A/N- While I wrote this chapter I was listening to the beautiful music of Malukah's Fear Not This Night. If you don't know what I'm talking about you check her out on you tube. =P

Also I made some edits to chapter 1 and might put a cover together.

Love and War

Four years had passed since the day Freyja returned from visiting her sister in Anvil. Taran visited her less and less each year and this wore heavy on her heart. He still wrote her often, as he had promised but it was not enough. Six months had passed from his last visit and she yearned to be with him again.

A knock, clear and strong penetrated her thoughts. She ran to the door and swung it open. The courier stood tall and proud, letter in hand. She thanked him, taking the letter and closed the door. She recognised the handwriting immediately and didn't hesitate to open it.

My dearest Freyja,

My arms long to hold you once more, each time I leave you I feel it grows harder, not knowing when next we will meet pains my heart so.

But I write to you with important news. The Imperial City has fallen, its palace burned, the White Gold tower sacked and its people violated. But there is hope still, Emperor Titus II has fled to us with a great number of his army and General Jonna has arrived from Skyrim with a force of 15,000 men! We will take back the city and end this war. Look to the west on Middas at dawn and you will see us marching to victory.

I keep your token, with a promise to return to you once the Imperial City is returned to glory and the Aldmeri scum that mar it are utterly destroyed.

Fear not my love for we shall soon be together again.

Your love,

Taran

She held the letter to her chest and slid down the door crumpling to the floor. She sobbed heavily and read the letter again. He was going to battle. No, to victory. She reminded herself of his strong words. It had always been a thought in her mind that he may be called upon by the Emperor but she always hoped this war would end before it had really began. Middas, today was Tirdas. He would be leaving tomorrow. She pulled herself up from the hard wooden floor and wiped her face. She had to get out of this house.

The fresh air dried her eyes and cleared her mind. She walked through the streets with no direction, just glad to be free of her grief.

She found solace in the chapel the stillness gave her time to contemplate her thoughts, its strong stone walls offered her protection and she never felt alone there. She prayed for the war to end, for her love to return to her and for the safety of her sister who she also heard from little as of late. The roads were too dangerous even for couriers it seemed. She preferred the chapel over her home; it was so empty, everything a constant reminder of him. She began to busy herself around the hall growing tired of her thoughts, she arranged the prayer books, removed the dead flowers from their planters, anything to distract her. Eventually darkness crept into the hall and she decided to leave.

She walked across town to the Inn, standing under the sign she recalled her first conversation with Taran. How he had complimented her making her blush furiously. Even now he would speak to her the in the same way and it still made her blush.

Opening the door to the Inn she was hit by a clamour of noise that caused her to recoil slightly. But she made her way inside and took a seat at the back of the dimly lit room.

"What can I get yah?" asked the bar keeper cheerily.

"Ale." She replied without making eye contact, a sign she was not interested in conversation. The bar keeper fetched her drink and took her money without a word. Freyja could tell he was sneering at her but she didn't care. She lifted the huge flagon to her mouth, which took both hands and gulped down as much of the frothy liquid as she could. It was bitter and did not taste very nice but it dulled the ache in her head and her heart.

She spent the night watching the people drinking and fighting, singing and being merry. She watched as some of the men left with young women and the ones that didn't, drink themselves further into oblivion. Eventually the bar was closing some of the drunks staggered out into the night the ones that wouldn't or couldn't, handed over gold to the bar keeper who helped them to a room.

She stepped out into the darkness, the wind nipped at her cheeks and she pulled her cloak tightly around her. She walked back to her home and stood outside looking at the empty house, thoughts of him crept back into her mind. She couldn't face going inside so she continued walking and found a stairway up to the town wall. She climbed the steep steps and found her way to the North West wall. She was alone. Looking out she could see the faint orange glimmer in the distance and felt a longing her heart. She swallowed the hard lump in her throat, feeling the warm wetness of fresh tears on her cold cheeks. The sobs resounded in her chest making her shudder, she gasped for air making her wheeze, she had not cried like this since her father passed.

After some time she lost the energy to continue crying but unsure of how long it would be until dawn she decided to wait there on the wall keeping vigil.

Eventually the blackness of the night sky faded to a pale grey and there was movement in the north. Guards began to come from their posts to the wall where she stood unwavering, they pointed to the growing black mass that snaked down the hillside.

"It's the blades!" once called out. As the mass began to form the shapes of soldiers marching the suns first rays spewed out into the grey sky turning it an unsettling blood-red, highlighting the clouds in a deep burning orange.

"Not seen a sunrise like that before." Noted one of the guards.

"It's a sign!" another remarked. Still she stood like a statue the wind whipping at her cloak, the army marched so close to the city walls that you could make out the faces of the men under their helmets.

"That's the Emperor!" a guard yelled out. There was now most of the town crowding the wall and at that a cheer when up. People shouted as loved ones passed by with a wave and a smile. A pang in her heart caused her to clutch at her chest; Taran's dark eyes scanned the crowd. She pulled the hood of the cloak down and shook out her hair, the flash of gold caught his attention and their eyes finally met. His gaze pierced into her very core, her chin began to quiver and she couldn't tell if it was from the cold or from fighting back more tears. She tightened her jaw, straightened up and matched his stare, his look softened slightly and he relaxed into a proud smile. She returned the smile and he could have sworn he saw the glint of a single tear rolling down her pale cheek as he marched past.