skyrimkinkmeme | Skyrim Page 5 - "NAKED! Naked naked naked "

Skyrim Page 5 - "NAKED! Naked naked naked "

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Something in Einarth seized, and he prayed that the man would be able to sway the gathering again.

“I anticipated the problem. While you were arranging the meeting, I was busy in the library of Sky Haven Temple. An unguessed trove of lost lore… but the important thing is that the Blades recorded many of the names of the dragons they slew. Cross-referencing this with Delphine’s map of dragon burial sites, I believe I’ve identified one of the dragons that Alduin has raised up.”

The Dragonborn quickly jumped upon the information, and a plan was formulated soon after. The panic that had begun to build in the Greybeard subsided, and Einarth marveled at the irony present in the day’s events. Peace had been upheld- rescued even! - by the actions of the Blades, agents of violence, and not the Greybeards, who maintained lives of peace... It was a humbling revelation, and though he detested their ways, the elder accepted it without malice. Thank the divines that the girl had sought their counsel. Or rather, the wisdom that one of the Blades possessed. Einarth had an inkling of whose idea it was to kill the grandmaster. Indeed, no sooner had the Dragonborn solidified plans to capture the dragon called “Odahviing,” the woman approached her to press her point again. He was proud to see that the girl held firm, even when Delphine had called her ungrateful. But it was worth noting perhaps, that the Blade was not truly angry. Mutual disappointment seemed to be what connected them now, and the Greybeard wondered how much the loss of their companionship hurt the child. The Dragonborn thanked them and bade them farewell, and Einarth himself nodded at their uncertain glance in his direction.

As the last of the Imperial party began the journey down the seven thousand steps, the Greybeard wondered where the Stormcloaks had gone. They had not seen footsteps heading back to the small village below when they had opened the front doors. Einarth shared a look with Arngeir, and at his nod, began to search the halls for the former student and his second. He had not thought that he would ever find himself trying to find the boy hiding yet again in the cold halls of High Hrothgar. A small smile tinged with sorrow surfaced, as the old man thought back on better days.

Such a shame, really. The boy had shown so much promise. That the one Arngeir had chosen would turn into the man he did was distressing to say the least. Perhaps they should have seen the possibility, but who could rightly say? Ulfric had always been strong, stubborn, and always searching for more. What it was exactly the boy had been seeking, he could not be certain. But whatever it was he set off to do, whatever it was he set out to be… None of that had happened. He could hardly believe what he saw today.

He tried to think of when their old student had been spiteful or petty, and found nothing. Even the anger he saw today was nothing like the anger the boy had had when he had been frustrated with some teaching or other. It was nothing like the anger born of a sense of honor and duty he had seen when the boy rejected their admonitions of peace to fight in the Great War. There had even been compassion, a trait that had been notably missing when he had attacked the woman he widowed, and the girl who tried to bring peace in Skyrim, however brief it might prove to be.

They way of the warrior had surely destroyed the best of him. But even the Blade that the girl had looked up to had found peace and wisdom. And there were many great men who possessed both valor and charity. What could have possibly happened differently for the boy? Perhaps the world had been too hard for someone so bright and hopeful. But if so, how was it that his honor permitted his current behavior? What could have so warped his view of the world that he could not see blessings for what they were?

Voices. There were voices in the courtyard, and though his feet carried him to the door, Einarth stopped when he saw the former protege and the initiate standing side by side.

“I’ve never cared for the cold,” the girl began, “but the view is worth it.”

Ulfric scoffed, “Nords are not bothered by such things.”

“I don’t have your natural resilience,” she returned. “Doesn’t that mean I could love this more than a Nord, since I risk more to be here?”

He visibly stiffened. “Are you saying that foreigners have more right to Skyrim than Skyrim’s children?”

“No, that is NOT what I’m trying to say, and you know it.”

“I’m not certain I do, Dragonborn.” Ulfric said sardonically, “Would you be so gracious as to enlighten me?”

“You’re impossible,” the girl huffed. Einarth could not see Ulfric’s face, but the Greybeard didn’t need to in order to imagine the self-satisfied smirk he must have been wearing in response to the girl’s irritation. For all his charisma, is the boy as terrible with women as he is at diplomacy? Or is it just her? he thought dryly.

The girl took a breath before trying again. “I’m just trying to say that this is beautiful. And that I haven’t forgotten what you said.”

“And what was it that you believe I said?”

“You said you’d ‘retire from the world’ when fighting was no longer necessary. But could you really come back to this? Would you really want to?” She faced him directly this time, as though silently demanding an answer.

Ulfric barely turned his head to address her. “If you think I would turn down the chance to return to a life of peace and contemplation, you would be very much mistaken.”

“I don’t believe you.”

He was rather taken aback by the girl’s response. “You doubt my sincerity?”

“No, I doubt your perspective.” She looked at him rather pointedly when she said so.

“You think I do not see the oppression of Skyrim’s people for what it is?”

The girl sighed and turned back to the horizon. “That’s just it. You simply won’t let it be what it is.”

Now the Jarl was angry. “Is that why you do nothing? Why you do not care?”

“I hardly think hunting the World-Eater is ‘nothing.’” she said wryly. “And you cannot say that I don’t care: I’m still fighting, aren’t I? I’m still fighting, even though I‘ve already driven him from Tamriel. Sovngarde is not my afterlife, and it is not the souls of my heroes and kin he devours... but I’m putting and end to that, too.”

“That is your destiny as Dragonborn," he dismissed. "But what of Skyrim? What of the land that gave birth to and nurtured your legend? Do you feel nothing for her? For her people? Would you abandon her to the hands of an empire that allows her enemies to devour her soul?”

The Dragonborn was very quiet. It looked as though she wasn't going to answer until she finally spoke. “You’re a damned hypocrite, Ulfric. I’m fighting for Skyrim, but it isn’t your Skyrim. I can’t. You won’t let me.”

“Of course I would. Prove your worth and swear your loyalty to me, and I would gladly have you fighting by my side.”

“And why should I?” The force of her reply surprised the would-be king. “Why should I, when the Skyrim you envision is one that has no place for someone like me?”

“You are Dragonborn,” he replied. “Of course you belong to Skyrim.”

“Yes, the Dragonborn belongs to Skyrim,” the girl drawled. “But what about the person? Everywhere I go, it’s ‘Skyrim’s for the Nords!’ And I am not a Nord, in case you haven’t noticed.”

This is such a perceptive and well-written fill, and it jives so well with my headcanon (Arngeir and Ulfric being too similar to get along, notably) that it's almost eerie. Awesome look at both Ulfric and the Greybeards. Can't wait for more!

I'm so glad you're enjoying this so far!

“Indeed you are not, but as the Dragonborn-”

“No.” This time, she was positively acerbic. “You do NOT get to make exceptions for me. Not when it’s to excuse the failings of my birth.”

Well, Einarth thought darkly, this couldn’t get any worse. The girl wasn’t wrong on the matter, but if that was how she felt, then it would seem that she had already determined her position in the war. He feared that if Elisif was named High Queen, there would have a puppet ruler who could not defend Skyrim. On the other hand, there were other worthy candidates, and if the Dragonborn supported them, there must be worthy individuals among the Legion. But that meant fighting Ulfric, and though his betrayal had cut deep, the old man still worried for the boy. He was too stubborn to surrender. He would probably embrace death all too easily. And there was Arngeir to consider: what would the man do if one of this students killed the other?

“He still loves you, you know.”

Both men stared at the Dragonborn upon her admission. Ulfric, clearly incredulous, warily questioned her, “What makes you think that? Did you not see what happened at the conference? He barely spoke to me at all.”

“And how could he, when you went in there with the spirit of battle?” she replied. The boy looked like he would have liked to respond, but he held his tongue, and the girl continued, “I can see why you’re his favorite. You’re everything that a Nord should be. If you were the Dragonborn, everything would have been so much simpler.”

This time, the boy did respond. “And I disobeyed the philosophy of the Graybeards. Surely, I could not be his ‘favorite’ as you said.”

“Does a father stop loving his son even when he believes he has lost him?” she countered. “I spend a lot of time training here, and every time he teaches me something new, I see the flashes of memories in his eyes. When I’m too passive, he disapproves. When I’m too enthusiastic, he mourns. When I leave he never sees me off. And when I return, he always determines the purpose of my visit before anything else.”

The girl tilted her head back so her face was upturned to the sky, and Einarth suspected that she was doing her best to withhold her tears.

“You tell me. Who else could he possibly be thinking of?”

Almost done, so the rest of this story should be up in the next several days!

This is so amazingly well written, I cannot wait

Sorry about the delay! Things got a little crazy, so just checking in to let you know this hasn't been abandoned! It's going to take longer than originally planned, though. :(

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