Mortal (Book 3)

Chapter 13

Ri'saad takes us down all of the least busy roads to Solitude, no easy feat with so many people travelling to Solitude for the Moot. Ri'saad's caravan has actually set a course for Markarth, so at a fork in the road he trades me off to Ahkari. Ahkari is quite opposed to it at first, but she has to take Ri'saad up on a favor, it appears. What that favor is, I'm not sure and I don't ask. At first she's quite guarded, telling me I must fend for myself should we be discovered, but after a few days she opens up, inviting me to eat with them next to the fire. They tell me dreamlike stories of their homeland, Elsweyr. I don't talk too much, letting their raspy, accented voices fill the lazy smoke over the campfire. The next morning we continue down the final stretch of road into Dawnstar.
"This one is queen, no?" Ahkari finally asks. Ri'saad didn't tell her much, just that I needed quick and safe passage to Dawnstar, no questions asked and no witnesses. But she's seen me now without my hood on, and with so many missing posters about, it would be hard not to see who I am.
"Not yet." I tell her, suddenly remembering the momentous responsibility on my shoulders that would come with marrying Ulfric. "I suppose though, someday I could be." I tell her quietly.
"And you will help Khajiit, no?" She asks, almost ignoring my previous answer entirely. I look up, ready to ask what she means, but one look in her slitted eyes, filled with the sadness of a thousand losses, and I know exactly what she means.
"Of course." I answer.
"My son. Not so lucky to survive in Skyrim, as we have. Arrested for thieving, in a city we were not allowed." She explains, her wiry voice shaking slightly. "Executed." I gently put a hand on her shoulder.
"I will make things better, I promise." I tell her. She nods, and goes silent. I haven't promised much, but anything is enough for her.
"May I ask... Private question?" She says.
"Depends what it is, I suppose." I tell her, confused.
"How many months since this one last bled?" She asks. She's asking about my period, and I know why. She witnessed me vomiting just after dinner last night. Not eating for two months while I was in Sovngarde couldn't have been good for my stomach, and I still haven't recovered.
"Well... I'm not quite sure, honestly, but it's not what you think—" I start, but she begins to laugh.
"This one is funny! I have brought many into the world myself. You cannot hide the signs from me. You must eat more, rest more." She says, laughing as she walks back to the front of the caravan. I laugh with her rather than explain; it's not very often I've seen her laugh.
When we reach Dawnstar, I give away a few of my enchanted weapons I'll never use for them to sell as a thank you, and they take it graciously. I reach the docks of Dawnstar, a quiet harbor town, around midday. My guess is that the first day of the Moot has already begun their first meeting, and tonight they'll have their ball, the first ball in decades I'm sure.
"Lookin' to hire a boat?" An elderly nord man asks before I even look his way, perched on the side of his fishing boat that he's hauled up on the shore.
"How much to take me to the Solitude docks?" I ask quietly.
"Oh, I'd say 'bout 50 septims." He answers, smiling an almost toothless grin. He's asking too much, I know, but I don't exactly have much to worry about in the way of money and I really don't have room to argue, since it appears all of the other boats on the dock have long since cleared out.
"I'll take it, as long as we leave immediately and arrive before nightfall." I answer. He immediately stands, pushing his tiny boat into the water. He gives me a hand into the boat, and then pushes off into the icy water.
He tries to make conversation a few times, but soon he realizes my secrecy and goes silent. We hug the shoreline the whole way to Solitude. Venturing out into open water could be a mistake if we hit a current that the little boat and its aging captain can't fight. We arrive just as the sun is setting, and without a word I leave a purse of 50 septims on the wooden seat and step up onto the docks.
"Thank ya, miss." He says to the back of my head.

~

"Before we adjourn," said Jarl Ulfric. "Would anyone else like to lay claim to the title of High King or Queen for the vote? I would not quarrel with you. Just because I led the rebellion does not mean I have to be High King, I remind you." He said. The other Jarls stared at him in shock, and silence. He sighed. "Alright. We meet again tomorrow to vote, and once again I thank all of you for your faith in me. Adjourned; I'll see you all at the ball tonight." He said, and all of the Jarls stood, bowing their heads to him and allowing him to exit first. He sighed, now an unwilling subject to their constant praise.
"Ulfric. We need to talk." Galmar said, suddenly appearing beside him. He followed the housecarl into another one of the many bedrooms within the Blue Palace and shut the door. Within the room was Falk Firebeard, Jarl Elisif's steward, a somber look on his face.
"Jarl Elisif's travel caravan was found burning on the side of the road, near Whiterun. She's dead." Falk said, holding back tears in his voice. Ulfric's head dropped.
"How?" He asked.
"Slaughtered, all of them. She had been dead quite a while, when she was found. None of the guard we sent survived the attack." Galmar explained.
"Who? I want their heads on a pike." Ulfric said, a long dormant emotion growing in his voice.
"We don't know. Whoever it was got away without a scratch; no other bodies left behind." Galmar explained.
"The Thalmor." Ulfric growled.
"We can't prove it." Galmar said.
"I suggest we don't announce this publicly until after the Moot. It would only cause discourse between the holds." Galmar said. Ulfric sighed, shaking his head.
"Jarl Elisif instructed me to cast her vote for you, Jarl Ulfric." Falk consoled him. Ulfric looked up at him, confused and sad.
He'd killed Torryg that day mostly out of rage and frustration after finding out that Elenwen had been assigned to Skyrim. He never considered Torryg's young wife, or what it would mean for her. He knew he would feel guilty for what he'd done to Elisif until the end of his days.
The moment she'd sworn fealty to him was perhaps not what the most loyal Stormcloaks hoped it would be. He'd arrived at the Blue Palace, sank to his knees, and begged her forgiveness. He needed a safe and comfortable place for Nova to recover, and even if she was only Jarl and not High Queen, he needed her permission. She had refused forgiveness, but promised that Nova could stay as long as she liked, and would not be harmed nor held prisoner. She was better than him, much more patient than he ever would've been in her shoes.
"We will not be timid in our accusations of the Thalmor. They will not get away with murder." The Jarl said, shaking his head. "For tonight, try to enjoy the party, both of you." He instructed the two men.