“Seems they were after another one of your former colleagues, a man called Esbern. He's hiding out in the Ratway, just like you were, in face we even gave him your old room. He's paying a pretty penny for no one to know he's there, but I don't think he'll mind you turning up.”
Delphine grabbed the file, scanning the contents. Esbern... dragonlore expert... ex-Blade... former strategist and historian... it was him. Her old friend and mentor. Still alive after all these years.
“Esbern's alive?” she gasped, putting her hand to her mouth, and if Delphine of the Blades still remembered how to cry, she might have shed a few tears.
“Yeah,” said Brynjolf, grinning at her, “and if you'd said something before, I could have reunited you months ago.”
Apart from the fact she'd not needed Brynjolf for anything back then, but it didn't matter. Esbern was still alive. Brynjolf knew how to find him. The Thalmor thought he was someone of interest, which meant they had no time to lose.
“I have to find him,” Delphine breathed. “You'll come with me, right?”
“Of course I will,” Brynjolf said, holding out a hand to her. “Let's go find your man.”
Taking his hand, pausing only to secure the Thalmor files before they left, Delphine followed him out into the night. She had an old friend to find before the Thalmor did.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elisif spurred her horse on as she galloped across the tundra for Whiterun. She'd fled the city, stopping only to grab her personal mare from the stables and ridden off into the night, not stopping until she'd left Haafingar. There'd been a rest stop at Rorikstead, where she'd seen to her horse before sleeping at the inn for a few hours. Now she was on the road again, terrified but still surviving.
She didn't know what exactly she was going to do, but she knew who her allies were. She knew Kodlak would help, that Aela was a match for any Brotherhood assassin. Even so, she knew she wouldn't be able to stay at Jorrvaskr forever. If she stayed in one place too long, the Brotherhood would find her eventually. No, she'd need help from someone who knew all about being hunted, all about being on the run. Which meant, much as she hated to admit it, she needed Delphine. Damn it. She really didn't want to be beholden to the former Blade, but thanks to the Brotherhood and whatever coward had hired them in the first place, she had no choice.
So it was she rode on under the noonday sun, not nearly rested enough, Whiterun looming in the distance. There soon, she told herself. Not much further now. Strange though, there was something odd in the distance. Not a dragon, no – but the horizon beyond Whiterun looked... dusty. A storm brewing? No, no, it all seemed a bit nearer the ground for that. She looked a bit closer, seeing not just dust but reflections off something. Something... metallic. One big thing or lots of small things? Lots of things. Heading for Whiterun from the east.
Elisif could only think of one thing that might be kicking up that much dust that she could see it from here and have lots of shiny metallic surfaces. Heart in her mouth, she spurred her horse on faster. Ulfric Stormcloak was marching on Whiterun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She left her horse at the stables, throwing the reins to a surprised stable-hand before sprinting for the city gates. The guards recognised Maia the Dragonborn mercenary and if a few of the brighter ones guessed she wasn't really called Maia, they kept it to themselves. Regardless, they let her in and nodded respectfully as she ran for Dragonsreach.
“Balgruuf!” she cried, having been pointed to the war room at the back of the palace. “Balgruuf, you have to get ready, Ulfric's...”
“Going to attack, I know,” Balgruuf said calmly. He wasn't the only one – aside from Proventus and Irileth, there were Legionnaires everywhere, in fact now Elisif stopped to look, there were troops waiting around and couriers carrying orders. And standing around the strategy table, eyes on a plan of Whiterun and its surroundings, was Legate Rikke. Elisif stopped short, not sure whether to approach further or flee now while she still could. Unfortunately for her, Rikke had heard her voice and looked up... and smiled.
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 9.4
Delphine grabbed the file, scanning the contents. Esbern... dragonlore expert... ex-Blade... former strategist and historian... it was him. Her old friend and mentor. Still alive after all these years.
“Esbern's alive?” she gasped, putting her hand to her mouth, and if Delphine of the Blades still remembered how to cry, she might have shed a few tears.
“Yeah,” said Brynjolf, grinning at her, “and if you'd said something before, I could have reunited you months ago.”
Apart from the fact she'd not needed Brynjolf for anything back then, but it didn't matter. Esbern was still alive. Brynjolf knew how to find him. The Thalmor thought he was someone of interest, which meant they had no time to lose.
“I have to find him,” Delphine breathed. “You'll come with me, right?”
“Of course I will,” Brynjolf said, holding out a hand to her. “Let's go find your man.”
Taking his hand, pausing only to secure the Thalmor files before they left, Delphine followed him out into the night. She had an old friend to find before the Thalmor did.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elisif spurred her horse on as she galloped across the tundra for Whiterun. She'd fled the city, stopping only to grab her personal mare from the stables and ridden off into the night, not stopping until she'd left Haafingar. There'd been a rest stop at Rorikstead, where she'd seen to her horse before sleeping at the inn for a few hours. Now she was on the road again, terrified but still surviving.
She didn't know what exactly she was going to do, but she knew who her allies were. She knew Kodlak would help, that Aela was a match for any Brotherhood assassin. Even so, she knew she wouldn't be able to stay at Jorrvaskr forever. If she stayed in one place too long, the Brotherhood would find her eventually. No, she'd need help from someone who knew all about being hunted, all about being on the run. Which meant, much as she hated to admit it, she needed Delphine. Damn it. She really didn't want to be beholden to the former Blade, but thanks to the Brotherhood and whatever coward had hired them in the first place, she had no choice.
So it was she rode on under the noonday sun, not nearly rested enough, Whiterun looming in the distance. There soon, she told herself. Not much further now. Strange though, there was something odd in the distance. Not a dragon, no – but the horizon beyond Whiterun looked... dusty. A storm brewing? No, no, it all seemed a bit nearer the ground for that. She looked a bit closer, seeing not just dust but reflections off something. Something... metallic. One big thing or lots of small things? Lots of things. Heading for Whiterun from the east.
Elisif could only think of one thing that might be kicking up that much dust that she could see it from here and have lots of shiny metallic surfaces. Heart in her mouth, she spurred her horse on faster. Ulfric Stormcloak was marching on Whiterun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She left her horse at the stables, throwing the reins to a surprised stable-hand before sprinting for the city gates. The guards recognised Maia the Dragonborn mercenary and if a few of the brighter ones guessed she wasn't really called Maia, they kept it to themselves. Regardless, they let her in and nodded respectfully as she ran for Dragonsreach.
“Balgruuf!” she cried, having been pointed to the war room at the back of the palace. “Balgruuf, you have to get ready, Ulfric's...”
“Going to attack, I know,” Balgruuf said calmly. He wasn't the only one – aside from Proventus and Irileth, there were Legionnaires everywhere, in fact now Elisif stopped to look, there were troops waiting around and couriers carrying orders. And standing around the strategy table, eyes on a plan of Whiterun and its surroundings, was Legate Rikke. Elisif stopped short, not sure whether to approach further or flee now while she still could. Unfortunately for her, Rikke had heard her voice and looked up... and smiled.