Child (Book 2)

Chapter 22

The moment I arrive through the Palace doors, Sofie is on top of me. I swing her around through the air, her legs dangling as her giggles echo through the massive throne room. It's good to see she's doing better since the news of Roggi's death; I also noticed her wearing the amulet he gave her. She seems healthy and cared for, though making sure she's entertained is no easy task. Ulfric approaches us from the war room, kissing Sofie on top of her head.
"You got here rather quickly; I told you to come home whenever you wanted, but I should've known you'd only take explicit orders to do so." He says. I try to pretend I don't hear him call the Palace my "home". Perhaps he means Windhelm as a whole, or he means that the Palace is his home. Still, I have not yet bought that empty house that Jorlief offered. "Where is Galmar?" He asks.
"We had an argument, and I left ahead of him. I'm sure he'll be here tomorrow; that is if he didn't chase after me. He may be just behind me." I explain, glancing to the door; it doesn't move. I try not to remember the things Galmar said; it would only make things strange between Ulfric and I.
"Typical. Are you hungry? Do you need to rest?" Do you need to hunt? I smile; Ulfric has tried to be sensitive to the beast blood, giving me extra time between assignments to hunt. He does it to protect his soldiers from you. I remind myself.
He brings me to the table as Jorlief personally brings in another plate of food. He leaves Sofie's unfinished plate, perhaps hoping she'll return to finish it; I can already tell that's not going to happen. Ulfric tells me that he would rather not start on battle plans without Galmar to avoid making him even angrier, so for today I can do whatever I wish. I change into a spare set of clothes that I left here, kept in Sofie's room with some of my other belongings. You're a thane of his court. The privilege is only because of that.
By late afternoon, Galmar has still not arrived. Ulfric seems a little annoyed at this, but not very. I lay my bag in Sofie's room and prepare to sleep there for the night. However, Ulfric appears in the doorway as I'm sitting by the fire.
"Nova, Galmar is still not here, and I.. I just wondered, if—" I already know what he's asking. He wants you to guard his bed, not get in it.
"Of course, Ulfric." I tell him with a bland smile, picking up Wuuthrad from where it leans against the wall.

~

The next morning I wake up slowly, encased in warmth. Though I've never had a bed with real blankets, laying in it feels as natural as breathing. Something near me is even warmer, so I move towards it. It's a person, solid and breathing.
"Nova..?" I hear someone ask. I open my eyes and see that it's Ulfric I'm pressing against, Ulfric's bed that I'm laying in. I immediately sit up and begin pushing the blankets off and squirming to get up.
"I deeply apologize, Ulfric. I don't remember falling asleep, or getting in your bed— I am truly sorry, I don't—" he stops me, grabbing my shoulder.
"Nova, calm down. You fell asleep in your chair, so I moved you into the bed. I knew you were there all night. If I knew you were so tired, I would've allowed you to sleep." He says calmly. I notice that while he put me under the blankets, he laid on top of them and slept with his back turned to me.
"Ulfric, I can't.. If someone sees—"
"No one will see, and I wouldn't care even if they did. Please lay down; it's still early." He pleads softly. He's just trying to be nice. I remind myself. He can't have you falling asleep in the war meeting. Knowing he's there is very distracting, but I do manage to fall back asleep.

~

I fall asleep again and wake up a few hours later. Ulfric stands in front of the bed, pulling on a fresh shirt. I try not to look at the scars that line his back, but they're hard to miss.
"Oh, you're awake. Galmar has arrived. It's time to begin making plans." He tells me.
"What took him so long?" I ask.
"No idea. I don't really care to know now. I'll leave you so you may change." He says before walking out and quietly closing the door. As soon as I have my armor and bear fur cloak on, I'm stumbling out the door with one boot in my hand and the other under my arm as I struggle to put them on while walking. Ulfric waits for me in the hall, and I see him struggling not to laugh at me. I elbow him as I hobble past him.
When we enter the war room together, the other Stormblades are polite enough to pretend not to notice; Galmar, however, leans over the table and glares at me, but only with half the effort I know he can muster. We both know that our argument was only a bit of frayed nerves at our situation and pent up emotions. Still, I'm angry with him, and the feeling is mutual.
"Took you two long enough." He grumbles. Ignoring him, Ulfric pulls out a roll of paper and spreads it on the desk, displaying a map of Solitude; hand drawn, I notice. I've never been to the capitol of Skyrim in my life, but it's a huge and impenetrable fortress of a city from what I can immediately tell.
"We certainly have our work cut out for us, don't we?" I ask, blinking at the map. Only two entrances in the whole city; the main gate, and a much smaller one underneath the city, marked with a question mark. Not a good sign.
"We can have all the forces in the world, but if we can't get through the front gate it's all over." Ulfric says as I'm thinking this.
"And how do you propose we do that?" Galmar asks.
"I haven't the slightest clue. Ever since I escaped Solitude, the Emperor has had his best archers assembled as guards on top of the wall over the gate. The gate will most definitely be locked long before we arrive. If we rush in with a battering ram they'll just pick us off from above." He explains, pointing out the gate on the map. "There is a passage that goes under the city, but it would be impossible to get enough of our forces through at once, and it's much too small. Not to mention, that will probably be locked as well." He says.
"If not destroyed." One Stormblade mumbles.
"I second that." I reply.
"Use the battering ram, like you said before; we could have others guard them with shields." Another suggests.
"And if they barricade the gate?" I ask. Everyone falls silent again. "Ulfric, perhaps both of us together would be enough to shout the gate down. I'm not well practiced, but maybe you could quickly show me a few things—" Ulfric nods as if he's considering it.
"And put him near those Legion archers? Never." Galmar grunts. He's right; we'd be risking Ulfric, and even as the Dragonborn, I don't know if we have enough time for him to teach what I need to know. "Send in a spy. Have them take out the archers when the siege begins." Galmar finally suggests.
"Are you drunk? That's a suicide mission. I won't send in anyone who's unwilling." Ulfric exclaims.
"You have men and women willing to die for the cause left and right. It wouldn't be hard... And why does everyone keep asking me that? I don't drink that much. Do I?" Galmar asks the Stormblade next to him, who shrugs.
"It doesn't sit right with me. What if the siege fails and they die or are captured for nothing?" Ulfric asks, shaking his head.
"Maybe they won't die? If we send someone qualified, they won't be killed. And considering how our forces have grown and trained while the Empire's have dwindled, I very much doubt the siege will fail." I suggest.
"As soon as those archers are killed, every soldier, guard, and citizen in Solitude will be after this spy. There's almost no chance our forces would be able to get in soon enough to help." He argues.
"I'll do it, I'm a good spy. As Galmar always says, no one suspects the little Breton." I say with a smirk towards him. Galmar doesn't smile, though, looking thoughtfully between Ulfric and I. He just thinks it's a stupid plan. Even if he's wrong.
"No. Not a chance." Ulfric says immediately, barely even listening to my suggestion. The other Stormblades are watching too, making note of the interaction.
"Why, Ulfric? I believe she can do it." Galmar says quietly.
"She would die, that's why. She's the Dragonborn for Talos' sake. Skyrim can't lose her." He snaps, his voice raising.
"I can do it, Ulfric; you know that. When have I ever failed you?" I insist. I can't having the other Stormblades thinking I get special treatment, not now after I've worked this hard.
"And when have I ever sent you on a suicide mission? I said no, that's the end of it." He insists.
"Ulfric.. Don't let your personal feelings interfere. If she's volunteering, let her go. She can handle it." Galmar mumbles, for once becoming the level head in the situation.
"No. My answer is no."

~

I suppose the war meeting ended with that; it ended for me at least. I was frustrated and angry with both of them, so I left before I said or did anything I would regret. I left the Palace and decided to go for a walk and calm down. I don't want special treatment; I thought that was the one thing I was clear on with both Ulfric and Galmar from the beginning. I can't get the faces of the Stormblades out of my head as they not only watched him shut down the only plan I heard that could work, but watched me question his authority and get away with it. I'm angry at myself for doing it, and even angrier at him for not reprimanding me in front of all of them as he should have.
I walk briskly through a small alleyway and the graveyard before finding myself in the market. I stare distantly at the different wares, until finally I see something that sparks an idea. Niranye, the only High Elf in Windhelm, has a black hooded robe laying out on her market stand. I touch the soft dark fabric, and consider if my plan will work. I end up buying two rolls of paper, a piece of charcoal, and the robe.  At Candlehearth Hall I sit by the fire and write two letters.

Dear Marcurio,

I am overjoyed to hear this news, and I will most definitely attend the wedding. Things here in Windhelm have gotten exciting to say the least. I've been promoted to the rank of Stormblade, which is something like a general. I guess you could say I'm pretty important.
I should have some time off soon, and when I do I'll come down to Riften.

Best of wishes, Novariana

Vilkas,

I never lied to you about Sofie. She is an orphan I met in Windhelm, if you don't remember when I wrote to you about her. I hope to adopt her as my daughter someday. Do not accuse me when you don't know anything.
I will return to Jorrvaskr as soon as possible, but it unfortunately won't be possible until I finish my work with the Stormcloaks.

-Stormblade Novariana of Rorikstead, Harbinger of the Companions

As soon as I paid the courier, I headed back to the Palace. It's been a few hours, nearly midnight now. Everyone in the palace seems to be asleep now, save for the guards. I head up to Ulfric's room, and Galmar seems strangely absent from his usual post in front of Ulfric's door. I allow myself in, and surprisingly, I find him asleep in his bed. Part of me wants to wake him up before I leave so that the last thing I say to him won't be an argument, but I know he would stop me. So instead gently touch his shoulder and lean over to kiss his cheek, right on his scar. Then, without a sound, I grab my bag and slip out. I decide to travel light, taking only some food, a bit of gold, and my iron dagger; everything else stays behind. Next, I sneak into Sofie's room. She's fast asleep, thank the gods. I kiss her forehead and quickly step out the door again.
As I'm about to leave the living quarters, a face appears in the darkness and I nearly jump out of my skin. Galmar's beady eyes glare at me from the shadows, and he nods at the door. As soon as we're both in the war room and the door is shut, he speaks as quietly as he can.
"I knew you'd go anyway. You're going against orders. You realize you could get in a lot of trouble for this?" He criticizes.
"Do you realize you're the only person with the authority to do that?" I ask.
"Except for Ulfric." He says.
"Ulfric won't do anything. He wouldn't even stand up to me in front of the other Stormblades." I scoff.
"So now you'll just disregard his orders and make him look worse." Galmar says, crossing his arms.
"Not if you tell them he changed his mind."
"Worked me into your little plan, have you? At least we agree, then. You see that this is a problem." Galmar hisses. I roll my eyes.
"Yes, 'it' is a problem, whatever 'it' is. Now are you going to let me leave or not?" I ask, looking over his shoulder.
"I want you to go. I know there's no one more qualified than you for this. Listen. You go, I'll take care of Ulfric. Just make sure you do your job and do it right." He tells me. "You can't be reprimanded if you got your orders from me."
"You'll be taking a blow for me."
"Yes, but I don't care and he'll get over it. I'm leaving for our hidden camp outside Solitude in three days, and that night we'll take the fort. We'll probably wait three or four days to bring in our troops before we take Solitude. Be prepared. Now go, before he realizes you're gone." He says, pushing me through the throne room.
As I'm entering the cold, quiet streets, he stops me again. "And Nova... Don't die out there, or Ulfric'll have my head." He tells me without even a hint of sarcasm.