Over the course of the next two weeks, Farkas and Rayla weaved their way across the province as they tried to stay as far ahead of Velanus and his thugs as possible. Eventually, they found themselves near Shor's Stone in the Rift Hold, but they weren't safe for long.

As they made their way south from Shor's Stone, Farkas sniffed the air, then drew his blade and pushed Rayla behind him.

"Farkas, what's wrong?" Rayla asked, but then she saw three men coming towards them. "Oh no..."

"You're a hard one to find, Lady Blackthorn." one of the men said. "Your husband has been so worried since you vanished. He'll be so pleased to know that you're safe."

Rayla hid behind Farkas, pressing her forehead to his back. "Divines, protect us... please don't let them take me..."

Farkas could feel his beast blood beginning to boil and a low growl rumbled from deep within him. "I suggest you walk away and leave her alone."

"You see, I can't do that."

As Farkas and the leader of the little group exchanged words, Rayla heard a rustle behind her and turned to look for the source- only to be grabbed by a fourth man and pulled quickly away from Farkas.

"No! Let me go!"

Farkas had heard the rustle, too, but the man who grabbed Rayla moved quicker than he could react and he turned to find him pinning her arms behind her back. "Let her go and walk away, now. You will not have another chance."

The men just laughed and the leader's demeanor changed as he ordered the other two to kill Farkas.

"No!" Rayla cried out as she tried free herself. The man's grip on her was too strong, however, and she couldn't do anything as he grabbed a fistful of her hair and forced her to watch Farkas.

"You're going to watch your friend die like a dog, then we're taking you home to your loving husband."

Farkas was no stranger to battle, nor was he a stranger to fighting against unfair odds. For him, it was exhilarating and gave him an adrenaline high, but this time he had to be careful because Rayla's safety was on the line.

"Farkas, behind you!"

"Shut it, bitch!"

Farkas turned to fend off a sneak attack, Rayla's warning coming just in time, but when he saw the man holding her strike her down for calling out, his beast blood boiled. He made to go to her aid, but the momentary distraction was enough for his opponents to wound him- one blade clipping his side, another catching against his gauntlet and slicing through his forearm as it bounced off of the steel. He grimaced in pain, but stood his ground nonetheless until an arrow struck his shoulder and another struck his thigh.

"Farkas, no!"

Farkas fell to one knee, fighting against the pain and feeling his beast blood begin to boil. He grasped the hilt of his greatsword and looked up at Rayla, seeing a bloodied lip and her hair falling out of its braid as tears streamed down her cheek. He saw no other way out of their situation, no other way to protect her in that moment.

Rayla's eyes widened as Farkas' silvery eyes seemed to glow for a moment before his entire form shifted from that of a man into that of a wolf. She watched as Farkas turned against their enemies, ripping them to shreds despite his own wounds before turning and lunging over her at the man who had hurt her. She was completely dumbfounded at what had just happened, and when Farkas came to stand in front of her and reverted back to his normal form, she found that she was at a loss for words.

"We have to move, Rayla." He said, reaching out his hand. "Can you stand?"

Rayla took his hand and nodded, letting him help her to her feet. She looked around at the carnage, then followed Farkas silently as they hurried to put distance between them and the thugs.

They trudged through the wilds of the Rift, passing near the Autumnshade Clearing and coming to the Treva River- which fed into Lake Honrich. As they reached the river bank, however, Farkas' wounds were beginning to take their toll and he sank to a knee.

"Farkas!"

"I'm alright..."

"No, you're not..." Rayal knelt beside him and felt his forehead. "You're running a fever..! We need to find shelter..."

Farkas shook her hand off, forcing himself to his feet only to lose his balance and teeter on his feet until Rayla steadied him and pulled an arm over her shoulders.

"We need to cross the river, I can see some houses just on the other side."

Farkas let Rayla lead him across the Treva River, then pull him up the small hill towards the houses.

As she milk her cow and gathered the eggs from her chicken, she caught a strange scent on the air- something that smelled like wet dog but mixed with something else. She turned towards the river and saw a couple of people coming up the hill- drenched as though they had to swim across the river and fight against the current.

"Rayla?"

Rayla looked up at a woman who set down a basket and run down the hill to meet them. "Lillan?" The woman was her old childhood friend, Lillan Wolf-Eyes, who she had not seen in years.

Lillan saw she was struggling with Farkas so she slung his other arm over her shoulders. "Let's get your friend inside and patch him up."

"Lillan!"

Rayla looked up as a man came rushing over as he called out to her friend.

"Help me get him inside, we need to check his wounds." Lillan told him as he joined them.

The man took over for Rayla, telling her to hold open the door. He helped Lillan carry Farkas over to one of the beds, then helped get his armor off so they could treat his wounds.

"Rayla, what happened?"

Rayla was on the verge of tears, looking helplessly at Farkas. "We were attacked... Farkas, he... it's all my fault...!"

Lillan hurried to her side and held her as she broke into tears. "Hush, it's alright..."

Farkas had faded into a deep slumber thanks to a tea that Lillan made for him and Rayla sat next to his bed, her hand grasping his as she tried to keep more tears at bay. Farkas' wounds weren't grave and the man who treated him, Brynjolf, was certain he'd be alright once he'd had a chance to rest.

"I'm so sorry, Farkas..." Rayla said as she stroked his hand with her thumbs. "It's all my fault..."

Rayla blamed herself for everything: being too weak to protect herself and those around her, for getting innocent people involved in her problems, for letting her father order her around when she was of age and could make her own decisions as an adult, for letting Velanus abuse her for so long and for not leaving him sooner. She didn't know what she could do to make it right, to make being a burden to Farkas up to him. He had come to mean a great deal to her in such a short time, but she felt horrible for having to hire him as a bodyguard because she was weak and powerless. She wanted nothing more than to protect him for once, to find her courage and stand up to her troubles, but she didn't know where to start or even if she could.

She leaned over the edge of the bed and started weeping as quietly as she could into her arms.

'Divines, please... guide me...'