Ulfric knelt on the ground in front of his throne, barely keeping himself up. He was bleeding and burnt and panting hard, glaring up at the dark elf standing proudly before him. One of her Daedric swords outstretched to his neck, the other resting almost impatiently in an offensive position, her mismatched armor set, slightly luminescent from being enchanted, all made her appear to be a goddess of justice, come down from the heavens to punish the fallen Jarl.

"Surrender, Stormcloak," she commanded, red eyes glowing in the dim light. General Tullius and Legate Rikke stood slightly behind her, ready to defend against any last resistance from the rebel army.

Ulfric spat at the elf's feet, a mixture of blood and phlegm. "Never. Never to you, never to anyone. You can kill me, but you will never end the Stormcloaks."

"Kill you?" The elf laughed for a moment, before steeling her scowl. "What would I gain by killing you? One more soul for Alduin to devour? I think not. You, dear Jarl, are coming with me." The elf sheathed her sword and cast a paralyze spell on Ulfric.

"Are you sure this is the best course of action, Dragonborn?" General Tullius asked. He and Legate Rikke had Galmar Stone-Fist pushed on the ground. Legate Rikke stood on his sword hand and had kicked his sword to the wall.

The elf nodded, pulling a length of rope from her pack and securing Ulfric's wrists behind him. "We wouldn't want to give the Sons of Skyrim a martyr, would we? When they see their leader marched across Skyrim in shame, they will lose all morale." She set a sample of wisp wrappings around Ulfric's mouth, keeping him from using the Thu'um.

The paralysis spell wore off, and the Dragonborn pulled Ulfric to his feet. He was led out of the palace, his head still held high despite his defeat. The Dragonborn pushed him through the door and forced him back to his knees. Over the harsh blizzard winds, sounds of combat could be heard throughout the city. "Lok, Vah Koor!" The Dragonborn Shouted. The blizzard subsided suddenly, causing a momentary break in the battle. "Hear me Windhelm!" The Dragonborn continued, enhancing her voice with Thu'um so it could be heard by all. "Ulfric Stormcloak has surrendered! Cease your rebellion at once!"

The group of Stormcloak soldiers that had failed to defend the palace entrance from the Dragonborn and her entourage stood in shock at their fallen leader. While those within sight of the Dragonborn and her captive stopped fighting out of disbelief, those that were not aware of the truth in her words continued to fight. The Dragonborn scowled, and momentarily passed the rope that held tight of Ulfric to General Tullius.

The Dragonborn raised both of her hands, and used the last of her magic to cast a Harmony spell across the city. She took a second to catch her breath before grabbing the rope again and yanking Ulfric to his feet. The Dragonborn led him around the now calm city; Ulfric kept his head held high, but refused to look into any of his soldiers eyes as they stared in disbelief at their fallen leader.

The soldiers were rounded up and taken to the Windhelm Barracks, where the few cells housed around ten soldiers to a cell as the leaders of both the Imperials and the Stormcloaks discussed the terms of surrender.

"You will dismantle all Stormcloak camps by the turn of Sun's Dawn," General Tullius commanded, "And submit all officers to the Empire for trial."

"There are no officers in the Stormcloak army," Galmar Stone-Fist protested. "Everyone is equal. We are all brothers in arms."

"Yes," the Dragonborn mused, "everyone is surely equal to the Stormcloaks. How could I forget, considering the taunting and slurs I experienced whenever I stepped foot near a Stormcloak city?" She casually held the rope binding Ulfric in her lap, Ulfric standing irritably beside her as she lounged on a stone bench around the dining table that had been hastily turned into a meeting spot for the political and military leaders in attendance.

Ulfric burned to speak out. To shout something in support of his loyal soldiers that had fought to the very end. The wisp wrappings' slightly medicinal properties made him feel rejuvenated, but he cursed them, for they kept his mouth sealed shut. Now he was the prisoner of the very regime he despised, the regime he fought against, not just for himself, as the Imperials seemed to be insinuating, but for all of Skyrim! How could they be so blind they could not see that?

Legate Rikke leaned forwards in her seat. "Perhaps if there are no officers, each soldier should be tried for treason against the Empire?"

Galmar scowled. "That..." he sighed, "will be unnecessary. The soldiers, they were just following orders. My orders. I am the only one that deserves punishment."

"Ah, but what about the man who bears the name of the rebellion?" The Dragonborn said. "Are you saying that you were more influential to the Stormcloaks than Ulfric Stormcloak himself?"

Galmar nodded, meeting eyes with Ulfric. "Jarl Ulfric was merely a figurehead to the movement," he explained. "I organized each battle, each camp, everything." Ulfric wanted to protest in defense of his closest friend, his second in command throughout the Civil War, but couldn't. "I beg you, release all of the soldiers."

Rikke leaned to Tullius. "Taking each Stormcloak prisoner could be risky. Every rebel in one place? Sounds like a good way to have the Imperial City overrun to me," she whispered.

Tullius nodded. "The soldiers will be released," he agreed. "However, should they ever incite rebellion again, each of them will be tried for treason."

Galmar nodded, staring at the stone table top. He had few bargaining chips, except for his own life, which he had just given up to save thousands of soldiers. "What of Jarl Ulfric?" He asked at last.

"Well," the Dragonborn said, idling with the rope in her hands, "I was considering keeping him for myself. You Nords allow for this custom, no? Another with the power of the Thu'um will be excellent for Dragon hunting."

Ulfric scowled, fuming at his captor. When she had first shown up in his court, he had recognized her, with well-worn armor and a strong posture as a proud and capable warrior, and offered her a position in the Stormcloaks. She had been grateful, remembering their escape from Helgen, however soon after she had betrayed him, his trust, and joined the Legion. He blamed only himself, wondering why he had been so foolish as to trust a dark elf, when obviously they were nothing but thieves and liars.

And now he was the war prize of a dark elf, a Cyrodillic dark elf at that, and she planned to use him for Dragon bait, it seemed.

The delegation dragged on, with Galmar doing everything he could to leave at least one Stormcloak in charge, with little success. Brunwulf Free-Winter was sworn in as the new Jarl of Windhelm, and messengers were sent to the remaining Stormcloak camps. The Stormcloak soldiers were released from custody after swearing allegiance to the Empire and paying a small fine for their rebellion. Half a dozen soldiers refused to swear allegiance, and were left to rot in the cells until they came across a change of heart.

Brunwulf granted the Dragonborn the Hjerim Estate, a move that made Ulfric's stomach turn, but he was satisfied in knowing that the house had been the site of near a dozen murders, and the mess was still inside the house, as far as he knew. Ulfric watched as the Dragonborn pulled out a coinpurse full nearly to bursting and paid for the house and all its furnishings in full. Most would be left in debt or at the very least penniless after such an exchange, but that damn elf had barely lightened her purse. She even gave Brunwulf a few extra handfuls of gold to help repair Windhelm from the battle!

Ulfric would've scoffed had he been able, but he settled for rolling his eyes. She was obviously flaunting her wealth. No doubt she had come across it through the Thieves Guild, or worse. The Dragonborn dragged him through the city, out the gates, and across the bridge, barely glancing at him. "Would you rather walk to Winterhold, or would you like me to buy you a horse?" She asked when they reached the stables.

He was unable to respond, and instead enjoyed being able to look down upon her. He was tall for a Nord, tall enough that he could stand eye to eye with any High Elf that dared enter his court. The Dragonborn reached up and ripped off the Wisp Wrappings that had kept him mute for hours. Ulfric wondered if he should test his luck and his Thu'um, and attempt to Shout the girl off the bridge. "I will accept no charity from you," Ulfric replied, and turned his head to one side.

The Dragonborn smiled, grabbing his cheek and forcing him to look at her. "We'll have to get you some new armor, too. Can't have you dying to a Dragon just yet, can we? And a new sword; that iron blade can barely cut butter." The Dragonborn summoned a weak frost spell to her hand, knowing it would hurt Ulfric without leaving any lasting damage, as Nords effectively had ice for blood. "I am Nariilu Therel. I have too many titles to count, and with any luck, you will survive traveling at my side."

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