Child (Book 2)

Chapter 14

I find Ralof sitting on the ground near the gate after all of the remaining Imperials on the other side of the drawbridge have been wiped out. He's curled up with his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. I walk closer to him and lean over to pat him on the back.
"Good to see you haven't kicked the bucket yet." I joke as I sit down next to him to catch my breath. He doesn't laugh, he only shakes his head. He peels his hands away from his sweat-soaked face, breathing like he just ran here from the Imperial city. The blood spatter from the guard I killed is still there. I sigh and stand up, walking back off of the drawbridge. I grab a wooden bowl that must've been left by the road by the Khajit caravan that left a few nights ago to avoid the soldiers. I dip it in the small creek that runs down the hill and out of the city and fill it with cold water, then bring it back to him. I dip my hand in the water and wipe the blood from his face so he won't see it in his reflection when I push the bowl into his hands.
"Drink up and head back to the camp." I tell him. He follows orders well, drinking it so deeply it spills out the corners of his mouth.
"Nova! Are you staying here with the first regiment or coming with us? We could use you." Galmar asks with the third regiment following close behind him. The third regiment consists of mostly higher ranked commanders, not soldiers of my rank.
"Drink all of that, Ralof, you understand? I'm coming with you, Galmar." I say quickly, pulling myself to my feet and grabbing my sword.
The inside of the city is utter chaos. The Imperials misdirected the catapults and hit the city, ironically. Two houses are burning and the streets are lined with the bodies of Stormcloaks and Imperials alike. Thankfully, I don't see the faces of any Whiterun citizens among them. All of the homes and businesses are boarded up and locked; the Companions must've given them my message.
As we run through the burning streets, Galmar laughs and cackles at each Imperial he kills. He chases one man down and corners him against a building, edging closer and closer to him with that sick grin on his face.
"Please! Please, I surrender! Please—" the man's voice is cut off with his head, and Galmar cackles some more. A few of the others look on in horror, but when he catches us staring he screams at us to get moving.
We break down the barricade protecting Dragonsreach and Galmar almost breaks down the door himself. When we rush in, the last remaining Whiterun guards stand with Jarl Balgruuf, who wears full steel plate armor. Next to him is Irileth, whose glare intensifies when she sees me. I look away from her, but I can still feel her red eyes burning into me. Balgruuf raises his axe, and his guards move with him.
"I'll be damned if I let this rabble take my city without raising my own weapon!" He shouts at us. He wears a brave face, but in his eyes I can see his fear.
The guards know who I am, so they approach cautiously with their swords. One suddenly charges at me, and in my surprise I shout at him and he flies backward into one of the tall wooden columns. When he falls to the ground, I see the large dent in his helmet and I know he's dead. Galmar slashes through the other two and charges toward Balgruuf, leaving me to Irileth. She glowers at me from where she stands on the stairs. I look down and notice an orb of sparks dancing in the hand that isn't holding her sword, and my stomach drops. Irileth utterly terrified me the day I met her, and despite all of the things that have changed since then, my fear of her hasn't. I'll never be able to fight her with a greatsword, not like that. I toss the sword aside and pull out a Skyforge steel dagger that Aela hid in Skjor's armor when she gave it to me. I'm not positive, but I think it could be the dagger she used to kill him.
"I knew from the moment I saw you that you'd be a problem someday. Let's finish this." She growls. Suddenly, my fear disappears and the flame appears in my other hand.
"I bet you didn't know that the Jarl would betray his hold and his city." I sat quietly. Her face contorts and she charges towards me. I throw the flames at her face, and she stumbles backward, throwing her arm up in front of her face. The flames engulf her arm and she groans. Balgruuf shouts her name, and while he's distracted Galmar hits him in the side of his face with the flat side of his axe and he falls to the ground, his own sword skittering away.
"I surrender! I... Surrender.. Stand down! That's an order!" He shouts. Irileth sits on the ground in front of me desperately clutching her burned arm. Her bright red hair is falling down, her eyes wild and confused.
"Balgruuf!" A voice shouts at the door. I turn and see Vignar Gray-Mane walking through the door with his chin raised high.
Vignar is a retired member of the Companions, Eorlund's brother, in fact. He's also the patriarch of Clan Gray-Mane. They're a very prominent family in Whiterun, as well as avid supporters of Ulfric.
"Vignar... Your family was noticeably absent from the walls. A dagger in the back would have sufficed." Balgruuf growls, blood trickling down his pudgy face. Suddenly, I realize what's happening. Since Balgruuf has surrendered, Vignar will be his replacement. I suppose he'd be a good Jarl, but he's a very old man and has no children. What will happen to Balgruuf?
"You think this is personal? The Empire doesn't belong in Skyrim anymore, and you don't belong in Whiterun anymore!" Vignar tells him. The two men bicker for a while longer. Irileth still sits at the bottom of the stairs, clutching her arm. I walk slowly to the bottom of the stairs and lean over her.
"Let me see, Irileth."
"Stay away from me, traitor." She hisses.
"I'm a healer, I just want to help." I say gently. I take her wrist and examine the burns on her dark gray skin. They're charred and black, and if it's not healed soon enough she'll surely get an infection.
As I'm thinking of where to start, I suddenly feel a very sharp pain in my side. Irileth grins up at me, and suddenly pulls my steel dagger out of my stomach where she's stabbed me. I choke out a strained cry and fall back onto the floor. The pain fills me up; I hear nothing, see nothing but the pain. There's a commotion at the top of the stairs, and Galmar rushes to my side. I look down and see the blood staining my armor and my hands. Some other Stormcloaks are dragging Irileth and Balgruuf away. Galmar is shouting in my face, but I can't quite hear him.
"Take me to the priestess of Kynareth. Tell her who I am. If she can't help me, no one can now."