Not long before dawn—but still far too early to wake me—someone knocked on my bedroom door. "Harbinger, Aela is back," Athis said from the other side.

I suppressed a groan and disentangled myself from Vilkas's arms. Since our wedding, he'd switched rooms, now sleeping with me instead of alone. And I found out that he liked to snuggle in his sleep.

As I got dressed for the day, Vilkas woke up and glanced at me. "What is it?" he mumbled, words slurring with sleepiness. "Why are you up so early?"

"Aela's back," I said, grabbing the armor of the Companions. Normally, I preferred to wear light armor, something I could run in and still have some protection. But since I had my own set of Companions armor fitted for me, I wore it. It was better suited for me, anyway, being Harbinger and all.

"It's about time," Vilkas said as he sat up. He rubbed his eyes, then got out of bed. "She's been gone for nearly four weeks."

"I know. She left to avoid me and our wedding."

Vilkas scoffed as he strapped his own gauntlets on. "What're you going to say to her?"

"I'm not apologizing, if you think that's what I'm going to do. I've done nothing wrong. I'm going to demand an explanation from her, then I'll have to reprimand her in some way."

"Just be careful. Don't forget that she, unlike the rest of us, still has her beast blood."

I nodded, remembering last week, when I had cured Farkas. That trip had gone off without a hitch, unlike the trip I had taken with Vilkas. Farkas's wolf spirit had reflected his own personality: gentle and almost puppy-like, but it still possessed a harsh edge. Although the beast had tried to kill both of us, I was reluctant to destroy such a gentle creature.

"How's Farkas coping, by the way?" I asked as I let the memory fade.

Vilkas shrugged. "Well enough, I suppose. He seems to be taking to it better than I have."

I gave Vilkas a weak smile. Both of us had struggled to put the beast blood behind us. Nightmares still plagued us. We both still woke up sweating and shuddering. We had to hope that it would end eventually.

"Don't worry, my love, it'll get easier," I said.

Vilkas crossed the room to me and planted a kiss to my lips. "I hope you're right."

"I'm the Dragonborn. I'm always right."

With that last remark, the pair of us left our room and headed upstairs. The lower halls were empty, despite the early hour. Sounds of laughter and merrymaking filtered from upstairs, showing that everyone had risen.

"That's strange," Vilkas said. "No one every rises this early."

"Maybe they're excited about Aela coming back."

He shrugged. "I suppose we'll find out."

We entered the main hall, where everyone was laughing and enjoying an early breakfast. Just as I suspected, Aela was the center of attention. She was laughing with everyone else, until she saw me. As our gazes locked, her mood changed, and the whole room got quiet.

"Harbinger," she said in a cold tone.

"Aela," I replied with an equally cold tone. "I want to have a word with you. In private."

"Whatever you have to say to me, you can say it here." She stood up and crossed her arms.

"Believe me, you don't want this to be made public." I curled one finger towards myself. "Come with me now."

"And if I don't?"

The whelps all oohed and waited on bated breath to see who would give first. Farkas slapped a palm to his face, groaning quietly, and my husband laid a steady hand on my shoulder.

"Do you really want to be on the Dragonborn's bad side? They don't call me Sky-Shatterer for nothing."

Aela didn't know that the townsfolk had taken to calling me such things as Sky-Shatterer, World-Savior, Alduin's-Bane, and above all, Dovahkiin. Although the last one seemed stupid, since it just meant Dragonborn in Dovahzul. But Aela didn't know about my new nicknames because she had been gone when the people started coming up with them.

"Don't test me, Aela." I put some venom around her name, hoping to get her attention. "I would rather not get my hands dirty."

With a huff, Aela stood up in her chair, stepped over the table, and jumped down on the other side. "Lead the way, Harbinger."

I glared at her, then spun on my heel and headed downstairs. Her footsteps followed, but not too closely. That was her choice. If she wanted to be stubborn, I could be stubborn right back. The difference was I had authority over her.

When we reached my office/living space, I pushed the door open for her and let her in. "Take a seat, please," I said as I closed the doors behind us.

"I would rather stand, thank you," she said, crossing her arms.

"Sit."

She gave me a poisoned glare, but followed my instructions. She kept her arms folded under her bust, almost putting a barrier up between us.

I sat down across from her. "Would you care to explain yourself?"

"I have no explanation for someone who shirks her duties for love and throws away the greatest gift she's ever been given."

My anger stirred like a dangerous beast waking from a long slumber. Maybe that was a remnant of my wolf spirit, an echo in my blood. Or maybe it was my dragon soul, setting my veins on fire with spite. But I had to keep my head. As much as I wanted to yell at her, it wouldn't change anything.

How would Kodlak want me to handle this?

I took a deep breath. "Aela, I am not your enemy. I haven't 'shirked' my duties, and my views on the beast blood were different than yours. Does that mean I think you're weak or stubborn for holding onto your wolf spirit? No. That is your decision, and I respect it. I admire your convictions, actually."

That got her attention, but I kept speaking as if nothing had changed. "But just because our views aren't the same doesn't give you the right to disappear like you did. I understand wanting time alone, but you should've told someone where you were going. We as Companions must look after our own. If something had happened to you out there, no one could've backed you up. That is why we have Shield-Siblings: to keep us safe and watch our backs.

"As for why you left, it's no secret to me. You wanted to get away from me. I upset you. I made you angry. And for that, I am truly sorry. I should never have brought up Skjor. I should've known it would hurt—"

"Ylva, please." She held up her hand, cutting me off. "Don't. Don't say that name."

"Aela, Skjor wouldn't want you to do this to yourself. Neither would Kodlak. Living in the past isn't—"

"How would you know what it's like to lose the two closest people in your life at once?"

I clenched my jaw so hard, it hurt. Gods, how I knew what she was feeling. Even now, the hole my parents had left behind still wasn't filled. I doubted it ever would fill. Maybe it would once I saw them again in Sovngarde. But until then, I had to deal with the void I felt in my chest.

I rested a hand on Aela's arm. "I know better than you think, Aela. I lost my parents when I was fifteen. I know what kind of void it leaves, the pain it causes. I can't say that your pain will ever go away, but it does get easier with time."

Her face went slack. "I had no idea that..."

I shook my head. "No need to say anything. It's all already been said. I am truly sorry for the loss you've suffered. But you're not alone. We're all still feeling the pain. You can confide in any of us. Like I said earlier, our job as Companions is to stick together and raise each other up when our Shield-Siblings need it."

Aela stayed silent and still, then she nodded. "You're right, Harbin— I mean, Ylva. I'm sorry. I have been selfish. I let my grief blind me to your efforts of assuming leadership so quickly. In truth, you've done better than any of us could've done. You've carried yourself with honor, shown your valor and discipline, and have proven your diligence to better our order. You haven't had an easy job; Kodlak left behind some big shoes to fill. And yet you've done everything you can to be the leader he saw. Anyone else would've caved under such pressure." She gave me a small grin. "So please forgive me for being so judgmental. You are young, and having to step up so soon should've cracked you. But it hasn't."

"In all fairness, I've had a lot of help from my fellow Companions. I wouldn't have made it here without your wisdom, Vilkas's steady hand, Farkas's strong spirit, Skjor's push to better myself, or Kodlak's guidance. We all carry each other and support one another. Without my Shield-Brothers and Sisters, I'm not much more than a glorified warrior."

With that, we both stood, and I clapped a hand to Aela's shoulder. "So let us forget about all past wrongs and just... start over."

"That sounds like a good idea."

Just I let my hand fall back to my side, my door swung open, and in walked a small Nord girl. "Excuse me," she said in a soft voice, her pale cheeks flushing pink. "I was told to seek out the Harbinger. Do either of you know where he is?"

I smiled at the small girl. "You're looking at her, girl. My name is Ylva, what's yours?"

"T-Tyra. My name is Tyra."

"Well, come closer, Tyra. Let me get a good look at you."