Chapter 51

Siege on Whiterun

Rona pulled away from Nelkir and told him she'd see him very soon as Irileth ushered him and the other children away and back up to the palace. The rest of the crowd had all but dispersed as she and the Companions made their way into the Underforge.

Vilkas was already laying into Aela as they stepped inside, "The old man had one wish before he died! And he didn't get it. It's as simple as that."

"Being moon-born is not so much of a curse as you might think, Vilkas," she argued back.

He scoffed, "That's fine for you. But he wanted to be clean! He wanted to meet Ysgramor and know the glories of Sovngarde. But all that was taken from him."

"And I avenged him," Aela said firmly.

Farkas spoke up and said, "Kodlak did not care for vengeance."

Vilkas nodded in agreement, "No, Farkas, he didn't. And that's not what this is about. We should be honoring Kodlak, no matter our own thoughts on the blood."

Aela sighed, "You're right. It's what he wanted and he deserved to have it."

"You're damn right he deserved it," Bishop spat angrily at her, "But as usual you left a path of destruction behind you and fucked it all up."

Aela narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you ever going to let it go? Tell me that the blood hasn't served you more than you expected."

"No," he barked, "I'm not going to let it go. You tried to force her into your little curse," he motioned to Rona, "and then you turned me instead."

"I already apologized for it," Aela sputtered angrily, "What more do you want!?"

"That little apology of yours will never make up for the fact that you nearly murdered the Dragonborn," Bishop glared at her.

Rona spoke up and shouted, "Please stop fighting," then she looked to Aela and said, "I don't know if I can forgive you Aela, but I know what you can do to make things right."

Aela regarded her and said, "What? What would you have me do?"

"Give up the beast blood," Rona said, Aela turned her head and scoffed loudly as though that were totally inconceivable. Rona threw her hands out, "Aela! You need to cleanse the Companions of this curse! No one else should have to suffer with it."

Aela knit her brows together when she said, "If I give it up then I will never see them again... neither my mother or Skjor. When my time comes, I will go to Hircine's Hunting Grounds and I will spend eternity with them. Sovngarde be damned!"

Rona sighed, crossing her arms and looked away from her.

Athis piped up from his quiet corner and said, "You know, I wouldn't mind being a werewolf."

"Trust me," Bishop said, "You don't want it."

Vilkas agreed, "The longer you live with it, the more difficult it is to ignore the call of the blood - to keep yourself from turning."

"And when you die, Hircine claims you," Farkas added.

Athis frowned, "Is there any way to grant the old man's wish then, now that he's gone? Or is that it? He's one of Hircine's now?"

"Kodlak used to speak of a way to cleanse his soul, even in death," Vilkas said, "You know - the legends of the Tomb of Ysgramor."

Aela met his eyes and quoted, "There the souls of the Harbingers will heed the call of northern steel. But we can't even enter the tomb without Wuuthrad and it's in pieces like it has been for a thousand years."

Eorland stepped in then and laughed, clapping Rona on the shoulder, "And dragons were just stories and elves once ruled Skyrim," he stepped toward them, "Just because something is, doesn't mean it must be. The blade is a weapon. A tool. Tools are meant to be broken and repaired." He looked to Bishop and drew a beautiful sword from a leather scabbard. One side of the blade was made of dragon's bone while the other side and the hilt were forged with metal from Jules' old sword giving it a unique looking dual edge, "I finished it for you, I hope it's to your liking."

Bishop took the incredible blade and looked it over. He smiled broadly as he held it in hand and cut through the air a few times then laughed, "It's amazing. Perfect weight and everything."

"Good," Eorland grinned, giving him the scabbard as well. Then he drew a dual bladed battleaxe from his back.

The others looked on in awe at the weapon and Vilkas muttered, "Is that? Did you repair it?"

Eorland said, "This is the first time I've had all the pieces. They say the flames of a hero can reforge the shattered. The flames of Kodlak shall fuel the rebirth of Wuuthrad. And now it will take you to meet him once more," he handed Vilkas the axe and said, "I think you should be the one to carry Wuuthrad into battle, for Kodlak."

Vilkas held it with pride and said, "I will gladly carry it for him."

Eorland looked them all over, "Tomorrow you will journey to the Tomb of Ysgramor."

They all agreed and left for the evening. As Bishop and Rona returned to their homestead, feeling more uplifted than they had in a while, they were suddenly greeted by three young children. Dagny, Frothar and Nelkir all stood by the door, with no escort in sight.

"What are you all doing here?" She asked them.

Dagny actually ran over and hugged her while clutching her mother's songbook in one hand. Rona put a hand to the girl's head as she sniffled and looked up at her, "Nelkir said you're his sister. Can you be our sister too?"

Rona smiled at her laughing slightly, "Well... I suppose."

Nelkir was standing by, arms crossed and looking morose. He glanced over at her and said, "Irileth said you're supposed to take us to Solitude."

"That's right," she said, "It won't be tomorrow, there's a few things I need to take care of, but in another day we'll be leaving."

"I don't want to go!" Nelkir shouted.

Bishop crossed his arms and scoffed, "And why the hell not?"

Nelkir looked right at Rona. "You said I was going to be a Companion someday. I can't do that if I leave. I want to stay, I want to fight! I'll protect Whiterun from the Stormcloaks and anyone else that tries to take it. This is my home!"

Rona was surprised by his sudden bluster and eagerness to take on the life of a warrior. She smiled warmly at him, "You really are Claudia's son."

His eyes lit up when she said that. Then she noticed Frothar off to the side sulking.

Bishop noticed too and asked, "What's the matter with you kid?"

Frothar looked at him and scowled, "I... I can't fight. I just want Father back and for things to go back to the way they were."

Dagny said tearfully, "Can we stay with you tonight? Please? Will you sing some of Mother's songs? Your voice is so pretty, just like hers."

Rona glanced over at Bishop, who clearly had other plans in mind for the evening but relented and gave an annoyed sigh, "Alright, they can stay."

Rona grinned broadly while Dagny cheered and the other two looked somewhat happier as well. She let them all in and they were immediately greeted by a happy wolf which interested Dagny greatly as she started petting him. Frothar looked around at their humble home and said in a bit of a snotty tone, "I always thought the Dragonborn would live in a castle made of dragon bone or something."

Bishop walked over to their small kitchen and immediately pulled out a bottle of Black Briar Reserve from the cupboard, clearly wanting something harder than his usual to deal with all of the children suddenly in their midst. He fell into a chair and said, "It's just a stop off point kid. No reason to have an entire castle if you're just going to hit the road again the next day."

Nelkir sat down at the table, suddenly more interested in Bishop as he asked him, "Do you travel a lot? Where have you visited?"

Bishop looked over his shoulder, then back at Nelkir and pointed to his own face, "What? Me?"

"Yeah," Nelkir said, "You look like a tough warrior. I bet you've seen all kinds of battles."

Bishop chuckled and cracked open his bottle of mead and took a swig, "You don't want to know the kind of shit I've seen kid."

"Sure I do," Nelkir said, "I'm going to be a warrior too, I want to travel all over Nirn."

Bishop snorted, "Right. Weren't you just here the other day demanding roast pheasant and salmon steak like some pompous noble? Oh right, that's 'cause you are one."

Rona walked by him and pinched him hard on the collarbone.

He smacked at the spot and growled, "OW! Ladyship! What was that for!?"

"Quit being an ass," she chided. She tossed a few logs onto the hearth and lit them with her magic. The children's eyes sparkled and Dagny said, "Do you know more magic? Like Farengar? He never shows us anything, always says it's too dangerous."

Rona chuckled and pulled up a chair by the fire, "I'm really good at healing, but not that great with any of the other schools of magic."

Bishop said, "Sure you are! Serlas has been training your destruction up. Remember back in that vampire cavern? You lit the whole thing on fire."

She blushed slightly, "That was more of an accident. That was not supposed to happen."

The kids all looked on in awe and Frothar asked, "You've fought vampires?"

Bishop took another swig of his drink and said, "Not just vampires, but draugr and frostbite spiders and trolls - it's how she got those scars actually," he rubbed a finger to his left cheek, "oh and dragons. More damn dragons than I can count. You name it, we've probably fought it. Shit, just killed seven hagravens yesterday too."

Their eyes were wide as they looked between the two of them and Dagny cried, "I want to hear! Can you tell us about the dragons?"

Nelkir sat up straighter too, "Yeah, I want to know all about your adventures. What's it like being a warrior?"

Rona and Bishop looked between the three ecstatic children and she said, "Well... I don't know, what was your favorite thing we ever did Bishop?"

He gave her a wry smirk and said, "You really want to ask me that in front of a bunch of kids?" She narrowed her eyes at him and he laughed loudly before he said, "Okay, okay. Don't shout me to pieces Ladyship, I was only joking. My favorite adventure, huh? Hmm... Probably the time we faced the dragon at Bonestrewn Crest."

The two of them started sharing wild stories of their adventures across Skyrim as all the children sat, listening intently, leaning forward and asking a million questions. It was nice, Rona thought, to reminisce on things which had been great struggles and paint them in a more heroic light. She was sure it helped soothe their aching hearts too, after having lost their father so abruptly. It was something to take all their minds off of the worst of everything.

When it got very late, Rona was in the midst of singing some of the sleepier songs from Dagny's songbook at her insistence. She noticed that all three of them were slowly nodding off, while Bishop had actually fallen right to sleep in his chair, arms crossed and head drooping. She motioned for Frothar and Dagny to follow her into the downstairs bedroom and tucked them in with some clean blankets, then took Nelkir up to the lonely side room where he crawled into bed and lay his face against the pillow and looked up at her.

He said with a yawn, "I'm glad you're my sister Rona... Am I really going to be a Companion someday?"

She sat down next to the bed, "If you want to. Maybe someday I can teach you some things. There's still a lot I have to do as the Dragonborn, but after I," she hesitated then said,"um… kill the dragons, I'll come see you again and train you with a sword."

"Do I really have to go to Solitude?"

She brushed his bangs out of his eyes, "For now. Your father was really worried for your safety and I promised him I'd look after you all." He averted his eyes at the mention of his father and she asked him, "You're not still blaming yourself for that, are you?"

His lower lip trembled slightly and he said, "I was so mad at him. Every time I talked to the Whispering Lady it just made me madder. Now that she's gone though... I don't know why I felt like that."

Should she be honest with him? He was nine years old, would he understand what it meant to be possessed by a Daedric Prince?

"Do you know what the Daedra are?" She asked him.

He shook his head and she explained, "They're like the gods. They're very powerful and can control what a person does and make them do things they would never do otherwise. That's what happened to you. Don't ever blame yourself for it Nelkir."

He just sighed and she started to debate with herself for moment, wondering if she should do it. Then she unclipped the scabbard of her old dagger and handed it to him.

"I want you to have this," she said.

He looked at it and pulled it from the sheath and uttered, "Wow."

She was immediately clear with him, "That is a weapon, not a toy. I'll show you how to use it properly when we go up to Solitude in a few days."

"Really?" He sounded excited.

"Yes really," she smiled at him, "You never use it against family though," she reiterated, "If I ever catch you using it to threaten your brother and sister I'll take it back. If you want to be a warrior you need to learn how to responsibly carry a weapon."

"Yeah, I will," he assured her.

She gave him a quick kiss on the forehead and tucked him in, shutting his door slightly. She went back downstairs and nudged Bishop awake. He mumbled incoherently about not wanting to hunt right now and with a laugh she pulled on his arm, drawing him up to their own bedroom to sleep.

Rona actually had a dreamless sleep for once. Nothing to disrupt and disturb her until a loud crash and a boom shook the entire house and woke them with a start.

(The music is Siege by Two Steps From Hell)

Bishop swore loudly at the sight of the enormous flaming boulder that had blown into the side of their bedroom. Rona stared wide eyed at it, as the flames started licking the walls of her home. Then they heard the vicious barking and growling of Karnwyr and the shrill screams of Dagny and Frothar down below. They leapt up, threw on their clothes, grabbed their weapons, sidled past the boulder and into the hall where Nelkir stood peering out of his doorway confused. Another scream came from down below and Bishop sprung into quick action, leaping down the stairs in one fell swoop and snarling viciously as he slaughtered the two men below that were threatening the children.

Rona grasped Nelkir by the hand and pulled him down the stairs with her. She looked over to see two Stormcloak soldiers dead on the ground. Then she turned and looked out through the kicked in front door and saw people screaming and running about the streets while the Stormcloaks bore down on them, the Whiterun guard were fighting their damndest to stop them.

Rona looked right at Bishop and shouted, "Get them to Jorrvaskr! Take them out of the city through the Underforge!"

"What about you!?"

She drew both of her blades and said, "I'm going to try and stop them!"

She turned away from him and ran out the door, as he roared at her back, "RONA! DAMN IT!"

She looked over the scene, the city was in ruins and more flaming boulders were plowing into buildings all around them. One was coming straight for her and she cried, "FUS RO DAH!" Sending it careening back over the wall. She kicked off the ground and raced towards the front gates where the city guards were struggling against the Stormcloaks. She shouted, "SUH GRAH DUN!" And leapt in cutting the invaders down swiftly.

She twisted on toe and buried her blades furiously into their bodies, cutting throats, stabbing hearts and spraying blood. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and Sigrs called to her, "Lady Rona! You're fighting with us!?"

She nodded firmly to him and without looking back took off down the path leading out of Whiterun. She saw Irileth up on a landing fighting furiously with two Stormcloak soldiers that had her cornered. Rona shouted, "WULD NAH KEST!" shunting at a wall and kicked off of it, spinning through the air and landing up behind the two enemies. She dug her blades into one of the soldiers backs and with her blades still in him cast him over the edge then shouted at the other, "FUS RO DAH!" Sending him careening over the landing.

Irileth's chest was heaving and she shouted, "Damn woman if I'm not glad you're on our side!"

"Bishop - my companion," Rona told her quickly,"he took the Jarl's children out of Whiterun through the Underforge!"

Irileth looked incredibly relieved and held a hand to her chest, "Thank Azura! We were looking everywhere for them! They were with you?"

She nodded, then she looked beyond Irileth out over the bloody scene. Hundreds of Stormcloak soldiers stood out in the fields in formation while several worked at six catapults launching the flaming boulders into the city. Wave after wave of soldiers were being sent forward and Whiterun's guard fought valiantly, but fruitlessly against them. They wouldn't stand a chance against an army of this size.

(The music is Crusade by Immediate Music)

Then one man caught Rona's attention. It was Ulfric Stormcloak. He stood at the head of his armies pacing back and forth, alongside his Commander and was giving a fiery speech to boost his soldiers' morale, throwing his sword arm out, gesturing powerfully and speaking almost loud enough that it barely carried up to them. She heard the distant sound of him bellowing, "-and today we take Whiterun! For freedom! For Talos!" The soldiers all cheered loudly at his words.

Rona felt her blood boiling with rage. She looked at him the way she looked at the very dragons that would see her killed.

"It's useless," Irileth said, "We don't stand a chance. They beat the Legion here by one day even. He was biding his time. I suppose with the Harbinger of the Companions and the Jarl both dead he simply couldn't resist the opportunity to attack us at our weakest. Knew the Legion would arrive soon too," she looked back at Rona hopelessly, "so he brought the whole damn army."

Rona always told herself she wouldn't get involved. That she wouldn't choose sides, but in this instance she felt herself choosing the side of Whiterun. She knew the Stormcloaks and the rest of the Skyrim would see it as her choosing the Imperial Legion of course, but she had to protect the city and its people.

Irileth spoke again, "I know you said you didn't want to get involved with it. You should go, take the children as far away from here as possible, get them to Solitude."

"No," Rona seethed, "Whiterun is under the protection of the Dragonborn today."

Irileth looked at her, stunned and shook her head, "I know you're powerful, girl, but I doubt even you can stand a chance against an entire army! Don't be a fool!"

"Just watch me," she growled. Rona looked down over the landing and eyed several Stormcloaks down below. She leapt off the platform and flipped through the air, burying her swords into their backs, then shunted off the ground and cut her way through the steady stream of soldiers coming their way. She had eyes on Ulfric and she groaned inwardly at the idea of killing him, the Thalmor would certainly love that, but she just wanted to put an end to it all. The killing, the bloodshed and the damned war.

She shouted at a group of Stormcloaks coming her way, "YOL TOOR SHUL!" Burning them up and kept running as they all started shouting, "DRAGONBORN INCOMING!"

She cried, "WULD NAH KEST!" and kicked off a low rock, soaring furiously over them all and racing for a highly amused Ulfric Stormcloak. Her swords met his blade with a loud clash! They pressed sharply against one another, their blades sparking with the friction and he leaned in with a sneer on his face and laughed, "Thought you weren't going to choose sides Dragonborn Rona. Or have you changed your mind?"

Her eyes burned furiously and she made to shout, but he caught her by surprise with his own shout first, "FUS RO DAH!"

It threw her tumbling backward; she couldn't believe she'd forgotten that he could shout too. She rolled into a group of Stormcloak soldiers, which all immediately surrounded her and Ulfric yelled, "Leave her! This battle's mine."

They backed off and looked warily between the two of them.

Ulfric held his blade up and smirked at her, "Why do you come at me now? Blades flying, ready to kill? You had every opportunity before in my own hold. So why now?"

She pushed herself up and took a fighter's stance, spinning her blades in hand, "Whiterun is under my protection."

Ulfric laughed loudly at her, "Oh I see. And then when the Legion arrives, that'll be that, will it? Let them take the city and go on your way? Sounds to me like you are choosing sides."

"NO!" She roared, "I'm protecting these people! You would bring siege weapons and launch fiery boulders into innocent citizens' homes!? The people here are not your enemy! Yet you would recklessly kill them just for your damned war!? You disgust me."

He snarled at her, "This is war Dragonborn! The innocent will die! No freedom was ever gained by laying down and letting the enemy trample you. You're far too naive for your own good, having lived a life of peacefulness in the Empire. And you are too young to have seen what the Great War did to us. You have no idea," then he shouted loudly for all his Stormcloaks to hear, "I fight for our freedom! I fight with the mighty Talos at my side! And I will fight any who dare oppose us reclaiming our lands! Even you Dragonborn."

She glared at him and glanced around at all of the Stormcloaks. Some eyed her warily, others snarled viciously at her and she heard their elvish slurs and hateful rhetoric as Ulfric riled them up against her.

(The song is Return of the King by X-Ray Dog)

Ulfric spoke again, "You look like you want to fight Dragonborn. So what do you say we face each other in armed combat? No shouts. No magic. Just weapons. It wouldn't be a fair fight otherwise."

She spun her blades in hand more fiercely, then spread her legs, getting low to the ground and holding a blade over her head and the other low. She scoffed at him, "The man who shouted down High King Torygg and who brought an entire army to a weakened city wants to lecture me on fair fighting?"

He smirked again and she rushed in, wanting to cut that smirk off his damn face. Her blades met his and she used all the strength in her tiny body to throw him off of her, he stepped back as she moved in and swiped at him. He expertly evaded her and she swung again. They danced the way warriors did, her lunging at him with all her fury and he evading every move masterfully. He was the superior swordsman, without a doubt. It's exactly what he wanted prove. She was so angry and her heart burned with hatred for him. She let her emotions overwhelm her. Kodlak would have been disappointed, but she couldn't help it.

Finally, he started fighting back, throwing her off, meeting her blades with his own ferocity. He was showing off for his men. Every move was calculated and as they went on, this back and forth dance, she realized he was intentionally trying to tire her... she also realized he had no aim of harming or killing her. It was just a show of strength to demonstrate to his men that even he could best the mighty Dragonborn in armed combat. Show them that he was worthy of leading them.

And now, if she shouted him down, she'd have an army of Stormcloaks on her in seconds. She utterly loathed this man. He took a harsh swipe at her, his sword meeting her two harshly, catching her off guard in her exhaustion and threw her backward. She fell to the ground, sitting up quickly and he pointed his blade at her throat and said, "Stand down Dragonborn. I have no desire to kill you, but I will if I must."

Her chest heaved as she studied him. Maybe it would be for the best. The sooner he claimed the city the sooner the bloodshed could end, that day at least. Then she remembered Alduin and everything he'd said about consuming souls in Sovngarde. She looked up at him again and said, "If you kill me there will be no one left to stop the World Eater."

He regarded her suspiciously, "What do you mean?"

"Remember the dragon from Helgen? That was Alduin. He's back and every soul you send to Sovngarde, he consumes and grows that much stronger."

He tipped the blade flat edge up, lifting her chin with it, "Don't lie to me Dragonborn."

She met his gaze with her sharp eyes and said, "I'm not lying, it's the truth."

Then the sound of people screaming and vicious roaring caught his attention, as he turned to his right to see what the commotion was about. Rona glanced over in just a second to see four werewolves running in and slaughtering the Stormcloaks. Bishop, his fur a dark honeyed brown, was ahead of them all, his furious yellow eyes trained on Ulfric as he belted forward off the ground, kicking dirt and grass up behind him.

(The music is Iron Army by Epic Score)

Rona shouted, "NO!" as Bishop leapt over a group of men, aiming his claws for Ulfric who shouted him right out of the sky, "FUS RO DAH!"

Bishop went reeling back through the air and plowed through a pile of soldiers as he skid across the ground. He was up in seconds though and running for Ulfric again who turned and aimed his sword for the werewolf.

The worst was about to happen, with Bishop lost in his own fury and Ulfric ready to kill this new enemy. Rona shouted, "TIID KLO UL!"

Time slowed way down and she scrambled to her feet looking at the slow moving scene in front of her. Bishop was in the air again, claws aimed for Ulfric, whilst Ulfric held his sword out, ready to plunge it into his chest. Rona ran over and tried to pull the blade from Ulfric's hand to no avail. She looked at Bishop and shouted, "FUS!" then turned right around and cried, "ZUN HAAL VIIK!" at Ulfric. The full shout seemed to break the slow time and everything returned to normal speed instantly.

Bishop flew backward again and landed square on his feet while Ulfric's sword went flying out of his hand. He stared at her, astonished and angry, "You shouted."

She stood between the two of them, swords in hand. Bishop held steady, as he was not about to attack with her in the way, but many Stormcloaks were already rounding on him and she yelled at the top of her lungs, "STOP! The city is yours! I stand down! Just don't hurt them!" She dropped her swords and threw her bow and quiver off. She fell to her knees and put her hands behind her head.

Bishop and the others turned back into humans and took Rona's lead, casting their weapons aside and kneeling with their hands up.

Ulfric stared at her and laughed, "You are just full of surprises aren't you Dragonborn? Werewolves?" She made no reply and he waved a hand to a few of his men, "Bind them. Be sure to gag the Dragonborn as well, lest she shout her way out - ah, and make sure you clap her in irons. She is half an elf after all, magic user and all that."

The soldiers obeyed and cuffed her wrists behind her back with irons, then gagged her with a dirty cloth, pulling it between her teeth and tying it tightly around her head. Ulfric directed them to escort her and the other prisoners with him towards Whiterun.

They walked a ways and saw Irileth standing up on the landing next to Balgruuf's Commander. Ulfric called up to them, "I have captured the Dragonborn and," he glanced at the others, noting their armor, "several of Ysgramor's Companions it seems. Stand down and we will cease the fighting. There need not be any more bloodshed today."

Irileth looked into Rona's eyes. Rona nodded slowly, as if to say, let it go. Irileth leaned over and whispered something to the Commander and then he called out to his men, "ALL SOLDIERS STAND DOWN!"

Ulfric turned back and shouted to his men, "THE CITY IS OURS! TO DRAGONSREACH!"

The Stormcloaks cheered madly and Rona and the others were hiked up through the city and thrown in the dungeons. Rona was kept gagged and they forced her wrists into a pair of iron wall cuffs, above her head. She was so short though that her toes barely touched the ground. It was quite straining on her body. Ulfric laughed and said, "Shall I get you a bucket to stand on Dragonborn?"

She just glared at him. The others were thrown into a separate cell across from her, arms still bound. Bishop barked at Ulfric, "How long do you plan on keeping us here!?"

Ulfric looked back at him, "Only as long as necessary. Until we've secured the city at least. I can't very well have the Lady Rona and her... dogs, running about tearing apart my men when the Imperials finally arrive."

"She needs to be out in Skyrim fighting the dragon menace," Bishop insisted, "She already gave you the city, let her go." His appeals were only for her, not himself or the others.

Ulfric studied him curiously as he said, "Where do I know you from boy?" Bishop narrowed his eyes at the man. Then with dawning realization he scoffed, "Thrice-Banished. Yes… I remember your family. Torban was wise to never grace my city with his presence. Still, for any of you to return to Skyrim, that was unwise. I'll not have any criminals the likes of you gallivanting about my lands." Ulfric drew his sword and aimed it for Bishop's throat.

Rona's eyes widened and she twisted frantically against her bondage, even trying to shout to no avail. Her muffled growls and kicks against the wall were enough to catch Ulfric's attention though as he turned to look back at her and spoke loudly, "Oh? Does the lady protest?"

For once she let her eyes soften, pleading with her gaze for him not to do it.

Then Vilkas spoke up, "I can vouch for the man. He's given up his family's life of crime and become a valuable member of the Companions. He's an upstanding citizen who's done nothing but good works for the people of Skyrim."

Ulfric raised his brows at him, "The word of a werewolf carries no weight with me, especially coming from a werewolf that just finished tearing apart my soldiers."

Then Aela spat angrily, "Kill him and she dies too. Then there's no one left to stop the dragons."

Ulfric laughed, "How do you mean, woman?"

"I take it you've never loved another before," Aela said knowingly, "When you lose the one you love… a part of you dies with them," she looked off sadly, speaking more for herself than Rona it seemed.

"Lovers?" Ulfric glanced between the two of them and smirked. Then he sheathed his blade and said, "Hmph. So be it then. You live for now lad."

Bishop's eyebrows hovered sharply over his eyes at the man as Ulfric left them. Rona relaxed her muscles and breathed steadily through her nose.

As Ulfric disappeared with his personal guard through the dungeon doors, Bishop spoke to Rona, "Got the brats out of the city. They're hiding out at Chillfurrow Farm with Athis for now." She felt relieved and then he chided her, "You said you weren't going to get involved Rona! Fuck..."

She could make no reply of course and only stared at the ground where the tips of her boots barely touched the floor. Aela said, "Fancy fighting out there, girl. Gotta say I'm impressed."

"See what good it did us now," Vilkas scoffed, "I told you we shouldn't have gone running in like that. Almost got my brother killed."

"I was doing fine," Farkas said, "It's you I was worried about."

"So," Aela sounded rather perky for someone bound and imprisoned, "Who wants to turn first and see how their wrists do in these ropes?"

Bishop and Vilkas both looked at her with half-lidded eyes but Farkas said, "I can try."

Before he could even change though something caught Bishop's eye and he whispered, "Wait." Rona couldn't see from her position but Bishop spoke again, growling, "God damn it kid! The hell do you think you're doing!?"

Rona looked up to see Nelkir sneaking around towards their cell. He had her old dagger strapped to his side and he said, "I'm saving you."

Bishop eyed the dagger and said, "Shit, where'd you get tha-," he stopped midway and then turned back to look at Rona and smirked, shaking his head, "Ugh, Ladyship..." Bishop didn't argue it though as he turned his bound wrists to the boy through the bars and said, "Cut them off, careful with that knife though."

Nelkir carefully slid the dagger over the ropes freeing him from his bonds. Bishop took the blade and quickly cut everyone else free then passed it back to the boy.

Farkas said, "Great. Now what?"

Bishop just smirked and fished around his pockets for something, "You're all damn lucky that I keep lockpicks on me."

Vilkas looked offended but Aela just laughed about it. Bishop pulled one out and then reached around and started twisting the thin piece of metal into the lock on the cell. It was only seconds before it clicked and he opened it.

"By the gods," Vilkas muttered, "You really are a criminal."

Bishop snorted, "Best bandit in the Rift," he said, almost proudly so, "And was. Those days are long gone now." He stepped across the hall to Rona's cell and picked his way in, then went right over and pulled the gag off of her. She took a deep breath while he caressed the red imprints on her cheeks the gag left behind, then he looked over the iron cuffs.

He started picking at the lock holding them in place and in a moment she was free. He quickly caught her under the arms as she fell forward, setting her back upright on her feet.

Bishop looked back at Nelkir, "How'd you get in here kid?"

"I already told you before, this castle is really old. There's lots of secret tunnels everyone forgot about."

"Well show us the way out then," Bishop demanded.

"We can't leave now!" Nelkir argued back, "Rona's free - we have to go beat the Stormcloaks!"

"Not happening," Bishop said firmly.

Nelkir looked angry, "Why not!?"

Rona stepped over to him and put a hand to his shoulder, "There's too many of them. I can't fight them off myself."

"We'll help you!" He insisted.

She shook her head and knit her brows together, "No, we're leaving. I have to get you all to Solitude where it's safe."

"NO!" He backed away from her, "I'm going to fight! I'll kill Ulfric myself if you won't!"

Vilkas butt in, "Come on lad. There's no way. We just fought them and we lost. This battle is over, but the war isn't it. Even a great warrior needs to know when to retreat and build a new strategy to fight again."

Nelkir's lip trembled as he looked up at Vilkas, his gaze moving over all of them. Bishop, with his arms crossed, was tapping his foot when he said, "Time to go kid! We don't have all day."

"Please, Nelkir," Rona pleaded with him.

He grimaced and relented, "Fine... but, you won't all fit in the way I came through. We can take the sewers out there though," he pointed to a metal grate inside the cell Rona had been placed in. Bishop walked over to it and knelt down. He picked at another lock, springing it open for them. He smirked and waved a hand to them all as he slipped down into the tunnel below the floor.

They all went in after him, Farkas lifting Nelkir and passing him to Vilkas. As they started walking along the dirty sewer Aela said, "What about our weapons? We can't very well go to Ysgramor's Tomb unarmed."

Nelkir ran ahead of them, "There's an opening in the wall right by the chest where they always lock away evidence and the weapons! Follow me!"

The three Companions moved on ahead while Rona and Bishop lagged behind. Bishop looked over at her and thumbed forward, "Kid's pretty resourceful for a noble. If I didn't know any better I'd say he was in with the Thieves Guild."

Rona smirked slightly, "There's definitely a lot more to him than I ever expected. I think being allowed to explore and adventure has really opened him up. Kodlak told me once that Claudia's children need the training of a warrior to guide them and help them find their place."

He eyed her warily, "Please tell me there's only two of you."

She laughed, "That's what I asked. Kodlak assured me my mother only ever had the two of us."

"Oh thank the gods," he breathed, "I don't think the world could handle anymore of you all."

She pushed him on the shoulder playfully and he wrapped his arm tightly around her, letting her lean her head into him as they walked along. After all this, Rona just wanted to go to Solitude and spend days and days in her beautiful homestead there. She realized then that Bishop had never seen the place, or the enormous bed. She smiled wryly thinking of all the fun they were going to have.

They came up to the others then and saw Nelkir showing them the hole in the wall where the chest was. Vilkas borrowed his dagger and cut a large hole into the back of the chest allowing them to pull their weapons through it.

Everyone was fully equipped again and Nelkir continued to lead the way down through the sewer system and outside the city. They were pretty high up, looking out over the fields through a solid grate which had no door.

Nelkir put a hand to it and shrugged, "I don't know how to get through this way. I've never come this far before."

Farkas stepped forward and said, "Let me give it a try. Step back pup."

Nelkir moved back and watched in amazement as Farkas turned into a werewolf right before his eyes. Farkas grasped the grate with his long claws and put some weight into it. It still didn't budge. Then he took a few steps back and lunged at it. Nothing.

Vilkas said, "Suppose you'll need more strength brother," he glanced back at Bishop, "You too ranger."

Rona grasped Nelkir by his shoulders drawing him back as the two of them changed and joined Farkas in pushing on the grate. The three men, now turned werewolves moved in unison, forcing their hulking bodies against the thing. It started to come loose and on the third try they forced the thing open and all three went toppling out. Rona, Aela and Nelkir ran forward and saw that they'd all landed on their feet however, considering they had the reflexes of werewolves. They quickly changed back and Bishop called, "Jump!"

Aela changed then, surprising Nelkir who shouted, "AH!" as she leapt down and landed softly before returning to human form. The boy stared stunned at them all then looked back up to Rona, mouth agape, "Are you a werewolf too!?"

She chuckled, "No, thankfully I'm just the Dragonborn," she grasped him by his waist, pulling him close and said, "Hold tight!"

He yowled as she forced him to jump with her, but then calmed down as she used her magic to slow their fall, allowing them to land just as gracefully as the others.

Nelkir looked up at her with amazement and asked, "Can you teach me magic too?"

Rona raised a brow at him, "I'm not so sure about that, but maybe Ata can."

"Who's Ata?" He asked as they started walking through the fields towards Chillfurrow Farm.

"Oh, Ata means Father in Aldmeri," she explained, "My father is a very old and very wise altmer."

"He'll talk your ears off about the Oblivion Crisis too kid," Bishop added, "So be careful what you ask him."

Rona laughed and Nelkir looked over them all with great interest on his face. He left her side and ran over to Bishop and the others shouting excitedly, "If I become a Companion will I get to be a werewolf too!?"

Bishop shouted back with a grin, "Don't even think about it new blood!"

"We're actually working on curing ourselves," Vilkas said with a laugh.

Nelkir ran around them all with childish excitement, throwing his arms out, "But you're all so powerful! That was amazing! It was just awesome!"

Rona smiled brightly for the first time in what felt like forever as Nelkir practically skipped across the farmland chattering wildly and asking questions a mile a minute. Soon they would make the trip to Ysgramor's Tomb where Bishop and the brothers could finally be cleansed of the beast blood and hopefully Aela and Kodlak too. Then they would go to Solitude and finally have some peace again, provided of course, thirty odd dragons didn't show up again.

Things were starting to look up. And though she worried for the state of Whiterun she knew what her path was. Rona took Bishop's hand in hers, pulling him to a stop. She looked up into his warm amber eyes as he smiled down at her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself up to kiss him deeply. Soon she would have him all to herself.