Chapter 20

Housecarls and Jarls

Rona swept right past Bishop, not even looking at him and burst through the palace doors leading outside. He caught up to her yelling, "Whoa! Slow down Ladyship - the hell? What happened? What did he say?"

"I need a fucking drink." Bishop looked taken aback. Rona hardly ever swore and when she did he knew she was really in a mood. He fell back letting her angrily lead the way to The Bannered Mare.

The tavern was as busy and bustling as ever with the townsfolk, plenty having their dinners at the tables with their families while mercenaries and working men enjoyed a warm drink after a long day.

Rona found a seat at the bar, Bishop drew up beside her and Karnwyr curled up near the foot of their stools, looking to avoid being stepped on. Hulda was serving drinks and looked over at them, "Oh! Lady Dragonborn, good to see you again, what can I get you?"

She wanted something much stronger than wine, anything to make her forget what she'd learned tonight, "What's your hardest drink?"

Hulda looked surprised at her, "I've got some old Daedric Lava Whiskey if you've got the coin for it, 'course I don't recommend the stuff, it bites back hard."

Rona threw her coin purse on the counter and said, "I'll take it."

"A glass?"

"The bottle."

Hulda didn't argue, taking the gold and left to rummage through her stock of ales, wines and boozes. Bishop was smirking curiously at her. "You ever had anything other than watered down meads and wines Ladyship?"

She realized then just how stupid it was to go off and order such a ridiculous drink, having completely overreacted out of anger. She leaned her elbows onto the bar and buried her face in her hands giving a muffled whine, "Nooo..."

Bishop chuckled at her as Hulda brought out a large bottle of Whiskey and placed it on the counter with two glasses for them, "Let me know if you need anything else you two." She left them to go take orders and serve her other patrons.

Bishop cracked open the bottle and took a whiff, waving a hand over his nose, "Damn that shit stinks." He poured them both a third of a glass passing hers over, "Here you go Lightfoot, just what the alchemist ordered."

She picked up the glass and held it to her nose cringing at its overpowering alcoholic scent.

"Bottoms up," Bishop said and downed his in a gulp, smacking his lips, "Ah, damn that shit is strong!" He poured another for himself and looked at Rona who was still staring at her glass. He chuckled, "Not even going to try it Ladyship?"

She sighed and threw it back quickly. It burned her tongue and stung the back of her throat leaving a nasty aftertaste in her mouth. She gagged audibly as a shiver ran up her spine. Bishop was already on his third when he shook his head at her, "You ordered it. Don't back down now! This is a real man's drink right here."

She put her hand to her head, leaning on the counter, "Ugh... I'm just so...so pissed off!"

He raised his brows at her, "You gonna tell me what you're so pissed off about or keep trying to drink this swill instead?"

She turned her forehead into her hand, slumping more and grumbled pitifully, "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Oh how's that fair? You get to poke and prod me for answers all the time and now when it's your turn you get to keep all your secrets to yourself?"

She glanced around the room. There were a few people looking at them, seemingly listening to their conversation. She wanted some privacy and said, "How about we rent the bath?"

Bishop grinned, sitting upright suddenly, "That sounds like a great idea." He called Hulda over and asked how much for the bath. She exchanged coin with him and said she'd get it set up.

Ten minutes later and they were both undressing and settling into the warm, bubbly water while Karnwyr laid down near the door, glad to be out of the way of the foot traffic. Bishop leaned back, taking a seat where he could keep his eyes on the door and said, "They really need to get a curtain or something."

Rona sunk into the water and traced the top of it with her hands, mindlessly pushing soap bubbles around before she said, "Bishop? What's it like having brothers and sisters?"

He grimaced, "What? Are we playing your question game again? Because I'm not really in the mood to talk about that stuff."

"No," she sighed, "I'm an only child. I never had any brothers or sisters and I always wondered what it was like."

His mouth twitched and he said, "It was awful. Bunch of nosy little brats who couldn't mind their own business, always getting into your stuff and older siblings that beat up on the younger ones all the time. I don't know if it's like that for other people, but that's how it was for me. I hated them all, still do."

She met his eyes with her own and asked tentatively, "But you liked Jules right?"

He growled low, averting his gaze, "Don't talk about him. Don't say his name."

Her face burned with embarrassment, she hadn't meant to pry on the one topic that he kept so close to his heart. She just wanted to know what it would mean to have a sibling she might be close to, could she ever have that with the Jarl's son, that feeble boy who tried so hard to be tough?

"I'm sorry," she said, "I promise I wasn't trying to pry. It's just..."

He threw her a stern look and said, "What?Spit it out already."

"I have a little brother," she breathed.

Bishop's brows knit together, "You said you were an only child."

"Yeah, well I just found out tonight," she said.

He laughed awkwardly, "Wait. That's what the Jarl talked to you about?" he threw his hands up out of the water, "Wait, wait, wait. Back up. Tell me everything from the start."

She shared every detail from her mother's relationship with the Jarl, to the fact that they'd had a son together. She then expressed her suspicions that the Jarl was trying to manipulate her for the sake of Whiterun because he was too afraid to take sides in the war.

After it was all said and done Bishop was thinking hard, scowling down at the water, "Don't get involved Ladyship."

"I don't want to!"

He smirked, "That's a first... Wow, your mother and mine, they'd have made fast friends the way they got around. Hang on - so which brat is it?"

She rolled her eyes, "The one who threw the knife."

Bishop laughed, "Ah the violent one! I see dragon blood runs in your family."

She shrugged, "The Jarl told me that he's a troubled child. I really do sympathize for him. I could see his eyes light up when I showed him my shouts and I'm sure he's a sweet boy when he's not throwing things… but it's hard to have feelings for someone I've never known, even if I'm related to him."

Bishop moved in closer to her, clearly ignoring her rambling and with other things on his mind as he took a seat beside her, "You know, I have ways of making you forget all about this." He caressed her shoulders and rubbed her back.

"Not here," she laughed as goose bumps crawled up and down her skin.

"Why not?" he playfully nibbled at her ear.

She gasped, moaning lightly, then blushed crimson and peaked around the barrier separating them from the rest of the tavern. "Because I can't be quiet!" she whispered loudly.

"Hmm, I don't mind," he growled.

She slunk away from his grasp to the other side of the bath. "Later," she promised him.

"Hmm, I can be patient…very patient," he threw his arms up over the rim of the bath, smirking lasciviously, "But tonight we'll drown our troubles in mead!"

"And sing songs of adventure, battle and glory!" she smiled.

He shook his head grinning back, "Never change Ladyship."

They finished their bath and reentered the tavern to find the town guards raucously singing along with the bard, drowning out his version of Ragnar the bard looked rather grumpy about it as the men all cried in unison holding their mugs high,

"And the braggart named Ragnar the Red was boastful no more!

When his ugly red head rolled around on the floor!"

They all broke out into fits of laughter and cheers as they finished. Rona smiled broadly at them, she wanted nothing more than to join the men in song at that moment. Dagun noticed her and shouted, "Ay! Lady Rona! You made it!"

"Ah, that your little lady friend Dagun?" Another much older guardsman asked him coyly.

"Heard you're a right good bard Dragonborn!" A fiery red-headed guard called from the bar, "We want to hear some real songs, show Mikael here how it's done!"

Mikael scowled as a few guardsmen laughed boisterously,jostling him around, nudging him in the ribs and giving him a hard time.

"Alright! Alright!" Mikael cleared his throat composing himself, "Lady Dragonborn, whatever you would like to sing I will gladly accompany you."

"What would you all like to hear?" she asked brightly.

"The Dragonborn Comes!" several of them yelled out.

She laughed and groaned scrunching her face, "Oh but it's such an awful song!"

"If anyone can make it beautiful, you can Ladyship," Bishop smiled gently at her before walking off to find a spot against a wall. She blushed, enjoying the compliment.

"Okay! Fiiine, but I'm going to need some wine," she insisted. The red headed gentleman was kind enough to oblige, passing her a full glass which she downed in one gulp, the men watched keenly as she vocalized and Mikael started to play, keeping the beat of her tune.

(The song is The Dragonborn Comes by Erutan)

She held her audience with utmost skill, keeping them all attentive, eyes and ears on her as she sang her rendition of The Dragonborn Comes. She had them all cheering madly when she finished. Suddenly they were crying out the names of so many songs, even some she'd never heard of.

Hulda called, "Play something upbeat will you! I want to dance!"

Rona settled on some old druid songs her mother used to sing. When Mikael didn't seem to know them, she asked for his lute and put him on drums, which he looked rather miffed about until she started playing and singing.

(The songs are The Maid That Sold Her Barley, The Jug of Punch, The Briar And The Rose, Siuil A Run, Dulaman from the album Celtic Wonder)

She put on her best druidic accent, one that would make her mother proud, and sang all the ones she could remember. Dagun joined in with her on The Briar and the Rose which she was surprised he even knew and even more astonished when he gave a fair performance. Even Karnwyr chimed in at one point, howling loudly along and receiving plenty of encouraging pats all around.

The few remaining townsfolk and all the guardsmen cheered Rona on madly after each song which only spurred her to carryon throughout the night. She even ended up giving them the big bottle of Daedra Lava Whiskey that she couldn't stomach, to Bishop's displeasure of course. Everyone was drunk and having a great time and to Hulda's delight spending quite a bit of coin too.

She was so drunk by the end of the evening that she couldn't sing anymore and ended up dancing with several of the guards while Mikael snagged his lute back and played a jovial tune. After a wild dance with the red-headed guard, he leaned in for a kiss, she leaned back laughing, "Ah!" and Bishop stepped in yanking her out of the man's arms and pulling her into his own. The other men burst out in laughter as the red-headed fellow toppled over and in his drunken stupor kissed the bard's boots instead.

Bishop was drunk, she could smell it on his breath when he said, slurring slightly, "Mmmay I have thiiisss... dance, beeaauutiful?"

She laughed at him but embraced him all the same and yelled over the loud banter, "Of course you may!" They danced wildly as the guardsmen cheered, amusement abound in the room. At the end of the song he tipped her, kissing her in his arms to which she replied by burying her hands in the back of his head and returning the passion. The guardsmen laughed and poked fun at the red-headed fellow who looked on pathetically. The tavern roared with mirth all night.

Eventually Bishop pulled her along with him outside, both slipping away from the revelry, Karnwyr trailing close behind them. They stumbled down the road to her homestead laughing and giggling at each other's drunkenness. Bishop pulled her inside and pushed her up against a wall, his hands were all over her body, their lips entwined. Somehow they made it to the bed, though she couldn't figure out how they got up the stairs at all. Bishop had her naked on her back, looking down at what he desired most. She vaguely remembered some semblance of drunken love-making and wasn't entirely sure if they'd even finished, as they both blacked out.

She woke with a raging headache, the worst hangover she'd ever had, and moaned agonizingly. They were both on the bed, sideways, she on her back, him on his front with his arm and leg draped over her naked body. His face was at the edge of a pillow, drool pooling and dampening it, he gave a light snore and she shoved him off of herself.

Bishop groaned, blinking through a ray of sunshine casting over his face, "Nooo...I don't wanna go hunting right now, Ladyship. Lemme sleep some more."

She sat up, ignoring his dazed remarks and rubbed her head. The second she stood up Karnwyr leapt onto the bed, stomping on Bishop's stomach forcefully and licking at his face, "FUCK! KARNWYR! GET OFF!" he roared, shoving at the wolf who simply plopped down beside his master, tongue lolling from his mouth. Bishop rolled over into a pillow growling.

She snickered under her breath and wandered downstairs to find the wash basin to throw some cool water on her face to try and wake up. She noted that the place seemed unusually homey from the last time they were there, though she couldn't remember a thing about what they'd been up to last night. Downstairs in the dining area there was fresh food, ingredients and other items laying about. She was incredibly confused but in far too much pain to care at that moment as she found the wash basin and splashed the cool water on her face.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and whipped around. A dark-haired woman in a nightgown stood aside near the stairs gaping at her, "Ah! Wait my Thane, please don't shout!"

But it was too late, Rona cried, "FUS!" at the intruder, who dropped down quickly covering her head. Dishes and a pot of flowers went careening off the shelves, smashing to pieces.

Bishop came running in, Karnwyr barking madly at his side. He was still totally nude, with his dagger in hand shouting, "LADYSHIP!"

Rona was covering herself as she screamed and pointed at the nervous nord woman on the floor.

Bishop looked over at the stunned woman and laughed slightly, "Oh shit. Just what the fuck did we do last night? Thought it'd be way longer before you let me invite another woman into our bed - damn Ladyship, you are just full of surprises!"

Rona shot him a scathing look, "What are youtalking about!? She's an intruder!"

The woman threw her hands up and cried, "Please my Thane! Don't attack me! I'm your housecarl! The Jarl appointed me to be your housecarl!"

Rona looked back at her, mouth partly open, "My what?"

The woman glanced up nervously as Karnwyr came down the stairs and sniffed at her, "I was appointed to be your housecarl...it's my duty to guard you and all you own...with my life... though I'd rather not lose my life just yet, my Lady. Please."

Bishop stood by, laughing slightly and rubbing his eyes, before he said, "Ugh, whatever. I'm going back to bed."

Rona dashed after him and slammed the doors to their bedroom.

"Augh! Ladyship, please don't make so much noise. My head is throbbing," he crawled into the bed pulling a blanket over his face and groaning loudly.

"THAT FUCKING PRICK!" she screamed, "Eye and ears! DAMNED EYES AND EARS!" She paced back and forth furiously, her mind envisioning all the ways she wanted to throttle Jarl Balgruuf. "He put her HERE! He put her here to watch me, to listen to me and report back to him! UGH! I just want to - I want to!" She grabbed the pillow right out from under Bishop's head making him grumble miserably as his head plopped onto the bed. She smashed her fists into it before pulling it up to her face and shouted, "FO KRAH DIIN!" with all the force in her voice.

It solidified instantly into a hard, icy rock which she dropped to the floor with a loud clunk and sat down on the bed with her arms crossed, fuming. Bishop peeked at her from under the covers, still squinting, "Are you done yet?"

She glared dragon's fire at him and he pulled the covers back over his head, "Guess not." He waved his hand at her and said, muffled through the covers, "Mind raging somewhere else right now? My head is killing me."

She got up, threw on her clothes and trudged down the steps where she found the woman, also now fully dressed in steel armor and armed with a sword and shield, ready to go down with a fight this time. She was sitting at the table, hands to her knees, glancing anxiously at the curious wolf who stared back. She looked up as Rona entered the room and began to explain herself.

"I sincerely apologize Lady Dragonborn. I heard you two come in late last night and you seemed quite...engaged at the time," she looked away blushing lightly, "I was really hoping I might introduce myself under more appropriate circumstances."

So she'd seen them come in, two drunk idiots, lip wrestling and fondling each other. Great, she blushed angrily at the thought. She couldn't really blame her for not saying anything at the time. Rona stood by the stairs, arms crossed and asked, "What's your name?"

"My name is Lydia."

Rona looked around at all the homely comforts and then to the flowers smashed on the floor with the vase and dishes, "It looks like you've been here for a while."

Lydia nodded, "Yes, my Thane. I received my notice of appointment a week after you'd already gone, so I...well I tried to spruce up the place, make it comfortable for your return."

Rona sighed, pressing her fingers to her aching head, "So you've been here for months?"

Lydia nodded affirmatively.

Rona gave her a threatening look and said, "If you're one of Balgruuf's little toads then I don't want you here."

"I only work to serve and protect you. I don't answer to anyone else. Though if you wish to dismiss me that is fine as well my Thane. I'm sure I can find a new assignment elsewhere," she sounded almost too eager to be dismissed. Perhaps she wasn't just another one of Balgruuf's eyes and ears.

"You're my housecarl, right? You're supposed to serve me?"

"That is correct."

Rona sighed and pulled up a seat at the table, grabbing for the pitcher of water and a glass. She snagged a piece of sweet bread and ate it, hoping it would absorb the alcohol left in her stomach, Karnwyr sat by begging and wagging his tail.

He hadn't seemed to react to the woman in a negative way at all and the wolf, puppyish as he could be, was pretty good at sensing and identifying dangerous people.

She tapped her fingers on the table, thinking hard. On the one hand, she hardly spent any time at the home, it was really just a stop off point for them to get their supplies and move on. But on the other she'd wanted to stay in town for a few days, talk to the townsfolk, offer her services and have a pair of swords forged from the dragon bones she'd collected. Lydia may or may not be one of the Jarl's stooges, she could easily dismiss the woman and not request any new housecarls. Still it would be wrong to punish the woman just for doing her job.

She scowled at herself. Why did she always have to be so conflicted and strive to do good? It would have been so much easier to be like Bishop and just boot this woman out on her ass and tell her to take a hike.

Lydia waited patiently for her to collect her thoughts and Rona, sighing loudly, finally said, "You protect all I own and something or other?"

Lydia chuckled, "Yes, something like that." She had a warm smile which tugged at Rona's heart. She didn't seem like a bad person at all.

"What else can you do?" she asked.

The woman blinked and thought for a moment, "Well, I cook, I clean, I'm trained in battle. I'm quite handy at making potions, I specialized in alchemy at the Knight's Academy."

Rona looked over at her surprised, "You trained in Cyrodiil?"

"Yes, they have the largest academy out of any other," she looked away and said slowly, "I did serve in the Imperial Legion for a while, I hope that's not a problem."

Rona felt a twinge of excitement meeting someone else from her homeland for a change, "Not at all. Where in Cyrodiil were you stationed?"

"I was stationed way on the outskirts of Chorrol," she said.

"Got stuck on border duty huh?" Rona smiled, laughing lightly.

Lydia scoffed, "Yes! It was awful, stuck out in the boonies making the same rounds everysingle day!"

The two of them clucked away like a couple of old friends, chatting all about their time in Cyrodiil. Rona learned that Lydia had come to Skyrim shortly after the Civil War broke out. She'd been stationed with a regiment near Falkreath and after many bloody battles with the Stormcloaks she'd decided she couldn't bear the fighting anymore. She requested formal leave after losing so many comrades in battle. Her superior officer took pity on her and discharged her from the Legion as unfit for combat, allowing her to pursue a more relaxed and focused line of work in Whiterun.

Rona was only her second position as Housecarl, her last was an older war veteran who'd passed on in his sleep.

"When they told me I'd be working for the Dragonborn I honestly didn't know what to expect...though I suppose I should have prepared myself for being shouted at," she laughed.

Rona cringed and said, "Yeah, sorry about that."

"So, my Thane, will you be staying in Whiterun for a while or do you have plans elsewhere? I would gladly accompany you if you'd like."

Rona looked at her and raised her brows. She couldn't imagine having this - albeit, very nice and polite woman -being a third wheel on her journey with Bishop. "That's alright," she said, "I've already got a...um, personal guard."

"Ah yes, the illustrious nord gentleman from the night before," she said glancing up at the ceiling.

Rona's cheeks burned hot and Lydia noticed saying, "Oh don't worry! You two didn't get terribly far before you both passed out, at least that's what it sounded like."

"Ah," Rona replied awkwardly.

"Well my Thane, I will go about my duties, if you need any potions or anything from the market or even just some company please let me know," Lydia got up and wandered over to the mess on the floor and started cleaning up the shattered dishware.

Rona fixed breakfast for herself and brought a tall glass of water and a plate up to Bishop who was still hiding under the covers. She nearly tripped over the soggy pillow on the floor, remembering that she'd shouted it into ice earlier.

She set the plate and glass down on the end table and nudged him. "Bishop," she whispered, "Bishop, wake up."

He reached out from under the covers grabbing her and pulling her down onto him. "Oof!" he grunted as she slammed into him, "I didn't think that through."

She leaned over him, feet hanging off the bed and smirked, "I'm going into town, I made you breakfast and got you some water."

"Ah, if it's more of that gruel I'll pass." She scowled at him and he chuckled at her face before pulling her in more, for a deeper embrace, "You should stay here with me, we can have more fun together."

"I've got things to do!" she insisted.

"Yeah, like making friends with the Jarl's spy?"

"She's not a spy," she insisted in hushed tones as shemade a mental note about the thinness of the floorboards.

He threw her a skeptical smirk, "Right, she just so happens to be from Cyrodiil and worked for the Legion, who ever so kindly let her leave so she could come here to be your housecarl. You are so naive Princess."

She frowned at him and he kissed her, slicing her scowl wide open with his tongue. She pulled away, scolding him, "Quit it! I've got to go."

She hopped off the bed and yanked her boots on. Bishop sighed, watching her leave and yelled, "I'll be sure to come find you when I get bored of polishing my dagger!"