Victory or Sovngarde

Chapter Fifteen

"You appear to be incredibly troubled, Ylva," said Ulfric as I let the Underforge's hidden door slide shut behind me.

In the days I had been gone, Ulfric seemed to have recovered somewhat. His features weren't so pale, and the worry lines on his face weren't so obvious. He didn't look bedraggled anymore. He looked more like the man I had known as a girl, but he still had a ways to go before he was back to normal.

"It's nothing, really," I said. "A Companions issue."

He gave me a knowing smile. "Nice try, Ylva. What's troubling you?"

I sighed and leaned against the stone wall behind me. "Now is not the time, Ulfric. There's something I need to discuss with you."

His brow furrowed. He moved towards a table that had been set near the blood-basin in the center of the room. He sat in one of the two chairs beside the table, then motioned for me to take the other one.

I did as he requested, resting my elbows on the table and pressing two fingers to my temple. "You're not going to like what I have to say."

"Oh?"

"I'm sure you wondered where I had gone so suddenly."

"The question has crossed my mind."

"I went to Solitude."

His expression became guarded. "For what purpose?"

I paused, thinking over my words carefully. He was going to be mad no matter what I said. Best deliver it to him gently. "To discuss recruiting the Empire's forces to our cause."

At first, Ulfric did nothing. He gave me a blank stare, as if he could not comprehend my words.

But then, like a volcano erupting, Ulfric roared and jumped out of his seat. He flipped his chair over with his sudden force and began pacing around the Underforge. He muttered and swore under his breath, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Why, Ylva? Why?!" he said after a span. "Why in the Divines' names did you try to side with those traitors?!"

I took a deep breath to calm myself before speaking. I could have resorted to yelling, as he had, but it would get us nowhere. At least one of us had to be civil about things. "Because, Ulfric, we will never take Skyrim from the Thalmor if we are divided. We must unite under one common goal."

"But... this is the Empire. Milk-drinkers, the lot of them!"

I heaved a tired sigh. It was taking everything I had to be patient with him. Perhaps I should have talked to him first, instead of sorting things out with Eirik. Then I would not be so frazzled already. "And this is why I didn't consult you before I left."

"If you expect me to help you, then we have to trust each other. You're not trusting me to help you, because you're withholding information."

"Would you have honestly let me go if you knew that was where I was going?"

He paused mid-step, face blank and hands behind his back. He pursed his lips and looked down. Behind his back, he twiddled his thumb.

"Well, Ulfric? Would you?"

Finally, he sighed. "No, I would not. I would have thought you crazy."

"And maybe I am crazy. Maybe that's what Skyrim needs, though. A crazy leader."

Ulfric bent down, righted the chair he had pushed over, and took his seat across from me. "Perhaps you're right."

I shrugged and chuckled a little. "We can be sure no one's tried it yet."