Not Alone (A Skyrim Fanfiction)

Chapter 16

     The first Civil War.  It seemed Skyrim was about to become embroiled in a second.

     I mostly just listened, pointing out a few weaknesses and flaws in the other’s plans here or there.  The rest of the time I was thinking about different ways of taking down Miraak myself before this escalated into full on war. 

     I literally had one plan and one plan only: find the dragon Paarthurnax had told me about.  But how in the names of all the Divines was I supposed to find one dragon in a land as vast as Skyrim? 

     Ulfric finally dismissed the generals to give out orders to captains and messengers to take to other captains.  I glanced one last time at the table and started to leave, but Ulfric said, “Wait.”  I turned around, stifling a yawn.  “Kisvar, what really happened on that island?  I know you well enough to see that Miraak being Dragonborn is not the whole story.”

     And this was one of the many things I admired about Ulfric Stormcloak.  Despite that his newly pulled together empire was falling apart underneath him with the possibility of another war, he still had the energy and concern to inquire after individuals.  “It isn’t really anything important,” I lied smoothly.  He had enough concerns, and telling him everything that had happened would only place more of a burden on his shoulders.

     “You’re a good liar, Kisvar, but I didn’t become High King by getting fooled by every falsehood I heard,” Ulfric said dryly.  “Still, if you don’t wish to elaborate, I won’t force you.”

     “I might know him a little better than just his name and that he’s Dragonborn,” I admitted, wanting to impress the seriousness of this situation upon Ulfric.  “He’s very, very strong, even for a Dragonborn.  I-” I paused.  “I honestly don’t know if you could defeat him even with all the soldiers in the army and all the Imperials destroyed.”

     “You speak like you have firsthand experience with this power.” 

     Ulfric was doing what I had done with his letter, inferring everything I left out.  If we stayed on this subject I would soon have no secrets left.  “What are these?” I asked, picking up a paper off a stack on a side table.  Not the smoothest subject change, but it would have to do.

     If Ulfric knew what I was doing he didn’t let on.  “Requests from Holds for soldiers to investigate different problems.  We were shorthanded before the Imperials rallied, and now….”  He rubbed his forehead.  “We’re spread so thin we might as well just send an invitation to the Imperials to attack half our cities.”  Ulfric gestured at the paper I was holding.  “That one is from the Jarl of Dawnstar.  He says there have been troubling reports of strange noises coming from a cave nearby.”

     “Last time there were strange noises in a cave and I went to investigate, it was Potema the Wolf Queen trying to come back to life,” I reminded him.  “I wouldn’t discount the reports so easily.”

     “I don’t mean to imply I am ignoring them.  I simply don’t have the manpower to send someone to take a look right now.  If I did, this would be the first request I would honor.”

     “Why is that?”  Noises in a cave surely couldn’t be as serious as some of these other reports in this pile.

     “They say that with each noise the ground shakes,” Ulfric told me. 

     A loud noise, then the earth shakes.  What could cause something like that?  “What does the Jarl think it is?”

     “He says the people believe the noises are made by restless spirits, and the shaking is caused by them rolling over in their graves.”  Ulfric snorted derisively.  “Superstitious milk-drinkers, the lot of them.  Most likely it’s just a troll or some large beast of the sort.”