Victory or Sovngarde

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Vilkas?"

I sighed and pushed those thoughts deep down. "I don't know. Ylva is a strong woman, the strongest I've ever met, but... even steel can only take so much before it breaks."

"I'm not giving up on her, and neither should you." She rested a hand on my arm. "Go home. I'm sorry I've kept you from your family."

I gave a nod, then walked away, trying to tune out Marina and Ulfric's bickering.

Would they ever get along?

Probably not.

As I stepped outside, into the chilly night, I hurried my pace down the stairs leading down to the Wind District and made my way to Jorrvaskr. It was almost time, and I didn't want to be late.

I only stopped by the dinner table to grab half a loaf of bread and an apple before heading downstairs to tuck the children into bed. I hated to rush through their nightly routine, but it was just this once, and it would be worth it.

In between the door leading into the downstairs area of Jorrvaskr and the children's room, I had managed to scarf down my food, not really caring that I should have slowed down. When I reached the bedroom, I found that the children had already dressed for bed and were both patiently waiting for me on their beds. I gave them a weak smile before approaching Jergen's bed first.

"Will you tell us a story, Papa?" asked Jergen as I pulled the blankets up to his chin. "You tell great stories."

"Not tonight, little one. I'm sorry, but I have to go somewhere."

Embla jumped up and ran to cling to my cloak. "No! Don't go anywhere, Papa! Don't leave us like Mama did!"

It hurt not to tell the children what had happened to Ylva, but I knew their fragile minds could not handle the truth. If they knew what had truly happened... they may never recover. I knelt down and held her by her shoulders. "I'm not going far, and Mama didn't leave. She just had to take care of some business. She'll be back."

"When, Papa?" A tear ran down her cheek. "I miss her."

I swiped the tear away with my thumb, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "I do, too, little one. Keep your chin up. Mama will come home to us. She always does." Gently, I scooped her into my arms and carried her back to her bed to tuck her in properly. "I'm not even leaving the city, all right? I won't be gone longer than an hour, but I will still be gone past your bedtime, so that's why you have to go to sleep now."

"Why are you going out so late?"

"I've just got to meet some people who are coming in from out of town. They couldn't arrive until late at night, and I don't want to keep them waiting." I kissed her on the forehead again. "Go to sleep, all right? I love you both."

"We love you, too, Papa," they said in unison.

After shutting the door to their room, I pulled my hood up and headed back upstairs. If I did not hurry, I would be late, and I was not in the habit of being late for anything.

I certainly did not want to be late for this meeting.

Once I left Jorrvaskr, I headed into the Underforge, walking past the Totems of Hircine Aela had gathered many years ago. From there, I moved down the hallway towards the exit hidden under Whiterun's walls. When I was a werewolf, this exit had been key to helping me escape the Hold without being seen by any of the guards or citizens. Ylva had used it to smuggle Ulfric into Whiterun. I myself had not had any need for it in a long time.

Tonight would change that.

After stepping out of the tunnels, I came outside the city, approaching Eirik. I had asked him to wait here in case I was running behind schedule, so the people I was meeting with would not think I was setting up a trap or I had decided not to hire their help.