The two of them stayed fastened in one another’s gaze, and the gravitas of what had just taken place pulled on them both, but it still wasn’t strong enough to force either hand, and it certainly wasn't strong enough to convince either man to change his mind. After what seemed like hours, Ulfric was the first to pull away.
“Goodnight, then,” he offered gruffly, and left. Audric slipped back into bed, tingling all over, but mostly where moments before, a heavy silver pendant had lain against his chest. He felt for it, despite knowing it would not be there, and in its absence, he fondled the silver cuff on his ear and tried to think of Bryn.
Sometime in the night, the air had frozen and snow began to fall, becoming slush. The soldiers gathered together, and Audric stood among them. He stayed low and out of sight while Ulfric gave a speech; had he his way, he’d have saved the speech for a victory. When it was time for everyone to take their places, he split off from the group, a lonely swath of black in the snow and mud. The climb was hazardous, but he’d made worse. He listened to the cavalcade and prayed for the lives of strangers to gods he didn’t trust.
Audric slipped through a pine forest as a shadow against the thick trunks. He weaved in and out and under branches; he slithered over brambles; he crawled uphill through underbrush. Here, the snow began to pile up, colder and in weightier drifts than below. Light as he was, he hopped along, not dragging his feet. His heartbeat was steadily climbing into his throat, though, as he remembered what he’d seen upon his last visit. The memories burned across his eyelids: Etienne, hanging by his wrists, dirty and bruised and broken; spatters of blood and scorch marks decorating the walls; rusted, bloodied stretchers and chain-yanks and all other manner of terrors, hidden beneath a warm and opulent façade.
The smell at the cave entrance was putrid; apparently, no one had bothered to notice that the troll was dead. It was hard enough not to vomit while clambering back through the mucky dregs, but the fresh smell of torture made him wretch, once he was in the embassy proper. He waited, trying to control himself, before moving on. He kept seeing things out of the corner of his vision: a shadow or a color or an imagined movement, and he found himself a prisoner to sickening déjà vu. His skin crawled until it was almost numb with anticipation, and he could feel his heartbeat in his ears. He wondered if the sensation alone would kill him before he completed his errand. Lamps burned, barely a flicker, and the air was warm and smelled of lavender and tallow. The windowpanes would occasionally rattle with wind, but there was nary a creak beneath his feet, nor even the whisper of his cloak. His hand relaxed around the grip of his dagger, and that was his first mistake.
A searing coil wrapped around his throat, quiet and deadly as any snake: it burned his skin and seemed to reach inside him, incapacitating him. He screamed, but there was no sound, and he lost himself in the pain. He might have reached for a weapon or rolled away to defend himself, but he could barely move.
“Contrary to popular opinion, lightning can, in fact, strike the same place more than once.” Elenwen’s cordial voice only accentuated her venom. “But I would expect a thief — even a petty one — to know better.”
Tears burning in his eyes, Audric tried desperately to Shout, but found nothing.
“The Dragonborn, in my grasp. How tempting it is to make an example of you. To execute Man’s Hope, Lorkhan’s shining star, publicly, gruesomely…” she speculated delightedly.
Audric’s anger scorched him from the inside while Elenwen’s spell continued its torture. It surprised him; any fear he was feeling hurtled forward, convulsing, twisting itself into aggression. This went on, growing, swelling, hot discomfort pushing against him from within.
“Sadly, there is little time for such a formal thing.”
“Lady Ambassador,” quivered a nearby voice, “the report is that there’s been an ambush.”
The invisible snare tugged on Audric’s neck and he choked, crumpling to the ground. “You mean there were more of them?” She sounded genuinely surprised, which would have pleased Audric, under other circumstances.
"Divide and Conquer" Ulfric Stormcloak/M!DB, 16d/???
“Goodnight, then,” he offered gruffly, and left.
Audric slipped back into bed, tingling all over, but mostly where moments before, a heavy silver pendant had lain against his chest. He felt for it, despite knowing it would not be there, and in its absence, he fondled the silver cuff on his ear and tried to think of Bryn.
Sometime in the night, the air had frozen and snow began to fall, becoming slush. The soldiers gathered together, and Audric stood among them. He stayed low and out of sight while Ulfric gave a speech; had he his way, he’d have saved the speech for a victory. When it was time for everyone to take their places, he split off from the group, a lonely swath of black in the snow and mud. The climb was hazardous, but he’d made worse. He listened to the cavalcade and prayed for the lives of strangers to gods he didn’t trust.
Audric slipped through a pine forest as a shadow against the thick trunks. He weaved in and out and under branches; he slithered over brambles; he crawled uphill through underbrush. Here, the snow began to pile up, colder and in weightier drifts than below. Light as he was, he hopped along, not dragging his feet. His heartbeat was steadily climbing into his throat, though, as he remembered what he’d seen upon his last visit. The memories burned across his eyelids: Etienne, hanging by his wrists, dirty and bruised and broken; spatters of blood and scorch marks decorating the walls; rusted, bloodied stretchers and chain-yanks and all other manner of terrors, hidden beneath a warm and opulent façade.
The smell at the cave entrance was putrid; apparently, no one had bothered to notice that the troll was dead. It was hard enough not to vomit while clambering back through the mucky dregs, but the fresh smell of torture made him wretch, once he was in the embassy proper. He waited, trying to control himself, before moving on. He kept seeing things out of the corner of his vision: a shadow or a color or an imagined movement, and he found himself a prisoner to sickening déjà vu. His skin crawled until it was almost numb with anticipation, and he could feel his heartbeat in his ears. He wondered if the sensation alone would kill him before he completed his errand. Lamps burned, barely a flicker, and the air was warm and smelled of lavender and tallow. The windowpanes would occasionally rattle with wind, but there was nary a creak beneath his feet, nor even the whisper of his cloak. His hand relaxed around the grip of his dagger, and that was his first mistake.
A searing coil wrapped around his throat, quiet and deadly as any snake: it burned his skin and seemed to reach inside him, incapacitating him. He screamed, but there was no sound, and he lost himself in the pain. He might have reached for a weapon or rolled away to defend himself, but he could barely move.
“Contrary to popular opinion, lightning can, in fact, strike the same place more than once.” Elenwen’s cordial voice only accentuated her venom. “But I would expect a thief — even a petty one — to know better.”
Tears burning in his eyes, Audric tried desperately to Shout, but found nothing.
“The Dragonborn, in my grasp. How tempting it is to make an example of you. To execute Man’s Hope, Lorkhan’s shining star, publicly, gruesomely…” she speculated delightedly.
Audric’s anger scorched him from the inside while Elenwen’s spell continued its torture. It surprised him; any fear he was feeling hurtled forward, convulsing, twisting itself into aggression. This went on, growing, swelling, hot discomfort pushing against him from within.
“Sadly, there is little time for such a formal thing.”
“Lady Ambassador,” quivered a nearby voice, “the report is that there’s been an ambush.”
The invisible snare tugged on Audric’s neck and he choked, crumpling to the ground. “You mean there were more of them?” She sounded genuinely surprised, which would have pleased Audric, under other circumstances.