Ulfric paced back and forth in the throne room of the palace, his brow furrowed and his hands clasped behind his back. It had been several days since he had returned from Falkreath, and Leola was nowhere to be found. All that remained was a note left with Jorleif stating that she was travelling to Markarth with two of her friends. It did nothing to ease his worry, and with every passing minute, he feared more and more for his daughter's safety.
His gaze shifted downwards, to the small violet gem in his palm. It wasn't a soul gem – rather, it was a fragment of one. He had been told before that there was no known use for these fragments, as they couldn't be reforged into a viable soul gem. This one, however, he certainly had a use for – as he gazed into it, he saw her beautiful reflection. Long, dark hair and big blue eyes were gazing back at him through the smooth violet surface of the gem.
He tightened his hand into a fist around the soul gem fragment before turning and pacing back in the other direction. There was a limp in his step, but he was too worried to rest it. Galmar watched on from by the throne. He had attempted to intervene, wanting Ulfric to sit and rest, trying to reassure him that all would be well, but Ulfric had no interest in listening.
The palace doors opened and Ulfric's head turned. Leola. There she was. She looked well – her blonde hair fell in neat waves, she wore a simple blue dress, and there was a smile on her lips. He rushed to her, pulling her into her arms. There was one of his worries dealt with – Leola was back, Leola wasn't injured or ill or dead, and he could get the answers he needed from her.
"By Talos, I was so worried about you," he said as he pulled back from the hug, and Leola laughed softly.
"I was in good hands, father, there was nothing to worry about," she said with a smile.
"Why did you go to Markarth?" he asked, moving to the throne. As he turned to seat himself, he saw a frown on her lips.
"Father, are you alright?" she asked as he heaved himself into a sitting position. He smiled slightly. She must have noticed the limp.
"I'm just an old man," he said with a light laugh, shaking his head. "My journey didn't quite agree with me."
"What happened?" she asked, a worried tone in her voice.
"I'll answer your question when you answer mine," he replied sternly, frowning slightly. "Why did you go to Markarth? What was so important that it couldn't wait for me to return?"
Leola hung her head slightly. "Erith had to drop in and see her mother for some things. In hindsight, you're right, I should have waited and made sure you knew," she said softly.
"No, you shouldn't have," said Galmar from his place by the throne, and both father and daughter gave him a quizzical look.
"No?" asked Leola softly.
"You're a grown woman, princess," Galmar replied. "Ulfric, I told you there was no need to worry. She was in good hands all along."
Leola smiled slightly, looking towards her father. "Now, I'm allowed to worry all I want – why are you limping?" she asked him.
Ulfric sighed softly. He squeezed his fist slightly, feeling the smooth surface and jagged edges of the soul gem fragment in his palm.
"Leola, there's something we need to discuss," he said softly. "I went to Falkreath because some guards there had stumbled upon a Nordic ruin unknown to us – they said it was guarded by strange ghosts, and I simply had to see for myself…"
The tomb had appeared unusual right from his arrival. It had been but one room, with a central staircase that seemingly led to nothing. He and his men had entered, but they saw nothing suspicious. The men had begun to file out, but once all had left and the only one remaining was Ulfric on his way out, the door had slammed itself shut.
For a moment, Ulfric had been certain that he would perish. He knew that he would go down fighting, and that he would earn his place in Sovngarde – but the moment never came. The ghosts were unarmed, all clad in a strange armour that covered their very faces. There were five of them, three with male forms and two with slender, feminine figures. The most unusual things about these ghosts, however, were their shining violet outlines. They were not the typical ghosts encountered in tombs, shimmering figures of a pale blue transparency.
"What do you want with me?" Ulfric had asked, and one of the females had stepped forward. All the ghosts were silent for a moment, and he had noticed that the outline of this woman was fainter than the others – a few times as she stood there, in fact, she had flickered out of sight before reappearing. Finally, she had lifted her arms and drawn back her hood, and there stood the Dragonborn.
"Ulfric," she had said in a soft voice, and in an instant, he had fallen to his knees.
"What are you?" he had whispered, staring up at her figure. She had moved forward, and for a moment, he thought she was coming to kill him. She knelt before him, though, and her hand came up to gently caress his cheek. He didn't feel her hand, though – rather, it was as if a cool wind was brushing against his skin.
"I am a broken soul," she had whispered, her figure flickering away for a moment. "I cannot continue to exist like this, Ulfric."
"What do you mean?" he had asked, frustrated with how cryptic her words had been in their every encounter since he found Leola – from her deathbed to his dream, and now her ghost. Tears had come to his eyes as he had pleaded with her to just explain.
"Break down that wall," she had said, pointing. The other ghosts had moved forward as if to stop her, but she needed only to lift one hand and they stopped. It was as if they were under her command.
"Where are we?" Ulfric had asked as he stood, and she rose alongside him. He had drawn his sword and made his way to the wall that she had indicated.
"If I tell you, you will destroy this place," she had answered. "I cannot allow that to happen – I simply need you to help me."
Ulfric hadn't asked anything else. He could tell that all she would do was give him a vague answer, so rather than continue to question her, he had driven his sword into the stone of the wall – in a crack, of course. He had jiggled the sword, and within seconds, the stone had crumbled into a pile on the ground. Behind the weak stone wall, he had been amazed by what he saw – it was a secret room lined with shelves, and upon the shelves rested hundreds, perhaps thousands, of blackened soul gems.
"What is this?" Ulfric had asked, turning to the Dragonborn, but she had walked past him. She had said nothing, simply weaving between the shelves until she came to one soul gem – a fragmented one, much smaller than the rest.
"It is a piece of my soul," she had answered. "I need you and Leola to help me."
"What do you need?" he had asked her almost immediately. He would do anything to help her, even in death.
"I need you to collect all the fragments and reforge them into a full gem. Then, I need you to call Odahviing so that he may take you to Sovngarde – deliver my soul there and let me take my rightful place among my fallen brothers and sisters," she had said, and for several moments, he had been utterly speechless.
"There is no way to reforge a soul gem," he had said first, figuring he would work his way through her instructions for clarification.
"If you take the fragments to the temple of the lady Meridia, she will help you," the Dragonborn had answered. "And don't even look at me like that, Ulfric – she may be a Daedric prince, but she is not evil. She will help."
Ulfric had frowned. She knew him too well – he had barely begun to furrow his brow at her mention of Meridia before the latter part of her statement had left the ghostly vision's mouth. "Where do I find these fragments?" he had asked her.
"There are sixteen fragments scattered across Skyrim. Each is held by one of the Daedric princes. I do not know how to obtain all of them – you will have to ask the princes themselves. That's where Leola comes in," she had told him.
"Leola?" he had asked, suddenly fearful. "What does our daughter have to do with seeking help from Daedras?"
"She and her friends are attempting to return my Daedric artifacts from Hjerim to their proper owners," the Dragonborn had told him calmly. "So far, they are doing well – they have returned the ebony mail to Boethiah, they know where to take Volendrung so that it may be returned to Malacath, and they are actively seeking out the rest of the princes."
"Why?" Ulfric had asked, terrified. "Why wouldn't she tell me?"
"Because you would stop her, Ulfric," the Dragonborn had answered with a knowing smile. "She is in no danger – none of them wish her ill. They have told me so themselves. All respect her, and most of them are wishing to see her follow in my footsteps."
Ulfric had remained quiet, taking this all in. He didn't dare ask how the Daedric pantheon had obtained his lover's soul. Finally, he had breathed a breathless sigh, knowing that he had but one option.
"Whose fragment is this?" he had asked, motioning towards the fragment on the shelf.
"Nocturnal's," she had replied. "Leola also doesn't have Nocturnal's artifact as it lies with the Thieves Guild in Riften, so you needn't worry about her at all. I don't know what they will want from you in order to hand over their pieces, but I know that all of them will hand them over for the right price."
"And how do we reach Sovngarde?" Ulfric had asked, his final question before agreeing to her terms.
"Odahviing will guide you," she had answered. "There is a staff in Hjerim – I don't remember where I left it, only that it isn't a Daedric artifact, so Leola will not accidentally rid herself of it unless she sells it away. It has a curved dragon at the end – you will need to take it with you when you call Odahviing."
Ulfric had paused for a moment. No, that was not his last question.
"How do I call Odahviing?" he had asked her finally.
"You shout," she had replied. "Od-ah-viing. He will come."
Leola was quiet as she listened to Ulfric's story. She hated that he now knew about her and her friends attempting to return the Daedric artifacts, and she feared that he would be mad. But he smiled at her as his tale came to an end.
"With that," he said, "she unlocked the door, and I took the fragmented gem. And now we need to find the rest of them, restore them, and take your mother to Sovngarde."