A gaggle of Imperial soldiers made their way past, one miserable prisoner in tow. The men were obnoxious, inflated with their own sense of victorious self-importance, and it rubbed Audric the wrong way. He couldn’t afford to set the prisoner loose, but there was something he waited for an opening, which did not take long at all. Feigning a spill, he stumbled into the prisoner, brushing past him and whispered “Talos guide you,” as he picked the man’s pocket, leaving him a small lump of coin. The man’s eyes were startled and watery as Audric drew away, pardoning himself to the rear guard for his clumsiness.
He was not a religious man, and Talos certainly wasn’t his god, but comfort was few and far between for the losing side. At least this way, should the man find escape, he might have food to eat and a place to stay. And if he didn’t, well, hopefully the gold wouldn’t end up lining some Imperial coffer.
Audric had never chosen a side, officially. He detested the Empire for succumbing to terms that were plainly designed to keep it on a short leash, squabbling with itself, and he had no fondness for the Dominion. On the other hand, he’d met a number of Stormcloaks and supporters whose unrepentant bigotry left his stomach churning, and his temper hot. He claimed very little ancestral pride, deeming such sentiment as irrational, but speaking with a decent number of Nords, he had to grudgingly admit he felt a renewed, somewhat horrifying sense of blood-pride. A natural reflex to discrimination, he tried to console himself.
When again, he was faced with a fork in the road, he stopped and worried. The letter had asked that he send a reply a day in advance. He could go home and sleep in his own bed and eat his own food. Iona was probably starting to fret. But that old friend, curiosity, was nagging at him, tugging him away down the road into the pit of the valley, past the herds of mammoths and through the steamy fog and up, around the corner...
He slept in his own bed about as much as he slept in rented ones, he rationalized, and continued north, into the evening.
Author's Notes and Tags
I get the feeling this is going to be a long fill, given the nature of the prompt and my preference for pacing my narratives. If it's okay, I'd like to continue to add tags as they become relevant. Also, question for the OP: are there any kinks you prefer/dislike, for future reference? Or would you prefer a platonic context?
"Divide and Conquer" Ulfric Stormcloak/M!DB, 1c/?? (+tags)
He was not a religious man, and Talos certainly wasn’t his god, but comfort was few and far between for the losing side. At least this way, should the man find escape, he might have food to eat and a place to stay. And if he didn’t, well, hopefully the gold wouldn’t end up lining some Imperial coffer.
Audric had never chosen a side, officially. He detested the Empire for succumbing to terms that were plainly designed to keep it on a short leash, squabbling with itself, and he had no fondness for the Dominion. On the other hand, he’d met a number of Stormcloaks and supporters whose unrepentant bigotry left his stomach churning, and his temper hot. He claimed very little ancestral pride, deeming such sentiment as irrational, but speaking with a decent number of Nords, he had to grudgingly admit he felt a renewed, somewhat horrifying sense of blood-pride. A natural reflex to discrimination, he tried to console himself.
When again, he was faced with a fork in the road, he stopped and worried. The letter had asked that he send a reply a day in advance. He could go home and sleep in his own bed and eat his own food. Iona was probably starting to fret. But that old friend, curiosity, was nagging at him, tugging him away down the road into the pit of the valley, past the herds of mammoths and through the steamy fog and up, around the corner...
He slept in his own bed about as much as he slept in rented ones, he rationalized, and continued north, into the evening.
Author's Notes and Tags
I get the feeling this is going to be a long fill, given the nature of the prompt and my preference for pacing my narratives. If it's okay, I'd like to continue to add tags as they become relevant. Also, question for the OP: are there any kinks you prefer/dislike, for future reference? Or would you prefer a platonic context?
Tags:
char: M!DB char: Ulfric Stormcloak