Ylva

Three days later, while the sun still slept just below the horizon, Vilkas and I left Jorrvaskr and headed towards Dragonsreach. I had donned a hooded cloak to conceal my face, in case there were curious eyes watching the doors. We had kept my return a secret to save myself from being swarmed by the masses. No doubt the people would be all over me if they knew of my rescue from the Thalmor. Eventually, I would have to make my presence known, but for now, Vilkas and I were content to spend this time without worry of interruptions from the outside world.

I had needed these few days to readjust to life anyway. The children had hardly given me a chance to be alone, but I did not mind. Being with them refreshed me more than it tired me. It relieved me to hold them again, to run my hands over their hair, to listen to them laugh and—dare I say it?—bicker with one another. Knowing that my babies were safe, out of the Thalmor's reach meant more than the world to me.

Mounting the steps to Dragonsreach, my husband and I approached the doors with purpose. The guards standing at attention moved to open the heavy doors for us, then stepped back to their posts once we were inside the palace. The maids and other staff were already busy with their duties; the sound of brooms scraping across the wooden floors and the delicious smells of cooking breakfast filled the massive room. Vilkas and I walked past it all, heading upstairs where Ulfric and Marina should be bickering by now.

Sure enough, as we came to the landing at the top of the stairs, the pair of leaders were already going at each other. Marina threw her hands down on the table and gasped, "Why would we do it that way, Stormcloak?! It makes no sense!"

"It does make sense if you look at the paths winding through the mountains! We cannot move that many troops like that! I know these lands like the back of my hand, and you think that you know them better than that?!"

"I grew up here, Ulfric! Skyrim is my home, just as much as it is yours! You don't have to be a Nord to love this land!"

"For the love of the Divines!" said Vilkas, finally announcing our presence. "Again?! How much racket do you have to raise before you wake up everyone in this city?"

Both of them snapped upright, as though Vilkas held some sort of honor over them. More likely, they were just shocked to see him.

As we approached the table, I shed my hood and ran my fingers through my hair, smiling at the pair now stunned silent by my reveal.

To be fair to them, I would be stunned silent, too.

Shaking herself out of her stupor, Marina leapt around the edge of the table, rushed forward, and enveloped me in her strong arms. I gasped at the suddenness of her embrace, but returned it after the shock faded. Her body shook as she held me, her voice muffled against my shoulder.

"When did you get back?" she asked me when she finally released me. In that span of time, Ulfric had approached and laid a hand on my shoulder, gazing down on me like a proud parent, relieved to see his daughter alive and well.

"How did you get back?" he asked, before I had a chance to answer Marina.

"Someone owed Ylva a favor," said Vilkas, "so I asked him to help. He agreed. Brought her back safe and sound about four days ago."

"Then why did you not come by sooner?" asked Marina.

"I wasn't ready," I said. "I needed a chance to get adjusted to my life here, heal from my injuries, catch up on sleep. I'm sure you can understand."

"Who was this person who helped you?" asked Ulfric as the four of us moved to the table. I needed to see how the war effort was going, since I had been gone so long and hadn't even considered what had happened since I had been back.

"Does it truly matter, Ulfric?" asked Vilkas, laying a hand on my shoulder. "Ylva, my wife, is back, and she's on the mend. That's all that should matter to you."

"If this person can break into the Thalmor Embassy's prison and steal away their most important prisoner, don't you think he would be an asset to us?"

"I can assure you, he and his accomplices have no desire in joining this fight. They left as soon as they brought Ylva to me."

I cleared my throat, hoping to get their attention before they started arguing. "How's the war going?"

Marina leaned over the maps and shook her head. "It's not great. Everything east of Whiterun is ours still. However, since your disappearance, our troops have lost morale. The Thalmor soldiers they fought in Morthal used this to get under their skin."

"What happened in Morthal?"

"Morthal is gone. The Thalmor didn't just reclaim the territory; they annihilated everything. The few civilians who survived the onslaught have been forced to work for the Dominion. We're barely holding our own with their forces at our backdoor."

"Have they attacked yet?"

Ulfric shook his head. "No, but that is only because they don't have a stronghold to retreat to. The soldiers in Dawnstar are keeping them at bay on that front, but we fear it won't be long before the enemy makes an attack. They know we're weak. Without our leader...." He let out a sigh. "Our men cannot go on much longer without any hope."

"We had no choice but to tell them we failed to rescue you," said Marina. "Faerie... what happened to her?"

I lowered my head and swallowed heavily. Faerie was a soldier, a hero. She would've done what she did a thousand times over. She knew the price, and she was willing to pay it. That didn't make her loss any easier to bear. "She gave her life trying to save me."

Marina nodded, biting her trembling lip. She took a moment, then cleared her throat. "She was a good soldier. She knew the cost, but that doesn't mean we do not mourn her."

"Now that Ylva is back, we can spread the good news of her return," said Ulfric, no evidence of grief on his face. How he could bounce back so easily, I would never know. "Gather everyone in Whiterun to see her, to listen to her."

Vilkas gave Ulfric a harsh look before turning to me. He put his arm over my shoulders. "Can you handle that, love?"

"What choice do I have? Our troops need the morale boost. They need it, Vilkas."

"Ylva, if you're not ready to face the masses, you don't have to!"

"What if she does, son?" asked Ulfric.

Vilkas gave him the deepest of glares and stood up straight beside me. "Do not begin to think you know Ylva better than I do."

I sighed. Not this again. "Vilkas—"

"No, Ylva, let me speak." He then said to Ulfric, "My wife is, by far, the strongest woman—no, the strongest person—in all of Skyrim. She's saved the world twice, and yes, she had done so without much trauma to show for it. But at the end of the day, who will be the one to comfort her? Who will be there for her when the nightmares won't let her go? Not you."

"Ylva is a Nord. A strong warrior! A citizen of Eastmarch! Up north, we have ice in our veins! She does, too!"

"Stormcloak, I swear to the gods, you are an ignorant bastard!"

"You insolent boy—"

I couldn't take their fighting anymore, I couldn't. It was annoying before, but now I didn't have the time or strength to deal with them. This was childish squabbling and I wasn't going to allow it to continue any longer. Turning my face to the ceiling, I set my feet and Shouted, "LOK!"

Everyone turned to me, Vilkas bracing me under my arm as though to ensure I wouldn't fall. Then, he squared his shoulders and huffed in Ulfric's direction.

"I'm not a boy, Ulfric! Ylva and I have two children—"

I slapped my hand over his mouth, giving him a withering glare. "You are part of the problem, Vilkas. Not everything has to be a measuring contest!"

Ulfric, smug, straightened his cloak and crossed his arms. "Dragonborn—"

"FUS!"

He took a few steps backwards to regain his balance, that smug expression replaced with one of shocked indignation.

"I wasn't finished!" I sighed and fell forward onto the table, catching myself with my hands. Two Words had taken this much out of me? Maybe I should have stayed in bed.

"Ylva?" asked Vilkas as he held my elbow in his hand. His other hand came to rest on my back, thumb rubbing up and down across my shoulder blade.

"I'll be fine." Once I took a deep breath, I stood straight once more and faced the Ulfric and Marina. "What were we even fighting about?"

Ulfric cleared his throat. "I... I don't even remember. You have my sincerest apologies, Dragonborn."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, you know."

Begrudgingly, he cast his gaze to Vilkas, who stood even straighter beside me, as though he were trying to make up for his smaller stature. He was by no means small; he stood well over a head taller than I. However, Ulfric had the build of a mountain bear. He dwarfed many people, even in his old age.

"I apologize, Moonborn," said Ulfric at last.

Vilkas grunted, but with my elbow jabbing into his side, he managed to swallow his pride, bow his head, and say, "Thank you. I am sorry, too."

Relieved, I sighed and threw my head back. "Thank you, Divines!" It wasn't often that the conflict could be resolved so quickly. Chalk one up for using illness to my advantage. "So, about making my appearance known, I think it would be best to do it today. Word will spread as the couriers come in and out of the city, reaching our demoralized troops within a week. The sooner we can bolster confidence, the better."

"And the sicker you look," said Marina with a hand on her chin, "the most sympathy we will gain for the cause. If people see you standing there as a wife and mother, one who was captured and tortured, it could even garner support from the neighboring provinces."

"Marina has a point," said Ulfric, and we all gaped at him in surprise. "Sympathy goes a long way. It's not a bad strategy."

"Then let's do it," I said as I straightened my cloak. "When the Jarl wakes, we'll brief him on the plan. He should be the one to announce my return."

The rest of them nodded, then Ulfric and Marina split off, the former going deeper into Dragonsreach and the latter heading towards the stairs, probably to alert her troops to spread news of an address later that day.

Once they left, I leaned against the table, crossed my arms, and heaved a deep sigh. My chin fell to my chest as I closed my eyes. This address wouldn't be long, nor would it be taxing, but it would mean the peace I had so enjoyed would be over. I wasn't ready to be back in the public eye.

As if reading my mind, Vilkas leaned against the table next to me and rested his hands on my shoulders. "Don't worry about your decision now. You've made it. Stick with it and see it through."

I leaned my head against his chest. "You're right. I'm just... I'm really going to miss the privacy."

"We'll still have privacy, dear one. That's the beauty of living in Jorrvaskr." He kissed the top of my head and ran his hands over my shoulders and down my biceps. "What are you going to say for the address?"

"Probably nothing. I'll just stand there and look... sick, I guess. That's how everyone seems to think I should look. Should we bring the children with us?"

"'Us'? You want me there with you?"

I picked my head up and pressed my hand to his cheek. "Of course, my love. I need my husband there with me. You and I are united in this, aren't we? Stronger together."

Smiling, he turned his face and kissed my palm. "Aye, stronger together." Then, without warning, he enveloped me in his embrace. He said nothing as he buried his face in my hair, and I merely chuckled and returned his hug. I had to stand on my tiptoes to prop my chin on his shoulder.

"I'm never letting you go, Ylva," he said at last. "Whatever happens from this day forward, I'm going to be by your side. I don't care if that means I have to traipse through the marshes of Hjaalmarch, or freeze my ass off in Winterhold. Wherever you go next, I will follow."

"I am thankful for that, but Vilkas, I hope and pray that my adventuring days will be behind me after this war is won. I'm ready for the quieter life. I could take a job here and there, but stay at home most of the time. I'll be there to raise the twins, and... maybe...."

He pulled away, brow furrowed. "What?"

"Maybe we could have a few more babies?"

He smiled and held my hands in his. "You win this war, and we'll have as many babies as you'd like. All right?"

I nodded. "All right." I pulled him back into our tight hug and hid my face in his chest. We lapsed into silence, content to stay still, breathe in each other's company, and hold onto this moment as long as we could.

For if this war had taught me anything, it was that I never knew when the next moment could be my last.