Victory or Sovngarde

Chapter Thirty-Three

"Who was this person who helped you?" asked Ulfric as the four of us moved to the table. I needed to see how the war effort was going, since I had been gone so long and hadn't even considered what had happened since I had been back.

"Does it truly matter, Ulfric?" asked Vilkas, laying a hand on my shoulder. "Ylva, my wife, is back, and she's on the mend. That's all that should matter to you."

"If this person can break into the Thalmor Embassy's prison and steal away their most important prisoner, don't you think he would be an asset to us?"

"I can assure you, he and his accomplices have no desire in joining this fight. They left as soon as they brought Ylva to me."

I cleared my throat, hoping to get their attention before they started arguing. "How's the war going?"

Marina leaned over the maps and shook her head. "It's not great. Everything east of Whiterun is ours still. However, since your disappearance, our troops have lost morale. The Thalmor soldiers they fought in Morthal used this to get under their skin."

"What happened in Morthal?"

"Morthal is gone. The Thalmor didn't just reclaim the territory; they annihilated everything. The few civilians who survived the onslaught have been forced to work for the Dominion. We're barely holding our own with their forces at our backdoor."

"Have they attacked yet?"

Ulfric shook his head. "No, but that is only because they don't have a stronghold to retreat to. The soldiers in Dawnstar are keeping them at bay on that front, but we fear it won't be long before the enemy makes an attack. They know we're weak. Without our leader...." He let out a sigh. "Our men cannot go on much longer without any hope."

"We had no choice but to tell them we failed to rescue you," said Marina. "Faerie... what happened to her?"

I lowered my head and swallowed heavily. Faerie was a soldier, a hero. She would've done what she did a thousand times over. She knew the price, and she was willing to pay it. That didn't make her loss any easier to bear. "She gave her life trying to save me."

Marina nodded, biting her trembling lip. She took a moment, then cleared her throat. "She was a good soldier. She knew the cost, but that doesn't mean we do not mourn her."

"Now that Ylva is back, we can spread the good news of her return," said Ulfric, no evidence of grief on his face. How he could bounce back so easily, I would never know. "Gather everyone in Whiterun to see her, to listen to her."

Vilkas gave Ulfric a harsh look before turning to me. He put his arm over my shoulders. "Can you handle that, love?"

"What choice do I have? Our troops need the morale boost. They need it, Vilkas."

"Ylva, if you're not ready to face the masses, you don't have to!"

"What if she does, son?" asked Ulfric.

Vilkas gave him the deepest of glares and stood up straight beside me. "Do not begin to think you know Ylva better than I do."

I sighed. Not this again. "Vilkas—"

"No, Ylva, let me speak." He then said to Ulfric, "My wife is, by far, the strongest woman—no, the strongest person—in all of Skyrim. She's saved the world twice, and yes, she had done so without much trauma to show for it. But at the end of the day, who will be the one to comfort her? Who will be there for her when the nightmares won't let her go? Not you."