Chapter 4: Jarl Balgruuf
The path to the town of Riverwood, which Ralof had mentioned, was a fairly uneventful one. The two spent most of the time talking about their families, and how each of them had grown up, as well as what had driven them both into that situation. There was one brief attack by wolves on the way there, but there were only three of them, and neither Katie nor Ralof received more than a few scratches during the attack. They were such slight injuries, in fact, after what they'd both just been through, that they decided, together, that it would be a waste for either of them to drink the last potion just yet.
At last, however, a large, wooden arch could be seen coming into view down the path, revealing the location of Riverwood, and as Katie got closer, she could hear people talking inside the small village. One old woman, in particular, sounded desperately afraid of the dragon, and was trying to explain the situation to a young man, who, apparently, hadn't seen the dragon for himself. Chickens were walking free in the streets, and people were paying them absolutely no notice as they went about their jobs. If Katie hadn't still been so worried about her parents, she might have taken some time to explore the place. However, she was starting to trust Ralof just a bit more, and had decided, in her heart, to follow him until she was sure that he wasn't going to help her anymore.
"My sister Gerdur should be around here." Ralof explained as he lead Katie inside the arch and to the left, over a weak-looking wooden bridge, "She usually works at the mill at around this time in the day. I'm sure she could give us some help, while we decide where to head next."
Katie had already made up her mind to find out where Falkreath was and go there next, for the purposes of accomplishing her mission, but she didn't bother saying that aloud. Instead, she followed behind Ralof, across the wooden bridge and a around the corner of a stone wall, and there, relief and delight finally showed on his face once again.
"Gerdur!" Ralof exclaimed, rushing forward to meet a beautiful, young lady in a long, green dress, who looked absolutely astonished to see him. Even when he grabbed her in his arms and embraced her, Gerdur's expression of minor confusion didn't change all that much.
"I'm so happy to see you!" Ralof exclaimed delightedly, "After what happened to Helgen, I can barely believe it."
"Ralof?" Gerdur asked, still looking confused, "Why did you return to Riverwood? Is it safe for you to be here? What happened to Helgen? I don't understand. I heard that Ulfric was captured. Are you alright?"
"A little scratched. That's all." Ralof replied, still smiling from ear to ear, "My friend here saved me. I owe her my life."
As he said that, he gestured to Katie, who felt a little like she was being put on the spot, and predictably, Gerdur had a suspicious look in her eyes when she turned to look at her. It was one of those things that Katie was just used to. She almost never made a good first impression.
Fortunately, however, Gerdur held back what must have been a strong temptation to ask her brother if he was sure about that, and for the moment, simply took him at his word.
"In that case, we'll need to discuss this. Hod! Come here!" Gerdur shouted to a reasonably-large and well-muscled man, who was standing on a raised platform nearby, working with some wood. The moment that Hod looked up from his work and saw Ralof, his own face brightened up too.
"Ralof!" he exclaimed, and he got to his feet, rushing towards their position, "What are you doing here?"
"We still need to discuss that." Gerdur interrupted calmly, leading the way over to some freshly-cut tree stumps, and waiting for her brother to take a seat on one. Katie, in turn, took the opportunity to sit on another nearby stump as she listened to Ralof tell his tale.
Apparently, Ralof had been captured by the imperials during a separate ambush than the one Katie had fallen into; a place halfway across the country, called Darkwater Crossing. He and Ulfric had both been captured in the ambush.
"Their plan was to execute Jarl Ulfric, and probably myself as well; both without a trial." Ralof explained, "In a way, I almost wish they'd gotten their way. Jarl Ulfric has given our cause new life, but there are still too many in this land who think they can stand by, and not fight for their heritage. Perhaps that would change, if he had become a martyr."
There were times when Ralof said things that drew a feeling of disgust from Katie, and that was one of those times. It was becoming clearer and clearer that no matter who he swore loyalty to, Ralof didn't really care about anything except the success of the stormcloak rebellion; or at least, he cared about it most. She could only hope that he didn't mean what he'd just said, and was only using strong words, to try to impress his family and friends. After all, if Ralof would have been willing to sacrifice one friend for his precious cause; and a friend whom he called his liege, then how could she ever fully trust him again?
"Anyway, my friend here broke her bonds in a rage, when she saw one of her nord brothers killed, and then suddenly, we were under attack by a dragon."
"A dragon?" Gerdur asked in astonishment and horror, "You don't mean a real, breathing..."
"None other." Ralof interrupted sadly, before continuing his story, "Jarl Ulfric had his own bonds off in the confusion, and before long, we were all struggling to escape. I expected the Jarl to reach this village before us. Have you really not seen him?"
"No." Gerdur replied, however, looking partly puzzled, and partly disappointed, "You're the first travelers to come down that road in weeks."
For a few moments, Ralof sat and thought in silence, although it was clear that his sister was growing more and more worried as she watched him; a silent dread building up inside her. Finally, it was Ralof who spoke next.
"I don't like it. We were delayed for a night on our route here. Jarl Ulfric should have been here by now... unless he took a different route. That seems possible, I suppose."
However, after Ralof spent a few more seconds in silence, Gerdur seemed to have arrived at her own decision, and turned to face Katie.
"If my brother's right, you're a pretty tough warrior yourself, and that means we need your help." Gerdur said, still looking a little doubtful, "I have some supplies and equipment you can have, but if there's a dragon on the loose out here, the Jarl of Whiterun should know about it. Please, I know it may be out of your way, but we need someone inconspicuous to go to Whiterun and tell the Jarl about the dragon. You might be able to pass as a merchant, but nobody would mistake you for a stormcloak... I mean... Well, you know what I mean."
Katie did feel a little insulted by the way Gerdur was talking to her. Still, in the end, her choice wasn't based on that.
"I'm sorry, Gerdur... Ralof... but I can't afford to." she said, getting to her feet, "My first obligation is to my parents, and they sent me to Skyrim for a reason. I need to reach Falkreath and get help from them to prepare a defense against the dragon in my home village. I don't have time for a lot of extra errands."
However, by that point, a strange look was starting to spread across Gerdur's face, like a cross between amusement and pity. For a few moments, Katie wasn't sure whether Gerdur wanted to make a point, or was just making fun of her, but at last, Ralof's sister explained herself.
"I'm sorry, Katie, but if you think you're going to get any help from Falkreath... Well, you're mistaken."
"What?!" Katie asked, feeling absolutely horrified to learn that her quest was hopeless, after all she'd suffered, "What are you talking about?"
"I'll tell you what she's talking about." Ralof said sadly, without even looking up at her, "The Jarl of Falkreath is a young, selfish fool with a passion for gold, and no concern for his fellow man; not even for his own citizens. Convincing him to deploy the Falkreath guards or militia to aid your people would demand more gold than you can afford."
"But there's got to be some way!" Katie insisted, "Maybe if I do a few jobs for him, he'll..."
However, Ralof shook his head.
"Even if he were as indebted to you as I myself am, I doubt he would help you in any way that involved personal expenses. He has little regard for honor, I fear. However, there may be a way to complete your mission, and ours at the same time."
Katie was starting to feel curious, so she didn't interrupt, just listening as Ralof continued.
"I suspect your parents asked you to go to Falkreath because it's the city closest to Hammerfell, and so, troops would have an easier time marching to your homeland from there. I doubt he even knew about that fool being the new Jarl. He only rose to power recently, and hasn't made any famous decisions or changes yet. However, Jarl Balgruuf of Whiterun, whatever else he may be, is a man who knows the value of honor. Do him a good turn, and I'm sure you'll have his help, even if you ask for a whole troop of archers. Besides, the journey from Falkreath to Whiterun isn't more than a couple of days. It might take you a week, at most, to return to Hammerfell with them, once you've made the needed arrangements."
Katie was starting to feel very irritated, but nevertheless, it sounded like a fair kind of idea, if only Ralof was telling her the truth. Still, it hadn't been that long since he'd saved her life. Back in the cave, with the bear, he could have just snuck out and left her to her fate, but he'd stayed behind, risking his life alongside her, and taking injuries from the bear to protect her. For the moment, she decided to trust him.
"Alright." Katie said at last, "I don't have much time, though. My parents were in danger when I left them, and I'm still not sure what happened to them, but I have to succeed at this. I hope you understand."
"Your parents..." Ralof muttered, looking down for a moment, but at last, he just smiled, and said "I believe I understand. I once made a promise to someone of my family, and I know how important that can be."
Katie wasn't sure that he did, but she also wasn't mean-spirited enough to say something like that to the person who'd so recently saved her life, so after taking some of the supplies that Gerdur had to offer her; including three healing potions and some good food and wine, she decided not to waste anymore time, just heading off down the road right away, to reach the other side of Riverwood, and a stone bridge just a little ways down the path, giving her the means of crossing the river, and continuing on towards Whiterun.
She'd been getting very hungry recently; having not eaten much of anything for almost an entire day. Still, she was eager to finally accomplish her mission, after a fashion, and she knew that she'd be able to survive for long enough to make it to Whiterun. For the moment, she decided to eat a loaf of bread that Gerdur had given her as she walked, though, convinced that she'd be able to have a proper meal once she reached the next city.
As expected, the path to Whiterun was relatively short; only a trip of about half an hour, and it was a fairly safe trip too, since along the entire road, Katie was only attacked once, and only by a single wolf, which she was able to kill in only a couple of blows from her axe. Soon, the trees had passed aside, revealing a huge plain, which spread out before her, filling almost her entire field of view, as far off into the distance as she could see. There, right in the center of it, there was a city made from wood and stone, with large walls around the outside, and beyond those, a series of farmhouses and windmills, clearly intended to be used for preparing the food that the inhabitants of the town would need in that harsh land.
The whole thing was a hopeful sight, not just because it meant that there would be good meals in Whiterun, but because until that point, Katie hadn't seen any signs that the people of Skyrim even knew how to work together in large numbers. The sight of so many people, working busily in a big city like that one was very refreshing.
However, from a distance, and across that plain, Katie hadn't been able to get any kind of proper idea of just how big the city was. Not counting the vast farmlands that sprawled out all around it, and past which she needed to walk to find the road again, once she saw that it wasn't leading to Whiterun's gates, the city itself must have been miles across, with three entrances in three different directions. Just between the farmlands and the city walls, Katie could see a series of six or seven large camps of nomad traders; most of them Khajiit, but not all, who were singing songs, dancing, and generally drawing attention to their wares through whatever means necessary. Then, she'd passed under the outer gates of Whiterun, and found herself walking uphill. However, she still wasn't quite inside the city itself.
A path through a walled-off area continued on inside that initial gate, and it continued on for quite a ways, before turning right, across a drawbridge, which fortunately, was lowered at the moment, then quite a ways further beyond that, until it turned left again, and the gates of the city itself were finally in sight; with several guards visible at both the sides of the gate, and on the walls, looking down from above in curiosity. Katie wasn't sure, at first, why such a long path, past fortified defenses would be needed, but then it occurred to her that in the case of an invasion, archers could man the defenses and continue firing at their enemies for quite some time before an invading force could reach the main gate. It would have functioned magnificently as a military defense for the city.
However, much to her surprise, just as she neared the city's main gates, one of the guards put his hand out for her to stop.
"You'll have to turn back." the guard said, "No visitors are allowed in Whiterun now, with the dragon on the loose."
For a moment, Katie was just flabbergasted, then flustered, then finally, the sheer idiocy of that situation occurred to her, and it was all she could do to keep from laughing out loud.
"I'm sorry," Katie said at last, stifling a chuckle, "but that's got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life."
"What?" the guard asked, sounding slightly offended, "What are you talking about?"
"Well, look at it this way..." Katie said with a grin, "There's a large, strong, durable monster on the loose, which can fly freely over walls, and burn down anything else just by breathing hard. On top of that, it has a taste for people, and loves to gobble them up. So, what do you do? Well, of course, you seal up the gates, which it can just fly over anytime it likes, against anyone who might be trying to get away from it, or seek the protection of the well-trained and efficient guards of Whiterun. I mean, did you expect the dragon to come to you, looking for sanctuary?"
At that point, she really did burst out laughing, doubling over and clutching at her sides, and she could see, through the raised visor of one of the guards, that he was starting to turn rather pink in the face over being laughed at by this very large newcomer. Still, whether that was from anger or embarrassment was more than Katie could tell. She just knew that she couldn't stop laughing.
At last, however, the gate guard seemed to have had enough, because he moved back over to the gate and pushed it open. It was only then that Katie's laugher began to die down.
"I'm... heh heh... I'm free to go in?" Katie asked, smiling in delight.
"Go on!" the guard just shouted gruffly back, "Get in there, and hurry up, before I change my mind!"
"Yes sir!" Katie replied, and in just another couple of seconds, the gates of Whiterun had closed behind her, and just like that, she was inside one of the largest cities that she'd ever seen in her life.
Katie hadn't seen very many big cities over the course of her life. In fact, the only other city she'd ever visited had been Elinhir, and she hadn't even gone there more than twice since her eighteenth birthday. Usually, when her father had gone there to sell his goods, she'd stayed behind. However, she didn't even remember Elinhir being quite that impressive-looking in terms of its sheer size and population. The streets were like a maze, stretching here and there, turning into side-roads, and sometimes going on for over a mile in some directions, but fortunately, she never needed to ask anyone how to get to the Jarl's house.
The Jarl's house of Whiterun was called Dragonreach, and it was an especially large, richly-build house, situated at not only the highest point in Whiterun, but up several staircases, and so far above the other buildings, that its location could be seen from any place in the city.
Katie had finished the bread by that point, and was still a little hungry. Still, even though she still had two carrots, some cheese and plenty of wine in her bag, she decided that before doing anything else, she had to at least try to see the Jarl, and convince him to help her family, and the people of Riverwood.
It took her a little while to get up all those stairs leading to the Jarl's house, but fortunately, the door wasn't far from the top; a large pair of double doors made of strong, thick oak, right on the other side of a short bridge. There weren't even any guards on duty there, so in just a moment, Katie had pushed the doors open, and stepped inside.
The first chamber of the Jarl's house was a truly enormous throne room, and just the sight of it took her breath away. Huge, strong pillars lined both sides of the hall, and there were even a few more steps, leading up into the main area, which seemed to double as a throne room and dining hall. Two huge tables, covered with plates and goblets were on either side of the room, with a firepit right in the middle, and although Katie couldn't see much through the fire; even after she reached the top of the stairs, she did catch a glimpse of a throne, with a guard on each side, and a third guard; a very athletic-looking dark elf woman, advancing towards her.
Katie had been taught, over the course of her life, not to trust dark elves, but for some reason, she'd still expected better manners from the woman than what she got.
"Who are you?" the dark elf asked aggressively, having already drawn her sword in a threatening manner, "What do you want with the Jarl?"
However, Katie had also been taught how to practice good manners among rich folks who preferred them, so instead of raising any complaints, she simply started explaining herself.
"I've just come from Riverwood." she began, "Gerdur sent me here to talk to the Jarl."
"I'm the Jarl's housecarl." the dark elf interrupted, however, looking, if anything, a little bored, "I'll handle whatever it is."
Katie had a hard time figuring the housecarl out. She seemed very protective of the Jarl, but that was perfectly understandable, and anyway, it was more than that. The dark elf seemed to be assuming that her errand was some minor affair, to do with trade in the local villages; something she didn't enjoy dealing with, but was often required to take charge of anyway.
What really surprised Katie, however, was that a dark elf had managed to attain such a high position in the personal court of a Jarl of Skyrim. She'd always been taught that the dark elves of Morrowind and the Nords of Skyrim were mortal enemies; constantly at each other's throats.
"Alright." Katie just said to her, however, after a few seconds, "The truth is, I was there when the dragon attacked Helgen."
For a moment, she felt very gratified, as the eyes of the dark elf seemed to widen for just a moment in utter disbelief. She even thought she saw the first traces of a smile beginning to spread across the dark elf's lips, but all too soon, something seemed to have occurred to her, and her expression turned back into a resentful scowl again. Katie wasn't sure what was going through her head, but in a moment, the guard spoke again ruefully.
"Never mind, then. This is something the Jarl will want to hear about personally. Follow me."
Then, turning on her heel, the dark elf lead Katie around the firepit, and that was when she saw the Jarl clearly for the first time, and was, if anything, a little surprised. He looked astonishingly small.
Of course, Jarl Balgruuf was a nord, and about the same height as most adult, male nords. However, after seeing the huge city, climbing the towering staircases to the highest point in town and witnessing the sheer enormity of his throne room, Katie had, for some reason, been expecting someone particularly large and bulky, or at lest uncommonly-stocky. She found it surprising that Jarl Balgruuf's arms and shoulders, while well developed in their own right, were, in the end, rather ordinary. In fact, Katie's shoulders were broader than the Jarl's.
The Jarl was a little hard to describe in most other ways, however. He had a long beard, but not a very thick one, and a silver-colored circlet was around his head; apparently a sign of his royal station. He was dressed in thick furs, except over his arms, which he'd kept bare for some reason, and more than one small weapon hung from his belt. Oddly, however, he was merely slouching in his throne, as if it were the most dignified posture in the world, and the most befitting a ruler of the people. It surprised Katie a bit, since in her experience, the rich tended to have little wit, but much grace. Jarl Balgruuf, it seemed, was different.
Still, after only a couple of seconds of looking at the Jarl in surprise, Katie gave a respectful bow and waited for him to speak. It was the first time she'd ever met the ruler of an entire city, and she wasn't sure what the custom was for that. Fortunately, though, the Jarl spoke first, though he remained seated as he spoke.
"I've been told you were at Helgen during the attack? Did you really see the dragon?"
"Yes, sir." Katie replied quickly, straightening up as best she could, "I saw it with my own eyes. It burnt Helgen to the ground. I'd be dead by now, if not for a few brave warriors, who I met on the way out of Helgen. All of them fell in battle, except myself and one other. We thought that the dragon might head towards Riverwood next, though."
That was when the Jarl began to lean forward with a smile on his face, as though he'd just won a bet of some kind, and pretty soon, he'd turned to face another man, who was standing nearby; tall and bald, and looking somewhat grim.
"It's just as I told you, Proventus. Was I wrong to take precautions?"
"We only have her word for this at the moment, Jarl Balgruuf." Proventus; apparently an advisor, replied.
"Bah! You'd doubt the rising of the moons at night!" the Jarl replied with a satisfied grin, "We have here a person who watched a dragon burn a whole village down from almost under its very nose. That's enough for me."
Katie thought, briefly, about denying that those words were entirely correct, but something convinced her that the refutation would have been unwelcome, so she remained silent on that point.
In just a second, the Jarl had turned to the dark elf with the scowl on her face, and addressed her by name.
"Irileth, send a detachment of troops to Riverwood at once."
However, Proventus didn't seem to think that was a good idea, and soon, a brief debate between the three of them had arisen, over whether sending troops to Riverwood would be viewed by the Jarl of Falkreath as a suspicious move; possibly even a sign of an intention to attack Falkreath. It was all senseless politics, really, and in the end, the Jarl brought the discussion to an end by raising his voice, and ordering Proventus to back down, which he obediently did. That was when the Jarl turned back to face Katie, although he had a puzzled expression on his face as he looked her over.
"Well done. I'm impressed that you came looking for me on your own. In bringing me this news, you've done me, and the people of this entire hold a great service. I wish I could reward you for your efforts, but apart from gold and armor, I can think of nothing of appropriate value to give you for your services, and I don't believe that I have any armor that would fit you properly."
Katie wasn't sure whether to take that as an insult or not, at first, but Jarl Balgruuf didn't seem to mean it that way, so she let the comment slide.
"Actually, Jarl Balgruuf, there is one other thing I need more than gold."
The Jarl simply nodded, to indicate that he was listening to her request, so she continued.
"I come, originally, from a village in Hammerfell named Karohad, which was also recently attacked; possibly even by the same dragon. I was asked to travel to Falkreath and seek help, but..."
"But the Jarl of Falkreath turned you away." Balgruuf guessed incorrectly, though Katie didn't correct him, "So, you want Whiterun troops to march south, past Falkreath and over the mountains to Hammerfell, to help your friends and family."
"Please, sir." Katie implored him, "We need to get help from somewhere."
However, after only taking a second to think the matter over, the Jarl shook his head sadly.
"There are three problems with that request." he said patiently, holding up three of the fingers on his left hand to illustrate. The first is that an expedition south into Hammerfell would be most costly; more so if my men encounter any redguard patrols, or are otherwise unwelcome. The second is that, as I'm certain you've noticed, men and arms are strained right now. Even sending guards to Riverwood will tax my forces seriously. The third, and possibly the most serious, is that at the moment, Skyrim is in the midst of a civil war, and each Jarl stands in a different relation to the two sides. The Jarl of Falkreath is entirely devoted to the forces of the old Empire, and I fear that he doesn't trust me much. You see, I'm not convinced that I can even afford to get involved. I consider Ulfric's claims to rulership to be nonsense, but I've also no desire to have imperial troops marching up and down my streets for any reason."
"You're undecided?" Katie asked, starting to feel very confused.
"Not really." the Jarl replied, "I have much less love for Ulfric than for the imperials. Yet, I've taken no side, officially, in the war, and for that reason, I'm distrusted by most of those who have, including the Jarl of Falkreath. I will not leave Riverwood unprotected with a dragon on the loose, but marching troops within a mile of Falkreath would be a much more serious matter. I suspect that the Jarl of Falkreath would mistake it for an invasion, and a sign that I'd chosen to side with the stormcloaks against him."
"So, you're saying you need more money, fewer dragons and one less war?" Katie asked, trying her best to summarize the rather long-winded explanation that she'd just been given, and that was when the Jarl laughed out loud.
"You won't turn back from your mission, even considering how hopeless it looks." Jarl Balgruuf observed, "I like that. No, my intention was not to give you a list of impossible tasks to perform, young lady. I merely want you to realize how hard it is for me to do what you ask. You have done me a service, it's true, but not as good a service as all that."
"I see." Katie replied, feeling utterly crushed.
"Now, now." Jarl Balgruuf replied with a smile, noticing the disappointed look on her face, "I never said no. I might even dare such a bold expedition as that, but in exchange, you'll need to do something for me, if you can. I want you to come up with an idea or a plan for a means to protect my people from the dragon. If you can do that, I may start putting something together. Would that suit you?"
"Thank you." Katie replied, although she still didn't feel all that hopeful. She'd never been much good at making plans.
"In the meantime, there's one more thing you might be able to do for me." the Jarl continued, getting up from his throne at last, "Let's go talk to Farengar; my court mage. I heard he had something that he needed a traveler's help to take care of; something dragon-related."
The thought did cheer Katie up just a little bit. She wasn't sure what kind of dragon-related task she was being asked to perform, but if it helped her find the weak point of the dragon, then the Jarl might consider that a sufficient favor, and her mission would be complete. Still, it was only a slight hope. She was pretty sure that it wouldn't really be that easy.
Pretty soon, the Jarl had lead Katie into a side room, to the right of the throne room, and standing right there, in the midst of some odd-looking tables, was a man dressed in deep purple robes; apparently some kind of wizard. The thought made Katie a little antsy in spite of herself. She'd never trusted wizards all that much, and that man; whose name was apparently Farengar, looked especially unpleasant. Unlike the pictures of wizards she'd often seen in books, Farengar didn't have a beard, and worse, there was a sort of avaricious and proud look in his eyes.
"Farengar," the Jarl said, "I've brought someone who might be able to help you with your dragon project."
Then, without another word to either of them, the Jarl turned on his heel to return to his throne, leaving Katie alone with the wizard, which didn't exactly thrill her; especially when he started to speak.
"Fine. If the Jarl thinks you can do this, I'll trust his judgment. I assume you've explored dangerous caves before."
"Well, not -explored,- exactly..." Katie replied in a slightly awkward way, "but I had to escape from one. We fought enemy soldiers, archers, spiders, a bear, wo..."
"That'll do." Farengar replied with a wave of his hand, to indicate that she didn't need to explain any further, "Seasoned veterans are expensive, but if you've fought a bear and lived, you might as well be one. I'm sure you wouldn't lie about something like this, since the mission I'm giving you will be incredibly dangerous."
"I'm not lying." Katie replied angrily, however, "I really did fight a bear, with a little h..."
"Fine, fine..." the wizard interrupted her again, nodding his head, "Now, here's what I want from you. I've been trying to recover a stone tablet, which I think was once used as a map of the ancient burial sites of slain dragons. Now, of course, I don't have any proof of where the tablet is, or even if it really exists, but I've heard rumors that it was lost in a place called Bleak Falls Barrow; up the mountain near Riverwood a long time ago. If you go into Bleak Falls Barrow, search the place from top to bottom, and come back either with the tablet, or with the news that it wasn't there, I'll give you a fair payment in exchange, alright?"
Katie didn't feel like she was up to the task of going into any more dangerous caves in the near future, but soon, the wizard was shaking her hand, and turning her back towards the door. It was only then, however, that Katie felt she should ask about the odd tables that Farengar had in his chamber.
"What are those tables for?" she asked, and in response, Farengar donned an even more belittling and arrogant expression.
"The one on the left is the alchemy center. We use them here in Skyrim for convenience, though I'm sure they'll be more widely used in the near future. It combines all the functionality of the cauldron, retort, pestle for grinding ingredients, a lamp for boiling or burning, and a small platform to use as a calcinator. It's a very handy thing for any alchemist to have around. The other is an enchanting table. Enchanters like myself use them to learn enchantments, and attach them to items or clothing, using a soul gem."
"So you're an alchemist -and- an enchanter?" Katie asked.
"I'm also a spellcaster, but yes; I am both of those things. Of all the wizards in Whiterun, I am the most skilled." Farengar explained happily.
It was more than a little tiring talking to someone with such an elevated opinion of themselves, but nevertheless, Katie decided to ask him one more question, at least.
"You said that enchantments could be applied to items. What kinds of items?"
"Any item that you intend to touch or keep on your person." Farengar explained, still happy to demonstrate his knowledge of one of his favorite subjects, "The enchantment has its effect as long as the owner of the enchanted item is touching or wearing it. This is why the most common enchanted items are rings, amulets, weapons, pieces of armor, clothing..."
"Is it possible to enchant a book?" Katie asked, but the moment she'd asked it, she could tell she'd made a mistake. Farengar's self-assured and delighted expression had changed into one of deep suspicion and distrust, and his eyes were narrowing as he gazed into her face.
"Why do you ask?" Farengar inquired, "Have you ever seen one?"
"No." Katie lied quickly, "I just heard a story once, about an enchanted book used by a wizard, and..."
"I've heard the same story." Farengar again interrupted, some part of his smile returning, though he still looked at Katie in some suspicion, "However, I've never seen anyone duplicate that feat, and I've never seen an enchanted book myself. Most wizards think it's an old wives' tale."
"Oh. Okay." Katie just replied. For a moment, she considered asking him if there were any other wizards or alchemists in town, in the hopes of finding one who was friendlier and less selfish, but after only a second, she realized that it wouldn't be a good idea. Farengar was already suspicious of her, and the last thing she wanted to do was ask a bunch of questions that would arouse his suspicions even further. Besides, she could always ask somebody else the very same question; anyone, in fact, who knew their way around Whiterun.
In just a few moments, Katie stepped back outside the Jarl's throne room, feeling the unpleasant gaze of Farengar the wizard following her as she went.
Beyond the mods addendum; Things you can't do in-game
1. You can't reply to Ralof while you travel with him. Indeed, you have little or no input with regard to most NPCs in Skyrim. Your personality has no substantial effect on how characters react to you.
2. Whiterun and the surrounding lands are much larger, and have a much bigger population than in the game. This is somewhat unrealistic, in really, all TES games since Daggerfall. Legitimate economies can only thrive in towns with populations of more than a couple dozen. The larger the working population, and the better united they are, the better the economy is. No real town would be as small as the ones in recent TES games, and especially no real city.
3. You can't get into Whiterun by just laughing at how stupid the proclamation of the guards is, but it makes more sense this way, so I'm putting it in.
4. Whiterun is designed very differently than in the game, and has a lot of NPCs and shops not present in the original. It's also much larger; see #2.
5. Jarl Balgruuf and Farengar are much more open to questions than in the actual game, as is everyone, really, and they give far more satisfying answers.