Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling while the Elder Scrolls series belong to Bethesda.
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"Thoughts / Mental speech"
"Other Language"
Chapter 10 – Riften
Solitude, Haafingar, Skyrim
Harry observed the Blue Palace with curiosity, the majority of its walls covered with ivies, and its windows somewhat similar to those of Hogwarts. The structure of the palace reminded him of his grandfather's house, where he had lived since he could remember. He was accompanied by General Tullius, and the two entered the palace, being saluted by the guards. Inside, Harry found it to be somewhat smaller than what he expected, but he had already ceased to take things for granted, especially regarding the interior size of certain buildings.
The two went to the throne room, which was on the first floor of the building, and as they reached it, Harry saw that the Jarl was holding court. However, the first thing he noticed were the glowing golden eyes of the court wizard, something that no one else was capable of seeing, for some reason. Harry's mind quickly registered that she was a vampire, but one of those who like to hide themselves amongst humans. As much as he was a crusader of sorts against all kinds of undead, he had nothing against those who decided to keep themselves controlled and living their normal lives, much like Count Janus Hassildor in Skingrad, except that since the Oblivion Crisis his longevity was pretty much a sign of obvious vampirism, since he was a human and not an elf. Not that the people cared, since the man was basically loved by them.
In situations such as these, Harry simply turned a blind eye. And he did so once more, for his current issue was the mess caused by Stormcloak, and he had to make sure that Jarl Elisif understood exactly what had changed with his arrival. And as Tullius approached the Jarl, Harry made sure to be exactly at his side, not a few steps behind the man. He wanted to make a point.
"General Tullius." said Elisif warily eyeing Harry "What brings you here?"
"Jarl Elisif, I would like to present Viscount Henry of Sancre Tor." he said "The Emperor has sent him here to assist me in my tasks."
All eyes in the throne room were turned towards Harry, the young battlemage clearly enjoying the attention, but keeping said sentiment hidden from them.
"Greetings, Lady Elisif. The Emperor sent me to assist General Tullius in the regency over Skyrim," said Harry. "At least until a new High King or Queen is elected."
"I see," said Elisif. "If there is anything we can do to assist…"
"No need to concern yourself, Lady Elisif. I will be travelling a lot through the regions of Skyrim, to evaluate the behaviour and loyalty of the Jarls," he said. "General Tullius remains as your… main figure here in the province. I'll be more on the… erm, administrative side of things."
"Nothing has changed then." stated a man, which seemed to be the Jarl's steward.
Harry chuckled in a low tone.
"Oh, believe me, it may seem that nothing has changed, but you will see exactly what my…inclusion in this will bring." said Harry "In any case, I tomorrow depart to Riften. I have to investigate the rumours about the supposed involvement of Jarl Law-Giver with the rebels. I bid you a good day."
He turned around and left as quickly as he could, those in the room he had left becoming slightly worried, while General Tullius was already expecting this kind of behaviour coming from the Viscount. A bit too hasty, on his opinion.
Harry quickly made his way to Castle Dour, while Henry decided to go the inn near the entrance to Solitude. He wanted to eat something and rest for a while, as tomorrow he would have a lot of work on his hands.
It was late at night, and Harry sat on a bed, inside a room he had rented in the Winking Skeever. He had made sure to lock the door with all the enchantments he could find, not trusting the fact that he was inside an inn in the capital city of Skyrim. His armour was on the corner of the room, next to the bag, and he was wearing rather comfortable pyjamas, with the Amulet of Kings around his neck. He always had it with him, even when he washed himself. It was a possession he would only relinquish when he finally died, which would hopefully happen only many decades later.
It was then that Harry began to have a few ideas about what he could do regarding the Jarl of the Rift, most of those things involving the Veritaserum which he had made a few months ago when he had become somewhat proficient at potions from his original universe. He had made a large enough stock of the thing, and he was certain that it would be very useful, not just with the issue in Riften, but with many possible and eventual situations in the future.
But now the only thing Harry wanted to do was to sleep, and that was exactly what he did.
The next morning, after eating breakfast and putting on his armour, Harry made sure to head towards Castle Dour, intending on reminding General Tullius of his request for the soldiers. He had been surprised when the man had told him that he had already sent the legionnaires he had requested to Riften, which made his work easier. However, Harry could not help but feel as if the lack of a proper transportation service in Skyrim would eventually prove to be a problem in the future. Harry began to think that it would be a good idea to establish the Mages Guild in Skyrim as well, expanding the influence of said organization, and allowing him to use instant transportation from one city to another, much like it happened in Cyrodiil, the Imperial City excluded. That is, until he had learned of the Mark and Recall spells. That had changed a lot of things. Once he had a clear understanding of the locations of Skyrim, he would be able to use it freely in the Northern Provice.
The problem would be to expand the guild into the rebel controlled cities, as Harry was aware that the majority of Skyrim's population had a very negative opinion of magic since the Oblivion Crisis and the Great Collapse, even though the first was caused by a Daedric cult and the causes of the second were still up to debate, and it was most likely a collateral effect of the eruption of Red Mountain which only happened years later. Harry could only feel disdain towards the general perception that Nords had towards magic.
When Harry left the city, it was close to midday, and entering the fort nearby, Harry took out his broom, and flew into the skies, away from the sight of all people below, and headed at high speed towards the Rift, taking time to observe the ground deep below him, searching for any villages.
Riften, The Rift, Skyrim
Harry knew that Riften had seen better days, but he had not expected the city to be in such a state. What was supposed to be the capital of the hold was in such a state of disrepair, that it seemed to have been abandoned long ago. It felt more like a village than a proper city, and the only buildings that stood out were the Temple of Mara and Mistveil Keep. Upon arriving, Harry was greeted by a group of legionnaires, who had seemed to recognize him, despite never having met the young regent before. As they approached, the soldiers saluted Harry, a gesture which the young battlemage returned.
They could not see his face, for Harry had the helmet on, but they knew that he was rather young for his current office.
"When did you arrive?" asked Harry.
"Early this morning, sir." said one of the soldiers.
"Well then, follow me." commanded Harry "We shall go to the keep, and once we are there, four of you shall remain outside guarding it. Am I understood?"
The response was positive, and Harry entered the city, followed by the Imperial soldiers. He was eyes strangely by the city guard, and he made sure to speak about it to his friend in the city. In less than five minutes he arrived at the keep, and entered it, in his usual unceremonious way. Harry saw that the Jarl was sitting on the throne, and leaning on one of the walls was most likely her bodyguard, or housecarl as the Nords called them.
"I assume that you are from the Imperial Legion." Said the Jarl, her voice steady and not showing any signs of nervousness.
"You would assume incorrectly Jarl Law-Giver." declared Harry "I am Henry Cyrodiil, Viscount of Sancre Tor and Imperial Regent of Skyrim, the last one being an office shared with General Tullius."
Harry handed the letter to the Jarl, who quickly read it.
"I see…"she said before returning the letter to Harry. "May I ask what is your purpose here in Riften?"
"As the letter mentioned, I am here to seek out any dissidents and traitors to the Empire." Explained Harry "Do not confuse me for one of the Thalmor agents who seek out worshippers of Talos... or Ysmir. I'm not sure what you call him. Religious disputes are the least of my concerns right now."
"You are aware that this civil war was caused by religious disputes, right?" questioned the Jarl.
"Perhaps, perhaps not. Even the noblest of causes can degenerate into selfish desires for power," he said. "What I see, is the violation of Imperial law. Murder and sedition, to be precise. I'll be honest with you, Jarl Law-Giver. I have no sympathy or commitment towards Talos or Tiber Septim. I did not grow worshipping him, or anything of the sort. And things from my perspective, an outsider in fact, can be quite different from yours."
Harry noticed that for at least a second the Jarl gaped, before quickly resuming her previous posture.
"But I digress," he continded. "Now, before I can begin my work, I need to know something. Do you perhaps know where Maven Black-Briar is?
The sudden out-of-topic question confused the Jarl.
"I'm sorry, Maven Black-Briar?"
"Yes, Maven Black-Briar." repeated Harry, being very aware of the strangeness of the question. "Can you tell me where she is?"
"Maven usually is at the Bee and Barb." said the Jarl still confused "But why-?"
"I need to speak with her." said Harry "I haven't seen her since her interview for the Black Horse Courier back in the Imperial City. I shall speak with you later Jarl Law-Giver. Have a good day."
As much as he did in Solitude, Harry left normally but as quickly as he could, and as he left Mistveil Keep, he headed towards the inn, wanting to see his old friend.