Hey my dudes! I'm not finished with this story. Don't know when I'll be. I love it too much. This shit is my magnum opus. Love you guys & thanks for the support!

There will probably be quite a few errors throughout this chapter. I'll go over it again after it goes up - I was just too excited not to upload! :P

Reunion time!

Dis: don't own shit (TODD HOWARD PLEASE ANNOUNCE THE NEXT ELDER SCROLLS GAME I AM DESPERATE)

Ophelia winced as a few shards cut her through the thin fabric of her dress, but immediately sat up as the shaking stopped. She knew those screeches. She knew those cries. It was a dragon.

Shaking, Ophelia stood up and pulled the child with her. Elsa trembled violently, her tiny hands covering her sensitive ears. The woman picked up the scared child and placed her on the bed before moving to the shattered window and peeking out. Ophelia's vision narrowed on the distance, where two massive dragons soared on the wind towards the Imperial City. Blood rushed to her head and her body seized suddenly.

Question rushed through her mind. Where did the dragons come from? Why were they attacking the Imperial City? It made no sense to her. Another screech wracked the tower and Ophelia stumbled away from the window.

"Elsa." Ophelia began, "come on, darling."

Elsa looked up at the woman, her eyes brimmed with tears, and nodded. The child rose and met Ophelia, wrapping her arms around her body. Ophelia led her out of the room and together they went to the main room of the suite. Remembering that her guess of the door being locked was correct, she slammed her fist on the door. There was no response. She did it again, calling out to anyone on the other side. There was no response. The tower shuddered again, the smell of smoke reaching them.

The woman cursed and picked Elsa up again, moving to another room in the suite. They didn't have the time to make it down the tower if the convulsions were to continue as powerfully as they had. The dragon kept screeching at the tower, and the tower quivered and groaned. The main window was still intact, and Ophelia weighed her options momentarily before kicking the balcony door open and perching herself up on the railing. Clutching Elsa to her body, she looked at the terrified child. "Close your eyes and hold on tight, Elsa. Do not let go, no matter what happens, okay?"

The child nodded and squeezed her eyes shut, tucking her face into Ophelia's neck. Ophelia wrapped her arms tightly around the child and shouted, "feim zii gron!"

Ophelia kept her eyes on the cobble below her as she jumped from the height. Elsa screamed into her shoulder, her small hands digging into Ophelia's shoulders. Ophelia landed on her feet, still gripping the child tightly to her chest. The plan worked, and within moments the shout wore off, allowing them to come back into the physical world fully once more.

The beating of wings on wind and panicked screams reached Ophelia's ears, but the only thing she focused on was running. She ran across the courtyard – a portion of which was scorched – to where she knew the atrium was located. She had to find Ulfric or Leiv or someone she knew. However, once she came close, she was pushed back violently by a Thalmor guard – who snarled at her for trying to enter in the midst of chaos. Ophelia gawked at him and sternly advised him to let her through. "We are with the Stormcloak diplomats. This is Ulfric Stormcloak's niece. You need to let us through."

The Thalmor appeared to consider letting her through but did no such thing. Ophelia looked to the skies, noting that another dragon had joined in on the assault – shouting fire and ice across the city's districts. Ophelia looked back at the Thalmor agent, "please! I've seen what these dragons can do – you need to let me get her to safety!"

The Thalmor agent shook his head and pointed beyond her. "They're no longer here – they've already evacuated to the Prison."

"Prison…" Ophelia panted, brain trying to figure out why they evacuated to the Prison. She followed where his finger was pointed. "That way?"

"Yes. Go!" He shouted at her and drew his bow as a dragon approached. Ophelia took off again across the grassy field, sprinting to find cover against the now abandoned gates. Guards and Thalmor agents bravely took up arms on the ramparts, attempting to battle the now five dragons that spurned the city into chaos. Ophelia ran through the open gates and across the causeway, narrowly avoiding a blast of fire than rained down and crashed on the stone structure.

Ophelia ran down the streets of the Imperial City with Elsa, surrounded by hundreds of others seeking shelter from the assault. The white city erupted into flames in a matter of minutes. It was unprecedented. Her lungs and legs burned with running through the smoky streets. Ophelia passed by countless abandoned vendor stalls and store fronts that were frozen over or ablaze. Some were already smoldering piles. It was like Helgen all over again.

Once through the unfamiliar district, Ophelia paused to gather her bearings. The Tower shook behind her with the constant onslaught, and she briefly retraced her steps, finding that another gate that looked like it would lead out of the city was down the road. Another screech of dragon tongue reached her ears and she took off again for the gate. It was ajar, and she slipped through. There wasn't a lot of smoke near the massive causeway that lay in front of her, and dozens of people ran towards what she assumed was the prison. She followed them, ignoring the hot blast of air and whoosh of wings that drew closer – willing her legs to go just a little longer.

The child in her arms trembled violently, and she felt the wetness of tears soak her shoulder. Her stomach lurched and she ran faster. As she neared the gates, she witnessed people being allowed into the prison and she thanked her lucky stars. Yet her luck seemed to run out in a matter of seconds as a young dragon swooped down in front of her and balanced carefully on the narrow bridge. Ophelia was knocked back with the wind from its wings. It was very young – in fact, she'd never seen a dragon as small as it. However, it was still a dragon. A vicious one at that.

It bared its teeth and snapped at her. She fell back and snarled back, her dragon soul baring itself to the beast. Ophelia maneuvered Elsa to stand behind her and the child gripped onto her for dear life, screaming as she caught sight of the dragon.

"Cover your ears!" Ophelia mustered what she could and shouted harder than she ever had before in her life. With a crack of thunder that may have deafened bystanders, Ophelia used her thu'um to push the dragon from its carefully perch position. As the last syllable of fus ro dah fell from her lips, the dragon had been knocked off balance and fell from the causeway. It landed in the water with a deafening splash.

Ophelia brought Elsa back up to rest against her chest and took off again, fearful that her loud Thu'um caught the attention of the other, more fearsome dragons or that the younger dragon would quickly climb out of the water. However, a rumbling thunder that did not come from a shout caught her attention as she drew closer to the gate. She turned to look over her shoulder – and caught sight of the white tower collapsing in a heap of dust and smoke. The White Tower had fallen.

The guards that met her at the gates were shocked by the destruction of the tower but still ushered in others. Ophelia gripped Elsa as tight as she could and followed the stream of panicked citizens down the stairs of the prison. They passed prisoners who hooped and hollered at the freemen, unaware of the chaos that awaited outside.

There were a lot of people in the lower barracks of the prison, none of which were Ulfric. Ophelia felt tears prick her eyes but she shook it off quickly, thinking about the small form that still shook in her arms. "Elsa, it's alright. We're safe right now."

A distant rumble of a shout reached the keep and caused the tables and chairs to rattle, yet didn't instill the same sense of fear that was felt outside. Elsa sniffled and nodded, her eyes darting around the room – no doubt looking for a familiar face. Ophelia caught her breath and kept Elsa close to her. She had to find out if Ulfric made it to the prison but had no clue where to look in the keep.

Frantic prayers to the Gods were whispered by those left relatively unscathed; prayers of repentance and pleads for help. Sobs and groans came from the injured. Something stirred within Ophelia. She felt the same sense of unease and helplessness that she felt in Sovngarde. No matter how she would break free from this living nightmare she had lost all control once more. Her arms tightened around the child and she grit her teeth as hard as she could stand.

Without warning, the child ripped herself from Ophelia's grasp and darted across the room. "Galmar!"

Ophelia's heart leapt as she heard the familiar name, and she look up to see Elsa embracing the huge older man. The older man grabbed the child and held him to her, his massive hands framing her face as he doted over her. "Thank the Nine you're safe! How did you get here?"

Elsa pulled away and turned to face Ophelia, who stood alone on the other side of the room. A small finger pointed at her. Ophelia's vision seemed to narrow down to the man's face and her head was blown wide open. The world spun, and it wasn't because of the tremors from the dragons. No amount of gusto and planning could've prepared her for this situation. This reunion. Galmar's gray eyes found her and his relieved expression twisted into one of shock.

Clenching and unclenching her fist, Ophelia considered running back outside into the chaos. Yet she stood still and waited for the other man to approach her. When he did, she couldn't look him in the eye.

"How?"

"It's a long story." Ophelia muttered and finally made eye contact with him. She didn't know what to expect; rage, annoyance, and sadness were all on the table. Not happiness, though. She hated it. Galmar placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

"I always knew you were still out there." He whispered and sighed. "This day is just full of surprises."

"Is he safe?" Ophelia bit out suddenly. Whatever hope she had at remaining calm and collected vanished pathetically with a crack in her voice.

The old Nord nodded and released her shoulder. "Of course. About to go as white as a sheet, surely, but he's safe. We narrowly escaped - come on, they're keeping us in an officer's room." The prison rumbled again and dust fell from the ceiling.

Ophelia felt her nerves take over and she shook again – but not because of the dragon's that outnumbered and could easily kill her. Rather, she was terrified of the bear she was about to face. Galmar took Elsa by the hand and led the way to the officer's quarters that lie in the deepest part of the prison. It was odd to have quarters in such an isolated location of a prison, Ophelia noted as they neared. Galmar held a hand up to Ophelia to stay outside of the room while he took Elsa in.

Ophelia leaned against the wall, and listened in carefully on the conversation that took place.

"Elsa! Thank the divines!"

"Uncle!" Elsa cried out, "I – I thought that…"

"Shh," Ulfric calmed her, "it doesn't matter. You're safe."

Galmar cut off any further conversation sternly, "Ulfric, there's something that I need to discuss with you. Privately."

Several people left the room and waited outside next to Ophelia. She hid her face in the shadows and Galmar continued under his breath. "Ulfric, I need you to stay calm – no matter what happens."

"I'm as calm as I can be given the circumstances, Galmar. I'm not in the mood to play games – so don't."

"I'm not, but you better not…" The old man grumbled and sighed, "come on in."

Ophelia took a deep breath and entered the room, keeping her eyes to the floor. However, as she entered the room and spotted Ulfric holding Elsa on the other side of the room, she couldn't take her eyes off of him. It was like a weight had lifted from her shoulders but a lump of iron settled on her chest– she was back where she was before she left for Sovngarde – in his arms. But she wasn't at the same time. She was across a room, covered in soot and sweat and on the receiving end of a very, very dazed expression.

Divines he was handsome, she noted. His expression was so severe but it didn't faze her. Not in the least. The feelings she repressed for so long came out in a flurry of thoughts and memories. His hair was plaited in a different manner, the wrinkles across his face had deepened, and more gray sprinkled his beard. Ophelia kept quiet, her eyes brimming with tears and teeth worrying the inside of her lip.

"Ulfric." Ophelia whispered. She wanted to explain everything to him. Another rumble shook the ground beneath them. "I know that this is – I know that I – " A lone tear spilled as she stuttered in her humiliation. She sighed shakily and continued weakly. "Please say something, Ulfric. Please. Anything."

The silence drew on for several more seconds before he set Elsa down and slowly neared Ophelia. His expression remained stern, and Ophelia feared the worst. "How?"

"It's a long story and I beg that you let me explain once we're safe." Ophelia begged, bringing a hand up to touch him. He pushed her hand away from him, keeping his expression as neutral as possible. Ophelia felt the sting radiate to the deepest part of her soul. She clenched her jaw, another tear falling. "I understand, but just let me please explain."

"You will have plenty of time to explain – after you explain why there are dragons attacking the Imperial City." Ulfric demanded.

"Uncle!" Elsa cried out, "Don't be mean to her, she came back for you – she wanted to see you – she saved me!"

Ulfric's demeanor cracked as he addressed his niece. "Elsa, you are far too young to understand this."

"I understand that she saved me. She helped me escape the tower before it fell and she shouted a dragon down from the bridge."

"Elsa, enough." Ulfric commanded, looking back at his former betrothed.

Ophelia was quick to defend herself. "I have nothing to do with these dragons. I was tipped off that something back was going to happen and I wanted to find you before it did. I wanted to help."

Ulfric watched her and it took all of Ophelia's self-control not to throw herself into his arms. His voice waivered and he whispered, "I don't believe you."

"Please," Ophelia begged quietly in return. "Please believe me. I would never hurt you."

"Yet you did." Ulfric retorted, trying his best to keep the conversation between them.

"I – I didn't…" Ophelia cringed and sighed in defeat, "I had my reasons." Ophelia muttered just above a whisper, bringing herself even closer to him.

"What reason could possibly worth withholding a child from its father?"

Ophelia's face fell and paled considerably. She had done so much to move on from the miscarriage but like an avalanche, the memories came back to her. The scars brutally ripped open by his angry words. "Please Ulfric, I beg you from the bottom of my heart, from everything I've done and owned – from my soul – believe me and let me guide us out of this mess. I will explain everything." She was just short of falling to her knees before him when another, more violent rumble shook the keep.

Ulfric appeared pensive and looked away from her in haste. "Very well. When we are safe, you will have your chance."

"Thank you." She whispered and reached out to touch him once more. Her hand rested on his forearm and he let it. A young man entered the room in a rush, out of breath. It was Leiv.

"I'm glad I found you all." He panted. He too was covered in soot and grime. Ulfric narrowed his eyes and looked between the two siblings.

"You seem awfully calm about seeing her – I assume you knew she was alive the entire time?" Ulfric spat conspiratorially as he yanked his arm from Ophelia's grasp.

"I just found out after you left, your highness." Leiv lied smoothly. Ophelia did not dare reveal the truth, lest Ulfric feel betrayed. "She explained herself to me. I recommend you hear her out once we are safe."

Leiv must've caught on to the tail end of the conversation, Ophelia noted. She sighed and pushed her hair away from her face. "The tower fell just as Elsa and I were entering the prison."

"We heard." Galmar grimaced and rubbed a hand over his face. "What are the blasted dragons doing back? I thought you killed Alduin."

"I did kill him," Ophelia replied. "I have no clue what the dragons are doing here. They're not like the dragons from up North. They look different, act different. The one I encountered on the bridge was young. They aren't risen from the grave."

"We need to get to Bruma as fast as possible. Bruma was built to withstand dragon attacks – it will offer us shelter before we cross the border back to Skyrim." Galmar offered suddenly.

"I don't know, but the city has all but fallen." Leiv crossed his arms and shook his head. "If the Imperial City is destabilized, anywhere in Cyrodiil is a risk."

"Fair enough, but we need to get out of this death trap." A rumble sounded as Galmar grunted impatiently.

Ulfric sighed and placed his hands on his hips, pacing around the small room.

Ophelia watched him momentarily and, with a sudden air of determination, put her bag on the table. She dug through it swiftly. "We need to get Ulfric out of the Imperial City immediately. Gods willing we'll find reprieve long enough to devise a plan but right now we need to act."

The three men and the child watched Ophelia curiously as she withdrew a ratty notebook and fingered through the first few pages.

"We need to act through some light reading?" Leiv sarcastically commented and Galmar snorted at the jab.

Ophelia waved them off as she scanned over the pages. "I came across an interesting fact about this prison in one of the notebooks I've found over the years. Supposedly there is a cell that was used as an escape route for the Imperial family… It may be closed now, but who knows. I believe we're all a bit desperate right now."

Ophelia scanned over the words and drawings. When she finally came across the section she searched for, she found a drawing of a prison cell with a barren patch of wall that was indicated to slide away when triggered by a switch. Ophelia looked carefully at the details of the room that was drawn and pulled away to look for any similarities. Much to her surprise and relief, the tiny slit of a window that was in the drawing was right across from her – although filled in with concrete. The alcove where the secret exit was located was still there – but covered by a shield rack and a small night table. "It's here."

"What?"

Ophelia pointed excitedly to the floor. "This is the escape room. They must have converted the cell into an office." She walked to the table and moved it aside with a small push and kick. The shield rack – which only bore a decorative shield – came down easily and crashed to the floor. There was a patch of stone that was discolored, and Ophelia curled her fingers around the edge and tugged forcefully. The wall shook from the mechanism inside of it drawing down the section of wall for what had to have been the first time in a century. Once lowered, a small, dark pathway was revealed – covered in cobwebs and dust.

"The divines smile on us today." The woman muttered and darted back to the table, where she packed away her book and fastened the leather bag around her body. Galmar hummed triumphantly and poked his head out of the room to usher the other Stormcloaks inside. Ulfric gathered Elsa into his arms and watched Ophelia intently.

"Dragonborn," Galmar barked. "You lead the way through this passage. Get us out of this mess."

Whispers of her title rose from the small band of soldiers that stood prepared. Ophelia's gaze met Ulfric's and he gave her a small nod of affirmation. The Dragonborn's face heated and her heart soared at the modicum of acknowledgement. At least he didn't shout her through the wall, she figured. Ophelia hastily retrieved a torch from the wall sconce and picked up one of the shabby blades that fell to the floor with the shield rack. Leiv followed suit – picking up the war axe that came down with it.

The prison shook violently with the forceful shout of a dragon. It shook so hard that the walls around them seemed to creak under pressure. Ophelia wasted no time and rushed into the dark pathway, praying to the Nine Divines that it would lead them to safety.

Ulfric watched his former lover like a hawk. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, and he didn't care who noticed his intent attention to the woman. She was a ghost, a whisper, a rumor brought back to tangibility. The dragons were a shock. The temporary lost state of his niece was an awful scare. Ophelia… it was simply unbelievable. He found himself waxing and waning between optimistic disbelief and distrustful pessimism.

It took every ounce of composure that he had gained over his lifetime to not break in front of her. He couldn't afford to. For all he knew, her appearance could have been a trap; a phantom put into play by dark forces to ultimately kill him. There was a part of him that wouldn't have cared if it was a trap. To see her, to hear her, to feel her – that would have been worth death. He gritted his teeth at the thought. Months of hardening and forgetting lost within a minute. She made him so soft, so malleable.

He was also filled with anger. Not rage, per se, but a quiet morose anger that came from months of anguish. What happened to their child? Was there even a child? What happened to her? Furthermore, why did the return of dragons coincide with her sudden reappearance? It was as if the Gods were laughing at him as they watched him struggle through a maze of turmoil and death. By the nine, he hated it so much.

"Uncle." A tiny voice broke him from his train of thought directed to the back of the woman. Elsa turned her head from his shoulder to look at him. "Don't be mad at her."

He didn't respond. He only shushed her and patted her back. She went back to resting her head on him and he turned his attention back to Ophelia. It was then that he noticed just how much she had changed. She was thinner than he'd ever seen her. Her hair was longer and when she came so close to him earlier he noticed a couple of gray strands gracing the top of her head. Dark circles marred under her once bright and youthful eyes. Whatever happened to her took its toll. This fact brought his mounting frustrations down to an uncomfortable simmer.

Leiv moved from the rear of the group to the front. He had offered to stay behind to ensure everyone made it into the passage without being noticed as well as finding a way to shut the door behind him. As the young man passed the King to the front of the group, Ulfric reached out and gripped his arm tightly, bringing him in close.

Leiv tensed and sneered at the sudden intrusion before lightening up and raising an inquisitive brow at the monarch. Ulfric kept his voice at a whisper and he leaned in. "Defend her at all cost or else. I will have my answers." And the woman, gods willing.

Leiv seemed unperturbed by the threat and kept silent as Ulfric let him go. Leiv rushed to the front of the group and joined his sister at the helm.

The occasional shout rumbled the underground passage, causing dust and gravel to rain down on their heads. However, the passageway proved safe as they gradually made their way through. The passageway eventually led to a sizable atrium with large columns and a raised platforms. It was Imperial in design, and had been abandoned for a long time by the looks of it. The vaulted ceiling of the atrium allowed light in through two inconspicuous grates that filtered light in from the outside. Water came through it too, the small droplets so persistent over the years that they forms dips into the stone where they landed.

The group minded the crumbling state of the area, careful not to touch anything. Weapons drawn, they moved through quietly. Suddenly, the group stopped. Looking ahead, Ulfric saw Ophelia halt at the front, eyes boring into what appeared to be a doorway – yet there was no door in it – only sloppily laid bricks. The siblings split up and investigated the blocked doorway on either side, presumably looking for a switch or lever to allow them through.

After several minutes of searching, the group grew weary and Galmar called out to Ophelia as she scoured the wall. "Is this a dead end, Dragonborn?"

"No." She rasped, placing her hands on her hips and spinning to face them. "There are many ways in and out of this place. This was only one."

"How are you so certain?"

"The book speaks of them." Ophelia replied curtly. "The book hasn't led me astray when I've needed it."

Galmar wasn't happy with her response but let her and her brother search. In the meantime, Galmar instructed some of the soldiers that accompanied them to search as well as guard them from the rear in case of an ambush. Ulfric, Galmar and Elsa took seats in the middle of the atrium, waiting for the others to find a way out. Elsa peeled herself from Ulfric and sat down on a fallen section of stone nearby, eyes drawn to the beams of light that shone through the top of the ceiling.

Ulfric's eyes were drawn to her again as she strode from one end of the room to the other, occasionally hopping up on a section of stone to peek over something or falling to her hands and knees to search under the fallen sections of rock. Ulfric's thoughts raced, a thousand curses and praises wanting to spill from his tongue but not being able to. He felt like he was in a dream – his head hazy and delirious from the stresses of the past few hours. Ophelia, having run into a metaphorical dead end, took a break from searching back at the doorway, spinning slowly to let her eyes scan over the entirety of the room. In the process, their gazes found each other's and for what felt like an eternity they just stared at each other.

Ophelia's expression softened and she blinked rapidly, taken off guard by his keen eye. Ulfric felt his body tense. He couldn't believe she was in front of him. HE brought his hand up to his face, scratching at his stubble out of annoyance. It felt like he was looking at a different person entirely.

"Ophelia." Leiv called from behind her. Ophelia jumped and sheepishly turned away from Ulfric toward her brother.

The siblings met and Leiv drew Ophelia away from the group towards the corner of the room, where they whispered to each other and payed particular attention to a part of the room.

"Ulfric." Galmar muttered under his breath, leaning near his King. "Stop staring holes into the woman. You'll have your time to talk to her."

"I'll do what I damn well please." Ulfric snapped back quietly. Galmar leaned away from Ulfric, his lips pursed as he clearly bit back a retort.

Ophelia could feel his eyes on her. She was brutally self-conscious, feeling her skin tingling and face burning as she tried to prove that her idea wasn't leading them into a death trap. Leiv calling her over felt like a blessing, and she quickly made her way over to the side of the room where her brother observed the wall.

"Whatever you do, don't act shocked at what I'm about to tell you." Leiv whispered just loud enough for Ophelia to hear. She nonchalantly nodded and focused hard on the wall in front of her, pretending to examine it. Leiv noticed and took a deep breath.

"The Emperor is dead."

Ophelia's vision seemed to darken at the edges from hearing the shocking news, and her stomach twisted violently. "You're certain?"

"Yes."

"What of… Ulfric… is he safe?"

"He will be safest when we get out of the Imperial City. We need to avoid every road, city and township from here to the border." Leiv turned to face her, his eyes darting to look at the others. Ophelia noted the paleness in his face and the grief stricken expression that he held. "I know you've faced dragons and other monsters from ages bygone – but this is the most danger you've ever been in. Believe me."

There was blood splattered on his shirt, yet no discernible wounds on him. In his right hand he gripped a tiny suede pouch with a glimpse of metallic chain hanging out, his knuckles white from how tightly he held it. There seemed to be a moment of clarity as she looked upon her brother in a rare moment of genuine fear. The pieces of the puzzle fell together and Ophelia felt his fear seep into her. She didn't accuse, didn't ask, didn't say anything, because she didn't need to. He killed the Emperor.

Hushed words left her lips in a flurried stutter. "All the more reason for us to find a way out of here."

Leiv cleared his throat and stuffed the suede pouch into his trouser pocket. "You're right."

Ophelia swallowed and went back to searching for an exit. If the passages' true purpose was to ensure the safe escape of the royal family, it didn't seem to do a good job of it. It was dilapidated in every sense of the word; there was clearly no effort in upkeep. Ophelia believed the Imperials clever for hiding an escape route in the bottom level of a prison, yet as she walked around the room for the third time, she cursed their lack of ingenuity. At least the Nords and Dwemer ensured that a passage – no matter how hidden and covered with traps – was still a damn passage.

It didn't help that Ulfric continued to watch her intently. She felt his eyes burn into her every time she was in view, and it was irritating. She wanted to just fall to her knees and explain everything in a rushed breath but couldn't. It was private business, and she wouldn't ruin step over the line of propriety in front of his men in order to save her own ass.

"Dragonborn." Galmar called from the opposite side of the room as she was on her fourth circle.

"Yeah?"

"Come here. I've found something."

Ophelia leapt over the fallen sections of stone and strode over to the man. Galmar knelt down and ran his fingers over a section of wall that was etched – just enough to stand out if one was looking closely. Ophelia nudged him out of the way and brushed her hands over the surrounding faces of stone. Once she cleared away the grime, the section of wall took up about the size of a small doorway. Ophelia looked around, noting the thin columns and border that outlined the area. She should have noticed the clear doorway sooner.

Ophelia pressed her ear against it, not hearing anything on the other side. She then placed her hands against the stone and pushed with her body weight, feeling no shift in it as one would if it were a hidden door. Frowning, she looked over to the older man.

"It's a door, yeah?" He offered and did the same things she just did.

Ophelia shook her head. "A doorway, not a door. It's not attached to a mechanism to be moved by a switch."

"How do you know?"

"When you push against a hidden door that's controlled by a switch, you can feel it shift a little, as if it wasn't cemented in place."

Galmar eyed her suspiciously and Ophelia rolled her eyes. "Galmar, trust me. I've been through enough ruins and dungeons in my life to know a hidden door when I see one. This isn't one."

"Then what is it?"

"A doorway, like I said." Ophelia snapped. "They laid these bricks down to hide it but also let people know that it used to be a doorway."

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't know, maybe in the case of a massive, unexpected dragon attack that people need to escape from? Do I look like a seer or a mind-reader?" Ophelia crossed her arms and raised a brow – attitude unchecked.

"Calm down, girl." Galmar grumbled and tapped his war axe against the wall. "So what do you reckon we do?"

Ophelia simmered down, "I don't know. I could shout it down but I fear this structure isn't strong enough to withstand a powerful shout. Or we could knock it down with your axe."

The cavern rumbled and all eyes went to the ceiling, the dragon attack still looming over them. "Shout it down." Galmar commanded, leaving no room for questions.

Ophelia rose a brow and nodded, praying that it wouldn't bring the whole cavern on their heads. The Dragonborn looked over her shoulder at Ulfric and the child at his side. Elsa's eyes sparkled with intrigue at Ophelia and Galmar's conversation while Ulfric kept his expression even. Leiv wandered over and looked on as Ophelia kept eye contact with her former betrothed.

"What does our King believe we should do?" Ophelia tested Ulfric with the question, flirtatious undertones thankfully unnoticed by the others.

Ulfric nodded noncommittally. "Shout it down."

Ophelia turned to face the wall and took a deep breath, summoning all of the strength she had left with new vigor. The shout left her and bounded into the wall, causing the suspicious portion to buckle in and crumble. Her shout echoed through the cavern and she felt herself stumble back, her frailty making itself known. As gravel rained down around them and the final crackles of her shout fizzed into the ether, Ophelia's legs struggled to hold her up, and her vision narrowed to a pin of light shrouded by darkness. She closed her eyes and felt herself hit the ground unceremoniously. Her head swam, and dizziness nearly consumed her until she fisted her hands into the dust on the ground and willed herself to remain conscious.

As Ophelia came back to, she felt a large hand on her back and heard a familiar, comforting timbre beckoning her back to Nirn. "Ophelia?"

"I'm alright." Ophelia muttered and opened her eyes. To her left, Galmar stood alert, watching her. To her right, Ulfric knelt and kept her upright with a hand. Ophelia blinked several ties as she held eye contact with her former lover. "I'm just a bit weak, is all." She breathed as she took in the sensation of him touching her. Ulfric, who appeared slightly concerned but portrayed little else, nodded and helped Ophelia to her feet.

"We need to keep moving." Leiv suggested as he pushed away the stones that covered the hidden passage.

Ophelia made it back to her feet and leaned against a nearby pillar, catching her breath. Ulfric looked between the siblings, frowning. "We can spare a moment to let her recuperate."

"No, your Highness, we cannot." Leiv corrected and looked over Ulfric's shoulder to Ophelia, who took sips of a flask that she carried with her. "Perk up Ophelia, we still have quite a ways to go."

Ulfric's frown seemed to deepen and his voice commanding. "I said no, boy."

Leiv raise a brow at the command and Ophelia's stomach did a flip. She pushed herself away from the pillar and gradually moved to Leiv while respectfully addressing Ulfric. "As much as I dislike being seen agreeing with Leiv, we need to keep moving. The dragons don't sound like they'll stop any time soon."

Ulfric backed away and conceded reluctantly. "Very well."

Ophelia placed her flask back into her bag, brushed by Leiv and inspected the sizable passageway that was revealed. Ophelia reached behind her with one hand. "Leiv, hand me a torch."

The knotted and cracked handle of the torch touched her palm and she wrapped her fingers around it, bringing carefully into the space next to her head. Ophelia stumbled in, barely catching herself. She swallowed thickly and closed her eyes. The dizziness barely subsided and her vision blurred at the edges.

Ophelia opened her eyes and pushed forward. The newly revealed passage was much like the previous one. Well-crafted and carefully placed stones formed high walls and narrow hallways that were streamlined for an easy and hasty escape. Ophelia picked up her pace, the sets of heavy footsteps behind her being enough for her to know that everyone was keeping up. The route seemed like a maze – up and down flights of stairs and corridors that looked exactly like the last led to Ophelia's ire rising. However, the rumbles from the Dragon attack became more muffled and the rumbles seemed to taper off into echoes. They were making progress away from the city.

"Are we close, Dragonborn?" Galmar asked as they descended down another set of stairs. Ophelia noted that the architecture had tapered off from the nicely constructed passage ways to a series of moderately sized atriums connected by a series of nearly destroyed hallways. A thin layer of water splashed as they made their way through it. The passageway was dark and stuffy. Mildew and a whole host of other rot made it difficult for Ophelia to not place a hand over her nose.

"I'm not certain." Ophelia replied as she realized the familiarity of the dilapidated and ratty tunnel. They were in a sewer.

"Well, we better be. I don't fancy walking through a sewer."

"I don't think anyone does, friend." Ophelia replied smoothly, picking up pace as an illuminated patch of floor appeared around a nearby corner. Just as the walls felt like they were closing in, Ophelia reached a large, circular grate. Light shone through the spaces between the bars, and a wave of relief washed over the entire group. Ophelia knelt down and inspected the lock that held the grate door firmly to the wall. The rusted metal felt cold and gritty in her hand. She tugged on it, testing the resistance of the locking mechanism. With a strained grinding of metal on metal and a small click, the lock broke and fell unceremoniously to the wet stone floor.

Ophelia hummed and stood, kicking the broken lock out of the way. "They clearly didn't care too much about security."

The grate door was heavy and awkward, but Leiv and Ophelia made short work of it. The stone tunnel way short, and led to another, smaller grate that was boarded up with wood. Bright light shone through the cracks of it, and the cries of dragons and smell of smoke leaked through as well. Ophelia turned to address the group before they left.

Galmar beat her to it and sighed heavily before taking his place at her side. "Well, we're here. Now where do we go?"

"As far away as possible." Ophelia set her jaw and peeked back at the grate. "Who's up for a quick swim?"

While it was nice being out of an ancient dilapidated sewer system, it felt as if Ophelia and the rest had jumped out of the firepan and into the proverbial fire. The sewer exit faced east, away from the Imperial City. The occasional puffy white cloud painted the otherwise bright sky. It wasn't destined to last long. Behind them, spreading from the Imperial city, dark clouds and ash bled across the beautiful summer day. The sun, now at high noon from where they stood, was quickly being over taken.

By Ophelia's guess, there was only one reasonable way to leave the Imperial City behind from their location; across water. The lake in front of them was split by a small island containing what looked like to be Aeleid ruins. On the other side of that tiny island lie mainland Cyrodiil. It wasn't terribly far, but far enough to cause concern.

A quick survey of the exit revealed two small boats that had been abandoned for some time. They were run ashore about ten feet away from what appeared to once be a small dock, sunken in a few inches into the ground and now a home for weeds and persistent vines. Several young soldiers made quick to dig them from their location as the group filtered out of the tunnel.

While Ulfric and Elsa stayed in the mouth of the tunnel, a few trusted guards took up behind them for protections sake. Leiv, Ophelia, and Galmar came out and hugged the outside wall of the exit, peeking behind to catch a glimpse of the city. It proved to be difficult with thick smoke rolling down the hill of the prison island, effectively obstructing what little visibility they would've had. Ophelia rounded back down the small hill till her toes of her dress boots almost touched the water. Her teeth worried her lip until it stung, and she fisted her hand into the thin skirts of her dress.

"Leiv." She called as she looked over to the boats now being dragged from their resting place in the mud. Leiv appeared beside her quickly. "Suppose we do manage to get across this lake unscathed – where do we go from here?"

"We haul ass up and across those hills." Leiv breathed, pensive as can be. "Then we rush straight into the forest. From there we might be able to figure something out. For now, we need to get off of City Isle at any cost."

"Dragonborn." Galmar addressed Ophelia and motioned for her to approach the boats. Ophelia picked up her sweat and water logged skirts and jogged over.

Galmar's brow furrowed. "We have two boats and a party of eighteen – most of whom are fully armed. How should we go about doing this?"

Ophelia looked back over to the entrance to the sewers, where Ulfric seemed to be in deep thought while holding the elfling. A sharp pain emitted from her heart shot down her limbs to her fingertips. Swallowing thickly, Ophelia turned back to the boats. "Send a group of seven men on the first boat – fully armed. You, Ulfric and Elsa on the second boat – right behind them. Three soldiers on there. One man stays on each boat to bring them back and fetch the rest of us."

Galmar nodded. "Where do we go once we make landfall?"

"Make a run for it over the hill. Don't look back. There's a tree line not far on the other side of the top."

"Very well."

It didn't take long for the men to test the boats for major leaks and get them out on the water. There were only a few oars that hadn't succumbed to wood rot yet, and a few of the men decided to use their swords and axes instead.

Ulfric, Elsa, and the rest of the guards came out of the sewer and prepared to get into the boats. Leiv stepped forward before anyone had a chance to board.

"Do yourselves favors and shed your cloaks and vestments. Only leave on as little armor as you can afford."

Galmar rebuked the young man quickly. "You're telling me to rid myself of armor while running from dragons. Has the smoke messed with your head already, boy?"

Leiv held strong. "Do you think that life in Cyrodiil will go back to normal in a day, Galmar? Stormcloaks will not be met with polite uneasiness anymore. We're as good as outlaws now. Anything that can identify us is a liability."

"Are you insinuating that they believe we're responsible for the dragon attack?" Galmar grumbled.

"First diplomatic outreach from the Stormcloaks devolves into massive dragon attack? Yes. That is exactly what I'm insinuating." Leiv kept his voice low, his hands gesturing to the Imperial city behind them.

Ophelia's eyebrows furrowed as she watched the back and forth. Smoke wisped around their feet, its tendrils creeping out onto the water's edge. The woman noticed how Elsa's grip on her uncle's cloak tightened as the smoke neared.

"Sir." A young Stormcloak soldier politely interjected. "If I may… The boats are old, weakened. Too much weight will surely break or sink them. I think ridding of anything unnecessary will be best."

The insight from a trusted subordinate was taken in slowly by Galmar. In turn, the older general looked to his King. Ulfric, stoic as ever, eyed the entire group and the boats. He peeled Elsa away from him and his hands moved towards the buckles of his cloak and coat. "Do as they say, Galmar."

In a flurry of movement, everyone except Elsa, Galmar and Leiv removed the decorative armor they had worn with pride. Most left their helmets in a pile by the door of the sewer. Cloaks were thrown asunder and shields with the bear displayed proudly were discarded. It was a painful departure, and one that must've caused great anxiety. Ophelia shed the filthy, soot-covered overcoat and outer skirt layer. She felt oddly bare in the long dark chemise and bright bodice, but she brushed off the need for modesty and threw the clothing on the growing pile. After several moments, Galmar groaned and angrily ripped off his helmet. His cape followed shortly after.

Galmar then directed a group of soldiers into the first boat. Ophelia grabbed her bag from its resting place on the ground and secured it firmly around her body. While she fought with the worn leather straps she felt a sense of unease overcome her. Her skin prickled and her face flushed. When she looked up, Ulfric's stormy eyes met hers. She swallowed thickly, not used to the outright scrutiny. Risking a quick peek, she noted his muscular form no longer hidden by the kingly vestments. He was left in his rough leather leggings and a white undershirt.

Adrenaline still rushing through her, Ophelia's whole being vibrated with a sensation she hadn't felt in a long time; tangible lust. It wasn't strong or particularly pervasive – but it was a dull ache that settled deep inside of her belly that simply bled love. Ophelia was overcome with the urge to kiss him. Death cried out from the city behind them and smoke rose from the ground slowly to overtake them. She was only a few steps away from him finally, her body sang and yet duty called too loud for it to be heard.

Her mouth went dry as she fought off the unsightly temptation. Maybe before Alduin she would've waltzed up to him and taken him on in a flurry of lust. Maybe before Alduin she would've flirted with his anger and sadness. Maybe before Alduin she would've wrestled power from him with death looming over them. Maybe then. But not now.

His expression was unreadable but hers wasn't and they both knew it. Humiliation and relief flooded through her as their eyes met again. It was a sobering reminder of where they were, what had happen, what was happening currently. He took a step forward, a sudden air of determination around him. Yet as fate always dictated – nothing came of it. Galmar interceded and called for him and Elsa to get on the boat.

Ophelia dropped back down to Nirn from her heightened emotional state and looked towards the water. The first boat was already halfway across the water – the soldiers coordinating rowing efforts to quicken the journey. Ulfric looked back to Ophelia one more time as he stepped onto the boat and the other soldiers kicked them from the shore. It made her sick to the stomach for some reason.

"Hey." Leiv approached her as she finished messing with the straps of her bag. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah." Ophelia lied. She wasn't feeling well for a multitude of reasons, but it mattered not. "I'm fine."

Leiv hummed as they watched the scene of the boats play out. Both boats made landfall without incident. The remaining soldiers readied themselves to leave the City Isle. The smoke had begun to rise to Ophelia's waist and began to roll onto the water. As the first boat made it back to City Isle, the second boat took off from the mainland.

"Dragonborn…" A soldier called out, one foot inside of the first boat and one on the ground. Ophelia looked over and raised a brow. "We have room on this boat still for you and sir…"

Ophelia looked at Leiv and back at the solider. "Take Leiv with you. I'll come on the last boat."

Leiv frowned and with a heave of annoyance attempted to rebuke his sister. Ophelia beat him to the punch. "Don't waste time. I can shout. You can't. The sooner you all are across the safer you are."

Leiv conceded with an annoyed groan and motioned for another soldier to follow him to the tiny vessel. The first boat took back off on its final journey across the water. Meanwhile, Ophelia waited anxiously for the second boat to return. Once within reach, the few remaining soldiers grabbed onto the rim of the second boat and dragged it forward. Ophelia hopped in last, kicking off from the shore to give them a head start across the water. The smoke was all around them now, and she was barely able to make out the coast of the mainland from her perched spot on the edge of the boat. It was several grueling minutes before they made it out of the heavy smoke and attempted to outrun it to the shore. Ophelia and the others paddled with haste, attempting to reach the shore as quickly as possible.

With an unnatural rush of wind and billowing smoke, Ophelia barely had time to register what happened before she was thrown into the chilly water. Disorientated, Ophelia opened her eyes under water and tried to find the bright telltale sign of day. There wasn't any. The smoke had darkened the surface to the point where Ophelia couldn't see. Panic set in, and if it weren't for the bright orange that appeared above her head, she wouldn't have found the surface.

Ophelia broke the surface of the water with a gasp. She was greeted by a rush of hot air and a screech of dragon tongue. Bright fire was dissipating over the surface of the water around her. Brushing her wet hair from her face, Ophelia spotted the overturned boat and the soldiers that accompanied her. One gripped onto the side of the overturned boat, face contorted with fear. The other two swam confidently to where Ophelia assumed the shore was. Her eyes stung slightly from the water and her vision was blurred to where she couldn't see anything clearly. Instinct took over and Ophelia hiked up her skirt and swam to the soldier gripping onto the boat.

The young man thrashed as she grabbed him and she did her best to ignore it. He grabbed onto her and kicked his legs haphazardly as she swam as best as she could to where the other swam. Her heart pounded in her chest, her lung burned from overexertion and smoke, and a pulsing pain seared through her head. Gritting her teeth, she pushed through the burden of the young man and the skirt fighting her as she swam – determined to reach ground. When her toes hit something below her she felt an inkling of hope. She continued and soon she was standing and running through the water.

"Come on, soldier." Ophelia panted as she tried to let him go. "We can walk now. Come on."

Eventually, with a few more words of encouragement, the young man let go and followed her out of the water. Ophelia rubbed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. They were on the mainland. It was difficult to see on account of the smoke, but the other boat lay beside them. The young man coughed violently and bent at the waist. Ophelia fought with the long skirt of her chemise as it clung uncomfortably to her legs. Sinking down on a knee quickly, she pulled out a knife from her bag. Her hands shook as she dragged the sharp edge across the skirt – just to her knees. Once she had cut the fabric enough she ripped off the excess and stood, securing the bag back to her body.

A whoosh of wind send dirt and water spraying around the two, and Ophelia's stomach sank. Another whoosh followed, and without a word, Ophelia grabbed the young man by the arm and ran as fast as she could from the water. A hefty screech left a trail of fire just on their heels as they scrambled up the hill. Ophelia cursed loudly, ears ringing from the dragon shout. She let go of the young man and they both climbed – or rather crawled – up the hill. Visibility was so low that Ophelia couldn't see but a foot or so in front of her. Ophelia's hands dug into rock and mud to help lift her body up the incline. Every part of her body burned and ached from the chase, but somehow she found the will to power through every painful movement.

Just as she broke through the water, Ophelia's head finally poked through the smoke. Although it was still dark, she could finally see the hilltop and the tops of trees on the other side. "Keep going, boy!" She cried enthusiastically, reaching behind her for the soldier. Her hands found his hauberk and she dragged him up with her. A few more agonizing steps and the ground levelled out considerably. She kept running, feeling the young man behind her grabbing onto her arm for dear life. She looked over her shoulder at the young man. His large blue eyes were blown wide and he gasped for breath. He nodded at her, unable to speak properly.

Ophelia looked away and halted at the edge of the hilltop. She looked down the slight decline. The hill rounded down softly into a grassy field that disappeared into a dense tree line. Running down the hill were the two young soldiers that made it from the boat before Ophelia. At the base of the hill awaited Leiv and a few more soldiers. At the tree line awaited the rest of the party. Ophelia began down the hill in a rush with the soldier. They took it slow, lest they fall down and become prey to the dragon that was surely to come back.

Nearing Leiv, Ophelia yelled as best as she could with limited breath, "Get in the forest! Quickly!"

Leiv nodded and took off in sprint towards the forest. The rest of the soldiers and Ophelia followed as best as they could – spread out and running at different speeds. The young soldier that Ophelia pulled from the water dropped off behind her, collapsing in the long grass. Ophelia heard him fall with a thud and spun around. Her eyes were initially drawn to the sky, where the young dragon she encountered at the prison causeway reared over the hilltop – eyes keen on the scattering humans.

Ophelia sprinted towards the young man and grabbed him by his arm. The man, much heavier than Ophelia, was proving difficult to move. His breath came out in rapid bursts, his face red and drenched with sweat. The woman spoke to him, urging him to move, but he wouldn't. His expression was delirious. Ophelia yanked him again, at least getting him to his feet, and pulled him along. Yet it proved futile as the ground behind them shook as the dragon landed. Ophelia pulled the man as hard as she could and spun, pushing him behind her and placing herself between him and the beast.

The young dragon bared its blood and soot stained teeth as it took a step toward her. Ophelia backed up as much as she could before her heels hit the young man that was crawling on the ground. Instinct to protect the young man overwhelmed Ophelia and she felt no fear but anger as the dragon approached her.

"You are no dragon but a human. Little human. Your shout is strong." The dragon croaked, its pupils dilating as it stared her down.

"Who are you, little dragon? Thinking you can confront the Dragonborn." Ophelia challenged the small dragon, who in turn reared its head back momentarily.

"Mother hasn't named me yet. My name will be most great when I eat the Dragonborn." The arrogant dragon snarled and Ophelia spoke up again.

"The Dragonborn will eat you." Ophelia growled before sucking in a deep breath and closing her eyes. "Faas ru maar!"

The shout sent out a powerful shockwave in front of her that knocked the dragon back a ways. When Ophelia opened her eyes, the small dragon scrambled away from her with a shriek and flapped its wings as fast as it could. Within moments it was gone. Ophelia's body trembled as the wind passed by her from the wings beating against the air. The tremors didn't subside, however. Her blood was pumping and a seed of empowerment was planted deep inside of her. She scared that dragon away, and it was glorious. If circumstances had been any different she would've laughed triumphantly. But she didn't. The young man behind her coughed and groaned. Ophelia spun around and fell to her knees next to him. He lay on his stomach, his hands twisting into the grass.

Ophelia looked up to the tree line, where the rest of the company ran towards her. Leiv made it to her first. He braced his hand on her shoulder as she attempted to roll the young man over. Ophelia pulled him over with all of her strength and he rolled onto his back with a groan of pain. The young man's face was scraped and red from being burned but his body appeared to be uninjured. He coughed and groaned more, reaching up to the other soldiers that surrounded him. As they prepared to pick him up, Ophelia rose to her feet, speaking to them. "He took on a lot of water, he inhaled quite a bit. Don't let him fall asleep!"

Ophelia moved to follow them closely but was yanked back by her brother. She whipped around and looked up at the older man. "What?"

Leiv inspected her closely, ignoring her question. After he gave her a once over he hooked her arm over his neck and assisted her to the forest. Ophelia protested, "What are you doing? I don't need help!"

Yet contrary to her protests, her body leaned into him and an overwhelming fatigue settled into her. They passed by Ulfric and Galmar, and she attempted to straighten up but just couldn't. Her eyelids weighed heavy, her muscles quivering from just trying to stand, and she struggled to keep her head up.

Ophelia seemed to black out without falling asleep entirely as they maneuvered into the forest. Her feet moved, although with much difficulty. She remembered seeing the forest floor passing underneath her and the increasing darkness of the forest as they delved deeper into the tree line. Ophelia remembered hearing shouting and discussions. She remembered being picked up entirely by her brother at one point and protesting. She remembered eventually coming to a stop and being laid down gently where her back was against a tree. She remembered someone touching her face gently, someone she never expected to see again – someone with tortured stormy eyes and a distinct voice. She remembered smiling.

Oh hell yeah, this is getting fun.