Eriah was walking to the Palace of the Kings. She, Farkas, and their son, Samuel, had moved there a month or so back from Whiterun after Eriah finally procured the funds to buy Hjerim and pay to have it cleaned and furnished. Ulfric had asked for an audience and she didn't know why. Upon her arrival, she entered the Palace, approached the Jarl slouching in his throne, and did her customary bow. "You wanted to see me, Ulfric?" she asked, getting back onto her feet. "Yes. Jorleif has informed me there is a young girl near the docks. She's the orphaned daughter of one of my soldiers lost in the war. I wanted to ask if you would like to take her in." Ulfric explained, getting to his feet and coming down to her. "This is rather sudden." Eriah said, crossing her arms. "I just wanted to run it by you, Dragonborn. If you're unable or unwilling to do so, I'll send her to Riften. However, her father was a good soldier and I'd rather her remain here in my city. I'd take her in myself but there is still much work to be done before the Moot is called." the Jarl explained. Eriah closed her eyes and thoughtfully placed her chin on a fist. "I don't see why not. I'd have to run it by Farkas first. If he's okay with it, I'll see about tracking her down. It will take time, though. I don't want to spring it on her all of a sudden. It was different with my son. He was desperate to have a family." she said.
"Thank you, Dragonborn. It means a lot." Ulfric said. She smiled and bowed her head. She turned to head out when he spoke again. "To tell you the truth, Dragonborn, I never imagined you as a mother. You continue to surprise and impress." the Jarl said. Eriah chuckled a bit before setting a hand on his shoulder. "I aim to do that, my friend. The world will remember me for centuries as the hero who stopped a number of powerful foes. I want the people I love to remember me as someone who had a heart for others." she said. Ulfric returned the gesture. "So, how have those political meetings been going, anyway?" she then asked. The Jarl gave a heavy sigh, dropping his hand. "I'm still being pressured to marry you. The news of your own marriage hasn't spread very far yet. It's quite a point of contention." he said. Eriah shook her head. The nobility and even some of the Jarls who gained their position thanks to Ulfric made it no secret what sort of message they wanted to send the Aldmeri Dominion and the Empire. The High King with the Dragonborn as his queen would be a powerful message, especially since they both had the Voice. "Hang in there. At the next meeting, tell them I'm spoken for. If they continue to pester you, perhaps I can set them straight myself. I don't have any interest in politics." she said.
The Jarl just shrugged. "I'll tell them that you are spoken for and if they keep it up, I'll probably let you have your way. Still, I find myself curious. You told me after the Battle of Solitude that you can't do what you do best sitting in a palace and that you didn't want to be a pawn. Was that your only reason for not considering marriage to me?" he asked. Eriah cocked an eyebrow. This was leading to a place she didn't want to go. "I have another reason but if it's all the same to you, I'd rather keep it to myself. The time where it would've been appropriate to talk about has long since passed." she said, smoothly. "Fair enough. Forgive me. I didn't want to pry." Ulfric said. "It's okay. I need to get back to Hjerim and talk to Farkas about that girl you told me about." Eriah said. The Jarl nodded and they parted ways. Once the Dragonborn was outside, she breathed a sigh of relief. "That was too close." she thought before turning onto the path towards the residential area.
When she walked in the door, Farkas looked over and smiled. "What did the Jarl want?" he asked as she sat down at the table with him. "Ulfric told me there's a girl near the docks he would like us to take in. Her father was a Stormcloak soldier like I was." she explained. Eriah looked at her husband and set a hand on his. "We have room for one more. It will be good for our son to have a sibling, too, and I would love a daughter. What do you think?" she asked. Farkas just smiled before kissing her. "I have no objections, love. Windhelm is a cold city. If this girl has no home, taking her in is the right thing to do." he said. Eriah kissed him back, deeply. She was in love with him so dearly. "Is Samuel here?" she asked. "No. He's out with Bran. I have him some septims to spend." her husband replied. "Okay then. I'm going to head to the docks and see if the girl is there." the Dragonborn said, getting to her feet. "Eriah?" Farkas said, making her pause. She looked back at him. "I can't begin to tell you how much I love you. You have such a good heart." he said. Blushing a bit, the Dragonborn just winked before heading out.
She was heading towards the market when she ran into Samuel and Bran, their Dawnguard husky. "Hey, Ma. Did you see the Jarl already?" he asked. "I did. He wanted me to do something for him. Actually, you could probably help me out with this task." Eriah replied. "Sure! What is it?" her son asked. Bran sat down at attention next to him. "Ulfric tells me there's a girl your age near the docks. Have you seen her?" Eriah inquired. "Oh, you mean Sofie. I met her a few times there. She sells flowers for a septim. I feel kind of bad for her." Samuel replied. "That's perfect. Ulfric wants me to take her into our family. Your father's okay with it so what do you think?" the Dragonborn asked. Her son got excited. "I think it's a great idea! Sofie's a nice girl and she deserves to have a home." he said. Eriah grinned and ruffled his hair. "Lead the way, my boy. I think it'll be easier to broach the subject if you're there." she said. "Sure thing. Follow me." Samuel replied. He led her to the gate that led to the docks and they paused.
There was the girl, a Nord from the looks of her. She was holding onto a basket of flowers and looking rather dejected. "I'll let you take the lead, son." Eriah said. Samuel nodded and did just that. "Hi, Sofie. I brought someone who wants to meet you." he called, walking over with Bran on his heels. Sofie looked over to see him and Eriah and her mouth dropped a bit. "Y-you're the Dragonborn...I mean..." she stuttered as Eriah knelt down. "Nice to meet you, Sofie. I'm Eriah, Samuel's mother. And yes, I'm the Dragonborn. Did he tell you?" she asked. "Er...no, ma'am. I've seen you around and heard you called that." Sofie replied. "Ma and Pa want to take you in, Sofie. Isn't that great?" Samuel said. Sofie's face went beet red as she looked at the Dragonborn. "You'd do that for me?" she asked. Eriah reached out and set a hand on her head. "I would. It's not right that you don't have a warm place to sleep at night. Jarl Ulfric was the one who brought you to my attention and I don't want you to keep struggling to survive if you don't have to." she explained.
Sofie shifted on her feet, a little torn on the choice she was present. "Are you...sure it's okay? I don't want to be a bother." she said. Eriah stood up to her full height and held out a hand. "You won't be. You know, I always wanted a girl. I'd be honored to call you my daughter. I owe it to your own father. Jarl Ulfric told me he was one of my comrades." she said. Sofie looked up at her, teary-eyed, before dropping her basket to throw her arms around her waist. "Thank you!" she said, hugging her tightly. Eriah just smiled, rubbing her head. Bran whined before brushing up against Sofie. Samuel ran a finger under his nose, feeling pretty pleased with himself having helped his mother and his new sister. Sofie looked up at Eriah. "Will...Pa like me?" she asked. "Farkas will love you. Come on. It's getting dark out and I want to get you both out of this cold. Then I need to tell Ulfric the good news." the Dragonborn said. She took Sofie by the hand and the four headed back to Hjerim.
When they came in, Farkas smiled when he saw Eriah's mission was a success. Sofie ducked behind her as he approached and knelt down. "Hi there, little lady. Welcome to the family." he said. Samuel grinned as he walked over to his father and slung an arm around him. "Pa may look unapproachable but he's real nice." he assured her. Sofie looked up at Eriah, who nodded, before stepping out to take the hand Farkas held out. "I'm Sofie." she said. "Nice to meet you. Well, Samuel, you're completely outnumbered by Nords." he said, ruffling his son's hair. "Yeah but I have the heart of one." the boy replied with a grin. "That you do." the Companion said. Eriah rubbed Bran's head. "Can you help get Sofie settled in, love? I should tell the Jarl that Sofie's agreed to live with us. I'll start dinner when I get back." she said. "Sure thing, love." Farkas replied. Eriah set her hands on her children's heads. "I'll be back in a bit, you two. Shouldn't take me long. I'm thinking some venison stew would be good for tonight." she said. "Okay." they said.
Eriah left the house, Bran deciding to tag along. She walked to the Palace and came in to see Ulfric sitting at the table. "Well, Ulfric, you'll be pleased to know Sofie's agreed to live with my family." Eriah said, as Bran went up to the Jarl. The large Nord ran his hand on the husky's fur. "Good. I can rest a bit easier knowing she's off the streets. Thank you, Dragonborn. You've always gone above and beyond the call of duty in everything. It is truly an honor to be counted as your friend. You have taught me much." Ulfric said. Eriah nodded before motioning for Bran to come. "I just stopped by to let you know the situation. I need to get back and start preparing dinner. Before I leave, do you have any bounties for me to tackle?" she asked. "Not at this time. Go enjoy your family. I'll see you soon." Ulfric replied. The Dragonborn bowed before departing the Palace.
The Jarl chewed on some pheasant thoughtfully. It was hard to imagine the Dragonborn as a domestic type, given her reputation and tendency to be away for days or even weeks at a time. Yet, Eriah had become positively radiant in her new role as a mother and wife while maintaining her MO as an adventurer who helped anyone she came across. The fact she managed to strike that balance was phenomenal. She and her husband had certainly worked out a good system now that they had two children to look after. Ulfric was reminded once more how grateful he was that she had no interest in becoming High Queen. His respect for her was made that much stronger. She was put to better use doing what she had always done and Ulfric suspected that Eriah had wanted love in any marriage she entered into. If his suspicions were accurate, then she would've declined him if he had given into the pressure to propose marriage to her because it would be purely political. The Jarl had a distaste for such agendas and his healthy fear of the Dragonborn's power helped him navigate the meetings where the pressure was highest. Ulfric knew she had chosen wisely in rejecting the idea of marriage to him and she had chosen her life mate well. The unspoken understanding and friendship between Jarl and Dragonborn would last a lifetime. That's all Ulfric had ever wanted from her.