Author's note:
My dear readers, here I am with a new update. December was a quiet month for me, so I've had enough time to write a few chapters for this story; as a consequence, I will upload once every weekend before resuming my usual update schedule at the end of the month.
Before introducing the first chapter of 2018, let me thank Elspeth and ShpperofTrashyShips for their reviews. I'm glad someone loves the drama between Agda and Stein as much as I love writing it! Also, I'm excited about Agda's encounter with Ulfric too.
As for the ties with the different chapters, this instalment and the next ones will be full of references to the meeting Agda and Stein had before venturing into Blackreach. Also, they will focus on the civil war. Stein wants to take part in it, whereas Agda obviously wants to keep him safe... Will our heroes find an agreement? We'll see in the next instalments. In the meanwhile, here they are talking to the most important politicians of Skyrim.
Enjoy and let me know what you think!
9th of Sun's Height, 4E 203
Steinarius strode along the wide roads of Solitude. It was almost midnight and a soft summer rain was falling; nonetheless, the man thought that the capital of Skyrim looked simply stunning.
Born in Kvatch, Steinarius had lived in Cyrodiil for the first seven years of his life. When his father had moved to Skyrim in order to control the Legion from Castle Dour, the only child of Aburius Crepusculus had been rather sad at the news; yet, upon reaching Solitude for the first time, Steinarius had immediately fallen in love with it. The Imperial loved the smell of nightshade along the streets, the lively feasts in the marketplace, the music coming from the Bards College at every time of the day; he loved the solemnity of the Hall of the Divines, the elegance of the Blue Palace, the feeling of freedom he experienced every time he climbed on the tall walls of the settlement and observed the eagles flying high in the sky; he loved riding to the harbor and spending his days with a fishing rod in his hands, he loved talking to the local farmers and helping them with their horses, he loved bathing in the cold waters of the Karth River during the summer - and for all those reasons, Steinarius had once wished to move to Solitude and build a family there. The thought of leaving her life with the Companions didn't make Vigdis happy, so the man had been quick to give up that dream; now that he had a different woman by his side, however, Steinarius hoped things would be different. Agda had spent most of her life in Cyrodiil, so she probably wasn't immune to the beauty of the most Imperial-looking city of Skyrim; also, the girl was likely to appreciate the comforts of Proudspire Manor more than the frugality of Breezehome.
As he thought of Agda, Steinarius sighed. He had reached Solitude that morning and had immediately headed towards the Blue Palace. Tullius had accepted to sign a peace treaty with the Stormcloaks without protests - after all, the Legion had just suffered a huge defeat near Markarth, so the General believed that the truce would be a good chance to improve the condition of his army. Despite that success, however, Steinarius didn't feel at ease. The defeats of the Legion meant that Ulfric Stormcloak wasn't going to treat Agda kindly - to his eyes her request of a peace treaty was likely to look like an Imperial attempt to change the course of the war. Steinarius knew it wasn't the case, but he also knew that he couldn't really blame Ulfric for thinking that. The rebels had just nailed an impressive string of flawless victories thanks to one of their latest recruits, a young Nord named "Eidan Stormblade". Steinarius couldn't help but smile at the irony of that name - and he couldn't help but believe that, with that new warrior among their ranks, the Stormcloaks really looked invincible.
This is not your problem, though, a voice suddenly whispered from the back of his mind. You have made up your mind about the war, haven't you? Once we kill Alduin, we'll ask Agda to marry us, then we'll stop fighting once and for all. We do not deserve other sufferance - and Agda doesn't deserve it either.
While listening to that wise voice, Steinarius nodded to himself. Agda was right: he had already done enough for Skyrim - now it was time to leave the scene to other, younger warriors.
Sighing, the man climbed the steps that led to Proudspire Manor. He pushed open the door to the big house, then he smiled when he noticed the warmth and the smell of food coming from the main hall. Once there, however, the man had a surprise that caused him to stop dead in his tracks.
Steinarius didn't remember the last time he'd met Elisif the Fair. That morning the young Jarl had been at the Thalmor Embassy with most of her court, but the Dragonborn hadn't really cared about her absence. It was Tullius who commanded the Legion, not Elisif - and her absence had made it easier for Steinarius to answer Tullius' questions about his plans to resume his role in the army.
I don't think I will join the Legion again, the Dragonborn had honestly replied. I have a wonderful woman by my side now, and she has already suffered enough because of this dragon-madness. Once I defeat Alduin, I'll give up fighting for a while, maybe forever. Agda deserves some peace - and so do I.
Much to Steinarius' surprise, Tullius had nodded and stated that he understood his choice.
Don't tell Elisif, though, he had suggested him. She'll get angry if she finds out about your plans for the future.
Given that the widow of his best friend was now in Proudspire Manor, however, Steinarius understood that someone had betrayed his secret to her. He and the young woman had once been good friends - and after Thorygg's death, Elisif had actually relied on Steinarius for getting over her grief. The Dragonborn had tried his best to help her, but Vigdis' own problems had prevented him from supporting the young Jarl of Solitude as much as he would have liked to. Despite that fact, Thorygg's widow still considered him a loyal advisor.
There was a reason why Elisif was called 'The Fair', Steinarius thought as he rapidly scanned her appearance. The Jarl of Solitude was a beautiful girl with green, doe-like eyes and a long mane of golden hair that were currently tied in a perfect brass. She was slim and tall, yet her body was feminine and had generous curves. Her complexion was pale, whereas her lips were as red as a rose. It was no wonder many men of the Legion fought in order to give that young girl some happiness - and it was no wonder Thorygg had fallen for her upon meeting her for the first time. As he looked at Elisif, Steinarius briefly remembered that day at court, when the young daughter of the Jarl of Morthal had brought along a couple of friends during one of her usual visits to Solitude. Elisif had been among them and her beauty had immediately gained everyone's attention. Thorygg had fallen in love with her on that very same day and had told Steinarius few, meaningful words.
That girl is the most beautiful creature who has ever set foot on Nirn, the young king had said with his soft and dreamy voice. Her parents may be poor woodworkers, but I mean to marry her and make her my queen.
At first Steinarius hadn't believed the king. Thorygg was fond of legends and poetry and impossible love stories between rulers and peasants, so the Imperial had thought his friend to be kidding and had returned to the Companions without asking too many questions. A few weeks later, however, the news was on everyone's lips: Thorygg had decided to get married - and the lucky one was Elisif of Morthal. Steinarius still remembered complimenting his friend on his choice, admiring Elisif's beauty on the day of her wedding, standing as Thorygg's best man on that very same occasion; yet, those happy memories had been shadowed by the gruesome murder of the king.
"I wasn't expecting to see you, my Jarl", Steinarius cautiously said once he recovered from his surprise at meeting Elisif.
He solemnly bowed in front of the girl, then he noticed his huskarl, Jordis, eyeing them from the threshold of the nearby room. The woman seemed sorry for having allowed Elisif inside the building, but Steinarius was quick to calm her with a gesture.
"If you wish to join me, my huskarl Jordis will prepare us something to eat, my Jarl", he added when he noticed that Elisif seemed unwilling to move or talk. "It would be a pleasure to..."
"Oh, Steinarius, please stop it!"
There was a moment of astonished silence as the Dragonborn gave Elisif a baffled look. The young Jarl wasn't one to lose control like that.
"My Jarl, have I somehow..."
"Yes, you have!", Elisif broke the Imperial off. "You call me my Jarl and pretend to act nice, but you don't care about me at all: you met Tullius even if I wasn't there and you also broke the promise you made to me right after my husband died. Oh, don't look so shocked: you know Rikke tells me everything Tullius does".
Here we go, Steinarius thought. At the same time the man made a mental note about Legate Rikke's habit of betraying secrets.
"Elisif, I did warn you about my visit to Solitude", the Imperial said while taking a chair and sitting down on it. If the Jarl preferred standing in front of him, so be it, Steinarius scoffed. He wasn't going to be told off by that girl without replying. "Yet, you went to visit the Thalmor Embassy anyway".
"I couldn't turn down Elenwen's invitation", the young woman protested. She was particularly beautiful, her cheeks pink with anger and her eyes as green as leaves. "You know it better than I do".
"I also know what people think of the alliance between the Thalmor and the Legion, so I deem it unwise for you to show so much obedience to their emissaries", Steinarius promptly replied.
"And what do you want me to do, Steinarius? Shall I refuse to meet the Thalmor because people don't like them? Shall I ignore our best allies because Ulfric fears them? Shall I..."
"Elisif, you know why people don't like the Thalmor. They did nothing to help Thorygg when Ulfric started to rally an army - quite on the contrary, they increased the amount of people they captured in Skyrim, almost as though they wanted to fuel the hatred between your husband and Talos worshippers. We all know what happened afterwards, just like we all know the horrors the Thalmor had brought about in this land. Maybe you have forgotten about it, but I wrote you a rather long letter about the heroic deeds of Elenwen's men in Winterhold. They killed the local Archmage, tortured a poor girl and..."
"You know very well that my hands are tied", Elisif broke Steinarius off. "And then, I haven't come here to talk about the Thalmor. I have come here to talk about the promise you made on my husband's grave. The promise to avenge him and help me win the throne for myself".
"Elisif, I never spoke about helping you get the throne for yourself", Steinarius quickly corrected the young woman. "I swore I would help Skyrim have a rightful ruler - and if you keep liaising with the Thalmor and allowing others to direct the war in your stead, I'm not sure you're fit for the throne".
Elisif scoffed.
"You complain that I'm a weak Jarl, but you're the first one who doesn't even care about my opinion. That's why you met Tullius even if I wasn't there, didn't you? Because you consider me useless and because you wanted to break the promise you made to my husband!"
Steinarius made to reply, but fell silent when he noticed the tears that had just appeared on Elisif's face. He hated it when people cried - and he hated it even more when they cried because of him.
"Elisif, I..."
"Don't call me Elisif!", the woman suddenly yelled. "I am your Jarl, not some peasant who..."
When she started sobbing, Elisif was forced to fall silent. Steinarius had never seen her so frail - at Thorygg's funeral she'd been quiet and composed, but now the young woman looked like a helpless child who had just lost her favourite toy.
She's only twenty, Steinarius thought in that moment. She's only twenty and she's been a widow for more than three years - and ever since Thorygg died, she's had no chance to retrieve her happiness, as she was immediately forced to act as a Jarl. When I was twenty, I had no worries but my beast blood.
As he realized that the woman in front of his eyes had been forced to grow up too much, too quickly, Steinarius sighed and abandoned his chair. He approached Elisif and, when she made to push him away, he caught her by the wrists and pulled her in his arms. As soon as she found herself in his embrace, Elisif stopped fighting and began sobbing against his chest.
"I miss him", she murmured between her tears. "I miss him and I don't know how to get over his death. You know how kind and sweet and joyful Thorygg was, you know how much we loved each other, you know how much he adored music and poetry and peace; and now all is gone, and all because of a hateful warrior who was too selfish to let a young, sweet man rule in his stead! And you ask me to make peace with Ulfric! You, of all people! You swore..."
When Elisif trailed off because of her sobs, Steinarius shushed her again. He held her close to him, then he goofily stroked her hair. When the girl clung tighter to his shirt, the man blushed: he wasn't accustomed to dealing with beautiful widows who suddenly burst into tears against his chest.
"Elisif, the Legion may use the truce to increase its strength. This is why Tullius accepted to sign the peace treaty: because he knows what is better for his troops. As for my promise, I really wish I could keep it, but I can't. I have a woman in my life now and it wouldn't be fair to fight in the war after all she's suffered because of me. We want a family, Elisif, and I cannot have it as long as I'm a soldier. I'm sure Thorygg would understand".
Elisif murmured something that sounded suspiciously like "I don't", but Steinarius ignored her. He kept her in his arms, lulling her and shushing her for what felt like years; at last, the girl calmed down enough to stop crying. Her face was covered in ruined make-up and tears and Steinarius knew she couldn't return to the palace like that. In order to make her at ease, the man decided to offer Elisif a cup of hot cocoa. When the girl asked whether she could stay at his place, however, the Dragonborn stiffened.
"I'm not sure it would be appropriate", he sternly said.
When Elisif gave him a teary look and told him that everyone thought her asleep in her room at the Blue Palace, however, Steinarius was forced to change his mind.
"Fine", he sighed. "You will have to leave before sunrise, though. Also, you can take the guestroom to the other side of this hall".
Elisif thanked Steinarius for his hospitality, then she unexpectedly apologized.
"I'm sorry for treating you so poorly", she said. "I shouldn't have got mad at you. After all, Tullius should have asked for my advice before taking a decision about the truce"
When the Dragonborn sternly nodded, Elisif unexpectedly smiled.
"Your woman is a lucky one, Steinarius", she stated. "Hopefully one day I'll manage to move on too, like you did after Vigdis".
Steinarius was taken aback by the unexpected mention of Vigdis, but nonetheless nodded and thanked Elisif for her kind words.
Later that night, as he was reading a book by the fireplace and listening to Elisif's calm breathing in the other room, the Dragonborn sighed. Ulfric had robbed that poor woman of happiness and love - yet, he wasn't going to allow the civil war to do the same to him. He loved Agda and he had no wish to leave her in order to fight for an Empire he didn't respect anymore.
Ulfric's campsite was the largest temporary settlement Agda had ever seen.
Rather than receiving her in Windhelm, the leader of the rebels had chosen to welcome the young mage in that desolate place in the mid of the Pale. At first Agda had thought Ulfric just wanted to meet her without sacrificing too much time for moving from one place to another; when confronted with the size of his campsite, however, the mage realized that the man had probably wanted to put on an impressive display of power too.
"Maybe we should call reinforcements".
When Lydia spoke, Agda turnd to look at her. Steinarius' huskarl had been forced to accompany her to that meeting and had been silent for the first part of the journey; when Agda had tried to strike a friendly conversation with her, however, the usually broody warrior had immediately started telling her about her life, her choice to become an huskarl, her complicated relationship with Steinarius.
He says he wants to protect me, Lydia had scoffed on the previous evening, after she and Agda had got close enough to realize that they could find advice in each other. Yet, that's now how things work between huskarls and their Thanes. I should be the one to protect him, not the other way around!
Agda had chuckled at that, then she had talked to Lydia about all the times the Dragonborn had tried to defend her from her enemies - and when she underlined that most of the times he had miserably failed, Lydia couldn't help but produce a little, satisfied grin.
The mage and the huskarl had talked about Steinarius and his little, excruciating habits for most of the journey. They made fun of him for his attempts at growing a beard, for the way he mispronounced the names of many Nordic localities, for the way he ran his hands across his face whenever he was tired or sad or nervous. That morning, however, the two women felt no desire to joke. They were about to face Ulfric Stormcloak and that was enough to send shivers down their spines.
"I doubt reinforcements would help us", Agda replied. Lydia seemed very scared of Ulfric and was an open supporter of the Legion. "Actually, Ulfric may get angry if he sees that we have other warriors by our side".
Lydia pulled a disappointed face, whereas Agda finally found the courage to walk towards the entrance of the campsite. The sentinel immediately stopped her and asked her what she needed.
"They're with me", a man suddenly barked. "Ulfric told me to fetch them. They're those silly girls from the Legion, for that peace treaty they want us to sign".
Agda would have liked to underline that she was neutral to the war and that the idea of the peace treaty had nothing to do with the Legion, but fell silent as soon as she saw her interlocutor.
The warrior who had just spoken to her was incredibly tall. He had a gruff beard and a long mane of silverish hair. His blue eyes were pale, so pale that Agda at first wondered whether he was blind. He had a thick Nordic accent and a lot of war paint around his eyes. His complexion was as white as snow and created a stark contrast with the dark furs the man was wearing. The warrior carried a warhammer on his back and seemed extremely suspicious. In his blue eyes, however, Agda could read a few things he probably didn't want to give away.
First, the soldier seemed worried by the fact that Agda wasn't carrying any weapon.
He's probably afraid of mages, the girl realized. This means that he probably comes from a family of Nord farmers who are likely stationed in the Reach or in other hidden parts of Skyrim, far from roads and bigger cities.
Second, Agda noticed that the warrior's eyes had a certain naivete to them - and when she realized that under all his war paint and furs and weapons the soldier was actually very lanky, Agda understood that he was probably much younger than her.
This boy has probably seen less than twenty winters, she thought to herself. At that point the mage felt ready to guess the warrior's identity.
"You must be Eidan Stormblade, right?", she asked, her voice firm and friendly. "I've heard a lot about you and I'm honored to meet such a brave and lethal warrior".
When the boy snorted, Agda realized that her guess had been correct.
"I hadn't expected a woman from the Legion to say that", the soldier scoffed, coldness evident in his voice.
Agda made to say something else, but she fell silent as soon as Ulfric's lieutenant, Galmar Stone-Fist, appeared into her visual field.
"Eidan, come with us", he told the young boy. "I want you to see Ulfric destroy those two leechers from the Legion".
Lydia made to protest, but Agda was quick to calm her. They were surrounded by people who despised them because of their alleged association with the Legion, so the mage deemed it unwise to show signs of irritation or anger.
Ulfric Stormcloak hadn't aged a day, Agda thought as she was introduced in the large tent where the leader of the rebels had decided to welcome her. The Jarl of Windhelm had a new scar across his face, but his expression was as proud as always, his physique as fit as always, his eyes as piercing as always. Agda felt slightly intimated when she met him and couldn't prevent her cheeks from becoming red in embarrassement. Although Ulfric had been the one to be rejected during their last meeting, the girl noticed that he seemed completely calm and tranquil.
"Agda of Anvil", he greeted the mage with his usual roaring voice. "Our paths cross again. Hopefully this time you will bring us good news".
There were some snorts from the officiers surrounding him, but Ulfric seemingly didn't mind. Gesturing like a true king, the man invited Agda to take a seat.
"I have been informed as to the reason of your visit", he said immediately afterwards. "And I want to tell you that I will not accept to sign a peace treaty - not now that my troops have had the upper hand in many a battle".
Agda didn't even flinch. She knew Ulfric had nothing to gain from a truce; yet, she wanted the man to understand that the civil war wasn't connected to the reason of her visit.
"My Jarl, I am not here to discuss the problems related to the civil war", she said, her voice firm despite the nervousness and uneasiness. "I am merely acting as an Ambassador on behalf of Steinarius Crepusculus, the Last Dragonborn".
"And the man who fucks you every time he wants to", a soldier Agda didn't know added with a smirk.
"Speaking of the Dragonborn, it was rather mean of him to send you here alone and unarmed, all while he's probably drinking wine with his friends in the Blue Palace", another man added. "Maybe you should take revenge on him, little girl. If you want, we can show you how Nords treat their women in bed. I'm sure that you'll change your mind about Crepusculus after spending the night with one of us".
Blushing, Agda tried to ignore the references about her sex life and the many little chuckles from the soldiers surrounding her. Lydia, however, couldn't listen to them without reacting.
"As huskarl to Steinarius Crepusculus, I will not tolerate those words!", she said while standing up all of a sudden. "Aren't you ashamed of yourselves? Agda of Anvil is trying to knock some sense in those empty heads of yours, but all you can do is shrug and say silly jokes about her sex life, all because she's young, beautiful and clever and you don't know how to relate to her! You should think with your brains rather than with your nethers! Also, you should show some more consideration towards the problems Skyrim is currently facing. Tullius was wise and generous enough to sign the peace treaty without complaints, you instead..."
When two soldiers stood up from their seats and started shouting a reply to Lydia's words, Agda sighed and took her head in her hands. She knew that turning up in Ulfric's campsite wasn't going to be easy, but she hadn't expected things to go so badly so fast.
"Lydia, all armies of the world behave the same way when it comes to sex", she said in an attempt to calm her overzealant huskarl. "If they can make a childish joke, they will".
When Lydia turned around and began arguing with Agda, Ulfric Stormcloak decided to intervene.
"Enough!", he shouted - and as soon as he did, his men stopped talking all of a sudden. Agda was actually thankful for that: had Ulfric not spoken, the soldiers would have continued making fun of her for the rest of the meeting.
"You have my attention, Agda of Anvil", the leader of the rebels continued shortly afterwards. "Nonetheless, this does not mean that I will welcome your request. You say that you are not here on behalf of the Legion; yet, everyone knows that your man was with the army until last year - and everyone knows that you are here on his behalf. To me, that makes you a supporter of the Empire".
For one moment, Agda thought that she needed to keep her calm, smile politely and explain for the thousandth time that she wasn't a member of the Legion; then, however, she realized that she couldn't hide her anger any longer.
"You are right, Ulfric", Agda said, her eyes mortally cold and aggressive. "I am the woman of Steinarius Crepusculus and, like everyone knows, my man was a former officier of the Legion. I will not deny it: Steinarius Crepusculus was with the Legion indeed; now, however, he is fighting on his own to in order to save the world. Not my world, not yours, not the Legion's: our world. It doesn't matter if we are neutral to the war, if we root for the Legion or if we fight for your cause, Ulfric: we all live in the same world, so we should do our best to take care of it, to preserve it, to make it a better place for everyone. This is why I'm here: because if we want Alduin to be defeated, if we want life to triumph over death, if we want our world and everything we hold dear to survive this threat, then we need to stand on the same side and help the Dragonborn in his task. I wish there was another way, I wish I could keep my man safe while the Legion and the rebels keep on slaughtering each other, I wish I could just sit back and do nothing while others fight for my future too, but I know that it is not possible. Like it or not, Steinarius Crepusculus is the only one who can save us all - and as a living being who loves her world and who doesn't want it to end, I am doing my best to help him reach his goal, even if it involves coming here to be insulted and despised and ashamed.
"Why have you come here if you knew you were going to be treated so poorly?, you may ask me at this point. The answer is simple: I have come here because, as human beings, I think we are all the same. Rebels or legionnaires, Nords or Imperials, Mer or Men... Does it really matter at the end of the day? Aren't we all driven by love, friendship and passion? Don't we all want to build a better world for ourselves and the people we hold dear? Well, let me tell you this: if Alduin destroys our world, then you will have fought in vain and all your dreams will never come true. All the time you and your men spent away from your families, all the people you held in your arms while they were dying, all the sacrifices you've made so far... It will all be for nothing as long as you do not realize that signing a peace treaty with the Legion is the only way to help Steinarius Crepusculus save our world - and without this world, Ulfric, your dreams of a better Skyrim will be nothing but a phantasy".
Agda was surprised by her loquacity, and so were all the other people inside the tent. The mage heard Eidan Stormblade murmur a little 'wow', she saw Galmar blink in confusion, she saw a man nod to himself in a corner. Then, at last, the girl watched Ulfric. In his blue eyes Agda could read a tiny sparkle of admiration.
"Fine", the leader of the rebels sighed once he recovered from the surprise. "After this speech, I think you can have me sign whatever treaty you want".