"Another great hit!" Legate Rikke yelled over the rabble as she sheathed her sword, her eyes twinkling in dusks golden hour. "You really are getting much better than I anticipated, Ulfric." She lightly shoved his shoulder with a smile and loosened her helmet. It had been only days since the White Gold Concordance was signed, and the great war had come to it end. But Rikke wasn't happy with its ending, and neither was Ulfric.

"A Nord must always keep his axe as sharp as his wit, Rikke." Ulfric grinned and threw and arm around her. "So lets celebrate another hard day of training with mead, and Talo's blessing!"

The two started to take steps towards the Winking Skeever, enjoying the days heat slowly decreasing into the nipping cold of Skyrim's nights. The air was loud with celebrations and mourning. Many had died in the Great War, but it was unsettling how a "compromise" like the White Gold Concordant had "solved" anything. Banning Talo's, one of the gods of whom everyone worshipped and had their own family shrines to? And then allowing the Thalmor to find and kill the worshippers of Talo's? Deep in Ulfric's core, it unsettled him.

How, he wondered, could a king protect his land when he couldn't even stand up for his people? Despite all he had done for the Empire, giving up his Greybeard training, being tortured by the damn Thalmor and losing his father... And the most they could do is make him Jarl and require his presence in Solitude for monthly re-training? He shook his head and went back to singing "The Dragonborn Comes" with the rabble.

Now there would be a mighty fine person to have on his side. The Dragonborn. But that was just a legend... So he grabbed his mug of Black-Briar Reserve and slugged it down, and noticed again how Rikke's blonde hair cascaded over her armor in soft curls. So soft, he wanted to touch them...

"Ulfric, are you okay?" Rikke's eyes met his in slight alarm. Her hand shaking around her mug, sweat forming between her shoulder blades, just as the frost began to melt.

Ulfric decided, in that moment, that if something happened in one night, that even if it destroyed their relationship forever, he'd do it. So slowly he leaned in, kept eye contact with Rikke until the last second and planted a small kiss on her lips, tasting the juniper berries and the sweet skin he had learned was iron thick on the field. Her curls were soft under his war torn hands, and her body, despite the armor she had worn to protect herself, was supple, and firm like the warrior she was. Ulfric pulled ten septims out of his pocket and received the room key, and whisked her off to do what he had been meaning to do since he first saw her wield a blade.

_next morning_

There was someone. In bed. With her. Rikke had come to that conclusion as she slowly rolled over and saw a man, shirtless, obviously naked and covered by a sheet. His muscles were fierce, and his armor sat off in the corner. But when his face turned, and looked at her with unwavering love, and a deep fire in his blue eyes, all she could murmer was his name. "Ulfric..."

"I never knew under all your armor," he whispered as he slowly moved on top of her, kissing her forehead as his fingers dropped to her amulet... "That you wore an amulet of Mara. Who are you looking for love from, hmm?"

She blushed, tried to turn her head away but was caught by Ulfric hand. "Why be afraid, love? It's just us. If you wanted it, why didn't you tell me?" Ulfric's voice was soft, loving, like the blankets Rikke's mother used to knit by hand.

She moved her hips, drew her legs up Ulfric's sides and exposed her body to him. "Maybe I was never sure of you."

His look was puzzling and then he drew in for another kiss as their bodies combined. "Then maybe we should get to Riften."

"Mmmhmmm..."

_a few days later_

"It was Mara who first gave birth to all creation, and pledged to watch over us as her children. It is from her love of us that we first learned to love one another. It is from this love that we learn that life lived alone is no life at all. We gather here today under Mara's loving gaze, to bear witness to the union of two loving souls in eternal companionship. May they journey forth together in this life and the next in prosperity and poverty, and in joy and hardship. Do you agree to be bound together in love, now and forever?" Maramal looked with curiousity as his hands were raised high above his head in worship to Mara.

"I do, now, and forever..." Rikke smiled meaningfully at Ulfric with the tiniest wink.

"And Ulfric, do you agree to be bound together in love, now and forever?

"Ulfric grinned and looked straight into Rikke's eyes "I do, now, and forever." and kissed her hand softly.

"Under the authority of Mara, the Divine of Love, I declare this couple to be wed. I present you with these matching rings, blessed by Mara herself and may they protect each of you..."

Ulfric stepped towards Rikke, and held her there for a moment. "So, your place, or mine?"

Rikke laughed heartily, "Well, I have always wanted to live in Windhelm."

"Mine it is."

"I'll see you there."

_a few weeks later_

"Now Rikke, I know you are not hogging the bathroom for your beauty treatments... Are you?" Ulfric stood at the door, trying to laugh at it all, but Rikke, his Rikke was really sick. He looked around panicked for a moment. "JORLIEF!" When his steward didn't automatically appear, the Jarl of Windhelm was reduced to running around the Palace of Kings screaming "JORLIEF!" until he appeared out of the dungeons with a bottle of mead.

"Yes, my Jarl?"

Ulfric stopped, looked at his guards who refused to make eye contact. "The fuck have you been Jorlief?"

Jorlief scratched the back of his head, "Drinking your Thanes under the table."

He shrugged and pointed up towards his quarters, "Rikke is sick. I need you to go and get someone. I don't care if it is Nova Shatter-Shield or one of those random Dunmer in the Grey Quarter. I need someone who knows medicine. And fast."

"What about Wuunferth?" Jorlief asked, leaning up against the wall.

Ulfric looked at the mage, sitting at the main table. "I suppose I should but I feel as if a woman would better understand her situation."

"I shall fetch Aurelia Aretino for you." Jorlief dropped his bottle of mead on the table and bowed low before dismissing himself to go find Aurelia.

In the meantime, the Jarl ambled into the kitchen before sampling some of the pots to try to find peasant soup with leeks for his wife to drink. Once he had discovered that, and a roll of fresh wheat bread did he slowly place it on a tray and make his way up to his quarters, only to be stopped by Galmar.

Galmar looked at the tray and smiled, "Is your wench sick?"

Ulfric tried to keep climbing the stairs, "Shove off like a true Nord, Stone-Fist."

His eyebrows rose into his hair line for a moment before settling back down."I'm going to patrol the Grey Quarter tonight. There's word that someone is going around attacking our citizens. Viola is calling him "The Butcher". I thought I would look into it."

"You're free to do as you please, Galmar. Talos knows you would do it anyways." Ulfric made his way farther down the hallway and stopped outside of the bathroom before opening the door a tad. "Rikke?"

His wife was curled around a bucket, wearing only her loves blue undershirt. She looked up, smiled and then threw up in the bucket again. "Whatever you brought me... I-I don't want it!" She waved her hand in front of her face. "It smells disgusting!"

Ulfric looked down at the tray and back at his wife. "But it's from the kitchens!"

"I DO NOT CARE! YOU GET IT AWAY FROM ME RIGHT NOW ULFRIC STORMCLOAK OR I WILL PUKE ALL OVER YOUR AXE!"

Ulfric, for lack of a better word, fled.

_a few hours later_

Ulfric sat on his throne, hands covering his face as he waited for Aurelia to finish up with Rikke. Jorlief and Galmar were teasing Wuunferth about his studies, comparing swords to Wuunferths conjured weapons. Ulfric, however, was geniunely worried about Rikke. He swore if the cook had been poisioning Rikke's food out of jealousy, he would have her clapped in irons and strung up from the highest spire of the Palace of Kings.

The door opened and Aurelia kneeled in front of Ulfric, a smile running across her face. "My Jarl, I have news for you."

Ulfric motioned for her to sit up and she spoke quietly, eyes sparkling with happiness."Sir, your wife is with child."

The Palace went silent, as Ulfric digested her words. "Rikke, is with child?"

"Yes my lord."

Galmar stood and clapped his hand on Ulfric's shoulder. "Looks like our Jarl has produced a heir! I shall go place an order to the blacksmith for a new axe!"

Ulfric smiled softly, and let his heart beat in happiness. "Yes, Galmar! Go! Tell everyone there shall be no taxes, not for anyone! Let the mead halls open their doors until the beds are all full and all bellies have gotten their share because this is a happy day indeed!" He turned his gaze to Aurelia. "Go home, to your son. For tomorrow you shall start your work as my wifes chief handmaiden!"

Rikke sat at her husband's feet, feeling her child moving inside of her and her husband's fingers brushing through her hair as she watched her handmaiden sort through piles of gifts and determine what Rikke would have left to purchase. There was absolute peace in this. She closed her eyes and let names come to her like waves. "Ulfgard."

She opened an eye when her husband's hands stopped moving, in time enough to watch a gift fly through the window. "What was that?"

"Some idiot sent you a set of Thalmor armor." Ulfric's sneer was apparent but he did continue to braid Rikke's hair. "I do not like the name Ulfgard."

"Surprising." Galmar snorted as he picked up a set of robes. "I feel like I need to commission armor for the lad as well."

Rikke sighed. "What are you all going to do when the infant turns out to be female?"

Galmar and Ulfric looked at each other in horror.

_Some time later_

The handmaiden lay dead in the the back streets of Windhelm, thanks to the cover of the Butcher. The Thalmor kept moving under the shadows of the walls, making their way to the Jarl's wife. Swords and spells at the ready, they dragged her into the darkness. Though she screamed and pleaded, they continued to rape her body, her mind and ultimately would not stop until her core dripped blood, and then smeared it over her naked body before forcing her to turn her back so they may brand her with the Thalmor mark between her thighs and as the ultimate sacrifice, forced her to put her clothes back on and walk into the Palace of Kings with a message.

Ulfric was sitting on his throne when he saw Rikke walk into his throne room, crying, covered in blood and grasping her stomach. He bolted off of his throne and ran to her, holding her in his arms as she fell to her knees. "Who did this? Who did this Rikke?"

She swallowed hard as her heart beat in her throat. "The Thalmor have a m-m-message for you... Those who worship T-Talos will face my fate." Rikke burst into tears and curled into Ulfric's chest. "I can't feel his movements!"

Ulfric looked around wildly as another guard burst through the doors. "My Jarl, the Aretino woman has been murdered!"

"FUS RO DAH!" The guard went flying out of the halls, as Ulfric's eyes burned bright blue. The pain in his soul rung through Windhelm with his voice.

Rikke laid in bed, holding her barely breathing son. The cord pulsed lightly and she felt Ulfric lay beside her. The family together, though too soon. "Aenar Stormcloak" he whispered as he gently ran his hand across his child's body. "I accept you as my son, and my rightful heir." Ulfric's voice became hoarse as tears started to fall on his wife's body. "It pains me, that I must commit your soul to Arkay but I shall see you in the halls of Sovengarde... My son."

The sounds of quiet weeping echoed through the halls of the Palace of Kings, as Aenar took his final breath. Ulfric laid his head in Rikke's lap, and smelled her blood, her sorrow and her pain. "There will be other children, Ulfric. You know this. I am young, and we have many more children to raise."

"You're too hopeful woman."

"I'm your wife; isn't my job to inspire hope and a sense of home?" Rikke handed Aenar off to Jorlief, who carried the child out of the room in a white cloth. "Now, come sleep beside me, my husband. It will be many moons before I will be healed enough, but lets enjoy our life. Together."

"The Thalmor shall pay. I will hunt them down, and kill everyone of them. Torygg was a fool for surrendering." Ulfric paces his war room, looking at the map of all the forts. "We could overthrow the Thalmor. We could force the Empire to its knees."

"But how?" Galmar asked, looking up at the ax on the wall as a reminder of what Ulfric had lost.

"I will challenge High King Torygg to a duel. Whomever wins, will be High King."

"Don't do this, please, Ulfric. Not on my behalf. The only way we can defeat the Thalmor is with the Empire" Rikke pleaded.

Ulfric turned, tears in his eyes. "I must avenge our son somehow, Rikke. I must carry his axe on my shoulders and slaughter the Thalmor who killed my child and destroyed my wife. Who marked her with their symbol so every time I even attempt to make a new heir, I see their handiwork!"

"Then I cannot stand beside you if you do this Ulfric! We may still be married, but until you side with the Empire I will not place my sword beside your axe!"

"FINE! GO!" Ulfric shouted, fists curled beside him as his wife, now his enemy fled from his sight. "And let this be the last time I feel anything but hate."

He turned back to Galmar who shook his head. "My lord, I cannot support that."

"Support what?" Ulfric turned on his general who looked at him with great sadness. "Support me, telling my wife, that I want to avenge her?

Galmar sighed and grabbed Aenar's axe off the wall. "It's been 4 years since the White Gold Concordance was signed. Let the Dominion get nice and fat and lazy, then strike them down in cold blood. Go tell your wife you are sorry, proclaim your love, and when you finally have a heir set aside... Then strike."

Ulfric turned on his heel and walked into the cold snow, seeing Rikke about to hit the gates. "RIKKE!"

She turned and looked at him in shock, her eyes wide as she gathered her coat around her.

"Are you seriously trying to walk out of this city without me?" He smiled softly and stopped an arm length away from her. "Darling, I will always love you."

Rikke slowly sunk to her knees and stared up at her husband who simply smiled at her with undying love. "Now, I would hate to have a frozen wife. Let's start over, my love."