The Wolf Queen Awakens

Chapter 47

Midday on the eve of the Moot and Elisif was quietly starting to panic. Best outfit on – check. Jewels and circlet shiny? Check. Hair brushed, clean and styled – check. Make-up done – check. Palace clean – check. Guest quarters ready and fully supplied, both here and in Castle Dour – well, Argis had assured her all was well there. Extra food and drinks were here, extra staff hired, the Bards' College promising post-Moot entertainment, evening reception at the palace organised for tonight, dragon lounging on the roof firmly instructed to behave. All was ready.

And Elisif felt terrified.

"Argis?" Elisif whispered as she sat in the Blue Palace's main hall, perched on the edge of the flowerbed at the foot of the ornate staircase leading up to her throne room, awaiting the arrival of the first Jarls. "Argis, is it going to be all right?"

"No, they all hate you, expect assassination attempts tonight and humiliation tomorrow. Even Da's gone off you," Argis said, a little shrug of his shoulders and his voice sounding utterly unworried. For the briefest of seconds, Elisif felt panic seize her, and then she saw the little grin on his face and promptly hit him in the side.

"Stop that," Elisif threatened. "Or I take your job and give it to Odahviing." Argis did laugh at that... for about ten seconds, then he glanced at her face and laughter turned to nervousness.

"Er... you wouldn't. Right, El? I mean, he wouldn't fit in the palace, right?"

"He could interrogate visitors in the courtyard," Elisif said, already warming to the subject. "In fact, Argis, next time I'm feeling under the weather, we'll do that, have Odahviing sit on the roof and stop anyone coming in unless it's really important."

"Will do, Elisif," Argis grinned. "Best not to let him loose with the paperwork though. You don't want the guard roster and the monthly invoices carved into stone and carted off to Castle Dour every time."

Elisif giggled at the mental image of important Hold paperwork being replaced with clawmarks in rock or glowing Thu'ums Shouted into the city's buildings. Took her mind off the Moot anyway... and then she remembered and was back to square one.

"You'll still be my friend if I lose, right?" Elisif whispered. "I mean... you won't leave me?"

"I will not leave you," Argis promised. "Nor will anyone else."

A reassurance, but deep down she'd known all along he'd say that. It wasn't his loyalty that concerned her.

"And... and Madanach, he'll still love me, right?" Elisif said softly, trying not to think of his reaction to a No vote.

"He will still love you," Argis promised. "He will remain Jarl of Windhelm, Nepos will still have the Reach, Da will still start throwing his weight around or being a conniving arse like he always is, and your opponents will start having unfortunate things happen in their Hold ranging from mysterious bandit attacks to a plague of the walking dead, and gods help the poor bastard who took your crown. It'll be yours in six months, don't worry. 'Sides, you already got you, Da, Nepos, Balgruuf, Kraldar and now Idgrod. Six out of nine and I think Brina will back you too if she finds out it was you got rid of the nightmares. Maven's also inclined your way. Just leaves Siddgeir. You get on with him?"

"No," Elisif admitted. "Him and Torygg got in a fight over me once at a party at the Bard's College. Siddgeir wasn't Jarl yet, Torygg was still a prince, we weren't even married. We'd only recently started seeing each other and hadn't announced anything. Siddgeir thought I was a servant or a student maybe and wouldn't leave me alone. Until Torygg turned up and hit him. It's been very awkward ever since."

"So it should be, he should be ashamed of himself," Argis snorted. "Does Da know that story – of course not. Well, don't you worry. Your new boyfriend's scarier than Torygg ever was."