Lugging a dragon egg down a mountain was no easy task, and was not to be underestimated. The thing had to weigh at least twenty pounds solid. Thorunn, being the one with the most upper-body strength of the group (and the one who'd suggested this), was stuck with this task. She'd wrapped a sash around her shoulder and stashed the egg in that, to rest loosely at her waist where it wouldn't be so much of a nuisance.

"So, Ulfric," she said, breathing hard. "Is this your idea of a date?"

"That depends. Did you have fun?"

"Absolutely."

"Then yes, this is my idea of a date." His eyes glistened and he shot her a crooked smile. From behind them, Galmar was feigning disgust, making gagging noises.

Thorunn rolled her eyes. Her relationship with Ulfric was no secret to his personal court. Jorleif, Galmar, and a good percentage of his commanders were well aware of what they did behind closed doors. The rest of Skyrim was generally kept in the dark about it, which was for the better. Thorunn, no matter how many titles she had, be it Harbinger of the Companions or Dragonborn, was not a noble, and came far from a noble upbringing. The girl barely knew how to use a fork and had no semblance of an idea on basic table manners.

She was actually from the quiet village of Falkreath, whose only pride happened to be its graveyard. Nobles rarely hailed from lesser villages. Her parents were farmers, then soldiers, then dead. People started getting drafted during the Great War. There were a lot of orphans back then, Thorunn among them. Luckily, by then she was in her late teens and more than capable of taking care of herself.

Unlike most Stormcloaks, she didn't join Ulfric to get revenge for her parents who died at the hands of the Aldmeri Dominion. She joined because she woke up on a carriage being taken to her execution, with an Imperial holding the reins. How she got onto that carriage was something she preferred to keep to herself. It was a less than honorable reason that she'd be better off forgetting about.

Galmar huffed in exhaustion. Thorunn heard his boots skid to a halt. "Can we take a break?" he grumbled.

"Bones getting too creaky, Stone-Fist?" quipped Thorunn.

He grumbled something under his breath. Thorunn only caught a hint of a string of obscene words directed at her mother, including, but not limited to, 'son of a bitch' and 'cheap dragon-slaying son of a tail-wagging whore, no good for nothing'.

Thorunn snickered. Galmar was a pain in the ass at the worst of times, but at least he was creative. Aela picked up her pace to join Thorunn's side, nodding towards the dragon egg resting in the sash. "I wonder if you shouldn't use fire to keep that thing warm."

She tilted her head. "It was on top of a below zero mountain."

"Yes, with its mother," Aela shook her head. "When I first learned you were the Dragonborn, I started doing all kinds of research on dragons and their kin. I'd thought you might be a danger or just trekking through a power trip or something- it doesn't matter now. But from what I read, those things require a hell of a lot of heat to survive before their hide develops."

"I'm no mage, nor do I know any fire spells," said Thorunn. She could see the horses up ahead and felt relief pool in her stomach. "But I see your point. I will send a letter to the Greybeards. They're bound to know something about dragon care."

Aela smiled approvingly. "A good idea, Harbinger."

They reached the horses. Thorunn wasted no time boarding Aegetha, careful not to disturb the egg in her sash. She moved it around to sit comfortably in between her legs on the saddle. They wouldn't want it to fall out and break, despite Thorunn's doubts that a dragon egg could break that easily. It was better safe than sorry.

"I need to be heading back to Whiterun," said Aela after she'd climbed onto her horse. "Is there anything else you would ask of me?"

"No, that'll be all. Thank you." Thorunn nodded dismissively, and they were off in their own directions.

Galmar was bunking with Ulfric. Not long after the ride ensued, they could hear him snoring with his face slouched on Ulfric's back. Thorunn raised her eyebrows at Ulfric, amused, to which he groaned and rolled his eyes. The rest of the trip back to Solitude was generally peaceful, spent in comfortable silence.

That was one of the things Thorunn valued most with her relationship towards Ulfric. They were able to just shut up and enjoy the scenery every once in a while, instead of constantly having to talk and exchange lustful or loving looks. A part of her thought that that was a sure sign of him being the perfect partner.

But there was no chance of that, and Thorunn accepted it. There was a barrier between the two of them that both were wary to cross. One wrong move could have everything crumbling to ashes, and that was unacceptable during such a fragile time in Ulfric's reign. New kings were always seen as target practice to assassins and thieves.

About two days had passed since they'd initially left Solitude. Thorunn hoped the egg was still kicking, despite the absence of its mother. They'd pulled over at an inn mid-way back and soaked it in boiling water while they rested. With hope, that would be enough to get it to Solitude.

Their horses slowed to a halt at the Solitude stables. "Galmar," Ulfric said loudly. A snore answered him. "Galmar!" he barked, louder.

The old man jumped awake, nearly falling off the horse. He regained his balance by latching onto the back of Ulfric's armor, who sighed irritably. Thorunn hopped off of Aegetha and left the stallion to the stable master's care, giving the horse a pat on the snout as a goodbye and an apple as a treat for the trip.

She waited until the two men were off of poor Vjorn before entering the city. The buildings' repairment had progressed since the last time she saw the city, and had she not hated Imperials as much as she did, she may have felt bad for practically destroying it. But she did hate the Imperials, and she didn't feel bad for semi-destroying their city.

She slid the sash further up to cover the egg entirely, not wanting to attract unneeded attention. If the common folk found out about a dragon egg, they'd all grab their father's farming axe and try to slay a dragon for its egg themselves. She couldn't have that, neither for the civilian's sake nor the dragon's.

She, Ulfric, and Galmar made their way to the Blue Palace. While staying at the inn, Ulfric had offered to let Thorunn stay in the palace for as long as she was in Solitude, and, having no better options, Thorunn agreed. It was a comfortable atmosphere anyway. Both because of Ulfric's presence, and the lingering defeat of the Imperials. Sleeping in their queen's bed was the final, and most comical, insult.

And Thorunn would no doubt be sharing a bed with Ulfric. That, too, had been decided at the inn, but after they'd exhausted themselves with tireless sex and lay naked in each other's arms.

The palace came into view and the guards bowed at Ulfric's expense. Once inside, Ulfric leaned down to make sure what he was saying would only reach Thorunn's ears. "You should go to my quarters and start writing that letter to the Greybeards. Send them my regards, and wait up for me." He looked ahead like he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary. In retrospect, he hadn't.

Thorunn nodded in agreement and they went their separate ways- Ulfric to the throne room, where he'd spend the rest of the evening dealing with the petty problems of the public; and Thorunn to his bedroom. Once there, she took a seat at the desk, dipped a quill into an ink bottle, and put ink to parchment. She was always a lousy reader and writer. Her handwriting was sloppy and her grammar poor, but readable. Eligibility was all that mattered to her.

Arngeir,

This may (will) come as a surprise to you, but I've got a dragon egg. Long story, but basically, we unknowingly slayed its mother. I know I said the dragon hunting would come to an end, but these were slightly unique circumstances. Anyway, what do I do to ensure this dragon's survival?

Pel rigir das,

Thorunn