They all walked for their objectives.
Lawhawk prepared her troupes as Arkan and others prepared to take the city of Windhelm.
After a day of preparation for a synchronized attack, Iona made a last check on everything. In order to break in the, now, heavily guarded, palace of kings, they'll have to use the distraction caused by the Breton Knights to get in an evacuation tunnel. Said shaft will leading next to the torture chamber of the palace, once rarely used, now busy all the time.
The coordinate attacks will begin at sundown in order to let everyone reach their posts.
While Iona and the others were walking toward Windhelm. Iona, her, was deep in her through.
"What will I do after all this?" she asked herself. "Will I really have to take the title of High Queen?" she doubted. "Am I even going to be able to lead my people like she would have?" she through of Nora, once again, she felt her grief come.
She soon felt a hand on her shoulder, "I can see doubt and sadness in your eyes Iona..." said Arkan.
"I... I keep asking myself, if I'm really worth all this. The powers I'll gain, I mean." Said the Nord, looking down.
"I already told you. You're a born leader. You'll be fine, as long as you keep caring about Skyrim's people like you do."
"I'll become Jarl of Windhelm, but will the other Jarl even think about making me High Queen?"
"What do you mean?" asked Arkan.
"You don't know? The Jarl must vote for someone to be High King or Queen. We will attack all of Skyrim's main cities and drive their Jarl out alright. But who would take their place?"
"The one the empire trusted?"
"Yes, and the ones I helped to take out."
"I see... But even through, You'll be able to do much only being Windhelm's Jarl."
"Maybe so but..."
"Stop it, my friend" interrupted Mah'ika. "Self doubt is the first step to making bad business."
"You're right..." Said Iona, taking a deep breath, "It'll goes at it goes, all will be fine." Although she said that, her mind was still not at ease.
The final time had come the teams where all in place. The sun touched the horizon as the infiltration team was waiting to hear the commotion caused by the Breton Knights.
Battle cries could be now heard and they all descended in the shaft.
Crawling in a bloody way now, they now listened to cries of pain. The torture chamber was now close.
They followed the tracks and the cries where now louder. They all tried to concentrate on the mission through the screams of a poor suffering soul.
They reached the end and now had to burst through heavy metal bars. Arkan motioned for everyone to get back and prepared a magic spell. Upon unleashing his magic, the bars opened under a fierce explosion. Fortunately, nobody got hurt by Arkan's magic.
Getting out as quick as possible, Mah'ika swiftly cut the Torture master's throat. Leaving his poor victim to smile and thank him in a strange accent. An accent Iona recognized. Getting close to the torture table, she looked at the poor thing in apprehension.
Of her long silver hairs were left little to nothing. Burns and bruises all over her body. Her face scared forever by the time she had. Her once beautiful yellowish skin now bloated by the old burns. Her violet eyes stared at Iona in disbelief. As much as Iona didn't expect this encounter.
"Ariana?" she asked not her, but herself.
"Iona? What... Why are you here? To torment me even further? To laugh at my torments?!"
"No! I'm here to fight Ulfric!"
"Lies! He asked you to make a fool of me! To make me see you as an ally only to break my expectations!"
"Ariana-"
"Stop it! I'm no fool, get back to your master and send him my regards! Tell him I despite him and hope that Oblivion take him to an eternity of suffering!"
Iona tightened her fists, she was about to respond to Ariana, but get stopped by Brynjolf
"Her mind is broken lass, give her time."
"Ulfric..." Intoned Iona, fire in her eyes. Fists closed even tightener than before.
The team had to continue, Iona intoned last words to Ariana before going.
"I wasn't lying, I'll come back with his head and free you."
They finally reached the throne room, while Arkan and the Thief guild took care of the guards, Iona approached Ulfric, still sitting.
"So here you are. Standing before me. The betrayer. Iona Northsan." he said, her name with disgust.
"Surrender, Ulfric, your throne is no more. Your city is falling. Your reign of terror is ending. Set Skyrim free from your hate and surrender."
"You know nothing, Iona. Nothing! I am what Skyrim need! The leader of the Nords! The true sons of Skyrim! I do what need to be done!" said the Jarl, getting up and preparing his axe. "Skyrim is surrounded by enemies! I'm the only one that can keep them at bay and protect my People!" continued Ulfric, walking down to face Iona.
The both of them walked in circle, expecting the other to strike first.
"You are a man of power who drowned in sorrow. You're only but a shadow of who Ulfric was! Ulfric, the leader who took care of his people! Ulfric who was the first to say no to the Dominion! Ulfric who was Nora's closest friend!"
"Ulfric, who Nora loved!" he sneered trying to hurt Iona's feelings. But she knew better.
Iona didn't even bother react to such taunt. Seeing that, Ulfric tried something else.
"And you?! Who are you to stand against me?! The protector of Skyrim and its people?!"
"I am Iona Northsan! The rogue Stormcloak who have had enough of seeing Ulfric torture the Skyrim citizens!"
"They are well treated! Open your eyes!"
"Skyrim is home to more than Nords!" snapped Iona.
This sentence... Ulfric knew it... This is the one Nora said to Galmar when she enrolled in the Stormcloaks. Before he knew it, he was already charging Iona with hate.
She stopped his axe with her shield and stoop down to give a low blow to him.
He jumped back to dodge and tried to deal a new attack to her side.
Still bent down, she moved her shield and stopped him again. But the strength of his hit was too much for the shield. His axe got stuck on it as well as it was stuck in Iona's arm too.
She fought the pain and dealt a new blow to Ulfric. Making him jump again, this time without his weapon.
"Be grateful, Northsan. You are to die like king Thorig. Like a dog!" he screamed, unleashing a shout "Fus Ro Dah!"
Iona braced herself and managed to, once more, resist the shockwave. What she didn't predict this time, is that Ulfric ran to her and pushed her down on her back. Pushing even further his axe in Iona's arm.
Screaming in pain, she could but listen to Ulfric's new monologue.
"You don't know pain-" He got cut by Iona, headbutting him.
The now dizzy Jarl got up. He regained consciousness only to see Iona's axe getting planted between his eyes. Still conscious for gods know which reason, Iona said to Ulfric "Once again, you are mistaken, Jarl-" She retrieved her axe from his forehead and finished her sentence "I know pain." Leaving Ulfric to fall dead with a look of non-understanding in his eyes.
She turned over to see her friends, who finished taking care of the guards.
"Iona-" began Arkan.
"It's okay, let's get outside to talk to the remaining men and stop the fights..." Responded Iona focusing on her objective : Skyrim people's safety.
Before getting out in the cold, she took Ulfric's axe out of her shield. She looked at it, then, turned to his body.
Cutting his head clean, she, then, descended in the torture chamber.
Ariana was still here. She was in the corner of the room, holding herself.
Iona approached with caution. She threw Ulfric's head to the ground. Ariana looked at her. She took her tormentor's head and held it with anger. Slowly burning it up with magic. Soon, only a skull was left, she let it fell and looked at Iona, tears in her eyes. She ran to her and hugged her thigh, whispering a "thank you so much." with the little strength she had left.
Iona helped Ariana to get up stairs. Arkan opened the doors for the women. Walking out in a city now free. Fights had been stopped. Iona continued walking to the stairs that lead to the palace. There she saw Juliette, standing tall before a crowd of soldiers and citizens.
She turned her head to Iona, she smiled and made a side step to let her see.
At this very moment, Iona was looking at a crowd of anyone, expecting her to talk.
She let Ariana at Juliette's care to make a speech.
"People of Skyrim! Citizens and soldiers! I am Iona Northsan! I stand before you now, after wining a fight against Jarl Ulfric! Why did I do that? You might ask. I did it because he betrayed us all! We wanted a free country! But he took the Dominions' ways! He became what we all fought against as Stormcloak! He believed in nothing but suffering of the others! He bathed in hate and pain! Shielding himself from what he was! A man full of sorrow from the passing of his wife. Is that the kind of leader Skyrim deserved? A man who is true to no one. Not even himself."
A silence occurred, until a woman in the crowd said a big "NO!"
"I stand here! To ask you all! Nord or not. Do you think Skyrim is home to mush more than Nords?" she asked again.
"Yes it is!" screamed the crowd in unisson.
"I have two more questions! Citizens of Skyrim! Are you ready to work with me on a new Skyrim? A free Skyrim. And do you accept me, as new Jarl of Windhelm?"
The crowd was now talking to itself, trying to figure out an answer.
To Iona's surprise, Ariana screamed at the top of her lounge. "Yes to both!"
Soon, everyone said the same. From the beggar, to the Thane. All screamed their acceptance of Iona's project. Leaving her to smile of happiness before the trust her people gave her.
As the fire crackled in the fireplace, a middle-aged Nord looked at kids circled around him.
"And Skyrim's people took up Iona hand. Leading it to peace and help stoping the Dominion. But that's another Story."
"Did she really lived all that?" asked a little girl with autumn hairs, much like Iona's.
"Yes Ina, yes she did. And much more than you could think. But unfortunately, I see a familiar woman by the door step for you all." he said, prompting the kids to turn over and see a silver-haired Dark-elf.
"Time for bed kids, uncle Swar need to rest too." she said, making them get up and run for the bedroom. She looked at the kids while feeling arms tenderly hugging her. "Again with Iona's tale?"
"Yes."
"They sure love it..."
"She had this power on people. Even in death." said the man before kissing the elf with love.
THE END