Child (Book 2)

Chapter 24

    The first surprise is that I wake up at all.

I've had many close calls in the past year. It's scary every time, but this one felt the worst by far. Normally it feels like missing a step on the way down; this time it felt like falling off a cliff, being dragged back up it, then dropped again. I roll out of bed and vomit some terrible, black substance. Someone is there immediately, rubbing my back to soothe my retching.
"That's alright," she says as she holds my hair away from my face. "Preist Rorlund warned us this would happen. It's a good sign, I'm sure." When I open my eyes, I see she already had a pot next to my bed; she quickly replaces it and hands me a damp cloth to wipe my face. My whole body aches like I was struck in the stomach with a war hammer. The room I'm in is lavishly decorated; just the blanket I lay on probably costs more than most families make in a year.
"Where am I?" I ask, my voice hardly more than a harsh whisper.
"The Blue Palace, Stormblade. You're safe, I promise." She insists. She's a young Nord girl, perhaps in her mid-teens, with short, dark hair. She's tall with willowy limbs, pretty too; even though her teeth are a bit large.
"What happened?" I ask.
"From what I heard, Stormblade, you were poisoned. Jarl Ulfric brought you to Priest Rorlund at the Temple of the Divines; he gave you an antidote, but said that you'll still need to... expel the poison from your body. Jarl Ulfric left you in Queen Elisif's care, who left you in mine... Oh! My name is Erdi, by the way." She chatters away as she begins to help me out of bed. I've never felt so weak as she walks me to a bathtub in the corner of the room.
"Where is Jarl Ulfric now?" I ask as she unceremoniously pulls my nightgown over my head. The cut on my collarbone is scarred over, though it's still pink and fresh.
"I'm not quite sure. Somewhere in the city, surely; I'd bet he's a busy man." She says as I sit down in the bath. The water is warm, to my surprise. Erdi washes my hair; I commend her, it's not an easy task. When the water turns murky, she pulls me out and dresses me again, escorting me back to bed. As she's tucking me back into bed, someone knocks quietly on the door. Erdi cracks it open and gasps. "Oh! You have a visitor, Stormblade." She tells me cheerfully. For a moment I try to sit up and fix my hair until I realize it's not Ulfric. It's a woman, with one of the quietest voices I've ever heard.
"Stormblade Novariana, I am Que— Jarl Elisif. I hope you're feeling better than yesterday." She says politely as she touches my shoulder. The former High Queen, I realize. Ulfric never talked about her much, perhaps out of guilt. I know he regrets many things about the way Torryg died, and Elisif is one of them. She's young, I realize; closer to my age than Ulfric's. Doe-eyed and pretty, her posture perfect; everything you would expect a queen to be.
"Of course, your majesty. Delighted to meet you, although I wish the circumstances were different. You're very generous to host me in my time of need." I tell her, rubbing spots from my vision. She gives me a restrained smile, blinking rapidly as she brushes non-existent dust from her lovely dress.
"Yes, well.. Priest Rorlund said he would be back today with another concoction, I think. Something to help you—"
"Your majesty? I believe he's here." Erdi says from her position by the door.
Priest Rorlund enters, an older man with the most unfortunate bald spot on the front of his head.
"Hello, Stormblade. Good to see you again, and conscious this time!" He jokes. "How are you feeling? Not very well, I would guess."
"I'm not questioning your skill, Priest, but... Yes, quite terrible." He laughs loudly, making poor Elisif flinch.
"I thought you might, so I brought you this," He says, uncorking a potion in an orange bottle and thrusting it toward me. "Should get your strength up a bit." I tip the bottle back and immediately gag; it tastes like fire and acid.
"You could've warned me." I hiss at the Priest. He laughs again.
"Ah, but if I'd have warned you would you have taken it?" As I shake my head and try to wish away the bitter taste, I do start to feel better; more awake.
"Now, I don't have to warn you to try not to let this happen again; but I should warn you that you were very nearly dead by the time that you got to me." He says grimly, a stark contrast to his jovial nature. I remember very well how it felt, and that news doesn't shock me; I knew exactly what was happening, and somehow, I didn't care.
"I understand, Priest Rorlund. I owe you quite a bit—" I begin, but he raises a hand to stop me.
"I was healing quite a few people, but he made sure you were prioritized. If he hadn't, you wouldn't be here. If you owe me, you owe him a great deal more." He explains.
After stunning me into silence, Priest Rorlund leaves a few more of the potions for me to drink over the coming days, then quickly hurries away, insisting he has others to check on as well; I don't doubt it, but that leaves me in the awkward position of making small talk with the woman whose husband Ulfric killed.
"Your majesty, if I may, do you know where Jarl Ulfric is?" I ask. At the mention of his name, she purses her lips.
"Stormblade, I'm not queen anymore; just 'Jarl' will suffice. As for Jarl Ulfric, if I'm not mistaken he left this morning to visit his injured soldiers, then went on a tour of some of the closer Stormcloak camps in... Celebration, I suppose. He may be back to join us for dinner tonight. Or not." She says. I realize how hard this must be for her; inviting the killer of her husband under her roof, to her dinner table.
"My Jarl, would you think of me as rude if I told you I was sorry for the death of your husband?" I ask, perhaps a bit too directly, as tears gather in her eyes.
"No, I don't think so, Stormblade. No one has ever told me that before," She says quietly, glancing at her lap. "All anyone said was that it was my duty to replace him, that I would have to work hard and end the war. Everyone was so busy trying to prepare me and present me; no one ever asked how I felt." She explains. She clears her throat, straightening her dresses as she stands. "I hope you're feeling well enough to join us for dinner; you'd be very welcome. Excuse me." She says, then walks out quickly. As soon as the door is shut, Erdi is yanking me out of bed.
"You must get ready! You've been invited to dinner with Jarl Elisif and the Thanes of the court. Oh, how I've always dreamed.." She gushes as she opens a wardrobe stuffed with dresses.
"Erdi... You don't think I upset Jarl Elisif, do you?" I ask.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it too much, miss. She's been acting a bit strange since Jarl Ulfric took the city, and I don't exactly blame her... Oh, pardon me Stormblade, I've said too much." She says, clamping her mouth shut with the silk shirt she pulls from the wardrobe.
"No, I understand Erdi." I tell her as she puts a plain gown over my head. It's loose, so she ties a belt over it. She can't possibly stop there though, so she puts gaudy jeweled necklaces around my neck and a heavy, green, embroidered robe on my arms. She finishes it off with an itchy sheepskin shawl over my shoulders. The shawl and robe combined are so thick that the wool is pushed up to my cheeks, and my fingertips can barely be seen out of the sleeves of the robe. I suppose I look regal in some sense, but only if I were attending an outdoor dinner party in the dead of winter.
"Erdi.. It's lovely, but-." I say carefully.
"Understood, Stormblade." She giggles as she begins to pull the layers off of me. We decide on a practical silk shirt and pants with a leather vest, layered with a navy blue quilted tunic. Erdi does what she can with the tangled skeever nest on my head, and eventually gets it into a braid. She attempts to place a jeweled circlet on my head, but I turn it down.
When Erdi is done, I step back and look at myself in the mirror. The clothes aren't particularly revealing or feminine, but I feel beautiful. Not quite as beautiful as Elisif, but I'm no queen; I'm a soldier.
"Thank you so much Erdi, I look stunning." I tell her.
"Have you really never been to a formal dinner before? I expected you would've, being so close to Jarl Ulfric." She says, winking at me as she tightens my belt. I almost laugh.
"Really Erdi, how much do you know about me?" I ask.
"Oh, all of Skyrim knows who you are. Not only a member of the Circle, a Stormblade and a close... Friend of Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, but the Dragonborn. You've no idea how jealous I am of you, so many adventures you must've been on already... But I suppose it's nothing new for the Dragonborn of legend." She says wistfully.
"Me? Oh no,I grew up in a village for Talos' sake! This is all new to me." I explain, laughing. She visibly flinches when I mention Talos, but says nothing about it.
"You did..? I beg you to tell me more—"
"After dinner, Erdi; I fear I'm already late." I insist as I step shakily towards the door. To my surprise, I trip and catch myself on the door handle.
"I'm afraid you're not quite back to your old self, Stormblade. You must let me help you.." She carefully helps me to my feet and escorts me by my arm out the door.
The throne room of the Blue Palace is even more lavish than the small bedroom I was given. The entrance is on a lower level, leading to two large grand staircases into the main throne area. Jarl Elisif sits at a small table beside her throne with a middle aged man and woman, who laugh uproariously while she sits quietly and sips her drink.
"Ah, Stormblade Novariana. I would like to introduce you to the two thanes of my court; Thane Erikur and Thane Bryling." She mumbles. Luckily, the two of them actually hear her. Erikur wipes his nose on his sleeve and kisses my hand with his pudgy lips before winking at me and taking another sip of his mead. Bryling does me the favor of only shaking my hand, but leaning in to whisper in my ear.
"Don't mind Erikur, he was drunk when he got here." She tells me. I giggle with her as I sit down, but really I'm despising him more and more by the second.
"So! We got ourselves a little Miss High Queen to be at our table tonight. And we all know I'm not talking about our dear Elisif, gods bless her heart." Erikur jests before bursting into laughter again. Bryling fakes a laugh but looks at me with wide eyes. In my confusion I turn to Jarl Elisif for an answer, but she seems to be closely focused on her knees. "Helloooo? Can she hear me? Didn't go deaf too, did ya?" He almost shouts at me. I can see he's making everyone uncomfortable, so I turn it around on him.
"Oh yes, Thane Erikur, I can hear you just fine, even if I wish I didn't. I just couldn't help but be appalled at how shamelessly drunk you are!" I say in a sarcastic tone. His smile drops immediately as Bryling laughs and even Elisif giggles a bit.
"Well I don't know why, but I expected the girl to have some manners. I guess we can't expect much from these Stormcloak heathens, eh Elisif?" He says, suddenly ignoring my presence. "It's none of your business how much I drink, little girl." Jarl Elisif looks to be on the verge of tears now. Another jab like that and she's going to crack under the pressure. Standing behind her, staring straight ahead, is a familiar face. I hadn't noticed the new Stormcloak guards until now, but standing there is Bone-Breaker Olatra Green-Eyes.
"Perhaps, but it is my business when you make others, even your own Jarl, disgusted and uncomfortable in your presence. I hope you don't act like this all the time, if you do I'm surprised you haven't been stripped of your title." I tell him as I look down my nose at him. He stands up and flings his chair back.
"How dare you speak to me like that, Breton!" He shouts, but I shout over him.

"Fus!"

Erikur flies backward into the corner, his stomach slamming into the marble wall. I didn't shout loud enough to hurt him, just enough to get him a respectable distance away from me. Bryling and Jarl Elisif stare at me in shock.
"Jarl Elisif, if I may, I believe it's time for Erikur to get an escort home. He seems much too tired to continue." I say innocently. She only nods weakly.
"Bone-Breaker Olatra, please show Erikur out." I say gently, winking at her. She winks back with her sea-colored eyes and roughly picks Erikur out of the floor by his collar and walks with him towards the stairs.
"Well, I'm glad someone did something about him before I did." Bryling says, taking a large swig from her drink.
"I apologize for my rough behavior. I just can't tolerate... his type." I say, taking a bite out of my horker meat.
"Rough behavior? You didn't even lift a finger!" Bryling remarks. The two of us laugh at this, and Elisif even smiles a little bit.
We finish our meal listening to a few stories from Bryling about her younger days. Bryling is funny if you excuse her loudness; she used to be an adventurer, but settled down with her husband here in Solitude after becoming thane. She mentions her daughter studying to be a scholar in the Imperial City many times over. The night has gone well, but I still have questions.
"I hate to bring up Erikur, but I was a bit confused about what he said.." I tell them. Jarl Elisif's face falls.
"And what was that?" Bryling asks.
"Well... He said a future High Queen was at the table, and it wasn't Jarl Elisif... I just don't understand what he meant. Was it just another insult." Jarl Elisif and Bryling both look at me in confusion now. Then, a wave of understanding washes over Jarl Elisif's face.
"Have you not heard? Do you not know?" Bryling questions. Elisif sighs, looking at her empty plate.
"Thane Bryling, let me explain. Stormblade Novariana was injured during the battle yesterday. She wasn't conscious for Jarl Ulfric's speech... " she says slowly, looking Bryling carefully in the eyes. Bryling eyes go wide too as she understands Elisif.
"Oh. Oh... Tell me Novariana, what is the last thing you remember..?" She asks slowly. I swallow, picking at my food. Bryling is very nice, but she hasn't seen real battle in a long time; Elisif has never seen battle, as far as I know. How do I phrase this.
"Well... I was taken prisoner by the Legion. I remember Ulfric and Galmar finding me, and... Executing General Tullius." I explain. Elisif flinches, taking a large sip of her wine. Bryling shakes her head softly; I forget these people knew him, were friends with him. "I remember him holding me, people shouting... that's it." I recount. In truth, I remember much more; details that would reduce me to tears if they asked. The two of them look at each other again, saying something with their eyes that I can't understand.
"After I swore fealty to Jarl Ulfric, he announced his intention to wait for the moot to decide on the future High Ruler of Skyrim." Jarl Elisif says, raising her chin, even as she can't look me in the eye. I knew he would do that. It wouldn't be right if he had done otherwise and simply announced himself to be High King. He never would've been a real King of Skyrim, not that way. Bryling sighs and shakes her head; she knows it's pointless for Jarl Elisif to have any sense of hope. "And... He announced his intention to marry." Bryling tells me. I immediately choke on my drink.
"To who?" I cough. When I look back to Elisif, tears run down her cheeks. Is it Elisif? My gut sinks as I realize how much sense it would make, how much easier it would be for him. Galmar talked him into it, I'm sure, and I don't blame him after the way I've acted. Even I said she's everything a Queen should be.

The second surprise is what Elisif says next.

"To you, Novariana. He wants to marry you." She sobs before running out of the room.

Fan art credits: http://ninzz-minigoth.deviantart.com/art/Jarl-Elisif-the-Fair-292625148