>"You insult us by bringing her here to this negotiation?" the jarl of Windhelm growled, refusing to sit. His housecarl placed his hand on his axe, but was stopped from drawing it by a quick gesture from Ulfric. "Your chief Talos-hunter?'
Snide comments and bickering broke out amongst the humans, but Elenwen only gave it half an ear. Her focus was on Ulfric-the set of his jaw, how his eyes narrowed with indignation, the way his shoulders were squared. How she missed his little posturings of bravery.
"I have every right to be at this negotiation. I need to ensure that nothing is agreed to here that violates the terms of the White-Gold Concordat," Elenwen said mildly in her defense when the delegation's attention turned to her. As if Tullius would have the nerve to even consider endangering the Concordat, but it didn't hurt to remind their Imperial allies who was really in charge. Not Elisif, not Tullius, but her.
"She's part of the Imperial delegation. You can't dictate who I bring to this council," Tullius added, right on cue. It was good to know that he would back her despite any personal feelings about her involvement. She would need to include a note about that in his dossier.
"If we negotiate about the negotiations, we'll never get anything done," Arngeir sighed. Elenwen made another mental note to find out more about the Greybeards when she got back to the Embassy. She didn't like having unknown factors in her plans. "Why don't we have the Dragonborn decide?" he suggested with a smile.
"By Ysmir's beard, the nerve of those Imperial bastards, eh? To think that we would sit down with that...Thalmor bitch. I say she walks or we walk," Ulfric said lightly, but there was a slight tremor in his voice begging the Dragonborn to side with him. Elenwen wondered if it was because he couldn't afford to look weak at the start of the proceedings or if he was really that scared of her.
She hoped it was the second.
The Dragonborn was silent as she considered her options. Elenwen could only imagine her worry that Ulfric would truly leave if she stayed, rendering the peace treaty void. "The Thalmor has no business here," she declared softly.
"I'm glad we're in agreement here," Ulfric sighed with relief.
"Very well, Ulfric. Enjoy your petty victory," Elenwen purred with disinterest as she stood. "The Thalmor will treat with whatever government rules Skyrim. We would not think of interfering in your civil war."
As the Thalmor left the conference room, she could hear Galmar and Rikke bickering again immediately. She let the housecarl's insults roll over her like water. It wasn't as if his opinion mattered in the slightest. He was a mad dog brought to heel only with his loyalty to Ulfric, and that was where his significance began and ended. The only thing that mattered was the feeling of Ulfric's eyes boring into her back as she sauntered out.
The Altmer studied the layout of High Hrothgar as she wandered its halls. The younger Greybeards did not seem concerned by her exploration as they continued their meditations. It was a shame; she would have enjoyed having them dog her feet as she poked about.
The great hall was painfully bare. There were almost no decorations other than a few banners with draconic script and some practical flowers they would need as herbs for poultices that could not survive on the mountaintop. Elenwen never understood the Nordic desire to keep their homes so bleak. Would it really have pained them to include a few rugs or throwovers?
Alinor, her home, was so beautiful with its impossibly tall crystal towers. Early human traders had described it as "made from glass or insect wings." Only humans would have portrayed the majesty of Alinor with such crass terms. The sun would break against the facets, splitting into fragments of rainbows that would dance against the ground and across the lower buildings. Everyone wore elaborate colorful clothes, turning them into walking tapestries.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Season Unending 2/?
Date: 2013-10-24 10:59 pm (UTC)Snide comments and bickering broke out amongst the humans, but Elenwen only gave it half an ear. Her focus was on Ulfric-the set of his jaw, how his eyes narrowed with indignation, the way his shoulders were squared. How she missed his little posturings of bravery.
"I have every right to be at this negotiation. I need to ensure that nothing is agreed to here that violates the terms of the White-Gold Concordat," Elenwen said mildly in her defense when the delegation's attention turned to her. As if Tullius would have the nerve to even consider endangering the Concordat, but it didn't hurt to remind their Imperial allies who was really in charge. Not Elisif, not Tullius, but her.
"She's part of the Imperial delegation. You can't dictate who I bring to this council," Tullius added, right on cue. It was good to know that he would back her despite any personal feelings about her involvement. She would need to include a note about that in his dossier.
"If we negotiate about the negotiations, we'll never get anything done," Arngeir sighed. Elenwen made another mental note to find out more about the Greybeards when she got back to the Embassy. She didn't like having unknown factors in her plans. "Why don't we have the Dragonborn decide?" he suggested with a smile.
"By Ysmir's beard, the nerve of those Imperial bastards, eh? To think that we would sit down with that...Thalmor bitch. I say she walks or we walk," Ulfric said lightly, but there was a slight tremor in his voice begging the Dragonborn to side with him. Elenwen wondered if it was because he couldn't afford to look weak at the start of the proceedings or if he was really that scared of her.
She hoped it was the second.
The Dragonborn was silent as she considered her options. Elenwen could only imagine her worry that Ulfric would truly leave if she stayed, rendering the peace treaty void. "The Thalmor has no business here," she declared softly.
"I'm glad we're in agreement here," Ulfric sighed with relief.
"Very well, Ulfric. Enjoy your petty victory," Elenwen purred with disinterest as she stood. "The Thalmor will treat with whatever government rules Skyrim. We would not think of interfering in your civil war."
As the Thalmor left the conference room, she could hear Galmar and Rikke bickering again immediately. She let the housecarl's insults roll over her like water. It wasn't as if his opinion mattered in the slightest. He was a mad dog brought to heel only with his loyalty to Ulfric, and that was where his significance began and ended. The only thing that mattered was the feeling of Ulfric's eyes boring into her back as she sauntered out.
The Altmer studied the layout of High Hrothgar as she wandered its halls. The younger Greybeards did not seem concerned by her exploration as they continued their meditations. It was a shame; she would have enjoyed having them dog her feet as she poked about.
The great hall was painfully bare. There were almost no decorations other than a few banners with draconic script and some practical flowers they would need as herbs for poultices that could not survive on the mountaintop. Elenwen never understood the Nordic desire to keep their homes so bleak. Would it really have pained them to include a few rugs or throwovers?
Alinor, her home, was so beautiful with its impossibly tall crystal towers. Early human traders had described it as "made from glass or insect wings." Only humans would have portrayed the majesty of Alinor with such crass terms. The sun would break against the facets, splitting into fragments of rainbows that would dance against the ground and across the lower buildings. Everyone wore elaborate colorful clothes, turning them into walking tapestries.