Elisif wasn't sure how long she'd been at the monastery. Hours? Days? Hard to tell. Her training had gone well, right up until she'd put the new Thu'um they'd taught her together with one of the ones she already knew and realised she was learning the same thing Ulfric had killed her husband with. At that point, she'd broken down in tears and wept that she couldn't do it, she couldn't be Dragonborn, she couldn't turn into a monster, she couldn't. Arngeir had looked a bit confused and asked what was wrong, and she'd ended up confessing everything. That she was the rightful High Queen but only because Ulfric had used the Thu'um to murder her husband, the High King before her. At the mention of Ulfric's name, Arngeir's face had grown grim but he'd nodded in sympathy and led her away to talk in private.
“I'm sorry,” Elisif whispered, wiping the tears away. “You must think I'm pathetic.”
“Not at all, my dear, you've clearly not had the best time with the Voice,” Arngeir said, his voice soothing. “If your first introduction to it was to see it misused, and against your own husband... no wonder. Here, sit, have some mead, you look like you need it.”
“Thank you,” Elisif whispered, tearfully accepting the mead on offer. Not Colovian brandy but it would do.
“Did you want to talk about it?” Arngeir asked. Elisif dried her eyes and pulled herself together. She'd come here hoping they could help after all.
“I keep dreaming about it,” she said quietly. “And when I'm awake, I keep remembering it. Fus Ro Dah, that was it. One Shout and Torygg was down and then Ulfric's sword and he was... he was gone. Not even for any good reason! Just to make a point! To convince people we were the Empire's puppets. And it worked, didn't it? Now half the country thinks Skyrim should be free to worship Talos again, free from the Empire, without the Thalmor interfering. And do you know what, Torygg was one of them! He used to talk to me about it, how he hated having to turn over his own people to the Dominion just because they worshipped Talos. He worshipped Talos too, so had his father, he was furious he couldn't any more because of some treaty he'd not even signed. He looked up to Ulfric, admired him, if Ulfric had come in and given some speech about how his conscience couldn't let him serve someone who blindly followed the Empire and he was going to secede from Skyrim on his own unless Torygg declared Skyrim's independence, Torygg might have gone along with it! He'd certainly have listened. But Ulfric just walked in, challenged him to a duel and... and murdered him. Now I'm expected to learn how to do the same thing? I can't, Arngeir! I can't...”
“No one expects you to use the Thu'um on someone weaker than you so that you can kill them without risk to yourself,” said Arngeir firmly. “Our teachings are very clear on the matter – to use the Voice for any reason other than for the worship of the gods and the contemplation of the sky is a gross misuse of Kynareth's gifts. We did not teach Ulfric so he could go out into the world and use his power for murder and treason. On behalf of all of us, Dragonborn, please accept our humblest apologies. We did not know, had no idea the young boy we trained would turn into a warlord.”
“Did the Thu'um do it to him?” Elisif whispered, trying to imagine Ulfric as a boy and failing. He must have been once, she supposed, but he was such an imposing bear of a man, it was hard to think of him as anything else.
“Who can say,” Arngeir sighed. “I've long wondered. But someone wiser than I told me that power doesn't corrupt, it only brings out what was there already. Give power to someone inclined to evil, they will use it for evil. Give power to the good, they will try and use it for good ends. Give it to the wise, and they won't use it all unless they have to. We taught it to Ulfric, and he turned out to be someone who thinks that because he believes his cause is just, he can do anything he likes to further it.” Arngeir didn't even bother hiding the bitterness and Elisif felt sorry for him. Someone else who'd been betrayed by Ulfric.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 4.2
Date: 2013-09-09 08:45 pm (UTC)“I'm sorry,” Elisif whispered, wiping the tears away. “You must think I'm pathetic.”
“Not at all, my dear, you've clearly not had the best time with the Voice,” Arngeir said, his voice soothing. “If your first introduction to it was to see it misused, and against your own husband... no wonder. Here, sit, have some mead, you look like you need it.”
“Thank you,” Elisif whispered, tearfully accepting the mead on offer. Not Colovian brandy but it would do.
“Did you want to talk about it?” Arngeir asked. Elisif dried her eyes and pulled herself together. She'd come here hoping they could help after all.
“I keep dreaming about it,” she said quietly. “And when I'm awake, I keep remembering it. Fus Ro Dah, that was it. One Shout and Torygg was down and then Ulfric's sword and he was... he was gone. Not even for any good reason! Just to make a point! To convince people we were the Empire's puppets. And it worked, didn't it? Now half the country thinks Skyrim should be free to worship Talos again, free from the Empire, without the Thalmor interfering. And do you know what, Torygg was one of them! He used to talk to me about it, how he hated having to turn over his own people to the Dominion just because they worshipped Talos. He worshipped Talos too, so had his father, he was furious he couldn't any more because of some treaty he'd not even signed. He looked up to Ulfric, admired him, if Ulfric had come in and given some speech about how his conscience couldn't let him serve someone who blindly followed the Empire and he was going to secede from Skyrim on his own unless Torygg declared Skyrim's independence, Torygg might have gone along with it! He'd certainly have listened. But Ulfric just walked in, challenged him to a duel and... and murdered him. Now I'm expected to learn how to do the same thing? I can't, Arngeir! I can't...”
“No one expects you to use the Thu'um on someone weaker than you so that you can kill them without risk to yourself,” said Arngeir firmly. “Our teachings are very clear on the matter – to use the Voice for any reason other than for the worship of the gods and the contemplation of the sky is a gross misuse of Kynareth's gifts. We did not teach Ulfric so he could go out into the world and use his power for murder and treason. On behalf of all of us, Dragonborn, please accept our humblest apologies. We did not know, had no idea the young boy we trained would turn into a warlord.”
“Did the Thu'um do it to him?” Elisif whispered, trying to imagine Ulfric as a boy and failing. He must have been once, she supposed, but he was such an imposing bear of a man, it was hard to think of him as anything else.
“Who can say,” Arngeir sighed. “I've long wondered. But someone wiser than I told me that power doesn't corrupt, it only brings out what was there already. Give power to someone inclined to evil, they will use it for evil. Give power to the good, they will try and use it for good ends. Give it to the wise, and they won't use it all unless they have to. We taught it to Ulfric, and he turned out to be someone who thinks that because he believes his cause is just, he can do anything he likes to further it.” Arngeir didn't even bother hiding the bitterness and Elisif felt sorry for him. Someone else who'd been betrayed by Ulfric.