Mortal (Book 3)

Chapter 26

"Sofie, Lucia, this is Blaise, Marcurio's new apprentice. I assume you can all play together peacefully." I tell the girls as they hug my legs, wrinkling my skirt. Blaise stands in front of Camilla, who gently holds his shoulders. When Blaise makes it clear he won't be starting the conversation, Sofie takes the first step forward.
"Pleased to meet you, Blaise. I'm Sofie, this is my sister Lucia." She says, thrusting her hand out towards him. He wrinkles his nose at her.
"You don't look like a princess. How old are you?" He asks. She drops her hand in disappointment.
"Ten." She lies. She won't be ten for another two months now. "How old are you?" She asks.
"Too old to be playing with ten year olds..." He mumbles, prompting an abrupt nudge from Camilla. "I'm twelve." He sighs.
"You don't look like a twelve year old." Sofie snaps.
"What do you mean?" He exclaims.
"What do you mean?" She counters. He sighs heavily.
"You're just... Too short, I guess. I mean, you're a little kid."
"So are you!" Sofie accuses, taking an aggressive step forward before I grab her shoulder.
"Enough." I say it to Sofie, but I look at Blaise. I notice Camilla now has a stronger grip on his shoulder. It's rare, unheard of even, that Sofie meets someone she doesn't like, but I believe she may have met her match. "I believe it's quite a bit past your bedtime, young lady." I tell her. She nods to me before giving him a lasting glare and running away, Lucia following close behind.
"You as well, Blaise. I believe Marc must be expecting you." Camilla says. Blaise runs away without another word. Camilla shakes her head, but I only smile. She'll get used to it.
As soon as she's out of sight Rexus appears from behind a pillar, spooking the guards a bit. I had no idea he was there, but usually I don't. It's a bit unsettling, but I trust him.
"Any news?" I ask.
"Yes, your majesty. My employer is rather displeased, but the individual he contacted has arrived without notice and insists on conducting their business immediately." He says, censoring himself appropriately for the guards. I sigh; Ulfric and I haven't discussed these plans since we last saw Motierre and I'm not sure if he even agrees that I should go. I suppose we were avoiding an argument.
It's not so simple as making decisions for myself and myself only anymore. Ulfric is my husband now and we should be making decisions together; not to mention I'm carrying our child.
"I understand. Tell our guest that there are certain preparations still to be made, but it shouldn't take long at all." I tell him.
"Yes, my Queen." Rexus says before disappearing back into the shadows.
When I get to our bedroom Ulfric is reading at his desk. I hug his neck and press my face to his neck, taking in his warmth. He gently touches the back of my head.
"I have to go." I tell him quietly.
"What?" He says, immediately turning around to face me.
"The assassin Motierre hired is here. They're insisting on leaving immediately." I explain. Ulfric sighs heavily, brushing me away and standing from his desk.
"Nova, I understand how long you've been traveling; it must be hard to stay in one place for so long. But please, for the sake of our child, for the sake of our kingdom, this must be the last time." He sighs, staring out the window.
"I know. It's not fair to you, it's not fair to anyone. I can't ask you or anyone else to rule my kingdom for me while I go play hero. I promise this is it for me." I tell him. He says nothing, and slowly steps toward the door. "Ulfric, please. I mean it... Please don't make me leave like this—"
"I believe you." He says softly, anger underneath his tone. "I know what happened on our wedding day. With the boy, Vilkas."
"Ulfric, I... Who—" I start, but he interrupts again.
"Galmar kept insisting that he shouldn't be your housecarl. I needed to know why." He explains. We're silent for a long time.
"It didn't mean anything." I breathe.
"He did see fit to tell me that much. But if it didn't mean anything, why didn't you tell me?" He asks, the hurt in his voice genuine.
"It was our wedding day. I didn't want to upset you, and I was just so overwhelmed—"
"Why not tell me after, then? Our honeymoon?" He asks.
"I was trying to be happy with you, I put it out of my head and tried to forget about it." I explain. He groans and rolls his eyes, heading for the door again. "Ulfric, if it had meant anything to me do you think I still would've married you that day?" I exclaim.
"With everything at stake, maybe. Would the Jarls still support your claim to the throne without me?" He argues.
"How dare you." I growl, tears streaking down my face. From his expression, he already knows he's crossed a line. "How dare you say that when you were the one that forced the throne on me. How dare you say that, after all the fighting I did and the pain I went through to get back to you. I don't care about the bloody throne Ulfric. All I ever cared about was you." I sob angrily.
"I have a right to ask questions, Nova." He defends.
"Of course you do. But I've given you all the answers I have." I tell him, wiping my face. When I look back to the doorway, he's gone.
I'm fighting back tears of anger as I quickly change into plain clothes and put up my hair. I quickly gather my things, and pull myself together; I take the ebony greatsword that was my wedding present and I hope it hurts when he sees it gone. Finally, I sneak into the girls' room to kiss them goodbye as they're sleeping.
As I'm slipping out the door, Vilkas is waiting for me in the dark.
"Why are you still here?" I whisper, still seething with anger.
"Where are you going?" He asks.
"I'm not going anywhere, and that is none of your concern. If you're still here when I get back I'll have you escorted from the city. If you choose to return after that I'll have you arrested." I explain to him before pushing past him.
"When you get back? But you said— never mind. Nova, look, I know you think you know why I'm doing this but you don't." He says, following after me.
"Oh really? Enlighten me then." I growl back at him. Finally he grabs my arm just before I reach the door. I don't look at him. I refuse to.
"Listen to me. At your wedding you told me that what happened between us was over. I believe you, but I can't forget what I feel. I will never stop loving you." He insists, his voice shaking. I still won't look at him. "I understand now that you love the King very much. I didn't know until I met him that he's a good man, and he loves you dearly, even if I wish it wasn't true." I finally turn around; he understands. He finally understands. "I can't go on living my life in misery without you, but I know I can't be with you either. I realize now that the only way I can ever feel fulfilled in my life is knowing I did everything I could to make sure you're happy and safe, even if you don't love me. Does that make sense?" He finally asks, dropping my arm.
"Yes. It does." I sigh. "If you insist on competing in the tournament, I can't stop you. But if you don't win, I can't promise you anything. After that, you need to go back to Whiterun; for the sake of my marriage."
"I understand." He says, even as he flinches. Just as I think this conversation might end peacefully, he asks a question that stings. "Nova, are you pregnant?"
"Yes." He takes a sharp breath in, and I know it hurts. "We just found out on our honeymoon. How did you know?"
"You're um... Showing." He says, nodding to the shirt I'm wearing that used to fit a lot more loosely. I smile and chuckle a bit, touching my stomach and trying to readjust the shirt to no avail. "I'm happy for you, Nova. Really, I am. Even if it doesn't seem like it."

~

"I would like to introduce you to, well... She's declined to tell me her name thus far, understandably. I suppose I won't tell her your name either. The two of you will just have to introduce yourselves at your own discretion." Amaund says, keeping Rexus carefully placed between himself and the woman.
The woman is tall and muscled with a slim figure defined by tight, black leather armor that covers her from head to toe, with full length gloves and a hood with only a small slit exposing her eyes. However, this must be the most terrifying part of her appearance. She has dark, angular eyebrows and skin so pale it seems to glow in the moonlight. Worst of all, where her eyes should be white, they are black, and the centers glow orange like the sun.
A vampire, the likes of which I've never met before. Despite my fear, I regard her coldly.
"I don't think there's much to say. I'd like to return home as quickly as possible, so we should get moving." I tell her. Under her mask, I could swear she smiles.
"Of course, your majesty."

~

I spend the first few hours trailing silently behind her, refusing to turn my back on her. Finally, she speaks.
"Your majesty, may I ask you something?" She asks quietly.
"Go on."
"Have you ever met a vampire?" she asks.
"I can't say I have." I reply.
"Then forgive me, but I'd assume you know very little about them."
"You'd assume right." I tell her, reaching for my sword handle.
"Well, did you know that vampires actually prefer to feed as little as possible? It makes them vulnerable. Hunger strengthens them." She explains.
"Interesting." I mumble.
"Your majesty, I wouldn't attempt to feed from you, not out here in the middle of nowhere. Besides that, you're too valuable. If I fed from you I'd have every guard in every hold looking for me, which in my line of work is not a good position to be in." She says, looking back to me to see if she's convinced me. "Come now my queen, I'm not even parched." She says, laughing. I sigh and release the handle of my sword.
"What am I supposed to call you?" I ask.
"I suppose I can give you my first name. Alessia." She says.
"Alessia... Named after St. Alessia, the founder of the First Empire. Was the irony intended?" I ask.
"By my parents, you mean? I was never sure, but I like to think so." She says, chuckling again. For someone with such a dark presence, she has a rather cheerful, albeit sarcastic disposition. "May I ask you something else, my queen?" she asks.
"Go ahead."
"I've been an assassin for a long time. It's what I enjoy most. But after all these years, all of my contracts, I've never had someone... tag along." She says.
"Are you asking why I'm here?" I ask.
"Yes. I apologize for appearing at your gate without announcement or warning. I'm very much used to working alone." She says.
"Hmm... Well, several reasons. My partner would like to hire your services himself but would like to first make sure of your talents and discretion."
"Ah, I see. The cautious buyer. I can respect that." She says. "But he's sent us after a starving beggar in Ivarstead? It hardly seems like a test."
"I suppose you're right, but in this case it's rather personal." I tell her. She's shockingly easy to talk to.
"Is that so? I hate to pry, but do you think you'll be able to tell me about it? I love vengeance." She says cheerily. I can't help but laugh at her.
"We'll see."
We reach the small village of Morthal just before dawn. Alessia tells me to get a room in the tavern, and assures me she'll be fine "staying with a friend." I don't question her too much, and we agree to meet at sunset outside the town. I engulf a quick meal and sleep most of the day, waking up just before sunset. As I'm making my way out of town, I notice people gathering just outside of Highmoon Hall, the Jarl's home. They're confronting a man I recognize to be Jarl Sorli's steward, and between their angry shouts the only word I can recognize is "vampire." I quicken my pace just a bit until I reach the edge of town where a familiar black silhouette leans against a pine tree.
"Ready to go, majesty?" Alessia asks, glowing eyes peeking out from under her mask.

~

"Is there a certain way you'd like him killed?" She asks as we pass Whiterun. "I don't usually ask unless specified, but since you're here..."
"I hadn't thought about it. What did you have in mind?" I ask her.
"I don't really have any particular specialty, but I do have a certain flair for the dramatic. Overall, I'd say I'm best with a bow, or a dagger in close combat. You?" She asks.
"Two handed weapons, mainly greatswords. Although I do have some basic archery training, and I usually always keep a dagger if I can't carry something bigger." I explain.
"Hmmm... Well if you were going to kill him, how would you do it?" She asks.
"I've only tried once. There's a small ledge on the mountain, just above his house. The guards were distracted, and I had a clear shot for his head." I explain.
"What stopped you?" She asks.
"I don't know. Whatever shred of decency I have left, I suppose." She laughs.
"I think you and I are a lot more alike than you might think, your majesty." She says. She's probably right.