Sorry about the delay for this chapter. I was going to do it last night but I figured out how to certain movie files running on my laptop. I was running them with the wrong program. I spent last night from about 4+ hours watching Naruto and Arrow. Anyway, on to chapter 54! A quick heads up, some of the stuff in this chapter isn't my usual style, so it may not be my usual standard. I'd appreciate it if you could drop me a quick review and tell me what's good about it and what to improve.


"Aela, concentrate." Skjor called from the other end of the training yard, snapping Aela from her thoughts, "Lief struck incorrectly again."

Aela shook herself and turned her attention to the fight between Lief and Njada she was supposed to be supervising. Lief struck again and Aela called them to a stop.

"Lief, don't rotate your wrist so much when you strike. It leaves you open here," Aela indicated a spot on Lief's chest, above his heart, "and here." Aela tapped his stomach hard.

"Aela, it's not the first time he's done that." Tiaan said from the porch. She got up and stretched with a wince.

"I've seen him do it twice already. I have been watching." Aela snorted.

"That makes... what? Three times you've seen? It's more like seven or eight. Move aside. I'll deal with them." Tiaan said.

"Are you sure?" Aela whispered as the dark elf passed

"Yes, I'm sure!" Tiaan hissed back and pushed Aela out of the way. "Both of you, come at me! I'll go easy on you." Tiaan smirked.

"Aela, Echo is up to her usual tricks again. Her and Torvar need supervising. Watch them carefully." Vilkas warned.

Aela made a snappish reply and moved to watch Echo and Torvar. It quickly became apparent that Echo was up to tricks, but not her usual ones.

"The instructions were keep it simple, I believe?" Aela said as Echo slashed at Torvar's throat and followed up with a speedy cut to his stomach when he blocked. The second strike landed.

"I am keeping it simple." Echo said defensively as she did the same thing again.

"Then don't do the small follow up strikes. They don't fall under the definition of simple."

"Then what," Echo kicked Torvar in the shin and sent him to the ground, "does?"

"Definitely not that. Nothing fancy-"

Echo interrupted with a snort.

"I don't do fancy."

"Don't interrupt me!" Aela growled, "Nothing fancy, complex or inventive. Simple blocks, blows and dodges. That's why Skjor and Vilkas call it basic weapons training. They think you all need to brush up on the skills every swordsman- or woman- worth their salt should know."

"Fine. Torvar, get up." Echo snapped.

Torvar pulled himself out of the dirt and glared at Echo. Echo just rolled her eyes and muttered something. Evidently, it wasn't the first time Torvar had ended up in the dirt.

"Show me the first skills you had to learn when you began with a blade." Aela instructed. Echo faltered, as if she was unsure of how to proceed.

"Sword or just any blade?"

Aela thought for a moment. "Any blade."

Echo nodded uncertainly and swapped her sword for a dagger.

"Ready?" Aela asked.

Torvar nodded and, after a second of hesitation, Echo too.

Echo waited for Torvar to strike first and dodged. She froze momentarily, mid-step. Before Torvar could take advantage of her hesitation she jumped back out of his reach. She kept dodging Torvar's attacks, using the most basic of foot work. As Torvar twisted around to strike her, Echo ran in and jabbed the Nord in the back.

"The first things you learned." Aela reminded her.

"The first thing I learned was what to do with a sword, or more accurately, anything sharp I got my hands on. The second, was how to dodge and footwork."

Aela nodded. "Now use your sword."

Echo drew her sword. Torvar made the first strike and Echo blocked. Her blocks were still messy. Torvar battered her dagger aside, winning the match. Echo retrieved her dagger and stood in front of Aela.

"Blocking is one of the newest things I've learned." She said.

"How new?" Aela asked.

"I first had to learn it a few months ago. A few days ago I had to learn to do it better." Echo said with a shrug.

"You mean... That first training session here was your first time learning to block?" Aela said in surprise. Echo nodded.

"That explains a lot. How would you have defeated Torvar before we made you learn to block and parry?"

In answer, Echo whirled around, elbowed Torvar in the gut, smacked his hand with the flat of her sword, making Torvar drop his own blade, and pressed her dagger against his side and her sword to his throat

"Like that. If he was intent on killing me I would have slit his throat instead."

Aela nodded thoughtfully. "Not bad. Skjor's about to finish up. Echo, you did well today. Both of you did."

The whelps went to line up as Skjor called them to attention. Aela picked up her shield and sword and began to practice a series of drills on a training dummy.

"Aela!" Farkas called. Aela snapped out of her thoughts and looked over at Farkas. The last of the whelps disappeared inside Jorrvaskr, leaving only the Circle behind.

"You were distracted today. Is everything alright?" Farkas said.

"I'm fine. Since when do you care anyway?" Aela said irritably.

"This is about the other night, is it not? You can't still be angry about that. I'm sorry about what happened." Skjor said.

The twins looked at each other.

"This isn't about the other night, I'm still more than a bit annoyed and no, I don't want your apology. Or yours!" Aela snapped and stormed inside.

Skjor looked around at the wolf twins for help, bewildered. They just shook their heads sympathetically.

"Women! They're impossible!" Skjor said exasperatedly.

"No, Aela is a class of her own." Vilkas corrected.

Not for the first time that day, Aela caught herself staring at the unopened letter sitting on the highest shelf. She tore her eyes away and found what she had come looking for, her dagger and shield. She purposely avoided looking at the letter as she stalked from the room. She walked out into the training yard, buckling her shield to her forearm as she went. An image of the piece of folded paper swam unbidden into her mind. Aela stopped dead in her tracks. She pivoted and went back the way she had come. Going into her room, she snatched the letter off the shelf and went up to the training yard. She put it under a tankard so it wouldn't blow away and did her best to destroy a training dummy.

When her nerves had calmed enough to let her think properly, Aela made sure no one was around and sat down. She pulled the letter out. Her fingers hovered over the seal, unsure. Kodlak had warned her she might not like the contents of the letter and may be better off not knowing. She could throw the letter to the wind or burn it and be rid of it and whatever knowledge it contained forever. On the other hand, Aela knew she would forever regret not knowing what was written inside. Aela took a deep breath and broke the seal. She began to read,

Aela, my brave and beautiful little Huntress,
If you are reading this, then I must be dead and you a grown woman, a true Huntress. It runs in your blood. Your blood... There is something you must know about your blood. I hope Kodlak warned you about this letter. It holds an answer to a question and many questions I cannot give the answer to. You may be happier never knowing. Aela, think carefully. I kept a great many things secret from you. Most were for your own safety or because they were things you were not allowed to know. Some I withheld because I was selfish, afraid or unsure. Your blood is not what you think it is. Horof, the man you thought to be your father since the day you were born, is not. I cannot tell you who your father is. I have my reasons. If Kodlak gave you the letter, you must have disobeyed Horof and joined the Companions. I know he never trusted or liked them. He most likely blamed them for my death. Remember, the men let their hearts rule, while we women keep a clear head. That was the mistake I made. I allowed my judgement to be clouded. Trust your instincts, Aela. They will never mislead you or lie. Your heart and mind can be tricked into seeing, thinking and feeling things. Your instincts cannot. They will save your life if you only listen to them.
It pained me to keep this from you. I am proud of you. Aela, my brave, strong, little Huntress, my daughter. I love you more than you could ever know. I'm sorry. Please don't hate me for what I've done.

Your mother,
Alana.

P.S. Don't hold your bow so tight. You will tire slower and shoot better.

Aela stared at the letter in shock. How could Horof not be her father? If he wasn't, then who could be? Her mother had been nothing but loving, if sharp and firm, towards Aela. Her mother had been her greatest teacher, the one she looked up to. There was no greater hunter than Alana. She was called the She-Wolf for good reason. People had called her Huntress because she had earned the name. Aela too had earned the name in time.

"How could I hate you?" She whispered.

When Farkas found her, she was sitting out in the training yard, head in her hands and shaking. Her breathing was unsteady, as if she had been crying.

"Aela, are you alright?" He asked softly. She didn't answer. "What's wrong? Why are you upset? Tell me."

Aela wordlessly pushed a piece of paper towards him. Farkas smoothed the creases out and began to read.

When he finished, he put the letter down and looked at Aela. She was sobbing silently and tearlessly. Farkas gently put an arm around her. Aela shivered. Farkas pulled her closer.

"Farkas, let go of me." Aela said quietly. Farkas released her, embarrassed. Aela looked up at him, her face pale and her hands shaking.

"You can't still be angry about the other night. Come off it Aela, we all let our beasts and tempers get the better of us." Farkas said.

"It's not that." Aela said quietly.

"Then what is it?"

"That," Aela jabbed a finger at the letter, "My own mother lied to me! She let me think Horof was my father. I knew who I was. Now... Now I don't. If he knew, he never told me anything."

"I was fifteen the last time I saw Horof, the day he took you away. He wasn't the nicest man. He was too protective of you. You were the only person he ever showed any love for. Alana looked after me and Vilkas when we were pups. I remember her being kind, fierce and a good teacher, if we were willing to listen."

"That's what everyone says." Aela whispered.

"That's not my point. She could have done so much better than Horof. Horof the Boar, Vilkas and I called him, and we never meant it in a good way. The man didn't even like how much Lana cared about us. He couldn't stand seeing you playing with us. He hated seeing another person looking after you. I don't think she ever told him, else he would never have had anything to do with you again. He never understood that all Companions are family, no matter who's blood you are."

A shiver racked Aela's body as the cold wind blew. Tears were gathering at the corners of her eyes. Farkas reached out again, and put a strong arm around her shoulders, as he had done so many times when they were children. The difference then was that Vilkas' arm would across he other shoulder. Aela didn't pull away.

"Farkas, I'm cold." She said in a small voice. It brought back so many memories of the time the three of them had spent together as children. They'd been close. None of them had known anyone else close to their own age.

Farkas put his arm around her. It brought back one of Aela's most treasured memories.

"I'm cold." A little girl said.
The two older boys sitting beside her smiled and looked over at the girl.
"Really? I'm hot. I guess you can have some of our warmth then." The larger of the two replied. It was how the conversation had always gone.
He moved to sit on the other side of her.
"But won't you get cold?" The girl said.
"No, we have plenty to share." The other boy said. He put a friendly arm around her.

"No matter who's blood you are, the Companions are always family." Farkas said.

Aela's reply was so quiet he nearly missed it, "That's why I came back."