Three weeks later.

I woke up felling quite excited. Today was the 27th of Rain's Hand and more importantly - my birthday. Mylena and the others always sniggered about how I still waited them, even being more than a century old already. But a birthday is proof that one has survived another years and is still counting. I turned 126 today.

I made my morning coffee with my eyes barely keeping open. It was expensive stuff, imported all the way from Elseweyr, or whatever they were calling the place these days, but it kept me awake in the dreaded meetings with the Jarl. The man did not realize how bloody boring he was, and I didn't have the heart to tell him. So I sat there, once every five days and listened to developments and plans and taxes and so forth and even further on. Boring. But I had to do it, I was the adviser, and I did my best and consulted with Tullius regularly. Apparently he was just as miffed about me being suddenly elevated to the position, but it had to be someone and he wouldn't have put Arterion on the duty anyway, as he was preparing for the final assault on Windhelm.

Argis, my housecarl, was already up. Sometimes it almost shamed me, I thought as I watched him sweep the room, being so terribly lazy. Argis had been another piece of Elenwen's magic. I asked the Jarl to assign me a helper, housekeeper and general assistant, which was apparently what a housecarl was, but he had ever so graciously informed me that housecarls were only for Thanes and I was not one. I immediately complained to Elenwen and a few days later Argis showed up and told me what an honor it was to be my housecarl.

I drank my coffee fast, trying not to spill any on my nightgown, and ate the roasted potatoes and beef Argis had made for my breakfast. He really was wonderful. And also very importantly, so was the breakfast.

Not that I lounge all day around the house and do nothing at all. I did for the first five days, but it really is boring. Very. So, usually I go exploring around the caves and ruins.

I finished (wolfed down) the breakfast and got dressed as fast as I could. Strangely enough, I over-sleep only on the meeting days, and on this day too I was nearly late already. I contemplated about getting one of the 'clocks' that supposedly could tell the time, but any dwemer constructs that didn't try and kill you were extremely expensive, and I was starting to feel embarrassed about exercising my privileges too much. What puzzled me though was how come I got them so late.

My dress for the day was a pretty blue one, embroidered with gold. Ghezara joked that I was getting vain, and I of course joked back that it was a racial affliction, but the azure blue really did bring out my golden complexion very nicely. Oh, yes, that's what she was talking about.

The city was in a bustle already as I stepped out of my home and looked down on the market. Very good place for looking down, that. The sun was behind the mist and the clouds again, as it usually was lately, but everyone told me it was normal at this time of the year, so who was I to argue.

Down the long stone steps and up some more and down again and up. I used to twist my ankles so often that I must've surely become an adept at Restoration. The steps have been so worn down by rain and mist and wind and time, that they're hardly there anymore.

The meeting was already in progress, and Igmund looked at me disapprovingly as I rushed in the room, disrupted the stewards rant about some increase in Imperial tax, and sat down without another word.

"As I was saying," Raerek scowled briefly at me, "the Legion has increased the tax by another two hundred septims. Supposedly, this is for the war effort, but I can't help but wonder, if they are taking taking advantage of this excuse."

The gazes of the Jarl, the steward, the head guard - Tya, Thonar Silver-Blood and Faleen turned to me, so I defiantly turned my nose up and said as diplomatically as a true Imperial, "The Legion is mounting the final attack on Windhelm - armor and swords need to be made, soldiers paid their due, widows and orphans taken care of. All this is expensive, as you know, and as soon as all of Skyrim is united once again under Imperial rule, I shall immediately advise the General to lower the taxes again. For now, I think you should pay your due and not stint. You cannot expect the Legion's protection for free."

The Jarl coughed and said to ward off anything nasty Faleen certainly wanted to say, "Very well, adviser. We will pay and, of course, offer any other support. To the other matters at hand - a thief recently broke into..."

I dozed off, well, nearly dozed off, surfacing only to hear some phrases like, 'the bard in Silver-Blood Inn has made a petition to outlaw beef' and 'the beggars have requested a hundred septims to be paid to each, which is a serious matter' and 'a traveler, who claims to be Dragonborn, insisted he was also a talking frog'. Although, I think I must've misheard the last one.

There were no spectacularly interesting things and the Jarl droned on in his slightly nasal voice. I tried to make notes on the more serious matters, which most certainly did not include talking frogs of any kind, Dragonborn or not.

"Aineliah!"

I snapped my eyes open and raised my head guiltily from the resting place on my crossed arms. A courier was standing next to me, rummaging in his pack for something. As I stared feeling a bit miffed - Elenwen's usual letter wasn't due for at least three days - he took out a small package.

"The note is inside I was told," the courier said and left.

All notes from headquarters came like this - Elenwen was adamant about not betraying my position. It was, could it be, a present? I shuddered in excitement.

The Jarl rose and said, "I think that concludes our meeting. You are all free to go."

We all got up and shuffled towards the meeting room door. As I strode through the hall, Tya caught up with me and said, "Ghezara told us it's your birthday. Come to the tower at the shift change, we have a little surprise for you."

She hurried away, not letting me say a word to her and I continued in the walk of a relaxed citizen without anything to do. Ghezara would be on shift now, and I didn't like to disturb her, so I continued back home, with the package under my arm.