We run into a circular room with a door both to our left and right. Ralof quickens his pace to a dead man lying on the floor by a table, wearing Stormcloak gear.

"We'll meet again in Sovngarde, brother…" Ralof murmurs, closing the dead man's eyes. He stands up.

"Looks like we're the only ones who made it." Ralof says. "That thing was a dragon. No doubt. Just like the children's stories and the legends. The harbingers of the End Times."

He sobers up, wiping the terrified expression off of his face. "We'd better get moving. Come here. Let me see if I can get those bindings off."

He cuts through the ropes that are holding my hands together, letting the blood back in, and freeing my arms for use.

"There you go." He looks down at the corpse. "You may as well take Gunjar's gear. He won't be needing it anymore."

I step over to Gunjar's body. It repulses me, the thought of using a dead man's possessions, but needs must. I strip his gear off of him, pulling on his boots, trousers, belt, tunic, and cuirass. I pick up his axe off the ground and put it in my belt. Ralof speaks up.

"Where are the other two? The girl and the Elf?" he queries.

I look up and towards the door. Gita and Lloth haven't come in.

"Maybe they went with Hadvar?" I say, hopefully.

Ralof's mouth sets grimly. "In that case, we have to be extra careful… I don't want to kill any of them, but I will do what I have to, to protect my own life, and yours."

"Gita wouldn't attack you!" I retort angrily.

"No, I don't think she would either, but I can't say the same for Hadvar, or the Dark Elf, what was her name… Lloth." he answers. "Let's keep moving. Give that axe a few swings, and I'll see if I can find a way out of here."

I nod, pulling the axe from my belt. I swing it around a bit, getting a feel for the weight and balance.

He goes over to the portcullis, and checks it. "Damn! No way to open this from our side…"

Five figures burst out of the gloom beyond, sprinting towards us. Two males, three females.

"Come on, keep moving!" yells Captain Bright, the overseer of the executions. I hear Hadvar talking to two of the other females. I'm hoping they're Gita and Lloth.

"It's the Imperials! Take cover!" Ralof hisses, getting behind the wall.

"But… it's Gita and Hadvar and Lloth as well!" I say, hiding behind a pillar.

"I know! I'll try to take them alive, with Gita as a priority, but I can't make any promises..." he says sadly.

The captain and the other man arrive at the gate, with Hadvar and the girls trailing.

"Get this gate open!" snaps the captain.

"Yes, captain…" says the soldier.

He pulls on the lever that raises the portcullis. As they come through the archway the portcullis leaves, Ralof yells out.

"For Ulfric!"

The Imperial captain barely gets her sword out in time to parry his axe. As I watch, the other Imperial comes at me.

I swing my axe up and knock his sword out of the way. It was the last thing he was expecting me to do. I kick him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and pushing him back. As he steps towards me, I run towards him, dashing aside his blade, punching him in the face, and then swinging my axe up and into his chest.

A large spurt of blood erupts from the wound, and he screams. I end his misery, not able to take any more, with a swipe across his throat.

I turn to see Ralof knocked to the ground by the heavier-armoured captain. As she steps in to give the death blow, Hadvar steps up behind her and puts his blade between her shoulders.

Her face goes dead white and she whispers, "Traitor…"

She hits the ground next to Ralof, with blood spreading from the holes in her chest and back.

I look to Lloth and Gita. Gita is looking at me with tears of happiness and fear in her eyes, and Lloth is busy stripping the dead Imperial soldier of his gear.

I look back, expecting Hadvar to have slashed Ralof's throat on the spot, but I turn to see Hadvar with his hand extended, clasping Ralof's.

He pulls him up and Ralof uses the momentum to step forward and hug him.

"Thank you…" he puffs.

"Don't mention it…" says Hadvar modestly, pushing Ralof away. "I never liked her. She was always too harsh."

"Well, you don't have to worry about her anymore, brother."

Lloth speaks up. "This little reunion is very moving, boys, but there's still a dragon outside. Let's keep moving."

Ralof nods. "I agree, lets keep going. Alek, maybe one of these Imperials has the key? Also, you look rather strong; try on the captain's armour."

Hadvar nods. "She should have the key somewhere. We we're going to use it to get through the next gate."

I start stripping off the captain's gear, discarding the blood-soaked underclothes and just taking the metal. I shed the cuirass, boots, and gloves the Stormcloaks favour, and don the heavier Imperial armour, this time with a helmet. Gita already seems to have some leather Imperial gear. Lloth is busy donning her Imperial gear from the dead man. She has also found a pair of long-swords, while Gita has one more akin to Hadvar's. I pull the key out of a leather pouch that the captain had. I walk over to the door. The key goes in, and with a little bit of pressure the lock clicks around.

Ralof perks up. "That's it! Come on; let's get out of here before the dragon brings the whole tower down upon our heads."

The five of us, with me in the lead, Hadvar and Ralof behind, and Gita and Lloth bringing up the rear, we proceed deeper into the keep.