"Brandr!"

Ralof waved the two Companions over to him. "Where have you been that gets you escorted by a Companion?"

Vilkas spoke up. "Companions don't leave Jorrvaskr without a shield-sibling."

"From mute bandit to Companion?" Ralof gaped in awe. "Can you be any luckier? Come inside; there is much to tell and I'm sure Gerdur will want to check on your throat."

He escorted them inside the house. "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm not in Windhelm, or another Stormcloak camp. I did report in after you left, but was told to head straight back home for a month to be sure I was fully recovered. I'm actually leaving in a few days; you arrived just in time to tell me your real name. I know it's not Brandr."

"It's Elana," she replied calmly, already soothed by the ramblings of Ralof.

The blond Nord was somewhat shocked. "I don't know how to respond to that."

"Come now, brother, the smoke from Helgen didn't damage your throat, now did it?" said Gerdur with a smile as she entered her house. "Wonderful to see you again, Elana. Who is your friend?"

"This is Vilkas, a Companion along with me."

"It is a pleasure to meet the lady of the house. And I must voice a request; may we trouble you for a night's hospitality? It grows dark already and there is still much ground between us and Whiterun."

Gerdur nodded her head. "Of course. Let me prepare a place for you."

When Hod returned from the mill, the five swapped stories and news late into the night. Vilkas shared not only stories of growing up in Jorrvaskr, but also a few traditional tales from Companion lore. Ralof told of what it was like to fight next to Ulfric Stormcloak himself. Hod and Gerdur took turns sharing village stories or Nordic legends. Elana wove a few yarns from the Cyrodill tradition.

They all fell asleep, sated on ale and good company, with dreams of great heroes and fallen monsters.

Vilkas noticed, first and foremost, when he awoke that for once he was sleeping inside walls not of Jorrvaskr and he was not horribly hung-over.

Then he realized Elana was gone.

"Elana?" He rose to his feet after sliding on his boots and pushed the door to the outside world open. "Gerdur where is Elana?"

The woman looked up from her chickens, a guilty look haunting her face. "She said she had an errand to run and that it wouldn't take too long so you shouldn't worry. You could start back to Whiterun if you wanted."

Vilkas sighed. "And there's no telling where she went?"

"None."

As Elana hacked away at the thrice-damned draugr, she wished she wasn't so helpful and was more focused on that quiet cabin away from everyone.

The undead finally collapsed into little more than a pile of bones. Elana allowed herself to breathe and bent down to collect her arrows, hopefully some gold as well.

Ice. Cold. Pain sliced across her legs.

Elana cried out, pulling her sword back up and twisting around as she collapsed.

Cursing did nothing but she shouted them anyway. Perhaps Sithis, Talos, or any Divine would hear her and whisk her away so she didn't have to die in this forsaken hole killed by a draugr. She should've let Vilkas come with her-

The draugr's killing blow was halted as it lost its head.

"You said I could help you even you didn't want help."

"You picked a bloody good time to make good on that," Elana hissed. "But thank you."

"You're welcome. Now do you want a healing potion or would you rather lie there and hope your legs sew themselves up?"

Elana scowled. "I could do without the sarcasm."

He smiled as he uncorked a healing potion and handed it over. "I don't know if this is strong enough to take all the ache away, but it should certainly stop the bleeding."

"Thank you, Vilkas. Seriously." She downed the potion in one gulp, wiping a small spill back into her mouth. She grimaced as nerves realigned themselves and muscles reformed. Vilkas helped her to her feet as the skin closed up.

"Was killing the man necessary?"

"He was starting to run even before I finished cutting him down. He broke the deal."

Vilkas nodded, helping her stretch the new skin. "You'll have a nice scar. Also your work with the swinging blades was particularly impressive. Thank you for stopping their movement."

"Anytime," she gasped as she took a few shaky steps forward. "Alright, I got this. You got my back?"

"Clearly."

Elana rolled her eyes and began her stiff walk deeper into the heart of the Bleak Falls Barrow.

Through the puzzle door was a wide, open room with coffin.

"What the wizard wants is probably-"

Elana trailed off, staring perplexed at the curved wall to the side of the room. Vilkas watched in strange fascination as she walked up to the carved words and brushed her fingers against them.

"It's Dragon, no one's understood it for-"

A burst of blue light exploded from the wall and engulfed Elana just as one of the meanest-looking draugr exploded out of the coffin.

Vilkas burst into a run up the stairs, watching in horror as Elana didn't move to face the attacker.

"Elana!"

He sliced into the armored draugr, realizing mid-strike it was one Farkas liked to call "an Overlord." The thrice-cursed things could be beastly to kill alone.

"Elana!"