"Aren't you frustrated?" the woman asked with a playful tone.

Aurora looked at the Nord with a bored expression and raised her eyebrows. She was utterly exhausted and not exactly in the mood for Olfina's taunts or jokes. Her sleep schedule had been interrupted since the events on the Hammerfell-Cyrodiil border, and it had its toll on her mood. The woman could not forgive herself for jeopardising the entire operation with her inadequate time planning, and losing the respect of her Redguard and Nord colleagues felt awful. Her image as the almighty saviour of Skyrim had been bruised, but worst of all – Ulfric was disappointed with her, even though he did his best to hide it.

"What do you mean?" Aurora asked, moaning.

"To go without..."

Her friend's face grew increasingly mischievous, and to avoid being kicked off the horse again, Olfina turned slightly to her right, anticipating being hit. Aurora rolled her eyes and sighed loudly before pinning her gaze to the riders in front of them.

"You are so perverted, Olfina."

"There are a lot of pretty men here..."

Once again, Aurora quickly looked at Olfina, but only to show her tongue. They had taken to regularly tease one another, and in a way, the Imperial appreciated to have someone resembling a friend, but the memories from the failed operation were too fresh. It would take time to heal the wounds of her pride, and it would only be possible if they won the war. If the Northern Alliance were to capitulate, regardless of how it went in battle, Aurora knew that she would feel responsible for the rest of her potentially short life.

The caravan had crossed the fields somewhat far north of Kvatch and turned towards Hackdirt, in a marching path reminding of a bow. They had avoided the road for as long as possible, but as they were now approaching Chorrol, Ulfric had ordered them to move straight in an eastward direction. The army travelled slower over the fields and meadows than on the Imperial roads, but they had managed to keep a good pace regardless of the circumstances.

Ulfric had sent a division along the road from Rihad towards Skingrad to make it appear as the main army would follow, but trusted Gonnar Oath-Giver with this mission. Aurora did not know whether if it was due to her failure or if he wanted to have her closer by, and it troubled the Imperial. When the kings gathered their officers at night, Aurora remained quiet and positioned herself in a corner.

During their silence, Harrald had ridden up to them and was now engaged in a conversation with Olfina. The man seemed to be in a splendid mood, something that contrasted against the Imperial's headache. She had not been able to sleep the previous night, even though she intentionally kept herself awake the night before. Her constantly reoccurring nightmares took their toll, but in combination with her worries about her relationship with Vilkas and the failed operation, it became even more difficult. The war did not leave her unaffected either, and she worried for the future of the allied regions. There were moments when she wished to give up and curl up in her sack, never to return into the outside world. It felt as if she had so many burdens on her shoulders that it was impossible to handle them all.

"Ulfric is a genius," Harrald smiled at Aurora, who responded with an annoyed sigh. "Drop the guilt. Ulfric fixed everything, so no damage caused."

Aurora buried her head in her hands and moaned loudly. She intended it to be humorous, but did not know how well she managed to express that. Harrald laughed in a supporting manner and put one arm around her shoulder for a few seconds.

Meanwhile, Olfina looked at the young man with a sceptic gaze. It was as if she had noticed some dirt on his cheek and felt annoyed by it. It took Harrald a few seconds to realise that the Nord woman inspected him closely, and as he did, Harrald raised his eyebrows.

"When we get to town, please buy a new book," Olfina complained. "How many times have you read that one already?"

She lowered her gaze and pinned it to the novel sticking out of the man's bag, which was attached to the back of the saddle. Aurora immediately recognised it as the dark-green book with a golden pattern Harrald had brought with him from Skyrim. She found it rather amusing that it bothered Olfina to the extent it did.

"Quite a few," Harrald smiled.

"I'm sick and tired of seeing that," Olfina said.

"Oh, but it's an excellent novel," Harrald began. "With a werewolf theme."

"Oh, we have a few of them roaming the outskirts of Whiterun," Olfina said.

The Nord's tone was nonchalant, and she made a facial expression to match her voice. Aurora, on the other hand, smiled from ear to ear. The werewolf in Whiterun Olfina was talking about was probably Aela, who unlike the rest of the leaders of the Companions had not agreed on curing her lycanthropy.

"Oh? Really?" Harrald asked enthusiastically.

"Yeah... but they haven't attacked people so we're alright," Olfina continued in the same nonchalant manner.

"Are you sure they are werewolves then?" Harrald asked diplomatically.

"Thorald, my lovely brother," Olfina smiled and looked at Aurora, who hit the woman on her shoulder. "... He claims to have seen one of them. I can tell you, there's a difference between the howl of a werewolf and an ordinary one."

"Oh, I know, the werewolf..." Harrald began.

"Thorald and Avulstein are both in the reserve," Olfina said and looked at Aurora again. "Thorald was held prisoner by the Thalmor, but set free just before we marched towards Skaven. He's a brave man," she grinned. "Vignar didn't want to have all his heirs fighting the war, but as you see, we are involved."

Aurora was rather shocked by the Nord's impolite way of changing the subject. Neither was she especially amused about the fact that she tried to pair Aurora up with one of the Gray-Mane brothers. Just because a fortune teller claimed that they would be like sisters, it did not mean that it would actually be true. For once, it could mean that they would be close friends, what was far more likely than Aurora marrying Thorald or Avulstein, and secondly, the oracle could be wrong. The Imperial felt that she had learned to know Olfina a lot better and even began to appreciate some of her peculiarities, but they were far from being close friends. They still had a long way to go for that to occur.

"Vignar, is he your father?" Harrald asked.

"No, he's my uncle. He made me his housecarl after the battle for Whiterun," Olfina boasted. "But I think Thorald is his favourite..."

"I know Avulstein, Olfina," Aurora interrupted. "He is a good man, but I'm not marrying him," she hissed.

"Oh you will, one day," Olfina giggled.

"And whom will you marry?" Harrald flirted, taking advantage of the subject.

Olfina went quiet, and Aurora felt that it served her well. The Nord did obviously not want others to find out about her and Jon due to the difficult position she was in because of their families' feud. On the other hand, Aurora felt sympathy for the woman. Olfina put on a brave and strong face at all times, which made it difficult to learn to know her, but at heart, she was probably rather upset about the fact that she and Jon could not be open about their love.

"We'll see," Olfina answered blatantly, as Aurora had expected.

Harrald expected Olfina to ask him, but she did not. Aurora realised that perhaps it was for the best and let the conversation drop. She looked at the Nord woman who now gazed straight ahead to avoid Harrald's examining eyes.

"That book you were reading, Harrald," Aurora began and caught his gaze. "Perhaps Olfina could be entertained by it for a while, so that she can shut up."

"I prefer old classics," Olfina replied and turned her head the second she heard Aurora speak.

Aurora smirked and victoriously left the Nords. She made her horse gallop towards the front of the caravan of soldiers. Ulfric had somehow managed to convince Canpolat and Iskander to take the lead in front of Iskander's cavalry, and Aurora had realised that it was the position she preferred. It was rather burdensome to lift one's gaze and only see hundreds of hundreds of soldiers in front instead of the beautiful, empty hills. The stank of the excrement that the cavalry left behind was not pleasant either, but together with Olfina's cheeky matchmaking, it became unbearable.

The landscape had shifted a lot from the golden plains west of Kvatch to the highlands outside of Chorrol. The Northern Alliance had soldiers who knew the surroundings, something that turned out to be incredibly helpful since it was not easy to navigate between the elevations. They had avoided the dale stretching from northwest to northeast of Kvatch as the city was strategically situated on the top of a small mountain, with a view of the surroundings. As they did not know who controlled it and had access to the towers, Ulfric had ordered to take a route further north to avoid potential Thalmor scouts.

The Colovian Highlands offered a terrific landscape, but Aurora would have appreciated it more if she had not felt the weight of Nirn on her shoulders. It was not her job to worry for the carriages further back in the line, but she still felt responsibility for the operation. It would be much easier for the entire army, and especially for the ones transporting water and food if they would reach the road.

Aurora steered her horse to the right and galloped along the caravan. Harrald and Olfina, who were in the middle of the group, were still in the valley, but Ulfric was climbing the hill about two miles further ahead. On her way to the front, she passed a large group of Bretons, but the majority were Nord foot soldiers. She remembered a few of their faces from her travels across Skyrim. Some were town guards, others adventurers she had seen at different inns, but then there were ordinary civilians – blacksmiths and merchants. She swallowed hard – these people's lives and those of their families were largely dependant on Ulfric and her, and she had messed up badly once already. Aurora was not a natural leader, and she had found the responsibility that came with such a role difficult to bear. The woman still preferred to operate on her own, where she did not have to take the ability of others into account. If she risked something, she knew the chances she had to succeed, but when she made other people risk their lives... It was difficult.

Aurora had gotten a long way, though. Three years ago, she had never been forced to hold accountability for others. She was scared beyond belief when Ulfric ordered her to lead the Stormcloaks into battle. The woman was Dragonborn, but forcing herself into the tombs to search for Shouts was the most harrowing thing she had been through. That was until she realised that she had to fight Alduin – twice. Her whole life so far had been a constant battle for survival, and she wished for nothing more than peace. At the same time, it scared her. All she knew was fighting, and if she would survive – she would probably be hit by a void. Aurora could not think of a profession she could take up if they would win the war. She would simply have no purpose in life, and it petrified her.

As the woman approached the three kings, she noticed that they had raised their swords. She looked at Ulfric, who had his gaze pinned to the valley in front of him. He had not ordered the caravan to stop, but Aurora realised that something was wrong. As she came up to him, she noticed a group of soldiers on horses galloping north from the south.

"Who are they?" Aurora asked Ulfric.

Iskander and Canpolat exchanged gazes and rode further back in the lines. Aurora looked back and noticed the cavalry preparing their weapons as the Redguard kings warned them of danger ahead. Once more, the woman looked at the valley in front of them. The weather was cloudy, and trees covered a considerable part of the visible area. As she turned her head to the left, she saw what appeared to be a town on a hill about half a day's ride from where they were. The road from Hackdirt to Chorrol lay only a few miles further east.

Ulfric squinted his eyes as he began to descend from the hill with his sword raised. The wind blew his hair away from the face, making him look like the King he was. If they would not have a potential enemy coming at them, Aurora would have made a sneering comment to tease Ulfric. Instead, she turned her gaze towards the riders again. They were a few hundred yards in front of them and coming from the south. They either had not seen the caravan of soldiers or chose to ignore it, for it did not seem as they would turn west and ride towards them. It was difficult to establish how many the others were, but Aurora guessed at about a hundred.

Ulfric rode straight towards the place where the armies would intersect, and was followed by Aurora and the Redguard cavalry. From their place at the top of the hill, they had a relatively good view of the surroundings, but as they went into the scarce forest, they lost this advantage. There was never a question of losing a potential battle against a hundred or so Thalmors, but Aurora figured that it would be a bad sign if they were so far north.

The King rode slowly and kept looking to the right with his sword raised. Soon, Aurora could hear the hooves of the galloping horses and stopped. Ulfric put his sword out to stop the rest of the army and waited, looking towards where the sound came from. A few seconds later, Aurora got her first glimpse of the men coming towards them.

"They wear red," Ulfric said, breathing out.

Apparently, it came as a shock to the riders to see Ulfric's army. They stopped about fifty yards from Aurora and gathered like a group of nervous sheep. The leaders turned their sides towards Aurora and spoke to the ones further back. At this distance, it was difficult to identify the group, but they wore the colours of the Imperial Legion, although the details were not the same. This seemed to trouble Ulfric, who wrinkled his forehead and inspected the new group closely.

"Who are you?" one man yelled with a nervous tone.

"The Northern Alliance!" Ulfric roared. "Who are you?"

The man who asked turned his head towards his friends and said something to them. A few moments later, he turned his horse towards Ulfric and Aurora and slowly rode towards them. As he came closer, Aurora saw that the red colour he wore indeed was different from that of the Imperial Legion. This was darker and more to the purple side, with what looked like a black head of a wolf on a white circle as an emblem. He was not a Thalmor, but an Imperial, and a rather young one for that matter.

"Thank Gods!" the young man cried. "Thank you, Akatosh! Thank you, Stendarr! Thank you, Tal... no..." he continued as he looked at Ulfric. "Yes, thank you, Talos!"

"Who are you?" Ulfric repeated but put his sword down.

"We're from Kvatch," another man said. "Good grief, we thought we were doomed. You've come to save us, haven't you? Oh, thank Gods!"

One after another, the men rode up to their comrade who was speaking to Ulfric. Aurora recognised the emblem they wore – it belonged to the ruling family of Kvatch, implying that the soldiers told the truth. That was rather evident based on the expression of the men in front of them too.

"Why are you not in Kvatch?" Ulfric asked.

"Because it's surrounded. Even the Count fled to Chorrol a while ago," the first, nervous man replied.

"He's a good man," the other man said. "But he is a coward."

"Yeah, we were heading to seek shelter in Chorrol together with our master."

"What is going on in Kvatch?" Ulfric asked.

"Well, there's a siege on it right now, but thankfully, they haven't touched the farmlands," the nervous man replied.

"And where is the main army?"

"The Imperial Legion?" the youngster asked. "We don't know, we're just going to Chorrol."

"Get in line then," Ulfric ordered.

They looked at one another for a few seconds and then did as they were told. The entire group of almost a hundred men and women turned to their left and began trotting towards the Redguard cavalry.

"Morons," Ulfric sighed. "Not you! You come over here."

He pointed at the young man who was the first to talk to him. The Imperial from Kvatch obeyed and Ulfric set off again, commanding the army to do the same. They were not far from the road, and the Nord King was eager to reach it as soon as possible. If they were lucky, they could reach Chorrol just after nightfall, and Ulfric did not wish to lose time.

Iskander and Canpolat rode up to him as it became evident that the group they encountered was not hostile, something that Ulfric thought to be rather amusing. He was the only one of them who believed that the King should be in the front line rather than protected amongst his soldiers. Aurora understood his position, but at the same time, she agreed with Iskander's dismay. After all – if Ulfric or the other Kings were to die, there was a considerable risk of their armies turning home.

"What do you know of the Thalmor positions?" Ulfric asked the young Imperial.

"Well, they took Anvil a while ago. We haven't heard anything from there for over three fortnights. They came to Kvatch a month ago but the siege only began recently. Our Lord went to Chorrol, but his brother and family stayed. We thought it to be madness, so we followed Count Goldwine."

"Where is their army?" Ulfric asked anxiously.

"Oh, it went towards Skingrad," the Imperial replied as if it did not matter.

"What do you know of the Dunmer?" Ulfric asked. "Are they allied?"

"How should we know? You'd have to ask someone further east."

Ulfric nodded and sent the youngster back in line just as they reached the road. Aurora felt relief as the hooves of her horse touched the hard stone and made a clocking sound. As the rest of the cavalry caught up, it became difficult to hear Ulfric speak to his Redguard equivalents.

They had ridden through the evening, and thankfully, Aurora had managed to fall asleep on her horse. As Ulfric woke her up by rubbing her arm, she noticed that it was night already. At first, she looked up in the sky and realised that is was cloudy – no stars or moons were to be seen anywhere, then the woman noticed a few lights further up the road. They were climbing the hill leading to Chorrol and only had a short distance left, for another group of lights were seen between the leaves of the treetops.

Aurora turned her attention to the fires about two fifty yards away from her. The road was all but straight, and she realised it would take a while for them to reach the position where the lights came from. She wondered why Ulfric had awoken her, as he did not turn or speak to her, but decided that it might be due to the fact that they were approaching their destination. The torch fires probably came from town guards who patrolled the area.

As they climbed the hill, Aurora understood that there were four of them. The guards were all Imperial men, but the surroundings were too dark for her to make apart distinctive features. The group stopped as they first noticed the Redguard cavalry, but the leader continued to trot a short additional distance.

"Who are you?" he exclaimed with a confident and dark voice.

"We're the Northern Alliance," Ulfric sighed. "And we've come to help you."

For a second, the Imperial stood in silence, probably thinking. Ulfric was tired and did not care for politeness, Aurora thought, for the man completely ignored the group of guards and continued to trot onwards. As they passed the guards, the leader joined Ulfric and Aurora on the King's right side.

"King Ulfric Stormcloak?" he asked.

"Yes," the Nord answered without turning his gaze from the road in front of them.

"By the Nine," the Imperial said. "We heard you were moving south."

"The plans changed."

"We received information just three days ago that you were around Strid river..."

"Excellent. That is what we want the Thalmor to believe," Ulfric continued in his nonchalant manner.

As the Imperial man held up his torch, Aurora caught a glimpse of his face. It was of a rectangular shape with a crooked nose and heavy eyebrows. The man looked to be about thirty-five, and his perplexed expression did not suit him particularly well.

"We sent a smaller group to make it look like we are heading south," Ulfric explained. "What is going on here?"

"Chorrol is almost empty of soldiers," the Imperial man said. "Only those who managed to escape Anvil or Kvatch have gathered here, but there are only a few dozen of them. We've sent everyone to the Imperial City."

"Where is the Thalmor army?"

Aurora did not take her eyes off the guard and she noticed how his facial expression changed as he told Ulfric about the southern towns. Something had happened, and it was not good, Aurora figured. He bore the face of a man who had no hope that the war would be won.

"Parts of it are in the Imperial City," he answered with a tone to match his concerned expression.

"So there has been a battle?" Ulfric asked, this time more eagerly.

"Yes..." the man said. "Well, it was not as much a battle as a blood bath. The Imperial soldiers that escaped have locked themselves in inside of the city walls. It is being sieged. But the larger part has been moving south recently, to meet you around Skingrad.

"How large is the part that is sieging the Imperial City?" Ulfric asked and turned his head towards the guard.

"It's a third of the army."

Once again, Ulfric pinned his gaze to the road in front of him as he tried to hide a smile. There was not much left until they would reach Chorrol, for the main gates were already visible. A few men guarded the southern entrance to the town, but it was too dark for Aurora to see them properly.

"And what of the Dunmer?" Ulfric, now in a good mood, asked.

"You mean the Barahid camp?" the man asked. "Yes, well... We have confirmed that there is a horrid cleansing happening there, but there's nothing we can do. All of our soldiers were needed here. We've suffered a horrid defeat."

"Are they allied?" Ulfric calmly asked.

"No, they have stayed within Morrowind. The country is rather divided; many oppose the harsh treatment of foreigners. This is the initiative of individual towns, not the government as a whole."

Ulfric seldomly showed his emotions to others, but Aurora knew him well enough to realise that he breathed out of relief. The unpredictable behaviour of the Dunmer had been a finger in his eye ever since the scouts from Morrowind informed him of what was occurring there. It was obviously not a part of his plan to send troops to the eastern lands, or fighting a war at two fronts at once.

"My greatest respect," Jair, who was riding behind them, said to Ulfric. "We will crush a third of the Thalmor army, especially since they aren't expecting us to attack them in the back."

"We still have a battle to win," Ulfric said, turning his gaze to the Redguard advisor. "But yes, this certainly makes matters easier."

Aurora sighed in relief. She had not ruined everything after all. The Thalmor appeared to be at the wrong place, and they would not have time to reach the Imperial City, where the Northern Alliance was headed in time for the battle destined to occur at Lake Rumare. The Redguards, Nords and Bretons would defeat the Thalmor army if only a third of it was at the right place in time.

The soldiers had now reached the enormous southern gate into Chorrol. The guards opened the wooden doors, and Aurora looked up, trying to understand how high it was. She was fascinated by it, but continued onwards together with Ulfric. As they came into the town, she saw a round, stone statue of two or so people. To the right, Aurora saw what looked like a castle, and that was the way Ulfric turned. As they rode onwards, she saw a short man in a black cape walk towards them with his hands in the air, as if he tried to push the Alliance back.

"My son! My son is trapped in the Imperial City! You must help him!"

"Go away, you crazy old fool!" Ulfric exclaimed and trotted past him.

"You don't understand, they are both there!" the man exclaimed, following Ulfric on Aurora's side.

"Who are?" Aurora asked.

"My heirs!"

"They will be fine," Aurora sighed.

"You must go now!"

"These men haven't rested for nearly two months," Aurora heard a Redguard say.

"Leave it to me," Aurora ordered and stopped.

As she did so, the man in the black robe followed suit. For a few moments, the woman inspected him from head to toe without uttering a word, for there was much that caught her attention when the lights of the passing torches lit up their surrounding. He had a rather peculiar appearance. At first, Aurora could not grasp what position he held in society. He wore a black, pleated vest with black buttons and an equally dark shirt underneath. His trousers, that were the same colour as everything else on him, were of knee length, under which he wore thin socks that made it difficult to make apart where his shoes began. On top, he wore an ankle-length mantle that was the only thing that gave away whom he was. A capital G was woven in golden thread on his left chest.

She raised her gaze to his face. The man had rather beautiful features: a rectangular forehead that was somewhat curved, his nose was narrow but slightly bent downwards at the tip. He had dark eyes, almost as dark as Vecheslav's, white hair that was cut in a short style, but dark eyebrows, a square chin and somewhat full lips. Based on the lines on his face, Aurora assumed his age to be between fifty-five and sixty-five, but he looked well.

"We will rest for a day or two and await supplies, then we'll march for the Imperial City," she stated, her voice colder than intended.

"You don't understand, the Empire doesn't have an army anymore! They won't stand a chance... And my son, my poor son..." he flustered.

"Your son, my lord..."

"Goldwine."

"... Goldwine, is not the only one in danger, and my men need to rest. Do you expect me to send them into battle after almost two months of continuous marching?"

"No, but..."

"So there you go. Discussion's over," she said and set off.

She caught up with Ulfric just before reaching the castle gates. He had been joined by Canpolat and Iskander, who were both riding on his right side. The woman did not know what they had been speaking of prior to her arrival, and the men seemed to change the subject as she came up to them.

"This is Chorrol – the seat of the Caro family," Ulfric said to Iskander. "And apparently, the Goldwines are here too."

"The Goldwines?" Iskander asked.

"Of Kvatch. It's a town about a week's ride from here."

"I know that," Iskander said. "But I am not familiar with the family."

"Oh, I am not surprised. They bear an old name, but little importance in today's politics," Ulfric grinned. "It saddens me, though, to see the Count here and not defending his town."

"Kvatch is surrounded," Canpolat said. "The Thalmor plan to starve them out."

"Nevertheless," Ulfric said. "A leader should die with his people, not seek refuge with his cousins in another region," he spitted before turning his gaze to a guard standing by a set of stairs. "Either way, make room for our men," he ordered a soldier.

"I'll sleep in the stables, with the rest of my troops," Aurora proclaimed as the Nord king looked at her.

"You don't have to be such an idealist," he smiled before getting off his horse.

They had stopped on what appeared to be a small courtyard. Aurora had realised that there was no chance in Oblivion that even the cavalry would fit in there as the area was rather tiny. The main reason to why the woman wished to stay in the stables was that she did not wish to isolate herself in a large chamber. It was difficult to be without Vilkas, but at least Olfina's presence eased her loneliness to a certain extent. Aurora was growing numb. The military operation took its toll, and the wait for the battle that would determine the rest of her potentially very short life was growing easier to handle. She rarely thought of anything personal – Vilkas was the only exception.

She has still not heard a word of him or received a reply to her letters. Olfina, on the other hand, had gotten her second the previous day. Aurora did not wish to think of it, but she knew that things were not good between her and her lover. Acknowledging it was something completely different, though.

The kings had disappeared into the main hall of the castle, and Aurora decided to follow suit, but the hall was empty. No torches were lit on the first floor, and only a thin beam of light slipped through the eastern corner. The woman followed the light and reached the dining area, in which a man who appeared to be the steward sat, writing something.

"Aurora Stormblade, officer," she presented herself before walking into the room.

The steward was an Imperial man of about fifty years of age. He wore a blue, knee-length robe made of a silky material that caught the soft light of the torches. He did not look at her, but nodded to acknowledge her presence. The woman decided to walk up to him and sit down on a chair.

"There are many people in this town," she stated, once again trying to catch his attention.

"Yes, almost everyone from the outskirts and farms fear the Thalmor, so they have gathered here where walls protect the town."

"I see," Aurora said as she tried to catch his gaze. "I am sorry for the trouble," she continued.

"It is fine. The Countess is very pleased with housing you – the Kings in particular. She even drove out the Count of Kvatch of his chamber to accommodate King Canpolat," the man said as he looked up at her very suddenly and inspected her face with his round, hazel eyes.

"Oh," Aurora said. "She shouldn't..."

"She is very grateful. Her future daughter-in-law lives in the Imperial City, so she is more than happy to help you in every way she can for you to break the siege."

"I didn't know the Earl was marrying. Congratulations," she said. "Who is the future bride?"

"The daughter of a wealthy patron of arts," the steward answered. "My mistress' third cousin's two sons are there too, but she cares less for them," he smiled. "She doesn't approve of them... poets!" he exclaimed, complaining.

It was after midnight when Aurora decided to find Olfina. After walking around the town and asking passing Bretons and Nords where Iskander's cavalry had set up camp, she finally found them in the western district of the town. Chorrol was nowhere large enough to comfortably accommodate all its guests, so the situation would be rather awkward for the following days, the woman figured. There were tents almost everywhere, including the streets and pathways, and campfires were lit at places they normally should not be.

Aurora was half asleep when she finally found Olfina's tent by the temple. She did not feel too good – mostly due to sleep deprivation, but also because of the uncertainty considering the military operation and the fact that her personal life was in shatters. Olfina had received a new letter from Jon, but the Imperial had not gotten anything from Vilkas. She had not heard anything of him since leaving Whiterun more than two months ago, and according to Aela and the rest of the Companions, he had not joined the ranks of the allied army. There was a possibility that her letters did not reach him, but it became harder to convince herself of that as time passed.

"I'm happy for your letter," Aurora said as she crawled inside.

Olfina was lying down on her sack and holding the parchment in her right hand. As Aurora was making herself comfortable on her side, she felt the Nord's gaze and looked at the woman once again. She had the standard Olfina-look of disapproval; eyes slightly up, lips sealed and an overall sarcastic expression.

"Don't..." Aurora interrupted her, smiling. "I know that you don't approve of my love for Vilkas, but..."

"I spoke to Ria."

Olfina's expression had turned stern, and it made Aurora feel uncomfortable. It was as if the Nord was trying to pierce her with her gaze as if to say that she knew Aurora's weaknesses and fears. The Imperial hated when Olfina did that.

"Ria is in the army?" Aurora asked calmly, trying to bluff the other woman.

"Yes, I met her last night. A few others from Whiterun are here too, but I have yet to find them. Either way, Ria got a letter from Vilkas a few days ago."

Aurora nodded and looked at the candle between them. It hurt. She had to admit that it did not come as a complete surprise, but it was difficult to accept it nonetheless. The woman turned to her right side, away from Olfina as neutrally as she could. She was on the brink of crying, and the balancing act turned out to be very difficult. There was too much happening in her life at that given moment, and the burden of Vilkas was too much for her to take.

"He got your letters, he's just ignoring you..." Olfina began, forcibly turning the Imperial on her back. "Aurora!" Olfina cried.

Aurora could not hide it – tears were running down the cheeks. The frustration had turned to be too much for her. Half a year. She had spent half a year in Morrowind, searching for him and trying to make him understand that she loved him. The time and energy required to do so was tapping her of life force, but the results were abysmal at best. She had no vigour left in her body and let Olfina turn her without any resistance. She had closed her eyes, hating the situation.

"I am on your side, Aurora," she heard the Nord say. "He's playing with you, can you not see it?"

Olfina was frustrated too – she heard it on her voice. Slowly, Aurora opened her eyes and looked at the Nord. The vision was blurry, but she realised that the Nord's expression had softened slightly. The Imperial expected a lecture from Olfina and was all but keen to hear it once again.

"Why do you let him treat you like this?" Olfina exclaimed.

"I love him," Aurora whispered.

"I know," Olfina said. "But if he doesn't respect you, how can your feelings be answered? If you want to make it work, you have to demand the respect you deserve."

Yes, yes, I know, Aurora thought. It was not as if she had not realised that Vilkas's treatment of her was unfair and harsh. The problem was that she saw no solution to the problem, and until she found one, tiptoeing around him was the best she could do.

"It will never change," Olfina said. "You don't make your relationship a favour by being submissive. It's not a long time solution, and it will break you eventually to be forced to live like that."

Aurora looked at the woman. It was if Olfina read her thoughts. In a way, she was grateful for the fact that Olfina raised good questions, on the other hand, Aurora felt confronted and uneasy. Her facial expression had changed completely – the woman was calmly sitting by Aurora and watching her softly, as a mother would watch a child fall asleep. It was in stark contrast to the Olfina she normally was – cheeky and dominant.

"Sometimes it takes one from outside of the situation to explain how it all looks for one to realise..." she spoke with a soft voice.

Aurora dried her eyes with the bottom of her tunic and sat up, resting her elbows on her knees. The situation felt as if it was torn from reality. The last time Aurora had opened up vaguely as much was to Vecheslav in Morrowind. He had held her as she cried and was at rock bottom, without her asking for it. He had simply been there, as Olfina was now. Suddenly, a wave of regret swept over her – Vecheslav had been a good friend, and she had completely abandoned him. She did not even said farewell to him when she left. At that moment, she promised herself to take better care of her true friends in the future, regardless of Vilkas's stance on them.

Once again, Aurora looked at Olfina. It was evident that the woman was touched by her own words. Whether if it was due to the fact that Aurora's behaviour frustrated her greatly or she remembered something from her own, personal experience was a mystery to Aurora. Nevertheless, it felt good to have someone who cared for her. For a moment, she hesitated, but eventually decided to embrace the Nord. Olfina hugged her back, firmly.

"May I say one thing?" Olfina asked.

Aurora let go of the woman and nodded.

"Just... don't be offended," she said. "I used to think of you as an icon – an invincible hero who could handle anything thrown at you. I remember when the dragon attacked the guard tower outside the Whiterun wall, I remember seeing you with the Companions, then within the Stormcloak rebellion, and finally... the World Eater. Your strength appeared non-human..."

"Olfina..." Aurora began.

"No, just let me finish. I... I look up to you so much more now when I realise that you are just a normal human who had to build up this strength yourself, and it wasn't just handed to you."

It felt odd being complemented in that manner. Aurora did not normally feel comfortable when people approached her, whispering about the Saviour of Skyrim, but Olfina's work touched her more than those of ordinary people. Perhaps the Nord's normal teasing and antagonistic behaviour made her warm words feel more genuine and down to Nirn.

"And I understand that you don't let yourself fail a mission. I've seen you be too hard on yourself since Brena and when it comes to Vilkas... You aren't solving the situation, but treating the symptoms. Don't take on a weight that is impossible for a person to carry, Aurora. We aren't without faults, and accepting that will take a heavy burden off your heart."

Aurora had wrinkled her forehead, but looked Olfina right in the eyes and nodded. The Nord's words had an effect on her, and she acknowledged it with her gaze. Olfina was looking at her with her mouth slightly open, and tired eyes, as after a battle. A few moments later, Aurora felt that she needed some fresh air. The discussion had caused her to suffer a headache.

"I'd like to be alone for a while," she said and crawled outside.

Aurora sat down just outside of the tent, leaning against the temple wall, breathing out. She had to dig deep within herself and find out what to do. She worked herself to the bones for Vilkas and his happiness, but did not feel that he gave her an adequate response. The woman tried to remember their story, how it all had began and what was the underlying cause to why she left for Windhelm. The only thing she was responsible for was saying that she loved him too early on, and he had panicked. It was not really her fault, but she could have handled it better. At that time, though, it was as if her world fell apart, and she had to leave town. The woman did not know how she could have born it otherwise. It was not as if she had planned for it to happen. Then other things came up – she could not just have abandoned the dragon issue. She had returned, after all, and she had gone to Morrowind to look for him. He had done his best to punish her for leaving rather than working on their relationship. Not replying to her letters was just disrespectful and insensitive.

Olfina was right in asking why she tolerated it, but it was a difficult fact to acknowledge. The woman had a need to feel loved, just like everyone else. Perhaps her flight from the Imperial City as a teenager had affected her more than she realised, though.

Still, she thought, she had managed to go through with everything she never thought she would be able to. She was the best warrior in all of Skyrim, the saviour of Skyrim and Dragonborn. She had achieved all of this without any real military training before her eighteenth birthday. Olfina was spot-on – Aurora was rather tremendous. She had an astonishing ability to adapt; fleeing to Elsweyr, joining the Thieves Guild, the Companions, fighting a civil war and taking care of the Dragons. Some time ago, she shunned responsibility, but there she was now – an officer in the Northern Alliance. Alduin tried to poison her life by taking over her nightmares, but she managed to control him by only sleeping every other night. If she could win against the World Eater, Vilkas should not be impossible to curve either.

"Are you alright?" Olfina asked, sticking her head out of the tent. "I was worried for you."

Aurora looked at her and instinctively embraced her. She genuinely was. The Imperial had no real friends after abandoning Vecheslav, but she began to feel very calm around Olfina.

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