Argis scowled darkly, he hated this. He was now stepping foot in Whiterun to speak with those who harmed his husband. He wanted to kill them, not talk to them. He wanted to wipe them all out for Jorik, but now he needed them.

He hated it.

His scowl darkened as he walked past their house. A house where Lydia had lived. A house that will no longer have her voice, or her presence. A place that will never be the same. There will no longer be cooked meals in the morning, or teasing comments. There will no longer be idle chatter. When they were able to go back home together none of those things would be there. Lydia was gone because of the Companions.

If they hadn't given Jorik the beast blood none of this would have happened. He would be at home with his husband joking with Lydia. He would be laying in bed, secure in his husbands arms. Their life would still be as normal as it got.

He knew Jorik should have said no. he knew that Jorik had been warned, but anyone who knew Jorik knew he would do anything to help his friends. Kodlak had been Jorik's friend, a person Jorik had looked up to. Vilkas and Farkas had Jorik trust and they did nothing to stop this. It didn't matter, he had no choice but to talk with them.

He wasn't sure if he could. He knew he wasn't in the right frame of mind. He blamed them too much but what else could he do?

He marched his way to Jorrvaskr ignoring the soft murmurs as he past. He didn't knock, he barged his way into the building. The door slamming against the walls behind them, "Where's Kodlak?" Argis growled.

"Why do you want him?" The companion with the blind eye asked. If he remembered this was Skjor, the one that gave Jorik the beast blood.

"My business is not yours. You've done enough already," Argis spat.

"I don't trust you not to kill him," Skjor stated, not meeting the man's eyes.

"Don't worry he's too useful alive right now. I'll give you fair warning when I plan on going through with my threat don't worry wolf," Argis sneered. "Now where is he?"

"He's downstairs. He hasn't talked to anyone since…" Farkas answered.

"Thank you for searching for Jorik," Argis murmured. "He's in a safe place now."

"We know. Vilkas and I followed you all the way to High Hrothgar, then came back here," Farkas whispered, his shoulders slumped in on himself.

Argis searched the other faces. None said anything, a few wouldn't meet his eyes. Vilkas was no where to be found. "Where's Vilkas?" He didn't really care, but after hearing that the man didn't give up his search made him forgive the nord slightly.

"Outside beating on the practice mummies," Skjor answered. Argis scowled at the man for speaking, he didn't want to hear a word from him. With one last scowl towards the man Argis headed downstairs where Kodlak was.

He entered the basement and noticed a woman coming out of her. His scowl darkened, he had heard the rumors that it had been her blood. He wanted her dead, to die slowly by his hand around her throat. He smirked maliciously when she wouldn't meet his eyes and disappeared back into her room.

He knocked on Kodlak's door, expecting no answer. He didn't knock the second time. He walked in to find the man sitting at a table with his head bowed. Slowly the old man lifted his head, agony the likes of which Argis understood dulled the man's eyes. He knew this look so well, it shows a pain so deep that it was soul wrenching. "If you want to help Jorik I need to know the cure!" Argis stated coldly. He ignored the pain in the old man's eyes. He had to remind himself that this was their fault. He couldn't go soft now.

"He's safe?" Kodlak whispered brokenly. Argis noticed that he was looking to him for reassurance. He didn't want that, he wanted, needed to hate this man. He needed to cruel to these people, but he couldn't. This man radiated pain, his voice was hoarse from it.

"Yes he is," Argis answered slowly. "For how much longer I don't know. He can't shift back to man form."

Argis wanted to take great delight that the old man flinched. He wanted to shout his triumph when the man shook his head and whispered a pain filled no. And yet he couldn't, he felt the man's pain. He couldn't believe he was actually forgiving this man for his part to play. This man could have stopped it, but didn't. And now he was being forgiven.

"You'll need the heads of the Glenmore witches. To be honest I don't know if it will work. It's the only way I can think of," Kodlak answered with a desolate shrug.

"Then what?" Argis demanded, he couldn't see just killing some witches would cure Jorik, there had to be more.

"Then you take it to the flame of the Companions in Ysgramor's tomb, where the original companions are resting," Kodlak answered.

"Anything else?"

"You shouldn't go alone. I was going to send Jorik, I knew he could handle what he would have to confront, but you are not him," Kodlak told him softly.

"And who would you suggested? The one who gave him the blood? Or the one who made this happen?" Argis asked scathingly

"Neither, Vilkas, or Farkas," Kodlak answered quietly. "The only two who have been out there searching for him since he left.

Argis nodded slowly, with a final glance at the tormented man. Argis sighed, "When the time comes, if you want to be cured, meet us there. Once I get the head, that is where I will be heading with Jorik."

"You'll need to take the shard of Wuuthrad up to Eorlund at the Skyforge. I would suggest you do that now. Tell Vilkas what I have said, and he'll know what I am talking about," Kodlak explained.

Argis nodded once more and headed up the stairs. He shook his, frustrated at himself forgiving the man. It shouldn't have been this way, he should have been happy the old man was suffering, but he wasn't. He had wanted revenge, but with the pain in the man's eyes, he didn't want it anymore. That man knew the exact pain he was going through.

Argis spotted Farkas still sitting in the same place, staring into space. He could see the pain in this man's eyes too. Nothing was going the way he planned. "You and your brother are coming with me. We're going to cure Jorik and Kodlak," Argis stated and walked out the doors without another word.

His eyes widened, he had exited the wrong doors and found himself in a training yard. He watched as Vilkas hammered away at a dummy. "Vilkas, time to make things right," Farkas yelled from behind him.

Vilkas stopped and stared for a moment. Argis, Jorik's husband stood there in front of his brother with anguished eyes. He could see deep pain in them and hoped this man had a plan. He walked over to the man, unsure of his welcome. "I am sorry," Vilkas whispered. It wasn't like him to apologize, but at this moment it was something that needed to be done. He knew this.

"You leader said we need to bring the shards of Wruuthrad to Eorlund and we have to take the heads of the Glenmore witches and bring them to where the original companions are buried," Argis explained.

"Then we don't have time to waste," Vilkas rushed inside and grabbed his pack and weapons.

~oooooooooooooooooooo~

They killed all of the hagravens, their heads now resided in a sack in Argis' pack. They were now heading up to speak with Paarthurnax. He needed to find some way to get Jorik to that barrow safely and what better way than by a dragon.

He was pleasantly surprised that Vilkas and Farkas never once complained about his suggestions. They followed and fought by his side.

Paarthurnax was laying on the ground, curled around something on the ground. Argis didn't need to be told it was Jorik the old dragon was protecting. "Paarthurnax, we have the cure, but we need a way to get Jorik to an old burial site safely. Can you take him there, and wait for us?" Argis asked nervously.

The dragon stared at him for a moment and nodded slowly. He moved his wing, showing him his furred husband. "The language of the dov calms him. His true blood as won over the taint that resides in him," Paarthurnax stated proudly.

"Now we just need to fetch Wuuthrad and Kodlak, then we can cure Jorik," Argis told the old dragon.

"I will be there in three days time. We will be by the word wall at the top," Paarthurnax told him.

Argis nodded, relief flowing through him that this part of the plan was working out. He hadn't been sure if the dragon would have flown Jorik. But he was glad that it was so.

~ooooooooooooooooooooo~

Vilkas grabbed the weapon from the smith and Argis went back down the stairs to speak with Kodlak. He found the man in the same spot with pained filled eyes. "We're here to get the weapon. If you want to be cure, then follow us," Argis ordered. He didn't wait to see if the man was coming. He wasn't going to offer this favor again. The man could either take him up on it or leave it. He swallowed his anger and forgiven three men from the Companions, it was more than he thought he was capable of.

He smiled slowly, when heard the old man move around as quickly as he could. Vilkas and Farkas were repacking things for this long trip. They had told him the tomb was on the other side of Skyrim where the ice floated in the sea ghost.

He watched as Kodlak stepped outside with them. His spirits seemed brighter, there was still anguish in his eyes, but not the agony anymore, Argis wished he could let his agony go, but not until his husband was cure and back by his side.

"I'll be back shortly," Argis murmured and headed to the hall of the dead. He swallowed thickly as he entered the dark halls. Lydia was still laid out, awaiting her burial. Argis bowed his head, and slowly knelt on the ground, his hands clasped before him. Silently he offered up a prayer for her soul, hoping she was Sovngarde where she belonged. She had saved his life by giving her life in the process. It wasn't supposed to be him she was to protect, it was Jorik. But she had known that would have been what Jorik wanted, expected of her.

"We think we have a cure for Jorik. I am sorry that you had to give your life for me, your life should have been saved for Jorik's," Argis whispered. It was what all housecarl's wished for, the honor of dying to save their Thane, Instead Lydia had died saving him not her Thane.

"Akatosh if you're listening, Lydia deserves to be in Sovngarde, she deserves it more than any nord I know, please help her find her way," Argis pleaded, his voice choked on the tears he wouldn't let fall. After a time he slowly rose to his feet walking out of the hall of the dead without a backward glance. He held his high and he passed the temple, he glanced at the statue of Talos and knew his pray had been heard. A warmth spread across his chest as he walked over to the Companion and he knew that Lydia was where she belonged.