This blog isn't dead, just...tired

An annoyed sigh, "You can call me Raeyna instead of Dragonborn seeing as it is my name," she explains as they near the end of the walkway they are traversing.

"Ah, Dragonborn," a low and gruff voice catches Miraak's attention as he slows to a stop behind Raeyna and a Windhelm guard, "I'm glad to see you are safe. You've been gone for quite a while, people were starting to think you were dead,"

"Well, I'm not," Raeyna responds and Miraak picks up a hint of irritation from her, "now, if that is all," she goes to walk away from the guard but the man doesn't seem to pick up on her irritation. Typical.

"Jarl Ulfric would like to have a word with you,"

"As does everyone else. He can wait,"

"Jarl Ulfric is getting impatient, Dragonborn,"

"If he wishes to speak with me so badly, then he can come and find me," Raeyna snaps, whirling on the persistent guard with a fire in her green eyes as she stares the man down, "until then, he can wait as I am a very busy woman," Miraak fights back a smirk as he passes the guard and follows the Dragonborn into her house.

Walking inside, it is clear that the home is well-kept and always stocked with fresh food but Miraak doubts Raeyna has made this particular house her more permanent home.

"Dragonborn, it is good to see you alive and well," a woman speaks up as she walks down the steps, clad in heavy armor with a greatsword sheathed on her back. She smiles kindly at Raeyna but the smile quickly fades when she notices him, "and who is this?"

"Lydia, this is Miraak," Raeyna introduces, gesturing between the two with a ghost of a smile before she moves to hang her cloak up, "Miraak, this is Lydia, the steward here and at my home in Whiterun,"

Neither one smile in greeting, preferring to stare one another down as if sizing them up. That is exactly what Miraak was doing.

"You've received several summons from Jarl Stormcloak while you were away," Lydia speaks up, finally removing her eyes from Miraak and to the Dragonborn, who has now moved into the kitchen, "and if I may, I would heavily suggest choosing a-"

"No," Raeyna snaps harshly, halting her work on slicing a small wheel of cheese to send a firm look Lydia's way. A tense moment passes before Raeyna sighs and sets the knife down, "I am certain the Jarl knows how I feel about this war and understands my refusal to get involved,"

"If he did, he wouldn't be pestering you like this," Miraak grumbles as he wanders further into the home. Again the steward's eyes are on him like a hawk and doesn't waver until he remains in one spot.

"I am afraid your new friend is right,"

"Lydia, please. It's been a long journey and I don't need this conversation right now," Raeyna interrupts, a plate filled with slices of cheese in her hand, "I'd really appreciate it if you traveled back to Breezehome tonight and make sure it's secure,"

The dark-haired woman hesitates but nods in agreement, "As you wish," she responds and turns to leave, sending Miraak a glare as she passes him.

"She seems like a delight," he comments after the door shut behind the steward.

"She does an amazing job but sometimes she involves herself in matters that don't require her skillset,"

"Might I ask what this Jarl wants?"

Raeyna hesitates before shaking her head and moving towards the stairs, "It isn't important," she explains as she walks up the steps, though pauses when she is halfway, "there is a bedroom through the doorway on the other side of the room through a false cupboard, you can sleep there. We leave in six hours,"

"In a rush, Dragonborn?"

Xaliyah sighs, falling back on to the ground, "I thought this was going to be a week-long thing," she admits and Taliyah chuckles.

"Miss him already, do ya?" the brunette asks and Xaliyah turns her head to the side to give the assassin a confused look. It has only been a few days since the kiss she shared with Brynjolf and that is all she can think about. Mainly because there is nothing to do but scout the Thalmor camp.

"That female wizard has returned to the main entrance while the male guard that was there goes to the back entrance," Taliyah points out before jotting it down in the journal, "it seems that during the nights there are only three guards posted. One at the main entrance, one at the back, and one in front of the tent that the leader sleeps,"

Xaliyah sighs from her spot on the ground, "so going at night is easier," she says before sitting up, "got it. I'll be back soon,"

"I know you're excited to steal something, but we don't know exactly where this information is or what it is exactly," the assassin says before Xaliyah can stand, "we cannot risk being reckless right now, you know that more than I do. You are the leader of the Thieve's Guild and they need you and you're the one going into danger. We need to do everything perfectly,"

Xaliyah grits her teeth before standing up, "I'm getting some sleep," she says before Tal can accuse her of disobeying her and going to the Thalmor camp, "seeing as all you want to do is check out Thalmor soldiers,"

Xaliyah smiles as she enters her tent, hearing Tal mumbling to herself, "I am not checking them out," she hears Tal mutter loudly as she climbs into bed.

~

"So I go in through here and leave the back way while the guards are switching posts?" Xaliyah asks Tal a few days later. It is midday and the group hasn't left their little campsite since they arrived. Too busy forming a perfect plan for Xaliyah to sneak in and out undetected.

"Yes and no," Tal explains, shaking her head, "the assassins surrounding the camp will lure each guard out one by one. There they will kill the guards and leave the camp defenseless. That is when you move in and steal any valuable information you can find,"

Xaliyah stares at the map of the Thalmor camp Tal drew in the dirt. It was a good plan and Xaliyah is glad she listened to Tal and waited for the assassins to show up from Dawnstar. There were five in total. A Redguard who calls himself Nazir and Tal's second, a little girl that is a vampire, as well as three recruits.

"When do we do this?"

"Tonight if you think you're ready for it," Tal replies, smiling at the thief's reaction. Even though she tries not to show it, the group knows that Xaliyah is excited to be done with this and return back to the base where Brynjolf is. Tal can only hope that the thought of returning to him doesn't cloud the thief's mind.

"But keep in mind that you will be alone in there," Tal adds and Xaliyah nods, "you may have to kill someone should they catch you,"

Everyone knows that the Guild tends to not kill their targets, regardless if they're caught. But Xaliyah has killed people before. This war was an example, but so was Mercer Frey. She flinches inwardly when she thinks of that weasel. How he separated her from Brynjolf and Karliah so long ago in that cave. How Brynjolf slipped from the ledge he and Karliah were on and how Frey focused on killing Brynjolf instead of her. The anger in Xaliyah at seeing the redhead targeted in such a vicious way.

"I can do it," she assures the assassin, who nods in response, "and I can do it tonight," that is when Tal decides to slow things down.

"Xaliyah, if you're trying to rush this to return to Brynjolf-"

Xaliyah shakes her head instantly, "it isn't, I promise, Tal," she explains quickly, "I want to get back so we can help with the war at the base. Who knows what has happened in our absence. The sooner we get this done, the better,"

~

Xaliyah crouches in a bush, looking at the camp, her eyes trained on the guard standing in front of the entrance. It is night and she is waiting for the assassin nearby to lure the Thalmor soldier into the woods. She glances up at the cliff above her where their camp is before she turns back to the Thalmor camp.

A stone hitting wood fills the area and this catches all three guard's attention. Xaliyah lowers her head when the targetted guard walks into the woods, sword drawn as he scans the area. He walks past her and she can soon hear a neck snap followed by a thud. Guard one has been taken care of.

She doesn't leave her bush until an arrow lands in front of her. The other two guards were disposed of. Game time. Taliyah walks towards the camp in a crouch, hood over her head. The fire has died down immensely and she can hear the shuffle of Thalmor soldiers in the two nearby camps.

It doesn't take Xaliyah long to find the main tent, which houses a tent with a table inside. A map sits on the table and there are red and blue flags on it. They've been following both sides of the war. She assumes that the Thalmor in this camp were assigned here to make sure if the Stormcloaks capture this hold or not and then report it to the Embassy.

Dirty bastards, Xaliyah thinks as she picks the lock of the chest nearby. She does so the first time and slowly lifts the lid. She pauses in her spot. There were so many documents in this chest. How could she possibly carry them all? She pulls out her sack and begins to stuff as many as she can in there until it was full. Shit.

Thank goodness there was another sack nearby. So now, she is emptying the chest of its contents before an arrow lands on the post of the tent she is in. She freezes. That means there is movement from the other Thalmor. She quickly grabs the last two documents before slowly closing the lid and hurrying out of the tent and into the darkness.

"Hey, who are you and state your business!" the Thalmor snaps when she steps right in front of him. She blanks, eyes wide. There was no lie she can come up with to explain why she is carrying two documents that obviously came from the camp.

"I...uh..." she stutters as the soldier draws his blade. Some thief she is. But before the Thalmor can swing, he falls to the ground, dead. Behind him stands a Redguard man, a bloody dagger in his hand. He smiles down at her and extends his hand.

Xaliyah hesitantly takes it and he pulls her up onto her feet, "you need to be more careful," he states as they begin walking back to camp, hidden by the dark forest, "if I hadn't been there, the mission would have failed and we would be hauling your body back to Ayla's base,"

Xaliyah looks at the man, brows furrowed, "you know Ayla?" she asks and the man chuckles a low chuckle.

"Everyone knows the Dragonborn," he replies as they near the camp, "I met her through Taliyah. The Dragonborn helped us with taking on a few contracts herself. If I had it my way, she would be in the Brotherhood, not leading a rebellion,"

"Thank goodness you're okay," Tal says as she rushes forward and hugs Xaliyah before stepping back and examining the Nord female, "and good, you got the important stuff. Which is a lot," she adds as she helps Xaliyah take the bags off and carries them into her personal tent.

"Thank you, Nazir," Tal says upon returning to the group, "I do believe the Guild owes us a debt since you just saved its leader," she says with a smug smile at Xaliyah, who rolls her eyes at the comment.

Nazir chuckles again and Xaliyah watches as Tal goes a bit stiff at the sound, "you asked me for my help with this mission and I was honored to, Listener," he says with a small bow, "I believe I will soon be discussing my payment with Delvin in the near future," he adds before walking off, "give me the word when you're ready to move out,"

Xaliyah waits until the Redguard is out of sight before smiling at a flushed Tal, "you like him," Xaliyah gushes, enjoying the fact that she can now tease the assassin on her love life. Tal glares at the thief and sighs.

"Do not," she says as she walks back to the camp and begins packing things up, "and besides, I am his boss and he is my second. It would be wrong to commit to such a relationship," she explains with a smug smile at an annoyed Xaliyah.

"Say what you want, but I saw how you reacted around him," Xaliyah replies as she begins helping Tal, "why are we packing up? Why not wait until morning?"

"And give the Thalmor below a chance to find us when they're searching for their missing soldiers? No thank you," Tal says as she begins tying one of the two tents to the back of her painted mare, "if we leave now, under the cover of darkness, we should be halfway to the base when they wake,"

Xaliyah doesn't reply, instead, she focuses on tying the two sacks to Caper's saddle before climbing onto it. She waits for Tal and the two trot out of the forest and onto the main road, where four assassins join them. Xaliyah glances at the newcomers and recognizes Cicero humming to himself and Nazir, who looks ahead of him with a neutral expression on his face. Beside him is a little girl who looks like she should not be an assassin and behind her is a blond Nord.

Miraak is right; Herma-Mora won't stop chasing them until one of them becomes his champion and it is because of this that she knows she is right in suggesting that they remain travel companions until Herma-Mora is dealt with. How they do that, she has no idea.

Opening her eyes, she stares up at the wooden ceiling above her that separates her and Miraak. She can only guess on how he feels about the whole situation. The man did wake up an hour ago to her sitting beside his bed with a sword on her lap. Obviously she doesn't trust him and she is certain the feeling is mutual.

A wolf howls in the distance and she closes her eyes for a few seconds in an attempt to clear her head before she sits up, running a hand through her hair. Sitting there, she takes a few seconds to listen for any activity on the floor above her and when silence greets her, she pushes herself off of the bed and walks around it to the bed behind her. While it would have been easier just to curl up and sleep on the bed she was just on, she would have felt weird sleeping in the bed Miraak was unconscious on.

~~~~

With a grunt, she falls onto the snow blanketing the mountains of Solstheim, the Black Book slipping from her grasp and landing a few feet from her. With a groan, she begins pushing herself up onto her feet while ignoring the pain coming from everywhere on her body.

With a start, she spins around frantically, fearful that she will see the mass of tentacles that is Hermaeous Mora come to finish them off. Them. She turns again, searching for the man she just saved from a death even he didn't deserve.

Lying beside her, unconscious and bleeding from multiple wounds - all caused by her blade - is Miraak. A brief flash of relief floods through her as she kneels beside him, tilting his mask up enough so she can feel his pulse, pursing her lips when she feels a steady beat. He's alive, they both are but they won't be if they stay out in the snow.

~~~~

The morning didn't fare better for either of them. Miraak remained silent as they made their trek down to Raven Rock, always walking a few paces ahead of her and she can feel his irritation from where she is. At the moment, she is beginning to question her logic on dragging him out of Apocrypha.

Then Raven Rock comes into view and she bites her lip as they continue onward. Her worries from the night prior return and she begins to get anxious at the thought of people knowing who the man she is travelling with truly is and what he has done to them. But how would they know as long as he doesn't utter a single word.

"When we get to town, I will do the talking," she calls out to him in hopes of forming a plan on getting to the boat without any aggression from the people of Raven Rock. If he hears her, he doesn't let her know and she rolls her eyes in annoyance, "they may not have ever seen you, but I am certain they will remember your voice and if you speak then there if no way you will be leaving this island," more silence and she glares at his back. Normally, she would take the silence as a yes but this is Miraak and he has always been one wanting control, "Miraak-"

"By the Nines, I hear you!" he snaps back at her, his tone harsh and cold as he doesn't even look back at her as he continues walking, "I heard you the first time and there was no reason to continue repeating the same phrase over and over again,"

She scoffs and continues to glare at him, "You could have just said okay or anything just to let me know you agree," she retorts with just as much bitterness as he had, "I may be a Dragonborn but that doesn't mean I can read minds, you know,"

"Yes," he says through gritted teeth as they enter a patch of trees and he makes no move to hold back any low hanging branches for her, instead letting them fly back as if hoping one would hit her, "I could have but frankly I was enjoying the peace and quiet and had hoped you would take my lack of response as a sign that I didn't want to talk but here we are!"

She stops abruptly to avoid being hit by a branch he held onto a bit too long before letting go, purposefully trying to hit her with it, "could you stop!"

"No," he replies before letting another branch go. She grits her teeth as she can hear the smirk in his voice, tempting her to draw her sword on him or to simply Shout at him but she refrains.

"You're acting like a child!"

"And you are annoying,"

"I'm annoying?"

"You're annoyingly optimistic about us defeating Mora,"

"We have a chance to do exactly that!"

"He almost killed both of us back in Apocrypha!"

"Because we were fighting each other!" She all but yells as they walk out of the trees, "you were almost dead and I was too tired to fight Mora! There was no way we could of killed him then but now-"

"Now we are on the run with a pissed off Daedric Prince hot on our tails," he interrupts sternly as he steps over a fallen log and still refuses to even look back at her, "admit it, Kulaas, there is no hope of victory for us and any freedom we had is gone,"

She bites her tongue at his nickname, deciding it is not worth her breath to argue against. Instead, she scoffs and glares at him, "I doubt you had much freedom in Apocrypha," she snaps, her anger getting the best of her, "with being a servant of a Prince and all,"

She never saw him spin around and march towards her until he has her pinned to the side of a cliff, arm braced against her throat and she stares up into his narrowed and dangerous eyes that are as blue as ice and just as cold, "I was no slave," he informs her with a low voice, one meant to strike fear in her but she refuses to give him the satisfaction.

"I never said you were," she bites back, tempting fate, "so tell me, Miraak, why has your fight for freedom left you since you left Apocrypha?"

"It hasn't,"

"Then why are you so reluctant to help me fight Hermaeous Mora?"

He stares down at her with emotionless eyes and says nothing in response. She meets his gaze head on and tries her damnedest to pull his response from his reaction but the attempt was futile. After a few more seconds, he gives her one final glare before stepping away from her. As she stands up straighter, she watches him walk away in the direction of Raven Rock.

She sighs and lowers her hands, "We well deal with that when the time comes. For now, we need to get off of this island," she looks up and follows his gaze to his mask, "and we will leave everything Mora has a connection to; the Black Books and your mask, for example,"

"It won't help,"

"It's worth a try,"

Miraak scoffs and turns to look down at her. The naïve optimism in her green eyes in pathetic. To think she can outrun and outsmart a Daedric Prince is the most arrogant thing he has ever witnessed anyone do and he has lived a long life.

"And what do we do once we get to Skyrim?" he asks in a taunting tone, fully confident that her 'plan' won't work and why would it, "do we stick together like glue, adventuring around Skyrim and taken down evil people while simultaneously dodging a vengeful Daedra?"

She shrugs, arms crossed, "That sounds like the smartest option,"

"We will be giving Mora an easy target," Miraak snaps bitterly, rising from his seat on the bed faster than she can stop him and proceeds to walk forward a few steps, "he wants a champion and we are his favorite candidates and we managed to escape his clutches. So tell me, oh mighty Dragonborn of Legend; is it still the smart thing to do?"

She stares at him, unflinching and unmoving, "Yes," she says firmly, confidently and he suppresses a chuckle.

"Fine," he all but growls, hands dropping to his side as he leans forward, glare hard and cold, "but if we die, then that is on you,"

A shrug, "Alright,"

Miraak clenches his jaw as he stares at her. She risked her life to get him out of Apocrypha, spent the past two days watching over him and making sure he doesn't die, and here she sits, perfectly fine with him dying in the end. So much time wasted on his life when in the end it would be for nothing.

Without another word, he turns and walks away from her and only hesitating at the dresser where his helmet rests. A part of him wants to pick it up again, to actually wear the damned thing. But he doesn't, forces himself to leave it there for it will bring nothing but painful memories of the centuries he had spent in Apocrypha with nothing but books and Seekers as company.

"You hesitate," the Dragonborn interrupts his trance and he tears his gaze from the mask and to the door beside the dresser, which undoubtedly leads outside, "I thought you wanted out of Apocrypha,"

His fist clenches at his side, "I did," he replies curtly and gives her no opportunity to reply as he walks to the stairs and ascends them, leaving her down there alone.

He wanted freedom for so long and he was willing to do anything to achieve that, including terrorizing an entire island and its inhabitants. He is out of that damned place, now a free man with an uncertain future ahead of him only now with the constant threat of death from Mora.

Miraak is unsure how to feel at the moment. Angry that he is in such a predicament or overjoyed at the thought of being able to see the skies of Tamriel once more. He should be grateful that the Dragonborn downstairs decided to drag him out with her but even there he is unsure. Did she save the man who has been making her life a living hell the past few months out of the kindness of her heart or does she have an ulterior motive.

"It's the Dragonborn!" an Imperial yells, alerting the rest of his comrades, "she's with the Stormcloaks," he adds and draws his sword, hesitating to attack her. An arrow takes him down and that is when the Imperials break out of their shock and charge at her. She sidesteps the first attack and sends one of her swords into the chest of another. She pulls the blade out just in time to block an attack as she slices the throat of another soldier with her second sword.

"Fus Ro Dah!" she Shouts when a large cluster of Imperials charge at her, sending them flying into walls or over them while some soldiers are lucky to just slide across the ground. She barely misses being hit by an arrow as she runs over towards the raised drawbridge. She quickly runs into the tower and fights her way to the top and onto the bridge where the drawbridge controls are.

She lowers the drawbridge and turns around in time to see Odahviing land and set an entire group of the opposing side, both Imperial and Whiterun city guards, on fire before flying off again, this time over the walls and into the city. Ayla hurries down the ladder and into the city, where most of their enemies have been defeated thanks to the dragons.

"Hurry! To Dragonsreach!" Galmar yells as he runs past her, several Stormcloak soldiers following him. Ayla turns to see some of her soldiers there.

"Go through the city, kill any attacker you face," she orders them as she takes a few steps in the direction of the market, "help any and all civilians injured because of the fighting and protect them with your lives," she adds before turning and running towards Dragonsreach. She hears one of the dragons set something on fire nearby but she doesn't look to see who.

Instead, she cuts down any enemy on her way to Dragonsreach, stopping only when she sees Athena and Vilkas in front of Jorrvaskr, "what's wrong?" she asks the female, who smiles.

"Nothing," she replies, "just making sure the rest of the Companions are safe. We'll be back in the fight soon," she promises and Ayla nods her head.

"Odah and Aaryah did most of the fighting inside the city for us," she explains before glancing over her shoulder at the deserted streets of Whiterun, littered with Imperial and Guard bodies. What a waste of life, she thinks before turning back to her friend, "go through the city and find and aid any civilians," she adds and runs off before Athena can reply.

Ayla runs up the steps and is soon standing in front of the door. She places her hand on the wood and sighs, remembering when she first entered the hall so long ago and how welcoming Balgruuf was. Now she is here, attacking his city. She can only imagine what will happen when she enters the hall.

"Enough, I surrender!" she hears Balgruff yell from above the stairs, "I surrender. Peace! Everyone stand down," Ayla walks up the steps and stops at the top, seeing Galmar and a few Stormcloak soldiers standing between her and Balgruuf, "that's an order! Stand down,"

Ayla looks over to see an elderly man walk past her and stand next to Galmar. She walks forward a few steps but stays in the background, "Vignar Grey-Mane," Balgruuf says with an irritated tone, "your family was noticeably absent from the walls. Now I know why. Wouldn't a dagger in the back have sufficed?"

"You think this is personal?" Vignar asks, anger in his tone as he puts his hands on his hips, "the Empire has no place in Skyrim...not anymore. And you?" Vignar pauses for effect, "you have no place in Whiterun anymore," Ayla stares at the old man's back, raising an eyebrow at the man's gloating tone.

"A convenient position to hold now. But mark my word's old man, in the days to come, Ulfric will spread his rebellion thin. And what then?" Balgruuf asks the group, his arms crossed across his chest as he glares at them.

Galmar chuckles, "you couldn't have possibly seen the attacking dragons while locked in here," he says as he steps aside, revealing Ayla to the former Jarl, "let this answer your question," Galmar adds and Ayla slowly looks at Balgruuf to see him shaking his head in disappointment.

"You too?" he asks her and Ayla looks away, unable to handle his words, "you, Thane of Whiterun, attacked this city for what? For glory? Money?"

"I did it for Skyrim," she snaps angrily, turning to face his wrath head-on. She can feel her voice start to waver but she stays strong. Balgruuf stares at her for a few seconds before scoffing at her words.

"That's what they all say,"

"I didn't do it to destroy the Empire, I am doing this to end the Thalmor, who are my true enemies," Ayla says firmly, taking a few steps towards him and keeping her head held high, "believe me I wish it wouldn't end this way but it must. The Thalmor's claim on this land will be destroyed, even if I must die to do so,"

She watches in silence as Balgruuf processes her words, his eyes burning holes in her skin. Ayla purses her lips to keep her emotions from showing, "Why should I trust a woman who betrayed my trust," he says with no emotion before looking away from her.

Ayla scoffs, shaking her head and sighing, "you will be going to my base as a prisoner of war," she informs the Jarl, who whips his head to stare at her, "my soldiers will transport you under lock and key and bound by chains. Your children will be staying at my base, taken in by a family where they will be taught manners,"

"You can't!" Balgruuf says in disbelief, "they're my children, they need their father!" Ayla almost caved but she clears her throat and meets his gaze with a cold one of her own.

"You should have thought about that before you sided with the Empire," she says before turning and leaving the building, passing a large group of her soldiers as she goes. Once the door shuts she hurried off to behind the palace, where she recollects herself.

She leans against the stone walls of the city, eyes closed and biting her lip to keep herself from breaking down in sobs. She just destroyed a family and betrayed one of the few people she trusted with her life. She feels disgusted with herself. As someone who knows what it is like to grow up without any parents, she shouldn't be the one to do that to other kids.

War is a nasty thing and she can't imagine that ruling a country will be any different. She wipes her eyes, which had shed a few tears, before returning to her soldiers.

~~

"You'll regret this, Dragonborn," Irileth snarls at Ayla as she is led past, her red eyes glaring at her. Ayla looks away from the Dunmer woman, refusing to give the woman the satisfaction of seeing her reaction.

"I brought you into my home. I made you my Thane. I trusted you," Balgruuf seethes as he stops in front of Ayla. She looks up at him with an emotionless gaze. She wasn't going to break. She wasn't. She refused to, "and you repay me by burning my town,"

Something shifts behind Ayla and she glances over her shoulder to see Odahviing there, his red eyes locked on the Jarl as a growl emits from his throat, "with the dragon I helped you trap, no less," Balgruuf adds and Ayla turns to look back at him, "the dragon I risked my city to trap," he continues and Ayla raises an eyebrow.

"Guilt tripping me won't work, Balgruuf, you know that," she reminds him as she crosses her arms, "believe me when I say that I wish things turned out differently, I really do. But you chose your side and I can't make you change your mind,"

Balgruuf stares down at her in silence for a few seconds, studying her features before scoffing, "you're right, you can't," he agrees, "but tell me where my children will be going since they're practically orphans now,"

"You're not dying, Balgruuf," Ayla explains as Odahviing huffs behind her, "Ulfric wanted to, but I convinced him to spare you and your family as a repayment for how much you helped me in the past," she pauses as she watches Balgruuf's children follow her soldiers out of Whiterun, "as I told you before, your children will be taken in by a family at my base where they will work in the farms, not as slaves, but as free children, able to run and play to their hearts content,"

Balgruuf remains silent, watching his young son and daughter leave their home, "I suppose I must thank you for not throwing them into a cell," he mutters begrudgingly as he looks back at the Dragonborn, his anger calming, "and I wish you luck in your attempt to rid Skyrim of the elves without the Empire's help," he adds before he is led away again.

"Things are going to get worse," she says softly and Odah hums in response.

"Do you think you did the right thing?"

"How did you think the Emperor mysteriously died?" Ayla questions, turning her head to meet Ulfric's gaze, her light blue eyes, something rare amongst Nords, piercing his, "I am sure the Emperor would never have killed himself, seeing as he lived a life of luxury,"

Ulfric couldn't believe what he was hearing. There have been rumors circulating that the Dark Brotherhood were the ones to murder the Empire's beloved ruler, but, like most assassinations, there was no incriminating evidence at the scene. A knife across the throat was how the old man had died.

"You organized the Emporer's death?" Ralof asks the question that was swarming in Ulfric's head. They both watch as Ayla lets out a bark of laughter before walking around the table and examining some of the bookshelves lining the room.

"At the time of his death, I was in Whiterun, planning to trap Odahviing in Dragonsreach," she explains, running her finger along the books of the shelf, "I had no interest in the Civil War at the time, so why would I intervene to kill the Emporer when I had nothing to prove?" she looks back at the two blondes, a small smile on her lips, "someone else contacted the Brotherhood and asked for his assassination in reward for a large sum of money. Money I didn't have at the time,"

"Why are you telling us this?"

"Because we need to trust each other if we are going to be successful in this war. You know that just as well as I do," Ayla replies as she pulls a red book from the shelf and turns to face the table. She sets the book down but rests her hand over the title, "you may not like this, but the Empire isn't our true enemy. The Thalmor is," she then slides the book across the table and it slows to a stop in front of Ulfric.

"On my journey to defeat Alduin, I worked alongside the two remaining members of the Blades," Ayla explains as Ulfric slowly picks up the book. 'Thalmor Dossier: Ulfric Stormcloak' it read on the leather cover, "the Thalmor were hunting them down, so naturally, they thought the Thalmor were somehow behind the return of the Dragons. So they sent me to infiltrate the Embassy and I did so with success, saving two lives as well.

While I was there, I collected that dossier as well as two others based off of the Blade members," Ayla continues while Ulfric flips through the pages, reading a few paragraphs here and there. This was accurate, too accurate for his liking, "the Thalmor want this war to go on for as long as possible, not caring at all about the millions of deaths wasted during it,"

"I assume you read the whole thing?" he questions, not looking up at her. Ayla blinks as she stares at him, noting the way his fingers tightly holds the book. She looks to her right to see Asteria giving her a pointed look as if saying 'I told you so'.

Ayla takes a deep breath, raising her hands and folding them in front of her, standing straighter as she replies, "I read it as well as the other two," she replies, her voice calm yet the tone of it warns the male of doing anything rash. He wasn't planning to. Him against the Dragonborn, who has a stronger Thu'um than he does? It was obvious who would win.

"Do you really wish for this alliance to end so soon?" he asks yet another question, carefully setting the book down and meeting her gaze. Her impenetrable gaze was locked on him and she was not backing down. From where she stood, she looked regal and elegant. She is the epitome of confidence at that moment.

But she has no reason to read that dossier, no matter how she explains her reasoning, "it wasn't yours to read," he declares and receives only a single raised eyebrow and a slight tilt of her head as a response. To both of them, no one else was in the room. But there were and everyone was listening to the conversation while trying to look like they were focused on their own work.

"It's like some competition," Asteria mumbles to Brynjolf, who stands in front of her, "to see who holds the most control while in the same room. It's stupid, really. A war to fight and the two leaders are scrambling for power over the other,"

If the two heard her, they didn't show it. Instead, Ayla smiles before shrugging, "you may not agree with it, but that dossier plus the other two and everything else I have heard and seen of the Thalmor is what made me start this rebellion," she explains, her tone neither icy nor warm. It was emotionless, something much scarier coming from the mouth of the Dragonborn, "they seek to use the Empire as a way to control Tamriel, to make it a point that Mer are more superior than man,"

"Don't you think I know that?" Ulfric scoffs in response to her explanation. Ayla merely shrugs, a nonchalant look on her face telling him that she cared not about whether or not he knew that bit of information.

"I think you need to be reminded of that fact," she replies bluntly, raised eyebrow as if challenging him to continue this little game they are playing.

"I think we need to focus more on the matter at hand," a voice interrupts and Asteria walks over to Ayla's side, setting a few books down on the table. Ayla doesn't break her gaze from Ulfric until Asteria practically shoves a book in the Dragonborn's face, "like this," Asteria adds as Ayla takes the book from her.

"What's this?"

"You asked for artifacts that could help in the war," Asteria explains, smiling a bit and revealing that she is proud of her work, "well I found-" she breaks off suddenly, giving the two Stormcloaks a glance before looking back at Ayla, "I found a few interesting things that could do exactly that, not that we need any help at all, just a precaution really,"

Ayla nods, smiling at the elven woman, "great job," she praises the white-haired elf, "we will discuss this in another setting," she adds and Asteria takes the book back from Ayla and wanders back to another bookshelf. Ayla then turns to Ulfric, "we need to discuss Whiterun and how things will go down,"

"We discuss everything back at Windhelm," the blonde reminds the raven-haired female, "what else is there to talk about?"

"What is going to happen to Jarl Balgruuf?" Ayla asks simply, causing a few of the others to glance at her.

"What about Jarl Balgruuf?" Athena asks, looking away from the few notes her husband holds in his hand to look at Ayla, concern evident on her face, "did he do something wrong?"

"In a way," Ayla says slowly, turning her head to look at the Harbinger, "he chose the wrong side in the war," she adds and Athena doesn't reply, only glancing up at Vilkas, who wraps an arm around her, "I don't intend to have him harmed when we take the city,"

"So you won't have him and his family killed?" Athena questions, taking a few steps forward, gaze on Ayla, who shakes her head in response, "good. He's a good man who's only doing what he thinks is best for his city,"

"What we need to decide is how we handle the situation," Ulfric points out, "Balgruuf proved to us that he is loyal to the Empire, we can't have him on the throne of Whiterun," Ayla quickly catches on to what he means. To allow Balgruuf to remain as the Jarl, he could cripple Ayla and Ulfric's rebellions by becoming a double agent; saying he is loyal to Ulfric while he is feeding the Empire information from the inside.

"Exile seems kind," Ayla mutters, eyes on the small horse statue that rests over Whiterun, "give him and his family safe passage to Cyrodiil where he can serve the Empire there?" she adds, looking up to see what Ulfric thinks.

Athena speaks before Ulfric has a chance to, "kick Balgruuf out of his homeland? A prominent man getting exiled by two people who say they're fighting for Skyrim? That won't bode well for the public,"

"So exile is off the table," Ayla mutters, returning her gaze to the table. A large map of Skyrim sits there as well as several statues litter it. The three types of statues is a wolf that rests on Solitude, Morthal, Falkreath, and Riften. A bear sits next to Windhelm, Winterhold, Markarth, and Dawnstar. A lone dragon rests on the mountains bordering the Pale, Hjaalmarch, and Whiterun.

"The base has a dungeon below," Asteria pipes up as Brynjolf excuses himself to deal with Guild business, "we could keep him as a prisoner of war," Ayla glances across the table at Ulfric, the suggestion interesting her. From the look on the blonde's face, they all could tell he too was preferring that option.

"But his kids," Ayla breathes out, dropping her gaze to the table once more, a few strands of her raven-colored hair falling to frame her face, "what about them? Their father is locked up in a cell and they have no other family members.."

"We'll deal with that when the time comes," Asteria replies, no idea coming to mind.

"The Riften Orphanage," Athena pipes up and everyone turns to stare at her at that suggestion, "they're spoiled rotten kids that think they have it all at the fingertips. Send them to the orphanage and they'll get a face full of reality,"

Ayla blinks, biting her lower lip in thought. It wasn't a bad idea and she had to agree with Athena. She only met Balgruuf's children a few times on her visits to Dragonsreach and they always threatened to have their father throw her in jail, "too bad Tal killed old Grelod," Ayla says and Athena laughs a bit.

"Yes, the old lady would have given those two a run for their money," Athena agrees with a chuckle, "though I don't think Constantine would be as harsh with her punishments, the Orphanage is still an option,"

"They could always live in the base," Kharjo says, walking over to stand beside Ayla, "we can keep a close eye on them and put them to work in the farm section," Ayla takes a deep breath. Kharjo was right. These are the children of a Jarl who pledged loyalty to the Empire. They would be beyond angry that their father is imprisoned and they were taken from the only home they've ever known. It would be riskier if they sent them to the Imperial held Riften than if they were kept in the base.

"Kharjo is right," Ayla says slowly, glancing around the room at the others, "if we send the Jarl's kids to Riften, they would most likely help the Imperials there. How I do not know, but they will hate us and wish us dead. If they stay here, we can keep a close eye on them without having to risk them spilling secrets to the Empire,"

Everyone nods in response, "the Empire should be at Whiterun in three days time, we attack the night after they arrive," Ayla explains and the others take that as a cue to leave. Only Ayla, Ulfric, Ralof, and Asteria remain, "Asteria, can you please show the Stormcloaks to their rooms?"

Ayla sighs, wondering how things were going back at the base. Did Tal plan the funeral? Did Xaliyah send thieves to steal anything valuable from a Thalmor camp? Being in Windhelm, so far from where her rebellion is based, is stressing her out, "I need to go back," she announces, causing Aaryah to glance at her, "if there is to be a battle then I must be organizing my army from where they are, not a day's ride away,"

"Where are you going?" Aaryah asks as Ayla starts walking over to the steps leading down to the city. She turns slightly to get a better look at the Dragonborn, head tilted slightly in confusion. Aaryah lets a soft growl leave her throat before turning back around to face the landscape. With a single beat of her wings and a step forward, she is flying in the sky once more, a loud roar leaving her.

Ayla walks through the city, weaving through the people traversing their city, as she makes her way to the Palace of Kings. She wasn't asking for permission to leave the city. She didn't need it. She was going to inform Ulfric that her and Kharjo are departing the city and suggest they make plans to have their armies meet at Whiterun in a few days time.

She spots Kharjo sitting at the table, happily munching on a steak while reading a few letters. Most likely sent from the base, "any news?" she asks and the Khajiit shakes his head, setting his fork down.

"Nothing new. The funeral planning is complete and waiting until you arrive back. The Thalmor mission you gave the others is still being planned,"

Ayla nods. Another reason why she needed to return to the base. A bunch of her soldiers needed to be buried and she wants to be there to honor them herself. After informing Kharjo of her plans, she approaches the throne Ulfric is sitting in, ignoring the glare she receives from Laila, "I have news I wish to discuss in the war room," she says bluntly, ignoring any and all pleasantries as she walks off toward the said room in a hurried pace, Kharjo jogging to catch up.

~

"I plan on returning to my base right after this meeting," she informs both Ulfric and Galmar, "there are preparations I need to make before the attack. We need to figure out a spot where both of our armies can meet before initiating the attack,"

"I was thinking one of the farms in front of the city," Galmar suggests, pointing at the land outside of Whiterun, "there is a tavern and a farm there I believe. That should be a good spot to meet up before," he glances at Ayla, who nods in agreement to the plan.

"And the dragons?" Ulfric points out and Ayla nods again.

"Odahviing and Aaryah will be present at the battle," she explains her plan on how to involve two of her three dragons, "Aaryah is the dark-scaled one, I was thinking that we should attack at night so we'd have an advantage by sending her in to light the opposing enemies first then launching an attack. Odah will join her and together they will aid both of our forces in any way they can,"

The two males in front of her glance at each other before nodding, "sounds like a plan," Ulfric says and Ayla looks back at Kharjo.

"Is there anything else we should address before I depart for my base?" Ayla asks, glancing between Ulfric and Galmar. She wants to make sure they have covered every aspect of the upcoming battle. When no one replies, Ayla makes her way to the door, Kharjo following.

"I have a suggestion," Ulfric says suddenly, causing the two to stop in their tracks. Ayla turns around to meet the blonde's gaze from her spot at under the doorway, "I would like to go to your base with you," he adds after waiting a few seconds, hard gaze never leaving Ayla.

"What?" Galmar says, obviously shocked at the suggestion. It's an appropriate reaction, the leader of the Stormcloaks wanting to leave Windhelm, the city where his rebellion is located, to travel elsewhere days before a large battle.

While Kharjo and Galmar verbally portray their shock, Galmar more than Kharjo, Ayla just raises her eyebrows in silent surprise, refusing to remove her gaze from Ulfric. She truly was shocked, never expecting the blonde Nord to want to leave his city on the eve of a large battle.

"Ulfric, you can't be serious," Galmar continues, walking over so he is standing at the side of both of them, "we need you here to prepare the soldiers,"

"I think you can handle that just fine, Galmar," Ulfric responds, crossing his arms as he waits for Ayla's reply. He watches as she stares at him, eyes moving slightly to show that she is deep in thought, "the soldiers look up to you just as much as they do me,"

"Alright," Ayla says suddenly, surprising everyone, "if that is what you wish to do, then who am I to stop you?" she adds, backing out of the room, "be ready in an hour and meet us at the stables," she adds before disappearing into the main hall, Kharjo following.

~

"Is that the famous Dragonborn I see?" a voice interrupts the comfortable silence Ayla and Kharjo were sitting in while waiting for Ulfric. Ayla looks up to see the familiar blonde hair of Ralof, who was one of the Nords in the cart she was in going to Helgen months ago.

She smiles as she stands, approaching the Nord and extending a hand in a handshake. She doesn't know Ralof well enough to be comfortable with a hug, but she knew that he will be a good friend of hers, "how have you been?" she asks as her arm falls back to her side.

The man is still clad in the blue colors of the Stormcloaks though this armor is slightly different than the one she last saw him in, "ah, after my work getting the Jagged Crown for Ulfric, he promoted me to an Ice-Vein," Ralof explains as if sensing her thoughts involving his armor.

"Er, congratulations on the promotion," Kharjo says from the background while Ayla nods in agreement, "you must be very proud," her second adds and Ayla gives him a pointed look, telling him to be nice.

Ralof, however, doesn't seem to take any offense to Kharjo's words as he walks over and buys a horse from the stablemaster, "I am," he explains, leading his horse to stand beside Sovn, "my family back in Riverwood are probably singing praises of me to the townsfolk,"

"Your family sounds nice," Ayla says, smiling at the blonde Nord, "I'd like to meet them one day," Ralof smiles back at her, pride evident in his features. Ayla can't help but admire how much pride he takes in his accomplishments. She has never been one to do that. Yeah, she did defeat numerous foes bent on ending the world; Alduin and Harkon. But she preferred to let the various songs and books tell her tales.

"They are," he replies, "My sister, Gedur, runs the mill at Riverwood with her husband, Hod. Together they have a young son, Frodnar, a lovely lad he is, has a dog he calls Stump and his best friend is the only other kid in the village, Dorthe," he pauses, looking up at the white sky, a smile on his face, "I'd do everything in my power to protect them," he continues and Ayla nods, moving her gaze to the snow-covered ground, "do you have any family, Dragonborn?"

"Ayla," she says after a few seconds, meeting the blondes gaze, "you can call me Ayla," she pauses, looking away from him, her smile gone, "and no, I...I don't have any living family," she can feel the Nord's gaze on her as well as Kharjo's sympathetic one. She closes her eyes and fidgets with Sovn's reins.

"Ready?" a loud voice interrupts the uncomfortable silence and Ayla didn't need to look up to know Ulfric had finally shown up. She stares at a rock protruding from the snow a few feet in front of her for a few more seconds before nodding, "yeah," she says softly before climbing onto the saddle of Sovn without glancing at the Nord.

She urges Sovn towards the bridge leading in the direction of her base, knowing full well that the others are following.

~

After a full day of riding, the mountains concealing Ayla's base comes into view and Ayla lets out a relieved breath. She is in a much better mood now than she was when they left Windhelm. Talking about her family always hurt, hence why she avoids the subject like the plague.

"Are we there yet?" Ralof calls from behind her, his tone giving away that he is exhausted from the long ride. Ayla smiles but doesn't reply as she hears the all too familiar wings from ahead. Sovn keeps walking as a loud roar sounds from nearby and Odahviing flies from over the trees from the nearby forest, head turning to give them a glance before turning to land.

"We're here," she calls over her shoulder to the group of Stormcloaks, turning her horse to face them as Odahviing lands with a thud to her left, his beady eyes locked on the soldiers. She was about to turn her horse back towards the base of the mountain when Odahviing runs forward a few steps, ground shaking slightly as he does so.

"Diin, Odahviing," she orders loudly and the dragon does so before letting out a loud roar, directed at the group. Ayla urges Sovn towards the Stormcloaks, watching as the soldiers look terrified when being stared down by a dragon. She reckons they've never been this close to one before, other than Ulfric and Ralof.

She pulls back on the reins and Sovn stops a few feet in front of the red dragon, who ignores her and stares at the soldiers behind her as they try to slowly walk away, "Drem, Odahviing, drem," she says loudly, staring up at the dragon as a soft growl escapes him, "they're our allies," she adds and this catches his attention instantly.

"Krosis - sorry, Dovahkiin," he apologizes, lowering his head closer to the ground after giving the Stormcloaks a quick glance as a roar sounds above them. The two look up to see the familiar dark scaled dragon flying towards the mountain peak, "I believe Asteria wishes to tinvaak - speak with you," Odah reports before spreading his wings and joining his fellow Dovah in the sky, giving a roar to announce his presence.

She ends up going to the left, knowing that is where the infamous Grey Quarter is. She wishes to see it for herself again, wondering if there were any improvements to the area housing the Dunmer. She walks down the set of steps leading to where the shops and tavern for the Dunmer and Argonians are located.

She smiles as a passing Argonian couple, who return the smile before turning completely, shocked when they recognize who she is. She can't help but smile to herself when she sees the people ahead of her slowly start recognizing her, "it can't be...the Dragonborn?" a Dunmer woman asks as she watches Ayla walk by, a few children hiding behind her, peering up at the Dragonborn.

Ayla stops and smiles at the woman before her gaze goes to the three children, who immediately retreat to hiding behind their mother's dress, "it's alright," Ayla says, bending down and sending the children a gentle smile, "I won't hurt you, I promise," one by one, the children reveal themselves. The eldest, a girl, gives Ayla a toothy grin as her younger brothers come to a stop beside her, "I'm here to help," Ayla adds, handing each child five septims.

"Ma'am, you didn't..." the mother goes to object as Ayla stands up again.

Ayla shakes her head, "I won't be bothered with the loss of fifteen septims, miss," she explains as the children giggle amongst themselves, eyes glued on the gold in their hands, "like I said, I am here to help in any way possible," the woman smiles at her before looking down at her children.

Ayla continues on her trek through the Grey Quarter, glancing up at the buildings and down at the streets. It's been a while since she has traversed these streets, but from what she remembers, they look better than they did before. The buildings that house the Dunmer and Argonians have received a touch-up, mainly to the structural part to keep them from falling. Random holes in the streets have been fixed, weeds popping out through the cracks have been removed.

Ulfric did keep his word. She was impressed, maybe the thought of losing the Dragonborn and two dragons as an ally was what pushed him. Ayla walks into a large, open area with a giant gate to her left that leads to the docks. To her right is another street leading back to the Palace of Kings.

She goes straight and turns left to walk up a flight of stairs to stop in a small courtyard surrounded by three houses. She takes a sharp left and walks down the street that has a large house to the left. If she remembers correctly, that is Aventus Aretino's house. She remembers Taliyah telling everyone the story of how she came to be a part of the Dark Brotherhood and how this little boy hired her to kill an old woman in Riften.

With a sigh, she continues forward, under the little walkway connecting it to the other half of the house and stops on a bridge, in front of a railing overlooking the Grey Quarter. From up here, it doesn't look as large as it feels down there. But it sure looks pretty cramped.

"When I went to Sovengard to fight Alduin," she starts, knowing that she has company, "I went knowing that I might die trying to defeat him. I...struggled with accepting the fact," she pauses as she watches Aaryah fly in the distance. A black dot in the vast snow-covered landscape surrounding Windhelm, "but as I stood, waiting for Alduin to arrive, I told myself that if it took me dying to save Skyrim from the World Eater, then so be it,"

She turns to look to her left to see Ulfric standing there, gaze on her. She takes a deep breath as she returns to watching Aaryah fly, "I think of it now," she pauses as Aaryah swoops down and lights something on fire before flying off again and coming back for another hit, "I will gladly lay my life down to rid Skyrim of the Thalmor. I would willingly die so I can ensure that my rebellion lives to fight another day," she then looks back at Ulfric as a gust of wind blows around them, "will you do the same?" she questions him.

Ayla studies his face for the few seconds it takes for him to answer. She notes how he is standing tall, gaze hardened as he looks at her, blue eyes scrutinizing her; sizing her up, "gladly," is his response and Ayla turns to look back at the dragon.

"The bear is the symbol of leadership, strength, and courage," she starts, hearing him take a few steps towards her, stopping only when she looks over at him, "that is the banner of Windhelm and your rebellion," she pauses as she turns to her right and starts walking back the way she came, stopping only to make sure he is following, "you are the Jarl of Windhelm and right now, during this war, they need to feel safe and secure,"

"Are you saying they don't?" Ulfric asks as he walks beside her, glancing down at her as they turn the corner and walk past the gates to the city.

Ayla looks up at him before looking ahead again, "I'm saying that they don't know what is going on," she explains, returning a smile to Torsten Cruel-Sea, "they don't know how you are faring against the Empire and from simple rumor, they don't know about the alliance,"

"I don't want to drag them into this war,"

"A good excuse to keep the alliance a secret, but it doesn't assure them that they are safe," Ayla replies as they walk through the market. Ayla glances over at the group of people shopping and sees a few of them giving her and Ulfric confused glances, "if they knew that their Jarl agreed to an alliance with the Dragonborn and her dragons, I am sure they would be more...supportive of this war knowing that they are safe,"

"If I announce the alliance, the odds of both the Thalmor and the Empire finding out is pretty great," he reasons and looks over at the Dragonborn to see her shrug.

"They would have found out regardless when both our soldiers attack one or both of them," Ayla says as they return to the courtyard in front of the Palace of Kings. She turns to him, "now you asked me here to discuss something confidential,"

~

"The Jagged Crown," Galmar says, setting a heavy helmet, no crown, on the table in the war room of Windhelm, "retrieved by a group of Stormcloaks and ripped from the power-hungry hands of the Empire,"

Ayla studies the helmet, head tilted slightly as her index finger rubs her chin, brows furrowed in thought, "this is what you called me here for?" she questions, sparing Ulfric a glance then looking back at the crown, "a spiky helmet?"

Kharjo holds back a laugh while Ulfric sighs, arms crossed in front of his chest, "not just the crown, but the next step in the war," he explains and Ayla looks over at him, raising a single eyebrow and waiting for him to continue, "we plan to attack Windhelm,"

Ayla remains silent for a few moments, looking over at Kharjo, a million thoughts racing through her head. Whiterun. She remembers how Jarl Balgruuf aided her on her mission to stop Alduin. She would prefer not to attack his home, "and why are we attacking Whiterun?" she questions, meeting Ulfric's gaze head-on.

"A week ago I sent a soldier to take my ax to Balgruuf," he explains with a deep breath, "he sent the soldier back with the ax, meaning he has sided with the Empire," Ayla looks back at the crown, her thumbnail now running across her lower lip.

"From what I understand, Balgruuf has remained uninvolved with the war by not choosing a side," she starts, glancing at both Ulfric and Galmar, "why now? And why the Empire?"

Galmar chuckles, "that is a question you will have to ask him yourself,"

"Myself?"

"Whiterun will not be easy to take," Ulfric states, "with the whole Whiterun guard plus Imperial forces as well as Thalmor protecting the city, I doubt my army alone will make a big difference,"

"You need my army and dragons," Ayla says softly, mainly to herself.

"Precisely," Ulfric replies, his hard gaze on her, "without your help, we will not be able to take Whiterun,"

"It'll be the perfect time to reveal the alliance," Kharjo points out and Ayla can practically hear the smirk in his voice, "the Stormcloaks charging in to take Whiterun out of the Imperials grasp with the Dragonborn and her dragons fighting alongside them. Sounds like something out of a storybook,"

"So, Dragonborn, what is it?" Galmar asks and Ayla stares at the crown as she debates the risk level of this attack. No doubt there will be casualties, as there always is in war. But this will bring them one step closer to the fall of the Empire in Skyrim and closer to chasing the Thalmor out as well, tail between their legs.

Ayla smiles, looking up to meet Ulfric's gaze, "alright, I'm in. On one condition," she replies and waits a few seconds, "Jarl Bulgruuf isn't killed. He helped me on my quest to stop Alduin and I owe him big for that,"

"The Thalmor won't attack an Imperial controlled city, you know that,"

She turns to look at him, shaking her head slightly, "it won't be Imperial help much longer," she explains and sees his confused look, "Ayla plans to free Riften from the Empire and return it to Stormcloak control," she explains further, running a hand through her hair as she stands, "that's a good thing in and of itself, yes. But that opens up the door to a Thalmor attack,"

Brynjolf just stares at her, taking in the completely different demeanor she is in. She completely abandoned her confident, bubbly personality that the entire Guild loves and replaced it with an anxious and worried Xaliyah. He feels like he is watching her lose herself in this war, fighting to protect those who can't be saved, thinking more negative thoughts than positive ones.

He feels like he is losing her.

So he takes five steps towards her and wraps his arms around her, holding her tightly against his chest and resting his chin on her head. Brynjolf feels her arms move to rest on his chest, waiting a few seconds before each of her hands grabbing a fistful of his shirt as her head rests on his shoulder.

They remain standing there, in the embrace for only a few moments, but it feels like forever. Neither one wanting to it to end but it must. Later. After the attack on Dawnstar, both of them witnessed what the Thalmor are capable and have simultaneously agreed that a group like that has no place in Skyrim.

"I should go help Tal with the funeral preparations," Xaliyah says softly though not stepping out of the warmth of the redhead's embrace. It also didn't help when Brynjolf only tightened his hold around her.

"You need to rest, lass," he points out, moving to step out of the embrace, but her hands tighten their hold on his clothes and pull him back towards her. He lets out a chuckle as he slowly wraps his arms around her smaller body again.

"I know, Bryn," she mumbles into his shoulder, "just...this is helping," he didn't argue after that.

~

"We do not know what Stormcloak asked for her presence for," Athena points out from her spot leaning against the wall next to the doorway leading from the library and into the large war room. She glances over at the other people gathered.

Tal and Xaliyah stand next to each other, studying the large map on the table. Vilkas paces the room, chin in his fingers, while Asteria is reading a few books from the shelves. Brynjolf taps his foot in boredom while Cicero runs his finger up and down the blade of his dagger.

Tal looks up from the map, glancing over at Athena, "no we don't, but if Xaliyah is going to risk one of her thieve's lives, then we must plan a solid plan, void of any and all possible casualties,"

"On our side," Cicero pipes up, a maniacal laugh leaving his lips, "a dead Thalmor is a good Thalmor. Attacking the place where sweet, sweet Mother rests was foolish," Athena stares at the jester for a few seconds, honestly questioning Ayla's reason for recruiting this man.

Clearing her throat, she looks back at the gathered people, "why not set a dragon on the camp?"

"Because the only dragon physically here is Odahviing," Vilkas points out, looking over at his wife, "and he only listens to Ayla. No one else,"

"We could wait for Ayla's return," Athena adds and Taliyah stands up taller, shaking her head.

"Ayla's in Windhelm," she reminds them, tossing a bit of her hair over her shoulder before crossing her arms, "she won't be able to help in any way. Given that Ulfric summoned her there must mean something important must've come up involving the Empire,"

Xaliyah pushes herself off of the table and paces the room, her long, light brown hair in a braid, "I am to risk a member of my Guild for this mission," she snaps, glancing at every person in the room individually, "I had hoped not to involve the Guild in this, and I won't. I will be going to retrieve this information the Thalmor might have,"

"Lass, no," Brynjolf immediately protests, taking a step towards the woman, who turns to look at him, "you don't know what could happen. I will not allow another Guild Master to die,"

Xaliyah shakes her head, "who said anything about dying?" she points out with a smile before getting serious again when she sees Brynjolf's worried look, "I am the best thief in the Guild, Bryn," she points out, voice much softer and everyone in the room looks away, feeling it inappropriate to ruin the pair's conversation, "Delvin, Vex, even you, admitted that. I can get in and out of there with no problem,"

Brynjolf shakes his head stubbornly, "I am not going to allow you to do this, lass," he protests and Xaliyah sighs, "at least not without protection," he then turns his head to look at the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, who is studying the map.

Taliyah feels numerous gazes on her and slowly realizes what everyone is silently suggesting, "I can have assassins surround the camp at a safe distance, but close enough that they can prevent something bad from happening,"

"Alright then," Athena says loudly, pushing herself off the wall and walking over to the table, "we're all in agreement that Xaliyah will be the one sneaking into the camp and Taliyah will post several assassins around the perimeter?" she looks around to see everyone nodding, "great. We leave tonight then,"

~

"I still think you're foolish, lass," Brynjolf says as he accompanies Xaliyah to her room. It is later that evening and Xaliyah is returning to her room to pack before departing from the base. So far it is only Xaliyah, Tal, and Cicero leaving. Taliyah sent word ahead to Nazir, her second, to have him send around ten assassins to meet up with them halfway to the Thalmor camp near Morthal.

Xaliyah laughs as they round a corner, "well there is no way you can stop me," she tells him, her voice full of confidence and he looks down at her. This will be the last time he will see her for a few days, maybe a few weeks depending on how long it takes to actually steal the information, "Bryn! What are you doing?" she asks when he pulls her into a room he knows is used for storage.

It is dark, lit by only a few candles. But it is bright enough that he can still see her face, "We need to talk," he explains, stepping in between her and the door when she tries to walk out, "Xal, listen to me please,"

She looks up at him, confusion and annoyance on her features, "they might leave without me," she tries and he chuckles, shaking his head to let her know her lie had failed, "Bryn, I really need to finish packing. Can't this wait until after I return?"

"No, lass, it can't,"

A frustrated sound leaves her throat as she glances around the room, hands on her hips, "Bryn, I swear by all the Divines, if you do not-" she stops midsentence when he kisses her. It was one quick motion forward, and she was in his arms, lips pressed against his.

He suddenly realizes what he did and pulls away quickly, not meeting her gaze, "sorry, it was the only way I could think of shutting you up," he explains, a nervous chuckle leaving him, "I'll just leave-"

Xaliyah grabs the front of his armor and pulls him back in for a kiss, hand on the back of his neck as he quickly returns the kiss. For a few moments, their lips move in sync with one another, bodies pressing closer together as possible. Brynjolf was sure he would have taken her then and there if she hadn't pulled away at that second.

"Lass..." he breathes out, forehead resting on hers. Neither one of them could believe what just happened. Xaliyah definitely thought this is a dream and she would wake up in her bed and their kiss didn't happen. Oh if the others found out, she wouldn't hear the ending of it, all of them declaring that they called it long before the others.

"We will discuss this when I get back," she promises softly, leaning upwards to press a quick kiss to his lips before walking out the door. He had leaned forward to recapture her lips, but she was gone before he even noticed. Damned thief, he thinks as he smiles to himself.

~

It was almost midnight when the trio departed from the base, each on their respective horse and saddlebags full of their personal materials. They were giving a month's worth of supplies since it was estimated that this mission would take around that long to complete.

As Tal and Cicero chatted away, Xaliyah rode in silence, her mind wandering back to Brynjolf and smiling at the memory of his lips on hers. She never thought that Brynjolf, handsome and rugged ladies man would ever want her in any lifetime. She was his boss and he was her second. It seemed like one of those forbidden romances and that is what added to the excitement of it.

"Spill, now," Tal says when Shadowmere has slowed to match Caper's walking pace, "something is on your mind and I know it isn't the mission," Xaliyah remains silent, avoiding the brunette's gaze, feeling her cheeks redding, "it's Brynjolf, isn't it?"

"Did something happen?" she continues after receiving no response from the thief, "did you two have a fight? Did he start it? If he hurt you, by the nine Divines I will-"

"We kissed," Xaliyah interrupts the woman, looking up at the starry sky, "what started off as an argument ended with him kissing me," she looks over at the assassin when she starts laughing.

"That's what's been bothering you?" Tal asks while Cicero sings to himself ahead of them, "that you and Brynjolf finally kissed? You should be smiling, cheerful. The man you have been yearning-"

"I haven't been yearning,"

"-for kissed you, admitting that he feels the same way," Tal continues, ignoring Xaliyah's protest, "is that not what you want?"

Xaliyah immediately shakes her head, "no!" she says a bit too loudly before composing herself, "no. I-I want this with him. It's just...he's a ladies man, I don't know if..."

"If you can trust him," Tal says when Xaliyah stops talking, her head hung, as if ashamed for the thought.

"Yeah," she whispers and Tal reaches over and pats her friend's back.

"I don't think Brynjolf would want a relationship with his boss if he knew he wouldn't be faithful," she explains and Xaliyah smiles, "I am sure that he wants this just as bad as you,"