I've realised that the eruption in Morrowind messes with my time-line...so let's pretend the eruption never happened. Artistic license and all that.

This side of the Hall of Stories, there were no Imperials. There were, however, many draugr.

Kyra recalled a book she had read some time ago, written by Bernadette someone-or-other, about the draugr. It seemed that despite first appearances, the draugr retained much of their mental skills even after death, with many being able to communicate with each other. Although the author had managed to not been seen as a threat after several months, the draugr would viciously defend their place of burial to their death - again - and it took a lot of work to defeat them, especially when they came in groups. The force of Stormcloaks steadily fought their way through but they lost more than a few to the savagery of the draugr.

Kyra knew they were almost at their destination when they came across yet another large room, coffins dotting the perimeter of the wall and the pervasive feeling of ice and decay stronger than ever, almost smothering the rhythm of the word wall. An iron door was situated on the opposite side, but no amount of pushing and shoving would open it.

Galmar growled. "There must be some other way of opening this door. Split up and look around for a lever, a button, something like that."

Kyra and Alaedra trickled away, choosing to stay on the lower level with Ralof rather than head up the stairs. Kyra wandered over to the coffins, feeling as though she was being watched. She gently touched the hilt of her sword, stepping closer to the sheer surface and reached out to brush it with her fingertips.

A hand came down on her shoulder and she tensed, before realising it was Ralof. She shrugged off his hand and turned around.

"What?" she asked, trying to keep the bite out of her tone at being startled.

He frowned. "Just thought I'd let you know that some of the boys upstairs think they've found something. They're figuring it at the moment, but it looks like that door will open soon."

"Thank the Nine," Alaedra said. "I've more than had enough of the place."

"I think everyone has. Even Galmar," Ralof said.

Kyra quickly glanced at Galmar, but couldn't notice any difference - he looked as angry as usual. "How can you tell?"

He shrugged. "I've been in the Stormcloaks for quite a few years now. Galmar's a good commander and I've been around him enough to know when he's unsettled. Which doesn't happen very often at all, actually."

Kyra opened her mouth to reply, but a triumphant shout from upstairs stopped her.

"Sounds like they've figured it out," Ralof said, his stance relaxing as the door slid open.

And then all the coffins fell open.

Ralof cursed, whirling away to help one of his friends who had been standing next to a coffin.

Kyra leapt for Alaedra, pulling her back to narrowly avoid the slab of stone that crashed to the ground. Both of them pulled out their swords as a draugr wight stepped out, ice-blue eyes filled with rage.

"Aav dilon," it croaked, and Kyra realised with a shock she could understand what it was saying.

Alaedra threw herself towards the draugr while Kyra was still standing there, slicing at its shoulder and sending it stumbling back a few paces. She wrenched her sword out, and sent a look at Kyra, who started forwards too.

Kyra circled left, while Alaedra went right in pincer movement. Kyra sent a few strokes towards the draugr, occupying it while Alaedra attacked from the other side. Confused, the draugr tried to alternate between the two attacks, sending spikes of ice at them.

They managed to weave around them, one of them taking over the attack when the other struggled. Kyra couldn't use a shout with Alaedra standing on the other side of the draugr, but with both of them working together, it wasn't long before Alaedra scored a hit and the draugr wight tumbled to the ground.

Alaedra cautiously approached it, prodding it with her toe, and her look of comic apprehension was suddenly too much for Kyra. She burst out laughing, and once she started, she couldn't stop. She knew she sounded hysterical, but everything was just so funny. Revear's and Juan's tragic encounter, the frantic last words of the captain's, everything just coalesced into one.

She could see Alaedra's bemused expression through blurred vision but that only fueled her laughter, until she was gasping for breath, choking on her humour. As she struggled to get her breath back, she gradually quietened. With a few final laughs, almost indistinguishable from sobs, she stopped, sucking in a deep breath to clear her lungs and her thoughts.

"Are…are you okay?" Alaedra asked, looking as though she didn't know whether to join in on the laughter, or start praying to Sheogorath to restore Kyra's sanity. Not that Sheogorath would ever do that, of course.

She wiped a few tears from her eyes, the memory of bittersweet laughter still lilting in her head like a forgotten dream. But now that sense had returned to her, embarrassment was overpowering the humour. "I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from," she said, finally having caught her breath. " I…your face."

Alaedra looked offended. "You were laughing at my face?"

"Yes. I mean, no! Well, kind of. It started it off." She fumbled with her words. "You just looked so nervous when you were checking to see if the draugr was dead. And then everything else caught up…and it was so funny that I had to laugh."

"What caught up?" Alaedra asked, stepping closer to Kyra and placing a tentative hand on Kyra's tightly folded arms. Had the faintly hysterical laughter not been floating in her head still, she would have stiffened from the unexpected contact. But that wasn't the case, and instead she had to stop herself from leaning into Alaedra's touch. She felt her breath calm.

Looking into Alaedra's eyes, she could see the concern that shimmered there, and she was struck by the sudden realisation of how much Alaedra seemed to care for her. And as much as her mind had told her to keep her distance and stay unattainable, her emotions had disobeyed. She cared for Alaedra too, and the knowledge made her heart beat faster, though from excitement or fear, she couldn't tell. After all, only a fine line separated the two emotions and the boundary was often unconsciously crossed.

"Just…everything. The captain's last words. Being Dovahkiin. And…" She hesitated, the laughter finally fading from her mind, before continuing. "And the encounter between Juan and Revear. You just have to laugh at some things because otherwise you'll cry."

"Will you?" Alaedra said quietly, keeping eye contact with Kyra, who suddenly found she couldn't look away from Alaedra's stormy grey eyes. "You have to laugh and smile, because if you don't, you think you'll be weak?"

Alaedra's soft tone caused her to shed a faint smile, even as the words themselves struck a nerve deep within her. It seemed Alaedra could read her like an open book - but she had known that from the beginning.

Alaedra continued, sharper now. "And what encounter? Is that what's made you feel like this?"

She nodded. "Well, that and everything else as I already said. Um…" Kyra trailed off, not looking forward to the upcoming conversation. Alaedra deserved to know what had happened between Revear and Juan, she deserved to know what she was getting herself into. But even as Alaedra was good at reading Kyra, Kyra was equally good at reading Alaedra. And she knew that despite the bitter environment and the bloody wars, Alaedra had maintained a largely optimistic outlook on life, viewing the world as black and white.

Kyra didn't want to shatter the illusion of innocence that Alaedra was grasping onto so tight her knuckles were white from the strain, and she didn't want to show Alaedra that things were rarely ever simply good or bad. But she had to.

She tried to hold the conversation off for a little longer, noticing that only half the Stormcloaks remained in the room with them. "Shouldn't we be carrying on?" she asked.

Alaedra shook her head. "The Jagged Crown is next door, apparently. There's some sort of powerful draugr in the depths of the cavern, but having any more soldiers than they already do will be more of a liability than an asset." She shrugged. "At least, that's what the soldiers were saying while you were in the middle of that laughing fit."

"Oh Gods." Kyra leant back against the wall, feeling her face burn. "Everyone must have seen me laughing. They'll never take me seriously now, dragonborn or not."

"Lucky for you, I'm good at casting discreet magic," Alaedra grinned. "An invention of mine actually, combining the silence spell that's common in Morrowind with a general ward. No one heard you."

Kyra gaped at her. "You…can invent spells?"

"I'm somewhat of a prodigy when it comes to most branches of magic. Or so they all say." Alaedra smirked, tossing her head and letting her heir whip around in an imitation of arrogance.

"And so modest too."

Alaedra let out a short laugh, but quietened, fixing her with a look. "And don't think I haven't noticed you changing the topic. What encounter?"

Kyra sighed, feeling the weight of the words settle in her mouth before allowing them to slip out.

She told Alaedra about Juan and Revear. She told her they had known each other, had been lovers on opposite sides of the war. She spoke about Juan's acceptance of Revear, the joy that had been apparent on his face and the hope that they could start again after being apart for so long. And finally, with a heaviness that almost forced her mouth shut, she told her about Revear's inevitable betrayal.

Her gaze had fallen to the floor as she spoke but now she forced herself to look at Alaedra, before wishing she hadn't.

The horror and pain within Alaedra's eyes seem to strike Kyra as a physical blow, her heart stuttering in her chest. She was responsible for that look.

Alaedra swallowed frantically, the colour seeping from her face like an ocean bled dry of life. Her mouth moved but nothing escaped, the words still trapped inside as she ran a hand over her face, dragging it through her hair viciously as though to wipe away what she had just heard.

Alaedra sucked in a desperate breath, finally finding words. "What…but that's…" She trailed off, shaking her head again and again. "No. No, you must have seen something different. That's the kind of thing an Imperial would do!"

The words exploded out of her in a jumble of emotion and Kyra hurriedly shushed her, wary of the looks they were getting from the remaining Stormcloaks. She placed firm hands on Alaedra's shoulders and guided her further away, away from earshot. Alaedra moved mechanically, and Kyra could tell she was absorbed by her thoughts, questioning everything she thought she knew.

They stepped into a small alcove, shelves of burial urns cluttered together over their heads. She bit her lip, wondering how best to approach this.

"Alaedra." Her name escaped almost as a sigh. "Look, I mean…we're on one side of this war. And we're here because we believe in our cause. The Imperials believe in their cause too. We're both fighting and fighting and trying to get out views across, even if the other refuses to accept them."

"What are you trying to say?" Alaedra asked quietly, still pale.

"That there isn't a good and a bad in this war. There is no right and wrong. Both sides have good points and bad, and neither is more justified than the other. The only thing that matters are the actions, not the ideology behind it.

"Everyone fighting in this war is mortal. Able to kill and be killed, and some are terrified of both. Some are scared of neither. Some are willing to commit atrocities in favour of their perceived cause, because they believe they are right and it is justified."

"I feel like you're contradicting yourself," Alaedra said bluntly, although Kyra could see the pain of indecision lurking behind her eyes.

She gritted her teeth, closing her eyes briefly. " War doesn't determine who is right. It only determines who is left. And as much as I wish otherwise, things will never be simple in this war. Oblivion, things aren't simple in life."

"I'm aware of that."

"Are you?" Kyra questioned, making her tone soft as possible.

I-I don't know. I just…I want to know what the right thing to do is," Alaedra whispered, with such a look of despair that Kyra wanted nothing more than to give her a hug, to comfort her and protect her from the harsh reality that lay just beyond their sight.

And so she did.

She swallowed her fears and stepped forwards.

Alaedra looked briefly shocked, tears glistening in her eyes, before throwing herself into Kyra's arms with such force that Kyra was almost knocked backwards. She steadied herself, initially tense from the close contact, but she slowly relaxed. Alaedra's hair curled around her cheeks, the chestnut tresses revealing shades of red and gold within the waves and she smiled as peaceful silence descended on them. Her arms unconsciously tightened around Alaedra, and when Alaedra stepped back, quickly wiping her tears away, her arms felt empty and her body felt cold.

She shook off the feeling, concentrating in Alaedra. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. Talking about how she felt would have been the last thing Kyra would have wanted, had the positions been reversed, but she knew the best thing for Alaedra was to sort through her feelings with someone else. She would be that person for her.

Alaedra nodded jerkily. "I'm sorry, it's just a lot to get my head around. I…I thought the Stormcloaks were the good guys. Is everyone here really that bad?"

"No!" Kyra rushed to assure her. "No, they're not. But that's my point. There are good and bad people on every side of the war. At my execution attempt, there was a guy there. Hadvar. He was an Imperial too, but was willing to risk his life to keep a prisoner safe.

"The people on both sides are as complex as the aims in this war. You know all too well that the Stormcloaks want the ban on Talos worship lifted, and Skyrim no longer part of the Empire. But the shortcomings of this are obvious." She stopped, lifting an eyebrow at Alaedra, to try and get her to talk, to discover on her own that everything was flawed.

"I…the Stormcloaks hate foreigners. Even if Ulfric doesn't, his army do. And-and Skyrim no longer being part of the Empire?"

Kyra took over. "The Thalmor. The Thalmor are the masterminds in all this, not the Empire. I know I've only recently heard the details about the civil war, ever since I've arrived here, but think about it. A Skyrim separate from the Empire will leave it abandoned and weakened. The Thalmor can step in whenever they like and there's not an Oblivion-cursed thing we can do about it."

Alaedra sucked in a breath. "I…oh Gods, I hadn't even thought about that. Hasn't Ulfric realised that?"

"I hope he has. In fact, I'm pretty sure he has. He's clever. Which leads me to why I joined the Stormcloaks in the first place. Yes, a large portion of why I joined was to protect the Dunmer and carry out my promise to Ralof, but I had to think ahead. I'm almost certain that Ulfric plans to weaken Tullius's army but not deliver the killing blow, instead arranging…an agreement, of sorts. Tullius will be so desperate he'll agree. The Empire withdraw their influence from Skyrim, reversing the Talos ban, but relations are maintained. The trade and communication policies are largely kept the same. That way, Skyrim is as strong as it has ever been, if not stronger, if the Empire uphold their side of the bargain. Skyrim is an important trade partner for medical supplies and alcohol. The Empire won't let it slip easily." She shrugged, feigning nonchalance when really, a lot of thought had gone into this. "At least, that's what I think. Galmar has admitted as much to me when he first arrived at camp. Unofficially, of course."

Alaedra didn't say anything, instead just staring at Kyra without blinking.

"Alaedra?" She waved a hand in front of her face, noting that there wasn't any reaction. "Alaedra!"

Alaedra started, drawing in a breath and looking Kyra in the eyes for the first time this conversation. A crease appeared in her forehead as she furrowed her brow.

"That…makes a lot of sense actually. How in Oblivion did you come up with that on your own?"

"Just a lot of figuring and thinking ahead. The Gods know we had enough time while travelling here."

Alaedra hummed noncommittally.

"You okay?"

"Yeah…just thinking. It's a lot to take in all at once. I know there are two sides to every story but I didn't think it would apply to a situation like this. I thought it would be clear-cut, that I was fighting on the right side of this war and nothing could persuade me otherwise."

"Always remember that then. There are two sides to every story. Even if you walk away from this disregarding everything I've said, remember that there are always two sides to every story," Kyra said.

Alaedra nodded, another tear trickling down her cheek. Before Kyra could stop herself, she had reached out a hand and gently wiped the tear away, wishing she could wipe the pain away just as easily. Her hand lingered for a heartbeat before she jerked it away, feeling a blush spread over her cheeks.

"Are you okay to head back?" Kyra asked, and offered an encouraging smile when Alaedra straightened her shoulders and nodded.

They retraced their steps and emerged into the room, only to see the remaining soldiers slowly filing into the next room.

"They must have disposed of the draugr and taken the crown," she muttered to Alaedra, who leaned in closer to listen. "There's generally a short-cut that takes us back to the entrance."

Alaedra walked forwards, dodging in front of some of the soldiers, but Kyra caught her arm and pulled her back, letting the rest of the soldiers go in front. Alaedra sent a confused look at her.

"What are you doing?"

"There's a word wall through there," Kyra explained quietly. "I can feel it. I'd rather not have an audience for when I absorb the word. They keep on casting me enough looks as is it, and they've barely seen a demonstration yet. Hang on…aannd…now we can go in."

Alaedra cast her a fondly exasperated look before darting through the doorway. Kyra followed, the rhythm thumping in her chest as she entered.

A throne lay directly opposite them, a draugr overlord lying slumped a few feet away from it. Splatters of blood surrounding the body was the only evidence of the battle the Stormcloaks had been confronted with. A little further away, two less powerful draugr had also succumbed to the Stormcloaks and were piled almost on top of one another, their weapons lying useless next to them.

Her feet moving of their own accord, she brushed past Alaedra and weaved around the throne, her gaze fixed on the towering wall that lay just beyond. She absentmindedly noticed Alaedra closely following her, but her attention was focused on the wall and the undulating energy was emanating from it, swirling around her and above her and in her. She could feel her blood sing in response.

She took an extra step, and a section of the wall started glowing, beckoning her closer. The glow formed itself into a word, the harsh lines and jagged script easily recognisable as the Dovah-Zul.

She blinked, and the glow suddenly became more intense as the word seared itself onto her retina, resonating deep within her. She gasped, feeling the euphoria rush though her like liquid fire, filling her veins with power.

Letting loose a laugh, she turned to Alaedra, who was watching with evident curiosity. Her eyesight sharper and focused, she looked into Alaedra's eyes, noticing for the first time the shades of colour that lay hidden from the casual observer. A faint tinge of purple ringed her iris and she found herself transfixed by the sight, even as the euphoria seemed to become even more potent.

She took a step forwards, the feeling prompting her to reach out and tuck a loose strand of hair behind Alaedra's ear. Alaedra blushed, her breath catching, but didn't move back.

"Your eyes…" Kyra said, her voice sounding huskier than usual. "They're beautiful."

"I...I-" Alaedra stuttered, biting her lip. "Thank you?" She said it as a question, her tone lilting upwards as she finished the sentence, and something akin to a purr began in Kyra's throat.

She opened her mouth to say something, but the euphoric feeling began to seep away, slowly at first and then quicker. Kyra sagged, almost unable to comprehend a lack of the feeling, before catching Alaedra's eye. Her actions whilst under the influence of the euphoria rushed into her and she reeled back, eyes wide.

"Fireblood," she swore. "I'm so sorry. I…the word walls kinda loosen my inhibitions. It's just…what happens. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," she stuttered, afraid she had offended Alaedra in some way.

"You didn't mean it?" Alaedra asked. "So my eyes aren't beautiful?"

"Wha…no! I mean, yes, they are," she managed to gasp out, cursing her inability to speak smoothly around Alaedra. Where had her natural eloquence run off to? "I mean, they are beautiful. Yes, very beautiful." She nodded vigorously, before stopping abruptly when Alaedra started giggling.

"Gods, I'm just messing with you," Alaedra chuckled. "I know what you mean. But your face…" She descended into laughter again.

Kyra stood patiently, her lips twitching as she tried not to submit. She knew, like her earlier laughter, that Alaedra's laughter was largely the product of stress. But it was infectious, the pure humour ringing through the room and Kyra couldn't stop herself from joining in.

As they started to control their laughter, they caught each others eyes and started giggling again, collapsing against the now-dormant word wall as their knees shook, barely able to remember what was so funny in the first place.

"Ah...stop! My stomach." Alaedra groaned, her eyes alight and sparkling.

With a few final chuckles, Kyra dwindled to a halt, feeling lighter than she had all day. Laughter really was the best medicine. "I can't remember the last time I laughed so much in the space of just a few minutes," she smiled.

"Me neither." Alaedra shook her head. "Anyway, it looks like everyone has left us behind, thanks to you," she said, but the teasing was evident in her tone.

Kyra gasped in mock indignation. "How dare you! I'll have you know that I am Kyra Nightingale, Dovahkiin, destined destroyer of Alduin and guardian of Morrowind."

"Oh, and don't forget the Champion Boaster of Skyrim either."

"How could I forget?" she grinned, glad she could joke about this with Alaedra.

"Anyway, we're even further behind now," Alaedra added.

"Don't worry about it, they'll be travelling slowly. Besides, they'll wait outside of the ruins anyway, to gather everything together. Hopefully."

"You fill me with such confidence." Alaedra rolled her eyes and started walking, seeing a small passage carved into the side of the wall.

They ducked inside, Alaedra in front and Kyra just behind. She accidentally stepped on Alaedra's heel a few times before deciding Alaedra's threats may not be purely jokes and hung back a little.

"So what word was that then?" Alaedra asked as they walked, her voice echoing slightly.

"It was klo. Although it literally means sand in the Dovah-Zul, when used as a shout, it'll slow time."

"Slow time? No way…Show me," Alaedra demanded as they emerged into the cavern they had first entered Korvanjund into. There weren't any Stormcloaks in there, but she could hear muffled voices from outside.

She stepped away from Alaedra a little, finding klo and adding the power of the thu'um to it. And then she spoke.

"Klo."

It wasn't a dramatic and powerful force that emanated from her mouth. Instead, it slipped out effortlessly, calming herself and the air around her. She looked at Alaedra, noticing that the gradual rise of her chest as she breathed in was slowed.

She stepped forwards, feeling the air swirl motionlessly, lazily, as though it lacked the energy to obey the laws of nature. Circling Alaedra, she could appreciate the feeling of calmness that settled upon her, before time gradually started to speed up, reverting to its usual motion.

Alaedra whirled around to meet her, eyes wide and face filled with wonder. "Gods, you were moving so fast! I could barely see you."

She shook her head, thinking. "No, you were just moving slowly. This shout must…leech the energy from its surroundings, I guess, slowing everything in a certain radius. Huh. That's pretty useful. It's much better than unrelenting force."

"How come?"

"Unrelenting force is powerful. Very powerful. All that raw energy, filled with motion and life. When all that has to be channeled along my throat, it damages the muscles. I have the soul of a Dov, as you know, but my skin is still as weak as a human's. But this shout…it's more gentle. Relaxed. I'll be able to use this much more before my throat hurts."

"Good. That's…good." Alaedra didn't seem to know what to say.

Kyra carried on talking, possibilities whirling in her mind. "Now that I have this basis, I can add tiir to it, to get it to last twice as long. Yes, that'll be good. Good for combat, although I do need more aggressive shouts. I realised too late that the Greybeards only stayed with passive shouts, and now that I have the whole Dovah-Zul to use, I can create more shouts. Experiment with them." She paused, looking at Alaedra. "Would you…maybe want to help me with that?"

Alaedra started. "How could I possibly help you with the shouts? I can't use the thu'um."

"No, but you have ideas. Lots of them. If you want, you could help me come up with the effects of some of the shouts, and help me with the words to craft it. You never know, we may stumble across a pure combination. What do you reckon?"

A soft smile crept over Alaedra's face, pure in its intensity. "Yes. I'd love to help you, Kyra."