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

For Kodlak

"Where have you been?" Farkas heard Vilkas snarl furiously as the door opened. The sweet but now musky smell of Aylin met his nose and Farkas looked up.
"I was doing Kodlak's bidding," he heard her say defensively to Vilkas.
"I hope it was important," Vilkas growled back, "because it means you weren't here to defend him."
"What happened here?" Aylin asked looking around the room in shock. Her gaze found him sitting on the floor beside Kodlak's body. Farkas just looked back at her, letting his grief show plainly on his face.
Farkas barely listened as Vilkas explained. His thoughts turned back to Kodlak. He was the closest thing Farkas had had to a father after Jergen had left for the war. He had been firm but patient with the boys as they grew. Farkas knew Kodlak was largely responsible for making him the warrior he was today... but worst of all, Farkas also knew what his death meant now, they had been so close to a cure, Kodlak had longed for Sovengarde, and now he would never see it.
Farkas was vaguely aware of Aylin's hand on his shoulder for a moment before she and Vilkas headed out the door. Farkas didn't get up. He let everyone else run around and try to figure things out while he sat beside Kodlak and thought. He didn't know how much time passed.
Finally, Aela's voice pulled him back to the present.
"Farkas, Eorland has the forge ready. Can you carry him?"

After Farkas set Kodlak on the funeral pyre he went back inside. He walked numbly downstairs to Kodlak's study. Kodlak's research notes were strewn around the room. Farkas began picking up the papers and books, trying to organized the room. After a few minutes, some things caught his eye and he started reading. A few hours later, Farkas thought he understood Kodlak's plan, if they could find a way into Ysgramor's tomb they might be able to cleanse Kodlak's soul still... he would show all of this to Vilkas after the funeral... then Farkas happened upon Kodlak's journal...
Another hour later, heartbroken all over again, he put the journal into the drawer of Kodlak's nightstand, and went to find Aylin.
He was upset to find she and Vilkas were both gone... he was outright angry when Ria told him what she'd heard about where they were going. This was exactly the kind of cycle of vengeance Kodlak had been talking about...
Farkas paced angrily in the yard waiting... worrying... how dare Vilkas drag Aylin off on a revenge trip now?! How dare Aylin agree to go?! Kodlak didn't care for vengeance, and now they were delaying his funeral waiting for the other two Circle members to return.
When Farkas finally smelled the two of them approaching he signaled to Aela and they began gathering everyone at the skyforge.
The funeral began as soon as Vilkas and Aylin arrived, and when it was over Farkas went straight to the underforge. He didn't feel like talking to anyone yet. Aela and Vilkas arrived shortly after he did, Farkas couldn't decide if he was relieved or bothered that Aylin hadn't come with them. He was mad at her... Kodlak wanted her to be his successor, she didn't know that of course, but she'd just taken off on the exact kind of vengeance mission that Kodlak had just advised her to stop. It was Aela's warpath to avenge Skjor that had brought on this retaliation that had killed Kodlak in the first place... Farkas fumed.
"So how was your hunt, brother?" Aela asked Vilkas, breaking the tense silence.
"We slaughtered them all," Vilkas said darkly.
"All of them?" Aela asked in surprise, "my information said Driftshade Refuge was the last Silver Hand camp. Are you saying you slaughtered all of the remaining Silver Hand?"
"Aye," Vilkas nodded. "They're all dead. And Aylin found all the pieces of Wuuthrad." Vilkas looked down and said more quietly, "I went seeking vengeance, she went seeking the honor of the Companions."
That got Farkas's attention... Aylin hadn't gone for vengeance... she'd retrieved the stolen fragments of Wuuthrad... Farkas's anger began to dissolve. He reached in his pocket pulled out Kodlak's notes that he'd planned to show Vilkas. He handed them off to him without a word. Vilkas began sorting and reading through the notes in confusion.
"This is it!" Vilkas said several minutes later, "the cure! This is what we can still do for Kodlak."
"I am not arguing about Hircine's gift right now." Aela grumbled.
"I'm not arguing either," Vilkas insisted. Farkas heard the door open and glanced to see Aylin arriving at last. Vilkas continued, "the old man had one wish before he died. And he didn't get it. It's as simple as that."
"Being moon-born is not so much of a curse as you might think, Vilkas," Aela said glaring.
"That's fine for you," Vilkas nodded, "but he wanted to be clean. He wanted to meet Ysgramor and know the glories of Sovngarde. But all that was taken from him."
"And you avenged him," Aela shrugged.
"Kodlak did not care for vengeance," Farkas pointed out, looking meaningfully from Aylin to Vilkas.
"No, Farkas, he didn't," Vilkas sighed, "and that's not what this is about. We should be honoring Kodlak, no matter our own thoughts on the blood."
"You're right," Aela sighed sadly, to Farkas's surprise. "It's what he wanted, and he deserved to have it."
"Kodlak spoke of a way to cleanse his soul, even in death," Vilkas said holding up the notes. "You know the legends of the Tomb of Ysgramor."
"There the souls of Harbingers will heed the call of northern steel," Aela nodded. Farkas heard the door open again and turned to see Eorland. Aela continued, "we can't even enter the tomb without Wuuthrad, and it's in pieces, like it has been for a thousand years."
"And dragons were just stories. And the elves once ruled Skyrim. Just because something is, doesn't mean it must be," Eorland spoke up as he walked forward with a great battle axe in his hands. "The blade is a weapon. A tool. Tools are meant to be broken. And repaired."
Farkas stared in amazement at the axe.
"Is that? Did you repair the blade?" Vilkas asked in awe.
"This is the first time I've had all the pieces, thanks to our shield-sister here," Eorland gestured to Aylin and Farkas turned his amazed gaze to her. "'The flames of a hero can reforge the shattered,'" Eorland quoted the old legend. "The flames of Kodlak shall fuel the rebirth of Wuuthrad. And now it will take you to meet him once more."
They all stared in awe at the reforged Wuuthrad, and then Eorland turned to Aylin. "As the one who bore the fragments, I think you should be the one to carry Wuuthrad into battle." He handed the axe to the newest circle member and Farkas resisted the urge to grin with pride as Aylin accepted the axe, looking surprised.
"The rest of you, prepare to journey to the Tomb of Ysgramor," Eorland ordered. "For Kodlak."
"For Kodlak!" They declared together.

The four Circle members hurried into Jorrvaskr to grab their travel gear. They were all ready to go and gathered in front of Jorrvaskr only a few minutes later, and with a wordless agreement, they all set off.
As they all exited the Whiterun gates Farkas noticed Aylin hanging back slightly, still staring at Wuuthrad in awe. The axe looked enormous in her hands. Two handed weapons weren't Aylin's style, but Farkas knew she would be deadly with any weapon she wielded. When she caught him looking back at her she quickly tucked Wuuthrad into the strap on the back of her armor and hurried to catch up.
"Kodlak sent you after the Glenmoril witches?" Farkas asked, his voice was a bit gruffer than he normally would have been with her.
"Yeah," she nodded.
"You have one of their heads?"
"I have all of their heads," she replied with a grim smirk. If he'd have been in a better mood Farkas would have grinned and told her how impressed he was, but he wasn't ready for such pleasantries.
"Good," he nodded instead, before turning his eyes back to the road ahead. They continued on in silence for several minutes, and then,
"Farkas," Aylin said quietly. Farkas glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "About what you said in the underforge," she began, Farkas realized she sounded nervous, "I know Kodlak didn't care for vengeance. That wasn't why I went."
"You went for the fragments," Farkas replied bluntly.
"And to make sure Vilkas didn't go without backup," she added. At that Farkas glanced back at her. The thought that Vilkas could have ended up like Skjor hadn't occurred to him.
"You're an honorable shield-sister," he told her appreciatively. He gave her a small smile and she seemed to relax just a little as they continued down the road.

The journey to the tomb was long but uneventful. Nothing and no one dared bother four angry members of the Companions' inner Circle. They reached the tomb by dawn.