13th of Sun's Height
Gods above! It's lovely to be clean again. We've all sent all our clothing to the laundry. Kaidan asked if this is what I meant by sensing that Serana was important. We couldn't have gotten through this without her. We'd never have managed to find the third scroll on our own. He asked if I could tell him the difference between quostiid ahrk prodah. "Angling for your reward, I see," I told him with a big grin. "Prophecy is often unclear about how it will manifest. It's often a bit of a revelation from my ability to peek into the future. It's not always clear. Prediction is a lot more detailed and often much closer in time. It also seems to depend on a lot of what I already know about people, places, other events, and the like."
"So its the difference between your dream with Kodlak and knowing Serana was important," Kaidan nods, "I think I understand it a bit better. What's my reward?" "Zu'u bahlok, Nakip zu'u." (I hunger. Feed me.) I said with a grin and sashayed off. Kaidan looked to Talesin who just stood there smirking and handed him the dictionary. "I'll see you two in the morning, if you can figure out what she said," Talesin told him. Kaidan laughed and started picking through the dictionary. I was inside the Tavern eating when he comes and sits next to me. I give him the same sideways look he gives me all the time and suddenly, he's very attentive. "You're learning my mannerisms," Kaidan grins, "I'm rubbing off on you." I give him another sideways look and just reply, "Hmm..." He leans over and whispers in my ear, "Gods above, woman! If you don't watch out, I'll have you right here on the table." I laughed and said I was going to finish eating.
What he didn't know was that I had keys to one of the private bathing rooms at the bath house. If he's a very good boy and learns some new words in dragon tongue, I might give him the other key. It's apparently a popular meeting place and rather difficult to book one of the few private rooms since only the one or two of the more discrete employees know who goes in which rooms. Smirking he looked at me and says, "Kipraan nau zu'u." (Feast on me) Laughing, I wolfed down my food and handed him a key. While he's staring at the key, I ran out of the inn to the bathhouse. I shall indeed feast on him, if he can figure out where to meet me for I hunger and need to be fed.
14th of Sun's Height
Rayya had to tell him that it was one of the private rooms at the bathhouse. He found me and this time I was better prepared. Aura Whisper has its uses. No guards came bursting in. "So that's what you wanted to do in Windhelm?" He nodded. "All of it?" "Not even half of it," he grinned at me, "but I need to rest a bit before I'll be ready for more. I knew when you let me comfort you that night in the forest that you might be able to love me and to let me love you. I knew when you let me take care of you in Windhelm that there was something between us even if neither of us were sure what it was or were willing to admit it. You deserve someone who can set you on fire, my beautiful dragon. That's a blaze I intend to stoke every chance I get." I told him to keep learning to say naughty things to me in dragon tongue and see if he doesn't get more chances to stoke the flames.
15th of Sun's Height
We made it to Morthal to the inn there and we'll head to Solitude before we go to Frostfall for a time and then into Whiterun to Jorrvaskr. Now that the vampires are dealt with, I'd like to spend some time with the girls and the Companions before we head back to Bruma to see what the lay of the land is there. I need to pay a visit the Bard's College and arrange for a few of them to accompany me as a cultural exchange. I plan to export the burning of King Olaf to Bruma. Bruma seems like it could use a good festival and given Olaf's murder of Svaknir for his verse, I'm not opposed to spreading the festival.
I've sent a courier with instructions to the mages who are copying the Companion's archives to copy out all the parts of the Great Edda that they can find. I plan to have the bards perform it in as close to its entirety as we can manage. It is the cultural exchange that I think will appeal to the local count and get him to agree. It also gives me a chance to put eyes and ears in every inn and tavern in every village. Since the soldiers like to come in and drink when they're not on duty, this seems like a good way to gather information. It's also a way to start my network of roaming watchers in Bruma.
I've heard rumors of a cave that goes around Pale Pass so we'll investigate that as well. If there is a path through there, we'll likely have to clear out a bunch of smugglers. Hopefully that will cut off the supply of skooma. The addicts will need to be dealt with but if the supply is gone, they'll have to get clean, if they mean to live. I know that the Thalmor have been involved in smuggling in skooma. I ran into an addict at one of the inns who was very talkative once I gave her some skooma. She explained the whole thing to me. The Thalmor get them hooked on skooma and then use the skooma to get them to betray Talos worshippers. How many innocents have been sent into one of the terrible little cells because some skooma addict wanted to get their next fix? The whole thing is heinous but it gives me some ideas on how to turn the Thalmor on each other. I just need to capture some and force feed them some skooma until they're hooked.
16th of Sun's Height
We're ensconced at the Skeever in Solitude. I have to go the Blue Palace and check on Elisif before we head out. So far, Ulfric's been good to his word and little has changed in Solitude other than the guard's uniforms. They're still mostly the same men that Elisif had here before. Falk thinks its a political masterstroke to leave Elisif in place after the duel with Torygg. By all accounts, Torygg was nothing more than an Imperial puppet and while Ulfric hasn't said so outright, I'm sure he dueled Torygg because he was afraid that Torygg would hand him over to the Imperials who would have handed him back over to the Thalmor.
I know that in some of my discussions with Tullius or Tristane as he's now known, he's of the same opinion. Much has become far more clear and saving Tullius was probably one of my better decisions. I made another trip back to the Ragged Flagon, kicked Brynaulf in the balls and hauled the Face Sculptor out of there. We made her work her magic and then I had one of the mages from the college put a geas on her so that she can't speak of it. Tullius wants to see me displace Ulfric. I told him that Ulfric not so secretly wants me to marry him. Tullius thinks that this is to keep me from taking the throne from Ulfric once Ulfric wins it. I don't want the throne. I want to burn the Empire to ash and reforge it into something better. Left to my own devices, the entire Elder Council and the Ruby Throne will be ash drifting in the wind. They've learned too many bad habits from the Thalmor.
I need to go by Castle Dour and see how Galmar's coming with the training program. This is something where the Companions might be able to help. Skor and Kodlak might not be with us any longer but Vilkas, Farkas, Aela Njada, and Athis still are. Kaidan, Jenassa, Rayaa and I can also lend a hand to get them skilled up quickly. I think my skills might be better used in the forge and teaching the Stormcloak smiths. Forging ebony or glass isn't quite like forging steel. It's a very different set of techniques. The tempering process is quite different. Ebony has to be heated until it's almost but not quite liqud before you can hammer it into shape.
The boarding school is finally having its first graduation. A few of the children are old enough to be apprenticed out and I plan to bring them here to Solitude. The fletcher here is quite good and this a skill that I'd like to see them learn, even if they don't choose to follow it as profession. They've got considerable skills in a variety of disciples, depending on their innate talent and interest. Quite a few are destined for the College in Winterhold. I don't care what other magic they learn so long as they learn to enchant weapons and armor.
I've made arrangements with some hunters to test out some soul snare arrows that I've created. If they can fill soul gems while filling everyone's bellies, so much the better. We'll stand a better chance against the Thalmor when we go to invade Summerset.
17th of Sun's Height
Today was quite interesting and we're still in Solitude. We'll be heading out in a day or two for Frostfall, I think. There was too much here to cover it all in a single day. Viarmo is enthusiastic about performing the Edda in Bruma. I've hinted a bit at the other part of my plan which is to send Skyrim bards to every inn, tavern, and watering hole in Bruma to pick up gossip and rumors. I know that Jorn is a staunch Imperial and plans to run off and be a battle drummer for the Legion. Viarmo was understanding and promises to select carefully from those who won't be conflicted about the dual mission.
Elisif is still grieving but having the war over seems to have taken some of the weight off her. She's in a better frame of mind and Ulfric's been good to his promise to me not to meddle too much in Solitude. Elisif has been disrespected long enough. First by Torygg, then Tullius and Rikke. If Ulfric will give her some respect, they might never been friends but at least they won't have to be enemies.
I stopped at Castle Dour on the way back to the Skeever. Training isn't going nearly as well as I'd hoped. I've sent a courier to Jorrvaskr and asked them to come here and start training these louts. Some think that they're too good to learn anything. Others are frankly scared of their weapon. Perhaps having the legendary Companions come and show them just how bad they are will help Galmar get them to start drilling on basics. Kaidan and I put on a good show and even roped in some of the more experienced soldiers to spar with us. That got some of the recruits to be a bit more serious about their training. I know that they've got Galmar grinding his teeth in frustration.
Even some of the more experienced ex-Legion are frustrated with many of the new recruits. At least the ex-Legion men are respectful. I haven't had to punch any of them. The new recruits though... I can't say the same. I thought Kaidan was going to pound the one fellow into Oblivion. I was demonstrating a sword and shield technique that I like to use against draugur who shout. It keeps you from being staggered and thrown backward. I was in a braced stance with my shield forward so that it can deflect most blows and a lunging sword strike when this asshat strolls past me and gives my butt a nice squeeze. Kaidan saw it and things went downhill quickly. Fortunately, or maybe not, I was the one to punch him and told him he was a stupid whelp for putting his hands on the Harbinger of the Companions. I unslung Wuuthrad and asked him if he wanted to try it again. He went white and wandered off, as far away from me as he could get while still out in the training yard.
Hearing that I'm the Harbinger got a few more of them to start paying attention to the skills I've been trying to teach them. Galmar is beyond frustrated and I'm ready to get some blunt weapons and start clubbing some of them upside the head. Maybe if we ring their bells through their helms, we can knock some sense into them, literally. Then again, maybe not.