Chapter 82: Big banquet

[12th – 13th of Morning Star 4E 202]

I had spent a nice day on my own and had visited some of the farms south and east of the city, while learning something about cold weather farming. On the way back a small snowstorm had moved into the area, but finding the way back to the city had not been an issue; one just needed to follow the river shore to get to the big stone bridge.

Back in the palace, I waited in my room until it was time for the banquet, and the steward picked up me, my two housecarls and my saber cats from our rooms for that; preparing for the occasion, I had donned my best clothes for that rather than my armor. Naturally, the festivity took place in the main hall in the 'Palace of the Kings', and the long table could sit more than twenty people easily, I guessed. Seats were reserved for us, and more guests were seated at other, smaller tables in the large hall. The table was already laid, and before we were sitting down, Jarl Ulfric greeted us cordially and had some of his court approach to introduce us, even including Hanni and Nanni. My two saber cats did, of course, attract lots of curious looks.

We had already met Steward Jorleif, and the next one was Wuunferth the Unliving, the court wizard. He was an elderly man with a beard, and I was not sure about his race; his way of greeting was:

"Whatever you've heard I can do is probably true. Yes, I'm a powerful wizard. And no, I won't put on a magic show for you."

I had not asked for a show, but maybe that's what some citizens would like to see. I smiled and replied:

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, sir. It's not a lot I have heard about you yet, but that's mainly because this is my first time in this ancient and great city."

He seemed to be pleased to hear me talk like this, and I added a question:

"Say, there is something I am curious about. You live and work in a city which is mostly populated by Nords, and Nords traditionally dislike magic, don't they? So, how do you get along here?"

"You are right about that, but while most Nords don't have much need for magic, I don't have much need for them either."

"But doing some magic on the farms is one of your tasks, isn't it?"

"Oh yes, it sure is. Have you been out there?"

"Yes, I visited some farms just yesterday, and working the cold ground seems to be tough without magic."

"Indeed, it is. Yes, I have been working on ground warming enchantments with long term effect, and while some farmers still hesitate and have their doubts, some others have realized that doing something like that is more a necessity than an option. As a matter of fact, due to those duties and the Dunmer who are now starting to joining the Stormcloaks, I have taken in an assistant."

The court wizard pointed to a young female Dunmer standing next to him and said:

"May I introduce Darvasa; we already met a few times when she was an adolescent, and she has quite some gift for magic. She has been training with me for a couple of years, and she can already take over some tasks for me at the farms. She also has an excellent way to guide the Dunmer warriors and mages in the Stormcloaks to focus their magic properly; I couldn't do all of that without her. Maybe I even need a second assistant soon."

Right; Ralof had mentioned an assistant of Wuunferth՚s working with him to train the mages and integrate them into the Stormcloaks; that was obviously her. The young Dunmer lady was clothed in blue mage robes like Wuunferth, and she now nodded in our direction. I returned her nod, and she and the court wizard now moved on, while Jarl Ulfric introduced his general and housecarl, Galmar Stone-Fist. Galmar was a strong and fierce looking Nord, and even here in the palace he wore his full armor, what I assumed to be Stormcloak officer armor, and his battleaxe. He looked at me with some doubts written in his face. However, as I was obviously a guest here, he tried to be polite:

"So, a Khajiit here in the Palace of the Kings; that is certainly something we do not see every day. Do you plan to train your saber cats for fighting?"

"I guess I need to be careful to leave a good impression then. And Hanni and Nanni are my protectors and bodyguards, and above all, my best friends."

"Friends with saber cats; that's certainly something I haven't seen before. Got me to wonder if we could train more of them for war…"

This was a direction I'd rather not purse, and I quickly asked the sturdy general:

"So, what's your view on the war and all that?"

That was clearly a topic he loved to talk about, and I got a very clear statement on that:

"First we'll kick the Thalmor and their bloody Imperial puppets out of the country. Next we'll rebuild Skyrim into the land she once was. When we are done with that, we will assemble more forces, take our army to the Dominion, and show those pointy-eared bastards that not every man is fit to be their slave."

"So you think that the Imperials just follow the orders laid down by the Aldmeri Dominion?"

"But of course. I fought in the Imperial army in the War against the Dominion. I bled and split blood for the Empire. And for what? The Empire to bend its knee before those evil elf bastards? Signing a treaty meant to kill the heart of the Empire itself. To deny Talos? No. I will have no part of any such Empire. And I will gladly gut anyone who says otherwise."

"But the Empire did not have a choice at the end of the war, I believe, or otherwise it might have ended up utterly defeated."

"There is always a choice, and one needs to stand up for one's believes and convictions. I'd rather die than denying Talos. The Empire would have us become their slaves as they have become slaves to the Thalmor. I will not live as a slave, nor will I die as one."

"Are you sure that Skyrim can persevere once the ties to the Empire are cut?"

"That is something for my Jarl to ponder and to plan for."

I nodded, and next for introductions were two people in priest robes. The female one did most of talking:

"Hello, I am Jora, and the handsome man next to me is my husband, Lortheim; we are both priests of Talos and serve in the local temple."

"All right, it is great to meet you both. Say, can you tell me about your view of Talos and his relevance to the Civil War?"

"Talos, who in life was known as Tiber Septim, united Tamriel and founded the Empire. He was rewarded for his deeds by being joined with the Divines in eternal glory, as the only mortal to do so. We worship him that we might follow in his path. We can't of course literally join him in the heavens, but we may do our best to know them here on Nirn. Now, the Empire's elven puppetmasters never cared much for the idea of a human becoming a divine; thus, the worship of Talos is outlawed. The people of Skyrim don't take kindly to being told what to do. And to try and forget Talos, well... they may as well order us all to cut off our ears."

That was a clear and honest statement and I thanked them for offering it. I was also introduced to some of the city elders, or more likely just a few people whose business helped to make trade work well and thus provide septims for Ulfric՚s coffins, and next in line was a male Nord who got introduced to my housecarls and me as Brunwulf Free-Winter. Jarl Ulfric told us:

"So, here we got a Nord who has really outdone himself and served me and the city well. He was one of the first Nord who has spoken for the Dunmer, and without his talking to me and not relenting I might not have reacted as I have. Mostly thanks to him and his efforts living conditions for the Dunmer in the Grey Quarter have improved and treatment of them has changed, and without him we would not have some Dunmer in the Stormcloak ranks yet. As a matter of fact, this evening is for him as much or maybe even more as it is for you; you have arrived at a very opportune time. Let's get the ceremony started."

He made us step to the side and had his steward call for silence in the hall. Once everybody listened, Jarl Ulfric spoke with a loud voice:

"Good evening everybody! For tonight we have some special guests with us – B'lushona of Whiterun, Thane of Whiterun and Solitude, with this housecarls Antonius and Jordis and his two well behaved saber cats Hanni and Nanni. They came with a message from Jarl Balgruuf the Greater, and we will discuss this in detail tomorrow. Please welcome my guests together with me and have them see our best side!"

Some people clapped their hands, and I was happy that my saber cats had even been mentioned by name. After a short break Jarl Ulfric continued to talk:

"Now about a very important citizen of Windhelm. Brunwulf Free-Winter, when you started to talk to me about the Dunmer, the situation in the Grey Quarter and they way we treated them, I was not really listening and discarded your opinion and views. However, over the years, you refused to give up on that, and slowly I started to pay attention. Although some of my Nord citizens still disagree with me on that, I have changed my mind, as you know, and at least in the last few years we have made an effort to change our view on other races. Dunmer are now fully accepted citizens, and with few exceptions, Nords also treat them like that. I have started to think about other races, too, but that will have to wait for a later time. Brunwulf, it is thanks to you mostly that my view and policy has changed, and I have come to realize that this was a good thing, too. We Nords alone might struggle to liberate Skyrim, but if we work together, we shall succeed, and Skyrim needs to be open for all, so that we can complement each other. So, Brunwulf, to honor your hard work, I name you Thane of Eastmarch. Congratulations. I grant you a personal Housecarl to watch over your home and this weapon from my armory to serve as your badge of office. I'll also notify my guards of your new title."

There was thundering applause following that statement, and it was obvious that most of the citizens, or at least most of the invited guests agreed with that. With a smirk I noticed that Jarl Ulfric had not used that phrase about the 'common rabble'. I was surprised to see that a Dunmer warrior lady was to be Brunwulf՚s housecarl. Galmar told me later that she was one of the first who had joined the Stormcloaks, and it seemed to be fitting.

After that announcement Jorleif called out that dinner was going to be served now, and Ulfric had his new Thane sitting to his right, with me being on his left side. My two saber cats got a bowl with water and a large plate with meat served behind me, close to the wall.

I had skipped lunch today and had only eaten some fruits and snacks from my backpack, so that I was reasonably hungry now. The amount and variety of food did not disappoint; the kitchen staff must have worked overtime. Servings included pheasant, rabbit, and goat plus a large selection of all kind of side dishes. Naturally, most Nords drank lots of mead, but some, including the new housecarl, completely abstained. Some people around me looked at me with apparent surprise showing on their faces when I only got juice and refused to accept mead or wine, but they probably saw that as Khajiit specific. After all, having a Khajiit here in the palace was, as I had been told told, a very rare event.

At the end of the day I found myself in my bed with a full stomach, and I pondered the events of the day. Sure, I had hoped and expected Jarl Ulfric to be a little bit more open towards other races, but getting a main supporter of that becoming Thane was nothing I had been prepared for. This, was, in my opinion, a very good sign, and I was looking forward to the long discussion I was hopefully going to have with the Jarl on the next day.

When I woke up on the next day, I thought back to the banquet I had attended in the evening before. To my surprise and delight, this had not been in my honor only, but specifically to celebrate Brunwulf Free-Winter, a Nord who had apparently spoken for and worked for the Dunmer, their rights and their living conditions for years; honoring that effort, Ulfric had announced him to be his new Thane yesterday.

Finally it was time for my appointment with Jarl Ulfric. I had enjoyed a small breakfast earlier and gone back to my room for some reading. Steward Jorleif knocked and told me that is was time, and he guided me down to the main hall in the palace, alone for now; for the first talk there were not going to be any housecarls, as I was told, except for the Jarl՚s; Hanni and Nanni were with me, though. Ralof was waiting for me to guide me directly into the war room, where Galmar Stone-Fist was already waiting. Ralof was not senior enough to stay and had to leave, but Jarl Ulfric was not yet present.

"So, you are the Khajiit who was at Helgen when Ulfric was there?"

"Yes, that's me indeed. I guess that neither of us was there by choice, and the Imperials treated me as shabbily as they treated him. Actually, they at least had an understandable reason to kill Stormcloak soldiers, but I was just there by accident and was sentenced to death nonetheless, without any trial."

"So, what kept you from coming here earlier to join our cause?"

"Maybe I should have done what Ralof suggested. However, other tasks were waiting for me, and I owe my allegiance to Jarl Balgruuf the Greater."

"What else might be more important than the Civil War?"

"Well, there was the Dragonborn who needed support and assistance, and I also became a member of the Companions of Whiterun. To be honest, I am still not sure if I should really get involved in the Civil War."

"Understandable attribute, boy, but the war is there anyway, and sooner or later all of us will have to chose a side."

It had been a long time ago, in my old life at least, when somebody had called me 'boy', but from people like Kodlak and Galmar I could accept that. In the game, I had usually not liked Galmar very much, but here, he was a different character, still grumpy, but with an attitude and view on the war I liked; once or twice I even saw a hint of a smile around his mouth.

"I get the point, and that's one of the reasons why I am here."

The door opened and Jarl Ulfric came in, stating:

"Sorry that I am late, but let's talk. You got started already without me, right?"

"Sure, Ulfric, we talked about Helgen" Galmar replied.

"Right – you were there, and you even tried to heal one of my soldiers. I learned from Ralof how you got out, and I heard tales about the Dragonborn. So, is it really true that she's a tiny Bosmer?"

"Yes, Fiona is on the petite side, but she has already achieved a lot. Not only have we been able to retrieve the Dragonstone from Bleak Falls Barrow, but she managed to kill a few dragons already, with some help, and we have observed Alduin resurrecting other dragons."

"Damn, so this is really true; the dragon threat is bigger than I had assumed. I wish we could conclude the war quickly so that we can all focus on the dragons instead."

"You and me both, sir, indeed. Now, talking about the Dragonborn, she gave me something for you, something she stole from the Thalmor."

I handed over the small package Fiona had given me, with the dossiers on both Ulfric and Tullius, and he took it, unpacked it and started to read. When he was done, he shouted "Son of a bitch!" in a way that Galmar was immediately on alert and asked his boss what was wrong, but Ulfric replied:

"Galmar, calm down, I am just reading that I have worried about certain things for years and felt guilty, but it had not been my fault after all; I will share this with you later. B'lushona, many thanks to you for showing this information; I am very grateful for the Lady Dragonborn that she was able to retrieve those documents, and I don't even want to know how she did it. Truth to be told, reading this lightens my heart."

I knew what section he was likely referring to, and Fiona had allowed me to read it before we had parted:

He was made to believe information obtained during his interrogation was crucial in the capture of the Imperial City (the city had in fact fallen before he had broken), and then allowed to escape.

When Jarl Ulfric had calmed down, I asked him, changing the topic:

"So, about the war, are you inclined to tell me more about your view on that?"

The Jarl sighed, and after some time he told me:

"Yes, of course; after all, I need Balgruuf to learn about the situation here, and just writing a letter won't do. See, since that war started several years ago, my view has changed a little. At first I thought that all Nords would flock to my side and I could have all holds under my control in weeks or months with the revolution sweeping through the holds. Instead, it turned out that about half of the holds cling to the Empire and the Legion, even including some of the Nords there, although I have followers everywhere. And I have even come to realize why that might be."

"I have a feeling that you have changed some rules in the last years."

"Yes, I have done that for sure. My original slogan 'Skyrim for the Nords' turned out to be short lived. I have come to realize that this was alienating all other races, and look how many Dunmer we have here in the city. Oh sure, there are still some Nords thinking like Rolff, but I think that most citizens, including the Nords, are with me here. We have quite a few Argonians working the docks, Dunmer run some of the farms, there are Altmer operating some market stalls, and look at yourself – a Khajiit as Thane of two holds. If I was to claim Skyrim for Nords only, I'd have to drive at least a third of the people out from the province. My view has mellowed over time, and maybe I am getting a little bit wiser with age, too. Anyway, the changes are paying off, as the first Dunmer have already enlisted."

I was surprised that he was talking to me like that and revealed that much about his thoughts and I told him so. He laughed and responded:

"See, there are two reasons for my being frank with you. One is that you were in Helgen with me, and the other is that you are close to Balgruuf; his letter was very clear about that. He and I have been good friends for a long time, but over the last few years he has kept his distance, as he does not agree with some of my plans and ideas. I respect Balgruuf, and I have come to understand that he has done a better job of ruling his hold in a fair and just way than I have. I wish to be allied with him, but I understand his reasons to be neutral in the war; so far, this had worked very well for his hold, where most people can still do their normal work instead of having to be drafted. If I had to go against him, it would make me very unhappy, but I'd still do it if I had to."

He paused for a few moments, I nodded, and he moved on:

"Now, in the current situation, with dragons showing up again, what can we do? In my opinion, it would be best to end the war quickly, so that we can deal with the dragon threat and most soldiers can go back to their real jobs, at least for some time before we eventually will have to face the Aldmeri Dominion again. Surrendering to Tullius is not an option, and I doubt that he's going to be open to fair negotiations; what do you think?"

Negotiations had been possible in the game, but only during that one quest with everybody meeting at High Hrothgar, and I had my doubts that the term 'fair' was the proper one. The real Tullius, judged by the way he had treated Fiona and me, was a different story, and I told Ulfric about how Fiona and I had been treated by the Imperials in Solitude, following with:

"No, I do not think that we will be able to make a fair deal with him, and he will never agree with anything which might conflict with the Empire laws and the White-Gold Concordat either, if my view of him is correct."

The Jarl of Eastmarch nodded and replied:

"I have to admit that I am not surprised to hear about the way you were treated there. I do have … contacts in Solitude, and I know that high ranking people investigated the scene at Helgen after Alduin had left. Tullius learned from Hadvar that the Dragonborn and you went into the keep with Ralof, and it was probably not hard to deduct who had killed all of the Imperials inside, including the captain."

"He knows that?"

"Almost certainly, yes. So, above and beyond any reasons he might have had before, there is now alleged resistance against the legal forces and killing of legion soldiers."

"But if he knows that, why didn't he mention those charges when I was in Solitude in Castle Dour?"

"This is a very good question. I am not sure about the answer, but I assume that there is something he prefers to hide, something which we would have been forced to reveal in a trial. He should at least acknowledge the Dragonborn and accept that her task may well be vital for the survival of mankind in Skyrim and maybe even all over Tamriel; Tullius is not a Nord, but as a high ranking officer he should at least know about that. Maybe his judgment was clouded, and maybe Thalmor reports have exaggerated what happened there, too. Maybe he's got his reasons to actually believe the Thalmor; I am not sure."

I had not been aware of that, but it kind of made sense; I nodded and continued to listen:

"So, the only options going forward are either to accept a long term stalemate with a separation of Skyrim between Imperial controlled and Stormcloak controlled holds or to make a jump forward and somehow manage to defeat Tullius."

I slowly nodded again and told him:

"I believe that you are right on that point, sir. If you delay for too long, there is always the risk that Tullius gets more troops from the south, from Cyrodiil, too."

"Don't I know that. Although, I am not sure that Cyrodiil has so many additional troops to send here; according to what I hear, and I do have some contacts in Cyrodiil, too, the Emperor is focused on fortifying and manning Cyrodiil՚s own borders, as they are worried about the Aldmeri Dominion. See, I am glad that I can speak to you about those things. Most people don't understand all of those ramifications. Galmar, my friend, no offense, but you are a soldier. I can rely on you to win a battle and to place soldiers and armies in a strategic way, but even you don't have that perspective on the big picture."

Galmar nodded:

"Yes, Ulfric, I am and always will be a soldier. If our friend here can talk politics with you, so be it. If he dares to raise a hand against you, though, he is history."

Hanni and Nanni growled a little bit, although they of course did not understand the words, and I comforted them with a quick hug.

Both Ulfric and I laughed, and at this time we got a quick break as the Jarl had to read a few notes and sign a few documents.

[Author's Notes: So, Ulfric՚s attitude and views are somewhat different from the game. But, this is not a 'Let's Play', and my story is supposed to be different from what you can actually do in the game. Let's see where this leads us to.]