It had been only a week since I had returned to Windhelm. Ulfric insisted that Lancion and Silva also stayed in the Palace of Kings to ensure their safety. After everything we had been through, no one argued.
When Asmund had disappeared, he must have somehow given me an energy source of some kind. Every time I glanced in a mirror I was surprised to see my moonstone eye no longer, and another gold iris in its place. I can only assume it was a magic force that existed within us when we were born. It wasn't rare for twins to share certain magical abilities, but I hadn't been aware of any connection between Asmund and I. Ulfric joked he preferred only one gold eye, for my severe look increased tenfold.
There was not a night I slept alone. Ulfric has been sure to make me feel very welcome to his bed. I was grateful, for his embrace helped stave off night terrors. But I knew it was only temporary.
"Asdis?"
I looked up at Ulfric who had just woken up. His long, blond hair was unruly, and his voice was thick with sleep.
"Good morning, princess." I teased, brushing some hair away from his face.
He groaned in response, nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck. "Do we have to get up?"
I laughed, kissing the crown of his head. "Yes, we have to get up. You have Jarl duties." I reminded him.
He made an unhappy sound before leaping out of the bed with sudden energy. I laughed again as he stretched in front of the window, completely bare.
"You are ridiculous!" I joked, snuggling my own naked body into the warm spot where he had been. The blankets were torn from my body and I was suddenly cold and very vulnerable. "Ulfric!" I scolded, curling my body into itself.
"If I have to be up so do you." He said, sitting at the end of the bed.
"But I'm not a Jarl." I commented, peeking at him through my arms.
He rolled his eyes before delivering a sharp slap to my behind. I laughed, coming to cling myself to his warm back.
"Five more minutes?" I asked, leaving a muddled mess of kisses on his shoulders. He nodded, turning around to kiss me.
"Maybe more than five." He said, before throwing me back further on the bed and hovering over me. I got a short flashback of Ivan, and my stomach churned.
Ulfric could tell my mood had changed, and he kissed my forehead. "I will kiss away every foul touch that man laid on you. I will remind you that you can be loved gently. That you can be loved without selfishness." He said, leaving soft and gentle kisses.
I tear fell as his words sunk in.
He kissed the scars on my stomach, one a reminder of the monster I was, the other a reminder of the mother I could have been. A guilt set in as I remembered our child. I hadn't said anything to Ulfric, and I didn't plan on it.
My worries were washed away as he continued to whisper sweet nothings into my skin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Asdis!"
I turned around, completely caught off guard to my name being called as I had been immersed in a book.
An elated Lancion sprinted at me, a shiny new set of armor on. I smiled at him as he embraced me, nearly knocking me over.
"I'm off to prove myself! I'll be back in a few days, then I can officially be a Stormcloak!" He said excitedly.
I gave him a kiss, ruffling his hair. "I'm so proud of you. Remember, keep your weak side protected and-"
"And stay light on my feet I know." He finished, slightly exasperated. I laughed at him, giving him another kiss.
"Make sure you say goodbye to Silva."
He nodded and headed off to find his sister and I continued my walk. I was trying to figure out how I could bring up my miscarriage to Ulfric. I noticed Galmar and Althea sitting in the courtyard, having a hushed conversation. They suddenly stopped talking as I walked over to them, suspicious of their strange behavior.
"Asdis! Funny meeting you here!" Althea said hurriedly, standing as I approached. "Well, I must be getting off. You know, to do elfy things." she stammered before scampering away.
I raised an eyebrow at Galmar, who gave an innocent smile.
"Hello." he said, standing to greet me.
"Hello. What were you two talking about?" I asked, motioning towards the direction Althea left.
"Oh, nothing. Just battle stuff." he bluffed, not meeting my eyes.
I gave him a sideways look, scrutinizing him. " Oh, just nothing? So you can tell me then?"
Galmar stumbled over his lie as I gave him my best glower. When he finished with the pitiful excuse that they were planning on making a new training course for new recruits, I patted him on the shoulder.
"Galmar, you're a terrible liar." I said, grabbing his cloak roughly and pulling him closer so that he was forced to look in my eyes. "Tell me what you were talking about." I said in a threatening tone.
"Talos, you are not going to-"
"I will threaten you if I have to." I interrupted, giving him a serious look. I did not appreciate secrets, but I would not tolerate being lied to.
"Alrighty, lass. If anyone asks, I did not tell you this," he said as I released him. He brushed off his clothes before looking around to see if anyone else was in the courtyard. Once he decided it was safe enough for him to say anything, he got closer to me. "Ulfric is going to ask for your hand tomorrow evening. He's out and about getting the ring as we speak."
I was taken slightly aback by this information, less that Ulfric wanted to propose and more that he would be doing it again so soon. Something nagged at me in the back of my mind, almost as if it was telling me something was going to drop. I pushed the feeling back, my mind racing through the information it just received. With Ivan gone, there was little fear of my past catching up to me. There was nothing stopping me from finally settling down, to take it easy for once. Relax, enjoy my time with Silva and Lancion. But married? I'm not sure I was ready for that quite yet.
Galmar gave a quick goodbye and left me alone in the courtyard to mull over my thoughts. I gave up with the fight between what I wanted and what I should do and decided to sleep on the decision and headed back to bed after a rather uneventful day.
Yay! Chapter! I go back to college this weekend so I can't promise much more so frequently, however I have been getting into a writing kick and you might see more material from me! If you enjoy this book I urge you to go check out my Star Trek book "The Cadet". It will definitely keep you busy between updates for this book! I know this chapter was short but there is good reason for it!
Love ya!
Tinmaru
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Wanderer
Fanfiction" That's bullshit." I turned, surprised at his use of language. " I don't know why you have such an aversion to this, but it's bullshit." Ulfric said, advancing on me. " If you're worried about your past, stop. I don't care about it, and if you have...
