“And will that help be there to back you against Elenwen?” he spat the name as if it were foul poison.
Audric remained silent, but he knew that Ulfric knew he would never endanger his friends’ lives. They might be allowed to follow him in, but only so far. He couldn’t leave margin for error, not after finding Etienne, not after reading about the fate of a young Ulfric.
“Well let me ask you this, Dragonborn: do you intend on walking in through the front door? Even amongst the confusion of battle, I doubt you’ll make it in so easily.”
“Hardly. You see, there is more than one way to skin a skeever.” He had debated about whether or not to tell anyone about this, but it would seem that now, his hand was being forced. “There is another way in, a secret way.”
“I’ve never seen such a thing,” Tullius crossed his arms.
“I hope you never do; it’s where they dump the bodies.” He watched with an ounce of morbid satisfaction as the general flinched. “There’s a small cave mouth behind the Embassy, carved into the hillside. It’s easy to overlook, and I wouldn’t have imagined they were connected besides.”
“So, Ulfric causes a diversion, I take up the defense, while you go in and take on Elenwen, is that right?”
Audric nodded.
“Brilliant, we can save valuable time and resources.”
While the men settled back into bed, only to chatter with each other about the revised plan, Ulfric hauled Audric out of the room by his arm. It ached where his fingers had dug into it.
“What’s your problem?” Audric demanded. “I thought you’d be chomping at the bit to wash your hands of the Thalmor in Skyrim! Elenwen in particular.”
“All of your elaborate tactics aside, you don’t honestly believe you will defeat her, do you?” The lines in Ulfric’s face were pronounced by his desperate expression, and his eyes were wet. “You are a single man.”
“Where's your faith in the Dragonborn, now?” he asked, perhaps meanly.
“Your blood might be that of a Dragon, but your bones are mortal.” Ulfric held him in an urgent, unwavering gaze. “She will break your body.”
Remembering what he'd seen in the dungeon beneath the Embassy, Audric tried not to shudder. “Then I shall have to make sure that I catch her first,” he breathed.
After trekking through the blizzard outside, stepping into the Frozen Hearth felt like coming into the warm arms of a loved one. Audric had been trudging through snow and gale for too long; a hill that should have taken perhaps an hour to crest had taken several, as he’d had to dismount his horse and lead it against the wind. Peering around the Inn, he noticed Enthir was not here as he’d promised, and for the most part, Audric was relieved. He was exhausted from the trip and didn’t mind the opportunity to prolong getting his hands on that Elder Scroll. He leaned into the table and had a few cups and some hot food. He didn’t mind spending the coin, and he knew Dagur and Haran needed it. He fed himself well, and in spite of the straw mattress and drafty windows, he slept even better.
In the morning, the snow had at last stopped.
Of course, thought Audric bitterly, I knew I should’ve stayed the night in Windhelm. He had left Mistwatch the morning after he’d hatched his plan with Tullius, leaving the General to sort out the particulars and smooth things over with the Jarls. He supposed he ought to have waited in Windhelm anyway, since the weather had made no secret of its intentions. But then he would have risked running into Ulfric and, if it came right down to it, he might just take the Elder Scroll first.
"Divide and Conquer" Ulfric Stormcloak/M!DB, 14c/??
Audric remained silent, but he knew that Ulfric knew he would never endanger his friends’ lives. They might be allowed to follow him in, but only so far. He couldn’t leave margin for error, not after finding Etienne, not after reading about the fate of a young Ulfric.
“Well let me ask you this, Dragonborn: do you intend on walking in through the front door? Even amongst the confusion of battle, I doubt you’ll make it in so easily.”
“Hardly. You see, there is more than one way to skin a skeever.” He had debated about whether or not to tell anyone about this, but it would seem that now, his hand was being forced. “There is another way in, a secret way.”
“I’ve never seen such a thing,” Tullius crossed his arms.
“I hope you never do; it’s where they dump the bodies.” He watched with an ounce of morbid satisfaction as the general flinched. “There’s a small cave mouth behind the Embassy, carved into the hillside. It’s easy to overlook, and I wouldn’t have imagined they were connected besides.”
“So, Ulfric causes a diversion, I take up the defense, while you go in and take on Elenwen, is that right?”
Audric nodded.
“Brilliant, we can save valuable time and resources.”
While the men settled back into bed, only to chatter with each other about the revised plan, Ulfric hauled Audric out of the room by his arm. It ached where his fingers had dug into it.
“What’s your problem?” Audric demanded. “I thought you’d be chomping at the bit to wash your hands of the Thalmor in Skyrim! Elenwen in particular.”
“All of your elaborate tactics aside, you don’t honestly believe you will defeat her, do you?” The lines in Ulfric’s face were pronounced by his desperate expression, and his eyes were wet. “You are a single man.”
“Where's your faith in the Dragonborn, now?” he asked, perhaps meanly.
“Your blood might be that of a Dragon, but your bones are mortal.” Ulfric held him in an urgent, unwavering gaze. “She will break your body.”
Remembering what he'd seen in the dungeon beneath the Embassy, Audric tried not to shudder. “Then I shall have to make sure that I catch her first,” he breathed.
After trekking through the blizzard outside, stepping into the Frozen Hearth felt like coming into the warm arms of a loved one. Audric had been trudging through snow and gale for too long; a hill that should have taken perhaps an hour to crest had taken several, as he’d had to dismount his horse and lead it against the wind. Peering around the Inn, he noticed Enthir was not here as he’d promised, and for the most part, Audric was relieved. He was exhausted from the trip and didn’t mind the opportunity to prolong getting his hands on that Elder Scroll. He leaned into the table and had a few cups and some hot food. He didn’t mind spending the coin, and he knew Dagur and Haran needed it. He fed himself well, and in spite of the straw mattress and drafty windows, he slept even better.
In the morning, the snow had at last stopped.
Of course, thought Audric bitterly, I knew I should’ve stayed the night in Windhelm. He had left Mistwatch the morning after he’d hatched his plan with Tullius, leaving the General to sort out the particulars and smooth things over with the Jarls. He supposed he ought to have waited in Windhelm anyway, since the weather had made no secret of its intentions. But then he would have risked running into Ulfric and, if it came right down to it, he might just take the Elder Scroll first.