Just FYI, this is also posted on my ArchiveOfOurOwn account too. Same name, same story. Enjoy. And don't forget to comment please.
It lingered in his mind, soft and wanting.
How desperate he had been to just kiss Loriel even once.
And now it was like this.
"Ulfric."
His eyes flicked up to Galmar, and his thumb stilled against his lower lip.
He swore he could still feel it.
His housecarl gave a slight jerk of his head towards the Great Hall.
"You're guest has arrived," the man huffed, still irritable about the matter, but it was a matter he would have to live with because it was not his call to make but his Jarl's.
And Ulfric rose to his feet, calm and composed.
He had to be after the mess that had happened just yesterday.
It was his fault, but it still happened.
And now it all was what it was.
He would have personally preferred to have Loriel and Laronen both kept as far from Gaius Maro as possible but it was impossible to hide two Altmer in Windhelm, least of all when they were sitting at the great table with a chess board between them, both pairs of amber eyes neatly settled on the Imperial rather than their game.
Loriel didn't look at him when he approached, those eyes glowing like hearthfire.
Like the dragon fire in his soul.
"Maro," Ulfric greeted the young man whose traveling cloak just barely hid his Penitus Oculatus armor, a young man who had the same skin as his mother but his eyes were all his father's, "welcome to Windhelm."
"The pleasantries are unnecessary, Jarl Ulfric. I'm just here to do my job."
His voice was snippity, sour.
This was likely the last place he wanted to be.
"Indeed you are but there is no reason to not treat you well."
"Because I could report back all sorts of nasty things about you?"
"Because you are the son of the man who was my commanding officer in the war. I still hold great respect for your father despite our current differences."
Ulfric's statement made Gaius Maro straighten and immediately drop the attitude.
And as he walked the young Imperial back towards the War Room so that he, his housecarl, and his military officer could be filled in at least on the general outline of Gaius's task, he heard Loriel speak.
"Three wild guesses why Commander Maro's son is here and the first two don't count."
"I don't know, I don't want to know, and I don't want to think about it in any way, shape, or form," Laronen replied.
"Spoiled sport. Your king is in danger."
The Jarl hid amusement at Laronen's undignified squawk as he stepped behind the wartable and by the time he made it to the other side, he had managed to wipe his expression clean once more.
"Your father's letter stated you will be observing the safety checkpoins of the city. And guard rotations."
Gaius nodded. "And spending the night in your barracks."
Ulfric nodded at the addition.
"And you will be leaving in the morning."
"That's correct."
"We will stay out of your way then."
It was that simple.
Commander Maro's son was here to do his job and that was it.
Cooperation in the matter would only make it easier in the long run.
"If I may, sir, before I begin."
Ulfric's sea blue eyes glanced back to him.
"Yes?"
Gaius nodded his head towards the Great Hall.
"You are housing two fugitives of the Thalmor here in Windhelm. You do realize I am obligated to include this in my report, correct?"
"I realize this."
"And you are not at all worried?"
"For what reason would Ulfric have to be worried about that?"
Loriel was leaning against the doorframe behind Gaius, arms crossed neatly across his chest, eyes just as steady as his voice, practically a picture of power in the same way a lazing sabercat looked both at ease and still somehow dangerous.
Thrilling even as the Altmer ignored him, his attention entirely on the Imperial.
And Gaius swallowed.
"The Thalmor have put out warrants for both you and your brother. Rewarded. Dead or alive."
"Unsurprising," Loriel drolled, "they really could do without the bounty though, considering the Ambassador has already sent multiple assassins for both of us and yet we are still alive."
Gaius paused.
He didn't know about the assassins.
Which made Ulfric wonder if the Penitus Oculatus were even aware of how badly the Thalmor really wanted Loriel and Laronen dead.
"You can politely tell your father that the resources Elenwyn is wasting in effort to kill us both would be better put towards helping Imperial soldiers, after all, she did waste three weeks just torturing me only to lose one fugitive and have another added to the list."
The boy swallowed.
And then nodded.
Hesitantly, he looked back to Ulfric and drew a breath.
"I will be on my way."
And then, without further word, he stepped past Loriel out into the hall. And then out of the Palace of Kings.
Loriel looked back to his brother.
"Come here, we need to talk," Loriel stated before turning his eyes to Galmar, Ysrarald… And Ulfric himself.
"We all need to talk."
He sounded grim almost.
Laronen didn't take too long to join them in the war room, before Loriel glanced to Ulfric. "Somewhere more private, yes?"
And he nodded.
The five of them troddened up the steps of the North Wing, following the Jarl up to his own room, and he gazed upon all of them as he leaned against the footboard of his own bed, Loriel lingering by the door while the others situated themselves and Galmar told the guard to stay at the bottom of the stairs and not let anyone pass until given order otherwise by either he, Ysrarald, or Ulfric.
Loriel looked calm, powerful, and distant, nearly regal in his own way once the door was shut and they were certain they were in peace.
Then, with a slow, deep breath, his gaze passed over all of them. "We all need to be ready to be on the move tomorrow. The meeting has been set for the day after."
Galmar looked at Loriel in bafflement.
"That hardly gives us time to prepare! To make excuses!"
"Prepare tonight. We have an opening of no more than three days to accomplish all this," Loriel snapped at him, his patience thin at the interruption. "Our side's excuse is easy, visiting the Rift Stormcloak camp for whatever logical reason you can think of. Balgruuf can think for himself. Either way, you four will need to wait for nightfall before you can make the second leg of your journey to the Reach. If you pace your horses right, you'll make it there by dawn."
"Us four?" Laronen asked, "You're not coming with?"
Loriel shook his head.
"Someone needs to make sure that there's enough chaos to keep Elenwyn busy. I'll be leaving before dawn tomorrow."
"Loriel, if you're doing something dangerous-"
"Laronen, we're all already in danger. Gaius Maro's presence is the least of our worries, and his report to his father with the information I gave him will only help our position. If I don't do this, all of our progress in this matter won't work. All the people that I have invested in this need me to act at certain times and that certain time is soon, brother," Loriel cut him off sternly.
"And when are you going to tell us who all these people of yours are?" Galmar grumbled.
And candlelit eyes fell upon him.
"When we reach a time in our lives where we don't need them."
"Cryptic."
Loriel huffed, "allow me to state this simply so you can understand, Stone-Fist. I have not survived as long as I have without recognizing where and when to make friends in high and low places and when to keep my mouth shut about who they are and what they do, upon pain of death. Don't ask again," he snapped, his tone full of finality, that this was the end of the conversation and there would be no more to it unless they wanted the upon pain of death part to become quite active.
Ulfric cleared his throat quietly and stepped over to his desk, carefully spreading the map over the surface and weighing the corners. "What is our path and our schedule?"
And the four others approached.
Shoulder to shoulder, Ulfric had to pretend he wasn't hyperaware of Loriel beside him, those long fingers trailing over the map as he gave direction and the timetable that they needed to follow.
If they arrived on time, they would have the morning to rest, the afternoon to take part in the meeting with some very specific individuals in attendance, and they would have to be back to the Rift camp by the following morning, all the while Loriel would be causing all sorts of calamities and chaos for his mother to deal with, to cover tracks and be certain everything went as flawlessly as possible.
Galmar glowered at Loriel for his secrecy.
"I suppose you have a camp of pickpockets, throatcutters, and murderers to do all this dirty work for you. By chance any of these bastards be at the meeting?"
And the Dragonborn sneered at him.
"I might, but I have a different man in mind for this arrangement."
There was nothing else Loriel could tell them.
The information he did present was general enough to leave wiggle room and specific enough to make things easy.
And Ulfric watched with his lips pressed thin as Ysrarald, Galmar, and Laronen filed out, Loriel moving to follow before he spoke up.
"Loriel, a moment."
Laronen paused and looked back to his brother.
"Go on ahead. Get our board set up for another game," Loriel told him, and then he closed the door between them, offering privacy for whatever the Jarl had that he wanted to talk about between just the two of them.
And the moment the Altmer lifted his gaze back to Ulfric, a smile broke upon his lips, and the Nord gently pulled him behind the path of the door, fingertips light upon his wrists, and their lips met, warm and soft and welcoming in the slow and thrilling kiss that had Ulfric's blood singing in his ears and Loriel's pulse quickening under his palm.
Moments quiet and eager, stolen like light stole shadows.
They had to be careful though.
And as they broke, Ulfric gently stroked his thumb over the stubble of Loriel's jaw.
"What have you heard?" he whispered.
"All sorts," Loriel murmured.
And told him every thread of the rumor that they now controlled.
Theories of a fight, or realization, or maybe something else. The Jarl coming to terms perhaps, or maybe the madness of wanting the Altmer finally passing. By Loriel going back to sleeping in his own room and the two showing disinterest in each other, the public displays of affection Ulfric had gotten so used to giving now impossible under eyes had sent a whirlwind of rumors around the palace staff, and anyone who carried those rumors farther from the Palace would have it believed that Ulfric no longer wanted Loriel.
But that wasn't necessarily true.
He had Loriel.
But he had to be patient.
Because if Loriel continued to insist on wanting Ulfric to be High King, they would have to pretend.
He didn't want to.
But Loriel wanted this so much.
So he would.