Song of the Dragon and the Bear

Chapter 5

"You have a lot of work to do, my friend," Ulfric stated dryly. Galmar shrugged, the bearskin he wore over his shoulders moving as he did, and then strode out into the middle of the courtyard and began to bellow orders and instructions.

Ulfric sighed again, his frustration escaping in an agitated breath only to be breathed in the next second. He turned towards the door that led back inside, but as he did so, a figure caught his eye. He turned back around, focusing on the figure and saw that it was a woman. She was standing off to the side of the courtyard, watching the men train. Ulfric's first thought was that she was a citizen who had wandered into the back courtyard on accident. His second thought was that she was a spy, a thought he dismissed quickly; he had guards stationed at the two entrances of the courtyard, so she couldn't have entered unless they thought she belonged. So who was she? The woman wasn't facing towards him, and all he could see was the outline of her profile.

The thin layer of snow on the ground crunched under his booted feet as Ulfric made his way around the edge of the courtyard toward the woman. On the way, he was almost hit by no less than four different trainees, all of whom quickly apologized. He waved off each apology and offered words of encouragement, but on the inside, he was becoming more and more certain that these men were going to get themselves killed.

Finally, Ulfric made it over to the woman's side and saw that the woman was, in fact, Vara Oaken-Song. "My jarl," she said, nodding to him respectfully before turning her attention back to the men training in the yard. They stood in a silence for a few moments both watching the men in front of them. After a few moments, Vara broke the silence by saying, "The problem is their stance. With those stances, they'll never be able to control the power that they are trying to use," she paused then blushed slightly and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "My apologies, my jarl. I did not mean to insult your soldiers."

Ulfric waved the apology away. "You're right. These men are farmers and have only been training for a few days; they haven't learned yet that their feet are just as important as their fists," Ulfric stated simply. He made a mental note to tell Galmar to review proper stances with them tomorrow. It wouldn't do to have soldiers falling over on the battlefield because they didn't place their feet properly before they swung their battleax.

There was silence, other than the sound of men cursing under their breaths and metal clanging against wood, for a few more moments until Ulfric asked, "How did you find yourself here, Miss Oaken-Song?"

Vara started, as if she had forgotten his presence for a moment. "My apologies. I came to the Palace to find you, and your steward directed me here. The soldiers distracted me."

"So I can see. Why did you need to see me?" Ulfric asked. It was rare for someone to seek him out if he was not on his throne, people would often simply wait for him to return rather than try and find him. He had a feeling that this was only one of the many things that made Vara Oaken-Song different from others.

"I completed the task you gave me and repaid my debt, if you will accept my payment," Vara replied. "I aided your citizens as you asked."

Ulfric nodded. "Jorleif told me that you were hunting a bear a few days ago for Reyyl and his wife Ninesea. May I ask why?"

"I hunted the beast that injured Reyyl," Vara explained. "I hoped it would give them some form of closure."

"Did it?"

"I believe so, my jarl, but there is no giving back a life that was taken. Reyyl did not die, but his life now consists of his house only, as he can't walk very far."

Ulfric nodded thoughtfully. "Who else did you aid?" he asked. He did not doubt her word, but he wanted to hear her reasons for helping the people that she did.