“Thank you,” Elisif said calmly as the gates swung open. “No, don't announce me, word will get round soon enough.”
“You seriously are Jarl, aren't you?” Argis whispered as Elisif walked in, head held high.
“I seriously am,” Elisif said quietly, the Jagged Crown making it near impossible to move with anything other than her neck straight and head raised.
People turned to look at the two heavily-armoured warriors who'd just walked in. As in Whiterun, there was whispering, but unlike in Whiterun, no one was stopping her, although a few surely recognised their Jarl.
But the guards stood to attention, saluting her as she passed, and the Legion guards at Castle Dour did likewise, and as she walked into General Tullius's strategy room, everyone fell silent, staring in shock, eyes all turning to Tullius to see how he'd react.
“Elisif. You're...”
“Alive,” Rikke breathed, looking delighted to see her again. “Jarl Elisif, I thought we'd seen the last of you.” Rikke strode forward, making her way round the table and clapped hands on Elisif's shoulders. “Are you all right? We heard you'd ended up in Cidhna Mine and disappeared when the Forsworn broke out!”
“Legate,” Tullius said sharply. “I'll handle this. Elisif.”
“Of course,” Rikke said, stepping smoothly back and letting Tullius approach. He had his arms folded, glaring at her.
“Do you mind telling me where in the blazes you've been?”
Once, Elisif would have been scared and fearful like a little girl being told off by her father. Not any more. She had faced assassins and Forsworn and Kings in Rags and Companions and Stormcloaks and Falmer and Dwemer automatons and last but not least Alduin himself. She had survived all that and she was not going to be talked down to by Legion soldiers in her own city.
“Serving my country, General,” Elisif said coldly. “I had to leave Solitude due to a threat to my own safety, and I've since been travelling Skyrim dealing with that threat and many others.”
“Is that – Jarl Elisif, is that all you have to say?” Tullius snapped. “You disappear the night of Elenwen's party, there was an attempt on your life, then you're leading troops at Whiterun-”
“I'm the rightful High Queen, I'm allowed to do that!”
“It's true, sir, Nords respect a leader who's got proven military experience and she did actually fight,” Rikke put in. “It's likely swayed most of Whiterun to back her, and I've got evidence her presence was instrumental in persuading the Companions to aid in the defence of the city. We gained considerably from her being there.”
“Hmm,” Tullius grunted. “And Markarth? We followed rumours of a sighting there and heard you'd been abducted by the Forsworn after the Silver-Bloods threw you in jail! Elisif, I had to unseat a Jarl for you and put a Reachman who is most likely a Forsworn agent himself in charge.”
“I know, I heard,” Elisif said, pointedly not looking at Argis, who was probably grinning. “And it is true, I did get arrested and I did escape with the Forsworn. But they didn't take me prisoner, Madanach let me go!”
“You expect me to believe that murdering traitor just let you go,” Tullius said suspiciously. “What did he want in return, I might ask?”
Never you mind, General. “I told him I was learning the Thu'um so I could use it to kill Ulfric,” Elisif replied. “He liked that idea and said he wasn't going to stand in my way, so he brought his jailbreak plans forward and let me go. I've not seen him since.”
“I hope not, he is not a friend to Skyrim or the Empire,” Tullius growled. “But if he's not holding you captive, I suppose I can let the Forsworn be. The Stormcloaks are a more pressing threat right now.”
“Not as pressing as the dragons,” Elisif said, steering the conversation to where she actually wanted it to go. “General, they're going to wipe out all of Skyrim if we don't do something.”
“I wasn't sent here to fight dragons, Elisif,” Tullius said guardedly. “Although they are getting to be a problem. What exactly did you have in mind? I don't have many troops to spare, but it's possible I could spare men to help deal with the worst-hit areas – if we control them obviously.”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 26.3
“You seriously are Jarl, aren't you?” Argis whispered as Elisif walked in, head held high.
“I seriously am,” Elisif said quietly, the Jagged Crown making it near impossible to move with anything other than her neck straight and head raised.
People turned to look at the two heavily-armoured warriors who'd just walked in. As in Whiterun, there was whispering, but unlike in Whiterun, no one was stopping her, although a few surely recognised their Jarl.
But the guards stood to attention, saluting her as she passed, and the Legion guards at Castle Dour did likewise, and as she walked into General Tullius's strategy room, everyone fell silent, staring in shock, eyes all turning to Tullius to see how he'd react.
“Elisif. You're...”
“Alive,” Rikke breathed, looking delighted to see her again. “Jarl Elisif, I thought we'd seen the last of you.” Rikke strode forward, making her way round the table and clapped hands on Elisif's shoulders. “Are you all right? We heard you'd ended up in Cidhna Mine and disappeared when the Forsworn broke out!”
“Legate,” Tullius said sharply. “I'll handle this. Elisif.”
“Of course,” Rikke said, stepping smoothly back and letting Tullius approach. He had his arms folded, glaring at her.
“Do you mind telling me where in the blazes you've been?”
Once, Elisif would have been scared and fearful like a little girl being told off by her father. Not any more. She had faced assassins and Forsworn and Kings in Rags and Companions and Stormcloaks and Falmer and Dwemer automatons and last but not least Alduin himself. She had survived all that and she was not going to be talked down to by Legion soldiers in her own city.
“Serving my country, General,” Elisif said coldly. “I had to leave Solitude due to a threat to my own safety, and I've since been travelling Skyrim dealing with that threat and many others.”
“Is that – Jarl Elisif, is that all you have to say?” Tullius snapped. “You disappear the night of Elenwen's party, there was an attempt on your life, then you're leading troops at Whiterun-”
“I'm the rightful High Queen, I'm allowed to do that!”
“It's true, sir, Nords respect a leader who's got proven military experience and she did actually fight,” Rikke put in. “It's likely swayed most of Whiterun to back her, and I've got evidence her presence was instrumental in persuading the Companions to aid in the defence of the city. We gained considerably from her being there.”
“Hmm,” Tullius grunted. “And Markarth? We followed rumours of a sighting there and heard you'd been abducted by the Forsworn after the Silver-Bloods threw you in jail! Elisif, I had to unseat a Jarl for you and put a Reachman who is most likely a Forsworn agent himself in charge.”
“I know, I heard,” Elisif said, pointedly not looking at Argis, who was probably grinning. “And it is true, I did get arrested and I did escape with the Forsworn. But they didn't take me prisoner, Madanach let me go!”
“You expect me to believe that murdering traitor just let you go,” Tullius said suspiciously. “What did he want in return, I might ask?”
Never you mind, General. “I told him I was learning the Thu'um so I could use it to kill Ulfric,” Elisif replied. “He liked that idea and said he wasn't going to stand in my way, so he brought his jailbreak plans forward and let me go. I've not seen him since.”
“I hope not, he is not a friend to Skyrim or the Empire,” Tullius growled. “But if he's not holding you captive, I suppose I can let the Forsworn be. The Stormcloaks are a more pressing threat right now.”
“Not as pressing as the dragons,” Elisif said, steering the conversation to where she actually wanted it to go. “General, they're going to wipe out all of Skyrim if we don't do something.”
“I wasn't sent here to fight dragons, Elisif,” Tullius said guardedly. “Although they are getting to be a problem. What exactly did you have in mind? I don't have many troops to spare, but it's possible I could spare men to help deal with the worst-hit areas – if we control them obviously.”