As soon as I strode two steps in, the steward, Falk Firebeard, called to me from the balcony of the court.
“Kressun. There you are. Elisif has been waiting,” he declared. “She has a matter to discuss with you and awaits your presence in her quarters.”
I nodded, gesturing to Erandur to wait for me near the entrance. He did so as I ascended the winding staircase on the left and moved past the watchful court members in silence. They, at least, trusted me enough to let me meet with the Jarl alone, even with a Daedric bow and quiver strapped to my back. Then again, I’d had to bend over backwards to prove myself, an effort I wasn’t keen on repeating for seven other Holds offering me the title of Thane.
The guards allowed my entry into the rear wing of the palace, where the High King’s widow resided by herself. Her crystal-pitched voice answered when I knocked on her door, and I let myself in, shutting it behind me as she turned from the sunlit window by the canopy bed. Once again, I found myself struck by her beauty. She represented the standard of elegance throughout the province, unmatched the perfect combination of her grace and allure. I bowed my head in the slightest, never missing the chance to show my respect.
“I’m glad you showed up after all,” she began cuttingly. “I’ve received disturbing news about your recent associations, Kressun.”
I read the look on her face and realized at once where this conversation was headed.
“Thane of Windhelm? Are you testing me?” Elisif demanded in a hard tone she never revealed to others.
I accepted her displeasure, but explained, “I told you from the start I wouldn’t choose sides in this Civil War, my Jarl.” My voice rang from behind my helm, naturally husky in its quality, and I saw how it incited a peculiar glint in her eyes.
Regardless, a frown marred her delicate features as she placed a hand on her hip. “But you know I can’t allow you free reign in my court when you’re sympathetic to my enemy. To the Empire’s enemy. And I don’t suppose you would be willing to work espionage on my behalf?”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I’m completely neutral to this conflict.”
She peered at me for a long while and then sighed. “Very well. I recognize the truth in your words. You may keep your position here, and I’m holding you to your statement that you are politically aligned with neither Ulfric nor myself.”
It was the most I could hope for. “Thank you. I appreciate your good faith, my Jarl.”
“Please,” she said in a sharp timbre, “remember to call me Elisif when it is just the two of us.”
“Elisif.”
Her name rolled off my tongue in a way that altered her expression. Wistfulness and fire flitted across her visage as she ran her gaze over me. I felt it sear through my chest plate, cut into the core I kept hidden from the world.
“That ambiguous armor again. I’ve stopped inquiring, but my curiosity only grows,” Elisif told me. “As does my longing for you. Come here, Kressun.”
The Equivocal Shroud [2/?]
“Kressun. There you are. Elisif has been waiting,” he declared. “She has a matter to discuss with you and awaits your presence in her quarters.”
I nodded, gesturing to Erandur to wait for me near the entrance. He did so as I ascended the winding staircase on the left and moved past the watchful court members in silence. They, at least, trusted me enough to let me meet with the Jarl alone, even with a Daedric bow and quiver strapped to my back. Then again, I’d had to bend over backwards to prove myself, an effort I wasn’t keen on repeating for seven other Holds offering me the title of Thane.
The guards allowed my entry into the rear wing of the palace, where the High King’s widow resided by herself. Her crystal-pitched voice answered when I knocked on her door, and I let myself in, shutting it behind me as she turned from the sunlit window by the canopy bed. Once again, I found myself struck by her beauty. She represented the standard of elegance throughout the province, unmatched the perfect combination of her grace and allure. I bowed my head in the slightest, never missing the chance to show my respect.
“I’m glad you showed up after all,” she began cuttingly. “I’ve received disturbing news about your recent associations, Kressun.”
I read the look on her face and realized at once where this conversation was headed.
“Thane of Windhelm? Are you testing me?” Elisif demanded in a hard tone she never revealed to others.
I accepted her displeasure, but explained, “I told you from the start I wouldn’t choose sides in this Civil War, my Jarl.” My voice rang from behind my helm, naturally husky in its quality, and I saw how it incited a peculiar glint in her eyes.
Regardless, a frown marred her delicate features as she placed a hand on her hip. “But you know I can’t allow you free reign in my court when you’re sympathetic to my enemy. To the Empire’s enemy. And I don’t suppose you would be willing to work espionage on my behalf?”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I’m completely neutral to this conflict.”
She peered at me for a long while and then sighed. “Very well. I recognize the truth in your words. You may keep your position here, and I’m holding you to your statement that you are politically aligned with neither Ulfric nor myself.”
It was the most I could hope for. “Thank you. I appreciate your good faith, my Jarl.”
“Please,” she said in a sharp timbre, “remember to call me Elisif when it is just the two of us.”
“Elisif.”
Her name rolled off my tongue in a way that altered her expression. Wistfulness and fire flitted across her visage as she ran her gaze over me. I felt it sear through my chest plate, cut into the core I kept hidden from the world.
“That ambiguous armor again. I’ve stopped inquiring, but my curiosity only grows,” Elisif told me. “As does my longing for you. Come here, Kressun.”