The Wolf Queen Awakens

Chapter 46

Days later and things were going well. Cicero was recovering nicely, and Eola was taking him out on a daily basis to see the city. Solitude's children loved him. Solitude's adults were less certain, but it was amazing what they'd put up with from the consort of the new Jarl of Windhelm's daughter.

The Temple had re-opened with a service of thanksgiving for the end of the war, the defeat of Alduin and the safe return of the Jarl and indeed many other sons and daughters of Haafingar... and remembrance for those who were never coming home. The service left everyone feeling a bit emotional, but Argis and Lydia were there to comfort Elisif after.

In happier news, the city was celebrating victory and rather more than that when Falk and Bryling announced their engagement. Gisli raised not a murmur of protest, and after that, Falk threw propriety to the winds, organised the wedding for barely a fortnight in the future and virtually moved in to Bryling's house.

Elisif gave Falk's old room to Argis and named him as the next steward, with Lydia as her new housecarl to replace Bolgeir, gone to serve Falk as his housecarl. The citizens of Solitude were a bit wary at first, but Falk was there to reassure them still, and many had to admit that Argis was friendly enough, and seemed to know what he was doing, and not only that, he seemed to have a way of bringing their Jarl out of herself. Many noted that Elisif seemed a lot more confident and cheerful since her return and she certainly seemed to know what she was doing in a way she never had before. Some of Solitude's gossips even wondered if perhaps there might not be another wedding in the near future. But despite much mutual laughter, teasing and surreptitious whispering between the Jarl and her new steward, there was no sign of kissing, hand-holding, starry-eyed gazing or romantic meals together, in fact the evenings Elisif and Argis spent together were usually marked by bottles of mead everywhere, much laughter, frequent visits from that Reachwoman and her strange jester friend, and no sign whatsoever of any romantic gestures. And then a courier arrived from Whiterun with a letter from Jorrvaskr for the new steward.

"For me?" Argis said, tipping the courier. "From Jorrvaskr? Who in Jorrvaskr?"

"Guy called Vilkas. Said it needed to get to you right away. That's it, gotta go!"

"Vilkas?" Elisif said, watching curiously from the throne. "Why's he writing to you?"

"Because Farkas ain't that good with a pen," Argis said, ripping the seal open impatiently. Weeks since they'd got here and no word from Jorrvaskr, and Argis had been starting to worry. About time someone wrote to him.

"Who does he know in Jorrvaskr?" Bryling asked, reclining in the padded chair Falk had had brought to the courtroom. "Was he a Companion then?"

"No, he's from the Reach," Elisif said, watching Argis's face as he read, her new steward smiling to himself as he did... then frowning. "But he met the Companions while he was helping me out and got to know one of them. Argis, what's up? Is something wrong? Is Farkas OK?"

"Yeah," Argis said, frowning. "They're all fine, they all send their regards, Kodlak says he hopes Cicero's all right. And Farkas is coming here at the end of the week for a visit."

"Well, that's good, right?" Elisif asked, sensing a 'but' in the air. "I know you missed him."

"Farkas?" Bryling whispered quietly to Falk – not quietly enough.

"His boyfriend, apparently," Sybille drawled. "I know, I was surprised too, Argis doesn't seem the type. I thought that Cicero would have been the type to have a man friend, to be honest."

Elisif's gaze turned unblinkingly on all three of them, and court mage, thane and soon-to-be-ex-steward all fell quiet. Elisif had a way just lately of intimidating virtually anyone into silence with barely a word.