II

It was almost a week before I returned to Windhelm to deliver the teeth of the Ice Wraith to Ulfric. I would have returned much earlier but I was detoured along the way by some bandits thirsting for adventurer blood.

I kept my expression composed as I walked into the Palace of the Kings. Ulfric was sitting on his throne, doing nothing as per usual for a jarl. Jorleif and Ulfric both gave me equally surprised looks when I marched up to them.

"Dragonborn," Jorleif greeted with a smile.

I smiled back at him. Around my neck, I wore a leather pouch with the teeth in it. I took it off and threw it onto Ulfric's lap. Gingerly he opened it, and dumped the contents into his hand. "It seems that Galmar owes me a drink," he smiled. He turned the teeth over in his hands.

What? I would have thought with the way that I treated Ulfric last week, he would never have made a bet with Galmar on whether I would return. And it was even more troubling for me to find out that Ulfric was the one who won. "Galmar, you'll want to see this!" He shouted towards the war-room.

A few seconds later, the large Nord appeared into the throne room. He looked me over again. "I didn't think she'd return," he commented, eyeing Ulfric.

"You sent me there to die, did you?" I huffed, putting my hands on my hips.

"No. It was a test of your mettle," Galmar explained gruffly. "What does it matter now? You've returned."

The two men both stared at me in silence. They clearly had no idea what to do with me. "She's passed your test Galmar despite your doubts," Ulfric finally said.

"Yes she has. You won the bet Ulfric."

Ulfric raised an eyebrow. "You still have doubts?"

"No, not really. I think she has quite a temper though, as we saw the last time she graced your halls," he smirked.

"If you want to continue being my second in command, you will never mention that fucking day to me again," Ulfric growled.

I crossed my arms over my chest. They were talking about me as if I wasn't even there. "Galmar, you told me last week that the mission you sent me on would be my initiation. Is there something else you'd like me to do? I'll do whatever it takes," I said stubbornly.

Galmar chuckled. "See Ulfric, I told you that she was a true daughter of Skyrim." He turned back to me. "I didn't think you'd come back Dragonborn. You're a small woman and you don't look like much. You need some meat on your bones, but I think I was wrong about you."

I smiled. "Thank you." I had been through this many times before. No one could believe that this small girl could possibly be called Dovahkiin. It allowed me to slip by unnoticed.

"Are you ready to let her in, Ulfric?"

The jarl stared at me for a long moment before grunting. "Fine. Make her take the oath. We'll see if she can learn obedience."

I frowned, and Galmar stood in front of me. "Hold up your right hand." I did as he asked, and he started reading me the oath. Ulfric and I locked eyes; we stared at each other until I finished repeating everything Galmar had said. "I do swear my blood and honour to the service of Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm and true High King of Skyrim. As Talos is my witness, may this oath bind me to death and beyond, even to my lord as to my fellow brothers and sisters in arms. All hail the Stormcloaks, the true sons and daughters of Skyrim!" I recited this with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. Ulfric smiled at me, looking relatively pleased that I was finally under his command. After my disobedience and ridicule of his manhood the week before, I was fairly certain that he would try to repay me any way he could. I was willing to take whatever he threw at me.

"Congratulations Skadi. From here on, you will be known as 'Unblooded'," Galmar said proudly.

"I'm ready for anything," I said.

"It happens that I have a mission for someone of your calibre."

"Oh?" I asked, raising an intrigued eyebrow.

Ulfric grunted. "Not this again."

"Ulfric…" Galmar frowned.

"Tell me again why we're wasting time and dwindling resources chasing a legend. We don't even know it exists!" Ulfric snapped.

"The Jarls are upset. They don't all support you," Galmar reasoned.

"Bah. Damn the Jarls."

"They demand the Moot."

"And damn the Moot!" Ulfric shouted. "We should risk letting those milkdrinkers put Torygg's woman on the throne? She'll hand Skyrim over to the elves on a silver plate."

"All the more reason then. The crown would legitimize your claim."

Ulfric snorted. "A crown doesn't make a king."

"No, but this one…"

"If it even exists."

"What crown are you talking about?" I asked.

They both ignored me. "It exists," Galmar said. "And it'll be the symbol of the righteousness of our cause. Think about it. The Jagged Crown!" He threw up his hands for emphasis. "It heralds back to a time before jarls and moots. Back to the time when a king was a king because his enemies fell before him, and his people rose because they loved him. Skyrim needs that king. You will be that king, Ulfric. You must be."

Ulfric seemed to be considering this. "You're certain you've found it?"

"When have I ever been false with you?" Galmar scoffed.

The jarl frowned. "Fine," he snorted. "I'll send the Unblooded here with you." He turned to give me an ironic smirk. "Well Skadi, fancy crawling through a moldering dungeon to see if you can't stir up Galmar's Jagged Crown?"

"You bet," I smiled.

"It'll be there. You'll see." Galmar promised.

"Care to wager on it, then?" Ulfric raised an eyebrow. "Once you come back empty handed, you'll owe me a drink."

Galmar grinned cockily. "I won't come back empty handed."

"We shall see," Ulfric said leaning back onto his throne.

"Unblooded," Galmar addressed me finally. "We're heading to a Nordic Ruin called Korvanjund. Am I right to assume that you've dealt with Draugr before?"

I gave him a look to suggest how ridiculous his statement was. "Yes, I have."

"You will accompany me and a small group of my men to Korvanjund. The Imperials are certain to have found their way in. This is your chance to prove yourself, woman. We're departing within the hour."

(~~)

The Korvanjund ruins were similar to most other crypts I had been in. I picked up the Ebony Claw that was situated on the ground near a dead body, knowing that it would be our key to finding our way to the Jagged Crown.

Along the way, we dispatched many an Imperial soldier. Apparently, as Galmar explained, they were after the crown as well. There were many obstacles in our path, but luckily we never got hindered by any of them. Once we reached the large Nordic door near the end, I placed the claw in the keyhole. Slowly, the door came down, and Galmar and his men rushed past me.

I didn't believe in this type of fighting style. I preferred to sneak up on my enemies so I couldn't get overwhelmed. I was surprised that none of them had gotten hurt by the way they ran into battle. Finally, we reached the end of the dungeon; it was a large room with a seemingly dead body that sat on a throne.

"Look Sir, there's the crown!" A soldier yelled, pointing at the Draugr sitting on the throne. He started to advance towards it.

Oh gods. "Stop you fool!" I shouted.

All eyes were on me after my outburst; the soldier stopped immediately in his tracks. Galmar glared at me. "What's wrong Unblooded?"

"Do you see that Draugr?" I whispered. "It is a very powerful enemy. If your soldier went to grab the crown, the Draugr and all his little friends would wake up and surround him. It would have been a death sentence."

Galmar looked reluctant to admit that I was right. "Since you seem to have all the answers Dragonborn, what do you suggest I do?"

"Let me fight it alone."

"Why would I let you do that?"

I exhaled sharply. "Because I've fought this type of Draugr many times before. More than likely it will use a shout. It will probably be a weaker version of my Unrelenting Force, but I will be able to combat it with my own. I can defeat it. All you and your men need to do is back me up with the other Draugr."

Galmar considered this. "You have a problem with authority don't you?"

I gave him a half-smile. "Not usually. I just think your man would have gotten killed just rushing in like that. If you order your men to keep their weapons at the ready, I will fire a projectile at the Draugr to wake it up and do some significant damage."

"Very well Dragonborn, but if this doesn't work…I won't be able to protect you from Ulfric's wrath…Or mine for that matter."

"Understood," I replied with a frown. "Please order your men to stand behind me." The Stormcloak soldiers stood behind me and I focused all my energy into creating a massive fireball within my two hands. I threw it towards the Draugr and luckily it hit its mark. The Draugr groaned, waking up its minions along with it. "Now!" I yelled, rushing over to my enemy.

I grabbed my sword Dawnbreaker and swiped the Draugr, giving it some more of my flames. It shrieked as my sword struck its middle. "Fus...Ro Dah!" It Shouted at me when it recovered. I felt myself knockback with the force of its Voice. His Shout is more powerful than I anticipated, I thought irritated.

The Draugr stumbled over to me, wielding its powerful greatsword. It wanted to overpower me, and as it quickly swung its sword, I rolled under him deftly, taking a swipe at his legs.

Thankfully, I was wounding it. As it swung its sword at me I misjudged the distance between us, and the dull end of the blade hit my forehead, slicing my skin open. I screamed from the pain and held my forehead with my free hand. The cut would be deep; I would probably need stitches if I didn't bleed out first.

The Draugr sauntered over to me, flashing a sadistic smile and laughing manically. It swung its sword, and I quickly held up Dawnbreaker to stop it from wounding me further. I tried to overpower it, but the fact remained that I was just not strong enough. In a last ditched effort, I focused my power into my Voice. "Yol…Toor, Shul!" I Shouted.

The Draugr caught on fire and I knew that it was close to death. I limped over to him, grabbed the Jagged Crown off of his head, and with the last of my energy, I stabbed the swine with a life-ending blow.

I fell to my knees with exhaustion. My forehead felt like it was on fire. "Unblooded!" Galmar knelt down to where I was seated and put a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alive. That's all that matters." I let out a sharp hiss of pain. I looked around to the other soldiers. The Draugr were all dispatched and no one seemed to be hurt. My tactic had worked after all.

"Here, let me take a look at that wound," he said moving my chin over to look at him. He grimaced. "That is a deep cut. You need to get that treated as soon as we get to Windhelm. Although I'm not sure that it'll last that long."

I bit my lip, dreading the quick decision I just made. "Hand me a torch will you?"

Galmar handed me a torch and I took out one of my hidden daggers from my boot. I stuck it into the fire until the blade burned orange. With a deep breath I held the blade against my forehead to staunch the bleeding. I screamed immediately when it touched my skin. With some unknown strength, I somehow held it on my flesh long enough to cauterize the wound.

Tears fell down my face when I threw the dagger on the ground. "Skadi…You are one brave woman," Galmar commented in awe.

"Not…Not really," I replied once I found my voice again. "The first time I had to do that, I fainted." I rifled through my bag to find some clean white strips. I wrapped one around my forehead to protect the cut. Alongside the bandages, I found a potion for fever inside the bag and I took a swig of that. "Here's the crown," I said to Galmar, wiping away the tears from my face.

"You should be the one to give it to Ulfric. You earned that right Dragonborn," he said, handing it back to me.

"Thank you," I nodded. "We should get going. There's most likely a back entrance."

As we were leaving I could hear low, powerful whispers; they were something that only I could hear. They were whispers from a Word Wall. In my weakened state, I advanced to it and I felt an intense energy passing through my body. I smiled a little as the ethereal light flew into me. "Slow Time," I whispered, opening my eyes.

I turned to my comrades, who were all gawking at me. Apparently, no one expected to see the Dragonborn in action. "Uh, shall we go?" I mumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Come on men, the show is over," Galmar barked.

(~~)

The road back to Windhelm was very taxing on my body. Shadowmere held me up most of the ride back because my head was pounding. Galmar kept on stealing glances towards me to make sure I hadn't fainted and fallen off my horse.

Once we got into the city, I told Galmar to go on ahead to the Palace of the Kings without me. I had to go to sell some things at the local shops.

(~~)

I hobbled my way back to the Palace, holding my forehead the entire time. When I got inside, Ulfric and Galmar were in a deep discussion. I knew I looked like an absolute mess; Ulfric's eyes going wide solidified that theory. "I believe you owe Galmar a drink," I said smartly to Ulfric handing him the crown.

"By the Gods," Ulfric whispered. "I can't believe I hold the Jagged Crown in my hands." He stared at it in awe and then smirked. "Galmar, you've won our bet." He handed Galmar the crown and then brought his eyes back over to my face. "Dragonborn, sit at the table," he commanded.

I did as he asked, and he joined me on the chair next to me. "Take off the bandage," he said.

"Uh, it's okay. I'm going to go get Quintus Navale to look at it later," I mumbled.

"Skadi, this wasn't a request." Ulfric threatened. "Take off the bandage or I'm going to do it for you."

I sighed and slowly unwrapped the linen from my forehead. Ulfric grimaced. "This is going to need stitches."

I frowned at this. "Oh. My Jarl, I – "

He interrupted me. "Jorleif. Go find that Alchemist…"

"Quintus Navale," I reminded him.

"Bring Quintus here and tell him to bring his equipment. It's urgent." Jorleif rushed out of the castle at Ulfric's orders. "Galmar, bring me a basin of water and clean cloths."

I squinted. "Sir, what're you – "

He sighed irritably. "You have blood all over your face Skadi. I need to clean it." He gave me a hard glance. "And call me Ulfric."

"Are you sure?" I raised an eyebrow, only to wince from the pain.

He grunted. "You're the Dragonborn are you not? I will permit you to call me by my given name because of that."

"Alright…Ulfric," I said.

He smiled as if the sound of his name on my tongue pleased him. Galmar returned moments later with the water basin. "Try to stay still," Ulfric ordered me. He dipped the cloth in the water and gently started to clean the dried blood and charred skin off of my face. For some reason, my cheeks flushed when I felt his fingers touch my skin. "Galmar told me that you cauterized the wound yourself," he said conversationally.

"Yes sir…I mean, Ulfric," I mumbled.

"I know many men who could never accomplish such an act of bravery." He was working as close to the wound as he could get.

"I don't see it as bravery. I only do what I need to in order to survive."

He stopped wiping my face to gaze at me. I couldn't read the expression in his eyes. "You and I have more in common than I would have ever thought possible."

I felt those obnoxious butterflies deep in my stomach again. What was wrong with me? "Have you cleaned many wounds?" I asked.

He nodded. "More than my fair share. I've had to stitch a lot of my own by hand. One does much in dire circumstances." He said bitterly.

Before I could answer, the castle doors flew open and Jorleif entered with Quintus. "Oh hello Dragonborn! It's a pleasure to see you again," the Imperial smiled at me.

"Well met Quintus." I said.

"Did you bring the tools?" Ulfric asked.

"Yes my Jarl, I did." Quintus took out a dark coloured potion from his alchemy bag. "This potion will disinfect the wound and numb it so it can be stitched. It won't be pleasant Dragonborn…" He hesitated. "It will hurt worse than the hot blade you used on your forehead."

I shrunk back away from him. He took a clean cloth and drenched it in the potion. "No I think I'll be okay," I mumbled.

Quintus sighed. "Dragonborn, that's going to start to fester. You don't want that do you?"

I didn't answer. As he came closer to my face with the medicine, I felt my heart pound. In fear, I grabbed something close to me for grip. When the cloth touched my skin, I felt it start to singe. My flesh felt like it was boiling at the surface. I screamed louder than I think I ever had in my life.

The seconds dragged on like hours. Finally, the pain started to subside. My eyes flew open and I had to choke back a sob. What would these men think of me if I started crying around them? "Is it starting to go numb yet?" Quintus asked apologetically.

I nodded, knowing I couldn't bring myself to speak while I was on the verge of tears. Quintus gathered a needle and thread to stitch up my wound. Instantly, I recoiled away from him.

Ulfric grabbed the Alchemist's hand to stop him. "I'll do it," he said firmly.

Quintus raised an eyebrow. "My Jarl, I am trained for this type of thing – "

"I've stitched up more wounds than you have in your lifetime," he interrupted. "And you've hurt her enough already don't you think?" He glared at the Imperial.

Quintus frowned. "Alright. Make sure she rubs this disinfectant on the wound each morning. She'll have to come see me in a week so the stitches can come out."

"Fine," Ulfric snapped.

"Just make sure that the stitches aren't too far apart and – "

"Out!" Ulfric barked.

Quintus bowed and scurried off. "The rest of you," Ulfric addressed Jorleif and Galmar. "Leave us."

The Steward and the housecarl left the throne room, leaving us alone. "You can let go of my hand now Skadi. You won't feel any more pain," he said quietly.

I looked down to what I was still gripping. I hadn't noticed, but I had accidentally grabbed his hand. I released him immediately. "Talos…I'm so sorry," I whispered. My voice cracked in the middle of the sentence.

He smiled at me; for once his eyes were kind. "I hadn't realized how strong you were. You almost broke my hand."

I laughed a little through my tears. "If I wanted to break your hand, you would know it."

He grinned, picking up the needle and thread. I winced at this sight. "Skadi," he said, putting his free hand on my cheek to cup it. "I won't hurt you. You have my word."

My cheeks heated up under his touch and for some reason I believed him. I nodded. Why did trusting him come easier to me than the trust of anyone else? "Here, move your chair closer to me," he said.

Without waiting for a confirmation, he dragged my chair as close to his as the space would allow. Our legs were touching and in that simple moment - I wasn't sure why - I felt a strange sense of desire pool into my belly. I flushed at the thought. No man had ever roused any feelings in me. So why should the most arrogant jarl I had ever met in my life have such an unexpected impact on me?

"Tell me Dragonborn, why do you not have a housecarl to protect you?" He said, interrupting my thoughts. I hadn't realized that he had started stitching my cut.

"I had three," I said.

He looked surprised. "Which holds are you Thane of?"

"Whiterun was the first, Markarth was the second and Morthal was the third."

"And you were granted housecarls for each, correct?"

"Yes."

"So where are they all now?"

I sighed. "It's a long story."

"There's time Dragonborn," he said. I could feel his hot breath on my forehead. He smelt like some kind of spice; I couldn't put my finger on it. It was making me dizzy.

"Alright," I said. I need a distraction anyways. "My first housecarl was a woman named Lydia. I became Thane after I helped the Whiterun guard kill a dragon…And you know…Found out I was Dragonborn." He nodded, urging me to continue. "So anyways, Lydia was my first housecarl. She was a lovely woman and a good friend to me." I sighed. "She died by the hands of a Draugr. We didn't know each other that long, but I always treated her as a friend, not a servant. I think she appreciated that.

"I brought her body back to Whiterun and I paid for the burial myself. She must be in Sovngarde now…Although I never encountered her when I was there."

"And the next?" Ulfric asked. His eyes were focusing on my wound and what he was doing with it.

"In Markarth, a man named Argis the Bulwark assisted me. He and I were together a long time. He was a very tough warrior. He protected me from many foes that were too big for a small woman like me to handle," I laughed. "Anyways, he stuck by me through the whole Alduin crisis. We were good friends."

"Did he die as well?" He asked. He seemed genuinely interested.

"No. He never told me, but the night before I captured Odahviing in Dragonsreach, I caught him writing letters to a woman in Markarth. I asked him who the woman was and he told me that she was his fiancée. I laughed and asked him why he never mentioned her before. He told me that it didn't matter because he had sworn an oath to protect me.

"I told him that he was ridiculous. He should have told me about her."

"Why should he have done that?"

I smiled. "Because I would have never let him risk his life for me otherwise. He told me that he would follow me wherever I went and insisted that he stayed with me. I relented and told him that as soon as the Alduin crisis was over, he would be released from my service to go marry the girl.

"After I came back from Sovngarde, Argis and I met his fiancée in Riften and they were married. I stood up for him at their wedding."

Ulfric's face looked sceptical. "You let him go so he could marry?"

"Yes, what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, I suppose. It just seems a little trivial."

I snorted. "You would think that wouldn't you? No need to worry about marriage. You've probably got hundreds of woman locked up ready and willing to fulfil your wildest fantasies."

He didn't smile; he just focused on my wound. "All but one," he said evenly.

I flushed. Was he talking about me? "Tell me about the third, Skadi," he said when I was silent for a while.

"Oh, yeah…Sure. Um, I became Thane of Morthal when I helped them with a vampire problem. This was long after I was in Solstheim dealing with Miraak. It was a couple months ago actually. Anyways, that's when Valdimar showed up. He was a fairly decent Nord sorcerer. As I did with the others, he was treated as a friend and a travelling companion. But things seemed different…"

"What do you mean?"

I bit my bottom lip. "He seemed to be more invested into protecting me than the others were. He would make me stand back while he dealt with the enemy. Often I refused, because when he got swarmed I would have to come in and start fighting anyways."

"It sounds like he was fond of you," Ulfric commented.

"That was just it. He…He was in love with me," I sighed.

Ulfric made eye contact with me now. "Did you love him back?"

"Not the way that he loved me. I loved him as I would love a shield-brother or a friend. I was fond of him…But not in the way that he wanted me to be."

"How did you find out how he felt about you?"

"He…Well, we were camped out in the wilderness of Skyrim one night and he came over to sit beside me. He asked me if I ever thought about the future. I told him no because my future was unpredictable and I could die at any moment. He asked if I ever thought about marriage, comfort and safety. I said no. That was when he told me that he loved me. He said he could protect me and keep me safe. There was nothing that he wanted more than to be by my side."

"What did you say?"

"I told him I couldn't. It wouldn't be fair if I married him without the love reciprocating on my part. He was silent for a long time, but he smiled at me and said that he'd still stick by me and protect me with his life.

"That was the end of that discussion. Weeks later, I was on a mission for…Um, someone in this Falmer infested cave. We got to the end of the cave to get the item that was rumoured to be there. We were both surrounded by enemies. I dispatched mine quickly, but Valdimar was having trouble. He was strong but he wasn't as quick as me. One of them stabbed him in the stomach. He fell to his knees. I extinguished the Falmer that had wounded him and came over to his side."

My eyes welled up with tears now at the memory. "I knew he was dying. There wasn't anything I could do to save him. He asked me if I would bring his body back to Morthal to be buried. I told him I would do it and then to give him some peace, I kissed him.

"He smiled at me and then it was over. I found an alternate exit out of the cave, so I carried his body out of there. It was a struggle, but once I got outside, I made a stretcher out of branches. Shadowmere and I dragged his body back to Morthal. Once I got there, I refused to let the gravedigger do it. I dug his grave and buried him myself. I cried the entire time. I miss him," I mumbled.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Ulfric said sympathetically.

"Yeah. Well, I got back to Riften and gave the woman her item I had to find. She yelled at me, asking where I had been and why I took so long. I punched her squarely in the jaw. The blow was so hard I knocked her down to the ground. I said to her, 'I had to bury my housecarl you bitch.' She came to apologize to me afterwards and now we are still good friends." I smiled. I had been on a little errand for the Thieves Guild. Vex had sent me out to find the Crown of Barenziah in this ridiculously deep cave. All in all though, Vex sure had her temper but she was relatively harmless.

Ulfric looked at me. "Your wound is stitched up."

"Is it? Thank you. I appreciate what you've done for me."

He ran a thumb along the long scar on my left cheek. "Who gave you this?"

I reddened. "Uh, just some Imperials. They're all dead now."

He nodded, seeming pleased by that affirmation. "This fresh one is going to leave quite the scar."

I shrugged. "Maybe the men will stay away from me now."

"I doubt that," he said with a smile. "Your beauty is a very rare thing."

We locked eyes at that moment and I flushed. "Um, Ulfric?" I asked.

"Yes?" His fingers deftly moved a few stray locks of hair from my forehead.

"Why did you decide to stitch me up?"

"What do you mean?" He raised an eyebrow.

I sighed. "You're the Jarl of Windhelm. Why should you decide to fix my wounds when a healer could have done it themselves?"

He seemed surprised at my question. "Skadi…You were injured. You were injured because of my doing. What did you expect me to do?"

I frowned. "So, let me get this straight…Any man that got hurt in that assault could come up to you and you would stitch their wounds for them?"

He didn't answer me. I knew I had stumped him and for once he had no response. "I didn't think so," I whispered. "But please…Tell me why you decided to fix me."

He exhaled sharply. "Have you always been this insolent?"

I smiled. "For the better part of my youth, yes."

He grimaced and I wasn't sure that he would answer my question. "I wanted to fix you because you remind me fiercely of myself at your age." He said firmly.

I looked at him in surprise. "Ulfric…"

He shrugged. "It matters not."

Normally I would have pressed him on the issue, but today I thought I'd keep my mouth shut for once. "Is there any water around here?" I asked.

He looked around the table for water pitchers. "Jorleif!" He yelled when he realized that they were all empty.

The Steward swiftly walked out of the war-room. I wondered if he and Galmar had heard our conversation. "Yes my Jarl?"

"Get the Dragonborn water, would you?"

Jorleif nodded and departed to go to the kitchen. "You could treat others better you know," I commented when he had left.

"What?" Ulfric scowled.

"You treat others as if they mean nothing to you. You threw out Quintus even though he was trying to help me – "

"Do you forget that his concoction made you cry?" He snarled.

I paled. "Uh, well no, but you could treat your servants and citizens as friends instead of your slaves."

He glowered down at me. He was even taller than me when we were sitting down. "I pay these men and women well."

"That doesn't mean that they deserve the treatment you give them. You'd be a better jarl for it," I retorted.

After that statement, I had a feeling that I had crossed the line. Sometimes I just couldn't keep my mouth shut. "Dragonborn," his breath came out in a hiss. "You would be advised to bite your tongue."

I looked down into my lap. "I apologize for overstepping my bounds. I find that once I become passionate about something, I cannot give it up. Please forgive me."

He turned his eyes onto me, assessing me for a long time. Eventually, he brought my chin up with his thumb. "Skadi…" he hesitated.

"Yes?" My heart fluttered. By Ysmir, why was I being affected by him so much?

At that moment, Jorleif came into the throne room, interrupting us. Ulfric cleared his throat and dropped his hand from my face. I had a feeling that I would never know what he wanted to say to me. "Jorleif," Ulfric started. I poured myself some water and drank swiftly to quench my thirst.

"Yes milord?"

"Thank you for the water," he mumbled.

Jorleif nodded. "You're welcome sir."

I gave Ulfric an appreciative smile. "Jorleif," I said turning to the Steward. "I was wondering…"

"Yes milady?"

"You know that house that Calixto was using for his twisted rituals? The large one…Oh what was it called…" I placed my fingers on my temples to try to remember.

"Hjerim," he said.

"Yes, that house. Has anyone purchased it yet?"

"Well, no," he admitted. "People seem reluctant to purchase a house that has been defiled with the dark arts."

"Could I buy it?"

His eyes went wide. "You want it?"

"Yes. I think," I locked eyes with Ulfric, "I'm going to be in Windhelm for a while. It'll be nice to own a house."

Jorleif looked at the jarl. "Should I sell it to her?"

Ulfric rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I only permit foreigners to buy property if they are Thane of my hold."

My face fell. "Oh, okay," I mumbled.

"But since you extricated the man who was murdering the women of my city, I don't see why you can't purchase the house," he relented.

I grinned at him. "Really? Thank you Ulfric." The jarl smiled back at me.

"How does 8,000G sound for it?" Jorleif asked, seemingly ignoring the exchange between us. "If you can't afford that, I'm sure some sort of payment can be arranged."

"No," I said. "The money won't be a problem."

Jorleif raised an eyebrow but decided not to question me on where I could obtain such a sum of money. "Has the place been cleaned?" Ulfric asked Jorleif.

"Er…Not that I'm aware of sir. I'm afraid all the bones are still there." He gave me an apologetic look. "If you want you can stay here why I order it to be cleaned out. It shouldn't take but a day."

"No that's alright. I'll clean it myself," I stated.

He nodded. "Here's the key Dragonborn." Jorleif handed me a small key from his waistband.

I stared at the metal key and smiled. "How amusing. I didn't use a key the first time I went in there."

Ulfric and Jorleif exchanged glances. "Exactly what do you mean by that?" Ulfric asked.

I winked at him and chose to ignore his question. "Thank you again for stitching me up. Your generosity will not be forgotten." I grabbed my bag and walked out of the Palace of the Kings, enjoying the dumbfound expression the jarl and his steward had for me when I turned around.