It was a lot later that evening and Amaliea was showing her brothers around Jorrvaskr like Farkas and Ria had done for her all those months before. She still couldn't believe they actually got in, they spared with Farkas and Vilkas for over an hour. They finally got in simply because they could fight for longer. Kodlak said they had a lot of training to do before they left on a job.

"This is the quarters we sleep in here those two beds are empty so just pick one and unpack. "Hey, Torvar." Amaliea said as she entered the quarters the twins practically walking on her heels.

Torvar was sitting in the chair next to his bed once more nursing a drink he looked up asking "Hey Amaliea, these the new whelps?"

"Yea meet my brothers Jon and Jhan" She called back

"Hi!" they chorused excitedly as they laid their packs on the empty beds.

Then Jon dug around his pack for a moment handing Amaliea two letters and a small package

"Thanks, you two settle in I'm going to go read these." She said then headed upstairs and went to sit on the veranda where she opened the first letter.

It was from her parents, a long missive about how things were back home, interspersed with reminders to write and pa reminding her not to get out of practice with her smithing skills. As well as several reminders to come back home to visit. The second letter was from Briella, as was the package. She quickly read the letter first, most of it was Briella getting on to her about not writing then it turned gossipy near the end. Once she finished the letter Amaliea opened the package to reveal a strange necklace with blue stones she didn't recognize it at first but it seemed familiar.

She was about to pick it up to get a better look when Vilkas looked over her shoulder and asked "Is that an amulet of Mara?"

She jerked her hand back as thou burned and behind her heard the distinct sound of her brothers laughing.

She stood up and turned around to glare at them muttering "I'm going to kill her."

She grabbed up her letters and the package then stalked over to her brothers who froze asshe approached. Vilkas was grinning seemly finding it funny. But the twins stepped back slightly as she growled "Got something you want to tell me?"

"Ah come on it just a joke." Jon said pleadingly

Then Jhan added in the same tone "Yea it was Briella's idea."

Amaliea smacked them both upside the head then shoved past them and hurried downstairs. Once there she put all of it in her chest.

Things calmed down after that Jon and Jhan joined the others at training and Amaliea wrote to her parents and Briella. Surprisingly enough Athis and Torvar became friends with the twins. Apparently they liked the twin's habit of getting in fights and teasing Amaliea. Amaliea was kind of glad to have the twins around despite the teasing and their habit of telling stories of stupid things she had done growing up. In revenge, she told of what stupid things they had done.

Several more months went by like that until early one morning Amaliea woke to Farkas shaking her shoulder half yawning half whispering "Amaliea, Kodlak wants us now, says it's important."

She hurried to get up and followed him to Kodlak's sitting quarters. As they walked down the hall she couldn't help but notice that Farkas was not a morning person at least that was her impression from his grumbling about the sun not even being up. Vilkas was waiting with Kodlak and like his twin he did not seem to be a morning person.

Once they were there Kodlak said "I've located the Glenmoril Witches Coven one of us needs to go and kill them and bring back their heads. Once we have them we should be able to cure ourselves."

The trio all grinned in pure excitement then it hit Amaliea "So who's going after the heads?"

"Well, I was thinking you." Kodlak answered

"Me!" she said her voice rising to a squeak.

"Yes you, I'll need Farkas and Vilkas here to help cover your absence and keep things as normal as possible. Besides, I think you can handle this go and strike them down as a true warrior."

Amaliea nodded then turned hurry to the quarters leaving Farkas and Vilkas with Kodlak. Once there she grabbed her pack and got ready to go. Then realizing that she had no idea where she was going, went back to Kodlak. As she reentered Kodlak's quarters he held up a map and smiled Farkas and Vilkas were nowhere to be seen. She took the map and checked the marker near Falkreath, deciding to take the coach from the stables to Falkreath then hike from there.

Once she put the map away, Kodlak handed her a burlap sack saying "You might want this. It's lined in horker skin so any blood won't seep through."

"Thanks I'll get going then." Amaliea said smiling nervously before turning and walking down the hall.

Farkas came out of his room now fully dressed to wish her luck and tell her to be careful. She still saw no sign of Vilkas but, just assumed that he had gone back to bed, so she went on her way to the stables.

Dawn was just beginning to break and the coach driver was hitching his horse and getting ready to leave when Amaliea came in sight of the stables. she shrugged her pack further onto her shoulders and was walking past the stables themselves towards the coach when someone stepped from the shadows behind the stables and laid their hand on her arm. She jumped and was starting to punch them when she recognized Vilkas.

He stepped backward putting his hands up saying "Calm down it's just me!"

"Vilkas you startled me! Why are you lurking behind the stables?" She hissed at him wishing he would find something better to do than scare her silly.

"I was not lurking, I was waiting for you." He stated sounding indigent.

"Waiting for me why?" She questioned now irritated and confused.

"Well, I wanted to wish you luck and tell you to come back safe. Just be careful ok." He answered messing up his hair with one hand.

'He could have said that back at Jorrvaskr. And why is he acting so weird?' Amaliea thought then asked "Vilkas is something wrong you're acting strange?"

"Nay nothing's wrong I just wish I was going in your stead or at least with you." He answered though he stopped messing with his hair.

That's when it hit her "Vilkas are you worried about me?"

"Maybe, it's just when Aela and Skjor came back without you. I thought that we'd lost you, that I'd lost you, I realized that I didn't want to lose you." He whispered avoiding meeting her eyes.

"Vilkas I promise I'll come back and I'll bring a way to free us from this curse. You just keep those brothers of mine out of trouble until I get back" Amaliea smiled slightly privately thinking that he was actually getting the harder job.

Suddenly Vilkas reached out and grabbed her hands saying "Just come back to me alright."

Her eyes met his and he smiled openly as she said "I'll always come back."

Before she knew what was happening Vilkas had leaned forward and kissed her. Without hesitation she felt herself return the kiss as his arm wrapped around her pulling her close.

Amaliea was not sure how long they would have stood like that had the spell not been broken by the couch driver calling "Next stop Falkreath all aboard!"

They both stepped back from each other still smiling and Amaliea hurried to the coach to pay her fare and climb aboard. Once they were moving she looked back to the stables where Vilkas stood waving goodbye. She waved back as an older couple across from her smiled and chuckled. All during the ride, she pondered that kiss trying to understand what it meant. By the time the coach reached Falkreath, she decided that she had no idea. As she got off the coach and walked towards the gate she pulled out the map Kodlak had given her, and decided that it might be best to put the kiss out of her mind for now and focus on the job at hand, getting to the Glenmoril Witches Coven. Both turned out harder than she thought whenever she tried to not think about what happened she would picture Vilkas his eyes silvery in the early dawn light. As for getting where she was going, it took her most of the afternoon in fact it was almost dark by the time she reached the coven's cave. She quickly stashed her pack in the bushes, readied her weapons, and walked into the cave with the sack tied to her belt.

Vanquishing the Glenmoril witches and taking their heads was tiring bloody work. A lot of the time she was ducking behind rocks and around corners to avoid the witches' spells. Mostly Amaliea took out the witches with her bow, being unable to get close enough to use her swords. After several hours the disgusting deed was done and her sack filled with eight witches' heads. She could feel their sticky blood on her hands and clothing thankfully there was a stream near the cave where she washed off. After cleaning up she wrapped the sack in her tent canvas and put the whole bundle in her pack, before setting off back to Falkreath. Once there she spent the night at the inn and caught a coach back in the mornig. Thanks to trouble on the road it was well after dark by the time the coach reached Whiterun. As Amaliea entered the city she noticed the guards were gone from their posts. Then she heard the sounds of a battle she raced towards the noise fearing the worse and was proved true. Jorrvaskr was under attack by the Silverhand! She dropped her pack on the road and unsheathed her swords racing to aid her friends and shield siblings.