Victory or Sovngarde

Chapter Eight

"I have to admit, I am surprised to see you here, Raven," said Ralof as we greeted one another at Riverwood's north entrance, "but I am happy nonetheless. It's been too long."

I grinned at the name he called me. I had been too tongue-tied to give him my name in Helgen, so he gave me the nickname "Raven," in reference to my hair.

My smile widened, and I clapped my hand to his shoulder. "I've been busy."

"I know. Defending Whiterun."

I sucked in a sharp breath, hand falling away from his shoulder. I had expected that to come up, but that did not mean I liked it. "Ralof—"

Instead of turning sour, he shook his head. "No need to explain. You did what you were called to do. There's nothing wrong with that."

"You have a better attitude than your brothers-in-arms had." We started to walk, Ralof with a slight limp, to the lumber mill his sister owned. We needed a private place to talk, and the sounds from the mill would make it hard to have eavesdroppers.

"Uncle!" called a stout, blond-haired lad dressed in simple clothes.

I recognized him right away, despite not seeing him in many years. Has he grown.... I chuckled a little as the boy approached. "Frodnar? Is that really you?"

"Yes, it's me. And you are...?"

"Frodnar, you remember Raven, don't you? The lass who came back from Helgen with me?"

Recognition dawned on Frodnar's youthful face. "Oh, yeah! Haven't seen you around in a while."

"Been busy." I shrugged. "You've grown since I last saw you. Why, you were just a lad playing with his dog when I saw you last."

He puffed out his chest. "And now I'm a man! And I'm going to march right up to the gates of Windhelm with Uncle Ralof and join the Stormcloaks."

Before I could burst his bubble and tell him that there were no more Stormcloaks, a middle-aged woman with blonde hair tromped down the mill's ramp and right between me and Frodnar. "What are you doing, lad? I need your help with the mill. Leave your uncle and his guest alone."

"But, Ma, I—"

"No buts. Listen to me and go."

His head hung low, Frodnar went towards the mill. "Yes, Ma."

Gerdur looked at me and offered a sort of apologetic smile. "Forgive him. He won't listen to me or Ralof when we tell him the war's over."

"It's all right, Gerdur. If he ever wants to be a warrior, he can come test his mettle with my Companions."

Gerdur laughed. "I am a proud mother, but I know my son wouldn't last two minutes with you warriors. He's not ready yet." She dusted her hands on her work dress's skirt. "You'll have to excuse me. I'm needed."

I nodded. "Good to see you, as always."

"Likewise, Dragonborn." With that, she turned and went back to the mill.

"I suppose your nephew doesn't know that Raven the bedraggled, scrawny, young sword-maiden and Ylva Sky-Shatterer are one and the same person?" I asked as we sat down on the riverbank.

"He doesn't know, you're right." Ralof chucked a rock into the calm water. "As I recall, you were never one to draw attention to yourself."

"I'm still not one to draw attention to myself."

"Yet you're the Last Dragonborn. Hero of Tamriel."

"I didn't choose that, you know."

"I know. The gods chose it for you, as they choose my fate and the fate of everyone of us here on Nirn." He sighed and looked at his lap. "But why they've chosen to allow the Empire to win this war, I don't understand." He looked up after a few tense moments. "Why did you come? Why now?"

"Balgruuf made a speech. He read a letter from Tullius himself. The letter said that Ulfric retreated when the Palace was taken."

Ralof scoffed. "Imperial hogwash. Blasphemy! Ulfric wouldn't retreat."

"So you think he's dead?"

"No, he's alive."

I furrowed my brow. "He's alive, but he didn't retreat? You're not making any sense."

"Ulfric was told to run if things got bad. Live to fight another day, so Galmar said."

"Ulfric actually listened?"

"I doubt it. I'm sure he had to be dragged from the Palace. But he's alive, and I know where he is."

"Where?"

"How do I know I can trust you? How do I know you won't take this information to the Jarl?"

"Ralof, you know I won't. I never wanted Ulfric dead, and I have no love for the Empire. Like it or not, Ulfric was my Jarl at one point. I lived under his protection. Like all the other children in Windhelm, I looked up to him, even though he would never have given me the time of day."

"What happened to that?"

"I grew up. I saw the man behind the mask. I saw a rebel, a power-hungry, vengeful man. I no longer saw the 'true son of Skyrim' my father always made him out to be. I know you respect him, Ralof, but after seeing what I've seen, I can't ever look at him the way you do. I can't see him the way I used to." I straightened my legs and massaged my left foot. It had fallen asleep. "You can trust me, Ralof. I just want to talk to him. Find out what really happened."

Ralof's eyes clouded, brow furrowing with deep thought. His hands clasped the hem of his tunic, head turning towards his lap. "Why are you so curious?"

"Because I want to know if there's a real man hiding underneath that lust for power and arrogance. If the man that I saw as a little girl is still in there. I want to know him like you know him."

Ralof sighed. He cast a look over his shoulder, then turned back to me. "All right, then. I'll show you where he is. Do you have a map with you?"

I pulled my map from its pocket at my belt. I unfolded it and laid it on the ground between us.

Ralof pointed to a spot just northwest of Riverwood. "He has a secret cabin in the woods. It's unassuming. No one would ever suspect it. That's where he'd go, and he's not going to be moving from there anytime soon."

I nodded. "Thank you, Ralof. Once again, I owe you."

He shook his head. "You owe me nothing, Raven. You saved us all when you defeated Alduin. That's a debt that we'll never be able to repay."

I stood then, helping Ralof to his feet, as well. "That was my destiny. I still owe you for allowing me to live long enough to fulfill it." I clapped him on the shoulder again, lips curling into a momentary smile. "Talos be with you, Ralof."

"Talos guard you, Ylva."

With that, I took the north road out of Riverwood, heading into the woods that bordered the small town. The sun was still high in the sky, so perhaps I could find the cabin, have my chat with Ulfric, and be home by dark. And if not, then I would just have to explain to Vilkas why I was late.

He'll understand. He always understands.

A/N: I know it's a short chapter—well, shorter than the other chapters. But hey, at least I updated! I know it's been a while, but I've been so super busy with so much! The holidays are always busy, but I hope that I'll soon be able to post more regularly and with fewer days in between posts!
Hope you enjoyed! Vote and comment if you did! You'll make my day! Until next time, my lovely readers!
Love and sweetrolls!
~WG 💙