AN: I really have no idea where this came from. I have been working on a few other stories that I'm hoping to start posting soon. Anyway, enjoy! (Rated M for implied adult behaviors)
Kaylana sipped at her wine, peering around the room at all those gathered. She spied Elisif in a discussion with General Tullius and hid her frown behind her glass. The only reason she was at this gathering of the First Emissary's was because Elisif had requested she attend. They had arrived together and Elisif had been promptly pulled into a discussion with Tullius. Jarl Balgruuf caught her eye and arched a brow, amusement pulling his lips into a small grin. He knew how much she hated these parties. She pursed her lips and glowered at him across the room and he smirked, turning to respond to something Jarl Siddgeir was saying.
"Finally! I didn't think that man would ever let me go." Elisif appeared at her elbow and Kaylana turned to look at her. She glanced around and drained her glass, swapping it out for another one and letting out a deep sigh. "He's gone now, so we can enjoy the rest of the party."
"I thought you and the General were getting along," she observed, swirling her glass and watching the wine spin within. "You were able to come to an agreement about the farmers outside Dragon Bridge." Of course, there had been much complaining on Elisif's part, but ultimately they had agreed.
She scoffed and twisted so that they were side-by-side looking out over the crowd. "An anomaly," she muttered. "That man is impossibly demanding. I don't know how Rikke puts up with him." Her gaze moved across the room and she hummed. "Or his wife for that matter."
Kaylana smirked. "Some women prefer their partners to be ah… demanding." She rolled the word in her mouth, using enough innuendo to draw a blush to Elisif's cheeks. She took another drink of wine to stifle the chuckles that wanted to erupt at the mildly appalled look on her face. "Oh come now, Elisif," she murmured, voice warm with laughter and more. "Any woman in power can surely appreciate the opportunity to give up all control. In the right situation." Elisif harrumphed and Kaylana watched the color move along her cheeks and down across her neck. "Of course, it's finding the right person that's usually the challenge."
Elisif clucked her tongue, motioning to the room in general with her glass of wine. "You could have anyone in here if you wanted, and you know it."
She snorted and barely resisted rolling her eyes at the naivety of the Jarl. "As if you couldn't, High Queen." Elisif preened at the title and Kaylana chuckled before continuing, "If your bedroom games include power play, you want a partner who you trust, and who has the right mindset." She pointed. "Take Brunwulf for example." Elisif's nose wrinkled and she gave her a look of disgust. "While he is a strong warrior and commands a lot of respect, he has proven himself to be more bark and less bite." She shrugged and helped herself to another glass of wine. "He has been Jarl for almost a year and has made no changes to Windhelm, despite being outspoken about how the Dunmer and Argonians are treated." She shook her head. "Completely undermines any authority he might have."
"That is true," Elisif agreed, eyes skating across the crowd over the rim of her wineglass. "What about Kraldar?" She tilted her head towards the man where he stood with Brina and Igmund. "He's more appealing physically."
"Don't say that too loud," she warned, "There are plenty who would like to be the husband of the High Queen." Elisif glowered and Kaylana hummed as she studied him. "Kraldar would certainly be better than Brunwulf, but…" She trailed off and let it play out in her head before she had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. "I can't do it," she muttered into her wine glass. "I just keep hearing him asking for the latest gossip and talking about the glory days of Winterhold. I'll grant that he's made more improvements than Brunwulf has, but I still don't think he would be a good match." She shifted her gaze. "Now Brina? She would be a good partner, if one were interested in women. She has a quiet confidence that carried her through her time with the Legion and does still, now that she is Jarl. People respect her for her leadership and her compassion." She savored a sip of wine and let out a soft sigh. "Too bad I'm not interested in women," she muttered.
"Igmund then." Elisif tipped her glass towards him before she swapped it out for a new one.
"Absolutely not." She looked at her in surprise and Kaylana shrugged. "Let's just say I've overheard some things in that palace between him and Ondolemar and Igmund prefers to take orders in the bedroom rather than give them." Elisif's giggles were loud enough to draw attention and Kaylana raised an elegant brow until they returned to their conversations. "You should slow down on the wine, Elisif, lest I have to carry the High Queen back to Solitude."
A salacious look flitted over her face and she licked her lips, eyes focused in the corner. "Don't lie, we both know you'll have Argis carry me."
Kaylana choked on her wine, wide eyes darting between Elisif and her favorite Housecarl. He was standing in the corner with a handful of other Housecarls, all of them drinking, but not relaxed enough to let their guard down completely. A wicked smirk crossed her lips and she leant to whisper in Elisif's ear. "I have it on good authority he can be very demanding in the bedroom." At her scandalized gasp Kaylana shook her head. "Not me. Divines, I would never do that with somebody in my employ." She clucked her tongue. "But the guards talk, yeah?" She winked. "And I know for a fact he hasn't been particularly active in that area recently. He's been too busy following me around Skyrim."
Elisif waved over a server and swapped out her wine for a glass of water, ignoring Kaylana's brows as they rose towards her hairline. "What can I say? If something's going to happen I want to be able to remember it," she muttered and Kaylana laughed, the sound carrying across the room. Elisif elbowed her in the gut. "You're drawing attention."
She hummed into her glass of wine. "Hm, yes, wouldn't want that would we? Somebody might figure out that the High Queen has naughty designs on my poor innocent Housecarl." She managed to dodge the elbow this time and bumped her with her hip. "Would it help to change the subject?"
"Yes. Back to our original discussion. That's Brunwulf, Kraldar, Brina, and Igmund and so far Brina is the only one who meets your criteria, except for the being a man part. What about Idgrod?" The aged woman was sitting near the edge of the crowd, frowning at something Maven was saying.
"I can't picture it," she admitted. "She strikes me as the type to do it only as an obligation to have children."
"And what if she had one of her visions during?" Elisif added. "Could you imagine? She's got you tied to the bed and suddenly gets swept up in a vision and abandons you there." She shook her head and grimaced before pointing. "Maven would probably be great at it."
Kaylana scoffed. "Never mind the fact that you could never trust Maven to give her that much control, she isn't nearly compassionate enough. She would enjoy inflicting pain and not give any release to her partner." She shifted and leaned against the wall, ignoring Elisif's look of distaste.
"Pain? Since when are we talking about pain?" Elisif turned towards her fully, brow furrowed. "I thought we were talking about control."
She shrugged. "We are, but pleasure and pain go hand-in-hand. Don't get me wrong, there is such a thing as too much of both, and a good partner knows how to walk that line." She nodded. "Maven? She strikes me as being all about pain and nothing about pleasure. Well, pleasure for anyone but herself. I'm pretty sure she already does that to her current partners. Have you met Hemming Black-Briar?" The man only carried any respect because of who is mother was. Kaylana hated speaking with him when she was in Riften.
"I thought Hemming was her son?"
Kaylana smirked, looking at her sideways. "He is." The look of disgust on Elisif's face made Kaylana chuckle. "Apparently she likes to keep it in the family."
"I may vomit," Elisif murmured, looking more than a little peaked. "Hurry, talk about something else before I ruin your shoes and mine. Do Siddgeir."
Her gaze found the younger Jarl where he was regaling a few others with some wild tale. "Where do I even begin?" she murmured, mind racing over all the reasons she was not interested. "To sum it up, he's too greedy. A good partner understands the give and take needed in that kind of relationship, the one in power must be the kind of person willing to take care of their partner. He would demand things, but give nothing in return. Like Maven, but without the torture. Frustrating and unfulfilling."
Her gaze shifted to the only Jarl left and she barely managed to suppress a shiver of desire. Jarl Balgruuf of Whiterun was exactly what she would love to have in a partner, but he had made it clear he was not interested. "What about Balgruuf?" Elisif stepped into her line of sight, a thoughtful light in her eyes. "He is very similar to Brina. Commanding, but compassionate. His citizens love him. He's a man, and you've pointed out frequently that he's one of the few people you actually trust."
"All true," Kaylana agreed. "Plus there's the fact that his voice alone makes me want to strip naked and climb into his lap." Elisif's jaw dropped and she ignored it, eyes again finding the man they were discussing. "He made it clear he was not interested." Elisif's brow furrowed and she waved her hand expectantly. Kaylana sighed and wished she was drinking something stronger than wine. "The night before I caught the dragon to fly to Sovngarde, I was…" She trailed off and pursed her lips. "Well, let's just say I made a request and was turned down." She could hear it as if it had just happened, as he explained in a gentle but firm voice all the reasons it was not a good idea. In hindsight he had been right, she could admit that now.
"Kaylana," Elisif's voice was hesitant and she turned to face her completely. "That was nearly two years ago."
She rolled her eyes. "I haven't been abstinent if that's what you're implying. There's a member of the Companions who I have an agreement with. Purely physical, very satisfying for both of us."
"Vilkas? He seems bossy enough."
"Farkas actually. There's a side to him that I'd wager many people don't know about. Plus he's much more open to learning new things than most." Farkas had been intrigued when she had proposed their agreement and had pleasantly surprised her by doing some research. He also did not get embarrassed when discussing bedroom activities, unlike so many others in Skyrim. It made things between them easy, even if they were only in it for the release. She took another drink and found Idgrod the Younger who was deep in a discussion with the First Emissary. Farkas had spent a lot of time in Morthal recently and it made Kaylana suspect he was about to end their agreement in favor of the young woman.
"That's not what I meant." She turned back to Elisif, brow furrowed with confusion. Elisif sighed. "When I pointed out it was two years ago, I didn't mean anything about if you've been abstinent. Divines know how hard it can be to find someone who can keep their mouth shut and not try and make more of the relationship." Kaylana tipped her head, if anybody understood it would be Elisif. "I meant, it's been two years since you propositioned Balgruuf. Not to mention you were in the middle of the Dragonborn quest and the country was split with a civil war."
She frowned. "Your point?"
Elisif growled and Kaylana's lips quirked up at the sound. "My point is that things are not just different, they are drastically different. Maybe you'd get a different answer this time. Something more favorable." She had this knowing look on her face and Kaylana's gaze turned back to Balgruuf. He was frowning at Igmund but when he caught her looking he grinned and winked at her. It sent heat curling in her stomach and her gaze narrowed at Elisif.
"What do you know?" she snarled, sounding much more threatening than Elisif could ever hope to. Elisif shrugged and sipped at her water. "For someone who is so smitten with my Housecarl, you're doing an awful job of being nice to me. I could easily make things very difficult for you with him."
"You wouldn't!" Elisif gasped, obviously forgetting what Kaylana had done to force Tullius and Ulfric into an agreement back during her quest as Dragonborn. A little blackmail went a long way.
"Can and would. Spill."
She huffed. "Fine. Balgruuf wanted me to invite you to this party and then find some way to bring it up while we were talking. He's been waiting practically since the Moot for you to proposition him again and when you didn't, he thought maybe you weren't interested." She played with the stem of her glass. "He would have asked you himself, but he didn't want things to get uncomfortable between you since you spend most of your time in Whiterun." Kaylana blinked at her and Elisif kept rambling. "I told him that the fact you spend most of your time in Whiterun should be enough of a sign for him. I mean you have nine different properties now, and several of them are much more lavish than that tiny little house in Whiterun. Why else would you spend so much time there?" She took another drink and shrugged. "But you know men. Sometimes they're dumb."
"Yes. Sometimes they are," she agreed, only half listening to her. Inspiration struck and she turned, snagging the water from Elisif's hand and shoving a glass of wine into it. She ignored Elisif's sputtering and threaded their arms together. "I have an idea," she hissed as they made their way across the room. "Play up that you're drunk. Stumble a little. Work with me." Elisif rested her weight against her, swaying as they approached the corner. Kaylana deposited her in a chair and motioned to Argis. He handed off his bottle of mead and broke away from the group.
"Aye, Thane, everything okay?" He shot a concerned look at Elisif before turning back to her.
"I need you to tend to the High Queen for me," she said. "Escort her home and see that she's taken care of. She's had a bit too much to drink tonight."
He nodded. "Of course. Once I get her to the palace I'm sure Bolgeir will –" Her hand gripped his arm and he cut off, eyes darting over her face as she gave him a serious look.
"No Argis. I need you to take care of her," she murmured. His eyes widened and he looked over to Elisif who had her arm thrown around Idgrod the Younger as she recounted the destruction of the Cult of Potema. "She's not as inebriated as she appears, but I needed a reason to send you with her. She's pretending to be worse off than she is." His look changed and he smirked, gaze rolling over the High Queen in a slow crawl. She looked up, almost as if she could feel it, and her cheeks darkened. "Can you do this? If not, say the word. No questions asked."
"Don't worry, my Thane." He patted her on the shoulder and moved around her, offering a hand to Elisif. "I can see to the High Queen's every need." Elisif shot a quick look at Kaylana before she accepted his hand. He helped her up, winding an arm around her waist when she swayed. "If that's acceptable, Majesty?" Elisif nodded, gaze wide as she stared up at him. He led her over to say her goodbyes to the First Emissary and then they were gone.
"It seems you are unescorted now, Dragonborn." She grinned against the rim of her glass when his voice rumbled in her ear. "Perhaps we should travel together back to Whiterun?" She shifted to face him. He was grinning, but his eyes held a dark look that swelled within her. "I must admit," he added, "I am quite curious as to what you and the High Queen were discussing that had you both turning the most interesting shades of pink." He ran a finger along her jawline and she felt the blush rise to her cheeks. "Perhaps you would care to enlighten me on our trip?" He offered his arm and she took it.
"I don't know, my Jarl. I have promised the High Queen that I would keep her every confidence." They both nodded to the First Emissary who returned the gesture, not breaking in her conversation with Ondolemar. He guided her outside and past the line of Thalmor guards, towards the wagon that would carry them back to Whiterun.
"Is there nothing I can do to convince you to tell?" he pressed, assisting her into the wagon before climbing up after her. The back was filled with cushions and blankets and he caught her arm before she could sit down. "Nothing at all?"
She met his gaze, breath stuttering in her lungs. "Perhaps if you commanded me to tell you, my Jarl," she exhaled the words, hand brushing lightly along his arm. "I would have no choice but to obey."
His pupils flared and she shivered at the look he gave her. "I see." He took her hands and guided her further into the wagon. "Kiin will be the signal to begin the game. Mulhaan will slow it down. Laat will stop everything. Both will result in a discussion of why. Understand?" She grinned at the words he chose, amused by his answering smile.
"Yes, my Jarl." She turned her eyes down and he chuckled, slipping a finger under her chin to lift her face.
"We haven't started yet. And certainly wouldn't in the back of a wagon," he murmured. "Not for the first time at least." He offered her a hand and helped her sit before he joined her, rapping on the seat to signal the driver they were ready. He took his time fussing with the blankets and cushions before he settled against the back of the wagon and held an arm out in invitation. She slid over to join him, leaning into his side. "I wondered if she would be able to bring it up," he mused aloud, squeezing his arm around her, hand resting against her hip. "I'm going to owe her."
She snorted. "Trust me, you don't owe her a damned thing. Not when she's being taken care of by Argis." At his look she giggled. "I don't know firsthand, but I've heard stories."
He shook his head, a smirk on his lips. "If my sources are to be believed it's a Companion I need to worry about. Not your Housecarl."
She shrugged and rested her head against his shoulder. "Don't worry about him. I'm confident he was getting ready to break our agreement anyway. This way he won't feel bad about it."
"Damn," he muttered. She shifted back and gave him a look of surprise and he shrugged. "It's Farkas isn't it?" She nodded, brow furrowed and he sighed. "Farkas is the only one who would feel bad about ending something like that. When I first got the information, I bet Irileth it was Vilkas. You'd think by now I'd know better than to doubt her." He urged her to relax against him again. "Sleep. We'll work out the details when we're back in Whiterun."
"I can't wait, my Jarl." She pressed her face against his neck with a happy sigh.
"Do you call any of the other Jarls that?" He shifted and drew a blanket up over them both.
"Never. Only you." She could feel him smile.
"Good. Keep it that way." His fingers combed through her hair and she left herself drift to sleep, looking forward to what the morning would bring.