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<\/p>\nFrina felt a shudder ripple up her back as the Argonian dock worker in ragged clothing turned to her.\u00a0 He was carrying an oversized armload of wood that looked entirely too heavy for his scrawny arms to be holding; but he smiled at her, she thought, and said \u201canother day, another septim.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
She nodded and turned away.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not going to do this. I\u2019m not going to shrink back just because they\u2019re Argonians and Khajiit and Dunmer.\u00a0 I\u2019m better than this. I have to be better than this. Otherwise I don\u2019t have any reason to be telling Ulfric that he needs to take care of all the people. I\u2019d be just a hypocrite.<\/em><\/p>\n The shudder ran out from her core, regardless.\u00a0 It simply wasn\u2019t going to be as easy as that after an entire lifetime of being sure, in her heart, that she was somehow better than all these other people just because she was a Nord.\u00a0 That\u2019s what she\u2019d been taught. That\u2019s what everyone around her had always said. Talos favored the Nords, that\u2019s what people had raised her to believe, and nobody else really counted.<\/p>\n But Dardeh, who looked like nothing so much as a lighter-skinned Redguard, worshipped Talos and had fought on his behalf.\u00a0 And Roggi had lived next door to a Dunmer mage, and called her his friend.\u00a0 And Ulfric \u2013 well, it was obviously true that he favored Nords but he did nothing to actively harm or remove the other races from his city. If even he could be at least tolerant, surely she could, as well.<\/p>\n She slipped into the first set of doors she saw, hoping that this would be where she could talk to someone about the East Empire Company.\u00a0 There were at least two large rooms, a warehouse, really.\u00a0 Just inside the door were empty carts pushed up against the walls. A richly colored carpet with a table and chairs set in its center clearly served as a place to do business. Barrels, crates, and sacks filled most of the floor space that she could see in the next room; and there were shadows that suggested more areas beyond.<\/p>\n There was a figure facing Frina, a female seated at the table.\u00a0 Frina walked up to her and cleared her throat.\u00a0 When the woman looked up at her Frina nearly jumped.\u00a0 She had seen this Dunmer before, the day she\u2019d first entered Windhelm to join the Stormcloaks. \u201cDo you hate the dark elves, too?\u201d this person had asked her.<\/p>\n Frina blushed remembering what she\u2019d done.\u00a0 She\u2019d drawn back from the woman and snapped, \u201cYes I do,\u201d not wanting to risk being touched by the mer woman and anxious to find the castle. She hadn\u2019t given it more than a moment of thought.<\/p>\n \u201cThen we have nothing more to talk about,\u201d the very dark elf had growled, and walked away.<\/p>\n She looked at Frina now and sneered. \u201cIt\u2019s you.\u201d\u00a0 She paused for a moment and hissed. \u201cYou are nothing<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry,\u201d Frina said quietly, deciding to pretend that she didn\u2019t remember their first encounter. \u201cI\u2019m in the wrong building. Sorry to have bothered you.\u201d\u00a0 The woman made a disgusted noise.<\/p>\n Frina slipped out and leaned back against the cold stone wall for a moment, squeezing her eyes shut against the stinging of the tears that wanted to start. I was so awful to her that day. I don\u2019t blame her for hating me. What was I thinking?<\/em><\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t thinking at all, was I.<\/em><\/p>\n Well, this isn\u2019t getting me anywhere and I need to find out what I can do to help before Ulfric sends his guards after me. <\/em><\/p>\n She took a deep breath to settle herself, and then walked farther down the waterfront.\u00a0 Not far away was another set of doors, this one with a notice board outside. It looked like a place of business, even though there wasn\u2019t much activity going on outside it.\u00a0 She frowned, and entered the building.<\/p>\n This place was nearly identical to the one that the Dunmer woman was in except for one major detail:\u00a0 it was almost empty of goods.\u00a0 She saw movement in the far room and called out.<\/p>\n \u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBack here,\u201d a distinctly Imperial voice called.<\/p>\n Frina\u2019s instincts put her on high alert immediately.\u00a0 Imperials were to be eliminated.\u00a0 Then she remembered Brynjolf, shaking his head at her and telling her to keep business and politics separate in this case.\u00a0 She moved toward the back of the space and found the man, a slim, dark-haired Imperial man in simple merchant\u2019s clothing. He nodded to her and reached for a broom.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m Orthus. Orthus Endario. I know this place looks horrible,\u201d he said, grimacing. \u201cPlease, don\u2019t hold it against the Company.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t, of course,\u201d Frina said. \u201cI\u2019d heard that there might be some problems…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSad, isn\u2019t it?\u201d he answered. \u201cWe can\u2019t afford to keep the place running since these attacks started. Pirates, you see \u2013 raiding all along the coast, from Hammerfell to Vvardenfell.\u201d\u00a0 He gave her a sideways glance. \u201cOnly the Shatter-Shields appear to be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally.\u00a0 How interesting.\u201d\u00a0 The Shatter-Shields, of course, were one of Windhelm\u2019s more prominent and well-to-do families, living in one of the large manors near the Palace. \u00a0Frina had heard that one of their daughters had been murdered, not too long before she had arrived in the city; so being \u2018safe\u2019 was a matter for some debate in her mind. She doubted that he meant the word in that sense.<\/p>\n \u201cThey run a private shipping operation and would love to have the docks to themselves. Wouldn\u2019t surprise me if they were in league with the pirates somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina\u2019s mind ran over all the things she\u2019d seen and heard since washing up on the shore near Solitude.\u00a0 There were definitely pirates operating up and down the coast: she\u2019d eliminated some of them not too far from the border of High Rock. She nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had run-ins with some of those pirates, but accusing the Shatter-Shields would take some evidence. They\u2019re awfully\u00a0 influential. Do you have any?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvidence? Not yet, no. But perhaps an intrepid person such as yourself could help with that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI could try. I also could speak to the Jarl if we can prove a connection between the Shatter-Shields and the pirates.\u201d\u00a0 At least I hope I still can.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThey have a dark elf who oversees their operations. Suvaris Atheron. She\u2019s meticulous to a fault and keeps a log book recording every transaction she makes. If it were somehow to end up in my hands\u2026 Well, I wouldn\u2019t argue,\u201d he said, grinning.<\/p>\n Oh great. That has to be her, next door. The one I insulted. The one who says I\u2019m nothing. How in Oblivion am I going to get past her?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAlright,\u201d she said, trying not to look distressed. \u201cI\u2019ll see what I can do. Do you know anything else about the pirates?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded. \u201cThey call themselves the Blood Horkers. They\u2019ve been around as long as I can remember, but only recently focused on our<\/em> ships.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMakes sense, with all the upheaval caused by the war, that they\u2019d pick now to make a move.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. Our own forces have been limited, and the war has had all the mercenaries tied up. But they\u2019re more than simple brigands. Shrewd, clever \u2013 not to be trifled with. We don\u2019t even know their base of operations and attacking single ships won\u2019t really solve the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight. Pirates are like skeevers. Just about the time you think you\u2019ve stomped them out more come out of the shadows.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go see if I can get that log book and get back to you as soon as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina left the East Empire office and slipped back around the corner to what was clearly the Shatter-Shield\u2019s shipping offices. The goods filling their warehouse made sense now, as well as the emptiness of the East Empire\u2019s building.<\/p>\n That Brynjolf is a clever one, isn\u2019t he? I don\u2019t know what his connection with the East Empire Company is, but it\u2019s clearly one that needs to be kept under wraps. And yet he\u2019s right. We can\u2019t have a pirate group disrupting business. It\u2019s bad for everyone.<\/em><\/p>\n But how am I going to get Suvaris\u2019 log book?\u00a0 She hates me already.<\/em><\/p>\n Frina reached into her pack and checked what she\u2019d stuffed in there. She hadn\u2019t really given it much thought before leaving her house; she\u2019d just grabbed it and left. And she certainly didn\u2019t want to go back to her place right at the moment, in case Ulfric\u2019s guards were waiting for her return.\u00a0 But maybe\u2026<\/p>\n Sure enough, she found a lone invisibility potion tucked in the bottom of the bag.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t\u00a0 a very strong potion, and so wouldn\u2019t last too long; but it would definitely get her past the woman and into the back of the office.\u00a0 Getting out might be an issue; but it was still worth a try.<\/p>\n She pushed the door open just enough to peek in.\u00a0 The Dunmer was walking toward the back of the place; so Frina slipped inside and downed her invisibility potion.\u00a0 She crept around the first room, keeping as close to the left wall as she could.\u00a0 Suvaris, having done whatever she was doing at the back of the facility, returned to take a seat in the front; Frina moved quickly around the piles of merchandise to the far end of the space, into the alcoves she\u2019d not been able to see before.\u00a0 It was a narrow space, there at the far end; maybe the width of a short man\u2019s height. Against one wall was a small, square table with a chair before it; the table held a ledger, a strongbox, a bottle of mead and a bowl, a very fat coin purse and, almost hidden beneath the ledger, a small journal.\u00a0 She picked up the journal and flipped it open for a moment, long enough to read \u201cProperty of Suvaris Atheron.\u201d<\/p>\n There we go.<\/em><\/p>\n Invisibility potions being what they were, Frina knew she was now visible. She slipped the journal deep into her pack and inched her way around the doorway into the roomful of merchandise, keeping to the shadows as best she could.\u00a0 She held her breath and inched along, agonizingly slowly, not wanting to be discovered.\u00a0 Suvaris stood up and moved toward her, and Frina\u2019s heart started pounding, certain that she\u2019d been seen; but the Dunmer merely moved around the table and took a seat on the other side, facing away from Frina.<\/p>\n It felt like a lifetime to her as she crept around the dividing walls, past barrels and up to within an arm\u2019s reach or two of the Dunmer, then sideways toward the deepest of the shadows in the room.\u00a0 Her heart was pounding to the point that she wondered why Suvaris didn\u2019t hear it.<\/p>\n If she spots me I\u2019ll just make a break for the door. I\u2019m pretty quick, I can probably make it before she sees my \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n Frina\u2019s heart nearly stopped as Suvaris pushed her chair back from the table and rose.\u00a0 She tensed, readying herself to bolt for the door.<\/p>\n Suvaris turned toward her left \u2013 away from the side of the room Frina was on \u2013 and walked toward the back of the warehouse.\u00a0 Frina said a quick prayer of thanks to Talos under her breath and moved as quickly as she could, up through the front of the space and out the door.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t pause to catch her breath; rather, she slipped past a pair of Argonians and around the corner into the East Empire Company office.\u00a0 She slammed the door behind her and sank back against it, panting.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re back!\u201d Orthus cried.<\/p>\n Frina just nodded, dug into her pack, and handed him the journal.<\/p>\n \u201cHow did you\u2026 never mind, I probably shouldn\u2019t know,\u201d he said, opening the journal and skimming through it. \u201cI see. It looks like Suvaris has been travelling to Dawnstar to meet with a pirate crew there. Get to Dawnstar and see what you can find out about these rogues.\u00a0 I\u2019d wager they won\u2019t be too far from the tavern.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina opened her mouth and then closed it.\u00a0 She\u2019d been about to snap at him for giving her orders when it had occurred to her that getting out of Windhelm for a bit would probably be the best thing she could do.<\/p>\n I yelled at the Jarl and turned my back on him when he told me to come back.\u00a0 I\u2019m disobeying him right now. Dawnstar sounds like a great idea.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOk, I\u2019ll do that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cTry to find out where their fortress is. The captain, Stig Salt-Plank, has to know something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I would think so.\u00a0 Wish me luck; I\u2019m off.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina considered returning to her apartment, but decided against it. There was a small boat for hire here, tucked in between some of the larger vessels.\u00a0 She spoke to its owner, who was quite willing to take her to Dawnstar if she didn\u2019t mind spending fifty septims. Once he had the coins in hand, he told her to climb in and get comfortable.<\/p>\n __<\/p>\n The inn in Dawnstar was full of loud men who smelled of liquor, fish and salt water; and Frina frowned as she overheard a conversation at the table opposite the door.<\/p>\n \u201cCome now, dearie, surely we aren\u2019t all that bad,\u201d a gravelly voice slurred.<\/p>\n The tavern girl stood back and made a disgusted face.<\/p>\n \u201cJust leave me alone,\u201d she said. \u201cI brought you your mead. Now drink it and shut your filthy mouths.\u201d<\/p>\n A dark man who\u2019d clearly had far too many mugs of mead already said \u201coh we\u2019ve got other things in mind for our mouths, sweetie.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina swapped a quick glance with the girl and reached for her war pick. \u00a0The girl shook her head no, but grinned before walking back to the bar.<\/p>\n Disgusting. I\u2019d rather listen to Roggi peel a man for information.<\/em><\/p>\n She was trying to decide how to approach the first of the disgusting men when he stood from his table and nearly bumped into her.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you lookin\u2019 at?\u201d he growled.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking for information. Have you heard of a crew called the Blood Horkers?\u201d<\/p>\n He puffed himself up, swaying just slightly.\u00a0 \u201cHeard of \u2018em? I\u2019ve been captainin\u2019 a crew of \u2018em for well on nine years now!\u201d\u00a0 He squinted his bloodshot eyes at her and leaned forward a bit, and Frina tried not to gag at his breath. \u201cWhat\u2019s it to you?\u201d<\/p>\n So this was Stig. Frina gave him the greediest grin she could come up with.\u00a0 \u201cLots of gold to be had, plundering ships, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye. The war kept the Empire and the locals too busy to worry about us. Haldyn called it our \u2018golden age.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHaldyn? Who\u2019s that?\u201d Frina was confident that Stig was just drunk enough that she could keep him talking, especially the way that he\u2019d started ogling her chest.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t have a large<\/em> bosom, but the scaled armor showed off what she did have very nicely and he was admiring it.<\/p>\n Not like you could get a hand anywhere near it.\u00a0 Either I\u2019d cut it off, or I\u2019d convince Roggi to do it for me.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOur secret ingredient. A battlemage. Runs the Blood Horkers and makes sure the battles end right-side up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere would I go, if, say, I wanted to join up?\u201d Frina asked, smiling.\u00a0 Gods forbid I would want to do such a thing. I\u2019ve killed off an entire cavern full of pirates with far less gear than I have now and for less reason.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWell I just can\u2019t tell that to any skeever that washes up,\u201d he snorted.<\/p>\n \u201cOh come now,\u201d Frina said. \u201cDo I look like a skeever to you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLooks to me more like you\u2019re trying to cause trouble for the Horkers.\u201d<\/p>\n Frina shook her head, in the way that made her ponytail dance and Stig\u2019s eyes follow its motion.\u00a0 She tried to look pitiful.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, the war\u2019s over.\u00a0 They\u2019ve sent all us mercenaries home. I need to be able to put bread in my belly. That\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to do. I don\u2019t care to cause trouble for anyone at this point,\u201d Frina said as earnestly as she could manage. \u201cI\u2019ve had enough of that for a lifetime and then some.\u201d<\/p>\n Stig frowned at her. \u201cWell.\u00a0 Hmm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWould this help you remember?\u201d\u00a0 Frina reached into her pack and pulled out a sack of coin, handing it to him. It wasn\u2019t the largest purse she\u2019d had in her apartment by any stretch, but it was the largest she had at hand and she was fairly certain he would appreciate its heft.<\/p>\n \u201cAhhh, I think that\u2019ll do just the trick,\u201d he said with a grin, slipping the coin purse into his own pocket.\u00a0 \u201cHaldyn will take my hide for this, but Skyrim\u2019s been feeling a bit\u2026 confining, lately.\u00a0 We draw council at Japhet\u2019s Folly. You know the place? Little island up to the northeast. \u00a0The fools in Windhelm won\u2019t go near it, which is fine by us!\u201d\u00a0 He swayed again. \u201cNow if you\u2019ll pardon me, my crew needs gatherin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n And a bath. By the Nine. You smell like you\u2019ve been bathing with raw salmon filets that have overstayed their welcome.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWe should be in Hammerfell before the other Horkers know who let slip their secret.\u201d\u00a0 He leered at her once more.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, good idea.\u00a0 Thank you,\u201d she said; but he had already turned to speak to his men. Frina breathed a sigh of relief and headed for the door.<\/p>\n Japhet\u2019s Folly.\u00a0 Alright then. Back to Windhelm. <\/em><\/p>\n __<\/p>\n When Frina reentered the East Empire\u2019s empty quarters in Windhelm, she found Orthus getting a dressing-down by his superior, an Imperial woman named Adelaisa Vendicci. She was wearing the armor of the Empire; Frina had to fight herself to keep from drawing her weapons out of reflex.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t lose my control now. This is important. Brynjolf said it was important, and Ulfric\u2019s reaction when I said I wanted to do this tells me that he thinks it\u2019s important, too.\u00a0 I need to remember. Business, not war.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cFinally,\u201d Vendicci said, \u201csomeone who can get things done. Since we\u2019re short on soldiers you\u2019ll be coming with us. No arguments. Anything else you can tell us about the situation?\u201d<\/p>\n Oh very good, Frina thought.\u00a0 I\u2019m being kidnapped.\u00a0 I expected Ulfric to be the threat, not these people.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir leader is a battle-mage named Haldyn.\u201d<\/p>\n The Imperial\u2019s eyes grew wide. \u201cHaldyn? I\u2019ve heard of the man but never expected he\u2019d join up with pirates. This could be even more dangerous than I thought.\u201d\u00a0 She paused for a moment, thinking, and then shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cHead for the ship. We\u2019ll plan our assault on the way.\u201d\u00a0 She turned and strode from the building.<\/p>\n Well damn. Now I\u2019ve done it.\u00a0 If I run from here, this Imperial will be after me. If I go back to the castle \u2013 who knows what will happen.\u00a0 And if I abandon this effort nobody will be any better off than they were before I stuck my nose into it. I guess if I could steal Imperial battle plans on my own, I can do this with a backup crew. Talos protect me.<\/em><\/p>\n She nodded a farewell to Orthus Endario and made her way out to the docks.\u00a0 A man in Imperial colors stood on the deck of one of the larger vessels.\u00a0 He waved to her, and she froze for a moment, the uniform once more sending her into battle readiness.\u00a0 But she breathed, slowly, and made her way to the ship.<\/p>\n There are a lot of uniforms around these days. There were a lot of dead soldiers. People wear what they can find.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t mean a thing.<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019m still glad that I\u2019m not wearing Stormcloak blue.<\/em><\/p>\n The ship cast off only a few moments after she went aboard.<\/p>\n __<\/p>\n Ulfric was pacing in his quarters.\u00a0 Pacing, and shouting, and occasionally tossing things.\u00a0 Thus far he hadn\u2019t thrown anything that could be shattered, but Jorlief wasn\u2019t entirely certain how long that would last; the Jarl\u2019s bed was running out of readily-available cushions.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn the woman! How dare she just run away like that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShould I have the guards go to fetch her, my lord?\u201d Jorlief asked. \u201cYou would be well within your rights to have her punished\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d Ulfric snapped, glowering at Jorlief.\u00a0 \u201cHow could I justify punishing a war hero for simply disagreeing with me when I didn\u2019t punish the Dragonborn for throwing me through the room with his Voice?\u201d\u00a0 He stomped once more from one side of the room to the other, stopped in front of his dining table, poured himself a goblet of wine and downed it in one quick motion.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, both Galmar and I thought at the time that action might have earned more of a response from you, my lord, but in the end it did turn out well, I suppose.\u201d\u00a0 Jorlief was mostly muttering under his breath, and was therefore surprised when he saw Ulfric glare at him.\u00a0 \u201cI mean no criticism, my lord.\u201d<\/p>\n Ulfric tossed his hands up. \u201cOf course you do, Jorlief, and as usual you are right. I should have put him in his place \u2013 and yet he was invaluable in securing our victories.\u201d\u00a0 He ran his hands down over his face and blew out a breath. \u201cI am not used to having people disobey me. Or contradict me. And all of the best<\/em> \u2013 the reasons we won this war \u2013 are people who have done exactly that. You would think I would have learned better by now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, my lord,\u201d Jorlief said, automatically, and then gulped when he realized how that must have sounded.\u00a0 \u201cI mean\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Ulfric stopped pacing to stare at Jorlief and suddenly burst out laughing.\u00a0 \u201cYes. Yes you would.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be concerned, old friend. I knew what you meant.\u201d\u00a0 He sat down heavily in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment.<\/p>\n \u201cSo she has run away to do exactly<\/em> what I told her not to do. I could have her executed for that. And yet I find that I am more concerned with whether or not she will survive <\/em>than I am whether she bows and scrapes before me. Far more concerned. I can\u2019t bear the thought\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He opened his eyes and slammed his fist on the table, startling Jorlief. \u201cDamn the girl! And damn her scruples! Does she not know that she would not even have her home if it weren\u2019t for Roggi\u2019s expert interrogation of its previous owner?\u201d<\/p>\n Jorlief chewed on the inside of his mouth for a moment and then decided to hazard the comment he knew he must make. \u201cNo, sire. I don\u2019t believe she does understand that. And if I may offer my opinion\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n Ulfric was rubbing his eyes, and waved a hand in the air. \u201cYes, yes, what is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt would probably be just as well if she never made that connection. Even though it was clear that it was very disturbing to her to learn what he is capable of, she is quite devoted to her former brother-in-law.\u201d<\/p>\n Ulfric sighed.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 So it would seem,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0 He rose from his chair and paced the room again, bending to pick up the cushions he\u2019d thrown and toss them back onto the bed.<\/p>\n Jorlief sighed as well.\u00a0 It was beginning to be apparent that the little things he\u2019d been noticing in Ulfric\u2019s demeanor over the past months really did mean what he\u2019d feared they meant. He\u2019d seen this behavior from Ulfric before.\u00a0 Only once before to be sure, but he had seen it; and it unsettled him a great deal, particularly given the news he needed to share with the man.\u00a0 He did not \u2013 and more importantly, Skyrim did not \u2013 need this situation to arise at this precarious moment.\u00a0 He\u2019d watched Ulfric behave erratically, and he\u2019d watched the worst in his lord\u2019s personality emerge the only other time he\u2019d seen the man in this state.<\/p>\n No, Jorlief thought, Skyrim did not need an Ulfric Stormcloak distracted by romantic interests.\u00a0 He would become unpredictable and volatile, and Skyrim needed her solid, thoughtful, predictable leader right at the moment.\u00a0 Jorlief decided that something needed to break the man\u2019s train of thought before he realized for himself what Jorlief could already see plainly.<\/p>\n \u201cMy lord,\u201d he said quietly, \u201cI am sorry to change the topic, but I need to share some information that arrived earlier.\u00a0 It is\u2026 likely of great importance, it seems to me, even though I am not a strategist of any sort.\u201d<\/p>\n Ulfric glanced at him, one eyebrow raised. \u201cAnd yet you often see through to the heart of the matter where others do not. What is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere is word from Solitude, sire. It would seem that the Lady Elisif\u2026\u201d He paused, and wrung his hands together for a moment, searching for the best way to say what must be said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Lady Elisif what<\/em>, Jorlief? Get to the point.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHas taken a new husband.\u201d Jorlief held his breath, waiting for the Jarl\u2019s reaction. It might well make the difference between life and death \u2013 if not for him, then for others.<\/p>\n Ulfric stopped and turned slowly to completely face Jorlief.\u00a0 His eyes were wide, his brows raised. \u201cShe has\u2026 what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBeen married, sir. To one Edwyn Wickham, the new Archmage of the College of Winterhold.\u00a0 It seems they made a very abrupt trip to Riften and were back in Solitude almost before the guards noticed they were gone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGet in touch with Galmar,\u201d Ulfric growled. \u201cThose guards will be replaced with more competent ones immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSir.\u201d<\/p>\n Ulfric turned to stare out the window. He was quiet for a long while until at last he shook his head. \u201cMarried. Damn! This is going to make her claim for the throne much more substantial.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSir?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do our people love more than a royal heir, Jorlief?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAn heir, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, you heard me. A child. An heir. It represents stability. The continuation of the line.\u00a0 Why did the people no more than blink before making me Jarl of Windhelm when my father died? I was his son and heir. Elisif is young, and of child-bearing age. If she has a child\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut, my Jarl, you have just won the war. She agreed to your terms. You could claim the throne at this very moment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, yes I could. There were certainly those present in Solitude who thought that I should have. And even if I had done so it would still be the case that Elisif was the wife of the previous, legitimate High King, and no Moot has yet determined that I should take his place.\u00a0 Now she is remarried and may have another in her line before a year has passed.\u201d\u00a0 Ulfric\u2019s voice dropped. \u201cAnd I have taken no wife, and produced no heir.\u201d<\/p>\n Jorlief groaned to himself. Perhaps I might have better distracted him with something else. This has taken him right back to thoughts of \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cNo, my lord, you have not; but it was my understanding that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet us not revisit that, Jorlief,\u201d Ulfric said, in a tone that left no room for confusion; the topic was closed.\u00a0 He stood and stared out the window for a long moment, and then shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cThat will be all, Jorlief. I find myself in need of some quiet, and some contemplation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSir.\u201d<\/p>\n Jorlief left the Jarl\u2019s chambers, closing the door quietly behind him, and wondered whether he had made matters better \u2013 or much, much worse.<\/p>\n Frina felt a shudder ripple up her back as the Argonian dock worker in ragged clothing turned to her.\u00a0 He was carrying an oversized armload of wood that looked entirely too heavy for his scrawny arms to be holding; but he smiled at her, she thought, and said \u201canother day, another septim.\u201d She nodded and … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/4-3-2-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart III: Complications<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"