Authors note: After some feedback, I've decided to make my chapters a little larger in size and have more content in them. Please be aware that my main reasoning behind having smaller chapters was more along the lines of making my easier to read. Anyways, I wanted to thank everyone who has liked and favorited my story as well as those who have taken the time to post a review, whether it was positive and or constructive negative.
The quant town of Riverwood came into sight as Gunjar found himself reminiscing of how if he ever decided to settle down and have a family of his own, Riverwood would be the perfect hamlet to raise a family in. While being small, Riverwood is a very quiet hamlet and Gunjar knew that everyone knew each other. As he found himself rounding the bend to the secret location that Delphine told him about, he noted that when everything was finally over with the war and dragons, he would take a much-needed vacation and come to this spot to fish.
"I see you have finally arrived Gunjar, and not a moment too soon"
"I came as soon as I could, but I got sidetracked when a Dragon decided to attack a farm." Gunjar mentioned as he took a seat at the stump of a cut down tree.
"Nothing to worry about my friend, and I am glad you have come to listen to my proposition." Delphine said as she pulled out a purse of fifteen-hundred Septims.
"Alright Delphine, what is it that you would want me to do?" Gunjar asked pocketing the coin noting that it would come in handy to have his soon to be new steel sword smithed in Windhelm.
"My plan is simple, you are going to sneak into the Thalmor embassy under the guise as a visiting noble from Cyrodill and my agent on the inside will get you into the restricted portion of the embassy once a diversion is initiated." Delphine said as she spread out an inside diagram of the embassy and marked the areas that Gunjar needed to "visit" in order to achieve this mission.
"And let me guess, I'll have to find some way to cause the diversion?"
"Yes, but don't worry, I have a list of candidates that you can overlook when we are on our way to the embassy." Delphine explained as she gave Gunjar the invitation and map of the embassy. "One other thing though, we will have to stop in Solitude in order to meet our informant who will be able to sneak your gear into the embassy. My suggestion is to go ahead and get undressed from your armor and place your armor and weapon into that chess over there and I will give it to Malborn so that he can get it into the embassy" Delphine added as she pointed towards the chess, leaving the room so Gunjar could undress, and dress into the party cloths that he found lying on the bed. Once Gunjar was fully dressed in his new attire for the party, he walked out into the main hall of the Tavern and located Delphine finishing what she needed done as well.
"Are you ready to head towards Solitude Gunjar?" Delphine asked getting a nod from Gunjar and proceeded to lead him towards the cart that's waiting for them. "We will spend the night in Solitude once we arrive and leave for the Embassy at around noon." Delphine added as she and Gunjar climbed into the back of the cart.
"Are you sure that is a good idea staying in Solitude overnight knowing that the Imperials are hunting me and the Thalmor are hunting you?" Gunjar asked as he felt the cart begin rolling and hearing the driver say yep-yep to the horses.
"I understand that there are dangers to staying in Solitude, but don't worry, I have a disguise for the both of us as well as an assumed name that we will use." Delphine said amazing Gunjar that she was always one step ahead in the plan which was obvious considering she was of Breton-Imperial descent.
Gunjar awoke to the cart coming to a halt as he viewed an object that he never thought he would see again, which was the outer defensive portcullis of Solitude along with the ornate crenels that adorned the tops of the parapets. To the average commoner, it appeared that the defensive fortifications of Skyrim's capital are impenetrable to any type of siege, but Gunjar knew different. He understood that any type of defensive position could be taken, but in order to take a hold capital like Solitude, the sieging army would need an attacker-to-defender ratio of ten-to-one which was obvious that the Stormcloaks lacked at the moment. He was also aware that the 13th, 14th, and 16th Legion called Solitude its home; interestingly enough though, the 13th being the battle-hardened legion that took part in the Great War and the 14 and 16 being recently called to active duty to prepare for the Second Great War and to take training in Skyrim; the overall legion strength in Skyrim along was twenty-thousand.
"Are you ready Gunjar?" Delphine asked as she stepped down from the carriage and helped Gunjar down as well.
"I suppose so; I just hope that this doesn't go horribly wrong." Gunjar replied as he came to his senses and noting the cool breeze in the air.
"Good, let's not keep our accommodations in the Winking Skeever Tavern waiting than; after your Mr. Maximillius Aracnius." Delphine said as she put are arm around Gunjar's waist.
"What are you doing?" Gunjar asked
"In order for our assumed identities to work, I made our Imperial passports to be Mr. and Mrs. Maximillius Aracnius; husband and wife land entrepreneur duo, so don't blow it kid as we might not get another shot at this." Delphine said as she handed Gunjar his passport as well.
"Right." Gunjar sarcastically replied as he grabbed the phony passport that Delphine made for him.
"Enough talk; let's get inside the city before sun down as I would rather avoid Imperial and Thalmor patrols at night." Delphine said as she led Gunjar towards the main gate to Solitude.
"Halt, state your business here in Solitude." A guard ordered as he walked up to the couple as they were approaching the gatehouse.
"My husband and I are here on official Imperial business as the guests of our most gracious host, Lady Elenwyn." Delphine said as she handed the gate guard their passports and invitation to the Thalmor Embassy.
"Everything looks in order here, you may enter the city." The guard said as another guard pipped in "Oh, and you are just in time to say hello to Roggvir."
"Who's Roggvir?" Delphine asked looking intrigued why this one person would have
"He's the sorry sod how let Ulfric escape the city after murdering the High King. Today is the day that he will be sentenced for his crimes against Solitude, and Skyrim's people."
The screeching of the door opening broke the silence as Gunjar and Delphine knew that the doors are opened enough to pass through and once they got through the gatehouse, they came upon the execution place and noted the crowed that congregated towards the execution.
"Wait, I know that man." Gunjar said as he got a good look at Roggvir and frowned knowing what would soon happen to an honorable man.
"You do?" Delphine asked curious as to how Gunjar knew him.
"Yeah, he and I grew up together though we never kept in contact. I never knew he had become a gate guard in Solitude and am saddened that the honorable man that I grew up with is mixed up in this whole unfortunate mess." Gunjar said as he made a small prayer to the Divines to watch over his soon to be departed soul.
"Not much we can do about this Max, remember the mission. We have to get into the Thalmor Embassy and find out what they are up to, and once we are successful at that, we can plan our next actions accordingly." Delphine said as she hurried Gunjar towards the Winking Skeever Tavern.
"Before we go in, I want you to let me do all the talking, is that okay?" Delphine asked as she got a nod from Gunjar who opened the door for her to pass through before passing through himself.
The Winking Skeever Tavern is a very beautiful building owned and operated by Corpulus Vinius, a skinny and witty Imperial who moved to Solitude after serving in the Great War. One thing that caught everyone's eye when visiting Solitude for the first time is the Tavern's unusual name and how it felt a lot like home.
"Welcome to the Winking Skeever Tavern, you must be the couple who reserved our master suite for the night." Corpulus said as he retrieved the letter that had arrived weeks in advance and the description of the women who would be accompanying the man.
"It's finally good to be over with our travels, do you have anything that we can eat and drink before retiring for the day?" Delphine asked as Corpulus gave them both a seat at the bar and a menu that had both common and rarer food on it.
"Please let me know when you are ready to order your food and enjoy your stay here at the Winking Skeever Tavern." Corpulus said as he proceeded into the kitchen to get the oven fired up for what both Gunjar and Delphine would order.
"So, what is this about a master suite that he was talking about, are we going to go to bed together?" Gunjar asked noticing Delphine look at him slyly.
"I booked the master suite so as to keep up our appearances as husband and wife, now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to go freshen up as it was a long journey here from Anvil." Delphine said as she went to get changed into her evening gown and freshen up a bit.
"Beautiful wife you have there if you don't mind me saying, so, what would you and the misses like to drink." Corpulus said as he saw Delphine's figure disappear behind the staircase to the upper levels of the tavern.
"I guess I'll take Nord Mead while my partner will have Cyrodillic Brandy." Gunjar said as Corpulus retrieved the flasks from under the bar and opened up two bottles of Mead and a bottle of Brandy.
"Here you go, a Nord Meade and Cyrodillic Brandy with another bottle of Mead on the house." Corpulus said as he placed the cool bottles
"Thank you, that is very kind of you to give us a free bottle of Mead." Gunjar said as he opened the first bottle of mead to pour it into the flask.
"No problem friend, just a little thing that I do for new customers; please do be sure to let all your friends know of my little business though." Corpulus said as he retreated towards the kitchen to get dinner started for two other customers. After half an hour, Delphine walked down into the lobby of the Tavern and noticed Gunjar was talking to a few warriors who had entered after she left to get ready for the evening. She also took note of a bottle of brandy that was on the table and took a guess that it was for either him or her, but was not sure which. Gunjar took note of the evening gown that Delphine wore, and he had to be honest, it looked great on her. It was decorated elaborately with flowers on the lower portion of the dress while the upper portion had black with hints of red along the sleeves. However, the part that caught his attention the most was the red Imperial Dragon that he immediately recognized as the symbol of the Empire, which was a red dragon, flanked by gold outlines.
"I see you finally decided to join me Victoria, did you find our accommodations to your liking?" Gunjar asked her getting a nod.
"Yes, the bedroom is very beautiful and the bed is super soft; tell me, how do you like my dress?" Delphine asked as she sat down at the table where Gunjar was sitting at.
"I must admit that the dress looks great on you." Gunjar said as he gave Delphine her brandy.
"Thank you, it took me a long time to acquire the materials for this dress and even longer to sew it all together." Delphine explained as she opened the bottle and poured some into
If there was one thing that he would admit about his accommodations was that Delphine went out of her way to ensure that their assumed identities would hold up to prying eyes, which in Skyrim seemed to be everywhere. Of course, he also wondered how was it that they were in the heart of the Imperial province and there was no sign of Thalmor patrols anywhere, which made him wonder where in the world the Thalmor patrols were and figured that wherever they were, it would not bold well.
"You better get some sleep Gunjar, you have an early day tomorrow." She said as she packed the last of Gunjar's belonging into the case that would soon be transported to the Embassy.
"Are you not joining me Delphine?" He asked.
"Unfortunately, as much as I would love to be in there with you, Elenwen would immediately recognize me and our little operation would be ruined." Delphine explained as she handed Gunjar a small map of the embassy with markings of patrol routes and the best possible strategy to deal with the patrols should Gunjar need to rely on force. "Furthermore, seeing as you are a stranger, you'll have an easier time getting through the initial checkpoints without arousing suspicion." Delphine added as she finished shoring up the chest and marked it with an easy to recognize symbol that Gunjar made a mental note of.
"Anyways, do you have any idea of who will be attending this party Delphine?" He asked getting a nod from Delphine.
"Yes and all the invited guests' names are on this list." She said as she handed him the list with all the VIP's on it. As Gunjar found himself overlooking the list of names, a few caught his attention which worried him that he could get caught; Lady Elisif the Fair, General Tullius, Legate Rikke, Legionary Hadvar just to name a few. As he overlook these names, he wondered if Elisif would indeed go to this party knowing that she held no love of the Thalmor herself, but he deduced considering that she is the heir to the throne, that she would have to go to represent Skyrim.
Halfway across the city, Lady Elisif found herself in quite the spot as she had no love for the Thalmor and their parties, but this year she was personally requested by Elenwen to attend this party in hopes of "uniting" the people of Skyrim. As much as Elisif wanted to see this done, she knew that Thalmor have ulterior motives as to why they are so interested in Skyrim, and she prayed to the divines that by the time that they made their move. Ulfric Stormcloak's rebellion would have to be put down and many of the supporters would be brought to their senses, no more so than Gunjar as she knew that with the Dragonborn leading the forces of Skyrim, few could stand in their way.
"Lady Elisif, I've returned with your dress from Radiant Rament."
"Thank you for retrieving my gown Bolgier, can you please take it to my room and place it in my armoire." She said as she gave Bolgier a hundred Septims for his completed job.
"At once my Jarl." He said as she sat back down at her throne ready for the day to be over. After another two hours of what appeared to be a very slow day, Elisif sighed as sigh of relief as she finally got into her chambers to unwind for the rest of the evening and picked out a book from the bookshelf to read. After an hour-and-a-half of reading, as the time was nearing nine at night, she decided to take a stroll of Solitude to view the northern lights.
"Bolgier, I'm going to take a stroll, I'll be back in an hour or so." She said as she grabbed her overcoat and her cap and put it on so that she wouldn't get cold in the chilly Skyrim night.
"My Jarl, is that a good idea going out at night? I think you should have an escort just in case some of Ulfric's assassin's happen to be in town." He said as he motioned for two Legionaries.
"No Bolgier, I'll be fine; I highly doubt Ulfric would be stupid enough to try something since Torygg's murder; besides, I can't walk around in my own city for fear of the night." She said as she left the Blue Palace.
After having his first warm home cooked meal in months, Gunjar told Delphine that he was going to go for a stroll to take in the sight of a city that he had not been in for what seemed like an entirety. For once, he felt like he was at peace without having the worries of war on his shoulder, and some random dragon deciding to try to have a snack that he was more than likely sure was him. He had to admit that while Calder was handy at many things, cooking was not one of them and while he himself was average when it came to cooking, he preferred going to the local tavern to eat. While deep in thought, Gunjar found himself staring into the most beautiful set of light brown eyes that he immediately recognized. Upon recognizing the individual, he mentally cursed himself for being so oblivious to his surroundings as if this were to have been a battle, he would have died, but more so because he wasn't prepared to meet her again for some time.
"Elisif" Was all he could whisper out before being enveloped in a hug. The hug was the last thing he expected, but he couldn't help but to notice that she had grown even more beautiful and feminine over the two years that they had been apart; he noted that her skin was softer, her breasts were more developed and that she had put a little weight on.
[POV Change]
She could feel the cool winter's air against her skin through the outer clothing that she was wearing. While waking a lovely stride through the part in the center of Solitude, she ran into another individual who also had the same idea that she did, and mentally she cursed herself for not paying attention to where she was going. After noticing the male figure ahead of her, she immediately recognized him and thought for a second that maybe she was dreaming, but when she heard him whisper her name, she was horrified, anger, and most importantly happy that the divines finally smiled upon her.
"It's been a long time, Gunjar." She said as tears came forward and she enveloped him in a hug. When she hugged him for the first time, she could tell that he had changed significantly since their last meeting, he was more masculine than before and had a decent muscle mass that accompanied his longer flowing hair and some healed up scars that were without a doubt from battles.
[POV change end]
"Why did you hug me, I thought you hated me for siding with Ulfric over you?" He asked as he stood face to face with Elisif.
"At the time, I felt that you had really betrayed me by siding with that barbarian, but as time grew, I came to realize that it wasn't in spite of Torygg and I marrying that you joined Ulfric, but because you saw what Torygg and I could not see, Skyrim being weakened by the Thalmor." Elisif explained as she motioned for Gunjar to follow her. "Please follow me, I know of a secluded spot that we can chat without unwanted ears." She further explained leading the way with Gunjar wearily following her. After five minutes of walking in silence, they came upon a secluded area outside the walls of Solitude that happened to be near the water.
"I'm interested as to why you have decided to come to Solitude Gunjar; knowing full well that there is still a war going on." She said as she sat down at a bench that faced the water's edge.
"Unfortunately, I cannot tell you much as to why I am here, apart from that I'm here on official business with the Thalmor." He said as he explained his situation to her.
"Thalmor? Why in the Divines do you have business with the Thalmor Gunjar?" She asked panicked.
"Elisif, please don't worry; I'm not in any danger from them. Let's just say I'm working with a woman who believe that the Thalmor are either behind the recent dragon rising, or they know who is." He said explaining to her the delicate situation.
"And being the Dragonborn, you believe if you can get this information will help you solve this issue with the dragons. Please tell me though, this women that you are working with, are you two involved?" She asked as getting both a nod of confirmation and a nod of no.
"Yes and no; let's just say that she and I are business partners, and nothing more." He said as he explained the deal that he and Delphine had while leaving out important details so as to protect Elisif as he knew if the Thalmor got win that she might know more than letting on, they would target her for interrogation. "There is one thing I would like to mention though, and that is for this to work, she and I are saying we are married, though in reality we are not." He finished getting a nod from Elisif.
"This sounds very cloak and dagger, and is in violation of the White-Gold Concordat, but as we all know that Thalmor use it to their advantage, I won't let anyone know and won't even write about this meeting. Please be careful though as while you are very special to me, you are Skyrim's and perhaps the Empire's last chance of salvation from the Dominion as well as the dragons. Please don't fail, and please don't let Ulfric use you for his own gains." She said as she stared out into the starry night sky.
"Believe me Elisif, I don't intend on letting the Thalmor get to me and I definitely don't intend on letting Ulfric use me for his own gains." Gunjar said as he took a seat next to Elisif and looked out into the calm peaceful night longing for the days of peace.
[Break]
After concluding his half-hour conversation with Elisif, Gunjar boded her farewell and walked back towards the Winking Skeever Tavern when he noticed two Imperial Officers walking towards him with weapons drawn.
"In the name of the Empire, halt and come with us Gunjar." Two Imperial Legates ordered breaking Gunjar out of his thoughts.
"I'm afraid I don't know who you are talking about; my name is Maximillius Aracnius." Gunjar said trying to lie his way out of this tight situation.
"Don't lie to us, come with us or we'll take you by force." Legate Marius said as he approached Gunjar.
"Alright, I'll stand down, though if I may ask, where are we going?" Gunjar asked as he was led by the two Imperial Officers.
"We are heading to see General Tullius and he is quite interested in learning as to why you have come this far into the Imperial controlled province." Legate Marius replied leading Gunjar towards Castle Dour. Within ten minutes of walking, the group of three men came upon the imposing fortress that made up the majority of Solitudes defensive position as well as being the headquarters and barracks for the Skyrim Imperial Legion under the direct command of General Tullius. If there was one thing that Gunjar had to admit, it would be if the Stormcloaks ever decided to try and take Solitude, there would be a battle worthy of making a song out of.
"General Tullius, we have arrived with the men you wanted." Legate Marius said as he led Gunjar to a bench for him to sit outside of the war room.
"Excellent work Legate Marius and Centurion Caesar. Please leave the two of us alone and make sure that I am not disturbed by anyone, is that clear?" General Tullius asked as he dismissed the two officers.
"Understood General, let's go Centurion." Legate Marius said as he led the two back to the barracks.
"Gunjar Shield-Crusher, I must say that it is quite surprising that you are here in the Imperial held capital of Skyrim." Tullius said as he sat down in front of Gunjar pulling out a map.
"I must say that I am surprised that you were able to find out that I was even in the city General Tullius as I thought my disguise would have been enough to throw any Imperial off my scent." Gunjar replied relaxing a bit knowing that he was at a complete disadvantage.
"Believe me, it wasn't easy but the Penitus Oculatus is always one step ahead of the game." Tullius replied as two Penitus Oculatus agents appeared from a hidden hallway. Noting the agents, Gunjar figured something big was happening for the Imperial guard to be in Solitude and decided to ask the general questions instead of trying to fight his way out knowing that fighting would be futile.
"If I may ask General Tullius, why did you want to see me?" Gunjar asked as Tullius leaned closer to him with his hands crossed under his chin.
"We know that you intend on infiltrating the Thalmor Embassy and figured you might need a little help." Tullius replied as he handed Gunjar a small detailed floor layout of the embassy.
"Why are you helping me, are the Thalmor and the Empire not allied with each other?" Gunjar asked getting uncomfortable with the situation.
"While the White-Gold Concordat requires us to turn in anyone to the Thalmor who may threaten the peace, we have it on good authority that the Thalmor are planning on assassinating Emperor Mede II and as a result, the Emperor has ordered the Penitus Oculatus to begin covert operations against the Thalmor." Tullius said as he motioned for the agents to step forward.
"What we want you to do is while you are working with the Blades agent to find any information as to what the Thalmor planes are." The agent said as he provided Gunjar a detailed list of things to look out for when snooping around the embassy.
"Wait, what do you mean by 'Blades agent' and what does the Blades have to do with me?" Gunjar asked.
"What he means is that I am working with the Penitus Oculatus on their more dangerous missions which includes this Thalmor operation." Delphine said as she walked into the room behind the two Oculatus agents.
"Wait a minute; I thought you said that no one knew you were a Blades agent." Gunjar said shocked that Delphine was in the room as well.
"Gunjar, the Empire has kept a close eye on its former Blades agents and whenever the Thalmor would get close to them, we would alert the Blades and or throw the Thalmor off their trail." Tullius stated as he motioned for the Oculatus and Delphine to leave.
"Here is my deal Gunjar, I will personally pardon you a few friends of your choice for joining the Stormcloaks and even allow you and your friends to join the Imperial Legion." Tullius stated as he watched Gunjar for any sign of his disposition to the idea.
"What makes you think I would want to join the Imperial Legion?" Gunjar asked annoyed at the audacity of Tullius.
"Well, it's more of a proposition than anything else; I suggest you think about it." Tullius stated as he called for Legate Marius to take Gunjar back to the Winking Skeever. After arriving at the Winking Skeever, Gunajr knew he would have to have a discussion with Delphine about the fact that the Empire is aware of her, and why they have decided to ignore the treaty on that fact, but first he knew he would have to have a very long day tomorrow and went to sleep.
Fin…