Skyrim is the property of Bethesda Softworks. Just a quick shout out to dragonlorerd6 and Firestar3271, thanks for the favorites. I hope I continue to impress. And to the followers who've joined in recent days: thank you all for you consideration.
In our wisdom, the races of Nirn have created two words to describe being alone: its misery we call 'loneliness' and its glory we call 'solitude.' In the silvery light of the stars of northern Skyrim, I gazed upon Solitude. The bulk of that unique city rests on a massive natural arch that stretches eastward from the mountains and crosses over the bay hundreds of feet below. The grey walls and double gates are in pristine condition.
Two fortresses dominate the skyline of the city. At the easternmost tip of the arch is the Blue Palace. Once the throne of an Empire, it is now the seat of Haffangar Hold. There Ulfric Stormcloak used the Voice to crush High King Torygg in single combat, sparking the current civil war.
Torygg's widow, the twenty-year-old Elisif the Fair has tried valiantly to control her restive Thanes. I feel sometimes that only her steward and Tullius keep them in their place. She was unfortunately not suited to rulership. Often wearing her emotions on her sleeves and not thinking before speaking, Elisif will be lucky if she lives to see forty. She was just savvy enough to know that her head was on her shoulders by the grace of the Empire and that her steward's advice should be listened to. Perhaps as she matures she will learn to rule, but she had better learn fast.
On a plateau abutting a tall mountain, Castle Dour makes the corner of the city. Larger and taller than the Blue Palace, it serves as the Imperial residence when the Royal Family is present. More often, it houses the city chapel, local Thalmor office, and serves as the barracks for the Imperial Legion stationed here. From the keep, General Tullius manages the war.
I was permitted past the gate and went promptly to the room I had rented with Lydia at the Winking Skeever. Lydia was out carousing so the bed was mine for a change. I fell in and went into a deep sleep.
I woke refreshed fifteen hours later. As I ate my first good meal in 36 hours it came to me that I was covered in dried blood, had a backpack filled with a fortune in stolen goods, was in possession of some of the Thalmor's most precious secrets, and was now wanted dead in two provinces. My only thought was to laugh quietly and order more wine.
Dressed in my robes and new boots, I spent the evening hanging out near the Bard's College and looking for Delphine. This is much closer to my idea of a good time: being outside, spread out, and in comfortable clothes. I still wasn't wild about the crowding, but there was plenty to distract me and plenty of opportunities to escape, rest, and watch the throngs go by. I got in touch with Lydia and even had a dance with her. It was nice to see each other in normal clothing, behaving like people and not the killers our adventures required lately. When the song was over, I took my leave of her to scan the crowds again. I laughed when I noticed the small fan club of local men Lydia had developed following her around.
Late in the evening the Bard's college brought a large crowd together for the highlight of the second day's revelry. A twenty foot effigy of the legendary King Olaf One-Eye was standing in the College's courtyard looking over the Sea of Ghosts. Most legends hold King Olaf to be the one who subdued the dragon Numinex millennia ago. The dragon served King Olaf until the day it died in captivity in Dragonsreach.
Only the Bard's College had preserved the truth. King Olaf had been a tyrant. He had come upon the already crippled Numinex and brought him to Dragonsreach to exploit the creature's power. King Olaf had then used the dragon's magic to spread his cruelty across Skyrim. Using deceit and treachery, he had sacked Solitude. He had dissenters buried alive. Only old age saved Skyrim from further cruelty at the hands of Olaf the Twice-Damned.
The crowd pressed thick around the effigy. The College's headmaster Virarmo proved that not all Altmer are Thalmor. His verses of King Olaf were compelling and masterfully orated. The legend of Olaf's malice stirred our hearts, his downfall gave us joy. The cheer was heartfelt when Virarmo set a torch to the effigy.
My body was warm with hot spiced wine and my heart with the good cheer of the crowd. I stared thoughtlessly into the flames. My eye followed a spark as it flew in an updraft. I followed it up to see it fade in the sky. It was then that I saw a slender figure on the balcony above. Her shadowed face was fixed out to the sea, but the green-gold glow of her eyes flickering with the fire gave her away.
I came up to the balcony nervously. I never thought I'd see Aela wearing a dress, let alone a corset. But there she was, dressed beautifully in a dark green gown and a fur-lined cloak. As I stepped closer I found she smelled faintly of a pine forest. I leaned on the railing next to her, looking down into the blaze below. "When did you arrive Aela?"
"Yesterday afternoon. Lydia told me you were off causing trouble for the Thalmor." She was a stunning, sharp-angled beauty by the fire light from below.
"You look great by the way." The silence between us lingered on. It's always tough talking to someone after a major fight.
"Lydia insisted on taking me shopping. I get the idea she's starved for the company of other women."
At that moment my ears picked up on Lydia's laughter. "By the sounds of it, she's enjoying men tonight."
"So the two of you have never..." Aela backed off, "No. That's none of my concern."
"It's alright. Lydia and I are very good friends, but we've never been lovers."
Below us Virarmo began one of my favorite laments. The bard at the Sleeping Giant clearly was not the best Skyrim had to offer. The Altmer's clear tenor voice below us would be echoing throughout the alleys and streets of the city when the song hit its crescendo. I felt a nervous flash of inspiration.
"Will you dance with me Aela?"
"I don't really know how..."
"Of course you do," I smiled. "Get into a fighting stance. Feel how you're on the balls of your feet? Good, keep that balance and bring your left foot up to the right. Nice, now put your hands up in front of your shoulders, just like mine. Now the hard part, press your hands on mine and let your weight fall on me." I let her linger there for just a few seconds, pushing back equally without telling her. Our balance was a flawless tension. I kept a reassuring smile in response to her nervous face. "Now here's how this relationship works: I am the man. I guide, I support..."
"Chauvinist," she replied, her smile faltering.
"Let me finish. You are the woman. Whatever you want to do, I have to support you. I cannot let you fall. Ultimately, you are the one that makes all the effort worth it. There would be nothing beautiful in this without you. That a better frame of mind?"
Her face was bright red, a genuine smile on her thin lips.
"Let's try some basics. If I step forward with my right foot..."
"...Then I must fall back with my left," Aela responded as we made a quarter turn.
"And if I lift your hands up?" I asked suiting my actions to my words.
She didn't reply, instead making a perfect twirl that ended with her closer to me than ever. I brought my left hand to the small of her back while she wrapped her right around my shoulder. For a few minutes at least, we were like hundreds of other couples that frigid night; framed in the light below while the stars looked on.
I finally nerved myself up to apologize. "Rejecting the Blood must have hurt you something awful Aela. To give me something so personal and I threw it away."
"I should have told you what it meant Ieago."
For another minute we moved in silence. All too soon the song fell to its end, as quiet as the beginning. She stepped closer and nuzzled her cheek against mine.
In spite of how badly we had hurt each other, I couldn't help myself. I craned my neck to reach her ear, "I love you too Aela," I whispered.
At last! I'm inching away from setting up the political backdrop that will support the next 3(4?) stories and back into the personal stuff that we all find more interesting! If you're curious, the "lament" I had in mind while writing the second half was "Outside" by Staind.