Chapter Three: Spider Panic!
"Stop struggling!" Ralof growled, brows furrowing when Ula frantically started beating her fists against his shoulders. "I'm not going to hurt you!"
Ula would have none of it: she struggled with everything she had in her.
She did NOT like being manhandled!
Once the doors had slammed behind them, the burly Nord ignored her weak little punches since they really didn't hurt all that much; Ula's flailing, on the other hand, was making it difficult to get a good hold on her. After a moment of thought, he all but dropped her to the ground and smirked when she cracked her head against the stone. He watched as she rolled over on her side and curled into a ball, holding her aching head... but when she sat up and gave him a look of tearful indignation, he snorted in irritated amusement.
"You wanted me to put you down," the man growled, cocking an eyebrow at her stunned expression. "However, that doesn't mean you were entitled to me doing it gently."
Before she could even do so much as scowl, he spotted something across the room and gasped, running right past her.
She watched with wary pink eyes as he bolted over to someone lying partially hidden under a small square table; there was a candle and some empty cups on it, as well as a book. Ralof slowly knelt down and checked for a pulse, but his rugged face became solemn after a moment.
"We'll meet again in Sovengarde, brother," he muttered, eyes closing in pain. "You were a strong soul."
Ula's face went slack with horror when she approached the man lying on the ground; she shakily gestured at him in confusion, catching Ralof's attention.
"Yes, he's dead," the man muttered, looking up at her pale face and watching how her pupils dilated from the shock. "In fact, right now it looks as though we're the only ones who made it. That thing was a dragon, no doubt... just like the children's stories and the legends: the harbingers of the End Times."
A screeching roar echoed from outside the keep, seeming to be agreeing with his obvious statement.
However, there was one thing that still kept Ula from falling apart at the seams: she didn't believe any of it was real. It was impossible: it seemed like nothing about the world made sense anymore, so it had to be a nightmare, or a hallucination, or something—anything—other than reality.
Unfortunately enough for her… this experience still felt way too real to be a simple dream.
"We'd better get out of here," Ralof stated warily, eyeing the ceiling when trails of dust fell from the ancient cobblestones. "Come here, child: let me see if I can get your bindings off. Damn imperials must have tied the knot too tightly if it made your wrists bleed."
Ula swallowed before hesitantly stepping forward and holding her arms out with a trembling mouth; she squeezed her eyes shut he pulled out his sword. The man snorted, rolling his eyes at her terrified expression before he gently began sawing at the ropes. After a few moments of doing this, relief surged into the girl's hands and the binds fell to the ground; Ula instantly sighed in relief and rubbed her stinging wrists, eying the bleeding circlets that had ensnared her skin. They'd bound her so tightly that her fingers had turned blue... she slowly rubbed her hands, wincing at the pins and needles prickling through her body.
"You might as well take Bastion's gear," Ralof stated, making her head fly up in alarm. "He won't need it anymore."
Ula's eyes widened in horror and she blinked before looking down at the dead man's closed eyes.
Heart lurching, she instantly threw her hands up and made a 'no-way!' gesture before mimicking punching someone in the nose and frantically shaking her head.
When he stared at her in confusion, not making the connection with what she wanted him to know, the girl smacked her forehead and sighed.
Trying again, she gestured at the sword in his hands before pointing at herself and shaking her head, giving a little shrug at the end.
"Shor's Blood... are you trying to say," Ralof asked in a low voice, making her shiver violently, "that you don't know how to fight? That you don't even know how to use a sword?"
Ula swallowed and hesitantly closed her eyes before giving a reluctant nod.
"Well... this is a problem," the man stated, sounding extremely tired. "I don't have time to babysit you, so stay out of the way until I can find us a way out of here."
With that, he headed over to the gate and started tinkering with the handle.
Ula's face fell since there was no way she could be angry over that insult: she hated admitting it to herself, but his words really stung... simply because he was right. Then again, so what if she couldn't fight? She could still use healing magicka, even if it was nowhere near as strong as Svena's... and she could also conjure fire from her palms! Although... Svena was way better at it than her. In fact, her missing friend had always been better at using Magicka: no matter what her elders said about the so-called mysterious elemental powers she possessed.
Ula didn't believe she could control the weather like they'd said... quite the contrary, it was usually the weather that controlled her.
On rainy days, she felt sad... the music resonating in the world around her became sorrowful: it always, always made her feel the same.
Lightning storms made the resounding world clash in angry harmony... in those moments, it was almost as though Spirits of Song were doing battle with one another.
She'd always felt short-tempered on those days.
And who really cared if flowers started blooming wherever she decided to go? Who cared if they grew directly in the path of her footsteps? She didn't understand it at all herself, and she hadn't understood why it'd made everyone panic, especially since it only made everything around her look that much more beautiful. She didn't possess any type of powerful magicka... although, she really didn't understand why flowers and other green things bloomed around her.
That was pretty much the only thing that didn't have a rational explanation as far as she could tell.
Ula pouted when Ralof wiped his brow and continued tinkering.
She could conjure a bit of fire and heal him a little if she needed to: she wasn't completely helpless, at least.
"Ugh, the lock on this gate was made much too well for me to pick with my limited knowledge," Ralof finally muttered, catching the girl's attention; Ula blinked like an owl when he threw his busted lock pick away and worriedly glanced at the other gate. "Let's see about that one over there."
The girl looked down at her hands and focused, trying to conjure flames the way Svena had taught her to: her brow furrowed and she swallowed.
Even trying her hardest, nothing happened.
Come on, she silently pleaded, biting her lip and straining her soul with all her might. Come on... burn for me... please, ignite...
Ula was interrupted when Ralof let out an unexpected snarl of dismay.
"Damn!" the man barked, shaking his head in disgust. "There no way to open it from our side! We're trapped in here!"
Ula's heart instantly skipped a beat.
However, before the blonde man could say more, the sound of a rusty gate being opened made the two of them freeze. Ralof instantly peered through the bars: when two men and the Imperial captain rushed into the corridor at the opposite end, the blonde man instantly pulled Ula off to the side and covered her mouth.
"It's the imperials," he hissed, giving her a warning glance. "Stay right here! if they attack, get under the table! Don't worry… I was tutored how to battle by Ulfric Stormcloak himself."
"Come on, men, keep moving!" the woman in the hall shouted angrily, making the man tense. "We have to get out of here!"
A few seconds later, the sound of a lock clicking assaulted Ula's ears and Ralof dragged her as far away from the gate as possible. Then he let her go, shoved her down on the ground, and drew his sword before taking on a battle stance. The moment the Captain opened the gate and ran through, she spotted them and drew her weapon, snarling like a savage animal rather than a woman; Ralof instantly cracked his neck, but otherwise remained unaffected by her open hostility.
"Stormcloak Bastards!" one of the men behind her shouted, drawing his sword and lunging at the blonde man. "Die!"
Ralof easily parried the blow and socked the guy in the stomach so hard that he was lifted off his feet and practically impaled by the Nord's fist; then he threw up the contents in his stomach and went limp as he passed out, still in the air with his feet dangling on the ground. Ralof tossed his unconscious body aside and deflected a blow from the other man before cracking him in the back of the neck with his elbow: he dropped like a sack of potatoes.
The captain narrowed her eyes at the blonde man, eying him up and down.
"You didn't kill my men," she stated simply, still expressing open hostility even though it was now marred with skepticism. "Why?"
"Needless bloodshed is pointless right now, when so many casualties are happening to innocent civilians," Ralof retorted in a thundering voice, glaring down at the woman with narrowed eyes. "Sheathe your blade and no more need be said."
"And in the process, I get charged with treason for letting a Stormcloak dog escape," the woman sneered, bouncing from foot to foot with a smirk on her face. "I'd rather die in battle than lose my honor and pride, thank you very much. Give me all you got."
"With pleasure, Imperial wench," Ralof growled, stepping forward with his blade held up; however, a ball of fire unexpectedly exploded past his head and knocked the the woman off her feet. When she landed on her back and her sword clattered on the ground, Ula bolted forward with brightly glowing hands and leapt on top of her chest before pinning her arms down using all of her strength. "What in blazes do you think you're you doing?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Ula didn't even twitch at his question: the girl was glaring down into the woman's startled eyes with enraged tears streaming down her cheeks. This woman was the same one who'd sentenced her to death even though she hadn't done anything wrong. She hadn't broken any laws, she hadn't committed a single crime, she hadn't done anything... and yet, after losing everything she held dear in only one day, this woman had gathered enough audacity to sentence Ula to death.
And that... well, that had triggered rage as well as an adrenaline rush.
Eyes shining with infuriated tears, the white-haired girl spat on her face with an expression of hatred.
"YUCK! You nasty wench! I'll gut you like a fish, little girl!" the woman screeched, fighting against Ula's smoldering hands when the girl's touch began to burn. "OWWW! It burns! Augh, Shor's Blood, you'll never escape from the empire once I get out of here! I'll have your head put on a stake as a warning! I'll kill you if these burns scar up! I swear it!'
Ula would have none of it: taking a deep breath, the pale girl drew her fist back and clumsily punched the woman in the nose with all of her strength.
Then she did it again... and again... and again, beating the woman's face in until she knew her nose was broken and she'd fallen unconscious.
Chest heaving with rage, Ula shakily slid off of her chest and looked down at her bloodied hands with a tight expression; the woman's head lolled, sending blood running down her cheek.
"That was impressive," Ralof stated bluntly, eying her shaking shoulders with a raised eyebrow. "You have more courage than I thought..."
Ula merely turned her back on him, tentatively struggling to heal her aching wrists: she kept her eyes focused on the task with a sullen, pouting expression. He rolled his eyes and began searching the unconscious Imperials for the key; then he howled in triumph and started twirling the entire ring on his finger.
"Looks like we're not as trapped as I thought," the Nord muttered, shaking his head in amusement before trotting forward and sticking the key in the lock; once it was open, the man sighed in relief and glanced at her. "All right, let's get out of here before that damned dragon brings the whole tower down on our heads. Keep your guard up and don't fall behind!"
Ula gave him a shaky nod and hiked up her dress skirt, following him at such a fast pace that her hair was blown out of her face. The girl ran through the tower and fled down a set of spiraling stairs after Ralof, bare feet barely making a sound against the cobblestone: the only thing she could hear was her panting and her own frantic heartbeat. Then they came to an open gateway ensnared by wooden beams. The man ran through it and turned left, hurrying down another large corridor.
The moment Ula slipped through it, however, the entire foundation of the building rocked and she was thrown to her knees.
She looked up just in time to see the corridor ahead of them being buried under huge piles of debris that blocked off the entire hall; a deafening roar thundered in her ears, forcing the mute into clamping her hands over them. Once the dust had settled and the dragon was gone again, Ula slowly crawled to her feet and looked at the barred corridor with dismayed eyes.
Ralof got up as well and trotted over to the collapsed stone, eying it up and down with a cocked eyebrow.
"Damn," Ralof whistled, eying the impassable area with amazed eyes. "That dragon doesn't give up easy."
Ula nodded in agreement and fearfully looked up at the stone ceiling before looking around for an alternate escape route.
However, the sound of a loud voice emanating from a nearby door made her jump nearly a foot in the air: she immediately covered her mouth with both hands.
"We need to get out of here!" the speaker barked loudly; Ralof instantly drew his sword yet. "Grab everything you can!"
Ula watched with unhappy eyes as the man stealthily crept into the room before following him.
"I just need to gather some more potions!" another, almost British-sounding voice protested. "Please, give me more time, master!"
"A Pox on the Empire!" Ralof boomed, charging forward and raising his sword high. "Yaaaaagh!"
"Stormcloaks!" the armored man exclaimed, hastily drawing his sword; however, before he could react, Ralof was on top of him.
Ula flinched and covered her eyes, shakily peering at the battle between her fingers.
However, her pupils dilated when Ralof deflected two attacks and slit the man's throat in a spray of blood.
Then he turned on the younger soldier; his brown eyes went wide and he started fumbling for the dagger at his belt, even though he was obviously terrified. Ula was about to step forward to reason with Ralof, but just as she made to do so... the blonde man whipped his blade forward and cut his throat as well. The Imperial boy choked and collapsed, clutching his neck only a split second before the blood began spewing from his artery. Ula's heart flew up into her throat and she covered her mouth, eyes unbelievably large with horror.
Then her blood froze in its veins, because the Nord turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you coming or not?" he inquired in a monotone, making the girl shiver violently with fright. "We'd best be off."
How many people did he have to kill not to feel anything for the men he just slaughtered? Ula wondered in horror, following him a little more reluctantly. Divines... help me...
"A storeroom?" Ralof suddenly muttered, looking around at the barrels before shrugging and walking around the corner. "See if you can find any potions or salves: we'll likely need them later on, especially if you're a mage. I've heard that using magicka is just as energy-taxing as fighting with a weapon, so I think we would be better off safe than sorry."
Giving him a tiny scowl, the tiny girl reluctantly made her way over to the sacks resting underneath the moldy-looking shelves. In one she found nothing but rotten tomatoes, in the other she found flour, and in the third she found three fresh green apples: her stomach instantly rumbled. Swallowing guiltily, the girl picked up two of the apples and stuffed the third in her dress pocket; when she glanced at Ralof to see what he was doing, she realized that he was searching for useful items as well.
The girl's long ears drooped in dismay and she finally walked over to the nearby desk, lifting a few of the bottles on it and removing the stoppers.
After that, she took a few hesitant sniffs: she'd always had an excellent sense of smell, so she could easily detect what kind of herbs had been put inside these concoctions.
Ula blinked in surprise after smelling each of them, realizing that they were nearly identical to the potions that Svena had sometimes whisked together in her kitchen.
She instantly put the stoppers back in and slipped the tiny glass potion flasks inside her other pocket.
"Find anything useful?" Ralof inquired, looking up from the barrel he was rummaging around in; the girl nodded, then tossed him one of the apples.
I might as well nibble on my apple, Ula dejectedly realized, closing her eyes for a moment; then she bit into it and shivered since it was extremely tart. Ugh... Shor's blood, it's so sour!
"Thank you," the man grunted, taking a big bite of the fruit she'd given him before he glanced at her bulging pockets. "Are you done? If so, let's get moving again."
The girl nodded around her mouthful of apple, watching with worried eyes as he opened the door.
Ralof then rolled his eyes and headed down another hall.
Ula followed him at an easy pace down a set of stone steps, but when the two of them turned to head down a very steep set of stairs, the man halted.
"Troll's blood!" Ralof hissed, eyebrows shooting up in shock. "It's a torture room!"
Ula's feet slid to a halt and her eyes went wide with fright. "
"Stop it!" a woman cried angrily, letting out a whine as an electrical noise filled the air. "No! Mercy! I cannot best you! AAAAH! NO! Divines, HELP ME!"
"Hear that?" Ralof asked in a low voice, hefting his blade and stealthily making way down the stairs. "Sounds like an attack!"
"Leave her alone!" another man roared. "Get off of her!"
The sound of metal on metal ensued, but Ula nearly choked when a raw-throated scream split the air only a few moments later. Throwing the apple away, she sprinted past Ralof and skidded around the corner… only to crash right into a man wearing red armor; he instantly whirled around and grabbed her by the throat.
"What do we have here?" he asked in a twisted tone, eying her up and down in surprise; the girl's eyes became rounder than dinner plates when he unexpectedly drew his thin finger along her lips and touched her pointed ear. "Well, well, well... are you a little mouse who somehow lost her way? If that's the case, let me make you feel welcome."
Ula's eyes widened even further and she tried to pull away from him, but the man clutched her throat and squeezed so tightly that she saw spots.
She was then lifted clean off the ground by his grip alone: the mute girl flailed around and clutched at his wrists, trying to lift herself up so she could breathe.
Her pale face slowly started turning purple as he leered at her body.
"Yes…" he finally snickered, reaching for the front of her dress, "you will do nicely."
The albino blanched when he realized what he was intending to do to her: with a strangled wheeze, she slapped her hands against his cheeks and held them there despite his crushing grip on her throat, struggling to make fire explode from her palms. No fire shot out, but her hands did start glowing with extremely hot power: the man immediately began to scream since her touch was burning his face, but then he let her go and dropped his sword to rub his burning eyes and cheeks. Ula landed hard on her side and started coughing hysterically, clutching her throat and wheezing as she tried to get air back into her lungs.
The moment he grabbed his weapon and tried to stab her, Ralof came running around the corner and slaughtered the man.
Then he turned around and glanced at the two Stormcloaks lying dead on the floor.
"We were too late," the Nord bluntly spat, clenching his sword with shaking fists; then he glanced at the panting albino girl. "Are you alright?"
Ula simply nodded and rubbed her aching throat, unable to get the feeling of his hands off her skin.
She was literally feeling the urge to scrub herself off in a warm bath.
"Well, we'd best get going then... oi, wait a moment! Look: I think there's something in that cage," Ralof muttered, jogging over to a nearby prison and jiggling the handle. "Ah, damn… it's locked. Just give me a moment... I want to see if I can jiggle this thing open."
The Nord man then took two picks out of his pocket and gently slid them into the lock; Ula kept her eyes trained on his fingers and watched how he moved them around, feeling confused. However, much to her surprise, there was suddenly a loud click and Ralof was pulling the cage door open.
Then he stepped aside and made a sarcastic flourish.
"Ladies first?" he asked, quirking his brow in a mocking fashion. "I presume you won't mind the corpse in here."
Ula scowled before turning her head away and refusing to look at him. The Nord headed inside the cage, kneeling down and examining the coins strewn over the floor of it with a calculating gaze. After a few moments, he grabbed up everything he could see and made his way out, slipping the money into a satchel at his belt.
"I'll split it evenly when we get out of here," the blonde man muttered; then he unexpectedly dropped a book into Ula's lap. "Unfortunately, I'm not the reading type. I don't know my letters, so you can have that if you want it. Now, let's get going. We've delayed far too long already."
Ula finally stood up, clutching the book he'd given her close to her chest, and went after him at an easy jog once again; then they came to a tunnel that apparently led to several exits. Even though she had a bad feeling, she allowed Ralof to drag her down the incline; the girl was surprised when he slipped and had to jump the rest of the way, but he at least had the decency to let go of her before doing so.
The two of them continued on into the cave, keeping quiet and listening to the sound of flowing water become louder.
However, an unexpected set of voices soon forced the unlikely duo into stopping.
"The orders are to wait until General Tullius arrives," a man angrily thundered. "Have faith in the general!"
"I'm not waiting to be killed by a dragon!" another man shouted in response. "We need to fall back!"
"Just give the general some time," the first voice retorted.
"For Skyrim!" Ralof suddenly bellowed, drawing his sword and charging around the bend in the cave. "Run to the exit, lass! I'll be there shortly!"
Ula didn't need to be told twice: ducking her head and lowering her shoulders, the girl high-tailed it past the ensuing fight and sprinted across a cobblestone bridge. She darted past several burning torches and a puddle that had pooled on the stone before skidding a little and running across another stone bridge. That's when it happened: in the blink of an eye, the very second before she'd made it across, three men wearing red armor ran up the stairs that lay right next to the safety of the landing.
Ula gasped and attempted to skid to a halt, but her feet slipped on the wet stone and she landed on her butt.
An arrow sliced through the air right where she had been standing, making her face pale.
"Get her!" one of them men wielding a sword bellowed, and the man in front of him notched another arrow. "Don't let her escape!"
After taking a deep breath and preparing herself for more pain, the girl realized she was still holding the book that Ralof had given her.
However, after glancing down at the cover, she froze since this was nearly identical to Svena's most treasured possession. It looked like the book that had taught her friend true magic. Thinking quickly, Ula opened the book and prepared to scan the pages for something useful, maybe a spell to defend herself… but instead of seeing words, what she got instead were images that sped right into her brain and meshed with her knowledge on the world.
She blinked several times as an odd violet light flashed behind her eyes... then the image faded and the first guard was standing above her with his sword drawn. Ula's eyes widened in horrified protest and she thrust her hands out in defense; two forked lightning bolts unexpectedly exploded from her palms and struck the man in the chest with a deafening clap of thunder. The sound of it echoed through the mossy cavern and shook its very foundations.
The albino let out a stunned gasp before looking at her hands: she had absolutely no idea how she'd just done what she'd done. This time, her Magicka had been almost uncontrollable: it had literally just erupted from her body without warning. Back when Svena had been teaching her, it had taken months before the girl had actually managed to heal herself or produce a real flame. Her mishap had been so easy that it was actually rather frightening.
"Run girl!" Ralof barked, disarming the man he was fighting with before running him through; his face showed no emotion whatsoever when he whirled around and decapitated another assailant."They cannot and will not show you mercy! Wait for me at the end of the tunnel! I'll catch up!"
Ula got to her feet and turned to give him a nod, but she didn't see one of the two remaining imperials lunging at her.
"Die, wench!" the red-clad man snarled, drawing his sword arm back. "You won't get past me!"
The girl stiffened when she heard the blade being swung at her from behind and immediately ducked under the blow.
She'd gotten lucky: the man's sword caught the ends of her hair instead of her head.
When he tried to attack again, Ula thrust her hands out again and more lightning lanced out of her fingertips with deafening cracks. The Imperial was blown clean off his feet and went flying straight into his comrade, both of them going down like empty sacks. After that, Ula fled up the crumbling stairs and tore into the next stone tunnel, pressing herself into a small alcove while she waited for Ralof to come join her.
The Nord passed by her nearly six minutes later.
Sliding out of her hiding place, the girl jogged up and tapped his arm.
However, she all but squeaked when his bloodied sword was suddenly being held against her throat: he'd whirled so fast she'd barely seen it.
"Shor's Blood, don't scare me like that!" he scolded, face relaxing almost immediately. "I nearly slit your throat! I thought you were an imperial!"
After that, the two of them took off together.
They continued on through many twists and turns until they came to a drawbridge: Ula and Ralof had just made it to the end of it when another distant roar shook the tunnels. However, both of them lost their balance when the cobblestone floor bucked beneath their feet, causing the tremors to grow in intensity; the girl glanced over her shoulder with a start when the unexpected sound of a cave-in erupted behind them.
Then the bridge was gone, exploding in a spray of wood and stone that soon vanished completely, leaving behind only clouds of thick dust and debris.
"No going back that way, now," Ralof noted, eying the demolished bridge. "We'd better push on, though... the rest of them will have to find another way out."
ff there is another way, Ula sourly muttered, flicking her hair out of her eyes before she trotted down another small set of stairs and landed on dark mud; the girl's mouth instantly curled in disgust and she shuddered since her feet sank down a bit. Noticing her extreme discomfort, Ralof gave her a wolfish grin.
"What's wrong, lass? A little mud and water never hurt anybody," the burly Nord chuckled, clomping through the mud before heading clean over to the stream and walking through it, boots and all. "In fact, it refreshes the soul and makes a person feel more alive."
He's crazy... the albino thought to herself, hiking her skirts and tiptoeing across the squishy earth; with dainty movements, the pale girl slipped over to the stream, shuddering before she wiggled her toes to get the mud off. Ew! Ew! Ew! Nothing is more revolting than the sensation of mud between one's toes!
Ula then followed the Nord downstream, being careful not to slip or cut her feet on the rocks beneath the water: they came to a halt in front of another cave-in.
Ralof looked rather perplexed, but after a moment he glanced at the natural cavern shooting off to the right with an expression of immense distaste.
He was obviously reluctant to head down the open cavern.
"The quick exit is blocked," he muttered, glancing down at Ula with narrowed eyes. "Let's try heading down this path."
Ula just so happened to notice a bunch of bones resting in a neat little pile next to a lantern, along with a pouch of coins.
She instantly gave him a look that said 'you've gotta be kidding me' and folded her arms across her chest.
"Don't give me that look: my blade will take care of any problems," Ralof muttered, filching the pouch from the shelf full of bones and clasping it onto his belt before hefting his weapon. "We have to keep moving: there's another way out through there."
Ula merely sighed before following Ralof down the natural cavern, making her way over the rocks and crags.
"I don't think this day is ever going to end," Ralof sighed, staring mournfully up at the ceiling when they came to an opening in the cavern. "Why now of all times?"
With that, he drew his sword again.
Ula looked up to see a bunch of roots surrounding her, but she immediately sensed something odd about the plant life.
They weren't resounding like they should have been... all plants had a distinct sort of voice: these voices resounded in a manner similar to insect life.
Wait...
Ula jumped so high in the air when one of the plants actually moved and turned to face them that her legs buckled and she fell after she landed. The girl let out a gasping wheeze that definitely would have been a scream had she been able to use her voice. Then she made the sound again, and again, regardless of whether or not anybody could hear it. She felt lightheaded when Ralof slowly crept forward, and not long after that, Ula began to cry.
You see, the mute girl had an ingrained dread of creepy-crawlies—she was a girl, after all—but amongst all of those fears, the biggest was her fear of spiders. Up until the age of eight, she had actually adored little arachnids because their Life Songs were incredibly distinct and lovely for such little bugs… but then, during the night on a trip to go shopping in Windhelm with Svena, she was bitten by a poisonous arachnid that had laid eggs in her skin.
She hadn't ever gotten over the trauma of waking up one morning to a mountain of eight-legged bugs exploding from a bloody hole in her arm.
However, the spiders in front of her weren't the size of a grape or a penny... these spiders were enormous: the smallest of them was the size of a small wagon.
So, like any rational girl with a deep-set fear of spiders, she was crying her eyes out.
"Disgusting!" Ralof muttered, cleaving his way through the insects before jumping back and doing it all over again. "Let's just get this over with!"
Ula merely curled into a ball and buried her head in her knees, shaking all over.
After an eternity, Ralof was suddenly beside her, panting heavily.
"They're dead," He grunted, gripping her arm and pulling the shaken girl to her feet. "Hate those damn things. Too many eyes, you know?"
Ula merely swallowed hard and rubbed her puffy eyes, refusing to acknowledge his words.
Five minutes later, they came to another river and hesitantly crossed the natural stone bridge leading to the other side.
The two of them were just about to pass an old, abandoned wagon when Ralof froze and crouched down.
Ula did the same out of instinct.
"Hold up," the blonde hissed, hefting his sword as he eyed a sleeping lump of fur lying across another stone river. "There's a bear just ahead! See her?!"
A very distant roar and the dull thundering of a collapsing tunnel behind them was the only answer he received: Ula couldn't even nod.
She was so dazed by everything that her brain felt numb, and the adrenaline was literally the only thing keeping her body going.
"I'd rather not tangle with her right now," Ralof finally muttered, looking at the pale teenager sitting beside him. "Let's try to sneak by. Take it nice and slow, and watch where you step. Or, if you're feeling lucky, you can take the bow I found earlier. Might take her by surprise."
That jerked the girl out of her stupor: she immediately hissed in protest, frantically shaking her head back and forth.
"Then let's go," Ralof whispered, rolling his eyes. "You go first; I'll watch your back."
The next few minutes were spent sneaking past the sleeping bear without slipping and falling on the unsteady ground. Ula's heart was thudding in her ears, and her palms shook as she tried to sneak past the animal with stealthy movements. Her heart leapt into her mouth when the beast suddenly lifted its head and looked around: the albino froze like a statue and squeezed her eyes shut, already feeling lightheaded with a silent scream.
When the creature lay back down and snuffled a bit, she all but scurried towards the safety of the sheltering rocks.
"That was close," Ralof stated in a low tone, wiping his forehead; however, when the two of them walked down the edge of the cavern, his next words nearly made Ula cry again... this time from sheer joy. "Hey! That looks like the way out! I knew we'd make it! Come on, let's get out of this twisted labyrinth!"
Ula watched as he slid into the blinding light and vanished, then hastily hurried after him.
What was waiting beyond... she had absolutely no idea whatsoever.
For now, though, she was alive... wonderfully, gloriously alive.
And no matter what it took, Ula was going to make sure it stayed that way.