The brunette that stood before Ulfric had sleepy-looking grey eyes that were almost angled outwards, giving her a bizarrely relaxed appearance. Her long hair was a soft, light brown colour and it looked to be naturally straight, but wind-blown. The long blue skirt of her dress fluttered around her ankles as she turned, seeing Leola come in and giving a small smile.
"Father?" Leola asked curiously as she approached. Her father sat on his throne, lounging lazily and smiling.
"Leola, this is Svari," he said with a grin.
"Hello," Leola said to the brunette, smiling politely.
"Good afternoon," answered Svari in a dreamy, detached voice.
"Father, I have something for you," Leola said with a smile.
"Oh?" asked Ulfric, looking at her curiously. "What is it, my dear?"
Leola walked up to the throne, pulling out the soul gem fragment and placing it gently in his outstretched hand. His blue eyes went wide and he looked up at her.
"How did you get this?" he breathed. "No, never mind. You can tell me later. Why don't you go and have a drink with Svari or something? It's lucky that she arrived when she did, what with all your friends being away."
Leola nodded slightly. "I could do that," she said softly, curious. This strange girl showed up in the palace, talking to the Jarl – obviously on a first-name basis with him – and now he was asking Leola to go and have a drink with her, yet he wouldn't talk about the Daedras in front of her. Was he looking for Leola to find a new friend? Perhaps one who wasn't involved in the whole ordeal with the soul and the artifacts?
"That would be lovely," Svari said, her tone almost one of boredom as her grey eyes shifted to look at Leola.
"Alright," said Leola, nodding. "Let's go, then."
She turned and began to the door, with Svari following her. It was strange, but she decided to simply go along with it, trusting in her father. The two left the palace and headed into the blustery streets of Windhelm, over which the sun was beginning to set.
"So, how do you know my father?" Leola asked, looking curiously at the brunette.
"It's a long story," Svari murmured absent-mindedly. "My family is from Solitude. My uncle was executed for opening the gates after Ulfric killed the High King – your father and I have a…complicated…relationship…"
"Complicated?" asked Leola softly as they neared Candlehearth Hall.
"At first I didn't understand," Svari explained softly. "All I saw was the pain it caused my family. For a while, I resented that my uncle had died so your father could live…I grew out of it, though – now, I understand the cause that my uncle supported, and I realize that he gave his life for the sake of Skyrim, not just one man."
Leola smiled a bit at hearing this. She moved around the front of the building and opened the door, politely holding it for Svari to enter. The brunette kindly smiled and entered, as Leola followed her up the stairs. It pained the blonde slightly to see the other woman go straight to the table that she usually shared with her friends, but if she and Svari got along, she might end up joining them at their table anyways, so she followed along and sat in her usual spot
"So, are you married or anything of the sort?" Leola asked curiously, and Svari laughed softly, shaking her head.
"No, I'm not," she replied in her soft, sing-song voice. "The man I love is with someone else."
"That's sad," Leola said in a soft voice.
"It is," Svari said, a pleasant smile remaining on her lips even as they discussed the heartbreaking topic. "As long as he is happy with her, though, I cannot complain. And you?"
Leola smiled, shaking her head. "I'm with someone, but not married – we only just got together recently, in fact."
"Oh? What's he like?" asked Svari. Despite her bored tone, Leola could sense that the other girl was genuinely curious – there was just something about the brunette's voice that indicated a lazy indifference, even when she was completely invested in the topic.
"It's a girl, actually," Leola said, feeling her cheeks heat up. "Her name is Erith."
"The merchant?" asked Svari, grinning.
"Yes," Leola replied, grinning back.
"I can see her attraction to you. You remind me of the twins."
Leola quirked an eyebrow curiously as she looked at Svari. "The twins?" she asked, and the brunette nodded.
"Britte and Sissel. They live Solitude, but they're from Rorikstead. Erith was with both of them – not at the same time, but in turn," she explained softly.
"What happened?" Leola asked curiously, cocking her head to one side.
"One twin lost interest, the other left her for some man," Svari replied with a shrug. "Poor thing was a wreck. For weeks, after both break-ups, whenever the boys came through, she wasn't with them. I think she went back to Markarth and took time to herself."
Leola smiled a bit. As sad as it was to hear how her Erith's heart had been broken, it was much better than Svari telling her that Erith was a liar or a cheat. Svari's story seemed to match up with every conclusion Leola had come to, that Erith was a faithful and devoted lover.
"So what do you do around here for fun?" Svari asked.
"I mostly just go around with my friends," Leola replied softly.
"Who are they? I'm sure I know them all," Svari said with a light laugh.
"Erith, Sond, Bottar, and Aventus Aretino," Leola said, and Svari's face fell slightly.
"I know Aventus," she murmured, glancing away for a moment.
Leola immediately made the connection – the man she loved was with someone else. "It's him, isn't it?" she asked in a soft voice, and the brunette nodded.
"Yes," she murmured. "He's with the girl who runs the inn back in Solitude – Minette Vinius…I don't know what he sees in her."
"He told me I would like her," Leola said softly, and Svari shook her head.
"I doubt it," she said with a cold laugh. "Hardly anyone likes Minette. She's a know-it-all and she acts as though she's Queen of the world or something…she hasn't even met you and she's already jealous of you."
"Jealous?" asked Leola, surprised.
"She thinks that you're taking up all Aventus's time," Svari replied. "He's always here and not with her."
"He's nothing more than a friend!" Leola exclaimed. "He's like a brother to me. I know that he's with someone – and I'm with someone, too."
"I know that – well, I know that now," Svari said with a shrug. "Minette doesn't know that, though."
"Has Aventus been there at all lately?" Leola asked thoughtfully. Since they had met, he'd always been either in Windhelm or Dawnstar, where the Dark Brotherhood seemed to be located. Now, he was in Winterhold with Erith, though she expected they would be back that night.
"No, he hasn't," Svari replied. "He travelled here for the funeral, and since then she's only received two letters from him."
"How do you know so much about them?" Leola asked softly.
"I work at the inn," Svari replied. "I'm a bard by trade, so Minette pays me to perform for her guests. She's quite the gossip and always wants to talk about her problems, so believe me, I hear everything."
Leola smiled slightly. "I imagine you have a lovely singing voice," she said softly.
"I'm told that I do," Svari said with a shrug. "I can't really say, of course. I do love singing, though, and I suppose I must be good, because Minette lets me stay around," she added, laughing slightly.
"Did she say what he told her in the letters?" Leola asked curiously.
"She threw the second one in my face," Svari said, a faint smirk crossing her lips. "The first one was just telling her that some things had come up here in Windhelm and he would be longer than expected – he also told her that he had met the Dragonborn's daughter. In the second one, he said that he'd been helping you with some things, but he promised to come and visit soon, and that he would take you with him because he thought you'd be wonderful friends."
Leola smiled a bit. "He told me the same thing," she said, but Svari quickly shook her head.
"You seem sweet, Leola," she said softly. "Minette Vinius will eat you alive."
