Victory or Sovngarde

Chapter Twenty-Three

I stopped what I was doing and scoffed. "They didn't deserve it, Vilkas. They should've lived long lives. Why should their murderers get to have what they can't?"

He turned in the chair, wrapping his hands around my wrists. "You're not answering my question. Would they want this?"

I dropped my head, much like a child would after being caught doing something wrong. "No, they wouldn't."

"Ylva, I am in no way asking you to give up this fight. I'm just asking you to be careful. I don't want you to be hurt."

I kissed his forehead, closing my eyes for just a moment. "I'll be careful, dear. Don't worry about me." Then, I pulled my wrists from his grip and looked him over. "I think I'm done."

He stood up, wasting no time in ripping his shirt off and shaking it out. "Gods, I hate that feeling."

I swept the discarded hair into a pile and dumped it in a waste bucket. "What feeling?"

"The scratchy feeling you get when hair falls down your back."

I laughed at him. He could be so dramatic when he wanted to be. "Oh, Vilkas."

He quirked an eyebrow at me. "What?"

Still chuckling, I walked around to his back and helped him by scraping away any remaining hair stuck to his back. When I was done, I kissed his shoulder blade. "I love you."

He turned around, grabbing my biceps and bringing me into a kiss. "And I love you, Ylva."

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The letter came the next morning.

Marina and I stood around the map-strewn table in Dragonsreach's upper level, positioning and repositioning the wooden models of our troops as we discussed our next move. No matter what we did, though, required us to somehow get Falkreath's Jarl's aid in the war effort. That was seeming more and more unlikely as the days went on.

But then, one of our couriers came dashing up the stairs, a piece of white parchment in his hands. He slapped it on the table in front of Marina, then doubled over and gasped for breath.

"Soldier, what is this?" asked Marina.

"Letter... from... Falkreath's Jarl, Legate," he said, standing upright once he caught his breath. "One of his personal message boys handed this to me. He said it was important."

"Did he say anything else?"

"No, ma'am. He seemed pretty scared."

Marina handed the letter to me. "If it's important, you should read it."

I broke the seal and unfolded the paper. The letter read:

Dragonborn,
For too long I have held off my aid to your war effort. It has come to my attention that it would be most beneficial to be on the winning side of this war. I ask of you to come speak with me personally about our options. I have heard of your legendary negotiation skills, and hope that you and I can reach a swift agreement. Please come as soon as you can. The Thalmor know nothing of this letter, and if they found out, it would mean my head.
Jarl Siddgeir of Falkreath

I handed the letter to Marina after reading it. "What do you think?"

After skimming over the letter, she set it down and fixed me with a hard look. "It seems to me that we might just win this war."

For the first time in a very long time, my face broke into a real smile. "Then I have to leave immediately. We can't afford to wait around for another chance."