"I Would Stand At Her Back, That The World Might Never Overtake Us..."

Trouble at Jorrvaskr

"Stop gaping, icebrain, you look like a fish." Farkas was pulled back to reality by Aela's mocking voice. Farkas tore his gaze away from the doorway Aylin had just disappeared through and glared down the hall at his shield-sister. He didn't know how long she'd been standing there, but she was not who he wanted to talk to right now. He rolled his eyes and walked quickly past her to his own room.

"Stand at her back, hmm?" Vilkas said quietly as he walked in the door.
Farkas chuckled as he shut the door behind him. "I wondered if anyone would catch that," he smirked. He wasn't the least but surprised to find his brother waiting for him at the bar in his room.
"Skjor and Aela probably just thought you were too dumb to remember the right lines," Vilkas replied with a shrug, "but I know Kodlak and I noticed."
"Did Kodlak say anything?" Farkas asked.
"Just that we'll have more reason to find a cure and quickly if you've gone and fallen in love," Vilkas replied. He spoke casually, but Vilkas's words hit Farkas like a charging saber cat... in love... he'd gone and fallen in love... and he wasn't about to deny it. Vilkas chuckled as he watched Farkas's reaction.
"So what happened?" Vilkas asked, with a smirk.
Farkas shook his head to gather his thoughts, the alcohol and Aylin's kiss were making his mind very fuzzy.
"She knows about our beast blood," Farkas began.
"What?!" Vilkas snapped, his expression instantly dark.
Farkas told him about the Silver Hand ambush and about his decision to unleash his wolf. Vilkas let out an angry growl and was silent for a moment.
"It sounds like you didn't have a choice," he finally said with a sigh, "and you were able to control it?"
"Yeah," Farkas nodded, "turned back as soon as they were all dead."
"So how did Aylin take it?"
"Better than I expected," Farkas shrugged, "she seemed pretty shocked, and she had some questions..." Farkas thought back to her confused, cautious expression as he'd come back from opening the gate, "...she's not scared of me..." Farkas added, and he realized it was true, she had just kissed him... she knew what he was, and she had still just hugged and kissed him... it was only a kiss on the cheek, and she was drunk, but still...
"That's surprising," Vilkas commented bluntly, and Farkas nodded.
"She agreed to keep the secret too," he added.
"That's good," Vilkas said with a slight growl. Farkas nodded again and they both fell silent for a moment as Farkas thought back over the events of Aylin's trial.
"She saved my life," Farkas added seriously. Vilkas looked at him surprised but said nothing, his expression clearly urging Farkas to go on.
"I was tired after the Silver Hand ambush," he began, "I slipped up when we ran into a bunch of the giant spiders... there was one, bigger than me..." Farkas shuddered at the memory and unstrapped his shoulder plate to show Vilkas the scars from the spider fangs.
"By Ysmir!" Vilkas swore, "how in Oblivion are you not dead?"
"Aylin," Farkas shrugged, "she picked me up and poured a bunch of healing potions and an antidote into me," he explained, altering the story slightly to keep Aylin's magic a secret.
"She picked you up?!!" Vilkas repeated in disbelief.
"Well, sat me up," Farkas clarified. He began strapping his shoulder plate back on.
"That's still impressive," Vilkas said, shaking his head.
"Then there were nearly twenty draugr that attacked after we found the fragment," Farkas continued. "We fought back to back and destroyed them all."
"That was more complicated than Skjor expected it to be..." Vilkas nodded thoughtfully, "...probably would have killed any of the other whelps..."
"Any of the other whelps would have gotten me killed," Farkas grumbled. He knew it was true... if it hadn't been for Aylin's healing spells he'd be a goner, and none of the other whelps did any magic.
Vilkas nodded and looked like he was about to say something, but then they both heard and smelled Skjor approaching the door. Moments later there was a harsh knock and the door opened.
"Underforge, now!" Skjor barked with an angry glare at Farkas. "You too," he snapped at Vilkas. Then he turned and stalked back down the hall before either of them could respond.
Bewildered, and considerably irritated, the brothers made their way to the underforge. Skjor and Aela were waiting for them.
"What's the meaning of this?" Vilkas barked as soon as the stone door was closed again.
"Aela told me what she just saw in the hall," Skjor snarled at Farkas, "I want to know exactly what your relationship with the new whelp is and when it started."
"You knew we were friendly when you assigned me to be her shield-brother!" Farkas said exasperatedly.
"What I saw looked a little more than friendly," Aela said suspiciously. Farkas just growled in response, he'd had too much alcohol to deal with this right now. He glared from Skjor to Aela. Skjor slammed his fist down on the stone basin.
"Damn it icebrain!" He yelled, "I just want to know if she actually passed her trial or if you just passed her because you're sweet on her!" Farkas was furious; they were questioning his honor, and they were questioning Aylin. Farkas felt his face heating in rage.
"Don't question my brother's honor!" Vilkas snapped before Farkas could respond. "Do you honestly think he'd be sweet on a girl who couldn't pass her trial? She retrieved the fragment and Farkas vouches for her honor. That's good enough for me, that's good enough for Kodlak, and that should be good enough for you." Vilkas and Skjor glared each other. Skjor looked like he was about to say something, but Farkas cut him off.
"That trial was a set up," he added angrily.
"What?" Skjor's gaze snapped to Farkas, his anger now mixed with confusion.
"The Silver Hand knew we were coming, and they set an ambush," Farkas explained. "Aylin more than proved herself."
At that piece of information Skjor's expression faded completely to shock. The whole room was silent for a moment. Farkas was angry, he didn't feel like explaining. Aela spoke first.
"I suppose it's lucky you both got out alive," she said calmly. Skjor sighed.
"Maybe we'll just have to take her hunting with us and see for ourselves," Aela added, trying to be pleasant.
"She's training with me tomorrow," Farkas growled.
"And you want us to believe you're just friendly with her?" Skjor said with a smug chuckle.
"I said we're friendly," Farkas shrugged, still irritated.
"Farkas, I saw you two in the—"
"You saw her get drunk and kiss me on the cheek," Farkas interrupted Aela irritably. Out of the corner of his eye Farkas noticed Vilkas raise his eyebrow at him.
"And that's your idea of 'just friendly'?" Aela laughed.
"I don't know," Farkas grumbled looking from Aela to Skjor. "Why don't you two tell me? You two seem to be familiar with being more than friendly."
"What... you... I..." Skjor stuttered, Aela just turned bright red, and Vilkas snorted with laughter.
"I'm going to bed," Farkas growled, and he turned to leave.
"Did that icebrain just..." but Farkas shut the door to the underforge behind him before he heard the rest of what Aela said.