Mortal (Book 3)

Chapter 4

"I think she's asleep." Ulfric says. We each lay in the bed on either side of Sofie. I gently touch her round cheeks as the fire crackles beside me, the only light in the room.
"I think you're right."
We stand quietly and exit the room, and Ulfric shuts the door firmly behind him.
"She's done that every night for the past two weeks. She says there's a... A strange man? Says he follows her, everywhere. She won't go anywhere alone now." He explains.
"Well have you seen any sign of him?" I ask.
"Well no, but Windhelm and the Palace are plenty old enough to have ghosts. Or perhaps my own paranoia is wearing off on her." He says with a worried frown. He nods to his room, where we can speak privately.
When we get to Ulfric's bedroom, I sit on the bed and begin undoing the various buckles and ties on my armor. Once most of it is stripped away leaving only my shirt, I stretch my shoulders and try to rub away the soreness.
"Make yourself welcome, I suppose." He laughs as I dump my armor on the floor. He reaches over and rubs the back of my neck, his hands remaining respectful, if not overly-cautious. "Are you hurt?" He asks.
"No, I'm just tired." I tell him.
"Have you not rested?" He asks, then blinks suddenly as he stares at my face. "Your eyes are green." He realizes aloud.
"Yes, they are." I chuckle. "Kodlak was right after all. I cured myself, just after the battle of Solitude." He grasps my face in both hands, looking into my eyes with the wonder of a child.
"They're beautiful." He sighs.
Suddenly he's kissing me firmly, but still slowly and with patience. I realize this is the first time I've kissed Ulfric, like this anyway. I lean into him, releasing all I've held back from him since I met him. He pulls gently at the tie holding my hair back, and it falls to my shoulders in a wave of curls. He relishes in running his fingers through it and tucks it behind my ear, as if this is something he's always wanted to do. For a moment, he pulls away and looks into my eyes, grinning from ear to ear.
"That's what I wanted to do when you saved my life in Solitude, and what I wanted to do when I got back to the Blue Palace after the battle." He laughs before pressing his lips into mine again, and I climb into his lap. He stays soft and steady, but I can feel myself pushing farther and farther, my hands tugging at the bottom of his shirt. Part of me wants to stop kissing him immediately and tell him all of the things he still doesn't know, things he needs to know, but I can hardly stop myself.
Suddenly, a scream of terror rings through the palace, and a moment later I'm leaping out of the bed and sprinting for Sofie's room. I burst through the door, and a shadowed figure stands over Sofie, the only clear thing being the dagger in their hand, pointed straight at her. My momentum doesn't stop, and I tackle them to the floor. It's a man, much bigger than me, but that's never stopped me before. Ulfric and Sofie are both shouting, but I hardly hear them over the ringing in my ears, the rage. I pound my fists into his face and jaw as he struggles to get out of my grasp. As he lands a blow to my eye and I recoil in pain, he starts to slip away. However, I grab his wrist like a vise and yank the dagger away, then slam him into the wall with the dagger at his throat as he stands up.
"Who are you? Who sent you?!" I demand.
"Surely... You didn't think you were safe..." He chokes, the dagger beginning to pierce his skin. I was holding back before, but I can't anymore. I pull the assassin back by his shoulders and slam him into the stone wall.
"WHO-" Thud.
"SENT-" Thud.
"YOU?!" I scream in blind fury. When I stop, his head hangs at an odd angle, his eyes staring blankly. He's dead.
I throw his limp body away from me and he tumbles to the floor. I turn to Ulfric, the same rage I feel reflected in his eyes as a terrified Sofie clings to him in the doorway.
"That's the man... Mama, that's the man..." She sobs. I fall onto my knees and hold out my arms to her, beginning to cry myself. Ulfric releases her and she crawls into my lap.
"I know, sweet girl, I know... I'm so sorry we didn't believe you..." Tell her, rocking and stroking her hair. For the first time I notice the three Stormcloak guards standing behind Ulfric in the doorway and staring at the scene in shock. I wonder if they saw what happened, or if they're terrified that I killed the man with nothing but my bare hands.
"Get rid of him." Ulfric growls. Only one of the guards look up from the mangled body. "You heard me. Get rid of him!" He shouts. The three of them jump into action, picking the man up and dragging him out of the room; I hold Sofie tightly, making absolutely sure she doesn't see.