Chapter LXXXVII – The Once Banished

"In here, elf."

The guard led her through several corridors down into the lower levels of the Palace.

They passed through the prison and she noticed two Dunmer locked up in the cells there. They were either asleep or passed out though and she couldn't see who they were or if they were hurt.

The guard ushered her into the door at the end of the hall filled with cells, leading her into a small room with only two baskets in it – one of them filled with rags.

He started to undo her cuffs after a bit and clapped them back onto his belt. He then pulled out two rags from the basket and shoved them roughly in her hands.

"Take everything off, we can't allow any hidden weapons. You'll be searched. Then put this on and come out," he stated matter-of-factly, turning to leave her in the small room.

"You can't be serious…" she cringed at him when she looked at the filthy rags in her hand.

"You seem to be forgetting that you've been arrested, knife-ear! Don't think that fucker Free-Winter's speech gets you any special treatment in here!" he spat at her before turning on his heel abruptly and slamming the door behind him.

Well… she was arrested….

What exactly was she expecting?

She's never been in prison before. Her only visits there consisted of picking up Bishop after his… outbursts.

She did break the law, but it was an unfair biased and racist law which she was not ashamed of breaking in any way. Not that it mattered here…

With a deep sigh she started to take off her clothes, but paused suddenly as the two necklaces dangled from her neck when she removed her shirt.

Should she take them off? What would they do with her things? She really hoped they would give them back in the morning when she was released.

But she couldn't be sure.

Then again… if she hid them in the rags, they might destroy them out of spite like Mercer did.

She couldn't risk that! She promised Bishop she would keep Jules's ring safe.

She took off the necklaces reluctantly in the end. She felt uncomfortable without them.

If they didn't return her things, she was determined to plot with Bishop how he could sneak in to steal her stuff back.

She was not gonna let Ulfric or his men get their hands on something so precious to her.

Her blood was still boiling from what happened, but more and more, her situation was starting to get abundantly clear to her and the fear and anxiety slowly crept in.

She couldn't let it! She couldn't show any weakness in front of Ulfric.

It would be fine… that man angered her to no end, she was sure she would get furious with him soon enough and her fire and eloquence would be back. At times, this uncontrollable attitude was dangerous and unwanted, but right now, she was glad for it.

It made her appear stronger than she felt herself to be.

She pulled up the filthy pants on her, draping the similarly ragged shirt over her head a second later.

What the…

It was torn on the back, exposing a rather large part of her bare skin there.

She fished around the basket for a new one but it had the very same problem. Another one too.

What was the purpose of that?

She let out another sigh, then checked on her clothes and necklaces in the previously empty basket before she left through the door. She almost stumbled into the guard waiting for her there.

"Finally! Through here," he grumbled, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her towards another room in the corridor roughly.

They entered the room.

There was a… strange chair in the middle – it had a back so high it must have reached up to one's head, but it consisted only of the outlying arch, leaving the entire back of a person sitting on it exposed.

It gave her a really uncomfortable feeling.

There were old dried bloodstains on the floor below the chair, a brazier right next to it with a poker jabbed into the burning coals. The only other thing in the room was a large chest by the back wall, closed and… it looked like it was stained with blood too.

Was that… an actual torture room?

The back of her head started to burn wildly, her hands shaking.

She clenched them into fists, gritting her teeth firmly.

She could not let this overwhelm her now!

"Sit!" the man ordered, folding his hands across his chest expectantly.

"Why? I can stand…" she hissed through the gritted teeth, but she already knew it was pointless.

She should stay calm. This was only for show. Ulfric's fragile ego needed to scare her into submission before he dared talking to her.

It was nothing but posturing.

"Do I have to tell you again?! You are a prisoner! You will do as you're told. And I assure you, if you make trouble, you are never setting foot out of this place! Not like we need you for anything…" he gave her a malicious sneer and shoved her roughly into the direction of the chair.

He was convinced that Ulfric was the real Dragonborn.

But it didn't matter. Ulfric knew he was nothing but a pretender. He couldn't afford to kill or lock her up in there – the dragons would get out of control.

And yet… she couldn't help but fear the consequences of disobeying. It was obvious that Ulfric and his men could make even these few hours highly unpleasant for her.

She should probably not give the overzealous creeps any more reasons than she had to, no matter how much she wished to defy them.

She slowly walked towards the chair, sitting herself in it with her head resting on the wooden arch, her back uncomfortably exposed.

The guard approached her and yanked her hands to lay on the armrests. Using the iron cuffs, he fastened her to them as the chain between metal around her wrists dangled above her lap.

She threw him a hateful glare, but what was the point? She was already chained up.

The man gave her a vicious smirk and turned on his heel, leaving her alone in the chamber.

She wondered if her ethereal form could get her out of that chair. It probably could… after all, it even made a long fall harmless. She never would have thought that, but when she was falling back at Kynesgrove, her instincts took over.

Would they ever steer her wrong? What if she began to rely on them too much? Then one day… her instincts about the Shouts would be wrong and…

Why was she making herself even more anxious with these thoughts?!

She should get mad again.

Once she sees Ulfric's smug face, it will surely take care of itself.

How long has it been?

She must have sat there for at least an hour!

Was Ulfric busy or was he doing this on purpose to rattle her, to make the trepidation worse?

She wasn't sure which was worse.

Her thoughts were still going back and forth… she wanted to resist, to force her way out of this situation, but she feared it would make everything worse.

Ulfric had half the province under his thumb – if he declared her an enemy, she couldn't go anywhere near his soldiers.

She knew now all too well that they wouldn't stay their hand – they already thought she was a pretender.

Ironically enough, Ulfric was the only one who could help her against his followers.

She should just endure whatever he had in store for her with her head held high, show no weakness to that bully.

Suddenly the door swung open and the man himself entered, followed by a large person with a hood and metal mask on his face.

He almost looked like one of those draugr mage things, if it weren't for his bare-chested muscular body. Did he get the mask from one of those creatures? And why? Who was that?

Whatever the case, all that definitely did it.

She felt her teeth clench again, her anxiety and fear replaced by unbridled hatred.

"Apologies for the wait. I hope you enjoyed the accommodations in the meantime," Ulfric smirked, breaking his stony expression for a brief second as the strange masked man positioned himself behind her.

That was nerve-wrecking, she couldn't see him at all! She only felt his oddly repulsive presence at her back.

"Torture chamber? Really? What era is this?" she spat at Ulfric spitefully, earning a mean chuckle from him in turn.

"Naïve as ever, aren't you? It must have been all sunshine and rainbows for you down south," he mocked her with a nasty sneer, making her roll her eyes at him exasperatedly.

To be fair… she never really saw any dungeons belonging to a powerful ruler before, but she sorely hoped that not all of them were fashioned with such a room.

Then again, that might have really been naïve…

"Speaking of naivety… I don't know what you're expecting from keeping me here, but I have a message for you. From lord Free-Winter," Divines, how she hoped that the mention of Brunwulf's name would break that smirk of his. She prayed that the nobleman wasn't just exaggerating his station.

Ulfric's expression turned to stony and unreadable again after the name earned her a derisive scoff.

"I heard. Cleverly played. But don't presume it will help you much. The nobles will soon be in the palm of my hand and in the meantime… well… it's not like I can't get creative…"

Gods… what did that mean?!

Stop panicking!

"What do you want from me?!" she barked at him impatiently. How she wished it would be dawn already. She really hoped that Brunwulf could get her out like he insinuated.

"Not much. You are here because you broke the law, just like the rest of the criminals in my cells. But it did occur to me that this may be the perfect opportunity to make certain… issues clear between us," Ulfric shrugged disinterestedly, the unreadable expression still etched on his face.

That sounded… bad…

"Whatever leverage you think you gain by getting Free-Winter and his cohorts on your side, it is temporary and inconsequential…" he folded his arms across his chest haughtily, pacing back and forth across the room in an irritating manner. He did not even spare her a glance, as if he was walking by a mere ant under his feet.

She wasn't sure if it was good or bad that he suspected her from forming any sort of alliance with the nobles of Windhelm – he either feared her more than it appeared, or he thought her more of a threat and he would try harder to get rid of her…

"You see… my men… they don't see things the way the nobles do. They have… different ideas of your importance. And you seem to be forgetting just how loyal they are. What do you think will happen if I inform them that you are actively marring our work, fighting against our cause? Do you truly think that anyone would blame me, if you get yourself killed outside my city in your own incompetence? Do you truly think, that you can openly defy me and get away with it only because some consider you necessary?"

Her blood seemed to freeze over at his words. Would he really have the entire rebellion kill her on sight? Most of them already thought that he was the Dragonborn, there was no doubt in her mind that just a mild insinuation from that man would turn them against her instantly.

"You should be grateful. As of now, they are ordered not to harm you. But should that change…"

He looked back towards the figure behind her suddenly, nodding somberly.

What did that mean?

A loud sound drowned her ears, a stinging sharp pain slashing across her bare back suddenly. She felt the scrape of leather against her skin, her bones vibrating. There was a palpable warm trickle of blood running down from where she felt the unbearable sting. Her eyes went wide, filling with tears of pain involuntarily.

She forced herself to keep her mouth shut instinctively, but a shocked yelp formed at the back of her throat nonetheless, audible in the silent room.

It made Ulfric grin at her maliciously.

She took a deep breath behind her gritted teeth.

She would not give him the satisfaction of breaking down, but the fear was overtaking her quickly.

In all his bluster, she still did not suspect him of actually hurting her, even only to make a point.

She really was naïve.

"You have broken my laws and according to my men, you have meddled in affairs of my city. Did you really think I would ignore this?" he scoffed at her and returned to his pacing, his eyes averted disinterestedly again.

"Now… here's what will happen. I will release you in the morning… if only to appease those simpering fools that are too afraid to take a stand. But you will respect my laws. Unless you want to be declared my enemy publically. I'm uncertain if you concerned yourself with the politics of the war at all, but be assured, half of the province is already in my hands and soon, the rest will follow. If you didn't notice, my soldiers are stationed at Riften, Dawnstar and Winterhold and it is only a matter of time before we take the rest. You better cooperate, unless you want your life here to get… very unpleasant…"

The whip cracked again, another slash of sharp pain shooting through her core. This time she expected it and managed to keep completely quiet, giving him a defiant stare.

She needed to be strong, show him that she won't be intimidated.

But she didn't feel like that at all.

It was so painful, she just wanted to curl into a ball and cry.

It felt so… humiliating. Being at his mercy, unable to do anything about it.

She wanted to Shout at him, to show him that she was stronger than him.

But every scenario she ran in her head ended up with her dead.

He was right.

He did hold all the cards.

"What are you gonna do with the dragons then? What are you going to do when your men find out you are a fraud?!" she hissed at him in fury, bracing herself for another crack of the whip.

None came this time.

"Perhaps I should keep you here then… my own personal soul devourer. Who could oppose me then? I assure you, I can think of incentives for your cooperation. Perhaps involving your man or that mangy mongrel you traipse around my city with… Weaklings like you have soft spots for others, it is easily manipulated," he smirked maliciously again as his eyes turned to her, narrowed in hatred and disdain.

"But why turn to such measures? Consider this your last warning, elf. Take your punishment, respect my laws and do not meddle in my affairs, or you will be wishing I have had you killed quickly when I first saw you enter my land."

The stony expression was back on his face. She was sure it would haunt her dreams. He didn't give her a chance to retort. He turned on his heel abruptly and left the room, slamming the door behind him roughly.

She felt ready to break down, but the unsettling chuckle coming from behind her broke her from her despair.

She almost forgot about that man.

"Ten lashes for breaking the High King's order, elf," the tone of his voice was so pleased. He was clearly enjoying his job in a very twisted way.

If she gave in and cried out, he would surely tell Ulfric.

She couldn't.

She had to endure.

But the desperation was quickly creeping in.

In between the horrible pain in her back, her thoughts swirled back to Susanna.

How on Nirn could she ever make things right now?

She needed to make sure that what happened to her would not happen to anyone in Windhelm ever again.

But how?

CRACK!

She swallowed the pained scream in her throat, shutting her eyes tightly and fisting her hands. She could feel the leather scraping over her already damaged skin – she could have sworn it forced chunks of her flesh off of her.

She would not break down!

CRACK!

A subdued pained shriek formed in her throat before a disgusting chuckle from the man behind her filled her ears. Only eight more to go…

CRACK!

Bishop paced back and forth in the large hall, pricking up his ears to hear the conversation.

Brunwulf Free-Winter was standing below Ulfric's throne as the king lounged on it with a bored expression.

Did he make a mistake leaving her there? Who knew what Ulfric would have done to her?! It was so reckless.

But any way he spun it, it was the safest option.

Even if he was capable of breaking her out, what then? Every Stormcloak in the province would be at their throats! They wouldn't be able to even enter the northern cities and they would have to be on guard constantly in the Holds that Ulfric had under his thumb.

One night in prison was worth avoiding that, right?

"That is unacceptable! How do you expect…"

"Enough, Free-Winter! My decision is final! I have told you…"

He caught part of the conversation when they raised their voices at each other.

That did not sound good.

Fuck!

Finally! He saw Aeyrin emerge from one of the doors with the old priest of Talos walking behind her.

She looked fine… although she had an odd expression on her face. It was clear she was trying to look defiant towards Ulfric, but her eyes looked strange, even from the distance between them. They looked empty.

It kind of terrified him.

Fuck, he should have come for her.

"Well now…" Ulfric got up from his throne when he saw her appear in the door. Bishop came closer, stopping just before he reached her to see what that fucker wanted now.

"For breaking the law and hindering an ongoing investigation, you are hereby banished from Windhelm. You are prohibited to enter the city walls and the dock area unless I give my explicit consent. You are to leave immediately," Ulfric gave a solemn nod at her and sat back in his throne. He threw a rather dismissive look towards Brunwulf a second later.

The nobleman shook his head defeatedly and turned on his heel, heading towards the exit. He gave Bishop a bit of an apologetic expression on the way but he didn't say anything.

For that matter, neither did Aeyrin.

She didn't protest, she didn't yell at Ulfric. She gave him a contemptful look but kept her mouth shut, turning around to head towards Bishop.

All he managed was a concerned stare.

What the fuck just happened?

"Come on," she almost whispered. She didn't stop for a second and headed towards the door.

"Hey! Stop for a second!"

She was hurrying towards the city gates. She did not even take her pack from him.

"Didn't you hear? I have to leave…" she answered almost disinterestedly, not turning towards Bishop even for a second.

He did hear. How fucking ironically familiar. He wondered if that extended to him, however he did not technically break any of Ulfric's orders.

If he did, what would he be called now? Was there another word for four times?

The Frice-Banished?

Ugh… not the time…

"Princess, fuck, what happened? What did that bastard do to you?" he caught up to her. He placed his hand on her back reassuringly but she flinched away from him in an instant.

What the fuck?!

"Later… Can we please leave?" her voice cracked a bit, making chill run down his spine.

She still didn't look back and continued in her strides.

He gave out a loud whistle to call Karnwyr to them before he started following her from some distance.

He knew he should have come for her…