Board Thread:Skyrim/@comment-10207438-20130919024334/@comment-24434525-20140211212020

Just to point out to all that keep saying she is an NPC and such, first off I hear it all the time, "gameplay doesn't equil lore." Why? because there are limits to what a game engine can do. Notice that the "followers" have no positive or negative reputation with you, unlike in some games. They won't ever leave your service for doing something they don't like, and yes for game purposes they are blank robots that help fight for you and carry your stuff. However, that is for game mechanics and due to limitations of the games engine there was no way to add a reputation system, thats why there isn't one for any of the factions, towns, or people at all. You can walk into Whiterun kill someone, pay the fine, kill someone, pay the fine, and keep doing that untill nearly everyone is dead and yet they still say "hi". If Skyrim was super realistic after the second time you killed someone and even after you payed the fine they would at the very least run you out of town, and thats being generous. So please use your imagination, the game can't provided everything for you so you have to add a little.

Now to answer the question posted; I think Lydia would side with Whiterun, she is loyal and by her personal remarks, (by that I mean the things she says that only she says), she seems to be a "good" person. So being lawful and good, (not to use Dungeons and Dragons lingo), I think she would have stuck with Balgruff and Whiterun and would basically do what was ordered of her by her Jarl. Thus try to remain neutral in the war, if the Stormcloaks invade she would fight against them, but probably not be happy about it. As for her screaming "skyrim is for the nords" I think thats is more about game mechanics than gameplay, she is a Nord warrior, thus she is labeled to say things of that class and race.