Heartless

Chapter 59 - Part 77

'Shadow, Love?'

It was Ulfric.

'Hmm?'

He took a deep breath. 'Come back to me, okay? I'd be by your side but-'

'Matters call.' I finished for him. 'I'll come back, Ulfric. Since when did I not come back? I'm the Dragonborn, I'm going to win a war against my brother's army and then we can be married.'

Those words which should have been cheerful were nothing but bitter on my tongue. I was trying so hard to love Ulfric how he should be loved, but it was as if some otherworldly force was holding me back, telling me to hang on, that my Knight in shining armour would rescue me from a loveless marriage soon. That was something that no matter how hard I tried, would always stick in my head.

I suited up in my glittering glass armour, strapping my ebony daggers to the quiver I wore which rested just above my tail and slipping my throwing knives into various spots on my armour. I needed my armour to be light for my kind of work, which was the most dangerous type in the army. I had to assassinate the most vital people and frame other high ranking officers that have records against them, which was deadly and difficult to do. If I did something wrong, it could result in the whole mission going south and the deaths of plenty others as well as my own.

I loved it, but today I was merely scouting and filling in time before the battle over Whiterun.

Two hours later I was crouched upon a shady outcropping of rock, watching as the masses of Imperial troops assembled in orderly ranks, their steel spears gleaming as the legion soldiers prepared for battle. General Tullius himself was riding up and down before them, seated upon a snowy white steed with his golden armour gleaming proudly. My fingers itched to kill the man, but I knew I couldn't.

My breath caught in my throat as another archer spotted me from behind Imperial lines. They took aim and fired a whistling arrow at me, which I countered with a magical arrow that met the enemy archer's projectile mid air and made it explode in a beautiful green fireball, the magic fire forming a giant arrow pointing right at the archer's position. Several foot soldiers raced off to investigate as I chuckled quietly to myself, settling out of sight and unslinging my quiver to add a few more types of arrow to it: Explosive, decoy, smokescreen, whistling, magic decoy, twist tip, spinning, regular and stealth.

(List below of arrow types and effects)

- Explosive Arrow: Explodes and creates small craters (instantly kills)

- Decoy Arrow: Makes very loud thumps that sound like footsteps.

- Smokescreen Arrow: Gives off thick white smoke that blinds enemies and allows for quick getaways.

- Whistling Arrow: Emits High pitched whistling to give away someone's position, also effective against Werewolves and Khajiit.

- Magic Decoy Arrow: Creates a magical diversion.

- Twist Tip Arrow: Tip of the arrow is slightly twisted, usually used as makeshift daggers.

- Spinning Arrow: Designed to keep spinning after impact and burrow into the opposition's flesh.

- Regular Arrow: Regular no-frills arrow.

- Stealth Arrow: Silent arrows for silent kills.

—

I rode up and down the ranks of Stormcloak warriors on the back of Shor, a dapple Grey steed from Riften, my glass armour gleaming proudly in the daylight. There was no sun, and there clouds overhead were blanketing the whole sky, dampening the spirits of the army I was to lead. The sight of anything orange was enough to spur the Stormcloak army onwards, as they had become so accustomed to my miraculous rescues after a mission gone south. I was a figure that I hadn't been in a long time.

I was a figure of hope.

And with that realisation came such a burst of confidence that I dismounted the steed I sat upon, drew my magnificent Dwarven sword and spoke, attempting to raise the Stormcloak spirits even more.

'Brothers and Sisters in arms, today is not only a battle for control. It is a fight for our siblings who have died for the sake of freedom. I'm here to give you that freedom, to bring back your religion and drive out the Thalmor influence! I may have been the daughter of an Empire, but I can be damn sure that that is no Empire of mine. I may be in line for the throne of Empress, and the day I rise to power is the day we crush the Thalmor and protect our land. I've made a vow to win this, and today I lead you to victory.  When we storm Solitude and bring the Empire's forces to the ground, it will be the dawning of a new reign, a stronger reign than Tamriel has seen ever before. We'll be greater than Tiber Septim or Ysgramor, for I am the last Dragonborn and this is my birthright. With me, so we may bring the Emperor's filthy dogs to their demises!'

To put it simply: We Charged.

A/N: Don't judge my battle speech abilities, I'm sick.

~theambernightingale