Only two weeks had passed in Dominae's forced "vacation" and the Companions could already tell that she was beyond frustrated. During her first week back home, she'd gone through both Aela and Vilkas in training. Aela had taken her out on a competitive hunting trip, where the winner was the one who'd killed the most hares—those little bastards were damn hard to snipe—and the woman had won. Not by getting her own kills, but by stealing Aela's. Instead of running off in her own direction, her Harbinger had followed the woman. Every time the red haired Nord had found her target, Dominae had managed to kill it before the Huntress could even let go of the bow string.

When Vilkas had noticed how agitated she'd become, he'd challenged her to a friendly match between the two, that way he could kick the Dragonborn's ass a second time. She'd laughed and agreed, setting aside the beloved Wuuthrad to take a regular greatsword. Vilkas took the first hit, a rare thing, and actually managed to knick a piece of her armor. He smiled in triumph.

That, however, had been the first and last hit he'd laid on her.

For the rest of the fight, he was on the defensive. It had started out her just coming at him, making him block and call out jests. Not too long later, it felt like a real battle. He was dancing around the training grounds, avoiding her swipes, and sometimes not being fast enough and getting banged up. When he looked up into her face and saw how serious he was, a flicker of uncertainty went through him. She wouldn't hurt him, would she?

They carried on like this for a while, drawing a crowd. All the whelps were there, their eyes wide in wonder as they stared at their Harbinger beating the shit out of Vilkas. Then some of the older members started to watch, looking a little horrified as well.

Unfortunately, their stares had caused him to become distracted, and Dominae took over that weakness. She surged then with a powerful battle cry and pushed him to the ground with her shoulder, knocking the wind out of him and making the Nord fall to the ground. He'd meant to quickly jump up, to resume the fight, but her heavy foot pressed against his chest and he was soon eye to eye with her blade. He looked back up at her, a silence between them.

Then she pulled away from him, something in her eyes changing, and she dropped the sword as if it had burned her. She muttered an apology and a lame excuse before leaving, stomping around Jorrvaskr instead of through it. Everyone could only watch as she went.

Dominae gasped awake again, holding onto her aching chest thing time, and glanced at the scenery around her. She wasn't surrounded by the thick fog, there was no sound of an angry dragon, and she was still alive. It was only a dream. Only a horrible nightmare. The blonde looked down at her chest, noticing more red welts, and felt tears start to form in her eyes. How could this only be a dream?

Silently, as to not wake the man that lay beside her, Dominae left the room, closing the bedroom door behind her. She walked down the stairs, ignoring the room across the hall like she always did, and sat next to the slowly dying fire, its embers fading to ebony.

With a shaky sigh, Dominae put her head in her hands and let her hair cover her face. As tears slowly started to fall, she forced herself to be as quiet as possible as she sobbed. The dreams had come to her frequently after that first night. Sometimes, she wasn't plagued by them, and was able to get a decent amount of sleep. But most nights, Alduin invaded her mind. In ways she didn't know was possible, he tormented her. She didn't know how, and she doubted she ever would, he'd been able to use some kind of magic to hurt her in the safe haven of her dreams. His claws and maw dug into her skin while his vicious words wormed their way into her head.

"You will fail. Those you love will curse your name as I devour them. The world will die along with you."

Every night was something different. Some new message for her that only put more fear into her. He had to know it was working; somehow he had to know. She was close to breaking. After that, she wasn't sure what would happen. But if this didn't stop, she wouldn't stand a chance.

Two large hands grasped her upper arms, gentle yet firm, scaring the blonde enough for her to scream and pull away. Looking at her captor, instant guilt filled her as she saw the hurt look on Farkas' face, though he'd been quick to hide it. He hadn't been expecting that kind of reaction.

"Farkas, I'm sorry, you scared me," she confessed, her voice still thick with tears. She was hoping he wouldn't comment on it. That he'd tell her that it was late and that they should go back to bed. She wasn't that lucky.

"Dominae, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing's wrong. Let's just go back—"

She'd started to get up, to head them back up to their room, but Farkas tightened his grip around her, forcing her back down into her seat. Dominae looked back at him, shocked to see the seriously determined look on her lover's face.

"Don't you dare lie to me Dominae. I've been overlooking this for the past week, hoping you just couldn't sleep. But I'm not going to let something hurt you when I know there's something I can do to help. What's wrong? Is it your nightmares?"

At the mention of the horrid dreams, mixed with the look of sheer worry and concern etched on the man's handsome face, Dominae broke down again. She sobbed loudly, throwing herself into his bare arms, and buried her face into his neck. He didn't seem to mind that she was soaking his skin. All he did was hold her and caress her back while she wailed like a child in his arms.

"It's so terrible Farkas. They come to me every night. It's always the same, but it terrifies me."

Farkas wound a hand up into her hair and held on, pulling her closer to him, trying to show her that she was safe with him. It hurt him deeply to see her this pained, but it hurt more that she hadn't told him when they started. However, Dominae was a strong Nord woman. Unfortunately, they tended to keep their weaknesses to themselves. He had to change that.

"Tell me about them," he said softly, kissing the side of her head. However, it didn't soothe her. She only shook her head and held onto him tighter.

"I cannot. I know it's childish, but I can't speak them aloud. I just—"

"I'm here for you Dominae. Let me help you. Help me help you."

Pulling away, Dominae looked the man in his icy blue eyes, finding nothing but love and concern in them, but still felt trepidation. What if he thought she was silly? They were just dreams after all. He'd say it was nothing and dismiss the whole thing. Anyone would.

One of his large hands went to her face, cupping the whole side of her face so tenderly in his grip while his thumb cautiously wiped the tears off her cheeks. No, Farkas would never say anything like that. He was such a fair and kindhearted man. He could help her.

"They started as soon as we returned to Whiterun. As soon as I'm asleep, the nightmare falls upon me. I'm surrounded by a thick, suffocating fog. I'm alone, with Wuuthrad as my only weapon. All around me, I can hear the roars and shouts of an angry ebony dragon."

"Alduin," Farkas interrupted. Dominae nodded her head and nuzzled her face closer to his hand.

"I'm always so tired and wounded, like I've been fighting him for hours. I barely have the strength to raise my arms. He always catches me by surprise, always knocks me down and leaves me weaponless. I'm always too exhausted to try and continue to fight. He plants his foot down on me, like he had up at the Throat of The World, and smirks down on me. Then he says things that slowly dissolve my mind, remove all my hope. To end it, he always kills me, tears into my body while I'm still alive, lets the music of my screams break me from my nightmares. Then I wake up, but it's not over. It's never over."

Pulling away from him for only a moment, Dominae threw her tunic over her head, revealing the wounds on her body.

Farkas gasped and stared wide eyed at her. He'd never found her scars appalling—quite the opposite actually—but he now found himself sick to his stomach. Not because of the new, healing wounds, but because of how she'd gotten them.

"A dream gave you these?" he whispered in horror, gently touching the newest one on her chest, the worst of them yet. All of them had started to bleed. Not by much, but enough to ruin the band around the woman's chest. Dominae nodded her head.

"I don't know how he's managed to do it, but he's caused all of these. But the way he speaks into my mind, what he says… I can't hope to win against him anymore. We've already spent too much time waiting. It's been two week Farkas. Do you know how much more powerful Alduin could have gotten in that amount of time? These dreams are glimpses into the future. He'll kill me Farkas, I'm sure of it."

Farkas grabbed the woman's face firmly in his hands and gave her a stern look, his brows drawn together. For a long moment, he didn't say anything, just let her look into his eyes, and he watched her warring emotions. Finally, he spoke.

"I have complete and total faith in you Dominae. You're so powerful, such a force to be reckoned with, it should be Alduin that's shaking in fear, not you."

"But—"

"No, Dominae," he said sharply, pulling her closer to him, "No. There's no buts. Think of everything that you've accomplished so far. With only rags on your back, you managed to escape Helgen. You saved Whiterun from a dragon attack, became a hero to this city, and became a hero this world needs. You've conquered and you've made it through. You got the leaders of a civil war to come together for peace, at least for a little while, with only your word. You're strong, so very strong. Alduin doesn't stand a chance against you, and he knows it. That's why he's hiding, why he'd playing these mind tricks on you."

He placed his forehead against hers, breathing her scent, and felt a few tears of his own escape his eyes. Dominae's hands came up and wiped them away without a second thought just the way he had done to hers, and he smiled.

"There's not a doubt in my mind that you will find Alduin, where ever he is, and end him. And I'll be behind you the whole way. Evil never wins, and Alduin won't win. You have to believe in yourself. You have to. I won't let you leave this life behind so easily."

Softly, Farkas brought their lips and kissed her. He didn't turn it into a hungry, hard kiss like he usually did when the two made love. He just slowly kissed her, letting her know how much he loved her, cared for her, and believed in her; all with a simple kiss.

The way it made her feel was almost enough to make her cry again. Her heart soared as he pulled her closer, touched her, and showed her with his body how much he loved her. At that moment, it hit her like a ton of bricks just how much she loved him. There wasn't a way to describe it, to tell him in words how much that was, but as he continued to kiss her, she knew that he knew.

Pulling away slightly, Dominae smiled softly at the man, stroking the stubble on his chiseled face.

"I love you."

"And I love you. With everything I have."

A week later, and Dominae had never felt better. After Farkas and her had had that late night talk, the dreams had vanished. Every night he held her close, told her how much he loved her, and she slept peacefully. And every night, Dominae could feel her confidence coming back. She could do this, she could defeat her brother. She could, and would, save this world. It was her duty as Dovahkiin.

She'd quickly apologized to Vilkas and Aela, telling them that she'd been under serious pressure. They both forgave her easily, like nothing had ever happened, and continued to help her with her training. While she'd still won against them, this time it had been fair. Dominae was growing stronger and stronger every day. Everyone could see it.

As a final test against her combat, she'd challenged all the Companions, every single member, to come against her at once. They'd all looked at her strangely, thinking that she was surely crazy, but that comforting smile said otherwise. With a few jests to their character, they'd all agreed to join and grabbed a weapon.

Most of the whelps went down first. Their battle prowess was good, better than most, but it wasn't enough to best their Harbinger. The one that had made it the farthest was that damned Khajiit, the one who always had that smile on his face.

"I am impressed by your skill, Harbinger. To take on this many at once and not be felled it a surprising feat."

It had unnerved her, at first, finding that the cat didn't speak like the others of his kind, but she couldn't say she was unhappy for it. One could only say "this one" so many times before it started to get old. Smirking at the cat, she blocked a swing from someone behind her, quickly dispatched them, and moved closer to him.

"You'd be surprised at the things I'm able to manage."

"I doubt it," he said, trying his hardest to avoid her stabs, "I know, as well as the rest of the Companions, that there is great strength in you. I don't think there is a thing you can't do."

In a different situation, the man's brutal honesty would have been enough to derail her from her task, but this was a battle, and she wanted nothing to distract her in a fight. Instead, she turned his own words against him, slowly backing him away while he talked, and he tripped when he wasn't looking. Dominae made a fake fatal swing at him, calling him out.

"Thank you, Do'Shavir. That means more than you'll ever know."

Soon enough, everyone had been taken care of, leaving her the only one standing in the training grounds while the rest had been forced to stay in their "death" positions. Their labored breathing mixed together in the eerie silence before a chuckle broke it.

"Didn't even decide to go easy on them, did you love?" Farkas questioned, large arms folded across his chest as he leaned against a pillar.

"They are all powerful warriors. To go easy on them would be an insult."

"And what about you, brother? Why did you not join in?"

Looking at the new blood, Farkas gave the woman a smile and deep laugh. "I've seen her battle and have fought at her side. I did not wish to get my tail handed to me."

"Smart man," Dominae joked, putting her sword back on a rack, "I thought you were busy in town with your brother?"

"All done now. I just came to collect you."

The fallen men and women started to get up and move on with their lives, giving the two as much privacy as they could. Not even caring about their presence, Dominae cocked a brow.

"And for what, exactly?"

"It's a surprise."

"Surprises are never good things."

Farkas laughed again. "This one is. Come on."

Unenthusiastically, the woman decided to humor Farkas and walked up with him, motioning that he should lead the way. With that always loving Farkas smile, he grabbed onto that hand and pulled her body close to his own. He wrapped one arm around her waist and leaned down, giving her a quick kiss before he set them off. As the couple walked away, the yells and catcalls—with one being an actual cat call—followed them. Dominae blushed and wanted to glare up at the man, but couldn't find it inside herself to be annoyed at him. Instead, she just moved in closer to him and enjoyed his warmth.

Dominae laughed as Farkas finished his story, shaking her head in disbelief at the tale, causing her hair to fan out across his chest. Grinning, he stroked her silky locks and sighed in content, glancing up into the sky. It was starting to get darker into the night, slowly overtaking the light around them, save for the magelight that surrounded the fur that they lay on. Farkas had refused to tell Dominae how he managed that one.

He held onto the woman tighter as his eyes watched the sky, waiting for the moment that they were truly here for.

"This has been great Farkas," the Nord admitted, moving a bit so she could look up into his handsome face, "It was really nice just sitting out here, talking and relaxing with you. Even though we're together every night, if feels like we're never alone."

"I don't know about that," the brute said, stroking her face, "Every time I'm around you, all I can see is you."

Embarrassed, Dominae turned her head away, going to look back out into the sky, but Farkas turned her face back to his. He kissed her, just as soft as the rest of the kisses they had shared tonight, and she sighed happily and fell into his affection.

They kissed for a long time, winding themselves around each other, just enjoying the other's presence. Farkas had been so wound up in Dominae that he'd almost forgotten his very last surprise. Reluctantly pulling away from the woman, he gave her a cheeky grin and pointed up into the sky, helping her into a sitting position.

Confused, and still a little dazed by that heated kiss, Dominae did what she was told and looked into the sky, only to gasp. Eyes wide, she couldn't take her eyes off of the sight.

The aurora borealis was a common occurrence here in Skyrim, since much the land was frigid enough to warrant the light effects, but what lay before her was something extremely beautiful.

There were so many colors dancing in the sky, rather than just the standard green and blue that usually took its place. Every single color imaginable, and some that Dominae herself had never seen before, brought light down upon the earth, almost enough to make it seem like it was still daylight. In all her existence, dragon and mortal, the woman had never seen something so beautiful.

Then, pulling her away, something cold and heavy was placed in her hands, making her look down in confusion. As if she hadn't just see the biggest surprise in her life, it was easily topped by what lay in her hands. She looked at Farkas incredulously, trying her hardest to keep her mouth from hitting the floor. He only gave her a small smile.

"You know I'm not all that good with words, or so everyone else says, and try as I might, I couldn't even think of anything to say to you now. But I thought that showing you would do enough. I love you Dominae. I always have, from the first moment our eyes locked. I just knew. I never want to lose you."

Dominae looked down at the Amulet of Mara that rested in her hands. She'd never seen one more beautiful in her life. It was made of all gold, the twists and turns of the decorative Nordic knots so smooth and reflective that she could see the lights from the sky in the metal. The gem in the middle, which was usually a common stone to come across, was a pale blue diamond, the color of her eyes, and it was surrounded by small sapphires. It was so beautiful, and gods did she want to put it on, but her hands were frozen around it.

"Dominae, will you marry me?"

Was going to continue the rest of this scene in this chapter, but I thought that this was a good place to stop ;] Tell me what you think!