From Housecarl To Companion

No Time To Get To Riften

Over the next couple of months several things happened, and Farkas couldn't decide if he was more happy for his brother or irritated with him.
A few weeks after Vilkas's depressive episode, the Imperials won the war and shortly after that, Vilkas and Krinna finally ran off to Riften. They had had several parties at Jorrvaskr, celebrating the Harbinger's victory, and then celebrating the wedding of the Harbinger to the Master-At-Arms.
Farkas and Lydia had speculated which one of them it was who finally went and got an amulet of Mara and proposed. Lydia had bet him a drink at the Bannered Mare that it was Vilkas, and Farkas took that bet. He knew it had to have been Krinna with how hopeless Vilkas had looked the last few weeks. But either way, he was excited that the bet meant he'd be going out for drinks with Lydia.
They both found it hilarious when Krinna told the story of what had actually happened... Krinna had gone and gotten an amulet, but then was too afraid to show it to Vilkas... the amulet fell out from under her armor during a dragon fight, and when Vilkas saw it he went for the proposal. Farkas laughed and teased both of them, and for the first time, Vilkas just took the teasing with a grin on his face. It seemed nothing could dampen his brother's mood now, and Farkas was happy for him. He wasn't sure if he or Lydia had won the bet, but Lydia later decided that Farkas had won since it was actually Krinna who'd gone to Riften to get the amulet.
Then the happy dragon-hunting couple took off hunting dragons for their epic quest to save the world.
Farkas was happy for his brother and new sister-in-law, he was proud of them too... but they were hardly ever home anymore, which meant Farkas never had any time to get to Riften and get his own amulet of Mara.
Farkas had been planning his proposal to Lydia  for months, he just needed to get a hold of the amulet. He had nearly given up and just decided to pin her and kiss her one morning while they were training... there had been several opportunities he could have done so over the months... but Jergen and Kodlak had raised him to be an honorable man, and an honorable Nord proposes marriage by wearing an amulet of Mara, not by forcefully kissing the person of interest. So he needed an amulet, and he was getting highly frustrated by the complete lack of time he had to go get one.
***
When Vilkas and Krinna came back with the news they were ready to face Alduin, Farkas feared he'd never get to Riften. He was of course also worried he'd never see his brother again, and he'd hardly seen Krinna since she'd become his sister-in-law.
They had a feast at Jorrvaskr in their honor... it was supposed to be a traditional formality to send them off properly in case they didn't come back, but Farkas could tell by his brother's mood that he and Krinna weren't expecting to survive this fight. Farkas wasn't ready to deal with that. Aside from the obvious not wanting to lose the two of them, no Krinna would mean Lydia no longer had reason to spend time and train at Jorrvaskr.
At the feast, Farkas ate and drank and listened to Vilkas and Krinna's stories, and joined in telling a few of his own, but he just couldn't bring himself to be in a good mood. He excused himself not long after Lydia left and everyone else started making their way to bed as well.
Farkas was a little surprised later that evening when Vilkas came and found him in his room. He couldn't smell him or hear him coming from all the way down the hall anymore, but Farkas still recognized the specific sound of his brother's footsteps as he approached the door. He gave his usual gentle knock before opening the door and letting himself in. Farkas nodded to him and he sat down at the bar and just looked at Farkas sitting somberly on his bed.
"I hear you've been handling things well around here," Vilkas said as he helped himself to a bottle of mead.
"We've been managing," Farkas shrugged. Vilkas got up to hand Farkas a bottle as well and he accepted it with a soft chuckle. "How's married life?"
A grin spread across Vilkas's face, "I won't go into details but..."
"I don't want details!" Farkas interrupted with a laugh. Vilkas laughed too.
"Married life in general is amazing," Vilkas continued with a warm smile. "Being married to the Dragonborn is probably going to be the death of me," he added with a matter-of-fact shrug, "but I wouldn't trade her for anything in all of Tamriel, Oblivion, or Sovengarde."
Farkas smiled, it was a big difference from the last time he'd gotten to just sit and talk with his brother.
"I'm glad," Farkas smiled, "you were worrying me back before the war ended."
"Apologies brother," Vilkas sighed, "I was uh... wrong..."
"So what were you so upset about?" Farkas asked curiously. "It wasnt really because Krinna got assigned to blackmail someone, was it?"
"No," Vilkas sighed looking a little embarrassed, "I saw a ring on her finger when she got back from Riften, and I thought she'd gone off and married another man."
Farkas stared at his brother in shock for a moment. "How could you think she'd..."
"I know, I know," Vilkas shook his head with a smile.
"But I guess that explains why you looked so heartbroken," Farkas concluded.
"I was," Vilkas nodded. Then he took a long drink from his mead. "Listen brother," Vilkas began a little more seriously when he set the bottle down, "I know I promised I wouldn't press you about that woman you mentioned if you didn't want to talk about her, and I won't, but... I don't want you to live with that kind of heartbreak... I don't want you to spend the rest of your days just sitting around here alone."
Farkas raised an eyebrow at him in response and Vilkas continued, "take a break from Jorrvaskr if you need to, go find that housecarl and make her a happy woman."
Farkas let out a bitter chuckle at that. He didn't have the heart to tell Vilkas that his departure tomorrow could literally be the reason he wouldn't get to do that... but then Vilkas continued... "Krinna's amulet of Mara, it's in the end-table beside our bed in the Harbinger's chambers. It's yours if you decide you need it."
At that Farkas looked up at Vilkas in surprise.
"Thanks," he nodded, the smile slowly coming back to his face, "and stop takin' like you're never gonna see me again, I expect both of you to come back!"
Vilkas gave him a sad smile, "I hope we do," he shrugged.
They finished their drinks and Vilkas went back to the Harbinger's chambers. Farkas lay awake thinking. He couldn't believe after all these months he actually had an amulet of Mara, and he hadn't even had to to Riften to get it. Now he just needed to decide when he'd put his plan in to action... with any luck he'd be a married man by the time Krinna and Vilkas returned and there would be parties at Jorrvaskr for weeks.