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Ch. 2
Something to Fight For
"My Jarl, there is also the small matter of expenses. Surely you do not expect me to sell my product so cheaply? Weapons are an expensive commodity; I simply cannot sell them for less than their true value. Besides, we have a deal; you signed a weapons contract with me last year," Erikur whined, as he stood in front of Elisif.
Elisif the Fair rubbed the bridge of her nose at the grating sound of the man's voice. Of all the thanes in her court, she despised Erikur the most. He double dealt with the Empire & the Stormcloaks, selling them low quality weapons for ridiculous prices. How Torygg managed to put up with him, I'll never know, she thought exasperatedly.
"I have received too many reports from our troops, of shoddy arms & armor bought from your vendors. Our soldiers could be out there dying because you will not sell quality armaments. The terms of that contract were that you would sell QUALITY arms & armor for a fair price. The iron you have given to my troops is brittle & black. It is not QUALITY. I understand you must make a living, Thane Erikur, but these shortcuts will not be tolerated. Tell your blacksmiths that the next shipment of weapons & armor will be thoroughly tested by General Tullius' men before being dispensed amongst the troops. If found to be of less than a satisfactory nature, our contract will be terminated & I will sue you for the coin we gave you," Elisif told him vehemently, her impatience getting the better of her.
The deep voice of someone she had tried not to think of for six months popped to the forefront of her mind with his maddening mantra, Su'um ahrk morah, breath & focus. Turning to her steward, Elisif said, "Steward Falk, I have a task for you."
"Yes, my Jarl?" the man questioned with one of his flaming eyebrows raised.
"I want to start stockpiling food, water, bandages, & other essentials in the event that we come under siege. I would like for you to oversee this matter personally," Elisif dictated to the loyal steward.
"A wise course of action, my jarl. However, we have little food or water to spare," Falk answered, a look of embarrassment upon his face. But Falk's pride, & her own were soon saved.
"Wise indeed, Jarl Elisif. I will personally donate five thousand septims to such a worthy cause. Erikur, if you wish to sell your arms & armor for a decent value, perhaps you should make sure that they are first of any value at all," said that same deep voice from her memory, coming up the stairs.
A shiver ran up Elisif's spine as the court all turned & gasped at the newcomer. He strode into the hall on finely tooled black leather boots, his shoulders broad & his chest deep. He wore simple black breeches with a blood red tunic. A black leather surcoat went over the tunic, & he wore a vest of silvery chainmail under his tunic that clinked slightly as he walked. Leather bracers covered his forearms, & black leather gloves protected his strong hands. His ever present Skyforge steel sword, Strun-Iisk, was in its scabbard upon his hip. (Stormfang)
Falk Firebeard announced in a voice loud enough to be heard above all the whispers & mutterings of the court, "My lords & my ladies, I present to you Vrael Iron-Heart the Dragonborn, recently returned from his adventures in Solstheim. Welcome back, Thane Vrael."
Elisif watched as the Dragonborn clasped forearms with her steward fondly. While not exactly friends, the Dragonborn & her steward had a healthy respect for one another. He did the same with her housecarl, Bolgeir Bearclaw, & gave a nod of respect to her court sorceress, Sybille Stentor. The same could not be said of Erikur, whose face had become red as a cherry upon Vrael's barbed words.
"General Tullius would never allow that. He's ordered all surplus food to be given over for the war effort," Erikur said venomously to Vrael.
The steel grey eyes of the Dragonborn turned upon his rival thane with a look of utter dislike emblazoned upon them, "General Tullius does not run this city, Thane Erikur. Or have you forgotten your oaths of fealty?"
Looking around nervously Erikur of course attempted to save face & gritted out between clenched teeth, "My apologies, Jarl Elisif. I was thinking only of the importance of the war effort."
Though delighted that Vrael had stood up for her, Elisif maintained a look of aloof neutrality, "No apologies are necessary, Thane Erikur. But you are right about the war. Perhaps this is a matter best discussed with the General in person."
Despite knowing about Vrael's maddeningly neutral stance on the civil war, she still felt a twinge of hurt whenever he rolled his eyes at her statement to Erikur. The fights between them about his neutrality were almost as legendary as his dragonslaying feats. But in the end, the Way of the Voice would not allow him to pick a side. He could only act in violence to defend the helpless & himself.
Ever dutiful, Falk the steward wrote upon his scroll & said, "I shall make the arrangements, my Jarl."
Striding towards the throne on his long legs, Vrael knelt before Elisif, & in that delightful rumble, said reverently, "My Jarl."
"Rise, my thane. I am glad that you have returned safely," Elisif told him truthfully. She had not realized how much she had missed Vrael until just now. It was if a great weight had been lifted from her chest. Suppressing her inner glee, Elisif motioned for him to stand.
Vrael looked up at her with an unknowable gleam in his eye as he stood to his full height & stared down at Elisif, "My Jarl I have returned from Solstheim & am answering your summons. What would you have of me, my lady?"
Shivers ran down her spine again at the way his voice formed the words. Deep, resonant, & clear; Vrael's was a voice of power & authority. Mentally chiding herself, Elisif spoke to the court, "Leave us. I need to speak with the Dragonborn alone. We shall reconvene court at eight tomorrow morning."
The room broke out into whispers & titters of conversation as the court slowly did her bidding & filed down the staircase & out the front doors of the palace. Falk stepped into Elisif's line of sight just long enough to catch her eye & make sure she had not forgotten the warning he had given her a year ago, before leaving for his own quarters.
"Be careful," Falk had told her. "Gossip can hurt your standing with the people as much as a loss on the battlefield to Ulfric's forces. I know that Vrael has come to mean a lot to you over the last few months. He is young, handsome, powerful, & noble. Everyone is drawn to him. The boy oozes charisma. But do not let your emotions cloud your judgement. Already, whispers abound that the relationship between the two of you is most improper."
Having already decided that Falk was right, Elisif tried to remain distant from the one man she wanted desperately to be close to, & told him, "I was told that yesterday, upon your entrance to Dragon Bridge, the town was set upon by not one, but two dragons at the same time. You have been gone for six months my Thane. During your absence, the dragon menace has gotten well out of hand. Last month six buildings were burned to the ground in just one dragon attack in Falkreath. Every day I receive similar reports from every city, village, mining camp, lumber yard, & troop encampment across the land. Something must be done about the beasts."
Vrael growled loudly in frustration & the sound made the very air vibrate. He turned away from her & ran a hand through his short cropped midnight hair while placing the other on the hilt of his sword. Had Bolgeir been there he would have taken the move as a threat, but Elisif knew that it was only a reflex.
Stepping down from the throne, Elisif stepped close to Vrael, & laid a small hand upon his massive shoulder before saying gently, "I know you hate killing them, Vrael. I know it pains you every time you absorb one of their souls. I hate it for you. I have seen the dragons. They are magnificent creatures. Just like you, a part of me admires their power, ferocity, cunning, & intelligence. But they are also destructive, vicious, prideful, & vindictive. You have told me so yourself. Our people are losing hope."
Elisif saw his shoulders square up & she knew that he was about to begin another epic argument between the two of them, & as much as it pained her to put such a burden upon his conscience, she had to make him see the truth, "Karthwasten is gone, Vrael."
Turning abruptly, the Dragonborn fixed her with his intense & incredulous stare before asking, "Gone? What do you mean, gone?"
"Destroyed. Every building burnt to the ground. Half eaten & burnt corpses littered the village. Two thousand villagers died, Vrael. Not including the two hundred guards that Jarl Igmund had stationed at Karthwasten. Only one person survived; a small orc girl, who was found wandering the road near Dragon Bridge, half dead. She later told of four dragons attacking & burning the town in the night," Elisif told him heavily.
"What class of dragons were they?" Vrael asked, his voice thick with emotion.
Thinking back upon the little girl's testimony Elisif answered, "Based upon the descriptions she gave us & the dragon index you gave to me, it was two younger dragons, a blood, & an ancient."
Feeling sick to his stomach, Vrael asked woozily, "Are you sure it was an ancient?"
"The child made a special reference to the 'orange & black demon' who led the other dragons on their rampage," Elisif relayed, feeling terrible for hurting him this way, but knowing she had to make him see that Skyrim needed his help. "Vrael you told me that dominance runs thick in a dragon's blood. I even see it in you! Do you really think that the World-Eater & his kin will stop short of subjugating all of Skyrim like they did in the First Era?" Elisif asked him, passion elevating her voice.
All that passion faded & her heart broke as she saw his shoulders slump & all the fight leave his body, when he meekly answered, "No. They will enslave or kill every man, woman, & child in Skyrim. It is the nature of a dov. Elisif, please. I'm trying to find him, but the Greybeards don't know & the Blades won't speak to me because I won't kill Paarthurnax."
"Oh yes, the reclusive leader of the Greybeards that you won't even tell me about! I am tired of your fucking secrets, Vrael. You said that you knew where Alduin had gone but you could not get to him. Why?" she asked him almost tearfully.
"Because the only way I could follow him would be if my heart stopped beating," Vrael choked out as he turned to face her & his steel grey eyes bored into her own green ones.
Disbelievingly, Elisif gasped & took a step away from the man she thought she knew, "You lie."
Vrael reached out to grasp her hand, but Elisif would have none of it. Recoiling from him as if he had struck her, she pointed a tiny finger at him & tearfully repeated, "You lie. The stories are not true. They can't be. Alduin is not there."
"Alduin is in Sovngarde, where he feasts upon the souls of the honored dead," Vrael finally admitted. Utter defeat was clear upon his face, & he knew that any feelings Elisif might have had for him were curdling fast.
It was Elisif's turn to make the rafters shake with her voice as she berated him, "How could you? You abandoned us, even after knowing this. You left for the College, then for Solstheim knowing what was happening to honorable men & women. By the Nine, do you have any idea what you've done? What Tullius & I have done!? We've sent thousands to their deaths fighting in this war & you knew the entire time that Alduin was waiting, like a serpent in its den for his prey! Oh, gods, Torygg… Why did you leave us without telling us where Alduin was? We could have-"
Looking at the young woman with rage in his eyes, Vrael had to whisper at her so that he didn't accidentally kill her with the full fury of his Voice, "You could have what? What would you have done? What would Tullius have let you do, Elisif? He would not have stopped this war any more than Ulfric would have! I have told you all, time & again, that this war did nothing but weaken Skyrim! You all worry about the Thalmor in some hypothetical sequel to the Great War, while I have to worry about an apocalypse that would make the Oblivion Crisis piss itself in the corner & cry like a child! How could I even begin to make that arrogant Imperial fuck understand the danger we are in? On the other side of the coin, that self-serving, bigoted troll's ass, Ulfric, only sees the dragons as justification that Talos is angry with the Empire for turning its back on his worship. I can't make either of those two jackasses listen to reason."
"But you still should have said something! Maybe we could have put resources together so we could discover how he gets to Sovngarde," Elisif yelled as she balled up her tiny fist & struck him in the shoulder.
"I have the Greybeards, & Esbern both looking for any mention of how Alduin travels to & from the afterlife. That is why I left for the College, I wanted to search the depths of its library. When that route brought me no closer, I traveled to Solstheim to investigate the secrets of the First Dragonborn & was nearly enslaved by Hermaeus Mora trying to find out if a mortal could even travel there without dying first!" Vrael whispered fiercely once more before collapsing into a chair along the side wall of the great hall.
Vrael covered his eyes with his hand, & Elisif could see the fight leave his body, "I have no idea what I'm doing, Elisif. I am just so very tired of killing, sneaking, & stealing. I am only twenty eight years old, yet I have enough blood on my hands to fill up Lake Ilinalta. I have stolen, I have killed, & I have destroyed. I have created, I have learned, & I have grown. Was it all for nothing? I was given this destiny, but it seems more & more like I was destined to fail from the start. Besides, if the dragons do not enslave mankind, the Aldmeri Dominion is sure to do it once they've regained their strength. Perhaps we should just prepare for the worst. I mean, what is there to fight for?"
Elisif could feel the tears flowing freely down her cheeks now, as she saw all hope leave the one man that she & all of her people must put their hope into. Looking up at her with his beautiful grey eyes, she could see they were dark with emotion as Vrael asked her, "You want to know why I truly did not tell you about Alduin fleeing to Sovngarde?"
Elisif could only wait for Vrael to speak. He kept his head in his hands, as though he were ashamed to even meet her gaze, "I didn't tell you because I could not bring myself to hurt you anymore than the rest of the world already had. Your husband was brutally murdered right in front of you. Our homeland is being torn apart by a civil war with no right or wrong side. An entire kingdom of Mer with a superiority complex & a grudge against Men seek to enslave us all, & on top of all this, our people are being terrorized by monsters from a child's fairytale that have suddenly become frighteningly real. What kind of man would I be if told the woman I loved, that her late husband's soul was in peril in the afterlife because I failed?"
Time slowed & her heart seemed to stop as Elisif's brain struggled to comprehend that the man of her dreams had just confessed his love for her. Ruthlessly squashing her rampant emotions, Elisif reached out to bring Vrael back from the brink of despair, sinking to her knees in front of him & taking his hand into her own.
"Please don't give up hope, Vrael. If you lose hope, then we are truly lost. You must fight this melancholy. I am sorry I yelled at you. It's just not every day a lady is told that the souls of soldiers she sent into battle are in peril from a god of destruction in the afterlife. There is always something to fight for."
"What is it then? Because I can no longer see it," Vrael questioned her.
"You have so many people who love you & look to you for guidance. The Companions, Isran & the Dawnguard, Serana, Tolfdir & everyone else at the College; they all look to you for leadership & hope. What about Ghorbash & Bran?" she pleaded, using her free hand to cup his strong cheek & make him meet her gaze. In a small voice, Elisif asked quietly, "Am I not worth fighting for?"
Shame descended upon Vrael's face as he realized how weak he had let himself be in front of her. The Last Dragonborn squared his shoulders, & with steel in his gaze once more, he said in his trademark rumble, "I will always fight for you, Elisif."
"Then rise my Thane. We have much to discuss."
