Author's Note: Kinda short chapter, sorry. And please review, the more people who do that than the better my stories will get.

Normal POV

"Good work, all of you" said Tulius, pacing around the room. The Jagged Crown was resting on a table in the main hall while Leif and the other soldiers stood in the war room with the General. Legate Rikke had just finished telling him about what we went through at the crypt. He seemed pleased but he still had little emotion. "Ulfric will certainly not be happy about this which is exactly what we want. Maybe he'll slip up. Maybe he won't. Regardless, he does not have the Crown and that in itself is a victory for the Imperials"

He turned to Leif with a small smile. "I have heard good things about you, boy. You seem to be very clever and good in a battle. Therefore, I'm giving you a task. Go to Whiterun and give the Jarl this message: "The war is escalating and your city is still undecided. I apologize that I must pressure you but a decision must be made. Will you side with the Imperials or the Stormcloaks? I leave the choice up to you, but I urge you to make the correct one and as quick as possible". If he still is undecided or wants to join the Stormcloaks, try to convince him to join us or at the very least remain undecided. Having a possible ally be neutral is better than having it as an enemy. If you wish, you make take one person with you or you can go alone. Either way, get that message to the Jarl and return here once you do. I'm promoting you to Quaestor for this task. I doubt Balgruuf would listen to an Auxiliary. There is a carriage for you outside the gates. Now if you are ready, get going" he ordered.

"Yes sir. Darvak, you're coming to Whiterun with me. Let's go" said Leif, motioning for the Breton to follow him. They left Castle Dour and headed for the city gates.

"Why'd you pick me to go with you?" he asked when they had passed Bits and Pieces.

"Because I didn't want to take a Nord and have to listen to them talking about Talos. Technically, you're not a Nord so I figured I wouldn't hear that from you" he said, quickening his pace slightly. Darvak sped up and seemed confused.

"But aren't you a Nord? Even if they're fighting for the Empire, most Nords worship Talos. Why don't you?" he asked.

"Maybe it's because I never lived with anyone like me. My brother was Khajiit, my father was an Argonian and my mother was a Dark Elf. I don't believe Talos is a god. Is he a great warrior? Of course. But is he a god? No"

He looked up at the sky but didn't say anything. They both remained silent until they had gotten in the carriage and had set off to Whiterun. The driver said that it would take weeks to get there which inwardly made them groan. Leif was fairly impatient but as he had no choice, he said nothing.

"Well...since we're going to be here for a while...tell me about your family. You never really told me much. I'd understand if you don't want to say anything though" said Darvak. Leif averted his eyes. He didn't want to talk about it but he figured it may help him feel better.

"...my father was an Argonian who spent ten years in the military in Black Marsh. He was usually nice and hardly ever yelled but when he did...it wasn't fun. He came to Skyrim after he left the army and that's where he met mother. She was a Dark Elf who was skilled in magic. She was a bit more...high strung...than father but she still was the nicest woman I've met. She taught Alteration at the College of Winterhold for three years then left and met father when she moved to Solitude. They found Kesh, my brother, and me a few years later, abandoned at the gates of the city. He taught us to use a sword. My mother taught us magic. Kesh was always better than me when it came to the Arcane, though. I made up for that by being better than him at sword fighting" he explained sadly.

"I see...what about Kesh?"

Here, Leif remained silent. Talking about Kesh hurt more than talking about his parents. He loved them both but the Khajiit was more than just his brother and maybe even more than just his friend. Finally, he spoke.

"...Kesh...was so much more than my brother. We basically were two parts to the same person...where he was weak, I was strong and vice versa. We did everything together and you never saw one of us without the other. We trained every day but were never able to best each other. We hardly ever got in real fights..."

Darvak smiled slightly. "Ah...you loved him, didn't you?"

Leif seemed slightly confused. He titled his head to the side. "Of course I did. He was my brother"

"No, that's not what I meant" he said, shaking his head. "I meant you loved him as more than a friend and a brother. You literally loved him...didn't you?"

Leif blushed bright red. "W-what? No! I...I mean...how could I love him? He's my brother!" he said. Darvak smiled and leaned back.

"Uh-huh. My question is answered" he said, grinning.

"...so what about your family?" asked Leif, still red. Darvak stopped grinning and sighed.

"Everyone in my family is a Nord. I was adopted too, you see. They all hate me except for my little sister because...well, I'm not really sure. It could be because I'm not as into Nord tradition as they are, it could be because I hate war and fighting, heck it could even be because I've never dated a girl before" he muttered, looking away.

"Wait, back up. So you've date-" Leif began but the driver cut him off. They were in the middle of a large field. In the distance, they could see Solitude but that was the only town in sight. A single cave stood about two hundred yards away. A few animals ran around near the carriage while a gentle breeze swept across the plains. The grass rustled softly. The sound was peaceful and would likely be able to calm even a dragon.

"Sorry to interrupt but the area around here is known for bandit attacks. I'm sure we'll be fine but I just thought you should know. Oh, and tell me when you would like to stop for the night, ok?" he said. They both thanked him and he went back to driving. Every so often he would look around, likely to see if bandits were near.

"So why did you willingly join the army if you hate war and fighting?" Leif asked, returning his attention to Darvak.

"Because I wanted to get away from my family. Also, I hate what the Stormcloaks are doing so I figured that if I'm going to leave, I might as well make myself useful. My parents told me to join to Stormcloaks, you know. Personally, I find the idea appalling so I join the Imperials instead. I doubt they know. What about you? Why did you join?"

"The Stormcloaks were the ones who burned down my house"

Darvak looked away, obviously feeling slightly uncomfortable about bringing up the subject and both became silent.