Dala tried not to scream in frustration as she led the troops, if you could even call them that. Tullius hadn't been joking when he said the troops were poorly trained, many of the men she saw barely knew how to hold a damned sword. They would be lucky if they weren't massacred.
There ride back to Solitude had been uneventful much to Dala's annoyance. She could do with pounding a few bandit skulls in. No sooner had they gotten into the gates than Tullius had walked up to them and shoved them back out the gates, with over two hundred Legionaries at their backs. Presently they were on their second day of journey, she could see Whiterun in the distance, its warm glow flared like a beacon to her. She knew that her family was already at Dragonsreach, waiting to hear the tell tail signs of battle. She no doubt knew that most of the residents in the city had relocated to the bunkers that were housed under the city, the fifty or so city guards were the only ones left. She looked to her left and in the far off distance she could make out the smallest of glows. Ulfric's troops would be on them within hours.
As they neared the city Rikke, who had rode alongside Dala started barking out orders. Men ran in all different directions, setting up barriers and getting into positions. Fifty archers lined the walls of Whiterun with another twelve elite archers scattered at hidden locations. Two lines of defense were set outside the city, each having twenty five men. Inside the city the guards were stationed in one mass at the gates and another at the Gildergreen tree. They wouldn't let the Stormcloaks get the Dragonsreach. Twenty of Balgruuf's personal guard lay within, along with his brother, Lydia, and his housecarl. If all else failed they would get the Jarls family and Dala's out of harm's way. At least that was Dala's thinking as the glow of the enemy drew near. She could hear the roar of men and women as they fell onto the city. From her spot perched on the city wall she could clearly see that they had almost three times as many men as Dala. She sent a quick prayer to each of the nine gods then she drew her bow. Twenty yards from her Arya crouched with her own bow, already aimed at a Stormcloak. Down below the fighting had begun, the Stormcloaks hadn't even stopped, they had just barreled into the Legionaries as if they were nothing.
Dala quickly started firing arrows, a satisfying feeling pitting in her stomach every time a Stormcloak fell. It didn't take long for the archers to run out of arrows, once that happened they jumped from the walls to create another line of defense. Dala dropped the borrowed bow and quickly took out her swords. She leapt from the wall and started racing along the rocks, with a yell born of rage she jumped into the mass of blue and gray bodies. She cut left and right never halting too see if she actually had taken one down. She knew she was, as she fought more and more bodies piled around her. The Stormcloaks were catching on that she wasn't some stupid Legionnaire and had started hoarding around her. She could feel blades cutting into her flesh as she hacked away at their numbers. A quick healing spell would stop the bleeding only for it to start as another blade sunk into her skin. She could almost sense Arya at her back, the girl had a large pile of dead soldiers around her body as well. For a second Dala's vision cleared as the Stormcloaks surged past her. She wiped blood out of her eyes and looked to the gates, the first defense had failed and they had broken through the drawbridge.
Dala yelled to Arya and pointed to the gates, without another word she leapt from the throng of dead bodies to fight the new set of attackers. Dala ran through the mass of rebels, cutting as many down as she could. Finally she broke through only to turn around and start fighting again. She was covered in blood, most of it the enemies. Bodies lay all around her as she fought, many from both sides. Hearing a shout to her left Dala turned just in time to see a hulking battle axe sail towards her head. She side stepped and flung a dagger at its wielder, giving a satisfied purr when it embedded in his neck. Turning she flipped her blades in her hands and starting slashing against the almost solid mass of bodies. She didn't have to aim, she hit flesh no matter where she swung. She jumped out of the way as a deadly looking war hammer slammed into the ground where she had been, it created a dent in the earth. Dala looked at its owner and hissed. She had seen the general before, the bitch had given Dala matching scars on both of her arms. She snarled and lurched forward. With a satisfying roar she embedded the blades into the woman's chest up to the hilts. She yanked them out and then turned.
The rebels had breached the city, their numbers were almost cut in half now, the battle had been raging for the better part of two hours. She grabbed Arya's arm and started pulling her towards Dragonsreach. They ran along the tops of the walls, flinging daggers into the enemy below. They arrived at the Gildergreen seconds before the Stormcloaks. The guards all looked terrified as she jumped down in front of them, she stumbled and swore as Arya caught her. A small blade was embedded into her right thigh. She yanked it out and then wrapped a piece of cloth Arya had given her around the wound. Snarling she pointed at the commander as his men started to fight.
"You don't let them reach the doors, you keep them here." He nodded before unsheathing his greatsword and wading into the throng of bodies. Dala continued running up the steps, viciously slashing anyone who tried to follow. At the top of the steps she leapt over the barricades. Turing she shoved aside the men there.
"Get back." They all did without a hesitation and watched in fascination as she lit the barricade on fire. Then she quickly snapped a ward in place to contain the fire on their side.
"That should hold them for a while, tell your archers to rain hell on them, dip the arrows in the fire, whatever you have to do, they do not get through those doors." He nodded and started shouting off orders to his men, she could hear the fighting right on the other side of the barricade. Roaring she lunged over the burning wall knocking back a large group of Stormcloaks until she had room to move. Arya stayed on the other side, no doubt standing guard at the door. Dala flung her blades into the approaching rebels and unsheathed the sword on her back. With all the power she could muster she swung it back and forth, cutting almost anything in its path down. She could tell the Stormcloaks were having trouble getting over the growing wall of bodies, it made it all the easier for Dala. She shoved her sword into the head of an oncoming Stormcloak only to pull it out and use the momentum to spin and decapitate another. Suddenly she cried out as a lone arrow slammed into her stomach, it was so fast that the tip came out the other side. Snarling she built up her Thu'um.
"FUS RO DAH." She couldn't help the grin as the steps before her were cleared. Almost twenty soldiers were flying into building a hundred yards away. Arya appeared by her side and together they vaulted over the still burning barricade.
"We need to get you inside, that arrow has poison on it Dala." She shook her head as she snapped the arrow tip off, then with a small grunt she yanked it from her body. A fresh flow of blood gushed out of the wound and Dala swore. Behind them they could hear the city guard as they renewed their efforts against the dwindling army of the Stormcloaks. Suddenly the barricade blew inward and the last fifty or so Stormcloaks came rushing through. The easily cut down ten of the stunned guards but that was as far as they got. Dala shoved away from Arya and built another Thu'um in her throat.
"SU GRAH DUN." Suddenly Dala was whirling through the crowd cutting down foe left and right. In less than ten minutes the remaining Stormcloaks all lay dead, all by Dala's hand. She was breathing hard as she used her broadsword for support. Around her the roar of the city guard marked the end of the battle and their victory. Arya grabbed Dala by the waist and practically dragged her inside, shoving battered men out of her way. Inside the doors Arya caught the arrow that was sent flying there way and tossed it to the side with an irritated snort.
"Help me." No sooner had the words left her mouth then Farengar, the court wizard was kneeling next the Dala who was now laying on the floor. He looked at Arya,
"You have magicka yes?" Arya nodded and without words they both called forth their most powerful healing spells. It turns out that together they were able to cast the Guardian's circle, a master restoration mage could only perform it. A soft ring of yellow light surrounded her and Dala could feel the soothing magicka poor into her body as it started to heal her. She turned to look at Arya who had her head bent in concentration, her brow was lightly beaded with sweat as was Farengar. Arya was an expert in restoration but she was no master, and as far as Dala knew, Farengar was a destruction mage. From somewhere far away she could hear a woman scream, she turned towards the stairs to see Regan being held back by a very pale Balgruuf. Tears were streaming down Regan's cheeks as she viciously tried to break free of his grip. Dala coughed and tried to smile at her, when she felt a warm liquid trickle down her chin she touched it. Her fingers came away dark red, panicked by the sight she coughed again, this time she could see the blood arc into the air. Regan was screaming again, Dala couldn't make out the words for some reason except one.
"Dying." With that troubling word clouding her mind, Dala walked into the waiting darkness that lingered above her, it was so peaceful there.