Chapter 54: The Bard's College

[11th of Evening Star 4E 201]

My companions and I had managed to get both books titled 'King Olaf's Verse' from the underground location called 'Dead Men's Respite', and from there we had traveled towards Solitude via Dragon Bridge. Once we had arrived in Skyrim՚s capital city, we had met with Viarmo, the headmaster of the Bard's College, and delivered the books to him. He had been less than happy at first, as sections in the books were unreadable, but together we had come up with a compromise and allowed some poetic freedom to complete the verses, so that he could recite them to Jarl Elisif in the Blue Palace.

The headmaster, Athis, Antonius and I entered the Blue Palace together and climbed the stairs. Some of the guards looked at me with distrust showing on their faces, but the headmaster's presence seemed to be good enough to tolerate me here. Jarl Elisif was already talking to some people and we needed to wait, but after about ten minutes she turned to Viarmo and said:

"Ah, Viarmo, good morning. I assume you are here to petition for the reinstatement of the Burning of King Olaf Festival, once again."

"I am, my Jarl, and I have good reason to bring up the same topic once again. I wish to present King Olaf's verse from the Poetic Edda, recovered recently from the Bards Tomb."

"Yes, you mentioned something that would convince us the festival should take place, but I certainly didn't expect King Olaf's lost verse. Please proceed; I'd love to hear those verses."

The headmaster cleared his throat and presented the modified verses in a capturing way, somehow managing to have everybody's attention on him, even having the guards listening attentively:

O, Olaf, our subjugator, the one-eyed betrayer;
death-dealing demon and dragon-killing King.
Your legend is lies, lurid and false;
your cunning capture of Numinex, a con for the ages.
No shouting match between dragon and man, no fire or fury did this battle entail.
Olaf captured a fast-sleeping dragon, a mighty feat which the meek would not fail.

Olaf grabbed power, by promise and threat;
From Falkreath to Winterhold, they fell to their knees;"
But Solitude stood strong, Skyrim's truest protectors."
Olaf's vengeance was instant, inspired and wicked."
Olaf gave orders, Winterhold disguises. An attack on Solitude total destruction to follow.
His men dressed up and then went out to fight, but they reversed Olaf's orders much to Winterhold's sorrow.

"So ends the story of Olaf the liar, a thief and a scoundrel we of Solitude commit to the fire. In Solitude bards train for their service, they also gather each year and burn a King who deserves it."

I could clearly see that Elisif was deeply moved, and for some reason she seemed to like the concept of having King Olaf shown as a 'thief and schoundrel', as Viarmo had called it. After a short period of silence she said:

"You have proven your point, my dear Viarmo. The festival is truly a celebration of Solitude and a condemnation of false kings, and it shall be taking place again."

"I thank you and the college thanks you, Jarl."

"Furthermore, I believe that such a fine poem deserves some payment of patronage. The college will be generously rewarded."

"Thank you yet again. I will make sure that the person, who was instrumental in... recovering the poem will be well rewarded."

Jarl Elisif looked at me now, as Viarmo had pointed in my direction, and probably consciously noticed my appearance now for the first time, as I assumed; I had kept to the background so far, as much as possible. I imagined that a huge Khajiit in noble clothes was probably an odd sight but the Jarl asked me to step forward:

"I have not see you at court before, and I believe that I should have noticed. Most Khajiit prefer to stay outside of the city, and one of your stature is quite rare. What is your name and where are you from?"

"My name is B'lushona, my Jarl, and my city of residence is Whiterun; I am a member of the Companions. I have had the honor to assist the Bards College."

"I have heard about the Companions; who hasn't? B'lushona, welcome to my court, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Please do let me know; where did you get such fine fitting clothes from? I rarely see Khajiit dressed as elegantly as you are."

That might the perfect opportunity to deliver the message:

"The ladies from the Radiant Raiment store were kind enough to provide them for me, my fair lady. I do not own any formal clothes at all, and they insisted that I should wear something proper for visiting the Blue Palace. They also provided the outfit for my two companions here, my Shield-Brother Athis and my housecarl Antonius."

"Indeed, that was a wise decision. I understand that you warriors need to wear armor most of the time, but at least in here, at court, something different is welcome and appreciated. Thank you for obliging, and I am glad to learn that the store had something in your size."

"Me too, my Jarl, me too."

"You said 'housecarl'; what does this imply?"

Apparently Elisif found it hard to believe that I might be Thane of a hold, and Antonius stepped forward to explain:

"My lady, B'lushona is a Thane of Whiterun; Jarl Balgruuf the Greater deemed him worthy of that honor."

Jarl Elisif nodded and now turned her attention towards my two saber cats, who had behaved very well and had kept close to my side so far; the Jarl՚s housecarl, a tough looking Nord, had looked a them warily, though. Elisif observed my two girls for some time, and I imagined that she tried to make up her mind if Hanni and Nanni were still more on the cute side or already to be considered potentially dangerous and intimidating; eventually she asked:

"One more question, B'lushona; how did you get your two saber cats tamed so nicely?"

"My Jarl, I adopted them when they were not much more than babies. My companions and I had to kill an adult snowy saber cat when it attacked us, and it had been probably the cubs' mother. I felt pity for them, and I decided to raise them. They probably see me as their father, and they protect me well if I am attacked."

"Yes, I can imagine how this might work. I wish I had a nice pet like this."

With that, the audience was at an end. The court turned back to their routine, as it seemed; Viarmo led Athis, Antonius and me down the stairs again. Before we left the palace, he told me:

"Unbelievable! You have done us a great service here. I can't begin to thank you enough."

"So, does that make me a bard now?"

He laughed: "With your voice, I somehow doubt that you could capture an audience with your singing. No offense meant."

"None taken" I replied.

"However", he said, "I believe that you deserve to become an honorary member of the college; you will be inducted as such as part of the festival itself. I need you to go speak to Jorn. He was preparing the Effigy of King Olaf. If you don't mind, please tell him to finish the preparations, the Festival is back on!"

Viarmo did not say who Jorn was, and it was up to my housecarl, my Shield-Brother and me to find out. In the Bards College, we had to ask around again, but eventually we found Jorn, a male Nord, sitting with Bendt, the cook, in the kitchen on the lowest floor of the building. While Bendt was busy with some kitchen tasks, Jorn was working his drum, and we could hear him saying when we came in:

"Bendt, you know, it's an honor to have Viarmo for instructions on drum, but he's far too reserved for my tastes."

"I could not tell, my friend, honestly, but we all acknowledge and respect his leadership; he is a fair man."

"That he is, indeed, but still, he's a little bit too concerned with precision. But look, we've got visitors!"

I stepped forward and told Jorn and Bendt about our success at the court, and the bard responded:

"All right! I'll tell everyone we're ready to start the festival at dusk. Come talk to me after dark, we'll get the festival started when you do."

That was good enough, and we had one more day to explore the city; thus we stepped out of the college.

Once we were on the street again, the Jarl՚s steward, Falk Firebeard, was there, apparently waiting for us. He addressed me:

"You were the one you got that book with King Olaf's verses, right?"

"Yes, that is correct. And you are the Jarl՚s steward, right?"

"Indeed I am. Look, I'd like to ask you if you have some time on your hands to help me out with something, which I prefer not to discuss in the palace."

"And what would that be?"

He seemed to be relieved that we were going to listen at least, and he explained:

"Yesterday, a farmer came to court and reported some strange events around a cave, like magic and noises and lights and such. The Jarl has sent a few more soldiers to Dragonbridge, and I am supposed to find a few volunteers to scout the cave itself. It's probably nothing, or maybe just a few bandits, but we'd fell better to have the story verified."

"So, you think that the three of us might want to do it?"

"Yes, indeed, I do hope so. I did not want to bother the Jarl with such a minor issue; she's got enough on her hands as it is, with the Civil War and all. If you want to clear out Wolfskull Cave, I'll make sure you're repaid for your work."

"Why is it called Wolfskull Cave?" Athis offered a question.

"The cave has a bad history. Long ago, Potema the Wolf Queen used it for necromantic rituals. That's where it got the name. That was over 500 years ago, and most details have been lost in the past, I'm afraid. Nothing much down there now, as far as I know – but everyone's always convinced the cave is haunted."

"So, is there a chance that current events are somehow related to the Wolf Queen again?"

"I can't imagine that they would; that was centuries ago, after all. No, there must be another reason, probably just a few strange bandits and maybe a mage or two; nothing much to worry about, if you ask me."

I quickly looked at my Shield-Brother Athis, and when he nodded, I replied:

"I guess that we will do it."

"Thank you. Feel free to return to me with questions. The Blue Palace is an open forum, and you are always welcome at court."

With those words he was gone, and Antonius turned towards me:

"Do you think that this was a wise decision? We should be able to handle a few bandits, but what if the cave is actually haunted and we are going to face a bunch of necromancers and conjurers?"

"As a matter of fact, my dear housecarl, I believe that we will. I have heard about the cave, and we should get us some more firepower."

"Firepower?"

"Assistance, from a mercenary or two maybe. Yesterday evening Belrand offered his services, didn't he? We could ask him to go there with us."

"That might be good idea, Shield-Brother" Athis nodded.

"Ah, I see." Antonius replied. "Actually, we don't need to search for a mercenary. I have connections here, and I might just be able to get us some help, maybe even for free."

He smiled while saying that, and I asked:

"Help of what kind?"

"Allow me to surprise you, my Thane – are you up for a walk down to the docks?"

"I guess I am – all right, surprise me!"

Half an hour or so later we were down at the docks, and Antonius guided Athis and me to one the larger ships being docked there. I had to admit that it looked a little bit like a pirate ship, but I assumed that he knew what he was doing. When we were about to step on the plank leading up to the ship, a harsh female voice stopped us:

"Where do you think you are going, pals?"

"Sabine, is that you?" my housecarl asked.

"Why do you know my name? Who are you? Wait, Antonius, is that you?"

"Yes, it's me, and I'd like to speak to the Captain, please."

"I am sure you do. Come up!"

I did not fully understand what was going on, but were were allowed to step on board, and the Breton Antonius had identified as 'Sabine' lead us into the cabin. In there we found a tall and strong looking female Imperial, and when she saw Antonius, she hugged him tightly. I gave them some time, and when they were done, Antonius introduced us:

"Safia, this is my Thane – B'lushona. My Thane, this is Safia, captain of this ship, the 'Red Wave', and my sister."

His sister? Wow.

Safia quickly asked: "Thane? You got assigned to a Thane? Is he good to you?"

Antonius smiled and confirmed: "Yes, he is, and we are having quite some fun together."

I had a question as well:

"So, Safia, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Is it just my impression or it this really a pirate ship?"

Both the captain and my housecarl laughed, and the Imperial woman told me:

"By all means, it is, indeed, officially at least. Unofficially, we were also something else, but I am not talking about that. Guys, it is about lunch time, want to join me and my first mate?"

We both nodded, and soon we were having lunch with the captain, Safia, and her first mate, Sabine Nytte, the Breton who had first challenged us. While we ate I noticed that Antonius and Sabine were sitting close to each other, and they looked like they were touching each other quite frequently. My housecarl noticed that I saw that; he actually blushed a little and then told me:

"Look, my Thane, Sabine and I have known each other for a long time, and we are pretty close to each other…"

"To say it bluntly, we are lovers" the Breton lady stated without any trace of embarrassment.

We enjoyed our meal, and then we talked about business. Antonius started:

"Safia, are you going to stay docked for a few more days?"

"Yes, we are. We have to wait for some shipment which is scheduled to arrive in four of five days."

"So, would you be willing to allow some of your crew to join us in an adventure?"

"If it's the type of adventure where they can let off some steam, then yes. I was already getting worried about some of them getting lazy and bored, and some exercise would be a good idea indeed."

"Well, yes" I chimed in, "I expect some danger and fighting."

"Sounds like a plan!" the captain smiled. "I won't be able to go, but Sabine can take a few of the crew."

"Splendid!" Antonius grinned. "We will split the loot we may find, won't we, my Thane?"

"Of course we will" I was quick to confirm; that was only fair.

Once the captain had talked to the crew, it was decided that Sabine, the Breton, Eris, a female Nord, and Xander, a male Imperial, were to come with us. We were going to meet outside of the city on the next morning to travel to the cave together. Before we left, Antonius asked me:

"My Thane, will you need me for the rest of the day?"

"Why, aren't you going to be there for the festival tonight?"

"I would like to, but, you see, Sabine and I have not seen each other for some time, and…"

Suddenly I understood: "Oh, of course. No, that's all right – why don't we all meet tomorrow morning?"

He smiled and nodded, and I was dismissed.

Athis and I went back to the inn, and in the early evening we strolled over to the Bards College again. The Dunmer told me:

"I have to admit that I like to be here in Solitude again, my friend. It's a nice city, and so far nobody has insulted anybody yet."

"Insulted?"

"You know, we Dunmer are usually insulted in cities like Windhelm."

"Is it really that bad there?"

"Well, I have not been in Windhelm for some time, but at least a few years ago it, was, yes, and I have a few friends there, too. Nords frequently complain about Dunmer not joining their ranks, but they forget that it really isn't their war. Why, with the Nords always claiming 'Skyrim for the Nords', Dunmer are more likely to join on the Imperial side, I should think."

"Yes, good point. But maybe Jarl Ulfric realizes that?"

"Maybe he does, maybe not. I have heard some rumors about the racism in Windhelm and some other Stormcloak controlled territories becoming less intense, and a remote cousin from Windhelm recently visited and told me that they are actually doing some improvements in the 'Grey Quarter' in the city, so maybe that's a start."

"I guess that I will eventually have to visit that city, too."

"You should, Shield-Brother, you should. You met Ulfric at Helgen, didn't you?"

"Sure, I did, but we did not talk much there. We had more pressing issues on our minds, with the dragon around and all."

"Still, he should remember you. A Khajiit of your stature is hard to forget. Maybe you can make the Jarl moderate some of his views a little."

"I doubt it; why should he listen to me? But, anyway, I will keep that in mind. Now, I guess we are here, aren't we?"

Jorn, whom we had talked to earlier, greeted us right outside of the main door, and as dusk was close, he announced that the festival was going to commence in about half an hour, in the back part of the yard. When I looked over there, I could see a straw puppet already prepared, and while dusk turned into night, more and more members of the college and some other citizens of the city arrived, until they were all standing around in the backyard. Eventually Viarmo stepped out of the college, dressed in even better than his normal clothes. He smiled at me and guided me to a place close to the outer wall, and once he had looked around he lighted a torch, raised it in his left hand and started the ceremony:

"Welcome, bards and people of Solitude! We of the Bards College are pleased to be here to celebrate the Burning of King Olaf. The festival would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of my friend here, one of the Companions of Whiterun."

Viarmo nodded in my direction, and I got a round of applause from the citizens, while Viarmo continued:

"It has been our tradition to set an effigy of King Olaf on fire to memorize some of his deeds and to recall his cunning ways. This tradition has not always been welcomed by all, but we are happy to resume it tonight. With the lighting of the effigy tonight…"

Viarmo took a brief break and set the effigy on fire with this torch; then he continued:

"… our new friend, B'lushona, one of the Companions of Whiterun, becomes an honorary member of the Bards College. Please welcome our newest honorary Bard!"

After another short round of applause I added a few words of my own:

"Dear members of the college, dear citizens and friends, I feel very honored to become a member of that respectable institution. However, please keep in mind that this is not related to my voice; you sure do not want to hear me sing."

Some people smiled, and some openly laughed. It also came to my mind that it was somewhat unfair that I got appreciation, but it had been three of us retrieving the books, and I needed to mention that:

"I am also not good playing an instrument. However, I have gained some experience in dungeon delving, and I have capable companions helping me a lot with that. I would not have been able to do what I did without Athis, my Shield-Brother, Antonius, my housecarl, who is not with us this evening, and Hanni and Nanni, my saber cat cubs. We worked together as a team, and they deserve as much credit as I do."

Athis got some applause, too, but when I scooped up my girls and raised them up on my arms for everyone to see, a lot of murmuring went through the crowd. I decided to explain a little:

"I found the saber cat cubs when we had to kill her mother, as she attacked us. They grew attached to me and I to them, and we are best friends. Don't be surprised when you see me ordering some milk from time to time; some of that will be for the cubs."

More laughter sounded around, and while the effigy of King Olaf burned, Viarmo stepped next to me, saying:

"I think they like you. Oh, by the way, due to your adventurous nature several of the college professors may have some things they wish you to do at sometime in the future. What's more, Elisif has declared the Burning of King Olaf should become a monthly event. And finally, there's the matter of the Patronage that Elisif wanted me to give you."

I received a small coin purse and bowed in return. As the official part was now over, several people came to me and offered their comments, like:

"You've done well by restoring our Festival."

"You might as well have some sweets. I made them for the Festival, after all."

"Thanks for convincing Elisif to put this on again."

"I believe Sanguine would be pleased with this festival."

"So nice to get this break from my cleaning duties."

Quite late in the night Athis and I returned to the inn and retired to our rooms. We had eaten at the festival, and there had been enough food even for me, so that none of us had a need to order something from the innkeeper. I got to sleep with the knowledge that this day had ended quite nicely.

[Author's Notes: For me, it does not feel right for somebody to be accepted as a bard into the college for getting a book from a dungeon; thus I make Balu an honorary bard.]