Ulfric looked up from his throne, raising an eyebrow at his steward. Jorleif had been stubbornly silent for a while now, his brow furrowed as if something was troubling him, but it wasn't too often that he expressed his problems to his employer as openly as he was about to.
“Yes?” the Jarl asked, his deep voice almost frightening Jorleif back into silence. No, no, he had come this far...
“I've been hearing some...strange things from inside the storage room as of late.” To his surprise, Ulfric sat up straighter, the look in his eyes changing instantly as he continued on. “It started around the same time Thane Finn returned from...wherever she disappears to. When she came back with that crate?” Ulfric nodded wordlessly, looking back down and thinking quickly as Jorleif continued. “My Jarl, if she's brought something back, it's in everyone's best interest that you don't hide it. She's--”
“Don't worry about it, Jorleif,” Ulfric interrupted, raising a hand to silence him. “Finn knows what she's doing, and so do I. If trouble arises, you will be the first to know. Trust me.” With that, he stood, moving down the steps from his throne and towards the living quarters. “Is that all, then?”
“...Yes, my Jarl,” Jorleif answered reluctantly, lips tightening as he watched Ulfric disappear through the adjacent doorway. Something about his behavior recently just didn't sit right with him. And knowing that Breton was the one with such a hold over him just made things stranger.
“Gaafyahzin, drem! Him zeymahu ni hokoron!”
As Ulfric ascended to the second floor of the palace, he frowned at the sound of Finn's scolding voice. Turning the corner into the hallway, he found his Thane holding the smallest of the hatchlings up to her as Sulpaazov sulked at her ankles. His heart catching a bit, he stormed forward quickly enough to send the three into a frenzy again, much to Finn's dismay.
“I was trying to scold!” she complained, scooping Inkahlok into her other arm to stop him from flying off and hitting a wall again. “What's wrong?”
“What are you doing?!” Ulfric hissed, gesturing down the hall. “Anyone could come up here and see this! Be careful!”
“You said I could train them here,” Finn pointed out, suddenly deadpan. Ulfric knew from the look on her face that she was ready to go on the defensive, but Jorleif's warning rang fresh in his ears, and he settled for arguing.
“I said you could train them in the spare room! Hide them again, now!” he ordered her, earning a reproachful look.
“You also said you'd help!” she shot back now, hugging the dragons to her chest. Three sets of eyes were searching the two humans, as if trying to figure out why they were suddenly so loud with each other. “What have you been doing?!”
“Running the city, Finn. That's a priority of mine, you realize?!”
“I understand that, but...taking care of dragons isn't easy, Ulfric! J-just a little help would be--” She paused, realizing that her voice was shaking, and huffed furiously, turning away. “Fine.” She stormed off, her hatchlings in tow, and the Jarl felt suddenly uneasy.
“Where are you going?” he called after her.
“I'm taking them out to train in the woods! Is that too much as well?! Oaf,” she added irritably, returning with the crate in her arms and breezing past him sullenly. As she darted down the stairs, nimble even with the wait, Ulfric sighed, suppressing an eyeroll and watching her go.
“So stubborn,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Truly.”
Re: "Something Like Parents" 7/?
Ulfric looked up from his throne, raising an eyebrow at his steward. Jorleif had been stubbornly silent for a while now, his brow furrowed as if something was troubling him, but it wasn't too often that he expressed his problems to his employer as openly as he was about to.
“Yes?” the Jarl asked, his deep voice almost frightening Jorleif back into silence. No, no, he had come this far...
“I've been hearing some...strange things from inside the storage room as of late.” To his surprise, Ulfric sat up straighter, the look in his eyes changing instantly as he continued on. “It started around the same time Thane Finn returned from...wherever she disappears to. When she came back with that crate?” Ulfric nodded wordlessly, looking back down and thinking quickly as Jorleif continued. “My Jarl, if she's brought something back, it's in everyone's best interest that you don't hide it. She's--”
“Don't worry about it, Jorleif,” Ulfric interrupted, raising a hand to silence him. “Finn knows what she's doing, and so do I. If trouble arises, you will be the first to know. Trust me.” With that, he stood, moving down the steps from his throne and towards the living quarters. “Is that all, then?”
“...Yes, my Jarl,” Jorleif answered reluctantly, lips tightening as he watched Ulfric disappear through the adjacent doorway. Something about his behavior recently just didn't sit right with him. And knowing that Breton was the one with such a hold over him just made things stranger.
“Gaafyahzin, drem! Him zeymahu ni hokoron!”
As Ulfric ascended to the second floor of the palace, he frowned at the sound of Finn's scolding voice. Turning the corner into the hallway, he found his Thane holding the smallest of the hatchlings up to her as Sulpaazov sulked at her ankles. His heart catching a bit, he stormed forward quickly enough to send the three into a frenzy again, much to Finn's dismay.
“I was trying to scold!” she complained, scooping Inkahlok into her other arm to stop him from flying off and hitting a wall again. “What's wrong?”
“What are you doing?!” Ulfric hissed, gesturing down the hall. “Anyone could come up here and see this! Be careful!”
“You said I could train them here,” Finn pointed out, suddenly deadpan. Ulfric knew from the look on her face that she was ready to go on the defensive, but Jorleif's warning rang fresh in his ears, and he settled for arguing.
“I said you could train them in the spare room! Hide them again, now!” he ordered her, earning a reproachful look.
“You also said you'd help!” she shot back now, hugging the dragons to her chest. Three sets of eyes were searching the two humans, as if trying to figure out why they were suddenly so loud with each other. “What have you been doing?!”
“Running the city, Finn. That's a priority of mine, you realize?!”
“I understand that, but...taking care of dragons isn't easy, Ulfric! J-just a little help would be--” She paused, realizing that her voice was shaking, and huffed furiously, turning away. “Fine.” She stormed off, her hatchlings in tow, and the Jarl felt suddenly uneasy.
“Where are you going?” he called after her.
“I'm taking them out to train in the woods! Is that too much as well?! Oaf,” she added irritably, returning with the crate in her arms and breezing past him sullenly. As she darted down the stairs, nimble even with the wait, Ulfric sighed, suppressing an eyeroll and watching her go.
“So stubborn,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Truly.”