{"id":3573,"date":"2019-04-29T23:10:27","date_gmt":"2019-04-29T23:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/?page_id=3573"},"modified":"2019-05-02T18:47:23","modified_gmt":"2019-05-02T18:47:23","slug":"chapter-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/volume-iv\/part-ii-the-storm\/chapter-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Frina\u2019s Journal <\/em><\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t expecting to get shipwrecked on the way from High Rock to Windhelm but that\u2019s what happened.\u00a0 We were caught in a storm and smashed into the rocks north of Solitude, and I had to peel off my armor or get dragged to the bottom with the weight of it. I washed up half-frozen, with nothing more than my smallclothes and my wits. I didn\u2019t see any of the others. Not a one. I don\u2019t know what happened to them but I can imagine it well enough.<\/p>\n

It took me a bit of work to kill enough wolves to make some basic armor, a rough bow, some stone arrows and a couple of stone axes. I wandered east along the shore, eating the clams I found along the way washed down with snow, and discovered a ruined dinghy outside a place that I learned later is called Broken Oar Grotto.\u00a0 I recognize a bandit operation when I see one, so I said a quick prayer to Talos and went inside.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t have much to work with.\u00a0 But the first bandit went down quickly enough, and I got his leather armor and a decent number of iron arrows. It took me a very long time to get rid of them all. Hours. By the time I got through the place I was soaked again, from hiding on the rocks in the water, but I had a number of steel weapons, a lot of food and coins and the knowledge that I had disrupted what was clearly a criminal operation that got cut short by a cave-in where the boats used to go in and out. Unfortunately, the captain escaped me. I don\u2019t know where he went. The captain\u2019s journal, though, mentioned a contact named Jaree-Ra.<\/p>\n

And wouldn\u2019t you know, I walked past that very same Jaree-Ra several times when I made it to the city of Solitude.\u00a0 Apparently he is trying to find a scapegoat for some kind of scam, at least that\u2019s what the journal said. I would have stayed to see if I could disrupt him too, to help restore some law and order, because I heard people at the open market talking about the raiders up along the coast by just that grotto. I would have done that.<\/p>\n

But I walked up to Castle Dour, because the blacksmith told me there was an alchemy bench there, and while I was standing there I heard the actual general of the Imperial Legion arguing with his legate.\u00a0 They know! They know that Ulfric Stormcloak is planning an attack on Whiterun!\u00a0 I have to get to Windhelm now. It\u2019s the whole reason I came back to Skyrim anyway and now I know for certain that Talos is guiding me, for I needed to hear that piece of information.\u00a0 And as if I needed any other reason to go right away, the woman who told me about the bandits said \u201chey, if you come across any Stormcloaks, run \u2018em through for me.\u201d I was shocked.\u00a0 She had seemed so pleasant, and helpful, before she said that.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

They truly hate the Stormcloaks in Solitude. I saw some of the filthy Thalmor there, strutting about like they own the place. I aim to help get rid of them. And I went into the Temple of the Divines and saw the shameful thing they\u2019ve done \u2013 they\u2019ve left shrines to all of the other gods but removed the shrine to the true god of the Nords, Talos.\u00a0 His niche lies empty. It\u2019s awful. I will see the shrine put back to rights if it\u2019s the last thing I do.<\/p>\n

I can hardly wait to meet him. Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm. To think that my sister fought for him, met him in person, the great Bear of Markarth, and even now, after all these years, he\u2019s still there on the throne and it\u2019s my turn to serve. I think Briinda would be proud of me.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Frina fed a few more twigs onto the small fire she\u2019d built on this sloping platform atop a mostly-collapsed old tower.\u00a0 She\u2019d poked around inside just to make certain nothing would come at her at night, and found what seemed to have been an old Imperial prison. It was mostly full of water, now, at least down near the bottom.\u00a0 She shuddered a bit to think what a deluge it must have been to wash the tower halfway down the hillside, ending up at such an odd angle.\u00a0 The spot she had chosen for the night, though, was sound enough. There were a few scorched stones here, in fact, that showed it had been used for this purpose before.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I should have just stayed in Windhelm for the night, she thought. But I was too excited after seeing Roggi again. I spent too much time talking and not enough time getting to where Jarl Ulfric wants me to be.\u00a0 And now I\u2019m too tired and it\u2019s too dark. I\u2019ll just sleep here for a few hours and be on my way.<\/p>\n

She spread out her bedroll and lay down beside the fire. As it had every night since then her mind started replaying her life since arriving back in Windhelm, the place she\u2019d spent her early years.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll never forget it. That moment.\u00a0 I went into the palace to tell him what I\u2019d seen in Solitude, to find out how I could join up with the Stormcloaks, and he walked out from the side chamber.<\/em><\/p>\n

Frina had heard the scratchy voice she now knew belonged to Galmar, first.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d follow you into the depths of Oblivion, you know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then she\u2019d heard a sound that stopped her dead in her tracks.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but why do you fight? If not for me, what then?\u201d<\/p>\n

That sound, that voice. It was deep, resonant, and full of something that she could not identify but which reached down into her and took hold of her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll die before elves dictate the fates of men,\u201d Galmar had replied while she was still trying to sort out what she was feeling.\u00a0 \u201cAre we not one in this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes. Yes, we are. That is why I am here.<\/em><\/p>\n

And then he had come out from that room at the side and walked to his throne, sweeping across the space in his blue-draped armor.\u00a0 Frina watched him, stunned.\u00a0 She\u2019d heard about him of course, for her whole life, and was expecting to be impressed; but she hadn\u2019t expected to be rendered nearly senseless by his passage. They called him the Bear of Markarth but to her eyes Ulfric Stormcloak looked more a lion, a full mane of blonde hair with warrior\u2019s braids on either side swept back over high, wide cheekbones, a square jaw covered with a short beard, and a large, hawk-like nose. He turned to gaze at Galmar, who had followed him, and continued speaking.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI fight for the men I\u2019ve held in my arms, dying on foreign soil. I fight for their wives and children, whose names I heard whispered in their last breaths. I fight for the few of us who did come home, only to find our country full of strangers wearing familiar faces. I fight for my people, impoverished to pay the debts of an Empire too weak to rule them, yet which brands them criminals for wanting to rule themselves!\u201d<\/p>\n

His voice had risen, filling the great hall in which he stood, making the very stones ring with the sound of it. Frina\u2019s heart rose into her throat and tears rose into her eyes. These were the words she had longed to hear for all the years she\u2019d been training to take her sister\u2019s place in the battle against the elves. Or, rather, she\u2019d longed to hear them from this man<\/em>, the one man everyone agreed could drive out the Empire and give Skyrim back to itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fight,\u201d Ulfric said, his voice dropping and carrying a heavy burden of sadness, \u201cso that all the fighting I\u2019ve already done hasn\u2019t been for nothing.\u00a0 I fight\u2026 because I must.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he sat down on the great, cold throne.<\/p>\n

I thought I was going to die, right then and there.\u00a0 I truly did.\u00a0 He looked like a god, standing there like that, and he sounded like one as well; but then he sat down and he looked so\u2026 sad.<\/em><\/p>\n

She had taken a step closer to him when he sat down, and had looked at him again.\u00a0 Those eyes, very deep-set, were surrounded with lines.\u00a0 The circles beneath them spoke of many sleepless nights \u2013 no, many years<\/em> of sleepless nights and great depths of grief. She\u2019d had an overwhelming thing occur to her at that moment.<\/p>\n

I want to make that sadness go away. I\u2019ll do anything he wants.<\/em><\/p>\n

Frina rolled over onto her side, yawning, hoping that she would be able to relax enough to sleep soon.\u00a0 She\u2019d warmed up a bit of mead when she\u2019d laid the fire and it had warmed her from the inside, but still the thoughts wouldn\u2019t stop racing through her head.<\/p>\n

And then. And then he saw me.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLord Ulfric,\u201d she had stammered, mistakenly but automatically using the title one used for the highborn men in High Rock, where she\u2019d spent the years since her parents had taken her out of Skyrim. \u00a0He\u2019d turned toward her, calm but perhaps slightly amused.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly the foolish or courageous approach a Jarl without summons.\u00a0 Do I know you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Frina opened her mouth to apologize for using the wrong title, to spill out the warning that General Tullius knew he had eyes on Whiterun.\u00a0 But she didn\u2019t get the chance.<\/p>\n

Ulfric\u2019s gaze focused on hers then, truly focused on her rather than just casting a brief glance in her direction.\u00a0 His eyes widened, and so did his mouth, for just the smallest moment. Then he rose and walked down the stairs toward her, standing so close that she could smell the trace of the soaps with which he bathed, the oils that treated the armor he wore and the good, clean sweat of the man who wore it.\u00a0 She froze in place while he stared at her, clearly confused.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cBriinda?\u201d he murmured, barely aloud, his brows furrowed, looking as though he doubted his own sanity. \u201cDo my eyes deceive me? How can it be? I thought\u2026 Roggi told me\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frina laughed, in spite of what a bad idea it was to laugh in a ruler\u2019s face.\u00a0 In all the years since she\u2019d become a woman, and in all the years since Briinda had passed, she\u2019d had this reaction from people so often that it was almost a joke to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, my lord. We\u2019ve never met. I\u2019m Frina. But I understand your confusion. Briinda was my older sister.\u00a0 I\u2019m told we look very much alike.\u00a0 I was just a child when she died.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ulfric\u2019s gaze ran over her again, and Frina shivered, not knowing what to expect but taking in every detail of his face.\u00a0 She saw the deep furrows of care on his forehead, the lines of fatigue around his eyes and the sorrow of years resting around his mouth.\u00a0 And she saw something else, too, she thought.\u00a0 His gaze had been urgent, almost hungry it seemed for a moment or two until she\u2019d told him her name; and now he looked disappointed, embarrassed almost.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrina,\u201d he\u2019d said, finally. \u201cOf course. I had forgotten that Briinda had a sister. You do favor her greatly.\u201d He took one step back. \u201cForgive me for approaching so closely. I hope I haven\u2019t made you uncomfortable.\u00a0 Now perhaps you\u2019d care to tell me exactly what brings you here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh he made me uncomfortable, all right, but only because of my own reaction. He\u2019s old enough to be my father. Twice my age and maybe more. He\u2019s older than Roggi, by a good ten years at least.\u00a0 But by Talos what a beautiful man he is and every part of me knew that right then. Too bad he thought it was Briinda he was talking to.<\/em><\/p>\n

And how dare I think such a thing about the rightful High King of Skyrim.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Frina flopped back onto her back, frowning. \u201cYou need to sleep, Frina,\u201d she told herself. \u201cIt\u2019s not going to be any easier to talk to Jarl Balgruuf if you\u2019re exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n

But her eyes stubbornly refused to close.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d told Ulfric what she had heard in Solitude, and he and Galmar had shared a glance and a nod. She\u2019d told them that she wanted to become a Stormcloak soldier like her sister before her, and Galmar had given her a condescending grin and sent her off to fight an ice wraith up to the north, just off the coast.<\/p>\n

An ice wraith.\u00a0 Like I hadn\u2019t just clawed my way across the province fighting ice wraiths and trolls and saber cats and gods know what all else there was along the way. That was stupidly simple. Galmar thought it was going to be easy to get rid of me. He thought I wasn\u2019t going to amount to anything at Korvanjund, either, didn\u2019t he \u2013 but I brought down that big draugr myself and grabbed the Jagged Crown right off its head, and brought it back to Ulfric. Jarl Ulfric, that is.<\/em><\/p>\n

You would have thought Galmar might have learned something about the women in my family. It\u2019s obvious that he and Ulfric knew her. And we don\u2019t give in or stand aside. Especially not for crusty old soldiers who think they\u2019re better than everyone else simply because they\u2019re men. <\/em><\/p>\n

Frina looked up into the clear sky, seeking out the comforting presence of Masser and Secunda. Their phase was dark this night but she could still see their rounded bulks marking time through the field of stars.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve always been there. Just like the memories from when I was a little girl.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

It was so good to see Roggi again.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

She could still feel his warmth, where she\u2019d given him a hug strong enough to hurt a smaller man. It was clear he was still active, still a fighter; for his muscles were hard, and straining against the fabric of his armor, and he\u2019d even looked big standing next to the large red-haired Nord who\u2019d given her a false name.\u00a0 She was sure of that.<\/p>\n

That man is no more named Brunulvr than I am. But he\u2019s not the important one, anyway.<\/em><\/p>\n

She\u2019d been so very excited to see him again, the man she\u2019d always thought of as a big brother. He looked the same, his smile was the same and his eyes the same bright, warm eyes she remembered from when she was a little girl and he would pick her up and swing her around him, making her screech and giggle. Roggi had been half the reason she wanted to be a soldier, telling her stories about how he and Briinda fought skirmishes with the faithless Imperials, so that she and her family would be able to worship Talos if they wanted to.<\/p>\n

Frina had half worshipped Roggi because of the look on her sister\u2019s face whenever she looked at him, and the look on his when he smiled back at her. She\u2019d hidden the letter Briinda wrote to her while they were off fighting in Cyrodiil, the letter that said the two of them had gotten married, because that\u2019s what her big sister had asked her to do. But she\u2019d wanted to shout from the rooftop that she had a big brother too now, a soldier like her sister, a good man who had the best wife in the world.<\/p>\n

She loved him. He made her so happy. I\u2019m so glad they were married, even if they never got to have that ceremony with all of us and with Roggi\u2019s family.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure she\u2019s waiting for him in Sovngarde and when he dies\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

She frowned up into the darkness as a thought occurred to her.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s gotten married again. I wonder what she\u2019s like. \u00a0I\u2019m sure she\u2019s nice, because it\u2019s Roggi, after all, but\u2026 What<\/em> will happen when he dies? Will they all be together, the three of them?<\/em><\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t seem right at all.<\/em><\/p>\n

What a stupid thing to be worrying about in the middle of the night.<\/em><\/p>\n

Frina chewed on that thought for a moment but was interrupted by an enormous yawn. She rolled over onto her side again and felt her eyes closing.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t wait to go see him in his new house. Falkreath. Maybe after I\u2019ve settled this business with Jarl Balgruuf, I can go and meet Roggi\u2019s new wife.<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally, having come to that conclusion, Frina drifted off to sleep.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There was a priest in full voice, standing before the statue of Talos in Whiterun.\u00a0 Frina stopped to listen to him and the more he spoke, the more she nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd there it is, friends!\u201d he said. \u201cThe ugly truth. We are the children of man! Talos is the true god of man, ascended from flesh to rule the realm of spirit!\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes. That\u2019s right. Of course it is. Why would anyone think anything else?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe very idea is inconceivable to our Elven overlords. Sharing the heavens with us? With Man? Ha! They can barely tolerate our presence on Nirn!\u00a0 Today they take away your faith.\u00a0 But what of tomorrow? What then? Do the elves take your homes? Your businesses? Your children? Your very lives?\u201d<\/p>\n

Frina looked around and saw people shaking their heads as they bustled up and down the paths to the great keep atop the hill. They\u2019d clearly heard this man before. Some of them looked at him \u2013 and at her \u2013 as if they were crazy.<\/p>\n

But listen to him, people! He\u2019s telling the truth, don\u2019t you see it?\u00a0 We have to get rid of the elves once and for all!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what does the Empire do?\u201d the man continued. \u201cNothing! Nay, worse than nothing. The Imperial machine enforces the will of the Thalmor against its own people! So rise up! Rise up, children of the Empire! Rise up, Stormcloaks! Embrace the word of mighty Talos, he who is both man and Divine!\u201d<\/p>\n

Frina\u2019s heart rose to her throat and tears welled in her eyes. This was exactly why she was a Stormcloak. Exactly. She\u2019d thought about it often enough. Talos was the Emperor Tiber Septim before he became divine and it had, at first, seemed somehow wrong that she would be fighting against the very empire he had created. She had come to believe, as this priest before her implied, that the Empire had become too corrupt to save if it would enforce the rule of elves over that of man. Tiber Septim would never have accepted the current state of affairs in his empire.<\/p>\n

She looked at the enormous statue of Talos behind the priest and smiled.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m here to do your work, my great and powerful Lord.\u00a0 I will restore this land to the Nords, in your name.<\/em><\/p>\n

And I\u2019d better get to it.\u00a0 I have an axe to deliver.<\/em><\/p>\n

She climbed the stairs to Dragonsreach and pushed open the great wooden doors.\u00a0 It was a disappointment. Oh, the place was large enough, to be sure. It was tall, lofty even; but the place was almost entirely made of wood and seemed\u2026 ordinary.<\/p>\n

The Palace of Kings. Now there\u2019s a palace. Built of stone so ancient it almost seems part of the mountains and filled with hangings and a table so long it could seat half the city. Or at least it looks that way. This has no grandeur about it. It looks like a\u2026 a hunting lodge, not a palace.<\/em><\/p>\n

That was Frina\u2019s assessment of Dragonsreach; and as she approached the Jarl and heard him quarrelling with his steward she realized she had a similar assessment of Balgruuf the Greater in comparison with Ulfric Stormcloak. Balgruuf slouched on his throne. He looked cranky. He snapped at Proventus, his steward, to take care of provisions for Whiterun out of his existing funds, even though Proventus said there were no such funds. Worst of all, to the right of the throne was a person who made Frina\u2019s nose wrinkle in disgust even though she was heavily armed and clearly protective of the Jarl.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t believe he has a Dunmer as a housecarl.\u00a0 I had heard this man was a true Nord, a direct descendant of Olaf One-Eye. This is revolting.<\/em><\/p>\n

Frina swallowed her feelings and stepped up to catch Balgruuf\u2019s gaze. He looked her over, frowning, particularly when she held out the war axe she\u2019d been keeping close to her person all the way from Windhelm.<\/p>\n

\u201cSir. Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak asked me to deliver this axe to you.\u00a0 He said you\u2019d understand what it means.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balgruuf\u2019s frown grew even deeper. Frina had to stifle the urge to turn and flee.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he, now?\u00a0 Ha.\u201d\u00a0 Balgruuf\u2019s eyes turned toward Proventus. \u201cThe man is persistent, I\u2019ll give him that. I suppose it\u2019s time I give him an answer. What do you counsel, Proventus?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Imperial steward was, in Frina\u2019s mind, almost as distasteful as the Dunmer to her right.\u00a0 He was oily and obsequious and stood with his hands folded before him, in what seemed the least sincere attitude she\u2019d ever witnessed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs in all things, lord \u2013 caution. I urge us to wait, and see.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dunmer woman to the right snorted. \u201cPrey<\/em> waits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frina\u2019s eyebrows rose in grudging admiration. Perhaps I\u2019ve underestimated her. This one understands.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

For several minutes Balgruuf, Proventus, and Irileth \u2013 for that was how Balgruuf addressed the Dunmer \u2013 argued about how they should respond to Ulfric.\u00a0 Proventus was afraid of Ulfric, in Frina\u2019s estimation, first suggesting that he would send someone with a dagger for Balgruuf\u2019s back, and then sneering about how he had simply walked up to \u201cthe boy\u201d – Torygg of Solitude – and murdered him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat \u2018boy\u2019 was High King of Skyrim,\u201d Irileth snapped.<\/p>\n

Balgruuf sat up straighter on his throne. His voice rose. \u201cI\u2019m not the High King. But neither am I a boy. If Ulfric wants to challenge my<\/em> rule in the old way, let him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frina didn\u2019t know anything about Balgruuf\u2019s history with Ulfric aside from some vague whispers, but she thought she knew what she was seeing before her. He was of an age with Ulfric, heavily lined but still vital.<\/p>\n

He <\/em>wants to fight Ulfric, doesn\u2019t he? This is personal for him, somehow, isn\u2019t it? Perhaps he thinks that he ought to be High King himself, rather than Ulfric. But here he sits in his wooden castle rather than doing something active to take his power.\u00a0 Bah. He\u2019ll never defeat the true High King.<\/em><\/p>\n

The three of them argued more, picking at the scabs of old wounds from the end of the Great War and Balgruuf\u2019s acceptance of the White-Gold Concordat after receiving a great deal of gold.\u00a0 Irileth and Proventus snarled at each other. It was a very different atmosphere, Frina thought, from the genuine cooperation she\u2019d witnessed in Windhelm among Ulfric, Galmar, and the court\u2019s Steward, Jorlief.\u00a0 She\u2019d even seen Ulfric and Jorlief have a disagreement; but it had been quiet, and respectful, and it had been clear that while Ulfric\u2019s opinion was the one that mattered he held those of his subordinates in high regard.<\/p>\n

These people are such \u2026 provincials, compared to that. I don\u2019t understand why they\u2019re so important. It must be the position of Whiterun that makes taking it imperative, not Whiterun itself.<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally, the Dunmer turned to Balgruuf and said, flatly, \u201cIt\u2019s time to decide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLord, wait,\u201d Proventus whined. \u201cLet us see if Ulfric is serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balgruuf looked directly at Frina. Whatever it was he was thinking, it was clear to her that this was a highly intelligent man. Perhaps he was trying to gauge the situation through the expression on her face. But no – she was certain he\u2019d known what the situation was from the instant she\u2019d handed him the axe.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, he\u2019s serious,\u201d he said quietly, then turned his gaze to Irileth. \u201cBut so am I,\u201d he continued, his voice strong and icy cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally,\u201d she said, nodding.<\/p>\n

Balgruuf turned to Frina again. \u201cSo, about this axe,\u201d he said, handing it to her.\u00a0 \u201cYou can return this axe to our friend.\u00a0 The esteemed Jarl of Windhelm has my answer. Make sure he gets it.\u201d He turned to his right. \u201cProventus, bring me my pen. And the good parchment. I need to make a few things clear to General Tullius before I accept these Legionnaires of his.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frina nodded even though Balgruuf was no longer paying her any heed, and gave him the slightest of bows before backing down the steps to Dragonsreach\u2019s main level.\u00a0 She\u2019d been dismissed, without fanfare, and without the chance to say a thing. He\u2019d never asked her name, or acknowledged her in any way. She was simply the messenger girl, to Balgruuf; and that made her fume.<\/p>\n

She strode toward the great wooden doors, trembling with anger and with something else that she couldn\u2019t quite decipher. It wasn\u2019t fear, not exactly; but it was clear to her that things had gotten very serious.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t just idle threats any more.\u00a0 And General Tullius wasn\u2019t imagining things.\u00a0 We\u2019re really and truly going to war. I need to get this axe back to Ulfric right now, so that he has a chance to prepare.<\/em><\/p>\n

Frina stopped for just a moment before the shrine of Talos, to pray. She wondered how it was that Balgruuf, a man who would defy the elves by leaving such a shrine in place, could be taking up arms against the man who was working for that same goal.<\/p>\n

Then she rose and ran through the city. There would be no visit to Roggi\u2019s house in Falkreath, not this day.<\/p>\n

I have to get back to Windhelm, right now.<\/em><\/p>\n

Part II: The Storm<\/a><\/div>\n
Previous<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Frina\u2019s Journal I wasn\u2019t expecting to get shipwrecked on the way from High Rock to Windhelm but that\u2019s what happened.\u00a0 We were caught in a storm and smashed into the rocks north of Solitude, and I had to peel off my armor or get dragged to the bottom with the weight of it. I … <\/p>\n

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