Hilda had spent the afternoon being shown the sights in Solitude that Arne Strong-Shield thought were worth knowing, being followed by Calder all the while. She had then enjoyed a rather delicious dinner with the Strong-Shield family, including some extended family that she hadn't met yet. The guests had been encouraged to enjoy some entertainment with the family after dinner.
As the post-dinner entertainment session began to taper off, people started to dismiss themselves to their rooms or to go home. Hilda was too energized by the day's activities to sleep, so she decided to go bother Ulfric and Galmar for a bit. She was supposed to be here as a part of their company, after all. They were utilizing her prestige and her prowess in battle, so they could pay for her services by humoring her.
Hilda knocked at their door, and she was let in by Galmar. She seated herself in a chair next to a small table in a corner.
"How did the afternoon go for you two?" Hilda asked.
"It went well," Ulfric replied. "The Strong-Shield family was quite attentive."
"The Strong-Shield woman was quite attentive, you mean." Galmar corrected. "The younger one."
"Yes, that one." Ulfric said. "She showed us the house and then offered us refreshments and kept us company for the afternoon."
"She had Ulfric talking about himself all afternoon. She questioned him and listened to his answers so closely that it wouldn't surprise me if she were planning to write a book about him!"
"I'd be the first to read that book!" Hilda said, amused. "Let me know when it's available."
Ulfric made a face of exasperation at the two of them, and said, "I trust that you had an agreeable afternoon out with young Arne."
Hilda was saved from having to respond by a soft knock. Galmar got up from his seat and again opened the door. "May I come in?", a quiet voiced asked. Hilda couldn't see who it was from where she was seated around the corner of Galmar's room.
"My Lord Ulfric," the voice said, very soft and femine, "is there anything further that I can offer you?" As the woman came into Hilda's view, she saw that it was Signe, the sister that Arne had spoken so highly of. The dress she wore was as soft and femine as the voice she put on. (Hilda didn't remember her sounding quite so velvety at dinner.) It showcased her figure, but without being overly-revealing. The dress was somewhat more casual than what she wore earlier in the evening, but still very beautiful and elegant. Signe had moved past Galmar and was approaching Ulfric. She clearly hadn't seen Hilda. Hilda sat as quietly as she could and covered her smirk with a hand.
Signe had been seated beside Ulfric at dinner. From her place beside Arne, Hilda had seen the rapt attention Signe had paid to the man. Occasionally, she would seem to accidentally brush her hand up against his hand or arm, and then would wait for eye contact before smiling demurely and apologizing.
"I do not need anything further." Ulfric said, taking a step back from the woman who was now standing intimately close. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"If you need anything during the night, you don't need to bother with waking one of the servants. My room is the last one on the left at the end of the hall," she said. As she turned to leave, her eyes fell upon Hilda in the corner, who was definitely not able to hide the entire evidence of her smirk. "Dragonborn!" Signe exclaimed, reddening. "…have a nice evening." And with that, Signe swiftly exited the room.
Galmar, who had remained near the door and out of Hilda's sight during the entire encounter, returned to his seat on the far side of the room. "I would have taken her up on that offer if it'd been me! …except that she seemed so frail, I'm certain I would have broken her."
"It is a game she plays, Galmar." Ulfric responded. "You know that there were unspoken conditions to her offer."
"I know." Galmar conceded. "You could have at least asked her for some mead, though. All they had at dinner was that fancy alto stuff. I could really use a decent drink."
"Perhaps you would like to go find her in her last room on the left and ask her where they keep the "good stuff"," Ulfric said.
"Hmm… I should." Galmar replied thoughtfully. "I don't need some dressed-up Empire-loving woman to get me a drink, though. I'll go see for myself what they've got in the kitchen. Maybe who they've got in the kitchen also," he said with a grin.
"So, what's the plan for tomorrow?" Hilda asked Ulfric after Galmar left.
"The Strong-Shields have some meetings set up for me during the day tomorrow. You will not be required for those, and are free to do as you wish. Perhaps Arne has more things to show you." Ulfric said slyly.
"I'm sure he does." Hilda said bemusedly.
"It is the party that has me concerned. It sounds as though it will be quite large, creating great potential for the attendees to cause trouble, or for a hired assassin to blend in as a party guest. Galmar will remain by my side throughout. While you are free to mingle, as is expected of a honored invitee, I would like for you to remain alert and fairly close." Ulfric laid out.
"I can do that." Hilda responded.
"And one more thing." Ulfric said. "You will be attending the party with me, not with young Strong-Shield, as I'm sure the family has planned."
The assertiveness (and was it her imagination, or was that a bit of possessiveness?) caused Hilda's heart to leap. This was a game she would love to get involved in. "I understand," she replied.
"Good." Ulfric said.
Hilda then asked him more about the nature of his meetings with the Strong-Shields and others. Before too long, Galmar returned with three tankards of mead and the three of them talked lengthily about what would happen the following day and what each of their roles would be.