A guard escorted me through the main hall of the Jarl's palace, and out on to the overlook. At the end, already seated at a long table laden with food, was the Jarl. He rose to meet me, a big smile on his bearded face.

"Ah, welcome!" He exclaimed, instantly thrusting a goblet in my hand.

"Uh...Thank-Thank you." I held the goblet carefully, still feeling the warmth of my last drink in my belly.

Balgruuf waved at the guard. "Leave us be, kinsmen." He ordered.

"Aye, m'lord." The guard said solemnly, his footsteps echoing down the stone and back into the palace.

"Please. Sit." The Jarl said, taking his spot at the head of the table.

I sat across from him, my mouth watering as the scent of a hot meal wafted up from the silver platters. I began piling their contents on to my own plate, until I could not force on another morsel. Fork in hand, I took the first bite. The first real food I'd had in Gods knew how long. I moaned a little, making the Jarl laugh.

"You're enjoying the meal, I take it."

Chewing vigorously, I nodded. I washed down the mouthful with the contents of the goblet. A sweet red liquid poured down my throat. I gasped, setting it down, empty. "It is all...Wonderful, m'lord."

Balgruuf tilted his head. "You don't remember me, do you?" he said simply.

I lowered my fork, glancing at him. "I-I'm sorry I do not-"

"I knew your father." The Jarl said, casting his sights into the darkening horizon. "And I'd recognize an Aesir anywhere. We met once. You were just a wee lad mind you..." His saddened gaze rested upon me again. "You look just like him. Except the eyes...Those are your mothers."

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"I heard rumors that a boy survived the attack. But I didn't want to believe it. The things Tullius would have done to you...The things the citizens would…" the Jarl shook his head. "They so blindly followed him."

"And that is better than blindly following an Aesir?"

The Jarl furrowed his brow. "The Aesir's cared for Skyrim and her people. Your ancestors lived, fought, and died to keep this land free. They were kings. Tullius is a brilliant general, but he is no king. He sees Skyrim as challenge. A savage beast to kill, skin, and sell for profit."

I stayed silent, the food in my stomach turning to rot.

"The people of Skyrim did not follow the Aesir's blindly." Balgruuf said. "They followed Primitus because he gave them hope. They followed Ysgramor because he gave them a new life. A new land that they could call home. Each of your ancestors became king because the people of Skyrim trusted them."

"Then why was Tullius able to rally them against us?" I asked, tears threatening to pour from my eyes. "Why was it so easy to take their loyalty?"

"Like I said...Tullius is a brilliant general. He faced them with something they had never encountered from previous rulers. Fear. He turned the kings into monsters, the gods into devils. He turned Skyrim's loyalty into hatred. It's easy to do when your king is the most powerful being alive. One wrong move...And he could turn against his children." Balgruuf ran a hand across his eyes.

I felt my confidence crumble. The enthusiasm I had gained from my Helgen escape was replaced with anger. Why was it my job to protect them? What made them worthy of such protection? If they so quickly stopped believing in the Aesir's, how was I supposed to trust them to start believing again?

"Maybe I do not wish for such fickle subjects."

Balgruuf gave me a an angered look, slamming his fist on the table. "They are not simply subjects! They are the people your family has sworn to protect. Without them you would be nothing!"

"I am nothing." I countered. "Tullius destroyed all I was. And they did nothing while Solitude burned. They sat idly as their king and queen- my mother and father- were executed."

Balgruuf let loose a long, aggravated breath. "If you abandon these people you are no better than he is."

I settled my enraged gaze on the Jarl, drawing in a long breath of the cooling evening air. "I am nothing." I repeated. "I cannot save them. They do not deserve to be saved."

"What if your father said the same about you, Sicarius?" Balgruuf said. "That night...In all the chaos what if he looked down at you and said 'I cannot save you. You do not deserve to be saved.'."

"Then I would not be faced with this predicament. And Skyrim and her people could continue to suffer beneath a dictator." I replied.

"You cannot turn your back on these people."

I knew he was right…I hated to admit it. But I knew that to get to Tullius, I first had to get to them. They had to trust in Gods once more. "I promise nothing, Jarl Balgruuf."

The Jarl tilted his head, his brows coming together.

"My father died for what he believed in. I watched him sacrifice himself for me...A small hope that his line would continue. He placed all his trust in me. You have to understand my hesitance. Should I fail…"

"Of course I understand." Balgruuf cut in. "But you have to understand my urgency. Skyrim is my home. I pray to the nine to give me the strength to restore it to it's former glory. And the nine sent you. After all these years. You appear. Skyrim is cornered by Imperials, Stormcloaks and dragons, ready to succumb to the evil descending upon her… And you come to our aid."

"You believe this was a godly occurrence?"

"You believe it coincidence, that a god-descended dragonborn appears, in this age, bearing the power of the Aesirs and a hatred for Tullius?"

"I do not know what to believe, Jarl." I chuckled.

"I cannot make your decision, Sicarius." The jarl pushed away from the table, gazing into the pink horizon. "You may not promise anything to me, but I promise you that as long as an Aesir lives in this world, Whiterun will help him to protect it."

I downed my remaining wine, and pushed away from the table. "Thank you, Jarl." I said. I nodded curtly to him before turning my back on the feast.

"You'll do the right thing." Balgruuf called after me.

Hand pressed to the door, I sighed. "How do you know?" I shot over my shoulder.

"Because you're an Aesir."

As I pushed forward, leaving the lavish pleasantries behind and trodding back out into the madness of the world I mumbled beneath my angered breath. "I never asked to be."