I recognized this. This endless expanse of white. I looked down, and sure enough, my shins were buried in the same knee-deep snow as my other dream. But this time, I was clad in the rags I had worn in Cidhna Mine, and my surroundings were calm. There was no blizzard. No wind biting at my face or howling in my ears.

I strained my eyes, trying to make out any scenery but there wasn't any.

Fog? I guessed, stretching my arms out, but as far as I could tell, visibility was perfect. I could even make out the thick scar on the back of my left hand from Uaile's dagger. Everything was just white.

I swallowed gently, trying to slick my dry throat.

"Hello?" I called out tentatively, jumping slightly when what sounded like a hundred echoes answered me. They sounded like echoes in a cave, the volume rising and falling in eerie undulations. I remained still as I listened, waiting for the noise to die down, but it never did.

And then I began to pick out voices that weren't mine.

I heard Uaile and Vex, Madanach, Niruin, Delvin, Thrynn, and Sapphire. I heard Braig, and Keerava, Tonilia, even Maven Blackbriar, and many more voices that began to blend into each other, all saying the same, questioning word.

And then a voice, louder than the rest. From behind me. Not a question.

"Hello."

It was silky, with a hint of amusement. So different from the probing, vulnerable voices surrounding me as if I was the eye of a tornado. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite remember whom it belonged to. I felt my heartbeat grow faster in anticipation.

I turned…

I was staring at a wooden ceiling. I blinked a couple times, adjusting to the darkness of the room, struggling to remember both my dream, and where I was at the same time.

I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and wiggled my toes, surprised to find them free from the confines of my leather boots. I didn't usually take them off when I slept in case I needed to make a fast getaway.

I'm in the Frostfruit Inn, I remembered. I saw a dragon yesterday, and a giant spoke to me. …I didn't get to see who was behind me in my dream.

Fumbling slightly in the dark, I quickly slipped on my boots and gloves, grabbed my bow, quiver, and bag, and tiptoed out of the room. It was nighttime still, which made sense since I'd fallen asleep in the middle of the afternoon. The fire pit in the common area had been extinguished, and there was no sign of anyone else.

I paused at the bar counter, debating whether to leave a note, but couldn't think of anything to say. Erik knew I was grateful for his hospitality at any rate, and I wasn't going to go out of my way to do something so uncharacteristic.

Whiterun.

I pursed my lips. I should have just taken that carriage all the way from Markarth. Now I'd have to go to the main road and wait for another one to pass by. Or walk. I wondered how long that would take.

Well, I guess that's the plan for now, I thought, resigned. Better get to it.

With that in mind, I wolfed down a wedge of goat cheese, a couple leeks, and half a roll of bread from my bag and exited the inn, mentally preparing myself for the long journey.

Outside, the sky was overcast with light grey clouds. On the other side of town, the torch of a patrolling guard shone almost as brightly as the stars that blinked from the occasional patch of clear sky.

I sucked in a breath of fresh air that chilled my lungs, and watched as it danced away on my exhale, remembering the icy assault that had streamed out of the dragon's mouth and the way those jaws had crunched Grok's weapon. I hoped against all odds that he had managed to survive somehow. I wanted to go out there and check for myself, but I was also afraid to know the truth.

In the end, I convinced myself that whether or not Grok was alive made no difference to me. Some questions were better left unanswered, so I put the thought out of my mind as best as I could, tightened my grip on the sack in my hand, and began the hike to the main road.

Two sore feet, a couple brief traveling partners, a carriage, and most of the day later saw an uneventful journey come to an end. It was a pleasant change of pace from the constant happenings of the month, and I half expected something to go wrong. But the roads were clear, the temperature wasn't too cold even if the clouds were gradually darkening, the occasional troupe of Imperials kept the bandits off the roads, and not a hair nor tail of even a sabre cat was seen.

By the time I had made my way past the imposing gates of Whiterun, the sun, while still hidden behind the thickening gray clouds, was well into its descent. Still, the lively city streets remained crowded with all sorts of people. Travelers and residents alike roamed in equal numbers, and a few tricks of the fingers was all it took to make my coin purse that much heavier. A little practice never hurt, especially when my skills hadn't been put to use for a while. The only thing I'd pickpocketed throughout my entire ordeal was a lame shiv from Grisvar the Unlucky.

I did what I had to.

The thought snuck up on me before I knew it, accompanied by a deluge of guilt and the image of Grisvar's blood all over my hands. I scowled, trying to shake the feeling, but it stuck with sharp claws to my skin. I was only just beginning to see that Cidhna Mine had left more than physical scars for me to grapple with.

Outside the Bannered Mare, I decided to take a seat on the top of the stairs to recompose myself, withdrawing the note I'd left for Ennis again to distract my mind from the road it was walking. The ink had been almost entirely washed away by the spilled mead, and the rest of the poorly written note was smudged. If I looked really closely, I could make out the name Ysolda in the middle, and even then it was only because Ennis had told me that's what it said. A thousand kudos to that man's decryption skills.

"Kasha?"

I started, looking up from the note, eyes wide. Afraid to look behind me in case the voice wasn't real.

"Kasha, is that you?"

My breath hitched in my throat. I recognized this voice, but I couldn't shake the feeling that if I looked, I would wake up somewhere different. I had to, though.

I turned.

"Oh my gods, it is you."

"Niruin," I said, pushing myself up so that one foot was on the same level as him, and the other on the step below it. He must have just come out of the inn. Neither of us moved for what felt like a whole minute but couldn't have been more than a couple seconds.

Then Niruin closed the distance between us in two swift strides, and wrapping his lean arms around me in a tight hug.

"I can't believe it. I thought you were dead," he said, pulling back slightly. Up close, I could make out circles under his eyes that were darker than I remembered.

And then, before I had any time to react, his lips were crushed against mine in a relieved sort of desperation. It was awkward with his hands tangled with my bow, the added height difference because of my stance, and the way I had tensed, stunned by our sudden proximity. But at the same time, he was familiar and his lips were warm, and it felt… nice.

It seemed to hit us at the same time what was happening, and we both broke away a little too quickly. He quickly averted his gaze in embarrassment, and I ran a flustered hand through my hair.

"Um. Wow. Sorry," he said. "I don't know where that came from…"

"I didn't realize you missed me that much," I said attempting to be coy to hide how dazed I was. It seemed to work, because he flushed a deeper red than I had ever seen before.

"No, it was just that... I thought you were… you're here and…"

I silenced him with a shake of my head, a tint of a smile on my face. I had just been trying to fluster him, and, while it had worked exceedingly well, I was still a little too shocked to fully appreciate his reaction. But even if he had no idea why he had done what he just did, I knew. I recognized the kiss for what it truly was: an act of jubilance. You're alive, it said in a way that words never would. You're alive, you're alive, you're alive.

Not once had it even occurred to us throughout our friendship to take it a step further, and I didn't see this changing that accord. It was more of a celebration than a romantic event.

I'm alive.

My throat tightened, and I felt that sting in my eyes again as my vision blurred.

No, no, no. Don't you dare.

But the dam broke anyways. The stress, the pain, the loneliness, the guilt – all the suppressed emotions of the past month came flooding out at once, my tears leaving burning trails of shame and regret as they slid down my cheeks. I swore softly under my breath at this spectacle of weakness, quickly dashing them away with the back of my gloved hand.

"Divines have mercy on us all," Niruin smiled gently, removing his hood before pulling me into another hug, any awkwardness that might have been between us forgotten in that moment. "Kasha Lightfoot is actually crying."

I couldn't help but laugh as I wept into his shoulder. "Damn it," I choked. "I swore this wouldn't happen. Why can't I stop? I'm such an idiot."

"I know, I know," he teased, placing his hands on my shoulders and holding me at arms length so he could examine me better. "Look at you," he tsked. "You look like you've come from Oblivion itself. Tonilia's going to have a fit when she sees the state of your armour. But then again, you'll be the one paying for a new set, so I'm sure she won't mind too much." He paused, his expression changing subtly into one I couldn't quite place. "I almost didn't recognize you."

I laughed again, a little bitter. "I almost don't recognize myself. I used to think I had so much control over my life, you know?" I wiped away a couple tears that persisted in streaming down my face. "I guess I just never realized how helpless I actually was."

"Like a wee babe you are."

I pulled away and punched him playfully in the shoulder, suddenly very aware of the stares our mini drama was receiving, but took a queue from Niruin and blatantly ignored them.

"Shut up," I grinned.

"No, you."

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"That. This. This mindless banter."

"What's wrong with a little playful banter, Lightfoot?"

"And stop calling me Lightfoot."

He grinned, his eyes glinting with that familiar mischief I had grown to both hate and love. It didn't take a genius to knew that he wouldn't, and I wasn't sure if I what I was feeling was excitement or dread.

Niruin was here, I was out of Markarth, I was alive, and, best of all, I wasn't alone anymore. I felt like I could take a little more of what the world threw at me.