7 more years later - 4E 201 - In the Palace of the Kings and Karthwasten

Morning had dawned over Skyrim, and in the Palace of the Kings, it was as busy as a new shipment in the East Empire Trading Company. "Galmar!" Ulfric Stormcloak said as he readied himself for their trip. "Get ready, we're heading to Solitude."

"My pleasure! Ha ha ha!"

A large train of guards and a purposeful Ulfric followed the road from the cold in Windhelm to the heat in Whiterun. Ulfric had decided to walk instead of being stuck on a carriage, and Galmar and himself talked about the whole event as if they were two ten-year-old girls. Ulfric chuckled, "Oh, Galmar. I will finally show those fools why Skyrim is better without them."

Just a few years ago, Galmar had recruited more soldiers, one of them standing out a bit more than the others. Ralof was his name. He had blonde hair, and his humor and jokes reminded Ulfric of Milla. Milla.

Nothing stopped the guards from cutting through any defense on the way. Imperial guards, legionnaires, scouts, no one remained alive. Only passing through Rorikstead and heading towards Markarth triggered Ulfric's emotions. This place had killed his only love.

Many of the Nords, and Stormcloak sympathizers, residing anywhere near Markarth cheered and shouted out how much they liked him when Ulfric and his guards passed them on their way up north to Haafingar and Solitude.

Milla helped Ragnar outside the mine when they heard the rabble from the road. Ragnar was the first to throw his shovel to the ground and approach the hill to watch. "Well.." he commented. "Looks like Ulfric Stormcloak is heading to Solitude."

The words made Milla gasp. They were the words she had wanted to hear ever since Ulfric told her about his plans. She placed herself just behind Ragnar to watch for herself, and she noticed Ulfric right away. He wore the same furred cloak, and his hair was still as blonde as hers.

Unaware of it, she touched her wedding ring. Not a day had gone by without her thinking about him, and all those times she said she was going to Whiterun and Ivarstead to shop for supplies, she had always stopped outside Windhelm's walls, out of the guards' sight, just to remember the cold, and to maybe give Ulfric a sense of her presence.

"Are you joining us for dinner, Milla?" Ragnar interrupted her on his way back to Mena and Enmon's house.

"Yeah, just a minute," she answered without taking her eyes away from her husband on the road. To her, they were still married. Following him to the edge of the mountain, she turned around and wiped away her tears before heading back.

'It's time..' she thought.


"I think it's time for me to take my leave.." Milla suddenly commented during the quiet dinner. She and Ragnar once again ate dinner with Mena, Enmon and Sybil to avoid the silence without Oddleif and Ylva. "I have lived here with you guys for nineteen years now."

Ragnar was the first one to react by putting his bread crust down and staring at her as if he thought she was joking. Mena looked at her, not quite believing her either. "What are you talking about?" she then responded.

"You heard me, Mena. It's time for me to go," Milla said again, pushing her plate aside.

"When?" Ragnar wondered. He was the least happy about Milla's sudden decision.

Milla's mouth formed a crooked smile. "Sometime before noon tomorrow. Not a day later," was her final comment before she excused herself from the table.

She hurried back to Ragnar's house and into her room, where she quickly opened the wardrobe. She had put her armor in that wardrobe nineteen years ago when she was dressed in miner's clothes after her leg and wounds were fully recovered.

She brought it out and put it on the bed to study it. She had only touched it once, when she wiped it clean of all the bloodstains. It took her an entire day to clean it, only because she wanted to be gentle and thorough.

She was able to put it back on without triggering any tears now, and she started by undressing and leaving the miner's clothes in the dresser. As she stood there in nothing but her underwear, her Amulet of Talos and her wedding ring, she remembered the first evening at the Palace of the Kings, when she willingly undressed in front of Ulfric.

She quickly pushed the thoughts away and sat down to put her steel cuffed boots on. They still fitted perfectly. The steel Nordic bracers were next; she used to put them on before she went to sleep some years back, just to remember.

The feeling of relief struck her when she fastened and tightened the last straps of the steel armor. It still fitted as if Adrianne Avenicci adjusted those straps yesterday.

She grabbed her belongings; her books, documents, and some homemade potions, and she put them in her satchel, ready to leave.

Everyone was gathered outside after the shocking news. Ragnar took one step ahead of the others. "Will I ever see you again?" was his only comment.

Milla approached him to hug him, even though he pulled back. He knew she was stronger than him, and that resistance was useless. "Take care, alright?" she whispered into his ear.

When they separated, she could see the tears in his eyes push through. "Will I?" he asked again.

She smiled, "Someday.."

Smiling at the others with a discreet wave, she walked down to the road and headed east.


Ulfric and his men had reached Katla's farm when the Jarl suddenly stopped and studied the environments. "We're finally here.." he mumbled. He pointed out two guards and Ralof to accompany him inside the city walls.

Galmar reacted fast when he was not pointed out. "But Jarl! What about me?"

"This is not about you, Galmar," Ulfric chuckled sarcastically. "But if it is highly important to you to join us, then do so."

"I will.."

"But remember, Galmar. This is still not about you. This is about my dreams, Skyrim's freedom, but most importantly, Milla," Ulfric explained again.

Ulfric, Ralof, Galmar and the two guards entered fiercely through the gates, pushing aside any Solitude guard or resident who stood in the way to approach Torygg in the courtyard outside Castle Dour and the Thalmor Headquarters as fast as possible.

High King Torygg waited bravely in the courtyard, keeping constant eye contact with General Tullius, Elenwen and his own wife, Elisif. Only guards were allowed to enter and the leave the courtyard, for the people in Solitude's own safety. Torygg knew how dangerous Ulfric Stormcloak was in battle.

Elenwen's eyes followed Ulfric intensely when he entered the courtyard. Galmar, Ralof and the guards stayed back by the nearest exit to leave as fast as they could when the whole challenge was over.

"I see General Tullius is keeping his distance. You haven't brought him down here to watch your back?" Ulfric said with the sarcastic tone in his voice, as he placed himself across Torygg.

Torygg only smiled, keeping calm. "I don't need him to watch me. I don't owe you any fear."

"And I don't expect you to fear me, Torygg," Ulfric said with a slippery grin, readying his sword. "Just do your best."

But before Torygg was able to ready his own sword, Ulfric approached him faster. "You never deserved to be king!" he said before the remarkable happened again, 'Fus… Ro Dah!'

Torygg flew across the courtyard and into the stony walls covering the Thalmor Headquarters, with Ulfric running after him. He appeared as a shadow before the High King, and Ulfric gave Torygg an intense stare before holding a bit harder onto his sword, and pointing it at Torygg.

"Make sure to treat my wife with all the respect you have left when you meet her in Sovngarde," was Ulfric's last comment before piercing his sword through Torygg's heart.

Withdrawing his sword, Ulfric hurried to place it in the scabbard, and ran towards Galmar, Ralof and the guards.

General Tullius had gone back inside Castle Dour, being too angry to keep himself from fighting Ulfric himself if he stayed out there.

Ralof carefully guided Ulfric to the doors, opening them with the help from Solitude's Stormcloak sympathizer, Roggvir. Ulfric nodded at him before running down the hill, dodging the rest of the Solitude guards on his way to his own guards.

Galmar reached him, shouting to the other guards, "On this day, the seventh of Last Seed, High King Torygg is finally dead!" He stopped running and casually walked towards them as if nothing had happened, greeting Ulfric when he catched up to him

He placed a hand on Ulfric's shoulder, forcing him into a hug. "This is a fine day for the rebellion, Jarl," he commented.

"But we can't stay, Jarl," Ralof hurried to say as nine or ten angry Solitude guards and Imperial soldiers approached them. "Let's go!"

They ran down the road past Katla's Farm, and East Empire Trading Company to arrive as fast as possible in safe terrain in the Pale and Dawnstar.