“You can't be everywhere, Elisif,” Delphine said gently, putting an arm round her. “You're just one person. Even if you are the Dragon-Queen.”
“I don't think they see it that way,” Elisif said quietly. “But thank you.” Didn't assuage the guilt much, but the concern was nice. Delphine didn't show her real feelings often but that didn't mean they weren't there.
“Oh hey, talking of guilt and regrets. Got something I wanted to show you. Bryn found it in the Thalmor Embassy and was all for auctioning it off to the highest bidder, but I talked him out of it. I thought you might find it of interest, here.”
Delphine passed an official-looking dossier over to Elisif, who recognised the Thalmor crest on the front. She recognised the name too.
“Ulfric's got a Thalmor file!” Elisif gasped, stunned. Well, she supposed the Thalmor had files on most of the great and good of Skyrim, probably including her but to actually have one in her hands and on her husband's murderer... Elisif wasn't sure if she wanted to read it or not. A political fire rune, was what this was. She didn't know if it would damn him or humanise him but she had to know. So she opened it and read.
Asset, if an uncooperative one. Captured... made to believe he'd betrayed the Empire, allowed to escape... Markarth Incident being ideal for the Thalmor's purposes... Thalmor interests best served by the war proceeding in an indecisive fashion for as long as possible...
Elisif slammed the dossier shut, stunned.
“Mother of Talos,” Elisif whispered. “What... is this real? Ulfric Stormcloak, secret Thalmor agent?”
“Not an agent,” Delphine said. “But an asset. Even if he's not presently co-operating, he's playing right into their hands. I imagine most of this was written before you turned up – Talos knows what their file on you says. Utter liability, most like.”
Quite probably, and it slowly began to dawn on Elisif just who exactly might have been dripping poison into Erikur's ear, encouraging him to think Solitude needed a new Jarl, a more cynical and worldly Jarl, one who wasn't an unpredictable Dragonborn that half of Skyrim was willing to follow. Sounded exactly like something Elenwen might try, and to think Elisif had felt guilty over robbing that Embassy (or helping anyway).
“The Thalmor are bastards,” Elisif said fervently, starting to feel actually sorry for Ulfric. Maybe he'd killed her husband, but it sounded like he had his own issues. She couldn't let him win, of course. But it was just possible she might be able to eventually forgive him. Sort of. She'd give him a chance to redeem himself anyway. Madanach might not be too pleased at the lost opportunity for blood, but Elisif suspected Ulfric would never back down, not now. All the same – she'd give him the chance to surrender.
“Has Madanach seen this?” Elisif asked, wondering what the King in Rags would make of it all. He'd be unlikely to forgive Ulfric in a hurry, but he'd surely be interested.
“He's seen it,” Delphine confirmed, humourless grin on her face. “He was cackling away right up until he got to the line about the Markarth Incident. Then the ranting started. About how those elven bastards had screwed him over and sold him down the river. Turns out Thalmor agents met with him a couple of years before the war, not long after he'd unified the Forsworn. They told him war was coming and that when it did, the Empire would turn its resources to Cyrodiil and he could have a chance to take the Reach over. They also told him a victorious Dominion would smile on a friendly state that had never fought them and that didn't worship Talos. So Madanach laughed and drank with them and bitched about Talos with them and started preparing for an uprising, and a few years later, when the Imperial City fell and half of Skyrim marched south to retake it, he saw his chance. Way he tells it, he took the Reach, sat back to enjoy a great victory and waited for the fall of the Empire. He didn't expect the Empire to take Cyrodiil back and agree terms. A bit of a shock but he's always been an opportunist. Started making overtures to the Empire to be recognised as a legitimate kingdom, and the Thalmor decided he was a loose end who needed dealing with. Hence the Markarth Incident.”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 28.3
“I don't think they see it that way,” Elisif said quietly. “But thank you.” Didn't assuage the guilt much, but the concern was nice. Delphine didn't show her real feelings often but that didn't mean they weren't there.
“Oh hey, talking of guilt and regrets. Got something I wanted to show you. Bryn found it in the Thalmor Embassy and was all for auctioning it off to the highest bidder, but I talked him out of it. I thought you might find it of interest, here.”
Delphine passed an official-looking dossier over to Elisif, who recognised the Thalmor crest on the front. She recognised the name too.
“Ulfric's got a Thalmor file!” Elisif gasped, stunned. Well, she supposed the Thalmor had files on most of the great and good of Skyrim, probably including her but to actually have one in her hands and on her husband's murderer... Elisif wasn't sure if she wanted to read it or not. A political fire rune, was what this was. She didn't know if it would damn him or humanise him but she had to know. So she opened it and read.
Asset, if an uncooperative one. Captured... made to believe he'd betrayed the Empire, allowed to escape... Markarth Incident being ideal for the Thalmor's purposes... Thalmor interests best served by the war proceeding in an indecisive fashion for as long as possible...
Elisif slammed the dossier shut, stunned.
“Mother of Talos,” Elisif whispered. “What... is this real? Ulfric Stormcloak, secret Thalmor agent?”
“Not an agent,” Delphine said. “But an asset. Even if he's not presently co-operating, he's playing right into their hands. I imagine most of this was written before you turned up – Talos knows what their file on you says. Utter liability, most like.”
Quite probably, and it slowly began to dawn on Elisif just who exactly might have been dripping poison into Erikur's ear, encouraging him to think Solitude needed a new Jarl, a more cynical and worldly Jarl, one who wasn't an unpredictable Dragonborn that half of Skyrim was willing to follow. Sounded exactly like something Elenwen might try, and to think Elisif had felt guilty over robbing that Embassy (or helping anyway).
“The Thalmor are bastards,” Elisif said fervently, starting to feel actually sorry for Ulfric. Maybe he'd killed her husband, but it sounded like he had his own issues. She couldn't let him win, of course. But it was just possible she might be able to eventually forgive him. Sort of. She'd give him a chance to redeem himself anyway. Madanach might not be too pleased at the lost opportunity for blood, but Elisif suspected Ulfric would never back down, not now. All the same – she'd give him the chance to surrender.
“Has Madanach seen this?” Elisif asked, wondering what the King in Rags would make of it all. He'd be unlikely to forgive Ulfric in a hurry, but he'd surely be interested.
“He's seen it,” Delphine confirmed, humourless grin on her face. “He was cackling away right up until he got to the line about the Markarth Incident. Then the ranting started. About how those elven bastards had screwed him over and sold him down the river. Turns out Thalmor agents met with him a couple of years before the war, not long after he'd unified the Forsworn. They told him war was coming and that when it did, the Empire would turn its resources to Cyrodiil and he could have a chance to take the Reach over. They also told him a victorious Dominion would smile on a friendly state that had never fought them and that didn't worship Talos. So Madanach laughed and drank with them and bitched about Talos with them and started preparing for an uprising, and a few years later, when the Imperial City fell and half of Skyrim marched south to retake it, he saw his chance. Way he tells it, he took the Reach, sat back to enjoy a great victory and waited for the fall of the Empire. He didn't expect the Empire to take Cyrodiil back and agree terms. A bit of a shock but he's always been an opportunist. Started making overtures to the Empire to be recognised as a legitimate kingdom, and the Thalmor decided he was a loose end who needed dealing with. Hence the Markarth Incident.”