Chapter LXXXVI – The Powers that Be
Neither of them said a word the entire time.
They returned to their room at the Candlehearth silently, closing the door behind them.
The town meeting felt like a blur after the sight of Susanna's mutilated body. Aeyrin vaguely remembered Ulfric's steward stepping in front of everyone, announcing that any citizen and visitor could be detained by the soldiers at any time, if they for some reason suspected them from having a hand in the murders.
All that really meant was that Stormcloaks had even more legal right to terrorize the citizens.
She recalled Ambarys telling them something about a wake in Susanna's memory that night at New Gnisis, but just the idea of another night spent drinking with the Dunmer made her sick to her stomach – not just because of the alcohol. She couldn't just… spend the night drinking and doing nothing.
Not after this.
The Butcher needed to be stopped.
She sat on the bed wearily while Bishop leaned on the wall opposite her, studying her face.
"You know he's just waiting for you to break one of his stupid orders," his brows furrowed.
Was it really so easy for him to tell what she was thinking?
"What else is there to do?" she scoffed, shaking her head.
"Leave. Let him take care of it. It's the Nords dying, not like he can afford letting that happen for long," Bishop retorted. He didn't get rattled easily, but the sight of Susanna's corpse with her face peeled off was still returning to his mind. That twisted freak was obviously capable of some insane shit. And they managed to escape the soldier's notice so far. Whoever it was, they were too dangerous. Aeyrin was so reckless, especially when she was angry. Reckless people made mistakes.
At the very least, Ulfric's orders gave him a good excuse to keep her from sharing the barmaid's gruesome fate. The notions of survival seemed to go straight over her head when she felt like she should be 'helping'.
"I can't let that maniac deal with this! He does nothing but use this to give his soldiers more power! Why would he ever want this to stop?! And if he does… what if… what if the killer is an elf? Can you even imagine what he would do to all of them? What his lackeys would do to them?" she threw her arms up in desperation, shaking her head again.
"You think it's an elf?" Bishop raised his brow at her.
"Well… think about it. Susanna was supposed to be with that man. She left before sundown. The only way she could have been on the streets is if she left his house for some reason, and even then, the soldiers are everywhere. She was so secretive. Isn't it more likely that whoever she was with did it?"
"Maybe… but what's your plan exactly? Say by some fucking miracle you actually avoid all the guards and somehow manage to catch the killer. Even if there's no real way of knowing which night he'll strike again. So you catch him. And he's an elf. What then? You keep it from Ulfric? You kill him? Arrange it to look like another murder? Then none of this will stop. If anything, it'll give him a reason to scour the city for the 'escaped killer'. Or are you planning on framing a Nord in his stead?"
She gave him a rather shocked and desperate look, unable to answer him.
He sighed tiredly and walked towards her, squatting by the bed to align his face with hers, looking into her black eyes.
"I know you're angry, sweetness. But for fuck's sake think this through. There's no way you can help with this."
"But…" her voice quivered a bit. The image of Susanna's corpse was constantly returning to her thoughts. "I can't… I just can't leave like this. I don't know what to do… but I can't do nothing… can't you understand that?"
"Can't you fucking understand that I don't want you to end up like her?!" he stood up abruptly, folding his arms across his chest.
"I can take care of myself, it's just the soldiers and…"
"You don't fucking know that! You don't know what that Butcher is capable of! He's managed to go on a fucking murder rampage while the entire city's on guard! Why are you so sure you're gonna be the exception?! It's not like you can't be prevented from using your powers!"
She stared at him for a while. Everything he said was true. But it didn't change a thing. She couldn't just do nothing.
"Fine… then I'll go," he narrowed his eyes at her after a while, his arms still across his chest.
"What?"
"I'll monitor the streets at night. The curfew doesn't apply to me," he shrugged. He knew exactly how she was going to react.
"NO!"
"Why not?" he scoffed. So predictable.
Good question… Maybe because she would spend her night worried to death. Maybe because they didn't really know for certain that the Butcher only targeted women. Maybe it really was a coincidence. Maybe because, while the curfew didn't apply to him, the new order did. And 'monitoring the streets at night' was definitely suspicious.
"… It's… too… dangerous…" she sighed in defeat. She did understand why he wanted them to just leave. But every time she thought of that, she felt so guilty.
He sat on the bed beside her, surprisingly enough, the familiar victorious smirk didn't appear on his face this time.
"How could anyone get past the soldiers…" she sighed.
"The roofs. Invisibility. There's options…" Bishop shrugged. He was thinking about it before and it wasn't impossible to achieve. Although catching someone in the streets would have been rather difficult. If the killer really persuaded the victims to come to his house, then dropping the corpse was not that undoable. Aeyrin was right, Susanna's secrecy and the timing all pointed out to her 'date' being the culprit.
"The roofs?" she gave him a pondering look. Wouldn't the soldiers notice?
"There's barely anyone up on the ramparts. I've checked. The roofs, especially those by the center of the city, would be a safe place to move around," Bishop explained.
"And invisibility… that's a… powerful spell. Only seasoned wizards know it…" Aeyrin's brows creased.
"Ulfric has a court wizard," he shrugged. That could point out to a whole conspiracy. Delphine would have been actually helpful in figuring this out, that crazy nutcase.
"Or… there's potions. Quintus would definitely sell some. But if someone actually bought a large amount, he would have likely thought it suspicious… maybe he would have even reported it," she pondered further.
"People shop at the Grey Quarter too. If the killer was an elf, he'd hardly go to Quintus," Bishop nodded knowingly.
"Who sells potions at the Grey Quarter? There's no alchemist…" she looked at him curiously.
"… Revyn…" Bishop's eyes narrowed again. Would that man actually be capable of something like this? He knew some twisted people in his life, he was kinda convinced that he'd be able to tell by now. But that was naïve. He should have known that people you would never expect were the ones who could pull off the most disturbing shit.
"We… we could probably just ask Ambarys who was at the cornerclub last night…" she gave him a hopeful look. It sounded like the best and most harmless thing to do.
…
"Maybe there are some clues about his identity in Susanna's house. Or what about that strange smell around her… her body? Maybe Karnwyr could track it…" Aeyrin racked her brain further as they walked away from the cornerclub. The wolf's ears perked up at the mention of his name.
Ambarys claimed that everyone stayed at the cornerclub that night again, including Revyn, his sister, all the farmers and anyone else they could have thought of. Someone might have slipped out while the patrons' attentions were somehow diverted perhaps. But the common room was small and someone would have noticed a person leaving. And it definitely wouldn't go without further notice, especially with the curfew.
If someone was dexterous enough, they might have slipped through the cracks of the roof, however. It fit with Bishop's theory on how the killer moved around the city.
"There's guards everywhere. At her house, at the underpass. Didn't you notice?" Bishop retorted immediately.
She didn't. Her thoughts were only swirling with options on how to proceed constantly.
"Maybe if we got to the roofs now and stayed through the night," she looked up instinctively. Bishop would surely know how to remain hidden and get the best vantage point.
"Ladyship…" he sighed in exasperation. She was stubbornly not letting this go, even though they were clearly out of options.
They visited Quintus at first, but he said that no one purchased any invisibility potions from him. They went to Ambarys, who wasn't much help either and going to see the court wizard was a really bad idea. In fact, showing their faces in front of Ulfric at all seemed like a bad idea, even though there was technically nothing he could have accused them of. For now.
"We could hide somewhere and monitor the streets like that…" Aeyrin said quietly.
"Why the fuck do you think we'll see anything that the guards wouldn't? And why would you think that the killer will strike again tonight? It's always been longer than a single day…"
He was right about all that and she knew. But she just couldn't do nothing. It was like an obsession. Susanna's corpse kept flashing before her eyes like a strange warning whenever she even considered leaving.
It was pointless for him to fight her. They both knew it. No matter how level-headed and rational he was, she could not stop the horrible feelings in her gut unless she did something.
And she didn't know what else to do. Every good lead she could think of resulted in a dead end.
She would have asked anyone who Susanna confided in about her date, but sadly, she suspected that the two of them were actually the only people she was close to.
All of that was about to change.
She was so happy. So hopeful for her life to turn around.
The world was unfair.
She had to do something to prevent this happening to anyone else.
…
It would have been a rather enjoyable way to spend the night, if it weren't for the fact that both of them crouched on the opposite edges of the roof, hiding behind the small stone wall around it almost like on a rampart.
The skies were clear, the stars shining brightly above the green lights dancing across the vast black emptiness.
They had Karnwyr prowl the streets, hiding in the bushes. They told him to make a ruckus if he spotted anyone who didn't 'feel right' to him. There was not much else to do. They were both out of ideas on how to avoid the soldiers and Ulfric's scrutiny.
If Karnwyr alerted the guards, at least the killer could be caught. Even if it was an elf, it would probably be better than if he was still walking free.
Or she.
But since they started to suspect Susanna's date, it was more likely that the killer was a man.
But who? If everyone was back at the cornerclub the night she was killed, who could she have been talking about?
Aeyrin concentrated on the more shadowy corners and alcoves that she could see from their vantage point, but it was so hard to make out shapes in the dark.
"This is pointless, sweetness," Bishop sighed in a hushed voice, careful not to let it carry through the silence of the night.
"I know."
"Then why?"
"I don't know…"
There was silence again. He threw a glance back at her but her attention was fully captured by the streets below as she peeked from behind the low wall of the roof.
It was strange, but suddenly, he felt like he understood. It was similar for him after Jules died. There was nothing but this overwhelming obsession to make things right. Because nothing seemed right then. All he could think of doing was making sure that Jules's family was safe and well. It probably never stopped. He would never forgive that fucking tin-head for ruining that.
"What do you think happens… after?" Bishop spoke after a long while, staring down at the streets. Nords loved to spew shit about glorious deaths in battle and Sovngarde, but he wasn't sure if he believed any of that. For all he knew, it was just fairy tales to ease their minds. He never really took anything to do with Gods seriously – it all just seemed like overzealous propaganda.
"You know… I'm not sure myself. I asked the priests for the answers many times. Usually they talked of Arkay and going to his side. Some seemed to think that as followers of Stendarr, our souls would go to him. Then a visiting Bosmer priest told me about Y'ffre and the Green Pact. And something called… Ooze. I honestly don't know how that works if I've never even been to Valenwood and I've barely even heard of her and her… Ooze…" Aeyrin wrinkled her nose, her rapt attention on the streets was finally diverted by pondering on the subject. It always felt so complicated to her… and she wasn't even considering the whole business with soul trapping or the Dreamsleeve. Those went right over her head in her studies.
"One of the books about the Dragonborn also said that they are bound to Akatosh. And another one said that they are destined for Sovngarde… with the Nords," she smiled lightly. Why was that oddly comforting? Why would any place full of Nords be comforting? Maybe just some specific Nords… No matter… anything was better than whatever that Ooze was…
"You believe all that? It sounds… weird and made up…" he scoffed slightly. He never got the point of finding comfort in the afterlife. There was none in life, why should there be any after you croak? How did not being able to survive merit any kind of reward? And why should anyone live their lives subjected to the will of someone they've never even really seen, just because some book told them that if they don't, they'd share some horrible fate.
"I… guess… I suppose we have to go somewhere, right? It just seemed rather complicated to me. If everything I've heard and read on that subject was true, whole pantheons of several cultures would be arguing about who gets my soul," she giggled lightly, but it was more disturbing than anything else.
There was another moment of silence. Even though he never really believed this shit, there was still questions on his mind at times he couldn't get rid of. Would he ever see Jules again? And now… would he get to stay with her?
"Why did you ask me that?" she turned towards him for a brief while, seeing him look down on the street with creased brows.
"No reason, I guess… I just… wondered if she's with him…"
Silence again. She wished she knew more, to be assured that Susanna was back with the man she loved and lost.
Aeyrin even wished for Susanna to have stayed on Nirn as a ghost – unavenged, waiting until the killer was caught and she could pass on.
But this way, it painfully seemed that Aeyrin was the only one who cared about her death. Rationally, she knew that wasn't true. But she couldn't shake the feeling anyways.
Wait, was there some strange shadow by one of the dark alcoves?
The guards all had torches, it must have been someone who didn't want to be seen.
Aeyrin sprung up, making sure that her knife was still hidden in her boot.
"Wait here, watch the streets," she hissed at Bishop quietly and headed quickly towards their access route – she could jump down from one of the lower roofs and get to the alcove like that.
"What?!" Bishop turned around sharply. What the fuck was she doing now?! She was too fast and alert, already jumping over the small gap between roofs, out of his grasp.
Fuck! Why was she so damn reckless?! Someone would see her! And where the fuck was she even going?!
He crawled towards the other edge of the roof, watching her move towards the streets. He wouldn't be able to catch up before she got to the street and it wouldn't really help anything if he got caught alongside her. Regardless of his race, the guards would definitely consider that 'suspicious'.
Aeyrin hurried towards the darkness. There were no guards on her route. She would catch him. Then it wouldn't matter if she got caught by the guards with the killer finally brought to justice. She rushed into the alcove, a glint of auburn-bronze hair caught her attention, glittering lightly in the moonlight. It lett her know the position of the assailant instantly.
It took a while for her eyes to adjust.
The golden eyes in front of her went wide before she noticed an outline of a finger to the lips, an angry voice hissing quietly.
"Ssssh! I need to get home before they see me. You're the dragon girl with that Guild member, right? What are you doing here?" the Altmer standing in the alcove shook her head slightly, heading closer to a door nearby.
It was the trader she bought her cloak from – the smuggler and Guild contact, Niranye.
"Me? What are you doing here so late?" Aeyrin hissed right back at her in a hushed tone.
"Contact meeting. Fuckers love their cloak and dagger charades. Now shush before someone hears. I'm going home," Niranye retorted angrily. The sound of turning key echoed lightly through the alcove and she disappeared into the door.
Bishop watched Aeyrin in the alcove. There was the occasional glint of something and shifting shadow –the only hints that she was there. What the fuck was she doing?
There was a guard coming down the street by the alcove.
Fuck, princess, hide!
"Come out, I know you're in there!" the soldier bellowed, his voice carrying over the streets. Bishop could see another one of his cohorts attracted by the noise and heading towards him.
Aeyrin fidgeted nervously for a while, looking around as if for a saving grace.
None came.
Oh Gods, what now?
She stepped out of the shadows towards the guard's lit torch just as another one approached them from the distance. Both of them wore a malicious grin at the sight of her.
"The orders apply to everyone, Dragonborn. No matter how special they think they are," the guard smirked at her victoriously.
"Yeah… delusions don't count for much in our city, elfie. Not when we have the real legend at our front," the approaching guard laughed.
She remembered what Susanna told her. Were they really convinced that Ulfric was the 'real' Dragonborn?
Ordinarily she might have even liked the fact that the attention was on someone else, but with Ulfric… It was not only dangerous, but also strangely infuriating.
She was so fed up with him profiting off of their ignorance.
She was so fed up with his ego running the city and its people to the ground.
He could have even started these rumors himself! She wouldn't put it past him. Was he really so fragile, that he needed to plot how to get more followers to his cause while his people were in danger?!
"Someone has to protect the citizens, no matter their 'delusions', when you're incapable," she hissed at the men hatefully. She knew it would only make things worse, but she couldn't help herself. The anger was bubbling up inside her already.
"How exactly are you protecting anyone by skulking in the bushes, knife-ear?!" the first guard's brows furrowed contemptfully.
"Enough of this shit. We're taking you to the High King. I'm sure he'll be interested to hear that you've been acting suspicious. I bet he'll want to interrogate you himself," the second man smirked maliciously and pulled off a set of iron cuffs from his belt.
Dammit, that escalated fast.
Well… not like she wasn't expecting that.
She looked up to the roof above. She couldn't see anything but she knew Bishop was watching her. She shook her head as inconspicuously as she could, signaling for him to stay away. His presence would only make things worse, getting him into trouble alongside her. And it was not like he could help. They couldn't just attack them after all.
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" she spat at them defiantly, still unwilling to cooperate with the men.
Besides, she really didn't want to find out what Ulfric's 'interrogation' entailed.
"You better do as you're told, bitch. We're authorized to use force!"
"Go ahead and try! We'll see who's delusional," she gave him the meanest sneer she could muster, unable to help herself. She knew she couldn't attack them, but she could at least defy them as long as it was possible. Out of the corner of the eye she could see another guard approaching from the alley.
This did not look good.
As much as she despised them, she didn't really want to hurt these men. And it would not help anything. It would just bring a whole mess of trouble down upon her head.
She threw another tentative look up, shaking her head again. She could have sworn she heard his blood boiling.
Bishop watched the scene, fidgeting. What the fuck was he supposed to do now? He didn't even take his bow in order to look unsuspicious. Not that he could really get away with killing three guards in plain sight. He could see the windows of the houses around lighting up, the loud yelling making people curious.
He could go down and try to help her appease them, but how would that even work? He was not good at this shit.
Or he could just break her out of wherever they would take.
That he was good at.
Although… the Palace of the Kings was probably a bit… beyond his capabilities…
"What is going on here?!" the crack of opening door echoed through the streets as an older Nord stepped outside of the building they previously lurked upon. He was clad in traditional Nordic noble clothing – it reminded her of the outfit Susanna lent Bishop for the concert.
"Lord Free-Winter, this does not concern you, please return to your home," one of the guards growled at him while his hand rested on the pommel of his sword threateningly.
"It does concern me when soldiers harass an esteemed visitor to our city at my doorstep. Explain yourselves!" the man stood haughtily and proudly, his arms folded across his chest with barely contained impatience.
"Your 'esteemed visitor' was skulking about in the shadows suspiciously, breaking the curfew, and now she refuses to come with us!" the guard retorted angrily, pointing at her.
The stranger sighed and shook his head somberly before turning his gaze to Aeyrin: "Lady Dragonborn, I'm sure there is no need to escalate things. Why don't you tell these men what you are doing here so we can end this without any unpleasantries."
"I already did. I was doing what they couldn't! Trying to find that maniac who killed my friend last night!" she gritted her teeth with a hateful glare still directed at the soldiers.
"Shut your mouth, knife-ear! We'll see that bravado after the High King deals with you!" one of the men spat back at her.
"Gentlemen! This is unnecessary. I am certain that the lady did nothing that would warrant…"
"She broke the law, lord Free-Winter! We have to bring her in!" another guard stopped him instantly, the iron cuffs still in his hands.
"Yes… Understandable. But I do hope you understand my position. One of my off-city holdings was decimated by a dragon recently. I, as well as many other citizens, would certainly be somewhat… angered if the only person capable of preventing such events was detained in the Palace. I hope you will make sure that our… king… understands the predicament," the man's tone carried a dangerous warning.
Did he actually have any pull with Ulfric? She kind of assumed that the nobles in Windhelm already ascribed to the theory that Ulfric was the Dragonborn. She never expected one to stand up for her.
"Whatever… we're bringing her in…" the soldier scoffed, rattling the cuffs determinedly
"I suppose. Please, make sure that Ulfric knows I will be coming by the Palace right at sundown to make sure he did not endanger our entire province needlessly. I will be making personally sure that we have protection against the dragons on behalf of mine and the other families supporting his coffers with his outrageous taxes," the man smirked, giving her a slow nod.
That was… somewhat reassuring.
But the threat of that… 'interrogation' was still looming over her.
Hopefully Ulfric really couldn't kill her. He made that somewhat clear himself during their dinner.
She really hoped he still considered her 'necessary'.
"Lady Dragonborn, please make sure to relay the message if the good men fail to do so. My name is Brunwulf Free-Winter. I assure you that our… king will know it well," he gave her a kind and encouraging smile, again pausing oddly at Ulfric's honorific. Did he have a problem with Ulfric calling himself the High King?
But that man's name did sound familiar. Where has she heard it before?
The soldiers seemed livid but their hands fell from their weapons; only the one holding the cuffs stepped towards her.
She sighed. It was likely the best course of action at that moment. And that man seemed like someone who could get things done.
If Ulfric tried anything… more final in the meantime, it wasn't as if she was helpless.
That was one person she wouldn't feel guilty about 'Shouting to pieces'.
She stretched out her hands, letting the man cuff her. She flinched away immediately from another one of them, who tried to grab her by the shoulder to usher her towards the Palace, and walked in that direction herself.
Bishop descended from the rooftop quickly after the scene, rushing to catch the strange man before he returned to his home.
"Hey…"
"Shor's bones! Where did you come from?!" Brunwulf startled as he turned his attention from the group of people heading towards the Palace.
"Your roof. Are you seriously gonna get her out?" Bishop inquired of him. Leaving her in Ulfric's clutches overnight wasn't exactly the option he wanted to take, but…
"My… roof?" the man looked up in confusion, then narrowed his eyes at him. "Who are you?"
"I'm with her… we were watching the streets for the killer. What did all that do? Can you actually get her out? What's he gonna do to her?" he insisted, looking at the man in suspicion. It seemed odd that Ulfric would just bow down to some noble from his city.
"I… am uncertain of what he will do. But I am sure that it won't be anything that could… jeopardize her potential assistance against the dragons. As much as he might hate it, he needs her alive and willing to protect his people if it comes to that, no matter the rumors he allows to circulate," Brunwulf shook his head incredulously, but give Bishop an encouraging smile a second later.
"And I assure you, he will let her out at my insistence. Ulfric may have the manpower and support of able-bodied soldiers, but war requires money and nobility support, which the man lacks sorely. He tries his best to woo them with expensive banquets and concerts, but in the end, we all know that his cause hurts trade and cross-border relations. It is not an easy support to win and right now, the majority of his income is from his wealthier citizens."
Who knew that Ulfric's stranglehold on the city was this fragile?
Well… supposedly he could always take his soldiers and force the land into submission, but he likely still didn't have the army to rival the Empire.
It was somewhat uplifting to hear.
"My influence has limits. But so does his. Fear not. I am certain she will return with an unpleasant memory at the worst. If you wish to make sure, meet me at the Palace gates at dawn."
It was only a few hours away. And as much as he wanted to sneak into the Palace to break her out, it might have just made the situation worse in the long run. Besides… it was one thing to infiltrate a guarded place with a proper plan, but storming the Palace with no idea where she even was being held, while the whole city was on high alert, would definitely end very badly for him.
He didn't have much choice in the matter.
He just hoped he wouldn't regret trusting this man.
