Chapter 80: Rolff and Angrenor

[11th of Morning Star 4E 202]

After we had separated from Janina, Fiona and her housecarls, who wanted to visit High Hrothgar first and Riften later, my own housecarls, my saber cats and I had reached Windhelm, and although Khajiit were in general not welcome inside the city, my special legitimation as envoy and specifically Ralof showing up had eased things; I had also been allowed to take Hanni and Nanni into the city. After two days of traveling we retired early, but Commander Ralof had promised to find us in the morning of the next day.

As he had promised, the Stormcloak showed up when we enjoyed breakfast in the main hall of the Blue Palace. He had eaten already in the guards' barracks, and when we were done, he said:

"Jarl Ulfric gave me permission to spend time with you and be your guide for some of the time you are here. Ready to go?"

"Sure, I am up to walking around for some time."

Outside of the palace we stopped for a moment, and Antonius and I made sure that our coats were closed and our limbs covered properly. Winter temperatures here in Windhelm were significantly colder than those in Whiterun, and I shuddered when I thought about the conditions in Winterhold even further north, as I imagined them to be. Nonetheless, some of the guards were dressed only in their normal Stormcloak armor, which appeared to be light armor and a mix of fur boots and gauntlets plus a metal cuirass and helmet; however, parts of the upper arms and thighs were not covered at all, so that I almost shivered by just looking at them. Yes, I had been in colder areas before also dressed lightly, like during my visit to Bleak Falls Barrow, but on the way up there I had been walking uphill briskly and getting warm by working my muscles. Today, the plan was more likely to idle around and walk slowly, and of course my two saber cats felt right at home in this weather. However, temperature level around Bleak Falls Barrow there had been, in my estimation, just slightly below zero, whereas it felt significantly colder here. Ralof guessed my thoughts and said:

"There is a reason why most of the guards and soldiers are Nords, you know; we need coats only when it gets real cold, and this is nothing today. Those stationed in Winterhold in winter, that's a different story."

Jordis grinned and nodded; she would fit in well here, and she even demonstrated that by walking around in her standard armor without any additional protection, also showing bare upper arms. Although, I did not know how they treated women; did they have to work hard to prove themselves in a world dominated by males or did they have equal rights not only officially, but in reality? At least once could easily see when looking around that there were a significant number of female soldiers among the Stormcloaks. Equal rights for women was also something I would like to learn about, but the emphasis would have to be Jarl Ulfric՚s intentions and his treatment of other races. In the game, the Stormcloaks not only discriminated against Argonians and Khajiit, but also against dark elves in the 'Gray Quarter' of the city, and I was curious to see how that looked here. As a matter of fact, as soon as we had gone down a few steps from the palace and passed the houses on both sides, we got our first glimpse of said discrimination, when we saw two male Nords and a female Dunmer; they were in a heated discussion, which was obviously triggered and driven by the Nords:

"You come here where you're not wanted, you eat our food, you pollute our city with your stink and you refuse to help the Stormcloaks."

"We haven't taken a side because it's not our fight. Besides, we have to work hard just to survive here; we don't have spare time for fighting."

"Hey, maybe the real reason these gray-skins don't help in the war is because they're Imperial spies!"

"Imperial spies? You can't be serious! Most of us have been living in this city for years, and you know that!"

"Maybe we'll pay you a visit tonight, little spy. We got ways of finding out what you really are."

The dark elf woman had probably not heard something like that for the first time and just sighed. I decided to get involved and asked the two Nords:

"Why are you treating her like this? Doesn't she live here as well as you do?"

"Why do you care, Khajiit? Are you a dark elf lover? Get out of our city, you filthy piece of trash! Who decided to let you in anyway?"

"Mister, I suggest that you apologize and think about what you are saying. I am here on official business…"

The Nord who had behaved in the most aggressive way, taller than the other one, interrupted me:

"Official business? Of what? Stealing and mischief? So? You don't like it? Too bad. This is our city. Ours! Don't think I can take you, because you are so tall? One hundred septims says I can punch you back where you came from."

The man was likely somewhat intoxicated, but he deserved to be taught a lesson, so that I accepted the challenge. Ralof and my housecarls had staid back and did not yet intervene, and the big Nord and I got ready. Hanni and Nanni growled, but I ordered them to keep back. The other guy started, and for a few seconds I just defended myself. I was still not a good hand-to-hand fighter, and I had to take some hits which hurt, but my sheer size and the thickness of my hide helped; besides, my opponent was intoxicated. Once I had him being confident, I moved my left hand quickly, so that he looked at it, and my right hand hit his temple right where I had hit Uthgerd some time before. For a few seconds nothing happened, and then he dropped to the ground, unconscious for now.

The other Nord was about to disappear, but Ralof grabbed him. The man turned around, and when he recognized the Stormcloak commander, he just sighed. Ralof seemed to recognize him, too, and he explained:

"I know this guy; his name is Angrenor Once-Honored. He was one of the best soldiers in the Stormcloak army, until he took a sword through the chest."

The man added:

"I'd still be out there fighting the Imperials right now if it wasn't for my war-wound. Ever since that Imperial craven ran me through from behind, I've had trouble breathing. Don't have any trouble drinking though. I'm not too proud to admit that I need a bit of help from time to time."

"Yes, you do, but you just tried to get help from the wrong man. Rolff Stone-Fist may be Galmar՚s brother, but his way of talking is not correct and does not reflect what most citizens think and do. You know that, don't you?"

"Well, Rolff keeps saying…"

Ralof sighed and interrupted him:

"I say it again, his way of thinking and speaking is not what you should adopt for yourself. I know that times have changed and there used to be a lot of prejudice here in the city until a few years ago, but you need to follow the rules, unless you want to be arrested."

"But he started it!"

"Yes, I know, and I will have a word with him when he wakes up."

The man was allowed to leave, and while we waited for Rolff to regain consciousness again, the dark elf woman spoke to me:

"So, you are really on our side?"

"Lady, I try not to be on any side until I fully understand the situation, but this was an obvious situation of unfair treatment. Was his behavior typical for Nords in Windhelm?"

"No, not any longer, fortunately. Until a few years ago, Windhelm was a haven of prejudice and narrow thinking, but the Jarl has changed that a lot. There are still a few Nords who don't care much for us, but in general we are accepted nowadays, maybe not always as equals yet, but still. Rolff is the worst one of them; he likes to get drunk and walk around the Gray Quarter yelling insults at us in the small hours of the morning. A real charmer, that one."

"Why would anyone think that you're a spy? "

"Some of these Nords will come up with any excuse to despise us; they also make a target of Argonians and Khajiit; just about anyone who isn't a Nord is fair game for their bullying."

Ralof replied to that:

"Lady, we try to find those who still behave like that. As you know, Jarl Ulfric had decreed that such behavior is no longer tolerated."

The big Nord woke up again and slowly got on his feet. Ralof did not waste time to admonish him:

"Rolff, it isn't for the first time that someone has to remind you about proper behavior. What used to be normal ten or even five years ago around here, is no longer what we think and do, and you know that. Don't even try to get the 'good old times' back. Yes, I know that your brother Galmar also needs time to adjust, but Jarl Ulfric stands firm. Haven't you heard that the first Dunmer in Windhelm have actually asked to be Stormcloaks? That isn't widely known yet, but I guess that they had refused before because we had treated them shabbily. Times are changing, and I think that the changes are good. Without those changes, I might not have accepted B'lushona here as my friend that easily. And now, Rolff, I suggest that you retire to your quarters and go to sleep. If this happens again, I may have to throw you into the dungeon for a few days, and don't think that your brother will get you out right away."

The Nord nodded, and before he left, Ralof made him pay up; he owed me 100 septims after all. When he was gone, the commander looked at me and said:

"That was quite a hit you landed on him; one punch and he was down on the ground; impressive."

"Well, he was drunk, but yeah, having a large hand like mine can be useful at times."

I showed my right hand while making a fist, and he did the same. Mine was at least half again larger than his, and it did not even hurt after the punch I had delivered; apparently the Khajiit bones and muscles provided a significant advantage here. On the down side, my paws were not really suitable for finer tasks like lockpicking, but that was something I could live with. I also had a question for Ralof:

"Is this really true? You are adding Dunmer to your ranks?"

"Yes, this is the first step. We are making plans for the Argonians, too, but this takes more time, and Jarl Ulfric is not yet sure what they will be good for in our ranks."

"Will Jarl Ulfric be happy when he hears that you share that much information with me?"

"You're afraid I'm getting into trouble? No, he even encouraged me to do so; he wants you to see the real Windhelm of today, and I assure you, it has changed over the last years. I have seen most of those changes, and while I was not always happy with some of them, they are clearly for the good of city, hold, and province, and I admire Jarl Ulfric for persistently changing and improving the rules."

That was really interesting and amazing. The situation here was sure different from the game, and I suspected that this real Ulfric was way smarter than his game character. I was looking forward to meeting him and talk more on the next day. For now, though, my housecarls and I followed Ralof, who guided us. He explained:

"Our city has three main areas. The palace and a few very old and large houses are in Valunstrad, which is ancient Nordic for 'Avenue of Valor'; this city district is the most northern one. More houses, the main inn, most shops and the market are located in the southwestern area, what we call the 'Stone Quarter', and finally we have the 'Gray Quarter' in the very east of the city. Some say it used to be called the 'Snow Quarter', and I am not sure why it was renamed."

I almost felt like a tourist on a sightseeing tour, and all I was missing was the guide waving a colored umbrella to gather the group around him while he talked; on the other hand, the blue cape Ralof wore was good enough. Wait, was it really a cape or maybe a cloak? What was the difference between cape and cloak anyway? Now, as Ulfric՚s followers called themselves 'Stormcloaks', it was likely a cloak, although not all of them wore such a cloak, but at least the officers and leaders usually did.

We passed a large stone building with the roof almost extending to the ground on the sides; Ralof called it the largest and most popular local inn, 'Candlehearth Hall', and turned right, walking along the high city walls. Getting to the market area from the main gate took only like ten seconds or so in the game, but like what I had seen in Whiterun, the real city was larger than that. We passed a row of stone houses, and the Stormcloak told us that most vendors lived in those. Eventually the street opened up, and we found ourselves in the spacious market and shop area. We took our time to have a look at the various market stalls and see what was for sale, and I also heard some voices and music from one of the houses around; Ralof said that this was a small inn, which only offered food and drinks, but was very popular for shop owners and market stall vendors to meet and eat after work. Even now, during the day, some people seemed to be inside.

After we had had a look around, Ralof lead the way north, past a stone building which had a sign pointing out that it was 'The White Phial', an alchemy shop as the Nord explained. 'The White Phial'! That name triggered some vague memories in my head; while I recalled that there was a quest or two connected to the shop and the name, I did not remember any details, but I did not think that it was anything important. I kind of remembered, though, that I had written about the quest in a story of mine, with a female Khajiit Dragonborn I had named 'T'mara'; for that story, the chapter with the name 'The White Phial' had frequently received many more views and visitors than the chapters before and after, and I had never understood why. While I was still musing about that, Ralof turned into a gap between house walls and guided us through a long and narrow aisle towards some steps leading down to a cemetery. It looked quite small for such a big city, and I asked the Nord about it. He laughed and explained:

"Oh, this is just for those who insist on having a traditional grave outside and pay for it. Most citizens are taken into the Hall of the Dead over there to be cremated, and only a small urn with the ashes is kept down there."

I looked around and almost expected to see a corpse around somewhere on the ground or maybe on one of the graves, as I had experienced a few times in the game. That had been related to some quest about a serial killer, and I shuddered when I thought about it. Naturally, I had no idea if that particular event was also going to happen here, and if it did, at what time. So far at least, nobody had mentioned strange killings, and that was quite all right for me.

North of the Hall of the Dead we entered the section of the city where the rich and affluent lived, in particular the Cruel-Sea Clan and the Shatter-Shield Clan. Contrary to the game, of course, there were more than just three or four houses in that section, and I counted more than a dozen just from my position. Most houses had a decent size and some decorations, plus some flowers planted around and on some of the balconies.

After taking a lunch break and buying a large chunk of meat for my saber cats, we eventually also toured the other side, with the Grey Quarter, and again the quarter was larger than I expected. We started on the south side, passed a house Ralof called 'Calixto's House of Curiosities' – I had a vague idea again that this was something related to a quest, but my memory was just not good enough for any details – and followed the meandering streets through that area of the city for some time. Ralof spend less effort on talking about that section of the city, though, any maybe he simply did not know so much about it. We concluded today's tour by going out and walking on the bridge towards the stables and back, and Ralof pointed out the docks to the east, too. At the south end of the bridge there was not only the stables, but also some stone buildings, and Ralof explained:

"Of course we have a garrison stationed here as well. It's a small one, but there is quite some space inside the barracks, so that we can have a few dozen soldiers here if needed. This not only helps to protect the city, but we also need to make sure that the horses are guarded. Sometimes, when a detachment of Stormcloaks is sent out for a fast exploration, they are on horseback, and the horses are prepared for them here at the stables. Bandits would love to steal them and sell them to fences somewhere else, if we did not have plenty of guards.

The commander even allowed us to step into one of the guard buildings and inspect the inside. A barracks was a barracks, of course, but the building did at least have the basic amenities, like proper beds, tables with chairs, a fireplace for heat and cooking, and shelves for food and equipment. On one of the walls there was a ladder, and we climbed it and used a trapdoor to get on the roof. The roof was entirely flat and had a balustrade all around, so that archers could cover the entire area from here if needed, and, as Ralof also mentioned, if weather permitted. Of course, using bows and arrows in a snowstorm might be challenging.

Once we were back in the city we were reasonably hungry and tired. We stopped at 'Candlehearth Hall' and got dinner together. While we waited for our food to be served, I asked about the inn's name, and Ralof responded:

"Of course, you are not familiar with the history. Elda, the innkeeper, has told the story numerous times, and it is about that candle above the fire over there. It was, according to what she claims, lit one hundred and sixty something years ago, back when this building was the home of a grand warrior named Vundheim. When word came that he'd fallen, his son Deroct lit the candle in his honor. Nobody knows why it still burns."

Ralof gave me a minute to let this settle, and Jordis asked:

"Yeah, right, a candle which is lit for many decades; this does not seem very plausible."

The commander smiled and replied:

"Well, nobody can be sure, and maybe a gnome refreshes it every night? Or maybe there is some magic behind it? We don't know, but it makes for a good story anyway."

I nodded, and the Stormcloak suggested:

"Now, while we sit here, this is a perfect opportunity to talk about our life stories, or at least the most recent events, while we wait for our meal, right? I will do you a favor and start. Actually, there's not so much to tell, but Jarl Ulfric recognized the events at Helgen and my actions there, including helping your and the Dragonborn to get out, and he had Galmar give me a few more demanding tasks. I managed to do them well, and eventually, a few weeks ago, I made commander. The trip to our secret camp in The Reach was the final test for that, and apparently Galmar was happy with my achievement. If you and your friends had not come along, though, we would have lost quite a few soldiers, and although I was not in charge of the camp, that would have looked bad, as it happened during my presence there."

"So, do you now have a group of soldiers under your command?"

"Kind of, yes. For now, I am in charge of training most of the soldiers here in the city, and part of that includes combined training for Nords and Dunmer."

"Oh, you need to make them work together rather than argue?"

"Sometimes yes, but mostly this is about the different combat style. Most of the Nords in the Stormcloaks shy away from magic, but most Dunmer use magic as integral part of their fighting. If we just had them fight side by side, there would be misunderstandings and worse. I have to make the Nords understand that magic use by the Dunmer is good, and I have to make the Dunmer understand that not using magic by the Nords is also fine. Believe me, that's not easy. Fortunately Wuunferth՚s assistant helps with that on some days."

"So, do you get out of the city at all those days?"

"Oh yes, sometimes I do. Galmar understands that training needs to be supplemented by field exercises, and at least once a week we spend a day or two outside on some exercise, which I have to plan, too. I command the first combined Nord/Dunmer unit in the Stormcloaks; that is something."

"I am sure that it is. Have you been able to make the troops understand the advantages yet?"

"Indeed I have. Look, even in foul weather, a fireball can still reach your opponent without being distracted and blown away like an arrow would. I was running a troop exercise in a snowstorm, and the few Dunmer in my group used lowest intensity shock spells; my brave Nord Stormcloaks were literally shocked to see how the mages could still hit their targets, and except for a few very stubborn soldiers, most begin to understand why we now have some Dunmer with us."

"Healing is also useful, isn't it?"

"Oh yes, of course it is, and some Dunmer actually specialize on restoration, too, although most are by tradition more capable on destruction magic."

Our meal was now served, and for some time we focused on that. Once we had eaten, Ralof was eager to hear more about me, and my housecarls and I alternated telling about my life and my adventures. I did not like story telling too much, at least when I was supposed to talk about my own life and what I had been through, and I was happy to have Jordis and Antonius do most of the talking. Antonius recited some of the details on the events in Solitude, above and beyond the quick summary Ralof had learned from us when he had traveled from the Reach Stormcloak camp to Whiterun, and Jordis provide insight into the events around Saadia and Kematu, without mentioning the Redguard՚s name, though. Finally, we briefly told the commander about our encounter with the Thalmor at the Shrine of Talos, our separation from Fiona and Janina and how we had arrived here in Windhelm.

Ralof did not have many comments, but he clearly liked to learn about our success in defeating the Thalmor. He nodded and added his view:

"The Thalmor are way too strong and too intrusive. Officially, they are only entitled to take action when the terms of the White-Gold Concordat are violated, but everybody knows that they sometimes arrest or even kill people if there is even the slightest suspicion of Talos worship. Fortunately, their manpower is limited, and here in the Stormcloak controlled holds, they are not usually a problem. From time to time a patrol shows up, and when we learn about it, we prepare an ambush for them, making sure that none escape; sometimes we just provide tips to larger bandit groups and have them know that there's a lot of loot to get. I am sure that they suspect foul play, but there's never any prove. That way we can hassle them at least."

That seemed to be a sensible approach, and Ralof had another question:

"So, the Dragonborn is on her own again now?"

"Not quite, as she has two housecarls with her. The three of them should be able to cope with problems as they show up. I have offered to assist her again, if needed, but it will be her choice to accept this or not, at a time of her convenience."

The Nord nodded, and when we had eaten, he took his leave, and my two housecarls, my saber cats and I retired to our rooms at the palace. Naturally, with all I had seen and heard today, specifically in the city, I could not sleep right away, and I could not help myself and needed to compare the Windhelm in the game with this real one. Size was different, of course, same as it had been for Whiterun and Solitude, the other two big cities I had visited so far. But attitude was what I was really interested in. Besides requests from other Divines, I had specifically been asked to restore Talos worship by the man/demigod himself, and who else but the Stormcloaks would have that same goal? Based on what Ralof had said, the racist views had mellowed somewhat, and Ulfric seemed to have realized that he needed support from non-Nord races as well if his rebellion was supposed to have a real chance. Well, on the day after tomorrow I was going to have a long session with him, and before that, I might be able to learn more from some of the citizens and how they saw the situation here.

Finally, I liked the predominating color in the palace and the guard and soldier uniforms; blue happened to be my favorite color.

[Author's Notes: The mentioned story about a female Dragonborn called 'T'mara' is named 'My adventures with the Dragonborn', my very first Skyrim fan fiction story.]