CHAPTER 13
It had been more than a week now since Valere arrived in the City of the Kings. After her meeting with Ulfric, Galmar and Ysarald, her daily routine consisted of checking the blacksmith's progress, enchanting finished weapons and armors, educating the Ulfric's elite soldiers about the do's and don'ts in fighting a dragon.
The first two had been an easy task; the latter though took a bit of... convincing. The Nords in Ulfric's army were generally never fond of elves or magic, and she represented both. While some had set it aside due to her Dragonborn status, others still doubted her; some even outright challenged her to a fight. Well, they never said she couldn't use her Shouts. It was technically Nord magic, but she doubted they would admit that. Suffice it to say, the dissenters begrudgingly accepted taking orders from her just for the purpose of slaying a dragon.
This Middas morning wasn't much different. After eating her morning meal, she threw her hooded fur cloak over her shoulders and stepped out of the room. Outside, a Nord stood straight as he tilted his head forward. "Dragonborn."
"Calder." Valere smiled. "Early as always."
"And you as well, my lady," he replied and followed her as she sauntered towards the stairs.
Ulfric had assigned Calder to her as a personal guard right after their meeting. "For her protection," he had reasoned. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that. More like an insurance that I don't run off.
Calder was a pleasant company at least. Amiable enough that they would share stories every now and then, but kept a professional distance that he refrained from asking personal questions. Plus, out of all the people in the palace, he was one of the few who never questioned her whether she was truly the Dragonborn.
The only thing that irked her, albeit mildly, was that his firm stance when it came to Ulfric's orders — specifically, to keep her within the Stone Quarters. The jarl reasoned that the Gray Quarters was dangerous due to an unrest in the area.
No need to sugarcoat the situation Ulfric. Your incompetence to rule your own city is actually common knowledge. She wanted to tell him that. It nearly slipped her tongue had she not restrained herself.
It was during this moments where she couldn't help but miss Vilkas' honesty. The man practically wore his heart on his sleeves. Figuring him out was easier than nobles. He always upheld every value a Nord held dear — loyalty, honor, bravery and honest work. Part of her regretted hiding the real reason for hiring him. Perhaps, he wouldn't have ended up in this whole mess. He's safe now at least.
Calder suddenly gripped her shoulder, halting her footsteps as well as snapping her out from her thoughts. She then noticed the gathered crowd near the cemetery.
Looking up to her Nord bodyguard, she asked, "what's going on?"
He frowned. "Never mind. The guards can handle this—wait!" She shrugged off his hand then pushed through the crowd.
"My lady," Calder called out and tried to follow her.
When Valere finally managed to get a better view of the scene, she gasped behind a hand covering her mouth. A woman lay dead on the ground with dried blood splattered all over the area. The image of corpses at Fellglow Keep flashed in her mind. Just like those necromancers' experiments, the woman's body had been naked, sliced, some areas skinned and other parts mutilated.
"Hold it right there. Keep your distance!" one of the guards called her out whilst two of her men barred the other on-lookers from getting close to the crime scene.
"Sorry 'bout that." Calder reached for Valere's shoulders and pulled her to the back of the crowd. "My lady, I implore you, refrain from running off. It isn't safe."
She leaned forward and whispered, "it's necroman—mmph!"
Covering her mouth, he pulled her further away from the crowd. Once they were at a safe distance, he lowered his hand and whispered harshly, "are you mad!? Everyone's frightened by these series of murders. Blurting out that necromancy is involved will send every citizen into a state of panic."
"Wait a minute. You mean this isn't the first time?"
"Aye. Two more from last month."
She stared at him incredulously. "And the guards haven't caught anyone yet?"
He shook his head. "The war has them stretched thin—"
"Fuck the war!" Valere snapped, starling some of the folks passing nearby. She took deep breaths whilst Calder smiled apologetically to them. Regaining her composure, she spoke, "could you visit to the blacksmith in my stead? Just check if the remaining armors are ready, then have them delivered to the court wizard's quarters."
Calder blinked. "Where are you going?"
She turned around and marched back to the Palace of the Kings. "To your Jarl."
~oOo~
The Sea Squall slowly cut through the waters as it sailed to the harbor of Windhelm. From the prow, Vilkas saw the fishing trawlers, as well as other mercant ships. Down in the docks, Nord sailors and Argonian dock workers busied themselves with their daily routine, transporting cargoes to the warehouses.
As the ship was moored, he looked around for Jenassa. She stood at the other end of the ship, silently watching the waves. Perhaps sensing his eyes on her, she turned and briefly met his gaze, but then immediately looked away and refrained from making another eye contact.
"While on that ship, pretend you don't know me," had been her last words before they journeyed to Dawnstar few days ago. A sound strategy given the suspicion from the inhabitants of Windhelm. Any hint that he might be a Dunmer sympathizer could limit the information he could gain — some might even be vital.
Vilkas' had met up with Jenassa inside a fairly large house north of Loreius' farm — a place he doubted to be their meeting area at first since he had been expecting something closer to a cottage or an abandoned shack; although one would considered the property as such given the weeds and withering plants at its small garden.
The meeting had started off tense. When he had entered the house, she had been nowhere to be found. He had sniffed for any scent whilst scanning the interior, only to pick up the smell of assorted alchemical ingredients — deathbell and nightshade in particular. The whole house had been dim, its only source of light had come from the small windows above the walls Had it not been for his beastblood, he would have missed the glint of steel arrowhead trained on him from the balcony on the second floor.
"Your favorite patron sent me," he had announced, although his hand instinctively reached for his greatsword's hilt.
Slowly, Jenassa had lowered her bow, although still had expressed her doubt. "I'm surprised Lydia sent you, of all people. The Companions aren't known for their... subtlety."
"This isn't officially Companion business."
"I see..."
Suffice it to say, she had accepted his explanation, and proceeded with the plan. It was simple really — pose as a historian planning to record the events of the civil war in the Stormcloak's perspective all while gathering information on Valere's whereabouts in the palace, as well as her daily routine. At midnight, he would meet her by the docks where he would tell her everything so they could plan their escape properly.
A simple plan, but rarely anything ever stayed that way.
Vilkas crossed the gangway, and as he surveyed the docks, the scent of deathbell and nightshade no longer lingered in his nostrils. Perhaps it was due to Jenassa already entering the city ahead of him; or perhaps, the smell of sea air and fish overpowered it.
This is it. He sighed deeply before entering the city gates. His first order of business was to go to Candlehearth Hall where he could start his information gathering.
From the gates, he took an alley on the left which — he realized too late — led to the slums of the city. His hand gripped his pack tightly as some dark elves who peered from their windows had their crimson eyes trained on him. The scent of fear was palpable enough that even if he hadn't spotted one who had been standing outside and reached for his dagger, he knew that they saw him as a threat. And without his sword, his fists were his only means to defend himself.
Hence, he hurried his footsteps until he finally exited to the main avenue. However, as soon as he neared the steps leading to the palace, a familiar voice exclaimed, "fuck the war!"
Valere! His head turned but he couldn't find her anywhere. Just a hooded figure marching back to the Palace of the Kings— wait a minute. He saw a flash of auburn hair and bright green eyes. His feet moved on their own accord, and before he knew what he was doing, his hand grabbed her arm.
Valere's head whipped to face him, her hand raised as lightning crackled on her fingers. Yet when she met his eyes, the spell dissipated. Her brow furrowed as she studied his face.
Did she recognize him? He couldn't say. But, he needed to think quick of a hint. "Why did you give me that Akaviri sword?"
Her brows shot up. "What—"
"You there!" A man shouted.
With his back turned, Vilkas only heard the clunking steel boots approaching him from behind. Shit.
"Tiid!"
One moment he was standing stiffly outside and the next he and Valere were stumbling onto a floor of some run-down building, her body landing on top of his. She sat up and grabbed the front of his tunic. "What in Oblivion are you doing here!? You're supposed to be in Whiterun!"
"Saving your arse, that's what!" He shot back as the beast stirred from its slumber.
"I didn't ask to be saved!"
Ungrateful elf! The wolf growled as it wrestled for control. Shut it! He mentally yelled but, it proved difficult to ignore, especially since her dismissal of his efforts fueled his anger. He gritted his teeth. "Dammit Valere! I'm putting a lot of things at risk! The least you can do is say thanks!"
"After all the planning I had to pull off just to get you out of Winterhold? And putting you back to your normal lives!?"
"Yes, because you just lost your title!"
Her grip on his tunic loosened as stared wide-eyed. "What?"
Vilkas released a shaky breath before he told her everything that Lydia had disclosed. Once done, the rage in her eyes paled in comparison to even the most rabid beasts of Hircine.
~oOo~
Valere let Vilkas' words sink in. Someone saw me... and used it to blackmail Jarl Balgruuf. But what would they gain? It wasn't as if she had enough influence to sway the jarl to join Ulfric's cause. Should she have that power, she would have used it to convinced him in aiding her with the dragon threat instead. Besides, even without her presence in his court, no one would be able to budge him from his neutral stance. Unless... what if swaying him to join a side wasn't the goal? What if it was her? But who would even benefit from—
Ulfric.
Slowly, she stood up and paced around the room. Her fists clenched and unclenched then slammed one against the wooden post. Her hand throbbed but she couldn't give a damn. "That lying scheming bastard!" She swore in dovazhul then suddenly threw a ball of lightning at the stone wall.
How could she have failed to see this!? He couldn't recruit her in his ranks for the possibility of losing his racist allies, but he needed her away from the Legion. What better way to alienate her than to imply that she had joined the Stormcloaks?
Somewhere in the background, someone might be calling out her name, but whoever it was their pleas fell into deaf ears. All her senses were focused on that beautiful image of ripping Ulfric Stormcloak's head off with her bare hands — of watching his headless corpse burn from her Fire Breath. She could already feel the first Word on her tongue, so close that if she just opened her mouth...
An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close against solid chest while the other hand covered her mouth. She protested which came out muffled.
"Quiet," Vilkas whispered harshly as he pulled her towards the darkest corner of the room and pressed closely against the wall.
Her brows knitted together as she side-glanced to him. Briefly, he met her gaze before his eyes flickered towards the window. What's going on? Then her ears picked up the sounds of approaching clunking greaves.
"Where did you hear it?" Calder's voice spoke outside.
"Somewhere around here," another man's voice said.
"All right. Just keep looking. The last thing the jarl needs to hear is the Dragonborn getting abducted."
Valere spotted Calder, accompanied by other soldiers from the window. As they passed by, her entire body had stiffened. What would they do if they find us here? She'd be dragged back to Ulfric, and Vilkas... Would he be imprisoned for abduction? Worse, would Ulfric use him as leverage against her?
"Check the buildings," Calder ordered.
She pressed herself closer to Vilkas once he lowered his hand from her mouth. No, they would have to go through her first. He's risked his life to save me. Her hand reached up and splayed her fingers across his chest.
He flinched away. "What are you—"
"Shhhh..." Her fingertips glowed faintly, enveloping his body with her magic. Her other hand touched her chest and did the same to herself. When he started fidgeting, she added, "don't move."
~oOo~
When Vilkas dragged her to one dark corner of the room, he thought she was going bite his hand — at best. Never had he attempted restraining a dragon, but thankfully, she understood the situation after their eyes met. Flickering his gaze back to the window, he poured all of his concentration on the soldiers patrolling outside, his ears straining just to get a good estimate on how close they were.
A small hand touched on his chest, causing him to jump back. With furrowed brows, he glanced down to Valere. "What are you—"
She hushed him as her fingertips pressed on his chest. His heart pounded as a strange invisible blanket began enveloping his body. This was, however, different from his experience from the College. This time, rather than the uncomfortable weight all over one's body, this felt warm, soft and soothing, like from the finest noble clothing.
His shoulders sagged as he closed his eyes. I can get used to this...
Soldiers suddenly entered the building. His eyes flew open as one of them waved his torch towards their direction. The soldier who had been holding a torch carefuly approached the corner where he and Valere stood.
Shit! Shit!
Yet, he merely stared towards their direction then said, "not here," before moving to the other end of the room.
He blinked. What just happened? When he lowered his gaze, he only realized then that his and Valere's body were transparent. If not for her warm body pressed against his and the mild smell of jazbay grapes, he would have thought that she already left him.
Minutes ticked by before the group of soldiers left. Vilkas waited till he could no longer hear their clanking armor. However, Valere remained clinging onto him. He considered clearing his throat, but a part of him enjoyed this closeness; her small, delicate frame all snuggled against— woah, wait. What was he thinking!? He wanted to slap himself just to snap out of his strange musings.
"I think..." He whispered, his voice strained. "I think they're gone now." The comforting magic enveloping him ebbed away — much to his disappointment — and their skins gradually turned visible again.
Even more to his dismay, Valere stepped away and cautiously peered from the window. "I think so too." She turned her attention back to him. "So what now?"
"Now, I'm taking you back to Whiterun."
"No."
His brows furrowed. "No?" Did he miss something?
She took a deep breath. "I... I can't leave— even if I want to." For a moment, she remained silent whilst pacing around the room, her thumb and forefinger resting under her chin. "I made a deal with Ulfric."
"What sort of deal?" He didn't like where this was going, especially when she provided no answer. "Did you agree to join them?"
"Don't be daft!" She snapped. "He doesn't even want me in his army."
He raised an eyebrow but remained silent. Did I hit a sore spot? Normally, he would be affronted by such words, but curiosity got the better of him. Never had he seen this calm and calculated woman fumed like a caged beast.
"Apologies." She exhaled shakily as her fingers reached under her hood and pushed her hair back. "That was rude of me." She took another deep breath and continued as though she hadn't just lost her composure. "To answer your question, it's more in line with my dragon-slaying profession. The Stormcloak business is merely incidental, though after what you've told me, well... perhaps there's more to it."
"If that's the case, why go through it?"
"Because he made an offer that I'd be a fool to refuse."
"Which is?"
Vilkas met her eyes as she studied at his face quietly. Before he could as why she was staring at her, she answered, "in return for killing the dragon, he will refrain from further threats to anyone associated with me."
He snorted. "You're trusting that he'll keep his word? Ulfric—"
"—has outplayed me," Valere declared as her mask of stoicism slowly crumbled.
Vilkas had never seen an infallible woman like her in such a lost state. A part of him wanted to pull her close and console her — tell her that they will find a way. He almost did but she suddenly turned around.
"I should head back. Ulfric might suspect that I've run away. You and Jenassa should return to Whiterun. Let Lydia know that I'm all right and that I'll return as soon as I'm done here."
She plodded towards the door but halted just as Vilkas announced, "I'll be staying in the Candlehearth Hall. If you need anything, you know where to find me." He didn't know why he kept insisting on staying — she made it clear that she didn't want him there; but, a part of him couldn't let her deal with this problem alone. Why? He didn't know and he would rather not think about it.
"Thank you." Her soft whisper pulled him out of his troubled thoughts. She was looking over her shoulder, her features soft as she gave him a small smile. But he couldn't be certain as she immediately pulled the hood up and after shouting, "Tild," had disappeared.
END OF CHAPTER
A/N: Hi guys. I hope I didn't butcher this chapter. I think I've rewritten this thrice already. Couldn't get the pacing right and I didn't want to make it to sappy. Anyway, my next chapters might take a while since I'll be reviewing for the bar exams starting May. I will try to finish another chapter before the start of my review class, and the next will come after my November exams.