A/N Here's another chapter for you! I had planned to publish two this weekend, but that won't be happening...

A dark expression had settled over Ulfric's face. They were sitting in the war room, waiting for the rest of the generals to arrive. Their tardiness, however, could only account for part of the problem, Vara knew. Ulfric glanced over at her, sitting at the side of the table as she was, and every time he did she could see pain in his eyes. She kept her expression vacant and avoided eye contact with the man, but inside her mind and emotions were spinning dizzily.

She believed what she had told Ulfric; his marriage would be one of the most important events in Skyrim's relatively near future, and he would be marrying for political advantage. Vara was certain of that. Men like Ulfric didn't have the luxury of marrying whoever they wanted.

The problem, however, was that Ulfric had seemed almost confused when she had pointed out that their relationship was a passing thing. That expression had only intensified when she had started talking about his future marriage as High King. It was as if the man didn't believe that he would ever marry. Or that he didn't believe that he would marry anyone other than her.

And that was the thought that Vara couldn't wrap her mind around. When she had kissed Ulfric that night outside of the cave, she had done so believing that she had sealed her fate. She knew exactly who Ulfric Stormcloak was, and she knew that their relationship would be fleeting at best. But Ulfric didn't seem to see it that way, and that scared her.

Vara wanted their relationship to last; she wanted to be standing by Ulfric's side a few years from now, watching as he is crowned High King. She wanted it so badly that it left her hurting inside. But her parents had taught her to know when the battle was lost, and this one was already over. There were too many reasons that they just wouldn't work, as much as she wished the situation was different.

Ulfric didn't see it that way. If he had his way, their relationship would grow. They would love and fight and live, until there came a point when they wouldn't even need to speak to know what the other was going to say. Vara could almost see it in her mind. Sure, something could go wrong, they could realize that they simply weren't compatible. But she and Ulfric would have a chance, and that idea was intoxicating.

Vara took a deep breath and pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind. This meeting was going to be important, and she needed to keep her thoughts in check if she wanted to be able to contribute. As if summoned by her thoughts, a knock sounded at the door. Gonnar, who had been standing over the maps scattered over the table in the center of the room, moved and opened the door.

Galmar was the first person through the door. The grizzled general immediately moved to stand by Ulfric's side. He glanced at Ulfric and frowned slightly, but when he glanced over at Vara, his eyes widened slightly. Vara shook her head, they would talk about this later. Galmar's frown deepened, but he nodded slightly.

Galmar was followed through the door by Yrsarald Thrice-Pierced, Kai Wet-Pommel, and Frorkmar Banner-Torn. The three commanders bowed to Ulfric and then took a seat around the table. Gonnar moved to close the door, but another man dashed through at the last second.

"I apologize for being late, my jarl," the man stated, slightly out of breath. As he turned to the table, Vara recognized him, Olflnar Fjariksen, a member of Ulfric's council. "I overheard Jorleif when he told the generals about the meeting. I hope I wasn't too presumptuous in inviting myself; I feel I may be of assistance."

Vara had to resist the urge to snort in disbelief. She really was picking up on Wuunferth's bad habits; she wouldn't be surprised if his actions were somehow contagious. She didn't like anyone on Ulfric's council, but she liked Olflnar the least. He was a weasel of a man, always searching for a way to exploit the pains of others to his own gain. Vara doubted that he had anything of value to contribute to the meeting.

The look in Ulfric's eyes told her that he thought the same thing, but he nodded. "Have a seat, Olflnar," he ordered. The man obeyed, thankfully choosing to sit on the other side of the table from Vara. Ulfric's attention turned to Gonnar, who was standing at the end of the table, having gathered the maps around him. "Now, Gonnar, what is so important that you couldn't send a courier?"

"The Thalmor," Gonnar replied, his expression dark. He pointed to a place he had circled on one of the maps. Darkwater Crossing, if Vara was reading it correctly. "Normally, there are one or two Justicars with each Imperial patrol, and there are never more than three in any one place at a time." The general leaned forward as he spoke, a fierce light in his eyes. "At Darkwater Crossing, there are twelve. Twelve Justicars, Ulfric. If there isn't something important going on there that the Thalmor want covered up, I'll eat my uniform. The Thalmor are careful, they never show their hand if they can help it. That means that whatever is happening at Darkwater must be important enough for the gain to outweigh the risk of being noticed."

The generals around the table nodded. "Anything that is important to the Thalmor should be important to us," Frorkmar said, his voice scratchy and deep. "Do you know what it is?"

Gonnar shook his head. "I'm not even sure that 'it' is an it. I can't get soldiers within three miles of the place without being spotted by Thalmor. The only reason I know anything at all is from a local who managed to sneak out of the town. He seemed to think that the Justicars were there to root out any worship of Talos, so he fled."

"One Justicar is enough to scare people senseless. They don't need twelve to root out Talos," Ulfric stated. There was a deep frown on his face, and Vara could practically hear him thinking. "There is something going on there, that is certain, but how do you know that the Thalmor aren't setting a trap?" Ulfric leaned forward. "This is exactly the type of thing those skeevers would do to draw us out."

Gonnar nodded. "Aye, that's what I thought too. I did some digging, and according to the scouting records, there have been large shipments traveling near Darkwater Crossing for months. The place is little for than a few tents and a mine, they don't need the kind of supplies that the scouts reported, but we didn't think anything of it. After all, what would the Empire want with Darkwater? If this is a trap, Ulfric, they've been planning it for months."

Kai Wet-Pommel spoke up, saying, "The Thalmor are cunning, there's no doubt about that, but they aren't the type to take risks if they aren't certain that the reward will be worth it. They wouldn't spend this long on a project only to have some poor fool run away and spoil everything."

Ulfric nodded. "This doesn't feel like a Thalmor trap," he admitted. "They prefer subtlety, and twelve Justicars are anything but subtle." He took a deep breath before continuing, and Vara saw a flicker of pain cross his face and the sudden urge to hunt down every Thalmor in Skyrim rushed over Vara. The pain on his face disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and Ulfric continued. "What are we going to do? We can't risk the Thalmor gaining an advantage, so we have to do something. What?"

The generals immediately began to discuss several different strategies, but Vara blocked their voices out as she tried to think. Twelve Justicars was dangerous. Very, very dangerous. The only way to take them down was with a small army, and even then they would suffer heavy losses. The Stormcloaks simply weren't equipped to face twelve full Justicars, and it would take months to change that. Months they didn't have. "It has to be an inside job," Vara stated quietly, her voice cutting through the clamour of ideas with its quiet intensity. The men all turned towards her, varying degrees of surprise decorating their faces.

"We all know how powerful Justicars are. If we charged Darkwater Crossing, we would lose, or suffer more casualties than I would be willing to count, not to mention the fact that at least a few of the Justicars would likely escape along with whatever it is that's so important to them." Vara nodded to herself. "It has to be an inside job, that's the only way we could get rid of the Thalmor without either drawing too much attention or risking their escape."

"She's right," Galmar said, although he wasn't very happy about it, judging from the tone of his voice. "As much as I'd rather just charge in a skewer every last one of those pointy-eared skeevers, having a person on the inside is the only plan that has even a slight chance of success. The question is, how?"

For a moment, the others didn't react. Then, they began to nod. They would all rather fight face to face with the Thalmor, but, as stubborn as they were, they weren't suicidal. The next few hours were spent discussing how they would get a person inside of Darkwater Crossing, and what that person would do once they were there. As she listened, pitching an idea every once in a while, a plan began to form in her mind, and so when Olflnar finally spoke up, Vara had an answer.

"This is all well and good," the councilman said, gesturing to the maps that were once again scattered across the table and the various notes that had been scrawled on them. "But who in Tamriel is crazy enough to volunteer to infiltrate the Thalmor? We all know that if they get caught, we won't even be able to recognize the body when the Thalmor are done with them." The generals around the table grimaced at the gruesome image. They knew his words were true though, the Thalmor did not take kindly to spies. And so Vara spoke up.

"I will. I'll infiltrate Darkwater Crossing." Silence fell as everyone in the room turned towards her once again. This time though, surprise didn't quite describe their expressions. "Think about it. No one in the army is crazy enough to volunteer, and even if they did, they wouldn't stand a chance against the Thalmor if they were caught. With my magic, I can lay a false trail or cast an illusion. At the very least, I can hold them off for a little while, long enough for someone to escape with the information you need. I'm sure there are miners who would be willing." Vara stated. As she spoke, she carefully avoided looking at Ulfric, as she could practically feel the anger radiating off of him.

"Besides," she continued, "I can pose as an immigrant out of work. With my pointed ears and pale skin, the Thalmor will likely suspect me to be an escaped servant girl from the Isles. They'll expect me to cower and obey their whims, so they won't look close enough to see that I don't quite fit the profile."

"We would need at least a small camp of people nearby to keep an eye on things and relay messages," Gonnar mused. "It could work though. It's better than any of our other ideas for sure." The others nodded. "We need to work out details, of course, but we could be ready to leave in a few days. The sooner we figure out what in the name of Talos those Thalmor are doing, the better." Vara nodded in agreement. They couldn't afford to waste any time.

Kai was about to speak up when Ulfric cut him off. "We will discuss this more tomorrow." The jarl's voice was practically a growl, anger lacing every syllable, and Vara had to resist the urge to shrink down in her chair at the sound. The others shared a few confused glances, but obeyed the obvious dismissal and stood. They bowed to Ulfric and left the room. Galmar looked back and forth between Vara and Ulfric and muttered something under his breath before he too left the room.

The door had barely closed when Ulfric turned toward Vara, his stare drilling tow holes into her soul. She looked away, refusing to meet his gaze. She had figured he would be upset, but that didn't make this any more comfortable.

"No." It was only one word, but it vibrated with the power of the Thu'um that Ulfric couldn't quite control.

Reluctantly, Vara met Ulfric's gaze with her own. "I have to, Ulfric."

Ulfric stood from his chair and walked around the table until he was standing across from her. "Really? You have to?" There was laughter in his voice, something that scared Vara almost as much as his anger did. "Why, Vara? There are plenty of Stormcloaks who would, despite what you think, be more than willing to volunteer for this mission if it meant helping keep their home safe."

Vara smiled slightly. "That's what I'm doing, Ulfric. I'm volunteering. I'm keeping my home safe. You know as well as I do that the Thalmor would be able to sniff out a Stormcloak spy. No offense, but you Nords aren't exactly stealthy."

"And you are? You spent your life in the woods, living as a hunter, Vara! How are you any more prepared for this than my soldiers are?"

"I know about Altmeri society, Ulfric. I know how the ranks work, I know how the Thalmor treat people. I-"

"You know nothing!" Ulfric growled viciously, interrupting her. "You think you know how the Thalmor treat people, well you don't. You don't know what they do to people just because they looked at them the wrong way. I heard the screams of Altmer as they were tortured for serving salmon instead of perch." His eyes bored into Vara's. "They tortured their own kind, and they enjoyed it. How much worse do you think it will be for you?"

For a moment, Vara couldn't speak. The pain in Ulfric's voice, the haunted look in his eyes, was too much. It fanned the anger for the Thamor within her stomach anew, and she found her voice to say, "That's why it has to be me, Ulfric. Yes, I might be caught, but I have a better chance of success than someone who knows nothing of the Thalmor." Her expression softened, and she reached across the table to grasp Ulfric's hand in her own. "I'm sorry."

Ulfric ripped his hand from hers. "No, you aren't. If you were sorry, you wouldn't go." He turned away, running his fingers through his hair angrily. When he finally turned back, there was pain in his blue eyes. "I need you, Vara." Those four words, spoken so softly, so painfully, shattered Vara's heart.

"Ulfric." There were tears in Vara's eyes, and she choked on her own words before she managed to speak. "This is for Skyrim. We don't know what the Thalmor have, but we can't risk the chance that they could turn the tide of the war. Your army can't afford any heavy losses, and the people are counting on you. You can't let your personal feelings get in the way of what needs to be done."

Ulfric sank into the chair across from her and buried his head in his hands. For several moments he said nothing, then he looked up, and Vara's breath caught in her throat. His hair was disheveled from running his hands through it and his face was flushed with anger as well as repressed tears. His eyes, however, were empty. The blue of his irises was dull, devoid of any emotion.

"I never let my personal feelings get in the way, Vara," Ulfric stated. His voice was flat, and he no longer seemed sad or even angry which somehow made Vara's heart ache even more. "If I let my feelings dictate the course of the war, I would simply execute the Jarls that refuse to join my banner. It would throw Skyrim into even more chaos, but I would do it."

Ulfric looked down again. "But this isn't just about me. I need you here with me, no matter what you say about status and opinion, but this city needs you too. The Grey Quarter needs you, the soldiers need you, the people need you. What will happen to them when you get yourself killed by the Thalmor?"

Vara stood from her chair and walked around the table until she was standing by Ulfric's side. Gently, she lifted his head until his eyes met hers. "I can't back down from this, Ulfric. I can't. You said once that you trust me, and I'm asking you to again. I won't die at the hands of the Thalmor."

For a long moment, they held each other's gaze, then Ulfric nodded minutely, pain in his eyes as he did.

"Fine," he said, the word sounding like he had difficulty saying it. "But if you're going, I am too. Galmar's right when he said we'd need a camp nearby. Your men are returning from a fort assignment tomorrow. If we bring a few of them, we can be discreet, but safe."

Vara knew that she should argue with him. It would be dangerous for anyone out there, not to mention the leader of the Stormcloak Rebellion, a person the Empire and the Thalmor both wanted dead. But her heart wasn't in it. Secretly, she was glad that Ulfric would be nearby. The thought of going anywhere near the Thalmor terrified her, but he gave her strength.

Ulfric stood from his chair and wrapped his arms around Vara. She let him hold her, laying her head on his shoulder. "Thank you, Ulfric," she whispered, her eyes slipping closed as she listened to his steady breathing. He didn't reply, but pulled her closer and held her as if he never wanted to let her go.

A/N I hope you enjoyed the chapter!