"Well, your sis won't get bullied with me around." I assure Gretel, "Pretty sure I'll have to fist fight her Familiar to get to whoever tries to talk shit to her, though…"
It shall be a mighty battle where I'll get folded within the first five seconds.
"You better protect her while you two are at the College, alright?" Gretel pretty much orders me, a cute glare in her eyes, "Anyone insults her? I want them dead in a ditch within five seconds. Anyone tries to hit on her? I want 'em- Meh, she ain't gonna get hit on."
Now that's just rude and evil. But I guess that's a sibling.
"Why do you say that? Hildr is very beautiful." And that is very true, Hildr is an incredible beauty.
Aurelia is more of that refined, cool and radiant beauty, while Hildr is that rough, snarky and violent gal.
Gretel gives me a weird look at my words, "You're a weird dude."
"You just realized that?"
"Nah, it clicked in when ya went all 'crackhead mode' on those fuckers back in Falkreath." She giggles happily at that, "You fuckin' tied one of 'em bitches to a horse! Hah!"
I snort myself, "I'm not the one that bounced on a certain bastard's nuts with utter glee."
"I shit you not, I swear I heard and felt one of 'em pop while I was stompin' on them!" Oof, that poor fucker… He should suffer through that a couple billion times more.
"You're a national treasure, Gretel." I chuckle and pat her head fondly, bringing another cute giggle out of her, "Never change."
"Just national? I must work harder then!"
I laugh at that, "Fuck domestic violence, let's go international!"
"You took the words right outta my fuckin' mouth!"
Yeah, this girl is a goddamn treasure.
"I meant to ask, but why do you swear so much?" I don't mind it. Every person has their own peculiar thing and whatnot.
Plus, in my opinion, this makes Gretel cuter.
"Apparently, it's a family thing." Gretel hums, then shrugs, "Trust me, my granny had such a foul mouth that Lord Hircine actually stopped speakin' to her. I'm not joking."
What in the actual fuck…?
"I've heard from one of our neighbors that when granny was young, a guard tried hitting on her, and she insulted him so badly that the guy left Skyrim the very next day. Like, just packed his shit and left."
What a goddamn legend… That woman could have thrived in the Call of Duty lobbies.
"You got one hell of a family, huh?" Gretel puffs her chest out proudly at that, another sausage locked between her teeth. Adorable brat.
Soon enough, we finally reach home, with the inside being filled with light chatter from Hildr and Aurelia, both women in the kitchen and preparing food for themselves and Gretel.
"I am back and ready to become a headache!" I call out, instantly evoking two loud groans from both women. A truly warm and lovely welcome home!
"My smile disappeared so fast." Hildr grunts out, lying through her teeth as I can see a fain smile on her face. Her gaze then flickers down towards Gretel, still holding a few sausages in her arms.
Both sisters stare at each other for a few quiet seconds before Hildr speaks up, "I'm spanking you later, you little shit."
Gretel lets out an indignant squawk, "He bought them for me!" She points a small finger at me, desperation within her eyes as she lies as easily as she breathes, not an ounce of shame on her face.
I give Hildr a thumbs up, "Yup, totally did."
The rust-haired woman gives me a very flat gaze, "Gretel only looks smug after stabbing someone, or after stealing something." Her gaze flickers towards the sausages that Gretel is now trying to hide behind her back. "She is holding the stolen goods right now."
I drop my thumbs up and look at Gretel, "You're on your own, brat."
"Fuck you!"
Hildr glares at me with her lone eye, "You're lucky you are already dead, else I'd be chocking you for lying to cover for her."
I gasp in excitement at that, "Crush my skull between your thighs and I'd be happy to die a second time!"
Hildr stumbles and crashes into the table of the living room at my words, her face going redder than her hair as she chokes on her, words failing her.
"LEO!" Came Aurelia's indignant scream, her head peeking out of the kitchen, her long hair tied in a high ponytail, "Stop being a degenerate!"
"You're asking me to stop being me, woman!"
"I will hit you!"
"Jokes on you, I can't feel that shit! And your God blessed me so I can't feel Holy Light either!"
The scream Aurelia lets out is downright feral, and I end up with a wooden spoon lodged into my skull not even a second later.
I just ignore it and turn back towards Hildr, who is coughing her lungs out and still recovering from my shameless words, with Gretel staring at her sister in utter shock, "First time I've seen her like this…"
I hum and pull the wooden spoon out of my skull, "Has she never been hit on?" I ask out of pure curiosity.
"Oh no, she has." Gretel nods and turns towards me, "Dude had big guts, called her beautiful and all, put his arm around her shoulders too. Big Sis just set him on fire."
Why does this family use violence to answer everything?
"W-We don't talk about that, Gretel…" Hildr coughs out, face still flushed as she throws a nasty glare my way, "Must you say such things in front of my little sister?" Would you look at that! A loophole in her words!
"Oh, so if we were alone, it would be fine?" A wooden fork is lodged into my skull this time, courtesy of Aurelia once more. I can see her breathe flames and glare lighting my way from the kitchen while making threatening gestures.
All of them are about killing me, of course.
Of course, my words make Gretel cackle as Hildr chokes on air once more, face going as dark as her hair again, "W-What the fuck is wrong with you!?"
"A lot of things." I shrug, "Want me to start in alphabetical order? We might need a couple days to go through everything though."
Seeing the embers spark to life in Hildr's hands, I am quite sure that she is about to throw a fireball at my face.
Quick! Discombobulate!
"Catch!" I shout and throw the books wrapped in cloth and thin ropes at her without warning, hitting her in the stomach and making her release an 'Oof!' noise.
Still, she grabs them before they could fall from the ground, her "What the fuck is wrong with you-" being cut short when she notices what is actually wrapped in the cloth. "Are these… Spell tomes?"
My shoulders sag at her soft, near fragile tone of voice. "Yup." I pop the 'p', my tone light and happy, "Ash Magic, very flammable. A good fit for your Fire Magic, if you can learn these Spells." Though I have a feeling she won't have much of a problem with that.
"Ash Magic?" Aurelia questions, stepping out of the kitchen while cleaning her hands, "I've never heard of that branch of magic before…"
I shrug as Hildr checks the books out with a lone wide eye, "It's probably new, or it just started spreading since it is from Solstheim. Apparently the people there are even worse than those in Falkreath." Both Gretel and Aurelia shudder at that, disgust etched on their faces.
Yep, nobody likes the old Nords. Maybe even their fellow Nords do not like them.
"Wait, where's this Solstheim?" Gretel suddenly asks, cute chubby face all scrunched up in curiosity.
"Kinda North-East of Skyrim, far out into the sea." I believe. It might be more East than North-East, but whatever. "Large island, used to be a part of Skyrim before a moron fucked around, found out, and got the shit beaten outta him so horribly that not only did he help create a new island, but he also had to get his ass saved by a Daedric Prince."
Miraak really went 'With this treasure I summon Daddy Mora!', what a pussy.
Still, he'll be a massive threat in the future, now that I think about it.
"These are amazing!" Hildr cries out, having gone through the general description of each Spell within this short span of time, her usually grumpy face now glowing with pure happiness and excitement, "They sound and look complicated, but they also fit me very well!"
That's good to know. Still, I wonder why the ash is flammable. A peculiarity of the magic, or perhaps it's just the ash of that volcano on Solstheim that is very flammable?
Something to figure out later on, I guess.
"Those are all the tomes the Merchant Guild had on Ash Magic, so if you want more you'll have to check if the College has some once we get there." I shrug and cross my arms, "Still, this should keep your mind occupied while we are traveling."
A lone green eye flicks up to meet my hidden ones, then narrows momentarily before Hildr sighs, arms and shoulders slumping, "You're an asshole."
I throw my hands in the air at that, "Why am I an asshole even when I do nice things?!"
"Just take it as a compliment like you always do, Leo." Aurelia laughs softly, giving Hildr a quick one-armed hug that the rust-haired woman leans into while hugging the spell tomes against her chest.
I scoff and childishly kick the ground. Meanies, the lots of 'em.
"Right, I…" Hildr starts, suddenly looking very nervous and hesitant, which draws my attention, "I have a question for you, Leonidas."
I tilt my head at her, curious but quiet, so I wave my hand to give her the go ahead.
"What's Saarthal?" I freeze at Hildr's question, "And what's the Artifact sealed there?"
I slowly uncross my arms, keeping my gaze firmly locked onto Hildr's nervous face as I do so.
She shouldn't know about this. About the Eye of Magnus. Saarthal might be common knowledge for all I care, but it might also not be.
So how did Hildr come to know about both of these things all of a sudden?
"Leo?" Aurelia speaks up at my silence, her voice tinged with a hint of nervousness.
I keep my gaze on the now very nervous Hildr as I tilt my head, "What did you do?" I question her, utterly serious, making her visibly flinch, "Gaining knowledge of Saarthal might be easy, but no one should know about the Artifact it holds." Aside from the Psijich Order bastards that take it for themselves while acting like holy saviors.
Aurelia snaps her gaze to Hildr, who wilts under our stares and starts to nervously rub at her left forearm with her right hand, "Hildr, what did you do…?"
A sigh escapes the woman's lips before she straightens herself, "I made a deal with the Daedric Prince Vaermina."
…
And I am the dumb fucking dude here.
I don't waste time with words. No, I just grab Gretel by the scruff of her neck, pick her up, then toss her towards Hildr with a "Gretel, I chose you!" cry.
Said girl instantly adapts, and with a feral cry of rage, she slaps her sister across the face with a half eaten sausage before they both fell to the ground.
Aurelia instantly looms over the downed and hissing Hildr, with Gretel using her weaponized sausage to wack her sister in the head repeatedly while hurling insults and slurs and other profanities. "Why would you ever do such a stupid thing, Hildr?"
With a grunt, Hildr shoves a hand in her sister's face and pushes her off so she could sit up, "I did it for Leonidas." I pause at that, pointing a finger at my face as she glares towards me, "By completing Lady Vaermina's task, she'll grant you the ability to sleep once more."
I freeze at that.
Sleep… I kind of gave up on being able to do that again. Or even eat, or feel things.
But I guess it was stupid of me to not try and reach out towards a Daedric Prince like Vaermina, who is clearly capable of fixing my issue.
They are clearly interested in me, and focused on both me and Aurelia both, so getting in contact with them should be easy.
Well, getting in contact with any that aren't Sheogorath. My brother from another mother is getting jumped by everyone to try and keep us two away.
It shall not last.
"Wow, you managed to leave Leo speechless…" Aurelia mutters aloud, a wide beaming and very happy smile on her face.
"I'm just thinking about the war-crimes I will unleash upon her flesh and mind."
"I take that back. Don't let Leo think. Never." Why must you look so horrified, my dear Aurelia?
Hildr snorts, "Your presence is torture enough, thank you very much." That's kinda fair too.
Still, I sigh and rest my hands on my hips. "You didn't have to do that, you know?"
The rust-haired woman nods with a frown, "I didn't have to, but I wanted you." She states firmly as she stands and straightens herself, "Lord Hircine may have rewarded for your help, but I wanted to repay you myself, one way or the other."
Gently, Aurelia rests a hand on Hildr's shoulder with a warm smile on her beautiful face, "We didn't do it because we wanted you to owe us, Hildr. We are just happy you and Gretel are both safe."
Hildr grunts, her face slightly flushed and her lone eye a bit red and teary, "It's not just that!" Her voice cracks lightly at the end, making her take a quick deep breath to calm herself, "It's everything else! All this! Gretel being able to do what she loves, and me being able to follow my dream!"
"You just can't grant our dreams like that and expect me not to want to repay you!"
With a gentle and warm smile, Aurelia easily moves in and brings Hildr into a tight hug, allowing the woman high on emotion to let out a light sob and hug her tightly right back.
If I could, I'd be smiling until my face hurt right now, so instead I settle myself with patting Gretel on the head.
She is quiet, but with the way she is playing with her skirt and looking down, I know that she feels the same way as her sister, but just has more trouble in showing it.
"What's this Saarthal place, Leo?" Aurelia asks instead as she soothes Hildr, letting the woman work off her bottled up emotions quietly.
"Ancient capital of Skyrim, founded by the first Atmoran settlers, progenitors of the Nords, Imperials, Bretons and the Nede." I recount off the top of my head as I cross my arms, "When they first settled here, they uncovered an ancient and powerful Artifact, and built a city around it."
"But the native Snow Elves of Skyrim, who either coveted it or held it dear due to their culture, led a massacre upon the city known as the Night of Tears and took it over… Though Ysgramor, one of the first Atmoran settlers, managed to escape, then returned with the Five-Hundred Companions."
"With the help of a powerful and talented Enchanter called Ahzidal, the Five Hundred Companions led what can only be called a genocide, slaughtering the Snow Elves in the ensuing war."
Ahzidal… Poor dude. Lost himself to revenge and hunger for power after his family in Saarthal was slaughtered while he was away, then even after helping Ysgramor and his Companions, he still couldn't give up his hunger for power and went mad.
Which led to him becoming a puppet of Hermaeus Mora.
Why does it feel like that bastard is actively building a damn army?
"So the original Companions led the Snow Elves to extinction?" Gretel asks curiously, then blinks in surprise when I shake my head.
"They are still alive, but you know them by a different name now." Hildr, now recovered, regards me with an equally curious look, "You call them the 'Falmers' now."
The sheer shock and horror at my reveal is nearly palpable. Weird, i thought it was common knowledge... Huh.
Seems like it's not really widespread knowledge what happened to the Falmers. Some well learned sorts might know, but not many in Skyrim actively read books.
Few probably know that the Falmers were the former Snow Elves, and that their loss against the Companions led them to willingly let themselves be enslaved by the Dwemers.
Then, when the Dwemers went 'Watch this shit-!' and popped out of existence, they left the blind Snow Elves to themselves.
Inbreeding, living underground, and who knows how many more problems and things led to them not even being able to talk and become crazed beasts that kill without a second thought. And do a lot more disturbing shit too.
"Those… horrifying news aside." Hildr gulps, then shakes her head to recover some color on her pale face, "What's this Artifact in Saarthal?"
I hum and lean back, "It's called the 'Eye of Magnus'. It is a large spherical object that releases an unlimited amount of Magicka without stop."
I know Vaermina is usually described as a mage, but why would she want the Eye of Magnus?
Aurelia gulps aloud, "A-An unlimited amount of Magicka…?" I nod, making her face grow even paler than it usually is. "I guess that could be why a Daedric Prince would want it, then…"
I go to nod, but Hildr instantly cuts in, "Lady Vaermina doesn't want this 'Eye of Magnus'." She reveals, stunning me a lot, but also making me quite happy. "She just wants it to be 'unsealed'."
Unsealed? I do know that it is locked in Saarthal, but I wouldn't call it sealed… Unless something is different here.
"Fuck, the Undead near that damn thing are going to be juiced up on Magicka…" I mutter aloud, cupping my chin in pure horror.
Swole Undead breathing and shitting out pure Magicka. Those bastards are going to be able to throw down with a Dragon and win without a problem.
"Where's this place, by the way?" Aurelia questions, making me perk up and throw away those terrifying thoughts.
"Oh, it's actually close to the College of Winterhold. I'm sure that they are already funding the excavation to find and reach the city at this very moment."
I saw no news on it being already found and discovered, so I'd say it'll take another month or two before the place pops up and we can go explore it, so to get a feel of how dangerous it is.
"Huh…" Hildr slumps her shoulder, lone eye blinking with surprise, "That's a stroke of good luck, I guess…"
Quite, though I wonder what Vaermina wants with the Eye of Magnus being 'unsealed' as she so put it.
Well, it is said that she has a form of relationship with Magnus, but I do not know the extent of it. And it just leaves me questioning her motives even more.
"Oh, speaking of the College!" Aurelia suddenly perks up, as if remembering something, "Remember the Dragon Priest that is close to it too?" I tilt my head and nod her way, "I ran into Farengar while I was out and asked him if he knew about any peculiar location in the waters close to the College, and he did mention something curious."
"He said that, visible from the College, is an island with clear ruins on it. According to him, it used to be an ancient Gaol dating back to the Merethic Era."
A prison, huh? That's peculiar. "It must've been left behind after the battle that shattered Solstheim away from Skyrim." I mutter to myself, though Aurelia speaks up again.
"It's not all though." Her face and voice grows serious, "According to Farengar, no one ever had the guts to approach it, as they feel as if there is a terrifyingly powerful monster in those ruins."Ah, like Dinok? That doesn't bode well.
So is the Gaol meant to hold this Dragon Priest… Or is a Dragon Priest the one that watches over it?
"I'll have to check it out when I get there, then." I muse, then pause when a knock rings out from the door.
Gretel hops forward and swiftly goes to answer, and I prepare myself to atomize a Delphine out of existence if it's actually her- Oh good, it's just Aela.
"Aela!" Gretel happily greets the woman with a wide grin, receiving a grin right back from her fellow redhead who pats her head.
"Hey there, little pup'." The archer woman greets warmly before her gaze flicks towards us and she nods in greeting, "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."
Aurelia shakes her head with a warm smile, "Not at all! Come on in!" Gretel eagerly drags Aela inside, with the woman not bothered at all from the attention the young girl gives her, "What can we do for you?"
"Oh, I'm more here for Hildr there." Aela states, making the older sister perk up, "Since we are all happy to take care for the little pup' here, we actually wanted to know what to train her in and what not to touch."
Ah right, Gretel wants to join the Companions. I'm surprised that they are already thinking about training her, though.
Hildr lets out a noise of understanding, "You're a Werewolf too, right?" The rust-haired woman questions, "I can smell it."
Aela blinks, then nods, "Quite a few members of the Companions are Werewolves. It's not common knowledge in Whiterun, but the Jarl does know, and so do the other Companions."
Huh, I didn't expect that. So they are quite open here.
Hildr nods, a light smile on her lips, "Then do you mind taking Gretel out for hunts? It's a ritual in our family, where we hunt for Lord Hircine at least once a day and give him an offering." I don't miss the slight bit of guilt in Hildr's voice and on her face.
She probably hasn't been able to hunt for Hircine as often due to having to take care of herself, her grandma and Gretel at the same time.
"An excuse to go out and stretch my Werewolf legs? You have yourself a deal!" Aela chuckles, her gaze lowering down to Gretel as she does so, "You got any control over your transformation, girl?"
Gretel nods with an excited grin, "Yup! I hunted plenty of Brown Bears back home!" Even Aela whistles at that.
"And you're not even fully grown… You girls blessed or something?" Surprisingly enough, Hildr actually nods with a proud smile.
"Our family is very blessed by Lord Hircine. In fact, six of my Ancestors were Champions of Hircine."
Aela's eyes blow wide open, both respect and surprise in them, "Hounds or Hunters?"
"Mix of both." Hildr answers, then nods towards Gretel, "She wants to become a Hound."
I do remember Hircine telling me that my new Minotaur buddy was one of his 'Hunters', though I do not know what it means. "What's the difference between the two?" I question curiously, drawing Aela's gaze to me.
"The Hunters, despite their name, are the savage warriors of Hircine." The Companion answers, "The Hounds instead are those that do the Hunts. The best trackers, the best senses, the best stealth – There is no target that they cannot find."
Huh, that sounds quite terrifying, but also very cool.
Oh right, now that Aela is here, I might as well give her that thing I wrote down.
I quickly excuse myself and go to my 'plotting room' with the map of Skyrim, then grab the small notebook I wrote through the night and set aside. Almost forgot I did this.
Once in my hands, I turn around to leave and rejoin the others, only to walk into something- No, someone.
"I'm so happy for you." Aurelia whispers softly, hugging me tightly, the door to the room partially shut for some privacy.
I falter slightly, both from surprise and from not knowing what to say exactly, so Aurelia speaks again, her voice oh so warm and gentle, "I know the lack of everything has taken a massive toll on you, and I am overjoyed that you'll soon be able to rest."
"I just wish I could have done more myself." She sighs and pulls back, her beautiful face so close to mine.
For a few short seconds, I just let myself take in all of her features. Drink in all of her beauty.
Her pale skin and hair, her near violet eyes, her soft looking and glossy lips, her small and cute nose- She is just beyond perfect in my eyes. I'll never grow tired of staring at her.
"I think you failed to grasp something." I start, my voice just as gentle as hers as my hands come up to grasp the ones resting on my shoulders.
"The only reason I've been able to stay sane for so long is because of you." And that is the truth.
It's because I've simply given her my whole attention, and used all the quiet and long nights to just think about ways to better help her, that I've been able to just ignore the fact that I do not sleep.
It's stressful. I am tired. I just want to sit down, close my eyes and sleep for entire days, but I can't, so I can only try and make sure that my first friend here and someone I've grown to adore deeply survives and thrives.
Aurelia's cheeks flush and her eyes redden at my words, her lower lip quivering momentarily before she pulls me back in for a tight hug once more.
I enjoy her presence and action, and lean into her embrace despite the fact that I cannot feel it.
We stay like that for a short minute before she swiftly pulls back, face all red and cute, so she turns around and moves her hair so to cover herself from my sight.
I still managed to burn the view into my very Soul.
I grab her hand, give it a quick squeeze, then let it go and walk back out first to rejoin Aela and the sisters, so to give Aurelia some time to get her bearings back.
"-Mammoths are off limits for a while. You can bring Gretel to hunt them only when you feel like she is ready." Gretel pouts angrily towards her sister, but a single glare from Hildr makes the little girl look down and kick the ground.
Aela winches at that, "Yeah, those bastards go down swinging. The Giants guarding them makes it more annoying." Reaching down, she gives Gretel a reassuring pat on the head, "Still, I'm glad I don't have to restrain her too much and can bring her on hunts."
I take that moment to speak up, "I've also got something for you." Aela perks up and turns to me, raising a lone brow when I offer her the small notebook, "I wrote down anything that will be useful to the Companions."
"Like the locations of the Silver Hand camps and bases, and the location of the Wuuthrad fragments!" The huntress nearly drops the notebook, her eyes going so wide that they might roll out, "Plus, a way to heal Lycanthropy without having to ask Hircine."
Pretty sure I already shared that one with them, but I did it all of a sudden and caught her off-guard, so I wouldn't blame her if she forgot.
I've added all I remember of their questline from the game in the notebook, coupled with all the things they will need to finish Wuuthrad and give Kodlak what he wants.
"How do you even know all this shit!?" Aela cries out, flicking through the notebook with near crazy eyes, "Do you know how valuable all this could be?!"
I shrug, "Meh."
I think she is ready to punch me in the face.
"Are you sure you're fine giving this to us for free, though?" The huntress questions softly, and I chuckle.
"I do have a small request. It's at the end of the notebook." I point out, and Aela swiftly flicks there to check it out, both of her brows going up at the sight of it.
All the Stalhrim I bought will be useless if it doesn't get used by a good Blacksmith, and the Companions might as well have the best Blacksmith in the whole of Skyrim.
Plus, the best forge.
I've already informed Teeba-Gei that the Companions can get their hands on the Stalhrim when it arrives, so there shouldn't be a problem.
"Well, this is easily manageable…" Aela hums, then punches my shoulder, "Thanks, dumbass. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to bed me."
Why do I feel Aurelia glaring holes through the back of my head?
"Still, will you be alright with dealing with the Silver Hand?" While the Companions are powerful, they do not really have numbers on their side.
I'd say there's at least two or three hundred of them in Whiterun, and I do not know if the Silver Hand has more members under their banner.
Aela nods, a vicious smirk on her lips, "We'll just have to call back all the others across Skyrim and the Empire. It'll take a month or two before we can move on these bastards, but we are willing to bide our time."
Especially since they will all gladly gather to go after the broken remnants of their Ancestor's weapon and reforge it. It'll be their lives greatest honor.
"Also, do be very careful." I warn Aela, making her narrow her eyes, "Once you start pressing the Silver Hand, they won't have problems attacking you right here, in the middle of the city."
It happened in the game, and there they stole the gathered Wuuthrad pieces and killed Kodlak, so if I can make them put their guard up and avoid such a situation, then even better.
Especially since Gretel will be around here, and I refuse to let her come to harm.
"Damn bastards…" Aela clicks her tongue, then shakes her head and gives me a grateful nod, then sending one towards Hildr and Aurelia, "I'll get going now. Best inform the others about this."
The girl cry out their goodbyes as Aela goes to leave, her eyes trailing along the notebook in her hands, before she comes to a halt in front of the doors.
"Why the fuck is there a list for 'Warcrimes that Gretel can unleash on Nazeem' in here?!"
I don't have time to answer before said girl does it for me.
By unleashing an ungodly screech and flying across the house to latch onto the now screaming Aela's face.
Damn, Gretel became a Face-Hugger…
….
"Of all the things I expected to do today, talking with a dead man wasn't among them."
Balgruuf truly did not know what to expect when Irileth talked about a 'secret meeting' with an important person.
Now that the grand hall of Dragonsreach was vacated, and only his court mage and Irileth herself were left, he finally managed to lay eyes on the one he was supposed to meet.
Someone who he was sure was dead, for news of his demise had reached his ears not too long ago. When the Imperials conquered Dawnstar.
"News of my death were greatly exaggerated." Skald the Elder, former Jarl of Dawnstar, gruffly states as he takes a seat, "All on purpose, of course."
Balgruuf hums, finding himself at loss for words. "Do I speak to the Jarl of Dawnstar, or to a respected elder?"
Skald scoffs, "You speak to a ghost, my friend." Those words made Balgruuf relax a great deal, yet also filled him with so many questions.
"Then to what do I owe this visit?"
Balgruuf knows that Skald was one of Ulfric most staunch supporters. One of the few Jarls who openly admitted it, even.
He stood with Ulfric when the he cursed the Empire for banning the worship of Talos.
Stood with Ulfric when the man refused to let that law stand within his Hold.
Stood with Ulfric when the man aspired to become the next High King of Skyrim.
Yet… Things felt different now.
Crossing his arms above the table, the bearded elder gazes at the Jarl before him with fiery easy alight with determination, "I seek your aid in putting an end to this Civil War, Jarl Balgruuf."
Balgruuf blinks, then leans forward, forearms coming to rest on his knees as he did so, "I thought you supported Ulfric?"
Skald nods, a nasty glower on his aged face, "I did." He spits those words out with pure hate and disgust, "Until that bastard refused to put the Civil War on hold in order to deal with the Dragons first."
"Riften has been attacked thrice, and he did not lend aid. Solitude faced two attacks not too long ago, leading to the deaths of countless innocents, and he laughed."
Balgruuf breathes out at that, eyes wide. So many attacks, and he barely even got news of them…
They are becoming more frequent, it seems.
"I've struck a partnership of sort with the new Jarl of Dawnstar, Brina Merilis." Balgruuf remembers the woman. Fine warrior, and good head on her shoulders. "The Empire has been trying to gain a ceasefire to deal with the Dragons. A momentary pause on the Civil War, to deal with a bigger threat."
General Tullius was in favor of this, and his word was law among the Imperials in Skyrim, despite what Jarl Elisif might think.
"Ulfric keeps ignoring the Moot summons." Balgruuf states, one hand clenching into a tight fist. Just how stubborn can one man be? "He is the only Jarl ignoring the Moot summons."
Skald nods, gaze hateful, "I know. He told me." His gaze then turns to Irileth, making Balgruuf raise a brow, "Show it to him."
Turning his head, Balgruuf watches Irileth walk towards one of the empty tables in the hall, where a large cloth lay.
Her glowing eyes flick to meet his as her hand grasps the cloth, "Jarl Ulfric has sent this to you, my Jarl." The cloth is pulled away, and a war-ax is revealed resting upon the table.
A declaration of War.
A declaration of War against the neutral Whiterun.
Balgruuf finds his nostrils flare, pure rage filling his being as his muscles swell and his knuckles creak. "Ulfric has become quite daring, it seems."
He clearly wanted to control the Hold in the center of Skyrim, with the biggest Merchant Guild in it.
Fertile lands, impossible to ambush, and a perfect strategic position.
"That is why I want to kill him, Jarl Balgruuf." Skald reveals, stunning Balgruuf to the point where he forgets about his building rage, "He thinks my family is dead, killed during the taking of Dawnstar."
"He thinks I came to seek refuge and I am on his side." A cold, cruel chuckle leaves his lips, "I am sure I can convince him to accept the Moot summons if I try hard enough."
Crossing his hands together, Balgruuf narrows his eyes at the older man, "But what is your goal?"
Skald the Elder breathes in, looking oh so old and tired, "We need to gather our strength to fight back against the Thalmor. We need to prepare, not fight and kill each other like idiots."
"Ulfric doesn't understand that. He'll keep throwing bodies at the Imperials until he gets what he wants, making us weaker and the Thalmor stronger."
"By killing him, I can assure you that there will be a temporary hold on the Civil War, and it'll last until the Dragons are gone."
Taking in a deep breath, aged eyes full of determination land on Jarl Balgruuf.
"And during that time… Please, become the next High King of Skyrim."
A.N. Dun Dun Duuuuun!
I know that Skald is very different from his in-game self, but there's a reason for that.
Nords are all about fighting and helping each other, yet Ulfric does not embody that. He says he fights for the people, but only makes things worse.
When Alduin landed in Helgen, all he thought about was running away, while the Imperials openly fought against Alduin to keep the people safe. Ulfric didn't.
So yeah, certain things happened, and Skald became a wise elder and not the usual stupid elder.
This chapter was bigger than I thought, and I just had to add news about the rest of Skyrim. It'll happen more often in the coming chapters too.