Chapter 2:
We Will Always Be There
A/N: And here we go for Chapter 2! I was really excited that someone reviewed on the first chapter. It truly made my day! Well, please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I still don't own Skyrim…or Vilkas…or Farkas…
~ oOo ~
2 Years Later, age 6
"No fair! You're so much bigger than me, Farkas!"
"Oh come on, Serah, I know you can swing better than that, I am your teacher after all."
Farkas and Serah were outside in the training area with the little girl struggling to strike her mentor with a wooden sword, specifically carved for her training. Since living with the Companions, Serah had become quite the warrior in her two years. Kodlak refused to send her outside the walls, but around Jorrvaskr, she was always swatting a sword with anyone who wanted to aid her training; Vilkas and Farkas mainly were the ones always by her side.
On this day, Farkas, who usually would've been fitted in his armor, simply wore a tunic and trousers since he was "training" with Serah, while she was fitted in a dark, loose tunic and leather trousers as well; Eorlund had yet to fit in her armor since she could only train within the walls of Whiterun. Tilma, at first, was shattered to discover that the little girl wanted to train in order to become a Companion; she believed Serah should have been in a dress and the first time she wore one, the girl threw it off the moment she was alone and grabbed an old tunic and wore it for the rest of the day. Since then, Tilma knew she couldn't control the girl but to let her live the way she desired. She had the spirit of a fighter, a stubborn one at that, and Tilma knew it was in her blood, something she could not take away.
But upon Farkas' last remark, a coin sized rock was thrown directly Farkas, landing square on his temple which threw him off balance; Serah took her chance and struck her opponent with her wooden weapon, sending him directly to the stone floor. Jumping up and down, the little girl plastered a grin on her face yelling, "I did it, I did it!" Looking off to her left, she noticed Aela sitting at the closest chair towards their position, twirling a rock in her hand.
"Well now, congratulations, young one. You actually took down the mighty Farkas."
"Ugh, no thanks to you, Aela," Farkas retorted, as he stood from his fallen position. Grasping the side of his head, he was happy that there was no blood but he was still angry that she had decided to chuck a rock at him. But as he glanced down at the glowing Serah, he was happy to lose a fight, in order for her to win. "Why would you throw something at me, shield-sister?"
"Simple. Because you said your Serah's teacher when you know all too well that both myself and Vilkas are also her teachers."
"And so you threw a rock at me for that?!"
"You did deserve it, rock head."
"What's with the new nickname now?"
"You couldn't detect a simple rock! No wonder Kodlak hasn't sent you on any tasks outside of the city walls, he knows you're not ready!"
"What the hell, Aela?"
"Stop it you two, please."
The huntress and the warrior stopped their immature bickering and turned their heads towards the young girl who held her wooden sword closely to her chest. Farkas could immediately sense fear within her eyes. Throughout the last two years of her stay at Jorrvaskr, Serah had always tried to end any fighting that occurred within the Companion quarters, which included mainly fights between the twins and Aela. But Serah was a strong individual, unafraid to challenge others for them to end their fighting. Her spirit was one to fight in order to end all hostility; a characteristic Farkas had grown to respect over the last several years.
Lowering his wooden weapon, Farkas grinned and walked towards her; he always wanted to do everything in his power to make her happy. Ever since her first night within Jorrvaskr, Farkas never wanted to see his little Serah cry as much as she did that initial night. Even when she cried now, he prayed that it was never over anything serious. But sometimes, wishes cannot all be granted.
Kneeling, the twin held his stare with Serah, who equally held her own. "How about we end training for today and head inside to eat a sweet roll?"
"Yeah! Sweet roll, sweet roll!" Farkas turned around and Serah jumped onto his back, the two of them laughing hysterically at an unknown joke only the two of them secretly knew.
Aela watched as the two disappeared inside the building. Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance at their ignorance of the world. But Farkas was still young and Serah was even younger, for Aela was several years older than the twins. I swear, one of these days I'm going to seriously pop him upside the head and he won't be happy about it! But the huntress was too lost in her own world to realize that someone had appeared behind her, calling out for her attention. The warrior turned sharply, her hand immediately reaching for the bow across her back, waiting to take down the enemy, or whoever it was who decided to disturb her thoughts.
The man nearly jumped ten feet back when he noticed Aela snarling at him. But upon a closer look, she realized that the man was a courier and she wondered who he had a letter for. Most likely it'll be for Kodlak, don't know why anybody else here would be receiving a letter. "Yes, can I help you?"
"Sorry to bother you, Companion, but I have a letter to deliver to your Harbinger, Kodlak. Do you know where I might find him?"
"He is down in Jorrvaskr, but I'll be able to deliver the letter for you, since you're not allowed down there."
"Understandable," the courier replied as he searched through his pack for the specific parchment. "Ah, here it is. I trust you'll hand this over to your Harbinger straight away."
Aela growled once more. "I don't appreciate you providing me with orders, whelp."
"My apologies, but I am simply doing my job, Companion. Have a good day." And with that, the courier was off, leaving the huntress steaming for a good few seconds before deciding to head down into the living quarters so Kodlak could have his letter. As Aela stepped into the building, she noticed Farkas and Serah sitting at a bench across the room, sharing a sweet roll. Vilkas walked into the building from the opposite side and saw his brother and Serah as well, making his way towards them. After two years, she still couldn't understand why the two brothers spent so much time and energy with the pup. They are always together; in the morning with breakfast, training, or even when either twin needs to run to the market, that pup is literally glued to their legs. It can be cute at times, but damn it sure is annoying. Still, that pup has good qualities and although she hasn't been training for far too long, I can tell she has the making of a weapons master deep within her. Hopefully in the future we can finally accept her as a shield-sibling.
While diverted from her thoughts, Aela hadn't realized her legs carried her down into the living quarters straight towards Kodlak's private room. As she stepped forward, she noticed that the Harbinger was having a conversation with Skjor, another Companion and a member of the Circle who had been within Jorrvaskr for many years. Upon seeing him across the room, Aela's heart began to beat faster, her blood boiling beneath her skin. Knocking upon the door, both males looked into her direction and she offered a small smile. "I apologize for interrupting, Harbinger, but a courier asked me to deliver this letter for you." Waking forward into the room, the huntress handed the parchment letter to Kodlak who looked on the front and the back, wondering who it could possibly be from.
"Thank you, Aela, I appreciate your help." The huntress offered one last smile in Skjor's direction before turning and exiting the study. Glancing again at the letter, Kodlak was torn. Two years' prior, Fenrir had returned and asked to protect his daughter and since then, he had not visited or sent Serah a letter – although he had received plently sent specifically towards him – and deep within his soul, Kodlak had a feeling this letter was from Fenrir. But something about this letter gave Kodlak the chill down his spine; for the life of him, he did not want to open the note and read its contents but since it was sent to him, he had too.
"Everything all right, Harbinger?"
Without even knowing, Kodlak's fingers were slightly shaking as he held the paper within his fingers. "Yes, Skjor, everything is alright. This letter…I must admit I am slightly weary to open it."
"Is this something you would like me to open, Kodlak?"
"No, my boy, it's all right. You can stay, just give me a moment, please." Ripping through the seal, Kodlak opened the note and carefully read its contents. Minutes passed and still Kodlak had uttered no words. This worried Skjor as he watched the emotions raged across his Harbinger's face. At first it was concern, which faded to anger, which finally landed on sorrow. A heartbroken, sorrowful sob escaped from his lips as they slightly quivered but being the Harbinger with a Companion in his presence, his kept his composure, but his fingers tightened around the letter, crushing the parchment under his strength but Kodlak immediately released his fists, the letter floating down onto the table.
"Kodlak?"
"Skjor…I need you to go fetch Serah for me, please. This is a matter of utmost importance, so bring her here immediately."
The Companion was taken back. "Yes, Harbinger." Skjor quickly stood and briskly walked through the hall and made his way upstairs where he found both the twins were sitting with Serah, each discussing different moves they wanted to teach her in the near future. There quiet moment was sincere for Skjor knew whatever was contained within that letter was about to bring the young girl's spirit down. Breathing deeply, he walked over towards their spot in the corner and nodded in acknowledgement. "Farkas, Vilkas."
"Hello, Skjor," they both said in their twin fashion.
Serah, however, smiled up at Skjor and showed him her wooden weapon. "Hi Skjor! Guess what? Farkas and Vilkas said they're going to teach me a new move tomorrow."
"That's impressive, Serah, but I need you to come with me, Kodlak needs to see you immediately." Her eyes widened slightly and asked why he needed to see her. But as she stood, both the twins followed suit but the older Companion held out his hand to stop them from moving. "Sorry boys, not today. Kodlak wants to see Serah alone."
"Do you know why?" Vilkas asked.
"If I did, it wouldn't be my position to relate that information to you, whelp." Farkas growled at the comment towards his brother but looked down at Serah.
"Don't worry, I'm guessing Kodlak just wants to talk with you."
Serah looked down at her feet. "Ok…but will we still go on our walk, afterwards?" She looked back and forth between the twins and they both nodded in agreement. Happy with their answer, Serah grasped Skjor's hand as they walked downstairs towards Kodlak's study and once they were there, the Harbinger quietly asked the Companion to shut the door after he left. Skjor raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless obeyed his Harbinger's command.
Serah climbed into the seat opposite of Kodlak and smiled at him. "It is good to see you, Kodlak. How are you doing today?"
"Um, I am doing well, Serah, thank you for asking. And how about yourself?"
Immediately Serah stood on her chair and raised her arms above her head. "I am fantastic! Vilkas and Farkas were just saying that they're both going to teach me a new technique tomorrow and I can't wait!"
Despite the raw feeling deep within his chest, the girl's excitement left him chuckling with contentment. "It's very good that you're enthusiastic and eager to learn, little one. But…there is something you and I need to discuss…something very important that revolves around you."
Her grin strictly fell off her face. "Me? Did I do something wrong, Kodlak?"
"What? No, no Serah, you did nothing wrong. But, I did receive this letter just today and…" Kodlak wasn't sure what to say to the little girl. Should he be straight and blunt with its contents? Or should he warp the truth? Instead, he pulled the letter from underneath the table and handed it to her. "Serah, this is something you need to read."
Taking the parchment from his hands, Serah carefully sat back down onto the chair and opened the crumbled letter. The words on the page were familiar to her, since she had been reading for the last year, but it still took her some time for her to read anything that was lengthy. Kodlak waited patiently for her to finish as he cautiously watched her emotions play across her face. It took Serah longer to read the letter and once she finished it the first time, she starred at the ink in disbelief before reading it a second time. And then a third. And eventually, a fourth. By the fifth time, the truth had seeped down into her soul, causing her heart to ache and spasm uncontrollably. Her tiny arms were trembling and as the tears began to fall, he arms fell to her sides, the letter dropping unwanted towards the floor.
Kodlak reached forward, wanting to grasp her hand but pulled back at the last second, not knowing what to do in a moment like this. It was never easy reveling a terrifying truth to a youth as young as Serah, but in her case, he wasn't sure how she was going to handle it. "Serah, I know this must be hard but…wait, Serah! No, come back here!"
But the young child was already out the door before Kodlak could finish his sentence. Grabbing the letter of the floor, Kodlak raced after her but aging the way he was, his speed wasn't nearly as it used to be and by the time he reached the door leading up into Jorrvaskr, it was too late, she was already gone.
Inside the building, Serah could barely make out the different shapes around her; the tears burning from her eyes clouded her vision but although she wasn't able to see, she made her way towards the top of the stairs. She stumbled a few times, her chest heaving as breathing became a difficult task – she was only focused on finding the door out of the building. But before she could even reach it, she ran straight someone and crashed to the ground on her rump.
"Whoa there, little Serah what's the rush? Where…are…" But she knew that voice; it belonged to Farkas. "Serah? Serah, what's wrong? Why're you crying?" Immediately kneeling down to her level, he moved his hand to wipe the tears from her face, but she shoved his hand away and screamed, "LEAVE ME ALONE!" before jumping to her feet and running out the door before Farkas could even comprehend what the hell had happened. As soon as she was out of sight, Kodlak appeared and asked where she ran off to. Walking up to his Harbinger, Farkas asked, "What happened, Kodlak? Why is Serah so upset?"
At that moment, Vilkas appeared by his side, having witness what just occurred from the opposite side of the room. Kodlak sighed and handed the letter towards Farkas, who read it as fast as his brain could muster its contents. Growling, he thrusted the letter into his brother's chest and ran through the same doors as Serah, determined to catch her before she could make a mistake that could cost her life.
Pulling the note away, Vilkas read the contents as well, his eyes enlarging as he finally understood what was going on. "What do you mean her father is dead?!"
~ oOo ~
No, please gods of the Divines, no! This just can't be true! Why would you take my father away from me?!
Serah had run all the way through Whiterun, ignoring those who crossed her path or those she slammed into, not caring whether she apologized or not. Upon the gate, she used all her might to swing the heavy door open and once there was enough room for her body, she slipped through and escaped into the night, the sun almost completely gone from the sky.
Her tiny body ran as far and as fast as she could, but the further she ran from Whiterun, the more she couldn't breathe. Turning her head to see how far away the city was, all she could make out were the tall watch towers, but from the distance she was at, they were a blur in her vision. But with her head turned, she didn't see the tree root sticking above the ground; her foot slipped underneath the root and forced her body to be thrown forward. Using her hands to try and stop her fall, she landed directly on her wrist and felt a sharp snap of pain course through her arm as she collapsed against the ground. She was covered in sweat and dirt, but none of that mattered, the pain in her arm only added to the pain she felt deep within the depths of her utterly broken heart. The only living family member she had in the world had been murdered, so what was the point if she died out in the wilderness as well?
Snap.
Serah's head jerked forward, her ears listening intently to the sounds around her. She thought she overheard a twig break, but looking around her, she was surrounded by trees of all kinds – anything could have made that noise. Forgetting what she heard, Serah laid her head back down onto the ground, small twigs and leaves making their way through the strands of her hair. But the longer she laid there, the more an uneasy feeling she was experiencing within her stomach. The sun continued to drop, the temperature along with it; the cold seeping through her wearied clothes. Shivering against the wind, Serah wondered what it would be like to die, her thoughts wavering between that of her father and the long lost vision of her mother.
Snap.
"Something's out there…" the girl whispered, lifting her head off the ground to look at her surroundings. But with the setting of the sun, her vision was failing and she couldn't get a clear grasp of anything out in the wild. "I'm going to die here…but I miss my mommy and daddy…I want…I w-want to be held within their arms again. Please…take me to them…to…to Sovngarde…"
"Serah!"
"F-Farkas…?" She thought that was the voice she heard, but out here, where the wind was slightly picking up as the minutes passed, it could have been anything. But Farkas… Serah suddenly began to cry, a hard rocked sob escaped her trembling mouth as a tiny hand clutched her tunic in front of her heart.
NO!
Opening her eyes wide open, Serah shook her head, trying to halt the tears flowing from her eyes, but what was plaguing through her mind only increased the amount of tears she possessed. She closed her eyes while images fluttered and flashed within her mind; Kodlak sitting within his study, Vilkas reading by the fire, Aela and Skjor running off out of the city and Farkas…Farkas holding his hand out for Serah to take. He was always there. And he would –
"I'll always be here for you, my little Serah."
Serah's eyes immediately widened. I remember him saying that! It was my first night at Jorrvaskr…He – he took care of me that night, letting me sleep in his bed while he slept on the floor, never leaving my side. I – I…my father, he was…but he's gone, my only family I had… No! I will not die here! Farkas… I have Farkas in my life! And Vilkas, Kodlak…even Aela and Skjor... From her curled position, she pushed her frail body off the ground, ignoring the stabbing pain in her right arm, as she tried to stand. "I'm sorry mommy, daddy…but I have people here I don't want to leave behind. You'll have to wait before you can see me again…" Standing, her legs wobbled and she almost fell back towards the ground, but she took several steps forward before she stopped…something was telling her to turn around and for some unknown, Divine reason, she did.
And standing right behind her, was a small pack of wolves, the lips pulled back as their snarling teeth glistened in the dropping sunlight. Taking a step back, Serah counted five in total, all adults except for a small pup that was jumping in her direction, it's growl loud as saliva dripped from its sharpened teeth. As she took a step backwards, the wolves took one step forwards, their eyes solely focused on her as she was to become their next meal. "Please," she whispered breathy. "Please don't hurt me…" But there was nothing she could do; the alpha of the pack howled to the moon, the other adults following suite. Knowing she had no choice, Serah turned and began running as fast as her six-year-old legs could carry her.
But the wolves were right on her tail. Serah was barely able to run fast enough, leaving the feral animals only a few feet behind her. Through the woods she ran; her tangled, leave infected hair flailed and whipped her face. She jumped over logs, barely tripped over rocks, and stumbled over whatever was in her path. But she was always screaming towards the heavens, hoping some Divine power would hear her words and send down someone to come and rescue her. She just had acknowledged her desire to stay alive and live with the people who surrounded her every day in Jorrvaskr, and the moment she acknowledged her decision, she was about to be eaten alive.
"Help! Someone, anyone! Please, help me!" She screamed and pleaded over and over for help, but to no avail, she received none in kind. Looking over her shoulder, the wolves were still following her every move, but as the seconds passed, the closer their hunter legs would carry them as hers began to slow down from fatigue. But as she turned her head around to face whatever was to come her way, her vision caught a glimpse of something to her left – but it was too late.
A wolf in hiding had been crouching on a rock overhead, and when she drew close enough, the creature pounced and attacked Serah to the ground. Its mouth clamped onto her broken arm as its talons clawed on her chest, desiring to bring her down. Her shrieks of pain sent birds flying away from their positions, leaving the young girl the only comfort of the creature who were currently trying to gnaw her arm completely off. The little girl eventually gave in to her fate, her arm that she had used to beat the creature fell to her side in defeat; the strength she had to live was being ripped away. Farkas…she thought, as a single tear fell down her bruised and bloody cheek. I'll miss you…
"SERAH!" That voice, she had heard that voice earlier but…it couldn't be…could it?
Opening her eyes one final time, Serah had been granted a glance at a man clad in armor, a great sword grasped within his fingers as he sliced the menacing wolf that was attached to her arm in half. A sudden weight had been lifted from her chest as the dead beast fell to the side, its unmoving, lifeless eye penetrating Serah's glistening ones.
She had been saved.
"Get the hell away from her, you monster!"
Serah didn't dare try and move her head for she could tell the blood loss was immediate, her vision fading fast. But above her she could hear the swinging of the great sword as the man swung with all his might at the deadly creatures. One by one they all fell in heaps of dead hide around the girl, until there was all but one left – the alpha. The lone wolf growled menacingly and the attacker laughed at its inability to scare him. That's Farkas…he's come to save me! With all the strength she could muster, Serah forgot about her blood loss and attempted to come to a sitting position, in which she failed and shrieked, "Farkas! Help me!" Her voice squealed into the darkness of the night.
Farkas wisped his head in Serah's direction and saw her struggling to stand. Gritting his teeth, he turned his attention back towards the beast who was now circling him, his snarl increasing tenfold. "Hold on, Serah!" Farkas knew he needed to end this quickly; as soon as he arrived and saw the beast attacking Serah, he lost it. Something within Farkas snapped and just on that first day she arrived at Jorrvaskr, an overwhelming want, a need to protect his little Serah boiled his blood.
The wolf circled Farkas and Farkas circled the wolf; neither took a step forward because both were planning their next move. As they circled each other, Farkas realized this creature was smarter than it seemed, it had lured the Companion directly in between itself and Serah. Gripping the hilt of his great sword, Farkas knew he had one chance to take down the alpha, otherwise, the beast would have an open opportunity to attack Serah. The wolf knelt down and dug its claws into the dirt and pounced upon the warrior, his mouth wide open in a piercing snarl, mouth open to clamp around Farkas' throat. But the warrior was prepared. Crouching down, Farkas put all his stamina into a swing and as the wolf dropped down, he slashed the great sword down upon the terrifying beast. Squealing in pain, the wolf fell to the ground on its side, the large gash across its side bleeding profusely. Not wanting to take any chances, Farkas impaled his blade through the heart of the beast, forcing it to howl out into the night, one last time, before it collapsed to the ground in a deadly defeat.
Sighing as sweat dripped down his brow, Farkas threw his weapon on the ground and turned towards Serah. Dropping to her side, he assessed the damage against her body. Her right arm was clearly broken, the wrist slightly bent, and tears spread across the skin, blood pooling from the gashes onto the ground. There were deep slashes across her chest; these were not as deep but there were enough to cause Serah to lose even more blood than Farkas had wanted. First, he had to see if she was still conscious, so he gently called her name. "Serah? Serah, can you hear me?"
Her head slightly turned and she opened her eyes, which were glazed over with tears and pain. But she slowly moved her unbroken arm and reached upwards to stroke the warrior's cheek. "Farkas…you're h-here…you're really here."
"Of course, my little Serah. I came to rescue you."
"I was…so scared. My daddy…" But more sobs racked her body as she tried to speak of her father. "My daddy is dead…I have no family left…and I wanted to die too…I j-just want a-a f-fam…ily…"
Farkas' heart instantly broke upon hearing her words. He knew the moment he read the letter that she would've been deeply upset and disturbed by its contents. He, too, was distraught by discovering that her father had been murdered. But hearing this little girl stating that she wanted to die and had no family killed him on the inside. She had only been in his life for two years and he knew there was more to come, but he couldn't lose her, not just yet. There was something uniquely special about Serah, and he was determined to discover what that was. "No Serah, please don't say words like those. I know you're upset but you have family. Everyone back at Jorrvaskr is worried about you. As for me…I would hate if you left me."
Serah smiled slightly, her face muscles too strained to move; she was surprised she could even talk. "I wanted to stay…for you Farkas. You're my…" Reaching down his side, she grasped his hand and squeezed as hard as she possibly could. "I couldn't leave you, or Vilkas, or even Aela. I want to keep staying in Jorrvaskr with everyone."
Farkas, the man who was proclaimed to have the strength of Ysgramor, who was training to become a warrior worthy of being appointed as a member within the Circle, felt tears seeping through the corners of his eyes. This little, frail girl...she has crept her way somewhere deep into my soul. I will never let her go, as I stated that day two years ago, I will protect her for the rest of my life. "Don't worry, my little Serah, I will make sure we take you back to Jorrvaskr. But, first things first, I need to clean up some of these wounds before we head back – you've lost too much blood as is."
And Serah could feel her body growing weaker. "What are…what are you going to do…?" she whispered, not having the strength to speak any louder.
Quickly reaching into his pouch, Farkas pulled out two minor health potions and pulled one of the corks out with his teeth. Wrapping an arm underneath Serah, he pulled her forward and told her to drink its contents; she did so willingly, although the taste almost made her gag, since she never had one up till now. Farkas' shoulders relaxed a little when he noticed her wounds were beginning to close. But it wasn't enough; once the effects of the potion haltered, blood still oozed from the deep slashes on her arm, the ones on her chest bled very little. He would worry about those once they were back at Jorrvaskr. Forcing Serah to drink the last potion, Farkas pulled off his tunic and began ripping the material into strips, long enough that he could wrap around her.
Ripping the remaining fabric from the tunic around her arm, Farkas gently wrapped several strands around her battered arm, taking into account that it was broken and had contained several deep gashes from the teeth of the beast that attacked her. Several straps later, her arm was wrapped nice and tight, but until he brought her back to Whiterun, there was nothing else he could do. Luckily for Serah, when she was running away from the pack, she had turned herself around and was headed back in the direction of the city. If I hurry, it won't take me that long to reach the city, but I need to make haste. She needs help, more than what I can provide.
Quickly sheathing his weapon, Farkas gently pulled the sleeping Serah into his arms, her head rolling against his shoulder. As he looked down upon the girl, his heart still skipped a beat. Despite her injuries, Farkas believe that Serah was the most unique individual in all of Skyrim. For a six-year-old, she held a courage that most would never contain; her fearlessness was outstanding; her bravery unlike anything he had ever seen. This little girl will become something one day, Farkas thought, his thick legs moving with a quick agility through the thinning forest. Within a few minutes, he could clearly see the stone walling of Whiterun. Forcing his legs to move faster, Farkas was running through the open farms, knowing that he had a limited amount of time left before Serah could succumb to anything drastic – something he wanted to avoid entirely.
As he made it through the gates of Whiterun, the guards stared at him incredulously, wondering why he held an unconscious Serah in his arms. Ignoring their stares, Farkas quickly made his way up through the grand city towards the oldest building. Once he reached the training grounds, both Kodlak and Vilkas were outside, talking amongst themselves, but the Companion could visibly see the worry etched on their faces. Vilkas was the first to notice his brother upon his return and jumped from his seat, rushing towards his friends, eagerly wanting to know what happened and what he could do to help.
Farkas relayed what had happened to Serah the moment he found her as Kodlak sent Vilkas to obtain the healer from the Temple of Kynareth. Walking inside Jorrvaskr, Farkas took Serah down into his bedroom, wanting the girl to have some privacy whenever she decided to wake. Once the healer arrived, the priestess instructed only Tilma to remain by her side, but Farkas refused, wanting to help as best he could, but Vilkas tore him away from Serah's side, stating that she needed the sole attention of the healers if she was going to survive.
The twins waited within Vilkas' room for what felt like hours, the smaller twin continuously telling the taller that he did everything imaginable that he could do; but Farkas just couldn't accept it. Her wounds were too deep, the temperature outside had been dropping the longer she had been alone, and it had started to snow while she was out in the wild. Farkas feared the worse and secretly blamed himself for not reaching her quicker when he could hear her cries for help. Overwhelming thoughts plagued his mind, one after the other. Until Tilma walked into the room and stated that they could see Serah, with Farkas immediately jumping out of his chair so he could see the little girl.
She lay in his bed, bandages wrapped around her arm, face and chest, at least from what wasn't hidden beneath the blanket of furs. Kneeling down in front of her, Farkas brushed her hair away, his heart gradually slowing down as he realized she had survived, then erupted in a multitude of faster beats when he realized he had almost lost her. Vilkas joined his side as they looked upon the girl they would one day call their shield-sister. But as Vilkas looked between Serah and his twin, his noticed a glint in his brother's eye that he had never seen before; Vilkas knew Farkas was feeling something for the child. But just what he was feeling for her, even Vilkas couldn't simply put it into words. For now, his only wish was that Serah survived to wake in the morning. Though they would not be able to teacher her the new move they promised for some time, Vilkas only wished that her life here at Jorrvaskr would be fulfilled with happiness. He was still unsure why Serah was brought here for protection in the first place, but he and his brother had promised Fenrir to keep her safe.
Looking at his brother, Vilkas whispered, "We're still going to keep our promise to Fenrir, aren't we, brother?"
It took Farkas several moments before he changed his sight to peek at his brother. He glanced back between Serah and Vilkas before closing them. "Yes, Vilkas. Through the will of Ysgramor, we will protect Serah with our lives." Turning his body towards Vilkas, he extended his hand, waiting for his twin to take its grasp. "Can I trust you, Vilkas, that no matter what happens, you'll always consider Serah family?"
Without a second thought, Vilkas grasped his brothers hand and they pulled together and clasped each other on the back before pulling away. "You have my word, brother. She will always have a place between you and I. She will never be alone."
Farkas thanked his brother and as they knelt beside the bed, the taller twin began to retell what had happened out in the woods. He told Vilkas everything; everything he saw, everything she had said, even the part about wanting to die to see her father. Vilkas couldn't believe the words of his brother, but he took the words seriously, knowing that for being the age she was, Serah had been through enough in her life. As the twins watched over their sister that night, the same thought was coursing through their identical brains.
Live Serah, live with everything you have within you. And know this: you are not alone, and you will never, ever be alone.
~ oOo ~
FalloutVegasGirl: Your comment was seriously amazing and I appreciate that you did like it! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did!
See everyone in the next chapter!
Chocobocolina :3