He sensed the eruption long before it occurred. It had been building for a very, very long time. For the last few months she had put the people first. Every single person, from the homeless without food to the snobbish rich needing and errand girl. Everyone came before herself and it had taken its toll. She had neglected her own well being, and though he had tried to help her the best that he could, her body couldn't withstand so much stress for so long.
Now she was paying the price. Well he said she, but in reality, it was General Tullius and that witch Elenwen. As they had attempted to negotiate a truce of some sort in order to deal with the dragon situation, he had almost been able to see the last strands of her control beginning to snap. With each jibe from Elenwen and each snide comment from Tullius, her control slipped.
The last comment that Elenwen had made, calling her a traitor to her race had been the final straw. Now the volcano that was the Dragonborn's stress, irritation, and anger had exploded. She no longer sat there, watching the negotiations with twitching ears. Now she attacked ruthlessly and without mercy. It was a side that he rarely saw from his logical and observant lieutenant.
"A traitor? Me?" She laughed bitterly for a few moments as both Elisif and Tullius looked at her, seeming scared. And they should be. "That's funny, Elenwen. No, it's beyond funny, it's hilarious. I'm the traitor. The one who is trying to help everyone she can, the one trying to find peace so that a larger threat can be eliminated. The one who was chased from her homeland for helping a nord man find his way back home. The one who is trying to save the entire world!" Her voice rose with each sentence. She took a deep breath, obviously trying to regain control, but to little avail.
"You are the traitor to our people, Elenwen. Many of our kin have been stripped of their rank, their homes, their livelihoods because they dared to say that what you and your Thalmor pets was too extreme. How many Altmer voices have you silenced for 'the good of the cause'?" To her credit, Elenwen didn't try and make excuses or even say anything. Her uninterested expression stayed frozen on her face, but he thought that he could sense fear lurking in her eyes.
"You do not dare to fight out in the open. No, you let the Imperials do the dirty work and drag away those who cause trouble in the middle of the night, never to be seen again. You have destroyed the honor of our race and cast a shadow over our once cheerful land. I am not the traitor here, Elenwen. You are, and one day soon a reckoning will come and I really hope I have a front row seat to watch it." The Dragonborn grinned darkly at Elenwen and he had a strong urge to clap.
The Dragonborn had done so much to try and help repair the image of her race. She had changed his mind as well as the minds of countless others. She was no traitor to her race, she was their savior.