The Palace of the Kings went so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Leola's breath caught. Ulfric was speechless. A nervous silence overcame the Imperial man as he looked between the two.
"I beg your pardon?" Ulfric asked finally, breaking the deafening silence that had filled the room.
"I know, it sounds unbelievable," said Marcurio, "but here, I have this." He reached a hand into his pocket and fumbled around before pulling out a small ring. It was a tarnished gold band with a violet stone set into it, and there was a faint glow about the ring. "She gave this to me before she disappeared, and I think I know why – I think it was to prove that I'm telling the truth."
Leola stared up at the Imperial man. It was unbelievable. Ulfric had just told her nights before that her father had to be a Nord, how could this Imperial man be her father? He looked nothing like her. He had dark hair and dark eyes – how could he and her brunette mother have produced a child with such beautiful golden hair as hers?
She looked up at Ulfric as if expecting him to do something. He was looking intently at the other man, with an expression on his face that was unreadable to the young woman.
"You recognize this ring, right? It was hers," Marcurio insisted, holding out the ring to Ulfric.
The King slowly took the ring, turning it over in his hands. He then slipped it in his pocket. The Imperial started to move forward, but one icy glare from Ulfric had him drawing back again, looking nervously towards Leola. He tried to offer her a smile, but she didn't return it.
"This ring was hers," Ulfric confirmed, and the Imperial breathed a sigh of relief.
"So you believe me?" he asked.
"No," Ulfric replied coldly. "I would advise you to leave now before things get messy."
"No!" exclaimed Marcurio quickly. "I came to meet my daughter and I won't leave until I've had that chance."
"She's not your daughter," Ulfric replied. "And even if she was, why did you wait this long to come? It's been weeks."
"A number of factors," Marcurio replied. "Most of it was nerves though. I was afraid of being rejected by my daughter…but I'll never know if I don't try, right?" His gaze fell upon Leola again, and she turned her head away slightly. She decided to wait until Ulfric had sorted out whether or not this man was her father – she didn't want to speak to some man who thought he was her father only to find out that he wasn't.
"Well, you've tried, and you're wrong," Ulfric replied. "Now get lost."
"No," Marcurio protested again. "At least let me speak to her."
"I would if she was your daughter," Ulfric replied coldly, taking a step to position himself between Marcurio and Leola. "But she's not. So leave."
"How do you know?" asked the Imperial, clearly becoming angry. "Her mother and I were lovers. I don't know why she left, but I've gone all this time not knowing I had a daughter and I don't intend to let you come between us."
"She's not your daughter," Ulfric shouted, his deep voice ringing all through the hall. Leola cringed slightly, not having heard him yell like this before. His breathing was heavy, and he was looking intently at Marcurio.
"You don't know that," Marcurio said, his own voice cold as he spoke.
"I do," Ulfric replied in a low voice, glaring down at the Imperial. "I know because I know who Leola's father is, and it's certainly not you."
Leola's blue eyes went wide as she heard what Ulfric said. He knew her father? She turned slightly in her seat, so that her back was to the two. She wanted to wait until they got everything sorted out before she spoke to either of them.
"That's a lie," Marcurio said, and Leola was amazed by the blunt accusation. She was on the edge of her seat – she almost felt like an outsider listening in, unaware of what was going on and eager to find out how this would end.
"No, it's not," Ulfric said. "You aren't Leola's father, so get out of my castle before I have you forcibly removed."
"Prove it," Marcurio snapped. "Who's her father?"
"I'm her father!" Ulfric shouted, another one of those room-filling, ear-ringing bellows that brought silence to the throne room. Leola fought back a smile. Of course Ulfric didn't know her father. She did admire, however, that he was protecting her from this stranger. She doubted that this dark-haired Imperial Marcurio was her father, and she was pleased that Ulfric felt the same way.
There was a long silence. Leola glanced over her shoulder and saw that the Imperial was staring, wide-eyed, at the King. He clearly didn't know how to respond. Ulfric rummaged around in his pockets and pulled out a crumpled note – Leola could just barely recognize it as the same one she had brought to him a few weeks before when she came seeking his help.
"Her mother sent this," Ulfric said, handing it to Marcurio. The Imperial opened the sheet of paper and began to read it.
Ulfric looked down behind him, his gaze meeting Leola's. She gave him a bright smile, as if to wordlessly thank him for standing up for her, but he didn't return her smile. Instead, he simply looked away, his blue eyes falling to the floor.
"That whore," Marcurio muttered angrily, tossing the note aside. He turned on his heel and stormed in the direction of the doors. Leola watched quietly as he pushed open the doors and stepped out into the blustering cold and snow. The doors fell shut on a silent throne room, and Ulfric stood still behind her, silent and steady.
"Thank you for that, Ulfric," she said to him.
"Don't thank me," Ulfric said, stooping to pick up the note from the floor.
"He was an ass," Leola said, blushing slightly at her own use of profanity. Ulfric didn't even seem to notice, though – or, if he did, it didn't matter much to him. Then again, Leola was sure that his soldiers were worse.
"I'm sorry, Leola," said Ulfric, moving to sit beside her. He plunked himself down heavily, hanging his head somewhat as he sat down.
"What's wrong, Ulfric?" she asked softly, placing a gentle hand on his muscular arm. He was silent for a few long moments before wordlessly holding up the crumpled note for her to take. She gently took it, looking nervously at him before opening it.
Her blue eyes scanned over the words her mother had hastily scribbled down. She recognized her mother's handwriting, confessing to Ulfric all of her lies. Her mother's apology for leaving so hastily. Her mother's wish for Ulfric to care for Leola and love her as his own. Her mother's wish for them to just let her die – was that what Ulfric had done? And, most importantly, her mother's hand confessing to Ulfric that Leola was, in fact, his.
When she reached the end, she read it again, and then a third time. She finally looked back up at Ulfric, who was looking nervously towards her.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Leola asked in a soft voice, setting down the note. She wasn't quite sure what to feel – she was hurt that he had kept this from her, but at the same time, she was excited. All this time she had been wishing that Ulfric was her father, and now it turned out that he was.
"You heard the Imperial man," Ulfric said in a low voice. "I was afraid that you would reject me. I want you to understand, Leola – I didn't know that you existed. If I did, I would have come for you immediately."
"I know that," Leola said in a soft voice, and his blue eyes seemed to light up.
"You do?" he asked.
"Of course," she replied, smiling nervously. "You told me that you thought she was dead. You thought she was gone. You though that you would never see her again. These aren't the feelings of someone who simply didn't want to be a part of his child's life."
Ulfric gazed quietly towards her, as if unsure what to do or say next. Figuring he needed some help, she leant forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, laying her head on his shoulder. There was a moment of awkwardness before his strong arms wrapped themselves firmly around his daughter, his grip tight as he held her to him.
"By Talos, Leola, you don't know how hard it's been for me to keep this from you," he murmured. "Galmar said that I should tell you, but I just couldn't…I was afraid."
"Galmar?" asked Leola, leaning back slightly so she could look her father in the eye. "How many people know?"
"Only Galmar and Jorleif," he answered quickly, smiling. "And now, you."