Ulfric was awoken by soft knocking upon the door. He groaned in response and rolled over, trying to fall back into sleep. He had been dreaming of Svala, again, (lately he dreamt of little else) and his cock was throbbing uncomfortably. "Whatever it is it can wait."
"My Jarl?" Jorlief's voice came hesitantly. "You told me to alert you the moment Ice-Veins returned with Ralof. They've just entered the palace, my Jarl."
All remnants of sleep vanished from Ulfric immediately. So Ralof had succeeded? It had taken him longer than Ulfric had anticipated, but he was a man of his word and so Ralof would be rewarded. Svala on the other hand...Ulfric dressed in a rush, trying to contain the nervous (excited) energy he was currently bombarded with. Ultimately he settled for throwing on a heavy cloak to hide his rather sizable erection and quickly ran a comb through his unruly hair before all but sprinting to the throne room.
When he saw her, standing in the middle of the great hall, with the Jagged Crown (of all things) nestled atop her auburn waves, his anger vanished almost immediately. She looked exhausted; there were dark circles visible even underneath her black war paint, and it was clear she had not been eating regularly. Still, there was a smug smirk on her face as she faced him with her hands on her hips, dressed in bloodied elven armor. "I brought you a gift," was all she said.
Ulfric descended onto his throne, his legs spread, more for comfort than anything else. He carefully watched her face, watched her eyes flicker to his groin ever so quickly before they settled back on his eyes. Her front teeth scraped against her bottom lip. The small gesture flooded Ulfric with heat and he could feel his neglected cock twitch. She hadn't done anything but look at him, for the love of Talos, and he was nearly ready to spill in his pants like a green youth. Pathetic. "So you have. I suppose I owe Galmar a drink after all."
"What about me?" She asked him cheekily. "I'm the one that did the heavy lifting."
"She was magnificent, Jarl Ulfric," Ralof chimed in, seemingly forgotten although he was standing next to her. "She killed so many dragur and skeletons that you could've built a mountain from the bones. Barely needed my help at all."
"Is that so?" Ulfric raised an eyebrow at his newest captain, trying to keep his attention on Svala limited. "Bone-Breaker seems to be a fitting name for you now. We shall call you thus." Svala nodded but remained silent, clearly waiting for him to continue with suspicious curiosity. "This war demands so much from us, and we give all we have to it and the people. I need capable and loyal warriors close at hand, so I have taken the liberty to move your belongings into a spare room here."
"You what?" She hissed angrily, her fury coloring her pale face pink. "I told Elda-"
Truthfully, Ulfric had had to pay double of what the Dragonborn had been paying her for the innkeeper to agree for him to move Svala's meager belongings into the Palace of the Kings. Still, as far as he were concerned, knowing her whereabouts and having her under the same roof as him was worth any amount of gold. But he would be damned if he let her know that. "It is done. You will remain in the palace until further notice and will serve the citizens of Windhelm as an officer of my personal guard. You will be given free rein of the city and the palace, but are currently prohibited from venturing outside of Windhelm."
"That's not what I signed up for." She raised her chin at him defiantly. He wished they were alone; how tempting it would be to bring her to her knees in front of his throne and quiet her by gagging her with his cock. Ulfric breathed deeply through his nose, trying to keep his composure. "If you're upset about why I was gone for so long I can-"
"Svala, this is a great honor." Ralof interrupted her, trying to calm her growing irritation with Ulfric. "Even some of the more seasoned soldiers never get an opportunity like this. You should be grateful." Momentarily Ulfric toyed with the idea of granting Ralof another promotion for his words alone as he saw the affect they had on Svala. Her eyes narrowed as she faced him, her body vibrating with her rage.
"Grateful?" She laughed harshly. "Why would I be grateful to be a prisoner?"
"You are not a prisoner," Ulfric spat, finally feeling his anger finally outweigh his desire. "You are my guest. If you would like I could move you to the dungeon in a damp cell if you would truly like to be treated as a prisoner. Given your lax interpretations of my orders as of late, Bone-Breaker, I would listen to Captain Ralof if I were in your position. Not many soldiers defy me and are rewarded for it. I trust you, my kindness will not be extended further, as I am not known for my patience."
She looked from him, to Ralof, to Ulfric once more. Seemingly finding no other recourse, Svala flung the crown from her head onto the floor, where it skittered to a stop in front of Ulfric's feet. The crash was deafening in the late night quiet of the palace. "You're welcome, my Jarl." Bone-Breaker all but snarled at him before stalking off somewhere, probably searching for her things. He could hear her stomping footsteps bouncing around off the stone walls of the palace. Ulfric chose to ignore it. "Captain Ralof, you will leave for Hjaalmarch camp tomorrow morn. Notify Galmar that Bone-Breaker will be in the palace with me until further notice and to have any tasks he would have given to her reassigned to you personally."
"Aye, my Jarl!" Ralof saluted him before departing. Once he was gone, Ulfric breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Jorlief had already gone, probably to direct Svala in the direction of her new chambers, leaving him alone in the cavernous great hall. Without any further sense of propriety, he unlaced his breeches and took himself in hand, stroking himself roughly and quickly. He could see the fire radiating in Svala's eyes so clearly as he imagined himself pushing into her, the way the green orbs would glow with passion and lust for him. It took him no time at all to finish, and he came with a loud groan that threatened to shake the nearby walls.
He only hoped that Svala heard it.
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"Stay still," Trearil purred in her ear, stroking her bare bottom as though he were inspecting a horse for mating. "It will hurt less if you do."
"Fuck you," Svala spat into the wood of the table he had her bound to. "I swear to all eight divines I will kill you."
HIs hand smacked her flank causing her to jolt forward in pain. "I find that hard to believe, given your current position pet," the Altmer laughed, pressing a dry finger into her. The burn and the stretch was unbearable and she moaned against the painful intrusion. "Now be a good girl and stay still and maybe you'll even start to enjoy it."
She could hear him unlacing his trousers behind her and she could feel the sudden, but familiar, spike in anxiety. Breathing deeply through her nose, Svala tried to focus on anything but Trearil pressing himself into her, inch by agonizing inch. The damp smell of the cell he had her in, the rough feeling of the rope that bound her ankles and wrists, anything but the sound of Trearil's golden flesh smacking against her own, the rough pants of his pleasure in her ear, the smell of his sweat...
Someone was pounding on her door.
Svala sat up in bed with a start, her chest heaving as cold sweat covered her neck and face. She quickly scanned the room, finding herself in the Palace of the Kings (and thankfully not in a Thalmor dungeon) in a lavish set of rooms that smelled lightly of snowberries and lavender. "What?" She snapped, placing her head in her hands and trying to steady her breathing.
"Jarl Ulfric would like to invite you to break his fast with him, Bone-Breaker." Jorlief said through the door, courteous as ever. She rolled her eyes. Fat chance of that happening, as she couldn't currently decide whether she wanted to bed or behead the Jarl. And it wasn't as though she could perform either of those options, could she. "No." Svala replied flatly. "Tell him I'm not hungry."
She waited until she heard Jorlief's retreating footsteps before she rose out of bed, dressing herself in a simple blue robe that had been laid out on the chair next to the bed. It was finer than anything Svala had ever owned, complete with golden embroidery around the neckline and sleeves. Was this Ulfric's idea of a peace offering? She rolled her eyes, continuing to poke around her new chambers. It would take more than pretty trinkets to win her over. She opened the large brown wardrobe in the corner of the room, only to find it filled with various robes, bits of fine Nordic armor, and even a few dresses and gowns. Opening the other drawers led her to find assorted weapons that had seemed to have been handcrafted for her as they all contained dragon insignias and markings. The only possessions that were really hers had been placed neatly in the final, bottom drawer of the wardrobe; the Thalmor dossiers, a few dragon bone carvings and assorted dragon scales, some bottles of Black Briar Reserve mead, her Thieves Guild Armor, and the Amulet of Mara she had worn for Brynjolf.
Brynjolf. Just thinking of him sent a sharp pain through her, but it was for the best. She couldn't risk his safety, not with both dragons and the Thalmor to worry about. He would be safer without her, without knowing where she was. Even if she wasn't meant to survive the trials that lay ahead of her, Svala needed to know that Brynjolf would.
There was another knock at her door. "Jorlief, I already told you-"
"I have brought food to you," Ulfric's smooth voice said. "I believe I instructed to have a small table placed within your rooms, so perhaps this arrangement would be more to your liking?"
Svala froze. As much as she wanted to refuse, she knew she was already on thin ice with the Jarl, and wasn't about to make matters worse for herself. For whatever bizarre reason, there was a growing part of her that did crave Ulfric's approval, and cared (deeply) about what he thought of her. "Come in."
It amused her to see Ulfric carrying the food himself in his large arms, and she must've laughed, because his eyebrow raised at her. "You know, before I was Jarl I was a soldier, and was quite capable of doing things for myself." He said, placing the food on the table. He had chosen well, bringing smoked salmon and goat cheese, alto wine and snowberry crostadas. She hadn't realized just how hungry she was until the aroma of fresh food hit her nose, and it brought her to the chair across from Ulfric at once, grabbing a sweet roll and biting into it without ceremony. Ulfric sat opposite her, pouring her a goblet of wine before doing the same for himself. "Are you going to tell me where you disappeared to, yet?"
Svala stopped chewing. She narrowed her eyes at him. "So that's what this is? A bribe?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Ulfric scoffed, tearing into a loaf of bread. Her eyes flittered to his hands- just one of his fingers would stretch her so nicely, she bet it would feel like a smaller man's cock inside her. She crossed her legs discreetly under the table, feeling the beginning signs of arousal. "As I've said before, you are my guest, not my prisoner. And as a true Nord, I like to show my guests proper hospitality. This is nothing more than a conversation between friends."
"Friends?" She laughed, nearly choking on her sweet roll. "I didn't know you considered us to be so close."
"You don't?" Was it her imagination, or did a brief flash of hurt pass Ulfric's face for a moment? "I suppose I could always order you to tell me..." He recovery nicely, his expression back to its familiar stoic countenance.
"Official Dragonborn business," she answered tightly, cutting into a salmon steak. "I'm afraid I can't say more than that."
It was Ulfric's turn to laugh. "I'm the Jarl, Svala. I would argue it is my duty to know such things."
"No." She said definitively. "Not this you don't. If you really count me as a friend, then I'm afraid you're going to have to trust me, Jarl Ulfric."
His intense blue eyes studied her for a moment before he shrugged. "I suppose I will. Can you tell me this instead; were you planning on returning after this...Dragonborn business was concluded?"
Svala wanted to laugh again. She wasn't sure if Dragonborn business would ever be concluded. It seemed that there was always another clue, always another task for her to complete. She knew that Esbern and Delphine were probably awaiting her in Riverwood at that very moment and knew the letters would begin to arrive any day now. She also knew she couldn't keep them waiting forever, not if what Esbern said had any truth to it. "Of course," Svala lied smoothly. "I made an oath. I don't take that lightly."
Ulfric nodded, lost in thought. "You mentioned once that you had been captured by the Thalmor. Do you worry they still search for you?"
Her stomach dropped. She pushed her half eaten plate away, her appetite gone. "That's not your concern."
"We have a mutual enemy," he said evenly, reaching for her hand it covering it with his own. The warmth of his skin sent pleasant shivers down her spine. She wanted him to touch her everywhere... "So I would say that it is my concern. I want you to know that you are safe here, Svala. My men will protect you with their lives. You have nothing to fear while you are in this palace. I swear this to you."
She could feel his soothing words washing over her, and for a second, Svala allowed herself to believe them. Maybe staying under Ulfric's supervision was the best move...the Thalmor would consider it suicide to try and snatch her from inside the palace walls, and the city was crawling with fellow Stormcloaks. Still, she knew better. If Trearil was intent on finding her, it would take death to stop him from achieving his goal. She would not coddle herself with lies of false hope. Not again.
Ulfric's thumb was tracing circles on her wrist. She drained her goblet of wine before placing her foot on his calf. Her toes played with the material of his trousers, and she watched him draw in a deep breath. Good. Anything to distract him from talking about the Thalmor. "Perhaps you've had enough," he rumbled, his eyes darkening at her. He didn't remove her foot, however, and instead allowed it to travel up his leg. Her heart began to beat erratically within her chest. Why wasn't he stopping her?
"I feel fine," she said airily, although she felt as though she had swallowed a bee's nest. Her foot was nearly at his groin now, and she was watching his own labored breaths come quicker and quicker. His eyes were nearly black now, his pupils so expanded it was hard to see the blue there. "Are you feeling alright, my Jarl? You look a bit...out of sorts." Her toes grazed his crotch, against the growing bulge she found there, and she sucked in a breath of her own. He was massive. Bigger than she had imagined, even. The want that hit her suddenly made her dizzy.
Ulfric sucked in a breath through his teeth. "You play with fire, little dovah." His voice was even deeper than normal, coming out like a clap of thunder. She thanked Mara she had decided to wear small clothes- she could feel her wetness soaking through them onto the wood of the chair seat. Had she gone bare, there surely would have been a puddle on the floor.
"I've come to understand that dragons like fire," she smirked at him. Their eyes met once more; she hoped he could see the determination in her gaze. She would not be the one to break first.
Ulfric stood, nearly topping the table over in the process. His jaw was clenched and he drew his fur cloak around his middle to avert her view of his...problem. He opened his mouth to respond when Jorlief's voice came from outside the door, "My Jarl? You are needed urgently within the great hall. Another woman has been found."
Saved by the steward, Svala thought to herself, as Ulfric straightened. It was almost palpable, the change that overtook him, as he shifted into Jarl Ulfric once more. It appeared he didn't even need to hold his cloak as tightly against himself as he had to a moment ago. "Good day, Bone-Breaker. I'm afraid duty calls." She felt a brief pang of disappointment, but chased it away as a ridiculous emotion.
After all, she was living in the palace now. There would be plenty of time to continue things later.