Assassin, Thief, Dragonborn, High-King
"Why, Dragonborn?" Ulfric almost wails, "Why would you aid the Empire? You are all a Nord should be, strong, fast, for Talos' sake, you're even Dragonborn! Why would you fight us?"
We stood inside the Palace of Kings, the city of Windhelm burning outside the door, battling the rain the storm brought.
Inside the throne room stood general Tullius, legate Rikke, Ulfric and I. The corpse of Galmar Stonefist lay cooling at my feet, his chest slashed open by my sword of Ebony.
The clamour of battle seemed to be dying down outside, the clashes of steel and shouts becoming fewer and further between.
"Because you're fighting the wrong people Ulfric. The Empire is not the enemy. The Thalmor are. And Skyrim may push the Empire out, but it would weaken both sides and leave us both open to attack. Look at this." I explain, and throw a thin book at him.
"What is it?" he asks despondently.
"That is the Thalmor file on you, Ulfric. Note how it lists you as a passive asset. Your petty war on the Empire has done nothing but help the Thalmor." I sneer.
"The Empire was ruled by the Thalmor!" Ulfric shouts, regaining confidence, "They dictated who we could worship and what we could do!"
"No Ulfric. Titus Mede the Second was ruled by his fear of the Thalmor. Which is why he had to die. I had hoped your pointless power struggle would end with that, but I was wrong." Ulfric is surprised by this, but so is General Tullius.
"You killed the Emperor? But your oath-" I stop the general there, "-when I made my oath I swore loyalty to the Empire. If I remember correctly I refused to swear loyalty to the Emperor. He was a cowardly fool, and he had to die."
"And Ulfric? I may be everything a true Nord should be, but I am so many more things 'true Nords' fear and despise."
"How do you mean?" Ulfric curiously asks.
I almost laugh. "Don't you remember the details of the Emperors death? It was a professional job. A Brotherhood job."
"You're an assassin?!" both the general and Ulfric exclaim at the same time, horrified.
"More than that. I am the listener of the Dark Brotherhood. And that report I just gave you, Ulfric, do you believe it is easy to steal things from the Thalmor embassy? It takes a talented thief to do that. Perhaps even a master of the guild?" I say.
"The Listener?" Tullius almost shouts, "But... Well, at least being the master of the thieves guild pales in comparison."
"No no no," I shake my head, "the master of the thieves' guild in Skyrim is almost always an agent of Nocturnal."
"You choose to serve Daedra? In life and death? You'll serve in Nocturnal's court forever?" Rikke doesn't seem to understand.
"I highly doubt it. Nocturnal is one of the least of the Daedric Princes with a claim to my soul. Boethiah, Molag Bal, Vaermina, Sanguine, Hercine and especially Mehrunes Dagon would defeat her in a claim to my soul. Only Peryite is less likely to have me in his plane of oblivion." I almost laugh at how shocked they look.
"You would just... Give up on any afterlife? On Sovngarde?" Ulfric doesn't understand at all.
"Ulfric... I cannot go anywhere but Sovngarde. First of all, all who defeat Tsun, guardian of Shor's halls, may enter and remain there, second... I am Dragonborn, Ulfric. I have the blood of the Dov and have devoured the souls of at least thirty dragons, including that of the first born of Akatosh himself. I will not die, at least not for a long time yet."
"What does defeating the Guardian of the Bridge have to do with escaping Oblivion? Wouldn't the Daedra come for you before you arrived in Sovngarde and fought him?" Ulfric questions.
"Where do you think I fought the World-Eater? I have already defeated Tsun. My afterlife is assured.
Anyway, another thing Nords hate; I am the Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold."
"Wouldn't we have heard? I had no idea you were even slightly magically inclined." Tullius asks, having shaken off the shock of hearing I am in charge of assassins all over Tamriel.
"I kept it quiet, for that very reason. Nobody expects me to shoot storms of ice from my palms, so they are unprepared." I grin.
"So Ulfric, am I still all a Nord should be? Warrior, Assassin, Thief, Dragonborn. Only half of those fit your image of Nordic perfection, yet I am all those and more." I shake my head.
"This war has gone on long enough, Tullius, will you do the honours?" I ask.
"Now hold on! I'm not going down without a fight!" Ulfric yells.
"FUS RO DAH!" he Shouts. Both Tullius and Rikke are thrown back, but I hold my ground.
"Still up to your cowardly tricks, Ulfric? That may have worked on Torygg, but I am far from ignorant of the Voice. I still do not see how you justify using a power he could not possibly defend himself against, and call it fair." I sneer at him.
"Anyone can master the Thu'um, given time and practice!" Ulfric argues, "That he didn't bother shows he was unfit as a king!"
"You and I both know that the Greybeards very rarely take an apprentice that will not follow in their footsteps. Torygg never had the opportunity to learn what you did. Now let's see how strong your Thu'um is! Shout! Let me taste of your Voice!" I goad the defeated lord.
"YOL TOR SHUUL!" he Shouts, and flames roar from his mouth and surround me.
Rikke, who was standing up at this point, screamed in anguish. She had become rather attached to me, and seeing me roasted wasn't very nice. The Night Mother had ordered me to lead her on, to solidify my position.
When the flames died down though, I stood unharmed, and laughing.
"That is your Voice, Ulfric?" I say chuckling. "I've seen Draugr with stronger Shouts than that! This is what the Voice should feel like!"
"FUS RO DAH!" I Shout, choosing Unrelenting Force over the Inferno, since I didn't want to kill him yet.
My Thu'um throws him back, smashing him against the wall and holding him there for ten seconds, before he collapsed.
Tullius, now recovered, hands me his sword. "You should finish this Dragonborn. You turned the tide in this war, it's only right that you end it."
Not wasting any more time on conversation, I grasp the sword.
"KRIIST US ZEY!" I Shout, summoning him before me. I spin around, the sword stretched before me. His head falls to the ground, and his body follows.
-Aftermath-_
The enemy leader dead and almost all his followers dead or captured, the war is over.
"What's stopping me from arresting you now, Dragonborn? You admitted to many crimes, including murder and theft." Tullius says.
"Tullius. The war is just ended, Alduin has recently been defeated, the vampire threat has been eradicated and Miraak's return thwarted. All of these were either done by me or by a group I played a large and visible role in. Is this the time to turn on me? It'll start a new war." I tell him.
He looks almost convinced, but not quite. "Besides which, general, let's be honest. Where would you keep me? The Thieves' Guild, the Dark Brotherhood and the Blades all have members hidden in many places, some very important. I would never be kept in a jail. And who would you send to capture me? There are not many that would attack me. There are few, if any, that could fight me without killing me. For Talos' sake man, with three words I could summon a Dragon from the Soul Cairn! Don't start a battle you cannot win."
He sighs, accepting defeat, and heads outside to give a speech, leaving me alone with Legate Rikke.
"You lied to me." she said, straight to the point.
"Aye, that I did." I wonder how she'll react.
"Was anything that you told me true? Or was everything a lie?" she asks, a desperate edge entering her voice.
"Well... I am Dragonborn, I did save Tamriel from Alduin, Miraak and the vampires who wanted to master the sun." I tell her.
"So you just kept silent about the evil things you did? Why? Why would you mislead me?" she sounds quite devastated.
"How much have you told me in confidence that you would not have told me knowing what I am? I lied because that was what was best for me. What would aid me most in my goals." I almost laugh at her face. She looks disgusted.
"You... You're evil! How could you do something like that to me... to anyone? How could you be so cruel?" she sneers.
"Woman, don't be so self-centered! I've killed countless people, on contracts and in passing. I've looked into people's eyes as a poison I gave them took effect and laughed as life left them. I've stolen a beggar's last coin for the hell of it! And what strikes you as evil is the fact that I would lead someone on?" I laugh.
"Now I can finally get rid of these awful weapons." I say, throwing away my sword and shield, "Why anyone would choose these over stabbing someone in the back or shooting them from the shadows is beyond me!"
"Maybe it's because they have honour!" she shouts, in what I presume is meant to be a cutting tone.
"I wonder how many honourable people I've killed..." I think aloud.
"I've had it with you you evil bastard!" Rikke shouts at me. She charges me with her sword ready to strike.
With a wave of my hand her muscles lock in place, leaving her paralysed.
"I am a Mage, Rikke! I am not unarmed just because my sword is gone! Now what to do with you..." I wonder what I should do with her.
As the thought strikes me I almost laugh.
"Gol kreh fen." I Shout softly. Bend Will. She stand shakily, following my mental commands. She retrieves her sword from the ground and moves to the door. I wave my hand and the door opens before her, revealing Tullius giving a speech to the soldiers.
Her mind fights me, realising what she's about to do. But she is weak.
'Kill him. Kill them all' the insidious whispers in her head urge her, and her resolve crumbles.
"For the Empire!" Tullius yells, just as his loyal Legate decapitates him and charges the soldiers.
I stand back and watch for a while. While weak of mind, her body is strong, and she fights well. I almost wish this could go on for longer.
She easily dispatches five of the gathered Imperials, before they even realise what's going on. After that she has more difficulty, but she kills the other twelve that were stood there.
Just as she kills the last man, his guts spilling out onto the street, another group of soldiers arrives. I make her look up at them just as I run out of the Palace. I take her down quickly, smashing a shield into her right wrist, sending her weapon flying.
They all saw what she did. There was no denying her guilt in their minds. I laugh in my head as hers rolls away from the block.
"Isn't it awful?" I ask the newly crowned High-Queen. "Two of the highest ranking members of the Legion in Skyrim, dead by the actions of one of them. Do we know what possessed her?" I continue, my voice laden with sorrow, though I laugh in my mind.
"We don't." Elisif said, "She kept insisting that you forced her to do what she did, and made all sorts of ridiculous allegations against you. Did something happen between you two, in the Palace?" she asks curiously.
I have planned all this, within a day of Rikke's 'crime'. This will be my claim. My legacy.
"Well... Yes actually. I had told her I couldn't keep seeing her. She was quiet, and left then. I remained in the Palace for a while, and when I left... Well, there she was." I say, sounding unhappy. "Was it... Do you think this is my fault? My queen?" I try to make my voice as guilt-laden as possible.
"Of course not!" she exclaims. "What she has done is nobody's fault but her own! Though I must ask... Why did you break it off with her?"
I knew this would happen, and I almost jump for joy. Instead though, I look bashful.
"W-well... When we spoke with Ulfric, your name came up a few times my queen. And I couldn't help but realise that all that I was doing for the Empire... For Skyrim... It was really all for something else." I say, waiting for her curiosity to overpower her.
"What then?" there it is.
"You, my queen. All I did was for you. And it saddens me that it can never be, but I could not resign myself to any other woman, for that would only lead to us both being unhappy." I say, sounding completely despondent.
"Why could it never be?" she asks. By this time we we're in the Blue Palace where I once told her I had stopped Ulfric from taking Whiterun. I have known for a long time that Elisif is more than fond of me. I had been playing up my affections with Rikke when near her, and seen her reactions.
"Look at yourself, my queen, and look at me!" I laugh sadly. "You, High-Queen of Skyrim, rightly named 'the Fair' for both your appearance and heart. And me. An ugly scarred misfit who likely would have been a mercenary were it not for the Dragon crisis! You will always be far out of my reach."
"I think I shall be the one to decide that, Dragonborn." she whispers, moving closer. "And I think you far from beneath me." and with that she kisses me. So predicable.
"Are you... Are you sure, my Queen?" I say, still playing uncertain. "I mean, I'd understand if-" she kisses me again. As she pulls back, I let the smile that I've been holding back for hours spread across my face.
"I'm sure." she whispers, smiling. "And I hope to be a lot more than just your queen soon..."
"You mean..." I trail off, knowing full well what she means.
"That I would marry you." she says, before becoming uncertain. "That is, if you want to..."
I lift her up, spinning around and laughing. Everything went as planned.
I leave for the Dawnstar Sanctuary the next morning, claiming I needed to ready my clothes for the wedding.
When inside I let loose, laughing insanely.
"What is that bloody racket?" Nazir says, entering the main room. "I thought Cicero had returned!"
"Be careful how you speak!" I say, still laughing, "Respect your betters!"
"The Dark Brotherhood is one of equals, Listener." Babette said, joining us.
"Ah ah ah! You don't know who I am!" I say, almost hysterical.
"You're the Dragonborn, thane of some holds and so on, we know." Nadir deadpanned. "I thought we were done with this."
"But I'm also..." I stop, building tension.
"What?" Babette snaps.
"THE FUTURE HIGH-KING OF SKYRIM!" I shout, dancing around the room. "Guess who charmed Elisif?" I say to their confused faces.
"No way..." Nazir muttered.
"YES WAY!" I giggle manically. "The wedding is next week. You're welcome to come, though not in official capacity of course. Can't have another Vici-Wedding disaster, can we?"
Then I leave, heading to Whiterun. I needed to prepare my wedding 'suit'. I hate clothing. It makes me feel so... Vulnerable. I won't wear anything that would leave me open to attack. Even magical armour like Ebonyskin requires warning to set up, warning I might not get.
What I'm planning on wearing to the wedding will be new. I don't know if anyone has done this before, or if it can be done. I just hope the Skyforge is hot enough...
The day is here. The day an assassin, a thief becomes High-King of Skyrim. I'm almost giddy with happiness that this all worked out. Let them think I'm happy about wedding my 'one true love'.
My suit sure is turning heads. My original plan failed, as I had been planning to use a Dragon's bones to make a suit of armour, but I couldn't for the life of me shape the bones that much. I managed to make a sword out of one, by weakening it in fire and carving the excess off, leaving me with one sharp bit off bone. I made a hilt for it and am wearing it at my hip now.
What I did manage was to bend Dragon Scales, and glue them together with a combination of Ebony and steel. The parts of my body that needed flexibility were covered in mail, hundreds of rings of Ebony.
Nothing screams 'DRAGONSLAYER' quite like wearing part of a Dragon's corpse.
The ceremony seems to be going fine, until one of the men on the front row jumps up and charges Elesif, while brandishing a knife.
This won't do! She's my ticket to being King!
I grasp Elesif's shoulder and pull her behind me, while lifting my other arm to catch the dagger. The dagger strikes the palm of my hand, but shatters on the gauntlet. Wasting no time I twist his arm behind him and hand him to the guards.
He will be getting a visit tonight.
But out here, I must be kind. "Let's have no more of that then!" I say jokingly to the crowd, breaking some of the tension and bringing nervous laughs.
"I don't want anything to ruin today!" Elesif says plainly.
"As long as you're next to me, nothing could ruin this day, or any other day." I say lovingly.
The ceremony finishes, and we head to the Palace.
"How did your armour shatter the blade? It looks like some sort of scale... Wouldn't that shatter?" My wife asks.
"Dragonscale is hard to shatter, my love. I would know." I grin.
"Dragonscale..." she whispers with awe.
And we retire for the night.
And I wake as High-King, sitting on a throne beside my wife.
There are a few tense moments; Maven Black-Briar, for example, threatens to release knowledge of my thieving past unless I allow her certain liberties.
Maven Black-Briar does not wake again.
Ah, the joys of leading a guild of assassins.
And so begins the rule of the Dragonborn. It would seem that the ladder to the top truly is made of bones.
