, put the fear of the Divines into bandits. Kodlak has some big plan or other, but he's not seen fit to tell anyone yet."

Elana let a small smile grow. "Sounds like the Companions. What do you think the Harbringer's plan is?"

"My guess is some kind of contest to help him choose the next Harbringer, since we're all qualified. Don't look at me like that; you are, too. Vilkas is too boring to try and guess. Aela gets angry every time I ask. She thinks he wants to take away our wolf blood."

"That's an unquestionably bad thing?"

"I see the good sides, too. But Aela wants to run with Hircine, not Talos or Ysgramor. And hey, if that's what she wants, then may the Lord of the Hunt smile on all her days."

A dangerous chuckle from the right, from Aela, told the two they were not as quiet as they thought they were. Indeed, they were only sitting by the hearth-fire. Tilda could probably hear them, though she had wicked good hearing for a "simple housekeeper."

Farkas scooted closer to Elana. "Ask. You know you want to."

She shot him an angry glare, but opened her mouth anyway. "How's Vilkas?"

"He's just fine. He did have a melancholic spell starting a week ago. But I knocked most of it out of him. I think you'll take care of the rest."

"I'm more than willing to knock it out of him."

Farkas chuckled. "I don't think you'll have to throw a blow." Before she could retort, he plowed on. "What have you been doing since you left us? Those punches spell of adventure."

"Oh, this and that. I got dragged into the war and almost recruited into the Thieves Guild a second time. Some men on a mountain have been employing me to track things down. Oh, and I almost joined the College. I think they consider me one of theirs."

"No Dark Brotherhood? You've almost got a finger in each pie."

"And it's exhausting. There was no way I was going to join the College and Guild while on the middle of a job."

"But if you had free time?"

Elana punched his shoulder. "I'd be here drinking!" The two tousled for a moment, laughing. When Elana almost lost a braid to fire, they called it quits in the most dramatic way possible.

"Hey Elana?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you leave?"


A thousand epithets ran through her head, each more foul than the last.

"Is it a lie to omit the truth?"

I'll pay attention to your dragon morality when we're dealing with dragons.

"Interesting. You gave me no real answer."

"I needed to sort some things out for myself."

Farkas tilted his head in confusion."What kind of things? Because it sounded like there was a fight and suddenly you're gone, Vilkas is his closed-up self again, and Kodlak's acting like some aged sage again and no one will tell the rest of us why."

"Your brother and I traded hurtful words."

"So punch him out and be done with it. It's what we do."

Elana gaped for a moment, unable to form words.

"Hmm," purred Mirmulnir. "Deflection didn't work. It looks as if you'll actually have to explain what went wrong. Do you even want to admit what you think of Vilkas?"

She hissed, then swiftly recoiled from Farkas's extending hand. "No, no that wasn't to you!"

"When the wolf starts distracting you from the world outside you, you have to push it back down. You have to be the one in control. Maybe we shouldn't have given you that blessing."

"I'll agree. But it wasn't the wolf. I don't think I can explain."

"Voices in your head?"

Mirmulnir chuckled. "Oo, he's good. I'll bet he has hidden depths. Perhaps you should forget his brother."

"A voice that won't quit playing every angle he can find to win. Helpful mentor? Yes. Snarky jerk? Of course. At the moment, he's driving me insane pushing a certain issue."

"One you would rather forget."

"Yeah."

Farkas sighed. "Divines smile on you, Elana. You need some help."

She laughed, a little darkly. "Please. This is because the Divines blessed me." She stood up to walk away.

"It's because you're Dragonborn, isn't it?"

"How did you know?"

Farkas shrugged. "You've studied men well. You walk like one, gesture like one, and have a decent scratched voice. But you're still a woman. There's only so much you can fake. People want to see a male Dragonborn; they want to see the persona you put on as a man. So you pass. But all of us in the Circle? We can smell the magic on you. Vilkas ignored it outright because he wanted you to be just Elana. Kodlak wants you to come around on your own to tell us."

"So I wasn't accepted on basis of my skill but who I am?"

"Of course Kodlak chose you because of your skill! We fight using the strength of our arms! If you had been a spellcaster, our Harbringer would've aided you but you would not be sitting here drinking with me. Listen to sense, Elana!"

She hissed. "I didn't ask for this. My whole life as a merchant, all I wanted was enough gold to buy a cabin far off where no one could bother me and I couldn't bother them. But no, I am supposed to save the world. And I'm not going to do so through hard won skill, but through gifts from the Divines I never asked for and never earned! It's not Elana that is saving Skyrim, it's the Dovahkiin."

Farkas snarled. "Don't you dare think that just anyone could take your gifts and skills and slay a dragon."

"Keep your way. I'm done."

"As you like, Elana." He quietly watched her storm off downstairs. "You're going to end up fighting with Vilkas in a few minutes anyway."