Farkas remained on guard as Rayla slept in his bed, thinking over all of the information that she had given him.

She was the daughter of a noble family that had lost all of its wealth when her father lost everything in poor investments he had made during the last war. She had seen her older brother go off to war, but that also meant she had lost her only protector. It was after that that her mother became cold and distant and avoided the family's home like the plague while her father squandered every last coin that was earned and spent it all on alcohol. Then, when she neared her eighteenth birthday, her father made plans to marry her off to a wealthy man named Velanus- the same man who had come to Jorrvaskr looking for Rayla.

Rayla had tried to reason with her father, but she was instead berated and belittled into agreeing to the marriage. Then, on their wedding night, Velanus showed Rayla his true colors and beat and humiliated her before forcing himself on her- despite her pleas. This continued for six years and Rayla only stayed as long as she could bear it- having only bore it for so long because of her strong sense of duty to her family.

'It's good that someone like Ralof found her.' Farkas thought to himself. 'Who knows what Velanus would do to her if he ever does find her.'

Farkas looked over at Rayla, finding that he was beginning to greatly admire her for her strength- something he had not been expecting given her timid nature. But he understood now why she was so timid and almost pitied her for enduring simply out of survival.

Rayla seemed to stir in her sleep for a moment, but quickly settled back down when Farkas pulled the blanket over her shoulders. That brought a smile to his face, much to his surprise, and he grabbed his chair to move it closer to the bed.

'So she's going back to Riverwood once the storm clears up...'

For some reason, the thought of her leaving bothered him and he felt a strong sense of protectiveness over her. Maybe it was just her past crashing over her or perhaps it was something else. Regardless, he knew what he needed to do next and closed his eyes to try and get some sleep while he could.

The next morning...

Rayla woke to find herself in Farkas' bed still, but Farkas was nowhere to be found. She slowly got out of bed and gathered her things together, figuring that he had to go out on a job or something. Looking around, she found her way to the Harbinger's chambers and knocked on the door.

"Excuse me, Harbinger?"

The current Harbinger of the Companions, Kodlak, looked up from his book and offered her a warm smile. "Ah, good morning to you lass. What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping that I could hire one of the Companions as a bodyguard? Or at least as an escort to Riverwood?"

"Of course, in fact I have the perfect one in mind." Kodlak replied, then gestured behind her.

Rayla turned to see that Farkas had come up behind her. "Farkas?"

"After what happened last night, I wanted to make sure that you got back safely." He explained. "So I asked the old man."

"Thank you..."

Farkas gestured for her to follow him and turned down the hall, stopping only when he noticed that she wasn't next to him yet and saw her bow to Kodlak before hurrying to catch up to him. He led the way up into the main hall, then stopped by the door to the training yard and draped a cloak around Rayla's shoulders.

"Here. Keep the hood up just in case."

Rayla knew that there was a chance Velanus would stick around Whiterun, even if he didn't come back to Jorrvaskr, and made no argument as Farkas pulled the hood over her head and led her out through the back doors.

Farkas took her along the outer paths, keeping her out of sight behind the buildings as they made their way to the stables. Once they had reached the Warmaiden, he made sure her hood was up and grasped her hand before pulling her to the main gate and down the pathway to the stables.

"Bjorlam."

"Ah, Farkas, good morning. Need a ride?"

Farkas nodded. "To Riverwood."

"Climb in back and we'll be off."

Farkas helped Rayla into the back of the carriage, then clambered up after her- taking a seat across from her. It was a quiet ride, for the most part, but Rayla was relieved nonetheless to have Farkas with her. She could have gotten any Companion and it would have been fine, but Farkas had taken the time to make the same request she had- which meant a lot and spoke highly of the kind of man he was.

When Riverwood came into view, Rayla looked to Farkas but couldn't find the words she needed. And as if he knew what she was trying to say, Farkas simply nodded and offered her a small smile. When the carriage came to a stop, Farkas hopped out of the carriage then offered Rayla a hand down. Rayla accepted, blushing a bit as his hand closed gently around hers- just as it had when he pulled her along to the stables. She thanked him, paid Bjorlam, then they walked towards the mill together.

"Thank you, Farkas..." Rayla managed after a few more moments of excruciatingly awkward silence.

"Any time."

He walked her to the mill, making sure that she met up with Gerdur.

"You brought her home."

Farkas turned to see Gerdur's husband, Hod, approaching from the saw platform.

"We were worried she'd try to come back in that storm. She's as sweet as honey, that girl, but sometimes she can be a bit foolish. Her heart is always in the right place, though." Hod smiled seeing Rayla happily chatting with his wife. "Thank you for bringing her back safe."

"She's an interesting one." Farkas noted, watching Rayla for a moment.

"She definitely is." Hod chuckled, but his smile faded and his brow furrowed. "Did she run into any trouble while she made her delivery? It's odd that she would come back with someone heavily armed as you are."

"It seems that her past is catching up with her. She asked that the Companions send her home with an escort."

"I see..." Hod sighed. "I wonder if she'll need to disappear again..." He looked over at Farkas, sensing he was just as worried about Rayla's safety. "Were you hired on as her bodyguard or just an escort?"

"Not sure, she didn't specify which she would be needing more."

"I see." Hod looked back at Rayla and Gerdur. "Perhaps, then, you should stay on as her bodyguard. If Velanus has found her, she's going to need all the help she can get staying safe."

Farkas watched as Rayla and Gerdur waved them over, knowing that he was right- especially after what happened the other night. He followed Hod to where Rayla and Gerdur stood, stopping when Rayla stepped away for a moment.

"Thank you, Farkas, for getting me home safely." She said. "I just need to get your payment, so if you just give me a moment I-"

"That's not necessary, Rayla."

"What?"

Farkas looked down at her, seeing her confusion. "As far as I can tell, my job here isn't finished. You can pay me after."

Rayla shook her head. "Farkas, I can't drag you into this anymore than I already have."

"You hired a bodyguard, little mouse. I'm sticking around until I'm certain that you're safe."

Rayla eyed him for a moment, blushing when Gerdur made a comment about how he was a keeper. She sighed in defeat. "Alright..." Meeting his silvery gaze once more, Rayla continued, "Farkas, please stay on as my bodyguard."

"For as long as you need me, I am your sword and your shield."