"King Ulfric," said Erith in a soft voice, smiling politely up at the blond man before her, "I thank you for welcoming me into your home tonight for dinner."
Leola sat beside her father, gazing towards Erith in astonishment. While she wore the same blue gown she had worn the first night she arrived here, Erith was dressed in a robelike orange gown, floor length and with draping sleeves. A decorative rope was wound around her waist like a belt, and her beautiful brown hair was piled atop her head in an elegant updo. She certainly cleaned up well.
"It's an honour to have you here, miss Erith," said Ulfric with a warm smile, giving the slightest of bows. "Any friend of Leola's is always welcome in my home."
While Sond and Bottar drunkenly had tried to chat up a pair of pretty Nord women in the inn, Leola and Erith had discussed what they could and couldn't say in front of Ulfric. Though Erith felt that Leola should tell her father about the Daedric artifacts, Leola had a list of reasons not to. She didn't want to tarnish her mother's good name, change the way Ulfric had felt about her, or give him any reason to worry about her safety. Erith had agreed, and Leola had returned to the palace to seek her father's permission to have her friend over. The men certainly weren't going anywhere – they'd be busy if they managed to charm the women, and they'd coop themselves up in their rooms if they struck out, Erith had told her.
The three sat, and were soon joined by Galmar. Leola quickly stood as he entered the room, hurrying over to lend him her arm. Though he insisted that he could handle himself, Leola hated to make an elderly man exert himself any more than was necessary, and she always made a point of helping him around when she could. Ulfric had softly told her one evening that, even though he protested, Galmar loved the gesture and appreciated it with all his heart.
"So I suppose this is that charming family dinner you always dreamt about," Galmar said with a laugh as he sat down beside the King. Leola returned to her place beside Erith, smiling over at her friend.
Jorleif joined them a moment later, bringing in all the food before seating himself a few seats away. Leola rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at him when he wasn't looking. The rest of the group laughed, and the steward gave them a confused look before turning his attention to his meal.
"So, what was it this one wanted to talk to you about anyways?" Galmar asked Leola, nodding in Erith's direction. The Breton laughed slightly.
"I'm a merchant, along with two friends of mine," she said softly. "They wanted me to ask Leola about the possibility of her mother's house having any rare or unique items she'd be willing to sell to us. I wanted to be somewhat less blunt."
"Good," said Ulfric with a nod. "It does not do to profit off the loss of another."
"I agree," Erith said softly. "My friends, however, don't quite share the same mindset."
"Oh, they're fine," Leola jumped in with a giggle. "I quite like having them around."
"Oh?" Ulfric asked, looking curiously at his daughter.
"They're funny," Leola explained softly, smiling. "They're fun people to be around."
"They would be here tonight if they weren't busy striking out with a pair of local women," Erith added with a slight smirk, and Leola laughed softly.
"Ah," said Ulfric with a nod. "I know the type."
"And haven't the two of you been around with that Aretino boy?" asked Galmar curiously.
Leola nodded slightly, smiling. "Yes, we have," she replied softly.
"Remember when those rumours were circulating about him performing the Black Sacrament?" asked Galmar, nudging Ulfric slightly. Ulfric laughed, nodding.
"Yes, and all the guards were going around telling people not to go near the place because it was cursed," he said, and both men laughed. Leola looked curiously towards them.
"What do you mean?" she asked softly.
"The Black Sacrament is the name given to a ritual that one performs to summon the Dark Brotherhood – they're a group of assassins, see," explained Ulfric.
"Nasty business, the Black Sacrament – you need different human body parts and blood, I'm not sure exactly how it works," said Galmar with a shudder.
"Anyways, after the Aretino boy's parents died, we had him sent to the orphanage in Riften to live until he reached the age of sixteen, at which time he could return here to Windhelm and live in his parents' house again," Ulfric continued thoughtfully. "He ran away from the orphanage though, and the rumours were that he hired a Dark Brotherhood assassin to kill the woman running the place."
"I'd be inclined to believe them myself," said Galmar. "The woman turned up dead not a month later. The children and the assistant swore they had no idea what happened to her, just found her like that."
Leola listened in amazement. Aventus certainly hadn't told her this part of his story – she knew that he had been an orphan, but she had never found out exactly how he came to be a part of the Dark Brotherhood. Of course, Ulfric and Galmar didn't know that he was an assassin, and until such time as Aventus gave his consent, she intended to keep it that way.
"I never knew that," Erith said softly, quirking an eyebrow. "And I've known Aventus longer than Leola has."
"The house was clean when the guards checked in on it," Ulfric said with a shrug. "No sign of a Black Sacrament anywhere. The boy was nowhere to be found – went missing for a good eight years or so before he turned up again. By that point he was an adult and nobody could be bothered to ask where he'd been."
"Interesting," Leola said in a soft voice, more to herself than to Erith.
"If you'll excuse me," Erith said politely, standing from the table and smiling at the others before she turned and scurried away, likely to use the washroom. Leola smiled over at her father, who smiled back.
"I suppose I'll go and fetch myself some seconds," said Galmar, holding up a hand as Leola started to stand as well. "No, no, I can do this myself. You sit here and talk to your father," he said, smiling at the young woman before heading off. Leola smiled, shifting her gaze back towards Ulfric.
"I suppose it'll be a while before you find yourself able to call me father?" he asked in a soft voice, and she shrugged.
"Not because I don't want to, because I do," she said in a soft voice. "More because I've been calling you Ulfric all along and it will be hard to change that habit."
"I understand," he said with a nod. "I'm sure it would be even harder if I'd told you from the beginning."
"It would," she agreed. "You were a stranger to me. Telling me last night gave me time to form my own opinion on you, an opinion based on the kind of man you proved yourself to be and not simply based on the knowledge that you are my father and a King."
"You knew that if I had known about you, I would have come for you," he said in a soft voice. "If you hadn't known me as a person before, I'm sure you never would have come to understand that."
"You're right," she said softly. "I always thought my father wasn't in my life because he – because you – didn't want to be." There was a pause as her blue eyes wandered to the bowl of soup that sat in front of her as she hesitantly contemplated the question she most wanted to ask him.
"What's on your mind, Leola?" he asked after a few long moments, clearly sensing the wheels turning in her head.
"How do you know when you're in love?" she asked in a soft voice, looking up at him. "You say you loved my mother, how can you tell?"
A smile came to Ulfric's lips at this question. "The Aretino boy?" he asked.
"No," she answered truthfully, shaking her head. "Just…just answer the question."
He laughed a little at her boldness, nodding. "Very well…a number of reasons, really. First there's the way I felt when I looked at her – it was as though my heart skipped a beat in my chest, and as long as she was there before my eyes, all was well in the world. I remember during that battle…for a moment, I was certain it was over. I lost all hope for that moment, I thought I would be dead within seconds and the war lost…but then I looked at her, and by Talos, Leola, she was a sight to see. She wore the armour of a Stormcloak officer, she brandished her blade, and she was the most beautifully ferocious being, slashing through enemies like it was nothing. And when I saw her, I knew I needed to keep fighting – for her, for Skyrim, for our people. Without her, I am certain we could not have won."
Leola found herself smiling dreamily as she listened. It was beautiful, so sentimental. Even as he described her mother as 'slashing through enemies', she still found herself amazed by the feelings that rolled off her father's tongue.
"That's wonderful," she said in a soft voice.
"It was…" he said, pausing for a moment. "And then…there's the fear that comes with the thought of losing them. Every time your mother left the city, I was left not knowing whether or not I would ever see her again. It hurt, Leola – it was terrifying, one of the most terrifying feelings I've ever known. A fright second only to the fear of you rejecting me as your father."
"I can imagine," she said in a soft voice.
"So I believe…that is love. When another person gives you strength and happiness, when they are so important to you that you cannot bear the thought of losing them…" Ulfric's voice trailed off and he smiled politely as Erith slipped back in, hurrying over to sit beside Leola again.
"My apologies," said the young Breton, tucking a loose strand of silky brown hair back behind her slightly pointed ear. Leola smiled over at her friend, and as Erith's brown eyes met hers and she smiled back, Leola was certain that her heart skipped a beat in her chest.