The Golden Alliance
The Dragonborn High King of Skyrim, Aurelian Vitellus, sat hunched over on the throne in the Blue Palace. The audience in front of him filled the throne room, puzzled as to why he had called this meeting. All of the important figures in Skyrim were present, including General Tullius of the Imperial Legion, the Thalmor ambassador Elenwen, Jarl Elisif of Solitude, the rebellion's leader Ulfric Stormcloak, and the rest of the Jarls from Skyrim's holds. Ever since Alduin's defeat at Aurelian's hands, the High King had implored the Imperials and Stormcloaks to maintain the truce he created in High Hrothgar. They had complied so far, but it was clear to him that the agreement was on its last legs. He needed an issue to unify the two sides, something whose end result would be a lasting peace. What he was about to do was a major gamble, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up.
"I'm sure all of you are wondering why I called this assembly today. Now that Alduin's threat has passed, my main goal is to bring a decisive end to this conflict that has been festering in Skyrim for far too long. As High King, it is abundantly clear to me that there's one major factor that is preventing this land from soothing its wounds and becoming peaceful and prosperous once again," High King Aurelian looked sternly over the people in the room, shifting his glances between Tullius and Ulfric, "A problem that must cut be away from this country. Only then can there be a lasting peace for all."
The High King's eyes settled on Elenwen, his glare fixed firmly on her, "This problem has been responsible for the starvation of our people, repression of religious freedom, and fueling conflict between the Imperials and Stormcloaks to plunge us into a state of near-constant war. The peace I brokered between your two sides is not going to last much longer, unless this problem is taken care of," Tullius' face started to pale as Ulfric let a hint of a smile cross his features. Skyrim's ruler pointed with his right index finger at the Aldmeri Dominion's ambassador, "Elenwen, the atrocities by your forces will not be tolerated any longer, not while I draw breath as High King. I hereby reject the White Gold Concordat in full and assert that Skyrim is no longer bound by its provisions. The Thalmor will have 72 hours to release all citizens of Skyrim being held prisoner, withdraw your justiciars, and make preparations to pull all Aldmeri forces from the country. If these conditions are not met within that time frame, all military forces and justiciars of the Dominion will be considered enemies of the state and treated accordingly. Any refusal will be met with your deaths. Do not test my resolve on this. There is a great force of destruction lying in wait for you, stayed only by my hand. Once I unleash it, every hostile Thalmor within Skyrim's borders will be marked for death and there will be no escape."
The room broke into chaos as dozens of voices expressed utter shock at the High King's ultimatum. Ulfric had a wide grin as he capitalized immediately on the situation, "My forces are at your call, my King. Just give the word and we will be ready to take action."
Aurelian turned to Tullius, ignoring the stupor Ambassador Elenwen found herself in, "What about you, General? Can I count on the Empire's support in this endeavor? Stormcloaks and Imperials united in a common cause to finish the work our Emperor Titus Mede II started at the Battle of the Red Ring. I can think of no nobler cause than this. And rest assured, I have negotiated with Hammerfell for the Redguards to provide what support they can. It isn't much, but my other allies will more than make up the difference. Just listen…" the High King put a hand to his ear.
A distant roar could be heard from the skies outside Solitude, followed by the sound of several more. General Tullius put his hand to his mouth in shock, "No…"
Skyrim's monarch had an almost evil look in his eyes, "Oh yes, the Dovah are very much on my side. Sahloknir, Odahviing, Mirlmulnir, Vulthuryol, Krosulhah, Nahagliiv, just to name a few. They answer only to me. After all, parts of their souls reside within my being," he was greeted with hushed silence from everyone in the room, "What? Did you honestly think this wasn't something I was planning for a long time? When I killed Alduin in Sovngarde, I absorbed his power of shout to resurrect dragons. I knew I needed a powerful force in conjunction with the Stormcloaks and Imperials to rid Skyrim of the Thalmor occupation, so I used a page from Alduin's playbook and resurrected many of the Dovah I slayed. They regard me as their Thuri, their leader, and are thus bound to me."
The Jagged Crown adorning his head, Aurelian stalked Elenwen, walking slowly around her in a circle, "You see, Ambassador? It's a very simple choice you face. Either withdraw from Skyrim or see the entire Aldmeri presence wiped out," the High King walked back and sat on the throne, "I'm waiting for your answer, General Tullius. Do you stand with Skyrim or the Thalmor?"
Tullius was between a rock and a hard place. He knew the Emperor wanted to maintain peace with the Thalmor, but both men wanted to be rid of the Dominion in their heart of hearts. Also, having to fight both the Stormcloaks and dragons would not end well for his legion. When it came down to it, he had only one choice, "I-I stand with you, High King. My legion will provide support. I only ask that you avoid unnecessary bloodshed if at all possible."
Aurelian smiled at his risky gamble paying off. He had succeeded in uniting the Stormcloaks and Imperials in a common cause. With the dragons at his side, the unified force could drive the Thalmor out of Skyrim and even invade the Summerset Isles if necessary. The walls were now closing in on Elenwen, who still hadn't said anything in response. The High King tapped the right armrest of his throne, "What happens next is up to you, Ambassador. You have 72 hours to decide what's more important. Stamping out Talos worship, or the lives of all the Thalmor in Skyrim?"
All eyes focused on the elf, including those of a beautiful woman watching from a hidden room behind the throne. She kept watch through a small slat that was camouflaged in the wall. Her existence was kept secret by Aurelian to protect her life, as various attempts had been made on it in the past. She was the High King's beloved, the woman he hoped to marry. Vittoria Vici was very much alive…
Elenwen finally managed to regain her composure, and stared daggers at Aurelian, "I would urge you to reconsider this rash course of action. The Dominion has used a gentle hand so far, but we will take all necessary measures to enforce the Concordat."
"As I recall, the Dominion was beaten decisively in Hammerfell. The Redguards drove your forces out, and they didn't have the aid of the Imperials or dragons to do it. What do you think will happen if you bring a full invasion force here?" Aurelian returned her glare with one of his own.
"A small setback which is only temporary. Hammerfell will fall eventually. If you stick with your ultimatum, we will launch a full-scale invasion of Skyrim. Is that a risk you want to take?" the ambassador retorted.
"Oh, you have no idea how much I want to take that risk," the High King rubbed his hands together in glee.
Watching from the hidden room, Vittoria felt a cold shiver run down her spine at her fiancee's words. She knew exactly what he was referring to, a most terrible and dark secret that only she and Aurelian knew about.
"It will be Skyrim's funeral if you don't retract your ultimatum. If you do, we'll just forget everything that happened with this little snafu," the high elf had regained her composure and was confident he would back down, now that his bluster had been spent.
The High King walked over to the lone window in the throne room. He opened it and looked back at Elenwen, "I have an answer for you, but I feel someone else should give it voice."
The faces in the room took on puzzled glances, curious as to what he meant. From behind the hidden slat, Vittoria knew exactly what he was going to do. After all, she was the only person he shared his secrets with. She grimaced at what was about to happen. Once he did it, there would be no going back…
On the outskirts of Solitude were a chain of snow-covered mountains. Hidden just beyond the ridgeline and out of sight from observers, a group of 40 dragons lodged on the frost-covered slopes. They were made up of a mixture of those resurrected by the Dragonborn, some loyal to Paarthurnax, some who defected from Alduin, and others Aurelian had discovered in his travels. Their leader heard the shout from Skyrim's capital that pierced the sky, "Od Ah Viing!"
The mighty red dragon nodded his head to indicate the others should stay put for now. Then he took off, letting off a few roars at certain points to make his presence felt as he closed in on the city.
Back in the Blue Palace, Jarl Ulfric spoke to the High King in a quiet voice, "You summoned Odahviing to deliver your answer?"
Aurelian nodded, "He can better express what I want to say. It won't take him long to get here."
A few moments after his reply to the Stormcloak leader, a roar could be heard close by. General Tullius shook his head, "Please tell me that isn't what I think it is. You've already gone all half-cocked today."
The Dragonborn laughed, "That would be my friend, Odahviing. He's a friendly dragon and won't harm anyone, unless I ask him to," he turned his attention to Elenwen, "He will give my answer to your words."
With a loud thud, Odahviing landed in the courtyard outside the throne room. The guards outside, under orders from Aurelian not to attack him, watched nervously as the dragon lumbered over to the open window and poked his head inside.
"Drem yol lok, Dovahkiin. Why did you call me, Thuri?" the brick red dragon inquired in a deep voice.
Everyone in the room except for Aurelian and Ulfric was extremely nervous about a dragon sitting in the middle of the capital at the High King's request. Even Elenwen was scared at seeing the beast. Vittoria watched from her hiding place, intent on seeing what her husband-to-be had in mind.
The Dragonborn king stood a mere foot away from the dragon, a smile on his face, "Good to see you are well, fahdon. I'm in the middle of trying to persuade the Aldmeri ambassador to stop persecuting the people of Skyrim and to begin preparations for withdrawal of her forces from the country. She seems to think I am bluffing and has demanded I retract my ultimatum. Do you remember our discussion about this possibility?"
Odahviing slowly nodded his head, "Geh, zu'u dahmaan. I remember that conversation very well. You tasked me with delivering your response if Elenwen refused your terms. Would you like me to deliver it now?"
The High King stepped to the side so Odahviing had a clear view of Elenwen, "If you would be so kind, my fahdon."
The wait was extremely tense as the dragon remained silent. The Thalmor ambassador lost patience, "Say what you need to say already, dragon. I've wasted enough time here already."
Odahviing's giant maw opened and a green substance shot out, splashing over Elenwen and leaving her covered in the dragon's spit. She screamed in rage as Aurelian laughed heartily, "Thank you, Odahviing. That was all I needed. You can take your leave."
The red dovah flew off with no hesitation. Once the dragon was out of sight, the High King turned to face the shocked looks from Tullius, Ulfric, the Jarls, and many others in attendance. Elenwen was enraged, trying to wipe Odahviing's spit from her person. Aurelian walked back and sat on his throne, "Ambassador Elenwen, the Aldmeri Dominion has 72 hours to comply with the terms I have set. If not, a state of war will exist between Skyrim and the Thalmor. This meeting is adjourned."
"You will pay for this, you insolent bastard! I swear it!" she yelled at him, before storming off in disgust.
The people in the room began to filter out, all except for Jarls Elisif, Ulfric, Balgruuf, and General Tullius. Once the doors had been shut by the royal guards, High King Aurelian stood up and clapped his hands, "Well done, all of you. The acting was superb. You managed to convince Elenwen that you had no idea what I was going to do. Now the Thalmor will think we're unprepared to strike at them, while the opposite is true."
Tullius sighed heavily, "I still think your plan of attack is risky. Trusting forty dragons is a big ask, not to mention dealing with Ulfric. Even if this succeeds and we drive the Thalmor out, how can there be lasting peace?"
Ulfric was about to retort, but Aurelian held his hand up to silence him, "General, I was able to forgive the fact that your idiot captain wanted to take me prisoner and murder me in Helgen. If I can release holding a grudge like that, then the two of you can learn to co-exist. When Skyrim is free of the Aldmeri, this country will have a functioning government. If I have to drag the two of you kicking and screaming, I will fucking do it," the High King warned them, "Yes, Ulfric's killing of High King Torygg was unjust, but the Imperials have also killed innocents. Neither of you have clean hands."
At this point, Jarl Balgruuf interrupted, "Your Majesty, I know that our attack plans are set at this point, but wouldn't it be better to split the Stormcloak and Imperial forces. Jarl Elisif's garrison could fight with Tullius and my army would join with Ulfric's. He hasn't killed any of my relatives, yet…"
Jarl Elisif spoke up, "I agree with Balgruuf. It's best that I keep away from the Stormcloaks. Some things can't be forgiven."
Again, Aurelian stopped Jarl Ulfric from replying, "I know you're chomping at the bit to speak, Ulfric, but Balgruuf is right. Splitting our forces to open a two-front attack is a sound idea. The Thalmor won't be expecting it, and there will be greater mobility for following up on the initial dragon assault."
The ruler of Windhelm surprisingly agreed, "It does make for a good campaign strategy. My actions have helped lead us to this point. The Empire was going to blindly abide by the terms of that stinking treaty while all of Skyrim suffered. Now Titus Mede has promised us much greater autonomy with the agreement you negotiated with him. I'd prefer full independence, but I'll take what I can get. As long as those damn elves are expelled. That's all that matters."
Tullius was annoyed at the Stormcloak leader taking credit for everything, but this time he was waved off by the Dragonborn, "I imagine you have some choice words in response, General. Now is not the time for that. My meetings with the Emperor bore a lot of fruit. In exchange for getting the Stormcloaks to back down on their independence demands, he agreed to give us considerable authority. Essentially, we'll be independent in all but name. He wants the Thalmor out of the Empire as much as I do."
The Imperial commander nodded, "We would have had more time to build up the legion's forces if Ulfric hadn't been such a hothead, but nothing can change the past. The other Jarls besides you three have agreed to unite their forces with us. We have some good numbers, all things considered, around 40,000 or so. The Dominion will outnumber us 2-1 once their invasion force has massed, but if the dragons can hit them hard in the first attack…"
"We can win this. Hammerfell punched the Aldmeri in the mouth against all odds, so we know what's possible. I do think we need to go over the military plans again, to make sure we're ready to move swiftly once the 72 hours have expired and the dragons launch their attack," Elisif motioned to the next floor up, indicating where the war planning room was.
"Agreed, lead the way," Aurelian walked behind Elisif with the others up the stairs.
The war council went well into the night, concluding around 9:30 PM. The attack plans were finalized with all the intelligence gathered on the Thalmor embassy, military bases, force dispositions, and justiciar patrols. Aurelian's dragons had provided the vast majority of intelligence from their fly-overs, since the Thalmor could do little to stop them while airborne. Also, the elves had no idea the dragons were aligned with the High King until the meeting earlier in the day.
The council having ended, Aurelian walked back to his quarters on the second-highest floor in the palace. Vittoria greeted him at the top of the stairs, embracing her fiancee. They held hands and went to the bathing room. The couple lounged in the warm water of the small pool, floating as they talked.
"I wish you would tell Tullius and the Jarls about him. It would be helpful if they knew," she gently whispered to him.
"Perhaps, but it's too much of a risk. I've been able to get away with a lot as High King, but I don't think my hold on the throne could survive that," he remarked stoically.
Vittoria sighed, "I suppose you're right. The Thalmor will have a swift end once you let him loose. Your arrogance back then has turned out to be a blessing in disguise."
"I think we should see him before going to bed. He needs to know everything that happened today, even though I'm sure he knows a lot already," Aurelian suggested.
"Agreed, but let's enjoy a bit more time together," she placed her hands on his face and kissed him on the cheek.
"By all means," he stroked the locks of her brown hair as they gently floated in the water.
After a half hour enjoying each other's company in the warm water, Vittoria and Aurelian changed from their swimclothes into sleepwear. The Dragonborn wore silk black pants and was bare-chested while the trader for the East Empire Company wore white linen pants and a light red short-sleeved shirt.
The couple entered through a secret passageway in their solarium, going down a long spiral staircase that took them underground. The caverns beneath the Blue Palace were known only to them and Elisif. They were large tunnels about 30 feet high that allowed for great maneuverability, lighted by wall-mounted torches at 40-foot intervals. After going through a winding labyrinth for about 10 minutes, the High King and his fiancee reached a large chamber. It was a little bit higher than the tunnels and much wider, big enough to accommodate the equivalent of two dining halls.
Aurelian clutched Vittoria's hand as he addressed a presence in the room, "Good evening, son of Akatosh. Your time for freedom nears."
The black mass poked its head up and squinted to see the High King, "You best keep to your word, Dovahkiin. You may have fought me to a stalemate, but I still retain enough power to humble even you."
"My lover will stick to his end of the agreement, Alduin. You can rest easy," Vittoria looked into the World Eater's scarlet eyes.