For All of Skyrim

Chapter 4: Elisif

The ever present hawks glided over Solitude. They were once a beautiful symbol of strength, but now they felt like an omen. Elisif watched them warily as though one may suddenly turn into a dragon and burn her city to the ground. There had been four dragon attacks reported across Skyrim since Falk had relayed the news from Helgen a month ago. Word had also spread of a warrior called the Dragon Born, who had helped to slay them all. He had yet to grace Solitude with his presence, which made Elisif fear that he had been taken in by Ulfric. That's all she needed. A powerful man to kill the dragons, save Skyrim, and then hand it over to a lunatic. She tried not to think about it. With any luck, the Dragon Born would simply clear a path to taking out Ulfric once and for all. A path paved with dragon bones but a path nonetheless. The most recent report had come out of Rorikstead, the closest attack yet. She gripped the balcony railing. A dragon could decide to slaughter her and her people at anytime, and all she could do was sit in the Blue Palace and pray that somehow the dragons and the war would be dealt with.

Elisif looked down at the road below her. Courtiers came and went, greeting one another without a care in the world. She couldn't decide if their indifference bothered her or not. Was willful ignorance better than fear and panic ruling the streets of Solitude? She didn't know. Fear had its place, and maybe her people needed to be more afraid to prepare themselves for an attack. Perhaps they had a right to live their lives in pretend peace, while they still had lives to live. It's funny how impending doom can be an inspiration to live the life you had always wanted, she mused. She wondered what Torygg would have done differently had he known his end was close. Would he have fought it? Devised a way to kill Ulfric before he was challenged to a duel? Maybe he would have accepted his fate and spent every last moment with her. She wasn't sure which outcome was better in that instance either.

Suddenly, a tall built figure, clad in black armor, caught her eye. He strode below her to the front entrance of the palace. The male dark elf was larger than most of his kind, larger than most of her own kind truly. Confidence and power exuded from him. His long black hair fell to his right shoulder blade, and the left half of his head was shaved. Feeling her stare, the male glanced up at her. His red eyes were piercing, and his face was set into an unnerving seriousness. Elisif was surprised then, when his mouth twitched into a smirk and she heard a deep voice say, "Well, hello." She took a step back from the railing, out of view. Who was he? How had he done that? Her mind raced. He sounded like he was right beside her, she had never seen that sort of magic before. Then it occurred to her that he was entering the Blue Palace, her home, and he had just caught her gawking at him. Heat rose to her face in embarrassment. He was probably coming to have an audience with her and he undoubtedly already saw her as a joke, she thought.

She hurried back into the west wing's hall, rattled but determined to not look like a fool again.

Before she made it to the receiving room, Falk intercepted her. His hair had gotten longer, she noticed, it fell in short auburn curls around his temples and over the tips of his ears. He had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his toned forearms that were tanned from the intense Skyrim sun. Unlike most other stewards, Falk was no stranger to hard labor. When he saw a need in the community he filled it in his free time. He helped farmers with harvesting crops and tending to animals, he chopped wood for widows who had no one to help them heat their homes, he carried shipments of barrels and heavy crates into stores and inns. He was unrelenting in his philanthropic nature. He wanted to help people, had to help people or Elisif theorized he might just implode or turn to dust. He could have been charitable so that others might praise him for his virtue, but Elisif knew him too well to think that. He genuinely cared, and was quiet about his deeds, not boastful or prideful. He never even told her about them, she just happened to witness him helping her people on multiple occasions. Falk's white cotton shirt clung to his sweaty chest, and his skin had the sheen of a man that had been hard at work outside for hours. Elisif was surprised that her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. Her gaze hitched on his muscular figure that was typically hidden underneath his formal stewards clothes. He smelled like fresh autumn air, and pine needles, it was everything Elisif could do not to take another step towards him. She had always thought him to be handsome, but her heart belonged to another for as long as she knew him. She never saw him in a romantic way, not until recently. Now he had an effect on her, and she felt ashamed of it.

"Falk, what were you doing?" She asked unable to hide her curiosity, and desperate to come to her senses.

Falk laughed, the sound of it warm and full, "Ah I probably look like a mess, I'm sorry Jarl Elisif, I was just about to change," he scratched the scruff lining his jaw, "I was helping Odar haul in a shipment of crops into the kitchens, I had just gotten done sparring with Captain Aldis when Odar asked for my help, my apologies I thought I had more time before you held court. I know I'm cutting it close."

Elisif shook her head, "You have time, and I wasn't scolding you, it's just not very often that I see you this... way"

His brows rose at her awkwardness, and she wondered if he suspected that she had been admiring his body not a moment ago.

"Not that there's anything wrong with your state of dress!" She exclaimed, "It's nice to see a different side of you. It suits you!" She wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there forever. She shuffled around him, "Anyway, I'll meet you in the receiving room when you're ready." Elisif hurried down the hallway afraid to look Falk in the eye after acting like a flustered school girl. Had she turned around, she would have witnessed his clueless smile.