AN: I'm back! I finally got over trying to make myself write with a schedule. It doesn't work, and anything I tried to write sucked. I apparently suck at force writing. I'm just going to update when I'm in the mood, which is generally every week and a half. I hope that isn't too long for any of you! I guess it doesn't really matter, seeing as I'm wrapping this story up with this chapter!

It's been a great learning experience. I went back and reread my first chapter and almost threw up with how choppy and second grader-ish it sounded. Maybe my most recent stuff sounds like a refined second grader, but that's still improvement. Right?

I want to thank anyone who has read my story, and especially want to thank my reviewers. You guys are what made me motivated enough to continue on with this story, even at its lowest points. I thought about giving up on it, but I knew that someone somewhere was enjoying this. I didn't want to be that author that just stops writing after such a long time. I hate it, and didn't want to become one of those people. So, yeah. Thanks for everything!

This chapter is more of an epilogue type chapter than a full-blown chapter. I wrote it to tie up loose ends, so naturally it isn't going to be long as the other installments!

Now, for the last time, onto the chapter!

The weeks began to blur by after the attack on the Silver Hand, and my rescue. Everyone had settled back into normal routines, including myself. I laughed at myself. Well, I guess it isn't exactly the same.

After returning from Fort Fellhammer, Vilkas had become an immovable fixture in my life. At any given point in the day, I could say his name, and he would be there.

Growing up, I had never been one to have romantic relationships. When you grow up on a farm in the middle of a forest, you don't exactly have that chance. I only hope I don't screw this up somehow; it's not like I know what I'm doing.

Standing up from my seat under the veranda behind Jorvaskr, I decided practice would take my mind off of my emotional thoughts. I stepped out of the shade and went to my specially made stone dummy. I had been attempting master level spells recently; at best, they blew up in my face. Obviously, Vilkas wasn't aware of the literal explosive failures, or I wouldn't be able to practice them without him having a coronary. I'm going to get this right.

I cleared my mind. There was my magicka, the dummy, and myself. Nothing else mattered in the world at that moment. I breathed in deep and focused on the movements that master level spells required. I went through the forms a few times, until I had them memorized perfectly. This is it.

I took control of the magicka running in my veins before starting the movements. The air around me was crackling with energy as I neared the end of the form. Moments before I could release the beam of electricity, something went wrong. Next thing I knew, I was being hurled through the air towards Jorvaskr. Oh, shit! I hit the wall with a solid thump, and then blacked out.

I groaned. Why in Oblivion am I hurting so much? I felt a wet cloth press onto my forehead. The frail voice of Tilma entered my ears. "You're okay, dear. Aela found you outside collapsed against the wall. She heard a thump against the wall and went to investigate."

I forced my eyes to open. Someone had brought me to Vilkas' bedroom. I was extremely thankful for the dark environment. At least it won't hurt my eyes. I went to ask a question, but only a croaking sound came out. Eww. Tilma gave me some water and I was finally able to speak in a hoarse voice. "I'm assuming Vilkas isn't here, am I right? He would've flipped."

Tilma let out a small laugh. "No dear, he still hasn't come back." Tilma gave me a joking smile. "Honestly, it's a good thing he isn't. It would've been much harder to tend to you with him in the way!"

I smiled back to the kindly old woman chatter. Apparently, I had a huge bruise on my back and two burns in the center of my palms. Other than that, I had come out relatively unscathed. Finally, she asked what happened.

A blush covered my face. "I had a bit of a misfire. My spell backfired on me. This isn't the first time it's happened; maybe I'm just not ready for Master level spells?"

At Tilma's disapproving look, I realized what I said. My stomach dropped. If she is like this, then Vilkas will be crazy protective. "Well, none of the blasts have been like that. I tried to do a lightning spell for the first time; lightning is the most unpredictable of the elemental types. I shouldn't have tried it until I had the other two mastered." Her glare didn't relent. "Please don't tell Vilkas. All it will do is worry him."

Finally Tilma stopped my rambling. "I won't tell him, but if it happens again, I will. You are the Arch-Mage; I trust you to be careful. You know when to stop." I gave Tilma a thankful smile. She returned it and told me to get some more rest as she was walking out. I nodded and immediately succumbed to the darkness.

I wasn't sure what time it was when I woke up again; all I was aware of were the muscular arms wrapped around me. I smiled as I realized that Vilkas must've arrived at some point in the night and went to sleep beside me.

I attempted to unravel myself from his hold, and was rewarded with an even tighter hold on me. Accepting my fate, I laid back down in his arms. I rolled around to look up at his face. His lips were parted just a bit and his hair was unkempt. I reached up slowly and traced the lines of his face. The roughness of his stubble made me smile. I love this man. I think it's time to start wearing that Amulet of Mara. With that thought, I fell back to sleep with a smile on my face.

Again, I woke up. This time, I could feel that it was still morning. I shakily rose from the bed, wary of the pain in my back and the tenderness of my hands. Once I was steadily on my feet, I walked up to the entrance hall of Jorvaskr to find something to eat.

I sat at the table and began munching on a sweet roll absently. I need to go find that Amulet of Mara in Breezehome. I had been in one of the Nordic ruins scattered across Skyrim when I found the Amulet in a coffer. Planning on selling it, I kept the trinket, only to stow it away in a chest when I got home.

When I was done with my sweet roll, I rose from the table and headed for the doors. Before I could leave, Tilma stopped me. "Isabelle, dear, I had Aela make sure no one would speak of your… accident yesterday to Vilkas."

I hugged the old lady. "Thank you so much, Tilma!" She nodded at me and I was off again. I hobbled halfway to Breezehome before I attempted a healing spell. Am I really that stupid? The spell healed the burns on my hands completely. The bruise on my back quit hurting, but it was still there plain as day. Whatever. I can live with it until it goes away.

I finished the trek to my house quickly after that. When I went in, I realized that I hadn't been in my house since I ran off to Winterhold after my argument with Vilkas. Everything was coated in a layer of dust. Shame washed over me. I can't just run away every time we have an argument.

I trudged past the kitchen area and went upstairs to my bedroom. I got down on my knees in front of the chest where I put my valuables. After a few minutes of digging, I pulled the Amulet out. It was a little tarnished, but it would do. I stood up took off my Amulet of Julianos and replaced it with the Amulet of Mara.

The unfamiliar weight settled just below my collarbone. Hopefully I won't have to wear it for very long. I brushed the dust off of my robe before heading back out of Breezehome. Then I realized that I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to do for the rest of the day. I wasn't sure where Vilkas was, and there weren't any jobs waiting for me. I slowly headed back to Jorvaskr. About half way there, a man who appeared to be a traveler stopped me. "An Amulet of Mara? I'm supposed someone like you isn't spoken for."

I blanched. All I could do was stare in shock at the man in front of me. I mumbled a quick apology and took off as fast as I could to Jorvaskr, with my head down. My face was so red that I could have put the best of tomatoes to shame. In my haste to get up the stairs leading to Jorvaskr, I slammed straight into someone. I heard a yell, then both of us were sent tumbling to the bottom of the stairs.

I gasped, trying to breath. The wind had been knocked from me, and I heard laughter beside me. I looked to my right and saw Vilkas sprawled on the ground letting out loud guffaws that could barely be passed for laughter. When I finally managed to pull some air into my lungs, I began to hysterically giggle.

We both finally got ourselves under control and realized everyone in the cloud district had stopped and were staring at us. I scrambled up and walked up the stairs quickly and waited for Vilkas at the top. I led him around the building to the practice area behind Jorvaskr before turning to face him.

When I turned around Vilkas still wore a smirk on his face. After a few seconds, the smirk dropped and turned into a shocked look. Why is he looking at me like that? "So. You're looking to get married?"

I choked on my own spit. Oh damn. I calmed myself down, and nodded. I didn't trust myself to speak without betraying how nervous I actually was.

Vilkas just nodded. I stared at him for a few seconds, expecting him to say something. "Well?"

Vilkas just let out a small laugh at my impatient tone. Before I could catch him on fire, he spoke. "Isabelle, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Even though I had been expecting the words, they still sent a warm feeling all over my body. "I don't know. I'll have to consider it. A lovely man, didn't catch his name, asked for my hand in marriage today in the market. I need to weigh my options." I wanted to get a reaction out of Vilkas, and get a reaction I did.

Immediately, I was squished against Vilkas' chest. "Someone asked you to marry them? Who was he? Everyone in Whiterun knows we are together. Besides, no one else would treat you as well as I would."

I smiled at his possessive nature. "Obviously. I was joking. About weighing my options, not being proposed to today. I think he was a hunter or something. I've never seen him before, and I doubt he wants me now. He asked and I think I may have made a sound that was a cross between drowning and choking before running away. Then I fell down the stairs with you. Yes, Vilkas, I will marry you."

Vilkas captured my lips in a soul-stirring kiss. I don't think I'll ever get tired of this. Well, I guess I should go ahead and do it. "I love you, Vilkas."

A brilliant smile lit up his face. "I love you, too, Isabelle."

There is no way to describe the feeling of having someone love you, unconditionally. I hadn't realized how much I needed to hear those words from Vilkas until he just spoke them. Tears pricked at my eyes, but I pushed them back. I didn't manage to fight my way into the ranks of the Companions, just to cry over something sentimental! Vilkas saw the tears welling up in my eyes and just pulled me closer to him. Oh what the hell. I let loose the waterworks.

"... and I became a blubbering idiot on your father's shoulder that day. The end." I finished the bedtime story that my children asked for at least once a week, and smiled at their sleeping faces. This one always put them to sleep. I laughed a little at that. Honestly, what child would even care enough to stay awake to hear their parents kissing?

After getting married, Vilkas and I moved into Breezehome. As much as we loved Whiterun, we didn't feel as though we had much privacy, even in our own home. We decided to save up our money and buy a plot of land near Falkreath. It overlooked a lake, and it was just a bit off of the main road. Both of us had fallen in love with it immediately.

We had slowly but surely built up the home to the sprawling manor it is today. Not even a year after we had been married, I became pregnant. Nine months later, little Radding came into the world. As he had more of Vilkas' Nordic looks, we decided to give him a Nordic name. We had decided to stay in Whiterun until he had been born. Shortly after that, we moved to the new house we had, then, just finished building.

Two years later, I became pregnant again. I had been hoping for a girl that time, and had my wish granted. Amarie had immediately favored me, so she received a traditional Breton name. Her birth had been three years ago, and even now, she was showing signs of magicka. Just as my mother had found me one night, I found Amarie laughing with a weak conjured familiar guarding her. Radding had idolized his father, and that also meant he wanted to learn to wield a sword as soon as possible. He had never shown any real interest in magic.

Kissing both of my children, I rose and exited their bedroom quietly. I walked upstairs and stepped out onto the balcony to stand next to Vilkas and look at the lake. The moon was reflecting on the slightly choppy water, causing the lake to shimmer in the moonlight. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Vilkas gave a hum of satisfaction and I just enjoyed his warmth. After a few minutes of silence, I broke it again. "I never thought I would have this life. Even as a little girl, I never dreamed of being married and having children. When I was old enough to go try my hand at being a Companion, I set off to do just that. Nothing else fit into my plans. Then, I started to fall in love with you. Then my plans began changing completely. Now I'm here, with the man I love, and my three children." I smiled as I finished, continuing to look out at the lake. I wanted to see if he would catch the last bit of my sentence.

After a few seconds of silence, I felt Vilkas go rigid. I began laughing as he jerked his head down to look at me with wide eyes. He spoke excitedly. "Are you sure?"

I let out a happy laugh and turned to him with a smile on my face. "I'm positive. I went into Falkreath a few days ago, while Rayya watched the children, to make sure that I really am pregnant again."

Vilkas let out a happy laugh before hugging me tightly. As he excitedly began talking about what to name the baby if it was a boy or a girl and what kind of personality he or she would have, I began to think of what a different man Vilkas had become since I joined the Companions.

I sent a thankful prayer up to the heavens as Vilkas continued on about the new baby. What I told Vilkas had been the truth; I never did plan to have a family. Now, I couldn't imagine living without Vilkas, Radding, or Amalie. I just smiled and laid my head down on Vilkas' chest and listened as he continued on about the new addition to our family. I don't know what I did to deserve such a perfect life, but thank Talos that I found this man.

Vilkas continued chattering excitedly until I covered his lips with my own. Just because I'm pregnant again doesn't mean that I'm going to go easy on him. I'm going to give him hell, this time I think. With a smirk, I led Vilkas inside. Needless to say, he followed like a lost puppy.

AN: Oh. My. God. It's done. I don't know what to think. I figured that this chapter would be shorter than the others, but it wasn't. As a matter of fact, it was one of the longer chapters. So, did you guys like the ending?

As you could tell, by the end, Isabelle had been telling the story of joining the Companions to her children. That's what this story was supposed to be, was her retelling the story. The children's names weren't just random names either. I went to a name generator for Skyrim characters, based on their race and gender. It is called Tamriel Rebuilt, if you're interested!

I can't believe that it's over. I started this story in January and now it is almost July. That is seven months. That is also the longest that I've ever worked on anything. I am so proud of myself for writing this. It proved to me that anyone could write. I used to see those 40,000 word fanfictions or longer and think who can possibly do that? Now, I have done it. If you haven't ever written fanfiction, try! That's how I got started; now I'm not so terrified to do it anymore!

Thank you guys so much for encouraging me to continue writing this. I am so very glad that I didn't give up, even though I wanted to sometimes. You guys just don't understand how much you inspired me to keep writing. This story is finished just as much because of you guys as it is because of me!

The ending was actually the hardest to write chapter that I think I've ever tried to write. Apparently endings are hard to write. Who'd have thought?

Thank you guys so much, and I'm really sorry about the long AN, but it's my last for this story, so… Deal with it. Jk!

My words of advice to anyone that loves fanfiction, but hasn't written anything: you won't get better if you don't write. It took me literally four years of reading fanfictions to get the nerve to actually write one. This was my first, and I'm pretty dang proud of it. Get to writing, you guys!

Thank you, and see ya later!