G'day Everyone!

Sooooo very sorry for keeping ye all waiting for such a long time! Thanks as always for all who have read, favourited, followed and left reviews on this story, it's nice to know that people are enjoying it!

I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

In the morning, Lydia woke up to an almost empty room. Ria and the old maid Tilma had already gotten out of bed to begin their morning activities. She looked over to the bed adjacent to her, and saw the sleeping form of Njada rolled up in a blanket. Ah, so that's who came in last night, recalled Lydia. Though Njada had been very careful not to make too much noise, Lydia—and no doubt Ria—had woken up to the light noises, thanks to their warrior training.

She had listened to the woman stripping off her clothes and climbing into bed with a happy sigh, and had gathered that the woman was one of the Companions; most likely Njada. She quietly slipped out of bed, hoping that she didn't wake her—if the rumours about Njada's treatment of new people were true, she'd be best off to avoid the woman for the time being.

Lydia breathed a sigh of relief as she made to close the door behind her, but her relief was short-lived.

"And who in Oblivion are you?" Njada spat, snatching the door to prevent it from being closed.

"I'm Lydia, Rose's housecarl. You must be Njada." Lydia sighed, trying her best to keep her voice neutral as she held out her hand to the human sabre-cat.

Njada's eyes narrowed as she took in Lydia's appearance; her eyes travelling from Lydia's head to her feet. Lydia frowned at Njada's open scrutiny, but she was not willing to pick a fight with one of her Thane's comrades.

"You look like you might know how to fight." Njada stated, nodding imperceptibly.

"I used to be one of the Jarl's personal guards, and I—"

"Good. Go get some breakfast and then meet me outside in the training yard. I wanna see what skills you have." Njada said, cutting Lydia short. She effectively dismissed Lydia as she brushed past her, leaving Lydia to gape wordlessly after her.

"Yeah...nice to meet you too..." Lydia squeaked, under her breath.

When Lydia entered the training yard, Njada was already waiting for her. She was leaning against the far wall with her arms crossed, a look of impatience on her face. The soft rain that fell on her eyelashes did nothing to lessen the sharpness of her expression. Her shield leaned against the wall beside her. Unbeknownst to Lydia, Rose and Farkas—who had risen early to get a couple of hours of hard training in—had warned Njada to be nice to Lydia, and not to fall into her old habits of being nasty to people.

Njada watched Lydia approach, and hid a smirk of approval to see the look of open defiance written on Lydia's face. Good, she's no little mouse, she mused, as Lydia drew her Greatsword from its scabbard.

"Little lady wields a Greatsword, eh?" Njada chuckled, as she readied her own sword and shield.

"'Little?' I beg to differ. I am both taller and broader than you, you scruff!" Lydia huffed, her cheeks reddening.

Suddenly, Njada's shoulders began to shake, and she dropped her sword and shield down beside her. "Are...are you alright?" Lydia said, confused at Njada's sudden change of behaviour. She approached Njada, and became even more confused to see that Njada was in fact laughing. "Huh? What's funny?"

"You—you—you called me a s—a scruff! Hahahaha..." Njada was doubled over now, clutching her knees as she laughed.

Lydia shrugged, wondering what the big deal was. She had often used that word as a playful insult but it had never made someone crack up laughing like that. "I don't understand what's so funny about it?" Lydia poked the tip of her sword into a patch of dirt from which a piece of stone had previously been dislodged, and leaned on the pommel. Leaning against her sword this way, she waited patiently for Njada's fit of giggles to subside.

After an incredibly awkward wait, Njada finally came to her senses. "Phew! I'm sorry Lydia...I don't know where that came from! I haven't had a laugh like that in an age!" she said, fanning her face comically.

"It's alright, we all need to laugh sometimes—"

"I swear to Talos if you ever tell anyone about this, I'll tear your throat out with my bare hands. Understood?" Njada hissed, any trace of mirth suddenly gone from her features.

"Oh...well, if you insist. Though I doubt that you could tear my throat out with your bare hands..." Lydia hefted her sword and assumed the fighting stance.

"Hmmph...don't try me, new blood."

"New blood? I've likely seen more battles than you, you little shit!" Lydia growled. "Now come at me!"

Njada bared her teeth, and then the fight began in earnest.

From the Skyforge, Farkas and Rose watched on with amusement. After their training that morning, they had breakfasted and bathed, and then had gone to see how Eorland was going with making the Dragon armour. Eorland still had yet to complete the first set, which would be given to Rose to wear for the fight with Alduin.

"Njada is laughing." Rose exclaimed, pointing excitedly towards the two women below.

"Well, there's a first time for everything!" Farkas laughed, shaking his head.

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the scene unfolding below. "I wish they'd hurry up and start the fight, I want to see how Lydia handles Njada the Spitfire before I test her out on a treasure hunt or something, later!"

"You want to go out today?" Farkas said, turning towards her.

"Yes. I am sick of sitting around. There's been no jobs for a few days, and the Jarl has nothing for me to do either. I'm getting itchy feet!"

"Well wherever you go, I'm comin' with you." Farkas grumbled, looking sideways at her.

"Yes, yes...I know. I wouldn't dream of going without you, my love...I need someone to cook for me when the day is done!" Rose joked, eyes twinkling.

"Hmm. Cook for you, eh? Hmm." Farkas scratched his chin, a look of mischief in his eyes. "I'll cook for you, alright."

"Come on Farkas, since when do you play tricks?" Rose said, feeling slightly worried.

"Since now. Look, Lydia and Njada are crossing swords! Come on! Race you down there!" he said, darting away.

Rose couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped her to see Farkas running; he was so big and bulky—especially with his steel armour on—that it just looked hilarious. Then she realised that he was going to beat her, so she quickly bounded after him.

Vilkas chose that moment to appear from the Underforge, colliding with Rose and knocking her onto the ground. "Shor's bones, woman! Watch where you're going!" Vilkas huffed, helping her to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, idiot, I'm fine. But I lost the race, thanks to you." she smiled, pointing at Farkas who stood near to the two women sparring, smiling gleefully.

"Farkas was running?" Vilkas gasped playfully.

"Hah...yeah. Funny hey?"

"I can hear you over there!" Farkas growled, crossing his arms.

Vilkas chuckled, and returned his attention to Rose. "So, I've just spoken to Skjor—he has a job that you might like to do. I heard you say you wanted to take Lydia out, so this would be perfect."

"Go on."

"Well, we have been commissioned to find a precious sword. It was left in a nordic tomb—Volunruud. Apparently an adventurer and his friend went in there seeking treasure, but got spooked when a whole heap of draugr appeared. In his rush to escape, he left his sword behind. The sword was his father's and his grandfather's before him, so he's keen to get it back."

"A family heirloom, hey? Alright. I think we can handle that. Farkas is coming, too."

"Yes, I know that. He's not letting you out of his sight. It's cute. Really." Vilkas drawled, then put on a show of pretending to retch.

"Oh shut it, you're just jealous!" Rose said, poking him in the forehead.

"Watch yourself there Dragonborn, or you'll find yourself cleaning boots for a week!" Vilkas grumbled, though it only served to make Rose laugh.

"I love you too, brother-to-be." Rose reached out her hand to ruffle Vilkas' hair, but he snapped his head back before she could touch. "So, tell me more about Volunruud?"

"Yeah. Walk with me."

As they walked towards Farkas, Vilkas explained how to get to Volunruud, and told her what she might expect to find there, as well as what she might encounter on the way. Rose filed the details away in her mind, but asked no questions - she was keen to watch how Lydia wielded her blade.

Rose and her beloved werewolf twins stood silently, each drawing their own conclusions about Lydia's fighting style. A few times, it seemed that Njada would win the fight - she was clever with her shield; she was able to use it not only to protect herself, but as a weapon to stagger her opponent. She managed to use the weight of Lydia's sword to her advantage, knocking the bigger woman onto her rump.

Lydia's pride was wounded - which served only to fuel her anger, which in turn infused her limbs with renewed speed and strength. Just as Njada was swaggering towards her with the point of her sword aimed at Lydia's neck, she hefted her Greatsword from her prone position, using the momentum to flick Njada's smaller sword away. She used the element of surprise to kangaroo-kick Njada's stomach, sending the smaller woman sprawling away.

"Ha-ha!" Lydia shouted happily, flipping herself onto her feet and immediately rushing to Njada with her sword pointed, just as Njada had done moments before. "Submit!"

Njada scowled up at Lydia as the Greatsword's point pressed gently into her neck. "Never gonna submit." she hissed, glaring at Lydia.

Lydia only laughed, and held out her hand. "Get up." she said, smiling amicably.

Rose nudged Farkas when Njada's face broke into a grin for the second time that day. "Divines...I reckon those two are going to be sharing more than the whelp room by the end of the week." Vilkas quipped.

One hour later, the trio were ready to set out on Lydia's first adventure. At least, Farkas thought they were ready.

"I've just gotta pop in to see that bloody wizard up there." Rose said, pointing up at Dragonsreach. "And that bloody dragon." she added with an exaggerated sigh.

Farkas groaned, though he trundled up the steps obediently behind Rose. As they ascended the steep staircase to the keep, Lydia regaled them with gossip about the Jarl. Farkas rolled his eyes, his attention waning. Bloody women, he grumbled silently. He tutted and clicked his tongue half-heartedly; he didn't like gossip too much but the way Rose's snorting laughter echoed off the stone made his heart glad.

Once they were inside the foyer of the great keep, Lydia snapped her mouth closed. Thank the Divines, Farkas thought. They spotted Farengar perched on the table next to some-bloke-or-other who was sitting in a chair trying to eat. Farengar was clearly invading his personal space. "...couldn't possibly know about that though, you're only a servant!" Farengar was saying, causing the man seated at the table to frown, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Farengar!" Rose snapped, causing Farengar's smug expression to abruptly change firstly to one of abject fear, and then to one of resigned politeness.

"Yes, O Great Dragonborn?" Farengar said, crossing his arms.

"Got any enchanted things for sale?" Rose said, hands on hips.

"'Enchanted things'?" Farengar mocked, rubbing his chin. "If by 'enchanted things' you mean items that I have expertly crafted, with powerful enchantments that I have personally placed upon them, then I—"

"Have you got some for sale or not?" Rose snapped, causing the wizard's jaw to flap.

"Yes, yes. Yes I have. What sort do you require?" Farengar said, abandoning his perch and leaving the poor servant at the table to finish his meal.

"I need something that my new housecarl can wear to increase her health." Rose said, emphasising the world 'housecarl'.

"You—housecarl?" The court wizard squeaked, a little jealous that she now had a housecarl. The woman in question looked familiar—could she have been one of Jarl Balgruuf's personal guards at one time? he mused. "Um...sure. I have these..." Farengar brought out an array of enchanted trinkets, presenting each one to her with reverence.

Farkas watched the exchange, his eyes twinkling with amusement. He loved how the smart-mouthed wizard came unstuck around Rose.

After a brief exchange, the three warriors walked away with a pretty silver enchanted necklace for Lydia and a couple of filled soul gems. Just as they were about to head for the stairs to the Great Porch where Odahviing waited, Farengar caught up with them.

"Dragonborn, would you mind taking these frost salts to Arcadia? She will reward you, I'm sure." Farkas' werewolf senses detected something soft in his words, and his proverbial ears pricked up.

"Sure thing, Farengar." Rose said, taking the small package from his outstretched hand.

"And one more thing?" Farengar said, putting his hand on Rose's shoulder. "Could you...tell her I said hello, and tell her...if she wants some company for lunch, I could fit her into my busy schedule..."

Rose chuckled, and responded that she would indeed pass the message. Lydia nudged Rose, winking conspiratorially. The three of them sniggered as they continued up the steps.

"Wait here, you two. I'll just pop in there quickly!" Rose said, indicating to them to sit at the table next to the staircase. "Have this huge wheel of cheese, I'm sure the Imperial soldier won't mind if you eat his lunch!"

She heard Farkas laugh as she walked away, and then she heard the telltale sound of silverware being moved. Of course he wouldn't leave the food alone, thought Rose. She opened the great doors to the porch, and her feeling of apprehension disappeared to see that the dragon appeared comfortable and happy.

"Ah. Greetings, fahdon. It is a pleasure to see you!" exclaimed the dragon.

"Likewise, Odahviing! How are you faring?" Rose said, placing her hand on his snout affectionately.

"I am almost ready to fly; my wings are almost healed." Odahviing said, holding out one wing as far as the space allowed.

"That's great news! Well I have some missions to complete, which will also help me build up some strength as well. I've been sitting my bum for too long!" Rose chirped, eyes twinkling. "I just wanted to check on you to make sure you're being looked after. That annoying wizard isn't being too much of a pain, is he?"

"Nid...he has been quite humble and servile, after the telling-off you gave him." Odahviing's booming laughter rumbled through the stone, causing a few soldiers to snap to attention. "Go now, dovahkiin. Slay some draugr and...perhaps you can bring me back a cow or two?"

"I will do my best." Rose placed a soft peck on the dragon's snout, causing him to make a strange sound of alarm. Rose laughed heartily, and walked away.

Farkas remained quiet for much of the trip to Volunruud; Lydia chatted incessantly about anything from how she busted her little toe last year to how she loved eating roast gourds when she was a kid. Rose acknowledged her monologue with the occasional 'hmmph' or 'ahh, I see' or 'oh, really?' but they were vague and automatic responses. Farkas focused his senses on his love, and picked up the scent of worry. He would ask her about it when they stopped to eat.

Black clouds were rolling over the hills to the west, darkening the sky overhead and obscuring the full moon. Once upon a time Farkas would feel anxious when the moon was full, but these days he was able to push it to the back of his mind. The occasional flash lightened the darkness of the clouds, giving them a fluorescent purple hue. As the clouds grew nearer, the sound of distant thunder became more distinct. The atmosphere gradually became electrified, setting the travellers' nerves on edge.

"We'd best hurry—that looks to be quite a storm!" Farkas said, flinging a stick as far into the air as he could, towards the clouds.

"I'd say you're right, my dear! Let's get a wriggle on!" Rose said, breaking into a jog.

A few minutes later the wind began to pick up, lifting the hair of the travellers. The sky was darkening at a rapid rate; the storm was gaining momentum. Lightning and thunder crashed through the atmosphere - though strangely, there was no rain. This fact gave the storm an eerie sense of doom, spurring the warriors on faster. Thankfully, the telltale mound in the earth appeared in the near distance.

"There it is!" Farkas yelled from behind the women.

"Come on Farkas!" Rose yelled, waving her arm. Farkas was always lagging behind!

But of course, it would not be so easy—the roar of a dragon sounded nearby...too nearby. "Dragon!" Rose shouted, drawing her bow as she searched the sky. Only a few moments later, the dragon appeared. He swooped over the humans, attempting to intimidate them. His scales were bronze in colour, which was a stark contrast to the black clouds in the background. The warriors wasted no time in nocking arrows, not hesitating to release them when they had a chance at impact.

The dragon circled once, twice...and then the arrows lodged in his wings brought him to the ground. The dragon landed with a crash, sending dirt and debris flying in all directions. The approaching storm boomed, reminding human and dragon alike that it wouldn't stop for a mere dragon battle. Rose heard Lydia scream—a battle cry, full of adrenaline, fear and bravado. Spurred on by Lydia's fire, Rose and Farkas charged towards the dragon.

The battle seemed that much more dramatic, thanks to the storm boiling around them in stereo. The dragon's roar mingled with the thunder, sometimes becoming almost indistinguishable from it. The trio hacked and slashed, finding weaknesses in the dragon's armour and using it to drain his life. The dragon didn't seem to be aware that he was dying, however, and continued to fight valiantly. Several times the dragon's great maw came dangerously close to snapping Rose in two. Somehow, Farkas managed to jam his greatsword inside the dragon's mouth vertically, effectively preventing him from closing his mouth. The dragon screamed indignantly and tried to close his jaw, but thanks to Eorland Greymane's top-quality craftsmanship, the sword was strong enough to withstand even the force of a dragon's bite.

Rose took the opportunity to vault onto the dragon's neck. The dragon thrashed, sensing his imminent end. Farkas' sword bent under the strain and then became dislodged. "Dovahkiin...no!" cried the dragon, as Rose drew her sword once again.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, as she plunged the sword in a downward motion into the base of his skull. She hated killing any animals—dragons included. Especially dragons.

Lydia and Farkas watched on with awe as the dragon's body began to flake away, its golden soul rushing towards its new home. Farkas always felt a mixture of pride, awe and concern whenever Rose killed an enemy, but watching her slay a dragon caused a feeling inside that had no words. And this time, he felt something primal stirring within him—a feeling that did not surface too often.

As they approached the burial tomb, Rose breathed a sigh of relief. She spotted a chest half hidden in some weeds in a small alcove inside the stone walls. "Ooh, a chest." she said, pulling the weeds out with gusto.

"Ahh...Rose, surely there's nothing but crap in there!" Lydia said, as she disappeared down the stairs on the other side of the wall.

"I'll be there shortly, I'm getting good at picking locks!" said Rose, fishing a lockpick out of the front pocket of her pack. To her delight, she managed to open the lock on the first attempt. Inside, she found 10 gold coins, a health potion and some purple mountain flowers. She pocketed the coins and put the potion in her pack, and ate the flowers. "Mmm. Not bad!"

Farkas shook his head, laughing softly to himself. "Come on woman, let's get inside and have some food. I'm starving!" he said, patting her on the behind.

"You're always hungry, my love." Rose said, looking up at him adoringly.

"And not always for food, either." he whispered, winking at her.

Rose laughed, also relieved to be at their destination after a rather uneventful journey. But the threat of Alduin was looming in her mind; it would not be long before Odahviing was ready to fly. And once he was, she would not be able to keep him locked up for long before he changed his mind and caused havoc in the keep. She pushed the thoughts into the back of her mind as they entered the tomb—and almost forgot about it when a skeleton jumped out of its hiding spot to their left.

"Talos!" shrieked Lydia, immediately knocking the thing's head from its shoulders, sending it clanking at clattering down the steps.

"Nice work, Lyds!" said Rose, amused by Lydia's knee-jerk reaction and her terrified facial expression. "But you look like you've seen a ghost!"

"I ah...just wasn't expecting it, that's all!" Lydia said, as she began to sheathe her sword.

Farkas put his hand on her forearm, stopping her. "I wouldn't put that away just yet. I smell trouble ahead, be on your guard." Lydia nodded affirmation, and kept her sword at the ready.

The trio crept quietly downward through the narrow passage, until they found themselves in a foyer with three other passageways to choose from. A wide staircase led to a well-lit chamber directly ahead of them. At the other end of the chamber, there was a set of heavy iron doors that were most likely locked.

Each of them stood there silently for a few moments, listening out for danger and looking for clues and signs of enemies. Something white on the floor near Rose's foot caught her eye. "Oh look, Lyds! It's your friend!" Rose whispered, giving it a nudge with the toe of her boot. "He looks a bit upset about being without a body now, don't you think?"

Suddenly, Lydia lifted her steel boot and vehemently stomped on the skull, smashing it to smithereens.

"Crikey, Lydia!" exclaimed Rose.

"I hate skeletons." Lydia hissed, shuddering.

Farkas guffawed, and then patted Lydia on the shoulder. "Well, there's your first kill for the mission. Or, your second kill. Depending on how you look at it."

"You can't kill a skull!" Rose giggled.

"Well technically, you can. Skeletons aren't alive, ya know. And either are their skulls. But they act like they're alive." Farkas informed them, nodding his head happily.

Lydia, unsmiling, quirked an eyebrow at Farkas' nonsensical non-logic. Rose on the other hand, burst into breathless giggles.

"What?" said Farkas, with his palms facing upwards.

"Oh Farkas...I love the way you think!" Rose chirped, giving Farkas' goatee a bit of a scratch.

"Come on. We shouldn't be standin' around here cracking skulls. Well not actual skulls anyway." he said, rotating his shoulders. Lydia and Rose looked bemusedly at each other and shrugged.

By some unspoken agreement, the three of them headed for the first passageway to their left. Farkas couldn't sense any imminent danger up ahead, but he did spot a worn leather journal lying on the floor at the entry to the small chamber at the end of the passageway. He picked it up, and had a quick flip through before handing it to Rose. "This is interesting. It says that this person's ancestor is buried somewhere here, but that two swords are needed to get a door open—probably those big iron doors back there." he said, nodding in the direction from which they had come.

"Hmm...well that usually means there's someone important buried there." Lydia said. "And that means...treasure!"

"And maybe a Word Wall." whispered Rose reverently, a thrill of excitement going through her body.

The three of them searched the small chamber. Rose worked on picking the lock on a chest, which yielded some health and stamina potions, as well as a lovely sapphire necklace.

"Lydia! Catch." Rose said, tossing the necklace towards Lydia.

"Well I don't want it." Lydia said, throwing it to Farkas. "You wear it."

"You're welcome, Lydia." drawled Rose sarcastically.

Farkas shrugged, and put the necklace around his neck. "How do I look?" he said, adopting a feminine pose.

"Rrrowwww." growled Rose playfully.

Just as they turned to leave the small chamber, an eerie shape within a nook caught Farkas' eye. A strange and unpleasant shiver went through him, leaving a bad taste of dread in his mouth. He allowed the two women to go ahead, and quickly peered inside the nook. Though he'd never seen the object before, it was oddly familiar. Without thinking, he reached inside and took hold of the item and withdrew it. It was shaped almost like a bone, with strange designs etched into it.

The moment his hand had touched it, a strange power seemed to flow through him and straight to the spirit inside him, stirring it inside its ethereal bonds. A werewolf totem, he thought. He remembered Aela going on about these things, saying that if all of them were found, they could be used to strengthen their lycanthropic powers. Farkas wanted no part of it; he'd rather be rid of the beastblood. A feeling of anger passed through him, and he quickly put the totem back into its nook. But the damage was done, so to speak—the effect of the totem combined with the full moon outside made it almost impossible for Farkas to clamp down the ominous tremor running up and down his spine. He knew that if he looked at himself in a mirror right now, that he would see inhuman eyes staring back at him. He shook his head and hurried out of the chamber, catching up to the women before they'd even noticed him gone. His eyes quickly returned to their normal state, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Five minutes later, the trio approached the second passageway. "Draugr ahead." Farkas whispered, as they made their way through the passageway.

True to Farkas' word, three high-level draugr came shambling towards them. Moments before its release, Rose felt the tingle of an imminent Shout. A frosty breath of wind issued from one of the draugr, which managed to cause a temporary cold stiffness in the joints of all three warriors. It did not stop them from putting an end to its animation, and it collapsed in a heap on the floor with its fellows.

They were not out of danger as yet; sitting on a throne inside the chamber at the end of the hall was a very mean-looking draugr. The scowl menacing scowl he wore on his face made Rose feel a little frightened, but not for long. She launched into an adrenaline-fuelled run, her swords at the ready. She did this without first scouting the enemy territory with her eyes—and as a result, she didn't see the spike-traps dotted across the floor of the chamber.

"Rose!" Farkas growled, but too late.

"Fus...Ro, Dah!" Shouted the draugr overlord, whom now stood with his ebony greatsword poised and ready. His Shout hit Rose full force, sending her flying back a few paces...and straight for one of the loaded traps!

"My Thane!" cried Lydia, acting fast. She threw herself with all her might to her charge, knocking her away from certain death. And though she managed to save Rose, she didn't manage to avoid setting off the trap. She landed heavily on her knee, and a spike shot upwards into the meat of her thigh. Her blood-curdling scream made even the draugr overlord pause momentarily. Rose—though dazed—rushed to Lydia's aide.

Meanwhile, Farkas directed his anger at Rose's stupidity towards the draugr. A fierce but brief battle ensued, finishing up with the draugr's throat impaled on Farkas' Skyforge steel greatsword. He flung the body viciously against the wall, with a very wolfish growl coming from his own throat.

Rose was dimly aware of Farkas grumbling hotly to himself as he yanked something from the wall above the throne, but Rose had no attention to spare for him at this moment. She reached into her pack and quickly withdrew the most potent healing potion, popping the cork immediately. "Here." Rose said, putting it to Lydia's lips.

Lydia took hold of the bottle with one hand and gulped it deeply, though she nearly choked on it when Rose yanked her leg away from the spike without warning. She tried to cry out but only got herself into a coughing fit. She sipped on the potion, letting its soothing warmth trickle down her throat. At that same moment, she felt the blissful heat of a healing spell on her torn thigh.

"We've gotten to it quick enough that it should heal well." Rose said, caressing the skin on Lydia's thigh. "I'm sorry, Lydia. It's my fault."

"Don't be silly, Rose. That's what I do. I'm your housecarl." Lydia groaned haltingly, panting heavily through the pain.

Rose fell silent then; she felt foolish beyond words, and confused at her own actions. How could she stuff up so spectacularly? What had she been thinking, rushing in like that? Lydia could have been killed. Alduin's burning eyes flashed in her mind's eye, seemingly mocking her.

After a few more minutes, Lydia's wound was nothing but a faint scar. Lydia downed the last drop of the potion and tossed the empty bottle aside with a burp. "Amazing." she said, flexing her newly-repaired leg. "Damn amazing."

"You're welcome." Rose chuckled, helping Lydia to her feet. Her smile died, however, when she saw the angry heat in Farkas' eyes.

"What in Oblivion were you thinking, Rose?" Farkas growled, gripping her shoulders. He proceeded to give her a thorough bollocking then, and Rose stoically copped it. Though she had tears of shame and embarrassment in her eyes, she did not cry, and nor did she take her eyes away from Farkas' eyes. She had never heard Farkas get really angry like this before—especially not at her. She knew that he never got angry without good reason, and that everything he said was the truth. He never said harsh words out of spite, and he never used his anger to cause hurt. He would always say it like it was—bare facts, and cold hard truth. Despite this, Rose couldn't help but feel as though he was being uncharacteristically over-the-top. "Well? Are you just gonna stand there, or are you gonna say something?"

"I have nothing to say. Everything you say is true. But you needn't go on." Rose hissed, struggling to keep her own anger in check. Farkas started to try to coax more words from her—perhaps he was in the mood to argue, but Rose had had enough. She held up her hand, and something in the way she held herself caused Farkas to snap his mouth closed. "Let's get back to the business at hand. Is this one of the ceremonial weapons?" she said, pointing to the axe in Farkas' belt.

"Yes." His voice was barely more than a whisper, but it sounded louder than a thunderclap to Rose at that moment. She pulled the axe out of his belt, and shoved it into her pack.

Lydia watched the whole exchange with wide eyes; the tension rolled off the lovers like tidal waves, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. She stood up and politely cleared her throat, somewhat dispelling the tension. "We'd better get a move on. It's possible that we may have alerted other enemies to our presence."

One hour later the three warriors were back in the main foyer once again. This time, their packs were full with loot—an enchanted ebony dagger, various potions, more coins and a couple of interesting books to read. They had also found the second ceremonial weapon—a sword. Farkas' mood seemed a little lighter now, but Rose could sense something simmering just under the surface. She put it to the back of her mind—she would ask him later.

"We still haven't found the family heirloom yet." Lydia said. "The owner of the sword couldn't have gone beyond those iron doors without the ceremonial weapons. So it must be nearby."

"You're right. Let's have a look around." Rose said. "First though, I think we should stop and have a bit of a rest and something to eat." Rose's tummy rumbled in response, as if to reaffirm her words.

And so they sat on the steps leading up to the locked iron doors, and ate in uncomfortable silence. Lydia made small talk and Rose humoured her—it wasn't Lydia's fault that Farkas was grumpy, so it would be unfair to let Lydia suffer. Especially on their first adventure together. The end of their rest couldn't come quick enough, and all members of the party were relieved to be busy again.

They looked everywhere for the sword—they spent almost two frustrating hours lifting every basket, every rock and looking in every nook and cranny. Eventually they began to search the bodies of draugr. And still, they found nothing. Farkas' simmering crankiness did not abate, though he did not let it grow. He recognised that the source of his feelings came from the totem, and he also knew that it wasn't Rose's fault; she was, unfortunately, just the trigger. He filed it away into the back of his mind; it would not do himself—or Rose—any good to entertain it now.

"Why don't we put the ceremonial weapons where they belong, and turn our attentions to what lays beyond. Once we have finished up in there, then we can come back to the search with fresh enthusiasm!" Rose chirped, trying to sound light-hearted. Lydia and Farkas agreed; a change of pace would surely do wonders for their mood!

Farkas gently placed the weapons in their nooks. A moment later, they heard the telltale sound of an internal lock being released. Farkas honed his senses, trying to get an idea of what lay beyond. "There is a very powerful draugr in there. It must be the ancestor mentioned in the journal." he whispered. "Be careful."

Rose placed her hand on his cheek, turning his face to hers. She gazed into his eyes for a moment, trying to convey to him that she wasn't angry with him. She hoped that he saw her love for him in her eyes, and that it would be enough to soften his uncharacteristic bad mood. To her relief and delight, he took her fingers and pressed his soft lips to them.

"Come on. Let's go and find you a new Word." he whispered, winking at her. Rose's shoulders sagged in relief, and she chuckled softly.

Now that Farkas had successfully managed to push his crankiness aside, the mood all round was lighter. Lydia was glad, because tension between comrades could spell disaster. Especially considering she was rather nervous—the last thing she needed was to feel tension on top of that. Though she'd have gladly been the first one to go through the heavy iron doors, she was secretly glad that Farkas chose to go through them first.

A winding stone passageway greeted them; a few dead draugr littered the edges of the ground, and a few broken urns were scattered here and there. A strong smell of rot wafted through from the passage, stinging the nostrils of the warriors. They crept quietly, weapons at the ready—they didn't need werewolf senses to know that there was something powerful lurking just around the next bend.

"There he is." Farkas whispered, as a large chamber came into view. A ghostly figure sat on a throne, still as a statue. He could make out several high-level draugr hiding behind posts—they were biding their time, waiting...

Aaaand that brings the latest chapter to a close—a bit of the old cliffhanger! I won't keep ye waiting for so long next time, as I am going to continue working on the next chapter without stopping! Thanks again to everyone for your encouragement. I owe special thanks to two lovely ladies: my sunny autumn friend (you know who you are) and my wild lazy bones friend! :D