Chapter Four
Nelkir of Whiterun/Elisif the Fair
Nelkir stared at the temple in amazement. When his father had sent him to serve the Dragonborn, he thought it to be as good as exile. Two weeks of hard riding on the road hadn't done much else to dissuade him of that notion, but now, his thoughts were changing. He was seated in the courtyard, watching as two men, a Nord and a Bosmer led another group of six through the techniques of using the Akaviri blade. Towards the edge of the platform, a woman led another four Blades through archery practice, aiming at swinging targets. So far, none of them had missed.
Karsten had ducked into a side room to talk with two other Blades, and one of the newest recruits, a man named Golldir led him to where he was now. Nelkir wasn't sure if Skyrim was becoming safer, or if the fear of the Dragonborn kept them safe. Every so often as they travelled, Karsten would angle his head upwards before letting out a shout. When he had asked, the older Nord explained that he was sending a warning to anyone in the area that he was present. It had worked so far, so he gave Karsten the benefit of the doubt.
"You're a bit too young to be joining us," the Bosmer said, lowering himself beside Nelkir.
"Why'd Karsten bring you with him?"
"I think as a favour to my father," he said carefully, "though I'm not entirely sure to be honest. Where are you from?"
"Nice subject change," the elf laughed, "I'm Faendal. I lived in Riverwood before Karsten brought me here."
"Why'd you go with him, if I may ask?"
Faendal chuckled.
"It's a bit of a sad story, actually," he said, "I was competing with another Nord, Sven, for the affections of an Imperial Girl, Camilla Valerius. I approached Karsten while he was recovering with Alvor and asked for his help. He looked at me like I was an idiot before refusing. I didn't see him for four months, but when he returned, he sat Sven and I down, told us why we were being stupid, and offered us an opportunity to do something important. I accepted, Sven didn't—not right away, at least."
"Why not?" Nelkir asked.
"He thought that with me gone, he'd have a better chance of wooing Camilla," Faendal laughed, "I returned to Riverwood nearly six months later with Karsten and two other Blades—Anneke over there leading the archery drills, and Ogol, who isn't here. We had heard reports that a dragon was nesting at the old barrow at the top of the mountain. Karsten thinks it sensed his Dragon Blood when he arrived, because it immediately swooped down and began attacking. The guards did what they could, but… we had been trained to kill dragons, and they hadn't. It took damn near an hour, especially since Karsten was just there to 'watch.'
"He didn't help?"
"Us? No, he didn't," Faendal replied, "he helped the Whiterun guard keep the villagers alive, though he did intervene towards the end of the fight," he motioned towards a long, jagged scar on his arm, "to stop me from losing my arm. Sven asked to join the Blades after that. Karsten brought him here, and now he teaches the sword classes."
Faendal pointed towards the Nord who was leading a quartet of recruits through the use of the Akaviri blade, and how to best use it.
"Elves can say what they want, but you Nords are quick at learning weapons. I had six months on Sven and he's surpassed me with his skills with a blade—though mine always laid with the bow. I never thought Sven and I would become friends, but here we are, weeks from Riverwood in the mountains of the Reach, helping revive an order of dragon slayers led by a legendary figure from Tamriel's past we never thought to see again." Faendal shrugged, an easy-going grin on his face. "Interesting times make for interesting friends."
"So I'm learning," Nelkir said.
"And what of you?" Faendal asked, "it's not very often the son of a Jarl comes to visit us, even if he is a bastard."
Bastard. The word didn't sting as much as it used to. A fortnight of travelling with Karsten had broken the effect the word had on him.
"I'm a bastard too," he had pointed out, "my father and mother weren't married, and he even married someone else not long after I was born, yet I'm no more or no less than any other man."
"But you're the Dragonborn," Nelkir had countered. Karsten had laughed at that.
"I am still a man, Nelkir. I bleed. I need food and drink, I need to sleep. I was a man before I found out I was Dragonborn, and I will be a man long after," Karsten had turned in his saddle then, "being a bastard didn't make me any less. In fact, it made me more. People disregard bastards. They expect very little of us, so I always enjoyed showing them that I was so much more. We are not so unalike, you and I. You've been raised in your fathers household, been afforded tutors, and now you're with me. There are worse lives for bastards."
So no, the word 'bastard' didn't sting like it used to. That doesn't mean he had to enjoy it.
"Whether or not my parents were married doesn't matter," he snapped, "I'm here for reasons of their own. I've been apprenticed to the Dragonborn, so to speak. I think it's to ensure my brother's place in Whiterun is solidified."
"Oh? What makes you think that?" Faendal arched an eyebrow.
"Karsten asked me a question when he was in Dragonsreach," he admitted, "I made my brother look like a fool for answering a question realistically. In front of court, too. It's not exile—I'll be allowed to return once I reach my majority if I wish, but it's clearly a power-move by my father and his most important thegn."
"There are worse people to learn under," Faendal noted. He opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted by the temple shaking, and Karsten's loud, angry voice cutting through the air like a knife through butter. Even muffled by the thick stone walls and doors of the temple, the sound was incredibly painful, and Nelkir pinned his ears under his hands.
"Kos Nahlot! Zu'u Los Dovahkiin Ahkk Hi Fen Thaarn!"
There was a pause, as Nelkir presumed that Karsten talked to them in the common tongue.
The courtyard was completely silent, and after a moment, the door flung open, and Karsten stalked out.
"Nelkir!" He barked, "we're leaving. Come with me!"
He rose without word. This wasn't the time to question the Dragonborn, clearly. He made his way to his side. Karsten stared at the courtyard of Blades.
"You have a decision to make," he told them, voice strong and full, "Delphine and Esbern have decided that the Blades do not need the Dragonborn. That is their choice, but I trust you all know by now that I am only trying to do what is best for Skyrim. I will not lie to you about this argument. The leader of the Greybeards is the dragon Paarthunax. He was a lieutenant to Alduin during the reign of the Dragons, but when Kyne blessed the Nords with the power of the thu'um, it was Paarthunax who taught them to wield it. It was he who helped them overthrow Alduin. I hold him no ill-will, and I will not kill him because Delphine and Esbern demand it."
The two whom Nelkir assumed to be Esbern and Delphine had arrived in the courtyard both with faces pale and flushed.
"The Blades have revoked their assistance. Very well. I revoke mine," Karsten continued, "none of my funds will flow towards Sky Haven. No stones, metals, and wood will be delivered. No gold will fund your 'crusade.' Survive without me. See what happens when the dragons you kill return."
He turned towards the entrance, but Delphine had drawn her blade. Karsten simply stared at her. She didn't move.
"Dreh Ni Dah Zu'u, Delphine," He spat, the shout echoing in the air, travelling Divines know how far. "Zu'u Los Bo. Try to stop me."
Nelkir had never heard the Common Tongue amplified by the voice, and it was a terrifying sound. If they heard it in Cyrodiil he wouldn't be surprised. The sound of a bow being drawn back reached their ears, but Karsten kept his gaze directed at the two blocking his way out.
"Let them go, Master Delphine," the Nord lady, Anneke, said. "We're sworn to obey the Dragonborn. That's the oath you made us swear. That you swore before us. Does it not hold true now?"
Faendal had done the same, his bow pointed towards Delphine and Esbern. They weren't the only ones, either. The Nord, Sven, had drawn his blade and was standing beside Karsten with half a dozen others. Archers spread out, perching themselves where they had a clear shot. There wasn't a single Blade who supported the two in front of them.
The older man, Esbern, reached out and grabbed Delphine's arm.
"Let him go," he said softly, "the Blades have made their decision."
Delphine held her blade for a moment longer before sheathing it. She huffed and disappeared back into the temple. Esbern stared at Karsten a moment longer, before blinking and following her.
"They won't forgive you for that," he said softly, turning to the men and women who had supported him. "If you wish to help me, I have a request of you. On the north-western shore of Skyrim is an old fort, Northwatch Keep. The Thalmor control it, and they keep captured prisoners there. I think it's about time for a jailbreak. Kill the Thalmor. Free the prisoners and occupy the fort. Let the last two Blades stew here. Become the Dragonguard, dedicated to Skyrim and ending the Dragon threat."
"I will go," a tall, burly Nord declared, "I owe much to you, Karsten, but very little to these Blades. If I must alone, then I will do so."
"Do not kill yourself, Golldir," Karsten said.
"He won't," Anneke declared, "I am no fan of the Thalmor, and I will gladly take my bow to this fight."
One by one, all the Blades stepped forward, declaring their intent to support Karsten. Nelkir watched it all in amazement. They were essentially declaring war against the Dominion, yet all of them offered their service to Karsten. To the Dragonborn. Not even Nelkir's father, loved in Whiterun, could muster this kind of universal support.
Yet here were thirty men and women, Man and Mer, Orcs, Khajiit, and Argonians who would fight the Aldmeri Dominion because it was what the Dragonborn had asked of them. It was astounding, and he felt privileged to have seen it.
"I thank you all," Karsten declared, "take what supplies you need, seeing as I paid for them all. Once you've taken Northwatch, send a message to my huscarl, Lydia, and use these exact words, 'the twenty-eighth of Sun's Height, when the sun set on Clan Iron-Sides,' and request whatever materials you need. She will understand."
The Dragonguard nodded, and Karsten grinned at them, before turning to Nelkir.
"Come now, Nelkir," he said, "we've got a long road ahead of us to Solitude. I imagine we may be set upon by several Forsworn bands as well. Best prepare yourself for that."
He simply nodded in response, following Karsten through the winding hallways of the temple. They were escorted by two of the Dragonguard, mostly to ensure that Delphine didn't try anything, but Nelkir had a feeling that even if she wanted to, there wouldn't be much she could do against him. He had yet to see Karsten truly fight anyone, but to most, the prospect seemed daunting. Not even Irileth, one of Whiterun's best fighters, had wanted to cross blades with the Dragonborn, even in a sparring match.
"You'll regret this, Karsten," Delphine called out to him as they reached the exit. He paused and turned to face her, Nelkir mirroring the action.
"I doubt it," Karsten replied, and Nelkir noticed he didn't seem fazed in the slightest by what had happened, "I'm not the one who just lost nearly thirty Blades, after all. It's a big temple, Delphine. Try not to get lost in it."
XXX
Blue Palace, Solitude, Haafinger
"The next matter of court is a petition from the people of Dragon's Bridge, claiming that strange sounds and lights have been seen up the road, in between their settlement and Solitude, at Wolf Skull Cave," Falk read out. Elisif sat poised as usual, her back ramrod as the reports were read out. She frowned at that comment. Wolf Skull Cave had a terrible history, and if something was going on there, she wanted it investigated.
"Legion scouts have seen nothing in the area," Rikke frowned after Falk handed her the petition, "but we'll send another unit to—"
"Dreh Ni Dah Zu'u, Delphine," A sharp voice cut through the air, causing the palace to tremor violently. Elisif gripped the armrests of her throne. "Zu'u Los Bo. Try to stop me."
Once the shaking stopped, it took everyone several minutes to recover. It was Erikur who broke the shocked silence.
"By the Eight, what was that?" He cried out. Falk was frowning heavily, as was Rikke.
"That was Karsten Iron-Sides," her steward answered, "though I do not know this 'Delphine' he was talking to. But that was…"
"That was the Voice at its strongest," Rikke said, still shaking slightly, "and I know who Delphine is. She was a Blade in the court of the emperor. I fought alongside her at the Battle of the Red Ring."
"So the Dragonborn consorts with enemies of the Empire?" Erikur leapt upon the opportunity as soon as it arrived, but thankfully, it was Rikke who corrected him.
"The Blades aren't enemies of the Empire," she said with a scowl, "but they no longer exist. Enemies of the Dominion, on the other hand… well, we all know what happened to the Blades. If one of them angered the Dragonborn enough that we heard it here, well, I wouldn't want to see what happens the next time he returns to Solitude, and you accuse him of 'consorting with enemies of the Empire.'"
"I, well, I didn't mean—" Erikur blustered, the confidence he displayed gone in a flash.
"We know what you meant, and what you didn't mean Erikur," Bryling sighed, "so let's move on, and pray that we're not interrupted like that again."
MMXXI
Nelkir's an interesting character because we don't actually know much about him. We know he's illegitimate, that he's roughly the same age as Balgruuf's other children, and that Mephala was telling him secrets about everyone in Dragonsreach through the Whispering Door. He's also kind of a dick in game, but so are Balgruuf's other children. I tend to chalk it up to self-esteem issues regarding his parentage rather than his position, which is why having Karsten, a fellow bastard, serve as a mentor and foster-father is such an interesting prospect to me.
The Dovahzhul spoken by Karsten is pretty much him saying 'shut up and listen to me' to Delphine and Esbern when inside the Temple, which is only heard by the Blades and Nelkir. Outside the temple, he warns Delphine not to push him, and then 'try to stop me.' Since he's now outdoors, his voice carries much farther, and since at this point he's killed roughly a couple dozen Dragons, his thu'um is powerful enough that it's pretty much heard across Skyrim, something only the Greybeards can normally do.
And yeah, I don't like the Paarthunax Dilemma. I tend to get the mod so that way I can keep playing with both factions, but Delphine's insistence that Paarthurnax needs to die really bothers me, so we're having a schism instead, with Karsten taking all the Blades he recruited (literally all of them but Delphine and Esbern) because they have more loyalty to him—the Dragonborn they swore to obey—than to Delphine and Esbern, who made them swear that oath. Those two may or may not pop up again, but eventually the Dragonguard will.
As always, leave a review or send me a PM with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Cheers, CombatTombat