“Good, we could use the assistance,” Delphine said, approving. “Get yourself inside, find our Dragonborn and get her to show you around. There's plenty of spare bedrooms, help yourself. Cicero, welcome back, good to see you and Eola tracked the Dragonborn down. Hope you had no trouble.”
“He stabbed five people in twenty four hours,” Madanach put in cheerfully. Eola was patting Cicero on the back and Cicero had gone bright red, all coy embarrassment. Delphine just closed her eyes, not really wanting to contemplate this any longer than she had to, and wondering, not for the first time, if taking Cicero in had been a good idea.
“Five?” Aela said, her voice a mixture of being appalled and yet also strangely impressed. “Who were they?”
“Gabriella of the Dark Brotherhood, a witness to Gabriella's death, Thongvor Silver-Blood, a thief called Grisvar in Cidhna Mine and Thonar Silver-Blood,” Cicero giggled, still blushing. “Also a number of Markarth guards during the jail break but Cicero lost count of them. Er... Cicero doesn't think he's allowed in Markarth any more.”
“I'm not entirely sure you're allowed outside the Temple any more,” Delphine sighed. “Get inside and wait just inside the Temple – come back if you hear fighting, but otherwise just stay put, you hear? We'll be in shortly.”
Cicero scampered off, still flushed with pride, and how someone as sweet and ethical as Elisif kept attracting murderers like she did was a mystery to Delphine. She turned her attention from the undisputed psychopath to the fanatical insurrectionist.
“So, you wanted to talk to me. You have my attention.” Delphine folded her arms, waiting to hear what Madanach had to say. He'd watched Cicero go, seeming rather fond of the man, but as soon as he'd gone, he'd turned sombre again.
“So you're a Blade. Acting Grand Master. Not that senior then, not when there were still Blades operating anyway. You'd be the last of them.”
Damn the man for being so perceptive.
“Being persecuted by the Thalmor wasn't great for recruitment.”
“No one likes the Thalmor, Delphine, even other Altmer don't like them,” Madanach growled. “We've been persecuted by the Nords for decades too, it's been great for recruitment. Don't tell me there was no one willing to join the fight.”
“You were in a Nord prison for two decades, the Forsworn were still operating all that time, and yet Thonar never had you quietly silenced,” said Delphine, refusing to rise to the bait. “And here you are on the outside, able to pull together a fighting force at short notice and have them all here awaiting you, willing to obey your every command. You're still a man very much in charge, so why did the Nords let you get away with it for so long? I'd love to know the story behind that one.”
Madanach looked a little awkward and swiftly changed the subject. Delphine couldn't help but smile and file this away to discuss with Elisif later. Definitely a sore point and she knew she'd won that bout.
“So, the Dragonborn,” Madanach said firmly. “Chosen to fight dragons and has to destroy their leader or the world ends. You know, for a mighty dragonslayer, she doesn't seem that bothered about destroying dragons.”
“What are you talking about?” Delphine sighed. “She's killed three that I've seen, is learning the Thu'um, wants to save her country. She's doing her job well enough.”
“She's learning the Thu'um but not to kill dragons.” Madanach took a step forward, and she couldn't tell if he was angry or afraid, but he definitely was feeling something. “Ulfric, Delphine. She wants to kill Ulfric. Avenge her husband. Be better than him at Shouting, she might already be better. That's what she wants, Delphine. And I think she's going to go it alone. Walk right into Windhelm, challenge Ulfric and kill him.”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 16.6
“He stabbed five people in twenty four hours,” Madanach put in cheerfully. Eola was patting Cicero on the back and Cicero had gone bright red, all coy embarrassment. Delphine just closed her eyes, not really wanting to contemplate this any longer than she had to, and wondering, not for the first time, if taking Cicero in had been a good idea.
“Five?” Aela said, her voice a mixture of being appalled and yet also strangely impressed. “Who were they?”
“Gabriella of the Dark Brotherhood, a witness to Gabriella's death, Thongvor Silver-Blood, a thief called Grisvar in Cidhna Mine and Thonar Silver-Blood,” Cicero giggled, still blushing. “Also a number of Markarth guards during the jail break but Cicero lost count of them. Er... Cicero doesn't think he's allowed in Markarth any more.”
“I'm not entirely sure you're allowed outside the Temple any more,” Delphine sighed. “Get inside and wait just inside the Temple – come back if you hear fighting, but otherwise just stay put, you hear? We'll be in shortly.”
Cicero scampered off, still flushed with pride, and how someone as sweet and ethical as Elisif kept attracting murderers like she did was a mystery to Delphine. She turned her attention from the undisputed psychopath to the fanatical insurrectionist.
“So, you wanted to talk to me. You have my attention.” Delphine folded her arms, waiting to hear what Madanach had to say. He'd watched Cicero go, seeming rather fond of the man, but as soon as he'd gone, he'd turned sombre again.
“So you're a Blade. Acting Grand Master. Not that senior then, not when there were still Blades operating anyway. You'd be the last of them.”
Damn the man for being so perceptive.
“Being persecuted by the Thalmor wasn't great for recruitment.”
“No one likes the Thalmor, Delphine, even other Altmer don't like them,” Madanach growled. “We've been persecuted by the Nords for decades too, it's been great for recruitment. Don't tell me there was no one willing to join the fight.”
“You were in a Nord prison for two decades, the Forsworn were still operating all that time, and yet Thonar never had you quietly silenced,” said Delphine, refusing to rise to the bait. “And here you are on the outside, able to pull together a fighting force at short notice and have them all here awaiting you, willing to obey your every command. You're still a man very much in charge, so why did the Nords let you get away with it for so long? I'd love to know the story behind that one.”
Madanach looked a little awkward and swiftly changed the subject. Delphine couldn't help but smile and file this away to discuss with Elisif later. Definitely a sore point and she knew she'd won that bout.
“So, the Dragonborn,” Madanach said firmly. “Chosen to fight dragons and has to destroy their leader or the world ends. You know, for a mighty dragonslayer, she doesn't seem that bothered about destroying dragons.”
“What are you talking about?” Delphine sighed. “She's killed three that I've seen, is learning the Thu'um, wants to save her country. She's doing her job well enough.”
“She's learning the Thu'um but not to kill dragons.” Madanach took a step forward, and she couldn't tell if he was angry or afraid, but he definitely was feeling something. “Ulfric, Delphine. She wants to kill Ulfric. Avenge her husband. Be better than him at Shouting, she might already be better. That's what she wants, Delphine. And I think she's going to go it alone. Walk right into Windhelm, challenge Ulfric and kill him.”