In the month that past since my wedding, things had returned to normal. Well, as normal as they could be with the lot of us, because we were pretty abnormal. We were all closer than ever, though, the six of us. The drama that erupted and yanked Kara and Farkas away from us and the anger than ensued after; now that it was long past over, we all spent every moment we had with each other. Days training with the whelps, afternoons around the large table covered in Tilma's cooking, evenings spent in each other's company.

That night, in particular, we'd all gone to Cassius' home to play cards again. Just as we had the first time, only four of us were participating in the actual game. Farkas was determined to learn how to play because Aela really loved it. He was sitting beside me, looking over my shoulder at my cards and watching as I picked up and discarded, trying to grasp the concept of the game.

Kara, as usual, was bored within minutes of starting. She had opted to sit at the table near the door and do paperwork. She had been trying to recruit a few more people to join the Companions, and she had to do all of the paperwork behind that in addition to actually looking over the possible candidates. She was sitting, one leg in the chair and one hanging out, hunched over the table and writing vigorously.

Back at our own table, Aela was winning, as usual. The order was a little different this time, though, because I was more focused on teaching Farkas than I was actually playing. Lydia was close behind Aela, and as Cassius set down another set of four, he was inching even closer.

He discarded and it was my turn again. I held my hand up to Farkas, and he looked around at the sets already on the table. Then, he looked at the discard pile and shook his head. I drew a new card. He stared at the seven, then realized we could play off of Aela's set of sevens.

"Set it down." he instructed, then pointed to a five in my hand. "Discard."

I discarded the five, as instructed, and waiting for Aela to play. "You're getting good at this." I said to my brother, who smiled and nodded.

Aela snickered. "Not good enough, I'm afraid." She picked up the five and placed it with two other fives from her hand. She discarded the only card she had left, ending the game. Cassius tossed his cards on the table, dropping his head in utter defeat.

"I was so close!" he grumbled from the tabletop. Lydia scratched his back while she laughed as his reaction, but bumped fists with Aela across the table. As Cassius lifted his head, Lydia gathered the cards and shuffled them again.

Farkas nodded. "Deal me in. I'm ready."

We all cheered. "That's the spirit!" Cassius said to him, patting his back. He turned to the table in the corner. "Karl, are you sure you don't want in? It's gonna be a good round."

Kara shook her head. "Lot of paperwork to—"

Cassius groaned. "Karalissa, we're leaving for almost a week after this. Are you sure you don't want to play cards?"

Kara looked over at us, her eyes bouncing from person to person. She thought for a moment, looking down at her papers. "Alright, fine. Deal me in too."

The table cheered, having more people to play with. Not because it would be more fun, but because it would be more difficult for Aela to win with more hands holding the cards she needed. Kara sunk down into the seat across from me, next to her brother. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, nearly crushing her in his large bicep.

"Alright, we're playing for it all." He added a few more coins to the pile in the middle. "This is the last game. No one take it easy on Aela. I want some gold to spend down in Riften."

Aela rolled her eyes. "I don't need anyone to 'take it easy' on me, Cass. Good luck, because I want some new boots."

Lydia laughed. "How many pairs of boots do you need?"

Aela shrugged. "I didn't say they were for me. They're for Lissa."

Kara looked confused as she organized her cards. "I don't need new boots."

Aela peered under the table at Kara's shoes. They were pretty old, the same pair that we'd replaced after she lost them in our shared transformation, nearly a year ago. Aela raised an eyebrow at Kara. "Trust me, you do."

Kara just shrugged. "Who's starting?"

Cassius grunted. "Vil can start."

I nodded, picking up a new card and adding a four of diamonds to the discard pile. It was Farkas' turn after that, and as the cycle made its way around the table, I thought about what Cassius had said.

We were leaving the next day. Since things had settled here in Whiterun, Cassius and Lydia and I were headed back to Jarl Ulfric's side in battle. This time, the Rift was being taken, a cause I had absolutely no difficulty getting behind. Since the Rift housed the fort where Farkas and Kara were taken, I was more than willing to go in and wipe the place of Imperials.

Cassius was excited. He had apparently not been going to Windhelm to plan with Ulfric last month, and though he neglected to tell any of us where he actually had been, he was excited to get back to the Jarl's palace and fight.

Lydia was excited too, now that she could get away from Whiterun. She liked Whiterun, of course, but being in one place for too long usually made her feel too tied down. She and Cassius had traveled all over Skyrim after they married, looking for Kara and adventure, and Lydia likely missed it. In addition, she'd been itching to battle for a while. The woman truly was a warrior, and if kept from the fight too long, she grew restless.

I was pretty eager to go too, I couldn't deny that. It had been a month and a half since the battle for Whiterun, and that fight had been so exhilarating, I was ready to experience it again. This task would be a bit more difficult, of course, because we weren't as familiar with Riften as we were with Whiterun. Where there's more difficulty, however, there's more of a challenge, and I never shy away from a challenge.

Kara picked up a card, then discarded. She didn't seem like she knew exactly what she was doing, but she did a pretty good job pretending she understood the game. I nudged her under the table, giving her a wink when she looked up. She smiled sheepishly, confirming that she really didn't know what she was doing.

Aela snickered as her turn rolled around, and she picked up from the card I had discarded. We all watched, mouths ajar, as Aela set down two sets of four and discarded her final card, ending the game on her first turn. We were all silent for a moment as she slid her winnings toward her, filling the satchel on her hip with the gold.

Cassius stood first, pushing away from the table and walking to the stairs. "Good game, all. I vote next game night, we play something that might be a little more difficult for Aela to win." He looked over his shoulder as he put his foot on the first step. "Maybe water aerobics."

Aela laughed. "I'm not saying I'd win, but water isn't a deterrent to me."

Cassius glared at her. "Not if you're tracking. Oh! Maybe we'll play hide and seek near a river." The whole table laughed.

Aela raised an eyebrow. "Better find a river that's not deep enough for me to drown you in, Cass." The room erupted in laughter again, and Cassius shook his head with a huge grin on his face.

"I'll see you in the morning, Vil." he said to me. I raised my hand, bidding him a good night as he ascended the stairs.

After that, we had all headed home to Jorrvaskr once we helped Lydia tidy up a little, Aela's pocket clinking the whole way.

The next morning, as I finished packing my things, I thought about our itinerary for the week. We had to travel to Windhelm to speak with Jarl Ulfric, then travel with Galmar to the Stormcloak camp in the Rift. After a few days of planning, we would assemble the troops and march on the city. With all of the travel time, planning time, and waiting time, the actual battle had better be exhilarating.

Two arms wrapping around my torso interrupted my thoughts. Kara pressed her face into my back, squeezing me rather forcefully. I lifted my arm, and she slipped under it to face me, and she leaned forward to rest her forehead against my chin.

"Do you have to leave?"

I smiled a little, wrapping my arms around her. "Yes, pup. I have to leave."

She groaned. "You don't have to."

"But I do. What would your brother say if I just decided not to go?"

Kara sighed. "I know. He'd probably roast you alive." She stepped away from me, turning to the dresser to finish folding my clothes. She picked up the Stormcloak cuirass, holding it up to my neck to imagine what it looked like on me. "This is new."

I shrugged. "Cassius suggested it. To protect our identities, he said. Not many men out there in wolf armor."

Kara closed one eye, cocking her head to the side as she peered at the armor. After a few moments, she folded it and added it to the bag. "Blue is not your color."

I snorted. "I know. It's Ulfric's." I said with a smirk.

Kara raised her eyebrow at me, daring me to make another snarky remark. She finished folding my things, then turned back to me. She reached up to the chain around my neck that held my wedding ring, adjusting it so the clasp was in the back.

I used my finger tip to pull at the chain around her neck, holding the matching ring. I ran my finger over the smooth silver, smiling as I remembered our reasoning for the necklaces. It wasn't until we actually tried to put them on that we realized how difficult rings were for us. I was always wearing gloves, making rings near impossible, and Kara's fingers were so nubby it was more than likely the ring would slip off and be lost. The necklaces, however, were proving to be useful.

Kara looked up at me, her brown eyes full of worry. "You're coming back, right?"

I felt my brow furrow. "Of course I'm coming back." She nodded, but she didn't seem reassured. I put my hand on her cheek, running my thumb over her dark scar. "I am."

She nodded again. "Promise me you won't die."

"I promise." I said, kissing her forehead. "And promise me you'll be safe. I'm begging you, Kara, don't get kidnapped again."

"Rats. You ruined my plans for the Middas, Vilkas." She smirked at me. "I won't get kidnapped. I'll stay here and do paperwork, maybe do some recruiting with your brother."

"Good." I said to her, closing my pack and tossing it over my shoulder. "I've got to go meet your brother."

"Okay." she said. I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her in for a long kiss. As we separated, she smiled at me. "I love you."

"And I love you, pup."